ROB'S SHOUT - 2012 NZ THOROUGHBRED MARKETING AND BREEDERS' STUD TOUR WAS ANOTHER RESOUNDING SUCCESS
By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, November 29, 2012
Robert Heathcote is the leading racehorse trainer in Brisbane. 'Rob's Shout' - the personal blog of the multi-premiership and Group 1 winning trainer will appear every Thursday on HRO.
Hello once again,
I am writing this blog from 38,000 feet in an Emirates 777 winging it back to Brisbane after spending the last four days travelling the lush breeding pastures of New Zealand viewing yearlings for the upcoming Karaka sales in January.
I was fortunate to once again be selected to make the trip and what a privilege it is. With my wife being a Kiwi, I have long been used to the wonderful hospitality of our Kiwi neighbours and I was certainly not let down.
I was in illustrious company with my travelling companions with all parts of Australia represented.
Peter Moody was again 'the unofficial Captain' of the team and I do mean that literally as this time he led the Aussies to a magnificent win in the inaugural cricket match between the Aussie trainers and the New Zealand Breeders in a thrilling 20/20 game. More on that later!
It is a fantastic initiative from New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing and Breeders to host the tour where we get to view many of the upcoming yearlings for the sales and, on a personal level, it is wonderful to spend some social time with a lot of trainers who I have now got to know so much better and have a lot of laughs with.
Industry heavyweights like Peter Moody, Mick Price, John Saddler and Robert Smerdon. Up and coming young trainers John McCardle, Ciaron Maher, Matt Laurie, Symon Wilde and Chris Hyland. West Australian lads Clint Price, Michael and Chris Gangemi and Placid Arks legendary trainer in Wally Mitchell.
There were some well renown bloodstock experts with a critical eye for the youngsters as well, Cameron Cooke, Sheamus Mills and Justin Bahen.
Queensland was represented by Danny Bourgoure and myself.
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The format of this year's tour changed a touch with us based out of Hamilton for the three nights with day trips out to the many farms.
We got to take in the crème-de-la-crème of the kiwi breeding nurseries with visits to the likes of Pencarrow, where Peter and Phillip Vella once again showered us with a wonderful hospitality.
Windsor Park have an excellent upcoming draft and we also got to see Thorn Park who is currently in a desperate struggle to fight off laminitis. We all wish Rodney Schick and his team the best of luck in their struggle to get him through.
An amazing fight and maybe one day we will get to see the documentary being done to save his life! An extraordinary battle underway there!
Cambridge stud is always a pleasure to visit and we maybe got to say farewell to the immortal Zabeel who may well be having his final season at stud.
He looks like he's coming to an end but what a wrap when Brent Taylor from Trelawney Stud says he's the greatest stallion to have ever stood! He might be right as the years to come will tell us!
Rich Hill Stud, the Baker boys at Hallmark stud, Dick Karreman's very impressive Oaks Stud, Gordie Cunningham at Curraghmore Stud, Brent and Cherry at Trelawny and Simms Davison at Mapperley Stud can all be very proud of the yearlings they have produced for the upcoming sales.
I saved the last stud mentioned for one of the true institutions of the breeding game. Waikato stud has been Australasia's leading breeder of Group 1 winners for the past decade.
Gary, Mark and Lisa Chittick and their team do a fantastic job with their horses and their hospitality was again as good as it gets.
For me the highlight at Waikato stud was getting to see their show case stallions go about their work.
It was great 'drama' to watch Savabeel, O'Reilly and Pins each service a mare. Each with their own individual characteristic's as explained by Mark but all brutally effective in their task at hand!
Quite something to see 25 experienced and hardened racing men enthralled in watching the work of three stars of the breeding barn!
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There were several social highlights on the trip.
One was the dinner and drinks at 'Game Gulley' where there was lots of fun with the skeet target shooting with Ciaron Maher shooting a clean sheet with six from six.
Last year's winner and heavily backed favourite Cameron Cooke was said to have laid himself and shot only two. There is a swab pending on that one!
Another highlight of this year's tour was the inaugural cricket game between the Aussie Trainers and the New Zealand Breeders. With so many Aussies, the captain, Mood's selected a bowling side of 11 and a batting side of 11.
Each bowler had to bowl two overs and there sure were some funny bowling actions to see. The kiwis were brutal on us and knocked up 139 in their 20 overs, but there were some exceptional feats from the fielding side.
Moody was as nimble as a ballerina behind the stumps, Saddler fielded like Jonty Rhodes and John McCardle drank 8 stubbies from backward of square leg.
There sure were some stiff and sore bowlers at the end of the kiwi innings so the three masseuses got plenty of work in the local hall.
The Aussie batting line up was in serious early trouble and with 8 wickets down, 4 overs to go and still 60 runs required, it looked like a kiwi win.
The last two batters in were Symon Wilde and myself as Moody strategically tried to salvage something from the train wreck. Symon was in great touch smacking boundaries to get us down to about 20 off the last over.
The kiwis were very boisterous at their likely win but I managed to get onto a few and a couple of sixes and fours later it was down to two balls left and we needed one to win.
The wicket keeper then decided he would bowl the last two balls but little matter as his first delivery also went to the boundary.
It was a huge come from behind win to the many cheers of the Aussies and, of course, Mr Moody was extremely humble in his acceptance speech for the trophy.
A whole lot of laughs and a lot of fun. A special thank you to the Kiwis for once again making it a very pleasurable trip and to Andrew Birch, in particular, as he was again an excellent host and he put together a great tour.
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To be serious for a minute though, I will be going back to the sales to secure some yearlings so if you are indeed interested in getting a share in a yearling to race with me, please let me know before I go over in January if you are keen and what sort of investment you are interested in.
Great buying value and some absolute cracking horses on what I have seen so far.
The same also goes for the upcoming Magic Millions sale so again, send me an email if you are keen on getting into a new yearling. You will be able to get more info on this on my own website at www.robertheathcoteracing.com.au
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Back home there is little doubt that the biggest news in racing is the Council approval for the BRC Master Plan. A twenty-year plan, but a significant one nevertheless that will both change the face of metropolitan racing in Brisbane as well as bring some much needed financial relief in the long term.
I know the club have worked tirelessly the last few years to get this through and whilst there is still a very long way to go, it is a significant achievement. A lot of behind the scenes work has been done and whilst it may well be another year before we see a sod of turf turned, it gives much needed hope as to where we are headed in the long term.
I applaud the club’s efforts.
In a press report BRC chief executive Stephen Ferguson says the billion-dollar investment covers the construction of all residential and infrastructure upgrades at the racetracks, including new grandstands.
The BRC will retain parts of the redevelopment such as residential and hotel facilities to generate long-term cash flow.
"The positives over the long term are that the 400 horses stabled on course will be in a far better environment than they are currently,” Ferguson said. “The remainder of monies will be spent on improvements to the racing surfaces INCLUDING A COMPLETE REVAMP OF THE EAGLE FARM COURSE PROPER."
This is desperately needed and NOW!
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October/November has been a good period for my stable on the local scene. There has been a steady stream of winners and placegetters and I am delighted how a number of the so called 'lesser lights' in the stable have been performing.
I never under estimate how hard it is to win at any time and whilst winning feature races with stable Stars like Buffering and Solzhenitsyn is always a highlight, I also get a huge thrill to see the restricted gallopers successfully go through their grades.
We have had something like 14 metro winners in the last month so yes, very pleased with how things are going.
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On a final note this week, I want to pass on my condolences to Scott Galloway and his family at the tragic loss of their son.
Their grief must be incomprehensible and I know the racing industry will mourn with them.
So sad, so very sad! I got the news whilst away on the kiwi trip and I know everyone on the tour felt for their loss.
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