Matings Mix: Physical comes first at Bell River

Cover image courtesy of Bell River Thoroughbreds

Bell River Thoroughbreds, best known for breeding exceptional sire Extreme Choice, are located on the Williams River north of Newcastle. Last year’s juvenile crop was highlighted by Group 3 winner Bel Merci (Extreme Choice), Listed winner Gin Spirit (Spirit Of Boom), and Group 3-placed Farcited (Farnan). They also won the G1 MRC 1000 Guineas with homebred filly Another Prophet (Brazen Beau).

Run by Andrew Ferguson and his two sons, James and Jock, Bell River Thoroughbreds sell their stock at the major yearling sales across Australia each season.

“We are purely a commercial farm and we don't have our own stallion. We only retain one or two fillies a season. A mare like Set To Skelter, we’ll retain a filly because we can’t afford to go and buy a filly with that pedigree,” James Ferguson said. One of those retained fillies was Another Prophet, who won last season’s G1 1000 Guineas and the now 4-year-old mare resumed in the G3 Cockram Stakes earlier this month for trainer Ciaron Maher. Importantly, Another Prophet was the first Group 1 winner bred from Bell River’s new farm.

A tightening commercial market

Ferguson outlined the challenge of being a commercial farm in the current economic climate. “The thing is that we’ve got a beauty contest in a market that moves every six months. These days we're trying to juggle and get the timing right and it’s a real challenge, maybe more than ever,” said Ferguson.

“The box of what the market wants is the smallest it's ever been, and trying to breed racehorses while trying to keep it commercial is the hardest it's ever been. I don't know the solution to it, and I think it's going to get harder and harder.

“Breeding isn't adding up mathematically if you're doing this as a business, because if a stallion doesn’t get a stakes winner in that first four months, then they’re bloody hard to sell. It’s hard to make stallion breeding rights stack up, and the cost of production is rising.

“It’s challenging at the minute and I don't know the answers, but you’ve got to keep adapting and surviving and keep thinking forward. What might work now, might not necessarily work in three years and that's just a part of survival and meeting the market, but in terms of meeting the market and trying to breed a racehorse at the same time, it's bloody tough.

“We have to look at it differently because this farm has to make enough money to feed three families. It’s the biggest challenge, because are we breeding to sell or breeding to build families and produce racehorses. Are those two goals still compatible financially?”

Investing in Group 1 producer Set To Skelter

Having produced a Group 1 winner last season, Set To Skelter (Reset) is being sent to Too Darn Hot (GB) in 2025. “Physically, I think it'll be the best mating she will ever have. If you look at her, you wouldn't do it because she's only 15.2, but knowing what she throws, she always puts lots of leg into her foals. She's obviously the dam of three Group winners and one is a Group 1 win to go with it, and it’s a really good physical too. There's no point sending the best to the best if it's not a good physical,” Ferguson said.

Set To Skelter produced Group 2 winner Prophet’s Thumb (I Am Invincible) and Group 3 winner More Prophets (Smart Missile) with her first two foals. Her next two foals are winners, then along came Another Prophet. Her unraced 3-year-old filly La Bianca (Bivouac) was purchased by James Bester Bloodstock for $250,000 and is in the Michael Freedman stable, and she has a yearling filly by Harry Angel (Ire).

“Too Darn Hot is like a real old Arab style of horse and she’s not that big either, and if you looked at them both without knowing her history, you wouldn’t do it. But learning about genetics and knowing what she throws and what she puts into a foal, it makes sense as a physical.”

Set To Skelter’s daughter Prophet’s Thumb recently produced a Farnan filly. Her current 2-year-old is a colt by Lonhro who was purchased by Ciaron Maher for $300,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. “She's going to Harry Angel. She’d be 16.2 and basically a tank, built like a brick shit house, and she lacks a bit of length so the foal will get the length from him to complement her.

“Her Farnan is a belter. For her first foal, she got away on me which was my fault (as she’s so big), but I’ve learned to hold her back until the last 10 weeks of pregnancy before I get the feed into her. It’s all about stock management. The Lonhro was a belter, I worked out the other day that he’s the highest priced Lonhro to be sold in the last two years at auction.”

Prophet’s Thumb’s first foal, 3-year-old filly Prophet’s Lass (Farnan) is unraced and listed as being trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy. She has the Lonhro 2-year-old colt, a yearling filly by Anamoe and now the Farnan filly foal.

Picking a stallion is deeper than just his looks

Ferguson’s research into physical type goes beyond the horse in front of him. “It’s always important that you should look at a stallion’s relations at the sales. When Brazen Beau had his first 2-year-olds, they were short stocky horses but when you looked at his dam line when (family members) went through the sale, they were exactly the same, so you had to send a mare that took that into account as the I Am Invincible factor wasn’t coming through.”

With Bell River breeding Brazen Beau’s Group 1 winner Another Prophet, the research obviously paid off. “It’s how we know with Set To Skelter that we can send her to a smaller stallion even though she’s smaller because she puts so much bulk and substance into her stock.

“You might look like an idiot inspecting the $2.5 million full brother to Switzerland (at the sales) but at the end of the day if you are spending $50,000 on a service fee, that research at the sales can justify decisions later on. We can have a go with Switzerland because of how stunning his dam line is.”

When asked about assessing shuttle stallions from this perspective, Ferguson pointed to the importance of good advisors. “Knowing international people that you trust who you can get a bit of a background as to what those sire lines are doing is important. Jock and myself were lucky to spend time in Europe, so we know the Dubawi line and Acclamation line well.

“With City Of Troy, I envisioned him to be a big sort of Justify like Storm Boy but then taking into account that he’s out of a Galileo mare, I wondered if he might be on the lighter side, so when we saw him, that’s exactly what he is. He’s a beautiful-looking horse, and I just think you might need to send a touch of substance to him to complement him.”

Taking a punt on an older mare

Another filly Bell River retained to race is last season’s exciting G3 Gimcrack Stakes winner Bel Merci, who will miss this spring after a small setback, but Ferguson hopes she can return for the autumn. Bel Merci is a daughter of Group 1 winner Bel Mer (Bel Esprit) who they purchased in 2020 for $70,000 as an older mare.

Now 21, Bel Mer had previously produced Listed winner All Too Royal (All Too Hard) and her first eight foals, bred before Bell River purchased her, are all winners. Bell River have bred three foals from her, continuing the 100% winner record with Bel Merci, city winner Surprise Honey (Extreme Choice) and an unraced Farnan 2-year-old colt who was purchased by Anthony Freedman and Julian Blaxland Bloodstock (FBAA) for $350,000 earlier this year.

“Bel Mer is in foal to Farnan, and she’s off to Switzerland. She complements Farnan well and they seem to have an opinion of the 2-year-old who is about to go back into work.”

Another mare heading to Switzerland is Deipara (Lonhro) who placed twice in three starts. Bell River purchased her for $20,000 at the 2024 Magic Millions Virtual Sale and she has three live foals bred by her previous owners. Deimana (I Am Invincible) has won twice, while 4-year-old mare La Suerte (Snitzel) has run second in her last two starts this season. “She's a half to the dam of Tentyris. I think come November, Tentyris will be the best 3-year-old in the country.”

Deipara is a daughter of Group 1 winner Divine Madonna (Hurricane Sky) who produced Listed winner Maternal (Street Cry {Ire}), Group 3-placed La Pieta (Redoute’s Choice) and city winner Deity (Exceed And Excel), the dam of last season’s G2 Todman Stakes winner Tentyris (Street Boss {USA}).

“I think Switzerland is good value. His racetrack performance was very good, and he's a beautiful looking horse too with Snitzel’s plenty of length.”

A love for Not A Single Doubt

Having bred Extreme Choice, Bell River has an affinity for Not A Single Doubt and his sons, and have frequented Farnan in his first few seasons at stud. This will continue with Song Writer (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) who Bell River purchased from Godolphin at the 2023 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $22,500.

“It looks to be very good mix physically, it's a really good mating and we've done it genetically too because it's a three by three to Street Cry who is very much an influence.” Song Writer is a half-sister to last season’s G2 Silver Slipper winner Beiwacht (Bivouac), who recently resumed with a third in the G3 San Domenico Stakes, and to Listed winner Gravina (Sebring).

Her dam, Listed winner Metastasio (Street Cry {Ire}) is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Colette (Hallowed Crown).

Taking a punt on young stallions

Part of a commercial mix for any farm is to take a punt on young stallions, and Bell River are sending mares to King’s Gambit and to City Of Troy in 2025.

The dam of Listed winner Gin Spirit, Premeditated (Commands), will head to King’s Gambit, who is standing his second season in 2025. “She's going to King’s Gambit. She's actually only young, but she’s had a lot of foals. She’s fertile and she’s been an absolute Godsend for us in the sales ring.

“That's why we like King’s Gambit because the foal will be in the top percentage of the King’s Gambits going to the sales. We have a great faith in King’s Gambit and have three mares to foal to him this season.

“He is a complete outcross and the Vinnies seem to be better as a complete out crosses. His debut at Caulfield was impressive. He was arguably unlucky not to run better in the Golden Slipper (when third to Shinzo and Cylinder), and if he didn't get scratched in the Coolmore, who knows what would've happened? We just really like his pedigree, his physical and his race track performance which I reckon could've been better than what it actually was in the end.

“He should get early 2-year-olds which matters because at the minute we're judging all our stallions off four months of racing by the time we get to the Classic Sale. That’s just the market we're all dealing with, so you have to be mindful of that. It’s harder than ever in this game to get the timing right.”

Gallery: Young stallions Bell River Thoroughbreds are using in 2025

Gin Spirit is the seventh live foal for unraced Premeditated, and her second stakes horse with the other being stakes-placed Grim Reaper (Domesday). Gin Spirit was a $210,000 yearling when sold to Lindsay Park and Gin Spirit’s full sister sold at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale this year for $210,000 to Vermair Farm.

“With King's Gambit while he's a strong looking horse, I saw his dam and half-sister one day and we decided to send mares with a bit more substance than normal just in case he throws to that lighter side.”

First season sire City Of Troy will be visited by dual Group 3 winner Irithea (Snitzel). “She’s going to City Of Troy. It’s just physically a really good mating, and she should put plenty of (Australian) speed into him.”

Irithea’s first foal 3-year-old Kurithea (Maurice {Jpn}) was sold by Bell River for $300,000 to Laurel Oak Bloodstock (FBAA) at the Magic MIllions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and they returned to the same sale in 2025 to sell Irithea’s current 2-year-old colt Le Starcell (Pierro) who was purchased by Hiroshi Tomioka for $220,000. Kurithea is placed twice in three starts for the Annabel and Rob Archibald stable. Irithea has a Dundeel (NZ) yearling colt and is in foal to Anamoe.

“This industry tends to overcomplicate things, and at the end of the day we're all just raising livestock and it's no different to sheep or cattle. It's just got three more zeros at the end of it but how you feed them with the nutritional side and how you raise them matters.

“It's the same as with your pregnant cows or your pregnant ewes, you don't want them too fat you need them just right and you have got to feed them at the right times too. We always sort our matings for the physical first, then look at the mating to see if it stacks up genetically. If the cross doesn’t look right, then we will start moving down the list that we have for the mare.”