Mary Hallett, one of the most respected horsewomen in the Hunter Valley, was on hand to farewell one of her most distinguished ‘babies’ when 11-year-old Newton’s Rings made his swansong appearance at the races with a courageous fourth in the $50,000 Mt Arthur Coal Muswellbrook Cup on Melbourne Cup day.

Owner of the long established River Ridge agistment farm adjacent new breeding giant Patinack Farm and the Goulburn river near Sandy Hollow, Upper Hunter, Mary was responsible for the production, raising and placing of Newton’s Rings for one of the clients, retired Sydney business executive Paul Tuck, who uses her services.

She walked Newton’s Ring’s dam Primas, a Luskin Star winner, into his sire Spectrum (IRE) when he visited the Yarraman Park stud at Scone in1999, birthed the foal at River Ridge, raised and offered it, albeit unsuccessfully, at the Classic yearling sale, and organised for it to be raced out of the Jeff Englebrecht stables at Muswellbrook.

It was a service that was typical of that which Mary Hallett has provided over the past quarter century, one available for clients on a full time or breeding season basis.They receive personal, tender care for their mares and foals and at the same time access on walk in basis to sires throughout the Hunter Valley and to equine veterinary services that are world class.

Mary Hallett is justifiably proud of the class, toughness and spirit of her River Ridge nurtured Newton’s Rings, the most successful son world wide of dual hemisphere used Spectrum by wins (22), his highest Australian sired money earner ($795,280) and third overall.

He has achieved this in world wide statistics of 631 winners,1788 wins and over $48million. Australian sired progeny, representatives got from six visits, 1997-2002, have contributed over 270 winners of 700 races and $15.5million.

Himself a leading European 3-year-old of 1995, a year he won the Newmarket Champion Stakes (2000m) and Irish Two Thousand Guineas (1600m), by the Blushing Groom Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Rainbow Quest, Spectrum is proving a valuable broodmare sire. One of his Ireland sired daughters produced Sangster, the Savabeel gelding who was the winner at Flemington on October 29 of the Victoria Derby.

Raced by Jeff Englebrech, a trainer with a long heritage of horsemanship in the Upper Hunter, in partnership with Mr and Mrs Paul Tuck and Mudgee grazier Nigel White, Spectrum’s son Newton’s Rings went to the post on 97 occasions over nine years – three to eleven – and won in six of them

In the process, Englebrecht showed again that country training does prevent contesting at stakes level. He went to the post in 24 stakes with the results including two Listed wins, the Gosford Pacesetter Stakes and Scone Cup, a short head second at to Eremien in the NSW Tattersall’s Chelmsford Stakes-Gr.2, third in the STC Shannon Stakes-Gr.2 and fourths in the STC Canterbury Stakes-Gr.2 and STC Civic Stakes-LR.

He won seven races in Sydney, two features at Gosford (the Pacesetter and the Myer Sprint) and the Hawkesbury San Miguel Cup, Scone Cup, Coonamble Cup and Tamworth Cup and several on the home track.

Nine starts between October 18 2004 and June 18 2005 resulted in seven wins and two seconds and eight between May 28 and September 9 2006 in six wins and two seconds.

Now retired to Nigel White’s property at Mudgee, Newton’s Rings has not won since being successful in the Coonamble Cup in October 2009, but he has been a consistent game competitor on country tracks under big weights. His four starts since August 1 have included two thirds and a fourth (the Cup) on Muswellbrook.

Mary Hallett’s River Ridge stud is at 130 Rylestone Road, the access near Sandy Hollow to Widden valley and Bylong valley, and her contacts are phone/fax (02) 6547 4474, mobile 0428 916 413 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it