Gredley: 'I'd Rather Give an Interview at the Racetrack than the Sale Ring'

Today at 06:37 AM

This week at Cheltenham, Tim Gredley will be taking time out from one type of horse to turn his attention to another. The owner, breeder and leading showjumper has recently returned from Abu Dhabi, where he was second in the Grand Prix, but sport horses will take a backseat temporarily as we he focuses on the Thoroughbreds.

“We've had a lot going on with the showjumpers so it's nice to come back and see the racehorses – that's what I love the most really,” says Gredley, who, along with his father Bill, owns Newmarket's Stetchworth and Middle Park Studs.

He continues, “I think we're very proud that all the runners we have at Cheltenham are homebreds and they are all very tough horses.”

The Gredleys are better known through their association with the Flat. They own last year's Derby runner-up Ambiente Friendly (Ire), bought from his breeder Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Al Shira'aa Farms, who herself has strong ties to the showjumping world. Over the years, Bill Gredley has raced such luminaries as Group 1 winners Environment Friend (GB), User Friendly (GB) and Big Orange (GB), but the family has enjoyed increasing success with runners over jumps in recent years.

“This wasn't the plan when we started but it just shows that when you are breeding horses there is always a plan for a horse even if it wasn't the one you started with,” Gredley admits.

Allmankind (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) gave the family a taste of the National Hunt big time when winning at Grade 1 level over hurdles and fences when trained by Dan Skelton.

“Allmankind started the idea some years ago and we've been quite selective with the horses,” Gredley continues. “We've kept them all and it's been a really good journey. We probably could have sold them all at a certain point but I would rather be giving an interview at the racetrack than at the sale ring, that's for sure.

“They are probably worth more money now than they were a year ago – yes, we've had to pay training fees but it has added value to a lot of the horses and their families as well.”

The Gredleys' principal trainer James Owen could be set for an exciting week at Prestbury Park, with Burdett Road (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) now confirmed for the G1 Unibet Champion Hurdle and his half-brother East India Dock (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) on course for the G1 JCB Triumph Hurdle. The siblings have won consecutive runnings of the G2 Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham's November meeting and, while Burdett Road missed out on the Triumph itself last year, he has subsequently won the Listed Godolphin Stakes at Newmarket and this season's G3 Greatwood Hurdle to add to his Royal Ascot victory of 2023, making him the perfect dual-purpose campaigner. His younger brother, however, may now remain in the National Hunt sphere despite his Flat rating of 90 achieved when trained by James Fanshawe.

“East India Dock is probably one we will keep over hurdles as he absolutely loves his jumping but the others will be having a rest and then having a Flat campaign – Burdett Road included,” Gredley says.
Their dam Diamond Bangle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was one of the mares to visit Shadwell's Mostahdaf (Ire) in his first season at stud in 2024 and she has a Planteur (Ire) two-year-old colt and yearling filly by Palace Pier (GB) on the way through. Her current three-year-old, Dullingham (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}), is also with Owen.

At one stage, the Gredleys looked set to have two pairs of siblings in action at the Festival but Opec (GB), the four-year-old full-sister to Allmankind, has been retired to the paddocks after winning the Listed Coral Fillies' Juvenile Hurdle at Newbury in November. She is set to visit Golden Horn at Overbury Stud.
Her brother, however, now nine, makes a surprise return to Cheltenham for the St James's Place Fox Hunters' Chase. He is now trained by Owen's wife, Jenny, a vet who also has a string of point-to-pointers.

“Allmankind is in great order,” Gredley reports. “He won his last two point-to-points and he seems to have had a new lease of life, perhaps just dropping back in class, and now that he is relaxing he seems to stay the trip really nicely. It's going to be a tough race for sure but he's not been in better form for a long time.
“It was this time last year that he was in my field retired but we gave him another chance and those tough horses love doing what they do.”

While Gredley says that he is “not getting carried away” about their Cheltenham chances despite the excitement of heading west with a decent quintet of runners, he is champing at the bit for the start of the turf season in Newmarket.

“I can't wait for the Flat,” he says. “I'm not an optimistic person normally but I just went through the Flat horses this morning with James and I don't think we've ever had as strong a squad of Flat horses as we have coming into this year, and 90 per cent of them are homebreds, too.”

Among them is the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes winner Wimbledon Hawkeye (GB), one of the stars from the first crop of Kameko who followed that win at HQ by finishing third in the G1 Futurity Trophy behind Hotazhell (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) and Delacroix (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).

“Wimbledon Hawkeye has actually come to hand a lot quicker than perhaps we were thinking and the plan will probably be to run him in the Guineas now, but the Derby is obviously his main aim,” he adds.
“We have a nice bunch of three-year-olds this year, including a very nice filly called Trad Jazz (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}). She seems quite smart so we might try to run her in the 1,000 Guineas. Dad bought her from Luca Cumani and, typical Dad, he likes those more backward types that other people sometimes don't have the patience for. James was really patient with her last year and I'm glad he was as she's really come on over the winter.”

Owen has also now taken over the training of Ambiente Friendly, who was placed both at Epsom and in the Irish Derby after winning the Lingfield Derby Trial for Fanshawe.

Gredley says, “He's come back from his break better than we could have hoped and I'm really excited about him for this season. He could be an ever better horse this year, all going well. Everybody is excited about him.”

The adrenaline levels will be running pretty high then, especially during the Festival.

“I won't be relaxed for sure,” says Gredley. “I think I find the watching worse than riding, because it's out of my control. But we're in great hands with James, and with Sammy Twiston-Davies riding a couple of them. It's always reassuring when you've got a good team of people around you.”

The rising profile of Owen, a former amateur jockey who previously trained point-to-pointers and Arabs and was assistant trainer to John Ferguson, owes plenty to the support of the Gredley family. Their association goes back some years, as Gredley explains.

“When I gave up showjumping the first time and I wanted to do some point-to-pointing – which I was dreadful at – James was always doing our pre-training, so I knew of him well. Then when I was riding out in the morning that's when you really get to see the trainer at their work, and I just said to Dad one day that I thought he would be a really good fit. Luckily everybody agreed, and so far so good.”

He adds, “It's great because the horses still go in to him for pre-training and, a bit like sending your kids off to boarding school, it's good to feel that they're in good hands.”

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