IF ever you have offered, sold, or bought a horse via an Inglis sale in Sydney over the previous 24 years, chances are you would have met Jeff Matthews.
Jeff is the complex manager at Sydney’s Thoroughbred auctioneers company Inglis, formerly located at Newmarket Stables (Randwick) and now at its new Riverside precinct at Warwick Farm.
After 24 years has decided to hang up his click board and inventory book leaving the position at the conclusion of the forthcoming Easter sales’ series.
Back then (1990s) Randwick was not so busy, and Inglis’ (complex) was a bit tucked away, so you got an impression of not being in the city...I have had a lot of laughs at Newmarket, and I always had a great friendship with (the late) John Inglis – we were good mates...Newmarket had a special feel to it due to its age.
- Jeff Matthews
Jeff has never considered himself a “city boy” and has immensely enjoyed his time at Inglis.
But new opportunities are now beckoning him back to his bush roots to the country town of Baradine.
He landed himself a maintenance role with Inglis in 1994, before being boosted to complex manager in the late 1990s after the position became vacant with the leaving of Ryan Faulkner.
“Back then Randwick was not so busy, and Inglis’ (complex) was a bit tucked away, so you got an impression of not being in the city,” Jeff said.
Being brought up around horses, attending pony club, and doing a bit of cattle mustering around his western districts home in earlier times, Jeff was also attracted to the Sydney job knowing the Inglis company’s long established and renowned history with Thoroughbreds.
“I have had a lot of laughs at Newmarket, and I always had a great friendship with (the late) John Inglis – we were good mates,” he said.
“Newmarket had a special feel to it due to its age, but as time moved on more problems arose; the loading area, horses crossing roads, and with a school at the end of the road (Young Street), it became a bit of a nightmare.
“But I said I wanted to stay (at Inglis) until this (Riverside Stables) was up and running.”
Inglis’ inaugural sale at its new state-of-the-art Riverside Stables was its Classic Yearling Sale in February, and which was conducted with little fuss and record-breaking prices.
Next week will see its time honoured Australian Easter Yearling Sale, traditionally the southern hemisphere’s most celebrated auction for blue-blooded pedigreed and robust Thoroughbreds.
This sale holds the Australasian record for the highest priced yearling at $5 million for the Redoute’s Choice half-brother to Black Caviar in 2013.
“It is always good when Easter comes around. There is always hype and excitement around Easter Sale time,” Jeff said.
“But there is always a bit of pressure with it, to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
A semi-truck load of chaff, 2000 bales of lucerne hay, and six V Double truck-loads of wood shavings is among Jeff’s inventory prior to the larger sales. He also employs 25 extra grounds people.
“When it became hard to find some part-time staff, I sourced several from the country, and who still come down every year,” he said.
“One, Kevin Birtie, he has been here just about as long as I have, takes his annual leave from his regular job to come and work here during sale time every year.”
Not only does Jeff have to look after the horses and security needs, but vendor staff and visitors as well.
“First aid is important, responding to accidents and incidents; I have seen some nasty (horse) bites and many toes having been trodden-on over the years.” he said.
Jeff said that after the Easter Sales, biosecurity measures take place, with all stables and surrounding areas washed down with disinfectant.
While Jeff also talked about his happy memories of raising his two children Molly and Gracie, at Inglis’ Newmarket Stables, he and wife Kate are looking forward to having a more country lifestyle on their new hobby farm at Bugaldie, about 30 kilometres south of Baradine.
“I will miss the faces and staff, as well as the Inglis family, as I have made some good friends here,” Jeff said.
Easter Sale highlights
YOUNGSTERS by Group 1 winners Secret Admirer and Snitzerland are sure to create attention at the 2018 Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Inglis’ first at its $140m relocation project at Riverside Stables, Warwick Farm.
Conducted over three days from Monday next week, the sale consists of 534 catalogued lots, and include 180 stakes relations to stakes winners including 37 of these being half-relations to Group 1 winners.
Winner of $1.44m, Secret Admirer will be represented with a colt by Australia’s hottest sire I Am Invincible already sire of over 25 stakes winners from his short stud career.
The colt will be offered via John and Trish Muir’s Milburn Creek, Wildes Meadow.
Vinery Stud, Scone, will offer the first foal of Snitzerland, a filly by their top young sire All Too Hard. While several shuttle sires are represented with stock, a number of other northern hemisphere bred horses that have never ventured to Australasia add another dimension of representations at the sale.
These include Great Britain-bred Frankel, French bred Kendargent, US bred Tapit, and Japanese bred sires Deep Impact, Epiphaneia and Lord Kanaloa.