February 2011 - Thoroughbred Owner Breeder

Feb_78_FrontCover_OwnerBreeder 19/01/2011 16:16 Page 1

Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder inc Pacemaker February 2011

£4.95 | February 2011 | Issue 78

Incorporating

‘I want to be champion just once’ Richard Johnson reveals his determination to get the better of AP McCoy

Plus ■ Racing Post chief Alan Byrne speaks out ■ Breeding in the recession: industry responds to crisis ■ Kempton heroes Long Run and Desert Orchid in focus

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

16:38 Coolmore OB Feb 2011_Coolmore OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:32 Page Page 11

STALLIONS FOR 2011 • ALFRED NOBEL • AUSSIE RULES • CHOISIR • DANEHILL DANCER • DUKE OF MARMALADE • DYLAN THOMAS • EXCELLENT ART • FASTNET ROCK • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • • GALILEO • HIGH CHAPARRAL • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • HURRICANE RUN • MASTERCRAFTSMAN • MONTJEU • ORATORIO • PEINTRE CELEBRE • RIP VAN WINKLE • • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • STARSPANGLEDBANNER • STRATEGIC PRINCE • THEWAYYOUARE• YEATS •

Coolmore OB Feb 2011_Coolmore OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:33 Page 2

Champion sprinter in Europe in 2010 1st

2nd

Golden Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1, 6f., just like his sire Choisir & great-grandsire Danehill.

July Cup-Gr.1, 6f., in a faster time than Oasis Dream, Anabaa & Green Desert.

Nunthorpe Stakes-Gr.1, 5f.

1st 1st

Caulfield Guineas-Gr.1, 8f.

Oakleigh Plate-Gr.1, 5½f.

1st

Champion sprinter in Australia in 2009/10 NEW FOR 2011

A superior racehorse to his sire, grandsire & great-grandsire DANEHILL. FEE: €15,000

STARSPANGLEDBAN ❝ NER w

as a great sprinter and I was so impressed when I insp ecte recently that I decided to d him send him the Group 2 Temple Stakes winner Look Busy. He’s beautifully balanced with a great w alk. He has excellent limbs - very co rrect forelegs and superb hind legs.

His depth of girth and sc ope him great heart and lung gives capacity.

He just oozes quality and class. ❞ Dermot Farrington , Bloodstock Agent

from one of the most ❝ consistently

successful families in Australasia over many generations

❞

Contact: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Tel: 353-52-6131298. Fax: 353-52-6131382.

Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne or Mathieu Alex.

Tom Gaffney, David Magnier, Joe Hernon or Cathal Murphy: 353-25-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) 44-7827-795156.

E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Web site: www.coolmore.com

Dalakhani Owner February_Dalakhani Owner Feb 19/01/2011 19:19 Page 2

DALAKHANI His top class book of mares in 2010 included:

The triple Gr.1 Oaks winner Alexandrova.

The triple Gr.1 and Classic winner Darjina.

Gr.1 performers: Alexandrova, Allegretto, Crystal Music, Darjina, Spinning Queen, Amonita, Article Rare, Insight...

Sisters of Gr.1 performers: Conduit, Anabaa Blue, Oath, Chinese White, Casual Look, Sail, Vespone, Echo of Light, Stravinsky, Spectrum, Indian Danehill, Percussionist, Cerulean Sky, Loup Sauvage...

Dams of Gr.1 performers: Termagant, Debussy, Laughing Lashes, Chinese White, Linda’s Lad, Boris de Deauville, Expansion...

The dam of Gr.1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Termagant.

The dam of Gr.2 winner and Gr.1 placed Laughing Lashes.

A lot to look forward to...

THE AGA KHAN STUDS Success Breeds Success Pat Downes or Julie White • GILLTOWN STUD • Tel: 045 48 12 16 • pat.downes@agakhanstuds.com

Feb_78_Editor's_July2010 19/01/2011 17:34 Page 3

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Chief Executive: Michael Harris Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Designed by: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0209 Fax: 020 7152 0213 editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.ownerbreeder.co.uk Advertising: Giles Anderson Tel: 01380 816 777 USA: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 01380 816 778 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer Tel: 020 7152 0212 Fax: 020 7152 0213 subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker can be purchased by non-members at the following rates: 1 Year 2 Year UK £55 £90 Europe €85 €135 RoW £99 £154 Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker is published by a Mutual Trading Company owned jointly by the Racehorse Owners Association and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is a registered charity No. 1134293 Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA

ABC ABC Audited Our proven average monthly circulation is certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulation at 10,301* *Based on the period July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 Racehorse Owners Association Ltd First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0200 Fax: 020 7152 0213 info@roa.co.uk www.racehorseowners.net Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stanstead House, The Avenue, Newmarket CB8 9AA Tel: 01638 661 321 Fax: 01638 665621 info@thetba.co.uk • www.thetba.co.uk T

Incorporating

£4.95 | February 2011 | Issue 78

‘I want to be champion just once’ Richard Johnson reveals his determination to get the better of AP McCoy

Plus

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

■ Racing Post chief Alan Byrne speaks out ■ Breeding in the recession: industry responds to crisis ■ Kempton heroes Long Run and Desert Orchid in focus

Cover: Richard Johnson Photo: George Selwyn

EDWARD ROSENTHAL

Second is no place for a man of such talent T

hey say that nobody remembers who finished second except the guy who finished second, but in the case of Richard Johnson, this statement will surely prove incorrect in the fullness of time.

One of the most accomplished and talented riders of his, and perhaps any, generation, Johnson has suffered the same fate in 12 of the past 13 seasons – namely, finishing second to AP McCoy in the race to be champion jump jockey in Britain.

Were it not for the Ulsterman, Johnson would be the one with a multitude of championships in the bag, recognised as the public face of his sport, with a Sports Personality of the Year trophy to boot.

As it is, he has no titles to show for an incredibly successful career which has so far yielded a Cheltenham Gold Cup, a Champion Hurdle and over 2,000 winners, placing him second in the all-time jump jockeys’ list behind you know who.

The current campaign sees the two men in familiar mode; McCoy out in front, Johnson giving chase, the rest well beaten off. Think Groundhog Day, except each day lasts 12 months, the bumps and breaks are for real, and Bill Murray is nowhere to be seen.

Lesser men may have crumbled long ago, but not Johnson, who still yearns for the prize that has eluded him for so long. Indeed, he has nothing but respect for his tormentor-in-chief, which is helpful, seeing as the two meet at work every day.

“I don’t think we’ve ever fallen out,” Johnson tells Alan Lee (pages 32-35). “We both have bad days, everybody does, but we each know by looking at the other that space is the best thing.

“We sit next to each other every day, so we’re obviously pretty close after all this time. A lot of people think AP is a bit miserable, but I cannot think of another jockey who would have had his success and stayed so level-headed.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

“I’m still hungry to be champion but, as time goes by, you appreciate what you have got, rather than what you haven’t.”

Whether Johnson’s hunger will ever be rewarded with a first championship remains to be seen, with his great rival looking as good as ever, although the same could not be said of Kauto Star, McCoy’s partner in the King George VI Chase, when bidding for a record fifth triumph.

Imperious in his previous performances at Kempton, Kauto had no answer this year to the young pretender Long Run, who, under a positive ride from amateur Sam Waley-Cohen, signalled his status as the new star turn with an emphatic success.

Nobody should be writing off the dual Gold Cup winner quite yet, certainly not with Paul Nicholls as his trainer, but George Selwyn’s superb image (The Big Picture, pages 12-13) illustrates a changing of the guard in jumping’s hierarchy.

This month’s Big Interview is with the Racing Post’s Editor-inChief and Chief Executive Alan Byrne, who discusses, amongst other things, the title’s impressive investment in a new fee-based website, racing’s link with the betting industry, and how the sport can try to solve its current financial ills.

The Racing Post has the market to itself, having seen off The Sporting Life and, latterly, The Sportsman, but what does Byrne, who edited the title for eight years, think of this monopoly situation? Turn to page 36 to find out.

Also in this issue, we begin a two-part series on the recession by looking at its effects on the breeding industry (pages 44-50). The upcoming stallion parade at Tattersalls on February 3 is previewed (pages 53-56), Broadcaster of the Year Matt Chapman features in the Next Generation’s Q&A (pages 68-69), and we see an old favourite return in our new ‘Flashback’ feature on page 88.

“The annual pursuit of McCoy must feel like Groundhog Day to Richard Johnson, except it’s for real

”

3

Feb_78_Contents_Contents 19/01/2011 16:12 Page 4

CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2011

36

53

NEWS & VIEWS

FEATURES

7

12

News Focus The Horsemen’s Tariff details

53

TBA Stallion Parade Britain’s finest on show

The Big Picture Kauto eclipsed at Kempton

59

Sales Circuit From America and Australia

10

Changes

22

Your monthly news round-up

15 17

Roger and Vera Hue-Williams

ROA Leader Prize-money must be fair

32

TBA Leader Tony Morris

36

Julian Muscat Talks fixtures and Frankel

INTERNATIONAL SCENE 25

The Big Interview With the Racing Post’s Alan Byrne

The powerhouse of Coolmore

21

COVER STORY Richard Johnson Will he ever dethrone McCoy?

Tracks urged to retain quality

18

The Great Owner/Breeders

44

Breeding in the recession First of a two-part series

View From Ireland Rangers Lodge in the news

28

Continental Tales Hoppegarten revived

30

Going Global New ventures, new problems

4

Sam Waley-Cohen enjoys his King George VI Chase victory on Long Run (p.12)

88

NEW! Flashback Desert Orchid in 1990

Feb_78_Contents_Contents 19/01/2011 16:13 Page 5

BLOODLINES Simply the right policy – without the fuss We are able to provide cover for: 쮿 All risks of mortality 쮿 Theft 쮿 Stallion’s congenital or permanent infertility 쮿 Broodmare barrenness 쮿 Prospective foal 쮿 Foals from 24 hours

32

쮿 Yearlings unsoundness of wind 쮿 Horses at grass

FORUM 64

ROA Forum Industry news affecting owners

68

The Next Generation Q&A with Broadcaster of the Year Matt Chapman

70

LEADING THE FIELD IN BLOODSTOCK INSURANCE

TBA Forum How Breeders’ Prizes will fare this year

73

Breeders in the News Featuring Claire Dickin and Sarah Faulks

74

BBM Focus British-bred Harbinger rated world’s best

76

Vet Forum Preventing and controlling infectious diseases

DATA BOOK 78

Caulfield Files Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida seek quality broodmares

80

National Hunt Grade Ones

TO STAY AHEAD OF THE FIELD CONTACT US TODAY

Results and analysis

84

Global Stakes Results Plus reviews of top-level races

87

Overseas Winners British- and Irish-bred success No other publication is better equipped to represent the wishes and interests of ALL owners and breeders.

We’d love to hear your views: editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

BLOODLINES, ORCHARD HOUSE 167 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET LONDON W8 6UG TEL: +44 (0) 207 938 3033 FAX: +44 (0) 207 938 3055 ENQUIRIES@BLOODLINES.CO.UK WWW.BLOODLINES.CO.UK Bloodlines is a trading name of Bloodlines Thoroughbred Insurance Agency Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

5

Archi-Percy Owner Feb_Owner Feb 19/01/2011 14:44 Page 89

ARCHIPENKO

First foals in 2011

Gr.1 winner of over £1.25m and a Leading International Miler

ONE OF THE BEST BRED HORSES IN THE WORLD “Archipenko (by KINGMAMBO) has an awesome pedigree – his dam is a half sister to Nureyev and to the dam of Sadler’s Wells, and his page got another boost when Blame, out of his three parts sister Liable, won this year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic.”

Bill Oppenheim, TDN 29th December, 2010

His first eight in-foal mares sold at public auction in 2010 averaged over €39,600 – higher than any other British-based freshman sire.

Fee: £6,000 1st Oct S.L.F

SIR PERCY Unbeaten Champion 2yo and Classic winning 3yo

First 2yos in 2011

Unbeaten 2yo, winner of four races (6f – 7f) from May to October including Gr.2 Vintage Stakes and Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes.

His dam, also an unbeaten 2yo over 6f – 7f, was rated 114p.

The most profitable first crop sire at the major 2010 yearling sales with yearlings averaging 4 times his 2008 stud fee (covering fees under £10k; 10+ yearlings sold to 14.10.10).

Recently returned from New Zealand and available for viewing by appointment

Fee: £6,000 1st Oct S.L.F

Lanwades operates a Limited Books policy with all its stallions Also standing Triple Classic Sire HERNANDO and Champion Sire SELKIRK

LANWADES

The independent option ™

info@lanwades.com • www.lanwades.com • Tel: +44 (0)1638 750222 • Fax: +44 (0)1638 751186

Feb_78_News_July2010 20/01/2011 11:10 Page 7

NEWS Stories from the racing world

Horsemen’s Tariff aims to aid industry The British Horseracing Authority stopped issuing minimum values for all races below Classes 1 and 2.

The horsemen hope the new tariff will stop racecourses putting on races for what they believe are unacceptable prize-money levels.

ROA President Paul Dixon said: “The Horsemen’s Group undertook this task in response to falling levy revenue and racecourse media rights income increasing.

“We believe our recommended prizemoney levels are a fair and reasonable reflection of racing’s current income streams.

In the face of falling prize-money caused by a declining levy, the Horsemen’s Group has revealed a new tariff which will encourage racecourses to adopt minimum prize-money values for all races under both codes.

The Horsemen’s Tariff takes into account when races will be run by setting three bands: Band 1 will apply to races run on Monday to Thursday Band 2 will apply to races run on Friday and Sunday Band 3 will apply to races run on Saturday and all Festival fixtures

“We must remember that prize-money affects not only owners, but racing’s whole workforce and, in turn, the rural economy.

“While the wellbeing of British racing is linked to the viability of racecourses, this cannot be achieved by constantly driving down owners’ returns and, by definition, the earnings of trainers, jockeys and stable staff.

“At some point we had to draw a line in the sand. We have now drawn this line with our tariff and believe that in time it will receive industry support.”

Horsemen’s Tariff rationale, see page 15

FLAT TARIFF (FROM APRIL 2) Tariff values relate to total prize funds (£) FLAT 3YO+

Band 1 Mon-Thurs

Band 2 Fri & Sun

Band 3 Sat & Festivals

Group 1

200,560

225,630

256,034

Group 2

100,280

112,815

Group 3

65,400

73,575

Listed

39,785

Heritage Class 2 – Open

Class

FLAT 2YO

Band 1 Mon-Thurs

Band 2 Fri & Sun

Band 3 Sat & Festivals

Group 1

161,320

181,485

205,940

128,017

Group 2

75,210

84,611

96,013

83,489

Group 3

43,055

48,437

54,964

44,758

50,789

Listed

26,705

30,043

34,091

74,665

83,998

95,317

Heritage

–

–

–

34,335

38,627

43,832

Class 2 – Open

–

–

–

Class

Class 2 – Other

15,805

17,781

20,177

Class 2 – Other

11,881

13,366

15,167

Class 3

10,301

11,588

13,150

Class 3

9,047

10,178

11,549

Class 4

6,377

7,174

8,140

Class 4

5,341

6,009

6,818

Class 5

3,543

3,985

4,522

Class 5

3,543

3,985

4,522

Class 6

2,562

2,882

3,270

Class 6

2,562

2,882

3,270

Band 2 Fri & Sun

Band 3 Sat & Festivals

NATIONAL HUNT TARIFF (FROM FEBRUARY 7) STEEPLECHASE Class Grade 1

Band 1 Mon-Thurs

Band 2 Fri & Sun

Band 3 Sat & Festivals

93,740

105,458

119,668

HURDLES & NH FLAT Band 1 Class Mon-Thurs Grade 1

70,305

79,093

89,751

Grade1 – Nov

37,605

42,306

48,006

Grade 1 NHF

22,454

25,261

28,665

Grade 1 Nov

46,325

52,116

59,138

Grade 2

46,325

52,116

59,138

Grade 2

37,605

42,306

48,006

Grade 2 – Novice

29,321

32,986

37,431

Grade 2 – Nov

26,596

29,921

33,952

Grade 3

46,325

52,116

59,138

Grade 2 – NHF

18,748

21,092

23,934

Grade 3

40,766

45,862

52,042

Listed

19,620

22,073

25,047

Listed

21,800

24,525

27,830

Listed – Nov

17,767

19,988

22,681

Listed – Nov

15,533

17,474

19,829

Class 2 – Open

19,620

22,073

25,047

Listed – NHF

13,843

15,573

17,672

Class 2 – Other

15,533

17,474

19,829

Class 2 – Open

16,132

18,149

20,594

11,132

Class 2 – Other

12,208

13,734

15,585

Class 3

7,085

7,971

9,045

Class 4

3,924

4,415

5,009

Class 5

2,616

2,943

3,340

Class 6 – Bumper

2,180

2,453

2,783

Class 3

8,720

9,810

Class 4

4,742

5,334

6,053

Class 5

2,834

3,188

3,618

Class 6 – Hunter

1,363

1,533

1,739

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

7

Feb_78_News_July2010 20/01/2011 11:10 Page 8

NEWS

Harbinger goes out on a high as the best racehorse in the world Four starts, four wins: Harbinger’s performances on the racecourse last year have earned him a rating of 135 and the accolade of the best horse in the world in 2010.

The son of Dansili was rated 6lb superior to Breeders’ Cup Classic victor Blame in the World Thoroughbred Rankings, gaining his rating off the back of a stunning display in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes, when he broke the track record in hammering Cape Blanco by 11 lengths.

Co-Chairman Garry O’Gorman said: “You have to go back to the early 1990s and horses like Generous and St Jovite to find a comparable King George performance. The best previous performance by a horse of any age over 12 furlongs was Peintre Celebre’s 137 in 1997.”

Owned by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing during his career on the track, Harbinger was injured after his stunning Ascot run and subsequently sold to join the roster at Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Stallion Station in Japan.

Horse

Rating

Harbinger Blame Makfi Quality Road Workforce Canford Cliffs Nakayama Festa Cape Blanco Rip Van Winkle So You Think

135 129 128 128 128 127 127 126 126 126

Stable companion Workforce earned a mark of 128 after capturing the Derby and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe – the same figure as 2,000 Guineas hero Makfi and American Grade 1 winner Quality Road.

Record-breaking mares Goldikova and Zenyatta (see story below) were ranked the joint-top females with a rating of 125.

GEORGE SELWYN

World Rankings

The brilliant Harbinger is now at stud

Zenyatta named US Horse of the Year GEORGE SELWYN

American racing’s sweetheart Zenyatta finally achieved the title she had narrowly missed out on for the previous two years when being named Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards on January 17.

The legendary mare, winner of 19 of her 20 races, gained the day over Blame, the only horse ever to defeat her in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic, and France’s darling Goldikova.

Zenyatta received 128 votes in the US poll,

Ascot: sale will follow racing in May

Brightwells Auctioneers will host a new two-year-old breeze-up sale at Ascot on May 7, Victoria Cup day.

The sale will offer juveniles eligible to run in the new Brightwells sales race, a six-furlong contest worth £25,000 run at Ascot in September.

Matt Mitchell, Head of Brightwells Bloodstock, said: “In the current market conditions, sales should reflect the needs of potential owners.

“A breeze-up sale in conjunction with a high profile race meeting will capitalise on the expectation that existing and potential owners will be racing.”

COADY PHOTOGRAPHY

Brightwells to host new breeze-up sale

compared to 102 for Blame. Both have now been retired.

Jerry Moss, Zenyatta’s owner, congratulated the connections of Blame. He said: “Blame is a wonderful racehorse. It has been a great honour to be associated with the other two finalists.”

Goldikova only received five votes for Horse of the Year but she did get the female turf award after becoming the first horse to win three times at the Breeders’ Cup (all in the Mile).

After two near misses the giant Zenyatta gained the Eclipse Award she deserved

8

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Tweenhills OB Feb 2011_Tweenhills OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 12:49 Page 1

Tweenhills Times

Tweenhills Farm & Stud Tweenhills Racing David Redvers Bloodstock

FEBRUARY 2011

MAKFI CROWNED JOINT 3YO WORLD CHAMPION Tweenhills’ new sire, Makfi, has been ranked 2010’s joint Champion Three-Year-Old in the recent World Thoroughbred Rankings with a rating of 128.

He was also the joint Champion Miler, and was rated 3lbs above Goldikova whom he beat in the Gr.1 Prix Jacques le Marois.

Makfi has a full book of high class mares visiting in 2011. These include Laramie from Castlemartin Stud, the dam of Gr.1 winners Lawman and Latice, as well as the Aga Khan’s mare Shemriyna whose first foal is the Gr.2 Prix Eugene Adam winner Shimraan.

In addition, the dams of Group winners Triple Aspect, Best Name, Split Trois and Vital Equine will be visiting this dual Gr.1 Classic winner by Dubawi.

Makfi’s first book includes the dam of Group winner and Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club second Best Name

Staff PROFILE Trish Pearce, Stud Hand

Notable Group winning mares in Makfi’s first book are Champion two-year-old filly Bianca Nera, and other Gr.1 mares Aqaarid, Fauvelia, Brazilian Bride and Epsom Oaks second Something Exciting.

The dam of dual Gr.1 winner Lawman will visit Makfi in 2011

GOLDEN BUTTON FUN

Carl Evans

Once again, bad weather led to the postponement of the annual Hayes Golden Button Challenge from New Year’s Eve to 15th January. Zara Phillips was the official starter and presented the winning prize to Zoe Gibson who partnered Tempo to beat 47 rivals.

The Challenge is a cross country ride over three miles and 24 natural obstacles on the banks of the River Severn in the heart of the Ledbury Hunt country.

What was the appeal of Tweenhills?

I wanted to gain experience of studs in other countries, and David was the first to answer my email asking for a job.

What do you enjoy most?

Yearling prep – watching them develop, and the excitement of the sales.

Any memorable moments?

Unfortunately it was letting go of a yearling in the pre-parade ring at Tattersalls when he reared up and got his leg in the lead rein, although leadingup the 180,000gns Dubawi filly later cheered me up!

Zoe Gibson and Tempo win the Hayes Golden Button Challenge

Carl Evans

ST MORITZ TARGET Dual winner, Palio Square, was purchased recently for Pearl Bloodstock to specifically target the race meeting at St Moritz on 20th February. Trainer Ralph Beckett reported that he enjoyed the snow in the UK before Christmas, and is hopeful he will relish the more glamorous conditions in Switzerland.

What did you do before joining Tweenhills?

I’m from Australia where I was a stud hand at Newhaven Park Stud and Think Big Stud for four years. I’ve also spent two seasons prepping yearlings for Robin Wise.

Official starter Zara Phillips, with fiancé Mike Tindall, Richard and Mindy Hammond, and David Redvers

Most notable horses handled?

The four-time Gr.1 winner, So You Think, on his break at Think Big Stud, as well as Melbourne Cup winner Viewed.

Other interests?

Travelling, I’ve already visited Paris, Amsterdam, Denmark and Rome since arriving in the UK last summer.

Tweenhills Farm & Stud Hartpury Gloucestershire GL19 3BG T: + 44 (0) 1452 700177/ 700545 M: + 44 (0) 7767 436373 E: davidredvers@tweenhills.com www.tweenhills.com

vale hay

Suppliers of top quality hay and haylage to the racing industry. Clients include Venetia Williams, Whitsbury Manor Stud, Tweenhills Farm & Stud, Wickfield Stud and Trickledown Stud.

Contact Ben Rich on 07774 725332 to discuss your requirements.

Feb_78_Changes_Layout 1 19/01/2011 16:15 Page 10

NEWS In association with

Changes – R a c i n g ’ s n e w s i n a n u t s h e l l PEOPLE AND BUSINESS Aidan O’Brien Scott Lake Jim McGrath Grand National Tony McCoy Ireland British Champions’ Day Newmarket Mark Player William Hill Noel Fehily Barry Dennis Rodney Farrant Toby Balding Horsemen’s Group Sportingbet Geoff Huffer Breeze-up Bonus Scheme

Trainer fined £10,400 by the BHA for failing to comply with requests to trot Cape Blanco for racecourse vets after his Dante win at York in May ‘King of the claimers’ records 5,000th career winner with Communicator at Laurel in Maryland, the sixth North American trainer to achieve this feat Channel 4 presenter becomes a trustee of the British Horseracing Education and Standards Trust (BHEST), which runs the Racing To School initiative Total prize-money pot for this year’s Aintree spectacular reaches a record £950,000, an increase of £25,000 on 2010 Fifteen-time champion jump jockey becomes the first in his sport to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year, gaining almost 42% of the public vote Prize-money will be cut by 5% to €44.1 million in 2011 Ascot raceday on October 15 to be shown live on BBC Worldwide after two-year deal agreed Moves October 7 raceday, featuring two sales races, to October 1 as breeders unhappy about clash with the October Yearling Sale at Tattersalls Steps down as Head of International Races with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and returns to Australia; he will still be retained to recruit overseas runners Bookmaker announces closure of 20 unprofitable shops in Ireland; Irish firm Celtic Bookmakers, which owns 49 betting shops, goes into receivership Set to remain sidelined until the Cheltenham Festival with wrist injury Well-known on-course bookmaker retires aged 70 having become disillusioned with the betting ring Former jockey calls time on training career due to dwindling string and becomes assistant to Hans Adielsson, who has taken out a licence in Lambourn Trainer of Morley Street and Cool Ground is made an OBE in the New Year Honours List; former BHB Chairman Martin Broughton receives a knighthood Publishes its tariff and urges members – owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys and stable staff – not to run at tracks which fail to meet prize-money levels Announced as new sponsor of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in a five-year deal Warned off for four years over running of Sabre Light at Lingfield in December 2008; trainer Jeff Pearce and jockey Jerry O’Dwyer are also banned Scrapped after two years on the basis that the vast majority of breeze-up candidates are eligible for the Racing Post Yearling Bonus Scheme

RACEHORSE AND STALLION – MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Byron Centennial Urban Poet Cima De Triomphe Harlan’s Holiday Spanish Moon Fairly Ransom Strawberrydaiquiri My Will Evasive

Son of Green Desert, with 12 individual first-crop winners in 2010, moves from Dalham Hall Stud to Woodlands Stud in County Galway; his fee is €2,500 Group 2-winning son of Dalakhani to stand first season at Haras de la Hetraie in France at a fee of €1,500 Son of Dynaformer, who was a $2.9 million yearling, bought by Donal Brazil to stand as a dual-purpose stallion at Gurteen Stud in County Offaly, Ireland Classic-winning son of Galileo will begin stallion career at Haras du Thenney in Normandy; his fee is €3,000 Triple US Grade 1 winner and sire of top sprinter Majesticperfection transferred from Airdrie Stud to WinStar Farm, where he will stand for $25,000 Group 1-winning son of El Prado is retired to stand at the French National Stud in Le Lion d’Angers Son of Red Ransom, a Listed winner in France and Grade 1-placed in America, to stand 2011 at Haras du Pley for €1,800 Group 2-winning daughter of Dansili joins Bahrain stable of Fawzi Nass Popular chaser, trained by Paul Nicholls and owned by the Stewart Family, is retired aged 11; he won eight times and was third in the 2009 Grand National Group 3-winning son of Elusive Quality to take up stallion duties at Haras de Grandcamp, alongside Vision D’Etat, at a fee of €3,000

PEOPLE OBITUARIES

AGE

Vincent Timphony Alastair Dinsmore Julia Tooth Chris O’Keeffe Edward Evans Wally Carter Eamonn Curran Lettice Miller Baron Thierry van Zuylen

76 67 41 56 68 75 63 103 78

HORSE OBITUARIES

AGE

Alph Joe Lively War Pass Rakti Green Tune First Gold

13 12 5 11 20 18

10

Trained Wild Again to win the first Breeders’ Cup Classic in 1984 Owner of 1984 Royal Hunt Cup winner Hawkley and Group 2 scorer Kinnaird, later a Group 1 winner for new connections Lambourn-based handler who was also a breeder and pinhooker Chief Executive of the Independent Betting Adjudication Service (Ibas) Bred over 100 stakes winners at his Spring Hill Farm in Virginia, including top-level winners Quality Road, Saint Liam and Minstrella Former trainer based in Epsom who enjoyed success with horses such as La Galerie and Greenwich Papillon Worked in racing for almost 50 years, latterly with Darley at Aston Upthorpe Stud First woman to own a Derby winner at Epsom with Mid-day Sun in 1937 Dutch banker and racehorse owner/breeder whose most recent star was 2004 Prix Lupin winner Voix Du Nord

Tough two-mile hurdler who won six races for owner Andy Chard Stalwart for the Colin Tizzard stable, winning nine races including the Grade 1 Feltham Novices’ Chase at Kempton in 2007 Champion US juvenile of 2007 who had stood two seasons at stud with Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky and Widden Stud in Australia Top-class miler/ten-furlong performer, winner of six Group 1s, who had been standing at stud in Australia Leading sire in France, based at Haras d’Etreham, whose best runners have included Group 1 winners Lune D’Or and Fuisse Ten-length winner of the King George VI Chase in 2000 who also captured Grade 1 chases in France and Ireland

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Overbury OB Feb 2011_Overbury OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:28 Page 1

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SAGAMIX £2,500 OCT 1 SLF Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner now making quite a name for himself with his first jumpers. Flat Out, a G1 hurdler trained by Willie Mullins, is now among the favourites for the Arkle. Paul Nicholls gives Royal Mix rave reviews, too.

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Feb_78_Big_Picture_KingGeorge_Nov2010 19/01/2011 16:26 Page 12

THE BIG PICTURE

Star eclipsed Long Run and Sam Waley-Cohen have reigning champion Kauto Star on the back foot jumping the second fence on the second circuit in the King George VI Chase, en route to an emphatic 12-length victory over Riverside Theatre Photo George Selwyn

Feb_78_Big_Picture_KingGeorge_Nov2010 19/01/2011 16:26 Page 13

KING GEORGE VI CHASE

WHITSBURY MANOR STUD

Whitsbury OB Feb 2011_Whitsbury OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:30 Page 1

Avonbridge

by Averti

The Sire of TEMPLE MEADS has had more British two-year-old winners in the last two seasons than any stallion standing under £12,000 Fee for 2011: £3,500 Oct 1st

Compton Place

by Indian Ridge

The “Trainers’ Sire” They’re popular - 9 foals sold at Tattersalls in 2010 averaged over £25,000 They’re fast - 5 of his 18 two-year-old winners in 2010 were rated over 90 Fee for 2011: £6,000 Oct 1st

Refuse To Bend

by Sadler’s Wells

Champion European 3rd Crop sire in 2010, including

World Champion 3yo Filly SARAFINA Fee for 2011: £4,500 Oct 1st SLF

Sakhee’s Secret

by Sakhee

" The first crop of the July Cup winner appears to have got the thumbs up from the buyers" Nancy Sexton, Racing Post

24 foals sold at Tattersalls in 2010 averaged 20,000gns" Fee for 2011: £5,500 Oct 1st

New for 2011

Showcasing

2007 colt by Oasis Dream – Arabesque (Zafonic)

The fastest Gimcrack winner EVER Son of outstanding sire Oasis Dream, half-brother to successful young sire Camacho, out of a mare by Zafonic, sire of Iffraaj.

Fee for 2011: £5,000 Oct 1st

Contact: Charlie Oakshott (Stud Manager), Whitsbury Manor Stud, Nr. Fordingbridge, Hants.

T: 01725 518254; mobile: 07778 603 691; F: 01725 518503 e: whitsburymanorstud@btopenworld.com www.whitsburymanorstud.co.uk

Feb_78_ROA_Leader_Layout 1 19/01/2011 16:17 Page 15

ROA LEADER

PAUL DIXON President Racehorse Owners Association

Tariff is fair game for horsemen and tracks Reversing decline in prize-money is crucial to the health of the industry

A

s most ROA members have seen, the Horsemen’s Tariff has already received support from many prominent owners, trainers, breeders and jockeys.

We would now like to see this enthusiasm spreading out to the grass roots of the industry and we also need to persuade as many racecourses as possible to adhere to the minimum prize-money levels set by the tariff.

The tariff replaces the BHA’s standard minimum prizemoney levels which have now been discontinued below the level of Class 2, a move brought about by the paucity of the anticipated levy funding of prize-money in the current year. Minimum values were traditionally based on an aggregate sum drawn from a combination of the levy and owners’ contributions to prize-money. But, as levy funding has decreased and racecourse media rights income increased, there has been a marked shift in what the racecourses have to spend on prize-money and what they choose to spend.

This, therefore, is the rationale behind the tariff – to create a meritocratic system to help reverse the decline in prizemoney by giving owners and trainers guidance as to the prizemoney they should be running their horses for in the context of all racing’s income streams.

Of course, it is important to the whole industry that racecourses run viable businesses, but we can no longer tolerate this being achieved simply by courses driving down prize-money levels to such an extent that despondent owners throw in the towel and trainers and breeders go out of business. Prize-money must be regarded as a racecourse cost, like any other cost, rather than a balancing factor that is adjusted according to the racecourses’ financial needs.

Responding to the tariff, the RCA have pointed to the low profitability of many racecourses, but the horsemen cannot be expected to either increase their losses or deflate their earnings further to keep racecourses in business. Realistically, racecourses will support the tariff

only on the basis of what’s in it for them. If they believe this support will translate into their having a stronger competitive position, they will embrace it. Competition between racecourses should be a key driver to higher prize-money and improved facilities, and it is only now that we have established a meaningful catalyst to the creation of that competition.

It is to be expected that, initially, some racecourses will choose not to fix their prize-money levels for every race in line with the tariff, but most groups and independents will understand the dangers of not attracting runners from top owners and yards, even for low-profile fixtures.

However, the Horsemen’s Group has always been alive to the risk of the tariff distorting the programme as racecourses choose to put on lower class races to match the requirements of the tariff – the so-called process of ‘dumbing down’.

To an extent, this will take place, but most of the better racecourses will understand that putting on a consistently inferior product will harm their reputation. For the horsemen, the extent of the problem can be measured only with the experience of what the tariff will bring after it has been in operation for several months.

When you consider the levy’s contribution to prizemoney is predicted to decline from £51 million in 2010 to £34m in 2011, unless the government determination brings some respite, and when you also consider that racecourses’ annual media rights income from 2009 has increased by around £20m, it was inevitable that something had to give to create a more equitable way of spreading racing’s overall income.

This has come in the shape of the tariff – a simple and fair method for the Horsemen’s Group to recommend prize-money levels, both to its own members and to racecourses. A system based not on coercion but persuasion. And for the sake of the British racing industry, we must all hope it works.

Horsemen’s Tariff tables, see page 7

“Most of the better tracks will accept putting on inferior racing will harm their reputation

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

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Dodson & Horrell OB Feb 2011_Dodson & Horrell OB Feb 2011 19/01/2011 17:24 Page 1

Feb_78_TBA_Leader_Oct2010 19/01/2011 16:19 Page 17

TBA LEADER

KIRSTEN RAUSING Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

We must lend support to the Horsemen’s Tariff Breeders’ backing is vital as we urge racecourses to retain race quality

T

hrough this column, I would like to add my support to the Horsemen’s Tariff, which was launched in January. The tariff sets out the minimum values which the horsemen believe racecourses can afford to pay for each class of race. I too received a copy of the RCA Chairman’s letter setting out the racecourses’ position and of course I have sympathy for their plight.

We do after all appear to be fighting over the few crumbs that remain after someone has taken our cake.

Breeders have not been shy in making their own contributions to prize-money through the British European Breeders’ Fund, the Racing Post Yearling Bonus Scheme and individual race sponsorship. It is in our commercial interests to do so. Indeed, the breeding industry is the second largest race sponsor in Britain and is one of the few funders to sponsor races purely for the benefit of this industry.

It is vital that breeders support this campaign to improve prizemoney, which is crucial to the future of our industry. We do need to work with the racecourses to ensure that during these financially straitened times races that are important to breeders aren’t disproportionately affected by the proposed cuts, particularly when sacrificing them for short-term cheaper options which would appear to make economic sense to racecourse executives struggling to balance the books.

It was, therefore, encouraging to see the RCA Chairman acknowledge that maintenance of quality racing adds value to the horse and assists the export of British bloodstock.

But for how long will our horses retain their international attraction when the rewards for running in Britain and our world renowned quality black-type races start to fade?

We have already witnessed a disproportionate cut in prize-money for a National Hunt black type mares’ race and we understand that a wholesale reduction in Listed races, as well as a virtual removal of higher-class handicap opportunities on the all-weather in the early period of this year, are proposed. More Listed races are to be dropped

later in the year and these include opportunities for fillies and mares.

We will be lobbying the BHA to maintain a balance of opportunities in difficult circumstances, but racecourses should be under no illusions as to what is at risk should the overall quality of the race programme and opportunities for fillies and mares, in particular, be diminished.

In the longer term, if the only way for owners to reinvest in racing is to continue to enjoy the significant overseas interests in our horses-in-training sales, a properly structured race programme, with career paths for our better horses, remains vital. In the absence of adequate prize-money, the latter is probably our only hope of retaining owner/breeders during the economic downturn.

Commercial breeders need all the practical support and encouragement racing can offer to continue to produce the raw material. That is why our relationship with individual racecourses remains important to us. We have to find some way to work together to our mutual benefit, to find a path through what I sincerely hope is only a short-term problem. It is surely in nobody’s interest for breeders to walk away from this sport, but at present the risk of this happening seems very real.

Forgive me for once again pointing out that foal production has been hit hard by the economic climate.

Whilst breeders have traditionally remained in the industry for the long term, we anticipate a 6% decline in the number of mares covered in 2011, following the 16% drop in British-bred foals in 2010.

With British- and Irish-bred horses accounting for over 80% of the horses in training in Britain, and with the current fixture list requiring some 29,000 individual horses in training, at some point in the future, without attention, we will simply not have enough horses for races to remain competitive and for the betting industry to maximise its profits. This is no longer a mere threat, it is reality.

Breeding in the recession, see pages 44-50

“We all appear to be fighting over a few crumbs that remain after someone has taken our cake

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

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Feb_78_Tony_Morris_June2010 19/01/2011 16:24 Page 18

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris There are reasons to be cheerful about the standing of British stallion studs and their prospects, but Coolmore and Galileo will be tough to beat for the foreseeable future

I

t is a sobering thought that the last time a British-based horse headed the AngloIrish sires’ list, Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister, Everton were champions and Manchester United ranked 11th at the end of their first season with Alex Ferguson as boss.

The year was 1987 and the honours went, posthumously, to former National Stud resident Mill Reef, who earned his second title with record-breaking progeny earnings of £1,243,799, Derby and St Leger hero Reference Point being the chief contributor.

Yes, that is how long ago it was: a Derby winner might even contest the St Leger.

Of course, we had become used to the idea of the honours being spread around some time earlier. Kentucky-based Ribot collected three titles in the 1960s and between 1970 and 1986 there were eight seasons when North American horses headed the list, with four triumphs for Northern Dancer (1970, 1977, 1983, 1984), two for Vaguely Noble (1973 and 1974) and one apiece for Never Bend (1971) and Nijinsky (1986). In that period the honours were pretty much evenly divided between Britain and Ireland, the former posting victories for Queen’s Hussar (1972), Great Nephew (1975 and 1981), Mill Reef (1978) and Kris (1985), the latter for Wolver Hollow (1976), Petingo (1979), Pitcairn (1980) and Be My Guest (1982).

Be My Guest was the first horse based at Coolmore to top the table and he did so when his initial crop of runners was only three. It seemed reasonable to suppose that the sire of Assert and On The House might be destined for greatness at stud, but he never came close to repeating his achievement, two sixth places being the best he could manage in the years that followed.

Be My Guest’s eclipse was, in part, attributable to the increased competition he soon had to face, much of it from his stud companions. When Coolmore took the title for the second time, with Caerleon in 1988, it might have been regarded as a freak, as nearly half his progeny earnings came from

18

the victory in a richly-endowed restricted event, the Cartier Million, by Corwyn Bay, a two-year-old colt far removed from top class, but we were to learn differently in time. He headed the list again in 1991 with a genuine superstar in Generous as his chief flag-bearer.

In 1989 the title went to an Irish-bred, but American-based, horse in Blushing Groom, whose representatives included Nashwan and Snow Bride, winners between them of three Classics, plus the Eclipse and the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes. His runner-up was a horse who had ranked second among the first-season sires of 1988, behind Shy Groom, another who owed his prominence to a restricted race performance.

Miss Demure did win the Lowther Stakes,

“When a worthy rival to Sadler’s Wells came along, it was Danehill, bought from Khalid Abdullah” but it was her lucratively-rewarded second to Corwyn Bay at Phoenix Park that enabled Shy Groom to edge Sadler’s Wells in the contest for first-crop honours.

We did not hear much from Shy Groom after 1988, but Sadler’s Wells was to be around for the long haul, to nobody’s surprise. The Dewhurst Stakes dead-heaters Prince Of Dance and Scenic had given more than a hint of what was to come, Old Vic’s Derby triumphs at Chantilly and the Curragh in the following year confirmed his merit, and as early as February 1990 I was confident enough about his star status to

suggest he was likely to prove himself the best stallion ever to have stood in Ireland.

He wound up as champion at the end of that season, took second when Generous assured Caerleon of the title in 1991, then had 13 consecutive years at the top. His record of 14 championships in 15 years eclipsed the only comparable previous sequence – 13 in 14 years, set by Highflyer towards the end of the 18th century.

No son like father If there was one element of surprise connected with the Sadler’s Wells phenomenon as his period of dominance extended, it was that no son came along to establish himself as a top-class influence and meaningful rival to his sire. Barathea and In The Wings had their moments, of course, but neither ever threatened to topple the old man from his perch; seventh place on the list was as high as either could manage.

Coolmore found effective understudies from other sources, including Fairy King, Night Shift, Alzao, Last Tycoon, Ahonoora and Grand Lodge, all of whom turned out high-class stock, though never with the consistency of Sadler’s Wells. When a worthy rival to the perennial champion arrived, it came in the form of Danehill, acquired from Khalid Abdullah after his victory in the 1989 Haydock Park Sprint Cup. Having started at stud in Ireland to no fanfare and without exceptional results, he eventually had success on the same level that he had achieved in Australia, where he had been a sensation from the start of his term on the shuttle.

A close second to Sadler’s Wells in 1997, and runner-up again every year between 2001 and 2004, Danehill reached the top in 2005 and retained his title until 2007, in which year Coolmore had the first five on the list, with Galileo, Montjeu, Danehill Dancer and Sadler’s Wells completing the quintet.

Thanks to Dylan Thomas’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe win, Danehill was also champion for a third time in France that season.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Tony_Morris_June2010 19/01/2011 16:24 Page 19

IF YOU BELIEVE YOUR HORSE FEED IS COMPLETE...

Galileo: nearest approximation to Sadler’s Wells we’ve seen

The Coolmore bandwagon rolled on, with Sadler’s Wells finally acclaimed as an outstanding sire of sires through the exploits of three top-class sons based at the County Tipperary farm, Derby winners in Montjeu, Galileo and High Chaparral, who in turn begat Derby winners. Galileo took the sires’ title in 2008, retreated to fifth in 2009, when Danehill Dancer held off a strong challenge from Sea The Stars’s sire Cape Cross, and was back on top in 2010 – the 21st consecutive season when a Coolmore horse has headed the list.

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British challenge not enough During that extended period of Irish dominance, Britain has had the runner-up on only three occasions – Dancing Brave in 1993, Mtoto in 1996 and last year, when Harbinger’s sire Dansili (a son of Danehill, of course) clinched that spot. Indeed, 2010 provided the best result for Britain in many years, as Dansili’s fellow Juddmonte stallion Oasis Dream claimed third place, while the youthful Dubawi starred for Darley, reaching ninth with only two crops to represent him, an achievement that he will surely surpass very soon.

The lower half of the top 20, which includes Pivotal, Kyllachy, Observatory, Exceed And Excel and Medicean, features more reasons to be cheerful about the standing of British stallion studs and their prospects. But becoming more competitive is one thing; managing to wrest the sires’ title from the grasp of Coolmore is something else.

Those second and third places for Dansili and Oasis Dream in the 2010 season were commendable, but the championship goes to the horse with the highest progeny earnings and last season’s statistics show those of the Juddmonte pair combined were lower than the record amount – close on £5 million – garnered by the products of Galileo, whose stars included four-year-olds Rip Van Winkle and Sans Frontieres, three-year-olds Cape Blanco and Lily Of The Valley, and juveniles Frankel, Roderic O’Connor and Misty For Me, all Group 1 winners.

Galileo is the best sire-son of Sadler’s Wells; in fact he’s the nearest approximation to his sire we’ve seen, capable of getting top-class performers at every age and distance. To suggest he can match his old man’s record of 14 titles might be going too far, but he has been covering quality mares in great numbers and will continue to for the foreseeable future. He is Europe’s number one, perhaps the world’s.

“Becoming more

competitive is one thing; managing to beat Coolmore is another”

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ownerbreeder ad pages 02.2011_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 02.2011 19/01/2011 12:36 Page 20

Pasternak Bay 1993 16,3 (1.70) by SOVIET STAR – PRINCESS PATI by TOP VILLE

Winner of 4 races and £162,801 including the Cambridgeshire Handicap, 9f, Newmarket and the John Smith’s Magnet Cup, 10f, York.

By SOVIET STAR x PRINCESS PATI, winner of the Irish Oaks and a half sister to SEYMOUR HICKS, sire of SEE MORE BUSINESS, Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in 1999.

Highly promising Sire with successful progeny both here and in France including LITTLE JOSH, 2 wins over hurdles, 4 wins over fences including the Gr. III Paddy Power Gold Cup Chase at Cheltenham, INDOMPTABLE CECILE (FR) 3rd Prix Finot Hurdle, Auteuil, L. Fee for 2011:

£1,250 (1st October terms) Standing at

BATSFORD STUD Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9QF. Enquiries to ALAN VAREY. Tel/Fax: 01608 651890 • Mobile 078 99 957355 • email enquiries@batsfordstud.co.uk

ARABIAN GLEAM Bay 2004, by KYLLACHY – GLEAM OF LIGHT, by DANEHILL

KYLLACHY (b.1998)

PRETTY POPPY

GLEAM OF LIGHT (b.1991)

PIVOTAL

DANEHILL GOLD RUNNER

POLAR FALCON FEARLESS REVIVAL SONG MOONLIGHT SERENADE DANZIG RAZYANA RUNNETT AFRICAN DOLL

BY A LEADING COMMERCIAL SIRE Sire: KYLLACHY Won Gr.1 Nunthorpe Stakes, Gr.2 Temple Stakes, etc.

Son of PIVOTAL (Champion Sprinter: Multiple Champion sire of 90 Stakes winners, incl. 18 Gr.1 winners): Multiple Gr.1 sire of: SOLE POWER (Gr.1 Nunthorpe Stakes, 2010), DIM SUM (Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint, 2010), TARIQ (Gr.2), MOOD MUSIC, CORRYBROUGH, DUBAI DYNAMO, MABAIT, ZENELLA, PENITENT, etc.

Yearlings averaged over £42,000 in 2010.

FROM A 2,000 GUINEAS WINNING FAMILY

GROUP WINNING SPRINTER-MILER OVER SEVERAL SEASONS

NEW FOR 2011

Dam: GLEAM OF LIGHT Won 2 races: dam of 6 winners, incl.

ARABIAN GLEAM, BUMPTIOUS (3rd LR Bahrain Trophy), OPENING CEREMONY (4th Gr.3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes): grandam of SKIA (2nd LR Grand Prix de Fontainebleau).

The immediate family of DON’T FORGET ME (Gr.1 2,000 Guineas, Turf Record Gr.1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, Gr.3 Vintage Stakes, successful sire), etc.

Won 4 races from 3 to 5 years, £256,924, and was placed 5 times Broodmare Sire: DANEHILL Champion sprinter: Sire of world record 349 Stakes winners: WON Gr.2 Challenge Stakes, 7f, Newmarket, defeating 6 Group winners Leading broodmare sire, incl: WON Gr.2 Park Stakes, 7f, Doncaster, 2007, defeating 5 Group winners FRANKEL (Champion 2yo, 2010), TEOFILO (Champion 2yo, sire), WON Gr.2 Park Stakes, 7f, Doncaster, 2008, defeating 7 Group winners INTENSE FOCUS (Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes at 2), also from cross with 3rd Gr.2 Park Stakes, 7f, Doncaster PIVOTAL: BUZZWORD (Gr.1), SAOIRE (Gr.1), SIYOUNI (Gr.1), etc.

3rd Gr.3 Jersey Stakes, 7f, Royal Ascot Standing at: 3rd Gr.3 John O’Gaunt Stakes, 7f, Haydock Park Fee for his HEDGEHOLME STUD first season 2011: 4th Gr.2 Hungerford Stakes, 7f, Newbury Winston, Darlington, Co. Durham DL2 3RS. £2,000 (1st Oct terms) ARABIAN GLEAM ran in 16 Group races from 18 starts Enquiries: Andrew Spalding “He’s a very solid performer…” JEREMY NOSEDA, TRAINER Tel: 01325 730209 • Mobile: 079 90 518751 • Fax: 01325 730769 Racehorses of 2008: 122 “good-bodied colt: very smart performer” e-mail: andrew@hedgeholmestud.co.uk • www.hedgeholmestud.co.uk

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Feb_78_Julian_Muscat_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 16:32 Page 21

JULIAN MUSCAT COMMENT

Our columnist is dismayed by racing’s inability to address an overloaded fixture list and bemused by the findings of the international handicappers

S

Less is more in fixtures debate

ome things in racing just don’t make sense. Such as the fixture list, which shed just 23 of the 1,503 meetings run last year. Even allowing for new income streams available to racecourses, the decision to press ahead with such a bloated list seems reckless in the face of cuts to the prize-money budget.

Some respite on that front may arrive when the government resolves the disputed 50th levy scheme. Even then, however, purses collected by owners are bound to fall at a time when so many are banging the prize-money drum. A reduction in fixtures was surely warranted, and with it, the opportunity to stop spreading the jam ever more thinly.

However, there is a more compelling reason beyond prize-money to reduce fixtures. It concerns the size of the annual foal crop, which is in sharp decline. If there was merit in expanding fixtures in tandem with a rising horse population, there is none at all in maintaining fixtures with fewer horses to go round.

This year, some 2,500 fewer horses will go into training to contest a near-identical number of races that were run last year. It gets worse.

Come next year, the number of horses available to go into training will fall by a further 3,300. And projections for 2013 suggest the intake will fall by a further 1,000. These are big numbers with big implications.

In the last two years the combined foal crops of Britain and Ireland have declined by 33% as

“There is no merit in

maintaining fixture levels when the horse population is waning” breeders took unprofitable mares out of circulation. Put another way, one in three horses that made up the numbers in 2010 will simply not exist to compete in 2012. Yet fixtures will almost certainly remain constant.

This has serious implications for field sizes, which, by rough association, will regress by

33% next year. In consequence, there will be several more races with fewer than the eight runners required for each-way betting down to third place. Racing should be more concerned by such deterrents to punters than any extra levy that may or may not be generated by a sixth Saturday fixture on the all-weather.

This raises another concern, as bookmakers scale down their media rights payments when field sizes do not allow for full each-way betting.

By maintaining the existing fixture list, racecourses are walking blindfold into what could well become a nasty financial trap.

An aggravated decline in the combined revenue streams of levy and media rights seems inevitable as racing struggles to maintain its dwindling share of the sports betting cake.

Should such a shortfall arise, bookmakers will doubtless suggest a remedy. That’s because field sizes can be addressed at a stroke. Simply programme more all-weather handicaps to cater for all those 40-something rated horses that keep getting eliminated and the problem will disappear overnight. The travesty is that racing may have little option but to oblige.

The World Thoroughbred Rankings are never without controversy but few were as contrary as those delivered by the international handicapping panel in mid-January. It seems inconceivable that Frankel is not champion two-year-old by a country mile – not least because Dream Ahead, who was rated his equal, finished seven lengths behind the Abdullah flyer in the Dewhurst.

The rankings have been published long enough for us to recognise the difficulties facing handicappers. They simply can’t ignore Dream Ahead’s nine-length Middle Park dismissal of Strong Suit, himself a visually striking winner of the Coventry Stakes. Yet to put him on a par with Frankel brazenly ignores what happened in the Dewhurst.

Yet handicappers are loath to increase ratings for horses that win with ease beyond the official margins. So it was that Zarkava’s stunning Arc victory in 2008, by two lengths after a slow start and a rough passage, was deemed inferior to New Approach’s six-

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

Frankel’s not the best? I must be dreaming!

Frankel proved superior to Dream Ahead on the track – but not in the rankings

length romp in that year’s Champion Stakes, when his opponents hadn’t mustered a Group 1 triumph worthy of the bracket.

To some degree the handicappers deserve sympathy, although owners and trainers may beg to differ. That same, stringent adherence to winning distances, rather than the ease of

victory, is certainly not how handicappers routinely operate in Britain.

To win a handicap by two lengths with ease is to ensure a far heftier hike in the weights than is merited by the bare bones. Indeed, to win like that is to kiss goodbye to winning handicap opportunities for many months.

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Feb_78_GreatOwnerBreeder_Layout 1 19/01/2011 16:41 Page 22

THE GREAT OWNER/BREEDERS

By JEREMY EARLY

ROGER & VERA HUE-WILLIAMS Enlightened approach to matings from founders of Rathasker Stud

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ROUCH WILMOT LIBRARY

U

nder the ownership of the Burns family, Rathasker Stud in County Kildare has made a major mark as a commercial stallion station over the last couple of decades, but there is much more to the stud’s history than that.

Rathasker was founded in 1952 as an overflow for the sizeable broodmare band based at Tom and Vera Lilley’s Woolton House Stud near Newbury.

For over 40 years the two nurseries produced a host of top winners in the ‘scarlet and white v’ colours of Vera Lilley, who was widowed in 1959. The ‘v’ in the colours stood for Vera; Roger Hue-Williams, whom she married in 1963, had the reverse, white and scarlet v.

Money was no object at any stage since Vera Hue-Williams’s second marriage (her first ended in divorce) was to Walter Cottingham, the Managing Director of Berger Paints, resulting in her becoming the principal shareholder of the company on his death.

Lilley was the chairman of major shoe manufacturer Lilley & Skinner and HueWilliams was a stockbrocker. Vera’s jewels alone fetched more than £3 million at auction after her death.

The Lilleys started the stud in the late 1940s with a number of purchases at Tattersalls December Sales, and it was Forecourt, an 8,100gns buy in 1947, who provided their first big owner-bred winner, since she was carrying Supreme Court, successful in the inaugural King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Key won the Nassau Stakes and Cork And Orrery Stakes, and Lilley also bred Kythnos (Irish 2,000 Guineas), who was sold as a yearling, but the most significant long-term purchases were La Montespan, a half-sister to brilliant runner and top sire Donatello II, and Blue Prelude.

One of the strengths of the studs was mixing and matching stallions, and although middledistance sires dominated there was certainly no objection to sprinters, a principle that was not universal among the big owner/breeders of the time.

To Abernant, La Montespan produced speedster Favorita, rated 127 by Timeform after winning all but one of her starts at two,

Altesse Royale, winner of three Classics in 1971 in the colours of Roger Hue-Williams

including the July Stakes and Cornwallis Stakes. Mated with Ballymoss, La Montespan foaled I Titan, successful in the Queen’s Vase.

La Montespan was in the bottom line of six of the 24 mares in the Hue-Williams’s private stud book for 1975 and her descendants

“One of the strengths

of the studs was mixing and matching stallions…there was no objection to sprinters” included smart runners Obelisk (Nell Gwyn Stakes) and Valuta (Prix Kergorlay, Prix Maurice de Nieuil).

Blue Prelude was from the outstanding Rosetta family and cost the Lilleys 4,600gns after landing the Lancashire Oaks in 1954. She

did even better than La Montespan thanks to her daughter Bleu Azur, who ran third in the 1962 Musidora Stakes, two years before her half-brother Magic Court won the Champion Hurdle.

Bleu Azur’s nine foals were headed by Altesse Royale (1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Irish Oaks in 1971), Imperial Prince (runner-up in the 1974 Derby and Irish Derby), Yaroslav (Royal Lodge Stakes) and Royal Saint (runnerup in the Coronation Stakes).

Altesse Royale was no great shakes at stud but Royal Saint produced Classic Example, a high-class colt who won the King Edward VII Stakes and gained places in the Irish Derby and the St Leger, and As You Desire Me, successful in two Listed events in France and dam of Intimate Guest (May Hill Stakes).

Imperial Prince’s defeat at the Curragh was hardly a disaster since Roger Hue-Williams owned the colt that beat him, English Prince, who also won the King Edward VII Stakes. His dam English Miss had been acquired privately from American Winston Guest in the 1960s.

English Prince was the last Group 1 winner bred by the Hue-Williams team – Seraphima, THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_GreatOwnerBreeder_Layout 1 19/01/2011 16:44 Page 23

From the great Sadler’s Wells stallion line

from an American line in the immediate past, ran third in the 1,000 Guineas in 1978. However, they had had another big-race victor not long before English Prince in Rock Roi. Notorious for being disqualified from first place in the Gold Cup in 1971 (tested positive) and 1972 (interference), he was a fine stayer whose tally included the Prix du Cadran, Doncaster Cup and Goodwood Cup. Rock Roi was out of Nassau Stakes runner-up Secret Session, dam also of a smart colt in Millenium.

Roger Hue-Williams died in 1987, the year of Intimate Guest’s May Hill victory. Although Vera maintained an interest, by the time she died in 1992 there was only a handful of mares left at Woolton House (Rathasker had been sold by this stage), most of them linked to As You Desire Me. Intimate Guest had been sold in 1992 and a year later a dispersal at the December Sales saw As You Desire Me fetch 110,000gns. One of her daughters, Reine d’Beaute, went for 135,000gns and a foal, a yearling and the three-year-old filly Princess Kris, all out of As You Desire Me, each fetched at least 100,000gns.

TOBOUGG Gr.1 proven sire

Proven sire of the winners of 350 flat races and 27 Stakes performers, including Gr.1 The Pooka and Gr.2 winners Penny’s Gift and Barside. Best NH progeny include Gr.2 Hurdle winner and multiple Graded placed Bouggler, Gr.3 Chase winner Save My Blushes and Gr.2 Hurdle placed Shalone. ““We We h have ave a always lways been been a big big fan fan of of Tobougg’s Toboug g’s progeny progeny from from early and e arly on on a nd we we were were lucky luck y enough enough to to buy buy Penny’s Penny’s Gift, Gi f t , his Classic winning daughter. are good oug h h is C l a s si c w inning d aughter. TThey h ey a re g ood llooking, ooking, ttough horses buying att tthe on sider b u y ing a he ssales.” ales.” h or ses tthat hat we we would would always always cconsider Peter Doyle P e te r D oyle

Return on investment from Bleu Azur family

Gr.1 Champion 2yo and Gr.1 3yo. By a dual Gr.1 winner out of a dual Gr.1 winner.

STUD FEE: £2,500 1st October SLF (No Groom’s Fee)

Given the undoubted quality of the Bleu Azur line, the sums the fillies and mares fetched at the Hue-Williams dispersal in 1993 hardly seemed excessive – 13 mares from other studs fetched 150,000gns or more at the auction.

Subsequent events have confirmed that view with interest and the last two years have both seen big races won by descendants of As You Desire Me. In 2008 Donativum, with Reine d’Beaute as his grandam, notched the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita.

Then in 2009 Kingsfort, a son of Princess Kris, landed the National Stakes at the Curragh.

Those are not the only jewels in the crown since earlier Princess Kris had produced Prince Arch, who won the Gulfstream Park Breeders’ Cup Handicap in 2005, and another of As You Desire Me’s daughters, Streetcar, foaled Luas Line. The latter also won in Grade 1 company in 2005, in the Garden City Breeders’ Cup Handicap.

The following year Seraphima made a mark as the third dam of Nicaron, winner of the Deutsches Derby.

Classic bloodlines and a proven sire at a reasonable price

DOUBLE TRIGGER Successful NH sire

Sire of multiple NH winners including Russian Trigger (5 wins, L Midlands Grand National Ch), Faltering Fullback (5 wins), Double Dizzy (3 wins, 2nd Gr.1 Novice Ch), Solway Sam (5 wins), Trigger the Light (4 wins), Swincombe Rock (3 wins), Triggerman (4 wins), Gold Reef (3 wins), etc. horses past ““II have have ttrained rained several several h orses by

by Double Double Trigger Trigger over over tthe he p ast have been and each one ave b een ttough ffew ew sseasons. easons. TThey hey h ough iindividuals ndividuals a nd e ach o ne has been Alan King h as b een ssuccessful.” uccessful.” A lan K ing Champion European Stayer as a 4yo, Classic Winner as a 3yo, Listed 2yo winner.

STUD FEE: £1,750 1st October (No Groom’s Fee)

CLARENDON FARM Clarendon Farm Teffont Nr Salisbury Wiltshire SP3 5QU

Donativum, one of Bleu Azur’s good recent descendants

NEXT MONTH: Humphrey

Contact: John Haydon T: + 44 (0) 1722 716107 M: + 44 (0) 7970 019172 www.clarendonfarm.com

de Trafford

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Breeders Cup OB Feb 2011_Breeders Cup OB Feb 2011 19/01/2011 17:20 Page 1

Beginning in 2011, for 50% of the stallion’s advertised fee, European stallion managers can ensure that their stallions’ entire foal crops for 2011 and 2012 will be nominated for free to the Breeders’ Cup’s $30 million (U.S. Dollars) racing programs, including the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.

Feb_78_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 17:05 Page 25

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By LEO POWELL, MANAGING EDITOR OF THE IRISH FIELD

estled in a corner of the Curragh is Rangers Lodge, home to Richard Brabazon, better known to many as Dick. Son of the famed Aubrey and from a family with a history in racing stretching into the ether, Dick quietly but efficiently plies his trade.

He trains a few horses, pre-trains many and he has just had a year to remember. It was in his care that Snow Fairy, the multiple international Group 1 winner, started her education. And she is far from being the only star who has passed through the facility at Rangers Lodge.

Indeed, 2010 has been a stellar year for Dick and his team as they enjoyed Grouprace successes for Lord Shanakill (now to join the stallion roster for 2011 at the nearby Irish National Stud), Via Medici, Berg Bahn and Akdarena. There were also black type wins for Roses For The Lady and Rain Delayed.

The numbers and quality of winners is growing each year, though past stars have included the Beresford Stakes winner and one-time Classic favourite Curtain Call.

While he did not win a stakes race in 2010, Dick and his team will have great memories of Pop Rock, the former Japanese star who ran with such distinction in his home country and in the Melbourne Cup. He had quite a cult following during his stay at Rangers Lodge, under the eye of trainer Takashi Kodama, and rewarded his many fans with a victory at the Galway Festival. He then took his place in the line up for The Irish Field St Leger but sadly sustained a careerending injury.

Snow Fairy continued the association with Japan when she was a Group 1 winner there

GEORGE SELWYN/PETER MOONEY

Brabazon name remains in lights N

Snow Fairy, pictured winning in Hong Kong, was educated by Dick Brabazon (inset)

in November, on her way to a similar success in Hong Kong. She won the Irish and Epsom Oaks in a memorable year, collecting a sportingbet.com/ROA Award too.

One filly in the care of Dick at his Curragh base is Imagination, a winner at Wolverhampton in November and a runner to note for 2011.

Quietly spoken but with plenty to say and a thinker, Dick has garnered much experience during his entire working life spent in the bloodstock industry. Equally at home on the Curragh, in Newmarket and Lambourn, he also spent time in France and Germany.

His grandfather Cecil was a champion amateur rider many times and a successful trainer when he moved the family into Rangers Lodge in 1927. Two of his three Irish Grand National winners were trained there, Pontet and Jack Chaucer in 1937 and 1940.

He trained a Classic winner on the Flat as well as subsequent leading sire Sovereign Path.

Though he too enjoyed success in the training ranks, Cecil’s son Aubrey will be forever remembered as one of the greatest riders produced in Ireland. He is feted for his riding of Cottage Rake to win three Gold Cups and Hatton’s Grace to land the Champion Hurdle twice. He also rode on the Flat and enjoyed Classic successes.

Dick has inherited a wonderful legacy from his forebears and is now writing his own piece of history. He has developed the property and modernised it extensively. His location beside the gallops at the Curragh gives him a head start on many others offering pre-training facilities and he and his team offer a very personal service to clients. The prominence of the Brabazon name in racing circles is guaranteed for some years to come.

GEORGE SELWYN

Flat season goes to the wire with thrilling apprentice battle

Pat Smullen: took sixth jockeys’ title

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

The Flat season in Ireland quite often exits stage left with little drama. Not so in 2010, when the season drew to a close at the allweather track at Dundalk.

The destination of most of the titles was known in advance of the final meeting – with the notable exception of the apprentice crown.

Aidan O’Brien took his 14th trainers’ title, winning both the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes. A tally of 95 winners saw Pat Smullen, stable jockey to the Dermot Weld

yard, win the jockeys’ title for the sixth time.

A double on the card at Dundalk meant Aiden O’Brien’s son Joseph drew level with both Gary Carroll (son of former jockey Raymond) and Ben Curtis. With 39 winners apiece, the trio shared the honours, the first time in Irish racing history there has been a three-way tie for the apprentice title.

The tension of the battle endured up to the last race of the season, when Carroll was caught in the last strides and beaten a head.

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Feb_78_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 17:05 Page 26

VIEW FROM IRELAND

‘Mr Racing’ recognised by HRI special award Encouraged to return to work by his good friend and trainer Willie Mullins, he is once again gracing both television and radio with his inimitable style. Many, if not all, in the press room at Cheltenham will know Murray.

He is fondly known as ‘Mr Racing’ and news of his impending award brought a host of his radio and television colleagues to the event.

Murray was not the only person ambushed on the day, which drew a full house to the Pavilion at Leopardstown racecourse.

HRI’s PR manager is the immensely popular Tamarisk Doyle, known to all as Tamso. She and her husband David Cox live at Baroda Stud and both will no doubt be very busy at home, following the arrival of baby India January Cox on January 11. The newborn will likely be on a pony before she can walk, given the pedigree of both parents.

Tamso’s late father Paul was a trainer and a brother of bloodstock agent Peter. Their dad, in turn, was the legendary Jack Doyle.

PETER MOONEY

The name Colm Murray may not be as well known in racing circles in Britain as it undoubtedly is in Ireland, but the broadcaster upstaged all other recipients in December when he was given a special award by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).

The occasion was the annual racing awards lunch, which saw specially commissioned Marina Hamilton horses given to Willie Mullins, Jessica Harrington, Cheltenham heroine Katie Walsh, Michael Halford, pointto-point king Derek O’Connor and to the connections of the Horse of the Year, Big Zeb. All of these awards were voted for by the members of the racing press corps in Ireland.

One special presentation was made to Murray, a lifelong racing devotee who has done so much to promote the sport on the national broadcaster, RTE. Sadly, the popular race fan and successful owner was diagnosed with a serious illness in early 2010, and he was forced to take time out from work.

Colm Murray: broadcaster supreme

Cox’s father Dermot has enthusiastically graced the winners’ enclosure at the major National Hunt festivals over a number of years as a successful owner.

Casey’s notable double clinches monthly breeding award The Casey family train in Stamullen, County Meath. However, the patriarch of the family and the licence holder, Peter, is a staunch supporter of Dublin and its Gaelic football team. The rivalry between the two counties is intense and nowhere more so than in the Casey household.

The colourful Peter Casey is a man who enjoys his racing and his sports, and he will not forget November 21 in a hurry. On that

The races were run just about an hour apart and this great achievement by Casey earned him a nomination for a Connolly’s Red Mills/The Irish Field Breeder of the Month award. Voted for by the public, Casey was a clear-cut winner from the breeders of Snow Fairy, Imperial Commander and Peddlers Cross.

It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that Hello Bud and Jack The Bus could meet in the future, though a clash this season is off the agenda with Jack The Bus likely to miss the remainder of the campaign with an injury.

day he raided the historic Troytown Chase at Navan with Jack The Bus, a son of Old Vic that he bred. Jack The Bus is owned by Seamus Murphy.

Murphy was not present at Navan to enjoy this victory; instead he headed to Aintree to see the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Hello Bud win the Becher Chase over the Grand National fences. Incredibly, Hello Bud, a gelding by Jurado, was also bred by Casey.

GEORGE SELWYN

Budget cuts hit hard

Hello Bud, bred by Peter Casey, soars over the National fences in the Becher Chase

26

A further cut in the allocation of funds to racing was announced in December, forcing HRI to make savings totalling €1.6 million.

These included: l Prize-money down 5% in 2011. The lowest race value will remain at €7,000 l Cut of €600,000 in direct racecourse support schemes l HRI’s own administrative costs to be cut by 6% l Grants to industry bodies to be collectively reduced by 8% l Cuts of between and 7% and 8% in Turf Club services.

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INS OB Feb 2011_INS OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:13 Page 1

‘GOODBYE STARTER HELLO JUDGE’ 100 years in front

Minoru (1909) Prince Palatine Cherry Lass Blandford Big Game Sun Chariot Royal Charger Lord Gayle Sallust Kilijaro Tap On Wood Ahonoora Desert King Indian Ridge Daytona Sea The Stars (2009)

Peter Doyle says of his top priced purchased lot (€99,918) ‘He was a very nice colt, very good individual out of a stakes mare, he looked like the typical two year old type and is gone into training with Richard Hannon’ Brendan Holland says of his second top priced yearling (€83,265) ‘ He was easily one of the nicest individuals I’ve sold in years’ he is gone into training with David Wachman.

Johnny Mc Keever also bought one for €64,000. ‘Like his sire he looked every inch a class 2 year old, he is to be trained by Tom Dascombe’.

AMADEUS WOLF ART CONNOISSEUR BIG BAD BOB INDIAN HAVEN INVINCIBLE SPIRIT JEREMY LORD SHANAKILL VERGLAS

Contact: JOHN OSBORNE tel: +353 (0)45 521251 email: stud@irish-national-stud.ie, www.irish-national-stud.ie

100 years in front

Feb_78_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 17:26 Page 28

CONTINENTAL TALES

GERMA

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

NY

Hoppegarten is blooming again Gerhard Schöningh’s devotion has transformed the Berlin track’s fortunes

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GAVIN JAMES

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oppegarten racecourse in Berlin is enjoying a renaissance under the inspired leadership of London-based German native Gerhard Schöningh.

Now approaching its 150th birthday, the course fell into something approaching disrepair under communist rule. After an initial rejuvenation following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, it was back in a downward spiral when Schöningh bought it for a sum believed to be around £2.2 million in early 2008.

A 49-year-old who has six horses in training with Henry Cecil, Schöningh sold his stake in the successful company he co-founded, Ennismore Fund Management, some 18 months earlier and used the proceeds to finance the deal.

Schöningh still lives in Knightsbridge but expends most of his energy plotting the regeneration of what he believes is Germany’s best racecourse.

And just a few minutes talking to the Bristol University graduate leaves the impression that here is a highly intelligent man, with a firm grasp of the numerous challenges affecting German racing and a determination to overcome them. Hoppegarten is no idle hobby, it is his passion.

“I knew straight away that transforming the course was a massive, long term and difficult project, but I feel we have made some good progress,” Schöningh enthused.

“Historically, Hoppegarten is the German equivalent of Newmarket. But two-thirds of Berlin’s population was denied access to the course for almost three decades and, even before the Wall went up in 1961, West Berliners saw it as enemy territory, so racing was foreign to them for two generations.”

Schöningh goes on to give a long but highly lucid appraisal of the way that German Tote turnover has collapsed since bookmakers realised that they could avoid tax and offer punters a better margin by going offshore.

What else would you expect from someone who was such a whizz in the City of London?

But he also stresses that making racing more popular, and profitable, requires a degree of investment at the lowest level, saying: “We inherited 35-year-old loos which barely functioned – now they are quite swish. We get lots of emails complimenting them!”

Upgrading the course facilities has been a commercial necessity and not just for the

Gerhard Schöningh with Channel Squadron after his victory at Sandown in June

ordinary racegoer, who can now enjoy the fruits of the course management having taken control of the catering and beverage outlets.

At the other end of the social spectrum, the big-name race sponsors that flooded in after reunification, such as BMW and Porsche, proved short-lived. “For sponsors to have kept coming, the course needed to give a good product in return so that their clients had a really great day out,” Schöningh admitted.

Charm offensive Providing quality hospitality is thus a major plank of Schöningh’s plans, as is breaching the consciousness of the city’s population for the smallest possible financial outlay.

Schöningh has concentrated on local newspapers and radio, forming media partnerships to gain advertising in return for free admission and hospitality.

Germany does not enjoy the luxury of having racecards published in the papers, but journalists have been courted with special press conferences designed at highlighting the heroes within racing. Already the coverage in the print media has more than doubled.

And, in a ground-breaking move designed to tackle the ever-increasing average age of

racegoers, he has brought on board a 24-yearold British film and media graduate, Oscar Wakeman, to generate media content for young people, targeting students and the Facebook generation.

The website www.hoppegarten.com is to be completely redesigned, but Wakeman has other more radical ideas, such as ‘creating a guerrilla movement around the city centre’ using social networking sites and ‘developing a vibrant club on the top floor of the grandstand, using the spectacular views of the course to help provide an action-packed racing event.’

So, plenty that might be of interest to Racing For Change executives among the various new initiatives. And all this from Schöningh, a man whose architect parents moved house to live next to Krefeld racecourse when he was six, firing a love of racing that now borders on the philanthropic.

Hoppegarten gains reward for its regeneration on July 24 when it stages its first ever Group 1, the Deutschland-Preis. Just a half-hour train ride from the centre of one of Europe’s most fascinating cities, the pretty parkland course should appear on the itinerary of all racing-minded travellers.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Taby’s genuine ‘all-weather’ racecourse sets the benchmark for European rivals

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DUBAI RACING CLUB

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It is not just British racing that has suffered at the hands of the severe winter – Deauville and Dortmund are two other supposed ‘allweather’ venues that have been forced to abandon during the big freeze.

To understand how it is possible to keep the show on the road even in the most extreme temperatures, it pays to cast eyes further north to Stockholm. On average, Taby racecourse has a covering of snow for around three months per annum, yet it manages to stage five-race cards on Wednesdays and Sundays through the worst of the weather.

The racecourse staff does have to put in a lot of extra work, most notably harrowing the track 24 hours a day. Crucially, it is a pure sand surface, which lends itself to being mixed with salt – something that is not possible with synthetic surfaces.

It also helps that, unlike in Britain and Ireland, almost all the competing horses are trained at the course. In a city where snowfall of up to five feet is reasonably common, long cross-country road journeys are not advisable.

Bo Gilborg recently became Director Of Racing at Jagersro racecourse in Malmo, where they stage only trotting through the depths of winter but where they hope to start winter Flat racing next season.

He has 15 years experience in the

STEFAN UPPSTROM

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SWE

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Feb_78_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 17:26 Page 29

Cat Junior and his trainer Niels Petersen

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Taby racecourse is snow-bound three months a year, but the show goes on

equivalent role at Taby, where he can remember a maximum of two abandonments in any one winter.

“We raced in temperatures of as low as -20C without problems,” he recalled. “The horses were fine but jockeys had to take some precautions – they adjusted their weight, wore extra jackets on the way to the start and went straight into the stalls when they got there.

“It was actually the thaw that usually caused more problems, as the track could become waterlogged.”

He added: “Up until ten or more years ago we used to cover the course in straw, which worked really well and provided a nice cushion – all the bad-legged horses used to run. But straw works best in consistently low temperatures and in the past few years it hasn’t been cold enough.”

Junior the star of Petersen’s string Cat Junior was one of Britain’s biggest winners at the 2010 Dubai International Racing Carnival, plundering the £74,000 Group 3 Burj Nahaar for Brian Meehan.

The Storm Cat horse will be gracing Meydan again in the coming months, but this time he will be representing the red, white and blue of Norway, not the UK. Sold outside the ring at the Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale in October, the six-year-old is now with Oslo trainer Niels Petersen and will sport the colours of one of Scandinavia’s biggest owners, Nils Petter Gill.

Petersen is rather overshadowed by the giant of the Norwegian training ranks, Wido Neuroth, but the 39-year-old,

who has spent time in France and Germany, had 44 winners last season, including 30 at his home track of Ovrevoll, and has been sending horses to Dubai since 2007.

“Who am I to tell Brian Meehan what to do, but I think Cat Junior might get a bit further [than a mile] in time,” he said.

“He will probably start off in the Firebreak Stakes on February 10 and the Burj Nahaar and the Godolphin Mile are his obvious next targets.”

Petersen has two further strings to his Dubai bow in the shape of the three-yearold Manchester and his 2010 Norwegian St Leger winner Bank Of Burden.

“Manchester will go for the Meydan Classic, but the Norwegian Guineas and Derby are his main targets,” he said.

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Feb_78_GoingGlobal_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:03 Page 30

GOING GLOBAL

By MICHELE MACDONALD

The racing times they are a-changin’ Ventures from Mark Player and Leigh Jordon will facilitate exchange of runners globally sale purchases intended for resale in Hong Kong, he does plan to continue attending major sales and races in Europe, the United States, Dubai and Japan to bolster his international connections and opportunities to buy horses for preferred clients.

Much more globalalisation of racing is yet to come, Player predicted.

“I have the contacts to assist, promote and drive growth in this area,” he said before explaining the name of his venture. “If there is a problem or a challenge, I hope to have a solution.”

Jordon has secured a contract with Racing Victoria to spearhead international

“It’s a great

St Leger hero Mastery (left) made his mark with victory in the Hong Kong Vase

I

n a dramatic sign of how much the world of racing has changed over just the past several years, two prominent racing officials who have made their mark on the sport struck out on their own in December with global designs for new initiatives.

Mark Player, who has headed up international races and sales for the Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Leigh Jordon, Racing Victoria’s General Manager for racing operations in Australia, both plan to focus on facilitating the exchange of top runners among racing’s key jurisdictions worldwide. Such plans would have been viewed as aggressively ambitious and perhaps even somewhat ludicrous not so long ago, but not any more.

“It’s a great opportunity, everyone is talking about international racing now,” Player said after returning to Melbourne, Australia, from Hong Kong, where he had worked for the last six years.

If, as the saying goes, timing is everything,

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Player’s launch of his International Thoroughbred Solutions venture could not be more ideal, as his work in recruiting stellar fields for the Hong Kong International Races in December has been widely praised.

“It was a breakthrough year,” he reflected on the event that featured wins by Snow Fairy, Godolphin’s Mastery, South African-based J J The Jet Plane and Hong Kong’s Beauty Flash.

“It was very special to get two English Classic winners to come out to Hong Kong and it was such a great performance by Snow Fairy.”

Player has a strong base for his new business as he won a three-year contract with the Hong Kong Jockey Club to continue to round up horses for the International Races as well as for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Champions Mile. He also has been hired by Breeders’ Cup Ltd to obtain stallion nominations.

While he will not continue helping the Hong Kong Jockey Club with international

recruitment for the Melbourne Cup and other Spring Carnival races, much as he did in the past while a full-time employee, beginning on February 1. His tasks will involve working with the Australian government on quarantine restrictions, which have long discouraged international runners from competing in the Carnival and other races.

Jordon has travelled extensively in his Racing Victoria role and has also headed up the Global Sprint Challenge series and worked with the Asian Mile Challenge series.

GEORGE SELWYN

GEORGE SELWYN

opportunity, everyone is talking about international racing”

South African star J J The Jet Plane

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_GoingGlobal_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:05 Page 31

US racing and bloodstock industries contract further Prize-money for owners also plunged by approximately $70.5 million (about £45.3m), the third consecutive year of declines, while prices in nearly every sector associated with horse care and transportation have risen.

The only response from leaders of the American sport to this bleak scenario came from Alex Waldrop, president of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, who commented on the declines in wagering by saying: “While these numbers are no cause for celebration, it seems this year’s wagering drop was more a function of the decline in racing days (which fell from 332 in 2009 to 314), compared to 2009, when wagering declined 9.8% and racedays were down only 2.6%.”

In 2010, wagering fell by 7.33% against 2009 and the number of racedays declined by 5.42%.

In contrast, wagering rose for the second

GEORGE SELWYN

By virtually every measure, the thoroughbred industry in the United States – which has been the world’s largest in terms of racing dates, horses bred annually and sales – continued to shrink significantly in 2010.

For the third consecutive year, wagering on American races, which is a primary contributor to prize-money for owners, plummeted by roughly $1 billion from the previous year. The number of racing days and races offered also declined, with the number of races falling for the tenth consecutive year. The foal crop decreased for the fifth consecutive year and reached the lowest level (about 27,800 with exact figures not yet available) in 36 years.

Public sales at auction dropped yet again, with North America’s largest sale company, Keeneland, reporting turnover at its four sales falling to a total of $381,558,900, the lowest level in 14 years.

Wagering rose at Woodbine in 2010

consecutive year at Woodbine racetrack near Toronto, Canada, increasing by 8.9% following a 7% gain reported for 2009, with much of the additional betting reportedly coming from America.

Another figure putting the American declines into a global perspective is the fact that Hong Kong’s annual wagering turnover was nearly equal, even though Hong Kong offers about 750 races annually compared to about 49,000 in the US.

A recent proclamation of a purported world record has underlined the need for better record keeping and communications in international racing and breeding.

From the Racing Post to major publications in the United States and outlets in Australia, headlines trumpeted at the end of December that the Irish National Stud’s banner stallion Invincible Spirit had set a world record with 42 individual juvenile winners in 2010.

It was stated that the mark beat the 39 twoyear-old winners sired by American-based Chapel Royal in 2008 and tied in 2009 by Wildcat Heir. While all these numbers are notable, they were never world records.

The title holder of most juvenile winners in a season, at least in the northern hemisphere, is the late Sunday Silence, whose accomplishments become more remarkable with the passage of time.

Statistics compiled by Thoroughbred Pedigree Center in Japan initially indicated Sunday Silence sired 47 two-year-old winners of 57 races from his 2002 crop. However, international racing records show Sunday Silence had 51 individual juvenile winners in the northern hemisphere in 2004, nine more than the recently alleged world record.

Lest anyone should think that Sunday Silence was merely a standout within Japan, his juvenile winners in 2004 included THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

TREVOR JONES

Sunday’s tally overshadows Spirit figures

Sunday Silence: 2004 crop holds record

Layman, a colt bred in Kentucky by Sheikh Mohammed who won half his four starts in France, including the Prix Cabourg. Layman was caught in the final strides of the Prix JeanLuc Lagardere, finishing third by only a neck to Oratorio, and was second to champion Divine Proportions in the Prix Morny.

Sunday Silence’s juvenile winners also included Sunday Symphony, who was bred in Britain by Sheikh Mohammed and won twice in England in 2004 and who still is racing in Dubai. The crop also included Silent Name, bred by the Wertheimer brothers in Japan but a juvenile winner at Chantilly and eventually

a multiple Grade 2 winner in the United States who placed three times in Grade 1s. Another of the crop’s juvenile winners, Sun Kissed, triumphed at Newmarket for Godolphin.

The 2004 overachieving group of Sunday Silence’s juvenile winners also featured Japanese champion two-year-old filly Shonan Peintre, Japanese filly Classic winner Air Messiah and at least eight runners that each earned more than $2 million (£1.3m). But by far the star of the 2002 crop is Deep Impact, Triple Crown winner and two-time Horse of the Year who in 2010 began to carry on his sire’s legacy by setting Japanese freshman sire records of 35 individual winners of 43 races.

While the world record for juvenile winners is a brilliant achievement for Sunday Silence, especially since two-year-old racing does not widely begin in Japan until the autumn of each year, his career statistics are even more impressive. With 1,559 foals from 12 crops, he had 1,426 starters (91% of his foals made it to the races) and 1,038 winners, a remarkable 67%. He also gained 171 black type winners, an exceptional 11% of his foals, and his offspring amassed $726,113,264 in earnings (about £466.7m) for average earnings per starter of $509,196 (£327,295).

Considering Sunday Silence died aged 16, there is no telling how much more of a mark he could have left.

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Feb_78_Richard_Johnson_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:18 Page 32

RICHARD JOHNSON

Feb_78_Richard_Johnson_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:18 Page 33

Out of the SHADOW Richard Johnson has spent his riding career in pursuit of AP McCoy; the perennial runner-up in the jump jockeys’ table would like to win just one championship against his great rival Words Alan Lee • Photos George Selwyn

A

s he modestly conducted the whirlwind of publicity that projected him to a landslide win on Sports Personality of the Year night, AP McCoy persistently tried to deflect just a little attention to his neglected neighbour in the weighing-room.

It didn’t work, of course. Not at a time when racing was finally winning a battle for wider approval. Only McCoy, with his multiple titles, his unfeasible records and, critically, his overdue Grand National, could attain that.

But the subject is worth revisiting now, as are McCoy’s words. “I’ll definitely never get complacent, Dickie Johnson makes sure of that,” he said with feeling. “Dickie deserves to be champion more than anyone. His whole manner and outlook is fantastic. He’s a great lad and a brilliant rider, yet some people wouldn’t even mention him among the top five jockeys. I can’t for the life of me figure out why.”

Richard Johnson – Dickie to all within the jockeys’ fraternity he has now graced for more than half his 33 years – was characteristically sheepish when told of the compliments. They did not surprise him, though.

The relationship between the two most prolific jockeys in jump racing history has its inevitable tension points but, in all of sport, there can be few individual rivalries

that have lasted so long on such companionable terms, especially when the public perception is of such one-sidedness.

If McCoy would enjoy Johnson winning a title (though only when he has gone), imagine how the other man feels. In the past 13 seasons, Johnson has finished runner-up to McCoy 12 times and third once. Seven years ago, he rode an imposing 186 winners, yet still lost by 23.

The previous two seasons, he had not got

“AP McCoy is very

different to Richard Dunwoody, and I’d like to think I am too” within 100 of the champion. The closest duel, in 2005-06, finished with a gap of 11.

And yet there is no bitterness, no apparent envy. “I don’t think we’ve ever fallen out,” Johnson reflects. “We both have bad days, everybody does, but we each know by looking at the other that space is the best thing.

“We sit next to each other every day, so we’re obviously pretty close after all this time. A lot of people think AP is a bit

miserable but I can’t think of another jockey who could have had his success and stayed so level-headed. He’s a fantastic role model in how to conduct yourself on a daily basis.

“Sports Personality was a great thing and I know he wanted to win it. But everybody wanted a piece of him and it was getting to him. A few days before the event, I think we were at Folkestone and there were yet more interviews. I looked across at him and said, ‘I think you’re quite enjoying this.’ He pulled a face and said he couldn’t wait for Monday morning.

“To me, he’s no different now to how he’s always been. He doesn’t think he’s better than anyone else and he never feels anyone should run around after him. Some young lad might cut him up on the track but he doesn’t fly off the handle at him – he realises we’ve all been there.

“When I was growing up, Richard Dunwoody was the jockey I wanted to be.

He seemed to have everything. But in the weighing-room, his other side came out and he wasn’t always the nicest to be around – he didn’t call his book Obsessed for nothing. AP is very different to Richard and I’d like to think I am, too.”

So how does he cope with the expectation of being an eternal runner-up?

Second, so it is often said, means nowhere, yet Johnson has had to swallow so many

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Feb_78_Richard_Johnson_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:18 Page 34

RICHARD JOHNSON

Johnson in action on Menorah, with whom he has won five races and harbours realistic hopes of taking the Champion Hurdle

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disappointments in his quest to topple the great man.

“I’m still hungry to be champion but, as time goes by, you appreciate what you have got, rather than what you haven’t,” he says.

“I’ve had a fantastic run over God knows how long. I’ve ridden a lot of winners most years and I’ve ridden very good horses for nice people. I ride for two very straightforward men, in Philip Hobbs and Henry Daly, who have been there for me for ten years, and Tim Vaughan has now come along as another person who’s easy to deal with and good at what he does.”

Having long ago dispensed with a driver, freely confessing he was too mean to meet the expense, Johnson drives himself around the country from the remote Herefordshire home he shares with his wife Fiona, daughter of Noel Chance, and their daughter, Willow.

Like McCoy with his three-year-old, Eve, Johnson is smitten, saying: “She’s only twoand-a-half but she rules the roost. They do make you a bit soft and it certainly puts a different aspect on life. I don’t mind the odd day off half as much as I used to.”

Johnson has returned to his home county, where his adventure began aboard his first winner, the family-owned Rusty Bridge, at

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Hereford 17 years ago. He winces at the date.

“I’ve been riding a good bit longer than I was at school,” he chuckles. “But I was blessed with my upbringing, both at home and when I went to work for David Nicholson.”

Like so many others who came through the hard school of an essentially caring man,

“A child makes you a

bit soft. I don’t mind the odd day off half as much as I used to” Johnson credits ‘The Duke’ Nicholson with a racing education that has turned him into a model jockey, not just in his riding consistency but his communication and demeanour.

“David was always very clear on how we should conduct ourselves, whether it was riding out, what you wore to go racing, or talking to owners,” he says.

“It stood me in good stead. The main things with owners are don’t lie and be polite

at all times. You’re lucky to be employed and it’s their horse you’re riding, so losing your temper isn’t going to make things right. You should always point out what went wrong but give them something positive as well.”

Hobbs, whose 120-strong Somerset yard has been Johnson’s primary source of winners in recent years, remains loyal despite the presence of Tom O’Brien and Rhys Flint in the stable.

Johnson is conscious of the competition, saying: “Paddy Brennan was there before and he would have liked the main job. Luckily, he found another one! Tom fits in very well and it’s as good as having two first jockeys, I think. Rhys also rides fantastically well – people forget how young he is.”

There will be no standing aside, though.

For one thing, Johnson is riding at his peak, conspicuously confident in his powers. For another, there is Menorah and the Champion Hurdle to anticipate.

“I have more confidence in my decisionmaking now,” he explains. “If they are going too fast, or too slow, I’m comfortable in taking the initiative. Philip is very good at not tying me down with instructions, he understands I want to react to the situation. Sometimes it doesn’t work out and I come back and eat THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Richard_Johnson_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 18:27 Page 35

RICHARD JOHNSON humble pie, but you can’t get things right until you’ve got a few wrong.

“It is so much easier when you’re riding good horses. It’s like anything – if it’s going well, everything else seems easier. If you are riding winners on decent horses, that confidence definitely transmits to your other rides. I’m lucky. It’s very rare, these days, when I go racing without a chance of a winner. I’m riding favourites several times a week, whereas other lads will go months without riding one. It’s very hard to ride with confidence on a 50-1 shot.”

Johnson is among the optimists of the weighing room but, even for him, mention of Menorah brings an infectious sense of belief.

“There’s a new wave of hurdlers this year, which is making the picture very exciting,” he says. “Menorah has taken a massive step forward, physically and mentally, since last season and I’m pretty sure he’s still

“I’d need to ride for

another six years to get to 3,000 and I’m not sure that’s likely” improving. I’d like to think he would still be in front of Oscar Whisky and, in my heart, I think Peddlers Cross wants further than two miles. Hurricane Fly has been impressive but the Irish form on very soft ground is often hard to weigh up. It’s Binocular I am most wary of. He was a very good champion last year and if he is in the same form in March, he will be the one to beat.”

Win or lose in the Champion Hurdle,

Johnson will not be calling time on his career just yet. There is a contentment about him now, despite that nagging omission. It is already more than a year since he passed 2,000 winners, so could he emulate McCoy in reaching 3,000?

“I think we’ll be looking at 2,500,” he says, after a lengthy pause. “I’d need to ride for another six years to get to 3,000 and I’m not sure that’s likely. I don’t think anyone can say for sure when they are going to stop. It’s in my head that I’ll just know, one day, the time has come. I want to be secure in my own mind that I’m ready to finish, and then move on.”

Surely, though, there are some regrets? “I can honestly say I wouldn’t change anything...except, maybe, have AP stay in Ireland! It would be lovely to be champion, just once, while he’s still riding. If I could do that, it would mean more to me than anything else.”

Farming, breeding, buying and selling...

Richard Johnson has one firm advantage over most of his riding colleagues, even AP McCoy. His future out of the saddle is clearly defined. Horses will be involved, though never as a trainer, but Johnson would like to be known as something else entirely. He will become a farmer.

“The idea is that we’ll move back to one of the family farms and I will farm with Dad and my brother,” he explains. “It’s a long-standing plan and makes it easier for me to contemplate the time when I won’t be riding.”

McCoy has said that he would love to retire, then return to riding under another name. No such fancy infects Johnson, who says: “It’s different from person to person, but you tend to keep going longer if you’ve nothing planned. I would hate to go on so long and hear people saying it’s time I retired.

“I do love seeing Friends/foes: McCoy and Johnson

things grow, whether it’s a foal in its first few weeks or a ploughed field planted with wheat. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that.

I love to see things progressing towards a result, just like racehorses, I suppose.”

His horse interests will be in breeding, an area in which he has recently enjoyed a first success. Johnson explains: “I bred my first winner at Navan in November, a Milan

horse called Eight Is My Number, who won for Gordon Elliott. He’s out of my oldest mare, My Adventure.

“I’ve got four broodmares in all, including Mrs Philip, who I share with Sarah Hobbs. Fiona is very involved and looks after them while I’m away racing, and it is certainly something I want to develop, not only breeding my own but buying and selling, too.”

Feb_78_Big_Interview_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 19:15 Page 36

THE BIG INTERVIEW ALAN BYRNE

Read all about it: Alan Byrne left the Racing Post in 2002 but returned when it was sold five years later

Feb_78_Big_Interview_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 19:15 Page 37

Caption to come

More than a NEWSPAPER The Racing Post may not be enjoying the sales of old but its Chief Executive and former editor Alan Byrne is confident the title, with its enhanced website, has a bright future Words Tim Richards • Photos George Selwyn

Y

ou are the bookmakers’ favourite to take over from Nic Coward as Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority.

Would you like the job?

When you have a non-candidate quoted as favourite for a job that is unlikely to be filled, I think you can see why people say ante-post betting is not what it was! And no, I wouldn’t like Nic’s job.

All newspapers are experiencing a tough time at present. How is the Racing Post weathering the austere climate and how do circulation figures stack up?

Our business has proved more resilient than many media businesses. Circulation was obviously hammered by the recent cold spell but the Racing Post is lucky to have a very discerning and loyal readership.

What would be the biggest practical move that could be made to tackle the funding crisis facing British racing?

I believe two things are crucial. First, British racing needs to be restructured so that the sport can be run effectively. Even if there was an abundance of money available, the current structure is not fit for purpose.

Decision-making is fractured, cumbersome and slow. Racing has to be organised in a way that allows decisions to be made for the greater good of the sport. That may require organisations and groups who, via various boards and committees, currently have what amounts to a power of veto to assign such powers as they possess to a body that can be given the responsibility, and the authority, to do what is best for racing.

Second, once it has organised itself properly, racing needs to develop mutually beneficial commercial relationships with the betting industry.

Racing Post Factfile First issue: April 1986 Circulation: 53,820 (average daily sale in November) Staff: 250 Website visitors: 935,018 (in November) Editors: Graham Rock, Michael Harris, Alan Byrne, Chris Smith, Bruce Millington Main race sponsorships: Racing Post Chase (since 1988) Racing Post Trophy (since 1989) We are probably at the mid-point of all national newspapers in terms of sales declines. We were down about 6% year-onyear in 2010, with sales more resilient during the jumps season than the Flat season. But

it’s important to remember it’s no longer just about the daily newspaper or even the website. We see ourselves as a modern, multimedia business offering an increasing number of products. We provide a range of racing and sports betting content on a variety of platforms, while also syndicating some of our content to other people.

Will the Racing Post continue to develop its bloodstock section and betting coverage of other sports?

We have committed significant resources to developing our bloodstock coverage. It is a very important area for us. We have an excellent team of people and are planning to enhance our coverage again in the coming months, particularly online where we have created some very interesting tools for the bloodstock enthusiast and where we will be adding significant new content to what will become a standalone part of our website.

On other sports, I don’t see us doing more within the pages of the Racing Post, but we are developing new online and mobile services to cover other sports, particularly football.

Since FL Partners bought the Racing Post for £170m, racingpost.com has grown into the ultimate racing website. Is it a commercial success?

It is, but if the website had to shoulder all the costs of staff and content that the newspaper picks up, it might be a different story.

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THE BIG INTERVIEW >>

The subscription fee for the basic Members’ Club increased by almost 20% last year, from £7.50 per month to £8.95. Was this justified?

Absolutely. We have made a huge investment in our website. It contains a range of content and insight not available elsewhere. Members value that content and I don’t think it is unreasonable that they should pay £8.95 per month to access it – that’s the equivalent of less than the price of one cup of coffee per week.

When pubs start offering free drinks and supermarkets stop charging for food, we might reconsider charging for our content.

“We’ve made a huge

investment in our website; the charges are very reasonable” Is there a concern that enhancing and investing in the website will lead to a decline in print sales?

I think there is no doubt that, like all newspapers, we have contributed to some degree to the decline in our print sales by what I hope people agree is the excellence of our website. However, we have been very careful in recent years to ensure that the newspaper reader receives content that will never be available on the web – the paper sets up the day and the web takes you through it.

He’s behind you: editor Bruce Millington was appointed by Byrne in 2007

Since the takeover you have had a big push in Ireland, resulting in excellent coverage. How successful is The Irish Racing Post?

Editorially, I am very pleased with what we have achieved. We have given Irish readers everything they need from the British edition of the paper, plus bespoke Irish content.

Commercially, it has been more of a struggle.

We have seen an improvement in newspaper sales but the state of the Irish economy is such that the advertising market remains very depressed.

Horseracing as a sport and betting activity appears to be in decline. What are your views on Racing For Change generally and Champions’ Day specifically?

I am a fan of Rod Street. I am not a fan of the fudge that produced Racing For Change, in that I think it was a sticking plaster over some obvious shortcomings when a more fundamental reassessment of the way the sport is run was required. After all, Harrison Fraser’s first recommendation was ‘define the

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leadership structure’. Having said that, Racing For Change has done much good work, particularly on the PR front, as we saw with the campaign in support of Tony McCoy. I believe, however, that there is a danger that people get too hung up on chasing this mythical beast, the new audience. Yes, we need more people to be interested in our sport. But for me the starting point should be to think about what we need to do to retain existing enthusiasts and to persuade ‘occasionals’ to become more involved. We should think about halting the drift away from the sport which has seen Ascot having to stage beer festivals to be sure of getting a good crowd on what were previously showpiece racing days.

As for Champions’ Day, I don’t see it as any sort of panacea. It would be great if it were a success, despite the well founded reservations of some of its critics, but one day a year won’t change the world. I would rather see similar effort and money directed at sorting out the racing product for the other 364 days of the year, particularly the many Saturdays where there is no identifiable big race, no story to tell.

Coverage of racing in the broadsheets has declined in recent times. How can the sport help to reverse this trend?

By giving newspapers stories that demand telling and by becoming a sport that people want to read about. There’s a simple test: how many days a year can Jim McGrath go to the sports editor of The Daily Telegraph and say ‘You’ve really got to give me space for this’?

As Chief Executive and Editor-in-Chief how hands on are you in the day-today running of the paper?

The Racing Post is Bruce Millington’s paper. As editor, he and his team have day-to-day charge. My job is to help and support that effort while also taking responsibility for the overall running of the business. Having been editor, I understand better than most that editors have to be allowed to call the shots – though I might make the occasional helpful suggestion.

When you left the Racing Post at a time of reportedly record sales you

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Big_Interview_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 19:15 Page 39

THE BIG INTERVIEW You have worked as a consultant to Godolphin. What did the job involve and did it give you a very different insight into the sport?

It was an honour to work for Godolphin.

Among other things, I helped with the stable sponsorship by Emirates, the establishment of the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards, and I also represented the team at the races from time to time if Saeed bin Suroor or Simon Crisford were required elsewhere. It was a privilege to get closer to the workings of a top yard and to understand at first hand some of the issues and problems that arise with horses. I would say it completed my racing education – I loved it.

To which other racing and bloodstock interests have you been adviser?

In the past, I have advised Betfair, Betdaq and, on one project, Paddy Power, without harming any of them unduly. I was also a Non-Executive Director of Tote Ireland. And I helped Greg Nichols and Peter Savill with part of the BHB’s submission to the Office of Fair Trading.

said: “My job here is done. The time is right to move on.” So why did you return?

I quit as editor in 2002 because I felt there is a natural cycle for editorships and, having been editor for eight years and merged the Post and The Sporting Life four years earlier, I had taken the paper as far as I could. I returned because the Racing Post and the people who work there have been a huge part of my life and I liked the idea of taking a new role in the business. I am not sure I realised quite what a challenge it would be!

The Racing Post has seen off The Sporting Life and The Sportsman. Is this monopoly good for racing?

That’s one for others to judge. We produce the best daily newspaper we can and I believe we generally do a good job. The racing industry didn’t realise how lucky it was to have two papers devoted to it in The Sporting Life and the Racing Post. It took it for granted for a long time. The economics are that the market cannot sustain two papers. I hope the

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

industry will remain big enough to sustain a nationally distributed daily newspaper devoted to racing and bloodstock.

What do you say to those people who complain that the projection of British racing is too bettingorientated and not sufficiently about racing as a sport?

I think we all have to accept that, uniquely among sports, racing’s origins were rooted in betting and that most people who take an interest in our sport do so through betting.

Furthermore, after owners, the betting industry, directly and indirectly, is the second biggest contributor to the sport. If we do away with all of that, you have point-to-pointing or equestrianism, both great in themselves but much smaller scale sports. You have to accept that if we decide to cut the umbilical cord to

Paul Kealy (left) and Ed Quigley keeping viewers entertained on RPTV

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THE BIG INTERVIEW they have never troubled our paper’s headline writers. I also have interests in breeding stock with my friends Dermot Cantillon and Meta Osborne. The way it works is that every year I write a bigger cheque than the year before.

“Racing in Britain

would be on a much reduced scale without its link to betting”

Fairy Gold scores at the defunct Phoenix Park, one of Byrne’s favourite tracks

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betting, racing in Britain will be on a much reduced scale, with a consequent fall in the numbers employed and the numbers of meetings and horses in training.

Do you think the Racing Post relies too heavily on bookmaker advertising?

No. The Post relies less on advertising than most papers. More than two-thirds of our revenue is from copy sales, the balance from advertising. Most newspapers would be the reverse of that ratio.

Does the paper receive all the support and co-operation it should from all sections of the industry?

By and large, yes. There will always be one or two who prefer to see us as a nuisance rather than a conduit to the wider public, but most people are unfailingly helpful and generous with their time.

What will you do to build on the initial success of the Racing Post Yearling Bonus Scheme?

We will work with the promoters and organisers of the scheme to ensure that it continues to have the high profile we were able to give it when we agreed the sponsorship.

They have been kind enough to say the scheme would not have been such a success without us, but ours is mainly a supporting role.

Has the iphone app (for mobile phones) been a success?

Yes; it has regularly been in the top 25 sports apps in the apps store. About 2,000 new users are downloading it every week – it is proving to be very popular.

40

In your opinion how important is prize-money to owners?

Vital. Of course, there are some owners for whom prize-money is not a factor, just as there are people for whom the price of any goods is not a factor. However, the general level of prize-money will determine how long smaller owners and syndicate members can afford to stay in the ownership game. I am not aware of any major racing nation that has made significant progress without addressing the average return to owners via prize-money.

Have you ever owned horses, and with how much success?

I have had shares in a number of racehorses with very limited success. Let’s just say that

How did you start in racing and how did your background influence you?

My family had no interest in racing and are still largely perplexed by my passion for the game.

At the age of about ten, I was taken to the races at the much-missed Phoenix Park with my classmates. A few years later, my first bet on the Grand National was, unfortunately, a winning one. It has been downhill ever since.

Racing was my hobby during my first seven or eight years as a journalist, but then my job and hobby came together at what became Pacemaker Update. As for how that influenced me, it probably meant that as an outsider I had more to learn and I asked more questions.

Was there a lot of pressure when you became editor of the Racing Post, especially at such a young age?

I was 31. I suppose there was plenty of pressure, but editing a paper is great fun as well as very hard work. I was lucky to have a good team around me and I was able to call upon long-suffering former colleagues and friends to stop me pursuing my more idiotic ideas.

Quickfire questions How do you relax?

By worrying about things other than the Racing Post and the state of the racing industry – often Leeds United FC. What drives you to devote your life to racing?

A belief that it’s the greatest sport there is and that some day it will be better still.

Some might suggest a lack of imagination as a more likely explanation!

Are you a successful punter?

I don’t bet these days, but I always empathised with Jeffrey Bernard’s description of betting as ‘collecting injustices’. On the principle that even a

blind pig finds an acorn from time to time, I can recall sizeable wins on Vintage Crop and King Of Kings.

Who is the most talented writer you have worked with during your time in the sport?

David Ashforth. Pure quality, amazing versatility.

How would the sale of the Tote best serve racing?

By developing a first rate, dynamic pool betting operation, persuading a greater number of people to place pools bets and sharing the proceeds with the racing industry.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Land Rover OB Feb 2011_Land Rover OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 16:15 Page 1

Nat Stud Roster OB Feb 2011_Nat Stud Roster OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:16 Page 1

ENTIA 1994 CHESNUT 16.0 H.H. by CADEAUX GENEREUX - CLAR

c 2011 FEE: £10,000 1ST OCTOBER

Born 2004 bay 16.1 h.h. by val royal - factice

c 2011 FEE: £4,500 NFFR 1ST OCTOBER

Born 2005 bay 16.1 h.h. by danetime - dulceata

c 2011 FEE: £5,000 LFSN

star Born 2001 bay 16.0 h.h. by bahamian bounty -

c 2011 FEE: £7,000 1ST OCTOBER

1/2 h.h. by alhaarth - carroll’s canyon Born 2000 bay 16

c 2011 FEE: £2,500 1ST OCTOBER Contact: Brian O’Rourke Mob: 07789 508157 Tel: +44 (0)1638 675 929 Email: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk Website: www.nationalstud.co.uk National Stud Ltd., Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0XE

Nat Stud Phoenix Reach OB Feb 2011_Nat Stud Phoenix Reach OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:18 Page 1

on 1/2 h.h. by alhaarth - carroll’s cany Born 2000 bay 16

“A

PHOENIX REACH.

R TURE FOdu DVENRTH NEW Aof al purpose stallion... a is ALHAA NOW

the best son

Mr versatile.

2011

FEE:

THE FACTS...

TRIPLE GR.1 WINNER

over 12f.

ar olds from his

WINNING 2 ye FIRST CROP RUNNERS. and VERSATILITY AGILITY, STAMINA

Sire of

. at an attractive price

BE

PART OF THE

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SUPER GOOD-LOOKS...

STORY...

Feb_78_Recession_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:59 Page 44

BREEDING IN THE RECESSION

Keep calm and carry on From the market peak and high foals numbers of 2007, the last three years have brought tough times for breeders, but many have weathered the storm of recession previously and are intent on doing so again Words Emma Berry

F

ifty years ago, the hot topic of debate at the TBA’s annual general meeting was the Levy Board. Not much has changed, one might say, but conversation then was of a more optimistic nature, concerning as it did the

44

establishment of what has become racing’s central funding structure.

In the words of the TBA President of the time, the Hon. Jakie Astor, the formation of the Levy Board would be “the most important event in the finances of racing this century and marks a ‘new deal’ for the Turf”. He went on to say: “There seems to be substantial evidence that racing will thrive as a major entertainment

here, in the same way as it is doing in other countries.”

The bumper crowd at Kempton’s rearranged King George meeting in the middle of January illustrated how well racing does in attracting public support, a fact which is borne out by another recent rise in attendance figures generally, even in the midst of a recession. But for those people providing the ‘great triviality’ for the benefit of the public, times have seldom been tougher and that begins with the producers of the stars of the show, the thoroughbred breeders.

When delivering his numerical analysis of the 1961 sales,

Feb_78_Recession_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:59 Page 45

which had seen a rise in the numbers of horses offered but a fall in the clearance rate, Astor said: “Speakers are said to rely on statistics as a drunkard does on a street lamp, more for support than enlightenment, and I rely on them for support.”

While there are always a few drunkards to be found knocking about in the bars after sales, the sobering reality for many vendors in the last few years has been either to take stock home or to sell at a loss. The statistics do not, of course, tell the full story but the bumper foal crops in Britain and Ireland up to 2008, the year the recession struck, have not been repeated. The cyclical nature of breeding, however, means that no response to the financial climate can be instantaneous.

“The thoroughbred market is like any other market and we have to respond to fluctuations,” says Peter Hockenhull, owner of Shade Oak Stud which stands five National Hunt stallions, including Alflora. “The advantage of breeding for the Flat is that it’s a two- to three-year cycle but the National Hunt boat is slower to turn around and people don’t take that into consideration. You might not sell a horse for four years and it’s hard to envisage how the economic climate can change in that time. The number of foals we’re throwing down now will be woefully inadequate in four years’ time but we fought our way through a recession 20 years ago and it will come around again.”

In almost stereotypically stoic British fashion, the message from most breeders,

though deeply concerned by the current situation, is that they will carry on attempting to weather the storm by whatever means possible.

Louise Parry, breeder of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Saoire and Chairman of the TBA’s Welsh region, says: “Horse people are natural optimists – we have to be. An awful lot of people struggled to sell yearlings last year and very few were in profit but we’re culling mares, trying to cut costs and digging in as much as we can in the hope that the market will come around.

“We’re culling mares and digging in as much as we can in the hope that the market will come around” “For me, the worrying thing is that although mares numbers are coming down – which is good – if you look at the wider financial picture, with council cutbacks, rising fuel costs, etc., the number of owners is sure to shrink.”

She adds: “The sad part of it is we’ve spent so many years opening

up racing to smaller owners and syndicates but we’re getting back to the days when only rich people can afford to have horses in training. If you have a horse that’s won three races in a year it would be nice to think that he’s covered his costs but that’s no longer the case. It doesn’t matter what Racing For Change does – if prize-money levels aren’t there then the industry as a whole will suffer.”

Tim Finch, Parry’s counterpart in Scotland, agrees with her assessment, saying: “Most people are carrying on as normal. I can see very few cutbacks but one or two are sensibly trimming non-commercial mares.

“I think people might now be more inclined to hang on to horses as yearlings rather than sell as foals just to see what happens in the next few years. In a way the sales companies will probably be hit hardest of all with fewer people opting to sell.

“Breeders are hardy types on the whole, who tend to hang in there and stick to their habits. You have to believe in your stock.”

Finch also issues a warning for those vendors who have perhaps, on the back of the boom years of the earlier part of the new century, set their sights too high when it comes to offering horses for sale.

He says: “I’m a great one for not putting big reserves on horses at the sales and seeing what everyone else thinks. If they don’t sell, what are you going to do with them then?

The ring is the fairest judgement and we all have to be realistic.”

While Finch is no doubt correct in his assertion, what has caught many breeders out, particularly as belts have tightened, is the fickle nature of stallion fashions. With the exception of the elite few, a stallion’s profile can rise and fall as fast as hemlines.

“The top agents dictate the market and that can be dangerous,” says Parry. “As we

The British foal crop was reduced by 15.6% between 2009 and 2010

45

>>

Feb_78_Recession_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:59 Page 46

GEORGE SELWYN

BREEDING IN THE RECESSION

There have been dark times for vendors at recent sales but many believe the reduction in numbers will help market recovery

>>

saw at October Book 1, proven horses are just crossed off lists and who knows why? The book sizes are too big. If you have a stallion covering 140 mares and he suddenly becomes unfashionable you’re wiped out.”

Admitting to increased consternation over planning her matings this year, Parry had by mid-January signed just one contract and that was for Nayef, who, as part of Shadwell’s stance on limiting stallion books, will cover a maximum of 100 mares this season.

She says: “The book size is appealing and he’s outstanding value for a proven horse.

Also the fact that his fee is payable on January 1 helps. It’s getting harder to determine matings: first and foremost you have to breed a racehorse but you also have to balance value against fashion, because commercially we have to survive.”

Value in the recession Parry has taken two of her ten broodmares out of circulation while her fellow Welsh TBA regional representative Patrick Burling, a National Hunt breeder, has seized the opportunity to increase his broodmare band in the last few years by buying near the top of the market as prices have fallen generally.

“It’s never easy to buy them, even National Hunt mares,” he says. “We wouldn’t be breeding from the mares if they weren’t good enough: five of the six are black-type mares and the other one is from the family of Morley

46

Street. I send them to the best commercial stallions available.”

He continues: “We are commercial and we have to sell – we keep the odd filly to race but otherwise sell as foals. The foal market was fine for the best foals but only 5-6% are of the highest class. It is down at the top end but we made a small profit and we’re hoping that if

“Breeding is never really a hobby unless you are rich enough to withstand the damage from it” we’re not doing too badly in a recession then we might be okay when things improve.”

Flat breeder David Botterill, whose successful protegés include Tariq, has taken a similar stance to Burling.

He says: “I’ve increased the number of mares and I can see opportunities. I’m not in the top end of the market but I’ve been able to buy mares I’ve wanted to buy.

“I’ve covered everything the whole way through as long as they haven’t been late [foaling]. Breeding is never really a hobby unless you’re rich enough to withstand the damage from it. You have to treat it as a business.”

Botterill admits to finding it increasingly difficult to place lower-end horses but thinks the restrictions of the last few years have been necessary.

“Sadly, although it’s been painful, it has probably been a good thing,” he says. “Many of the mares shouldn’t have been bred from and some stallion books have been too big.

“The stallions are limited in my price bracket – I don’t want those coming down in price but I’ll use a mixture of proven and firstseason stallions. The stallion choices need doing very carefully now.”

It seems that no sooner has the main worry of the breeding industry been overproduction than we switch to concerns over how we will populate the race fixtures of 2012 and beyond, even if the reduction in numbers could mean those that do go to auction become more sought after, as Botterill hopes will be the case.

He says: “I would hope, with fewer mares being bred from, that somewhere along the line there will be a few people looking for a nice yearling. In the next couple of years it will become more difficult to buy.”

Richard Wilson, representative with his wife Rachel for the East Anglian region, THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

>>

Nat Stud Bahamian Bty OB Feb 2011_Nat Stud Bahamian Bty OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:20 Page 1

THE DADDY...

Born 1994 chesnut 16.0 h.h. by cadeaux genereux - clarentia

CONSISTENT, RELIABLE, COMMERCIAL… mr reliable....

2011 FEE: £10,000 1ST OCTOBER

THE FACTS...

WINNING PROGENY...

CONSISTENT –

UK/IRE yearling average has exceeded 20,000gns since 2004

RELIABLE –

33% OVERALL WINNERS/ RUNNERS IN 2010, HIGHER THAN ROYAL APPLAUSE, MONTJEU, CAPE CROSS, KYLLACHY, MEDICEAN ETC

COMMERCIAL –

2010 YEARLINGS REALISING UP TO 8 TIMES HIS NOMINATION FEE

bounty box

WINNING THE EBF FLYING FILLIES STAKES LISTED.

BE OF THE STORY...

PART

Contact: Brian O’Rourke Mob: 07789 508157 Tel: +44 (0)1638 675 929 Email: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk Website: www.nationalstud.co.uk National Stud Ltd., Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0XE

Feb_78_Recession_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:59 Page 48

EMMA BERRY

BREEDING IN THE RECESSION

Many non-commercial mares have been gradually removed from the breeding pool

>>

concurs: “The drop in foal numbers has sorted a lot out and I think there’s now a future. In a couple of years we may find ourselves with a shortage of horses, especially when one considers how the numbers in Ireland have dropped.

“People were breeding from mares which they shouldn’t have bred from and now we’ve been left with the better mares. The fact that the Irish reinforced their pinhooking in December really helped the foal market and I would like to think that we’re getting well through the problem. The last few years we’ve been going down but from what I’ve seen, heard and read I think we might hit a plateau next year and then start to come up again.”

However, John Wills, who represents the north of England and has enjoyed much success as a breeder courtesy of Oaks runnerup Rising Cross, cites a north/south divide, in both distribution of prize-money and the position of racing’s governors, as cause for concern for his region.

“People are worried about prize-money levels – that goes all the way back. Up here in the north we don’t really breed from blacktype mares, with the odd exception, so it means they are largely National Hunt or lower end Flat horses and breeders’ prizes for those races have been reduced and will be even further in 2011.”

While the more commercial operators can be quick to pour scorn on perceived ‘hobby breeders’, their presence has nonetheless been a feature of the breeding world since racing began and breeders like John Wills – who has four mares in foal compared to “six or seven” in the past – risk being forced out of the market but for the odd touch. For Wills, the sale of two siblings of Rising Cross, each

48

for six-figure sums, has helped.

“Without those I don’t think I’d still be in the sport because I couldn’t afford to be,” he says. “Most northern breeders largely do it as a hobby annexed to a working farm and it all comes down to what price you put on pleasure. I think most will survive but the big question is, will racing as we all know it

“Breeders are realising that they have to be more selective and that’s a good thing” survive? That’s what causes me the most concern and obviously it’s intrinsically linked to breeding.”

Stallion fees reduced Stallion farms have come under increasing pressure to drop fees and, while many people will maintain that nomination fees have not been reduced nearly enough, most studs have adjusted their prices during the recession.

Bearstone Stud in Shropshire has taken the unusual measure of not issuing prices for its stallions. Though the days of ‘price on application’ are now largely a thing of the past, this move was made with the intention of helping breeders, as the stud’s

assistant manager Mark Pennell explains.

“We look at the pedigrees at this end and the better the mare, the better the deal we offer,” he says. “It’s not helping anyone if a breeder sends a mare to a £3,000 stallion and then can’t get a bid at a sale. This way also helps our stallions and hopefully it might deter people from breeding from lesser mares.

“It was a bit of a risk and we didn’t want to put people off by not publicising the fees but we’re pleased with how it has worked.”

Bearstone has had noted success with less than obvious stallions, thanks in part to the stud’s strong support for the sires it stands.

The stud’s owners, Terry and Margaret Holdcroft, bred Firebreak’s first-crop Group 1 winner Hearts Of Fire and the Listed-placed Galtymore Lad, who helped Indesatchel to become last season’s leading British-based freshman sire. The new recruit to the ranks this year is Major Cadeaux.

Pennell says: “Every stud has regular customers and that’s why we try to keep fresh stallions coming in. A lot of breeders are cutting back on what they’ll pay for a nomination and I think that’s helped us – we’re not rock bottom but we’re commercial.

We’ve picked up new clients this year who have previously been spending £10,000 to £15,000 on a nomination. We’re feeling pretty positive and have got off to a good start with nominations for this year.”

While the popularity of jump racing has never been greater, the British National Hunt breeding scene faces fierce competition from France and Ireland, with the traditional store market being particularly badly affected. This owes much to the growing success of the ‘ready to run’ sales, where form horses, particularly from Irish point-to-points, sell consistently well, and to the influx of privately bought and often more precocious French jumpers.

A persistent problem, particularly with jumping stock, is the lack of interest in fillies and mares. The average sales price in 2009 for fillies by Britain’s top National Hunt sire Kayf Tara was less than a third of the figure posted for his colts (both foals and yearlings), and other leading stallions in Britain and Ireland followed a similar pattern.

Simon Sweeting, a member of the TBA NH Committee and Manager of Overbury Stud where Kayf Tara stands, says: “Fillies have always been hard to sell unless you have a very well bred mare. The difference now is that it’s hard even to find homes for them, let alone sell them cheaply. It has always been a problem though and it’s a risk you have to factor in as a National Hunt breeder.”

He adds: “We had a number of people pull out entirely two years ago but we have a few new clients with better mares: breeders are realising that they have to be more selective and that’s a good thing. New people to the

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

>>

Nat Stud Pastoral Pur OB Feb 2011_Nat Stud Pastoral Pur OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:23 Page 1

THE NUMBER 1 SON!

Born 2001 bay 16.0 h.h. by bahamian bounty star

2011 FEE:

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FANTASTIC WINNERS...

PASTORAL PURSUITS is becoming a notable addition to the stallion market. His stock are good looking, athletic and, as ROSE BLOSSOM illustrates, they train on well too.”

RICHARD FAHEY

marine commando

edges

– Trainer

PAST Petronius Maximus TO

win THE WINDSOR CASTLE STAKES

LISTED.

BE OF THE STORY...

PART

Contact: Brian O’Rourke Mob: 07789 508157 Tel: +44 (0)1638 675 929 Email: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk Website: www.nationalstud.co.uk National Stud Ltd., Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 0XE

Feb_78_Recession_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:59 Page 50

BREEDING IN THE RECESSION

Market avoided total collapse and has hinted at recovery A contributor to Weatherbys’ Bloodstock Sales Review every year since 1966, MICHAEL ROSS assesses the figures recorded since the start of the recession

I

t was a golden year in 2007 for the bloodstock sales in Britain and Ireland, when the trade by the six auction companies set new highest figures, surpassing the records set for turnover and average in the previous year. Overall, 16,575 thoroughbreds were sold for a combined turnover of £430,122,310 and average price of £25,950.

Then came the great financial catastrophe, with the number of horses sold being fewer in each successive year, while the turnover dwindled to £297,828,700 in 2008, to £277,784,030 in 2009 and now to £265,716,836 in 2010 at an average of £23,164. Over three years, this represents a fall of 30.8% in the number of horses sold, of 38.2% in turnover and a more tolerable 10.7% in the average price.

Perhaps the only saving grace is that, after two years of freefall, the four smallest sales companies, Doncaster and Brightwells in England and Tattersalls Ireland and Goresbridge in Ireland, all individually showed a slightly higher turnover and average price in 2010 than they had achieved in 2009.

On the other hand, there were further reductions for the two bigger firms, Tattersalls and Goffs, each suffering drops of over £7,000,000 in turnover.

Naturally, the lower average prices do not help the turnover, but another important factor is that of overproduction, one result of which is that, of the 16,950 horses which went into the six sales rings in 2010, only 11,471 found buyers, a clearance rate of only 67.7%.

Looking at it another way, there were 5,479 horses offered for sale last year who returned home unsold.

Tattersalls still trades in guineas at Newmarket, but the company’s annual figures have been converted to sterling for easier

>>

game are perhaps those that have retired a good racemare and have decided to carry on with her, such as Christopher Harriman, the owner of L’Aventure. He sent her to Kayf Tara and she now boards with us.”

Fellow stallion master Peter Hockenhull feels not enough fillies are being raced, despite recent TBA incentives, such as the mares’ steeplechase series.

He says: “We need a mares’ novice race at the Cheltenham Festival – there are far more opportunities for fillies on the Flat. The recent incentive for keeping the better broodmares

50

comparison. In 2007, its turnover was just over the quarter of a billion at £257,077,690, but in the three years since then this has fallen to just over £170,000,000 each time, with actually a slight increase from 2008 to 2009, but down to £170,263,480 in 2010. The average of £50,765 in 2007 has slipped each year down to £37,980 in 2010, but there were several highlights at its sales last year which must have brought renewed hope.

At the October Book 1 Yearling Sale, a Galileo filly was sold for 1,200,000gns, the highest price for a European yearling since 2007. Then at Tattersalls’ December Sale there were two more millionaires, both broodmares, with 1,300,000gns paid for Diary, in foal to Galileo, while the dispersal from Bloomsbury Stud included First, covered by Cape Cross, who was bought for 1,100,000gns.

Goffs’ turnover has been geatly diminished since 2007 but this is principally because far fewer horses were sold, with numbers falling from 3,768 to only 1,957. The average price at Kill has remained remarkably stable, as it was €27,004 in 2007 and £22,845 in 2010. Top

price at the Orby Yearling Sale last September was €950,000 and this was exactly double Goffs’ highest yearling price of 2009.

Doncaster Bloodstock Sales had the satisfaction of a rise in turnover of almost £1 million to £27,563,800 in 2010, while there was also an improvement in the average price, which climbed to £13,720. For the tenth consecutive year, DBS sold the most expensive National Hunt horse in the world when £310,000 was bid for Go All The Way. The third British company, Brightwells, did particularly well with its Cheltenham National Hunt sales, recording the remarkable average of £31,910 and a new individual record of £260,000 for Chablais.

Following past recessions, the market has genererally taken three to four years to recover but it didn’t collapse completely, it only dropped by around a third, and there were some positive signs in 2010.

It will be a long climb back to the top and how we get there largely depends on those within the industry. Let’s hope that 2011 continues to hint at signs of recovery.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE THREE YEARS MAKE 2007

2010

Foals born Great Britain Ireland

5,839 12,633

4,552 7,128

Active broodmares Great Britain Ireland

11,091 20,700

9,423 15,366

Annual turnover Tattersalls (£) DBS (£) Goffs (€) Tattersalls Ireland (€) Brightwells (Ascot and Cheltenham) (£)

257,077,690 45,185,575 144,718,900 56,958,085 4,791,228

170,263,480 27,563,800 45,211,850 20,889,107 8,424,914 *

*Brightwells held only one Cheltenham sale in 2007, compared to six in 2010

in Britain [via the mares’ voucher scheme] have been very welcome though.”

Colts have always sold for a premium but the bias is now marked, as also noted by Louise Parry, who is generally a foal vendor.

She says: “The colt foal trade at Tattersalls in December was phenomenal when you consider what the yearling sales were like but the market didn’t want fillies. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more people selling their horses as foals this year.”

Parry takes some solace in the fact that two of her younger mares have produced dual

winners in 2010 and, like so many of her fellow breeders, takes a pragmatic approach in the face of an uncertain future for the racing industry as a whole.

“In general terms, the whole picture of the business is tough but I’m not totally pessimistic,” she says. “We’ve had some amazingly good times and now things are bad and we have to accept that and do all we can to survive.”

NEXT MONTH: Racing in the recession THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Nat Stud Cockney Rebel OB Feb 2011_Nat Stud Cockney Rebel OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:24 Page 1

TEAM TNS 2011...

by val royal - factice Born 2004 bay 16.1 h.h.

FANTASTIC

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WITH BARRY HILLS, YEARLINGS IN TRAINING COX & RICHARD HANNON.

BRIAN MEEHAN, CLIVE

SOLD FOR 80,000GNS AT

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FIRST 2YO RUNNERS 2011.

BE

PART OF THE

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07789 508157 Contact: Brian O’Rourke Mob: stallions@nationalstud.co.uk il: Ema 929 675 38 (0)16 Tel: +44 k .co.u stud Website: www.national Suffolk CB8 0XE National Stud Ltd., Newmarket,

ownerbreeder ad pages 02.2011_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 02.2011 19/01/2011 09:40 Page 52

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Contact BILL BROMLEY on either Tel: 01952 541243 Fax: 01952 541242 • Email: woodfarmstud@freeuk.com

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Stallion_Parade_Jan 2011 20/01/2011 11:18 Page 53

TBA STALLION PARADE PREVIEW

One-stop STALLION SHOP From top-class sprinters to Classic heroes, there’s a stallion to suit every need as 15 of Britain’s finest take to the floor for the TBA Stallion Parade on February 3 at Tattersalls Words Carl Evans

Archipenko Good looks, excellent pedigree – what is there not to like about this exciting stallion, who stood his first season in 2010?

Being closely related to Sadler’s Wells, Nureyev and Fairy King, he hardly needed a pedigree update, but Blame’s victory over Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic gave him one. Blame’s dam, Liable, and Archipenko’s dam Bound, are half-sisters.

“He’s a specialist mile, mile-and-a-quarter horse,” says Kirsten Rausing of Lanwades Stud, who adds: “Despite being a May foal he won at two, but also at three, four and five on three continents.”

Dual Champion Stakes heroine Alborada, and her dam, blue hen Alouette, visit Archipenko this year.

Captain Gerrard 6yo bay 15.3hh Oasis Dream – Delphinus (Soviet Star) Stands Mickley Stud, Market Drayton, Shropshire 2011 fee £3,000 “Oasis Dream’s fan club has risen, so it’s great to stand one of his fastest sons,” says Mickley Stud’s owner Richard Kent.

That son is Captain Gerrard, who covered 105 mares at Mickley Stud in 2010, his first season as a sire. Mickley Stud was set up by Kent and partner Clare Lloyd in 2005, and they now stand five stallions.

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Captain Gerrard: flying start

GEORGE SELWYN

7yo bay 16hh Kingmambo – Bound (Nijinsky) Stands Lanwades Stud, Moulton, Suffolk 2011 fee £6,000 Oct 1 SLF

“A good-looking horse will do well at the stallion parade and it’s a chance to show them to people who don’t have time to drive up to Shropshire,” adds Kent.

Captain Gerrard was bought in conjunction with the Hayes family’s Lindsay Park Stud in South Australia and he returned from there recently having covered more than 70 mares.

Kent says: “Captain Gerrard has covered some good mares and is still a sensible price.”

Cockney Rebel 7yo bay 16.1hh Val Royal – Factice (Known Fact) Stands National Stud, Newmarket 2011 fee £4,500 NFFR

This dual Classic winner’s first foals reach the track this year and, while some breeders may be waiting to see the results, he is now very favourably priced.

“He was a tenacious two-year-old,” says Rachael Gowland, secretary at the National Stud, where Cockney Rebel has been in residence since injury shortened his career on the track. “There has been renewed interest in him following some very good yearling results and the stallion parade gives us a chance to give him more exposure and remind people what a talented racehorse he was.”

A €110,000 yearling colt by the stallion is now with Richard Hannon, while other juveniles have joined such as Messrs Meehan, Cox, Cumani, Elsworth and Barry Hills, so there is every reason to hope ‘The Rebel’ will soon be in fighting form again.

Equiano 6yo bay 15.3½hh Acclamation – Entente Cordiale (Ela-Mana-Mou) Stands Newsells Park Stud, Hertfordshire 2011 fee £8,000 Oct 1 LFFR In the stallions’ equivalent of the pre-season friendly Equiano pleased his new masters at Newsells Park Stud, where he makes his debut as a sire.

Stud manager Julian Dollar says: “We did some test-breeding with him before and after Christmas and he took to it like a duck to water. He’s full for his first season, with 100 outside mares and 20 for the partnership that owns him, but a few always drop by the wayside and the stallion parade is a good chance to show a young horse to breeders.”

Equiano’s dam, Entente Cordiale, is a

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Feb_78_Stallion_Parade_Jan 2011 20/01/2011 11:18 Page 54

TBA STALLION PARADE PREVIEW winning juvenile Our Jonathan) and Songsheet (dam of Listed winner and Britannia Stakes first Fareer, plus Listed-scoring Monsieur Boulanger) to the stallion.

Having Hellvelyn on the premises is a pleasure for Close, who says: “He seems to know what his new job is – put it this way, girls are interesting – and I’m delighted he’s here.

Had he been retired at the end of his three-yearold season he would have commanded a higher fee and I doubt we would have got him.”

GEORGE SELWYN

Mawatheeq

Newsells Park’s Equiano already has some decent mares lined up for his first book

resident at Newsells Park, but Dollar admits: “Klaus Jacobs set up our broodmare band to produce milers and Classic horses, but Equiano fills a niche.

“He was a Group-performing two-year-old who won a Group 1 sprint at three, and not many do that. The commercial guys know what is going to sell and they have shown great interest in him.”

Newsells Park is home to numerous blacktype mares – among those who will make the short journey to Equiano’s box are Janet, Mail The Desert, Teggiano and Fabulously Fast.

Haafhd 10yo chesnut 15.2½hh Alhaarth – Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom) Stands Nunnery Stud, Thetford, Norfolk 2011 fee £5,000 Jan 1 SLF Guineas winner Haafhd, who is making his second appearance at the TBA stallion parade, has three crops of racing age and a growing record of producing two-year-old winners.

No fewer than 16 of his 2008 crop scored as juveniles last year, including four-time winner Orientalist and the Stakes-earning trio of Tipsy Girl, Imperialistic Diva and My Delirium.

Haafhd, who was bred by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, did not race until the August of his two-year-old season, but won his first two races and later finished third in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes and Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

In his second career he has become a favourite of the stallion team at Nunnery Stud, says nominations manager Audrey Leyval, who adds: “He’s a bit cheeky, but he’s very good to deal with. Among the mares who will visit him this year is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Lahib.”

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Hellvelyn 7yo grey 16.1hh Ishiguru – Cumbrian Melody (Petong) Stands Bucklands Farm Stud, Gloucestershire 2011 fee £2,500 Oct 1 FFFR Four months ago Roisin Close was dealing with mares and young stock, and had no immediate plans to become a stallion master – now she is going on parade with a handsome new sire.

Coventry Stakes winner Hellvelyn has joined Close’s Gloucestershire farm after he was bought in November in conjunction with Trickledown Stud’s Paul Thorman, who says: “He’s proving popular, but offering a free return for a filly foal is a useful concession, particularly for such a competitively-priced horse.” Thorman has booked Sheik’n Swing (dam of Group 2-

Observers who view this addition to Shadwell’s stallion division will be looking at a regally-bred horse from a sire-producing family. His granddam, Height Of Fashion, has been a queen among breeders, and Mawatheeq can also point to his Classic-winning sister Ghanaati – not to mention stakes-winning Rumoush – as evidence that he is regally bred.

No mean performer himself, Mawatheeq won at Group 3 level and was nudged out of a Group 1 success in the Champion Stakes by Twice Over. However, a pastern injury, picked up as a yearling, prevented him from fulfilling his promise.

Shadwell nominations manager Audrey Leyval says: “The injury recurred after he ran at Ascot last year and he was retired, but he has settled in well and he created a lot of interest when paraded at Beech House Stud during the December Sale.”

Sisters to Sakhee, Tamayuz, Harayir and Honolulu, and a niece of Urban Sea called Muwakaba, are due to be covered by Mawatheeq this season.

CARL EVANS

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6yo bay 16.1hh Danzig – Sarayir (Mr Prospector) Stands Nunnery Stud, Thetford, Norfolk 2011 fee £5,000 Jan 1 SLF

Hellvelyn, a son of Ishiguru, with Roisin Close, left, and stud groom Rachel Safer

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Feb_78_Stallion_Parade_Jan 2011 20/01/2011 11:44 Page 55

TBA STALLION PARADE PREVIEW

Mount Nelson 7yo bay 16.1hh Rock Of Gibraltar – Independence (Selkirk) Stands Newsells Park Stud, Hertfordshire 2011 fee £7,000 Oct 1 LFFR “Mount Nelson could produce a Guineas or Derby winner, while Equiano is a really speedy type who should be a commercial horse,” says Newsells Park Stud manager Julian Dollar when summing up the farm’s resident sires who both parade at Tattersalls.

The two sires are linked by more than just location, however, for Mount Nelson has covered Equiano’s dam, Entente Cordiale, on more than one occasion. She features among a stellar band of breeders who have visited the son of Rock Of Gibraltar in his first two seasons at stud. For the record his female guests have included 82 black-type performing mares and 66 black-type producers.

That gives Mount Nelson every chance of proving a stallion success, yet his fee has been cut from £8,000 last year to £7,000. While his most choicely-bred first foals have yet to appear in public, his offspring sent to auction last year averaged just over 25,000gns at the December Sale.

Multiplex 8yo bay 16.1hh Danehill – Shirley Valentine (Shirley Heights) Stands Mickley Stud, Market Drayton, Shropshire 2011 fee £3,000 SLF A four-legged advertising hoarding gave Multiplex a moment in the spotlight at Tatts in December when selling for 130,000gns.

Mawatheeq, a handsome son of Danzig, has been retired to Nunnery Stud in Norfolk

A filly foal consigned by Richard Kent’s Mickley Stud, this six-figure beauty was bought by Hugo Merry on behalf of Prince Faisal, while three months earlier, at Doncaster’s Premier Yearling Sale, Sir Robert Ogden paid £70,000 for a Multiplex colt.

Kent says: “The filly foal exceeded all expectations in terms of price, but the sire gets good-looking stock with plenty of bone, and he’s a true-siring bay.”

Kent worked for Rathbarry Stud’s Liam Cashman as part of his early tuition in the industry and that shrewd man had success shuttling Dushyantor to Chile. Multiplex, who was foaled by a half-sister to Dushyantor, followed in his uncle’s footsteps by shuttling to the same South American country in 2010.

His first foals reach the racecourse this year and Kent says: “Most of the good two-year-

old trainers have a Multiplex in their yard – now it’s up to mother nature.”

Myboycharlie 6yo bay 16.1hh Danetime – Dulceata (Rousillon) Stands National Stud, Newmarket 2011 fee £5,000 Oct 1 LFSN If Myboycharlie appears to be glowing at the parade it is because he will have recently stepped off a flight from Australia, where he covered 120 mares at Vinery Stud in New South Wales.

Add in 80 mares during his first season at Newmarket’s National Stud, when his mates included stakes winners Misty Eyed and Forest Express, plus Sorpresa, the dam of Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes victress Sahpresa, and it could be said that Myboycharlie has not lacked for admirers.

National Stud secretary Rachael Gowland says: “As a Group 1-winning juvenile [he landed the Prix Morny] who is nicely bred and good looking he has been popular – and he’s reasonably priced. He’s also very easy to handle, being laid-back and relaxed, as he showed at last year’s stallion parade.”

Phoenix Reach TREVOR JONES

11yo bay 16.0½hh Alhaarth – Carroll’s Canyon (Hatim) Stands National Stud, Newmarket 2011 fee £2,500 Oct 1

Phoenix Reach has potential as a dual-purpose sire but has already had juvenile success

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This will be Phoenix Reach’s second parade in recent months, for he also took part in the National Hunt beauty show at Cheltenham in November.

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Feb_78_Stallion_Parade_Jan 2011 20/01/2011 11:18 Page 56

TBA STALLION PARADE PREVIEW That marked his new role as a dualpurpose stallion and being a triple Group 1 winner over 12 furlongs (and placed in the St Leger), and with a two-year-old winner from his first crop, he could well reward breeders under both codes.

Phoenix Reach raced just once as a juvenile, when touched off by high-class Norse Dancer, but he excelled with age and that trait may prove true of his offspring.

The National Stud’s Rachael Gowland says: “Most people would expect his runners to show improvement at three and his owners, Winterbeck Manor Stud, felt that he had a lot of scope as a dual-purpose sire.

“We turned several enquiries into nominations at Cheltenham and hope to do the same when he turns out at Tattersalls.”

Sakhee 14yo bay 16hh Bahri – Thawakib (Sadler’s Wells) Stands Nunnery Stud, Thetford, Norfolk 2011 fee £5,000 Jan 1 SLF “We’ve had bookings from all over Europe,” says Shadwell’s nominations manager Audrey Leyval when referring to Sakhee’s book for 2011.

That continental interest is not surprising given that the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor is getting plenty of winners at home and abroad. Last year his best included juveniles Tin Horse, who in the World Thoroughbred Rankings was France’s joint top-rated two-year-old with a mark of 115, and Germany’s Nice Danon, but he is also proving a sire of good horses at all distances.

Sakhee’s Secret, a Group 1-winning sprinter, remains his standard bearer, but Samuel proved the sire’s versatility when landing the Group 2 Doncaster Cup over two miles two furlongs. Add in super-tough travelling money-spinner Presvis, who added to his laurels in the Group 2 Jebel Hatta last year, Wellness, who was runnerup in the Swedish Oaks, and Weeza, third in the Norsk 1,000 Guineas, and you have a truly international sire.

“He gives his progeny toughness and he’s very fertile,” adds Leyval, who says a stakesplaced sister to Tamayuz will be among Sakhee’s mates this year.

Manor Stud’s roster for 2011 after a racing career that included victory in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes. Stud manager Charlie Oakshott hopes that the TBA’s stallion parade will complete a promising start for the freshman and says: “When you set a fee you hope to book the last mare at that fee and while I think Showcasing will be oversubscribed, it won’t be by much, and the stallion parade should just top things off.

He’ll have a maximum of 120 mares.”

The Oasis Dream element in Showcasing’s CV is a major plus for Whitsbury Manor and Oakshott says: “First-season sires continue to do well at the sales and this horse was a fast two-year-old from a lovely Juddmonte family, so we are very excited about his prospects.”

Mares booked to him include the dams of Temple Meads, Scarlet Runner, Ratio and Leitrim House, plus half-sisters to Sakhee’s Secret and Gilt Edge Girl.

Tobougg 13yo bay 16.1hh Barathea – Lacovia (Majestic Light) Stands Clarendon Farm, Teffont Magna, Wiltshire 2011 fee £2,500 Oct 1 This dual-purpose sire paraded last year, but has only half the distance to travel to Newmarket this time following the recent move by his masters, John and Sarah Haydon, from East Burrow Farm in Devon to Clarendon Farm in Wiltshire.

“He’s well known, but it doesn’t do any harm putting a horse like Tobougg in front

of people at a parade,” says John Haydon.

“He stands up well compared to any horse in terms of physique, but it’s also a chance to say to mare owners that he’s more accessible now as a result of our change in address.”

Tobougg’s good jumpers include Bouggler, a Grade 2-winning hurdler and top novice chase prospect, while his Flat horses include last year’s Group 3 winner Circumvent and First Mohican, who landed his only juvenile race in good style for Henry Cecil and has a Derby entry.

Happy Lady, the dam of his best progeny on the Flat, Group 2 winner Penny’s Gift, is soon to produce a sibling to that filly.

Winker Watson 6yo chesnut 16.1hh Piccolo – Bonica (Rousillon) Stands Norman Court Stud, West Tytherley, Wiltshire 2011 fee £3,000 Oct 1 FFFR Quick from the stalls, this Royal Ascotwinning two-year-old wasted no time in siring his first foal, who was on the ground soon after 2011 opened.

Tania Trant, head of Norman Court Stud, says: “He came to us as a typical sprinter and had endured a little injury which brought his racing career to an early end, but he’s a bettermoving horse now. People who saw him parade last year will see a difference this time.”

Park Acclaim and Teia Tephi, who are half-sisters to Tariq and Rainfall, plus seventime winner Toy Top were among Winker Watson’s mates last season and could help him gain a flyer in 2013.

Showcasing 4yo bay 16.0½hh Oasis Dream – Arabesque (Zafonic) Stands Whitsbury Manor Stud, Hampshire 2011 fee £5,000 Oct 1 Another son of barnstorming Oasis Dream is Showcasing, who joined Whitsbury

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CARL EVANS

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Tobougg with John and Sarah Haydon and Will Tuely, centre, at Clarendon Farm

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Feb_78_Bloodstock_Intro_Feb 20/01/2011 09:55 Page 59

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: reports and analysis Keeneland January Horse Of All Ages and Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale – pages 61-62

From the General Stud Book to Twitter

B

emused by the growing number of newspaper stories containing snippets of largely irrelevant facts revealed by celebrities on Twitter, the bloodstock desk of this magazine, which likes nothing better than being surrounded by dust-gathering piles of old sales catalogues and stallion books, decided it was high time a little investigation was held into this relatively new technological offering.

As suspected, the potential inanity factor is high but among the dross there are one or two Tweeters well worth following. The wry tipster Eddie The Shoe is one and a personal favourite is Bloodstock Al, aka Alan Mosley of Weatherbys, who leaves no stone unturned in divulging pedigree nuggets for even the most randomly-bred steeplechaser from the quietest midweek meeting.

The possibility of being able to share information on bloodlines so freely would have been well beyond the wildest imaginings of the founders of the General Stud Book, the first volume of which was published in 1793 and was subject to a number of revisions in the ensuing century.

It’s impossible to think of the modern-day breeding industry operating without this chronicle. The ability to research horses’ pedigrees over generations is taken for granted by breeders and analysts but it was not always thus.

The establishment of the General Stud Book is well detailed in a new book by the cerebrally weighty duo of Tony Morris and Dr Matthew Binns. A bloodstock writer and a geneticist may make for an unusual pairing but they combine perfectly to give a dual history and science lesson which is both informative and entertaining.

Thoroughbred Breeding: Pedigree Theories and the Science of Genetics is not the snappiest of titles but don’t let that put you off. For any breeder, or indeed anyone with even a passing interest in pedigrees, this book is a vital addition to the library and is written in

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Vital reading for pedigree enthusiasts

‘layspeak’ that even a feeble-minded journalist can understand.

By its close, the book brings the reader right up to date with recent breakthroughs in the world of equine genetics and outlines valuable ongoing research to establish genes linked to such afflictions as tying-up and bone fragility, but the added bonus of the book is the historical background to geneticists being able to carry out such important work.

The account of events leading to the publication of the inaugural General StudBook (initially hyphenated) by James Weatherby, on the back of an idea by his acquaintance William Towers, is fascinating.

With no formal records at that time, early attempts at establishing the bloodlines of great horses relied heavily on anecdotal evidence, often hindered by the fact that it was common for stallions and mares to be known by different names when changing hands.

Grey eminence One victim of this is Alcock’s Arabian, who appears to have been known by at least 14 pseudonyms. He is significant because many researchers believe him to be responsible for

every grey racehorse in existence – some 3% of the current thoroughbred population – though this is difficult to ascertain owing to the fact that Alcock’s Arabian was awarded so many aliases.

Modern-day greys are mostly attributed to The Tetrarch with the help of his influential and similarly spotted daughter Mumtaz Mahal, whose legacy is explored in another new book celebrating 50 years of involvement in racing and breeding of the Aga Khan.

Entitled A Racing and Breeding Tradition: The Horses of the Aga Khan, the lavishly produced work by Philip Jodidio is a blueprint of excellence, containing the level of detail of which Weatherby and Towers could only have dreamed in their early days of research.

From a breeding operation of such long standing, stretching back to 1922 and the purchase of Mumtaz Mahal by the current Aga Khan’s grandfather, it is nigh on impossible to create a short-list of the best horses but the author selects a list of influential thoroughbreds for the final chapter, from Mumtaz Mahal herself to the Arc winner Zarkava, with Nasrullah, Petite Etoile, Blushing Groom, Shergar, Akiyda, Darshaan, Sinndar and Dalakhani sandwiched in between. Quite a top ten.

All lists of favourite horses are subjective and one of the Aga Khan’s which gave our household particular pleasure was Alamshar, the only horse ever to beat his fellow Aga Khan Studs graduate Dalakhani. If only the Binns/Morris book, which devotes several chapters to the genetics of coat colours, including those of cats, had been available earlier, we would not now own a tortoiseshell cat, a genetic mutation only ever carried by female felines, named in honour of the 2003 Irish Derby-winning colt.

Thoroughbred Breeding: Pedigree Theories and the Science of Genetics, by Dr Matthew Binns and Tony Morris, is published by J A Allen (www.allenbooks.co.uk), £45 A Racing and Breeding Tradition: The Horses of the Aga Khan, by Philip Jodidio, can be ordered via online bookstores, £50/€59

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Feb_78_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/01/2011 11:09 Page 61

SALES CIRCUIT

By MICHELE MACDONALD AND BRONWYN FARR

Hints of thaw at Keeneland as effect of market correction is felt

It was predictably cold in Lexington but Keeneland posted improved figures on 2010

Keeneland January Horses Of All Ages Even though the Keeneland grounds were blanketed in snow and ice, results from the fiveday mixed sale may signal that the American bloodstock market is thawing out from the deep freeze precipitated by the global economic crisis.

For the first time since the January sale peaked in 2007, turnover increased from the previous season, a welcome event after three years of freefalling numbers at most American auctions.

“The market is resilient,” proclaimed Keeneland Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell.

“People are still very discerning but they want to buy horses.”

The numbers offered glimmers of happiness to everyone, although consignors said selling horses in the middle to lower echelons remains challenging. Nonetheless, increases were recorded in all the prime categories but median price, which fell 6.3% to $7,500. In comparison, median had ranged from $15,000 to $17,000 from 2006-2008.

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Altogether, 1,021 horses (up 4%) were sold for a total of $25,250,350, an increase of 5.7% from the 2010 sale total of $23,895,100, which had been the lowest turnover since 1995. This year’s average price of $24,731 rose by about 1.6% compared to last year’s $24,333, but represented only about half the average price achieved in 2008.

The numbers yielded what Russell described as “positive signs of recovery”. Included among them was the $1.4-million sale-topping price for Plantation Stud-bred Ave, a five-year-old American Grade 1 winner by Danehill Dancer.

Her sale price surpassed the 2010 Keeneland January high mark of $1,085,000 for multiple Grade 2 winner Miss Isella.

Ave, who was campaigned by Three Chimneys Racing and Lordship Stud to her win in the Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes, failed on a subsequent foray to Japan for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes won by Snow Fairy.

However, she was marketed internationally by Three Chimneys Sales and drew the attention of Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Farm, which

triumphed over agent Lincoln Collins, a director of Three Chimneys who conversed by telephone during bidding with an undisclosed client not associated with the operation.

Shadai spokesman Dr. Noshiro Nakaji said Ave, who won five of 15 career starts and earned $556,169, would be retired and sent to Japan to be bred, although a mate was not identified.

“She is good looking and has good conformation,” Nakaji said of Ave, who won the Group 3 Lanwades Stud Fillies’ Stakes in Ireland and the EBF Upavon Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury for her breeder prior to her sale to the Three Chimneys partnership. “She will be a nice broodmare.”

The strength of the yen has powered the Japanese to the top of the American and European bloodstock markets and the Yoshida brothers continued to pluck the very best fillies and mares offered at Keeneland. Katsumi Yoshida purchased the second highestpriced offering at the sale, paying $800,000 for the newly turned three-year-old filly Wickedly Perfect, a Grade 1-winning star by the 2010 champion American first-season sire Congrats.

“She was the pick of the sale for us,” said Naohiro Hosoda, who represented Katsumi Yoshida and his Northern Farm. Hosoda indicated that Wickedly Perfect, who captured the Darley Alcibiades Stakes at Keeneland three months prior to her sale, probably would be retired and head to the paddocks.

The Yoshidas had not finished buying, however. Shadai also purchased multiple Grade 2 winner and Saratoga track record-setter Secret Gypsy for $540,000, the fourth highest price of the sale. The six-year-old Sea Of Secrets mare won eight of 18 starts and earned $596,926.

Another Darley Alcibiades winner, four-yearold Negligee by Northern Afleet, was purchased for $625,000 by Fergus Galvin’s and Adrian Regan’s Hunter Valley Farm on behalf of an undisclosed client.

Among other notable buyers was Anderson Farms based in Ontario, Canada. David Anderson acquired two in-foal mares and one broodmare prospect while confirming he will continue the legacy left by his father, a director of Woodbine Entertainment Group who passed away in November at age 64 after 41 years of breeding thoroughbreds and standardbreds in Canada, Europe and the US. David Anderson’s purchases were topped by >>

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Feb_78_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/01/2011 11:09 Page 62

SALES CIRCUIT

The British-bred Grade 1 winner Ave topped the sale at $1.4 million and is off to Japan

>>

Song And Danz, a nine-year-old Unbridled’s Song mare whose first foal is Grade 3 winner Necessary Evil and who is in foal to young sire sensation Tapit. Song And Danz was hammered

down for $400,000.

Tapit sired three of the five top yearlings sold, led by a grey colt out of the winning Unbridled mare Unbridled Appeal. Buckeye Road Stable

paid $250,000 for the colt, who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Mani Bhavan and was consigned by Warrendale Sales.

Warrendale also prepared the colt that topped all yearlings when sold to Brian Graves for $300,000. The handsome chesnut son of Candy Ride is out of a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Chocolate Candy, another son of Candy Ride who has earned more than $600,000, and is from the family of Triple Crown winner Affirmed. Graves turned back challenges from former WinStar Farm partner Bill Casner and said the colt has the potential to bring $500,000 or more when pinhooked.

In addition to Japanese, Canadians and Americans, buyers also participated from Europe, Russia, South America, India, Australia and other parts of Asia. Russell said breeders have done well to reduce foal production and stud fees in the troubling economic conditions.

“We are beginning to see the effect of that adjustment, but it has helped buoy the market,” he observed. “The next stage of recovery will be dependent on the larger economic upturn and improvement in the racing product. While we know there continue to be challenges, we are optimistic in our outlook.”

Conversion: £1 = $1.6/AUS$1.6

Stallion fees under attack from Millions chief Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale The disparity between the advertised service fee of Australia’s most sought after stallions and their yearling sale averages prompted Magic Millions part-owner and prominent owner/breeder Gerry Harvey to fire a salvo at stallion farms, as the four-day select sale on the Gold Coast closed slightly down on 2010.

“Service fees are stupid – we’ve got to be realistic. If you pay $20,000 you should get $60,000 and if you pay $300,000 then you should get $900,000 at least,” Harvey said.

“I sold a beautiful Redoute's Choice colt for $350,000. In anyone's language I have lost money, so that is a real bad deal.”

The average was trimmed by 3.9% to $124,403 and the median shrank by 5.3% to $90,000 for 503 sold – a dozen less than last year – for gross receipts of $62,575,000, while the clearance rate was 81.4%.

Ironically, Harvey’s Hunter Valley farm Baramul – one of four owned by the billionaire retailer – was again leading vendor by aggregate with 32 sold for $5,410,000 and as well as owning some 400 mares, Harvey has interests in 17 stallions in Australia and New Zealand, including Vinery Stud’s More Than Ready.

That sire’s average (33 sold for $190,455) included a $450,000 colt, a $440,000 filly and

62

a further pair of fillies sold for $410,000 apiece, from a 2008 fee of $110,000.

But, commenting on a sale where only three yearlings from 618 offered fetched more than $500,000, Harvey insisted stallion fees needed further rationalisation to encourage a new top end of the market.

“It has crashed, but it is a cycle we had to go through,” Harvey opined, in words reminiscent of former Primer Minister Paul Keating’s infamous 1991 utterance “this is the recession we had to have” – which proved, in the long run, to be on the money.

With Australian buyers flocking with growing enthusiasm to northern hemisphere sales courtesy of an Aussie dollar that hovers on parity with the greenback, many worried that international purchasers, particularly the all-important South-East Asian bench, would shy away and spend their money elsewhere.

These concerns were by and large unfounded, although Magic Millions Managing Director Stephen Silk conceded that the high dollar had had an impact.

“The sale has gone very much in line with our expectations,” Silk said.

“We were cautiously optimistic that the sale would be around the figures of last year – and we went close with the average and gross figures falling only slightly.

“The high Australian dollar was obviously an

issue with a number of international buyers – but we still had strong interest and activity from our clients who flew in from abroad.”

Melbourne trainer Peter Moody, who puts the polish on highly-ranked sprinter Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), recently awarded 123 on the International Rankings, played a prominent role from the outset, securing a full-brother to Golden Slipper winner and sire Stratum (Redoute’s Choice) for $850,000.

Champion first-season sire last season, Stratum is the sire of Golden Slipper winner Crystal Lily.

Later in the sale, Moody went to $1.15 million to buy a Redoute’s Choice half-brother to Group 1 winner More Joyous out of Group 1 winner Sunday Joy, offered by John Singleton’s Strawberry Hill Stud.

“I’ve been able to buy the two nicest colts in the sale, so I’m very happy. I probably spent a fraction more than I wanted for them, but that’s what you have to do to buy the nicest horses.”

Moody is also likely to train a Street Sense – Aristocracy (Danehill) colt sold to Hong Kong owner Thomas Li for $440,000, a stellar result from that freshman sire’s $55,000 fee.

Impromptu fundraisers for victims of the floods that ravaged south-east Queensland in days preceding Magic Millions were a feature of a relatively subdued sale, with about $900,000 raised.

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Feb_78_ROA_Forum2_Layout 1 20/01/2011 11:04 Page 64

ROA FORUM The special section for ROA members

Purses fall as levy dips sharply Michael Harris reflects on the efforts of racecourses regarding prize-money during 2010 Total prize-money for 2010 failed to reach £100 million for the first time since 2007.

An already deflated total caused by a sharp decline in the levy was exacerbated by the spate of abandonments in December, meaning that contributions from the levy, racecourses and owners did not reach anticipated levels for the last month of the year.

Ascot topped the list of racecourses in terms of average prize-money per runner (£5,274) and average prize-money per race (£59,693), while at the other end of the scale, Wolverhampton returned a per-runner figure of £394 and perrace figure of £3,786. Ascot’s aggregate prizemoney of £8,834,600 was also very impressive but, by this measure, Newmarket, with 270 races against Ascot’s 148, had the edge with their overall prize-money being £9,291,107.

In terms of per-fixture racecourse contributions to prize-money, Ascot was a long way clear of its nearest pursuer, York, while published figures indicate that Southwell, by this measure, was at the bottom of the table.

Sources of prize-money 2007-2010 2010 (all £m)

2009

2008

2007

Levy Board

51.0

63.1

56.1

53.4

Owners

15.6

17.4

16.9

13.1

Racecourses

30.3

27.6

30.3

29.6

Divided races

1.2

1.0

0.9

0.8

BHA

0.9

1.3

1.8

1.5

Total

99.0

110.4

106.0

98.4

Note: Owners’ contributions are made through entry fees; racecourse input is from their executive and sponsorship contributions; BHA input is from funds raised by fixture bidding

Particularly noteworthy were the performances of Chester and Musselburgh, both of whom made outstanding efforts in their executive and sponsorship contributions when assessed as a percentage of overall prize-money.

In fact, by this measure, Musselburgh is ninth on the Racecourse League Table, with a performance that is bettered only by the top grade tracks and which puts the Scottish course well above the likes of Sandown, Doncaster and Newbury.

However, the accolade for racecourse prizemoney contributions expressed as a percentage

of overall prize-money has to go to Cheltenham, which contributed 54% of its overall prizemoney total, thereby topping the Racecourse League Table.

As has been discussed elsewhere in this issue, 2011 is likely to be a difficult year for prizemoney with the levy (pre-determination) projected to drop to £34m – thereby almost halving the 2009 figure.

Only the application of the Horsemen’s Tariff will enable overall prize-money to come close to that of previous years.

Racecourse League Table, see page 67

Horsemen’s Group and Arena reach agreement Arena Leisure PLC and the Horsemen’s Group have negotiated a new 48-hour declarations agreement which will enable the continuation of the sale of media rights to overseas betting territories for the next three years.

Forty-eight hour declarations on the Flat have successfully increased revenues and been instrumental in the promotion of British horseracing overseas. The new three-year deal, which started on January 1, 2011, replaces an initial three-year agreement.

Ian Renton, Racing Director of Arena Leisure, which owns seven racecourses, said: “Fortyeight-hour declarations enable us to continue to grow our overseas markets in partnership with At The Races and GBI Racing. The new agreement works well for both organisations, with the horsemen receiving improved terms and Arena the certainty of 48-hour declarations for the next three years. The overseas market is one where we expect to see good growth over

64

Overseas punters are able to watch and bet on live races from Lingfield

the next few years and I look forward to working closely with all parties to achieve success.”

Alan Morcombe, Chief Executive of the Horsemen’s Group, said: “The 48-hour agreement between Arena Leisure and the Horsemen’s Group is another example of racecourses and horsemen working well together for the benefit of racing. The agreement acknowledges the key role of the horsemen in providing 48-hour declarations and we look forward to working closely with Arena to ensure their success in this area of their business.

“The new agreement is very good news for both Arena and the horsemen and paves the way for further collaborative arrangements.”

The Horsemen’s Group’s constituent bodies are the Racehorse Owners Association, National Trainers Federation, Professional Jockeys Association, National Association of Stable Staff and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_ROA_Forum2_Layout 1 20/01/2011 11:04 Page 65

www.racehorseowners.net

The ROA-PJA agreement is designed to compensate riders for travelling to the races

Jockeys to receive half fee for non-runners for trial period Agreement reached between the Racehorse Owners Association and the Professional Jockeys Association allows jockeys to be paid half a riding fee when the jockey is declared to ride and the horse subsequently becomes a non-runner. It is planned that the agreement, effective from January 1, will run

DID YOU KNOW? Owners can access a wealth of data on forthcoming race fixtures, details of entries and declarations, handicap ratings, jockey information, going reports and more at the Racing Admin website, at www.racingadmin.co.uk Access is by login and registered owners can apply for a user ID and password for the Racing Admin website by contacting Weatherbys on 01933 304828 or by email to ihelp@weatherbys.co.uk

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

for one year, after which it will be reviewed.

The agreement is not underpinned by the Rules of Racing during the trial period.

As a result of this agreement, there will be no riding fee increase in 2011.

Jockeys with a listed retainer will not qualify for the half fee when that jockey is

riding for their retaining trainer or owner.

Kevin Darley, PJA Chief Executive, said: “The initiative has been drawn up principally to help ‘journeymen’ jockeys.

“Expenses as a proportion of income are very high for those jockeys that usually operate at the middle and lower tiers of racing. The vast majority of non-runners occur on the day of the race and so, when a jockey travels to a meeting for just one or two rides, only to find that one or both are nonrunners, he currently has little or no income but still has to pay all his expenses. This is clearly unfair to those jockeys who can least afford the increasingly high fuel prices.

“At the same time, we believe the imposition of this half fee could be of benefit to racing overall in that it may act as a deterrent to withdrawing horses that are declared to run. A reduction in non-runners would improve the accuracy of racecards, resulting in an increase in betting and therefore the levy.”

ROA Chief Executive Michael Harris said: “The overall cost to owners of an initiative that we believe will help many everyday jockeys is on a par with the aggregate amount that owners would have paid had there been an annual inflationary riding fee increase.

The ROA therefore took a balanced view that we should respond positively to the PJA proposal.

“Both associations regard this as a worthwhile one-year experiment for 2011 which we can discontinue if, in practice, it doesn’t work out.”

The terms governing the scheme are listed on the ROA website at www.racehorseowners.net

ROA marquee at Cheltenham Festival Members are invited to buy tickets for the ROA’s exclusive marquee for the four days of the Cheltenham Festival, March 15 to 18.

The marquee offers unreserved seating and provides comfortable surroundings at jump racing’s busiest fixture for members and their guests. Facilities include a bar, big screen TVs to watch the racing and Tote betting, while hot and cold food can be purchased.

Marquee badges are priced at £27 per day, £80 four days for members and £38 per day, £125 four days for guests, and can be ordered online at www.racehorseowners.net or by calling 020 7152 0200.

Marquee badges do not provide entry to the racecourse, but Club enclosure tickets can be booked directly via Cheltenham by calling 0844 579 3003. Alternatively, visit www.cheltenham.co.uk

A sanctuary amid the festival furore

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ROA FORUM

Sales and median auction race analysis As spring approaches it is a time when owners may have discussions with their trainers about whether or not to make entries for any sales races which may be open to their horses in training.

To illustrate the funding of such races last year, the table below shows an analysis of the makeup of the prize fund for sales and median auction contests in 2010.

Race

Prize fund (all £)

Exec & sponsor contribution

%

Owners’ contribution

%

Total cost to run

Refund if eliminated

Weatherbys Super Sprint

200,000

77,300

38.7

122,700

61.3

1,275

Full

DBS Premier Yearling Stakes

300,000

69,300

23.1

230,700

76.9

2,000

900 (45%) if not nominated/ qualified for race below

10,000

20.0

40,000

80.0

2,000

DBS St Leger Yearling Stakes

50,000

Weatherbys Insurance £300,000 2-y-o Stakes

392,500

Totepool 2-y-o Trophy

229,000

20,000

8.7

209,000

91.3

1,000

Tattersalls Million Series

1,802,000

230,000

13.0

1,572,000

87.0

4,000

Nil (consolation race)

20,000

5.0

372,500

95.0

2,000

Full

Super Saturday The worth of members signing up for the ROA’s email bulletin service was amply illustrated in January, when we were able to convey a message advising that Kempton Park had honoured the inclusion of the William Hill Super Saturday fixture on January 15 in the Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners.

This enabled complimentary entry for members on the scheme to this fixture, which included the transferred William Hill King George VI Chase and Christmas Hurdle on the existing William Hill Lanzarote Hurdle day card.

If you are not already on our email bulletin service and would like to be added to receive news of this nature, please email us at info@roa.co.uk

Revamped Morning Line

Full

Nil (see Note 1)

(featuring eight races)

Note 1: Acceptors at the first scratching deadline for the £500,000 Tattersalls Millions 2yo Trophy at May 4, 2010 gained free entry into the seven other races in the Tattersalls Millions Race Series. These include three races for 3yos: the £250,000 Tattersalls Millions 3yo Trophy, the £150,000 Tattersalls Millions 3yo Sprint and £150,000 Tattersalls Millions 3yo Cup

Fabulous wine offer A number of members have recommended a friend to join the ROA, and each have been sent a bottle of wine as a thank you.

If you would like to recommend a friend, contact the ROA office, quoting ‘wine’, and provided your friend joins the ROA, you can expect to receive a bottle of La Reserve Claret in the post.

Call 020 7152 0200 or email info@roa.co.uk

66

In Brief

Regular viewers of Channel 4’s The Morning Line can look forward to a revamped format being launched at Cheltenham on Saturday, January 29.

As part of the new format the programme will include new strands, features and also competitions. One strand will be a fun item disclosing quirky or amusing secrets of trainers and jockeys.

Do you have a story to tell about your trainer? Contact Sophie Veats at Highflyer Productions on sophieveats@gmail.com or call 07590 728061.

Diary dates and reminders Cheetah sprints home A total of 40 winners wearing the Totesport branding entered the winners’ enclosure during November. The number included the Luca Cumani-trained Cheetah, who enhanced her paddock value with success in the Listed Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton.

There was a notable chase double for the Neil Mulholland-trained I’m A Legend, owned by the Wincanton Race Club, with both wins achieved at that track, while Spice Bar, owned by Kevin McConnell and trained by Declan Carroll, also scored twice, with hurdle wins at Market Rasen and Sedgefield.

Details of the latest ROA/Totesportsponsored winners for November are listed in full at www.racehorseowners.net

MARCH 15-18 ROA marquee at the Cheltenham Festival Badges are now on sale for the ROA’s exclusive marquee for members and guests at the Festival. Details appear on the previous page. Badges are not available on the day and will sell out, so please contact the ROA to book your place.

JUNE 23 ROA AGM The results of the Council election will be announced at the ROA Annual General Meeting, which is followed by a lunch for members and their guests at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel, Knightsbridge, London.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_ROA_Forum2_Layout 1 20/01/2011 11:05 Page 67

www.racehorseowners.net

Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

Racecourse ownership

Exec + Sponsors (£)

1 Cheltenham JCR 3,074,524 2 Aintree JCR 1,641,959 3 Ascot I 4,099,395 4 York I 2,317,879 5 Epsom Downs JCR 1,297,708 6 Chester I 615,752 7 Haydock Park JCR 1,341,063 8 Goodwood I 1,320,990 9 Musselburgh I 412,752 10 Ayr I 625,180 11 Hamilton Park I 253,818 12 Newmarket JCR 3,063,140 13 Ripon I 273,884 14 Sandown Park JCR 1,003,554 15 Beverley I 269,924 16 Doncaster Arena 1,375,772 17 Newbury I 1,207,167 18 Fakenham I 95,140 19 Cartmel I 65,224 20 Salisbury I 237,608 21 Bath North 163,303 22 Windsor Arena 278,640 23 Newton Abbot I 170,421 24 Thirsk I 187,104 25 Wetherby I 152,764 26 Pontefract I 229,851 27 Carlisle JCR 189,593 28 Stratford-on-Avon I 203,105 29 Leicester I 232,227 30 Bangor-on-Dee I 165,720 31 Perth I 135,479 32 Ffos Las North 225,092 33 Wincanton JCR 135,977 34 Yarmouth North 155,888 35 Exeter JCR 141,608 36 Taunton I 92,660 37 Nottingham JCR 144,512 38 Newcastle Northern 225,204 39 Market Rasen JCR 156,169 40 Lingfield Park Arena 619,776 41 Kelso I 87,007 42 Chepstow North 148,107 43 Catterick Bridge I 109,142 44 Ludlow I 75,327 45 Brighton North 93,565 46 Redcar I 130,279 47 Folkestone Arena 70,038 48 Warwick JCR 96,605 49 Kempton Park JCR 462,455 50 Fontwell Park North 81,021 51 Uttoxeter North 76,766 52 Worcester Arena 46,436 53 Towcester I 39,993 54 Hexham I 37,108 55 Plumpton I 43,031 56 Huntingdon JCR 42,049 57 Wolverhampton Arena 100,865 58 Hereford North 7,059 59 Sedgefield North 8,500 60 Southwell Arena 647 Total 30,353,524

% of Total

Levy Board (£)

54.4 1,771,222 52.8 993,232 46.4 2,617,135 45.5 1,476,282 42.1 906,450 40.2 772,860 39.3 1,561,376 37.2 1,676,354 35.8 609,662 35.2 879,004 34.3 410,420 33.0 3,220,213 33.0 436,200 32.9 1,580,950 32.5 449,960 32.2 1,780,508 30.8 2,017,795 29.0 232,760 27.1 151,740 26.7 518,532 26.0 389,932 26.0 639,710 25.9 477,590 25.9 397,260 25.9 385,516 25.8 562,870 25.6 469,428 25.0 528,585 23.9 589,237 23.3 502,553 22.2 430,520 22.0 701,420 21.9 425,640 21.9 451,082 20.7 466,932 20.3 314,675 19.8 421,870 19.1 773,940 18.4 607,600 17.8 2,423,088 17.5 369,518 17.3 611,730 15.8 498,330 15.8 363,740 15.7 442,420 15.3 416,670 12.7 427,365 12.4 566,908 11.4 3,043,920 11.2 568,828 8.6 675,720 8.3 410,373 7.9 411,100 7.8 390,210 7.8 472,548 7.4 451,542 3.7 2,235,895 2.3 258,760 1.9 390,150 0 1,930,745 30.7 50,958,575

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% of Total

Owners (£)

% of Total

31.3 801,844 31.9 476,088 29.6 2,048,570 29.0 1,266,154 29.4 853,490 50.4 90,186 45.7 443,365 47.2 513,926 52.9 104,063 49.5 245,901 55.4 56,202 34.7 2,851,254 52.6 91,647 51.9 421,366 54.2 60,507 41.6 1,040,138 51.5 564,687 71.0 0 63.0 24,036 58.2 74,984 62.1 59,145 59.6 104,983 72.6 5,180 55.0 76,376 65.3 50,464 63.3 50,584 63.3 72,400 65.1 66,867 60.5 98,781 70.6 34,363 70.7 38,938 68.5 88,186 68.6 57,228 63.5 77,380 68.3 67,872 69.1 33,175 57.7 93,468 65.6 151,293 71.8 76,853 69.8 267,837 74.4 36,866 71.6 81,815 72.3 56,487 76.3 37,825 74.4 52,689 48.8 277,197 77.6 51,526 73.0 92,327 74.8 372,324 78.9 71,004 76.1 112,857 73.4 67,191 81.3 48,407 81.5 44,805 85.3 34,280 79.7 63,384 82.4 231,037 83.4 40,456 87.6 46,687 90.9 150,223 51.5 15,569,168

14.2 15.3 23.2 24.8 27.7 5.9 13.0 14.5 9.0 13.9 7.6 30.7 11.1 13.8 7.3 24.3 14.4 0 10 8.4 9.4 9.8 0.8 10.6 8.6 5.7 9.8 8.2 10.2 4.8 6.4 8.6 9.2 10.9 9.9 7.3 12.8 12.8 9.1 7.7 7.4 9.6 8.2 7.9 8.9 32.5 9.4 11.9 9.2 9.9 12.7 12.0 9.6 9.4 6.2 11.2 8.5 13.0 10.5 7.1 15.7

Total 2010 (£)

Total 2009 (£)

5,651,590 5,989,687 3,111,279 3,298,592 8,834,600 9,591,420 5,097,315 4,791,143 3,080,648 2,952,770 1,532,548 1,497,417 3,415,404 3,663,935 3,551,270 3,752,527 1,152,977 1,268,200 1,776,085 2,147,326 740,440 830,359 9,291,107 10,650,410 828,731 892,205 3,048,870 3,706,412 829,991 849,650 4,278,418 4,668,976 3,919,149 3,834,847 327,900 402,475 241,000 219,400 890,624 997,499 627,930 738,886 1,073,333 1,193,304 657,891 674,715 722,240 734,195 590,244 759,424 889,305 1,008,791 741,921 829,165 811,557 951,086 973,245 1,205,324 712,286 722,125 608,937 619,089 1,023,698 510,832 620,345 1,012,251 710,850 842,966 683,912 747,552 455,510 600,520 730,850 828,934 1,180,187 1,596,212 846,622 981,271 3,473,851 4,243,395 496,691 704,212 854,152 1,241,023 689,159 784,936 476,892 736,488 594,274 647,877 853,046 854,000 550,929 753,160 776,340 945,508 4,070,049 5,026,372 720,853 901,807 888,343 1,054,823 559,000 705,566 505,500 603,766 478,623 487,500 553,859 460,692 566,475 703,465 2,714,597 3,450,175 310,275 583,562 445,337 408,500 2,123,615 2,493,915 98,962,667 110,461,037

% total Up/ 2009 down

50.0 50.1 42.6 42.6 40.4 32.1 34.3 31.3 25.2 22.4 27.0 28.1 23.7 26.6 20.7 29.1 20.5 20.7 14.4 21.7 19.4 19.8 3.2 19.7 17.5 20.1 17.9 21.3 19.1 13.2 12.8 23.4 14.7 16.2 3.5 4.7 12.9 22.9 9.4 13.8 15.3 14.9 9.6 14.9 7.2 10.3 5.9 6.6 9.6 6.7 9.4 0.8 0.8 -0.4 0.4 9.3 0.8 7.0 22.3 1.2 25.0

s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s t s s s s s t s s s s s s s s s s s s t s s s s t s t t t s

In order of racecourses’ percentage contributions to overall prize-money Figures relate to prize-money for the 12-month period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010

EXPLANATION This table sets out the three main contributors to prizemoney with percentages of the total: 1 Racecourses’ executive and sponsorship; 2 Levy Board; 3 Owners.

A small additional contribution is also made by the Divided Race Fund and the BHA Development Fund. The order is taken from the percentage in the second column of figures. This shows how much each racecourse has contributed to prize-money, expressed as a percentage of their overall prize-money.

The arrows at the end of each line are based on a comparison between the percentages for the two rolling year periods.

If a racecourse has improved its position by this criteria it receives a green ‘up’ arrow.

If the year-on-year percentage has decreased it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

Note: All of the figures are produced on an ‘as originally programmed’ basis, i.e. where any transferred fixtures were originally programmed rather than where the fixtures have actually taken place. However, any transferred BHA ‘National’ fixtures and ‘Regional’ fixtures are attributed to the courses where the fixtures have actually taken place. *Wincanton’s Gold Standard annual renewal was granted as analysis showed that a spate of abandonments had caused its decline below the required 15% threshold. Taking the abandonments into account, Wincanton’s figure is comfortably above the threshold.

RACECOURSE OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

North Northern Racing Ltd Arena Arena Leisure Ltd I Independently owned racecourse Gold Standard Award

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Feb_78_NGC_Layout 1 20/01/2011 10:49 Page 68

THE NEXT GENERATION

By GINA BRYCE

Be there...

FEBRUARY 12 Silks Ball, Centaur, Cheltenham Tickets are selling out fast. All proceeds go to Racing Welfare so email silksball@racingwelfare.co.uk or miss out on the biggest ball of the year.

FEBRUARY 26 Racing Post Chase, Kempton Warm up for the Festival with a day of top-class jump racing just a stone’s throw from London.

MARCH 15-18 Cheltenham Festival The jewel in jump racing’s crown, where champions are made and crowds flock to witness the defining four days of the National Hunt season.

MARCH 26 Dubai World Cup No excuse needed for escaping the big freeze – but the world’s richest racecard staged at the iconic Meydan racecourse certainly makes for a good one.

Racing magazine by students for students

F

our months on from the launch of Student Racing, the brainchild of Mike Spence and Alex Bell has carved out a new fan base among the student population.

Initially created for a university assignment, what started as a free magazine for distribution to fellow students at Newcastle University now reaches 25 institutions across the country and boasts a new website, all aimed at targeting the fresh young audience racing so greatly desires.

While both founders are at home discussing the merits of this year’s Guineas favourite, they are also in the fairly unique position to be able to demystify the complex world of racing for their peers. Access to both the racing clique and the huge student population is a privileged position that has not been lost on them. Rather than force-feed information, a fate most students would rather leave in the lecture hall, Spence explains how the aim is to inspire interest by bringing racing into the mainstream.

“So far we’ve found the key is to relate racing,

Talking Point...

Tadgh O’Shea Jockey

“It goes without saying that you want a good sound horse and also one that still has plenty of improving to do.

You see it time and time again when trainers such as Mike De Kock bring over horses that have won a few nice races elsewhere and then he manages to improve them 10lb in Dubai.

“The Carnival gets so competitive, in particular towards the end, that ideally to win races you need a Group horse masquerading as a handicapper. You have got no chance with a handicapper at the top of his rating.

“Temperament wise, obviously everyone wants a laid-back horse but out here it’s particularly important as all the sights and sounds of Meydan are pretty incredible and daunting even for the human population, so the horses definitely need to have a good brain to cope with it.”

Brett Williams Presenter, Dubai Racing Channel

“For any horse to excel at the DIRC, you need one that

68

a world they’re not familiar with, to the life they are used to,” he said. “We’ve done that mainly by featuring footballers, rugby players and also golfers. Students are very surprised when they find out these household names such as Michael Owen, Lee Westwood and Ben Foden are involved in racing, and it has proven to be our key selling point for the magazine.”

As the publication goes from strength to strength with the addition of new features in response to student feedback, the website is in its first month of inception with plans for it to become a one-stop shop for all racing fans. In addition to running the magazine features, Spence places the emphasis firmly on keeping their content fresh and appealing to all students.

“The main aim for the site is to ensure people are encouraged to constantly revisit it whatever their level of racing knowledge,” he said.

What type of horse do you need to excel at the Dubai International Racing Carnival?

has very few miles on the clock but has the potential to rise through the ranks in a short space of time.

“The carnival passes by so quickly and often trainers have to run their charges when they might not want to due to time running out, therefore a horse that can also handle racing with only short breaks in between is vital. Leahurst is proof of this. He was a lightly-raced horse who’d previously won a couple of modest races in the UK but arrived in Dubai ready to peak and collected two big handicaps. If injury hadn’t intervened he could have gone to the top.”

Alex Cole Racing Manager to Dr Jim Hay

“To do well in Dubai, you have to have a lightly raced horse that still has plenty of improvement to come. It is so hard to get hold of these types of horses in the UK as most have no secrets from the handicapper, so we tend to look further afield.

“For this year’s Carnival we have sourced a couple of unexposed types from South Africa that can hopefully pick up some prize-money

and we are also bringing a horse called Redding Colliery over from the US to contest the fillies’ Triple Crown races.”

David Marnane Trainer

“This is the first year we have actually taken the horses out to Dubai so it is still a bit of a learning mission for us but obviously, as everyone knows, the most important thing is to have a progressive, unexposed horse for the Carnival. You also want a sound horse that travels well.

“I spent a lot of time working in Dubai for Kiaran McLaughlin, but I had never been to Meydan so went out in January to take a look. The facilities and the track are second to none now, and the six-furlong turf course is probably the best I have seen anywhere.

“On the old Nad Al Sheba track, the dirt could be quite hard on horses and it did favour the Americans. The turf track was on the inner circuit so was very sharp with tight bends. However, I would have none of those concerns now and the course should ride very fair for all types of horses.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_NGC_Layout 1 20/01/2011 10:49 Page 69

www.the-ngc.co.uk “Hopefully we’ve achieved this with the news feed, the tips supplied on a number of sports and also a forum that we are extending to incorporate many sports. We also have a number of blogs in the pipeline to help people learn about the sport from those young people already involved.”

Of course, reading about racing and sport is generally only a sideshow to the main event and getting people onto the racecourse is another key area Student Racing is involved in.

Spence recalled: “The free racing day at Newcastle in November was a huge success, with over 160 students attending. We’ve found the key seems to be organisation. Tell them how to get there and that it’s a great day out (and a very cheap one if we can persuade the racecourse), then they’re very keen to go.”

Far from resting on their laurels, the team is keen to lay foundations for the future of Student Racing and has plans to expand its distribution network and increase students’ experience of all the industry has to offer.

Spence says: “Long term we have plans in place to own a ‘student racehorse’ at very low cost. Hopefully this will gather lots of attention and also get many more students involved in racing and an insight into ownership.”

To find out more about Student Racing visit the new website at www.studentracing.co.uk

WHAT’S HOT Return of the Choc We love his Racing Post column but enjoy seeing his name back on the racecards even more.

King’s Theatre A cracking 2010 for the leading jump sire and with firepower such as Cue Card, Menorah, Voler La Vedette and Riverside Theatre, who knows what 2011 could bring?

The Big Thaw Jumps racing finally returns to the turf and racegoers no longer have to contend with the risk of frostbite to witness their gambles pay off first hand.

WHAT’S NOT RIP Twist Magic Quirky yet brilliant. The five-time Grade 1 winner will be sorely missed.

Depleted stallion ranks With the deaths of proven sires Mr Greeley, Green Tune and Singspiel to name a few, it’s time for the new boys in town to prove they can fill their shoes.

Jockey injuries We were still ruing the loss of Ruby when Noel Fehily made it another man down. Let’s hope AP can stay in one piece.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Q&A Broadcaster of the Year Matt Chapman, of At The Races, has plenty of ideas on how to improve a sport that’s a huge part of his life What first attracted you to racing?

I was hooked by ten and used to record the last two furlongs of every race on Channel 4 and the BBC. I still have the tapes. I was grabbed by the mixture of a sport that could pack in high-octane excitement with a puzzle similar to solving – in those days – a Rubik’s Cube. Throw in the different personalities of horses, trainers and jockeys and you had a sport that was worth spending time over.

Do you think the appeal to younger generations has diminished?

Yes. Modern-day betting alternatives are an obvious factor. Lack of terrestrial TV coverage on the BBC is another – the exact reason I was so enthralled by the game in the early days.

Add to that the plethora of fixtures and extension of so-called festivals and you have a classic case of dumbing down a sport whose rulers simply feel more is better. Wrong!

The problem racing faces is that outside of Royal Ascot, Cheltenham and Aintree there is nothing special about it any more. I’m also not sure telling youngsters that racing is a simple sport, which the BHA and Racing For Change insist on doing, is the way forward.

The fact racing has intricacies is its appeal. It is all-encompassing. Kids don’t spend hours and hours on their games console to master tasks that are simple, do they?

What are the main hooks for attracting a younger audience?

Family involvement is crucial – take the children racing as a day out. For that to work it has to be value (Towcester is ideal here as it’s free at most fixtures), the food has to be good, drinks have to be reasonably priced and the general experience (loos, etc) a pleasant one.

Explain that it’s a complicated sport, but once mastered a friend and interest for life. A sport with history and one that what effort you put in to, you get out. A social event. Don’t worry about narrative or anything like that – for those that want to know the narrative it is clear as glass. For those that don’t want to know, it is immaterial.

Do you think any of the RFC initiatives cater for what young people want?

Lovetheraces.com has worked well and those involved with it deserve credit for letting ‘us’ use their time. Is it making a big difference? I doubt it, but every little helps. We all know RFC has done some good things – but the positives are so obvious that racing hardly needed to pay people to come up with them.

Big number cloths and Christian names are all very well – but it’s more a case of how backward the sport is for not doing that kind of thing already than any great finding.

Does the media do a good job of marketing the sport to youngsters?

Not really, but that said I can’t see what else they could do! Alan Lee at The Times can’t write solely for people under the age of 20, or 15 or 10! On ATR we try to explain the simple things as best we can, and I’m sure RUK does the same. But if you are watching ATR or RUK you are probably already hooked! On the Flat, it’s important to advertise concerts associated with racing. That’s a fine way of getting the sport to the masses.

Where could the UK learn from?

I’m delighted we have one or two Aussies working at the BHA. Jamie Stier will be good for the sport. I bring that up as the Melbourne Cup Carnival is an example of how to run a race meeting. It was their introduction of jockeys for the Cup that led me to beg Ascot to do it at the Royal meeting. They did, and many other courses now do too. The build up to the Breeders’ Cup is also special – in a different league to what we have here for any Flat meeting, and equal to Cheltenham.

I hear BHA officials saying British racing is the best in the world, but wonder how many countries they’ve experienced the sport in.

And I mean away from a cosy box with VIP treatment. We have the best horses and we probably have the best trainers and jockeys, but British racing can most definitely learn from other countries – even those like Mauritius – about the raceday experience.

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TBA FORUM The special section for TBA members

HBLB Breeders’ Prizes Scheme retained but reduced in 2011 The 2011 HBLB Breeders’ Prizes Scheme prize values were agreed in December and took effect from January 1.

Members will have read on many occasions during the past six months that the 2011 scheme would be subject to a reduction of 55% in total value. This has meant that the TBA was forced to submit radical proposals to the Levy Board with regard to the allocation of these considerably reduced funds. On the Flat this necessitated a general reduction in the value of individual breeders’ prizes and the loss of all Class 5 open

maiden and novice weight-for-age races, as well as the removal of the distance incentives. Enhanced prizes to fillies and mares winning open races have been retained across both schemes.

The TBA NH Committee agreed the allocation of funds for the 2011 National Hunt Scheme earlier in 2010, with an ambition to create a scheme which aimed to incentivise and reward the production of NH-bred steeplechasers throughout their career, while also focusing on excellence within the three race categories. Prizes will still be awarded to

National Hunt Breeders’ Prizes 2011 First Tier (100% of breeders’ prize) STEEPLECHASES

Colts/Geldings General (all £) Novice

Fillies/ Mares* General Novice

Grade 1

10,000

6,000

10,000

10,000

Grade 2

8,000

6,000

10,000

10,000

Grade 3

6,000

–

10,000

–

Listed

4,000

3,000

8,000

6,000

Class 2

2,500

2,000

5,000

4,000

Class 3 Novice/Maiden/ Beginners’ WFA

–

1,500

–

3,000

Class 3 Novice Handicaps

–

1,250

–

2,500

HURDLE RACES

Colts/Geldings General Novice

Fillies/ Mares* General Novice

Grade 1

8,000

6,000

10,000

10,000

Grade 2

6,000

5,000

10,000

10,000

Grade 3

5,000

4,000

10,000

8,000

Listed

3,000

2,500

6,000

5,000

Class 2

1,750

1,500

3,500

3,000

Class 3 Novice/Maiden/ Juvenile WFA

–

1,000

–

2,000

Class 3 – Novice/Juvenile Handicaps

–

1,000

–

2,000

NH FLAT RACES

Colts/Geldings General Novice

Fillies/ Mares* General Novice

all steeplechases in Classes 1 to 3, except that Class 3 eligibility is restricted to maiden, novice and beginners’ races only. Prizes will be awarded in all hurdle races in Classes 1, 2 and 3, except that Class 3 eligibility is restricted to maiden, novice and juvenile races. Breeders’ prizes in National Hunt Flat races will be restricted to Class 1 races only. The HBLB NH Mare Voucher Scheme has also been retained for the 15 highest-rated NH mares of 2010 (with BHA official ratings of 130+).

TBA Chief Executive Louise Kemble said: “I would like to thank the Levy Board members for recognising the importance of retaining the scheme. Of course, it is regrettable that we have seen a reduction in its value, from £1.539 million in January 2010 to £700,000 in 2011. This is a direct symptom of the funding crisis that faces British racing. I hope members will recognise that the retention of these prizes, albeit that they are now far harder to win, is directly as a result of constant lobbying by their Association.”

Flat Breeders’ Prizes 2011 Flat 2 year olds

Colts/ Geldings (£)

Fillies/ Mares

Group 1

4,500

4,500

Group 2

3,500

4,500

Group 3

1,500

3,000

Listed

1,000

2,000

Class 2

800

1,600

Class 3

750

1,500

Class 4*

700

1,400

Colts/ Geldings

Fillies/ Mares

Group 1

6,000

6,000

Group 2

4,500

6,000

Group 3

3,500

6,000

Listed

Flat 3 & 4 year olds

1,500

3,000

Heritage Handicaps

800

1,600

Grade 1

5,000

–

10,000

–

Class 2

800

1,600

Grade 2

3,500

–

7,000

–

Class 3

750

1,500

Listed

2,500

–

5,000

–

Class 4*

700

1,400

Second-tier eligible horses receive 40% of the National Hunt prize awarded. All figures are subject to change; please see the TBA website for updates and eligibility for the scheme.

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*Class 4 restricted to open maiden and novice weight-for-age races only.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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www.thetba.co.uk

Recognition for work of Haygarth House’s head girl Cara Wilkinson The January winner of the TBA Stud Staff Award is Cara Wilkinson, head girl at Paul and Yvette Dixon’s Haygarth House Stud, near Retford in Nottinghamshire.

With no background in horses, Cara joined the Dixons following completion of her NVQ 1 at a local equestrian centre. She went on to achieve her NVQ level 2 while working for the Dixons, and, according to Yvette Dixon, Cara is always working to improve her knowledge, as well as being organised, dedicated and hard working on the stud. With a sharp eye for detail and a calm, kind attitude to horses, Cara also motivates other members of staff, setting a high standard and an excellent example at all times.

Yvette Dixon said: “I believe many young people do not feel attracted to stud work as racing often appears to have a much more glamorous image. Stud work involves so much groundwork and I believe Cara deserves special recognition”

The TBA Stud Staff Award consists of a certificate of achievement, a cheque for £100 and one year’s free membership of the TBA.

The Equality Act 2010 came into force on October 1 last year. The act harmonises and consolidates existing equality law. It covers discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation (all the subject of existing law on discrimination and together called “protected characteristics” under the act). The government did not intend to change the law. Some of the more interesting developments are outlined below.

The act now prevents employers from asking applicants questions about their health before they are offered a job, subject, that is, to certain exceptions. If, for example, a health question is relevant to decide whether a candidate can carry out an essential function of the job, it is allowed.

So, for example, where an employer asks an applicant for a rider position if he has an injury that may prevent him from being able to ride a horse, this is permitted. If you use a preemployment health questionnaire, you may need to review it with this in mind.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

FEBRUARY 3 TBA Stallion Parade Preceding the start of the February Sale, the TBA, in conjunction with Tattersalls, will hold its popular stallion parade, providing a wonderful opportunity for mare owners to view a number of stallions from around the country in one place. Following the parade the stallions will be available for individual viewings. For further details contact Pauline Stoddart at the TBA – Pauline@thetba.co.uk or 01638 661321.

FEBRUARY 14, Newmarket BHA Health and Safety Seminars For further information contact Caroline Turnbull at the TBA.

JUNE 27 TBA Awards Dinner Mark your diaries for this popular event.

Cara, right, receives her award from TBA regional representative Fiona Denniff

The Equality Act: what employers need to know As part of our occasional series on topical employment law issues, TBA lawyer Rachel Flynn, right, of Taylor Vinters looks at the new Equality Act 2010

Diary dates

An employee can also now bring a discrimination claim even if they do not have the protected characteristic, such as a disability, themselves but they are associated with someone who has that protected characteristic. For example, a non-disabled employee who has a disabled son and who required time off to care for him could bring a disability discrimination claim if they were treated less favourably as a result.

An employee can even bring a claim if they suffer discrimination as a result of the fact that other people perceive them to have a protected characteristic, even if in fact they do not. Sounds confusing? It is. If an employer mistakenly believes an employee is homosexual and directs offensive homophobic comments at him, that employee can still bring a claim even if he is not homosexual. Beware yard banter!

The act also widens protection from third party harassment. This can mean that if an employer engages an independent contractor (like a farrier, feed merchant or vet) who makes a racial remark directed at an employee that they find offensive, provided the employer is aware that this behaviour has taken place on three separate occasions, the employee can bring a

JUNE 28 TBA Annual General Meeting and TBA Annual Seminar

TBA NEW MEMBERS R Bailey Esq, Herefordshire; M Byron Esq, London; J Callow Esq, Cumbria; C Harriman Esq, Luton; T Hewitt Esq, Staffordshire; Ruxley Holdings Ltd, Surrey; A Nichol Esq, Roxburghshire; G Aldrich Esq, Suffolk; J Soul Esq, Cornwall; Mrs P Underhill, Somerset; D Elsworth Esq, Northumberland; Mrs Nicky Atkinson, Dorset; Richard W Farleigh Esq, Cambridgeshire; Mrs R J Jacobs, Hertfordshire; Robert Moseley Esq, Shropshire; R Gregson-Williams Esq, Hampshire. S Denholtz Esq, United States.

claim against the employer. Ensure that your anti-harassment policy and notices are in place.

As with all employment law issues, there are resources available free of charge to employees and employers. In particular, ACAS (www.acas.org.uk) and Equal & Human Rights Commission (www.equalityhumanrights.com) are helpful. Further advice is also available for TBA members through the TBA’s legal advice helpline with Taylor Vinters, or from the TBA website at www.thetba.co.uk.

The new TBA website, to be launched in February, will include pages for members only with employment law resources available to download free of charge. To access these pages members will need a username and password which will be sent by email from Stanstead House. To make sure that we have the correct email contact for you, please send an email with your name, membership number and postcode to Lesley@thetba.co.uk

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TBA FORUM

TBA Stud Farming Course an invaluable experience Forty-two delegates attended this year’s TBA Stud Farming Course, which was held once again at the British Racing School, and which proved to be very successful judging by the feedback received.

Sponsored by HBLB, Saracen Horse Feeds and the Niniski Trust, the course’s first day focused on disease control and the HBLB Codes of Practice. Delegates were left in no doubt as to how to manage disease prevention through biosecurity measures, and were urged to be thorough in their application of the codes to ensure a disease-free breeding season. Richard Newton from the AHT updated delegates on emerging diseases, reminding all of the vigilance required to protect the UK against the EIA, African Horse Sickness and West Nile Virus.

Day two began with nutrition and grassland management, and then moved into sales preparation and pedigrees. Dr Joe Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research, representing partner Saracen Horse Feeds, presented the latest research and information on feeding breeding stock and growing horses.

The final day concentrated on foaling and foal care, followed by management of congenital and acquired limb deformities, with the final speaker, Simon Curtis, offering the latest information on the farrier’s role in caring for foals’ feet, which included some very informative video footage.

Not all of the course was spent in a lecture theatre, as delegates also had the chance to visit Newmarket Equine Hospital (NEH) and Lanwades Stud, along with a chilly but fascinating early morning tour of the British Racing School. The state-of-the-art facilities at the Newmarket Equine Hospital impressed the group, and the wise words of Alastair Watson of Lanwades Stud on walking mares in to stallion studs were very well received.

Lanwades’ Alastair Watson addresses the group on the practice of walking-in mares

Throughout the three days, delegates took every opportunity to discuss the wide range of topics covered on the course, both during formal sessions and informally, including at the delegate dinner held on the first night of the course.

The TBA is extremely grateful to all of the lecturers, whose contribution to the course ensures its success, including vets from Rossdale

& Partners, the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket Equine Hospital, the Royal Veterinary College, and experts from Saracen Horse Feeds, Whitsbury Manor Stud, the Royal Studs, Juddmonte Farms, Newsells Park Stud and Lone Oak Stud. Our thanks also go to the course sponsors and to Lanwades Stud, the Newmarket Equine Hospital and the British Racing School for hosting the visits.

NEH partner Simon Waterhouse conducts a tour of the hospital’s impressive facilities

Mead new East Anglian Chairman

Andrew Mead: lifelong experience

72

Andrew Mead, Partner and Director of The Castlebridge Consignment, has recently succeeded Richard and Rachel Wilson as Chairman of the TBA’s East Anglia Region.

Mead currently manages the two Castlebridge farms located in Newmarket and was principally involved in the expansion of the British-based side of the business which, as a leading European consignor, sells around 300 horses annually.

Since 1999 Mead has also been SecretaryGeneral of the Federation of Bloodstock Agents. This he undertook in conjunction

with running the bloodstock agency Mead Goodbody Ltd, which enjoyed 20 successful years of trading, including the principal sales of two Derby winners in the year of their Epsom victories (Commander In Chief and Oath).

Commenting on his appointment, Mead said: “I am delighted to be supporting the valuable work of the TBA and I hope that a lifetime’s experience in many areas of the racing and breeding industry will enable me to offer useful advice and support to members in the East Anglia region.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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www.thetba.co.uk Sponsored by Blue Chip Feed Ltd

Breeders in the news Owing to the cancellation of so many fixtures, there is no Breeder of the Month for December

Kadastrof still flying high for Dickin

GEORGE SELWYN

Batsford Stud in Gloucestershire would not generally be over-run by visiting mares but recent success for the progeny of its two stallions might make for a busier spring.

The front-running Little Josh was a welcome winner of the Paddy Power

Kadastrof is making the most of his few chances at stud

Gold Cup for Pasternak just a few weeks after the stallionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arrival at the farm. He joined long-term resident Kadastrof, who, despite lacking in numbers of representatives, has enjoyed something of a purple patch.

His six-year-old son Smokey George, who was bred by John Perriss from the Orchestra mare Smokey Diva, notched his first hurdles victory by an easy 15 lengths at Uttoxeter on new yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eve and followed up four days later with success at Leicester. He narrowly missed out on his hat-trick the next day at Southwell, when finishing second to his paternal half-sister Dancing Daffodil, who has subsequently obliged again at Huntingdon.

Dancing Daffodilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory will have been particularly sweet for her trainer Robin Dickin, as he enjoyed much success as the trainer of Kadastrof and his former chargeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s six-year-old daughter was bred by Dickinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wife Claire, as was her dam Whistling Song. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We lost Whistling Song after she had just one foal but her sire True Song used to stand with Peter Thorne, who was my vet for many years, so there are lots of local connections,â&#x20AC;? said Dickin, who trains not far from Batsford at Atherstone on Stour.

He has supported Kadastrof at stud and now trains eight of his offspring, including one mare for whom he has high hopes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Entertain Me won at Aintree for her breeder Louise Merry and she is the best Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve trained by Kadastrof. He was a tough horse and so are his offspring. They also jump and stay well and are very clean-winded, just like he was. I hope Entertain Me will go for the maresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; final at Newbury.â&#x20AC;?

Kadastrof was indeed versatile, initially winning as a two-year-old before chalking up another 14 wins and 16 places from 67 starts on the Flat and over hurdles and fences. By Port Etienne, a son of Mill Reef who is also the damsire of Kauto Star, the French-bred Kadastrof is looked after now by Alan and Anna Varey and their son Tim, who run Batsford Stud. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the first few years Kadastrof covered about 20 mares but then it dwindled a bit and he now gets about 12 to 15,â&#x20AC;? said Alan Varey. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the heart of the Cotswolds and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good jumping country here so both stallions get local support.â&#x20AC;?

Varey singles out another Kadastrof mare to follow, the dual bumper winner The Strawberry One. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;She was bred by Kykie Allsopp, who was the first breeder to THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

send Kadastrof a mare when he initially stood in Ireland. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s supported him from the start and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lovely to see her do well.â&#x20AC;?

Success no Misstree for Faulks family Gaining a deserved third win under Rules at Newburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Christmas meeting was a Bandmaster mare named Misstree Dancer, described by her owner/breeder as â&#x20AC;&#x153;15 hands in high heels but really ballsyâ&#x20AC;?.

Devon-based Sarah Faulks, who, with her husband Nigel breeds and trains point-to-pointers, including Misstree Dancerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half-sister Misstree Pitcher, oversaw the seven-year-oldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early education. The mare was successful twice between the flags before graduating to the stable of trainer Nick Mitchell, who rode her dam Miss Match in point-to-points. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We bought Miss Match as a yearling and I particularly liked her because she had very tough breeding. She was out of a Celtic Cone mare and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m old enough to remember what a tough horse he was,â&#x20AC;? said Faulks.

Miss Match has twice visited Bandmaster, also a noted sire of show hunters who stands at Graham Healâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vauterhill Stud in Devon alongside the sire of Grade 1 winner Kauto Stone, With The Flow and Relief Pitcher.

Faulks added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vauterhill is right on our doorstep and Bandmasterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not fashionable but he does terribly well with the mares heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sent.â&#x20AC;?

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73

BBM OwnerBreeder Feb2011_BBM OwnerBreeder Feb2011 20/01/2011 09:51 Page 74

BBM BLOOD STOC K

focus s INFO BBM GB COM s WWW BBM GB COM BRITISH-BREDS ON TOP OF THE WORLD

BBM YEARBOOK 2010/11 AVAILABLE

He returned to that venue in July to give a scintillating performance in the King George, blazing away from his rivals to win by 11 lengths in course record time. Injury prevented him from racing again, but his 2010 season left an indelible memory.

His rating of 135 was 6lb ahead of the joint-second placed pair, the Grade 1 Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cup Classic winner Blame and the multiple Grade 1 winner Quality Road.

Harbinger was crowned world champion in the World Thoroughbred Rankings

Makfi, a son of Dubawi, burst on to the scene in Britain with victory in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, and went on to lower the colours of the great Goldikova in the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August.

He has been retired to stand at Tweenhills Stud.

BRITISH-BREDS dominated the World Thoroughbred Rankings, announced on January 11, with the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes victor Harbinger crowned world champion.

Juddmonteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homebred Workforce triumphed in the Derby by seven lengths, shattering the course record that had stood since 1995. He went on to a magnificent triumph in the Arc in October, and remains in training as a four-year-old.

The 2,000 Guineas winner Makfi and Derby and Prix de lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Arc de Triomphe winner Workforce shared joint honours as the highest rated three-year-olds, while Frankel was named joint champion two-year-old.

His fellow Juddmonte homebred Frankel shares joint honours as leading juvenile. Unbeaten in four starts, Frankel won the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes by ten lengths and closed his season with victory in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

Harbinger, a son of Dansili, was undefeated in four starts in 2010, winning twice at Group 3 level before landing the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Wootton Bassett, unbeaten in five starts culminating in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp, was the joint second highest rated juvenile on 120.

Statistics on leading British Flat and National Hunt sires, breeders and trainers are also featured, along with stallion fees for all British stallions standing for over ÂŁ1,000.

GRADE 1 GLORY FOR BRITISH-BRED MARSH WARBLER

THE BRITISH-BRED Marsh Warbler took top honours at the rearranged Welsh Grand National meeting at Chepstow, winning the Grade 1 Coral Future Champions Final Juvenile Hurdle by two and three-quarter lengths.

By Barathea, the four-year-old was bred by Darley and spent his early career under the care of Mark Johnston.

A month after winning his final start on the level in a Leicester seller, he finished a creditable third at Market Rasen on his first attempt over hurdles.

Marsh Warbler has since scored a hat-trick of wins for trainer Brian Ellison and jockey Fearghal Davis, for both of whom Marsh Warbler was a first Grade 1 victory.

He is now one of the leading contenders for the Grade 1 JCB Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Across the Irish Sea, Psycho (Ire), by the Dunraven Stud stallion Dr Massini, won the Grade 3 Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase at Thurles. This was a confidenceboosting win for the ten-year-old after a disappointing effort at Cheltenham in November.

74

BBMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2010/11 Yearbook is now available. The 112-page GLOSSY BOOK FEATURES a monthly review OF RACING HIGHLIGHTS around the world by British-bred and -sired HORSES A REVIEW OF ALL sales at Tattersalls, DBS and Brightwells Cheltenham, and a FEATURE EACH MONTH FOCUSING ON THE PEOPLE and horses who made SUCH A SUCCESS FOR British racing.

The Yearbook is sent out free of charge to over 5,500 people around the world, and will also be available to view online as a pdf at www.bbm.gb.com.

Banjaxed Girl on her way to victory at Sandown

Nigel Twiston-Davies has a live candidate for the David Nicholson Maresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in Banjaxed Girl. A British-bred daughter of Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Theatre, the seven-year-old has been out of the first two in only 12 runs under Rules. On her latest outing at Sandown, she led from start to finish to land the Listed 32Red.com Maresâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hurdle by two and a half lengths.

If you do not already receive the BBM Yearbook and would like to request a copy of the 2010/11 publication, please send your name and address to info@bbm.gb.com.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_TBA_Forum_Layout 1 20/01/2011 11:41 Page 75

TBA FORUM

www.thetba.co.uk

Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Prizes National Hunt HBLB Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Prizes worth ÂŁ640 or more Breeder

Prize (ÂŁ)

Conkwell Grange Stud Ltd 3,840 Mrs S J Brasher 3,072 P H Mathias 1,664 A M Tombs *1,000 M J Roberts 800 Mrs M L Luck 800 Mrs Rosemary F Greener 640 *Indicates second tier (40% of Breederâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prize)

Horse

Sire

Dam

Midnight Chase Tarablaze Star Beat Blazing Bailey Triggerman Alverstone Mintiverdi

Midnight Legend Kayf Tara Beat All Mister Baileys Double Trigger Alflora Kayf Tara

Yamrah Princess Hotpot Autumn Leaf Wannaplantatree Carrikins Sounds Familiar Just Jodi

Flat HBLB Breedersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Prizes worth ÂŁ512 or more Breeder

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Hidden Glory Nazreef

Mujahid Zafeen

Leominda Roofer

Hong Kong Breeders Club 1,152 Angel's Pursuit Pastoral Pursuits Midnight Angel Mrs S J Walker 1,024 Swimsuit Sleeping Indian Love Quest Foursome Thoroughbreds 960 New Code Reset Illeana Pendley Farm 768 Alubari Tiger Hill Why So Silent Langton Stud 512 Wolf Slayer Diktat Bolsena Cheveley Park Stud Ltd 512 Crimson Queen Red Ransom Rainbow Queen C Dennett 512 Ninita Storming Home Danceatdusk Mrs R Langton 512 Birdolini Bertolini Bird Over Whatton Manor Stud 512 Private Joke Oasis Dream Wink See the table of breeders' prizes, effective as of August 2, on the TBA website, www.thetba.co.uk

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75

Feb_78_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 19:21 Page 76

VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By JAMES TATE BVMS MRCVS

Infectious diseases: common but increasingly controllable They are an unavoidable risk but high standards of hygiene and management can help

T

horoughbred keepers deal with infectious diseases as an everyday task but the incidence of these infections can be reduced by taking certain precautionary measures. Reporting all cases of the important infectious diseases covered in the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) ‘Codes of Practice’ is essential and, in some cases, compulsory by law, in order to prevent disease spread and maintain public confidence.

Thoroughbreds face an ongoing daily battle against infectious diseases, from minor conditions such as ringworm to more serious diseases such as respiratory infections and viruses that cause abortion and death of newborn foals. As a result, there are legal requirements with regard to certain diseases, such as Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM), Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) and Equine Infectious Anaemia (EIA), all of which are ‘notifiable’ by law. The HBLB publishes ‘Codes of Practice’ every year that give advice on how to prevent and control the most important infectious diseases.

The introduction of the HBLB Codes of Practice over 30 years ago has significantly reduced the incidence of infectious disease outbreaks and has hence saved many lives

76

Codes of Practice The HBLB have been producing the ‘Codes of Practice’ for over 30 years and this has resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of infectious disease outbreaks.

The codes, which are adopted in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Italy, are reviewed and updated as necessary every year and all TBA members should have received their copy – if not, please contact Stanstead House.

They set out the minimum recommended requirements with regard to the prevention and control of the most important infectious diseases. First, they cover the diseases that are notifiable by law – CEM, which is a sexually-transmitted bacterial disease that usually causes only clinical signs in mares; EVA, which is a viral infection that causes abortion and can be passed on via nasal discharge or infected semen; and EIA or ‘swamp fever’, which is a severe exotic disease that causes anaemia and is usually transmitted via biting insects.

Second, they cover two other important infectious diseases – EHV, which is a virus that can cause respiratory disease, abortion, newborn death, neurological disease and genital lesions (this type of EHV is also known as Equine Coital Exanthema), and Strangles, which is a highly contagious bacterial upper respiratory infection.

Although EHV and Strangles are not notifiable by law, it is strongly recommended that the TBA is informed if a case is suspected.

All of the diseases listed above are highly contagious and can have devastating consequences as they compromise welfare, disrupt breeding and can be very costly to deal with. Furthermore, these diseases can be particularly difficult to control for two reasons. First, some of them do not cause any outward signs of disease, and second, as well as the obvious spread from horse to horse, disease can also be brought in through infected products such as semen or plasma.

A nasal discharge in a horse with Equine Herpesvirus. However, some of the important infectious diseases do not always cause outward signs

Disease prevention Prevention is better than cure and the importance of good management and high standards of hygiene and husbandry in infectious disease prevention should never be underestimated. Sensible biosecurity measures should be designed to reduce the risk of infection, most of which are common sense, for example, grouping/batching. In a stud scenario this means that mares should have contact only with other mares that have close foaling dates and in a racing yard this means that young horses such as yearlings or two-year-olds should be separated from older horses.

Isolation units are also very useful in the prevention of infectious diseases because THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 19/01/2011 19:21 Page 77

barn presents a huge challenge to the other mares in the barn that could easily overcome the immunity they have gained from vaccination. Mares should be kept in groups with other healthy mares at a similar stage of pregnancy. Mares in the final stages of pregnancy should ideally be isolated – not stabled in a large American barn where infections are all too readily passed on.

Essential to report cases

Vaccination is an important part of disease prevention but it should never be seen as a substitute for good management

they enable high-risk horses, for example new arrivals, to be isolated from the rest of the horses for a sensible period of time, or until tests prove that they are free from disease. Large studs should consider having separate staff for the isolation unit so that in the event of an outbreak the rest of the premises can carry on as normal, because the other horses will not have come into contact with the infection.

Vaccination is another vital part of disease prevention, although it should never be seen as a substitute for good management. The majority of thoroughbreds in the UK are routinely vaccinated for Equine Influenza and Tetanus, and it is compulsory for these vaccinations to be up to date for entry into a racecourse or sale ring. Many studs also routinely vaccinate against EHV-1 because it has the potential to cause significant numbers of abortions and newborn deaths.

To ensure that high levels of protection are achieved, fillies and mares should receive biannual boosters in January and July, in addition to the vaccinations at five, seven and nine months of pregnancy.

However, it must be remembered that whilst vaccination is extremely important, it is not an impermeable barrier and the environment in which horses are housed should also be considered.

For example, an abortion in an American THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Reporting cases of the important infectious diseases is essential for a number of reasons.

First, for certain diseases such as CEM, EVA and EIA, it is a legal requirement – infection must be confirmed at the Government’s Veterinary Laboratories Agency prior to subsequent notification to DEFRA. Second, some diseases are notifiable to nongovernment bodies, for example under the rules of racing it is mandatory to report a case of Strangles in a racing yard to the BHA. Finally, there are other serious infectious diseases such as EHV, which are not mandatory to report, but the TBA should be informed so that it can alert its members to the risk of infection. It is vital that the public has confidence that all cases of important infectious diseases are reported and that stud farms, in particular, are transparent with regard to their response to a disease outbreak. Those who do not follow the codes risk alienating their peers as well as upsetting DEFRA and their insurance company if they are involved.

In addition, the TBA recognises the vital importance of screening aborted foetuses and dead newborn foals for the presence of EHV-1 at recognised laboratories as it has the potential to cause large outbreaks of abortion and newborn death. As a result, they give a £100 subsidy towards the costs of such screening, providing that they receive a copy of the post-mortem report from the laboratory involved.

Furthermore, the TBA are delighted that the position of TBA Veterinary Advisor is now shared between the two main Newmarket practices – James Crowhurst of Newmarket Equine Hospital and Sidney Ricketts of Rossdale & Partners.

Conclusion In summary, infectious diseases are an unavoidable part of keeping thoroughbreds but they can be prevented and controlled.

The importance of good management and high standards of hygiene and husbandry should never be underestimated, and vaccination should never be seen as a substitute for good management.

The HBLB Codes of Practice have been produced for the last 30 years and their advice has significantly reduced the incidence of infectious disease outbreaks.

Their recommendation to report all cases of important infectious diseases and not just those notifiable by law is crucial for public confidence, export trade and affordable insurance premiums.

An abortion in an American barn presents a huge challenge to other mares in the barn that could easily overcome the levels of immunity gained by vaccination

77

Feb_78_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:32 Page 78

CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

Yoshida brothers cast net wide in search of top talent

GEORGE SELWYN

Activity in America and Europe signals Japanese duo’s bid to obtain the best broodmares

British-bred Whitewater Affair, dam of Japanese superstar Victoire Pisa, highlights Teruya (top) and Katsumi Yoshida’s policy of buying quality

O

ne of the features of the 2010 breeding stock sales in the USA and Europe was the shrewd investments made by Teruya and Katsumi Yoshida.

The brothers’ spending spree began at FasigTipton’s November Sale. Shadai Farm paid $1,850,000 for Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Serious Attitude and $1,250,000 for dual Grade 1 winner Gabby’s Golden Gal. At Keeneland’s November Sale, Shadai picked up three mares, including Lucky One for $1,850,000, dam of the outstanding 2010 US three-year-old filly Blind Luck.

Katsumi Yoshida was the busier of the brothers at Tattersalls’ December Sale, when he acquired another four broodmares for 425,000, 375,000, 300,000 and 200,000gns.

The Yoshida brothers made their presence felt at the Arqana Sale, especially on December 4, when they were responsible for the three highest-priced lots. This time it was Shadai Farm which took the top-priced mare, paying €800,000 for four-year-old Celimene.

Celimene’s purchase came shortly after Shadai’s representative, Patrick Barbe, had secured another high-class performer in La Boum, who cost €700,000.

78

Not to be outdone, Katsumi Yoshida signed for the Italian Group 1 winner Lune d’Or, who cost €750,000. This mare is in foal to the brilliant Galileo.

The Yoshida brothers enjoyed tremendous success with their Shadai Farm and Northern Farm operations during 2010, so it was appropriate that the Arima Kinen, the last major event of the Japanese season, should produce a three-way photo fought out by one graduate of Shadai Farm and two from Northern Farm.

In winning by a nose from the exceptional mare Buena Vista, the Japanese 2,000 Guineas winner Victoire Pisa helped erase memories of his autumn defeats behind Behkabad and Workforce at Longchamp. At the same time he revived memories of his dam Whitewater Affair, a Machiavellian mare who did so well for her breeder John Greetham and trainer Sir Michael Stoute in 1997 and 1998.

A member of the second crop by Machiavellian, Whitewater Affair became one of the first to demonstrate that this fast son of Mr Prospector could sire high-class middle-

distance performers if mated to mares with stamina. Whitewater Affair’s broodmare sire was the St Leger winner Bustino and this helped her win the John Porter Stakes and Prix de Pomone at four, when she was also placed in the Yorkshire Oaks and Irish St Leger.

Whitewater Affair’s dam Much Too Risky enjoyed considerable success as a broodmare, with such as Little Rock (Princess of Wales’s Stakes) and the Oaks third Short Skirt (Musidora and St Simon Stakes) among her other notable performers. The family’s worth was proven when Short Skirt was sold for 1,400,000gns as a three-year-old in 2006.

In the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that Whitewater Affair has also proved a great success as a broodmare. She passed into the ownership of Fusao Sekiguchi and spent her first two years as a broodmare visiting Singspiel and Halling.

Her Singspiel colt, Asakusa Den’en, took time to fulfil his potential, but did very well in Japan as a six-year-old in 2005, showing more speed than either of his parents in winning the Keio Hai Spring Cup and Yasuda Kinen.

Since then Whitewater Affair has passed into the ownership of Shadai Farm. Her 2001 Sunday Silence colt, Swift Current, was another late bloomer, but he was good enough to finish a half-length second to the top-class Daiwa Major in the autumn edition of the prestigious Tenno Sho in 2006.

It was a mating with Sunday Silence’s son Neo Universe – winner of the Japanese 2,000 Guineas and Derby in 2003 – which resulted in Victoire Pisa. As Machiavellian was out of a grand-daughter of Halo, mating Whitewater Affair to Sunday Silence line stallions produces inbreeding to this champion American stallion.

With Victoire Pisa the inbreeding is 3 x 4.

Asakusa Den’en’s sire Singspiel was also out of a Halo mare, so he too was inbred 3 x 4 to Halo. Two 2010 top-level winners inbred 3 x 3 to Halo are Japanese colt Danon Chantilly and Australian filly More Joyous.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GAVIN JAMES

Feb_78_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 20/01/2011 10:01 Page 79

Sir Robert Ogden’s Problema Tic is an exciting son of French stallion Kapgarde

Kapgarde proves worth of jump-bred stallions With the vast majority of jump-bred males being gelded in the Anglo-Irish industry, a jump-bred stallion is unfortunately something of a rarity. The French, though, are not so quick to resort to this measure and they frequently reap the rewards, the latest example being Kapgarde.

At the age of 11 in 2010, when his eldest progeny were five, Kapgarde took seventh place on France’s list of leading jumping sires, which was headed by Poliglote. He achieved this high position with the help of 26 winners, headed by the stakes winners Kap Dream and Cutting Edge, plus the talented Hillbilly.

British racegoers will be familiar with Kapgarde’s name through the exploits of his son Mr Thriller, who earned a Timeform rating of 155, while exciting novice hurdler Problema Tic, trained by Nicky Henderson, won his first three starts in good style.

Kapgarde, who stands at Haras de la Hetraie, has a first-rate jumping pedigree.

His sire Garde Royale is well known on this side of the Channel thanks to such as Royal Auclair, Royal Rosa, Garde Champetre and Nicanor.

The brilliant Master Minded, dual winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, is out of a Garde Royale mare, and Garde Royale’s son Robin Des Champs is covering plenty of mares in Ireland, having sired the French Champion Hurdle winner Oeil Du Maitre and plenty of other winners while standing in France.

Kapgarde’s broodmare sire, Cadoudal, hardly needs any introduction after the exploits of Big Buck’s, Long Run, Fadalko and Lacdoudal. Kapgarde’s dam Kaprika also produced Geos, winner of the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle and Grade 2 Castleford Chase. The next dam, Lady Corteira, was a leading winner over obstacles at three, as well as being a half-sister to the good jumper Cortervin.

Kapgarde’s bloodlines stood him in good stead during a nine-race career which saw him win a Grade 3 race over hurdles and finish a neck second in a Grade 1 chase.

It is interesting that his connections have gone to the expense of including him in the 2011 Weatherbys Stallion Book, offering special packages for Irish and British mares. Is this a sign of things to come?

Impact to be felt deeply with European runners Japanese racing has reaped rich rewards from Sunday Silence’s stallion sons, such as Fuji Kiseki, Manhattan Café, Agnes Tachyon, Special Week, Neo Universe, Stay Gold, Gold Allure, Dance In The Dark, Admire Vega and Genuine. But the son subject to the greatest expectations is undoubtedly Deep Impact, the 2005 Japanese Triple Crown winner who was valued at ¥5.1 billion, or approximately $42.7 million, when he was syndicated to stand at Shadai Stallion Station.

Deep Impact’s first crop of 147 foals reached the races in 2010. His legions of admirers must have been relieved when several of the Deep Impact youngsters

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

figured prominently in important end-ofyear events. Shadai must have been delighted, too, that the last major son of Sunday Silence not only took first-crop sire honours but also topped the sires of twoyear-olds table.

His year-end figures stood at 74 runners, of which an impressive 35 were winners.

His sons Danon Ballade and Cotillion were separated by three-quarters of a length when first and third in the Grade 3 Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes over a mile and a quarter on Christmas Day. Deep Impact was also responsible for Real Impact and Libertas, who finished a close second and third in the important Asahi Hai Futurity

Stakes earlier in December. The 2011 Japanese season should be all the more fascinating if Deep Impact can build on this bright start.

We will also be seeing some of his progeny in Europe. There are three members of Deep Impact’s first crop in training in France, two of them bred by the Wildenstein family and the other by the Niarchos family. The Wildenstein colt Barocci was second on his debut at SaintCloud in October, the same month that the Tom Dascombe-trained Sunday Bess was beaten a nose on her debut at Lingfield. The Wildensteins also have two Deep Impact two-year-olds of 2011.

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

National Hunt Grade Ones 55 TINGLE CREEK TROPHY CHASE G1

56 ROYAL BOND NOVICE HURDLE G1

57 PUNCHESTOWN CHASE G1

59 DRINMORE NOVICE CHASE G1

CHELTENHAM. Dec 11. 16f 110yds. Good to Soft.

FAIRYHOUSE. December 15. 16f. Soft.

FAIRYHOUSE. December 15. 20f. Soft.

FAIRYHOUSE. December 15. 20f. Soft.

1. MASTER MINDED (FR) 7 b g Nikos - Haute Tension (Garde Royale) O-Mr Clive D Smith B-Mrs MC Gabeur TR-PF Nicholls 2. Petit Robin (FR) 7 b g Robin des Pres - Joie de Cotte (Lute Antique) 3. Somersby (IRE) 6 b g Second Empire - Back To Roost (Presenting)

1. ZAIDPOUR (FR) 4 b g Red Ransom - Zainta (Kahyasi) O-Mrs S Ricci B-HH The Aga Khan’s Studs SC TR-WP Mullins 2. Pineau de Re (FR) 7 b g Maresca Sorrento - Elfe du Perche (Abdonski) 3. Perfect Smile (IRE) 5 b/br g Anshan - Mambo Music (Rusticaro)

1. TRANQUIL SEA (IRE) 8 b g Sea Raven - Silver Valley (Henbit) O-D Cox, Nelius Hayes B-E Curtin TR-EJ O’Grady 2. J’Y Vole (FR) 7 ch m Mansonnien - J’Y Reste (Freedom Cry) 3. Roberto Goldback (IRE) 8 b g Bob Back - Mandysway (Mandalus)

1. JESSIES DREAM (IRE) 7 ch g Presenting - Lady Apprentice (Phardante) O-Mr DA Johnson B-B Doran TR-Gordon Elliott 2. Realt Dubh (IRE) 6 b g Beneficial - Suez Canal (Exit To Nowhere) 3. Head of The Posse (IRE) 7 b g Supreme Leader - Aussieannie (Arapahos)

Age 3-7

Age 3-4

Age 4-8

Starts 22

Wins 13

Places 5

Earned £972,185

MASTER MINDED b g 2003 Nearctic Nonoalco Seximee NIKOS b/br 81 Sovereign Path No No Nanette Nuclea Mill Reef Garde Royale Royal Way HAUTE TENSION b 94 The Scoundrel La Vedrelle La Vela II

Wins 3

Places 2

Earned £75,051

ZAIDPOUR b g 2006 Nearco Lady Angela Hasty Road Jambo Grey Sovereign Mountain Path Orsini Nixe Never Bend Milan Mill Sicambre Right Away Toulouse Lautrec Malekeh Vieux Manoir Passion

After two defeats in four starts during the 2009/10 season, Master Minded’s dominance among the twomile chasers came under scrutiny.

However, wind surgery in the summer of 2010 seems to have returned the gelding to his brilliant best, as he has demonstrated with a 16-length victory at Gr2 level at Ascot and an eightlength success in the Tingle Creek Chase.

Master Minded was bred in France, where he won three of his eight starts (he fell twice and was pulled up once).

Master Minded represents another triumph for Nikos, whose last foals were born in 2005. Unusually for a good sire of jumpers, the very smart Nikos was most effective over seven furlongs and a mile. Although Nikos sired the Prix du Cadran winner Nononito, he has proved more effective as a sire of jumpers.

His representatives in Britain include Cenkos (twice a winner of the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Celebration Chase), Nakir (Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase at Cheltenham), Oh Crick (winner of two Gr3 chases at around two miles), Encore Un Peu (runner-up in the 1996 National), Eric’s Charm (second in the Betfred Gold Cup) and Fataliste (Seagram Top Novices’ Hurdle).

Master Minded’s dam Haute Tension won a two-mile hurdle at Pau on the second of her two starts. She is by the classically-bred Garde Royale, who sired the Prix de Diane winner Carling, as well as siring jumpers such as Royal Auclair, Iris Royal, Royal Rosa, Garde Champetre and Nicanor.

Haute Tension has five winners among her first six foals, including Master Minded’s brother Positive Thinking, who was second at Gr3 level over fences, and the Smadoun gelding Good Spirit, runner-up in the Gr2 Pendil Novices’ Chase. Her three most recent foals are by Poliglote, the first being Lucky To Be, a dual winner both over hurdles and fences at Auteuil.

80

Starts 5

Starts 23

RED RANSOM b 87 Arabia

Kahyasi ZAINTA b 95 Zaila

Places 5

Earned £343,614

TRANQUIL SEA b g 2002 Turn-To Nothirdchance Nashua Bramalea Rarelea Sword Dancer Damascus Kerala Nearctic Christmas Wind Bally Free Nijinsky Ile de Bourbon Roseliere Blushing Groom Kadissya Kalkeen Shirley Heights Darshaan Delsy Habitat Zahra Petite Etoile Hail To Reason

Roberto

Wins 11

There was no questioning Zainta’s ability as a racehorse. Her racing career began with six straight victories, including the Prix Vanteaux, Prix Saint-Alary, Prix de Diane and Prix de la Nonette, and ended with a close third in the Prix Vermeille and a run in the Arc. Unfortunately, Zainta has disappointed as a broodmare.

By the end of 2010, at the age of 15, she had only two winners on the Flat to her credit, the latest being her 2007 Azamour filly Zaidiyna, a winner over a mile and a quarter in France in 2010. Perhaps her 2008 Green Desert filly and 2010 Zamindar colt will redress the balance.

Even if they don’t, Zainta will be remembered for her contribution to jump racing. Her Daylami gelding Zaynar, who was second twice over middle distances in France, has proved a very different proposition over hurdles, winning the 2009 Triumph Hurdle and finishing third in the 2010 Champion Hurdle. Now Zainta’s Red Ransom gelding Zaidpour promises to prove similarly effective as a hurdler.

Sold for €80,000 at the 2009 Arc Sale, after showing fairly useful form, he was a wide-margin winner of his first two starts over hurdles, including the Gr1 Royal Bond Novice Hurdle.

Perhaps they owe their prowess over jumps to the fact that Zainta is by Kahyasi, a stallion responsible for such fine jumpers as Kasbah Bliss, Paddy’s Return, Kalahari King, Karabak, Ansar, Afsoun and Sentry Duty. Ansar and Afsoun shared the same broodmare sire – Darshaan – as Zainta.

Zainta is bred along similar lines to Zarkasha, dam of the Aga Khan’s brilliant unbeaten Arc heroine Zarkava.

Both mares are by Kahyasi and descend from Petite Etoile’s daughter Zahra. Zahra ranks as the second dam of Zainta and the third dam of Zarkasha. This family has also produced several talented jumpers, including the top French hurdler Zaiyad.

Fairy Bridge SEA RAVEN b 91 Home Guard Cormorant Wood Quarry Wood Hawaii Henbit Chateaucreek SILVER VALLEY ch 92 Deep Run Victor’s Valley Merry Valley

Starts 11

Wins 6

Places 3

Earned £89,217

JESSIES DREAM ch g 2003

Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells

Age 5-7

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Forli Stay At Home Super Sam Phrygia Utrillo II Ethane Chateaugay Mooncreek Pampered King Trial By Fire Festive Conna Vale

Busted Mtoto Amazer PRESENTING br 92 Persian Bold D’Azy Belle Viking Pharly Phardante Pallante LADY APPRENTICE b 95 Decent Fellow Decent Slave Slave De

Crepello Sans Le Sou Mincio Alzara Bold Lad Relkarunner Riverman Vallarta Lyphard Comely Taj Dewan Cavadonga Rarity Takette Arctic Slave Nidee

With Sadler’s Wells as his sire and the top-class ten-furlong filly Cormorant Wood as his dam, Sea Raven was bred well enough for anything.

Unfortunately he didn’t fulfil the potential of his bloodlines, with a Timeform rating of only 75, and he seemed to lack speed. However, Sea Raven was given his chance as a National Hunt stallion on the basis of his physique and his relationship to some successful jumpers: his dam was a half-sister to the top hurdler River Ceiriog, and his second dam, Quarry Wood, was a half-sister to Davett, the dam of that high-class chaser Young Hustler. Sea Raven was also a three-parts-brother to the highclass Rock Hopper.

Sea Raven has now justified his chance by siring Tranquil Sea. A good winner of the Land Rover Champion Novice Hurdle in April 2008, he was then switched to the larger obstacles.

He was gaining his fifth Graded victory from 13 starts over fences when he took the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

Tranquil Sea’s dam Silver Valley, a daughter of the Derby winner Henbit, was placed in point-to-points. Tranquil Sea won a point-to-point and so has his half-sister Lonely Sky (by Blueprint). Sea Raven’s second dam, Victor’s Valley, won over hurdles to become one of three winners sired by Deep Run from the winning hurdler Merry Valley.

Having gained experience with successes in a point-to-point and a bumper and with two wins over hurdles, Jessies Dream has now made a bright start to his career over fences.

After winning well on his third start, he graduated to Gr1 company in the Drinmore Novice Chase, which he won after being left clear by the last-fence fall of the favourite Mikael d’Haguenet.

Jessies Dream’s family isn’t in the General Stud Book, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t bred to be a highclass jumper. For a start, he is by Presenting, who has achieved three sires’ championships and a second place over the last four completed seasons, to establish himself as the jumping sector’s pre-eminent stallion.

Jessies Dream’s broodmare sire Phardante also fills the same position in the pedigrees of several other good winners by Presenting, notably Killyglen, Sam Adams, Jered and Coe. Jessies Dream’s dam Lady Apprentice never raced but his next dam, Decent Slave, had the distinction of being a half-sister to the high-class chaser Buck House, who made a significant impact on the Cheltenham Festival in the 1980s by winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Jessies Dream’s fifth dam Rosbrin Rose was a sister to the Champion Hurdle winner Doorknocker and this is also the family of the dual Whitbread Gold Cup winner Ad Hoc.

58 HATTON’S GRACE HURDLE G1

60 NAVAN NOVICE HURDLE G1

FAIRYHOUSE. December 15. 20f. Soft.

NAVAN. December 18. 20f. Soft.

1. HURRICANE FLY (IRE) 6 b g Montjeu - Scandisk (Kenmare) O-George Creighton & Mrs Rose Boyd B-Agricola Del Parco TR-WP Mullins 2. Solwhit (FR) 6 b g Solon - Toowhit Towhee (Lucky North) 3. Voler La Vedette (IRE) 6 b m King’s Theatre - Steel Grey Lady (Roselier)

1. OSCARS WELL (IRE) 5 b/br g Oscar - Placid Willow (Convinced) O-Molley Malone Syndicate B-E O’ Leary TR-Mrs J Harrington 2. Sweet Shock (GER) 5 b g Sholokhov - Sweet Royale (Garde Royale) 3. Fully Funded (USA) 5 b g Aptitude - Fully Invested (Irish River)

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 2-6 19 9 6 £414,225 See race 66 for pedigree and analysis

Age 5

Starts 5

Wins 1

Places 2

Earned £11,332

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Feb_78_Databook_Leader 20/01/2011 10:09 Page 81

Caulfield on Big Zeb: “Connections clearly believe he possesses more speed than stamina, even though there is no shortage of stamina in his pedigree; his sire Oscar was bred to stay well”

There was a reminder of the late Edward Courage’s exploits in the jumping world when the progressive Oscars Well won the Navan Novice Hurdle. The gelding’s fourth dam, the Courage-bred Denaria, was a winning half-sister to Lira, a mare who ranks as the second dam of the 2001 Grand National winner Red Marauder and the smart chaser Red Striker.

Denaria was also a half-sister to the very smart chaser San Angelo, their dam being Tiberina, a sister to Courage’s Grand National second Tiberetta. Despite a very testing racing career, which featured several excellent efforts at Aintree, Tiberetta became the dam of the high-class Spanish Steps and the Topham Trophy winner Lictor. The Tiberetta branch of the family also produced the Welsh National winner Riverside Boy. Oscars Well’s first three dams either never ran or failed to win. His broodmare sire Convinced was a son of Busted, a stallion who made a huge contribution to jump racing through the progeny of his sons, such as Crash Course, Bustino, Nearly A Hand, Florida Son and Balak and grandsons, such as Supreme Leader, Presenting and Bustineto. Convinced wasn’t nearly as well known as some of these, but he won the Bessborough Handicap at Royal Ascot before developing into a talented hurdler for Martin Pipe, notably winning the Whitbread Scotch Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

It was a case of the good Lord giveth and the good Lord taketh away for the stallion Winged Love during December 2010. His son Twist Magic, a five-time Gr1 winner over fences, was fatally injured on December 15, but December 28 brought much happier news when another of Winged Love’s sons, Bostons Angel, became a Gr1 winner in the Fort Leney Novice Chase.

This victory by Bostons Angel represented a career best by a comfortable margin, but he had previously won five of his 13 races, including a bumper and three races over hurdles. His improved display came on only his second start over three miles, so he seems well suited by a test of stamina. Winged Love won the Irish Derby and has sired some smart stayers on the Flat, including Macleya, a close second in the Prix Royal-Oak. Winged Love’s other good representatives over jumps include Magnanimity, Start Me Up, Cannington Brook and Gift Of Dgab.

One would have thought that Twist Magic’s exploits would have earned Winged Love stronger support.

However, Winged Love is credited with having covered only 35 mares in 2009 and 46 in 2010.

Bostons Angel’s dam Lady Boston had a miserable record in Britain and Ireland after being switched from her native France, where she won over a mile and a half on the Flat and three times at up to two and a quarter miles over hurdles.

Lady Boston’s sire Mansonnien died in February 2009 at the age of 25, soon after he had landed his second consecutive title as France’s champion sire of jumpers. Mansonnien enjoyed considerable success in Britain and Ireland with such as J’y Vole, Taranis, Mansony, Millenium Royal and Golden Silver. Bostons Angel’s second dam Boston Girl won at up to 11 furlongs on the Flat and over two miles over hurdles.

Since winning one of his two starts in the point-to-point field, Pandorama has compiled a highly impressive record in each sector of the jumping world. Unbeaten in two starts in bumpers, the son of Flemensfirth won three of his four starts over hurdles and he was scoring for the fourth time in five starts over fences when he comfortably landed the Lexus Chase.

This was much his best display over fences and maybe he has learned from the blunder which marred his display in the Hennessy Gold Cup on his only appearance outside Ireland.

Pandorama’s sire finished fourth among the leading sires of 2009/10, having taken third place in each of the previous two years. He remains one of the highest-priced National Hunt stallions at a fee of €10,000, reflecting the success he has enjoyed with such as Imperial Commander, Muirhead, Joe Lively, Tidal Bay, Kicks For Free, Beshabar and King Johns Castle. In addition to Pandorama, Imperial Commander and Tidal Bay, his current performers include Backspin, Knockfierna and Luska Lad, so he looks assured of another top-five finish in 2010/11.

Pandorama has shown he stays three miles, even though Flemensfirth was at his high-class best around a mile and a quarter. The gelding probably owes his stamina to the bottom half of his pedigree. His dam Gretchen’s Castle is an unraced daughter of Carlingford Castle, a Derby runner-up who shares the same sire, the Prix du Cadran winner Le Bavard, as the likes of Kildimo, Perris Valley, Bankers Benefit and Barney Burnett.

Pandorama’s third dam Velocity’s Gift is also the second dam of that remarkable little mare Mrs Muck, winner of the Long Distance Hurdle and the Premier Long Distance Hurdle. This non-thoroughbred family also produced the smart jumpers High Ken and Random Leg.

When Big Zeb landed the Gr1 Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase from Golden Silver, it was the third time in 2010 that he had been followed home by this particular opponent in a Graded chase. The victory completed a vintage year for the gelding, who also won the Queen Mother Champion Chase, and Big Zeb has now won half of his 16 races over fences, having fallen in four of the eight he lost.

Big Zeb has won at up to 21 furlongs over fences but has recently raced mainly around the minimum distance. His connections clearly believe he possesses more speed than stamina, even though there is no shortage of stamina in his pedigree.

His sire Oscar was bred to stay well, with Sadler’s Wells as his sire and a Reliance mare as his dam. Oscar’s brother Blue Stag was second in the Derby and Oscar also showed stamina commensurate to his pedigree when second in the Prix du Jockey-Club over a mile and a half on his final appearance.

Oscar is also responsible for those accomplished stayers Refinement, Black Jack Ketchum, Offshore Account, Razor Royale, Tricky Trickster, Oscar Looby and Casey Jones, but it could be significant that he is also responsible for Peddlers Cross, one of the leading hopes for the 2011 Champion Hurdle following his success in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Big Zeb was bought for €34,000 as a three-year-old. He is one of only two winners among the first 13 foals out of Our Siveen. This daughter of the phenomenal champion National Hunt sire Deep Run won at up to two and a half miles over hurdles. Big Zeb’s second dam Clontinty Queen produced four winners from 15 foals.

She was an unraced daughter of Laurence O, an excellent longdistance performer who numbered the Queen Alexandra Stakes at Ascot over two and three-quarter miles among his victories.

61 FORT LENEY NOVICE CHASE G1

62 LEXUS STEEPLECHASE G1

63 PADDY POWER DIAL-A-BET CHASE G1

64 LONG WALK HURDLE G1

OSCARS WELL b/br g 2005 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OSCAR b 94 Reliance II Snow Day Vindaria Busted Convinced Affirmative PLACID WILLOW b 97 King’s Ride Willowmere Silver Tongue

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body Crepello Sans Le Sou Derring-Do Hayat Rarity Ride Salvo Denaria

LEOPARDSTOWN. December 28. 24f. Heavy.

LEOPARDSTOWN. December 28. 24f. Heavy.

LEOPARDSTOWN. December 29. 17f. Heavy.

NEWBURY. Dec 29. 24f 110yds. Good to Soft.

1. BOSTONS ANGEL (IRE) 6 b g Winged Love - Lady Boston (Mansonnien) O-EAP Scouller B-PAD Scouller TR-Mrs J Harrington 2. Quito de La Roque (FR) 6 b g Saint des Saints - Moody Cloud (Cyborg) 3. Western Charmer (IRE) 8 b/br g Good Thyne - Tulladante (Phardante)

1. PANDORAMA (IRE) 7 b g Flemensfirth - Gretchen’s Castle (Carlingford Castle) O-RJ Bagnall B-P Carmody TR-N Meade 2. Money Trix (IRE) 10 gr g Old Vic - Deer Trix (Buckskin) 3. Joncol (IRE) 7 b g Bob’s Return - Finemar Lady (Montelimar)

1. BIG ZEB (IRE) 9 b g Oscar - Our Siveen (Deep Run) O-Patrick Joseph Redmond B-L Buttimer TR-Colm A Murphy 2. Golden Silver (FR) 8 b g Mansonnien - Gold Or Silver (Glint of Gold) 3. Scotsirish (IRE) 9 b g Zaffaran - Serjitak (Saher)

1. BIG BUCK’S (FR) 7 b/br g Cadoudal - Buck’s (Le Glorieux) O-The Stewart Family B-H Poulat TR-PF Nicholls 2. Lough Derg (FR) 10 b g Apple Tree - Asturias (Pistolet Bleu) 3. Restless Harry (GB) 6 b g Sir Harry Lewis - Restless Native (Be My Native)

Age 4-6

Age 4-7

Age 5-9

Age 3-7

Starts 14

Wins 6

Places 5

Earned £88,329

BOSTONS ANGEL b g 2004 Sadler’s Wells In The Wings High Hawk WINGED LOVE b 92 Top Ville J’Ai Deux Amours Pollenka Tip Moss Mansonnien Association LADY BOSTON ch 97 Williamston Kid Boston Girl Carambole

Starts 13

Wins 10

Places 1

Earned £318,139

PANDORAMA b g 2003 Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Shirley Heights Sunbittern High Top Sega Ville Reliance II Polana Luthier Top Twig Margouillat La Soupe Piet Miss Berea Gustav Guinguette

Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout FLEMENSFIRTH b 92 Diesis Etheldreda Royal Bund Le Bavard Carlingford Castle Rachel Ruysch GRETCHEN’S CASTLE ch 93 Chinatown Whisper Moon

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Velocity’s Gift

Starts 23

Wins 10

Places 9

Earned £527,411

BIG ZEB b g 2001 Tom Rolfe Wavy Navy Prince John Determined Lady Sharpen Up Doubly Sure Royal Coinage Nato Devon Lueur Doree Skymaster Sip Dicta Drake Cheongsam Babur High Velocity

Starts 30

Wins 15

Places 9

Earned £777,447

BIG BUCK’S b/br g 2003 Northern Dancer

Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OSCAR b 94 Reliance II Snow Day Vindaria Pampered King Deep Run Trial By Fire OUR SIVEEN ch 83 Laurence O Clontinty Queen Si Si

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body Prince Chevalier Netherton Maid Court Martial Mitrailleuse Saint Crespin III Feevagh Sica Boy Rififi

Nijinsky Green Dancer Green Valley CADOUDAL br 79 Sea Hawk II Come To Sea Camarilla Cure The Blues Le Glorieux La Mirande BUCK’S b 93 Buckskin Buckleby Thereby

Northern Dancer Flaming Page Val de Loir Sly Pola Herbager Sea Nymph Sayajirao Camilla Stop The Music Quick Cure Le Fabuleux La Magnanarelle Yelapa Bete A Bon Dieu Star Moss Besides

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

National Hunt Grade Ones >>

Since being switched back to hurdling, following his last-fence blunder in the 2008 Hennessy Gold Cup, Big Buck’s has compiled a magnificent sequence of ten victories, including five at Gr1 level. His two wins in the World Hurdle remain his finest achievement but he now also has two victories to his name in the Long Walk Hurdle.

His dam Buck’s is a daughter of Le Glorieux, a French colt who landed the Washington DC International and the Japan Cup in the same season. Buck’s raced 42 times but won only twice, in a steeplechase at Cagnes-sur-Mer and a claiming hurdle at Auteuil.

She now has five winners to her credit, including Big Buck’s’ Gr1placed brother Buck’s Boum. Her youngest foals are a 2008 gelding and a 2010 filly, both by the Arc winner Trempolino.

The second dam Buckleby could be the source of some of Big Buck’s’ stamina, as she was by the outstanding long-distance horse and Ascot Gold Cup winner Buckskin, but Buckleby’s half-brother Pas de Seul showed plenty of speed for a son of Mill Reef, as he displayed when winning the Prix de la Foret.

The Green Dancer stallion Cadoudal died in 2007 at the age of 28 but he continues to make his presence felt through the likes of The Nightingale (Gr2 Ladbrokes.com Chase in 2010), Doumaja (runner-up in the 2010 Grande Steeple-Chase de Paris) and Long Run.

odds-on Zaidpour to take the Future Champions Novice Hurdle by a neck.

That victory came over two miles but First Lieutenant has already won over two and a half miles over hurdles (and over three miles in his point-topoint). It remains to be seen what his optimum distance proves to be.

His dam Fourstargale never tackled more than two and a quarter miles in 11 starts in bumpers and one over hurdles, both her wins coming over two and a quarter miles. Her sire Fourstars Allstar travelled from America to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1991 and then raced until he was seven, gaining a further six Graded stakes successes at around nine furlongs. Fourstars Allstar sired some successful jumpers, such as Aces Four, A New Story, Davenport Democrat and Chomba Womba, without justifying the scale of support he initially received.

First Lieutenant’s second dam Sea Gale was a talented performer at around two miles over jumps, notably winning a Gr3 novices’ chase at Galway. His third dam Sea Scope was a sister to Mister Bosun, a smart novice chaser in 1979/80, and his fourth dam Mare Nostrom was a prolific winner over hurdles and fences. More to the point, Mare Nostrom was a half-sister to two multiple winners in Pawnbroker (Mackeson Gold Cup) and Flashy Boy (PZ Mower Chase and Black & White Gold Cup Chase).

very good performer into second place in each of his three subsequent starts.

The finishing speed which he uses to such effect over hurdles also enabled him to defeat the high-class Literato in a Listed race over a mile as a threeyear-old.

Bearing in mind that Montjeu’s sire Sadler’s Wells and broodmare sire Top Ville have both exerted a considerable influence on the jumping world, it is no surprise that Montjeu finished as high as 15th among the sires of jumpers in the 2009/10 season and as high as eighth at the end of 2010. In addition to Hurricane Fly, he is responsible for Won In The Dark, Blue Bajan, Noble Prince, Moscova, Our Monty and Sweeps Hill.

Hurricane Fly no doubt owes some of his speed to his dam Scandisk, a Kenmare mare who won over seven furlongs at two in Italy. Montjeu also sired the very smart Jukebox Jury from another daughter of Kenmare and the Gr1 winners Recital and Corre Caminos from a mare by Kendor.

Hurricane Fly’s second dam, Yankee Lady, shared the same sire, Lord Gayle, as several successful National Hunt stallions, such as Strong Gayle, Lord Americo and Callernish.

Yankee Lady’s brother Yankee Gold, twice a winner of the Gr2 Ballymoss Stakes, also sired some smart jumpers.

Yankee Lady was also a sister to Lady Singer, winner of the Curragh’s Pretty Polly Stakes.

65 FUTURE CHAMPION NOVICE HURDLE G1

66 DECEMBER FESTIVAL HURDLE G1

67 CHALLOW NOVICES’ HURDLE G1

and trainer when he was next seen at Bangor in December. He won well enough to be allowed to take his chance in the Gr1 Challow Hurdle and the sharp rise in class proved no obstacle, with Backspin winning by eight lengths.

Backspin’s connections must be hoping he will develop into another top-class chaser for Flemensfirth, the sire of Imperial Commander, Tidal Bay and Pandorama. Whether he stays as well as those three remains to be seen, but his first two dams are by horses who were Classic-placed over a mile and a half. His dam is an unraced daughter of the Prix du Jockey-Club second Oscar, whereas his second dam, Jack’s Sister, was by the Irish Derby third Entitled.

Jack’s Sister had two distinguished half-brothers. Jack Doyle was a smart novice chaser and Native Mission was a smart hurdler/chaser who raced mainly at around two miles..

68 BORD NA MONA WITH NATURE NOVICE CHASE G1 LEOPARDSTOWN. December 30. 17f. Heavy.

1. REALT DUBH (IRE) 6 b g Beneficial - Suez Canal (Exit To Nowhere) O-DJ Sharkey B-R Hartigan TR-N Meade 2. Noble Prince (GER) 6 b g Montjeu - Noble Pearl (Dashing Blade) 3. Torphichen (GB) 5 ch g Alhaarth - Genoa (Zafonic) Age Starts Wins 4-6 17 7 REALT DUBH b g 2004 High Top Top Ville Sega Ville

LEOPARDSTOWN. December 29. 16f. Heavy.

LEOPARDSTOWN. December 29. 16f. Heavy.

NEWBURY. December 29. 21f. Good to Soft.

1. FIRST LIEUTENANT (IRE) 5 ch g Presenting - Fourstargale (Fourstars Allstar) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mrs M O’Connor TR-MF Morris 2. Zaidpour (FR) 4 b g Red Ransom - Zainta (Kahyasi) 3. Hidden Cyclone (IRE) 5 b g Stowaway - Hurricane Debbie (Shahanndeh)

1. HURRICANE FLY (IRE) 6 b g Montjeu - Scandisk (Kenmare) O-George Creighton B-Agricola Del Parco TR-WP Mullins 2. Solwhit (FR) 6 b g Solon - Toowhit Towhee (Lucky North) 3. Luska Lad (IRE) 6 ch g Flemensfirth - Notsophar (Phardante)

1. BACKSPIN (IRE) 5 ch g Flemensfirth - Oscars Princess (Oscar) O-Mr John P McManus B-Brittas House Stud TR-Jonjo O’Neill 2. Court In Motion (IRE) 5 br g Fruits of Love - Peace Time Girl (Buckskin) 3. Al Ferof (FR) 5 gr g Dom Alco - Maralta (Altayan)

Age Starts Wins Places 5 6 4 2 FIRST LIEUTENANT ch g 2005

Age Starts Wins 2-6 20 10 HURRICANE FLY b g 2004

Age Starts Wins 5 3 3 BACKSPIN ch g 2005

BENEFICIAL b 90 Green Dancer Youthful First Bloom Irish River Exit To Nowhere Coup de Folie SUEZ CANAL b 94 Artaius Cairene Jem Jen

Busted Mtoto Amazer PRESENTING br 92 Persian Bold D’Azy Belle Viking Compliance Fourstars Allstar Broadway Joan FOURSTARGALE ch 97 Strong Gale Sea Gale Sea Scope

Earned £59,014

Crepello Sans Le Sou Mincio Alzara Bold Lad Relkarunner Riverman Vallarta Northern Dancer Sex Appeal Bold Arian Courtneys Doll Lord Gayle Sterntau Deep Run Mare Nostrom

When a three-year-old gelding by Presenting came under the hammer at the 2008 Derby Sale, the bidding soared to €255,000. The gelding, now named First Lieutenant, first saw action more than 18 months later, winning a point-to-point by six lengths.

Since then he has easily won his only appearance in a bumper and he is now making impressive progress as a hurdler, winning for the second time in four starts when he held off the long-

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Places 6

Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge MONTJEU b 96 Top Ville Floripedes Toute Cy Kalamoun Kenmare Belle of Ireland SCANDISK b 95 Lord Gayle Yankee Lady Ceol An Oir

Earned £465,995

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special High Top Sega Ville Tennyson Adele Toumignon Zeddaan Khairunissa Milesian Belle of The Ball Sir Gaylord Sticky Case Vimy Pal An Oir

By the end of 2010, most bookmakers had Hurricane Fly at the head of their betting for the 2011 Champion Hurdle. Thanks to victories in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle and the Festival Hurdle in the space of 15 days in December, the son of Montjeu had improved his record over hurdles to eight wins from ten starts. Although one of his defeats came at the hands of Solwhit in the 2009 Punchestown Hurdle, Hurricane Run has beaten that

Places 0

Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout FLEMENSFIRTH b 92 Diesis Etheldreda Royal Bund Sadler’s Wells Oscar Snow Day OSCARS PRINCESS b 99 Entitled Jacks Sister Sister Ida

Places 8

Earned £30,391

Tom Rolfe Wavy Navy Prince John Determined Lady Sharpen Up Doubly Sure Royal Coinage Nato Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Reliance II Vindaria Mill Reef Lady Capulet Bustino Sacred Way

Less than a month after he made an impressive winning debut in a bumper at Punchestown, when trained by Margaret Mullins, Backspin was expected to be one of the main attractions at Doncaster’s 2010 Spring Sale. Although the hammer came down at £220,000, it transpired that the then-five-year-old hadn’t been sold. A private deal must have been struck, though, as the son of Flemensfirth raced for a new owner

Earned £134,395

Derring-Do Camenae Charlottesville La Sega Nijinsky Green Valley Primera Flower Dance Riverman Irish Star Halo Raise The Standard Round Table Stylish Pattern Great Nephew Io

With 241 mares, Beneficial covered more thoroughbred mares than any other British or Irish stallion in 2009, his popularity reflecting the successes of his son Cooldine and the popularity of sons of Top Ville, sire also of Un Desperado, Toulon, Pistolet Bleu, Norwich and Shardari.

Realt Dubh has now won three of his four completed starts over fences, which suggests that chasing is going to be the forte of this talented former winner of a point-to-point, a bumper and two races over hurdles.

Realt Dubh’s broodmare sire, Exit To Nowhere, sired chaser Noland, the Scottish Champion Hurdle winner Milligan and smart chasers Exit Swinger and Exit To Wave. However, he was originally based in France. It was during this time that he sired Realt Dubh’s dam Suez Canal, whose half-sister Guiza was a Gr1 performer.

Realt Dubh’s third dam, the Pretty Polly Stakes winner Jem Jen, was a daughter of Oaks fourth Io.

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Caulfield on Backspin: “Owner JP McManus must be hoping he will develop into another top-class chaser for Flemensfirth, sire of Imperial Commander, Tidal Bay and Pandorama”

National Hunt Graded races Date 11/12/10 11/12/10 11/12/10 11/12/10 12/12/10 15/12/10 15/12/10 15/12/10 15/12/10 15/12/10 18/12/10 28/12/10 28/12/10 29/12/10 29/12/10 29/12/10 30/12/10 30/12/10 31/12/10 01/01/11 01/01/11 01/01/11 02/01/11 06/01/11

Grade Race (course) G2 G2 G3 G2 G3 GrC G3 GrB G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G2 GrB G2 G2 GrB G3 G2 G3 GrC G2 G3

Dist

Bristol Novices’ Hurdle (Cheltenham) 24f Relkeel Hurdle (Cheltenham) 20.5f Vote A P Cup H Chase (Cheltenham) 21f International Hurdle (Cheltenham) 17f Cork Stayers Novice Hurdle (Cork) 24f Bar One Racing H Hurdle (Fairyhouse) 16f Bar One Racing Juvenile Hurdle (Fairyhouse) 16f Caffrey’s of Batterstown H Chase (Fairyhouse) 17f Hilly Way Chase (Fairyhouse) 17f Peterborough Chase (Newbury) 21f Tara Hurdle (Navan) 21f Christmas Hurdle (Leopardstown) 24f Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle (Limerick) 22f Paddy Power Future Champions Flat Race (Leopardstown) 16f Paddy Power H Chase (Leopardstown) 24f Greenmount Park Novice Chase (Limerick) 19.5f Bord na Mona Fire Magic Juvenile Hurdle (Leopardstown) 16f Tim Duggan Memorial H Chase (Limerick) 19.5f Lombardstown Mares Novice Chase (Punchestown) 16f Dipper Novices’ Chase (Cheltenham) 21f victorchandler.com H Chase (Cheltenham) 21f Porterstown Handicap Chase (Fairyhouse) 29f Slaney Novice Hurdle (Naas) 20f Phil Sweeney Memorial Chase (Thurles) 18f

Horse Mossley (IRE) Karabak (FR) Poquelin (FR) Menorah (IRE) Mossey Joe (IRE) Asigh Pearl (IRE) Toner d’Oudairies (FR) Peak Raider (IRE) Golden Silver (FR) Tartak (FR) Rigour Back Bob (IRE) Mourad (IRE) Knockfierna (IRE) Jim Will Fix It (IRE) Majestic Concorde (IRE) Mr Cracker (IRE) Sailors Warn (IRE) Questions Answered (IRE) Blazing Tempo (IRE) Hell’s Bay (FR) Tartak (FR) Droim Toll (IRE) Gagewell Flyer (IRE) Psycho (IRE)

Age

Sex

5 8 8 6 8 7 4 7 9 8 6 6 6 6 8 6 4 6 7 9 8 9 7 10

G G G G G M G G G G G G M G G G G G M G G G G G

Sire

Dam

Broodmare Sire

Index

Old Vic Kahyasi Lahint King’s Theatre Moscow Society Lord Of Appeal Polish Summer Machiavellian Mansonnien Akhdari Bob Back Sinndar Flemensfirth Lord Of Appeal Definite Article Anshan Redback Old Vic Accordion Supreme Leader Akhdari Simply Great Deploy Dr Massini

Sorivera Mosstraye Babolna Maid For Adventure Delmiano Graphic Lady Iroise d’Oudairies Desert Magic Gold Or Silver Tartamuda Rigorous Mouramara Garden Town North County Lady Talina’s Law Sesame Cracker Coral Dawn Sleetmore Gale Leading Duke Queen’s Flagship Tartamuda Lady Meargan Drumcay Polly Tiverton Castle

Irish River Tip Moss Tropular Strong Gale Henbit Phardante Passing Sale Green Desert Glint Of Gold Tyrnavos Generous Kahyasi Un Desperado Roselier Law Society Derrylin Trempolino Strong Gale Supreme Leader Accordion Tyrnavos Yashgan Le Bavard Supreme Leader

69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92

Leading National Hunt sires by earnings Name

King’s Theatre Flemensfirth Presenting Oscar Beneficial Anshan Old Vic Accordion Montjeu Bob Back Dr Massini Definite Article Alderbrook Sadler’s Wells Barathea Cadoudal Midnight Legend Kayf Tara Dom Alco Saddlers’ Hall Sir Harry Lewis Winged Love Supreme Leader Alflora Environment Friend Milan Turtle Island Moscow Society Luso Rock Of Gibraltar Overbury Daylami Lomitas Golden Tornado Pistolet Bleu Bahhare Mansonnien Dushyantor Kahyasi Pasternak Galileo Lahint Great Palm Taipan Zaffaran King's Best

YOF

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

%WR

Races

AWD

1991 1992 1992 1994 1990 1987 1986 1986 1996 1981 1993 1992 1989 1981 1990 1979 1991 1994 1987 1988 1984 1992 1982 1989 1988 1998 1991 1985 1992 1999 1991 1994 1988 1996 1988 1994 1984 1993 1985 1993 1998 1991 1989 1992 1985 1997

Sadler’s Wells Alleged Mtoto Sadler’s Wells Top Ville Persian Bold Sadler’s Wells Sadler’s Wells Sadler’s Wells Roberto Sadler’s Wells Indian Ridge Ardross Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Green Dancer Night Shift Sadler’s Wells Dom Pasquini Sadler’s Wells Alleged In The Wings Bustino Niniski Cozzene Sadler’s Wells Fairy King Nijinsky Salse Danehill Caerleon Doyoun Niniski Sadler’s Wells Top Ville Woodman Tip Moss Sadler’s Wells Ile de Bourbon Soviet Star Sadler’s Wells Woodman Manila Last Tycoon Assert Kingmambo

137 177 204 225 212 130 141 93 64 107 64 87 75 63 38 16 45 96 12 108 39 42 69 109 20 97 62 59 98 29 70 44 24 12 33 11 15 32 38 9 40 1 47 27 22 40

44 36 36 43 40 31 32 19 20 26 17 14 19 16 8 9 13 13 5 11 4 9 13 17 4 19 11 12 11 9 16 8 8 2 7 5 5 7 6 1 13 1 5 9 4 4

32.1 20.3 17.7 19.1 18.9 23.9 22.7 20.4 31.3 24.3 26.6 16.1 25.3 25.4 21.1 56.3 28.9 13.5 41.7 10.2 10.3 21.4 18.8 15.6 20.0 19.6 17.7 20.3 11.2 31.0 22.9 18.2 33.3 16.7 21.2 45.5 33.3 21.9 15.8 11.1 32.5 100.0 10.6 33.3 18.2 10.0

58 43 52 48 49 46 44 23 26 31 22 18 27 20 10 12 22 13 9 13 4 11 15 24 8 20 15 15 17 15 20 14 11 6 7 5 6 9 7 2 15 1 5 11 6 6

19.2 19.4 20.4 18.9 19.3 20.4 21.5 18.7 19.5 18.9 20.5 17.9 20.6 19.6 17.5 21.3 20.9 19.4 20.2 20.7 23.5 21.1 19.7 19.4 22.3 17.6 18.5 20.2 19.8 16.6 20.9 18.1 17.7 19.8 20.8 18.8 18.0 19.7 19.6 20.3 18.8 21.0 18.7 21.1 21.8 17.2

Earnings (£)

693,727 607,008 606,221 567,964 545,580 531,603 399,561 376,975 341,819 313,849 236,783 231,609 228,926 218,303 184,950 181,835 173,249 165,191 164,847 158,681 154,890 151,197 150,784 149,508 139,997 138,823 128,883 128,445 126,694 122,173 116,219 113,869 113,197 110,935 107,049 106,568 106,326 104,611 104,453 103,574 102,899 102,529 97,803 97,118 96,430 94,964

Top horse

Earned (£)

Menorah Imperial Commander Jessies Dream Big Zeb Realt Dubh Golden Kite Jack The Bus Finger Onthe Pulse Hurricane Fly Burton Port Massini’s Maguire Majestic Concorde Ballyadam Brook Streets Of Gold Overturn Big Buck’s Midnight Chase Planet Of Sound Silviniaco Conti Kalellshan Diamond Harry Bostons Angel Head Of The Posse Wishfull Thinking Alfa Beat Valleymount Cool Quest Russian War Chicago Grey Gimli’s Rock Lady Hillingdon Silmi Salesin Dancing Tornado Sizing Europe Bahrain Storm Golden Silver Loosen My Load Karabak Little Josh Grey Soldier Poquelin Donnas Palm Novel Investment Banna Man Nearby

142,525 112,660 57,009 81,681 96,168 78,142 49,684 119,646 100,664 37,432 56,330 110,796 40,934 42,615 133,186 51,143 65,398 21,240 85,893 17,097 99,768 54,739 29,681 21,638 114,527 13,774 20,580 20,522 38,857 55,509 12,633 37,016 28,655 66,523 28,836 80,168 52,637 36,377 39,052 97,950 15,553 102,530 38,407 18,681 35,363 53,411

Not much to choose between the top six The interruption in normal service in both Britain and Ireland caused by the weather in December has slanted the table somewhat in terms of the level of earnings, but the race to be champion promises to be closer than usual.

At the end of 2009, Presenting and Oscar were £263,000 clear of thirdplaced Flemensfirth. This time, the top six in the table are covered by just £163,000.

The names are those one would expect and they are mostly up in number of runners. Leader King’s Theatre has had 137 compared with 109 a year ago, Flemensfirth 177 against 168, Oscar 225 against 212 and Beneficial 212 against 178.

Oddly, Presenting’s tally is the only one that is much reduced, from 243 to just 204.

With King’s Theatre having Menorah and Flemensfirth represented by Imperial Commander, the rest of the season with all these protagonists should be fascinating.

Statistics July 1-Dec 31, 2010

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DATA BOOK LISTINGS OF EVERY WORLDWIDE GROUP OR GRADED STAKES WINNER

Global Stakes Results Date Grade Argentina 11/12 G1 11/12 G1 11/12 G1 08/12 G1 31/12 G2 26/12 G2 19/12 G2 09/12 G2 25/12 G3 17/12 G3

Race

Dist

Horse

G.P. Felix de Alzaga Unzue Internacional G. P. Joaquin Anchorena-Int. Anaflex G. P. Carlos Pellegrini - Internacional G.P. Copa de Plata - Int. R. V. Mansilla Clasico Clausura Clasico Invasor Clasico Uberto F Vignart C. Los Criadores-Copa Dr N. R.Tartaglia Clasico Ayacucho Clasico Republica Oriental del Uruguay

5.0f 8.0f 12.0f 10.0f 10.0f 7.0f 6.0f 10.0f 12.5f 8.0f

Claro Oscuro (ARG) Inter Red (ARG) Xin Xu Lin (BRZ) Malpensa (ARG) Feel Fast (ARG) Royal Brunei (ARG) Es de Maggy (ARG) Sublimacion (ARG) Calidoscopio (ARG) Orpen Fain (ARG)

Xin Xu Lin had left a mixed impression when winning the Derby Paulista. He dashed to the front to overcome a wide draw and was soon clear, eased off on the turn and then darted away as soon as he hit the straight. His triumph was complete but it all looked a bit wild. The Carlos Pellegrini was very different, even though he again made all. He controlled the race throughout without ever being much more than two lengths clear, the margin by which he won from another Brazilianbred, the fast-finishing outsider Send Australia 04/12 18/12 18/12 26/12 26/12 11/12 04/12 04/12

G1 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3

Kingston Town Classic Landscape Development C B Cox Stakes Inglis Villiers Stakes Vo Rogue Plate Summer Cup A J Scahill Stakes G A Towton Cup Sir Ernest Lee Steere Classic

Veteran Neville Parnham, who has won the West Australian Trainers’ Premiership on no fewer than 12

In The Clowns. There can be no doubting his excellence after this performance. Fuego e Hierro, who started favourite, reached second over one furlong out but struggled in the final furlong. He finished threequarters of a length back in third.

Inter Red, who in winning the Joaquin Anchorena was following a Group 1 success on dirt at La Plata three weeks earlier, has made remarkable progress. He has won half his 24 races but it had taken him until May 2010, when he was nearing his sixth birthday, to win a Group race.

9.0f 10.5f 8.0f 6.5f 12.0f 7.0f 11.0f 7.0f

Playing God (AUS) Colour Correct (AUS) Dances On Waves (AUS) Benny's Buttons (AUS) Spechenka (AUS) Waratah's Secret (AUS) Brandy Lane (AUS) Playcidium Mint (AUS)

occasions, finally broke his Group 1 duck when Playing God defeated Trusting by half a length in the Kingston

Age

Sex

5 6 3 4 5 3 4 4 7 4

H H C F H C C F H F

Sire

Dam

Broodmare Sire

Mutakddim (USA) Rincon Red (ARG) Wondertross (USA) Orpen (USA) Halo Sunshine (USA) Orpen (USA) Espaciado (ARG) Orpen (USA) Luhuk (USA) Orpen (USA)

Comodora (ARG) Mita (ARG) Barbiera (BRZ) Marsella (ARG) Figurina (ARG) Royal Empire (ARG) Potrimaggy (ARG) Suite De Lujo (ARG) Calderona (ARG) Fina Halo (ARG)

Confidential Talk (USA) Interprete (ARG) Pleasant Variety (USA) Southern Halo (USA) Equalize (USA) Roy (USA) Potrillon (ARG) Fitzcarraldo (ARG) Lefty (USA) Southern Halo (USA)

Mad Speed, another recent Group 1 winner on dirt and bidding for a sixtimer, set a hot pace pursued by two rivals. Inter Red led the remaining 16 but well behind that trio until beyond halfway. Once in front two furlongs out, he soon put the race to bed, drawing away to score by nine lengths from the favourite San Livinus.

Those in the middle, led by the favourite Filoso Emperor, appeared to be having the best of it for a long way in the sprint. However, the outsider Claro Oscuro produced a strong run towards the stands’ side to trump 3 6 5 3 5 4 5 3

G G M G G G G F

Blackfriars (AUS) High Yield (USA) Anabaa (USA) Refuse To Bend (IRE) Danachenka (AUS) Oratorio (AUS) Marooned Foreplay (AUS)

them all in the final furlong. Claro Oscuro has now won ten of 20. He was completing a hat-trick but had appeared better at six than five furlongs. This was also his first success in anything bigger than a Listed event.

Malpensa earned the reward for five Group 1 seconds with a one and a half-length defeat of the recent GP Seleccion (Oaks) winner Catch The Mad in the Copa de Plata. She had been in the frame in eight Group races but had won only two minor events.

Dolly Will Do (AUS) Never Blue (AUS) Ancient Lights (AUS) Stolen Beauty (AUS) Special Class (NZ) Blissfully (NZ) Red Sprite (AUS) Sercidium (AUS)

Town Classic. The win was made all the sweeter by the presence in the saddle of Parnham’s 25-year-old son, Steven,

Rubiton (AUS) Military Plume (NZ) Canny Lad (AUS) Mossman (AUS) Conquistarose (USA) Zabeel (NZ) Old Spice (AUS) Serheed (USA)

who is a fourth generation jockey.

Playing God’s win at Ascot was also his first top-level success.

Brazil 18/12 12/12 04/12 19/12

G2 G2 G2 G3

Grande Premio Consagracao G. P. Almirante Marques de Tamandare C. Pres.Jose Bonifacio Coutinho Nogueira Grande Premio Natal

14.0f 12.0f 12.0f 9.0f

Vulkan (BRZ) Time For Fun (BRZ) Una Beleza (BRZ) Jeca (BRZ)

3 6 3 3

C H F C

Nugget Do Faxina (BRZ) Yagli (USA) Signal Tap (USA) Inexplicable (USA)

Lenda Do Faxina (BRZ) Tarradine (BRZ) Just Perfect (BRZ) Volition (BRZ)

Rabat (BRZ) New Colony (USA) Nugget Point Ghadeer (FR)

Chile 18/12 03/12 26/12 18/12 15/12 02/12

G1 G1 G2 G2 G3 G3

Premio St Leger-Cristal Premio Las Oaks Gran Clasico Coronacion Premio Seleccion de Velocistas Premio Alfredo L Jackson Handicap P. General Jose Miguel Carrera Verdugo

11.0f 10.0f 10.0f 5.0f 9.5f 9.0f

Pedroso (CHI) Lady Pelusa (ARG) Sahara Sun (CHI) Desert Power (CHI) Sir Charismatic (CHI) Rock Star Show (USA)

3 3 3 4 3 6

C F C C C H

Indy Vidual (USA) Orpen (USA) Milt's Overture (USA) Newfoundland (USA) Sir Cat (USA) Lear Fan (USA)

Marling (CHI) Lady Roy (ARG) Dalaika (CHI) Coral Genius (USA) Miss Charismatic (USA) Arsaan (USA)

Memo (CHI) Roy (USA) Hussonet (USA) Smart Strike (CAN) Charismatic (USA) Nureyev (USA)

Lady Pelusa, runaway winner of a Listed race three weeks previously, trounced her six rivals in the Las Oaks.

By 1998 Prix Morny winner Orpen, she was chased home by three daughters Hong Kong G1 12/12 G1 12/12 G1 12/12 G1 12/12

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup

Snow Fairy justified the decision of trainer Ed Dunlop and owner-breeder Cristina Patino to bypass the Japan Cup in November with a stunning triumph in the Hong Kong Cup over the same mile and a quarter trip. Despite dropping back to a mile and a quarter and being held up at the rear behind a slow pace, the English and Irish Oaks winner showed a devastating turn of foot to catch Irian close home and score by a neck. She stays in training and this performance suggested that

84

of another former Ballydoyle star, 2005 Arlington Million winner Powerscourt.

Pedroso won a Listed trial over ten furlongs of this Hipodromo Chile dirt course on November 13 but then 8.0f 6.0f 12.0f 10.0f

Beauty Flash (NZ) J J The Jet Plane (SAF) Mastery (GB) Snow Fairy (IRE)

she will be a force in all of the top races of 2011 – possibly over as short as a mile.

Mastery benefited from a masterful ride from Frankie Dettori to grab his first outright victory since landing the 2009 St Leger in the Hong Kong Vase (he had dead-heated in a Listed race at Kempton before his success at Sha Tin). In pole position behind another pedestrian pace, Dettori kicked on at the quarter mile pole and passed the post two and a half lengths clear of his

tested positive. That overshadowed the good impression he had made and he started at almost 25/1 for the Classic on December 18. Always in the first three of 16, he led approaching the 5 6 4 3

G G C F

Golan (IRE) Jet Master (SAF) Sulamani (IRE) Intikhab (USA)

straight and scored by four and threequarter lengths. El Farrero, winner of the Santiago Derby, could not handle the switch from turf to dirt and beat only two home.

Wychwood Rose (NZ) Majestic Guest (SAF) Moyesii (USA) Woodland Dream (IRE)

fellow Brit, Redwood, with the Frenchtrained Melbourne Cup winner Americain third.

The highest quality race on a stellar Sha Tin card was the Hong Kong Sprint and a thrilling denouement saw two of the world’s best (and best named) speedsters lunge for the line as one.

South Africa’s J J The Jet Plane, who has been nursed back to form following a disappointing British campaign in 2009, prevailed by a short head from Singapore’s perennial bridesmaid,

Volksraad (GB) Northern Guest (USA) Diesis Charnwood Forest (IRE)

Rocket Man, who has now been touched off in four different international contests.

By comparison the Hong Kong Mile was a let-down, with Paco Boy trailing home in last on his final start and local star Good Ba Ba only tenth on his bid for a fourth straight win. Beauty Flash did at least provide the hosts with their only showpiece victory as he held off the Robert Collet-trained French raider, Royal Bench, by three-quarters of a length.

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DATA BOOK

Date Japan 26/12 19/12 12/12 05/12 18/12 04/12 26/12 19/12 12/12 11/12 04/12

Grade Race G1 G1 G1 G1 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3

Arima Kinen Asahi Hai Futurity Hanshin Juvenile Fillies Stakes Japan Cup Dirt Hanshin Cup Sports Nippon Sho Stayer's Stakes Radio Nikkei Hai Nisai Stakes Aichi Hai The Capella Stakes Chunichi Shimbun Hai Naruo Kinen

It seems ridiculous to suggest that a dual Classic winner with a career bankroll of £7.5 million is an unlucky horse, but Buena Vista does seem to fall into that category. After her shock disqualification having passed the post in front in the Japan Cup, she was made odds-on to gain compensation in the Arima Kinen. But she repeated her second-place finish of 12 months New Zealand G1 26/12 G1 04/12 G2 26/12 G2 26/12 G2 11/12 G2 11/12 G2 04/12 G3 18/12 G3 18/12 G3 11/12

Peru 19/12 18/12

G2 G3

South Africa 18/12 G1 04/12 G1 18/12 G2 11/12 G2 04/12 G2 04/12 G2 26/12 G3 26/12 G3

12.5f 8.0f 8.0f 9.0f 7.0f 18.0f 10.0f 10.0f 6.0f 10.0f 9.0f

Victoire Pisa (JPN) Grand Prix Boss (JPN) Reve d'Essor (JPN) Transcend (JPN) Kinshasa No Kiseki (AUS) Cosmo Helenos (JPN) Danon Ballade (JPN) Seraphic Romp (JPN) Sei Crimson (JPN) To The Glory (JPN) Rulership (JPN)

10.0f 8.0f 8.0f 8.0f 12.0f 8.0f 6.0f 7.0f 11.5f 8.0f

Booming (NZ) We Can Say It Now (AUS) Jimmy Choux (NZ) Smoulder (NZ) Bruce Almighty (NZ) November Rain (NZ) Ego (NZ) Fritzy Boy (NZ) Tullaroan (NZ) King's Rose (NZ)

running again just eight days after landing the Levin Classic, the daughter of Starcraft overcame an outside draw to score in effortless fashion and give rider Lisa Allpress a first home Group 1

Age

Sex

3 2 2 4 7 3 2 6 4 3 3

C C F C H C C M C C C

Sire

Dam

Broodmare Sire

Neo Universe (JPN) Sakura Bakushin O (JPN) Agnes Tachyon (JPN) Wild Rush (USA) Fuji Kiseki (JPN) Grass Wonder (USA) Deep Impact (JPN) Manhattan Cafe (JPN) Eishin Sandy (JPN) King Kamehameha (JPN) King Kamehameha (JPN)

Whitewater Affair (GB) Rosy Mist (JPN) Reve d'Oscar (FR) Cinema Scope (JPN) Keltshaan (USA) Star Festa (JPN) Lady Ballade (IRE) El Sol (JPN) Suda Reef (JPN) To the Victory (JPN) Air Groove (JPN)

Machiavellian (USA) Sunday Silence (USA) Highest Honor (FR) Tony Bin Pleasant Colony (USA) Helissio (FR) Unbridled (USA) Royal Ski (USA) South Atlantic Sunday Silence (USA) Tony Bin

Stoute’s 1997 John Porter Stakes winner Whitewater Affair.

Italian Mirco Demuro rode Victoire Pisa and was completing a Group 1 double, having a week earlier guided Grand Prix Boss to success in Japan’s top juvenile colts’ race, the Asahi Hai Futurity.

Grand Prix Boss beat two sons of first-season sire Deep Impact while, in

6 3 3 3 7 4 5 6 6 3

G F C F G F H G G F

Don Eduardo (NZ) Starcraft (NZ) Thorn Park (AUS) Traditionally (USA) Deputy Governor (USA) Stravinsky (USA) E Dubai (USA) Brilliance (USA) Generous (IRE) Redoute's Choice (AUS)

the fillies’ equivalent (the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies), Reve d’Essor, a daughter of the French Group 1 winner Reve d’Oscar, maintained her unbeaten record by half a length from Whale Capture.

A substandard renewal of the Japan Cup Dirt saw the favourite, Transcend, make all the running and hold off Glorious Noah by a neck.

Beautiful Sea (NZ) We Can't Say That (NZ) Cierzo (NZ) Flying Firebird (NZ) Striking Angel (NZ) Lady Terulo (USA) Buckling (AUS) Fritzy Girl (NZ) Kamahi (NZ) Nureyev's Girl (AUS)

success at the age of 35.

Booming, who finished 11th in the Captain Cook over a mile, found the extra two furlongs much more to his liking when getting up late to land the

Grosvenor (NZ) Generous (IRE) Centaine (AUS) Stravinsky (USA) Straight Strike (USA) Kris S (USA) Redoute's Choice (AUS) Cache Of Gold (USA) Grosvenor (NZ) Nureyev (USA)

Zabeel Classic. He defeated the favourite, Red Ruler, by a long neck, with Ginga Dude just a short neck back in third to give trainer Jeff Lynds his sixth top-level triumph of the year.

Clasico Hipodromo de Monterrico Clasico Jose Rodriguez Razzeto

12.0f 8.5f

Interoceanico (PER) Georgui Lui (USA)

5 3

H C

Privately Held (USA) Whywhywhy (USA)

India Brava (USA) Cantonese Bed (IRE)

Fast Gold (USA) Barathea (IRE)

Bloodstock South Africa Cape Guineas Avontuur Estate Cape Fillies' Guineas WPOTA Diadem Stakes Midmar Premier's Trophy Tony Taberer Southern Cross Stakes Ipi Tombe Challenge Christmas Handicap Cape Summer Stayers Handicap

8.0f 8.0f 6.0f 9.0f 5.0f 8.0f 8.0f 12.5f

Solo Traveller (SAF) Ebony Flyer (SAF) Past Master (SAF) Cask (SAF) Covenant (SAF) Gibraltar Blue (IRE) Rich Strike (SAF) Two Strikes (SAF)

3 3 4 4 3 3 4 5

C F C G F F G H

Western Winter (USA) Jet Master (SAF) Jet Master (SAF) Fort Wood (USA) Western Winter (USA) Rock Of Gibraltar (IRE) Strike Smartly (CAN) Strike Smartly (CAN)

Strawberry Lane (SAF) Sunshine Lover (SAF) Early Thaw (SAF) Brandy Butter (AUS) Secret Pact (SAF) Holly Blue (GB) Circle Of Gold (SAF) Striking Gold (SAF)

Jallad (USA) Badger Land (USA) Western Winter (USA) Danehill (USA) Bush Telegraph (SAF) Bluebird (USA) Al Mufti (USA) Fort Wood (USA)

Trainer Justin Snaith dominated the two Cape Classics at Kenilworth. He registered a one-two in the colts’ version, with the heavily-backed Solo United States 26/12 G1 26/12 G1 18/12 G1 11/12 G1 27/12 G2 18/12 G2 05/12 G2 26/12 G3 11/12 G3 11/12 G3 04/12 G3 04/12 G3 04/12 G3

Horse

earlier, this time coming up a nose short of Victoire Pisa, who had finished third in the Japan Cup and was clearly none the worse for a visit to France which had culminated in a seventh place in the Arc. Victoire Pisa stays in training following a hectic three-year-old campaign which also brought victory in the Japanese 2,000 Guineas and third in their Derby. He is a son of Sir Michael

Zabeel Classic D.Hawthorne B'stock Captain Cook Stakes Great Northern Guineas Eight Carat Classic Waikato Times Gold Cup Cal Isuzu Lady Norrie Stakes New Zealand Bloodstock Concorde Handicap Manawatu Higgins Challenge Stakes Hotel Coachman Manawatu Cup Ezibuy Eulogy Stakes

Giant three-year-old We Can Say It Now produced the best performance of the New Zealand season when trouncing her older rivals by four lengths in the Captain Cook Stakes. Despite

Dist

La Brea Stakes Malibu Stakes Cashcall Futurity Hollywood Starlet Stakes San Gabriel Stakes W L McKnight Handicap Bayakoa Handicap Sir Beaufort Stakes Queens County Stakes Fred W Hooper Handicap Native Diver Handicap My Charmer Handicap Tropical Turf Handicap

Trainer John Sadler and jockey Joel Rosario opened the Santa Anita winterspring meeting with a bang, winning all three stakes races including a Grade 1 double courtesy of Switch and Twirling Candy. Switch really

Traveller holding off the fast-finishing outsider Run For It by a neck.

However, it was Ebony Flyer who really caught the eye with a length and a

7.0f 7.0f 8.5f 8.5f 9.0f 12.0f 8.5f 8.0f 9.5f 9.0f 9.0f 9.0f 9.0f

Switch (USA) Twirling Candy (USA) Comma To The Top (USA) Turbulent Descent (USA) Jeranimo (USA) Prince Will I Am (USA) Washington Bridge (USA) Sidney's Candy (USA) More Than A Reason (USA) Tackleberry (USA) Aggie Engineer (USA) Askbut I Won'ttell (USA) Twilight Meteor (CAN)

deserved her four-length triumph in the La Brea Stakes as in her two previous starts she had finished half a length second to the mighty Zenyatta and then filled the same position behind Dubai Majesty in the Breeders’ Cup Filly &

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

quarter defeat of her market rival, Mike de Kock’s 1 million rand yearling purchase Igugu, in the Fillies Guineas.

The pair pulled five and a half lengths

3 3 2 2 4 3 3 3 5 3 5 4 6

F C G F C C F C H C G F H

Quiet American (USA) Candy Ride (ARG) Bwana Charlie (USA) Congrats (USA) Congaree (USA) Victory Gallop (CAN) Yankee Gentleman (USA) Candy Ride (ARG) More Than Ready (USA) Montbrook (USA) E Dubai (USA) Horse Chestnut (SAF) Smart Strike (CAN)

clear of the remainder and Ebony Flyer may now take on the older horses in the J & B Met on January 29 back at Kenilworth.

Antoniette (USA) House Of Danzing (USA) Maggies Storm (USA) Roger's Sue (USA) Jera (USA) Dyna's Dynamo (USA) Stirling Bridge (USA) Fair Exchange (USA) Sab's Reason (USA) Box Of Joy (USA) Papalma (USA) Silver Dollar Kate (USA) One Over Prime (CAN)

Mare Sprint.

Twirling Candy broke the 30-year-old seven-furlong track record when getting up right on the line in the Malibu Stakes to nose out Smiling Tiger.

Comma To The Top proved himself

Nicholas (USA) Chester House (USA) Stormy Atlantic (USA) Forestry (USA) Jeblar (USA) Dynaformer (USA) Prized (USA) Storm Cat (USA) Sabona (USA) Concerto (USA) Dixieland Band (USA) Green Dancer (USA) With Approval (CAN)

a credible Kentucky Derby candidate with a comfortable victory in the CashCall Futurity at Hollywood Park.

But that tells barely half the story as the son of Bwana Charlie spread a plate before the race and was almost

85

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DATA BOOK LISTINGS OF EVERY WORLDWIDE GROUP OR GRADED STAKES WINNER

Global Stakes Results >>

withdrawn, trainer Peter Miller threatening to do the work himself despite never having shod a horse in his life after the farrier originally turned

up without the right tool and then got trodden on and carted off on a stretcher. In total the race was delayed by a full half hour.

The Hollywood Starlet witnesses Turbulent Descent take her career record to a perfect three wins from three outings. Jockey David Flores did

not need to use his whip on the Mike Puype-trained juvenile filly, whose earnings clinched the first-season sire title for her dad, Congrats.

Leading global sires by stakes winners Horse

Born

Sire

Stands/Stood

Giant's Causeway (USA) Danehill Dancer (IRE) Shamardal (USA) Dubawi (IRE) Galileo (IRE) Oasis Dream (GB) Montjeu (IRE) Pivotal (GB) Bernstein (USA) Distorted Humor (USA) Orpen (USA) More Than Ready (USA) Street Cry (IRE) Redoute's Choice (AUS) Cape Cross (IRE) Dansili (GB) Elusive Quality (USA) Zabeel (NZ) Invincible Spirit (IRE) Medaglia d'Oro (USA) Dynaformer (USA)

1997 1993 2002 2002 1998 2000 1996 1993 1997 1993 1996 1997 1998 1996 1994 1996 1993 1986 1997 1999 1985

Storm Cat (USA) Danehill (USA) Giant's Causeway (USA) Dubai Millennium (GB) Sadler's Wells (USA) Green Desert (USA) Sadler's Wells (USA) Polar Falcon (USA) Storm Cat (USA) Forty Niner (USA) Lure (USA) Southern Halo (USA) Machiavellian (USA) Danehill (USA) Green Desert (USA) Danehill (USA) Gone West (USA) Sir Tristram Green Desert (USA) El Prado (IRE) Roberto (USA)

USA AUS IRE AUS IRE UK UK IRE IRE UK IRE NZ UK USA ARG USA AUS IRE ARG USA AUS USA AUS AUS IRE NZ UK USA AUS NZ IRE NZ USA USA

BTH BTW GH GW 50 49 36 31 54 36 40 35 35 35 30 40 33 32 31 28 32 24 25 21 28

24 23 23 22 21 19 19 19 18 18 18 18 17 16 16 16 16 16 15 14 14

23 34 19 20 36 23 23 18 16 16 21 19 21 15 19 13 11 16 9 8 20

9 10 12 13 14 12 11 10 6 5 12 11 13 10 11 10 3 8 7 6 10

BTH = black type horses; BTW = black type winners; GH = Group horses; GW = Group winners

Giant’s Causeway emerges on top as Orpen finishes well As predicted last month, there was indeed a twist in the tale with this table and Giant’s Causeway, who had made significant progress into fourth the month before, emerged as champion thanks to another two black-type winners (BTW). One of these was Showcause, successful in the Group 3 New Zealand Cup. He followed up in Group 2 company in January.

Giant’s Causeway’s best runners, Eskendereya (Wood Memorial Stakes) and Rite Of Passage (Gold Cup), were not seen in the second half of the season and his score of four runners rated 120 or higher is only half that of Galileo. That’s hardly a criticism though.

Galileo’s daughter Igugu was none

too lucky in the Group 1 Cape Fillies’ Guineas, leaving her sire marooned on 21, and few of the other leading sires added to their tallies. Montjeu notched a singleton to take his score to 19.

It is worth repeating that stallions based exclusively in one country stand little chance of leading the list, so the high standing of both Oasis Dream and Pivotal certainly does them credit.

The star of the show in the final month was ex-Coolmore sire Orpen, based at Haras du Thenney for €8,000.

He had shuttled to Argentina and Australia, and it is his South American progeny that projected him up the list. In November and December Orpen was responsible for five Graded scorers in Argentina and Chile, led by Group 1 winners Lady Pelusa and Malpensa.

The wins took Orpen’s tally of individual scorers at that level to ten. Malpensa wasn’t winning out of turn – she had finished second in five Group 1s before.

Leading Flat sires in Europe by earnings Name

Galileo King’s Best Oasis Dream Dubawi Dansili Danehill Dancer Cape Cross Shamardal Pivotal Montjeu Invincible Spirit Anabaa Refuse To Bend Verglas Rock Of Gibraltar Diktat High Chaparral Choisir Green Tune Intikhab Kingsalsa Peintre Celebre Medicean Noverre Monsun Tiger Hill Footstepsinthesand Slickly Exceed And Excel Observatory Hawk Wing Sinndar Halling Hernando Singspiel Kyllachy Rahy Dubai Destination

YOF

1998 1997 2000 2002 1996 1993 1994 2002 1993 1996 1997 1992 2000 1994 1999 1995 1999 1999 1991 1994 1996 1994 1997 1998 1990 1995 2002 1996 2000 1997 1999 1997 1991 1990 1992 1998 1985 1999

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

%WR

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

SH

%

SW

%

Sadler’s Wells Kingmambo Green Desert Dubai Millennium Danehill Danehill Green Desert Giant’s Causeway Polar Falcon Sadler’s Wells Green Desert Danzig Sadler’s Wells Highest Honor Danehill Warning Sadler’s Wells Danehill Dancer Green Dancer Red Ransom Kingmambo Nureyev Machiavellian Rahy Konigsstuhl Danehill Giant’s Causeway Linamix Danehill Distant View Woodman Grand Lodge Diesis Niniski In The Wings Pivotal Blushing Groom Kingmambo

239 214 220 149 207 276 210 138 216 223 266 108 158 242 197 203 154 141 111 135 143 96 192 161 122 177 132 114 172 73 194 96 118 84 124 203 43 172

89 83 99 87 90 107 90 70 106 71 112 41 61 94 81 63 49 49 43 53 60 42 74 71 55 64 57 48 74 29 69 36 44 41 64 82 18 76

37.2 38.8 45.0 58.4 43.5 38.8 42.9 50.7 49.1 31.8 42.1 38.0 38.6 38.8 41.1 31.0 31.8 34.8 38.7 39.3 42.0 43.8 38.5 44.1 45.1 36.2 43.2 42.1 43.0 39.7 35.6 37.5 37.3 48.8 51.6 40.4 41.9 44.2

143 129 168 156 148 159 154 111 159 101 171 63 108 156 131 99 68 82 61 91 90 63 118 118 80 101 83 81 120 36 119 57 66 69 92 128 58 116

10.8 9.2 7.6 9.0 9.4 8.9 9.3 8.6 8.4 11.6 7.5 9.3 8.6 8.5 9.2 8.7 10.1 7.1 10.0 8.6 9.4 10.8 8.6 8.0 11.3 10.4 8.2 9.7 6.7 9.8 9.9 11.5 11.2 11.2 10.8 6.8 9.5 9.9

6,092,972 4,374,677 3,473,770 3,307,339 3,304,794 3,226,402 2,905,053 2,839,998 2,807,942 2,593,605 2,551,497 2,053,097 2,041,958 1,989,940 1,799,328 1,540,955 1,496,315 1,481,516 1,479,157 1,442,088 1,439,663 1,435,041 1,400,881 1,396,411 1,328,883 1,328,869 1,288,236 1,262,376 1,253,235 1,252,700 1,244,418 1,218,330 1,200,281 1,194,058 1,193,291 1,188,673 1,188,121 1,179,972

36 14 32 24 26 31 22 22 29 26 19 6 8 8 17 9 13 10 6 11 5 9 12 8 18 10 16 4 14 5 8 7 11 9 11 9 5 7

15.1 6.5 14.6 16.1 12.6 11.2 10.5 15.9 13.4 11.7 7.1 5.6 5.1 3.3 8.6 4.4 8.4 7.1 5.4 8.2 3.5 9.4 6.3 5.0 14.8 5.7 12.1 3.5 8.1 6.9 4.1 7.3 9.3 10.7 8.9 4.4 11.6 4.1

16 6 17 16 14 14 11 13 15 9 13 5 5 4 7 6 5 3 4 5 2 4 6 3 7 6 5 1 5 2 1 4 6 6 4 4 5 2

6.7 2.8 7.7 10.7 6.8 5.1 5.2 9.4 6.9 4.0 4.9 4.6 3.2 1.7 3.6 3.0 3.3 2.1 3.6 3.7 1.4 4.2 3.1 1.9 5.7 3.4 3.8 0.9 2.9 2.7 0.5 4.2 5.1 7.1 3.2 2.0 11.6 1.2

Galileo domination could last for years None of the top 20 sires changed position in the final month but champion Galileo had another four winners to take his score to 89.

Three of the quartet were juveniles, giving him a final figure of 21 in that category. By comparison, Invincible Spirit had 41 winning two-year-olds out of his overall score of 112 and Dubawi 34 out of 87.

Galileo’s 21 two-year-old scorers included three at Group 1 level – Frankel, Misty For Me and Roderic O’Connor – plus Seville and Together, runners-up at that level.

This confirms, as if we did not know it already, that the Coolmore stallion offers quality rather than quantity with his youngsters, and the full combination with his three-year-olds and up.

With such a range of high-quality runners, and doubtless more on the way, Galileo would be a short price in any ante-post market on this year’s championship, along with those for several years ahead.

Statistics Jan 1-Dec 31, 2010

86

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OVERSEAS WINNERS For full list see www.ownerbreeder.co.uk Breeder Al Qatami & Hugo Merry, M. Anamoine Ltd Balding, P. Ballygallon Stud Limited Barnett Ltd, W. and R. Belgrave Bloodstock Bergin, D. & T. Berglar, C. Bone, Mrs L. B. K. Brady, P. Campbell-Andenaes, Mrs M. Celbridge Estates Ltd Citadel Stud Cooper, T. J. Corduff Stud & J. Corcoran Darley Darley Dayton Investments Ltd Dayton Investments Ltd Dunne, F. Evans, P. Fair, I. D. Foley, K. Forges, B. Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd Gainsborough Stud Management Ltd Georgestown Stud Gibbons & P. & Mrs Gibbons, D. Gorman & B. Gallagher, S. Grangemore Stud Halifax, The Earl Of Hartery, Mrs C. Hartery, N. Hesmonds Stud Ltd Hicks, P. M. Horse Breeding Company Hunt, Mr R. A. Hyperion Bloodstock Iona Equine Irish National Stud Jenny Hall Bloodstock Ltd Juddmonte Farms Ltd Kelly, Mr T. Kelly, P. Kenilworth House Stud Kennedy, Mrs P. Kildaragh Stud Kilfrush Stud Kilfrush Stud Kirtlington Stud & Gilridge Bloodstock Lodge Park Stud London Thoroughbred Services Ltd London Thoroughbred Services Ltd McCartan, P. McGlynn, M. Middle Park Stud Ltd Monaghan, J. J. Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd Murphy, Miss J. Murtagh, Mrs O. Newsells Park Stud Limited Northmore Stud Nunn, S. Oak Lodge Stud O'Brien, M. O'Brien, R. & H. O'Connor, J. O'Dwyer & J. Ryan, J. Oghill House Stud O'Neill, P. Paget Bloodstock Plainfosse, A. Rathbarry Stud Reid, J. G. Ridgecourt Stud Round Hill Stud Shadwell Estate Company Limited Shadwell Estate Company Limited Spooner, Mr H. Q. St Clare Hall Stud Stack, Mrs L. Sunny Days Ltd Sunny Days Ltd Swordlestown Stud T. W. Bloodstock Ltd Tally-Ho Stud Tally-Ho Stud Tinnakill Bloodstock Ltd & F. Craig Waterford Hall Stud Ltd Watership Down Stud Whisperview Trading Ltd Windflower Overseas Holdings Inc Wood Hall Stud Limited Wood Hall Stud Limited Yeomanstown Stud

Winner Lord Peter Flint (IRE) Bellini Bliss (IRE) Mr Rigsby (GB) War Is War (IRE) Golden Eagle (GB) Kyoei Basara (GB) Green Beret (IRE) Lanoline (IRE) Mr Mahoganeigh (GB) Mutawarath (IRE) Eighty Eight Red (GB) Prince d'Alienor (IRE) Mafra (IRE) Miss Starlight (GB) Zabaleta (IRE) Mastery (GB) Emmrooz (GB) Board Meeting (IRE) Bank Guard (IRE) Montmorency (IRE) Ghetto Gospel (IRE) Haut La Main (IRE) Helaku (IRE) Blue Gate (IRE) Atlantic Brave (GB) Marmoom Flower (IRE) Royaaty (IRE) Keyofsong (GB) Pentathlon (IRE) Wanate (IRE) Ucandri (IRE) Zenside (IRE) Massyaf (IRE) Treachery (IRE) Everygrainofsand (IRE) Mark To Market (IRE) Sunny Peace (GB) Red Baron Dancer (GB) Betcherev (IRE) Orlando Dawn (GB) Vitesse Superieure (GB) London China Town (IRE) Blackberry Boy (IRE) Bertie's Best (GB) Blog (GB) Choose Wisely (IRE) Vilasol (IRE) Pim Pam (IRE) Rio Black (IRE) El Pib d'Oro (IRE) New Boyfriend (IRE) Captain Kidd (IRE) Anse Georgette (GB) Seiun Jaguars (IRE) Dream Of Kunda (GB) Salcedo (GB) Kala Kanta (IRE) Maldon Prom (IRE) Comradeship (IRE) Blue Verglas (IRE) Firey Red (IRE) King's Omaha (IRE) Wo Ai Ninn (GB) Royal Import (GB) Eire (GB) Prisca Vivaz (IRE) Canwinn (IRE) Indian Blue (IRE) Andreino (IRE) In Some Respect (IRE) Swingville (IRE) Mixed Intention (IRE) Relative Night (IRE) Belle Masquee (IRE) Damozane (IRE) Rada Angel (IRE) Tomorrow People (IRE) Montaquila (GB) Inside Track (IRE) La Dama Del Vento (GB) Alsadeek (IRE) Wedding Fair (GB) Venomous (GB) Another Express (IRE) Mystic Joy (IRE) Mystic Joy (IRE) Cape Dubai (IRE) Alo Pura (GB) Americangangster (IRE) Mal And Dave (IRE) Voussoir (IRE) Super Indian (IRE) Effort (GB) Beethoven (IRE) Snow Fairy (IRE) Final Answer (GB) Final Answer (GB) Maitres des Airs (IRE)

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Sire Cadeaux Genereux Big Bad Bob (IRE) Forzando Galileo (IRE) Montjeu (IRE) Aussie Rules (USA) Fayruz Kahyasi Mark Of Esteem (IRE) Marju (IRE) Dubawi (IRE) Verglas (IRE) Kalanisi (IRE) Trade Fair (GB) Marju (IRE) Sulamani (IRE) Red Ransom (USA) Anabaa (USA) Peintre Celebre (USA) Pivotal (GB) Celtic Swing (GB) Beat Hollow (GB) Rakti (GB) Ocean Of Wisdom (USA) Piccolo (GB) Cape Cross (IRE) Singspiel (IRE) Key Of Luck (USA) Storming Home (GB) Shamardal (USA) Refuse To Bend (IRE) Diktat (GB) One Cool Cat (USA) Dr Fong (USA) Desert Sun (GB) Clodovil (IRE) Vision of Night (GB) Fraam (GB) Barathea (IRE) Mark Of Esteem (IRE) Statue Of Liberty (USA) War Chant (USA) Desert Prince (IRE) King's Best (USA) Peintre Celebre (USA) Choisir (AUS) Verglas (IRE) Verglas (IRE) Captain Rio (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) High Chaparral (IRE) Galileo (IRE) Starcraft (NZ) Footstepsinthesand (GB) Oasis Dream (GB) Dansili (GB) Verglas (IRE) Kheleyf (USA) Dubawi (IRE) Verglas (IRE) Pivotal (GB) King's Best (USA) High Chaparral (IRE) Royal Applause (GB) Medicean (GB) Tagula (IRE) Refuse To Bend (IRE) Fumo di Londra (IRE) Titus Livius (FR) Indian Haven (GB) Antonius Pius (USA) Elusive City (USA) Night Shift (USA) Oratorio (IRE) Ballingarry (IRE) Le Vie Dei Colori (GB) Redback (GB) Hawk Wing (USA) Bertolini (USA) Librettist (USA) Fasliyev (USA) Oratorio (IRE) Red Ransom (USA) Choisir (AUS) Shamardal (USA) Shamardal (USA) Cape Cross (IRE) Anabaa (USA) Redback (GB) Redback (GB) Verglas (IRE) Indian Haven (GB) Dr Fong (USA) Oratorio (IRE) Intikhab (USA) Kyllachy (GB) Kyllachy (GB) Hawk Wing (USA)

Age/sex 6h 3f 8g 2c 4c 2c 4g 7h 3c 4g 3c 2c 4f 3f 2c 4c 5h 4f 5h 4c 4g 2f 3c 6g 4c 4f 4c 5m 6g 4f 3c 5m 3c 4g 7g 3g 5m 4g 6g 4g 4f 4g 6h 4f 5h 2c 4g 3f 3c 5h 5h 6h 3f 3c 3c 4c 4c 3g 3c 3c 4f 3c 4g 3c 7m 2f 4c 6h 2c 3c 4c 2f 5h 4f 4f 3f 2c 6g 3g 2f 5g 3f 2c 6h 3c 4c 3c 6m 2c 3g 3c 2c 4g 3c 3f 3c 4c 2c

Dam Bibi Karam (IRE) Soviet Belle (IRE) Rain Splash (GB) Walkamia (FR) Grain Of Gold (GB) Annalina (USA) Grandel (GB) La Capilla (GB) Sweet Cando (IRE) Castlerahan (IRE) Half Past Twelve (USA) Vassiana (FR) Sovana (IRE) Redeem (IRE) Les Alizes (IRE) Moyesii (USA) Nasmatt (GB) Bright Moon (USA) Blue Cloud (IRE) Clear Spring (USA) Saying Grace (IRE) Trexana (GB) Saibhreas (IRE) Shavya (GB) Princess Anabaa (FR) Requesting (GB) Whisper To Dream (USA) Song Of Success (USA) Nawaiet (USA) Passion Bleue (GB) Original (GB) Zenith (GB) Vanitycase (IRE) Trick (IRE) Serious Delight (GB) Genetta (GB) Three Gifts (GB) Reamzafonic (GB) Clare Bridge (USA) Yellow Ribbon (IRE) Energetic Star (GB) Green Minstrel (FR) Summer Crush (USA) Just Wood (FR) Bright And Clear (GB) Right After Moyne (IRE) Pitrizza (IRE) Pacy's Ridgae (IRE) Jemima Yorke Trinity Joy (GB) New Story (USA) Zelda (IRE) Seguro (IRE) Lady Miletrian (IRE) Kunda (IRE) Kindle (GB) Rappide (IRE) Misty Peak (IRE) Friendlier (GB) Soviet Treat (IRE) Step With Style (USA) Lady Elysees (USA) Go Out Backwards (FR) Flamingo Queen (GER) Mavourneen (USA) Hunzy (IRE) Born To Glamour (GB) Blue Vista (IRE) Piccelina (GB) Burnin' Memories (USA) Queenliness (GB) Chiosina (IRE) Young Rosein (GB) Secret Wells (USA) Baliyna (USA) Red Letter (GB) No Tomorrow (IRE) Intellectuelle (GB) True Crystal (IRE) Kitabaat (IRE) Khulan (USA) Theatrical Act (USA) Snake Dancer (IRE) Chantarella (IRE) Mystic Mile (IRE) Mystic Mile (IRE) Sharp Catch (IRE) Rubies From Burma (USA) Pititana (IRE) Louvolite (IRE) Octagleam (GB) Madame Moonshine (GB) Party Doll Queen Titi (IRE) Woodland Dream (IRE) Valandraud (IRE) Valandraud (IRE) Carallia (IRE)

Ctry Hk Usa Spa Fr Pol Jpn Uae Ity Hk Aus Fr Fr Fr Qtr Hk Hk Uae Fr Fr Uae Hk Fr Gr Fr Uae Fr Uae Ity Fr Fr Fr Fr Fr Uae Gr Uae Usa Hk Fr Sin Fr Hk Spa Fr Qtr Qtr Hk Fr Ity Fr Fr Jpn Fr Jpn Ity Fr Uae Mac Uae Fr Usa Ity Hk Usa Fr Fr Uae Fr Fr Hk Fr Fr Ity Fr Fr Fr Ity Mac Gr Ity Uae Ity Fr Hk Fr Fr Ity Uae Ity Fr Fr Ity Uae Qtr Hk Hk Hk Fr

Date 05/01/11 01/12/10 02/01/11 27/12/10 24/10/10 12/12/10 16/12/10 06/01/11 27/12/10 18/12/10 03/01/11 14/12/10 23/12/10 09/12/10 23/12/10 12/12/10 17/12/10 26/10/10 28/12/10 11/12/10 01/01/11 18/12/10 10/12/10 08/01/11 17/12/10 23/12/10 30/12/10 01/01/11 08/01/11 03/01/11 17/12/10 06/01/11 01/01/11 16/12/10 21/12/10 09/12/10 30/12/10 01/12/10 31/12/10 17/12/10 31/12/10 09/01/11 26/12/10 08/01/11 23/12/10 23/12/10 01/12/10 22/12/10 23/12/10 08/01/11 18/12/10 26/12/10 25/12/10 05/12/10 21/12/10 04/01/11 31/12/10 11/12/10 16/12/10 12/12/10 30/12/10 10/01/11 15/12/10 12/12/10 11/01/11 14/12/10 17/12/10 21/12/10 20/12/10 19/12/10 08/01/11 31/12/10 09/12/10 07/01/11 12/12/10 20/12/10 29/12/10 07/01/11 10/12/10 24/12/10 31/12/10 12/12/10 09/12/10 01/01/11 20/12/10 03/01/11 30/12/10 16/12/10 18/12/10 22/12/10 17/12/10 26/12/10 17/12/10 23/12/10 12/12/10 12/12/10 09/01/11 28/12/10

Racecourse Happy Valley Hollywood Park Dos Hermanas Deauville Warsaw Kokura Meydan Pisa Sha Tin Randwick Deauville Pau Deauville Al Rayyan Happy Valley Sha Tin Jebel Ali Saint-Cloud Deauville Sharjah Sha Tin Deauville Athens Deauville Jebel Ali Deauville Meydan Siracusa Deauville Deauville Deauville Pau Pau Meydan Athens Meydan Santa Anita Happy Valley Deauville Kranji Deauville Sha Tin Dos Hermanas Deauville Al Rayyan Al Rayyan Happy Valley Deauville Rome Deauville Marseille Pont De Vivaux Hanshin Pau Nakayama Rome Pau Jebel Ali Taipa Meydan Argentan Calder Naples Happy Valley Hollywood Park Deauville Pau Jebel Ali Pau Deauville Sha Tin Deauville Deauville Livorno Deauville Argentan Deauville Naples Taipa Athens Naples Jebel Ali Pisa Deauville Sha Tin Deauville Deauville Varese Meydan Rome Deauville Deauville Siracusa Jebel Ali Al Rayyan Sha Tin Sha Tin Sha Tin Deauville

Distance 6f 1m 1m 1m1f110y 6f110y 5f 6f 1m3f 5f 1m 7f110y 7f110y 1m4f 1m1f55y 6f 1m4f 1m 1m2f110y 1m1f110y 6f 1m2f 7f110y 1m7f 6f110y 1m 2m1f 1m2f 6f 2m1f 1m1f110y 1m4f 6f110y 1m1f110y 1m1f110y 1m 1m 1m 5f 1m4f 6f 6f110y 6f 1m3f 7f110y 1m4f 7f 1m55y 7f110y 7f 6f110y 1m2f 1m4f 1m1f110y 1m 1m 1m1f110y 1m 6f 6f 1m1f165y 1m 1m1f 1m55y 1m 1m1f110y 7f110y 7f 1m1f110y 7f110y 7f 7f110y 7f110y 7f110y 1m1f110y 1m6f 1m1f110y 1m1f 6f110y 7f 1m2f 6f 1m3f 7f110y 6f 1m1f110y 1m1f110y 7f110y 6f 6f 6f110y 6f110y 1m 6f 1m2f 1m2f 6f 6f 7f110y

Prize-money (ÂŁ) 30,124 10,741 6,897 10,619 9,957 33,289 8,053 5,172 63,484 23,333 9,052 6,195 8,407 7,729 29,021 634,845 (Gr1) 12,080 35,398 (Gr3) 8,407 6,543 40,008 10,619 14,729 6,466 10,067 7,965 8,053 8,620 7,328 7,759 12,832 6,466 6,466 5,033 5,087 5,033 5,926 52,148 7,965 15,333 7,080 57,081 7,080 7,759 7,729 7,729 29,021 12,832 5,641 8,190 5,310 100,120 6,195 69,907 7,522 6,466 8,053 12,673 11,073 7,965 9,630 6,465 29,021 5,185 8,621 6,195 7,046 5,752 10,619 52,148 7,759 12,832 7,522 9,483 7,080 24,336 (L) 5,641 20,512 5,620 5,641 11,073 21,061 (L) 12,832 40,008 7,965 8,621 5,641 11,073 5,641 7,522 7,965 7,522 7,046 38,644 906,921 (Gr1) 52,148 57,081 7,522

87

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FLASHBACK

February 24, 1990 Desert Orchid and Richard Dunwoody lead over the water jump in the Racing Post Chase at Kempton

GEORGE SELWYN

“ 1

3

4

1 Desert Orchid Richard Dunwoody 2 Solidasarock Luke Harvey 3 Delius Peter Hobbs 4 Seagram Nigel Hawke

88

2

T

hat was probably the best performance of any horse I ever rode. Charter Party won the Gold Cup but it wasn’t on a par with Dessie that day,” says Richard Dunwoody, describing Desert Orchid’s effort in the 1990 Racing Post Chase at Kempton, when the grey scored easily by eight lengths despite having to give two stone and upwards to seven rivals.

“Delius [the runner-up] was a good horse and he was getting two stone but we thrashed him.

“There is extra pressure riding a horse like him. You try to keep calm and treat it like any other race but you don’t just have to answer to the owner and the trainer – he was so popular I had half the country breathing down my neck!

“His jumping was very good and he had a lot of scope. He took off outside the wings at

the second last. He was also the most powerful horse I ever rode and he had such a neck on him.”

Three weeks after his breathtaking display at Kempton, Desert Orchid was odds-on to win his second Cheltenham Gold Cup, only to find 100-1 outsider Norton’s Coin and Toby Tobias too good on the day.

In all, Dunwoody won seven races on Dessie, including two King George VI Chases (Simon Sherwood was on board for the other two) and an Irish Grand National.

Delius ran only once more after the Racing Post Chase, finishing last of five behind Toby Tobias in the 1990 Martell Cup at Aintree Third-placed Seagram, owned by ROA Council member Sir Eric Parker, proved that stamina was his forte by landing the Grand National a year later with Nigel Hawke in the saddle.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

B Bearstone OB Feb 2011_Bearstone OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:09 Page 1

BEARSTONE STUD The Source of Speed...

STALLIONS FOR 2011

FIREBREAK GROUP 1 MILLIONAIRE MILER - GROUP 1 SIRE Sire of dual Champion HEARTS OF FIRE (rated 117) and 9% Group and Listed Winners to Runners from the first of his two crops HEARTS OF FIRE sold for 550,000gns at Tattersalls' Horses-in-Training Sale the second highest price ever at this sale

INDESATCHEL CHAMPION BRITISH FIRST CROP SIRE IN 2010

BY PRIZE MONEY AND ALSO WINNERS ON THE TURF From a crop conceived at only £3,000 he has outperformed all stallions in Britain and Ireland with a 2007 covering fee up to €10,000 and all but two which stood for up to £20,000

MAJOR CADEAUX TOP CLASS SPRINTER / MILER AND MULTIPLE GROUP WINNER By the outstanding stallion and sire of sires Cadeaux Genereux A classy first book of mares included Group and Stakes winners, daughters, dams and grandams of Group and Stakes winners, and sisters and half sisters to Group 1 horses

...where Quality meets Value NB Only the produce of British-based stallions are eligible for Breeders’ Prizes Enquiries: Terry or Margaret Holdcroft or Mark Pennell, Bearstone Stud, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 4HF, England Office: 44 (0)1630 647197 Mobile: 44 (0)7974 948755 e: enquiries@bearstonestud.co.uk w: www.bearstonestud.co.uk

Call for the best available deals

Statistics supplied by Hyperion Promotions Ltd.

Darley OB Feb 2011_Darley OB Feb 2011 18/01/2011 11:11 Page 1

WINNER OF THE DERBY!

BY FIVE BRILLIANT LENGTHS. Winner of the Racing Post Trophy.

And a special Juddmonte International.

Yearlings sell for up to £179,000.

They race this year.

Prepare to be mesmerized.

AUTHORIZED £15,000 Oct 1st, SLF. Dalham Hall Stud, Newmarket Call the Noms team on +44 (0)1638 730070 or +353 (0)45 527600 www.darleystallions.com

Darley