Five minutes with... Brett Howard

Brett Howard - RBA Bloodstock

TDN AusNZ: Where are you from and what is your earliest racing memory?

Brett Howard: I was born in Melbourne. My earliest racing memory was as a 6-year-old, the 1970 Melbourne Cup. My parents said they put some money on a horse for me. It ran unplaced and I remember reading all about the Baghdad Note’s (NZ) (Kurdistan {GB}) Cup win in the following day’s Herald Sun and I was hooked.

TDN AusNZ: Which is your favourite racehorse of all time? Why?

BH: Manikato (Manihi). Who won a Blue Diamond and a Golden Slipper, and then was pretty much Australia’s best sprinter/miler up until he retired at the age of seven. If he was racing today he’d have won 25 Group 1 races, the same number as Winx (Street Cry {Ire}). He nearly won an Australian Cup as a 3-year-old over an unsuitable 2000 metres. It took the great Dulcify (NZ) (Decies {GB}) to beat him that day. He broke track records and weight carrying records, he did not know how to run a bad race.

TDN AusNZ: Do you have a favourite day on a racecourse? Why?

BH: It's hard to beat Melbourne Cup Day. It was the day when walking out of Flemington racecourse in 1999 (Rogan Josh’s (Old Spice) year), that I jumped into the rose bushes, plucked out a red rose, got down on one knee and proposed to Rachael.

I really liked Prince Of Penzance’s (NZ) (Pentire) chances in the 2015 Cup and started backing him a week out from the race. I was able to secure as much as 500/1 on Betfair, plus I managed to get the exacta, trifecta and first four, so that also turned out to be another memorable day.

TDN AusNZ: Could you tell us how you got into this industry, about your job now and what you love most about it?

BH: From a young age I always wanted to work in the industry. Even before I left school I had started working on studs in my holidays. As soon as I left school I wanted to learn as much about horses and the industry as possible and started working on studs and in stables and completed a two year full time course at agricultural college in Horse Management.

All of this eventually allowed me to get enough experience, knowledge and confidence to help set up Randwick Bloodstock Agency in 1987. I’m not sure if there is any one thing which I love most about it. I just love being part of the industry. It is a well worn cliché, my work is my hobby.

TDN AusNZ: Who do you believe to be a value sire for the upcoming breeding season? Why?

BH: As I write a good number of studs are yet to announce their 2020 fees, however, very recently Coolmore published theirs and I really like the fact they haven’t lifted the fees for both Pride Of Dubai and So You Think (NZ).

We have a 25 per cent interest in Needs Further, so it would be remiss of me not to mention him. Although his 2020 fee is yet to be announced, whatever it is will represent great value for a proven sire.

TDN AusNZ: Is there a stallion that you consider to be under the radar? and why?

BH: We bought into Sooboog just before he retired to Kitchwin Hills. Apart from being a great looker and well bred, most importantly he had an enormous amount of ability which due to an injury he sustained early in his career, we unfortunately didn’t get to see.

Sooboog has an amazing syndicate of owners behind him and his first yearlings so far have averaged $70,000 (off a $12,500 fee) with an extremely high 95 per cent clearance rate, a reflection of the consistent quality of types he is siring.

He has had seven yearlings sell for in excess of $100,000, with a high of $250,000. And they have been bought by some of the country’s most astute trainers – Hawkes Racing (3), Neville Parnham, Gerald Ryan, Mike Moroney, Matthew Smith, David Pfieffer, Richard and Chantelle Jolly, Lloyd Kennewell, Mark Kavanagh, Desleigh Foster, etc. I can’t wait to see them hit the tracks later this year.

TDN AusNZ: Which stallion, ever, do you think was the best type?

BH: I have seen many great stallions over the years. My first trip to Kentucky in 1987 was memorable and I was fortunate to inspect some of the giants of the modern-day thoroughbred. Danzig (USA), Nijinsky (Can), Mr Prospector (USA), Nureyev (USA), Sir Ivor (USA), Seattle Slew (USA), Blushing Groom (Fr), Alydar (USA), Halo (USA), Riverman (Fr), Secretariat (USA), Lyphard (Fr), Alleged (USA), Fappiano (USA), Roberto (USA), and the list goes on.

What struck me was how different all these horses were in terms of size, build, bone and leg conformation (many were far from perfect). I saw some major legends on that trip.

However, my all-time favourite would be Galileo (Ire), which I had the privilege of working with during my time at Coolmore. I loved how well balanced and conformationally correct he was and how he appeared to just float over the ground. His action was so economical, when he moved it was like he didn’t exert one ounce of energy. His movement was truly magical.

TDN AusNZ: Which first-season sire (other than your own) do you believe is most exciting?

BH: This year we helped Denise Martin’s Star Thoroughbreds with their yearling selections. Star were able to secure yearlings by first-season sires Alpine Eagle, American Pharoah (USA), Astern (2), Divine Prophet, Extreme Choice, Maurice (Jpn), Shalaa (Ire), Star Turn, Territories (Ire) and Winning Rupert.

We also tried, without success, to buy yearlings by Capitalist and Flying Artie. I would like to think anyone of these stallions has a second to none chance of success. Certainly, Star’s purchases will be given every possible chance under the guidance of Chris Waller.

TDN AusNZ: What was your favourite weanling, yearling or mare purchase this year?

BH: Hard to narrow it down to one horse, so I will give you two yearlings which were both purchased by Star Thoroughbreds. The Territories (Ire) x Kaniana filly purchased for $350,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, the sale’s equal second highest-priced filly. And the I Am Invincible x Limbo Down (NZ) filly purchased for $350,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, the sale’s highest-priced filly.

TDN AusNZ: Who do you think is a rising star within the industry? (Person not horse).

BH: Sebastian Hutch. I very much admire his enthusiasm and work ethic, as well as his determination to try and drive change at Inglis (I haven’t been paid to say this, however, in lieu of cash I will happily accept a sale upgrade for one of our yearlings for the 2021 sales).

TDN AusNZ: What positive change would you like to see in the industry?

BH: That’s easy. One TV channel which is dedicated to thoroughbred horse racing and is able to showcase the best race meetings and races from around Australia and the world on a daily basis.

I think it is offensive to all thoroughbred industry participants, the punter included, that our racing administrators have been unable to set up such a channel. I cannot believe none of them are able to see or acknowledge that their actions are, in my opinion, counter productive to the industry’s overall health and well being. The current status quo of having to constantly flick between the various channels, as well as the inclusion of harness and greyhound racing, which holds little or no interest to most thoroughbred racing people, is an unpalatable experience to say the least.

Industry participation across the board is shrinking. Everyone in the industry’s expectation, administrators included, should be one of attempting to keep as many people engaged as possible by making the experience of watching our racing a pleasurable, rather than a painful one? Not sure how this can be achieved, however, if it could I would be prepared to get right behind it.

TDN AusNZ: If you weren’t in this industry what would you do?

BH: This is the hardest question you’ve asked. I honestly can’t think of anything else I would want to do.

TDN AusNZ: How are you keeping busy in isolation?

BH: I have always said if you work in the thoroughbred industry and you’re not busy, you must be doing something wrong!

We are currently flat chat welcoming people (social distancing style), almost hourly to our farm (Glenesk Thoroughbreds) to inspect the 11 mares in our Inglis Chairman’s Sale draft. We have an amazing line up of stakes winning mares off the track Noire (Foxwedge), Think Bleue (So You Think {NZ}), Smart Coupe (Smart Missile), Cleanup (Dehere {USA}) (the dam of Nettoyer (Sebring) and young mares in foal to stallions of the ilk of Dundeel (NZ), Justify (USA), Not A Single Doubt, Pierro, The Autumn Sun and Trapeze Artist. There isn’t one mare in our draft I wouldn’t be happy to own.