Alex Scrope

Being a leading broodmare sire is so often a posthumous honour. It is also one that tends to come on the back of a stallion either having been sent strong books of mares from the outset, or having earned that right through eye-catching early results in his stud career.  Of the top 20 broodmare sires in Europe in 2025, only half of them are still living, and of that 10, eight remain active. It is hardly earth-shattering news to reveal that Galileo's name was at the top of the list,...

As old-fashioned as it may now seem, in this small corner of the bloodstock world a strong personal preference it still held for the Derby above all races. And by that, of course, we are talking about the original version, at Epsom, with that piece of wood at the end of the unique mile-and-a-half challenge which was made famous in a quote from the revered breeder Federico Tesio.  We can't all agree on everything though, can we? That would just be dull. But beyond the stifling and shouty sphere of...

This week started with International Women's Day and, while it could be argued that there's more to be done when it comes to equal opportunities, in many ways women today have it relatively easy when it comes to finding employment in racing. This was not the case when Alex Scrope began her career in bloodstock. In fact, initial opposition to her working in the world in which she had been immersed since birth came from within her own family. Her father, Colonel Adrian Scrope, the revered manager of Lord Derby's...