Thoroughbred Owner Breeder

ÂŁ4.95 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE 173

Rapid returns

Muhaarar among the young sires in demand at the sales

PLUS

Olly Murphy

Ambitious trainer targets title

ROA Awards

Equine stars celebrated

Jack Gilligan

Stateside adventure thrills

Jan_173_Cover.indd 1

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

14/12/2018 17:15

38797_Sprinters_TBOB_DPS_Jan19.qxp_TBOB_DPS 10/12/2018 16:07 Page 1

CARAVAGGIO (Scat Daddy) * FASTNET ROCK (Danehill) * HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR (Danehill) * MASTERCRAFTSMAN (Danehill Dancer)

MERCHANT NAVY (Fastnet Rock) * NO NAY NEVER (Scat Daddy)

PRIDE OF DUBAI (Street Cry) SIOUX NATION (Scat Daddy) * STARSPANGLEDBANNER (Choisir)

U S NAVY FLAG (War Front) * ZOFFANY (Dansili) * All sires of Gr.1 winners

• AUSTRALIA • CAMELOT • CARAVAGGIO • CHAMPS ELYSEES • CHURCHILL • EXCELEBRATION • FASTNET ROCK • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • GALILEO • GLENEAGLES • GUSTAV KLIMT • • HIGHLAND REEL • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • IVAWOOD • KINGSTON HILL • MASTERCRAFTSMAN • MERCHANT NAVY • NO NAY NEVER • PRIDE OF DUBAI • REQUINTO • • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • RULER OF THE WORLD • SAXON WARRIOR • SIOUX NATION • STARSPANGLEDBANNER • THE GURKHA • U S NAVY FLAG • WAR COMMAND • ZOFFANY •

38797_Sprinters_TBOB_DPS_Jan19.qxp_TBOB_DPS 10/12/2018 16:08 Page 2

U S NAVY FLAG

NEW

European Champion 2yo and July Cup winner

The first horse to land the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes since Diesis in 1982!

SIOUX NATION

NEW

Winner of the Phoenix Stakes and Norfolk Stakes

“

a fine sprinting type on looks, big and good-bodied

“

Timeform

NEW

MERCHANT NAVY Gr.1-winning sprinter in Australia and at Royal Ascot

“

“

a hugely valuable stallion prospect

RACING POST, after the Diamond Jubilee Stakes-Gr.1

Contact: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Tel: 353-52-6131298. Fax: 353-52-6131382. Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars, Jason Walsh, Tom Miller or Neil Magee. Tom Gaffney, David Magnier, Joe Hernon, John Kennedy or Cathal Murphy: 353-25-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) 44-7827-795156.

E-mail: sales@coolmore.ie Website: www.coolmore.com All stallions nominated to EBF.

A NEW CHANNEL DEDICATED TO HORSE RACING

attheraces.com

Racing_progad_210x297_3bl_Owner_breeder.indd 1

29/11/2018 10:45

Welcome

Young guns target the top on both sides of the pond

Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Luxury Editor: Sarah Rodrigues Fashion Editor: Christopher Modoo Design/production: 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 Twitter: @OwnerBreeder Equine Advertising: Giles Anderson/ Oscar Yeadon UK: 01380 816777 IRE: 041 971 2000 USA: 1 888 218 4430 advertise@anderson-co.com Luxury/Fashion Advertising: Nick Edgley Tel: 07774703491 nedgley@nemediaworld.com

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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 £75 £120 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 Our monthly average readership is 20,000 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.roa.co.uk 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

£4.95 JANUARY 2019 ISSUE 173

Rapid returns

Muhaarar among the young sires in demand at the sales

PLUS

Olly Murphy

Ambitious trainer targets title

ROA Awards

Equine stars celebrated

Jack Gilligan

Stateside adventure thrills

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

Jan_173_Cover.indd 1

Cover: Muhaarar has been turning heads since embarking on his stallion career at Shadwell’s Nunnery Stud Photo: Shadwell

Jan_173_Editors.indd 3

Edward Rosenthal Editor

14/12/2018 17:15

lly Murphy is a young man going places.

Gordon Elliott’s former assistant struck out on his own in 2017 and has quickly established himself as a shrewd trainer who knows how to place his horses to maximum effect.

Hitting 47 winners in his first season, Murphy has already passed that total this term with the promise of plenty more to come. While he may not yet have the ammunition to challenge his ex-boss at the big meetings, an impressive list of owners attached to Murphy’s Warwickshire stable suggests it won’t be long before the pupil is taking on the master on the showpiece racedays.

Murphy certainly doesn’t lack for confidence in his outlook and appears to relish being his own man, despite the pressures of running a near 100-horse yard.

“I want to be competing at the top end on Saturdays,” he tells Tim Richards (Talking To, pages 42-46). “Any young person who’s training racehorses and doesn’t want to be champion trainer needs to go and find a different occupation.

“I want to be champion trainer, the best. If you don’t want to be the best, then you’re in the wrong job.

“I’m not the sort of person who bothers much about pressure. I think I might even thrive on it. You bring pressure on yourself with success as well as failure. The day you don’t get nervous when you have a runner is the day you don’t want to be training racehorses.”

Jack Gilligan is another young man on the up, albeit on the other side of the Atlantic. The 22-year-old swapped Newmarket for Kentucky in 2014 when he decided to continue his riding career in the USA, his parents making the move with him.

It was a brave call from a teenager who had enjoyed a handful of winners in Britain, but the decision is certainly bearing fruit. From being an unknown in American racing circles he is now riding for some of the most powerful operations and has, at the time of writing, 263

winners to his name, with his mounts earning almost $6 million.

It’s difficult to imagine Gilligan recording those kind of numbers had he decided to remain at home, where he was based with Sir Mark Prescott. Unsurprisingly, he has no plans at present to return to race-ride in Britain.

“We thought, let’s have a family adventure.

We bought tickets with a six-month return. We ended up loving it and we stayed. It’s the best decision we’ve ever made,” says Gilligan (The Finish Line, page 128).

“My schedule, compared to Britain, is a lot better from a lifestyle point of view. We don’t have to do as much morning work and it’s nice to have more days to myself.

“Murphy doesn’t lack for confidence and relishes being his own man” “I have been lucky in the past two years.

I’ve ridden for some great trainers and I have a good relationship with so many. They’re starting to use me more and more. Hopefully, I’ve made good on the opportunity that I’ve been given.”

Gilligan can currently be found riding at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, where he is up against the likes of Adam Beschizza and Sophie Doyle, who have also found the US a happy home in recent years.

The ROA Horseracing Awards in December celebrated the equine stars and their connections from the past 12 months. Our extended coverage of racing’s biggest night out starts on page 59.

I would like to wish all our readers the very best for 2019.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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14/12/2018 18:19

Contents

January 2019

59 48

News & Views

International Scene

ROA Leader

View From Ireland 7

New Year brings optimism

9

Aftercare important

Cheltenham Festival review released

10

Gary Stevens and Starspangledbanner

12

Features

Changes News in a nutshell

Tony Morris 20

28

Bookmaker-jockey relationship concerns

31

The Big Picture Tennessee takes Trophy

16

From The Archives

Howard Wright 22

Royal Bond in 1981

18

Talking To...

Racing Life

Trainer Olly Murphy

Travel, jewellery and fashion

4

Kidney full of beans

Around The Globe

News

From South Africa to Mayfair

25

Continental Tales

TBA Leader

Hard to capture younger brigade

Stable staff seek better deal

42

The Big Switch 34

All change for the racing channels

48

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Jan_173_Contents.indd 4

14/12/2018 18:38

42

80

128

Features Stallion Trails In France and Ireland

ROA Horseracing Awards Racing's big night of celebration

Yearling Market Overview Sires that succeed at the sales

Sales Circuit European round-up and results

Dr Statz Broodmare sires in focus

The Finish Line With jockey Jack Gilligan

Forum 53 59 74

TTC Careers Course popular

ROA Forum New partnership with Hereford

Jan_173_Contents.indd 5

Elite Mares Scheme 2019 update

Encouraging mares to cycle early

122

Stallion Statistics

100 102

118

Data Book Graded Races

128

110

Vet Forum

80

Forum The Thoroughbred Club

TBA Forum

Winners and analysis Kodiac takes the plaudits

124 127

Did you know?

Our monthly average readership is

20,000 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

5

14/12/2018 18:38

ROA Leader

Nicholas Cooper President

Reasons to be cheerful despite the uncertainties W

hat will the New Year bring for British racing? There is a lot on the sport’s political agenda, not least the effect of whatever is eventually decided on Brexit and the extent to which this might restrict the free movement of horses within Europe. But, important though this is, it is a subject for another day, when the Brexit parameters have finally been drawn.

Closer to home, what can we make of the Levy Board having again received a stay of execution now that government reforms have, at least temporarily, hit the buffers? It is well known the Board’s distribution function was to be placed into the hands of a new Racing Authority, while the Gambling Commission was to take on the collection of levy funds. It seems this change can only now come about through primary legislation, but it is anybody’s guess, in this period of political turmoil, as to when the necessary parliamentary time can be found.

So much work has gone in to setting up the Racing Authority under the chairmanship of Sir Hugh Robertson, who showed great magnanimity in suggesting in his recent Gimcrack speech that we should now exercise caution in continuing to push for the Levy Board’s demise.

Those who felt this was a strange reaction from a man who was going to be in charge of a body that was to supersede the Board, should perhaps think again. Rocking the Levy Board boat is maybe not a wise thing to do in these uncertain times and racing has, in any case, gained the most important advantage in this area when levy payments were extended to include overseas bookmakers taking bets on UK racing, this having already produced a substantial increase in the levy yield.

Sir Hugh also pointed out that much of the parliamentary debate about the Levy Board’s future was used by some MPs as a platform for their views on animal welfare as it relates to racing.

Welfare is indeed a recurring theme among those who view racing from the outside and, while we must always be forthright in our reaction to attempts to change our sport, we cannot be blind to public perception, which is so often reflected in how governments think.

It is, then, easy to predict that 2019 and beyond will see a further hardening of public attitude towards animal welfare, with an increased focus on such precious events as the Grand National and Cheltenham, to say nothing of the use of the whip, which outside of racing is increasingly viewed as being unacceptable.

It is easy to understand, as Nick Rust said in his recent Racing Post article, why racing folk should be defensive about these issues when most of them would rather maim themselves before

Jan_173_ROALeader.indd 7

hurting the horses in their care, but, sadly, public perception often does not take this into account.

We have also seen how government has shown its commitment to protecting vulnerable elements in our society with the new FOBTs legislation to be implemented in the spring, safer gambling restrictions being imposed on the betting industry and pressure having successfully been put on bookmakers to curb TV advertising during general sports coverage.

“Welfare is a recurring theme in society and we cannot be blind to public perception” Although the reduction of stakes on FOBTs will cause betting shop closures, with its inevitable impact on racing’s income, it is reassuring that racing has been excluded from the betting advertising exemption on sporting events, thereby ensuring that our sport can continue to enjoy the all-important exposure it currently receives from ITV. Horserace betting once accounted for 80% of betting shop business. Those times will never return but enough has happened in the past year to suggest the sport of horseracing continues to be seen as the perfect betting medium. Not just by many of those who bet but by those who regulate betting. For all our problems, this is reassuring as we go into 2019.

A happy New Year to you all.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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14/12/2018 17:32

Full speed ahead

Twilight Son

Won

Gr.1 Haydock Sprint Cup, 6f.

Won

Gr.1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, 6f.

2nd

Gr.1 British Champions Sprint Stakes, 6f.

The natural successor to his sire line

KYLLACHY & PIVOTAL First crop yearlings in 2019 Fee: £8,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

o

Als

won both his starts at 2 years.

First crop foals made €95,000, €68,000, 57,000gns, etc.

Cheveley Park Stud Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9DD • Tel: (01638) 730316 • enquiries@cheveleypark.co.uk www.cheveleypark.co.uk • L @CPStudOfficial

TwilightSon_Owner_Jan19.indd 1

14/12/2018 12:04

TBA Leader

Julian Richmond-Watson Chairman

New welfare programmes require fresh funding A

t the beginning of each new year it is customary to look back on what has happened over the past 12 months, which from the bloodstock point of view have revealed worrying trends that were highlighted by the sales season in Britain, Ireland and France.

Headline figures can be deceptive. They might have looked strong on paper and rewarding for those fortunate enough to be involved at this level, but they disguise fragility in the middle and lower market across the board. Thus, the most recent increases in foal production are at severe risk of reversal, as breeders go through the facts and figures of their overall financial returns during 2018.

A decline or potential decline in coverings is already being reported in a number of major bloodstock producing countries, and this trend could increase if returns do not improve.

The cry of overproduction is often heard, and so some adjustment may be good for the overall industry. In Britain, domestic production does not even supply half the number of horses needed to fulfil an acceptable racing programme, with the shortfall made up from horses that are imported. With many breeders making unacceptable returns and beginning to cut back, the situation of supply could tighten very quickly as the fixture list continues to expand.

Welfare is another issue that has moved rapidly up the agenda. It can be an emotive subject, but as I have pointed out before, a happy and healthy horse is the one that repays its connections on the racecourse and in breeding. Any thoroughbred that is not looked after appropriately will fail to deliver for its owner.

Following December’s debate in the House of Commons, there is a move to create a Welfare Board. The aim is laudable, and it is important to get a Welfare Board up and running with an appropriate independent chair, and then to consult across the industry to decide which areas should take priority and which groups of people are best suited to examine each area and propose what work needs to be done.

Foaling and the management of the young thoroughbred, and the aftercare of horses that have finished racing, are very different to what happens in daily racing operations and require separate proposals and approaches.

The aftercare of a horse who leaves racing and is no longer the responsibility of a licensed trainer broadly falls into three categories: breeding, recreation or full retirement.

It is important to consider each of these aspects as having separate needs.

Jan_173_TBA_Leader.indd 9

To support breeders in meeting their responsibilities to ensure the highest standards of health and welfare for the horses in their care, the TBA provides its members with education, guidance, policies and the HBLB Codes of Practice, which are reviewed each year. The Codes are one example where we lead the way and continue to raise equine health standards internationally. We also fund equine veterinary research for the purposes of improving practices associated with the producing and rearing of the Thoroughbred, the health and therefore soundness of the breed and co-fund the Equine Infectious Disease Service at the Animal Health Trust.

Retraining racehorses for a useful life after racing has proved a great success and the level of retraining and support needed will be apparent to those involved. A recent trial in

“Breeders and owners already contribute significantly to the aftercare of racehorses� the United States has shown that retraining thoroughbreds can add real value and in many cases be self-funding, as they are sold on at a profit for a further useful life.

Extra effort in this area will cost more money, yet breeders and owners already contribute significantly to the welfare and aftercare of horses raced in Britain. If substantial funding is required for the new welfare programmes, then imaginative ways from all those responsible will need to be found to unlock the funding.

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16/12/2018 11:03

News

Cheltenham review finds 17 ways to make Festival safer

The maximum field size for the Grand Annual Handicap Chase, in which three horses died in March, has been reduced from 24 to 20

A

reduction in maximum field sizes, increased pre-race veterinary checks and incentivising connections to use more experienced jockeys are among 17 recommendations published in a BHA report, commissioned in the wake of six equine fatalities at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

The review, which included input from the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare, is aimed at reducing the risk of future injuries at Cheltenham, including at the Festival, and across the whole of jump racing.

It focussed on six categories: the courses; the obstacles; participant factors; starts, safety factors and race tempo; programming and race conditions; and veterinary histories and protective measures. The detailed analysis covered all races run at the Festival from 2007 to 2018, including 5,451 runners and 308 fallers.

Headline recommendations from the review include: • Pre-race veterinary examinations will be increased to include all runners in all races at the Festival, with a view to identifying any risk factors that might make it necessary to prevent a horse from running in a race; • Reduction in ‘safety factor’ (maximum

10

field size) in all two-mile chases run at the course from 24 to 20, with the race most likely to be affected by this being the Grand Annual Chase; • Race conditions of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle to be altered to remove all rider weight-claiming allowances, thereby incentivising connections to secure the services of the most experienced jockeys; • BHA to engage with participants to further identify factors that contribute to risk. This will include undertaking analysis of faller rates by trainer and jockey for Cheltenham and all jump racing and engaging with those who have an incidence of fallers significantly higher than the average, alongside a wide range of other relevant participants; • The industry must support a major research project to develop a predictive model for identifying risk factors for all jump racing, including horse history and performance, rider and training factors.

Any risks arising from this significant work will be addressed and mitigated appropriately.

Nick Rust, Chief Executive of the BHA, said: “British racing must work together to reduce the risk of injuries occurring at

the Festival and indeed jump racing as a whole. The recommendations of this review are designed to achieve this.

“I commend this review for the rigour and thoroughness of its approach. I also support the fact that its recommendations are intended to further raise the bar when it comes to welfare not only at Cheltenham, but across all of jump racing.

“British racing has consistently and continuously improved its record on welfare outcomes over the last decade.

However, parliament has recently sent a clear message to our sport that we must raise our ambitions for welfare further. At the BHA, we share this view, and I am today calling on everyone in the sport to help us achieve even higher goals for welfare.

“The review helps demonstrate our sport’s commitment towards higher goals, but it is far from the end of our ambitions on this front. A cross-industry welfare board is currently being formed, with the intention of delivering a new strategy for the sport. I hope that everyone involved in British racing will join us in working to further enhance our good track record, and ensuring the sport remains relevant, understood, accepted and embraced by the British public.”

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Jan_173_News.indd 10

14/12/2018 17:36

Stories from the racing world

Sandown set for upgrades Jockey Club Racecourses has unveiled a proposal to fund redevelopment work at Sandown Park through the building of around 300 homes and a 150-room hotel.

Phil White, London Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, said: “Sandown Park is one of Britain’s favourite racecourses and the fastest to reach from London. We’re really proud to be a significant visitor attraction, employer and business destination in Esher and for the borough of Elmbridge, making an important social, economic and cultural contribution.

“However, much of Sandown Park’s infrastructure is ageing, so we’re keen to undertake an investment and upgrade programme on the site over the next few years with benefits for the racing industry and our local community. The proposed plans have been designed to achieve this.”

Initial meetings have been held between JCR and members of Elmbridge Borough Council, within whose boundaries Sandown lies. No planning application has yet been submitted.

Should the scheme receive the green light, Sandown’s main

PROPOSED PLANS FOR THE ENHANCEMENT OF SANDOWN PARK RACECOURSE Racetrack improvements Pedestrian link between Esher rail station and town centre

Site 4

Site 3

Family zone with café, indoor/outdoor play facilities, children’s cycle track – open to public, year-round

Site 5

Improved car parking

New nursery building Hotel (approx.

150 rooms) Refurbished grandstand

Grade 1 standard stabling and racing staff accommodation

Site 2 Site 1

Better integration between Sandown Park and Esher High Street Proposed development sites

grandstand will be refurbished, with a 150-room hotel built at the end furthest away from the winning post.

Stabling and staff accommodation will be improved to “Grade 1 standard”, the pre-parade ring will be replaced, and parts of the track widened. In the centre of the course a new family zone and cafe, open to the public all year round, would replace the go-kart track.

To fund such plans, JCR wants to create what it describes as “five small, discrete sites of residential development.” These would be located around the edges of Sandown

on previously developed land or adjacent to existing buildings. When combined they would cover 5.1% of the whole site.

Three of the five intended housing plots are thought likely to be unopposed by local residents or the council, though the other two could meet with significant opposition.

Should Sandown be able to fund its redevelopment with this blueprint, there would be optimism within racing circles that JCR may ditch its controversial plan to close nearby Kempton Park, home of the King George VI Chase.

Support for Shoemark after failed test Rising Flat star Kieran Shoemark has failed a drug test and is facing a ban that will keep the jockey sidelined until well into 2019.

The highly-rated 22-year-old has Roger Charlton as his main employer and has been regularly used by Godolphin among other big-name operators.

The failed test, believed to be for cocaine, comes only a few months after he returned to race-riding following an awful fall at Lingfield in which he broke six ribs and punctured a lung.

The disciplinary panel had yet to hear the case as Owner Breeder went to press but the BHA’s guideline ban for a first positive test for cocaine is six months.

“It came as a big surprise to all of us here and I think it’s a huge waste of a very talented jockey,” said Roger Charlton, quoted by the Racing Post.

“I have huge sympathy for him and particularly his family with this difficult

Kieran Shoemark: huge talent in the saddle

time and a suspension of six months.

“I think these drug-related issues deserve understanding. I’m sure jockeys are put under quite a lot of pressures from having to diet to the fact he could have had a fatal injury at Lingfield in June, which involved a lot of pain and a slow comeback, so it wouldn’t have

helped with his weight and the situation.

“The PJA have been very supportive and I understand he’s in a good place for his rehab. I’m sure he’ll be fighting very hard when we see him back.”

In a statement, Paul Struthers, Chief Executive of the Professional Jockeys Association, said: “He accepts full responsibility for his mistakes and would also like to apologise to his colleagues and the wider sport. He is determined to face up to any issues he may have.

“The PJA completely supports a robust anti-doping protocol for its members and the BHA has our full backing in enhancing the testing that already takes place. But like other player associations we believe it is important to have in place the necessary support structures for those members who want and need help. We can condemn the behaviour without condemning the individual.”

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Jan_173_News.indd 11

11

14/12/2018 17:36

Changes

Racing’s news in a nutshell

People and business

Golden Gate Fields

California track announces it will stage the inaugural ‘Gold Rush Weekend’ on April 27-28, featuring eight stakes races, headed by the $250,000 San Francisco Mile for three-year-olds and up on turf.

John Butler

Trainer banned for three months after misleading investigators following the withdrawal of National Anthem in 2017.

Maisons-Laffitte

French racing community vows to fight France Galop’s plan to close the racecourse at the end of next year.

Anti-doping

BHA reveals it is testing the first four finishers in all Group races on the Flat and all Grade 1 jumps races.

Frankie Dettori

Crowned by Longines as the World’s Best Jockey, taking the accolade for the second time

William Buick

Racing New South Wales

Clive Cox

Sandy Dudgeon

Set to appeal six-week suspension imposed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for reckless riding in the Hong Kong Vase.

Lambourn trainer passes previous best total of 65 winners in a year when Silca Mistress scores at Lingfield on December 5.

Creates a series of races including A$7.5 million Golden Eagle that will clash with the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

Elected as Senior Steward of the Jockey Club on a five-year term, succeeding Roger Weatherby.

Tanya Stevenson

Broadcaster is to become the new Chief Executive of the Horseracing Sponsors Association, taking over the role from Nigel Payne.

Stewarding Forum

New consultation platform formed

by BHA to continue development of stewarding in Britain, which is undergoing changes.

James Reveley

France’s champion jump jockey in 2016 is set for a spell on the sidelines after breaking his arm in a fall at Pau.

Archie Watson

Young trainer in only his second full season reaches 100 winners for 2018 with Times Past’s victory at Southwell on November 27.

12

Tom Kerr

Named new Editor of the Racing Post – the 31-year-old, who was HWPA Writer of the Year in 2016, succeeds Bruce Millington.

People obituaries John Yardley 75

Ex-jockey and Worcestershire-based trainer, whose flagship horse was Newbury and Cheltenham winner Nevada Gold.

Mick Kennedy 86

Rode on the Flat from the 1950s until the 1970s and became a much respected tutor and coach to apprentice jockeys.

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Jan_173_Changes.indd 12

14/12/2018 17:42

Changes

Racehorse and stallion

Movements and retirements

My Tent Or Yours

Dual Grade 1 winner and runnerup in three Champion Hurdles in the JP McManus silks is retired aged 11.

Mendelssohn

Sands Of Mali

Son of Scat Daddy, a Grade 1 winner in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf in 2017, is retired to Coolmore America.

Phoenix Thoroughbred buys into Group 1 Champions Sprint victor, who raced for the Cool Silk Partnership in 2018.

Horse obituaries Bleu Et Rouge 7

Robin Des Champs 21

Huntsmans Close 8

Ertijaal 7

Ben Haslam yard left devastated after JP McManus’s hurdler suffers fatal fall on first run for them in the Fighting Fifth.

Ayr Silver Cup winner in 2014, who won four of his 49 races, suffers fatal injury while running at Southwell.

Best known as the sire of outstanding hurdler Quevega as well as Vautour, Sir Des Champs and Un Temps Pour Tout.

One of the best-known and loved horses trained in the UAE, Sheikh Hamdan’s sprinter won half of his 22 races.

Watcombe Heights 8

Promising chaser trained by Colin Tizzard collapses shortly after winning for the second time at Exeter in November.

Sinndar 21

Outstanding middle-distance performer for the Aga Khan and John Oxx, winning the Derby, Irish Derby and Arc in 2000.

14

Smokey Oakey 14

Lincoln and Brigadier Gerard Stakes winner owned by Judi Dench and Bryan Agar and trained by Mark Tompkins.

Tornado In Milan 12

Consistent handicap chaser for the Evan Williams yard who won ten of his 44 starts and was placed in another 17.

Delusionofgrandeur 8

Pulled up behind Tiger Roll in the Grand National this year, he won six of his 25 starts for the Sue Smith yard.

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Jan_173_Changes.indd 14

14/12/2018 17:42

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The Big Picture

16

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14/12/2018 15:55

Ladbrokes Trophy

Tennessee waltz Colin Tizzard threw three darts at the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury and hit the bullseye, for he saddled the first two home led by Sizing Tennessee. Carrying the silks of the late Ann and Alan Potts, the Tom Scudamore-ridden ten-year-old beat younger and better fancied stablemate Elegant Escape by ten lengths.

Tizzard’s other runner West Approach was a fair fifth to cap a great race for the Dorset trainer.

Photos George Selwyn

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From The Archives

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Royal Bond at Ascot on January 17, 1981

Royal variety performance Synchronised riding is not a sport but if it were then Tommy Carberry (right) and John Fowler would have impressed the judges with their performance over the last fence in the Lambert & Butler Premier Chase Final at Ascot in 1981.

Carberry was partnering Royal Bond and Fowler was riding Royal Dipper at a meeting where the Clarence House Chase is now the feature race. Royal Bond, trained by Arthur Moore, started 7-2 second favourite in a seven-runner field and beat 9-2 shot Royal Dipper by two and a half lengths.

The Lambert & Butler Premier Chase Final over two and a half miles was a prime target for first- and second-season chasers, and had been staged at Haydock before the race was moved to Ascot, where Royal Bond took the first running at the track.

Photo George Selwyn

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Tony Morris

Racing a harder sell in the social media age W

going to be interrupted by a phone. I am immune to Twitter and Instagram, which seem to rule the lives of younger generations.

But for all that, the world I grew up in was not so very different from today’s in certain respects.

When, in my youth, did I ever see a horse? I can recall seeing some working on farms when out in the countryside, and I dare say I may have seen a mounted policeman or two. But when does a 21st century townee kid see a horse? No more often than I did, I reckon.

If I found horseracing and fell in love with it, so might those from generations behind me.

In any case, it’s a myth that few young people go racing. When I’m on a racecourse, I see plenty, albeit rather more in bars than by the paddock, engaged in inspecting the horseflesh. They attend chiefly in order to drink and punt, and on some occasions they may be attracted by concerts of what passes for music to their ears, if not to mine.

Some, a small percentage, I grant, will discover that watching horses in competition can be an enjoyable spectacle – enough fun that it might become a habit.

And once it becomes a habit, it acts as an antidote to all the social media nonsense, which I prefer to call anti-social media.

Just imagine it: interaction with like-minded individuals who become real new friends who meet regularly at the races – a much more satisfying experience than finding that you have to visit Facebook to re-connect with old so-called friends on their homepage. Racing brought me genuine friendships that have lasted since before the advent of starting stalls, and have provided a lot of fun these 50-odd years.

Of course, much about the game has changed. My initiation came when women could not hold a licence to train, and when female jockeys were unknown, when the European Pattern was a concept for the future, when racing on Sundays seemed unthinkable, when nobody imagined that the time would come

GEORGE SELWYN

e are constantly told that for the sake of the future of our sport we should be giving the young every encouragement to take an interest and get involved to some extent.

I wouldn’t dispute that argument, but it means that I have to admit my own failings in that regard, as I have done nothing to encourage my children that horseracing is something that should command their attention. And I don’t see much point in trying to sell the sport to my grandchildren; the teenage set can’t figure out why it has obsessed me these last 60 years, and it’s too soon to introduce the younger ones to it. I suppose it’s possible that some may develop an interest.

I have been known to take some of my kids to the races, when they expressed curiosity about what seemed so important in my life. But in the case of my elder son, it proved to be a one-off, when he was ten years old. If he remembers the occasion at all now it will not be on account of the horses he saw in action.

He was himself involved in a much more memorable race that afternoon at Sandown Park. When we left the pre-parade ring his girlfriend challenged him to a race to the grandstand, and they set off at a rate of knots that left me far behind. The girl would have won if she had not bumped into and nearly knocked over an old lady who turned into her path at the wrong moment.

A collision with the octogenarian Queen Mother is not something you readily forget.

You either get racing or you don’t. That’s all there is to it. There is a multitude of counter-attractions in the 21st century world, most of which did not exist when I was growing up, and are of no interest to me now. Different generations have different outlooks and are susceptible to different distractions, and there is nothing surprising about that.

Whereas my children would never leave home without their mobiles, I have always believed that the best thing about slamming the front door behind me is that while I’m out I’m not

The next generation of racing fans – but will they develop a lifelong interest in the sport of kings?

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The man you can’t ignore when races would take place on any surface other than grass, or that the Jockey Club would hand over governance of the sport to a different body.

But there is no reason why newcomers to racing in 2019 should not form friendships in the game with the potential to endure for half a century while further waves of change envelop the sport.

It has often been said that racing’s unique jargon represented a barrier to the recruitment of new fans, but for me, as a would-be insider, that mystique was a welcome challenge. Nobody now has to wonder what tic-tac was all about, not that familiarity with the signals was ever a requirement for punters.

One long-anticipated change, over weights and measures, never materialised and as it didn’t come during our membership of the European Union, Brexit probably means it is further away than ever. I dare say few leave school these days with knowledge of what a furlong is, and what proportion of a mile it represents, but they will pick it up soon enough. Likewise stones and pounds, which have survived in racing here while we have become accustomed to buying our groceries in grams and kilograms.

We are aligned only with North America in retaining miles and furlongs, but our cousins on the other side of the Atlantic would hardly understand what a stone is, while we can’t bring ourselves to refer to sixteenths of a mile. The odds against the Yanks ever going metric are astronomical.

What about the quality of today’s racehorses? Can we say that they are generally better than those produced 50 years ago, that they amount to a reason why anyone should now feel more inclined to take an interest than those of my generation?

“The Shergar Cup, admittedly popular, represents as much eccentricity as we need” To my mind there is no evidence of improvement. The breed in this part of the world probably peaked early in the 20th century, and although there have been examples of superior individuals from time to time, regression to the mean ensures that they are unable to reproduce themselves, let alone get stock who are better still. The likes of Ribot, Sea-Bird and Mill Reef could get plenty of capable runners, but there were limits to what they could achieve, and the same will be true of Frankel.

There is always the chance of a new superstar arriving, but we can’t depend on it happening very often. Furthermore, the era of huge books covered by horses with modest credentials for stud duties represents a recipe for mediocrity.

When I came into this game, it was dominated by ownerbreeders who had developed families over generations with racecourse merit always the target, but their numbers diminished and most horses nowadays are bred with a view to sale and there is no such thing as quality control. Markets are polarised, even the most highly regarded sires get a high proportion of dross, and supply routinely exceeds demand.

So what do we need to recruit more fans to our sport? We certainly don’t need street racing, which will antagonise more people than it will attract, and the Shergar Cup, admittedly popular, represents as much eccentricity as we need.

If the BHA sanctions the crackpot scheme for a series of team races next summer, it will merely confirm that it has totally lost the plot.

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The Howard Wright Column

Bookmakers’ backing of jockeys enters spotlight

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ew year, fresh hopes, a shiny future: some chance, say the glass-half-empty brigade, who will point to every little downside of what potentially lies around the corner in 2019.

Levy and media rights in freefall after extensive betting-shop closures; BHA governance up in the air; the whip back under public scrutiny; more British-trained horses racing outside these shores, Brexit notwithstanding; Middle East uncertainty offering cold comfort to major stables: the whole pack of cards could come tumbling down any minute now, they will warn.

Still, let’s go along with the glass-half-full approach, taking its cue from the Monty Python classic, Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

There, problems become opportunities, for Britbet, the Racing Authority, City Racing, Championship Horse Racing, Sky Sports Racing and Racing TV, renewed competition by and for Coolmore and Godolphin, and the million-pound Ebor and Cesarewitch. So many possibilities that it’s hard to know where to start.

Better, perhaps, to focus in a different direction, to where one set of participants has, to coin an old phrase, never had it so good, namely in the welfare of jockeys.

Racing’s charities are the envy of most, if not all, other sports.

Such as Racing Welfare and the Injured Jockeys Fund on the human side and Retraining of Racehorses on the equine have rarely, if ever, been so active. The same applies to the sport’s trade associations, of which the Professional Jockeys Association deserves special credit for its work on the welfare of members.

The series of Jockey Matters films is an exemplar of its kind.

Topics range from personal development, addiction and recovery and returning to race-riding to mental health and wellbeing – a particular hit with a non-specialist audience when shown at October’s International Federation of Horseracing Authorities

Daryl Jacob and Bristol De Mai: two adverts for the price of one

annual conference – nutrition and most recently resilience, which was launched on World Mental Health Day. Short enough to hold attention but strong enough on content to get a message across, the films have not gone unnoticed. In two years, Staying Hydrated has had more than 35,000 views and Mental Health & Wellbeing over 25,000; in a year Addiction & Recovery has been seen 19,000 times and Returning to Riding 17,000 times.

This is the PJA at its very best. There is, however, a darkish cloud hovering over the association’s horizon, namely the use of its members as ambassadors for the betting industry. Ironically, the PJA can actually learn from recent mistakes perpetrated by its apparent benefactors.

The PJA led the charge for sponsorship of jockeys, but the climate has changed since those pioneering days, especially

“There is a darkish cloud hovering over the horizon - the use of PJA members as ambassadors for the betting industry” with regard to the perception of receiving the backing of betting operators, from which only a relative few at the top of the pile have benefited.

The 2005 Gambling Act not only heralded the proliferation of FOBTs in retail outlets; it also enabled the advertising of gambling products to become legal. Yet, as industry analyst Andrew Tottenham noted recently: “The massive increase in the visibility of gambling has led to a backlash. Initially it was FOBTs in the cross hairs but now all sectors are vulnerable. Media and political pressure have forced the regulator [the Gambling Commission] to show its teeth.”

And where the Gambling Commission has led, the government, and no less worryingly the main opposition party, have quickly followed. It was no coincidence that the first public speech by the new sports minister Mims Davies came at the annual conference of GambleAware, the charity that funds research, education and treatment services to reduce gamblingrelated harm.

This particular tide is going only one way. Unless the PJA wants to fall into the same self-inflicted trap as the gambling industry, which was too slow to react to criticism of its steadfast defence of FOBTs and wall-to-wall advertising, it should recognise that jockeys are just too close to the action to ignore the warnings and must act now over its members accepting sponsorship or other forms of reward from betting organisations.

Otherwise, just as the bookmakers have found to their cost, someone with less direct involvement but more political clout will do it for them.

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By Jessica Lamb

Better deal for stable staff

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B

ernard Caldwell, head of the Irish Stable Staff Association, does not accept that staff should work long hours “for the love of horses” and is looking forward to a new era of working hours for the sector in 2019.

In December, Ballydoyle withdrew its appeal against working time compliance orders issued by the Workplace Relations Committee last September, following an inspection of the Tipperary yard in May 2016. WRC inspectors claim they had found some stable staff and riders had worked up to 19-hour days, with inadequate breaks and days off.

The inspection was part of a drive by the WRC to bring equine businesses in line with requirements laid out in the EU’s Working Time Act, but it has highlighted flaws in that law and Caldwell has been working on a solution to provide the industry with vital flexibility.

“Stable staff want to get paid for what they do, and it’s up to the trainer to make sure they do,” he said, matterof-factly. “There are some people who still think it’s for the love of horses, but that’s not the case anymore.

“I don’t really accept that. We all love things. A lot of us love the area we work in – that doesn’t mean we have to do it for nothing, so what we need to see is staff working fewer hours, and, if they are working longer, they need to get paid or have time off.”

He added: “Sometimes people aren’t aware of the rules. There are trainers and staff that have their own arrangements, that’s fine, but there are other staff out there that have no engagement with their employers. Now it’s been freshly brought to a head and already there has been a change.”

Horse Racing Ireland’s soon-to-bepublished five-year strategic plan has been widely revealed to focus heavily on equine and human welfare, with Ireland lagging behind the UK in modernising stable staff working conditions.

Thanks to the governing bodies working with Caldwell and the government, a statutory instrument that will provide for the unique nature of working with racehorses and give employers leeway in rostering decisions, utilising quieter periods and overtime pay, was due to be signed off

An earlier finish at Dundalk over the winter will benefit stable staff

by the Department for Employment Affairs and Social Protection.

Speaking on that in December, Michael Creed, Minister for Agriculture, confirmed: “Central to the plan will be a focus on the welfare of those who work in the industry and the horses. My officials and I are actively engaging with HRI to ensure the publication of its plan in the near future.

“I have directly engaged in consultations involving a number of government departments and in particular my government colleague Regina Doherty [Minister for Employment Affairs] to find a solution that will exempt stable staff from certain provisions.

“I’m assured that an SI [Statutory Instrument] will be finalised and signed

by Regina before the end of this week. I believe that this is good news for the industry and will allow yard owners to meet their responsibilities to their staff in a fair and lawful manner.”

It was music to Caldwell’s ears, who outlined some of the measures already in-place at yards in preparation for the new rules, while stressing that the onus is on the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) to take non-compliance seriously.

“I’m delighted with the regulations,” he said: “We want to now get new rules into action and make sure they are enforced. We’ll be pushing it anyhow we can, but at the end of the day it’s the IHRB’s job to police it, they will have to up their game and be more

responsible for people. They give out the trainer licences.”

He added: “All yards will have an area for staff to log check-in and check-out times, and if that’s kept properly then it will make checks easy and there won’t be any problems. If someone has an issue, or feels their employer is not complying, my phone is always on.

“We deal with every issue that is brought to us privately and it’s all done on a one-to-one basis.”

The other win for stable staff is a new agreement with Dundalk racecourse, which hosts regular evening racing throughout the winter and summer.

“We’ve managed to get an 8.30pm finish for the winter, which is an achievement,” he said. “Originally Dundalk was 9.30pm all the time and we’ve got it back to 8.45pm for next year outside the winter months.

“They have seen our point; stable staff finishing up late on Friday night, driving home on bad roads – it’s not safe so we’re very happy to have achieved that.”

There will still be late finishes at other tracks across the country over the summer, with courses fixing their own schedules, but Caldwell shies away from calling for mandatory maximum finishing times.

“I don’t think we need a flat rule,” he said. “We deal with tracks on a one-toone basis but there’s a commercial end to it, and we have to respect that.”

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McGoldrick moves on to next chapter Dr Adrian McGoldrick steps down as the IHRB Chief Medical Officer this month and gets stuck straight into a new research project with the International Concussion and Head Injury Research Foundation (ICHIRF).

McGoldrick has driven unprecedented improvement in jockeys’ welfare in Ireland, and across the world, for the past 11 years, hailed for his research into athletes’ dehydration, nutrition, mental health and concussion.

Now that he hands his IHRB responsibilities over to Dr Jennifer Pugh, he has joined the ICHIRF to carry on his work into concussion.

“Concussion is the big elephant in the room, and not just in racing, but in a lot of sports,” McGoldrick said. “I don’t know if you’ve watched [the Will Smith film] Concussion, but if you did you wouldn’t do any sport, and you certainly wouldn’t be involved in any contact sport.”

He added: “We don’t believe that what is said about concussion is actually really true.”

The ICHIRF was launched by McGoldrick’s British equivalent, Dr Michael Turner, two years ago. He opened the National Concussion and Head Injury Centre in London upon

In Brief Inspirational duo

Nina Carberry and Katie Walsh, who retired from the saddle at the Punchestown Festival in April, had inspiring words for women in any industry when jointly being awarded HRI’s first Irish Racing Hero accolade last month.

“This is something myself and Nina feel quite strongly about,” said Walsh.

“We never saw ourselves as females, the minute you do, you’re the one with the problem. I think no matter what you want to do, just get stuck in and do it. If you want to do it, just do it. Male or female.”

Walsh was speaking on a night when professional Rachael Blackmore scooped the overall National Hunt Award, while still leading the Irish champion jockeys’ title race – a feat that could never have been realised without the barriers Walsh and

Dr Adrian McGoldrick: hugely respected

retiring from racing and has grown his research via funding from the Injured Jockeys Fund, Godolphin, the National Football League in the US, the Professional Footballers’ Association in the UK, the Racing Foundation, and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine.

The ICHIRF is now a £2 million research project collaborating with

Carberry removed.

Trainer Noel Meade reflected on the first day he met Carberry, recalling: “She arrived with [brother] Paul one morning, I think she was about eight or nine, and she rode out a little horse called Il Trovatore.

“He was a free horse and I remember he ran up over seven furlongs on the grass, and I thought, my God he’s running away with her!

Of course, Nina pulled him up, as Nina would, and she had a big, big smile on her face, and she said, ‘Oh, he can fly!’ I think I kind of fell in love with her from there on. She’s been like a daughter to me ever since.”

Walsh’s greatest supporter, Willie Mullins, highlighted his attitude towards females in general, which was another factor in progressing the future of women riders.

“I never saw a lady jockey,” said trainer Willie Mullins. “I saw K Walsh, jockey. The two of them weren’t just

similar projects in Australia, Ireland and the US that undertake research on athletes from different sports.

McGoldrick’s task will be to begin an Irish study on retired jockeys.

The research project will cost €5,000 per jockey, so McGoldrick will be limited to the funds that can be raised, but hopes Irish racing will see the worth of that cost in the long-term – and the proof of his previous work.

He said: “We in racing have an obligation to contribute to the research in respect of concussion. It’s one of my pet topics, something I’ve always been very interested in.

“I think we provide the best level of protection for our riders in Ireland. We have between 1,500 and 1,800 falls per year and about 20 concussions. So I think we’re doing as good a job as we can.”

He added: “We’re still trying to improve helmets. We had a helmet research meeting last month and hopefully by next April or March we will finally have a new European helmet standard, and we will continue to evolve that helmet. The research goes on, and I’m very lucky to be handing over to Dr Jennifer Pugh, who is an amazing young woman.”

role models for lady jockeys; they were role models in general.”

Under scrutiny

The Racecourse of the Year judging process is under scrutiny, after 2017 winner Down Royal was nominated again in 2018.

According to Ben Dorney from the Racegoers Consultative Forum, the award shortlist process splits the country into four regions – north, south, east and west – and selects a track from each of them.

“What that means is that you have courses like Kilbeggan competing with the likes of Leopardstown and the Curragh,” he said. “What we need to do is use their official grades, then shortlist one from each of those groups. We need to work it like they do in other sports, with seeding.

“As it is, racecourses generally don’t respect the award because of the judging.”

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Continental Tales

Smirnoff proves a tonic for Kidney SWEDEN

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‘I

owe it all to Smirnoff’ – the statement rings true for Somerset-born Andrew Kidney who, after spending much of the last 40 years as a backroom boy at some of Britain’s top yards, has enjoyed a fine first season as the oldest rookie trainer in Malmo, Sweden.

Now 62 years of age, Kidney has enjoyed a laudable 19% strike-rate since finally getting his own name above the door of a barn at Jagersro racecourse some 12 months ago.

He is set to come to the attention of a wider international audience when he saddles the Danish champion two-yearold Irish Trilogy and the Listed-winning middle distance gelding Suspicious Mind at the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan in the coming weeks.

Despite no family background in racing – his father was in the army, based at Hermitage in Berkshire – Kidney was besotted by the sport from an early age, often cycling the eight miles to West Ilsley to watch his boyhood hero, Joe Mercer, ride work on Dick Hern’s gallops.

“Lambourn wasn’t much further, so I used to watch the gallops there too,” Kidney remembers. “My bike was always my horse and I can’t tell you how many front wheels I messed up jumping kerbstones, pretending they were fences.”

On leaving school, the best that job application letters to trainers achieved were polite ‘no thank yous’. After a three-year stint in the Royal Horse Artillery, he was mooching about, earning a crust as a labourer, when he chanced upon a Smirnoff flyer on the wall of his local pub in Frome.

‘Make Your Dreams Come True with Smirnoff’ ran the competition poster, offering six winners the chance to do just that.

“I spent weeks bashing out my entry on my grandfather’s typewriter, my Mum thought the army must have sent me mad,” he recalls. “I ended up almost writing a novel about a dream where I’m riding in a race, clear in front, only to crash out at the last and wake up to find I have fallen out of bed.”

The effort proved well worthwhile as one of the judges was the jump jockeyturned-thriller writer, Dick Francis. So, while other winners were cliff diving in Acapulco or spending a day working as a reporter on the New York Times, Kidney was packed off to Toby Balding’s yard

Andrew Kidney with Suspicious Mind, who is set to race at Meydan in 2019

and, on Easter Monday 1979, finished tailed off last aboard a horse called Crushed Oats in a hunter chase at Wincanton.

A job offer ensued and, despite being too heavy to be a jockey (second in a point-to-point at Larkhill was the pinnacle of that career), he spent the next eight years as Balding’s travelling head lad and met and got married to fellow staff member Christina.

Further spells at Manton in Wiltshire, first with Michael Dickinson and then Barry Hills, came to an end when Kidney took some time out to help look after his critically ill daughter, who tragically later died.

Horses reminded Kidney of her so “maybe in an attempt to put some distance between us” he then spent seven unhappy years away from racing, working as a delivery driver back in Frome, before an advert for staff at the nearby Warminster stable of Jeremy Gask prompted his return.

The highlight of five years there was supervising the first two (of five!) Meydan

trips of the crack sprinter Medicean Man. “He won three races during those two visits, he just thrived in the sunshine and loved the one-to-one attention I was able to give him,” Kidney says.

It was out in Dubai that he crossed paths with Norwegian champion trainer Niels Petersen, who was looking for someone to take over his Swedish satellite yard at Jagersro.

Kidney made such a good job of the role, in particular with the 2016 Danish Derby winner Suspicious Mind, and with two other stakes-class performers in Karmastrikesback and Over The Ocean, that when owner Nils Jansson (who races under the banner of 360 North Horse Racing) decided to split from Petersen and employ a private trainer at the end of 2017, Kidney was the ideal candidate.

He says: “You could say that it’s a bit late for me to start training now as I’ve already had two heart attacks! No one has ever really had faith in me before, and it was even harder back in England.

“I do miss a decent takeaway – either Chinese or fish and chips – and Swedish is

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By James Crispe, IRB

Klug and Starke stand out amid the gloom GERMANY It has been another moderate 12 months for German racing, with no outstanding three-year-olds and Iquitos, the horse with the highest international handicap rating in the country (120), boasting a modest record of just two victories from six starts.

Despite his two best three-year-old colts suffering serious injury setbacks, Markus Klug still comfortably retained the trainers’ championship.

Approaching a third of his €1.87 million prize-money haul came in the Deutsches Derby, where Weltstar, a half-brother to the 2017 Derby hero Windstoss, led home a 1-2 for the yard.

Andrasch Starke, 44, finished last but one in the Derby but equalled the modern day record by collecting an

GEORGE SELWYN

the most impossible language, I don’t understand a word of it. But my son, Timothy, is an IT expert and has set it up so that I can still watch Spurs and follow Somerset County Cricket Club!”

Quizzed about his two Meydan challengers, he replies: “Suspicious Mind is so called for a reason. We give him nothing but love and affection yet still, whenever you go into his box to do something like shoe him, he tries to climb out of the window.

“He’s five now and deserves a crack at a big one – I really wanted to take him this time last year but he went and pulled all the muscles in his back. Dubai will either make a man of him or he’ll come off the plane a nervous wreck.

“The money in Scandinavia is heavily skewed towards the three-year-old programme, so next year is crucial for Irish Trilogy, who only cost €5,000. I have no real aspirations for him out there – and I am fully aware that Niels Petersen has taken far better horses to Dubai with limited success – but escaping the harsh winter and getting some sun on his back should mean we have a really good horse next summer.”

Starke: won his eighth jockeys’ crown

eighth riding title, 20 years after his first and five years after his seventh.

Worryingly, the size of the German foal crop is likely to be little more than 800 next year, less than half the number of two decades earlier. It will take more than the recent announcement of Iquitos’s addition to the stallion roster (he will stand at Gestut Ammerland at a cost of €6,000) to halt this downward spiral.

Jockeys’ title battle continues to create headlines For the second time in the last four years, a tight French jockeys’ championship battle between Christophe Soumillon and PierreCharles Boudot has illuminated the often mundane last month of the Flat season, showing Britain what we could be missing out on thanks to our current ‘end on British Champions Day’ title regulation.

Admittedly, as recently as 2016 Jim Crowley fought an extended duel with Silvestre de Sousa before securing the crown, but the four-legged champions are always likely to outshine their two-legged counterparts at the Ascot finale, whereas a close finish to the riders’ award can bring much needed media coverage at a time when the campaign is winding down.

Indeed, December has been a month that has kept French race-fans engaged for each of the last four years, first when Soumillon and Boudot shared the 2015 title with 179 winners (including a winner apiece on New Year’s Eve), then when Boudot became the first European jockey to ride 300 winners in 2016, then when Soumillon eclipsed that total with 306 in 2017.

This December may turn out to be something of an anti-climax in comparison.

Neither rider had the championship near the top of their priorities at the start of the

GEORGE SELWYN

FRANCE

Christophe Soumillon: edging the race with Pierre-Charles Boudot

campaign, both spending substantial periods away from France last winter.

But battle has resumed since October.

Boudot maintained a slim lead at the top of the standings through the first three weeks of November, only for Soumillon to outscore him by 11 successes to two during a six-day spell late in the month.

Their subsequent itineraries have included a daily double-header in Deauvillle and, 400 miles away, Lyon, and have seen Soumillon move a potentially decisive eight winners ahead.

There has also been a great battle for the French jump trainers’ championship, which is decided by prize-money.

The victory of Bipolaire in the French equivalent of our King George, the Prix La Haye Jousselin, at Auteuil on November 4 saw Francois Nicolle move to the head of the standings.

Guillaume Macaire, Nicolle’s Charente Maritime neighbour who has been the champion for the last nine years, replied with a 1-2 in the final Grade 1 of the season a week later.

But Nicolle has continued to go well in the higher value end-of-season contests and seems assured of securing his first ever title.

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Al Kazeem TOB-January 2019:Oakgrove Stud

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Al Kazeem 50% winners to runners No other British or Irish second crop stallion can beat that

bay 2008, 16.1hh by Dubawi - Kazeem (Darshaan) Ë Four-time Gr.1 winner by DUBAWI

Ë Joint Champion Older Horse in Europe in 2013 (9.5f-10.5f) Ë Timeform rated 128 in three consecutive seasons

Ë 9 individual winners and 2 black-type performers from just 18 runners, including Listed winner ASPETAR and black-type sprinter GOLDEN SPELL

Ë His second crop will be 2yos in 2019

Ë 80% mares in foal at close of the 2018 season

STANDING AT OAKGROVE STUD

Fee: £12,000 Oct 1st SLF (Limited Book)

Oakgrove Estate, St Arvans, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 6EH Tel: 01291 622876 G Fax: 01291 622070 G Email: oakgrovestud@btinternet.com G www.oakgrovestud.com For Nominations Contact: David Hilton: 07595 951248 G Email: david@oakgrovestud.com G Vannessa Swift: 01291 622876

Around The Globe

The Worldwide Racing Scene

Glittering career finally at an end NORTH AMERICA

By Steve Andersen

GEORGE SELWYN

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n the last Saturday of November, Gary Stevens walked into the weighing room at Del Mar racetrack north of San Diego with a different perspective.

Days earlier, the 55-year-old Hall of Famer had announced his retirement, owing to a neck injury sustained during pre-race warm-ups at Del Mar on November 17. Stevens said his arm went numb after the incident. He rode one more race and missed his mounts the following day. A doctor later told Stevens that any fall in future could lead to a debilitating injury.

The announcement set off a rapid succession of events that led to a tracksponsored retirement ceremony for Stevens between races on November 24.

In the weighing room, Stevens found that his valet had packed his equipment for the final time. Those items turned out to be in high demand from his colleagues.

“I opened the trunk and gave everything away,” Stevens said.

Saddles went to the up-and-coming riders Drayden Van Dyke, 24, and Joe Talamo, 28, and another to his riding contemporary Mike Smith, 53. An hour later, Talamo used the saddle to win the Grade 2 Seabiscuit Handicap on Caribou Club for Glen Hill Farm and trainer Tom Proctor.

Stevens rode One Dreamer to a win in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Churchill Downs for Glen Hill Farm and Proctor when Talamo was only four years old.

Stevens presented the trophy after the Seabiscuit.

“It was pretty cool,” Stevens said.

Stevens’s troublesome knees forced a one-year retirement in 1999 and an eightyear retirement in 2005. He took time off in recent years for knee and hip surgeries but was not out of action for long. Stevens retires with 5,187 wins in the United States as well as 55 victories in France, 50 in Great Britain, 20 in Hong Kong, ten in the UAE, three in Japan and one in Ireland.

He spent a summer in England in 1999, the season he rode as first jockey to Sir Michael Stoute. Of his 50 wins in Great Britain, he won such races as the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes on Predappio at Royal Ascot in 1998 and the (then) Group 2 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on Cape Cross the following year.

Gary Stevens: legendary jockey had retired twice before but this time it really is for good

“It’s been a good run and I’ve learned a lot,” he said in early December, reflecting on his international success.

A native of Idaho, Stevens began riding in 1979. His career spanned the terms of seven American Presidents and seven British Prime Ministers. A more detailed look at the Stevens fact-file reveals the remarkable duration of his career and its accomplishments in the United States, with wins in 11 Breeders’ Cup races, three Kentucky Derbys, a record nine Santa Anita Derbys, and the Dubai World Cup on Silver Charm in 1998.

His final Grade 1 win was aboard Beholder in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita, on a mare he described as one of his favourites along with 1988 Kentucky Derby victor Winning Colors. Stevens rated Silver Charm as one of his top mounts, as well as Point Given, the 2001 Horse of the Year who won the Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, but

missed the Triple Crown when fifth in the Kentucky Derby, the colt’s only loss that season.

Out of the saddle, Stevens has been a racing commentator for NBC Sports, trained a small stable in California in 2009-10, played the role of jockey George Woolf in the 2003 Hollywood movie Seabiscuit, and appeared in the shortlived HBO racing series Luck earlier this decade.

In early December, Stevens was more focused on an upcoming operation to aid the recovery of his injury and looking towards a new chapter in his life.

Stevens expected to undergo physical therapy in January before he can “get back to normal,” he said.

“My first question to the doctor was, ‘Will I be able to play golf?’, and he said yes. But no contact sports and I’ll never sit on a horse again. I’m comfortable with that.”

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Around The Globe

New star for Starspangledbanner AUSTRALIA

By Danny Power

Starspangledbanner did not look like having a stallion career but patience and perseverance have been rewarded

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quator-hopper Starspangledbanner, who has made a more significant contribution to the breed as a stallion at Coolmore Ireland than he has at stud in his birth country, Australia, may have finally produced the headliner he has needed to gilt edge his dualhemisphere stud career.

His two-year-old daughter Brooklyn Hustle was so impressive in winning at Moonee Valley on December 1 that she has been installed as the early favourite for the $1 million Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield in late February.

Brooklyn Hustle, trained at Mornington in Victoria by Jason Warren, has strong European links as she is out of the imported Pivotal mare Joint Aspiration.

The chestnut filly is raced by her breeder, the Rosemont Stud Syndicate, which

is managed by the stud’s owners Nigel Austen and his brother-in-law, former media man Anthony Mithen.

Rosemont Stud bought a 5% share (Coolmore Stud held the other 95%) in Starspangledbanner when the brilliant speedster was retired to stud at Coolmore in Ireland after his sensational Group 1 wins in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket. Unfortunately, Starspangledbanner proved subfertile and he was returned to racing, unsuccessfully, in 2012.

Mithen and Austen convinced Coolmore to allow them to stand Starspangledbanner at Rosemont Stud at Gnarwarre, near Geelong, about 90km south-west of Melbourne. Incredibly, with good management, the son of Choisir began to get more mares in foal, which

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GEORGE SELWYN

“For all his issues he has the strikerate of an elite stallion”

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Brooklyn Hustle: early favourite for the Group 1 Blue Diamond

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also coincided with the sensational results of his small first Irish-bred crop that included five stakes winners from only 22 foals, including the outstanding Royal Ascot Group winners The Wow Signal (who also won the Group 1 Prix Morny) and Anthem Alexander.

Naturally, Coolmore stepped back in and Starspangledbanner has been on its Irish and Australian rosters since 2016.

Brooklyn Hustle was bred to be sold as a yearling but an injury meant she was retained to race by Rosemont, who bought her dam, in foal to Fastnet Rock, through agent Bertrand Le Metayer for €85,000 at Arqana in 2011.

Rosemont cashed her 2012 Fastnet Rock yearling colt for 50,000 guineas at Tattersalls in 2013, but he’s unraced. Her first two Australian foals, by Rosemont’s Toorak Toff, were colts who retired from racing as maidens after 20 starts between them. She missed to both Starspangledbanner and Toorak Toff in 2014 before producing Brooklyn Hustle, in 2016, from Starspangledbanner’s final crop of 44 Rosemont-bred foals.

Joint Aspiration, who is from the family of class sprinters Red Clubs and Petong, was a good juvenile with trainer Mick Channon, winning over seven furlongs at Salisbury and Kempton in 2004, and at three she competed four times at Group 1 level, although without running a place.

She eventually earned black type, winning a Listed race on the dirt over an extended mile at Belmont Park in 2005 for Jeremy Noseda, and then was sold to France’s Haras d’Etreham for 320,000gns at Tattersalls in 2007.

She produced only one winner, the filly Reign (dam of 2018 Italian Listed winner Gold Tail), from a disappointing start to

her stud career.

Coolmore was ‘dealing’ on Starspangledbanner for around A$8,000 (advertised fee A$10,000) in the breeding season just finished but his stock increased during the spring thanks to the deeds of his Rosemontowned daughter Thrillster, who won the Listed Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley in September before being highly competitive against the best three-yearold fillies in Melbourne. On the same day, his former highly-rated UK-trained son Home Of The Brave won the Group 2 Theo Marks Stakes at Rosehill in Sydney for Godolphin.

Starspangledbanner, for all his issues, has the strike-rate of an elite stallion, with nearly 10% of his starters winning at stakes level.

Brooklyn Hustle’s performance at

Moonee Valley was exceptional. The filly blew the start badly and was near last on the fence approaching the final 400 metres, after which she produced a whirlwind finish to score easing down in what is generally regarded as the best performance by a juvenile so far this season.

Warren said the filly is easily the best two-year-old he has trained, and he rated her with some of the best he’d been associated with when he worked for champion trainer Lee Freedman in the early 2000s.

“I would have to benchmark her against Lee Freedman’s best two-yearolds when I was working there,” said Warren. “I’m not going to say she’s an Alinghi (2004 Blue Diamond winner) but she’s certainly better than anything I’ve had.”

Bill The Bastard has a successor at long last The ‘first’ running of Australia’s longest Flat race, the $300,000 Jericho Cup over 2m7f at Warrnambool on December 2, proved a resounding success.

It had been run only once before, 101 years ago through desert sands in the Middle East to sidetrack the bemused enemy Turkish troops just before the Australian Light Horse’s famous World War I charge at Beersheba.

It was won by the famous warhorse, Bill The Bastard. Close to a century later Melbourne businessman and racing fan Bill Gibbins read a book about Bill The Bastard and the Light Horsemen, which led to him spearheading a drive to run

a Jericho Cup in Australia and build a whole programme around it.

Racing Victoria and the Warrnambool Racing Club got behind what Gibbins now describes as his obsession, and spent $250,000 converting Warrnambool’s famous hilly figure-of-eight steeplechase course for Flat racing.

High Mode (a gelding by High Chaparral-stallion Redwood), jockey Clayton Douglas and trainer Anthony Freedman have etched their own place in history as the first Australian winners of this unique race that proved more than a novelty event.

It is Gibbins who is the real Jericho

Cup hero, promoting the race and backing his passion with $300,000 in prize-money and guaranteeing a fouryear run for ‘his event’, which attracted a first-up crowd estimated at 5,000.

“The road to Jericho has been a long and winding one,” he said. “I’ll do it for four years and if the racing public and the racing industry don’t wake up that this is a good idea after that, then I can say I did my best and that’s it.”

Judging by the response to the race by the public and the media, the Jericho Cup is now part of Australian racing history, and the good news is that European-bred horses are not eligible!

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Racing Life

SOUTHERN SOUL With the summer racing season now under way in South Africa, it’s a wonderful time of year to explore everything that this fascinating country has to offer

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acked by incredible views of Table Mountain and with 52 hectares of a biodiverse conservation area at its centre, Kenilworth racecourse, South Africa’s oldest, was first established and raced on in 1881. With its three tracks, the course is home to Cape Town’s summer racing season over the months of December and January; known as the ‘Summer of Champions,’ this includes the L’Ormarins Queen’s Plate, which is considered to be one of the top five racedays in the world.

January 26 sees the annual Sun Met, Africa’s most prestigious raceday, return to Kenilworth for its 2019 incarnation.

This year, it will be themed around ‘African Luxury: Precious Metals,’ to celebrate the natural riches and innate glamour of the continent. Racegoers are expected to embrace the theme, dressing in luxurious tones and gleaming metallics, with platinums, gold and copper adding even more gloss to a day on which elite racing and high fashion are the co-stars.

A deeper exploration into gold in Africa, and its impact on the country and its societies can be experienced at Cape Town’s Gold of Africa Museum, which houses more than 350 West African metallurgical wonders. A highlight is the Barbier-Muelier collection, which was assembled over a 50-year period, first by Swiss collector Josef Mueller and later, after his death,

South Africa’s excellence in food and wine is globally recognised by his son-in-law Jean Paul Barbier.

Originally exhibited in Switzerland, it was bought in 2001 by gold mining company Anglo Gold Ashanti and returned to Africa. There’s also an onsite jewellery workshop, with demonstrations and courses. For those travelling on to Johannesburg - also known as the gold capital of the world - various tours offer the opportunity to enter into historical (although no longer operational) gold mines, as well as insights into the Gold Rush that transformed the area in the late 19th century.

With every great race event comes great food and wine; a fact that presents

Beautiful landscapes and a warm climate reveal a host of dining and activity experiences

no difficulty for Cape Town, which is home to some of the world’s best wineries. Within a mere 30-minute drive of the city you start to encounter the Cape vineyards, where viticulture dates back to the 1600s. It wasn’t, however, until Apartheid ended that the export market opened up and South African wines were put firmly on the mental map of the British consumer; unsurprisingly, a healthy tourism industry has been burgeoning around wine production ever since.

Stellenbosch and Franschhoek are two of the best known areas, but there are many other wine routes and regions worth exploring, not least the Paarl Wine Route, which takes its name from the distinctive pearl-shaped mountain around which its wineries are scattered.

More rural and less commercial than its better-known counterparts, this is a large part of its appeal, as is the variety of outdoor activities in the area, ranging from high-octane pursuits like mountain biking, to horse riding at Rhebokskloof Estate.

This area is home to Nederburg, the only one of South Africa’s wineries to be featured in the prestigious Drinks International ‘World’s Most Admired Wine Brands’ top list this year, and one that holds an enviable reputation for the production of Cabernet Sauvignon and dessert wines. Founded in 1791, the winery boasts impressive views of the

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Travel

Spotting the ‘big five’ on safari is top of many a traveller’s South Africa list Paarl - and its restaurant, The Red Table, which is located onsite in the original manor house, features a menu with an emphasis on fresh and locally-sourced food, all of which is perfectly accompanied by a range of Nederburg wines.

Organic wine estate Silvermist, located on the Constantia Wine Route, just 15 minutes from Cape Town’s busy centre, is a celebration of nature, with hiking trails and bird watching galore, plus cleared trees reused in construction and, of course, a concerted refusal to use chemicals or pesticides. Their enthusiastic harnessing of everything that the climate has to offer, from cooler temperatures and higher rainfall, to fresh breezes directly off the ocean, results in whites which are particularly good, characterised by bold, crisp flavours. There’s an awardwinning on-site restaurant, La Colombe, where local ingredients are given a contemporary French twist.

Coming face to face with a great white shark

Cape Town itself, of course, has much to recommend it to the devoted foodie, even if your trip doesn’t involve an exploration of the nearby wine-growing regions.

The area’s history plays a significant role, with colonial influences melding with local flavours, while the climate and outdoors lifestyle further inform culinary experiences; Die Strandloper seafood restaurant, for example, is renowned for its open braai (barbecue) area and on-the-beach dining.

Informal, relaxed and laidback, it combines fantastically fresh, quality ingredients with a distinctly ‘basic’ approach to eating. Those more at ease with fine-dining should head to The Test Kitchen, which has been widely acclaimed since opening in 2010 and offers diners a multi-sensory Nederburg experience in an imaginatively Winery is one redesigned industrial space: the of the most three-month waiting list speaks admired wine volumes, so plan ahead. brands in Few people travelling to the world

South Africa won’t have the once-ina-lifetime prospect of a safari on their minds and, while there are a handful of reserves within a few hours’ drive of Cape Town - Aquila Private Game Reserve for example - it’s worth the flight to Kruger National Park to experience the incredible Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve. In this unspoilt environment, big game - including the bucket list ‘big five’ of lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant - roam freely, as well as cheetahs, wild dogs, around 200 other indigenous species of animal and 350 species of birds.

Four unique lodges, all with impeccable ecocredentials, form the luxurious accommodation here, some of which feature private plunge pools and outdoor showers; rates, which start from £697 per person per night, include fine cuisine meals and South African wines, as well as open Land Rover safaris with expert rangers by both day and night, plus environmental awareness walking safaris with local Shangaan trackers.

For a different experience - and within just a two-hour drive of Cape Town - Grootbos Private Nature Reserve is the smallest but richest of the six floral kingdoms in the world. Featuring five-star accommodation set among lush gardens with incredible views of Walker Bay, it’s also the only lodge in South Africa with the marine ‘big five’ - whales, white sharks, penguins, seals and dolphins. Activities include guided explorations of forest, caves and coast; scenic flights, horse riding and spa treatments are also available to guests - plus shark cage diving for the thrill seeker.

British Airways flies non-stop from London Heathrow to Cape Town from £873 return in January

Lodges at Sabi Sabi combine simplicity with luxury

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Racing Life

GOLD RUSH

Jewellery

The rarity of Welsh gold makes it one of the most coveted metals in the world; Clogau guarantees its presence in every piece it produces

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elsh gold is one of the rarest and most precious metals in the world; so sought after is it that, in 2017, flakes and nuggets of the substance sold for 20 times its usual value, simply because of its provenance.

Totalling just two ounces in weight, the gold would usually have been valued at around £2,000, but in fact sold for £44,000 at auction. The reason, according to experts, was the elusive ‘Clogau factor’ - a reference to the Clogau mine, which was one of the most lucrative Welsh gold mines, and the site of a mini gold rush in 1862.

Initially operating until 1911, 165,031 tons of gold ore was mined, resulting in 2,442 kg of gold.

Welsh gold naturally occurs in two distinct areas of the country - as well as the band in which the Clogau Gold Mine is located, stretching up towards Snowdonia in north Wales, there is also a Roman site in south Wales, in a small area in the valley of the River Cothi at Dolaucothi.

Since gold is no longer mined in Wales, this adds, naturally enough, to its scarcity and desirability - so pieces made from pure Welsh gold are hard to come by. Well, unless you’re royalty, of course - the Queen Mother’s ring from her 1923 wedding, as well as the Queen’s in 1947, Princess Margaret’s in 1960, The Princess Royal’s in 1973

A selection of charms, including this horseshoe, accompany the brand’s charm bracelets

The Snowdon Lily has been created to mark Clogau’s 30th birthday and the one worn by Diana, Princess of Wales were all crafted from the same nugget, mined from the Clogau mine.

The rings worn by Sarah, Duchess of York, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan Markle are all made from this rare and precious metal as well.

Luxury jewellery brand Clogau came to be in 1989, when local man William Roberts stumbled upon an abandoned gold mine in the mountains of Snowdonia. Plans to open it as a tourist attraction were scuppered by the National Park authority, so Roberts decided instead to take a chance on there still being - as the saying goes ‘gold in them hills’. His hunch was right, and he began the process of extracting some of the rarest metal in the world, eventually deciding to showcase and preserve it in a small selection of jewellery pieces, inspired by the natural beauty of Wales and sold in a handful of small gift shops located near the mine.

From these beginnings, the Clogau brand has grown to be a secondgeneration business with over 400 pieces in its collection, stocked both nationally and internationally. The gold amassed in those early years still continues, largely, to be the source of the Welsh gold used in Clogau jewellery; because it’s a finite resource,

only a small and predetermined amount is used in each piece, which makes the brand relatively affordable, as well as ensuring the longevity of Welsh gold supplies.

To celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, Clogau has designed the exquisite Snowdon Lily, inspired by the indigenous flower discovered in the Snowdonia Mountains (now known to grow in only five places in the country) in 1696 by Welsh botanist Edward Llwyd. Combining white fire opal, yellow sapphire and diamond set pieces, the beautifully simple ring is priced at £149. Charm bracelets are priced from £139; charms, including stars, angels, dragons, daffodils - and, of course, horseshoes - are priced from £79; bespoke pieces, such as engagement rings, range up to £16,000. www.clogau.co.uk Sarah Rodrigues

Each piece of Clogau jewellery is made with a specified amount of rare Welsh gold.

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London

STRAIGHT UP

Drinkers at the Donovan Bar in Mayfair’s iconic Brown’s Hotel will now be able to sample Salvatore Calabrese’s personal spirits collection in a unique cocktail selection

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f every great wine tells a story, then so does every cocktail - and how much richer are the stories when crafted with vintage spirits? Perhaps nowhere is this more the case than at the Donovan Bar, where guests can now choose from a new and exclusive menu of vintage cocktails, made with rare and historic spirits from the personal collection of master mixologist Salvatore Calabrese.

Located within the steeped-inhistory Brown’s Hotel, which opened in Mayfair in 1837, the Donovan Bar reopened after extensive refurbishment in early 2018 and has been presided over by Calabrese ever since. As one of the world’s leading bartenders and a former President of the United Kingdom Bartender’s Guild, he has been creating drinks for more than 40 years in top hotels, private members’ clubs and exclusive cocktail bars. In 1980, Salvatore joined London’s Dukes Hotel, where he responded to the wishes of a very particular customer by creating the recipe for the ultimate ‘super cool, super dry’ martini; a drink that allegedly took him five days to perfect and ultimately earned him the nickname ‘The Maestro’.

This new Vintage Cocktail selection has been carefully curated by Salvatore himself; through it, drinkers are beckoned into a bygone era to explore the history of mixed drinks, with a selection of well-loved and lesserknown classic cocktails made with the spirits of their time.

Mark Twain was just one of the literary luminaries to frequent the bar in his day, calling it ‘a blessed retreat.’

Other elements of the bar’s literary history are celebrated in its menu - for example, the Vesper Martini which was ordered by 007 in the 1953 novel Casino Royale and named for the very first Bond Girl, Vesper Lynd. Here, the recipe combines Gordon’s Gin and Smirnoff Vodka from the 1950s, to which a measure of 1949 Kina Lillet is added.

Continuing with the literary theme, a Bacardi Santiago Cuba from the turn of the 20th century is used to make the Daiquiri, which was known to be Ernest

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Hemingway’s drink of choice, and a 1956 Lheraud Grandee Champagne Cognac and Bols Crème de Caçao from 1960 are combined in the classic Brandy Alexander, which features in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited.

Harry Craddock may not be a name well known to most, but as the most famous mixologist of his age he came

out of retirement in 1947 to launch Brown’s first cocktail bar, bringing with him some of the best-loved recipes from his world famous Savoy Cocktail Book. Today, cocktail historians can enjoy a White Lady made with Gordon’s Gin and Cointreau from circa 1930, the year the guide was published.

Alternatively, the Aviation, which was created by Hugo Ensslin during his tenure as Head Bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York in the early 20th century, is served up at the Donovan Bar with 1930s Gordon’s Gin, Crème de Violette and Zara maraschino.

The piece de resistance on the Vintage Cocktails menu is Salvatore’s Legacy, the world’s oldest cocktail.

Made using the bar’s oldest spirit, a 1788 Clos de Griffier Vieux cognac, as well as Dubb Orange liqueur (c1860) and a dash of Angostura Bitters (c1930), this original creation of Salvatore’s offers more than 700 years of liquid history and is priced at £5,500.

Brown’s is a Rocco Forte Hotel www.roccofortehotels.com

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Sarah Rodrigues

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Racing Life

Sleep

THREE THINGS

Bears know what’s what - darker mornings and earlier nights are a cue for sleeping - lots of it. That’s small comfort to the large proportion of people in the UK who struggle to get a good night’s rest, whatever that happens to be due to. Sleeping potions may be the stuff of fairytales but, at the very least, genuine rest and relaxation aren’t far away with these innovative, natural products writes Sarah Rodrigues ISLA APOTHECARY RELAX + RECOVER BATH SALTS

Isla Apothecary products are PETAcertified cruelty free and vegan; the complete absence of a side order of guilt means that they are already well placed to help you rest easy. And while the slumber-inducing effects of a bath are well documented, there’s no denying that what you add to those waters can have an even more intensely soporific effect. This blend of dried lavender and essential oils - rose geranium, bergamot and cedarwood atlas - combined with Epsom salt comes with an extra boost of pure Magnesium Sulphate, which eases muscular tension and tiredness, as well as assisting post-exertion recovery.

Worried about the photosensitivity that certain citrus oils may cause? Isla Apothecary uses only Bergaptene Free Bergamot essential, which has been re-distilled to remove most of the constituents that can accelerate photosensitivity of the skin. £34/500g www.islaapothecary.com

ZEEZ SLEEP PEBBLE

Frequencies, rather than frequency, appear to be the missing link when it comes to good sleep, with a lack of alphas, thetas and deltas variously inhibiting different aspects of rest.

Using an advanced microprocessor and patented circuit board, yet employing only around 1/100th of the power of a mobile phone, The Zeez Sleep Pebble safely reintroduces these missing waves, with test results showing that 80% of users experience significantly improved sleep. Director Anna McKay’s sister, Natalie Meg Evans, a former thoroughbred owner, observes: “Anyone familiar with thoroughbreds will know the sensitivity and intuitiveness of the thoroughbred mind.

If you have a bad night your horse will know it immediately. One must be on the ball, yet calm - a state of mind that is simply not achievable unless we are well rested.” £350, www.zeez.org.uk

JET CANDY

Whether travel is a big part of your personal or professional life, you’re likely to know only too well the gruelling effects of jetlag - and if poor sleeping habits already plague you, then this is an added trial that you certainly don’t need. Enter Jet Candy, a homeopathic remedy which helps to gently reset the body clock without resorting to harsh prescription medicines. Arnica, bellis perennis, cocculus and gelsemium combine to ease the dehydration, fatigue, disorientation, lack of mental acuity and other symptoms that strike when circadian rhythms are disrupted - and all in a handy 100-pillule dispenser with pill distributor cap, ideal for security checks and carry-on. £12.99, www.jet-candy.com

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Gin

Still Life

Lancashire’s newest tipple, Goosnargh Gin, pays homage to the region in which it has been created

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LIZ BAKER

iven that Richard and Rachel Trenchard’s backgrounds are, respectively, in education and journalism, it’s unsurprising that preparation for their Goosnargh Gin was thorough, with Rachel attending a gin course in London and the pair conducting extensive research on all aspects of the business before initiating their venture.

Their gin takes its name from the parish - Goosnargh - in which the couple and their children live, in an 18th century farmhouse on the edge of the Forest of Bowland AONB. A distinctive black and white property, it has a garden that allows them to keep chickens, sell eggs and grow their own fruit and vegetables.

The Good Life? Not only has the Forest of Bowland been dubbed ‘the Switzerland of England’ and ‘this country’s Tuscany’ but it’s also been identified by Queen Elizabeth as the place where “Philip and I would like to retire.”

Naturally, Rachel and Richard have drawn inspiration from the rich beauty of their environment, using all organic botanicals, some of which, such as meadowsweet, yarrow and elderflower, grow in it naturally. Additionally, Goosnargh is soon to be made using water from a local spring.

The result: a fresh, herby, earthy gin which reflects the area’s surroundings.

Both born and bred here, the couple hope to “give the people of Lancashire a gin that they can be really proud of,” but their aim is also to help sustain a thriving local economy, working with a number of

A traditional, handcrafted copper still is made to produce the gin

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interested local businesses, including farm shops, bars and restaurants. Combined with tonic, Rachel and Richard are keen for consumers to enjoy a ‘GG&T’ - to really relish the distinctive taste of the gin.

A loyalty to and love of the area has informed every element of Goosnargh Gin’s production - right down to the design elements, which were undertaken by a local business, incorporating trees to represent the Forest of Bowland. The deer on the label is one regularly seen on the path and in the fields near Rachel and Richard’s home, while the copper detailing reflects the traditional alembic used in the production of the gin.

“This traditional method was really important to us,” they explain. “There are various ways of making gin, from huge industrial units to products which, to us, look more suited to a chemistry lab. For us, it was always about using traditional methods and being very hands on in the making of our gin. Our still was handcrafted for us in Portugal; you can see each hammer mark and rivet.”

Stills, like ships, are always female - and the ones that produce Goosnargh Gin are called Beatrice and Constance; the former 60 litres in which each batch is distilled and the latter a three-litre test still, employed for the testing and tweaking of recipes. Abbreviated, the names form ‘Bea’ and ’Con’; together, ‘Beacon.’ The

third still will be called Felicity (Fel) combined, making Beacon Fell, at the base of which the couple live.

Goosnargh Gin is being produced in ‘chapters’ - a nod to Richard’s writing background - and Chapter One, the Signature Gin, marks the beginning of the brand’s story. As the story develops, more chapters will unfold: look out for Chapter Two, named Dark Skies, which celebrates the Forest of Bowland’s designated Dark Skies status, and will be a warming gin, with hints of ginger and cardamom. www.goosnarghgin.co.uk Sarah Rodrigues

LIZ BAKER

LIZ BAKER

Goosnargh Gin has been inspired by the beautiful surroundings of the Forest of Bowland

Organic botanicals give Goosnargh Gin its unique, earthy taste

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Racing Life

Make Do & Mend

By Christopher Modoo

Christopher Modoo is a men’s style expert and has conducted suit fittings in both Buckingham and Beckingham Palace. He is often quoted in the press on matters of etiquette and correct dress, and writes a regular feature for The Rake magazine. Follow him on Instagram at @chrismodoo

A

fter the over-indulgence of the festive period, it is usual to want to start the new year feeling fresher and lighter. The media will inundate us with new diets and gyms will enjoy a rise in membership. Some people will even pledge to abstain from alcohol for the whole month - I tried this once, but never again. January is a miserable enough month without having to cope with it whilst sober. But I do always wish I had less “stuff”. I have wardrobes of clothes that I rarely wear and it is tempting to dispose of them.

But with the cost of clothing set to rise, perhaps we should all stop seeing fashion as disposable. Landfills are full of cheap clothes and we all need to change our attitudes.

If there is something you do not wear because it no longer fits, consider taking it to a local tailor or seamstress.

Men’s clothing, even on the high street, is cut with “in-lay”…extra fabric that can be let out to increase the size. The amount of inlay will increase in bespoke and handmade garments, but even offthe-peg trousers can be let out by an inch. If you have lost weight and need the garment reduced, this can also be achieved. Finding a good local tailor who will perform such tasks is vital, and when you find a good one, look after them! A small cash tip as a ‘thank you’ is much appreciated and you will find that your alterations are carried out a little more quickly. They will also replace missing buttons.

Of course, trying to find your missing button can be tricky if a spare wasn’t originally supplied, so why not replace all the buttons and give the garment a new look? If the trousers of your blue suit have worn out but the jacket still has some life in it, changing the buttons from blue to a rich brown or metal will give you a new blazer. Patching elbows is rarely done nowadays, but is a great way of adding new life to an old jacket. Many Italian brands put

elbow patches on their tailoring to add character and they do not need to be brown dark leather. A little search on the Internet and you will find versions in all shades of suede and nubuck. If you are feeling creative, your tailor will be able to fashion a pair from corduroy or moleskin.

If the top collar of an overcoat is looking tired, a replacement collar is both practical and stylish. Black velvet is smart and works well with navy and grey herringbone, but a tan overcoat can take dark red, gold or bottle green. Again, corduroy and moleskin can be utilised as a less formal option.

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Fashion If your favourite garment has a rip, invisible mending can work wonders but, on the other hand, can be prohibitively expensive. Patching the hole is a cheaper alternative and, when performed well, adds a certain charm.

The Prince of Wales is famous for his wardrobe of patched clothing.

Of course, the more expensive the original garment, the more money it is worth spending to get a few more years’ wear out of it - but, if you make only one new year’s resolution, it should be to consume less but to consumer better.

Purchasing your suits from a bespoke tailor will allow you to return it for pressing and repairs.

Shirt cuffs are rarely turned these days but it was once considered the norm. It has gone out of fashion since new shirts are produced cheaply and brands would prefer you purchased new rather than prolong the life of existing product. Turnbull & Asser of Jermyn Street are an exception and even offer a service where they will replace worn out collars and cuffs of their own shirts.

Good quality Egyptian cottons only improve with age and the combination of a soft, silky shirt body with a crisp new collar is sublime. I usually add white collars to bold striped and checked shirts and use it as an opportunity to try a different style.

Goodyear welted shoes allow the sole to be replaced without damaging the uppers - and the best versions of this quality are still made in England. When the sole or heel wears down and needs replacing, you can return your shoes to be expertly re-crafted.

Crockett & Jones of Northampton offer a full refurbishment service where the original sole and heel is expertly

removed before a new one is applied to the original shoe or boot. The advantage of returning your shoes to the original factory is that they will be re-made on the original last, the original wooden template which is used to give the shoes the correct shape. Crockett & Jones will also renovate the leather and give the shoes a nourishing shine. The service is slower (expect to wait up to ten weeks) but far superior to what is available on the high street. Shoes can be repaired

up to four times and I would recommend applying a rubber sole when the shoe is past its best. A properly applied rubber sole is comfortable and is useful for wearing on wet days and in inclement environments. Avoid the rubber “stick on” soles as they are a false economy, often distorting the balance of the shoe and damaging the uppers. www.crocketandjones.com www.turnbullandasser.co.uk

Bowhill & Elliott velvet slippers Northampton is justly famous for making great shoes but Norwich in East Anglia also has a shoemaking tradition. For many generations, Clarks had a factory on the River Wensum and today Bowhill & Elliott still make traditional slippers and evening shoes.

Their iconic “Albert” slipper with a quilted lining is more house shoe

than “pipe around the fire” and it is quite chic to wear them to black tie events. They are available in a host of jewel tones and the ultimate indulgence is to commission a pair with your family crest or personal cypher.

They can also design any artwork onto a slipper with your imagination

and budget being the only restriction.

Bowhill & Elliott also make a fine ladies’ slipper, should you like a pair of “his and hers”, as well as the traditional black patent leather opera pump, which is rarely worn these days but absolutely due a revival.

If your Christmas presents are a little disappointing this year, perhaps you should start dropping some hints now for 2019. www.bowhillandelliot.co.uk

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Talking To...

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Olly Murphy

Olly Murphy has made a great start as a trainer in his own right after assisting Gordon Elliott for four years in Ireland

Murphy’s

ROAR Olly Murphy learned his trade from a master in Gordon Elliott and has the same determination to one day be the champion of his profession Interview: Tim Richards Photos: George Selwyn

W

as the young Olly Murphy’s original ambition to be a jockey?

Yes, until weight and size got in the way! I rode 25 point-to-point winners and six under Rules. I had four or five years as an amateur, enjoying a good craic and learning a bit about pace and race-riding, which can be a big help when you start training. I did plenty of pony club, hunting and a bit of eventing.

I even enjoyed helping the valets look after Allen Webb, Jim Culloty and Rodi Greene in the jockeys’ room. But Panorama did a piece on television saying I was under age and because of health and safety I had to stop.

It was at Upper Sapey point-to-point that I went out on a winner, but by then the scales had won. I had trials for Coventry City at 15 but racing got the better of me and I just played football on Sundays instead of four days a week after school. Now I just go and watch Aston Villa as much as I can and train for a couple of the Villa players.

How did you decide that the time was right to start up on your own in England in 2017?

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I just thought Gordon Elliott had achieved an awful lot in the time I was working for him and I was always told it’s best to get out when people are at the top. I’m sure the way Gordon’s going he will be right up there for many years to come. I had learnt loads.

Racing is a young man’s game and the time was right after nearly five seasons there. I wanted to enjoy the game myself, so I came home.

The biggest challenge at the beginning was everyone waiting for me to fall flat on my face, having spent all that time with Gordon… going round with my eyes closed and learning nothing. I must admit I felt the whole world was sat on my shoulders, then all of a sudden the pressure came off with my first winner, Dove Mountain, at Brighton.

You spent two summer school holidays followed by four years as assistant to the great Gordon Elliott in Ireland.

What responsibilities did that involve?

I did a lot of racing, worked in the office, ran some syndicates and dealt with owners. Gordon’s head man, Simon McGongle, who runs the yard

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Talking To...

“Increasing the numbers is important, while big winners raise the profile” ›› and works along with all the staff, was

a big support, too. I helped with the entries and did a bit of everything. I loved going racing and being involved with the entries and doing the decs.

And also going to the sales and buying a few horses. I simply loved being assistant to a top trainer. Gordon was always very good to me and took me under his wing; I was as keen as mustard.

Has the involvement with all the Elliott success heaped a lot of expectation on your shoulders? If so, how do you handle the pressure – and the disappointments?

I’m not the sort of person who bothers much about pressure. I think I might even thrive on it. You bring pressure on yourself with success as well as failure.

I’m afraid there are a lot of people who want you to fail in this game. But yes, there was pressure at the beginning and you just hope for a good start and even better things to come. The more you worry, the less things will work out for you. The day you don’t get nervous when you have a runner is the day you don’t want to be training racehorses. I hate losing and that’s why I’m nervous.

My parents have been brilliant and it’s great to have them over the road when I come home after a bad day at the races. They are always there to give me a lift. You just have to wake up the next morning and have a go again.

You are on record as saying, ‘I learnt

more with Gordon Elliott than I did in the first 22 years of my life’. Exactly what did you learn?

Keep your horses in the worst company and yourself in the best! Seriously though, Gordon started off from nothing, learnt how to run a business and obviously train racehorses. His management of staff is very good, too.

Being there amongst it all you learn how everything should be done in the right way. Getting horses fit is the easy part, but Gordon manages to keep a successful business going at the same time as making sure his staff are happy.

He has the recipe for success.

You had your first winner, Dove Mountain, at Brighton in July 2017 and your 100th, Mizen Master, at Fakenham in November. What will be the formula for the Murphy stable in 2019?

The ambition is to keep improving the quality of horses and beat our total last year of 47 winners, which we have achieved. Increasing the numbers is important, while producing winners for

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Olly Murphy the big occasion raises the profile. We have 97 stables and I try to keep the place as similar to Gordon’s as I can; high barns with plenty of ventilation.

We have 30 babies and 70 horses to run, so about 100 riding out.

Your mother Anabel has trained at Warren Chase stables, near Stratford for 30 years and your father, Aiden, is a highly successful bloodstock agent.

They must have been a great help when setting up…

They have instilled in me the importance of being a competent businessman. They tell me it’s no good being a successful trainer and not being able to run the operation as a business. Mum and dad have been teaching me how to manage the stables as a commercial set-up as well as how to train winners. I haven’t had a lot of business experience but they have been a tremendous help in that department.

It comes down to having to make a living, something we all have to do in whatever walk of life.

You were childhood pals with Dan and Harry Skelton, whose gallops are only two miles from your stable. Do you get together much now your lives are so busy?

I see Dan at the races and meet Harry socially. I talk to Harry most days and we share lifts to the races. It’s great to see him riding so many winners and I hope he’ll be riding plenty for me in the future. We used to ride out together for Ian Williams. I also went to the Olympics with Dan and Harry and we spent family holidays together.

Harry had his first ride as a jockey for my mum. Yes, we go back a long way together as families. We all like to win, beat each other and still remain friends.

How much of Elliott’s Cullentra House lay-out have you introduced at Warren Chase?

I have tried to keep everything as straightforward as possible. The gallops, feed, rugs, staff starting times and hours are similar to Gordon’s. I brought my sand over from Ireland to

replicate Gordon’s gallop. I know it was expensive but I wanted to do it the right way. If all else failed, I didn’t want to feel I’d taken any shortcuts.

Do you source and buy horses yourself? What do you look for in a Flat horse and jumper?

I buy them myself at the lower end of the market. But I realise I am very lucky to have dad’s expertise when selecting stores and horses from Irish point-topoints. Ryan Mahon, a friend, is also buying for me. Between the three of us we do most of the buying, though some of my owners use their own agents.

When I am after a jumper it has to have size and quality; there’s no getting away from that. You’ve also got to have a decent budget. Unfortunately, if you’ve got only ten grand you’re not going to tick all the boxes. I try to turn a bad horse into a winner, or hopefully even a good horse. Winners are what you need because they attract owners and, after all, that’s what we’re trying to do. I have a couple of two-year-olds but

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Like a football manager on the touchline, Murphy cheers on Skandiburg and Fergus Gregory as they approach the last flight on their way to winning a novice hurdle at Fakenham in December

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Olly Murphy I set out and I would often ring Gordon for a bit of advice and encouragement.

You’re never too good for advice!

Thomas Darby is an exciting young horse. What’s the plan for the rest of the season – and can you give us a dark horse to look out for?

Thomas Darby could be very good and is being aimed at the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival. He has plenty of pace and a bit of quality about him but was very green when he won at Cheltenham. He should keep improving and likes a bit of decent ground. The plan has been to give him another run and then a prep race before Cheltenham. Finawn Bawn is a nice horse with plenty of promise about him.

He won his novice hurdle at Bangor at the beginning of December and is the type who should go on through the season.

Murphy and connections of Hunters Call after his Grade 3 victory at Ascot in 2017

›› jumping is where my heart lies.

What is the key to attracting new owners and how do you do it?

Training winners attracts new owners.

But, importantly, racing is moving forward and it’s vital to get new blood into the sport. By that I mean new and young with lots of enthusiasm. I am young [27] and we need similar aged people to keep it going as owners, trainers, jockeys and racegoers. The younger element can join in the sport with smaller syndicates as well as racing clubs.

What part of the job gives you most satisfaction – and most stress?

It is very satisfying training winners for anyone, but more so for a small syndicate or for someone who hasn’t tasted success before. Winning with horses other people haven’t won with is a good advertisement for your business. The most stressful is undoubtedly ringing owners to give them bad news. We all have to do it and it’s part of the job, but it’s a tough phone call to make.

Having worked on both sides of the Irish Sea, is there a difference in the

possible effects Brexit will have on racing in Ireland and in England?

I don’t think Brexit is going to be as bad for our industry as people looking in from the outside would have you believe. It’s concerning but I don’t think people are not buying racehorses because of what’s going on in Europe.

We are very lucky because we are situated [near Stratford] in the middle of England and can find the staff we need. We have a lot of experienced staff as well as a lot of ex-jockeys riding out here. Stable staff are the life and soul of racing and I look after them as well as I can. I am lucky to have a real enthusiastic bunch, who work hard, play hard and are mad keen for winners.

As a new member of the training ranks, what would be your advice to anyone wishing to join the profession?

Go out, buy bad horses and try to win with them. Don’t head to Newbury on a Saturday and finish sixth in a maiden hurdle; winning small midweek races is the best way to start. Don’t try to take on the big lads at the big meetings. The Ascots and Newburys with their nice owners’ lunches are no good if you’re not winning. Don’t fly too high too soon. I must admit I was nervous when

Where would you like to be in five years’ time?

Competing at the top end on Saturdays. Any young person who’s training racehorses and doesn’t want to be champion trainer needs to go and find a different occupation. I want to be champion trainer, the best. If you don’t want to be the best, then you’re in the wrong job.

CLOSE UP AND… PERSONAL

A perfect day-off is… going to watch Aston Villa Four dinner party guests… Gordon Elliott, Ian ‘Busty’ Amond, Mouse O’Ryan and owner Tom Howley I am annoyed by… getting beat Can’t get through the day without… checking Aston Villa news My worst habit is… looking at my mobile phone

CLOSE UP AND… PROFESSIONAL

Best jockey I have seen…

AP McCoy Greatest thrill in racing… Don Cossack winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup Favourite racecourse… Warwick Horse I’d love to have trained…

Tiger Roll Racing has taught me… to be a good loser (though I’m probably the worst!)

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12/11/2018 12:18

The Big Switch

Different

STROKES The racing channels will take on a new look in 2019 but while both sides are talking the talk, can they walk the walk with their contrasting volumes of domestic and international action?

Words: Graham Dench

I

f you have not been following the racing news closely you might suspect that the imminent changes to how we view our sport on television amount to little more than an exercise in rebranding.

Think again.

They will not be mere name changes when, exactly two years on from the revolution that took terrestrial coverage from Channel 4 to ITV, Racing UK becomes Racing TV and At The Races will begin operating as Sky Sports Racing.

Far from it. These are new entities, with different content and tone.

Racing TV’s acquisition of the exclusive rights to show racing from all of Ireland’s 26 courses, and for the first time Chelmsford, was a massive coup in itself, albeit a blow to those used to enjoying it as part of their basic Sky subscription.

What’s more, the acquisition has come with an impressive list of new recruits, headed by Gary O’Brien, the so-called ‘voice of Irish racing’, as well as advances in the way we watch racing which RMG Chief Executive Richard FitzGerald likens to “a Netflix-style approach”.

Over on the other channel, there can be no disguising the hole that losing the Irish content leaves, yet it has not all been one-way traffic and the mood at a media launch just three days after that of their rival was every bit as positive, with At The Races boss Matthew Imi describing all the advantages of moving to Sky as “a game changer”.

It was not news that Ascot switches sides again in March, or that both Bangor

and Chester will also be crossing over from the former Racing UK. However, Sky Sports Racing was also able to show off a new state-of-the-art studio in the heart of the Sky campus in west London, which will broadcast in HD, plus significant new gadgetry similar to that which works so well on Sky Sports Football.

In addition, international coverage will be ratcheted up massively, and on the talent front they too have made significant new signings, the whole package delivering what Imi describes as “a unique tone and unique personality”.

CONTENT

Simple maths suggests that the Irish switch will at times present Racing TV with too much content and leave Sky Sports Racing with too little. Publicly both channels disagree of course, and so it will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Launch date itself is a case in point, for in addition to the prestigious New Year’s Day fixture at Cheltenham and three more domestic cards, Racing TV must also find a way to shoehorn in racing from both Fairyhouse and Tramore, while over on Sky Sports Racing live coverage will be focused on two relatively low-key meetings at Fakenham and Southwell.

While an abandonment or two might be welcomed by Racing TV, which will be particularly keen to ensure that the depth of their coverage of the Irish meetings satisfies the many professionals who were initially so dismayed by news of the switch, there will be a change of

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Racing channels

The Sky Sports Racing team will include (from left) Freddie Tylicki, Hayley Moore, Alex Hammond, Jason Weaver, Mick Fitzgerald, Luke Harvey and Matt Chapman

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The Big Switch

With Irish tracks having joined Racing TV, so too have (from left) Kate Harrington, Kevin O’Ryan, Gary O’Brien, Ruby Walsh and Donn McClean

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emphasis on such busy days. There will be more studio-based delivery and less punditry, especially on Saturdays.

Significantly, Racing TV, which calculates it will host 70% of live British and Irish racing and 90% of Group races, will introduce its own dedicated live stream on Racing TV Extra, accessible on website, mobile and TV apps, with every one of their 61 racecourses on either side of the Irish Sea having its own dedicated channel.

FitzGerald said: “This is the start of an exciting new era for the channel.

Rebranding to Racing TV reflects the even greater quality and choice available from both sides of the Irish Sea and also retains some of the Racing UK brand heritage, of which we are very proud.

“We are building racing to be much more than just about Sky. When we set off at the start in 2004, Sky was effectively the only way to watch racing.

That is not the case now. We have taken a much more multi-platform approach. It is more of a Netflix-style approach.”

Sky Sports Racing has not taken the loss of Irish racing lying down and their deal with France Galop will go a long way towards filling the hole. It remains to be seen how they engage the interest of UK and Irish viewers, but there is no shortage of ideas on that front, and the channel will effectively become the home of international racing.

There is a minimum commitment for 250 race meetings a year to be shown from France, much of it with on-course presentation, and there is no shortage of quality, although much of it is concentrated on Sundays.

Imi says: “We believe in French racing and it works well timings-wise. It’s about engaging audiences, and we will work very closely with colleagues at Equidia and with owners and trainers over there.

There is a story to tell over there and I think we can do a good job.”

He adds that it presents an “exciting opportunity”, especially when set alongside the 88 fixtures Sky Sports Racing will show exclusively from Hong Kong, the regular content from the States, including the American Triple Crown and Breeders’ Cup, and Australian simulcasts, including the Melbourne Cup. Underlining the significance of joining the fold at Sky Sports, Imi, who hinted that further media rights deals were imminent, pointed out: “International rights holders all understand the Sky Sports brand. They attach huge value to the audience we deliver and they buy into the cross promotion.”

Coverage on Racing TV will start earlier and finish later. The Betting Lab will be replaced by the Friday Club, which will be free to air and will include live racing from Dundalk. There will be a daily Mark Your Card, plus evening highlights and replays.

Luck On Sunday is staying, and the channel will introduce a new programme on Saturdays known as The Full SP. The Friday Club, featuring Rishi Persad and weighing room wag Martin Dwyer, will presumably be in direct opposition to Get In, At The Races’ popular end of week wind-down (and wind-up!) show hosted by Luke Harvey and Jason Weaver, which will remain a key feature on Sky Sports Racing.

Programming there, as now, will feature news bulletins on the hour from 9am, alongside a preview show and, when time allows, racing review programmes before racing too.

Sky Sports Racing will also introduce a new racing round-up programme and borrow some Sky Sports ideas, including Monday Night Racing, hosted from the studio every week and always including live racing. The Sunday Forum will be rebranded as The Racing Debate and also rolled out on other days.

TALENT

There was never much doubt that Gary O’Brien would join Racing TV, or for that matter Kevin O’Ryan, for as O’Brien himself has said, “you have to go where the work is”.

Both are hugely respected and popular within Irish racing circles and they join long-time Racing UK regulars Ruby Walsh and Donn McClean on

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Racing channels an impressive team to which Kate Harrington, daughter of trainer Jessica, adds an intriguing extra dimension.

There are no significant changes to the UK front-of-camera line-up, which includes Lydia Hislop, Nick Luck and Tom Stanley, but it remains to be seen quite how they and the regular pundits are deployed within the tighter scheduling.

Confirmation that former Racing Channel presenter Alex Hammond was returning to her roots as lead presenter for Sky Sports Racing after 15 years on Sky Sports News has been welcomed by many.

She is joined by fellow new recruits Freddy Tylicki and Josh Apiafi on an impressive roster that already included the incoming and outgoing Broadcasters of the Year, Weaver and Harvey, plus former winner Matt Chapman. Jamie Lynch, who joins full-time with a much broader brief than he had on At The Races, will be another asset.

A potential issue at flagship fixture Royal Ascot regarding Chapman, Harvey and Weaver, all of whom are contracted to ITV, has been brushed aside by Executive Producer Rob Dakin, who says: “There’s no conflict. Jason, Luke and Matt will work for ITV at Royal Ascot, as they did this year, and we still have a great set of presenters available to us including Alex, Hayley [Moore], Gina [Bryce] and of course Freddy.

“We see the channels as complementary, and from our point of view ITV gives our talent a wider platform, which is great.”

TECHNOLOGY

Sky Sports Racing will enjoy major technological advantages over the old At The Races, and high definition broadcasting is just the start of them.

Imi says: “What we are most excited about is not just partnering with Sky, but particularly Sky Sports. They have the biggest and broadest portfolio of rights and a huge reputation internationally for the quality of their output and also for their innovation. It’s going to look amazing.”

Dakin adds: “We are introducing touch-screen technology, which is nothing new to racing or sports broadcasting but is an area in which Sky has an incredible amount of expertise.

“There will be some very bespoke features for racing and we will be elevating the output.”

Portable touch-screens will be available on-course, and the players themselves will be encouraged to interact in review situations. Wider use

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of drones is promised, and Sky Sports Racing will have a dedicated camera at the start of every race as well as a super slow-mo camera on every finish line and another available for homing in on runners of special interest.

It’s fair to say that it needed to catch up, for Racing UK has been broadcasting in HD for three years, and has long focused on delivering ultra-fast pictures, in addition to which touch-screen technology is a regular studio feature.

Racing TV’s chief technological advance is the aforementioned Extra service, allowing viewers to watch dedicated streams from all its 61 racecourses, including paddock, going down, the race itself and unsaddling coverage, and to view as many as four streams simultaneously via its new Quad Player.

“The world of media rights is a complex one and it is constantly evolving” AUDIENCE GROWTH POTENTIAL

As we all know, racing nowadays is constantly seeking to broaden its demographic and attract a younger audience, and in this respect there are clear benefits to be had from At The Races joining the Sky Sports fold.

Imi says: “Crucially we are available in 14 million homes, and that’s across Sky and Virgin, and also through several thousand commercial premises. We have impressive reach, and we are looking to increase and improve it.

“We are joining the Sky family, which is huge. We are looking at massive scale, with a huge number of customers, and a large number of colleagues whose expertise we can tap into. It’s hugely impressive.”

Sky Sports Racing will seek to maintain the attraction to the core audience and also to attract more casual sports fans who have yet to sample the sport. Dakin sees “a unique opportunity to grow the audience through crosspromotion by other Sky Sports channels – not just to the general public but to

committed sports fans.”

Similarly Racing TV, which will be available to Sky and Virgin customers in Ireland, and Sky, Virgin and Freeview/ YouView customers in Britain, is confident the audience will materially grow.

It has plans to add further viewing platforms in Ireland, and the channel will also be available to broadband users around the world via the website and apps, as it was on Racing UK. It will be free-to-view during live racing for Irish residents on a regular basis in January, and Irish residents will be able to take up a free one-month trial at any time during that month.

THE FUTURE

The world of media rights is a complex one and it is constantly evolving.

ITV’s rights extend only until the end of 2020 so it is impossible to be sure where we will be even in two years’ time, let alone in five or ten.

Imi insists that while the door will always be open at Sky Sports Racing, it is not dependent upon attracting new business.

He says: “We are taking a long-term view that does not rely on adding any more tracks. We’ve got a fantastic product and we are very confident that we can grow the business on the back of it.

“We aren’t speculating about any future media rights that might come up and what people might want to do, but if other racecourses, once they have seen what we can do, want to approach us our door is open and we will respond. We would love to add additional UK tracks but it’s not a focus or a priority right now.”

FitzGerald says: “ITV is the real shop window for the sport and racing’s terrestrial coverage is the envy of all other sports in Britain. Alongside ITV, Racing TV plays an important part in creating interest for the more engaged viewer who wants to immerse themselves in the sport.

“We are always striving to keep evolving and innovating as a racing broadcaster in order to showcase racing in the best possible way, as well as supporting national broadcasts of the sport.”

Racing TV has work to do if it is to persuade us that coverage of Irish racing can thrive in its hands, while Sky Sports Racing has to convince us that it can fill a reduced schedule with engaging content.

However, if both channels walk the walk as well as they talk the talk, there is much to look forward to.

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BOBBY’S KITTEN

(Kitten’s Joy – Celestial Woods, by Forestry)

BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT STAR • ONLY 3YO EVER to win Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint • Specialist miler who could also sprint • Won 6 races at 2, 3 and 5 years and $1.4m in the USA and Ireland– all on Turf • A Graded Stakes winner at 2 and 3 years

FIRST YEARLINGS IN 2019

• First stallion son of KITTEN’S JOY (Champion Turf racehorse and multiple US Champion sire) in Europe

SEA THE MOON

(Sea The Stars – Sanwa, by Monsun)

THE RISING STAR OF 2018 • Sensational 11 length German Derby winner; CHAMPION 3yo and HORSE OF THE YEAR • Unbeaten 2yo and winner of 2 further Group races at 3 • A Leading European First Season sire in 2018, with 16 individual winners of 21 races in 5 countries, including 2 Group 3 winners QUEST THE MOON & NOBLE MOON, and a further 2 Black-type performers • CHAMPION first season sire in Germany in 2018

CHAMPION SIRE OF 2YOS IN GERMANY IN 2018

SIR PERCY

• CHAMPION sire of 2yo’s in Germany in 2018 including CHAMPION 2yo NOBLE MOON

(Mark of Esteem – Percy’s Lass, by Blakeney)

A POTENT MIX OF SPEED & STAMINA • Undefeated CHAMPION 2yo; CHAMPION 3yo & Derby winner • Sire of 45 individual Stakes horses including Group 1 winners WAKE FOREST and SIR JOHN HAWKWOOD; and 2018 Stakes winners CONSOLIDA, BLAKENEY POINT and SIN TO WIN • Sire of 73 lifetime individual 2yo winners

A CONSISTENT STAKES SIRE

• 2018 yearlings made up to €210,000

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

LANWADES Lanwades_A4_Roster_OwnerJan19.indd 1

The independent option TM

14/12/2018 14:11

On the stallion trails

A breeder’s

PILGRIMAGE In France and Ireland each January there are dedicated stallion tours aimed primarily at helping breeders to finalise their mating plans but also to open the doors of the breeding industry to a wider audience Words and photos: Emma Berry

T

he French started it, and with good reason. Back in 2010, when the country’s stallion ranks were in the doldrums and many of France’s best mares were leaving to visit stallions in Britain and Ireland, La Route des Etalons was devised in a bid to inject some interest back into the market by showing off the 30 new arrivals to Normandy farms.

It’s a region which has always had plenty to boast about. From the fabled Haras du Quesnay, seat of the Head family and former home to such luminaries as Anabaa, Bering and Highest Honor, to the ancient Haras de Victot with its moated castle and blue plaques on the wall depicting the likes of Allez France, a trip around Normandy is as much an

architectural and historical delight as it is an important guide for thoroughbred breeders.

The route has continued and has grown in support and popularity. In 2019, the studs will open their doors for the tenth time on January 19 and 20, with 107 stallions available for viewing across 25 farms. For 2019, there are again more than 30 new stallions in France, including the Group 1 winner Cloth Of Stars, who has been placed in the last two Arcs and retires to Julian Ince’s Haras du Logis, joining Derby winner Authorized, Manduro and his son Ultra, Masterstroke, Bow Creek and Hunter’s Light. It is worth nothing that Logis is open only on Sunday.

Planning your own route is vital, as reaching all 25 farms in two days is

The stunning Haras de Victot is just one of the architectural gems to be found en route

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Authorized at Haras du Logis

impossible. Working out the horses you really want to see and then aiming for a cluster of farms in the vicinity is a good first step, but keep in mind that there is plenty of driving to be done through the weekend – and leave time to enjoy a little of the local hospitality at each stop.

Authorized, whose offspring include last year’s Grand National winner Tiger Roll, is not the only Derby winner in France. Last year, Haras du Montaigu welcomed back its homebred Wings Of Eagles, a stunning horse who is well worth a close-up look, and who stands alongside Prince Gibraltar, Literato, Night Wish and the up-and-coming young jumps sire No Risk At All. Among the other new recruits to the

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On the stallion trails ››

French ranks this year is the dual Group 1 winner Recoletos, who is standing at Haras du Quesnay. Criquette Head’s in-depth knowledge of the stallions at her family’s farm means that the former trainer is always worth listening to and she is a regular on duty ‘front of house’ at Quesnay, discussing the merits of the roster with breeders. The farm has had much to celebrate this year with the first-season success of leading young sire Anodin and he too will be on show alongside another Derby winner, Motivator, sire of the great Treve, as well as another recent recruit, Attendu.

The stallion roster at Larissa Kneip’s Haras de Saint Arnoult is growing and the farm welcomes two new arrivals for 2019.

Dschingis Secret, a Group 1-winning son of Germany’s leading sire Soldier Hollow, will be of great interest, as well as Seabhac (pronounced Shoke), one of two sons of Scat Daddy to be standing in France this year.

The largest stallion roster in Normandy belongs to Haras de Bouquetot, home to the Al Shaqab stallions. The farm this year boasts nine residents, including Shalaa, whose first foals were given a warm reception at recent sales, and the dual

Le Havre is one of the star attractions

Classic winner Brametot. New to the lineup is Mekhtaal who, like Cloth Of Stars, is a son of Sea The Stars.

Among the big names who always pull the crowds is the Aga Khan’s very popular Siyouni, who will be on show at Haras de Bonneval alongside Dariyan and Zarak on

Saturday only. Haras de Montfort & Preaux is, like most farms, open on both days, and has the equally well regarded Le Havre, as well as the Queen’s young son of Galileo, Recorder, who was well supported in his debut season last year.

In 2019, the three top-rated sons of America’s leading stallion Kitten’s Joy all retire to stud in Europe. Roaring Lion is at Tweenhills, Hawkbill at Dalham Hall Stud, while in France Haras du Mezeray welcomes Taareef, a five-time Group winner for Sheikh Hamdan. He will stand alongside Myboycharlie, sire of Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Sistercharlie, and the popular veteran Muhtathir.

A bit of a drive from the Normandy heartland up towards Caen but well worth a visit is Haras d’Etreham. The de Chambure family stud is currently home to Almanzor and his sire Wootton Bassett, as well as Elusive City and Scissor Kick, and offers broad appeal with an interesting dual-purpose roster which includes Saint Des Saints, Masked Marvel and Kamsin. If you make the trip to Etreham it can be combined with a visit to nearby Haras de la Hetraie for a perusal of Pascal Noue’s solid line-up of National Hunt stallions. These include the

››

Kerry Murphy, Barry Lynch, Harvey Bell, Dawn Laidlaw, Alix Choppin, Matt Prior, Nancy Sexton and John Berry on the Route des Etalons

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On the stallion trails ›› statuesque Kapgarde – well worth seeing

in the flesh – and his son Kap Rock, as well as Great Pretender, Bathyrhon, Top Trip and Pastorius, another Group 1-winning son of Soldier Hollow. Hetraie is also home to George Vancouver, who has made a promising start with his Flat runners.

Irish Stallion Trail

It is said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the French should be pleased that in 2015 the Irish adopted their idea to launch the Irish Stallion Trail.

This year it is staged a little earlier than usual, a week before its French cousin on January 12 and 13.

More than 25 studs the length and breadth of the island will be taking part and of course many visitors will beat a path straight to the doors of Coolmore in Tipperary to see the vaunted champion sire Galileo. It is imperative to register to visit Coolmore and this can be done via the link in the accompanying panel.

The list of famous names alongside Galileo at Coolmore is almost too long to mention, but the farm is open on both days from 10am to 3pm and will have on show its new recruits U S Navy Flag and Saxon Warrior among its roster of 16, the same number that will be available for viewing at sister farm Castle Hyde Stud, the home of Champs Elysees, Yeats and Starspangledbanner.

Again, it’s important to plan your trip well in order to reach as many farms as possible. Yeomanstown Stud will be open on Friday only but as the home of the celebrated Dark Angel, as well as Camacho, El Kabeir and Gutaifan, it will be high on many lists. Similarly, Gilltown Stud is another to be open only on Friday, but with Sea The Stars and his Derby-winning

Lope De Vega, sire of Breeders’ Cup winner Newspaperofrecord, on show at Ballylinch

son Harzand on show, the Aga Khan’s farm will draw many visitors.

There are many reasons to visit the Irish National Stud on any day of the year but during the stallion trail it will be showing its eight sires, including Invincible Spirit and newer recruits National Defense and Decorated Knight. It’s not too far from there to head on to Darley’s Kildangan Stud, with a 16-strong line-up including Shamardal and new boy Jungle Cat. Farther south, Ballylinch Stud opens its doors to show off Lope De Vega, Lawman, Fascinating Rock, New Bay, Make Believe and Beat Hollow, while Joe Foley’s Ballyhane Stud is home to Dandy Man, Elzaam, Prince Of Lir, Red Jazz and Battle Of Marengo. Close by is Victor

Connolly’s Burgage Stud, home to the National Hunt stallions Shantou, Sea Moon and Jukebox Jury.

Whatever your taste in stallion – Flat or jumps, sprinter or stayer – there’s a horse to suit every breeder in Ireland and France over these consecutive weekends. Regrettably, Britain does not yet have an equivalent showcase but the weekend between the foal and mare sales at Tattersalls in December always serves as a useful unofficial stallion tour for breeders in town for the sales.

Furthermore, the TBA annually organises parades at Tattersalls during the February Sale (January 31 and February 1) for Flat stallions and at Goffs UK in Doncaster on January 22 for the National Hunt boys.

Plan your visits Details of stud farms, opening times and the stallions on show can found at: France: www.laroutedesetalons.com Ireland: www.itm.ie/en/Stallion_Trail It is also worth contacting the helpful teams at either the French Racing & Breeding Committee (www.frbc.fr) on +331 49 10 23 32, or Irish Thoroughbred Marketing on info@itm.ie or +353 45 443060 for further information or help with your trip.

Criquette Head is always on hand to greet visitors to her family’s Haras du Quesnay

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FEE £6000

FIRST FOALS IN 2019

MONDIALISTE GALILEO - OCCUPANDISTE (KALDOUN)

DEFEATED 16 GR.1 WINNERS STANDING AT ELWICK STUD Elwick Stud, Sheraton Farm, Hartlepool TS27 4RB t: +44 (0) 1429 856 530 e: info@elwickstud.co.uk w: www.elwickstud.co.uk

Racing’s big night out celebrated the outstanding equine performers and their connections from the past 12 months

Awards photography by xxxxxx

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Chris Renton

14/12/2018 18:53

ROA Horseracing Awards

RACING BREAKS

Outstanding Novice Chaser

FOOTPAD

Received by Anthony Bromley on behalf of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede

60

RACING BREAKS

Outstanding Hurdler

BUVEUR D’AIR Received by JP McManus

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RACING BREAKS

Outstanding Novice Hurdler

KALASHNIKOV Received by Jack Quinlan, Lemos de Souza, Amy Murphy, Paul Murphy and Jayne Murphy

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ROA Horseracing Awards

RACING BREAKS

Outstanding Chaser ALTIOR Received by Katya Lambert, Patricia Pugh, Tom Poole, Chris Pugh, Mark Pugh, Nicky Henderson, Toby Lawes, Nico de Boinville, Geoff Nicholas, Serena de Boinville and Anna Pugh

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RACING BREAKS

EBN

Outstanding NH Mare APPLE’S JADE

NH Special Achievement CUE CARD

Received by Ed Prosser and Robert Cooper on behalf of Gigginstown House Stud

Received by Kevin Mason on behalf of Jean Bishop

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ROA Horseracing Awards

GODOLPHIN

Outstanding Miler ROARING LION Received by Barry O’Dowd, Thady Gosden-Hood, Tony Procter, John Gosden, Bryony Rusbridge, David Redvers, Benario de Paiva, Peter Molony, Hannah Wall, Adam Brookes and Kevin Darley on behalf of Qatar Racing Limited

64

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GODOLPHIN

Outstanding Juvenile TOO DARN HOT Received by Pappu Singh Deora, Maisie Hainey and Simon Marsh on behalf of Lord Lloyd-Webber

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ROA Horseracing Awards

ARC

Outstanding All-Weather Horse

66

GODOLPHIN

Outstanding Sprinter

CAPTAIN LARS

MABS CROSS

Received by Archie Watson, Lexi Leeming and Tom Fillery

Received by Emma and David Armstrong

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EBN

Flat Special Achievement

GODOLPHIN

Outstanding Stayer

ROY ROCKET

STRADIVARIUS

Received by Emma Berry, Larry McCarthy and Iris McCarthy

Received by Surinder Parmer and John Gosden on behalf of Bjorn Nielsen

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ROA Horseracing Awards

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ENABLE ZEUS CAPITAL

HORSE OF THE YEAR GODOLPHIN

Outstanding Middle Distance Horse Outstanding Filly & Mare

Khalid Abdullah ROA

Owner of the Year Received by Eoin Fives, Mike Saunders, Victoria Murrell, Ed Murrell, Sarah Moody, John Gosden, Meg Taylor, Jamie Trotter, Rebecca Harvey, Shane Horan, Claire Curry and Simon Mockridge on behalf of Khalid Abdullah

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Champagne Reception

sponsored by the Jockey Club

Rachael Gowland, Gail Hacking, Emma Berry, Claire Sheppard and Claire Taylor

Sir Anthony McCoy with Jennifer and Cyril Mannion

JP McManus and Willie Mullins

Sebastian Gosden-Hood, Mimi Wadham, Thea Gosden-Hood, Thady Gosden-Hood

James Wilcox and Jack Prior

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14/12/2018 18:51

Photography by Dan Abraham

Tansy Challis, Simone Sear and Gemma Waterhouse

Paula and Max McNeill

Sarah Jane and Ambrose Dudley

Jan_173_ROA-AwardsReception.indd 71

Bill Barber and Sulekha Varma

Lucinda Hall and John Ferguson

Mick Fitzgerald and Nico de Boinville

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LOVE BEING AN OWNER?

The Racehorse Owners Association promotes and represents the interests of owners in Great Britain.

Win or lose, you’ll love being a member – whatever your share.

Over 8,000 members reap the benefits, making their ownership experience more cost-effective and enjoyable.

Benefits include: ● Free racecourse admission – schemes for sole, partnership, syndicate owners and those in racing clubs ● Automatic third-party liability insurance ● Access to 50+ exclusive events in 2019 ● Owner-sponsorship ● Owners’ car parking label ● Thoroughbred Owner Breeder magazine ● 20% discount on most BHA fees ● Member discounts ● Owners Jackpot races All for less than 70p a day.

Call the ROA office on 020 7152 0200 or visit roa.co.uk/join to join now

Breeders’ Digest

Emma Berry Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes: Stallion profitability: Highlighting the sires that offer value in each bracket – pages 74-79 Sales Circuit: Polarisation still an issue as breeding stock sales end – pages 80-92 Dr Statz: Galileo’s daughters effective with a wide range of sirelines – page 122

Responsibility starts with the breeders

Jan_173_BloodstockIntro.indd 73

ZUZANNA LUPA

T

here’s always a glimmer of sadness attached to dispersals, the most recent of which was the gathering of more than 20 wellcredentialed jumping mares owned

by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede at Arqana last month.

Since their racing days the mares had been housed at Haras du Lieu des Champs in Normandy, visiting some of the best stallions the French jumping ranks have to offer. With Munir and Souede deciding to return their focus solely to ownership rather than breeding, a rare chance arose for National Hunt breeders prepared to dig fairly deep into their pockets to add a glittering jewel or two to their own broodmare bands.

One man who jumped at the chance was Dominic Burke who, through Richard Aston, stretched to €220,000 for Ma Filleule. The ten-year-old slipped her foal prior to the sale and has a colt foal by Martaline on the ground.

Long before I was obsessed by Flat racing and pedigrees I loved the jumps, and to these eyes there’s always been something extra special about a jumping mare. Ma Filleule was up there with the best of them. Tested in France and England, over hurdles and fences – even over the spruce of the Grand National course when winning the Topham – she proved herself consistently against her male rivals.

Interviewed for this magazine two years ago, Burke, the former owner of Whitley Stud who now boards his mares with Richard and Sally Aston at Goldford Stud, explained why he has mostly moved away from the Flat to concentrate on building a small but select band of National Hunt broodmares.

“I’ve spent my life trying to do things as well as I can but getting access to the best stallions on the Flat is difficult unless you have almost a Group 1-winning mare these days,” he reasoned. “The benefit of being in the National Hunt game, if you’re ambitious and brave, is that you have a chance to get into the best stock.

Ma Filleule sold for €220,000 at Arqana

“I’m still aspiring to buy more mares and keep my eye out for anything that is top-drawer and can be bought. I have five or six mares who are closely related to Grade 1 winners, or are good winners themselves, and if you try to assemble mares like that on the Flat, unless you’re Sheikh Mohammed, it’s incredibly difficult.”

Burke has already tasted top-level success as the breeder of Champion Hurdle winner Katchit, whose half-sister Miracle Maid he retains, and with the likes of Baby Shine and Vroum Vroum Mag’s half-sister Brise Vendeenne in his clutches, as well as new recruit Ma Filleule, let’s hope he and his wife Valda will be flying the flag for British National Hunt breeding for years to come.

Interviewed for that same feature in early 2017 was Doug Procter of The Glanvilles Stud, who, like Burke, was at that time moving away from the Flat to concentrate on breeding jumpers, having been a dual-purpose operator up until then. With some prescience, Procter said: “We’re heading into over-production again, with 15% more yearlings being offered [in 2016], but I

have never spoken to a trainer who has told me he has 15% more owners. So what looked like a comfortable middle market has become very hit and miss on the Flat and your losses can be massive.

“The cost to a breeder of playing in the top 25% of the jumping market, if you have that budget, wouldn’t even get you half way up the Flat market.”

The spectre of over-production has continued to loom large over the subsequent two seasons of yearling and foal sales, and many small breeders in particular will have found it tough going. As John Boyce illustrates in his overview of the market and stallion profitability on pages 74 to 79, demand for yearlings has actually increased in overall terms, but the supply has increased beyond the numbers which can be catered for by the market, or even the sales companies.

Some stallion operations, such as Shadwell, Whitsbury Manor Stud and Ballyhane Stud, play their part in limiting book sizes, and there’s little doubt that this is good practice, not just for their clients but for the stallions, too. I’d love to see an industry-wide agreement to restrict the number of mares a firstseason sire is allowed to cover. I’d also like Article 50 to be revoked and President Trump to be removed from the White House, but agreeing to limit first-season sires looks a long shot even in comparison to these two – though you know what they say about backing the outsider in a three-horse race.

It is, however, too easy to blame the stallion farms. For anyone with a plan to sell the offspring of a mare, it’s time to take a good hard look at the individual and what she has achieved on the racecourse and at stud so far. If her youngsters consistently go to the sales and sell at a loss, or fail to sell, then the market is delivering a message loud and clear: stop breeding from the mare.

It’s a decision many of us will have to make, often with a heavy heart, but in the current climate it’s the only responsible way to run a breeding operation.

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Yearling market overview

TIDE Against general perception, it’s a fact that the demand for yearlings has never been greater, but with the supply chain back at a dangerous high, there’s no guarantee of a sales berth

Words: John Boyce

T

he inescapable fact is that markets produce winners and losers. I have yet to know of an open market that provides a profitable return for all its participants. Profitable markets invite investors in, to the point that they become less profitable and then investors leave.

This happens in commercial bloodstock breeding too. But one thing is for certain. Under present circumstances, it’s hard to quibble about the demand side of the equation.

The average yearling price across all European yearling sales has increased from £32,283 in 2010 to £58,115 in 2018.

That represents a massive increase of 80%. The amount of money invested in the yearling market this year represents an all-time high of £320 million, double the amount in 2010. And don’t run away with the idea that all of the growth is at the top end of the market. The top 10% of the market is undoubtedly very lucrative. The average price in this segment was £213,000 this year, up from £212,000 a year ago. The top segment has risen every year since 2010 when the average price was about half what it is now.

It’s the same story with every other segment in the market as well. The sixth decile, which is just below the middle market, also shows strong growth – better than last year and 76% better than 2010. That’s £19,000 to £31,000 in less than ten years. Even the bottom 10% is up 73% on 2010. So, it’s hard to deny that the European yearling market has grown just about as well as any in the past decade. The FTSE 100 index is only 15% higher today than in 2010.

JUDDMONTE

Rising

After a good debut season, Kingman’s yearlings sold for five times his stud fee

Quite where the yearling market will go next year is anyone’s guess. Modest growth on 2018 levels is what we should wish for, but a correction is equally possible. But even a more substantial correction wouldn’t undo the progress achieved in recent years. Let’s face it, things are better than they’ve ever been.

So what’s the problem?

The issue is one of supply. Given the fact that prize-money levels are what they are, we are always going to have weaker demand at lower levels.

Most commercial breeders make their investments two or more years before they sell and, as a consequence, are in the lap of the gods when it comes to predicting market conditions at the time of sale, never mind what the market thinks of the stallion they’ve chosen.

There is also an argument that things might appear even worse were it not for the control exerted by major sales companies on the quantity and quality of yearlings on offer. In times of oversupply, the first hurdle to overcome is getting a yearling into a decent sale.

The sales companies have a balance to strike. They simply cannot offer a place for every yearling put up to them.

In fact, we can argue that their entry standards are one of the main drivers

EUROPEAN YEARLING MARKET 2010-2018 BY AVERAGE PRICE PER DECILE (Averages in £ thousands) Year

D1

D2

D3

D4

D5

D6

D7

D8

D9

D10

2018

213.3

100.8

70.1

52.0

41.9

33.1

26.4

19.6

14.5

8.3

2017

211.8

93.1

66.8

51.7

40.9

32.1

25.9

20.4

14.8

8.4

2016

191.5

89.4

61.4

47.3

38.3

30.5

24.7

19.6

14.5

8.3

2015

170.3

84.9

59.2

45.6

36.5

28.8

23.3

18.5

13.0

7.5

2014

168.3

79.2

58.5

44.6

36.7

29.1

23.3

18.0

13.9

8.0

2013

165.7

74.5

54.0

41.1

33.0

25.9

22.2

16.8

12.5

7.4

2012

138.4

65.0

45.5

36.3

30.3

23.9

19.2

15.2

11.5

6.5

2011

122.3

62.4

45.6

36.3

28.2

22.7

18.8

14.5

10.7

6.7

2010

107.8

54.1

39.0

31.0

24.2

18.8

14.9

11.5

8.5

4.8

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EUROPEAN SALES SIRE YEARLING PROFITABILITY 2018 (Leading sires by average with five or more sold in four fee price brackets and listed by yearling average) Sire

Off

Sold

High £

Avg £

Med £

Fee16 £

Profit

%

Avg Profit

Xfee

Fee £50,000-plus Dubawi

20

19

3,675,000

790,602

525,000

225,000

15

78.9

545,602

3.5

Frankel

29

20

892,500

350,162

366,489

125,000

16

80.0

205,162

2.8

Kingman

49

41

1,102,500

272,912

206,425

55,000

32

78.0

197,912

5.0

Invincible Spirit

45

36

945,000

196,812

158,315

91,001

21

58.3

85,811

2.2

Sea the Stars

71

66

1,050,000

162,069

86,778

94,792

27

40.9

47,277

1.7

Golden Horn

40

35

577,500

144,906

136,500

60,000

23

65.7

64,906

2.4

Oasis Dream

44

32

399,000

143,577

86,625

75,000

15

46.9

48,577

1.9

Dansili

15

11

378,000

130,643

84,000

85,000

4

36.4

25,643

1.5

Kitten’s Joy

18

15

735,000

112,804

53,247

69,973

4

26.7

22,831

1.6

New Approach

38

30

446,250

74,298

52,772

60,000

10

33.3

(5,702)

1.2

%

Avg Profit

Xfee

EUROPEAN SALES SIRE YEARLING PROFITABILITY 2018 (Leading sires by average with five or more sold in four fee price brackets and listed by yearling average) Sire

Off

Sold

High £

Avg £

Med £

Fee16 £

Profit

Fee £20,000-£49,999 Muhaarar

66

55

971,250

171,739

105,000

30,000

45

81.8

121,739

5.7

Lope De Vega

95

80

840,000

139,107

75,145

34,125

51

63.8

84,982

4.1

Siyouni

99

82

472,500

138,790

112,188

22,750

70

85.4

96,040

6.1

Dark Angel

96

80

630,000

138,519

86,372

45,500

50

62.5

73,019

3.0

Gleneagles

66

52

525,000

115,957

79,310

45,500

30

57.7

50,457

2.5

Showcasing

83

70

754,328

107,294

71,800

25,000

46

65.7

62,294

4.3

Kodiac

131

114

630,000

105,620

74,250

34,125

77

67.5

51,495

3.1

Pivotal

26

22

446,250

100,435

65,100

45,000

12

54.5

35,435

2.2

Australia

57

45

421,536

92,564

62,121

37,917

23

51.1

34,647

2.4

40

35

319,480

90,681

79,870

30,333

26

74.3

40,348

3.0

40

35

294,000

71,238

53,044

26,541

20

57.1

24,697

2.7

Le Havre

65

55

892,500

70,565

39,783

26,541

23

41.8

24,024

2.7

Zoffany

101

86

288,419

69,349

58,044

34,125

45

52.3

15,224

2.0

Acclamation

60

49

367,500

69,187

42,000

26,541

23

46.9

22,646

2.6

Iffraaj

62

50

262,500

61,971

45,101

22,500

27

54.0

19,471

2.8

Night Of Thunder

70

56

314,126

60,257

39,950

22,750

26

46.4

17,507

2.6

Dutch Art

34

30

472,500

56,777

41,000

40,000

7

23.3

(3,223)

1.4

Charm Spirit

40

33

359,001

54,320

31,500

20,854

14

42.4

13,466

2.6

11

10

143,600

53,037

47,700

27,989

5

50.0

5,048

1.9

33

28

188,475

52,427

31,878

37,917

11

39.3

(5,490)

1.4

Declaration Of War Teofilo

underpinning the excellent growth over the past ten years. Collectively, they have expanded opportunities to sell over the period in a controlled manner while generally improving clearance rates.

There are usually too many yearlings in the market in any given year. This has always been the case, but some years are demonstrably tougher than others.

Here’s a sobering statistic that sums up the stark reality for the seller. Had all the 2018 yearlings by European stallions who stood for the equivalent of £10,000 or more – and there were 2,529 of them

Jan_173_Yearling_Deciles_Stallion_Profitability.indd 75

– been offered for sale by their breeders, then 50% would have failed to turn a profit. By profit I mean sell for more than the sire’s advertised fee plus £20,000 costs.

So, whilst the market conditions are improving all the time, the growth at lower levels is, of itself, not enough to sustain a business. Commercial breeders need the big paydays to overcome other losses. That’s always been the case.

Twenty-two sires posted six-figure yearling averages in 2018. They included first-season sires Muhaarar, Golden Horn

››

GEORGE SELWYN

Exceed And Excel Mastercraftsman

Muhaarar has been all the rage in the ring

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER 75

14/12/2018 16:17

COOLMORE

Yearling market overview

No Nay Never’s yearlings made more than nine times his fee, which has risen to €100,000

›› and Gleneagles. Galileo (£869,000) and

In the £20,000-£50,000 group of sires, eight stallion posted averages of £100,000 or more. They were led by the top freshman sire Muhaarar, with a huge resurgence from Lope De Vega’s current two-year-olds – his first post-Belardo crop – driving his yearling average even higher than last year. French-based Siyouni, whose Laurens kept his name in lights during 2018, also posted an

Dubawi (£727,000) were well ahead of the chasing pack by average price.

In the £50,000-plus fee category, only five sires had 50% or more profitable yearlings, with Frankel (80%), Dubawi (79%) and Kingman (78%) doing best. In term of fee multiples, only two sires beat the 3.0 benchmark: Kingman (5.0) and Dubawi (3.5).

excellent average of £139,000 from a fee of €30,000. The son of Pivotal also dominated this segment by the number of profitable yearlings sold.

In all, 70 (85.4%) sold for more than their conception fee plus £20,000. Of the Muhaarar yearlings, 82% were also profitable, while 74.3% of the yearlings

by Exceed And Excel made money for their sellers.

In the £10,000-£20,000 sector, breeders who used No Nay Never and Camelot caught a rising tide. The Coolmore sires were the only two in this price range who recorded six-figure averages and they both had plenty of very profitable yearlings. No Nay Never, whose brilliant first season prompted a fee rise to €100,000 for 2019, had 78 profitable yearlings (80.4%), while Camelot waded in with 68.4% yearlings that sold for at least their fee plus £20,000. Overall, this price range was less profitable with only 42% of yearlings making a return on investment, compared to 54% in the £20,000£50,000 category and 57% in the £50,000-plus sector.

Predictably the sub-£10,000 market was tough going: only 26% of the 2,558 yearlings showed a profit. But there were big winners, too. Society Rock (71.9%), Wootton Bassett (70.8%) and

››

EUROPEAN SALES SIRE YEARLING PROFITABILITY 2018 (Leading sires by average with five or more sold in four fee price brackets and listed by yearling average) Sire

Off

Sold

High £

Avg £

Med £

Fee16 £

Profit

%

Avg Profit

Xfee

9.4

Fee £10,000-£19,999 No Nay Never

105

97

682,500

124,268

71,800

13,270

78

80.4

90,998

Camelot

93

79

502,601

106,730

80,699

18,958

54

68.4

67,772

5.6

Starspangledbanner

45

37

787,500

74,627

42,000

11,375

22

59.5

43,252

6.6

Intello

57

38

260,275

55,065

41,993

18,958

20

52.6

16,107

2.9

Free Eagle

59

42

354,978

49,721

24,529

15,166

18

42.9

14,555

3.3

Kyllachy

33

29

183,750

43,530

38,850

15,000

17

58.6

8,530

2.9

Holy Roman Emperor

55

44

266,233

42,372

32,924

13,270

22

50.0

9,102

3.2

Bated Breath

68

55

212,987

42,002

25,130

10,000

24

43.6

12,002

4.2

Excelebration

26

18

231,000

41,140

31,655

11,375

9

50.0

9,765

3.6

Make Believe

64

46

220,500

38,692

25,905

15,166

18

39.1

3,526

2.6

Sea The Moon

44

34

131,250

38,257

27,620

15,000

14

41.2

3,257

2.6

5

5

79,870

38,015

28,350

17,493

2

40.0

522

2.2

53

45

116,675

36,366

29,561

10,000

22

48.9

6,366

3.6

The Factor Brazen Beau Karakontie

5

5

54,600

32,649

31,061

10,496

3

60.0

2,153

3.1

Kendargent

41

31

115,500

32,327

25,256

13,650

13

41.9

(1,323)

2.4

Lawman

57

42

304,500

31,973

17,715

18,958

11

26.2

(6,985)

1.7

Slade Power

49

42

105,000

27,851

21,051

15,166

13

31.0

(7,315)

1.8

Poet’s Voice

45

38

147,000

27,490

18,272

12,000

11

28.9

(4,510)

2.3

Olympic Glory

44

33

94,238

27,203

26,522

11,375

13

39.4

(4,172)

2.4

Raven’s Pass

44

35

70,996

26,810

24,186

11,375

12

34.3

(4,565)

2.4

76 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jan_173_Yearling_Deciles_Stallion_Profitability.indd 76

14/12/2018 16:17

Muhaarar Oasis Dream - Tahrir £30,000 (Jan 1st, SLF)

NEW FOR 2019

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Tasleet

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Mukhadram Shamardal - Magic Tree £6,000 (Jan 1st, SLF)

Nayef

Gulch - Height Of Fashion £5,000 (Jan 1st, SLF)

Discover more about the Shadwell Stallions at www.shadwellstud.com Or call Richard Lancaster, James O’Donnell or Tom Pennington on 01842 755913 Email us at: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk

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Yearling market overview ›› Dabirsim (66.1%) all had high ratios of

money-making yearlings. They also had very respectable averages, as did Farhh (over six times his fee) and Hot Streak (5.8 times his fee).

Of the 180 stallions with five or more yearlings sold during 2018, 66 (37%) posted a higher average price than their fee plus upkeep costs and only 29 (16%) made a profit of £20,000 or more.

What’s clear from this year’s round of yearling sales – and it has been true for years – is there are substantial rewards for vendors who invest in high-class commercial mares and who can predict what stallions are likely to be hot in two years’ time. For those that cannot for whatever reason afford to upgrade their mares, the yearling market can be a very unforgiving place.

EMMA BERRY

Haras d’Etreham’s Wootton Bassett was much sought after

EUROPEAN SALES SIRE YEARLING PROFITABILITY 2018 (Leading sires by average with five or more sold in four fee price brackets and listed by yearling average) Sire

Off

Sold

High £

Avg £

Med £

Fee16 £

Profit

%

Avg Profit

Xfee

Wootton Bassett

59

48

446,250

64,576

Society Rock

34

32

210,000

55,409

52,522

4,550

34

70.8

40,026

14.2

44,894

4,550

23

71.9

30,859

11

9

194,250

49,105

22,050

12.2

8,000

4

44.4

21,105

6.1

Fee up to £9,999

Farhh Dabirsim

85

59

252,000

48,168

31,383

6,825

39

66.1

21,343

7.1

Gutaifan

128

107

319,480

41,294

22,176

9,479

43

40.2

11,815

4.4

Hot Streak

61

52

231,000

40,832

20,000

7,000

21

40.4

13,832

5.8

Pour Moi

9

6

210,000

40,646

7,855

7,583

1

16.7

13,063

5.4

Tamayuz

32

27

210,000

39,965

27,300

9,479

11

40.7

10,486

4.2

The Wow Signal

5

5

89,750

38,222

31,570

6,066

3

60.0

12,156

6.3

18

11

111,128

37,958

28,449

3,412

7

63.6

14,546

11.1

Camacho

115

96

341,250

37,475

21,301

5,687

41

42.7

11,788

6.6

Havana Gold

28

23

262,500

36,969

18,900

8,500

9

39.1

8,469

4.3

7

5

110,931

36,436

27,300

5,000

3

60.0

11,436

7.3

Anodin

37

36

125,650

34,635

29,174

5,687

20

55.6

8,948

6.1

American Post

13

11

203,334

34,092

13,261

2,654

3

27.3

11,438

12.8

Doctor Dino

Nayef

Champs Elysees

23

18

125,532

33,706

13,466

8,000

7

38.9

5,706

4.2

Sir Percy

30

23

186,363

30,776

22,050

7,000

10

43.5

3,776

4.4

Samum

10

8

106,087

30,142

26,003

3,412

5

62.5

6,730

8.8

Youmzain Kheleyf

9

5

73,500

29,029

23,313

3,033

3

60.0

5,996

9.6

16

14

81,180

27,572

18,040

2,275

6

42.9

5,297

12.1

Dandy Man

110

95

164,177

26,848

18,408

6,066

35

36.8

782

4.4

Adlerflug

20

11

89,666

26,298

21,117

4,170

5

45.5

2,128

6.3

Footstepsinthesand

67

55

115,368

24,486

19,726

7,583

18

32.7

(3,097)

3.2

Pedro the Great

16

16

58,630

24,292

21,866

2,275

8

50.0

2,017

10.7

Authorized

21

20

64,010

23,917

15,632

7,583

6

30.0

(3,666)

3.2

Mayson

35

26

60,000

21,836

17,805

5,000

9

34.6

(3,164)

4.4

Elvstroem

22

13

88,406

21,681

14,432

5,308

4

30.8

(3,627)

4.1

Pastorius

8

5

54,696

21,559

13,198

4,929

2

40.0

(3,370)

4.4

Lord Of England

19

11

52,006

21,360

23,313

4,170

5

45.5

(2,810)

5.1

Helmet

47

30

89,250

21,227

13,095

8,000

9

30.0

(6,773)

2.7

Jan_173_Yearling_Deciles_Stallion_Profitability.indd 79

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER 79

14/12/2018 16:17

Sales Circuit • By Carl Evans Goffs November Foal & Breeding Stock Sales

PETER MOONEY

Falls in all categories are not uncommon at bloodstock auction, and this one had no major-league dispersal or Classicwinning filly to boost the figures – the withdrawal of some higher-profile fillies or mares did not help in that regard.

However, it was the extremes of trade, with big bucks for the most sought-after lots and buttons for the others that drew a frank statement from Goffs’ Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby. He said: “In my 36 years in the bloodstock business I have seen many highs and lows, enjoyed selling in several strong markets and worked through some very trying times.

However, I have rarely, if ever, seen a trade that is both so strong and so weak at the same time.”

Such diversity in demand has become a theme at other European sales houses,

PETER MOONEY

The Kingman filly out of Splashdown was bought for a new Spanish investor at €350,000

Francisco Bernal of Outsider Bloodstock

but why is not transparent. It could be that the rich get richer, while the merely solvent have been struggling to keep pace with the bloodstock bubble that has been steadily growing, and are now showing caution. Beeby’s statement referred to ‘uncertainty over Brexit’, a comment which was not diminished when three of the top five lots were bought by buyers from outside the EU, who in theory could invest knowing they will be unaffected by Backstop, referendums or upheavals for the British government.

“I would be deluded not to refer to

the stark state of the market beneath the top,” said Beeby with welcome candour.

This feast and famine was evident on the first day, one of three at which Goffs offered the pick of the foals – fillies and mares were then sold over two days, and a session of Part II foals completed the event. That opening day saw the clearance rate fall back to 59% from 74%, while turnover came in 34% down, yet a session-topping No Nay Never colt made €125,000, well up on the day’s best 12 months earlier. It was a similar tale at Part II, where a €52,000 Fast Company colt could not prevent falls in

Goffs November Foal Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

F Kingman – Splashdown (Falbrav)

Jockey Hall Stud

350,000

Outsider Bloodstock

C Muhaarar - Kate The Great (Xaar)

Airlie Stud

320,000

Shadwell Estate Company

F Dark Angel – Noyelles (Docksider)

Neilstown Stud

300,000

John McCormack Bloodstock

F Galileo – Hazariya (Xaar)

The Castlebridge Consignment

300,000

Hugo Merry Bloodstock

C Sea The Stars – Sioduil (Oasis Dream)

Jockey Hall Stud

290,000

Camas Park Stud

C Sea The Stars – Pollyana (Whipper)

Stanley Lodge

260,000

Yeomanstown Stud

C Dark Angel – Fashionable (Nashwan)

Glacken View

250,000

Paca Paca Farm

F Kodiac – Ibtasama (Street Cry)

Milltown House Stud

250,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2018

635

21,354,800

33,630

20,000

350,000

2017

731

27,145,000

37,134

20,000

1,100,000

2016

697

20,083,350

28,814

15,000

775,000

2015

810

25,852,500

31,917

17,750

1,100,000

2014

742

27,504,700

37,068

22,000

1,800,000

80 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Jan_173_SaleCircuit.indd 80

14/12/2018 18:09

PETER MOONEY

Overview and analysis of the latest events in the ring

Yulong Investments expanded their European interests with the purchase of She’s Complete

all other categories.

Clearance rate and turnover had fallen on the second day of foals, but at the third, and most select day, the number of sold lots came in on a par with 2017. A top price of €350,000 was well down on the peak foal price of 12 months earlier, but it was gratifying that a new Spanish client of Franciso Bernal of Outsider Bloodstock was the buyer. New investors are always welcome.

Bernal’s buy was a Kingman filly bred

by Paddy Burns of Loughtown Stud and consigned by Jacqueline Norris’s Jockey Hall Stud.

Goffs’ investment in its Kill sales complex meant the company could unveil three new barns covering an additional 96 boxes, welcome space for showing horses, and vital when buyers are travelling in from around the globe.

They came in quantity, too, adding to the throngs of domestic buyers, yet they were not prepared to throw money at the ring.

The top five fillies or mares added €1,200,000 to turnover, but compare that to nearly €5m for the five best last year.

China’s Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong

Investments bought the top lot, a sixyear-old Oratorio mare called She’s Complete, an apt name for she was a Listed winner and she carried a Sea The Stars foal. Rifa Mustang Europe, a new name that also has Chinese backing, took the day’s second most valued mare, the four-year-old filly Lost in Silence, while Bernal’s Spanish client who bought the Kingman foal made another meaty addition to turnover when paying €210,000 for a 13-year-old half-sister to Sinndar with a Gleneagles cover.

Yulong’s purchase of two mares for €425,000 made it the top buyer in that category, while leading pinhookers TallyHo Stud showed belief in the market when buying 19 Part I foals for just under €1m. That was four more foals than in 2017, yet at an average price of €51,947, down 18%. Tally-Ho Stud also bought three foals at Part II. The Castlebridge Consignment headed consignors at both the foals and breeding stock sales.

Turnover for foals in both Parts came in 21% down, there was a 9% fall in the average price, but the median maintained parity. The clearance rate dropped to 69% - 35 fewer foals were offered.

It was tougher for filly and mare vendors despite a drop of 82 in the number of lots offered. That could not rescue the clearance rate which fell back to 64%, and there were falls of 58% in turnover, 38% in average and 33% in the median price.

››

Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

She's Complete (Oratorio – Arionella)

The Castlebridge Consignment

350,000

BA Ireland/Yulong Investments

Lost In Silence (Holy Roman Emperor - Suitably Discreet)

Irish National Stud

220,000

Rifa Mustang Europe

Muirin (Born To Sea – Girouette)

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

210,000

Broadhurst Agency

Simawa (Anabaa – Sinntara)

Aga Khan Studs

210,000

Outsider Bloodstock

I'm Yours (Invincible Spirit – Rebelline)

Moyglare Stud

210,000

Katsumi Yoshida

Last Jewel (Invincible Spirit - Diamond Trim)

Moyglare Stud

195,000

Mick Flanagan

Moons Of Jupiter (War Front - Daisy Devine)

Norelands Stud

140,000

Rifa Mustang Europe

Niku (High Chaparral - Strawberry Fledge)

Norelands Stud

140,000

Sunderland Holding Inc

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

2018

635

21,354,800

33,630

20,000

350,000

2017

731

27,145,000

37,134

20,000

1,100,000

2016

697

20,083,350

28,814

15,000

775,000

2015

810

25,852,500

31,917

17,750

1,100,000

2014

742

27,504,700

37,068

22,000

1,800,000

Jan_173_SaleCircuit.indd 81

Top Price (€)

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

81

14/12/2018 18:09

Sales Circuit ›› Tattersalls December Yearlings Sale

LAURA GREEN/TATTERSALLS

Some choice yearlings, denied a chance to appear at bigger yearling sales for a wide variety of reasons, can turn up at this one-day auction.

Sea Of Class, one of the superstars of the 2018 turf season, made 170,000gns when appearing at it in 2016 and was one of the poster horses for this year’s catalogue.

The pick on price this time proved to be a 260,000gns Oasis Dream colt who was knocked down to Godolphin buyer Anthony Stroud. The colt’s vendors, Lee and Martin Taylor, withdrew him from the October Sale to await the racing debut of his year-older brother Azano, who duly gave the page a lift by winning and then placing in the Gr.3 Horris Hill Stakes.

The figures came in on a par with those achieved 12 months earlier – a similar-sized catalogue saw a small fall in the clearance rate to 73%, but a 2% dip in turnover and 3% rise in average were good returns given trade at some yearling sales in recent months. The median dropped 14%.

The Oasis Dream colt out of Azanara, bred by Martin and Lee Taylor, topped the yearlings

Tattersalls December Yearlings Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (gns)

Buyer

C Oasis Dream – Azanara (Hurricane Run)

The Castlebridge Consignment

260,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

C Gleneagles - Bridal Dance (Danehill Dancer)

Barronstown Stud

240,000

Amanda Skiffington

F Kodiac - Lake Nona (Sunley Builds)

Rathasker Stud

150,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

C Oasis Dream – Clarentine (Dalakhani)

The Castlebridge Consignment

140,000

Rashed Aldaban

F Sea The Moon - Heart Of Ice (Montjeu)

Ronald Rauscher

125,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

F Sea The Stars - Grain Only (Machiavellian)

Staffordstown

105,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

F No Nay Never - Virginia Celeste (Galileo)

New England Stud

98,000

Rabbah Bloodstock

F Kingman – Shyrl (Acclamation)

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

92,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

C Mastercraftsman - Woodland Scene (Act One)

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

90,000

Blue Diamond Stud Farm

F Frankel - Aigrette Garzette (Peintre Celebre)

Ronald Rauscher

90,000

RF Racing

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

Top Price (gns)

2018

118

4,200,500

35,597

21,500

260,000

2017

124

4,271,500

34,448

25,000

400,000

2016

142

4,377,500

30,827

21,500

250,000

2015

142

4,091,400

28,813

20,000

200,000

2014

203

4,573,700

28,408

18,000

325,000

››

82 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Sales Circuit Some exceptional business and outstanding sales were tainted by a fall in the clearance rate as the current market continued to see-saw.

The first of four days of foal trading is traditionally the weakest at this event, and it did not let prophets of doom down, with sharp falls in all the figures, not least in the clearance rate which lost 10 points to a mark of 61%. There was to be no golden hurrah at the other end, with another 61% of clearance on the closing Saturday, although the average and median clung on at that session.

Conversely day two did better than many expected, with an 80% clearance and 1% rise in the average price, while the third and strongest day was a riproarer, with a near identical clearance rate and increases of 24% in turnover (a record in that category), 22% in the average price and 8% in the median.

Paul Thorman, whose Trickledown Stud had the biggest consignment with 51 catalogued foals, summed up this roller-coaster when saying his clients were going home to shoot their mares after day one, planned to leave them in a field after day two, were going to select stallions for them at the conclusion of day three and would end the week somewhere in the middle.

The overall figures showed a 9% rise in turnover (from just 12 additional lots), a 16% improvement in the average price, no move in the median and a fall from 78% to 70% in the clearance rate.

Heading trade was a filly foal full-sister to young sire Decorated Knight. A daughter of Galileo, she was knocked down for 1,700,000gns, but cost her buyer half that amount. Imad Al Sagar owned half the filly with his Blue Diamond Stud partner Saleh Al Homaizi, who had apparently opted to relinquish some of his bloodstock interests while retaining a share in the two Newmarket farms which make up the business. Putting the horses on the market to realise their value seemed the fairest way for two friends to resolve the matter, and since Al Sagar remains as keen as ever his bloodstock and racing manager bid boldly on a number of key lots at this sale, the following week’s mares’ sale and at the Horses-in-Training held three weeks earlier.

Some gems left the stud permanently, others were bought by Al Sagar, including the sale-topping foal and, at the mares’ sale, her dam, Pearling, who made a price of 2,400,000gns.

LAURA GREEN/TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls December Foal Sale

Tanya and John Gunther, the breeders of Justify and Without Parole, at Tattersalls

No fewer than nine foals made 500,000gns or more during the third session, six more than in 2017, and with results that give foal trading such a fairytale element.

Take the tale of Indigo Lady, who was offered for sale in 2014 by her owners, Paul Hancock and Derek Veitch, who bought her back when bidding halted at 120,000gns. That was brave, but her Dark Angel filly made 600,000gns at this sale in 2017, and at the latest edition

the same mare’s Lope De Vega colt sold for 500,000gns. Then there was the sale of a 700,000gns Frankel filly whose existence was down to Bob McCreery, the late head of Stowell Hill Stud.

McCreery’s widow Jeanette remains a keen breeder who can look forward to retiring this year’s 1,000 Guineas winner Billesdon Brook to her small broodmare band.

New England Stud, which handled part of the Blue Diamond Stud draft,

››

TALKING POINTS • Leading buyer one year, absent the next – that is the tale of Capital Bloodstock, an investment fund which bought ten foals for 2,505,000gns at the 2017 December Foal Sale, and none in 2018. It also bought four foals for €1,150,000 at Goffs’ November Sale in 2017, but made no show at the latest rendition.

• Explaining the bloodstock market to an inquisitive outsider is not easy. The sale topper at the 2017 Foal Sale was a filly by Dubawi out of Swain’s Gold, who was sold by Minster Stud for 750,000gns. The same mare’s latest foal, a colt by Golden Horn, made 200,000gns. The buyer on each occasion was Godolphin.

• The sale of Pearling’s foal for 1,700,000gns had researchers thumbing through past sales to find where it should be placed on the list of jackpots. The price was a 2018 world best for a filly foal, equating to $2.17m, heading the $1.9m given for a daughter of Pioneerof The Nile at Fasig-Tipton, but second to the $2.6m valuation of a Deep Impact colt who changed hands in Japan. In terms of foals sold at Tattersalls the filly came in third – in second place was My Typhoon, a daughter of Giant’s Causeway and Urban Sea who sold for 1,800,000gns in 2002. What would she have been worth if the same stallion and mare had produced her this year? Topping the Tattersalls’ list is a colt who was sold in 1997 for 2,500,000gns. He was a half-brother to Derby winner Generous, being

by Caerleon out of Doff The Derby, and sold by Barronstown Stud to Joss Collins of the BBA, buying for Satish Sanan.

84 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Sales Circuit ›› including the sale-topping foal, headed

consignors by clearing 18 lots for 3,273,800gns, while Al Sagar’s buy-up of horses he owned in partnership made Blue Diamond Stud top purchaser, just ahead of Stroud Coleman (buying for Godolphin in most cases).

Pinhookers had to work hard to fill their requirements, and it was interesting that two of the biggest, the O’Callaghan families of Yeomanstown Stud (17 for 1,310,000gns) and Tally-Ho Stud (16 for

1,029,500gns), were unwavering from their belief in the market 12 months earlier, buying similar numbers of foals for a similar investment.

Sea The Stars was the leading sire by aggregate, his 18-sold foals realising 3,230,000gns at an average of just under 180,000gns, but few stallion masters could be happier than the Harpers of Whitsbury Manor Stud, for Showcasing’s foals sold like wellies at a wet Glastonbury and his young roster

mate, Adaay, also proved highly popular, with 22 foals selling at an average of just over 33,000gns – nice work off a £7,000 fee, and one that is down to £5,000 next year.

Among new sires Adaay finished second on average price to Shalaa, who stands at Haras du Bouquetot – his 11 foals sold for just over 97,000gns, another profitable return for breeders who used his services at €27,500 (€22,000 in 2019).

Tattersalls December Foal Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (gns) 1,700,000

Buyer

F Galileo – Pearling (Storm Cat)

New England Stud

F Dubawi – Baisse (High Chaparral)

Fittocks Stud

725,000

Blue Diamond Stud Farm Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

C Dubawi – Nightime (Galileo)

The Castlebridge Consignment

700,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

F Frankel - Middle Club (Fantastic Light)

Stowell Hill Stud

700,000

Hugo Lascelles

F Frankel – Divine (Dark Angel)

Voute Sales

700,000

Juddmonte Farms

F Sea The Stars - Princess Noor (Holy Roman Emperor)

New England Stud

600,000

Blue Diamond Stud Farm

F Lope De Vega – Tesoro (Galileo)

West Blagdon Stud

500,000

One Agency

F Frankel - Household Name (Zamindar)

New England Stud

500,000

One Agency

C Lope De Vega - Indigo Lady (Sir Percy)

Ringfort Stud

500,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

Top Price (gns)

2018

681

34,924,757

51,285

25,000

1,700,000

2017

742

32,668,200

44,027

25,000

750,000

2016

743

30,568,350

41,142

21,000

600,000

2015

803

33,565,600

41,800

20,000

800,000

2014

779

32,110,900

41,221

25,000

450,000

Another absorbing and hectic second session of this famous auction carried it to a high few would have expected when they first glanced the catalogue.

It was short of five-star-plus lots, recent Classic winners or a gala dispersal, but that was to ignore the influence of such as Galileo, Dubawi, Frankel and Sea The Stars, plus a clutch of emerging stallions whose bloodlines are achieving success around the globe.

During the second session, and especially the few hectic hours that ensue as darkness falls, seven mares sold for a seven-figure sum, headed by Pearling, who made 2,400,000gns to a bid from Blue Diamond Stud’s Imad Al Sagar, who was buying out his partner, Saleh Al Homaizi.

The 13-year-old mare, dam of Decorated Knight and carrying a full brother or sister to him, was bought

LAURA GREEN/TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls December Mares Sale

Bound is joining the broodmare band at the Harris family’s Lordship Stud in Newmarket

››

86 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Breed with the

STRENGTH of

dena

Adena Springs Kentucky

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FORT LARNED

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GHOSTZAPPER

ROOKIE SENSATION

MACHO UNO

SIGNATURE RED

MUCHO MACHO MAN

SILENT NAME

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SILVER MAX

POINT OF ENTRY

SLIGO BAY

SHAMAN GHOST

Ghostzapper

Horse of the Year, Horse of a Lifetime

Shaman Ghost

Multiple G1 winner of $3.8 million New to Kentucky in 2019

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Adena Springs OB Jan 2019 f-p.indd 2 189798-AdenaSprings-Roster-TOB.indd 1

14/12/2018 13:52 12/13/18 12:32 PM

BALLYLINCH STUD – home to the very best Fascinating Rock

€7,500

Dual Group 1 winner & Timeform Rated 127.

By top international sire FASTNET ROCK. Won the Gr.1 Champion Stakes in a time faster than FRANKEL & CRACKSMAN. First foals in 2018 made up to €185,000

Lope De Vega

€80,000

Sire of 7 Group 1 winners 40 Black Type horses in 2018 and 7 individual Stakes winning 2yos including unbeaten Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner NEWSPAPEROFRECORD. Yearlings in 2018 made up to €900,000.

Make Believe

€12,000

Won the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt in record time and the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains.

First yearlings in 2018 made up to 210,000gns band were bought by Shadwell Estates, Mark Johnston, Stephen Hillen, SackvilleDonald, Meridian International, etc.

New Bay

€15,000

A Classic winning son of DUBAWI – Timeform Rated 128 Winner of the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club in a time faster than SHAMARDAL, LE HAVRE and ALMANZOR. From the family of outstanding stallions KINGMAN and OASIS DREAM. His first foals in 2018 topped two individual foal sales.

Beat Hollow

€5,000

Sire of Punchestown Champion Hurdle winner WICKLOW BRAVE and Cheltenham Festival winner CINDERS AND ASHES. 2018 National Hunt winners included the 22 length bumper winner MT LEINSTER and the highly promising GENIUS.

BALLYLINCH STUD Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny.

Tel: (056) 7724217 • Emails: info@ballylinchstud.ie • joc@ballylinchstud.ie • mark@ballylinchstud.ie www.ballylinchstud.com

Ballylinch_Full_Owner_Jan2019.indd 1

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Sales Circuit for 1,300,000gns in 2011. Among her gifts to Al Sagar and Al Homaizi have been a potentially top-class stallion in Decorated Knight, a Galileo foal and one in utero, and a Frankel filly called Ambrosia who was sold to Winstar Farms at this sale for the price her mother cost. Little wonder Al Sagar was keen to buy Pearling outright.

Other intriguing moments of ring action during this session saw the sale of Royal Ascot winners Heartache (sold for 1,300,00gns to M V Magnier) and Signora Cabello (900,000gns when bought outright by Phoenix Thoroughbreds). Heartache had caused some heartache to her owner-breeders at Whitsbury Manor Stud, who were reluctant to sell, but are looking at longterm stallion investment, while Signora Cabello’s sale completed a profitable investment by two retired businessman who bought her for 20,000gns at Book 3 of the October Sale, and then sold 75% of her to Phoenix before her Royal Ascot win.

Another sale with a twist saw Kern Lillingston’s Luke Lillingston and Lincoln Collins bidding across the ring on Bound, who was sold for 2,200,000gns.

Lillingston’s clients, the Harris family of Lordship Stud, bought the mare, although Tom Harris acknowledged the role Collins had played in the stud’s early purchases.

Juddmonte mares were the star act at the Monday and Wednesday

LAURA GREEN/TATTERSALLS

›› by Blue Diamond Stud’s Tony Nerses

Pearling topped the mares’ sale at 2.4m gns, and her daughter was the leading foal at 1.7m

sessions, and while Thursday’s trade was a long way below the first three sessions it saw good demand for any mare of promise.

Turnover during the four-day sale fell by just over 7,000,000gns, or 11%, but it should be remembered that Marsha had sold for 6,000,000gns at the 2017 edition, while Zhukova made 3,700,000gns. The average price, which

TALKING POINTS • The December Sale dispersal of bloodstock belonging to American chef and restaurateur Bobby Flay was short on fireworks, although it achieved its aim of liquidating his European assets. Flay says he will continue to invest in US racing and breeding, but does not have time to enjoy his bloodstock on this side of the Atlantic. The late withdrawal of Auld Alliance, an 11-year-old Montjeu mare with a Frankel cover, deprived the occasion of a likely star lot from a consignment which was offered via Baroda & Colbinstown Studs, and the remaining four fillies or mares sold for 469,000gns, with a high of 300,000gns for sixyear-old Banzari, carrying to Fastnet Rock and sold to Sun Bloodstock. Three foals made a total of 482,000gns – headed by Auld Alliance’s 325,000gns son of Frankel who sold to Ross & Peter Doyle – bringing the dispersal’s aggregate to 951,000gns. Perhaps British racing’s chief wooers of celebrity could find a Flay replacement in the UK. Jamie Oliver or Mary Berry, perhaps?

• The December Breeding Stock Sale’s conclusion was soon followed by figures showing annual turnover at Tattersalls, which fell for the first time in three years, coming in 1% down at 328,088,207gns. That figure is still more than

Jan_173_SaleCircuit.indd 89

had soared 53% in 2017, did well again, albeit falling 18%, and there was an identical decline in the median.

The Castlebridge Consignment turned over 47 lots for 6,064,000gns to take the position of leading consignor, while Blue Diamond Stud’s Imad Al Sagar headed buyers. He bought 11 horses he owned in partnership for 4,673,000gns.

››

62,000,000gns above the 2016 figure, which was also a record, although 628 fewer lots walked the ring in that year.

The figures for 2018 and 2017 were very similar, with barely a flicker in difference in the average mark – explained by some fabulous trade for the best horses at every sale – but neither was there much change in the clearance rate. Just 44 more horses were offered across the year, a total of 6,485, and 81.5% found buyers, or 5,287.

Those figures are healthy and say much about the appeal of Tattersalls as a place to buy and sell, of Britain and Ireland as a place to race and breed, and of the current crop of top-end stallions and mares whose progeny are desired around the globe.

Yet anecdotal evidence and perusal of the lots who failed to sell says the roots of the trade are not so robust.

One large stud’s manager said he feared for the many small breeders who have been the footings of the industry.

They are giving way to more commercially-minded, largerscale operations often driven by charismatic youth. If so, does that matter? The shire horse gave way to the tractor, but you won’t find many farmers who want to go back to shire horses.

It is the pace of change which some find hard to swallow, and that pace is gathering speed in every walk of life.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER 89

14/12/2018 18:10

THE RIGHT TACK MAKE SURE YOU’RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION WITH A CHEVELEY PARK STUD STALLION

GARSWOOD

INTELLO

DUAL GROUP SIRE WITH HIS FIRST CROP IN 2018 Successes included the Gr.3 winners CALA TARIDA and LITTLE KIM.

THE LEADING UK-BASED 2ND CROP SIRE 2018 (by earnings), including INTELLOGENT (Gr.1), YOUNG RASCAL (Gr.3 x 3) and REGAL REALITY (Gr.3)

2018 yearlings made up to 55,000gns.

2018 yearlings made up to €290,000.

■ Fee: £3,500 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

■ Fee: £20,000 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

LETHAL FORCE

MAYSON

THE LEADING UK-BASED 2ND CROP SIRE 2018 (by number of winners) with 45 winners and 52% 3yo winners to runners (to 11/12).

2018 yearlings made up to £65,000.

3RD LEADING UK-BASED 3RD CROP SIRE 2018 (by earnings) behind only Frankel and Nathaniel.

Sire of 13 Black Type 2yos to date and of 65 winners of over 100 races in 2018 (to 11/12).

■ Fee: £4,500 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

■ Fee: £6,000 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

PIVOTAL

TWILIGHT SON

CHAMPION SIRE & CHAMPION BROODMARE SIRE 2018 His 2018 successes included Gr.1 winners BLAIR HOUSE and LIGHTNING SPEAR.

FIRST YEARLINGS IN 2019

2018 yearlings made up to 425,000gns.

■ Fee: Private ■

DUAL GR.1 WINNING SPRINTER BY KYLLACHY 220 mares covered in his first two books.

First crop foals made €95,000, €68,000, 57,000gns, etc.

■ Fee: £8,000 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

ULYSSES

UNFORTUNATELY

FIRST FOALS IN 2019

NEW FOR 2019

BY GALILEO OUT OF AN OAKS WINNER

HIGHEST-RATED SON OF SOCIETY ROCK

His first book included 8 Gr.1 winners; 6 dams of Gr.1 winners and 18 full or half sisters to Gr.1 winners.

Won Gr.1 Prix Morny (2nd fastest time in the last 50 years); Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin and Gr.3 Renaissance Stakes.

■ Fee: £17,500 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

■ Fee: £7,500 (1st Oct. SLF) ■

Cheveley Park Stud Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9DD • Tel: (01638) 730316 • enquiries@cheveleypark.co.uk www.cheveleypark.co.uk • L @CPStudOfficial

Cheveley_Roster_Owner_Jan2019.indd 1

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Sales Circuit ››

Tattersalls December Mares Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Price (gns)

Buyer

Pearling (Storm Cat - Mariah's Storm)

New England Stud

2,400,000

Blue Diamond Stud Farm

Bound (Galileo - Remember When)

John Troy

2,200,000

Kern/Lillingston/One Agency

Beautiful Morning (Galileo - Date With Destiny)

Newsells Park Stud Ltd.

1,400,000

Hugo Lascelles

Heartache (Kyllachy - Place In My Heart)

Whitsbury Manor Stud

1,300,000

MV Magnier

Ambrosia (Frankel – Pearling)

Highclere Stud

1,300,000

Winstar Farm LLC

Off Limits (Mastercraftsman – Ravish)

European Sales Management

1,200,000

LTS/Erdenheim Farm

Pocketfullofdreams (Invincible Spirit - Dubai Rose)

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

1,000,000

Phoenix Thoroughbreds

Earring (Dansili – Together)

Norelands Stud

Signora Cabello (Camacho – Journalist)

Bellwood Cottage Stables

900,000

Phoenix Thoroughbreds

Luminate (Lawman – Kalandara)

Highclere Stud

900,000

John Warren/Gary Hadden

925,000

C Gordon-Watson Bloodstock

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

Top Price (gns)

2018

728

60,712,100

83,396

20,500

2,400,000

2017

675

68,315,300

101,208

25,000

6,000,000

2016

681

44,709,200

65,652

27,000

2,000,000

2015

680

46,513,500

68,402

28,000

4,500,000

2014

685

48,290,695

70,497

26,000

4,500,000

Goffs UK Doncaster December Sale

not so popular, which had been a trend at other sales, pointed out Williams, who said he felt the event had a future.

His auctioneers had offered 167 lots, so the point about demand for the sale was not without substance.

Its future will certainly be rosier if a filly foal by New Bay or a colt by Twilight Son become Stakes horses. The filly, bought for £32,000 by Five Star Bloodstock on behalf of a pinhooker, was purchased inside her dam, Arctic Passage, for just 6,000gns last year by Harefield Cottage Stud, which is based on the Curragh.

This newcomer to the sales calendar was created following requests from clients who wanted another opportunity to sell horses, said Goffs UK. Depending on which way you look at the figures – 90 horses sold, but only 54% of the catalogue – it was reasonably successful, and the sales company’s MD, Tony Williams, noted that 70% of the in-training lots found buyers. The mares and foals on offer, all from the lower-tiers of the market, were

The same stud brought up a profitable double by selling the son of Twilight Son for 29,000gns to Buckley Bloodstock. This colt had also been sourced 12 months earlier when carried by his dam for just 4,000gns.

Heading the session was gelding Northwest Frontier, bought out of Richard Fahey’s stable by racehorse owner Craig Buckingham and staying in the north of England and a place at Micky Hammond’s yard. A 90-rated performer on the Flat, with four wins on his CV, he looked good value, said Buckingham.

Goffs UK Doncaster December Sale Top lots Name/Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

Northwest Frontier (Galileo - Francesca D'Gorgio)

Musley Bank Stables

36,000

Craig Buckingham

F New Bay - Arctic Passage (Rail Link)

Harefield Cottage Stud

32,000

Five Star Bloodstock

Hakam (War Front - Lauren Byrd)

Mick Appleby

30,000

Rennstall Recke

C Twilight Son - Gala Wedge (Foxwedge)

Harefield Cottage Stud

29,000

Buckley Bloodstock

F Cable Bay – Cosmodrome (Bahr)

Worsall Grange

25,000

Liberty EIS

C Cannock Chase - Dance A Daydream (Daylami)

Worsall Grange

25,000

J Loja Bloodstock

Figures Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

Top Price (£)

2018

91

634,000

6,967

4,000

36,000

Jan_173_SaleCircuit.indd 91

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

››

91

14/12/2018 18:10

Sales Circuit A vibrant start for its section of Flat mares and foals and a respectively strong finish for the jumping brigade book-ended the last four days of trade in Deauville. The sale fell flat in the middle but played out with interest and depth thanks largely to a 28-strong consignment (whittled down to 21 after withdrawals) from major National Hunt owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, who decided to part company with a number of lovely mares who had raced successfully in their colours and are in the early stages of their breeding careers.

“They are primarily racehorse owners and the breeding side of it has mushroomed so they’ve drawn a line and said that from next year there will be no more foals, though they will race all the progeny currently in the fields,” explained Anthony Bromley, who was responsible for assembling the group of horses for Munir and Souede in the first place.

Britain and Ireland will benefit from the sale of these well-credentialed mares, with the Grade 1 winner Gitane Du Berlais having been bought to board at Rathmore Stud for an Irish client of Peter Molony, while the grey Ma Filleule will join Goldford Stud where her new owner Dominic Burke boards a select band of mares. They each sold for €220,000.

ZUZANNA LUPA

Arqana Breeding Stock Sale

Sally and Richard Aston bought Ma Filleule on behalf of breeder Dominic Burke

At the other end of the sale, there was a traditionally strong international turnout among buyers. Lily’s Candle, who had passed through the Arc Sale for €390,000 the night before she won the Prix Marcel Boussac, was sold by her interim owner Martin Schwartz for a saletopping €1.1 million. Through Emmanuel de Seroux, she was bought by Katsumi Yoshida who is likely to keep her in training at three.

Just The Judge’s yearling colt by

Dubawi had topped the August Sale at €1.4 million and her filly foal by the same sire was the most expensive weanling in December, bought for €1 million by Anthony Stroud on behalf of Godolphin.

The other seven-figure transaction of the sale came for the Nicolas Clementtrained Solage, who was bought by Ballylinch Stud in partnership with a client of Meridian International for €1 million. The daughter of Galileo had previously been a €700,000 yearling and was runner-up on her sole start at Longchamp and will race on before retiring to the paddocks for her new owners.

Overall, the Breeding Stock Sale finished on a high, with a 6% improvement in turnover and 7% rise in average. The clearance dropped by three points to 76%.

After the final sale of the year in France, Arqana CEO Eric Hoyeau said, “The Breeding Stock Sale brings to an end our 2018 sales season, which despite its record figures delivered a number of warning messages which we are not considering lightly. We will start 2019 by putting a lot of thinking into analysing the state of the market and working hard to identify everything that can be done to ensure our sales keep meeting the buyers’ and vendors’ expectations.”

Arqana Breeding Stock Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

Lily’s Candle (Style Vendome-Golden Lily)

Capucines

1,100,000

Narvick International

Solage (Galileo-Secrete )

Clément

1,000,000

Meridian International

Dubawi-Just The Judge (foal)

La Motteraye Consignment

1,000,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

Peace In Motion (Hat Trick-Peace Royale)

Ronald Rauscher, Agent

860,000

Bertrand Le Metayer Bloodstock

Knyazhna (Montjeu-Katyusha)

Montaigu

700,000

Ecurie Des Monceaux

Night Music (Sea The Stars-Night Woman)

Salzburg

700,000

Carlos Et Yann Lerner

Zghorta Dance (Le Havre-Ana Zghorta)

Manneville

550,000

Al Shaqab Racing

Noblesse Oblige (Myboycharlie-La Boisserie)

John Hammond

520,000

Oceanic Bloodstock

Fangs (Kitten’s Joy-Granny Franny)

Haras De Saint Pair

510,000

Meridian International

Tiberias (Galileo-Stormina)

Wertheimer & Frère

450,000

Dean Hawthorne / Badgers Bloodstock

Eyeful (Muhtathir-Beautifix)

Wertheimer & Frère

450,000

Broadhurst Agency

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2018

682

33,504,700

48,757

18,000

1,100,000

2017

688

31,685,000

45,420

19,000

1,300,000

2016

620

23,262,000

37,154

16,000

1,000,000

2015

686

26,605,100

37,822

19,000

900,000

2014

672

27,860,750

39,139

17,000

1,100,000

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B ATSFORD S TUD COCKNEY REBEL Val Royal – Factice (Known Fact) DUAL CLASSIC WINNER AND SUCCESSFUL STAKES SIRE FROM 2 YEAR OLDS TO JUMPERS Won Gr.1 2,000 Guineas, Newmarket, beating DUTCH ART (Gr.1), DUKE OF MARMALADE (Gr.1), EAGLE MOUNTAIN (Gr.1), AL SHEMALI (Gr.1) and 10 other Group winners.

“The winning time was the fastest since Mister Baileys and Pennekamp recorded exceptional times in 1994 and 1995 …. An extravagant swoop ….” RACING POST

Fee:

£2,500 1st October Terms (LF)

Won Gr.1 Irish 2,000 Guineas, The Curragh, beating CREACHADOIR (Gr.1), DUKE OF MARMALADE (Gr.1), and two other Group winners.

“A splendid performance to complete the English/Irish Double that eluded George Washington last year.” RACING POST Won Maiden on debut at Newmarket at 2.

2nd

£300,000 St Leger Yearling Stakes, York.

HAAFHD

Alhaarth – Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom) EUROPEAN CHAMPION 3 YEAR OLD Won Gr.1 2,000 Guineas, Newmarket, beating Gr.1 winners AZAMOUR, GREY SWALLOW, WHIPPER, BACHELOR DUKE etc.

Won Gr.1 Champion Stakes, Newmarket, beating Gr.1 winners CHORIST, AZAMOUR, REFUSE TO BEND, DOYEN etc.

Won Gr.3 Craven Stakes, Newmarket, beating THREE VALLEYS. Won LR Washington Singer Stakes.

A CONSISTENT SIRE OF STAKES WINNERS UNDER BOTH CODES JUNOOB – Gr.1 Metropolitan H’cap; Gr.2 Neville Selwood S; LR Randwick City S; 2nd Gr.3 Summer Cup, 3rd Gr.1 Doomben Cup, Gr.2 Brisbane Cup, Gr.3 Newcastle Cup. Fee:

£2,000 1st October Terms (LF)

COUNTRYWIDE FLAME – 9 wins, Flat and NH including: Gr.1 Fighting Fifth H’dle; Gr.1 Triumph H’dle; 2nd Gr.1 4yo H’dle; Gr.1 Future champions Hurdle; 3rd Gr.1 Champion Hurdle, Gr.1 Spring Juvenile Hurdle CARLITO BRIGANTE – Gr.2 Juvenile Hurdle, Gr.3 Coral Cup, Cheltenham, 3rd Gr.1 World Hurdle, LR Premier Ch.

HARBOUR LAW Lawman – Abunai (Pivotal)

New for 2019

CHAMPION THREE-YEAR-OLD STAYER by a CLASSIC WINNER AND MULTIPLE CLASSIC SIRE Won 3 races at 3 years, 12-14f and was placed 4 times from 8 starts: Won Gr.1 St Leger, Doncaster beating 5 Group winners.

Fee:

£4,000 1st October Terms (LF)

2nd

LR

3rd

Gr.1 Gold Cup, Royal Ascot.

Queens Vase, Royal Ascot.

4th

Gr.3 Bahrain Trophy, Royal Ascot.

“A tough, well balanced Classic winner who was a dream to ride and undoubtedly was very talented with so much more to come” GEORGE BAKER, JOCKEY “Harbour Law, a talented horse with an attitude that matched his ability.

A true professional in every sense” LAURA MONGAN, TRAINER

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B ATSFORD S TUD NATIVE RULER Cape Cross – Love Divine (Diesis)

BY THE SIRE OF SEA THE STARS, GOLDEN HORN AND OUIJA BOARD Won at 3 years £31,006 and placed 4 times from 7 starts: 2nd

Gr.2 Jockey Club Stakes, Newmarket, beaten a nose, beating CAMPANOLOGIST (Multiple Gr.1), INDIAN DAYS (multiple Gr.2), MONITOR CLOSELY (Gr.2) and LAAHEB (multiple Gr.3). “... he had the prize snatched from him in the very last stride … He hardly deserved to lose” RACING POST 4th

Gr.2 Yorkshire Cup, York, beating ASKAR TAU (multiple (Gr.2) and Stakes winners BUXTED, FREE AGENT and ELECTROLYSER. “.NATIVE RULER was potentially a high-class Group performer. He is a lovely mover with a top-class pedigree, Unfortunately he retired due to injury. I can see him producing horses of real ability both on the Flat and National Hunt” SIR HENRY CECIL

Fee:

£1,500 1st October Terms (LF)

PASSING GLANCE Polar Falcon – Spurned (Robellino) TOUGH AND SOUND DUAL GROUP WINNING MILER Winner of 7 races, 2-5 years, £224,594 and was placed 12 times: Won Gr.2 Oettingen-Rennen, 8f, Baden-Baden.

Won Gr.3 Diomed Stakes, 8f, Epsom.

Won LR

Sovereign Stakes, 8f, Salisbury.

2nd

Gr.2 Celebration Mile, 8f, Goodwood beaten just a head.

2nd

LR

4th

Gr.3 Sovereign Stakes, 8f, Salisbury, beating TOUT SEUL (Gr.1), ANCIENT WORLD (Gr.1), AUTUMN GLORY (Dual Gr.3), SHOT TO FAME (Gr.3), AFRICAN DREAM (Dual Gr.3) etc.

On The House Stakes, 8f, Goodwood.

68% WIN OR PLACED RUNNERS ON THE FLAT OVER 65% WON OR PLACED FROM NH RUNNERS

Fee:

£2,000 1st October Terms (LF)

SWISS SPIRIT

Invincible Spirit – Swiss Lake (Indian Ridge) GROUP WINNING SPRINTER Won 3 races at 2 and 3 years, 5f - 6f and was placed 5 times: Won Gr.3 World Trophy, Newbury, beating KINGSGATE NATIVE (Gr.1).

Won LR Carnarvon Stakes, Newbury, beating LETHAL FORCE (Gr.1).

2nd Gr.2 Temple Stakes, Haydock Park, btn a neck.

Beating RECKLESS ABANDON (Gr.1), SOLE POWER (Gr.1), TANGERINE TREES (Gr.1), etc.

2nd Gr.2 King George, Goodwood, beating KINGSGATE NATIVE, BORDERLESCOTT (Gr.1), JWALA (Gr.1), etc.

LEADING FIRST SEASON SIRE IN GB AND IRELAND

BY WINNERS TO RUNNERS 43% WINNERS TO RUNNERS FROM HIS FIRST CROP ALREADY SIRE OF 27 TWO-YEAR-OLD WINNERS RATED UP TO 102 FOAL CROPS OF 80 IN 2017 AND 87 IN 2018 TO COME

Fee:

£3,000 1st October Terms (SLF)

BATSFORD STUD, Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9QF Tel: 01608 651890 • Mob: 07899 957355 • Email: alanvarey@batsfordstud.co.uk

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RECRUITING

TALENT

BUILDING ON

EXPERIENCE

LEADING TO

SUCCESS

Applications 2019 Wednesday, 2 January to Monday, 11 February, 2019

Contact: ckavanagh@godolphinflyingstart.com mlarkin@godolphinflyingstart.com www.godolphinflyingstart.com

Includes the Graduate Certificate in Management (Thoroughbred Industry)

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Caulfield Files

Bloodstock world views

It’s all about the girls Nathaniel may be starting to look like a ‘filly sire’ but that’s not necessarily a bad thing

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GEORGE SELWYN

E

quality of the sexes may be the ambition in many facets of today’s society, but it is almost certainly never going to happen in the world of the thoroughbred racehorse. The simple explanation is that a top-class colt with stallion potential stands to bring in far more income than a similarly talented filly, who will do well to produce 15 foals during her broodmare career.

Take Dubawi as an example. This winner of the 2005 Irish 2,000 Guineas is credited with 1,336 foals of racing age, with roughly another 400 already in the pipeline. Compare that to the ten foals produced so far by Saoire, winner of the Irish 1,000 Guineas the day after Dubawi’s Classic success. Although Dubawi has proved an excellent sire of fillies, with 14 of them becoming Group 1 winners, his ten colts sold as yearlings in 2018 achieved a median of 850,000gns, compared to the 450,000gns achieved by the same number of fillies.

In these circumstances, no stallion owner wants to hear his pride and joy described as a ‘filly sire’, but, at present, there is no other way to describe Newsells Park Stud’s Nathaniel. As I pointed out in last month’s Data Book notes on Enable, five of his six Group winners are fillies, as are five of his six Listed winners, with both his Group 1 winners – Enable and God Given – being fillies.

I mentioned, though, that Nathaniel also has seven Group-placed performers, of which five are males. Indeed, colts or geldings figure higher up the pecking order if they are judged by their Racing Post ratings. The German colt Enjoy Vijay is second behind Enable on 111, with Glencadam Glory third with a figure of 110.

Nathaniel has a creditable 22 offspring rated 100+ and they consist of 13 males, compared to nine fillies, so it may be too early to pigeon-hole Nathaniel as a filly sire. I should add that there is no bias towards fillies in the records of his sire Galileo or his broodmare sire Silver Hawk.

Not that there is much wrong with being a prolific sire of smart fillies – something which can be expected to translate into marked success as a broodmare sire. There have been plenty of examples, such as the recently retired Dansili. Even though he was responsible for such talented sons as Harbinger,

God Given is one of two Group 1 winners for Nathaniel, the other being fellow filly Enable

Flintshire, Rail Link, Zambezi Sun and Zoffany, his daughters accounted for 14 of his 21 Group 1 winners. This powerful distaff team featured such as The Fugue (who defeated the males in both the Irish Champion Stakes and Prince of Wales’s Stakes), Dank and Queen’s Trust (both winners of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf), Miss France (1,000 Guineas), Proviso (a four-time Grade 1 scorer in the US) and Fallen For You (Coronation Stakes).

It is far from simple trying to predict whether a stallion might develop into a better sire of one sex or the other. Bearing in mind that Sadler’s Wells sired the Oaks winners Salsabil, Intrepidity, Moonshell, Imagine and Alexandrova, plus two winners of the Irish Oaks and three of the Irish 1,000 Guineas, it is hard to imagine that he was once considered a disappointing sire of fillies.

The Group winners from Sadler’s Wells’s first four crops divided very unevenly between the sexes, with the colts leading the fillies by 20 to two.

However, one of the fillies was Salsabil, winner of the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and Irish Derby, and Sadler’s Wells gradually came up with more and more good fillies.

Colts also dominated the impressive batch of high-class performers which emerged from the early crops by Sadler’s Wells’s son Montjeu and this time there was no major turnaround for a stallion who gave us four winners of the Derby.

From 25 Group 1 winners sired in the northern hemisphere, only five were fillies.

Strangely, it has been a different story where Montjeu’s northern hemisphere stallion sons are concerned. Their first ten Group 1 winners feature six fillies, headed by the brilliant Treve. They have nearly 50 Group winners between them and fillies account for roughly half the total, which is a far cry from Montjeu’s record.

Another member of the Northern Dancer male line who shone as a sire of fillies was Alzao. This rags-to-riches stallion was responsible for 15 Group 1 winners in the northern hemisphere and no fewer than 12 of them were fillies. He sired winners of the Oaks in England (Shahtoush), Ireland (Winona) and Italy (Timi), and also enjoyed Group 1 success with Alborada, Albanova, Alpride, Angara, Matiya, Wind In Her Hair, Alcando, Capricciosa and Pass The Peace. Wind In Her Hair went on to produce the sensational Japanese runner and stallion Deep Impact.

It was no surprise that Alzao proved such a proficient sire of fillies. He was by Lyphard, who became a renowned filly sire thanks to the efforts of Three Troikas (Arc and French 1,000 Guineas), Dancing Maid (French 1,000 Guineas), Durtal (Cheveley Park Stakes), Reine De Saba (French Oaks), Jolypha (French Oaks), Pearl Bracelet (French 1,000 Guineas) and Ensconse (Irish 1,000 Guineas).

Another stallion who became noted for his daughters was Habitat. But, if Habitat had a reputation for being a filly sire, his son Distant Relative took this to extremes.

››

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Caulfield Files ›› Fillies account for eight of his ten Group

winners and it was a similar story with his Listed winners.

This filly bias has also affected some very successful American stallions.

Although Empire Maker’s sons Pioneerof The Nile and Bodemeister have already extended Unbridled’s impact on America’s Triple Crown events, these two colts were the only males among Empire Maker’s 11 Grade 1 winners. Fillies also accounted for six of his eight Grade 2 winners. Broken

Vow, another son of Unbridled, has sired five Grade 1 winners, all five being fillies.

The two-time champion sire AP Indy initially shaped up as a better sire of fillies than colts, with no fewer than eight stakes-winning daughters in his first crop, including the Grade 1 winners Tomisue’s Delight, Runup The Colors and Royal Indy.

Even though the likes of Bernardini, Mineshaft and Honor Code were later added to the list of AP Indy’s most talented sons, his daughters continued to

shine, to the extent that they accounted for 17 of his 30 Grade 1 winners.

Malibu Moon, one of AP Indy’s best stallion sons, has a lopsided record when it comes to the gender of his best winners.

His 15 Grade 1 winners contain twice as many fillies as colts and geldings.

So, while these gender biases often even out, that doesn’t always happen. It is going to be fascinating to see how Nathaniel’s record develops over the next few years.

According to the 2018 Return of Mares, there were provisionally 13,713 foals born in Britain and Ireland in 2018, of which 6,952 were colts and 6,761 were fillies. In other words, there was no great numerical difference between the sexes and the same applied to the 2017 figures, with 6,972 colts compared to 6,746 fillies.

But, rather like the human families which end up with a football team of boys in the desperate quest for a daughter, some broodmares are destined to produce far more foals of one sex than the other.

I was reminded of this as I watched the Juddmonte-bred Mizzen Mast filly Oboe win a newcomers’ race at Deauville in late November. She is the 12th filly among the first 13 foals produced by Seattle Slew’s excellent daughter Flute, with the 13 being sired by 11 different stallions. Then, just as her 2013 son by Lonhro was beginning to look like a one-off, Flute produced a brother to Oboe in 2017 and then a short-lived colt by Noble Mission in 2018.

As Flute raced in the US, it is worth giving a brief resume of her racing career. You can get a good idea of her talent from the fact that she started a short-priced favourite to end her three-year-old season with Grade 1 victories in the Beldame Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. Although she won neither, she already had two Grade 1 victories in the bag, in the Kentucky Oaks and the Alabama Stakes.

Like many a top-class racemare, Flute has proved less effective as a broodmare, with Oboe being her sixth winner from 13 starters. It wouldn’t surprise me, though, if several of her many daughters were to make their mark. We have already seen Solo

EMMA BERRY

Flute’s fillies

Sir Henry Cecil (right) with Midsummer Sun and Frankel after exercise

Piano, one of her daughters by Empire Maker, represented by the Mizzen Mast colt Purser, winner of the 2018 King Charles II Stakes, and Crosswinds, her once-raced Storm Cat filly, become the dam of Weep No More, winner of the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes.

With so many non-black-type daughters of Flute, Juddmonte had little option but to sell most of them, two exceptions being Solo Piano, who was fourth at Group 3 level, and Oboe’s older sister Filimbi, who graduated from being a Listed winner in France to Grade 3 winner in California. Solo Piano has young sons

by Super Saver, Mizzen Mast and Uncle Mo, while Filimbi has a 2017 Tapit filly and a 2018 War Front colt.

Filimbi is now in foal to none other than Arrogate, who also covered the previously-mentioned Crosswinds.

One of the sold daughters, Entwine, is the dam of Qabala, a 2016 Scat Daddy filly who made an eye-catching winning debut as favourite in a hot Newmarket maiden race in September.

Flute isn’t the only mare in the Juddmonte studbook with a penchant

for producing fillies. Midsummer, runner-up in the Lingfield Oaks Trial in 2003, gave birth to her 11th filly from 12 foals when she produced a daughter of Sea The Stars in May 2018.

It is to be hoped that this trend continues, as her 2018 mate was Pivotal, whose daughters have become so valued as broodmares.

Midsummer’s only son, by Monsun, became a Group-placed Listed winner in Australia, but she will always be best remembered as the dam of the outstanding Midday and the Nell Gwyn winner Hot Snap. Midday was sired by Oasis Dream, who also sired four of Midsummer’s other daughters.

The winners Popular, Shoal and Atone have all been retained and all three have youngsters by Frankel, but their unraced sister Posset was sold for 625,000gns. She has since produced two colts by Galileo and another by Frankel.

As Midsummer was one of six daughters of Modena to produce a black-type winner, it will be interesting to see how many of Midsummer’s numerous daughters reach that goal.

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Pantone 5435

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TTC Careers Course gets thumbs up

More than 80 delegates from around the UK converged on Tattersalls for a hugely enjoyable and informative two days in mid-November

O

n November 13 and 14, TTC held its big event of the year, the two-day Careers Course, kindly supported by the Racing Foundation, Weatherbys and the TBA, at Tattersalls in Newmarket.

Over 80 delegates attended from around the UK, including those on racing-related courses at Writtle University College and Hartpury University and College.

“It was certainly worth the journey down from Edinburgh,” said Bethany Fellows. “I felt it was really well organised and felt well informed as to the layout of both days. Everyone who spoke was approachable and you felt that you could ask anyone a question. People were also honest and informative that working in racing is hard work, but one should not be put off by this.”

The event, which was open to all, was aimed not just at those who are in the industry, but those who are interested in choosing a career path into the wideranging racing and breeding industries.

Fellow attendee Rebecca Smith commented: “The overall experience was brilliant. I am so grateful for the opportunity and the different aspects of the industry to which it has opened my eyes. The visits to the two yards were an amazing opportunity. I was not expecting to be able to get up close with the horses.

That was a real highlight given that I have a passion for horses, but no access to racehorses.”

More breeding-focussed sessions were offered on the first day and included talks and workshop sessions on

various subjects ranging from nutrition, nominations and veterinary nursing, while visits to either Cheveley Park Stud, where leading sire Pivotal got plenty of attention, or the Newmarket Equine Hospital were also provided.

Tim Lane of the National Stud provided a well-received talk about how he got into the industry, his role and about stud management.

He commented: “The delegates were really engaging, asking questions and I

Ascot badge offer for members The Thoroughbred Club is pleased to announce the following badge offer for members: Matchbook Clarence House Chase Raceday, Ascot Ascot has kindly offered members half-price admission to the Matchbook Clarence House Raceday on Saturday, January 19.

The day’s racing will feature the popular Grade 1 Clarence House Steeplechase, which has previously

been won by the likes of Desert Orchid, Master Minded and Un De Sceaux, who has been victorious for the past two years.

Half-price tickets can be purchased on the day from ticket office East upon presentation of a valid TTC membership card.

For further information on offers to members please visit the TTC website or email info@thethoroughbredclub. co.uk

Un de Sceaux: has won the last two Clarence House Chases

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www.thethoroughbredclub.co.uk •

@TTC_GB

hope that they took plenty away from the talk. I have had a couple of them contact me since for further information, which is great.

“I think that the careers course was a brilliant opportunity for those looking to make a career within the industry, to learn what it is all about and also to meet likeminded people.”

On the evening of the first day, delegates and industry personnel gathered together for an informal evening at the Jockey Club Rooms.

The second day of the course was given over to the wider industry. The morning sessions provided insights into the educational opportunities that the industry offers, as well as informative talks about the roles of the BHA and Weatherbys.

Following a visit to either Amy Murphy’s Southgate Stables, where delegates were able to meet her stable star Kalashnikov, or Godolphin’s Hamilton Hill Stables, a range of workshops were offered covering topics from accountancy, training and industry marketing.

TTC Chairman, Christian Williams, commented: “Thanks to the support of the Racing Foundation, Weatherbys and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, TTC was able to deliver a course which offered delegates a fascinating overview of the diverse and rewarding careers across the racing and breeding industry.

“As custodians of the thoroughbred, the next generation of trainers, stud managers, agents and stable/stud staff are fundamentally key to securing the future of the breed. It’s fantastic that an initiative like TTC will have a positive impact on that future, as well as the careers of many young people in the industry.”

Photo opportunities aplenty at Cheveley Park Stud in Newmarket

The delegates enjoyed a close-up view of top-class stallions at Cheveley Park Stud

Diary Dates and Reminders Saturday January, 19 Half-price entry for members at the Matchbook Clarence House Raceday at Ascot

New Members Jennifer Parsons Jessica Cooke Lauren Ball Madeleine Beadle Isme Mason Eve Whiby The evening reception allowed delegates the chance to socialise in the Jockey Club Rooms

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ROA Forum

The special section for ROA members

The Series proposed for 2019 Eight of the leading racecourses in England, Ireland and Scotland are set to stage The Series – a dynamic new addition to the Flat racing calendar that will see branded teams compete in 48 races with more than £100,000 of prizemoney per race.

Championship Horse Racing has created The Series, which will debut at racecourses in three countries. The proposed courses are Ayr, Epsom, Goodwood, Haydock Park, Leopardstown, Newbury, Newmarket (July Course) and Sandown Park.

Fixtures are proposed to take place on eight consecutive Thursday evenings from July 25 to September 12, 2019.

The fixtures that form The Series will be additional to the fixture list and require the approval of the BHA. There will be six races per meeting and each team will have one runner in each race. Points will be awarded for finishing positions in each race and the points added to a league table.

The teams are competing to win The Series championship. There is also prize-

The poster advertising the racecourses that will stage The Series during this summer

money at stake for trainers, jockeys and owners. All of the races will have prizemoney in excess of £100,000.

Jeremy Wray, Chief Executive of CHR, said: “Agreeing the likely racecourse schedule is a key milestone for CHR. Over the next few months we’ll be announcing the teams and the media partners who will broadcast The Series across the world.

“We’re thrilled that The Series is due to take place at such prestigious courses and that it will debut in three countries.

They are great locations and have superb facilities for summer evening racing that promises fans something they’ve never experienced before.

“Fans will be encouraged to engage with the teams and our aim is to help tell

the stories about the tens of thousands of people involved in the sport.”

Simon Bazalgette, Group Chief Executive of The Jockey Club and Chairman of Jockey Club Racecourses, which is set to stage four of the eight fixtures in The Series, said: “We’re delighted to support The Series.

“There are some fantastic people behind the horses in our sport and it would be brilliant to shine a light on them through this new initiative, while attracting new partners to our sport.”

Each team will comprise a racing manager, four jockeys and a stable of 30 horses. Every team will represent a global brand and will race in colours specially chosen by that organisation.

There will be 12 ROA Owners Jackpot racedays run at racecourses across the UK in 2019, with a focus on Gold Standard courses. The racedays will be promoted to members as regional events and invitations issued to members across neighbouring counties.

There will be involvement from other industry bodies throughout the year.

A key element of the Industry Ownership Strategy Project is the review of the ROA Jackpot scheme.

The ROA Owners Jackpot was introduced in 2014 to focus on and reward the owners of horses running at grassroots level. There has been annual development and evolution of the scheme, and this latest development is focused on the engagement with members, whilst highlighting the benefits of ROA membership and the enjoyment of the ownership experience.

The focus remains largely on grassroots racing.

GEORGE SELWYN

Owners Jackpot racedays focused on Gold Standard courses

Fakenham will be the venue for the first ROA Owners Jackpot raceday of the year

The days will involve sponsorship of races, hospitality for ROA members, the development of the regional roadshow format, promotion of and engagement with ROA members. An ROA Owners Jackpot race will also feature which will include the following (if qualified): • £2,000 bonus to the winner • Travel expenses to all runners • Yard bonus • Breeder bonus • Winner’s rug

In order to qualify for a bonus, the winning horse needs to be registered at least 51% in the ownership of ROA members.

For horses owned by clubs and syndicates, the majority of the club/ syndicate managers must be members of the ROA. Three Thursday jumping fixtures have been confirmed for the first quarter, on January 24 (Fakenham), February 21 (Sedgefield) and March 21 (Chepstow).

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Hereford partnership will benefit all owners Hereford racecourse has announced a new partnership with the Racehorse Owners Association for the 2018/19 season.

In an acknowledgement of the importance of the raceday experience for racehorse owners, Hereford racecourse and the ROA have teamed up to provide an enhanced arrival experience in particular.

The owners’ and trainers’ entrance to the racecourse has been refurbished, featuring a ‘thank you’ board for the racecourse’s most regular owners. All owners will receive complimentary refreshments on arrival and are proactively asked for feedback on their visit. Members of the ROA team will be on hand throughout racedays as well.

ROA Chief Executive Charlie Liverton said: “The owners’ raceday experience is a critical variable in the retention of owners and this was highlighted in the ownership survey. Hereford’s proactive approach in looking to enhance their warm welcome to owners, making them feel appreciated and acting on feedback, fits with exactly what we know owners want.

“The ROA look forward to working with Hereford to use these improvements as a springboard to challenge for future Gold Standard status and the findings will be used in the Industry Ownership Strategy so that we can work with other racecourses

Hereford has resolved to improve the raceday experience for owners

looking to improve their owners’ experience.”

Rebecca Davies, Executive Director at Hereford Racecourse, said: “We are delighted that through this partnership with the ROA, we will be able to invest

further in the ownership experience at Hereford. Whilst they may be small and subtle changes, I genuinely believe that they will make a big difference and hope that they improve owners’ raceday visits to Hereford.”

Chester and Bangor joy The team behind Chester and Bangor racecourses enjoyed a double celebration at the ROA Horseracing Awards in London on December 6.

Chester was named as the ROA Gold Standard Large Racecourse of the Year while Bangor became the ROA Gold Standard Small Racecourse of the Year.

ROA members helped to decide the winning tracks by completing racecourse visit feedback forms on the ROA website.

Collecting the awards were Jeannie Chantler, Sophie Jarvis and Kiki Thompson, pictured left.

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ROA Forum

Southwell regional meeting Almost 50 members attended the ROA’s eighth regional meeting of 2018 at Southwell’s jump fixture on November 20, which also featured an Owners Jackpot race.

Chief Executive Charlie Liverton updated members on industry issues.

These included the Racing Authority, the possible impact of FOBT legislation changes, media rights and Sky Sports Racing, and animal welfare.

Members noted that total prizemoney was expected to remain at around £160 million in 2019. FOBT changes could impact on smaller tracks.

Members were unanimously supportive of the Appearance Money Scheme and its positive impact during 2018. Members were also updated on the Ownership Strategy Project and were able to feed back to Patrick Massey of Portas Consulting.

The Chief Executive referred to some of the key findings from the recent

The connections of Boughtbeforelunch scooped the Owners Jackpot at Southwell

syndicate survey and quality mark initiative and evolution of the Gold Standard Award.

Within a discussion on animal welfare, an owner-breeder suggested there should be some way to prevent mares rated 35-40 and below being used for breeding purposes.

Members cited the irritation that can be caused at some tracks by being charged for a light salad, snack

or packets of biscuits in owners’ and trainers’ facilities when they have a runner.

A facility offered might be welcoming and comfortable, but being charged can feel insulting against the costs of ownership which might be in the region of £25,000 per year.

Some racecourses were cited as under-performing when it came to quality of food provision. It was hoped

News in brief Doncaster abandonment

The final two races scheduled at Doncaster on November 30 were abandoned in the interests of safety, when refurbished turf, combined with drying weather throughout the afternoon’s racing, created slippery conditions.

Owners of nine qualified horses received a payment of £100 through the ROA’s Raceday Curtailment Scheme, arranged through Weatherbys Hamilton.

It was the fourth payout to members during 2018, making a cumulative total of £9,400 during the year. Owners of horses declared to run in the two races were compensated with a payment of £350 as a gesture of goodwill by ARC.

Dope testing

The first four finishers in Grade 1 jump races and Group 1 Flat races will be routinely sampled and tested from January 1. The BHA announced that this extension to its testing programme had started in September as part of a package of measures unveiled in November and an overhaul of the integrity function.

Car parking label and calendar Members were mailed the 2019 owners priority car parking label in December.

This was posted with a copy of the ROA-branded Racing Post calendar.

We hope both will prove useful over the year ahead.

Jockey Club accessibility guides

The Jockey Club has teamed up with AccessAble to provide detailed accessibility guides for its group comprising 15 racecourse venues.

The guidance covers general facilities for all racegoers and includes access to owners’ and trainers’ entrances, ease of parking, accessible toilets and viewing as well as getting there by road, bus and train. See bit.ly/ accessableJCR.

Detection times, thresholds and residue limits

The BHA advise Responsible Persons under the Rules of Racing (trainers, owners and breeders) and their veterinary surgeons of the following changes: • New detection times for Cetirizine

and Hydroxyzine, effective December 1, 2019 • Changes to the international thresholds for Prednisolone and Testosterone, effective January 1, 2019 • Changes to the international residue limits of Bufotenine and DMT, effective January 1, 2019 Further information can be found on the BHA website at bit.ly/antidope.

Plus 10 Bonus registration

Owners of yearlings registered for the Plus 10 bonus scheme are encouraged to finalise scheme registration before the end of 2018 to benefit from an early-bird rate.

Up until December 31, the cost of the third and final owner registration is £300. After this date, the fee rises to £350 per horse and must be paid by February 28, 2019.

The owner registration fee is required to be paid to qualify a horse to win an additional £10,000 if successful in a race carrying a Plus 10 bonus.

Contact Lowri Allen via lallen@ plus10bonus.com or telephone 020 7152 0026, for further information.

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the new Quality Mark for racecourses would help to achieve an acceptable level of catering provision.

Members raised the whip rules, citing the example of Baron Alco, whose rider was found in breach of the Rules of Racing but the result was not amended.

The Chief Executive explained the rules impact on the rider, who has breached the rules, rather than the horse, who has not.

The Guide to Procedures and Penalties PDF published alongside the online Rules of Racing explains the procedures followed in the stewards’ room on a raceday. See www.rules. britishhorseracing.com Race-planning is a popular topic, and on the day regional bias came under the spotlight, with the example of racing the previous day at Plumpton and Kempton.

One member queried the order and rationale of the stalls loading process.

During the afternoon arrangements were made with the Southwell executive for the owner to spend a race with the starter at a future all-weather meeting to see the process in action.

Appearance money scheme

The Appearance Money Scheme (AMS) will continue in 2019. The scheme ensures that no horse finishing in the first eight in the majority of Flat races at classes 4-6 will win less than £300.

Over jumps, the scheme applies to most races run at classes 3-5, with connections of the first eight home guaranteed a minimum payment of £350. The scheme saw payments in excess of £5.5m made during 2018.

The terms will roll over for a further 12-month period from January 1 to December 31, 2019, save one change, namely that horses finishing in the first eight at all floodlit Flat fixtures during the winter months will now receive a guaranteed £400, up from £300.

Member feedback

Members are encouraged to provide feedback when they have a runner via the Raceday section on the ROA website. Each month we randomly draw an entry, and the member responsible wins a £50 Marks & Spencer gift card. Our latest two winners are Fred Morley of Oakham and Arthur Clayton of Llanwrda.

The ROA member facility at the Festival is always an extremely popular offering

Cheltenham marquee Places are on sale for the ROA marquee at the Cheltenham Festival, March 12-15.

The marquee is located in the tented village area, just a short walk from the paddock. The facility provides unreserved seating, TV viewing, a cash bar and Tote betting. Complimentary tea and coffee is available, and hot and cold food will be on sale.

Members can book places for themselves and up to three guests.

Daily badges are available and there is a weekly option for all four days.

The marquee prices are as follows:

Daily Weekly Members £40 £125 Guests £50 £160

The marquee is very popular and places will sell out so we recommend members book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Please note that marquee badges do not provide racecourse admission. The marquee is located in the Club enclosure.

To book, see www.roa.co.uk/ events or call us on 020 7152 0200.

Diary dates and reminders January 1 New ROA owners car park label effective

March 21 Regional meeting and Owners Jackpot at Chepstow

January 24 Regional meeting and Owners Jackpot at Fakenham

April 4-5 Free admission at Aintree to ROA members

February 21 Regional meeting and Owners Jackpot at Sedgefield

April 4 Hospitality package opening day of the Randox Health Grand National Festival

March 12-15 ROA marquee at the Cheltenham Festival

See roa.co.uk/events for further details and bookings

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ROA Forum

MAGICAL MOMENTS with ROA member Tom Chadney

T

Black Mischief struck for Tom Chadney (inset) at Haydock on Betfair Chase day PA

om Chadney may be retired from the world of banking and financial services but he is as busy as ever as a racehorse owner, running syndicates big and small and enjoying plenty of success.

Black Mischief provided a magical moment for 73-yearold Chadney and his four partners on Betfair Chase day at Haydock when winning a valuable handicap hurdle. The Harry Fry-trained sixyear-old was bought as a foal by Chadney, as most of his horses are.

He has been interested in racing for 60-odd years and an owner for around half that time.

He runs four or five such smaller syndicates but his main pursuit is Chasing Gold (www.chasinggold. co.uk), a thriving, and for now full up, 50-member racing club that he founded in 2006 and which has eight horses currently in training. There is also a French offshoot, which has a yearling and two-year-old, who will race in France in 2019.

Chadney’s horses were on a roll at the time of this interview, with five winners from the last five runners – repeating a sequence also enjoyed in 2013 – and he was looking forward to two more runners at Doncaster the following afternoon. Two became one due to unsuitable ground, while Dilson was unable to add a sixth straight success.

The very next runner, however, Whitehotchillifilli scored on her debut in a bumper at Southwell to make it four winners from five runners for Chasing Gold and six from seven for Chadney.

Jumping is mainly the name of Chadney’s game, though he also has interests on the Flat, while he is a breeder as well as an owner, with three jumping mares in Ireland and a

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Flat mare in England.

“Jump racing is my favourite but I just love horses,” he says. “And horses are horses, Flat, jump or equestrian.

“Chasing Gold’s trainers are Colin Tizzard, Nick Williams, Harry Fry and Jamie Snowden, while on my own, or with a few others, there are Colin and Harry again, plus Tom George.

“I live in Surrey and like to get around the yards, and we had a Chasing Gold stable visit to Nick’s just the other day. When I was in business I sponsored Robert Alner’s yard for six years, and had horses with him.”

Getting new blood into ownership through the syndicate route is a big focus for the racing industry right now, and Chadney is well aware of their importance.

“I buy foals and feel I can pick them out; I’ve never bought a horse who has not won” He says: “Syndicates are, I believe, the lifeblood of racing’s future, because it gets people involved and from syndicate members come new individual owners, which racing badly needs.

“Racecourses need to look after them and provide the right environment and make them feel welcome. They have improved a lot over the last couple of years.”

Surprisingly, perhaps, given its reputation for decent prize-money, one track Chadney says does not fit into this bracket in his experience is Ludlow, so he does not have runners there.

Of his route into ownership, Chadney says: “I used to go to the Cheltenham Festival for the week with half a dozen others, and did for years. We were in our 30s or 40s and educating our children – that’s where the money was going so there was none spare for horses at that time!

“We said that when the children’s education was complete, the money

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would go on horses. The first was Free Mover, with Neil Graham. He was with Dick Hern, but when Neil moved to Newmarket to set up on his own, Free Mover went with him.

“That’s where it all started. I would say I’ve had up to 40 horses down the years, probably more.”

Glory days

Of the best moments so far, Chadney says: “They certainly include Black Mischief’s win at Haydock. That was fantastic, and a brilliant ride from Richard Johnson.

“My biggest win on the Flat so far was in the 1996 Bunbury Cup at Newmarket with Crumpton Hill, ridden

by Michael Roberts.

“Chasing Gold’s best horse so far has been Jumps Road, who was third behind The New One in the 2013 International Hurdle at Cheltenham, and he repeated that next time out when third in another Grade 2, the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock.”

Potentially the racing club’s best horse, says Chadney, is Outofthisworld, who is very highly thought of and another purchased as a foal by Chadney.

So too was Danny Kirwan, for whom Chadney paid €12,000 and who was later sold for a significant six-figure sum – unfortunately for Chadney there was one much less lucrative sale in between!

“I buy foals and feel I can pick them out; I’ve never bought a horse who has not won,” says Chadney.

“I go to the sales in Ireland in November, among others, look through the catalogue and then go and look at them, walking, trotting, at their conformation.

“Born To Sting, who like Danny Kirwan is by Scorpion, is with Tom George and has the potential to be a top horse. I recently bought Black Mischief’s half-brother for another syndicate – he will also go to Tom. My pre-trainer in Ireland thinks he could be even better.”

Plenty, then, to look forward to in 2019 and beyond for Chadney and the members of Chasing Gold and his smaller syndicates.

“I’m there to see the horses run 99 times out of 100, and I do enjoy Chasing Gold,” he says. “It was called that because the question was, ‘Can we win the Gold Cup?’ Well, we haven’t, so the dream is still alive!”

Best Badge Scheme yet We are pleased to report that the Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners has been extended further this year.

The Racecourse Association has confirmed that 1,415 of 1,511 fixtures have been included – 94% of all fixtures, with 40 racecourses including all fixtures.

The number of racecourses offering two badges to participating fixtures has increased from 14 to 16. Racecourses offering two badges this year will be Ascot, Bangor, Brighton, Cheltenham, Epsom, Fontwell, Hamilton, Kempton, Musselburgh, Newbury, Newmarket, Newton Abbot, Pontefract, Sandown, Taunton and Warwick.

There are also three racecourses offering two badges to some participating fixtures and these are Exeter, Haydock and Ripon.

Carlisle, Exeter, Newbury and Wetherby are including more fixtures than last year. There are just four courses offering fewer fixtures than last year and they are Huntingdon, Plumpton, Redcar and Sandown Park.

Charlie Liverton, ROA Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted that the scheme will allow members access to even more days racing this year. This is an extremely popular benefit of membership and recognises the valuable contribution made by owners. We would like to thank the Racecourse Association and all racecourses for their continued support of the scheme.”

Caroline Davies, RCA Racecourse Services Director, added: “We are delighted that racecourses continue to generously support this scheme, which underlines their appreciation of owners and their valued contribution to the sport.

The extent of the scheme provides owners with the opportunity to enjoy racing at courses across Great Britain. Racecourses look forward to welcoming new visitors and old friends in 2019.”

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ROA Forum

MY DAY AT THE RACES with Chris Compton at Fakenham on December 4

C

hris Compton and his wife Candia have been owners for over 40 years. Chris owned and rode in point-to-points in the 1960s, then commentated at several West Midlands and Border counties point-to-points for 18 years, before becoming an owner of National Hunt racehorses in the late 90s.

The Comptons’ mare, Bang Bang Rosie, is trained by Peter Bowen in Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire. She was due to run at Plumpton but the horsebox was stuck on the motorway following an accident and was rerouted to Fakenham the following day.

Did you receive any welcome information as an owner in advance of the raceday?

Yes, we received an email welcoming us to the course, which was helpful.

We had a long journey and directions showing how to get there using the postcode were useful.

How was the experience of arrival at the track and collecting your badges?

On arrival there didn’t appear to be any signage for owners’ parking, which would have been helpful. There were signs for trainers’ parking, which we followed. Access at owners and trainers wasn’t terribly smooth for others, but we presented our PASScards and collected two badges.

Did you use the owners’ and trainers’ facility on the day?

Yes, the facility was fairly easy to find.

It is quite small, and it wasn’t easy to get a seat, which could be an issue on a busier day, but the staff were very friendly and welcoming. Hot food options included cottage pie and a vegetarian option. The cottage pie was served hot and overall the meal provision was satisfactory.

Complimentary tea and coffee was served and there was a cash bar to buy drinks.

What were your thoughts on the location, comfort and provision in the facility?

Chris Compton and his wife Candia with the Peter Bowen-trained Bang Bang Rosie

The facility is a little way from the paddock, but was reasonably central.

It was full and everyone was sitting down and having a meal. The staff on duty were very helpful. It was clean and there was a welcome log burner on a cold foggy day. Elsewhere on the course, there was a good selection of burger bars, options for Danish pastries and mince pies, which seemed reasonably priced.

How was the pre-parade ring/ paddock experience?

The pre-parade consisted of a woodchip surface and didn’t look all that good. Our runner was saddled up in the boxes and brought straight into the paddock.

How did you find the facilities for owners’ viewing?

There were viewing facilities for owners, but it was a slightly foggy day and we viewed our race from the paddock, where there was a big screen.

There were two big screens, so a good provision for a small track. One screen is located in front of the grandstand, and one is by the paddock.

your race easily on course?

No, but to be fair we didn’t try as we had to head off quickly after our race.

There appeared to be a log cabin for winning connections to be taken to celebrate and view their race.

What was your overall lasting feeling of the day, based on your racecourse experience?

Fakenham is a nice, small racecourse.

Its facilities are adequate and typical of what a racecourse of that size is able to provide. It is a nice location, though a five-hour journey home for us. Travel aside, it was quite an enjoyable visit.

The racecourse team, including the clerk of the course, were helpful and enthusiastic.

HOW IT RATED Entry Viewing Atmosphere Owners’ facilities Food Overall score

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 17

Were you able to review a replay of

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Figures for period November 1, 2017 to October 31, 2018

Flat Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Ascot York Goodwood Epsom Downs Newmarket Sandown Park Newbury Chester Doncaster Haydock Park Chelmsford City Ayr Musselburgh Salisbury Pontefract Redcar Wetherby Hamilton Park Ripon Newcastle Carlisle Kempton Park Lingfield Park Nottingham Leicester Thirsk Windsor Catterick Bridge Beverley Yarmouth Ffos Las Bath Brighton Wolverhampton Chepstow Southwell Total

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2016-17 (£)

I I I JCR JCR JCR I I ARC JCR I I I I I I I I I ARC JCR JCR ARC JCR I I ARC I I ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC

471,381 247,392 214,225 203,471 134,401 91,391 86,605 83,457 81,269 74,349 50,435 50,308 47,207 46,724 46,673 46,175 44,862 42,709 42,386 38,631 38,367 38,307 37,696 37,004 36,334 35,130 35,129 34,790 34,248 29,700 28,140 27,147 24,053 24,012 23,675 22,153 63,533

125,496 94,341 83,996 74,923 72,023 51,440 55,637 46,831 46,399 41,548 20,151 31,928 21,884 28,166 30,494 24,198 13,600 22,335 21,521 22,170 19,225 22,365 25,534 21,419 20,621 22,364 20,478 20,156 22,942 19,002 13,511 20,137 16,243 20,534 12,480 17,097 31,803

282,771 114,751 77,551 94,921 77,257 41,041 37,183 14,067 38,409 19,453 6,063 12,203 5,834 5,954 3,824 6,512 7,438 4,454 4,832 5,844 6,291 5,987 4,866 7,215 5,476 6,818 5,892 2,942 4,215 4,934 4,411 4,228 3,297 3,850 3,521 2,714 20,952

883,814 460,373 380,772 373,315 286,117 186,006 184,425 145,655 167,598 140,132 77,930 94,439 74,925 81,778 82,758 76,884 65,900 69,498 68,739 66,951 63,883 67,102 68,096 66,093 62,905 64,968 61,499 57,888 61,405 54,398 46,063 51,679 43,593 48,414 39,676 41,964 117,219

18 18 19 10 39 15 18 15 24 24 73 19 15 15 15 16 4 18 17 49 12 63 74 22 19 16 26 17 18 23 8 18 22 86 15 37 917

15,908,659 8,286,706 7,234,660 3,733,153 11,158,581 2,790,090 3,319,656 2,184,832 4,022,340 3,293,106 5,688,867 1,794,339 1,123,872 1,226,671 1,241,363 1,230,150 263,600 1,250,968 1,168,570 3,280,602 766,600 4,227,456 5,039,069 1,454,045 1,195,194 1,039,487 1,598,967 984,100 1,105,291 1,251,149 368,500 930,228 959,036 4,163,587 595,146 1,552,650 107,431,289

439,135 229,497 191,742 155,972 117,576 67,769 81,645 85,085 75,817 66,025 47,235 34,085 53,609 40,004 38,082 26,370 32,248 39,024 38,886 35,964 30,373 28,674 33,079 30,086 32,722 31,417 27,072 23,738 31,160 25,440 28,053 30,958 19,596 20,615 22,492 13,126 56,523

s s s s s s s t s s s s t s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s t s s s s s

Up/ down

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Sandown Park Haydock Park Newbury Kempton Park Kelso Ayr Newton Abbot Newcastle Carlisle Wincanton Perth Doncaster Exeter Stratford-On-Avon Cartmel Fakenham Chepstow Wetherby Ludlow Warwick Market Rasen Taunton Hereford Musselburgh Leicester Uttoxeter Ffos Las Huntingdon Hexham Towcester Catterick Bridge Lingfield Park Plumpton Fontwell Park Bangor-On-Dee Worcester Sedgefield Southwell Total

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Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2016-17 (£)

Up/ down

JCR JCR I JCR JCR I JCR I I I ARC JCR JCR I ARC JCR I I I ARC I I JCR JCR I ARC I I ARC ARC JCR I I I ARC I ARC I ARC ARC ARC

285,819 270,458 158,248 111,950 103,015 86,918 54,930 47,424 44,482 37,206 36,991 36,832 36,338 36,102 35,696 34,732 34,434 34,420 34,403 33,040 32,906 32,383 32,030 31,832 29,900 28,831 28,630 28,063 27,718 27,535 27,459 27,344 25,097 24,583 23,169 22,758 22,701 22,256 22,025 20,180 19,032 46,934

145,239 121,272 90,148 91,268 82,170 68,321 59,150 21,088 35,548 27,385 34,784 31,448 34,682 33,747 40,513 36,484 21,155 29,111 21,390 37,602 33,039 30,463 33,076 30,050 28,145 25,263 31,340 30,383 27,962 26,405 24,256 20,026 17,430 24,496 24,443 25,027 19,740 19,435 23,815 20,379 20,627 36,225

79,555 70,180 19,656 18,225 16,859 21,140 9,594 5,266 11,449 0 5,754 6,391 5,658 4,340 7,463 6,859 4,756 5,802 0 9,081 5,990 5,358 6,738 5,757 6,138 6,003 4,384 4,802 6,639 5,832 5,499 3,468 3,928 2,806 4,413 4,338 3,576 3,852 4,478 3,345 4,090 9,113

510,613 462,535 269,927 227,554 212,632 177,604 124,031 76,505 94,812 64,590 78,085 78,740 76,678 74,455 84,147 78,075 60,345 69,333 55,793 79,722 72,293 68,537 71,844 67,865 64,849 60,098 64,355 63,248 62,318 59,772 58,776 50,838 46,454 51,885 52,025 52,123 46,017 45,693 50,318 44,404 43,748 92,974

8 16 8 9 9 10 14 11 15 18 9 11 16 15 10 13 16 9 12 14 14 15 17 21 12 11 10 7 24 11 16 13 10 9 6 14 23 15 20 17 20 548

4,084,903 7,400,552 2,159,418 2,047,983 1,807,373 1,776,038 1,736,433 841,557 1,422,178 1,162,621 702,761 866,135 1,226,855 1,116,830 841,467 1,014,971 965,519 624,000 669,513 1,116,113 1,012,099 1,028,059 1,221,346 1,425,173 778,192 661,074 643,550 442,733 1,495,642 657,494 940,419 660,895 464,541 466,966 312,147 729,727 1,058,397 685,392 1,006,361 754,861 874,968 50,903,256

271,995 246,238 141,780 100,229 119,380 29,351 52,159 32,816 39,628 28,135 27,405 22,397 29,393 42,526 38,453 23,884 30,826 30,773 25,630 33,900 27,542 52,159 25,562 18,954 25,850 26,579 21,373 24,679 24,377 23,824 24,679 21,788 16,686 17,779 32,816 17,560 19,159 22,191 22,394 17,232 17,590 39,660

s s s s t s s s s s s s s t t s s s s t s t s s s s s s s s s s s s t s s s t s s s

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prize-money: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture.

This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prizemoney paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses ARC Arena Racing Company I

Independently owned racecourse

Gold Standard

Award

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TBA Forum

The special section for TBA members

Elite Mares’ Scheme 2019 Applications are still being accepted for the 2019 TBA/HBLB Elite National Hunt Mares’ Scheme. The scheme was introduced to incentivise breeders to use the selection of quality National Hunt stallions on offer in Britain. British-based mares that have attained a certain level of success on the racecourse, or have themselves produced a NH runner of a defined performance level, will be eligible to receive a subsidised or free nomination to one of a select group of Britishbased stallions. The scheme is only available to mares owned by a member of the TBA and application forms must be received by January 31, 2019.

For further information on the scheme, including an application form and qualification criteria, please visit the TBA website.

Send in your application forms for the Elite Mares’ Scheme by the end of January

30-day foal notification TBA members are reminded that breeders are now required to notify the General Stud Book (GSB) of the birth of all foals within 30 days of their birth date. Notifications can be managed through the Weatherbys GSB online system.

The 30-day notification is now in its second year of operation and the regulatory authorities will start to implement penalties for those who do not notify within the designated time period.

Breeders are encouraged to

complete the online notification as soon as possible within the 30-day period.

For more information on the new system and help on submitting a notification, please visit www. weatherbys.co.uk/30day.

NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme registration deadline Owners of National Hunt fillies are reminded that registrations for the NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme (NHMOPS) are currently being accepted for filly foals born in 2018. The scheme pays bonuses of up to £10,000 to the connections of registered mares who win eligible races.

Last year more than £240,000 was paid out in bonus prizes.

Registrations for the scheme are confined to filly foals that were either bred in Britain or produced by a Britishdomiciled stallion and that have been nominated as a potential NH racehorse by their breeders.

Registrations are free for members of the TBA, non-members can register for the scheme for a fee of £150 per filly, and can be completed by the printable registration form which is available on the NHMOPS page of the TBA website.

Registrations for fillies born in 2018 will close on January 31, 2019.

More than £240,000 was paid to owners of eligible National Hunt mares last year

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HBLB publishes updated Codes of Practice The Horserace Betting Levy Board has published the 2019 Codes of Practice on equine disease, in preparation for the upcoming equine breeding season.

The codes of practice are an essential guide for the prevention and control of equine diseases which represent a potential major threat to equine breeding, which include: • Contagious equine metritis (CEM) • Equine viral arteritis (EVA) • Equine herpesvirus (EHV) • Equine coital exanthema (ECE) • Equine infectious anaemia (EIA) • Dourine • Guidelines on strangles • Guidelines on artificial insemination (AI) The document is available online at codes.hblb.org.uk or via the free app, EquiBioSafe.

Changes on this year’s document include amendments to the Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM)

The Codes of Practice document is available online or on the EquiBioSafe app

section, deletion of the temporary advice on EVA vaccination which was included in the 2018 codes and revised appendixes 8 and 11.

Members are also reminded that the British Equine Veterinary

Association (BEVA) is now responsible for administering the Laboratory Registration Scheme, including publication of the 2019 Mare Certificates which are available from the BEVA website.

EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase Series

Robert and Jackie Chugg with the connections of Majestic Moll

The TBA is once again supporting the EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase Series for the 2018/2019 season. The series consists of 11 races which are all qualifiers for the Listed finale held at Cheltenham during the April meeting.

The series commenced at Worcester in October, where Majestic Moll won impressively for trainer Emma Lavelle and jockey Adam Wedge. The six-yearold, who is by multiple champion sire

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Joan Langmead presents the prize to the owners of Dino’s Benefit

King’s Theatre, went on to win another of the series races at Huntingdon on November 24 and will now be targeted at the finale at Cheltenham in April.

On November 7, Fontwell also hosted one of the qualifying races which was won by the Colin Tizzard-trained Dino’s Benefit. The six-year-old mare, who was ridden by Aiden Coleman, tracked the leaders before staying on well to win from Molly Childers.

Another of the series qualifying races took place at Uttoxeter on Saturday, November 17. The competitive race was won by Molly The Dolly, who is trained by Dan Skelton and ridden by his brother Harry. The daughter of Flemensfirth has now won her first two starts over fences and was also a winner of The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Novices’ Hurdle at Warwick last season.

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TBA Forum

British-bred success on home soil On Friday, November 2, the Listed Weatherbys Hamilton Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle was won impressively by the Alan King-trained gelding, Cracker Factory.

The son of the late Poet’s Voice was bred in Great Britain by W and R Barnett and raced on the Flat for William Haggas before being bought by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede to run in Juvenile Hurdles.

He has since gone on to finish second in the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The following day at Ascot, The Byrne Group Handicap Chase (Listed) was won by another British-bred gelding, Vosne Romanee. The seven-year-old is trained by Dr Richard Newland and was bred by Mrs L M G Walsh.

Lady Buttons, a recipient of this year’s Beech Tree Stud Trophy for Leading Chase Mare at the TBA NH Celebration Dinner, was also a winner of the Listed OLBG.com Mares’ Hurdle at Carlisle on November 3. The daughter of Benefical was bred by Keith Sivills and is owned by his wife Jayne and has now recorded ten racecourse victories including two wins from two runs so far this season.

The ultra-consistent Rons Dream was also an impressive winner of the Listed 118bet.com Bud Booth Mares’ Chase at Market Rasen on 8 November. The mare, who was bred by Peter Clinton, and was owned by the late Mrs Tania Stephney, has now won four Listed contests over fences including the TBA Fair Maid of Perth Mares’ Chase at Perth last April.

The Group 3 Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham Racecourse, one of the highlights of the November meeting, was won by Nietzsche who was bred

by West Stow Stud in Newmarket. The five-year-old gelding, who is by the late Poet’s Voice, was originally trained by William Haggas on the flat before being transferred to Brian Ellison’s yard in 2015 where he has since been placed in eight of his 13 races.

On the Flat, Mitchum Swagger was an impressive five-length winner of the Listed Price Baily Ben Marshall Stakes at Newmarket. The son of Paco Boy was bred by Peter Webb and Peter Lay before being sold at the Tattersalls Foal Sales. Trained by Ralph Beckett, he was also third in this year’s 32Red Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster in March.

On the all-weather there were

Keith and Jayne Sivills collecting the TBA prize for Leading Chase Mare Lady Buttons

several black-type wins for Britishbred horses. Encrypted, a Juddmonte homebred son of Showcasing, was victorious in the Listed Betway Golden Rose Stakes at Lingfield. The threeyear-old gelding, who is trained by Hugo Palmer, will now be aimed at the All-Weather Championship Finals Day in April.

Rasima, a three-year old daughter of Iffraaj, was another British-bred Listed winner at Lingfield, in the Ladbrokes EBF Fleur De Lys Fillies’ Stakes. She is owned and bred by Nurlan Bizakov of Hesmonds Stud and is trained by Roger Varian who commented: “I’m really delighted she has got this Listed win

after two seconds as she is a first foal and homebred by her owner. She has been highly-tried through the year and deserved this.”

Kasperenko was an impressive winner of the 32Red Floodlit Stakes at Kempton on November 5, a Listed race over 1m3f. The son of the late Archipenko was bred by the Wilshirebased Hillwood Stud before being sold at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale. Previously trained

by David Lanigan before moving to Brendan Powell’s yard, the four-yearold has now been placed in five of his six starts on the all-weather including three wins.

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Winners

A high-class line-up will be on show in Doncaster

NH Stallion Showcase This year’s TBA NH Stallion Showcase will take place at the Goffs UK Sales Complex on Tuesday, January 22, the first day of the Goffs UK January Sale.

The showcase, which is supported

by Goffs UK, will feature a number of exciting British-based stallions who will be available to view throughout the day. Breeders will also get the chance to view young stock at the same venue as some of their sires, at the UK’s only National Hunt foal sale, which will take place at the complex on the same day.

The TBA will host a hospitality box in the stallion yard at the event, where complimentary hot drinks and food will

Diary Dates & Reminders

be available.

The event will also feature the TBA silent auction of stallion nominations, where breeders can bid throughout the day in the TBA hospitality box. A full list of stallions can be found on the TBA website.

Monday 5 November PLUMPTON RACECOURSE THE JUMPS SEASON ULTIMATE GUIDE AT ATTHERACES.COM MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE Winner: Kentford Mallard Owner: Mr D I Bare Bonus Value £10,000 Tuesday 20 November SOUTHWELL: THE TOALS.COM CASINO MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE Winner: Kimberley Point Owner: Mr P E Atkinson Bonus Value £10,000

Flat Stallion Parade Tattersalls will once again host the TBA’s Flat Stallion Parade, which will take place during the February Sales in Newmarket.

The parade will take place in the Sales Ring and will feature a number of stallions who are embarking on their first or second season at stud in Great Britain.

Following the parade, breeders will be invited to view the stallions in the Left and Right Yards, where stud representatives will be on hand to discuss mating enquiries for the forthcoming season. Breeders and TBA members are invited to join the TBA for light refreshments in the hospitality boxes of both yards.

Further information on the event, including a full list of stallions can be found on the TBA website.

Thursday January 31 NHMOPS and Elite Mares’ Scheme Application Deadline Application forms can be found on the TBA website Tuesday, January 22 NH Stallion Showcase Goffs UK, Doncaster

New Members Edna Elliott, Hampshire Bluecrest Bloodstock Ltd, Lancashire Mrs Sarah Hewett, Kent Camilla Swift, West Sussex

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First- and second-season sires will be on show at Tattersalls during the February Sale

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TBA Forum INVESTING IN BREEDING & RACING – VETERINARY ADVICE Instant access to top-class, professional advice is the hallmark of a members’ organisation. The TBA has it in spades, particularly on the veterinary front.

Last month provided a perfect example, with notification of a supply delay for the next batch of Zoetis Equip Artervac, the only Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA) vaccine licenced for use in horses in the UK. Although the current batch remains in plentiful supply, its licence expired in mid-December, with the follow-up not expected until an unspecified date next month, and members were advised on how to respond.

The process was begun by Prof. Sidney Ricketts, who as well as being a member of the TBA Veterinary Committee is chairman of the Animal Health Trust Equine Industries’ Committee, which meets twice yearly in February and September and brings together up to 70 representatives of the UK’s equine industries, in addition to delegates from Ireland, France, Germany and Italy, to discuss matters of interest and importance in relation to equine infectious diseases.

Ricketts said: “Zoetis has had manufacturing issues over the last three to four years, resulting from the need to change manufacturing sites.

“As the vaccine problems were of such importance to horse health and welfare and the functioning of the equine industry, I invited representatives of Zoetis (UK) to speak to the AHT committee. That way we could understand why they had problems maintaining supplies, what they were doing to rectify the situation and when we could expect supplies to return to normal.

“I believe this has helped us to manage the situation better, to the benefit of our horses and the industries, while the people from Zoetis say their presence at our meetings has helped them to appreciate the effect this issue has had, as well as to recognise the ongoing importance of this vaccine and to communicate issues more effectively.

“We now have a very helpful and successful communications network between Zoetis, the AHT and TBA in relation to their vaccines, because as well as Caroline Turnbull and Claire Sheppard, the TBA is represented at the AHT Equine Industries’ Committee by Dr Richard Newton of the AHT, James Crowhurst and me, all three of us being members of the TBA Veterinary Committee, while

TBA Veterinary Committee member Prof Sidney Ricketts

James and I are the TBA’s joint veterinary advisors.”

As a direct consequence of this communication network, Prof. Ricketts received a helpful call from Zoetis to be told that further Equip Artervac supplies would be delayed and there would be a vaccine ‘gap’.

He goes on: “As this is the time when required six-monthly boosters are most commonly given, Zoetis asked if we would consider informing TBA members, who are the major users of the vaccine in UK. I liaised with Caroline, James and Richard, and our advice was circulated by email with minimal delay.

“I also emphasised the need for Zoetis to inform veterinary surgeons and pharmacy staff at all its UK customers who buy the Equip Zoetis vaccine, and to put a notice in the Veterinary Record.”

The TBA Veterinary Committee, which meets regularly during February, May, September and November and is chaired by Lanwades Stud owner, Honorary Associate of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and former TBA president Kirsten Rausing, has a distinguished membership, combining expertise from all angles.

In addition to Prof. Ricketts, James Crowhurst and Dr Newton, it includes TBA board member Ted Voute, while vet John Spencer represents the National Hunt sector. Simon Mockridge, from Juddmonte, and Darley’s Sam Bullard provide experience from the stud and stallion side, and James Tate, a qualified vet, brings added perspective as a racehorse trainer.

Prof. Ricketts also represents the TBA on the BHA Veterinary Committee and the Levy Board’s Code of Practice subcommittee and Thoroughbred Research Consultation Group. He also scrutinises applications and advises the TBA Veterinary Committee and board on research applications for funding support.

He says: “Providing veterinary advice for TBA members is essential for an association that recognises, and by its activity demonstrates, that horse health and welfare is of critical importance.

“In my humble opinion, the TBA Veterinary Committee works industriously and well. In fact, I have heard it said repeatedly at various other gatherings that the TBA VC is ‘the best’ of the UK’s equine industry committees.”

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In 1982, Khalid Abdullah purchased Dr Herbert Schnapka’s Belair Stud near Lexington as part of a reported $30 million deal that also included Schnapka’s Irish stud farm, Ferrans Stud. The sale included 38 broodmares and a portfolio of shares to such stallions as Blushing Groom, Lyphard, and Riverman.

One of the mares at Ferrans, now a pretraining base for the Juddmonte yearlings, was a seven-year-old daughter of Habitat called Fleet Girl. She ran only as a threeyear-old, winning races at nine furlongs and a mile and a half by wide margins on consecutive days at Tramore.

The family descending from Fleet Girl is the only one of those purchased from Dr Schnapka still within Juddmonte’s star-studded empire. It reached its zenith at ParisLongchamp on the first Sunday in October when Enable joined an elite list of turf greats in winning the most prestigious race in Europe for a second time.

After a season interrupted by injury, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was the daughter of Nathaniel’s first race on turf since her victory in last year’s race, which was run at Chantilly while the old Longchamp racecourse was redeveloped.

A month later, she became the first Arc winner to follow up with success at the Breeders’ Cup meeting when winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Churchill Downs in Kentucky. Eight previous Arc winners, including another Juddmonte great in Dancing Brave, had failed.

Enable’s first top-level success was in the Oaks, 30 years after her granddam Bourbon Girl had finished second to Unite

The dual Arc winner Enable

in the Epsom Classic.

Although Bourbon Girl died at the age of thirteen, she produced three daughters who all eventually joined the Juddmonte broodmare band. The most successful of the trio was Apogee, by the Derby winner Shirley Heights, who won the Prix de Royaumont. Enable is the fifth foal out of her daughter Concentric.

The quality of the Juddmonte operation was on show again at Churchill Downs when Expert Eye became its first homebred colt to score at the self-styled World Championships. His victory in the Breeders’ Cup Mile earned him a place on the Juddmonte stallion roster for next season.

The three-year-old son of Acclamation is the fourth generation of the maternal line to be bred by his owner. His dam, the Dansili mare Exemplify, is a halfsister to Special Duty who achieved the extraordinary feat of being awarded the English and French 1,000 Guineas in the stewards’ room, having suffered interference in both races.

Juddmonte homebreds have now recorded six successes at the Breeders’

Former trainer Graham Smit can claim the credit for breeding Unowhatimeanharry, winner of the Grade 2 Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in 2016 and 2018.

He trained Unowhatimeanharry’s dam Red Nose Lady, having purchased her for 4,200gns at Doncaster in November 2004, and won two hurdle races with the daughter of Teenoso before retiring her to the family’s Fox Covert Farm in Leicestershire.

Acting on the advice of his friend Joss Hanbury, whose family bred Long Walk Hurdle winner Mighty Man, Red Nose Lady was covered by that horse’s sire Sir Harry Lewis in her first three seasons at stud.

In fact, it was Smith’s father who paid for the 2007 covering that resulted in Unowhatimeanharry. Consequently, the name R.J. Smith appears in the General Stud Book as the breeder of the future Grade 1-winning hurdler.

“We raised him until he was four,” recalls his son. “He always galloped and he always jumped, but by that time I had handed in my licence and we were busy with other things, so we decided to sell him. We put an advert in an equestrian magazine and a lady rang up, it was her 50th birthday and she bought him. She put him in training with a friend and they won a bumper. The next thing you know, the horse popped up with Harry Fry and the rest is history!”

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Vet Forum: The Expert View

Let there be light There’s no foolproof method of encouraging mares to cycle early in the breeding season but the use of artificial light can be of huge benefit, as well as good nutrition and the use of rugs in maiden mares, but it must be remembered that what works for some will not necessarily work for others

A

ny time after January 1 we welcome the first foals of the new northern hemisphere breeding season. The days are getting longer but it is still cold, wet and muddy and that is not the environment that nature intended for our equine babies. Left to their own devices, most thoroughbred mares wouldn’t foal before March and foaling would continue until much later in the year.

The beginning and end of the thoroughbred breeding seasons have been ‘decided’ by humans, not dictated by nature, and there are economic pressures to produce foals early in the year. Certainly, as two-year olds, there seems to be an advantage on the racecourse for those horses born earlier in the year and this has a knock-on effect on their value at sale as foals and yearlings.

However, this pressure to have foals born early in the year means we are working against the mare’s normal physiology. Mares are ‘seasonally polyoestrous’ which means that they come into season (oestrus) at regular intervals during part of the year – essentially spring and summer – and then normally have a period of a few months (anoestrus) during which they do not cycle. This period of anoestrus is usually around November to January but might persist into March or April in some mares.

There is no sudden switch from being anoestrus to having regular, fertile oestrus cycles. Instead there is a transitional period (the vernal transition) during which a fairly predictable series of events occurs.

During anoestrus the ovaries are inactive and on rectal palpation and ultrasound examination will look and feel small and firm. The anoestrus mare might display rather confusing behavioural signs, being either indifferent or aggressive towards a

Figure 1 A mare and foal in the snow – not what nature intended

stallion.

During the transitional phase, production of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) by the hypothalamus begins and this prompts the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) from the pituitary gland. FSH acts on the ovaries to stimulate the development of follicles. In the early transitional stages, the follicles will grow in size but do not ovulate. Later, the production of luteinising hormone (LH) also by the pituitary gland, results in the first ovulation of the season.

One of the known triggers for production of GnRH is increasing day length acting via receptors in the eye. However, although the days start getting longer in late December, GnRH production is not detected until February, around six weeks later.

According to work done in the USA, the mean date for the first ovulation of the

year is April 7, plus or minus nine days, and there might be almost 60 days between first detection of follicular development and the first ovulation of the season. In total, between December 21, when the days start getting longer, and the mare’s first ovulation could be around 100 days under natural conditions. Obviously, some mares will fall outside this ‘average’ and either cycle and ovulate sooner or later than this.

Transitional mares might show oestrus behaviour for much longer periods than their normal five-ish days. Additionally, it is not possible to differentiate between early follicles that will ovulate and those that won’t.

Having repeatedly to check these mares either by manual rectal palpation and/or ultrasound to try to predict their first ovulation can become expensive and time-consuming. Blood samples

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By Deidre Carson MRCVS

to check progesterone levels can be useful as progesterone only increases after ovulation. After the first ovulation of the season, most mares will fall into a more regular and predictable pattern.

Pregnant mares are also subject to the same hormonal changes brought about by the increasing day length, but obviously they don’t start cycling or ovulating until after they have foaled.

They might enter a period of lactational anoestrus after foaling which can delay or even prevent their return to normal reproductive activity.

The options

Breeders can choose to leave mares and wait for them to pass through the transitional period and start cycling normally. This might necessitate regular vet examinations or teasing to detect changes in the mare’s status or simply delaying the first gynaecological examination until late March or early April. The advantage of doing this is that it keeps veterinary costs down but it might mean accepting that foals won’t be born until, at the earliest, March or April the following year.

The other alternative is to ‘interfere’ and try to encourage the mare to cycle earlier in the year. There are a few methods that can be attempted but it is important to appreciate that many of the ‘schemes’ used to try to stimulate early onset of the breeding season do not provide convincing or repeatable results and no method is 100% effective in any one mare or group of mares. It can also be expensive and time-consuming to monitor mares, either by repeated examinations or blood tests, when trying to determine if they are responding to the method being used.

Breeders must not underestimate the value of teasing mares to help determine what stage they are in their breeding cycle. Knowing a mare is not demonstrating oestrus behaviour to a teaser can mean she doesn’t need to be checked by the vet. Not using an equine teaser often means that your vet might have to perform frequent examinations to monitor her ovarian activity and this can become expensive and frustrating in a transitional mare.

Exposure to stallion pheromones might also help to stimulate regularity in a mare’s cycle.

The power of light

One of the most reliable ways to stimulate early onset of regular cycling in mares is the use of artificial light.

Jan_173_Vets_Forum.indd 119

increasing her feed in the early part of the year, has somewhat gone out of fashion but is still favoured by some breeders.

Hormonal ‘treatments’

Figure 2 Some of the prescriptiononly medicines that might be used to encourage mares to cycle early

A minimum of 35 days of more than 16 hours of light per day (or more precisely, the absence of more than eight hours of darkness) is the best stimulus to early season cycling.

The transitional period is not shortened by the use of light but it is brought forward. Therefore to be effective and advance the timing of the first ovulation to mid-February, the use of artificial light must begin no later than December 1. I know many breeders wait until after the end of the December sales, just because that fits in better with their other commitments and that works for them. Little more than 10 lux is required so sufficient light can be provided by a 100-watt bulb in a stable or the use of flood lights in a small paddock. A commercially available mask (Equilume®) provides blue light reflected into one eye and there is some evidence to indicate that this is effective in a percentage of mares. (Murphy et al EVJ).

Body condition

Body score (condition) is another effective tool to improve cyclic activity. Well-fed mares often cycle all year round or have a relatively short anoestrus period. Supplementary feed and providing rugs for maiden mares can be a useful aid to getting these mares to cycle. I am always horrified to see many fillies sent home from training yards either at the end of the racing season or after the sales and being turned out in fit, lean condition without a rug – and often having been clipped not long before hand. These fillies have very low fat reserves and need additional feed just to keep warm. As a result, they can be very slow to start cycling. Mares should not be overweight, but should be in good condition and not allowed to lose weight through the colder months.

The concept of ‘flushing’, ie keeping a barren mare thin and then significantly

Pure pituitary extract and GnRH are expensive and not available commercially. The nearest alternative is to administer a GnRH analogue either as a subcutaneous implant or as a daily or twice-daily injection. This is usually given for a period of up to 10 days. This regime may or may not be effective in anoestrus mares and in some cases, while follicular development occurs, ovulation does not follow. It can be an expensive option and frequent teasing and checking of treated mares will be necessary as time to response, when it does occur, is unpredictable.

If a mare is transitional and is producing follicles which fail to ovulate, using a progesterone medication such as oral altrenogest (eg Regumate) for a period of 10 to 14 days will often advance the onset of an ovulation and also appears to increase the sensitivity of the first subsequent large follicle to ovulatory agents such as human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG).

Progesterone can also be administered via a progesterone impregnated intravaginal device (PRID) or using depo injections weekly. It is important to tease and/or check mares within 48 hours of coming off progesterone as some will ovulate quite quickly.

Others might have ovulated ‘silently’ and will need an injection of prostaglandin (PG) to bring them into season. It is best to check their blood progesterone level before administering PG if there is any doubt otherwise it is easy to ‘lose track’ of what the mare’s reproductive tract might be doing or attempting to do. Altrenogest is very useful for ‘holding’ mares that are known to have ovulated before the start of the covering season so that they can be synchronised with the start of the covering season.

In theory, using dopamine antagonists such as domperidone and sulpiride (5mg/kg per day) should facilitate the development and/or ovulation of follicles but results are very variable. In one study, administering domperidone orally at 1.1 mg/kg bodyweight daily for 10 days stimulated follicular development within 10 days and brought forward the mean date of ovulation. At current prices, these medicines might be a cheaper option for breeders who want to ‘try

››

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Vet Forum: The Expert View ›› something’ but who don’t want to use the more expensive treatments.

Combinations of treatments

Because of variable response to hormonal manipulation during the transitional phase, some researchers (Wolfsdorf et al) have tried combining a lighting protocol of 16 hours of artificial light per day for a minimum of two weeks followed by daily intramuscular injections of buserelin (a synthetic GnRH analogue). The mares were examined via transrectal ultrasound starting a few days after initiation of treatment and were given an ovulation agent once a 3.5-4 cm follicle was detected. They found that just over 90% of transitional mares ovulated using this regime compared to around 60% of anoestrus mares and average length of treatment was 10.4 days.

There might be other regimes and interventions used either on the back of a breeder’s own experience or on the recommendation of their own vet that have not been mentioned here.

Cost and practicality are important considerations when trying to decide

Sharp, D.C. (1983) The effects of artificial lighting on reproduction. In Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, Ed: N.E.Robinson, Saunders, Philadelphia.

Pp 399-401

whether or not to try to get a mare to cycle early in the breeding season but it is also worth remembering that mares are not machines and don’t read text books. While a majority of mares might respond to a particular treatment or programme, there will always be those that don’t.

Sharp, D.C. (2011) Vernal transition in the breeding season. In: Equine Reproduction, 2nd edn. Ed: A.O McKinnon, Wiley Blackwell, Oxford. Pp 1704-1715

References and further reading Langlois, B and Blouin, C. (1998) Effect of a horse’s month of birth on its future sports performance. II. Effect on annual earnings per start. EDP Sci. 47, 67-74

Spencer John (2018) Stimulating early season cyclicity In: BEVA Congress Handbook of Presentations 2018, British Equine Veterinary Association, Fordham pp 52-53

Murphy, B. A., Walsh, C.M., Woodward, E.M., Prendergast, R.L., Ryle, J.P., Fallon, L.H. and Troedsson, M.H. (2014) Blue light from individual light masks directed and a single eye advances the breeding season in mares. Equine V et.

J.46, 601-605.

Stout, T.A.E. (2015) Dealing with the acyclic mare In: BEVA Congress Handbook of Presentations 2015 British Equine Veterinary Association, Fordham pp156-157

Newcombe, J.R., Handler, J., Klug, E., Meyers, P.J. and Jochle, W. (2002) Treatment of transition phase mares with progesterone intravaginally and with deslorelin or hCG to assist ovulations. J.Equine Vet. Sci. 22, 57-63

Wolfsdorf, K. E., Fedorka, C.E., Lu K.J., Martinez, E.H., Zent, W.W. (2018) The effect of Buserelin on Reproductive Performance in the Transitional and Anoestrus Mare, J.of Equine Vet.Sci.

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Dr Statz

John Boyce cracks the code

Broodmare sire king but can Galileo match Danehill’s reign?

T he 2,000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior and the July Cup hero U S Navy Flag headlined the list of 25 stakes winners out of daughters of Galileo in 2018. The Coolmore stalwart’s total looks like it’s enough to top the list for a second successive year, following five consecutive years when his former stud companion Danehill dominated.

Of course Galileo the sire played no small part in keeping Danehill, the broodmare sire, at the head of affairs for so long. But Galileo cannot count only on Danehill-line stallions to further his fortunes as a broodmare sire. And that’s his strength. His daughters have been successful with a wide variety of sires and it’s probably indicative of their versatility that Galileo’s Group 1 winners are by War Front, Deep Impact and Invincible Spirit.

Not a Danehill in sight! Significantly, Galileo’s strike-rate as a broodmare sire is 7.4% stakes winners to runners, which is currently well ahead of his successful predecessors.

Having said all of that, it will be interesting to see if he can match Danehill’s longevity at the top, for he already has a worthy adversary in Pivotal.

Runner-up to Galileo last year, Pivotal’s tally of 21 stakes winners in 2018 does not do him justice. For among the 21 are no fewer than eight that won at the highest level. It’s impossible not to be impressed by this achievement. After all, no broodmare sire in the history of the Pattern has ever sired the dams of so many Group 1 winners in a single year. In

LEADING BROODMARE SIRES IN EUROPE 2018 BY STAKES WINNERS

GEORGE SELWYN

Name GALILEO

Saxon Warrior: out of a daughter of Galileo

Born 1998

Sire Sadler’s Wells

BTW 2018 25

BTW Career 91

%BTW 7.4

PIVOTAL

1993

Polar Falcon

DANEHILL

1986

Danzig

21

88

6.4

18

188

DANSILI

1996

Danehill

16

43

6.4 5.3

DANEHILL DANCER

1993

Danehill

12

58

4.5

MONSUN

1990

Königsstuhl

10

65

7.9

CAPE CROSS

1994

Green Desert

9

43

4.9

KINGMAMBO

1990

Mr Prospector

9

121

6.3

SADLER’S WELLS

1981

Northern Dancer

9

356

6.7

SHAMARDAL

2002

Giant’s Causeway

9

18

6.6

SINGSPIEL

1992

In The Wings

9

62

5.4

VERGLAS

1994

Highest Honor

9

20

5.4 5.4

ANABAA

1992

Danzig

8

61

DIKTAT

1995

Warning

8

23

5.1

MONTJEU

1996

Sadler’s Wells

8

46

4.9

OASIS DREAM

2000

Green Desert

8

29

4.2

fact, only two others – Sadler’s Wells and Danehill – have ever had five or more.

Even the outstanding Darshaan, who topped this list nine times, only ever managed four Group 1 winners in a year.

Just like his own sons and daughters, who were top-class anywhere from six to ten furlongs, the progeny of Pivotal’s daughters are equally versatile. Mab’s Cross (Dutch Art) won the Prix de l’Abbaye over the minimum trip, while Cracksman (by Frankel) and Magical (Galileo) were top-class middle-distance scorers. In between were Group 1-winning milers Rhododendron (Galileo) and Olmedo (Declaration Of War). He was even responsible for two Group 1-winning juveniles in Advertise (Showcasing) and Fairyland (Kodiac).

Danehill – whose daughters produce stakes winners at an identical 6.4% to runners as Pivotal – is still wielding a powerful influence. True to form, seven of the eight Group winners out of his daughters in 2018 hail from the Sadler’s Wells sire line and are headed by Iridessa, the very first Group 1 winner sired by the Derby winner Ruler Of The World.

Danehill’s sons Dansili (16 stakes winners) and Danehill Dancer (12 stakes winners) also enjoyed a good year. Dansili was responsible for the dam of Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Expert Eye (Acclamation), while Danehill Dancer teamed up with Dubawi to produce Group 1 Prix Vermeille heroine Kitesurf.

Monsun mares supplied two Group 1 winners in Waldgeist (Galileo) and Wild

Illusion (Dubawi). His career strike-rate as a broodmare sire of 7.9% is outstanding, but probably needs to be tempered by the fact that many of his mares are in Germany.

The emerging broodmare sire on our table is Shamardal, who is at least four years younger than any sire above him on the rankings. Moreover, the Darley stallion sired the dams of two Group 1 winners this year, as many as any other except Pivotal and Galileo. His best are Latrobe, who won the Group 1 Irish Derby over 12 furlongs, and Pretty Pollyanna, who took the Group 1 Prix Morny over six. What’s also impressive about Shamardal’s rise is his excellent career strike-rate of 6.6%, which is right out of the top drawer.

His former stud companion Cape Cross completed a rare double-double in 2018, becoming the broodmare sire of Derby winner Masar, four years after his daughter Ouija Board produced Australia to win. He has, of course, also sired two winners of the Epsom Classic in Sea The Stars and Golden Horn.

Two other former teammates, Dubawi and Singspiel, have formed a potent relationship in recent years and four of Singspiel’s nine stakes winners as a broodmare sire in 2018 were by Dubawi.

Champion two-year-old Too Darn Hot and his older full-sister Lah Ti Dar were joined by Group 2 scorers Old Persian and Wuheida. Singspiel was also responsible for another Group 1-winning juvenile in Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere victor Royal Marine (Raven’s Pass).

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Data Book • Analysis by Andrew Caulfield Grade 1 Winners 15 JNWINE.COM CHAMPION CHASE G1 DOWN ROYAL. Nov 3. 5yo+. 24f.

1. ROAD TO RESPECT (IRE) 7 11-10 £73,097 ch g by Gamut - Lora Lady (Lord Americo) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Miss I. Rothwell TR-Noel Meade 2. Woodland Opera (IRE) 8 11-10 £23,540 br g by Robin des Champs - Opera Hat (Strong Gale) O-Mrs T K Cooper & Miss Diana Cooper & Mrs C A Waters B-Mrs T. K. Cooper TR-Mrs John Harrington 3. Outlander (IRE) 10 11-10 £11,150 b g by Stowaway - Western Whisper (Supreme Leader) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-R. O’Neill TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 16, 1.75. Time 6:04.40. Going Good to Yielding.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 4-7 21 8 11 £395,309 Sire: GAMUT. Sire of 3 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Lora Lady by Lord Americo. unraced. Dam of 1 winner:

2005: 2006: 2007: 2008: 2009: 2010: 2011:

2015: 2016: 2017:

Popalong (f Luso) unraced. Broodmare.

Automaticman (g Craigsteel) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race and ran 3 times over hurdles.

Lady Lorabelle (f Old Vic). Broodmare.

Old Meadow (g Old Vic) (f Old Vic) Jokarosie (f Gamut) unraced. Broodmare.

ROAD TO RESPECT (g Gamut) 7 wins, 3rd Michael Purcell Memorial Novice Hurdle G2, Ryanair Powers Gold Cup Novice Chase G1, Leopardstown Christmas Lexus Chase G1, jnwine.com Champion Chase G1, Brown Advisory & Merriebelle H. Chase G3, Irish Daily Star Carvills Hill Chase G3, 2nd jnwine.com Champion Chase G1, Ten Up Novice Chase G2, 3rd Racing Post Christmas Novice Chase G1, Coral Punchestown Gold Cup Chase G1. (g Gamut) (f Leading Light) (c Fairly Ransom)

Broodmare Sire: LORD AMERICO. Sire of the dams of 9 Stakes winners.

ROAD TO RESPECT ch g 2011 Rainbow Quest

Blushing Groom I Will Follow

River Dancer

Irish River Dancing Shadow

Ela-Mana-Mou

Pitcairn Rose Bertin

Edinburgh

Charlottown Queen’s Castle

Lord Gayle

Sir Gaylord Sticky Case

Hynictus

Val de Loir Hypavia

Over The River

Luthier Medenine

Chorabelle

Choral Society Miss Arctic

Spectrum GAMUT b 99 Greektown

Lord Americo LORA LADY b 01 Bellora

Over The River’s daughter Bellora never made it to the races but she was a sister to a smart chaser in Sullane River, a prolific winner whose finest moment came when he won the Gr2 Leopardstown Chase over three miles.

It was no surprise that Sullane River stayed well. He and Bellora were by Over The River, a useful Flat performer who graduated successfully to hurdling in France.

Over The River became one of the few stallions to have sired two winners of the Cheltenham Gold Cup - Cool Ground and Cool Dawn - and his other smart winners included such good stayers as Strong Flow (Hennessy Gold Cup), Into The Red (Eider Chase), Zeta’s Lad (Racing Post Chase), Harwell Lad (Whitbread Gold Cup) and Bob Treacy (Thyestes Chase).

This stamina has also been very apparent in Bellora’s most talented descendants. Her best winner was Road To Riches, a son of Gamut who earned more than £500,000. Most of this was

earned over fences, thanks partly to a very rewarding spell in 2014, when his victory in the Galway Plate was followed by Gr1 successes in the Champion Chase at Down Royal and the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown.

Bellora’s unraced daughter Lora Lady has also visited Gamut with great success, with the daughter of Lord Americo producing Road To Respect.

This gelding’s career has mirrored Road To Riches’ to a remarkable extent. Road To Respect has also won the Lexus Chase and he has now also taken the 2018 Champion Chase, having finished a close second in the 2017 edition. He had earlier become a Gr1 winner in the 2017 Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase.

Gamut, the sire of Road To Respect and Road To Riches, won the Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and was runner-up in the Irish St Leger. Gamut’s close relative Golan won the King George.

38 UNIBET MORGIANA HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Nov 18. 4yo+. 16f.

1. SHARJAH (FR) 5 11-10 £52,212 b g by Doctor Dino - Saaryeh (Royal Academy) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Ecurie Haras De Beauvoir TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Faugheen (IRE) 10 11-10 £16,814 b g by Germany - Miss Pickering (Accordion) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Dr J. Waldron TR-W. P. Mullins £7,965 3. Tombstone (IRE) 8 11-10 ch g by Robin des Champs - Connaught Hall (Un Desperado) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-K. O’Brien TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 7.5, 10. Time 3:47.70. Going Good.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 2-5 21 5 9 £261,904 Sire: DOCTOR DINO. Sire of 10 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - MASTER DINO Mizzen Mast G1, SHARJAH Royal Academy G1, LA BAGUE AU ROI Turgeon G2, SCEAU ROYAL Marchand de Sable G2, DOTTORE Turgeon LR. 1st Dam: SAARYEH by Royal Academy. Winner at 3 viz.

Year of the Snake Maiden Stakes, Ascot. Dam of 4 winners:

2003: 2004: 2005: 2006: 2008: 2010: 2011: 2013:

JAASSEY (g Josr Algarhoud) Winner at 3.

Nariman (f Diktat) unraced. Broodmare.

Three Blessings (f Mark of Esteem) ran 3 times. (c Josr Algarhoud) SONGEUR (c Elusive City) 4 wins at 4 in France.

Sahawar (c Dark Angel) 4 wins at 2 to 4 in France, 2nd Derby du Languedoc LR. Sarabhai (f Falco) SHARJAH (g Doctor Dino) Sold 23,809gns yearling at AROCT. 5 wins, Guinness Galway H. Hurdle G1, Unibet Morgiana Hurdle G1, 3rd WKD Hurdle G2, Kevin McManus Bookmaker Grimes Hurdle G3.

Saaryouni (c Siyouni) Shwedagon (c Dark Angel) in training.

When Sharjah disputed the lead with stablemate Real Steel coming to the final flight of the Future Champions Novice Hurdle towards the end of 2017, he looked set to become a Gr1 winner. Instead both he and Real Steel fell, but it seemed certain that Sharjah would quickly gain Gr1 compensation. He had, after all, been a fairly useful middle-distance performer in France and had won his first two races over hurdles with ease. However, that elusive Gr1 success didn’t come until November, when Sharjah defeated a below-par Faugheen to take the Morgiana Hurdle. Sharjah had also enjoyed a big payday in the Galway Hurdle.

Sharjah’s Gr1 win came on the same day that Sceau Royal, another son of Doctor Dino, won the Gr2 Cheltenham Chase and a week after yet another son, Master Dino, had won the Gr1 Prix Renaud du Vivier Hurdle.

Doctor Dino had been a high-class and durable international performer who travelled from France to win the Gr1 Man o’War Stakes and two editions of the Gr1 Hong Kong Vase.

This son of Muhtathir didn’t win a Group race until he was four and enjoyed his most fruitful seasons at five and six, so his progeny can be expected to train on. He has already made a bright start as a sire of chasers, with Sceau Royal, Dottore and Docteur de Ballon all doing well.

A daughter, the Gr2 winner La Bague Au Roi, has won her first two starts over fences, having been a prolific winner in bumpers and over hurdles. This has secured him bigger books of mares in recent years.

Sharjah’s dam Saaryeh won over a mile at Ascot and his second dam Belle Argentine was third in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.

Saaryeh’s best previous winner, the useful Sahawar, stayed a mile and a half despite being by Dark Angel.

39 BETFAIR LANCASHIRE CHASE G1 HAYDOCK PARK. Nov 24. 5yo+. 25f 110yds.

Broodmare Sire: ROYAL ACADEMY. Sire of the dams of 184 Stakes winners.

1. BRISTOL DE MAI (FR) 7 11-7 £112,540 gr g by Saddler Maker - La Bole Night (April Night) O-Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede B-Mr J. Touzaint TR-Nigel Twiston-Davies 2. Native River (IRE) 8 11-7 £42,400 ch g by Indian River - Native Mo (Be My Native) O-Brocade Racing B-F. Mackey TR-Colin Tizzard 3. Thistlecrack (GB) 10 11-7 £21,220 b g by Kayf Tara - Ardstown (Ardross) O-John and Heather Snook B-Mr & Mrs R. F. Knipe TR-Colin Tizzard Margins 4, 1.75. Time 6:28.60. Going Good.

SHARJAH b g 2013

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 3-7 27 10 13 £566,937

2014: 2015:

2nd Dam: BELLE ARGENTINE by Fijar Tango. 2 wins at 2 and 3 in France Prix La Camargo LR, 3rd Dubai Poule d’Essai des Pouliches G1. Dam of ALZERRA (f Pivotal: Willmott Dixon Cornwallis S G3, 2nd Chippenham Lodge Cherry Hinton S G2), Matloob (c Halling: 3rd Iveco Daily Solario S G3). Grandam of GIFTED MASTER, MAJEYDA.

Elmaamul

Diesis Modena

Majmu

Al Nasr Affirmative Fable

Priolo

Sovereign Dancer Primevere

Salagangai

Sallust Malagangai

Nijinsky

Northern Dancer Flaming Page

Crimson Saint

Crimson Satan Bolero Rose

Fijar Tango

In Fijar Last Tango

Jarlina

Pharly Janthina

Muhtathir DOCTOR DINO ch 02 Logica

Royal Academy SAARYEH b 98 Belle Argentine

Sire: SADDLER MAKER. Sire of 11 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - APPLE’S JADE Nikos G1, BRISTOL DE MAI April Night G1, ELUDY Quart de Vin G3, ALPHA DES OBEAUX Saint Preuil LR, BURN OUT Linamix LR. 1st Dam: La Bole Night by April Night. ran over jumps in France. Dam of 3 winners:

2005: 2006: 2008: 2011:

RIVA (f Winning Smile) Winner at 3 in France.

Sicolas de Mai (g East of Heaven) ULA DE MAI (f Passing Sale) Winner at 4 in France.

BRISTOL DE MAI (g Saddler Maker) 10 wins, Coral Future Champion Finale Juv. Hurdle G1, 2nd totescoop6 Premier Kelso Nov. Hurdle G2, 3rd Betfred Anniversary

2013:

Juvenile Hurdle G1, Betfred Contenders Hurdle LR, Betfred Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase G1, Betfair Lancashire Chase G1 (twice), Bet365 Charlie Hall Chase G2, Peter Marsh H. Chase G2, Racing UK Altcar Novices’ Chase G2, 2nd Racing Post Henry VIII Novice Chase G1, Betway Bowl Chase G1, JLT Golden Miller Novices’ Chase G1, Jordan Electrics Future Chpn Nov. Chase G2, At the Races Rehearsal H. Chase LR, Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase LR, 3rd Betbright Trial Cotswold Chase G2, Betfair Denman Chase G2.

Divine de Stpierre (f Ungaro) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France.

Broodmare Sire: APRIL NIGHT. Sire of the dams of 8 Stakes winners.

BRISTOL DE MAI gr g 2011 Northern Dancer

Nearctic Natalma

Fairy Bridge

Bold Reason Special

Alleged

Hoist The Flag Princess Pout

Alexandrie

Val de L’Orne Apachee

Kaldoun

Caro Katana

My Destiny

Chaparral Carmelite

Hellios

Nureyev Suprina

Rousseliere

Le Pontet Ifrane

Sadler’s Wells SADDLER MAKER b 98 Animatrice

April Night LA BOLE NIGHT gr 99 Grageline

Bristol de Mai was paying his fourth visit to Haydock Park when he lined up for the Betfair Chase, against a very strong field which featured Native River and Might Bite, the first and second from the 2018 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The grey son of Saddler Maker duly recorded his fourth decisive course victory, by four lengths from Native River. The bold Bristol de Mai had also defeated Cue Card to take the previous year’s Betfair Chase but had been beaten in his three intervening starts.

Although he is now a leading staying chaser, Bristol de Mai had also been a Gr1 winner as a juvenile hurdler and his proud record stands at ten wins, eight seconds and four thirds from 27 starts.

His sire Saddler Maker died in May 2016, just as his talent was becoming fully appreciated. He hadn’t taken up stallion duties until he was seven, having failed to win during a racing career hampered by injury. He has been very ably represented posthumously by the likes of Apple’s Jade, Apple’s Shakira, Alpha des Obeaux, Chef des Obeaux and Dinaria des Obeaux, as well as the French chasers Burn Out and Eludy.

His previous smart performers feature such as Label des Obeaux and Messire des Obeaux. He achieved all this despite having received only modest support in his early years, but he earned stronger backing and his final crop numbers at least 50 foals, mainly “autre que pur sang,” as is Bristol de Mai. Bristol de Mai’s dam, the selle francais La Bole Night, failed to finish any of her three starts but Bristol de Mai is her third winner from her first four foals. The gelding’s broodmare sire April Night is thriving in this role, with his daughters also being responsible for Un de Sceaux, Trifolium, Clan des Obeaux and Ar Mad.

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CAULFIELD ON QUICK GRABIM: “It will be interesting to see whether he will eventually be tried over further than two miles, as his brother Cougar’s Gold won over two and three-quarter miles” 40 BETVICTOR FIGHTING FIFTH HURDLE G1 NEWCASTLE. Dec 1. 4yo+. 16f.

1. BUVEUR D’AIR (FR) 7 11-7 £62,629 b g by Crillon - History (Alesso) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Gerard Ferte TR-Nicky Henderson 2. Samcro (IRE) 6 11-7 £24,052 ch g by Germany - Dun Dun (Saddlers’ Hall) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-D. Taylor TR-Gordon Elliott 3. Vision des Flos (FR) 5 11-7 £12,403 b g by Balko - Marie Royale (Turgeon) O-Ann & Alan Potts Limited B-C. Bardin & F. Bardin TR-Colin Tizzard Margins 8, 13. Time 3:57.30. Going Soft.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 3-7 18 15 3 £928,476 Sire: CRILLON. Sire of 5 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: History by Alesso. Dam of 4 winners:

2003:

2004: 2005: 2007: 2011:

PUNCHESTOWNS (g Morespeed) 9 wins, BGC Long Walk Hurdle G1, 2nd Ladbrokes World Hurdle G1, Totepool Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase G1.

Quiet Story (f Franc Bleu Argent) ran on the flat in France. Broodmare.

RACKHAM LEROUGE (g Fado) 7 wins.

TISTORY (g Epalo) 5 wins.

BUVEUR D’AIR (g Crillon) 15 wins, 2nd Betfair Bumper Standard Open NH Race LR, Stan James Champion Chall.Trophy Hurdle G1 (twice), Unibet Fighting Fifth Hurdle G1 (twice), Unibet Christmas Hurdle G1, Betway Aintree Hurdle G1, Imagine Cruising Top Novices’ Hurdle G1, Betfred Contenders Hurdle LR (twice), 3rd Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1.

Broodmare Sire: ALESSO. Sire of the dams of 2 Stakes winners.

BUVEUR D’AIR b g 2011 Rainbow Quest Saumarez Fiesta Fun CRILLON b 96

Riverman

Shangrila Garden Green

Welsh Pageant Antigua Never Bend River Lady Pinturischio Focal

Alleged

Hoist The Flag Princess Pout

Leandra

Luthier Ady Endre

Altayan

Posse Aleema

Lili Dancer

Evainqueur Keen Dancer

Alesso HISTORY b 95

Blushing Groom I Will Follow

Clair Deux Lune

A year after Buveur d’Air landed odds of 1-6 in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, the gelding returned to Newcastle for the same seasonal opener. Although he had won all of his three races in the interim, including the Gr1 Christmas Hurdle and the Gr1 Champion Hurdle for a second time, he was surprisingly sent off as second favourite. Punters preferred the Irish raider Samcro, who had enjoyed a long winning sequence, including in the Gr1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, prior to a fall at the Punchestown Festival. Perhaps Sancro was expected to enjoy a fitness advantage over Buveur d’Air, as he had finished second at Down Royal in November, but he still proved no match for the champion, who quickened eight lengths clear.

Buveur d’Air has now won all eight of his starts since his connections decided not to pursue his career as a chaser. The gelding had done little wrong over fences, winning both his starts, and his record over obstacles now stands at 13 wins from 14 starts. Buveur d’Air had earlier won two bumpers for non-thoroughbreds

Jan_173_DataBook.indd 125

in France, over distances of 12 and 13 furlongs.

His trainer Nicky Henderson has a fine record with the progeny of the gelding’s dam, a lightly-raced selle francais named History. Easily best of her three other winners for the Seven Barrows trainer was Punchestowns.

This son of Morespeed became a Gr1 winner over hurdles (in the Long Walk Hurdle) and fences, winning at up to three miles. Unfortunately, there won’t be any more winners for History, as she died foaling in 2017 at the age of 22.

Buveur d’Air is comfortably the best winner by Crillon, a very useful son of Arc winner Saumarez. Crillon did most of his winning at around 15 furlongs. However, Crillon is also responsible for Alex de Larreyda, winner of the Gr1 Grand Prix d’Automne Hurdle at Auteuil in 2016 and 2017 and twice runner-up in the French Champion Hurdle equivalent over nearly three and a quarter miles.

Another good son of Crillon is Diamond Cauchois, a Gr2 winner over hurdles in Ireland.

There is also plenty of stamina in Buveur d’Air’s pedigree and he showed he stays two and a half miles when he easily won the Gr1 Aintree Hurdle. His broodmare sire Alesso was second in the French St Leger before passing on his stamina to his son Baracouda, one of the finest staying hurdlers of recent decades.

Buveur d’Air’s second dam Clair Deux Lune was another lightly-raced maiden, but his third dam Lili Dancer was a prolific cross-country winner, often at around three miles. Lili Dancer produced Fujiyama, a dual winner of the Grand Steeple de Craon, the cross-country championship over three and three-quarter miles. Fourth dam Keen Dancer was another who shone in the cross-country sector.

41 BARONRACING ROYAL BOND NOVICE HURDLE G1 FAIRYHOUSE. Dec 2. 4yo+. 16f.

1. QUICK GRABIM (IRE) 6 11-10 £46,991 b g by Oscar - Top Her Up (Beneficial) O-Exors of the Late Mr M. G. Worcester B-O. Loughlin TR-R. P. McNamara 2. Triplicate (IRE) 5 11-10 £15,133 b g by Galileo - Devoted To You (Danehill Dancer) O-Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith B-Barronstown Stud TR-Joseph Patrick O’Brien 3. Aramon (GER) 5 11-10 £7,168 b g by Monsun - Aramina (In The Wings) O-Supreme Horse Racing Club & Michael Songer B-Gestut Rottgen TR-W P Mullins Margins 3.75, 3.25. Time 3:56.70. Going Good.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 4-6 10 4 3 £82,017 Sire: OSCAR. Sire of 75 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - QUICK GRABIM Beneficial G1, BAGS GROOVE Roselier G2, GOD’S OWN Phardante G2, PAISLEY PARK Presenting G3, LAKE VIEW LAD Supreme Leader LR. 1st Dam: Top Her Up by Beneficial. unraced. Dam of 5 winners:

2002:

2004: 2005: 2006: 2007:

HAVING A CUT (g Supreme Leader) 4 wins over fences.

ACORDEON (g Accordion) 2 wins. (f Witness Box) Right Pitch (f Accordion) unraced.

Broodmare.

Buttonboard (f Accordion) unraced.

2008: 2009: 2010: 2011: 2012:

2013: 2016:

Broodmare.

Beowulf (g Oscar) LIP SERVICE (g Presenting) 2 wins over fences to 2018.

Flowers On Sunday (f Presenting) unraced.

Broodmare.

COUGAR’S GOLD (g Oscar) 2 wins.

QUICK GRABIM (g Oscar) Sold 17,034gns yearling at TINO1. 4 wins, Baronracing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle G1, Joe Mac Novice Hurdle G3.

Coillte Alainn (f Oscar) unraced. (f Leading Light)

Broodmare Sire: BENEFICIAL. Sire of the dams of 10 Stakes winners.

The Oscar/Beneficial cross has produced: QUICK GRABIM G1, OSCAR ROSE G2, Ozzie The Oscar G2, Archerfield House LR.

3. Jetz (IRE) 6 11-10 £7,168 b g by Flemensfirth - Miss Squiff (Saddlers’ Hall) O-Mrs John Harrington B-G. M. McGrath TR-G McGrath Margins 0.5, 8. Time 5:00.00. Going Good.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 3-5 13 5 8 £168,463 Sire: NETWORK. Sire of 26 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - DELTA WORK Video Rock G1, LE RICHEBOURG Phantom Breeze G3, CELEBRE D’ALLEN Grand Seigneur LR, CRYSTAL BEACH Royal Charter LR, DIEU VIVANT Video Rock LR. 1st Dam: Robbe by Video Rock. Dam of 3 winners:

2012: 2013:

QUICK GRABIM b g 2012 Northern Dancer

Nearctic Natalma

Fairy Bridge

Bold Reason Special

2014:

Reliance II

Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body

2015: 2016:

Vindaria Top Ville

High Top Sega Ville

Youthful

Green Dancer First Bloom

Raise You Ten

Tehran Visor

Divine Drapes

Divine Gift High Drapes

Sadler’s Wells OSCAR b 94 Snow Day

Beneficial TOP HER UP b 98 Divine Dibs

There are now as many as 30 foals sired by the consistently successful Oscar from daughters of Beneficial, the champion jumping sire of 2012-13. The highest rated of them up to now has been Ozzie The Oscar, a smart chaser at around two miles, but he looks set to be overtaken by Quick Grabim, who has made an excellent start to the 2018-19 season. Quick Grabim was making his fourth start of the season when he tackled the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and has now won three of them, all over two miles. It will be interesting to see whether Quick Grabim is eventually tried over further, as his brother Cougar’s Gold won over two and three-quarter miles. Many of Oscar’s progeny stay quite well, but the likes of Big Zeb and Rock On Ruby were major winners at around two miles.

Quick Grabim’s unraced dam Top Her Up produced five winners. She was a half-sister to three talented hurdler-chasers, all sired by stallions which were hardly household names.

Tell The Nipper, by Riberetto, won the Gr3 Grand National Trial Handicap Chase over a furlong further than three miles, while Paddy The Piper, a son of Witness Box, was a Gr2 winner as a novice hurdler. The third talented winner, the Sheer Grit mare Love And Porter, has since produced the useful hurdler Give Me A Break.

42 BARONERACING.COM DRINMORE NOVICE CHASE G1 FAIRYHOUSE. Dec 2. 4yo+. 20f.

1. DELTA WORK (FR) 5 11-10 £46,991 br g by Network - Robbe (Video Rock) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-C. Magnien & J. Magnien TR-Gordon Elliott 2. Le Richebourg (FR) 5 11-10 £15,133 br g by Network - Fee Magic (Phantom Breeze) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Mr J. M. Prost Alamartine TR-Joseph Patrick O’Brien

CAP YORK (g Ballingarry) Winner at 4 in France.

DELTA WORK (g Network) 5 wins, Pertemps Network Final H. Hurdle G3, 2nd Irish Mirror War of Attrition Nov.Hurdle G1, Guinness Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle G2, 3rd Monksfield Novice Hurdle G3, Fishery Lane Hurdle G3, baroneracing.com Drinmore Novice Chase G1.

ELWOOD (g Martaline) Winner over jumps at 4 in France.

Foster’s (f Cokoriko) Gympie (f Lord du Sud) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: VIDEO ROCK. Sire of the dams of 27 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - DELTA WORK Network G1, ARRY Boris de Deauville LR, DIEU VIVANT Network LR, EQUEMAUVILLE Saint des Saints LR. The Network/Video Rock cross has produced: DELTA WORK G1, SAINT ARE G1, VENT SOMBRE G2, DIEU VIVANT LR, Colere Noire LR, Rob Conti LR.

DELTA WORK br g 2013 Konigsstuhl

Dschingis Khan Konigskronung

Mosella

Surumu Monasia

Reliance II

Tantieme Relance III

Nicotiana

Naras Nina

No Lute

Luthier Prudent Miss

Pauvresse

Home Guard Misoptimist

Luchiroverte

Slip Anchor Green Lucia

Kelinda

Pot d’Or Tafaraoui

Monsun NETWORK br 97 Note

Video Rock ROBBE b 05 Hotesse du Bouille

Racing in Britain and Ireland owes a debt of gratitude to Network, a German-bred who spent his stallion career in France. He gave us the great Sprinter Sacre, the Irish Gr1 winners Rubi Light and Adriana des Mottes, the multiple Irish Graded victors Acapella Bourgeois and Ball d’Arc, and the Gr1 winner and Grand National second Saint Are. He also had two representatives in the Gr1 Drinmore Novice Chase and these two - Delta Work and Le Richebourg - fought out the finish, with Delta Work improving his record to two wins from two starts over fences.

Delta Work had also gone close to Gr1 success as a novice hurdler, having earlier won over a mile and a half on the Flat in France.

Network won the Gr2 UnionRennen over 11 furlongs but success as a stallion didn’t come easily. He wasn’t extensively used early in his stallion career, with none of his first five crops containing more than 31 foals. These crops produced a string of notable performers in France, including Rubi Ball, twice a winner of the Gr1 Prix La Haye Jousselin.

Network owed some of his success to daughters of Video Rock, who sired the dams of Saint Are and Delta Work. A dual middle-distance Listed winner in France, Video Rock

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Data Book Grade 1 Winners became France’s leading sire of chasers in 2007 and also did well with the British stayers Nenuphar Collonges (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle), Edmond (Welsh National) and Hussard Collonges (Royal & SunAlliance Chase).

He also sired Champion Hurdle runner-up Osana, the top French chaser El Paso III and French Champion Hurdle winner Lycaon de Vauzelle. More recently, Video Rock has made a name for himself as a broodmare sire, with his daughters also producing the high-class Irish staying chaser Sir des Champs, the Gr2-Irish winner Coquin Mans and the Gr1-winning chasers Valseur Lido and Black Corton.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 3-6 18 12 6 £571,349

JADE G1, APPLE’S SHAKIRA G1.

Sire: SADDLER MAKER. Sire of 11 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - APPLE’S JADE Nikos G1, BRISTOL DE MAI April Night G1, ELUDY Quart de Vin G3, ALPHA DES OBEAUX Saint Preuil LR, BURN OUT Linamix LR.

APPLE’S JADE b m 2012

1st Dam: APPLE’S FOR EVER by Nikos. 5 wins over jumps in France. Dam of 4 winners:

2009: 2010: 2011: 2012:

43 BARONERACING.COM HATTON’S GRACE HURDLE G1 FAIRYHOUSE. Dec 2. 4yo+. 20f.

1. APPLE’S JADE (FR) 6 11-3 £65,265 b m by Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever (Nikos) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr R. Coveliers TR-Gordon Elliott 2. Supasundae (GB) 8 11-10 £21,018 b g by Galileo - Distinctive Look (Danehill) O-Ann & Alan Potts Limited B-Newsells Park Stud Limited TR-Mrs J. Harrington 3. Limini (IRE) 7 11-3 £9,956 ch m by Peintre Celebre - Her Grace (Spectrum) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Sir E. J. Loder TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 20, 2. Time 4:49.50. Going Good.

2014:

2015: 2016:

APPLE’S MAELYS (f Saddler Maker) 7 wins over jumps in France.

MADAME APPLE’S (f Saddler Maker) Winner over jumps in France.

Le Sete For Ever (f Saddler Maker) ran over jumps in France.

APPLE’S JADE (f Saddler Maker) 12 wins, AES Champion 4yo Hurdle G1, Betfred Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle G1, Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle G1 (3 times), Squared Financial Christmas Hurdle G1, Irish Stall.Farms EBF Mares Chpn. Hurdle G1, OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G1, Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle G2, Lismullen Hurdle G2 (twice), 2nd JCB Triumph Hurdle G1, stanjames.com Fighting Fifth Hurdle G1, WKD Hurdle G2, Quevega Mares Hurdle LR, 3rd ISF. EBF Annie Power Mares Chpn. Hurdle G1, OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G1.

APPLE’S SHAKIRA (f Saddler Maker) 4 wins, JCB Triumph Trial Finesse Juv. Hurdle G2, JCB Triumph Trial Prestbury Juv. Hurdle G2, 3rd Doom Bar Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle G1.

Grisy Apple’s (c Montmartre) Apple’s du Pont (c Saddler Maker) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: NIKOS. Sire of the dams of 26 Stakes winners. NH in 2018/19 - APPLE’S JADE Saddler Maker G1, ROI MAGE Poliglote LR. The Saddler Maker/Nikos cross has produced: APPLE’S

Northern Dancer

Nearctic Natalma

Fairy Bridge

Bold Reason Special

Alleged

Hoist The Flag Princess Pout

Alexandrie

Val de L’Orne Apachee

Nonoalco

Nearctic Seximee

No No Nanette

Sovereign Path Nuclea

Le Pontet

Succes Arielle

Silver Girl

Son of Silver Our Best

Sadler’s Wells SADDLER MAKER b 98 Animatrice

Nikos APPLE’S FOR EVER b 00 Apple’s Girl

The Hatton’s Grace Hurdle is named after an Irish gelding who won three consecutive editions of the Champion Hurdle for Vincent O’Brien nearly 70 years ago. It is therefore appropriate that there have now been three triple winners of the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle, with that top-class mare Apple’s Jade joining Limestone Lad and Solerina.

Now an eight-time Gr1 winner, Apple’s Jade usually impresses with her fast, bold jumping. Her broodmare sire Nikos was directly responsible for another spectacular jumper in Master Minded. Although Nikos was most effective at up to a

mile, he sired a Prix du Cadran winner in Nononito and jumpers of the calibre of Cenkos, Nakir, Encore Un Peu (runner-up in the 1996 National), Eric’s Charm (second in the Betfred Gold Cup) and Fataliste.

Apple’s Jade’s dam, Apple’s For Ever, won five times at up to two and a half miles, over hurdles and fences.

Apple’s For Ever was a regular visitor to Saddler Maker, sire of six of her eight foals, the partnership’s latest foal being a 2016 colt named Apple’s du Pont. Four of the first five siblings have won, with the 2014 foal, Apple’s Shakira, winning her first three races in Britain, including the Gr2 Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle.

Apple’s For Ever also has a 2017 colt by champion sire Martaline.

Apple’s Girl, the second dam of Apple’s Jade, was a seven-time winner over jumps. She had a couple of useful daughters in Apple’s Andrea, a sister to Apple’s For Ever who won over hurdles and fences at Auteuil, and Apple’s Noa. Her sire Le Pontet won the French Champion Hurdle and numbered the 1994 King George VI winner Algan among his best winners, along with Le Pontif, the top French jumper of 1984.

For more details on Saddler Maker, see the notes on Bristol de Mai.

Grade 2 & 3 Winners Date 28/10 02/11 02/11 03/11 03/11 03/11 03/11 03/11 04/11 04/11 06/11 10/11 10/11 10/11 10/11 10/11 11/11 11/11 11/11 15/11 16/11 17/11 17/11 17/11 17/11 18/11 18/11 18/11 18/11 18/11 24/11 24/11 24/11 25/11 25/11 25/11 30/11 30/11 01/12 01/12 01/12 02/12 02/12 02/12

Grade G2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G2 G3 GrB G3 GrB G2 G2 G2 G3 G3 GrB G2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3 G3 GrB GrB G2 G2 G2 G3 GrB G3 GrA GrB

Race (course) Monet’s Garden Old Roan Handicap Chase (Aintree) WKD Hurdle (Down Royal) Lough EBF Mares Novice Hurdle (Down Royal) mycarneedsa.com Skymas Chase (Down Royal) Bet365 Charlie Hall Chase (Wetherby) Bet365 West Yorkshire Hurdle (Wetherby) Sodexo Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Ascot) Billecart Salmon Mac’s Joy Hcp Hurdle (Down Royal) Paddy Power Irish EBF Novice Chase (Cork) Paddy Power Cork Grand National Hp Chase (Cork) bwin Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Exeter) Rising Stars Novices’ Chase (Wincanton) Unibet Elite Hurdle (Wincanton) Fishery Lane Hurdle (Naas) Poplar Square Chase (Naas) Sky Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle (Naas) Lismullen Hurdle (Navan) thetote.com Fortria Chase (Navan) For Auction Novice Hurdle (Navan) Clonmel Oil Chase (Clonmel) Ballymore Hyde Novices’ Hurdle (Cheltenham) JCB Triumph Trial Prestbury Juv. Hurdle (Cheltenham) Betway Craddockstown Novice Chase (Punchestown) BetVictor Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Cheltenham) betvictor.com Handicap Chase (Cheltenham) Arkle Trial November Novice Chase (Cheltenham) Shloer Cheltenham Chase (Cheltenham) Supreme Trial Sharp Novice Hurdle (Cheltenham) Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase (Punchestown) Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle (Cheltenham) Christy 1965 Chase (Ascot) Coral Ascot Hurdle (Ascot) Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle (Haydock Park) Monksfield Novice Hurdle (Navan) Ladbrokes Troytown Handicap Chase (Navan) Proudstown Handicap Hurdle (Navan) Ladbrokes Berkshire Novices’ Chase (Newbury) Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle (Newbury) J. Francome Worcester Novices’ Chase (Newbury) Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase (Newbury) EasyFix Ballyhack Handicap Chase (Fairyhouse) Winter Festival Juvenile Hurdle (Fairyhouse) Baroneracing New Stand Handicap Hurdle (Fairyhouse) Bar One Porterstown Handicap Chase (Fairyhouse)

Dist 20f 16f 16f 19.5f 24f 24f 24f 16f 20f 28f 17.5f 20f 15f 16f 16f 20f 20f 16f 16f 20f 21f 16f 16f 20f 27f 16f 16f 16f 22.5f 16f 21f 19f 24.5f 20f 24f 22.5f 20f 24f 23f 26f 16.5f 16f 16f 29f

Horse Frodon (FR) Bedrock (GB) Sancta Simona (FR) Snow Falcon (IRE) Definitly Red (IRE) Nautical Nitwit (IRE) Traffic Fluide (FR) Golden Spear (GB) Winter Escape (IRE) Out Sam (GB) God’s Own (IRE) Bags Groove (IRE) Verdana Blue (IRE) Espoir d’Allen (FR) Saint Calvados (FR) De Name Escapes Me (IRE) Apple’s Jade (FR) Ballyoisin (IRE) Aramon (GER) Kemboy (FR) Coolanly (IRE) Quel Destin (FR) Voix du Reve (FR) Baron Alco (FR) Rock The Kasbah (IRE) Lalor (GER) Sceau Royal (FR) Elixir de Nutz (FR) Some Neck (FR) Nietzsche (GB) Politologue (FR) If The Cap Fits (IRE) Paisley Park (IRE) Easy Game (FR) Tout Est Permis (FR) Walk To Freedom (IRE) La Bague Au Roi (FR) Unowhatimeanharry (GB) Santini (GB) Sizing Tennessee (IRE) Duca de Thaix (FR) Chief Justice (GB) Wonder Laish (GB) Dinnie’s Vinnie (IRE)

Age 6 5 5 8 9 9 8 7 7 9 10 7 6 4 5 8 6 7 5 6 6 3 6 7 8 6 6 4 7 5 7 6 6 4 5 8 7 10 6 10 5 3 6 10

Sex G G M G G G G G G G G G M G G G M G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G M G G G G G G G

Sire Nickname Fastnet Rock Saddex Presenting Definite Article Let The Lion Roar Astarabad Kyllachy Robin des Pres Multiplex Oscar Oscar Getaway Voix du Nord Saint des Saints Vinnie Roe Saddler Maker Presenting Monsun Voix du Nord Flemensfirth Muhtathir Voix du Nord Dom Alco Shirocco It’s Gino Doctor Dino Al Namix Yeats Poet’s Voice Poliglote Milan Oscar Barastraight Linda’s Lad Arcadio Doctor Dino Sir Harry Lewis Milan Robin des Champs Voix du Nord Acclamation Halling Vinnie Roe

Dam Miss Country Gemstone Desimona Flocon de Neige The Red Wench Mrs Pugwash Petale Rouge Penmayne Saddleeruppat Tintera Dantes Term Golden Moment Blue Gallery Quadanse Lamorrese Heartlight Apple’s For Ever Regal Force Aramina Vitora La Fisarmonica High Destiny Pommbelle Paula Impudent Laviola Sandside Nutz Maternelle Ganga Scarlet Row Derravaragh Sayra Presenting Shares Rule of The Game Kadalbleue Carryonharriet Alliance Royale Red Nose Lady Tinagoodnight Jolivia Nouca de Thaix Freedom Pass Wonder Why Edermine Berry

Broodmare Sire Country Reel Galileo Monsun Kahyasi Aahsaylad Un Desperado Bonnet Rouge Inchinor Saddlers’ Hall King’s Theatre Phardante Roselier Bluebird Maille Pistol Pistolet Bleu Accordion Nikos King’s Ride In The Wings Victory Note Accordion High Yield Apple Tree Network In The Wings Waky Nao Marchand de Sable Turgeon Machiavellian Generous Turgeon Sayarshan Presenting Lavirco Kadalko Norwich Turgeon Teenoso Sleeping Car Dernier Empereur Subotica Gulch Tiger Hill Durgam

Index 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77

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EXCLUSIVE STALLION STATISTICS

Leading sires of two-year-olds 2018 by earnings Name YOF Sire Rnrs Wnrs Wns/Rns (%) Wins AvgDist Earnings (£) Top Horse Earned (£) SWnrs SWs/Rnrs 2001 Danehill 130 48 36.92% 76 5.9 £1,538,872 Fairyland £353,446 4 3.08 Kodiac Galileo 1998 Sadler’s Wells 58 23 39.66% 33 7.7 £1,206,632 Hermosa £233,171 8 13.79 2011 Scat Daddy 54 26 48.15% 37 6.1 £959,802 Ten Sovereigns £199,044 5 9.26 *No Nay Never Scat Daddy 2004 Johannesburg 33 19 57.58% 28 6.2 £920,964 Skitter Scatter £295,982 4 12.12 Dubawi 2002 Dubai Millennium 47 22 46.81% 31 7.4 £867,582 Too Darn Hot £358,966 3 6.38 £319,061 5 9.43 Showcasing 2007 Oasis Dream 53 16 30.19% 25 6 £831,009 Advertise Lope de Vega 2007 Shamardal 72 26 36.11% 38 7.1 £706,184 Phoenix of Spain £126,733 6 8.33 2008 Dansili 85 25 29.41% 35 7 £678,331 Main Edition £107,641 7 8.24 Zoffany Invincible Spirit 1997 Green Desert 49 20 40.82% 28 6.3 £677,941 Magna Grecia £153,515 4 8.16 Dandy Man 2003 Mozart 95 30 31.58% 40 6 £670,617 Cedars of Lebanon £91,471 1 1.05 Pretty Pollyanna £301,414 2 4.26 Oasis Dream 2000 Green Desert 47 18 38.30% 26 6.1 £631,961 Camacho 2002 Danehill 62 21 33.87% 32 6.1 £609,560 Signora Cabello £234,629 2 3.23 2007 Pivotal 60 22 36.67% 30 6.3 £508,794 Miss Flawless £49,601 0 0 Siyouni Kaneko 2001 Pivotal 41 21 51.22% 47 6 £490,653 Angel of Death £49,999 0 0 *Australia 2011 Galileo 54 15 27.78% 18 7.5 £479,074 Broome £117,200 1 1.85 2007 Rock of Gibraltar 52 18 34.62% 34 6 £471,667 The Mackem Bullet £127,048 1 1.92 Society Rock Dark Angel 2005 Acclamation 106 29 27.36% 36 6.3 £468,597 Angel’s Hideaway £68,901 2 1.89 2009 Montjeu 62 17 27.42% 20 7.8 £461,985 Wonderment £144,213 2 3.23 Camelot *Charm Spirit 2011 Invincible Spirit 68 25 36.76% 35 6.1 £445,887 Chicago May £39,435 1 1.47 *Kingman 2011 Invincible Spirit 52 20 38.46% 27 7 £442,326 Calyx £90,240 5 9.62 Footstepsinthesand 2002 Giant’s Causeway 60 22 36.67% 27 6.1 £440,147 Marie’s Diamond £127,521 2 3.33 Zebedee 2008 Invincible Spirit 67 16 23.88% 20 5.9 £424,701 Barbill £200,654 1 1.49 The Great Heir £164,638 0 0 Pedro the Great 2010 Henrythenavigator 21 8 38.10% 13 6.3 £383,891 Shamardal 2002 Giant’s Causeway 38 16 42.11% 21 6.8 £380,947 Emaraaty Ana £142,527 1 2.63 *Sea the Moon 2011 Sea the Stars 42 16 38.10% 21 7.3 £373,669 Noble Moon £77,501 2 4.76 53 10 18.87% 17 6.1 £371,716 Dark Vision £129,053 1 1.89 Dream Ahead 2008 Diktat *Anodin 2010 Anabaa 47 16 34.04% 21 7.3 £370,092 Anodor £88,044 2 4.26 24 6 25.00% 11 6.9 £362,567 Lily’s Candle £242,803 1 4.17 Style Vendome 2010 Anabaa Kyllachy 1998 Pivotal 39 13 33.33% 20 6.1 £356,751 Red Balloons £158,561 0 0 Exceed and Excel 2000 Danehill 46 17 36.96% 26 6.3 £355,893 Queen of Bermuda £130,105 2 4.35 *Bungle Inthejungle 2010 Exceed and Excel 60 25 41.67% 29 5.7 £354,202 Rumble Inthejungle £82,594 2 3.33 *Toronado 2010 High Chaparral 54 22 40.74% 26 6.7 £351,613 Watan £45,067 0 0 Acclamation 1999 Royal Applause 32 7 21.88% 11 5.9 £342,351 Well Done Fox £91,292 1 3.13 *Ruler of the World 2010 Galileo 17 4 23.53% 5 7.4 £334,529 Iridessa £304,525 1 5.88 *Olympic Glory 2010 Choisir 54 19 35.19% 21 7.4 £322,695 Watch Me £29,768 1 1.85 Iffraaj 2001 Zafonic 59 18 30.51% 24 7.4 £322,635 Next Factor £37,989 0 0 Sir Prancealot 2010 Tamayuz 29 15 51.72% 23 6.1 £318,979 Ginger Nut £181,527 0 0 *War Command 2011 War Front 51 24 47.06% 30 7 £307,655 Victory Command £47,154 1 1.96 Dansili 1996 Danehill 39 14 35.90% 18 7.7 £302,113 Just Wonderful £113,719 1 2.56 Raven’s Pass 2005 Elusive Quality 22 6 27.27% 8 7.1 £295,305 Royal Marine £210,643 1 4.55 Mayson 2008 Invincible Spirit 43 12 27.91% 15 5.8 £284,877 True Mason £69,077 0 0 Dragon Pulse 2009 Kyllachy 37 15 40.54% 22 6.6 £280,735 I’ll Have Another £50,536 1 2.7 Dawn Approach 2010 New Approach 42 11 26.19% 16 6.6 £273,761 Madhmoon £88,423 2 4.76

Kodiac topples Galileo in juvenile battle Congratulations to Kodiac and Tally-Ho Stud for the stallion dethroning Galileo at the head of the juvenile list, and by a fairly wide margin. Numerically he has not quite matched 2017, when his 52nd winner enabled him to overtake Sunday Silence as world record holder in number of two-year-old scorers in a single season, but he has had a banner year.

There is quality as well as quantity, since Fairyland won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes, Hello Youmzain the Group 2 Citerium de Maisons-Laffitte and Kessaar – set to stand alongside his sire in 2019 – the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes, while Jash went close to landing the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. Closely related to Invincible Spirit, Kodiac started at a fee of €5,000; this year it will be €65,000.

Galileo is a clear leader on percentage of stakes winners to runners but things are much tighter among the first-season sires. No Nay Never is champion on earnings and with 26 winners he leads in that department as well. However, Charm Spirit and Bungle Inthejungle are both on 25 with War Command on 24 so the title race is not yet done and dusted.

*First-season sire

Leading sires 2018 by % of stakes winners to runners Name YOF Sire Rnrs Wnrs Wns/Rns (%) Wins AvgDist Earnings (£) SHs SHsRnrs SWnrs SWsRnrs Galileo 1998 Sadler’s Wells 248 107 43.15% 152 10.5 £8,638,896 55 22.18 34 13.71 Frankel 2008 Galileo 122 72 59.02% 113 9.9 £4,904,797 33 27.05 15 12.3 Dubawi 2002 Dubai Millennium 199 105 52.76% 174 9.1 £6,022,723 31 15.58 24 12.06 Scat Daddy 2004 Johannesburg 61 32 52.46% 43 6.8 £1,223,185 11 18.03 7 11.48 No Nay Never 2011 Scat Daddy 54 26 48.15% 37 6.1 £959,802 12 22.22 5 9.26 War Front 2002 Danzig 76 37 48.68% 53 7.1 £1,607,428 15 19.74 6 7.89 Teofilo 2004 Galileo 197 91 46.19% 127 10.1 £2,692,663 21 10.66 15 7.61 Invincible Spirit 1997 Green Desert 260 127 48.85% 200 7.1 £3,837,167 32 12.31 18 6.92 Soldier Hollow 2000 In the Wings 162 73 45.06% 129 8.9 £1,888,005 18 11.11 11 6.79 Fastnet Rock 2001 Danehill 105 57 54.29% 88 9.8 £2,360,778 11 10.48 7 6.67 Pivotal 1993 Polar Falcon 157 73 46.50% 119 8.7 £2,916,139 19 12.1 10 6.37 Intello 2010 Galileo 96 36 37.50% 58 9.7 £1,575,738 12 12.5 6 6.25 Falco 2005 Pivotal 48 22 45.83% 43 10.2 £899,241 4 8.33 3 6.25 Lope de Vega 2007 Shamardal 214 102 47.66% 169 8.6 £2,815,044 26 12.15 13 6.07 Shamardal 2002 Giant’s Causeway 215 102 47.44% 141 8.1 £3,094,229 27 12.56 13 6.05 Camelot 2009 Montjeu 168 76 45.24% 108 9.9 £3,007,983 18 10.71 10 5.95 Nathaniel 2008 Galileo 171 68 39.77% 106 11 £4,408,516 16 9.36 10 5.85 Redoute’s Choice 1996 Danehill 70 36 51.43% 56 9.9 £805,197 7 10 4 5.71 Farhh 2008 Pivotal 37 18 48.65% 31 10.1 £1,015,353 5 13.51 2 5.41 Siyouni 2007 Pivotal 195 82 42.05% 126 7.9 £3,614,370 20 10.26 10 5.13 New Approach 2005 Galileo 160 64 40.00% 96 9.6 £2,740,112 15 9.38 8 5 Wootton Bassett 2008 Iffraaj 60 25 41.67% 37 8.2 £1,246,767 7 11.67 3 5 Dawn Approach 2010 New Approach 102 34 33.33% 51 8.1 £1,064,801 10 9.8 5 4.9 Manduro 2002 Monsun 123 53 43.09% 82 10.9 £1,342,951 7 5.69 6 4.88 Tamayuz 2005 Nayef 83 33 39.76% 47 7.9 £895,754 8 9.64 4 4.82 Areion 1995 Big Shuffle 127 68 53.54% 102 8.2 £1,079,881 12 9.45 6 4.72 Zoffany 2008 Dansili 235 87 37.02% 120 8.5 £1,933,528 19 8.09 11 4.68 Kitten’s Joy 2001 El Prado 65 28 43.08% 47 9.2 £3,251,745 7 10.77 3 4.62 Whipper 2001 Miesque’s Son 87 35 40.23% 55 9.8 £1,880,534 5 5.75 4 4.6 Dansili 1996 Danehill 175 79 45.14% 115 10.1 £2,648,945 16 9.14 8 4.57 Sea the Stars 2006 Cape Cross 159 69 43.40% 107 10.8 £5,832,037 19 11.95 7 4.4 High Chaparral 1999 Sadler’s Wells 141 51 36.17% 80 10.2 £1,284,524 8 5.67 6 4.26 Showcasing 2007 Oasis Dream 166 78 46.99% 116 6.9 £1,846,764 12 7.23 7 4.22 Panis 1998 Miswaki 50 19 38.00% 28 8 £1,070,859 5 10 2 4 Dylan Thomas 2003 Danehill 77 33 42.86% 54 9.5 £818,155 6 7.79 3 3.9 Victory Gallop 1995 Cryptoclearance 155 87 56.13% 179 8.3 £2,727,824 14 9.03 6 3.87 Lawman 2004 Invincible Spirit 213 78 36.62% 107 9.4 £1,623,611 12 5.63 8 3.76 Luxor 2000 Distant Relative 80 33 41.25% 80 7.6 £1,505,144 4 5 3 3.75 Exceed and Excel 2000 Danehill 225 103 45.78% 174 6.6 £2,431,664 14 6.22 8 3.56 Havana Gold 2010 Teofilo 113 36 31.86% 58 7.6 £974,654 6 5.31 4 3.54 Raven’s Pass 2005 Elusive Quality 117 52 44.44% 78 8.5 £1,254,213 11 9.4 4 3.42 Declaration of War 2009 War Front 93 47 50.54% 65 9.4 £1,051,512 7 7.53 3 3.23 Mastercraftsman 2006 Danehill Dancer 282 108 38.30% 169 10.3 £4,018,916 22 7.8 9 3.19

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Galileo clear from son Frankel – though 2019 could be different Galileo has bounced back to his customary position, a tally of 34 winners from 248 runners putting him clear of the field on 13.71%. 2018 was not one of his most spectacular years but with the firepower at his disposal a relative shortage of truly outstanding performers did little to cramp his style.

It may be a different matter in 2019 since Frankel’s record with fewer than half the number of runners fielded by the leader was exceptional and included three Group 1 winners in Cracksman, Without Parole and Call The Wind. He will not be going backwards, a comment that equally applies to Dubawi, who is four years younger than Galileo and is getting more and more good runners with each passing year. Quorto and Too Darn Hot must give him a chance of siring his first representative rated 130 or higher.

Soldier Hollow, a tough-as-teak four-time Group 1 winner now aged 19 and standing at Gestüt Auenquelle, has done well to break into the top ten, having been out of the leading 20 a few months back. His highlight was a 1-2 in the Deutsches Derby with Weltstar and Destino.

All statistics correct up until December 7

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The Finish Line with Jack Gilligan

Jockey Jack Gilligan, 22, left Britain for America with his parents in August 2014. He had his first mount in the United States at Indiana Downs on September 9, 2014 and 18 days later enjoyed his breakthrough win aboard Aleutian Queen at Belterra Park in Cincinnati. Four years later, Gilligan has become established in the Midwest, riding on the competitive Kentucky circuit for most of the year and at Fair Grounds, New Orleans during the winter.

Up to December 11, Gilligan had won 263 races in the United States for career prize-money of more than $5.94 million.

Interview: Steve Andersen

M

y schedule, compared to England, is a lot better from a lifestyle point of view. We don’t have to do as much morning work. It’s nice to have more days to myself and I really enjoy that over here. At Fair Grounds, I can walk to the track. New Orleans is my favourite place to ride. There is a lot of cool stuff to do; it’s a fun city and I like the live music. We’re racing four days a week.

In Kentucky at Churchill Downs in the spring, we race Thursday through Sunday.

At Ellis Park, we run three days a week.

Sometimes I go to Indiana on the off days.

During Keeneland, it’s five days a week.

I left Newmarket in 2014, and Sir Mark Prescott’s team, to continue riding in the US. My dad was born in America, in New York. His family moved to England and Dad grew up in London. He was a trainer for years and years, but he always wanted to come back to America. We used to come on vacation over here.

it doesn’t matter as much going one or two paths wide. Now I only really watch the big days back home – Royal Ascot, Champions Day and Cheltenham.

The dirt racing was something I had to learn; it’s completely different. You get a lot of kick-back and sometimes the horses really don’t like it. I also learned about switching leads. I was only in the country for two or three weeks before I started race-riding. I didn’t have much time to do trackwork before I got started.

My first winter here I was second leading rider at Turfway with my bug. It was a learning curve but it made me grow up quickly. It’s far more tactical riding in the United States. I have a lot of respect for the good riders – I think they’re as good as the jockeys anywhere in the world.

In Britain I rode in about 35 races, won four and had nine places. The whole year I had my apprenticeship, I was with Sir Mark Prescott. With the bug (allowance) system here, you will ride a lot of winners if you’re any good. We thought, let’s have a family adventure. We bought tickets with a six-month return. We ended up loving it and we stayed. It’s the best decision we’ve ever made.

I’m more European in how I work horses in the morning. Now I know where I’m at with timings and I can feel it a bit more; I can feel what the pace is. When I hit the wire, I know what we hit. Some mornings in Kentucky, I’ll breeze a horse at Churchill Downs, drive to Keeneland to breeze a horse and then drive to Ellis Park. By then, you’ve done five hours of driving. I ride work every morning. Sometimes, I’ll breeze one and sometimes I’ll breeze nine.

I’ll run two miles and I wear a couple of extra layers to lose weight.

When I settled in the US, I learned a heck of a lot. But I was very naïve. I thought I was a good rider, but I got humbled very quickly, especially riding in races. People think it is easy because all the tracks are the same. Actually, it’s hard, because it’s hard to find the advantages. Good jockeys will take an inch here or there. In England

I ride at 114lb, or 8st 2lb. It was harder when I had the bug as I had to ride at 8st.

But I got through it. In America you are only an apprentice for one year. I eat only one meal a day but it’s a normal size meal.

If I get invited out, I can go; my body has gotten used to [not eating]. I don’t get hungry now until 5pm.

My goal for this year was to ride 72 winners or more. That was my total last year. At present I’m on 65 winners [through December 11] so I’m close to my goal. In the next six to 12 months, I’ll go to Kentucky next spring and summer.

Next year, I’d like to break 100 winners if I could. Also, I’d love to be leading rider at Ellis Park.

All of the top trainers in Kentucky have used me at some point. But it is different here; it is very up and down. If you have a good job in England, you have a little bit more security. Over here it’s hard to find a stable that will stick with you through thick or thin – it’s more of a business. If you have a couple of [bad] rides, you’re out. It doesn’t matter how much work you’ve done.

I have been lucky in the last two years.

I’ve ridden for some great trainers and I have a good relationship with so many.

They’re starting to use me more and more. Hopefully, I’ve made good on the opportunity that I’ve been given.

I wouldn’t be where I am without my father. He’s taught me so much. He’s my biggest fan and my biggest critic.

He’s been hard on me, but you need someone like that in your life. He makes you stay on the straight line. He’s a very good horseman and my mum is a great horsewoman. They have taught me a lot.

Around Kentucky With The Bug, by Patrick Gilligan, is priced at £14 (paperback), published by Random House Publications. Available online and in selected boodshops.

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