Meade relishing his hunt for a Classic winner
They are Advertise, a son of former shuttler Showcasing, whose claims are well established via his Coventry Stakes second to Calyx and subsequent Group 2 July Stakes win. The other is Confiding, a son of Haunui Farm shuttler Iffraaj, who today showed his wares to finish a brave third in Goodwood’s Group 2 Vintage Stakes yesterday following his impressive debut victory in the Newbury Novice from which eight winners have subsequently emerged.
Perhaps my knowledge should have been greater of this urbane, helicopter flying, equity funds managing, property developing racehorse trainer who’s been ensconced at Manton – the historic gallops and stable complex which was formerly in the ownership of the Sangster family – since March 1 this year.
Especially after discovering, during my visit last week, that his list of owners is something of a ‘who’s who’ and includes many Australians. Not to mention that his last season Group 1 placed Frankel colt Eminent is raced by Sir Peter Vela and that his partner Amy Austin, a one time employee of Gai Waterhouse, assists in managing Neil Werrett’s bloodstock interest in the northern hemisphere.
In my defence, his ‘about’ link on his website doesn’t tell you much about him at all. And it’s probably fair to say that, despite a lifetime involvement with horses and previous dalliances with training thoroughbreds, it is only now that it is his primary focus, and previous newspaper inches afforded to Meade have generally been the result of business endeavours other than racing.
There is every chance that is about to change. Six trainers have sent out classic winners from Manton and Meade is determined to be the seventh.
“That is my hope that we could produce a couple of classic winners and restore that glory to Manton. I don’t aspire to train 200 horses or train the most winners. If I had ten (winners) for the year which included one classic winner, that would do me fine,” he said.
I had not previously met Meade but I’m greeted with great warmth and charm. He strikes me as a man who gets things done but there is no sense of arrogance nor delusion. He candidly concedes that his other business interests have ‘enabled’ the purchase and refurbishment of Manton and insists it’s not an indulgence. “Step one is to make it commercially viable as a racing stable and working farm,” he said.
Meade has had a lifetime connection with horses through hunting and polo and did train for about ten years in the 1980’s and, as a part-timer, trained his first National Hunt winner under rules back in 1972.
“I had a lot of very moderate horses through that time and quickly worked out it wasn’t commercially viable if you weren’t wholly committed and without better horseflesh,” he said.
A greater commitment, from the man who commercially flew helicopters 40 years ago, truly began with the acquisition of Sefton Lodge in Newmarket in 2014 and with the accompanying asset of The Snailwell Stud, which provides the perfect environment – among other things – for the rearing and breaking of yearlings.
Over the journey, he’s trained numerous flat and jumps winners but the focus is very much now with the former and his multiples stakes winners include – in just the last 15 months – the aforementioned Advertise and Eminent along with Chilean, Wilamina and the Group 1 Prix de la Foret winner Aclaim.
This week, he has six entries at Goodwood and goes there with the expectation that aside from Confiding; Wilamina and Eminent are capable of running well in their respective black type assignments while promising staying three-year-old Infrastructure will be competitive in Wednesday’s 1m4f 3YO Handicap.
“Confiding is very smart. There’s not much of Wilamina but she’s brave and a Group 1 placing in the Nassau (Stakes) would be a great result. Infrastructure is heading the right way and Eminent, I think, has come on and is capable of better than what the recent formbook might suggest,” he said.
Meade said that Infrastructure, the three-year-old gelded son of Raven’s Pass who broke his maiden at Sandown in late June, was the sort of horse who might long-term be considered for a Melbourne Cup. “That would be a wonderful thing, to head to Melbourne for the Cup. We certainly wouldn’t be frightened to do that with the right horse,’ he said.
His Goodwood entries also include the three-year-old Galileo colt Monoxide who’s raced by Queensland’s Canning Downs Stud who co-owned Aclaim, whilst the Meade barn also includes horses raced by Aquis Farm and Su-Ann Khaw. Anthony Mithen’s proposed Royal Ascot two-year-old runner Luck Favours had also been bound for Manton so there’s a strong Australian connection.
Meade’s son Freddie is his assistant trainer and his brother George, while having an interest in racing, is more focused on the business side of Meade “Enterprises’. Daughter January is married to bloodstock agent Dermot Farrington who is prominent in both hemispheres.
Meade describes his training approach as ‘old school’ but does not entirely shun innovation. “It’s the basics, fundamentally, for me. Work on the gallops and the training tracks including our new wood-chip. I’m not much interested in treadmills and pools and water walkers. The key is creating an environment which produces fit, healthy and relaxed horses,” he said.
And I’d have to say I’ve rarely walked through racing barns where the horses, without exception, have looked so well – especially in their coats – and been so relaxed.
Meade is focused on restoring Manton’s physical glory as well as that of racetrack success. The refurbishment of the barns continues with German built stabling and walking machine. Each box is designed to allow maximum air circulation and is equipped with Equilume lighting. “I’m sure this assists in their general well-being, coat health and reduces the chance of any contamination of bedding,” he said.
The property retains its historic charm but has further improvements to come. Meade purchased it in November last year, buying from local businessman Paul Clarke who’d bought it three years earlier from the Sangster family. “There was a danger the gallops would have been lost forever and that would have been a tragedy,’ said Meade who originally trained in the district, “I was training just two miles away and had brought horses here all those years ago.”
Plans include restoration of the Highfield training grounds and renovation of the peat moss gallop with the peat imported from Ireland while the famous Derby gallop, replicating Epsom, and the demanding straight six furlongs uphill gallop are well maintained.
Meade has 45 horses in work with a planned capacity of 80 which he sees as enough. Most of his staff relocated from Newmarket and are vital, he says, to the stable’s success. “Everyone here is a very good rider. They not only ride but teach the horses; no jockeys ride work here. The breaking is done in-house and we like to be able to manage the animal from the word go,” he said.
There is a strong focus on two-year-olds and the quest to develop potential stallions and good mares. “We want horses rated 80 or above, otherwise you’re really wasting your time and effort,’ Meade said.
He’s also intent on developing horses from the start and likes to be hands-on in yearling selection. “No horse is bought without my final approval and the yearling sales have to be the focus but I certainly don’t believe in the nonsense of paying a million quid for horses. I’m not interested either in breeze-ups or tried horses,” he said.
He’s also happy to trade and believes he’s built a reputation for selling sound horses.
As to the highly talented and current stable standard-bearer Advertise, who was bought for just 60,000 pounds at Goffs Doncaster, he’s bound for the Phoenix Stakes in Ireland. “It’s Aidan’s (O’Brien) race but he won’t mind us winning it, will he?” Meade said.
Not everything has changed at Manton. Brian Meehan continues to train from the Astor yard which he purchased and Sangster brothers Ben and Guy have retained Manton House. They have also retained some of the surrounding land and the Meade trained Solar Echo runs for the family at Sandown on Wednesday.
But the famous estate is now very much central to Meade’s being. “His passion is for the horses and he loves farming as well so this is the perfect place, magical Manton,” Austin said.
Magical Manton indeed.
“We had four good years at Newmarket and had our first Group 1 winner and maybe nobody took us seriously before that but the opportunity to come to Manton I’d say was a gift from God,” Meade said.