Thoroughbred Owner Breeder

THE £6.95 AUGUST 2022 ISSUE 216

Make mine a double Rob Hornby savours Group 1 strikes with Alcohol Free and Prosperous Voyage

PLUS

Mick Appleby

Trainer’s top-level targets

Whatton Manor Stud

Player family’s operation riding high

Richard Phillips

Driving National Racehorse Week forward

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Only the best for company Comparison of the first four crops of leading European Stallions By black type winners to July 14th of their fifth season with runners Sire

Stud

Winners

Black Type Winners

Group Winners

Frankel

2013

200

50

39

Kingman

2015

265

46

27

Dubawi

2006

217

45

28

Sea The Stars

2010

204

40

23

Lope De Vega

2011

200

32

17

No Nay Never

2015

202

31

15

Siyouni

2011

161

23

14

Wootton Bassett

2012

58

5

3

Statistics supplied by Hyperion Promotions Ltd

Contact Shane Horan, Henry Bletsoe or Claire Curry +44 (0)1638 731115 | nominations@juddmonte.co.uk

www.juddmonte.com

Welcome Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Nancy Sexton Design/production: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1SB editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.theownerbreeder.com Twitter: @TheOwnerBreeder Instagram: theownerbreeder Advertising: Giles Anderson UK: 01380 816777 IRE: 041 971 2000 USA: 1 888 218 4430 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk 01183 385 686 The Owner Breeder can be purchased by non-members at the following rates:

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The Owner Breeder is owned by the Racehorse Owners Association Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA Our monthly average readership is 20,000

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Racehorse Owners Association Ltd 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1SB Tel: 01183 385680 info@roa.co.uk • www.roa.co.uk

£6.95 AUGUST 2022 ISSUE 216

Make mine a double Rob Hornby savours Group 1 strikes with Alcohol Free and Prosperous Voyage

le,

PLUS

Mick Appleby

Trainer’s top-level targets

Whatton Manor Stud

Player family’s operation riding high

Richard Phillips

Driving National Racehorse Week forward

www.theownerbreeder.com

Cover: Owner Jeff Smith’s July Cup heroine Alcohol Free with jockey Rob Hornby and groom Diana Magalhaef on Newmarket’s July Course Photo: Bill Selwyn

Edward Rosenthal Editor

Thesis shows prize-money drives owner behaviour T

o adjust the famous line from the film The Godfather – which incidentally features a scene involving a horse, albeit not in such happy circumstances – they were made an offer they couldn’t refuse. The sale of three-year-old colt Thesis by Juddmonte to Hong Kong interests sends a clear message about the state of British racing and its place in the international hierarchy.

After all, if Juddmonte cannot resist the lure of big money from abroad, what does that say to smaller owners – which is basically everyone else bar a handful of elite operations – about how to respond when that call comes through promising a potentially life-changing cheque? Even more so in these days of the much-referenced cost-ofliving crisis.

Admittedly, there are reasons for this particular sale beyond a simple cash bonus. Juddmonte is in the stallion business and its primary goal is to produce top-class racehorses that can take their place alongside Frankel and Kingman in the stallion block or, if female, join the illustrious broodmare band that might one day produce a homebred champion like the above duo.

As a handicapper, albeit a high-class one with the potential to develop into a Group-race performer, Thesis falls below the threshold for Juddmonte sires. His sale for an outfit that has been reducing its stock in the wake of founder Prince Khalid Abdullah’s death makes good business sense in an environment where the costs of production and training are stratospheric when compared to potential returns on the racecourse.

British racing has long enjoyed the patronage of wealthy, overseas-based owners whose involvement has been guaranteed without needing to factor such variables as prize-money into the equation. Yet it’s the accountants calling the tune in many well-known bloodstock businesses, with cutbacks and culls the order of the day. Thesis earned just under £65,000 for his Britannia win at Royal Ascot – not enough to keep him racing in the Juddmonte silks.

The recent boycott of a race at Newbury on a high-profile Saturday card owing to a derisory purse for a fillies’ novice contest reflects badly on

the sport and shows the depth of feeling amongst trainers and owners.

Where does this leave British racing? In an uncomfortable position, undoubtedly, something BHA Chairman Joe Saumarez Smith will be only too aware of having taken over the hotseat from Annamarie Phelps earlier this year. His maiden speech, at a conference at Newbury of all places, was data-heavy, in that he used the word data repeatedly – 33 times according to our columnist Howard Wright (see pages 18-19).

Selling race data was once thought to be the solution to British racing’s funding woes. As we await publication of the government’s white paper on gambling reforms – now set to be delayed until the autumn – and face the prospect of a potential cut to racing’s income via the levy, perhaps the sport’s best minds can re-look at the data situation and work out if the potential exists to

“The accountants are calling the tune in many bloodstock businesses” exploit this avenue for racing’s benefit.

Despite these challenging times, plenty of participants are making hay, including Oakham trainer Mick Appleby. Having recorded his maiden century last season, Appleby is enjoying another profitable year, with 10,000-guinea purchase Raasel leading the charge, having made his breakthrough at Pattern level last month.

He tells Graham Dench how he identifies bargains from other stables and turns them into prolific winners – an Appleby trademark – while warning that the current level of fixtures is unsustainable in the long-term and that low prize-money could see more owners leaving the sport (The Big Interview pages 26-29).

THE OWNER BREEDER

1

Contents

August 2022

60

News & Views ROA Leader Political upheaval causing uncertainty

TBA Leader Transparency key to racing's future

News New whip rules brought in

Changes News in a nutshell

Howard Wright Measuring performance vital

Haras d'Haspel Jose Delmotte's hard work pays off

5 7 8 10 18

Features The Big Picture Rob Hornby's Group 1 double

Whatton Manor Stud The Player family's thriving business

The Big Interview With trainer Mick Appleby

First-crop yearling sires Stallions out to make their mark

2

THE OWNER BREEDER

36

Breeders' Digest Fascinating facts on foal development

41

Sales Circuit Record figures for young jumping stock

42

Caulfield Files Dubawi's sons in focus

52

The Finish Line With Richard Phillips

72

Forum ROA Forum Gay Kelleway helping in Ukraine

14 20 26

54

TBA Forum Flat Breeders' Awards Evening winners

60

Great British Bonus Latest news

65

Breeder of the Month Gary Robinson's Derby delight

66

Vet Forum 30

Reproductive management of fillies

69

36

26

30

Did you know?

Our monthly average readership is

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ROA Leader

Charlie Parker President

Government changes set to affect timetable

‘A

week is a long time in politics’ – never has an idiom felt more appropriate. The UK political sphere has rarely experienced such an intense period of turmoil and flux.

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s successor being appointed in the coming weeks, what impact will this have on British racing and are we edging any closer to the big reveal of the Gambling Act Review white paper?

The white paper has faced an inordinate number of delays since its inception in 2020. The aim of the review was to update legislation, originally published 17 years ago, to make it fit for the digital age. The legislative process has already taken 20 months (and counting) and bringing this to a conclusion would bring much-needed closure for gambling stakeholders and reformists.

We are still hearing that this is on track for release in the coming weeks. However, with Parliament’s summer recess imminent, closely followed by the final stages of the election to appoint a new Prime Minister, this is looking increasingly unlikely.

Chris Philp, the minister in the UK government responsible for gambling, resigned at the beginning of July. In his resignation letter, he shared that “the Gambling Act Review is with Number 10 for final approval, containing strong measures to protect people from gambling addiction”. On one of the more contentious issues – affordability – he maintained that some checks would be implemented, a key area of concern for the British racing industry. Affordability checks requesting personal financial records before punters can wager as little as £100 per month could result in a drop of close to £100 million in racing’s annual finances. A recent report suggested that almost a third of punters would be driven to the black market should draconian affordability measures be introduced.

There are already signs that self-policing by operators has led to a significant decline in online betting on horseracing, impacting both the levy and the media rights deals that help fund prize-money. This represents a double blow to the horseracing levy, estimated at a figure close to £5 million in lost income per year. Finding the balance between protecting the health and wellbeing of the most vulnerable whilst maintaining and future-proofing racing’s revenues is one of the many challenges facing our next PM. In what was more welcoming news from Westminster, the government has decided to bring forward the review of the levy system from 2024 to the second half of 2022. However, with the change to the occupant of Downing Street and the delay to the white paper, there is no guarantee that the planned earlier review will survive the regime change at the head of the Tory party. An earlier review is critical if racing is to close the gap in the real value of the levy, especially with inflation as high as it currently is.

Hopefully the new government will stick to the earlier timetable and deliver some positive news to racing’s leadership.

The BHA’s whip report was published last month, containing 20 recommendations made by the Whip Consultation Steering Group, which was formed from a cadre of experienced industry personnel. Owners were represented by ROA Board members Celia Djivanovic and Tom Goff.

One of the key discussion points within the steering group was the validity of the whip in racing and whether it should be permissible to use it for encouragement or discontinue its use altogether. The agreement reached allows for the whip to be retained for encouragement, with the number of permitted

“Protecting the vulnerable whilst future-proofing racing’s revenues will be a challenge for our next PM” uses to remain unchanged but with the action restricted to use in the backhand only. This collaborative, pragmatic approach to a potentially virulent hot topic was expertly handled by the BHA and working group representatives. As owners, we need the jockeys to obey the rules and avoid at all costs the ultimate penalty of losing a race. We know winners are hard enough to come by, let alone lose one for an arithmetic error.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the non-declaration of starters for the final race at Newbury on July 16. I echo the frustration relating to prize-money at some meetings. We know there remain certain races and courses that are not as well supported and it is understandable that frustrations can create a situation where things boil over. Let’s work together to address these issues and build a sport based on co-operation rather than confrontation.

THE OWNER BREEDER

5

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Torquator Tasso Winner Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Gr.1 Gr.1 winner as 3 and 4yo

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TBA Leader

Julian Richmond-Watson Chairman

Clarity over revenue key to future planning S

uccessfully progressing the proposal and the work already under way to produce a future plan for British racing is going to require considerable input from all parties involved in the sport. The combination of short-term planning and long-term strategy needs total buy-in from all sectors of horseracing.

First and foremost, this input requires transparency over data, in particular about the income received from the betting industry for media and betting rights, which flow into the sport through the Levy Board and individual racecourses.

There is little point in trying to build a sustainable model for the future of racing if the whole industry does not understand or is not aware of what drives the major external contributor to sport’s annual income and the sensitivities around it.

In assessing the various influences, questions abound. Is a small but select field of runners the disaster that some would have us believe? Equally, is a handicap with 16-plus runners the panacea that some would have us believe? Does dividing races at whatever level lead to greater income or does it just split up the existing payments? Should there be more or fewer meetings, or more or fewer races?

Without answers to these questions and all the relevant complementary information, in whatever confidential and anonymised form the data are supplied, there is little prospect of being able to make meaningful judgements so that the sport can progress with a proper plan.

Of course, I appreciate that this information could be construed as commercially sensitive, but the bookmaking industry is willing to have its figures independently audited by the Levy Board, so it should be possible to introduce a similar arrangement that applies to individual racecourses or racecourse groups.

The Thoroughbred Group (previously known as the Horsemen’s Group) had various prize-money agreements with racecourses in place, which were linked to media rights. On that basis it should be possible for racing as a whole to agree on how much of the income from the betting industry should go to the participants in the sport and how much should be retained by the racecourses for their own use.

I don’t believe that other sources of income, such as that from racegoers, sponsors or non-racing activities, which are generated by way of racecourses’ ongoing business arrangements, need to be brought into the equation. These elements are the result of the racecourses’ investment and hard work, either groups or independent entities, and so income from these sources should be distributed at the racecourses’ discretion.

However, the income from media and betting rights is facilitated directly by individual members of the Thoroughbred Group taking part. Their return from this vital component of industry revenue should be transparent.

I write when the bookmaking industry claims to be paying, and going to pay in the future, substantially more for media and betting rights than in the past, and I frame them in this way as I understand they are now a combination of both payments. Gambling Commission policy and future gambling legislation will have an effect on both elements, up and down, so all parties will benefit from shared information.

However, without clarity on how the payments are made up, it is difficult to see how the fixture list, historically

“Racing should agree on how much of the income from the betting industry goes to the participants” framed around the Levy Board’s fixture criteria, and the race programme can be adjusted and improved to meet everyone’s needs. The rewards for racing at times regarded as anti-social for the participants, and the reverse in seeking breaks in the schedule for participants, are impossible to calculate without transparency on their likely effect on the sport’s revenue.

The funding of British racing has fundamentally changed, with figures of £350 million regularly quoted as the payment from the betting industry to the sport. If, as we are told, this sum is to substantially increase, or may even decrease, then the whole industry needs to understand the implications of such changes, good or bad, so that efforts can be made where possible to enhance or mitigate the circumstances that affect the changes.

We need to work together to ensure that all income is fairly shared so that there is a strong future for British racing.

THE OWNER BREEDER

7

News

Four (backhand) strikes and you’re out:

disqualification threat under new whip rules

8

THE OWNER BREEDER

BILL SELWYN

T

he British Horseracing Authority revealed the findings of its whip review last month, with a package of recommendations including higher penalties for transgressions in big races and jockeys being restricted to using the whip in the backhand position only.

The recommendations sparked a mixed reaction, with bookmakers, punters’ representatives and the RSPCA among those uneasy with aspects of the new guidelines, including disqualification for serious breaches and the continuation of the whip for purposes of encouragement, albeit no longer with the whip held in the forehand position.

Launched in response to the Horse Welfare Board’s ‘A life well lived’ strategy document, a steering group was established in May last year to oversee the consultation process and project, chaired

by David Jones (a BHA Independent Regulatory Non-Executive Director) and which featured representation from various stakeholders, including owners, trainers, jockeys and World Horse Welfare.

Having found consensus that the whip should be retained for encouragement, a series of proposals were put forward – with 20 key recommendations – aimed at fostering more judicious use of the whip in British racing. The proposals have been ratified by the BHA Board, with implementation set for late autumn.

With regard to the number of times a jockey is permitted to use the whip, currently standing (and not amended) at seven strikes on the Flat and eight strikes over jumps, disqualification will be introduced when the levels are exceeded by four. Asked at the press briefing about why the level was set at four, Jones called this “the line in the sand”.

The BHA report states “any disqualification decision should ideally be made by the stewards on the raceday,” though a new external review panel will have the power to change decisions subsequently if necessary.

With statistics showing that the whip rules are most likely to be broken in the bigger races where the rewards are significantly higher, penalties for offences will be more severe in the better-class contests.

In the new framework, suspensions for whip use above the permitted level in ‘major’ races will be double those for the same offence in ‘standard’ races. In the

Jockeys will only be permitted to use the whip in the backhand position in future

current rules, the definition of a nonstandard or major race is based on a prize-money threshold. This will now be broadened to include all Class 1 and Class 2 races in both codes (thereby covering all Group and Graded races, heritage handicaps, and major festival races), and any other race with a total prize fund exceeding £27,500 for a Flat race or £20,000 for a jump race.

For example, if a jockey uses the whip three times above the permitted level on the Flat in a major race, he or she will be hit with a 14-day ban, twice the current number of seven days, while also receiving a financial sanction.

A jockey who exceeds the level of strikes by two in a major race will receive a ten-day ban (up from four), while going one strike over will see a six-day penalty (increased from two days).

The move to stop riders from using the whip in the forehand position could see a large section of the weighing room having to amend their styles. Leading jump jockey Tom Scudamore, a member of the steering group, estimated that he currently used the whip 70-30 favouring the forehand position against backhand.

Consensus in the steering group was forged around maintaining the current permitted frequency of use but restricting whip use for encouragement to the backhand position only. This was the preferred approach for the following reasons: • It is more difficult, though of course not impossible, to strike a horse with excessive force from the backhand position; • The backhand discourages a wide arm

action, which is not only neater and more stylish but also reduces the likelihood that the whip will be used with excessive force and/or from above shoulder height; • The backhand is used effectively by many jockeys and is an action that all jockeys should be encouraged to learn, train for, and adopt; • Use in the backhand only is a regulatory approach that is gaining traction internationally and which is expected to be adopted more widely in the future.

A few caveats around this change were applied: • Use of the whip in the forehand position will continue to be permitted for safety purposes, provided the need for its use in this context is clear and unequivocal; • Use of the whip down the horse’s shoulder is permitted only when both of the jockey’s hands remain on the reins. If the whip is used in the forehand with the hand off the reins, this will constitute misuse; • The 2011 review noted backhand whip use may increase the potential for the whip to be used on the horse in the incorrect place. This is a particular concern in relation to less experienced riders.

A bedding-in period will be applied to enable jockeys to seek further training, while new guidance will be required defining use of the whip for encouragement in the forehand position as misuse, for which an appropriate penalty will be applied.

Steering Group Chair Jones said: “I

would like to offer my thanks to everyone who took part in this process, from the members of the steering group who brought their considerable, wide-ranging expertise to the table in a manner of collaboration and positivity, through to everyone who took part in the consultation.

“It is our view that, as a result of this process, we are continuing to evolve standards of whip use, through a regulatory approach that will be demonstrably and visibly fair in terms of what they ask of our horses and the spirit of fair sporting competition.

“It is inevitable that there will be those who think we have gone too far, and those who think we have not gone far enough. I ask only that the considerable expertise that has provided its input to this process, and the scale of the task in finding consensus across such a broad range of complex factors, be considered as part of any discussion about these proposals.

“It is a significant package of measures that we believe will stand the test of time.”

Jones was right to indicate that reaction would be mixed. Among those feeling the recommendations did not go far enough was the RSPCA, whose Director of Policy, Prevention and Campaigns, Emma Slawinski, said: “The BHA has missed the chance to improve the welfare of horses in sport – and get rid of the whip for encouragement – something that is long overdue and being demanded by the public. By just tinkering with the rules and allowing the whip to still be used for encouragement, the wellbeing of the horse is depressingly absent from these changes.

“It’s difficult not to conclude that these rule changes are about optics, not welfare.

There’s no evidence that switching to backhand-only whip strikes will reduce pain for horses – it’s just an attempt to try to make the sport look better.”

Whether the general public are ‘demanding’ the whip be banned for encouragement purposes has, however, not been obviously backed up by various surveys, which tend to highlight a lack of interest from the public in horseracing and its issues.

Indeed, there would be many in the racing industry who feel the sport’s leaders are making too big a deal of public perception and should be focusing more on doing the right thing for horseracing and its participants than seeking to placate a vocal but tiny minority who do not represent the general public.

That certainly appears to be the approach in Ireland, where there is no

STEVE DAVIES

Stories from the racing world

BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington: public engagement is important

appetite for changing the whip rules.

BHA Chief Executive Julie Harrington insisted that horseracing does require the public’s ‘licence’ and acceptance. She said: “I’m acutely aware racing’s future does depend on public engagement, so taking action that allows us to have some teeth, where there is misuse of the whip, I’m really pleased about.

“I was really hopeful that what this would do is allow us to take serious action to form a proper deterrent and I’m pleased about how it hangs together as a suite of recommendations. It’s been worth the time and I think that model of

“It is a package of measures that we believe will stand the test of time” taking the time to get it right is something we’ll continue to focus on.

“I think it was exactly the right starting point, to say we’re pulling together something with the aim of it standing the test of time. What you don’t know is what’s going to happen externally. There can be societal factors at play, there can be government intervention.

“Having something that we feel is a deep enough and strong enough look, so that people don’t feel the need to intervene, is also important for us as a sport.”

On- and off-course bookmakers were among the industry stakeholders seeking clarity from the BHA over how speedily decisions to revise placings would be made in the event of disqualification and

how the procedure would work.

Simon Clare, PR director for Ladbrokes Coral, said: “Getting answers will help us understand the likely impact on our customers, and for example whether we include disqualifications for a whip offence as part of our policy on paying double result [whereby bookmakers pay out on first past the post and a promoted winner].

“The last thing we want is for customers to cheer home winners and then lose out as that will impact on the appeal of betting on horseracing versus other sports.

“Given the significance and severity of a potential disqualification for a whip offence, and the potential impact on customers, it might make sense for this disqualification to be deemed after the official result and therefore not impacting on the official result for betting purposes.

But that is just one potential approach to dealing with this new rule.”

The suggestion for whip-use disqualifications to not impact the result for betting purposes would certainly find favour among on-course bookmakers, who would be even more in the firing line in such circumstances.

Cliff Emery, speaking to the Racing Post at Uttoxeter, said: “It will be a terrible headache for on-course bookmakers because it will mean you can’t pay out until they have weighed in.

You can’t do that if there’s any chance the result might be altered, and we’re not going to be stood there counting the use of the whip for each race.”

Along with owners, punters have traditionally been seen as the other biggest contributor to the sport and its coffers, and Horseracing Bettors Forum Chairman Colin Hord said: “We’ve seen in the last few months some fairly inconsistent stewarding and that’s our concern. We want some transparency with the way stewards approach the new whip rules.

“Any time there’s a disqualification, there’s impacts for the punter, but hopefully there won’t be many of them.

That’s what we were assured. I hope we reach a position where these incidents occur infrequently.

“When people see inconsistencies, that’s when they do get concerned. We had a meeting with the BHA and we applauded the idea of a centralised whip review panel. We felt that was a good idea and we believe more centralised stewarding can bring greater consistency. Stewarding in general needs to be quick, timely and carried out in the best way possible.”

THE OWNER BREEDER

9

Changes

Racing’s news in a nutshell

People and business Ali Rawlinson

A broken leg, sustained in a stalls incident at Chester in June, will keep the Flat rider on the sidelines for up to six weeks.

Newbury

Trainer boycott over poor prize-money sees no runners declared for a tenfurlong fillies’ novice contest at the track on July 16.

Bob Baffert

US Hall of Fame trainer sends out runners again following the end of a 90-day ban for medication violations.

David Egan

Loses role as first jockey to Prince AA Faisal, for whom he won the Saudi Cup, Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International on Mishriff.

Helen Willis

Appointed new General Manager at Carlisle racecourse, succeeding Molly Dingwall, who will fulfil the same role at Haydock Park.

Caroline Bailey

Jumps trainer who sent out 284 winners in Britain, including Crosspark in the 2019 Eider Chase, retires citing staffing issues.

Oakley Brown

Jockey quits the saddle aged 20 having partnered 29 winners under both codes, including Lucky Lucky Man in the 2018 Ayr Bronze Cup.

Zac Purton

Jockey lands his fifth Hong Kong jockeys’ title after a final day fourtimer sees the Australian edge out Joao Moreira.

Horse obituaries Scope 4

Winner of the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak for owner-breeder Julian Richmond-Watson is fatally injured on the gallops.

Kitten’s Joy 21

Top-class turf runner for Ken and Sarah Ramsey sired many Group 1 winners including Hawkbill and Roaring Lion.

Spieth 9

Promising sire for Aquis Farm in Queensland is euthanised after sustaining serious injuries in his box.

Blazing Batman 29

Four-time winner trained by Dr Philip Pritchard was often ambitiously campaigned over the course of his career.

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THE OWNER BREEDER

Dr Richard Newland

Trainer has a temporary suspension of runners lifted following an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus at his Worcestershire yard.

Joe Bradley

Godolphin Flying Start scheme graduate is appointed Head of Bloodstock Operations at the National Stud.

Daryl Jacob

Cartmel success on Redwood Queen in July means the jockey has ridden a winner at every jumps track in Britain.

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Changes

Racehorse and stallion

Movements and retirements

Lord Glitters High-class performer for Geoff and Sandra Turnbull, winning the Queen Anne and Jebel Hatta and earning over £2.2m, is retired aged nine.

Buveur D’Air Dual Champion Hurdle winner for JP McManus and Nicky Henderson, winner of eight Grade 1s overall and earning £1.2m, is retired aged 11.

Teona

Last year’s Prix Vermeille heroine for owner Ali Saeed and trainer Roger Varian is retired aged four after suffering a leg injury on the gallops.

Aclaim

National Stud stallion, sire of 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet, will shuttle to Aquis Farm for the southern hemisphere breeding season.

Thesis

Britannia Handicap winner for Roger and Harry Charlton is sold by Juddmonte and will continue his career for new owners in Hong Kong.

Pistol Whipped

Anthony and Mark Speelman’s talented chaser, winner of four races for Nicky Henderson, will continue his career in the US with Leslie Young.

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THE OWNER BREEDER

People obituaries Freddie Gray 96

West Sussex-based permit holder was Chairman of the Permit Trainers Association from 1994-2017.

Hank Goldberg 82

Much-admired horseracing broadcaster and tipster on ABC and ESPN in the US.

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The Big Picture

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Newmarket

All aboard the Hornby express The July Course will forever hold happy memories for Rob Hornby after Group 1 victories on successive days helped the rider banish the memory of being jocked off Irish Derby winner Westover. The Ralph Beckett-trained Prosperous Voyage, owned by Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen, got the ball rolling when defeating hot favourite Inspiral in the Falmouth Stakes (below left) before Jeff Smith’s filly Alcohol Free, trained by Andrew Balding, blasted up the track to see off Godolphin’s Naval Crown in the July Cup. Photos Bill Selwyn

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The Big Picture

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Sandown

Vadeni eclipses rivals French Derby victor Vadeni faced his first test against older rivals in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown. Christophe Soumillon utilised the son of Churchill’s potent turn of foot to brilliant effect as he finished strongly down the outside to see off the fast-finishing Mishriff (obscured) by a neck, just ahead of Native Trail and Lord North (left). Princess Zahra, daughter of owner the Aga Khan, was on hand to welcome back Vadeni, trained by Jean-Claude Rouget.

Photos Bill Selwyn

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The Howard Wright Column

hen Joe Saumarez Smith made his maiden speech as BHA Chairman at a sport-wide conference at the end of June, he made reference to being a data nerd. To emphasise the point, he used the word data or a derivative time and again, and again, and again. In total, from his pre-published statement of 1,432 words, data cropped up 33 times. Or, to keep the numbers theme going, an impressive 2.3 per cent of the presentation.

And Saumarez Smith is absolutely right – data is vital, yet often underused and definitely under-publicised in certain areas of British racing. Don’t be fooled by the recent emphasis on average field sizes and attendance figures, for they represent snapshots that require fuller coverage and greater explanation.

Key performance indicators, or KPIs, used to be all the rage but seem to have disappeared from vogue. Where, for instance, are the BHA’s KPIs, by which to measure its performance? The sport’s governing body used to be held to some form of account at an annual industry conference but that went by the board long ago, and the Newbury event, the second to be organised by the University of Liverpool with backing from the Racing Foundation and the support of an audience who, in the main, paid good money for the privilege, owed none of its formulation to the central authority.

Helpfully, to a degree, Saumarez Smith did refer to a number of projects that had previously been hidden from general view, including one that he said was “led by the BHA’s

BILL SELWYN

Data delivery crucial to assessing performance W

The Everyone’s Turf campaign aims to maintain and grow attendances over the summer and autumn

Kate Freeman and with Juliet Slot’s help to identify who in the industry has what data and how we can collect more comprehensive data, to drive both revenue increases and enhanced customer experience.”

Sounds fascinating, and vital, with Saumarez Smith mentioning “56 organisations and stakeholders who took part in phase one of the consultation,” from which a report apparently emerged. Forgive my ignorance, though, for I can

Nobody’s celebrating this first birthday Happy anniversary to the Bloodstock Code of Practice, which celebrates its first birthday on August 16 but like a naughty child seems reluctant to come out from behind its mother’s skirts.

The 11-strong membership of bodies, chaired by a representative of a major auction house, that makes up the Bloodstock Industry Forum (BIF), the code’s instigator and guardian, operates in a vacuum. It has no website, no apparent individual internet presence, and therefore no public profile.

Where does anyone go to raise issues around the buying and selling of bloodstock? And what happens if a complainant does manage to penetrate the fog?

There could be a long wait in the latter case, if the absence of action and resolution in charges laid against Dan Skelton over breaches of the trainers’ code of practice, covering incidents back in 2016 and 2017, is indicative of the way

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this kind of investigation into possible restitution plays out.

A reminder of the history of British bloodstock codes aimed at protecting fair play and encouraging transparent practices came earlier this year. The death of renowned agent and racing manager Anthony Penfold prompted re-reading of the 60-page transcript of Mr Justice David Richards’ judgement, which can be found in an instant through a Google search, from a case in 2003 in which he was sued by Newgate, the company that took on the assets of his late patron Prince Fahad Salman.

Penfold was found to have failed to inform Salman of an arrangement whereby he was given a percentage of various commissions granted to trainer Paul Cole. His trading of Newgate horses, in shares or their entirety, between his partner at the time, later wife Mary-Ann, and her father, mother and at least one friend, now seems

fraught with dangers.

Do any of these details ring a bell?

They should, because the first Bloodstock Industry Code of Conduct, intended to deal with some aspects of the Penfold case, came into force six years later, while the BHA reviewed the process in 2019 and made recommendations that came into effect last year. And still BIF is an organisation in need of a recognisable identity.

Perhaps to celebrate the anniversary the BHA should dig out the Penfold judgement, put it alongside the latest code of conduct, and decide whether the passage of time has smoothed the process for those at the sharp end of buying and selling bloodstock. Maybe it could start by asking if the most recent document really is a code of conduct and not just the restatement of a legal framework that shuts the proverbial stable door after the horse in question has bolted.

find no reference to this body of work on the BHA website, and the only mention of Kate Freeman’s connection with the governing body is through her LinkedIn profile, where she describes herself as project contractor at the BHA since September 2021.

Thankfully, there is one current sport-wide project whose success, or otherwise, can be measured. Everyone’s Turf, launched by Great British Racing, is one-third through a three-month campaign “to help to maintain and grow attendances” through this vital period of the year, when research suggests 35 per cent of annual attendance accrues.

Where the results of that study were published is not immediately apparent, but let’s not nitpick.

Everyone’s Turf is up and running, fronted by broadcaster and former footballer Jermaine Jenas, who figures in a short promo video with regular GBR ambassadors Chris Hughes and Khadijah Mellah, wafting through Sandown’s green and pleasant lands on the back of a prepared script. But why Jermaine Jenas?

The former Spurs and England midfielder, whose career tumbled into injury-hit retirement in 2014, comes across on television as an unassuming, friendly, family man. Yet his association with horseracing is not so obvious.

Like his fellow former football international Alex Scott, with whom Jenas occasionally shares The One Show sofas, he has spread himself across a subsequent media career so well that the latest BBC salary figures reveal his rise from 47th to 39th behind Match of the Day presenter Gary Linker, with

annual earnings from this one outlet lifted from ‘up to £199,999’ to ‘up to £224,999’. Nice work, and he can clearly get it, but what, beyond his niceness and a busy agent, prompted GBR to top up his pocket money with racing’s cheque?

Jenas has a column in The Mail on Sunday, where he recently avowed himself “proud to be part of the ‘I am the 12th Woman’ campaign to encourage fans of all genders to show their passion for women’s football.” Similar tubthumping for Everyone’s Turf is probably beyond his remit.

Sports and television personalities have been called on before to trumpet their involvement in British racing. From Denise Lewis and Lawrence Dallaglio in their short-lived Highclere Thoroughbreds days, to Jeremy Kyle (oops), to Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Victoria Pendleton, a variety of familiar names have been enticed across the divide, especially so since GBR morphed from Racing Enterprises Limited in 2016 to become racing’s principal overarching promoter. But very few have lasted the distance or seemed to have much impact beyond a social media presence.

Everyone’s Turf promises at least to provide direct comparisons with previous attendance figures, which may enable more participants to show the sort of greater agility and urgency that Saumarez Smith called for in his Newbury address. That’s provided GBR gets stuck into the data and removes its collective head from a mountain of fatuous and easily discarded press releases about the British Champions Series. Now there’s a subject worthy of a few KPIs.

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THE OWNER BREEDER

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Whatton Manor Stud

Family

PRIDE

A collection of current high-profile graduates has seen the Player family’s Whatton Manor Stud consolidate its strong reputation as a source of sound and successful racehorses

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Rest returned to win two more Group 1s, namely the Prix Ganay and Prince of Wales’s Stakes, St Albans Bloodstock’s Sense Of Duty, who was born and raised at Whatton Manor, looked something quite out of the ordinary in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes, while the homebred Grande Dame romped away with the Listed Coral Distaff.

Backing up those headline results have been the likes of smart two-yearolds Clearpoint and Queen Mary Stakes runner-up Maylandsea, both of whom were sold on behalf of Fiona Denniff, and the winning and Listed-placed State Of Rest: globetrotting Group 1 winner is a Whatton Manor pinhook

BRONWEN HEALY

A

t the moment it seems that barely a day goes by without Whatton Manor Stud registering a success in some shape or form, a point that was emphasised about 30 minutes into this interview when Ed Player pauses mid flow before casually saying: “I’ve actually just been texted by my father to say we’ve had another winner.”

And, moreover, there has been plenty of quality to complement the quantity of recent successes, with a Royal Ascot Group 1 winner, a burgeoning sprinting star, and a whole host of progressive young talents among the stud’s growing roll of honour.

In truth, the latest red-hot run of Whatton Manor graduates has merely seen the stud pick up where it left off last year, when the Nottinghamshire nursery’s flag was flown high by July Cup hero Starman, who was bred by David Ward, and State Of Rest, a 2018 pinhook who bagged a remarkable brace of top-flight international prizes in the Saratoga Derby and Cox Plate.

Having set the bar so high in 2021, Player admits to some apprehension starting a new season afresh, saying: “We had a great year last year with Starman and State Of Rest but we were a bit nervous that we weren’t going to be so lucky this time around, and we wondered where the next good one was going to come from.”

Player and his family didn’t have to wonder for long, however, as State Of

AMY LANIGAN

Words: James Thomas

With State Of Rest and Sense Of Duty among those to fly the flag, Whatton Manor Stud is in the midst of another memorable season

homebred Mukaddamah, while George Strawbridge’s Mimikyu and Mirsky showed the benefit of being raised at Whatton Manor by winning twice and, in the case of the latter, reaching the frame in Listed company.

These are just a handful of the many names who have been bred, raised or sold by Whatton Manor Stud before reaching the winners’ enclosure in recent times, along with the likes of Danville, Golden Voice, Greased Lightning, New Heights, Roseberry Topping, Totally Charming and Way Of Life, to name but a few.

These successes may have stemmed from a variety of sources spread neatly between clients’ horses, their own homebreds and their annual intake of pinhooks, but the common denominator

among the majority is the upbringing they enjoyed in Whatton Manor’s idyllic paddocks.

Player says the quality of the land helped give Whatton Manor an edge when they were operating with more humbly-bred stock, although an expanded portfolio of significant clients now means that plenty of blue-blooded youngsters are deriving those same benefits.

“We strongly believe that the land we have here at Whatton is very special,” says Player. “The Vale of Belvoir is known as very good cattle land and we’ve long since known it’s good for the horses too. As a result the horses we’ve been breeding here have always punched above their weight.

“In recent years we’ve had better

stock coming onto the place and you always hope that’s going to translate into bigger and better results. You can’t guarantee these things but we couldn’t be happier with how the year has gone and how the horses are running.”

Whatton Manor’s reputation for nurturing future winners has been built over 40 years, reaching back to the purchase and early development of the farm by Ed’s father, Peter Player. As the reputation has grown, so has the scale of the operation and the stud now stretches to 650 acres and features all the mod cons required to help young thoroughbreds through their formative years. The stud’s results have not gone unnoticed and the clientbase now includes a host of skilled and highly successful breeders.

THE OWNER BREEDER

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Whatton Manor Stud “My father started Whatton Manor Stud in 1982 and when he came here there were less than 15 stables on the place and there were very few fenced paddocks,” says Player. “He designed the stud and it’s been his lifetime’s work. It’s something I’ve been passionate about ever since I was born and for us to help bring the stud forward with him, and it’s very much a family enterprise, gives us all huge pride.”

There is no better advertisement for the grounding on offer at Whatton Manor than State Of Rest, who was pinhooked from his breeder Tinnakill House for 45,000gns at the 2018 Tattersalls December Foal Sale. The son of Starspangledbanner has now won four top-level prizes in four different countries and is scheduled to stand at Rathbarry Stud in Ireland and Newgate Farm in Australia once his dual-hemisphere stallion career gets under way.

Player says he saw plenty of physical development in the young State Of Rest, and his upward trajectory may still not have peaked yet as he produced a career-best performance on his 12th outing to deny Bay Bridge in gutsy fashion in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes last time out.

“He was just the kind of foal we like buying,” recalls Player. “He was quite leggy and a bit light but a very good mover. We saw him as a real improver and we felt that on our land he would grow the bone he needed and he’d fill his frame. He always had a nice pedigree and he was one we were really keen to get, although we were quite surprised when we did buy him, particularly as we didn’t buy many that year.”

While State Of Rest will forever be

Ed Player: ‘we believe the land here is very special’

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Starman: top sprinter was raised at Whatton Manor on behalf of David Ward

TATTERSALLS

››

defined by his Group 1 heroics, he won’t be remembered for leaving any great profit at Whatton Manor as he was bought by Aidan O’Ryan and Joseph O’Brien for what now looks a bargain 60,000gns. Not that Player has any complaints given what has happened since.

“He did very well from foal to yearling but we never quite got him to where we wanted and he still had further improvement to come,” says Player. “We just missed a couple of big players with him for one reason or another, as going into the sale ring we were hoping he was going to make over a hundred thousand.

“You always want to make money out of your pinhooks but, at the end of the day the most important thing is that they go to good homes and they turn into good horses.

“We want to have a reputation as being a stud that sells good horses, whether it’s for clients, pinhooks or homebreds. We want people to see

Whatton Manor as a farm they can come to and know they’re going to get sound, tough horses that will win races.”

State Of Rest now has five victories to his name and there is every chance there is more to come. As well as his innate class, his defining attribute is his thoroughly genuine attitude. That has been on display as he has annexed topflight races in the US, Australia, France and Britain, and has Player drawing a comparison with another multiple Group 1 winner with an iron constitution.

“We always felt he’d be a horse who was more of a three-year-old than a two-year-old but we never dreamt he’d improve as much as he did,” he says.

“When he’s in front two furlongs out he’s a hard horse to pass. He doesn’t win his races by far, but then neither did a horse like Giant’s Causeway.”

St Albans Bloodstock, the racing and breeding vehicle of Andrew Stone, has already tasted homebred Group 1 success thanks to Premio Lydia Tesio winner

Mukaddamah’s dam Craighall, who has bred five winners and long since repaid her purchase price of just 11,000gns at the 2010 Autumn Horses in Training Sale.

Player says that finding value among the stallion ranks remains an ongoing challenge for any operation with a commercial imperative, but adds that he is optimistic about the prospects of some of the up-and-coming names among the British roster.

“We like buying shares and breeding rights, it’s something we’ve been very lucky with over the years,” he says. “Years

BILL SELWYN

“It’s very much a family enterprise and gives us all huge pride”

God Given, a Nathaniel half-sister to the brilliant Postponed.

Further top-flight laurels could soon be on the way courtesy of Sense Of Duty, who is three from three this campaign, a run that includes success in the Listed Cecil Frail and the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes, the latter victory gained by no less than four and a half lengths. Somewhat remarkably, she is one of three fillies who shared the same Whatton Manor paddock before developing into a black-type performer.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have a good one for Andrew Stone, who’s a huge supporter of the industry,” says Player. “If Sense Of Duty could go on and be as good as she looks at the moment that would be very exciting.

“We liked her during her time here, she didn’t have perfect conformation but she always had huge quarters on her and looked very strong and she was one of those in the ‘could be anything’ category.

St Albans Bloodstock is managed by

Richard Brown and I remember clearly when he saw her he loved her and was always very sweet on her. We had a very good bunch of fillies that year because in one field we had Mukaddamah, Grande Dame and Sense Of Duty.”

While the quality of land and the high level of horsemanship provided by the Whatton Manor team have combined to help their clients’ stock realise its potential, be that on the racecourse or in the sales ring, they have also made plenty of smart moves of their own when it comes to broodmare buying and stallion selection.

A case in point being the well-touted Grande Dame, who is by Lope De Vega and out of Minwah, a daughter of Oasis Dream who was purchased with Larry Stratton for 46,000gns in 2012. The 13-year-old mare has already produced £730,750 worth of yearlings for Whatton Manor, and has a daughter of Too Darn Hot heading to Book 2 later this year. Similar comments apply to

and years ago my father bought two or three shares in Sharpen Up and he turned into a very good stallion and we made a lot of money from those, which really got us going in the early days when my father was starting off.

“We bought into Ardad and we’re huge fans of his. He really could go the whole way and his statistics are incredible. When you look at the quality of mares he’s covered he’s massively improving them and I could easily see him being another Kodiac, if not going beyond that.

“We like to support English studs and we’re big fans of Whitsbury Manor and Juddmonte, who do a very good job of making stallions. We’d all love to use Kingman and Pinatubo and Too Darn Hot but a lot of our mares don’t warrant that sort of covering fee, and it’s very expensive to send them to Ireland so having options in England makes life a lot easier.

“We’re delighted to see what a great job Whitsbury have done with Havana Grey, who we’ve also got a breeding right in. We sold three last year and they all had bombproof temperaments and they were such strong, athletic horses. Luckily we used him quite a lot this year and hopefully that’s going to pay off.”

This year’s mating plans also included Whatton Manor graduate Starman, who has reportedly gone down a storm in his first season at Tally-Ho Stud. It can be seen as a further measure of Whatton

THE OWNER BREEDER

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››

The stud is a family affair with Freddie (centre), pictured with his father Ed and Mick Murphy (left), also involved

High hopes for Magna Grecia pinhook ›› Manor’s success that, should the right

mares present themselves, their 2023 mating plans could include four stallions who were born or raised at the stud, with Starman joined by State Of Rest, Irish National resident Nando Parrado and Haras d’Annebault’s Fighting Irish.

“We’ve supported Starman and there’s a real buzz about the quality of mare he’s covered,” says Player. “We sent him a good one in Ensemble, who’s got a good three-year-old called Quick Change and bred a stakes-placed horse called Desert Haze, and I can’t wait to see his foals on the ground. David Ward is another who puts a huge amount into the industry and he’s very much living the dream at the moment.”

Player is far too humble to seek his share of credit for Whatton Manor’s current form, and instead reflects on recent results by saying: “You have your good days and you have your bad days, but when you have good winners and very serious clients supporting you, it gives you real pride in what you do.

“We’re extraordinarily lucky with the clients we have and I appreciate just how fortunate we are.”

It may be true that good fortune will always have a part to play in a business as unpredictable as racing and breeding, but it is not merely by chance that some of the most accomplished breeders around have placed their trust in the Player family’s operation. The veritable tsunami of Whatton Manor success stories tells you all you need to know.

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Whatton Manor Stud has plenty to look forward to at the upcoming yearling sales, not least Book 1 of Tattersalls October, where an eight-strong draft will feature three lots by Dubawi, including colts out of high-class racemares God Given and Dabyah, as well as a son of Invincible Spirit and Fiona Denniff’s blue hen Tiana, who is best known as the dam of Beat The Bank.

But it is Book 2 that will perhaps be most highly anticipated by the younger generation of the Player family, as that is where Ed’s 16-year-old son Freddie is due to offer his latest pinhook.

Freddie has already shown an eye for future talent that far exceeds his tender years, as two of his previous pinhooks went on to score in stakes company. A share in a Whatton Manor pinhook was Freddie’s reward for passing his 11-plus exam, and after some careful consideration he chose to be involved in the Dandy Man filly out of New Romantic.

The 7,000gns foal was resold for £24,000 and went on to be known as Dr Simpson, who won the Group 3 Mercury Stakes for Tom Dascombe. Freddie’s second involvement was with Method, the €16,000 son of Mehmas who was resold to Dermot Farrington for £20,000 and won the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes for Martyn Meade.

“Freddie has a share in a Magna Grecia colt out of Occupation, who we bought for 32,000gns at Newmarket,” says Ed Player. “He’s a fine, big, strong colt that I’d be very hopeful of doing well at the sales when he goes to Book 2. Hopefully he can keep Freddie’s record going!

“What’s so lovely about our industry is that the experts are brilliant with the younger generation. Whether it’s Ed Sackville, Richard Brown or Geoffrey Howson, they’ve all taken Freddie under their wing and taken the time to teach him.”

The knowledge that Freddie has acquired from his family and those leading bloodstock agents will undoubtedly stand him in good stead as his involvement in the industry progresses, and Player says he hopes to one day pass on the reins at Whatton Manor, just as his own father did to him.

“It’s very much a family business and my father is still very much involved, as are my wife, Katherine, and my children. Freddie is particularly keen and his two brothers, Archie (14) and Harry (ten), are starting to show an interest too,” he says.

“We’re a family enterprise so it feels special when we have success, and whether it’s just an ordinary winner or something a bit bigger, we just feel very lucky to be in such a beautiful spot with a lovely stud. Long may that continue and hopefully the future will be safe with one – or all three – of my sons taking the stud forward.”

“It’s hard to say goodbye to lines but sometimes you have to move on”

SARAH FARNSWORTH

Whatton Manor Stud

GROUP ONE SUCCESS Begins in Ireland SONNYBOYLISTON (IRE) G1 Irish St Leger September Yearling Buy

PROSPEROUS VOYAGE (IRE) G1 Falmouth Stakes Goffs Orby Buy

YEARLING SALE

DATE

Tattersalls Ireland September

20-21 September

Goffs Orby Sale

27-28 September

Goffs Sportsman’s Sale

29-30 September

Contact ITM for information and assistance Phone + 353 45 443 000 | Email Info@itm.ie | Website www.itm.ie

The Big Interview

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THE OWNER BREEDER

Mick Appleby

Magic

Mick Appleby sent out 109 winners last year and is now training a better class of horse at his Oakham stable

xxx xxx xx

MICK Mick Appleby is renowned for recruiting and

rejuvenating runners from other stables and in progressive five-year-old sprinter Raasel he has a horse that could make it to the very top of the tree this season Words: Graham Dench

ALAN WRIGHT

G

roup-race winners hail overwhelmingly from a relatively small pool of what are perceived to be ‘elite’ stables – and they tend to be either homebreds belonging to one of the major breeding operations or else sixfigure sales purchases.

Mick Appleby might not have been the first to buck that trend this year when he won the Group 3 Coral Charge at Sandown on Eclipse day with Raasel, but this was a remarkable eighth success in little more than nine months for the five-year-old, who had been bought from Shadwell for only 10,000 guineas after a year on the sidelines. If proof were needed that cheaply-bought, second-hand horses can win decent prizes, then here it was.

By the time you read this, Raasel’s winning spree might have come to an end in the King George Stakes at Goodwood.

On the other hand, he might have triumphed yet again and put himself firmly in the running for a tilt at the Nunthorpe.

However the five-year-old gelding fares, it should not detract from yet another extraordinary bit of training by a man whose slow-burning career was first properly ignited in 2010, when Cotswold Village and Seneschal, his first two runners from new premises in Cirencester, won on consecutive days at 66-1 and 50-1.

Over the next three years, Appleby further advertised his skills by winning nine

races, including a November Handicap, with £600 purchase Art Scholar, eight with £500 buy Lockantanks and no fewer than 17 with The Lock Master, who cost a princely £1,600.

He has moved premises again three times since, finally to a former polo yard at Oakham, which he has bought himself and developed just the way he wants it, but one constant has been his ability to rekindle the flame in a steady stream of horses who others have finished with, or to find untapped potential where former connections could not see it.

The majority of his runners began their careers elsewhere – the very useful sprinting siblings Danzeno and Demora, with 18 wins between them, are a rare exception – and improvement of 30lb or so on official ratings, sometimes even more, is not that uncommon.

So, what’s the secret, and more importantly, will he share it?

Fortunately, Appleby, who last year set a new personal best of 109 winners and is fast approaching a landmark 1,000th success, is refreshingly open about how he makes it all work.

“I bought Lockantanks and Art Scholar very cheaply at Ascot,” he explains. “With Lockantanks I knew the family, which was that of Lochsong, having been head lad to Andrew Balding for three or four years. He was a bit of a cripple, which is why he was

THE OWNER BREEDER

27

››

The Big Interview ›› so cheap, but we took our time getting him right and won a lot of races with him.

“Art Scholar had been sprinting, but when I looked at his pedigree, I thought there was a fair bit of stamina there and so I thought he was worth buying and stepping up in trip.”

Those early examples were followed by the likes of Bancnuanaheireann, who cost only 2,500 guineas but won valuable handicaps at Goodwood, Newmarket and Chelmsford; Pearl Nation, whose seven wins saw his rating rise from an initial 74 to a peak of 104; Poyle Vinnie, who was second in the Ayr Gold Cup and whose mark rose by a similar amount; Supersta, who won seven times and rose from 63 to 102: and of course Big Country, who arrived with a mark of 75 and peaked at 109, winning seven races, including the Zetland Gold Cup and a Listed event at Pontefract.

Since then, Hakam, who was Appleby’s first Group 3 winner when scoring at Ovrevoll, Edraak, King Of Stars, Saaheq, Whittle Le Woods, Zapper Cass and now recent Newcastle Group 3 second Annaf are among many others who have maintained an impressive flow.

“If prize-money isn’t improved a lot more owners will walk away” Success breeds success, as we know, and it was the clamour from those wanting a slice of the action, including Raasel’s owners The Horse Watchers and the syndicate’s predecessor the Rod In Pickle Partnership, which forced the subsequent moves into bigger premises. However, he has no plans to move again.

The Horse Watchers secure their own horses and then place them when they are ready to go, but Appleby sources and trains for plenty of others who leave it all to him. He doesn’t mind explaining what he does.

“I look at where the horse is coming from, how it’s bred and where and over what trip it’s been racing over, and then at what sort of problems they’ve got,” he says. “A lot of them do have issues, but I think I’ve got a good eye for identifying what they are and then it’s just a matter of giving them time and sorting them out if we can.

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“It doesn’t work with every horse. We haven’t got the type of owners who are spending hundreds of thousands, but I think we’ve got a pretty good strike-rate with problem horses from other yards.

“I don’t think there have been many who have gone backwards after joining us, but if I don’t think a horse is going to win, I’ll tell the owners, and then if they still want to keep them in training it’s up to them. Usually, they move them on and go in again.”

He adds: “The Horse Watchers have grown, as I have, and they are now in a position to spend a bit more, so we are starting to get some Class 1 and 2 horses, rather than the Class 5 and 6 ones we’ve usually been dealing with.”

Appleby believes he gives his owners a good overall experience – there’s an open-door policy seven days a week and they are welcome to wander freely around the barns and to join him on the gallops – and many have commented upon how refreshingly welcome they are made to feel compared to other trainers.

However, the more horses cost, the more owners expect of them, and Appleby has major concerns about the overall state of the sport. He doesn’t need much prompting to reel off a list of his frustrations.

He says: “Racing in this country is on a big decline and unless things are sorted out very soon a lot more owners will leave the sport. I think the BHA and stakeholders

all need a kick up the arse to be honest, as they seem to be burying their heads in the sand. Racing’s problems just aren’t getting sorted.

“There’s too much racing at the moment. I definitely think they need to do away with summer jumping, which even most of the jumps trainers seem to agree about. It’s not working, and there are too many fixtures full stop. Field sizes are too small, and although it’s great if you are in with a chance of winning, it’s no good for punters or racegoers.

“I’ve always been against Sunday racing.

I can see why they want it but racing seven days a week all year round is too much, so I’d suggest no racing on Mondays.

With fewer fixtures they could increase prize-money, which is a big concern and something my owners often talk about.

“The bonuses that ARC is putting on next winter are a good thing, but if prizemoney isn’t improved more widely, I think a lot more owners will be walking away from the sport.”

He regrets the switch from Fibresand at Southwell, where The Lock Master was so prolific. “To be fair I think it needed changing,” he concedes. “It had served its purpose and was getting pretty worn out.

I don’t have so many now who would have liked the old Southwell surface, but what we didn’t need was another Tapeta track.

“They should have gone for dirt, as they largely have in America and on the allweather in most other countries. One dirt

Mick Appleby

‘His results speak for themselves’

Mick Appleby and connections of Queen Of Burgundy enjoy her success at Chester in July under Fred Larson

track would have given us more variation.”

One might think Appleby ought to get more involved in racing politics, but he insists it’s not for him. “I used to go to the trainers’ meetings, but they weren’t catering for the likes of me and I could never get a word in, so I don’t go any more,” he explains. “When ARC was first trying to get new races added in the all-weather season, which would have brought in more prize-money, the NTF wouldn’t back it.

“Richard Hughes and I went to a meeting and only found out about it when it had already been turned down. The people making the decisions don’t bother much with the all-weather, and we had never been consulted and so didn’t know anything about it.”

Appleby is happier talking about his horses than what’s wrong with the sport, and he returns to Raasel.

He says: “After the King George at Goodwood, the plan is likely York for the Nunthorpe. Then there’s been talk about the Breeders’ Cup, too.

“We knew he had problems, so we gave him a bit of time and he’s repaid us.

He’s a very nice horse to have in the yard and he’d probably be the best I’ve trained.

We are quite excited about him, and if he keeps on progressing he could go right to the top.”

If you’ve been paying attention to the rise of both Raasel and his trainer, you wouldn’t bet against it.

Mick was starting to do well with horses like Art Scholar, Lockantanks and The Lock Master when myself, my brother Chris and Richard Hoiles were first looking to set up a syndicate in 2012 – not The Horse Watchers at that stage.

Art Scholar won the November Handicap about a week after I first met Mick, but what sealed the deal was a bumper horse called Squire Trelawney, as he’d been tailed off three times for another trainer and looked no good at all, but won first time out for Mick at Uttoxeter at 40-1.

On the basis of the results he was getting and the type of horse he was getting them with, we went to the sales with Mick with a budget of £8,000 and we bought a two-year-old out of Marco Botti’s stable called Miako for £6,500, which was expensive for Mick at the time.

His remit was that we wanted to win at Southwell and, sure enough, when he took him there for the first time after three runs, he won by five lengths! Miako wasn’t very good and didn’t win again, but that Southwell win confirmed for us that we’d picked the right trainer. We’ve never looked back.

The initial selecting of horses is all down to us – we’ll look at anything. It’s much more about the horse himself rather than who we are buying it off and whether we see potential and a good programme of races for him.

We then go to the sales with Mick to see them in the flesh. If Mick likes

them from a physical perspective and doesn’t dismiss them because of something that he’s unduly worried about, then we’ll go ahead and have them vetted.

Mick has a really good eye for identifying what might be troubling a horse, then it’s a question of weighing up how long it might take to sort it out and how costly it might be. When we’ve got all of the information, we then decide if the risk is worth taking.

What he does with them will always depend on the individual and any issues that they might have arrived at. There’s no blanket policy for every arrival; recognising what each individual would benefit from is one of his great strengths.

We do the placing when Mick has the horse in top condition and ready to go, and I don’t think there’s anybody better at preparing a horse and getting him fit and ready for a chosen day. His results speak for themselves.

It doesn’t always work of course, but Mick has done exceptionally well for us. Big Country, Hakam, Intervention, Lion Hearted and Supersta are just a few of the horses he’s improved dramatically and won multiple races with, and now of course we have Raasel.

Raasel cost only 10,000 guineas, but he was winning for the eighth time from only 13 starts since when taking the Group 3 at Sandown. He looks the best of the lot and we hope there’s more to come from him.

BILL SELWYN

ALAN WRIGHT

Racing TV pundit Martin Dixon of The Horse Watchers on his support of the Mick Appleby stable

Raasel (nearside): improving sprinter

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First-crop yearling sires

Market SCRUTINY The upcoming yearling sales provide the next opportunity to view the stock of this year’s firstcrop sires, many of them Group 1 stars on the track Words: Nancy Sexton

A

s the yearling sales descend upon us, attention turns to the latest round of first-crop sires with progeny on the ground. Their stock first came under the microscope at the winter foal sales, where as ever the majority of big names were well represented.

It is in that arena that pinhookers, such an important element to the market, draw swift judgements – both good and bad.

Fast forward ten months or so and with the yearling sales on the horizon, the merits of these young stallions are on the verge of being exposed to a much deeper audience, starting with the Arqana August Sale (August 13-15) in Deauville.

Unsurprisingly, the highpowered Darley duo of Blue Point (Stands: Kildangan Stud: 2020 fee: €45,000) and Too Darn Hot (Dalham Hall Stud: £50,000) each boast strong Arqana representation. It is a measure of the quality of their stock and the mares covered in their debut books that they both returned foal averages in excess of 80,000gns and between them account for 13 yearlings at France’s premier yearling auction.

Too Darn Hot boasts speed and pedigree in equal abundance, being a Dubawi son of Group 1 winner Dar Re Mi who swept

Too Darn Hot: foals sold well

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through his championship two-year-old season unbeaten before returning at three to win the Sussex Stakes and Prix Jean Prat. In all, this relation to Darshaan won five Group races and as such covered a debut book of 165 mares that included the Group 1 winners or producers Barshiba, Bastet (resulting colt is catalogued to the Arqana August Sale), Falls Of Lora, Galicuix, Montare, Octave and Passage Of Time. His first foals averaged 106,182gns and sold for up to 270,000gns.

As for Blue Point, his first crop through the ring included a filly out of Indigo Lady, who sold for 300,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock. In all, 17 of his foals sold for an average of 84,647gns, as befits a champion sprinting son of Shamardal who is the only horse to ever win three Group 1 sprints at Royal Ascot, two of them – the King’s Stand and Diamond Jubilee Stakes – at the same meeting.

Blue Point sat among an array of fast horses available to breeders for the first time in 2020.

Advertise (The National Stud: £25,000), a Group 1 performer at two and three for Martyn Meade, was another high-profile addition. Runner-up to Too Darn Hot

Study Of Man: has been well supported

in the Dewhurst Stakes, he trained on to great effect to add the Commonwealth Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest at three and consequently covered a debut book of 140 mares that included 67 black-type performers and/or producers. The resulting foals sold for up to 135,000gns last year.

Nor does it harm his profile that he shares his sire Showcasing with Tasleet, who has made such a bright start with his first two year-olds.

Showcasing is also represented within this group by the similarly fast Soldier’s Call (Ballyhane Stud: €10,000).

A precocious juvenile, the tough Soldier’s Call landed the Windsor Castle Stakes, Prix d’Arenberg and Flying Childers Stakes and ran a close second in the Prix de l’Abbaye during his productive first season. Nor was he just a two-year-old, as his performances at three included placings in the Nunthorpe Stakes and King’s Stand Stakes.

Soldier’s Call proved popular in his first season, covering 164 mares, and was the subject of positive reports in the ring last winter, where his first crop sold for up to 100,000gns.

Green Desert influence

The influence of the Green Desert sire line is not restricted to sons of Showcasing.

He remains particularly prominent via Invincible Spirit, himself a major force as sire of the Pattern race sprinters Eqtidaar (Nunnery Stud: £6,500), winner of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, Inns Of Court (Tally-Ho Stud: €7,500), who won Group races over five, six and seven furlongs capped by the Prix du Gros-Chene, and Invincible Army (Yeomanstown Stud: €10,000), a hardy sprinter who won the Sirenia, Pavilion, Duke of York and Chipchase Stakes from ages two to four.

GEORGE SELWYN

Advertise: top two-year-old also won three Group 1 races at three

seen again that season but when he did reappear in the Pavilion Stakes at Ascot the following May, he was again impressive, scoring by four lengths.

From the same Juddmonte family of Populi also responsible for Native Trail, Calyx covered approximately 170 mares in his first season and his first foals sold for

up to €125,000. The filly in question is out of Listed winner We Are Ninety and was sold to WH Bloodstock.

Claremount Stud also stands a grandson of Invincible Spirit in Richmond Stakes winner Barraquero (€4,000), a son of Zebedee.

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Inns Of Court, who also ran a nose second over a mile in the Prix Jacques le Marois, was the most popular Flatorientated first-season sire of 2020 as the recipient of 218 mares. His first foals sold for up to 80,000gns, while those representing Invincible Army were also well received, selling for up to 85,000gns.

Invincible Spirit’s most expensive son to retire to stud in 2020, however, was Magna Grecia (Coolmore: €22,500) on account of a career capped by wins in the 2,000 Guineas and Vertem Futurity. A good-looking individual who commanded 340,000gns as a foal himself, he possesses a lively pedigree as a half-brother to champion St Mark’s Basilica.

It’s an appealing package, one that attracted a debut book of over 140 mares, among them Alpha Lupi (the dam of Alpha Centauri, Alpine Star and Discoveries). Unsurprisingly his first foals captured the imagination of the market, with three breaking the six-figure barrier led by a colt out of Twitch, who made 210,000gns to Jamie McCalmont.

Coolmore also welcomed another member of the sire line to its roster in 2020 in Calyx (€22,500), the first son of Kingman to retire to stud.

The first ever winner for his leading sire, Calyx backed up that impressive debut win by running away with the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. Unfortunately, he wasn’t

Ten Sovereigns: covered close to 220 mares in his first season

Well received

Other stallions to be represented by a six-figure transaction at the foal sales included Ten Sovereigns (Coolmore: €25,000), for whom the commercial package of juvenile speed and the Scat Daddy sire line helped attract a debut book of almost 220 mares.

From the first crop of No Nay Never, Ten Sovereigns capped an unbeaten juvenile season with a win in the Middle Park Stakes, won in the third ever fastest time for the race, and trained on to win the July Cup at three.

Four of his first foals through the ring sold for six figures led by a filly out of Sodashy who realised €165,000 to Filip Zwicky.

And there is every chance that momentum will carry over into Arqana, where he has five entries.

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First-crop yearling sires GROUP 1 STAR BUOYS GERMANY Germany welcomed a particularly high-profile new recruit for 2020 in the multiple Group 1-winning globetrotter Best Solution. The son of Kodiac won the Autumn Stakes at two but blossomed at four for Godolphin when he landed the Grosser Preis von Berlin, Grosser Preis von Baden and Caulfield Cup. He was subsequently purchased by a syndicate of German breeders that included Gestüt Brümmerhof, Gestüt Röttgen and Gestüt Hof Ittlingen, and installed at Gestut Auenquelle at a fee of €6,500. He has since moved to Gestut Lunzen.

Best Solution was the busiest sire in Germany in each of his first two seasons, notably when covering 71 mares in his debut season in 2020. Unsurprisingly, he is well represented within the BBAG September Sale with 13 entries, among them a halfbrother to Italian Derby winner Ardakan and a close relation to champion Lucky Speed.

In France, talented sprinter City Light was understandably

Also represented at Arqana is fellow No Nay Never stallion Land Force (Highclere Stud: £6,500). Winner of the Richmond Stakes and a member of the respected Cassandra Go family, Land Force covered 155 mares in his first season and was represented by stock that sold for up to 65,000gns last year.

Another popular young horse was the Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Phoenix Of Spain (Irish National Stud: €15,000), for whom a debut book consisted of 148 mares. A strapping son of Lope De Vega, he appears to have passed down his frame to plenty of his progeny judging by the stock at the foal sales, where the highlight was a three-parts sister to Group 1 winner Lucky Vega sold at Goffs for €195,000 to the BBA Ireland and Yulong Investments.

It was also at Goffs where Arc hero Waldgeist (Ballylinch Stud: €17,500) hit the headlines courtesy of a filly out of Ezalli bred by Swordlestown Little who made €180,000 to Boherguy Stud.

Champion Waldgeist is best remembered for his victory over Enable in the 2019 Arc. However, he was also a top-class two-year-old who defeated four subsequent Group 1 winners in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud and was Classicplaced at three when a short-head second in the Prix du Jockey-Club. A Galileo member of Gestut Ravensberg’s’ Waldrun family, his Group 1 haul also included the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Prix Ganay.

Waldgeist’s connections – notably Ballylinch Stud, Gestut Ammerland and Newsells Park Stud – have really thrown their weight behind this stallion, which played out in a strong debut book of over 100 mares that included the dams of Golden Lilac, Bayside Boy, Chriselliam and Garrus. He has six entries in the Arqana

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August Sale and another nine in the BBAG September Sale.

Meanwhile, Derby hero Masar (Dalham Hall Stud: £15,000) attracted his share of admirers at the Tattersalls December Sale, where his representatives included a colt out of Muscovado who realised 110,000gns to Pier House Stud and a

close relation to Subjectivist and Sir Ron Priestley who made 80,000gns to the Fairway Partners.

While probably best remembered for his victory in the Derby, Masar was also forward enough to win the Solario Stakes at two having previously broken his maiden over six furlongs at Goodwood.

Expert opinions...

“Blue Point is an obvious pick. The foals were very good and he was a top-class racehorse. I would think his offspring will improve a lot physically between foal and yearling, as he did himself. So I’d be very keen to see his first-crop yearlings.

“Magna Grecia is extremely wellbred and his first foals were very impressive. I also think Masar could get some nice stayers. I was very impressed with his first foals.

“I’d give a favourable mention to Advertise, who also got very nice types. As a wildcard, Waldgeist was a top-class racehorse and again I liked a number of his foals – I’d be keen to find a yearling by him I like.” Mark McStay, Avenue Bloodstock “I’d roll the dice with Soldier’s Call.

He covered over 150 mares in his first two seasons so he’ll have plenty to run for him. He was a brilliant two-yearold himself, tough as teak, and given the ownership of the horse, I’m sure plenty of his two-year-olds will be sent to people who will train them to best effect. The Showcasing sire line is off to a flier with Tasleet and Showcasing

TATTERSALLS

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popular in his first season at Haras d’Etreham as the recipient of 137 mares at €7,000. City Light struck at Group 3 level in the Prix de Saint-Georges and Prix du Pin but also fell only a head short of Group 1 glory when second to Merchant Navy in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

City Light, who boasts 15 entries to the inaugural Arqana September Sale, is one of the first sons of Siyouni to retire to stud alongside Le Brivido, who swapped Overbury Stud for Haras de la Haie Neuve in France in 2021. Le Brivido, who won the Jersey Stakes having run a close second in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains, covered over 50 mares at £7,000 at Overbury and another 77 in his first season in France.

Group 1-winning sprinter Donjuan Triumphant (€4,000), who stands alongside Group 1-winning two-year-old Robin Of Navan (€3,000) at Haras de la Barbottiere, is also represented in the Arqana September Sale as is the regally-bred Taj Mahal (Haras de la Haie Neuve: €4,000). A Group 2-winning brother to Gleneagles from the family of Giant’s Causeway, Taj Mahal has 11 lots catalogued to the September Sale.

This Blue Point filly sold for 300,000gns

himself is having a very good season.

For me, Soldier’s Call has all the attributes to be a leading first-crop sire.” Richard Fitzsimons, BBA Ireland “Like many others, I am looking forward to seeing the first yearlings by Too Darn Hot and Blue Point. There were some very good foals by both at the sales last year, as there were for Magna Grecia. A number of Masar foals, many of them light, easy movers, also made the list and I’m keen to see more by Study Of Man – a top Deep Impact descendant of Miesque with the backing of powerful connections, he must have every chance.” Nancy Sexton, Bloodstock Editor

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3YO filly

TENEBRISM (USA), a daughter of Caravaggio (USA), defeated males in the Prix Jean Prat (G1) in Deauville, France, recording her second G1 victory after winning last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket.

Owners:

Westerberg, Coolmore, and Merriebelle Stables

Breeders: Merriebelle Stables and Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt

3YO filly

ABOVE THE CURVE (USA),

by American Pharoah (USA), ran her rivals off their feet to win the Prix Saint-Alary (G1) at Longchamp in impressive fashion.

Owners: Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg Breeders: Orpendale, Chelston, and Wynatt

207611-USBreds-OwnerBreeder.indd 1

7/13/22 3:14 PM

First-crop yearling sires

First-crop sires certainly caught the imagination at last month’s FasigTipton July Sale in Kentucky. The sale places an emphasis on such prospects as the host of a first-crop sires showcase, where the progeny of 15 of this year’s group came under scrutiny.

Omaha Beach (Spendthrift Farm: $45,000), a well-connected son of War Front who swept the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby, Santa Anita Sprint Championship and Malibu Stakes during his three-year-old campaign, led the charge with an average of $236,000 that was aided by the presence of a $410,000 filly.

In what was a good sale for the young inmates of Spendthrift Farm, there was also a warm reaction to the first crop of Breeders’ Cup Classic hero Vino Rosso ($30,000), a son of Curlin who returned an average of $135,455, and champion sprinter Mitole ($25,000), a four-time Grade 1 winner whose average came in at $108,400.

Each ended 2021 with a weanling average in excess of $80,000, as did WinStar Farm’s Florida Derby winner Audible ($25,000), for whom a fine showing at Fasig-Tipton was underlined

›› He is also particularly well-bred as a direct

winner who stands at Claiborne Farm alongside Grade 3 winner Demarchelier ($5,000). The latter is a son of Dubawi bred by Newsells Park Stud whose career was cut short by injury, but he has been well supported at stud by his owner Peter Brant.

by an average of $136,667.

WinStar Farm is also home to Yoshida ($20,000), a son of Heart’s Cry and therefore a welcome member of the Sunday Silence sire line. He won Grade 1 races on dirt and turf, as did Catholic Boy ($25,000), a durable seven-time

Hernando as a Prix du Jockey-Club winner bred and supported at stud by the Niarchos family. However, adding further lustre is the fact he is a Deep Impact grandson of the outstanding racemare and blue hen Miesque, dam of the highly influential sire Kingmambo. The only

GEORGE SELWYN

descendant of Urban Sea, the dam of Galileo and Sea The Stars.

Pedigree is also a major feature of the CV belonging to Study Of Man (Lanwades Stud: £15,000). Firstly, he possesses a profile similar to former Lanwades stalwart

Vino Rosso: first crop of the Grade 1-winning son of Curlin were popular at the recent Fasig-Tipton July Sale in Kentucky

GEORGE SELWYN

Omaha Beach turning heads with first crop

Land Force: Richmond Stakes winner is the first son of No Nay Never to stand in Britain

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British-based son of Deep Impact, he is also bred on the same Storm Cat cross as one of his sire’s best stallion sons, Kizuna.

Understandably, he has been well supported by Lanwades Stud and the Niarchos family, backing which will stand him in extremely good stead going forward.

Of the dual-purpose horses, it would be folly to disregard Prince of Wales’s Stakes winner Crystal Ocean (The Beeches: poa).

Although primarily a jumps stallion (a sphere where his first foals sold for up to €120,000 last winter), the son of Sea The Stars returned an average of 32,333gns for three Flat-bred foals sold during the first day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale and is due to have representation in Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale – as befits a horse who was rated the world champion of 2019.

Irish St Leger winner Flag Of Honour (The National Stud: £4,500), a well-bred son of Galileo who also won the Eyrefield Stakes at two, also has first yearlings as does the unraced Sogann (Norton Grove Stud: £2,000), a Frankel half-brother to Dabirsim.

FOLLOW THE SUCCESSFUL SIRE LINE HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF! SCAT DADDY - Champion Sire of Sires NO NAY NEVER - Champion First Season Sire (2018) CARAVAGGIO - Champion First Season Sire (2021) SIOUX NATION - A Leading Sire (2022)

LAND FORCE Year 1: 152 Mares | Year 2: 118 Mares

Leading First Season Sire at the 2021 foal sales in terms of profitability index (James Thomas, Racing Post 16/12/21)

FIRST YEARLINGS SELLING SOON The only son of No Nay Never standing in the UK Contact: Jake Warren +44 (0)7730 272 895 www.highclerestud.co.uk

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Haras d’Haspel

Free

SPIRIT It was 15 years ago that Jose Delmotte decided to invest in his passion – breeding racehorses – and now as the breeder of Native Trail is currently riding the crest of a wave at his Haras d’Haspel Words: Adrien Cugnasse

CAROLINE NORRIS

Native Trail: Irish 2,000 Guineas winner was bred by Haras d’Haspel out of Needleleaf

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in the Prix Hocquart in Delmotte’s own colours in late May, he has yet another Group 1 prospect for 2022.

Humble beginnings

Delmotte was born in the north of France in an area that could be considered the French equivalent of Sheffield. His father was a coal miner and he is the antepenultimate child from a family of 13. Given that background, university was not an option so as a young man he began working before the end of his teenage years. Gifted with drawing skills,

ZUZANNA LUPA

L

ots has been written about Native Trail, last year’s leading European twoyear-old and winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas. But if the story of this colt is nothing less than extraordinary, his breeder is all but unknown outside of France. José Delmotte’s journey as a breeder and as an entrepreneur is quite exceptional. He also pinhooked Coeursamba, winner of the French 1,000 Guineas, and bred on behalf of clients Group winners such as Tokyo Gold, who landed the Italian Derby, and the Grade 1-winning hurdler Jonbon.

With Galaxie Gold finishing runner-up

Jose Delmotte and his daughter Sandra (right) celebrate following the sale of Native Trail’s half-sister for €950,000 at Arqana last August

he started as an apprentice with an estate development company, and that’s where the story really begins. A few years later, Delmotte was hired by the young Bernard Arnault, who is now known as one of France’s wealthiest individuals. Just one year after they met, Delmotte became the CEO of Arnault’s building company.

Later he was chosen to be the head of the building branch of Bouygues group for the Paris region. He went on to found two successful companies that he sold on for a substantial profit.

Horses entered his life quite late when his daughter Sandra started to compete in dressage and eventing. Around 25 years ago, Delmotte discovered the horseracing world by accident when a business contact suggested he join him for a morning on the gallops – he was hooked and soon became an owner. Then, with two low-calibre fillies, he started breeding, but unsurprisingly

didn’t achieve much from this first attempt.

This negative initial experience could have discouraged him but Delmotte is a tough character and he admits to having learned a lot from these failures.

Fifteen years ago, with his fortune made, Delmotte decided to invest in something he truly cared about. The options were a vineyard and a stud.

Sharing the same passion as his daughter and her husband, he finally started to look for a place to establish their own breeding operation. Before being called Haras d’Haspel, the Normandy farm was owned

by Italian trotting breeders.

But once you build a stud, you have to buy stock and hire staff, which is easier said than done, as Delmotte explains.

“The first four years were a disaster,” he says. “The person in charge had a perfect resume but he also had a drinking problem. Once a week, we travelled from

Paris and he managed to remain sober on these occasions. I remember vividly the Sunday night when, driving back to Paris, my daughter announced to me she had discovered the problem. I stopped the car.

We came back, let him go and the very same night she decided to quit her job to work at the stud with her husband.”

The Delmotte family are very much hands on and that’s perhaps one of the reasons behind the improvement in the stud’s results.

“I have been an estate developer for 40 years but my enjoyment for that has declined,” says Delmotte. “The more my knowledge of breeding improves, the more I enjoy it. I could spend my money on boats or travels. But my goal is to create a stud that I could leave to my daughter and my two granddaughters. Don’t get me wrong, horses and breeding are a real passion for me. But the opportunity to

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Haras d’Haspel ›› pass something on makes my motivation

even bigger. And after a life of work, I can’t see myself being lazy on a boat.

Having said that, the investment required to build something close to a competitive commercial breeding operation is massive.”

Jonbon: top hurdler was raised at Haras d’Haspel

The first good Flat horse bred by the Delmotte family was Elysea’s World, winner of three Grade 3 races in America and more than $700,000 in prize-money.

She was sold for €25,000 as a yearling at Arqana.

Then came the marvellous The Stomp.

Jean-Claude Rouget discovered him at Osarus and for little money bought an athlete with an unflattering pedigree.

Rouget sometimes sends horses to other trainers that he races under his own colours. Trained by the talented Didier Guillemin – perhaps the best kept secret of the French training ranks – The Stomp raced eight times at two.

The son of Layman won his maiden but progressively showed he would not be a black-type prospect. Rouget decided to send him to his friend, the leading French National Hunt trainer François Nicolle.

The Stomp became a little superstar of consistency over the jumps, winning 20 races including three Grade 3s and finished his career with more than €900.000 in his bank account – not bad for a horse who

BILL SELWYN

Early success

cost only €8,000 as a yearling.

Reflecting on his early breeding days, Delmotte says: “In the past you could breed racehorses in France with €1,000 nominations and a mare you found in a field. That is no longer possible because French buyers for this category have disappeared. Now quality is not an option as French breeders have to sell on the international market and it’s more and more expensive to reach that level.

Having said that, I think only 15 of my 48 broodmares really deserve what we invest in time and money on them.

“With the help of [agent] Marc-Antoine Berghgracht I have learned more about what’s important to make it happen, although that does not mean we agree all the time! I have met fascinating people in this business, like Julian Ince [of Haras du Logis].”

Among the first good horses Delmotte owned was the Listed-placed Galaxie Des Sables. At stud, she has already given her breeder three good horses, including Bobbymurphy, a Classic prospect for Frédéric Rossi before being injured, as well as Galaxie Gold.

“We’ve never had such a quality roster – they are exceptional yearlings” There are only five yearlings but it’s a line-up of real quality for Haras d’Haspel at this month’s Arqana August Sale in Deauville.

“We’ve never had such a quality roster of yearlings,” says Sandra Delmotte, who runs the operation. “I must admit I am excited to go to the sales – they are quite exceptional!”

The star of the show is Lot 62, a Siyouni half-sister to Native Trail.

“She’s really stamped by Siyouni,” says Delmotte. “And probably less so by her dam’s side. This filly isn’t as big as her famous brother, but she’s an extremely nice individual and we are quite confident with her. Sadly, the dam is not in foal of Dubawi. But she gave us a nice Cracksman.”

Lot 17 is a Sea The Stars filly out of Koala, a Kodiac half-sister to St Mark’s Basilica and Magna Grecia. “When we bought her dam Koala, Magna Grecia was already on the page,” says Delmotte. “And then St Mark’s Basilica came along. So now the pedigree has

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a completely different dimension. The yearling is very well made and clearly the type of filly with a lot of margins to progress. We all know how good Sea The Stars is, and this filly is inbred twice to Urban Sea.” Lot 204 is a Mastercraftsman brother to dual Group 1 winner A Raving Beauty, now a broodmare in Japan, and belongs to Xavier Marie, a new name in French breeding who is selling for the first time. The creator of the furniture brand Maisons du Monde, he is now involved in fashion among various activities.

Marie also created Haras de Hus, near Nantes, from scratch to cater for the 200 horses of his showjumping and dressage programmes, and is now developing a racing branch in his breeding operation; in December, he paid €2.5 million for Group 1 winner Grand Glory.

“This is a very masculine colt,” says Delmotte. “But he is exceptionally good looking. It’s great to have him.”

Lot 127 is a Le Havre colt out of a Galileo mare; from 32 runners, the cross has produced 15 winners, including four black-type winners led by the Classic filly La Cressonniere.

“This is one of the last generations of Le Havre and he is a good type,” says Delmotte. “We have been quite successful with the stallion. The second dam, Regal Rose, is a Cheveley Park Stakes winner.”

Finally, Lot 278 is a daughter of Oasis Dream belonging to a line developed by the Delmotte family for two generations.

“The dam, Galaxie, was Listedplaced and has given us two good horses in Champagne Piaff, who has a 95 Flat rating, and God Blessing, a very progressive colt who is going to run in black-type races in Deauville – he already has shown a lot of class and is unbeaten in two starts,” says Delmotte.

“It is a family that throws horses that work very well but need more time than you think. When you don’t rush them, they really deliver.”

When it comes to choosing stallions or trainers, Delmotte is not afraid to eschew fashion. Galaxie Gold is trained by Damien de Watrigant, a successful trainer, especially with purebred Arabians, but a man who has rarely been given a proper chance with well-bred thoroughbreds.

Delmotte is a free spirit and is never afraid to speak out. On a few occasions he has publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the French sales companies and France Galop, and he is also a well known advocate for artificial insemination in the racing world.

When you ask him what could be changed to attract more investors, he says: “A part of the racing world lives in its own bubble. You need to have a certain pedigree or a certain look to be accepted, and snobbery has terrible consequences when it comes to recruiting people from outside of this small racing bubble. I was sometimes really badly treated when I first arrived in racing.

“Our industry can’t rely exclusively on the sons and grandsons of prominent racing figures to survive. If you want to attract newcomers, just like me, to buy racehorses and broodmares then you have to be welcoming and communicative.

“There are a lot of rich people in France but racing does not understand how to attract them. Another problem is that when you send horses to some trainers, they act just as if they are the real owners of your animals! You don’t get any news but at the same time you are asked to pay a monthly fee superior to the income of most working people in this country.

This is not acceptable and I don’t have any more horses with trainers that don’t communicate.

Things have started to evolve on this particular subject but there is still a lot to be done.”

African Rose bought for 60,000gns in 2015, he says: “She was in the Juddmonte draft and being an outcross was a real plus, that’s so much easier for matings. The filly was unraced but a sister to two Group winners and from a beautiful family.”

In the racing world it can be easy to lose perspective on the real value of

“Native Trail was so big that he looked like a National Hunt horse” money. Delmotte responds by saying: “I don’t like it when people say she was inexpensive. Of course I already have bought mares for more than three or four times that sum. But that’s still a lot of money when you compare it to the real income of working people of this industry.

Not many of them earn €60,000 a year.

From that perspective, saying 60,000gns is cheap appears to me as

not respectful for the working man and woman that you find in yards and studs.

And I’m fortunate enough to work with a marvellous team full of real characters – that’s why I try to pay them correctly.”

Needleleaf’s record as a broodmare looks impeccable as the dam of a Classic winner and a €950,000 Kingman yearling filly who sold at Arqana last August to Godolphin. The beginning of the story is a little darker, however, as Delmotte explains.

“She delivered a splendid Siyouni filly that really looked exceptional but we sadly had to put the newborn down,” he says. “This situation was such a misfortune that I even considered selling the mare.

Eventually I didn’t and Native Trail is the result of this decision. He was so big that he almost looked like a National Hunt horse, that’s why we sold him as a foal.

Thank god, how wrong were we! Seeing him winning the National Stakes in Ireland against the Ballydoyle team was some spectacle. I believe Mr [Charlie] Appleby is an amazing trainer.”

Haras d’Haspel is the first French breeder to produce a winner of the National Stakes. “You need both luck and money in this game,” says Delmotte. “I now own 48 mares, including some jumping ones as I want to develop a National Hunt section. We board only two mares at the stud. One is for Mr Yoshida – she’s the dam of Tokyo Gold, winner of the Italian Derby. And one for a Tunisian friend of mine, and she’s the dam of the outstanding Jonbon, a Grade 1 winner at Aintree.”

BILL SELWYN

Buying from the best

“For a long time everybody told me that Juddmonte is the best breeding operation in the world,” he says. “Why should I buy mares from a failing operation when I can purchase one from the finest stud? So every single year Marc-Antoine travels with me to Newmarket and we wait until the end of the sale for the Juddmonte mares.

I’ve already purchased a dozen of them.”

The most exciting pedigrees among Delmotte’s broodmare band arguably belong to Koala, a Kodiac half-sister to St Mark’s Basilica, and Tarentaise, dam of the Group 1-placed sprinter Equilateral.

The latter is a Juddmonte-bred, just like Needleleaf, the dam of Native Trail.

On the purchase of Needleleaf, an Observatory sister to Group 1 winner

St Mark’s Basilica: the broodmare band includes his half-sister

THE OWNER BREEDER

39

TATTERSALLS SOMERVILLE YEARLING SALE September 6th featuring the

£100,000 Tattersalls Somerville Auction Stakes & £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes

EDDIE’S BOY WEATHERBYS SUPER SPRINT STAKES sold Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale

by Bearstone Stud to Blandford Bloodstock / Middleham Park for 45,000 gns BRADSELL COVENTRY STAKES, Group 2 sold Tattersalls Somerville Yearling Sale

by Bearstone Stud to Highflyer / H Dunlop for 12,000 gns

Tel: +44 1638 665931 www.tattersalls.com

Somerville_A4_Owner Breeder-1.indd 1

22/07/2022 09:08

Breeders’ Digest

Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor

Further insights into foal development welcomed

GEORGE SELWYN

W

e are all aware of the pros and cons of early and laterborn foals. Older foals are going to find it easier to meet an early sale date and theoretically also possess an advantage in maturity over their younger contemporaries on the racecourse, particularly as two-yearolds. Yet studies have found that when it comes to percentages of stakes winners, very early foals tend to fall behind those born in February and March. And, of course, there is currently an excellent flagbearer for very young foals in the June 3-born Tuesday, the Oaks heroine who has filled the frame in four Classics this season.

A fascinating further insight into a foal’s early development and how it might affect performance was shared recently at the Saracen Horse Feeds Thoroughbred Growth Forum, at which Dr Joe Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research (KER) discussed the effect of size and growth on the incidence of Developmental Orthopedic Disease (DOD.) Using a set of growth records for young thoroughbreds that covered a pool of over 47,200 foals born in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and India, KER has brought to light several factors that could well be utilised effectively by breeders. The talk, as well as that from vet Nick Wingfield Digby, is well worth a watch and can be found on Saracen’s YouTube channel.

A central aspect to the findings was a foal’s birth weight. First off, the study highlighted that a foal produced by a maiden mare in the UK was on average eight kilograms lighter than one out of a multiparous mare; the average weight produced by a maiden mare was 48.7kg compared to 56.8kg for those out of multiparous mares.

Results correlating to birth weight and stakes winners were also outlined, notably that the vast majority of stakes winners had a birth weight between 44kg and 64kg. Similarly, those that fell between those parameters found greater favour at the sales; only three per cent of bigger foals – those heavier than 64kg at birth – born in the UK went on to feature among the top ten per cent of sales. However, in America,

Great strides have been made in the understanding of skeletal issues in the young horse

where the big, powerful, dirt horse drives the market, that figure rose to 12 per cent. And that played out on the racecourse, with the results clearly demonstrating that stakes winners are heavier as yearlings in the US than in the UK; the most successful UK-based group were those who had sat within the second quartile as yearlings (and therefore a more average size), while those who had been among the fourth quartile (therefore within the largest group) by body weight in the US were significantly more successful than their lighter counterparts.

When it comes to skeletal soundness, the study also raised several interesting points.

Osteochondrosis (OCD) is a developmental disease that affects the cartilage and bone in the joints, characterised by loose cartilage and/ or bone fragments. Conformation, hereditary issues, environment, nutrition and growth rate are all contributory factors but, unsurprisingly, the study revealed that taller and heavier foals (especially when young) are more susceptible to problems, especially in America.

Radiographic abnormalities are every consignor’s pre-sale fear, especially in the US where x-ray issues can significantly devalue a horse. Against that, there are countless examples of horses ‘failing the vet’ at a sale and going on to be a success.

Even so, it was highlighted that 37.5 per cent of those American-born horses

who developed a stifle cyst – deemed one of the most serious problems – never made it to the track, compared to 22 per cent of those with no yearling skeletal issues.

The study also suggested that weight and height measurements taken within the first 30 days of life, when the bones are in the early stage of development, are the most relevant when it came to identifying potential issues. And particularly interesting was the fact that foals out of maiden mares had 30 per cent less total OCD than those out of multiparous mares.

Again, body weight appeared to be a significant factor.

Birth date also seems to play its part in the OCD conundrum, especially in the UK where May foals exhibited a 22.4 per cent rate of OCD incidence compared to 7.5 per cent against those born in January. That in turn led to a higher rate of surgery for those born in May (12.1 per cent compared to 2.5 per cent for January-born foals), the majority of which was performed on the stifle.

One other point of interest was the fact that a greater incidence of OCD in the hock is seen in the US. However, hock OCD was shown to be not as detrimental to racecourse and sales performance as stifle OCD. We never stop learning in this business but studies like this are invaluable for an eye to the future. If nothing else, they can certainly provide their shaire of pointers for breeders going forward.

THE OWNER BREEDER

41

Sales Circuit • By Carl Evans

Demand for quality jumping stock drives record trade

A €310,000 daughter of Kapgarde topped a memorable renewal of the Derby Sale

money for an unbroken gelding who might not reach a racecourse, the same cannot be said of choicely-bred fillies.

They have a much improved racing programme to target, plus valuable bonus options, and if they trip over a twig and cannot race they have breeding potential.

It was one such choice lot who headed trade when selling for €310,000 to trainer Gordon Elliott on behalf of an undisclosed client. A daughter of Kapgarde, she was offered by Lakefield Farm’s Bleahen family who discovered their gem as a foal in France, and bought her privately from her octogenarian breeder ‘Mr Cottin’. John Bleahen gave credit to his brother Niall

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

Record figures and a clearance rate of 93 per cent underlined the strength of trade for quality young jumping stock at this iconic sale of stores.

Tattersalls Ireland CEO Simon Kerins called the results “outstanding” in his summary, and he referred to his team of inspectors who had “focused on putting together a catalogue of pure quality to keep the Derby Sale as a shop window for the very best stock on offer”. New sales spring up every year and not always for ethical reasons, but Tattersalls Ireland’s youthful May Store Sale, its fledgling July Store Sale which has replaced an August version, plus the Tattersalls May National Hunt Sale which included stores, mean the company can keep standards at a peak for its headline Derby Sale.

The previous year’s event was disrupted at the 59th minute of the eleventh hour when British visitors were told to stay away by the Irish government due to Covid fears, yet trade defied fears of a slump. With that in mind another 15 per cent rise in the aggregate in what has been a good market for some years was pretty special. Turnover passed €18 million for the first time, the average price rose seven per cent to €57,903 while the median hit €50,000, up four per cent – both figures were new high water marks for the event.

Six horses sold for €200,000, and while some might see that as crazy

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale

The triumvirate of Aidan O’Ryan (left), Eddie O’Leary (centre) and Gordon Elliott were busy 42

THE OWNER BREEDER

for finding the filly and said of Monsieur Cottin: “He has retired since,” which must have disappointed those who would have liked to pay him a visit.

Agent Joey Logan and the Mariga family of Coolmara Stables were among those who fought to buy the filly – a half-sister to the Elliott-trained double Grade 1 winner Mighty Potter – and while Logan was thwarted he was not put off other opportunities.

Teaming up with ascendant Irish point-to-point trainer Matthew Flynn O’Connor, who is based in County Wexford, Logan went to €230,000 for a son of Walk In The Park, while the same sum enabled agent Bobby O’Ryan to secure a gelding by Maxios who had cost just €30,000 as a yearling. Four very shrewd traders shared that cost and resulting profit, namely Brendan Holland, Willie Browne, Roger Marley and Mark Dwyer, the last-named being the consignor of the gelding under his Oaks Farm banner.

Henrietta Knight’s quest to buy the best for racehorse owner Mike Grech continued with purchases of geldings by Authorized and Getaway for €220,000 and €210,000, while Coolmore’s MV Magnier maintained his support of the jumping game – and progeny by his stud’s sires – when paying €220,000 for a Walk In The Park gelding who was knocked down to agent Aiden Murphy, and €160,000 for a Flemensfirth filly.

All the aforementioned lots are likely to bolster Ireland’s strength – if any were

needed – at the Festival meetings by joining trainers based in the country, but British champion Paul Nicholls led a strong squad of visitors from across the Irish Sea. Nicholls, aided by agent Tom Malone, was involved in six purchases

for a total of €742,000, headed by a Kapgarde gelding who was knocked down for €185,000.

Michael and Timmy Hillman’s Castledillon Stud headed consignors by selling 15 lots for just over €1.1m at an

TALKING POINT • Discussions and analysis of Irish stables’ success and even dominance at the spring jumping festivals invariably includes the role played by point-to-pointing.

Talented practitioners in that sport have honed the skill of buying a store, breaking it in and then giving it a focussed education before unleashing it in a maiden race when everyone discovers whether it can jump, gallop for three miles and has an engine at the business end.

For affluent racehorse owners this means someone else does the spade work with the raw product, and they can then step in and purchase once a horse has shown some ability.

average of €76,067, the peaks being sons of Kapgarde and Blue Bresil who each sold for €170,000.

Agent Mags O’Toole secured the first-named, while Willie Mullins claimed the Blue Bresil.

A glance at the Derby Sale’s leading buyers’ table suggests this system is now at full throttle. The Doyle family of Monbeg Stables headed affairs with 30 purchases for €1,413,000 at an average of €47,100, while Colin Bowe’s Milestone Bloodstock was second on the list with 16 purchases for just over €1m at an average of €64,125.

Ballyboy Stables’ Denis Murphy secured five lots at an average of €60,200, but he and several other leading exponents formed partnerships to ensure some of the best stores of 2022 will be going down the Irish pointing route.

Given the contacts which leading licensed trainers have with their pointing colleagues, the Irish bandwagon is set to roll on.

Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Consignor

Price (€)

Buyer

F Kapgarde – Matnie

Lakefield Farm

310,000

Gordon Elliott Racing

G Maxios – Walkure

Oaks Farm Stables

230,000

Bobby O’Ryan/Aidan O’Ryan/Gordon Elliott

G Walk In The Park – Zuzka

Castletown Quarry Stud

230,000

Ballycrystal Stables/Joey Logan

G Walk In The Park - Aulne River

Kilminfoyle House Stud

220,000

Aiden Murphy/M V Magnier

G Authorized – Cheyrac

Sluggara Farm

220,000

Henrietta Knight

G Getaway – Dreambaby

Oak Tree Farm

210,000

Henrietta Knight

G Kapgarde – Tahaza

Oak Tree Farm

185,000

Tom Malone/Paul Nicholls

G Walk In The Park - Iconic Mystery

Peter Nolan Bloodstock

180,000

Mags O’Toole

G Kapgarde - Gaelic Star

Castledillon Stud

170,000

Mags O’Toole

G Blue Bresil - High Benefit

Castledillon Stud

170,000

H Kirk/W P Mullins

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate (€)

Average (€)

Median (€)

Top price (€)

2022

321

18,587,000

57,903

50,000

310,000

2021

299

16,151,500

54,018

48,000

280,000

2020

220

9,015,700

40,980

32,000

300,000

Arqana Summer Sale

This two-day event is a useful barometer of the bloodstock sales industry, for it offers quality Flat and jump horses, including breezers, stores and horses in training from both codes.

On this occasion it also included a Classic-winning filly, the German 1,000 Guineas winner Txope who sold for a sale record €1.2m, yet even without her sizeable contribution the figures would have finished well ahead of last year’s event. On this evidence the barometer’s needle is hovering nicely in the hot and sunny category, for while 29 fewer

horses were offered, turnover raced up by 54 per cent to just over €13m. The average price of €34,451 was up 65 per cent, the median gained 60 per cent at €16,000, while the clearance rate of 86 per cent had never been bettered.

Txope, a daughter of Siyouni, was making her second visit to Arqana having been bought for €310,000 as a yearling at Deauville in September 2020

by Laurent Benoit of Broadhurst Agency on behalf of French international footballer Antoine Griezmann. Running eight times as a two-year-old and winning twice, including at Listed level,

she shook off those exertions to run three fine races this year before the Dusseldorf Classic victory. At this sale Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland made the winning bid on behalf of Zhang Yuesheng’s Yulong Investments.

The pick of the jumpers with form, Spanish Harlem, was knocked down to Willie Mullins’ buying agents Pierre Boulard and Harold Kirk for €360,000, a smart increase on his €45,000 valuation as a store at the Autumn Sale in 2020.

Trained by Gabriel Leenders to win on debut at Auteuil, the son of Spanish Moon will carry the colours of Peter THE OWNER BREEDER

43

››

Sales Circuit ›› Fitzgerald, the founder of Randox,

ARQANA

sponsors of the Grand National.

Clients of Mullins accounted for three purchases worth €830,000, while the Highflyer Bloodstock team pumped almost €500,000 into turnover when securing seven lots. Guy Petit was the most active agent for the second year running, picking up 20 lots for €1.1m – 12 months ago it was 20 for €440,500 – while Marco Bozzi left with 13 horses for a total of €494,000. Bozzi signed for the top lot on day one, a €220,000 two-year-old son of Medaglio d’Oro who had been bought by Tom Whitehead for $62,000 at Fasig-Tipton as a yearling.

Withdrawn from the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale, the colt came good on this occasion.

Also offered on the first day were two-year-old jumping stores, a section headed by sons of the popular sire Doctor Dino, a 20-year-old standing at Haras du Mesnil and whose covering fee this year broke new ground for a jump stallion with an advertised figure of €20,000. A Group 1-winning global traveller in his youth, but who did not win in Britain or Ireland, Doctor Dino

Txope: German 1,000 Guineas winner sold for €1.2 million to Yulong Investments

was responsible for geldings who sold for €210,000 (to Marius Cypres) and €160,000 (to Nicolas Bertran De Balanda).

Both horses will begin racing in France, while a €150,000 son of Authorized – a stallion whose sale to

TALKING POINT • Newmarket trainer Amy Murphy’s decision to arrange a short-term satellite yard in France proved successful, and a result at the Arqana Summer Sale put icing and a candle on the cake.

During her three-month stint Murphy trained eight winners and earned just over €180,000 in prize-money, one success coming at Dieppe courtesy of two-year-old filly Havana Angel, a daughter of Whitsbury Manor Stud’s

Turkey is proving a loss to jump racing and breeding – will learn his trade in Wales, having been knocked down to Highflyer Bloodstock on behalf of racehorse owner Dai Walters. Sam Thomas will handle the youngster at Walters’ yard near Cardiff.

ascendant freshman Havana Grey. A Group 3 placing at Chantilly added to the filly’s profile and at the sale she was sold to Californian interests for €320,000, a superb increase on her €20,000 valuation when bought as a yearling at the Goffs Sportman’s Sale.

Havana Angel could have won at Doncaster rather than Dieppe, been Group-placed in Britain and made similar money at Tattersalls’ July Sale in Newmarket, but it is easy to see why Murphy hopes France Galop allow her to run a similar yard next year.

Arqana Summer Sale Top ten Name/age/sex/breeding

Consignor

Price (€)

Txope 3 f Siyouni - Power Of The Moon

Decouz

Spanish Harlem 4 g Spanish Moon – Souverainete

Gabriel Leenders

360,000

PB Bloodstock/Harold Kirk/Willie Mullins

Havana Angel 2 f Havana Grey – Claramara

Murphy

320,000

Narvick International

Absurde 4 g Fastnet Rock – Incroyable

Wertheimer & Frere

260,000

PB Bloodstock/Harold Kirk/Willie Mullins

Afadil 3 g Camelot – Afsheen

Aga Khan Studs

255,000

Tom Malone/Paul Nicholls

1,200,000

Buyer BBA Ireland/Yulong Investments

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate (€)

Average (€)

Median (€)

Top price (€)

2022

380

13,194,300

34,451

16,000

1,200,000

2021

414

8,626,500

20,888

10,000

400,000

2020

158

2,897,501

18,915

9,000

240,000

44

THE OWNER BREEDER

Rihaam: set a new sale record when sold for 540,000gns to Blandford Bloodstock

TATTERSALLS

This was another midsummer sale of mixed stock which produced tremendous results.

There were no jumpers or jump-bred lots to view, but 564 horses with Flat racing backgrounds went under the hammer and a remarkable 520 found a buyer at a rate of 92 per cent. Thank heavens the industry is dealing in a global market, for swathes of sales were down to overseas purchasers, but if that is how racehorse owners in Britain are to fund their passion and the wheels of racing and breeding are to keep turning, then that is how the game has to be played, for now at least.

Turnover of 16,743,285gns was up 36 per cent, the average gained 41 per cent at 32,199gns while the median grew a quarter to reach 15,000gns.

TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls July Sale

Zhang Yuesheng (left), assisted by Michael Donohoe (right), spent 1.8 million guineas

Those figures were all records for the July Sale, as was the top price, a sum of 540,000gns which was given for Shadwell’s nine-year-old broodmare Rihaam, dam of the 100-rated Ribhi and carrying a full-brother to him by Dark Angel. Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff signed for Rihaam, and while he could not reveal his client by name, he was standing alongside Coolmore representatives during the bidding process. Given that the mare is by Dansili out of a daughter of Woodman, she would be an easy mate for that stud’s stallion roster.

Goff also signed for the grand racemare Chachamaidee, a 15-year-old carrying to Mohaather and bought by Andrew Black’s Chasemore Farm for 200,000gns, while it took a bid of 500,000gns by James Wigan to secure

See The Rose, a four-year-old daughter of Kendargent who was a Group 3 winner at two for trainer Andre Fabre.

As a three-year-old she was knocked down at the Tattersalls December Sale for 450,000gns and joined Joseph O’Brien, but did not race for him. Little more than eight months later she was back at Tattersalls’ HQ and was sold for a slightly higher figure. Wigan said the filly would join a breeder in Britain.

The bulk of other higher-value sales had an overseas investor pulling the strings. Chinese billionaire Zhang Yuesheng gained ten broodmares for 1.8m gns, headed by the Galileo mare Shining Bright who made 450,000gns to a bid from BBA Ireland’s Michael Donohoe. A number of Yulong’s breeding purchases went down in the name of Lucky Vega Syndicate, a

TALKING POINT • The career of stallion Nathaniel is intriguingly poised. Suggestions that he might have produced a one-trick wonder in the shape of dual Classic and Arc winner Enable have been consigned to the bin by the exploits of Derby winner Desert Crown, not to mention Lady Bowthorpe and a host of Flat horses rated in the 100s. Yet his sons and daughters are also achieving good results over jumps, and in May he gained his Newsells Park Stud owners the Whitbread Silver Salver as the leading British-based stallion for NH earnings.

At the July Sale, Peter and Ross Doyle bought one of his broodmare daughters carrying to Bated Breath while County Cork-based Millwood Bloodstock secured Bright Blue, a gelded three-year-old. The three-year-old filly New Year Honours went to jump trainer Gordon Elliott, while agent Tom Malone, who focuses on buying jumpers, secured three-year-old gelding Gyenyame.

Perhaps Nathaniel will become the first stallion of the modern era to bridge the divide between the two codes and establish himself as a sire appealing to broodmare owners for his achievements, rather than because he fits into a bracket.

THE OWNER BREEDER

45

››

Sales Circuit ›› reference to the stallion who raced in

TATTERSALLS

Yulong’s colours and who stood his first northern hemisphere season at the Irish National Stud this year.

Australian interests made their presence felt on day two when trade moved from bloodstock to horses in training, although another Shadwell cast-off, the 107-rated Albasheer, who jointly headed trade at 130,000gns, stays in Britain after exiting Owen Burrows’ yard to continue racing with Archie Watson.

Albasheer will carry Andy Taylor’s colours, while three-year-old gelding Grenoble, who commanded the same valuation, heads down under after being sold to William Johnson and Mark Pilkington.

Racing in the Middle East continues to develop, which in turn creates demand for stock from European horses-in-training sales. Qatar’s Gassim Al Ghazali bid of 205,000gns accounted for Salvator Mundi, a Bjorn Nielsen-bred Galileo colt with two recent victories for John and Thady Gosden, while Oliver St Lawrence, handling affairs for his usual clients in Bahrain, picked up the geldings Rollajam and Nietzsche’s Star for 120,000gns and 100,000gns respectively.

Bahrain’s racing programme is on a sharp upward curve, and the same can

See The Rose: Group 3-winning daughter of Kendargent sold for 500,000gns

be said of Saudi Arabia’s.

Representatives from that country made their presence felt, driving the secondday’s clearance rate to a barelybelievable 99 per cent.

Team Valor, which is US-based but international in its thinking, accounted for the final day’s 275,000gns top lot, the three-year-old filly Crystal Estrella, who came to the ring off the back of a typically patient career progression under the care of Sir Michael Stoute. A

winner at Goodwood on her third start in Sir Evelyn de Rothschild’s colours, the daughter of Iffraaj was set to return to Stoute, said Team Valor’s Barry Irwin.

Latin Lover, who became trainer Harry Eustace’s first Royal Ascot winner when taking this year’s Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap, made 210,000gns when becoming a first Tattersalls purchase for Ahead All As Agent, which has connections in Hong Kong.

Tattersalls July Sale Top lots Name/age/sex/breeding

Consignor

Price (gns)

Buyer

Rihaam 9 m Dansili – Wissal

Shadwell Estate Company Ltd

540,000

Blandford Bloodstock

See The Rose 4 f Kendargent – Xaarienne

The Castlebridge Consignment

500,000

London T’bred Services

Shining Bright 4 m Galileo - Lady Lara

Barton Sales

450,000

BBA Ireland/Lucky Vega Syndicate

Footprints 3 m Galileo – After

The Castlebridge Consignment

340,000

BBA Ireland/Lucky Vega Syndicate

Crystal Estrella 3 f Iffraaj - Crystal Etoile

Freemason Lodge Stables

275,000

Team Valor International

Sweet Whisper 3 f Dubawi – Gonbarda

Godolphin

260,000

BBA Ireland/Lucky Vega Syndicate

Latin Lover 3 g Starspangledbanner - Blue Dahlia

Park Lodge Stables)/Barton Sales

210,000

Ahead All As Agent

Salvator Mundi 3 c Galileo – Bufera

Clarehaven Stables/Castlebridge Consignment

205,000

C Gordon Watson Bloodstock

Chachamaidee 15 m Footstepsinthesand - Canterbury Lace

R Evans/DVA Equine Services

200,000

Blandford Bloodstock

Cheradi 3 f Dubawi – Taranto

Godolphin

190,000

Breckenridge Ventures

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate (gns)

Average (gns)

Median (gns)

Top price (gns)

2022

520

16,743,285

32,199

15,000

540,000

2021

538

12,301,300

22,865

12,000

220,000

2020

330

5,940,900

18,003

10,000

130,000

46

THE OWNER BREEDER

JRHA Select Sale

Front-line bloodstock auctions are riding a crest of the wave in 2022, and Japan joined in when staging its two-day Select Sale on the island of Hokkaido.

Of 233 yearlings on offer, all but 11 found a buyer for a 95 per cent clearance rate and turnover of ¥12.8bn (€91.7m) at a record average of nearly ¥58m (€413,000), a 13 per cent rise.

Foals were barely less popular with 225 sales of 236 lots at an average price of ¥57.9m (€406,277), also up 13 per cent.

Turnover at both the yearling and foal sessions gained 14 per cent to reach the sum of ¥25.7bn (€183m).

Teryua Yoshida, a leading breeder and buyer of racehorses, head of Northern Farm and Chairman of the Japan Racing Horse Association (JRHA), reflected on the sale’s success and pointed to the quality of mares residing in Japan as a factor in it. He and his family have bought many of those mares, their dams and granddams.

He also commented on the success of Japanese horses in races around the globe and said this boosted interest among his compatriots to buy foals and yearlings. Deep Impact, Japan’s equivalent of Galileo, died in 2019 and is proving hard to replace – not to mention King Kamehameha and his son Duramente who died within two years of each other – but there is enough top-level sire input to deflect the losses.

Japan-bred Epiphaneia, the Japan Cup and Japanese St Leger winner who stands at Shadai Stallion Farm and sired Classic winner Daring Tact in his first crop, was but one name who featured heavily on the top-ten board.

The aforementioned Duramente was responsible for siring the sale’s most valuable foal, a ¥320m (€2.28m) colt out of the US Grade 2 winner Champagne Anyone, a daughter of Street Sense who was bought by Katsumi Yoshida for $750,000 at Fasig Tipton at the end of her racing career. Her son, her second foal, was sold to Japan’s Red Horse Agency.

A handful of overseas buyers were back for the first time since Covid disruptions intervened, but when it comes to the cream of the crop, Japanese buyers are not thwarted.

Masahiro Noda of Danox Co Ltd signed for the showstopper, a ¥450m (€3.2m) yearling colt by leading Japanese sire Maurice out of Mosheen, a quadruple Group 1 winner in her native

JRHA

››

The late Duramente proved popular at the JRHA Sale, notably as the sire of this colt who sold for the equivalent of £1.92 million

THE OWNER BREEDER

47

Sales Circuit Yoshida’s broodmare band.

Buyers from outside Japan included Narvick International’s Emmanuel de Seroux, who paid ¥100m (€712,000) for a yearling colt by Lord Kanaloa out of four-time winning Sunday Silence mare Pedicularis and added four more purchases to his haul for a total spend of ¥346m (€2.46m).

Zhang Yuesheng, the Chinese billionaire head of Yulong Investments and an active buyer at sales around the globe, left with fillies by Lord Kanaloa and Duramente worth a combined value of ¥75m (€534,575).

JRHA

›› Australia before joining Katsumi

This son of Maurice topped the sale when sold for the equivalent of £2.7 million

JRHA Select Sale Top lots Sex/age/breeding

Consignor

Price (Yen)

Buyer

C (Y) Maurice - Mosheen

Northern Farm

450,000,000

Danox Co., Ltd

C (F) Duramente - Champagne Anyone

Shunsuke Yoshida

320,000,000

Red Horse

C (F) Bricks And Mortar - Awake

Northern Farm

310,000,000

Tetsuhide Kunimoto

C (Y) Duramente - Jaywalk

Northern Farm

300,000,000

Two One Racing

C (F) Saturnalia - L’Archetto

Northern Farm

300,000,000

Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co.

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate (Yen)

Average (Yen)

Median (Yen)

Top price (Yen)

2022

447

25,762,500,000

57,634,228

42,000,000

450,000,000

2021

439

22,556,000,000

51,380,410

34,000,000

410,000,000

2020

432

18,761,000,000

43,428,241

30,000,000

510,000,000

Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale

Twelve months after making its debut on the sales circuit, but only after much hopping and skipping to get around Covid’s mean intentions, this auction

achieved its aim of offering stores over two days in Parts I and II. Comparisons with last year have to be put against the fact that the sale had been cut to a single day on the first occasion, but the latest figures

SUPPLEMENTING FOR SUCCESS

were more than fair, particularly at Part I, where 70 per cent of the 270 lots on offer found a buyer. Trade was headed by a pair of €65,000 geldings, sons of Blue Bresil and Buck’s Boum. The former was knocked down to Tom

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or foal pinhookers will have moved their best stock on at earlier sales the €14,953 average price at Part I suggests many vendors gained some return and maybe even a little profit on their investment.

Part II lacked some of the oomph which Tattersalls Ireland would have hoped to witness. Of 250 offered lots 163 found a buyer at a rate of 65 per cent, while the average price was a humble €6,591.

James Doyle, another member of the point-to-point training and trading

Malone to join Paul Nicholls, while the latter heads to the north of England and a berth with trainer Nicky Richards.

French trainer Hugo Merienne gained a €60,000 son of Network, while point-to-point trainers Sam Curling and Johnny Hurley picked up horses they hope will race next year and then be reoffered. Curling’s €55,000 bid gained a son of Walk In The Park, while Hurley parted with €46,000 for a gelding by Affinisea.

Bearing in mind that store breeders

coterie, secured the top lot, a €30,000 son of Stormy River from Mocklershill Stables, while the ambitious and progressive team of Fran and Charlie Poste were among British pinhookers who joined the list of buyers. Over the two days they purchased three horses for a total of €81,000, headed by a son of Manatee who cost €42,000.

The trio will be aimed at point-topoints from the couple’s Warwickshire yard, and they have had no trouble finding partners for horses purchased at earlier store sales.

Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Consignor

Price (€)

Buyer

G Blue Bresil - Jessber’s Dream

Rathbarry Stud

65,000

Tom Malone / Paul Nicholls

G Buck’s Boum – Implora

Liss House

65,000

Nicky Richards

G Network - French Girl

Wood Hall Stables

60,000

Hugo Merienne

G Walk In The Park - La Sarrazine

Railstown Stud

55,000

Sam Curling

G Affinisea – Tasitiocht

Castletown Quarry Stud

46,000

Johnny Hurley

Figures – Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale Part I Year

Sold

Aggregate (€)

Average (€)

Median (€)

Top price (€)

2022

190

2,841,100

14,953

11,750

65,000

2021

143

1,491,900

10,433

8,000

50,000

Figures – Tattersalls Ireland July Store Sale Part II Year

Sold

Aggregate (€)

Average (€)

Median (€)

Top price (€)

2022

163

1,074,300

6,591

5,000

30,000

Any idea that the North American market could be affected by volatility in the broader financial marketplace was swiftly dispelled by the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Sale, writes Nancy Sexton.

The Selected Horses of All Ages Sale hit new heights while the yearling sale, the curtain-raiser to the North American yearling auction season, fell only a tick off the record renewal staged 16 years ago in 2006.

Of course, American owners are in the luxurious position of running for significant prize-money, even with an average horse, all of which naturally helps drive demand.

“Some of them appear to be [worth] a lot more than what you would foresee,” agent Steven Young told reporters. “But with the purses the way they are in places like Kentucky and

FASIG-TIPTON

Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Select Sale

A yearling son of Curlin topped the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Sale on a bid of $600,000

New York, horses that are running are worth a lot of money.”

Young was speaking after signing at $500,000 on behalf of an undisclosed client for recent American Derby

runner-up Kuchar. An improving three-year-old who had won two of five starts this year for trainer Rodolphe Brisset, he was one of 16 horses sold during the day by WinStar Racing.

THE OWNER BREEDER

49

››

››

Sales Circuit Chilean Group 1 winner First Constitution, a two-time stakes winner in New York who was sold over the phone to RRR Racing for $430,000.

Plans call for the well-travelled five-year-old to compete in Dubai, while a change in scenery is also in store for the Grade 3-placed Electability, purchased by Michael Donohoe of the BBA Ireland for $330,000 on behalf of a Saudi Arabian client.

That momentum carried over into the yearling sale the following day, where 189 yearlings sold for an average of $115,151, a figure only marginally behind the record of $115,954 set in 2006. The median of $90,000 also matched that achieved during that record edition.

The July Yearling Sale is unique in that it opens with a first-crop sire showcase and buyers once again

FASIG-TIPTON

›› The powerful draft also included

Steve Young: signed at $500,000 for promising three-year-old Kuchar

reacted with enthusiasm. Led by Spendthrift Farm’s Omaha Beach, a Grade 1-winning son of War Front whose five yearlings sold averaged $236,000, 12 of the 15 young stallions represented returned an average in excess of $50,000. There were some

fine returns along the way, among them the Scat Daddy horse Flameaway, whose average of $85,400 came off a $7,500 fee, and Copper Bullet, a Grade 2-winning son of More Than Ready who fired in an average of $96,000 having been advertised as free to approved mares in his first season.

Overall, top billing went to a son of leading sire Curlin, bought for $600,000 by Jon Green’s D J Stables.

The very last lot into the ring, the colt is a half-brother to the former high-class Jeremy Noseda-trained colt Gronskowski and capped an excellent day for consignor Gainesway Farm, also the vendor of a Gun Runner colt who sold for $430,000 to breeze-up pinhooker Tristan de Meric. By a sire carrying all before him in the US, the colt is a full-brother to the recent Grade 3-placed filly Runaway Wife and out of minor stakes winner Perfect Wife.

Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Select Sale Top lots – Selected Horses Of All Ages Name/age/sex/breeding

Consignor

Price ($)

Buyer

Kuchar 3 c Uncle Mo - Street Girl

WinStar Racing

500,000

Steven Young

First Constitution 5 h Constitution - Antic

WinStar Racing

430,000

RRR Racing

Diamond Hands 3 f Frosted - Love Cove

Denali Stud

375,000

Steven Young

Song Parody 2 f Practical Joke - Songofthecity

Taylor Made Sales

360,000

Magna Carta

Electability 3 g Quality Road - Spindle

ELiTE, agent

330,000

BBA Ireland

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate ($)

Average ($)

Median ($)

Top price ($)

2022

129

10,814,000

83,829

58,000

500,000

2021

105

5,905,500

74,753

50,000

440,000

81

5,072,000

62,617

30,000

475,000

2020 Top lots – Yearlings Sex/breeding

Consignor

Price ($)

Buyer

c Curlin - Four Sugars

Gainesway, LLC

600,000

D J Stable

c Gun Runner - Perfect Wife

Gainesway, LLC

430,000

De Meric Sales

f Omaha Beach - Gas Station Sushi

Woodford Thoroughbreds

410,000

Solis/Litt

f Arrogate - Attempt To Name

Wynnstay Sales

400,000

Donato Lanni, agent

c Uncle Mo - Super Saks

St George Sales

400,000

Glassman Racing

Figures Year

Sold

Aggregate ($)

Average ($)

Median ($)

Top price ($)

2022

189

21,763,500

115,151

90,000

600,000

2021

208

21,608,500

103,887

80,000

800,000

2020 No Sale

50

THE OWNER BREEDER

Caulfield Files

Successful sire sons ensuring Dubawi line hits new heights A

Momentum building

No doubt many also found it hard to envisage Dubawi developing into a terrific sire of sires. This is a topic I have touched on before in this column, but the situation now looks so encouraging that an update is justified.

It must be said that he didn’t start particularly well in this role. Neither of his first-crop sons Makfi and Poet’s Voice could be described as a runaway success, despite each of them siring one top-class son. Makfi’s finest moments came via Make Believe, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix de la Foret winner who has sired the tremendously talented and versatile Mishriff.

It is going to be a recurring theme in

52

THE OWNER BREEDER

progeny of racing age, but one of them – Aspetar – became a Group 1 winner, so Al Kazeem hasn’t let the side down.

Night Of Thunder GEORGE SELWYN

fter the political shenanigans of recent months, I’m not sure that Britain still has any beloved elder statesmen but in the equine world Dubawi certainly fills that role. At the age of 20, Britain’s highest-priced stallion has reached some seemingly unattainable milestones, such as 51 individual Group 1 winners, plus over 100 other Group scorers, and by the time this appears in print he is likely to have passed the landmark of 350 individual black-type earners. Equineline credits him with 12 per cent black-type winners to named foals, or more than 15 per cent of his starters.

Yet it mustn’t be forgotten that Dubawi hasn’t always been so loved or respected.

He briefly struggled for support in the early stages of his stallion career, despite his first-rate achievements on the racecourse, which included an unbeaten two-year-old campaign and a Classic success at three, when he also won the highly prestigious Prix Jacques le Marois.

Dubawi was priced at only £15,000 in his fourth year in 2009, having attracted no more than 91 mares in 2008, for a third crop of 78. Even that substantial reduction in his fee (from €40,000) didn’t have the desired effect, with Dubawi’s book falling further in 2009, to only 68, for a fourth crop of just 61 foals. I suspect that part of the problem was that quite a few breeders questioned whether the neat, muscular Dubawi possessed enough scope to develop into a top-class stallion, forgetting that the breed-shaping Northern Dancer stood only 15.2 hands.

Dubawi: elite stallion is now forging a legacy as a successful sire of sires

this article that several members of the Dubawi male line have managed to shine despite comparatively small crops and Make Believe is no exception. His first four crops respectively numbered 88, 59, 45 and 53 foals but three first-crop two-year-old black-type winners earned him 107 mares in 2020 and then Mishriff’s Prix du Jockey-Club victory helped boost the numbers to more than 150 in 2021. By 2024, we should have a much clearer idea of whether Make Believe is going to help the Dubawi male line to flourish.

Unfortunately, Poet’s Voice’s best son, the champion middle-distance horse Poet’s Word, will find it hard to do so, as he was quickly transferred to the

“Dubawi briefly struggled for support in the early stages of his career” National Hunt sector after he attracted only 29 mares in his first season under the Shadwell banner.

The 2014 breeding season was to see three of Dubawi’s smart sons make their debut. Best of them was the excellent ten-furlong winner Al Kazeem, whose fee of £18,000 reflected victories in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and Eclipse Stakes.

Sadly, he was to experience fertility issues which resulted in a return to training – and ultimately a third Group 1 victory.

Although he later returned to stallion duties, Al Kazeem still has fewer than 100

The next high-profile son of Dubawi to retire to stud in Britain or Ireland was the 2014 2,000 Guineas winner Night Of Thunder. This conqueror of Kingman and Australia joined the team at Kildangan Stud at a fee of €30,000 in 2016. His retirement came just a few months after Makfi had enjoyed Classic success with Make Believe, so there was some cause for optimism about Dubawi as a sire of sires.

Breeders duly gave Night Of Thunder a warm welcome, sending him 138 mares.

From then on, though, he became quite hard work for the Darley nominations team. A reduction in fee to €25,000 wasn’t enough to stop his book falling to 103 in his second season. A transfer to Dalham Hall Stud, coupled with a further fee reduction to £15,000, merely steadied the ship, with a third-season book of 102 and a fourth-year book of 97. Perhaps there were some doubts not only about Dubawi as a sire of sires but also about the strength of Night Of Thunder’s female line (he is the only Group winner under his first three dams).

I’m delighted to say that any such doubts were quickly dispelled. Night Of Thunder hadn’t been particularly precocious but he was impressive in winning two late-season juvenile starts and his first crop soon proved that he could pass on plenty of two-year-old ability. His first runners in 2019 yielded English-trained Group winners in England (Under The Stars), France (Pocket Square) and Italy (Night Colours), as well as four Listed winners spread throughout Europe. Two of those Listed winners went on to Group success at three, with Molatham taking the Group 3 Jersey Stakes and Thunderous winning the Group 2 Dante Stakes.

Night Of Thunder was moved back to Kildangan Stud for his fifth season in 2020 and the Darley team erred on the side of caution when they announced the 2020 fees in late-October. Although his fee was raised to €25,000, that was still €5,000 under his original fee. Two new Listed winners in November added fuel

to the fire and demand for his services was enormous. He ended up covering 218 mares, so his current crop of yearlings is by far his largest.

In assessing Night Of Thunder’s merit, it mustn’t be overlooked that his first four crops numbered 105, 74, 83 and 69 foals, which currently puts him at quite a numerical disadvantage with some of his rivals. Fortunately, his progeny possess enough quality to offset any lack of numbers. Ignoring his five black-type winners sired on his excursions to Australia, Night Of Thunder has already sired 14 Group winners and 12 Listed winners from those 331 foals in his first four crops. That equates to a figure of nearly eight per cent black-type winners, and over four per cent Group winners, and these figures can be expected to rise.

Like Dubawi, Night Of Thunder has proved capable of siring good winners over a range of distances. At the short end are such as Suesa (King George Stakes), Highfield Princess (Duke of York Stakes) and Molatham (Jersey Stakes), while middle distances has brought out the best in such as Thundering Nights (Pretty Polly Stakes), Auyantepui (Oaks d’Italia), Thunderous (Dante Stakes), Thunder Kiss (Munster Oaks) and Sopran Basilea (Premio Lydia Tesio).

The chances are that the best is yet to come from the now 11-year-old stallion. In addition to his largest crop reaching the track in 2023, Night Of Thunder joined Ireland’s elite stallions in 2021 and 2022, with his fee rising to €75,000.

With Galileo as his broodmare sire, it isn’t surprising that several of his black-type winners have two lines of Sadler’s Wells. More significant is the fact that his recent Superlative Stakes winner Isaac Shelby and his Group 3 winner Thunder Kiss are both inbred 3 x 3 to Galileo. Isaac Shelby is one of those 69 foals in Night Of Thunder’s fourth crop.

Emerging talent

There has also been a lot to like about the first runners by some of Dubawi’s younger sons. The 2015 Prix du Jockey-Club winner New Bay has done so well that his fee was raised to €37,500 in his sixth season in 2022, even though it had been as low as €15,000 in his third and fourth seasons. He is credited with having covered more than 180 mares in 2021, but he hasn’t always received support proportionate to his impressive threeyear-old career, which included a second in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and a third in the Arc. There were 77 foals in his first crop and 64 in his second, while his third crop numbers only 70 two-year-olds.

GEORGE SELWYN

Bloodstock world views

Zarak: impeccably-bred son of Dubawi has made a flying start with his first crop

Of those 141 foals in his first two crops, no fewer than 17 – 12 per cent – have earned a Racing Post rating between 100 and 124, with nine rated higher than 110.

Thanks to Saffron Beach, Claymore and Bay Bridge, New Bay had a superb Royal Ascot. He is having the best year of his young career, even though he had far fewer runners than most of the other stallions which ranked among the top 20 at July 18. With 68 runners in Britain and Ireland, he had the least number of runners, the only others with fewer than 100 runners being Churchill (74), Nathaniel (84) and Night Of Thunder (90). So that’s two under-supported sons of Dubawi in the top 15 stallions.

Three very smart sons covered their first mares in 2018 and two of them did so well with their first juveniles in 2021 that their fees were raised substantially, with Zarak’s going from €12,000 to €25,000 and Time Test’s from £8,500 to £15,000. The exception was Postponed, whose tally of four middle-distance Group 1 victories wasn’t enough to earn him the wholehearted support of breeders. After a first crop of 79 foals, he has only 28 two-year-olds in his second.

Breeding rights to Time Test sold for up to 115,000gns over the winter, so he’s another to keep an eye on in a few more years. There is no need to wait, though, for Zarak, who had shares sold for €350,000 and €380,000. Both Time Test and Zarak are out of Group 1-winning dams, but describing Zarak’s dam, Zarkava, merely as a Group 1 winner barely does her justice. None of her five Group 1 successes was gained by less than two lengths, including her Arc triumph.

By July 18, Zarak had had only 38 runners in France in 2022, but 24 of them

had won and among them were Baiykara, who won the Prix de Royaumont in such style that she was spoken of as an Arc contender. Another daughter, Times Square, had finished a close third in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and there was another near miss at Classic level when La Parisienne narrowly failed to wear down Nashwa in the Prix de Diane.

Also advertising the merits of Zarak’s daughters was Purplepay, the €2 million filly who comfortably landed the Prix de Sandringham.

Zarak’s sons have also played their part, with Haya Zark and Zagrey both winning at Listed level, while Lavello earned a tilt at the Deutsches Derby with his victory in the Bavarian Classic and a third in the Prix Hocquart.

The very eye-catching starts made by Zarak and New Bay are powerful reminders that Dubawi’s reputation as a sire of sires isn’t dependent on his faster sons, such as Night Of Thunder. Zarak’s finest win came in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over a mile and a half, and New Bay also won over that distance, in the Prix Niel.

Bright future

It is fair to expect a variety of other sons of Dubawi to add further gloss to his burgeoning record as a sire of sires.

Ghaiyyath – officially recognised as Dubawi’s most talented son – represents the same Dubawi-Galileo cross as Night Of Thunder and he started his stallion career with a book of more than 130 mares in 2021. Don’t forget that Ghaiyyath’s record also includes a two-year-old victory in the Autumn Stakes, a race later won by Coroebus before his transformation into this year’s winner of the 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes. No doubt Coroebus will eventually join Darley’s already-powerful team of Dubawi stallions.

Too Darn Hot can be expected to make a considerable impact with his blue-blooded first crop at the 2022 yearling sales, and breeders with smaller budgets are surely making the most of Space Blues, who used his excellent finishing speed to win three Group 1 races, including the Breeders’ Cup Mile Godolphin also have two other highly accomplished Dubawi colts which could be added to the team. Naval Crown has claims to being one of his sire’s fastest sons, following his win in the Platinum Jubilee Stakes and his second in the July Cup, and Modern Games has the attraction of being a Classic winner over a mile.

THE OWNER BREEDER

53

ROA Forum

The special section for ROA members

Gay Kelleway’s Ukraine mission

GEORGE SELWYN

R

OA Board member and trainer Gay Kelleway has recently completed her third mission to the Ukrainian border to provide vital supplies and rescue horses that were abandoned in the region after the invasion by Russian forces back in late February.

Gay has been instrumental in racing’s drive to help the cause, setting up a Just Giving page and showcasing the plight of those left in Ukraine – both equine and human – with her social media posts and publicity. She has pulled together a team of volunteers who have been driving in excess of 1,000 miles to an equine rescue facility in south-east Poland.

She told the Racing Post: “I’ve been a doer my whole life and I don’t like to waste an hour,” she said. “I was horrified by the condition of the horses on our first trip, and felt we had to do more for them.

It has been a life-changing experience.

“Other equestrian disciplines have done bits and bobs but racing has been different class.

“If everybody stepped up it would make a huge difference. It would break your heart the things we’ve seen over there. Progress is precious and we’ve got to keep the momentum going with donations.”

Gay’s initial target of £40,000 to raise

Newmarket trainer Gay Kelleway is helping horses in the war-torn country

the horses with their owners who had to flee Ukraine – they would like to raise more funds. If you would like to donate to this cause please go to justgiving.com and search ‘Gay Kelleway’.

funds to buy supplies for the horses who are being cared for at the rehabilitation hub on the Ukrainian/Polish border has already been surpassed, but in order for them to fulfil their next hope – reuniting

British racing has launched a new campaign, All In The Race, to visibly demonstrate its ambition to continue to improve the diversity and inclusivity of the sport and illustrate how racing will directly benefit by achieving this goal.

Led by the Diversity in Racing Steering Group (DiRSG), the All In The Race campaign is now being rolled out, with the aim of being supported and shared by everyone across the sport.

The campaign features a oneminute video which includes the many elements of the racing community with a powerful voiceover, concluding: “It’s better when we’re All In the Race”.

In addition, there are three supporting animations focusing on how racing is working to encourage people with brave ideas, safe crowd spaces for all racegoers, and attracting the best

54

THE OWNER BREEDER

GEORGE SELWYN

All In The Race campaign launch

Khadija Mellah features in the new video for the All In The Race campaign

talent into the sport.

The ROA is proud to be one of the founder 30 racing organisations to have signed up to the industry commitment to improving inclusion and diversity. This commitment aims to formalise the sport’s approach and builds on the extensive existing activity already taking place, including community engagement, education activity and charitable work.

British racing will continue to support and fund existing initiatives working to improve diversity and inclusion. This includes the excellent work of organisations such as Women in Racing, Racing with Pride, Autism in Racing, Step on Track, Racing Pathway, and the Riding a Dream Academy.

Owners can learn more about inclusion and diversity by completing an online module at racing2learn.com.

New contact details:

www.roa.co.uk • 01183 385680 • info@roa.co.uk @racehorseowners

RacehorseOwnersUK

Racehorseownersassociation

Cycling challenge raises more than £100,000 for Racing Welfare

RACING WELFARE

Over 24 hours on the hottest weekend of the year, 81 cyclists took on a gruelling challenge in a bid to raise vital funds for Racing Welfare. Split into 20 teams, the cyclists took it in turns to ride 30km loops from Cheltenham racecourse, with at least two riding from each team at any one time.

The total amount raised by the event is set to top £100,000 – well beyond the £60,000 target – for Racing Welfare, with the cyclists’ totals further boosted by the generosity of key event sponsors Unibet, Racehorse Lotto, the Jockey Club and Tattersalls.

Alice Campbell rode as part of Team Racing Welfare, having had first-hand experience of their support. She said: “I’ve worked in National Hunt racing for nearly 20 years and am currently working for Nigel Twiston-Davies. I entered the cycle challenge because Racing Welfare helped me get back to full fitness after breaking my leg and rupturing my PCL and wanted to give something back.”

Participants came from across the racing industry and included Sir AP McCoy, trainers Ben Pauling and Harry Fry with two teams each, Magnolia Cup winner Khadija Mellah, assistant trainer to Dan Skelton Tom Messenger, and Team Sky Sports consisting of Vanessa Ryle, Rosie Tapner, Sean Boyce and Oisin Murphy.

Remarkably, all competitors who

81 cyclists took part in the 24-hour ride for charity

went under starter’s orders completed the herculean challenge, toughing it out for the entire 24 hours – a testament to their training, determination and commitment to the cause.

Collectively the cyclists amassed a total of 644 laps and a staggering 12,313km. The most laps (57) were recorded by The Menorahs – a highly competitive team consisting of Rhys Flint, Harry Skelton, Tom Danter and Richard Johnson.

Anyone wishing to support the challenge can still do so by texting GRWC and the amount you wish to donate to 70450 (e.g. GRWC5).

Racing Staff Week

Racing Staff Week saw organisations across the sport come together to celebrate the hard work and dedication of all their colleagues. Supported by Betfair for a sixth year, Racing Welfare hosted events for racing staff up and

down the country, including rounders matches, quiz nights and tea and coffee drop-ins. Events culminated at the end of the week with the two charity races at Doncaster and Newton Abbot, contested by 23 members of stable staff.

The races were won by Michael Vokins, riding Amsby, for the Harry Eustace stable in the Betfair Clock Tower Cup at Doncaster. and Imogen Levick, who took the spoils in the Betfair Racing Staff Week Cup at Newton Abbot, riding Uncle Dick for trainer Eve Johnson Houghton.

Not only were the charity races an opportunity of a lifetime for the participants, but riders also all worked extremely hard to raise vital funds for Racing Welfare, getting an amazing total of £17,682 across the two races. Other activity across the week included a lunch and auction at Doncaster which added more than £18,000 to fundraising efforts.

NATIONAL RACEHORSE WEEK

As reported last month, National Racehorse Week will take place from September 10-18. The event once again provides a fantastic opportunity to help promote British racing and the racehorse.

Over 150 trainers will be opening their yards during this week, and owners can also play their part in engaging with the public to showcase the best of what our sport has to offer. This celebration is not simply about marking a single point in the year, but an opportunity to show the outstanding care and attention that racehorses receive for 365 days of the year and the commitment of their owners in looking after them during their racing career and once they have retired. Retraining centres such as HEROS will also be open for visitors.

We all know we love and care passionately for our horses and now is the time to show people first-hand the genuine bonds that exist between racehorses and the professionals and owners that care for them.

Any trainers who would like the ROA to be present and support your team on the day in talking to existing and perspective owners please get in touch with the ROA on info@roa.co.uk or call us on 01183 385680.

National Racehorse Week: celebrating thoroughbreds

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MAGICAL MOMENTS Melba Bryce is enjoying Snooze N You Lose’s winning run

T

he Sky Bet Sunday Series has been one of the better initiatives in British racing over the past couple of years, with fantastic support from ITV Racing and the good prizemoney and bonuses going the way of owners, racing professionals and yards who appreciate it and need it arguably more than most.

One such winner, on Derby weekend, was the amusingly-named Snooze N You Lose, a filly who has been wide enough awake to win a Nottingham maiden on just her second start, finish a fine second at the Dante meeting and then score again at Musselburgh in the Listed Queen of Scots Stakes as part of the track’s Sunday Series meeting.

It was a first prize well worth having too, being nearly £30,000, and the three-year-old was a comfortable twolength winner under Sam James in the colours of Melba Bryce.

The ROA member of 23 years’ standing owns and runs Laundry Cottage Stud in Hertfordshire with husband Colin, and daughters Gina – the well-known racing broadcaster – and Ailsa and son Calum helping with the family business. Their most notable produce is Group 1 winner Wootton Bassett, now a leading sire for Coolmore.

Explaining the background and setup, Melba Bryce says: “I got into owning racehorses nearly 25 years ago with my husband Colin, both of us having enjoyed a day out at the races for many years prior.

“When the kids finished up with Pony Club some 20 years ago and we had some fillies retiring from the track, we gave breeding a go and are fortunate enough at Laundry Cottage Stud Farm to have about 100 acres to keep them.

“We walk mares into stallions but do all our own foaling and prepping, having had some great help in learning the ropes in the early days from Dwayne Woods at Brook Stud.

“I’m full-time on the pastoral care side and I have two lovely young ladies, Sophie Comar and Charlotte Brandon, helping me day to day. We all muck in, including Colin, and we all take our turns sitting up and foaling down.

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Melba Bryce with Snooze N You Lose’s dam Wake Up Call and her May-born Mohaather colt foal

“Colin deals with all the matings and paying the bills and working out how to afford a new tractor and things like that.

“As the foals progress, we’re fortunate enough to be able to rely on my eldest daughter’s partner, bloodstock agent Alex Elliott, to keep an eye on condition and conformation, along with our sales consignor Jamie Railton.”

Husband and wife, though very much a team, have different silks and runners under their own names, with Melba’s colours pink, purple sash and sleeves, quartered cap, and Colin’s purple, white cross belts and armlets, quartered cap.

Those silks have also been worn to Listed-race glory this year, by Joe Fanning on the Charlie and Mark Johnston-trained Tippy Toes in the Chelmer’ Fillies Stakes at Chelmsford.

In brief Annual General Meeting

Bryce says: “We usually have a couple in training, in my name or Colin’s, mostly in the UK but have had some in France with Francis-Henri Graffard.

“For me, a win at Royal Ascot would be my high point, but Colin has always wanted to win the Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr’s Western Meeting – the track has the best owners’ lunch bar none – a race which we sponsored as Laundry Cottage Stud Farm for many years.

We have been third at Royal Ascot and second in the Firth of Clyde but never winners!”

Snooze N You Lose, who is by Ribchester and out of Wake Up Call, is trained by Karl Burke, and, explaining the connection, Bryce says: “Way back in the late 1990s when we were

“Colin has always wanted to win the Firth of Clyde Stakes at Ayr” looking to get into ownership, we stumbled upon two little girls at a Newmarket trainers’ open day who were encouraging passers-by to come in to see their dad’s stables.

“They were Karl Burke’s now grownup daughters and we have had horses with Karl ever since. There is no better trainer or nicer fellow in the business.

“From time to time we have horses trained by other folks and right now we have a nice Listed-class filly with Mark Johnston and another with Sean Woods [Shakenotstirred]. On the breeding side, we have worked over the years with Eamonn Reilly of BBA Ireland to help us identify likely mares and race fillies at the sales.”

As for magical moments, Bryce says: “Breeding Wootton Bassett of course has been our moment of glory, but we have also had some great fun on the

racetrack, especially when winning black type, which is so important as breeders.

“Recently, Rivellino, Tippy Toes, Do Re Mi Fa Sol, Kingoverthewater and Snooze N You Lose have given us great black-type days.

“Snooze started very modestly but Karl was convinced from the beginning that when she strengthened as a threeyear-old and could use her stride, she would be very useful. We will probably aim to take her to one of the Group 3 races at Glorious Goodwood, having passed on sending her to Ascot.

“We bought Tippy Toes after her two-year-old career as we had bred her mum and wanted back into the family.

The idea was to run her in a Listed race while also putting her in foal. She won the Listed race but didn’t get in foal, so she will continue to run this year.”

Be it breeding or owning, turning a profit, or even just not losing that much money, is a challenge at the best of times, and especially so right now given the cost-of-living crisis.

Bryce says: “The worst thing about owning and about breeding is the disparity between the cost and the meagre return – although the utility value of a win for a horse owned or bred can offset the financial penury to a limited extent.

“And on the breeding side, folks generally don’t realise how many things can go wrong between conception and the starting gate – foals and yearlings do their best, it seems, to try to damage themselves by running through fences and the like!

“The best thing is the happy days of winning black type on the track and of foaling down on cold winter nights bringing a new prospect into the world.”

Some owners may be tempted to pass on the latter, especially during the summer months when thoughts of cold winter nights are far away, but both sentiments will certainly resonate with other owner-breeders, and in the shape of their current three-year-old fillies, the Bryces can hope for more of what Melba identities as the best elements of their racing lives.

The ROA Annual General Meeting will take place virtually on Thursday, September 15. Please save the date and look out for further information, including joining details, which will be sent to members in the coming weeks.

The Annual Report and Accounts will be circulated to members in advance of the meeting. An email will be sent with a downloadable version, however, should anyone wish to receive a printed copy, please notify us before August 10 by emailing info@roa.co.uk or calling 01183 385680.

We have scheduled time for a question and answer session after the formal business has been concluded. If you would like to submit a question in advance please email info@roa.co.uk.

Racecourse Accreditation Scheme

The Racecourse Accreditation scheme was reactivated in March 2022 and owners’ feedback is being disseminated to both the racecourses and the AA, which has already proved impactful, with multiple courses acting and responding to the direct issues and concerns raised by owners. This has seen various issues eliminated with positive responses in follow-up feedback from owners.

As of June 2022, 39 of the 60 racecourses (Newmarket’s Rowley Mile and July courses are treated separately) have been assessed. Of the 39, 24 have seen an improvement on their last assessment score (in 2019).

This demonstrates a positive improvement across 62% of the racecourses assessed to date since the pre-Covid accreditation process, with 19 of these courses in 2022 scoring 80% or above.

Please keep providing your oncourse experience feedback via roa.co.uk.

Email update

If you have changed your email address make sure you let us know on info@roa.co.uk so you can keep up to date with all the latest news.

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Payments owing to HM Revenue & Customs – is it worth being VAT-registered?

• TRAINING FEES • KEEP/LIVERY FEES • TRANSPORT COSTS • RACING TRANSACTIONS • TRAVEL EXPENSES • SUBSCRIPTIONS • SUBSISTENCE Furthermore, de-registering from the scheme requires the racehorse(s) to be valued out of the VAT registration. VAT must be applied on top of the valuation,

The ROA is here to answer members’ questions over VAT and prize-money

GEORGE SELWYN

With racing and fixtures returning to normal, some owners are finding themselves owing money to HM Revenue & Customs due to the VAT applied on prize-money. Is it worth remaining VAT-registered once your racehorses are winning?

In terms of VAT, repaying HM Revenue & Customs should have a ‘net zero’ effect on the owners. VAT on prize-money is paid in addition to the listed prize-money. Owners receive the full amount of prize-money and the VAT being paid onto HM Revenue & Customs.

The amount of VAT to be repaid is offset against the VAT reclaimed on:

and this will be recorded as output VAT in the VAT return.

Making Tax Digital

HM Revenue & Customs Making Tax Digital is now in full effect. VATregistered owners will no longer be able to submit VAT returns via the Government Gateway.

If you’re not yet registered for

Making Tax Digital, our dedicated VAT team is on hand to help and advise on the intricacies of the scheme.

Should you wish to discuss anything regarding your racing VAT, or if you would like to appoint ROA VAT Solution as your VAT Agent, please email vat@roa.co.uk or call 01183 385685 to speak to Davina or Glen.

SAVE THE DATE!

Thursday, December 8 will see the ROA Horseracing Awards once again celebrate the stellar performances from the year.

Taking place at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, the evening will be a celebration of ownership and the horses which captured our imagination throughout the season. As always, the winners on the evening will be selected by votes from ROA members. Prices for the evening will be announced shortly, so make sure you save the date in your diary!

Diary dates August 7 Haydock Park Discover Shared Ownership Day – see www.inthepaddock.co.uk August 17-19 York World Pool days

October 21-22 Cheltenham Discover Shared Ownership Day – see www.inthepaddock.co.uk

September 1 Windsor Discover Shared Ownership Day – see www.inthepaddock.co.uk

November 18-19 Ascot Discover Shared Ownership Day – see www.inthepaddock.co.uk

September 10 Irish Champions Day at Leopardstown – Tote World Pool day

December 8 ROA Horseracing Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London

September 15 AGM – further details in due course

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October 15 British Champions Day at Ascot – Tote World Pool day

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to be won at ARC all-weather racecourses this winter!

Tue 18 October 2022 to Good Friday 7 April 2023*

Horses placing in the top five in every all-weather race at an ARC racecourse win points that go towards a monthly, and end of season bonus.

HORSE OF THE MONTH

HORSE OF THE MONTH

HORSE OF THE YEAR

Paying to 3rd place

Paying to 3rd place

Paying to 20th place

BONUS POT

Oct & Nov – Jan

BONUS POT

BONUS POT

Feb – March & April

Oct – April

Scan the QR code for competition rules and full terms and conditions. or visit arenaracingcompany.co.uk

TBA Forum

The special section for TBA members

Breeders celebrated at Flat Awards

P

roper summer weather, the delightful setting of Chippenham Park and over 150 attendees made for a superb evening at this year’s TBA Flat Breeders’ Awards Evening on July 6, which was sponsored by the Jockey Club and the National Stud.

The celebratory affair commenced with a drinks reception, sponsored by Newsells Park Stud, by the lake, before dinner was served. The awards section of the evening was hosted by Gina Bryce and a total of 14 awards were presented for results relating to the year 2021.

The recipient of the Andrew Devonshire Bronze, awarded in recognition of outstanding achievement and contribution to the British thoroughbred breeding industry, was a delighted Madeleine Lloyd Webber.

Having set up Watership Down Stud 30 years ago with husband Andrew, the Burghclere-based operation has produced a string of outstanding horses, the majority descending from Darara, whom they purchased in 1994.

The Dominion Award, which recognises outstanding contribution and long-term commitment from someone who has worked in the industry, was awarded to a surprised Peter Mendham. He is a longstanding and highly respected consultant with the law firm Allen & Overy, who stepped down from the TBA board in July 2021 after ten years, which included acting as Chairman of the Bloodstock Taxation Committee.

TBA Chairman Julian RichmondWatson commented: “Madeleine and Peter are two very worthy recipients of the Devonshire and Dominion awards,

reflecting their outstanding contribution and achievements in the industry.

“In creating and developing Watership Down Stud, Madeleine has produced a number of top-quality racecourse performers, many of whom are descended from her excellent foundation mare Darara. Her knowledge and passion for the thoroughbred is evident through the stud’s success, which is making an indelible mark on the breed.

“Peter’s knowledge and skills have been vital to the racing industry for many years and critical to the TBA over the past few years – the industry is very much indebted to Peter for his time and wise counsel. We are particularly thankful for his work on Brexit issues and the ramifications of Covid-19.

As a trustee he has for a long time gone above and beyond to assist the association, working tirelessly to find solutions to the industry’s problems.”

Earlier in the evening, former TBA Chairman Kirsten Rausing was awarded the TBA Silver Rose Bowl in recognition of her magnificent season, which included a trio of Group 1 victories with the filly Alpinista and Royal Ascot success with Sandrine, whilst in Australia, Zaaki was also a three-time Group 1 winner.

The Queen, who is the TBA’s patron, preceded her Platinum Jubilee year with her most successful numerical Flat season as a breeder and owner, and was awarded the TBA Silver Salver. Racing manager John Warren was on hand to collect the award.

The small breeder of the year award, the Langham Cup, went to David Ward for the achievements of Starman,

The TBA Stud Employee Award, sponsored by Peter Stanley's New England Stud, was won by David Gardner (right)

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winner of the Group 1 July Cup and a Group 2 at York.

The Filly of Merit award was sponsored by Goffs UK and last season’s European champion twoyear-old filly Inspiral was adjudged the winner – Chris Richardson, representing Cheveley Park Stud, collected the award from Henry Beeby.

There were a number of possible candidates for the HJ Joel Trophy, awarded to Broodmare of the Year and sponsored by Barton Stud, but the winner was Aghareed. Owned by Shadwell, she was represented in 2021 by the brilliant Baaeed and his Groupwinning full-brother Hukum.

Andrew and Jane Black’s Chasemore Farm claimed the Industry Merit Award for its support of people and industry initiatives. The TBA Stud Employee Award, sponsored by New England Stud, went to David Gardner.

The five stallion awards had previously been announced but were presented on the evening. Cable Bay’s success in the British EBF Stallion Special Merit Award honoured the Highclere Stud resident for his achievements in 2021, which were headed by the sprinters Dragon Symbol, King’s Lynn and Liberty Beach.

The remaining four awards were based on earnings in the case of Godolphin (the Queen’s Silver Cup as the leading breeder), Frankel (the BBA Silver Cigar Box as the leading stallion), and Ardad (the Tattersalls Silver Salver as the leading first-season sire), and individual winners for the Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup given to Dubawi.

Awards photos by Adam Smyth

Kate Sigsworth is flanked by Jane and Andrew Black of Chasemore Farm, which claimed the Industry Merit Award

David and Susan Ward with the Langham Cup, presented by Colin Bryce

Jake Warren collects the EBF Stallion Special Merit Award from Cheryl Caves

James O'Donnell (left) receives the HJ Joel Trophy from George Broughton

John Warren (left) receives the TBA Silver Salver from Tom Blain

James Crowhurst presents the TBA Silver Rose Bowl to Kirsten Rausing

Madeleine Lloyd Webber receives the Devonshire Award from the TBA Chairman

Martin Redmond with The Queen's Silver Cup, presented by Claire Sheppard

Peter Mendham (l) receives the Dominion Award from Julian Richmond-Watson

Chris Richardson (left) collects Inspiral's merit award from Henry Beeby

Sam Bullard collects the Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup from Anita Wigan

Simon Mockridge (left) receives the BBA Silver Cigar Box from Nevin Truesdale

Simon Sweeting (left) with the Tattersalls Silver Salver, presented by Matthew Prior

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Regional day thrills around the UK

A packed schedule of events awaited members who gathered together for the East regional day at the end of June. The group started out the day at Bedford House Stables, now home to Charlie Fellowes, and were well looked after by racing secretary Gemma Snook, who provided a delicious breakfast, and assistant trainer Mike Marshall, who provided a tour of the impressive facilities and a run through of the horses in training.

Members were lucky to visit at a time when the Anthony and Sam Freedmantrained Artorius was in residence. The son of Flying Artie, who was a Group 1 winner in his native Australia, has been based at the yard through his European stay. Having been paraded in front of the members, Sam provided answers to questions on the impressive looking colt. All attendees then went to watch a couple of Fellowes’ juveniles on Warren Hill.

A short drive away was Old Mill Stud. Owned by Ibrahim Araci and his daughter Pinar since 2019, manager Rob Speers provided attendees with all the information that they could want to know regards the history of the stud, the mares, mating decisions, foals and also yearlings that are situated on the 100-acre site.

A leisurely lunch was taken at the nearby White Pheasant pub in Fordham, before a quick drive the other side of Newmarket to see Godolphin’s impressive Lifetime Care programme facility, where there were ten horses of residence at varying stages of being rehomed. Whilst the majority of those

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Clockwise from top: Cross Counter is the star of the show in Newmarket; trainer Sam Freedman answers members' questions; Ed Lyall discusses veterinary matters

who come through the system are placed with their forever homes away from the facility, former Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter is set to be a figurehead for the programme.

Moores in top form The South East regional day started at Gary Moore’s Cisswood Stables, where coffee and refreshments were served whilst old friends reacquainted. Gary’s wife Jayne was a delightful host and talked about the yard’s routine, its usual residents, staffing concerns, or lack of, and answered lots of questions along the way.

After meeting Gary at the trotting ring, he talked about training methods and how he adapts his training and care for specific horses with certain requirements, before watching a number of juveniles work on the uphill gallop.

Next up was international showjumper Shane Breen’s yard. As well as a tour of his impressive facilities and his training methods with young horses, Shane explained to attendees how ownership works in the showjumping world – all the while the stallion Can

Ya Makan patiently waited. He would go on to win the Hickstead Derby that weekend.

Ed Lyall of Sussex Equine Hospital provided an engaging talk set around a variety of topics covering both the racing and sport horse industries, before Veterinary Associate Kaatje Ducheyne flushed a mare and showed attendees the collected embryo.

From the yard, the group walked down into the grounds of Hickstead and stopped to admire the main arena with the famous Derby Bank and the ridiculously wide-open water fence.

Lunch was served in a hospitality box overlooking the arena and the group was joined by three-time Olympic medallist Tina Cook.

She explained why thoroughbreds made good eventers (their courage, stamina and speed for those wondering), how to know if your retired racehorse might thrive in the eventing world and her hopes for the future. Ed joined in the conversation and there were some fascinating discussions around the standard of breeding industries around the world, kissing spines and how best to establish young horses.

Diary dates

Meet The Team – ALIX JONES

Wednesday, August 31 Stage 3 GBB Deadline, 2019-born jump fillies Stage 3 jump payment deadline for all three-year-old fillies (born in 2019)

Job Title: Membership Executive Role: Dealing with all member enquiries, organising regional days and events and trying to keep the office in order, which is undoubtedly the most difficult part of my day!

Three personality traits: Sociable, cheerful and rubbish at maths Tea or coffee: Coffee in the morning and tea after 2pm (builders always) Favourite racing moment: Party Politics winning the National, my last successful bet Three guests for dinner: Tom Cruise (do I need anyone else?) – then Monty Don as I have so many questions

Thursday, September 1 South West Regional Day A morning at Emma Lavelle’s Bonita Stables and an afternoon at the Vigors’ Hillwood Stud about my garden and Peter Kay because he always makes me laugh Monopoly or Cluedo: Cluedo – I love a good mystery Favourite holiday destination: India, preferably from the back of a Marwari horse Hope for the rest of the year: Well, winning the Lottery would be nice….

Great British Bonus – deadline reminders Stage 3 for 2019 NH fillies closes on August 31 – since GBB launched in 2020, it is the first time this deadline has been approached, so don’t let it pass you by!

If you’ve had a filly foal born this year in Britain she needs to be registered by September 2022. As soon as she is registered and passported by Weatherbys, she will be available to register at greatbritishbonus.co.uk. Make contact before the deadline day with any queries and don't forget that TBA members receive a £200 discount per filly on Stage 1 registrations.

Sandown to host Breeders’ Day and TBA AGM For the second consecutive year, Sandown Park is hosting a Breeders’ Day in partnership with the TBA on Wednesday, September 14.

The day, which takes place during National Racehorse Week, will include a range of activities for racegoers, including competitions, interactive displays, interviews with breeders, give-aways and trade stands – including Great British Racing, the British Racing School, Careers in Racing, ROR, and many other industry organisations.

There will also be opportunities to learn about shared ownership options and how to get involved in thoroughbred breeding, while students and those seeking a career

change can find out about roles in the industry. A range of talks from industry representatives will take place throughout the day in the paddock about how they got involved, and their pathway into the breeding industry, including bloodstock agents and farriers.

The day will start with the TBA's Annual General Meeting where Trustees will be updating members on the organisation’s activities during 20212022, and deal with official matters of business in accordance with the Articles of Association. The keynote speech will be delivered by Lord Benyon, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at DEFRA.

Wednesday, September 14 Breeders’ Day at Sandown Park Taking place during National Racehorse Week, breeders are encouraged to join the TBA at Sandown Park, where TBA members can gain free entry to the course – your TBA membership card will be required Monday, September 19 North Regional Day Spend a morning with Julie Camacho before lunch and afterwards get a talk from Rainbow Equine Hospital

Notification of deceased equines – reminder to members Breeders are reminded that it is an EU requirement to advise the relevant Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) when your horse dies, within 30 days, and return the passport to them. The passport will be recorded as void.

If you wish the passport to be returned to you, please indicate this in an accompanying letter, including your full postal return details. Please note that the date of death will need to be provided.

Weatherbys’ passports for horses that are deceased should be returned to: Weatherbys Stud Book Dept, Sanders Road, Wellingborough, Northants NN8 4BX. There is no charge for this service.

TBA members are entitled to two complimentary general admission tickets with a valid membership card (guest included), or they can upgrade to a subsidised ticket to the breeders’ luncheon prior to racing. Further details on how to book tickets will be available on the TBA website.

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Nathaniel's son crowned at Epsom

BILL SELWYN

Desert Crown: brilliant Derby winner

H

igh-quality action took place on the racecourse throughout the month of June, not least at Epsom at the start. Whilst the British-bred Emily Upjohn went down narrowly in the third Classic of the season, the Oaks, the Derby was landed in fine style by Desert Crown. Ridden by Richard Kingscote for Saeed Suhail and Sir Michael Stoute, the son of Nathaniel showed a sharp turn of foot to readily put the race to bed from after the two-marker.

Victory for the bay proved to be quite the success for Cambridgeshire-based breeder Gary Robinson, who bred the colt under the name of his Strawberry Fields Stud.

Towards the end of the month and Nathaniel gained a new Group winner in the shape of the Karl Burke-trained Poptronic. The three-year-old daughter of the Newsells Stud resident, owner-bred by David and Yvonne Blunt, made her stakes debut in the Group 3 Hoppings Stakes and readily brushed aside a decent field.

An unlucky-in-running third on the downs at Epsom was Westover. However, the son of Frankel grabbed his own Classic glory when romping away with the Irish Derby three weeks later on the Curragh. He was bred and is raced by Juddmonte.

Not to be outdone was the Frankel filly Nashwa. Third behind Tuesday and Emily Upjohn when appearing not to fully see out the distance of the Oaks, she had a quick 16-day turnaround in the Prix de Diane but did not disappoint. Having been free early, she quickened after passing the 400m marker and quickened again when

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required to provide Hollie Doyle with her first Classic winner. This was also a maiden Classic winner as a breeder for Imad Al Sagar, who bred the filly under his Blue Diamond Stud banner.

Whilst the two above were new toplevel winners for Frankel, his third Group 1 winner of the month was making a triumphant seasonal return. Inspiral, last season’s champion European two-yearold filly, returned with an impressive performance to obliterate the field in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Juddmonte’s homebred Raclette completed the month’s quartet with victory in the Listed Prix Melisandre at Longchamp.

Dubawi’s progeny experienced a strong Royal Ascot. The Godolphinbred Naval Crown took top honours in a thrilling renewal of the Group 1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes, whilst earlier in the meeting the Kirsten Rausing-bred Eldar Eldarov got up in the shadows of the post to record a first stakes win in the Group 2 Queen’s Vase. The Godolphin-bred Dubai Future came out best in the Listed Wolferton Stakes.

Completing a quartet of stakes winners was the George Strawbridge homebred In Crowd, winner of the Listed Grand Prix Anjou Bretagne at Nantes.

Royal Ascot got off to the best possible start when Shadwell’s Baaeed sauntered to victory in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, the opening event of the five-day meeting.

Goldsborough-based breeder Deborah O’Brien was left celebrating her biggest day the race after when Bradsell, a son

of first-season sire Tasleet, stormed to victory in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes in the hands of Hollie Doyle.

Later in the week and The Ridler, owned by Steve Bradley and bred by his Smardon Thoroughbreds, gained Group 2 Norfolk Stakes glory. Another juvenile winner in the week was Holloway Boy. Bred by Cheveley Park Stud, the son of Ulysses was making his racecourse debut but put in a thoroughly likeable performance to win the Listed Chesham Stakes on the final day of action.

Banstead Manor Stud resident Kingman was on the mark with a couple of Group 3 winners. The Hascombe & Valiant Studs-bred Megallan scored in the Diomed Stakes, while across the Atlantic, Juddmonte’s homebred Masen, who had been a narrow runner-up at the top level in April, gained a first Graded score in the Poker Stakes.

Others to gain their first Group wins in the month included the St Albans Bloodstock homebred Sense Of Duty (Showcasing). The three-year-old has shown improvement at each step up the ladder and she ran away from the opposition in the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes at Newcastle on Northumberland Plate day.

Bashkirova, a Cheveley Park Stud-bred daughter of Pivotal, defeated Potapova, a fellow granddaughter of Russian Rhythm, in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom. The owner-breeders also gained a new stakes winner in the shape of Benefit, winner of the Listed Cathedral Stakes.

At Leopardstown, the Stratford Place Stud-bred Dr Zempf won the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes.

In Italy, Scuderia Blueberry’s Cantocorale gained his biggest day thus far in the Group 2 Grand Premio di Milano, whilst the Razza del Sole-bred Aria Importante (Twilight Son) retained her Group 3 Premio Carlo Vittadini crown.

Down in Australia and Skyman became breeder Jane Keir’s first stakes winner when taking the Listed WJ McKell Cup at Rosehill.

There were also new stakes wins for the Kincorth Investments Inc-bred Glenartney in the Pontefract Castle Fillies’ Stakes, the Chasemore Farm-bred Lezoo (Zoustar) in the Empress Fillies’ Stakes and for the Arbib Bloodstock Partnershipbred Stay Alert in the Abingdon Stakes.

Results up to and including June 30.

Produced in association with GBRI.

Killer Queens Now with more than £6 million in bonuses paid out in just two years, there’s never been a better time to buy, breed and race British fillies and mares.

Our latest killer queen GENTLE CONNECTIONS – bought for just £7,000 at the Goffs UK Summer Sale – won her fourth bonus in the Class 3 Novices’ Hurdle at Newton Abbot on 21st June 2022, pushing her ‘bonuses won’ total to a massive £79,000.

GBB – influencing breeding The Great British Bonus is making a difference everywhere – in the sale ring, on the racecourse, and it’s attracting new owners. Because of GBB, fillies we would seek out to race and then sell are now making £10k more.

Jamie Railton, bloodstock agent

GBB Jumps winners:

152

GBB Jumps bonus payments:

GBB Flat winners:

GBB Flat bonus payments:

318 £1,800,000

Total bonus payments:

£6,400,000

£4,500,000

Did you know...

HAVANA GREY’s astronomic success as a first-season sire has not gone unnoticed by GBB. With 12 bonuses to nine individual fillies, his offspring have already collected £210,000 from GBB. His success marks him out as one of the top four Flat sires for GBB.

Breed, buy and race GBB fillies and mares Register your 2019 GBB Jumps fillies before stage 3 closes on Wednesday 31st August 2022.

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BREEDER OF THE MONTH (June 2022)

Forget about sprinters, it’s mainly about middle-distance horses, and good ones at that, for Gary Robinson, who is TBA Breeder of the Month for June for the exploits of the Derby winner Desert Crown. “I hate sprints,” he says. “I set out to breed a good horse at anything from a mile and beyond. That’s a proper racehorse.”

An engineer by background, who started on the ground floor at Hotpoint before founding his own business, Robinson Worldwide Solutions, based in Whittlesey, near Peterborough, Gary, 65, has long loved horses but started his direct involvement only relatively recently.

A chance meeting with Newmarket trainer Dr Jon Scargill over an ice cream at Yarmouth was the catalyst, although Robinson’s first two runners with the stable in 2009, Ivy The Terrible and Melting Bob, failed to cut any ice.

However, the only way was up, or out, and Robinson kept to the pursuit of quality that bolstered his career in engineering and leant on the information he had gleaned from a vast library of volumes on breeding and genetics.

“I got Tesio’s book, which was really good because it gave you a bit of everything,” he says, “and eventually I decided to stick with the basic principles of looking at good horses with the best broodmare sires, and then calling on Dr Grass, because grass is the most important part of bringing up horses.”

The step into breeding began at Strawberry Fields Stud in Teversham, a small village three miles from the centre of Cambridge, which was supplemented

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BILL SELWYN

Gary Robinson

Desert Crown: Derby winner was bred by Gary Robinson out of Desert Berry

in 2011 by the purchase of Brickfield Stud in Exning, on the outskirts of Newmarket.

An early experience on a course run by the TBA proved an eye-opener, he admits, but eventually a clearer picture began to emerge.

“I do like the technology of it, because that’s my background,” he says. “You get it wrong at first, even looking at books, but gradually things begin to turn, and you start getting good-looking foals.”

One of Robinson’s principles is to delve deeper into pedigrees than might be the norm. “People only look at the generations on a sales catalogue page, but I like to go at least that far back, and maybe farther,” he reasons. His purchase of a Green Desert yearling filly for 30,000gns in November 2010, whom he raced in partnership with his great friend Basil White, is a case in point.

Named Desert Berry, she hails from a smart Juddmonte family, being out of the sparingly-raced winner Foreign Language, whose half-sister Binche

produced the Group 1 scorers Byword and Proviso. Running three times from Chris Wall’s stable in the last quarter of her three-year-old season, Desert Berry signed off by winning a mile maiden at Lingfield.

Dispatched to Strawberry Fields, Desert Crown is so far responsible for five runners and five winners: Rose Berry, six times a winner and 16 times placed, who has been retained; her Archipenko brothers Flying Thunder, whose earnings in Hong Kong have exceeded £400,000, Capla Crusader, now plying his trade in the UAE, and Cu Chulainn, who made 425,000gns when sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club as a yearling; and finally Desert Crown, a son of Nathaniel.

The price tag of 280,000gns hung round Desert Crown’s neck as a yearling and paid by Saeed Suhail after Blandford Bloodstock’s purchase at Tattersalls has been the signal of good business for all parties. Robinson believes it will continue to work in Strawberry Fields’ favour for some time yet.

Desert Berry, who has a two-yearold filly by Al Kazeem, a yearling colt from the first crop of French Derby winner Study Of Man and a colt foal by Nathaniel, is safely in foal with another colt by the Derby winner’s sire. In addition, Rose Berry, whose first produce is a yearling colt by Expert Eye, will foal a filly by Nathaniel next spring.

“I’m only going to keep the female line,” Robinson reveals. “I get more interest out of watching others racing the colts, as long as they go to the right trainer, as Desert Crown did. I’d planned to wind down next year but with a bit of luck and a bit of wizardry, we can have some fun over the next three or four years.”

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SHOWING THE WAY

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I

n the height of summer significant wins for thoroughbreds are not restricted to glamorous days on the racecourse.

Treasured equally by connections as a victory at Royal Ascot or Goodwood is success in the show-ring at Hickstead or the Royal Highland Show.

and the Royal Highland Show have in common the fact that a wholly undistinguished and brief racing career has been no impediment to either horse enjoying a long and fruitful second career.

At the ripe age of 18-years-old, Sierras Future achieved a career high when winning the final of the Tattersalls RoR Scottish Show Series at the Royal Highland Show in June under owner rider and BHA employee, Lauren Thomson.

A son of the Kentucky Derby winner, Fusaichi Pegasus, and bred by Newsells Park Stud, Sierras Future did not distinguish himself in a fourrace career, with his best effort being a third place at Hamilton Park. Since retiring from racing in 2008 he has enjoyed a long and rewarding second career, but his success at the Royal Highland Show hit a new peak.

The ten years younger, Time Down Under, had an even less notable racing career with the son of Aussie Rules failing to beat a single horse in three starts in 2016 for trainer Mark Tompkins. Following his retirement from racing and under the care of Justine Armstrong-Small, Time Down Under has reinvented himself and is now thriving in showing classes.

Time Down Under and Justine Armstrong-Small: Time Down Under failed to beat a single horse in three starts but following his retirement from racing, he has reinvented himself, including winning the prestigious showing title of Tattersalls Elite Champion at Hickstead in June.

Hickstead and the Royal Highland Show are two of the venues that host championship finals for the six showing series run by RoR and sponsored

by Tattersalls. The opportunity to compete in the main arena at such prestigious venues provides a great incentive to riders to take part in these series and is no doubt partly responsible for the continued growth among the wider equestrian community for retraining former racehorses for showing.

Together with dressage, showing is the most popular second career activity for retired racehorses with over 5,000 registered on the RoR database as competitors in showing events.

With the support of Tattersalls, 170 showing classes exclusively for thoroughbreds are staged annually nationwide from Aberdeenshire to Cornwall. Qualifying classes are held at county and Royal shows, including Royal Windsor, as well as at smaller venues, catering for all levels, with In-Hand, Novice and Amateur Lauren Thomson and Sierras Future: ridden classes included.

The 18-year-old gelding Sierras Future achieved a new

career high when crowned Champion following the final of the Tattersalls RoR Scottish Show Series at the Royal Highland Show. Image courtesy of Sinclair Photography.

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Although born ten years apart, this year’s champions at Hickstead

The transformation from unsuccessful racehorse to illustrious title holder in the show-ring was completed in June at Hickstead in the final of the Tattersalls Open Ridden Show Series, after which Time Down Under was crowned Tattersalls Elite Champion 2022.

Time Down Under and Sierras Future could well meet face to face in the show-ring at the Aintree Equestrian Centre on the August Bank Holiday Weekend. That weekend is now synonymous among owners and riders of former racehorses with The Jockey Club RoR National Championships, the largest event in the UK and Europe of its kind and one that attracts the leading performers from the sector in both dressage and showing.

Between 250 and 300 former racehorses are expected to gather at Aintree for the 2022 Jockey Club RoR National Championships. Running from Tuesday 23rd August through to Saturday 27th August, there are 91 classes across the five days, including showing, dressage and jumping finals, culminating on the Saturday evening with the crowning of The Jockey Club Supreme Champion in showing.

This year the competition looks like being hotter than ever.

For more information visit: ror.org.uk

Hickstead images courtesy of Hannah Cole Photography

Vet Forum: The Expert View

By Charlie Pinkham BVSc MRCVS

Reproductive management of fillies in training M any trainers will have experienced difficulties managing fillies that show strong or abnormal signs of being in season, either whilst in training or at the racecourse. In this article, I will briefly describe the reproductive cycle, explain the different techniques for managing the reproductive cycle in training and discuss some other reproductive considerations when training fillies.

Reproductive cycle

The majority of fillies and mares are seasonally anoestrus breeders. This means that for the most part they only cycle during the spring, summer and autumn and then the ovaries shut down during the winter months. When they start cycling in the spring (and when they shut down in the autumn) there is a transition period which consists of a number of false starts where follicles on the ovary grow and recede in waves but do not ovulate. This can lead to fillies being permanently in season for a number of weeks, or showing irregular patterns of being in season at this time of year. Once they have had their first ovulation they usually fall into a cycle where they ovulate every 21-22 days.

Fillies are typically ‘in season’ (oestrus) for the 4-6 days prior to ovulation and ‘out of season’ (dioestrus) for the remainder of the cycle.

When a filly is in oestrus, she produces oestrogen from her ovaries.

This hormone can cause changes in the filly’s behaviour so that she shows all the signs of being receptive to a stallion. These include clitoral winking, squirting urine, leaning in towards colts and standing fixed or posturing. When a filly ovulates at the end of the oestrus period, a follicle on the ovary ruptures to release the egg which makes its way towards the uterus.

This ruptured follicle then forms the corpus lutem, which produces progesterone. This hormone is dominant during the dioestrus period and can alter the behaviour of the filly dramatically so that she shows none of the above signs and is not receptive to stallions. It is remarkable that only 4 nanograms per ml of blood (1 billionth of a gram) of this hormone can change

Figure 1: A follicle prior to ovulation. The cells around the margin of the follicle produce oestrogen

their behaviour in such a dramatic way.

Many of the behaviours described above are physiologically normal for fillies and mares when they are in season and as such, when the behaviours are considered excessive or abnormal, care should be taken to ensure that there are no other potential causes of the signs being displayed before manipulating the reproductive cycle. For example, a reluctance to go forward may also be related to gastric ulcers or an orthopaedic issue. Consideration should also be given to non-reproductive behavioural issues such as young fillies displaying submissive behaviour to other horses.

At the simplest level, if you are dealing with a filly that has become difficult to train because of overt oestrus behaviour, it is worth keeping a diary of when the filly shows signs of being in season. If it is for 4-6 days out of every 21 days and the signs are mild, it may be sufficient to monitor this and plan training and her racing programme around it. If the filly shows prolonged or excessive signs of being in season, a detailed reproductive examination and an ultrasound examination of the ovaries

and uterus is recommended to establish if the filly is either transitional or has a more complex reproductive issue.

Veterinary intervention

Similarly to colts showing stallion-like behaviour in the presence of fillies, it is worth noting the presence of colts may induce filles to show more overt signs of oestrus behaviour. Separation of fillies from the sight and smell of colts may improve this. When, despite separation and general yard management, a filly’s reproductive behaviour affects their training, the focus is then to try and temporarily prevent her from coming into season. This can be done by several methods:

Management of the reproductive cycle

There are a number of drugs that can be used to manipulate the reproductive cycle. These include the use of prostaglandins to shorten the cycle and bring forward the onset of fillies coming into season and the use of ovulating agents that can shorten the oestrus period. Ultrasound scanning of the fillies in combination with these drugs can be

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››

Vet Forum: The Expert View ›› used to ‘manage’ their cycles to avoid

stallion-like behaviour and aggression to persistent signs of oestrus. If the ovary is enlarged, the filly may show signs of discomfort with pain from the ovarian ligament. Rectal ultrasound will typically show one enlarged and one smaller ovary and blood test is available to confirm the diagnosis. Treatment is by removal of the ovary, after which the filly will typically cease any abnormal behaviour and will have a good prognosis for breeding.

them being in season when racing.

Intra uterine devices Marbles, small plastic balls and the commercially available iUPOD’s have been used for many years to try and delay the return to oestrus. They are placed in the uterus within 48 hours post ovulation. In one study the use of iUPODs was shown to be 86% effective at extending dieostrus for an average of 74 days. Though there is no evidence to show any adverse long-term effects on the uterus, I typically recommend removing the devices if the filly is out of training for any length of time. Glass marbles should not be used in case they are broken or damaged.

Figure 2: The ovary of a mare with a large corpus luteum which produces progesterone during dioestrus

of the anabolic steroid trendione in the product, it has been classed as a ‘Prohibited At All Times Substance’ by the BHA so can no longer be used in racehorses.

Vaccines Vaccines are available against GnRH, a hormone critical to mares’ reproductive cycle. These can supress ovarian activity for a prolonged period. However, these products are not licenced for use in horses and they should never be used in young fillies intended for breeding. The use of these vaccines is not permitted under BHA rules.

JAMES CRABTREE

Figure 3: IUPOD’s which can be placed in the uterus to prolong dioestrus

Oxytocin The daily use of oxytocin from 7-14 days post-ovulation has been shown to inhibit breakdown of the corpus luteum and therefore prolong dioestrus in over 60% of mares. Given the relative safety of the drug and its short detection time, this is a useful technique for the suppression of oestrus.

Plant oil There is evidence that plant oils placed in the uterus at around ten days post ovulation can prevent the breakdown of the corpus luteum such that the typical return to oestrus is delayed. This technique requires multiple reproductive scans to achieve and is reported to last two to three months.

Altrenogest (Regumate) This is a synthetic form of progesterone.

As this hormone is dominant to other reproductive hormones it supresses any oestrus like activity. It has historically been useful for managing excessive oestrus behaviour, however, since 2018, after the discovery of a small amount

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Other reproductive considerations when managing fillies in training Pain from ovulation – there are a number of reports describing pain from the ovaries post-ovulation. Anecdotally, this is more common in younger fillies that may resent manipulation of their ovaries when performing reproductive examinations. Pain relief may be indicated and, where any behaviour associated with this persists, suppression of oestrus as described above may be indicated.

Pregnancy – depending on their reproductive maturity, fillies can successfully be bred whilst in training.

They will need bloods and swabs taken to ensure they are free from venereal diseases and that they fulfil the requirements of the HBLB Codes of Practice prior to visiting the stallion. The BHA should be notified within 25 days of the filly becoming pregnant and a horse must not be raced more than 120 days in foal.

Summary

If you are dealing with a filly displaying abnormal behaviour, a thorough clinical examination and an assessment of the filly’s history and environment will help to rule out any non-reproductive issues. If a subsequent assessment and ultrasound examination of the reproductive tract does not find any specific cause of the abnormal behaviour, then there are a number of options to help manage the filly’s cycle to allow them to be successfully trained.

Poor vulval conformation – though more common in older mares, some fillies may have a vulva that slopes forward or has poor conformation that allows air to be sucked in when exercising. This can lead to some discomfort and bacterial contamination of the uterus. If indicated, a Caslick’s procedure can be performed to resolve this issue.

Granulosa cell tumour – these are benign tumours that typically affect one ovary. The average age for them to occur is 11 years but they can occur in horses of any age. The filly or mare may show a range of clinical signs, from

Figure 4: A mildly sunken anus and sloping forward vulval conformation. The level of the back of the pelvis relative to the vulva will be important in deciding if a Caslick’s is appropriate

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The Finish Line with Richard Phillips National Racehorse Week, which runs from September 10-18, is the brainchild of Richard Phillips. A trainer of 30 years’ standing, Phillips felt compelled to defend the sport he loves after hearing that popstar Taylor Swift had refused to appear at the Melbourne Cup following criticism on social media around animal cruelty concerns.

Encouraged by friends within the industry to make his mark at a political level – and having heard about National Nut Day on the radio – Phillips came up with the idea of celebrating the racehorse. Support from industry stakeholders saw the inaugural National Racehorse Week take place in 2021 and this year’s renewal is going to be even bigger, with hundreds of events taking place all over the country as stables in the major racing centres open their doors to the public.

Interview: Edward Rosenthal

S

ome fantastic things were already happening at open days across the country, but National Racehorse Week gives all the events more impetus. The week is bookended by the open days in the major racing centres, beginning with Epsom/Malton and ending with the Sir Henry Cecil Open Weekend in Newmarket. Our vision is based on getting more people than ever visiting yards, especially those who have never been racing before.

in this country. They have the life that humans should have, with a balanced diet, exercise programme, plenty of fresh air – and of course there’s no NHS waiting lists, they’re all on BUPA with private dentists, physios and 24-hour care. Maybe we should be copying how racehorses are looked after rather than worrying about how they are looked after.

Racing shouldn’t be worried about the words ‘social licence’. We have a hell of a lot to be positive about and need to show confidence in our sport. One of the main reasons for National Racehorse Week is to showcase all the good things we do.

We want to celebrate the racehorse and I think Parliament needs to know how good we are at looking after racehorses

We have a five-year plan to cement National Racehorse Week in the racing calendar. Great British Racing did a great job last year in spreading the message on social media – we know it reached millions of people. But it’s not just about reach – we need them to experience it. The more we push the message the better for racing.

GEORGE SELWYN

The way horses interact with people is something special. Humans love thoroughbreds and vice-versa. It’s our job to get across to people how proud we are of how we look after horses and the immense contribution our sport makes to industry, employment and the rural economy in Britain. National Racehorse Week is our opportunity to do that. Getting people into yards will help spread the message about racing’s high level of care for its equine stars.

The trainers have been brilliant in supporting National Racehorse Week.

Last year the Andrew Balding yard allowed local schoolchildren and their parents to visit for evening stables – they were getting close to the horses, sitting on the Equicizer, wearing the colours. These are things that engage young people. Not every kid is going to be watching the Derby at Epsom from the age of six like I was. But if you expose them to something at a young age and show them how great it is, some of them will develop a passion for the sport and horses.

La Landiere and Richard Johnson (blue) win the 2003 Cathcart at Cheltenham

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I always say training Flat horses is O levels and training jumpers is A levels.

I’ve got around 30 horses and while I’d like a few more, with the recruitment issues across the sport, having a smaller, quality staff is beneficial.

Training a Cheltenham Festival winner has been the best moment of my career. La Landiere was favourite for the Cathcart – she was one of the shortest-priced favourites at the Festival for years – so there was also a sense of relief. My old friend Richard Johnson was on board and it all went to plan.

I’ve been known for my impressions – I was always mimicking people as a child. Richard Pitman told me I should forget about training, go on TV and be the next Mike Yarwood. But the reason I did it was simply to get my name known amongst the owners in racing who might have a horse with me. Some of those very owners from 30 years ago are still with me today. I’m the last person that wants to stand up and be funny, however I took a view that unless I did it nobody would get to know who I was. I don’t regret it, although when you’re not winning races people think you should have stayed as a mimic.

Personally, I don’t think the British public will ever put up with an animal being hit behind the saddle in the name of sport. I’ve great respect for everyone involved with the whip consultation but in my opinion it’s only a matter of time before it’s prohibited. The whip should always be held from a safety angle – for horses and humans – but ultimately it will not be allowed to be used in racing.

You must be ambitious or you’re dead in this game. I don’t necessarily think the next young horse to walk into my yard will win the Derby or Cheltenham Gold Cup – but I’d like to think I’d know if it had a chance. Having been brought up in a village next to Epsom, the Derby is very special to me, while the Grand National is the best ten minutes of the year. They are the two most important races, though I note it costs more to buy a National winner now than it does a Derby winner.

I’m a dual-purpose trainer though most of my owners prefer jump racing.

See nationalracehorseweek.uk for all the latest news on events in September

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