'My whole life was in those boxes' - Philippa Cooper says goodbye to breeding

Amid the fireworks and glinting gems of the Sceptre Session, with its treasure trove of jewels grabbing the attentions and wallets of breeders from around the globe was the poignant dispersal of Philippa Cooper's cherished stock, as she parted with 16 fillies and mares from families she had nurtured over three decades, firstly at her idyllic West Sussex Normandie Stud, and latterly boarding them at Coolmore and Newsells Park.

It was through the Hertfordshire nursery that Cooper's beloved horses were sold, with six of them featuring among the galaxy of stars assembled for the Sceptre Sessions.

Cooper's admirable adherence to her principles and desire to breed middle-distance performers, most recently exemplified by the 2021 Irish Derby, Grand Prix de Paris and St Leger winner Hurricane Lane, has seen her forced to concede defeat as the costs of striving to breed Classic winners such as the four-year-old son of Frankel are no longer viable.

"I couldn't sustain the cost of it any longer," she said after watching her dispersal bring a total of 4,197,000gns.

"The boarding charges and training fees are high enough but the nomination fees are the worst of all. Breeding has become totally elitist now and it is no longer feasible for me to try and breed the type of horses I have always tried to breed since I started out with my three girls."

Financial constraints, while a major contributory factor in Cooper's decision to get out of the bloodstock business, were not the only considerations. The increasing stallion fees, particularly for the type of stallions Cooper would like to use, and the size of the breeding population have also led her to make this decision.

"I didn't throw shed loads of money at it to start with and I am angry at the prices of stallions and the amount of mares being covered and I decided I didn't want to be involved in that any longer," she stated.

Cooper had attempted to continue her breeding interests while boarding her mares and had set a time-limit on the experiment, to give her the opportunity to make it work.

Since selling her land and giving up that day to day involvement with the mares she has still managed to breed both Hurricane Lane and the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes winner Mohaafeth, whose dam French Dressing - a Listed winner by Sea The Stars and in foal to Mohaafeth's sire Frankel - made 925,000gns to BBA Ireland on Tuesday night.

Despite that success, Cooper made the decision earlier this year that she could not afford to keep attempting to breed such horses, given the rising costs.

"When I sold the stud five years ago I said I would give myself five years to see if it could be sustainable but it is not. I didn't want to keep writing cheques," she commented. "I set my mind to do it and the decision was made six months ago."

Although certain that it was the only possible way for her to conclude, Cooper was expecting the parting to be more difficult than it was, although seeing the mares ready to show on Sunday was more fraught than any other aspect.

"It was so much better than I thought it would be. I've been here since Sunday and it was the worst day, seeing all the mares in the boxes here at the sales ground, I thought it was going to be so much harder than I imagined. My whole life was in those boxes," she added.

The strong emotional connection that Cooper had maintained with her horses was, if not severed, then definitely lessened by the loss of her farm. Not having that bond with her animals had a massive impact on her, and in many ways Tuesday's events were inevitable when the joy of spending time with her mares and foals was removed from her life.

She said: "For 25 years this has defined me as a person and it will be strange to not have that involvement but I no longer had the contact with my mares that I used to have since I sold the stud five years' ago. Losing that contact with my mares was hard."

Topping the dispersal on Tuesday night was Love Is You, a four-year-old daughter of Kingman carrying her first foal to St Mark's Basilica. The Listed Radley Stakes winner and Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes third brought the hammer down at 1,4000gns and was one of two consecutive Normandie Stud lots bought by Godolphin.

Love Is You is a full-sister to the multiple Group winner Glorious Journey, whose eight career successes include the Park and Hungerford Stakes (both Group 2 contests). They are out of the Group 1 Coronation Stakes winner Fallen For You, a daughter of Dansili and the Listed Silver Trophy winner Fallen Star by Brief Truce.

Fallen For You is a half-sister to the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks winner Fallen In Love by Galileo and her Group 3-winning daughter Loving Things, by Pivotal and in foal to Sea The Stars was purchased by Bandford Bloodstock for 260,000gns.

Anthony Stroud, on behalf of Godolphin, also purchased the Listed Galtres Stakes winner Fleur Forsyte. The eight-year-old Teofilo mare was offered in foal to Sea The Stars on a February cover and brought a winning bid of 425,000gns.

"The results have exceed my expectations. I didn't set figures and it is really lovely that people appreciate my mares and families. The touching thing is that friends in the industry have bought them and they are going to good homes," said a delighted Cooper.

Outside of the Sceptre Session, Cooper also sold two further six-figure lots. John Gunther, breeder of unbeaten Triple Crown hero and exciting first season sire Justify, went to 240,000gns for French Polish. The five-year-old is a winning New Approach half-sister to Mohaafeth and was successful at three. Her first foal is a New Bay colt and she was sold in foal to Palace Pier.

Legendary jockey Willie Carson, who preceded Cooper as the breeder of an Irish Derby winner by six years, bought Leah, an unraced five-year-old Le Havre mare from one of Cooper's most recognisable families for 200,000gns.

In foal to Saxon Warrior, she is a half-sister to Cooper's Irish St Leger winner Duncan and the Group 2 winners Samuel and Gretchen.

Cooper did not bring two of her mares to the sale - Fallen For You and Fallen In Love - and both mares will have a long and happy retirement with their owner-breeder, who is hoping that she can rediscover her love of racing and breeding now that she on longer has to contend with the industry.

"It will be a hobby for me like it was when my husband and I first started out in National Hunt racing and hopefully I will enjoy it again."

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