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Coolmore Stud, in Fethard, South Tipperary in Ireland, is the world's largest breeding operation of thoroughbred racehorses.

It was originally a relatively small farm dedicated to general agriculture, but came into the Vigors family in 1945 when a training operation was established there^{[clarification needed What kind of training?]}. It was inherited by Tim Vigors, famous fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain and in the Far East. Having left the air force, he firstly joined Goffs bloodstock auctioneers before setting up his own bloodstock agency in 1951. He moved to Coolmore in 1968 and began transforming it into the well known stud farm it is today.

Vigors went into partnership with his friend Vincent O'Brien, a leading racehorse trainer, and Robert Sangster, the Vernons pools magnate. He later sold his interest to O'Brien and his son-in-law, John Magnier. Eventually, Magnier became sole owner, and built the farm into a multi-national, multi-billion-euro operation. The original farm is now known as Coolmore Ireland, and has three branches—Ashford Stud, which operates as Coolmore America, near Versailles, Kentucky and Coolmore National Hunt (or Castle Hyde Stud) in Ireland, which specialises in breeding for National Hunt racing. Coolmore has many "shuttle stallions" that cover mares in either Ireland or Kentucky in the northern breeding season and are transported to Argentina and Australia for the southern breeding season.

In Australia[link]

Coolmore Stud is near Jerrys Plains in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales is a 3,340 ha farm that has approximately 1,000 horses, including 600 mares that produce about 300 foals there during the spring. Thirteen international quality stallions stand here each spring.^[1]

At the Fasig-Tipton Florida auction in February 2006, the Stud paid a world record $16 million for a Florida-bred two-year-old colt in training. Named The Green Monkey, he was sired by Forestry who in turn was sired by Storm Cat, the longtime leading sire in North America. The Green Monkey never won a race.

Stallions standing at Coolmore (2011)[link]

Flat[link]

National Hunt[link]

• Bach
• Brian Boru
• Flemensfirth
• Getaway
• Golan
• Mahler
• Milan
• Mountain High
• Oscar
• Scorpion
• Septimus
• Turtle Island
• Vinnie Roe
• Westerner

External links[link]

• Official site
• Coolmore TV Official Site
• A foaling at Coolmore (video)