About Us
Sean & Marian Maguire, Drogheda Road, Collon, Co. Louth.
Our stud farm is located in a beautiful setting just outside the village of Collon, County Louth (40 minutes drive from Dublin Airport), and just North of the historical towns of Drogheda and Slane; the historical site of the Battle of the Boyne lies a little further North.
We first became involved in thoroughbred breeding in 1992, when we bought our first broodmare 'Rebecca's Girl'. Since then our number of broodmares has increased to three but we intend to expand further as part of our development programme. Our mares have been selected for breeding based upon knowledge of their families, information attained from former trainers and stud farms, and pedigrees. As with all breeders, we aim to produce winners. To-date all our mares have been covered by Coolmore stallions, chosen by us in consultation with Eddie Fitzpatrick (Coolmore).
In 1996 our first horse to race was 'Be A Good Horse' who went on to win 13 races and earned over $280,000 in prize money in Asia. To-date we have produced 19 individual winners from 25 runners, including: Father Juninho (one-time favourite for the Lingfield Winter Derby, which now has Group 3 status) and Orpen Wide (an incredible 19 wins on the flat and over jumps including achieving placed efforts in Graded races over both hurdles and fences).
Previously all offspring were sold as foals or yearlings, or syndicated. Having bred many winners for other owners we have enjoyed much success. However, we would derive far greater pleasure from breeding winners for people with whom we could share these successes; Our Racing Club will make this possible. Operating as a hobby, albeit a passionate one, the stud has been punching above its weight for many years but Our Racing Club now gives us an opportunity to both improve and expand the quality and quantity of our bloodstock to achieve success at the highest level.
It is every breeders dream to breed a Derby or Guineas winner on the flat or Gold Cup or Champion Hurdle winner over jumps. With Our Racing Club we believe that we can turn this dream into reality.
Our experience of breeding racehorses shows us that it is every bit as enjoyable as racing them, possibly more so. That same buzz of excitement an owner experiences in the build-up to a race is something, as breeders, we experience throughout the breeding process. From the time a mare's covering is planned, the dream and the emotional rollercoaster ride begin. A short time after covering your mare you hold your breath as the vet scans for the sign of a heartbeat and exhale sharply as he gives a confirming nod; a process repeated several times until foaling. As foaling approaches, a heady mixture of excitement, anticipation and tension builds. Night after night, kept conscious by a combination of caffeine and adrenalin, you attentively survey the foaling shed monitor; momentary snoozes are interrupted by intermittent snorts and whinnies from the sound system. Finally, after what seems an eternity, it begins.
There are few better sights for a breeder than to see a mare bond with its newly delivered foal and to see that foal struggle to its feet to take its first drink from her. These wonderful sights, and more, will be filmed and shared with our members in Our Racing Club's weekly news feature as will the foal's gradual development to becoming a racehorse. Hopefully, in time, we will see many of our fillies return home to have foals of their own and witness the next generation racing at the highest level in Our Racing Club's colours. Join us and be part of this wonderful journey.