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Eugene Freeman’s Boland Stud is a long time supporter of the National Sale. In 2020 Boland once presented an outstanding draft to this year’s Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale resulting in several sale toppers.
We speak to Bolund Stud owner Eugine Freeman about his history with Boland and much more:
Q: Although you shared your parent’s love for Thoroughbreds, you had an interesting journey around the world back to Boland Stud. Could you tell us more?
A: I have always had a love for horses and the passion was really fired by the champion Senor Santa! I always wanted to breed horses, but my mother had other ideas for me. I was told to first go and study.
After finishing B Com Accounting Management at Stellenbosch University I thought it was time to come back to the farm. Once again, my parents had different plans for me. So, after working for Weatherbys in the UK then going to work for Juddmonte Farms and Mill Ridge Farm in the USA I returned to Boland Stud to take over from my parents.
My first year on the farm was just before the 2008 crash. It was a year that made breeding horses look very easy! A year later things were a lot tougher, but you learn a lot more during the tough times than when it’s easy. We went from breeding quantity to breeding quality. Since being back on the farm I have married a beautiful, bright vet who is also horsing mad. We now have two amazing kids who also enjoy the horses. Now the dream is to breed a few more champions!
Q: What can you tell us about Boland Stud and the champions bred here?
A: Boland Stud is a thoroughbred horse breeding and boarding stud owned and run by the Freeman family. Situated in the picturesque valley of Ceres, Western Cape, South Africa, Ceres is named after the Roman goddess of fertility and blessed with abundant sunshine and fertile soil. By those in the racing industry, Ceres is more commonly known as The Valley Of Champions!
Among the notable Champions bred and raised at Boland Stud by the Freeman Family and loyal patrons are:
Q: What are the life-lessons that you believe you have come away with during the COVID crisis?
A: The COVID19 restrictions made me realize how much we as people love and enjoy the interaction with others and how much they mean to us. It has made us appreciate the smaller things in life even more. It has also shown us how resilient the horse industry is.