elwick stud
North star T
HE LANDSCAPE OF NORTHEAST England is shaped by industry, the shipyard cranes visible miles away from their dockside homes, the pristine blades of the elegant wind turbines scythe through the North Sea breeze, supplying modern factories with the electricity so cars roll off their assembly lines in their 1000s. The Durham and Tees Valley colleries that powered industry and revolutionised the world are no longer mined for their precious carbon, but a son of this landscape, hewn from its rock, is quietly determined to foment his own revolution in thoroughbred breeding. Geoff Turnbill MBE, whose foresight in designing and manufacturing technology to reduce emissions from lorry engines, has brought the same drive, passion and principles which brought him success in manufacturing engineering to establishing Elwick Stud, near Hartlepool. It is a farm he has built around the Grade 1 winner Mondialiste, both literally and metaphorically. Already, Elwick Stud finds itself on an accelerated journey, led by its passionate
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founder, whose belief in his horse and desire to show that his home, the place where his love for horses was kindled by the pit ponies his father cared for at the colliery where he worked, can be known for more than coal, cars and carbon; that geography is no barrier to success. Turnbull has proven that before with the growth of GT Group into a global business which still operates at the forefront of its field. Five years ago, the 300 acres of Durham countryside now occupied by Elwick Stud, was arable farmland. Now the sons and daughters of Mondialiste are nurtured and grown by this land and the first harvest is almost upon the team as Mondialiste’s debut crop of foals are prepared for the upcoming foal sales. Youngest son Nick is involved in the work of making Mondialiste into a successful stallion, and turning his father’s plans into reality. “It is a huge undertaking, but it is something Dad is passionate about, especially this horse, he’s the nub of this,” explains Turnbull Jnr. “Dad was always going to enforce the idea that ‘I will make
this horse’ and Mondialiste has had two really good years to start with. “We weren’t expecting the amount of mares that he got – he had 58 mares the first year and 68 this year and we’re hoping to go up again next year. Year three generally is the hardest for a stallion and it is more difficult in the north of England. You’re trying to persuade people to come up from Newmarket, there are extra costs there but the way we get around it is he is cheaper than he should be. “If he was standing in Newmarket or Ireland we think he would be £15,000 or £20,000; he is great value at £6,000,” says Turnbull candidly. Bred from one of the Wertheimer family’s deepest pedigrees, Mondialiste travelled the world winning the Grade 1 Arlington Million and Grade 1 Woodbine Invitational. He participated in Breeders’ Cup meetings resulting in a second place behind Tepin in the Turf Mile, and travelled on to Hong Kong, Santa Anita, Keeneland and France on a global jaunt that took the Turnbull family along for the adventure too. Turnbull’s connection to the horse is deeper than many stallion owners have for their prized breeding assets.
