Sir Edmund Loder (b. 1941)

Track 1: Childhood in Sussex, England. Inherited Eyrefield Stud in 1968, on the death of his bachelor uncle, Lt-Col. Giles Harold Loder. Giles Loder had inherited Eyrefield in 1914 on the death of his uncle, Major Eustace ‘Lucky’ Loder, the first member of the family to own the stud. Discussed his involvement in the business of horse breeding, the bloodlines he inherited, and the advice he received on the matter from his cousin, Peter Powell. Track 2: Joined the Turf Club in the 1960s – described the membership as it was in those days. Track 3: The Irish Hospitals Sweepstakes sponsorship of the Irish Derby (from 1962), and subsequently sponsorship from Budweiser, both of which had a major effect on Irish horseracing. Track 4: The need for improvements on the estates which he had inherited; recalled many families who had worked on the estates over the years. The sale of one family property – O’Connell Stud in Newbridge – to His Highness Sheikh Mohammad. Track 5: His success in breeding champion racehorses, both in Ireland and in the USA, where he boarded a small herd of his horses. The daily routine of life as a horse breeder. The conflict of interest he experienced when a new body, Horse Racing Ireland, was being set up, as he was Chairman of the Breeders Association and also a member of the Turf Club. Track 6: Among his Turf Club responsibilities was the management of all racing programme fixtures for the entire year. Track 7: Explained his family connection to the Phoenix Park Racecourse, and his views on its closure. Summary of the properties owned by his family and a description of the manner of his Irish inheritance. Edmund’s father was Sir Giles Rolls Loder, whose own father, Captain Robert Egerton Loder, was killed in action in World War I.