'We were looking for horses to improve and sell on to the international market'

Bidding in the Tattersalls Online sale closes from midday on Tuesday, with Gleneagles' son Classical Wave, who has won twice and finished second in his other two runs this year, among the headline acts. He is being consigned by Highfield Bloodstock, run by Ellie Stirk and partner James Clutterbuck, who marks our card.

When and how did you become involved in bloodstock?

Ellie and I have worked within the industry since we were young and have gained a wealth of knowledge and experience from many influential figures along the way, which has proved invaluable to being able to set up our business.

It had always been our dream to start our own yard, and it was just a case of finding the perfect set-up and location to be able to begin providing our services to owners and trainers.

Tell us about Highfield Bloodstock. What was the plan behind it?

Highfield Bloodstock was formed back in 2017; we're a family-run business with myself and Ellie being hands-on in the day-to-day running of the business alongside our fantastic team of staff. Going into our fifth year, we specialise in pre-training, rest and rehabilitation and sales consignment, and are based in an ideal location just two miles outside Newmarket.

The business has gone from strength to strength, which has allowed us to expand over time. None of it would have been possible without such a great client base, so we must thank all our owners and trainers for their continuous support over the past year.

We're very lucky to have a strong client base internationally, pre-training for both Swedish and South African clients. We live on-site, which ensures extra checks on the horses can be made and any veterinary emergencies can be picked up and dealt with at any time day or night. We have great facilities and love to welcome owners to see their horses while in our care.

Communication with owners has also proved vital during the pandemic. Through emails and WhatsApp and social media platforms we've been able to provide videos, pictures and weekly reports to make them feel involved throughout.

Being a Juddmonte homebred and in fine form this year, Classical Wave looks likely to prove popular at the Tattersalls Online May Sale. Could you tell us more about him?

We were looking for horses to improve and to sell on to the international markets and Classical Wave looked the package, especially with such a strong pedigree. He is joint-owned by ourselves and Charlie Pigram.

Classical Wave (leading): three-parts brother to the Classic-placed Weekender is on offer at the Tattersalls Online May SaleCredit: Pool

With his first run in France being his best prior to us purchasing him, my theory was that the ability was there and that he just needed gelding and more time to mature, both mentally and physically. He's a nice stamp of a horse who will improve when stepped up in trip, and with his three-parts brother being the Classic-placed Weekender he is sure to stay.

Did you listen into the ultimately unsuccessful appeal hearing last week concerning his disqualification at Windsor, and in any case did you feel he was unlucky to lose the race on the day?

We were busy working while the appeal was taking place but liaised with Mr [Peter] Charalambous afterwards. I feel he was unlucky to have lost the race; we were present at Windsor that evening and did not agree with the result being revised, but that's racing and you have to take the rough with the smooth and accept you're not in control of the decisions made.

In our eyes he was the best horse on the day. There are more winning days ahead and he came out of the race very well, with the aim for Royal Ascot pending the sale. As far as the horse knows, he’s a three-time winner.

How have you found the build-up to this year's sales in comparison to last year?

With all the restrictions we've had to face over the past year I think Tattersalls have done an amazing job in keeping the sales alive; with great promotional skills applied they have still been able to bring in the custom, both nationally and internationally, to ensure sales are still strong.

What have you made of the online sales that Covid-19 has necessitated?

The online sales have been gratefully received by consignors as they have ensured stock can still be sold on. It's had a knock-on effect throughout the industry, from foals through to horses in training sales, and has allowed those in all forms of bloodstock to continue without a backlog of horses being left unsold.

What are your plans and ambitions for the future?

We love our job and will continue to focus on providing the highest quality of care to both horse and client over the coming years.

Our dream is to continue to expand and it would be great to work with new clients who may come along, while pre-training and buying and selling more winners is another focus for the future.

We hope to continue to broaden our client base we have on offer here at Highfield and are always happy to arrange meetings and show any prospective owner or trainers around our establishment. We're also active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for people from all over the world to follow our progress.

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