THE DARLEY DEAL
kings sheikhs Rubbing shoulders with
&
I
n racing there had never been a bigger set of keys to a bigger kingdom, bar, perhaps, for the ones one-time Dubai policeman Saeed bin Suroor, now trainer for Godolphin, has jingled in his pocket since 1995. When global giant Darley Stud announced in March that it had bought the racing and breeding interests of the much-loved Ingham family – for a dizzy $760 million – an epic era closed and a gigantic door opened. The Ingham brothers were Australian racing’s greatest success story, home-spun heroes who started with a humble chook and built a horse racing and breeding empire. Jack wore his heart on his sleeve, Bob was more reserved, less visible; different men but inseparable siblings. Despite their phenomenal wealth, reported to be somewhere between $500 and $600
million, the Chicken Kings were never regarded as tall poppies. Their cerise army was as popular as it was successful. When Octagonal (Br c 1992, Zabeel-Eight Carat by Pieces of Eight) was beaten in his farewell race, the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m), at Randwick in April 1997 (by Intergaze), the lawns and stands were a sea of cerise banners and fl ags. There, in the middle, was Jack Ingham, high-fiving the crowd. The scenes were similar when the home-bred Lonhro (Br c 1998, Octagonal-Shadea by Straight Strike) bowed out in the same race, also in defeat (by Grand Armee), seven years later. Jack was not there, having died, aged 75, in 2003. Then late last year, the army was hit with a major bombshell, followed by another a few months later.
IN CHARGE: Trainer Peter Snowden in discussion with jockey Corey Brown.
PHOTOS BYMARTIN KING, SPORTPIX
Peter Snowden’s world has been turned upside down in the past six months. After a fruitful long-time association with the famous Chicken Kings, the Ingham brothers, the career horseman finds himself in charge of the Australian stable of global racing giant Sheikh Mohammed. Not bad for a battler from NSW’s Hunter Valley. WORDS MATTHEW STEWART.
10 T H E T H O R O U G H B R E D
p10-14_Snowden.indd 10
6/6/08 4:50:33 PM