By HARRY CLARKE
UPDATE: The Cunninghams’ speedy cold, Storm Boy, won the Magic Millions 2YO Classic
BURGEONING thoroughbred breeding establishment Ridgmont will likely be adding some pet ponies to its stables this year, as owner Mitchell Cunningham and wife Stephanie prepare to move their young family from Brisbane to live permanently at the business’s Hunter Valley home.
Cunningham, whose family are part owners of favourite Storm Boy the $3 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic, said their forthcoming move to rural NSW would be crucial to managing Ridgmont’s continuing growth and would also offer his four children an invaluable country upbringing.
“It’s something that’s been in the pipeline for a few years,” Cunningham told the Caller.
“It’s going to be great for the business but it’s also going to be great for our children to live that life in the country that any kid would be lucky to experience.
“It’s a tree change that we’re incredibly excited for. I’m sure that the kids will immerse themselves in all that the farm life has to offer and I’m sure there’ll be plenty of pet ponies and pet bunnies and pet everything.”
The iconic Magic Millions races on the Gold Coast will top off a big month for the Cunninghams’ growing racing and breeding operation.
Their most exciting runner yet, Storm Boy trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, is most fancied to win the Magic Millions 2YO and will be racing in the Cunninghams’ gold and blue colours.
Ridgmont has also reached new heights in its long term mission to become one of Australia’s leading producers of quality thoroughbreds.
This week the farm had a draft of 13 horses go through the sales ring, doubling their average sale price and gross sales from their inaugural draft in 2023.
Their biggest earner was a well-related and highly popular colt by legendary stallion Frankel, which sold on Thursday for $750,000.
“When you buy a mare and you put her in foal, it’s two years before you’re able to sell that stock, so the business case is spread over two years,” Cunningham said.
“There’s a bit of inertia to overcome before you’re able to get a return on your investment, so you’ll see over the next two years the Ridgmont drafts continue to grow alongside the more significant investment we’ve been making in broodmares.
“We’re very aspirational about where we want to take the farm. We’re not in a rush to get there but we’re taking the small steps every year towards getting the farm to where we think it can go.
“I’ve spent the past two years not only buying broodmares and investing in farm infrastructure, but I’ve also really been focussing on gathering the right people.
“We’ve got a team at Ridgmont now who have hundreds of years’ experience between them, and you can see their hard work in the quality of the stock at these sales.”
Cunningham previously worked for ten years as a pilot for Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong, before returning to Brisbane and establishing a successful chain of gyms, which he then sold.
The Cunningham family purchased an interest in Ridgmont, near Scone, in 2019 and have since acquired full ownership of the operation.
The 178ha (440-acre) property on the prestigious Segenhoe Rd is now home to about 80 mares which are owned by the Cunningham family and clients of Ridgmont.
Cunningham said regardless of Storm Boy’s performance today, the 2024 Magic Millions had been a successful outing for Ridgmont and the Cunningham family.
“This whole week is an incredibly busy but exciting time on the Gold Coast,” he said.
“Magic Millions is such a great week. Whether you have a runner on race day or not, it’s exciting to debate which horses you think will win and which horses you like.
“It’s such a spectacle. It’s very special for us to just have a horse in the race, let alone have the favourite. I think he’s a genuine chance to win the race and to go on with it and become something pretty special.”