100 wins as owner for Peter O’Malley

Peter O'Malley counted a win with The Man at Riccarton on June 23 as his 100th as an owner. It was appropriate that The Man is trained by Brian and Shane Anderton and sired by Gallant Guru as O'Malley has had a 46 year association with White Robe Lodge.

The Man, who was posting his fifth win is raced by O'Malley, his wife, Jeanette, son Mark and his wife, Kelly and son-in-law, Jeremy Ruddle. They bred The Man from Auntie (Sepulveda - Ravishing), who won them six races. She also left A Bob Short (five wins).

Young Noble, the most prolific winner raced by Peter with his brothers Brian, Ken and Gordon, won 16 races. The Noble Bijou - Young Mavis gelding had his first four wins when trained by Ken and  the remainder from the WRL stable. Young Noble won the 1991 North Canterbury Cup at Rangiora , 1991 Tapanui Cup at Tapanui and 1990 Fireside Cup at Wyndham when ridden by Terry Kennedy and the 1992 Great Western Hurdles at Riverton in the hands of Jason Biddulph.Young Noble won 11 times on the flat and five over hurdles.

Young Noble was out of the Ribotlight mare Young Mavis, who won a race at Omoto (Greymouth Jockey Club) when owned and trained by Peter's father, George. Senator Jack won 11 races including the 1967 Craven Plate, a feature sprint at Riccarton when owned and trained by George.

Joe Bee Oh, raced by Peter in partnership, won over hurdles and three steeplechases in the early 2000s from the WRL stable. The Sepulveda gelding had won three on the flat when trained at Reefton by Alan Lawrey and another three when trained by Peter, who has his own track at Ikamatua, along with a swimming pool for horses.

Tony Lawrey was the trainer of Dirty Deal, who won four races as a 2yr-old and the 1991 Gore Guineas for Peter and Ken O'Malley. Sepulveda was a speedy American -bred stallion stood by Peter after being imported and stood briefly by the Clearwood Stud, Pukekohe. Sepulveda was a replacement for Funny Fellow. The first sire at the Ikamatua Stud, established by Peter in 1980 was Watelse, a son of Mellay.

"We would get 60 or 70 mares to him (Sepulveda) in a season and close his book,'' recalled Peter.

Dirty Deal was sold to the United States as a 3yr-old.

Peter, now retired after farming sheep and beef cattle, had his grounding in stud work when employed  by White Robe Lodge in the 1970s, the last two seasons Mellay was at stud and the first season of Noble Bijou. WRL was then located near Wingatui.

Mellay died in the arms of O'Malley in August, 1974  at the age of 13 after battling a strangulation of the bowel for several days.

"The first horse I bred by Noble Bijou was Short Stops whom I leased to Rod Collins (Omoto owner-trainer)," recalled Peter.

Short Stops (ex Jan Kerry) won six races in the ownership of O'Malley and Collins, including the 1982 Kurow Cup. She was then sold to Bill Borich and won open handicaps at Pukekohe, Ellerslie and Trentham from the Ray Verner stable.

Peter and Ken trained William Of Orange (by Personal Escort) to win eight races including three open handicaps at Riccarton. Peter trained Ultimate Fun, raced by Jeanette, to win the listed 1996 Canterbury Belle Stakes.

Mossy Creek, a 3yr-old filly who won a maiden race at Wingatui in March from the Anderton stable with Peter in the ownership is spelling at Ikamatua.