The Foote factor – a trusted eye behind SCT’s growing syndication ambitions

In a crowded marketplace of Australian racehorse syndicators, Stephen Everett defines success on one simple principle: know what you are good at, then trust the people who know more than you. 

That philosophy has shaped SCT Syndications since Everett and his partner Tash Blakley established the business.

It was an approach that was firmly in place well before the recent acquisition of Darren Dance’s Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock (ATB) operation.

A timely snapshot of where the syndication company now sits looms large on Saturday with SCT represented at Flemington by Afterberna, Kaleo and Detonator Jack in a meeting that carries more significance than most off-season fare.

Afterberna and Detonator Jack will be out to capitalise on the black-type on offer when they respectively contest the Creswick Stakes and Winter Championship Series Final.

Kaleo will be attempting to build on a promising metropolitan record in the Silver Bowl Series Final.

Together, the three chances represent the enterprise SCT inherited and a blueprint for where it wants to go.

Detonator Jack, a $1.7 million earner as the winner of six races, is one of the proven horses SCT acquired from Dance’s stable and is still racing in Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock colours.

The purchase of ATB instantly expanded SCT’s commitment to syndication that enjoyed one of its best moments when Duke Of Bedford won the 2025 Grand Annual Steeplechase.

Everett says the decision to buy ATB represented a continuation of a strategy rather than a change in direction.

“We thought we were good enough and going well enough to be able to take Darren’s other horses,” he told The Straight.

The deal instantly elevated SCT into a different league, but Everett insists the foundations had already been laid through a disciplined syndication model, strong trainer relationships and, above all, the buying expertise of one of Australia’s most accomplished bloodstock agents, John Foote (FBAA).

Foote has long occupied an elite position in Australian bloodstock, building a reputation over more than four decades for identifying value where others see risk. 

After establishing his agency in 1982, Foote is renowned for sourcing outstanding results across every price bracket, including Makybe Diva, Prince Of Penzance, Yes Yes Yes, Silent Witness and Kenedna. 

His standing has never rested on buying the most expensive yearlings, but on repeatedly finding horses capable of outperforming their purchase price.

Everett understood the commercial significance of that reputation in the early days of SCT when Foote came on board as its bloodstock advisor.

“We were lucky enough to get John to do that … we knew we were getting probably the best bloodstock agent in Australia and it gave us a chance,” he said.

For a syndicator, credibility starts long before a horse reaches the races. Owners are buying into judgement as much as pedigree, and Everett says Foote’s name consistently opens doors.

“I think just because of John Foote buying, we always seem to get a lot of people involved because they know him and they respect what he does,” Everett said.

That confidence has been earned through a buying mindset that differs markedly from that of many rivals.

“He’s probably one of the few bloodstock agents who consistently pick those horses between $20,000 and $100,000 that are always winning races in the city,” Everett says.

That price range is no coincidence. Affordable yearlings allow syndicators to offer meaningful ownership opportunities to everyday racing enthusiasts rather than relying on wealthy individuals willing to gamble on six-figure purchases.

“It still gives those mum-and-dad owners, if you like, who want to be involved, a chance to be in a horse and a good-quality horse as well.”

Everett has no interest in pretending he possesses Foote’s eye for a yearling as a staunch believer in trusting specialists to do their jobs.

“John has that knack for seeing something in a horse that others miss,” he said.

“And when he says to us, ‘this is a horse that you should buy’, we buy it. We stay out of the selection process.”

That outlook has already been rewarded. Afterberna, one of the better chances in the Listed Creswick over 1200m, cost just $30,000 out of the second tier yearlings catalogued at the 2024 Inglis Premier Sale in Melbourne.

“John said straight away, ‘that one there, you want to make sure you take it home’.”

Kaleo stretched beyond SCT’s usual budget at $150,000 at the 2024 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, but Foote’s conviction persuaded Everett to push further, supported by leading trainer Ciaron Maher.

While Foote’s influence shaped SCT well before the Australian Thoroughbred Bloodstock purchase, acquiring Dance’s business provided immediate scale, valuable horses and an established ownership base that fitted naturally alongside the existing operation.

Everett says the transition worked because both businesses shared similar values about owner engagement and horse welfare rather than simply selling shares and moving on.

“You’ve got to really look after the owner – and you’ve got to really look after the horse,” he said.

But Everett admits taking over Dance’s clients and horses would have meant little without the goodwill that accompanied them.

“We can’t be more thankful to Darren and Liz. They set everything out for us … it was a really easy transition.”