Lime Country Thoroughbreds is now firmly established at its beautiful property at Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands.
It has taken no time for Lime Country to demonstrate it was business as usual in Australia, with their small debut Magic Millions Gold Coast draft of three yearlings producing dual winner and Gr.2 placed three year-old Nudge (Fastnet Rock). In their final New Zealand draft, prior to shifting here, Lime Country sold the 2018 Gr.1 New Zealand One Thousand Guineas winner Media Sensation (I Am Invincible) and the now four year-old mare recently won the Listed Waikato RC Sprint Handicap. Bluebloods spoke to Jo Griffin about their 2020 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft.
What appeals to you most about the MM sales and race series?
You always take some serious stock to this sale so that’s always exciting. On top of that it’s a bit edgy seeing how the market will perceive different first season sires, this is often your first snapshot of how the rest of your yearlings at home by those same sires are going to sell at your other sales. It’s also a bit of a pressure release sale, the breeding season is finished, one of your biggest drafts of the year are now at the sale and unless you’re missing a pulse the Gold Coast is always a ton of fun.
How would you sum up your farm and the service you offer?
Our property is 300 beautifully set up, well irrigated, acres in the Southern Highlands only an hour and a half from Sydney airport. We are a specialist broodmare and consignment farm focused on breeding and consigning top end yearlings, weanlings and breeding stock, largely for outside clients. The Lime Country owned stock are mostly mares and foals which are re-traded normally in a 12 to 18 month period and our yearling drafts are normally made up of client stock rather than our own. We consigned 43 yearlings, 40 mares and five weanlings at public auction in 2019 and will do slightly more yearlings this season.
How many mares did you breed with in 2019, who is the best known?
This season we foaled down around 90 mares and walked out approximately 85. We are blessed with clients who have some fantastic breeding stock so there’s a number of top end mares at the farm but probably the best known would be stakes placed blue hen mare Gold Anthem who foaled a Snitzel filly this year. She is the dam of International Champion Sprinter and sire in Starspangledbanner as well as stakes placed Barood and Gold Chant, she is also the grandam of stakes winners Amicus and Cheer Leader. Gold Anthem is booked to The Autumn Sun this season.
How would you summarise your draft this year?
We’re a bit heavier on colts than fillies this year with a 10/7 ratio. Like everyone, it’s a mix of up and coming along with the proven sires. Last year we had a very even line
of horses, this year I think we have a wider variety of types but possibly it’s a draft that will have something for everyone’s tastes and budgets.
Champion Sire Snitzel’s colt, Lot 475, is out of winning Fastnet Rock mare Life in a Metro whose first three foals to race are all winners, and this colt is a three-quarter-brother to Gr.1 winner Abbey Marie and Absolutely. A half-sister to Gr.3 winner Brugal Reward by Exceed and Excel is Lot 871, and her dam is a half-sister to Champion Sprinter Apache Cat.
Champion Sire of 2YOs in 2015/16 Written Tycoon has two yearlings in the Lime Country draft, including Lot 500, a filly out of dual Australian Horse of the Year Makybe Diva (dam of five winners including stakes placed Divanation). Lot 815 is a colt who is closely related to Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes winner La Luna Rossa (Written Tycoon).
Zoustar has emerged as the next big sire, and his filly, Lot 337 is a half-sister to Gr.3 placed winner Home Made, out of stakes winner Gliding from the family of Eremein. The
other Zoustar yearling in this draft is Lot 45, a colt from Redoute’s Choice’s stallion making family.
American Pharoah already has a Breeders Cup winner, and Lot 237 is a half-brother to Gr.3 winner Man From Uncle. Brazen Beau has started his career with a bang and has two yearlings in this draft, a filly (Lot 630) and a colt, Lot 121, who is a half-brother to stakes winner Concealer.
Other sires represented are Cable Bay (Lot 606), Capitalist (Lot 452), Extreme Choice (Lot 276), More Than Ready (Lot 453), Nicconi (Lot 576), Not a Single Doubt (Lot 662), Shalaa (Lot 294), and Starspangledbanner (Lot 416).
What is your favourite saying?
“Can we do better?” And “Just champagne thanks.”
Are there enough opportunities for young people to enter the thoroughbred industry?
There are so many pathways into the industry. I think people with talent, ambition and a good work ethic are able to stand out and go ahead quickly if they decide to to give it a go.
