Kenilworth House Stud Dual Purpose Breeding

Kenilworth House Stud Dual Purpose Breeding Flat & NH winners through proven families, smart mating plans and success across both racing codes.

Most breeding operations pick a lane — Flat or jumps. Kenilworth House Stud, tucked away in County Tipperary, has never really seen the point of that. And right now, they’re enjoying the kind of results that make sticking to your own philosophy feel very worthwhile indeed.

It’s not every week you get to celebrate a proper double — a winner over hurdles on Saturday and a smooth maiden success on the Flat two days later. For many studs, that would be a coincidence. For Kenilworth, it’s the whole blueprint.

Over jumps, Hold The Serve made it three on the bounce for Olly Murphy in a competitive handicap hurdle at Kempton Park Racecourse.

Then on Monday, Pendella broke her maiden in tidy style for Karl Burke at Wolverhampton Racecourse.

Two codes. Two trainers. Two very different types of horses—same Tipperary roots.

Not bad for a week’s work.

National Hunt Programme Highlights

If you’re breeding for jumps, you’d better pack your patience.

Kenilworth was founded in 1991 by Diana Vasicek and her late husband, Joerg. The model hasn’t changed much: around a dozen broodmares, split fairly evenly between Flat and National Hunt. It sounds simple on paper. In reality, breeding NH horses is a long game.

Kenilworth House Stud

As stud manager Gerry Ross puts it, you wait years to see the result — and in between, there are more ups and downs than most people realise.

Take Hold The Serve. A six-year-old by Jukebox Jury out of Bisoguet, a 21-year-old mare. That mating decision was made years ago. The foal was raised, prepped, sold, trained — and only now are the wins stacking up. That’s National Hunt breeding in a nutshell: faith first, reward later.

And when it clicks, it really clicks.

Flat Programme Highlights

On the Flat side, the rewards tend to come a little quicker.

Pendella is a three-year-old filly by Space Blues out of Majenta, a Listed-placed mare who has quietly become a proper producer. Pendella is already her fourth winner.

Before her came:

By All Means — a Chantilly Listed scorer later sold to America for €650,000
In These Shoes — a consistent performer
Pretty Sweet — another useful winner

Majenta traces back to What A Picture, bought as a yearling in Deauville in 2002. Slightly underwhelming on the track, outstanding at stud: sixteen foals, nine winners. That’s the sort of foundation every breeder hopes to find.

Deaville Racecourse Approach

Then there’s La Collina, a daughter of Strategic Prince, who won at the highest level for the Vasiceks when trained by Kevin Prendergast.

At stud she’s produced five winners, including Sardinian Warrior — a top-class miler who, on ratings, arguably deserves a Group 1 beside his name. After missing most of last season, there’s hope he’ll be back making noise in 2025/2026.

Foundation Families: The Bilboa Legacy

Ask around the yard and one name still lights up the place: Bilboa.

By Phantom Breeze, she produced one of the most emphatic performances seen at Anniversary Hurdle in 2001, storming clear by 21 lengths. In behind that day? A certain Azertyuiop, who would go on to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Bilboa was simply electric.

Foot-and-mouth disease wiped out the 2001 Cheltenham Festival, denying her a possible rematch in the Triumph Hurdle. We’ll never know what might have happened.

She passed away a few years ago, but her influence is still very much alive. Through daughters and granddaughters, her line has produced Impervious, a Cheltenham Festival heroine, along with a string of smart chasers. That’s the beauty of building a real family — it keeps giving long after the headlines fade.

Mating Approach: No Rush, No Noise

One thing that genuinely sets Kenilworth apart is how unhurried it all is.

While some operations are locking in nominations before the current foals have even stood up, Kenilworth prefers to wait. See what the mare produces. See how the stallion’s runners are shaping up. Adjust if necessary.

If you’ve bred a cracking foal by a certain sire, why overthink it? Go back if you can. If results suggest a shift is needed, pivot.

It’s old-school. It’s measured. And over three decades, it’s worked.

At the end of the day, the aim isn’t to win a catalogue page. It’s to produce a racehorse.

Frequently Asked Questions for the Kenilworth House Stud Dual Purpose Breeding Operation

Do you breed for Flat and National Hunt?

Yes — the stud operates a deliberately balanced dual-purpose model, with broodmares for both codes.

Do you sell foals, yearlings or stores?

Yes. The stud breeds and consigns across relevant Irish and UK sales.

Do you consign to UK and Irish sales?

Yes — depending on the individual, stock is prepared for appropriate commercial outlets.

Can I visit the stud?

Visits are welcome by appointment - see below

What should I include when enquiring?

Details about your mare or purchasing requirements, preferred code (Flat or NH), and timeframe are helpful starting points.

View Horses for Sale / Recent Consignments 2020

DAM SIRE

Yearlings

BAY FILLY ex BISOGUET SHANTOU

BAY FILLY ex ERINS STAGE FLEMENSFIRTH

3yr Olds

GREY FILLY ex BAMBOUZLE MARTALINE Mares (Click on mare for pedigree) CALI

Kenilworth Mares Breeding Stock

In Conclusion

There are bigger studs. Flashier ones. Operations with more mares and louder marketing than the Kenilworth House Stud Dual Purpose Breeding one.

But not many can say they produced a hat-trick scorer over hurdles and a promising Flat maiden winner in the same week — and have the depth of family behind both to suggest it’s no fluke.

Kenilworth House Stud can.

And if recent results are anything to go by, they’re only just getting warmed up.

Interested in working with Kenilworth House Stud?

👉 Contact the Stud

Contact Gerry Ross Tel: +353 (0) 52 6136288

Mobile: +353 (0)872775661

Email: info@kenilworthhousestud.com

Article based on reporting by Martin Stevens, Racing Post

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