In the Hot Seat: Sophie Buckley

[Wandering Eyes]

The owner of Culworth Grounds Farm, home of young stallion El Caballo (GB), takes time out to face the TDN question master.

You made the trip over for the Irish Stallion Trail. Where did you visit and what were your main takeouts from the trip?

It was actually the first time that I had done the stallion trail, but I happened to be going home to visit my parents and thought I could double up. It was a great experience overall and a great opportunity to be able to see the stallions and the studs. I didn't only get to see stallions but also a few tours of stallion paddocks, covering sheds and stallion boxes. Always good to get ideas to take home to Culworth Grounds!

Was there a surprise package of a stallion for you?

The standout from the new horses that I saw was Look De Vega (Fr) for me. I thought he was a classy looking horse with great movement, and it will be very interesting to see his stock.

How is your own boy, El Caballo, getting on?

We are delighted with how El Caballo has got on. He got a solid book of mares last season covering 100 mares. We were very excited to welcome our first foal by him this week. He has matured into a lovely looking stallion, and we got some great feedback from breeders that saw him parading during the December Sales. 

He's the first stallion you have stood at Culworth Grounds. How have you enjoyed that experience?

It has been a great experience standing a stallion. El Caballo himself is great in the covering shed so that has made things easy. I enjoy talking and meeting new people, so it has been fun talking to breeders and hearing about their mares. I also have a great team of partners in the horse who bring their different skills and opinions to the table so overall we hope that will all help on the journey to giving him the best chance of being a success. 

What were your highlights from 2024 and how did you find trade on the whole?

It might be boring to say but El Caballo was definitely a highlight of 2024. It is one thing thinking that you would like to stand a stallion 'one day' but it was a great thing actually making it happen. We also had the first year with our homebred racing syndicate 'No Fun Winning Alone'. We had some first-time-out syndicate members who enjoyed experiencing racehorse ownership and the experience of owning a winning racehorse.

What did you make of trade last year on the whole?

Trade this year at the top end of the market was very strong and the bottom was very tricky. In days gone by a nice model of a horse could still sell well but fashion has really taken over with sire power being very important. It is a shame really because good horses can come from anywhere. 

It was a good year in terms of winners produced by the stud. Who are you looking forward to seeing most this year?

We have had lots of winners on the track this year but the horse I am most looking forward to next year is Paborus (GB) (Recoletos {Fr}), trained by Ed Bethell. It looks like he will be targeted at black-type races. 

Hopes and ambitions for the year ahead?

In terms of hopes and ambitions for 2025, it is always to produce and breed nice horses and hopefully one day a champion. We are lucky to have a great team of people at Culworth Grounds and we will continue to invest in the farm and the team.

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