Remembering Captain Fred Barker: A Life Well Lived

[Wandering Eyes]

Captain Fred Barker, owner of the picturesque King Edward's Place Stud on the edge of the Downs near the Ridgeway, died recently at the age of 88.

Born into a world where hunting, racing and breeding were a way of life, horses were always at the core of Fred's being. He did just enough to survive his five years at Harrow and then spent several very happy years in the 11th Hussars, before taking over the running of King Edward's Place, which was once a discreet country retreat of Edward VII, as the name suggests, from his parents, 'Gar' and Nancy Barker in 1962, while in his mid 20s.

Ever the perfectionist, Fred worked hard to maintain the stud and with the help of his fellow former 11th Hussar, great friend and bloodstock agent, Johnnie Lewis, he spent a considerable amount of money on stallions, which he hoped would reinvigorate the stud and bring it the recognition it deserved.

Stallions like Klairon, Soleil, Manacle, Calpurnius, Prince De Gaulles, Quiet Fling and latterly Anfield, passed through the stallion yard at King Edward's Place. Manacle was the stud's most successful stallion. He sired Moorestyle – British Horse of the Year, European Horse of the Year and champion sprinter in 1980 – and was later sold to Australia.

Nick Angus Smith, a manager at King Edward's Place “a very long time ago”, remembers that Calpurnius was a particularly dangerous horse and tried to savage his lad many times. Johnnie Lewis swiftly had him sold to the West Indies, where he went on to be champion sire.

Quiet Fling sired Old Country, winner of six races, including the G1 Derby Italiano, G1 Premio Roma and G1 Prix Royal-Oak. He was out of a daughter of Klairon.

The last stallion to stand at the stud was Anfield, a three-time Group 3 winner in Ireland by Be My Guest and a half-brother to Group 1 winner North Stoke. His best horse was the very good German colt, Turfkonig, who won the G1 Grosser Mercedes-Benz Preis.

Sadly however, none of the stallions Fred stood at King Edward's Place proved a huge success, or provided the necessary financial return. By the late 1980s, disillusioned with the racing industry and facing increasing head winds, as bloodstock became more expensive and it became ever harder to acquire commercial stallion prospects, Fred made the difficult decision to sell King Edward's Place. Sold to Allied Dunbar, it sadly disappeared off the map as a stud farm.

“I was born in the house, so it was a very difficult decision to sell,” he said at the time.

It would be fair to say that to the wider equine community, Fred Barker was probably more renowned for his mastership of the Quorn and VWH hunts. His two stints as senior master of the Quorn were one of the longest in the hunt's history since the war. Always beautifully mounted and impeccably turned out, Fred was meticulous in planning his days, enjoyed excellent relations with his farmers and even had the respect of the anti-hunting brigade.

Fred and his second wife Penny subsequently went on to become successful masters of the VWH hunt, before in recent years switching their interest to three-day eventing. After initially having horses with Australian rider Paul Tapner, they more recently kept them with Tom McEwan, which notably resulted in team gold and individual silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics with their horse Toledo de Kerser.

Away from horses, Fred owned and operated the BEAS Helicopters company through the 1970s and loved his farming estate at Lushill, near Hannington, Wiltshire. Always one for an adventure, Fred memorably teamed up with Johnnie Lewis and another great friend and fellow 11th Hussar, David Dollar, to compete in the 1968 London to Sydney car rally, where despite not processing one iota of rally driving experience between them, they managed to win the amateur class and finish 18th of the 100 entries overall.

His eldest son Grant succinctly summed up his father at his recent funeral. He said, “Fred was prompt, precise and passionate. He also loved polo, power boats and parties, but most of all he loved beautiful things…and married two of them.”

Fred Barker died peacefully at his home near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, surrounded by his wife Penny, children and his dog, Charlie.

His was the epitome of a life well lived.

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