Located two miles from Newmarket, the National Stud began in 1916 when William Hall Walker gave his entire bloodstock as a gift to the British government. The operation was expanded in the wake of the Second World War, at which point a stud at West Grinstead in Sussex was bought. In 1963, the government decided to sell the existing breeding farms and the stud’s mares, instead operating as a stallion station. In the years that followed, the stud changed tack and at the time of writing it accommodates as many as eight stallions and 200 broodmares.
It isn’t just about the breeding of horses at the National Stud, however. It is unique in the United Kingdom, in the sense that it not only offers breeding services but also training that is renowned on an international scale. Add to that the fact that there are facilities that allow young people to embark on a career working in the thoroughbred breeding industry and it is easy to see why it is that the National Stud is considered to be one of the jewels in the crown of British racing. If you want to, you can go on a tour of the National Stud throughout the year.
History Of The National Stud
William Hall Walker was the son of a wealthy brewer who took over the family business and ran it for more than 20 years. In addition to his work furthering the work of his family, Hall Walker was a politician and sometime soldier, enjoying the likes of playing polo during his down time thanks to his skill as an amateur jockey. Earlier in his life, Hall Walker had enjoyed the process of breeding horses and had managed to create a solid bloodline of talented horses at his stud farm in Tully, a Kildare town in County Kildare, Ireland.
In the October of 1915, Colonel Walker, as he was then, decide to approach the British government and make a proposition. He had noticed that the country had a dangerous lack of thoroughbred stallions that could be used to breed cavalry remounts, which was his first priority as a soldier. As a lover of horse racing, he also knew that future champions would be harder to come by if the thoroughbred line continued to be so decimated. As a result, he suggested that the government buy his 1,100 acre estate in Tully, in return for his bloodstock.
Initially, his proposal was met with a lukewarm response. It was rejected by those that he took it to, but thankfully there were others who were influential in both racing and the world of politics who were able to persuade the government to have a rethink. It was with this in mind that the government chose to send a telegram to Hall Walker on the second of December 1915, at which point he was at Tattersalls in order to disperse his stock. When he received the telegram, he removed his stock from sale and the National Stud was born.
Early Successes Of The Stud
Captain Henry Greer was installed as the first Manager of the National Stud once it came under new ownership. The good news for him was that he didn’t need to do much in order to ensure its continued success, such was the extent to which Hall Walker had already put the building blocks in place. Instead, he carried on where Hall Walker had left off and produced more high-class staying stock. In 1919, Blandford was foaled out of Blanche, running four times in his career, during which he won the Prince of Wales’ Stakes.
It wasn’t so much his racing career that Blandford became known for, but his time as a stud. He went on to become one of the most important studs of the 20th century, becoming three time Champion Sire thanks to the fact that he sired 11 Classic winners. To this day, he remains one of just four stallions that sired four winners of the Derby. Later, Paul Burrell took over as the manager and in 1942 four of the Classics were won by horses bred out of the National Stud. Sun Chariot won the Fillies’ Triple Crown and Big Game won the 2,000 Guineas.
The Modern Day National Stud
In 2008, the National Stud was acquired by the Jockey Club. That was one of the biggest changes to happen to the organisation since its inception, moving it out of government control. Not that it has been removed from authority altogether, given the fact that the Jockey Club is governed by Royal Charter and its patron is His Majesty The King. The Jockey Club is operated in a manner that is for the good of British Racing in almost everything that it does, so the National Stud is able to benefit from that accordingly.
The National Stud is set in more than 500 acres of land just outside Newmarket, providing three main functions for racing as a whole. The first job that it has is to provide first-class breeding services to those that need them. That is not so much for the benefit of the cavalry anymore, but is very much in the interest of horse racing. The National Stud also works to educate the next generation of leaders within the industry courtesy of its stud staff training courses. Finally, the National Stud looks to educate the public about what happens in the thoroughbred industry.
The latter job is carried out courtesy of tours and talks, which are done on a regular basis. The interesting thing about that is that the National Stud is the only working commercial stud farm in the United Kingdom that allows members of the public to go behind-the-scenes and see how things work. As well as seeing the Stallion Unit, visitors also get to see the paddocks and even ride mini tractors. The National Stud’s charity, the Wavertree Charitable Trust, was set up in the memory of William Hall Walker, with Wavertree House boasting his collection of sporting themed artworks.
