A dedicated and passionate business owner, director and licenced conveyancer, Grace Munro often finds time to escape the corporate world to invest in her love for harness racing.
She did just that at Sunday’s Australian Pacing Gold sale when she purchased lot 172 for $11,000, a filly by Skyvalley out of Mangonique sold by Denis Pangrazio.
“The Maori side of her breeding was certainly a factor I considered when purchasing (Maori Time, Law etc), however her nature was really what I liked,” Munro said.
“I have a broodmare of Denis Pangrazio’s at home, Rose. She refuses to deal with anyone else but me. It felt like a bit of an omen!”
Munro also did her due diligence by asking a long-term and trusted family friend to have a look at the filly.
“I asked Declan Murphy to take a look over her and he liked what he saw, both in breeding along with her confirmation and attitude,” she said.
The bay filly is VicBred Pure, making her eligible for a $12,000 first-win bonus at two, three or four.
“VicBred Pure is such a fantastic initiative to boost the industry of our Australian and New Zealand-bred stallions to produce progeny of Victorian-based mares,” Munro said.
“The incentives on offer are favourable and a driving factor for those who are new to the industry. It certainly became a positive consideration when I was perusing the APG catalogue in preparation for my purchase.”
Harness racing is not new to Munro, having been born into a family that is passionate about the sport.
“Chelsea, my mum, has always been involved with horses,” she said.
“We raced a few handy horses over the years and I had kept some involvement in that time, however it’s predominately been mum and Steve’s (Dickson) purchase of Melfield Estate, and the purchases of both New Zealand and their own breeding program, that has reignited my passion for the industry in the recent years.
“My grandparents, Cheryl and Mick Clover, have also always been heavily involved with trotters and the Maryborough Harness Racing Club.”
The family currently has horses racing in various states with trainers such as Joe Pace, Rickie Alchin, Shaun and Jason McNaulty, Kristy and Marc Butler, Jason Hackett and Jess Tubbs, but the Skyvalley yearling marks the first horse purely in Munro’s name.
The Ballarat-based businesswoman is still figuring out the long-term plans for her new trotter, but the first stop will be to Jason Hackett’s property to be broken in.
“Though I wouldn’t change running my own conveyancing firm or assisting my clients on reaching their property goals, it certainly is a real pleasure being able to completely switch off from work and go and watch my horse race,” she said.
“The legal industry and horses are often looked at as being worlds apart, and yet I have the perfect balance.
“I’m enjoying being an owner of a number of horses currently racing and am super excited as to what the future holds for both our New Zealand team and our own breeding program at Melfield Estate.
“Nothing really beats that feeling of your horse winning and having a Prosecco or two to celebrate.”
