Gary Hadden

It might seem a bit late in the year to be talking mating plans, but last week's call to Gary Hadden turned out to be a very timely one indeed, with the man at the helm of Craig Bennett's Merry Fox Stud having not one but two significant developments to report. Tragically, the first such update regarding Bennett's beloved Cursory Glance was of the worst possible kind. The daughter of Distorted Humour, who won the G3 Albany Stakes and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in a career spanning just four starts...

The pedigree of a Thoroughbred is but a one-dimensional grid to the naked eye. What one chooses to see beneath it depends entirely upon them. Good horses are produced by accident, it's true. But in a business where the overwhelming majority of foals, even from the most prolific crosses, never win a black-type race, bloodstock consultant Gary Hadden makes it a habit to look beneath the surface when planning matings, always looking for ways to increase the odds in favour of his clients. "The thing that everyone probably starts with...