Raising an athlete

When Doug and Janet Moore decided to locate their harness racing standardbred breeding nursery Brooklyn Lodge from Aberdeen near Scone they looked long and hard for the right location.

“There was a lot of time researching to find the right property,” Ben said.

The search took them to The Lagoon, just outside Bathurst, in 1999.

“We purchased it with the sole view of raising an athlete.”

And as they prepare to take 25 foals to the Nutrien Equine Standardbred Yearling Sale in Sydney on Sunday, February 20, more than 20 years down the track this is exactly what their main objective continues to be.

“We run our horses in big mobs in big paddocks,” Ben said.

“It’s nothing to see 30 or 40 colts in a (100-acre) paddock galloping flat out from one end to another.

“The concept is food at one end and water at the other with rolling hills in between.

“It helps us raise a quality animal, a quality athlete to do a job.

“They learn to run and play, and learn to be a horse first, which we believe is important when trying to raise a racehorse.

“Our horses are pretty well grown and mature by the time they come in,” he said.

“We only have them in for the last stage of preparation, five to six weeks before a sale.”

It is at this stage that Melanie as studmaster is in complete control.

“When it comes to yearlings she’s boss,” Ben said.

While 22 lots of Brooklyn Lodge’s own and another three for clients is a significant number, it is much fewer than they once took to the sales.

“We’ve scaled back over the past seven to eight years. We took more than 50 one year when we were the biggest (consigner) on the East Coast.

“We’ve by choice handed over the baton to others for various reasons.”

A major influence was an incident in 2015, which left Doug Moore a paraplegic and confined to a wheelchair.

Looking to the sale, Ben Settree has no hesitation in nominating what he believes is Brooklyn Lodge’s best foal – lot 19, a Captaintreacherous-The Arch Nemesis (Jeremes Jet) filly.

“She’s a magnificent individual. She’s athletic and has a pedigree which will carry her into the breeding barn.

“We have some well-bred, dual-purpose fillies, but she’s the stand-out. She’s the star.

The Arch Nemesis has left two winners – Crunch Time (Somebeachsomewhere) 1:49.6 and Captain Crusader (Captaintreacherous) 1:50.6.

 “Fingers crossed she’ll make an impact in the sale ring,” he said.

Ben also has a real liking for lot 42 – a Rock N Roll Heaven-Betapic filly.

“She’s very much in the mould of lot 19.”

He said Betapic was a family favourite, having been one of six winners bred by Brooklyn Lodge out of Picket Line (Entrepreneur).

Betapic won 14 races and as a broodmare has produced four winners.

Ben said she had left some nice horses without any being a superstar, including Captaintreacherous filly Beta Jewel (5 wins), which was sold for $72,500 as a yearling in 2019, an Art Major filly for $27,500 in 2020 and Art Major for $22,500 last year.

Brooklyn Lodge believes it has an even lot of colts, but Ben was prepared to single out lot 95, by Art Major and out of NZ-bred Bettors Delight mare Nothing Else Matters.

“He’s a lovely colt.”

Ben Settree said was an old saying in harness racing – go to the best and hope for the best.

He said in keeping with this Brooklyn Lodge always focused on taking mares to the best sires available after matching up physical and racing attributes and temperaments as well as bloodlines.

It has certainly paid off over the years.

Brooklyn Lodge attracted an Australian record price of $245,000 for now Victoria Cup winner Max Delight as a yearling in 2017.

“We were fortunate a few buyers were interested and they went all out.”

Maybe it can happen again in Sydney.

* Betapic is the granddam of a Vincent-Decapria colt sold for $95,000 at the APG yearling sale in Melbourne on Sunday.

By David Brehaut