3 minute read
By his own reckoning, long-time owner-breeder Jim Quin has had about 70 winners, but he believes his best days may be just around the corner.
On Monday, the former Wellingtonian’s homebred Liapari notched his third win since joining Chris Waller’s stable with a strong performance at Randwick and Quin has high hopes for the four-year-old’s future.
“He looks promising, and I have sent his three-year-old half-sister by Alamosa, All Points West, to Chris Waller as well. They are both talented,” he said.
All Points West ran second at a trial on Tuesday and is due to debut at Newcastle on February 25 in a maiden fillies and mares’ race over 1300m.
Liapari, a son of Nom du Jeu, was previously trained by Karen Zimmerman and Quin said the trainer’s imminent move north to Byerley Park played a part in his decision to send his horses across the Tasman.
“The care and attention Karen puts into them is first class, but I thought it was best to bite the bullet, as she thought they were good enough,” he said.
Based predominantly in Thailand where he is having his yacht refitted prior to making a trip across the Indian Ocean, Quin relies on his trainer’s communication skills to keep him up to play with his horses’ future plans.
“I am very happy and feel favoured to be in Chris Waller's stable. He is obviously an outstanding trainer, but his communication is first class,” he said.
“Within an hour of my race being won I had received a congratulatory note and a little later an extensive personal race report and a consideration of what may be the near future plans. Remarkable really, and I can see why he has such success.”
In addition to Liapari and All Points West, both of which he bred from his four time winning Al Akbar mare Tradewind, Quin also has an interest in an Ocean Park colt out of Warm Whispers, which Waller purchased at the Karaka sales.
Warm Whispers is a Stravinsky daughter of the 2001 Filly of the Year Singalong, a horse Quin said he would never forget - for all the wrong reasons.
Fore Stay, a half-brother to Tradewind, Quin recalled, had the 2001 Hawke’s Bay Guineas all but won only to be pipped on the line by Singalong.
“I couldn’t help myself and took a 10 per cent share in him,” Quin said. “I very much liked Ocean Park and had memories etched into my psyche of Singalong beating my horse when the race was ours for the taking.”