Geisel Park

By Kristen Manning

Everyone involved in the demanding world of thoroughbred racing and breeding knows that having a good sense of humour helps one get by - and Geisel Park’s Eddie Rigg certainly has the gift of looking on the bright side!

The first indication of this character trait is the name he chose for the historic property he purchased in 2007 - Geisel Park Stud

Did Eddie name his farm after a famous horse of the past? No? After a local legend? No? After something meaningful to the area? No… he named his horse stud after Dr Seuss!!

Theodor Seuss Geisel that is, the famed American children’s author and cartoonist best known for his ability to best utilise the nonsensical aspects of the English language; his mastery of fun and rhymes being legendary!

So why Dr Seuss? Well Eddie simply wanted a theme to name his horses - and there were just so many possibilities amongst the author’s many characters and poems

Such as group winner Fuddle Dee Duddle and Bippo No Bungus, the stakes winners raced in partnership with the late Ron Sayers - Eddie chuckling at the memory of Ron’s thoughts of his naming process - “even years later he was talking about what silly names I had chosen!’

Years on Eddie has moved on to another theme - as a fan of The Castle he has had fun going through the many great lines and characters in the iconic Australian movie, telling us that “I have a list of 300 potential names!”

Enjoying racing is the reason Eddie does what he does - combining his work life with his passion for horses, noting that “I want to make money but also enjoy myself.”

Raised on a wheat and sheep farm with horses, Eddie noted from a young age that much enjoyment could be derived from the racing sports - his parents racing the smart pacer Windy Jean who won around 18 races, the locals turning up at the pub each time she raced to cheer her on.

He saw how much joy that brought to people and there were always horses around - his father a rider, Eddie following in his footsteps - “whenever it wasn’t too hot we were out there riding or using the horses to round up the sheep,” he recalled.

Forging a successful career as a stockbroker, Eddie caught an early break courtesy of the respected local businessman Donald Maloney who offered to finance his stake in DJ Carmichael on a couple of conditions - one that he keep it secret, and secondly that he buy into a couple of horses with him.

And so began a long association with thoroughbreds - “I am still a victim!” he laughed

One who is very proud of his stud - one which has a long local history being the oldest continuously run farm operating between Perth and Bunbury on the Old Coast Road (now the Forest Highway) - established in 1846 as Myalup Farm Calling it “a little bit of New Zealand on the coastal plain of Western Australia,” he notes that outstanding soil and good annual rainfall supplemented by summer irrigation provides for abundant grass - “a farm that can run a lot of horses ”

Enjoying racing is the reason Eddie does what he doescombining his work life with his passion for horses, noting that “I want to make money but also enjoy myself.”

Proudly standing three stallions at Geisel Park, Eddie is rather fond of his proven boys

All American and Manhattan Rain and excited about his new-comer Aysar, the stakes winning Deep Field horse who stood his first season last year

“He is an absolutely delightful gentleman,” he enthused - “almost like a kid’s pony! He came to us with a bit of a reputation but our stud manager Conor Dunlop has built a great relationship with him and we are very excited about his first foals this year Aysar was bred to be a stallion ”

From Ireland, Conor - who has been with Geisel Park since 2012 – has emerged as a respected horseman He also gets on extremely well with All American with Eddie noting that the 18-year-old G1 Emirates Stakes winner “runs up to him and puts his head on his shoulder ”

A filly by All American is amongst a strong sales draft for Geisel Park, one which consists of eleven horses by nine different stallions including five who stand on the east coast - Eddie keen to utilise the best bloodlines across the country

With the ambition of continuing to upgrade his broodmare band, and to breed with around 25 each year - with around five or six in the east at any given time - Eddie has bought some very nice prospects in recent times

Such as the stakes placed multiple city winner Reliable Star by Reliable Man, the stakes placed Indi Pacific by Blackfriars, Tuscan Star (an American Pharoah half-sister to the triple Group winner Tuscan Queen) and Arcadia Jewel by Ocean Park, a two times winning daughter of the Group 2 WA Derby winner Arcadia Dream

Recently Geisel Park also added to their broodmare band the quality Impressive Racing mares Impressive Jeuney and her daughter Cosmic Jeuney The Group 3 and triple Listed winner Impressive Jeuney is already proving her worth at stud as dam of Beauty Joy (ex Talladega) - a Group 3 winer in Perth and Hong Kong

The quality of Geisel Park’s broodmare band is evident in the sales draft, one which Eddie was happy to take us through…

Lot 9 bay filly Maschino - American Choice (All American)

“American Choice is one of our first All American mares and it seems he is going to be an outstanding broodmare sire - looking at Yankee Rose’s high class daughter Liberty Island in Japan American Choice was only a little mare and this filly was just about bigger than her come weaning time! I did have a think about breeding with such a small mare, but she was a ripper on the track winning nearly $200,000 as a two-year-old This filly is such a great, strong, two-year-old running type that I am glad that I decided to keep her ”

Lot 23 grey filly Puissance de LuneBourbon Dynasty (Trade Fair)

“This filly is a ¾ sister to the dual Listed winner Chantrea from a great family which has enjoyed success locally and in the east She is quite a sizeable filly with plenty of scope She is more of a three-year-old type who will benefit from a bit of patience Actually if this filly doesn’t make her reserve I’d happily take her home!

Lot 49 bay colt Nicconi - Don’t Call Me (Snippetson)

“He is a really nice colt from a very winning family and his dam has done a really good job so far with two smart winners from her first three foals ”

Lot 81 bay colt Long Leaf - Impressing Matters (Viscount)

“Cracking colt from one of the better WA families There have been plenty of studies looking at mares who produce a stakes winner early in their careers - showing that they are very likely to throw another one, and this colt’s Listed winning dam has already produced the stakes winner War Room ”

Lot 147 bay colt Yes Yes Yes Yes - Rosebank (Helmet)

“His dam is a delightful mare whose first foal by So You Think called So Many Stories in the Daniel & Ben Pearce stable has been attracting good reports And this colt is as good a type as we have in the sale - and it is nice to have one with a recent Group 1 winner (Bustler) on the page ”

Lot 151 bay filly StarspangledbannerRoyal Fortune (Bernardini)

“Starspangledbanner is a really good sire of fillies and this lovely filly’s grandam is Antique, one of Bob Peters’ blue hen mares I’m not sure we have a better walker ”

Lot 158 chestnut colt Long Leaf - She’s Readytoreign (More Than Ready)

“His dam is throwing really nice foals and this colt is another cracker, a really good looking horse with a great attitude to his work ”

Lot 170 bay/brown filly Toronado - Spurt (Flying Spur)

“Toronado is very popular in Western Australia, people love him And this filly is a cracking type I am here to sell but she is one I would not be too disappointed to take home!”

Lot 298 bay filly Nicconi - Once In A Lifetime (Not A Single Doubt)

“She is a really nice, neat, tidy filly bred on a proven cross being a ¾ sister to the stakes winner Nistaan ”

Lot 302 bay filly All American - Pearl Trade (Trade Fair)

“People are really going to like this horse, she is a dead-ringer for our talented All American mare Duchess Of Gossip and Trade Fair mares are going really well (seven stakes winners amongst the first 71 winners) - and she is the first foal from a good race mare ”

Lot 311 brown colt Playing GodPromiscuous Lass (Oratorio)

“You’d love to have a draft full of Playing Gods, he just keeps going from strength to strength and his best cross is with Oratorio mares This colt - whose dam is a full sister to the dual Group winner Moving Pictures - is a big, strong, impressive horse and you would not get a horse who enjoys his work more He eats up every day, he is so robust ” n