Royalty On Offer By Highclere

ROYALTY ON OFFER BY HIGHCLERE 
By Aisling Crowe 
Highclere Castle may be best known to television viewers the world over as Downton Abbey but, in reality, the 300 acre estate in Berkshire, England is home to aristocracy of a different nature. In 1902 a stud farm was established on the land by the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, better known as the Egyptologist who along with Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamum. 

One of his descendants, the Seventh Earl, was racing manager to Queen Elizabeth II, a role now fulfilled by his son-in-law John Warren, who also runs Highclere Stud with his wife Lady Carolyn Warren and their eldest son, Jake. 
Warren senior was alongside The Queen for one of her greatest triumphs, the victory of Estimate (Ire) (Motivator {GB}) in the 2013 G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, a success that appeared to give the Queen much joy as her delighted reaction was caught on television cameras. 

Amongst the Highclere ventures in the racing world is one of the most successful and high profile syndicates in England–Highclere Thoroughbred Racing–run by the Honorable Harry Herbert, brother of the Eighth Earl and Lady Carolyn, and in which John Warren is also a director. The career of 2005 G1 Epsom Derby winner Motivator (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) was overseen by that team, and Highclere stands multiple Group 1-winning miler Paco Boy (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}), who has enjoyed a fruitful first season with seven stakes performing 2-year-olds and 25 individual juvenile winners. 

Jake Warren spent a handful of years working as a senior account executive at Pitch London, a sports agency, before the 28-year-old returned to work in the family business alongside his parents. 

A close school friend of Princes William and Harry and a godson of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Warren is nominations manager for Paco Boy and fulfills many roles within the Highclere stud and bloodstock agency, and will be a busy presence at the Tattersalls sales over the next fortnight. 

As befits an establishment with such pedigree and heritage, Highclere offers one of the true aristocrats of the December Mare Sale in lot 1885, a 3-year-old daughter of Smart Strike named Windsurfing who is a three-quarter sister to G1 1000 Guineas winner Virginia Waters (Kingmambo) and in foal to Frankel (GB). Windsurfing is also a half to the dam of G1 Matron S. winner Chachamaidee (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and Group 3 winner J Wonder (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Influential sires Dubawi (Ire) and In The Wings fall under the third dam. 

“It’s an amazing pedigree, one of the best in the entire studbook,” Jake Warren noted. “Obviously Virginia Waters is an outstanding connection, but the fact that it is so current as well–you’re looking at J Wonder there, you’ve got Celestial Path, who was third in the G1 Racing Post Trophy this year, who are both out of half-sisters to Windsurfing.” 
He added, “You’ve got Dubawi on the page, In The Wings–it’s an outstanding pedigree that keeps giving every year. Anyone who is interested in buying a top- class horse by Frankel out of a mare with an outstanding pedigree, I just don’t know where else you can find it. They don’t come on the market.” 

Warren said Windsurfing made an immediate impact on he and his mother upon her arrival at Highclere. 

“When she arrived on the stud, my mother and I went outside to see her come off the box and there is 
always that moment when you’re waiting for the ramp to come down and wondering what is going to be inside,” Warren said. “She stood back and both of us stood there and usually we would talk about a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but it was a question of yeah, she’s a beauty. It’s a very, very exciting mare to be selling.” 

“It will be an interesting sale this year,” Warren smiled. “I think it will be a very strong sale and I should think she will be an absolute standout in the catalogue.” 

Lot 1846 from the Highclere draft also affords breeders the opportunity buy into a fantastic and current pedigree. The 4-year-old mare Marble Silver (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}) is a half-sister to this year’s G1 Coronation S. winner Rizeena (Ire) (Ifraaj {GB}). She is in foal to Dawn Approach (Ire), an exciting sire with his first foals on the ground in 2015 and Warren sees this mare as an ideal one on which to build a legacy. 

“The bloodstock market is an international one and when you have pedigrees like this in the draft you can cater for a big demand,” he said. “You’ve got a real chance of someone coming, wanting to buy something that could start their stud farm off. This is foundation stuff, pedigrees that will remain timeless and classic.” 

This year’s G2 Balanchine S. winner L’Amour De Ma Vie (Dansili {GB}) will go through the ring as lot 1882 from the Highclere draft. 

“L’Amour De Ma Vie, who won a number of group races including a Group 2, has great size, great scope, a lovely way about her, good balance and athleticism,” Warren noted. “Fillies like that who have performed so highly on the track and are by Classic sires, they are the ones that can really excite a breeder. They are rare to get on the marketplace, and having looked at her, she is such an imposing, powerful-looking filly that she will fill the eye of anyone who looks at her. They are difficult to buy in any sense so to have one in the draft is exciting.” 

Another member of the draft fresh from the track but with a bright future awaiting her is lot 1881, Gifted Girl (Ire). The 5-year-old mare is by Azamour (Ire), who died at a young age earlier this year, and was a high-class performer on the track, winning the Listed Pipalong S. and finishing second in the G1 Beverly D. S. 

Another young stakes-winning mare in the Highclere draft is one owned by the stud, lot 1848, the listed-winning Making Eyes (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), in foal to Invincible Spirit (Ire). 

“She is a really nice attractive prospect for a breeder, as Invincible Spirit is a high-class commercial stallion,” Warren said. “She is incredibly good-looking and she will be very exciting, and I think she will have a big market.” 

Of the decisions made on selling their own mares, Warren explained, “It is a rolling game. You have to be commercial with everything that you have. There are times to buy and times to sell. This year she hopefully fits in as an exciting prospect to sell. Running a commercial stud farm you have to be conscious about the investments that you make and we try and make sure we stay on the cautious side.”