Jamie Mackay, a leading polo player and producer of sport horses who has recently become a force as a stander of thoroughbred sires at his historic Cangon Farm at Dungog, Hunter Valley, is from a family who made big contributions to breeding and racing last century.

One of the family, W.H. Mackay, is famous as the breeder of Beauford, a gelding who beat the immortal Gloaming twice in their four clashes. Mackay had the Tinagroo stud in the Scone district.

Another representative of the Mackay family who grew top horses in the Scone region was F.K. Mackay. Two that he bred in the1960s were Royal Sovereign, at three winner of three Derbys and second in the Caulfield Cup, and Nebo Road, a champion sprinter whose efforts included a first and second in the VRC Newmarket.

The ancestory of both W.H. and F.K. Mackay go back to the Mackays that took up a huge holding, including the 2000 acres of country which is Cangon Stud Farm, on the coastal side of the Hunter Valley in 1838. Jamie is the fifth generation of the family to call Cangon home.

With wife Jennifer, he has moved solidly into thoroughbred breeding, providing a professional agistment service for breeding and racing stock and more recently sire services. For the 2011 season they have four sires available at modest usage cost, comprising Hot Danish’s sire Nothin’ Leica Dane (by Danehill), the imported Snapy Halo (ARG) (Southern Halo) and untested locals Recapitalize (Royal Academy) and Sea Battle (got by Quest for Fame from a Danehill mare).

Heading into his first season, Snapy Halo is one of the fastest horses to go to stud in Australia, his six wins from 12 starts in Argentina including a Group1 over 1600m in 1:32.49 (by three lengths) and successes at 1000m in 0:55.97, 1200m in 1:8.16 and 1400m in 1:20.58.

Available on a fee of $7,150 or a remarkable $10,000 for lifetime use, Snapy Halo is in the spotlight at this time through the manner in which the Southern Halo sire dynasty closed out the racing year. Among winners in the last week were progeny of his Vinery stud based sons More Than Ready (Australia’s current leading shuttler) and Dubleo and the luckless Halo Homewrecker.

A winner of a Group 3 event in America, Halo Homewrecker had only one season, 2005, but it has supplied 17 winners and two other placegetters from only 22 runners. His good strike rate and that from Australian use of More Than Ready (357 winners, 66 placegetters from 528 starters) and the younger Dubleo (51 winners,13 placed, 84 starters) adds to the appeal of Snapy Halo.

The four of them are among the 167 stakes winners provided by Southern Halo, the source all told of 995 winners of over 3000 races from1343 starters. He is by the same sire as Sunday Silence, Halo, a representative of the same family as Northern Dancer and Danehill.

CANGON WINNER: Jamie and Jennifer Mackay met with more racing success when their Cangon Stud bred Redoute’s Choice gelding Silent Predator won well at Newcastle on Saturday. They also bred and raced his dam Katima, a Zeditave winner of four stakes at Randwick, the Silver Shadow, Gimcrack, Keith Mackay and Brian Crowley.