Lloyd’s Life Through A Lens

It was hard to imagine that we'd ever be able to smuggle a photograph of the late, great singer/songwriter Nick Drake into the pages of TDN, but thanks to the multi-talented Julian Lloyd, we have been presented with the perfect excuse to do just that.

Lloyd, longtime manager of Staffordstown Stud in Ireland for Kirsten Rausing, retired at the end of last year, and his career in bloodstock was honoured with a Special Recognition Award at the recent ITBA Awards. Perhaps unbeknown to many in the horse world, however, is the fact that this was merely the third or even fourth chapter in the career of Lloyd, who started out working as a local newspaper photographer before moving to London to assist a fashion photographer in the ultra-hip days of the Kings Road in the 1960s. During that time he mixed with musicians and actors before turning his hand to racehorses and training. Those two worlds collided when he trained several winners for rock legend Eric Clapton, but Lloyd retained a love of photography and is about to unveil an exhibition of his work in London in May.

“I'm not a photographer, I'm a farmer with a camera, and this is just what I've accumulated,” says Lloyd modestly of a collection which includes portraits of various members of The Rolling Stones as well as the actor John Hurt. The accompanying portrait of the widely lauded Nick Drake, who died in 1974 at the age of just 26, has achieved iconic status, having been used on the cover of Drake's posthumous album Way To Blue. It was added to the collection of the National Portrait Gallery last year, and Lloyd's work has also featured on an album cover for Clapton's Derek and the Dominos.

“I bought my first camera when I was 15,” Lloyd reflects. “When I left school I worked for a newspaper in Berwick-upon-Tweed, then I went to  London and worked as an assistant to a fashion photographer in Chelsea, Bill King, doing a lot of work for Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, and that sort of stuff. During that time was when I was friends with Nick Drake. When I met my wife we moved to the country and I got interested in horses.”

He continues, “I stopped working at the end of last year and this has always been in the back of the mind. I have gradually been scanning and filing. There are other Nick Drake images that I've had all those years that have never been seen or printed.

“I have a friend who has a shop off the Portobello Road. It's all rather spur-of-the-moment stuff and we're just going to do a pop-up show. But it's not centred on celebrities or musicians, it's really just autobiographical and quite light-hearted. The photos of Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Marianne Faithfull and co. are really just incidental. The exhibition is a photographic diary in a way.”

Casting his mind back to the ITBA Awards in February, Lloyd, whose equine passion grew after a time living in a horse-drawn caravan, admits that he was honoured to be recognised by his peers in what has been his 'day job' for almost 50 years, with more than three decades spent at Staffordstown. 

“It was very touching. It came out of the blue and you could have knocked me over,” says Lloyd, who has recently moved to Shropshire.

“My time in Ireland means an enormous amount to me. I'm back in Britain now to be near the children but I was quite broken-hearted about leaving Ireland and I miss it very much. We went there initially for six months for me to do a season with Tim Rogers at Airlie [Stud] and it was 47 years before we left.”

In Swedish-born Kirsten Rausing, an avowed music fan, Lloyd had a kindred spirit in more ways than one. 

He says, “She always claims to have learnt English through Tattersalls catalogues and Bob Dylan lyrics.”

The exhibition Julian Lloyd Photographs 1963-2021 is at 2 Blenheim Crescent, London W11 1NN, and runs from May 11 to 21.

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Tony and Anne O’Callaghan Inducted To ITBA Hall Of Fame

The cream of Irish Thoroughbred breeding was recognised on Sunday night, with the headline act being Tally-Ho Stud's Tony and Anne O'Callaghan, who were inducted into the ITBA Hall of Fame.

Last year's ITBA National Breeding & Racing Awards provided one of the bloodstock social media events of lockdown, but after two years of virtual presentations, the prestigious awards ceremony returned to its rightful home of The Heritage hotel in Co Laois.

The O'Callaghans also took home one of the main Flat awards when being named the joint-winners of 2-year-old colt category with Ben Sangster. This was in recognition for breeding Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), winner of the 2021 G1 Middle Park S. and G1 Prix Morny and the co-top-rated Irish-bred juvenile colt along with the unbeaten Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who landed the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy after winning the G2 Beresford S.

Tally-Ho Stud, based in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, is currently home to seven stallions, among them the much respected Kodiac (GB), as well as Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB), who have been the leading first-season stallions of the last two years. A video produced by the ITBA to commemorate the induction included tributes from the O'Callaghans' two sons, Roger and Henry.

“They've worked hard to get here and everything they've got they've earned,” said Roger. “Mum did the night-watching for 25 years. She did all the foaling–mum did the nights and dad did the days.”

Henry also acknowledged his mother's role is the successful business. He said, “When it's a small operation everyone does everything. My mum was up during the night and when my dad got up she would give him a hand with the feeding. Even now, when we are watching the mares, she has an innate ability to predict when they are going to foal.”

In addition to Perfect Power, who was recognised with an award on the night and is himself by Ardad, a stallion bred by the O'Callaghans, the Tally-Ho team was also responsible last year for breeding the Group 1 winner Ebro River (Ire) by another of their stallions, Galileo Gold (GB). Further success came through the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 July S. winner Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), as well as Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who won the G1 Commonwealth Cup in addition to her 2020 victories in the G1 Prix Morny and G2 Queen Mary S.

Patrick Burns of Newlands House Stud was recognised with the ITBA Small Breeder Award, with his crowning glory of 2021 being the G1 Nuntorpe S. victory of Winter Power (Ire), a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (Ire) who stands at Rathasker Stud, owned by Burns's brother Maurice.

“Patrick is the epitome of a successful high-class small breeder,” said ITBA chairman Joe Foley. “From the small number of yearlings that he produces every year he seems to produce a really good horse from every crop. That success rate is really remarkable.”

Burns has never had more than six mares on his farm in Kildare, and recent graduates have included the G2 Lowther S. victrix Living In The Past (Ire), who is also a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle, as well as G2 Lanwades Stud S. winner Devonshire (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Listed winner Hurryupharriet (Ire) (Camacho {GB}).

Another hugely popular category is the Wild Geese Award, which honours Irishmen and women who have carved out successful careers in the bloodstock industry worldwide. Added to an impressive roll of honour this year are the names of Gabriel and Aisling Duignan. Based in Kentucky for more than 30 years, Gabriel 'Spider' Duignan is a founding partner of Paramount Sales, along with his fellow Irishman Pat Costello. Aisling Duignan, née Cross, is Coolmore's director of bloodstock at Ashford Stud.

Addressing the couple via the ITBA's video tribute, John Magnier said, “Spider, I knew you were clever from the time you were working and did so well for Tony Ryan, but when you got married to Aisling that confirmed how clever you were.”

He continued, “I remember Aisling from the time she was a kid really, leading out the mares in all kinds of weather and dressed up in this rain gear so you could hardly find her, but she always stood out and it's not a surprise to me that she has reached the heights that she has.

“She has been the utmost help to all of us. She keeps everybody on the straight and narrow and keeps everybody's morale up.”

The Special Recognition Award was presented to Julian Lloyd, a former trainer with rock star Eric Clapton among his owners, bloodstock agent, and, until his retirement last year, the manager of Kirsten Rausing's Staffordstown stud in Ireland. 

“I think he is defined by his enthusiasm for all matters racing and breeding, and also his professionalism, attention to detail, and great horsemanship in general,” said Rausing, who met Lloyd when they both worked for Captain Tim Rogers at Airlie Stud. 

“Julian, Paddy Moloney and I were the three that started up Staffordstown in early 1991, so Julian and I have been working and establishing Staffordstown with Paddy for exactly 30 years.”

The Grassick family's Newtown Stud and Tim Pabst received the award for breeding the top-rated Irish 2-year-old filly of 2021 in Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who is now owed by Katsumi Yoshida after selling for a million gns at the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale. 

In the 3-year-old filly division, the award was also shared, this time between the Gaffney family's Churchtown Horse Stud, breeders of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), and Tom Cooke's Thomastown Farm, which bred French-trained sprinter Suesa (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). Godolphin received the 3-year-old colt award for their Derby and King George winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Brothers Michael and Laurence Gleeson, young pinhookers based at Aughamore Stud in Co Westmeath, were recognised with the Next Generation Award. Among their early successes has been Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who was bought by the brothers as a foal for €12,500 and sold on for €28,000 to Johnny Murtagh, who trained her to win the G1 Matron S. 

ITBA Award winners for 2021

Small Breeder
Patrick Burns, Newlands House Stud

Special Recognition
Julian Lloyd

Next Generation
Michael and Laurence Gleeson

Novice Hurdler
Appreciate It
Breeder: Barmakin Ltd & South Lodge Stud

Novice Chaser
Shishkin
Breeder: C J & E B Bennett

Leading National Hunt Mare:
Colreevy
Breeder:  Niall Flynn

Hurdler
Flooring Porter
Breeder: Sean Murphy

Chaser
Minella Indo
Breeder: Mrs R H Lalor

2-Year-Old Filly
Flotus
Breeder Newtown Stud & T J Pabst

2 -Year-Old ColtJoint award
Luxembourg
Breeder: B V Sangster

Perfect Power
Breeder: Tally Ho Stud

3-Year-Old FillyJoint award
Alcohol Free
Breeder: Churchtown House Stud

Suesa
Breeder: Thomastown Farm Ltd

3-Year-Old Colt
Adayar
Breeder: Godolphin

Wild Geese
Gabriel and Aisling Duignan

Contribution to the industry
David Minton

Hall of Fame
Tony and Anne O'Callaghan

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