Lark Hill Stud Celebrates Group One Double

Lark Hill Stud is enjoying a remarkable year with two individual Group One winners, although the boutique Hunter Valley property operates on a relatively small scale, offering only eight to 12 yearlings annually.

Lark Hill bred Group One South Australian Derby winner Blue Murder, a $40,000 weanling purchase, as well as classy Flying Spur filly All Time High, who captured last Wednesday’s Thousand Guineas at Caulfield by two lengths.

All Time High, a half-sister to four times Group One winner All Our Mob, was a $110,000 Inglis Easter purchase for agent Denis Roberts for clients Paul and Mark Crawford.

Lark Hill is also permanent home to Caulfield Cup winner Diatribe’s dam Gabbing Gloria. Diatribe’s half-brother by Johann Quatz, called Verbal, is also expected to make his presence felt this spring carrying the same grey fernleaf colours as his older brother.

Three-year-old Verbal, a $130,000 Easter graduate, is prepared by Diatribe’s trainer George Hanlon.

"Our aim at Lark Hill is to breed nice racehorses for other people to enjoy racing and we have achieved that this year with Blue Murder and All Time High," says stud proprietor Lex Tall.

"It’s been great - We hope it is a trend!"

The 700-acre property located just outside Scone, features 300 acres of lush river flats with the Hunter River running through its fields, as well as 400 acres of gently rolling pasture backing onto the Pages Mountain range.

The property has undergone a complete transformation since Tall acquired it five years ago, implementing breeding and horse husbandry policies with a special emphasis on equine nutrition.

He has also built up an impressive broodmare band with purchases from England and North America including Nijinsky mare Avietwo, the dam of the promising Gai Waterhouse-trained Freedom Land. The Unbridled’s Song colt was knocked down to Gooree Stud for $200,000 at Easter.

"Avietwo has a Timber Country filly and she is due to foal to End Sweep any moment," says Tall.

Another intriguing mare is Baie des Chaleurs, closely related to Flying Spur as she is a grand-daughter of Fanfreluche, best known as the second dam of the leading Danehill sire.

"She is from the same family as (Flying Spur filly) French Braids as she is out of La Voyageuse, the grand-dam of French Braids, and I plan to send her to Flying Spur this year," says Tall of Baie des Chaleurs.

Other notable Lark Hill residents include Vain Princess, the dam of Group Two winner Speed Week and stakes performer Khoshaf.

Lark Hill has a broodmare band numbering around 20 as well as operating as a highly-specialised broodmare agistment farm.

"We developed Lark Hill from scratch and it is a very safe environment," says Tall. "I am particularly interested in equine nutrition, in terms of providing the right nourishment for the foetus, and we are really careful with our mating plans."

All Time High’s dam All Sold is currently in foal to West Point while Diatribe’s dam Gabbing Gloria has a Dehere filly to be offered next Easter and a Flying Spur colt at foot.