Million-dollar colt set for possible breeding career as show stallion
One of the most uplifting thoroughbred rehoming stories of the year emerged at Queensland’s largest agricultural show, the EKKA, which was held recently in Brisbane.
Supercharge, a magnificent bay stallion by I Am Invincible, took one of the highest honours for the breed and was sashed supreme champion led thoroughbred.
The prestigious event, judged by former top showjumping rider and successful Victorian racehorse trainer David Brideoake, was fiercely contested by some of the best hacks in the land. To win it is considered a crowning glory for both horse and exhibitor in the showhorse world.
His beaming handler on the day was Dr. Johnnie Walker, who is a familiar face to many in the thoroughbred racing and breeding world.
A veterinarian for some of the biggest outfits in the industry, including the likes of Newgate Farm and Snowden Racing, Walker has been on a remarkable life journey with Supercharge over the past few years.
Supercharge, bred by Peter Horwitz, was sold by Segenhoe Stud for a whopping $1.9 at the 2018 Magic Millions Yearling Sale to James Harron Bloodstock. Naturally, there were big expectations for him on the track and beyond.
At the sale, Walker inspected him clinically, checking his radiographs and scope for Harron.
“He had the type, pedigree and temperament to be extremely successful but it was not to be,” recalled Walker.
Just days after being transported from the Gold Coast sales ground to his new home in NSW he contracted salmonella diarrhoea.
“I was heavily involved in managing him. We took him straight to Agnes Banks and he recovered from the salmonella diarrhoea but secondarily he got laminitis in both front feet,” recalled Walker.
“To James’s eternal credit he did everything to keep him going and said we needed to do everything we possibly could for this horse. But during the next 18 months, his foot issues plagued him a lot. Every time they got him to speed his feet would not hold together.”
Unfortunately, as a result of all the health and soundness challenges, Supercharge never realised his potential on the racetrack.
“James rang me and said ‘what do we do?’ and I said ‘let me go and look at him’. I made two mistakes, I took my partner Leanne (Jones) and took the float,” Walker joked.
“Not only did they do everything they could but went to the next level and said ‘he’s not going to make a racehorse, what can we do?’ It was a serious attempt at rehoming a thoroughbred.”
Supercharge went home in the float that day with Walker and so began a whole new journey for the horse which has led to enormous success in the show ring.
“It’s a really good story with this horse. He was bought by good owners who only ever had the horse’s welfare at stake and when it came to rehoming they wanted what was the best thing for him,” he said.
Walker and his partner have travelled all over Australia with Supercharge to compete in shows and have built a tremendous rapport with the horse during that time.
“He’s our pet and he’s beautiful. No doubt he would have made a good racehorse and stallion. He’s the perfect type and his attitude is immaculate. He’s a gentleman. He’s 600 kilograms of a thoroughbred stallion but he’s the kindest horse.”
With such an easy-going temperament Walker has never worried about gelding him and kept him entire. Continuing to compete on the show circuit is the immediate plan with Supercharge but long term they may consider breeding him as a saddle horse stallion.
Already, they are fielding plenty of inquiries on whether or not he will one day be used for that purpose. Like many, I hope so. Wouldn’t that be a welcome improvement to the gene pool of show and performance horses in Australia? And it would certainly enhance the reputation of the capabilities of thoroughbreds in arenas beyond the racetrack.