Spraying weeds and doing some maintenance work around his Wairarapa property on Sunday afternoon was a far cry from the excitement that businessman and thoroughbred owner and breeder David Wallace had experienced over the previous 48 hours.
Wallace, the son of well-known Central Districts trainer Jim Wallace and brother of the Chief Operating Officer of China Horse Club, Michael Wallace, was still coming to terms with being involved in the ownership of not one but two individual Australian Group One winners.
Wallace is a shareholder, along with his brother, in Saturday’s Gr.1 Golden Rose (1400m) winner In The Congo, along with Friday night’s Gr.1 Moir Stakes (1000m) winner Wild Ruler.
Those opportunities came about for Wallace through his brother’s connection with the China Horse Club, with Michael playing a major role in the selection and purchasing of bloodstock for the organisation with the two future stallion prospects raced by syndicates headed by Newgate Bloodstock and China Horse Club.
Wallace was still trying to get his head around the dual Group One strike as he went about his duties on the home front.
“For someone like me, winning a Group One, let alone two of them, is simply unheard of,” Wallace said.
“In saying that, I know the team involved with Wild Ruler were pretty confident, as he had improved so much on his first run, where he ran second to Nature Strip.
“I’m not sure how you can be confident going into a Group One, but he came out and got the job done.
“I know I was just hoping that In The Congo could go well, but realistically Anamoe looked nearly unbeatable.
“When he looked like he (In The Congo) was going to hold on we just went wild.”
Wallace was quick to pay tribute to the principals of the China Horse Club for allowing him to buy into both horses and to the skill of his brother and the selection team, for purchasing the colts.
“I really have to thank Teo and Ivy from the China Horse Club for allowing me to go into the ownership and I guess I’m pretty lucky that it has been facilitated by Michael,” he said.
“I first got involved when they bought a horse called Russian Revolution, who won two Group Ones and is now standing successfully at stud.
“I was at the races in Sydney and they were called off so Michael asked me if I wanted to come and look at some yearlings they had bought at the sales.
“He asked me which one I liked the most and I told him it was the Snitzel colt out of Ballet D’Amour (Russian Revolution).
“He then asked if I wanted to buy a share, so I took the plunge and I’m bloody glad I did.”
From a family steeped in thoroughbred racing tradition, it was inevitable that Wallace would immerse himself in the industry although his professional life went in another direction.
“We were always going to have horses in the blood as both my Granddad and Father were successful trainers and breeders, while Mum’s first cousin is Kevin Myers (successful trainer),” he said.
“I actually trained and qualified as a lawyer with most of my working career involved in that occupation, based in Wellington, before I changed tack about four years ago when we moved back to the Wairarapa.
“These days I’m a director in a business that imports commercial plumbing and heating products from Europe.
“The move has also allowed me to get into the breeding side of the industry, which is my real passion.
“We’ve got about 12 mares of our own at the moment and shares in a few more, so with that and the ownership interests we have here in New Zealand and in Australia you could say we are thoroughbred tragics.”
With the COVID-19 pandemic playing havoc with worldwide travel, Wallace was disappointed he couldn’t be in Australia for the weekend to take in the performances of both Wild Ruler and In The Congo in person.
Now that Wild Ruler has secured his place in the field for the lucrative A$15 million The Everest (1200m) at Randwick on October 16, that disappointment is magnified, although he has local support to share in the excitement that the raceday will bring.
“One of the things I cherish most about being involved with Wild Ruler is that I also managed to get one of my best mates, Brandon Allen, into the horse as well,” Wallace said.
“There would be nothing better than being on-course to watch him run in the Everest but sadly with the border restrictions and MIQ situation, that can’t happen.
“If we were back how we were a few months ago, Brandon and I would have been on a plane on Friday and would have been there for the Moir Stakes and probably up at Rosehill on Saturday for In The Congo.
“We do have form for that type of thing as we both managed to get to Randwick back in April when Wild Ruler won the Arrowfield (Gr.2, 1200m) and that was certainly a day and night to remember.
“I guess we will have to make do in front of the television for this one, but if he could get a good track on the day and be in the hunt then they might hear us from Sydney anyway.” – NZ Racing Desk
