Joe Callan announced as head of bloodstock and sales at Whitsbury Manor Stud

Whitsbury Manor Stud has announced the appointment of Joe Callan as their head of bloodstock and sales.

Having spent the past year as interim general manager at Market Rasen racecourse, Callan joins the Whitsbury Manor team after a brilliant season for the operation, one which has seen first-season sire Havana Grey land an impressive 39 individual winners, including 13 stakes performers.

Stalwart sire Showcasing has added more fuel to the fire with his juveniles including Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Belbek, while the team also bred and sold leading juvenile Chaldean, winner of this year's Dewhurst, Champagne and Acomb Stakes for Juddmonte and Andrew Balding.

A graduate of the Irish National Stud diploma course and the Godolphin Flying Start programme, Callan holds vast experience having worked for Gai Waterhouse and Arrowfield Stud in Australia, as well as David Cox at Baroda Stud and David Myerscough at Colbinstown Stud in Ireland.

He also spent three years as nominations manager for the National Stud upon graduating from Flying Start in 2018.

Stud director Ed Harper said: “I have been waiting a long time to identify the right candidate to help us grow our business and feel that Joe is the ideal person for this role.

"Joe’s industry experience and superb communication skills will be a great asset to our clients, and I cannot wait for him to start. He’s going to be busy!"

Callan said: "I'm delighted to be joining the Whitsbury Manor team. Ed and his team continuously produce top-class horses, as demonstrated by Chaldean this season, and they have amassed a very impressive stallion roster which is supported by some of the best breeders in Europe, who I look forward to working with.

“It truly is a very exciting time for the stud as Showcasing consistently proves himself as an outstanding sire and it is hard to think of a more promising stallion than Havana Grey."

He added: "Due Diligence proves a consistent source of winners, while I am also very excited to see the first foals by Sergei Prokofiev enter the sales ring in the coming months."

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