Images courtesy of Turangga Farm
At Flemington last week, a longshot ran into an over-achieving second place in a Group 1 race under one of Australia’s most familiar sets of colours.
The horse, Never Listen (Trusting), showed she belonged in top company with her second place, at $41, in the VRC Oaks. The colours – green with white braces, yellow hooped sleeves and cap – belonged to Stuart Ramsey.
And the result so thoroughly belonged in the Stuart Ramsey story.
The beef baron from the bush, the ex-auctioneer who spread his business acumen to the turf through a renowned breeding empire based at the Hunter Valley’s Turangga Farm, has made something of an artform of executing, or nearly pulling off, the very ambitious coup.
Many of the 67-year-old’s greatest stories have concerned treasured victories, Group 1s to the likes of Ancient Song (Canny Lad), Sky Cuddle (Snippets) and Cinque Cento (Nothin’ Leica Dane).
He bred Hong Kong star Able Friend (Shamardal {USA}), multiple G1-placed mare Champagne Cuddles (Not A Single Doubt), Coolmore Stud S. winner Headway (Charge Forward) and handy sprinter Glenall (Redoute’s Choice).
But it’s some of the near misses that add spice to the Ramsey story.
Like Glenall running fourth in the G1 The Galaxy in 2017 at only his fourth start. Or The Virginian (Hinchinbrook) nabbing third, at $81, in the G1 Stradbroke H. in 2016, also at his fourth start; Sky Cuddle taking fourth in Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire})’s Cox Plate of 2005, or another mare, Segments (Mossman) running second in the 2005 G1 Oakleigh Plate at $151, when Ramsey found as much as $301 on offer
Stuart Ramsey and Peter Moody
Many of these successes were shared with his great mate and former champion trainer Peter Moody. And some defeats – such as Segments only just being run down by Fastnet Rock by a long neck in that Oakleigh Plate – are remembered as fondly by the pair as the wins.
“That summed up Stuey’s whole approach,” Moody once said of the Segments tale. “He was never scared to have a shot at the stumps when most people might have thought it was too ambitious, and that’s a great owner to have.”
“He was never scared to have a shot at the stumps when most people might have thought it was too ambitious." - Peter Moody
Notice something about the 10 horses mentioned above, which were either bred by Ramsey or bought by him with a view to breeding? Only one of them, Able Friend, is by a non-Australian sire. And of the 10 dams involved, only two were not Australian, those being the New Zealand-bred mothers of Able Friend and Glenall.
Stuart and Trish Ramsey
A pillar of Australian breeding
To call Ramsey a pillar of Australian breeding, then, is a massive understatement. Forthright and opinionated, he loves this country’s racing – to the point where he’s even distressed the Melbourne Cup has become so international: (“They’ve ruined it!” he says. “People don’t want to bet on it any more because no-one knows the horses! I used to know all the starters, and could tell you all the winners, like Gatum Gatum in 1963. But now…”)
Ramsey has also been one of Australian racing and breeding’s great characters, an amply-proportioned bushie – hailing from Casino where his Ramsey Pastoral company was founded – who’s now firmly ensconced in the dynasty game, with his son John in recent years taking on the job of training many of the family horses.
Such as Never Listen.
You get the sense there’s been a bit of argy-bargy between the forthright senior Ramsey and his new-ish trainer, just as his close relationship with Moody wasn’t without disagreements.
“Peter wanted to run Segments on the Friday night at Moonee Valley rather than the Oakleigh Plate. He said she’d just win,” Ramsey says. “I told him: ‘She can’t run at The Valley, because the Oakleigh Plate is on the Saturday.’
“Geez that was a thrill. She just about won it. It would’ve been great to win it, but I did get 300-1, which is decent each-way odds.”
“Geez that was a thrill. She just about won it. It would’ve been great to win it, but I did get 300-1." - Stuart Ramsey
There were no disagreements, however, when Sky Cuddle grabbed fourth in that unforgettable Cox Plate, when Moody and Ramsey correctly predicted most jockeys would burn out their mounts trying to upset Makybe Diva, whereas Greg Childs sat patiently behind the pace to take fourth at 100-1.
“I was in tears coming down the grandstand,” says Ramsey, who was asked why by a reporter. “We’ve only just got beat by one of the greatest mares of all time,” he replied.
Sky Cuddle
Ramsey retired Sky Cuddle after that run to breed from her. Thus far she’s had three foals to race, all by neighbouring farm Arrowfield’s Not A Single Doubt. The second of them is Champagne Cuddles, to date the winner of $1.4 million.
There’s some irony in a horse called Never Listen performing so heroically with her second to Miami Bound (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) in the VRC Oaks. Some might think connections launched that mission after her 8l win the start before in a 2200 metre BM58 race at Scone.
In fact, it was all a long-range plan, set mostly by John Ramsey. That’s also part of the reason Stuart Ramsey transferred her to his son, from Sydney training team Edward O’Rourke and Michael Freedman, after her first two starts yielded unplaced runs over 1100 metres and 1300 metres.
“Dad wanted to put her in foal a while back,” says John, the only Ramsey boy, born in the middle of a run of six girls. “I said: ‘She’s a VRC Oaks filly.’ Thankfully for once he listened to me.”
John Ramsey
John, 34, has been stud manager at Turangga, taking more of a forward role since Stuart lightened his own load a few years back. A seasoned horseman with a long history in breaking, John began training as a hobby in 2013, but took it up in earnest two years ago.
With his 26 boxes at Scone racecourse usually full, he’s been achieving some sweet percentages: 14 wins from 74 starts last season, and six from 42 so far in this one.
And what’s it like training for your dad?
“TJ Smith used to say it’s one thing training horses, but a lot harder training owners,” John says with a laugh. “But, nah, he’s not too bad.”
“TJ Smith used to say it’s one thing training horses, but a lot harder training owners... But, nah, he’s not too bad.” - John Ramsey
Stuart Ramsey made his way, and his millions, by moving around to get ahead, and, almost literally, by grabbing bulls by horns.
He left casino to join Elders in Grafton on January 12, 1972, moving to Yass with the company on October 16 of that year, before settling in West Wyalong on January 18, 1974 (yes, he can tell you all the exact dates).
He started a business in West Wyalong in 1976, becoming an auctioneer, before returning to Casino where in 1985 he enhanced his cattle holdings and took over an abattoir, later adding another in Grafton.
Turangga Farm
He got into the horse business in a small way in the mid-80s, selling a filly at the first Magic Millions sale on the Gold Coast. He’s barely missed that sale ever since, as his breeding empire has expanded. In 2003 he purchased Turangga, located in the Segenhoe Valley a short hop from Scone, where his breeding interests have gone from strength to strength ever since.
While he’s always on the lookout for his next mare, there have also been stallions at Turangga.
Trusting (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), a triple Group 2 winner and five-times Group 1-placed, stood there until recently before being moved on. Never Listen promises to enhance the stallion’s legacy at Turangga, though John Ramsey has ruled out an AJC Oaks start for her next autumn, saying that instead she’ll be given a long spell to mature, with an eye on the spring riches of 2020, or maybe 2021 instead.
Better Land (Shamardal {USA}) is now the farm’s resident stallion, with his oldest progeny weanlings. Mostly, though, Ramsey’s business has run along his well trodden path – centring on his 30 quality broodmares, with around a dozen yearlings from the band to be offered in the new year’s yearling sales on the Gold Coast and in Sydney.
Trusting, former resident stallion and sire of Never Listen
Making his way in the bush, and building his empire, brought Stuart Ramsey an unfancy and pragmatic approach to life.
Asked why he chose Shamardal (USA) to cover Ponte Piccolo (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}) to create the $550,000 yearling that was Able Friend, he says succinctly: “Coz he suited the mare.”
Asked for his motto regarding horses? “Give the good ones the best opportunity you can. But if they’re no good, you’ve gotta sack ‘em.”
You can’t be too romantic in this business. And Ramsey and his no-nonsense approach have fared better than most.
