International cricket star Craig Kieswetter swaps batting for breeding

No one could have predicted the traumatic events that unfolded on July 12, 2014, shortly after Northamptonshire bowler David Willey stepped up to the crease in a County Championship match against Somerset.

A bouncer was delivered, but, having ricocheted off the turf, the ball didn't connect with the bat or the wicket-keeper's gloves, but instead burst between the grille on Craig Kieswetter's helmet, leaving the batsman with multiple facial fractures and requiring surgery.

Kieswetter did return to professional cricket in due course, but when it became apparent the injury had done lasting damage to his vision, he made the tough call to bring his promising cricketing career to a premature end aged just 27.

Cricket's loss has proved to be horseracing's gain however, as a repaired and refocused Kieswetter is now taking on an increasingly active role in the rise of his family's Barnane Stud in Ireland and Ridgemont Highlands in the Western Cape of South Africa.

"Unfortunately my cricket career got cut short because of the injury but, luckily, I was able to fall back onto the family passion of racing," says the South African-born 31-year-old.

"My father [South African businessman Wayne Kieswetter] used to ride as an amateur and my grandfather owned racehorses, and then my dad bought my brother, Ross, a horse, What A Mission, for his 18th birthday and the whole family got back into it from there. That's now snowballed into the breeding side of things."

Craig Kieswetter knocks a delivery for four during Somerset's game against Yorkshire in April 2014Credit: Michael Steele

Kieswetter racked up a collection of notable achievements during his time on the cricket pitch – representing Somerset and England with distinction, most notably when producing a man of the match performance in the country's defeat of Australia in the 2010 ICC T20 World Cup final – and has had plenty to celebrate during his early involvement in horseracing, too.

The Barnane Stud colours were carried to Group 1 glory last season by Urban Fox, a Tattersalls December Mares Sale acquisition who lowered the colours of Oaks heroine Forever Together when landing the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. Given the way Kieswetter's cricketing career came to an end, there is an unmistakable poignancy when he speaks about the importance of appreciating such a result.

"The mentality between professional sport and racing and breeding is very similar," he says with a distinctive South African twang. "It's hard to keep on an even keel when things are going well, but at the same time things can go badly very quickly, so it's important to enjoy it when it works out because you never know when it'll happen again."

Even though her racing days may be behind her, there is plenty to look forward to with Urban Fox, as the daughter of Foxwedge is now the centrepiece of Barnane's burgeoning broodmare band, and has been penciled in for a date with Dubawi for her maiden covering.

"She's a phenomenal specimen and a real athlete and hopefully she can be one of the foundation mares for the farm," says Kieswetter. "We thought she was quite expensive when we first got her, but looking back she seems like an absolute bargain now. We've had an amazing season with her, and now the challenge is to repeat the success."

Craig Kieswetter's parents, Wayne and Belinda (right and second right) with Maureen Haggas and Danny Tudhope after Urban Fox's Pretty Polly Stakes successCredit: Caroline Norris

Urban Fox was expertly trained by William Haggas, whose son, Sam, helped select the filly from the 1,087-lot catalogue at Tattersalls. The partnership will be hoping for more of the same this year, having acquired the Listed-winning Kodiac filly Adorable at last year's December Sales.

"Sam has a very good eye for horses in training, especially when it comes to seeing that potential for bigger and better things," says Kieswetter. "He's got the perfect system having his mum [Maureen] and dad there, who are exceptional trainers."

Urban Fox is not the only notable name residing at Barnane Stud, with the Kieswetters, who purchased the Tipperary farm in January 2017, having laid down some serious foundations.

Other Tattersalls purchases include the Group 3 winner Apphia; Cunco's dam Chrysanthemum, picked up in foal to Gleneagles; and Dorcas Lane, dam of Atty Persse, who was bought carrying to Kingman.

"Matings are planned between dad, Ross, myself, Craig Carey and stud manager Patrick Wynn-Jones.

"It's boutique and gives us exactly what we're after," Kieswetter says of the stud, which is currently home to 14 mares. "We've got a very exciting stallion programme lined-up for our mares; we've got a couple going to Frankel, one going to Kingman and another going to Sea The Stars, among others. For us this whole project is about quality."

Gaining experience

When Kieswetter called time on his career in cricket, he cited the inability to perform at the top of his game as a major contributor to his decision, and he is clearly intent on not doing things by halves in his new vocation. There is, however, a self-awareness that expenditure and enthusiasm alone won’t be enough to succeed.

While the crossovers between breeding and cricket may be few and far between, both rely on a strong team dynamic, and Kieswetter has been able to call upon the support of some vastly experienced operators as he broadens his sphere of knowledge of the bloodstock world.

At the core of both Barnane Stud and Ridgemont Highlands is the Kieswetter family, with Craig's father, mother [Belinda] and his younger brother, 26-year-old Ross, central figures in the business's development.

"In terms of age Ross is still young, but he's already acquired knowledge and experience beyond his years," says Kieswetter. "He's spent time with William Haggas and has worked on numerous stud farms foaling down and getting hands-on experience, and is heavily involved on a day-to-day basis."

The brothers have found something of a mentor figure in Ridgemont Highlands man Craig Carey, of whom he says: "Craig has been in this game longer than myself and my brother have been alive, so for us it's a great opportunity to be able to learn from someone with his knowledge and experience."

The Kieswetter family also has a strong association with leading bloodstock agents Peter and Ross Doyle.

"We have a very close friendship with Peter, Ross and Anna Doyle," Kieswetter explains. "I went and shadowed them during last year's Arqana August Sale, which was an amazing experience. It's important to get as much advice and experience as possible, because I don't just want to come at this with a South African mentality because our horses are very different."

Next chapter

The knowledge that Kieswetter is acquiring from those heavyweight bloodstock minds will doubtless prove invaluable in shaping the future of the recently rebranded Ridgemont Highlands.

The 200 hectare property may have a new name having been purchased by the Kieswetter family in January 2017, but the farm boasts a rich history, with over 30 Grade 1 winners having been bred and raised there during its time as Highlands Stud under the ownership of Graham Beck.

Big plans are in place to help continue the tradition of success, and the stud is now home to one of the strongest stallion rosters in South Africa, with local hero Dynasty joined by Jackson, Pathfork, Potala Palace, Rafeef and former Coolmore resident Canford Cliffs. It also has a broodmare band of around 120.

"Canford has been really well supported," says Kieswetter, who was recently co-opted as a council member of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association of South Africa. "He covered more than 120 mares last year, which in South African terms is a very full book. We supported him heavily with a great selection of mares.

Craig Kieswetter: 'This business is 24 hours a day, seven days a week – it's non-stop'Credit: Harry Trump

"We're not only adding bloodlines into our string but we're also breeding our own. The foals at foot on the farm now are the first crop that we've been able to have our own impact on. Next year is going to be a very exciting time when we have our first homebred yearlings out on the market."

Kieswetter and his family have also tasted racecourse and sales ring success in South Africa, with the globetrotting Whisky Baron landing the 2017 Sun Met and Front And Centre winning last year's Fillies Guineas, while January's Cape Thoroughbred Sales Premier Yearling Sale saw Ridgemont Highlands sell four lots for total receipts of R4,700,000 and at a sale-leading average of R1.175m.

"This business is 24 hours a day, seven days a week – it's non-stop. When you're involved in breeding and racing in both hemispheres there's always something going on," says Kieswetter.

But despite the numerous early highs, Kieswetter is pragmatic about future plans for his family's booming bloodstock empire.

"We want to be breeding and racing our own Group 1 winners, that's the dream," he says. "It's a very difficult process though, even if it's easy to get caught up in thinking you want to breed a Derby winner or an Arc winner.

"For us the first thing we want to focus on is breeding healthy and happy horses that can run. Hopefully it can snowball from there."

With Kieswetter well aware that breeding talented horses is paced more like a finely poised international test match than Twenty20, he will soon be back to hitting sixes in his new sport.

Festival dreams alive and well

It's not just on the Flat that the Kieswetters have enjoyed success, as the Willie Mullins-trained My Sister Sarah landed a Punchestown maiden hurdle back in October and was last seen carrying Barnane Stud's green and red halved silks to victory in a Fairyhouse mares novice hurdle on New Year's Day.

The daughter of Martaline is now set to be upped in grade when she lines up in the National Hunt Breeders Supported By Tattersalls Mares' Novices' Hurdle on the Thursday of the Cheltenham Festival.

My Sister Sarah and Ruby Walsh run out ten-length winners of a Punchestown maiden hurdleCredit: Patrick McCann

My Sister Sarah is not the first jumps horse Craig Kieswetter has been involved with, however, having owned the David Pipe-trained Citrus during his days with Somerset County.

"I bought him after losing a bet over a game of table tennis with old man Pipe, which is quite embarrassing!" reveals Kieswetter. "The Pipes were based about 20 minutes away from where I used to live in Somerset, and I wasn't even a stone's throw from Taunton racecourse so I used to go there all the time. Citrus wasn't the greatest horse, but he gave me a winner, which was nice."

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