Archive for month: May, 2020

Above: Joao Moreira winning on Scores of Fun in Hong Kong (photo Kenneth Chan)

A gelding bred by Hollylodge Thoroughbreds at Avenel had instant success in Hong Kong on Sunday.

Scores Of Fun, who started his career in Australia as Hottie Lamottie, made his debut for expatriate Australian trainer John Size after six trials in Hong Kong.

Starting at $4.10, the three-year-old gelding by Reward For Effort was ridden to a narrow victory by famed jockey, Joao Moreira.

Out of the mare Monatana Hilton, it was the gelding’s first race start.

Previously trained by Patrick Payne under the original name of Hottie Lamottie, the gelding finished fourth in a Cranbourne trial beaten by half a length last October.

He was then sold to Hong Kong after being bought by Price Bloodstock for $100,000 at the 2018 Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.

First prize for Sunday’s race at Sha Tin was nearly $110,000 (AUD).

Hollylodge’s Daniel Nevill said they bred Scores Of Fun for a client and sold him at the weanling sales.

“We sold him for $15,000 but the person who bought him later sold him for $100,000.” Nevill said.

“But that’s the way it is.”

Nevill said they still have the dam Montana Hilton, who has had three foals by Reward for Effort; two have now won, while the other has been placed.

“But this is definitely the best one,” he said.

“It was good to win at the first start in Hong Kong.”

Montana Hilton has a foal to Swettenham Stud stallion Trust In A Gust.

“She’ll be going back to Reward For Effort,” Nevill said.

“And then we’ll make a decision and see what this one does.

“We might sell her in foal or keep her for a bit longer. We’ll see what happens.

“The guy who bred her is an owner of Reward for Effort.”

Now 15 years-old, Montana Hilton (Brahms/Hanina) had 64 starts for nine wins, 12 seconds and five thirds.

Hollylodge also had some involvement with the Lindsay Park trained El Phoenix who broke the 1400m record on the synthetic track at Pakenham last Thursday.

El Phoenix recorded a time of 1:23.65.

“I only foaled him as I sold him as a weanling, but it was good result.” Nevill said.

Nevill said his farm had some really nice horses and we are just waiting for the live sales to re-open.

“I don’t think weanlings and yearlings are great for the online sales,” he said.

“People like to look at the horses.”

He believes they’ll be happy with what they see.

Above: 2019 Blue Diamond winner Tagaloa to stand at Yulong

If everything goes to plan, it won’t be too long before Yulong offers one of the biggest breeding operations in Victoria.

Already with two stallions on their roster, and Tagaloa set to join Grunt and Alabama Express at the end of his racing career, Yulong plans to offer breeders the choice of up to at least 10 stallions in the coming years.

Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang has invested millions of dollars in his breeding and racing interests in Victoria. He has already made it clear that the huge investment in the industry will continue in the coming years.

The purchase of Grunt, Alabama Express and two year-old colt Tagaloa are just the start of Zhang’s entry into the stallion market.

His two foundation stallions will stand at Zhang’s Yulong Stud which he purchased from caravan king Gerry Ryan who previously operated the 450 acre property near Nagambie, known as Limerick Lane.

Also in Zhang’s horse property portfolio is the 210 acre Yulong Farm, which is set up for his ever increasing band of around 200 broodmares.

Yulong Park the 170-acre agistment property located at Bayles near Pakenham.

And Yulong is chasing further land opportunities near Nagambie.

As well as their recent stallion purchases, Yulong has been prominent at the recent Chairman’s Sale and digital online sale to purchase more broodmares.

Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said the new state of the art stallion facility at Yulong Stud is nearing completion and capable of accommodating up to 14 stallions.

“We have Grunt, Alabama Express and Tagaloa will most likely join our stallion roster either next year or the following year,” Fairgray said.

“We have now got up to 200 broodmares and it’s Mr Zhang’s vision to have a good stallion line-up which we will support with good quality mares.

“Alabama Express will get some really nice mares this year and we have got a couple of nice fillies retiring off the track which he will get.”

Fairgray said the Yulong vision was definitely to become a commercial operation to breed, rear and sell high class racehorses.

And having up to 10 resident stallions is also part of the Yulong vision, in addition to their expanding land capacity.

“We are just trying to do develop the farm with the right steps and stages,” Fairgray said.

Above: A view of the farm

“It will give Victorian breeders an opportunity to access high class stallions with the ability to keep their mares at home without needing to travel interstate.

“Mr Zhang really loves it and he is got a passion for it and he’ll be in it for a long time.

“He was quite adamant about setting up in Victoria and his two daughters are involved in the business who are based in Melbourne.”

At this stage there is no definite line of stallions being sought by Yulong. The focus is getting the stallions they believe will work with the Australian broodmare population.

Fairgray said the time frame for adding to Yulong’s stallion roster will look to be increasing their stallion numbers to five next year, eight the following year and then build it up to around the 10.

“That’s the aim, but it’s not just as easy as just saying that we are going to have that number because obviously you want to have a stallion that is going to be suitable,” he remarked.

“But Mr Zhang is very passionate about it and he knows what he wants to achieve.”

Fairgray said the plan was that all the yearlings from Yulong’s massive band of broodmares would all be offered for sale.

He said Yulong withdrew all of its yearlings from the Australian Easter Yearling Sale which turned into a digital sale because of the coronavirus.

“We are going to take them to round two and we had 14 entered for that first sale. We just withdrew them because people hadn’t had the opportunity to inspect the yearlings.” Fairgray said.

“But hopefully the way things are heading now, people will be able to inspect the yearlings and it will be a live auction up in Sydney.

“With yearlings especially, people need to be able to view them when they are paying large sums of money.

“But we will be definitely offering all the progeny for sale.

“We will still buy a few nice yearling fillies to try to help our broodmare band in years to come.”

The Yulong named horses are well known throughout the racecourses, with Zhang enjoying the racing side of the industry with a large racing team.

Yulong also export horses to China, but Fairgray said that market had obviously slowed down because of the restriction of flights to China, but is confident the market will pick up when air travel restrictions are lifted.

He said the Chinese market was starting to improve and grow.

“Despite the setback, I am confident the Chinese are getting interested in racing and understanding the whole dealing and sale process and racing,” Fairgray said.

“Going forward it is going to be important to us to be able to sell some of the yearlings in China.”

Yulong employs more than 50 people and that number will continue to rise in line with the company’s ever increasing horse population.

Fairgray said he would love to give some of the younger people in Victoria the opportunity to join Yulong so they could learn about the industry and then move on and better themselves at other farms.

It’s not just farms and horses that Yulong have been acquiring. They recently announced the appointment of highly respected stud manager Marcus Corban to a special projects role after spending more than 30 years as general manager of New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud.

While Yulong also have horses in the UK and America, the vision is clearly for success in the Australian and breeding industry before increasing their expansion into other countries.

Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice – Lago Ovation) ridden by Michael Dee wins the G1 C.F. Orr Stakes (1400m)  at Caulfield Racecourse. 
© The Image is Everything – Bronwen Healy & Darren Tindale Photography

If everything goes to plan, it won’t be too long before Yulong offers one of the biggest breeding operations in Victoria.

Already with two stallions on their roster, and Tagaloa set to join Grunt and Alabama Express at the end of his racing career, Yulong plans to offer breeders the choice of up to at least 10 stallions in the coming years.

Chinese billionaire Yuesheng Zhang has invested millions of dollars in his breeding and racing interests in Victoria. He has already made it clear that the huge investment in the industry will continue in the coming years.

The purchase of Grunt, Alabama Express and two year-old colt Tagaloa are just the start of Zhang’s entry into the stallion market.

His two foundation stallions will stand their first seasons at Zhang’s Yulong Stud which he purchased from caravan king Gerry Ryan who previously operated the 450 acre property near Nagambie, known as Limerick Lane.

Also in Zhang’s horse property portfolio is the 210 acre Yulong Farm, which is set up for his ever increasing band of around 200 broodmares.

Yulong Park the 170-acre agistment property located at Bayles near Pakenham.

And Yulong is chasing further land opportunities near Nagambie.

As well as their recent stallion purchases, Yulong has been prominent at the recent Chairman’s Sale and digital online sale to purchase more broodmares.

Yulong’s chief operating officer Sam Fairgray said the new state of the art stallion facility at Yulong Stud is nearing completion and capable of accommodating up to 14 stallions.

“We have Grunt, Alabama Express and Tagaloa will most likely join our stallion roster either next year or the following year,” Fairgray said.

“We have now got up to 200 broodmares and it’s Mr Zhang’s vision to have a good stallion line-up which we will support with good quality mares.

“Alabama Express will get some really nice mares this year and we have got a couple of nice fillies retiring off the track which he will get.”

Fairgray said the Yulong vision was definitely to become a commercial operation to breed, rear and sell high class racehorses.

And having up to 10 resident stallions is also part of the Yulong vision, in addition to their expanding land capacity.

“We are just trying to do develop the farm with the right steps and stages,” Fairgray said.

Above: A view of the farm

“It will give Victorian breeders an opportunity to access high class stallions with the ability to keep their mares at home without needing to travel interstate.

“Mr Zhang really loves it and he is got a passion for it and he’ll be in it for a long time.

“He was quite adamant about setting up in Victoria and his two daughters are involved in the business who are based in Melbourne.”

At this stage there is no definite line of stallions being sought by Yulong. The focus is getting the stallions they believe will work with the Australian broodmare population.

Fairgray said the time frame for adding to Yulong’s stallion roster will look to be increasing their stallion numbers to five next year, eight the following year and then build it up to around the 10.

“That’s the aim, but it’s not just as easy as just saying that we are going to have that number because obviously you want to have a stallion that is going to be suitable,” he remarked.

“But Mr Zhang is very passionate about it and he knows what he wants to achieve.”

Fairgray said the plan was that all the yearlings from Yulong’s massive band of broodmares would all be offered for sale.

He said Yulong withdrew all of its yearlings from the Australian Easter Yearling Sale which turned into a digital sale because of the coronavirus.

“We are going to take them to round two and we had 14 entered for that first sale. We just withdrew them because people hadn’t had the opportunity to inspect the yearlings.” Fairgray said.

“But hopefully the way things are heading now, people will be able to inspect the yearlings and it will be a live auction up in Sydney.

“With yearlings especially, people need to be able to view them when they are paying large sums of money.

“But we will be definitely offering all the progeny for sale.

“We will still buy a few nice yearling fillies to try to help our broodmare band in years to come.”

The Yulong named horses are well known throughout the racecourses, with Zhang enjoying the racing side of the industry with a large racing team.

Yulong also export horses to China, but Fairgray said that market had obviously slowed down because of the restriction of flights to China, but is confident the market will pick up when air travel restrictions are lifted.

He said the Chinese market was starting to improve and grow.

“Despite the setback, I am confident the Chinese are getting interested in racing and understanding the whole dealing and sale process and racing,” Fairgray said.

“Going forward it is going to be important to us to be able to sell some of the yearlings in China.”

Yulong employs more than 50 people and that number will continue to rise in line with the company’s ever increasing horse population.

Fairgray said he would love to give some of the younger people in Victoria the opportunity to join Yulong so they could learn about the industry and then move on and better themselves at other farms.

It’s not just farms and horses that Yulong have been acquiring. They recently announced the appointment of highly respected stud manager Marcus Corban to a special projects role after spending more than 30 years as general manager of New Zealand’s Cambridge Stud.

While Yulong also have horses in the UK and America, the vision is clearly for success in the Australian and breeding industry before increasing their expansion into other countries.

Above: Yulong’s foundation stallion Grunt (NZ)

Highly respected Stud Manager Marcus Corban has been appointed to a Special Projects role with burgeoning Victorian-based stud and racing operation Yulong. Formerly the General Manager of Cambridge Stud for over three decades, Corban will be taking up the position next month and will split his time between Australia and New Zealand.

“It’s incredibly exciting to be joining such a dynamic organisation who are growing rapidly in a strong Australian market,” said Corban. “Yulong have invested significantly in both infrastructure and bloodstock to become a major player in the Victorian industry. They’ve also developed a great team of people, with Sam [Fairgray] and Luke [Wilkinson] leading the way.

Corban said his role would be focused on Yulong’s continued growth and development, working closely with owner Mr Zhang and Sam Fairgray.

“Yulong have grown rapidly with significant investment, the focus is now on ensuring the strategy is in place to take the business and brand to the next level. It’s an exciting challenge that I look forward to working with the team on.”

“It’s an exciting challenge that I look forward to working with the team on.” – Marcus Corban

Corban is no stranger to farm development projects, having worked closely with Sir Patrick Hogan on the growth of Cambridge Stud to become New Zealand’s most famous and successful thoroughbred stud. He also was involved in the more recent farm developments after the change in Cambridge Stud’s ownership.

A chance to work closely with Yulong, a strong emerging business in the Victorian breeding and racing industry, was an opportunity Corban was delighted to get involved with.

“There’s such a buzz around the Australian industry and the investment in Victoria by companies like Yulong has seen it emerge as a strong breeding frontier in recent years,” said Corban. “Although all businesses are having their challenges at the moment, the fundamentals underpinning the industry are very strong and it really is the place to be.”

Corban will begin his role with Yulong next month.

Article courtesy of TDN

It is with great anticipation that Encosta De Lago’s exciting son Needs Further, the sire of Classic-winning and inaugural All-Star Mile winner Mystic Journey, will stand the forthcoming breeding season at Aquis Seymour in association with Tasmania’s Armidale Stud.

“We are very fortunate at Aquis to have the opportunity to work with the time honoured Armidale Stud and partners in standing Needs Further at our Victorian farm, he is exactly the stallion we needed on our roster,” stated Aquis CEO Tony (Tubba) Williams.

“Needs Further has quickly become the leading sire in Tasmania and from his second crop, sired the exciting filly Mystic Journey who took all before her in winning the Gr.1 VRC Australian Guineas and inaugural $5m All-Star Mile. With Needs Further being a son of Encosta De Lago, it feels like we are bringing Encosta De Lago’s legacy back home to Victoria.”

From the immediate family of multiple Australian and New Zealand Champion Sire Zabeel and his half-brother Baryshnikov, both winners of the Gr.1 VRC Australian Guineas, Needs Further is a half-brother to Gr.1 ATC Golden Rose Stakes and Gr.1 ATC Randwick Guineas winner Hallowed Crown, sire of this season’s dominant Gr.1 ATC Australian Oaks winner Colette.

The son of multiple Champion sire Encosta De Lago, whose sire line has produced Northern Meteor, Rubick and Zoustar, Needs Further is out of the Gr.1 Golden Slipper runner-up Crowned Glory, a daughter of breed shaper Danehill, and he was victorious in the ATC Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes, from just five career starts.

Needs Further’s statistics rival many leading sires and is highlighted by $3.7m stakes earner Mystic Journey who by winning the Gr.1 VRC Australian Guineas aligns herself with the best fillies of their respective generations in Miss Finland, Mosheen and Shamrocker.

Needs Further’s progeny includes the exciting sprinter Bold Star, winner of the Listed VRC Kensington Stakes, Gr.3 TTC Vamos Stakes winner Deroche, also a winner of the Tasmanian Magic Millions 2YO and 3YO Classics, as well as multiple Stakes winning fillies Pateena Arena and Mystical Pursuits.

“We have had increasing interest from several mainland stud farms to stand Needs Further over the last two seasons,” commented Armidale Stud Manager David Whishaw.

“He’s arguably had the best start to a stud career that any Tasmanian based stallion has had in the modern era and he really has earnt the right to access the bigger and better quality books of mares which Aquis and the Victorian market will no doubt offer”.

With his progeny dominating the 2019 Tasmanian Horse of the Year awards winning every award with a clean sweep, Needs Further was also crowned Sire of the Year and Leading Juvenile Sire, being the sire of every feature 2YO winner for the season in Tasmania.

With three individual juvenile Stakes winners to his credit, as well as two winners of the Tasmania Magic Millions 2YO Classic and siring the 2YO of the Year in Tasmania in every season he has stood at stud, it is clearly evident that Needs Further will be a perfect stallion for the lucrative Super VOBIS scheme.

Like Northern Meteor (Encosta De Lago), Needs Further was foaled, raised and raced by Gooree Park, one of the most famous nurseries in Australasia and producer of leading sires and Champion racehorses.

“Versatility is everything in a successful sire and Needs Further possesses this undeniable quality; feature 2YO winners, sprinter-milers and Classic 3YOs at the highest level, a trend that will continue with support from Victorian breeders who appreciate his value,” summed up Williams.

Needs Further will stand at Aquis Seymour, VIC at a fee of $13,750 (inc. GST)

For more information, contact Aquis CEO, Tony “Tubba” Williams on 0428 932 663 or Aquis Operations Manager – Victoria, Murray Tillett on 0419 985 921.

Chloe Jones of Flinders Park Stud

The infectious passion and love for horses couldn’t be more apparent for Chloe Jones, second in charge to Assistant Manager Michael Cumming and Brian Coyle at Flinders Park Stud, in Flinders on the Mornington Peninsula.

‘I knew that horses were always going to be a part of me, whether I liked it or not!

I just had to figure out how to make a career out of them rather than the horses just being an expensive hobby!’

When considering a career Chloe knew that working with animals and horses in the outdoors was the only thing that would make her truly happy. Although she grew up around horses, her family and the world she came from was not involved with the Thoroughbred Industry.

‘My mum raised me on the back of a quarter horse, I was riding before I could walk. Growing up on the farm, spending all my spare time mucking stables and cleaning paddocks, the horses were my family. I was totally at peace around the them and utterly obsessed with all things horses.’

Through-out school Chloe wanted to gain a deeper understanding for animals and horses, so she began her educational journey which saw her complete a series of different qualifications. Studying at the National Centre of Equine Education to gain all of her Animal Studies and Equine Certifications. Although Chloe was unsure which direction her career would take, the education really accentuated her love for the horse. ‘I had so much passion and I wanted to learn more!’ Completing another course through the Northern Metropolitan Institute of TAFE, she graduated a diploma in Equine Stud Management, which saw her accepted into a scholarship program. This led her to traveling and working on major farms and stables around Australia and New Zealand. Arriving home to Victoria she continued gaining more experience and completed a course at the Australian College of Animal Therapies. This enabled Chloe to dive deeper into her passion for anatomy and physiology, majoring in Equine Sports Therapy and opening doors for vet nursing, equine rehab, massage, the possibilities really were limitless.

For Chloe, to work in the Thoroughbred Industry took some emotional acceptance. ‘I am a full-blown animal loving vegan! No-one in my family have ever trained or been involved with racehorses or even supported gambling. For me, I decided I would make up my own mind about the industry and here I am today, one of the true horse lovers working in the  Australian Thoroughbred Industry’

Chloe’s successful education saw her gain first-hand experience on multiple different farms from foaling down, yearling preparation and sales, bloodstock work, horse riding schools, pre-training and breaking in young horses, all the way through to tractor driving, agriculture certifications and track work.

‘I decided I wanted to learn everything, from breeding the animals all the way to watching them on the win at the races. I wanted to know everything about how the industry operated and whether I could make a change for the better of the horse.’

After 2 years of working her way around different farms and stables, Chloe decided that Victoria was where she needed to be based close to family and friends. Chloe knew that she wanted to be working out on a farm in the sun and fresh air raising horses and prepping well rounded quality yearlings, this was where she found her drive.

‘I love being connected to the horse from start to end, setting up their breeding, to watching the foals grow up, then beginning their education and pre-training, daily care and plenty of love, all the way through to taking your horse through the ring at the sales and feeling that buzz, as the hammer comes down and your filled with pride’

Chloe is coming up to her eighth year at Flinders Park Stud.  ‘I saw the position for a yearling prep role and applied. The farm was nearby to where I was living and working at the time, I was managing an agistment farm for a Polo Player. I took the Flinders Park yearling job and after all these years here we are today!’

Flinders Park Stud offered Chloe her assistant manager role. It is evident that this farm works closely as a team, with a shared desired outcome for the horses. ‘It was important to me to find a farm with like-minded people that I could work for. The health, happiness and future of the horses is paramount. The farm is my home, we are all a family here.’

‘The experiences and opportunities that Flinders Park has given me, has pushed me in the right direction for my career to develop further, for that I will always be thankful.’

Chloe’s dream since she was a little girl was to purchase and her own farm. The plan was to buy somewhere on the Mornington Peninsula so that she could build up her business which would include; riding, teaching, training, and caring for all types of performance horses.

Working on a horse farm is full time job and requires 24/7 attention. Chloe somehow manages to do it all, and somehow still finds time to dabble in some yoga teaching and training. ‘You have to keep physically fit for the horses!’

In addition to working at Flinders Park, Chloe now also runs her boutique agistment and training Centre in Tyabb.  Almost 2 years ago Chloe took the leap of faith and decided it was time to make her dreams a reality. Chloe and her husband purchased their beautiful property and the hard work began. Her farm was full in the first week that it opened, with anywhere from thirteen to seventeen horses in full boutique care and training. With the hands-on experience, education and support Chloe has received from the Thoroughbred Industry she is lucky enough to be successfully running and enjoying her business, Graydens Park.

It is remarkable to see the care and true unconditional love that Chloe has, she really is the epitome of working 24/7 with horses. ‘Being on the farm with the horses is my therapy. It is the ultimate dream for me and I am very lucky to be living my dream every single day. The experience and guidance I’ve had at Flinders Park has given me the confidence to successfully purchase and run my own property, which is huge. I never imagined all those years ago stepping into the industry that it would open as many doors as it has for me.’ Chloe has achieved an extraordinary amount and considering she has only just turned 30, it is an amazing feat.

‘I know this life is where I belong, and I wouldn’t t want to have it any other way. Horses saved my life, so now that’s why I’m spending the rest of time looking after them.’

Chloe relishes with the unique lifestyle on the Mornington Peninsula. ‘I enjoy the boutique feel which a lot of farms on the Peninsula have. I believe in quality over quantity and I enjoy the relationship that I can develop with the horses on smaller farms. It allows you to spend more time with each horse keeping an eye for detail and taking pride in her work is very important to Chloe. ‘We are breeding and raising horses in one of the most beautiful places in Australia, so I feel very blessed. There are 4 or 5 studs in close proximity to one another down here which makes me feel like we live in our own little thoroughbred bubble. I am a big ocean lover so finding a farm to work for that is less than a 5-minute drive from the Flinders beach, which has panoramic views of the water makes me feel very at home. Summer lunch breaks always involve taking the dogs for a jump off the pier and cooling down after working the horses.’ Chloe and her husband even got married at Flinders Park Stud, in the main paddock overlooking the ocean. With their family and friends by their side, a couple of tipis and some impressive fairy lights, Chloe rode her off the track thoroughbred mare down the aisle with her two dogs at foot. The rest is history.

The advice that Chloe would wish to pass onto someone looking at starting in the industry is ‘You have to follow your heart, work hard, ask lots of questions, and never ever give up!  I won’t lie, it is difficult at times, this is not a 9am till 5pm, Monday to Friday job, there’s no heating out in the paddocks in winter, and certainly no aircon in summer. It’s hard work, but that’s why it’s so rewarding. When you step into this industry you will reap the benefits, there is so much to offer for anybody willing to try. This industry provides people with a lifestyle and it is so much more powerful than a pay cheque from a 9-5 job. Being part of a community of animal lovers, surrounded by true horseman, and getting to work with the ultimate equine athletes. Everyone knows one another and supports each other immensely, there’s never any shortage of work, and the opportunities are limitless. You can all achieve big dreams just like I have. All thanks to the pure love of the horse.’

Above: Robyn’s Folly as a foal with Robyn Shakespeare

Robyn Shakespeare is hoping it’s only a matter of time before her homebred three year-old filly will secure its first victory.

Robyn’s Folly, yes it’s named after Robyn, was sired by Hurdy Gurdy Man who she bred raced with her late husband, Ed.

The filly is only one of three horses sired by Hurdy Gurdy Man (Street Cry/Abalone) before the stallion died of a colic attack on New Year’s Day in 2017.

Robyn’s Folly and Gunsablazin’ have made it to the racetrack, while Hurdy Gurdy Man’s third foal from his only crop when he started stud duties in 2015 died after birth.

While Gunsablazin’ has battled in his five runs, Robyn’s Folly has had one third and two fourths from her three starts with Warrnambool trainer Daniel Bowman. The filly resumed last week from a spell with another promising fourth.

Robyn’s Folly is out of Shiny and New (Foreplay/Shag’s Sister) which was raced by Robyn and Ed Shakespeare to six wins, three seconds and three thirds.

Hurdy Gurdy Man, a Victorian horse of the year, was more than a handy galloper, winning the Group 3 Hobart Cup (2200m) in 2013.

Asked whether a win for her filly was just around the corner, Robyn said: “I hope so, I need a new hat.

“The track might have been a bit too soft for her last week.”

Robyn and her husband, who died six years ago, also bred Hurdy Gurdy Man’s dam, Shiny and New which has a filly foal by Riverbank Farm stallion, Redente.

“I have still got Shiny and New but I really don’t know what to do with her now,” Robyn said.

‘’Daniel (Bowman) wants me to face the other filly but I’ll just wait and see what happens at the time.”

Robyn explained that after Hurdy Gurdy Man retired she sold him for $20,000 as a stallion prospect and included in the sale was a free service which produced the nicely named Robyn’s Folly.

She believes that with horses it comes down to two things – good luck and bad luck.

Robyn admits to having a bit of both with Hurdy Gurdy Man who has nearly reached $500,000 in prize money.

And she is hoping for that slice of good luck with Robyn’s Folly.

Above: King of Hastings with Craig Williams on board (image Grant Courtney)

Chapel City’s boilover win in the Group 3 R.A. Lee Stakes at Morphettville on Saturday has given his Victorian sire – llovethiscity – another reminder of the stallion’s ability to produce a big race winner.

The six year-old gelding started at 100-1 to narrowly score for Victorian apprentice jockey Georgina Cartwright over the 1600m trip, defeating  Group 1 winner Seabrook and the highly fancied Harbour Views.

llovethiscity, a son of Magic Albert, is a Group 1 winner and racked up nearly $1 million in prize money when trained at Randwick by Grahame Begg. Three of his four wins were at Group level.

Now standing at Noor Elaine Farm at Euroa, the stud’s manager Mark Calwell said they couldn’t be happier with the stallion as they attempt to resurrect his career in the breeding barn.

“We are just happy with IIovethiscity overall,” Mark Calwell said.

“Since we took him on it’s just got better and better.

“He always seems to have had a stakes horse hanging around.”

After Chapel City’s triumph, the stallion’s promising three-year-old King of Hastings went down by a head at Flemington over 1000m after starting $3.20 favourite.

“King of Hastings was really good too,” Calwell said.

“I don’t know whether he is a major group horse, but he is certainly a good horse. Chapel City is a good horse that just keeps achieving results.”

King of Hastings trained by Anthony Freedman at Flemington has had nine starts for three wins and four seconds.

IIovethiscity previously stood at Euroa’s Larneuk Stud but has had two seasons at the neighbouring Noor Elaine Farm.

His fee when he joined Noor Elaine Farm in 2018 was $4400 and he served 70 mares which was the largest number of his stallion career which began in 2012 with 43 mares.

Last year he served 59 mares when his service fee was increased to $5500.

Calwell says it is an unbelievably competitive market for stallions at the lower end of the market.

“It makes it tough,” he said.

“But we have got some really nice horses by him on the farm that are weanlings and we will see how we go.”

Calwell hopes that llovethiscity will get a big boost if the Greg Eurell trained llovemyself performs during the spring carnival. The gelding was bred and raced by Neville Murdoch who stood llovethiscity at his Larneuk Stud Farm.

Ilovemyself won on debut at Flemington, claiming the listed Very Special Kids Plate (1000m) and was then unplaced as the favourite in the Group 3 Pago Pago at Rosehill before heading to the paddock.

Calwell said the spruik on the two year-old colt is pretty big.

“If the spruik on him lives up to it, I think IIovethiscity will be very popular this year.” Calwell said.

“I hope to match the 59 mares we got last year or go a little bit better. You have to be a realistic with everything that is going on at the moment.”

“And I don’t know whether people will just sit on their cash in that lower end of the market or whether some of them will think we should be breeding because two years down the track things might be better.”

Calwell said they had provided llovethiscity with the best possible mares and it was now up to the stallion to produce after having modest books of 28 and 27 in 2017 and 2016.

He said they had some nice colts by the stallion to go the sales next year.

“We have got a fair few of our mares in foal to him, so we are backing him as much as we can.” Calwell said.

“Horses like him probably don’t get top mares which you have to be a realist about it.”

Chapel City was bred by South Australian based Margot Noack who has been a big supporter of Victorian based stallions.

Margot owns the dam of Chapel City – Chapent – and believed the breeding of IIovethiscity was a good mix for her unraced mare that is now 16 years-old.

“I just thought it matched up so well,” she said.

“I went to look at the horse and he was just magnificent. He is very masculine which I liked and he was a good racehorse.

“I thought why is he so cheap which was ridiculous but I’m jolly glad he was because that’s all I could afford.”

Margot has another colt by IIovethiscity from Chapent and sent another two of her mares – A Sweetee and Wings of An Angel – to the stallion for two fillies.

“We have got three on the ground by him now and I sent Chapent to Puissance de Lune last year,” she said.

Margot believes that IIovethiscity is extremely underrated.