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Not everyone has a legacy that includes thought leadership and training on breeding Golden Slipper winners, Everest contenders and the top-quality racehorses. Newhaven Park’s legacy is so much more. The Thoroughbred nursery has been in Studmaster John Kelly’s family for four generations.
The Newhaven 2021 Magic Millions draft has absolute gems on offer including five yearlings by Newhaven’s sire Xtravagant, the multiple Gr.1 winning son of Pentire, four by the emerging super sire Pierro, a pair by champion Australian sire and dominant speed influence Exceed And Excel, and a great selection by such outstanding sires as Snitzel, So You Think (2), Spirit Of Boom (3), Nicconi (3), Dundeel, Invader, Maurice, Pride Of Dubai, Capitalist and Churchill. Read on as Kelly shares the top three lots from his draft, what it takes to breed horses with the potential to win races like the Golden Slipper and The Everest and his plans for Newhaven over the next ten years:
Q: You've got a very strong draft for the MM Gold Coast sale this year and I wanted to find out more about your highlight lots?
A: Our three high highlight lots are: a) LOT 852 - Snitzel (AUS) X Supara (AUS): He's a very attractive horse. He is bred on the same cross as Trapeze Artist. There are not many horses bred on that cross. Supara was a very good (race) mare who used to race Winx a lot as 3YOs. They have finished very close on many occasions. b) LOT 8 - Written Tycoon (AUS) X Zrinski (AUS): This filly bred on the very good Written Tycoon/ Redoute's Choice cross. She's a very attractive filly. She reminds me of a lot of the filly that we bred, Odeum who won the Thousand Guineas this year in the spring. c) LOT 376 - Pierro (AUS) X Heriz (AUS): Another very nice colt on the Pierro/ Redoute's Choice cross. His cross is one of the most successful crosses in Australia. He is a magnificent colt as well. She's a very good broodmare. She’s already thrown a Gr.2 winner and a Stakes placed horse from her first few foals. We are very happy with them. The Magic Millions is the first sale of the year in Australia and it’s a very type-driven sale. We need to present our best early born and most attractive yearlings.
Q: What are the other sales that you are likely to present at over this season?
A: After Gold Coast Sale, we will go on to the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, and then we will go to the Magic Millions sale in Adelaide and Inglis Premier Sale in Melbourne. Then we head to the Inglis Easter sale. Hopefully, this is going to be a good season.
Q: Where do you expect to see your biggest buyers come from this year?
A: I believe we will have buyers from around the world. Either they will be here in person or their representatives will be here. There are quite a few people that are already in Australia and doing the hotel quarantine before the sale. I believe the participation rate could be quite good, especially from people in Asia. They participated quite strongly online during the broodmare sales and then the ready to run sales. Now the Southern Hemisphere is well versed in presenting our horses online with alot more information than normal. That should stand us in good stead
Q: Could you tell us about your top graduates from this sale?
A: Odeuma A$420,000 2019 MM graduate scoring an authoritative win in the Gr.1 Thousand Guineas at just her fourth start before supplying a Gr.1 quinella at her next start when a close second to another Newhaven Park graduate Shout The Bar a A$200,000 2018 MM purchase in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes to record her second win at the highest level after her earlier Vinery Stud Stakes’ success. They are clearly two of the best females in training and both are shining examples of the type of yearlings Newhaven prepares and sells at the January sales. Another one of our graduates, a A$10,000 weanling and now racing as Inferno scored easily in the Singapore Lion City Cup in October defeating 15 rivals. If you had bought all our 3YO and 4YO fillies from the Magic Millions of which there were 19 you would have the opportunity to buy two Group One winners three Stakes winners and seven City winners. We think we've got a nice draft of horses this year by top stallions such as Pierro, Exceed And Excel, Written Tycoon and of course by our own young stallion Xtravagant. We will be presenting his second crop. His yearlings from his first crop, spread across fine racing stables in Australia have just started racing. I'm sure that his first winners not far away.
Q: Your farm goes back for four generations. Where do you see yourself taking the farm to the next level over the next ten years?
A: Our objective as a firm is to breed good racehorses. So we are continually endeavouring to upgrade our broodmare band and breed better percentages of quality racehorses. We have a definite passion and desire to continually improve the chances of the people who support us in their chances of buying a better racehorse. We believe that that comes through breeding and the rearing of horses. We are always fine-tuning the process and trying to get better at it. Breeding a sound horse that has 'ability' is difficult to do but its something we have been able to do over four generations. And we're always trying to improve on that.
Q: Do you try to breed horses for specific races like the Golden Slipper winner. Or do you focus on breeding top-quality commercial athlete?
A: Well, first and foremost I always try to breed a racehorse. We believe if we are breeding good horses the commercial side will look after itself. We're very much focused on speed and soundness. We have bred four Golden Slipper winners, and we keep trying to emulate that feat.
Q: What do you do to improve the early development of your foals and young horses?
A: The farm is 9000 acres and of that, we use 4000 acres to rear our horses. We have sixty to hundred-acre paddocks for our horses. I make sure they have plenty of areas to have exercise. They go through the seasons like they have flush of the green grass in the spring and then they have to go through the hot & dry Summers and then the beautiful cool autumns. They are outside for most of that period. I think that set us apart from most of the horses in Australia. That constant exercise helps build strong bones and develop them so that they're ready for the challenges of their life.