In the Wake of Wootton Bassett and Via Sistina

[Wandering Eyes]

Colin and Melba Bryce's Laundry Cottage Stud is home to 15 broodmares and, though the Hertfordshire operation could certainly be described as boutique, its paddocks have witnessed the formative years of two of the most talked-about horses of recent times.

Wootton Bassett (GB) was born there in 2008 and the Group 1-winning juvenile-turned-supersire now commands a stud fee of €300,000. A decade later came Via Sistina (Ire), a 5,000-guinea yearling who became a multi-millionaire on the track and was the top-rated mare in the world last year.

While Melba, who is very much in charge of the hands-on business at Laundry Cottage, kept her eye on a mare a fortnight past her foaling date, Colin took time to talk us through their matings plans for this year. We couldn't resist, however, a little reflection on those two star graduates.

“It's quite astonishing to us that we've managed to do that,” Bryce says. “And of course you have to say luck's probably a big part of it, but we do try in everything we do to turn the odds in our favour. We foal our own down, the foals are handled every day from the day they're born. We look after the land. We've got lovely chalk just on higher parts here. It's literally just under the surface, and I think it's good land and we keep it clean with sheep. And maybe that's just helped a little bit to make the luck, if we can put it that way.”

Recalling the young Via Sistina, who now has six Group 1 wins to her name in Ireland and Australia, he says, “She was, well, she looked interesting, let's put it that way, but she walked as though she was on air. She was this big boat of a thing, but boy did she just float along.

“Countless people have said to me, 'My goodness, you must be sorry you let her go for 5,000.' But we've sold some dreadful racehorses for huge amounts of money, and some really good ones for nothing. Who knows which ones are going to be the good ones and which ones are not? At the end of the day, you don't know.

“When I see Stephen and Rebecca Hillen, I always give them a pat on the back. They took the risk, they bought that yearling, and the yearling was owned with Coolmore and they didn't want her either. But Stephen stepped up and he maybe saw the walk, I don't know. He and Rebecca have done well and I'm delighted for them, because they're a nice couple.”

The Bryces bought Wootton Bassett's dam Balladonia (GB) (Primo Dominie {GB}) for 27,000gns back in 2003. Her only non-winner was the foal she was carrying at the time, but she went on to produce ten winners.

“Balladonia was a first-class producer at a high level. I had bought her with an Alhaarth foal at foot after she had been barren in her second year. I liked the profile: small black-type, and I thought there's bound to be something coming along somewhere with a Primo Dominie mare,” Bryce recalls.

“Anyway, we got her at a price we could afford and on she went. Wootton Bassett helped to make Iffraaj's career really; he was in his first season. The people who bought him were a syndicate in Scotland with Frank Brady who had raced Mister Hardy and Mister Laurel, both of whom were out of Balladonia. They had bought both of them from us and they bought Wootton Bassett because they had had success with the other two.”

 

Melba and Colin Bryce | Emma Berry

 

Unbeaten at two for Richard Fahey, Wootton Bassett ran in some lucrative sales races before landing the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Never quite recapturing that form as a three-year-old, he wasn't beaten far when fifth in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains but, with three more winless starts to his credit that year, he was bought by Haras d'Etreham, where he famously started his stud career at €6,000.

“All credit to Nicolas [de Chambure] for picking him up and for managing his career magnificently,” says Bryce. “I think had he gone somewhere else, he perhaps would not have had the chance to show himself in the light that he got a chance to show himself in. It's a great story really. It's nice to have been involved at the start.

“We used him many times, and we bought his first foal at Arqana, and we were very involved in trying to support him in whatever way we could. But when he was sold by Etreham, the shareholders had to accept that that was it. We retained a share and we were amply rewarded. But of course he then becomes at a price that's out of a normal man's pocket – or out of a Scottish Presbyterian man's pocket!”

To the potential stars of the future we turn, and Bryce says that they have cut back to nine mares, with several more owned in partnership. There are also four boarding mares at Laundry Cottage Stud.

“I think we'll probably cut back even a little more at the next set of sales,” he adds.

“Two of the mares we have in partnership and three of our own I think are probably above-average mares. So they're the ones that we're trying to cover as best we can really. With the others we will just cross our fingers and hope. Some of them are quite young, so we don't yet know if the rubber has hit the road in a positive or a negative fashion.”

Laundry Cottage Stud's matings for 2025

Redressed (GB), by Le Havre (Ire) ex Atone (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})

“We own her with three other partners and she's from the [Juddmonte] Midday (GB) family. She had her first foal on January 23, a Chaldean (GB) colt. He's a very nice colt indeed and we're very happy with him. The mare is a monster. She's a woman in a man's body so we have to find something a bit more delicate for her. As there are four of us involved, we've pushed the boat out and we're going to go to Too Darn Hot (GB).”

Rubira (Aus), by Lope De Vega (Ire) ex Duty Bound (Aus) (Ad Valorem {Aus})

“Again, there's four of us in the partnership for Rubira and she is in foal to Shaquille (GB), but is going to go back to New Bay (GB). Her first progeny, by New Bay, is Persica (Ire), who won the Doonside Cup last year, as is the second progeny, That's Amore, who won first time out at Newbury in October by six lengths, and looks to be a very good prospect. I believe she was purchased after the run by Lady Bamford. So, we're quite excited.”

Tippy Toes (GB), by Havana Gold (Ire) ex Mullein (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB})

“She is out of a mare that we had many years ago called Mullein, and we also had her mum Gypsy Moth. We sold Mullein as a yearling to Lady Rothes and she's done very well so when her two-year-old Tippy Toes came up on the market a few years ago, I bought her to get back into the family. She's had a nice Showcasing (GB) that sold well at the foal sales – her first foal. She is now in foal to Blue Point (Ire) and is going to go to Chaldean.”

 

Homebred Listed winner Snooze N You Lose | Racingfotos

 

Snooze N You Lose (Fr), by Ribchester (Ire) ex Wake Up Call (GB) (Noverre)

“She had a nice Lope De Vega foal that sold well in December and she is in foal to Baaeed (GB). She's going to Kameko, who we are a great believer in. I don't think he got especially good mares, but he really did very well with them, and I think his stock look as though they'll continue to improve. Snooze N You Lose was a [homebred] Listed winner and has been part of a nice producing family.”

Wake Up Call (GB), by Noverre ex Up And About (GB) (Barathea {Ire})

“Snooze N You Lose's mum is in foal to Nathaniel (Ire). We will rest this year. She's getting quite elderly [19] and I think we may even retire her.”

Brassica (Ire), by Australia (GB) ex Lasilia (Ire) (Acclamation {GB})

“A mare that we like very much – a young mare out of a very fast family. Brassica's first foal [recent maiden winner Cavolo Nero (GB)] is by Make Believe (GB). Highclere bought him for 55,000gns, and he went to James Ferguson. James told us at the December sales that he would win his first race and he was right. I think he's a very nice horse.

“We have a Havana Grey (GB), a yearling now, at home, and I was battered into submission by my son-in-law [Alex Elliott] and, in an un-Scottish Presbyterian way, I've gritted my teeth and we're going to Zarak (Fr). I've never spent that amount of money on a cover and I'm terrified.

“I'm a cheapskate compared to Alex and he's forever cajoling me: 'We need a new barn, we need a new fence here.' I'm quite happy just to keep my hands in my pockets but anyway, he won that one.”

Way To Amarillo (Fr), by Shalaa (Ire) ex Peinted Song (Unbridled's Song)

“This is another mare we have in partnership and we also gave a quarter of her to the ladies who help us here. She is in foal to Showcasing and very fortunately we managed to get a Study of Man (Ire) cover for her.

“We went to see Study Of Man at Lanwades last week and I said to Sue Vary, 'Can you put me on the list for 2026, please?' And she said, 'Well, you're already about number 20.'”

Qatar Queen (Ire), by Kodiac (GB) ex Alina (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})

“She's a half-sister to Barney Roy (Ire) and her first foal won in France last year. We have a really nice Harry Angel (Ire) in the field, probably our best yearling, and she's back in foal to Harry Angel, then we're going to send her across to Minzaal (Ire). Minzaal is probably the best-priced sire bar none this year in our view.”

Special Purpose (Ire), by Scat Daddy ex Pussycat Lips (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire})

“She is in foal to Mostahdaf (Ire) and is going to go to Vandeek (GB). We were offered a share in Vandeek by Chris Richardson, which we've taken up, and they're giving you one cover this year and then two covers for the next three years. So, seven covers for £50,000 we thought was not bad for a nice son of Havana Grey with some scope and size. There was a palpable excitement about him at Cheveley Park when we went up to see him.”

Do Re Mi Fa Sol (Fr), by Wootton Bassett ex Maitresse (Fr) (Singspiel {Ire})

“She's a nice black-type mare. Her first foal [Merlin's Melody] went to Australia and won down there. She is in foal to Chaldean and she'll go Mohaather (GB), another one who we believe in.”

Unnatural, by Proud Citizen ex Sahara Star (GB) (Green Desert)

“A half-sister to Land Of Dreams (GB), the dam of Dream Ahead, she's bred a few winners but nothing with black type yet. She's going to go to Bradsell (GB).”

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