LINDA NORVAL - DNA of Champions

Linda Norval

A legend of our own time manages the Summerhill Farm office. This one was here the day the gates opened, when the office was just a part of the passage in the old farmhouse. Yes, the same farmhouse built by the Deputy Prime Minister, old Colonel Richards, the one that housed the Royal Family.

This is the daughter-in-law of the legend that bred every great horse that ever deserved a mention among the legends that made Hartford the greatest thoroughbred nursery of its era. She is the same legend that last season single-handedly sold something like 20% of all the stallion seasons traded in South Africa. She’s the voice behind the telephone the world has come to know as Linda Norval. Celebrity, champion, institution.

Like the rest of the team, she’s come to appreciate the enormity of a third Breeder’s Championship. She didn’t just appreciate it though: she’s one of those that made it. With all it’s thrills and spills, she’s lived it, and like the rest of us, she’ll never forget it.

But she’s also one of those that’s never forgotten where we all come from. There are no short cuts to the top. Blood, sweat and sacrifice are the DNA of champions, and the day after the celebrations end, she’ll be back at work. Ahead of time, as usual.

Extract from Summerhill Sires Brochure 2007/2008