BLUE MOON MYSTIC- IS
( ABBEY- FS / BARRETTS CREEK BETTY- FM)
It’ s not often that we meet a 28 year partnership between a horse and a man, but that is the case with Laurie Stephenson and BLUE MOON MYSTIC- IS. Mystic was born 15th November 1972, the same day Laurie buried his father.
Adapted from an article by Stephen Harris, Jan / Feb 2001 ASH Journal.
That may partly account for the closeness of the relationship between Laurie and this great horse, because from his hospital bed Charlie Stephenson was very focussed on the foal that was about to be born.
BLUE MOON MYSTIC- IS began campdrafting in 1977 as a five year old. He won 43 campdrafts, 38 of them Open. He won too many awards in the Far North Coast Zone to list them all, but he was ABCRA Novice Horse of the Year there in 1977, and Open Horse of the Year there in’ 79,’ 80,’ 83, and’ 84, and runner up in’ 78 and’ 81.
In 1983 he was second to NABINABAH BREEZETTE in the ABCRA Australian Open Horse of the Year. He won the Warwick Gold Cup in 1980, the Canning Downs Cut Out in 1983 and the Canning Downs Campdraft in 1988. The World Championship Campdraft at Sydney Royal Easter Show eluded Mystic, but he came second twice and third twice after four attempts. Over the course of his lifetime, Mystic won 38 Open campdrafts and obtained 57 placings from 173 campdrafts.
How the Stephensons got Mystic’ s dam, BARRETTS CREEK BETTY- FM, is one of those stories that doesn’ t seem to happen any more. Laurie’ s father was manager of a 78,000 acre property,‘ Gordon Brook’, at Copmanhurst. In 1957 Laurie was competing at the Ulmarra Campdraft and waiting in the queue for his turn when a man named Jack Preston rode an ungroomed grey mare along the line saying,‘ Anyone want a cheap horse? She’ s going to the dogs tomorrow’. Laurie tried her out and thought she‘ felt right’ so his father paid 20 pounds for her.
After cleaning her mane up and trimming her feet Laurie won the Consolation Campdraft on her at 10pm that night, with prizemoney of 25 pounds. The mare was supposed to be seven years old,
Laurie Stephenson and BLUE MOON MYSTIC- IS, the Warwick Gold Cup winner, and sire of a Gold Cup winner. though Laurie thinks she could have been a year or two older. She was 14.2 hands.
Betty’ s main experience had been with Jack Preston, who was a bullock driver and rode her each morning to round up the bullocks, then tied her onto the wagon for the rest of the day. Jack also loved to chase kangaroos on her. Betty’ s sire and dam are unknown, except that her dam was a brown Thoroughbred, running in a swamp with three colts before Betty was born.( Betty’ s dam had two other foals, both also worked by Jack Preston. A chestnut gelding,‘ Goldie’ won many campdrafts and Jack kept the third, a brown gelding, because in Jack’ s view he was the best of them.)
After Laurie purchased her, Betty went on to win 40 Open Campdrafts, including the Sydney Royal in 1959. Over six rounds she won by 25 points, the highest round being 91, which is the record for the old Sydney Showground, and which of course can now never be broken. Betty had three foals, the last of which was Mystic.
Betty was joined to ABBEY- FS before he was really famous, but Laurie had seen him campdraft many times and liked him in action. At the Dorrigo Campdraft where Betty came first and ABBEY- FS second, the Stephensons decided they had to have an ABBEY-FS foal.
Mystic was very similar in colour, conformation and temperament to his mother. Laurie referred to him as‘ a real dope’.‘ He’ s a really placid horse. He’ s the greatest dope until you give him a job and then the light comes on. In the cut out he just comes alive. He’ s just a born natural. He has so much desire for cattle. He can’ t be left in a paddock with cattle as he works them.’
BLUE MOON MYSTIC- IS died in 2006 at the age of 34. The grey stallion was a legend in his own time, but his name continues through the deeds of his progeny. with 437 progeny in the Australian Stock Horse Stud Book,- many of whom are campdraft winners, and his popularity within campdrafting circles is as strong as ever.
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