Today’s blog is all about Kildare’s love for the sport and industry that
is horses. This is our 3rd Kildare Blog of the Series.
As a Hotel in Kildare and close to the top race courses in the
county, we take a special interest in the business.
Kildare has long been regarded as the finest location to bred
high-class bloodstock. Kildare has three major race courses in the county. The Curragh, Punchestown and NaasRace Course. All of
which are on our door step here at Killashee House Hotel. There are officially 98 studs in county Kildare. So if that doesn’t
scream “WE LOVE HORSES & EVERYTHING TO DO WITH THEM” nothing will! The stud farms local to ourselves at Killashee House Hotel is Irish
National Stud, Rathaskar Stud, Sally Mount Stud, Kennycourt Stud Farm,
Morristown Lattin Stud, Ragusa Stud & Kildangan Stud, plus many many more
but we could be
 |
| Gilltown Stud |
Sallymount Stud & Gilltown Stud are both owned by The Aga Khan. They are located in Brannockstown, Kilcullen,
Co. Kildare. Gilltown is home to the stallions; Dalakhani, Azamour & Sea
The Stars. Sea the Stars is a champion Irish Thoroughbred race horse. He has
won the 2,000 Guineas, the Eclipse Stakes, the Epsom Derby plus many more.
The Aga Khan’s Irish Studs are made up of four different properties:
Gilltown, Sallymount, Sheshoon and Ballyfair, formerly known as Brownstown.
Gilltown is the Aga Khan’s public stud, currently home to Azamour and
Dalakhani. Sallymount is adjoining Gilltown and houses the Aga Khan mares post
foaling. The Gilltown Stud and adjoining Sallymount Stud cover an area of
approximately 1500 acres in total. When the Aga Khan took over the studs from
his father, his inheritance included six farms in Ireland, two being Sallymount
and Gilltown. He then sold these two stud farms which he later bought back 18
years later. Gilltown and the adjoining Sallymount are surrounded by such an
amount of history as the two studs are sites of two ancient forts dating back
to Neolithic times (Gilltown) and Viking Times (Sallymount).
 |
| Sea The Stars |
A
new stallion barn was built recently and was designed to meet the demands of a
21st century breeding establishment. This Gilltown Stud was built in
a Georgian Style back in the 17th Century and is a typical Anglo
Irish Estate. Today
Gilltown and Sallymount are nature sanctuaries with a great variety of wildlife,
flowers and rare mature trees. The Aga Khan thinks of these properties as part
of Ireland's national heritage and a legacy for future generations.
Another
Brannockstown Stud is
Kennycourt StudFarm. This Stud Farm is owned by Eugene McDermott and is
spread across 550 acres. Eugene McDermott, the owner, expanded the stud and it
now has a Mile long Sand Gallop, 2 Horse Walkers, 3 Lunging rings and 5 horse
barns. It began as a National Hunt Stud and has now evolved into a fully operational stud for both flat and
national hunt horses. They breed and sell top quality horses.
Irish National Stud was
purchased from the Fay family in 1900 by Colonel William Hall Walker.
Hall Walker became the most successful breeder of the age, enjoying his finest
hour when King Edward VII led MINORU, born and raised at Tully, into Epsom's
winner's enclosure following a famous victory in the 1909 Derby.
In
1917 the farm and all its stock was gifted to the Crown and became The National
Stud under the leadership of Sir Henry Greer. The success continued with the
farm producing the winners of all five Classics. In 1942 SUN CHARIOT,
born and bred at Tully, earned herself an indelible place in racing history
when landing the fillies' Triple Crown - the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St. Leger
– for King George VI. Almost seven decades later, in May 2011, Her Majesty
Queen Elizabeth II came to the Irish National Stud to see for herself where the
winners of five Classics for her family were produced. Art Connoisseur, Big Bad
Bob, Lord Shanakill, Invincible Sprint, Dragon Pulse are the stallions at the
stud (to name just a few).
 |
| Kildangan Stud |
Kildangan Stud is located in Monasterevin, Co. Kildare and
covers approximately 1,500 acres. This stud is owned by the Kildangan Stud
Unlimited. Who also own Ragusa Stud
which is a 400 acre stud in Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare. This
stud was purchased in 1986 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who is the
UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum also owns Darley which is a global
thoroughbred breeding operation, which currently stands stallions in six
countries around the world. Its headquarters are at Dalham Hall Stud, located
within the historic home of racing, Newmarket.
 |
| Ragusa Stud Entrance |
The Kildangan stud is home to 9 thoroughbred stallions;
Shamardal and Cape Cross, along with the high promising young stallions Teofilo
and Iffraaj.
Rathaskar Stud is situated on 300 acres of land. At present we have
five resident stallions; We have three top quality descendants of the great
Danehill in Clodovil, Thousand Words and Fast Company. Their own addition to
the stud in 2013 was Born To Sea. This stud farm is linked with top class
thoroughbreds and heritage. Stallions have been
standing in Rathasker since 1984 starting with Red Sunset. The Stud is owned by
the Burns Family and we named one of our function rooms after the Rathaskar
Stud. I hope
you enjoyed reading this blog on Kildare and the Studs we have locally. Start
to follow the blog for more interesting topics about a wide variety of areas
& interests.
here all day if I was to go through them all.
