Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary keen for bloodstock interests to take to the skies

Gigginstown supremo Michael O’Leary is on the hunt for a new stud manager as part of plans to boost the breeding arm of his thoroughbred empire - just a few weeks on from the news that he will be winding down his jumps string that numbers in excess of 200 horses.

O’Leary is looking to replace Paddy Fleming as the manager of the 200-acre Plantation Stud in Newmarket, with Fleming heading back to his native Ireland to take up the position of stud manager at Castlehyde - Coolmore’s National Hunt base in County Cork.

The Ryanair tycoon bought Plantation Stud from Dermot O’Rourke in 2014 and has subsequently invested heavily in renovating the historic site, which produced the likes of successful stallions Kris, Pursuit Of Love and emphatic Derby winner Slip Anchor during a golden era in the 1970s and 1980s.

Emphatic Derby hero Slip Anchor was a Plantation Stud productionCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

An American barn, machinery shed and a totally renovated fencing structure feature among the raft of updated facilities, with O’Leary confident that everything is in place at Plantation for the right person to hit the ground running.

“All the hard work has been done, the renovation has been completed and what we need now is someone to come in and take it to the next level,” he said.

“We have a good team here on the farm so what I really need is somebody to do what Paddy’s skill was, which was buying mares and selling the foals and yearlings. We have nine yearlings going to the sales and 20 to 24 going to the foal sales in the autumn, so it’s about to get busy again.

“I’m prepared to back the right individual, who will be ready to go to the sales and not be robbed blind by the shark-infested waters.

“It’s an amazing opportunity. There aren’t many places left here in Newmarket with 200 acres of land and this kind of history.”

Shock announcement

O’Leary, who shocked the racing world last month with the announcement he is to wind down his battalion of jumpers, sees the expansion of his breeding interests at Plantation Stud as a way of maintaining his involvement with thoroughbreds while his racehorse string declines.

He said: “A lot of people wondered what I was up to when I bought this place four or five years ago. The place is designed to stand stallions but I don’t want to stand stallions.

“I do, however, want to build up a very good band of mares here on the Flat, particularly now I’m running down the jumping interests over the next couple of years.

Michael O'Leary: 'renovation has been completed and what we need now is someone to come in and take it to the next level'Credit: Chris Bourchier

“I still want to have horses, so if I can’t have jumpers because it’s taking up too much time, then we’ll expand the breeding operation here in Plantation and at Gigginstown in Ireland."

Looking ahead to the future of Gigginstown, O’Leary added: “Gigginstown has not had a big breeding operation for the last ten years because, frankly, I’ve 100 jumping horses that come home for their summer holidays every year.

“As those numbers dwindle over the next four or five years, we’d like to replicate at Gigginstown what Paddy has built up successfully here at Plantation - a band of around 30 mares and run a commercially sustainable Flat breeding operation here and in Ireland.”

Commercial focus

Regarding the reasons behind his increasing interest in breeding for the Flat, O’Leary, a three-time Grand National-winning owner, said: “It’s absolutely commercial. I have no interest in Flat racing. I die a thousand deaths watching one-mile Flat handicaps, it doesn’t get me going at all.

“We’re up to 30 mares now and it’s a very exciting time, we didn’t want to rush in and buy a whole load of expensive mares for the sake of it.

“This year we have Showcasings and Bated Breaths, both of whom had a good week at Royal Ascot, as well as one or two Kodiacs in Ireland - it’s beginning to gather pace now.”

As well as the progeny of the aforementioned stallions, Plantation also lays claim to foals by Almanzor, Ribchester and Postponed, all of whom will be represented at the sales for the first time later this year.

The latter foal hails from the stud’s well-related mare Rue Cambon, herself an Exceed And Excel sister to Listed winner Royal Intervention, who ran creditably when fifth in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot last week.

Although O’Leary is pleased with Plantation’s initial success and again intends to add to his broodmare band this year, he remains level-headed regarding the extent to which his breeding interests will expand in the near future.

Evolution not revolution

He said: “I’m prepared to invest reasonable sums of money and we’re looking for another four or five nice broodmares this year, but I don’t want to try to conquer the world in two years, nor are we going to build something here that's going to rival Cheveley Park or Coolmore.

“I’m not trying to get there in a year or two, I’ve owned the place now for five years and we’ve had to spend the money, while building up the mares band reasonably judiciously.

Michael O'Leary at Plantation Stud with some of his broodmares and youngstockCredit: Chris Bourchier

“If you look at the people who have been buying our foals, they are some of the most eminent pinhookers in the business, and we hope to keep building on that. I see no reason why we can’t be delivering Group success here on the Flat.

“The extent of the success has meant that Coolmore have come poaching my manager - surely there’s no greater sign of success!”

Fleming, who first served as assistant stud manager at Gigginstown ten years ago before making the switch to Plantation shortly after it was purchased by O’Leary, was quick to reiterate the excellent foundations that await his successor.

“I’m leaving here with a heavy heart,” he said. “Michael and his wife Anita have been absolutely fantastic to me. He’s been an absolute dream to work for and has put my name out there.

“He’s put a massive investment into the place, he’s not here for the short term and he’s committed to the long haul. There’s every facility under the sun and there’s no excuse why you couldn’t produce top-class racehorses and sales horses here.

“The hard work is all done and the nucleus is here for a top-class stud farm. The pinhooker has to stay in business and so do we, that’s the aim of the game, so seeing the same clients coming back year after year is a great sign.”