IRELAND’S central role in the development of Australian racing and breeding was endorsed by Arrowfield Stud boss John Messara in Paris on Monday.
The occasion was the 49th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities and Messara was the keynote speaker before representatives of every racing nation.
He spoke about the sea-change in racing and breeding in Australia in the 30 years or so of his own active involvement at a major level.
Danehill’s influence on the worlds of breeding and racing are such that some 45% of the 32,000 runners in Australia last year are said to have the sire in the first three removes of their pedigree.
Such influence is unprecedented in one racing nation and the Coolmore shuttler was the real catalyst for what has now become a busy interchange of sires between the southern and northern hemispheres. Almost 300 stallions from the northern hemisphere have now shuttled to Australia.
Speaking of the ‘tsunami effect on the shuttle stallion concept’ that Danehill had, Messara added that “no less significantly it has encouraged Coolmore, Darley and several other major international breeders to establish bases in Australia; most recently US powerhouse Spendthrift Farm”.
Immediate success
Danehill first travelled to Australia in 1989 and his immediate success there was to change the face of racing and breeding forever.
His influence is likely to remain strong for a very long time and last year five of the top-10 Australian sires were sons or grandsons of Danehill.
The second Irish game-changer was the victory of the Michael Smurfit owned, Dermot Weld trained and Michael Kinane ridden Vintage Crop in the Melbourne Cup.
The Irish stayer was the first overseas winner of the race and he opened the floodgates for many others to travel in search of success in one of the world’s most iconic races.
Messara also detailed the effects that a change in taxation and a professional marketing campaign were to have on the breeding industry.
The introduction of breeding stock depreciation provisions by Prime Minister Bob Hawke in 1985 levelled the playing pitch with New Zealand and halted the leakage of the best bloodlines, and enabled the acquisition of quality breeding stock from Europe and America.
Almost a decade later the setting up of a group called the Commercial Thoroughbred Breeders Association saw a number of marketing initiatives undertaken that would promote Australian horses to the international market.
One of their early successes was the staging of a sale for Australian yearlings in Hong Kong.
Key advances
The changes brought about have seen some key advances made. In racing the average prize money in 1985 of Aus$17,500 has increased in Sydney and Melbourne to Aus$110,400 this year – more than double the rate of inflation.
There were no international runners at the spring and autumn carnivals in 1985 whereas 53 competed last year. On the international racing stage 40 Australian-trained horses were rated 115 or above in the world rankings – this compared with nine a decade earlier and none in 1985.
The improvements on the breeding front have been equally staggering.
Just 17 Australian yearlings were exported in 1985 and this has grown almost 26-fold to 440 in 2014. Back in 1985 there were 46 mares imported to Australia and this grew to 200 last year. The most eye-catching number is the average at the Sydney Yearling Sale. It has risen by almost five times the rate of inflation, from Aus$22,700 in 1985 to Aus$291,000 this year.
Looking to the future Messara hopes to see the growth of the Sydney Autumn Carnival and to close the gap on Melbourne.
With two weekends of top-class racing bookending the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, he is keen that they develop a festival of racing akin to the Breeders’ Cup or Arc weekend.
A key move has been the establishment of Racing Australia, a merging of three of racing’s key functions and assets.
Messara believes one of the most important tasks ahead is the achievement of industry unification, where all States within Australia work together to achieve common goals.