1. COOLMORE Stud’s nominations and sales
manager Colm Santry has led a fascinating and
fulfilling life in the world of bloodstock. He has
experienced every part of the industry and now lives
his life travelling between sales, race meetings and stud
farms with a mobile phone that scarcely stops ringing.
Born in Cork, Ireland into a family who had been
involved in horses for generations, the eldest of five
children it was inevitable that Colm would have
a career in the equine world.
Q: So what involvement exactly did your
family have with horses?
A: “My grandfather was actually a trainer and lots
of my uncles and cousins are or were involved
in horses in some way, shape or form. My uncle Tony
is President of the Show Jumping Association of
Ireland, currently serving his third term in that role.
My sister Jean was an All-Ireland Champion Show
Rider for two years in her younger days and my mum
Carmel is a judge at all the major show classes across
the south of Ireland. I began riding at an early age
and spent most of my childhood in the saddle.”
Cross country running was another hobby where
he represented Ireland.
Show jumping would take up much of the spring,
summer and autumn and then in the winter, the focus
switched to fox hunting. At that time of the year,
a family outing consisted of a trip to the local point-
to-point (an amateur jump meeting) on a Sunday.
“That really is all we did growing up, I was around
horses all the time. It was a very good grounding for
the industry I am in now. I suppose you could say
we just lived and breathed horses.”
Q: There was never really any other job
you wanted to do, other than be involved
with horses?
A: “From a very young age I made up my mind that
I would commit my life to being in the horse business,
just like a lot of my family. I was very lucky I had spent
so much time around horses when I was younger and
it was a natural progression to work in the industry.
I think there is a big difference between people who
have been brought up around horses and have that
‘understanding’ that it really is a seven-day a week job
and those who haven’t. In many ways it’s something
of a vocation, long hours and very hard work.”
Q: You first went to work for Coolmore Stud
in Ireland 30 years ago, but you’ve been
to different countries since then haven’t you?
A: “After six months at Coolmore in Ireland, Christy
Grassick sent me to work at Cambridge Stud in New
Zealand. I work in a fantastic industry in which young
people are actively encouraged and given the
opportunity to travel and learn, to see how people
do things in other countries. This was my opportunity
and I grabbed it with both hands. When I left Ireland
I had never been on a plane in my life, so flying out
of Cork heading for New Zealand was quite
an experience!
“I went to work for Sir Patrick Hogan for two seven-
month stints. I’d go out there in July and work
through to February. I’d work at the yearling sales
July 2015 22
MOVERS & SHAKERS by Donna Stoddart
COLM SANTRY
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2. July 2015 24
at the end of each stint and actually that first year I was
there was the for opening of New Zealand Bloodstock’s
Karaka complex.
“Cambridge had three main stallions back then with
Sir Tristram (IRE), who was a major success story
of course, Danzatore (CAN) and Gold and Ivory
(USA). I can still remember walking into Danzatore’s
box having been at Cambridge for just a week.
Sir Patrick asked me put a bridle on him and take him
to his paddock. I was very young, so to be given the
responsibility of handling a stallion at that stage was
a huge thrill. I have great admiration for Sir Patrick
and his achievements. I’ll always be very appreciative
of the opportunity he gave me. I guess he had a bit
of an Irish traveller in him also.
“Cambridge Stud was also responsible for my first
trip to Australia. The stud had a yearling draft, which
I accompanied to a sale on the Gold Coast during the
second season I was there. I guess that would be about
27 or 28 years ago now and I can still remember flying
into Brisbane airport.
“I then returned to Coolmore for a season, before
travelling to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky for
two years. There were great sires there at the time like
Storm Bird, Assert, Woodman and El Gran Senor, who
is one of my all-time favourites. ‘Senor’ was the first
horse I ever covered a mare with at Coolmore, which
was particularly special considering I grew up watching
him as a racehorse.
“After my two years at Ashford I teamed up with
Michael Kirwan and Peter O’Brien on the shuttle
stallion flights to Australia. We have been friends for
30 years, having met at Coolmore. I’d like to say that
I taught them all they know, but that probably wouldn’t
be entirely true! We shared some great times together
in those early days, working with the likes of
Danehill, Bluebird, Last Tycoon, Scenic, Fairy King and
Al Hareb. Each of us enjoyed our time in Australia so
much that we all made Australia our home.
“One great early memory is when we got together
along with a large Irish contingent to witness Vintage
Crop’s Melbourne Cup win. I headed to Baramul in the
Widden Valley with Al Hareb. I lived there for three
breeding seasons, with Al Hareb shuttling between
Australia and Ireland.
“While I probably didn’t realise it at the time,
I was essentially living through the revolution of the
bloodstock industry which was being driven by John
Magnier. He is a visionary and foresaw the capacity
of the bloodstock industry to become a global one
before anyone else. The international nature of the
industry that we are part of today is due in no small
part to his dynamic approach.
“The fact that Coolmore, decades later, is still the
world leader of this global industry is testament
to Mr Magnier and the people like Michael Kirwan
to whom he has entrusted responsibility for the growth
of the business in Australia over the past 20 years.
Really I’m privileged to be a part of it and it’s exciting
to look forward to a bright future in Australia with
Tom Magnier leading the way for us.”
Q: You’ve actually experienced a few
different facets of the thoroughbred industry
haven’t you?
A: “I experienced the stud work early on, but also
I held an amateur jockey’s licence here in Australia for
a while and rode quite a bit of track work before work
in Sydney. I used to gallop Melbourne Cup winner
Might and Power, who was very aggressive in his track
work and I’d have to strain every sinew to hold
on to him, whilst riding track work for Bart and
Anthony Cummings.
“I had great fun riding in amateur and picnic races
around NSW. One day at Yass picnics, I had three rides
for my great friend and trainer, the late Tony Wildman,
and rode three seconds. Tony came away from the
meeting with a big trophy for the best training
performance and I came away with, well, three
seconds! Riding a winner for the Nivison family at the
Walcha races was also a great thrill. I was a popular
man in Walcha that day!”
Q: You’ve been lucky enough to work in
different countries around the world. I guess
things are not always done the same way?
A: “In Europe, owing to the poor weather at certain
times of the year, young horses can spend quite a bit
of time inside, which is very different to here
in Australia. Mares are foaled outside at Coolmore
Australia and healthy foals won’t have any reason
to spend time in a box until they are weaned, given the
weather, so it’s a fantastic environment for a young
horse to grow up in. Ireland is a great country to rear
horses, but I believe Australia is probably the best
country in the world to breed tough, sound horses.
“If you take Coolmore’s farm at Jerrys Plains for
example, the conditions are perfect, the weather,
the configuration of the land along with its nutritional
benefits, the access to water. It’s a genuinely
exceptional environment for raising quality racehorses
and that is reflected in the fact that high class
MOVERS & SHAKERS Colm Santry
• Expert yearling sale preparation • Walk-ons
• Broodmare management • Spelling & Agistment
attunga stud
contact Brian Nutt m 0418 264 012 t 02 6545 9509 e attungastud@bigpond.com w www.attungastud.com FOLLOW US ON
attunga specialised agistment farm
Attunga graduate SACRED STAR
2015 DUAL GROUP 1 WINNER
Attunga graduate GIULIETTA
2015 2YO SYDNEY METRO WINNER
Colm in the early 1990’s with Sadler’s Wells,
champion sire 18 times of over 80 Group 1 winners. Sadler’s Wells’ son Galileo gets his annual
scratch from Colm’s daugher Ella
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3. July 2015 26
racehorses are nurtured and developed on the farm
each and every year.
“I’m sure the sun and the heat are significant factors,
they stimulate growth and that is in evidence with the
horses bred here. It extends beyond just Coolmore,
with Australian-bred horses consistently shining on the
world stage for many years now. It is a fantastic
endorsement of the work of the Australian breeding
public and Australia as a whole as an environment
for raising quality racehorses.”
Q: With the quality of horseflesh you have
been lucky enough to work with, who are
a couple who stand out in your mind?
A: “When I look back and think about it, to have
worked everyday with both Sadler’s Wells and Danehill
in Ireland, was an honour. I know they were
champions and well bred, but they really both had
incredible temperaments and I can still see it in their
sons and grandsons today. It’s in evidence in the likes
of So You Think, Fastnet Rock, Adelaide, Zoffany and
others; they have that same wonderful temperament
which is necessary to deal with the pressure of racing
and training here in Australia.
“You really need that in a racehorse here, even more
so than America or Europe. There are hundreds of
horses out on the track in the morning and they are
going every direction, it’s very full-on here and the
horses are under a lot of pressure mentally and
physically from an early age.”
Q: There would be a huge difference
in training methods between Australia and
other countries wouldn’t there?
A: “Track work here is very different to other countries,
especially Ireland and Europe. Here the horses go out
on the track and are exercised for a short period. They
have a canter and gallop around before going back
in their box, the trainer might not have even seen them
in the dark and many of the horses are put on walking
machines in the afternoon.
“In Ireland or Europe in general it’s very different.
The exercise process is more drawn out and there
is greater variety to the exercise. You might see a horse
under saddle for up to 90 minutes and that affords
a trainer a huge amount of observation time to really
get to know a horse. That’s obviously one of the huge
benefits in that part of the world to not training at an
active racecourse. There are very few time constraints
on how trainers go about conditioning the horses
as compared with Australia.”
Q: I understand you had a lot of success
off the track with that great horse Juggler,
who won many Gr.1 races and represented
Australia in the Dubai World Cup?
A: “When Juggler retired from racing, sound, he was
basically just standing around in a paddock, bored.
He was kindly given to me to ride by Peter and Helen
Horwitz. For a couple of years we hunted together and
I have to say he is one of the best horses I have ever
ridden. Juggler had a great temperament for eventing
with a very easy-going nature and was a very brave,
talented horse. He was a clean-winded horse who did
everything very easily. I could never get him off the
bridle and he jumped for fun. I evented him for four
years and we actually made it to international level.
He’s now 25 years-old and living out his days in the
Hunter Valley as a nanny.”
Q: Getting back to things at Coolmore,
you have some exciting times ahead there?
A: “Coolmore recently purchased Vancouver and Pride
of Dubai, high class colts both bred at the farm, with
a view to them eventually retiring to join our roster
in Australia. Earlier in the year, Coolmore also
purchased Champion 2YO American Pharoah in the
US, who has since gone on to become the first horse
in 37 years to win the US Triple Crown. Naturally I’d
love to see him join our roster in Australia one day
as I believe he would be very popular here.
“More immediately we have the 2014 Cox Plate
winner Adelaide (by Galileo) who debuts at stud this
year. He’s a most exciting proposition as horses with
his ability don’t come around very often. It goes
without saying that we have a host of other exciting
young prospects, including So You Think, Pierro and
Declaration of War.
“Gleneagles is another young horse in Europe to keep
an eye out for. He recently won the St James’s Palace
Stakes at Royal Ascot for Coolmore and looks to be the
dominant three year-old up there this season. He’s
an amazingly well-bred colt being by Galileo and out
of a sister to Giant’s Causeway.”
Q: I guess you don’t have a lot of time for
anything much outside of your job, it would
be very full-on but you would also meet a lot
of great people?
A: “My life really does revolve around Coolmore and
my clients, most of whom have become my friends.
I have some wonderful clients and I take great
satisfaction in seeing them do well. Greg and Jenny
White from South Australia, the owners of Fenway,
are a great example. Fenway, a High Chaparral filly,
was the first yearling I purchased for them at the Inglis
Easter Sale and she has since won the Vinery-Gr.1
at Rosehill, which was a great thrill. I also purchased
Gr.1-winning fillies Sacred Choice at Magic Millions
and Costa Viva at Melbourne Premier. I don’t purchase
a lot of yearlings, however I have tried to learn
as much as I can about buying Gr.1 horses from
Dr Demi O’Byrne, who I regard as the finest judge
of horseflesh around, his record is spectacular. Luckily
for me, he’s been good enough to tolerate my company
around the sales grounds for many years and it’s been
of great benefit to me identifying racehorses.
“Michael Crismale, chairman of the ATC, and his wife
Gail are also wonderful clients and friends, they are
like family to me. I introduced Michael to racehorse
ownership when they purchased black type filly
Shalang, and some of the other horses I have been
instrumental in securing for him include stakes
winners Shania Dane, Tavarnelle, Langborghini,
Mentality and Gliding.
“My longest-standing clients would be Gold Coast-
based Dr Denis and Claire O’Brien. We have been
together from the start. We first met when I was
working with Al Hareb at Baramul Stud and
we recently sold an Encosta de Lago filly for them
through the Coolmore draft at Easter for $460,000.
Kerry and Jenny Pooley have been with me since
Baramul days also and we’ve enjoyed a great
relationship on and off the race track.
“Away from Coolmore I do indulge in some fly-
fishing when in Ireland and of course I still enjoy
riding. My four year-old daughter Ella loves riding too,
she rides every day and I’m sure she will be involved
in horses throughout her life. She just loves them!
Q: Colm, do you have any advice for a young
person wanting to start out in the industry?
A: “I’d encourage anyone to learn as much as you
can about horses and horsemanship at an early stage.
Really, that’s the most important step. Just being around
horses, you’re learning about them without even
knowing it. We never stop learning about horses and
often I think the more we know, the less we know.
While living in Sydney I did a marketing course
in 1998 and a communications course in 1999
at Sydney University and I believe they really helped
me get ahead.
“I’ve had a wonderful life so far in this industry, from
having lunch with a Prime Minister to meeting The
Queen at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand and having
the pleasure of showing Taiona and foal to her. I have
met many people from all different walks of life and
it has been a great career. It really is an amazing
industry to be involved in, long may it last.” n
MOVERS & SHAKERS Colm Santry
Four-time Group 1 winner
Juggler and Colm in action
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