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Home , Frieze (horse), Kala Dancer, Kastoria (horse), Madame Chiang (horse), Niniski, Petoski

26 1 KIRSTEN RAUSING 40 YEARS THE PIONEER A WOMAN OF SUBSTANCE

MARTIN STEVENS TALKS TO THE TRAILBLAZING LANWADES STUD OWNER ABOUT BREAKING NEW GROUND, HELPING THE CAUSE OF WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY, AND HOW THE BREEDING HAS CHANGED

IRSTEN RAUSING is now female: these three things were deemed herself – as well as the such a bastion of the British quite exotic at the time,” she says. runner-up Kiliniski. K breeding establishment that it Rausing is proud to add that the bred by Rausing from is easy to forget she was once considered prominence of women in the industry is her mare Sushila, who had something of an interloper, and caused no longer a source of astonishment, thanks been bought at the Goffs Irish National quite a stir when she bought Lanwades in part to her breaking new ground and Yearling Sale of 1976 and would prove Stud in Newmarket in 1980. then assisting others to climb the ladder. crucial to the survival and then expansion Indeed, Alan Yuill Walker wrote in his “There were some female grooms just of Lanwades Stud in its early years. 1991 book Studs of Great beginning to come into racing yards in “It was only with substantial help from Britain that “the bloodstock community 1980, but they always looked after fillies,” the bank that I was able to buy Lanwades, was mildly surprised, to say the least, when she says. “There were certainly no women which was then 150 acres and in a pretty Colonel Nat Frieze sold Lanwades Stud in the breeding industry, and in fact I poor state,” explains Rausing. “I could not in Kentford to a striking, but unknown, think I was the first to employ women. afford to buy the main house, which was Swedish girl still in her twenties”. All of that has changed now and I am subdivided from the rest of the property, It is not entirely true that Rausing very pleased to say we represent diversity so I just bought the yard and land. was a woman of mystery, as the astute in all its forms at Lanwades.” “The bank asked what collateral I Captain Tim Rogers had engaged her to Rausing has always done things her had, so I said I’ve got just the thing you manage Baroda Stud and Grangewilliam own way, and has often had to make her need: I’ve brought two mares with me Stud during the preceding three years, own luck. Soon after taking over the reins from Ireland, and you can have them recognising her horsemanship and head of Lanwades Stud she prompted further both. Well, they were very sniffy and told for pedigrees from when she had taken bemusement when the Irish St Leger me in no uncertain terms that I was no mares to be covered at Airlie Stud as a and Prix Royal Oak winner was longer in Ireland and here in England flying groom earlier in the 1970s. syndicated to stand at the property. Even any type of livestock could not be used as However, the fact that it was often then, stayers were often met with market collateral, as it would soon be dead stock. pointed out while in Ireland that the indifference. “Somehow I managed to convince Swedish native had blown in from Siberia But Niniski made the doubters eat them to let me buy the stud, but in fact does confirm there was something in the their words when his first crop yielded the the whole place was in hock to them for notion that she was regarded by the locals champion two-year-old and several years.” as rather a curio. King George and Prince of Wales’s Stakes The bank made a mistake, as one of Looking back on her arrival at winner Petoski – both bred by Rausing the mares was Sushila and sales of the foals Lanwades Stud 40 years on, Rausing she produced in the afterglow of Petoski’s remembers how she caused eyebrows to I am very proud to say we exploits more than paid for the stud farm. be raised. The increased revenue generated by “I was younger than almost any other represent diversity in Niniski after he became champion stud owner in Newmarket by a generation first-season sire also helped, of course, or more, I was a foreigner and I was all its forms at Lanwades and all profits were ploughed back

racingpost.com/bloodstock KIRSTEN RAUSING 40 YEARS THE PIONEER 1 27

vvKirsten Rausing with Study Of Man (top), Lanwades Stud’s new Time Warp’s breeding exemplifies “I persuaded him to send Kilavea to recruit for 2020. He is a son of Japanese sensation Rausing’s long nurture of prized families, Niniski in his first season, and soon after into acquiring more land and making and reminds us how infrequent – yet she was put in foal she was sold privately improvements. usually judicious – her forays into to Colonel Dick Warden of the Curragh Forty years on, Lanwades Stud has purchasing breeding stock have been. Bloodstock agency on behalf of Sheikh grown from 150 acres to over 1,000 He and his brother Glorious Forever, Mohammed in his first year of entering acres and from five employees to 40, both Hong Kong Cup winners, are out the industry. including Rausing’s yearling operations at of the Stormy Atlantic mare Here To “Sheikh Mohammed bought two Staffordstown in County Meath. Eternity, whose maternal granddam Hot mares that year: one was Kilavea, with the In that time, Rausing has bred Thong was sourced in Brazil as Rausing result of the mating with Niniski being the winners of just under 2,000 races was keen to acquire a mare from a family Kiliniski, and the other was Oh So Fair, worldwide including ten individual horses she had known well for several generations. who was carrying .” who struck at Group 1 level – from Kala “Hot Thong’s granddam Puget Sound Rausing’s association with Kilavea Dancer to Time Warp, who got Lanwades’ was foaled at Lanwades, as her dam and her descendants is not confined to ruby anniversary year off to the perfect Kilavea, a Hawaii half-sister to , her finding Hot Thong in Brazil, either. start by gaining his third Group 1 victory was owned by a friend of mine, Magnus In the mid-1990s she spotted Kiliniski

Pictures: LANWADES STUD LANWADES Pictures: in the Hong Kong Gold Cup in February. Berger,” recounts Rausing. coming up for sale at the Keeneland 

racingpost.com/bloodstock 28 1 KIRSTEN RAUSING 40 YEARS THE PIONEER

January Sale, having produced little of Niniski and Archipenko rank among note for Darley, and managed to buy the four stallions who Rausing identifies as mare for the minimum bid of $2,000. having been pivotal to Lanwades’ success, Kiliniski repaid Rausing’s allegiance along with , the source of 17 to the family by producing four fillies in Group 1 winners including Classic scorers succession. One of those was the Listed and , and , winner Kiswahili and another was Robe whose six top-level winners were headed Chinoise, who in turn became the dam by victors Holding of Rausing’s British Champions Fillies & Court and and Oaks heroine Mares Stakes heroine . . Madame Chiang and the brothers The other horse central to the fortunes Time Warp and Glorious Forever, all of Lanwades Stud was Alruccaba, owned descended from Kilavea, are also all by by Rausing with Sonia Rogers, and Lanwades Stud’s late stallion Archipenko, particularly Alruccaba’s daughter Alouette, who Rausing speaks of with particular who produced Rausing’s Group 1-winning fondness. sisters Albanova and Alborada. “Next to Niniski the most important The ‘Al’ dynasty has flourished ever horse I ever had here was Archipenko,” since and its most recent star is Albanova’s she says of the son of , whose granddaughter Alpinista, runner-up to dam Bound was a half-sister to carrying Rausing’s distinctive white Kilavea and Nureyev. “His early loss was and green silks in the Yorkshire Oaks in a severe blow for Lanwades. He was a 2020. magnificent horse to look at, a very good “I have always been a great admirer racehorse himself, and it would be hard to of the old Aga Khan Studs families and find a better pedigree than his. in particular of that tracing back to the “He was the sire of seven individual legendary Mumtaz Mahal,” says Rausing. Group 1 winners on three continents from, “I was always looking for something from let’s face it, very limited opportunities. He that family and then, to my amazement, stood in Argentina for one year only but Alruccaba came up as a winning sired three Group 1 winners there. two-year-old, but with a tendon, at the “He died aged only 13 from leukemia, December sales of 1985. which is very unusual in horses; losing “Mrs Rogers and I bought her him hit us very hard.” together for 19,000gns, one bid above

FAB FOUR STALLIONS RESIDING AT LANWADES STUD Sea The Moon Bobby’s Kitten The 11-length German Derby winner, by out of a The top-class sprinter-miler, who took the scalp of No Nay Never when he sister to Classic winners Salve Regina, Samum and Schiaparelli, has won at the Breeders’ Cup, was represented by his first two-year-old runners blossomed into one of Europe’s most exciting and in-demand stallions. in 2020 and he fielded a double-tally of winners including the exciting His first Group 1 winner as a sire came when ran away Beresford Stakes runner-up Monaasib. with the in June, while his sister topped the BBAG He also enjoyed a tangential boost to his profile this Yearling Sale when sold to Gestüt Ammerland for a record-equalling year when Kameko, another by Kitten’s Joy, won the €820,000 in September. 2,000 Guineas and Joel Stakes. Study Of Man Sir Percy Lanwades Stud’s new recruit for 2020 is a valuable proposition as The unbeaten Group 1-winning two-year-old and Derby a Classic winner by the late Japanese sire legend Deep Impact winner continued to supply a steady stream of classy out of a daughter of and the wonderful . performers in the past 12 months, headed by St Leger His first book featured some of Rausing’s best mares runner-up Berkshire Rocco and Royal Ascot scorer Scarlet – such as homebred Group 1 heroines Lady Jane Digby and Dragon. Madame Chiang, and Alwilda, the dam of Alpinista (right) – as well He is still providing handsome profits for breeders, too, and as some choice partners sent by his owner-breeders the Niarchos two of his colts commanded a price of 150,000gns at Book 2 of family including Ikat, the dam of champion Main Sequence. the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

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the 18,000gns reserve, and through Equine Metritis and other such Alouette she gave me my great champions unpleasant contagious diseases by the Albanova and Alborada. Another of policing of the codes of practice.” her daughters, Jude, was useless on the Asked for an appraisal of her own track but produced Quarter Moon and progress since buying Lanwades Stud in Yesterday for Coolmore, and another 1980, she says: “I’ve achieved what I set daughter, Last Second, has founded a out to do. I wasn’t always sure I could do productive branch for Denford Stud by it, but I surprised myself a few times and producing Aussie Rules and Approach, I got there in the end. the dam of Coronet. “I received a lot of help, particularly “It has been a remarkably prolific from the horses, especially as I couldn’t family but the mares do seem to have a operate at the highest level against the lot of fillies. I try if I can to keep a lot of big boys. In that context I think we the fillies and sell almost all of the colts, did exceptionally well to produce a few one of whom was Dragon Dancer, who champion sires in competition with nearly won the Derby.” people who had unlimited means.” The prize-money earned by dual Rausing adds that to ensure the Champion Stakes winner and world survival of Lanwades Stud, which proudly champion three-year-old filly Alborada markets itself as The Independent allowed Rausing to set up a foundation Option, she has had to provide something that provides funding for a range of a little different for breeders – in medical and veterinary research and particular, stallions who can cover mares educational ventures, animal welfare from the prevailing sire lines. concerns and international disaster relief. vvAerial shots of Lanwades Stud in Newmarket (above and below) “Selkirk could cover anything to and (opposite page, from top to bottom) in-demand resident stallions do with Sadler’s Wells and Danzig and Support from the Alborada Trust Sea The Moon, Bobby’s Kitten and Derby winner Sir Percy proved crucial to several causes related to clicked very well with those lines,” she the thoroughbred industry in the wake of years ago 200 covers would have been says. “Niniski was the first Nijinsky in Covid-19 this year, including a grant of for 50 mares and now 200 covers would Britain, and Archipenko could cover £200,000 made to the Racing Foundation, mean upwards of 150 mares. almost anything. which assists all racing charities. “That is due to the fact that we can “Now we have Sea The Moon, who In all, around £4 million has been pinpoint the mare’s ovulation point was the first son of Sea The Stars to retire awarded to charities in Britain and overseas almost exactly, but also of course because to stud; Study Of Man was the first Deep to help them cope with the demands being hygiene protocols are much improved. Impact in Britain and Bobby’s Kitten was made upon them by the pandemic. That is thanks largely to the Breeding the first Kitten’s Joy – all good outcrosses. Rausing has for many years spent a lot Codes of Practice, which originated in Sir Percy is, on the other hand, the last of her time serving the industry, too, most the UK 35 to 40 years ago and have been representative of the line in the notably in former chairmanships of the copied by almost all European countries British Isles.” Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and and many other nations around the world. It would be no surprise if we were European Federation of Thoroughbred “The Breeding Codes of Practice have speaking of one or more of those names Breeders’ Associations and as current meant we routinely achieve tremendous in the same breath as Niniski, Selkirk, chair of the International Thoroughbred conception rates and mares carrying to Hernando and Archipenko when we Breeders’ Federation. full term at a much improved rate, and come to celebrate Lanwades Stud’s golden t She is therefore better placed than we have in fact conquered Contagious anniversary in ten years’ time. many to comment on how the breeding landscape has changed most over the last 40 years. When asked to do so, she points to the advances in reproductive medicine as having altered the business of standing stallions beyond all recognition. “The greatly improved reproductive medicine and veterinary practices have led, for better or worse, to massively enlarged stallion books,” she says. “Fifty years ago, if a stallion covered 200 times that would have meant 40 mares. Forty racingpost.com/bloodstock