Client Spotlight – David Beckingsale

For breeder David Beckingsale, his journey into the sport has been one built around friendship and enjoying the experience with others.

His passion started through introductions via his family interest in racing.

“I picked up the racing bug from my father,” David explained.

“He sort of pottered around with horses and he also helped Alec Purdon way back in the 70’s. Then he absolutely subsequently helped Murray Edwards too, so I guess my interest came through his involvement initially.”

David started owning horses himself 25 years ago, which was also an introduction into syndication.

“I’ve had quite a few horses now, generally part shares of part of a syndicate with others.”

“My first win came with a horse called Styx Delight who was trained by Michael House. She won around five races and gave us some exciting times.”

David has been involved with some spectacular trotters over the years through his syndicates.

Including Monty Python, the outstanding campaigner who won 15 races including three in Australia. He raced from three to ten years old and was wonderfully consistent placing on 38 occasions.

A winner of the Group Three Southern Lights, Monty Python also placed second in the Rowe Cup to Speeding Spur, and placed third in the Dominion twice.

Jimmy Carter was another honest horse for the syndicate, winning 21 races and placing 53 times from age four to eleven.  He too was a winner of the Group Three Southern Lights, and placed at Group level in three other races.

“I guess that’s why I love trotters so much, when you look at the likes of Jimmy Carter. He didn’t start racing until four and he only got better and raced so well for so long. That’s one thing that you don’t see too often with pacers.”

The syndicate also raced Father Christmas, who won 11 races before being exported to Australia.

He placed second in the Group Three 4 and 5-Year-Old Trotters Championship, but raced at a high level from age three to seven.

Father Christmas

This cemented a strong relationship with trainer Phil Williamson and his family, and David has horses with Matty Williamson now as that connection continues.

Travel to watch his horses race isn’t always an option, having attended the Rowe Cup once, but one race meeting is a must attend for David every year.

“I always love heading to Omakau on the second of January,” David explained.

“That’s one meeting I try not to miss, it’s a great day out. But usually I try and stick around Canterbury.”

Ownership was providing a wonderful experience for David, with great horses and wins, then 20 years ago he would form a friendship that would sow the seed for the breeding dream to begin.

“It was around that time that I started to develop a relationship with Bevan and Keith Grice from Ashburton.”

“They actually bred a lot of the horses we raced, the likes of Monty Pyton, Jimmy Carter and Father Christmas.”

“I’ve kept in touch with Bevan a lot, I guess you could say he’s become a bit of a mentor for me with all of his experience in racing and breeding horses. So I’ve learned a lot from him, and it’s been a huge help to me. We’ve become good friends.”

Currently David is breeding from a strong band of mares based at Wai Eyre Farm.

“I am very thankful to the team at Wai Eyre for the way they look after the horses. The communication is great, and I enjoy popping out to see the horses when I can.”

“It is very impressive the way the horses are looked after and the way the staff work with them.”

“It’s been a great relationship over the past ten years, I also had shares in the stallion The Pres that stood at Wai Eyre as well.”

“I’ve always been very impressed with the level of service provided by Wai Eyre.”

David is breeding from Bright Ruby, an unraced daughter of Majestic Son and Sunny 19-win mare Ruby, she is in foal with her first foal, by Six Pack.

I Got Rhythm is a seven-win mare, and a daughter of the legendary Allegro Agitato. She’s currently in foal to On A Streak, and has already produced Funny Face (7 wins) for the late Roni Lauren.

San Diego Love won four races on the track and is by Love You. She’s in foal to Gimpanzee, and has produced winners to date in Brewster Baker and Overwatch.

Unraced mare Bacardi Belle has produced an On A Streak filly to date, and David has also this season leased Pres The Belle, by The Pres, and a winner of 13 races.

His selection of mares already provide a mix of great racing records, and powerful pedigrees, so the job of making breeding decisions for the upcoming season is an important one.

“With my stallion selection I’m always trying to improve on the mare and what she already has,” David said.

“I take a lot of things into consideration, like the size of the dam and the sire. Also sire success rates and successful dam sire crosses with each stallion.”

“We are spoiled for choice for trotting stallions now days, there would probably be just as many trotting stallions as pacing ones now.”

“And you have the choice of so many, from European to American, home bred as well at all cost levels. There’s a lot to consider.”

“I’ve learned a lot of that from the Grices over the years, they have been so successful themselves and I’m grateful to be able to learn from them.”

As a breeder he is about to venture into new territory.

“I quite like racing them, but I am going to put one in the sales this coming season.”

“It’s the first time I’ve tried the sales, but I also do like breeding to race with people I know. That’s the most enjoyable part for me.”

“I’d love to breed a Rowe Cup or Dominion winner, that’s the ultimate for any trotting breeder.”

Winners aside, for David it is his association with the people in the game as well that makes harness racing such a big part of his life.

“It’s the horses and the people you meet. You get some great thrills but you have to make the most of them when you get them, because we know they don’t come along every day.”

“But my passion is definitely on the breeding side, and to be honest, that’s come from the Grices. That has certainly rubbed off on me.”

“And being able to be associated with people like the Williamson family too,” David said.

“They are salt of the earth people, genuine and hard working. And totally honest.”

“One day it would be a great thrill if they could train a Group winner that I have bred. That would be really special.”