Tavistock: the next chapter
If Hollywood were to get hold of the following, they most likely would glorify the highs, emphasise the tragedies then simply script an ending in which everyone lived happily ever after.
However, the subject is thoroughbred horse breeding, which is firmly based in reality, something that Hollywood can often struggle with.
This is the story of tragic loss, yet out of the ashes rises a feelgood tale with coincidences that can only be described as uncanny.
Her Majesty The Queen, herself a very knowledgeable and successful bloodstock breeder, deferred to Latin to describe 1992. That year, three of her children experienced collapsed marriages and a large part of Windsor Castle was damaged by fire. Her Majesty described the year as “annus horribilis”.
Cambridge Stud likely have a better understanding than most as to just what The Queen meant. The latter half of 2019 was indeed “annus horribilis” and saw the stud having to deal with losing three stallions: Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), Burgundy (Redoute’s Choice) and Tavistock (Montjeu).
Brendan Lindsay, Cambridge Stud’s new owner, must have thought he was ‘snakebit’ (an American-ism meaning desperately unlucky) when he had his European-based bloodstock agent purchase a mare carrying a foal to Roaring Lion. He was keen to have at least one foal by him. The mare died on the last day of 2019.
As years go, 2019 was definitely one to forget but 18 months on, Cambridge Stud and the Lindsays are enjoying a pleasing and thoroughly deserved turnaround in their fortunes.
Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford, also has every reason to look back at 2019 with dismay. Tavistock owed his very existence to Henrietta, whose late husband, Robin, was the Marquess of Tavistock, hence Tavistock’s name.
Not only was the equine Tavistock lost, so too was Sunsett (Hussonet), a daughter of the wondrous Sunline (Desert Sun). Henrietta bought her from Sunline’s trainer, the late Trevor McKee. The mare died mere weeks before Tavistock had to be euthanised, after she had foaled a Tavistock colt. The foal therefore needed a foster mother but more on that interesting story a little later.
To lose two of your much loved stock so close together might normally be the last straw but thoroughbred breeders, being an optimistic bunch and made of sterner stuff, are not daunted. They only know one thing and that is: when you fall off the horse, the best thing to do is get back on.
So what did Henrietta do? First, she gave Tavistock a heart-warming send off by publishing a touching and fitting history of her much loved boy. The glossy-covered coffee table book does him proud and preserves his great story.
Henrietta’s introduction to horse breeding gets the story started then covers Tavistock’s interesting, achievement-filled yet all-too-short life. His bloodlines, his sale as a yearling, his racing days, his syndication upon retirement and his place at Cambridge Stud – all are covered in a manner that only a devoted breeder could.
Even though the publication is primarily about Tavistock, there are anecdotal gems that might easily be overlooked. One is an Eight Carat gem. Yes, ‘that’ Eight Carat (Pieces Of Eight).
Henrietta details her first visit to New Zealand. She and her husband were invited to meet (Sir) Patrick, Sir Tristram (Sir Ivor) and Eight Carat during a tour of Cambridge Stud: “I’d never met Eight Carat but I was responsible for her creation.
“Keith Freeman and I bought Pieces Of Eight when he finished racing in USA. We stood him at Newmarket at New England Stud. I persuaded Heather Sumner to send Klairessa to him and the result was Eight Carat. She changed hands several times before she got to Cambridge Stud but I have always thought that her existence is, perhaps, my proudest achievement in thoroughbred breeding.”
Well prior to that proud moment, Henrietta’s very first foray into bloodstock breeding is detailed, the purchase of a foal from the Tattersall’s December Sale of 1965.
However, the story really starts some years before. Henrietta explains that hand writing pedigrees seems very old fashioned now but it does solidify valuable information into our brain cells. Despite “rote learning” being frowned upon in modern education, one never knows when such stored information can prove valuable.
The book describes her first purchase, a Sica Boy (Sunny Boy)-Sea Goddess (Persian Gulf) filly foal, later named Irania. She never made it to the races and at stud had a few foals but “nothing any good,” according to Henrietta.
Not detailed in the book, Irania had better-than-worthwhile bloodlines, being by 1954 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Sica Boy, who won the all-aged classic as a three-year-old.
Irania’s dam, Legende (Pampeiro), foaled Sussex Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) victor My Kingdom (Royal Charger), who also won races in USA and Canada. Another foal, Mr Cube (Hyperion), was a Group 3 winner at Newmarket and later, a quite successful sire in Argentina.
Their half-brother, Woodfield (Abernant) found his way to Sam Brosnan’s Oakland Stud in Matamata. Sam passed away this past February, aged 99.
Legende was a winning half-sister to Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2400m) winner and successful sire Prince Chevalier (Prince Rose). The family had little chance to expand however, as their dam, Chevalerie (Abbot’s Speed) had just the two foals.
Beautifully bred, yes but “nothing any good” was a lesson learned yet instead of dropping the whole idea, Henrietta persevered and can look back and know that all that study eventually paid off. Breeding a “true champion” was then, and still remains, the goal.
The purchase of Mrs Moss (Reform) is at the very heart of the tribute to Tavistock because it helps readers to understand that it pays to never give up and to sometimes go with your heart instead of your head, thus encapsulating the highs and lows of this enticing yet captivating search.
Memories and tributes from many who were associated with the stallion wrap up a significant volume even though readers know how the story ends.
Next, is the ‘get back on the horse’ part and Henrietta took that step by purchasing a colt from Tavistock’s second-to-last crop, foaled in 2019.
It was meant to be
This purchase was not just a colt from Tavistock’s penultimate crop, this purchase was bred by Sir Patrick Hogan who was instrumental in having Tavistock stand at Cambridge Stud.
Having since sold the stud, Sir Patrick still has interests in a quality band of mares and for 2021 had 14 yearlings to be prepared for the Karaka Yearling Sale. Seven were prepared at Carlaw Park and seven were prepared by Adrian Stanley at Woburn Farm. Woburn Farm is named after Woburn Abbey, the family seat of the Dukes of Bedford.
Henrietta picks up on the naming of Woburn Farm: “Adrian wrote to me and asked if they could use the Woburn name for their establishment. Little did I know that Woburn Farm would be part of this adventure,” she said.
Given the Sir Patrick, then, Woburn Farm connection, was this purchase meant to be? It certainly seems so.
The colt shares some things with both Tavistock and Sunsett. Like them, he has connections to a legend.
Tavistock descends directly from Cresta Run (Hurry On), classic winner of the 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m). Cresta Run is a half-sister to legendary sire Foxbridge (Foxlaw), who led the NZ Sire Premiership for eleven consecutive seasons, duplicating that enormous achievement as Champion Broodmare Sire.
Sunsett, as previously mentioned, is a daughter of the incomparable Sunline. Sunline’s fourth dam is by five-times Champion NZ Sire of Two-Year-Olds, Gold Nib (Dastur), a grandson of Cresta Run. It gets better. Sunline’s seventh dam is a sister to the immortal Phar Lap (Night Raid).
Karaka 2021, Book 1, Lot 487, now owned by Henrietta, is from La Belle Beel (Zabeel) and is connected to the great Dubawi (Dubai Millennium). The colt’s grandam is a half-sister to Victoria Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) victor Second Coming (Oak Ridge) while his fourth dam Oligarchy (Pronto II) is the only New Zealand-born filly of her dam Pantoufle (Panaslipper).
Before arriving in New Zealand as a 13-year-old mare, imported by James Sarten, of “Belle Family” fame, Pantoufle left Sunbittern (Sea Hawk), grandam of triple Group 1 winner and leading sire In The Wings (Sadler’s Wells) and, perhaps more significantly, is the fourth dam of Dubawi.
As an aside, Tavistock’s sire Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells) and Dubawi’s sire Dubai Millennium (Seeking The Gold) were slated to meet in a $12 million match race, however, Dubai Millennium broke down before the race could take place.
Immediately retired to stud, he wouldn’t survive his first full breeding season and died from grass sickness. Dubawi represents the one and only small crop but his line is secure thanks to the likes of formerly New Zealand-based Makfi (now in Japan) and his Northern Hemisphere-based sons Make Believe plus Poet’s Voice and Night Of Thunder.
Make Believe recently sired the winner of the richest race ever run, the $US20 million Saudi Cup (1800m), Mishriff, also the winner of last year’s Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m).
Here, in New Zealand, Little Avondale Stud have joined the Dubawi bandwagon with Time Test, who is off to the races with his first northern hemisphere crop and whose first New Zealand crop were keenly sought after earlier this year.
The buying plan
“All week, the plan was to buy a filly,” said Henrietta, “but Berri Schroder remarked that he’d seen a Tavistock colt who was in a different class. We had him vetted by three different vets but the results were identical. None could find any fault with him.”
“Berri accompanied me over to the Rich Hill Stud area which is situated immediately behind my usual base at Brighthill Farm. From there I could see the colt and saw him in and out of his box a lot. He was really popular and very busy but he never turned a hair. He took it all on,” said Henrietta.
“We thought he might make at least $100,000 and perhaps as much as $220,000 but I didn’t want to be seen bidding so we hatched a plan,” continued Henrietta.
“Harry King (son of Brighthill Farm’s Nick King) was bidspotting so I said to Harry, that as long as I was standing next to the rail, that means keep taking bids. However, as soon as I step back and away from the rail, that means stop.”
The bidding kept rising and rising, the colt eventually being knocked down for $440,000. “Harry’s comment to me was – you never stepped back! No, I didn’t. I just had to have him. He is very much like Tavistock. He is a thinker and very much aware,” said Henrietta.
Tavistock was a thinker too. According to Henrietta: “We discovered more about Tavistock when he was injured. Even though I bred him and sold him I had never looked after him. I was with him a lot of the time and was amazed as to how well he handled his adversity. He handled it unbelievably and extremely well. He learned to lie down, he knew people were there to help him. He taught himself to deal with his problems.
“For days after my biggest ever purchase I thought, what have I done? The thought woke me up. It was not rational. If you bought a painting for $440,000, would you leave it in a paddock during a storm?
“Never, in all of my thoroughbred horse life, that started in 1965, have I ever bought an expensive horse. Mrs Moss, the changer of my life, cost 2,100gns.”
With the purchase complete, it was then on to taking delivery but there were some problems with transport. “He was still in the same stall the following day but quite content. There was no fuss and he took everything in his stride,” continued Henrietta.
“To relieve any possible stress we sent him back to Woburn Farm where I have seen him often. He is furnishing very well, has grown proportionately and has handled the breaking in really well.”
Plans are coming along. Each colt has since been named. The colt from the sale will race as Henry Robin, a totally appropriate name because those are the first names of Henrietta’s late Husband, Lord Tavistock. Their grandson, the present Lord Tavistock, is also Henry Robin.
The colt from Sunsett will race as Sun And Heir and he too has a story worth telling. “I had so much admiration for Sunline. From the moment I heard that Sunline had visited Hussonet I hoped that she would have a filly. She did. From then on all I hoped was that a daughter of that mating would one day be sold. I really had a fixation about it,” explained Henrietta.
“Well, three years ago she herself appeared in the May Sale catalogue. Her name was Sunsett. I could not believe that Trevor was selling her!
“He had not covered her for three years. When I asked him why, he said he hated breeding and did not know what to send her to anyway. The last mating he had done was to Ekraar. When I questioned that, pointing out that Ekraar is Hussonet’s half brother, he said he had not known that!
“So, I bought her and I sent her to Tavistock. She had a colt, but what I really wanted was a filly. Eight hours after foaling, Sunsett died and eight weeks later Tavistock died, so, the colt was then, truly an orphan.
“When we found a foster mare the result was amazing – she was by Montjeu, like Tavistock, and she had my Bloomsbury Stud brand.
“He is a lovely colt. A different type to the one I bought, but really nice,” said Henrietta.
“Thinking about it now, for several weeks I really do not know in what direction this adventure will go. All I do know is: I want the very best for Henry Robin, to be able to realise his best potential and if I can pull it all together, that he becomes a top-class racehorse and retires to stud as a stallion.
“At this point he has been broken in and driven, or long reined, as we call it, for several weeks. Sadly many horses never experience that anymore but to me it is an absolutely vital part of a young horse’s preparation, to be broken in as a horse – not as a racehorse – that comes later.
“For many years the race I have most wanted to win is the Cox Plate. I have had one runner in it, Snap, a truly amazing little filly trained by Dave O’Sullivan. She won the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas, the New Zealand Oaks and two other Group 1 races but did not win the Cox Plate,” concluded Henrietta.
One of the two colts will head to Australia and as of July Henrietta was leaning towards Sun And Heir making that journey while a trainer for Henry Robin has yet to be decided.
This almost-ended season has seen Tavistock sire a brace of new stakes winners. The 2018 crop represented by the exciting Tutukaka are rising three-year-olds and with one more full crop plus the half crop of 2020 to follow, there are sure to be many more stakes winners. Henrietta’s two colts will no doubt be front and centre of the new chapter in the Tavistock story.