'The marriage will never be over': Singleton's closest allies offer their reflections

Singleton’s investment in racing and breeding over the years has been enormous and, fortunately, he’s made it clear that this announcement is far from the end of his involvement in the industry.

It does, however, signal a scaling back to focus purely on racing, a change brought about for a simple inevitability.

“I can’t see myself going to Magic Millions sales, having a couple of four-exs and not buying a couple of horses forever,” Singleton told RSN Racing Pulse on Wednesday morning.

“But, to breed them to the extent I have been, and have a 200-acre stud… Gerry (Harvey) believes you can live forever and Rupert Murdoch agrees, I’m a bit more realistic, or pessimistic.

“I do think there’s an end, and breeding horses now that you won’t find out if they’re any good or not for five, six, seven years…”

“He’s fun to train for…”

Much of the success behind Strawberry Hill can be attributed to Singleton’s investment in Joie Denise (Danehill {USA}). He bought into the mare in partnership with Arrowfield Stud, and snapped up her filly by Sunday Silence (USA) for $1 million as a yearling.

Sent to Gai Waterhouse, Singleton soon after bought all of Joie Denise and thus began what will undoubtedly be his greatest contribution to the Australian Stud Book.

Gallery: John Singleton's Group 1 winners trained by Gai Waterhouse, images courtesy of Sportpix

A few years after Sunday Joy - the Sunday Silence filly - won the G1 Australian Oaks, Singleton bred Joie Denise to Carnegie (Ire) and produced four-time Group 1 winner Tuesday Joy (NZ). A few years after that, Sunday Joy was sent to More Than Ready (USA) and produced eight-time Group 1 winner More Joyous (NZ) - who will be amongst the close to 60 lots on offer at the farm itself on August 29.

“He’s a remarkable person, John Singleton,” said Waterhouse, who trained the whole family to such success.

“I met him a long time ago, and he’s always been there to help. He’s a big thinker who always sees the big picture in everything he does.”

The relationship between Waterhouse and Singleton appeared at an end at one point, a decade ago. Singleton’s support of Tulloch Lodge was withdrawn after More Joyous ran poorly in her final appearance in the G1 All Aged S. of 2013, surrounding accusations of a masked injury and information being passed on to Waterhouse’s bookmaker son, Tom.

All was repaired in 2015, however, after Waterhouse purchased a yearling bred by Singleton and Gerry Harvey at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Speaking to RSN Racing & Sport on Wednesday morning, Singleton credited Waterhouse with being ‘bigger than me.’

“Gai said, ‘John, I think it’s time you and I made up.’ I said, ‘Bloody oath, we should,’” Singleton recalled.

They joined forces on the More Than Ready colt, who was named Kiss And Make Up, won the G2 Todman S. and found a home at stud.

“He’s said, ‘You're the only trainer I’ve ever really had Group 1 success with,’ which is a lovely compliment,” Waterhouse added. “Nearly all his Group 1 horses have come out of one stable: Tulloch Lodge.

“He’s fun to train for. You say, ‘This is where I think we can go with this horse,’ and he says, ‘Go and do it!’

“If he’s engaged you to do something, he lets you get on and do it.”

Despite the success she’s shared with Singleton, Waterhouse won’t be drawn to dwell on his announced departure from the breeding game.

“We all love success,” she said. “I suppose he’s looked at one side where breeding takes a long time to come to fruition. Whereas, going to the races is immediate.

“He’s been hugely successful in his racing and breeding ventures, but he’s a person who likes to change. If you think back only recently, he sold off things and went off to live in Hawaii. It’s not as though he hasn’t sold properties before, moved on, and come back.

“I just think he wants to change the brief. He’s at a time in his life when he’s entitled to change the brief. I think he’s full of surprises, I think that’s what makes him so interesting.

“I’ll tell you one thing: Everyone that hangs around him long enough does well.”

'...the most loyal and decent person…'

Host of 2GB Sydney's morning show, radio presenter Ray Hadley has been working for Singleton for 22 years, their friendship stretching even further back. Whilst Singleton built his wealth in the advertising industry, he has for years been an impassioned investor in radio broadcasting.

“We’ve raced a few horses together,” Hadley told TTR AusNZ. “Usually in a 50-50 partnership and not with any great success because they’re mainly ones that I’ve bred.

“I’m not surprised that he’s selling. I think that at his age he’s not going to wait for another Group 1 winner, because the breeding game is a waiting game. I think he’d rather just race horses in partnership.

“I think Gerry will be the purchaser, so that he might be able to garner some of John’s brilliance in breeding by buying a stud that’s actually successful,” jibed Hadley.

Though said in jest, Hadley has a serious point to make here.

“Singo hasn’t spared any expense with Strawberry Hill,” he added. “It’s a beautiful property, he’s got great staff looking after the mares and foals, presenting them for sale and attaining good prices.

“They’re exceptionally well-bred… that’s a big help to start with. His broodmare base is outstanding and he’s put them to the best sires - it’s a recipe for success.

“For what you’d call a boutique establishment, he’s had great success.”

These days, Hadley only has a single shared racing interest with Singleton, but it’s one with huge potential. Three-year-old colt Hawaii Five Oh (I Am Invincible) is a dual Group 3 winner for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, who was third in the G1 Stradbroke H. last time out.

“They said they felt sorry for me, basically, and just maybe I could have a Group 1 winner before I die,” Hadley said. “I think I was gifted it out of pity.

“I’m sure, deep down, both Gerry and John feel very serious about it because it’s big business for them. It’s just a bit of fun for me, but John’s never treated it any differently.”

Singleton might not be disappearing entirely from the racing scene, but any lessening of his involvement is a loss to the industry, according to Hadley.

“He’s the most loyal and decent person I’ve ever dealt with in business. His word’s his bond.”

'It's like being married to someone…'

Singleton co-owns a number of horses with the industry behemoth Gerry Harvey, and indicated that his partnered ownerships will remain despite the sale of his personal bloodstock. The adage ‘half the price; twice the fun’ that is often quoted when people combine in ownership doesn’t so much apply to Singleton and Harvey.

For starters, Singleton is worth an estimated $820 million according to the Financial Review, whilst Harvey’s wealth is widely known to tip into the next order of magnitude. Of course, Harvey also owns Magic Millions - who has duly been chosen to conduct the dispersal sale - and a number of farms including Baramul Stud and Westbury Stud.

The pair have “only been racing horses together for 55 years,” in Harvey’s words, in which time their relationship has become far more than a friendship.

“It's like being married to someone, you know?” Harvey explained to TTR AusNZ, before offering his young(er) interviewer a lesson in the institution.

“One day, you'll have one for about 40 years, with a bit of luck. Or, you might have a couple. But, if you have one that you stay with for that long, they take control of you, they're constantly letting you know how stupid and ridiculous you are.

“Singo and I have a bit of a relationship like that. It's like one upmanship; ‘How much better am I than you, or why haven't you had as many successes as me? I've got a good horse and you haven’t.’”

Singleton has been a constant in many of Harvey’s days racing for some half a century now, and the fun-poking dynamic has evidently been part of their relationship for quite some time - even in the face of serious business deals.

When Harvey purchased Magic Millions in the 1990s he partnered with Singleton and Rob Ferguson, who each took a quarter stake.

“We worked very well together as a team from about ‘96 to 2011,” Harvey said. “Then, we had some grown-up disagreements on certain things and we decided that it was a good idea that our little partnership and love-in should be disposed of.

“So, I bought them out. Then, Kate came in much stronger into the business, and since that the business has gone from strength to strength, which pisses Singo off.

“He, at the time, said he's a reluctant seller, but the friendship he's got with me mightn't have survived if we had this business together.

“I gave him owner's rights for the rest of his life which means that he can pretend he's an owner; he can go to the sales, he can tell everyone he's an owner, he can act like he's an owner, he has all the privileges of an owner, but he's not an owner.”

The essence of the sport

Aside from “many great failures,” there has been no shortage of successes where Singleton and Harvey have been involved in racing and breeding - too many for Harvey to single one out, even. However, in asking him to try we arrive at the crux of their shared passion. Despite competing at the top level, they’re no different to anyone else.

“What's your best horse?” Harvey asked. “The one that just won a Goulburn maiden - because that won 10 minutes ago. That was good, so now you're looking forward - what else have we got running around tomorrow?

“Our greatest ambition right now would be to get Hawaii Five Oh to win The Everest. He's a $26 chance or something, but it's not impossible.

“And, of course, if he won The Everest, I’d ring Singo and say, ‘Mate, I think you'd better stay in the horse business,’ and he’d cancel the sale straight away because he'd want to stand the horse at stud.”

It’s more fun poking between mates, with Harvey adding that the dispersal sale is slated for August 29, well before The Everest is due to run. But, echoing Waterhouse’s comments, Harvey said that Singleton’s unpredictability naturally accompanies his advancing years.

“The older you get, the more unpredictable you can become,” he said. “He's still got that image of being the last of the colourful racing identities. He'd be very proud of that, and he doesn’t want to become one of those grumpy old blokes at the races, like he said.

“The marriage will never be over. We'll still have horses, we'll still have horses together until we die, but not as many maybe.

“Then, a year or two from now, he might think, ‘I've only got three years to go, I'll buy another hundred horses.’ Completely unpredictable, right?”