Tributes Flow for Thoroughbred Visionary B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm | 2 | Friday, August 20, 2021
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Friday, August 20, 2021 | Dedicated to the Australasian bloodstock industry - subscribe for free: Click here MAIDEN OF THE WEEK: RED HAWK - PAGE 16 MORNING BRIEFING - PAGE 8 Read Tomorrow's Issue For Tributes flow for Saturday Spotlight thoroughbred visionary What's on Race meetings: Murwillumbah (NSW), B. Wayne Hughes of Bendigo (VIC), Ipswich (QLD), Canberra (ACT) Barrier trials / Jump-outs: Randwick (NSW), Murwillumbah (NSW), Flemington (VIC), Spendthrift Farm Rockhampton (QLD), Canberra (ACT), Oamaru (NZ) Prominent owner and International meetings: Kempton (GB), Musselburgh (GB), Newcastle (GB), breeder to also leave Salisbury (GB), York (GB), Killarney (IRE), a legacy through Clairefontaine (FR), Fairview (SAF), Taipa (MAC), Del Mar (US), Remington Park (US), his successful Saratoga (US) Australian operation International Group races: York (GB) - Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f), Gimcrack Stakes (Gr 2, 6f), Lonsdale Cup (Gr 2, 2m), Del Mar (US) - Rancho Bernardo Handicap (Gr 3, 6.5f) Sales: Inglis Digital August (Late) Sale would leave a long-lasting legacy on the BY TIM ROWE | @ANZ_NEWS racing and breeding industry Down Under t takes a special individual to take despite the relatively short time which has on a challenge the enormity of a elapsed since the inception of his Australian thoroughbred stud. That goes for operation. anywhere, not least of all on the other Cuddy yesterday reflected on Hughes, Iside of the world and at the age of 81, but that a man who has undoubtedly left a big is what American racing visionary B. Wayne impression on him since being called up out Hughes undertook in Australia almost seven of the blue to fly to America for an interview. years ago. “The one thing I guess everybody would MORNING BRIEFING Hughes died at his home on Spendthrift know about Mr Hughes is how driven he was Farm in Kentucky yesterday, aged 87, to succeed,” Cuddy said. Sensational Snowfall storms surrounded by his family, triggering tributes “To be the best is really the only option to third Oaks success at York from industry figures from around the world. for him. He’s obviously got into the stallion Snowfall (Deep Impact) posted another brilliant Garry Cuddy, Spendthrift Australia business later in life but he’s given it a fair performance to win the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m general manager, said US-based Hughes whack.” Continued on page 2>> 4f) at York yesterday. Continued on page 15>> FRI 20TH-WED 26TH AUG 2021 - INGLIS DIGITAL AUG (LATE) SALE SALE LIVE - CLICK HERE Follow us @anz_news | 1 | Brought to you by Tributes flow for thoroughbred visionary B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm | 2 | Friday, August 20, 2021 << Continued from page 1 That was at the forefront of Cuddy’s mind when speaking to ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday, adding: “It’s not IT WAS A RISK MR HUGHES WAS WILLING TO been a great morning, that’s for sure, but he probably wouldn’t want it any TAKE, HE WAS WILLING TO SET IT ALL UP AND RUN other way (and that is) we plough on. The breeding season is just around the THE GAUNTLET THAT HE WOULD BE HERE WHEN corner, he’d be telling us, so we’ve got to keep selling those nominations.” THE SUCCESS STARTED. UNFORTUNATELY, HE Hughes established Spendthrift Australia in April 2015 after WON’T BE HERE WITH US BUT HIS LEGACY WILL purchasing Yallambee Stud at Romsey in Victoria from which his southern LIVE ON THROUGH HIS FAMILY AND THROUGH US hemisphere operation is based. DOWN HERE. HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET THE END Opening an Australian arm came 11 years after Hughes, one of this RESULT THAT HE WANTED FOR AUSTRALIA AND century’s most influential industry investors, took over and subsequently MAKE HIM PROUD - GARRY CUDDY rebuilt Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. He bought the farm in 2004 and moved from California to Kentucky to indulge his passion for racing and breeding. He remained on the farm “For us to then be lucky enough to follow Malibu Moon up with a until his death. horse like Into Mischief was a fantastic thing, but I definitely think the Hughes immediately set about redeveloping Spendthrift Farm by improving icing on the cake for Mr Hughes was Authentic’s win in the Kentucky its infrastructure and depth of its bloodstock. His blueprint was helped Derby last year. immensely by stallions Malibu Moon (A.P. Indy) and twice reigning champion “That was the race he always wanted and it was a race he hadn’t had Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday), but Cuddy was in no doubt that it was the very much luck in. latter’s son Authentic (Into Mischief) who provided Hughes with his finest “Even on that day, he had a second runner in the race who gate moment in the industry when he won last year’s Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 10f). scratched in the saddling paddock (Thousand Words), so we thought, “Malibu Moon was a homebred for Mr Hughes, so for him to become ‘here we go again’ but some of the footage that was circulated at that the first stallion to come to Spendthrift (in 2008) and get to the levels that time of Authentic’s win just showed how much the industry meant to Mr he did (was special),” Cuddy said. Hughes and how much he just loved it.” Continued on page 4>> Follow us @anz_news | 2 | Brought to you by Tributes flow for thoroughbred visionary B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm | 4 | Friday, August 20, 2021 << Continued from page 2 Hughes, who owned horses for five decades, also raced the three-time Breeders’ Cup winner of 11 Grade 1 races, and 18 in total, in Beholder (Henny Hughes), who was one of only three mares in history to be crowned a four-time Eclipse Award champion in the years of 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, a prize recognising the leading horses in the US from across the different divisions. Hughes employed Cuddy as Spendthrift Australia’s inaugural general manager at the age of 27 on the recommendation of then Magic Millions managing director Vin Cox and Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association. “Ned Toffey rang me one day, our general manager from Kentucky, and he said he’d been talking to Vin Cox who was obviously my first boss in this industry and Chauncey Morris and they’d recommended me for a role in the company in Australia and could I come up to Kentucky and Garry Cuddy SPENDTHRIFT AUSTRALIA have an interview with them?” Cuddy recalled. “I jumped on a plane two days later, went up and met Mr Hughes and Under Cuddy’s leadership, Spendthrift Australia is now entering its most Ned. From the first time I met him, I knew that I liked him. He was such a exciting phase with Group 2-winning sprinter Dirty Work (Written Tycoon) kind, generous man. standing his first season at stud this year and the first two-year-olds by Overshare “The level of conversation that you could have with him went from (I Am Invincible), another yearling purchase, about to hit the racetrack. general chit chat through to boardroom level discussion and that could be However, Cuddy said the plan for Spendthrift Australia was not from sentence to sentence. initially the vision Hughes had for his racing and breeding interests in the “He was a very inspiring man and it was great when I was able to get southern hemisphere but that it was his determination to achieve which up there and meet him and join the team.” led to the stud’s establishment. Continued on page 6>> Follow us @anz_news | 4 | Brought to you by LEADING 2ND SEASON AUSTRALIAN SIRES BY WINNERS IN 2020/21 Rank Stallion Wnrs SWs (SWins) 1 PRIDE OF DUBAI 49 3 (3) 2 VANCOUVER 46 2 (3) - Headwater 46 2 (2) Source: Arion Pedigrees, 2nd Aug. SANDY PRINCE won by nearly 2½ lengths over 1400m at Sandown on Wednesday for Ben and JD Hayes. His big race entries include the Golden Rose-Gr.1 and Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1. “He’s an exciting horse so he might be putting his hand up to run in some of those nice spring races.” Ben Hayes OTHER EXCITING PROSPECTS FOR THIS SEASON: Saif (Golden Rose entry), Achiever (Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup entries), Splendiferous (Caulfield Cup entry), Sirileo Miss, Easifar etc. CHILL won her maiden at Randwick over “She’ll go towards the Flight Stakes and better 1250m on Wednesday for Anthony Cummings. races. She comes from the same family as Her big race targets include the MRC Thousand Outback Prince and Hotel Grand that were Guineas-Gr.1 and Flight Stakes-Gr.1. both great horses for the stable and we think she can live up to that.” Anthony Cummings OTHER EXCITING PROSPECTS FOR THIS SEASON: Yaletown (Caulfield Cup/Melbourne Cup entry), Vangelic (Golden Eagle entry), Cape Breton (Golden Rose/Caulfield Guineas entries), Mynumerouno (Caulfield Guineas entry), Night Raid, Overpass etc. Both Gr.1-winning 2YOs and proven young sires. Call now for exceptional value! Colm Santry, John Kennedy, Paddy Oman, Tom Moore, Rob Archibald or Emma Pugsley Tel: 02 6576 4200. New Zealand: Gordon Calder Tel:+64 218 41612. www.coolmore.com Tributes flow for thoroughbred visionary B. Wayne Hughes of Spendthrift Farm | 6 | Friday, August 20, 2021 << Continued from page 4 “We were just looking to have a couple everything he did. His loss will be felt by many in the industry, especially of stallions to shuttle down here and in the end Mr Hughes decided, those who were close to him.” ‘bugger this, I am going to do it myself and I am going to buy a farm’.