2011 may have been all about Frankel, Champions Day and in recent days, Kauto Star, but for Mertoun Paddocks and Templeton Stud, 2011was all about the homebred winners and proof that year after year, the farms prove themselves as a consistent source of quality bloodstock.

Of the fifty nine two year olds that were born, raised or consigned by the studs, 58% of these made it to the track this year for their juvenile campaign and even more impressively, 59% of those that ran either won or were placed, with fifteen individual winners.

Winners included the High Chaparral colt Wrote, who followed up his third in the Royal Lodge Stakes with a win in the Group 1 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf, in addition to his Coolmore stablemate Nephrite, who won both his starts, including the Group 3 Killavullen Stakes at Leopardstown.  Hello Glory, a daughter of Zamindar and from the Dream Ahead stable of David Simcock followed up a win at Ascot to take third place in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York.

The three year old fillies were also flying this summer with Show Rainbow, an inexpensive Doncaster purchase by Gill Richardson for Jaber Abdullah, starting off her season with a fourth place in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes before winning on her penultimate start at Haydock in the Listed Sandy Lane Stakes.

Beatrice Aurore running for breeder Benny Anderson, who raced just twice as a two year old with one win, had a busy season both on home soil and abroad.  The Daughter of Danehill Dancer won the Listed Height of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood and the Group 3 Prix Chloe before setting off to Deauville for a fourth place in the Group 2 Prix De La Nonette and finishing at Campanelle in Italy at the end of October with a second place in the Group 1 Tesio Stakes.

Other successful horses to note from this season and well worth following for next year are John Hill’s Johnno, Clive Cox’s Winter’s Night and Andrew Balding’s Goldoni.