In Flight has been one of the shining lights of winter racing in Sydney, continuing a profitable relationship between Goodwood Farm’s Kerrie Tibbey and Proven Thoroughbreds, writes Warwick Barr.
There are few things more comforting for a syndicator than to know a breeder wants to stay involved in a yearling thoroughbred sold at auction.
They say it’s always a positive sign when a vendor agrees to continue the journey. A show of confidence and a selling point bundled together as a marketing package.
It’s also a good start in the often challenging pursuit of having a horse fully subscribed by the time it is ready to be educated and put into the syndicator’s preferred stable.
In Flight, who has been like a ray of sunshine poking through the dead of winter racing in Sydney with a patch of form that has her earmarked for higher honours, is perhaps the ultimate advertisement for a relationship between a breeder and a syndicator.
Chasing her fifth win of a campaign and on a seven-day back-up at Rosehill on Saturday, In Flight is raced by Proven Thoroughbreds in a syndicate that includes Goodwood Farm owner Kerrie Tibbey.
It’s an alliance that struck paydirt for the syndicator well before In Flight arrived on the scene with Tibbey the breeder and Proven’s Jamie Walter the buyer of a modestly priced Adelaide Magic Millions yearling in 2019.
Alas, Tibbey cut her ties with the yearling horse as soon as the gavel fell on Walter’s winning bid of $62,500.
The horse in question is Group 1 winner Private Eye, a syndicator’s dream with more than $10.5 million to his name in earnings with the promise of more to come in the spring.
Tibbey says it’s the exception rather than the rule of her breeding venture near Murrurundi in the upper reaches of the Hunter Valley to stay invested in her bloodstock interests.
“Every now and then you’ll have a horse that appeals to you and you think ‘I’d like to keep a bit of that’,” she told The Straight.
“But I don’t race that many horses. I didn’t stay in Private Eye because I was totally broke at that stage.
“I needed to sell everything in sight just to stay afloat. That’s the realistic side of the business.”
In Flight’s winter deeds have kept Flying Artie in the headlines, and the sire of Royal Ascot winner Asfoora also has a meaningful connection to Tibbey.
Flying Artie, the former Newgate stallion who will stand his second season at Blue Gum Farm in 2024, was also born and raised at Goodwood Farm.
Tibbey says In Flight reminded her so much of Flying Artie in a physical sense that she couldn’t resist “putting up a reasonable” reserve when the filly was presented for sale in Adelaide.
The filly sold for $220,000, and with Joe Pride selected to do the training, Tibbey joined Proven’s ownership group. The words of one of her staff members were at the forefront of her decision.
“I have a couple of really good horse people work for me,” Tibbey said.
“One of them, Kirsty Sullivan, who has played polo all over the world, handles all our weanlings and she always said to me this filly’s got something a bit special.”
She had a testing attitude that set her apart from the other foals, but there was also something about her conformation that Tibbey recognised in Flying Artie at the same age.
“Mentally, Flying Artie was probably more laid back where she is more sassy,” Tibbey said.
“She was one of those ones that’ll just stand there and say ‘well make me - I don’t want to do that’.
“Even now she’s quite small but she doesn’t know that. She’s the sort of filly that thinks she's 18 hands high and a thousand kilos.
“But she had the same sort of shoulder and neck as Flying Artie. And they were both athletic, light on their feet and strong, tough horses. Not wimpy little things.”
In Flight is part of the next generation of Proven Thoroughbred team to emerge in a season that has been one to remember for the syndicator.
Proven’s runners have accumulated more than $16 million in prize money in 2023/24.
Much of that haul can be attributed to Think About It’s victory in the $20 million Everest and Private Eye’s consistency at the highest level.
The two stars of the Australian sprint ranks will remain the backbone of Proven’s squad in 2024/25, but Tibbey hopes In Flight can follow their example and progress beyond the winter ranks, knowing that Pride will give the filly every chance.
“She used to get fired up, but now Joe’s got her sorted out. Getting the right trainer for the right horse is so important,” Tibbey said.
Warwick Barr
