There’s an old saying in sport that it often takes a lifetime to become an overnight success.
That seems fairly accurate for Nonda Southern Cross, the black stallion fondly known as Denzel that has been attracting a strong following over the years.
After an impressive start to his career – third in the 2013 NCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, a big ten-point win in the 2014 Rocky Rush and then a blistering 91 in the novice at Chinchilla at only his ninth start in a draft – Denzel went out for a spell that turned into two and a half years in the paddock while his owners, well known Save the Farmland Activists Dr David and Heather Pascoe, were caught up in the middle of the fight to save our farmland and water resources from the ravages of mining.
Denzel finally went back to his trainer Jon Templeton in Autumn this year (2017) and, shortly afterwards won the Mt Isa Maiden (A) with a brilliant score of 90 and 90. He showed this wasn’t simply a bit of luck with a good fourth in the Mt Isa Novice draft as well.
The stallion then captured the attention of all the good judges when he chalked up yet another big 90 and ran fourth in the prestigious Stallion Draft at Paradise Lagoons in July. His fast, smooth style has attracted plenty of interest not only from horsemen sitting in the grandstand but he has also rapidly built up a following on social media with people watching his runs from all over the country who are impressed by such an obviously natural cattle horse.
Denzel is a son of Acres Destiny from Nonda Happy Ever After, a daughter of the great sire Doc’s Freckles Oak. According to David and Heather, he has thrown strongly back to his female family, which has been bred by Heather’s family for nearly 100 years. Both his grand- dam Nonda Night Bird and his great-grand-dam Nonda Cuddles were black mares with their own fast, flowing style on cattle.
In addition to this, the young stallion carries solid thoroughbred blood right throughout his pedigree. His grand-dam Night Bird was by Skywatch, a thoroughbred colt owned and raced by Heather and her father Reg, and he carries four crosses of the legendary thoroughbred sire Nearco as well as three crosses of the Melbourne Cup winner Hall Mark, a grandson of the legendary sire Valais through his female family. On his sire’s side he also picks up three crosses of Lightning Bar, who was a three-quarter thoroughbred by Three Bars (TB).
“We have always infused thoroughbred genetics through our station horses and, when you have been doing it a very long time, you start to figure out which bloodlines work best and how to use them most effectively,” says Heather.
Heather brought Nonda Night Bird down South with her from Nonda Downs Station near Julia Creek in 1986, and the young mare – who was trained by legendary horseman Ian Francis – was awarded Junior Working Champion of Queensland as a 2YO, won the Station Hack in Brisbane as a 3Y0 and also placed second in the prestigious Widgee Futurity. In fact, Ian held the mare in such high regard he convinced Heather to send her to stud as a 4YO to make the most of her genetics.
“I thought she was much too young,” Heather says, ‘But once again, Ian was proved to be right on the money.” Night Bird’s grand-daughter Nonda Let’s Talk Later won the Warwick Gold Cup for Terry Hall in 2000 and was the highest scoring horse over the Gold Cup and the Canning Downs. Lets Talk Later also finaled in the NCHA Futurity, the NCHA Derby and then ran second in the NCHA National Finals for trainer Robbie Mackay to establish herself as one of the finest all-round mares in the industry.
Allnightlong was another of Night Bird’s daughters who produced Bill Willoughby’s champion SA all-round sire Nonda Charlie Peno, while another daughter Nonda Bounceback – who ran second in the novice at the ACA National Finals – is the grand-dam of Nonda Yale.
Heather is widely known as the founder of the Cloncurry Stockmens Challenge which she began as a memorial to her father Reg Brown some 33 years ago, and the Cloncurry Challenge later inspired the entire Challenge industry around Australia.
The Browns from Nonda Downs have been breeding horses at Nonda Downs in NW Qld since 1923 and long before that on their stations near Dubbo, NSW well before the turn of the Century. The family produced the amazing Light Horse Dipso, who is honoured in the Australian War Memorial, they bred Russia, winner of the 1946 Melbourne Cup and they also owned and raced Macdougal, winner of the 1959 Melbourne Cup.
“I think my father was teaching me about genetics and breeding when I was sitting on his knee,” Heather laughs. “My family were dedicated breeders of stock – no matter if it was horses, sheep, cattle, dogs or ducks, we were always focused on the art of upgrading and improving.”
David and Heather delivered Denzel in the foaling yard at Plaintree Farms and gave the foal his very distinctive nick-name because they thought he was as handsome as the actor Denzel Washington. “He had these very distinctive ears, and the moment I saw them I knew he had thrown strongly back to my stallion Native Son, who was the full brother to his grand-dam Night Bird.
“I was literally in tears when I saw he had inherited those ears, because I knew them so well. I mustered on Native Son for many years and he was the best cattle horse I ever sat on. He was brave and fast and natural, same as Denzel. We lost him when he was still only a young horse and he only left 32 registered foals. Most of them were station horses and very few were campaigned, but they included Nonda Bebopaloopa, Polocrosse Horse of Australia, Nonda Whimsy, winner of the Station hack at Brisbane Royal and Woodbridge Gazelle, Victorian Barastoc Horse of the Year. That’s a pretty fair indication that he was shaping up to be a serious sire.”
