“Who would have thought?”: The Cambridge Stud gamble that led to Royal Ascot

Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything

When Brendan and Jo Lindsay bought Cambridge Stud in 2018, they certainly were not considering that it would deliver them in top hat and tails to Royal Ascot.

They were buying one of New Zealand’s most famous thoroughbred nurseries, along with all the pressure, expectation and uncertainty that comes with it. Less than a eight years later, they find themselves preparing for one of racing’s biggest stages with Joliestar carrying the black and gold chequers into Royal Ascot.

The path to that moment didn’t begin in Cambridge. It began in a sale ring in Sydney when Cambridge Stud chief executive Henry Plumptre put a rare 9-and-a-half rating beside a Zoustar filly he described as one of the best horses he had ever seen. The filly cost $950,000.

As the five-time Group 1-winning mare settles into Charlie Hills’ Lambourn stable ahead of a tilt at the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, the Lindsays are allowing themselves to appreciate how quickly the journey has unfolded.

Royal Ascot has long sat on the bucket list of every top owner around the world. For the Lindsays, it also serves as a reminder of how far Cambridge Stud has come in a remarkably short period of time.

While the stage is global and the spotlight immense, there is a quiet humility underpinning the campaign. This is not just about competing, it is about recognising what it means to be there at all.

The first tick completed

For Sir Brendan Lindsay, speaking from Ireland, the relief of a safe journey is tempered with the natural nerves that come with such a venture.

“You know what it's like when we travel far distances ourselves, it’s not easy, it’s hard to know whether it is different for horses or not. But you think to yourself, after travelling all that way, how would I go running up the rise, down the straight at Ascot.

“Everybody says they handle the travel well and all the rest of it, but it is a long way to come, and that is always on your mind, especially with such a good mare.

“But she's in the best hands possible, with Chris Waller and his team, so all we can do now is cross everything and hope it comes to fruition and we look forward to seeing her gallop at Lambourn on Wednesday, which will be another important step towards the big race.”

Rated highly since Day One

Joliestar’s rise to this point has been anything but accidental.

A $950,000 purchase from the Segenhoe Stud draft at the 2022 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, she was secured by Cambridge Stud with strong conviction - a decision underpinned by the judgement of Cambridge Stud CEO Henry Plumptre.

“She was an expensive yearling purchase, but Henry (Plumptree) was very keen on the filly and rated her very highly, so we had to have her,” Lindsay commented.

“Henry (Plumptre) does his ratings at the sales, and he rated her a nine and a half. He said to us that he’d only ever rated a horse a nine and a half once before, and that was Merlene who won the Golden Slipper. I said, ‘Really?’, and he said, ‘Brendan, this is one of the nicest horses I’ve ever seen’.

“That’s the advantage of having Henry along with you, who has been doing it for 40 years or something like that. It gives you the confidence to open your shoulders a wee bit at the sales.”

A Group 1 break through at a mile

From the outset, Joliestar showed signs that she was above average, but it was her breakthrough at a mile that confirmed her significant class.

“Right from the start when she had her very first race, were told that we had a serious horse on our hands, then she got beat first up after a break, and Chris (Waller) told us how good she is and that he wanted to target the Thousand Guineas.

“You always have your fingers crossed, but when you hear it from the trainer you get excited, she went down to the Thousand Guineas in Melbourne and she won it over 1600 metres.

“Then that was the question mark, was she a miler, but since then we have bought her back to the sprint races, and she has been super, there are not many horses that can win five Group 1 races and she has now gone one ahead of Probabeel.”

Horses no matter what level of ability they are, can take owners on a journey, and Lindsay very much believes this.

“These type of horses, they are in elite company and they take you on a journey, and of course, it's not about sort of looking at what's next year or later in the preparation, you are always looking forward to their next start because they bring you so much excitement.

“They are not machines, as much as everyone wants them to be, they are animals, but obviously we are very excited about it, but to be able to have an opportunity to bring a wonderful mare over to Royal Ascot and have a live chance is very humbling, who, would have thought this would happen?.”

The Royal Ascot experience

The black and gold chequers of Cambridge Stud have already tasted success on the Royal Ascot stage, albeit under quite different and unique circumstances.

A majority share in Hello Youmzain (Fr), who now shuttles to Cambridge Stud, was purchased alongside Haras d’Etreham, delivered victory in the same race Joliestar now targets - though the experience was shaped by COVID-19 restrictions back home in New Zealand.

“That was a bit fortunate in lots of ways, because we tossed a coin for the colours and what colours would be on for Royal Ascot, and of course we were lucky enough to win that coin toss, so he raced in our colours, before wearing our partners colours in further Group 1’s.

“I guess we probably didn't fully appreciate it at the time because of COVID and being stuck at home in New Zealand, we knew it was a big deal, but looking back we never really appreciated what a great achievement it was and what a huge huge deal it was at the time.

“It was all a bit strange, we were up at three o'clock in the morning and sat in front of the TV and watched the race, and then the funny thing was we did a Zoom interview and we're sitting in our dressing gowns, we decided to open a bottle of champagne to celebrate, which was a bit silly at three o'clock in the morning, but we sort of really had to and then I had a glass of champagne and went back to bed.”

Royal Ascot very much on the wishlist

For the Lindsays, Royal Ascot has always been a dream but to get the opportunity with a great chance is also vindication of all the time, money and effort they have put into Cambridge Stud since purchasing the prestigious stud in 2018.

“Well, you know, it's good for your colours, our stud and all the rest of it, but simply it's actually good for Jo and I, because we made quite a big investment in the racing industry and for it to be able to come to fruition is very humbling.

“We've got to thank Henry for that, because obviously he was the one behind purchasing Probabeel, and obviously Joliestar and all our other horses for that matter.”

“When you sort of think about a possible wishlist in the racing game, Royal Ascot is one of them. It's sort of like Liam Lawson getting fifth in the Monaco Grand Prix the other night. You are always sort of hoping that he can win one eventually, but you know that he will sooner or later, because he's such a competitor and it's the same with the race horses you are involved in.”

What has struck Lindsay most is how far the name of a good horse can travel before she has even stepped onto the track. Joliestar has not yet run at Royal Ascot, but already the interest around her has followed the Lindsays from New Zealand to Ireland.

“We are in Ireland at the moment, and racing is just everywhere, last night the guy behind the reception desk was actually watching Joliestar's win in the TJ Smith, so everybody is wanting you to do well and taking an interest.

“We love the horse, we love the game, but we really are just hoping she has travelled over well, all reports are that she has and that she can put her best foot forward because she's representing Australasia.

“Australian breeder obviously, New Zealand owned and the trainer is from New Zealand, with a New Zealand jockey that are now in Australia.

“We know how good she really is, but to take it to this level, it's bloody exciting.”

“Before we left home, obviously she's getting a little bit of publicity, but Jo was down in the park walking the dog and a lady came up to her and said what's the name of that horse?

“Is that Jolie something and Jo said, oh its Joliestar, so it’s just great how everyone is interested.

“Hopefully she can do the best she can and fingers crossed she can win it. Once these horses can win a big race, they can never take it away from you, you know. It's in the record book and you can go back and look at it, watch it a hundred times and the results are all the same, and it's just fantastic.”

A team effort and a journey together

For all the success, the Lindsays are quick to emphasise that Joliestar’s journey is shared.

“We try to keep all the staff involved, no matter what level they are at the stud. From everybody that works in the business, we try to keep them involved as much as we possibly can. If anybody doesn't get out of bed at three o'clock in the morning and watch the race they won't be interested in staying at our Stud.

“Everyone's well invested and more than ready for that alarm clock.

“We want everybody to feel part of the journey as much as we can the journey as much as we possibly can. That obviously includes our friends and family. We do a family newsletter, rather than a general newsletter, but we put stuff out to the friends and family all the time to keep them in the loop.”

“So they can come on the journey as well.”

“We are more than excited,” Jo Lindsay added to the conversation, with the excitement clearly evident in her voice across the phone line.

“A little bit of pressure, you know underneath as well, but we're just so looking forward to getting to Lambourn on Wednesday, so we can go down and see her and give her a pat.”

“It'll be great for her to see us and for us to see her it'll be reciprocal. Her strapper Lee Mills is with her and he’s been with her from the start and I know he is very excited as you can imagine.”

“These strappers, they put in everything they can, don't they, they live and breathe and sleep the game and they fall in love with these horses, we are so lucky that the strappers and everyone involved give them every chance to be the best they can be.”

“Chris Waller and James McDonald are just unbelievable.”

Brendan Lindsay was quick to add how important that Waller and McDonald and that they genuinelly are the best of the best.

“They are the Michael Schumachers of the world," Brendan Lindsay commented

“They're the very best at what they do, but they're actually quite humble in their approaches as well, we are not dealing with egos with these jobs, they are absolute professionals.”

“We can control what we can control, fingers crossed Joliestar can show what she has got, but win, lose or draw we will enjoy the experience and the opportunity. It really is a dream come true.”

As Royal Ascot approaches, the significance of the moment continues to build.

For Cambridge Stud and the Lindsay family, this is more than a race - it is a rare opportunity, one not taken for granted, and one that reflects years of investment, belief and passion in the sport.

Now, with Joliestar on the world stage, all that remains is to watch it unfold.