Sunlight will represent the interests of Max Whitby in the A$14 million Everest. The Tony McEvoy trained the son of Zoustaris out of the dam Solar Charged.
She is owned by David Redvers, who owns and manages Tweenhills Farm and Stud (UK:. He is also the racing and bloodstock advisor to Qatar Racing owner HH Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and his brothers.
Everest Diaries spoke to the proud breeder David Redvers about his ‘Sunlight’ journey which started when they specially purchased Solar Charged for their world-class stallion Zoustar.
Q: Could you please tell us about Sunlight and how you came to identify and purchase her? What were the early signs of the superstar he would become?
A: We bought her dam, Solar Charged at the Magic Millions breeding stock sale in partnership with Antony Thompson of Widden as she was exactly the type of mare that we all felt would help get Zoustar up and running. When we came to sell Sunlight as a yearling we all liked her so much that retaining a leg with Tony McEvoy seemed the perfect outcome.
Q: In terms of the 3P’s (Pedigree, Performance and physical condition: could you tell us why Sunlight is best placed to win The Everest this year?
A: Sunlight’s pedigree is all raw Australian speed. Her performances have all shown her to be top class. Tony will have her in prime condition with a number of prep races lined up enroot to have her peaking for the Everest.
Q: What are the plans for Sunlight before & after The Everest?
A: She will run 3 times and the Everest will be her 4th start. Tony has the whole thing mapped out and we have seen that she thrives on racing. She is very powerful but a bit stuffy so needs to get on the track.
Q: Can you please tell us a bit more about your history with Al Thani family and how you were introduced to them?
A: I was introduced to Sh Fahad by a friend of my sister’s in 2010. I had just landed at Karaka and received an email saying there was a young sheikh who wanted to meet me to discuss buying a couple of racehorses. I was to meet him at the Lanes borough Hotel in four days and I scrambled back in the nick of time and the rest is history!
Q: How did you get involved in the industry? Did you ride or have horses as a child? If was not for horses, what would have been the next best career for you?
A: I grew up with ponies and then hunting and after 3 months planting trees in Australia aged 18, realised that any career I was to follow had to involve horses. I spent the remaining months of my gap year working in polo and hunting yards before landing a job at Rockleer Stud near Bathurst, where I realised that my future lay with bloodstock. When I came home I reversed my plans to join the army and went to work on stud farms in the UK to gain as much experience as possible before returning home to convert the family farm into the Tweenhills people know today.