A LAWYER by training with a true love of the thoroughbred at heart, this year’s Hunter Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s (HTBA) President’s Award honours a man who, for more than 50 years, has been a respected adviser, a passionate promoter and an indefatigable advocate for the industry - Ken Barry.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For more than five decades, he has promoted and championed the Hunter’s thoroughbred breeding and racing industry.
Since the late 1970s, as an adviser to the then world’s largest racehorse owner, late Robert Sangster (proprietor of Swettenham Stud and partner in Coolmore Stud), Barry has been influential in the development of the Hunter’s thoroughbred breeding industry.
This included the establishment of Robert Sangster’s and Colin Hayes’ breeding and racing interests in Australia in what was to become
Collingrove Stud and its very successful stallion Rory’s Jester who is still a major influence for speed in the Australian thoroughbred.
It was Barry’s relationship with Sangster that ignited his involvement with Coolmore, which he retains to this day in his role as chairman of Coolmore’s Advisory Board, a role he has held since Coolmore’s establishment in Australia.
Significantly, it was their partnership that led to his considerable and lasting contributions to the Hunter’s thoroughbred breeding industry, including his role in the “shuttle stallion” phenomenon that gave us Last Tycoon and Danehill and shaped the Australian and particularly the Hunter horoughbred.
Together with Arrowfield’s chairman John Messara, Barry has served on the board of what was then the Commercial Thoroughbred Breeders Association, and which today has become Aushorse Ltd, Australia’s national thoroughbred marketing body.
Since the formation of Aushorse, he’s been the Aushorse representative on the Board of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and has been instrumental in promoting and advocating for the growth, export potential and preservation of Australia’s premier thoroughbred breeding industry in the Hunter.
As a tireless advocate for our industry, Barry has championed the cause to prevent open cut mining at the Drayton South site culminating in the prohibition of open cut mining on that site by the NSW Government in December last year.
As chairman of Coolmore’s Advisory Board, he and his management team have had many successes – standing Australian champion stallions on 12 occasions, producing 54 Group 1 winners and over 510 stakes winners - since their formation in Australia.
On a personal level, Barry has also had considerable success in racing and breeding, owning champion stallion Encosta De Lago (in partnership with John Magnier), and having co-bred, raced and remains a significant shareholder in Fastnet Rock.
He also retains an interest in yet another Royal Ascot runner, Fastnet Rock’s son Merchant Navy, who will race at Ascot this coming June.
“A quiet achiever, an inspirational leader, a great mentor, and a man of commitment, compassion and vision, a persuasive advocate, a true gentleman and a devoted family man it is our honour to award Ken Barry the 2018 HTBA President’s award for his dedication, passion and life time commitment to the industry and the many causes he has championed on our behalf,” HTBA president Dr Cameron Collins said.
