Giddyup: Thoroughbred stud farm sales and listings in the equine world

Thoroughbred horse enthusiasts, who missed out on buying their preferred pony at this week’s Inglis Easter Yearling Sale, could invest in a stud farm instead.

This week our property contrarians, Jonathan Chancellor and Margie Blok, discuss recent sales and new property listings in the equine world.  

• Tyreel Stud, a magnificent thoroughbred complex at Agnes Banks, traded for $5.85 million in February through Jamie Inglis of Inglis Rural Property. 

In a premium position on the banks of the Hawkesbury/Nepean River and near Richmond at the foot of the Blue Mountains, the 41-hectare property has extensive equine facilities including 12 large paddocks, 20 day yards, 3 barns, 25 stables, wash bays, feed rooms, a veterinarian room, lunging area and horse walker workshop. 

Also on the estate are a stately circa 1880 main homestead with beautiful views to the Blue Mountains, a manager’s residence, staff cottages and workman’s residence. With an abundance of water including a 163 Mega litre water licence, the entire stud farm is fully irrigated and virtually drought proof.

• Last month Cadman Lodge, at Mount Hunter near Narrellan on the outskirts of Sydney, sold for $3.05 million through McGrath Camden agents Luke Manion and Anna Younan. Situated one hour’s drive west of Sydney, the 41-hectare Spring Creek Road estate is close to Camden and Menangle. 

Cadman Lodge’s  tree-lined driveway leading to an impressive main stable complex (with 19 stables), a horse arena, six day yards, a 600-metre horse training track and two substantial modern residences including a grand five-bedroom homestead set in established gardens with a 12-metre swimming pool.

Considering a yearling colt (by Street Cry out of Star on High) sold for $1.5 million at the Inglis sale on Wednesday, the price of Cadman Lodge seems small biscuits. 

• Also close to Sydney is Boscobel Stud, the historic Southern Highlands thoroughbred farm listed for sale through Bowral agent, Ian Rayner. 

Occupying 48.5 hectares on Exeter Road at Sutton Forest, Boscobel has significant horse infrastructure including nine horse boxes, a tack room, stallion shed, hayshed, silo and shelter sheds. 

A feature of the property is its grand two-storey circa 1870s homestead with six bedrooms, beautiful formal living rooms and magnificent original period features including 3.6 metre high ceilings, cedar joinery and a cedar staircase. 

Boscobel last traded for $5.5 million in 2007 when Steven Hallis bought it from Richard Turnley. During the 1960s, when Boscobel was owned by Keith Probert, the property stood a number of prominent sires including triple Derby winner Royal Sovereign. Among superior thoroughbreds raised at Boscobel was Tierce, winner of the 1991 Golden Slipper. 

• In Victoria, Yallambee Stud is listed for sale through Mark Webster and Jamie Inglis of Inglis Rural Property. One of Victoria’s oldest and most successful thoroughbred stud farms, it occupies 137.5 hectares on Mt Eliza Road at Kerrie.

A first class breeding and spelling operation, Yallambee Stud is a highly competitive player in the Victorian breeding industry. It produces exceptional yearlings, and consistently rates in the top five vendors at the Melbourne Sales. Among the notable racehorses raised at Yallambee Stud are Testafiable, Vintedge, Vormista, Rostova and Rock Kingdom.

Featuring expansive grounds with beautiful deciduous trees, the property has 10 super-size stables, steel barns (with 28 boxes), six foaling boxes, a horse parade, sand yard, an eight-horse walker, numerous large paddocks, sheds, barns, feed rooms, a veterinary complex, a recently built homestead and two staff cottages.

Occupying ideal country for equine operations, Yallambee Stud has been designed to suit thoroughbred breeding, rearing youngsters and racehorse spelling. Apart from its extensive infrastructure, magnificent views, lush paddocks and beautiful deciduous trees planted by the Woodward family, this well established thoroughbred property appeals to me due to the convenience of its location, just 50 kilometres from Melbourne city centre and 30 minutes drive from Tullamarine Airport.

• There is also Northwood Farm, a stud surely for the making given it's in Victoria’s thoroughbred horse breeding heartland with the key appeal of a direct frontage to the Goulburn River at Northwood. The 55 hectare Northwood Farm at 60 Johnsons Lane has been listed for May 24 auction through agent Bart O'Sullivan at Pat Rice & Hawkins with expectations around $2 million.

Northwood Farm, which has been a cattle grazing property, has its immediate neighbour, Eliza Park Northwood one of the breeding properties of the Eliza Park group owned by Hong Kong based Sun International while just a short distance away is Darley Stud that has recently undergone a major development by the Al Maktoum family, the ruling family of Dubai.

A little further north on the same side of Northwood Road are to be found the further acclaimed thoroughbred studs and breeding farms including Yarran and the major Swettenham Stud.

Its impressive stone and timber homestead was designed by French architect Claudine Dublier with granite stone sourced locally from Oak Valley in the nearby Strathbogie Ranges for the vendors Tony and Cathy Blazey who selected the land when it was just vacant farm land in 2000. 

• Bhima Stud, at Scone in the Upper Hunter Valley, is for sale at $5.8 million through Michael Burke of MacCallum Inglis.  A prominent thoroughbred breeding farm, Bhima was developed into a renowned horse property after World War II by Vivian Bath. 

On the town’s outskirts, and conveniently situated near Scone Race Club, Scone Vet surgery and Scone Air Strip, Bhima occupies 160.5 hectares of prime Upper Hunter horse country, ranging from extensive alluvial flats to moderate easterly facing basalt slopes - the perfect land mix for breeding and rearing thoroughbred horses. 

Bhima has a full complement of stud improvements including an 18-box stable barn (with central quadrangle and parading pathway), a 10-horse electric horse walker (undercover), a covered round yard (with adjacent yards), a six-box vet hospital (with underground heating and elevated night watch office), two vet areas, and two separate three-box stable barns formerly used as stallion boxes.

The property has excellent water with a 400 megalitre irrigation licence from two reliable wells, and frontage to the Kingdon Ponds and Middle Brook.

Its showpiece is an historic circa 1910 homestead with 4.8 metre high pressed metal ceilings, a grand entrance hallway, four bedrooms, gracious living and dining rooms and a separate guest quarters. Other improvements include weatherboard manager’s house, a three-bedroom Hardiplank home and transportable quarters for seasonal workers.

HE SAID:

If I were a horse enthusiast, I’d snap up Northwood Farm (pictured below). Surely the neighbours will be good for more than a cup of sugar once you secure the offering and pop in on the neighbours.

SHE SAID: 

With a proven track record for breeding top quality bloodstock, it’s Bhima (pictured below) for me.

When it comes to thoroughbreds, I’m a traditionalist with a soft spot for the Upper Hunter which has developed into a mature and internationally acclaimed thoroughbred breeding region, since I first visited Bhima during the early 1970s when Vivian Bath stood the stallion, Biscay – sire of Bletchingly whose progeny include Kingston Town (named Australia’s champion racehorse in 1980), Emancipation and Canny Lad who sired the celebrated broodmare, Shantha’s Choice, dam of leading sires Redoute's Choice and Manhattan Rain.

Apart from its suitability for thoroughbreds, Bhima’s history appeals to me. It had been a dairy, tobacco farm and cattle property before the World War II, and during the war years it was used as an internment camp before Vivian Bath developed it as a horse property which has also been in wise hands of late, the White family.