Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Think About It’s dynamic display in The Everest at Randwick on Saturday was a result celebrated by many, not least the hundreds of thousands of punters whose support saw him jump off as favourite for the world’s richest turf race.
It was a richly deserved first win in the $20 million contest for his trainer Joe Pride, who also saddled the third placegetter Private Eye (Al Maher), while jockey Sam Clipperton was another breaking his Everest duck, having made a sensational return to the saddle since taking some time out from the game only a few years earlier.
Then there is Think About It’s enigmatic ownership group, a Proven Thoroughbreds-assembled syndicate who have watched the apple of their eye rise from a provincial maiden to the very top of the sprinting tree in a little over 12 months.
For first-time slot holders Newgate Farm, the overriding sense of joy comes from the fact that Think About It was born and raised on the hills of the Aberdeen property, and a home grown success of this magnitude has Field feeling particularly grateful for the tireless work of everyone at Newgate who helped bring it to fruition.
“It was amazing, and it was extra amazing because we’ve had so much to do with the horse from the day he was born,” Field told The Thoroughbred Report of Think About It’s Everest triumph.
“It was amazing, and it was extra amazing because we’ve had so much to do with the horse (Think About It) from the day he was born.” - Henry Field
“It’s an interesting story. When Pierro came on the scene we put together a huge syndicate of international money to try and buy him and we underbid him to Coolmore. The Kolivos family were so grateful for the bid that we put in that they said, ‘We’ll send our mares to you’, so that’s how we ended up with their mares on the farm.
“They have been great clients to have on the farm for a long time now and to see them breed an Everest winner, and arguably the best horse in Australia, is amazing. It’s incredible for the team at Newgate too, from all our managers and farmers to the foaling unit and the yearling crew, they work so hard and it all culminates in raising a horse at this level.
“We take few risks when we raise horses at Newgate. We’re happy to put them in huge paddocks in big mobs and try to keep it really natural, they’re not cotton wooled, and it’s the fruits of everyone’s labour to see such a tough horse like this fighting out the finish in a race like The Everest. It’s very special.”
Special is the perfect word to describe Think About It, whose Everest success took his already impressive record to an astonishing 11 wins from 12 career starts.
Think About It after winning The Everest | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
The 5-year-old only made his debut at Kembla Grange in July of last year but has taken almost all before him since that day, rising through the grades steadily at the behest of his expert trainer Joe Pride.
The dual Group 1 winner has never won a race by more than two lengths, however, even in Class 1 grade at the provincials, which begs the question of how much more lies underneath the bonnet.
“Who knows how long a piece of string is,” Field mused. “He’s virtually unbeaten, he’s a big, scopey horse and he’s still maturing.
“Sam Clipperton made the point that I Wish I Win loomed up to beat him and didn’t catch him on the post, but the most impressive part was after the post when Think About It galloped away from I Wish I Win.
“Who knows how long a piece of string is. He’s (Think About It) virtually unbeaten, he’s a big, scopey horse and he’s still maturing.” - Henry Field
“The only thing that really matters in this industry is the winning post, and this horse loves the winning post.”
The ugly duckling
He may have developed an uncanny knack for getting his head in front where it matters most, but for a long time it looked as though Think About It would be destined for far more modest heights than the race named after the world’s tallest mountain, a contest which has quickly become the pinnacle of the Sydney spring carnival.
By Field’s own admission, the son of So You Think (NZ) had few admirers as a young horse and was initially passed in at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale, but thanks to the due diligence of Jim Carey and his team at Newgate, he quickly found an interested party in the shape of Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds.
Think About It as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
“He was a very immature yearling, a big ugly duckling, and we passed him in at the sale,” Field recalled. “We had no one to buy him, and Jim Carey our stud manager, as he always does, went back through the people who showed an interest in him at the sales.
“Literally the only people in Australia who second and third looked at Think About It were Jamie Walter and Joe Pride. Jim managed to cut a deal with them at $70,000 and all credit to their foresight to pick such an amazing horse when he was an ugly duckling as a yearling.
“He was a very well-put-together horse from a biometric point of view, but he was a big, raw, lanky horse so to speak.”
Think About It’s purchase price of $70,000 now looks like a drop in the ocean when compared with the fraction shy of $11 million and counting that he has accrued in prizemoney to date, and with an almost unblemished record, the son of So You Think is well and truly staking his claim for the much disputed title of Australia’s best racehorse.
“He (Think About It) was a very well-put-together horse from a biometric point of view, but he was a big, raw, lanky horse so to speak.” - Henry Field
Jamie Walter’s Proven Thoroughbreds also purchased the third placegetter in The Everest on Saturday, the hugely-talented Private Eye, for $62,500 as a yearling, and Field is a firm believer that fairytale results like these in the country’s biggest races are a huge positive for the health of the Australian racing industry.
“It’s well documented that in this part of the world we breed the best sprinters in the world, but If you look at the yearling sales price of all those in The Everest, every yearling that was sold bar one made less than $200,000, and I think that’s actually a wonderful thing,” Field said.
“It just shows the value that can be found in the middle market when you’re buying horses in Australia, and a real highlight for me is to see the syndicators that go in and buy these yearlings - and there’s no better example than Jamie Walter - give so many people such a great ride.
Jamie Walter | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“That’s why Australian racing is the envy of the world and that’s why Australian racing will always be the envy of the world, if we protect that.”
A job well done
The introduction of The Everest has undoubtedly helped elevate Australian racing’s standing on the world stage, whilst also attracting a different demographic of racegoer, the importance of which can not be understated.
Field, who was involved in early discussions about the makeup of The Everest, admits that he could never have foreseen the 1200-metre contest capturing the public’s imagination like it has, and was quick to praise all those involved at Racing New South Wales for their part in revolutionising the Sydney spring carnival.
The Everest trophies | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“I obviously do a lot of work with SF Bloodstock, Gavin Murphy and Tom Ryan in America, and from my experience there I could see how The Pegasus went, so when Peter V’Landys was brainstorming how to execute this race, we spoke on numerous occasions,” Field recalled.
“He has done an amazing job to get the formula perfect for this race. It’s phenomenal and it's the most talked about race in Australia.
“On Saturday it reminded me of being a kid when the Melbourne Cup was on. It didn’t matter where you were or what part of Sydney you were in, the excitement of the whole city was just electric.”
Such is his affection for the world’s richest turf race, Field jumped at the chance to get a slice of The Everest pie when the opportunity presented itself earlier this year, having initially rued the decision to keep his powder dry when the original 12 slots were available to purchase before the race’s inaugural running in 2017.
“We didn’t initially take a slot and I’ve regretted it ever since,” he added. “Greg and Barb Ingham, who are just the most lovely people, live in New Zealand for the most part and approached me early in the year and said they wanted to be in partnership with someone in the slot who was on the ground and who had their finger on the pulse in Sydney racing.
“They kindly offered us to partner in the slot with them, so the slot is essentially owned by myself, my partners in Newgate - Gavin Murphy and Matthew Sandblom - and the Inghams.
“They (Greg and Barb Ingham) kindly offered us to partner in the slot with them, so the slot is essentially owned by myself, my partners in Newgate - Gavin Murphy and Matthew Sandblom - and the Inghams.” - Henry Field
“They put a lot of faith in us to go and find the right horse and I’m really grateful that they gave us the opportunity. I’m proud that we were able to deliver in the first year that we’ve been in business together.”
Pulling the right rein
Securing one of the coveted slots for The Everest is one thing, but going out and finding the right horse to fill it is a whole different ball game.
Having secured a number of stallion prospects in the midst of their racing careers, Field has plenty of experience in trying to identify the right time to move on a horse, and he put that experience to good use when making an early move to lock in Think About It for Newgate’s newly acquired Everest slot back in June.
That decision was vindicated almost immediately when the ultra progressive gelding won his second elite-level contest on the bounce in the G1 Stradbroke Ha, a victory which would almost certainly have prompted a clamour for his Everest participation had he not have already been secured for the world’s richest turf race.
Henry Field (blue tie) and connections after Think About It's win in The Everest | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Locking him in early was already starting to look like a masterstroke, and Field believes that it proved invaluable for Think About It’s Everest preparation.
“We work very closely with Daniel O’Sullivan and he was really clear in his view that we should try and get Giga Kick and I Wish I Win, and if we couldn’t get those two then the clear third pick to try and get was Think About It, based on the fact that he was progressive, on an upward spiral and improving all the time in his ratings,” Field revealed.
“So we went in and did a deal with Jamie (Walter) pre the Stradbroke. They were so great to deal with and it was a very fair deal.
“We went early but I think it’s a great way to play the ball. It meant that Joe Pride could focus on one race and one race only in the spring, and he did that. He had the horse with plenty of improvement in the Premiere (Stakes) and that wouldn't have been the case if he hadn’t had a slot already, he would had to have peaked early to try and get the interest of a slot-holder.
“When you can go early on a horse you believe in with a trainer you believe in, and they can set the horse for one grand final run, I think it’s a big advantage.”
“When you can go early on a horse you believe in with a trainer you believe in, and they can set the horse for one grand final run, I think it’s a big advantage.” - Henry Field
Aside from the obvious draw cards of being involved in what has become one of the biggest races in the calendar, Field’s motivation for staking an interest in The Everest stems from a desire to give something back to those whose support has helped turn Newgate into one of the country’s preeminent stud farms.
It has worked wonders with Newgate graduate Think About It, and with a long-term deal in place with the slot’s other shareholders GPI Racing, Field is relishing the opportunity to team up with more of Newgate’s supporters in the years ahead.
“One of the appeals to having the slot for us is that we want to support those who have supported us at Newgate, be it those that have bought yearlings off our consignment, those who are sired by Newgate stallions or horses that we own in our racing partnerships,” he said.
“That’s what we did on this occasion with Jamie Walter and Think About It, and it’s a great tool for us to be able to really get behind those who have got behind the Newgate product.”
Keeping the faith
Whilst everything panned out perfectly for Think About It and Field in The Everest, the same cannot be said of another of Newgate’s most exciting propositions, star colt Militarize (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}), in Saturday’s G1 Caulfield Guineas.
Militarize (NZ) | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Fresh off the back of a breathtaking last-gasp victory in the G1 Golden Rose S., Militarize was slow to begin and endured a torrid run throughout the 1600-metre contest won by Trapeze Artist colt Griff, who led from pillar to post and controlled the race at the head of affairs.
Militarize, who is raced by Newgate in conjunction with China Horse Club, Trilogy Racing and partners, still ran with great credit to finish fifth according to Field, who is adamant that the three-time Group 1 winner had valid excuses for his defeat.
“We strongly feel that it was a total forgive run,” he told TTR AusNZ.
“He was in the gates for a long time, he was slow out of the gates and the shape of the race meant that it was very hard for horses out the back to get into it. To be honest I think he did a great job to run fifth given the way the race shaped out.
“He has come through the race well and we’ll just consider our options over the next 48 hours.”
“He (Militarize) has come through the race well and we’ll just consider our options over the next 48 hours.” - Henry Field
One such option is a crack at the G1 Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in two weeks’ time, and Field confirmed that the son of Dundeel (NZ) will likely take his place in the stallion-making contest provided that he remains at the peak of his powers between now and October 28.
“Fortune always favours the brave and the Cox Plate would certainly be the way that we are leaning, but the horse comes first and he won’t be going to the race unless he’s 100 per cent,” Field added.
“It’s not every year that you get a horse that’s a live Cox Plate chance, and when you get one you’ve got to take it very seriously because it is such an important stallion-making race.
“It’s not every year that you get a horse that’s a live Cox Plate chance, and when you get one you’ve got to take it very seriously because it is such an important stallion-making race.” - Henry Field
“If you look at the 3-year-old colts that have won the race in the last 20 years, there’s been four of them that have progeny and all of them have sired Group 1 winners, including Savabeel, So You Think and Shamus Award.
“It’s a very important stallion-making race for a 3-year-old colt and we’re certainly tuned into that.”
You need only look at the sires of this year’s Everest quinella to provide a most timely reminder of that fact.
