Madeleine Lloyd-Webber has always been passionate about horses and enjoyed a successful career in eventing before turning her hand to breeding racehorses. Today Watership Down Stud and its sister Kiltinan Castle Stud are recognised globally as two of Europe's leading thoroughbred stud farms. Their elite foundation broodmares include 8 year old champion The Fugue who was the winner of the Prince of Wales' Stakes and Dubai Sheema Classic winner Dar Re Mi. Madeleine and Simon Marsh had known each other for many years prior to the foundation of Watership Down Stud, and it was after she married Andrew Lloyd-Webber that the idea of the stud was conceived. They envisioned a successful commercial stud with a small but elite broodmare band, breed them to the best proven stallions, race the fillies and sell the colts. They have been working together closely to make their vision a reality. 

Q - Please tell us more about the beginning of these studs and your vision for the future?  

A - Madeleine and I had known each other for many years prior to the foundation of Watership Down Stud, and it was after she married Andrew that the idea of the stud was conceived. We had a very simple vision which was to try and put together a small but elite broodmare band, breed them to the best proven stallions, race the fillies and sell the colts. We have stuck to that principle throughout. We also have to make the stud commercial, and now we have more mares we will be selling a number of fillies in the future. 

Q - What are your memories of your first foals of Darara and Silver Lane?

A - We purchased Silver Lane at the Keeneland November Sale in 1993 in foal to Nureyev. She had a very good colt foal which we subsequently sold at the Keeneand July sale for 200,000 US Dollars. He was purchased to race in Japan and was named Black Hawk. He was an exceptional race horse earning over 2.1million Pounds in prize money and stood as a stallion at Shadai Farm. Darara was bought the following year at Goffs for  470,000 Irish Punts in foal to Shirley Heights. The subsequent yearling was sold in 1996 to Jobn Magnier for 500,000 Guineas. He was Group 2 placed and named Kilimanjaro. Darara has since become arguably the most important mare for Watership Down Stud, not only was she the dam of four Group 1 winners, but for us she produced multiple Group 1 winner Dar Re Mi and is the grand dam of So Mi Dar.  Her importance to the future of the stud cannot be underestimated.

Q – What kind of broodmares are the The Fugue and Dar Re Mi. to work with?

A - At Watership Down Stud we are incredibly lucky to have two home bred mares of outstanding ability in The Fugue and Dar Re Mi. Dar Re Mi’s career as a broodmare could not have started better with her first foal De Treville being multiple Group placed and her second So Mi Dar, who stays in training this year as a Group 3 winning, Group 1 placed filly. The Fugue’s first two foals are both Dubawi fillies and will be retained to race. The Fugue has a very good temperament. She was an exceptional race mare who was unlucky not to have won many more Group 1s than the four that she is credited with. Her crowning glory was winning the Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot in course record time, beating Magician and Treve.

Q - What has been your process and approach to ensure that Watership Down Stud remains one of the top-10 consigners of yearlings at Tattersalls October Sales each year?

A - Watership Down Stud has been one of the top 10 consignors at Tatts October Book 1 sale for many years for many reasons. We are very selective in which yearlings we send to Book 1 and we are very lucky to have some incredible broodmares, not only belonging to Watership Down Stud, but also our clients. We prepare the yearlings in what would be regarded now a very traditional manner in that they are all hand walked. This is very labour intensive, but we hope to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of getting the yearlings to the sales in the best possible condition. Yearling preparation is overseen by our Stud Manager, Terry Doherty, who has been at Watership Down Stud since the stud’s foundation. His knowledge of yearling preparation is immense and his contribution cannot be overstated.

Q - So Mi Dar is an exciting race horse, what are your plans for her in the future?

A - Dar Re Mi has obviously shown herself to be an exceptional broodmare and interestingly So Mi Dar has a lot of the same characteristics as her grand dam Darara, a Group 1 winner herself. Hopefully she will be back on the racecourse in July and we will be aiming to target the main races in the mid-summer/autumn. As a broodmare prospect she could not be more exciting. She is exceptionally good looking and is the ultimate out-cross. At the moment we have no plans as to who we might breed her to, but it will be an extremely exciting discussion when the time comes.

Q - Are there any plans to expand your foundation bloodlines?

A - Over the past few years we have purchased other mares, Claba Di San Jore, the dam of three Group 1 winners including Crackerjack King and Jakalberry. She has a Shamardal filly yearling which we will be putting into training. Also we bought Kelly Nicole, the dam of Aljamaaheer, and we have a 2-year-old filly by New Approach in training with John Gosden. Another recent purchase is Lady Hawkfield, a half-sister to Lillie Langtree, the dam of Minding.

Q – Which horses currently stand at the beautiful  Kiltinan Castle Stud?

A - Kiltinan Castle Stud was purchased in  1996 and not only do we have a number of our mares there, but a number of permanent boarding mares owned by a range of clients including Bjorn Nielsen, the Niarchos Family, Andrew Rosen and Lane’s End Farm to name a few. During the Stud season we take temporary boarders and over the years these have included mares like Bosra Sham, Attraction and Ouija Board.  With its close proximity to Coolmore and the other major stallion farms in Ireland Kiltinan Castle Stud is ideally situated. The Stud is managed by Donna Vowles, who has been with us for the past four years. Both Terry and Donna work very closely together and in many ways the studs are run in tandem, with both WDS and client horses moving seamlessly between the two.

Q - Are there any special techniques that help you monitor the horses during breeding season?

A - Both Watership Down Stud and Kiltinan are run very much in parallel. Any mares being bred in Ireland are walked in from Kiltinan Castle Stud, and most of the mares that are bred at Newmarket board at Peter Stanley’s New England Stud and return to Watership Down Stud when they are safely in foal.

Q – Tell us more about your latest foals and your racing expectations from these foals?

A - Obviously we are very excited about The Fugue’s first two foals, and her yearling by Dubawi is exceptional and the image of her mother. Dar Re Mi has yearling and foal full brothers to So Mi Dar and a 2-year-old full sister called Lah Ti Dar who is now in training with John Gosden.

Q - How do you feel about concepts like Performance Genetics in context of the stud? Do you ever see this technique becoming a permanent feature to the art of breeding?

 A - I am sure there is something in Genetics and as they say, you cannot uninvent the wheel. However, because we are dealing with animals Genetics might become another part of the jigsaw that you have to piece together in trying to breed and race the elite racehorse.

Q – What are your plans for the future at Watership Down Stud?

A - Madeleine and I had known each other for many years prior to the foundation of Watership Down Stud, and it was after she married Andrew that the idea of the stud was conceived. We had a very simple vision which was to try and put together a small but elite broodmare band, breed them to the best proven stallions, race the fillies and sell the colts. We have stuck to that principle throughout. We also have to make the stud commercial, and now we have more mares we will be selling a number of fillies in the future.