British thoroughbred breeding was celebrated last night (Monday 27 June) at the annual Thoroughbred Breeders Association (TBA) Awards at Tattersalls in Newmarket.
The awards recognised achievements in the 2010 Flat season and the 2009/10 and 2010/11 National Hunt seasons.
The evening was sponsored by Cheveley Park Stud, which was awarded the Barleythorpe Cup for standing the leading British-based sire by individual Flat winners.
That honour went to the great Pivotal, who won the award for the fifth year running and recently notched his 19th individual Group 1 winner.
For the seventh time since 2000, Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms took the Queen’s Silver Cup for leading British-based breeder by prize-money.
With the likes of Frankel, Workforce, Twice Over, Midday, Redwood and Special Duty as representatives, Juddmonte-bred horses achieved 16 Group 1 wins around the world in 2010.
Juddmonte also won the BBA Silver Cigar Box for leading British-based sire by prize-money for Dansili, following the achievement in 2010 of his fellow Banstead Manor Stud resident Oasis Dream.
Another prize which will be adorning the mantelpiece of Banstead Manor is the HJ Joel Silver Salver for Flat Broodmare of the Year.
The prize was awarded to Juddmonte for Binche, whose son Byword won the 2010 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot, while his half-sister Proviso won a quartet of Grade 1 races in America.
The Tattersalls Silver Salver, which is presented for the leading first-season sire, was given to Indesatchel, who stands at Terry and Margaret Holdcroft’s Bearstone Stud.
And Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation won the TBA Silver Rose Bowl after being named Flat Breeder of the Year.
The success of Laundry Cottage Stud, owned by Colin and Melba Bryce, which bred Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero Wootton Bassett, was recognised with the TBA Silver Salver Special Merit Award (Flat).
Harbinger’s outstanding victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes won his breeder, Anita Ooi the Langham Cup for Small Breeder of the Year (Flat).
And Sophie Woolf of Rushbrooke Stud received this year’s TBA Annual Stud Staff Award, which is sponsored by New England Stud.
Gavin Pritchard-Gordon, former executive director of the TBA and chairman of British Bloodstock Marketing received the Dominion Bronze in recognition of his outstanding support of racing and breeding.
And Henrietta, Duchess of Bedford was this year presented with the Devonshire Bronze as a mark of her success as an owner and breeder, with horses such as Jupiter Island, Precocious and Pushy.
With the awards dinner now held in June as opposed to its old January date, this year saw two awards in each National Hunt category, honouring the achievements of both the 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons.
The Whitbread Silver Salver (for leading active British-based National Hunt stallion by earnings) now has a new home with David and Kathleen Holmes at Pitchall Farm Stud, having been won in 2010/11 by Midnight Legend after Overbury Stud’s Kayf Tara landed a second successive title in 2009/10.
The stallion with the most individual steeplechase winners in the 2009/10 season was Mickley Stud resident Overbury, who was also winning for the second year running.
In 2010/11, the Horse & Hound Cup was presented to Alflora, who stands at Peter and Emma Hockenhull’s Shade Oak Stud.
The Dudgeon Cup for National Hunt Broodmare of the Year was awarded to Paul Murphy for Carole’s Crusader, while Charles and Sally Lloyd-Baker’s Herald The Dawn won the 2009/10 award.
One of the best-known bloodstock agents in the jumping business, David Minton, received the Queen Mother’s Silver Salver for achievements in National Hunt racing.
He runs the Highflyer Bloodstock with Anthony Bromley and David Powell.
