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The Impact speaks to Peter Brown, breeder of In Her Time-proven to be among the top echelon of sprinters in Australia was knocked down to Newgate Farm for A$2m at the recent Chairman’s Sale by Inglis.
Owned by Brown the custodian of the Cobcroft line and Orbis Bloodstock, In Her Time has won nine of her 27 career starts which have seen her earn over A$3.7 million, headlined by victories in the Gr.1 Galaxy Handicap and the Gr.1 Black Caviar Lightning Stakes
During an illustrious racetrack career, the mare has beaten a whole host of top-class sprinters including the likes of Santa Ana Lane (Lope De Vega), Pierata (Pierro), Redzel(Snitzel), Trapeze Artist (Snitzel), Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom), Alizee (Sepoy), Sunlight (Zoustar), Kementari (Lonhro), Shoals (Fastnet Rock), Global Glamour (Star Witness), English (Encosta De Lago), Booker (Written Tycoon), Redkirk Warrior (Notnowcato), Houtzen (I Am Invincible), Osborne Bulls (Street Cry) and Written By (Written Tycoon) among other stars of the track.
Q: Did you expect such a good result?
A: She is one of the highest-rated horses and high-profile horses in the sale. However, we are stepping into a global recession and I was prepared for the worst. But we got a fantastic result, which shows the strength of the Australian breeding industry. There were some three or four mares at the top end which sold for A$1.6m – A$2m. It was a very good time to select some very good mares.
Inglis has done a brilliant job of introducing some high-level sales to the digital market. They were able to mimic an actual auction and the horses got auctioned on the spot. In the other type of digital sales, buyers have a week to mull over their purchases can get boring and at times some lower value horses fall off the table.
Newgate could have walked away but they didn’t.
Q: What do you think about Coolmore’s buying strategy?
A: Coolmore also purchased some top mares and will probably send them to their new Triple Crown-winning stallion Justify.
The Coolmore group have been investing in the industry. They haven't been fearful. They realise their stallions, their mares and their yearlings have a job to do and Coolmore has decided that they are going to look to the future and do their job. Coolmore has done a great job supporting the industry.
Q: What is next for the Cobcroft line?
A: I have been appointed the custodian of the Cobroft line and am always looking to grow the line. I am very excited by the fact that we now have two stallions for the first time in the Cobcroft line. We have Gr.1 Stradbroke Winner, Under the Louvre and The Everest (2019) winner,Yes Yes Yes. I am a hobbyist breeder; I’m trying to get the Cobcroft line out in the world. With these stallions, we will be able to do that.
I have six mares left that are Cobcroft born and bred. We have some very nice weanlings in the paddock.
For the first time, we have a beautiful filly being raced by some friends (who also own Nature Strip) that is a Cobcroft mare (Alsara) bred to the Cobcroft stallion (Under the Louvre). He is being trained by Ciaron Maher.
We also have a beautiful colt that is a half-brother to In Her Time. I bred In Her Time’s dam (Hell It's Hot) to Darley stallion impending, the horse that beat In Her Time by a hair’s breadth in the Gr.1 Stradbroke.
He’s got an absolutely cracking pedigree and a great confirmation. I’m hoping to race him and then turn him into a stallion
Q: How do you plan that journey from racehorse to a stallion?
A: I tend to start them a bit later. I don’t care much for the 2YO races. I start my horses in April or May at the tail end of the 2YO season. I like to give them as much time as possible at the races. I prefer to just race my horses only four times a year and give them about 10 – 17 races in their lifetime. I like the idea of racing mature horses in Weight For The Age races. Group Races Major Sprints Handicaps.
They are the true test of an athlete.
Furthermore, the race to push the racehorse to become a stallion can quickly take a lot away from the pleasure of being an owner and a team member.
And if the horse is really good, you can even get a beautiful little fan club which motivates everyone. You will be surprised to see all sorts of fans come up, including children.
And these children are the future owners. That’s how I started.
Children insist their parents take them to the races and I'll make sure they get a chance to pat the horse.
Q: Have you given some thought about which stallion would be perfect for In Her Time?
A: I did. I analyzed all the pedigrees of the stallions at Newgate and I think their stallion Deep Field is the best suited for In Her Time. He is a very strong stallion but at this stage, they might send her to a higher class of stallion-like in I Am Invincible.
Q: Speaking of Justify, what do you think about this trend of American stallion’s being shuttled to Australia?
A: Although I am not an expert on American Bloodlines. In my experience, I prefer European blood because they tend to run on Turf.
A lot of the American horses run on turf and surface is a major part of their ability level. Some horses just can't run on Turf because that’s just how they were bred.
I’m a traditionalist in that sense.
Having said that, I have spoken to some of the top International Jockeys and they say that the American Pharaohs go extremely well.
Coolmore will obviously back their product (the yearlings) and will be sending some really good mares to their American stallions.
As a hobbyist breeder, I prefer lower-cost stallions. Like I couldn’t afford Redoute's Choice although that’s the horse I preferred so I bred Hell It's Hotto Time Thief by Redoute's Choice.
I don’t care about the commercials, I don’t analyse the price. I analyse their bloodlines. I look for the right blood crosses, genetics and performance.
Cheaply bred horses win top races. It’s not just about the pedigrees. It's about how you educate them. It's about who cares for them, who rides them on a day-to-day basis. Their Bloodlines means that they will be competitive, we just need to make sure that they are reared well and that they are healthy.
At the end of the day, they are babies in the paddock and they need to be handled properly.
Q: What is your process?
A: I have a process, as I mentioned earlier. I like horses to move from Sydney to Melbourne to Brisbane. If you introduce a training program with the right food and with a lesser number of runs in a year, horses will come around. Horses understand what they have to do and they will put more effort into running and more effort into their own training.
Q: Who do you think will be part of the Everest field this year?
A: Nature Strip already has a slot, so he will definitely be in the field. But it’s also likely to be a lot of younger 3YO horses.
Darley has a slot. Gytrash beat Gytrash in the final stride to win the Gr.1 Goodwood Stakes at six furlongs. So Trekking could be Darley’s runner. He’s been weighted out of the major handicaps as he won some Group races.
Gytrash was also great and could be a strong possibility for the Everest 2020 field.
The Gr.1 Stradbroke in Brisbane is usually the first indicator of the horses going into The Everest. However, with all the travelling restrictions we are unlikely to see the same quality of horses as last year. But between now and October quite a few horses will come through.