Imagine having the Beckhams on board, or a suite of Bentley cars in the cargo, or deciding if you need to dump fuel with the lives of hundreds of people resting on your every move. Imagine being so intelligent and motivated to fly, that by the age of 21, you’re controlling a Boeing 747.
Then imagine what it’s like just watching from behind a racetrack fence, at a dusty or damp Wellington or Orange in central west NSW, when one of your horses runs: no set path, no cockpit to make all the calls from, and often no hope.
“It’s a helluva lot more stressful watching your horses run than flying planes,” laughs owner and Hunter Valley breeder Mitch Cunningham. “Flying the planes, you do a lot of training for the worst eventualities that often don’t come. But at least you have control over the situation.
“Watching the horses run, you’ve got no control over what’s going on, and you’re just hoping. That brings about a more stressful experience.”
It’s the hope that often kills you. It’s crazy to think a 10-year pilot, who was responsible for some of the biggest planes when he was barely the legal drinking age in the US, gave it all up for horse racing. Lotto on four legs. But here he is.
Next Saturday, former Cathay Pacific pilot Cunningham, one of the youngest to ever helm a 747, will fly into the unknown when a horse he named after his wife tries to win the $20 million The Everest at Royal Randwick.
Jockey Zac Lloyd and trainer Bjorn Baker with racehorse Stefi Magnetica at Warwick Farm.Credit: Janie Barrett
Stefi Magnetica is an extroverted name for an introverted mum. In the words of her charismatic trainer Bjorn Baker, the “she has got a lot of sass about her”. The horse, that is.
In Cunningham’s words, the human Stephanie is the north star of their young family. He’s spent much more on yearling horses than the $140,000 he paid for this filly. Call it intuition, but he just knew she was the right horse to be an ode to his wife.
Horse breeder Mitchell Cunningham with wife Stephanie.
“Myself and the kids always want to be around her,” says Cunningham, who relocated the family from Queensland to the Hunter Valley after a decade flying based out of Hong Kong. “She’s a magnet for us all.
“She’s not a particularly extroverted character at times, so she was a touch embarrassed she had a horse named after her. But she’s enjoyed the ride with us.”
In 2017, when Cunningham sat down with his father Gary, they thought about taking their passion for racing a little bit more seriously. They wanted it to be their business. Ridgmont Stud became that vehicle, and Stefi Magnetica joins the star colt, Storm Boy, as their banner horses of the past 12 months.
“They love the game and are very passionate about it,” Baker said. “They’re great people and a great family to have. They’ve learnt the highs and lows of this game pretty quickly. As much as anything, they’re great characters, the sort of people and family you want in the industry.
“The horse likes her own space and doesn’t tolerate fools. So she’s pretty wary of me.”
Said Cunningham: “To be involved in a race like [The Everest] with a mare named after my wife is what dreams are made of. To be involved is great, and even better, we think we can win the race.”
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