Lloyd Webber, Rausing and Chasemore Farm among TBA Flat Breeders' Awards winners

Watership Down Stud's Madeleine Lloyd Webber and tax expert Peter Mendham were among the winners at the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association's Flat Breeders’ Awards evening on Wednesday.

The event celebrated British-bred success in 2021 and was held at Chippenham Park, near Newmarket, with Gina Bryce the host.

Lloyd Webber, who founded the hugely successful Newbury-based stud with with her husband Andrew in 1992, received the Andrew Devonshire Bronze, which recognises outstanding achievement and contribution to the British thoroughbred breeding industry.

"It's been a wonderful journey, and seeing it all the way through, from planning the matings to the foal reaching the racecourse, has given Andrew and I tremendous delight," said Lloyd Webber, who nominated Dar Re Mi's Sheema Classic victory in 2010 and Too Darn Hot's Dewhurst success in 2018 as particular highs.

Mendham, a highly respected consultant with the law firm Allen & Overy, stepped down from the TBA board in July last year after ten years, including acting as chairman of the Bloodstock Taxation Committee.

He was given the Dominion Bronze, which recognises outstanding contribution and long-term commitment from someone who has worked in the industry.

TBA chairman Julian Richmond-Watson said: “Madeleine and Peter are two very worthy recipients of the Devonshire and Dominion awards, reflecting their outstanding contribution and achievements in
the industry.

"In creating and developing Watership Down Stud, Madeleine has produced a number of top quality racecourse performers, many of whom are descended from her excellent foundation mare Darara. Her knowledge and passion for the thoroughbred is evident through the stud’s success, which is making an indelible mark on the breed."

He added: “Peter’s knowledge and skills have been vital to the racing industry for many years and critical to the TBA over the past few years; the industry is very much indebted to Peter for his time and wise counsel.

"We are particularly thankful for his work on Brexit issues and the ramifications of Covid-19. As a trustee he has for a long time gone above and beyond to assist the association, working tirelessly to find solutions to the industry’s problems.”

The Queen, Chasemore Farm and last year's champion two-year-old filly Inspiral all received special merit awards, namely the TBA Silver Salver, the Industry Merit award and Filly of Merit award respectively.

The Queen: TBA Silver Salver award winnerCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

The Queen, the patron of the TBA, preceded her Platinum Jubilee year with her most successful numerical Flat season as a breeder and owner. She received her award based on the exploits of such as Reach For The Moon, a son of Sea The Stars who won two of his five races in 2021 including the Solario Stakes.

Reach For The Moon is from the immediate family of the Queen’s Ribblesdale Stakes winner Phantom Gold, whose great grandam Amicable is one of only two female families surviving from the nine the Queen inherited in 1952.

John Warren collected the prize on her behalf and said: "Winning an award that is anything to do with horses always gives the Queen tremendous pleasure, she will be so thrilled."

Warren added that Her Majesty gains particular pleasure from seeing any horse making the most of its ability, regardless of the level he or she reaches, and that they "sit there for hours and hours" when it comes to mating plans.

Andrew and Jane Black's Chasemore Farm, near Cobham in Surrey, was founded in 2011 as a more commercial enterprise than it has been for the past few years and the farm duly received the Industry Merit award for its support of people and industry initiatives.

Cheveley Park's homebred Inspiral, a daughter of champion sire Frankel, added to her cabinet of prizes with the the Filly of Merit award. She won all four starts last term, including the Fillies' Mile, and contests the Falmouth Stakes on Friday having made a sensational winning reappearance in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The stud's managing director Chris Richardson, who had experienced a busy 24 hours with Cheveley Park hosting its stallion parade the night before and then consigning a draft at the Tattersalls July Sale earlier in the day, suggested the filly could be in line for a step up in trip after the July meeting. She holds entries in the Nassau Stakes and Juddmonte International, both over a mile and a quarter.

Winner of the TBA Silver Rose Bowl was former association chairperson Kirsten Rausing. A "marvellous year" in 2021 in her famous green and white colours included triple German Group 1 winner Alpinista, while Zaaki, another graduate of her Lanwades Stud, achieved a similar feat in Australia, among 112 winners in all.

Kirsten Rausing: won the TBA Silver Rose Bowl for Flat Breeder of the Year - though she is on course to perhaps do even better in 2022Credit: Edward Whitaker

Alpinista returned with a fine victory in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on Sunday, to keep her owner-breeder on course for an even better year, while continuing to make the hard work or her and her "marvellous team" of colleagues - 37 in Newmarket and nine in Ireland, many of whom have given 20-plus years' service - worthwhile. In collecting the award she described breeding as a "tremendous pleasure, passion, a lifetime's work".

Rausing has twice managed 115 winners in a year but pointed out the total in 2022 is already 59, a figure reached 13 days earlier than in previous record-breaking campaigns.

The Langham Cup for Small Breeder of the Year went to David Ward for the achievements of his July Cup winner Starman, just the second foal from his very first horse, Northern Star.

The Broodmare of the Year award went to Aghareed, an outstanding mare for the late Hamdan Al Maktoum for whom Baaeed and Hukum shined bright in 2021.

It was second time lucky for David Gardner in being honoured with the TBA Stud Employee Award, after being among the runners-up last year. Appropriately, the award is sponsored by Gardner’s employer, New England Stud in Newmarket, and Peter Stanley was on hand to present his deserving colleague with the accolade.

Frankel, Dubawi, Cable Bay, Ardad and Godolphin were also award winners on the night, their honours having already been announced as their awards were based on statistical performances during the 2021 Flat season.

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