Cover image courtesy of Willow Park Stud
The name Willow Park was on the buyer’s board at last week’s Fasig-Tipton Digital February Sale, continuing a habit that goes back to the mid-90s for stud owner Glenn Burrows.
Willow Park secured the Grade 3-placed mare Sister Otoole (USA) (Amira’s Prince {Ire}) for US$190,000 (AU$290,000). She will return to Australia to be bred this spring.
In December, Burrows purchased Breeze Easy (GB) (Bated Breath GB) for US$180,000 (AU$275,000) at another Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale, and she has stayed in the States to continue her racing career, in the short term at least.
“I bought Breeze Easy for some clients. She had been Group 3 placed at Belmont and only went down by a short margin. She hasn’t won a stakes race and we thought we would keep her there to try and get a stakes win,” Burrows said.
Breeze Easy (GB) | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
“She ran for the syndicate the other day and ran fourth in a Listed race – very encouraging - and we will give her another run or two at a similar track.
“Hopefully we can nail that black type. But regardless, she has a great pedigree and is very good looking and obviously has a heap of speed.
“In all I’ve bought four in America recently. I’m just looking to upgrade the mares overall and try and establish a few more clients.
“The way the game has gone with the polarisation of the market, you will buy one better mare for two or three hundred (thousand) and you will split her up. It’s a bit of a rarity these days to have those good clients who will buy one or two or three outright. There’s a lot more work involved that way, but recruiting the mares is something I very much like to do.”
“The way the game has gone with the polarisation of the market, you will buy one better mare for two or three hundred (thousand) and you will split her up. It’s a bit of a rarity these days to have those good clients who will buy one or two or three outright.” - Glenn Burrows
Burrows has long had a fascination with US breeding, dating back to his days when he was bloodstock manager of William Inglis.
“I just liked their different bloodlines and thought they could complement ours and the speed oriented nature of it rather than European distance horses,” he said.
Golden introduction
Burrows first foray into the American market however came as a result of a deal he struck during his time at Inglis to have the 1993 Golden Slipper winner Bint Marscay (Marscay) sold to a brand new international investor.
“I had a call from Lynden Burns, he was the general manager of a fledgling company called Roselands, and they were looking to get into the breeding game,” Burrows recalls.
“We used to have what were called 'mixed sales' every few months in those pre-digital sale days. They consisted of all types of thoroughbreds - yearlings, broodmares, racehorses, stallions, we even sold stud books and turf registers, etc., at the end of some sales.
Glenn Burrows | Image courtesy of Willow Park Stud
“'Anyway Lynden asked me about a certain Marscay filly in the racehorse section. She lacked a bit of page and looked like an $8,000 to $10,000 filly but with not much commercial appeal apart from her sire. I explained that to him and he said they were looking for high end commercial mares and that they also wanted to buy a farm. This was music to a bloodstock agent’s ears!
“Lo and behold about a week later I heard that Bint Marscay had gone amiss and the Sheikh who raced her would contemplate selling her. I assessed her credentials and I'm known for being conservative and I valued her at $500,000. I called the Sheikh’s racing manager, David Bay, and asked what would it take to buy her? I said, ‘I think she's worth $500,000’, and he replied that the Sheikh wanted out and if I could get that we had a deal.
“I called Lynden and expected him to say it's too much money but he didn't flinch and said he would make a call to Tommy Simon, the company owner, and see what he says.
“Later that day he said they would take her subject to inspection.
Giant bid misses the mark
The Bint Marscay deal paved the way for Burrows to build a close friendship with Simon, who would later go on to own Vinery in Australia and America.
“She ended up only having four foals - three of them were stakes winners and these daughters produced another 10 stakes winners.”
“In the following 12 months I suggested we go to the Keeneland November sale as it had always been fascinating to me,” Burrows said.
Keeneland sales ring | Image courtesy of Keeneland
“It was a real eye opener for someone who'd never been to Kentucky before. We were underbidder or smashed on the first three we tried to buy.
“Tommy is a lovely guy but he lacks a bit of patience. He said, ‘Glenn I’m sick of this, we need to buy the best mare and then we play golf.’
“So I went off and inspected a number of the high-class mares that I'd put in the top-end category in the back of my catalogue. Then I found her, a beautiful bay mare with a white blaze and a lovely shape to her. She was in foal to Storm Cat, so as a dual Group 2 winner, she wasn't going to be cheap.
“So I went off and inspected a number of the high-class mares that I'd put in the top-end category in the back of my catalogue. Then I found her, a beautiful bay mare with a white blaze and a lovely shape to her (Mariah's Storm). She was in foal to Storm Cat, so as a dual Group 2 winner, she wasn't going to be cheap.” - Glen Burrows
“I told Tommy and Lynden and they were immediately on board. We ended up bidding up to US$1.5 million, which was a lot back then but we were well beaten with Coolmore the buyer.
“The mare was Mariah's Storm and she was carrying Giant's Causeway in her belly at the time!”
Giant’s Causeway (USA) was Horse of the Year in Europe in 2000 and joint Champion International 3YO, winning nine races, including six at Group 1 level, before becoming a successful international sire.
Giant's Causeway (USA) | Image courtesy of Coolmore
Mariah’s Storm (USA) (Rahy {USA}) had eight individual winners, seven of which were stakes performed.
“That could have been a game changer if I got her,” Burrows said.
“After we got beaten on her we went to the golf course and with my terrible slice, Tommy exacted revenge on me. We ended up going back the next couple of years after that and I’ve been buying mares there ever since.”
Bitten by the bug
On that same initial trip, Burrows met Johnny Jones of Walmac Farm, Kentucky, who had three mares in foal to Southern Hemisphere time. He asked Burrows how they would be accepted in Australia and sent them down to be sold at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale.
“I was extremely excited by the venture and he was happy enough with the prices I valued the mares at,” Burrows said.
“Remarkably, two of the three mares ended up producing Group 1 winners, but the one that held the most interest for me was Miss Bold Appeal. She was a six furlong winner and by a successful sire called Valid Appeal. I think the only other mare by him in Australia was the Widden import Dream Appeal, who produced thee stakes winners down here and she and her daughters were commercial goldmines.
Johnny Jones | Image courtesy of Walmac Farm
“Miss Bold Appeal was a sister to a Group 2 winner and also a three-quarter sister to three other stakes winners.
“She was offered in foal to Nureyev and had produced one earlier foal in the US, a filly by Belong To Me.
“I explained the selling points to Tommy and Lynden and they ended up buying her for US$300,000 with a young Vin Cox the auctioneer.
“I explained the selling points to Tommy and Lynden and they ended up buying her for US$300,000 with a young Vin Cox the auctioneer.” - Glenn Burrows
“One point that attracted me to the mare was that the Belong To Me filly was sold for US$220,000 at the Fasig Select Florida 2YO sale, so I thought surely she has some form of ability, as this was the first crop of a US$5000 stallion at the time. The filly turned out to be Jersey Girl who was a Champion 3YO sprinter in the US and won nine of her 11 starts, winning her last seven in a row with the final three all being Group 1s.
“The Nureyev foal that Miss Bold Appeal was carrying subsequently made $700,000 as a yearling and raced as St Petersburg. He won the G3 Danehill S. and was fourth in the G1 Lightning at Flemington. He went to stud in New Zealand and sired half a dozen stakes winners, including the G1 winner Solzhenitsyn.
“My US interest had gone from a flicker to a wildfire.”
Consistent success
Some of the mares imported to Australia by Burrows include Forget The Weather (USA) (Stormy Atlantic {USA}), dam of Group 1 winner Bella Vella (Commands); I’mtoogoodtobetrue (USA) (Good And Tough {USA}), dam of Group 2 winner Rommel (Commands) and Ms Seneca Rock (USA) (Seneca Jones {USA}), dam of Listed winner Minaj (Commands).
Like a lot of commercial farms, Willow Park frequently trade mares and they have 35 to be sold at upcoming broodmare sales this year.
A recent success story for new owners is Islay Inlet (Can) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}), a US$16,000 buy for Burrows out of Keeneland who was sold in foal to So You Think (NZ) at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale to Mullaglass Stud for $110,000. This year Mullaglass sold her Justify filly at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $420,000.
So You Think (NZ) | Standing at Coolmore
“I get such a thrill out of our sale mares, especially the imports being successful for new owners,” Burrows said.
“Just this season alone we have had 10 of our sale mares produce stakes winners, including the Group 1 winners Quintessa and Sunshine In Paris, Group 2 winner Flag Of Honour and Group 3 winners Benedetta, Libertad, Archo Nacho and Brazen Style.”
