One practices medicine, dentistry and even veterinary science. However, those that manage stud farms, are called stud masters. I can think of no-one more deserving of that title than John Slade
Slade has sometimes been driven to distraction by trainers who have pushed progeny of Silvano too early and by others who have given up on them too soon
For some people, horses provide riches you can’t take to the bank, but just occasionally, if you’re very lucky, they give you both.
It”s not ‘just a horse’, but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment
These big horses are not only a huge financial responsibility to a manager, they become family and a loss would be just as much of an emotional one as a financial one. It was a very nerve-wracking day yesterday.
‘I called the owner and before I could even make the offer he excitedly told me that a certain South African bookmaker had just called 10 minutes earlier to make an offer of R5m’
