ASCOT, UK–One person at Ascot on Friday had a broader smile than most as Günther Schmidt, the German breeder of Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), was not only able to collect his Royal Ascot winning breeder's trophy but is also travelling on to the Knavesmire to see the colt in action in the G2 Sky Bet York S. on Saturday.
“The timing is perfect,” said Schmidt, who was at Ascot with his wife Elke. “We've come straight here this morning from the Harwich ferry and then we are driving up to Yorkshire in our camper van this evening to see him run tomorrow, and it will be the first time we have seen one of his races in person.”
The owner of the transport company Taxi4Horses added modestly, “We are very small breeders compared to the other people here. This is our first black-type horse and so it is unbelievable.”
The couple board most of their mares in France at Haras des Rabodanges, though Claymore's dam Brit Wit (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) is currently in Germany at Gestut Zuiderhof after she was covered earlier this year by Gestut Etzean's freshman sire Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).
“Unfortunately we sold the mare but we have now got back involved with her in partnership,” said Schmidt, who credits Elke with selecting the 11-year-old mare, a daughter of the Ascot listed winner Brisk Breeze (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Having admired her pedigree they bought Brit Wit in foal for the first time to Lord Of England (Ger).
“We own her 2-year-old filly by Cloth Of Stars, who is in training with Andreas Wohler. I saw her yesterday; Andreas is a top-class trainer and he didn't say much but he said I should be confident. She looks like a racehorse but we will see. The mare also has a yearling by Amaron (GB) and a filly foal by Areion (Ger). She's very easy: she only needs to visit a stallion one time and she gets straight in foal.”
As every breeder knows, not all horses are easy. Schmidt, whose father became involved in racing and breeding in the 1950s, previously owned Gestut Friedrichsrhuh with Elke, and welcomed the first stallion to stand in Germany under the Darley banner when taking charge of the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden winner Morshdi (GB) (Slip Anchor {GB}). Sadly, his stud career didn't last for long.
“We started our own stud in 1992 and in 2002 we got Morshdi from Darley. We were really proud to stand him but he turned out to be infertile. So it was a big step up and then an even bigger fall,” Schmidt recalled.
Not long afterwards, when being disappointed in the service from a transporter taking one of his mares to Newmarket from Germany, Schmidt decided that this was an area of the breeding business that he could look after on his own.
“I bought a two-box and it started with word of mouth,” he said. “I expected to do 30,000 miles in the first year but I did almost 100,000 miles. Then we decided from 2006 to focus on the transport and to sell the farm and board our mares mostly in France.”
Taxi4Horses took off, and from one small two-box the company now has five large wagons on the road across Europe.
Schmidt admits, “I hadn't expected it to be so successful as it is now but horses are my passion. It is not my passion to be stuck in traffic but I get to meet people in all the different places in France and England and Ireland, and it is wonderful. I am more than happy with the Taxi4Horses business.”
The breeder is regularly updated by Claymore's trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam but so far he has only viewed the horse in action from afar.
“We had a party at home for Royal Ascot with 30 of our neighbours,” he recalled of Claymore's victory in the G3 Hampton Court S. “I think they thought they were going to have to take me to hospital because I went crazy when he won. But they are not horse people so I had to explain that winning at Royal Ascot was like winning the Football World Cup.”
He added, “Jane is fantastic, she keeps us in contact all the time on what's app and she really makes us feel like we are part of the team.
“And how about this: Claymore was bred by Germans, born in France, pinhooked by Irish people, trained by an Australian lady in England, owned by a lady from South Africa, and ridden by an English guy. It couldn't be more of an international story.”
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