Cover image courtesy of Newington Farm
There isn't a secret formula for producing good racehorses, according to Kacy Blaxland. There are simply hundreds of small decisions that add up over time.
At Julian and Kacy Blaxland's Newington Farm, that starts the moment a young horse arrives. Whether it's a future Golden Slipper winner like Guest House or an unfashionable yearling, the approach is the same: know the horse, communicate with the trainer and never let the little things slide.
Alongside educating around 100 yearlings each year, the Queensland farm also spells many of Australia's best racehorses, giving Blaxland a rare opportunity to study what separates the very good from the truly elite.
Last year, one yearling stood out. He would be named Guest House (Home Affairs) and would go on to win the G1 Golden Slipper before being bought by Coolmore Stud in an estimated $30 million deal.
“Danny Parsons, our old breaker, spent a lot of time with Guest House when he was here and always had him as his top pick,” Kacy Blaxland said.
“He was the perfect big strong Thoroughbred. He looked the part early on. He was a little bit temperamental with learning to settle, and we spent a bit of time getting him to relax and breathe. But, God, he was a lovely horse, he was.”
Great staff lead to better outcomes
Newington Farm, located at Biddaddaba between Brisbane and the Gold Coast, consists of 120 acres with all the facilities that any farm specialising in education, pre-training and spelling requires. But it’s not just about the land or property. Julian Blaxland brings experience to the table as a bloodstock agent and syndicator, while Kacy is a former racehorse trainer who has ridden horses all her life.
“I worked for Aquis for just over 10 years and ended up doing my trainer's license (with them). When I gave the training away, three years ago, I finally got to come back and work on our farm,” Kacy Blaxland said.
Blaxland said goodbye to her trainer’s licence with a win. Her final recorded runner is Due Diligence (Duporth) who won at Beaudesert in July 2023.
Julian & Kacy Blaxland | Image courtesy of Newington Farm
“I was lucky enough to bring my foreman, Tom Stevenson, who used to work for me when I trained back to our farm to work here. Having a great team around me makes everything so much easier.
“We have great staff. It's not an overly big farm. It's small enough not to have to delegate anything, so we are across everything. Stuart Christie plays a massive role with the horses that come through, and he's a bit of a perfectionist. It’s good for the horses because nothing goes unnoticed.
“Our staff are very experienced and amazing, so we get a nice flow of handover notes wherever the horses end up. If they come here from spelling to education, or pre-training or rehabilitation there’s a good flow of notes about each specific horse. All the staff know all the horses, and all their issues. It helps the rest of the team and ensure that we do the best we can for each and every horse.
“Our staff are very experienced and amazing, so we get a nice flow of handover notes wherever the horses end up... All the staff know all the horses, and all their issues. It helps the rest of the team and ensure that we do the best we can for each and every horse.” - Kacy Blaxland
“That's the beauty of having a small farm, you get away from that factory approach of treating them as numbers.”
Temperament makes a good horse
Many of the educators that TTR have spoken to this year will tell you that a good temperament is the key to a good racehorse. For Kacy Blaxland, there’s one detail with regards to temperament that matters more than simply being uncomplicated.
“It always just comes down to the individual. They are all so different. It definitely helps if you've got the right horse with the right attitude. If a horse has a temperament that is easy, you can just crack on, but a lot of the good ones are often the hard ones,” Blaxland said.
With so many good horses spelling on the farm, there’s an opportunity to see the best horses up close. Group 1 winners like Stay Inside, Artorius, Deny Knowledge (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai), Without A Fight (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), Unforgotten (Fastnet Rock), Forbidden Love (All Too Hard) have all spelled at Newington Farm, while Blaxland selected Coolmore stallion Best Of Bordeaux as a yearling who she trained to win the G2 Silver Slipper and G2 Roman Consul Stakes.
Best Of Bordeaux | Standing at Coolmore Australia
“We're lucky as we'll get a few of the winter carnival horses stay up here and spell. I’m always looking at them and wondering. ‘What is it about you? How are you so different? What sets you apart from the others that makes you so good?’
“The one thing I have noticed with a lot of those good horses is their ability to just switch off. Often those really good horses that come here, it might be their first time here but they act like they’ve been here a thousand times. They settle into the new environment so quickly.
“The one thing I have noticed with a lot of those good horses is their ability to just switch off... it might be their first time here but they act like they’ve been here a thousand times. They settle into the new environment so quickly.” - Kacy Blaxland
“They just eat, sleep, repeat. That is one thing I've always noticed about those good horses.”
The education process at Newington Farm
With her background as a trainer, Blaxland brings an interesting dimension to early education because she knows what it’s like to run a stable and what helps a horse thrive. Many of the horses they educate come directly from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January, and they all come with directions from their respective trainers.
“A lot of trainers will have their own sort of program as to what they want that, how long a spell they want to give that horse before they start. The horse gets the spell the trainer wants and we give feedback on how well they are going, and how quickly they let down. It’s quite stressful (for young horses) going through those sales. They can come here and they just lie down for a week.
“Communication is key in talking to your trainers about how well a horse has done or hasn't done or if the horse needs longer. It just comes down to attention to detail.
“Once they start, we do a week of ground work, then first rides, then for the next three weeks we slowly progress. They’ll start in the round yard, then the arena, then we’ll take them around the farm. They go out on the track, and all over the farm to desensitise them and we do as much as we can with them while we have them to make sure they are completely foolproof.
Newington Farm facility | Image courtesy of Newington Farm
“The longer you get to work with each trainer, the better feel you get for the product that they want. Each trainer can be completely different, how fast they want them coming out of the barriers or how slow they want them coming out of the barriers.
“Coming from training myself, I know that racing is all about the 1% and we’re laying the foundation for that particular racehorse.”
“Coming from training myself, I know that racing is all about the 1% and we’re laying the foundation for that particular racehorse.” - Kacy Blaxland
It’s not all racing with a broad background
Kacy Blaxland is the granddaughter of New Zealand trainer Ashley Fogden, and grew up with horses before moving to Australia in 2007.
“Pre-racing, I grew up in New Zealand. It was all equestrian and racing. My grandfather trained and dad had horses too. He’d make us ride them all, and we did everything as kids, equestrian, hunting, show jumping.”
The background experience across all equine disciplines is something that Blaxland introduces to each of the horses she educates. Blaxland deliberately prepares each horse for their whole life, both as a racehorse and afterwards when they retire.
“For each horse, that backgrounding is very important. Even with our pre-trainers coming back here (as older horses), we jump them. We do a heap of arena work, basic schooling and flat work. It’s so important. It slows things down and also not all of our horses will make it to the racetrack, some will get retired early. They will have to find a home after racing.
“For each horse, that backgrounding is very important... It slows things down and also not all of our horses will make it to the racetrack, some will get retired early.” - Kacy Blaxland
“By giving them a small base education of basic flat work, I feel like they can go a long way when the time comes to retire from the track. It makes them easier to rehome.”
Another fan of In The Congo
Among the 100 yearlings that went through Newington Farm’s program, which ones stood out?
“In the Congo. I love the In The Congos. They have been so awesome. They have been such gems right the way through. They've just been such cool horses. They are so willing with fantastic temperaments. I don't think we've had a bad one with a bad temperament. They’ve been so honest and so willing, just get up and go.”
“I love the In The Congos. They have been so awesome.... They are so willing with fantastic temperaments. I don't think we've had a bad one with a bad temperament. They’ve been so honest and so willing, just get up and go.” - Kacy Blaxland
In The Congo | Standing at Newgate Farm
G1 Golden Rose winner In The Congo stood his first season at $33,000 inc GST at Newgate Farm. He has 100 live foals in his 2024 crop. The big name at the sales this year has been nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe whose yearlings grabbed plenty of attention. He stood his first season at $121,000 inc GST and has 111 foals in his first crop.
“We have had a couple of Anamoes and they’ve been very straightforward and professional.”
“We have had a couple of Anamoes and they’ve been very straightforward and professional.” - Kacy Blaxland
When it came to individual horses, one of the stars was a horse that Blaxland didn’t get to break in.
“We had Cambridge Stud’s Anamoe from Jolie Bay here to spell. She was here for three weeks and I thought we were going to get her to break in, but she left. I’m still heartbroken about that, she was an absolute star. Gorgeous. Not many yearlings catch your eye in the paddock the way she did. She had charisma.”
Anamoe | Standing at Darley Australia
Jolie Bay (Fastnet Rock) is the dam of multiple Group 1 winner Joliestar (Zoustar) who Cambridge Stud bought for $950,000. They went to $470,000 this year to buy Joliestar’s half-sister by Anamoe. Jolie Bay has also produced two stakes placed winners, God Of Thunder (More Than Ready {USA}) and Emperor (I Am Invincible).
“My favourite this year was the Zoustar brother to Campione D’Italia. He was a stunner, such a beautiful mover. We broke in Guest House last year for Mick Price. Mick buys lovely types across the board, he's got such a good eye.”
Joliestar | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
The Zoustar colt from Medaglia Valore (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) was bought by Mick Price Racing for $750,000 from Baramul Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
“The other standout was Gerry (Ryan)’s Miss Sharapova. He was smart, maybe too smart. He was Mr Perfect.”
The colt by Snitzel from Miss Sharapova (NZ) (Ustinov) was purchased by Ryan and Alexiou Racing along with Stallion Match for $600,000 from Arrowfield Stud’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft. He’s a half-brother to Doubtland and Doubtland’s full sister Listed winner Pretty Fast (Not A Single Doubt) who is the dam of Group 3-placed Confederation (Wootton Bassett {GB}).
