How We Started
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From the moment sitting on the armchair beside my father listening to the radio crackling as Marie Brizard won the Auckland Cup on New Year’s Day 1960, as a young 5 year old toddler growing up in downtown Tauranga, to listening at night to my favourite Johnny Globe perform his heroic feats, I was hooked on horse racing of all shapes and form. Mind you, there was not a lot in the way of other forms of entertainment in those days other than going down to The Strand wharf to catch a sprat or a cockabully for Ginger our cat.
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Being allowed to have the odd 10 shilling place bet or double from my hard earned soon saw me become a self-confessed skilled punter with winnings going into my piggy bank. The heavier the better.
To become a skilled punter though you had to have knowledge. And where did this knowledge have it’s origins you may well ask? The answer was simply…..pedigrees!!! |
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From a punting perspective one had to know and store in the memory, if not the 1B exercise book, the wet track sires, the dry track sires, the sprinting sires, the staying sires and equally importantly the damsires as traits and aptitudes of these became punting power armed with such knowledge.
The weekly Best Bets was the Bible in our house and poor Dad could hardly get a look in as I seemed to constantly have it in my possession from recollection. From memory, Tuesday was the best day of the week back then as that was the day it came on sale. There were no mid week races apart from public holidays so it was all swat and jottings from Tuesday afternoon through to Friday night. |
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Finding The True Meaning of Horsepower...
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It is for this very reason that I became indoctrinated in both thoroughbred and standardbred pedigrees at a very early age and it is something that has continued for the rest of my life.
At the age of 16 I was privileged to be asked by a fellow schoolmate at Tauranga Boys’ College to come down to their place at Oropi on a quiet Sunday morning and have a drive on a couple of his father’s pacers. I jogged one in company and then slow worked another again in company but could not believe the gears that these things had. Each time I lifted the reins a little higher they seemed to change up to another gear. I had found the true meaning of horsepower. This was from a standardbred and I guess the feeling is no different when riding a thoroughbred. |
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High School years were followed by 5 years at the University Of Waikato where I managed a Bachelor Of Social Science degree as well as working every season at the Horotiu Freezing Works and staying with my horse-mad Uncle Alec. Some big confident wagers were landed at the minute Horotiu TAB, conveniently located at the rear of the Freezing Works.
During those 5 years located in and around Hamilton, not a galloping meeting nor a trotting meeting was missed. It was punting that gave me the financial means to get through the University and it was the wonderful wages from the freezing works that provided the kitty to fund the punting along with the free fortnightly food basket that was provided by Mum and Dad. This saw me frequently tripping back and forwards from Hamilton to Tauranga. |
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Time to Follow My Passion
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A 17 year career was to follow with BP Oil New Zealand in a sales and marketing role which saw stints in Tauranga, Wanganui, Wellington and finally in Auckland.
Throughout this time punting combined with going to the races prevailed in all regions. The world of racehorses was well and truly my entertainment realm. A move to lifestyle blocks along with raising a young family in the Franklin district saw a change in lifestyle and the ending of the corporate world for me. It was time to follow my passion which of course was racehorses and their pedigrees. |
The Birth of Premier Pedigrees
In 2001 Premier Pedigrees was established to assist both Thoroughbred and Standardbred breeders in both New Zealand and Australia. This has continued ever since and I now have a solid core of loyal clients in both countries with repeat seasonal business being an outstanding feature of our business. Of course the door is always open to more with new clients being most welcome.
A chance association with a fellow Golden Oldies rugby player for the Tuakau Terrabulls saw me working for two years ( 2002-2003 ) for Graham Bell at Linden Park Stud, a newly established Standardbred stud at Pukekawa ( it was the original home of Haunui Farm back in the 1970’s before they moved to Whitford ). Graham was an excellent stockman but not an experienced horseman at that time and I was to assist him with pedigree consultancy and mating plans for his own as well as client’s mares. He stood stallion’s at that time such as Sands A Flyin, Road Machine, Tuapeka Knight, Bellam, Hitchcock and Butler’s Reward.
A chance association with a fellow Golden Oldies rugby player for the Tuakau Terrabulls saw me working for two years ( 2002-2003 ) for Graham Bell at Linden Park Stud, a newly established Standardbred stud at Pukekawa ( it was the original home of Haunui Farm back in the 1970’s before they moved to Whitford ). Graham was an excellent stockman but not an experienced horseman at that time and I was to assist him with pedigree consultancy and mating plans for his own as well as client’s mares. He stood stallion’s at that time such as Sands A Flyin, Road Machine, Tuapeka Knight, Bellam, Hitchcock and Butler’s Reward.
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For me, pedigree work soon morphed into hands on work helping the team with the horses at the breeding barn, going and getting the stallion’s from their respective paddocks and taking them to the breeding barn, collecting their semen and splitting it ready to take out to Auckland Airport for off farm orders and collecting from the Airport incoming semen from other farms to take back to Linden Park to inseminate some of the mares.
It was inevitable then that during my time at Linden Park I was to be taught how to inseminate mares at which I was to become the Master. |
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That was the Master at getting them in foal with twins only to become the bane of the local vet when it came to squeezing ( or popping ) one, always joking “ did Ken do this one” and whilst asking me “do you want me to squeeze the left one or the right one” I always knew what was coming next “ you realize I am squeezing the colt”.
Needless to say by the end of 2003 Graham had put both myself and his son Lance on the Official Equine Insemination Course held at Alabar Stud in South Auckland under the watch of Dr Patrick Casey and we both had gained our Official Certificates in Equine Insemination, both fresh-chilled and frozen. |
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During 2003 I also assisted Lance in weaning 55 young horses which we did in groups of 15 ( limited by the number of boxes we had ) at 3 weeks education per group. This took from April to July picking up feet, leading, rugging and flicking with towels as well as getting used to noise and being tied-up. All new experiences for very young horses.
2003 also saw me pack a suitcase with Graham and accompany him on a week long road trip to Canterbury and Southland meeting a myriad of horseman and/or breeders talking pedigrees and mating plans many of whom were later to become clients of Premier Pedigrees.
In 2005 I secured a Sales Nomination position for Supreme Stallions which were largely owned by Joe Muscara and managed here in New Zealand by John Curtin with the stallions largely being domiciled at Michael House’s West Melton property. Mach Three was the spearhead stallion.
2003 also saw me pack a suitcase with Graham and accompany him on a week long road trip to Canterbury and Southland meeting a myriad of horseman and/or breeders talking pedigrees and mating plans many of whom were later to become clients of Premier Pedigrees.
In 2005 I secured a Sales Nomination position for Supreme Stallions which were largely owned by Joe Muscara and managed here in New Zealand by John Curtin with the stallions largely being domiciled at Michael House’s West Melton property. Mach Three was the spearhead stallion.
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Towards the end of 2005 upon the completion of the 2005 breeding season I went to work for Geoff Small Racing Stables for 3 years which was the golden period for Geoff when he had all his great horses the likes of Elsu, Changeover, Awesome Armbro, Winforu, Tintin In America, Copper Beach, Lauraella etc mainly in an “on the ground” role. This was a great experience, “winning” and with it came regular lavish morning teas shouted by winning owners. The local bakery at Patumahoe loved Geoff Small but they were days when it was easy to blow out your waistline.
These years were heavily influenced by involvement in and with Standardbreds. I felt I knew them inside out and back to front. |
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Time for a new challenge...
It was time for a new challenge and to dabble a little in the world of the Thoroughbred...
In mid 2008 I had noticed an advert in the local Franklin County News advertising a position relating to pedigrees at Stoneybridge Stud in Karaka. I applied, managed to receive an interview and basically landed the job, quickly to find out that I would be replacing Peter Jenkins who was heading to a new job at Arrowfield Stud in the Hunter Valley.
In the 6 or 8 weeks overlap that I had with Peter I learned a lot from Peter on how thoroughbred pedigrees are compiled and the techniques that are employed to put a mating plan together.
Peter is very much a teacher, and to that I was grateful. In our short time together, he often let me write the mating plan.
He would vette (mark) it, providing suggestions and occasionally recommending deletions, which are all part of the learning process in the pursuit of excellence.
In mid 2008 I had noticed an advert in the local Franklin County News advertising a position relating to pedigrees at Stoneybridge Stud in Karaka. I applied, managed to receive an interview and basically landed the job, quickly to find out that I would be replacing Peter Jenkins who was heading to a new job at Arrowfield Stud in the Hunter Valley.
In the 6 or 8 weeks overlap that I had with Peter I learned a lot from Peter on how thoroughbred pedigrees are compiled and the techniques that are employed to put a mating plan together.
Peter is very much a teacher, and to that I was grateful. In our short time together, he often let me write the mating plan.
He would vette (mark) it, providing suggestions and occasionally recommending deletions, which are all part of the learning process in the pursuit of excellence.
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One of my favourite memories of working at Stoneybridge occurred after Peter’s move to Arrowfield when I had to handle and speak at the Waikato Stallion Parade ( the Stoneybridge stallions being based at the Matamata farm at this stage ) about each of the stallions on the types of mares’ they would suit. These stallions included the likes of Ekraar, Mr Nancho, Red Clubs, St Reims, Storm Creek and Royal Gem with Postponed by this stage having been relocated to Westbury Stud.
Often when you work at these Studs it is the people contacts you meet who are of great value. Not only hands on horse people but office staff too the likes of Helen Johnson ( now Office Manager for Brendan Lindsay at Lindsay Racing now re-named Cambridge Stud – Karaka ) and Amy Bennett ( returned to the U.K. and last working for British Bloodstock Marketing in Newmarket ). |
This period of my career coincided with the fallout from the Global Financial Crisis. Stoneybridge Karaka was in the process of being sold to what is today home for Haunui Farm and so I was relocated to Westbury Stud for a season working with Russell Warwick and his team. At this stage Gerry Harvey had acquired fifty percent of Westbury Stud and would eventually buy out Michael Tololi of his fifty percent of this farm plus his two farms in Matamata along with some stallions.
I enjoyed my time working at Westbury in it’s palatial environment but by now it was time to relax a little more and assist others in their quest towards breeding the next racetrack champion...
I enjoyed my time working at Westbury in it’s palatial environment but by now it was time to relax a little more and assist others in their quest towards breeding the next racetrack champion...
