About Us

John Brocklebank and Shane Chipman have formed BC3 Australia Pty Ltd, to bring to Australia what they have been doing so successfully in the United States for many years. A large part of this success relates to honesty, integrity and total transparency.

All BC3 Australia horses are for sale and our charter ensures that none are held back unless a horse proves itself not up to our high standards. BC3 Australia stands behind its product and our success comes from the success of the owners and trainers who support our sales drafts.

BC3 Australia buys a specific type of horse that will suit both our operation and our buyers. Quality is never compromised.

John Brocklebank & Shane Chipman

John Brocklebank and Shane Chipman have used their horsemanship and training abilities in the quarter horse market for over 20 years. They had great success in this arena, selling over 75 stakes winners and three World Champions.  Leveraging from experience in a business that is all about making young sound horses, they made the decision to focus on thoroughbred pinhooking under the banner of BC3 Thoroughbreds. 'Pinhooking' is the practice of buying a horse with the specific intention of re-selling it further down the track. BC3 Thoroughbreds concentrates on the yearling to two-year-old segment.

Over the first three years, they purchased 18 horses, an astounding eight (44% of his total draft) going on to win a stakes race, seven of those group stakes at that!

Barretts 2007 March Select Sale of 2-Year-Olds In-Training (America's premiere breeze-up sale) was yet another example of success for BC3 Thoroughbreds. The already booming outfit offered 10 lots in which nine were sold (the other sold privately and became a stakes winner). These nine grossed a sale topping US$4.62 million at an average of US$513,000. So highly sought after was this stock that leading worldwide operations secured four of his offerings (headed by John Ferguson of Darley) taking home the sale topper at US$1.4 million.

BC3 Thoroughbreds has unrivalled credentials backed up by outstanding statistics. Leading the nation in the highest percentage of stakes winners sold in 2007 (Source: February 3, 2007 Thoroughbred Times) as well as being the Leading Pinhooker by Profit in the USA in 2007, his star has continued to rise with every year.

Training and Preparation

John and Shane have refined a training regime in the United States centered on the creation of an equine athlete. Each horse's progress is closely monitored and managed from the day they leave the sale yard as yearlings.

The preparation of each individual is centered on the building of strength with particular attention to muscle and bone density. This is achieved by a structured approach to nutrition and workloads that slowly and gradually build up each horse to the point where they are ready made racehorses when presented for sale. No corners are cut at any stage of their preparation and no cost is spared, including the use of cutting edge technologies.

All BC3 Australia's horses are equipped with education and training to become a racehorse. Right through to barrier work, these horses are ready to be purchased one week and race the next.