The Magic Millions/Atkins Photography SA Owner of the Month award winners for May was Rob and Maureen McBryde part owners of Voltage Point. Rob forwarded this application: This storey begins with Summerset Park Stud preparing the eighth foal (by Artie Schiller (USA)) out of More Than Ready mare Voltara for the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale in March 2022. In the lead-up to the Sales, the Magic Millions Sales Company arranged a bus tour of a number of Adelaide Hills studs for interested local buyers to pre-view a number of stud drafts. Among other attendees was Morphettville trainer, Chris Bieg, who took a shine to the Artie Schiller colt presented in Summerset Park’s parade of yearlings. At the Sales, when the colt was sent for pre-sale endoscopic examination (“scope”), he refused to co-operate, taking a decided dislike to the horse crush, the nose twitch and the whole procedure. Consequently, it was not possible to undertake the examination without the benefit of heavy sedation, whereupon the recorded scope was entirely unsatisfactory due to the sedation reducing any meaningful movement of the throat cartilages. The result of this refusal to co-operate with the scope examination was a decision to not lodge the recorded scope in the MM Repository for visiting veterinarians to view as it was so unsatisfactory. It is said that the colt is the only horse in the 2022 Adelaide MM Sales to not have a scope video lodged in the Repository. Not to be put off by the colt’s refusal and lack of scope video, Chris Bieg was the successful purchaser of the colt at $25,000, having had the previous experience of purchasing a Duporth filly that refused to submit to a scope examination and yet becoming a successful racehorse (Unscopeable) .  Subsequently, Summerset Park purchased back a small interest in the colt and is part of the ownership group of Voltage Point. After Voltage Point’s first win (start number 4), an offer for him came from Hong Kong interests on the back of another Voltara foal (Galaxy Patch) who was starting to make a name for himself in his first season in HK (eventually named Champion 4 Y O in HK for 2023-2024 season). Chris Bieg debated with himself as to whether to proceed with the necessary veterinary examinations that would be required to pass fit for Hong Kong. In the end, Chris agreed to proceed, to see what would happen. Predictably, Voltage Point refused to co-operate once again with the notion of undergoing endoscopic examination. The veterinary review and thoughts of sale to Hong Kong had to be abandoned! Voltage Point has since won 4 additional races, with one 2nd and two 3rd placings, culminating in his last win in the Sportsbet Handicap over 1050m at Morphettville on 3rd May (Derby Day) at his first run back from a spell, with total prizemoney earnings of nearly $212,000, including $22,250 of Racing Rewards SA bonuses. As well-respected race commentator Terry McCauliffe noted in a post-race interview with Chris Bieg after Voltage Point’s win in the Sportsbet Hcp, he was a good investment! Since Rob wrote this Voltage Point has won again and at the time of writing his record stands at 26 runs with 6 wins one second and three thirds with earnings of almost $260,000 including $22,500 of Racing Rewards Bonuses. Voltage Point is by Artie Schiller from the More Than Ready mare Voltara. Voltara, now deceased, has produced eight progeny to race, all have at least one race to their credit. As Rob mentions Galaxy Patch (by Wandjina) is the star of the group with 9 wins from 21 starts and earning of over 30 million HK dollars which converts to approximately $6 Million $AUS. He was awarded the Champion Four Year Old in Hong Kong in 2024. Other progeny of note include Comesaroundsundown (by Not A Single Doubt) Freedom Road (by Good Journey); Creativity (by Master Of Design); and Exaltara (by Excelebration), all of which were multiple winners. Rob served SAROA extremely well as Treasurer for many years and we wish him and Maureen all the best with Voltage Point and their other horses.

The Magic Millions/Atkins Photography SA Owner of the Month award winner for April was Dr John Sinclair part owner of Mine All Mine. John told us his story: I would like to think that I inherited my love for horses and racing from my grandfather, George Badman, who raced and bred horses in the 1930’s and 1940’s. He was very successful with horses like Auries Star and the Gem family of horses which included French Gem, Royal Gem, Beau Gem, and Crown Gem. My racing experiences began with my wife Meredith when we decided to breed thoroughbreds after successfully breeding cross country and dressage horses. She certainly had a good eye for a horse. This all started forty-five years ago and over the years we have enlisted the expertise of trainers that have included Peter Hayes, Ray Taylor, Leon MacDonald, Ryan Balfour and John Macmillan. At this point in time, I have an interest in twenty horses with John. One of the highlights being giving Jamie Kah her first Victorian win on Highness at Moonee Valley. With respect to Mine All Mine, John Macmillan and I were at the Adelaide Magic Millions sales when the yearling entered the ring. We had inspected the horse several times and we both agreed it looked a speedy type. There were a number of bids and John was about to stop but a quick elbow to his ribs and the horse was ours. This was exactly the same scenario when we bought Aiguilette. We both consider Mine All Mine will have many more wins in the future. Mine All Mine is by Overshare out of the Blevic mare Alabama Missile and  has, at the time writing, raced 14 times for 4 wins, 2 seconds and 2 thirds with earnings of just over $95,000 including nearly $17,000 in Racing Rewards bonuses. So far Mine All Mine is the dam’s only progeny of note but there are two well bred colts yet to go racing. The granddam Crimson Tide (by Marju) has left one multiple winner, also by Blevic in Crimson Tycoon. The third dam a daughter of Miswaki, Our Miz Waki also left little of note. As John mentions he has part owned and bred a number of good horses during his time in racing including Highness (by Dolphin Street) out of the very good producer Fly In Style  a daughter of Flying Spur. She also produced Hurricane Andy (by Kaphero), Mile High (also by Kaphero), and Stryke in Style (by Stryker). Unfortunately Fly In Style’s female progeny have largely been ill-fated but the Palentino mare Velvet Gem is racing currently. We extend our best wishes to John for continued luck with Mine All Mine and his other racing interests.  

We at SAROA were saddened today to learn of the passing of former SAROA president Ken Cock. Ken was a passionate supporter of racing and racehorse owners in particular and was a member of the SAROA committee from 2016 through to 2024. He served as SAROA President from 2018 to 2021 and as Vice President from 2021 to 2024. Ken took over the role of President at relatively short notice in what was a turbulent time for the association. He enthusiastically took on the role of rebuilding SAROA’s relationships with other industry bodies. His intelligence, communication skills and ability to think outside the square contributed strongly to SAROA and to racing in general. He will be missed.

The Magic Millions/Atkins Photography SA Owners of the Month award winners for March Bevan and Lynette Crowell part owners of Blissful Bay. The Crowells told us this about their lives in racing: We have always had a strong interest in horses which included Bevan being clerk of the course at the Balaklava races for many years. Blissful Bay is a gelding we bred ourselves by a local stallion from a brood mare given to us by Darryl Dodson and we promised to send her first foal to him to train. Darryl trained one of our first racehorses, Polar Sun, which was incidentally Claire Lindop’s first South Australian winner. We have bred or purchased some reasonably well preformed horses including One More Jack, Its Been A Battle, Nasho, Ustinov’s Fury & Blissful Bay. We are also part owners of Sghrippa, Dodd & a number of young horses coming through. We have cut back our breeding program to one or two foals per year but still follow racing closely. Blissful Bay is a four-year-old by Hualalai from Hungry Kiss a Sebring mare. At the time of writing his race record stands at 1 win and 1 second from six starts and earnings of $24,000 including over $8000 in Racing Rewards bonuses. His dam Hungry Kiss has only produced two to race so far with Blissful Bay the best. The granddam Discretionary (by Hurricane Sky) has produced the seven-time winner Magnusificent (by Magnus); and another seven-time winner of over $170,000 in Dangerous Breeding (by Wanted). The third dam Sovereign Ruby (by Sovereign Red) left two black type winners in Doubting (by Redoute’s Choice) who won five stakes races including the Group 2 Kewney Stakes with her six wins earning more than $780,000 and Special Edition (by Umatilla) who won a Group 3 VATC Blue Diamond Preview and was latter exported to Macau. Others of her progeny include Yellow And Black (by Western Symphony) who produced Boudi Woudi (by Easy Rocking) who was a listed winner in New Zealand. The Crowells maintain a strong involvement in SA racing and have had their share of success with several of the horses they mention, perhaps most notably Sghrippa. We wish them continued success in the future. Apologies but we were unable to obtain a photo.

The Magic Millions/Atkins Photography SA Owner of the Month SA Owner of the Month for December Dennis Gardiner chats with Gary Newton on the At The Barriers podcast. Listen here

Listen to Alana and Gary here

 The SAROA ‘Above and Beyond’ Award Apprentice Award for 2024 went to Alana Livesey. SAROA members were asked to nominate apprentices for this award against the following criteria Putting in extra work with a horse or horses who need that to perform theirbest or for their well-being; Good communication with owners; Demonstrating a commitment to their profession despite setbacks orchallenges; Demonstrating a commitment to equine welfare; Demonstrating leadership and/or sportsmanship; and/or Any other particular circumstances that the nominator considers relevant tothe nomination. SAROA received five nominations for the award this year with Alana receiving all five. She was praised for her excellent communication with owners and her work ethic and professionalism. A worthy winner of our award, she also was recognised as Runner Up to the Dux of the Academy. Congratulations Alana on these well deserved accolades.

Since its inception, our Owner of the Month Award has been known simply as the SAROA Owner of the Month. Over the years, we’ve acknowledged the support of our various sponsors, but the award name has remained unchanged. Recently, Terry Hann from Atkins Photography approached us with a thoughtful suggestion for enhancing the prize. He offered to create a personalized bottle of wine featuring a photo of the race winner. After discussing this idea with our other sponsor, Magic Millions, we are excited to announce the award’s new name: The Magic Millions/Atkins Photography SA Owner of the Month. The revamped award will continue to include the $200 voucher from Magic Millions, redeemable at the Glenelg BBQ Inn. In addition, the winner will now receive a personalized bottle of wine valued at $95 from Atkins Photography. Below is a preview of the label for our first winner.

John Kelton showcased his expertise in punting and form analysis at the recent SAROA end-of-year event, captivating attendees with his journey and insights into the racing world. Fresh off the plane from Melbourne, where he had been filming GetOn SA, John shared stories of his early days in racing. Inspired by his grandfather, he immersed himself in the sport, accompanying him to trackwork and race meetings across South Australia. Despite starting his career as an engineer, John’s passion for racing led him to the Northern Territory, where he worked as an analyst for All Sports. Eventually, he returned to South Australia to pursue a career focused on the punt. At the gathering, John provided a rare look into his family-built database and the meticulous process he follows to gather intelligence from various sources. This data, combined with his unmatched attention to detail, enables him to frame markets and assess runners’ chances with remarkable accuracy. It’s no surprise that John is regarded as one of Australia’s premier form analysts and tipsters. SAROA members were grateful for the time he generously shared, and with his lessons in mind, they’ll no doubt be looking to land a few extra winners in the weeks ahead. 60 seconds with ‘Kelts’ 1. Favourite horse (that you don’t own): Winx 2. Which horse would you like a share in? Via Sistina 3. Jockey to ride for your life? Matthew Neilsen 4. Best track to punt? Morphettville (outer) 5. What track haunts you as a punter? Mornington 6. What horse haunts you as a punter? Redzel 7. Which track do you miss more, Cheltenham or Victoria Park? Cheltenham 8. How valuable is trained on track in SA provincials? Very valuable at Strathalbyn and Oakbank but less so the others. 9. Superstitions? None 10. Favourite Group 1 race? The Goodwood 11. A race meeting worldwide you’d like to go to? A big UK jumps carnival 12. SA apprentices on the rise? Alan Lai & Brooke King 13. Favourite gear change? Blinkers off 14. Black Caviar or Winx? Winx