As we go into the 2024/25 season, TTR AusNZ chatted to some of Australasia’s leading race education and pre-training experts, with a view to getting an insight into the progeny of new sires. In this article, they also chatted to Blair Richardson of Vantage Hill.
Both Blair and Nikki come from equestrian backgrounds, and around 2008, they decided that venturing into the pre-training avenue of the thoroughbred industry was the most logical pathway.
Blair Richardson
Blair and Nikki Richardson, images courtesy of Vantage Hill
Blair Richardson spoke to TTR AusNZ about his process, some stars that have passed through Vantage Hill, and some progeny of first-season sires to watch this spring. “My wife Nikki and I are equestrian riders; we did eventing. Breaking seemed like the most logical thing for us to move into and put our skills to work. We formed a business out of that, and it has moved very quickly.
“With both of us having ridden all our lives, it made for a straightforward transition into this area. Around 2009, we wanted to do our own thing, so we bought Vantage Hill, which at the time only had six stables and a lot of weeds!
“From there, we built round yards and developed the property. Now, with more land for the spelling side of the business, we have also built more stables, round yards, and made further additions. With our breaking, pre-training, and spelling facilities, we can offer everything to trainers.”
Stars through Vantage
Over the years, the Richardsons have played a crucial role in the early education of several racetrack stars. Among their most notable graduates is The Everest victor Giga Kick (Scissor Kick). The Clayton Douglas-trained 5-year-old also boasts wins in the G1 Doomben 10,000 and the G1 All-Aged S.
“Giga Kick was a star, and he wasn’t that fancily bred,” Richardson said. “He was just a horse when he came here, so it was nice to see a horse of his profile win big races. He didn’t come with a price tag like others that have been through our system.”
Richardson also educated the triple Group 1-winning mare Sea Siren (Fastnet Rock), who has since proven to be a successful broodmare. She is the dam of Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a winner of three elite-level contests, just like her dam.
“Sea Siren was a gun and went on to win a lot of high-class races. She probably wasn’t the easiest horse to educate, but she was successful on the racetrack.”
Other graduates include the Newgate Farm-based stallions Militarize (NZ), a three-time Group 1 winner, and Russian Revolution, a dual Group 1 winner and Group 1-producing sire. “We’ve been very lucky to have some wonderful clients and quality horses to work with. We have been very fortunate in that area.”
Confidence is key
Explaining his approach to educating the next generation of runners, Richardson emphasized the importance of treating each horse as an individual, with confidence in the barriers being key to his program, alongside groundwork in the equestrian arena. “We start to work on them and learn from the moment we first handle them to putting the gear on and going in the round yard, seeing how much they’re going to take in the early stages.
“You also get a good sense from the first time they walk through gates as to how much and how far you’ll go in the round yard. We have a basic system that we work around, and then we just see which horses are going to fit that process. If not, they just go on a slightly different path.
“They’re all individuals, and that’s how you’ve got to treat them. The first week is our round yard week, and then the horses will do a couple of days in our equestrian arena; we’ll ride some 20-metre circles and do some figure eights. It just gets them balanced before we go to the track.
“I like them to have about two weeks of work on the track. Overall, we aim for a four-week program, and I’m happy as long as they get a good couple of weeks on the track and enough work under their belt. I really find that giving them some grounding in the equestrian area for a few days helps in their education. You’re getting them balanced, and you’re also not just letting them out in the open where they can feel a bit lost.
“But that’s only my preference and way of doing it. It’s a system that I’ve found has worked really well for us over the last 15 years.”
Richardson also places a strong emphasis on barrier training, as a horse’s comfort and confidence in the barriers can significantly impact its racing career. “The gates are located right where we go on and off our track, and I’ve got panels next to them, so we don’t miss any work at the gates.
“I think that’s a big key when you’re breaking in, to get them ready for the trainers in town. Have them educated at the barriers and assess where they’re at with it because if you get it wrong, there’s trouble ahead.
“You have to remember the barriers can be daunting. Most of them are babies mentally; they’re young horses, and they’ve got to go in there, be locked up, and then asked to jump and gallop out. So, they need confidence in the barriers.”
Farnan progney turn heads
The progeny of Kia Ora Stud’s G1 Golden Slipper S. winner, Farnan, have been receiving plenty of positive feedback as his first runners are set to debut this spring. Richardson, who has worked with a few of Farnan’s progeny, rates them highly. “I’ve had a couple of Farnans, and from the ones we’ve had they are very nice horses with fantastic temperaments,” he said.
“They are also beautiful types. One filly has gone to Annabel (Neasham). She was just a lovely, forward type of filly with a fantastic temperament. She was pretty early, just a really nice type of filly and a nice mover.”
The Farnan filly Richardson refers to is out of the Sepoy mare Lusitania. She was offered by Lime Country Thoroughbreds at the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where Annabel Neasham Racing purchased her for $250,000.
Lusitania, her dam, is a half-sister to the Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Alinghi (Encosta De Lago), who won the G1 Newmarket H., the G1 Blue Diamond S., the G1 Thousand Guineas, and the G1 Swettenham Stud S. This family also includes Beneteau, who won the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude (Colts and Geldings) and was placed in the G1 Blue Diamond S.
Richardson also shared his experience with a Bivouac filly. “I’ve had a Bivouac filly. She was a very tall, scopey type of filly. I couldn’t say she’d be early; she looked like a scopey, later type of horse. But she was a nice-moving filly.”
He expressed satisfaction with the progeny of Newgate Farm’s North Pacific that he’s handled. “I’ve had a couple of really nice North Pacifics. They’ve all had very good temperaments, have been really sensible horses, and are also lovely movers. I couldn’t fault them in my breaking process.”
Richardson also had positive remarks about a colt by Coolmore’s King’s Legacy, though he believes the colt may be a later developer. “I had a King’s Legacy colt, who I think has actually gone to Michael Freedman. He was a really nice horse and worked well. He might be a bit of a later type, and I think he came from New Zealand and was purchased out of the Karaka Sale. He is a lovely style of horse and went about working like a nice horse, but I just feel he’ll be later to the track.”
Farnan | Standing at Kia Ora Stud
Gallery: First-season sires whose progeny have impressed Richardson so far
The colt, out of the O’Reilly (NZ) mare Skywards (NZ), was purchased for $160,000 by Mitchell Bloodstock (FBAA) and Stallion Match from the draft of Pencarrow Stud at this year’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. He is a half-brother to the Group 3-placed Kazalark (NZ) (Vadamos {Fr}), and his second dam, Sarwatch (NZ) (Jetball), was crowned the New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, winning the G2 Royal S. and the G3 Hawkes Bay Gold Trail S.
This article was written by Keely Mckitterick for TTRAusNZ.
