Ace High, Group 1 winner of the VRC Derby and the Spring Champion S., will stand his first year at Rich Hill Stud in 2019. TDNAusNZ’s Paul Vettise spoke to farm principal John Thompson about the well-related son of High Chaparral (Ire) and the response from New Zealand breeders.
TDNAusNZ: How did Ace High cope with his flight across the Tasman?
JT: He arrived here about mid-July from Australia and (trainer) David Payne sent him over in great condition. After we purchased him we asked David if he could leave him in the stable ticking over, he’s been on the walking machine and he’s looking really well.
TDNAusNZ: How has he settled in and is he is an easy horse to handle?
JT: He settled in really quickly and good to do anything with. We try to get these stallions out in a good paddock as soon as possible. He got here and had his head down and grazing straight away, he’s a happy horse – he knows what he’s here for.
"He got here and had his head down and grazing straight away, he’s a happy horse – he knows what he’s here for." - John Thompson
TDNAusNZ: Have you been pleased with the response from breeders to Ace High?
JT: We had a parade last Sunday and it was cold and wet and the rain stopped just before we started. Despite the weather, we had well over 100 people here so that was very pleasing and the feedback was excellent. His trainer David Payne and John Cordina, who raced the horse, were here as well.
David has trained well over 100 Group 1 winners worldwide and when he tells you Ace High was up with the very best gallopers he has trained it certainly carries some weight. Obviously, we announced the horse quite late and there’s a fair bit of competition out there, but the interest in Ace High has been very good.
Ace High. Kylie Bax, John Cordina and David Payne
TDNAusNZ: How many mares will Rich Hill commit to him?
JT: We haven’t confirmed it all just yet, but we’ll be sending at least 20 from our broodmare band to him.
TDNAusNZ: What about the other shareholders in the horse?
JT: We’ve got a good cross-section in the ownership group, the people who are committed to him are all good, genuine breeders. The Oaks believe he will be a really good cross with Darci Brahma, Cambridge Stud mares have clicked very well with High Chaparral and Pencarrow Stud are involved and they’re all really going to support the horse.
Seaton Park and Blandford Lodge have taken shares as well as a new players Craig and Stephanie Dunphy and John Bromley is another successful commercial breeder. John Cordina, who raced Ace High, has kept a number of shares and he’s sent mares over to support the horse. We’ve also got the support of a number of smaller breeders so it’s been great.
Darci Brahma mares are belived to be a good cross with Ace High
TDNAusNZ: Will he suit a broad range of mares?
JT: It’s pretty obvious to me that with his genetic structure his bloodlines will be very compatible with the bloodlines that exist here. High Chaparral was so successful here and Redoute’s Choice and they click with Zabeels and O’Reillys and many others.
TDNAusNZ: Were you in the market for a new stallion before Ace High became available?
JT: We had space, but we weren’t going to get another stallion just for the sake of it. It had to be the right horse and Ace High is. He has a race record that compares favourably with another son of High Chaparral in Dundeel, who is shaping as a major sire success, and we believe he’s the right fit for us and with the stallion market so competitive you’ve got to act when you find the right horse.
Dundeel, who Ace High has a race record that compares favourably to
He’s a big strong horse with a lovely masculine head. You can see the quality of High Chaparral and the strength of Redoute’s Choice in him and a bit of Sunday Silence in his colouring. We think he’s the right horse for this country. He won as a 2-year-old and developed into a true Classic horse so we expect him to go on and produce fast-maturing staying horses to fit the market.
TDNAusNZ: How did you arrive at a NZ$10,000 + GST service price?
JT: We wanted to place him well in the market and we think we’ve done that for a horse like him, in terms of pedigree, performance and looks. You can’t do much better in New Zealand. He’s priced to get mares through the gate.
