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5.
Hunter Valley
Collingrove offering a top grade agistment service
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04/6/2003 |
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One of the Hunter Valley's most respected stud farms, the Collingrove Stud near
Sandy Hollow, has thrown open its gates for full or part time agistment for
broodmares and their offspring.
The move follows the transfer of Sheikh Mohammed's international breeding
operation Darley to a property, Kelvinside, they have acquired near Aberdeen.
Darley had become a major force in Australian breeding when they stood a number
of their glamour overseas sires at Collingrove in 2001 and 2002.
Stretching back from the Goulburn river to low hills, the1500 acre Collingrove
is today owned by another of the world's leading breeders and racehorse owners,
Robert Sangster, under the banner of his Swettenham Stud.
Formerly in partnership in the ownership of the stud with the Hayes family of
Lindsay Park, South Australia, Sangster is a great admirer of the Hunter Valley
complex and it is the base for his Australian mares and their offspring.
Among the long list of good horses bred at this stud for Sangster have been this
year's South Australian Oaks winner Larrocha, the Victoran Derby winners Blevic
(boom South Australian sire) and Blackfriars, the crack sprinter Isca (won the
Lightning Stakes and Newmarket Handicap at Flemington) and Moon Dragon (won the
Sandown Guineas).
They are but a few of the huge number of good winners reared on Collingrove
since it was established by European breeder Souran Vanian in 1980 and since it
became the initial home for Golden Slipper winner Rory's Jester in1986. Other
sires used at this stud since then have included Bluebird, At Talaq, Scenic and
Danehill Dancer.
The late Colin Hayes acquired Collingrove in the late1980s when Rory's Jester
exploded on to the scene as a brilliant sire and developed the property into a
mini-Lindsay Park breeding farm.
Currently the quality management team under the direction of New Zealand born
horseman, Alan 'Tex' Morton, has more than100 mares on Collingrove including
those belonging to Sangster's Swettenham Stud, but they have plenty of room for
more and the team to look after them.
They will be walking mares into most of the top Hunter Valley studs in the 2003
season and also transporting mares to their sister Collingrove Stud at Nagambie
in Victoria for use by their resident sires including Rory's Jester and newcomer
Dash For Cash. The latter sire is to get at least a dozen of the Swettenham
mares.
Besides providing a base for broodmares owned by Swettenham and other breeders,
the Hunter Valley Collingrove offers a highly professional yearling preparation
and marketing service at very competitive rates. Alan Morton, a horseman on the
team at this stud for some13 years, can be reached on (02) 6547 4517 or mobile
0417 465 112.
by
Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Service |
