Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
With Knight’s Choice (Extreme Choice) winning last year’s G1 Melbourne Cup, the locals have another contender in 2025 with 5-year-old gelding Revelare (So You Think {NZ}) who took his record to eight wins from 11 starts in winning a ballot free entry to the Cup in Saturday’s G3 The Archer.
Bred by Colleen and Kevin Bamford at their Daisy Hill Stud in Doreen, Victoria, Revelare was sold in their final yearling draft at the 2022 Inglis Premier Yearling Sale for $130,000. So You Think (NZ) stood for $38,500 inc GST in 2019, when Revelare was conceived. The Archer victory took the Robert Hickmott-trained gelding’s earnings over $540,000.
Revelare as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He went to the right person. Rob Hickmott is a great trainer of stayers,” said Colleen Bamford.
“Revelare was a beautiful big healthy foal, very strong. He was in the last lot of yearlings we sold, and I always liked him. Quite often if I like whoever bought a yearling, the trainer and the other owners, then I’d stay in the horse and I have always admired Rob, he’s great trainer and he was buying for Geoff Evans in Perth.
“He’s in the Cup now, so that’s the end target. We just keep talking about plans. We were all together at Kilmore on Sunday, and there’s another run at Flemington in a couple of weeks. But we are keeping our options open and Rob will work out the best placement. There’s a lot to take into consideration, especially what weight he will have for the Cup. Lloyd Williams is offering some advice to Rob too.”
Rob Hickmott has won the G1 Melbourne Cup twice with Lloyd Williams-owned Green Moon (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in 2012 and again in 2016 with Almandin (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}).
“Revelare has just got the most amazing temperament. He was quite fiery as a colt, but we gelded him and he’s terrific now. He didn’t leave an oat after Saturday, just the perfect racehorse who keeps stepping up with each start.
“Can he win the Cup? Can he win it? I think he can, but he’s never been over that distance so we don’t know but every time we ask he steps up.”
Moving on from Daisy Hill Stud
The Bamfords' farm, Daisy Hill Stud, was placed on the market in 2022 after foundation stallion Americain (USA) died. “I was a commercial breeder for quite a while, but I decided to retire and sell the farm. The farm has been sold, but it has a long settlement on it which suited me. I’ve bought a smaller property at Balnarring and will keep four mares just for breeding for myself.”
The late Americain (USA) when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“Predominantly we went commercial for Americain.” The Bamfords shared in the ownership of Americain who came from France to win the G3 Geelong Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup in 2010, before running fourth in the 2011 G1 Melbourne Cup, and eleventh in the 2012 Cup, which was his final start. Of his 11 wins, four were in Australia, and he also placed in the G1 Hong Kong Vase, G1 BMW Stakes, G1 Australian Cup and was fourth in the G1 Caulfield Cup.
“We won it with Americain, and was third with Jardine’s Lookout, and we’ve had a few other Cup runners. It is the race that stops the nation, and it’s known all over the world. It’d be great to win it again.” Jardine’s Lookout (Ire) (Fourstars Allstar {USA}) was third in 2023, behind the great mare Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}) in her first of her three Cup wins.
Reveal The Goddess part of the Americain plan
Revelare is the fifth of six live foals for Reveal The Goddess (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}). “I purchased her for Americain. On the morning of his Cup, we were driving to Flemington, and the police asked us to wait. So You Think crossed the road right in front of our car, and I thought, this better not be an omen, but Americain came down the straight and went right past him to win,” said Bamford.
Reveal The Goddess was a maiden winner over 2400 metres at Bendigo at her second start, winning by five lengths. She’s quite stoutly bred, being a daughter of G1 Sydney Cup winner Honor Babe (NZ) (Honor Grades {USA}). Her first two foals, by Americain, resulted in one winner, Hurricane who won over 2200 metres. She also produced the winner Miss Chang'E (Puissance de Lune {Ire}) who won twice over a mile and 2050 metres. Revelare is her third winner from six to race.
Reveal The Goddess (NZ) | Image courtesy of Inglis
“I loved So You Think’s breeding, and think that So You Think over Zabeel mares just clicks,” said Bamford. “When I decided to retire, I sold all the mares and sold Reveal The Goddess in foal to So You Think, a full brother or sister to Revelare. She’s failed to produce a live foal since, and I really feel for the new owners.”
Reveal The Goddess sold for $60,000 and slipped the foal that she was carrying when sold, then missed to So You Think, then had a still born foal to him in 2024. Her 2025 mare return hasn’t been completed.
“She’s a Zabeel mare and when you look at the breeding, she’s bred on staying lines. So You Think can throw all different distance horses, and one thing that Rob said drew him to Revelare (as a yearling) was that he was bred to potentially be a Cups horse.”
Breeding stayers commercially is a tough gig
Earlier this year, TTR wrote about the impact that imports are having on the commercial market. Read it here.
“Racehorse owners want instant gratification by buying these imports. They spent the money on them because three months later they are running in group races. They don’t want to wait, they are prepared to pay highly for a ready-to-go import, but won’t pay a similar amount to wait and develop a yearling,” Coolmore’s Colm Santry told The Thoroughbred Report in July.
Bamford agrees, although Americain was popular in his first couple of seasons, covering 155 and 133 mares at $13,750 in his first two seasons.
“With breeding commercially, and being a seller of yearlings, everyone is going after the horses who will win at two, or those who win a trial early and get good money from Hong Kong, and I found that frustrating,” Bamford said.
“I have quite a few racehorses, and it’s hard to find a trial longer than 800 metres for a horse. We took our time with Revelare. We knew he wasn’t going be ready until he was at least three. If you are prepared to wait, while there’s no guarantee, you can race a nice horse. That was disappointing at the sales, if you had a staying bred horse you wouldn’t get as much attention as the precocious types.
"We pay millions to bring horses over from Europe…” Bamford took a deep breath. “Hopefully, he gives people hope to breed stayers in this country. I’m pretty chuffed that I bred a Cup starter.”
