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The late Paul Tuck was a successful businessman who indulged his lifelong passion for racing by owning a select band of broodmares under the banner of Touchstone Bloodstock.

A former AMP senior executive, Tuck died this month after disposing of the last of his mares.

Tuck was one of the countless number of small broodmare owners who are the backbone of the breeding industry. Their patronage makes it possible for stud’s to invest in sires and the horses they breed make up the bulk of the racing population.

Like most of them, Tuck did not have a lot of success but still got a lot of joy out of breeding a foal and following its career.

He kept his mares for over a quarter of a century with Mary Hallett at her recently disposed River Ridge agistment farm at Sandy Hollow in the Hunter Valley and she had the satisfaction of selling several yearlings for him at prices of more than $100,000.

Tuck’s best horse was a son of the shuttle sire Spectrum, which he retained after passing him in for $6000 at a Sydney sale.

Raced by Paul, his wife Kerry, N.D. White and his Muswellbrook based trainer Jeff Englebrecht under the name of Newton’s Rings, he became known as the Hunter Valley iron horse of his time when he raced 97 times for 22 wins,13 seconds, eight thirds and $795,280.

The highest money earner ever trained at Muswellbrook, Newton’s Rings won the Pacesetter Stakes and Myer Sprint at Gosford, the Scone Cup, Tamworth Cup, Coonamble Cup and was beaten a nose when second in the G2 Chelmsford Stakes at Randwick and third in the G2 Shannon Stakes at Rosehill.