Cover image courtesy of Heywood Bloodstock
1. Best value stallion in the country?
I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better value stallion than Celestial Legend, and I think King's Legacy is a good punt this year.
Celestial Legend | Standing at Woodside Park
2. Most exciting new stallion for 2025?
Apart from the above, for me I can't wait to see Traffic Warden's foals. I know he had his troubles, but I have a huge soft spot for Street Boss and this fella was as good as anyone on his day.
Traffic Warden | Standing at Darley
3. Breeding more, less, or the same as last year?
My clients are breeding slightly less, or more so, looking to decrease numbers and increase quality.
4. Best breeder in the country?
Mill Park Stud.
Mill Park Stud | Image courtesy of Mill Park Stud
5. Best judge of a weanling/yearling?
When Luke Wilkinson and Mick Price were teamed up, they were hard to beat for value and racetrack results.
Gallery: Stephanie Grentell's best judge of a weanling/yearling
6. Best pound-for-pound trainer?
If I don't say Mitch Beer I might get the sack!.
Mitch Beer | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
7. Most talented young person you’ve come across recently?
If I don't say George Carpenter, I might also get the sack! But in all seriousness, George has been an enormous asset to the team, and he's a wonderful horseman.
George Carpenter and Mitch Beer | Image courtesy of Mitchell Beer Racing
8. Redistribute prize money across races, or happy as is?
It certainly needs looking into across the board, the expense of keeping a horse in work is far outweighing the speed of which prizemoney is increasing in the areas most horses are racing.
9. Tariff on imported horses - great idea or misguided protectionism?
I think it has merit, but I also feel a lot of these ideas are brought into play under the guise of 'welfare'. I know this idea wasn't just solely regarding welfare and retirement pathways for horses who hadn't contributed to the ecosystem since birth, however it was a focus.
It appears as though anyone wanting to bring in new rules hides behind the welfare card as a way to avoid criticism or dissent.
Before we start introducing new taxes, I think we need to look at how much money is wasted the way racing is setup as a whole in this country. Different rules and governing bodies for every state and territory, race clubs doubling up (MRC and Southside Racing structures are the way of the future), and a back-of-house system that still requires actual paperwork to be filled out, just to name a few.
Racing is being left behind on the technology stakes, and with the rise of AI we are going to find ourselves in an unenviable position if we don’t keep up. I think if we start looking at cost cutting and saving measures in those areas for a start, then we are a long way ahead of the projected income from import taxes.
10. Your best mate in the business?
It's an easy one, Mitch Beer.
We met over 20 years ago when we were kids working for Lloyd Williams, and we've been best mates ever since.
