TBA Awards Dinner

CELEBRATING THE VERY BEST OF BRITISH BREEDING

The dominant world force that is British thoroughbred breeding was celebrated in style on the evening of Monday 27th June at the annual TBA Awards at Tattersalls in Newmarket, which recognised achievements in the 2010 Flat season and both the 2009/10 and 2010/11 National Hunt seasons.

The evening was generously sponsored by Cheveley Park Stud, which was awarded the Barleythorpe Cup for standing the leading British-based sire by individual Flat winners. That honour went to the great Pivotal, who won the award for the fifth year running.  The homebred stallion recently notched his 19th individual Group 1 winner, and his major performers in 2010, with Group wins in the UK, France, Germany, America and South Africa, included Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Regal Parade and Deutsches Derby winner Buzzword.

The outstanding success of Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms continues and, for the seventh time since 2000, the operation once again took the Queen’s Silver Cup for leading British-based breeder by prize-money.  With the likes of Frankel, Workforce, Twice Over, Midday, Redwood and Special Duty as representatives, Juddmonte-bred horses achieved 16 Group 1 wins around the world in 2010.

Juddmonte also won the BBA Silver Cigar Box for leading British-based sire by prize-money for the second consecutive year, however this year that honour went to Dansili, following the achievement in 2010 of his fellow Banstead Manor Stud resident Oasis Dream.

Another prize which will be adorning the mantelpiece of Banstead Manor is the H J Joel Silver Salver for Flat Broodmare of the Year. The prize was awarded to Juddmonte for Binche, whose son Byword won the 2010 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, while his half-sister Proviso won a quartet of Grade 1 races in America.

The Tattersalls Silver Salver, which is presented for the leading first-season sire, was given to Indesatchel, who stands at Terry and Margaret Holdcroft’s Bearstone Stud, while Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation won the TBA Silver Rose Bowl after being named Flat Breeder of the Year. Darley’s representatives on the track won 40 Group races around the world, including the Arlington Million (Debussy), Hong Kong Vase (Mastery) and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Poet’s Voice).

The success of Laundry Cottage Stud, which is owned by Colin and Melba Bryce and which bred Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Wootton Bassett, was recognised with the TBA Silver Salver Special Merit Award (Flat).

“It’s nice to be recognised and to have been able to breed a Group 1 winner was just amazing,” said Melba Bryce, who has 20 mares at the Hertfordshire stud. “This is our first award and it has given all the staff a really big lift. We’ve got to know the syndicate that owns Wootton Bassett too, so it’s been wonderful to share in their joy.”

Harbinger’s outstanding victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes will live long in the memory and his breeder, Anita Ooi was duly awarded the Langham Cup for Small Breeder of the Year (Flat).

The backbone to any successful stud farm is its staff and Sophie Woolf of Rushbrooke Stud received this year’s TBA Annual Stud Staff Award, which is sponsored by New England Stud. Among her many duties at James and Anita Wigan’s farm, Woolf was responsible for foaling, rearing and backing Group 3 winner Havant, who ran in this year’s 1,000 Guineas and Oaks.

Gavin Pritchard-Gordon, former Executive Director of the TBA and Chairman of British Bloodstock Marketing was presented with the Dominion Bronze in recognition of his outstanding support of the racing and breeding industry over many years.

The Tattersalls December Sale was not without emotion in 2010 as the final mares from a large-scale dispersal of the Bloomsbury Stud bloodstock was completed. Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford was this year presented with the Devonshire Bronze as a mark of her success as an owner and breeder, with horses such as Jupiter Island, Precocious and Pushy.

With the awards dinner now held in June as opposed to its old January date, this year saw two awards in each National Hunt category, honouring the achievements of both the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons.

The Whitbread Silver Salver (for leading active British-based National Hunt stallion by earnings) now has a new home with David and Kathleen Holmes at Pitchall Farm Stud, having been won in 2010/11 by Midnight Legend after Overbury Stud’s Kayf Tara landed a second successive title in 2009/10.

The stallion with the most individual steeplechase winners in the 2009/10 season was Mickley Stud resident Overbury, who was also winning for the second year running. In 2010/11, the Horse & Hound Cup was presented to Alflora, who stands at Peter and Emma Hockenhull’s Shade Oak Stud.

The Dudgeon Cup for National Hunt Broodmare of the Year was awarded to Paul Murphy for Carole’s Crusader, while Charles and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Herald The Dawn won the 2009/10 award.

One of the best-known bloodstock agents in the jumping business, David Minton, received the Queen Mother’s Silver Salver for achievements in National Hunt racing. He runs the aptly-named Highflyer Bloodstock with Anthony Bromley.

Photos from the reception at Cheveley Park Stud and of the Award winners can be viewed in the TBA Galleries.