Photo: Race Images South
In this week's edition of Dunstan Meet the Breeder, we catch up with Ian Taplin who, along with his wife Kerry, relocated to the Sunshine Coast 12 months ago and has had some great success since, including Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes winner, Tapildoodledo.
How many mares do you breed from?
I bought seven or eight mares over from NZ and had a couple of mares that we had in the stables and for various reasons haven’t made the racetrack while over here so they have also gone into the breeding barn, so we have about 10 or 11.
What else do you have in your bloodstock portfolio (youngstock, racehorses etc)
I have a 2yo coming through by Proisir out of a mare called Tapilize – his race name is Wholelottatapin. He will be ready to go in a month or two and he looks very exciting.
Do you make your own mating decisions or seek advice from others – if others who?
We do make our own decisions at the end of the day but I also ask the studs for advice as well. I get outside information thrown at me too but at the end day it is me and my wife Kerry.
This year we are sent all our mares to Aquis Farm based stallions as they have 16 stallions on their roster and I thought right that’s it they are all going there. They put on a stallion parade for us and we chose stallions for three of our mares purely on type. Then we went home and done some homework and got some information from Penny as well (Penny Crowley from Aquis Farm) and made a decision on the rest. It was easy as it was a bit of everything was happening.
Now we are settling in, settled down I will do a bit more shopping round.
Do you breed to keep or breed to trade?
What me and Kerry decided about six or seven years ago, we decided that we will race our fillies and then breed from them; and any colts that are born that are marketable we will put through the sale ring. We look at selling our colts but keep our fillies for racing and breeding to build our broodmare band in the future.
Do you have a favourite cross?
The Tapildo line.
I bought a yearling 24 years ago, it was a Rhythm filly out of a Sir Tristam mare and we called her Tapildo. We sent her to the most wonderful lady in the Sunshine Coast, who was training in New Zealand at the time, called Sheila Laxon and who trained her for us; and she won the New Zealand Oaks. Tapildo is the Grandmother of most of the stock in our stable that we train and are racing with. She was the first yearling I ever bought.
I then bought an old mare and bred a Zabeel filly out of her called Bobby Lee and she will be the start of my new profilic family. I’ve got Tappy’s One from that family who has won nine races for us so far; so that is a very family I have going that have a few in the stable as well.
Proven stallion or new season sire?
I have raced the first winner of two or three first-season sires and two of them went onto be their first Group One winners – one was Tapildo and another was by Sandtrap called Bunker. I bought him from the sales after Tapildo won the Oaks. I thought this game is fun so I will carry on. Then there is Proisir, I bred and race Proisir’s first winner, Tappy’s One. I bred and raced Hot Tap who is from Proisir’s first crop as well and she was his first black-type placing.
I love new season sires especially with the success I have had with him.
Best breeding advice you have received?
Breed a fast one. My father always told me try and match the physicality of stallion with mare to improve the mare through the foal; and that go into so many different avenues.
My father was my greatest mentor and teacher; and then I got married and I get even more advice from Kerry.
Who do you admire in the thoroughbred breeding industry?
My father, and Sir Patrick Hogan. Really got to admire what Patrick achieved, it was unbelievable.
If you could own any broodmare (past or present), who would it be?
Winx – she’s a horse worth breeding from.
What advice would you give someone entering the industry as a breeder?
Be very select, be very select. Look at hundreds and hundreds of horses before deciding if you are going to buy. You learn so much just from looking, the more you look the more knowledge you gain.
Proudest moment as a breeder?
Definitely Saturday. He is the first horse I have bred that has won a Gr.2 race. I bred his mother and raced his grandmother.
Describe the feeling of breeding, owning and training a winner at Rosehill Gardens?
Surreal. It didn’t sink in until the next day that I won the Tulloch Stakes. I remember watching Tulloch as a kid growing up. Being a Gr.2 at Rosehill, it is the first horse I have ever raced in my life in Sydney, it took 24 hours to sink in. Me and Kerry thought ‘holy sh*t we have to concentrate on the Derby now’, as that is the reason we came down here to try qualify him into the Derby which we think he will eat 2400m.
Finish this sentence: The best part of being a thoroughbred breeder is…
Winning with your progeny.
Ahead of this weekend’s ATC Derby, Ian talks about his and Kerry's relationship with Tapildoodledo’s co-owners whom they met 20 odd years ago at their kids Taekwando – Gavin and Selina Forbes. They eventually convinced them to go in shares in a racehorse. That horse was Ritani who won five races including the Gr.3 Winter Cup. After her retirement they convinced them to go into Tapildoodledo as they knew he is going to be a good horse and a lot of fun.
He is the second horse they have ever been in. They travelled over to watch him on Cup Day when he won at Eagle Farm, and the only other time they have travelled over is the weekend when he won the Tulloch Stakes. They went home saying 'good luck in the Derby, we will see you in a few months time.’ They got home to Southland, played the replay, looked at each other, rang up their bosses and said ‘we are not coming to work this week we are going back to Sydney on Friday and coming back Monday.’
