THE LONG AND SHORT OF A SUCCESSFUL DREAM

NATHAN Long didn’t mince words!

It was Monday, February 8, 2016 and the Newcastle businessman (Adamstown Glass Windows and Doors) was at the Inglis Classic yearling sale at the company’s old Newmarket complex in Sydney.

He was outbid by Melbourne trainer Troy Corstens on a Magnus filly, even after going past his budget.

“My wife told me not to pay more than $25,000; I went to $34,000 and Troy got the filly for $36,000,” Long recalled today.

“I had never met Troy, but went up to him afterwards and said: ‘Thanks, you f…. my dream up’.

“We shook hands and he said I had better come in and race her with him.”

He took up the offer – and that was the rather unusual start of Long’s dream to buy a filly, race it and then breed his own horses from her.

All’s well that ends well.

Long got to name the filly (Lot 412) Novacastrian, and whilst she never made it to a race, he finished up buying her outright and has now won with three of her four foals.

The latest was the two-year-old Rumdabar, who scored impressively at the colt’s only second start at Newcastle last Saturday for leading trainer Kris Lees.

“I used to go to all the yearling sales in Sydney with my late uncle Eric Long,” Long said.

“Whilst I was never able to buy a horse then, I became interested in all the different pedigrees and like searching those of various winners.

“I made up my mind to one day breed my own horses.

“Unfortunately Novacastrian had a mishap whilst in work in Melbourne, and I bought her outright for not a lot of money.

“I did put her in work at Scone for a while, but it was obvious that she wasn’t going to be a racing proposition and I began breeding with her.”

Long went back to the Hunter Valley’s Widden Stud, which offered Novacastrian for sale as a yearling, and mated her with Shamus Award.

The result was Little Beginnings, a now six-year-old gelding with whom Rumdabar’s trainer Lees has won six races, including two in town.

“I race my horses with my mates, and Little Beginnings was named for a couple of reasons,” Long said.

“Firstly, it was the beginning of my hobby breeding venture, and one of my mates James Harris was running a childcare centre.”

Novacastrian’s next two foals were Dr Lau (by Your Song) and Phyxius (by Sun City, who was standing in Queensland).

Both were prepared by fellow Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer, with whom Long played rugby league as youngsters before the former began a successful riding career – and the pair was part of a Newcastle Souths side which won the under 13 premiership.

Dr Lau was the “black sheep of the family”, retired winless after seven starts, and is living out his life on a farm in the Upper Hunter.

Three-year-old gelding Phyxius, successful twice at the provincials this season and runner-up at his last two city starts, has been sold to Hong Kong.

“Phyxius has either just gone to Hong Kong or is about to be sent there, and I understand he may be trained by James Cummings (who will train there in the new season for the first time).”

Long doesn’t believe in sending his mare to a stallion each year, and gave her a break between foaling Dr Lau and Phyxius.

He chose to send her next to Cox Plate runner-up Castelvecchio at Arrowfield Stud – and Rumdabar was the result.

“The name came about from drinking rum with my two brothers at an 80^th birthday party,” Long explained.

“Instead of rum at the bar, it became rumdabar and the name stuck.

“Kris (who was best man at Long’s brother Paul’s wedding) likes the horse, and he won easily at Newcastle last Saturday.

“He drew awkwardly at Randwick at his debut in a Saturday race earlier in the month, and never got on the track.

“Rumdabar was back in provincial grade at Newcastle, and we expected him to run well.

“Hopefully we can have plenty of fun with him.”

Since Rumdabar, Long has not bred another horse, both on purpose and through misfortune.

“I didn’t worry about breeding with her for two seasons after Rumdabar, and then she was due to go to So You Think at Coolmore Stud last October,” he said.

“However, he died a week before the mating was due to take place.

“She then was served twice by Pierro, but nothing eventuated.

“Novacastrian is being looked after at Scone, and I haven’t yet made a decision about next season.

“In the meantime, Little Beginnings is scheduled to race at the Kensington track on Wednesday (with Newcastle apprentice Shannen Llewellyn aboard), and Kris will decide whether to give Rumdabar a break or find another suitable race, and we have high hopes with him.”

Those little beginnings have indeed blossomed into a very successful dream.

STORY JOHN CURTIS, JUNE 29, 2026 - PICS BRADLEY PHOTOS