History

OUR HISTORY

By Rebecca Hockey (nee Doolin)

My Grandfather, Mr A R (Dick) Doolin, with his father and brothers owned and operated the family cattle, sheep and cropping property, Myall Downs, North Star NSW from 1924 until his retirement in the late 1980’s.  As they always did in those days, good quality stock horses played an integral part in the everyday working life on these grazing properties and there was no room for substandard.  These horses were bred for their strength, ability, intelligence, companionship, and perhaps above all their endurance.

Above: (L-R)  Ray Doolin with sons Jack, Frank, Harold, Dick and Victor on “Myall Downs”. Circa 1920’s.

My Grandmother, Beryl Hobson, who was also from North Star married Dick in 1944, and ran her own family farm, Edington, situated next door to Myall Downs. Beryl (Bisky, as we all knew her) was an established and very capable horsewoman in her own right.  Our oldest family bred bloodline that founders some of the Bar Nine Dot horses playing polo today go back to her little station mare, Boney, that she rode and worked cattle on through the 1940’s.

 

Above: Beryl and Piper “Edington”, North Star. 1940

Above: Beryl and Piper “Edington”, North Star. 1940

 

Dick would compete on his stock horses in the local campdrafts and bushman’s carnivals, but it when his father took him to see a polo match played at Kyeema in Sydney that would later see him dedicate much of his life to this sport.  Dick played for Goondiwindi Polo Club for the rest of his riding career.  He was one of the 24 founding members when the club was reformed post war years in 1950, and from 1951 he was in the A Team for over 20 years, Club Captain for 10 years, and president for 7 years.  He achieved a very successful handicap of 5 goals. 

 

In 1960, Dick took the first unmounted Queensland team to New Zealand as captain/manager where they beat the visiting Santa Barbara team that included the legendary 10-goal player, Bob Skene.  He toured New Zealand again in 1967 as player/manager where this time they actually transported their own playing horses (22 horses in total) over by ship especially for the 2 month tour – a big deal in those days.  It was in New Zealand, on his first trip, that he bought and imported back to Australia the famous thoroughbred polo mare of her time, Sunshine (ASHS registered as WALLAROI SUNSHINE 2787).  She was a striking big blazed chestnut that was known all too well on the polo circuit and has become one of the main foundation mares of Bar Nine Dot’s progeny.  Today we have the ‘S’ line and ‘J’ line of horses that both stem from Sunshine – the current progeny seem to be continuing on her strong build with great hind quarter power, but extremely agile and also her signature kind temperament and unique character.

Above: Dick & Santa Fe 1955	Above: Dick Doolin on Santa Fe with Ken Telford taking a fall off Tasman	Above: Dick & Sunshine
Above: 1967 tour of New Zealand Sinclair Hill, Ken Mackay, Ian Murray, Jim Maple-Brown and Dick Doolin	Above: Dick being presented with the Douglas Cup in New Zealand, 1960	Above: Dick Doolin on Santa Fe winners of the 1963 QLD Gold Cup

 

In 1968, Prince Phillip, The Duke of Edinburgh was touring Australia, which included an exhibition polo match at Goondiwindi. Dick played with Ross McGilvray, Ken Telford and John Elder against Prince Phillip, Ron Hunt, Hugh Fisher and Sinclair Hill. Afterwards Dick and Beryl hosted a dinner dance for the Duke at their home, “Wallaroi”, North Star.

 

Above: Dick, president of Goondiwindi Polo Club, giving three cheers for the Duke of Edinburgh, with Sinclair Hill. Goondiwindi 1968

Above: Dick, Prince Phillip – The Duke of Edinburgh, John Elder and Ron Hunt, Goondiwindi 1968

 

Dick retired from polo in 1975 at the age of 57.  He served 3 years as president of Queensland Polo and 12 years as Patron.  He was also a Queensland selector and handicapper for many years and an Australian selector for 3 years.

Beryl and Dick are also responsible for introducing another great foundation mare to our bloodlines by the name of Black Bess.  Today we still have six full sisters (originally there were 8 of them) in our broodmare band that are granddaughters of Black Bess.  The ‘B’ Line as we call this family has proven to be our toughest, smartest and most athletic of our polo playing horses – they are just born to play.

Above: Jan, Eve, Robert, Graeme, Beryl and Dick Doolin (on WALLAROI SUNSHINE) Sunshine is the foundation mare of both the S and J Families we have today. “Wallaroi”, North Star Circa 1960.

Above: Ron Bell playing BLACK BESS (left) Bess is the foundation mare of the B Family Also pictured is Ken Telford & Tasman

Above: Robert and Jane with 7 of the 8 full sisters that are grand daughters of BLACK BESS All are by homebred stallion, WALLAROI SMOKEY PADRE – HSH Baffles, Blush, Big Bird, Batiste, Bea, Brinkley & Bubbles (Buffy was still on her mother, Bavardage) “Wallaroi”, North Star. 1997

The polo bug was passed on in blood through the generations to my uncles, cousins and my father, Robert Doolin.  Robert played from 16 years old for Goondiwindi and in 1977 he helped establish the North Star Polo Club with his brother, Graeme (who reached 5 goals), along with the Makim, Coulton and Tonkin families.  Robert, like his father and brother, was very successful in the prime of his polo career also achieving a handicap of 5 goals and represented New South Wales and Queensland in Gold Cup Tournaments.  He played in England and New Zealand and represented Australia in a team led by Jim MacGinley in the United States.  On another occasion he played with Howard Hipwood, Alan Kent and Jim Gunn for the United Kingdom when they were touring Australia.

 

Above: The Doolin clan at Scone Polo.  Victor, Angus, Malcolm, Simon, Raby, Robert, Rebecca, Emma, Graeme, Beryl, Dick and Richard (Dick Jnr).		Above: Robert (middle) on Paulette. Quirindi 1970
Above: Robert (3rd from left) on Copper, playing for the UK with Howard Hipwood (2nd from left) who played Robert’s homebred gelding, Rommel. Also pictured is Stuart Gilmore and Stuart Cooke. UK beat Australia. Kooralbyn 1977		Above: The Australian team touring USA. David Head, Jim MacGinley, Robert Doolin and Derek Reid. Retama, Texas, 1982.

 

Apart from Club Trophies in the Northern NSW and Southern Queensland Circuits, Robert has won both the Queensland Gold Cup and the Australasian Gold Cup.  The Queensland Gold Cup was won three times; once in 1974 playing for Goondiwindi with cousin Malcolm Doolin, Ross McGilvray and Jim Benson, again in 1985 playing for North Star with Malcolm Doolin, Ross McGilvray and Alex Makim and again in 1996 playing for Border 1 with Brian Allport, Kerri Glasser and Mark Ladner.   In 1972, he travelled to South Australia with Graeme Doolin, Noel Telford and Jim Gunn to represent the Queensland Team in the Australasian Gold Cup.  In 1980, this cup tournament was held at Murarrie in Brisbane.  Robert played again for the Queensland Team with Stuart Gilmore, Jim MacGinley and Jim Gunn.  New Zealand and New South Wales had teams playing, with Queensland claiming victory for this prestigious trophy.

 

Above: The Qld team after winning the QLD Gold Cup. Robert Doolin (with Copper), Malcolm Doolin, Ross McGilvray and Jim Benson. 1974		Above: The North Star A Team. Malcolm Doolin, Robert Doolin, Ross McGilvray and Alex Makim. Undefeated in 1982
Above: Robert (far right on Rommel) playing for Qld in the 1980 Australasian Gold Cup with Jim Gunn, Jim MacGinley and Stuart Gilmore.  They beat NZ in the final.		Above: The dust settling after another North Star versus Goondiwindi battle.  Jim Gunn, Malcolm Doolin, Robert, Kerry Glasser and David Elder. 1982

 

Robert was president of the North Star Polo Club for many years – and although new directions have now taken him to Quirindi Club, North Star Polo Club will no doubt always hold his favourite memories of the game.  Both Robert and Jane are honorary life members of North Star Polo Club, which was presented to them in 2009 by Robert’s nephew, Simon Doolin, current president of the club.

 

Above: Robert was a long serving president of North Star Polo Club		Above: This North Star team was nearly unbeatable and in 1982 won all Northern NSW tournaments. Ross McGilvray, Robert Doolin, Alex Makim, and Malcolm Doolin (and a young Simon Doolin at the front)
Above: Ross McGilvray, Robert, Malcolm Doolin and Alex Makim Winners of the prestigious Northern Challenge Cup – the oldest perpetual trophy in the Southern Hemisphere still being contested. Quirindi 1982		Above: Nearly 30 years later, Robert had moved to Quirindi and, with Kirsty Sullivan, Mark Barber and Dick Doolin, won the Northern Challenge Cup again. Quirindi 2010.

 

Robert, who is a partner, main founder and principal of Bar Nine Dot Sporting Horses, bred and trained his own polo horses throughout his whole career and still does to date.  Many of these were bred from Beryl and Dick’s top polo and stock horses with one beautiful bay mare in particular, Verdict, who won polo ponies prizes at Gunnedah and Goondiwindi, but also took out the South Queensland Campdraft.  Verdict was one of the horses taken over and played in New Zealand where Sinclair Hill played her in two chukkas in the final of the Australasian Gold Cup.  Out of Verdict, her sole progeny, WALLAROI PEPI, was selectively joined to the thoroughbred sire SMOKEY SAINT – TB (by Smokey Eyes) to introduce a good quality line of thoroughbred blood.  The result was a bay colt named WALLAROI SMOKEY PADRE (ASH 190598) – he was the sire of all Robert’s homebred polo ponies from the early 1980’s to 1998.  Hence, he shows up in nearly 100% of our horses’ bloodlines to this day.

 

Above: Wallaroi Pepi – dam of Wallaroi Smokey Padre, and Wallaroi Sunshine – foundation mare of both our J and S families

Above: Robert’s main string during most the 1990’s all by Wallaroi Smokey Padre.  L-R Jitter, Bea, Bubbles, Jay and Batiste with groom Maria. Jitter and Jay are full sisters as are Bea, Bubbles and Batiste

Robert also selectively brought in new prime quality ASH blood over the years with the Haydon ASH and the Archibald’s Nabinabah ASH studs being the primary two to mention.  We currently have three broodmares that stem from NABINABAH FLUTTER (ASH 60813), HAYDON DAYLIGHT (ASH 53113) and HAYDON HARVEST DAY (ASH 59516) that were purchased during the 1980’s and all won Champion Polo Pony prizes individually or in teams during their playing careers.

Our current broodmares all played polo in their heyday as well as contributed to the daily stock work on our family property, Wallaroi, North Star, NSW.  When they weren’t playing polo or doing cattle work, many of them would be dragged off in the horse float for the weekend bushman’s carnival, pony club rally days or the annual pony camp – for which I am personally grateful along with my two sisters!  I mention this only as a testament to the temperament of horse that Robert aimed to breed whereby they could play high goal lightening speed polo one day and then come down to trot calmly around the pony club arena the next.

 

Above: Robert’s Champion Team of Ponies, Clifton (circa 1987) Cachet, Haydon Harvest Day, Nabinabah Storm, Nabinabah Black Jack, Kildonan Brown Sugar and Haydon Daylight.  Pictured with groom, Liz, Rebecca and Emma

Above: Robert with Haydon Harvest Day Champion Polo Pony –  World Cup Semi Finals played by the Nigerian team, circa late 1980’s.

 

With the passing of WALLAROI SMOKEY PADRE, in 1998 Robert and Jane purchased a new resident stallion, NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH (ASH 190599) from Ian (Iggy) Archibald as a two year old.  Due to a severe front hoof injury in the paddock he was unable to have his breaking in completed, but his ASH heritage and high performance bloodlines, as well as his temperament and type we couldn’t let this opportunity be missed.  We have had several Nabinabah mares and geldings play for us over the years and every single one was an outstanding performer on the field with amazing agility and intelligence.  Most notably among them were NABINABAH BLACK JACK and NABINABAH STORM – both exceptional and well known geldings in their time that won many polo pony prizes and both held NABINABAH THE GUN – HSH FS bloodlines.  NABINABAH FLUTTER was also a lovely easy mare that I used to take to Pony Camp when I could steal her from the polo string.

 

Above: Robert and Nabinabah Black Jack at North Star campdraft		Above: Arthur Carter preparing to hook Robert on Nabinabah Black Jack, 1982		Above: Robert and Nabinabah Storm 1982
Above: Robert (right) on Nabinabah Black Jack, 1982		Above: Robert and Nabinabah Black Jack, 1982		Above: Nabinabah Storm winning Champion ASH at Warwick Farm, NSW, 1982
Above: Robert and Nabinabah Flutter circa 1989		Above: Rebecca (aged 11) jumping Nabinabah Flutter at North Star Pony Club, 1988		Above: Nabinabah Black Jack won many polo pony awards, including Gunnedah A Grade pony, 1979

 

NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA – HSH has a double-cross of NABINABAH THE GUN – HSH FS, his grandmother is a full sister to NABINABAH BREEZETTE -HSH and his grandfather is the great sire JAIPUR – TB.  Our first foals by Rockafella were a 2000 drop and are still playing in our current team.  Along with these mares and the 30 odd progeny that are playing today around the circuit, he has proven to be our winning formula.  He has also proven himself as a sire in other disciplines with progeny performing in polocrosse, eventing, station work, campdrafting, pony club and leisure. 

 

 

TODAY

Although our breed stems from over 65 years of family breeding and selection, Bar Nine Dot Sporting Horses was officially formed as a registered business and partnership between Robert and Jane Doolin (my parents) and my husband, James Hockey, and I in 2008.  The aim of forming this partnership was to enable this breed to continue in the manner that Robert & Jane had always envisaged, and at the same time allow James and I to become an active part of an industry that I have always been so passionate towards.  James, along with his brother Michael, have both caught the contagious ‘polo bug’ and initiated their horse interests and polo obsession around the period of 2006/07 riding the Bar Nine Dot horses – they have both played for the Quirindi and Tamarang club A Teams over the years, with many wins, trophies and pony prizes – but most importantly loving the spirit and thrill of the game played amongst new and old friends.

 

Above: James on Reggae and Mick on Challenge, Quirindi 2008. These two favourite geldings go all the way back to Beryl Doolin’s station mare, Boney, circa 1940’s.		Above: James on Bacall and Mick on his mare, Dallas, playing together for Quirindi at Windsor 2014
Above: James & Bacall Windsor 2014		Above: Mick & Bomba Windsor 2014

 

Bar Nine Dot Sporting Horse stud is now located on the Hockey family’s cattle property, “Glenaladale”, Quirindi, NSW.  We have upgraded and further developed our existing facilities with horse safe stalls, day yards, paddocks and training areas.  With its undulating basalt country and fertile self-mulching soil renown to the Liverpool Plains, “Glenaladale” provides a great source of nutritional feed favourable for breeding, growing and developing our horses that we also supplement with our own nutrition programs.

 

Above: Broodmares and foals take a dip in one of the dams. “Glenaladale”, Quirindi, NSW

Above: View of “Glenaladale” from up the hill

In late 2009, we decided that we needed to step outside our polo world a bit and recognise that our horses carry some important Australian Stock Horse bloodlines.  As we have primarily used our horses for polo we had let our registrations with the society lapse over the years and saw a door closing if we didn’t act soon.  Hence, we have now registered all of our horses, including our stallion, broodmares, playing horses and youngsters with the ASHS stud book.  We only see this as a greater opportunity to broaden our horizons now and in the future by being a part of the ‘breed for every need’.

 

Above: Robert with his main string in 2013 Blitz, Bomba, Sizzel and Reggae All are by Nabinabah Rockafella and out of Wallaroi Smokey Padre mares.

In 2011, we purchased a 2 year old colt from Peter and Ali Haydon’s Bloomfield Colt Sale, called HAYDON ZANE – HSH.  The purpose of Zane was to put him over our retiring NABINABAH ROCKAFELLA mares.  It was important to us that we kept well performed Australian Stock Horse bloodlines going, but we also wanted some further high quality thoroughbred introduced at this stage of our program….Peter and Ali have successfully achieved this in their progeny and HAYDON ZANE presented a perfect balance of what we were after, not only in his bloodlines but also in his conformation. 

As Bar Nine Dot Sporting Horses we hope to achieve our goals of breeding and training a consistently high quality of sporting horse whilst keeping our heritage intact but also recognising new opportunities as they may arise and most importantly have some fun along the way.