AQHA MAGAZINE May / June 2020 AQHA May-June YB 2020 WEB LR | Page 27

PG.25
ARTICLE BY: JODIE ADAMS
PHOTOS BY: KEN ANDERSON EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY, BUBBLES BARBIERATO PHOTOGRAPHY,
SUE JONES & HICKORWEE PHOTOGRAPHY
Cooldust
AQHA FM 24670 / ASH 155164
BEN & KYLIE’S PRIDE & JOY
Often referred to as “The other woman in
Ben’s life,” by Kylie, Cooldust is by the
Sire ‘Warrenbri Romeo’ out of the great
Campdrafting Mare ‘Oaks Stardust Q-21061’,
bred by Bruce & Julie McNaughton the
Mare being purchased by Ben as an embryo,
and is considered to be part of the family.
en first saw Oaks Stardust competing around
1997 in the Northern Territory, ‘The Pearl of
the North’ with Terry Hall campaigning her.
Stardust herself was a highly decorated mare
and was a beautiful type, palomino in colour,
solid in the yard and great outside. But it
wasn’t only her looks and ability that grabbed
Ben’s attention; it was her breeding. After some investigating,
he found she was by ‘Docs Freckles Oak’ out of ‘Docs Baby
Doll’; who was by ‘Hollywood Return.’
st
Boarding at Scott’s in Sydney for his High School Years Ben
was lucky enough to attend a cutting exhibition in 1980/81 at
the Hordern Pavilion between ‘Hollywood Return’ and’ Mr War
Cutter’. This was when he took a liking to ‘Hollywood Return’.
Ben negotiated a deal with Bruce & Julie McNaughton to buy an
embryo for $20,000. Ben would’ve purchased it whether it was a
colt or filly as long as it was a sound, healthy foal. At this time in
1999, he felt that was more than enough to pay for an embryo, but
as it turns out, one of his cheapest investments. As luck would have
it, she had a beautiful bay filly, ‘Cooldust’. Ben drove from the NT
to Glenrock Station NSW, where Bruce & Julie were working at
the time, to pick up the 8-month-old weanling.
MAY/JUNE ISSUE ~ YEARBOOK 2020