Philippa Cooper still coming to terms with life after Normandie Stud

This was supposed to be an article outlining Philippa Cooper's mating plans this year. But Cooper is not one to cleave to custom and so this is not your standard story about stallion selection.

Cooper is not unconventional in the sense of having far-out theories about inbreeding or putting her faith in obscure sires; far from it. In fact, in her determination to produce top-class middle-distance horses and stayers by sending talented racemares to the best male athletes she is somewhat old-fashioned.

Rather, she holds a belief – one she acknowledges herself may be no more than a superstition – that the key to the success she enjoyed in raising homebreds at Normandie Stud was the bond she shared with her stock.