A Q & A With Juddmonte Farms' Teddy Grimthorpe

In advance of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Jan. 24 in London, BloodHorse’s European correspondent Julian Muscat was able to sit down with Teddy Grimthorpe, Juddmonte Farms’ racing manager in Europe.

BloodHorse: When did Juddmonte Farms start racing horses in the U.S.?

Teddy Grimthorpe: Juddmonte’s interests in racing and breeding in the U.S. go back to the early 1980s. We have had a variety of trainers since then, and actually, John Gosden is our longest-serving trainer: He trained the likes of Alphabatim and Zoffany for us when he was based in California, before he moved back to England in 1989.

Eventually, from the late 1980s, we settled on Bobby Frankel to handle most of our horses trained in the U.S. He was the cornerstone of our success until, sadly, he died in 2009. Now we have horses with Bill Mott, Chad Brown, and Bob Baffert, who, of course, trains Arrogate.

BH: What prompted Juddmonte to embrace the U.S. in the first place?

TG: There were two major factors. In the early 1980s a great deal of Europe’s best racehorses had retired to stud in Kentucky—horses such as Blushing Groom, Lyphard, Nijinsky II, Nureyev, and Riverman. There was a real point to having a base for our mares there because we were breeding horses largely for turf racing in Europe.

And also, the racing program for older horses in the U.S. was very good whereas it wasn’t in Europe. It made sense to send our later-maturing horses, our high-class grass horses, to compete on the California turf scene. That was a very vibrant time for turf racing in California.

Arrogate Named 2016 Longines World's Best Racehorse

BH: When did Juddmonte start to take an active interest in racing horses on dirt?

TG: It was something that evolved, really. Two big changes settled over the sport. Firstly, Coolmore, the Maktoums, and Prince Khalid, among others, started standing their stallions in England and Ireland, so the turf emphasis switched back to there. Stallions such as Sadler’s Wells led a European revival, and together with that, the older-horse program in Europe got very much better. It was also a time when global racing took off in a major way, and we wanted to be involved.

That was a major shift. The differences between racing in Europe and the U.S. became more pronounced, the gap widened, and when Bobby (Frankel) died it prompted us to readjust.

I think Prince Khalid also realized that dirt racing offered a strong incentive to have horses trained in the U.S.

Obviously, we stood dirt stallions at Juddmonte in Kentucky; the likes of Empire Maker  , First Defence, and Mizzen Mast  , but a lot of our horses were turf-orientated, so five years ago we set about trying to buy some dirt horses to complement the few we bred for racing on dirt. That’s how we got to where we are today, and resulted in us having this wonderful horse, Arrogate, with Bob Baffert.

To win an elite race such as the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) with Arrogate was a day for the ages. It was a magnificent race, and thrilled as we were for our horse. I think California Chrome   has been a huge flag bearer for racing—not just in the U.S. but worldwide. He has been sensational over the last three years.

BH: What made you decide to join forces with Baffert?

TG: Well, after Bobby (Frankel) died, we sent the horses initially to Bill Mott while we reassessed which way we wanted to go. Bill has done exceptionally well for us, and we have increased our presence with him.

As for Bob (Baffert), Prince Khalid has always had a fondness for U.S. racing—especially California, where he has had some wonderful horses in the past. So we decided to get back involved with California racing after a two-year absence following Bobby Frankel’s death. Bob (Baffert) made his name largely with dirt horses, so it was a good fit for our new program.

We also sent Flintshire   to Chad Brown last year. Chad was an assistant to Frankel for more than five years, so we had some history and experience with him. When he started to do exceptionally well, he was a natural person for us to send horses to.

Behind Scenes of Arrogate's World's Best Ranking

BH: How do you decide which of your trainers to send horses to?

TG: It’s not cut and dried, but generally speaking, the yearlings we buy at the sales go to Baffert; they are bought in conjunction with him. The homebred horses that stay in the U.S. will get divided between Mott and Brown, with Bob getting the odd one.

We now have around 30 horses in training in the U.S. but it’s a moveable feast.

BH: Will you be increasing your U.S. presence, and with Baffert in particular, in the wake of Arrogate?

TG: Prince Khalid was obviously delighted with Arrogate’s success, but he has always been constant in how he allocates his horses. If a trainer has a grade 1 winner for us, we don’t suddenly pile every horse we have into that particular trainer. We always try to send the right horses to the right trainer.

Overall, we bought roughly the same number of yearlings at U.S. auctions last autumn as we had the year before (Juddmonte bought eight yearlings in 2015). They are all bred to race on dirt, but we bought more fillies this time because we want to add to the dirt lines we have in the stud.

BH: Can we also expect to see Juddmonte Farms in Kentucky standing more dirt stallions?

TG: Arrogate, I very much hope, will go to Juddmonte at the end of the year. That’s certainly the present thinking, although as yet nothing is set in stone. Now that we are bringing in dirt pedigrees I think it’s important, perhaps vital, that we have suitable stallions in the U.S., although they have to be viable and exciting. Prince Khalid has always supported his stallions strongly, so Arrogate will be an important horse for Juddmonte into the future.

BH: How big a goal is it for Juddmonte to win the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1)?

TG: Juddmonte’s main aim is to try and win the elite races, and the Kentucky Derby certainly comes into that category.

Don’t’ forget, also, that Prince Khalid has been a huge supporter of the Breeders’ Cup from the onset. He has always enjoyed it, and he recognized that racing in the U.S. required another showcase day to go with the Derby. That’s why he has been extremely supportive of the concept.

BH: Are there any ex-European racehorses of potential that Juddmonte has recently transferred to race on turf in the U.S.?

TG: Yes, Time Test (by Dubawi) is there on the farm in Kentucky and we hope to put him into training soon. In his last start in July he won the (Sky Bet) York Stakes (G2) over Mondialiste, who went on to win the Arlington Million XXXIV Stakes (G1T). He could be an exciting addition to our U.S. string.

BH: This is a big year for Frankel, with his first crop running as 3-year-olds. What is your verdict on last season’s juveniles?

TG: The end-of-year report was an A-plus, I would say. He certainly caught the eye in having a group 1 winner from his first crop, and in being the leading sire of juvenile group horses (in Europe), and leading freshman sire worldwide.

Obviously, he can’t stop at that, and certainly the expectations for Frankel since he was a very young horse have always been way off the scale. But so far he has never disappointed us; it has been quite the opposite, in fact. Juddmonte is well aware that he has to deliver on a number of fronts, but the indications are positive at this stage.

BH: Are there any Frankels in Juddmonte’s European string we should be looking out for in 2017?

TG: Very much so. Fair Eva (out of African Rose, G1 winner) is in good shape; she had high-class juvenile form and could be a classic prospect.

John Gosden has got the likes of Icespire (out of Quest to Peak, dam of Stanjames.com One Thousand Guineas, G1, and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, French One Thousand Guineas, G1, winner Special Duty), who won her Salisbury maiden first time up by four lengths. He also has Monarchs Glen (out of Mirabilis, a half sister to Prix de Diane Hermes, French Oaks, G1, winner Nebraska Tornado), who won a maiden at Goodwood.

Then Sir Michael Stoute has Mirage Dancer (out of Heat Haze, grade 1 winner; a half sister to Dansili, Banks Hill, Intercontinental, etc), who made a winning debut at Doncaster. We also have two or three in France with Andre Fabre, for whom there are high hopes, and a few other unraced horses that might just jump up when they get the chance.