Cover image courtesy of Ridgmont
The Cunningham family’s Ridgmont has celebrated another successful of turning out high class horses back in the ring and on the track; among their highlights, they achieved their best yearling price to date when selling a Wootton Bassett (GB) colt to Tom Magnier for $1.2 million at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Also, graduate success spread to New Zealand, where Ridgmont-bred and sold To Cap It All (Capitalist) won the Listed Wellesley Stakes before placing at Group 1 level.
In six short years, Ridgmont, which sits just outside Scone in the Hunter Valley, has carved a name for themselves amongst the more respected emerging breeders in New South Wales.
Mitch Cunningham | Image courtesy of Ridgmont
“We’re breeding around 41 mares this year, and between them, we have a pretty consolidated group of stallions that we are supporting,” said Mitch Cunningham, Ridgmont’s Director. Year on year, their boutique broodmare band has patronised the best stallions countrywide, and this season is no different.
Heavy Anamoe investment continues
Just down the road from Ridgmont is Darley’s Kelvinside stallion operation, and the Ridgmont truck will be making the short journey on the regular in order to take a swathe of mares to visit Anamoe, who stands his third season at stud for $110,000 (inc GST) this year.
“This year, Dirty Thoughts is one we have chosen to go to Anamoe,” Cunningham said. “Anamoe was one of, if not the best racehorses in Australia over the last few years, and he has probably been supported by the best book of broodmares in the country over the last few seasons, so if he’s any good as a stallion, you’d like to think he’s going to get really good quality horses on the track.
Anamoe | Standing at Darley
“People forget that he was a really good 2-year-old himself. While he did his best work as an older horse, he definitely has a chance to get you a good 2-year-old, and we have supported him heavily this year. He’s probably the stallion we have supported the most in the valley this year. We're sending a lot of our better mares to him.”
“People forget that he (Anamoe) was a really good 2-year-old himself.” - Mitch Cunningham
A $575,000 purchase on Inglis Digital in late 2021 for Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, Cunningham Thoroughbreds, and Jim Clarke Bloodstock, Dirty Thoughts (So You Think {NZ}) is top of the list to visit the multiple champion this season. Her five wins include the G3 Northwood Plume Stakes, beating the millionaire Nudge (Fastnet Rock), and she first visits Anamoe in her fourth season at stud.
“Dirty Thoughts was a wonderful racemare, and she’s proving to be a wonderful broodmare for us,” Cunningham said. “Her first foal was an I Am Invincible Filly who we sold to Bjorn Baker and Clarke Bloodstock for $600,000.”
Dirty Thoughts | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale this year, the filly has been subsequently named I Am Dirty (I Am Invincible), and is currently listed as active in the Bjorn Baker stable.
“We have another lovely I Am Invincible filly to come through for her, and she’s had a colt by Zoustar this season - so we have supported her heavily so far, and we feel Anamoe is going to give us every opportunity to get another really nice foal from her on the ground. We’re excited to see how the Anamoes go this year (at the yearling sales).”
Joining her on the journey is Blue Sky Baby (USA) (Pioneerof The Nile {USA}), who is due to foal to Zoustar later this month. The stakes-performed import is from the close family of dual Group 3 winner Durante (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}). Blue Sky Baby missed to Zoustar at her first season at stud, before delivering an Anamoe colt last spring.
Blue Sky Baby (USA) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Blue Sky Baby is a really sharp, close-coupled, neat, typical sprinting type of American mare,” Cunningham said. “She was stakes-placed at Santa Anita and we bought her in foal to Anamoe. That Anamoe colt, who is going to the yearling sales next year, is probably our best on the farm. He looks to be an incredibly exciting commodity for us at the sales.
“That (Anamoe x Blue Sky Baby) colt, who is going to the yearling sales next year, is probably our best on the farm.” - Mitch Cunningham
“For that reason, we have decided to go back to Anamoe this year. With our significant belief in Anamoe and given the quality of the progeny we have on the ground by him, we’d be fools not to go back. She’s in foal to Zoustar, so we are giving her every opportunity.”
Hot young stallions the order of the day
One of Ridgmont’s most exciting mares is Monegal (Lope De Vega {Ire}), whose 10 wins include the G3 Epona Stakes and the $150,000 Canberra Mile. With a gap between her first foal and this year, she produced a filly by Stay Inside last month, whom she will return to this season.
“Monegal is off to Stay Inside this year,” Cunningham confirmed. “She’s a Group 3-winning Lope De Vega mare who we bought on Inglis Digital and we sent her to Wootton Bassett in her first year. We got a lovely colt who was bought by Japan, and they will be targeting the Japan Derby with him.”
Monegal | Image courtesy of Sportpix
In 2022, Cunningham Thoroughbreds and Clarke Bloodstock outlaid $225,000 for Monegal when offered in a September Inglis Digital auction by her racing owners, and they were rewarded at this year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale when Koji Oka, the owner of 2023 $10 million Golden Eagle winner Obamburumai (Jpn) (Discreet Cat {USA}), bid $400,000 for the mare’s Wootton Bassett colt.
“Stay Inside is a stallion that we’ve supported heavily over the last few seasons, and this year is no different.” - Mitch Cunningham
“We thought that Stay Inside would be a great mating for Monegal. Stay Inside is a stallion that we’ve supported heavily over the last few seasons, and this year is no different. (From the pairing) we would expect a nice, racey type that potentially could go earlier but also have the scope to race on into its Classic year.”
Stay Inside, who stands for $66,000 (inc GST) at Newgate Farm this year, will be represented by his first 2-year-olds this spring, with plenty of chatter around the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner’s first crop of runners.
Stay Inside | Standing at Newgate
Another farm fixture, Chintz (NZ) (Savabeel) will patronise another hot young sire in the Valley when she visits Vinery Stud this year.
“Chintz will go to Ole Kirk,” Cunningham said. “Nominations to him are like hen’s teeth this year, so we’re fortunate that we got in early enough and are sending two of our mares to him.
“He’s an incredibly exciting stallion for Vinery, and certainly Chintz is proven at stud, she’s produced the Group 2 winner Not An Option and she’s getting great types. Her Extreme Choice colt last year sold to the Newgate stallion syndicate, and the early mail on him is good.”
“Her (Chintz's) Extreme Choice colt last year sold to the Newgate stallion syndicate, and the early mail on him is good.” - Mitch Cunningham
China Horse Club, Newgate Bloodstock, and Kia Ora Stud forked out $400,000 for the Extreme Choice son of Chintz at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale and have named him Extreme Force. He has been given to Anthony and Sam Freedman to train, and is currently listed as active at their Cranbourne location.
Chintz (NZ) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She’s a great producing mare, she can get a lovely type, and we can expect a ripping Ole Kirk out of a mare of this quality next year.”
With Ole Kirk’s fee rocketing up to $99,000 (inc GST) on the back of his Champion First Season Sire title and four first crop stakes winners, the Cunninghams’ faith in the young stallion is at an all-time high, and they are glad to get another bite of the apple this spring.
“She’s (Chintz) a great producing mare, she can get a lovely type, and we can expect a ripping Ole Kirk out of a mare of this quality next year.” - Mitch Cunningham
“He’s doing an extraordinary job, and there’s early signs this year that he’s got a few runners coming through the ranks, so what an exciting stallion.”
The best mare for the best stallion
Another mare that will head to the Newgate Farm covering shed is Annavisto (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}), but she will be going straight to the top of the roster.
“Annavisto is a Reliable Man mare and was incredibly sharp as a racehorse, winning multiple Group 3s, and she was also Group 1-placed in the Queen of the Turf,” Cunningham said. Annavisto won the G3 Tressady Stakes twice, as well as the Listed Bendigo Guineas, and was beaten only by Nimalee (So You Think {NZ}) in the aforementioned Group 1. Her dam Avisto (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) was three times a winner at Listed level as well.
“So she was an incredible racehorse. We bought her in foal to Toronado and now we’ve got a lovely Toronado filly from her who just oozes quality, and she will be going to Easter next year.
“Since she’s (Annavisto) the best mare on the farm, she should go to the best stallion in the country, and that’s Extreme Choice.” - Mitch Cunningham
“We decided that, since she’s the best mare on the farm, she should go to the best stallion in the country, and that’s Extreme Choice. He just has had another huge weekend, and just seems to be churning out stakes winners at an extraordinary rate.”
Annavisto (NZ) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Extreme Choice, who stands for his career best price of $330,000 (inc GST) this year, added a 15th stakes winner to his tally on Saturday, when his daughter Apocalyptic shed her maiden tag at start two in the G2 Furious Stakes at Randwick. For Cunningham, the match is the perfect package - no need to look too deep into the pedigree with a stallion turning out those kinds of results season after season.
“So we feel if there was any mare on the farm that is of the standard to visit such an amazing stallion as Extreme Choice, it would have to be Annavisto.”
Capitalising on Wootton Bassett
Coolmore Stud’s titan Wootton Bassett is another that Cunningham is keen to send his best mares to, even when faced with a $385,000 (inc GST) service fee).
“Wootton Bassett is another stallion that Ridgmont has supported heavily over the last few years and we have really ridden the wave of success with him,” he said. “We sold our highest priced yearling ever this year, and it was a colt by him out of Egyptian Missile.”
Wootton Bassett (GB) | Standing at Coolmore
Said colt was the aforementioned $1.2 million sale to Tom Magnier - out of a Smart Missile half-sister to dual Group 3 winner Egyptian Symbol (Stratum), who herself is out of G1 Railway Stakes winner Our Egyptian Raine (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}), the colt has been named Vatican and has been sent to Chris Waller.
“While his (Wootton Bassett) service fee has gone up to record levels, we still see value.” - Mitch Cunningham
“We have had a lot of pregnancies by him over the last few years, and while his service fee has gone up to record levels, we still see value,” Cunningham said. “His first crop of 2-year-olds this year may not have had any stakes winners, but there were some incredibly highly rated horses, and you could argue he should have had the Slipper winner.
“So we are sending two of our better mares to him this year. The first is Lempicka, who is by Rich Enuff and won the Alinghi Stakes down in Victoria. She is an incredibly strong, close coupled mare, so we feel it is a mating that could provide us and our partners an extraordinary outcome.”
Lempicka (Rich Enuff) was a $250,000 purchase for Ridgmont Farm and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale, where she was offered at the end of her racing career by Fernrigg Farm. The mare won seven races for Ken and Kasey Keys, and nearly $500,000 in prizemoney on the track. Her dam Hot Art (Excellent Art {GB}) is a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner In Her Time (Time Thief).
Lempicka | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The other is Honey Girl,” Cunningham continued. “She was imported from Ireland, and she ran some incredible races at Royal Ascot. She is a Group 3 winner and Group 2-placed, and a multiple stakes-performed, gorgeous, quality mare, who again, whilst a different physical to Lempicka, is one we feel will marry quite well to Wootton Bassett. They’re the two matings that we're all incredibly excited about at the farm.”
“The Australian breeders are very fortunate to have access to him (Wootton Bassett) and Too Darn Hot on our shores.” - Mitch Cunningham
Ridgmont and Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA) outlaid $400,000 for Honey Girl (GB) (Mayson {GB}) at this year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale; she had been a Group 3 winner at the Curragh, and been stakes-placed multiple times across Britain and Ireland. Cunningham was keen to take advantage of Wootton Bassett this year despite the fee, particularly with the chance he may not return next year.
“He’s worth an extraordinary amount of money to his owners, and is an understandably very valuable commodity to be traversing the world. The Australian breeders are very fortunate to have access to him and Too Darn Hot on our shores.”
Visiting the sire on fire
And to talk to the man himself - Cunningham was pleased to share two mares that would join Dirty Thoughts and Blue Sky Baby on the trip to Darley, but whom would be visiting Too Darn Hot (GB) instead.
Too Darn Hot (GB) | Standing at Darley
“We have two mares in partnership with Watership Down Stud, one is Short Shorts and the other is Gai’s Artist,” Cunningham said. “Both will be visiting Too Darn Hot. He is a sire on fire, and we’re lucky to have him back in Australia in what feels like will be his final year. To have access to such a blueblooded stallion who’s getting extraordinary results in both hemispheres, week in, week out, is hard to pass up.
“To have access to such a blueblooded stallion (Too Darn Hot) who’s getting extraordinary results in both hemispheres, week in, week out, is hard to pass up.” - Mitch Cunningham
“These two mares are the right physical match for Too Darn Hot and we’re incredibly excited to hopefully get nice, early covers to what is a world leading stallion.”
Six-time winner Short Shorts (NZ) (Ifraaj {GB}) was twice stakes-placed in the G3 Dark Jewel Classic and the G3 Hawkesbury Crown before her purchase on the Gold Coast this year by Ridgmont Farm, Clarke Bloodstock (FBAA), Watership Down Stud, and Mckeever Bloodstock for $260,000 from Chequers Stud. Her dam is a half-sister to G1 NZ Bloodstock Breeders' Stakes winner Zirna (NZ) (Deputy Governor {USA}), who furthermore is the dam of stakes-winning, stakes-producing Crafty Irna (Starcraft {NZ}).
Short Shorts (NZ) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
At the same sale, the partnership paid $300,000 for Gai’s Artist (Snitzel), a two-time city-winning full sister to Trapeze Artist who was being offered by Widden Stud.
“I think Too Darn Hot is one of those stallions who has an incredibly deep pedigree - all four of his grandparents are Group 1 winners - and he was an incredible racehorse himself,” Cunningham said. “He is getting unprecedented amounts of success in both hemispheres, so look at his pedigree close up, he is undeniable, but he certainly also has more depth to him than many of the colonial stallions.”
Too Darn Hot is another stallion who is not difficult to mate to, if you have the appropriate quality of mares. It’s certainly not an opportunity that Cunningham is going to let go.
“The truth is that it’s pretty obvious in hindsight that a stallion like Too Darn Hot was always going to be a potent stallion.” - Mitch Cunningham
“Going back generations is not a huge part of our mating plans. There are some stallions that are clearly going to have a better chance of making it than others, but there’s no set formula to these things. They can come from anywhere. But the truth is that it’s pretty obvious in hindsight that a stallion like Too Darn Hot was always going to be a potent stallion.”
His fee isn’t $275,000 (inc GST) without having earned that price tag, that is for certain.
