Passionate owner- and can we add in group 1 winning breeder –Debbie Kepitis, didn’t need that ceremonial lucky Winx outfit to share a magic day at Rosehill on Saturday.
The win of Lindermann in Saturday’s Rosehill Guineas was a family affair for Debbie Kepitis. Picture: Jeremy Ng–Getty Images
For like Winx, the back and blue tinged outfit (always with a dash of purple colouring in the hair), that shared 33 consecutive race day wins from May 2015 to April 2019, has long been retired. Something though that could have been curated into the Australian Racing Museum perhaps.
But the enthusiasm has never dissipated for Kepitis and her tight knit family with husband Paul and daughters Alinta, Lara and Talia now able to embrace their own fashion feelings, though I’m a little concerned about Paul when we get to Lindemann, the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas winner, he named after a German “industrial metal” band which created what has been called “Pain Music”.
Race fans have shared much of the public ride with Kepitis through the Winx days, something always embraced by the daughter of business and racing heavyweight Bob Ingham (and uncle Jack), who turned their chicken empire into with their racing juggernaut Woodlands Stud (that $500m later would become Darley/Godolphin), but never lost that common touch.
Slipper Day (including the George Ryder Stakes, named after the man who invented that rich pop-up race in Sydney back in 1957), has been a kind one to the Ingham/Kepitis family.
Sweet Embrace was their first, Burst, Marauding and Prowl in partnership with Newhaven Park followed but Kepitis remember Forensics as her fist Slipper experience, not just for the Woodlands cerise colours of jack and Bob, but as much remember for the supposedly “golden” jodhpurs, all jockeys including Damien Oliver wore that day, and thankfully haven’t been seen since.
But on Saturday, Kepitis had two runners, she’s a partner with the Coolmore syndicate in winner and now multi million dollar colt come stallion prospect Shinzo, but also Lazzago, who carrier her own “Finding Nemo” Woppitt bloodstock colours, named after her first racehorse she purchased herself (and also worn by Lindemann.”
It was surreal experience for both Coolmore and Kepitis, the winner was home for Ryan Moore and both connections were as concerned abut Learning To Fly and Lazzago who suffered racing incidents and were out of the race.
“Talk about highs and lows,” Kepitis said.
“I was more worried about the filly, I had no idea what had happened out the back and I couldn’t really tell but it wasn’t good to watch, no matter what was happening with Shinzo,” she said.
“All I wanted to know was that she was fine and coming back, and then we saw her bouncing soon after so it was so much of a relief.”
Hopefully you sense the love Kepitis has for every horse, she reckons there are about 78 on the books either through Woppitt or partnerships, but she is just as thrilled with a provincial maiden as a Golden Slipper and nothing is ever taken for granted.
So Slipper day, the same day Winx won four consecutive Ryder’s, saw her partnership with the Coolmore syndicate take the Slipper with Shinzo, her home-bred Lonrho Lindemann win the Guineas and Fangirl, carrying the old family cerise run second to Anamoe in the Ryder.
(And still Lazzago was her immediate worry, but all is fine now.)
“I was over the moon to breed a Group 1 winner by Lonhro, race him, it’s what you dream of and why you get into racing, it’s a real family effort,” she said.
Lindermann now heads to the Doncaster Handicap, also as a proven valuable colt and stallion prospect for the future, but it will always be the horse that comes first for Kepitis.
“We followed a bit of the old Woodlands methods and form in breeding him. He’s got a lovely nature and will stay a colt, Nash was able to liven him up but to get that result in such a thrilling race on Saturday was something very special for us.”
As was the chance to get into Shinzo, the colt Coolmore’s Tom Magnier started rolling when he bought Blue Diamond winner, Golden Slipper placegetter Samaready in foal to champion sire Snitzel for $1.8m, Shinzo the resultant star.
Now nobody is expecting to be asked to send food parcels to help ither Coolmore or Kepitis, but both are huge investors in racing and as much as we need the feel good stories, you need the top end hitting the mark as well.
What’s the old saying about “starting with a big fortune”.
“Honestly we were just so lucky to be invited to get involved into Coolmore’s colt fund,” Kepitis said, with her usual generous enthusiasm and no successful expectation.
“This was out fourth group, Coolmore kept around 80% and offered various clients a chance to go racing and hopefully breeding with them and compete at the upper echelon,” she said.
“So it has become a large family investment for us as a family and the daughters are all involved, so we are just ecstatic to have the chance.”
Home Affairs is already an under-writer of the initial investment, but Shinzo’s Slipper win ensures Inglis Easter will see the venture continue, but as always in the spirit of racing and competition not the expectation that money buys success.
“The best thing about if for us is the true teamwork involved from Chris’ (Wallers) stable to the Coolmore staff, we know there was a huge group at the Jerry’s Plains Tavern on Saturday cheering him home,” she said.
“From the breakers to the strapper to the ground staff, they all play a role and we are the beneficiaries.”
Like Ryan Moore donated his Longines watch (yes he has plenty but how nice) to strapper Harry (Harmandeep) Singh, like the recognition of breaker Evan Haley in getting these and every Coolmore yearling to the racing process, nothing taken for granted. It’s nice to see this permeate from the top down.
But despite the personal involvement and success, Kepitis remains as much a fan and engaged in the story selling of the sport she embraces.
“I do think we need to sell our message of how good racing and the care for the horses is as best we can, there is no easy fix, but I like the work Kick Collective is doing, it’s an important initiative, but I’m sure the leaders of racing can do a little more.”
Comments