Carisbrooke Stud's homebred starlet Stylistique leads stellar matings

In the five years since Yvonne Jacques established Carisbrooke Stud, the Lambourn farm has become home to a host of impeccably bred broodmares. Naturally with such aristocratic mares, Jacques has exciting plans for them to visit some of Europe's leading sires.

Martin Grassick, who is director of the boutique operation, located in the picturesque countryside near Chilton Foliat, and Cathy Grassick, bloodstock adviser to Jacques, revealed plans for some of the choicely bred mares within the 22-strong Carisbrooke band.

The mother and daughter duo of Sleek and Stylistique occupy a prominent position, both in Jacques' affections and in the stud's hierarchy.

Jacques bought Sleek, an Oasis Dream sister to Group 3 winner Bye Bye Birdie out of a half-sister to Dansili's Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf scorer Dank, as a foal and sent her into training with Marco Botti, for whom she won at three.

Retained to breed from, Sleek produced Stylistique in 2017 and the daughter of Dansili has provided her owner-breeder with some of the greatest moments of her racing life, especially when winning the Listed Prix Petite Etoile at the end of her three-year-old season.

Trained by Roger Varian, she was twice placed in Group 2 contests at Meydan last year and has been retired to join her dam at Carisbrooke Stud. She has a trip to Dalham Hall inked in her diary, where she will be covered by Dubawi.

"Stylistique is a very important horse for Yvonne," says Cathy Grassick. "To have raced the dam and bred a stakes winner from her who also raced in her own colours is the pinnacle of a breeder's career."

Klassique winning the Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes for Yvonne JacquesCredit: Grossick Racing

Her dam will be returning to Coolmore this spring as a member of the stellar first book of mares lined up for last season's champion three-year-old St Mark's Basilica, but before then there is the small matter of the imminent arrival of her foal by another of the stud's household-name sires.

"It's very exciting to have a Wootton Bassett foal on the way, he is doing so well and he is really going to suit this mare," says Grassick.

Stud director Martin Grassick is carefully monitoring the screens in front of him for any indications that labour might be approaching for Sleek and the other mares who have gone past their due dates.

"Sleek is another mare who is a few days overdue - I'm sitting here looking at the cameras, waiting for them to foal!" he exclaims. "We have lined up the foaling boxes for them but there's nothing happening yet."

She is not the only mare who is past her due date on the farm as Jacques' Group 3 Pinnacle Stakes winner Klassique, a seven-year-old daughter of Galileo and the Matron Stakes winner Chachamaidee from the family of 1,000 Guineas winner Virginia Waters, is making connections wait for her Lope De Vega foal.

Klassique's first foal is a colt who shares his sire with two of the last three Arc winners and could be one of the stars of the Carisbrooke yearling draft in the autumn.

"Her Siyouni yearling is a very nice colt and she has been pencilled in for Kingman this spring," explains Martin.

Well Yes, a Galileo half-sister to Irish 1,000 Guineas and EP Taylor Stakes winner Just The Judge, is expecting her own Siyouni foal, which will be bred on the same cross as Sottsass and St Mark's Basilica.

Jacques and Cathy Grassick bought Well Yes, an unraced now seven-year-old mare, in foal to Zoffany for 400,000gns from West Blagdon Stud at the 2019 Tattersalls December Mares Sale.

Martin adds: "She has a two-year-old Zoffany filly that has been retained and is in pre-training at the minute. Yvonne has named her Well Timed."

As well as her Zoffany juvenile, Well Yes has a Kingman yearling filly, but developments in the family have prompted a new direction for her in 2022, as Cathy points out.

She says: "Her three-year-old half-sister Allayaali is by Dark Angel and she was second in the Oh So Sharp Stakes last season for Shadwell and Charlie Hills, so Well Yes will visit Dark Angel this year."

Well Yes, a Galileo sister to Just The Judge, hides her Kingman 2021 fillyCredit: Carisbrooke Stud

As Jacques has developed her stud and breeding programme, she has acquired mares from some of the most highly sought-after pedigrees in the book, buying them with the assistance of Cathy Grassick.

One of those is a rare sale by Moyglare Stud from the treasured In Anticipation family, Mia Maria. The six-year-old is a sister to Group 3 winner Carla Bianca and a half-sister to Listed winner Joailliere, by Dubawi, who has already produced the Listed Orby Stakes winner Reve De Vol.

"If you know Moyglare pedigrees then this is a really exciting family," says Cathy Grassick. "Mia Maria is out of Majestic Silver, a half-sister to Profound Beauty and related to Irresistible Jewel, Princess Highway and Royal Diamond."

Her four-year-old sister Tina Angelina won a Leopardstown maiden in 2021 for Dermot Weld and Moyglare Stud, and she remains in training this season.

"Mia Maria's first foal is a grey Lope De Vega filly and she is carrying a Dubawi three-parts sibling to Joailliere," says Martin Grassick. "She is another of our mares who will be travelling to Banstead Manor to visit Kingman."

Mares by Dansili feature prominently in Carisbrooke's herd and a third daughter of Juddmonte's excellent broodmare sire with a fascinating pedigree and covering is Relent.

A half-sister to dual Group 2 winner Headman, who is standing his first season at Haras de Cercy, and to the Grade 2 winner Projected, by Showcasing, Relent is a three-parts sister to Flintshire, who scored five times at the highest level.

"It's the Enable family and there are Group winners the whole way down the page, it's such an exciting pedigree," Cathy enthuses.

"Relent has an Invincible Spirit yearling filly and is in foal to Kingman for obvious reasons (sire of Headman), and she is going to Palace Pier this year."

Karisma is a winning Lawman half-sister to Irish 2,000 Guineas winner and exciting young stallion Phoenix Of Spain; she is, in fact, his only female sibling. The nine-year-old is in foal to Sea The Stars, as is her dam Lucky Clio, and joins Well Yes in Dark Angel's diary.

Her yearling is a filly from the first crop of champion sprinter Blue Point.

Karisma, a Lawman half-sister to Phoenix Of Spain, with her 2021 Blue Point fillyCredit: Carisbrooke Stud

Jacques also owns Improve, an Iffraaj half-sister to the Group 1 winners Persuasive and Creative Force and the Listed winner and Group-placed Tisbutadream. The seven-year-old is in foal to Sea The Moon, and her yearling daughter is giving connections plenty to dream about.

"I would say she is gorgeous, she's a star and definitely one you would be excited about," says Martin of the Frankel filly.

Cathy reveals the inspiration behind the mating, saying: "The reason for choosing Frankel was that her sister Persuasive visited Frankel, and if Cheveley Park are doing it then you have to take notice. It has worked out; as Martin says, she is very beautiful."

The choice of stallion for 2022 was also prompted by another of Improve's siblings.

"She is booked to New Bay, so we are going for the Dubawi cross on the family, which is very exciting given that Creative Force is by Dubawi," adds Cathy.

Koy Koy, a promising three-year-old colt with some fancy entries for Andrew Balding, was among the first major draft of foals consigned by Carisbrooke at Tattersalls.

The son of Acclamation is the first foal of Lynique, a Dylan Thomas sister to EP Taylor Stakes winner Tannery, and she will return to the elder statesman of Rathbarry Stud this spring, after producing a foal from the first crop of Earthlight.

Tirania's family is making an impact around the globe; the Pivotal mare is a sister to Fred Darling Stakes winner and Irish 1,000 Guineas second Penkenna Princess, who has become a successful broodmare in Japan, where she is the dam of stakes performers Danon Gelato, Logi Princess and World Impact.

Penkenna Princess's daughter Vasilissa, by Heart's Cry, is the dam of Australian juvenile Group 1 winner Tagaloa, a son of Lord Kanaloa.

The Carisbrooke branch of the family is expecting a Frankel filly, with the champion sire producing four individual Group 1 winners out of Pivotal mares.

Tirania has a yearling filly by Frankel's studmate Kingman but is set for a change of direction this spring as she will travel to Ireland to visit Australia.

For Jacques herself, this beautiful farm and the people and horses who make it special are a source of fulfilment and joy.

"I am so proud of the stud, the stock and the staff, especially Martin Grassick and assistant manager Fay Cort," she says.

"Carisbrooke is in a truly magical corner of Wiltshire and we have done everything we can to breed a champion. Now the most important thing we need is Lady Luck."

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