STEVE PARKIN is the ultimate rags-to-riches fairytale – from a council house in Leeds to selling the £1billion business he built from scratch.
But the self-titled 'little fella' who left school with no GCSEs wants to take on people with even deeper pockets next.
The ruler of Dubai, Irish billionaires and global racing operations will soon find themselves up against horses Parkin has bred himself.
Parkin, who made his fortune with distribution company Clipper Logistics, is moving into the money-spinning world of stallions.
He had toyed, twice, with buying his beloved Leeds United.
But he backed out having decided it wouldn't be fair on his children to put them through the stress.
So he returned to his other love, horses, with a renewed energy and focus on bloodstock.
Parkin can afford to do so partly through his success on the track.
Just last week Fallen Angel was a brilliant winner of the Group 2 Moyglare Stakes at the Curragh, with victory worth over £200,000.
The day before another £100,000 came his way courtesy of Flight Plan's all-the-way win in the Group 2 Dullingham Park Stakes at Leopardstown.
Most read in Horse Racing
THROWN OUT
Punters see £13,000 go up in flames after 1-100 in-running ‘winner’ disqualified
FIVER FLUTTER
This 9-1 pick for Grand National-winning trainer can light up Monday
TEMPLEGATE’S TIPS
My NAP runs at Kempton and looks a superstar in the making
FIVER FLUTTER
Saffie Osborne and her old man can team up for victory with this 9-2 chance
Yet while the £2.6million 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.
Don't forget, this is the sphere where Galileo became the first billion pound horse.
Leading stallions Dubawi and Frankel charge £350,000 and £275,000 each to cover a mare – and they can do that four times a day.
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.
OFFERS OF THE DAY
Tote: Bet £5 Get £20 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Virgin Bet: Bet £10 Get £20 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as Cash if it Loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Horse Racing Bets – CLAIM HERE
Tote: New customers online only. Place your first bet on racing pools for a minimum of £5 and win or lose you will receive £20 Tote Credit. £20 Tote Credit rewarded as £10 redeemable against racing bets only and £10 redeemable against UK and Irish placepot bets only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires after 7 days. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. Ten to Follow, virtual and football bets do not qualify. Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. New UK & ROI customers only. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. begambleaware.org
Virgin Bet: New members. £10 min deposit & bet on sportsbook, placed & settled at 1.5 min odds within 14 days of sign-up. Win part of E/W bets. 2 non-withdrawable £10 Free Bet Tokens: accept in 7 days, valid for 7 days from acceptance (ex. E/Ws & Multiples), stakes not returned. Click here for Rules & Exclusions. Bet Responsibly. BeGambleAware.org 18+ begambleaware.org
Betfair: New Customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any sportsbook market and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using Cards or Apple Pay will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: 18+NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY. FIRST SINGLE & E/W BET ONLY ODDS OF 1/1 OR GREATER. 3 X £10 BET TOKENS. FREE BET STAKES NOT INCLUDED IN RETURNS. FREE BETS ONLY REDEEMABLE ON HORSE RACING. FREE BETS ARE NON WITHDRAWABLE. NO FREE BET EXPIRY. ELIGIBILITY RESTRICTIONS AND FURTHER T&CS APPLY. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Parkin bought Dullingham Park Stud in Newmarket last year and he already owned the 300-acre Branton Court Stud near Harrogate.
His latest purchase will be no expense spared in trying to get the best.
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.
"It's not a backstreet garage, it's a proper shiny dealership. Hence, why we've put proper stallion boxes in."
Parkin reckons his business acumen is essential in the stallion business.
He is certain you need that mindset to make it work otherwise the costs will swallow you up.
He added: "I know this is a sport, and animals are a bit different, but you've still got to use the business ethos.
"I used to have a transport business, but then I would subcontract warehousing, I'd subcontract packaging, I'd subcontract processing.
"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.
"If you look at this industry, you can do that same circle – owner, breeder, mares, farms, and the last thing is the stallions."
Parkin is hoping to have a stallion who charges £50,000 a pop – while banging in winners of a different kind on the track.
He has set up the Bronte syndicate, which includes England cricketer Jonny Bairstow.
Already they have made £120,000 thanks to Indian Run's rapid rise to stardom.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The 6 best chocolate bars if you’re trying to lose weight – and the 3 to avoid
Love Island favourite reveals huge new career change away from reality TV
The two-year-old colt won the Group 3 Acomb Stakes at York and is 16-1 to win the £500,000 Dewhurt next month.
Is there anything Parkin can't do?
FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org
Source: Read Full Article
