The History of Sun Hill Farm
Prior to moving to Sun Hill Farm Ann trained from a former stud farm at Melsonby near Darlington and then at the historic Hurgill Lodge, owned by Lord Zetland.
Sun Hill Farm met all the right criteria Ann sought for running a first class yard without any of the drawbacks of her previous yards. Not only did it meet all the stiff requirements in practical terms, Ann was delighted to find that the neighbourhood was steeped in racing history.
Two of the three stallions The Darley Arabian, The Byerley Turk & The Godolphin Arabian which started the thoroughbred breed as we know it today stood at Constable Burton Hall and the 83 mares that they covered were all owned locally. The Wyvill family who lived there were important thoroughbred breeders who owned The Belgrade Turk whose descendants feature significantly in the stud book, so not only was there also plenty of horse racing history here but it transpires the whole of the thoroughbred world began on the Sun Hill doorstep!
Sun Hill, once part of the Wyvill estate, was still a working farm however, when Ann & George bought it in 1999. There was an immense amount of effort and not inconsiderable financial outlay required to convert it from a farm to the first class racehorse training yard it is today but the end result certainly justifies all of the hard work. Ann designed and built it all from scratch with help from the hard working building contractors who only took two days off (Christmas & New Years Day) to meet Ann's demanding schedule.
Sun Hill Farm - when Ann & George started work
