HENNY HUGHES sired 1 more stakes winner than Harlan Holiday to take the title.

The two stallions then fought out the leading 2 year old Sires list with Harlan Holiday finishing first with 26 winners from 62 runners and 5 stakes winners and HENNY HUGHES having 22 winners from 52 runners but the remarkable 6 Stakes Winners.

As a racehorse, HENNY HUGHES himself had proven formidable up to 1400m: a near-champion at two, twice an Eclipse Award finalist, and a multiple Grade 1 winner, a racehorse so fast and so talented, his first trainer Biancone once dared compare him to Secretariat.

Though no Secretariat as such, HENNY HUGHES was still exceptional, winning six of ten starts—usually after unleashing a soul-crushing sprint down the straight. His victories included five stakes and back-to-back Group 1 races, and he defeated older horses with great aclaim in the Vosburgh of 2006.

“He was special … one of the best I ever trained,” recalled Kiaran McLaughlin, who trained HENNY HUGHES after Darley acquired him following his 15-length rocket launch win in the Tremont Stakes, his second career start.

With no sprint worlds left to conquer, $1.1 million-earner Henny Hughes entered stud in 2007 at Darley’s Kentucky division, it was from Darley that Rangeview’s Robbie and Jody acquired HENNY HUGHES.

With all that background, it’s then no wonder that the phone did ring in Bullsbrook after Champion Filly BEHOLDER won the Breeders Cup Grey Goose Juvenile Fillies race, for those stud owners in USA in November, knew just how well HENNY HUGHES 2 year crop was performing, and BEHOLDER’s win was the icing on the cake. They wanted him back in USA.

It was a big decision to contemplate, having only just purchased the horse and only having him here in WA on the property for a few months, but in the end Robbie and Jody have leased HENNY HUGHES to stand the coming USA season at prestigious Walmac Farm in Kentucky. HENNY HUGHES arrived safe and sound at Walmac early in the new year.

While HENNY HUGHES may be used to this shuttling business, Robbie and Jody are not, so everyone hopes that he gets a great book of mares in USA and arrives back in WA bright and happy ready for our next stud season, and when his first WA bred foals will be born!

(Denise T)
January 20 2013

Rangeview Stud has just signed the deal that will see Henny Hughes stand at historic Walmac Farm in Lexington Kentucky for the 2013 northern breeding season.

We all wondered what would happen when outstanding 2 year old filly BEHOLDER won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies on 2nd November. The most prestigious race meeting on the calendar and the most prestigious 2 year old fillies race, and the winner was sired by HENNY HUGHES.

Well it didn’t take long for the phone calls from across the world, and Robbie and Jody had to think about whether their newly purchased stallion who had settled so well, was going to leave our shores again. Something that had not really ever been on the agenda. But we all know that horse racing does some remarkable turnabouts, some good some bad, and this one is just amazing.

It’s all about opportunity and timing and HENNY HUGHES deserves his next chance on the world stage. Originally owned and shuttled by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation before his outright sale to Rangeview this year, HENNY HUGHES’s star has risen enormously in the past few months.

Walmac Farm’s John T L Jones III is quoted as saying:
“What a brilliant year Henny Hughes has had,” “He’s arguably the top sire of precocious two year-old performers in North America today. “He’s the leading sire of two year-old stakes winners and getting such a freak of a filly in Beholder who impressed us all with her two-turn victory in the Breeders’ Cup.”

In addition to BEHOLDER, HENNY HUGHES is represented by 2012 juvenile stakes winners Star Contender, winner of Canada’s important Cup and Saucer Stakes, and last week’s Japanese Listed winner Keiai Leone.

There are 22 winners among his latest Kentucky bred crop of juveniles and they have earned $2.23 million. He is running second to Harlan’s Holiday (24 winners – $2.77 million) in both categories on sires lists. However, there are still a couple of big races coming up before the end to the northern hemisphere season, and HENNY HUGHES could finish on top of the two year old Sires List in USA! How amazing for a WA owned horse. At worst he will finish second. Not bad?

Overall, HENNY HUGHES has sired 32 stakes horses and the earners of more than $10.13 million. There are also 11 winners to date among his first crop in Australia.

Robbie has said that several studs were very interested in getting HENNY HUGHES back to USA, but Walmac were extra keen and they put a deal on the table and were very easy to deal with.

WALMAC International covers about 900 acres in Lexington, was owned and managed by John T.L. Jones, who began in the quarter horse business in the 1950s, from 1970 – 1977, after which it was sold to John Jones, Jr., and Bobby Trussell. Walmac stood the great stallion Nureyev, sire of over twenty champions and a sire of sires; Miswaki, the sire of 97 stakes winners and an important broodmare sire; the wonderful stayer Alleged, twice winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe; the brave Preakness Stakes runner-up Sham, and Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Risen Star (by Secretariat). Former Heytesbury Stud stallion Is It True also shuttled from Walmac to Western Australia in the 1990s.

Walmac is currently home to champion sire SUCCESSFUL APPEAL, 2012’s leading sire of winners & two-year-old winners, SONGANDAPRAYER and promising first crop sire of 2012 READY’S IMAGE.

For those lucky enough to have booked a mare to HENNY HUGHES this year, he will complete his first book at Rangeview within the next fortnight and then he is off again, before we’ve hardly got to know him. He has covered over 80 mares at a $7,700 (inc gst) service fee.

We all hope he travels well and has a marvellous year at Walmac, and now, before he’s even left, we can’t wait to have him back in WA next July/August, healthy and happy.

(Denise T)

When trainer Chris Stelmach went to the 2012 Magic Millions Sale a horse she was particularly interested in was Lot 7 a filly by SO SECRET from Outward Display. Chris always known as a “no nonsense talker” was training the half sister – Guessing Game by Key Business and was pleased with that 2 year old filly’s 2nd and 3rd placing from as many starts.

Chris had joined in the Magic Millions Vendors Parade day visiting studs in the Bullsbrook area on the Sunday week before the sale, and was particularly pleased with the SO SECRET filly from Outward Display. (We think she also really loved the fruit slushies and nibbles put on by Robbie and Jody). But getting back to the story, the filly looked the part, Chris was particularly keen on her and the filly went home after the sales as part of the Stelmach stable.

This filly like all reports so far broke- in really well. The SO SECRET’s have all shown great temperament, kindness and a willingness to work and you cannot ask for a better start than that.

Now named SECRET DIVA she had a mini prep with her breaking and again the stable was impressed by what she did, and now the filly is in her first real testing preparation going through to trials.

At her first trial she ran third in 56.72(pretty good time) losing a lot of ground at the start but running on very strongly at the end and after the line, and today could have won by a lot more, according to Chris.
Now the real excitement starts and everyone hopes that SECRET DIVA who shows a lot of promise can get to a race start in this preparation, before the common “curse” of the babies “shin soreness” gets her. We all hope so!!

(Denise T.)

P.S. Another SO SECRET to get to trials in October- WISE TALK out of Real Hi did go shinsore in her first trial finishing 5th, and she went straight to the paddock to also be set for “bigger things” in the new year.

BARAKEY (by Key Business from Dance Hi).

It’s Super Saturday as marketed by Perth Racing. Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes 1200m and Group 1 Railway Stakes 1600m on the same card with other Listed and Group races. What a showcase day to be racing! It’s arrived the testing day for the local 10 out of 10 BARAKEY. Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes glory or other is waiting!

BARAKEY looked stunning —so fit, such definition to all those equine muscles, could he ever look better? You could not think so, based on the horse that part owner Aristos Mihalopoulos was nervously holding onto leading around the parade ring. Trainer Jim Taylor should have been proud, because the job that he has done in training BARAKEY was basically over. It was now up to the other part of this trio -jockey Jason Brown. The tension of having the favourite in any Group 1 race is immense, but when you are trying to keep an unbeaten winning streak intact, it’s even moreso.

The curve ball in drawing barrier 10 from 10 for a front runner, would they keep him out, how easy would Jason get across, would he try and lead? Will it be 11 straight wins? Gee –too much to think about!!!

The gates opened and WOW– BARAKEY was basically there just alongside frontrunning Travinator before the others could really blink and think. You were hoping he would steady and not overrace, but then Jason had to give him a little touch around the bend, and that was unexpected, and caused a bit of anxiety.

Around the bend and they straightened, Travinator still appeared to be going ok, nothing else had yet really burst forth, and then BARAKEY and Jason said -lets go racing- do what we do so well! The gutsy horse looked up the straight and said they won’t get me, and into the strong headwind he ran his heart out. Official margin half a length. But don’t be put off by that.

Did you know that Barakey and Travinator ran their first 600m in 34.37 from a standing start! And then BARAKEY ran the last 600m in 35.23. The rest of the field could not keep up with them early on, and only BARAKEY has run the hard 1200m –no other horse did. If ever opposition had a chance to run him down especially having done all the work and with the headwind, yesterday was their chance. And while Power Princess was meritorious in running second, BARAKEY just outclassed and outgutsed the Group 1 field.

So many congratulations to Jim Taylor for his patience and discipline in training and programming BARAKEY these past years in his 11 straight wins, and for his first Group 1 winner as a trainer. Jason Brown for his understanding of the horse and trust in Jim. For part owner Aristos who gets to see Barakey and work with him nearly everyday the feeling and elation and pride must be immeasurable and also for Terry Zeppos. Fantastic for all concerned with the horse.

Congratulations to stallion KEY BUSINESS for his first Group 1 success.
We’re not going to think about BARAKEY’S his next start, just let’s really enjoy this magnificent occasion.

(Denise T)