Victory of William Haggas coached by William Haggas Candleford (Ire) (King {GB}) by the Duke of Edinburgh H. at Royal Ascot can be considered one of the stellar performances in five days of top-notch action. The 4-year-old, who gained 13lb at weights for that six-minute success, will be back on track at Newmarket this Friday, but his resounding victory at the royal meeting will be alive long in the owner’s memory. / rancher, Barnane Stud’s Kieswetter family, for a number of reasons.
Craig Kieswetter, a former British cricketer of South African descent, said: “It was a really interesting story because Candleford was the first mixed-race winner my family had under the Barnane name. Stud since we took over the farm. transferred his athletic talents to golf as well as purebred breeding.
However, he and his parents Wayne and Belinda and brother Ross are not new to the business. In South Africa, they own the picturesque Ridgemont Plateau farm in the Western Cape, now home to Group 1 veteran Canford Cliffs (Ire) once coached by Richard Hannon. Formerly known as Highlands Stud, Wayne Kieswetter purchased the property from Antony Beck in 2017.
His son continued, “We’ve had a lot of winners that we’ve bought in, mostly through the Doyle family, who are very close. But Candleford is the first hybrid here. He took his first win at Windsor last August and then it was clear he was the winner and first purebred Royal Ascot athlete. So it’s unbelievable.”
Following the purchase of Ridgemont Highlands, the family acquired Barnane Stud, which is run by Patrick Wynn-Jones and Topsy Squarey and based just outside Templemore, Co Tipperary. The farm is currently home to about 15 mares acquired by Europe and acts as a satellite for visitors from South Africa.
“Barnane is set up to have a dual purpose,” explains Kieswetter. “One clear goal is to be a commercial operation, in the Northern Hemisphere. In addition, we sent over five or six mares that we bred for stallions during our time in the Southern Hemisphere. We then send the progeny back to South Africa to try out a stallion or bring back some quality crossbreeds to further strengthen the mother hens.
“Barnane is a boutique farm and we were encouraged to start trying to expand. We had to look around to see if there was any vacant land. “
He continued, “Both farms are targeted as commercial operations. Farms in South Africa are much larger. She has over 120 mares and we currently have six stallions. Like most farms, we tend to keep well-bred calves to supplement the brood stock, but with over 120 mares, there are plenty of ponies and calves, so they I have to sell some.
“We are very lucky because we have a very experienced and passionate team on both sides. It’s great when things come together for everyone because, as we know, this industry needs a lot of hard work. And you can also take a lot of shots. “
A drop in breeding and racing is inevitable, which is why celebrating the good days is of paramount importance. Although their parents left for England earlier in the week, brothers Craig and Ross were at Royal Ascot on Friday to celebrate their biggest success in this part of the world.
Craig reflected: “What a wonderful day, what a wonderful day. “It’s just a real range of emotions. I think William [Haggas] He’s a genius and he knows what he’s doing. The first discussion he had with our team was targeting Candleford for Ebor. At the end of the day, he is a genius and a coach and we are delighted to be on this exciting journey with him. “
That stepping stone towards Haggas’ beloved York comes closer to Candleford on his local track at Newmarket in the Bet365 Trophy 1 3/4 mile, which he’s about to start loving. Kieswetters bought his damn Dorcas Lane (GB) (Nordic Dancer {GB}) in utero at Tattersalls Dec 2017 Sale from Bjorn Nielsen. The 14-year-old mare, winner of the Polly S. The nightingale rises to Candleford trilogy of works. Her son is therefore aptly named, and Candleford is the second Royal Ascot winner for Dorcas Lane after her. Frankel (GB) first pony Atty Persse (Ire), who won the King George V H. award for Godolphin in 2017.
The mare has a full brother to Atty Persse named Postmaster General (Ire), as well as a Sea The Stars (Ire) Maman Joon (Ire) 2 years old chubby among her kids on the way past. Among her fellow residents at Barnane Stud is Urban Fox (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}), who was purchased during the same December Sale and went on to win the G1 Pretty Polly S. at Curragh in color Barnane Stud. with runner-up at G1 Nassau S. and G1 Prix Jean Romanet.
“Urban Fox is doing well,” Kieswetter reported. “She visited Dubawi for her first two covers and is now in the pony to Frankel. “
Reminiscing about his parents’ long association with horses, he added, “My father raised horses all his life. He used to ride amateurs and work in yards. And then when me and my brother were young and at school, that kind of thing fell behind. Then we both left the house and my parents picked it up again. Mom was quite involved in the dress up and event organization and the old man filmed the racing scene. It’s always been a passion for him and his mom and that’s something that Ross and I picked up very quickly.
“It’s actually growing pretty fast. We bought the farm in South Africa and the first purchase after buying the farm was Canford Cliffs from the Coolmore team. Then this farm [Barnane] appeared and Peter Doyle showed it to Mom, Dad, and Ross. The three of them walked and looked at it. And it has really snowballed ever since.”
Along with their hobby of Flat breeding, Barnane Stud also has a number of skydivers training in Ireland with Willie Mullins, including the Class 1 Punchestown winner Echo in the Rain (Fr) (Authorized {Ire}) and the hurdler won the list My sister Sarah (Ire) (Martaline {GB}).
Craig’s introduction to National Hunt racing came during his ticketing days in Somerset, when he was introduced to David Pipe and his father, legendary former coach, Martin.
“I met David Pipe and Tom Scudamore at a cricket match and they invited me down to the pitch with my brother, my old man and Craig Carey. Martin Pipe was there, showing us the pitch and the gallop, then he challenged me to table tennis and said that if he beat me, I would have to buy a jersey.
“Obviously with my youthful prowess, I thought, ‘Wow, there’s no chance of losing to retirees’. Needless to say, I got hit with something like 21-2, and then he shyly admitted that his best mate [Chester Barnes] was a six-time Olympic table tennis player, or something like that. “
Pipe’s hustle ended with the purchase of Citrus (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), the latter being the winner in Craig’s own colors in the hurdles match at Plumpton.
“Anyway, we kept our word,” he said with a laugh. “And now that’s a pretty diversified portfolio that we have. Willie Mullins, Richard Hannon and William Haggas are our coaches and we have established a very good relationship with Connor Hoban in Ireland who has been of great help to us during pre-training. It’s a good portfolio on flat jumps and crosses, and it’s been successful so far. Now is to keep it going. “
And with that, it falls back to Candleford, who has pioneered Europe for the Barnane Stud team, and a horse that looks to have a bright future in the ranks to stay.
