Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Ben Cooper was not raised with horses, he didn’t even come from a family with any real interest in horse racing. But, after heading to the races with schoolmates he quickly realised that he wanted thoroughbreds not only in his life, but as a major part of his life.
Starting off by dabbling in ownership, Ben from those early days had in the back of his mind that he wanted to breed racehorses and to that end he started to concentrate on fillies, excited by the prospect of “deciding their destiny.”
The process of buying a filly, cheering them on at the track and then selecting a stallion and raising their foals is something Ben derives great pleasure from and his enthusiasm when he talks about his horses is obvious - this is a man living his dream.
It was whilst on holidays on the Mornington Peninsula that Ben spied the very nice bit of land that is now his stud, Merricks Station. It has been used for cattle grazing but looked ideally placed to be developed for the raising of horses - which it has now been doing since 2018.
Ben Cooper | Image courtesy of Merricks Station
It has been a work in progress, the homestead only just being completed with Ben looking forward to moving in with his family - his “very supportive” wife Lizzie and their three children aged eight, 10 and 12.
He is hoping, once they are on the farm around horses, that they will love them as much as he does.
It did not take long for Ben - who believes in surrounding himself with knowledgeable and experienced people - Mat Becker and his farm manager Dee Gess-Jones (“she has been with us from the start and is an integral part of our planning, preparation and evolution”) two he has great respect for - to breed his first big race winner.
Taking a Kermadec (NZ) colt to the 2019 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, Ben was delighted to receive $200,000 for the horse later named Tuvalu; happier still when he put his class on display winning the 2022 G1 Toorak H.
It was a satisfying success, the result of Ben’s long-term plan to buy fillies with the view of breeding with them. Buying Tuvalu’s dam Hangin’ Tough (Exceed And Excel) with the Ellerton Zahra stable at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2014, he was - like any owner - not thrilled that she did not show much ability.
But, he says, there is always upside buying a well related filly (Hangin’ Tough is a three-quarter sister to Helmet) - “you get another crack,” he said.
Hangin’ Tough as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Hangin’ Tough is one of the 25 mares currently owned by Merricks Station, Ben saying that is the number he is happy to sit at.
“We will keep refining the broodmare band, building up the pages. We are racing about 15, mainly fillies and we also buy mares at the sales.”
“We will keep refining the broodmare band, building up the pages. We are racing about 15, mainly fillies and we also buy mares at the sales.” - Ben Cooper
Such as Calaverite (Lonhro) who he snared for $310,000 at the 2022 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale - not long before her son Golden Mile (Astern) embarked on his very successful spring.
A Listed winner, Calaverite was purchased in foal to Street Boss (USA), that colt to be sold at Inglis Easter with Ben liking to divide his yearlings between the major sales - “a third each at the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne. It is good to be able to pick your mark regarding which sale is best for each horse.”
Tuvalu’s dam Hangin’ Tough has her yearling - a son of Capitalist - at Oaklands, Lot 273 bred in the hope of producing a compact, sprinting type - “and that is what he is.”
Lot 273 - Capitalist x Hangin’ Tough (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
One of the first successful filly purchases along with Ellerton/Zahra was Whistle Baby (Magnus) who was secured for $60,000 at the 2012 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale. A very good race mare who won seven races - five of those in town - she was Group 3-placed and just the sort of mare Ben was happy to breed with.
On the urgings of Mat Becker - with whom he loves to discuss breeding plans (“we act like a soundboard to each other”) - Ben sent Whistle Baby to Justify (USA) in 2019 and was pleased with the result - “a lovely, lovely colt.”
Unfortunately, that colt was going through a bit of a growth spurt come Inglis Premier time and was purchased by pinhooker Tal Nolen for $65,000. By the time he made it to the Inglis Ready2Race Sale he had furnished nicely, catching the eye of Robbie Griffiths, Mathew de Kock and Peter Ford who put in the winning bid of $150,000.
Verdad | Image courtesy of Racing Photos
And that horse is Verdad (Justify {USA}) who bolted in with his debut at Bendigo last September, finished second in the G2 Stutt S. at just his second outing and a close-up sixth in the G1 Caulfield Guineas at his third.
Also second in the G2 Moonee Valley Vase and fifth in the G1 VRC Derby, he ran a lovely third (without the best of luck) first-up in the G3 CS Hayes S. and has thrived since.
“Verdad is pleasing Mat and I in his preparation for the Guineas,” Robbie Griffiths said. “He was terrific at Flemington and has come through that race very well. He galloped beautifully on Monday morning and his fitness has improved. He has a good barrier so fingers crossed he can give us a great show on Saturday.”
“He (Verdad) was terrific at Flemington and has come through that race very well. He galloped beautifully on Monday morning and his fitness has improved. He has a good barrier so fingers crossed he can give us a great show on Saturday.” - Robbie Griffiths
Ben will be one of those on course cheering him on, proud when horses carrying the Merricks Station brand perform well at the elite level.
Verdad is one of a number of 3-year-olds sold by the stud showing promise, others including Extremely Rowdy (Extreme Choice) who impressed winning two in a row for the Peter Gelagotis stable last spring (sold as a weanling at Inglis for $70,000) and Cape Byron (Capitalist) who was sold at the 2020 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $260,000 and who has had two starts this preparation and won both of them.
Ben remains in the ownership of that Ciaron Maher-trained gelding, always happy to stay in. “I think it is important to take all of your horses to the sales but we are always happy to jump back in, I think it shows that we have confidence in the type or horses we are breeding.”
“I think it is important to take all of your horses to the sales but we are always happy to jump back in, I think it shows that we have confidence in the type or horses we are breeding.” - Ben Cooper
Another Merricks Station horse in work with Maher is the yet-to-race 2-year-old Empress Of The Sun (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) whose dam Wabi Sabi (Jpn) (Symboli Kris S {Jpn}) was sourced in Japan.
She was sent twice to Harbinger (GB) with that stallion’s outstanding daughter Deirdre (Jpn) being her half-sister. Hence Empress Of The Sun is that dual Group 1-winning mare’s three-quarter sister - and hopefully a prized broodmare for Merricks Station in the future.
Wabi Sabi’s yearling is part of the Inglis Premier draft - Lot 58, the only Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) in the sale, a colt Ben says is built very much in the mold of his high-achieving sire.
Lot 58 - Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) x Wabi Sabi (Jpn) (colt) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He is currently Japan’s second leading sire. His stats are amazing and we have already had a number of trainers commenting on this colt - he is a beautiful horse, very strong like Lord Kanaloa.”
Ben is optimistic about each of his Premier yearlings, happy to be selling (as Lot 67) a filly by Toronado (Ire) - “he is absolutely flying” as well a couple by Maurice (Jpn)... Lot 108 out of the stakes winner Arcadia Rose (Kheleyf {USA}) from one of Bob Peters’ great families and Lot 533 out of a stakes-placed half-sister to Monaco Consul (NZ).
Lot 67 - Toronado (Ire) x Woodstock Hussey (filly) | Image courtesy of Inglis
And a Pierro colt... Lot 173, a half-brother to the stakes winner West Of Dalby (Santos) out of the dual stakes winner Chinchilla (Exceed And Excel) and a Dubious filly... Lot 352 out of a daughter of Lashed (Encosta De Lago).
Whilst the majority of the draft are Merricks-bred, Ben is also happy to take on outside horses - not actively seeking them but happy to help out people he has enjoyed making contact with along his way, happy when the yearlings complement his draft.
