Racing dream turned into $3 million reality

The dream began when Kevin O'Brien was a 10-year-old boy. His parents owned a guest house in country Victoria which had several horses for guests to ride and one of Kevin's duties was to muster the horses. Kevin would often ride the horses wearing some old racing silks that belonged to his uncle and dream he was riding winner after winner.

The dream morphed into a new reality. While Kevin never became a jockey, he later served on the Melbourne Racing Committee and with his wife Tanith formed one of the most successful racing partnerships in Australia, with their horses amassing more than $3 million in prize money in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 racing seasons alone.

Their Irish-themed colours of green and orange quarters and quartered cap were instantly recognised at the major racetracks in eastern Australia with Queensland-bred horses such as Gold Edition, Ice Chariot, Street Smart and Pure Energy winning black type races up to Group 1 level. However, they're just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, when I visited their Corinella home in southern Victoria in 2007, the O'Briens had a gallery of 161 winning photos on one wall alone with a plethora to hang when they found more room. The colours are still making their presence felt, with son James managing the O'Brien family's Lauriston Stud Farm in addition to being president of Thoroughbred Breeders Victoria.

THE cornerstone of the Kevin and Tanith O'Brien's success was their remarkable association with Toowoomba-based trainer Ron Maund - an association that went back almost 40 years when Ron trained in Victoria and found a horse Fighting Legend for Kevin and five other partners to lease. "While the horse did OK, I was uncomfortable with racing horses in partnership - mainly because we all thought we knew more than the trainer," Kevin explained.

Although the partnership was discontinued, Kevin kept in contact with Ron Maund and two years later Ron bought Kevin a tried horse Poncho for $3000. "Poncho ultimately won 17 races for us including wins at Flemington, Caulfield and Sandown which gave Tanith and I our first real taste of excitement. We then leased the horse to Tasmanian trainer Neville Saunders - formerly apprenticed to Ron Maund who then became Ron's stable foreman in Toowoomba," Kevin said.

Despite the success, Kevin restricted his racing activities as he and Tanith developed a successful caravan accessories business and raised a family. However, around year 2000 with the family grown up and the caravan business sold, the O'Briens decided to rekindle their racing interests.

But what started as a simple camp fire ambition of keeping a nucleus of first racing and then breeding about six broodmares turned into a raging bushfire with between 90 to 100 race horses, broodmares and their progeny spread between three centres in Victoria and Towooomba. All these horses needed somewhere to stay, so back in 1999 when they re-entered the racing industry, Kevin and Tanith bought a 44ha former dairy farm at Corinella in the southern Gippsland with frontage to Westernport Bay and have since added at least another 100ha.

Although the O'Briens no longer have any Toowoomba trained horses, the connection with Queensland still continues as Lauriston has been a regular vendor and buyer at Magic Millions yearling sales in January including breeding and selling dual Group 1 winner Global Glamour in 2015 who later sold for $1.55 million at last year's Magic Millions National Broodmare sale.

FEATURE racing will return to Central and North Queensland in 2020 with Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns scheduled to host their annual 'Cup meetings' at reduced prize money levels.

While the Cairns Amateurs and TAB Queensland Northern Crowns Series will not proceed due to COVID-19, Racing Queensland has programmed a dozen features over the coming months with the action to begin at Callaghan Park on July 17 with the Rockhampton Cup, Newmarket Handicap and Magic Millions Capricorn Guineas.

The feature races then move to Ooralea Racecourse on July 31 for the Mackay Cup, Newmarket Handicap and Magic Millions Whitsunday Guineas. On August 14, Cluden Park will host the Townsville Cup, Cleveland Bay Handicap and Magic Millions Townsville Guineas. Finally, Cannon Park will stage the Cairns Cup, Newmarket Handicap and Magic Millions Daintree Guineas on August 28.

"Our Cup meetings across Central and North Queensland are among the highlights on the state's regional racing calendar. While COVID-19 has impacted on our ability to run a traditional Winter Carnival, we're pleased to be able to retain the staying, sprinting and Guineas features in 2020. The extension of the Magic Millions brand throughout regional Queensland is an exciting initiative and we're confident the meetings will be well embraced, whether patrons are able to attend or not," RQ CEO Brendan Parnell said.

In recent months, the Queensland racing industry has continued under strict biosecurity measures including patron-free meetings. Earlier this month, RQ announced the creation of the Central and North Coast Region, which allows greater participant movement for those situated between Rockhampton and Cairns.

CHINCHILLA-bred 2YO gelding Rothfire continued trainer Robert Heathcote 's success in his favourite race when he won the Group 2 Champagne Classic at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Rothfire has now won five of his six starts and banked $495,400 with his only defeat at his previous outings when second in The Jewel at the Gold Coast in March. The gelding is now a clear cut $4 favourite for the 1400m Group 1JJ Atkins in a fortnight.

Heathcote loves the Champagne Classic because he won his first Group race when Chenar scored in 2000. "Chenar's daughter Funtantes won the Champagne in 2009 and now we have won it again. It is my favourite race," Heathcote said. The Champagne has also been good to winning jockey Jim Byrne who previously won on Virage De Fortune (2005) and Court (2008).

Bought sight unseen by Heathcote for $10,000, Rothfire was bred by Gleeson Thoroughbreds, which is based just outside Chinchilla and run by Wally and Jill Gleeson, in partnership with their sons Simon, Jacob and Tom. Simon Gleeson, who has been a Brisbane Racing Club director for six years, said Rothfire was deemed not good enough for any sale in 2019. "The sales companies came to inspect him. He was a nice horse, but didn't have enough pedigree and both Magic Millions and Inglis said he wasn't up to the sale," he said.

Heathcote actually paid $20,000 for Rothfire, because in an internet phishing scam, he transferred funds to a fraudulent account and ended up having to pay the bill again. "It went to someone in Nigeria or somewhere. The bank said there was nothing that could be done, so I was on the back foot with him even before I started," he said.

Gleeson told Aushorse Marketing that, unfortunately, Rothfire's dam - the Hussonet mare Huss On Fire - died last year. Huss On Fire was bought by the Gleesons for $9500 at the 2010 Inglis Broodmare Sale, going on to produce six foals - three of them winners.

"Rothfire was Huss On Fire's last foal. We gave her one more try after Rothfire was born and she missed, so we decided she'd become a nanny. Sadly, she got an infected leg and died. With Rothfire showing so much promise we ended up getting, back on farm, his half- sister, Fiery Hussy, who had never raced due to injury and was being used as a dressage horse, while the full sister - Smokin' Hussay - won a race but broke a pedal bone and had to be retired. Hopefully we'll have quite a few close relations to Rothfire in the years to come," he said.

While Rothesay wasn't considered a commercial sire 12 months ago, it's a different matter now with his progeny such as Chapter And Verse, The Pines, Rothfire, Guntantes and Gem Of Scotland 'burning up the tracks' across Queensland plus Rothfire has now emulated his sire as a Group 2 winner.

Originally standing at Glenlogan Park, Rothesay is now based at historic Lyndhurst Sud, Warwick. Having served books of only 28 mares in both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, his book more than tripled to 98 mares in 2019 and he will remain at the same service of $4950 this coming season.

CHAMPION mare Sunlight has been retired and the superstar sprinter will be sold as an elite breeding prospect at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in July.

A triple Group 1 winner and earner of more than $6.5 million, Sunlight has spent the past three racing seasons as one of Australia's best gallopers and she retires as the most exciting broodmare prospect of 2020. The 4YO daughter of Zoustar was crowned the Champion 3YO Filly of Australia for the 2018-19 racing season having consistently raced in the country's biggest sprint races.

In her first season she won three features including the $2 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 2YO Classic and was placed in the Golden Slipper on a wet track. At three she beat the boys in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes before beating all-comers in a star studded Group 1 Newmarket Handicap. She did it again at her next start in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at Moonee Valley. In all Sunlight won 11 races, nine at stakes level, was placed in three other elite Group Ones and was a neck second in the $7.5 million Golden Eagle at 1500 metres in November.

Co-trainer Tony McEvoy, who selected Sunlight at the 2017 Gold Coast Yearling Sale for an all-female syndicate, said it had been a privilege to train Sunlight. A Magic Millions Racing Women's Bonus winner, Sunlight is owned by Robyn Parker, Irene Mitchell, Loretta Fung (Aquis Farm), Katie Thompson (Widden Stud), Rae, Shannon and Jordan Fletcher (Telemon Thoroughbreds), Qatar Bloodstock and G1G Racing and Breeding. Sunlight will head to Widden Stud where she will be prepared for July's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, presenting her for sale for the second time having previously sold her as a yearling.

Together with David Redvers (Qatar Racing) and Queensland-based Dan and Rae Fletcher (Telemon Thoroughbreds) Widden bought Sunlight's dam Solar Charged from the MM National broodmare sale to breed to Zoustar.

"Sunlight performed at the highest level and was recognised as one of the country's finest sprinters. To be able to offer her on behalf of her ownership group is a great honour for Magic Millions. She has been a wonderful ambassador for the company. Sunlight would be an absolute standout for any broodmare band in the world," Magic Millions managing director Barry Bowditch said.