The makers of the popular BBC programme Country File could easily film a riveting episode just within the 700 acres of Nottinghamshire countryside that is Whatton Manor Stud. The farm is home to Longhorn cattle and rare breeds such as Wensleydale sheep and Suffolk Punch horses. But its main business is of course the breeding and rearing of thoroughbreds, something the Player family has done increasingly well in the 40 years since Peter Player inherited the farm from his aunt.
An inheritance of a plot of such rich land deep in the Vale of Belvoir can be regarded as fortunate, but it is one which has given rise to decades of work. Peter's son Ed is now at the forefront of the business and he speaks with reverence of the dedication his 80-year-old father has shown to the place for half his life.
“There were no horse paddocks at all when we first came here,” he says. “It was cattle or arable land completely, but the Vale of Belvoir is well known for being brilliant land and he thought he could make a go of it with horses. My father was managing Hadrian Stud for the Wells family and then they sold Hadrian and for the next 40 years, his lifetime's work has been building up this stud up from scratch. Initially, we started with no fences and now it's up to 700 acres of fenced land.”
He adds, “We're an hour from the Doncaster sales and around 40 minutes to Newmarket, so it works very well for us.”
It is the latter destination, and Tattersalls in particular, which will be occupying Player's thoughts and time over the next fortnight. At Book 1 this coming week Whatton Manor Stud offers its strongest draft to date.
The eight at Book 1 are consigned for a range of clients, including the Players' Nottinghamshire neighbours Fiona and Mick Denniff, who are selling an Invincible Spirit (Ire) half-brother to group winners Beat The Bank (GB) and Chil Chil (GB), as well as Andrew Stone of St Albans Bloodstock and Rabbah Bloodstock. For the last two named, Whatton Manor consigns three Dubawi (Ire) yearlings, including a half-brother to this year's G3 Solario S. winner Silver Knott (GB), a 725,000gns purchase by Godolphin from Stone and Whatton Manor at Book 1 in 2021.
Making the quick buck is always the wrong choice; we want to have a reputation for breeding good horses
“Over the years, we've not really had many in Book 1,” Player says. “We've had the odd ones in certain years, but we've been very much more a Book 2 draft. Luckily, we've got some very good clients who breed some very nice horses, which gives us the opportunity to sell these horses in Book 1. We've always aspired to do so but it's easier said than done. You've only got to look through the catalogue at the moment and it's lot after lot of beautiful pedigrees.”
He continues, “To have a nice draft this year is very exciting. I'm happy to work with any stock, and I get just as much fun out of a horse we've sold for £2,000 that wins five races, but as the quality of mares here has improved, we've been lucky and had a lot of good horses from the farm.”
One of those is a young stallion who will no doubt soon be represented by some of his stock at Whatton Manor Stud. David Ward's G1 July Cup winner Starman (GB) was bred at the farm, and the Tally-Ho Stud resident is reported to have been one of the busiest stallions in Ireland this year.
“David is such an enthusiast and he very much views his involvement as a team with myself, Ed Sackville and Ed Walker,” says Player. “We all have our part and if something good like Starman comes along he's very appreciative and thanks us all for each individual bit we've all done, whether it's Ed deciding on the matings, us looking after the horse for the first two years of his life, and then Ed Walker training him beautifully, or Brian O'Rourke breaking him in.”
He continues, “Starman was bred from David Ward's first broodmare, and was the second horse he ever bred. The first was Sunday Star (GB) who was stakes-placed seven times. When Starman won the July Cup, it was very emotional, a very special day for all of us.”
The aforementioned Silver Knott, who holds an entry for the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy later this month, is one of the most recent star graduates and has provided his Group 1-winning dam God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) with an excellent start to her broodmare career for Andrew Stone, who is also the owner-breeder of the G3 Chipchase S. winner Sense Of Duty (GB) (Showcasing {GB}).
“Again, Andrew is a hugely enthusiastic person loves his racing and puts a lot into the sport. He's had a very good year this year. Sense Of Duty was born here as well, and I know they really felt she was a Group 1 filly. She's had an issue but hopefully she can come back next year. Then to breed Silver Knott out of his pride and joy, God Given, was fantastic. We have a very nice Dubawi to offer from the mare [lot 504].”
Player admits to a few grey hairs emerging these last few years watching horses like God Given's Dubawi colt grow, but says, “The most important thing for us is that they go out in a big field and they learn to be proper horses. We don't mollycoddle them to make sure they're perfect sales horses.
“Occasionally, accidents happen and you try to do everything to stop those but being a racehorse is crucial. My father always said to me, 'Keep it as close to nature as possible, and if you have racehorses off the farm, the money will come.' Making the quick buck is always the wrong choice. We want to have a reputation for breeding good horses.”
That certainly has become a hallmark of Whatton Manor Stud, as has the eye for a good pinhook. This is not only something that Ed Player enjoys doing but also the eldest of his three sons, Freddie. Now 16, Freddie has been pinhooking with some notable success for several years now. He first dabbled in 2017 when buying a Dandy Man (Ire) filly foal for 7,000gns and selling her on for £24,000. Later known as Dr Simpson (Fr), she won the G3 Mercury S. at Dundalk. Another of the young Player's pinhooks was the listed winner and multiple group-placed Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), while his father, along with Ed Sackville, bought subsequent four-time international Group/Grade 1 winner State Of Rest (Ire) as a foal, as well as G2 Lowther S. winner Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).
Half the fun is making a judgement call: which stallions you like, which you think are going to be successful
“We get a huge amount of fun out of doing it,” says Player. “Obviously, the whole purpose of doing it is to try to make money, but when you have a horse like State Of Rest winning at Royal Ascot, that's a hugely exciting day. We bought him for 45,000 and sold him for 60,000, so he didn't make us much money, but the fun we've had has more than made up for it.”
He recalls, “He was a tall, good-moving horse that we struggled to get quite as much weight on as we wanted. We thought he was going to make a lot of money and things didn't quite work as we hoped, but he went to a great trainer and people have had great success out of him. It is a lovely story for people not buying horses for ridiculous sums of money.
“Half the fun is making a judgement call: which stallions you like, which you think are going to be successful. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong.”
It hasn't always been horses at the forefront of Player's mind. Though growing up at the stud with his sister Alice–who is married to Goffs auctioneer and breeder Nick Nugent–and encouraged to be hands-on from an early age by their father, Ed worked in the city for ten years before returning home.
“Growing up, it was all hands on deck as my father was working every hour of the day to make ends meet and trying to get a business going,” he says. “So we never sat at home and did our homework. We were always out in the field, and from an early age it was my love, but I like to think I was sensible enough not to go straight into it. I learned about business and accounts, got my city qualifications and had a lovely time, but that was a stopgap to always wanting to come back and being lucky enough to have a business that my father was building up.”
He continues, “It's very much been a family effort from all of us. My mother's been a huge part of it. Now Freddie's very involved and loves it. From an early age, he has been obsessed with the pedigrees, the breeding, the racing, the sales. The younger two, Archie and Harry, are getting more involved and enjoying it. That's half the fun for me, if we can do it as a family, and they all come feeding with me at weekends.”
The future of Whatton Manor Stud appears to be in good hands, then, and if you are wondering which rabbit Freddie Player will pull from the hat next then be sure to inspect his Magna Grecia (Ire) colt out of Occupation (Ire), who is part of Whatton Manor's 23-lot draft for Book 2.
Like many, Player expresses his amazement at how well the bloodstock industry came through the pandemic and continues to thrive.
“It was extraordinary,” he says. “I couldn't believe the market would be that strong, and I can't believe it's been this strong this year. Our industry has this amazing resilience and seems to come up with new people to buy horses.”
Though he has given the youngsters in his care as much of a head start as possible while spending their formative years in the sweeping paddocks of Whatton Manor, it is understandable that Player, like any consignor, has the odd nerve-jangle as sales times approaches.
“It concerns me how many more horses have got to be sold this year, despite it being so strong so far, but we try to keep our heads down and keep working away,” he says. “I think we've got a very good bunch that's going to sell for a range of prices, and I'd be astounded if there weren't some very good racehorses amongst them.”
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Here's Belmont Oaks winner McKulick as a yearling.