Sift through the generations of a Littleton Stud horse and chances are that Kelly Stevens could tell you all about it.
Stevens’ dedication to her role at Jeff Smith’s operation was recognised last month at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards, one of the most uplifting events of the year at which Stevens came home as winner of the stud staff category.
Stevens was nominated by stud manager David Bowe and was crowned the winner on the night just ahead of Fiona McGlone from Hascombe & Valiant Stud and Kim Skolfield from Newsells Park Stud.
Numerous good horses have been foaled and raised on Smith’s pocket of land near Winchester. Decades of success ranging from the flying half-sisters Lochsong and Lochangel to last year’s Group 1 performer See The Fire is testament to the management of the families, many of which have been nurtured at Littleton over the course of several generations. The team is tight-knit and predominantly also long-serving.
“When I saw Jeff after I won the award, he was over the moon,” says Stevens. “It’s lovely for me but also lovely for everyone who works here. I’ve worked with the same team for a long time. I’ve had great support from Jeff and David as well everyone else.
“The team have been integral to my success from Katie in the office to Shannon, Julie, Sharon, Abbie, Emma and Anna on the stud and then the farriers and veterinary team. I am what I am from hard work and determination but equally from what other people have put into me as well. To get the acknowledgement is great and then for us as a stud I’m hoping that it will also inspire some of the newcomers to shine as well.”
Having gained her equine grounding in the sports horse world, it was a chance sighting of an advert and encouragement from a friend that initially led Stevens to Littleton Stud.
“I always had a love for horses,” she says. “I’d ridden when I was young, nagged my parents into having riding lessons, and it developed from there. I did a bit of sports horse side of things – I did an equine sports massage course so was involved in the conformation and biomechanics of horses, which I enjoyed.
“Then I moved back to Hampshire and saw this advert for sitting up staff. A friend said ‘well why don’t you give it a go?’. And I did.
“Working with horses is like a drug. It broadened my knowledge of the racing industry and as I went along, I thought all I want to do now is know more.”
At the time of Stevens’ arrival, Smith’s brilliant sprinter Lochsong and her Group 1-winning sibling Lochangel were still resident alongside the demoted Nunthorpe Stakes winner Blue Siren and Oaks fourth Spot Prize. Lancashire Oaks heroine Barshiba was still in training with David Elsworth. Each have gone on to forge their own significant legacies at stud, notably Barshiba whose daughter Arabian Crown defeated Golden Horn in the Juddmonte International ten years ago. It is that Barshiba line as well as that belonging to Strictly Dancing, a daughter of Lochangel who has provided Littleton with a pair of Sceptre Stakes winners in Dancing Star and Foxtrot Lady, which is held in most affection.
“I’ve dipped in and out,” says Stevens. “I did the sitting up, then I worked for a year in the equine hospital but still did weekends here. Then I came back full-time.
“We’re very lucky here that we know all the families so well and that helps us to pick up subtleties in the horses. If one is behaving oddly in the paddock or not eating as usual, then you can say ‘well let’s pull a blood and keep an eye on her’.
“We get to watch them grow and develop, and if one needs a bit more time or a bit more handling, then we can act on it. We are lucky like that.”
Stevens deflects the significance of her achievement to the people around her, in particular David Bowe.
“Follow your dreams,” she says. “I never thought this would be a career for me but the opportunities fell in the right way. I put a lot of that down to the people around me. I’ve got a really good support network at home and then David Bowe and I have a fantastic working relationship. It can be a hard job but also very rewarding. But we have a really good work life balance here – that’s something we try and encourage.
“Working at Littleton has never felt like a job. It’s a way of life and one I am grateful to live. To work for Jeff Smith and with David has been so rewarding David has inspired me to be better and always been there to support me, offering his ideas, knowledge and experience – he even listens when my ideas might sound completely out there! All of these has allowed me to grow in confidence and expand my knowledge.”
