Introduction | About the Stud | The Horses | Picture Gallery

Introduction

In July, 2010, we took a holiday to the UK to visit family, friends and relatives.

During our stay in the UK, we made a point of visiting the National Stud in Newmarket. Below you'll find information about the stud, the horses, and also a picture gallery from our visit to the stud.

And guess what we discovered after a little research... The top-quality food stuffs fed to the stallions (and we're talking about Grand National Winners here), contains MSM. Stallions such as Bahamian Bounty, whose stud fee is $16,000, Cockney Rebel, Pastoral Pursuits and Phoenix Reach to name but a few, are all fed with the finest quality feed, containing MSM.

We also encountered 2004 Grand National Winner; Amberleigh House, (retired) and with a taste for Polo mints! He is also fed the same MSM enriched feed.

So; if it's good enough for the National Stud, worth millions of dollars, it's got to be good enough for you, and your horse(s).

About the Stud

The National Stud is a United Kingdom Thoroughbred horse breeding farm located three kilometres from Newmarket. The Stud originated in 1916 as a result of a gift by William Hall Walker (later Lord Wavertree) of the entire bloodstock of his stud farm in Tully, Kildare town in County Kildare, Ireland. As part of the arrangement, the British government acquired the Irish property along with Walker's training stables in England. In 1943, the newly formed Irish Government took over the Tully property and the Irish National Stud Company Ltd. was formed. The Irish bloodstock was then transferred to the Sandley Stud in Dorset. The stud's operations were expanded after the World War II with the purchase of a stud at West Grinstead in Sussex.

In 1963 the decision was made to sell the Stud's mares and operate only as a stallion station. The two existing breeding farms were sold and operations consolidated into a single new facility built on 500 acres (2 km£) of land at Newmarket.

The National Stud's charity is known as the Wavertree Charitable Trust in William Hall Walker's memory and its Wavertree House contains a number of paintings he donated from his collection of sporting art.

Currently the National Stud facilities accommodates up to eight stallions and as many as 200 broodmares. According to its website, the stud offers a range of services to horse breeders, including stallions at stud, seasonal and permanent boarding, sales preparation and quarantine for export. The Stud is to be involved with the partnership of Bottisham Village College which comes with the schools new Trust Status as of September 2010.

The Horses

Note: Amounts quoted in Guineas (gns), Euros (€), and British Pounds (£) have been translated approximately into Australian Dollars and are shown in parentheses. These figures were correct as of October 4th, 2010.

A dual Group 1 winning 2yo, BAHAMIAN BOUNTY has also proven himself as a top-class stallion. A leading British and European first, second and third-season sire, BAHAMIAN BOUNTY made an impression from the start of his stud career.

He is the sire of 2 individual European Champions: PASTORAL PURSUITS and GOODRICKE, who captured 2 of Europe's most prestigious Group 1 sprint races of 2005 with high-class performances.

PASTORAL PURSUITS, formerly a Gr.3 winner and record-breaker at 2 years and a Gr.2 winner and record-breaker at 3 years, was awesome in his triumph in the 2005 Gr.1 July Cup. In a field of 19, he came from seventh position inside the final furlong to burn his way past Avonbridge to victory.

Full brother GOODRICKE progressed from a promising 2yo career, to be a dual Gr.1 performer at 3. Finishing a close second in the Gr.1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, he subsequently produced an exceptional performance in the 2005 Gr.1 Sprint Cup, to win by a length.

His 2008 yearling average (at 18.11.08) is 35,039gns ($59,900) (over 3 1/2 times the £10,000 ($16,000) stud fee paid). His stud career ratio is an impressive 56% winners to runners from his first 7 crops.

Double Classic winner COCKNEY REBEL represents an unrivalled opportunity for breeders to tap into the best and fastest bloodlines of the modern era.

COCKNEY REBEL blazed across the Classic-race summer of '07, becoming only the second equine athlete of the past 15 years (and the sixth in racing history) to win both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas Classics; victories that stamped COCKNEY REBEL as among the very best milers of his or any other generation.

The last to achieve the incredible double Guineas feat was a certain young sire sensation ROCK OF GIBRALTAR - who was slower than COCKNEY REBEL in both races!

COCKNEY REBEL is by VAL ROYAL, the fastest ever Breeders' Cup Mile winner. VAL ROYAL built a reputation of international influence with leading performers throughout Europe as well as North America and Australia - and his Classic winning son COCKNEY REBEL promises to be just as popular.

MYBOYCHARLIE packed the stuff of dreams into his two-year-old career. Bred for speed and precocity, MYBOYCHARLIE produced speed and precocity.

Unbeaten in his first three racecourse starts he won the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes second time out from subsequent Listed runner-up Tuscan Evening. Just six weeks after this racecourse debut, the son of Danetime travelled to France, to Deauville and the Group 1 Prix Morny and a blitzing victory.

Held up through the pack, MYBOYCHARLIE revealed an electric turn of foot quickening past the subsequent dual Group 1 winner Natagora, making her look as though she were going backwards. According to Timeform, the Irish colt made the filly seem almost one-paced as he sped clear to a cosy 2 length success.

After France came Ireland and MYBOYCHARLIE lost nothing in defeat when stepped up in trip for the Group 1 National Stakes, coming home just two-and-a- half lengths in third behind the subsequent champion New Approach and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner, Rio de la Plata.

But MYBOYCHARLIE, who finished his two-year-old year as the second top-rated juvenile in Ireland, was not just a talented and extremely fast racehorse, he is a strong, good-looking horse too. Australian breeders have realised just what an addition he is to the sire ranks, sending him an outstanding book of mares for his first southern hemisphere crop.

By the sprinting sensation Danetime, a son of sire of sires Danehill, MYBOYCHARLIE is an exciting addition to The National Stud roster. You will have to move as quickly as he ran to use him.

PASTORAL PURSUITS showed class and precocity from the outset of his racing career, finishing runner-up on his debut, followed by 3 convincing wins on the bounce, including victory in the Gr.3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton, where he broke the 2yo track record. At 3, he was again runner-up on his seasonal debut, in a Listed race. This was followed by an impressive win in the Gr.2 Park Stakes at Doncaster, beating Firebreak by 11/2 lengths and again breaking the track record.

At 4, he won Europe's premier sprint race, the Gr.1 July Cup. In a field of 19, including reigning Sprint Champion Somnus, PASTORAL PURSUITS showed a phenomenal turn of foot to come from seventh position inside the final furlong to win comfortably by 11/2 lengths, beating Avonbridge. The year culminated in claiming the title of Joint European Sprint Champion of 2005.

Of his 10 starts, PASTORAL PURSUITS won 6 and was twice runner-up. He was a tough and consistent racehorse who proved that he goes on any ground. Furthermore, he is a good-looking horse with correct conformation and a faultless temperament.

PHOENIX REACH was runner-up to multiple Group 1 placed Norse Dancer on his only start at 2 years. His return to the track as a 3yo was extremely impressive: winning first time out, followed by a convincing win in the Gr.3 Gordon Stakes (beating High Accolade). He next ran in the Gr.1 St Leger, performing admirably and finishing 3rd (to Brian Boru). His greatest performance as a 3yo, however, was his victory in the Grade 1 Canadian International, where he reversed placings with Brian Boru, beating him into 3rd place.

His 4yo career included some solid Gr.1 performances, culminating in his superb Gr.1 win in the Hong Kong Vase at Sha Tin, beating Gr.1 winners Polish Summer and Brian Boru.

His debut at 5 years saw him storm home to a 2 length victory in the Gr.1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheeba, beating Gr.1 winners Powerscourt, Collier Hill and Cherry Mix. In the same season, he ran a great race to finish second in the Gr.1 International Cup at Kranji, Singapore, beating Alexander Goldrun.

PHOENIX REACH boasts the remarkable achievement of having beaten 29 individual Group 1 winners and 23 Group winners in his career from only 16 starts, proving that he raced only in the highest of company throughout his career.

This horse's highly impressive race record and outstanding courage, combined with a well connected pedigree, undoubtedly make him a top stallion prospect.

Picture Gallery

Zoe with Amberleigh House (1992-2017) - 2004 Grand National Winner.

His earnings totaled £556,432 ($906,000) over his career.

Prior to his passing on 27 April 2017, he lived out his retirement at the National Stud.

Pastoral Pursuits

Joint European Champion Sprinter of 2005

Bahamian Bounty

Retired British Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He is sire of 2 European Sprint Champions. His earnings totaled £204,981 ($322,052) over his career.

Mill Reef (1968-1986)

Champion Thoroughbred racehorse in the United Kingdom. His earnings totaled £309,225 ($504,000) over his career.

The grave of Mill Reef (1968-1986)

Eason (Born 2010) - sold at yearling sales for £84,000 ($130,200)

Dodson & Horrell Ltd "Leisure Mix" and "Custom Diet" - The best in the world use MSM

Stables at The National Stud

Note the passageway in the centre, through to breeding enclosure. Also note the weathervane, bearing a stork and foal.