Peter O’Brien of Segenhoe Stud on Raising Yearlings

0:00 Visiting Segenhoe Stud after Easter

George 0:00 We're here for episode 13 of our podcast Off N Racing, joined at Segenhoe Stud by Peter O'Brien. Peter, thanks for having us. Thanks for coming, lads. Thank you, mate. Looking forward to it. Yeah, it's great to see the farm and see where all these horses we keep buying off are coming off. The fast ones. Yeah, he only sells us the fast ones. No, yeah, so recently, just off the back of the Easter, we've been a

0:29 Segenhoe's record year and planning for each sale

Peter O'Brien 0:29 sale and another huge sale for Segenhoe Stud. Only three million dollar horses this time. You had seven at Magic Millions. Yeah, but actually, it's an Australian record for any farm to have more, Arrowfield had a record of eight in one year. So we've broken, it's never been known before to have 10 million dollar yearlings. And starting out at the year, like, when you're placing your horses and, I don't know, you probably do it, we did it at farms, you'd have a rough idea what you think

George 0:59 they're gonna make and stuff. And you'd almost budget for the year, goals you want to hit and that. Surely, you didn't think that that was possible, did you?

Peter O'Brien 1:08 Well, you always put your budget slow so it makes you look good. Yeah, yeah. So basically, the format is with Brian, Brian and I would go through them. And then, so we assess them every, when they're born, look at them once a week, until they're about five months of age. That's mainly to do with their legs and correction and whatever needs to be done. And then after five months, we do videos every sort of four to six weeks, which the owner gets. So the owner, and we do, when we look at them each week, they get videos done as well. So basically, from the day they're born, the owner is fully aware of how we think about their animal. Yeah, you know, and so there's no surprise when you're doing your sales entries and whatever. So I'd say from sort of four or five months of age, you really get an idea of where the horse is going to sort of go. And then, and so I looked at them there a month ago, look at them this week again. And we've just finished obviously the ones we're going to sell as weanlings. So we've only 11 this year. And really, you could really sit down next week and have a probably an 80% idea as to what sale to go to. Yeah, yeah. The budgeting is quite tricky. So I would wait till they get to survey x-rays because everybody knows the veterinary side of it is the biggest killer or bonus. But it's just getting more and more important. So then you with Baffy will be your final process as to which way you go.

George 2:52 And then when you got you mentioned breaking the record, is there big celebrations at Easter?

Sean 2:58 We're all too tired.

George 2:59 Is that why you fell asleep at lunch time today?

Sean 3:02 Well, I do that every day.

Peter O'Brien 3:05 No, we have, you know, we have the little marquee things there at Easter. So Murr, our caterer, puts on a meal, we have champagne and everything for the lads there. But like we, everybody came in, we had something to eat and everybody just wanted to go to bed. So we try and do something here with, because it is a group effort. It's not like there's a crew on the farm, Luke Taylor, Broomer, manager, Vicki Hagar and Maria Cullinan, etc. who are with these horses on birth. Even before that, conceiving them. Oh, no, absolutely. Yeah. And then like our farm crew and everything, because, you know, it's what they get out of the ground is the most important thing for a horse. And, you know, we're very lucky to have an incredible farm.

Sean 3:51 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 3:52 But it's a huge group effort.

3:55 What sets Segenhoe apart

George 3:55 And why do you think what sets Sedgnell apart, like being one of the leading, arguably the leading nursery in Australia, why people are willing to pay premium for your horses and the results you get on the track? What's the difference, like without giving away any secrets or that?

Peter O'Brien 4:14 Oh, there's no, like honestly, there's no secrets. I've been very fortunate to work at Coolmore for years on a beautiful farm. And then coming to this farm, what would set this farm would be the topography. Like we have hills, we have flats, the river flats have 30 foot of topsoil. We have the farmers bisected by the Hunter River. We've got an extraordinary water allocation because half of it used to be a winery. Our new, when I say New Year's Yearling Farm, it's eight years old, but that was all vineyards. So it's more or less fresh horse country.

Sean 4:52 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 4:53 That to me has been the biggest bonus. We're also like, it's just, it's Royston Murphy set this farm up before me. A lot of credit goes to him. So like every farmer's double fence, every paddock is double fence. Every paddock has trees, shelters. And they also, the yearlings have shelter sheds with trees. So it's beautifully protected. It's in its own little sort of micro climate. And the biggest issue we have here is trying to keep weight off horses.

George 5:25 They just do too well.

Sean 5:27 They do.

Peter O'Brien 5:28 And so we would.

5:29 Good doers, feet and bone

Sean 5:29 It's one thing I've noticed, the horses we've purchased off you, they are extremely good doers. Yes. Like really, instead of a horse having five weeks off, they only have to have three. Yeah. They just put on weights so quick.

Peter O'Brien 5:43 And they've, you know, the noticeable thing for me is feet and bone. Like it's extraordinary. And even weanlings we would buy from other farms around Australia. You can see how they just bounce when they get here. It's not a negative to other farms. It's just how good I think this farm is. But like the main, the main driver for our success is race course performance.

Sean 6:09 Bar none.

Peter O'Brien 6:10 You know, and like, like everybody to Magic Millions say congratulations, et cetera, you know, $7 million horses. That's all well and good. But the reason people want to buy off you and give that money is because of the success of the horses off the property. Yeah.

George 6:26 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 6:27 Like, so we're the leading farm in Australia for, on the black tie premiership. And that is only for horses to go through a sales ring. So some of the farms who are below us sell about eight times more yearlings than us. And we're still, and it's not on percentage. It's on individuals. Yeah. You know, we've had 15 individual stakes winners this current racing season. 12 of them are in the spring, which has never been done before. So I think all of that combined, obviously then you have, we're very lucky to have very good owners and mayors.

George 7:01 It's like a who's who walking through the hall, isn't it?

Sean 7:04 Yeah. Some of the horses are in. Would you say in regards to pasture improvements and like you said, what they eat, is that a huge part of? Massive. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 7:16 Like if you think, the amount of horses. So we are, our young horses get fed about a kilo and a half once a day. And that's really just mineral pellets. Yeah. The mares, like from at this time of the year now they're weaned. With this weather we're not feeding them at all. And then if we have to three times a week. But once the pregnant mares will get on their pre-foaling program with minerals and nutrients. But it really is, it's a unique that way that we don't have to feed as much. And I think that itself has a massive benefit whether it's a more, we always say that our farm breeds natural athletes and I'm a firm believer in that as to how they're reared.

Sean 8:01 Yeah. Yeah.

George 8:03 I agree. Yeah. And we've purchased a few over the last two years. Haven't we?

Sean 8:07 We've got four. Yeah. And you know, like, you know, that's the first thing I noticed with all of them is they do extremely well quite easily as well. Like to the point where when they come home they're on fumes because they just, they just put on so much like Queen's Rhapsody, you know. We, um, David, she trialled up really good. He's got a fair opinion of it. We probably, if it was with any other trainer he probably pushes on the, you know, early two-year-old. Yes. For a so you think, we've taken our time. But she came home and he said, you'll be calling me in three weeks. And at three weeks, she's ready to come back. Like just bouncing off the wall. She's just, even Boston or even the Bellevue, like they're just good doers.

Peter O'Brien 8:57 Well, I want to go on record here with the Bellevue girl. She will be the best horse you ever bought.

George 9:06 So far. So far. Our listeners and that who don't know, Peter, um, in partnership with Segino and Brian Clark, the manager, he, they bred the So You Think Bellevue girl and have actually stayed in her for a share.

Peter O'Brien 9:20 So it's Brian who's the manager of Segino, his first horse. And, uh, as I was saying to the labs off air, I'd buy, buy in or stay in two horses a year. And she was one. And I think she'd like 100%, no doubt the best filly we had this year. That's a big call.

Sean 9:39 I hope you're right. A big rack from a farm. A farm that just sold $10 million yearlings.

Peter O'Brien 9:45 If you can get a price for the thousand guineas, we have a big blank wall ready for her. Which one are we taking?

Sean 9:53 Oh, a big blank one? No, but I think, um, and I think surprisingly, Joel, you still said there's a couple of shares available.

George 10:00 Yeah, yeah, still a few shares available. Um, but probably not after this.

Peter O'Brien 10:06 Well, all I can say, can I speak to the camera? All I can say, if anybody's watching this, this, the So You Think Bellevue, Bellevue girl, I honestly thought going up to the sales, she'd make seven or 800,000. And she's as good a filly as I've ever had anything to do with. And you've got to rush in and buy a share or you're just nuts.

Sean 10:30 That wasn't a setup, by the way.

10:33 What Peter looks for in a horse

George 10:33 This was not right. Well, all right, well, leave it there. No. Um, in your time, Peter, like you've worked with some great horses through here. You know, from an early yearling stage and everything like Mizzy, King's Legacy and that. And as we were saying, walking through the hall, like a museum of the best horses in Australia. What is there a trait for you that stands out in a horse that you go, that's going to be special?

Peter O'Brien 11:03 Uh, no, but not one individual. Like it's, I would temperament's the wrong word. It's a mindset. Often it's hard to say like, it's like, for example, like Amelia's Jewel. She didn't go through a sale and she was pretty nondescript type. Beautiful head, beautiful color, short couple. Didn't have a big walk, but she was just always, she was the boss of the paddock. Yeah. You know, you just had that.

George 11:35 Like an aura almost. Yeah. Random.

Peter O'Brien 11:38 Yeah. Um, there is like merchant Navy. He, he just, I've never seen, he would finish, he would finish his feed while the others were having their second mouthful. And he used to, he was like a shark, you know, like, I've never said like, he's literally just, oh, and he had this big and quiet, but determined. Um, like nearly all of them like this. I think we've worked for 12 or 13 group, group one winner since we came here. Um, that will be the common, they'll be all different shapes and sizes, but just our mindset and they, they always have something to set them apart.

Sean 12:17 When you say different shapes and sizes in secret, everyone says, you know, she's quite small, not much to look at. What did you think of her as she was coming through?

Peter O'Brien 12:28 Funny enough, like we sold our full sister this year and I preferred her.

Sean 12:31 Really? Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 12:33 And again, like the beauty of the horse industry is if everybody, you know, if everybody could identify the good ones, then the shapes of the world and, you know, the multimillionaires would rule, rule everything. Yeah. Um, they just, they literally come. So in secret was to, for me, she was beautiful. Like she was beautiful, but elegant.

Sean 12:56 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 12:57 She wasn't a robust yearling. And for me, I thought at the time, is she going to have enough substance for an Australian to be an Australian racer, so to speak. If she was in Europe, she probably would have made double what she made.

Sean 13:10 You thought that with SPO, didn't you? Oh yeah.

George 13:13 Like she was very fine bone. Um, she like at one point she had three bandages on her in the box. Cause she was just, she'd always knock herself, always do something, always be a bit of a pain. And then she'd like lie down and rip the bandages off her. Like, just, I don't know how to explain her, but I just thought this thing's not.

Sean 13:37 You didn't think much.

George 13:38 No, you wouldn't though.

Sean 13:39 You wouldn't.

Peter O'Brien 13:40 My best one is weeks.

Sean 13:41 Yeah. You just, you wouldn't though.

George 13:44 And I'll admit that like with these, I'm not going to sit here and go, oh no, I thought that was a great horse. This is, yeah.

Peter O'Brien 13:50 Well, same like as I said, I was being involved with all the type of Winx this week, you know. So I bought her mother for John and we, I was at Coolmore when she fell and all the way through. But as a yearling, I, you know, I didn't rate her. Yeah.

Sean 14:05 Winx? Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 14:07 Didn't like her. Oh, I just, I didn't rate her. Like I gave her, we have a rating system in Coolmore and it'd be sort of, it'd be a rating of a, okay horse.

Sean 14:16 Yeah. Yeah.

George 14:18 But there's so many of them. She did not, okay, yeah.

Peter O'Brien 14:20 But the, like, sort of record, but the worst part of her was that John came the day she was selling and he hadn't seen her for three months and he said, I like her. This is John who bred her.

Sean 14:31 Yep.

Peter O'Brien 14:32 And, uh, I just said, we got a, you know, we bought the mare and we got a seller to, for the, from a business point of view. But I also, I didn't think, didn't rate her that much.

Sean 14:43 Oh no, you want to touch on the mare or like, Hinks is. Yeah.

14:47 Easter sale atmosphere and the Winx filly

George 14:47 So what did you make of all that, the 10 million for the Philly and the atmosphere and everything around it? Oh look, it was just unbelievable.

Peter O'Brien 14:54 Do you think we'll ever see the likes of that again?

George 14:56 Never. No. I agree.

Sean 14:59 Never.

Peter O'Brien 15:00 I'll give you like the best example I can give is three local lads from Aberdeen pub who work on the mines. Took a day off to go down and see her go through.

Sean 15:09 Really?

Peter O'Brien 15:10 You know, and the, but I went around and the build up to it just, all the people, not in the tables, which is everybody we knew, but around all, you know, outside and everything. And there's people that were babies and, uh, I heard one, uh, young mother, she had a toddler and a baby. She was saying to the toddler, now watch her, you know, you'll never see this again. Like it was, it was unique. And like the atmosphere was off the charts and I was honestly particularly delighted for Debbie, you know? Yeah. And I think that all the stuff on social media, like afterwards, it's just people that don't have an understanding. For those who don't, like there was three people owned Winx and Debbie just bought out the other two. Yeah.

Sean 15:54 You want to sell it.

Peter O'Brien 15:55 Like it happens, happens all the time in the arts industry.

George 15:57 Even with that into account, it's still the highest price yearland sold. Yeah. Yeah.

Sean 16:05 Totally. Well, it's an open auction. There's nothing untoward, is there? No, no. Yeah. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 16:11 But I was like, uh, levitating there watching it. It was just, like it was brilliant for the industry, brilliant for everybody. Delighted for Coolmore, delighted for Debbie. Um, John Stewart was, um, magnanimous in defeat. Um, and it's even great that it's a trip. Like he came for Storm Boy, but went up to Coolmore to look the Winx for me to try and buy her. But he didn't get her, but he bought and-

George 16:36 He spent like six million. Spent six million on other horses.

Peter O'Brien 16:38 So like, from a business point of view, it's been great for everyone that way. But the most important thing is how it advert, how it's promoted our industry and what it can bring.

Sean 16:50 Yeah.

16:51 Peter's path from Dublin to Coolmore

George 16:51 And you mentioned Coolmore a few times, Peter. Tell us a little bit how you got started and that, cause you worked for Coolmore for a number of years. When you, when Coolmore first came out here, I think it was 96, was it? They purchased the farm? Yes. And you were there from the start.

Peter O'Brien 17:07 Yes. Yeah. So we, um, uh, like I went, I went from, I grew up in Dublin and my best friend's father was a racing journalist. So I never actually physically touched a horse in my life, but I, Mr. McCormick would take me racing all the time. I loved it. And then he'd give me books and pennies. So how much I was interested. Funnily enough, I was at home at Christmas and my father dug out my career guidance thing when I was 11 in school. And I'll have, what do you want to be in that? All these boxes, you know, like college engineer, this, and I had written at the bottom stood for our manager.

George 17:43 Really?

Sean 17:44 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 17:45 And it was amazing. Um, but I went from Stair, I went to Kentucky and I was very fortunate, went to TaylorMade at, when they were just starting off. And I had this great manager who saw how keen I was and he spent two hours every day with me, you know, teaching me. And like six weeks later, I let a horse in for a million in Keyland, but all because of it.

George 18:10 Yeah. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 18:11 And then I spent a bit of time at Gaines, where I went to Windfields for a bit, which with Northern Lancer was there, which was amazing. And then to Coolmore. And then I used to shuffle stallions. So from 1987 to 96, six months in Ireland, six months here. So both like, you know, brought down the likes of Dane Hill, obviously. Initially it was like Alizeo, Persian Heights, Tirol, Ahonora. And then obviously all the Coolmore stallions themselves.

George 18:41 Yeah. And then you, you were there initially when Coolmore set up. So you, yeah, day one.

Peter O'Brien 18:48 Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

George 18:49 25 years. Was it 25 years?

Peter O'Brien 18:53 Yeah. If you'd actually include the Irish end of it.

Sean 18:56 Yeah. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 18:57 But the way when we, when we took it over, there's only a handful of wheelings on the farm. And then one of them was reduced choice. God.

George 19:05 That must've been incredible to be part of it. Like, cause Coolmore now obviously world renowned, but, and in Australia, like just to be there from the beginning of all that, to see what it developed into.

Peter O'Brien 19:18 Ah, yeah, it was incredible. And it's, I mean, I owe everything, I owe everything to my parents, obviously, but, and if anybody else, it's John Magner. Because he, because he.

19:29 Leaving Coolmore, matings and the farm team

George 19:29 How difficult was that then to leave Coolmore?

Sean 19:32 Extremely. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 19:33 Because they're my, they still are my family.

George 19:34 Yeah. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 19:35 Ah, but they're like in fairness to Mr. Magner and, um, you know, sometimes you gotta make a decision in life. They are left on very good terms and I'm still on great terms with all the Magner family. So there was no, you know, malice when, uh, after the Magic Millions, Mr. Magner, somebody lovely though, congratulating me on the sale. Yep. Um, so it's.

Sean 19:59 No, no, mostly it was just a business decision. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 20:03 Yeah. And I, look, it was great for me because you just, you've been, you're starting and you're doing, so Coolmore obviously is a big company with lots of people. So when he came here initially, it was really just me and then Brian, obviously. Um, and it's great to do rather than have decisions by sort of committee for want a better word, that you're living and dying by your own decisions. Yeah. Whether, and I love doing matings. So, um, you know, there's nothing better than breeding a good horse. Yeah.

Sean 20:32 How you talk about that?

George 20:33 Like for our listeners who don't understand, it's not just like they've seen winks go, the winks really go through the ring there. They see the horses on the track on the weekends. It goes back to you sitting at a table like this, doing that mating with the mayor, like, and there's so much into it. And then it's the people who get it in full, the vet, the staff looking after it, then falling it down farriers, your farmers for the nutrition and the soil and grass and everything. Like listeners, they just don't understand the years and everything that go into that.

Peter O'Brien 21:06 But some of them like, it's amazing with my age now, right? But like some of them now you're on great, great grandchildren.

Sean 21:14 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 21:15 You know, so for like four, that you know, when you, someone told me 10 years ago, when you know, you looked after a fourth dam on a page, which is a great, great grandchild. You know, you're old. But that, so like some of these, like some of them, some of the, you know, the producers now, like we've bred their mother, you know, and fold her and it's, you know, rewarding

Sean 21:42 too, wouldn't it? I get, that's the biggest kick.

Peter O'Brien 21:44 Yeah, I agree.

Sean 21:45 Biggest kick.

Peter O'Brien 21:46 You know, it's your sort of third generation that you've been involved with. And again, it's a team effort. But that's like the biggest kick.

George 21:57 How many staff go into like, you talk with the team going to run in a farm like Sedgna?

Peter O'Brien 22:02 We have 30, on average, about 30 people. So it's a big property. So you've got like gardeners, farmers, horse people, and then office staff as well. We don't need, we only have three people in the office. Yeah. Because we don't have any stallions.

Sean 22:21 It's pretty good stuff around this. And as you mentioned, what is it, 1400 acres or? Yes. Yeah. So 30, it's quite reasonable, isn't it? Yes.

Peter O'Brien 22:31 And I mean, you could. And again, it's the measure of the people, you know? Yes. And we're very fortunate that we have consistency with our key people here for a number of years. And that just makes the world of difference.

22:46 Peter's pick of the best racehorse from the farm

Sean 22:46 Yeah. Apart from the Bellevue girl, what if you had to have one, the best horse to come out of here, for what you think, since you've been here, what horse would it be?

Peter O'Brien 22:57 Since what?

Sean 22:59 Since you've been here. What was that? The best racehorse.

Peter O'Brien 23:02 Best racehorse.

Sean 23:03 Probably Jenny. Really? There you go.

Peter O'Brien 23:06 I just love the way she, I love front runners.

Sean 23:09 Yeah.

George 23:10 She's so tough, isn't she?

Sean 23:11 I don't think she gets the trend now. She's your favourite coming out of here? Yes. Is she racing this Saturday?

George 23:15 Yeah.

Sean 23:16 So again, you snooze, you lose, punters, we're on again.

Peter O'Brien 23:19 But I think, like, it's, I just, you know, speaking to Kieran at the sales of Tony Otterbury, who owns her, and for those who don't know, all his horses are named after his daughter tragically passed away, and that in itself is lovely.

Sean 23:35 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 23:36 They, but like, Kieran was telling me the other day, with the data monitoring they have on the Gallop, that she maintains 59 to 60 kilometres over 600 metres, which has never been done in data collection since it was done. That was before she won her first Groupon this prep. Gee. She told me that two days before I did back her though.

George 23:59 Do you remember when Emilia Jewell won the race in Moonee Valley and everyone potted the form? And pride of Jeffy ran second.

Sean 24:07 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 24:08 And she beat the, what's the Australian Cup winner of Godolphins? Oh, Cascadia.

George 24:14 Yeah, but she beat him as well.

Peter O'Brien 24:16 Yeah, yeah. And they were knocking that for him.

Sean 24:18 Yeah. He's a two-time Australian Cup winner. Yes, exactly.

George 24:21 Hindsight.

Sean 24:22 Well, he's won eight Group Ones now, hasn't he?

George 24:24 I don't know if he's won eight, but he's won a few. Yeah, he's won two Australian Cups. Yeah, yeah.

Sean 24:29 Yeah, yeah.

Peter O'Brien 24:30 Yeah. You know, look, it's hard. If you ask anybody in the farm they'll, you know, everybody has their, has their favourite horses.

Sean 24:38 Yeah.

George 24:39 Well, that's what it goes back to you saying if everyone picked the same horse, there'd be no industry, would there?

Sean 24:45 Yes. And same for my wife, why she was your favourite as well? Why she was sweet?

Peter O'Brien 24:49 Well, she was, the mayor came to us as a maiden, so spent a year with us foaled here. Then she left here when she was about five months of age, went back to, where she was bred in Trelawney and then she came back over for us to sell at the classic sale.

Sean 25:02 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 25:03 And she was a beaut, like the beautiful foal. And then as a yearling she'd gone through, you know, there was just a stage process in her where she was quite narrow and she could not walk a yard. So for those people, you know, I was always an Irish as you would know. 100,000 she sold?

Sean 25:19 Yeah. And she walked a terrible walk out.

Peter O'Brien 25:23 I couldn't move, could not walk a yard. And I always think of her when I'm tossing up with a horse, you know, looking at a yearling. And the same with, like, of course, like capitalists, right? He couldn't walk a yard as well.

Sean 25:34 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 25:35 But particularly for, like, a big lovely galloper like her, it's amazing that, but if you see her, I'd like to see her now, she's just filled into her frame.

Sean 25:46 Yeah.

George 25:47 Was it you that said to me one day, there was a horse that couldn't walk very well, and he said, yeah, but I can guarantee when it trots it'll move better and then when it gallops it'll move even better. Yeah. I think, yeah, you said that to anyone. Yeah.

Sean 25:59 100%. That's, like, everyone's, again, everyone's got their own opinion.

George 26:01 Not that we're going to go out and buy every bad walk in ours.

Sean 26:04 Yeah. But, yeah, like, certain people that are off-line on top as well, it's, that's the beautiful thing. You're buying a yearling and we don't get to see how it can gallop, do we?

26:17 Asking the farm which yearling stands out

Peter O'Brien 26:17 The other, I mean, the other, the other thing is, so it's a, literally just talking to someone from America at the Easter sales. So when I worked in America, the likes of Joss Collins, these are famous purchasers of horses and agents, Billy MacDonald, Joss Collins, Demi O'Byrne, Vincent O'Brien himself, when they went around the yearling sales, they would go up and ask the manager, like, who's the one, you know, who's the one, or if they like one, they'd say, what, you know, what's the like of the farmland. It doesn't happen a lot here.

George 26:50 Yeah, yeah.

Sean 26:51 And you're like, we do, we do it, don't we?

George 26:53 Yeah.

Sean 26:54 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 26:55 But the people, you know, the people, particularly they're feeding them every day and whatever, you know, the ones that, like, we have big paddocks here and they, they gallop up to

Sean 27:06 their feeders.

Peter O'Brien 27:07 Yeah. And they're like, the ones that are in the front of their ears back, you know, are hunting the other horses away from their, you know, their feedpots, all these little things. But like we have a, we the yearling this year that couldn't walk a yard, but when it galloped in the paddock, it was number one.

Sean 27:25 There you go. Yeah. But with the reputable farms, we asked, don't we?

George 27:29 Yeah, definitely. If we have a relationship with them, yeah.

Peter O'Brien 27:32 I remember asking about the Philly Magic Millions. Yeah, there you go.

Sean 27:34 Don't leave it out her.

Peter O'Brien 27:35 We didn't, so.

George 27:36 We had a little, this isn't a set up.

Sean 27:38 We had a little horse in the, when we were at Coolmore and he was like this big.

Peter O'Brien 27:43 And at Coolmore we had these big paddocks up and there was a contour bank halfway along. And we'd bring him in, we were drenching them or doing the feet. And I used to put odds up on who'd reach the contour bank first. You know, we'd have a bet when we let him go. And this little horse, this big, used to fly up and he was in paddocks of downhills and everything. And he ended up being the horse called Honour the Name. He was by honour and glory. He won a group two or, but he was tiny, but he just had this toughness about him and speed, obviously.

28:18 Peter on the mare Vegas Showgirl

Sean 28:18 And what was it like to have a mare like Vegas Showgirl for our listeners?

Peter O'Brien 28:24 Well, Vegas Showgirl is the mother of wigs. Oh look, she's my most favourite horse. We bought her at the sales, not by design. You know, we went with a specific list of pedigree finnies and mares to buy. And I just, she caught my eye at the end of her runway.

Sean 28:46 So she was beautiful.

Peter O'Brien 28:47 And then to buy her, John Camilleri has been the, my, he's a great friend, but he was my number one client from the very start.

Sean 28:56 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 28:57 Not my first client from the very start. And then, you know, in, for what we do, like people say, oh, you know, you sold her or whatever. But for what we do, like the breed, the best race horse ever is fantastic. And for the mare, who is just this beautiful mare and like she's, John has four daughters, which are half sisters to Wix. And one of which I think will win on, I don't know when this goes out, but, Coffin Curtin. We should win on Saturday, I reckon.

Sean 29:34 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 29:35 But like she was just, yeah, she was like, she was my, she was part of my family.

Sean 29:39 And temperate, like just beautiful.

Peter O'Brien 29:41 Oh man, she was gorgeous, quiet, everything.

Sean 29:44 Yeah.

George 29:45 Did you ever feel added pressure?

Sean 29:47 No.

George 29:48 With her falling and stuff?

Peter O'Brien 29:49 No.

Sean 29:50 No, I stay away. Yeah. Cause you're that emotionally connected or?

Peter O'Brien 29:54 I just said, you know, falling falling, falling, falling's you gotta have for me the right temperament.

Sean 30:01 Yeah. I don't. Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 30:04 Like I get, I get, I worry.

Sean 30:07 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 30:08 And a lot of times with falling, he's just gotta relax.

Sean 30:10 That's fair. That's good.

Peter O'Brien 30:12 Yeah. So I just stay away. If there's a bad photo, they call me, but I come and just watch and.

George 30:18 Come down and freak out.

Sean 30:19 Yeah. Yeah. They're screaming. I'm very fortunate to have Brian here.

Peter O'Brien 30:24 He's just level headed as well.

George 30:26 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 30:27 So he's sort of, he's the, the wall for it. But we're, and again, we have a brilliant falling team of far more experienced than I am. So, you know, let them at it. Yeah. And we're very fortunate to have them, but I just happy to go when they're out.

30:43 Next year's sales and staying realistic

Sean 30:43 So when do you, as a farm, when do you start sitting down and organizing certain yearlings, for next year's sales? When does that start for you?

Peter O'Brien 30:52 It's hard to, oh, in earnest, it will start. Um, really in the next month.

Sean 30:59 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 31:00 Um, and then as I said, they'll get their survey x-rays in July. And then once we get the results of them, we'll, we'll probably have 70% of decisions made before x-rays. And then the rest, some horses, we, you don't really make, have to make your final decision at the end of September for Magic Millions.

Sean 31:20 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 31:21 So some of them we'll leave to see how, you know, but by, I'd say August, the first week of August, the sales companies come and look at them. Um, I'd say by the end of August, we'd probably have 95% done. Yeah.

George 31:36 And how do you get $11 million yearlings next year? That's gotta be the goal. Fifteen.

Sean 31:40 Fifteen?

George 31:41 You heard it here first.

Sean 31:42 Yeah.

George 31:43 Uh, look, I think, horses come in waves, I think, you know, so, uh,

Sean 31:48 There's so many elements to it and yeah. Yeah. So like, we won't, we won't get near 10 next year.

Peter O'Brien 31:51 I know that already just, you know, because it's also some of the good mares didn't get pregnant that year and whatever. So the stars have to align, which they did this year, but like, they, they won't, like, I'm a realist and they won't align like that every year. Yeah. But, uh, as I said to all the lads here, just remember, cause it probably, probably will

Sean 32:06 never happen again.

Peter O'Brien 32:07 Yeah. Yeah. Make the most of it. Enjoy the champagne. Yeah. Big bonuses all around.

Sean 32:13 Sorry, what was that?

Peter O'Brien 32:14 It was like, we can edit that out. Yeah.

Sean 32:16 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 32:33 Oh, that's Kevin Maloney's watching.

32:34 Closing thanks and the July open day

George 32:34 No, thanks then for your time today, Peter. We really enjoyed it. And, um, great to come out and see the farm. See where the horses come off.

Sean 32:47 Yeah.

Peter O'Brien 32:48 For my part, like I'm a first, first time owner with Kurrinda Bloodstock. And, uh,

George 32:53 Last time. We'll never have him back.

Peter O'Brien 32:55 No, but I, as I said, I've shared horses around the place. The professionalism from the pair of you is next to none. The reporting, explanations, everything. Like I'm very, I'm a tedious, potentially detailed type of person. And you two are obviously the same. And it just comes across in everything you do. Oh, thank you.

Sean 33:16 I appreciate that.

Peter O'Brien 33:17 I wouldn't think twice about, um, having a horse with chicken. Thank you, man.

George 33:21 I appreciate that. Thank you.

Sean 33:23 Um, and on that open day, what dates?

George 33:26 The 21st July. 21st July. Sunday. 10am. Um.

Sean 33:31 I've reminded that, um, most of the yellowing repurchases you should be at the farm or, um, some might sort of be in the system, but, um, most of them will be at the farm at that point, right?

George 33:42 Yeah. And some of the resources that people are involved in. So come out, bring your family, friends. We've, um, raffled there on the day, some food, drinks, our trainers, hopefully will be in attendance and promises to be a great day.

Sean 33:55 Thanks, man.

George 33:56 Cheers, boys.

Sean 33:57 Cheers.