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Alison and David Hush have scored some incredible successes including sale toppers in the Australian Weanling Sale and the Scone Sale with their simple but hard to follow the philosophy of “Attention to Detail”. Watching them achieve milestones that continue to get bigger by the year is actually like watching history in the making. This year Davali have a single chestnut colt (Lot 132) by Super One out of a New Zealand mare, I Want You. And for the Australian Weanling Sale, they have two beautiful fillies and one colt by Dissident, Epaulette and Hellbent (respectively).
The Impact speaks to co-owner Alison Hush about their successes and finds out more about the Davali brand.
Q: Last year you had a sale topper in both the Scone Yearling Sale and the Australian Weanling Sale. Could you please tell us more about both those sales and where are they now?
A: We had a great result at the Scone Yearling Sale 2019 for our good friends and clients, Huntworth Stud. Their attractive RUBICK colt from MIZ NICHOLLS realised $48,000 to the bid of trainer Kim Waugh. Kim has syndicated him, he has entered her system and he is spelling now. He is named TARSUS and we look forward to his racetrack debut in the near future. We took eight yearlings to Scone last year for a 100% clearance rate.
Q: This year you have a great draft for the Scone Yearling and The Australian Weanling Sale.
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171 |
B. |
Colt |
Australian Weanling Sale |
Hellbent |
Contralto |
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178 |
Br. |
Filly |
Australian Weanling Sale |
Dissident |
Cutie Express |
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254 |
B. |
Filly |
Australian Weanling Sale |
Epaulette |
Kermis |
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312 |
Ch. |
Colt |
Scone Yearling Sale |
Super One |
I Want You (NZ) |
Could you please tell us more about each of these horses and what makes them special?
Q: How has COVID19 affected (or not affected) your farm and its operations? Do you see any long term implications?
A: We have been very fortunate in these times to be living on a farm and we have been able to carry on with our usual, somewhat isolated, lifestyle. We have had to juggle our operations with the change in sale scheduling and also the ramping up of online sales, but generally speaking, Covid-19 has not changed the general run of things for us. Long term, it will obviously take some time for things to return to ‘normal’ and we will all have to make adjustments. So far, the effect on our farm, our business and our clients appear to be minimal and I believe this has a great deal to do with the amazing work of Racing NSW. For racing to continue through this pandemic has been extraordinary and all industry participants have benefitted enormously from the diligent work of the racing administrators.
Q: Davali Thoroughbreds has now developed a reputation for bringing high-quality horses to the sales. What, according to you, does the Davali Thoroughbreds brand offer its clients?
A: The Davali brand offers attention to detail. We are hands-on managers and our aim is to supply quality over quantity. We treat every horse as an individual, from feeding to handling and everything in between, each horse has its own program for its’ specific requirements. Many times we have heard breeders say that they want personalised attention for their prized investments and this is what we aim to provide.
Q: When you accept horses to prepare for the sales, how do you handpick the horses and their positioning? What are the most important steps in the process?
A: Placing horses in sales is never an easy task. The pedigree might lead you to one particular sale, the type to another, and quite often, an owner will have a completely different idea all together! Our strategy for sale placement begins with an estimate of the horse’s value, as we try to place yearlings in a sale where they are in the top 50% of the catalogue, above average, or preferably the top 30%. It is much easier to sell horses that fall above the average line in a group than below it.
Q: As we are in 2020, where do you see Davali Thoroughbreds in 2030?
A: Davali Thoroughbreds was established in July 2014 and we began with 6 mares and 5 weanlings. Thanks to the wonderful support of our clients, we have grown to foal down 50 mares each season and we have bee trusted to sell some exceptional stock for them. We don’t plan to expand the business in the next ten years, just keep improving it by continuing to learn and develop. In the next few years, we hope to build on our racetrack success and continue to improve the quality of our broodmare band. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see a Group 1 winner with the Davali brand on its’ shoulder!