News

Hundreds of visitors to flock to Horse Capital

23rd Aug 2011

Thoroughbred News - Brian Russell - Tuesday, 23 August 2011

Hundreds of breeding and racing folk are certain to flock to Scone, the thoroughbred capital of Australia, and other centers in the Upper Hunter, later this week for a mini festival showcasing the region’s involvement in the industry.

The visitors will be provided with five days, August 25 – 29, of close association with the horse, comprised by a number of stallion parades at world class breeding farms, a national Awards Dinner, Inglis Annual Scone Broodmare sale, Equine Art display and finally a race meeting.

The biggest annual drawcard is the stallion parades, a program to be presented this year to invited guests by Coolmore, Widden, Darley,Vinery, Arrowfield and Kitchwin Hills. Among the sixty plus sires to be shown will be those who between them have taken out the Australian Champion Sire title in each of the past six years, namely Redoute’s Choice (twice), Flying Spur (both at Arrowfield), Encosta de Lago (twice), (Coolmore) and Lonhro (Darley).

Inglis have a catalogue 125 lots for their 2011 Scone Broodmare sale on Friday August 26 and will also have supplementary entries. The line up includes well related daughters of Danehill, Galileo, Snippets, Shamardal, Rock of Gibraltar, Mossman, Flying Spur, Encosta de Lago, Royal Academy, Red Ransom, Anabaa, Last Tycoon, Commands, Tale of the Cat, Street Cry, Fusaichi Pegasus and Zeditave. Quite a few of the mares will have foals in the spring.

Inglis have a new innovation for this year’s Stallion Parade Festival in the shape of an Equine Art Showing to be held at the Scone Arts and Crafts Centre on August 26, 27 and 28. It will be a showing of entries in their inaugural Inglis Equine Art Prize.

Another new feature this year is to be a prestigious social function, the Breeders’ 2011 National and NSW Breeding Awards Dinner, one to be conducted at the Scone Race Club on Saturday August 27. Awards are to include Champion Sire, Champion First Season Sire, Broodmare of the Year and International Horse of the Year.

On the Monday after the Parades weekend, there will a race meeting at Muswellbrook at which at least a hundred horses, predictably, will compete.