Nathan Tinkler prepared to quit racing, will stick by Newcastle Knights and Jets
MULTI-millionaire owner Nathan Tinkler remains committed to the Newcastle Knights and Jets football clubs - but he is prepared to walk away from his thoroughbred racing and breeding empire for the right price.
The former electrician turned mining magnate, businessman and thoroughbred owner-breeder contacted The Daily Telegraph yesterday to set the record straight on a number of issues, both on and off the racetrack.
In an open and frank interview, Tinkler confirmed he will continue to provide financial support to both Newcastle footy clubs, will further rationalise his racing interests, and took a swipe at the media.
In a surprising admission, Tinkler said his Patinack Farm racing and breeding operation is "not as enjoyable as it once was".
"I love my racing but I'm living overseas now and I'm not as hands-on as I'd like to be," Tinkler said.
"There is no one in the horse industry that wants to speak positive about anyone.
"The racing industry is a self-promoter's dream and I am not a self-promoter.
"If there was one thing that I could change about myself, that would be to like reading about myself and seeing myself in the papers but I just don't."
AKU UATE
Aku Uate in action for the Newcastle Knights. Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
Tinkler confirmed plans to further close down his Hawkesbury training base, reduce his Melbourne stable capacity from 50 horse to 25, and concentrate his racing interests with stables at Randwick in Sydney and Canungra, near Brisbane.
"In Melbourne, the focus will be on two- and three-year-olds."
Tinkler then admitted that if someone offered him the right price for his thoroughbred empire, he would consider selling it all - just like Bob Ingham did in 2008 when Darley paid a reported $700 million to buy his entire racing and breeding operation.
"I'd consider selling, and I'd also very much consider a partner," he explained. "In particular, a Chinese partner because the racing industry worldwide needs China to embrace the racing industry.
"If it does, then racing would become part of the world's biggest economy and that would be good for the sport globally."
There were reports Tinkler was trying to off-load his racing and breeding interests to an oil-rich Arab sheik earlier this year. Tinkler was reluctant to talk about the details but had a slightly different take on the issue yesterday.
"I wouldn't sell it to him," he said. "I don't think Australian racing needs more sheiks. Australian racing needs characters and people they can relate to, not more faceless foreign owners."
When I asked him about his football interests and whether he wanted to sell his stake in NRL's Newcastle Knights and the A-League's Newcastle Jets, Tinkler said he was in both clubs for the long haul.
"That is a completely different thing," he said.
"Both clubs are very close to my heart, they are community-based, and I don't need to have a lot to do with the clubs. There are no financial issues with either club, they are safe and secure, they are all fine.
"Racehorses take management, man-hours, lots of people, all those sort of things.
"Fortunately, there is no manes on most of those footy players so they can think and speak for themselves.
"The footy clubs are a much easier business to manage - horses is just massive, the money is massive, everything is just too hard."
EMILE HESKEY
Newcastle Jets marquee man Emile Heskey nets another goal. Source: Getty Images
Tinkler's financial woes seem to make the business pages almost on a daily basis but the man himself once again has a different take on the issue - and had the media in his cross-hairs.
"There has definitely, absolutely, been a spirited media campaign to get me," Tinkler said. "It does piss me off but I just brush it way, I've got broad shoulders.
"But some sections of the media treat me like I was Christopher Skase, breathing through a mask, sitting in a wheelchair in Majorca.
"I never run from anybody, everyone always gets paid.
"I would say the noisy few have made a lot of people nervous and there is no need to be."
Tinkler sent more than 200 broodmares through a Gold Coast sale ring this week as he went about rationalising his thoroughbred business.
He denied the sell-off was because his thoroughbred racing and breeding empire was bleeding financially.
"Earlier this year, one of my staff told me that I was going to have 1800 horses shortly," Tinkler said.
"I just said: 'Mate, what?'
So, this sale was designed to get the numbers back to 1500 horses.
"I believe a more sustainable level is about 800 to 900 horses. "This is a bad time to be selling but we have so many foals hitting the ground we had to do something.
"We will have a lot of yearlings to sell next year and we will be selling at the tried horse sales, too.
Tinkler pointed out every large racing and breeding operation needed to cull some of their stock each year.
"Darley disposes of horses constantly but we tend to evaluate our business every nine months or so," he said.
"I was happy with the results of the sale and thank the buyers who came."
John Thompson trains exclusively for Tinkler - with the obvious exception of super colt All Too Hard, who is prepared by John Hawkes and his sons, Wayne and Michael,
"I've got to say 'Thommo' is going terrific," Tinkler said. "What can you say about a guy who has delivered me a couple of hundred winners for the last couple of years.
"He puts up with all this 'shit' in the media but he gets on with it, does his job. He's not just a great trainer, he's a great person and I love him like a brother.
"As for 'Hawkesy', there is two blokes with a short fuse so if it wasn't going to work, it wasn't going to work early.
"But he knows his stuff, he's a great guy and I have no problem with him."
