Spring in the step at Baramul Stud

7 min read
Given the hype surrounding Baramul Stud's home-bred I Am Invincible filly Libertini, it's not surprising that Yarraman Park's star stallion is high on the shopping list for Gerry Harvey's top-quality mares this season.

There are few farms as busy as Baramul Stud this spring and few people with a bigger spring in his step than Baramul owner Gerry Harvey.

For a major breeding and racing operation, spring is the time of the year where the work is done, whether it be out in the paddocks, on the racetrack or in the breeding barn.

Baramul Stud Manager Paul Thompson is overseeing another huge few months on the farm. Close to 40 of an expected 180 foals have already arrived, while the stud will send close to 300 mares out to the best stallions in Australia.

The talk of the farm at the moment is the star filly Libertini (I Am Invincible), a second generation Baramul-bred product who looms as one of the most exciting racehorses in the country after her thumping win in the Darley G2 Silver Shadow S. at Randwick last month.

Libertini

"It’s very uplifting, especially for Gerry, every time I have a conversation, her name comes up," Thompson said.

"I guess it's what all breeders dream about, having something of the potential she has. She could end up one of the best horses in the country."

"I guess it's what all breeders dream about, having something of the potential she has. She could end up one of the best horses in the country." - Paul Thompson

Libertini's spring path continues on Saturday in the G2 Darley Furious S., where she is expected to take her record to three wins from four starts.

Whether she continues to head down the path of the Princess Series or switches course to a possible tilt at securing a slot in The Everest will be determined by Harvey and trainer Anthony Cummings after Saturday, but Thompson said Harvey has considerable confidence in the filly.

"He hasn't been this excited about a horse since Royal Descent (Redoute's Choice). It’s been a while since we’ve had one that is home-bred and retained and that looks like being at that top shelf," Thompson said.

Royal Descent

The other upside for Harvey and Baramul Stud is the increased profile of Libertini's dam Aloha (Encosta de Lago), who as a Group 1 winner in her own right, was already one of the elite broodmares on the farm.

She foaled a full brother to Libertini in the last week and that colt has already made a substantial impression on Thompson.

"It’s very hard not to be biased, but he's a superstar and one of the best foals I've seen. They are all big strong horses from that mare, but the colt that is on her now is probably, and with what we know of Libertini it seems a bit odd to say, but he's the best foal to look at," Thompson said.

It is not surprising then that Aloha will be headed back to Yarraman Park's I Am Invincible this spring.

I Am Invincible, will cover Aloha this spring

Another quality Vinnie colt

Also likely headed back to 'Vinnie' is the Group 1 producer Lipari (Redoute's Choice), who Baramul Stud paid $1.6 million for from Twin Hills Stud's draft at this year's Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.

She is the dam of G1 Australian Derby winner Levendi (Pierro) as well as Group 3-winner Marcel From Madrid (Sepoy) and last Saturday's stakes winner Wu Gok (Sebring), and has also just foaled a colt by I Am Invincible.

"He's about a week to ten days old and every time I look at him, he looks better and better," Thompson said.

Being a colt, and given Harvey's other role as proprietor of Magic Millions, it is not surprising that attention is already turning to what these two I Am Invincible colts might fetch at the 2021 yearling sales.

"I was talking to Gerry and saying the sales in 18 months' time are already looking very interesting," Thompson said.

"We are going to have an I Am Invincible colt out of Aloha that will be an absolute cracker, next to an I Am invincible out of Lipari that gets better every time I look at him. They are both potentially, million-dollar plus horses."

"Those mares (like Lipari) are just gold, because once they have produced one or two horses that can gallop like she can, everything out of them is worth money."

Royal Descent returns

Thompson said the G1 Australian Oaks winner Royal Descent has returned to Australia having spent the past three seasons in New Zealand where she has produced a colt by Swiss Ace and a filly by Redwood (GB), before going to Savabeel last year.

One of Harvey's all-time favourite mares, she will also go to I Am invincible this year.

Savabeel, covered G1 Australian Oaks winner Royal Descent last year

Thompson said that while plotting the breeding plans of so many broodmares was a big task, it was a relatively straight-forward conversation between himself, Harvey and Bloodstock and Racing Manager Luke McDonald, who joined the team earlier this year.

"It’s a complex and time-consuming exercise, but probably not as overwhelming as you think, because the best mares just go to the best stallions as long as there are no pedigree conflicts," he said.

"We’ve got such a wide variety of horses that we look at the top five stallions and that's where the best 50 or 60 mares will go."

Three-time reigning Australian Champion sire Snitzel joins I Am Invincible as the most preferred stallion for Baramul Stud's top mares, with pedigree matches important along with the physical compatibility between the mare and the stallion.

Snitzel, the most preferred stallion for Baramul Stud's top mares along with I Am Invincible

"That's the one thing we have focussed on a little more over the past two or three years. We spend a lot of time trying to get the physicals right as well. I Am Invincible is very easy, because he has good-sized nice-looking horses, so you can send such a variety of mares," Thompson said.

"A lot of other stallions out there, you might not want to send a big mare to, or a little mare to. There are these little conformation issues or faults that we try to take into consideration to give ourselves a better chance. I think it has helped us."

New mares and new foals

There will also be anything up to 40 new mares which will join the Baramul Stud band over the season having come off the racetrack and Thompson said getting that physical match right for their first mating is very important.

When you add in the fact that there is a constant arrival of new foals at the moment, it’s a hectic time, especially for a farm located in a relatively isolated part of the Widden Valley, around 100km from the heart of the Hunter Valley, Scone.

"We have to carry a certain amount of staff during the season and we are always on the hunt for people at this time of year," Thompson said.

"We have our own resident vet, Kevin Pendergast, that has been here for 10 years and I've known for 20 years. We've got our own resident farrier. We’ve got a good core group of people that are the backbone of the farm."