"It has all changed. The days of standing a sire for the Irish sport horse industry may be in the past.”

So says Norman Allen of Knockrath Stud, Co Meath, where a number of great stallions have previously stood. It is not just with resignation that he says this, but also with sadness as both he and his father, Victor, before him have been stallion men all their lives.

Victor Allen first stood good thoroughbred sires like Windytor at Metcalf Park, Enfield, before acquiring Knockrath near ancient Loughcrew between Kells and Oldcastle. There he had the great Ideal Water who produced world class eventers for Patricia Nicholson.

Carrying on the tradition

During his time in charge, Norman has stood the likes of Eddie Macken’s Carrols Flight, along with The Freak and Zero Watt – a dual winner of the Croker Cup at the Dublin Horse Show. When the winds of change toward Continental bloodlines blew Ireland’s way Allen changed with them. He then stood Porche of Trevor Coyle fame, and James Kernan’s Touchdown. He is proud to say that at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics both Paul Darragh’s Killilea by Ideal Water and Touchdown himself were on the Irish team together. Norman still stands Touchdown’s son Cara Touche that Conor Swail, Conan Wright and his own daughter Kelly jumped up to 1.50m Grand Prix level. However, he admits that Touche may be the last stallion at Knockrath.

The best of bloodlines

Noting that Irish sport horse breeders are now just a phone call or a text away from access to the world’s top performance stallions, Allen says: “To be competitive you need to have a five star stallion. To buy one would be beyond most of our pockets and even to lease demands a lot of money – plus 50% of the fees.”

He quotes the prices for AI from top Continentals – Kannan at €2,500 and Casall at €4,000. Big Star and Coronet Obolensky are available at €1,000 per straw, but if the mare does not go in foal it is €1,000 again for another straw. Recalling the old adage about the silk purse out of a sow’s ear, Allen notes: “At these prices you have to have a good mare with form that is well related.”

On standing thoroughbreds, Allen echoes what other stud owners have noted in this paper: “To buy the right one would cost €30,000 to €50,000 and it would not pay.”

No wonder then that he sees the end of the road for the old ways of doing things. But on a positive note he says that good prices are being achieved for the right foal by the right sire out of a good mare.