Cover image courtesy of HP Thoroughbreds
Based in Hilldale in New South Wales, Anthony and Kristen Evans’ boutique operation HP Thoroughbreds takes advantage of their proximity to the Hunter Valley’s leading studs to access some of the country’s best current and emerging sires. For both their personal and client mares, the emphasis is squarely on producing stars of the turf that appeal in the ring first.
“We're trying to breed the soundest, fastest racehorses that we can, while keeping in mind the commercial side of selling these athletes,” said Kristen Evans. “None of us have a crystal ball and we just hope that the matings that we choose this year will be fashionable in the yearling sales ring in three years' time."
Kristen Evans | Image courtesy of HP Thoroughbreds
The operation achieved a personal best yearling price at this year’s Inglis Classic Yearling Sale where they sold a son of Pinatubo (Ire) for $380,000. They took a very successful first draft to the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, finishing with an average of $316,000 across their five lots.
“If you don't breed something that looks really good, you won't get a second look at the sales.” - Kristen Evans
“Our main focus is type,” Evans said. “I just believe that is massively important. (We are) looking at the mare, going to these stallion parades and looking at these gorgeous stallions, and putting the two of them together physically. Because if you don't breed something that looks really good, you won't get a second look at the sales.”
HP’s queen set for a date with Vinnie
Real Desire (Wanted) is one of the jewels in the HP Thoroughbreds’ broodmare band; three of her four foals have been winners on the track so far, and none have been more important than Skybird (Exosphere), whose trio of Group victories include the autumn’s G1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. After delivering a Home Affairs filly recently, it seems only fit that she visit one of the country’s very best.
Skybird | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“Even though it's going to stretch the budget this year, we're going to send her to I Am Invincible,” Evans shared. “She deserves the best. She has just given us a gorgeous Home Affairs filly, who is absolutely stunning this year. Skybird continues to go from strength to strength, doing well on the track and exceeding our expectations, so we just feel like Real Desire deserves the best stallion and that's I Am Invincible.”
“We just feel like Real Desire deserves the best stallion and that's I Am Invincible.” - Kristen Evans
When the opportunity arises to visit a Champion Sire, there doesn’t need to be much investigation into how good of a match it is.
“He's just amazing,” Evans said. “He's got the looks, he's got the pedigree, and he's got the runners on the ground. So we're very lucky at the opportunity that we'll be sending a mare like her to a stallion like him.”
Real Desire delivered a Pierro colt last spring, who will be headed to the sales circuit in 2026. Soaring home to land sixth in the G1 Moir Stakes after a troubled start in the barriers, Skybird is scheduled for a jump-out ahead of her next target.
I Am Invincible | Standing at Yarraman Park
Star Salute the right match for Switzerland
Another of HP Thoroughbreds’ resident grand producers is Star Salute (General Nediym), the dam of five runners on the track, she has produced four winners, highlighted by the Group winners Brutality (Shamus Award) and General Salute (Russian Revolution).
The latter has been back in action in the spring already, running third to Lazzura (Snitzel) in the G3 Show County Quality and following it up with a brave second to Autumn Glow (The Autumn Sun) in the G2 Theo Marks Stakes this past weekend. In his last four starts, all at Group level, General Salute has finished no further back than third.
It is on the strength of this cross that Evans sends Star Salute to another son of Snitzel this year in G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes winner, Switzerland.
Star Salute | Image courtesy of Inglis
“She’s produced two Group winners by different sons of Snitzel, so we know the cross really works for her,” Evans said. “We saw Switzerland at the Coolmore stallion parade and just thought he's physically amazing. He's very well bred, and his racetrack performances were amazing. We really wanted to send a mare to him.”
Apart from the obvious nick, Switzerland had the right kind of star quality for Evans.
“I feel he's (Switzerland) definitely going to be a sire of the future.” - Kristen Evans
“He walked out and he had that presence that you just look for in those stallions,” she said. “I saw him and I thought, ‘I want to go to him, I want to be sending a mare to him’. I feel he's definitely going to be a sire of the future. Coolmore are amazing at what they do and they'll give the stallion every chance, so I just can't see that he won’t succeed.”
Switzerland | Standing at Coolmore
Putting faith in sons of Shamardal
Young Exosphere mare True Faith has so far visited three shuttler stallions from Darley - Too Darn Hot (GB), Blue Point (Ire), and she most recently has produced a filly by Native Trail (GB) - and Evans was keen to continue the theme this year by sending the mare to Pinatubo.
“True Faith is a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Le Romain,” Evans said. “After selling her Blue Point this year for $340,000, and with Blue Point not returning this season, we have decided to go to another son of Shamardal in Pinatubo. He was the Champion First Season Sire in Europe and a real speed horse, so we just think that he would be the perfect match for True Faith.”
“He (Pinatubo) was the Champion First Season Sire in Europe and a real speed horse, so we just think that he would be the perfect match for True Faith.” - Kristen Evans
KPW Bloodstock outlaid $340,000 for True Faith’s Blue Point son in HP Thoroughbreds’ Easter draft this year, and Evans is hopeful that Pinatubo’s performance in the Northern Hemisphere can be replicated in Australia when his first 2-year-olds hit the track this spring.
Blue Point x True Faith colt | Image courtesy of Inglis
And, of course, he is both producing and is himself the right type to appeal to the local market.
“He is absolutely stunning,” Evans said. “We've had really good sales results last year with a Pinatubo, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what the two of them can produce together.”
No messing around with smashing types
Owned by Yarramalong Bloodstock, Anabaa’s Legacy (NZ) (Anabaa {USA}) is another resident mare who has produced the goods; despite a lot of early trouble with the barriers, her son Economics (Capitalist) counts the Listed Heritage Stakes amongst four wins and was placed in the Listed Fireball Stakes. She is also the dam of Wolf Moon (Wandjina), who was a five-time metropolitan winner and third in the Listed Daybreak Lover Plate.
“She’s being covered by Brave Smash this year,” Evans said. “She's got two foals by him, which are both outstanding.”
Anabaa’s Legacy produced a filly by Yarraman Park Stud’s Brave Smash (Jpn) last spring, and followed her up with a full brother born in mid August. Brave Smash’s first 67 yearlings conceived in the Valley are due to hit the sales in 2026.
Anabaa's Legacy (NZ) | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
“Brave Smash is a stallion who we've sent a number of mares to since he relocated to the Hunter, and based off of what we have on the farm, we think that he's a stallion to look out for,” Evans said.
“Based off of what we have on the farm, we think that he's (Brave Smash) a stallion to look out for.” - Kristen Evans
“She (Anabaa's Legacy) always produces an outstanding type. The Brave Smash colt that she has on the ground this year is just an absolute ripper. He just glides across the paddock! He's got the physical attributes that we’re looking for, and again I see that and I say to myself, ‘I want to go to Brave Smash again this year, I want to support him. I want to support stallions like him’.”
Repeating results for Parraay
And last but by no means least on Evans’ list is Parraay (Excites), another multiple winner whose three foals to the track are all multiple winners, including Dancing Code (Panzer Division) who has amassed over HK$10 million ($1.9 million) in his Hong Kong career. It is her Pinatubo colt that provided the all-time top result of $380,000 at Inglis Classic earlier this year.
“We sold her Pinatubo at the Classic sale this year, and they have a really good wrap on him, so we’re really hopeful for his future,” Evans said. “Fingers crossed, he can be another one that carries the HP brand to the top level.”
“Fingers crossed, he (Parraay's Pinatubo 2-year-old) can be another one that carries the HP brand to the top level.” - Kristen Evans
On the back of that sales performance, Parraay heads back to Pinatubo this spring, after visiting both him and King’s Legacy in 2024.
“We are hoping to support him (Pinatubo) again and send her back. I mean, from the moment that he (the Pinatubo colt) was born, we just looked at him and thought, ‘wow, this is a gorgeous colt’. So we were sending her back because of him, on his type and his results.
Pinatubo x Parraay colt | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The two types (of Pinatubo and Parraay) just work together. What Parraay lacks, Pinatubo has to give. And that's where breeding them on type comes into it. They are the perfect match, and they gave us an outstanding foal, which was super impressive.”
“They (Pinatubo and Parraay) are the perfect match, and they gave us an outstanding foal, which was super impressive.” - Kristen Evans
The results of the 2025 yearling sales season and the quality of foals on the ground this spring gives Evans a lot to be hopeful about.
“This is a tough industry to be in,” she said. “There are a lot of highs, a lot of lows. You know, it is quite tough, but when you get it right, it is so rewarding.
“I just love this industry, I love these horses, and I love what I do, so I am extremely lucky. They say if you love what you do, you don't work a day in your life. So I walk around the paddocks all day looking at fresh faces and hoping to make future Australian champions. So I mean, I'm living the dream.”
