Proud man Oliver Tait walks through the gates of Riverside Stables, Warwick Farm presenting his initial draft of Twin Hills Stud yearling for the 2019 William Inglis & Son yearling sale season.

It’s the Sydney Inglis Classic Yearling Sale of 9 to 12 & 14 February, and Oliver Tait is following on the success of Twin Hills initial draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where his More Than Ready half-sister to Australian Derby winner Levendi was his $550,000 top price. 

Raising eyebrows at Riverside is a draft of 11 top class yearlings by such established sires as Nicconi, Choisir, Testa Rossa and Casino Prince, Twin Hills is also offering yearlings by successful first season sires Wandjina and Rubick plus first crop sires Vancouver, Real Impact, Panzer Division and Outreach.

Unfortunately, the Sepoy-Alert Princess, Adelaide-Northern Cath, Rich Enuff-Tanzanite and Road To Rock-Turf Cutter Girl colts have been withdrawn.

A certain eye catcher is Lot 57 is a chestnut colt, foaled 19 September, by the Australian Guineas winner Wandjina, who has the stakes placed winner Grand Scholar, in this his first 2yo crop.

From the Gr1 TJ Smith Classic winner Apercu, by the outstanding broodmare sire Encosta de Lago, this colt is already a half- brother to four winners. His stakes-placed winning grandam Making Fey is a half-sister to the Dalgety winner Big Barron, and is the immediate family of Able Friend and Global News.

Also, with an eye-catching pedigree is Lot 572 late on Day 3, is a bay filly foaled 26 August, by first crop sire Panzer Division, a son of Redoubt’s Choice. A half-sister to four good winners, she is from the Adrian Knox winner Operetta Lass, by Singspiel.

Operetta Lass is a half-sister to the Autumn Classic winner Extra Zero, and outstanding Group 1 performer Johan’s Joy, the dam of Phar Lap Stakes and Schweppes Crystal Mile winner Toydini.

In establishing Twin Hills Stud in 2017 Oliver Tait brings together a vast knowledge of the international racing and breeding industry. In his fifteen years at Darley and Godolphin, Oliver originally established Darley in Australia, going on to manage operations in Japan and USA, before in 2010 managing global operations from Newmarket.

Elected to the Breeders’ Cup Board of Directors, Members and Trustees in 2009, Oliver was Audit and Finance Chairman until 2013. Also, during 2006-08 he was President of the Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders Association and a Director of Aushorse Ltd, the body for commercial breeders in Australia.

A member of the famous racing and breeding Tait Family, Oliver’s grand-patents Griff and Daisy Tait raced such famous horses as Baguette, Cabochon, Betelgeuse, Heirloom and Birthright who ran in their red silks with white cap, when trained by Fil Allotta.

The Tait Family success continued through outstanding trainers Neville Begg and Guy Walter, with Oliver’s parents Sandy and Kathy having the $6.2m world record earner Tie The Knot, from their Queensland Oaks winner Whisked, the winner of 13 Group 1 races.

Oliver certainly struck gold this season with his newly acquired son of Fastnet Rock in Smart Missile, having the 3yo filly Maid of Heaven take out the Gr1 Spring Champion Stakes of 2000m at Royal Randwick, trained by Mark Newnham.

The Champion First Season Sire of 2015-16, Smart Missile has 83 winners from 201 runners this season with Smart Melody taking out the Gr3 Thousand Guineas Prelude and listed Cap D’Antibes Stakes and Beauty the listed William Crockett Stakes.

Twin Hills foundation sire Odyssey Moon, stands alongside Smart Missile, and is the smart Standish Handicap winner whose first foals on the ground at Twin Hills this season.  A brown standing 16.0½hh he is a son of influential sire-of-sires and twice Australian champion sire Snitzel, by Redoubt’s Choice.

From the placed Arch mare Run to The Moon, who is also the maternal sire of Champion US Sire Uncle Mo, she is half-sister to the Coaching Club American Oaks and Alabama Stakes winner Jostle, from the stakes placed winning dam Moon Drone.

Oliver’s vast international racing and breeding knowledge resulted in Australian breeders having the rare access to the blood of Kitten’s Joy, the six-times US Champion Turf Sire, with his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winning son Bobby’s Kitten, standing the 2017 season only at Twin Hills Stud.

With his first European yearlings selling in 2019 and Australian yearlings in 2020, Bobby’s Kitten won an additional three black type stakes races, as well as finished fourth in a second Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. As a 2yo he ran third in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

By Bernard Kenny