A sea change for bloodstock agent Shane McGrath and his friendship with Victorian trainer Clinton McDonald has sparked a rewarding association with a growing track record of success in the highly competitive world of bloodstock and racing.
Irish born McGrath came to Australia in 1997 and has worked for some of our leading farms including Coolmore and the old Eliza Park before a fruitful stint in management at Aquis during a period in which they enjoyed much success.
Outstanding gallopers such as Golden Slipper winner Farnan, Mounga, Anders, Prague, Bruckner, Dubious, Global Quest and Ellsberg were all bought during that time under the watch of Shane McGrath.
“We bought some terrific horses and it was a very successful period, but time moves on and I made the decision to go off and do my own thing and have relocated with my family to Lennox Head, swapping the summer heat of Scone for a coastal lifestyle that suits my family better,” said McGrath.
Since striking out on his own, McGrath has forged a great working relationship with Clinton McDonald, a third generation horse trainer that has had his share of stakes success through horses such as Regal Roller, Angel Capital, Second Effort and Mugen, who was a very successful trade horse to Hong Kong where he is a Group winning sprinter after winning a maiden for McDonald by four lengths at Moonee Valley.
Neither McGrath or McDonald are natural self-promoters, preferring to quietly go about their respective businesses to the benefit of their clients, however a recent run of success has put the pair in the spotlight.
“Star Patrol was one of the early success stories and of course Hayasugi was a game changer last season,” said McGrath, who was involved in her purchase along with James Bester as a weanling for $47,500 on behalf of Cara Mok, Annette Ma and his wife Julie.
“She won the Blue Diamond and has earned over $1.7million, so just a fantastic result and we also had another good 2YO in Stanley Express, who won the $1million Showdown on debut.”
In recent weeks, Clinton McDonald has produced a trio of ultra promising three year-olds all sourced with input from Shane McGrath in Jasmin Rouge, winner of the Group III MRC Thoroughbred Club Stakes, Vestas, second in the Group III VRC Red Roses Stakes and Refusetobeenglish (NZ), who bolted in on debut at the big Cranbourne standalone meeting.
"I just love training and being with the horses,” said Clinton McDonald.
"I don’t want a big stable as I am very much hands on, prefer a phone call to a text and forget an email! Shane and I have been friends for 20 years, we both know our strengths and we compliment each other.
“I love when we are looking at horses together because he doesn’t overcomplicate the process. He has brought several new owners into the stable and we are working really hard to ensure the quality is up and my core group of owners are all part of the journey."
None of the trio were expensive with Refusetobeenglish sourced from the NZB Ready to Run Sale for $120,000, Vestas from Inglis Premier for $140,000 and Jasmin Rouge for just $70,000 at Inglis Premier.
“We’re looking for value and we’re looking for athletes and we are also open to trading horses we purchase through the ready to run sales and that has proven to be a profitable exercise this year with the youngsters we sold educated through the McDonald training system,” McGrath revealed.
A colt by Toronado (IRE) from Pussycat Dream (GB) was sourced from Magic Millions for $90,000 and sold at Inglis Ready 2 Race for $500,000, while a Deep Field colt from Sheer Pleasure (USA) was bought from Inglis Easter for $260,000 and sold at Inglis Ready 2 Race for $750,000.
The New Zealand Ready to Run Sale also delivered further success with a Snitzel colt from Hard As sourced for $60,000 at Magic Millions selling for $480,000 at Karaka and even better was a Toronado (IRE) colt from Attractive that was plucked from Inglis Premier for $97,500 and sold in New Zealand for $625,000.
McGrath and McDonald were strong at the 2024 yearling sales and have a promising new group of babies in the stable, but are already planning ahead for next year.
“We are always happy to work with new investors and have a realistic view of where we can find value to suit the individual, whether that be high end colts, quality fillies, trade prospects or a mix of all three,” said McGrath.
“Spreading risk is a key strategy and having the services of an outstanding horseman such as Clinton McDonald has streamlined the whole process from sale ring to racetrack.”
For more information contact Shane McGrath on 0407 126 056 or Clinton McDonald on 0407 119 323
