The general wash-up from Royal Ascot last week found obvious Aussie headliners in Nature Strip's utter domination of the King' Stand, the tease of Artorius in the Platinum Jubilee and the raft of local and Kiwi breeders quickly offsetting their buy-in to global Group 1 champ State Of Rest.
But watching proudly from the Gold Coast was successful businessman and one of the biggest individual investors in Australian racing and breeding, Sean Buckley, an owner of a King's Stand winner in Miss Andretti and now the breeder of the latest one and world sprinting champion Nature Strip.
It's not merely enough that Buckley is forever busy and hands on running his UltraTune Empire with more than 270 outlets across Australia, or overseeing his racing and breeding empire of some 45 on the track, 75 broodmares and of course the shooting star stallion status of his Cox Plate hero Shamus Award, standing at Rosemont Stud.
So as Australian racing, and indeed industry across the board grapples with staffing problems, Buckley is behind a Philippines based labour hire business that he says can provide track riders and jockeys to fill the massive void which seems to be one of the only black marks against a booming industry and its robust economy.
And while Buckley is rightly reveling in the deeds of Nature Strip and dreaming of a Royal Ascot return one day with a Shamus Award filly out of Miss Andretti, Buckley has turned his business acumen and drive to addressing the labour shortage.
"It is something I am very passionate about and am fortunate enough to able to do through my contacts. I look forward to working with the racing industry to be able to introduce well trained and talented workers, be they jockeys or trackwork riders into our racing community," Buckley said.
"So, yes, it is a labour hire company in simple terms with the relevant costs and charges involved, but there has been a lot of work go into the groundwork to establish it, and we are ready to work on making this staff available."
Miss Andretti defeats Magnus and Takeover Target to win the 2007 King's Stand Stakes Picture: Bill Selwyn
"I am keen to start talking to authorities here to make it happen."
Buckley already has a student educational facility in Indonesia where he trains students in automotive repair before they are certified to work internationally.
Buckley is used to making things happen. UltraTune started as one small store in Box Hill in 1979, and burst out nationally under franchises in the late 80s.
It's like his small step into racing early into the new century when he bought Baree Farm, now the home of Ultra Thoroughbreds, where he has embraced equine and sports science and technology to develop his self-style brand.
There might be plenty of high-profile names in racing with more horses on and off the track than Buckley, but most of those are in partnerships, Buckley is his own man.
"I probably own 90 per cent of all my stock outright. It's just the way I prefer to do things," he said.
"When it was more of a hobby, I was losing money, now it's making money."
Of course, you remember to drop in that you have to spend money to make money, but racing has the over-riding disclaimer "how do you make a small fortune in racing, you start with a big one."
That is not to say Buckley has splashed it up against the wall. Sure, Shamus Award, now standing for a deserved $88,000 at Rosemont – which gives him a chance to knock back mares rather than buy to supply as he has for so long – has helped.
And he still retains a 30 per cent share in proven stallion Star Witness and has just bought a major share in star galloper and stallion prospect Mo'Unga, alongside Newhaven Park with original owners Aquis staying in, valued at an eight-figure sum.
"It is a business that is developing every day and it is an industry I love being a part of," Buckley said.
But when you strike early in your racing career, like Buckley did with Miss Andretti, that is risk reward. But in this sense, winning a race at Royal Ascot, with a horse sourced from Western Australia, is not about the bottom line.
"I still remember seeing trainer Lee Freedman singling Waltzing Matilda and drinking out of the trophy in the car park. I had my wife and kids with me, we had been to Dubai for a holiday, we got invited to the Royal Box, it was just the best day ever," Buckley said.
Sean Buckley celebrating Miss Andretti's King's Stand win with Lee Freedman and Craig Newitt Picture: Gary Crispe
And it was a whirlwind week from the Tuesday when Craig Froggie Newitt getting home, leading fellow Aussies, Magnus into third and Takeover Target into fourth.
"I got offered $10 million from an Arab Sheik for her to run in his colours on the Saturday in the Golden Jubilee, but knocked that back. It wasn't about the money."
Miss Andretti failed in the Golden Jubilee, finishing 15th, with Takeover Target second to Soldier's Tale but she'd come home and straight up in the spring won the Group 2 Schweppes at The Valley and Group 1 Age Classic at Flemington in Cup Week.
So too it wasn't about the money with watching Nature Strip win on Tuesday night either.
"You could say I sold a horse for $80,000 that has won $18m, but honestly that is good for business, I don't regret selling, I strive to breed a horse like that, I breed plenty of horses every year, I can't keep them all," Buckley said.
"I have a budget every year to buy mares and I think we paid $500,000 for Strikeline off the track, sent her to Star Witness and she produced a horse called The Barrister that we sold to Hong Kong."
And Buckley now has Strikeline, the mother of Nature Strip, back in foal to Nicconi and you would suggest without much argument, that it won't be sold.
It might seem though a touch ironic that is was both Miss Andretti and Strikeline which gave Buckley unwarranted headlines over an alleged embryo transplantation scheme. It was something that saw Buckley banned from racing horses (only) in Victoria until the matter settled with no action taken (but some damage done reputationally).
"I complied with every direction of the authorities and the stewards in relation to the inquiry. I was open and transparent, there was never any intention of any subsequent foal being registered with the studbook, we were simply regenerating their breeding cycles and it has worked."
"It was an embarrassment at the time, but we had never done anything wrong, and the right outcome was reached with Racing Victoria."
Miss Andretti defeating Gold Edition at Caulfield in 2007
Buckley and headlines are no strangers. His expensive UltraTune advertising campaigns features the likes of Mike Tyson, Charlie Sheen, Pamela Anderson and other Hollywood celebrities, featured almost annually as the most complained about to with the Australia's Advertising Standards.
"They kept changing the laws and we kept changing the ads," said Buckley, "it was like a cat chasing a mouse, but we might have spent $3m on blocking out ads for a month and get $1.5m in publicity out of the backlash, they almost paid for themselves," he said.
But that business nouse isn't lost on Buckley as an investor or entrepreneur.
"It's a good question what we can do to boost the image of racing or attracting a younger appeal. I still say it's a rich man's game. Horses are getting more expensive, and as good as syndication has been, I am not sure how much more recommitment on spend or new money is coming in."
"It is a sport and industry that relies heavily on the gambling dollar, as well as one that struggles with public perception on cruelty, the whip and animal welfare."
A Buckley like UltraTune campaign mightn't be the answer. He had actor Alec Baldwin – as Donald Trump signed to be his next advertising star – I'm not sure that could carry over into a racing relevance, but it is worth listening to someone who works and lives and has been successful outside of the – dare I say – racing bubble – while a major investor in it at the same time.
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