Tweenhills-bred horses hitting the heights

There has been plenty of reason to cheer at Tweenhills this year as we’ve watched horses born, raised and grazed on the farm flying the flag high on the international stage. 

After making his return back on British soil in the Gr.3 Craven Stakes, New Century went very close to winning his second Gr.1 in North America when a fast-finishing third in the American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs. 

Formerly trained by Andrew Balding, for whom he won the Gr.1 Summer Stakes in Canada as a 2yo, New Century is now with Brendan Walsh and promises to win more races at the highest level in the US. 

New Century is, of course, a son of Kameko and out of Potent Embrace. Their year-younger son sold for 1,000,000gns to Godolphin at the Tattersalls Book 2 Yearling Sale in 2024. It was a record price for a colt at the sale, and he was consigned by Tweenhills. 

Flight was the first homebred runner for David Howden and Nick Wheeler’s Cornthrop Bloodstock Limited – who house their select band of mares at Tweenhills – and she almost pulled off a fairytale success when a length second in the Gr.1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Flight had to do it the hard way too, racing with just two companions on the near side before ending up down the middle, succumbing only to unbeaten 2yo Gr.1 winner Desert Flower near the line. 

Flight has Gr.1 races like the Irish 1000 Guineas, Coronation Stakes and Prix Jean Prat as possibles over the coming months and she has long been the apple of many an eye at Tweenhills. Her dam Run Wild also ran in the Coronation, having romped away with the Listed Pretty Polly Stakes for owners Tweenhills Fillies & Meridian International. 

David Redvers bought the Champion Chilean mare Ruby Love at the Keeneland November Sale in 2021, carrying a colt by Gr.1 Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A. P. Born, raised and grazed at Tweenhills before his sale as a foal, he turned into Heart of Honor who won twice in Dubai over the winter. Runner-up in three Stakes races in Dubai since, he also ran in the Gr.1 Preakness Stakes over the weekend, one of the US Triple Crown races. 

Mgheera made her stable debut for Ed Walker a winning one in Gr.3 company when coming from off the pace to land the Prix des Saint-Georges at Longchamp under Oisin Murphy. 

She’s by Zoustar, who stood at Tweenhills, and out of Blue Aegean who was purchased by Corsend Farm (Tweenhills’ foaling unit) in 2016 so is a complete product of Tweenhills. 

Mgheera was bought for €250,000 last December by McKeever Bloodstock / William Johnson on behalf of Lord Lloyd Webber and Arthur Mitchell, and it already looks money well spent. She could return for another crack at the Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye in October, a race won by a Walker-trained mare last year in Makarova. 

Also trained by Ed Walker is 3yo Kameko filly American Gal, who won the Listed Prix des Lilas at Chantilly, taking her record to three wins from four starts. She is another product of Tweenhills and was bought for a bargain 25,000gns as a yearling by Dr Bridget Drew's Mildmay Bloodstock.

Buckaroo has been flying the Tweenhills flag for years, in Ireland, Britain and Australia. He won the Gr.2 Chelmsford and Gr.1 Underwood Stakes last September and was second in both the Gr.1 Turnbull and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup the following month. Buckaroo’s half-brother Kihavah – by former Tweenhills sire Harbour Watch – recorded his ninth career victory in the Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh in April.

On the 2yo front, impressive weekend winners Spinning Lizzie and Kamakameleon are both by Kameko and were born, raised and grazed at Tweenhills.