Irishman drawing lots of green from Hunterview Farm

In just two years Richard Moylan has built Hunterview Farm in Orangeville, Ontario, into one of the key locations for the province's horse people to foal mares, train horses, and prep yearlings.

For example, last winter Moylan and his staff of four on the 100-acre farm prepared last year's champion turf male Sky Conqueror for the 2007 racing season, and Sky Conqueror already has a Grade 1 victory in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs.

Moylan, who had the highest yearling average of any consignor at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society sale at Woodbine in 2006, sells five in this year's select session of the sale on Sept. 4. The sale will also have a preferred session on Sept. 8.

"It's been going really well," said Moylan, who came to Canada from Ireland in 1976. "We've been getting bigger and bigger and I have had great support from my clients."

Moylan had been in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, closer to Fort Erie than Woodbine, leasing a 32-stall farm, but he wanted to relocate.

"I heard about this farm being up for lease," said Moylan. "The people didn't have any horses but they were renovating the barn, and when I saw the property I fell in love with it right away."

Since taking over the property Moylan has added an arena. He now has 14 paddocks on the farm, and a training track is in the plans.

Moylan has plenty of experience running the farms of some of the top owners and breeders in Canada. A former steeplechase rider in his home country, he was stallion manager at Gardiner Farms, farm manager for Frank Stronach's Adena Springs North in Aurora for five years, and, more recently, was manager for Norse Ridge Farm.

Hunterview is now home to more than 30 mares, 11 of which Moylan and his girlfriend, Judy Hulley, own themselves, plus foals, sales yearlings, and racehorses.

"I love the farm life, it's so peaceful," said Moylan. "I get up at 5:30 and bring in all the mares and foals myself and do their feeds."

In addition to Sky Conqueror's owner and breeder, Bill Sorokolit, clients for Hunterview include Brian Cullen, Robert Harvey, and George Bigliardi.

The sales yearlings, including an exciting colt by City Zip, are being hand-walked as they are prepared for auction.

The City Zip colt, named Mighty Achilles, was bred by Elliot Feder and was produced from the mare Wildcard Coyote, a dam of four winners, including Wild Executive, who earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure when she won her maiden in 2004.

Wild Executive's first foal, a D'wildcat colt named Yourhandsonmyeyes, is also part of the Moylan consignment.

Last year, Moylan sold the co-highest-priced filly of the sale, Roses 'N' Wine, a daughter of Broken Vow out of Regent's Fancy, for $160,000 for clients Tony and Jennifer Monk.

The Monk's have two in this year's select sale - a Salt Lake colt and a filly from the first crop of Where's the Ring. Moylan has one his own homebreds in the catalog, a colt from the first crop of Tomahawk (by Seattle Slew) out of the stakes-placed mare Emotionally.

Moylan hopes to race one of his homebreds since he enjoys an afternoon at the track. Recently, he brought more than 40 friends to the Woodbine turf club.

"I love the races and most of those people had never been to the track," he said. "They loved it, and I loved it. It's my life's work."