{"id":235931,"date":"2023-09-18T19:18:12","date_gmt":"2023-09-18T19:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/?p=235931"},"modified":"2023-09-18T19:18:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-18T19:18:12","slug":"im-a-little-fella-from-leeds-who-nearly-bought-the-football-club-now-im-spending-my-millions-on-stallions-instead-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lovemainstream.com\/lifestyle\/im-a-little-fella-from-leeds-who-nearly-bought-the-football-club-now-im-spending-my-millions-on-stallions-instead-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"I'm a little fella from Leeds who nearly bought the football club – now I'm spending my millions on stallions instead | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

STEVE PARKIN is the ultimate rags-to-riches fairytale – from a council house in Leeds to selling the \u00a31billion business he built from scratch.<\/p>\n

But the self-titled 'little fella' who left school with no GCSEs wants to take on people with even deeper pockets next.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The ruler of Dubai, Irish billionaires and global racing operations will soon find themselves up against horses Parkin has bred himself.<\/p>\n

Parkin, who made his fortune with distribution company Clipper Logistics, is moving into the money-spinning world of stallions.<\/p>\n

He had toyed, twice, with buying his beloved Leeds United.<\/p>\n

But he backed out having decided it wouldn't be fair on his children to put them through the stress.<\/p>\n

So he returned to his other love, horses, with a renewed energy and focus on bloodstock.<\/p>\n

Parkin can afford to do so partly through his success on the track.<\/p>\n

Just last week Fallen Angel was a brilliant winner of the Group 2 Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh, with victory worth over \u00a3200,000.<\/p>\n

The day before another \u00a3100,000 came his way courtesy of Flight Plan's all-the-way win in the Group 2 Dullingham Park Stakes at Leopardstown.<\/p>\n

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Saffie Osborne and her old man can team up for victory with this 9-2 chance<\/h3>\n

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Yet while the \u00a32.6million his horses have won on the track over the past five years in Britain alone might sound a lot, it's nothing in the world of stallions.<\/p>\n

Don't forget, this is the sphere where Galileo became the first billion pound horse.<\/p>\n

Leading stallions Dubawi and Frankel charge \u00a3350,000 and \u00a3275,000 each to cover a mare – and they can do that four times a day.<\/p>\n

No wonder Parkin wants a piece of the action, although he's well aware it will take years, and a decent slice of luck, to come to fruition.<\/p>\n

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Parkin bought Dullingham Park Stud in Newmarket last year and he already owned the 300-acre Branton Court Stud near Harrogate.<\/p>\n

His latest purchase will be no expense spared in trying to get the best.<\/p>\n

In a wife-ranging interview with Thoroughbred Daily News, Parkin, who owns a Ferrari, jet and helicopter, said: "If I'm going to stand stallions here, I want to go the extra bit just to give that feeling that this is something.<\/p>\n

"It's not a backstreet garage, it's a proper shiny dealership. Hence, why we've put proper stallion boxes in."<\/p>\n

Parkin reckons his business acumen is essential in the stallion business.<\/p>\n

He is certain you need that mindset to make it work otherwise the costs will swallow you up.<\/p>\n

He added: "I know this is a sport, and animals are a bit different, but you've still got to use the business ethos.<\/p>\n

"I used to have a transport business, but then I would subcontract warehousing, I'd subcontract packaging, I'd subcontract processing.<\/p>\n

"So what I did was I went out and bought a packaging company, I bought a warehousing company. I went and bought that company, and another company, and I joined the circle up.<\/p>\n

"If you look at this industry, you can do that same circle – owner, breeder, mares, farms, and the last thing is the stallions."<\/p>\n

Parkin is hoping to have a stallion who charges \u00a350,000 a pop – while banging in winners of a different kind on the track.<\/p>\n

He has set up the Bronte syndicate, which includes England cricketer Jonny Bairstow.<\/p>\n

Already they have made \u00a3120,000 thanks to Indian Run's rapid rise to stardom.<\/p>\n

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The two-year-old colt won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York and is 16-1 to win the \u00a3500,000 Dewhurt next month.<\/p>\n

Is there anything Parkin can't do?<\/p>\n

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