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Ever since the days of John Porter the yard at Kingsclere has echoed with the hoof beats of a steady stream of champions. From 1953 Peter Hastings- Bass trained the winners of numerous notable races including the Royal Hunt Cup, Stewards Cup and Cambridgeshire during his all too short career and upon his death in 1964 the licence was handed to his assistant Ian Balding. Under his guidance Kingsclere has been the home of top class racehorses that have thrilled crowds and slaughtered opponents all over Europe. Amongst the galaxy of stars that he has trained are familiar names such as:

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Mill Reef  

Widely recognised as one of the greatest thoroughbreds of the modern day, Mill Reef was bred and owned by Paul Mellon. Having arrived at Kingsclere in the winter of 1969 it was apparent even by the spring of the following year that this was colt of exceptional potential. His racecourse debut at Salisbury in May confirmed this promise as he won easily from the highly regarded Fireside Chat. Victory in the Coventry Stakes (Gr3) at Royal Ascot followed prior to suffering his one and only defeat as a two year old at the hands of My Swallow in the Prix Robert Papin (Gr2) at Maisons-Laffite in France. The Gimcrack Stakes (Gr2) at York was chosen as his next race and this famous event would soon tell connections whether or not Mill Reef was a true champion or just a flash in the pan. The little colt answered any questions by winning in truly startling fashion from a horse who was to become one of the leading sprinters the following year. After this performance there could be little doubt in anyone’s mind that Mill Reef was a truly exceptional racehorse. Facile wins in the Imperial Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1) saw Kingsclere once again with a serious classic candidate and Mill Reef was crowned the champion two year old of 1970.

The 1971 2,000 Guineas was as eagerly awaited as any Classic in recent years. Mill Reef had won his trial race The Greenham Stakes (Gr3) at Newbury in good style and was primed to gain revenge on My Swallow for that narrow defeat in France. Major Dick Hern also ran the unbeaten and highly regarded Brigadier Gerard and there was a fancied runner from the all conquering yard of Vincent O’Brien called Minsky. The race itself lived up to all expectations and whilst Mill Reef got the better of his duel with My Swallow up the middle of the Rowley Mile he could not match the well timed run of ‘The Brigadier’ and Joe Mercer racing up the stands rail. Whilst a huge disappointment at the time, the subsequent achievements of the first and second surely make this one of the finest renewals of the great race to be witnessed. Sadly and in spite of many efforts to stage a re-match, Mill Reef was denied the chance to try and gain revenge on a horse that is widely regarded as the greatest miler of the modern era.

Mill Reef went next to Epsom in an attempt to secure his own place in turf history by winning Derby Stakes (Gr1) at Epsom. With doubts about his ability to stay the mile and a half, Mill Reef although favourite was a reasonably generous 100/30 against; the last time that he would ever start at that sort of price! Quickening clear of Linden Tree inside the distance Mill Reef went on to win by a comfortable 3 lengths and put any pre race stamina doubts firmly to rest.

The Eclipse Stakes (Gr1) at Sandown provided a test against the older generation which he passed with flying colours by slamming the French champion Caro by four lengths. It was the same story in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth (Gr1); another facile victory saw Mill Reef being compared with the greats recent years such as Sea Bird and Nijinsky. However, if he were to truly warrant such comparisons then he would have to win the biggest all age contest of the year, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr1).

On the day not even the crack French filly Pistol Packer could live with the majestic Mill Reef and he was crowned the Champion Racehorse of Europe 1971. His ever sporting owner bucked the growing fashion of retiring champions to stud at the end of their three year old careers and the ‘little horse’ raced on in 1972.

Sadly however and inspite of winning two Group One races (including the Prix Ganay by ten lengths!), Mill Reef’s year was something of an anti climax. Plagued by both virus and injury which prevented any re match with Brigadier Gerard, the year ended in disaster when Mill Reef fractured a foreleg in a piece of work on the gallops at Kingsclere. Thankfully he was saved after a ten hour operation to insert three screws into the fetlock and was retired for stud duties to the National Stud in Newmarket. To this day the legacy of Mill Reef lives on as his name persists in many of the great pedigrees in Europe and beyond. Mill Reef was a truly great racehorse and became a giant influence in the thoroughbred world.

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Diamond Shoal

The extraordinary Crown Treasure was responsible two of the most successful racehorses of the early eighties with successive foalings. Unlike his full brother Glint of Gold it was not immediately apparent that Diamond Shoal had the talent to reach the top and although his two year old form was solid, it was far from spectacular. At three he showed improvement and ended up with some fine efforts in group company that included a third place behind Touching Wood in the St Leger (Gr1). In 1983 however Diamond Shoal came of age in a season that included three Group One wins and the title of Champion Older Horse of Europe. He kicked off the season with a spring healed win in the John Porter Stakes (Gr3) at Newbury, a poor effort in the Jockey Club Stakes meant a trip abroad in an attempt to plunder some valuable prizes and return to winning ways in the Gran Prix d’Evry (Gr2). Another tame performance at Epsom in the Coranation Cup was forgotten when he emphatically disposed of France’s elite in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (Gr1) and he also recorded another Group One win in Germany. Not unlike his brother, the major British prizes seemed to elude Diamond Shoal, but probably his finest hour came with his gallant second in the 1983 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) at Ascot. Ridden by Lester Piggot that day, Diamond Shoal put the best middle distant horses in Europe to the sword early in the straight and looked destined for glory but for the late surge of the great racemare Time Charter. Retirement to stud in Kentucky followed a seventh place behind All Along in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, but after several breeding seasons it was apparent that Diamond Shoal was a disappointment and he returned to stand at a stud in France.

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Dashing Blade

 Dashing Blade arrived at Kingsclere as a yearling in 1988. Owned and bred by Jeff Smith, it was not long before he was showing himself to be a colt of some potential on the gallops at home. However, Dashing Blade possessed a nervous disposition and had once galloped for three miles on the roads after he had deposited his work rider at the top of the gallops. He started his racing career by winning the Berkshire Stakes at Newbury and was an impressive winner of the Salisbury Champagne Stakes on his second appearance. Glorious Goodwood came next and a clash with the highly regarded Be My Chief who was trained by the all conquering Henry Cecil. Sadly nerves got the better of Dashing Blade and in a muck sweat before the race he failed to give his true showing in it and finished a well beaten third. Although ‘highly strung’, his attitude to racing was never in question and Group One success in Ireland followed when he put up a strong galloping performance to win the National Stakes at the Curragh. He rounded off a highly successful year by winning the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket. Although he never quite scaled the same heights as three year old he won the Prix Eugene Adam (Gr2) and the Gran Premio d’Italia (Gr1) in the 1990 season and would surely have continued at the top level had injury not put a premature end to his racing career. He has become one of the leading sires in Germany where he now stands at Stud.

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Lochangel

Other Group One winners trained at Kingsclere include the globetrotting pair King of Clubs and Gold and Ivory and top sprinter LOCHANGEL who won the 1998 Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

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Lochsong

The story of Lochsong reads more like a fiction novel than fact, such was the metamorphic change from uninspiring youngster, to being crowned “The Queen of Speed”. Lochsong arrived at Kingsclere at the end of her two year old career which she had spent with Lord John Fitzgerald in Newmarket. She had little to recommend her; she was backward, had horrible ankles and looked to be slow with it. The brief from her owner was to try and win a little race with the filly somehow, so that she could return to his Littleton Stud and join his expanding band of broodmares. At Redcar in October of 1991 Lochsong won her first race on her second start and although it was only a minor event, she had achieved what had been hoped for. An apprentice race at Newbury over seven furlongs followed as an after thought, but she also won this albeit by the narrowest of margins. Two wins from only three runs, was the statistic that encouraged Jeff Smith to send Lochsong back into training for another season. 1992 saw the filly turn into a mare and the transformation saw her win a unique hat trick of big sprint handicaps; The Stewards Cup, Portland and Ayr Gold Cups are steeped in history and for the first time ever all three were won by the same horse in the same year. She ended the year by finishing second at group level in the Diadem stakes (Gr3) at Ascot and the transformation was complete, from 70 rated mediocrity to a performer at the top level.

Lochsong once again raced on the following season and although performing well at group level in her first few starts, it was not until she was partnered for the first time by Frankie Dettori, that she showed the zest that was to become her trademark. A listed race win at Sandown was followed by Group 3 success at Goodwood and then an amazing reversal of the form book saw her run away with the premier 5 furlong sprint in England, the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr1) at York. The trailblazing style which seemed to suit her so well also meant that it was unlikely that she would be as effective over six furlongs as she was over the minimum distance. This point was somewhat proven in her next start the Vernons Sprint (Gr1) at Haydock and in spite of fading in the last furlong, Lochsong still managed to finish a highly creditable third. The main European sprint event of the autumn is the Prix de L’Abbaye at Longchamp and this provided the flying mare with the perfect opportunity to put her name forward for the title of the champion sprinter of 1992. Lochsong’s performance was nothing short of spectacular, leading from start to finish and drawing away to win by a long looking four lengths.

Not only was Lochsong awarded with the title of ‘Champion Sprinter’, but such was the magnitude of her performance in France that she was also crowned ‘Cartier Horse of the Year 1992’.

Lochsong had become increasingly headstrong during her career and any chance she had of getting the six furlongs in the July Cup (Gr1) was blown away when she all but bolted with Willie Carson on the way to the start. Re united with Frankie for the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr1) at York, Lochsong was a short priced favourite to repeat her previous year’s victory in the race. However, the demons struck again and she covered the first two furlongs of the canter down as quickly as she would in the race itself. Dropping away tamely from halfway, the exertions of her pre race antics had taken their toll and many experts were questioning whether Lochsong’s temperament would signal the end of a brilliant racing career.

Another stunning victory in the Prix de L’Abbaye (Gr1) at Longchamp put paid to this theory and the mare received a deafening reception on her return to an emotional winner’s enclosure. In spite of a lacklustre run in Breeder’s Cup Sprint (Gr1) at the end of the year, Lochsong ended her career on a high as she was voted the champion Sprinter for the second season running. She is now a broodmare at her owners stud in Hampshire but will long be remembered by all who saw her race.

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Gold and Ivory

By the end of his racing career Gold and Ivory had travelled not only the length and breadth of Britain, but had rattled up the air miles racing in France, Germany, Italy and Japan. A high class two year old in 1983, he had upset some well regarded sorts when accounting for both Trojan Fen and Rousillon in the Royal Lodge Stakes (Gr2) at Ascot in September. Having looked every inch a Derby prospect through the winter the handsome brown colt was somewhat of a disappointment as a three year old although he did race at the very top level throughout his career his three Group One victories all came in Europe and by the end of his career he had somewhat lost his form altogether. Gold and Ivory’s travels did not stop there though as he was shipped down under to carry out stud duties at Patrick Hogan’s Cambridge Stud in New Zealand.

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Robellino

ROBELLINO was another Kingsclere trained star for Ian Balding. A high class two year old career saw him win the Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot before making a name for himself as a top stallion. Amongst his best progeny is the classic winner Mister Baileys.

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Top Cees

Top Cees enjoyed a remarkable racing career by any standards.  The winner of two Chester Cups and a Coral Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival when trained by Lynda Ramsden. He was also at the centre of the infamous High Court trial when Jack and Lynda Ramsden successfully sued the Sporting Life for libellous allegations made after the horse's first Chester Cup victory in 1995. Top Cees joined the team at Kingsclere for the 1999 season and victory in an Ayr handicap was followed by an emotional victory in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket in October. Sadly his racing career was curtailed by a serious injury inflicted during the 2000 Chester Cup. He is now enjoying retirement in the paddocks at Kingsclere.

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Mrs Penny

Mrs Penny was the outstanding two year old filly of 1979 completing a unique hatrick of wins in the Cherry Hinton Stakes (Gr3), Lowther Stakes (Gr2) and the Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr1). Unlike many precocious juveniles Mrs Penny trained on to be an equally talented three year old, and she started her season by being placed in both the English 1,000 Guineas (Gr1) and the Irish One Thousand Guineas. Following those runs it was decided that it may be worth trying her at further and her wins the French Oaks (Gr1) at Chantilly and in the Prix Vermaille (Gr1) at Longchamp were among the best performances by a filly in the whole of 1980. Possibly her finest hour however, came in defeat when she ran the top class Ela Mana Mou to a length in a pulsating finish to the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) at Ascot. Although Mrs Penny remained in training as a four year old she twice performed well below her true form and was shipped back to continue her racing career in the United States. Despite having every opportunity Mrs Penny never really hit the heights as a broodmare but will be remembered with great affection by all who were associated with her during her time at Kingsclere.

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Selkirk

Although a group one winner and a dual champion, it could be argued that Selkirk was unlucky not to be recognised as one of the truly outstanding milers of the modern era. His racing career was plagued with hard luck stories, which arguably cost him at least two group one races. Bred by his owner George Strawbridge, Selkirk arrived at Kingsclere as a tall, gangly and unfurnished rig in the winter of 1988. It was not until September of the following year that he made his debut in a 5 runner listed race at Goodwood. The manner of his victory on his first start hinted at what was to follow but it was not until he had undergone an operation to remove a trapped testicle that Selkirk really fulfilled his potential on the racecourse. His second start at two and his first four races the following year were all of the same nature; the horse would travel well through the race, look dangerous at the furlong marker before faltering and fading. At seven furlongs, a mile or ten furlongs the result was the same, when Selkirk had to extend his stride, he couldn’t do it. It was the opinion of vet Simon Knapp that this could be being caused by pain from his un-descended testicle, which was pinching when Selkirk was asked to lengthen his stride. Consequently the offending testicle came out and the horse’s movement and performance was revolutionised. In his first run back he broke the course record at Kempton when winning the Heron Stakes decisively and his trainer, who had always held him in high regard bravely chose to run him in The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot against all of the very best milers in Europe. At Ascot in September the field for the big race was strong as any assembled for a mile race all season; through the wet and the drizzle, the large white face of Selkirk could be seen bearing down on the classic winning fillies Kooyonga and Shaddyid, by the winning post he had returned a handsome two length winner. Officially crowned the Champion Miler of 1991, Selkirk remained in training as a four year old and started off the campaign with a commanding performance in the Lockinge Stakes (Gr2) at Newbury. Having returned coughing from his next start in France, an enforced rest meant that Selkirk had a far from ideal preparation for the Sussex Stakes (Gr1) at the Glorious Goodwood meeting in August. In the event he put up a remarkable performance and in a titanic struggle with the wonderful Marling, Selkirk went down by a head. Connections felt that with a better preparation Selkirk would have held on to the narrow lead he had poached with fifty yards to run. Having won his prep race in good style, Selkirk was primed to become the first horse since the great Brigadier Gerard to win back to back runnings of the Queen Elizabeth II (Gr1). With his regular jockey Ray Cochrane suspended, the responsibility of riding the hot favourite at Ascot was handed to John Reid. It was a nightmare from start to finish for both horse and jockey; having run into all sorts of trouble, the pair had to settle for a very unlucky looking third. Following an exhibition of brilliance over 7 furlongs in the Challenge Stakes (Gr2) at Newmarket, Selkirk travelled to Florida for the Breeders Cup Mile at Gulfstream Park. However, the tight turning track and the very high humidity made life difficult for the long striding European challenger and in the circumstances Selkirk finished his career with a very creditable fifth behind the record breaking Lure. Carrying out his stallion duties from Kirsten Rausing’s Lanwades Stud in Newmarket, Selkirk is widely regarded as one of the leading British based sires of the current day.

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Silver Fling

  Silver Fling was one of the leading sprinters during the 1989 and 1990 flat seasons. Supremely consistent throughout her career, she won 7 and was placed in a further 11 of her 20 starts. As a three year old it was hoped that she may be a serious candidate for the One Thousand Guineas, before it became apparent that sprinting was her forte. That season she won the King George Stakes (Gr3) at Glorious Goodwood before finishing a gallant second in the Nunthorpe Stakes(Gr1) at York and again in the Vernons Sprint (Gr1) at Haydock. As a four year old Silver Fling started her campaign in great style when scoring in the Palace House Stakes (Gr3), but once again had to settle for second best at the top level in the Nunthorpe (Gr1). It was in the very last run of her career that her consistency at the top level was finally rewarded in the Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr1) at Longchamp. She had looked in an impossible position with a furlong to run, but under a fine ride from John Matthias she weaved through a wall of horses to collar the Canadian challenger Zadracata in the dying strides. Silver Fling now has proved to be a successful broodmare at her owner George Strawbridge’s stud in Pensylvania.

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Glint of Gold

Glint of Gold was one of the toughest and most consistent performers in a golden age of middle distant runners. During the early 1980’s racegoers were treated to a multitude of equine stars amongst them the names of Assert, Saddlers Wells, Stanerra, Rainbow Quest, Teenoso, Kalaglow, Time Charter, Ardross, and Shergar. Whilst Glint of Gold won an impressive six group one races in France, Germany and Italy; it was frustrating that he had to settle for the runner up spot in three and third place in the other of the four group one races that he contested in Britain. Glint of Gold began his racing career by winning a maiden race at Ascot and also won his third and final start of 1980, when scoring on his first trip abroad in the Gran Criterium(Gr1) in Milan. His three year old season started with a win in Epsom’s own Derby trial the Warren stakes. Further foreign travels followed as Glint of Gold was sent back to Italy to compete in the Derby Italiano (Gr1) a race that had until that year been confined to Italian bred horses. The result may have made the locals wish that the restriction still existed as John Matthias steered the odds on English raider to a facile two length win. The Epsom Derby (Gr1) came next and although no match for the record ten length winner Shergar, Glint of Gold still ran an admirable race to take second place having been all but knocked down shortly after the start. A summer campaign was devised that aimed at avoiding any repeat conflict with the awesome Shergar. In winning the Grand Prix Paris, Glint of Gold became the first English trained horse to do so since 1921; victory in France was followed by a win in the Great Voltiger stakes (Gr1) at York. Since the Derby, Shergar had won both the Irish Derby and The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) in bloodless fashion and was strongly fancied to do the same in the St. Leger (Gr1) at Doncaster. Glint of Gold and Bustomi were considered the only conceivable dangers to the great horse; but on the day it was Cut Above who caused the upset with Shergar failing to stay and tiring into fourth. Glint of Gold had now finished second in two classics and went on to record another foreign win in the very valuable Grosser Preis Von Europa (Gr1) in Cologne. As a four year old Glint of Gold again had to settle for the places when runner up in the Coronation Cup (Gr1) at Epsom and third place in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) at Ascot. However, he did manage to win two more Group One races on the continent before sadly being injured prior to a tilt at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Glint of Gold enjoyed mixed fortunes at stud before dying at a relatively young age; he has however managed to leave his mark as a reasonably successful sire of broodmares.

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Forest Flower

Forest Flower became a favourite of racegoers due her diminutive stature; but what she lacked in size she more than made up for in courage and ability. Standing at just 14 hands and 2 inches she had a job to see over the racecourse rails on her first start at Newbury in 1986. Ridden by Steve Cauthen she skipped clear of a useful field to win decisively and in so doing booked a trip to Ascot for the Queen Mary Stakes (Gr3). At the royal meeting Pat Eddery took over in the saddle and never had a moment of worry as the little filly won in exciting fashion yet again. The Cherry Hinton Stakes (Gr3) came next and it was the first time that Forest Flower met the highly talented filly Minstrella. In the race Forest Flower was made to work for the first time as she was pushed right to the line by her tall grey rival; the press at the time likened the two protagonists to David and Goliath, such were the physical differences between the two fillies. The next round came in Ireland in the Heinz 57 (Gr1) at Phoenix Park and it was Minstrella’s turn land the spoils in an epic duel that was one of the highlights of the flat racing season. Next stop for Forest Flower was the Mill Reef Stakes (Gr2) at Newbury and another victory there set up another clash with her old rival back at Newmarket in the Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr1). This turned out to be as controversial as it was decisive in deciding which horse would be crowned champion two year old filly of the year. Forest Flower won the race in good style by two lengths from Minstrella, but had to survive a lengthy steward’s enquiry after the race due to an incident in which she bumped her main opponent at the two furlong marker. Although the incident had in no way affected the result of the race, the ambiguity of the existing rules made it possible for a horse to be disqualified for interference of any nature. The connections of the second horse appealed against the decision of the local stewards, Portman Square hosted an enquiry involving lawyers and video replays run in slow motion over and over again. The deciding question was had Tony Ives, Forest Flower’s Jockey made sufficient moves to try and prevent his mount from bumping her rival. By the end of the enquiry the appeal panel had taken the opinion that although probably the moral winner Forest Flower’s jockey had been guilty of a riding offence that by strict definition of the rules required the horse to be disqualified and placed last. Thankfully for the future of racing the case was a catalyst in the abolishment of the rule that saw many worthy winners deprived of their prize through interference that had no bearing on the result of the race.

It was widely expected that the pony sized Forest Flower would not be nearly as good a three year old as she had been at two; and in a late spring she was slow to come to hand. Having missed all of the recognised trials she ended up missing The English Guineas as well. Plans were changed and she was re routed to take on Minstrella and ten others in the Irish One Thousand Guineas (Gr1) on the Curragh. The favourite on the day was Michael Stoute’s talented filly Milligram, who had finished second at Newmarket and went on to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr1) at the end of the year. However, it was “Flower Power” that emerged victorious in Ireland, with a typically gutsy performance and a sharp reminder to any who had doubted that she would train on, that this was no ordinary filly. Sadly she only ran one more race and ravaged by a serious virus Forest Flower never regained her true form and was retired in 1987. 

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Tagula

Tagula was one of the leading two year olds of his year and was also one of the first from the top drawer to be purchased at the Doncaster Yearling Sales. Unfashionably bred he was purchased for 38,000 gns by Emma Balding for Robert Hitchins, he showed promise on his racecourse debut at Newbury without ever landing a serious blow. Generally unconsidered on his next start at Newmarket, he made light of the soft ground and made his 16/1 pre race odds look a nonsense as he stormed clear of some well regarded rivals. A poor draw in the Coventry Stakes (Gr3) at Royal Ascot cost him dearly, but he still ran with credit to finish 4^th and made amends in his next start when winning the July Stakes (Gr3) back at Newmarket. A trip across the channel for his next start saw Tagula register the biggest success of his career when taking France’s premier two year old race the Prix Morny (Gr1) under Walter Swinburn. Third place behind Alhaarth in the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr1) rounded off a highly satisfactory season and Tagula went into the winter as an outside prospect for the classics. Although third in both the Greenham Stakes (Gr3), the French Guineas (Gr1) and the Prix de la Foret (Gr1), Tagula’s sole success in 1996 came in the Supreme Stakes (Gr3) and he finished his racing career with a luckless fourth in the Hong Kong Bowl at Sha Tin. Since then he has made a fine start to his career as a stallion at Ireland’s Rathbarry Stud.

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King of Clubs

King of Clubs was a fiery chesnut whose antics on the gallops at home provided a constant challenge to both his trainer and work riders. On the racecourse however, he proved to be the model of consistency and although he just fell short of the very top class in this country his courage and tenacity saw him win some major prizes on the continent. At two King of Clubs campaigned at a fairly modest level winning two and being placed in the other six of his eight juvenile starts. At three he progressed from handicap company to win two Group 2 races in Europe and during a golden period for the stable and particularly his owner, it was hoped that he may improve yet again at as a four year old. He started the 1985 season off in style with domestic victories in both the Doncaster Mile (L) and the Earl of Sefton Stakes (Gr3) before going on to register a brace of big Italian prizes namely the Premio Emilio Turati (Gr1) and the Premio Fredico Tessio (Gr2). King of Clubs also ran with great credit in the United States, finishing a fast closing forth in the Arlington Million (Gr1) in Chicago. He was retired to Airlie Stud at the end of the season but sadly failed to make any impact as a stallion.

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Crystal Spirit

The remarkable Crown Treasure dam of both Glint of Gold and Diamond Shoal was also the mother of top jumper CRYSTAL SPIRIT. A high class hurdler as a four year old he won the Bishops Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in 1994 before following up in the Sun Alliance Hurdle at the Festival meeting under Jimmy Frost.

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Trans Island

Trans Island is another son of the stallion Selkirk and developed into a top class miler. The winner of 7 races, he has been placed in a further 9 winning almost £300,000 in prizemoney. Victory in the Prix Rond-Point at Longchamp in the Autumn of 1999 was Trans Island's first Group 2 win, adding to a tally that saw him take Ireland's most valuable handicap and a Newbury Listed race, all in the space of six weeks. In 2000 he won the Diomed Stakes at Epsom and was also second in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. He is now standing as a stallion in Ireland.

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 Inevitably, given the scale of the estate, Kingsclere’s history has been a story of a succession of rich men as well as trainers.  The first of these was Sir Joseph Hawley, a colourful figure of the Victorian turf, who kept strict control of stable administration and the placing of horses, employing trainers largely as glorified stud grooms.  After running a very successful stable in converted farm buildings at nearby Cannons Heath for many years, with a young John Porter employed as his private trainer, Hawley built a new yard at Kingsclere in 1867.  It was considerably smaller than the present yard and the trainer’s status was reflected in the tiny cottage in which he was expected to live.

  In his autobiography he describes the process:  “I was very anxious that the architect should embody in his designs the ideas I had formed regarding the requirements of a racing stable; so when I was convalescent (Porter had been struck down with typhoid) I obtained a drawing board, T-square, pencil and paper and set to work to prepare some plans”.  Porter did an excellent job; more than a century later, the old yard works as well as ever.  It has lasting beauty that derives from being utterly functional; spacious airy boxes; excellent drainage and no slippery surfaces.  Such is the air of permanence and solidity about the place that it seems probable that it will still be working perfectly in another hundred years.

Another legacy from the nineteenth century are the superb gallops laid out by Porter on Watership Down.  His famous Derby gallop, a winding valley gallop cutting through the undulations of the Downs, out of sight of the ever present touts, survives today, albeit in slightly altered form.  This gallop that had served Porter so well with Ormonde, Blue Gown, St Blaise and Shotover continued to pay dividends as Sainfoin was prepared to win the 1890 Derby. The following year Porter sent out Common to win the 2,000 Guineas, The Derby and the St. Leger.

In 1899 a horse called Flying Fox emulated the Ormonde and Common by becoming John Porter’s third Triple Crown winner. The 2000 Guineas, Derby and and St Leger were not the only big races won by Kingsclere trained horses; The Eclipse, Jockey Club, Queen Anne, Prince of Wales and Nassau Stakes added to an impressive haul in memorable season.

La Roche won the 1900 Oaks for John Porter and whilst this was not his final big winner before his retirement in 1905 it was the last of his many classic winners in a career that must be recognised as one of the most remarkable of any generation.

Despite training 23 classic winners, such legendary horses as Ormonde and Flying Fox, for some of the most notable people in the land, including the Prince of Wales, Porter’s thoughts in retirement reveal the perennial insecurity of the trainer’s lot.  “Experience had proved to me that the emoluments I received as a trainer merely provided sufficient to live upon.  There was no surplus to put in the bank.  Any money I have saved has come to me in the form of presents from my patrons and as a result of fortunate speculations in bloodstock”.

 After the war, during which time American soldiers had been stationed in Park House, the former jump jockey Evan Williams took out a licence to train at Kingsclere.  Previously Williams had been secretary to Ivor Anthony at Wroughton, the stable Aubrey Hastings had made famous by training no less than four Grand National winners.  Hastings’ son Peter, after learning his trade under Ivor Anthony at Wroughton for six years, bought Kingsclere in the early 1950s and took out a license to train there in 1953 on Williams’s retirement.

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