He may not be able to dance but Martin Buick, bloodstock consultant for De Burgh Equine, is not afraid to face the TDN question master.
What was your proudest moment of 2023?
The first horse I signed for, ADMIRAL DE VEGA, won the G3 Stockholm's Stora Pris, one of Scandinavia's most prestigious races. He beat a Dubai Carnival winner and Archie Watson's Brave Emperor who went on to win Group races in France, Italy and Germany.
Give us one horse to follow and why…
Prime Art (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) who is now with Jean-Claude Rouget in France. She was purchased privately by Hubie [de Burgh] after she won the G3 Firth of Clyde Stakes. She won with plenty in hand and should continue to improve.
And a young person in the industry to keep an eye on…
My younger brother Andrew who joined New Zealand Bloodstock last summer. He is thriving down there and I get a kick out of seeing him do well.
Who do you think will be champion first-season sire this year?
Pinatubo (Ire) was an outstanding two-year-old and his yearlings looked sharp, so he gets my vote. With his profile and 109 two-year-olds to run for him he should take a lot of beating.
And the best value stallion in Europe?
Proven value is hard to find so I'll go with Churchill at €30,000. Some might disagree that he's a value play at that price but he has had two champions from his first two crops in Vadeni (Ire) and Blue Rose Cen (Ire) and that fee could look cheap down the line. He is still a young stallion that I suspect we'll hear plenty more about in the years to come.
What's the one horse you wish you'd bought in 2023?
A yearling filly by Sea The Moon (Ger) out of Jazzi Top (GB) at Tattersalls October Book 1. She was a lovely filly from Meon Valley's famous Reprocolor (GB) family and was bought by Shadwell for 575,000gns. Her looks matched her great pedigree which can be rare.
Biggest regret?
In business I don't have too many yet but there's plenty of time to change that! On a personal level I wish I had learnt to dance. There have been occasions where I'm the awkward guy hovering around the bar, envious of fellas that can spin their partners around on the dance floor.
Biggest influence on your career?
I've spent most of my career in this industry with Hubie de Burgh and Alan Cooper, so they have definitely had the biggest influence. This really is a people's business and the way Hubie maintains and builds new relationships is an attribute that has enabled him to stay at the top of the game for decades. Aside from his astuteness as a judge of a horse I admire this quality about him and I'm trying to soak up as much of it as I can.
During my time as assistant racing manager with Alan and the Niarchos family we had nine individual Group 1 winners over six years which was unbelievable and something that I'll never forget. Being afforded the opportunity by Alan to represent the family on the biggest of stages, amongst other responsibilities, gives me immense pride to this day.
If you could sit down for dinner with three people (dead or alive) who would the be and why?
The first would be Vincent O'Brien. I never had the chance to meet him and would love to talk to him about his life in racing, amongst other things. I married his granddaughter, Tara, so it could also be an opportunity to introduce myself! Well-known raconteur Sean Connery would be my second choice, he IS Mr Bond and his stories would keep us going well into the night. We would finish off with a private gig with my third guest, Stevie Nicks.
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