Always a keen eye for the best progeny’s this man has created a special demand for himself in the market. One of the most iconic figures in horse racing, Julian Blaxland opens about what he is looking for in this year’s sales. His first win and his mentor Adrian Nicoll.
Q: What do you think of this year’s Easter Yearling Sale offering?
A: As usual, the Easter Yearling sale has thrown up some of the best pedigrees offered not only from Australasian breeders but from many of the best families in the world. It seems to be a smaller catalogue this year which will be interesting to watch the market effect. Obviously, one would think it can only be a positive from an overall average perspective.
Q: How often do you attend the Easter Yearling Sales?
A: I attended Easter for the first time in 1996 as a 17YO and was blown away. I’ve been buying there since 2006 and have bought every year since.
Q: Are there any specific sires, whose progeny get first preference?
A: Look, Easter is typically a sale for proven sires – the big guns and this year we are blessed again with plenty of progeny by Fastnet Rock, I Am Invincible, Snitzel, Redoute’s Choice and co. For me, though I don’t go to a sale with a preconceived idea of what I am going to buy. I inspect every horse and take each one on its merits.
Q: What do you like best about buying at the Riverside Stables?
A: Riverside is a great complex. It’s still new to all of us but I can’t lie, I do miss the old Newmarket complex as its where so much history was made over 100 or more years. But change is the one constant in life and the new Riverside set up is easy to work and has some of the best amenities found anywhere in the world.
Q: What is your process when buying horses?
A: For the Premier Sales like Magic Millions January and Easter, I like to get to the farms a few weeks prior to the sales and see the stock at home. That’s where the process of elimination starts for me. I’ll then re inspect those horses I like again at the complex and slowly reduce horses from my list over a 5-7 period at the sales complex. Generally, I’m buying with trainers or clients too so I’ll reduce the overall catalogue down to around 10-15% and go around with the trainer or client and get a consensus among us which horses remain on the list to be vetted. The vets then reduce the list further and finally we are left with a list to work budgets prior to the sale.
Q: Who was your mentor when you started out buying horses?
A: Adrian Nicoll was the first agent/judge to really help me learn the fundamentals of selecting horses when I worked a year for him and the BBA in 2004/5. I thought I knew a lot prior to this but I really gained a great insight into what makes a racehorse from Adrian. Later in my career, I learned much from Richard Kelly of Newhaven Park. He’s one of the best judges in the world, in my opinion, and Newhaven’s record on the track over many years is a testament to that. I think you're always learning.
Published In Easter Yearling Sales Supplement 2019
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