At Dalham Hall, Nominations Manager Dawn Laidlaw and her team are making sure no stone has been left unturned in securing the best and fullest books possible for Darley’s European stallions.
At this time of year there is no such thing as a typical day, but all are busy.
The day can start early with a visit to watch horses at work, before heading into the office.
“We try to get out to trainers as often as possible, to watch work and see as many of the two-year-olds as possible by our stallions,” Dawn explains. “It’s good to be able to see any promising youngsters by the Darley stallions and to hear what the trainers think of them as well.”
The team may be out and about constantly at this time of year, but the phone is rarely silent.
“Although almost all the stallions are full we still speak to plenty of our clients, checking if they have finalised all their plans and if we can assist in any way,” Dawn says. “We also like to hear all about the foals that have been born. We do our best to get out and see as many of the foals as possible, but in the meantime breeders will often send in photos.
“We work closely with the marketing team all year round and at this time of year, our advertising is aimed at those breeders who are still making last-minute decisions, outlining the key facts that can be helpful to them.”
Strong client relationships are vital and at this time of year the team are also busy organising stallion shows for clients.
Dalham Hall Stud hosted two very successful open days for breeders earlier in January and will also open the doors again during the Tattersalls February Sale on Thursday 5 February, but in the meantime all breeders who want to view the stallions are welcomed.
The forthcoming sale also gives the team another task to keep them busy; researching the Tattersalls catalogue to see which fillies are being offered and which might be purchased who could suit the Darley stallions.
The Dalham nominations team also assist with looking after Darley’s French clients. Sebastien Desmontils has spent the past week in France visiting clients and will be at the Clairefontaine sale today, securing further mares for the Darley stallions all the time. He, together with other members of the nominations and marketing teams, is also gearing up towards this weekend’s Route des Etalons where Haras du Logis will be showing Darley’s six France-based stallions.
Administration work does not cease while the team are busy with clients, with contracts being sent out and returned and the paperwork logged into the systems. The team are also busy with activities outside of selling nominations as well. Dawn has been busy organising stud visits for the current Dubai International Thoroughbred Internship students, while Franziska Schaertlin-Coffey is arranging the many visits from local schools which will take place this year. The first group are scheduled to visit Dalham Hall in March, and plenty of organisation between the school and the stud goes on to ensure a successful and enjoyable visit for the many pupils who will visit the stud before the end of the year.
