Changing of the guard at Cressfield this spring

Cressfield Stud in Parkville, north of Scone, with its grand Queen Anne homestead and rich pastures, has sat on the same fine property since the 1820s. In those days, it was a sheep and cattle holding, but by the late 1890s there were thoroughbreds dotted about. One of the first was the stallion Stockwell, who won the Epsom H. of 1888 and sired the stakes winner Cairngorm in 1900.

For nearly a century thereafter, Cressfield idled away from bloodstock, farming sheep and wheat until it was subdivided in the 1990s.

In the year 2000, its current owner, Tasmanian resident Bruce Neill, bought the property and, in tandem with long-time manager Wayne Bedggood, turned it into one of the finest boutique studs in Australian bloodstock.

Ever since, the Cressfield name has been built on rural excellence.

The property has anywhere between 30 and 35 commercial breeding mares each season, with around a dozen more retired stock. However, things will be a little different for Cressfield Stud this spring with the exit from breeding duties of some of its finest farm-making names.

Changing of the guard

In the last year or so, Cressfield has retired some very important mares from the Australian breeding scene, horses that have appeared in yearling catalogues year in, year out.

Among them is River Dove (Hurricane Sky), a G1 Oakleigh Plate winner and the dam of Vinery stallion Headwater. River Dove dropped her final foal last spring, a colt by Merchant Navy that is headed to the yearling sales in 2022.

She was a grand producer for Cressfield for a long time, producing 10 foals, six of which went to auction fetching an average of just over $1 million apiece. The most notable of these was Emaratee (Fastnet Rock), who sold to Emirates Park at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $4 million.

She’s also been in good company at Cressfield.

Among her fellow retirees this spring are Regimental Gal (General Nediym), who was Champion 3-Year-Old Filly in Australia when taking out the G1 Australia S., G1 Lightning S. and two other Group races through 2003, plus Personify (Galileo {Ire}), the dam of Oaks winner Personal (Fastnet Rock), and Star Satire (NZ) (Volksraad {GB}).

There’s also Our Egyptian Raine (NZ) (Desert Sun {GB}), a five-time Group winner and the dam of two-time Group winner Egyptian Symbol (Stratum).

For Cressfield over the years, Regimental Gal produced eight yearlings that averaged $460,000 on the sales circuit, while the same figure for Personify and Star Satire is slightly higher at $600,000. Each of these mares was either a Group 1 winner or has produced a Group 1 performer, and all produced stakes winners.

“We’ve been immensely fortunate to have had such wonderful matriarchs that have brought shape to the Cressfield vision,” Bruce Neill said. “These mares, in their prime, really signalled the arrival of Cressfield as a top player in the market, and it was their offerings that catapulted our sale averages year on year within the top five vendors.”

In with the new

The retirement of these big names hasn’t signalled a lull for Cressfield Stud. It’s more a changing of the guard, according to Neill.

In the last handful of years, the operation has reinvested into new bloodstock, buying at this year’s Inglis Chairman’s Sale, for instance, the G1 Oakleigh Plate and G1 Moir S. winner Pippie (Written Tycoon). Cressfield paid $1.8 million for the mare from the draft of Sledmere Stud, and she was covered by Exceed And Excel on September 1st.

Liesl Baumann is the operations manager at Cressfield Stud, and she said the Pippie match with Exceed And Excel was based on speed.

“Progeny of Exceed And Excel are always present in those early 2-year-old trials and races, and they’re obviously early maturing speed horses,” Baumann said.

“Fast maiden mares like Pippie suit him well and for us, ideally, the first foal is conceived and born early in the subsequent season, enabling it to develop ahead of the pack with a greater chance of being ready for the early 2-year-old races.”

Baumann said such a start was critical for the commercial longevity of a new mare like Pippie, but she also said the hook-up was ideal.

“On type, they appear to be a great match, Pippie being a more scopey, narrow-chested mare, taking benefit from the depth and musculature that Exceed can throw,” she said. “From a purely commercial standpoint, Exceed’s recent sales results have been exceptional, and we’ve been a long-time supporter of his. He’s a stallion that has served us well.”

Joining Pippie on the list of new additions for Cressfield is Quilista (Scandal Keeper {USA}), who was purchased as recently as May at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. She cost $1 million via Bruce Perry Bloodstock (BAFNZ) from the draft of Segenhoe Stud, and she was the winner of the 2018 G2 Sapphire S. and G3 Birthday Card S.

Quilista has a yearling filly by I Am Invincible and she is due to foal to Pierata this month. She is booked to Arrowfield’s perennial sire Snitzel.

Two main strategies

At Cressfield, the mating plans are executed equally by Neill, Bedggood and Baumann. It’s a team effort, with the former two concentrating on pedigrees and commerciality, and Baumann considering the particulars of type and conformation.

Owing to COVID, Neill hasn’t been to his stud from Tasmania for a long time, so his reliance on his team has been particularly heavy the last two breeding seasons.

“Their role is even more important during these COVID times as I haven’t visited the farm in the past 18 months,” Neill said.

During its planning for spring matings, Cressfield has a tried and trusted mantra. Its business plan targets the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale each January with 10 yearlings, and another 10 yearlings for the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale each April. To meet this, Cressfield breeds, on average, 25 to 30 mares annually (25 this season), and the selection of stallions is carefully considered on two points.

Firstly, Cressfield mares stay on-farm throughout the breeding season, so stallions are chosen locally in the Hunter Valley. Secondly, Neill and his team are careful to avoid breeding Danehill-line sires over Danehill-line mares, and largely this is achieved. But there are rare exceptions.

Group 1-winning mare Secret Agenda (Not A Single Doubt), whose first foal by I Am Invincible sold for $750,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter Sale, is booked to Capitalist this spring.

“This will represent a very similar cross to talented 2-year-old Enthaar, who is out of a full sister to Secret Agenda in Final Agreement,” Baumann said.

Secret Agenda has visited I Am Invincible for her three seasons at stud, so Capitalist represents a new direction for the outstanding former race-mare. She has a yearling filly by I Am Invincible on the farm and is due to the stallion this spring again.

The highlights

Of the 25 mares that Cressfield Stud will breed this season, many of them are a who’s who of performance and pedigree.

At the top of that list is the Hinchinbrook mare Spright, now an 8-year-old and a winner of the G1 Robert Sangster S. in 2019, along with three other Group races and a Listed event.

Spright had humble beginnings early in her life, a $12,000 weanling but a successful $100,000 pinhook yearling that went on to win $1.4 million in prizemoney. She had her first foal last year, a colt by Zoustar, and she had an I Am Invincible colt recently. She is booked back to the Yarraman stallion this season.

“She is such a quality, well-performed mare,” Baumann said. “I Am Invincible will just underpin her strengths while also providing the desired outcross. When viewing her Vinnie colt this year, it would be very hard to recommend she go anywhere else.”

Joining Spright in heading to I Am Invincible at Yarraman Park, Frankely Awesome is a 6-year-old daughter of Frankel (GB) and a winner of the Listed WJ McKell Cup last year. She was second to Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) in the G1 Vinery Stud S. and third to the same mare in the G1 Australasian Oaks in 2019.

Frankely Awesome was bred to Snitzel for her maiden season last spring.

“She is a big mare, so I think I Am Invincible will add some refinement to her big frame,” Baumann said.

At Cressfield, stakes winner Egyptian Symbol, a daughter of Our Egyptian Raine, has visited I Am Invincible for her last two seasons, the entirety of her breeding career. This spring, the stud is changing direction and she will head to Deep Field at Newgate Farm, who has entered his seventh season and whose fee has spiked to $88,000 (inc. GST) from $55,000 (inc. GST) last year.

“He’s a sire that we’ve used since he retired to stud,” Baumann said. “He has consistently thrown us attractive, strong and athletic horses that have sold well. His brilliant speed will no doubt result in a precocious, speedy individual.”

The loyalty to the Newgate stallion might, in part, come from broodmare Listen Here (Elusive Quality {USA}), who is the dam of Deep Field, Darley stallion Shooting To Win and Listed-winning mare Zaniah (Zoustar).

Listen Here was a $3.4 million broodmare purchase for China Horse Club and Bruce Perry Bloodstock at the Magic Millions National Sale in 2016. She was sold by Edinglassie Stud, and has been at Cressfield for a number of years.

Listen Here has been a remarkable sales mare also. Zaniah sold for $1 million at Inglis Easter in 2017, also bought by Bruce Perry, while Monte Invincible (I Am Invincible) is a now 2-year-old filly that sold at this year’s Inglis Easter Sale for $1,050,000 to Roughwood Park.

Listen Here is due to I Am Invincible shortly, and Cressfield has opted to send her to Zoustar at Widden Stud.

“With her, it’s about returning to the formula that works,” Baumann said. “Obviously she nicked so well with Northern Meteor, producing Deep Field and Shooting To Win, but in his absence we have chosen the next best option in Zoustar, his best-performed son. Listen Here has already got a filly by Zoustar in Zaniah, who was Group-performed and is another indication that the mare is well-placed to return to that sireline again.”

Among the remaining highlight mares for Cressfield, it’s an embarrassment of riches.

The broodmare Platelet (Strategic), who foaled a $1.8 million-selling colt by Exceed And Excel last year, is booked to Deep Field, while Miss Leonidas (I Am Invincible), a winner of the 2019 G2 Caulfield Sprint, is booked to Exceed And Excel.

There’s also Wild Rain (Manhattan Rain), the four-time stakes winner and dam of Tailwinds (I Am Invincible), the latter selling to James Harron for $610,000 at this year’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. Wild Rain is booked to Snitzel.

Table of some on Cressfield’s matings for 2021