Singleton to sell bloodstock assets through Magic Millions dispersal
Strawberry Hill Stud’s supremo to offload his racing empire and Central Coast home
Longtime breeder and owner John Singleton is set to pull stumps on his Strawberry Hill Stud breeding empire, with Magic Millions to conduct the on-farm dispersal in August.
Along with most of his bloodstock, Singleton will also put his Central Coast home, where his equine interests are based, on the market.
Throughout his time in racing, the businessman has been synonymous with racing and breeding top-class horses, including eight-time Group 1 winner More Joyous (More Than Ready), four-time elite-level scorer Tuesday Joy (Carnegie) and 2003 Australian Oaks (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Sunday Joy (Sunday Silence), to name a small few.
Andrew Baddock, racing manager and bloodstock consultant at Strawberry Hill Stud, who took over the role from longtime employee Duncan Grimley earlier this year, confirmed to ANZ Bloodstock News last night that Singleton’s days of breeding racehorses have come to an end.
“John is 82 and there is no one really in the family that will follow on with the farm. The breeding game is a slow process and I think he wants to do his way and disperse to stop and smell the roses,” said Baddock.
“The plan is the dispersal will be held on the farm at the end of August. He is keeping a group of yearlings, rising two-year-olds and a few older horses to race, but basically all the breeding stock, including the rising yearlings will all be offered for sale.
“His days of breeding are over, he wants to leave the breeding game on his own terms and while he is 82, he’s in very good health and I think he wants to retire by a beach somewhere.
“He will take it easy, race a few and he might even buy the odd yearling at the sales every year with his trainers in Sydney.
“It was a big shock and it is sad, but I can see where he is coming from personally – he is making the decision on his own terms and he is planning for the future.”
Unsurprisingly, Singleton has elected Magic Millions to sell the dispersal with the businessman having owned a 25 per cent stake in the auction house, before selling it to his long-time friend and fellow businessman Gerry Harvey in 2011.
Famed for having some of the finest bloodstock in the country, the Strawberry Hill dispersal will undoubtedly attract interest from both domestic and international breeders.
“There are some beautifully bred horses amongst them, which people will no doubt want to get their hands on,” said Baddock. “Breeding is a real commitment and sooner or later you have to say ‘enough is enough’.”
Among the 18 or so broodmares set to go under the hammer is More Joyous herself, as well as some regally bred mares in foal to some of the country’s most commercial stallions.
The dispersal will include three-time Group 1 winner Samantha Miss (Redoute’s Choice), who Singleton bought for $3.85 million at the Inglis Easter Broodmare Sale in 2009, and her Group 2-winning daughter Miss Fabulass (Frankel).
Baddock said Singleton had been one of the pioneers in Australia in terms of using the services of Juddmonte’s resident stallion Frankel (Galileo) on southern hemisphere time and as a result there will not only be mares by the stallion offered in thr dispersal, but also mares carrying exciting covers to the superstar sire.
Group 2 winner Mokulua, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) out of Group 1 winner Dear Demi (Dehere), and Too Much Lippy (More Than Ready), who is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Levendi (Pierro), will be offered in foal to the son of Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and, given the stallion’s popularity, the pair will be sure to garner a certain amount of attention.
“He was one of the first to breed to Frankel and has bred mares to him every year. He has plenty of Frankel blood in the broodmare band, having been a fan of the stallion from day one.
“We are looking at about 17 or 18 broodmares and many of them are in foal. The great More Joyous herself is being offered, although she is not in foal,” said Baddock.
“Dear Demi is in foal to Zoustar, while Karuta Queen is in foal to Zoustar. Mokulua and Too Much Lippy, who is a half-sister to Levendi, are both in foal to Frankel. There are some beautiful mares set to be offered.”
Strawberry Hill originally had eight youngsters catalogued at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in January and subsequently sold two, but decided to withdraw the other six. Baddock said the plan was for Singleton to race the group of rising two-year-olds along with a few older horses including talented colt Hawaii Five Oh (I Am Invincible), whom he races in a partnership that also includes Gerry Harvey.
“He has a group of yearlings he bought and the ones he withdrew from Magic Millions earlier this year, which he will keep to race. They have all been broken in and educated and gone through the system,” he explained.
“They are all unnamed at present, but there are a lot of nice horses there. I will oversee right through the sale and I will be there if he needs to oversee his racing stock as well.”