Cover image courtesy of Fernhill Farm
Mike and Debbie O'Donnell are into their fourth year of selling their entire commercial crop as weanlings, enjoying success selling lovely weanlings (who have grown into high class racehorses) in Sydney.
With large numbers this year they made the decision to head to Queensland for the first time, Mike O'Donnell telling us that they wanted to split up the horses so as to not have too many at any one sale.
Mike and Debbie O'Donnell
Enjoying breeding horses in partnerships -“it's really good fun” - O'Donnell said that some of the weanlings heading to the Gold Coast are part owned by overseas interests who can be in Australia at sale time.
Fairhill's reason for selling weanlings instead of yearlings is straightforward - “I just love breeding and I would not be able to breed as many if we were selling as yearlings.”
“We would not be able to prepare that many, so selling them younger means I can breed more horses!”
“We would not be able to prepare that many, so selling them younger means I can breed more horses!” - Mike O'Donnell
Growing up in New Zealand with family involvement with thoroughbreds, O'Donnell was hooked early, a cousin winning an Auckland Cup capturing his attention.
Went racing as often as he could
“It all grew from there, I went to the races as often as I could.”
Despairing of the New Zealand industry's positioning at the time, the O'Donnells decided to move to Australia, in 2002 settling on 130 acres at Mulbring.
Fairhill Farm
“We thought New Zealand was in a bit of a hopeless place at the time,” he said, happy to see improvements taking place in the meantime - "over the last twelve months in particular things are looking really hopeful,” he said, adding that he has four mares in New Zealand - based at Gordon Cunningham's Curraghmore.
Selling weanlings has proven a fruitful exercise for Fairhill with an early success being this year's G1 Blue Diamond S. winner Hayasugi (Royal Meeting {Ire}) who was bred in partnership with Austramore and sold as a weanling for $47,500 to James Bester, Shane McGrath and Cara Mok.
Fairhill paid just $10,000 for her dam China Road (Commands), O'Donnell remembering her daughter as being “a very strong filly with no faults - though nothing really stood out about her. Though she was good natured as are all the foals out of her dam.”
Hayasugi | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
A day after Hayasugi won the G3 Blue Diamond Preview, Fairhill enjoyed further stakes success with Master Fay (Deep Field) at just his fourth start recording an easy win in the G3 Concorde H. at Ellerslie.
The 6-year-old - who spent time in Hong Kong where he won his only start in January 2021 - has had issues and he'd been away from the track for three years before his latest successful campaign.
He was sold by Fairhill at the 2018 William Inglis Australian Weanling Sale for $72,000, O'Connell recalling that "it was before Deep Field really took off. He was a very nice foal and hopefully if they can keep him sound he can win a Group 1 race."
High class performers
Fairhill has been home to another of other high class performers, such as the Group 1 winners Glorious Days (Hussonet {USA}), Choice Bro (Choisir) and Good Project (Not A Single Doubt).
With their passion for breeding quality racehorses, Mike and Debbie have bred and raised some outstanding performers, including Group One winners; Glorious Days (Hussonet {USA}), Choice Bro (Choisir) and Good Project (Not A Single Doubt).
“Fairhill has been home to another of other high class performers, such as the Group 1 winners Glorious Days, Choice Bro and Good Project.”
Fairhill have already enjoyed good 2024 success with their youngsters, at the Inglis Australian Weanling sale selling 21 horses including a $280,000 So You Think (NZ) half-sister to the Listed Twilight Glow S. winner Lady Of Honour (No Nay Never {USA}).
O'Donnell, who is delighted when pin-hookers make a profit from the Fairhill weanlings, has not only a busy sale ahead but a busy spring with mares in foal to the likes of Home Affairs, Jacquinot, Farnan, Royal Meeting (‘we had to go back to him!’), Acrobat, So You Think, North Pacific, Dirty Work, Tassort, Too Darn Hot (GB), Justify (USA) and Pinatubo (Ire).
Type and pedigree
Making the breeding decisions “firstly on type then on pedigree,” Fairhill have nine weanlings at the Gold Coast, kicking off with Lot 29 - a Farnan half-brother to the stakes placed Miss Nico Belle (Nicconi) out of a half-sister to Maldivian (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}).
Lot 89 is a Street Boss (USA) filly from one of the Ireland's finest families - that of Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) whilst Lots 122, 174 and 238 are by Acrobat - the first out of a full sister to the triple Group 1 winner Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), the second from the family of the G1 ATC Oaks heroine Colette (Hallowed Crown) and the third out of an imported black-type performer.
Lot 89 - Street Boss (USA) x Fee Dansante (Ire) (filly) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
A half-sister to the stakes placed Commander Harry (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) is Lot 218 whilst next through the ring for Fairhill is Lot 273, a So You Think half-sister to the Listed winner Cerberus (Dundeel {NZ}). A member of the second crop of Bivouac is Lot 319 out of the speedy Sweet Mary (Hinchinbrook) and Lot 332 is a Captivant half-sister to the Fairhill bred dual city winner Rubinocchi (Rubick).
“We are really happy with this group of weanlings,” O'Connell said - "the So Think and Street Boss fillies are beautiful types as is the Farnan colt.”
