SURF AND TURF
Reclusive Rip Curl tycoon’s stake in five Cup runners revealed
BRIAN Singer will head to the one place he feels most comfortable before today’s Melbourne Cup — the beach.
The co-founder of global brand Rip Curl may need some surf therapy this morning given he has five horses running in the $6 million race. Yep, you read that right. Five. Cup favourite Almandin, Johannes Vermeer, Bondi Beach, US Army Ranger and Rekindling — all wearing Lloyd Williams’ famous navy blue — carry Singer’s name in the race book.
So a chance for him to mix his love of turf and surf seems like the perfect way to get rid of any pre-race nerves.
“This Tuesday ... what will I do? I’ll be heading up (to Flemington) from Torquay. If it’s nice I’ll head to the beach first,” Singer said.
BRIAN Singer will head to the one place he feels most comfortable before today’s Melbourne Cup — the beach.
The co-founder of global brand Rip Curl may need some surf therapy this morning given he has five horses racing in the $6 million race. Yep, you read that right. Five. Cup second favourite Almandin, Johannes Vermeer, Bondi Beach, US Army Ranger, Rekindling — all wearing Lloyd Williams’s famous navy blue — carry Singer’s name in the race book.
So a chance for him to mix his love of turf and surf seems like the perfect way to get rid of any pre-race nerves.
But a return to the world famous Bells Beach probably is not on the cards.
“This Tuesday . . . what will I do? I’ll be heading up (to Flemington) from Torquay. If it’s nice I’ll head to the beach first,” Singer said.
“I used to surf there (Bells Beach), less so now because its quite crowded and I’m getting older and slower.”
He is not one for the spotlight. In terms of public personalities he and his mate Williams are polar opposites.
It has been 10 years since the businessman has been snapped by the Geelong Advertiser.
And while Williams heads to the Melbourne Cup with a top hat and media throng chasing, Singer is happy drifting off in the background.
When Almandin powered his way to win last year’s Melbourne Cup there was not a photo of him with the winning connections.
Williams, as you would expect, was front and centre. But Singer was not even standing in a far corner.
He is almost like racing’s phantom. “I was there,” Singer said. “It was my first and only (Melbourne Cup win). It was pretty amazing, surreal, quite surreal.
“That evening we went to Crown with a whole bunch of people. Then we had a nice quiet lunch and a couple of nice dinners out with just the owners (in the days after). “It was good.” Those other owners include some of Australia’s biggest names.
Music promoter Michael Gudinski, thoroughbred owner John Ingham, Quiksilver founder Alan Green and construction industry figures Vin Sammartino and Phil Mehrten all have shares in Almandin and various other Team Williams-owned horses.
But it was with a friend more than three decades before Almandin’s Melbourne Cup win that Singer caught the horse racing bug.
“We decided to buy a horse and that got us interested, gave us something to do. It was with a friend of mine, maybe 30, 35 years ago,” he said.
The horse, prepared by champion former local trainer Meggs Elkington, was 1981 AJC Australian Derby winner Venus And Mars.
It saluted that day by a short neck at 3-1. Talk about a stunning way to dip your toe into racehorse ownership.
It started a love affair with the sport of kings and Singer has gone on to own a number of horses with various trainers around the country.
“I’ve had a little bit of luck, but you know, when you have a few horses it sort of helps a little bit,” he said.
“(They’re trained by) David Hayes, Grahame Begg, Gai (Waterhouse) in Sydney has got one.
“I’ve got a few with another couple of mates that are not Melbourne Cup prospects, of course. I’ve probably got too many, I might have to get rid of a few.”
And some slow ones? “It’s always on the cards, isn’t it?” Singer said with a laugh.
Those days at the races connected him with Lloyd’s son Nick, sparking a decade-long association with a man obsessed with winning the Melbourne Cup.
And it should come as little surprise Nick and Singer discuss taking shares in the latest staying prospects at the track.
“That’s how it usually happens,” Singer said. “They are pretty good (to own a horse with). Nick keeps us pretty well up to speed which is great.”
He had never really shared Lloyd’s passion for winning the Melbourne Cup, especially early.
However that has changed in recent years.
“As time went on it started to feel like it would be pretty exciting to win a Melbourne Cup,” he said.
“It’s the best known in the country. So, yeah, over the last few years we’ve thought about it.”
To finally get that sweet taste of victory with Almandin in 2016 was “pretty exciting”.
“We’ve been in horses with the Williams family for 10 years, so it’s not like it's a one-time wonder,” he said.
“You have got to plug away for a while. It’s not just instant success.”
You can imagine Singer’s eyes will be darting around the mounting yard about 2.50pm.
Reigning champion Almandin has saddle cloth two, Johannes Vermeer has seven, Bondi Beach will wear eight, US Army Ranger takes number 14 and Rekindling is 22.
Singer says he is a student of the form.
Nick reckons all of his team’s horses are flying, while Lloyd said he would love to see Almandin go back-to-back.
For Singer, he finds it hard to split all five of his chances. “It’s hard to tell,” he said. “Rekindling has got a good price, about $15 or so.
“I don’t know which one I’ll go for yet, probably Rekindling.”