Damon Gabbedy

“It can be a life-changing move when your father goes out to buy a boat and comes home with a racehorse as Damon Gabbedy found out as a youngster in Perth. As he recalls in this profile, the success of that purchase would influence his career path and see him become one of Australia’s leading and most respected bloodstock agents and also the local agent for French sales company Arqana.

A STANDARD piece of advice for young people has always been to try and become involved in what you enjoy, and at 44 years of age bloodstock agent Damon Gabbedy has done exactly that for most of his adult life. As a youngster in Perth he was immersed in racing and breeding from the time his father John left home one morning to buy a boat and reported, on his return, that he had purchased a yearling. Before long the world of a thoroughbred had become Damon’s consuming passion.

On completing his secondary education he started a marketing degree, but the lure of the horse business became overpowering. After beginning with Goodwood Bloodstock he became a partner in Belmont Bloodstock with Debbie Evans, whose bookmaking father Rod was a Deputy-Lord Mayor of Perth and a larger than life character. A dozen years ago, with Debbie easing out of the business, Damon took over Belmont Bloodstock and moved to Melbourne. Since then Damon’s business acumen, combined with his expertise and knowledge of pedigrees, has enabled him to become a major player on the Australian bloodstock scene.

“It’s been like a dream come true,” he said. “Horse racing and breeding is my hobby and I think I am very lucky and privileged to have that as my job.” Added to that Damon is a cool, confident, people-person, which has helped him build up an impressive clientele. “I’ve been fortunate that over the years I have been able put together a list of valued clients who have always stood by me. I suppose you could say that I’ve sold horses to all the key players in the industry.

“As an agent you have to make sure you maintain your independence, and for that reason, I am not associated with any one stable on the racing side. Basically what I do is just try to put deals together.

In fact that’s what I enjoy most . . . creating the deal. I remember one year I was sitting in New Zealand and talking to Keith Biggs, from Perth. While we were chatting I asked ‘do you think you would ever sell Danelagh?’ who had won the Blue Diamond Stakes for him. “The answer was ‘yes, if the offer was good enough’. Later I sat next to Ollie Tait at Karaka and asked him whether he would be interested in buying Danelagh and when his answer was positive we put the deal together. Of course she’s gone right on with it since producing Vengeance of Rain, Dizelle and Bernicia. Clinching a deal like that is what gives me a real buzz.”

Benicio - (More Than Ready (USA)-Mannington by Danehill (USA))

As Damon says his career path was virtually established by his father’s interest in racing, and later breeding. “Dad was a wool buyer but basically all his spare cash went on racehorses. I think I was about nine or 10 when he went out to buy a boat and came back and said he’d bought a yearling, much to my mother Doris’s displeasure.”

However, John’s decision to forget about the boat and buy the yearling instead was inspired. The filly, by Gay Saba (NZ) from the Adamastor (FR) mare Aubyn Maid, racing as Bynsaab proved a classy performer, winning the WATC Champion Fillies Stakes-Gr.2, Pinjarra Guineas-LR and six other races. Her efforts also featured a third in the WATC Caris Diamond Quality-Gr.3 behind the outstanding performer of the era Family of Man and Chasta Bellota, who was trained by the late T.J. Smith. “Bynsaab cost $3000 and was trained by a very young Wally Mitchell to win around $37,000 in prizemoney, which was quite a return in those days. We ended up selling her to Robert Holmes a’Court.

“When your first horse is a good horse it becomes like an addiction and there is no doubt Bynsaab fired my interest in racing and pedigrees. I’ve been going to the races ever since, and from that time I started going to the yearling sales with my father as well as studying all the pedigrees. I’d read the catalogues from back to front, and before I knew it I had a great passion for the horses. In fact my mother would often say that if I could remember my school work the way I remembered details about breeding and racing I’d be a genius.”

However while his school work may not have been everything Doris desired, Damon excelled in sports during his days as a student at Christian Brothers College at Fremantle. He was captain of the football team – winning the school’s best and fairest award three years in succession – as well as being in the athletics, tennis and swimming teams. On leaving school he was approached about playing for East Fremantle in the Western Australian Football League: “I certainly liked playing football but I knew if I began playing for East Fremantle I wouldn’t be able to go to the races on Saturdays, so I politely declined.”

Along the way Damon had furthered his experience in the racing industry by acting as a “saddle boy” for jockey Alby Smith. “I’d look after his gear and it meant going to the races pretty well every week.” His father also became increasingly active as an owner with the family’s black and pink colours being carried regularly around Ascot and Belmont Park.

“After Bynsaab we had quite a lot of good horses, right through until the late 1980s when Storaia, who was probably the best of them, came along.” By the Golden Slipper Stakes winner Pago Pago from the Charlton (GB) mare Royal Commission, Storaia, after being purchased for $18,000, registered nine wins, seven seconds and four thirds for earnings of $463,360 for the Gabbedys. While his victories featured the VRC Rupert Steele Stakes-Gr.3 and VATC J.R.A. Plate-LR, Storaia was probably more notable for his placings. These featured seconds to Wrap Around in the MVRC William Reid Stakes-Gr.1 and to Schillaci in the VRC Newmarket Handicap-Gr.1 in 1992 and a third behind Mookta and Isn’t She Gorgeous in the VATC Oakleigh Plate-Gr.1 the following year and by then Damon was well and truly immersed in the horse business.

Le Zagaletta - (Last Tycoon (IRE)-Swiftsynd by Swift Gun)

“I obviously liked the horse stuff but when I finished school there weren’t any jobs available so I enrolled for a marketing degree at the West Australian Institute of Technology. Half way through the course I was able to gain some work experience with Goodwood Bloodstock, which was the auction house in WA. Initially I went in for two weeks work experience and finishing up staying for the whole summer holidays – for no pay. Then I went back to uni, but kept going back to Goodwood Bloodstock every couple of weeks, and eventually John Chalmers who was the boss, created a position for me in the pedigree department. When I started there Simon Vivian was the bloodstock manager. Of course in those days, pre-computers, we did the catalogue by hand  - we had the stud books on one side and the race results on the other.

“Writing the pedigrees out long hand was very labour intensive and took hours and hours and then we’d have to correct the proofs when they came back from the printers, but looking back, it was the best way to learn about pedigrees. I really enjoyed the experience. In those days Mike Becker, who now runs Independent Stallions at Nagambie, was also there and Mark Pilkington came along later. Then Murray Tillett, who is still there, took over so it was quite a good little team.”

After progressing from researching pedigrees Damon moved into selling horses, but after five years without having a holiday he decided to take a year’s leave of absence to travel overseas. During the break from Goodwood Bloodstock he worked, for a time, at Tattersalls at Newmarket where he became a “great friend” of director Martin Mitchell: “It was a fascinating experience working at Tattersalls and seeing how the company operates.”

During his stay in England the renowned Western Australian bloodstock agent Debbie Evans rang Damon to ask whether he was interested in becoming a partner in Belmont Bloodstock. “I had spoken to Debbie before I went overseas, and a year or so later while I was away, she rang and offered me a partnership,” Damon said. “At that stage I was only about 25 and I thought it might have been a little bit early in my game plan but then I decided it was too good an opportunity to refuse. I accepted Debbie’s offer and worked with her at Belmont Bloodstock for the next nine or 10 years, which was great experience.

“Debbie knew everybody and everybody knew her, which meant I met a lot of people on the east coast that I didn’t really know . . . the John Messaras, Michael Sissians, the Brian Agnews, and everybody. I also met the Freedmans and people like that through her.”

As the business flourished so did Debbie and Damon’s judgement. Their eye for a horse was never more clearly illustrated than when Belmont Bloodstock purchased the colt by Fairy King (USA) from the Star Way (GB) mare Shoal Creek for $140,000 on behalf of Debbie’s husband Joe Throsby at the 1995 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. He was, of course, Encosta de Lago, who was prepared by Lee Freedman to win the VATC VicHealth Cup-Gr.1, VRC Ascot Vale Stakes-Gr.2 and MVRC Bill Stutt Stakes-Gr.2 on his way to becoming the nation’s champion sire.

“It was a very good story, and what I felt was a great lesson for everyone,” Damon said. “Joe had three fillies he’d raced in partnership with Robert Sangster and John Magnier. After they’d finished racing, they mated them and then sold them at auction. Anyway two years later Shoal Creek, who’d been sold for $30,000 or $35,000, had this cracking, outstanding individual. Joe, cleverly, decided to buy back in and when the yearling turned out to be Encosta it proved to be a gold mine for him.”

By the late 1990s Damon, by then a young man on the move, was beginning to become concerned about the situation in Perth – in particular, and Western Australia – in general: “At that stage the bloodstock scene in WA was shrinking. All the big players had either died, gone to jail, skipped the country or gone broke. Debbie had a child and wasn’t spending so much time in the office and I was starting to become a little bit restless.

“After consultation with the family we all agreed that if I wanted to get ahead I had to move to the eastern states. Debbie was fantastic and encouraged me to make the move. I took over Belmont Bloodstock 100% and went to Melbourne, which is definitely the racing capital. While Scone is the breeding capital it is a long three and a half-hour drive from Sydney, so you’re not that close. Besides I thought Melbourne would be an easier place to adjust to after living in Perth. It is the best decision I have ever made.”

As he was preparing to head east permanently Damon made another splendid purchase on Joe Throsby’s behalf when he bought Le Zagaletta, who is by Last Tycoon (IRE) from the Swift Gun mare Swiftsynd, for $230,000 at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale. Le Zagaletta, who like Encosta de Lago was trained by Lee Freedman, raced 65 times over nine seasons for 14 wins and 20 placings to earn $1,317,735 in prizemoney. Nine of the grey’s victories – as well as 14 of his placings – were in black type races and featured the MVRC Waterford Crystal Mile-Gr.2 and MRC Liston Stakes-Gr.2. He was also Gr.1 placed when second to Show a Heart in the MRC Toorak Handicap in 2001.

In the years since settling in Melbourne, Damon’s easy going, friendly personality has led to his involvement in negotiating a long list of other notable deals. These have included buying VRC Victoria Derby winner and now Vinery sire Benicio for $525,000 at Easter in 2004; Vinery’s Gr.1-winning mare Bel Mer for $110,000 as a yearling; and 2003 Brisbane Cup-Gr.1 winner Piachay for $NZ100,000 at Karaka. He has also been busy in the trading of “tried” racehorses, such as Australian Champion Two Year Old of 2006-07 Meurice; VRC Turnbull Stakes-Gr.1 winner Sphenophyta; STC Kingstown Town Stakes-Gr.2 winner Just Polite who changed hands for just $30,000, and Magic Millions Cup winner Plans.

Damon has also been particularly active in broodmare sales. Foremost among his buys has been the purchase of North Bell, the dam of 2001 and 2002 MVRC Cox Plate and 2003 Horse of the Year Northerly, for Neville and Susan Duncan’s Oakland Park Stud in Western Australia. He was also the intermediary in the sale of Melbourne Cup winner Jezabeel to John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud; of Alinghi’s dam Oceanfast to Yarraman Park; of Gr.1-winning Dashing Eagle to the late Jim Fleming and of Danelagh to Darley Australia.

“I was quite fortunate that before I’d arrived in Melbourne I’d developed a close association with Lee Freedman, which had begun when he trained Storaia for us,” Damon said. “Lee was great – we worked together quite a lot and he helped me become established independently.

“Importantly too I was able to maintain my Perth clients . . . Bob Peters has been a great supporter over the years. Debbie and I managed the Kaoru Star horse Old Spice for Bob and he was a superstar stallion. The biggest book of mares he ever covered was 50 one season and I think he ended up siring nine Gr.1 winners. Bob retained most of the progeny and they were fantastic horses for him including Spectrum, who won the Gr.1 Goodwood Handicap at Morphettville.

“I have other Western Australian clients including Ron Sayers who has Yarradale Stud; Graham and Chris Dawes who have Dawson Stud, and I have been doing some work for Mungrup Stud who stand Oratorio. In fact last year I bought Sweepshot, the dam of multiple Gr.1 winner Scenic Shot, and Palace Alice, the dam of this year’s Perth Cup winner Lords Ransom, for Mungrup – which is quite handy.”

Along the way Damon’s rise to prominence was noted in France, and in 2008 he was appointed as the Australian and New Zealand representative for Arqana. “I was thrilled and honoured to be selected for the position. Arqana is a name that is not that well known in this part of the world, as yet, but it is a very progressive French auction house – the William Inglis or Magic Millions of France. The company was created in 2006 by the mergers of auctioneers L’Agence Francaise de Vente du Pur-sang and Goffs France.

“Arqana is headed by chairman George Rimaud and its majority shareholder is the Aga Khan IV who is France’s largest owner-breeder. The other shareholders are made up mainly of French breeders, with the remainder being owned by Artcurial, an art auction house. My role with Arqana is to promote the French thoroughbred and to entice Australians and New Zealanders to France to invest in some of the country’s quality bloodstock. Nathan Tinkler’s Patinack Farm has bought horses there and so have Peter Maher, who had a very good filly named Valentine Waltz winner of the French 1000 Guineas, and Ron Sayers of Perth.

“Under my agreement with Arqana I am required to make trips each year to France for the yearling sales in August and the broodmare sales in December. Two trips to France each year! How lucky can one be?” n