Ireland's Ballymacoll Stud, whose graduates include such luminaries of the Turf as Pilsudski (Ire), Islington (Ire), Troy (GB), North Light (Ire) and Fiorente (Ire), will cease to operate under its current ownership by the end of the year, with a buyer for the historic Co. Meath farm being actively sought.
In the absence of a private offer, the stud, which has been owned by the Weinstock family since the early 1960s, could be put up for public auction while the horses will be likely be offered in a dispersal sale.
General Manager Peter Reynolds told the Irish Field, “I've been trying to sell the stud and horses as one lot, and there is still a little bit of time for that to happen. If we don't receive an acceptable offer for the farm by mid-February then we will have to consider public auction.”
He added, “We have about 50 horses to sell––some of them as yet unborn––and are likely to go the dispersal sale route with them. By the end of the year we will most likely be closed down. We just need to get things moving along now on behalf of the owners.”
Ballymacoll Stud was also the birthplace of Arkle (Ire), one of the greatest steeplechasers of all time, during the tenure of previous owner Dorothy Paget, a hugely successful owner-breeder whose best horses were the 1943 Derby winner Straight Deal (GB) and five-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Golden Miller (Ire).
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