Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Bell River Thoroughbreds have continued to thrive at their property in Dungog and enjoyed some impressive pinhooking results at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Across their draft of 11 horses, 9 sold for $3.11 million at an average of $345,500. Four of the draft were pinhooks, and three of those provided very tidy profits for Bell River and their clients.
“It was our fifth year back selling at the Magic Millions and it was great to have some great success,” said Bell Rivers' James Ferguson.
Family operated with practical focus
Bell River Thoroughbreds’ success comes from their tight knit family, run by Andrew Ferguson and his two sons James and Jock. “We are a very unique stud, because we are family owned and very much a hands-on operation,” said Ferguson.
“We are hands-on on a day-to-day basis, unlike many other farms, what we do is our income. From a restricted budget from 2010 onwards, we have produced, bred and sold a Group 1 winner and stallion in Extreme Choice, bred and raced a Group 1 winner in I Am Excited, and produced a $1.2 million yearling a few years ago by Farnan out of a home-bred product in I Am Excited.”
James Ferguson | Image courtesy of Bell Rivers Thoroughbreds
Bell River Thoroughbreds also sold Listed winning 3-year-old filly Gin Spirit (Spirit Of Boom) at the Gold Coast. “It’s a great checklist and it shows we are doing things right. Another Prophet is another who is a top level performer. From a restricted financial position, we have done really well, and the old man has invested with his clients in these horses, so he has put has money in as well as our clients.”
Another Prophet (Brazen Beau) won the 2024 G1 Thousand Guineas, is raced by Bell River and partners and has currently won just over $1.1 million in prizemoney on the track.
Clients help keep the wheels turning pinhooking wise
The highlight of the Magic Millions results was clearly the accumulation of three successful pinhooks that collected a total amount of $1.62 million, this came from a spend of $760,000, amounting in a tidy profit from those three of $860,000. While all pin-hooking is not always lucrative, success cam Bell River's way.
Lot 780, an Anamoe filly out of Secret Doubt (Not A Single Doubt), turned in a big profit, as she sold to Ciaron Maher and Mystery Downs for $600,000 at the Gold Coast.
Lot 111, a filly by Pinatubo (Ire) was pinhooked from Eureka Stud’s Magic Millions National Weanling Sale draft for $280,000 and enjoyed a huge boost the following spring when her half-brother Incognito (Stay Inside) won the G3 Breeders’ Plate on debut. Bell River sold her to Ciaron Maher for $600,000.
The third major successful pinhook was Lot 855, an All Too Hard filly out of Star Progeny (Star Turn) which was purchased from Lime Country Thoroughbreds’ Inglis Sydney Weanling Sale draft for $180,000, she was sold at the Gold Coast to Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA) and Murray Thoroughbreds for $420,000.
Gallery: Three successful pinhooks of Bell River Thoroughbreds sold at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, images courtesy of Magic Millions
“We were lucky enough that we had some new clients who entrusted us with some high-end pinhooks, which provided us with this opportunity, so it was great to get these results last week. A couple of years ago we had something similar and had some really good success, so it’s great to show that we can get the job done. Especially alongside my old man and my younger brother, as part of a family unit.
“We were lucky enough that we had some new clients who entrusted us with some high-end pinhooks.” - James Ferguson
“We have had some very loyal supporters or clients, the Walker family, the Pearce family. Bob Hogno, one of our main clients really wants to breed, race and stand his own stallion. While it will be tough, you have to have goals. Bob and his wife Marlene and their daughter Julianne have been wonderful clients to us.”
A long term plan to garner a worthy draft
In an industry where momentum can come and go quickly, Bell River’s approach has been defined by restraint, long-term thinking, and a willingness to wait until they are ready and the right horses are ready.
“When we come back into preparing drafts, we went to Inglis Classic in 2020 I think it was, and we came back with a bang, we ended up second or third on average. We thought at the time as we were building (Bell River) up, that we had the aim of getting back to Magics but we wanted to be patient and bring the right horses.
“The patient approach is the better approach, and if you don’t bring the right horses you are better off not bringing any at all. If you do things quickly you can go broke quick, if businesses last five years or more, you must be doing something right, last through those five years and you can survive.”
“The patient approach is the better approach, and if you don’t bring the right horses you are better off not bringing any at all.” - James Ferguson
Survive they have. With a family business, things can get insular, but the Ferguson family have improved through constant listening to other people across the industry. “Paul Willetts said to me, if you keep turning up each year, you are doing something right. Just recently David Baxter said ‘There are many more funerals than weddings’ so we took that thinking, being calculated and making the right call, with the right mindset is the way to approach (putting a draft together).
“We have done a lot of hard work on the land, learning our land and how our stock best respond to the land. At the end of the day, we are raising stock and we need to give them every chance and work with the land.”
Ambitions of Easter
Bell River Thoroughbreds might have already had their Extreme Choice, a horse who comes around once in a lifetime, but it’s not out of realms of possibility to produce another. And part of that ambition is to have the quality of stock required to showcase yearlings at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
Extreme Choice | Standing at Newgate Farm
“We have aims of going to Easter, but when we get there, we want to be able to average in that $400,000 plus mark, to go there, you just don’t make up numbers, you have to try and compete with the best around.
“Hopefully one day we can do the Magics (Gold Coast), Melbourne, and Easter, and that trio of sales can be us.
“Hopefully one day we can do the Magics (Gold Coast), Melbourne, and Easter, and that trio of sales can be us.” - James Ferguson
“When competing against big farms it can be incredibly difficult. We have found that especially in the mares market, which has changed significantly (financially), but the yearlings don’t seem to be, so it’s harder to invest into quality. Patience is key, and the right decision for the horse is paramount, and that needs to be remembered among all the flashy lights and the dollar signs.”
Recent graduates are necessary
With horses like Another Prophet, and Bel Merci (Extreme Choice) coming off the farm, Bell River are building towards a new list of graduates. “Buyers need confidence in who they are buying from. We want our horses fit to handle the Gold Coast. The heat, the humidity, the people. We want them to be able to handle it and be tough, and then start the journey of life towards being a racehorse.
Gallery: Some of Bell River's new graduates, images courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“The crew have a big spring in their step at the moment after the success, and the Dungog community are really behind us and are invested in our success. It’s a great community and we are really looking forward to having a drink with the community at the local pub this Friday to celebrate our success.”
Building a broodmare band on the track
The Bell River Racing team is well-known for having plenty of racing talent on the track, and have raced plenty of fillies as a way to build a high quality broodmare band, rather than splash cash they don’t have at the sales on proven mares. But as Fergusson explains, there are always swings and roundabouts.
“Most of the racing team are currently having spells or freshen ups, so it is a little quiet on that front at the moment. You have to stick to your guns, trust the process, and to be competing in Group races is very, very tough, so you have to wait your turn and not force it.
“You have to stick to your guns, trust the process, and to be competing in Group races is very, very tough.” - James Ferguson
“You have to ride out the highs and the lows.”
“Most of them aren’t early 2-year-olds , but at the back end of the autumn we have some goals, and hopefully it sets us up for a big spring. We will celebrate our Magics success, but in this game, you always have to look forward or you get left behind.”
