Swettenham Stud

Adam Sangster has long harbored an ambition to put together a group of investors that can share with him the passion and excitement of breeding thoroughbred horses. Finally all those people who have indicated they would like to be involved with Swettenham Stud (and don’t have a mare) have the appropriate vehicle.

Click here to see the explanatory video.

In consultation with Stable Connect, a progressive firm holding an appropriate dealers’ license (ASFL #336964), Swettenham Stud are well advanced in developing the appropriate investment vehicle that would provide investors with this unique opportunity. As Adam Tims from Stable Connect states “Imagine the enjoyment being in a close knit group that can utilize the expertise, contacts and facilities of the world renowned ‘Swettenham Stud’ and so participate in the Australian and international thoroughbred breeding and racing industry in such an intimate fashion”.
The venture has many important ingredients:
» It will source and purchase at least five quality broodmares:
     »Two will be from the USA and their foals will be weaned after birth in early 2010 and sold next
      November at Keeneland Foal Sale in Kentucky.
      » In most cases mares will be in foal, although good fillies & mares off the track will not be overlooked;
      » The mares will be mated to suitable commercial stallions in Australia in 2010 with the aim of
      selling the progeny at major yearling sales in Australia;
» It will identify and purchase commercial weanlings, to be prepared for resale at the major yearling sales;
» Finally, it will identify and purchase yearlings that will be suited for resale to the Asian market. They will be trained up to reach that market as trialed or ready to run horses.
The following sets out a brief overview of the parameters the Swettenham Stud Breeding Venture No.1 will operate within. I would be interested to know whether this type of investment would be attractive to you. Proposed details of the venture are as follows:
» Minimum investment $25,000 (one-off payment);
» Minimum capital raised to proceed $1,500,000 with full subscription being $2,000,000;
» Applicants must meet the definition of a “Wholesale Investor”;
» Investment is available to all types of investors, including superannuation funds;
» Fund will operate for a finite period, 6 years;
» The fund’s bloodstock and breeding decisions will be managed by key individuals from the Swettenham Stud operation, namely Adam Sangster and Bloodstock Manager Ian Rimington;
» The Fund’s finances will be managed by the Chartered Accounting Firm, Stable Financial.
If you are interested in this concept can you please reply by email or contact Adam Sangster on 0418 543 633 or Ian Rimington on 0419 887 184 as soon as possible. Willingness to participate does not guarantee a position in the venture. For those interested an information memorandum with an application form will be provided in due course.

[CLICK HERE] for more details.

Over the years Trevor McKee estimates he has been left with between twenty and twenty-five horses from failed promises around yearling sales time, but he is not complaining.

Unlike the unfortunate $11million debt that threatened to lower the colours of Bart Cummings when he was landed with a heap of yearlings back in 1987, McKee has been happy to keep those he was left with, as he liked the horses he bought, and the results have been favourable.

The most recent in the category is Adaline (3 Br. F. Court Of Jewels – Red Covet, by St Covet), who turned the tables on star filly Katie Lee (Pins) after running second to her in Eight Carat on Boxing Day, to win the $100,000, Group II, New Zealand Bloodstock Royal Stakes, over 2000 metres for three-year-old fillies at Ellerslie on January 1.

McKee purchased Adaline from the draft of Seaton Park at the 2008 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale for $28,000, along with a filly by Keeper (Danehill) for $30,000, on behalf of an interested party, but the deal fell through. The Keeper filly, named Ballroom, has won once from five starts.

Others McKee had acquired by the same means have included two group one winning two-year-olds, Moonshine (Sound Reason) and more recently Kaaptan (Kaapstad).

McKee said Adaline was a ‘beautiful yearling and a pleasure to do anything with’, and he liked the sire, Court Of Jewels, because he is by Danehill (Danzig) out of Nine Carat (Sir Tristram – Eight Carat, by Pieces Of Eight).

Court Of Jewels was an $800,000 yearling that won as a two-year-old, was a listed winner and group three placed in Australia, and stands at Swettenham Stud near Seymour in Victoria.

Adaline is from his first crop.

From the perfect one out and one back position, rider Leith Innes let the brakes go on Adaline at the 300 metres and she kept finding to comfortably hold a late challenge from Katie Lee by half a length.

Off a moderate pace that produced a time of 2:06.79, with the leaders coming home the last 600 metres in a swift 34.43, the performance by Katie Lee to finish second, from last of nine at the 600 metres, was meritorious.

Impressive last start winner La Collina (Van Nistelrooy) proved up to the task by finishing half a length away in third.

Veronica Franco (Johar) who toppled Katie Lee in the Eulogy Stakes at Awapuni recently, finished fourth.

Trained by Stephen McKee at Ardmore in Auckland, Adaline has now won three of her eight starts for stakes of $103,000, with McKee suggesting she is likely to attempt the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa and the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham in the near future.

History making filly Katie Lee (3 Gr. F. Pins – Miss Jessie Jay, by Spectacularphantom) displayed a new weapon in her arsenal when winning the $100,000, Group II, Cambridge Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) for three-year-old fillies at Ellerslie on Boxing Day.

Katie Lee just holds out Adaline

The muscle used to fight her way clear and acceleration she had shown to incredible effect when creating history with a 1000 and 2000 Guineas double at Riccarton was almost overshadowed by a mixture of cunning and sheer guts to win on Saturday.

After racing in midfield on a genuine pace, Katie Lee had seven lengths to make up on the leader Blonde Bombshell (Towkay), still going along at a merry bat passing the 600 metres.

Flushed wide on the home turn, she sprinted hard under rider Opie Bosson to arrest the lead at the 150 metres, and while victory looked hers for all money, a late challenge by Adaline (Court Of Jewels x Red Covet (by Sir Covet)) changed the complexion over the concluding stages.

For it seemed that once Katie Lee realised she was under siege, and tank was almost empty, she changed stride, swished her tail, and threw herself across the line with her head and neck fully extended. The second filly Adaline was a head back ready for her next big stride as she hit the line; she is a vastly improved and a rapidly improving filly who looks a serious AJC Oaks filly in 2010.

Such an amazing will to win. She got home by a head from the Stephen McKee-trained Adaline, who like Katie Lee will front up again at Ellerslie next Saturday to contest the Group two Royal Stakes over 2000 metres, if everything goes to plan with the pair in the interim, with McKee suggesting a step up in distance should suit his filly.

Blonde Bombshell, an impressive last start winner at Ellerslie, stuck gamely to her task when finishing two and a half lengths away in third, ahead of another smart last winner on the course, Street Party (Handsome Ransom), who ran a highly creditable fourth.

Not for the fainthearted, the mile was covered in a sizzling time of 1:33.69, last 600 metres in 35.14.

For owners Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan to win the race also as sponsor, named after their broodmare sensation Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight), the victory and recent successes by Katie Lee has been a tremendous thrill, and puts her well on the way to winning the New Zealand Bloodstock filly of the year series that Sir Patrick had targeted. Interestingly, most pundits missed the close tie up with Adaline’s sire Court of Jewels being by Danehill form a daughter of Eight Carat. This would have been his first stakeswinner and what a fitting race it would have been.

Sir Patrick said if he sensed the fillies were better than the colts he might have a look at the Derby, but otherwise the Sir Tristram Fillies Classic at Te Rapa on February 13 and the New Zealand Oaks at Trentham on March 20 were other options to consider.