Kremlin House Stables, based on Newmarket’s renowned Fordham Road, is one of the town’s most beautiful and historic yards. The house and ‘main yard’ were built in 1874 for Prince Soltykoff of Russia who had visited Newmarket on vacation following the Crimean War and never went back.
Prince Soltykoff, a popular figure in British racing, employed Joe Butters as private trainer in 1903 but unfortunately the Prince died suddenly just six weeks into this arrangement. None the less, Miss Clinto, who inherited a considerable amount of money and the Princes’ string of horses, allowed Butters to stay on at Kremlin.
In 1934, former champion trainer, the Hon George Lambton took over at Kremlin House, having been replaced as Lord Derby’s private trainer by Frank Butters. Lambton, who handled the likes of Hyperion, Diadem and Swynford, remained as a public trainer at Kremlin until his death in 1945.
Lambton’s son, Teddy, took over the licence and trained from the yard on and off until he put the property up for sale in 1961. Waiting in the wings was the enormously talented Jeremy Hindley, who enjoyed considerable success at Kremlin before he sold the yard to Michael Jarvis in 1978.
Michael trained from the yard for over thirty years, sending out the winners of some of Europe’s biggest prizes including the 1989 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe with Carroll House. Domestic and foreign Classic winners were aplenty as were winners at Royal Ascot.
When Michael handed the reigns to Roger Varian in early 2011 the Kremlin success story continued with further Classic glory courtesy Kingston Hill in the 2014 St Leger. When Roger re-located to Carlburg Stables, Simon Crisford spent two and a half fruitful years at the stable, the highlight being Ostilio’s Britannia victory at Royal Ascot.