Everybody was talking about Private Harry long before Yulong Investments tied up fifty percent of his ownership under a deal reported to value the colt at sixteen million dollars - a deal that didn’t come as a complete surprise. From a Newcastle maiden to the $3 million dollar Sunlight to the Gr 1 Galaxy in just five starts is the kind of achievement likely to arouse the interest of a powerhouse racing organisation with seemingly unlimited spending power.
Today’s mind boggling prize money levels have already enabled “Harry” to bank a tick under two million dollars, and he has effectively changed the lives of those closest to him. The colt has been a timely advertisement for Kurrinda Bloodstock who identified and purchased him for $115,000 at the 2021 Inglis Classic Sale. He has already taken his large ownership group on a ride they could never have imagined when each signed up for a share. The Yulong deal has obviously added another dimension.
For trainer Nathan Doyle the three year old has merely confirmed the widely held opinion, that he only needed the right horse to gatecrash the Gr 1 training ranks. This special horse has taken Welsh born jockey Ashley Morgan on a journey he could only have fantasized about when working for a London employment recruitment agency a few years ago. There’s one more fascinating chapter to racing’s latest fairy tale.
A Gr. 1 at only his 5th race start - a magic moment for trainer Nathan Doyle and jockey Ash Morgan - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Let’s switch focus to Rheinwood Stud, a boutique thoroughbred broodmare farm just minutes from Mittagong on the NSW Southern Highlands. Rheinwood was a run down cattle farm when purchased in 1993 by Sydney insurance broker Ray Willis and his wife Marilyn. Despite the huge transformation required to turn the property into a commercial proposition, Ray saw it as the long term realisation of his life’s dream. More than three decades on, he’s justifiably proud of the end result.
Rheinwood embraces 163 acres of prime, undulating horse country divided into seventeen first class paddocks. Ray has spared no expense in establishing all of the infrastructure necessary for the smooth operation of a commercial breeding enterprise. Just lately he’s been spotted on several occasions gazing into one particular broodmare paddock. Staff have been fully aware of the reason for this newly developed habit. Suffice to say Ray Willis isn‘t the only studmaster who’d be chuffed to have Private Harry’s mother grazing in the top paddock.
Ray’s daughter Kirsty manages the Rheinwood Pastoral Company and is right across the thirty year history of the business. She says nobody in the family is sure of the derivation of the name Rheinwood, but believes there’s a possibility it was the name on the label of the bottle of red Ray was drinking at the time he hatched the idea of going into the thoroughbred breeding business.
Ray Willis with his all time favourite fillies - daughters Amy and Kirsty.
A proud Dad on Amy's graduation day.
Kirsty says the whole exciting Private Harry adventure is attributable in part to Briscay, a daughter of Marscay who was one of Ray’s early foundation mares. Ray bred and sold Briscay’s colt foal by Myocard who would later race as Arkady for owner John Denoon and trainer Dr. Geoff Chapman. One of Arkady’s seven wins was in the Gr 1 Ranvet Stakes of 1997. I still take some convincing that he didn’t also win the Gr 1 Mercedes Classic two weeks later. In one of the trickiest photo finishes I ever encountered as a race caller, Arkady was nosed out by the crowd favourite Octagonal. I’d love to have that one over again.
“Memories of Arkady came flooding back to my father when he spotted a young mare called Happy Pilgrim in the 2018 Gold Coast Broodmare sale catalogue,” said Kirsty. “He was comfortable with the fact that she was by American shuttler Congrats, a son of Belmont Stakes winner A.P. Indy. She had a positive test to the well credentialed Nicconi, and Dad was quick to note that she’d been a three time winner for trainer Luke Pepper at Wagga, Leeton and Sapphire Coast. Best of all Happy Pilgrim’s dam Pilgrim happened to be a half sister to Arkady by the influential Danehill. Other buyers were obviously on the same wavelength, because we had to shell out $75,000 to take the mare home.”
One of three wins for Private Harry's mum. Happy Pilgrim (Chelsea Taylor) wins a BM55 at the Sapphire Coast 30/07/2017 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Aquis was the purchaser of Happy Pilgrim’s Nicconi colt at the 2019 Great Southern Weanling Sale for a modest $15,000. Named First Crusade he managed only a Lismore maiden win in seven starts for trainer Kacy Fogden before being sold on to a Northern Territory stable. He went on to win four races from sixteen starts on the Fannie Bay track at Darwin.
Happy Pilgrim’s second foal was a Caravaggio colt who found his way to the Adelaide Magic Millions Sale in 2021. Purchased by Darby Racing for $210,000 and named Contarelli he failed to win in eight starts for three different trainers but was plagued with niggling issues. The best he could manage were placings at Tamworth and Gunnedah for scant earnings of $17,000.
Happy Pilgrim’s first filly was a daughter of Santos (I Am Invincible) who made $40,000 at the 2022 Inglis Classic Sale. She was knocked down to Western Australian buyers and has won three races to date as Lucky Lily - one at Bunbury and two at Kalgoorlie. It’s likely her current owners have been advised of the sudden escalation in her value as a potential broodmare.
Ray Willis bred and sold the talented Arkady whose 7 wins included the Gr. 1 Ranvet Stakes 1997 with John Marshall on board. Runner up was Hula Flight - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s well documented that Ray and Kirsty were bowled over by the commanding presence of Harry Angel at a Darley stallion parade in 2020. Aside from his dual Gr 1 success in the UK and a distinguished Timeform rating of 132, they were also taken by the stallion’s Danehill free pedigree. On paper he looked to be a suitable “outcross” for many Australian mares. Kirsty immediately booked Happy Pilgrim to the son of Dark Angel, well aware that her dam Pilgrim was a daughter of Danehill.
The crisp Southern Highlands air was making its presence felt when Happy Pilgrim gave birth to her Harry Angel colt at 3am on November 8th 2021. Kirsty was one of the “foaling down” team and clearly remembers the occasion. “The mare had her usual straightforward delivery and was quickly on her feet,” she recalled. “He was a cracking foal with great bone, perfect hips and plenty of scope. There was something special about this horse from the moment he came into the world.”
Rheinwood couldn’t have had a better ambassador than Private Harry when he stepped into the ring at the 2023 Inglis Classic Sale. The beautifully presented colt was knocked down to Kurrinda Bloodstock’s Sean Driver for $115,000, and is obviously now being touted as one of the bargain buys of recent times. Kurrinda Bloodstock engages in the business of sourcing suitable yearlings at sensible prices and syndicating them among clients and friends. The company also provides breaking in, pre-training and spelling services before assisting in the selection of trainers.
Not surprisingly Kurrinda has been proactive in sourcing Private Harry’s subsequent siblings. In partnership with Nathan Doyle Racing they went to $100,000 to acquire his half brother by Anders at the 2024 Inglis Classic Sale. Niggling issues have prevented his making it to the races thus far, but reports are encouraging. He’s called Lance Corporal and recently joined the gelding ranks. Kurrinda teamed up again with Nathan Doyle Racing to buy his Captivant half sister at this year’s Classic Sale for $220,000. Her resemblance to Private Harry has prompted the Willis family to retain a ten per cent share. She’s currently being broken in and showing all the right signs.
Happy Pilgrim's Captivant filly with Janina Ruff and Dee Foster. The filly was knocked down to Kurrinda Bloodstock and Nathan Doyle Racing for $220,000 at this years Classic Sale.
Kirsty is understandably excited about Happy Pilgrim’s 2024 foal - another top quality colt this time by Zousain who won only two races but was runner up in three high profile Gr 1’s. Already a proven sire, Zousain has stamped the colt to the extent that Kirsty describes him as the “best foal she’s ever produced”. Happy Pilgrim “missed” to one late cover by Harry Angel shortly before the stallion shuttled back to the UK, but perhaps a year off could work in the mare’s favour long term.
Happy Pilgrim's most recent foal, a strapping Zousain colt described by Kirsty as her bet foal yet.
Ray Willis spent his early years in Sydney’s inner western suburbs where he made the acquaintance of Croydon Park harness horse trainer Bill Wilkins, a leading light in Harold Park’s golden era. Ray began helping out and learning the basics at precisely the time Wilkins was the caretaker trainer and driver of legendary New Zealand pacer Cardigan Bay. Wilkins actually drove him to victory in the first two heats of the 1962 Inter Dominion Championship in Perth after which a freak training accident ruled him out of the series. Cardigan Bay and Wilkins later combined for four Harold Park wins in the days when huge crowds flocked to the Glebe circuit. “I probably didn’t realise just how good he was at the time,” said Ray. “As the years passed, I learned that Cardigan Bay was one of the all time greats and I look back on Bill Wilkins as a wonderful horseman and the perfect tutor for a young bloke learning the ropes.”
Ray Willis learned the basics from leading harness horse trainer Bill Wilkins who's seen here in one of 4 Harold Park wins with NZ champion Cardigan Bay.
When Ray opted for a career in the insurance business he proved to be a good listener and a fast learner. He launched R.L. Willis Insurance Brokers in 1978, but changed the brand name to Wilburtins in 1984. He started out in the general insurance field but it wasn’t long before he was insuring bloodstock for friends and a rapidly growing clientele. Ray continues to dabble in bloodstock insurance as an authorised representative for Howden Insurance Brokers.
The rising eighty year old sometimes reflects on just how much has happened at the Mittagong property since the first time he inspected the old cattle farm with its miles of rusty barbed wire fences and not one single facility he could use for thoroughbred horses. Today it’s as pretty a farm as you’d find in the state, and home to forty mares of which fourteen belong to the company. Significantly Private Harry isn’t the only notable horse to have walked its pastures. Libertad (dual Gr 3 winner), Upper Limits (listed WA Aquanita Stakes) and Dotteressa (Gr 3 Adrian Knox and runner up Chipping Norton Stakes) were bred and reared there. Albert The Fat (Gr 1 Emirates) and Final Fantasy (Gr 1 Epsom) were bred by clients but reared on the farm.
Kirsty found this one in the archives! Ray with some of his favourite broodmares in the early days at Rheinwood.
Ray heartily acknowledges the dedication and skills of his valued team of four stud staff led by manager Dee Foster who’s ably assisted by full timers Janina Ruff, Sabrina Worgotter and Angele Heluin. Kirsty runs the administration of the business with expertise and great attention to detail. She thinks nothing of floating mares to Hunter Valley and Victorian studs when required. Younger sister Amy lives and works in Scone but enjoys nothing more than helping out with regular duties on home visits.
Special mention of Marilyn whose support for Ray’s endeavours is as unwavering today as it was when he set the wheels in motion over thirty years ago. Marilyn enjoys her role at nearby Frensham Boarding and Day School for girls, but retains an avid interest in every Rheinwood graduate. She joined her daughters at Rosehill Gardens on Slipper day to help cheer Private Harry home in The Galaxy. The effects of “long covid” have slowed Ray down a little in recent times but he’s gradually getting on top of a curse that won’t let go. He has however stumbled onto a therapy that most doctors would struggle to understand. You wouldn’t believe leaning on a fence and staring at Private Harry’s mother could have such profound health benefits.
The girls were out in force on Golden Slipper day. From left Dee, Kirsty, Marilyn and Amy with the coveted Galaxy trophy.
(Banner image - Private Harry was dominant in his Galaxy win over Full Page and Uncommon James -courtesy Bradley Photographers.)