The spring issue of the racing world’s quarterly European Trainer magazine gave the game away: the Manton estate with its extensive training yards and amazing gallops, is to be sold by the Sangster family (as MNO has already reported briefly) – and the asking price is £26million.
Underlining news of the sale, the magazine carried a long profile of Brian Meehan, one of the two trainers currently based at the Manton yards.
It also included a detailed article on the history of training at Manton with some illustrations provided by the Sangster family. The article’s title page showed Sir Alfred Munnings’ famous painting ‘Early Morning on Manton Downs’ – which we cannot show as it is still in copyright.
George Baker, the other trainer working out of Manton, has commented on the sale in his daily blog: “An informal ‘For Sale’ sign has hung over the Manton Estate since Robert Sangster passed away ten years ago. Without wishing to go into detail, it has always been clear that if the right bid came from the right quarters, the ownership of this fabulous place would change hands…”
“Now it is official. Strutt and Parker will handle a forthcoming sale on behalf of the Sangster family….We love it here. And are very keen to stay. And so I would be lying if I pretended that the news, whilst not entirely unexpected, is not a little unsettling….”
“Several scenarios, one of which being the acquisition of Manton by one investor who leaves everything ‘as is’. I heard the term ‘fridge it’ for the first time yesterday. Meaning, I assume, that a buyer changes very little. Manton, without betraying any trade secrets that are not in the public domain, is a profitable entity…..”
Manton has a long and proud place in Britain’s horseracing history. It first came to prominence under the legendary trainer Alec Taylor who started there in the 1870s.
One of the horses he trained at Manton was the famous Bayardo who between 1908 and 1910 started in 25 races and won 22 of them (including the St Leger and the Ascot Gold Cup) and was only unplaced twice.
More recently Manton has been home to horses trained by Michael Dickinson, Barry Hills, Peter Chapple-Hyam and John Gosden.
Brian Meehan has trained at Manton since 2006. And George Baker moved there in 2012.
Robert Sangster bought the estate in 1984. The price he paid was reported to be £10m. He tried to sell the much renovated estate and training yards in 1989, but no one would pay the asking price.
Sangster’s wealth came from Vernons football pools which his father had built up. Sangster sold Vernons Pools in 1988 for £90m.
He was a well-known racehorse owner and his famous green-with-blue-sleeves-and-white-cap-with-green-spots silks took 100 Group One races – a record that included two Derby winners. He was the year’s champion owner five times.
Sangster spent much of his later years in the Caribbean and Australia. He died of cancer in 2004.
He was married three times and had five sons and a daughter. Ben runs the Manton Estate and Adam runs the legendary Swettenham Stud in Victoria, Australia.
The other son from Robert Sangster’s first marriage is Guy, who is joint owner with Howard Spooner of Manton’s pub – The Outside Chance.
It is not yet clear what this sale will mean for the development plans for 46 houses at Rabley Wood. These have been rejected by the Town Council and will now come before Wiltshire Council’s eastern planning committee.
