Awards Success Still Sinking In For Stallion Devotee Porter-Mackrell

Almost apologetically, David Porter-Mackrell laments that he might not make the most engaging subject for an interview, despite the practice he's gained in the days since he was named the Employee of the Year at the 2024 Godolphin-sponsored Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, organised by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

“I feel a bit awkward doing these things to be perfectly honest with you,” he confesses. “It is overwhelming, talking about me, what I do and all that–I'm more comfortable hidden behind the horse!

“I'm just keen to make sure I get across a genuine feel for what the job means to me and how important the horses are. It can be tricky vocalising it.”

As it turns out, Porter-Mackrell is a lot better at the task at hand than he might think, at least from this interviewer's perspective, making a difficult job look easy, just as he has his role as head stallion man at Newsells Park Stud for the last 15 years.

Self-promotion and basking in the spotlight might come even less easily to him than it does trying to pick a favourite among the stallions he's doted on in his time at Newsells Park, but then ask him why this career path is the one for him and suddenly he comes into his own.

“One of the reasons why I always wanted to do stallions, apart from the magic of the horses themselves, is the fact that you're so close to them and have such a bond with them,” he explains.

“All being well, you're looking after the same horses over an extended period of time, whereas obviously the yearlings are very seasonal, they come and go, and even the mares move around different yards depending on where they're at in their cycle in the year.

“You're with the stallions day in, day out, year in, year out, and the bond that you build with them is sustained over a long period of time.”

The stallion venture at Newsells Park was in its infancy when Porter-Mackrell joined the team in December 2008, having previously gained experience at Whitsbury Manor Stud and Banstead Manor Stud.

Various bonds have been built in the interim, first with the G1 Criterium International and G1 Eclipse S. winner Mount Nelson (GB) when he retired to become the first stallion to stand at Newsells Park in 2009. He was joined two years later by Equiano (Fr), the dual winner of the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot.

Both horses went on to spend at least eight years in the devoted care of Porter-Mackrell, but sometimes bonds have to be sacrificed, especially in the ever-evolving stallion business where market forces seem to rule above all else.

In 2017, Mount Nelson moved to Boardsmill Stud in Ireland to cement his position as a National Hunt stallion, while pastures new also beckoned for Equiano in 2021 when he made the transfer to the Irish National Stud.

“It's always a heartbreaker to lose one of the stallions to be honest,” Porter-Mackrell says. “Mount Nelson and Equiano were both here for the best part of 10 years. That's a long time looking after a horse and then one day they're there and the next day they're not.

“Mount Nelson was the first one I lost. He was hard work and everything was hard-earned with him, so that was particularly difficult. It was hard to gain his trust.

“There was the sort of compensation that they're getting another chance in Ireland and a new market to hopefully do well in and get a bit of a second wind. You hope to see them do well, but you hope to have them for their whole career and it's always disappointing to lose them to be honest.”

David Porter-Mackrell with Mount Nelson | Newsells Park Stud

Porter-Mackrell can find comfort in the three stallions currently in his care at Newsells Park, headed by the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. and G1 Eclipse S. winner Nathaniel (Ire), who produced the legendary racemare Enable (GB) from his very first crop conceived at the stud in 2013.

Nathaniel has since been joined on the roster by the G1 St James's Palace S. hero Without Parole (GB) in 2021 and the multiple Group 2 winner A'Ali (Ire) in 2022, keeping Porter-Mackrell on his toes with three very different personalities to contend with.

“They are all different, so different, and you learn something from all of them as well,” he says. “You need to be flexible in your approach and work out what works for that individual and how you can best get the job done in a way that keeps them happy.

“The nicest thing is when you get a horse from the very beginning, when they first get off the track. They've got to learn an entirely different way of life–one minute they're in full work and training and the next minute you're asking them to be calm and relaxed and to saunter around the paddock without being stupid.

“They've got to get used to that lifestyle and make that transition. Watching them become happy with that and seeing them happy, that's where the reward is because if they're happy then you're doing a good job.”

It's a job that not everybody is cut out for. And nor should the responsibility of handling 500kg of horseflesh, brimming with testosterone, ever be taken lightly, requiring a very specific skillset to make a success of it.

Explaining which quality is prized in a stallion handler above all others, Porter-Mackrell says, “First and foremost, patience. If you've got the patience and you have a genuine love and care for them, and you listen to what they're telling you, then you'll come up with the right answers.

“They can be testing, but the one thing that you always have to bear in mind is that they live quite a solitary life. They're not mingling in a herd, like the mares, foals and yearlings.

“You are such a huge part of their life and they're so reliant on you, so if they're having a bad day they're going to tell you about it. The important thing is to listen to them and try to understand and think 'okay, what's making you unhappy here and what can we do about it?' That's the key really.”

Perhaps it's for fear of making one of the others unhappy that Porter-Mackrell couldn't possibly imagine nominating a favourite among the stallions he's looked after. “You can't even engage with that line of thought,” he protests. “They're all so special and you learn something from each of them. It's nigh on impossible to single one out.”

For an interviewer who lazily assumed that Nathaniel would be top of the pile, Porter-Mackrell's parently attitude towards the charges in his care gives a glimpse into why he's so valued by the team at Newsells Park, headed by general manager Julian Dollar who made the nomination for the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

Together the team has enjoyed some memorable days, such as that in 2022 when Desert Crown (GB) proved himself a top-class colt for Nathaniel when sprinting away from his rivals in the G1 Derby at Epsom.

“It's incredible and, professionally, that's what it's all about,” Porter-Mackrell sums up. “You kind of avidly support them [the stallions], believe in them right from the beginning, and look forward to those sorts of days.

“You believe they'll come and, when they do come, it's just magic. And part of the joy of it is watching everybody else appreciate them, hopefully, as much as you do.”

David Porter-Mackrell receives his trophy from Princess Anne | Dan Abraham

It's been less than two weeks since the industry came together to show their appreciation for Porter-Mackrell himself and his efforts over the years. He took home the Stud Staff award, as well as the title of Employee of the Year, not to mention £15,000 in cash and the same amount to be shared amongst his colleagues at Newsells Park.

As enjoyable as it is to talk about the horses who helped to make it all possible, now is the time to find out a bit more about the man himself, even if it means taking him out of comfort zone just a little.

“It all began with the horses as opposed to an interest in racing as such,” he says of his background. “I came into contact with horses when I was about 10 or 11, just on a very casual basis, looking after them and riding.

“I was only ever an average rider and it was never something I was going to do professionally, but I wanted to be around the horses and work with them. I was lucky enough to have somebody sensible tell me that stud work was an obvious line of employment and it just went from there really.”

The 2024 breeding season is Porter-Mackrell's 16th at Newsells Park and three stallions at one time is as many as he's ever had to deal with. Typically, he expects to be working flat out in the coming weeks and months, but don't ever expect to hear him complaining about his lot.

That's simply not his way, instead preferring to focus on the plus points of the industry and everything it has to offer, from the work/life balance he's able to strike to all the boundless opportunities that are available to the right candidate.

“You know that during the breeding season the level of commitment is going to be very high and very time-consuming,” he says. “But you also know that outside of the breeding season you're under far less pressure and you're able to give a bit more back at home. For me it's quite a good balance.

“One of the messages I would love to get across is actually how great this business is. If you have an interest in horses and you have a care for horses, then you're kind of 90 percent of the way there.

“If you don't mind grafting and you're willing to learn, then the opportunities are endless in this job. It's a message I feel quite strongly about because it's quite difficult to attract staff in this industry at the moment and I think it's a shame because it offers a lot.”

Porter-Mackrell's story should certainly be an inspiration to anyone who is thinking of following in his footsteps and pursuing a career in the industry. The rewards that come with it might not ever be as public as those he received at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, but at least then you won't have a pesky interviewer asking you to sum up how it feels.

“It's completely overwhelming to be honest,” Porter-Mackrell explains. “It was over a week ago now and it's still sinking in. You don't expect anything like this and it's been incredible really. How happy people are for you is just amazing. I've had emails from clients and stuff like that, congratulating me.”

Reacting to being nominated by Dollar, he adds, “From the beginning that was the most important thing, since I was first made aware that I'd been nominated.

“Just the fact that Julian has taken the time to nominate me and thought me worthy of it, that's the biggest compliment of all really. He knows me better than anybody and he sees what I do day in, day out, year in, year out.

“And you've got to be in the right environment, with the right support, to be seen to your best, in any walk of life. The fact that I've had that here [at Newsells Park] is also something to be grateful for.”

As for what the future might hold, this is one question Porter-Mackrell has no problem answering, with no plans to change the status quo in the foreseeable future.

“It's what I wanted to do when I was young and it's still what I want to do now,” he sums up. “There are endless opportunities in this industry and there's all sorts of directions you could divert into, but what I do here now, day-to-day, is what I want to do–long may it continue.”