WHY is a trained lawyer, with an allergy to horses, consumed by foal alarms and restless broodmares at 2am you might wonder? But Grace Skelton has always broken the mould and she is writing an exciting new chapter in British breeding since establishing Alne Park Stud three years ago.
Leading us on a tour of the homely foaling barns, a handful of days-old thoroughbreds are taking their tentative first steps under the watchful eye of protective mares. Grace’s passion, eye for detail, and a delightful self-confessed nerdiness for all things breeding shine through. She’s been awake at 2am for five nights in a row but you’d never tell.
Having started out in 2021 standing one stallion, Dink, she’s since enlisted Ocovango, Midnights Legacy and, new for this season, Subjectivist, to her starstudded roster. They’re expecting 50 foals before May and the facilities offer a nurturing environment for the next crop of potential superstars to begin their lives.
At the kitchen table in the home she shares with husband
