Bob Peters has been breeding and racing horses for 48 years and has enjoyed considerable success during that time, especially in his home state of Western Australia, where he has won every major tournament — and many times. again.
To say that the family’s famous race car colors and white dominate the WA track would be an understatement.
They have become the most recognizable icon of the sport there and on January 1, they lead again with Peters and his wife Sandra collecting their 10th Tabtouch — Perth Cup (G2) with gelding like home Midnight blue.
Midnight Blue Wins Perth Cup at Ascot . Racecourse
It’s another remarkable achievement on the track of self-made racing identity and entrepreneur.
“It’s gratifying if a plan comes together because it doesn’t happen all the time. We’ve won most of the majors here quite a few times. Pool 1 and Pool 2 are what we’re after and what’s important. best for us,” reflected Peters, speaking to ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I’ve always been focused on trying to win good races. I suppose our breeding must have improved a bit because we’ve won a number of group races now.” .”
A humble and reserved man, Peters is not one to bask in the glory of all his success but one thing he can be very proud of is the fact that Peters Investments recently ranked highly at the top spot. 4th place on Thoroughbred Racing Com Comments worldwide. owners, finishing the year in fifth place on the list of racing giants.
Sitting before him are the powerhouses of world racing: Godolphin, Coolmore Partners, Shadwell Estate Company, and Sunday Racing in Japan.
“A few years ago I had a call from a journalist in Sydney who asked if I realized we were so high in the rankings. I’d never heard of it so I’d never heard of it. he sent me the link and then i thought it would be great to get in the top 10.
“We’re in the top five now and they’ve got big activities right in front of them. I don’t think we can go any further if you look at the activities in front of us,” he laughs.
The former president of the Western Australian Grass Club is 79 years old this year and his passion for racing horses is still as burning as ever.
Horses have been in his blood since he was a boy growing up on a farm in Dalwallinu.
“When I was born, my father was serving in the Second World War and my mother was living on a farm and there was no fuel for a tractor or a harvester in those days so they used horses.” Peters recounted.
“Riding was all I ever wanted to do. I didn’t want to stay in school, I wanted to be a kangaroo but I did well in my exams every year so my parents insisted that I stay at school. .”
Since then, Peters has become one of Western Australia’s most successful entrepreneurs and, from a few stallions and aspirational fillings he purchased in 1973, he has built his own Thoroughbred empire me.
“The interest has always been for the animals and I always thought we would get into purebreds but I had to wait until I could afford it.
“I don’t come from money. I have to find my own way in the world, it’s not like I inherited anything,” he said.
Peters has one of the highest rated broodmare bands in Australia and huge thanks to early acquisitions Miss Margaret and Antique for enriching the band.
Queen Arcadia.
“What I’ve found over the years is all about family and background mares and that’s where most of our success comes from,” Peters said.
“Most of the ones we’ve bred are from lines of half a dozen mares. In some cases we’re racing the fifth generation.”
Peters sold Arcadia Queen at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale to Arrowfield Stud last year for A$3.2 million (US$2,480,830). At the time, the decision likely signaled his intention to slow down his bloodline interests but, he said, it was quite the opposite.
“I try to keep that from happening but my broodmare band seems to continue to grow in numbers because we have some fillers and the mares are going to quit being in the band. I’m trying to take control. it but it seems to have disappeared a bit.”
For all his success in the West, Peters still has plenty of unfinished business on the tracks in the East, with Cox Plate (G1) the race he desperately wants to win.
Owner leviathan finished first in the weight-for-age competition in 2020 as Arcadia Queen finished fifth behind Sir Dragonet.
“Cox Plate is the best race in Australia, it would be great to win it. We can get there. We’ve got a couple of runners up so we’ll see what happens.”
For now, the fall festival is his more immediate goal with Kennedy winner Cantala Stakes Super storm and the winning mare of group 1 Inspirational girl both are tied to Victoria with the Danny O’Brien team.
