The Sangster name is synonomous with the thoroughbred industry.
It is with no sense of deja-vu that the current holder of the
Swettenham Stud tag is Adam Sangster, an unashamed
Englishman in Nagambie.
After the sadness and tumult of the loss of visionary father Robert,
Adam has been busy devoting himself to developing Swettenham
Stud in the North-East of Victoria. Indeed, the North-East is something
Sangster is passionate about.

So too is the Swettenham
brand. “I’m pretty comfortable with our position, but that’s not to
say we aren’t always looking to improve. I really want to concentrate
on building our brand and building on our stallion roster.
“While Swettenham is a stallion stud I see myself as a breeder and
I thoroughly enjoy breeding good horses, but certainly the emphasis
at the moment is on stallions.”
Swettenham Stud currently comprises 900 acres and apart from
the stud there is a fine country house and formal gardens. “People
love to come and see their horses and to get up close and personal
in pleasant surroundings is important. With the farm being so
close to Melbourne it’s easy to reach and the North-East of Victoria
is now such an attractive place for people to come and make a
weekend of it with all the other tourist attractions the area has to
offer.
Having declared Swettenham is about stallions, Sangster has firm
views on what is required in a stallion prospect for Australia nowadays.
“No doubt that in Australia today, the emphasis is on speed,”
he states firmly. “You must also have a horse with good bone and
strength behind the saddle. These are the attributes that horses
need to succeed in Australia. You really do have to have the right
stallion. C S (Hayes) once said to me ‘speed and good bone is all
you need. Pedigree is fine and if you can combine both then you
are lucky.’ Of course it doesn’t always work out that way but it’s
what we look for.”
Sangster’s devotion and commitment to the North-East region of
Victoria is worn on his sleeve. To say he is maniacal is perhaps a
cliche too far, but there is no doubting his passion. “Remember
that all of us here – not just me – are very passionate about the
North-East and what it has to offer. We’re also the stakesholder,
we have properties, work with the local community, employ people
that spend money in the area, we all depend on one another.
“David Hayes chose to develop a training centre in Euroa because
of its location and attractions. It’s about constantly showing our
peers what the North-East has to offer. Once they come and see
what is here, they’re converted, so it’s an ongoing process that
everyone in the North East works hard at promoting.
“The area is the centre of education with the courses at
Wangaratta – this year alone there are no less than 19 refresher
courses for a diploma. Ask any trainer or stud manager and they
will tell you good staff are hard to find, so it’s vital that we keep
pushing the education side of things.
“Did you know that the Wangaratta TAFE is going to run a course
for stallions handlers? This is the first time anything like this has
been done in the world – it’s a career that can take you anywhere
in the world and the course originated here in the North East.
That’s something we should all be immensely proud of.” There
endeth the lesson!
But Sangster is not merely proselytising. “We have good management
and we breed good horses. Don’t forget that stallions like
Encosta de Lago, Flying Spur, Testa Rossa and General Nediym all
got their start in the North East.”
With the current economic situation and the Classic Yearling sale
about to take place in Sydney this weekend, Sangster is a little
more restrained when it comes to the prospects of the Melbourne
Premier Sale, where Swettenham consign a large draft. “Guarded
but optimistic I would say. There is a good depth of pedigree in the
catalogue we have a strong draft for ourselves and clients.”
Not everything, however, is rosey. Sangster is worried about the
proposed closure of certain country training tracks. “One hopes
that the State Government and RVL consider the implications here
very closely. There are a lot of small trainers and owner-trainers
based at country racecourses and they probably account for 30
yearlings a year out of the Melbourne sale. If their tracks are closed
down then we might lose those buyers from the market and that
would be disastrous.
Any doubt that Sangster has his feet firmly on the ground is dispelled
when asked about his thoughts on the Australian round of
yearling sales approaching. “I believe that breeders will have be
much more realistic in their expectation this year. The market has
contracted and values re-adjusted. Sell and regret I say, but always sell.

Courtesy - ANZ Bloodstock News