STALLIONS DAILY BULLETIN INTERVIEWS CAMERON CROUCHER

Stallions Daily Bulletin interviewed Cameron Croucher last week and attached is the Q&A between SDB's Graeme Kelly and our intrepid CEO:

Q: Eliza Park must be very pleased about securing Statue of Liberty (USA) for the 2009 breeding season.
A: Yes, we are very excited about getting him. He is doing an exceptional job at the moment and is currently leading Victorian sire as well as being ranked second on the national second season sires table only behind Exceed and Excel. With 18 winners from his first 45 runners he is going very well and we expect him to be extremely popular this year and particularly as he offers breeders a strong outcross on the Danzig-Danehill bloodline.

Q: How did reaching the arrangement to stand Statue of Liberty come about.
A: We were looking for a stallion that we could access without tying up a lot of capital and when a lease was suggested it was a perfect fit. As we had stood stallions on behalf of the Japanese before we considered we would be in a good position to submit an offer that was attractive enough for them to give serious consideration. Fortunately the ownership syndicate met and accepted our proposition very quickly. I believe having done business with the Japanese before on stallions helped us secure Statue of Liberty.

Q: Is the arrangement with East Stud for just the one season.
A: Our arrangements are that we have options on him for each and every subsequent southern hemisphere breeding season and an option to purchase.

Q: Have you set a 2009 service fee for Statue of Liberty.
A: Our service fees are being considered at the present time and we will most likely announced them towards the end of April. Having said that Statue of Liberty will be priced very competitively and we will have some very attractive terms attached to each booking. Already we have fielded over 160 enquiries on the horse, and that is before a fee is announced.

Q: How many stallions will Eliza Park be standing this year.
A: Most likely it will be 12.

Q: Do you have plans or intentions of adding other stallions to the roster.
A: We are constantly looking for new stallion opportunities and we have irons in the fire on three or four. It will depend on which way things go over the next month or so but, yes there is a possibility we will have another stallion.

Q: Eliza Park seems to be well on the way to achieving Lee Fleming’s objective of being in the second tier of Australian studs behind the likes of Arrowfield, Coolmore, Darley and Widden.
A: I think that it's important to be the best that we can possibly be. Whether that ranks us in the top five in Australia or the No.1 stud in Victoria is great goal-setting but more importantly we need to continue to look for improvement. We have achieved a hell of a lot over the last few years and our stallion roster is quite impressive. I know Lee Fleming is very proud of where Eliza Park is positioned and where we are heading.

Q: Has Eliza Park’s expansion into properties at Nagambie fulfilled expectations.
A: The two farms we have at Nagambie are working very well within our overall operation. The former Paringa Park property is ideal for our mares and to grow foals out. Being completely surrounded by water on an island, the pasture is good and irrigation is readily available and the climate is moderate as well. Our other farm at Nagambie, known as Smithfield Farm, has been developed into a specialised sales preparation facility. All horses, whether they be mares, foals or yearlings, complete their sales preparation at this ideal location, having been developed on a greenfields site that has not previously been used for horses. Again this has great river frontage and we have developed this property with a focus on sustainable farming. This farm operates totally on solar energy and other environment-effective strategies have been put in place.

Q: How long have you been with the Fleming Group.
A: I have been with the Fleming family for 23 years in which time I have held senior management and administrative positions across a number of family-owned businesses. I was company accountant with Jim Fleming’s supermarket business up until he sold the company in 1997 before working on Lee Fleming’s Eliza Park project.

Q: How many years have you been Eliza Park’s chief executive.
A: Coming up to five years.

Q: Living in Sydney, how often do you visit the Eliza Park base.
A: I get down to Melbourne every two to three weeks, normally for two or three days at a time. I try and visit each of the three properties on each visit.

Q.: Do you have time for any activities or hobbies outside the business.
A: Limited time but I have a wife and two young daughters that keep me on my toes and I enjoy participating or watching all the activities they are involved in. I am very keen on cricket and try and get out to the members stand at the Sydney Cricket Ground as often as possible. I also enjoy fishing and getting out on the water with my boat.