"...there is a genuine sense of pride about the number of Group 1 winners conceived on the property and as a consequence, numerous stallions are offered to the farm to stand. Of those we will select very few, as history has shown us that it is these decisions that become the platform for success."

Alinghi	Lashed	Rechabite	Streak
Apercu	Mnemosyne	Rubiscent	Titanic Jack
Bohemiath	Newport	Rubitano	Umah
Delago Brom	Patezza	Sacred Kingdom	Umrum
Douro Valley	Pride Of Rancho	Shadoways	Valedictum
Fields Of Omagh	Princess Coup	Sirmione	Vitalic
French Clock	Racing To Win	Sober Suit

As another Melbourne Spring Carnival nears a successful completion it’s easy to focus on the smiling group of owners at the trophy presentation. The winners circle is the end result of a lot of hard work, in most cases years of planning and preparation. That’s why we are so proud of the breeding barn at Blue Gum Farm. There might be bigger ones, certainly there are more ostentatious ones, but we don’t believe there are more successful ones than our own here at Blue Gum.

Since 1985, no less than 27 Group 1 winners have been conceived here in our breeding barn. That’s something we are extremely proud of and it’s a record we strive to better with each season. From the unassuming beige barn alongside the office, Oaks winners, Derby winners, Cup winners, Guineas winners and, of course, the ever essential juvenile Group 1 winners have been conceived. As we said earlier, the road to the winners circle can be a long one for an owner. It can be equally long and testing for the broodmare owner, who has spent many hours researching pedigrees, looking at stallions and then sending their mare off to stud. That’s why we take pride in sending a mare back home to her owner in the best possible condition and hopefully carrying a potential stakes winner.

As the table above shows, the list of Blue Gum Farm conceived Group 1 winners is an impressive one, but it is not the result of ‘luck’. It comes from years of meticulous planning and preparation. Asked to pinpoint how, or why, Philip Campbell has a simple explanation.

“I think there are probably two main reasons. Firstly, there is a genuine sense of pride about the number of Group 1 winners conceived on the property and as a consequence, numerous stallions are offered to the farm to stand. Of those we will select very few, as history has shown us that it is these decisions that become the platform for success. Secondly, the strength of support we have had from breeders, many of whom have developed into firm friends, is something I feel quite humble about. We supply accurate information and provide the best care for our clients mares and I really believe that this philosophy is the only recipe for a successful working relationship.”

Quite apart from the stunning success rate the Blue Gum Farm stallions have achieved, another important element to consider is that it has never cost a lot of money to get involved with a Blue Gum stallion. “From the early success when our foundation stallion Noalcoholic (Fr) become the leading first-season sire in Australia, we have always believed in pricing our stallions fairly and based on performance rather than hype,” Campbell explains. “A Champion like Alinghi was conceived for under $10,000. Then we reared her and sold her in Melbourne as a yearling for $80,000 before having the pleasure of watching her succeed for Rob Slade and his syndicate.”

So the next time you are at Blue Gum Farm, take a moment to look at the sliding doors that lead into the covering barn and reflect on the great horses that have had their beginnings there. With young guns like Elvstroem, Churchill Downs and the select few others that we will launch in the years to come, we look forward to watching this list grow and grow.