Paul Willet is known as ‘thoroughbred consultant extraordinaire’, for his astute selection of horses, 17 of which have gone on to become Group One winners, including Buffering, winner of 2016 US$1million Group One Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Dubai World Cup (2016) race night.
Willet was involved in the record-breaking purchase of Queen Of The World for Three Bridges Thoroughbreds at the recent Inglis Great Southern Sale. The Impact spoke to him about his choice and the thoroughbred industry in great detail:
Q: Is this your first collaboration with Three Bridges? Have you bought the mare for yourself or your client?
A: I have been buying horses for Three Bridges Farm for a total of twelve years now – Queen of the World (Sea The Stars X Palitana) was bought for them and some of their clients.
Q: We understand Three Bridges Thoroughbreds is focused on international bloodlines. Do you share the same interests?
A: Yes I have huge respect for European bloodlines, in particular, for over 250 years they have bred the best horses, generally retaining those horses for breeding so have a superior genetic pool.
Q: Have you and the principals at Three Bridges decided whom she will be mated to and if yes, could you please tell us why?
A: As yet no decision has been made on her mating for this spring, but I would think she would be going to a commercially proven sire.
Q: Having been in the business for a very long time, what is your process when you decide to purchase a horse for your farm? When you decide on a price, what % is based on pedigree and what % is based on confirmation?
A: Pedigree is very important when selling commercially so that would be top of the list – confirmation less important when selecting a mare, I would prefer to know what type of foal she throws. Over the years I have seen many average looking mares throw a supertype and conversely, great looking mares throw small types with the bad confirmation.
Q: Please tell us about your own personal journey to becoming a thoroughbred industry leader? What was the most exhilarating part of your journey in the thoroughbred industry?
A: I started out by travelling to Europe in the late ’70s to learn about bloodlines and the care of thoroughbreds on a number of farms in Great Britain and Germany. I eventually returned to NZ and Australia to work and set up my bloodstock consultancy firm after working a few years with NZ’s leading sales company Wrightson Bloodstock. It’s exhilarating meeting fantastic people who share the same vision as I of trying to improve the breed in this part of the world. Also buying and racing some lovely horses over the past decade has been very rewarding.
Q: What’s on your bucket list in the next ten years?
A: To continue on the same path we have been heading by improving further so we can breed some world-class horses.
Q: If we look at the Australian studbook, which first crop and second crop sires do you think are currently under-rated but will be rising soon?
A: Of the weanlings this season saw, I like the Winning Rupert’s – No Nay Never’s could be a success in both hemispheres and Super One maybe a smoky.
Q: Given the global success & leadership of Japanese stallions. Do you see these sires having a big impact in the Southern Hemisphere as well in the next decade?
A: I am still a little suspect on Japanese form and feel their bloodlines may be a little overrated – would like to see them become a little more bit more successful in Europe before I’m a convert. There have been a number of stallions from Japan that have stood in NZ and Australia over the last twenty years but only with a limited amount of success at this stage.
Q: Have you dabbled in those pedigrees?
A: No, not as yet