The opportunity to join Lustre Lodge represents the chance for Oscar Englebrecht to bring together the horsemanship, commercial knowledge and experiences gained throughout his career and apply them to a farm with its own ambitions.
A new start and a new challenge
For Englebrecht, the move to Lustre Lodge represents another step in a career that has taken him through some of Australia’s leading thoroughbred operations.
Growing up on a sheep and beef farm in New Zealand’s South Island, Englebrecht was introduced to the industry through his father’s passion for thoroughbred racing. That interest eventually led him across the Tasman, with the decision to move to Australia driven by a desire to fast-track his career and create greater opportunities within the industry.
His working history has included time in the foaling unit at Widden Stud, as well as roles with Yarraman Park Stud and Vinery Stud. He then progressed to become yearling manager for Kitchwin Hills, before taking on the role of Stud Manager at Alma Vale Thoroughbreds.
Oscar Englebrecht | Image courtesy of Kitchwin Hills
Now, with the opportunity to take charge as Stud Manager at Lustre Lodge, Englebrecht is looking forward to bringing those experiences together in a different setting.
“It's a new start (at Lustre Lodge) and a new challenge.” - Oscar Englebrecht
“It's exciting, it's a new start and a new challenge,” Englebrecht said.
A unique location close to Sydney
Located at Alison on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Lustre Lodge occupies roughly 80 acres of highly fertile pasture and offers a boutique setting for thoroughbred breeding.
The farm is positioned approximately 45 minutes north of Hornsby, inland from Wyong racecourse and between Sydney and Scone. It gives the operation access to two important parts of the Australian thoroughbred landscape, while remaining easily accessible for clients and industry participants based in Sydney.
For Englebrecht, the location is one of the farm’s clear advantages.
“It's a lovely spot,” Englebrecht said.
“There’s literally everything here and we are about five minutes from the Wyong race course, the accessibility is great. I went up to Coolmore Stud the other day to see the stallions and it took about one hour and a half, but felt like nothing at all, and you can also get to Randwick in about an hour and a half.”
Lustre Lodge | Image courtesy of Lustre Lodge
That accessibility creates a different lifestyle to what he has experienced in the Scone area, while still keeping him within easy reach of the major breeding and racing centres as well as providing an accessible option for owners in Sydney.
"You could feed up in the morning, head to Randwick, watch a couple of races and do the late afternoon feed run." - Oscar Englebrecht
“You could feed up in the morning, head to Randwick, watch a couple of races and do the late afternoon feed run, so that's going to be a nice point of difference from living in the Scone area.”
A different scale, with quality at the centre
Having started in the role recently, Englebrecht admits there has been an adjustment to the scale of the operation.
“I’m really enjoying it. I started last Friday. It takes a little bit of getting used to. I was used to having 30 horses in one barn and now we have about 60 on the whole farm, so it’s a bit different and takes a bit of getting your head around that, but the quality of the horses is great, just at a slightly different scale.”
For Englebrecht, the smaller overall numbers are not necessarily a limitation. Instead, he sees an opportunity to maintain a high level of attention across the operation.
“I think the lower numbers are more like a bit of a strength rather than a weakness. The attention to detail can be strong and maintain that quality over quantity.”
“The lower numbers are more like a bit of a strength... the attention to detail can be strong and maintain that quality over quantity.” - Oscar Englebrecht
Around 30 mares are expected to be foaled down at Lustre Lodge this season, with approximately 60 horses currently on the farm.
A mare and foal at Lustre Lodge | Image courtesy of Lustre Lodge
“It's a high-end scale type farm and we will probably foal down about 30 mares this year.”
Most of the horses are owned by Lustre Lodge, with Glen Spratt owning the business and the farm.
The boutique scale also allows the farm to take a considered approach to its sales operation, rather than simply focusing on numbers.
“With sales preparations and the numbers, we will really look at targeting the right horses for the right sales. We want to have a product we can have at the market that we're really proud of.”
“We want to have a product we can have at the market that we're really proud of.” - Oscar Englebrecht
Lustre Lodge is also open to outside clients looking for a smaller-scale operation for their horses.
“We are open for business as well. If anyone has any yearlings they want prepped in a more boutique operation we are available for that. We do dry mares, spellers, agistment and take horses to all the major sales, so we cover everything.”
For Lustre Lodge owner Glen Spratt he is excited about the expertise that Englebrecht has and the impact he will have.
“As a farm focused on quality, we need a leader who combines knowledge and skills with real passion to make an impact, and I’m confident Oscar will make his mark on our industry,” Spratt said.
We’re proud to have him onboard, alongside partner Niamh, who brings her own horse experience, and look forward to introducing them to our clients.”
Glen Spratt | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Taking something from every stop
Englebrecht’s approach to the role has been shaped by the range of operations he has worked with throughout his career.
Rather than attempting to replicate any one of them, he believes the value has been in taking lessons from each and adapting them to the environment in which he now works.
“All the places that I have worked at are great commercial farms, all very good in their own right, but you don't model off one, you just take a little bit of everything from each of them and sort of do it your own way.”
“You don't model off one (farm), you just take a little bit of everything from each of them and sort of do it your own way.” - Oscar Englebrecht
“I've worked with some good horsemen over the years and some good business people as well, so I'm sort of trying to bring it all together now.”
That combination of horsemanship and commercial understanding is something Englebrecht sees as increasingly important in the modern breeding industry.
At Lustre Lodge, he also has the opportunity to draw on Spratt’s experience away from the day-to-day horse operations.
“I’m also very lucky here in regards to Glen being a very successful businessman. So I’ll be able to sort of lean in on that sense as well.”
Investing in quality and building for the future
The foundations for Lustre Lodge’s breeding ambitions include significant investment in quality broodmares roughly five years ago, as well as more investment recently.
Sweet Deal (Casino Prince), the four-time Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed mare, was purchased by Lustre Lodge for $850,000 from the 2021 Inglis Chairman's Sale.
Veravarti (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), the half-sister to the G1 Avondale Cup winner Sharvasti (NZ) (Montjeu {Ire}), was purchased for $500,000 by Lustre Lodge at the same sale.
For Englebrecht, those purchases are part of a broader philosophy of setting the foundations but also continuing to reinvest rather than standing still.
Sweet Deal | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The investment is there to get a high product, hopefully we can continue to build on that, do a few pinhooks and just keep on reinvesting.”
“We won't be sitting on our laurels, there'll be reinvestment and hopefully I can bring some fresh new ideas to the table and help move the property forward.”
There is already a record of quality horses having come through the farm, with the stakes winners Star Patrol (Starspangledbanner), Grinzinger Heart (Toronado {Ire}), Brave Mead (Brave Smash {Jpn}) and Economics (Capitalist) among those bred or raised there, while the promising Banjora (I Am Invincible) provides another horse to follow.
“It is a farm where good horses have been bred, and we will look to try and breed some more good ones, that is for sure.”
“It is a farm where good horses have been bred, and we will look to try and breed some more good ones.” - Oscar Englebrecht
Another current graduate of Lustre Lodge that is doing the job on the track is By Choice (Written By). She was purchased for $220,000 by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing and Kestrel Thoroughbreds from the Lustre Lodge draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
By Choice | Image courtesy of Georgia Young Photography
She was a winner last season as a 2-year-old at Randwick on debut, and placed in the G2 Sweet Embrace Stakes and the G3 Magic Night Stakes. She won a trial earlier this month at Randwick so looks ready for an exciting 3-year-old campaign.
