STAFF PROFILE - ALEX KINGSTON
Eliza Park has always sourced the finest talent - both the quadruped and biped variety.
With a firm belief that the best bloodstock is best served by professional husbandry and administration, Eliza Park seeks out the most accomplished staff ... regardless of ‘suffix’.
Our CEO, Cameron Croucher, is (Aus) but Eliza Park’s General Manager Operations (David Somers) is Irish, General Manager Racing (Sue Ellis) is a Kiwi and General Manager Veterinary (Alan Clark) is Scottish. And let’s not even get started on the racing division team which is far more multi cultural than a United Nations Christmas party.
However, the subject of this month’s Staff Profile is Alex Kingston: a NSW girl born and bred, but a highly professional horsewoman who has honed her skills in the cauldron of North American breeding.
Originally hailing from 2,000 acre property at Cootamundra in NSW, Alex was educated in Sydney before a three year course at the University of Sydney, Orange Agricultural College which saw her graduate with an Advanced Diploma in Equine Management and Bachelor of Business Management.
Doing a busy sales season at Baramul Stud in the Hunter Valley (150 yearlings), Alex decided to try her hand overseas and landed a gig with Three Chimneys in Kentucky.
Arriving in October 2003, Alex was thrown in at the deep end, preparing mares and weanlings for the November and January sales at Keeneland : leading a number of them through the ring.
Alex then scored a full time role with Coolmore America, working at the Ashford farm as foreperson in the foaling shed and later, as foreperson, for yearling preparation. In her 12 months at Ashford, Alex attended the Fasig Tipton, Saratoga and Puerto Rico yearling sales.
Clearly keen to garner as much experience as possible, Alex switched to the KESMARC Equine Rehabilitation Centre for nine months as assistant vet technician and hyperbaric specialist before stepping up to the position of Assistant Farm Manager and Veterinary Technician for Paradise Equine.
“At Paradise Equine there is a very intense wellness program which meant Dr Rick Redden would send all his laminitis cases to the farm following surgery where we would care for them until they were well enough to go home,” Alex points out. “The bandage changes are very involved as most cases have a down period where they would be laying down in a stall 24 hours a day.”
By now well and truly versed in all aspects of life on the farm, Alex secured the position of Assistant Farm Manager at Lobo Farm, where she stayed until being appointed as Farm Manager / Sales Foreperson for Bluewater Farm.
Encompassing some 180 acres and 90 head, “Bluewater has a very intense prepping program and consigns horses to the biggest sales in America. We prepared 30 yearlings for the September Yearling Sale at Keeneland last year, plus mares, broodmare prospects and weanlings for mixed sales at Keeneland and Fasig Tipton.”
Certainly a long way from Cootamundra! Alex has only recently returned from North America and has accepted a position as manager of Eliza Park’s ‘Nardoo’ division, one of the busiest sections of the entire operation during the breeding season.
Alex is currently on the Gold Coast where she is supervising the sale of Eliza Park’s weanlings and broodmares.
Welcome aboard Alex.
