Photo: Eventstars
This fortnight in Dunstan Horsefeeds Meet the Breeder, we catch up with passionate breeder and racing enthusiast Pam Brindley. Pam has been breeding horses for many years now and achieved her greatest thrill with Heart Of Gold winning the $100,000 2000m polytrack race at Cambridge recently.
Tell us the story of Heart Of Gold.
When ‘Benji’ was born, there was something special about him but, looking at him I knew he was going to take time. After he was broken in, he went to Keith Hawtin and at 2, Keith said to me “you’re not going to see the best of this horse till he’s a 7yo”, and I thought ‘Oh God’ but he ended up winning a race at 3. We have only done little stints with him, that’s why he is a 7yo and only had 26 starts but he has always showed us something.
Then of course the polytrack come along and he trialled on it and just absolutely loved it, he just springs off it. In saying that, he is good on the grass too but he has got to have good ground, he has got to have real firm ground – and he likes Ellerslie which is a bonus.
How his name came about was years ago, my grandson Liam gave me a little figurine of a little boy with his hand on his heart and it was called ‘Heart Of Gold’ and I said to Liam that when I get the right horse, I am going to name it that and it was this boy – it was Benji.
Keith trained him until his retirement, he briefly went to the Weatherleys and then we just felt he needed a bit of variety, and Sam (Mynott) had actually broken him in and she loved him so I rang her and asked if she wanted to train Benji and she said she’d love to. Sam has been the turning point in his career as she offers him so much variety – she goes out to Gina Schicks, she takes him across farms, to the beach at Raglan and he just loves his life.
What made you interested in breeding horses and how did you get into it?
Well, when I married my husband Geoff he wasn’t into horses at all – my father was most upset as we were in harness racing and I married a guy out of racing; anyway I was out of racing for eight years and Geoff and I were good friends with Bob and Elva Wood – Chris Wood parents – and Geoff got together with Bob and said ‘how about we buy the girls a share in a racehorse for Mother’s Day’. They bought this horse called ‘Justice’, Chris trained her and she wasn’t much good but that got me into the horses again. Geoff used to say ‘haven’t you got enough horses’ and used to tell him not to complain as he got me back into it!
The next thing the late-Alan Pickford had two mares he was selling and one was ‘On The Go’ by Belmura and the other was ‘Petunia’ who was by Persian Garden and she was the late-Tim Douglas’s breed which is a really good breed. When I bought her she had a foal at foot by ‘Pass The Bottle’ and he was called ‘Another Nip’ – I actually trained him for a while, he won a race and had several placings then went amiss. The other mare I put to Alvaro and she had a colt. He was tough, you couldn’t get him on a track, he was just really tough and Alan who knew the mare, and that Alvaro’s were tough and he said he will buy him off me and train him on the Waihi estuary. Anyway, he went over there and Alan trained him and then he won a trial at Paeroa by nine lengths. His name was Varo’s Last, then he went to Auckland and won a 2yo race, then a couple of starts later run 2nd in the Champagne Stakes and also run 4th the Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes. He was later sold to Aussie and further down the track he won the Mornington Cup and the Launceston Cup. So that was my biggest thrill for a long time.
How many mares do you breed from?
Now I have only got two mares. But you know you are always learning in this game and I always believe in my mares. I believe that it is 80% the mare, temperament and everything and I learnt this along the way with injuries and that with mares I probably shouldn’t have bred from. It is quality not quantity.
I had Mi Capistrano and she was a good mare and left Capistrano Miss who won four and Capistrano Charm who won three out of 11 before unfortunately breaking down.
I now have Champagne Lady whose progeny have won 15 races between them with Heart Of Gold winning seven, Champagne Princess who I am breeding with won four, Aligns With Me who was Listed-placed and very fast but had foot problems he won three and Champagne Lola won one. Champagne Lady is in foal to Ardrossan, and her daughter Champagne Princess is in foal to U S Navy Flag
What else do you have in your bloodstock portfolio (youngstock, racehorses etc)
I have a racehorse called Perspective (Almanzor), he run third his last start; I have a Contributer filly out of Champagne Lady, and a lovely Sword Of State filly out of Champagne Princess.
Do you seek advice on your breeding decisions or explain how you make them.
When I ring up the stud master, I ask them to look at the mare and the stallion and they usually send me a match. Temperament is a big thing with me, I don’t go to most expensive stallions, I have got to see the stallion and like the look of him and you can never have too much speed as far as I am concerned. (Although in saying that, Champagne Lady seems to be leaving stayers now, Sam is confident that Heart of Gold will go 2400m.) Anyway, I get them to put it on paper and it has always worked for me, I don’t go into all this technical stuff with breeding.
They have to be correct, mind you I have horses that haven’t been correct and have been back at the knee that have won six races, you just have to shoe them right and keep onto their shoeing.
I don’t know how to explain it but when I see a stallion I just get a feeling about them. It was like that with Sword Of State and Almanzor, Almanzor was all over me when he was in his box and I thought ‘oh yea, you’re the man’.
What do you love about the NZ thoroughbred breeding industry?
Top of the list is definitely the people in it. Great supporters and I have met and made so many friends in the industry. When I lost my daughter and my husband, everyone was always there, they are always there to give you support. Just so many wonderful people.
What advice would you give to someone entering the industry as a breeder?
As a breeder, and here I am at my age, you’re always learning – listen and learn . I’ve never paid big prices for my horses and I just think you can always learn from your mistakes along the way.
Another bit of advice is go with your gut. Learn from your mistakes and then go with your gut.
Proudest moment as a breeder?
Definitely Heart Of Gold winning the $100,000 race. I just couldn’t believe it! It was just wonderful. I looked at him as he went out, and you know if he could smile, he would, he just loves it! Sam Spratt said she thought she was on a dressage horse, he was just prancing around.
It was him winning, and also having both my grandchildren on-course for the win – they have never both been there for a win. I cried lots of happy tears!
Finish this sentence…the best part about being a thoroughbred breeder is….looking at horses in the paddock and knowing the excitement that could possibly come! I am still looking for a Group One winner but I love looking at them in the paddock with that excitement in my belly.
Side note: Pam wants to thank Entain for putting the money into racing. She said ‘if ever there is a time to breed a horse it is now, they have put life back into the industry.’
