"During the breeding season, the Hunter Valley will be abuzz with constant activity to ensure that about 7,500 mares are covered by the region's 75 Australian and international stallions," he said.
Champion stallions like, Carlton House (the Queen's magnificent son of Street Cry), Declaration of War(Dual Group 1 winner), Exceed And Excel (Australia's Champion Sire 2012/13), Fastnet Rock(Australia's Champion Sire 2011/12), Lonhro(Champion 3 year old and Champion sire), his son Pierro (timeform's highest-rated juvenile in Australasia since 1977), More than Ready (sire of more than 120 stakes winners world wide) Redoute's Choice (champion Australian Sire, sire of 114 stakes winners) and his son Snitzel (runner up Champion Sire 2013/14, sire of 13 Group 1 winners), Golden Slipper winner Sebring (Australia's current leading 3 year old Sire) and Australia's racing hero So You Think – to name a few.
Champion broodmares are also poised to add to our future racing ranks - including Australia's undefeated champion mare Black Caviar (in foal to Exceed And Excel), Estelle Collection (in foal to Redoute's Choice carrying a full sibling to Australia's top rated horse of the season and the world's best sprinter Lankan Rupee), Accessories(with many stakes winners already to her credit including Epaulette and Helmet, is in foal to Lonhro), Faint Perfume (multiple Group 1 winner in foal to So You Think) and Ortensia(Group 1 winner across three continents, in foal to Choisir).
"In two years' time the progeny of this intense burst of breeding will appear on racetracks across Australia and the world signaling the beginning of the next cycle of an annual tradition in one of our oldest sports. A sport that began when Governor Macquarie held Australia's first race meeting in Hyde Park in 1810.
"The Hunter Valley is the epicenter of horse breeding in Australia. It produces around half of all racehorses born in Australia and over 90 per cent of the value of Thoroughbred export earnings. It is the nursery of Australian racing, for example this year Hunter Valley stallions sired every runner in the Golden Slipper.
"Yet our proud sporting heritage and our entire racing nursery is under threat from one mine. Anglo American's proposed Drayton South open cut coal mine is located less than 500m from our international scale studs, Coolmore and Darley.
"Two Planning Assessment Commissions concluded that international thoroughbred breeding enterprises and open cut coal mining are incompatible land uses at such close proximity. Last year the Planning Assessment Commission and the Government's Independent Gateway Panel recommended this mine not proceed.
"The time has come for the NSW Government to strike a balance in the Hunter Valley, deliver on its commitments and restore faith in a process that was clearly designed to protect NSW's thoroughbred breeding industry.
"The future of Coolmore and Darley, our entire industry and over 150 years of thoroughbred breeding and racing tradition hangs on this one decision. A decision on one mine in the wrong place that will destroy an entire industry," Dr Collins said.
HTBA Release
