When they talk about the romance of the Thoroughbred, they usually miss one thing.

The fact that Thoroughbred farms the world over are rather like a bunch of blokes looking for a date on a Saturday night:

They tell all the best stories, pour the very best champagne - and have a habit of promising you everything.

You've probably heard a few of the stories yourselves: Here, the horses grow bigger, the grass is sweater, everything we breed is a winner - and the birds fly backwards on a Saturday night.

Except there's one catch: Some farms are actually more blessed than others - and they do have the history to prove it.

Baramul - which was producing good horses back in the 1870s when it was simply known as Joe's Paddock - became a stud farm in its own right in 1940. And in those 65 years comes the kind of history that any farm in the world would surely dream about.

The original Australian superstar sire Star Kingdom (Ire) came here in 1951, and he was quickly followed by legendary breed shapers like Todman, Biscay and Bletchingly. And so began the steady procession of extraordinary horses that have flowed out of this beautiful valley - the Valley of Champions.

A few important things changed in recent times. Baramul found a new owner and the grand old farm discovered the energy to step up and enter a new era.

Gerry Harvey is determined to restore Baramul to its glory days. The passion is there, the farming principles are in place - and the mare band being assembled is the equal of any farm in Australia and New Zealand.

In fact, everything old is new again.