JIM Walker would have taken on many gambles that have proved to be a success during his life as a stockbroker but he has managed to stretch those business skills to the racing industry with his purchase of the New Zealand-bred mare On The Beach.
On The Beach, a daughter of the Sharpen Up stallion Famous Star from the Sovereign edition mare Bali, was bought by Walker shortly after her unplaced performance behind Romanee Conti in the Hong Kong Invitational Cup at Sha Tin earlier this year.
While the A$150,000 paid by Walker could have been judged a shade too expensive, considering the economic climate surrounding the equine industry in Australasia, the mare has begun to recoup his purchase in no small part and last Saturday snared the Listed Brisbane Handicap over 1,600 metres at Eagle Farm.
The first prize of A$32,000, while helping Walker recoup some of the A$150,000, was not the main cause for celebration. That was overshadowed by the mare adding further black type to her pedigree.
Although she was a Group winner in New Zealand and placed at Group One level by Staring as a three-year-old filly, On The Beach was bought primarily for a stud career.
Walker, formerly from Sydney, spent 15 years in Hong Kong but is now in the process of establishing a new breeding complex, Palmaday Stud, near Beaudesert, in the western districts of Queensland.