OWENSTOWN Stud has a long and rich history of producing group winners such as Musidora, Negligent, Dragon Pulse and Excelebration. The farm was originally founded by my grandfather in the 1930s and carried on by my aunt up until the mid-90s, at which point I assumed the reins.

Although the breeding industry unquestionably faces some tough and challenging times, I intend to work hard to leave Owenstown in good order for the next generation.

Despite the family background with racing/breeding, my father didn’t take a strong interest, so it was somewhat of a surprise to him when I showed a love for it. Although born in Scotland and educated in England, I spent my summer holidays with my grandparents in Kildare. I graduated from college with a degree in Agriculture, before going on to complete further qualifications in Farm Business Management.

I then returned to Scotland to take up a role as Assistant Manager in a large livestock farm. We had everything from sheep to pigs to poultry but ironically, no commercial horses.

Learned from the best

I came to Ireland in 1992 to work alongside my aunt Averil [Whitehead] and her husband Bill. They were living at Broadfield Stud in Naas, so I moved into the accommodation at Owenstown Stud. I was extremely fortunate to be able to call on their wealth of knowledge in those early years, as I am certain I couldn’t have found two better people to learn from.

Their knowledge of the bloodstock industry, both pedigrees and people that worked within it was second to none. I recall an early experience at a breeding sale when my aunt remarked “that mare doesn’t look anything like her pedigree suggests she should.” It was then I fully appreciated the scale of what lay ahead for me.

Penny Pepper with John Tuthill, Kevin Prendergast, Chris Hayes, Sean Hayes and Des Cummins after winning the TRM Ballyogan Stakes \ Caroline Norris

I shadowed Averil and Bill [Whitehead] for their remaining years, despite officially taking over the running of Owenstown Stud in 1997. I was very aware of the history of the stud, dating back to the legendary Musidora.

When I first came to Owenstown Stud, we used to send the mares away to be foaled and wouldn’t see them again until 42 days in foal. After a few years, we took over the foaling ourselves and offset the cost of a night watchman by boarding mares for clients. That latter service has now become a very important part of our business – we foal around 50 mares a year; 14 of whom are our own.

Persuasive, a high-class filly who beat the boys in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, was one of the best horses we bred ourselves. It was a very special day when she triumphed under Frankie Dettori at Ascot. Gordon Lord Byron, a horse that has acquired cult-like status, was bred by Roland Alder, a client of Owenstown Stud and foaled and was reared here.

Exciting youngstock

Over the coming weeks, we have some very nice horses for the yearling sales. I am particularly excited about a Dubawi colt, who is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Persuasive. He is a lovely individual who will hopefully do very well at the Orby Sale at Goffs. We also have a Dragon Pulse colt out of Group 3 winner Penny Pepper – a family we bred ourselves. In all, we have six for Fairyhouse, four for the Orby Sale and five for the Sportsmans [both Goffs].

As a breeder, the ultimate ambition has to be to produce a blacktype or group class horse. We have been very lucky to achieve that goal on numerous occasions over the years. Hopefully, the next generation of foals to come through the stud will go on to prove themselves at the top level, similar to their predecessors.

Family affair

Owenstown is a small family run business; my wife Clare and son Chris play an important part, as do staff members Brendan, Lucy and Sergei. My daughter, Pippa, doesn’t work at home but is also involved in the industry.

We, as breeders/consignors, undoubtedly face some tough times, as indicated by the recent yearling sales at Doncaster. However, it is not the first time the industry has faced a challenge and it certainly won’t be the last. All we can do is weather the storm and leave a legacy for those that follow. That is simply what I hope to achieve at Owenstown Stud.

John Tuthill was in conversation with John O’Riordan