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Prominent Victorian owner Sandy McGregor has a soft spot for jumps racing and he’s recently furthered his interests with a stake in a New Zealand-bred prospect.
He has taken a chance on the unpredictable flat galloper Tempelten, the winner of six races from the stable of Scott Lucock and Sally Gillespie for owner Simon Rushbridge.
“I’ve purchased half of him with the original owner staying in,” McGregor said. “An agent put me on to him and he’s got a few miles on the clock and I like to get them a bit younger, but we’ll get a season or so out of him.”Tempelten has been extensively schooled and has been transferred to the Caulfield stable of Ciaron Maher.
The seven-year-old has enjoyed a more solid campaign this summer with Group Three placings in both the Counties and Waikato Cups to go with past upset wins in the Thames, Bay of Plenty and Te Aroha Cups.McGregor is a jumping fan and has previously enjoyed outstanding success with top performers Black And Bent, Some Are Bent, Wells and Palmero.
“I like it better to be honest and I don’t even turn the television on to watch a 1200 metre race,” he said. “I’m always on the look-out for more New Zealand jumpers.”However, he has also celebrated numerous feature flat wins and currently is a part-owner of the Gr.3 Lexus Stakes winner Signoff and the Gr.2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup winner Prince Of Penzance.
McGregor prides himself on being unique among Australia’s thoroughbred owners, purchasing the bulk of his yearlings out of England and France.A prime example of his European approach is Signoff, who ran fourth in the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup off the back of his Lexus win.