A 30-YEAR career in the racing industry was recognised as Verna Metcalfe was honoured with the Murray Bain service award at the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association (HTBA) awards at Scone last month.
Verna developed a unique affinity for foaling and after care of broodmares and a passion for reproductive work on mares who would prove hard to conceive.
She demonstrated these skills when working with the Kelly family’s Newhaven Park, Widden stud, Woodlands stud under the tutelage of the late Peter Flynn, and Manado Stud, then the renamed Collingrove stud with well-known equine specialist John Vincent.
It was at Woodlands that Verna first became involved with what was earlier not commonly known as foal fostering.
Her skills in this area, coupled with her record of foaling more than 350 mares each year, set a shining example of professionalism in the industry.
Together with her husband David, Verna established and designed Lurline Lodge (which is now Amarina Farm) near Denman, and for the past eight years has managed Middlebrook Valley Lodge on the northern outskirts of Scone.
The 2016 HTBA presidents award for life-time achievement went posthumously to John Clift, who devoted more than 65 years to thoroughbred breeding and NSW country racing.
Born and raised on the family farm “The Dip” on the Breeza Plains, Mr Clift was part of a pioneering family involved in cropping, sheep and cattle, as well as thoroughbreds which carried the JC brand on their shoulders.
Later owning the famous Kia Ora stud near Scone, Mr Clift was the well-known breeder of horses including Australian Hall Of Fame inductee and great grey racehorse Gunsynd, as well as Sunset Gem, Sunset Hue, Royal Report and recently Chrysolaus.
Two other people honoured at the awards were Arrowfield stud broodmare manager Catherine Stockdale, Scone, who was the HTBA employee of the year for horsemanship and Pam Parry, who has been part of the team at Amarina Farm for 20 years, received the HTBA employee of the year award for administration.
Street Cry scores swag of awards at Hunter gala night
IRISH-bred Street Cry, by Mr Prospector’s Machiavellian, who passed away in 2014, was awarded the champion sire at the recent HTBA awards.
Bred by Sheikh Mohammed owner of Godolphin’s breeding operations, Street Cry left a lasting legacy from serving seasons at its Aberdeen base, as well as its American breeding property of Jonabell Farm in Kentucky.
By Street Cry, Stay With Me was awarded the champion three-year-old filly.
As well Godolphin also received the HTBA champion first season sire award with its champion galloper Sepoy, while Astern – an exciting juvenile this season by Godolphin based shuttle sire Medaglia d’Oro, took out the champion two-year-old colt.
Denman district bred flying juvenile, Yankee Rose, by All American, took out the champion two-year-old filly.
Champion three-year-old colt went to Japonisme, a Group 1 winner by Coolmore stud’s stalwart Choisir.
The champion racehorse was to this season’s unbeaten winner of multiple Group 1 winner Winx, by Street Cry, who was bred by John Camilleri’s Fairway Thoroughbreds, while the dam of Winx, Vegas Showgirl, was the champion broodmare.
A New Zealand-bred daughter of Al Akbar, by Success Express, Vegas Showgirl is not only the dam of Winx, but also of her younger Snitzel half-brother El Divino, winner of this year’s ATC Group 3 Kindergarten Stakes.
Listen Here sets new Magic Millions record
LISTEN Here set a new benchmark for Magic Millions bloodstock last week at its Gold Coast National Weanling and Broodmare Sale, when the stakes winning chestnut mare topped the sale at an all-time record price of $3.4 million.
In foal to Vancouver’s sire and high profile shuttler Medaglia d’Oro, Listen Here is the dam of group winners and two young sires Shooting To Win and Deep Field.
The mare sold via Edinglassie stud’s Mick Talty on behalf of the family of the late Bob Oatley, and went to New Zealand interests.
Bounding, Lonhro’s champion New Zealand sprinting mare, took centre stage when fetching $1.9m earlier in the week.
Selling to John Moynihan of Stonestreet Farm in America, the five-year-old Bounding, who won eight races and more than $650,000, sold from Glen Burrows’ Willow Park stud, Scone.
Other $1m plus selling mares was Sydney winner Crystal Flute who sold for $1.4m, while three-year-old filly Fontiton, by Turffontein, who won three stakes last season, sold for $1.1m from Sledmere stud, Scone.
