The Next Generation

How did you get started in the thoroughbred world?

I was born into it, destined for it. There would be something wrong with me if I didn’t want to get into the
horse world with my parents having bred and raced a horse like Northerly! My grandfather Bob was a trainer, the champion Battle Heights stayed with him when he campaigned in Perth in 1974 (winning the C.B Cox Stakes) and I have a photo of a two-year-old me on his back. I have always loved horses and I am lucky that I have had two people, my dad Neville and my pop, give me the guidance I have needed.

What is you current involvement?

My wife Jo and I are directors of the Duncan Equine Group equine fencing business and we are also keen owner/breeders. Jo is the most integral part of our thoroughbred operation, she keeps the whole thing running whilst I concentrate on the fencing; without her our farm would not have got to where it is today – and where it is heading to!

A couple of years ago we actually decided to scale down but then on a trip to the Gold Coast we ended up buying five mares – so we jumped right back in. We sold the highest priced Shalaa weanling (a $150,000 colt out of the Group Three placed Skating On Ice) at the 2019 Gold Coast Magic Millions which was quite a coup for us, we were rapt. In 2020 we sent three mares to east coast stallions, 11 to local horses. We bought a share in I’m All The Talk and have four mares in foal to him, as well as four to Dad’s horse Sessions, others to Playing God and War Chant. We have eight foals on the ground this year.

We are in a lovely part of the world, sitting on 150 acres just down the road from dad and on the same road as Peter Walsh at Amelia Park; three of us within four kilometres; a great little breeding ground for horses!

What are your hopes for the future?

To keep breeding (probably between six to ten horses a year) and racing. We want to keep supporting the Western Australian industry, spreading our horses amongst a few trainers; at the moment we have horses with Simon Miller, Adam Durrant, Justin Warwick, Martin Allen and Jimmy Taylor. And hopefully we will have a few more in work with a few more trainers in 2021.

We will continue to breed to sell as well though we don’t want to give our horses away. I don’t believe that we should sell ourselves short and I like to think that buyers will be happy that we believe in our horses… if you don’t think your horse can win a race you should not be selling them.

We have had a few stakes placings, hopefully there is a stakes winner in the near future.

What do you love about racing and breeding – and about the Western Australian industry?

What I love most about breeding is seeing a foal we bred get to the track and perform, even when it is for someone else, it is an amazing thing. Even if they don’t win, just to go to the races and watch one of your own, it’s fantastic.

I love Western Australian racing, we have some awesome tracks, fantastic places to go and see your horse run. The industry is turning a corner, the stallion pool is improving as is the overall quality of our horses, everything is on an upward cycle which is great.

View the magazine here: https://issuu.com/magicmillions/docs/2021_perth_magazine