AM: We helped select Santa Ana Lane’s Mum for a client who was looking to send mares to our freshman stallion Toorak Toff. She was a Fastnet Rock mare that looked to mate up well with the stallion. The bonus in the deal was that there was a Lope De Vega colt foal at the foot that was thrown into the package! He would go on to be Santa Ana Lane and we were very proud to have reared him from his very early days at the farm, prepped him for sale and ultimately sold him at the Melbourne Premier yearling sales to Troy Corstens and (leading bloodstock agent) Justin Bahen. 

ED: What type of horse was he as a foal?

AM: To be honest, he was a plain bay that was correct enough and strong enough without being a standout. 

ED: In terms of the 3P’s (Pedigree, Performance and physical condition) could you describe why Santa Ana Lane is best placed to win TheEverest this year?

AM: It would be fair to say that Santa Ana Lane developed tremendously through his yearling preparation. He really started to muscle up and look like a sprinting type. His father Lope De Vega had a mixed start to his stallion life in Australia being caught up in the demise of Patinack Farm. Somehow he went a bit cold because of all that but on reflection, it was the perfect outcross mating for the mare Fast Fleet.

Santa probably needed a trainer to be patient with him and wait for him to finish growing as he was probably only a medium-sized yearling that has now ended up quite a big horse. It’s no surprise he has come into his own as a fully mature horse

ED: Which other horses would you consider your other headline graduates?

AM: We have had quite a few topline horses come off the farm in recent times. We bred, sold and still part own Mr Quickie the reigning Queensland Derby winner, as well as last year’s Melbourne Cup runner (one of only 3 Aus-bred in the race) and Geelong Cup winner Runaway. 

Hey, Doc is multiple G1 winners from our sales drafts and stakes winners Thrillster, Iconoclasm, Krone, Montoya’s Secret, Ruthven and champion filly the Alboran Sea in SouthAfrica have all come through our various systems. 

ED: Were you around when he was named? If yes, do you remember the story of how he got his name?

AM: No, the owners names him. They name all their horse after streets. Their most famous is Caulfield Cup winner Paris Lane

ED: When you prepare a horse for the sales, what is your process and what are the sorts of timelines we are talking about?

AM: Our team do a superb job and Karen Sinclair our yearling manager has an excellent reputation worldwide. She treats them all as individuals and over a 10 week period moulds and crafts each one to show off their best attributes using the great facilities we have at Rosemont Stud ...the best facility being hills and laneways to hand walk every yearling. Some staff will walk up to 35 kilometres a day during yearling prep! It’s quite intense for horse and human. 

ED: Can you please tell us a bit more about your history with Rosemont Stud and also about how you came to be involved with horses?

AM: I was originally in media as a TV and newspaper journalist while my late father in law was developing Rosemont as a hobby breeding farm with only a few Mares. Around 16 years ago he passed away way too young and it made me think about my own professional path. I decided to take on Rosemont and turn it into commercial operation and now with the help and support of my brother-in-law and partner in the business Nigel Austin, we have been able to take it to the next level. We now race around 100 horses have a home for around 250 Mares, four stallions and foal down around 140 babies every year. It’s quite a big business and we plan on taking it as far as we can 

ED: If was not for horses, what would have been the next best career for you?

AM: Probably answered above! I still really enjoy the small amount of media work I do from bit-part radio work and the odd TV gig. I’ll again this year be the side-kick for former trainer of Black Caviar Peter Moody on his spring carnival radio show on SEN called Moody on the Mic.