“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

“The lure of the country was always too strong for city-born Michael (Mick) Malone to resist, and at 16 he set out on an outback adventure that would eventually lead him to the Hunter Valley and the world of thoroughbred breeding, firstly at Arrowfield and then helping to establish and manage Kitchwin Hills, a young Scone stud with a reputation for breeding winners and now home to successful sire Dane Shadow and 2010 newcomer Duporth.

A great success story of the past year or two in the Australian thoroughbred breeding industry has been the emergence of Kitchwin Hills, near Scone, into a notable force. Only a decade ago the Brown family’s operation was concentrated around providing agistment on its 150ha property and in those days the farm had only five or six thoroughbred mares. However, with expansion very much in mind the Browns managed to lure Michael Malone – “everyone calls me Mick” – and his soon to be wife, Kelly, from Arrowfield.

His presence, combined with Kitchwin Hill’s natural assets – it is situated on the Isis River in the idyllic surrounds of the Isis Valley – soon led to a series of attractive, well grown types being turned out at yearling sales. That made industry insiders begin to sit up and take notice, which in turn led to increased business for the farm and enabled the Browns to buy another 240ha on the Isis River. That development also opened the way for the family to consider the possibility of standing a stallion.

This plan came to fruition in 2005 when Kitchwin Hills secured the Gr.3-winning Danehill (USA) horse Dane Shadow, who had once been described as the “best maiden in Australia”. Although attracting mares was not easy to begin with, Dane Shadow has – despite starting out with limited numbers – become one of the most exciting young sires in Australia. With his oldest progeny now three, Dane Shadow has been represented by the stakes horses Shellscrape, Hurtle Myrtle and Shadow Assassin as well as the likes of Hewentwhoosh, Shadow Buster, Shadow Miss, Vain Shadow, Cabarita Point, Coroner, Shadow Minister and Guangzhou Star.

The success of Dane Shadow’s progeny on the track has been accompanied by a spectacular boom in the demand for Kitchwin Hills services. This was clearly illustrated by the fact that the farm this year prepared 21 yearlings for the Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale and 20 for the Inglis Australian Easter Sale, when not that long ago, Mick was literally pleading to have Kitchwin entries included in the catalogue.

“It’s all been like a dream come true. I was a bit sceptical to begin with, but once I saw the property I realised it was something special. The Browns had a vision and everything has gone much better than we could have hoped, especially with Dane Shadow coming along,” he said. “From the days when his first foals were born it was obvious they were very athletic and it would have been a crying shame if they couldn’t gallop. Fortunately, now we know they can.”

In a way the natural ability being shown by the progeny of Dane Shadow is similar to the way Mick’s career has unfolded because, although a boy from the suburbs, he has always had a natural affinity for the bush. Born in Sydney in 1973 Mick realised, from his earliest days, that city life was not going to be for him.

“We were living at Turramurra, on the north shore, and even as a young boy I couldn’t wait to get away from Sydney. I don’t know what it was but I had this passion to be somewhere else. Then when I was about nine I started going to a property at Orange with a couple of mates during our school holidays and from the first time I went up there I decided that was the life for me. My grandfather, who died when I was very young, had a rural background, and my mother Margaret believes that was a driving force behind my wanting to head for the country.”

On leaving Turramurra High at 15,“the teachers said school wasn’t for me”, Mick worked in a butcher’s shop for about 12 months before escaping from the city; “My first job in the bush was at Weilmoringle, on the border between New South Wales and Queensland. I was jackerooing up there and I worked on cotton farms around Goondiwindi for a while and pretty much tramped around until the mid-1990s.”
Until that time Mick’s experience with horses had not gone much beyond visits to the Turramurra TAB with his late father Bob, who was a keen punter, or when riding ponies during his farm stays at Orange. “I had a great time at the Turramurra TAB with the old man,” he said. “He was a terrific man and I miss him dearly; but apart from the TAB and Orange I hadn’t had much to do with horses until I went bush.”

However, soon after Mick headed west he began riding in earnest, breaking-in and generally “playing around” with stock horses. After spending a few years in south-west Queensland Mick went south . . . stopping when he reached the Hunter Valley. He tried some saddle bronc riding at rodeos at Scone and Murrurundi but he was constantly being dumped, so that venture quickly lost its appeal. At that stage he was finding work as a labourer, doing fencing, breaking-in and also found some employment at the Scone yearling sales conducted by Inglis, where he realised “the horse game was quite interesting”.

“I had been introduced to racing by David Lamond who I’d known for a long time, and in 1995 I think it was, he rang Arrowfield for me about working at the stud. An interview was arranged with Peter Orton, who was the general manager at the time, and I kicked-off from there. I started in the yearling barn and I must say that between Wayne Bedggood and Michelle Wright, who is now Michelle Talty, I learned pretty much everything I know. Their knowledge and their teaching was invaluable . . . they taught me a huge amount, and I feel if I am good at what I do, it is due to them.

“I remember one year Arrowfield and Vinery joined together and we prepared about 70 yearlings for Easter. You get to see everything that can happen – the good and bad – when you have such a large draft, and the experience was invaluable. While I was at Arrowfield I ran the foaling hospital for a couple of years and that’s where my grounding had come from when Graham, Stephen and Jenny Brown approached me about a little farm they were building up. At the time Peter Orton had offered me the chance to go overseas and come back with a stallion, so I was in a bit of a dilemma about whether I should go to what is now Kitchwin Hills.

“To be honest, in my heart I thought Kitchwin Hills wouldn’t work because it was a little farm slightly out of the way, but I realised everyone was very passionate about the project and, in the end, that swayed me.” The Browns had bought the property which is about 24km east of Scone, a few years before the approach to Mick: “The whole family, including their grandfather Kitchener Bridges and grandmother Winifred Bridges, had moved there.”

David Lamond and Kitchener had raced the Bletchingly horse Opera Prince, who with Brent Thomson aboard had surprisingly beaten Australian Sprinting Champion Manikato in the VATC Chirnside Stakes-Gr.2 at Sandown in 1981. “David and Kitch arranged for Opera Prince to stand at Havilah after his retirement, so there were quite a few Opera Princes around when I went to Kitchwin Hills, but I think there were only about five or six mares to begin with. There wasn’t much infrastructure either, but the Browns built a nice new yearling barn and spent a lot of money on fences as well as other facilities. Once we got up there, in the early part of 1999, we tweaked everything up and went from there. Soon after I arrived we sold three yearlings at the Inglis sale at Scone, and the following January we sold another three or four at the Classic Sale in Sydney.”

One of those youngsters was a filly by Strategic from the Indian Ore (USA) mare Janelle Again (NZ). She was knocked down to Graeme Rogerson for $75,000 – against a sale average of $26,805 – and went on to prove herself as high class performer in his care. Racing as Fair Embrace she won six times – her victories featured the MVRC Champagne Stakes-Gr.2, AJC Sapphire Stakes-Gr.3 and MRC Sandown Park Stakes-LR – as well as registering 12 black type placings for prizewinnings of $1,094,327.

“We thought she might make $15,000 or $20,000, and when she made a lot more that convinced everyone there was some money to be made out of the horses,” Mick said. That view was further enhanced when Oomph, who is by Flying Spur from the multiple-stakeswinning Bellotto mare Nobellotto, began to race. She demonstrated her ability by winning six races - four of them Listed events – and being Gr.2 placed. Oomph had been in the same paddock as Fair Embrace. When she performed so well we felt that pretty much confirmed the farm had the potential to produce nice horses, and we’ve gone on from there.”

In 2001, around the time Fair Embrace and Oomph were making a name for themselves on the racecourse, Mick and Kelly were married. They now have two children Jacob, who is six, and Angus, three: “Kelly and I met at a Christmas party at Emirates Park and everything progressed from there. We worked together at Arrowfield before we moved to Kitchwin Hills.

It was an exciting time because once Fair Embrace and Oomph started racing, the farm went forward very, very quickly . . . our progress was ridiculously fast. “As we were developing, David Lamond played a major role in getting horses on to the place. We found we had
a good knack of preparing yearlings, and once we started off we began making a lot of money with yearlings from lesser mares. We had Janelle Again and Nobellotto and then Oomph came back to us, and with the results we were achieving at the sales, we were able to begin upgrading – although I must say even though we had nice enough mares we struggled for quality for a long time.

“However probably the best thing about Kitchwin Hills then, and still is now, is that it is a family-run farm. Di and Ray Brown who are Graham and Stephen and Jenny’s Mum and Dad, love having people on the farm. No one has ever been to Kitchwin Hills and not had breakfast or lunch, or dinner or a barbecue, or a few beers in the afternoon . . . it’s just what they do, and they are great hosts. The farm simply wouldn’t work without them and I can’t speak highly enough of what they do. Largely because of Di and Ray’s hospitality we’ve been able to develop some really good clients including Barry Broomhead, Carl Holt, Neil Wherrett, Terry Dickson, John Cordina, John McGrath, Kim Harding, Geoff Grimish and Grahame Mapp as well as David Reid, who is Bruce’s son.”

After initially living on the farm Mick and Kelly now have a house in nearby Gundy, and have also moved into the hospitality business by buying a share in the Linga Longa Hotel in their “home” town. “We bought into the pub about two years ago,” Mick said. “It’s right on the Isis River. We bought in pretty well and we’ve spent a fair bit on marketing the place. It’s pretty much the place where horse people go, and its the best pub in town – it’s the only one. I help out behind the bar when I can and Kelly does the books, so it is a great interest for us because it’s different.”
As the fortunes of the Malones and Kitchwin Hills escalated, thoughts turned towards standing a stallion. After considering a number of prospects, everyone connected with the operation finally decided, in 2005, that Dane Shadow had the potential to become a valuable foundation sire for the farm. An imposing individual, he is superbly bred being by the legendary nine-times Australian Champion Sire Danehill from the Centaine mare Slight Chance (NZ), who had a stellar career in the hands of Bob Thomsen and Shane Dye. The winner of the VRC Oaks-Gr.1 in 1992 she numbered four other victories at the elite level among her 12 successes.

Dane Shadow, who raced in Grahame Mapp’s colours out of the stable of John Hawkes, had each of his 12 starts in Group company, which meant he encountered the class of opposition that made reaching the post first difficult for him. However, he finally broke through in the 2005 running of the Tatts (NSW) Ming Dynasty Quality-Gr.3 (1400m) at Randwick. Along the way he registered seconds in the AJC Up And Coming Stakes-Gr.2, STC Silver Slipper Stakes-Gr.2 and STC Todman Slipper Trial-Gr.2 as well as thirds in the STC Missile Stakes-Gr.3 and NJC Newcastle Spring Stakes-Gr.3. Significantly, it took the likes of Charge Forward, Fastnet Rock, Dance Hero, Grand Armee and Spark
of Life to beat him.

“While we were thinking about standing a stallion we had bought another 600 acres (240ha) on the Isis River about five kilometres away from the farm. We weren’t able to buy any land adjacent to Kitchwin Hills, but it is the most beautiful undulating property with developed trees and good water.

“I had been keeping an eye on Dane Shadow during his racing career and when I met one of his part-owners Gino Loiero, I mentioned that we could be interested in standing the horse. Unfortunately Dane Shadow had pulled a muscle in his back when being prepared for the Doomben 10,000 and Gino rang me to discuss the situation. I flew to Brisbane to inspect the horse and I loved him from the minute I saw him.

“We decided there wasn’t much point pressing on with his racing career and we put a syndicate together to buy a percentage of him, so we could stand him. Then the hard work began because it was very, very hard work to sell him – it was like trying to sell ice cubes to Eskimos, but we were saved by the members of the syndicate who purchased some top mares to go to him.

“Leading the way were Grahame Mapp and Gary and Di White, which resulted in Dane Shadow serving 61 mares in his first season of which the majority were ours. We knew from the first minute his foals hit the ground that he was going to make the grade. The second year wasn’t the easiest, but people were by then able to see Dane Shadow’s foals, so we probably picked up a few mares towards the end of the breeding season.
“The turn around since has been amazing. To begin with I was offending people by asking them whether they would send a mare to him – these days I’m offending them by saying that his book is full and that they can’t book their mares into him, and although he’s had early comers, I think his progeny will be better with time and over a distance.”

Dane Shadow will this year be joined by Duporth, a very highly credentialled four year-old by Red Rumour from the high class Success Express (USA) mare Staging who registered eight of her 10 wins in Group or Listed races. A half-brother to Gr.1 winner and Vinery stallion Excites as well as STC Phar Lap Stakes-Gr.2 winner Tickets, Duporth proved himself to be a very good racehorse. His wins featured the BTC Cup-Gr.1, STC Golden Rose-Gr.2 (now Gr.1) and AJC San Domenico Stakes-Gr.3, while his beaten efforts included a fourth in the MRC Caulfield Guineas (1600m) which is a race renowned for producing successful stallions.

“We have been on the lookout for quite a while for another horse to stand,” Mick said. “We’ve been offered quite a few over a period of time and now we think the right one has come along in Duporth. We are very, very excited about standing him. As well as being a Gr.1 winner he’s as good a type as I’ve seen as a stallion prospect, and like Dane Shadow he’s from a superior racemare. I think that is a very important factor, which has been proven over the years when searching for a stallion.”

The Browns are also dabbling with another stallion prospect in the Southern Halo (USA) horse Snapy Tom, a Gr.1 winner on turf in Argentina currently in training with John O’Shea at Randwick: “Sheamus Mills, an agent in Melbourne who we rate highly, sent me YouTube footage of Snapy Tom’s Gr.1 win at Buenos Aires. We knew by what More Than Ready was doing, how well Southern Halo was working here so Sheamus and I flew over to Buenos Aires to inspect him.

“We liked the horse and the Dane Shadow Syndicate bought the horse in partnership with clients of Sheamus Mills. We are not locked into standing him at Kitchwin Hills but we probably would if he won a Gr.1 or a Gr.2 really well.

“However with Southern Halo dying since we bought Snapy Tom, we could easily send him back to Argentina so we are insulated either way. The underlying strength of Kitchwin Hills and the stud’s supporters was further emphasised when Mick went to $1,875,000 for the colt by Redoute’s Choice from the stakeswinning Unbridled’s Song (USA) mare Regrowth at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.

“He is a smashing type with a lovely pedigree and hopefully he will develop into a horse suitable to stand at Kitchwin Hills,” Mick said. There was further joy later in the Easter Sale when James Bester secured the Redoute’s Choice-Asian Reef (GB) (Manila) colt, Lot 296, from the Kitchwin Hills draft for $1.2m. The half-brother to seven winners, including Bon Hoffa, Okanui and Before Too Long is the first $1m seller to
be offered by the stud. n

Peter Flynn realised early on that being a banker was no substitute to a life on the land, and so the country boy who had a natural affinity for horses quit the city to devote his life to all things equine, particularly in the thoroughbred industry, eventually managing Segenhoe and then Woodlands studs. These days Peter works as a consultant to Darley, is campaigning to save the environment in the Hunter Valley, and breeds champion quarter horses. This is his story . . .

THERE has long been a sense in the thoroughbred industry that Peter Flynn’s quietly spoken skill in explaining matters, was tantamount to his ability to overcome them. That has come directly from his having an incredibly wide range of interests and involvements, mainly with horses but also in the commercial world, over a period of more than half a century.

During those years Peter has put together a long list of career achievements and milestones. Foremost among them has been his 18 years as manager of Lionel Israel’s famed Segenhoe Stud and his extended period of 23 years as general manager of the Ingham family’s resoundingly successful Woodlands Stud operation. That affiliation has continued into his present role as a consultant in Darley Australia’s development of a magnificent training and spelling complex at Richmond some 60km west of Sydney.

However that is only a part of the story. Peter’s curriculum vitae also includes a time spent redeveloping the facilities and infrastructure of Blandford Park, which has since become known as Emirates Park, for Spendthrift Farm of Kentucky. Furthermore, in 1989, he became a foundation member of the Hunter Valley Equine Research Foundation and has served on the councils and committees of the Rural Industry Research and Development Council, the Australian Horse Council quarantine and health committee and the Hunter Valley Bloodhorse Breeders’ Association. He was honoured by the HVTB with a “service to the industry” award in 2006.

His vast experience has resulted in him being involved in an advisory capacity with Mitavite feeds and on OH&S awareness in the horse breeding industry as well as lecturing to students at agricultural colleges, universities and TAFEs. Peter has also been in demand on the international arena as a consultant to the Royal Turf Club of Bangkok, to the Korean Racing Association and to Chinese principals. His work in those countries, in the years from 1997 to 2003, included advising on the design of stud and training facilities as well as providing demonstrations on the correct methods of horse handling. He has also – in partnership with Kath Peterson – bred and trained many champion quarter horses.

Displaying his exceptional versatility Peter has grown chardonnay, semillon and verdelho grapes – which were sold to the renowned Rosemount Wines organization – on his Upper Hunter Valley property “Primorse”. Added to that Peter has moved with the times by being involved in the development of “Studmaster”, a computer software program used by leading thoroughbred studs and ranches throughout the world. Produced by Maxim Technology it is currently being marketed around the globe under the name of Equimaster. Again, that is not the end.

The author of a paper on the effects of coal mining on the thoroughbred industry in the Hunter Valley, Peter is at present, busy lobbying federal and state government officials on the damage being inflicted on horse breeding properties in the area by open cut mining.

Reflecting on his life in the industry he believes he was fortunate, that after growing up on a farm, he had his earliest working experiences alongside an electrical contractor and then in banking, which helped lead him towards becoming something of a “jack of all trades”. His father Cyril, who was instrumental in importing pure bred Clydesdale horses into Australia from 1933, originally believed Peter should look outside the rural industry for employment on completing his formal education.

“I think initially, I was fortunate to have been brought up on a mixed farm and I certainly owe my parents a lot for all they taught me,” he said. “My mother had a wonderful touch with the horses, as did my father. At the time I left school my father thought the rural situation was very tough and he believed I should try something different, and that’s how I came to first work for the electrical contractor, which provided me with a diverse training. Then a little while later I went into banking, and that helped towards giving me a broader knowledge which enabled me to put my hand to a number of things. It has all led to my having a very fortunate life . . . it has been very rewarding.

“My early upbringing and what I’ve done on the way through in my working life could hardly have been better, although the work was hard and the days very long. I have also been very fortunate to have had a long working relationship with some wonderful people and with two outstanding organisations such as Segenhoe Stud and Woodlands.

“In the days when we were building Woodlands I was virtually ‘it’. I didn’t have the assistance of architects or advisers or professional help which is the norm these days, but I was able to call on my previous experience to decide what we should be done – this is job satisfaction and something I enjoyed very much and that I am proud of.”

Peter was the third of the five siblings – the elder Norm and Bill and the younger David and Susan - of their parents Cyril and Linda and began life in the small community of Manildra in central New South Wales. While undergoing his primary schooling – at Orange, Dubbo and Elong Elong – Peter, along with the other Flynn children, helped their parents with the sheep, the cattle, the crops and the general duties associated with family farms.

“My father worked with and bred very large numbers of magnificent draft horses, some of which he imported into Australia from England,” Peter said. “He broke his own teams and worked the land on a very large station holding. My upbringing in this environment led to me being involved with many animals including cattle, sheep and horses, and I was breeding and training horses from a very young age. Because of my affinity with these gentle giants, my passion to work and be with horses was an easy and very natural progression.”

However, on his father’s advice after completing his secondary schooling at Belmont High, he began working for an electrical contractor – before joining the Belmont branch of the Commercial Banking Company of Australia. Following a transfer to Sydney he was soon on relieving duties throughout the city’s branches before being seconded to CBA’s head office in Canberra where he was appointed as head of security and assistant manager.

“I believe I gained good business acumen, people skills and learned how to deal with responsibilities, which I valued, before my desire to work with horses attracted me back to the land.”

At first, after leaving CBA, he worked at Rockedgel Station, at Premer in the western region of the Liverpool Plains, where he trained polo ponies as well as being involved in the property’s sheep, cattle and crop growing activities. It was at that stage he realised he wanted to devote the rest of his life to working with horses and as he says, “gaining knowledge and catering to their needs felt so natural to me”.

Then in 1967 a golden opportunity arose when he was able to join the workforce at the famed Segenhoe Stud, which at that time spread over 1000ha on rolling hills on the Pages River near Scone in the heart of the celebrated Hunter Valley. The stud had been bought nearly 30 years earlier by Lionel Israel who was on his way to becoming one of the most revered identities in the Australian thoroughbred breeding industry.

After just six months at Segenhoe Peter was promoted to manager, a position he was to hold for the next 18 years. It proved a particularly exciting era in Segenhoe’s history as three years after Peter’s arrival Kaoru Star joined the stud’s roster. By the legendary Star Kingdom from the Emperor mare Kaoru. he had registered 13 wins and eight placings in his 27 racecourse appearances and soon was to soar to the heights as a stallion.

Kaoru Star became Australian Champion First Crop Sire in 1973-74 and was Australian Champion Two Year Old Sire in 1976-77 when his representatives featured the exceptional performer Luskin Star. Besides winning the STC Golden Slipper Stakes in 1977, Luskin Star was triumphant in races such as the AJC Breeders’ Plate, STC Silver Slipper Stakes, AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes at two. He went on to capture the coveted VATC Caulfield Guineas, among other races at three, before establishing himself as a successful sire at the Kelly family’s Newhaven Park Stud at Boorowa.

“While I managed Segenhoe I had the pleasure of working with the mighty Kaoru Star and great mares, including Humour who produced the likes of Marceau, Zasu, Runyon and Joy Love and was Broodmare of the Year on numerous occasions, as well as that wonderful mare Amneris – to name two. Throughout my time with Lionel on Segenhoe I bred, broke-in, educated, and race-prepped many great and talented horses that went on to win many prestigious races, which carried the stud into the racing history books as one of the nation’s greatest thoroughbred breeding grounds.

“I was very fortunate to have worked with Lionel. He was one of the country’s most respected self-made businessmen, entrepreneurs and pastoralists in the manufacturing, thoroughbred racing and breeding worlds. He was a man I respected immensely and he was a great mentor to me, and I look back on my 18 years working with and for him, as my apprenticeship into the thoroughbred industry.”

It was in 1985 that Peter’s association with Segenhoe came to a conclusion following Mr Israel’s decision to retire and to sell the property. From Segenhoe he moved to Blandford Park Stud, at Murrurundi, where he was employed on a 12-month contract helping his close friend John Kelso further develop the property, which was then in the United States ownership of Spendthrift Farms.

“Originally I’d decided to have a 12-month break to assist my brother in establishing his earth-moving business, when the late John Kelso approached me,” Peter said. “John initially engaged me primarily to look after the horses but before long I was managing, designing and carrying out a complete redevelopment of the facilities and infrastructure of the stud. At the time Blandford had quite an imposing stallion roster headed by the Luthier horse Twig Moss. He was Leading Australian Sire in 1985-86 and proved to be a great influence on the breed.”

While Peter was at Blandford, Bob and the late Jack Ingham purchased the 690ha Woodlands Stud about 25km west of Muswellbrook, and on completing his assignment with John Kelso he was appointed general manager of their operation. At that stage the STC Golden Slipper Stakes winner Crown Jester, who was bred and raced by the Inghams, and Yeats (USA) comprised the stud’s main stallion roster. During the next four years the Inghams purchased Oak Range on the southern side of the Hunter River and Randwick Park to the north. That resulted in the stud spreading over more than 2500ha – with a seven kilometre frontage to the Hunter River – of good natural pasture on irrigated flats and sheltered hilly country.

Under Peter’s guidance the Inghams leased Carrington Stud and, in 1995, they bought the 1215ha Trans Media Park at Cootamundra from media personality Mike Willesee.

“Although budgeting was essential Mr Jack and Mr Bob, as they were known by the staff, spared no expense in developing their thoroughbred enterprise. Like their multi-billion dollar chicken business, they had a vision, and they developed their racing and breeding interests into a huge business, in which they took great pride. With foresight and planning we added to Woodlands some of the best land in the Hunter with the intention of developing the stud into a world class breeding establishment.

“Old Woodlands consisted of about 690ha and the new Woodlands boasted 2500ha with some of the best pasture on improved river country which rose to undulating hills that climbed steadily to their spectacular mountain backdrops. The view as you drove over the crest at Woodlands would literally take your breath away and it is a vision I will cherish until the day I die.”

Peter says he was “extremely honoured” that Jack and Bob entrusted him with bringing their vision of building a world-class stud and breeding facility to fruition. “I totally enjoyed working with these vibrant men, who had the highest of standards and admired quality. They were engaging, and bounced happily off each other. Jack, especially, had an uncanny eye for a horse. It was not a smart move to go against him or disagree with his opinion about a horse’s future prospects or its ability, because more than likely, you would be proved wrong – especially when it came to the racetrack.”

That all led to Woodlands winning many prestigious awards and titles during Peter’s years at the stud. “These included being leading breeder of Group winners in the world and successive breeders’ premierships in Australia. We bred such Gr.1 winners as Lonhro, Arena, Dracula, Unworldly, Freemason, Higher, Tributes, Preserve, Gordo, Hosannah, Omens, Viscount, Dextrous, Smash, Yell and Planchet – to name a few. Also of course, Lonhro was Australian Champion Racehorse of 2003-04.”

As well, over the years, successful stallions such as the English Derby winner Quest For Fame (GB), the Golden Slipper winner Star Watch, Octagonal – an Australian Horse of the Year in the Inghams’ all cerise colours – Canny Lad and Commands as well as Strategic and Viscount, who were both bred and raced by the Inghams, stood under the Woodlands banner.

“There is no doubt the Australian racing and breeding industries were very fortunate to have had the support of the Ingham brothers, with their huge investments and passion. When Woodands was sold on, it had the reputation of producing Group winners to rival the best in the world, which was a fitting tribute to Bob and Jack.”

Along the way Peter has, right from his days at Segenhoe, dabbled in breeding and racing horses. The first horse he raced was Miss Leilani, a metropolitan-placed winner in the late 1970s by Boucher from the Wilkes mare Kambella. “I raced and bred quite a few winners, and every horse except one, went on to win races.

“My favourites were Miceala, a Kaoru Star filly who was an early favourite for the Golden Slipper, and another Kaoru Star mare in Carosa who was a really good race mare and won five times. More recently I raced Shand who was a brilliant speed mare by Quest For Fame, and she went on to become the dam of the ill-fated Sycophant. I sold Sychophant at the Magic Millions and she was a Sydney metropolitan winner at her only start.”

Also over the past 12 years or so, he has become involved in breeding quarter horses at Coronation Park Stud in the Lower Hunter Valley. Operating in partnership with Kath, they bred Obvious Heir who was acclaimed as World Champion Quarter Horse in a competition conducted in Oklahoma in the United States.

“There is no better horse person than Kath, and we’ve had a high degree of success. We imported from Texas the multiple world champion paint horse stallion Just Shameless who achieved great heights for us. He was a dual Royal Show Champion in Sydney and Canberra Royals, and then went on to be the leading all-round western performance horse sire of the nation, siring national Futurity champions for nine years in succession.

“We recently imported world champion Palomino quarter horse stallion Uwantapieceofme, who we are expecting big things from as a result of joinings with our imported quarter horse mares. In all we have bred the winners of more than 250 Royal Show and national championships, and I think it is fair to say Coronation Park is one of the most highly accredited quarter horse studs in Australia. I can say though, that it is a very, very different world to the thoroughbred industry.”

These days Peter continues to be busy with outside activities – with Darley and on the mining front – as well as helping run the property. “I am employed as a consultant in the design and construction of most of the state of the art facility Darley is building at Richmond. It will include a private 1800m grass, pro ride and sand tracks, which will cater for 100 horses in work and 100 horses spelling. There will be accommodation for staff and associated facilities.”

In addition Peter is vigorously entrenched in fighting the spread of open cut coal mining into the Hunter Valley, which as he says is one of the world’s foremost thoroughbred breeding grounds. After producing the study entitled “The Upper Hunter Thoroughbred Horse Industry Jeopardised by Coal Mining” in March 2007, Peter has been trying to ensure the thoroughbred industry has an input in future planning of the coal mining industry. That has meant dealing with government, mining, minerals council and thoroughbred industry representatives and organising meetings and discussions groups in an attempt to achieve the best possible outcome for the parties concerned.

“It is hoped there will be a moratorium on new mines in the Hunter, a cap on coal exports from the Hunter region, and an inquiry on the impact of the coal industry on the long-term environmental, economic and social sustainability of the Hunter and its industries,” Peter said in his report.

“Thoroughbred horse breeding is a global industry, and the Hunter Valley is one of the three major thoroughbred nurseries in the world, along with Kentucky in the United States, and Newmarket in England. However the accumulative effects of the vast area that has already been mined in the Hunter Valley is of great concern to the horse breeding industry, as it needs quality grazing land in a pristine environment with clean air and water to produce these equine athletes of world standards.”