During my recent Scone races and yearling sales jaunt, I swung by Coolmore Stud, and just in time to see a small portion of the daily routine around the stallion barns in the morning.
Whilst it is termed the "off" season in the southern hemisphere, stallions still need a daily routine to keep them happy and content, and their every need fulfilled.
Employed at Coolmore for 30 years and working in the stallion barn at Jerrys Plains for the last 19 years, Gerry Ryan said the stallions get breakfast at 5.30am, before they are turned out into a paddock about 6am.
"They go out for about four or five hours each morning, come back in, get hosed off if needed, rugged (in cool weather), then fed about 3pm for the night," he said.
"Choisir is a favourite of mine - he is an absolute gentleman; and of the younger brigade I like Rubick, he reminds me of Encosta as he is the same.
"I love working here; you get to work with some of the best horses in the world."
At the time, Gerry was on duty along with 27-year-old former Londoner Alex Barlow, who has been with the company for eight years, the previous three at Coolmore Stud. Alex also has much admiration for Rubick.
"I like Rubick - he is a beautiful stallion and he has similar traits as his father (Encosta de Lago)," he said.
"American Pharoah - I liked him from the outset, he is tough in character, and he is a pleasure to deal with, a beautiful horse and a kind natured animal, and Galileo, and Fastnet - well he's a legend, he loves his grub and loves his routine."
There are three people working with the stallions during the off season, but that increases during the breeding season depending how many stallions Coolmore will stand at stud.
"I think it is quite important keeping the same grooms and keeping them (stallions) in a routine for a few years," Alex said.
"We do not look after any individual ones, but look after all of them; but we are a really close-knit team."
Meanwhile Coolmore Stud's Adelaide was represented with his first Australian winner, when his juvenile daughter Funstar romped in on debut over 1250 metres at Canterbury recently.
Being by Galileo's MVRC WS Cox Plate winner Adelaide, as well as being a half-sister to last year's Queensland Oaks winner Youngstar, Funstar should match up to longer distance events for her future racing.
Funstar was sold via John and Helen North's Bowness Stud, Young, for $80,000 at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, to Anton Koolman Bloodstock, also buyer of Youngster.
Jimmy notches up another first
Another stallion to be represented with his first winner - albeit his first Australian bred winner - is Victorian based shuttler Jimmy Creed, who flew the US flag after his juvenile daughter Statement Of Faith won over 975 metres at Swan Hill recently.
Trained by Melbourne's Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, Statement Of Faith was a $45,000 purchase from the Inglis VOBIS Gold Yearling Sale at Oaklands Junction.
Statement Of Faith was bred by Spendthrift Farm near Romsey, also the southern hemisphere home of Jimmy Creed, a handsome chestnut Group 1 winning son of champion US sire Distorted Humor.
While Statement Of Faith was one of only 16 live foals from his first Australian crop, Jimmy Creed has since been better supported by broodmare owners - the stallion covered 112 mares in 2017, and 75 mares last year.
TAB Highway races prove popular
For readers who recall my story last April on Magic Albert broodmare Magic Firefly, I documented her three runners, all of who were winners.
At the time of writing, one of her runners Malea Magic, had been spelling and was due back into training.
Trained at Taree by Bob and son Glenn Milligan, Malea Magic (by Arlington) won the TAB Highway Handicap first up over 1100 metres at Randwick on June 8.
Upper House won the TAB Highway for Canberra conditioner Norm Gardner at Rosehill on Saturday. The third win for the four-year-old Zariz gelding.
Allowing country trainers and owners a taste of regular city racing, the TAB Highways are hugely popular and a great initiative by Racing NSW.
