RACING is sadly witnessing the end of an era after legendary trainer Jim Bolger put his famed Glebe House yard on sale for £3.5million.
The Derby and Oaks-winning handler has decided the time is right scale down his operation and ‘tidy up’ his assets.
The stunning £3.5million property with 150 acres is set amid the rolling Irish hills and would make the perfect training base Credit: Jordan Auctioneers
Iconic trainer Jim Bolger is ‘substantially’ scaling down his operation and selling off one of his main assets Credit: Sportsfile
Part of that means listing his sprawling yard on the County Carlow-Kilkenny border in Ireland, dubbed the ‘home of champions’.
Almost 3,000 winners have been sent out from there since Jim and his wife Jackie took over the plot in 1982.
Among them 2008 Epsom king New Approach, 2021 2,000 Guineas winner Poetic Flare and former King George winner St Jovite.
In all, set among the 150 acres, some 13 Classic winners and 57 Group 1 champions were cared for, trained and sent to win the sport’s biggest prizes.
But Bolger has decided now is the time to sell.
He said he is ‘scaling back the training substantially’ and no longer wants the base.
Bolger’s loss will be someone else’s gain.
While the Curragh is less than an hour away, Glebe House is its own little world.
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The plot is huge and there is barely a soul for miles around Credit: Jordan Auctioneers
Everything about the legendary stables suggests understated elegance and privacy – but it doesn’t come cheap if you fancy buying it Credit: Jordan Auctioneers
Bolger once remarked: “If somebody drove in and said he was passing, he was a liar.”
The trainer, now 84, built much of the property, including the gallops, himself.
The main house, built in 1760, is a six-bed property with ivy covering the front, and measures a healthy 7,470sq ft.
Described as a ‘once-in-a-generation’ opportunity, the listing on Jordan Auctioneers reads: “Glebe House represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire one of Ireland’s most storied training establishments.
“A property synonymous with the name J.S. Bolger, the two-time Champion Trainer whose achievements have defined Irish racing for over four decades.
“From this extraordinary base, Bolger developed a world-renowned training operation that combined traditional horsemanship with scientific precision and relentless discipline.
“Over the course of his career, he has trained approximately 2,900 winners, including two world champions (St. Jovite & New Approach), multiple Classic and Group 1 champions such as Teofilo, Dawn Approach, Trading Leather and Poetic Flare, horses that carried Jackie Bolger’s famous colours and uncompromising standards to the very pinnacle of the sport.
“In addition to his achievements on the flat, he has trained multiple national hunt winners – including two Irish Champion Hurdle winners and four champion four year olds.
“Every element of Glebe House bears the imprint of that philosophy: the gallops designed for stamina and balance, the yards planned for efficiency andcare, and the facilities that have produced winners across generations.
“The property stands today not only as a first-class training complex, but as a living monument to a career built on vision, integrity, and enduring success.”
