From Farm to the finishing line
Richard and Tessa Watson founded the stud in 1970 when they swapped a hunter for Penny Pincher’s dam (Midnight Dollar) who was the first mare. She had never run and didn’t have much pedigree so they ended up selling her but Penny Pincher, her one and only foal, won a couple of races for the Watsons and Jwala and Airwave are her great, great grand-daughtesr. It’s incredible to believe that in just four generations they have produced the Group1 Nunthorpe winner and the Champion Two Year Old filly in England and Ireland, from a mare with little pedigree.
Long before Airwave put paid to Russian Rhythm en route to Group One glory in the Cheveley Park Stakes (pictured), Penny Pincher had produced Clantime, nine-time winner and Epsom specialist, who made an instant impression on retiring to stud, being among the leading first-crop sires from only a small amount of runners. His son Atraf, also bred by the Watsons out of Flitteriss Park, won the Cork And Orrery Stakes at Royal Ascot and still stands at stud in Ireland.
In 2013 the homebred and owned Jwala shot to prominence in the Sprint division with victory in the Listed City Wall Stakes at York only to fracture her eye socket next time out in the stalls at Goodwood. Incredibly just three weeks later she took the Group1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York, beating Sole Power and Shea Shea (photos). Following this she was a vailant fourth in the Prix de L'Abbey, Gp1, cementing her standing as one of the best sprinters of the year. Sadly a freak racing incident ended her life at Sha Tin in Hong Kong, she will be greatly missed and unreplaceable.
