Alabar November Newspaper 2016

ALABAR NEWS November 2016

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EVERYONE'S WATCHING THE HE'S WATCHING FOALS! Interviews with:

Peter Gleeson Gary Crocker

See Sunshine Beach’s first foals!

MAJESTIC SON Globe Derby Award winner - Leading Trotting Stallion From a limited number of foals Majestic Son is already a Globe Derby award winner after leading all trotting stallions in Australia in 2015/16.

From just 197 foals he is already the sire of 91 winners, 21 stakes winners and 10 Group 1 winners!

His two year old crop totals 199 - he is about to take the Southern Hemisphere by storm!

Book in today to cash in on the impact of these large crops

Service Fee: Aus $5,000 (incl GST) | NZ $5,000 (plus GST)

Stallions

A Rocknroll Dance Alta Christiano Amore Stride Art Major Artiscape (frozen) Auckland Reactor Betterthancheddar

Courage Under Fire Elsu Grinfromeartoear He’s Watching Mach Three Majestic Son Peak

Rock N Roll Heaven Roll With Joe Shadow Play Sportswriter Sunshine Beach

ALTA CHRISTIANO

CONTACTS

A Group One winning son of Christian Cullen.

Alabar Australia (Phone Numbers +61)

Siring outstanding foals!

Sally Burgess, Liz Birnie & Belinda Richardson (Office)

03 5859 2201

(8am - 4 pm)

Fax: 03 5859 2206 Brett Coffey (General Manager) 0423 812 652 Brian Rossiter (Farm Manager) 0459 564 835 John Coffey (Breeding Consultant)

0418 500 211 Email Sally Burgess

Liz Birnie Belinda Richardson Alan Galloway (studmaster) Brett Coffey Brian Rossiter John Coffey

sally@alabar.com.au liz@alabar.com.au belinda@alabar.com.au alan@alabar.com.au brett@alabar.com.au brian@alabar.com.au john@alabar.com.au

Alabar (NZ) Ltd (Phone Numbers +64)

“This was a serious horse. If gait, speed, pedigree and temperament make a stallion then he’s got everything” RWWA Hall Of Fame Trainer, Gary Hall Aus: $2,750 (incl GST) | NZ: $2,750 (plus GST)

Nigel Fahy & Linda Morgan (Office) Fax Graeme Henley (General Manager)

Wayne McNamara (Studmaster) Ivan Behrnes (South Island Rep)

Email General Enquiries Graeme Henley Nigel Fahy Ivan Behrnes

09 232 1800 09 232 1799 232 1800 09 027 487 0901 09 232 1800 03 615 6332 027 615 6119

alabar@alabar.co.nz graeme@alabar.co.nz nigel@alabar.co.nz ivanbehrnes@yahoo.co.nz

GROUP ONE GLEESON and his magic in Maryborough

Rocknroll Magic

Stuart McCormick Photo

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Stuart McCormick Photo

016 hasn’t been a great year to be a supporter of the Collingwood Magpies in the AFL, but for the Maryborough (VIC) breeder Peter Gleeson that suffering has been well and truly overcome with the success of his breeding achievements.

Together with his breeding partners Bruce and Craig Cameron, the trio have fulfilled some exciting dreams with horses bred at the Maryborough base winning almost $720,000 for the 2015/2016 season.

The headline act has been the Rock N Roll Heaven filly Rocknroll Magic. From her 18 starts for the 2015/2016 season, she amassed 14 wins including the Group Wins in the Vicbred Final, Australasian Breeders Crown, Southern Cross Final and the Harness Breeders Victoria Gold Chalice.

The Always A Virgin mare, Lovelist, and the two year old Mach Three filly, Our Celebrity, also contributed Group One and Group Two wins respectively.

Peter and the Cameron brothers achieved their biggest result as breeders back in the spring of 1994, when a Safely Kept / Larrakeyah Lady colt was born. That colt, to be named Safe And Sound, became one of the best horses racing in Australia in the late 1990s and retired with earnings just $4,400 shy of the magical $1 million.

In the spring of 2016 we had an interesting chat with Peter Gleeson and here are some of his “Words of Wisdom”.

It seems that most of your success as a breeder has descended from the mare Hot Foot. How did you acquire her?

I was working at Wright Stephenson’s in Melbourne at the time (1980) as a bloodstock agent, actually alongside the current APG pedigree man Philip Trainor.

I noticed an advert for Hot Foot in the Harness Racing Weekly – she was for sale at $8,000 as a broodmare only and was based in the Adelaide Hills. I asked my friend Adrian Hancock to go and inspect her, which he did – “Not much to look at” replied Adrian “small and plain.”

However I decided I liked her bloodlines so much that I had to buy her. One problem though – I only had $3,000 at the time so I rang my old boss Darkie Wilson and borrowed the remaining $5,000 from him.

When I discovered that Hot Foot was a member of this family, I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed.

Who were the best horses you bred from Hot Foot?

Hot Foot produced 14 live foals for me over an 18 year span. She had a beautiful nature and always kept herself away from other mares and out of trouble.

I believe her best two foals were her first Avant Garde (by Happy Talk) and her fourth Larrakeyah Lady (by Windshield Wiper).

Both of them won over $75,000, which wasn’t bad money 30 years ago.

Larrakeyah Lady won a 4 year old Mares Sires Stakes Final, beating some very good mares including Helens Pleasure, Mazzini Magic and Torch Song.

You have been breeding in partnership with the Cameron brothers for many years. How and when did that commence?

Many years ago my first farm was at Timor, near Maryborough and my neighbours were the Cameron family. Bruce became interested in breeding from an early age. Around 1986 sold that farm and purchased a new one at “Not much to look at” ICarisbrook (where I am today), just up the replied Adrian “small road from Maryborough Harness Racing and plain”. Track.

As the mare was based in South Australia I sent her to the leading SA based stallion of that time in Happy Talk.

Once in foal, Hot Foot was transported back to Maryborough, VIC, to the property of Jack Moore, who also told me “She ain’t much to look at”.

At that particular time I had read a book titled “Pillars of Harness Horsedom” and was particularly impressed with what I had read about the Trix Pointer family in New Zealand.

“

Adrian Hancock describing Hot Foot.

I needed to have a little extra money to

purchase this new farm, so asked Bruce and Craig Cameron if they wanted to buy a half share in a Windshield Wiper/ Hot Foot yearling filly – subsequently named Larrakeyah Lady. The rest as they say is history.

Craig is now retired after working in the Australian Customs Department for many years. Bruce is based in Adelaide these days and has his own occupational health and safety business.

Rocknroll Magic is probably the best horse you have bred over the past five years. What was she like growing up?

She was on the small and plain side, probably a lot like her great grand dam Hot Foot. There wasn’t anything wrong with her though confirmation wise. Her legs were straight and she had a pleasant looking head. She tended to stand back behind her other weanling mates so she certainly wasn’t an “in your face” type.

So she has shown you don’t have to have “Film Star” looks to be a star on the race track.

She impressed Clayton (Tonkin) and Emma (Stewart) from the time she started to bowl along at a serious speed. Speed and some toughness she does possess so that should stand her in good company as she progresses as a 4 year old.

She has a double cross of both No Nukes and Cam Fella so that is probably where the speed (No Nukes) and toughness (Cam Fella) is coming from.

Your breed, with the training of Clayton Tonkin and Emma Stewart has been a highly successful combination in recent years. How and when did that commence?

We had always leased out many of the fillies we had bred without any great success, so in late 2009 Bruce Cameron decided to form some syndicates to race the fillies, so we had more control over their racing careers.

We had noted that Emma and Clayton were having some success with young horses so decided to give them Perfect Life (a Live Or Die filly) to train. She had her first start for them as a 2 year old on 3rd February 2010 at Geelong – finishing fourth.

Anyway, although she only had moderate success – 8 wins and $47,500 – we were happy with the relationship so the following season (2010/11) we sent The Good Times and Beauty Secret to the Smyth’s Creek Stables.

Stuart McCormick Photo

BEAUTY SECRET Quite a few of these mares are young and in training so we will be flushing embryos from these mares. These include Our Celebrity, Starburst Girl, Stay and Play and a 3 year old called Seaside Beauty (lightly raced as a 2 year old).

The main stallion we are using this year is A Rocknroll Dance. This goes against my thoughts on stallion selection as I usually only use the proven stallions. However, I did have quite a bit of success back in the 90’s when breeding to the then unproven horse Safely Kept and as A Rocknroll Dance is a Western Hanover/No Nukes line horse then I’m confident about his future success.

Over the past twenty years this “Hot Foot” breed has achieved much of its success with the No Nukes line stallions including Safely Kept, Live Or Die, Rock N Roll Heaven and Always a Virgin.

Many of the mares from the family are on the small side so as A Rocknroll Dance is a 16 hands horse, this suited one of the criteria for choosing Dance.

I was also impressed by the fact that his mother is a half-sister to Western Hanover and that this mare is by Cams Card Shark.

Many of my mares being bred to him have Cam Fella in their bloodlines – either Presidential Ball or Armbro Operative, so a double cross of the Cam Fella blood should infuse some toughness into the resulting foals. By this time in 2020 we shall know whether we are going to dance or cry. I’m probably going to breed ten or eleven mares to A Rocknroll Dance so I’m doing my little bit to sustain the breeding numbers in Australia this season.

Well we were fortunate enough to hit the jackpot with these two fillies, who won over $625,000 for their syndicate owners.

Obviously when you’re on a good thing you stick to it, so since late 2009 the 20 horses that have left my Maryborough property to head to Emma and Clayton’s have won $2,140,000.

I believe their strength is that they have a good eye for a horse, particularly Clayton, and are patient in developing them from breaking in stage. Their attention to detail is beyond criticism and of course they engage the best drivers in Victoria to take the reins – pretty much a perfect recipe.

How many mares are you breeding this year, which stallions are you using and are some of the mares being bred via Embryo Transfer?

I didn’t think this would happen a few years back, but we are looking to breed either 19 or 20 mares this season.

A ROCKNROLL DANCE

Foals worth WATCHING!

W

hen you were as exhilarating a racehorse as He’s Watching was, your first crop of foals will always be highly anticipated.

We have seen a number of these foals now and they have not disappointed as you can see on this page!

Scarlett Johansson filly

Samantha Chloe Colt

Elysium Colt

Divine Reign Filly

A Rocknroll Dance See You At Peelers Colt $120,000

Lexington was A ROCK N ROLLing

Dave Landry Photo

The debut crops of A Rocknroll Dance and Betterthancheddar made their presence felt at the 2016 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale.

Dave Landry Photo

Betterthancheddar - Road To Pandalay Colt $85,000

A Rocknroll Dance - Summer Mystery Colt $47,000 LOST IN TIME and JIM MULINEX Jim Mulinex trained A Rocknroll Dance throughout his career, so it was no surprise to see him purchase an A Rocknroll Dance yearling at Lexington. Lost In Time sold for $47,000.

Dave Landry Photo

A Rocknroll Dance - Whetstone Hanover Filly $55,000

Betterthancheddar - Mach You And Me Colt $50,000

Betterthancheddar - Misty Speed Filly $50,000

Auckland Reactor

In the words of influential New Zealand breeder, Brian West …

“I’ve bred to Auckland Reactor in each of his first three years and I’ve been very happy with the foals he’s produced for me.

He leaves size, his foals are correct, they are appealing to look at and they have great natures.

“And now the feedback I’ve been hearing from the breakers and trainers about his first crop has been 100% positive – they are quick learners and very good gaited.

Everything I encouraging.

hear

has

been

“His sireline is extremely appealing with the Direct Scooter line coming through Mach Three. The Direct Scooter sireline has been very kind to me and Mach Three is already proven as a sire of sires.

“Sometimes you just have to go with your gut and my gut feeling has always been that Auckland Reactor is a great

Trish Dunell Photo

punt – and nothing has changed. In fact I’m even more encouraged now by what I’ve seen of his foals.

“I’ve been thinking of what to do with a number of mares I still hadn’t booked for this season - and then this morning we had a small mare with a bit of an offset knee foal and she had this absolutely superb colt

by Auckland Reactor. He’s tall, very correct and handsome. That made my mind up for me.

“On a risk and reward basis, as a breeder I feel this is a great year to breed to Auckland Reactor.

“When you look at all the available sires he is the one that is sitting in a particularly unbalanced position in terms of his fee compared to where he sits in his siring career.

“My gut tells me things will tip in his favour - everything about the horse is positive as far as I can see.”

SPORTSWRITER

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2yo sire in Australia & New Zealand by average earnings per foal in 2015/16! (20 foals or more)

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Service Fee: Aus $4,950 (incl GST) | NZ $4,500 (plus GST)

Major Crocker

Stuart McCormick Photo

A Major Inter Dominion Chance

M

ajor Crocker recently took his earnings past $500,000 with a stunning 1:50.2 win at Menangle.

The six year old son of Art Major was a Breeders Crown winner at three and last year won the Inter Dominion consolation at Gloucester Park.

He has returned to racing in fine form and looks a major chance at this year’s Inter Dominion Championship.

We recently spoke to Major Crocker’s breeder and owner Gary Crocker about his star and also his standardbred breeding programme.

Can you tell us something about Major Crocker that we don’t know?

Major Crocker is an intelligent horse and he will let you know when things aren’t to his liking.

He is not keen on males and prefers to be patted by females and has been known to bite and kick males. He doesn’t like getting swabs done especially since he has it done all the time because he races in the big races.

Major Crocker’s trainer Vince Vallelonga has a strict routine he follows at the races and Major knows it backwards... everything has to be done the same way otherwise he gets cranky.

What is Major Crocker’s best attribute?

His speed, strength and will to win.

Major Crocker won the Inter Dominion consolation last season. Why is he better this season?

The Major (aka Mick) has matured and is more settled at the track this season... although he will still bite you if you upset him!!

Bad draws have dogged him all his career.

I think the best two draws he has had were when he won the Breeders Crown as a three year old and the consolation of the Inter

Dominion in Perth.

What was Major Crocker like as a foal?

He was always a stand out foal with presence - a bit like “Look at me, look at me.” He was well conformed and a strong type.

He was also “naughty” from a young age.

How many mares are you breeding with this season and who are they?

I am breeding two mares this season. Major Crocker’s mother Aratusa Lass is in foal to Somebeachsomewhere and is going to Roll With Joe. Phyl Crocker (Art Major - Beatrice Lane) is due to foal to Sunshine Beach and is also going to Roll With Joe. Phyl Crocker won the SA Southern Cross as a two year old.

Any advice on how to breed a Group One winner?

Do your homework and believe in your thoughts, hope for some luck, give them every chance and be patient.

Major Crocker is a perfect example because he could have raced as a late two year old but Vince Vallelonga said it would be best not to and he was right.

I always remember the statement made by Noel Simpson “Breed the best to the best

and hope for the best.” I think that sums up my breeding program in a sentence.

Do you have one stallion you like for the future?

I really like Roll With Joe as I think he is our next superstar sire, hence both my mares are going to him. Breed to him, buy mares that are in foal to him and go to the yearling sales and buy a Roll With Joe! I’m sure you won’t regret it.

I think sons of Art Major will be successful at stud (if given enough support) and I will be interested to see how For A Reason and Follow The Stars fare over the next 3 to 4 years as I rate them both highly.

“

I really like Roll With Joe as I think he is our next superstar sire.

ROLL WITH JOE

The first Southern Hemisphere foals by

SUNSHINE BEACH!

W

e had seen the photos of the Sunshine Beach foals born in the Northern Hemisphere and they looked sensational.

Now the Sunshine Beach foals are arriving in our part of the world and we couldn’t be happier!

Courtney Cass Colt

Lyn’s Delight Filly

Just Cuddles Filly Do It With Robbie Filly

Letsdanceupastorm colt

Gloria Lombo Colt

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reasons to breed to SHADOW PLAY this season 1

2

3

He is the sire of the best pacing mare in the World

His North American Yearlings are in demand

His biggest crop will race this season as two year olds

Lady Shadow has simply been stunning this season and has to be considered the best pacing mare in the world.

Shadow Play’s yearlings have been selling extremely well at the yearling sales conducted so far in North America.

248

Her wins this season include the $250,000 Breeders Crown Final, $370,000 Roses Are Red Stakes, $229,900 Golden Girls, $235,950 Lady Liberty Stakes and the $311,000 Milton Final.

At Lexington his five yearlings averaged over $54,000, with a high of $100,000!

She also set an all age, overall world record for 1 & 1/8 miles!

At the Forest City Yearling sale in Canada, Shadow Play sired the top three lots which made $110,000, $100,000 and $82,000.

248 is the number of two year olds that Shadow Play has this year in Australia and New Zealand.

248 is not much less than the total of his first three crops combined!

So will we see another Shadow Sax emerge from Shadow Play’s two year old crop?

248 gives him a great chance.

Alabar Sponsoring Re-homing Projects

N

ow more than ever before, the focus on the horses we breed has shifted to their life after racing.

Tammy Horn-Walker and her daughter Renee

The animal liberationist supporters and the use of social media have placed the horse racing industries under the microscope. So all of us breeding and racing horses need to be mindful of their lives after racing.

Over the past three months Alabar Bloodstock has also donated service fees to its stallions “Grinfromeartoear” and Shadow Play to SA Botra and the WA Standardbred Breeders Association respectively, with proceeds of the auctioning/tendering of these service fees to be used to subsidise feed costs for the contractors who are rehoming standardbreds in those two states.

Alabar Bloodstock is delighted to be on the front foot in this regard by assisting financially re-homing projects in Victoria, South Australia and West Australia.

The main person in WA who is devoting much of her spare time to retraining off the track horses is Tammy Horn-Walker and her daughter Renee.

The HERO programme, commenced by Harness Racing Victoria some eighteen months ago under the leadership of Tanya McDermott, is the league leader in off the track welfare in Australia.

Tammy is the granddaughter of Bill Horn, known throughout Australia during the 1980’s as the trainer of the champion pacer Village Kid.

Of course with quite substantial financial support from the controlling body in Victoria, it has hit the ground running and Alabar Bloodstock has become its founding Sponsor.

The standardbred horse will become an important addition at many of the agricultural shows conducted throughout Victoria in 2017 and for many years to follow.

In South Australia, the team at Chapel Lodge, based at Lewiston (about 20 minutes from Globe Derby Park) have a proven record in re-educating harness racing horses. Jackie Vella and Kerry Rose are to be admired for re-homing up to 40 horses per year in S.A. Those ranks have been bolstered in recent times by a passionate horse lover in Sarah Whiley, who is also based about 20 minutes from Globe Derby Park.

Change of Career for Tiz a Masterpiece The now eleven year old former USA Pacer Tiz A Masterpiece has recently joined the ranks of Hero Horses.

After two years of racing in North America and then six seasons of a stud career under the Alabar banner, the handsome son of Western Hanover is now enjoying his new career under saddle.

If he continues to impress with his training, Tiz A Masterpiece will become a flagship horse for the Hero Programme.

Tanya McDermott called in on his training camp last week (20th October) to view his progress and in a SMS message to us commented “Could we love him anymore?”

Tiz A Masterpiece is a flashy dark bay horse (probably takes after his mother Trulyawork Of Art) who sired foals with the same good looks, so it would not surprise one day if he is competing in the show arena against one of his sons or daughters.

Siring

Trish Dunell Photo

TALL, ATHLETIC FOALS!

PEAK

Ganymede - Elegant Lady - Sugarcane Hanover | t, 1:56.7 - $325,742

Won the Danish Trav- Derby and NZ FFA! “He’s such a beautiful horse with a massive heart and superb attitude. He has an unbelievable gait – far superior to any other trotter I’ve trained. His will to win was his biggest asset.”

“The most clean gaited trotter I have ever driven. The perfect trotter – speed, gait, heart and manners. When I ask him to go he goes – and keeps going.”

Tim Butt

Service Fee: Aus $2,500 (incl GST) NZ $2,500 (plus GST)

A Group One winner in both hemispheres!

Anthony Butt

/AlabarFarms @AlabarFarms

(03) 5859 2201

www.alabar.com.au