• Adam Morgan
• March 9, 2023 2:21 pm

Former England cricket star savouring Festival experience.

Former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter has a T20 World Cup winner’s medal hanging up at home – but believes victory at the Cheltenham Festival would be his greatest sporting achievement.

A swashbuckling batsman in his time, Kieswetter smashed 63 runs and was named man of the match when England defeated Australia in the final of the 2010 World Cup.

But since his enforced retirement from the cricket field due to a freak injury in 2015, he has wasted little time in crossing the boundary to another sporting arena – one which is in the blood, with both his father and grandfather well known figures in South African racing.

Kieswetter has become a central figure of his family’s Barnane Stud, which has enjoyed notable success in both the Flat and National Hunt sphere in recent years. and the multi-talented South African is adamant the joy of triumph on a racecourse eclipses anything he achieved with a bat.

“I’ve been fortunate to experience huge highs in another sport, but I think the euphoria of winning a big race with a thoroughbred racehorse – it’s pretty tough to beat that with anything in the world really,” explained Kieswetter.

“The emotion in the build-up and then the success and disappointment, you feel it the same. It’s slightly harder in the equine and thoroughbred world though, because you don’t really have control.

“You are entrusting your horses to people we believe are the best in terms of Willie Mullins over jumps and William Haggas and Richard Hannon on the Flat, and we also surround ourselves with people like the Doyles (Peter and Ross Doyle, bloodstock agents). But we put the trust and management of expectation down to the trainer and their expertise.”

That trust has seen the Barnane team head to Prestbury Park with three runners for Grade One contests. Barnane race Triumph outsider Gust Of Wind and Supreme hope Il Etait Temps in partnership with the Heffer family’s Hollywood syndicate, while Mares’ Hurdle-bound Echoes In Rain needs zero introduction and has been a long-time standard-bearer in Barnane’s red and green silks.

“It’s not very often you will find many people having more than one runner at the Festival and it certainly isn’t very often you will find many South African people having three runners at Cheltenham,” continued Kieswetter.

“The whole Barnane team will be over, along with our partners at Hollywood Bets and we are very much looking forward to it.

“It is very, very exciting and if all goes to plan, there could be a lot of Guinness being drunk by South Africans.”

Having moved to one of jumps racing’s heartlands as an 18-year-old when snapped up to play cricket for Somerset, Kieswetter soon found himself on the doorstep of some of the sport’s biggest stables.

A disastrous loss to Martin Pipe on the ping-pong table saw Kieswetter take enforced ownership of his first jumper, while his early retirement from the cricketing arena has seen him leap headfirst into his passion, sparking his relentless quest to make Barnane and the family’s Southern Hemisphere equivalent – Ridgemont Highlands in the Western Cape – world-leading thoroughbred operations.

He continued: “My old man and grandfather have long been involved in the racing industry in South Africa and it is well documented how I got into my first jumps horse with Martin Pipe down in Somerset.

“The bug just hit and we’ve been fortunate to have a lot of success in a relatively short space of time. I think that goes down to surrounding ourselves with the right people, who are both passionate about our operation but also want success for us and themselves equally as well.

“We’ve got an incredible team at Barnane and Hollywood – they are a phenomenal family and an incredible organisation who are really, really passionate. They just love the sport and the industry and are always looking for ways to improve it by being involved

“We work closely with the Doyles and they don’t need any introduction. They are the world leaders in terms of bloodstock advice and are great family friends. It’s great when you have runners but when you have runners with great friends and good people, it makes it even better.”

The strict disciplinarian Andy Flower was head coach during Kieswetter’s time in the England ranks, but the 35-year-old has chosen a somewhat opposite approach to oversee his National Hunt string in the mild-mannered master of Closutton.

One unifying characteristic both possess, however, is an obsessive attention to detail combined with a meticulous nature which sees them get the most out of their pupils – something the former wicket-keeper admires.

“Willie he’s a bit of a magician – Willie the wizard,” said Kieswetter.

“He’s very unassuming, he’s very quiet and humble and the amazing thing is not only does he get the best out of his horses and staff, but he allows his horses and staff to shine.

“When we go down to Closutton to watch the horses work, he knows every single member of staff by name and he gives them the impetus to have an input into the training and diet of anything in the yard. It’s a very inclusive team there and it is always very impressive to watch.

“Willie and his whole team are ultra-professional and we just trust them with whatever direction they want to take the horses in. It’s great fun to be a part of the journey with everyone involved and it’s exciting.”

Kieswetter will fly to Ireland to check on the final preparations of the Barnane Festival contenders at Closutton before moving on to Cheltenham and he is relishing the prospect of returning to Prestbury Park.

“I’ve been a couple of times and it is incredible fun,” he added.

“It’s jumps racing at it’s best and you also meet fans who are die hard, salt of the earth type of people who just love a punt and love a pint of Guinness.

“There is so much that can happen in jumps racing. On the Flat the race is done in a minute and a half, while in jumps racing you can watch the start, turn to the bar and have a few sips of your Guinness and then the race is still going!

“The way it’s going, it could be Ireland who dominate again and with us in Willie Mullins’ camp, we’re very much excited if that is how it plays out.

“Most importantly though, we hope our horses return to the paddock safely along with their jockey and if we can grab some good results, then everyone involved will be extremely happy.”

The Barnane team tasted Royal Ascot success last summer when Candleford romped to Duke of Edinburgh Stakes victory and although sounding laid-back about their chances, Kieswetter is also realistic enough to appreciate the fortunate position he and his family are in as they head to Cheltenham with live chances in some of jumps racing’s biggest races.

CANDLEFORD lights up the way in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes 🕯 pic.twitter.com/TsF5mEhMXd

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 17, 2022

He said: “The Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot are the two biggest race meetings in the world. All the fields are full of top-quality horses and the fact we have a few lottery tickets is exciting and a lot of fun.

“I suppose (the difference is) it will be Guinness instead of champagne being drunk and at least we won’t be sweating in our top hat and tails!

“Last year at Royal Ascot was surreal and the manner in which Candleford won was quite remarkable. Myself and my brother were on course chatting to William Haggas and he said ‘never mind having a winner, just having a runner at Royal Ascot should make you very happy’.

“It it will be the same at Cheltenham, the fact we have a couple of runners is incredible and if we manage to sneak a victory, it will be very, very sweet and very enjoyable.”

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