Off The Track - St Andrews

This article is from the September 2020 Horse Deals magazine.

Showing is all about the horse, but an elegant combination gets a longer look, and there is no more elegant a combination in the hack ring at the moment than Natalie McKay and St Andrews. The beautiful large hack raced until he was eight years old when he was spotted by Queensland professional horseman, Adam Oliver and the rest, they say is history, as in just two years Andy has become one of the most successful show horses competing in Eastern Australia.

Andy, bred in New Zealand, raced as St Andrews and it is his good luck that he did not have to undergo a name change, which is sometimes necessary as not all racing names have showring appeal. He is by Sandtrap (USA) that was imported to stand in New Zealand. Certainly, someone to do with the Sandtrap breeding operation was a golf enthusiast, as he has another son called Bunker, with Andy named after the famous Scottish golf course. It is principally North American breeding above the line and British and local New Zealand breeding below the line, with Andy out of Nun’s Chorus (NZ) by College Chapel (GB). He was lucky enough to be foaled at the beautiful Rich Hill Stud in the Waikato region of New Zealand and commenced his racing career on home soil. Foaled in August 2008, Andy did not have his first start until October 2012. He ran last in that race which was followed by a 15-week break and relocation to Brisbane. Then in February 2013 and trained by Robert Heathcote, he won on the Sunshine Coast, the first of his five wins from 30 career starts. During that time he won $65,601 and had his last race in June 2016 for then trainer, Marcus Wilson.

A beautiful horse always has the option of another career, and when they happen to have a good temperament then it is a win, win situation. Ever on the lookout for beautiful horses, Adam Oliver spotted Andy when he went to see another horse. “Late in 2016, I went to Marcus Wilson’s stables at the Gold Coast Turf Club to look at a horse by Wonderful World. St Andrews was stabled opposite. Who’s that? He just had his head over the door and I liked him. On closer inspection, I really liked him. I always ask the trainers, track rider, grooms etc what the horses are like. If I get a bad report I say; ‘it’s beautiful, but you can keep it’. I don’t chase a difficult temperament, if I end up with one, so be it, but I always enquire about its suitability as a show horse and it is definitely a bonus when they have a good reputation and all the track riders said he was a delight to work with. I brought the two horses home and spelled St Andrews for a few months.

“Andy proved to be the easiest horse I have ever had to deal with. He is such a gentleman and always wants to do the right thing. His first show was at Beaudesert in September 2017. He won at the Tamworth Hack Championships in November and he won his Novice 16-16.2hh class at Sydney Royal under Helen Page. He was Runner Up Large Hack at the Queensland HOTY in 2018 and was third in the Large Hack Championships at the Nationals in December that year. Natalie McKay came to look at another horse in August 2018 and again Andy grabbed the attention. She loved him and took him home after the Nationals and he and Natalie make such a beautiful combination.”

“Mum, (Marina Muccignat) and I went to see another horse at Adam’s”, says Natalie McKay from Officer in Victoria. “They showed us Andy and as soon as he walked out, Mum and I both looked at each other and said ‘WOW’. I think I did about five strides of walk on him and I had fallen in love with him. We thought he was everything a show horse should be; handsome, eye-catching and rideable, he was just amazing, a real credit to Adam’s training. We decided to buy him, but did not take ownership of him until after the Nationals at the end of the year. Since that time he has qualified for two Nationals to represent Victoria with me, 2019 (third place in the Large Hack class as well as the National OTT winner) and 2020, if and when they have it.

“We had been planning to go to the Grand Nationals this year in March and then during winter start prepping for Melbourne Royal, but of course that has been cancelled because of COVID. Although we have no shows to look forward to in the short term, the time in lockdown has been really good because we have been able to train without the pressure of competition.

“Andy is kept at my parents’ property at Tynong North, just 15 minutes down the road. I am riding him four times a week and really enjoying the training at home. He is now a well educated horse and I am currently fine-tuning all his lateral work from shoulder in, travers and half-passes to keep him soft and supple. We are also starting to work on his flying changes. I like to mix up his work too to keep him interested and not constantly working in the arena. We do trot poles and take him out for a hack around the property which Andy really enjoys. I try not to do the same thing day after day.

“Andy thrives in the atmosphere of being at a big show in a big barn with a lot of horses; he loves that. He makes showing really enjoyable. He copes extremely well with travelling and he eats up well. When we take him to a big show, we usually bring home a fatter horse. At agricultural shows, I just get on and go and at a royal, I might lunge him for half an hour so he gets a bit of a look around and can stretch without me on his back. He is in demand as a rider class mount. Anyone that has ridden him has always dismounted with a massive smile on their face, and he has also had success in Child’s Hack classes with Jessica Fraser and Ella O’Doherty.

“He did not start showing until he was a nine-year-old and if they are sound off the track at eight years old, they hopefully stay that way. I’m not sure how he was a racehorse for so long as he can be very lazy, showing definitely suits him better. This would really have been only his third show season. He hasn’t done a lot, but he has been very successful. We absolutely adore him, he always gives his best and tries his hardest. Andy won the Victorian OTT Finals at the VAS Ltd Show at Bendigo in January, was Runner-up Large Hack of the Year at Barastoc in February to qualify again to represent Victoria and had an amazing Canberra Royal Show in March; the beginning of a very successful season. We love our training with Roger East who has been a big influence in my riding and success that Andy and I have achieved in the ring. Roger is amazing to work with and has pushed us to reach our full potential. Due to the current pandemic, lessons have become problematic because of the travel restrictions, as he now lives in Queensland.

“We have recently been notified that the 2020 Nationals at the end of the year has been postponed, which is disappointing but understandable at this horrible time, but we look forward to hopefully getting back into the show ring in 2021 to continue to do what we love with our beautiful horses. Let’s hope there is light at the end of the tunnel soon.“

Article by Anna Sharpley

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