PG . 28
FEATURE ~ ONE TIME BLUES
Greg has commented “ her mother , took a little time to mature but seemed to really come on strong as 4 and 5 year old ” so while Katie was home for a break the discussion was had around selling her . “ We ’ ve been in the Cutting industry for around 35 years and have been breeding for about 25 years ”. We ’ d thought about doing some other things , however , a group of my family and friends convinced us otherwise . A syndicate was formed , “ Nunya Investment Syndicate , which is managed by my wife , Tracey ”. The syndicate then leased Katie for 12 months with Katie half-way through her Futurity year , it was mutually decided to send her off to Mat Oakley , of Mat Oakley Cutting Horses , at Walcha , NSW ."
Greg Clavarino and Chisums Blue Spin Q-72444 - Final run in the Open Non Pro Victoria Futurity 2018
Under Mat ’ s training , Katie and Mat just clicked straight away , as she started to follow in her dam ’ s footsteps . It ’ s certainly brought a lot of excitement for us all , and their combined success has really blown us all away .
Mat says “ Katie ’ s the kind of horse you always want in your program , she has a very big motor & is enthusiastic about her job . He continued “ She has to be one of the fastest 3 year olds , when she turns to get back to a cow ”.
Corey Holden and Chisums Blue Spin Q-72444
Greg and Tracey have enjoyed following the success of Mat and Katie . Mat also has her two half sisters in his string , " Metallic Blues ", by Metallic Cat , which is in joint ownership with Kim and Carole Landsdowne , and " Outta The Blue ", by Smooth As A Cat so Greg and Tracey get to watch all three of them in action . Greg and Tracey travelled to all but one of the Aged event Derby ' s and other weekend shows in 2023 . The times they didn ’ t get to a show , they would have family and friends around for a barbecue to watch it online together , which was a lot of fun for them all .
Greg says that Katie has made them all very proud , earning around $ 30k throughout 2023 .
It has been very exciting for everyone connected with her and although half of those within the syndicate have never even ridden a Cutting horse , they have had all the fun and excitement of being an owner through the Nunya Investment Syndicate .
‘ Katie only gets home for a spell ,’ Greg says . ‘ But when she ’ s home , she ' s treated like royalty !”
' Also , as part of the 12 month syndicate deal , an embryo transfer with Smooth As A Cat was done , so that ’ s now in the recipient mare , and hopefully , in a couple of years ’ time the syndicate may see a repeat of the fun and success they ' ve had with Katie !’
A YEAR OF GREAT RESULTS !
With Mat Oakley in the saddle , the combination had a phenomenal 2023 year . Katie made three Open Derby
Finals and in addition to that they were the 2023 NCHA Open Derby Reserve Champions . Mat finished out the year on such a high stepping out of the arena as the 2023 Victorian Open Derby Champion and she is also in the Top 10 2023 NCHA National Standings in the Novice Horse event . Mat couldn ' t be more happier with Katie ' s success .
‘ It ’ s a privilege to have a mare of this calibre ,’ Mat says . ‘ Because mares like her don ’ t come along every day . Thanks to the Nunya Investments Syndicate for entrusting us with Katie , we ’ re honoured to have this mare in our show team . We ’ d like to thank our help team , for every show , for their hard work , care and preparation of each horse , it ’ s all much appreciated .
Greg and Tracey Clavarino , along with the Nunya Investment Syndicate , would like to thank Mat and Casey Oakley for the outstanding job and great effort they and their team put in with the horses during 2023 , and look forward to seeing what this year could bring .
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - www . aqha . com . au