For most, if not all of us, the love of the horse is what essentially drives our interest and involvement in thoroughbred racing and breeding. Right now, I can’t recall anyone who epitomises this more than Vinery Stud’s longserving bloodstock manager, Adam White, who spoke with such raw, heartfelt emotion over the weekend after news broke of the passing of legendary stallion More Than Ready (Southern Halo).
During a video interview with ANZ Bloodstock’s lead journalist, Tim Rowe, that was filmed on Saturday during Vinery’s stallion parade, White choked back tears as he reflected on the great horse he worked with for 19 consecutive years.
White’s heartfelt emotion is why we work with thoroughbreds.
“He was a unique horse and I don’t know where to start. I am frightened I’m going to miss something. There are so many accolades and achievements. “We were privileged to have had him here,” said White. In the midst of such sad news, the Vinery team bravely and professionally got on with the show and presented their roster of stallions to 500 visitors who travelled to the Hunter Valley to enjoy the farm’s first public parade in three years.
Aged 25, ‘Morty’, as he was fondly known, died from the “cumulative effects of old age” and in the quarter of a century that he graced us with his presence left an indelible mark on not only the industry but also the people who worked closely with him and none more so than White. He was kind enough to take time out ahead of yesterday’s stallion parade commitments at Vinery to join me live on air on RSN Sport 927 to pay tribute to the horse. “It’s been a bit of a tough weekend. He had a great life and he was an amazing stallion.
I joined Vinery in March of 2000 and one month later we were lucky enough to buy into him,” he said. “The following month he won his Group 1. I remember the joy of that win and what it meant to us because he was coming out here and was going to be a foundation stallion for us. “I have been very privileged to work with him most of his career.” White said he still distinctly recalls the first day he laid eyes on the handsome stallion, all those years ago.
“He wasn’t your typical American horse. They are different from our types of horses. “The US horses, especially Kentucky Derby winners, of which we have had a few of here, are quite tall, scopey horses and a little bit straight through the shoulder, whereas More Than Ready, you could see why he was going to be successful in this part of the world,” White said. “He was a beautifully balanced type of horse, very athletic and he had that lovely brown coat and a massive amount of presence and quality and he threw that into his stock.”
Morty had a big personality that will be forever missed by White. “He had massive character. He had this little thing where he poked out his tongue and people loved it.
“I just remember a lot of people coming to see him and just being honoured to meet him and you could see the joy in their faces to be able to see the horse whose stock they followed and had a lot of joy from. They were always so rapt to see him.” More Than Ready not only lit up his many fans, his performance as a stallion positively impacted the course of so many racehorses and breeding farms. “Mick Malone from Kitchwin Hills, who is a good mate of mine, summed it up and said ‘everyone has a great More Than Ready story’.
“He did so much for so many people and for [Mick]. They bred Phelan Ready at Kitchwin Hills who won the Slipper. What that horse did for their farm in the early stages of their brand was massive. “He touched a lot of people.” You can expect heartfelt tributes will continue to flow for More Than Ready this week and serve as a timely reminder that commerciality isn’t everything and a genuine love of the horse still burns strong for many.
Story by Jo McKinnon – ANZ Bloodstock News
