Cover image courtesy of First Light Racing
An Australian syndicator that has been making strides in both hemispheres, First Light Racing has enjoyed a strong season of racing across the eastern states, and is poised to set Royal Ascot alight next week with a speedy breeze-up purchase. Director Tim Wilson is buoyant over the progress the team has made as the 2024/25 racing season draws to a close.
“It's been a terrific race season for the team, particularly the last six months,” Wilson shared. “We've had 25 winners since the start of the year and four stakeswinners already this season, which is just amazing.
“Those stakeswinners have been across three states as well, which has been really cool as we've expanded our stable in the last five to seven years to have a strong presence across Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland. To have delivered across our three key markets is terrific - and hopefully the best is yet to come, with a couple of Group 1 runners over the next few weeks.”
Tim Wilson | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Success sells
First Light Racing have totalled 26 acquisitions so far in 2025; the majority have been yearlings, most recently purchasing a Northern Hemisphere-bred Extreme Choice filly out of Sheza Shamardal (Shamardal {USA}) at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Sale for $160,000, but also diving into the breeze-up market in Europe with the purchase of Royal Ascot aspirant Hey Tru Blue (GB) (Blue Point {Ire}).
“It's a really solid number for us and they've been selling really well, which has obviously been helped by our winning record,” Wilson said. “Success on the track often leads to success off the track, and seeing the colours do so well brings a lot of new people into the stable, which is fantastic.”
“Success on the track often leads to success off the track.” - Tim Wilson
European shuttle sires have been the flavour of the month for Wilson over the yearling sale season, and he has tipped St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) and Pinatubo (Ire) as his favourite first season sires; First Light Racing bought the top lot at the Magic Millions Gold Coast March Yearling Sale, a colt by Pinatubo for $290,000, and spent $100,000 on a St Mark’s Basilica filly at the Gold Coast in January.
The $290,000 Pinatubo (Ire) colt | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“While it’s not everything, the feedback from our breakers this year has been that those two in particular have terrific attitudes, very professional,” he said. “They’re the standouts through our system.”
Market shifts that have seen yearling prices become increasingly polarised over this season’s sales have not gone unnoticed by Wilson, but First Light have met the challenges head on.
“There's obviously been economic factors making it more challenging than previous years, but we've had some more challenging years than this year, and we've certainly had more prosperous years economically as well.
“So I think, all in all, we're really pleased with how our new additions to the stable have been received and the new owners we’ve welcomed in.”
Ha Ha Ha | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Wilson and the team have been active at international sales for a number of years, with notable success stories out of Arqana including Australian Group 3 winner Osmose (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) and metropolitan winner Ha Ha Ha (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who recently sold for $160,000 at the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale.
“We’ve reached a point where we’ve sold all the mares from our first French acquisition,” Wilson said. “To be able to acquire these mares and race them in Australia, then to sell them on as highly appealing broodmare prospects, that’s terrific for our owners.”
Wilson highlighted the recent addition of European-based bloodstock agent David Skelly, who was instrumental in Hey Tru Blue’s purchase, as a valuable asset to First Light Racing’s international expansion.
David Skelly | Image supplied
“The world's getting smaller and the more opportunities we can offer our owners, the better,” Wilson said.
“The world's getting smaller and the more opportunities we can offer our owners, the better.” - Tim Wilson
Time in the sun in Queensland
What has certainly helped the First Light Racing model is expansion across states; the team have increasingly utilised Queensland trainers to increase the longevity of their horses’ careers.
“Queensland has been an important part of our strategic shift in recent years, both with the lucrative Magic Millions race series but also Queensland racing is really thriving. Prize money is strong, and particularly the carnival is well sought after by owners in southern states.
“As part of that, we've been able to relocate a number of our Victorian and New South Wales horses that weren't quite up to metropolitan standard up here to Queensland, both placed with major trainers Tony Gollan and Rob Heathcote, but also James Healy at the Sunshine Coast. A number of these horses have been able to revitalise their careers.”
It’s more than just seeing their horses return to the winning circle that makes Queensland appealing.
“It’s become a real destination state to race in,” Wilson said. “A lot of owners love traveling to Queensland. They make a weekend out of it. There's great racing at the Sunshine Coast Friday nights and Sundays, which is terrific for owners looking to make it a holiday.”
“It’s (Queensland) become a real destination state to race in.,” - Tim Wilson
In a world of satellite stables and year round racing, Wilson sees enormous appeal in strengthening the syndicator’s ties to the Sunshine State.
“We've seen a growing appetite for owners in Victoria and New South Wales to, rather than move on their horses that aren't quite metropolitan standard in those more competitive southern states, see them relocated up to Queensland, and we've had a lot of success doing that.”
Owner retention is key
“I think the biggest challenge for syndicators is not too dissimilar to the challenges for racing in general,” Wilson said. Competition with other sports and hobbies, particularly in an economic climate where disposable income is shrinking, is killer. How do we make racing the place to be?
“We need to be doing everything we can to be sending the best message out about why owning a racehorse is a wonderful and thrilling thing to do.”
“We need to be doing everything we can to be sending the best message out about why owning a racehorse is a wonderful and thrilling thing to do.” - Tim Wilson
Wilson expressed a frustration with the amount of negativity, both in the press and on social media, about the industry.
“I think the failed sale of Rosehill didn't do anything positive for the industry. It's putting bad news in the headlines all the time. There's so many incredible aspects of the industry and great stories to be told.
“While the easy headline is the negative one, more time should be invested in telling the great stories and the life-changing thrills that people can get through racehorse ownership, and through the industry in general. There's stories that need to be promoted.
“We've got a lot of wonderful ambassadors within the industry. Gai Waterhouse is the most obvious. But we've got so many great young jockeys, young emerging trainers, a lot of people within the industry making great waves that I'd love to see some more success stories heralded in racing rather than seeing negativity flooding through the media.”
“I'd love to see some more success stories heralded in racing rather than seeing negativity flooding through the media.” - Tim Wilson
Another key difficulty is balancing rising costs with prize money. Wilson acknowledged the difficulty in enticing new owners when financial risks long outweigh the potential rewards.
“I'd love to see prize money, at a minimum, increase along with costs, which seem to be growing exponentially,” Wilson suggested. “And we need to really focus on ways to give owners the best chance of getting a reward on their investment. It doesn't always have to be financial. It can be the intangibles as well that make it a great experience.”
Eyes on Ascot
Wilson is particularly excited for next week, where he will be joining the ownership group of Hey Tru Blue and future trainer Tony Gollan to watch the 2-year-old son of Blue Point (Ire) take to the Royal Ascot turf. Currently prepared by George Boughey, the colt was a debut second to Rock On Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) last month, and has earned himself a black-type tilt in the G2 Norfolk Stakes next Thursday.
“It’s a huge thrill for his owners,” Wilson said. “It’s an unreal success story to be able to buy that horse nearly six weeks ago, to see him go and run so well on debut, and now for him to take his place at Royal Ascot.
“I can't wait to see our colours go around for the first time at the most famous carnival in the world. We've got about 15 to 20 owners all now flying over, so it promises to be an incredible build-up and incredible week. We're all flying out just after midnight on Stradbroke Saturday. There's a few of us jumping on a plane out of Brisbane, which will be pretty cool.
“I can't wait to see our colours go around for the first time at the most famous carnival in the world.” - Tim Wilson
“We're going to go to the Goffs sale on Monday, an owner has booked a pub for the State Of Origin game on Wednesday, then it’s top hats and tails for Hey Tru Blue on Thursday.”
Hey Tru Blue as a yearling | Image courtesy of Tattersalls
The daughter of Extreme Choice - who was purchased in association with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott and Kestrel Thoroughbreds - will have the same ambitions. The intent is to have her up and running for the Southern Hemisphere autumn juvenile season, before taking her north for a Royal Ascot tilt next year.
“It’s a unique offering,” Wilson said. “We’re really proud to offer that to our owners. She goes off to the breakers next week, then into the Tulloch Lodge program. If she can measure up and get to a good level in the autumn as a 2-year-old here in Australia, then hopefully she can justify jumping on a plane and heading over to Europe for the back end of her 2-year-old season.”
Not to be forgotten
Wilson’s immediate attention turns to the G1 Stradbroke Handicap on Saturday, where the team will cheer on 4-year-old The Instructor (Russian Revolution), last start winner of the Listed Luskin Star Stakes.
“It’s incredibly exciting, he got the lucky last spot in the Stradbroke,” he said. “He’s having the best campaign of his career.”
The gelding, who is trained by Waterhouse and Bott, has won three of his last four starts, including beating highly favoured War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}) in the Listed Hareeba Stakes in April.
The Instructor winning the Listed Luskin Star Stakes | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He met War Machine at equal weights and he gets a kilo off on Saturday. “I feel to a degree, he’s a little bit of the forgotten horse at the Stradbroke field, purely down to the fact he hasn't raced for four weeks, and he hasn't raced up in Queensland yet this carnival. But his Luskin Star win was terrific.
“He’s (The Instructor) a little bit of the forgotten horse at the Stradbroke field.” - Tim Wilson
“If War Machine’s the horse to beat, it's a very easy case to build that our horse’s form ties into that runner to suggest we're in the race with a chance.”
