FROM Irishtown, myself and my sister Sinead (Hanley) grew up surrounded by horses and I run Castlelawn Stud, a breeding and show jumping yard near Claremorris.
1. Congratulations, you bred Captain Marko (Captain Clover x Kannan), Mullingar International leading rider Cian McMunn’s horse. Extra special result, as he’s by your own stallion?
Thank you, it’s great to watch Marko’s career. It began when he won the three-year-old loose performance at Cavan Elite sales where John Enda Lee bought him from me.
His daughter Clodagh broke him herself and began his jumping career. She gave him time and jumped some of the HSI five-year-old classes, he was the joint winner of the final in Mullingar. While Clodagh sat her Leaving Cert, Raphael Lee took over the reins and Marko won the Connaught Grand Prix League as a seven, eight and 10-year-old. He also qualified for the international seven/eight-year-olds at Dublin.
When Raphael went to McKee Barracks, his sister Jessica took over and won the Connacht Grand Prix League outright again.
After this, Cathal McMunn bought him from John Enda, Cian took over the reins and his results kept coming. Marko has given us some great days.
His dam White Kannan produced some really talented horses. The dam of Lakeview Captain Kannan and Junior Kannan, to name a few, she had a very nice Tangelo in 2021, sold to Mike Drea. She didn’t have a foal last year but now we have a lovely Zirocco Blue filly on the ground and she’s scanned in foal to our own Z7 Ascot.
Cian McMunn and the Gabriel Slattery-bred Captain Marko \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net
2. Captain Clover - your family stood him for years. Tell us more about him.
Captain Clover was a lovely, quality Traditional Irish sport horse. My dad Gabriel Snr bought him as a four-year-old from Cormac [Hanley], he really liked the look of him and was very fond of Clover Hill and thoroughbred combined bloodlines.
Captain Clover was a gentleman around the yard, anyone could ride him. The plan was Lanaken and thankfully his scope and talent meant he got there as a six-year-old with myself and brought home a placing which we were delighted about.
He kept getting better, winning and placing in many classes. While aiming him for the European juniors with Olive Clarke, he got injured in a freak accident on the horse walker.
Thankfully, he was okay to continue breeding, getting a mixed bag of mares: everything from the local farmers to performance bloodline mares, adding performance and temperament nearly every time.
He sired numerous talented horses including Wotsamillion, whose dam was a full Draught, who jumped to 1.60m with Laura Kraut. One of our best days on the national Grand Prix circuit was thanks to his progeny: Captain Marko won, Oilean Dunlop placed fifth and our stallion Castlelawn Captain Junior placed seventh at Maryville.
Castlelawn Captain Junior won the HSI five and six-year-old finals, the RDS six-year-old championship, placed second in Lanaken as a five-year-old and returned there the next year. Another is Captain Caruso, who had a big 1.50m win at Wellington with my nephew Cormac Hanley Jnr on board.
We had another great day with our current stallion CC Captain Cruise, the only TIH fully-approved Captain Clover son. We went to the 2016 Millstreet International with CC and Jessica Burke, hoping they would do well but were more than delighted with fourth in the 1.60m Grand Prix.
Tabby, now campaigned by Children on Horses rider Harry Rush, and Ar-raghbeg Clover, a Lanaken gold medal winner with Greg Broderick, are two more progeny.
To prove the temperament Captain Clover bred on: my partner Tara Brandon qualified two offspring for the RDS amateurs; Castlelawn Captain Junior last year and this past weekend, Oilean Dunlop. Both are Grand Prix horses but also amateur-friendly.
3. How many stallions do you stand?
We currently have CC Captain Cruise, Z7 Ascot, Acorad 3 and a two-year-old CSF Castlelawn Emerald (Emerald x Voltaire x Cruising). Bred by Patrick Connolly, we’re hopeful he has a very exciting future.
Along with the sport horses, we have two Class 1 Draught stallions: Echo King and Baltydaniel White Heather.
We had Castlelawn Cobra 19, an outstanding three-year-old stallion who won the RDS loose jumping championship last year. He bred some very quality foals for us thankfully. After he was sold, we acquired Z7 Ascot as he jumped to top level and has proven progeny,
CC Captain Cruise does hold his own but we do feel breeders are very much looking for more foreign blood now. We’ve found in recent years breeders are more inclined to use European stallions and had to go in that direction a bit to stay with the current market.
4. Your view on prefixes?
We use Castlelawn as our prefix the majority of the time when naming our home-breds. I think a prefix is good for breeders as it ensures they’re recognised for the hard work they put in to get good horses under people.
If an unnamed horse was purchased, the purchaser could use their prefix but I believe if you bred the horse, named it with a prefix, then that should remain no matter which country the horse ends up in.
5. How many mares/ foals do you have?
We currently have 20+ broodmares and are still waiting for six to foal. We’re lucky to have some lovely broodmares. Obviously, White Kannan is one of my favourites as she’s been very good to us but we also have CW Luiboutain (Luid-am x Captain Clover). She’s a real little jumper and due in August to Diamant de Semilly. This is her second foal and she’ll go back jumping next year.
I have a very good CC Captain Cruise x Castlelawn Galloway mare who won the HSI loose jumping. We do want to take her jumping but she’s breeding so well for us at the minute it’s hard to not put her back in foal. She’s now scanned in foal to Z7 Ascot.
We have Casall and Lux Z mares who both have smashing Castlelawn Cobra 19 foals so you would be hopeful for a good future with them too.
Castlelawn Captain Junior and Jessica Burke, winners of the six-year-old championship at the 2017 Dublin Horse Show \ Laurence Dunne Jumpinaction.net
6. Describe your regime for keeping mares/youngstock.
We try to keep our in-foal mares out for the winter. Obviously well-fed but I prefer them out moving rather than being boxed up, getting cranky. Our youngstock come in for winter to make sure they’re doing well and in loose pens in a big shed, so they can move around plenty.
We handle our youngstock now as foals or yearlings. In years past, we left them but I think it definitely works better to handle them as youngsters.
7. You’ve won the Euromillions Jackpot and could buy any stallion. Which one?
Emerald. He has produced some very successful offspring
8. It takes a team - who’s on yours?
Our team at Castlelawn is a good one and my dad Gabriel Snr and Tara are the backbone. My niece Lily helps out every day after school and weekends and we’ve a great girl working in the yard. Cheyanne is incredibly kind to all the animals, we’re so lucky to have her and some great friends who keep the show on the road. Young rider Tadhg McKiernan is doing a great job riding some of the horses for me.
9 Best advice you ever got?
Give everything time. Don’t panic, one way or another it will always work out in time.
10. Mayo for Sam?
Definitely!