Rob Nalder’s Response / opinion to Peppertree’s Announcement of Strengthening Ties with Alabar

I have decided to respond to this week’s announcement by Peppertree Stud & Alabar Stud, that as from this coming Breeding session all Peppertree Stallion “will be marketed under the Alabar umbrella”. I have put together my views in response to the number of calls I have taken on this issue.

Before I outline my initial thoughts I need to make it perfectly clear on a few of the points / issues that have been expressed to me over the last couple of days.

• The 1^st point being Rob & Julie Vandyke are completely within their rights to do whatever they feel is best for them, as such I truly wish them all the very best on whatever their involvement is with our industry & in life generally with their future endeavours. Rob & Julie have had a massive involvement within our sport / industry that has been of enormous benefit to all of us over many years. For this I have thanked them personally on many occasions & wish them all the very best moving forward.

•  The 2^nd point is that until we all know exactly the final details on this merger it is extremely difficult or in fact imposable to set out how it will finally impact our state & individual breeders accordingly.

• The 3^rd point is in response to why the Board & Management of HRNSW has not come out & officially responded to this announcement. From how I view this is very simple, knowing John Dumnesny as I do he will not enter the thought of undertaking anything without knowing all the facts, so as he can then present a levelled response / position to our Board of HRNSW to debate and find a set plan that will then allow him and his team to develop and work through same. The last thing any of us in the industry needs at this point in time is having management go off & respond prior to completely understanding the relevant issue / issues needing to be resolved. As such I give him and his board total credibility for working through whatever needs to be worked through on this major issue. We should not set any time frame other than what is needed to be done prior to & well in advance of our next Breeding session.

• The 4^th point is why HRNSW did not do something about this issue when some people within our industry knew this was going to happen 4/6 weeks ago. Let me just say I heard about this being a possibility around this timing / period however it was just a rumour and I was asked to keep it to myself. I did not then set about propagating this rumour & no one should respond to industry rumours & innuendo.

Now how I see the announcement affecting our State;

1. Based on all the Stallions residing in Victoria, will see our “Blue Series” fail due to the lack of eligible Horses being able to compete within this great concept. So this will require HRNSW & NSWHRC to work together on best outcome for owners and Breeders that may have targeted this series down the track.
2. As any Industry that takes a Service component out of one State & replants in another. Well this obviously takes away massive dollars / Services / employment out of our State & that of our Country areas of NSW. As such not good for us NSW people.
3. Major reduction in competition. Heading into the future it would or could take out a major player that imports overseas Stallions. It is very much recognised that Rob – Peppertree Stud have lead the way in NSW in acquiring the best available Stallions that ultimately stand within our great State. This will greatly affect our State unless we can nurture & assist others to step up and fill this massive hole.
4. Massive repositioning of Stallions Standing in NSW. I personally feel NSW has through the current & previous three or four Boards has made enormous inroads into turning around the number of quality Stallions Standing in NSW. Now in one hit we have probably lost all the gains HRNSW has made over the past 6 – 9 years.

How I see the way forward;

• In any Business a perceived negative today can be your strength of tomorrow. What is needed is to fully recognise the issues and then set up a plan of attack that will address & propagate our Sport.

• I personally see this as a catalyst in changing the total dynamics of how our State can assist / develop & ultimately propagate our Breeding numbers & quality of Foals moving forward in NSW. This I see as being critical at this point in time. What has been thrust upon us now enables John Dumnesy & his team to look at a total revamp of our Breeding initiatives that are funded holey & solely by HRNSW. This I see as a massive opportunity that without this change taking place would never have allowed such an opportunity to eventuate.

• HRNSW in developing the pathway forward can now effectively segregate each section of our Breeding for the overall betterment of our sport. What I am trying to say or highlight is the need to clearly understand what is critical to each company that is servicing our Breeding industry; On Farm Stallions – Standing at Studs / Semen Transfer Farms / Permeant Mares on Farms / Yearling / Weaning’s being looked after on Farm. Each part of this ends up providing our end product, that of a Race Horse.

• What I firmly believe is that we need to recognise and deliver is a Breeding platform that fully recognises the fact we need to turn around and develop a pathway that incubuses the following.

Enables all sections within our Breeding Industry to propogate our quolity & Foal Numbers

Holds our Dollars generated from providing services in our Breeding industry to be retained within our State & Country of Australia

Clarly allow a pathway to develop our very own Stallions that are home grown product

Finally what everyone needs to understand in my opinion, as we stand today looking at our sport is that;

• In extremily difficult times NSW over the past Breeding sessions has shown the least decline in Breeding Foal numbers. If only we could all report on the one set of criteria would in my opinion greatly assist even further in heighlighting this fact.

• Over recent times we have seen changes forced on  leading Breeders such as the Lamb’s, Gibson’s, More’s that has placed presure and changes around these great farms that have produed a great number of horses and champions of our sport. Will the changes affect our Foal numbers into the future, well only time will tell us this.

• Our Sport of Harness Racing has the greatest level of Integraty & day to day management structure of any Sport within Australia & posably the World. We just have to take a step back and see what has unfolded around us after going through some of the major herdels we as an industry have had to deal with. Whithout the Management & there team we have in place, one could only dread what position we would be in to day without them.

• NSW Harness Racing is the most finanshal of any of our brothers & cousins both in Australia & Overseas. With one posable exception of the French. But in straught out Harness Pacing Racing we are the best positioned of all moving into the future

• Our Metropolitan Club, TAB Corp Park Menangle, is also just structured to deliver the optiumum results both to members & that of our industry. I do not know of anyother Sport with funds & assets employed for us all to bennifit from over the following years.

The greatest disapointment I have on it all is just in how this News was delivered to the industry.

Without doubt the biggest client either Peppertree & Alabar have is that of HRNSW in providing Breeders / Nominators /Owners Bonusses. To think HRNSW foundout, just like the rest of us by reading it. I don’t understand from a purley Buisiness accumen or lack of it point of view. Furthermore to my knowledge, HRNSW Management are still waiting on a phone call from either Stud.

I do not understand  how this will benefit Alabar other than being the largest collector of Stallions posably in the World. As a person fotunate enough to have two (2) comershal Stallions standing in Carribbean Blaster @ Yiiribee Stud Wagga – Wagga & Renaissance Man in WA I would personally dread having to have my Stallion just another number on the collectables list of stallions and found somwere out the back.

I can see a posable advantage to Alabar in taking out a major competitor should another opertunity arrise in getting the next big thing from Overseas.

Is this good for the industry, personelly I think it will eventually be a masive positive based on how HRNSW handel the critial next stage of our Breeding Platforms. Having said this I do have a great deal of conferdence & trust in this happening.

I along with all of us within our Sport lookforward to HRNSW platform to address the best way forward. But for this to happen we must all give them some time to undertake & develop our next strcuture in developing a better Breeding set up for us all in NSW.

All the Best & don’t forget to keep on Breeding.

Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
Driving The Future Of Harness Racing