About Us
Very rarely, it seems, does a Saturday pass without a horse who was bred, whose mother was bred, or who was simply raised, at Heytesbury Stud passing the post first at one of Australia's racetracks. This influence has come about over thirty-seven years of involvement in the breeding industry and a continuing passion of the Holmes à Court family to breed champion racehorses.
in the beginning...
Heytesbury Stud is the realisation of Robert Holmes à Court's dream to establish a world class thoroughbred stud in Western Australia that could consistently produce champion racehorses. In 1971, he set out to find a suitable site to build his dream. It had to be proximate to the racing centres of Perth, be sufficiently large that the horses would have plenty of space to exercise, have ample water, and consist of well draining loam soils. His search led him to a property, now approximately 900 acres in size, in Keysbrook, less than one hour south of Perth, and work soon commenced.
Aiding Robert in the early years were two particularly loyal assistants: his wife and his mother. Janet Holmes à Court was responsible for planning and managing the planting of tens of thousands of trees on the property, which provide shade and shelter for the horses, act as wind breaks around the property, and establish the aesthetic of the Stud. His mother, Ethnee Holmes à Court, was relocated to the Stud, appointed Manager, and sent on an international fact-finding mission to research efficient stud design.
While the design and construction of the Stud got underway, focus turned to the all-important task of securing some foundation bloodlines. Robert's task was to secure the foundation sire, and Ethnee's was to secure the foundation broodmares. When asked for some guidance as to the type of mares to secure, Robert said to Ethnee, "We're going to breed a Melbourne Cup winner. Find me some mares that can produce a Melbourne Cup winner." Within twelve months, Ethnee had identified, inspected and purchased a group of broodmares from South Australia - including one called Brenta - who she thought should be capable of the task.
Robert had little difficulty in identifying the stallion he wanted. He had established the brief himself, and he had a habit of aiming for and securing the very best in everything he did. Robert figured, "who better qualified to sire a Melbourne Cup winner, than a Melbourne Cup winner?" For the then princely sum of $300,000, the 1971 Melbourne Cup winner, Silver Knight, was purchased from his New Zealand owners and relocated to Keysbrook.
Everything was now in place: brand-new world-class facilities; a quality broodmare band; and a Melbourne Cup winner in the stallion yard. Heytesbury Stud was born.
racing glory...
The measure of success which really counts in thoroughbreds is winning races. Yearling sales are exciting, as is standing an expensive stallion, but what really counts is the breeding of what pasts the post first on Saturday (or one particular Tuesday) afternoon.
This is a measure against which Heytesbury Stud is very happy to be measured, having bred dozens of stakes winners and no less than seven Group One winners.
Every one race win is special, whether it be mid-week in the bush or on a Saturday in town, but some are more special than others. One of Heytesbury Stud's more special wins occured on the first Tuesday in November in 1984. Heytesbury Stud's foundation sire, Silver Knight, and one of Heytesbury Stud's foundation mares, Brenta, had produced a colt five years earlier who had been named Black Knight. Having demonstrated some talent and a willingness to stay, Black Knight was transferred to the Epsom stables of George Hanlon and set for the Melbourne Cup.
Ironically, Robert Holmes à Court was in London on business on the day Black Knight won the Melbourne Cup - and he slept through the whole thing. He had built a farm and built a broodmare band with the express purpose of breeding and racing a Melbourne Cup winner, and he missed it when it happened. Typical, somehow.
champion sires...
Believe it or not, Black Knight's achievements have been overshadowed in the years that followed by the champion sires that have stood at Heytesbury Stud. Haulpak, Pago Pago, Family of Man, Is It True, Success Express and Carry A Smile stood for all or part of their careers at Heytesbury Stud, and each produced Group winners.
These stallions and more have made Heytesbury Stud's reputation over the years and have left an indelible mark on the racehorses of today. The pedigrees of today's racehorses are built on the great sires and families of the past. Similarly, nurturing the sires and pedigrees of today is the key to success in the future.
today...
Paul Holmes à Court has the reigns at Heytesbury Stud now. Having been brought up at the Stud and being surrounded by horses from an early age, Paul naturally inherited his father's passion for horses, and continues the dream of breeding champions to this day.
Paul has introduced new bloodlines to the broodmare band in recent years, as well as a number of new stallions. The progeny of these are starting to make an impact on the track already (just Saturday afternoon at this stage, not that Tuesday afternoon yet) and everyone is confident the next champion is just around the corner.
Nigel Reid is the General Manager of Heytesbury Stud now and has brought enormous experience to the role. In a previous life, Nigel was a racehorse trainer. Fittingly for a future manager at Heytesbury Stud, he trained a horse to Group One glory before opting to work on the breeding side of the business.