TDN Q&A: John Kelly, Newhaven Park

The Kelly family has been breeding Thoroughbreds at Newhaven Park since the 1920s; not long after Inglis began staging the Easter yearling sale at Newmarket in 1906. Newhaven has developed a synonymous relationship with the sales company, selling winners of the Golden Slipper and numerous Classics through its ring. Newhaven has also enjoyed some great moments with its homebreds in recent years, like Group 1-winning mares Peeping (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) and English (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}). This year, Newhaven's yearling sale purchase Frolic (Aus) (Husson) won the Inglis Classic and G2 Reisling S. before finishing second in the Golden Slipper. With young sires Delago Deluxe (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Xtravagant (NZ) (Pentire {GB}) going for it, it seems likely the nursery will stay in the news for years to come. Newhaven will offer a draft of 18 at Easter this week, and the TDN's Kelsey Riley sat down with John Kelly, the fourth generation to run Newhaven, at Newmarket to discuss his last consignment at the historic sales ground before Inglis moves to Riverside in 2018, and more.

KR: Newhaven Park has been in operation almost as long as Inglis has been selling yearlings at Newmarket. What are some of your favourite memories here?

JK: There are so many memories here. For most people, this is where they got their start in the horse business, whether they started off as a strapper and ended up a farm manager, a trainer or a vet; and then these people, when they made their first trade or whatever they did, it happened here. It's a great social time as well as a great business time. I can't tell you what our best memories are, but we've sold many wonderful horses here, Golden Slipper winners, Derby winners, Oaks winners, but just the great times we've had here is the most amazing thing.

KR: Who would you nominate as the highlights of your Easter draft?

JK: We have two lovely colts, a Sebring (Aus) half-brother to Peeping (lot 232). He's a lovely horse who has been very well admired. We have a beautiful Redoute's Choice colt (lot 50), a full-brother to Wylie Hall (Aus) and a half-brother to Absolute Champion (Aus) (Marauding {NZ}), and he's a lovely horse. We've got a filly by Redoute's Choice out of Court (Aus) (Anabaa) (lot 87) who is a half-sister to English. She's a unique opportunity; it's very rare that fillies like that get sold. She's the third foal of a young mare and a half-sister to a champion 2- and 3-year-old filly by the champion sire in the country.

KR: How did you come to the decision to sell the Redoute's Choice filly out of Court? Did you ever think of retaining her?

JK: We breed horses to sell horses. We race a few horses and we buy fillies, but we have some lovely members of the family. English's half-sister Puzzle (Aus) (Shamardal)'s first foal is a beautiful Exceed and Excel (Aus) filly, and Court herself has a beautiful Snitzel (Aus) weanling filly, so we have a lot of fillies in the family so we brought her here to sell her.

KR: Newhaven Park has a pair of exciting young sires in Delago Deluxe and Xtravagant. Delago Deluxe has his first 2-year-olds racing this season, and Xtravagant will stand his first season this year. How is Delago Deluxe doing with his first runners, and how has Xtravagant been received by breeders?

JK: Delago Deluxe has had his first winner and he's started off well. He's been very well admired. His yearlings have sold very well this year, which makes us very happy that trainers like them. We're really excited about Xtravagant. We have a great syndicate of breeders in on him and we think he's a wonderful opportunity for Australian breeders. He's got no Danehill in him, which is so important, so we think he's going to suit a lot of mares. He was a wonderful racehorse, he won two Group 1s, one by 10 lengths and one by eight lengths. He is the highest-rated 3-year-old to come out of New Zealand in over 30 years. He's got a lot of things going for him, so it's exciting.

KR: The Australian racing industry has been gaining huge traction and exposure globally over the last few years. What are the main attractions of breeding and racing horses here?

JK: The greatest attraction of racing in Australia is prizemoney. Our prizemoney levels are fantastic, from the Everest, a A$10-million 1200 metre race, the G1 Melbourne Cup, a A$6.5-million race, and the A$3.5-million Golden Slipper, but then every Saturday race in Sydney is worth A$100,000, every Saturday race in Melbourne is worth A$100,000, and then in New South Wales provincially we race for A$30,000, and in the country we have country showcase meetings that are worth A$30,000. We have the Country Championships that has A$150,000 qualifiers at country racetracks. Racing in Australia is in a very healthy place; it's in the healthiest place and the most sustainable place it's been in in my lifetime. Things are very positive and I think that's why people are coming here and they want to compete.

KR: You sponsored the Country Championships Final at Randwick on Saturday for the first time. Why is this an important initiative for you?

JK: The country racing is the grassroots of our racing, and if you look after the grassroots the rest will look after itself. The initiatives of Racing NSW with country prizemoney has reinvigorated country racing. The people from the bush are back into racing and they're keen, and that's a wonderful thing. Racing in Australia is probably a little bit unique in that way. You look at the Golden Slipper: She Will Reign (Aus) (Manhattan Rain {Aus}) was a A$20,000 yearling. There were 20 owners and I'd say they all bought a share for A$1,000 and they've won one of our most iconic races worth A$3.5-million. It's just fantastic. What more could you ask for?

KR: Where is your favourite place to kick back after a busy day at the sales?

JK: My favourite place is anywhere where there's a beer. My favourite restaurant is Nino in Woollahra. That's where I like to go after a day at the sales.

KR: If you could invite one person for dinner, who would it be?

JK: Donald Trump. Why not? It'd be an interesting dinner.