Tappenden hits the ground running as new General Manager at Cambridge Stud

Cover image courtesy of Cambridge Stud

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He mixed in all the right circles.

Ben Tappenden has embraced the opportunity to return home as General Manager of Cambridge Stud and is quickly re-immersing himself in the New Zealand thoroughbred industry ahead of the new season.

“It’s been a big start, coming into this role. Lots to learn, plenty to sort out, staff to get to know, and the season is just around the corner," Tappenden said.

“There have been a lot of conversations pressed into a few weeks, that’s for sure. But I am very happy to be here and looking forward to it.”

Early beginnings at Curraghmore

Though not always surrounded by horses from a young age, Tappenden spent plenty of time around animals and pasture, always sensing he might head in that direction later in life.

“I worked on a dry-stock farm when I was younger and spent time on dairy farms during my school holidays,” he said.

“My grandfather was a bookie in England, so I always had a little bit of an idea on the horses, and he impacted me big time with that.

“I was a bit lost on what to do job wise and then I saw that Gordon Cunningham had a job ad for Curraghmore Stud in the local newspaper. I ended up having an interview with him in the office above his barn.

“We chatted away about sports, and both had a passion for football, and pretty much Gordon said, ‘When do you want to start?’ I think I started the next day.”

Gordon Cunningham is a highly respected figure within the New Zealand breeding industry, known for nurturing and educating young people. Tappenden proved to be no exception.

“I started work at Curraghmore with Gordon (Cunningham) as a pretty green 17-year-old. I’m fortunate that he took me under his wing and spent a significant amount of time on me as I needed it.” Tappenden reflected.

“I have a lot of fond memories. Gordon instilled many important values in me, like work ethic and drive for what you do. He influenced my work ethic and standards from that early stage.

“I owe him a lot, the time he spent with me, and the learning I received helped set me up. Even when I wanted to go overseas a couple of years later, he also organised for me to work at Coolmore Ireland, which was a great opportunity. I have to thank him a lot for that also, to be provided that opportunity so young was a big help.”

Coolmore and life overseas

Tappenden then set off overseas, gaining invaluable experience working with some of the best bloodstock in the world at Coolmore Ireland.

“I had an incredible time at Coolmore, the calibre of horses I got to work with was outstanding. I was able to spend a lot of time with the stallions. I even travelled to Australia with Galileo the first time he went there, which was a great experience.”

When asked about his favourite stallions to work with, one stood out in particular.

“I loved working with Choisir. It was awesome when he did the double at Royal Ascot and really led the way for Australians targeting Royal Ascot. He had such strength, presence and character. I ended up doing three years, and four breeding seasons with him, travelling back and forth.

“Another one I got to work with was Spartacus. He actually opened up the connection with Oaks Stud as he shuttled there, so he was pretty important in terms of how my working life turned out.

“Going overseas was very beneficial, it gave me a solid base, built my knowledge and was a lot of fun. I was also lucky enough to spend some time at Mount Coote Stud with Alan and Luke Lillingston, and at Cheveley Stud in Newmarket.”

Back to New Zealand and The Oaks

Returning to New Zealand was the next step, and for Tappenden, it was his earlier connection with Spartacus (Ire) - the Coolmore shuttling son of Danehill (USA) that helped plant the seed for his move to The Oaks Stud.

“Through the connection with Spartacus I heard that there was a stallion manager position at The Oaks Stud, and I thought that was a great opportunity.

“I ended up spending ten years at The Oaks Stud. I started off as stallion manager but quickly moved into farm manager. Rick (Williams) took a big gamble on me, as I was only a 22-year-old at the time, and very young to be taking on such a role, but he had the faith in me and I’m very grateful that he did.

“When I first arrived at The Oaks, they were having a great time. Seachange was racing extremely well, and Darci Brahma who ended up standing at The Oaks was racing too. By the time I became farm manager, both had retired, so that was exciting.”

“At the time, aside from standing Darci Brahma, The Oaks was shuttling stallions like Spartacus, Bachelor Duke and Traditionally, so it was a big, busy stud.

“It was a really big ten years, and a huge learning experience for me. It exposed me to what it means to communicate, to manage a team, clients, and the pressure of busy breeding seasons. I was right amongst it. It was a big, big time for me. I got there, and in the end, I developed as a person considerably.”

A key part of getting through that chapter, Tappenden says, was the support of his wife Naomi.

“A big help in getting me through that was my wife Naomi. I met her at Curraghmore, so we’ve been through the whole journey together. She really has been my right-hand person throughout, especially taking on a management role at only 23 years of age.

"She’s been like my personal assistant from a young age. We make a really good team and, with the scale of that job, I really needed that help. She has been my rock throughout, and at the same time, raising our three children.”

Whitsbury Manor Stud: The next big move

After a decade at The Oaks Stud, it was time for a new challenge. That challenge came in the form of a return overseas, this time to Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire, England.

“I hadn’t planned on going to Whitsbury, but I did want a new challenge. Ed Harper had spent a year with Sakhee’s Secret at The Oaks Stud, and he gave me a call and said would I come and be stud manager at Whitsbury Farm Stud, as he had taken the reins off his father (Chris Harper).

“After thinking about it with my wife Naomi, we thought the timing was right with our young family. We wanted to do it together. I also had family in the UK and wanted my kids to meet my grandparents over there.”

It wasn't just the family side that appealed to Tappenden, it was a time of progression and change at Whitsbury Manor Stud and he liked the sound of it.

“Work-wise, it sounded exciting. Ed was looking to upscale a bit and invest, and put simply, I was keen to be involved.

“The stars kind of aligned. We loved it there and spent a great eight years. The kids had a great education at a nice local school, and it was a great team. We had some great success, Havana Grey, securing him and seeing him dominate with his 2-year-olds, and Showcasing also being a very successful stallion.

“We invested a lot, introducing new broodmares and upgrading infrastructure.

“Ed is a very clever businessman and has a very creative mind. He has helped me out significantly and assisted in building me up to this new role at Cambridge.”

A special connection: Chaldean

One of the most meaningful full-circle moments for Tappenden in his new role at Cambridge Stud comes in the form of one very special stallion: Chaldean (GB).

The son of Frankel (GB) was an outstanding juvenile, winning the G1 Dewhurst Stakes, G2 Champagne Stakes, and G3 Acomb Stakes among his four wins as a 2-year-old. He then trained on to win the G1 Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket and placed behind fellow New Zealand shuttle stallion Paddington (GB) in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.

“He was a special horse, we bred and foaled him at Whitsbury. Five years on, to now be at a farm that is standing him is pretty cool. I’ve done full circle with him,” Tappenden said.

“I loved his foals over in the United Kingdom, they are really nice types. I think the breeders here will love them.

“I’ve probably seen 20 or 30 of them, either on farms or in the breeding shed, and they are really nice types. It’s quite a unique scenario, he’s a new sire in New Zealand and hasn’t had foals here yet, but I’ve seen them in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s funny how it’s all worked out, but I really liked his foals there and would expect the same here.”

It is clear that the young stallion holds a very personal connection with Tappenden and Whitsbury

“He’s also a very special horse to me, and it’s great that we’ve kind of gone full circle together. He was born on May 10, the same birthday as my grandfather.

“It was very unique for a foal born then to go pretty much straight to the foal sales, he was a very confident foal, and then to sell for 550,000 guineas (AU$1.19 million) to Juddmonte at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and go on to become a dual Group 1 winner and stallion, has been huge for Whitsbury Manor Stud.

“Chaldean represents a lifetime of work for Chris Harper. To get a mare of the right calibre to first of all go to Frankel was big for the farm, and it’s developed from there.”

The need to support smaller breeders

The diminishing number of small breeders is a serious challenge facing the thoroughbred industry, and Tappenden is acutely aware of the pressure many are under and it is one thing he would really like to focus in on as part of his new role at Cambridge Stud.

“We have to help breeders, and small breeders specifically. There needs to be an effort to keep things sustainable and to keep things at a profitable level,” he said.

“There are a lot leaving the game, and there are a lot of initiatives out there, but we do need to stay creative.

“The team at Cambridge Stud are very approachable, and are doing a very good job around looking after breeders, and that is super important. We need to be doing what we can to help keep breeders happy and staying in the game.”

A new chapter at Cambridge Stud

Tappenden may have only arrived back in the country only a matter of weeks ago, and only just officially started in his new role, still he’s already excited about the ambition of the stud.

“It’s a great opportunity to work at Cambridge Stud for Brendan and Jo Lindsay. Ideally, I would have had a bit more time before the season, but changing hemispheres is tricky. I wanted to finish the season properly at Whitsbury before coming over,” he explained.

Despite the tight turnaround, he’s hit the ground running.

“Over the last couple of months I’ve been on all the management Zoom calls and involved in the day-to-day running of the farm, which has helped with the transition. I’ve officially been working here for just over a week, but it feels like a month, which is a great thing.”

It hasn’t taken long for the scale and attention to detail at Cambridge Stud to leave an impression.

“The stud is incredible. The infrastructure is first-class. They’ve done an amazing job, and it’s been carefully designed. The barns show such attention to detail and everything is built to a very high standard.”

He’s equally impressed by the depth of the broodmare band and the quality of the stallion roster.

“It’s an exciting stallion roster, an incredible broodmare band that is very commercial, you can see that some very good decisions have been made. Everything to do with the farm and the selection of bloodstock has been very well thought out.”

Tappenden is also grateful for the warm welcome he and his family have received since arriving.

“To get the chance to work at Cambridge Stud for Brendan and Jo Lindsay, and under Henry Plumptre’s management, is an opportunity I had to take. The staff have been very welcoming, and made the transition for me and my family seem seamless. I have a huge amount of respect for the systems, the staff, and the heritage of the stud.

“I’ve got a lot of drive and can’t wait to fine-tune things and put my own take on things. It’s a great stud, and I look forward to putting my own mark on it and working with the team to develop Cambridge Stud even further into the future.”