“If you don’t ask, you don’t get” - such is Newgate Farm director Henry Field’s mantra for accumulating more knowledge, and no example is greater of that ringing true than his pivotal meeting with D. Wayne Lukas.
Field first became aware of the United States Hall Of Fame trainer when he was a young teenager in the late nineties; Lukas’ grip on the American thoroughbred racing scene was inescapable at the time, during the era where he trained three GI Kentucky Derby winners within five years and held a tight grip on the other legs of the Triple Crown.
Field’s imagination was captured by the man who three times in that period came close to securing a Triple Crown - no closer than when Charismatic (USA) came within two lengths of winning the GI Belmont Stakes. He devoured the trainer’s books on the craft, but it wouldn’t be until nearly two decades later that he would come face to face with the man.
Henry Field | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
As one part of SF Bloodstock, alongside Gavin Murphy and Tom Ryan, Field has been making frequent trips Stateside for the past 15 years, mostly to purchase high performing American mares to complement his Australian breeding program. That practice has long been fruitful down under; amongst the current stallion crop’s best performers are Switzerland, Wild Ruler, Russian Revolution, King Colorado, and Artorius, all out of North American mares and their daughters.
Mares bought by the partnership continue to hit goals at the sales and on the track; US$175,000 ($269,000) acquisition Boujie Girl (USA) (Flashback {USA}) has generated $1.3 million in returns from her first two foals, and Group 1-winning My Conquestadory (USA) (Artie Schiller {USA}) has produced to date GII Fountain of Youth Stakes runner-up Bourbon War (USA) (Tapit {USA}), multiple stakes-placed Russian Conquest (Russian Revolution), and Listed runner-up Sakima (Snitzel), with her most recent yearling making $450,000 in the ring.
The speed and hybrid vigour offered by American mares has endless appeal that have continuously drawn Field back to the Keeneland and Fasig-Tipton sales.
Chance meeting
Around eight years ago on one such Stateside trip, Field had accompanied Ryan to watch horses work at Churchill Downs, and - as luck would have it - Lukas was present, watching his own horses go through their paces.
Lukas still loomed over the sport, having recorded his sixth win in the G1 Preakness Stakes just a few years before with Oxbow (USA) and a sixth GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies with Take Charge Brandi (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}).
D Wayne Lukas | Image courtesy of Churchill Downs
“He’s obviously one of the all time great legends of the sport,” Field told The Thoroughbred Report. “I made mention to him that I'd read and enjoyed all of his books, and followed his career closely as a young boy growing up in Australia.
“He’s (D Wayne Lukas) obviously one of the all time great legends of the sport.” - Henry Field
“I asked him, given how many great champions he had bought as yearlings, what he looked for in a yearling. He took me into his office and spent a great deal of time working through his diagram with me, which I still hang on my office wall proudly today, with his autograph on it. It was quite a privilege.”
As revealed in a video shared by Ryan online this week, Lukas used multiple Group-winning stallion Perfect Soul (Ire) as his teaching example, guiding Field through the lines and angles that he believed indicated a superior athlete.
Trained by Roger Attfield, the son of Sadler’s Wells (USA) was the winner of seven races from 21 starts, counting the GI Keeneland Turf Mile Stakes amongst his victories when amassing over US$1.5 million ($2.3 million) in earnings. When he was pensioned from his stud career in 2019, he had already produced multimillionaire Seeking The Soul (USA), winner of the GI Clark Handicap, and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf victress Perfect Shirl (USA) amongst over 20 stakes performers.
Studying the art
“There was a study done on all of his purchases at American yearling sales in the late eighties, I have read the book on it, and it’s quite incredible, the success that he had. He’s almost revolutionised the sport in America.”
Pedigree buff Joe Bagan published ‘Lukas At Auction’ in 1990, and came to the conclusion that when Lukas went digging, more often than not he would strike gold. In the preceding decade where Lukas and associates spent US$103 million ($158 million) on yearlings, those horses generated US$162 million ($249 million) in earnings, sale proceeds, and residual value. Even when factoring in training costs, it is an incredible return on investment.
Lukas imparted some of his wisdom onto Bagan for his publication; “If you train your eye, there are certain common threads that run through the good horses.”
Lucas at Auction book| Image courtesy of Joe Bagan
But Bagan also comments, beyond that, Lukas refuses to divulge the secrets of his craft. Some 25 or so years later, Field found himself granted a rare audience.
“I was a huge fan of his, and I’ve got a lot of respect and admiration for a man of his knowledge and success,” Field said. “It was very kind of him to spend the time with me, showing me what he looks for in a horse.”
“It was very kind of him (D Wayne Lukas) to spend the time with me, showing me what he looks for in a horse.” - Henry Field
Lukas’ Racing Hall Of Fame induction came in 1999, when Charismatic stood on the precipice of the Triple Crown; just three months beforehand, the colt had been running in a claiming race where he could have been bought out from under Lukas’ feet, but the trainer turned those fortunes around.
Appetite for knowledge
Field agreed that Lukas more than lived up to his nickname, ‘The Coach’, with the knowledge that he imparted.
“I got on with him really well, and we chatted away for probably half an hour before we went into his office. I think he appreciated the fact that I asked him so many questions, and he took a view that if I were asking so many questions, that I had an appetite to learn.
“And I think when he saw that appetite, he was happy to try and spend some time with me. I was very fortunate that he did that, because I’m sure he’s not done that with many people, and he was very generous with his time with me.”
Over the past years, Field has kept up with Lukas when Stateside for the sales. There’s never a moment where he isn’t trying to learn more.
“Every year when I see him at the sales, I go and say hello to him, and I'll make a point of talking to him,” Field said. “He's incredibly charismatic and a highly skilled horseman. Any time I get the opportunity to spend time with someone I respect, I'm going to try to learn from them and it doesn't matter where we are in the world.
“Any time I get the opportunity to spend time with someone I respect, I'm going to try to learn from them.” - Henry Field
“I think if you want to try and be as good as you can be in this world, you need to learn from great minds, and it's something which I still try to do to this day. It's all another piece of the puzzle when you're trying to spend years and years growing and compounding your knowledge in this business, and any time that you get to spend time with a guy like Lukas and he opens up to you, that’s a real privilege.”
Just like Lukas before him, Field welcomes anyone with a genuine interest and investment in the industry to ask him questions.
“We have a duty to pass on our knowledge,” he said. “As with me and Lukas, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
