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Oliver St. Lawrence is always making all of the pieces fit together. They may not be clear at first, but following talks with his team, St. Lawrence feels like he can help locate the best horses for his customers. St. Lawrence, based out of Newmarket, Suffolk, has years of experience as a bloodstock agent.
People filling this role are involved with the buying and selling of thoroughbreds for their owners. St. Lawrence stressed this role isn’t a perfect science.
“There’s no real secret to it,” St. Lawrence said. “Everyone has their own formula. It’s putting together the pieces of a jigsaw. That’s a good example. You’ve done your research on the catalogue, and the pedigrees coming up in the sale and, um, worked out what you think of nicer pedigrees or those that have potential.”
Determining that potential is something that St. Lawrence and his team have worked on mastering over the years for customers.
“Every horse can race,” St. Lawrence said. “And you can’t look into their heart and see whether they can run through a pain barrier like humans do at the Olympics. You can’t look into that, but you hope they have a will to win.”
St. Lawrence has been a bloodstock agent since 1991. St. Lawrence’s background and experience have allowed him to develop a strong business and reputation in the industry.
St. Lawrence’s Racing Roots Go To Ireland
St. Lawrence remembers being involved with horses from a young age. His parents were particular about the kind of racing they liked when growing up in Ireland.
“My parents were very involved in horse racing in Ireland,” St. Lawrence said. “I was brought up in Ireland, and they only liked flat racing. We have racing over the jumps as well in Ireland and England, but they only like flat racing. And I used to be taken off (to go) racing whenever I was at home in the summer months.”
St. Lawrence gained experience by working at studs in Ireland, Australia, and the United States. He would then join Derby-winning trainer Major Dick Hern. Hern, who passed away in 2002, was the Champion Trainer in Great Britain in 1962, 1972, 1980, and 1983.
St. Lawrence Said He Was Comfortable Moving From Ireland To England To Work
“Oh, very much,” St. Lawrence said. “I’m Anglo-Irish, so I was brought up in Ireland but went to school in England from the age of seven and through back and forth. I’ve always treated them as counties of each other, but both countries probably hate me saying that, but that’s how I was.”
Business in Bahrain Provided New Market
Being involved in horse racing in the Middle East isn’t anything new to St. Lawrence. His first contact in the area stretches back 30 years.
“I’ve been coming down to Dubai and Saudi Arabia, um, to see owners and trying to find new owners,” St. Lawrence said. “I met a Bahraini owner called Ebrahim Al Afoo, who still races in Bahrain. I went to Bahrain to see him, and he introduced me to Fawzi Nass.”
St. Lawrence has managed the Aislabie Stud in Stetchworth since 2007 and the Eve Lodge Stables in 2016, both of which are owned by long-time client Fawzi Nass.
“Very quickly Fawzi and I struck up a business relationship and, I’ve been buying for Fawzi for, I’d say, close on 30 years now,” St. Lawrence said. “And it’s getting bigger and bigger. And he kindly introduced me to his friends.”
Nass introduced St. Lawrence to Sheikh Khalid and Sheikh Nasser, who were both from Bahrain. While St. Lawrence had nice spending owners in England and Ireland, he said he never had a big spending owner.
That changed with his involvement with Bahraini owners.
“The money increased and so on,” St. Lawrence said. “I was looking at horses I wouldn’t have considered being able to buy before. That would be the main difference. They’re aiming at the top.
They want to win big races, as everyone does.”
St. Lawrence has been able to make plenty of good finds over the years to bring value to owners. Eldar Eldarov brought in US$1.8 million in prize money. Salute the Soldier and Bradsell have also been successful purchases, to name a few.
These horses are typically discovered during yearling sales that happen in autumn every year.
“Between myself and my colleague, Arthur Dobell and Henry Candy’s daughter, Emma Erskine Crum, we go, and we see every single yearling at the sales and obviously narrow down the search.”
St. Lawrence said that the goal is to try and keep everyone happy. But he acknowledges that it can be a game of luck
“We always all want the best ones, but sometimes it’s, you know, hits and misses for sure,” St. Lawrence said. “You know, it’s partly how they move, and their pedigree and their mind has a lot to do with this. You can be put off by what they might do down in the sales paddocks or up around the sales ring, and you suddenly think, ’Oh, I don’t know whether I like that temperament.’ Though it may turn out to be a minor issue.
Finding Trainers Is About The Right Fight
St. Lawrence says he builds relationships with the owners to try and find the right trainer to work with their horses. While budget is an important issue, making sure certain trainers can keep the proper line of communication and expectations for each horse is a vital part of the process.
“The guys I work with, they like everything to be told to them, that nothing is hidden; they want, you know, complete transparency,” St. Lawrence said. “To get good communication from the trainer to be able to enjoy it; they’re not often able to turn up at the races in England.”
One thing that has made this process easier is communication. With advancements in work-from-home technology, which was popularized in part due to the restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, people more easily share information.
“Being sent regular videos and regular updates is how they can enjoy the whole experience,” St. Lawrence said. “And I think COVID actually had some benefits. We’re on it at the moment. One of them is Zoom, as we all got used to using Zoom and communicating. Sharing videos on what’s happening is so much better and easier, and everyone’s familiar with it.”
St. Lawrence always wants to see his business pushing boundaries. While there have been a lot of exciting moments in racing, St. Lawrence isn’t resting on his laurels.
“I hope I haven’t quite got there yet,” St. Lawrence said. “There’s probably more to come. I want to win the Epsom Derby. I bought the dam of a Derby winner, Harzand, who won the Derby a few years ago. I’m still hoping to reach those mega heights.”
St. Lawrence also was named the Chairman of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents in 2017. This is a role St. Lawrence has taken seriously. He wants to help maintain the good image of bloodstock agents.
“I hadn’t quite realized entirely what it involved,” St. Lawrence said. “But I’ve enjoyed being Chairman. It’s had its moments of controversy for bloodstock agents. But it’s been good trying to promote the Federation and promote the 50-odd members. There were the good sides of being agents. When you deal with a Federation of Bloodstock Agents agent, you know you’re in good hands and their integrity is good.”
St. Lawrence has seen the industry change a lot since he started working in it as a professional. He’s seen the money shift from American investment toward the Middle East. St. Lawrence believes the bloodstock is primarily centred between Australia, Europe, and the Middle East.
St. Lawrence said he noticed Australians have a strong appetite for more horses that can run in the Melbourne Cup. St. Lawrence said that 20 of the 24 horses that started in the Melbourne Cup were European-born.
St. Lawrence plans to continue working to provide his customers with the best value for their investment.
“I don’t plan to conquer the world,” St. Lawrence said. “I mean I want to buy a Derby winner and be regularly racing those big races. And what gives me pleasure is seeing the pleasure that the results give to my clients.”
By Dean McHugh