Kayf Tara still the Overbury master - but a young apprentice is on the scene

In the tidily hedged fields just outside Tewkesbury the law of the jungle still applies.

Ever since Simon Sweeting arrived here with Kayf Tara at the turn of the century he has been the alpha male of the Overbury troop.

Nine times the champion British National Hunt sire, including of the incredible Thistlecrack, as well as being the standout Flat stayer for three seasons with a pair of Gold Cups and Irish St Legers to his name, the 25-year-old is accustomed to his position at the top.

While there will be no chest-beating showdown, a first challenge of sorts will be thrown down later this month by another who once carried Godolphin blue.

Jack Hobbs will also have foals offered at the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, which starts on Sunday, as he tries out as a potential successor.

Not that Kayf Tara looks too bothered by the competition on a rainy afternoon at Overbury as he takes a leisurely snooze in his box.

"He’s been here so long he pretty much does what he wants," says Sweeting, who dotes on the horse and has been known to dash out in the middle of the night to rescue him from brewing thunderstorms.

Just as a sure sign of age is to remember the fathers of promising young footballers, so too have Kayf Tara’s sons been and gone.

Fewer will be more fondly remembered than the acrobatic Special Tiara, the Champion Chase winner who succumbed to a fatal injury in February. Others, such as Lizzie Kelly’s breakthrough Grade 1 winner Tea For Two and RSA and Becher hero Blaklion have reached the twilight of their careers.

"He’s built this business off his back really, he’s the foundation of the whole thing and he’s done incredibly well," says Sweeting. "We never could have dreamed he’d have turned out as he has, we’ve been so lucky."

The old silverback is, at Sweeting’s admission, a little more grizzled-looking than he was before, and further seasons at a £10,000 covering fee are considered a bonus.

"He’s got tremendous libido - we don’t over-work him - and there have been years when he was very busy, and he was happy to be very busy as well.

Kayf Tara has provided Simon Sweeting with a host of breeding honoursCredit: Sarah Farnsworth / Goffs UK

"He’s one of those extraordinary horses, they’re all a bit different, but when he was a young lad he would happily cover four mares every day and keep on going like that. Some stallions you wouldn’t want to be covering more than two a day with, but he'd be fine.

"Seeing he’s older, we started limiting his book a couple of years ago and this year he had 60 mares.

"His fertility has always been good, it dropped off slightly this year, so if he’s still about for next season then we’ll take mares, and I think we’ll have to make sure we’ve still got youngish mares who have the best chance of getting in foal.

"He covers with as much enthusiasm as he always did and he’s always been great in the breeding shed. It’s all an 'if', but we can hopefully take 40 or 50 mares. I’d be happy with that."

The young pretender, meanwhile, bounds across to the gate with a snort as if to make a point about his eligibility.

Jack Hobbs's human equivalent would have an instagram account dedicated to his shirtless pictures in Ibiza. Now seven, the Irish Derby winner has a neck like a slab of lumber and has covered books of 168 and 135 already.

"He’s a big chap, a very big chap," says Sweeting.

"His first foals will sell at Tatts Ireland and Stephen Kemble has a half-sister to [multiple graded winner] L’Ami Serge (lot 810) by him. That’ll be interesting and Stephen said they’re good looking horses.

"The breeders are excited by them, they like them. We’ve got to see whether the buyers rubber-stamp him, as that’s the next big step.

"He’s covered for two years, one crop on the ground, and if they sell well this year it’ll be a big help for him. If they don’t like him at the sales it might make people have a bit of a think."

Jack Hobbs has two seasons at Overbury under his beltCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Sweeting has ridden out peaks and troughs before, with jump breeding requiring an added level of endurance.

"Every year is a test for these horses," he says. "The difficult part is maintaining breeders’ enthusiasm for him until there are runners, because what you don’t want is him to do well in his first crop, and there’s a tail-off and nothing coming through.

"My job is to just keep mares coming in, and it’ll be another three or four years before we know if they’re any good or not. You have to be very patient and confident."

For now, Kayf Tara is still king of all he surveys. In this numbers game, Jack Hobbs’ five foals at this Tattersalls Ireland sale are trumped by the veteran’s eight. And even when he has no harem to rule over, his legacy will continue for some years to come.

"His yearlings would be a fair sized group," says Sweeting. "The foals of 2019 wouldn’t be more than 40 or 50, but they’re still reasonable bunches for there to be a decent horse amongst them."

Click here to view the whole Tattersalls Ireland November NH Sale catalogue

THE NEW BOY

Overbury’s new signing for Flat breeders is Le Brivido, who has been announced at £7,000 for 2020 and has a CV which includes the 2017 Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Simon Sweeting, who has teamed up with Coolmore to stand Le Brivido, says: "We’ve gone in with him as their partners and we’ll see how we get on.

"I don’t think we’re going to have a problem getting interest for him, being by Siyouni, who everyone seems very keen on at the moment, and his grandsire Pivotal is doing so well.

"He was such a good Jersey winner and but for a couple of inches he’d have won the French Guineas as well. Up until Sottsass - who is now a pound higher - he was the highest-rated Siyouni to have run."

Le Brivido stands to attention at Overbury Stud

Sweeting adds: "He’s a fine-looking horse, he’s just over 16 hands and with a great temperament, which will be a big help to him.

"Stallions are so hard to come by that when something like him comes along, you have to grab it.

"You can go a year without, you could find one next year or it could be four years. First you’ve got to have the right horse, and second, you’ve got to be able to afford him!

"It’s all got to fall together but when it actually happens it’s a big relief and great excitement."

TATTERSALLS NOVEMBER NATIONAL HUNT SALE FACT FILE

Where Tattersalls Ireland complex, Fairyhouse Road, County Meath

When Five-day sale starting on Sunday, with the sessions starting at 10am

Last year's stats From 1216 lots offered, 771 sold (63 per cent) for turnover of €13,003,350 (down 6 per cent year-on-year), an average of €16,866 (up 5 per cent), and a median of €11,000 (down 4 per cent)

Notable graduates Sizing John (sold by Ballincurrig House Stud to John Bleahen in 2010 for €16,000); Native River (Fred Mackey to John Dineen in 2010, €6,000); Presenting Percy (Burgage Stud to Lime Farm in 2011, €22,000)

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