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Its been almost 3 decades since Mike and Debbie O'Donnell moved to Australia from New Zealand to start Fairhill Farm in 2002, after leaving a successful business in New Zealand.
Mike has been breeding and racing thoroughbreds since 1980 across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore and his vast experience have ensured that Fairhill Farm graduates have been provided with the right balance of exercise and feed to develop good muscle and bone, making them one of the most sought-after horses in the Southern Hemisphere, as witnessed in the sales recently.
O’Donnell speaks with The Impact about the sales trends, market position and tells us about the unheard stories behind the sales.
Q: Fairhill sold 29 weanlings for a total of A$2.2 million. Is this a typical revenue for the farm from this sale? Or did you feel the market was polarising and therefore you didn't get the prices you expected, or you found the market buoyant? Do you feel the trend will continue over the next few years?
A: We have only sold our crop as weanlings for 2 years prior to this. Last year was Covid so it is difficult to say whether it was typical revenue. Our crop this year was better quality pedigrees than the first year. In saying that, we were very happy with our results. People who buy off us at the Weanling sale can be confident that the whole crop is offered. We have not held any of our own back. It follows that our weanlings are not culls.
The market was definitely buoyant and we feel that trend will continue due to the changes in how we live. It is noticeable that money that would have been spent on travel is finding new areas and racing in Australia is a benefactor of this. Racing in Australia has never been better, and prizemoney is continuing to rise. Confidence in the industry has never been higher.
Q: Is the sale of 29 weanlings typical for the farm? Please tell us more about your services and your weanling sales?
A: We are a small boutique farm that is limited in the numbers that we can produce. Breeding horses that can race well is our passion. We concentrate on the health and early development of our crop and that starts from conception.
We have around 70 mares, 70% of which are owned by the farm and pride ourselves on our conception rate for our mares which have included very difficult mares that have not foaled for 4/5 years.
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Q: What is the size of the farm? Typically, how many mares and foals do you have? Please tell us more about the farm and how did you get involved in the Thoroughbred industry?
A: The farm is 130 acres. It is flat to undulating. The mares and foals are fed well. They regularly get the opportunity to exercise on the hills. It’s good for in-foal mares and good development for foals. We normally foal around 35 mares, some of which are for owners that breed to race.
Deb and I developed the farm on our arrival from New Zealand in 2002. I have raced and bred horses in New Zealand since 1980 but only as a hobby on a small property while working in my electrical wholesale business.
There has been extensive work done on the fertility of the soil and microbial activity of the soil. It is now paying dividends. Emphasis is put on the ability of mares and foals on the farm to absorb the nutrients that are available in the grass (through the work done on the soil: and the twice-daily hard feed which also includes supplements.
Q: Have you completed your weanling sales for the season and what about the rest of the year? If not, where are you headed next with what sort of draft? Please tell us about your highlights.
A: In July we start again on our dry mares. They are boxed every night under lights until they are ready to serve sometime after 1st September. We find that the mares enjoy the safety and the security of a box. It’s not just about extra light. We feel that it’s about their feeling of well-being. Humans with problems conceiving often blame stress. We try to take the stress out of the mares’ lives.
Q: Fairhill is known for its quality drafts and its racetrack successes. Could you tell us about your most successful graduates? Also, where do you see Fairhill in the next 10 years?
A: Fairhill Farm has sold yearlings up to A$700k. We have bred and raised three Group One winners. Choice Bro, Glorious Days and Good Project all did a great job for us. We currently have a half-sister to Good Project, Cribbage and a half-sister to Choice Bro, Exceed and Excite. Exceed and Excite is currently in foal to Impending and Cribbage is in foal to Territories.
Fairhill has established itself as a supplier of quality weanlings and will continue to do so into the future.
Q: Finally, you sold two beautiful mares that crossed the A$1 million mark recently? Could you please tell us more?
A: Recently Fiesta was sold for A$1.35m at the Magic Millions. We bred her. She was a multiple Group winner and ran second in the Gr1 Flight Stakes. She won A$1.9m on the track and was sold by us as a yearling to Star Thoroughbreds for A$150k.
We also presently race Sahra who was passed in as a yearling for A$150k. She is a filly with a good future ahead of her. We also have 2 yearling fillies in work by Churchill and Pierro. The Churchill is out of Group 1 performer Zipanese and the Pierro is a half-sister to Fiesta. All our fillies have been offered at sales.