What is the National Stud?

In short, the National Stud is a Thoroughbred horse breeding facility situated just outside Newmarket, Suffolk, between the Rowley Mile and the July Course, which collectively constitute Newmarket Racecourse. Aside from stud services, the National Stud, which covers 500 acres, provides education and training for anyone interested in the bloodstock and breeding industries.

The National Stud was founded in 1815, when William Hall Walker, later Lord Wavertree, donated his bloodstock to the British government, in exchange for the purchase of his 1,100-acre estate in Tully, Kildare, Co. Kildare, Ireland. Newmarket Racecourse has been owned by the Jockey Club since 1974, but in 2008, having shed its reponsibility for the governance and regulation of British horse racing, the historic organisation also acquired the National Stud.The Jockey Club is governed by a Royal Charter, such that returns from its commercial interests, including the National Stud, are reinvested in British horse racing. The National Stud had previousy been under the control of the

 Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), but was transferred to the Jockey Club when lack of funds threatened its existence.

The National Stud is, in fact, the only working Throughbred stud in Britain to offer guided tours to the general public. Public tours, taken by coach and on foot, are available at weekends and on bank holidays between February and October, and private tours can be arranged at additional cost. Resident stallions include three-time Gold Cup winner Stradivarius, Lope Y Fernandez, Rajasinghe and former top-class sprinter Bradsell.