'This is the start of something exciting' - Barton Stud looking to the future with new arrival Scorthy Champ

Barton Stud has been a mainstay among consignors in recent years and the operation is set to return to its roots with a stallion among the equine newcomers for 2026. 

That arrival is Group 1 winner Scorthy Champ, whose career highlight came with a defeat of Henri Matisse in the 2024 National Stakes at the Curragh.

The Bury St Edmunds stud was founded in 1921 by newspaper publisher Sir Edward Hulton and leased to the Aga Khan during the second world war. Resident sires included Tehran (sire of 1952 Derby winner Tulyar) and, briefly, Nasrullah before his immense stallion career in the US that produced, among many others, Never Bend, sire of Mill Reef. The stud was later acquired by the Fairhaven family of which the third Lord Fairhaven is most notable in racing circles as senior steward of the Jockey Club from 1985-89.

For 2026 there will be a new name to the stud's roll of honour and Scorthy Champ's connections hope he can follow in some illustrious hoofprints. 

On the decision to stand a stallion, managing director Tom Blain says: "Barton stood stallions about 35 to 40 years ago and it had a long list of stallions in the past. I've been at Barton for ten to 15 years and it's always been something I've wanted to do. We've built the business up over the last ten years and it's got to a point now where standing a stallion is the obvious next step.

"Scorthy Champ came up as a Group 1-winning two-year-old with a very good rating, by a very good stallion and with a very good pedigree. We jumped at the opportunity. We weren't desperate to stand any horse but we were happy to stand the right one."

The son of Mehmas was a high-class juvenile, befitting his sire's reputation as a leading source of precocity and speed. Trained by Joseph O'Brien for Rectory Road Holdings, Barry Fowler and Annemarie O'Brien, the chestnut won two of his three starts at two. 

Tom Blain: "we were happy to stand the right one"Credit: SARAH FARNSWORTH

He struck on his debut at Leopardstown that May by two lengths and followed a third to Henri Matisse in the Futurity Stakes with a defeat of that rival in the National Stakes. Coolmore's son of Wootton Bassett went on to land the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf that November and claimed Classic glory in this year's Poule d'Essai des Poulains.

On how the team managed to secure the three-year-old, Blain says: "We'd been following him all year as one of the best juveniles of 2024 and we inquired very early this year. Discussions started then. We didn't think we'd be able to afford him and then relatively recently it worked out we could, so we did a nice deal with the owners. Some of them have stayed in and we've got some new partners on board as well.

"We got the deal done about a couple of weeks ago."

As well as being by Tally-Ho Stud's stalwart Mehmas, Scorthy Champ is out of the New Approach mare Fidaaha, the dam of Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf runner-up Malavath, as well as Horris Hill Stakes scorer Knight. It is also the further family of this year's exciting Gordon Stakes winner Merchant, who looks set to return to action next year for William Haggas. 

Blain said: "He's a very good-looking horse with a good action and he's a good size. From our point of view it's important to stand a good two-year-old. Another exciting point is he's by Mehmas, a sire on the up, while he's got an excellent pedigree. He's a brother to a Group 2 winner and a Group 3 winner. 

"It's a fast family and one which has made a lot of money in the sales ring, which is important to commercial breeders. He ticked a lot of the boxes we were looking for. The opportunity was right and it felt the right thing to do."

Scorthy Champ receives a pat after his Group 1 win at the CurraghCredit: Patrick McCann

Scorthy Champ looks set to receive plenty of support from Barton Stud, alongside the other partners in ownership of the colt. As a Group 1-winning juvenile by Mehmas and from a strong distaff line, he looks likely to be highly popular at a fee of £8,500. 

Blain says: "We have 30 or 40 mares to send him ourselves, while the partners will have another 20 between them. We've a good number to get him off the ground, while we've also had a lot of phone calls and interest in the breeding rights and nominations. 

"We're looking forward to showing him to breeders as I think when people see him they'll be really excited."

The arrival of Scorthy Champ to Barton Stud could be the start of a new chapter, with Blain keen to expand the stallion roster in the immediate future. 

He says: "The morning he arrived the whole stud had a slightly different feel. Having a stallion in one of the old stallion boxes completely changed the feel and it's how a stud should be. We've got the size and the right people and facilities, it's not a big undertaking for us but it feels a natural step and is very exciting. 

"We would definitely want to stand more than one; it's something I'm very keen to be involved in. We've already got a list of horses for the following year and ones we're tracking. This is the start of something exciting and hopefully it's going to be a long-term thing."

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