'He Was Everything I Like In A Horse': Leinster Brings Wavertree Stables' Dunnes Into Stallion Ownership

Sometimes it takes the right horse to open doors to a totally new adventure. For Ciaran and Amy Dunne, that horse is Leinster. 

The longtime Ocala-based 2-year-old consignors became stallion owners solely because of that specific horse. It’s been a fun ride and it’s still gaining momentum.

A native of Kildare, Ireland, Ciaran emigrated to the U.S. in 1987. He graduated from the Irish National Stud’s prestigious Thoroughbred breeding course in stud and farm management. He was working in Kentucky at Margaux Farm when the farm sent him to the racetrack as a groom where he worked the circuit at various tracks and made valuable contacts. It was while working for Glennwood Farm in Versailles, Ky., that Ciaran met Amy, who hails from Louisville.

Amy graduated from the University of Louisville with a bachelor’s degree in Equine Business Administration. A hands-on horsewoman, she was working as an exercise rider when she and Ciaran started dating. Amy also worked for bloodstock agent Mike Ryan before taking a job in Maryland working for Horseman’s Bloodstock, which was a new sales company at the time. Ciaran followed her to Maryland where he worked for trainer Graham Motion.

The couple came to Ocala when Horseman’s Bloodstock planned to hold a 2-year-old sale at Classic Mile. Ciaran took a job at The Oaks, but a short time later, that training center went out of business, as did the sale company Amy worked for. But, they always knew coming to Ocala was the right move, and quickly found work in the consignor ranks. Amy worked for Summerfield, and Ciaran worked for Eisaman Equine.

Barely a year later they went out on their own as Wavertree Stables. 

“I grew up in the Irish National Stud, which was originally founded by Lord Wavertree, so that’s where the farm name came from," Ciaran said. "Neither of us were big on having our names on anything, so we used Wavertree at the time, and it stuck."

They rented stalls at Good Chance Farm and then Classic Mile until they built their current facility. 

Wavertree Stables offers full-service breaking and training for both the sales and the races. Since its launch in 1995, the operation has consistently been among the leading consignors of 2-year-olds. In 2023, Wavertree Stables ranked #2 on the list of juvenile consignors at North American sales, selling 82 horses for a total of $18,445,000 and an average of $224,939. On average, 125 yearlings go through their breaking and training program each fall.

Wavertree Stables’ grads include such Grade 1 winners as Hot Rod Charlie, Colonel Liam, Country Grammer, Bellafina, and many more. Leinster is another standout graduate. The four-time graded stakes winner of $764,971 was an $85,000 yearling pinhook by the Dunnes.

“We had several horses out of his family, including one we sold for $1.8 million, so we were a little partial to the family,” says Ciaran. Wavertree sold Leinster’s half-brother, Stormy Liberal, who became a two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner and won the 2018 Eclipse Award as Champion Turf Male.

When Leinster didn’t sell as a 2-year-old, the Dunnes decided to race him, which they did in partnership with co-owners Brenda Miley, Westrock Stables LLC, and Jean Wilkinson. 

“He was a great horse for us. As fast as he was on the grass, some of his best numbers were on the dirt,” said Ciaran of the Majestic Warrior colt who set two track records in graded events and posted four triple digit Beyers.

He ranks Leinster’s win in the 2019 Grade 3 Troy Stakes as one of the horse’s best performances. 

“We felt he was immensely talented and physically, he was everything I like in a horse," Ciaran said. "He has a wonderful hind end, beautiful neck and shoulder and was unbelievably fast. When his career was over, we felt we owed him a chance at stud."

The Dunnes bought nearly 20 mares to breed to Leinster. 

“We’re fully committed," Ciaran said. "We’re breeding mares to him and sold a few of those mares in foal to him in 2023 to get them out in the regional market. We will do the same in 2024." 

They don’t plan to stop there.

“We bred 16 of our own mares to him last year and plan on breeding closer to 20 this year," Ciaran said. "Then the strategy is to race at least a dozen of his foals ourselves. We might put a couple in the sale to showcase them, but we really plan to race all his foals we own."

“It’s something we’ve never done before. It’s been neat for us to watch these foals grow and change,” he continued. “Making myself wait to break these babies is going to be torture for me. I just want to go out there and put saddles on them.”

Leinster is very correct and the Dunnes are thrilled to see he’s passing this on to his foals.

“We’re seeing the conformation come through," Ciaran said. "He’s throwing a really good hip on his foals. He also has a pretty head and he’s putting that on them. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if his progeny takes to the dirt because of the way Leinster worked at Timonium when we took him to the sale.”

The Dunnes are sponsoring some sprint races – the Leinster Lightning City Stakes and the Leinster Turf Dash Stakes – named for Leinster at Tampa Bay Downs. 

They are also hosting the Leinster Day Out at the Tampa racetrack on February 24 as a 'thank you' event to all the breeders who have supported Leinster his first two seasons and to invite return breeders with special incentives.

Leinster (Majestic Warrior – Vassar, by Royal Academy) stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions in 2024 for $5,000 live foal.