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Peter Orton, one of the pillars of Australian breeding, still finds it’s a thrill to work with elite athletes. In past interviews he has always expressed his adoration of top-quality Thoroughbreds, “They’re bred to perform and to race, and they have this personality. Other breeds avoid you as best they can, but thoroughbreds are always engaging with you.”
Orton has been Vinery Stud’s General Manager for 19 years. He is also a Director of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW. His experience at Arrowfield stud watching Danehill and working with John Messara has helped shape Orton's legacy at Vinery, which remains at the forefront of Australian breeding through a roster including More Than Ready (USA), All Too Hard, and exciting newcomers Press Statement and Headwater.
Ahead of the Magic Millions’ July Sales, we speak to Peter Orton about their spectacular drafts 6 weanlings which comprise of two All Too Hards, two More Than Ready, one Headwater and one Hellbent.
Q: Which of your lots would you classify as your draft highlights going into the July sales and why?
A: We have a lovely draft of weanlings for the upcoming Magic Millions Sale. Two very good More Than Ready weanlings, the colt (Lot 818) is from a half-sister to Zoustar who will be keenly sort after. There are another two quality weanlings by All Too Hard, a stallion who is having an amazing year with his progeny on the track and his yearlings have been very popular.
Q: Which young sires do you feel has shown tremendous potential and could in some way replace the gaps that will surely come about as a result of either the passing of some key Australian stallions or due to the restrictions on Shuttle stallions?
A: Couldn’t be happier with our two young stallions in Press Statement and Headwater. Press Statement stock will come into their own as 3yos especially following the very good winner on Saturday in Giovanna Run, a filly Chris Waller thinks is up to Gr1 racing.
Headwater has had a lot of winners in his first year at Stud headlined by the exciting colt Wisdom Of Water.
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Q: What did you think of the online sales' format?
A: Online Sales are going very well and have been most effective during this COVID crisis. This is a facility that is here to stay and progress. The online sale concept is proving to be an efficient cost-effective way to operate and certainly a lot less stressful on the horses themselves by not needing to be trucked to a sale venue.
Q: Having seen the many online sales thus far, what kind of buying patterns are you seeing thus far and how have you tweaked your draft in response to these patterns?
A: We have been utilising the monthly online sales for some time now as a lot of people have been also. For an industry that has historically depended on inspecting horses in the flesh, the transition to accepting horses presented online is one of the most significant developments on the way we operate. The key to presenting horses online is to give as much information at a higher quality level as possible.
Q: What do you think will be the buying strategy going into the big yearling sales of 2021?
A: It would be the general feeling that we will be back to our usual selling structure by then but if for some reason we are not, Sale companies will be comfortable to switch to the online facility with less caution than they did this year.
Q: What have been your most significant sales thus far in 2020 and the racetrack successes of your purchases over the past few years?
A: No standouts in particular, but more importantly we sold very well across the board this year and ended up averaging particularly well. We sold the larger portion of our young stock early in the year which turns out to have been a major benefit, however, the small group we had for the Easter Sale sold very well under the new conditions.
Our most significant racetrack success was Exceedance winning the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stake, he is a high-class racehorse and now an exciting Stallion for us to be involved withstanding him here at Vinery Stud.
Q: What is next for you after the July Sales are put to bed?
A: When we finally get the July Sales put to bed the breeding season will be upon us and that will take our full attention for the next 6 months.
Q: Could you please tell us what are Vinery’s top weanlings currently on the ground and what are your plans for the breeding season?
A: We have over 100 weanlings on the farm, a good few by our young emerging stallions and the proven ones too. The rest are well represented by the leading commercial stallions standing in Australia.
Q: What have been your most significant sales thus far in 2020 and the racetrack successes of your purchases over the past few years?
A: No standouts in particular, but more importantly we sold very well across the board this year and ended up averaging particularly well. We sold the larger portion of our young stock early in the year which turns out to have been a major benefit, however, the small group we had for the Easter Sale sold very well under the new conditions.
Our most significant racetrack success was Exceedance winning the Gr1 Coolmore Stud Stake, he is a high-class racehorse and now an exciting Stallion for us to be involved withstanding him here at Vinery Stud.
Q: What is next for you after the July Sales are put to bed?
A: When we finally get the July Sales put to bed the breeding season will be upon us and that will take our full attention for the next 6 months.
Q: Could you please tell us what are Vinery’s top weanlings currently on the ground and what are your plans for the breeding season?
A: We have over 100 weanlings on the farm, a good few by our young emerging stallions and the proven ones too. The rest are well represented by the leading commercial stallions standing in Australia.