Image courtesy of Hannover Lodge
Established in 2017, Hinnerk Hüeppe’s Hannover Lodge offers early education, spelling, injury rehabilitation, and consigns a draft of 2-year-olds each year at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale. With Listed Talindert Stakes winner Hard Kick (All Too Hard) and stakes-placed winner Buggsy (Harry Angel {Ire}) coming through their 2025 Inglis Ready2Race draft, their educational system is working on the racetrack where it matters.
“We're just about finished with the majority, except a few homebreds that are left. I've done all my breakers this year myself, the same as last year, and I have a young girl on site who we are training up to help and take over. We’ve done about 80 breakers this year which is about the numbers we want to do,” Hüeppe said.
“We do spelling and pre-training and a lot of rehabilitation and surgery after care, whether that's chip surgeries, throat surgeries, tendon and suspensory recovery. For a lot of our regular clients, we basically look after their horses for their whole career.”
An evolving system to suit clients
Hannover Lodge has cut down on their numbers of yearlings for education from 130 to around 80 per year, mostly for staffing reasons. Hüeppe told us last year that because its seasonal work, breaking in and educational work means that good riders and staff are often transitionary in employment. This makes it hard to retain staff, so he’s keeping numbers to a level where he can do most of the work himself. This hasn’t changed since last time we spoke, with his numbers having stabilised into a system he’s happy with.
“We used to do up to 130 but 80 works in with our system now as we generally have about 150 horses on site from different trainers and syndicators, which means we have 50 to 60 in work, rehab and breaking in, and then the rest are generally in the paddock, at any given time,” Hüeppe said.
Hinnerk Hüeppe | Image courtesy of Hannover Lodge
“Our clients send their yearlings here straight from the sales. They have a little spell. The length depends on the individual horse, whether there's any maturity concerns, or if the vet on site thinks they need a bit longer before we start the educational breaking in.
“The first breaking prep takes an average of four weeks. That includes going on our different tracks. We introduce them to our sand track and to our grass track. We take them through the barriers on site. We introduce them to the treadmill as well.
“And we send video footage of all these procedures to the owners, trainers and potential owners.”
Communication is a huge factor for owners who want to know how their new charge is coping with the process of education, and maybe if there’s an exciting spark to look forward to.
Hannover Lodge team | Image courtesy of Inglis
“The majority of our trainers and syndicators leave the horses with us for two to three preparations, so they don’t go straight into town. They might have a four week spell after the breaking in, all depending on the individual horse again and how they're handling it. And then we give them a little two week refresher, and then we send them off into town for a couple weeks for a look around. And then we continue with that rotation.
“We did have several Victorian horses this year. We're very fortunate for Philip Stokes to send us all his yearlings. All of his have all done three preparations, breaking, spell, pre-training, spell, and then pre-training again. They have had a little jump out here on site and then they went straight down to Pakenham.”
It’s a similar system whether the horse comes from the sales or direct from a farm.
“Most of our syndicators do the same system with us. We do a lot of slow impact work on different tracks, and surfaces, which we feel helps the bone structure. They don't tend to get as shin sore. It's good for them not to be just on the perfect surface, they need different types of surfaces to harden out bone structures, tendons and suspensory ligaments.”
“We do a lot of slow impact work on different tracks, and surfaces, which we feel helps the bone structure.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
The horses are also trucked to Julio Thoroughbreds in Muswellbrook as part of their education.
“Julia Presits trains there with her partner Leandro (Ribeiro), and they’re a very good part of our system, so the horses can have truck trips away and see different tracks. They do all their gallop work up at Muswellbrook.
Julia Presits | Image courtesy of Jägersro Galopp
“Trucking was a factor that we discussed with our clients because obviously it costs money, but again, if you save that money now and cut corners, you can't expect someone to buy your horse and spend good money on it. You need to be prepared to spend money on their education to make sure the horses you want to sell are sensible.”
“You need to be prepared to spend money on their education to make sure the horses you want to sell are sensible.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
Sales draft has had big success
Listed Talindert Stakes winner Hard Kick cost Lindsay Park $140,000 at the 2025 Inglis Ready2Run Sale, while debutant winner Buggsy, who placed in the Listed Redoute’s Choice Stakes at his second start, cost Price Kent Racing $300,000. Hannover Lodge’s draft size each year fluctuates with only two going through the ring in 2024, and 14 in 2025.
“A big part of our business is the Ready2Race Sale. This year, we’ve got about 15 who we will send there. We did the statistics this year. Since 2018, we sold 51 horses through the Inglis Ready2Race and out of those, 44 are winners and three stakes horses.
“Since 2018, we sold 51 horses through the Inglis Ready2Race and out of those, 44 are winners and three stakes horses.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
“Unfortunately Hard Kick didn’t run that well on Saturday. It looked like he over-raced, but he came out (from the draft) and won a stakes race by six lengths. We also had Buggsy who is with Mick Price. He placed in a stakes race and they're thinking that he's good enough to hopefully win stakes races as a colt.”
Hard Kick | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Last start G3 Premier Cup winner Little Paradise (Toronado {Ire}) who also won the Listed Classic Mile this season, as part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s 4-Year-Old Series, came through their 2023 draft. The draft all go through the same system as all their other yearlings for education.
“Buyers can be assured that the horses haven't just been galloped for 200 metres. They've been brought along like any other racehorse that would be already in our system.
“Some are pinhooked and some are bred by clients. We have one (in the system) I’m hoping the owner will let me take. He’s a Home Affairs out of Little Zita, which is Cosmic Force’s dam.”
Little Paradise | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Little Zita (Commands) is the dam of three stakes winners, led by young stallion and Group 2 winner Cosmic Force. The other two are Group 3 winner Onemorezeta (Onemorenomore) and Listed winner Razeta (Deep Field).
“For pinhooks we get our clients to buy a horse that they want to race. We can prep them for the breeze ups and if they bring a fair price, they sell, and if not, the owners are prepared to trial them for trading or to race themselves.
“We’ve found that’s the best way to go to the sales and buy a horse we like and produce a product we really believe in. We used to buy the ones that no one else wants, but who wants a horse that no one else wants?”
“We’ve found that’s the best way to go to the sales and buy a horse we like and produce a product we really believe in.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
Sires who have impressed this year
Hüeppe picked out the stock of three stallions whose progeny have impressed him in this year’s crop of rising 2-year-olds. First season sire Hitotsu was the first one he mentioned, and the dual Derby winner and G1 Australian Guineas-winning son of Maurice (Jpn) reminded Hüeppe of the stock of fellow Arrowfield Stud stallion The Autumn Sun.
“I've been quite pleasantly surprised by Hitotsu’s offspring. They seem to be intelligent, classy horses. They’re similar to The Autumn Sun breakers back in the day, everyone liked them. They are intelligent and just good moving horses who seem to be taking it all in,” Hüeppe said.
“I've been quite pleasantly surprised by Hitotsu’s offspring. They seem to be intelligent, classy horses... and just good moving horses who seem to be taking it all in.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
Hitotsu | Standing at Arrowfield Stud
Proven Group 1 sire Alabama Express had a few who look like they’ll measure up.
“We’ve done a few by Alabama Express (this year). They are very sharp horses, they seem to be sharp and tough. I'm expecting them to go early.”
But it’s the one everyone is talking about who really has Hüeppe talking!
“Home Affairs, obviously everyone is talking about him now, so it's no news. I do think his second crop might be even better. We had a few from the first crop and jeez, they’re beautiful horses but they were a bit all over the shop. I think Coolmore have learned a bit and locked into what mares are crossing well. They're strong horses, they're big horses.
“Home Affairs, obviously everyone is talking about him now, so it's no news. I do think his second crop might be even better.” - Hinnerk Hüeppe
“We were lucky enough to have Guest House here for pre-training, and he's a huge horse. He's a really strong colt.”
Home Affairs has had a breakout first season, led by G1 Golden Slipper winner Guest House. Most racing pundits are expecting Home Affairs’ stock to improve at three, just as he did, and now here’s some news that his second crop might be better again.
“I find that they have more similarities this time around. They’re more around the types you want. Before you had heavy horses and small horses whereas this crop, Home Affairs seems to be stamping them more now, so they obviously have found what mares work the best with him.”
Home Affairs | Standing at Coolmore Australia
If what Hüeppe is saying proves to be true, Home Affairs might just be the stallion that Australia has been needing to restock the proven sire ranks.
