RENOWNED Upper Hunter Valley breeding farm, Turangga Farm, is set to attract major industry figures to the region following news the Scone district property is to hold a “stand-alone” unreserved dispersal sale at White Park selling complex at Scone, on Sunday, July 23.
Conducted by Inglis, the sale could well pass the town’s public auction record price of $120,000, set earlier this year (for an I Am Invincible colt) at the time honoured Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders’ supported Scone Yearling Sale.
Being in the ownership of the Ramsey family since 2003, Turangga Farm – located in the historic Segenhoe Valley about seven minutes drive from Scone – has long established its name as developing a hive of talented gallopers.
Being in the ownership of the Ramsey family since 2003, Turangga Farm ... has long established its name as developing a hive of talented gallopers.
Hong Kong Horse Of The Year, Able Friend, Headway (champion Australian juvenile filly 2008-09), and Sky Cuddle (a Group 1 winner of Victorian racing Club Emirates Stakes and $862,280) are among the top grade horses to have emerged from the Ramsey managed property.
Other Turangga-bred horses of note include Highly Recommended and Fighting Sun (now both stallions at stud), triple Group 1 winner, Mr Murphy (won $1.5 million), and outstanding mares, Elite Falls (ATC Reisling Stakes-G2 and second Oakleigh Plate-G1) and Karuta Queen (won $1.85m). Some of the above were produced from, or are closely related to, a number of the mares in the catalogue, which contains about 90 entries. This includes 28 weanlings. The broodmare entries contain 10 stakes winners, including Irish Darling, Niagara Falls, Tenant’s Tiara, Brilliant Bisc, and Torah, a Spinning World stakes winner and dam of a winner.
Other mares include Tiarazou, a Melbourne winning sister to stakes winner Zoutenant (in foal to All Too Hard); Almost Tempted, a Snippetson sister to Group Two and Three winner Fast Clip, and in foal to Sepoy; and Beyond Rare, a Redoute’s Choice daughter of champion New Zealand juvenile Il Quello Veloce.
A line-up of top grade sires list among weanling progeny on offer. These include lots by All Too Hard, Dawn Approach, Declaration Of War, Denman, Domesday, Epaulette, Hinchinbrook, Lonhro, Manhattan Rain, Nicconi, Pluck, Rubic, Sebring, Testa Rossa, Toronado, Trusting and Your Song.
Represented with seven weanlings,Trusting – along with Octagonal brown Money Or The Gun, have been standing at Turangga Farm. A triple Group 2 Sydney winner (and dual Group 1 second places), Trusting is represented with current three-year-olds, and which included three winners over the Queen’s birthday weekend.
While Stuart Ramsey will continue to breed horses at Turangga on a much smaller scale, his son, John (who has been Turangga’s stud manager) and wife, Erin, are to establish their own property, which will provide young education of horses, training and breeding services.
Vale John Digby
JOHN Digby, a person who was instrumental for introducing the Australian Stud Book (ASB) into the digital age, recently died in Sydney at age 84.
Appointed in 1988 as the Keeper of the ASB – the registry of Australian Thoroughbreds – Mr Digby established several new practices including redeveloping the horses’ identification system to include blood typing and DNA testing.
A New Zealand born veterinarian, he brought modern management to the organisation, with regular communication with industry stakeholders, including professional breeders, veterinary associations, commercial breeding associations, and race club administrators.
Mr Digby oversaw the ASB being established as a website in 1997 – a global first for a Thoroughbred Stud Book authority. Handing over the reins to his successor, Michael Ford, Mr Digby retired in 2004.
Paint The Stars, round two
WATCHING the two recent unplaced runs of juvenile Paint The Stars at Caulfield and Flemington (the latter last Saturday), made me think of the first Paint The Stars, a 1979-born colt belonging to the first crop of foals by champion Australian two-year-old, Luskin Star.
The first Paint The Stars created headlines when offered – via his breeders, the Kelly family of Newhaven Park, Boorowa, at the 1981 William Inglis Easter Yearling Sale at Newmarket, fetching a then record price of $825,000. The colt was obviously going to prove popular at the sale being by Star Kingdom grandson, Luskin Star (by Kaoru Star), and being the second foal of outstanding racemare, Visit (by GB imported Agricola), winner of the VATC Toorak Handicap-G1 and being a three-quarter sister to champion filly, Wenona Girl.
But as we know, the best of breeding and “pots” of money do not necessarily buy a good racehorse, the original Paint The Stars failing to win a race. Placed twice at third from eight starts, the chestnut stallion did later have a stud career, siring three stakes winners, one in Melbourne and two in Perth. The current Paint The Stars (who has started twice) is a chestnut gelding by Exceed And Excel sire, Helmet, and was produced from non-winning Giant’s Causeway mare, She’s A Bonus. I will continue to watch this Shawn Mathrick, Cranbourne, trained gelding with interest.
