Hustle and bustle – Doomben Cup showcases Cataldo’s keen eye for horseflesh

In the New Zealand bloodstock trading sector, the pace of doing business is more frantic than ever.

These days, he who hesitates is lost and, more often than not, is likely to forsake an opportunity as other agents circle.

For Phill Cataldo, based in the North Island’s Waikato region, there haven’t been too many misses because in an era when information travels instantly, the currency of trust and established networks will always be important.

“I’m lucky enough that I’ve been doing it for a long time now and I’ve built up a relationship with a lot of the owners and the trainers,” Cataldo told The Straight.

“Nowadays, with the internet and technology, as soon as the horse goes over the line at trials, the videos are up on the website,” he said.

“The owner or trainer could have 10 calls on a horse in half an hour.”

What hasn’t changed is New Zealand’s reputation as a vibrant trading marketplace.

“There are still a lot of people in New Zealand who are traders first. “We are a selling nation and most of the horses are for sale,” he said.

“The demand from Australia is as strong as it’s ever been.

“There are a lot of the big stables that have got their scouts over here as well and there’s a bit of competition, that’s for sure.”

That’s one of the main reasons why Cataldo is always at racing’s coalface.

He rarely misses a morning of trackwork or a barrier trial session in his neighbourhood and his visibility is an asset when it comes to striking a deal.

“I think that if owners know that I’m interested in giving them a ballpark figure on their horse, I’m a chance of getting it done.”

If there is such a thing as a New Zealand agent to our racetrack stars, Cataldo would come close.

He purchased Mr Brightside as a $22,000 yearling from a second-tier sale and spotted I’m Thunderstuck in a last-to-first barrier trial win on a wintry New Zealand day.

Mr Brightside was subsequently sold online before finding his way to Australia to become a banner horse for Lindsay Park and the training brothers of Ben, Will and JD Hayes with almost $19 million in earnings from 20 wins – 10 of them at Group 1 level.

I’m Thunderstruck was on a similar trajectory to Mr Brightside, winning two Group 1 races to go alongside his $10 million Golden Eagle victory, until sustaining injuries in a post-surgery accident. He had to be euthanised.

It has been the I’m Thunderstuck connection, through an association with leading syndicator Terry Henderson’s OTI Racing, that one of Cataldo’s more recent purchases delivered when Wigmore claimed the South Australian Derby.

There is growing confidence he can double up on that success for another long-standing client, Michael Auld, when She’s A Hustler contests the Doomben Cup.

Benefitting from the patience that has been a hallmark of Grahame Begg’s training methodology, She’s A Hustler is working towards a peak rating as she prepares for a return clash against Pride Of Jenni and Half Yours.

She’s A Hustler was sourced through the Karaka sale ring for $70,000, satisfying Cataldo’s appreciation for the progeny of High Chaparral’s Spring Champion Stakes and Victoria Derby-winning son Ace High, but ultimately winning him over with a physical presence.

“Michael said to me that if I saw any nice fillies at the sale, to let him know and I remember I sent him a list of probably four or five and we settled on her, luckily,” Cataldo said.

“She was just the type of horse that you knew was going to grow into a big, scopey individual. She had plenty of size as a yearling and she moved well.”

Her profile was strengthened by Cataldo’s keenness on Ace High as a stallion, but only in support of what he saw in front of him.

“I think he’s certainly one of the best stallions in New Zealand,” he said of Ace High.

“The pedigree obviously has a lot to do with it but it’s always about type first for me, before the pedigree.”

She’s A Hustler’s early grounding under Roger James and Robert Wellwood provided the first competitive reference point, a single run at Matamata that confirmed rather than redefined the initial assessment.

“She had one start in New Zealand and she ran second. “She sat back and really finished hard, so we thought ‘we might have something here’.”

She’s A Hustler was sent to Australia, where Begg has shaped her progression to the point that, as a rising six-year-old, she appeals as a Caulfield Cup prospect in the spring.

“Grahame never over-races them,” Cataldo said. “If they’re good enough, they’ll get there eventually.”

That time could arrive on Saturday as Begg searches for his second Doomben Cup win – 36 years after Eye Of The Sky launched a training career from the shadows of his Hall of Fame father Neville.