ONE of the most beautiful and tranquil drives you could undertake is a visit to the historic Woburn Abbey, seat of the Bedford family and home to the current holder of the aristocratic title, the 15th Duke. He is well known to all in the world of breeding and bloodstock sales as Andrew Bedford, one of the directors of Tattersalls.

Woburn Abbey was founded as a Cistercian Abbey in 1145, but became home to John Russell, the 1st Earl of Bedford in 1547 - fully 470 years ago - and has been their seat ever since. Andrew’s mother Henrietta, Lady Tavistock, established a thoroughbred breeding operation at Woburn Abbey, named Bloomsbury Stud, and she struck gold with the purchase in 1975 of the mare Mrs Moss.

Costing just 2,100gns, Mrs Moss established an amazing dynasty, and today is celebrated with a life-size Philip Blacker bronze at Woburn. The daughter of Reform bred 11 winners from 15 foals and they were headlined by the Japan Cup winner Jupiter Island, the National Stakes winner and sire Krayyan, and the speedy juvenile filly Pushy.

In 2010 Lady Tavistock held a dispersal sale at Tattersalls and sold 28 lots for a bid shy of 3.9 million guineas. She and her family then decided to lease the 290-acre farm, comprising eight yards and 32 boxes, and after a thorough vetting process the incumbents since 2013 are Keith and Eileen Harte.

Both Irish-born, the Hartes came to their current prominent role in the business by very different paths, but the experiences they gained on the way have ensured that they offer complementary strengths to each other, and together give their clients a very professional and comprehensive service.

BRED FOR SUCCESS

Kildare man Keith was bred for success in the business, and his extended family have long been known in breeding circles in Ireland. Keith himself built a hugely impressive CV as he worked his way up in the business, numbering such as Shadwell, Cheveley Park, Coolmore and Brookdale Farm in the USA among the world-class operations with which he gained invaluable experience.

A native of Dublin, and from a family renowned in business in Ireland’s capital city, Eileen’s love of horses began with ponies and grew to a passion that saw her take the BHSAI exams in Hertfordshire a little over two decades ago. She moved into the world of thoroughbreds working for Kerr & Co, the famous bloodstock agency, and broadened her knowledge with roles at Moyglare Stud Farm and as personal assistant to the Weatherbys Ireland CEO Joe Kiernan. Then it was time to spread her wings and head to Britain with Keith. The year was 2005.

Keith and Eileen operated for some time as a two-person team, and a year after their relocation to England they came upon Shutford Stud at Banbury, Oxfordshire. Owned by Tim Rootes, this beautiful farm was to be their home and place of operation for seven happy and successful years, a time that saw the couple establish themselves as leading consignors and as a top-class boarding facility.

The business was growing rapidly and their move to Woburn has allowed them to expand further. However, they have been keen to ensure that expansion does not lead to any lessening of quality in terms of the services they offer. To that end they have gathered about them a small but dedicated team, and that group is headed by another Irishwoman in Sarah Hickey. She has been assistant stud manager for just over a year now.

“Offering a personalised, professional service is the key to what we do, and we have seen the business grow organically over the past few years,” Eileen said. She continues to set challenges and goals for the business, and as commercial director is keen to broaden the appeal of bloodstock ownership. To this end she focuses her attention on potential investors in the City of London, and with notable success. Their client base now is made up of British, Irish and French breeders and investors and the numbers continue to grow.

INVALUABLE

Keith’s skills and knowledge are invaluable in all aspects of the stud’s work. Foaling mares, matings, sale consigning and purchasing all come easily to this experienced horseman, and he has an eye for detail that clients appreciate. The expanse of land at Woburn allows for Keith and his team to constantly vary the routines for their sales horses, and having happy, relaxed stock stands to them when they are presented for sale.

While the Hartes have largely concentrated on selling their drafts at Newmarket, and focusing principally on yearlings and foals, they are open to other opportunities. Presently they are juggling the preparatory work for the upcoming yearling sales with finalising their foal draft for the December Sale. Last year their foal consignment was headed by a son of Sea The Stars who sold to Camas Park Stud for 230,000gns and will be reoffered in Book 1 next month.

Woburn is less than an hour’s drive from Newmarket and ideally situated for mares visiting the leading stallions based there, as well as for the sales and racing.

One thing is certain – potential investors in the Harte’s pinhooking ventures, breeders with broodmares, and those with foals and yearlings to sell are assured of a Céad Míle Fáilte right in the heart of Britain.

THE 2017 YEARLINGS

REACTION in the sale ring at Baden-Baden to the first yearlings offered by the German Derby winner Sea The Moon was welcomed at Woburn Stud. The two lots they have catalogued in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale include a son of the classic winner and this March-foaled colt is out of a French stakes winning daughter of Pivotal, namely Soft Morning. From the family of Petoski, the colt is a half-brother to two stakes horses.

The second Book 1 entry is no less appealing, being an Oasis Dream half-sister to Cappella Sansevero. That group-winning juvenile was runner-up in the Coventry Stakes after selling for £1.3 million at the Goffs London Sale and he is now at stud in Ireland.

Six colts and a pair of fillies comprise the draft to be offered in Book 2 at Newmarket and among them is a pair of yearlings on behalf of the hugely successful Irish breeder Max Ervine. A busy few weeks of selling next month ends with 11 yearlings in Book 3, six colts and five fillies. Max Ervine features again here with a Rip Van Winkle half-brother to one of the best juvenile fillies of 2017, Main Desire, while the Hartes’ longstanding connection with Shutford Stud continues as they offer a pair of home-bred yearlings for their friend and client Tim Rootes.