EB S Turf’s story is one of exceptional ability, opportunity, and the belief that a truly special horse can shape the career of a horseman. His journey is told by professional cutting horse trainer Tyler Hodgman, son of respected horseman Rob Hodgman, who believes Turf was not only one of the greatest horses he has had the privilege to ride, but also a reflection of the quality, dedication, and vision behind the Hodgman family breeding program.
Bred by Extra Fineline Quarter Horses, a partnership between Rob and Monica Hodgman and Stacey McGregor, EB S Turf was bred with one purpose, to become a cutting horse. From the beginning, he possessed the qualities the Hodgman family had spent decades striving to produce, natural athleticism, exceptional cow sense, trainability, and an undeniable desire to compete.
Turf was started in Victoria by Guy Morgan before returning to the Hodgman family as a two year old, where he was originally trained by Rob Hodgman while Tyler pursued his cutting career in America. At the time, Tyler was still competing as a non pro competitor and had not yet begun his career as a professional trainer.
During Tyler’s time in America, he had the opportunity to ride many exceptional horses, developing his knowledge and experience within the cutting industry. When discussing Tyler’s future career, Rob recognised that success as a professional trainer would require exceptional horses to build a program around. Rob often told Tyler, "To make it as a professional trainer in Australia, you need good horses."
Six months before the Tamworth Futurity, while Turf was preparing as Rob’s leading futurity horse, Rob made the decision to hand Turf over to Tyler. It was an incredible opportunity and a significant show of support from a father to his son, particularly as Turf was one of Rob’s best horses at the time. This decision provided Tyler with the opportunity to begin his professional career with a horse of genuine elite ability.
Unfortunately, Turf’s futurity year coincided with the COVID shutdown, preventing him from competing at Tamworth. However, when Tyler began riding Turf, he immediately recognised the quality of horse he had underneath him. Turf reminded him of the calibre of horses he had ridden during his time in America, and Tyler completed his training program before making their debut at the only aged event held that year, the Darling Downs Cutting Horse Futurity, where they finished Reserve Champion behind Peppyphilaire.
From there, EB S Turf established himself as one of the leading horses of his age group, consistently performing at the highest level and becoming a horse admired by competitors and spectators alike. Throughout his derby career, Turf made every final at every show he attended, including another Reserve Champion finish at the Scone Open Derby behind Peppyphilaire. He regularly featured among the leading horses heading into classic events, consistently proving his competitiveness against Australia’s best aged event horses.
A highlight of Turf’s career came at the Tamworth Futurity Classic Final, where he topped the aggregate heading into the final. Tyler reflects that his own inexperience at the time sometimes saw him ride too aggressively in important moments, but he emphasises that any missed opportunities were never due to Turf’s ability. The horse always gave everything he had, and Tyler believes Turf was capable of achieving even more throughout his competition career.
One of the most memorable moments between Tyler and Turf came at the prestigious Pinnacle event, where the best horses in the country competed against each other. Wanting another opportunity to showcase Turf’s ability, Tyler purchased a slot into the event, paying $3,500 for a last minute auctioned position. After the second cow they were sitting in a strong position to win, before an exceptionally challenging third cow tested them to their limits.
Although the run did not finish as they had hoped, Tyler describes it as one of the greatest demonstrations of Turf’s ability and heart. He believes there would not have been many horses in the country capable of holding that cow for as long as Turf did, and the performance earned enormous respect from fellow competitors. For Tyler, it remains one of the defining moments of Turf’s career and perfectly showcased his determination, athleticism and unwavering desire to compete.
Tyler describes EB S Turf as one of the most athletic and dynamic horses he has ever ridden. Standing tall with an extremely light and clean front, Turf possessed effortless front-end movement that made him exceptionally quick footed and agile in the cutting pen. He was naturally talented, incredibly easy to train, and possessed a temperament more like a gelding, a trait Tyler greatly valued in a stallion.
One of Turf’s defining characteristics was his desire to try. Whether at home working cattle, during preparation, or competing at a show, Turf never performed without giving 100%. He always stopped as hard as he could and turned as hard as he could, meaning Tyler’s job was often teaching him to slow down rather than encouraging him to try harder. Tyler believes you know you have a special horse when you are constantly asking them to contain their ability, and Turf was always that horse.
A fitting conclusion to Turf’s performance career came at the 2024 NCHA Futurity in Tamworth, where he returned to the show pen with Rob Hodgman for one final appearance in the prestigious Legends event. In a full-circle moment for the Hodgman family, the pair finished Reserve Champion in Turf’s final competitive run before retirement. For Tyler and his family, it was a particularly special result, bringing Turf’s remarkable performance career to a close alongside the man who had first recognised his talent and set him on the path to success.
Following his successful performance career, Turf’s future transitioned into the breeding barn. Similar to EB S Phalaris, Turf was bred and trained by the Hodgman family solely to become a cutting horse, and they believe he exceeded expectations in the arena. Having proven himself as an elite competitor, the next step was to give him every opportunity to influence the future of the cutting industry.
To encourage his first foal crops, Turf was strategically bred to exceptional proven mares, with selected breeding opportunities offered to mare owners who had the genetics and performance backgrounds to complement him. The goal was to ensure his early progeny were produced from outstanding mares and raised in performance-focused environments.
In 2026, Turf’s oldest progeny are two years old and preparing to make their debut as futurity horses in 2027. While Tyler does not currently have a Turf progeny of his own to train and show, his brother has two, including one Tyler describes as an extremely special individual.
Due to the close relationship between Turf and the Hodgman family’s own mare band, Tyler focused on sourcing outside maternal genetics to maximise Turf’s breeding potential. He purchased embryos from exceptional Australian performing mares and bred them specifically to Turf, with the goal of producing a team of horses that could replicate the qualities he admired most in their sire.
Tyler believes Turf will be an exceptional cross over heavier built mares or mares that may benefit from increased quickness, agility and athletic ability. His clean, lighter front, efficient movement and strong hindquarter are attributes he believes will complement a wide range of performance mares. These qualities, combined with Turf’s athletic build and natural ability, are traits Tyler hopes to continue seeing passed through to the next generation.
Today, EB S Turf continues his breeding career at Seven Creeks Equine in Victoria with Stacey McGregor, where he will spend his days contributing to the next generation of performance horses.
For Tyler, EB S Turf represents far more than his first futurity horse as a professional trainer. Turf gave him the confidence to believe he could succeed, taught him invaluable lessons about training and competing, and showed him the importance of having exceptional horses beneath you.
For Tyler, EB S Turf represents more than just a great competition horse, he represents the opportunities and support that helped shape his career. Tyler speaks highly of his father Rob, who has always wanted his children to achieve more than he had himself, and believes giving him Turf was one of the greatest opportunities he could have provided. To receive Rob’s best futurity horse while Rob was still a professional trainer himself was a significant gesture of trust and support. Tyler remains incredibly grateful for the foundation his family has built, including the exceptional mare power developed over more than three decades.
While there were challenging years following Turf’s competition career as Tyler continued developing his own program, those experiences only strengthened his appreciation for what a truly special horse can bring to a trainer. Tyler believes that with the experience and knowledge he has gained throughout his career, he would love the opportunity to train a horse of Turf’s calibre again and feels he could do an even greater job today.
Turf played a defining role in Tyler’s journey as a horseman, helping establish his confidence as a professional trainer and shaping the standards he looks for in future performance horses. With his first progeny approaching competition age, exciting times lie ahead for EB S Turf. Tyler believes that if his offspring inherit even a portion of their sire’s ability, heart and desire to compete, they will have every opportunity to become exceptional performance horses in their own right.
