Welcome back to another instalment of my Stallion Spotlight series and after a wonderful flight back from Australia, (Business Class is the only way to fly!) I am now closer to home and visiting the recently established Pumpkin Pastures, which is on the boundary line between Worcestershire and Herefordshire at the foot of the Malvern Hills,
Here comes Luke Griffiths, the owner of this stud. Morning Luke and thanks for letting me visit. Good morning to you too Nancy, and thank you for coming.
Luke, can you tell me a little bit about the stud and what the grounds consist of? Of course, whilst we may not be up there with the likes of Whisperwood etc we like it! The farm consists of a mixture of open hills and woodland, and there is a section of the gallops runs alongside a well maintained pumpkin patch that regularly throws up award winning produce (not to mention the contents of a very fine pie).
Mmm I can agree with the pie statement! Lets get down to the serious business of my visit – Success For All, your foundation stallion. Can you tell us all a little bit about him? Well he is by Affirmed Success out of All Along by Targowice and his race record was $1,706,000 from 39 races, with 8 wins and 13 places. Not the greatest of records but a solid performer on his day and he was a fantastic all rounder. His AR claimed he could run on any type of surface at any distance between 5 and 12 furlongs and this was proven to be the case during his career. There hasn’t been much quicker out of the gates than him in the game and he was remarkably consistent in his efforts on the track. I’m glad to see that that consistency has passed over into his breeding career (he has produced some very attractive AR’s). I’m not sure how much of his achievements are down to his tendency to nibble on the pumpkins that grow alongside our stables gallops (hmm magic pumpkins?). He is a steady horse to breed with, no flashy histrionics in the shed and just a good guy generally (again the pumpkins probably help!).
I cant blame his obsession for pumpkins, having tasted your home grown stuff! What is his fee this year. Success is standing for a fairly reasonable $5000 until his foals hit the track and start cleaning up and then I will feel obliged to up the price (greed, it’s a terrible thing.
How many mares did he cover last season? Just 4, with two homebreds and one each for Sunset Ranch and Whisperwood. He also got 3 colts from that and we managed to get the only filly so hopefully the line will continue.
If you had to recommend a type of mare for your stallion, what would it be, considering he seemed to not have a preference in his racing days. Ah ha! Here lies his greatest strength. His AR states that he “prefers” all surfaces except mud which is “ok”. He proved this during his career with equally strong performances on dirt and turf. His AR also states that he can run anywhere between 5 and 12 furlongs and he was very successful between 5 and 9 furlongs. Unfortunately I never tried him over 9 furlongs as he was producing results below that and at the time I was a stable in its first year and was mostly interested in gaining some wealth, rather than seeing the extent of my best horse’s ability. Anyhow, I believe that this versatility makes him a great prospect for a large number of mares. So pretty much any type of mare for any surface or distance! He isnt fussy!
As he seems to be a very versatile type of stallion and mares of all types will be flocking to him, what kind of offspring do you think will be running? Again, I believe he will produce a wide variety of distances and surfaces and if you’re lucky an all rounder like their Dad. I expect that his foals will be able to compete at the highest level as did Success For All.
If you had to compare your stallion to a real life stallion, who would it be and why? Hmm, that’s tough! I think I’m going to pass on that question for now!
What do you see the future of your stallion to be – staying with you and establishing your stud as a good supplier of horses, or maybe just standing him for a few seasons to see what type he throws. He is very much my flagship and foundation stallion. He got the results when I first started playing and established me financially in the game. He was the very first horse I picked from Endless Vista Stables and therefore the first into my stable. He will never be sold and I intend to fill my stalls with his progeny, and anyone else’s that are interested.
What more can I say than its been a pleasure and an honour Luke, to be your guest and I hope that Success For All has plenty of “success” with his progeny. My pleasure Nancy, and please let everyone know that I have plenty of spots left for him this season.
Well that’s the end of another wonderful visit to a valued member of the game. Next up it’s a triple header with the renowned stable of Port Pirie! Catch you all later!
Here comes Luke Griffiths, the owner of this stud. Morning Luke and thanks for letting me visit. Good morning to you too Nancy, and thank you for coming.
Luke, can you tell me a little bit about the stud and what the grounds consist of? Of course, whilst we may not be up there with the likes of Whisperwood etc we like it! The farm consists of a mixture of open hills and woodland, and there is a section of the gallops runs alongside a well maintained pumpkin patch that regularly throws up award winning produce (not to mention the contents of a very fine pie).
Mmm I can agree with the pie statement! Lets get down to the serious business of my visit – Success For All, your foundation stallion. Can you tell us all a little bit about him? Well he is by Affirmed Success out of All Along by Targowice and his race record was $1,706,000 from 39 races, with 8 wins and 13 places. Not the greatest of records but a solid performer on his day and he was a fantastic all rounder. His AR claimed he could run on any type of surface at any distance between 5 and 12 furlongs and this was proven to be the case during his career. There hasn’t been much quicker out of the gates than him in the game and he was remarkably consistent in his efforts on the track. I’m glad to see that that consistency has passed over into his breeding career (he has produced some very attractive AR’s). I’m not sure how much of his achievements are down to his tendency to nibble on the pumpkins that grow alongside our stables gallops (hmm magic pumpkins?). He is a steady horse to breed with, no flashy histrionics in the shed and just a good guy generally (again the pumpkins probably help!).
I cant blame his obsession for pumpkins, having tasted your home grown stuff! What is his fee this year. Success is standing for a fairly reasonable $5000 until his foals hit the track and start cleaning up and then I will feel obliged to up the price (greed, it’s a terrible thing.
How many mares did he cover last season? Just 4, with two homebreds and one each for Sunset Ranch and Whisperwood. He also got 3 colts from that and we managed to get the only filly so hopefully the line will continue.
If you had to recommend a type of mare for your stallion, what would it be, considering he seemed to not have a preference in his racing days. Ah ha! Here lies his greatest strength. His AR states that he “prefers” all surfaces except mud which is “ok”. He proved this during his career with equally strong performances on dirt and turf. His AR also states that he can run anywhere between 5 and 12 furlongs and he was very successful between 5 and 9 furlongs. Unfortunately I never tried him over 9 furlongs as he was producing results below that and at the time I was a stable in its first year and was mostly interested in gaining some wealth, rather than seeing the extent of my best horse’s ability. Anyhow, I believe that this versatility makes him a great prospect for a large number of mares. So pretty much any type of mare for any surface or distance! He isnt fussy!
As he seems to be a very versatile type of stallion and mares of all types will be flocking to him, what kind of offspring do you think will be running? Again, I believe he will produce a wide variety of distances and surfaces and if you’re lucky an all rounder like their Dad. I expect that his foals will be able to compete at the highest level as did Success For All.
If you had to compare your stallion to a real life stallion, who would it be and why? Hmm, that’s tough! I think I’m going to pass on that question for now!
What do you see the future of your stallion to be – staying with you and establishing your stud as a good supplier of horses, or maybe just standing him for a few seasons to see what type he throws. He is very much my flagship and foundation stallion. He got the results when I first started playing and established me financially in the game. He was the very first horse I picked from Endless Vista Stables and therefore the first into my stable. He will never be sold and I intend to fill my stalls with his progeny, and anyone else’s that are interested.
What more can I say than its been a pleasure and an honour Luke, to be your guest and I hope that Success For All has plenty of “success” with his progeny. My pleasure Nancy, and please let everyone know that I have plenty of spots left for him this season.
Well that’s the end of another wonderful visit to a valued member of the game. Next up it’s a triple header with the renowned stable of Port Pirie! Catch you all later!
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