'Anything could happen for her' - exciting times for Childwickbury Stud with high-class matings this year

Childwickbury Stud  has managed to get its name into the headlines despite being in the infancy of its rebirth from historical Classic stud to modern-day Group 1 operator.

Around this time last year the Paul and Sally Flatt-owned stud purchased Taqaareed, a Sea The Stars sister to Oaks and King George heroine Taghrooda, from Shadwell for 200,000gns at the Tattersalls February Sale. 

The blue-blooded 12-year-old is the dam of two winners from as many runners and the Hertfordshire operation will be hoping she can become an important mare for the future. She is down to visit the red-hot Camelot this year.

Stud manager Christian Williams said: "Camelot was European champion sire last year and it makes sense, given what the boss [Sally Flatt] is trying to achieve. It was disappointing she wasn't in foal to Too Darn Hot, but that was just bad luck really."

Taqaareed: sister to Taghrooda is bound for the court of CamelotCredit: Laura Green

The Flatts have not hidden their ambition to breed a Classic winner and Suwayra could be another key mare in their endeavours to turn dreams into reality. 

The Aga Khan-bred daughter of Siyouni was picked up for €410,000 from the Aga Khan Studs at the 2023 Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale and she has plenty of exciting updates in the pipeline. 

Williams said: "She's got a lovely Sea The Moon yearling filly who we'll almost certainly keep and she's in foal to Sea The Stars; she's due in a couple of weeks and goes back to him. 

"That pedigree's done really well for us this year; her half-sister Sumiha won the Munster Oaks and has really updated that pedigree. Hopefully this one will be lucky for us."

Yet another beautifully bred mare by a top-class stallion is Erato, a winning Galileo sister to Group winners Bondi Beach and Constantinople; the former was also second to Simple Verse in the St Leger. 

Out of the Danehill mare One Moment In Time, a sister to the Group 1-winning dam of Criterium International winner Proud And Regal, the five-year-old will head to a leading sire with a penchant for Galileo-line mares. 

"She's a gorgeous-looking mare who we bought privately from Coolmore and she'll go to Wootton Bassett," said Williams. "Her full-sister, Glinting, had a filly by the sire sell to Shadwell for 580,000gns at Book 1 last year, so plenty could happen there."

Erato (far side): beautifully bred Galileo mare will be covered by Wootton BassettCredit: Patrick McCann

It was a homecoming of sorts for 11-year-old Mrs Danvers at last year's Tattersalls July Sale as the Group 3 Cornwallis Stakes and Weatherbys Super Sprint winner was prepped by Childwickbury and ultimately bought by them from Jamie Railton at the auction. 

The Hellvelyn mare was a dual black-type winner for Jonathan Portman as well as a sales-race money-spinner, despite humble origins as a £1,000 vendor buyback at the Tattersalls Ireland Ascot February Sale in 2016. Having had offspring by Galileo and Frankel, she is now bound for Whitsbury Manor Stud's stalwart Showcasing. 

Williams said: "We prepped Mrs Danvers for the July Sale, so we had an interest in her and everyone got to know her and fell in love with her. She's such a talking horse, wherever you go people ask about her. We followed her through the ring and she got stuck on her reserve. I asked Sally if we wanted to have a go and we bought her on one bid.

"To buy a race filly of that quality at that price seemed logical at the time. We know she's a bit exposed but we believe she needs a speedy mating, which is why we've chosen Showcasing. 

"It's the same cross as Richmond winner Asymmetric, while she's got a Frankel and a Home Affairs to run for her in Australia. Anything could happen for her and she's still young enough."

Mrs Danvers: popular race filly with two black-type winsCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Precocious Starcraft mare Don’t Tell Mary is also heading down the speed route, in her case to last year's leading first-season sire Sergei Prokofiev. 

The Hilary Needler Trophy winner is the dam of three winners and should be suited to the equally rapid Whitsbury Manor resident. She is due to foal to another speed sire in Ardad. 

"I think Sergei Prokofiev has made a great start and his horse in the Breeders' Cup [Arizona Blaze] was impressive," said Williams. "The mare was a very good two-year-old and sending her to horses who are proven to get two-year-olds makes sense. 

"I also like that she's in foal to Ardad, I think he's going to have a very big year."

Winning Dark Angel mare Angel Of The South will head to Newsells Park Stud's multiple Group-winning sprinter and first-season sire A'Ali. 

On the other end of the stamina spectrum, the Daylesford Stud-bred To The Moon, a winning daughter of Sea The Stars, will be covered by Ghaiyyath after foaling to Study Of Man. 

Also deserving of an honourable mention is Abhisheka, a Listed-placed daughter of Sadler's Wells who will be retired after foaling to Oasis Dream. The 22-year-old, a Godolphin-bred half-sister to the great Lammtarra, is the dam of Godolphin's Prix Jean Prat winner Aesop's Fables.

The Childwickbury team has a number of newly turned yearlings to focus on as well, among them a Pinatubo filly out of Taqaareed, a Sea The Moon filly out of Suwayra and colts by Cracksman and Lope Y Fernandez out of To The Moon and Angel Of The South respectively. Plans for the quartet will be drawn up shortly.

Childwickbury Stud in all its fineryCredit: Edward Whitaker

Williams said: "It depends on what the boss wants to do and we'll make decisions on these in the spring. 

"Ideally we'd like to be keeping the fillies and selling the colts. The Pinatubo filly out of Taqaareed is a very special filly, she's as good a yearling as I've ever seen. And the Sea The Moon filly out of Suwayra is very classy and she'll almost certainly be raced."

The Flatts also have several well-bred fillies in training, including Wonder Star, a daughter of Sea The Stars and Waldnah from the famous W family, plus Tsuki, a Kameko filly out of To The Moon who is unraced. 

Williams said: "Tsuki didn't run at two but she's back in training with William Haggas now, while Wonder Star had just the one run at two at Doncaster and absolutely hated the ground. She was genuine and kept going, William also trains her and thinks a lot of her, so that's quite exciting. It's a lovely pedigree."

Also one to note is the consistent four-year-old Masar filly Bas Bleu, who struck on her final outing last season at Kempton. 

"Bas Bleu is with Ed Walker and she's just kept improving," said Williams. "She finally got a win under her belt and the aim is to try to nick a bit of black type somewhere; we think she's probably good enough for that."

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