Luck returns for Griffiths

Barrie Griffiths can be considered a lucky man. He certainly was when Sheikh Mohammed’s men knocked on his door to make an offer on Griffiths’ historic Northwood Park property, near Seymour, that was too good to refuse.

Griffiths had made his money out of the real estate game, particularly selling country properties for others, but this was a personal windfall for him and his wife Midge. (The magnificent tree-lined drive of Northwood Park is pictured with this story).

Northwood Park, once the home of leading breeder and administrator Alec G. Hunter and his descendants, is now Darley Northwood Park, the Victorian breeding arm of the massive Darley operation. Griffiths remains a neighbour after retaining about 450 hectares of the original property and buying a similar adjoining parcel of land.

Griffiths also was lucky when he bought a major interest in a colt at the 1986 Wrightson’s Trentham Yearling Sales and convinced his partners Ed McKeon and Brian McKnight to give the tough-looking bay, by Tawfiq from Joyarty (by Noble Bijou) to a young, up-and-coming trainer, Lee Freedman. They named the colt Tawrrific.

Three years later, the partners and the young trainer raised their glasses in triumph after Tawrrific won the 1989 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington. – Freedman’s first of five Cup wins.

Another stroke of luck came around the same time after Griffiths sold his good mare Northwood Manner (by Knightly Manner (USA)), in foal to Amyntor (FR) (by Sir Gaylord (USA)), a stallion Griffiths part-owned, to Ed Barty at Trevenson Park, Maldon.

Barty put the resultant foal, a filly, through the Melbourne yearling sale in 1989 – it was a good year – and Griffiths liked her so much, he bought her. The filly, named Mannerism (b f 1987), also trained by Freedman, would go on to win the 1992 Group 1 Caulfield Cup, among her many great victories. It was a wonderful 1992 spring for the Griffiths, because they also won the Group 1 Thousand Guineas with Azzurro (b f 1989, Bluebird (USA)-Amhara (GB), by Priamos (GER)), bought as a yearling from the Adelaide sales.

During this heady time, Griffiths also won races with the River Rough filly Ride The Rapids (br f 1988, ex-Kilmarie, by Bletchingly), whose best win was the 1992 Listed James Carr Stakes (1400m) at Randwick.

The following autumn, in 1993, Griffiths went to the yearling sales well armed and he selected a filly by Military Plume from a good imported family. It wasn’t a unanimous decision, as his advisor and good friend George Smith didn’t have the big filly high on his list. Griffiths stuck to his guns, and the filly, under the care of Freedman and with the name Northwood Plume (b f  1991, ex-Couldn’t Miss, by Forli (Arg)), would win the 1994 Thousand Guineas and Group 1 VRC Oaks (2500m, Flemington) double. In the autumn, the filly won the Group 1 Storm Queen Stakes (2000m) at Rosehill.

It was a run of success almost unparalleled when you consider Griffiths was buying only a couple of horses each year. It was success based not only luck, but on good management, careful selection, pedigree study (Griffiths like to buy from Classic winning families) and frugal spending.

In 1996, Griffiths looked like he had another star filly on his hands when Our Cashel (b f 1993, Sir Tristram (IRE)-Diamond Cashel, by Twig Moss (FR)) won the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield, but the filly injured herself and later that year died from complications from the injury.

The bad luck Griffiths had with Our Cashel was an omen, because for the next 12 years, he had little success with the handful of yearlings he bought each year, and during that time split his association with Lee Freedman.

But that has started to change this season. Griffiths’ famous blue and yellow checks have been carried to victory by eight different horses, all fillies and mares, including Sandown winner Royal Commands (b f 3, Commands-Princess Renee, by Zabeel (NZ)) and the Flemington winner Constant (br m 4, Grandera-Costance (IRE), by Machiavellian (USA)).

The other Barrie and Midge Griffiths-owned winners this season are:

Royal Consent (br f 3, Court Of Jewels-Mornmoot Lady, by Century) – winner Kyneton, Jan. 31.

Indian Curry (ch f 3, Testa Rossa-Indian Spice, by Marauding (NZ)) – winner Seymour, Jan. 7.

Off The Planet (b f 3, Fusaichi Pegasus (USA)-Planet Hollywood, by Star Watch) – winner Geelong, Sept. 25.

Delon (ch f 3, Falvelon-Zande, by Vettori (IRE)) – winner Seymour, Dec. 22.

Response (b f 3, Charge Forward-Live It Up, by Match Winner (FR)) – debut winner Ballarat, Feb. 4.

Lady Joy Belle (b m 4, Orientate (USA)-Lady With Style, by Desert Style (IRE)) – winner Seymour, Oct. 18.

Indian Curry, who finished eighth behind the exciting Launay (by Lonhro) today at Sandown, is of special significance as it is the first Griffiths-owned winner trained by Lee Freedman for more than 10 years.