The EA Australasian Show Horse & Rider Championships returned to Werribee Park in March after a two-year hiatus due to Covid – and as always, a number of off-the-track Thoroughbreds took centre stage.
The 2020/21 EA Australasian Show Horse & Rider Championships converged on Werribee Park National Equestrian Centre last month, with competitors keen to finally put their best hooves forward in an effort to claim a coveted national title.
Ever-present in the show ring, many Thoroughbreds caught the eye – including the Racing Victoria (RV) Off The Track (OTT) Ridden Thoroughbred Championship winner, St Andrews, and stunning OTT Fashions in the Field accessory, Royal Highness. We caught up with their human counterparts to find out more about these OTT stars.
‘ANDY’ WOWS AGAIN
No stranger to the winner’s circle at the Nationals having been crowned Champion RV OTT Ridden Thoroughbred in 2019, 13-year-old gelding St Andrews was a stand out again this year. “That was such an exciting win and I’m so proud of how Andy worked,” says rider and owner Natalie McKay. “He was the 2019 winner, so we weren’t expecting to take out the honour again. The class was extremely well supported with horses from all over Australia competing, including some very highly decorated ones too.” It was indeed a strong field with the runner-up, Rolex II – ridden by Kaitlin Labahn-Meyland and owned by Michelle Labahn – later taking out the open Large Hack Championship.
Speaking about Andy’s performance in the OTT Championship, Natalie explains that competitors were given a pre-set workout that included a hand-gallop. “I think Andy knows when he is ‘on show’ because as soon as you turn him to enter the arena to do your individual workout, he lifts himself and really shows off. I was, however, a little concerned with the gallop, as being an ‘open’ show horse we try to avoid it, but I knew Andy could do it and this was the time to go for it – to my surprise, he actually went along quite nicely. Every horse in the class did a beautiful workout so I think the judges had a very tough decision.”
St Andrews was foaled at Rich Hill Stud in New Zealand, by Sandtrap (USA) out of Nuns Chorus (NZ) who is by College Chapel (GB). He began his racing career in October 2012 in New Zealand, where he ran last and was then relocated to Brisbane to be trained by Robert Heathcote and later Marcus Wilson. He had his last race in June 2016, and retired with 30 starts for five wins, eight placings and $65k in prizemoney.
“I purchased him in December 2018 from Adam Oliver of Universal Stables in Queensland,” explains Natalie. “In late 2016, Adam had spotted Andy when he went to look at another horse at Marcus Wilson’s stables at the Gold Coast Turf Club. Adam let Andy spell at home for a few months before transitioning him to be a show horse.” Adam took St Andrews to his first show in September 2017, and as Natalie explains, success quickly followed: “In November that year, he won the Tamworth Hack Championships and then won his Novice class at Sydney Royal. He was then runner-up Large Hack at the Queensland HOTY in 2018 and was third at the EA Show Horse Nationals in December.”
“Once I got on him
I fell in love instantly.”
Natalie originally went to Adam’s property to look at another horse, but Andy caught her eye straight away: “He was a beautiful elegant type, had the most amazing front and such a beautiful kind eye. I watched Adam ride him first and just loved the way that he floated across the ground. Once I got on him I fell in love instantly. He just felt amazing. As I have said to Adam before, I made one of the best decisions of my life on his arena! Adam had done a great job with Andy and I knew that he would be a great horse that I could work with too.”
St Andrews has since been hugely successful partnered with Natalie in the show ring. “He has way too many wins to mention them all, but some of our most treasured achievements are winning the 2021 SHCA Grand National Large Hack class, which was a dream come true, as well as being crowned 2020 Canberra Royal Reserve Champion Hack, Barastoc HOTY 2022 Runner Up Large Hack of the Year and Champion Child’s Hack of the Year, and Canberra Royal 2022 Champion Child’s Hack. He has also proven to be a consistent rider class mount and an amazing turnout mount, carrying me to win the Ladies Turnout at the 2022 Canberra Royal Show and numerous rider class wins and placings at Royal and Show Horse Council shows.”
Winning the OTT ridden class at the 2022 Nationals is yet another feather in the cap for this talented horse, and Natalie is thankful to Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program for sponsoring the class and providing so many wonderful opportunities for OTTs: “We were very spoiled, having been presented with a beautiful garland, rosette, embroidered woollen rug and a very generous cheque.”
As for the year ahead, the pair have one show left for the season, the 2022 SHCA Grand Nationals in Sydney, where Andy will compete in the Child’s Large Hack with Ella O’Doherty, his Open Large Hack class and Natalie’s rider class. “After that we will continue to school at home and build on his education. I train with Roger East, who has been instrumental in our progress and has been helping me with Andy since I purchased him,” notes Natalie. “I plan to do some dressage competitions with him over the winter, which I’m really looking forward to. I’m then hoping to compete again in the Garryowen at the Royal Melbourne Show in September. It’s such an amazing event with such prestige, there is nothing else quite like it. We are also qualified for the 2022 EA Nationals in December for Team Victoria, so we will work towards that too. I have a few more goals that I’d like to reach, and I can’t think of another horse I’d rather do it with. I’m extremely lucky to call him mine.”
For Natalie, St Andrews is definitely a one-in-a-million horse, and when asked what makes him so special, she speaks of his temperament – which was one of his attributes that attracted her in the beginning. “He is a horse that always tries to please and he is a very quick learner. He steps it up when he knows a crowd is watching. He loves his carrots and could eat his body weight of them in the blink of an eye. I love the way that he looks after his child riders too; he is such a sweetheart. Everyone that rides him always has a smile on their face.”
THOROUGHBREDS IN FASHION
The Off The Track-sponsored Fashions in the Field event at this year’s Show Horse Nationals – which essentially merged a raceday fashion contest with a show ring led event – gave competitors the chance to display their creative flair. While the judging was focused on the outfit, the equine accessory had to complement the picture – and none did it better than Victorian Stephanie Barrington and Royal Highness. Steph says the class merged her three passions: racing, show horses and fashion. “Fashion is a little bit of a passion of mine, outside of the show horse world. Growing up, I’ve always had off-the-track Thoroughbreds; I won the Garryowen on an off-the-track Thoroughbred, LA. I’ve also become recently more involved in racing and part-own a few racehorses. So the [Fashions in the Field] class really weaved together the three things that I love: racing, show horses and fashion. And to be at the Nationals – which is the pinnacle of our sport – is something pretty special.”
Steph’s equine partner for the class, Royal Highness (aka ‘Poppy’), formerly raced as Palace Lyric in South Australia – albeit not very successfully – and is currently owned by Fiona Mardling and Emily Murray, and produced by the Romsey Park team, whom Steph shows with. The mare not only competed with Steph in the Fashions class, but also in the Small Hack division.
“Poppy is a beautiful mare. Being an off-the-track Thoroughbred mare is particularly special as there are not as many mares that find a competition life after racing because a lot of them go back into the breeding program. It was really special that I was able to lead Poppy, and it was the first time that she’s been in one of these led events… she was the perfect accessory!”
Steph explains that Fashions in the Field at this year’s Nationals was an interesting class in that it’s one of the only ones she’s been a part of where the fashion is purely judged – but you do have to run! “The class was highlighting racewear appropriate to wear to the races in this day and age, but it also required participants to be capable of handling a horse. This made it special because I think in previous years, we’ve been able to have a handler that enabled people to wear stilettos and perhaps not really take control of the horse and show it off to the best of its ability. So it was a nice hybrid of both in terms of ensuring that you had a horse there presented beautifully and matched to the handler, and then the handler was actually able to present the horse.”
Speaking about her winning outfit, Steph explains how each component came from different sources: “It was a top and skirt by Acler. I thought it popped beautifully with the horse; she looks great in red. I was unsure what I was going to pair it with; it was a blank canvas. The hat came along just by chance; it came up while I was scrolling mindlessly looking for the right pairing. And then I bought shoes and a handbag to match.
“The material on the hat is a traditional Dolce & Gabbana print, which has been repurposed into a hat for the races. The designer was Murley & Co Millinery. I also had my great grandmother’s diamond racehorse pin brooch; I have racing through my whole family, so I brought some of that into it. And then some gifted pearls from girlfriends, and my hair was by Chris Leech.” Steph has form in the fashion arena, previously winning Fashions in the Field at the Melbourne Show (also sponsored by Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program) and also winning the event at Mornington races.
Currently a part-owner of three racehorses, Steph is enjoying being part of the racing journey: “I’m a part of three racehorses at the moment through Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr; Michael is dating a really good friend of mine, Ali Berwick. It’s been a great journey, as I’ve got my stablehand ticket; I did that through lockdown and was lucky enough to ride for the stable on beach days.”
While her racehorses have been selected for their potential ability on the track rather than their show ring looks, Steph is adamant they’ll have wonderful homes post-racing in a discipline that suits their strengths.
When it comes to OTT horses in the show ring, Steph says they are the original show horse and her first choice: “They’re the most exquisite animal on the planet and they epitomise the show horse. If you get a beautiful Thoroughbred with a gorgeous face, long scopey neck, into a huge shoulder with scopey elegant movement and a beautiful body, you just can’t beat it. A lot of them have the temperament to match as well, which is just the most beautiful thing.”
Steph believes that RV’s Off The Track program provides tremendous support for show horse classes – as it does across the disciplines: “I think what they’re doing is best in class for Australia, and probably the world, in terms of supporting the rehoming of ex-racehorses.” EQ
To find out more about Racing Victoria’s Off The Track program, you can visit their OTT Community page here.
READ MORE ABOUT OFF THE TRACK HORSES:
‘A Grand New Career’ (Equestrian Life, February, 2022)
‘The Women Transforming Equine Welfare’ (Equestrian Life, December, 2021)
‘Clear Vision for a Better Future’ (Equestrian Life, October, 2021)
‘A Thorough Belief in Thoroughbreds’ (Equestrian Life, September, 2021)
‘General Ready To Conquer Again’ (Equestrian Life, June, 2021)
‘Sparks Fly When Cutting Meets Racing’ (Equestrian Life, May, 2021)
‘Percy Makes His Presence Felt’ (Equestrian Life, March, 2021)
‘Maizy Lands On Her Feet In New Role’ (Equestrian Life, January, 2021)
‘Off The Track & On The Right Path’ (Equestrian Life, December 2020)
‘All Eyes On The Prize’ (Equestrian Life, October 2020)
‘Vale Subzero’ (Equestrian Life, September 2020)
‘Beacon of Hope for Brightlight Boy’ (Equestrian Life, August 2020)
‘From Racecourse to Royal Windsor’ (Equestrian Life, June 2020)
