“I love racing for my connection with the animal and the racing community.”
What does your Fred profile say?
I love racing for my connection with the animal and the racing community.
Everyone has a story about getting into racehorse ownership - what's yours?
I had worked in racing stables and racing media passionately following racing through my teens, but I’d never owned a share in a racehorse due to financial reasons.
When playing football at Hampton Rovers, I had a mutual interest in racing with many friends I played with and a good mate let me know there was a share in a tried horse available when I was 21 years of age. We had the opportunity to buy into a tried racehorse called Tirol King that John Meagher had trained. A group of mates got involved and Brendan McCarthy became the new trainer. Tirol King won a race for us and the mateship and the journey was enjoyable one, with regular visits to the stables and lifelong racing friendships cemented.
What's been your most memorable experience as an owner so far?
Diode, who is sadly not with us anymore and it still breaks my heart. He was a talent, with real spunk and part of our family. He was bred and nurtured by a dear racing friend of mine, Kristen Manning and we had been on a truly special racing journey with Diode and a wonderful ownership group, with two fantastic horsemen, Mick Kent and Doug Arnold leading the way.
He won a midweek race at Sandown in August last year, during the COVID lockdown and sadly no one was there to share my maiden Sandown winner with me, but it was a very emotional win. Kristen and I started working together when I had just finished school at the Truth Newspaper. She is a true horse lover and one of the most passionate horse people I know. I got really emotional after the win and was looking for someone to hug, but social distancing protocols made that impossible. Despite flying solo on the day, it was truly a special day in my racing life that I will never forget. Also winning a race at Caulfield early last spring, with my work colleagues Julian Cook, Jake Norton, Josh Blanksby, Damian Menz and close friend, trainer Andrew Noblet with Think We’re Due was a memorable ownership moment.
If you could own any horse in the world (past or present) which one would it be?
Without a doubt it would be So You Think. Special horse with an amazing race record and presence. True equine adonis!
We know it's impossible to stop at one, so what's your ownership stable looking like now?
I have a nice, young group building:
Think We’re Due with Andrew Noblet (Returns to work this month after a long spell)
Euphegenia with Andrew Noblet (Just back racing)
Dewhurst (Being patiently managed by Archie Alexander)
Haruki (Unraced Kuroshio selected from paddock in 2020 by Leonard Russo from Bluegrass Bloodstock, with Will Clarken)
Needs Further x Saigon Moonlight (Slowly maturing filly selected by Andrew Noblet and good friend George Lucas at the Tasmanian Magic Millions sale in 2020)
Just A Way x Saariselka (Purchased as a foal by good friend and bloodstock agent, Leonard Russo from Bluegrass Bloodstock. Just landed with Phillip Stokes as a NH 3YO)
Isla Bonita x Tsukuba Etoile (Purchased as a foal by good friend and bloodstock agent, Leonard Russo from Bluegrass Bloodstock. Lands in Australia in September as a NH 2YO)
How do you decide which horses to get involved with?
I enjoy talking to the trainer personally, so I enjoy ownership with trainers I have a relationship with and have the time to talk about our horses. I also like to support friends breeding horses and often relying on astute friends, who know what they are looking at in young horses. I do enjoy exploring pedigrees and leaning on pedigree experts for advice.
Anything you didn’t know at the start of your ownership journey that you wished you knew?
Patience wins out and keeping a lid on your aspirations
