Mark Dobbin Ramps Up Racing and Breeding Interests with €10 Million Investment

[Wandering Eyes]

Mark Dobbin, the owner of high-class performers such as Ladies Church (GB) (Churchill {Ire}) and American Sonja (GB) (Tasleet {GB}), is set to significantly increase his involvement in the sport by investing €10 million in a redeveloped stud farm in County Kildare, the Irish Independent reported on Wednesday.

Dobbin and his wife, Kerry native Sonja Dobbin, are said to have submitted a business plan to Kildare County Council which states that the owners have paid out €3.5 million for the 110-acre Friarstown Stables and intend to spend another €7.5 million to €8 million “to develop the farm into a high class stud facility”.

The redevelopment is to include two new equine barns that will provide for 24 stable units in each, staff accommodation and a farm manager's house along with other elements.

The plan adds, “In summary, Mark Dobbin will have invested a total of up to €10m in the stud farm, its development and related equine operations by the time the stud is completed. Additional investment is likely to follow if the stud achieves its near-term objectives.”

The green and white-spotted silks of Dobbin, the founder and managing director of New York-based construction firm Highline Group, have become a familiar sight on Ireland's racecourses in recent years. The Johnny Murtagh-trained Ladies Church provided the owner with his most notable success to date when winning the G2 Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh in 2022, while American Sonja was a winner of last year's G3 Prix Allez France at Longchamp and later filled the runner-up spot in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville.

In total, Dobbin was represented by 10 different horses in Ireland in 2024, including four with Ger Lyons, three with Murtagh and another three with American Sonja's trainer Joseph O'Brien.

The application states that Dobbin has “ambitious plans to invest in and support Irish racing”, with the services of Gaelic Bloodstock being enlisted to assist in identifying and sourcing top-quality fillies.

“While Mark has been focused on racing horses, the plan for a sustainable breeding project has also been put in place in recent years,” it continues, with the primary source of income for the business set to come through “the breeding, raising and sale of high-quality bloodstock on behalf of its clients”.

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