Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

Dec_148_Cover_OwnerBreeder 18/11/2016 15:58 Page 1

£4.95 | December 2016 | Issue 148

Incorporating

Christmas Cracker Joe Tizzard on plans for jump racing’s latest star

Plus • National Hunt breeding in Britain on an upward curve • Mick Fitzgerald: ‘I could have been a far better jockey’ • Howard Wright is puzzled by all-weather non-runners

12

9 771745 435006

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

34826_Zoffany_TBOB_DPS_Dec16.qxp_Underwood Review 16/11/2016 14:46 Page 1

3 Royal Ascot-winning 2YO’s 5 Group 1 horses 6 Group winners All from his first crop (from €7,500 nominations) VENTURA STORM 1st Premio Jockey Club-Gr.1 1st Prix de Reux-Gr.3 2nd St. Leger Stakes-Gr.1 FOUNDATION 1st Royal Lodge Stakes-Gr.2 3rd Racing Post Trophy-Gr.1 ILLUMINATE 1st Duchess of Cambridge Stakes-Gr.2 1st Albany Stakes-Gr.3 2nd Cheveley Park Stakes-Gr.1 KNIFE EDGE 1st German 2,000 Guineas-Gr.2 WATERLOO BRIDGE 1st Norfolk Stakes-Gr.2 DOLCE STREGA 1st Athasi Stakes-Gr.3 WASHINGTON DC 1st Windsor Castle Stakes-L.R. 2nd Phoenix Stakes-Gr.1 2nd Prix de l’Abbaye-Gr.1 3rd Commonwealth Cup-Gr.1 ARGENTERO 1st Rochestown Stakes-L.R. LIGHT UP OUR WORLD 1st Coral Distaff-L.R. 2nd Fred Darling Stakes-Gr.3 ARCHITECTURE 2nd Epsom Oaks-Gr.1 2nd Irish Oaks-Gr.1

VENTURA STORM

KNIFE EDGE

• AUSTRALIA • CAMELOT • CANFORD CLIFFS • EXCELEBRATION • FASTNET ROCK • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • GALILEO • GLENEAGLES • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • • IVAWOOD • KINGSTON HILL • MASTERCRAFTSMAN • MOST IMPROVED • NO NAY NEVER • POWER • PRIDE OF DUBAI • REQUINTO • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • • RULER OF THE WORLD • STARSPANGLEDBANNER • THE GURKHA • WAR COMMAND • ZOFFANY •

34826_Zoffany_TBOB_DPS_Dec16.qxp_Underwood Review 16/11/2016 14:46 Page 2

WASHINGTON DC

On

Yearlings in 2016 sold for €245,000, €185,000, €175,000, €150,000, marley 8% of the s €150,000, €145,000, €140,000, €130,000, €130,000, €130,000 etc. in his firhse covered were B t crop performlack-Type It was 3 ers.

3% in 2 016!

AFANDEM impressed

on debut at Deauville on 17 Oct for J-C Rouget & Al Shaqab Racing

Fee €35,000 Contact: Coolmore Stud, Fethard, Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Tel: +353-52-6131298. Fax: +353-52-6131382. Christy Grassick, David O’Loughlin, Eddie Fitzpatrick, Tim Corballis, Maurice Moloney, Gerry Aherne, Mathieu Legars or Jason Walsh. Tom Gaffney, David Magnier, Joe Hernon or Cathal Murphy. Tel: 353-25-31966/31689. Kevin Buckley (UK Rep.) Tel: +44-7827-795156.

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

THE AGA KHAN STUDS Success Breeds Success

New in 2017 to Gilltown Stud

HARZAND Dual Group 1 Winner Winner of the Gr.1 Epsom Derby, Gr.1 Irish Derby and the Gr.3 Ballysax Stakes

The Sire SEA THE STARS Classic sire of 5 Gr.1 winners

The Family Dam HAZARIYA a Gr.3 winner over 7f, half-brother to 3 Stakes performers Fee:

€15,000 1

st

October SLF

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Aga_OwnerBreeder_Full_Harzand_December_2016.indd 1

18/11/2016 14:40

Dec_148_Editors_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 18:22 Page 5

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Designed by: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0209 Fax: 020 7152 0213 editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.ownerbreeder.co.uk @OwnerBreeder Advertising: Giles Anderson Tel: 01380 816 777 USA: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 01380 816 778 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer Tel: 020 7152 0212 Fax: 020 7152 0213 subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker can be purchased by non-members at the following rates: 1 Year 2 Year UK £55 £90 Europe £66 £105 RoW £99 £154 Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker is published by a Mutual Trading Company owned jointly by the Racehorse Owners Association and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is a registered charity No. 1134293 Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA ABC Audited Our proven average monthly circulation is certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulation at 9,500* *Based on the period July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 Racehorse Owners Association Ltd First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0200 Fax: 020 7152 0213 info@roa.co.uk www.roa.co.uk Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stanstead House, The Avenue, Newmarket CB8 9AA Tel: 01638 661 321 Fax: 01638 665621 info@thetba.co.uk • www.thetba.co.uk

£4.95 | December 2016 | Issue 148

Incorporating

Christmas Cracker Joe Tizzard on plans for jump racing’s latest star

Plus • National Hunt breeding in Britain on an upward curve • Mick Fitzgerald: ‘I could have been a far better jockey’ • Howard Wright is puzzled by all-weather non-runners

12

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www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

Cover: Thistlecrack and Tom Scudamore take the second last en route to winning at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting Photo: Bill Selwyn

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EDWARD ROSENTHAL

Tizzards play cards right to earn crack at big time O ne story has dominated the racing press over the past month – the career-ending injury sustained by Freddy Tylicki in a four-horse pile-up at Kempton. The rider suffered a T7 paralysis after falling from his mount, which means he has no movement in the lower part of his body.

An online fundraising page, rapidly set up by At The Races presenter Matt Chapman, was inundated with donations, with over a quarter of a million pounds pledged in just a few days. The money came from all sorts of people, including Tylicki’s colleagues, trainers, owners, other professionals, punters and media workers. Can you imagine this happening in any other sport?

The outpouring of support for Tylicki – and financial assistance – cannot of course compensate for the loss of a young man’s mobility and livelihood. At 30, he appeared to be reaching his peak in the saddle and 2016 saw debut Group 1 victories courtesy of the filly Speedy Boarding, trained by James Fanshawe. We will never know how far he could have gone in the discipline he loved. We wish him the very best in his recovery and for the future.

With this in mind it might be shocking to hear Joe Tizzard reveal that he used to get a buzz from getting up after a heavy fall. The former jump jockey, who gives a superb interview in this issue (Talking To, pages 52-59), is now assistant trainer to his father Colin at one of the most upwardly mobile yards in Britain, boosted by the recent arrival of horses owned by Ann and Alan Potts, who have moved most of their string out of Ireland. The Tizzards, clearly, are an impressive double act.

Just two years ago it would have seemed silly to suggest that father and son would train a horse of comparable talent to stable favourite Cue Card, the evergreen ten-year-old and winner of 14 races, including seven Grade 1s. Yet in the imposing Thistlecrack, currently ante-post favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, they might house an animal

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

of even greater natural ability.

Thistlecrack’s progress has been immense: he ran only once before the age of six and did not appear over obstacles until January last year, yet he quickly developed into an outstanding hurdler, winning all six races last season taking in the big staying events at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals.

Certainly, his owners’ patience has been rewarded and then some. As Tizzard explains: “He had some niggly problems and was a big, weak baby who could barely handle our gallops as a four- and five-year-old.

He used to pull muscles in his pelvis as easy as anything.

“His owners, John and Heather Snook, are big farmers and stock people and agreed to give Thistlecrack time, allowing the horse to tell us when he’d be ready to be trained.

Thanks to their patience, we’ve now got this exciting horse.

They understand livestock and were happy to back off and let the horse grow into himself and fill out.

“It was the season before last after I gave him a two-mile gallop round Wolverhampton that I realised, ‘This is a serious horse’.

Then last year Thistlecrack took it to a whole new level and we never got to the bottom of him.”

Thistlecrack carries the letters ‘GB’ after his name and along with the likes of stable companion Cue Card and Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree is one of the poster boys for National Hunt breeding in this country.

The life of the British NH breeder has not been an easy one in recent times, overshadowed by the industries in Ireland and France, yet a number of initiatives introduced by the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association to boost business appear to be starting to bear fruit.

Emma Berry’s exclusive report (The Big Issue, pages 62-70) looks at the measures introduced in recent times to move British NH breeding forward, talking to a number of leading breeders on their experiences and thoughts on the future.

“It would have been silly to suggest that they would train a better horse than Cue Card

”

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Dec_148_Contents_Contents 18/11/2016 18:45 Page 6

CONTENTS DECEMBER 2016

52

13

NEWS & VIEWS

9

ROA Leader

11

TBA Leader

ITV deal vital to sport

Incentives needed for NH breeders

Sir Michael Stoute and Frankie Dettori were joined by actress Bo Derek to celebrate their Breeders’ Cup triumph with Queen’s Trust

6

13

News

18

Changes

34

Tony Morris

36

Howard Wright

Racing digs deep for Freddy Tylicki

Your news in a nutshell

The influence of Northern Dancer

All-weather non-runners a farce

INTERNATIONAL SCENE

39

View From Ireland John Ryan’s unique approach

Dec_148_Contents_Contents 18/11/2016 18:45 Page 7

62

128

43

Continental Tales

47

Around The Globe

James Reveley’s French title

Arrogate strikes for Baffert

FEATURES

22

The Big Picture

32

From The Archives

52

COVER STORY

FORUM

91

The Thoroughbred Club

94

ROA Forum

104

TBA Forum

110

Breeder of the Month

113

Vet Forum

Careers Course in pictures

Cheltenham suite extended

From Santa Anita and Cheltenham

Desert Orchid’s King George in 1989

Talking To...

Joe Tizzard

62

The Big Issue

75

Sales Circuit

British NH breeding focus

Market for form horses strong

87

Caulfield Files

118

Dr Statz

128

24 Hours With...

Elite Mares Scheme update

George Strawbridge for Journey

Back problems in racehorses

DATA BOOK

120

European Pattern

126

Stallion Statistics

Latest Group winners

Dubawi deserves plaudits

Union Rags deserves European support

Big farms unmoved by recession

Mick Fitzgerald

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Our monthly circulation is certified at

9,500 Can other magazines prove theirs?

7

CC3069 TOB November (MUKHADRAM) pref_Layout 1 11/10/2016 12:57 Page 1

Mukhadram

Shamardal - Magic Tree

Exciting first foals selling in 2016. £7,000(1st JAN, SLF)

Chestnut colt WINTER DRESS Breeder: Bishop Wilton Stud.

Bay colt RUFOOF Breeder: Shadwell Estate Company Ltd.

Discover more about the Shadwell Stallions at www.shadwellstud.com Or call Richard Lancaster, James O’Donnell or Rachael Gowland on

01842 755913

Email us at: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk

Dec_148_ROA_Leader_Layout 1 18/11/2016 16:40 Page 9

ROA LEADER

NICHOLAS COOPER President Racehorse Owners Association

Optimistic times despite potential advertising ban Importance of exposure on terrestrial television trumps any choppy waters

Y

ou cannot exaggerate the importance of free-toair television coverage to horseracing. Racing on TV provides the route by which millions of people connect with this sport. It provides an access point and ensures a crucial public profile.

We are reminded of this as ITV is just weeks away from taking over racing’s terrestrial television coverage, with its exciting new team and no doubt plenty of new production embellishments.

Terrestrial TV audience figures for horseracing may have steadily declined in recent years but this is more a consequence of huge increases in the number of available TV channels and of the social media revolution rather than anything to do with a fall-off in the popularity of our sport.

Racing’s TV audiences are made up by many levels of viewers, some of them highlycommitted enthusiasts and, at the other end of the spectrum, a casual in-and-out viewer who is happy to have racing chatter as a background to preparing the lunch.

But today’s casual viewer might become tomorrow’s committed fan. A person whose idea of having a bet might move from an annual small flutter on the Grand National to one who gets great pleasure out of a regular Saturday afternoon punt. That same person might then be persuaded to go racing and, who knows, become a racehorse owner.

Just as any racing event shown by the BBC would be expected to acquire a bigger audience than that of Channel 4, so Channel 4 figures would always outperform the digital channels.

Racing’s imminent move back to ITV should therefore see a boost in audiences for the 41 major racedays ITV1 is due to cover from next year, though presumably a decline in the figures for those 59 meetings moving to ITV4, even though the latter continues to offer free-to-air coverage.

The biggest difference between now and when ITV

last covered horseracing in 1985 is that advertising of betting products is allowed, but fears are growing that the government might soon try to prevent it.

Such a move would inevitably have repercussions for ITV. Betting operators provide most of the advertising and their forced absence from the screens would drive a coach and horses through the ITV racing business plan with many millions of pounds of advertising revenue being lost. Even worse is the fact that any ban would presumably encompass sponsorship, thereby cutting across an expected £10 million sponsorship deal with William Hill.

Whatever unfolds now, the current contract is safe.

But would ITV or any other TV company enter into a competitive bidding process for the rights to show racing if they were prevented from exploiting their main source of advertising revenue?

There is often a blurring of the line between governments taking their social responsibility seriously and acting as a ‘nanny state’, and one has to question how much potential harm there is in bookmaker advertising to the vast majority of people watching racing on television. Certainly, it is a point the BHA would be putting across with force if they had to seek a dispensation for racing in the event of a ban being implemented.

It is, however, a salient thought that a potential ban on TV betting advertising does not figure that highly in the bookmakers’ list of concerns. Of course they would not want it to be imposed, but they have much greater concerns as to what the government plans to do about Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in their shops. Severe restrictions placed on this mode of gambling will cause many shops to close and with each closure racing loses another customer.

But this is not a time for pessimism. We must bask in the knowledge that racing will be covered by a major TV channel at least for the next four years.

“Racing’s imminent

move back to ITV should see a boost in audiences for the 41 major racedays

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

9

Here come the girls!

Great bonuses for winning NH fillies and mares

The NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme GB-bred fillies and those sired by British-based stallions only (T&C’s apply) For more details, terms and application forms, visit thetba.co.uk

thetba.co.uk 01638 661321

Don’t miss out!

Now enrolling fillies born in 2014, 2015 and 2016 Registration closes 31st December 2016

Dec_148_TBA_Leader_TBA 18/11/2016 16:41 Page 11

TBA LEADER

JULIAN RICHMOND-WATSON Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

A call for central support for British NH breeding Investment in domestic production required in addition to TBA initiatives

W

ith the jumping season in full swing, it’s appropriate to point out that one of the major practical challenges facing the TBA is to identify and support measures that will aid the preservation and survival of National Hunt breeding in this country.

There’s no denying the facts: it’s hard going for jumprace breeders in Britain, and our domestic challenges are in part made more difficult by the dominance of Ireland and France. Yet Britain is generally recognised as the major marketplace for French and Irish bloodstock.

However, there are some bright spots in the overall picture, thanks to the hard work of the TBA in promoting a series of initiatives, particularly for mares.

Improvements to the jumpracing programme, the TBA’s Mare Owners’ Prizes Scheme (MOPS) and the Elite Mares Scheme have ensured progress in this vital area, while there have been recent increases in stallion book sizes, with several exciting young sires emerging, as well as the stalwart champion Kayf Tara still managing to attract high quality, British-based NH mares.

Faced with the commercial realities of the modern sport, time is rarely on the side of the jumping breeder, but green shoots are coming through and we must take measures to ensure their continued growth.

With just 13% of British foals – a total of 596 in 2015 – bred specifically for jump racing, there needs to be a significant incentive to boost domestic production. Clearly this is best done by creating a demand, which realistically is only likely if fueled by increased prize-money.

The arrival of a filly foal used to be economically unviable for the National Hunt breeder, and this is still the case to some extent. Several factors are at play, including a lack of appetite for the traditional store horse in favour of a proven performer, preferably one with French ‘black type’ or pointto-point form in Ireland; that discrimination in the marketplace has created a difficult climate for UK breeders.

The renewed buying strength of Irish owners and trainers, as witnessed by the success of Irish-trained horses

at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, and the attractions of generous prize-money and owners’ premiums in France have meant that recruiting good horses from overseas has become more competitive and consequently more expensive for British owners.

In the absence of a viable domestic product in the future, this situation will only deteriorate and the basic core of jump racing, which is inevitably more home based, will suffer long-term damage. A renaissance in British breeding is, therefore, in everyone’s interests, in order to give owners more choice and put value back into the sport, to bolster jump racing at the grass roots, where our domestic horses learn their trade at smaller racecourses, and to safeguard the future of the sport.

The TBA maintains that investment in domestic production is vital and calls upon the Horsemen’s Group, the BHA and racecourses to continue to advance and recognise the benefits of raising the profile and attraction of racing jump-bred mares, but more particularly British-bred mares, which, after all, account for 50% of production. We believe the case for central support is strong.

Looking outside jump racing, the EBF Breeders’ Series has been a great success, and I am encouraged to hear that many trainers have noted these opportunities and have indicated they are on their radar for next year.

We have kept veterinary matters in general and the issue of EHV in particular under constant review and, along with the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Assocations, have a better understanding of what is possible in this field.

Genomics and the study of genomes remains a topic of continuing interest, and Peter Webbon’s report, which the TBA commissioned, should be ready to inform all of us in the New Year, demonstrating that while there is much work to do, the TBA board will continue to examine ways to support and enhance the lot of British breeders.

The Big Issue: British NH breeding, pages 62-70

“A renaissance in

British jumps breeding is in everyone’s interests to safeguard the future of the sport

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

11

Cheveley Park Stud

Home of the Rising Son

Twilight Son Bay colt, 2012

by Kyllachy ex Twilight Mistress

Winner of 6 races, all over 6f, and £725,150.

Won Gr.1

BETFRED SPRINT, Haydock, beating Gr.1 winners Belardo, Tiggy Wiggy, Gordon Lord Byron and G Force.

Won Gr.1

DIAMOND JUBLIEE STAKES, Ascot, beating Gr.1 winners Signs of Blessing, Holler, Undrafted and The Tin Man; Gr.2 winners Gold-Fun, Magical Memory, etc.

2nd

BRITISH CHAMPIONS SPRINT, Ascot, to Muhaarar, beating Gr.1 winners The Tin Man, Maarek and Gordon Lord Byron; Gr.2 winner Adaay and 7 other Group winners.

Gr.1

Unbeaten in both his starts at 2 years.

By Champion Sprinter and outstanding sire of Gr.1 sprinters

KYLLACHY Half brother to the Gr.3 winning and Gr.1 placed sprinter

MUSIC MASTER

A SON SET TO SUCCEED NEW at Cheveley Park Stud in 2017 • Fee £10,000 (1st October SLF)

Cheveley Park Stud Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9DD John Marsh or Matthew Sigsworth (01638) 730316 • enquiries@cheveleypark.co.uk • www.cheveleypark.co.uk

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Dec_148_News2_Owner 18/11/2016 18:05 Page 13

NEWS Stories from the racing world

Racing rallies around Tylicki Online campaign raises over £300,000 for jockey left paralysed by Kempton fall

Freddy Tylicki has received huge support from the racing community

F

reddy Tylicki took to Twitter to thank all those who have supported him since his life-changing fall at Kempton.

The jockey suffered a T7 paralysis in the fourhorse pile-up on the all-weather at Kempton on October 31, meaning he has movement in the upper half of the body but not his lower body.

Online fundraising set up by soon-to-be ITV betting correspondent Matt Chapman rapidly garnered more than £300,000, money that will go into a charitable trust to be overseen by Tylicki’s mother Irene and sister Madeleine.

Just over two weeks later, Tylicki tweeted: “Struggling and fighting! Thank you every single

one for all the support! Here is to a long road in front of me! Much love everyone!”

There was a huge response to Tylicki communicating with the outside world for the first time since his fall, with his message retweeted more than 1,200 times and liked over 3,000 times.

Tylicki, 30, was arguably enjoying his best ever year. While slightly down on number of winners, he had gained his inaugural Group 1 victory on Speedy Boarding in the Prix Jean Romanet in August before following up on the same filly in the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day.

“It’s tragic,” said Speedy Boarding’s trainer

Plus 10 owner discount Owners of yearlings registered for the Plus 10 bonus scheme are urged to finalise scheme registration before the end of the year to save money.

Up until 31 December, the cost of the third and final owner registration is £300. After the discount window closes, the fee rises to £350 and must be paid by February 28, 2017.

Owners of Plus 10 horses can significantly boost their racetrack earnings with the

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

addition of a £10,000 Plus 10 bonus on top of their first-place winnings.

Bonuses will apply to more than 550 twoand three-year-old races each year.

Since Plus 10 began in 2015, almost £8 million has been paid out in bonuses to 390 different owners and 425 different breeders/breeding partnerships.

For more information visit plus10bonus.com or contact 020 7152 0026.

James Fanshawe. “For the past three seasons he’s ridden out here twice a week, every week.

He’s been a major part of the team and a real help to the yard.

“This has been such a good year for him, with the two Group 1s, and he twice rode the most fantastic races in France. We’ll be doing everything we possibly can to help in his recovery.”

Fanshawe added: “He’s tough and he’s always been ambitious, but he’s a lovely guy as well.

He’s a tremendous character and I’m sure that will help in the battle he has ahead of him.”

Tylicki’s plight has received worldwide attention, nowhere more so than in Germany, where he was born.

Tylicki spent his childhood in Cologne, where his father Andrzej was a leading jockey in the 1980s and 1990s, and in addition to hundreds of contributions made by individual racegoers, the German Owners’ & Breeders’ Association and German Trainers’ & Jockeys’ Association have jointly contributed €10,000 to the fund.

“The whole racing community in Germany was shocked to hear of Tylicki’s plight and this contribution is a way of showing how much we’re thinking of him,” said a spokesman.

Ascot triumphs at Showcase Awards The RCA Showcase & Awards, which celebrates excellence and innovation across the raceday experience, was held in November. Top billing went to Ascot, named champion racecourse for the second time in three years.

Ascot excelled across the board, taking the accolades for digital and social media excellence and operational excellence.

The owners’ experience award went to Chester while the overall racecourse ground-staff champion was Cartmel.

The events award saw Musselburgh succeed for their ‘Bi-Centenary Celebration Raceday,’ which included a visit from the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

Seamus Buckley was honoured with the Neil Wyatt Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the sport, which has seen more than 50 years of service, including 22 seasons as Clerk of the Course at Goodwood.

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Dec_148_News2_Owner 18/11/2016 18:05 Page 14

NEWS

O’Brien dominates Cartier Awards The 2016 Cartier Racing Awards belonged to Coolmore and Ballydoyle, with Minding leading the way as the organisation triumphed in five categories and Aidan O’Brien winning the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.

Minding was Horse of the Year, with top-level wins in the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks, Pretty Polly, Nassau stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Her only two defeats came when she was second, beaten a head, in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and in the Irish Champion Stakes, when third behind Almanzor and stablemate Found.

Almanzor (three-year-old colt) and Found (older horse) were among the award winners too. Minding was, of course, top three-year-old filly, while Order Of St George (stayer) and Churchill (juvenile colt) were the other award winners from Team Coolmore.

O’Brien, even by his high standards, has enjoyed a stellar year, with 22 Group or Grade 1 winners, and still opportunities to add to that score in Hong Kong.

Collecting the Horse of the Year award, Minding’s jockey Ryan Moore said: “From the first time I sat on Minding I thought she was a bit different. She impressed me as a two-yearold and all this year never let us down.

14

CARTIER RACING AWARDS 2016 Two-Year-Old Colt: Churchill Two-Year-Old Filly: Lady Aurelia Three-Year-Old Colt: Almanzor Three-Year-Old Filly: Minding Sprinter: Quiet Reflection Stayer: Order Of St George Older Horse: Found Horse of the Year: Minding Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit: Aidan O’Brien Brilliant filly Minding was voted Horse of the Year and top three-year-old filly

“Credit must go to Aidan and his team for keeping her going all through the year and performing so consistently and bravely every time. She was a pleasure to ride and all being well we’ll see her again next year.”

He added: “The horses have been great all year and I’m delighted to be part of it. I’m very lucky to ride the best horses.”

While unable to accept his Award of Merit in person, O’Brien said in a recorded message: “On

behalf of [my wife] Annemarie, myself, the lads and our team, I can’t tell you how appreciative and privileged we are to have won this award.”

Jim Bolger, under whom O’Brien learned his craft, appeared in a tribute video and said: “He was very quiet, definitely an older head on young shoulders. He had a mind like a sponge – there was an ambition there that I hadn’t recognised at the time. I probably could have gone into retirement if he had stayed.”

Lady Aurelia (two-year-old filly) and Quiet Reflection (sprinter) were the other award winners.

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Dec_148_News2_Owner 18/11/2016 18:07 Page 16

NEWS

Brendan Hopkins named new Chairman of Owner & Breeder Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder has appointed Brendan Hopkins as its new Chairman. He succeeds Michael Harris, who is stepping down from the magazine having launched the title in September 2004.

Hopkins has followed racing all his adult life and initially owned horses with Jamie Osborne, supporting the former top jump jockey in his switch to training on the Flat.

He and his wife Bee subsequently moved to Australia, where he headed up the country’s second largest quoted media company for almost ten years.

Hopkins has had a number of horses in training with Anthony Cummings, enjoying Group 3 success with a son of Dehere and also watching Lady Gracious, a filly owned in partnership with Lady O’Reilly, contest the Australian Oaks. “Unfortunately she came stone last – however we had a great day out,” Hopkins remembers.

He currently has a National Hunt horse in training with Lucy Wadham in Newmarket and retains an interest in a horse in Australia.

Hopkins remains closely involved in the media world and is very much looking forward to developing the magazine and website onto their next exciting stages of development.

The series will tackle small fields

New NH series out to light up northern racing

Hopkins: joins Owner & Breeder team

He said: “As an owner I have been delighted to receive our excellent magazine each month. I want to say a big thank you to Michael Harris, who is now stepping down, and to Ed Rosenthal, the Editor, for all of their hard work. I look forward to working with Ed and his team in the future.”

Louise Kemble leaves TBA The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association has announced that Chief Executive Louise Kemble will leave the organisation with immediate effect.

Kemble, who breeds National Hunt horses under the Elms Stud banner, has spent 20 years working for the TBA, the last 16 as its Chief Executive.

She said: “Whilst working at the TBA for the last three years I have also enjoyed running the Elms Stud. I now need to make a greater contribution to the stud over the next 12 months and so it is now the right time to leave the TBA. “I have really enjoyed working for the TBA’s members and its chairmen during my term of office, and I will remain a loyal member of the TBA. I wish the Board every success in delivering the organisation through these challenging times for breeders.”

Julian Richmond-Watson, TBA Chairman, said: “We have come to a mutual parting of the ways and on behalf

16

Kemble: spent 20 years at the TBA

of past chairmen of the TBA and the Board, I would like to thank Louise for all that she has done for British breeders and the TBA. I wish her the best of luck for the future.”

The BHA has inaugurated five new series of races designed to provide greater opportunities for mid-tier jumpers at northern racecourses.

The health of jumps racing in the north continues to be an area of concern and it is hoped that this new ‘Northern Lights Series’ will incentivise owners to have a jumper trained in the region and stimulate investment into the grassroots of the sport.

The series of handicaps, which begin in January and run through to November, will culminate in a finals day at Carlisle on December 3, 2017, with each of the concluding contests worth £25,000.

A total of 75 qualifying races will be staged at 14 different tracks north of, and including, Doncaster. The races are not restricted to horses trained in the north, but to be eligible for finals day a horse must run in at least two qualifiers – and must be placed in the first eight at least once – thus horses trained in the south and midlands will contribute to boosting field sizes in the north.

The series has been created following the launch of the Challenger Series, which is now in its second season and was implemented as a recommendation from the BHA’s Jump Racing Review.

BHA Chief Operating Officer Richard Wayman said: “This series has been designed to provide an immediate boost to participants in the north by giving the connections of mid-tier horses the opportunity to target some valuable prizes.

“We know such schemes are popular with grassroots owners and this series has been set at a level where it will provide a realistic target for many of the horses currently in training in the north.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Dec_148_Changes2pp_Layout 1 18/11/2016 17:19 Page 18

Racing’s news in a nutshell PEOPLE AND BUSINESS Lucy Alexander Jump jockey will be out of action for around a month after breaking her collarbone in a fall at Ayr.

Josephine Gordon Champion apprentice rides out her claim on Captain Ryan at Wolverhampton to join the professional ranks after a stellar year in the saddle.

Paddy Brennan Nina Carberry Leading amateur jockey reveals she will miss the remainder of the season as she is pregnant with her first child.

Ted Durcan Set for two months on the sidelines after breaking his ankle in a pile-up at Kempton that saw Freddy Tylicki suffer paralysis.

AP McCoy Twenty-time champion jockey will join the ITV racing team when coverage starts in January.

Wayne Lordan Joins the team of riders at Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable for the 2017 season, while Chris Hayes will be first jockey to Fozzy Stack.

18

Records his 1,000th winner over jumps aboard the Fergal O’Brien-trained Colin’s Sister at Warwick.

William Hill Bookmaker revealed as the headline sponsor of ITV Racing, whose four-year deal to cover

Paul Hanagan Loses job as retained rider to owner Hamdan Al Maktoum; the association enjoyed big-races successes with Taghrooda, Mukhadram and Muhaarar.

Also...

In Hong Kong an errant rake that interfered with the starting stalls mechanism leads to the first ever void race in the nation – £13.3 million worth of bets are refunded. Jockey Ryan Clark is handed a six-month ban for testing positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. Chelmsford City, the Essex track owned by bookmaker Betfred, will stage a full meeting of harness racing after conducting trials. Jonathan Burke parts company with owners Ann and Alan Potts following their decision to base more of their string in England with Colin Tizzard.

Middleham trainer Jason Ward is fined £1,200 by the BHA for his use of a racial stereotype in a TV interview after saddling a winner at Wolverhampton in November.

John Oxx Loses the patronage of the Tsui family, for whom he trained the champion colt Sea The Stars, after they remove 11 horses from his care.

>>

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Dec_148_Changes2pp_Layout 1 18/11/2016 17:19 Page 20

HORSE OBITUARIES

RACEHORSE AND STALLION MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Sprinter Sacre Caroline Mould’s sensational two-mile chaser, winner of nine Grade 1s including two Champions Chases and a Melling Chase, is retired aged ten.

Mattmu

Moscow Flyer 22 Brilliant dual Champion Chase winner for Jessica Harrington’s stable who also won the Tingle Creek Chase twice and the Arkle.

Simonsig 10 Dual Cheltenham Festival winner for Ronnie Bartlett and Nicky Henderson, taking the Neptune Investment Hurdle and Arkle Trophy.

Vautour 7 Rich Ricci’s star who lit up jump racing with three consecutive victories at the Cheltenham Festival dies after injuring himself in the field.

Avant Tout 6 Exciting young chaser for Supreme Horse Racing Club/Brett Graham and trainer Willie Mullins, winner of a Grade 2 contest at Limerick in April.

Circles Of Gold 25 Blue hen producer whose sons Elvstroem and Haradasun won eight Group 1s between them, the latter taking the 2008 Queen Anne Stakes.

Celibate 25 Prolific-winning two-mile chaser trained by Charlie Mann, who won the Grade 1 Champion Chase at the 1999 Punchestown festival.

Gryada 23 Daughter of Shirley Heights was the dam of five-time Group 1 victor Fame And Glory and the granddam of Classic heroine Legatissimo.

Rough Quest 30 Immortalised by Grand National victory in 1996, after which jockey Mick Fitzgerald famously described the feeling as “better than sex”.

20

Talented son of Indesatchel, winner of a Group 2 and placed in Group 1 company, will stand at Norton Grove Stud in North Yorkshire; his fee is £3,500.

Eagle Top Hedgeholme Stud in Darlington secures the services of Group 2 victor and King George runner-up for the 2017 breeding season.

Fascinating Rock Dual Group 1 winner retires aged five to start his stallion career at Ballylinch Stud in Ireland; the son of Fastnet Rock will command a fee of €10,000.

Runhappy Triple Grade 1 winner, including of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, is retired from racing to stand at Claiborne Farm at a fee of $25,000.

Prince Of Lir Two-year-old winner at Royal Ascot this year is retired and will take up stallion duties at Ballyhane Stud in County Carlow; his fee will be €5,000.

Tha’ir Chesham Stakes winner will begin stallion career aged six at Lilling Hall Farm in North Yorkshire.

Vadamos Group 1-winning son of Monsun who secured eight victories over four seasons of racing will stand at Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath next year.

Hit It A Bomb

The Giant Bolster

Champs Elysees

Hugely popular Gold Cup and Cheltenham Festival regular trained by David Bridgwater is retired aged 11.

Purchased from Juddmonte Farms to stand under the Coolmore National Hunt banner at Castlehyde Stud.

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner is retired from racing and will join the stallion ranks at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.

PEOPLE OBITUARIES Denys Smith 92 Trained over 1,600 winners under both codes from his base in County Durham and sent out Red Alligator to win the 1968 Grand National.

Nick Fox 55 Former tipster at The Sun and the Racing Post who twice won the national press naps competition.

Simon Griffiths 54 Former jockey and trainer who served his apprenticeship with David Chapman and then had a spell working for Tom Tate.

Mark Birch 67 Seven-time ‘cock of the north’ and one of the most successful jockeys of his generation; he was strongly associated with Sea Pigeon.

Leslie Spencer 90 On-course bookmaker who worked with William Hill and racehorse owner, winning the Ebor and Chester Cup with Western Dancer.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupBeholder_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:23 Page 22

THE BIG PICTURE

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER The Breeders’ Cup Distaff looked one of the races of the meeting at Santa Anita and it did not disappoint, if anything exceeding expectations. Unbeaten three-year-old Songbird, partnered by Mike Smith, was looking to extend her unbeaten run to 12 and came mightily close to doing so, but was just denied – by a nose – right on the line by older mare Beholder (nearside) under a beautifully-judged ride from Gary Stevens Photo George Selwyn

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupBeholder_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:23 Page 23

BREEDERS’ CUP

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupQueensTrustv2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:25 Page 24

THE BIG PICTURE

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupQueensTrustv2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:25 Page 25

BREEDERS’ CUP

TRUST FRANKIE He hasn’t always enjoyed the best of luck at the Breeders’ Cup but experience is invaluable in the heat of battle and Frankie Dettori proved his brilliance once again on Queen’s Trust in the Filly & Mare Turf. Lady Eli looked sure to collect when kicking on inside the final furlong but Dettori produced Queen’s Trust (left), owned and bred by Cheveley Park Stud, with an irresistible late charge to land the spoils by a nose Photo Bill Selwyn

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupTheRest_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:25 Page 26

THE BIG PICTURE

Khalid Abdullah’s Arrogate (left) took the scalp of hot favourite California Chrome in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, surging late to claim the prize by half a length under Mike Smith, while Classic Empire (yellow/blue), below, edged out Not This Time in the Juvenile for owner John Oxley, trainer Mark Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux

Dec_148_BigPic-BreedersCupTheRest_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:26 Page 27

BREEDERS’ CUP

HEFFERNAN IS THE REEL DEAL There were few better rides at Santa Anita than Seamie Heffernan’s frontrunning effort on Highland Reel in the Turf. Heffernan got the fractions spot on aboard the son of Galileo and his rivals never had a prayer of catching Coolmore’s representative. Flintshire chased him in vain and could only close to within a length and three-quarters at the line Photos George Selwyn

Dec_148_BigPic-Cheltenhamv2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:32 Page 28

THE BIG PICTURE

ROARING HIM HOME Harry Cobden is making a name for himself in the saddle and the conditional jockey secured his first big-race victory at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting on Viconte Du Noyer (right) in the Grade 3 BetVictor Handicap Chase, defeating Warrantor and Gavin Sheehan by a length. The success was also a big boost to the new partnership of owners Ann and Alan Potts and trainer Colin Tizzard, with Fox Norton also striking for them at the fixture in the Grade 2 Shloer Chase Photo Bill Selwyn

Dec_148_BigPic-Cheltenhamv2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:32 Page 29

C H E LT E N H A M

NEW FOR 2017

BOBBY’S KITTEN 2011 by Kitten’s Joy – Celestial Woods (Forestry)

Specialist Turf Miler who could also Sprint!

Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Won

6

races at 2, 3 and 5 years and

$1,424,417

in the USA and Ireland, all on Turf

Graded Stakes winner at 2 and 3 years

View videos of his races on www.lanwades.com Own brother to two Stakes winners; dam by 2016 Leading Broodmare Sire in USA First stallion son of

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LANWADES Lanwades_OwnerSpread_Dec16.indd 2

The independent option TM

18/11/2016 16:53

ARCHIPENKO 2004 by Kingmambo – Bound (Nijinsky)

• Group 1 winner with an unbeatable pedigree • Won 6 races at 2, 3, 4 & 5 years and over $3m in prize money • Group 1 sire with his first crop • In 2016 sire of Group 2 winner DON ARCHI, Group 3 winners ALGOMETER, VA BANK (unbeaten in 12 races) and STONY BROKE • Sire of 44 individual 2yo winners (8 in 2016) • A LEADING 2YO SIRE IN 2016 58% winners to runners in GB/IRE 2017 fee: £10,000

SEA THE MOON 2011 by Sea The Stars – Sanwa (Monsun)

• Sensational German Derby winner; CHAMPION 3yo and HORSE OF THE YEAR, 2014 • Winner at 2 on debut by 4 lengths • First sire son of SEA THE STARS – Classic German female family • First foals sold in 2016 have so far made up to €90,000 • Supported by Europe’s Leading Breeders in his first two seasons

FIRST YEARLINGS 2017 2017 fee: £15,000

SIR PERCY

2003 by Mark of Esteem – Percy’s Lass (Blakeney)

• Undefeated CHAMPION 2yo; CHAMPION 3yo and Derby winner • Sire of 37 individual Stakes horses including 2016 Group 1 winners WAKE FOREST and SIR JOHN HAWKWOOD • Sire of 59 individual 2yo winners • 2016 yearlings sold in UK/IRE at the end of Tattersalls Book 2 averaged £66,184 (11 times his 2014 stud fee)

e

• A consistent and proven sire of STAKES winners 2017 fee: £7,000

info@lanwades.com • www.lanwades.com • Tel: +44 (0)1638 750222 • Fax: +44 (0)1638 751186 All 2017 fees on 1st October Special Live Foal terms

Lanwades_OwnerSpread_Dec16.indd 3

18/11/2016 16:53

Dec_148_FromTheArchiveV2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:28 Page 32

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Dec_148_FromTheArchiveV2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:29 Page 33

DESERT ORCHID DECEMBER 26, 1989

The story behind the photo This was just about as close as any horse got to Desert Orchid in the third of his four King George VI Chase victories, in which the galloping grey made every yard to score by eight lengths under Richard Dunwoody.

Next door to him jumping this fence down the back was 100-1 shot Bob Tisdall and Peter Scudamore, with runner-up Barnbrook Again and Brendan Powell in third place at the time.

Desert Orchid’s four King George wins were surpassed by Kauto Star when he notched his fifth, but for many the David Elsworth-trained ‘Dessie’, owned by Richard Burridge, will always be the horse synonymous with the Christmas highlight at Kempton.

He had won in 1986 and 1988 prior to this victory as 4-6 favourite, and which came nine months after the most famous triumph of his career in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, while he was also to win the King George the following year.

Gold Cup runner-up Yahoo, who was third here, Norton’s Coin and Pegwell Bay were the other runners in 1989, and all six were in with a shout turning in before Desert Orchid went through the gears, his leap at the second last perhaps his most extravagant.

“He was a fantastic horse to ride and without doubt the best horse I ever rode in my entire career,” said Dunwoody.

Photo Alan Johnson

Dec_148_Tony_Morris_Owner 18/11/2016 15:34 Page 34

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris Variety has not exactly been the spice of life as a bloodstock journalist, thanks to a certain Northern Dancer, but it has been a privilege to chart the dynasty’s progress

34

PA

N

ew to the Lower Sixth, at the age of 15, I was required to pen a paragraph on what I hoped to accomplish in my life.

It was evidently routine at that stage of one’s Exeter School career; the headmaster wanted to know what those in my age group aspired to do.

I’ve often wondered what ambitions my classmates expressed, strongly suspecting that some of the creeps would have given answers that were sure to go down well with the beak.

He would have been impressed by anyone who aimed to be a university professor, an archbishop or a field marshal. I didn’t care much what he thought about me when I submitted a single sentence: “I want to have my own regular column on a national newspaper.”

As it turned out, that did me no harm, because three years later, when I was summoned for an interview at the Press Association and needed him to supply a reference, he obligingly included the note: “His interest in journalism is one of long-standing.” Cunningly, I had omitted to tell him that my interview was for a job in the PA’s racing department, which would not have impressed him.

Having been taken on, I soon realised that I was not going reach my goal as a tipster. While I could muster a passable appreciation of form at the top level – National Hunt as well as Flat in those days – I wasn’t sufficiently interested in run-of-the-mill racing to make sound judgements about low-grade handicaps and the like. The obvious route to take, given that I was already keen on pedigree research, was via breeding, though I was conscious that few papers wanted or needed a specialist in that field.

But I persuaded myself that if I could remain patient, my time might come. The chaps active in that role who provided much of my education at that time – John Hislop and Bernard O’Sullivan in The Sporting Life, and Peter Willett in the Sporting Chronicle and Horse & Hound – were all a great deal older than me, and maybe I could step into the shoes of one of them one day.

There was also The British Racehorse, published five times a year, and a newcomer in the monthly Stud & Stable, each featuring writers from home and abroad from whom I

The Minstrel: dual Derby winner and one of the very best sons of Northern Dancer

could learn. There could be scope for me on either of those publications one day; I got my head down, studied the subject avidly, discovered the works of top American writers like Joe Estes and Charlie Hatton, and gradually acquired a fair amount of knowledge and a certain measure of sound judgement.

As it turned out, it was an annual, the Bloodstock Breeders’ Review, which first employed me to write on breeding matters. That was in 1967, and just four years later I found myself editing that prestige publication. It was not until 1976 that my ambition was realised, at The Sporting Life, some 13 years into my career.

One of the main reasons why a column on breeding had such appeal was that it seemed there would never be a problem over finding a subject. There was such a remarkable diversity in European pedigrees, with umpteen thriving male lines. It would always be possible to find a different angle. There would never be any danger of repeating oneself.

At least, that was how it had been for the likes of Hislop, O’Sullivan and Willett. I was barely into my innings before one little Canadian-bred horse began to dominate the world of thoroughbred breeding. As the sport and the industry were becoming progressively more

international in character, one name kept cropping up as the chief instrument of change; I was going to spend the next 15 years – first with The Sporting Life, then with the Racing Post – writing about Northern Dancer regularly and extensively, struggling every time to find something different to say. Life readers especially must have found it all so samey, as the paper seemed to have only one photo of the horse.

Already on the radar It wasn’t that Northern Dancer was unknown as a successful sire before I began my stint.

Nijinsky, who would remain the best of his runners, had won our Triple Crown, ensuring that his sire headed the Anglo-Irish list in 1970.

And we had lauded other Group 1 celebrities in Europe like Lyphard, Northern Taste and Broadway Dancer while noticing their sire’s considerable accomplishments across the Atlantic, not least his 1971 championship season in North America.

But the catalyst that changed Northern Dancer’s image from a ‘mere’ highly successful sire on two continents to a global phenomenon was the Coolmore party’s decision in 1975 that in future it was his stock they should be concentrating on at Keeneland and Saratoga, THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Dec_148_Tony_Morris_Owner 18/11/2016 15:34 Page 35

where in the past they had been keen bidders for the progeny of such as Round Table, Forli and Damascus. In that year they took a $200,000 punt on a three-parts brother to Nijinsky, who could hardly have resembled his close relation any less. The Triple Crown hero was a big imposing bay, whereas the younger horse, who acquired the name The Minstrel, was a small, flashy chesnut with four white socks.

While the pair were very different physical specimens, events were to show that they compared more closely in racing ability. The Minstrel won Derbys at Epsom and on the Curragh, and followed with a victory in the King George; one of his contemporaries at Ballydoyle was another Northern Dancer colt in Be My Guest, who had joined the stable after his (then) record-priced appearance as a yearling at Goffs.

The stars kept coming, and if we restrict the list to just Group 1 winners in Europe we identify Try My Best, Storm Bird, Woodstream, Lomond, Shareef Dancer, El Gran Senor, Northern Trick, Sadler’s Wells, Secreto, Antheus, Tate Gallery, Ajdal and Local Talent. Nureyev belonged in that group but was penalised for pilot error after a ‘victory’ on merit in the 2,000 Guineas.

Northern Dancer died in 1990, three years after his retirement from stud duties because of failing fertility, and just as we were beginning to realise that he had a special son at Coolmore in Sadler’s Wells, who would become a perennial champion sire – and the horse who was to dominate my columns for the next dozen years. Thereafter, of course, I was to write exhaustively about Sadler’s Wells’s great successor, Galileo.

In fact, over the last 40 years I have been charting the development of a dynasty whose overwhelming dominance has cast so much else in thoroughbred breeding to the shadows.

Northern Dancer’s most prominent son and most prominent grandson in this part of the world may have surpassed the dynasty’s founder by some statistical measures – Sadler’s Wells had winners of 327 European Pattern races and Galileo currently has 261 (39 this year!), compared with Northern Dancer’s 100, for instance – but for me it is the old man’s record in that respect which remains most striking.

Sadler’s Wells came along at the dawn of the era of three-figure books, and in Galileo’s time at stud the numbers have advanced again. Since Northern Dancer’s death the European Pattern has grown by nearly 100 races, having reached another peak of 413 in 2016.

By contrast, Northern Dancer never had a larger crop than the 36 born in 1974, which included The Minstrel and Be My Guest, conceived on a $25,000 fee. His crop of 1980 numbered only 31 foals, off a $100,000 fee, but among them were no fewer than ten who won European Pattern or North American Graded events, four of them successful at the highest level – Lomond and Shareef Dancer here, Hero’s Honor and Spit Curl in the States. He had 31 foals again in 1981, his European group, including El Gran Senor, Northern Trick, Sadler’s Wells and Secreto, notching nine Group 1 victories between them Such was Northern Dancer’s success as a sire of sires, in spite of his small crops, that it has now become almost impossible to breed a foal that does not trace to him at some point. Huge numbers have him twice, thrice or even more times in their background.

Sometimes I think it would have been good to write about a greater variety of subjects, but it has nevertheless been a privilege to chart the progress of the dynasty that changed thoroughbred breeding for all time.

“I was going to

spend the next 15 years writing about Northern Dancer”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

35

Dec_148_HowardWright_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 15:33 Page 36

HOWARD WRIGHT COMMENT

Annual report and data pack both worthy of praise, though the regulator needs to get on top of rise in self-certified non-runners on the all-weather

BHA remains in the fast lane

O

h, joy of joys. The BHA has hit a few significant bumps along the road signposted ‘Integrity’, but its racing department, for the most part, has been cruising down the fast lane of the highway.

Driven by BHA insistence, the 2017 fixture list made another welcome midsummer appearance, banishing the memory of years when autumn leaves were falling before the diary compilers could get to work. Armed with a mass of information derived from the BHA’s trawling through six years of results, the European Pattern Committee has redrawn Flat racing’s middle-distance weight-for-age scale in time for next year’s King George at Ascot.

And all the while the racing department has underpinned the BHA’s new-found enthusiasm for explaining itself to professionals and public alike – some integrity issues aside, of course.

An annual report made its first appearance for three years, a most handy reference, even if its size and generous use of illustration, more akin to the offering of a thrusting corporate giant than a sport’s governing body, seemed to have been developed to excess, as if to make up for previous fallow periods.

To fill in the blanks before the next one, the BHA Stakeholder Bulletin has been introduced to provide a wash-up of decisions affecting the sport, as well as links to other industry organisations with news to impart.

“A little knowledge

might be a dangerous thing, but it is infinitely better than no knowledge” Then there is the monthly BHA Racing Data Pack, which is where the racing department comes into its own, disseminating every known form of statistic imaginable, from numbers of fixtures staged, abandonments, going returns and prize-money to average field sizes, horses in training and races with odds-on favourites.

There is nothing new in publishing such basic, invaluable information. Many

36

There are a worrying number of non-runners on the all-weather – the BHA must act

jurisdictions around the world have been doing it for years. But it’s new to the BHA, so well done to them.

In this era of social-media frenzy, far too much comment about fundamentals is carried on in the fashion of mushroom rearing – among people kept in the dark who feed on, well, you know what I mean.

Provision of instructive data in a manageable form brings facts out into the light, and their publication at timely intervals provokes serious consideration of important issues. A little knowledge might be a dangerous thing, but it is infinitely better than no knowledge.

The latest BHA Racing Data Pack covers the year to the end of August, and contains some encouraging signs of progress – total prizemoney up 43% on 2012, average prize-money per race up 38%, average field sizes and the number of entries and runners creeping back towards the 2013 level, and horses in training at their highest level for more than five years.

Yet within the plethora of sunny figures one dark cloud stands out – an increase in the number of raceday non-runners over last year, which continued into September, according to a complementary blog from the BHA racing department. And within these comes a most

worrying trend – a 15% rise in non-runners in all-weather races in the first nine months of the year.

Only rarely can ground issues influence raceday absence at all-weather tracks, so other forces must be at work, which will only exacerbate the situation now that Newcastle has successfully joined the merry band of synthetic surface providers.

Identifying reasons for the trend is not easy, only to say that it seemed to have continued its downward path in October. Manual analysis of results for the last fortnight of the month revealed nearly 90 non-runners at all-weather track meetings. Eight were taken out for unruly behaviour, a handful were ascribed to travel problems or the catch-all ‘other’ reason, but most significantly of all, almost 65% were explained by means of self-certification by connections.

Little exasperates a punter more than spending time poring over the puzzle of a race only to discover at a late stage that his answer has been rendered worthless by the sort of getout clause more associated with a recalcitrant insurance company. Time for a little more digging by the BHA, and a public explanation, I’d say.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Dec_148_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:00 Page 39

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By JESSICA LAMB

Present and future bright for Ryan Family operation enjoying fine season with jockey Danny Mullins an integral part

R

CAROLINE NORRIS

emoved from the big names being forced into retirement, trainer John Ryan is thriving. Like farrier Gavin Cromwell, part of his business’s longevity hinges on it being his second income.

Now children Deirdre and Eoin have returned to the fray, giving Ryan a vision for the future of his training regime, and jockey Danny Mullins has become a fixture too.

“I’m 55 and not getting any younger,” Ryan said. “They’re ambitious. They’ve grown up and they’ve got more good sense now. I’m pushing them on. We’ve got a lot of good people here, Dan Corbett and Tom Brett; he’s a young amateur who has had a nice few winners for me now. He’s a young lad who could go places.

“But I think Danny Mullins is the big difference. When you work with someone you get on with it makes everything that bit easier.

You are in a better frame of mind, you make better decisions.”

He added: “We’ve an old house – there have Kilcarry Bridge, with Danny Mullins aboard: just one of John Ryan’s winners this season

been people farming here and training horses for 100 years – and there’s 12 crammed into it every morning for breakfast, and everyone is in good humour. The atmosphere is so good.”

Paul Carberry was Ryan’s jockey of choice, particularly with his late enigmatic chasing star Foildubh, whom he rode to win the Guinness

“Farming is my

income, training horses is totally dependant on prize-money” Handicap Chase at the Punchestown festival and the Grade 2 Normans Grove Chase. Ryan sees some of his ability – and “roguish traits” – in his replacement.

“I was very sad to see Paul Carberry out of the weighing room, but Danny has a lot of similar traits,” he said. “He’s a good guy.

“He’s in the same place as us too; this is

already his best season. He’s ridden 35 winners and 12 of them have been for me.

“We’ve had 14 winners so obviously he’s ridden most of them, and we’ve been unlucky – we’ve had 15 seconds on top of that.”

Draycott Place’s win in the Grade B Kinsale Handicap Chase at Cork and fellow handicap chaser Kylecrue’s three valuable victories have helped boost Ryan’s Irish prize-money earnings to almost £200,000 – £50,000 more than the team has ever accrued.

Their continued good form puts further big pots in their path, too, with Kylecrue being targeted at the Leopardstown Chase and Draycott Place being aimed at the Becher Chase at Aintree.

Ryan has been criticised for racing horses out of their depth, but taking chances in such races is key to his business model.

“Farming is my income, training horses is totally dependant on prize-money,” he explained. “I train to win prize-money to fund the operation, and it is expanding a little now.”

A farmer hobbying as a fully-fledged trainer is unusual in 2016, but was common and remains so in the point-to-point field. The chief benefit for Ryan of using this model is choosing his own horses.

“I’m a public trainer,” Ryan added, “and we do have a few new owners now, good people, but I keep it to the majority being owned 50% by me, because it’s so hard to collect money and I prefer to buy the horses myself. It’s no fun training bad horses.”

Dec_148_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:00 Page 40

VIEW FROM IRELAND

Three racing professionals were handed Services To Racing Awards by the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners last month.

Racecourse vet Joe O’Donnell, Cork Marketing Manager Mary Kelly and renowned breeder and National Hunt horse producer Wilson Dennison were rewarded for their substantial contributions to the Irish horseracing industry, as 20 trophies were dished out in the ballroom of the Kilashee House Hotel in Kildare.

Kelly, taking a well-earned break in New York, missed her moment on the podium, but gained her day in the sun (literally) on Cork Grand National day a week later.

“It was great to have all our locals say, Well done’,” she said. “They saw it as their award, Cork’s award, and they were all very proud of it, which has to make you proud in return.

“People in racing work hard, early mornings, late nights, and they really appreciate it when someone is nice to them.

It’s lovely then when they tell you it makes a difference, and it’s worth it.”

Why she received the award comes down to dedication and the modern recognition that owners are pivotal to the growth of horseracing – and that “being nice costs nothing”.

She explained: “What came to the fore for us and for racing during the recession was that the owners are going out of the industry.

“We needed them to come back, trainers needed them to come back. We’ve been working hard at everything here, as they have at all the tracks.”

She added: “If we have a race meeting on the weekend, I put the office phone over to my mobile on a Friday evening. That way I can make sure owners calling for an extra ticket get that, or trainers calling to arrive early for a horse get accommodated.

“I would never see it as effort, though, really it’s just part of my job and I Iove it.”

Speaking about the racecourse’s development plans, Kelly revealed that work on improving the kitchens and stable yard would commence next year, as would work on the parade ring.

“Robbie McNamara has woken us all up to the fact that we all need to be wheelchair accessible, throughout the grounds,” she explained.

“We will be making our parade ring wheelchair accessible and putting in a new podium.”

Dennison’s award came in a particularly special year; he and his point-to-point trainer Colin McKeever have in 2016 watched graduates Yorkhill and Blaklion win Grade 1s

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CAROLINE NORRIS

Deserving trio among award winners

Wilson Dennison, here with Willie Mullins, was one of the Services to Racing winners

at the Cheltenham Festival, and they saw Bellshill do the same at Punchestown.

With hefty price tags, that trio stood no chance in the Value Purchase categories, the Goffs prize getting knocked down to Irish Classic winner Jet Setting. She was bought at Goffs’ November Sale in 2013 for €7,000, and after landing the Irish 1,000 Guineas was sold to the China Horse Club for £1.3 million.

The Tattersalls Ireland Value Purchase of 2016 was JP McManus’s Punchestown festival winner Don’t Touch It. He was sold for €4,500 as a foal and for €30,000 at the 2013 Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale. Trained by Jessica Harrington, his earnings from two seasons are almost double his combined sales prices.

The other winner in the sales category was useful Flat mare Bainne. Nine bids were registered for the six-year-old after her second win in a claimer at Gowran in August and, after drawing lots, she was picked up by Deirdre Kelly and Dr Tara Browne for €10,000. She went on to win a handicap at the Curragh and thus merited AIRO’s Most Successful Claimed Horse trophy.

AIRO AWARDS 2016 Champion Flat Horse: Found Champion NH Horse: Don Cossack Goffs Value Purchase: Jet Setting Tattersalls Ireland Value Purchase: Don’t Touch It Leading Owner Flat: Tabor/Magnier/Smith Partnership NH: Gigginstown House Stud Most Successful Owner-Breeder Flat: the Aga Khan for Harzand; NH: Andrew McIntyre for Jennies Jewel Most Successful Syndicate: Act D Wag Syndicate (Clondaw Warrior) Most Successful Claimed Horse: Bainne Services To Racing: Joe O’Donnell (vet), Mary Kelly (Cork marketing manager), Wilson Dennison (owner, breeder, producer) Racecourse Merit Award: Ballinrobe and Galway Racing Dreams: Cahalan/Poonawalla Partnership for Gordon Lord Byron and McNamara Family Syndicate for Lisa’s Legacy

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Dec_148_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:03 Page 43

CONTINENTAL TALES E

FR A N

C

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

Reveley becomes a golden boy Injury strikes but too late to alter the destination of Cravache d’Or

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

BILL SELWYN

B

ack in April Richard Johnson became the first English-bred jockey to land the British jump jockeys’ championship for almost a quarter of a century. Now, Yorkshire-born James Reveley is set to become the first British rider to carry off the French jump jockeys’ title.

The ‘Cravache d’Or’ – the golden whip trophy awarded annually to France’s most prolific rider – has been Reveley’s to lose ever since August 21 when his great rival and three-time champion David Cottin had a terrible fall in a cross-country chase at Lignieres, 170 miles south of Paris.

Less than two hours after outgunning Reveley in the finish of a two-and-a-quartermile chase to register his 63rd victory of the season and draw level at the top of the standings, Cottin suffered his calamity while partnering the much-travelled nine-year-old Grandouet.

Formerly trained by Nicky Henderson to win an International Hurdle at Cheltenham and still in the colours of Simon Munir, Grandouet had only just joined the yard of Cottin’s father, Francois, and was trying his hand at a new discipline.

The fall left Cottin jnr with three broken vertebrae and, following an operation, needing to wear a surgical corset for three months, his season ended prematurely.

So Reveley, who had not ridden in Britain since mid-April and recently bought his first house in France, was assured of the title – provided that he stayed in one piece.

The injury curse then struck Reveley too, but not quite early enough to deprive him of the championship. Successful on So French in the holy grail of French jump racing, the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris, in May, he had only just returned from two weeks off with sore ribs when landing a second Grade 1 triumph of the campaign – the Prix Cambaceres aboard De Bon Coeur – on November 6.

Then, just a week later, he was about to register his 85th success of the year, aboard the odds-on favourite Device in the Grade 1 Prix Renaud du Vivier, when a penultimatefence fall left him with a broken ankle.

Barring a miracle, he will still get his golden whip. With just 30 days of jump racing left before the new year (and five of those days featuring three or fewer races over the sticks) he is 34 winners clear of Thomas Beaurain

James Reveley: will be first British jockey to win French title for almost 100 years

and Kevin Nabet at the top of the standings.

Reveley commented: “It’s not over until the fat lady sings but, all being well, come December 31 I will be feeling pretty satisfied and proud of my achievement.

“I was shocked to hear about David’s fall and how serious it was. I’ve known him ever since I first started coming to France as he’s only a year younger than me so we started out at pretty much the same time.

“We get on well and take the micky out of each other a lot! I went to see him a couple of weeks after his fall and we keep in touch.”

Asked how the title battle might have unravelled without their injuries, Reveley replies: “We were absolutely neck and neck for a few weeks before David got hurt and I’m not sure how it would have panned out.

Realistically, maybe I would have had a bit more firepower, but you just don’t know what’s around the corner in jumps racing.”

He continued: “This has without doubt been my best season and really a year to remember. At the end of 2015 I had to make a very difficult – although on the face of it quite obvious – decision to leave England and come over to France full time.

“It meant leaving dad (trainer Keith Reveley) without a jockey, which was very hard as he’s been the biggest influence on my career.”

Reveley, 27, has not entirely given up on riding in Britain once his ankle is fixed, saying: “I still plan to ride at home a bit – basically when I can and for whoever wants me!”

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CONTINENTAL TALES CE

Signs of life after the doldrums New incentive schemes to increase horses in training and fixtures

NY MA

in-training sales in Britain and Ireland.

A ‘liquidity facility’ whereby HRSA will loan an owner half the purchase price of up to five new acquisitions, up to a maximum of €4,000 per horse or €20,000 per owner. This must then be repaid, with 3% interest, in 18 months, via deductions from prize-money won by any of that owner’s horses or six quarterly instalments.

HRSA will also pay for the cost of shipping to Greece, up to €1,700 per horse, provided the amount is repaid within a two-year period.

With these incentives in place, 58 horses

Domestic low ebb lifted by international triumph

I wonder how many Australians were present at Baden-Baden on June 1, 2014? A rather strange question, you might think, apart from the fact that Antipodeans attending Germany’s premier racecourse that day would have got the chance to get a first glimpse of not one but two future Melbourne Cup winners.

For the finish of the feature race, the Group 2 Grosser Preis der Badischen Unternehmen, was fought out between Almandin, winner of Australia’s biggest race in 2016, and Protectionist, who landed ‘the race that stops a nation’ just five months after this Baden-Baden defeat.

In a less than vintage year for German racing – the nation’s 44 Group races were won by 38 different animals with no single horse annexing more than two Pattern events – the closest it has come to producing

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This year’s Greek Derby winner Mentor

bought at Tattersalls’ Autumn Horses In Training Sales in Newmarket in late October were bound for Greece, with further recruits expected at the subsequent Goffs UK and Tattersalls Ireland Ascot auctions.

The new arrivals will be catered for with a large number of enhanced-value maiden races each worth €8,500.

Even before this, Markopoulo was dominated

by British imports – at one October fixture eight of the races were won by English immigrants, having run for the likes of John Gosden, Charlie Hills, Richard Hannon and Mark Johnston and, with one exception, all bought at the sales for sums between 1,000 and 6,000 guineas.

The dirt track has a long way to go just to get back to its position of as recently as 2006, when 1,400-plus horses contested 1,203 races.

By far its biggest crowd of the past year was for the 70th running of the Greek Derby, a €30,000 event won by Mentor, a Greek-bred son of 1998 Middle Park winner Lujain – but even that numbered no more than 2,000 despite the attraction of a post-racing party.

Conversely, even in times of austerity people gamble and, with the licence to conduct tote betting on not just domestic action but British, French and South African, HRSA is hoping for €75 million worth of betting turnover during 2017.

an international star is Potemkin, a five-yearold gelded son of New Approach, winner of the Group 2 Prix Dollar in France and the Group 1 Premio Roma in Italy.

So, potentially its biggest achievement of the campaign came at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November, when the Emirates Melbourne Cup resulted in a duel between the German-bred Almandin and Heartbreak City who, although raised in France, is a son of the German stallion Lando, the pair pulling over four lengths clear of a top class multinational field.

Protectionist, meanwhile, one of the very best sons of Monsun, has recently been retired and is to begin stallion duties in 2017 at Gestüt Röttgen, his fee having been set at €6,500. In addition to the Melbourne Cup, he won the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin at Hoppegarten this summer.

Kerrin McEvoy celebrates on Almandin

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

BRONWEN HEALY

GER

The Greek racing industry, centred on the country’s one and only racecourse, at Markopoulo in Athens, is showing signs of life again following a five-year depression which impacted upon every part of the nation’s economy.

The racing programme limped on but last year the number of horses in training in the capital fell to around 180, compared with almost ten times that just nine years earlier.

In April 2015, the government signed a deal allowing a company by the name of Horse Races SA (HRSA) to take over the organisation of racing, including all betting, for 20 years. The old regime at Markopoulo held its final raceday at the end of October 2015 and, following a near three-month hiatus, the first HRSA fixture took place on January 22.

Fin Powrie, a 61-year-old Aussie who cut his teeth in racing administration in Perth (Western Australia) in 1979 and has since held senior positions in the UAE, New Zealand, India and Bahrain, is the new Director of Racing.

He has helped conceive and implement a series of measures designed to quadruple the number of thoroughbreds housed at the track by the end of 2017, to enable HRSA to expand the fixture list to 75 meetings per annum.

These include incentives to encourage owners to buy young horses at the main horses-

Dec_148_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:04 Page 47

AROUND THE GLOBE THE WORLDWIDE RACING SCENE

NORT H A M E R I CA

by Steve Andersen

Baffert strikes again with Arrogate

T

he day after Arrogate won the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita on November 5, trainer Bob Baffert was at his backstretch stable by 6.15am, overseeing workouts. For most trainers, that would be a standard schedule. Baffert was an hour early. “It’s easy to go to work,” he said, sporting a wide grin.

Typically, Baffert keeps a later schedule, concentrating key workouts into training sessions at 7.45am and 9am and leaving early morning activity to his long-time assistant Jimmy Barnes. On this warm autumn morning, Baffert was ready to soak in a unique atmosphere.

Baffert, 63, became the first trainer to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic in a third consecutive year when the three-year-old Arrogate outran the wildly popular California Chrome in the tenfurlong dirt race. It was not unexpected.

Arrogate had risen in prominence in recent months, moving to the fore of the nation’s threeyear-old division.

He is the latest Classic victor for Baffert, a group that arrived in the winners’ circle in fascinatingly different circumstances.

Bayern won the 2014 running at Santa Anita after a controversial bumping incident with Shared Belief shortly after the start. Bayern was not a popular winner. In 2015 at Keeneland, American Pharoah became the first Triple Crown winner to contest and win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, a unique achievement in US racing.

Arrogate, ridden by 51-year-old Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, beat the undisputed leading horse in the US in California Chrome by a halflength after a duel in the final quarter-mile. The finish was the most thrilling stretch run in, well, 24 hours. The day before, Beholder, the threetime champion, won the Breeders’ Cup Distaff by a nose over the previously unbeaten Songbird.

The two best horse races run in the US in 2016 occurred on consecutive days.

The Breeders’ Cup races produced four champions. Beholder is certain to be champion older female, while Songbird will be champion three-year-old filly.

California Chrome will be champion older male, and is still expected to be THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

voted Horse of the Year, while Arrogate is widely tipped as the champion three-year-old. Arrogate is likely to receive support for Horse of the Year as well, and will be the winter favourite for the 2017 title.

Arrogate, who races for Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, was never considered a candidate for the 2016 Triple Crown and did not have his stakes debut until the last weekend of August. Arrogate was the easy winner of the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on August 27, the most important race for three-year-olds in the second half of the year.

Following that win, Baffert said Arrogate would not start again until the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Meanwhile, California Chrome, who won the Dubai World Cup in March, rolled through three consecutive stakes wins at Del Mar and Santa Anita from late July to early October, encountering little resistance.

In the Classic, Arrogate was third behind California Chrome for the first mile before engaging the pacesetter and taking the lead in the last sixteenth. “I never thought he would be able to catch Chrome,” Baffert said.

Baffert may have won the Breeders’ Cup Classic three times, but Aidan O’Brien won the Breeders’ Cup Turf for the sixth time when Highland Reel led throughout.

Highland Reel beat Flintshire, the former Andre Fabre runner who developed into a star in New York this year for Chad Brown, and Found, the Arc heroine. Seven winners of the Arc have raced at the Breeders’ Cup following their wins since the series began in 1984 and none have won.

There was a familiar name in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. Tepin, the winner of the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, was only second to the Bill Mott-trained Tourist in the Breeders’ Cup Mile despite a furious rally.

Tepin is five and nearing the end of her career, but she could run in Dubai, trainer Mark Casse said.

This winter Casse will have the ante-post favourite for the 2017 Kentucky Derby in Classic Empire, who won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile for Oklahoma oilman John Oxley.

The two-day Breeders’ Cup meeting was held at Santa Anita for a record ninth time. The event moves to Del Mar, outside of San Diego, in 2017 and to Churchill Downs in 2018.

Mike Smith celebrates a Classic success on Arrogate

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AROUND THE GLOBE

AUST R A L I A

by Danny Power

BRONWEN HEALY

Williams wowed by his nap hand

Almandin (left) wears down Irish raider Heartbreak City in a thriller to provide owner Lloyd Williams with a fifth Melbourne Cup

Almandin’s Melbourne Cup victory gave his senior part-owner Lloyd Williams a record fifth win in Australia’s most famous race. The 76year-old first captured the 155-year-old two-mile handicap with New Zealand-bred Just A Dash – trained by the great Tommy Smith – in 1981.

Four years later he part-owned What A Nuisance, another ex-Kiwi, to land the first A$1 million Melbourne Cup. He was ridden by Williams’ close mate Pat Hyland and trained by John Meagher, who soon after spearheaded Williams’ first foray into Europe to buy stayers.

Horses such as the Aga Khan’s duo Nayrizi and Shantaroun, and Gopak, who was bred at Ireland’s Ballymacoll Stud and trained by Sir Michael Stoute. These three were the best of a dozen or so ‘ready-made’ horses imported to try to win the Cup. Nayrizi was unlucky in the 1989 Caulfield Cup, but was injured before the Melbourne Cup when warm favourite. Gopak and Shantaroun were handy stayers but never serious Cup contenders.

Williams quickly tired of that first dabble and went into buying speed-bred yearlings. With Lee Freedman he won Victoria and Australian Derbys with champion Mahogany, who switched to sprinting to win two Lightning Stakes. He also won a Golden Slipper with crack filly Merlene, a Blue Diamond Stakes with Knowledge and sold the unbeaten Reset to Sheikh Mohammed for a reported A$20m.

However, the Melbourne Cup was rarely far from his thoughts, so after he left his position as supremo of Melbourne’s Crown Casino, he set up a private training empire at Macedon Lodge, about 30 minutes drive north of Melbourne.

From there he developed a chain of command that tested racing officials, who were concerned his first trainer Graeme Rogerson, who spent

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most of his time in New Zealand, was not the trainer, rather Williams was.

Williams has never denied this, but explained that he employs a trainer in his business just as a managing director would employ a chief executive. “Go ahead,” said Williams. “Make my day. Stop me and I’ll save $15 million a year.”

From Macedon Lodge, Williams has ‘trained’ three Cup winners – New Zealand-bred Efficient in 2007 and imported stars Green Moon and Almandin. Williams’ son Nick is an integral part of the team and shares the Cup obsession. He is usually the face of the operation, but a knee injury this year saw his usually reclusive father make his first visit to the races since 1996. “I enjoyed it, I should come more often,” he said.

Almandin is a most interesting story. He was bought after Protectionist created history for Germany by winning the 2014 Cup. Almandin, bred and owned by Gestut Schlenderhan, had beaten Protectionist in a Group 2 in June 2014.

Almandin broke down so didn’t appear on a racetrack in Australia for more than two years.

It was part of the plan to target him at the Group 3 The Bart Cummings at Flemington on October 2 – since 2014 the winner has been given an exemption from the Melbourne Cup ballot.

Almandin won easily and earned a 1kg penalty, which took him from 50kg to 51kg, later raised to 52kg after acceptances. The rest is history.

Etched in part of that history is Almandin’s sire Monsun. The late great German stallion has been responsible for three of the past four Melbourne Cup winners; he also sired Protectionist and Fiorente.

Only Positano has sired more. His four winners were Lord Cardigan (1903), Poseidon (1907), Lord Nolan (1908) and Piastre (1912).

Gozo and the New Zealand father-son duo of Sir

Tristram and Zabeel have also sired three.

Almandin, who was brilliantly ridden by Kerrin McEvoy to win the Cup, ticked two of the three desirable boxes for Australians. Australiantrained, Australian-owned – but alas not Australian-bred. The annual stories of lament that Australia cannot breed stayers continued.

Who can explain how Galileo was unable to impact on Australian racing in his five years as a shuttle stallion, although his 17 stakes winners (three at Group 1 level) is better than he’s credited for, or why Helmet is doing so well with his first northern hemisphere stock whereas back home he’s hardly made a dent in the surface of the stallion-barn floor?

And who’s going to tell Sheikh Mohammed after 31 attempts since 1988 without success that it’s time to give up his Melbourne Cup quest?

Not me.

Appleby aces The Flemington four-day carnival capped an incredible few weeks in Australia for Newmarket’s Charlie Appleby and his team of Godolphin horses.

It was Appleby’s first trip to Australia and he vowed he would be back with a bigger assault next year. And why wouldn’t he: from nine starters, he won four races and added $A1.44m to Godolphin’s coffers.

He won the Geelong Cup with Qewy, the Bendigo Cup and Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Francis Of Assisi, and Lexus Stakes with Oceanographer.

You get the feeling Appleby and Godolphin’s John Ferguson have found the secret to what type of horse is suited to Australia. Ferguson trained Qewy and Francis Of Assisi on the National Hunt circuit in 2015 and early 2016.

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Dec_148_TalkingTov2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 18:29 Page 53

TALKING TO...

JOE TIZZARD

No average

JOE

He hit the heights as a jockey with Paul Nicholls, enjoying big-race successes while still a teenager, and Joe Tizzard is still at the top of the tree in his post race-riding role as assistant trainer to father Colin, with top-class chasers Cue Card, Thistlecrack and Fox Norton among their exciting team

By Tim Richards • Photos Bill Selwyn and George Selwyn

H

ow do you successfully combine the jobs of assistant trainer of some 85 horses as well as managing 700 acres of Dorset farmland, which includes about 600 head of cattle?

The farm is well set up and I have three very good guys working for me. I am in the milking parlour just after 6am to make sure everything is fine for the dairyman.

In winter it’s pretty straightforward because there are just chores to do in the day-to-day running and I can leave them to get on with it. On days when I am not racing I can get more involved. Dad and I have a meeting at 6.30 every morning over a cup of coffee in

the kitchen where we discuss plans for the farm and the horses. We are lucky to have excellent staff and it all blends in quite well because we are busy with the horses in the winter, whereas there is more to do on the farm in summer with the silaging. Though the tractor work is left to contractors these days. I am up at the horse yard by seven and will ride out a couple of lots and go racing three or four days a week. I have to admit there was a blip about eight years ago when I made a stupid mistake while driving a big baler, got tangled up in the machinery and was lucky not to have my head taken off.

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Dec_148_TalkingTov2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 18:29 Page 54

JOE TIZZARD >> To what extent are you involved with the actual training and preparation of each individual horse?

I am involved more so than ever, going through entries with dad, either riding out or on the gallops with him. I help with the decs and agents ring me as much as they ring dad.

We were underbidders, at 510,000gns, for Harlem, the Horses in Training sales-topper in October on behalf of Mr [Alan] Potts. Finding and buying the right horses is so important. I ride a different horse every day, particularly those that are getting close to a run to see if I think they’re ready. There’s nothing in the horse business that doesn’t include me.

You became assistant trainer to your father the moment you retired from race-riding in 2014, aged 34. How easily did you come to terms with quitting the saddle and the change of lifestyle?

It was a huge change from the riding side of things, but not from the day-to-day business because I’ve never been far away from home, where there’s always been plenty to do. I did miss the race-riding, but it was my decision at the right time for me to become even more involved in the business.

In the late 1990s you burst on to the scene as a teenager with Paul

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Nicholls, riding top-class horses and winning a string of big races. Could you fully appreciate all your achievements – and the quality of horses – at such a young age?

I appreciate it all a lot more now than I did at the time. I turned professional at 18 and rode 91 winners that season, including Grade 1 winners. I was naïve and blase enough to think they would all win whenever I got on a Paul Nicholls horse – and many of them did.

When I broke my back in 2002 I had time to take stock of everything and I began to appreciate how lucky I had been. You then realise you’ve got to work really hard to get back to those good times. I don’t regret any of it. A part of me thinks I was a better rider later on as a result of all the experience. That young naivety is a massive plus at the time, but you don’t have the experience to go with it.

Flagship Uberalles was an outstanding two-mile chaser in those early days.

What kind of horse was he to ride in the big races?

He was very straightforward, a push-button horse. He never used to pull and was a superb Joe Tizzard puts Thistlecrack through his paces on the gallops, right nearside; and below, in action on old favourite Cue Card, on whom he won four Grade 1s

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Dec_148_TalkingTov2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 18:29 Page 55

JOE TIZZARD

jumper. Those good horses are often the easiest to ride because they don’t do anything wrong.

He was a gorgeous, gorgeous horse with bags of scope so if you ever needed a big jump to get you into a race he’d give it to you.

Despite considerable early success, your partnership with the Nicholls stable ran out of steam. Any regrets?

I have no regrets at all. I am not that sort of person. I am still in the fortunate position of being great friends with Paul. At the time he had 60-70 horses and was moving up through the training ranks and was getting bigger and bigger, with owners like Robert Ogden, who retained Paul Carberry. I rode the best part of 500 winners for Paul. There were times when I’d get a bollocking if a horse had run badly and I’d feel a bit sorry for myself. But if I could go back in time I’d do it all again. Nothing lasts forever.

Jockeys – even former jockeys – are said to be their own worst critics. How would you evaluate your own strengths and weaknesses as a rider?

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I always felt that horses jumped well for me; I was certainly a better chase jockey than I was over hurdles. I’ve been hunting and jumping all my life and I always felt I could get horses jumping as well as anybody. It’s not really a weakness, but I was plenty tall enough, at six foot, and not the right size or shape to be a jockey, permanently dieting for 18 years. I was too big for some of the little hurdlers. My passion is horses and I ride every day of the week whether I have to or not. If there’s nothing to ride in the yard in summer I’ll jump on my hunter and hack round the farm.

What do you miss about race-riding?

There’s nothing that can replace the thrill and adrenaline of being a jockey. I just miss the buzz.

All jockeys are adrenaline junkies and we are addicted to it. I was getting that three or four times a day when I was riding. I’d even have a heavy fall and get a kick from it; not the horse, hopefully! When I’d pick myself up off the ground I would have that buzz. When I go hunting and jump a huge hedge it’s that same feeling again, something I used to live off when I was race-riding. I even have a motorbike on

the farm now so I can go fast, and that can give me quite a thrill. My weight has gone up a stone and a half to 12st and levelled out there. But I held it at 10st 7lb for 18 years.

Do you have one outstanding memory of your riding career?

I’ll never forget my first winner as a 17-year-old over the Grand National fences on With Impunity in the 1997 Sefton Chase for amateur riders. He jumped like a stag and had scope to burn. It was only a five-runner race and we made all. He hit the first and after that never touched a twig. I was sending him into every fence and he just stood off outside the wings. I’ll never forget the feeling of being in the air for seconds at a time; we’d just go up and float before hitting the ground running.

You joined the Nicholls stable as a 16year-old and understand his set-up better than most people. In what way has the Nicholls success formula rubbed off on the Tizzard training methods?

We have copied Paul to suit our own system and set-up. We have got a lot of Paul’s ideas and

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Dec_148_TalkingTov2_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 18:29 Page 56

JOE TIZZARD >> he was never shy about coming forward and

offering his thoughts. Paul doesn’t complicate things. We feed in the same style and, like him on a day-to-day basis, we don’t trachea wash, blood test or take temperatures. We believe if the horse looks well, is eating well and is working well then he’s ready to go. If a horse runs disappointingly then we have to take tests.

It is not always easy to work with family. Your sister Kim is also part of the business, along with your mum Pauline. How do you all get on?

We do get on well together, though when I was no longer the jockey and at home permanently there were a couple of niggly things as we were finding our feet. But now everybody knows their role and their opinions get listened to, though ultimately the final say is down to Dad. We all know each other inside out and recognise what we’re trying to achieve. It works really well. Mum does the secretarial work for the farm and Kim does all the bills in the office with Debbie, the office secretary.

Are you in a hurry to have your own training licence or take over from your father?

No, not at all! I’d like to think we’ll eventually have a hand-over in similar style to the Hannons, who eventually passed the baton smoothly from father to son. Everybody knows they can speak to me at any time. Dad’s answerphone says if he’s not there ring Joe. I’m in no rush to have the licence in my name and dad’s in no hurry to hand it over.

When you retired you said, “I’ll still be very much part of Cue Card, I just won’t be the man riding him”. How involved are you with him now?

I ride him about once a fortnight, or whenever I need to just to see how he is. Before he ran at Wetherby I gave him a racecourse gallop. But Hamir Singh, who looks after Cue Card, goes out on him every day accompanied by my sister Kim on Theatre Guide. They’ve been doing that together at the head of the string for the last two years.

“I’d like to think

we’ll eventually have a hand-over in similar style to the Hannons” Cue Card is a very special horse with a huge amount of ability. He was a bit keen in his early days, but now he’s settled and relaxed and is the best horse you could ride up our gallops. He’s completely the opposite to Thistlecrack, who pulls out a bit lazy and takes time to warm up.

Cue Card comes out, walks fast, head in his chest loving every second of every day. He gives you the best feel at home and no horse gets near him. His reappearance in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby sharpened him up. We probably got

the tactics wrong but were really pleased with his run and it’s going to take a good one to beat him.

Thistlecrack is one of the most exciting horses in training, yet he only started racing over hurdles aged seven following three runs in bumpers. Why was that?

He had some niggly problems and was a big, weak baby who could barely handle our gallops as a four- and five-year-old. He used to pull muscles in his pelvis as easy as anything. His owners, John and Heather Snook, are big farmers and stock people and agreed to give Thistlecrack time, allowing the horse to tell us when he’d be ready to be trained. Thanks to their patience, we’ve now got this exciting horse.

They understand livestock and were happy to back off and let the horse grow into himself and fill out. It was the season before last after I gave him a two-mile gallop round Wolverhampton that I realised, ‘This is a serious horse’. Then last year Thistlecrack took it to a whole new level and we never got to the bottom of him.

Was it your father’s decision to aim Thistlecrack at the Gold Cup in his first season chasing, or was it a joint agreement to go straight to the top with him?

Not completely Dad’s as it is a decision that has been discussed over and over by ourselves, the Snooks and plenty of people whose advice we hadn’t even asked for! John and Heather bought him to win a Gold Cup, which we think is the

Colin Tizzard and Tom Scudamore talk through Thistlecrack’s second chase win at Cheltenham’s Open Meeting in November

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JOE TIZZARD

Fox Norton, a new recruit to the yard owned by Alan and Ann Potts, en route to winning the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham

>> pinnacle of racing. He is going to be a nine-yearold next year and we thought if he takes to fences we’ll give him enough experience in the first two-thirds of the season for the Gold Cup. He won well at Chepstow [on his chasing debut] and he was A1 after his second chase at Cheltenham; Thistlecrack will have learnt from his mistakes and be better in a more competitive race. The plan is to go to Newbury’s Hennessy meeting and then probably the Feltham at Kempton en route to Cheltenham.

Can you compare Thistlecrack with Cue Card? What are the basic differences between them?

Cue Card is a lighter-framed horse and he’s a much easier mover than Thistlecrack, who is more of a beast, a bigger, stronger barrier type horse that eats the ground. Cue Card floats over the ground whereas Thistlecrack pulls the ground towards him. They’ve both got the mentality of good horses who come alive when they get to the races. Thistlecrack can be half asleep at home but on the racecourse he is totally different. These top-class horses can’t be meek; they have to be tough to be continually competing at the top level. We are spoilt having the two of them.

Last year the Tizzard training stables moved up the hill from Venn Farm to Spurles Farm, the recently purpose built stables high on the DorsetSomerset border. How beneficial has the new situation of the premises been for the horses?

We built it on top of a hill so it can absorb as much air and light as possible, making it a THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

healthy, bug-free yard. We don’t mind it being a bit colder up there as we can put an extra rug on the horses. We just want them to be in the fresh air, no draughts, just an airflow all the time. It makes for a beautiful working environment.

The horses had been encroaching on to the farm but now they are completely separate.

Recently you were sent 15 horses by Alan and Ann Potts, who also purchased exciting chaser Fox Norton to join your stable. How big a boost is this to the operation and how high can the Tizzard stable aim?

We got the phone call from Mr Potts in September and they sent us a cracking bunch of horses, 11 of which have already run, plus four babies. We finished fourth last season and to be honest I think we’re 50 horses short of being competitive in the race to be champion trainer. But our quality of horse gets better every year. Mr Potts is always looking for Cheltenham prospects and we have a horse in the yard to run in big races every weekend. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t finish in the top five again.

Fox Norton was very impressive at Cheltenham but we can’t take the credit; he came to us fit and well and looking an absolute picture from Neil [Mulholland]. He’s put himself right in the Champion Chase picture.

Of course the Tizzard stable does not revolve solely around Cue Card and Thistlecrack. So can you give us another chaser and hurdler to follow this winter?

Two hurdlers are West Approach, Thistlecrack’s

half-brother who finished second at Cheltenham in October, and Elegant Escape, a gorgeous horse who won his first novice hurdle at Chepstow. Robinsfirth, who’s going novice chasing, missed 18 months but is back in and looks great.

CLOSE UP AND...

PERSONAL Away from racing I enjoy… hunting Favourite film… Top Gun I can’t get through the day without… coffee My desert island discs would be… anything by Ed Sheeran Four dinner party guests…

John Wood, my former driver and a great character, James Corden, Jensen Button and Margot Robbie

CLOSE UP AND...

PROFESSIONAL My racing hero is…

Richard Dunwoody One horse I wish I’d ridden…

Kauto Star I’d love to train… Douvan Alternative career…

Formula 1 driver Favourite racecourse…

Cheltenham

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Chasing

SUCCESS The National Hunt breeding industry in Britain consists of a relatively small pool of hardy enthusiasts but the quality of stallions and broodmares is on the rise at a time when the country can boast some of the biggest names in jump racing Words Emma Berry

I

n 2015, Coneygree became the first British-bred winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup for 20 years, following the 1995 victory of Master Oats. The season ended with the outstanding novice chaser and his fellow Festival winner Dodging Bullets – not a purpose-bred jumper but a fine one nonetheless – occupying two of the top three slots in the earnings table and better was to come the following year.

The 2015/16 season saw the Britishbreds Rule The World, Thistlecrack and Cue Card become the three highest earners – quite some achievement for the ‘home team’ when one considers the dearth of equine representatives compared to Britain’s two closest allies and fiercest rivals in the jumping world, Ireland and, to a lesser extent, France.

Of course, it’s not simply a game of numbers. If breeders have taken anything from the most recent recession and previous bout of overproduction in 2008, it should be that breeding is about quality over quantity. It’s a lesson often hard learned, most painfully through unwanted stock at the sales. This autumn’s auctions,

particularly those for Flat horses, have demonstrated only too starkly that the increase in foal-crop numbers – which have been on a steeper incline in Ireland than in England – has led us back into that dangerous territory where supply outstrips demand.

While breeders are the source of the extra horses, they can be forgiven for increasing their production levels at a time when the market appeared to have bounced back from a difficult period. The knock-on effect of a radical rationalisation in the number of mares being covered immediately after the recession first hit was, of course, a significant reduction in the number of horses at all manner of sales.

Naturally this meant improved figures, an apparently more buoyant market and an increasingly emboldened buying bench, particularly in the pinhooking sector. The cyclical nature of the breeding industry means that mating decisions made on the back of this improved sales market have now been transformed into flesh and blood, with many of those youngsters produced specifically for the sales ring by

>>

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THE BIG ISSUE BRITISH NATIONAL HUNT BREEDING

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However, despite dramatic injections of cash into the coffers for some of Britain’s showcase meetings, there’s still not enough of a trickledown effect to the lower tier of racing. It remains a sector overlooked and, dare it be said, looked down on despite its obvious necessity to the racing programme as a whole, not least in filling the demands of bookmakers.

The financial neglect of this section, both on the Flat and in the National Hunt world, has, unsurprisingly, led to a shortfall of people willing to race horses – a fact which is only too apparent by a glance at the horses-in-training lists for many of the country’s smaller stables and at the lower deciles of the sales returns.

Of course the good horses are not always the most expensive ones, but on the Flat the top tier of the market has remained recession-proof largely thanks to overseas investment in a country which can still trade on its rich thoroughbred heritage.

Some may find this overview of our current situation unnecessarily gloomy but it is, however, the reality for a significant number of participants within our industry – and one thing is for sure, we need to encourage people to continue to participate, along with trying to introduce a new wave of owners and breeders to the sport.

Jumping to the challenge

Telescope covered 129 mares in 2016 and was a “last roll of the dice” for Shade Oak

department, has enhanced not only the blacktype opportunities but the mares’ programme in general. The introduction of a second maresonly race at the Cheltenham Festival in the form of the Grade 2 Trull House Stud Dawn Run Novices’ Hurdle wasn’t greeted with universal

“I’d rather cover

40 good mares than 140 moderate mares; the mares make the stallion” approval, but the race’s detractors are missing a fundamental point. If mares aren’t proving their worth on the track, it’s hard to justify their claims as broodmare prospects. In a sector in which the majority of big-name trainers at one stage had few or no mares in their stables, it

doesn’t take too much joined-up thinking to realise that this could prompt major welfare issues when roughly half of the foals born each year are effectively deemed to be unwanted.

Happily, and not without a major effort, this situation is gradually improving. Filly foals can still be a hard-sell, but the prices are gradually improving for fillies at the store sales and more trainers are now actively seeking fillies with which to target the enhanced number of races available to them. Furthermore, the introduction of the TBA National Hunt Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme (MOPS) should give extra encouragement for owners and/or breeders to race mares with greater financial rewards at stake for eligible runners. It’s a start, and one which will have been helped no end by the great Annie Power trouncing her male counterparts in this year’s Champion Hurdle.

Head cheerleader for the delights of National Hunt racing and breeding in Britain is David Futter, who says: “You only had to be at the recent Cheltenham meeting to feel the buzz about the place.”

The Yorton Farm Stud principal almost

>>

SARAH FARNSWORTH

The British National Hunt breeding scene may have dwindled to a small pool of around 1,000 mares who produced fewer than 600 foals last year – down by about a third since 2008 – but there are signs of a resurgence which offers a number of reasons to be cheerful. On the racing front, attendance figures remain high and the enduring nature of jumpers knocks all but a handful of Flat stars into a cocked hat when it comes to public appeal.

What has been seriously lacking is the number of fillies and mares making it into training, but a sustained drive by the TBA, in association with the BHA’s race-planning

GEORGE SELWYN

>> breeders with no intention of racing them.

The annual TBA National Hunt Foal Show is a continuing success and has united breeders while encouraging visitors from Ireland

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OVER11605- Owner Breeder full page- 28 NOV16.qxp 17/11/2016 16:27 Page 1

OVERBURY Stud SIMON SWE ETING 07796 174926 (01386) 725552 simon@ovstud.co.uk JO BROWN (01386) 725552 jo@ovstud.co.uk

SAM HOSKINS 07791 746119 sam@ovstud.co.uk

THE NEW DANSILI...

C

D EL EGATOR £5,000 Oct 1, SLF

A G2 winner who ran second in a Guineas and was rated 125 by Timeform We could be describing Dansili

ast your mind back to 2004, when the first juveniles by the now great Dansili were racing.

He wasn’t great back then ~ but that first crop strongly hinted at what was to come, and smart breeders were quick to jump in. Now his son Delegator has done at least as well with his first crop two-year-olds...

DELEGATOR IN 2016 DELECTATION 2 29% 4

A Group winner Runners rated 90+ Rated 80+ Multiple winners

*

DANSILI IN 2004 EARLY MARCH 2 22% 1

If you missed Dansili in 2005 don’t miss Delegator in 2017

Find out more about Delegator on www.ovstud.co.uk

Also standing CI T Y SCA P E £4,500 Oct 1, SLF ~ DUN A D EN £3,000 Oct 1, SLF ~ MU STAJEEB £4,000 Oct 1, SLF and jump stallions KAYF TARA and SCHIA PA R ELLI

BATSFORD S TUD HAAFHD

Alhaarth – Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom) Multiple Stakes Sire again in 2016 with an outstanding winners/runners strike rate of 58% Stock have recently made up to 78,000 gns Fee: £3,000 1st October Terms (LF)

NATIVE RULER

Cape Cross – Love Divine (Diesis) CLASSIC BLOOD By the sire of Sea The Stars, Golden Horn and Ouija Board out of Oaks winner Love Divine He is an ideal cross particularly for Sadler’s Wells mares Fee: £1,500 1st October Terms (LF)

PASSING GLANCE

Polar Falcon – Spurned (Robellino) Tough and Sound Dual Group winning Miler from a Multiple Stakes Producing Dam 4yos have made up to £80,000 Fee: £2,000 1st October Terms (LFFR)

Batsford Stud, Batsford, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9QF T: 01608 651890 • M: 07899 957355 • E: alanvarey@batsfordstud.co.uk

www.batsfordstud.co.uk

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BREEDER VIEW

EMMA BERRY

Doug and Lucy Procter, The Glanvilles Stud

Doug and Lucy Procter with Aunt Julia and Sinndiya, whose Nathaniel yearling recently sold to JP McManus

The Glanvilles Stud, in the heart of south-west jumping country not far from Wincanton racecourse, is home to 15 broodmares, nine of which are National Hunt mares. The farm, which encompasses 180 acres on two sites within the village of Glanvilles Wootton, is run by former point-to-point rider Doug Procter and his wife Lucy. Having traditionally had a fairly even split of mares across both disciplines, the couple have decided to shift the emphasis towards predominantly National Hunt stock in the future.

“We’re looking to not replace Flat mares as they move on, or to replace them with jumping mares, and that’s a commercial decision,” states Doug Procter. “We’re making money on the jumping stock we sell well and when we do lose money we lose far less money.

“Overall, the jumping side of the operation is adding up far better than the Flat. The first mare we bred from was a point-to-pointer I used to ride, which we did for sentimental reasons. We started boarding mares for other people and then it grew from there – it’s a hobby that turned into a business, but my background is very much National Hunt. You can throw a stone from our farm and it would usually land on a top jumps trainer’s gallop.”

The Glanvilles Stud team is not breeding on a purely commercial basis and has raced a number of fillies, both on the Flat and over jumps, with trainers Harry Dunlop and Nick Mitchell.

>> certainly

has ‘Enthusiastic’ stamped on his passport where his middle name should be, but he has put that positive mind to good use in recent years, not simply in creating, with his wife Teresa, the most up-and-coming National Hunt stallion stud in the country but also in playing his part in galvanising his fellow members on the TBA’s National Hunt Committee to an admirably pro-active stance.

There have been plenty of initiatives launched to help jumps breeders in recent years, but the one which has been easiest to assess as successful is the TBA ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ National Hunt Foal Show, which has been held for the least four years in July and has attracted an increasing number of exhibitors and spectators.

“We’re always looking forward – the National THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

“The incentives introduced by the TBA and the fillies’ races are very important but in my view it should be addressed from the bottom up,” offers Procter. “When you have the number of fillies and mares to fill the races you should increase the championship races, but, equally, I can see that, with very few exceptions, people in jump racing want a horse to go to Cheltenham. And the important thing is that all those big owners want as many Cheltenham winners as they can have. Two races at the Festival are now for fillies so those owners have to race fillies or they reduce their chances of winners.”

Despite the prestige of having a runner at Cheltenham being the equivalent of Royal Ascot to Flat owners, the appeal to Procter for focusing more on jumping is not just his own love of National Hunt racing but one of simple economics.

“The cost to a breeder of playing in the top 25% of the jumping market, if you have that budget, wouldn’t even get you halfway up the Flat market,” he says. “We’re heading into over-production again, with 15% more yearlings being offered, but I have never spoken to a trainer who has told me he has 15% more owners. So what looked like a comfortable middle market has become very hit and miss on the Flat, and your losses can be massive.”

He continues: “People think a £10,000 stallion is a budget stallion on the Flat but Kayf Tara, the best jumps stallion in Britain, was £5,000 this year and probably the most expensive in Europe was Saint Des Saints at €12,000. Even if you go to the top stallions you’re not having to stretch too far.”

With two mares eligible for the Elite Mares Scheme at The Glanvilles Stud, Procter is not encouraged enough by the subsidies on offer for his mares always to remain in Britain and regularly walks mares in to French stallions with a short ferry hop across the Channel from his Dorset vantage point not far from Poole.

He says: “The Elite Mares Scheme is a very good idea but from a commercial breeding point of view I make my decisions based on what I think will breed me a good horse within the budget I have. I wouldn’t go to a stallion just because I could have a grant to go to him.”

He adds: “It’s difficult starting out with jumpers as it takes so long to get the results but, from very small crops, we are starting to breed winners and we’ve sold some horses well.

“I take some pride in the fact that some noted Irish pinhookers will now come to look at stock on our farm. That’s taken eight years to get there, but it has been worth it.”

Hunt breeding industry is so exciting but there’s more we can do to promote ourselves,” says Futter. “You may as a breeder have to be patient and have to put some of the horses in training, but there’s an increasing number of people interested in buying proven horses these days, so once they show some form the phone will soon be ringing and the rewards are there.

“But also I know breeders around the country who have sold foals straight from the field. The Irish are starting to come over more to look at stock on farms and they have greater contact with British breeders through the foal show. The show is improving and I’m hoping there will be a few French trainers there next year.

“We need to increase the numbers but it’s doing what it set out to do and it has also

created a sense of community spirit through a social occasion at a time of the year when we wouldn’t all necessarily be getting together.”

Around 380 mares visited the Yorton stallions this year. The 2016 roster of Sulamani – sire of Grand National winner Rule The World – Norse Dancer, Blue Bresil, Gentlewave, Universal and Pether’s Moon has been enhanced further for next year with the addition of Clovis Du Berlais, a well-related son of King’s Theatre with proven National Hunt form.

Futter continues: “The market contracted in 2008 but since then we have levelled and in many ways it has done us a favour as it’s upgraded the mares here in this country – you only have to go to the foal show to see the quality available. We need to keep improving

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BREEDER VIEW

Dominic and Valda Burke enjoyed early success as the breeders of the diminutive Champion Hurdler Katchit. At their former Gloucestershire base of Whitley Stud they developed a broodmare band of Flat and National Hunt mares but have recently sold both the farm and all Flat mares, except two owned in partnership with the Duke of Roxburghe.

“I’ve always loved both disciplines but it’s simply the fact that unless you’re playing in the very top end of the Flat world, you just can’t compete,” says Dominic Burke, who now keeps his mares at Richard and Sally Aston’s Goldford Stud and continues to breed under the Whitley Stud banner.

“I’ve spent my life trying to do things as well as I can but getting access to the best stallions on the Flat is difficult unless you have almost a Group 1-winning mare these days. We want to try to make economic sense of it; you have to have half an eye on the commercial world even though I breed to race some, but I try to balance the equation.”

Burke has made a major contribution to racing in recent years as Chairman of Newbury racecourse, as well as no doubt being instrumental in JLT Group, of which he is Group Chief Executive, becoming a major sponsor at both Cheltenham and Newbury. His personal commitment to National Hunt racing goes further still in the financial backing of the Whitley Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury on November 3, a two-mile contest won by the Alan Kingtrained Dusky Legend.

“I’ve been keen to support the mares’ racing programme and we still need to do more about novice chases for mares,” he says. “I’m working with [TBA National Hunt Committee Chairman and Cheltenham racecourse Chairman] Robert Waley-Cohen to try to make it happen.”

With Burke’s broodmare band including Katchit’s winning halfsister Miracle Maid, who is in foal to Martaline, the former Lucy Wadham-trained seven-time winner Baby Shine, and Vroum Vroum Mag’s half-sister Brise Vendeenne, it’s clear his emphasis is on quality.

EMMA BERRY

Dominic Burke, Whitley Stud

Dominic Burke with Katchit’s dam, the late Miracle; her final filly, by Shirocco, is two and will be put in training

“The benefit of being in the National Hunt game, if you’re ambitious and brave, is that you have a chance to get into the best stock,” he says.

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

40 decent mares than 140 moderate mares as it’s the mares that make the stallions.”

The Futters have made the most of their allegiances with French and Irish farms – notably Haras de la Hetraie and Rathbarry Stud – to offer an array of stallions over recent years, including another son of King’s Theatre, Great Pretender, and Malinas.

“You have to be patient with National Hunt stallions but you also always have to be on the lookout for a new horse in order to capture a new group of mares,” says Futter. “That’s why it has worked well for us, standing horses like Malinas. He covered more than 300 mares in the four years he was with us.

“In the French National Hunt stallion ranks four of the top six horses have all been proven over fences, and that’s why Clovis Du Berlais appealed to us. We weren’t actively looking but when Richard Venn informed us that he could be bought we couldn’t turn down the opportunity, and French breeders have held an interest in him.”

A fellow National Hunt stallion stud manager who knows all about the virtue of patience is

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EMMA BERRY

>> the quality. As a stallion owner I’d rather cover

Kayf Tara has proved that jumps sires can excel while standing in Britain

Simon Sweeting of Overbury Stud. He has every right to bask in the reflected glory of Overbury stalwart Kayf Tara, who has led the British sires’ table for seven years and last season finished behind only King’s Theatre and Presenting in

the overall jump sires’ table, with Thistlecrack as his major star. But Sweeting knows only too well that by the time a jumps sire has ‘made it’ he will be in his twilight years and so the work must continue with younger potential replacements. In this regard he has Schiaparelli, an impeccably-bred son of Monsun, on the brink of a wave of first runners as his eldest offspring turn five in January.

He says: “Obviously Kayf Tara’s success may mean I have a rose-tinted view and really it will be Schiaparelli who will tell us if things are improving in the National Hunt world.

“My own feeling is that they are improving steadily – it appears that trainers are keener to have fillies in their yards and the better ones are selling okay, but we’re not out of the woods yet.

“There’s still too much disappointment when a mare produces a filly foal, but I think overall we are on an upward curve.”

Kayf Tara’s success has helped to stem the flow of better British-based mares crossing the Irish Sea to be covered, but this mostly one-way traffic is still a big concern for the British National Hunt industry. This is despite the launch in recent years of the Elite Mares

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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RED

CHEVELEY PARK STUD STALLIONS ARE ALL FIRED UP FOR 2017 DUTCH ART

MAYSON

Sire of another 15 Stakes performers in 2016.

Already sire of Gr.1 winning sprinters GARSWOOD and SLADE POWER. Fee: £25,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

Sire of 7 Stakes horses in his first crop 2yos, including SWs PRIVATE MATTER, ROSIE BRIAR and GLOBAL APPLAUSE. Fee: £6,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

GARSWOOD

MEDICEAN

Gr.1 winning sprinter by DUTCH ART, from the immediate family of MUTAKAYYEF.

Leading sire of 10 individual Gr.1 winners, including DUTCH ART.

First crop are yearlings in 2017 Fee: £4,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

His 2016 winners include the dual Gr.2 winner DIMENSION. Fee: £6,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

KYLLACHY

PIVOTAL

Champion Sprinter and sire of 4 Gr.1 winning sprinters, including TWILIGHT SON.

Sire of 26 individual Gr.1 winners and the 2nd leading UK-based Sire in 2016.

2016 yearlings fetched 270,000gns, 260,000gns, etc.

Fee: £15,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

2016 yearlings fetched up to 350,000gns.

Fee: £40,000 (1st Oct. SLF) NEW FOR 2017

LETHAL FORCE

TWILIGHT SON

Highest rated son of DARK ANGEL and the 6f record holder at Newmarket.

Dual Gr.1 winning sprinter, who defeated 8 other Gr.1 winners.

First crop yearlings fetched up to 160,000gns in 2016.

Fee: £10,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

Half brother to Gr.3 winning and Gr.1 placed sprinter, MUSIC MASTER. Fee: £10,000 (1st Oct. SLF)

Cheveley Park Stud Duchess Drive, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 9DD Tel: (01638) 730316 • Fax: (01638) 730868 • enquiries@cheveleypark.co.uk • www.cheveleypark.co.uk

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EMMA BERRY

on more of an equal footing. The only way we can buck the market is by waving a little carrot and that can be done through increasing the prize-money earned by fillies.”

Hockenhull has also added to his stallion list for next year with the purchase of Scorpion from Ireland.

“I am more enthusiastic than I was last year and a little bit more upbeat,” he says. “Scorpion’s eldest are now seven and he’s had a Grade 1 and Grade 2 winner even since the deal was done to bring him here. It’s amazing how many enquiries I’ve had for him from Ireland already and he has a decent number to run for him – the sort of figure that would take me ages to achieve.”

Great British success: Carruthers and his Gold Cup-winning brother Coneygree

>> Scheme, which offers subsidised nominations

to British-based stallions for owners of highclass racemares or producers.

“There’s no doubt now that Kayf Tara has proved that he’s well above average and breeders have appreciated that, but it’s extraordinary how quickly a stallion goes in and out of fashion,” Sweeting adds. “UK-based breeders are being encouraged to use National Hunt stallions in this country – and hopefully with Kayf Tara they realise that British stallions can do it – but they have to get out of the habit of looking to Ireland to cover their mares. The only way you can make a stallion is by supporting him in the first year or two.”

As to the reception given to Kayf Tara’s younger stud-mate, Sweeting notes: “Schiaparelli has never covered vast numbers but his book has always been around the same number each year and is going up slightly, which is encouraging – a numbers of breeders came back to him once they’d had a foal by him.

So if he’s good enough, he’ll have a chance.”

Good support for Telescope Completing the trio of major National Hunt stallion stations in Britain is Shade Oak Stud.

During the heyday of Alflora, who died in April at the age of 27, it wasn’t uncommon for 300 mares to visit him alone. In more straitened times for the industry, a little over 300 mares were sent to Shade Oak this year to be covered by either Galileo’s brother Black Sam Bellamy, Fair Mix, Lucarno, Recharge or Telescope, and by far the biggest percentage of these was reserved for the latter, who covered 129 mares in his first book.

Shade Oak’s owner Peter Hockenhull makes no secret of the fact that he feels the British National Hunt breeding industry is collectively drinking in the last-chance saloon – but that the chance can be seized and built upon.

“We’re in critical condition,” he says plainly.

“There’s some hope with Kayf Tara – it’s great that we have a stallion up there. Since I’ve been breeding, he could be Britain’s only chance of

70

having the leading stallion – not just in Britain, but in Britain and Ireland. It shows that it’s possible. But on the other hand we are down to as few jumps stallions as we’ve ever had.”

The stallion man has, however, been encouraged by breeders’ reaction to his newcomer. “I rolled the dice one last time to buy Telescope and luckily British breeders have supported him,” he says. “He covered 129 this year, which was the second-highest launch of any jumps stallion in the country, and that shows that there’s still the enthusiasm from breeders. But we are lacking numbers.”

He echoes Sweeting’s call to retain the good mares in Britain. “The good thing is that if you look at the elite mares we actually have a greater percentage comparatively than they do in Ireland, but the secret is for us to keep them

“It appears that

trainers are keener to have fillies in their yards, but we’re not out of the woods yet” here to use British stallions,” says Hockenhull.

“That’s being helped by the introduction of MOPS and the Elite Mares Scheme.

“We’ve inherited a situation where fillies weren’t racing and were deemed to be worthless, so if 50% of your production is deemed worthless it’s hardly a good foundation for a business. I do feel optimistic now in that I think we’ve turned it around, but it’s going to take ten to 20 years for it to be where we want it to be. The races are there now and trainers are looking at fillies. The plan is for there to be more races for fillies and mares so we can have a programme that resembles the one for Flat fillies; then, as National Hunt breeders, we are

British-based mares National Hunt

Dual-purpose

2016

1,063

837

2015

1,114

747

2014

1,019

852

2013

1,063

911

2012

1,147

914

2011

1,276

1,147

2010

1,189

1,454

2009

1,479

1,564

2008

1,525

1,536

Foals born in GB National Hunt

Dual-purpose

2016

575

475

2015

596

428

2014

537

474

2013

568

512

2012

593

510

2011

667

619

2010

583

747

2009

802

859

2008

842

847

Jumpers in training in GB (including hunter-chasers)

2015

11,486

2014

11,422

2013

11,840

2012

12,402

2011

13,098

2010

13,371

With thanks to Weatherbys and the BHA for statistics provided THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

N EW FO R 2 0 1 7

Ajaya

Impressive Group 2 Winning 2-Y-O

2013 Invincible Spirit x Nessina (Hennessy)

• Placed Gr.1 Middle Park Stakes, 6f.

“AJAYA was a high-class two year-old blessed with bags of speed and a good temperament. His performance in the Gimcrack was a top-class one, beating subsequent Group 1 winner, Ribchester, and he loved fast ground. He is a thoroughly likeable colt who thrived on racing”.

William Haggas, Trainer

Kodi Bear 2012 Kodiac x Hawattef (Mujtahid)

“KODI BEAR was a pleasure to train and showed a lot of class right from the beginning. He was an exceptional winner of the Sovereign Stakes and confirmed that form when winning the Celebration Mile at Goodwood in tremendous style. His temperament and appetite for racing was first class and I am sure he will pass on these qualities to his offspring”.

Clive Cox, Trainer

• Winner of Gr.2 Gimcrack Stakes, 6f. (defeating Ribchester etc.)

• 2nd Gr.2 Prix Robert Papin, 51/2 f. (to Gutaifan, beaten a head) • Winner of Maiden over 51/2f. at York.

• 2015 Timeform rating 117 in GB/IRE versus Gutaifan (117), Ribchester (115) in the same year • From the family of BATED BREATH, CITYSCAPE and REDOUTE’S CHOICE • By Leading Sire and Sire of Sires INVINCIBLE SPIRIT

High Class 2-Y-O & Impressive 3-Y-O

• Winner of Gr.2 Celebration Mile, 8f. (defeating Cable Bay (IRE), Breton Rock (IRE), etc.).

• Winner of Gr.3 Sovereign Stakes, 8f. (defeating Custom Cut (IRE), etc.).

• Winner of L.R. Midsummer Stakes, 81/2f.

• Winner of L.R. Winkfield Stakes, 7f. (defeating Muhaarar (GB)).

• 2nd Gr.1 Dewhurst Stakes, 7f. (to Belardo (IRE), defeating Estidhkaar (IRE)) • Placed Gr.1 Prix Jean Prat, 7f.

• 2015 Timeform rating 123 in GB/IRE versus Belardo (123), Custom Cut (122), Estidhkaar (121), Cable Bay (119), Breton Rock (118) in the same year • From the family of ESOTERIQUE and COOL CREEK and by Multiple Stakes Producing Sire KODIAC

Rathbarry Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland • Tel +353 (0)25 36362 • rathbarr@iol.ie • www.rathbarrystud.com

A4 TOB Dec 16.indd 1

16/11/2016 11:44

Dec_148_Bloodstock_Intro_Owner 18/11/2016 17:28 Page 73

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: HIT sale thrives; breeding stock sales underway in America – pages 75-84 • Caulfield Files: Union Rags an emerging sire who should have broad appeal – page 87-88 • Dr Statz: Downturn in production since 2008 hasn’t affected big stallion farms – page 118

Heed message from foal sale trade L

mind for such horses. The relative weakness of the staying pool in Australia provides opportunities for horses below the top level in Europe to compete well there, potentially winning a number of Group races along the way and easily recouping a high sales price thanks to the excellent prize-money on offer.

In the case of Harlem in particular, it’s worth recalling that Tom Malone and Joe Tizzard were underbidders on this horse for the Tizzards’ major new owner Alan Potts.

National Hunt owners at the top level in Britain and Ireland will dig deep for potential festival runners, but again, usually only for horses with a proven track record.

Patience is its own reward A chasm exists in the market and it’s not helped by an increasing number of people breeding horses based on who might buy them, rather than which stallion will suit a particular mare both on paper and physically.

There’s little desire to race these horses, or often to keep them beyond their foal year.

And when rising foal crops clash with dwindling numbers of owners willing to take a chance on a yearling who might take a year at least to come to hand, we end up with the situation witnessed at Goffs’ November Foal Sale, where the first two days of foal trade

TATTERSALLS/LAURA GREEN

ess than a fortnight after four-year-old Harlem sold for 520,000gns from the Juddmonte draft at Tattersalls to race on in Australia, it was announced that his sire Champs Elysees had been sold to stand under the National Hunt banner at Castlehyde Stud in Ireland.

His loss to Britain, coinciding with a number of announcements of yet more twoyear-olds retiring to stud after being tested on the track for only a handful of months, prompted a strongly-worded letter from Peter Stanley to the Racing Post. Stanley bemoaned, too, the loss of Mount Nelson, who has been relocated to Ireland’s Boardsmill Stud, questioning why two proven stallions with good racing records and a fair share of decent stakes performers to their credit receive such scant support from breeders.

Harlem’s lofty sales price highlights the fact that there are still huge financial rewards for owners with a mind to sell on a horse with proven form. A dearth of staying blood in Australia means that most of that country’s good Cup horses are now recruited from Europe. It’s not just the Melbourne Cup in

Tom Malone and Joe Tizzard look on as Harlem sells to Australia for 520,000gns

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

registered around a 50% clearance rate.

Pinhookers have had fingers burned at the yearling sales and the risk of buying a foal that won’t make it into the better sales next year is now too great for some.

As this issue went to press, the Tattersalls December Sale was about to start, and indeed Tattersalls has cut back on the number of foals this year after laying on an extra half-day session in 2015. Henry Beeby said in his endof-sale statement at Goffs that “further reflection will take place over the winter”, presumably regarding whether the company will return to four days of foals instead of five, as has been the case in the last two years.

For sales companies, it’s a case of ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’. A reduced number of places risks the ire of those breeders whose horses aren’t accepted for sale, while a bloated catalogue affects the figures and creates a negative perception of an auction. And while official sales figures can’t be relied upon to tell the whole story – we all know that the likelihood is that a number of horses marked as sold have never actually changed hands – they do offer guidance to the state of the industry. Recent figures, from lower-end yearling sales and from the first round of foals, have issued a very clear warning to breeders to think carefully about next year’s matings and which mares should be covered at all.

Of course it’s up to every individual to decide what to do with their mares but if the market is repeatedly telling you that a particular mare’s stock is unwanted, it’s time to stop breeding from her unless you want to race the offspring yourself.

The continuing sales craze for first-season stallions – who have done nothing wrong but may not ever do anything right – only exacerbates the problem outlined by Stanley, of proven sires being overlooked. The fact that it may not make immediate commercial sense should surely be offset by the hope that in the long run you could be helping a young mare by sending her to a proven stallion who gets plenty of winners. In turn, you could be helping the stallion, too.

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Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:51 Page 75

SALES CIRCUIT

By CARL EVANS

Strong market for form horses in both codes as in-training sales soar Huge buying bench at Tattersalls underlines popularity of domestic product

Success can be self-perpetuating, for a short run at least, and that seems to be the case with Arqana’s yearling sales at present.

Buoyed by French racing’s prize-money and premiums, and with a number of young successful stallions to embellish catalogue pages, this four-day sale, plus Arqana’s August and v.2 auctions, produced further growth.

Turnover for the trio was up nearly 4% on 2015 results at €62,765,000, while the 810 yearlings who were sold represented 78% of those offered.

This auction also offered a new tie-in with a sales races to be held during Arc weekend in 2017, and while that was unlikely to influence hardened professional traders it was another handy marketing tool and will have done no harm to the event’s profile.

No fewer than 46 horses made a six-figure sum, double the number from the previous year, while nine breasted the €200,000 mark, an increase of four.

These muscular transactions helped turnover rise by a happy 25%, and, while an additional 27 yearlings came to market, the clearance rate, fractionally under 80%, was worthy. The average and median prices rose by 18% and 20% respectively.

Anna Drion’s Coulonces Consignment was able to share the kudos of selling the joint-sale topper when Mark Richards of the Hong Kong Jockey Club gave €260,000 for a Lawman colt bred by Sven and Carina Hanson.

Richards’ employers were buying at this sale for the first time, but they were not alone. Sun Bloodstock, also Hong Kong-based, was another newcomer, and it too made a mark with five purchases headed by a €200,000 son of Invincible Spirit.

Messrs Puerari and Zerolo’s Haras Des Capucines also gained €260,000 when selling a Dansili colt who will race for Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab Racing.

Prime Equestrian led the buyers’ standings with 10 yearlings bought for €1,148,000 – headed by a €240,000 Shamardal filly – and Ecurie des Monceaux topped the vendors’ table for the second year running.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Arqana October Yearling Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Lawman — Sworn Sold (Soldier Hollow)

Coulonces Consignment

Price (€) 260,000

Buyer Hong Kong Jockey Club

C Dansili — Zaneton (Mtoto)

Haras des Capucines

260,000

Mandore International

F Iffraaj — Fairly Fair (Sinndar)

Haras de Saint Pair

250,000

Mandore International

C Shamardal — Light And Airy (Linamix)

Haras de Saint Pair

250,000

Hong Kong Jockey Club

F Shamardal — Truth Beauty (Dubai Destination)

Ecurie des Monceaux

240,000

Prime Equestrian

C Teofilo — Tipperary Honor (Highest Honor)

Coulonces Consignment

235,000

Jeremy Brummitt

F Invincible Spirit — Tanguista (War Chant)

Ecuries des Monceaux

200,000

Mandore International

C Invincible Spirit — Alpine Snow (Verglas)

Haras de la Louviere

200,000

Sun Bloodstock

F Rajsaman — Luna Celtica (Celtic Swing)

Fairway Consignment

200,000

Prime Equestrian

F Le Havre — Fresville (Hurricane Run)

Coulonces Consignment

190,000

Jean-Claude Rouget

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2016

461

19,448,000

42,187

30,000

260,000

2015

441

15,514,500

35,829

25,000

290,000

2014

447

15,988,200

36,247

26,000

350,000

2013

452

15,092,000

33,389

25,000

320,000

2012

345

10,921,000

31,665

24,000

210,000

Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale Fabulous clearance rates were the standout figure from this four-day carousel of horses in training.

With realistic reserves and a multi-national buying bench eager for horses at every level of the market, no fewer than 92% of horses found a new stable, and that figure went as high as 95% on day three, when 302 horses walked the ring and a mere 16 failed to change hands.

Was the weakening pound a factor?

International buyers gave differing opinions, with some saying it had concreted their decision to fly in, and others pointing out that when you are bidding against someone from your own country you are effectively no better off.

That scenario was repeated frequently, with Australians and Americans in particular vying with each other for horses suited to their racing, although a less familiar combination created the sale’s top price of 520,000gns.

It was given for four-year-old colt Harlem, a Listed winner and Group 2-placed, who formed part of a notably strong draft from Juddmonte Farms – it was the event’s leading vendor with 32 sold (all without reserve) for 2,257,500gns.

Jumps trainers have long sourced horses

TATTERSALLS/LAURA GREEN

Arqana October Yearling Sale

Tom Malone and Joe Tizzard were thwarted in their pursuit of Harlem

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Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:51 Page 76

SALES CIRCUIT

TATTERSALLS/LAURA GREEN

Metayer of Astute Bloodstock, who teamed up to produce the decisive head nod. Harlem will race in Australia for a partnership between clients of both agents.

Anthony Stroud’s role as buyer for the Dubai Carnival seemed rather muted on this occasion, but his Stroud Coleman Bloodstock agency was the leading buyer with ten horses for 1,145,000gns, narrowly ahead of Qatar’s champion trainer Jassim Al Ghazali, whose importance to horses-in-training sales continues to grow as he steadily targets betterquality lots.

Last year’s edition of this sale is not remembered with fondness, for a bloated catalogue was difficult to handle and resulted in some very late sessions – and more proved to be less when it came to the figures, which showed falls across the board. The wrongs were righted, the numbers reduced, and this sale came up like a rose in a muck heap, returning to the sort of figures achieved in 2014. Compared to last year there was a 24% improvement in turnover, and 35% increases in average and median.

Sale-topper Harlem will be trained in Australia by David Hayes and Tom Dabernig

500,000gns to spend is Alan Potts, who recently joined forces with the dairy farmer, and has seen some good early results from that decision.

To have captured Harlem would have been another hefty milestone along the road taken by former jump jockey Malone, but while he had to accept the underbidder’s role it was a case of two against one. His rivals for the prize were agents Alastair Donald and Louis Le

from this sale, but growth in all-weather racing and competition from overseas buyers has squeezed their opportunities. That did not deter bloodstock agent Tom Malone from making a serious play for Harlem, whom he hoped to buy on behalf of a client with horses at Colin Tizzard’s Dorset stable.

Tizzard has accumulated an impressive group of owners who can afford six-figure horses, but the one most likely to have

Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Harlem (Champs Elysees — Casual)

Juddmonte Farms

Price (gns) Buyer 520,000 SackvilleDonald/Astute B/s

Pleaseletmewin (Power — Jacaranda Ridge)

Kimpton Down Stables

450,000 Jassim Ghazali

Real Dominion (Cape Blanco — Real Doll)

Park House Stables

350,000 Voute Sales

Cloudberry (Pivotal — Clouded Leopard)

Beckhampton House Stables 310,000 Jassim Ghazali

Sincil Bank (Hat Trick — Asuncion)

Trillium Place Stables

270,000 SackvilleDonald

Imperial Aviator (Paco Boy — Telescopic)

Jamie Railton

270,000 McKeever B/s & Gai Waterhouse

Hawke (Oratorio — Australie)

Fox Covert Stables

260,000 Prince Sultan bin Mohammed

Final Venture (Equiano — Sharplaw Venture)

Western House Stables

260,000 Taylor’s B/s

Above N Beyond (Exceed And Excel — Hill Welcome) Manor House Stables

230,000 Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

Jorvick (Mizzen Mast — Deep Feeling)

220,000 Voute Sales

Juddmonte Farms

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

Top Price (gns)

2016

949

25,137,100

26,488

13,500

520,000

2015

1,038

20,344,550

19,500

14,000

420,000

2014

922

24,304,100

26,360

13,000

425,000

2013

894

20,863,800

23,338

10,000,

380,000

2012

909

20,761,100

22,839

11,000

370,000

76

Goffs UK Autumn HIT and Yearlings Goffs UK pulled together an improved group of in-training horses, and added a little spice by having a section dedicated to point-to-point and bumper horses.

A much-improved clearance rate of 84% (up from 59%) was achieved, an additional nine horses were offered yet turnover nearly doubled, and there were 42% and 27% gains in average (£9,076) and median (£5,000) prices.

The yearling section was less successful, but there is no shortage of horses born in 2015 and supply has outstripped demand. That said, another 87 horses (65% of the 133 offered), found a buyer, no doubt to the relief of their breeders or pinhookers. The yearling average price of £4,993 and median of £3,000 were down 16% and 9%.

When both sets of results were combined, turnover was up 58%, the average by 26% and the median by 25%.

Godolphin’s cull of unwanted stock has been a godsend to lower-tier auctions of horses in and out of training, and it made a difference here, too, notably through the sale of top lot Wolfcatcher, who will run as a dual-purpose horse for Worcestershire trainer Ian Williams.

Ballyhome, a five-year-old son of Westerner and a winner at Loughanmore just ahead of the sale, proved the pick of the 11-strong pointersand-bumper-horse cluster when making £60,000.

Battlefield Stud’s Frozen Power colt headed yearlings when selling for £26,000 to Mick Easterby’s son David.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

>>

L E A R N M O R E AT K E E N E L A N D. C O M

For more information, contact: Ed Prosser ¡ European Representative +44 (0) 7808 477827 Mobile ¡ eprosser@keeneland.co.uk

Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:52 Page 79

SALES CIRCUIT >> Goffs Open

Yearling and HIT Well-bred racehorses, consigned by the Aga Khan Studs and with the potential to be Cup campaigners on both sides of the planet, proved a big boost to this two-day sale, which had been a single session in recent years.

Bill Dwan – best known as a director of the Castlebridge Consignment – turned buyer to create the €200,000 top price that secured Aydoun for a client who will keep him in Ireland, while €150,000 enabled Chinese buyer Yuesheng Zhang of Australia’s Yulong Stud to gain Ebediyn for a career in that country.

Two other Aga Khan cast-offs made the top ten board, helping turnover for the horses-intraining section alone to shoot up 144%, while international competition created a very pleasing clearance rate of 90%.

Rises in yearling prices at the sale 12 months ago could not be maintained, but 145 of the 191 offered (76%) found buyers – a Raven’s Pass filly headed trade at €38,000 when knocked down to Kevin Prendergast. The average price for this section of the auction dropped 9% to €7,158.

Goffs UK Autumn HIT and Yearlings Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Wolfcatcher (King’s Best — Miss Particula)

Godolphin

Price (£) Buyer 78,000 Ian Williams

Catch A Wave (Approve — Casablanca Jewel) Friarstown Stables

70,000 Debbie Mountain

Stormy Clouds (Sir Prancealot — Singingintherain)

East Everleigh Stables

60,000 Howson & Houldsworth B/S

Ballyhome (Westerner — Nostra)

Loughanmore Farms

60,000 A&K Plastics

Confident Kid (Dubawi — Longing To Dance)

Godolphin

50,000 Oakgrove Stud

Midas Gold (Rip Van Winkle — Hespera)

Lodge Farm Stables

50,000 Tom Malone/Brian Ellison

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

Top Price (£)

2016

237

2,151,100

9,076

5,000

78,000

2015

189

1,361,800

7,205

4,000

80,000

2014

277

2,144,250

7,741

4,000

70,000

2013

306

2,133,400

6,972

3,800

240,000

2012

288

1,542,300

5,355

3,350

50,000

Goffs Open Yearling and HIT Top lots Sex/Name/Breeding

Vendor

Aydoun (Mastercraftsman-Alaya)

Aga Khan Studs

200,000

Bloodstock Services

Ebediyin (Raven’s Pass-Ebadiyla)

Aga Khan Studs

150,000

BBA Ireland

Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale

Grand Coalition (Kodiac-Defined)

Feature Fox Covert Stables

75,000

Galway Bay BS

Sayar (Azamour-Seraya)

Aga Khan Studs

65,000

Harold Kirk/WP Mullins

One In All In (Lawman-Albaiyda)

Stragane House Stables

50,000

Kevin Ross B/s

There have been some entertaining accumulators to muse upon of late – Leicester FC, Brexit and Donald Trump being an eightdigit one that nobody won – and this sale threw up a curiosity in the same vein.

What price would you have got three years ago that a mare from Willie Mullins’ Closutton Stables, carrying a foal by Shantou, would have headed each subsequent edition? Had you added that the purchaser would be Mick Carty of Kilmoney Cottage Stud you would have been on the edge of an even bigger pay out, for he bought the leading lot in 2014 and 2015, yet was underbidder on this year’s stand-out.

In trying to secure seven-year-old Network

Tarazani (Dutch Art-Tarakala)

Aga Khan Studs

42,000

Knockeen Racing

Ex Patriot (Elusive Pimpernel-Carolobrian)

Simmonstown Stud

38,000

Ellmarie Holden

F (Raven’s Pass-Khothry)

Lumville Farm

38,000

Friarstown Stables

Joyce Compton (Tamayuz-For Evva Silca)

Rathbride Stables

37,500

K B B/s

New Direction (New Approach-Gearanai)

Glebe House Stables

37,000

BBA Ireland

Buyer

Five-year tale Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2016

251

2,761,500

11,002

5,000

200,000

2015

187

1,776,500

9,451

7,000

80,000

2014

163

1,566,800

9,612

4,500

150,000

2013

193

1,589,800

8,237

3,500

225,000

2012

153

1,380,900

9,025

5,000

80,000

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

Year

Valyssa Monterg was sold in foal to Shantou for €160,000 at Tattersalls Ireland

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Price (€)

mare Valyssa Monterg, Carty had to give best to former trainer Colm Murphy – he of Brave Inca fame – who shocked many racing observers when recently closing his stable doors and switching to bloodstock buying and selling. His €160,000 offer on behalf of an unnamed client was evidence he had done his homework before handing in his licence.

Not that it should be a shock that a Mullinstrained mare, owned by Rich and Susannah Ricci, should top such a sale, for they have done so well with horses of that sex in recent years.

What price Annie Power when she retires?

Colt foals, bought for very patient racehorse owners or to pinhook as stores, headed the rest of the top-ten table, with Northern Ireland trainer Ian Ferguson, acting for noted point-topoint owner Wilson Dennison, gaining the pick, a €70,000 son of Robin Des Champs.

79

>>

Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:52 Page 80

SALES CIRCUIT >>

A catalogue with 63 fewer horses did not prevent the clearance rate falling two points to 68%, and it would have been a factor in the 6% reduction in turnover, which dipped to €12,035,450. However, the average picked up 3% and the clearance rate during four sessions of foal sales was 71%.

The average foal price of €14,550 was up 6%, while the median of €11,000 was level with 2015. Of the 967 foals offered, 687 found new homes, but 280 will have to find another route to profit for their breeders.

A far better ratio of sales was achieved by Ballincurrig House Stud, leading vendor since 2011, and taking top spot again when selling 28 of 30 weaned lots, while Aiden Murphy was leading buyer with 10 for a total of €426,000.

Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale Top lots Sex/Name/Breeding

Vendor

– Valyssa Monterg (Network — Mellyssa)

Price (€) Buyer

Closutton Stables

160,000 Tomgar Bloodstock

C Robin Des Champs — Milogan (Milan)

Hillview Stud

70,000 Ian Ferguson

C Kayf Tara — Whoops A Daisy (Definite Article)

Goldford Stud

65,000 Aiden Murphy

C Martaline — Fleur D’ainay (Poliglote)

Railstown Stud

65,000 Longways Stables

C Flemensfirth — Hollygrove Samba (Accordion)

Ennel Bloodstock

62,000 Aiden Murphy

C Shantou — Vindonissa (Definite Article)

Kenilworth House Stud 60,000 Ben Case

C Robin Des Champs — Through The Lens (Hurricane Run) Yellowford Farm

60,000 Oak Tree Farm

C Flemensfirth — Keep Face (Poliglote)

Ballincurrig House Stud 60,000 L Walker

C Flemensfirth — Sleepless Eye (Supreme Leader)

Portduff Stud

58,000 Carl Hinchy/Gearoid Costello

C Kayf Tara — Oligarch Society (Moscow Society)

Mill House Stud

58,000 Richard Frisby

C Califet — Quaspia (Fragrant Mix)

Kenilworth House Stud 58,000 Richard Rohan

Five-year tale

Tattersalls Ireland Flat Breeding Stock Sale A busy period for Tattersalls Ireland included this new addition to the sales calendar.

A single-session event comprising mares and foals, it was marketed as the first opportunity of the year for buyers to purchase Flat weanlings of 2016, and was said to have been introduced by demand from the trade following muchincreased interest in the company’s September Yearling Sale.

A bedding-in period may need to be observed if it is to hold a regular slot, however, for while some very good transactions took place the clearance rate was only 52% – 172 lots offered, 90 found a buyer.

The top lot, Alsalwa, a daughter of Nayef, had enough ticks to suggest she would have found favour at any auction, for she could boast two winners from two runners and she carried an Exceed And Excel foal. That profile suited buyer Gay O’Callaghan, who is a stallion master, breeder and trader of foals and yearlings.

In percentage terms her €78,000 price towered over the rest, and while the top-priced foal made just €25,000, he came from the first crop of Heeraat, and was therefore a small feather in the cap for vendor Richard Kent who stands the stallion at his Mickley Stud.

Fasig-Tipton November When 88 fillies and mares turn over more than $54m in a single evening the sales company has been justified in its pre-sale boast of ‘quality on every page’.

Held in Lexington one day ahead of Keeneland’s November Sale, it drew financial muscle from around the globe, although the $3.5 million top lot, Baffled, the dam of this season's G2 Superlative Stakes winner Boynton in foal to champion sire Tapit, was bought for a partnership involving the Florida-based Bridlewood Farm, which is headed by John and Leslie Malone, and the Chilean Solari family’s >>

80

Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

2016

842

12,035,450

14,294

10,500

Top Price (€) 160,000

2015

921

12,745,750

13,839

10,500

145,000

2014

976

13,619,550

13,992

11,000

170,000

2013

882

10,850,417

12,302

8,500

120,000

2012

679

8,064,250

11,877

8,000

110,000

Tattersalls’ Ireland Flat Breeding Stock Sale Top lots Sex/Name/Breeding

Vendor

Alsalwa (Nayef — Ros The Boss)

Derrinstown Stud

Price (€) 78,000

Buyer Yeomanstown Stud

Naizah (Tamayuz — Etizaaz (Diesis)

Derrinstown Stud

30,000

Atlantic Bloodstock

C Heeraat — Lexington Rose (Captain Gerrard)

Mickley Stud

25,000

Peter Hughes

J’aime (Amadeus Wolf — Jioconda)

Hollyhill Stud

23,000

Matt O’Connor B’stock

C Footstepsinthesand — Highland Miss (Theatrical)

Thornbrook Stud

22,000

Glenvale Stud

F Elzaam — Ladytown (Bertolini)

Ladytown House Stud

22,000

Tally-Ho Stud

Figures Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2016

90

726,400

8,071

4,400

78,000

Fasig-Tipton November Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Price ($)

Buyer

Baffled (Distorted Humor — Surf Club)

Taylor Made Sales

3,500,000

Bridlewood Farm & Don Alberto Corp

Curalina (Curlin — Whatdreamsrmadeof)

Bluewater Sales

3,000,000

Shadai Farm

Stopchargingmaria (Tale Of The Cat — Exotic Bloom) Taylor Made Sales 2

2,800,000

Three Chimneys Farm

Cassatt Tapit — Justenufftime (Giant’s Causeway)

Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales

2,500,000

Elevage Bloodstock

Embellish The Lace (Super Saver — Expanse)

Taylor Made Sales

2,400,000

China Horse Club

Lady Zuzu Dynaformer — Indy Pick (A.P. Indy)

Three Chimneys Farm 2,350,000

Wertheimer & Frere

Jacaranda (Congrats — Baffled)

Hunter Valley Farm

2,000,000

Alpha Delta

Love The Chase (Not For Love — Chase It Down)

Taylor Made Sales

1,950,000

John McCormack Bloodstock

Whatdreamsrmadeof (Graeme Hall — Eastern Ruckus)

Brookdale Sales

1,650,000

Summer Wind Equine

Cover Song (Fastnet Rock — Misty For Me)

Spendthrift Farm

1,600,000

Bobby Flay

Figures Year

Sold

Agg ($)

Avg ($)

Mdn ($)

Top Price ($)

2016

88

54,152,000

615,364

377,500

3,500,000

2015

92

43,666,000

474,630

235,000

3,000,000

2014

10

63,678,000

589,611

200,000

3,100,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Al Kazeem TOB-Dec 2016:Oakgrove Stud

7/11/16

17:23

Page 1

THE GREY GATSBY

POSTPONED

FASCINATING ROCK

Al Kazeem bay 2008, 16.1hh by Dubawi - Kazeem (Darshaan) Ë European Champion at 10 furlongs

FIRST 2YOS IN 2017

Ë Winner of 10 races at 2 to 7 years including 4 Gr.1 races

Ë By DUBAWI – sire of 26 Gr.1 winners including Classic sire MAKFI

Ë From the stallion producing family of IN REALITY, KNOWN FACT and RELAUNCH Ë Timeform rated 128 in three consecutive seasons

Ë “He was a gentleman from the outset, full of class and tough as they come” Roger Charlton

10 wins from 23 career starts inc: Gr.1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, 2015 Gr.1 Coral-Eclipse, 2013 Gr.1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes, 2013 Gr.1 Tattersalls Gold Cup, 2013 Gr.2 Jockey Club Stakes, 2012 Gr.2 Prix d'Harcourt, 2015 Gr.3 Winter Hill Stakes, 2014 Gr.3 Gordon Richards Stakes, 2014

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

First yearlings averaged 145,350gns and sold for up to €360,000 STANDING AT OAKGROVE STUD

Oakgrove Estate, St Arvans, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 6EH Tel: 01291 622876 G Fax: 01291 622070 G Email: oakgrovestud@btinternet.com For Nominations Contact: Tim Lane: 07904 231899 G Vannessa Swift: 01291 622876

Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:52 Page 82

SALES CIRCUIT Don Alberto Corporation, which owns Vinery Farm in Kentucky.

Jeremy Noseda trained Baffled to win a Lingfield maiden and finish placed in Royal Ascot’s Albany Stakes, although it was her breeding record which created her most recent valuation.

Three years ago she failed to sell at Keeneland’s November Sale when bidding halted at $360,000, but in 2014 her Tapit colt Constitution scored twice at Grade 1 level, and she has also produced two other stakes winners, including Jacaranda, who came to the ring after her dam and made $2 million.

Shadai Farm’s Teryua Yoshida availed his Hokkaido-based breeding operation of a choice filly when paying $3 million for Curlin’s daughter Curalina, while other buyers of note included China Horse Club, which spent $5,520,000 on five horses. Also weighing in was SF (Soros Fund) Bloodstock, which was founded by Australian Gavin Murphy and Neil Bowden. Based in America, but with mares in Europe and Australia, it gained 12 horses – some in partnership with the Hunter Valleybased Newgate Farm – for a total outlay of $5,430,000.

Despite 18 fewer lots to peruse compared to 2015, buyers drove turnover up 24%, the average climbed 30% and the median leapt 60%. No fewer than 15 fillies or mares sold for $1 million or more.

Keeneland November – Books 1 & 2 Donald Trump’s election as US President was a talking point as this 13-session marathon entered its second day, but while the dollar fluttered briefly on news that a comb-forward was suddenly leading the ‘free world’ it was business as usual in the ring.

Of horses with European backgrounds, Secret Gesture made a loud statement when Oaks runner-up Secret Gesture joins the Darley broodmare band for $3.5 million selling for $3.5 million on the first day, narrowly missing out on top-lot honours.

Trained by Ralph Beckett to finish second in the Oaks – and later denied a Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes win by local stewards – Secret Gesture Top lots was offered to dissolve a partnership between Sex/Name/Breeding Vendor Price ($) Buyer Qatar Racing and Newsells Park Stud. It was Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled’s Song — Queenie Belle) Eaton Sales 3,800,000 Whisper Hill Farm going to take a leading breeder to buy her and Secret Gesture (Galileo — Shastye) Hunter Valley Farm 3,500,000 John Ferguson the War Front foal she carried, and there are Celestine (Scat Daddy — Mona Mia) Taylor Made Sales 2,550,000 Moyglare Stud Farm none bigger than Sheikh Mohammed, who Feathered (Indian Charlie — Receipt) Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales 2,350,000 Summer Wind Equine instructed John Ferguson to ensure she joined Tapicat (Tapit — Zealous Cat) Three Chimneys Farm 2,200,000 Summer Wind Equine his broodmare band.

Ithinkisawapudycat (Bluegrass Cat — Unbridled Run) Ashview Farm 2,200,000 Mount Brilliant Farm David Redvers, Qatar Racing Manager, admitted it was a wrench to sell such an asset, Paola (Queen Flatter — Kadira) Brookdale Sales 1,700,000 SF B/s but her value had been rising from the moment My Conquestadory (Artie Schiller — Golden Artemis) Lane’s End 1,500,000 SF B/s & Newgate Farm she was entered for the sale, as sterling Peace And War (War Front — More Oats Please) Hunter Valley Farm 1,450,000 Katsumi Yoshida weakened against the dollar following Brexit.

C War Front — Drifting Cube (Encosta De Lago) Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales 1,450,000 M V Magnier Heading trade, however, was Unrivaled Belle, Princesa Silvia (Medaglia D’oro — Quiet Dance) Three Chimneys Farm 1,400,000 Whisper Hill Farm who had an enviable Tapit cover to boost her profile, and who duly made $3.8 million to a >>

Keeneland November – Books 1 & 2

82

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

KEENELAND

>>

Dec_148_Sales_Circuit_Sales 18/11/2016 17:52 Page 84

SALES CIRCUIT >> bid from Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm.

The mare’s Tapit two-year-old Unique Bella has done enough this year to suggest the mating works.

Heading foal trade was a son of War Front from the family of Australian star racehorse and sire Redoute’s Choice – MV Magnier’s $1,450,000 bid secured this one.

The 253 mares and foals who found homes in Book 1 grossed $102,900,000, down 5.5% or $6 million, yet that was the exact sum given for the 2015 sale headliner Take Charge Brandi.

What a difference one horse can make. The Book 1 average of $406,794 was up 4% while the median rose 13% to $260,000 – the clearance rate was 71% Trade at Book 2 was headed by the nine-yearold mare Moment Of Majesty carrying a foal by Curlin. Offered by Hill ‘N’ Dale Sales she achieved $850,000 to a bid from Louisiana breeder Evelyn Benoit, who bought her as a mate for her stallion Star Guitar – Curlin stands for $100,000, Star Guitar for $4,000.

When Book 2 was added the pot reached $155,833,500, down 5%. The average was static at $224,221, but the median dipped 9% to $125,000, while the clearance rate was 70%.

The fortnight-long November Sale was continuing as this issue went to press.

Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale Tattersalls Ireland made its Cheltenham debut at this sale last year, and the increased figures it achieved on that occasion were given a further top-up 12 months later.

Yet first birthday celebrations were as nothing compared to the sense of joy felt by the Ballyboy Stables team and trainer Denis Murphy, whose once-raced four-year-old point-to-pointers Poli Roi and Finian’s Oscar dominated the event. The pair were owned by Alan Harte and Joey Logan respectively, who are pinhookers of stores.

Mags O’Toole’s £300,000 bid secured Poli

Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Poli Roi (Poliglote — Belle Du Roi)

Ballyboy Stables

Price (£) 300,000

Buyer Gordon Elliott

Finian’s Oscar (Oscar — Trinity Alley)

Ballyboy Stables

250,000

T Malone/C Tizzard

Demon D’Aunou (Martaline — Jimagine Ii)

Haras des Rouges Terres

130,000

Frank Berry

Storm Home (King’s Theatre — Miss Mayberry)

Bernice Stables

130,000

Colin Tizzard

Celebre D’Allen (Network — Revoltee )

Skehanagh Stables

100,000

David Pipe

Back Bar (Brian Boru — Howrwedoin)

Suirview Stables

95,000

De Dollar Man (Vinnie Roe — Dollar Bay)

Milestone Stables

75,000

Evan Williams

Verdana Blue (Getaway — Blue Gallery)

Ballyhampshire Stud

65,000

Highflyer B/s

Redemption Song (Mastercraftsman — Humilis)

Boherna Stables

Gordon Elliott

65,000

Hamish Macauley

Perfect Harmony (Definite Article — Brandam Supreme) Meadowview Stables

65,000

Gerry Hogan B/s

Doc Penfro (Dr Massini — Prescelli)

65,000

Hamish Macauley

Suirview Stables

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

2016

31

2,042,000

65,871

50,000

Top Price (£) 300,000

2015

31

1,865,000

60,161

48,000

190,000

2014

33

1,459,500

44,227

40,000

130,000

2013

52

£2,320,500

44,625

30,000

200,000

2012

59

3,185,000

53,983

35,000

260,000

Roi, who went down on the buyers’ list to Gordon Elliott – no surprise if the horse races on in Gigginstown House Stud colours – while Finian’s Oscar joins Colin Tizzard for owner Alan Potts after being knocked down to Tom Malone.

The sale took place during Cheltenham’s Open Meeting when Potts’ and Tizzard’s haul included the Shloer Chase with impressive recent private purchase Fox Norton, adding cement to a new partnership that has got away to a good start.

Within an hour of Fox Norton’s win there was one for North Hill Harvey in the valuable Grade 3 Greatwood Hurdle. A £100,000 purchase at Cheltenham in April last year, he served as a timely reminder, just ahead of the British pointto-point season’s commencement, that gems can also be found in the sport on the UK side of the Irish Sea.

French horses need little promotion, but it was good to see Normandy trainer Louis Baudron being rewarded for his first visit to Cheltenham when selling AQPS-bred Demon D’Aunou – who had been placed in a couple of bumpers – for £130,000 to J P McManus.

Baudron was encouraged to cross the Channel

by Tattersalls Ireland’s French representative Nicky Bertran de Balanda, who earned his retainer when the horse sold so well.

A packed sales ring, swelled by Countryside Day spectators, but which included most of the usual Cheltenham sales faces, viewed a selection of horses that seasoned professionals said looked good in advance, so a 67% clearance rate suggests reserves for some were a little ambitious.

On the plus side, a 9% rise in turnover and average, and 4% median gain, meant that Tattersalls Ireland sailed off into its second year at the home of jumps racing on a fair wind.

Tattersalls Foal Sales Westerlands Stud is delighted to be working with Castlebridge Consignment including: Siyouni – Photoflash Champs Elysees – Rose Ayr Lope de Vega – Framed (right) War Command – Corps de Ballet ‘Discover the best kept secret in West Sussex for boarding, foaling, sales preparation and recuperation’ Westerlands Stud, Graffham, West Sussex, GU28 0QJ + 44 (0) 1798 867 644 • www.westerlands.com

84

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Best of both worlds

Sire of the Gr.1 Champions Sprint winner THE TIN MAN

Fee: £8,000 1st Oct SLF

Fee: £17,500 1st Oct SLF Acclamation ex Entente Cordiale

7

Gr/Stks winners in 2016

THE TIN MAN Gr.1 QIPCO British Champions Sprint MEDICINE JACK Gr.2 Railway Stakes Leading GB sire of sprinters in 2016 by winners – 4th in GB & IRE (5f & 6f)

Dark Angel 7 115 3 6 59

Nathaniel and his siblings improved dramatically from 2 to 3 by between 30lbs to 50lbs. Watch his progeny follow suit in 2017!

from his first-crop. Second-crop yearlings made up to €250,000 and averaged £64,000.

First 3 crops comparison GW W 2yo GW 2yo BTW 2yo W

Brilliant 3yo & 4yo from a Classic family

2 Group performers and 9 winners

Sire of more Group winners, 2yo Group winners, and black-type winners, and total winners than his paternal half-brother DARK ANGEL from their first 3 crops

Galileo ex Magnificient Style

5 98 2 4 62

566

mares covered in his first 4 books

Supported by a syndicate of Europe’s leading breeders

Julian Dollar or Gary Coffey +44 (0)1763 846000 Newsells Park Stud, Barkway, Royston, Herts SG8 8DY

newsells-park.com

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18/11/2016 09:56

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18/11/2016 16:36

Dec_148_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:14 Page 87

CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

Rags to riches in a short time Dirt specialist Union Rags tops America’s freshman sires’ list and there’s a case to be made for him siring some decent turf runners if given the chance by breeders

“The bottom line

of Union Rags’ pedigree is full of names familiar to European racegoers” Consequently, I live in constant hope that a stallion will emerge in the USA, Japan, Australasia or even South America which could help supply something different to the homogeneous bloodlines of the British and Irish industries.

I was therefore excited when the Thoroughbred Daily News granted Rising Star status to Musawaah, an American-bred filly from the first crop by Union Rags. This flashilymarked bay romped home two and a half lengths clear of Treve’s sister Terre in a newcomers’ race at Saint-Cloud on October 26, leading her trainer Freddy Head to think THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

I

am writing this at the end of October, while still wrestling with the task of trying to suggest the most suitable stallions for mares belonging to a variety of clients. When I tell people about this part of my work, the standard response is, ‘How fascinating!’ – and it is. The reality, though, is that it can also be deeply frustrating.

We are effectively dealing with a very limited number of bloodlines, with a large proportion of the available stallions coming from just four male lines – Danehill, Green Desert, Sadler’s Wells and Mr Prospector.

There are also some other major restrictions.

If the client is breeding for the sales ring, the market seems to demand speed rather than the often very deserving middle-distance performers. There are also major difficulties accessing some of the most accomplished stallions. And when price has been factored in, all that is often left is a disappointingly small selection, which helps explain why so many of these stallions end up covering somewhere between 130 and 230 mares.

Union Rags (left) goes down fighting by a head to Hansen in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile

immediately of next year’s Classic trials. Head did wonder, though, whether she would be fast enough for the Guineas trials.

Musawaah’s owner-breeder Sheikh Hamdan made a bold decision in sending Musawaah to France, rather than to one of his American trainers, as the filly has a dirt pedigree. Her once-raced dam Mudreqah is by Seeking The Gold, whose 15 starts all came on dirt, and Musawaah’s second dam, Magical Allure, also raced exclusively on dirt, notably winning the Grade1 La Brea Stakes.

Union Rags was another dirt specialist – and a very good one at his best. One aspect of his career which greatly appealed to me was his versatility. Although he is a big individual, described in his advertisements as 16.2½ hh, he was forward enough to win his first three races as a two-year-old, starting as early as July 12.

He had more than seven lengths to spare in the Grade 2 Saratoga Special over six and a half furlongs and more than five lengths in hand in the Grade 1 Champagne Stakes over a mile. No wonder he started a clear favourite for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs, but he failed by a head to reel in the all-the-way winner Hansen.

His three-year-old career didn’t go as smoothly and he never landed a blow after traffic problems when second favourite for the Kentucky Derby. He bounced back, though, to

wear down Paynter for a neck victory in the Belmont Stakes over a mile and a half. Little more than a month later he was found to have a small tendon injury. The injury was minor enough to allow a return at four but Union Rags’ owner decided the risks involved were too great and he was retired to Lane’s End Farm.

Union Rags’ fee of $35,000 made him America’s highest-priced new sire of 2013.

Expectations were therefore fairly high and he has maintained his position as one of the leaders of his generation. He ranked third behind Bodemeister and The Factor by yearling average at the 2015 sales, and both The Factor and Union Rags have wasted no time in siring their first Grade 1 winner.

Union Rags did so when his daughter Union Strike won the Del Mar Debutante in early September and top-flight victory number two came along a month later when another daughter, Dancing Rags, took the Alcibiades Stakes. Their efforts earned Union Rags a clear lead over Tapizar and Gemologist at the head of the first-crop sires.

Although Union Rags was a dirt performer, there are several aspects of his pedigree which suggested he could also develop into a good sire of turf runners. For a start, he is inbred 3 x 4 to Northern Dancer through two sons who enjoyed plenty of success with their turf runners. One of them, the mighty Nijinsky,

87

>>

Dec_148_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:14 Page 88

CAULFIELD FILES >>

doesn’t require any added information, but the other – Union Rags’ grandsire Dixieland Band – had a lower profile. Even though he was very much a dirt runner, Dixieland Band succeeded in siring such as Drum Taps (twice a winner of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot), Egyptband (Group 1 Prix de Diane), Menhouba (Group 1 Oaks d’Italia), Didyme (Group 2 Prix Robert Papin), Mutaahab (Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes), Chimes Band (Group 3 Prix La Rochette), Makhlab (Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes), Sandwaki (Group 3 Prix du Bois) and Tajannub (Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes).

It is well worth mentioning that the last six of these winners at Group level all did so at the age of two, and Union Rags’ sire, Dixie Union, was another accomplished two-year-old by Dixieland Band. Dixie Union, like Union Rags, matured quickly and won four of his six starts at two, before developing into a Grade 1 winner over seven and nine furlongs at three.

The bottom half of Union Rags’ pedigree is full of names familiar to European racegoers. His dam Tempo, by Zafonic’s sire Gone West, has made her mark in Europe via her top-class grandson Declaration Of War (a horse who handled dirt as well as turf). Union Rags’ second dam, the very smart American turf filly Terpsichorist, was a sister to Gorytus, the Nijinsky colt who briefly looked a potential superstar when he won the Champagne Stakes.

Third dam Glad Rags won the 1,000 Guineas, so you can see why I think Union Rags is well equipped to make his mark on this side of the Atlantic.

Unfortunately, he can’t do so unless breeders or buyers give him the chance, which they largely seem not to be doing. At the time of writing he had had no starters in Britain or Ireland and Musawaah is his only two-year-old in France. European buyers are also noticeably absent from the list of buyers of Union Rags’ second-crop yearlings, one exception being Oliver St Lawrence, who paid $125,000 for a colt. It’s not too late, though, as there are sure to be some Union Rags juveniles at next year’s two-year-old sales.

Victoire Pisa leads home a 1-2 for Japan in the 2011 Dubai World Cup

Victoire has credentials to make impact Qatar Racing appears to be very aware of Japan’s potential to supply the much-needed outcross. On October 3 their two-year-old colt Warring States (by Victoire Pisa out of a mare by Sakura Bakushin O) made a winning debut over a mile at Hoppegarten in Berlin.

Then, a week later, they scored with another Japanese-bred newcomer, this one by Deep Impact, when Fierce Impact scored for David Simcock at Yarmouth.

Everyone knows about Deep Impact nowadays, and I think they should also pay attention to Victoire Pisa, even though Warring States was never able to land a blow in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Victoire Pisa is a big horse who has the attraction of having no Sadler’s Wells or Danzig in his pedigree, so this grandson of Sunday Silence pretty much counts as an outcross, even though his pedigree is substantially British. His sire, the Japanese 2,000 Guineas and Derby winner Neo Universe, is out of a Ballymacoll-bred daughter of Kris. And Victoire Pisa’s dam,

Whitewater Affair, won the Group 2 Prix de Pomone for Sir Michael Stoute. Breeders would no doubt like the fact that Victoire Pisa shares the same broodmare sire, Machiavellian, as Shamardal, Dark Angel and Zoffany.

Victoire Pisa won the Dubai World Cup in his final season, in 2011, so his eldest progeny are three-year-olds of 2016. They include Jeweler, winner of the Japanese 1,000 Guineas. More recently Jeweler was a close fourth in the Shuka Sho, the final leg of the Japanese Fillies’ Triple Crown, in which another Victoire Pisa filly, Pearl Code, was a half-length second.

Look through Victoire Pisa’s young stock and you’ll see that, like most Shadai stallions, quite a few of them are out of mares imported from Europe or the US. His 2015 crop includes colts out of Monsun’s Group 1 winners Anna Monda and Floriot, and there is also a filly out of Sarafina, the Refuse To Bend mare who carried the Aga Khan’s colours with such distinction.

Danehill dominance dilutes new lines from Australia Hopes of new bloodlines emerging from Australia have diminished since the shuttle concept became so entrenched. For example, there are three reverse-shuttlers among 2016’s top 12 first-crop sires in Britain and Ireland – a fine achievement – but they are Helmet, a grandson of Danehill with a British-bred dam

by Singspiel; Foxwedge, a grandson of Danehill out of an American-bred granddaughter of Storm Cat; and Sepoy, a son of the American-bred Elusive Quality, with a dam by Danehill.

It’s the same story with the two high-class

88

Australian two-year-olds which Coolmore is shuttling north for 2017. Pride Of Dubai is a son of Street Cry out of a Danehill mare closely related to Kodiac, while Vancouver is a son of the American-bred Medaglia d’Oro with a dam by Danehill.

I have been encouraged by Foxwedge’s achievements with the 86 first-crop foals he sired at Whitsbury Manor Stud. This fast son of Fastnet Rock was priced at a comparatively modest £7,500, but that hasn’t stopped him siring 17 winners from 44 runners in Europe.

Although they don’t include any stakes

winners, they feature a few which went very close. King Of Spades failed by a head to land the Group 3 Prix Eclipse and Seafront was beaten a neck in the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes. Other notable representatives include Urban Fox (third in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile) and the American-based Star Empire, who has been placed in a pair of Grade 3 events.

Foxwedge was advertised as returning to Britain for a fourth time in 2016, but the plan was aborted – understandably, as his book had fallen form 112 mares in 2013 to 79 the following year and then to around 58 in 2015.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Bearstone-FOY TOB- Dec 2016:Layout 2

8/11/16

16:20

Page 1

FIRST FOALS 2017

By European Champion Sprinter and leading sire influence OASIS DREAM Out of European Champion 2YO and five-time Group 1 winner ATTRACTION

tility in his Over 98% fer h 85 mares it w n o s a e s t firs tested in foal

“Fountain of Youth was all speed which is not surprising considering how fast his parents were. His form over 5 furlongs was excellent. At 2 he won his maiden by 4 lengths and was beaten less than a length in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot while at 3 he beat older horses in the Sapphire Stakes-Gr.3 at the Curragh.” Aidan O’Brien

His yearling half-brother was bought by Shadwell for 1,600,000gns

Rated 111 by Timeform at 3 years, higher than Oasis Dream’s most successful sire son Showcasing (sire of dual Gr.1 winner Quiet Reflection) Fee: £4,500 Oct 1st Special Live Foal

Cost 420,000gns as a yearling

Enquiries: Bearstone Stud, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 4HF, UK Tel: 01630 647197 Mobile: 07974 948755 Email: enquiries@bearstonestud.co.uk www.bearstonestud.co.uk

For more information call our Care-Line: 01908 226626 or visit www.spillers-feeds.com

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01/11/2016 19:52

Dec_148_ThoroughbredClub_Owner 18/11/2016 16:45 Page 91

By Lydia Symonds www. th e th o rou g h b re d clu b . co . u k •

@TT C_GB

A careers course head start for TTC members T

he Thoroughbred Club Careers Course welcomed 90 delegates aged 16 to 30 for two days of an in-depth look into the many varied career opportunities within the horseracing industry.

Covering all sectors of the industry, including breeding, racing, administration and media, along with the educational opportunities and continued professional development available, the course was a resounding success.

Including a mixture of plenary sessions and breakout workshops, the delegates also undertook visits to Juddmonte Farms’ Banstead Manor Stud, Longholes, Newmarket racecourse’s Rowley Mile and Roger Varian’s Kremlin House Stables.

The Thoroughbred Club would like to thank all those who attended, the industry professionals who spoke throughout the course and visits, and The Racing Foundation and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association for their generous grants.

Vanessa Ryle, Zoe Vicarage and Ellie Harrod deliver a panel session on working in the media side of the industry

Carol Bramhill from the British Racing School delivers a session on industry courses THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

TTC member Richard Ogilvie-Taylor enjoying the networking breaks

TTC members attended an exclusive evening reception at Palace House to network with industry employers and professionals

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THE THOROUGHBRED CLUB

W W W. T H E T H O R O U G H B R E D C L U B . C O . U K

TTC members enjoying one of the plenary sessions

Marie Parker, Head Girl at Longholes, speaks to delegates on their tour of the incredible facilities

Samantha Bennett from Spillers speaking at the Nutrition & Land Management Workshop

Will Johnson, Roger Varian’s Assistant Trainer, introduces TTC members to multiple Group 1 winner Postponed

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

Associate Member - Free

Open to all 16- to 30-year-olds £50 per year (£35 per year for 16- to 22-year-olds)

• Limited TTC events access

Full Member • Access to all TTC events • Follow our TTC broodmares and horse in training • Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder magazine subscription • Annual Thoroughbred Stallion Guide • Blogs, webinars, vlogs with exclusive access on our website • Career course and educational opportunities

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TTC members were provided with exclusive TTC notebooks to record their notes throughout the course

• Six-month membership • Limited TTC website access

HOW TO JOIN • Visit thethoroughbredclub.co.uk to sign up • If you would like to discuss membership options please contact Tallulah Lewis at info@thethoroughbredclub.co.uk

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Profeet-race-A4-15-v2.qxp_0 26/08/2016 16:27 Page 1

Best foot forward to the winning post

Photography: www.racingpost.com/photos

PROFEET is easy to feed, palatable and effective, I use PROFEET because it does exactly what it claims!

Philip Hobbs

www.naf-equine.eu/uk

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For more details please call our Nutritional Advice Line: 0800 373 106 or email info@naf-uk.com

HISTORY

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YEARS CLEAN

Dec_148_ROA_Forum_Owner 18/11/2016 17:01 Page 94

ROA FORUM T he spec i al sec ti on for ROA members

Cheltenham hospitality suite offer

R

OA members will be able to enjoy enhanced hospitality facilities at Cheltenham racecourse this jumps season.

For many years the association has offered a marquee during the four-day Festival in March. This is now being supplemented by a new ROA suite at six other racing days.

The suite was first used by members at two days of the Open meeting and will be available on four more days through to January.

The new 150-capacity private facility for ROA members and their guests is on the second floor of the old owners’ and trainers’ marquee between the racecourse’s north entrance and pre-parade ring. It offers free tea and coffee, plenty of seating, hot and cold food to purchase, a cash bar and Tote betting.

The ROA suite will be available on both days of the International meeting (Friday and Saturday, December 9 and 10), at the New

Members can now enjoy the comfort of the ROA suite for non-Festival racedays

Year’s Day meeting (Sunday, January 1) and on Trials Day (Saturday, January 28).

Prices are £25 per day for members and £30 per day for guests. Places can be booked at www.roa.co.uk/events or by calling 020 7152 0200. Early booking is strongly recommended to avoid disappointment.

The long-standing ROA marquee in the old tented village will operate as usual at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Following feedback from members, the association is restricting access each day to 400 people.

Prices are £35 for members per day (£112 for all four days) and £45 for guests per day (£145 for all four days).

Bookings are opening early to accommodate members who would like to take advantage of ‘bundle’ offers for the season, about which details can be found at www.roa.co.uk/events.

Charlie Liverton, Chief Executive of

GEORGE SELWYN

Taquin Du Seuil (left) took the BetVictor Gold Cup at the Open Meeting

the ROA, said: “The findings of the National Racehorse Ownership Survey and feedback at our own Ownership Matters roadshow was a clarion call: owners need a first-class raceday experience, whether they have a runner or not.

“We took this mandate to Cheltenham – they listened and found a great solution for us.

We then spoke to Weatherbys to kindly support the facility, in order to ensure that it is competitively priced.

“Importantly, this is the first of many such initiatives. The ROA is determined to work with racecourses throughout 2017 to greatly enhance owners’ raceday experience. We thank Cheltenham racecourse for their help in providing this facility for our members and their guests this season, and also Weatherbys for their generosity and for working in partnership with the ROA.”

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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www.roa.co.uk

Record-breaking year for free admission The number of horseracing fixtures in Britain to which members can enjoy complimentary access is set for a record-breaking year in 2017.

The Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners (RBSO) – agreed between the Racecourse Association and the Racehorse Owners Association – gives owners who are both ROA members and who have shares in at least half a racehorse, free admission to most meetings.

Almost two-thirds of racecourses will offer a complimentary admission badge to all of their fixtures, while an increasing number – 13 – offer two badges to all participating meetings. Both totals are new records.

The latest racecourses to increase their offering to two are Bangor-on-Dee, Exeter, Huntingdon, Pontefract, Taunton and Warwick. They join Ascot, Epsom Downs, Hamilton Park, Kempton Park, Newbury, Sandown Park and Royal Windsor.

In total 92% of the 1,496 meetings at Britain’s racecourses next year now come under the RBSO. Charlie Liverton, Chief Executive of the ROA, said: “The Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners is one of the ROA’s most popular member benefits. Racehorse owners are the single largest contributors to the funding of British racing and, by providing free entry to the vast majority of fixtures, this scheme is an important way of demonstrating how much the sport values their support.

Huntingdon is the latest course to offer two badges under the RBSO

“It’s always pleasing that year-on-year both the quality and quantity of the allocated fixtures grows, and the ROA would like to thank the racecourses and the Racecourse Association for their participation in the scheme.”

Stephen Atkin, Chief Executive of the RCA, said: “We are delighted to work with the ROA on the Racecourse Badge Scheme and very pleased to be able to reward owners for their contribution to the sport with this significant benefit.

“Racecourses understand the crucial contribution that owners make to the sport and this is reflected in the record number of fixtures included for next year.”

To qualify for free admission through the Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners, ROA members must be a registered owner with Weatherbys and own at least 50% of a horse in full training – or shares equivalent to – or be one of two nominated partners in a racing partnership. Further details can be found at www.roa.co.uk/freead.

ROA members who do not qualify for the RBSO scheme can enjoy free racecourse admission through two other schemes.

The ROA/JCR admission scheme is open to ROA members who own up to 50% of a horse in training, and are part of a joint-ownership or, alternatively, a non-nominated partner within a racing partnership.

Each member will be able to claim a total of 50 badges for selected fixtures at the 15 Jockey Club Racecourses, with a maximum of two badges at any one fixture.

To book free admission badges through the ROA/JCR admission scheme, ROA members need to access the JCR ticketing system through the Member Login area at roa.co.uk.

ROA members who hold a Horseracing Privilege Photocard and own at least a 5% share in a horse trained in Scotland can apply for the Scottish Racing Admission Scheme.

This scheme allows free admission to almost every fixture held at Ayr, Hamilton Park, Kelso, Musselburgh and Perth racecourses.

Your Jackpot races in December There are four more chances for members to win a weekly £2,000 ROA Owners Jackpot this year. Patrick Chamings, trainer of our Jackpot winner, Wild Dancer, at Bath on October 12, enthused: “I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of my owners and also myself for the fantastic gesture of the ROA in putting up this added and incredibly appreciated prize-money for our horse Wild Dancer winning the ROA jackpot race at Bath.

“The lower end of prize-money is such an issue and when something like this happens to a partnership it makes it even more special.

You can see this by looking at the pictures of Wild Dancer and the connections after the race.”

To qualify, horses must be owned by an ROA member. In the case of a joint-ownership, 51% of the owners need to be members. For horses owned by a racing partnership, both nominated partners must be members.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Vikekhal’s jockey William Clarke, representing owner Nick Roach, receives the Owners Jackpot prize from ROA member Patrick Dineen at Warwick in November

DECEMBER JACKPOT RACES December 7, Leicester 2m6½f Class 4 4yo+ 0-120 Handicap Chase

December 22, Bangor 2m7f Class 5 4yo+ 0-100 Handicap Hurdle

December 13, Wincanton 2m5f Class 5 4yo+ 0-100 Handicap Hurdle

December 3, Haydock Park 2m3f Class 4 3yo+ 0-120 Handicap Hurdle

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ROA FORUM

Gold Standard 2016

Ayr retained its Gold Standard status within the Large Racecourses category despite hot competition for the six coveted spots

Since 2006, the ROA’s Gold Standard Award for racecourses has been driving up the standard of the owner’s experience on days when they have a runner. For the last two years, in order to make the award an even more sought-after commodity, the number of courses receiving the accolade has been capped at 12.

Six courses are selected from each of the large and small/medium racecourse categories.

After visiting all of Britain’s 60 racecourses this year, the ROA Raceday Committee met in late October to decide upon the 2016 recipients. It was a hotly debated contest, with the worthy award winners for this year being: LARGE RACECOURSES Ascot, Ayr, Cheltenham, Chester, Haydock Park and York SMALL RACECOURSES Fakenham, Hamilton Park, Market Rasen, Musselburgh, Newton Abbot and Nottingham To discuss the results, and the findings of the Committee as they travelled the length and breadth of the country, is the ROA Raceday Committee Chairman Alan Pickering...

What changes amongst Britain’s racecourses did you and the rest of the ROA Raceday Committee see in 2016?

The quality of the owner’s raceday experience had improved across the spectrum. The two major racecourse groups continue to make progress across their portfolio of courses and

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most of the independents, both large and small, did likewise. While enhancements to the food offering and owners’ facilities were important, I think that the most significant development concerned the attentiveness of racecourse staff. This makes a real difference to owners, whether they have had a winner or not. A warm welcome, courteous service and a cheery goodbye are priceless.

What made the 2016 award holders stand out from the rest?

We maintain a close dialogue with each and every course. Those who win the accolade have paid heed to suggestions made in earlier years. Thus, the good have got even better and those who have won the award for the first time have demonstrated the high esteem in which they hold those owners who choose to race on their courses.

How important was ROA member feedback in making the award decisions?

Very important – all of our Raceday Committee members are owners in their own right.

However, most of them are known to racecourse managers and may be treated better as a result. ROA members fulfil the mystery shopper role since courses do not know whether or not they will share their feedback with our committee. It was this member feedback which often acted as a tiebreaker, so I would urge those members wishing to make a difference to please complete an online feedback form the next time they have a runner – it really does take only a minute.

Are any changes going to be made to the Gold Standard Award for 2017?

Yes, we will enhance the account which we take of the way in which courses respond to the Horse Comes First initiative, and equine welfare in general. We care about our horses and take a keen interest in the way courses look after them throughout the day. This is particularly pertinent should any of our horses suffer a mishap.

Secondly, we are introducing two new awards for the large and small courses that demonstrate the most improvement. This may reward near-misses or act as an incentive to those racecourse management teams who make a real effort even though they may have no immediate prospect of attaining Gold Standard status.

And what about the Raceday Committee itself?

We have sadly said goodbye to Sheila Bailey, who has worked tirelessly on behalf of the Raceday Committee for several years, and has provided regular feedback on her attendances at a wide range of racing venues. David Bowen, ROA Head of Membership, has stepped down after a year’s service where his fresh pair of eyes has refreshed our approach in many ways.

We welcome back Steven Astaire to the committee along with Pip Kirkby and Patricia Pugh, who join us for the first time. Roll on next year when I am sure we can look forward to even more improvements to owners’ raceday experience across all 60 courses.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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M AGICAL M OM E NT S with ROA member Robin Brown

J

umping at Ascot and rugby in Bermuda would probably have little crowdcrossover, but Robin Brown experienced both within a fortnight, watching his horse Antony land the £100,000 Sodexo Gold Cup before heading to the Caribbean for work purposes, but where he was able to indulge in another sporting passion in the shape of the Bermuda Classic rugby tournament.

A chartered accountant, Brown shares ownership in Antony with his sister Louise, a vicar, and their friend Len Bloggs.

Brown was bred into horseracing, his grandfather and great-grandfather both having been vets at Cheltenham, while his parents were from Cheltenham and nearby Winchcombe.

“I always had the thought of racing there,” he says, “and with my birthday being in November, the annual treat as a lad was to be taken to the Hennessy. The first time was when I was seven, in 1963. I saw Arkle a few times, including when he was beaten by Stalbridge Colonist trying to concede 35lb. That was a sad day!”

Brown was offered a job at Fred Winter’s yard, “but found the good life after that!” and his success in business allowed him, come 2003, to take a share in his first racehorse. He is the only one of an original gang of four to still be an owner but is glad he stuck at it.

Brown has been involved with 11 horses now, Gary Moore having trained all of them, and has had 24 winners. His second horse was Cusoon, who broke the course record twice in a year at Lingfield, and was All-Weather Horse of the Year in 2007.

“I’ve the picture in front of me now from the Racing Post,” says Brown proudly, adding: “I’ve been reasonably successful for an ‘amateur owner’, and I like the fact that for me it’s just a great hobby; there’s less pressure that way and it’s more fun.

“We’re very lucky to be involved with such a great team as Gary, Jayne and his family. There’s not much I enjoy more than going to the yard early on Sunday morning, when Gary’s mucking out and I help to carry the buckets.”

On the course, Brown and his partners in Antony certainly experienced a magical moment at Ascot recently, when the sixyear-old made the most of his light weight in the Sodexo Gold Cup, sparking dreams

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Robin Brown enjoyed a valuable success in the Grade 3 Sodexo Gold Cup at Ascot with his exciting French-bred six-year-old Antony and Jamie Moore

of the Grand National, though he is considered too young to be challenging for it this season.

“My sister is keen not to give her parishioners the wrong impression but she was very animated at Ascot, and her sermon was very good the following day!” says Brown.

“I’ve had several

magical days and Ascot was certainly one of them” “I’ve had several magical days as an owner and Ascot was certainly one of them. Cusoon winning the Winter Derby Trial would be another, as was when Josh [Moore] rode his first winner on our Artreju at Newmarket in 2008. He should have been doing his GCSE in Religious Education but my sister was happy enough that he could sit it another day.

“Josh’s first winner was a lovely day for

the Moore family, but Antony at Ascot probably topped that from a personal point of view. I would have been happy if he’d been in the first five but he kept going and it was all a bit surreal.”

As President of his local sports club, Brown’s phone did not stop buzzing for days after with texts and calls to say ‘well done’, several messages being received from friends a little better off than they had been a few days earlier.

Antony’s success will enable the partners to replace their other current horse, tenyear-old Gaelic Silver, who is likely to be retired in the next few months, but whoever the next Winning Hand horse is, it is Antony who is the dream-maker.

“The 2018 National is certainly in our minds if he continues to progress,” says Brown, “although we’d like to have him for another three or four years and it would be nice if he can contest a few big races each season, rather than us get hung up about one big target.”

That said, with January and February the busiest months in Brown’s tax and financial planning world, Cheltenham or Aintree could surely be something to sustain and look forward to!

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New PASS system arrangements The Racecourse Association (RCA) has been rolling out the new Privilege Access Swipe System (PASS) since the end of October. All active registered owners who have had their PASS card swiped at some point within the last two and a half years should now have received their new PASS card. If you have not received a new card, and believe you should have done, please email info@racecourseassociation.co.uk. The new PASS card should be used immediately, and directly replaces all existing swipe cards.

The new PASS card can be used in the exact same way as your previous Horseracing Privilege Photocard, both to collect your owner badges when you have a runner, and to gain complimentary access to the races if you have been activated onto the Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners (RBSO). As in previous years, you do not

Owners’ research panel In 2017 we’ll be experimenting with some fresh new ideas, visits and benefits.

Following on from the successes of the National Racehorse Owners Survey and Ownership Costs Survey we’re looking for members who can give us swift feedback (normally through the website, email or telephone) on initial ideas to ensure we are focussing on the right areas for our membership.

You’ll have a chance to shape the direction of the Association for the benefit of all, as well as hearing about new initiatives first.

If you’d like to be involved please email dbowen@roa.co.uk with ‘Member Research Panel’ in the subject line.

ROA has received plenty of feedback on implementation of new PASS card

have to apply for the RBSO, you will be activated automatically when the qualifying criteria is met, and receive a confirmation letter and booklet of participating fixtures in the post.

However, should owners wish to do so, the new PASS system also has an online aspect to it – the concierge service. Owners

Diary dates and reminders DECEMBER 1

MARCH 14-17

ROA Horseracing Awards

ROA marquee

The black-tie awards evening will be held at the InterContinental Hotel, Park Lane, London.

At the Cheltenham Festival.

MARCH 22 Ownership Matters event

DECEMBER 9-10

In Winchester.

ROA Suite for the International Meeting at Cheltenham

APRIL 6

2017

ROA members enjoy free admission to the Grand Opening Day

JANUARY 1 ROA/RCA owners’ priority car parking label takes effect ROA Suite for New Year’s Day At Cheltenham.

Feedback monthly winner

JANUARY 26

Deciding this year’s Gold Standard Award winners would not have been possible without the help of hundreds of ROA members who have left their feedback over the past year. The hunt for the next batch of winners is now on, so please don’t stop completing our quick and easy online questionnaire.

As well as helping the ROA’s Raceday Committee, you could also scoop £50 Love To Shop vouchers, just like Celia Djivanovic, who is the latest monthly winner, and owns National Hunt horses in training with both Colin Tizzard and Charlie Longsdon.

In Warwick.

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who pre-registered their interest should have received log-in details for the website in early November, but registration can still be completed now via www.rcapass.com. The concierge service will offer owners the chance to personalise their raceday experience, including allocation of owners’ badges to their guests, and provide information about various aspects of their raceday including any special arrangements.

The ROA has received a lot of feedback from members on the new PASS system.

Charlie Liverton, ROA Chief Executive, said: “Please be assured that we are referring any reported issues to the RCA. We are well aware how important the pre-raceday badge allocation and arrival experience is for members, and we are working with the RCA to bring future improvements and minimise disruption to owners.”

Ownership Matters event

At Randox Health Grand National festival.

APRIL 25 ROA regional meeting At Hexham.

APRIL 26 Ownership Matters event In Newcastle.

MAY 17 Ownership Matters event At York.

JANUARY 28 ROA Suite for Festival Trials Day At Cheltenham.

FEBRUARY 7 ROA regional meeting At Hereford.

JUNE 6 ROA regional meeting At Wetherby.

Ownership Matters event In Harrogate.

JULY 4 FEBRUARY 8

ROA AGM

Ownership Matters event

Further details and how to book for ROA events can be found online at roa.co.uk/events

At Newbury.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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ROAcing to School special event at Ascot Racing to School helps school children with their education and improves their knowledge of our great sport. Indeed ROA members kindly donated silks for them to wear on their racecourse visits.

We’re teaming up with Racing to School to create a special ROAcing to School event on Saturday, December 17 at Ascot. Children will be given a rare opportunity to go behind the scenes to normally restricted areas of the racecourse during the morning activities. The programme is best suited to those in Year 5 and above.

The morning session is complemented by Ascot’s own excellent festive activities in the afternoon, which is free for children under

You can register your youngster for a free, fun and educational day at Ascot

18. Expect mince pies, carol singing and a special visit from Father Christmas.

The afternoon’s racing features a £150,000 handicap hurdle over two miles as part of Ascot’s most valuable day of jumps racing.

Parents, grandparents and carers are welcome to attend the morning session with the charity’s education team, or are free to drop off and collect children.

To register an interest in attending this fun and educational morning that gives a real insight into racing, please email dbowen@roa.co.uk Places are limited and will be allocated randomly. More information on Racing to School is available at www.bhest.co.uk/racing_to_school

News In Brief Parking labels and calendars

ROA/SIS owner-sponsorship scheme

The new ROA/RCA Owners priority car-parking label, effective from January 1, is being sent out to members during December, along with a copy of the ROA branded Racing Post desk calendar. We hope that both will be useful throughout the new year.

Signing up horses in training to the ROA/SIS owner-sponsorship scheme enables members to register for and reclaim VAT on their costs of ownership and receive a payment for being sponsored. SIS currently sponsor 1,600 horses and we are very grateful for their support for this key benefit of membership.

We are now taking applications for the January 2017 ROA/SIS owner-sponsorship Scheme, which will run for 12 months.

Don’t miss your chance to benefit from this. Renewal notices have been sent out for horses previously registered on the January 2016 scheme. Do please ensure they are returned to the ROA office before Christmas in order to receive uninterrupted sponsorship of your horse.

Membership fee 2017 We are delighted to report that the ROA membership subscription will remain at £230 in 2017. This will be the third year that we have held the subscription at this rate.

We have been able to do this due to the continued support of our members, and steady increase in membership numbers over the past year.

Joint-membership is available for two members who live at the same UK address. This offers a saving of £65 on the price of two subscriptions. It is a requirement of joint-membership for payment to be made by direct debit or standing order. Contact the ROA office for further details or check the joint-membership link in the Benefits section at roa.co.uk.

VAT on purchases in France Owners who purchase a horse in France and are an existing VATregistered entity can notify the sales house to request that French VAT (TVA) is not added to the purchase price.

This is provided the horse is being bought for export to the UK, and on condition that the horse does not race between the purchase and the export. A copy of the export certificate needs to be supplied to the sales house/vendor for their records.

Lease agreement The ROA website provides a growing resource of useful guidance for members. Our downloadable documents now include an example of a lease agreement for a mare. This has been drawn up

by Justin Wadham, and may be modified according to a lessee/lessor’s individual requirements.

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The ROA/SIS owner-sponsorship scheme is a key benefit of membership and applications for 2017 are open now

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

NEW FOR 2017

FASCINATING ROCK B. 2011, 16.1 ½ HH (1.66M) BY FASTNET ROCK E X M I S S P O L A R I S

World’s Joint Top Older Turf Horse over 10f in 2015 Highest rated son of FASTNET ROCK – TFR 127

"A good stakes winner over a mile, he had the ability to carry that speed to win two Group One races over 10 furlongs. He has great conformation, size and scope and a lovely temperament."

Dermot Weld

Fee: €10,000 1st October

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FascinatingRock_Owner_Full_December_2016.indd 1

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Flat Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Ascot York Goodwood Epsom Downs Newmarket Chester Newbury Doncaster Sandown Park Haydock Park Ayr Chelmsford City Musselburgh Salisbury Ripon Pontefract Newcastle Lingfield Park Wetherby Hamilton Park Beverley Thirsk Windsor Carlisle Leicester Bath Nottingham Kempton Park Ffos Las Yarmouth Chepstow Catterick Bridge Redcar Wolverhampton Brighton Southwell Total

Figures for period November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2016

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2014-15 (£)

Up/ down

I I I JCR JCR I I ARC JCR JCR I I I I I I ARC ARC I I I I ARC JCR I ARC JCR JCR I ARC ARC I I ARC ARC ARC

439,286 212,321 176,251 140,472 114,448 80,126 76,642 75,160 62,705 54,369 45,309 42,582 41,143 37,668 36,725 36,467 35,180 33,605 32,066 31,889 30,417 28,713 28,527 26,996 26,736 26,611 25,470 24,861 24,167 23,371 23,081 22,440 21,879 19,604 19,068 10,210 53,038

127,650 91,453 82,011 68,655 74,177 41,667 53,755 53,134 45,957 39,600 29,697 18,135 14,545 25,850 21,230 28,919 20,738 24,971 0 19,206 18,658 16,436 18,848 13,777 19,430 13,723 19,380 19,912 12,050 20,622 13,672 16,613 17,616 19,340 14,373 25,348 30,719

251,426 121,269 69,398 113,995 77,302 10,430 37,556 35,775 28,632 17,925 11,270 4,867 5,239 5,154 4,491 3,824 7,164 4,237 4,185 4,150 4,269 5,235 5,112 4,467 5,037 4,054 5,531 4,255 3,609 4,669 3,566 2,675 13,255 3,352 2,771 2,496 20,153

818,363 425,749 327,660 323,122 265,927 132,223 169,093 164,224 137,294 112,449 86,335 65,583 60,927 68,673 62,445 69,210 63,083 62,904 36,250 55,246 53,344 50,384 52,488 45,241 51,204 44,389 50,424 49,029 39,827 48,662 40,319 41,727 52,750 42,352 36,212 38,054 103,979

18 17 19 11 39 15 16 24 16 23 17 64 17 16 17 16 22 82 2 18 19 17 27 13 20 22 23 59 6 18 15 17 18 85 22 37 887

14,730,525 7,237,740 6,225,542 3,554,346 10,371,159 1,983,351 2,705,495 3,941,385 2,196,700 2,634,519 1,467,700 4,197,307 1,035,760 1,098,766 1,061,566 1,107,354 1,387,819 5,158,137 72,500 994,420 1,013,537 856,525 1,417,179 588,129 1,024,079 976,553 1,159,749 2,892,703 238,960 875,922 604,784 709,360 949,500 3,599,938 796,654 1,408,000 92,273,660

388,619 188,919 168,936 136,791 104,273 86,530 68,579 67,243 57,439 49,896 36,465 36,621 39,867 32,289 34,084 33,032 26,159 30,810 32,205 27,399 24,486 27,121 21,099 25,473 24,323 20,435 23,191 24,115 24,648 19,876 17,669 18,539 18,990 16,378 14,759 10,079 47,740

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Up/ down

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Sandown Park Haydock Park Newbury Kempton Park Ayr Kelso Newcastle Chepstow Cartmel Doncaster Stratford-on-Avon Wincanton Perth Ludlow Newton Abbot Wetherby Market Rasen Musselburgh Fakenham Taunton Uttoxeter Bangor-on-Dee Hereford Carlisle Warwick Huntingdon Exeter Worcester Leicester Fontwell Park Ffos Las Southwell Hexham Sedgefield Lingfield Park Catterick Bridge Plumpton Towcester Total

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Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2014-15 (£)

JCR JCR I JCR JCR I JCR I I ARC ARC I ARC I JCR I I I I JCR I I I ARC I ARC JCR JCR JCR JCR ARC I ARC I ARC I ARC ARC I I I

249,581 234,911 139,582 94,827 89,392 56,101 48,125 41,254 34,331 33,912 32,364 30,843 30,154 28,982 28,209 28,103 28,036 27,196 25,551 24,506 23,094 22,975 22,635 22,467 22,444 21,652 21,400 20,573 20,081 19,851 19,683 18,171 18,030 17,967 17,674 16,807 16,013 15,855 15,689 13,797 13,664 37,703

132,061 115,371 85,884 86,945 78,929 78,430 59,797 38,170 25,946 41,652 41,315 17,023 44,404 19,467 31,334 21,875 27,073 29,517 26,329 22,869 33,896 23,743 25,134 27,374 18,926 19,807 27,717 29,732 22,478 29,629 23,551 26,219 23,340 23,811 20,104 18,321 21,583 26,864 25,998 22,446 21,450 34,718

70,679 61,882 19,461 16,507 16,784 20,946 10,176 12,801 2,890 8,416 8,545 5,156 8,385 4,398 5,236 3,755 4,847 0 4,434 4,392 5,136 0 5,339 6,839 4,655 4,539 4,614 5,503 4,523 5,231 4,252 4,546 3,393 4,082 3,936 3,044 3,274 3,348 2,917 3,217 3,522 8,257

453,133 412,165 247,427 200,500 191,405 157,477 119,252 92,434 63,668 83,980 82,223 53,022 83,360 53,280 64,943 53,733 59,955 56,713 56,415 51,766 62,776 46,718 53,107 56,951 46,025 45,997 55,360 57,255 47,360 55,648 47,739 48,936 44,764 45,860 41,713 38,193 41,113 46,067 44,834 39,460 38,803 81,140

8 16 8 9 9 10 13 11 13 8 14 9 12 15 14 16 15 18 15 22 10 12 13 24 14 2 14 17 18 16 19 10 21 10 20 14 19 6 10 16 9 549

3,625,063 6,594,633 1,979,413 1,804,503 1,640,613 1,574,775 1,550,278 1,016,773 827,683 671,839 1,151,128 477,198 1,000,318 799,206 909,200 859,728 899,328 1,020,836 846,218 1,138,855 627,762 560,619 690,392 1,366,822 644,350 91,995 775,038 973,338 852,484 890,367 907,037 489,356 940,035 458,600 834,260 534,700 781,141 276,400 448,339 631,358 349,231 44,511,210

269,040 224,263 138,138 96,862 93,419 26,440 51,405 32,380 29,420 23,035 24,969 25,256 27,022 23,882 26,898 45,631 51,405 26,507 27,559 12,844 13,076 23,450 14,361 17,846 17,109 0 19,944 21,331 19,096 19,832 14,741 19,096 15,764 18,128 13,213 17,647 14,757 29,420 15,602 14,082 12,144 34,674

▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prizemoney: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture. This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prize-money paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

ARC Arena Racing Company

I Independently owned racecourse Gold Standard Award

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TBA FORUM T he spec i al section for TBA members

Elite Mares Scheme 2017 T

he TBA/HBLB NH Elite Mares Incentive Scheme was created to highlight to breeders the quality of British-based National Hunt stallions in a bid to encourage mare owners to keep their mares in the country. TBA members who own mares officially rated above 130 are eligible for a free or proportionately subsidised nomination to a British-based stallion that has earned the necessary credentials to be part of the scheme.

Scheme details British-based mares that have proved themselves to be of a defined level of NH racing performance, or have themselves produced a NH runner of a defined performance level, will be eligible to receive a subsidised or free nomination to one of a select group of British-based stallions, as long as the mare is owned by a TBA member.

Eligible mares are divided into three separate categories: Category 1: Mares that have achieved a peak official rating of 140+ or more (Category 1a), or have produced a NH horse rated 145+ (mare) or 155+ (gelding), whilst racing in Great Britain, Ireland, or France (Category 1b).

Telescope proved to be a popular choice with National Hunt breeders in 2016

Category 2: Mares that have achieved a peak official rating between 135-139 (Category 2a), or have produced a NH horse rated 140144 (mare) or 150-154 (gelding), whilst racing in Great Britain, Ireland, or France (Category 2b).

Category 3: Mares that have achieved a peak official rating of 130-134 (Category 3a), or have produced a NH horse rated 130-139 (mare) or 140-149 (gelding), whilst racing in Great Britain, Ireland, or France (Category 3b).

Winners of black-type races over obstacles will be treated as having the following minimum rating, regardless of official rating: • Grade 1 winners or winners of three Grade 2 events: 145 mares, 155 geldings; • Grade 2 winners or winners of three Grade 3/Listed WFA events: 140 mares, 150 geldings; • Grade 3 winners or winners of two Listed events: 130 mares, 140 geldings; • Listed WFA winners: 125 mares, 135 geldings; • Graded or Listed handicap winners; 120 mares, 130 geldings.

Blue Bresil, one of the new stallions available on the EMS Scheme for 2017

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New for 2017 scheme: A mare that would qualify for the scheme by satisfying multiple

criteria (either as a race mare and producer, or as producer of more than one qualifying horse) will be regarded as having achieved an official rating increased by 10lb for every additional qualification.

Awards Owners of elite mares will receive a voucher entitling the mare to a discount on the advertised nomination fee to any of the eligible stallions in the scheme. The voucher value is determined on the category of the elite mare; Category 1: £4,000; Category 2: £3,000; Category 3: £2,000.

Vouchers are valid only for the 2017 breeding season and the grants are paid directly to the stallion owner on receipt of a valid October 1 pregnancy certificate to the TBA office.

For further details of the scheme, including terms and conditions, please refer to the TBA website, which includes a list of mares who have qualified for the scheme with their own peak official rating according to Weatherbys’ records. These lists do not include mares who may be eligible through their progeny rating, or by an uplifted rating due to a Graded win.

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www.thetba.co.uk

TBA diary dates WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7 TO FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 Annual TBA Stud Farming Course British Racing School, Newmarket

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 The TBA and EBF Mares’ Novice Chase Exeter racecourse

MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 The TBA and EBF Mares’ Novice Chase Wincanton racecourse

SATURDAY, JANUARY 7 The TBA and EBF Mares’ Novice Chase Towcester racecourse

NEW MEMBERS FOR DECEMBER 2016

Awaiting his second crop next year, the 2011 Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden

category, or qualified for the scheme through her progeny, please download an application form from the TBA website, or alternatively contact the TBA office (01638 661321); applications close on Friday, January 27.

You are able to redeem your voucher by choosing to nominate your mare for any of

the stallions eligible for the scheme, as listed below. If a stallion has recently retired and you believe he has achieved one or more of the criteria set for stallions listed on the TBA website, please contact the TBA office as it may be possible to send your mare to him under the scheme.

Stallions eligible for the scheme Apple Tree Black Sam Bellamy Blue Bresil Clovis Du Berlais Dr Massini Dunaden* Eastern Anthem Eagle Top* Fair Mix Franklins Gardens

Gentlewave Geordieland Haafhd* Kutub Lucarno Millenary Mountain High Norse Dancer Olden Times Passing Glance

Pether’s Moon Phoenix Reach* Recharge Royal Anthem Saddler’s Rock Schiaparelli Scorpion Sulamani Telescope Universal

*Denotes stallions standing under the dual-purpose banner. List correct at time of going to press.

N.B. Should demand exceed the funds allocated for the scheme, or funds be reduced to the extent that the scheme becomes untenable, the TBA reserves the right to withdraw or amend the scheme at any time. In particular, any excess of demand over available funds may be dealt with by reducing the value of vouchers awarded for Category 3 mares to £1,000. If this step becomes necessary, every effort will be made to notify those affected as soon as possible.

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Mrs Lucy Procter, Dorset Mrs Belinda Schofield, Suffolk Mark Gittins Esq, Ireland Miss Susan Brien, Pembrokeshire Sam Sheppard Esq, CBE, Suffolk Mr S M Eaton, Shropshire Elms Bloodstock Ltd, Northamptonshire Fortescue Bloodstock, London Miss Rachel Bischoff, Suffolk Mountcastle Bloodstock, London Chris Edwards Esq, Wrexham Patrick Jago Esq, Dorset Mrs Caroline Davies, Cheshire Albertine Barker Esq, Northamptonshire

Racing UK discount for employees In recognition of the important role of industry employees, Racing UK is generously offering a 50% discount on the subscription cost to stud and stable staff.

Clive Cottrell, Director of Marketing at Racing UK, said: “We are delighted to offer this promotion for stud and stable staff and believe this recognises, in a small way, that they are the lifeblood of our sport. Without their hard work and commitment it wouldn’t be possible to showcase the sport as we do.”

Applicants will be required to provide proof of employment and address details for the subscription. To apply for the discount, please contact Hannah (hannah.parlett@racinguk.com) or Tom (tom.hall@racinguk.com) in the Racing UK office.

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TBA Regional Representative Hazel West presents Worcester racecourse’s Executive Director Jenny Cheshire with their NH Mares’ Award in recognition of the racecourse’s support of mares-only races

As part of the ongoing TBA initiative to award racecourses which continue to support mares-only races, Worcester racecourse was the recipient of the NH Mares’ Award, presented to Jenny Cheshire, Executive Director at Worcester, by TBA Regional Representative Hazel West.

On the same day of the presentation, October 19, the two-mile TBA Mares’ Novice Hurdle was won by the Philip Hobbs-trained Tearsofclewbay. Ridden by Richard Johnson, the five-year-old daughter of Kayf Tara scored

by three and a quarter lengths from Passmore, with Lamanver Odyssey 11 lengths behind in third and is now a treble winner.

Atlanta Ablaze, another five-year-old daughter of Kayf Tara, took the honours in the TBA Novice Mares’ Hurdle at Ludlow on October 20. Guided to victory by Jake Greenall, the mare registered her first win over hurdles for trainer Henry Daly. Beaten by a neck in second was the Paul Webber-trained Hollow Bay, with Maid Of Milan two lengths behind in third.

NH MOPS reminder The TBA is continuing to accept nominations for the scheme, which is aimed at encouraging owners and trainers to race British-bred or sired fillies. The NH MOPS provides prize bonuses of up to £10,000 for registered fillies and mares who are successful in a qualifying race. The deadline for entries has been extended for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 crops until December 31. We regret we are no longer able to accept entries for 2012 and 2013 crops.

The TBA is pleased to announce that it has been decided to offer enrolment for the scheme for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 crops free of charge to TBA members. Enrolment for ROA members remains at £50 per entry and £150 per entry for non-members. Each fee is a one-off charge per filly and the filly will remain registered for the duration of the scheme irrespective of any change of ownership. Terms and conditions for registration, a list of eligible races and nominations forms can be found on our website (www.thetba.co.uk) or call the TBA office on 01638661321 for further information.

For information on joining the TBA please contact Annette Bell on the above number, or by email on annette.bell@thetba.co.uk.

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LUDLOW RACECOURSE

WORCESTER RACECOURSE

Jumping mares out in force

TBA board member Bryan Mayoh (left) presents the prize for the TBA Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Ludlow on October 20 to trainer Henry Daly for Atlanta Ablaze

The Breeders’ Badges/Racecourse PASS system The Breeders’ Badge Scheme allows access to racecourses across Britain for breeders to see horses they have bred run at over 1,300 fixtures nationwide.

All existing holders of the Breeders’ Badge/Racecourse PASS will be contacted by the RCA to confirm a new Privilege Access Swipe System (PASS) which is being introduced across 52 British racecourses.

Further information can be obtained at www.rcapass.com. If you are a TBA member and would like further information on this free pass please contact the TBA and we will forward details and an application form. Fixtures for 2017 will be sent out with our next newsletter but can also be obtained by calling the office.

The scheme guarantees one badge per breeder, with additional badges at each racecourse’s discretion for approved fixtures. Ascot racecourse has confirmed that it will offer two badges per pass holder during the jumps season for breeders with runners on the day and these can be obtained from the owners’ and trainers’ desk by using the swipe card provided.

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Endoscopy of foals at public auction

by James Crowhurst MRCVS Potential purchasers of foals at public auction are increasingly requesting endoscopic examination prior to sale. Foals sold at public auction in the UK and Ireland are not returnable under Conditions of Sale for wind infirmities, but yearlings and horses in training are returnable if they are whistlers or roarers, or have been operated on for the correction of whistling or roaring or have any of a number of congenital/acquired conditions (cleft palate, chondroma, branchial arch anomaly or sub-epiglottic cysts).

It is therefore understandable that someone considering purchasing a foal for racing or resale would seek reassurance that it is free of these conditions at the time of purchase. Dr Scott Pierce’s extensive experience reports that 92% of foals are normal on scope and do not deteriorate from foal to yearling. Happily, the approximate return rate for yearlings owing to wind problems at public auction in the UK is less than 1%.

As a result of this, some foals have been endoscoped repeatedly prior to sale and this can be distressing, sub-optimal in terms of infection, and can occasionally lead to a mishap to foal or its handler. In addition, it has been known that the larynx and pharynx of young immature foals can appear to have some degree of laryngeal hemiplegia which improves during its yearling life (the reverse being also true), so it is well known that endoscopy as a late yearling gives a more accurate picture. Because of this, nowadays potential purchasers are not asking the vet to grade a foal’s larynx as long as they can declare it free of congenital defects and a ‘pass’ (above grade 3).

Vendors may find it difficult to refuse multiple requests and may naturally be anxious about these procedures on behalf of their foals, but ultimately permission has to be requested by potential purchasers (often via their vets) before endoscopy can be undertaken.

There are ways in which vendors can reduce the impact of the requirement to endoscope foals, as follows: 1. Refuse/limit permission to purchasers to endoscope foals.

2. Arrange to have the foal endoscoped with a video-endoscope by the vendor’s own vet shortly before sale, recording the identification of the foal and ensuring good quality imaging of the larynx and pharynx using preferably the right nostril (to reduce THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Excessive scoping of foals at sales can be distressing and can also spread diseases

bias of the normally left-sided hemiplegia).

Ideally, this video should be left at the repository, if there is one. Any video endoscope must be of good quality to prevent purchasers wishing to have the foal scoped separately.

3. Allow the foal to be endoscoped simultaneously by one or more respected vets, who can provide a certificate of absence of acquired/congenital defects, and that it is a grade 3 or better.

When endoscopy is undertaken pre-sale, these guidelines should be followed: 1. The welfare of foal and handler is paramount. Injuries to both can occur and the procedure is an ideal method of transmission of disease.

2. The procedure must be done sympathetically without unreasonable restraint.

3. Some foals may have mild upper respiratory disease which must be borne in mind.

4. The foal should not be sedated.

5. The endoscope used should be small in diameter and cleaned between examinations.

6. The right nostril should be used first and the left one used secondarily only if the right side of the larynx appears abnormal.

Number of scopings should be restricted to an absolute minimum – no more than one examination per veterinary practice.

The ITBA, Tattersalls, Tattersalls Ireland, Goffs UK and Goffs have expressed their support for these guidelines for use at the forthcoming foal sales.

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February Stallion Parade returns to Tattersalls The TBA’s Annual Flat Stallion Parade will take place on Thursday, February 2 at Tattersalls’ Park Paddocks.

Coinciding with the first sale of the year in Newmarket, the event is a great opportunity to see a number of stallions from around the country in one location.

Paraded individually in the sales ring, the stallions can then be shown to breeders throughout the morning, presenting the ideal chance to speak to the stallions’ connections about mating plans for mares for the season ahead.

A full list of the stallions parading will be available on the TBA website or from the TBA office nearer the time.

A number of Flat stallions will be on show at Tattersalls on February 2

Breeders’ Prize Scheme withdrawal Towards the end of each year TBA initiatives funded by the HBLB for National Hunt breeding are reviewed. In consideration of the changing environment for scheme funding and evaluating the relative successes of NH initiatives, it has been decided that the Breeders’ Prize Scheme and Breeders’ Voucher Scheme (BPS/BVS) will be withdrawn after December 31, 2016.

BPS/BVS was introduced over 20 years ago to reward breeders of successful NH horses and encourage the reinvestment of funds into their breeding programmes. However, the reduction in the funds available for the HBLB BPS, which was worth £3 million (Flat and NH) just ten years ago, and now £430,000 (NH) in 2016, has led to a decline in the viability of the scheme. In its current format the scheme is sadly no longer an incentive to breed NH horses.

In light of the uncertainty around the future funding of racing, it was decided that breeding initiatives should be streamlined to focus on those that are considered to yield more immediate results for the industry, such as the NH Elite Mares Scheme and NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme.

In order to continue to support TBA members in their NH breeding activities, it has

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been decided that all eligible fillies born between 2014 and 2016 can be registered to the NHMOPS scheme free of charge, while ROA members will still receive the discounted rate of £50 per horse. Applications must be submitted by December 31, 2016 – horses will not automatically be enrolled. Contact the TBA office for an application or visit the NHMOPS page of the website for a print-friendly form.

The TBA is putting every effort behind NHMOPS and the Elite Mares Scheme to ensure that there is a long-term future for the development of a sustainable domestic NH breeding and racing industry. NHMOPS, along with all the initiatives on the mares’ race

programme, will encourage more owners and trainers to buy and race mares, improving demand and sales prices of these horses at auction. The Elite Mares Scheme complements NHMOPS by encouraging the owners of highly regarded mares to retain them for breeding, and to use British-based stallions, through its heavily discounted nomination vouchers.

Early indicators for the NHMOPS are encouraging and we look forward to the development of the scheme as more eligible horses come of racing age. The Elite Mares Scheme has also produced some excellent results from its first crops of racing age, including dual winner Chocca Wocca.

The TBA and EBF Mares’ Novice Chase Series The TBA and EBF Mares’ Novice Chase Series will return for the 2016-17 season with 11 races scheduled including a series finale at Cheltenham in April next year.

Please see below list of provisional dates for the series: Racecourse Racecourse Date Towcester Fontwell 04/11/2016 Uttoxeter Huntingdon 19/11/2016 Bangor Exeter 15/12/2016 Wetherby Wincanton 26/12/2016 Warwick Worcester 2017 – TBC

Date 07/01/2017 30/01/2017 12/02/2017 23/02/2017 13/03/2017

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FIREBREAK

Bay 1999 15.3 h.h. by Charnwood Forest - Breakaway

G

Group 1 Champion Miler and Group 1 Sire

G

Timeform rated 125

G

G

His progeny have won over £1.6 million and include Gr.1 winning juveniles, Group winning 3yo sprinters, Group winning older milers and tough handicap sprinters His best runners in 2016 include stakes placed winner You’re Fired and multiple winners Henry Smith (5 wins) and Breakable (3 wins including a £45,000 handicap at Chester)

Fee: £3,500 Oct 1st Special Live Foal Enquiries: Bearstone Stud, Market Drayton, Shropshire TF9 4HF Office: 01630 647197 • Mobile: 07974 948755 • Email: enquiries@bearstonestud.co.uk www.bearstonestud.co.uk

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BREEDER OF THE MONTH

www.thetba.co.uk

Words Alan Yuill Walker Sponsored by

Manufacturers of

been the most significant dividend from this branch of White Lodge Stud’s celebrated foundation mare Horama. At present she has a yearling filly by Mastercraftsman, a colt foal by Oasis Dream, and is in foal to Makfi.

A filly bred by Strawbridge has also served the extended Player family well as Noyelles, owned by Ed Player’s sister Alice and her husband Nick Nugent, is the dam of Lily’s Angel and Zurigha.

SPECIAL MERIT – October 2016 GEORGE SELWYN

Elizabeth Grundy Journey: British-bred star for her Anglophile owner-breeder

BREEDER OF THE MONTH – October 2016

George Strawbridge With owner-breeders George Strawbridge, Helena Springfield (aka Meon Valley Stud) and Cheveley Park Stud responsible for the first three home in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, the result was a resounding endorsement for British-breds.

A staunch Anglophile from Pennsylvania, George Strawbridge’s considerable contribution to racing and breeding in Europe was recognised when he followed his countrymen Paul Mellon and John Gaines in winning the TBA’s Andrew Devonshire award.

Ascot has not always been such a happy hunting ground for Strawbridge’s distinctive white and green colours and few will forget his brilliant homebred filly Moonlight Cloud (now in foal to Galileo) just failing to dethrone Black Caviar for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Montare, dam of the Fillies & Mares winner Journey, is a permanent boarder at Whatton Manor Stud in Nottinghamshire, which was founded by Peter Player in 1982 and is now managed by his son Edward. This is where Journey (by Dubawi) was foaled and raised.

James Wigan of London Thoroughbred Services and West Blagdon Stud was just a fledgling bloodstock agent when he started looking after Strawbridge’s bloodstock interests here, and in 1984 he procured Journey’s fourth dam Flashy (Sir Ivor – Sovereign) privately for his American client.

Until Journey came along, the Prix Royal Oak winner Montare had

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That the first three to finish in the British Champions Sprint Stakes were all geldings might not suit the purists. But take nothing away from small breeder Elizabeth Grundy, who bred the winner, The Tin Man, at her Benington Bury Farm Stud, near Stevenage.

A first Group 1 scorer for his sire Equiano, The Tin Man was consigned from his sire’s base at Newsells Park Stud to Book 1 of Tattersalls’ 2013 October Yearling Sale, where he was acquired for 80,000gns by Anthony Stroud to join James Fanshawe.

That was a predictable destination as the Newmarket trainer has a long involvement with the family. Indeed, he saddled The Tin Man’s half-brother Deacon Blues to win the 2011 British Champions Sprint Stakes, this Compton Place gelding being part-owned and part-bred by Grundy.

In partnership with Jan Hopper, a near neighbour in Hertfordshire, Grundy was also responsible for homebred 2004 July Cup heroine Frizzante, who realised a handsome 500,000gns at that year’s December Sales.

Frizzante was also trained by Fanshawe, but his connection with The Tin Man’s distaff relations is more convoluted. He trained not only The Tin Man’s dam Persario, but also her sire Bishop Of Cashel as well as the mare’s half-brother Warningford, a son of Bishop Of Cashel’s sire Warning.

Persario, whose owner-breeder Christine Handscombe from Bedfordshire, is also an established patron of Fanshawe’s stable, sold Persario privately to the Grundy/Hopper combination after she gained a second win, as a five-year-old.

With her two-year-old Hilario (a 160,000gns Sepoy yearling) having scored at Kempton in September, Persario is now the dam of five winners, another being the smart Holley Shiftwell. In the pipeline is a yearling filly by Sepoy, a colt foal by Poet’s Voice (lot 765 at Tattersalls’ December Sales), and the mare is now carrying to Muhaarar.

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Cheltenham December Sale Friday 9 December 2016 Selected Horses in Training, Point to Pointers & NH Breeze Up Horses

MOON RACER winner of Champion Bumper, Grade 1 sold Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale by Coolcormack Stables to David Pipe for £225,000 The World’s Leading National Hunt Auctioneers at...

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The Horses The Location The Glory

Tel: +44 (0) 1568 617724

cheltenham@tattersalls.com

www.tattersalls.ie

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ownerbreeder ad pages 12-2016_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 08-2016 18/11/2016 13:18 Page 112

Grove Court Stud

CAMERON HIGHLAND 16.0hh, 2009 Galileo – Landmark by Arch

Cameron Highland's first foals, 2016.

For more pictures of Cameron Highland's foals, please visit our Facebook page!

BY WORLD CHAMPION GALILEO His mother’s full sister, ARRAVALE, won 5 races at 2 & 3 years and £632,660.

CAMERON HIGHLAND has won 5 races at 3 & 4 years amounting to a total of £107,462.

He has won the August Stakes (Listed) at Royal Windsor in 2 successive years.

He was 2nd to MICHELANGELO in the Newmarket Tatts Millions. He then won 2 races at Epsom in August 2012 & 2013.

Half sister SUPPOSING, was sold in Book 1 2012 for 525,000gns. His full sister was sold in Book 1 2014 for 420,000gns to Qatar Racing while a further full sister was sold in Book 1 2015 for 500,000gns to Al Shaqab Racing.

CAMERON HIGHLAND won on going from Good to Firm to Soft.

He has excellent conformation and temperament. 100% fertility in 2015 and 2016.

Stud Fee 2017: £2,000 Concessions Llanarth, Raglan, Usk, Monmouthshire, NP15 2NA, UK Tel: +44 (0)1873 840494 • Mob Zoe: +44 (0)7974 096252 • Mob Mervyn: +44 (0)7830 258494 enquiries@grovecourtstud.com • www.grovecourtstud.uk Sprint to success...

Incorporating

BOTTISHAM HEATH STUD Based at Bottisham Heath Stud, situated just five miles outside of Newmarket.

Set within 180 acres of paddocks • Private Polytrack gallop • Stabling for 75 horses • Quick access to Newmarket gallops; The HQ of horseracing • Also full paddock boarding available all year round Stakes Winners include: Jwala, Kingsgate Native, Prohibit, Goldream, Prince Of Lir, Spirit Quartz, Monsieur Joe, Justineo, Iffranesia Please contact us for further details on our competitive training and boarding rates

ROYAL ASCOT winners 2016 PRINCE OF LIR (The Norfolk Stakes) • OUTBACK TRAVELLER (The Wokingham Stakes) Bottisham Heath Stud, Six Mile Bottom, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0TT Tel: +44 (0)1638 570330 • Mobile: +44 (0)7785 512463 • Email: robert@robertcowellracing.co.uk Website: www.robertcowellracing.co.uk • Twitter: @cowellracing

The Glanvilles Stud The Glanvilles Stud in Dorset lies at the heart of National Hunt country, where the Blackmore Vale meets the chalk downlands, perfect land for rearing strong, sound thoroughbreds.

Mares are walked in to all UK Flat and National Hunt studs and we have a reciprocal arrangement with boarding studs in both Ireland and France.

WE CURRENTLY HAVE VACANCIES FOR FULL TIME AND SEASONAL BORDERS FOR 2017

Contact Doug Procter on 01963 210 995 or 07974 314 262 112

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Dec_148_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 16:18 Page 113

VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By KATE HESSE BPhysio, MSc (Vet Physio), MCSP, ACPAT(A)

BACK ON TRACK

Diagnosing and dealing with back pain and dysfunction in the racehorse

Figure 1: Photograph of a section of the thoracic spine clearly showing the secure snug fit of the vertebrae

W

hile back pain is a common complaint in thoroughbred racehorses in training, it remains largely misunderstood by people outside the veterinary profession. As such it has been a soft target for many a charlatan and indeed a whole backyard industry has evolved around the supposed ‘putting back in’ of backs that are ‘out of place’. A good starting point to begin to understand this misleading notion of ‘out’, is to take a look at the basic anatomy.

Anatomy of the thoracolumbar spine The equine back is made up of 18 thoracic and six lumbar vertebrae connected to the sacrum in the pelvis. The vertebrae are linked dorsally (on top) by synovial joints (fluid filled joints with a fibrous capsule) where they THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

‘click’ firmly into each other, and ventrally (underneath) by fibrocartilaginous joints (intervertebral discs) between the vertebral bodies. Numerous ligaments and muscles firmly encase everything together securely.

In fact, the equine back is a surprisingly rigid and robust structure that has evolved to withstand enormous forces during high speed locomotion. The powerhouse epaxial muscle of the back is longissimus – a huge muscle spanning the entire length of the spine and largest in the lumbar region where it lies under the thoracolumbar fascia which is an expanse of white sheet-like tendon that serves as an energy-saving spring in high-speed gallop. Longissimus has fibre alignments in various orientations to accommodate running in different directions, and when acting together (left and right) stabilises and extends

the vertebral column, importantly providing a firm base for the limbs in the swing phase of gait.

Biomechanics of speed Horses increase stride length and therefore speed via long limbs and a relatively rigid spine. It has been proven that at full speed the ground reaction forces experienced by the forelimbs are equivalent to 2.5 times body weight, so in a 500kg racehorse, that equates to well over a tonne of force transmitted to the base of the neck and cranial thoracic spine.

Assuming a 60:40 weight distribution between fore- and hind-limbs, it can be deduced that the hindlimbs experience around 1.67 times body weight, or roughly 800kg, at full speed which is transmitted to

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the pelvis and back with every single stride.

With the average stride length being six to eight metres, there are roughly 25 strides per furlong and 150 strides in a mile race, which adds up to a monumental amount of repetitive force through the spine.

Leg pulling Bearing these forces in mind, if the back really could be put ‘back in place’ by the average ‘back-man’ giving a leg a shove – given that the World’s Strongest Man, Brian Shaw, has a personal best on the log lift of just 200kg – would not one single stride in gallop (800kg through a hind limb) put it out again, let alone 150 strides in a mile race? The unglamorous truth is that backs don’t go out; what really happens is far less dramatic. And those long lever manipulations of the hindlimb favoured by the back-man sometimes bring about transient relaxation of muscle spasm which is mistaken for a result.

Causes of back pain

Figure 2a: The clinical appearance of a racehorse with back pain due to overriding dorsal spinous processes (DSPs) in the thoracic spine. Note the marked atrophy (wastage) of the overlying epaxial musculature – a common sequela of chronic pain

By far the vast majority of back pain seen in the thoroughbred racehorse is secondary to lameness as the epaxial muscles brace to compensate for an altered gait pattern.

Primary causes can be from direct trauma, athletic demands, or underlying bony pathology. Direct trauma includes exercise saddles and other poor fitting tack, bad riders, and falls or collisions. Athletic demands can lead to strain of the epaxial muscles or other soft tissue structures.

Vertebral and pelvic stress fractures are athletic repetitive strain injuries which also fit under the category of underlying bony pathology, along with impinging dorsal spinous processes (DSPs), or ‘kissing spines’.

Soft-tissue injuries Direct trauma from racing saddles can lead to the formation of a haematoma or seroma.

These are usually swollen and painful initially but tend to settle. Girth galls are the result of having the girth done up too tightly.

Thoracolumbar vertebral stress injury These include articular facet joint disease (the little joints between individual vertebrae) and stress fracture of the vertebral bodies or lamina (the arch of the vertebra forming the roof of the spinal canal). Stress injuries of the spine are common. However, most go undetected, because of mild or ambiguous signs that do not interfere with training.

Stress fractures are often one-sided and involve several sites. Articular facet joint disease is an extremely common finding in racehorses. The identification of pathology of the articular facets does not always equal pain or clinical significance and should be interpreted in the context of a full diagnostic

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Figure 2b: Radiograph of the same horse showing lysis (the moth-eaten appearance) of the affected DSPs

work-up. Once enlarged, the joints will continue to appear abnormal on ultrasound imaging long after they have ceased to be painful.

DSP impingement This affects one or multiple sites in the saddle region. Rarely are they clinically active or result in disruption to training, but are occasionally associated with back pain. They are probably resultant from a combination of factors from conformation, to heritability and age. A large proportion of horses in training are thought to have overriding DSPs (6090%) but do not have reported back pain.

Presentation Equine back pain is often associated with a history of reduced performance. Sometimes

cold-backed behaviour is described, although this can be learned behaviour – fear avoidance from a bad experience in the past.

A drop off in performance often manifests in a reluctance to exercise or try hard in races.

The horse might hang, show poor hindlimb impulsion, or refuse to canter or jump off. A poor action may be displayed under tack with high head carriage and/or an uncoupled canter. A classic presentation of back pain in the racehorse is a restricted action in trot – head high, on three tracks, with a pronounced scoliosis, or plaiting, behind.

As a rule of thumb, the back usually does not cause lameness, but lameness will cause compensatory back pain. Only the most intensely painful primary pathology in the spine will cause mild hindlimb lameness on the same side. Where there is marked muscle THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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VET FORUM

Figure 2c: Bone scan of the same horse showing increased radiopharmaceutical uptake in the affected DSPs

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guarding of a region around a primary lesion, mild elevations in muscle enzymes (i.e. two to four times baseline levels) are sometimes present and must not be misinterpreted as exertional rhabdomyolysis (tying up). Pelvic stress fractures usually involve a history of lameness but can mimic back pain or rhabdomyolysis, especially if bilateral.

of a squeeze. Together with the pilots, these saddles have no doubt caused untold amounts of back pain. Saddles that slip consistently to one side can be the result of asymmetry of the back, crooked riders and/or poor saddle fit, however by far the most common cause is hindlimb lameness.

are well placed to detect subtle changes in muscle tone and mass, symmetry and reflex movements, because physio cases are mostly selected by the trainer and include horses with poor performance or whom the work rider reports as having a bad back or being ‘not right behind’.

Treatment

Physiotherapy treatment options

The vet should be the first point of contact for any discussion about treatment options for back pain. These will vary with the type of racing for which the horse is used, its value, drug clearance times before racing, and the willingness of the trainer/owner to address the primary problem.

Management of stress fractures of the back and pelvis involves a short period of rest (depending on the stability of the fracture) followed by controlled exercise for a few weeks to a few months. Ultrasound is useful to monitor healing of ilial wing fractures.

Prognosis is generally good – they settle with rest.

DSP impingement rarely requires significant input but where necessary can be managed with corticosteroid injections around impinging DSPs or the overlying supraspinous ligament. Extracorporeal shockwave therapy is sometimes employed with generally favourable results.

Assessment All assessment starts with observation and trot up. It is useful to see horses with suspected back pain turn in a tight circle and rein-back, noting any restriction or reluctance.

Palpation Palpation of the back must be undertaken with care to ensure repeatability of findings as response can be highly variable within and between individuals. Left and right sides are compared and care taken to ensure uniformity of pressure whilst watching and feeling for a reaction in the tissues.

Diagnostic imaging Nuclear scintigraphy is the gold standard.

Radiography and ultrasonography are used as a follow up to scintigraphy to assess lesions of the back.

Exercise saddles These can vary greatly dependent on their tree (half or full), age and condition. High pressures capable of causing back pain have been proven in experiments underneath exercise saddles at canter and gallop. They can cause pain to sensitive bony prominences and epaxial muscles. Half-tree exercise saddles channel a lot of force into one small concentrated area – a problem sometimes made worse by the addition of risers or too many numnahs which only make the fit more

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Physiotherapy Physiotherapy is widely regarded in the industry as useful for the management of racehorses being trained in the face of minor injuries. It is maintenance work and physiotherapists working in racehorse training yards are typically kept busy treating secondary muscular back pain, stiffness of the neck and back, and muscle strain injuries.

They should liaise closely with the vet, and

Treatment options available to the physiotherapist comprise manual therapy (joint mobilisations and soft tissue techniques), therapeutic exercise prescription, electrotherapy, advice regarding tack and other equipment, and rehabilitation.

Swimming is recognised as a useful adjunct to rehabilitation, although it needs to be applied cautiously depending on the complaint and the manner in which the individual horse swims. It is possible that stress can be created in areas of the spine as a consequence of the inverted posture adopted by horses in deep water. Equally, walking in deep water, as opposed to hoof level, increases flexion and extension in the thoracolumbar spine – the extension part of which could cause aggravation to a preexisting back condition.

Physiotherapists cannot perform the miracles sometimes expected of them by trainers, nor can they manipulate vertebrae back into place that have supposedly gone out. They can, however, apply various manual techniques to mobilise the spine or treat soft tissue dysfunction, as well as provide sound advice on therapeutic exercise, or the judicious application of electrotherapeutic modalities. They have the potential to be very useful allies to veterinary surgeons in racing, particularly when it comes to tackling the problem of back pain.

Chartered Veterinary Physiotherapists The chartered veterinary physiotherapy profession in the UK represents fully qualified human physiotherapists who apply their skills and expertise to animals. They have completed an average of two years’ postgraduate training and study to gain category ‘A’ status with the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT), which entitles them to treat animals with veterinary consent. Currently that training is provided by the University of Liverpool and the University of the West of England in the form of a PG Diploma or MSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy.

It is only the titles of physiotherapist (on its own), physical therapist and chartered physiotherapist that are protected by UK law. Much confusion exists as to the credentials of people calling themselves animal, equine or veterinary physiotherapists, because these titles are wide open to anyone who chooses to use them. Hence members of ACPAT, who are all human physiotherapists before they are veterinary physiotherapists, stress the word chartered in their professional titles.

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Dec_148_DrStatz_Owner Breeder 18/11/2016 17:54 Page 118

DR STAT JOHN BOYCE CRACKS THE CODE

Reality bites but to varying degrees Recession in production over last seven or eight years fails to stop big farms in their tracks

T

GEORGE SELWYN

here is no doubt that the yearling market is the axis on which racehorse production pivots in Britain and Ireland.

The demand side of the equation lets commercial breeders know through the yearling market what level of production might be required going forward. That’s the theory, anyway. In reality, individual decisions by big players usually hold far more sway and influence. Spare a thought then for those commercial breeders planning in 2017 for demand levels – as yet unknown, and almost unknowable – in 2019.

What is clear in Britain and Ireland, based on the past seven or eight years, is that there has been a recession in production – but it hasn’t affected everyone to the same extent. In fact, I would go as far as to say it really hasn’t affected the main stallion farms at all. Throughout the period between 2009 and 2012, when cuts in production were at their height, the top end of the market has continued growing, albeit by a small amount each year.

The 2016 Return of Mares for Britain and Ireland records that four stallions, excluding those utilised for jump racing, covered 200 or more mares and that 69 served 100 or more. All of these stallions will be in a good position to launch or sustain their careers in 2019.

However, it is never as simple as piling up numbers of mares. There has to be a strong backbone of high quality mares in a stallion’s book to give him the best opportunity to succeed.

I once calculated that the odds of making a good stallion in Britain and Ireland start at around 12-1. For the purposes of clarity, a good stallion is one that can sire 10% black-type winners to runners. So, when the best prospects retire and attract the best

Stallions ranked by no. of elite mares covered in Britain and Ireland (2016) Stallion

Farm

Dubawi Galileo Zoffany Invincible Spirit Lope de Vega Dark Angel Golden Horn Camelot Gleneagles Kingman Shamardal Muhaarar Kodiac

Darley Coolmore Coolmore Irish National Ballylinch Yeomanstown Darley Coolmore Coolmore Juddmonte Darley Shadwell Tally-Ho

GB IRE IRE IRE IRE IRE GB IRE IRE GB IRE GB IRE

mares, only one in 12 will reach the magical 10% black-type winners. More significantly, when a stallion starts out at the bottom of the market, standing for say less that £5,000, those odds shoot up to about 250-1. A sobering thought indeed.

So, we can conclude that raw numbers of mares alone will not get the job done. That said, many stallion farms will have little or no expectation of producing the next Dubawi or Galileo. And they will correctly surmise that the odds of making a viable commercial sire that will have enough longevity to make handsome profits are very much shorter than 250-1. Again among stallions starting out at £5,000 or less, one in 15 will go on to command higher fees once their first crop sell as yearlings and run as two-year-olds.

To obtain a clearer picture about which stallions have indeed earned the best opportunity from their 2016 mares, I have also included and ranked the stallions by the number of elite mares they have covered. For the purposes of this study an elite mare is one in the top 15% of the mare population deemed most likely to produce a black-type horse.

It is pretty much the norm these days for top-class sires like Galileo and Dubawi to have over 80% of their book made up of elite mares. Indeed, Dubawi’s ratio of 91% is the best of any stallion in ten years, and he also has the second and third best ratios of 87%, recorded in both 2013 Ventura Storm is a son of 2016 surprise smash hit Zoffany

Year

Fee

Mares

Elite

11 15 5 14 6 9 1 3 1 2 11 1 10

£225,000 Private €45,000 €120,000 €45,000 €60,000 £60,000 €25,000 €60,000 £55,000 Private £30,000 €45,000

159 157 203 150 183 195 145 204 150 136 108 127 230

144 130 129 121 117 116 114 112 100 99 89 83 83

Studs ranked by mares covered in Britain and Ireland (2016) Stud

Coolmore Darley Tally-Ho Juddmonte Irish National Yeomanstown Ballyhane Ballylinch Cheveley Whitsbury Rathasker Lanwades Shadwell Newsells

Sires

Mares

Elite

23 24 7 7 7 3 5 4 7 3 4 4 3 3

2,799 2,594 672 620 588 575 547 536 513 354 320 289 273 252

1,049 1,041 129 387 202 199 79 243 136 78 48 99 116 77

and 2015. In terms of numbers of elite mares, Galileo has dominated top spot for the nine years to 2015. However this year he was overtaken by Dubawi.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of 2016 is the Dansili stallion Zoffany, who covered almost as many elite mares as Galileo. It’s not that Zoffany didn’t deserve to climb this table, particularly after his good start with his first two-year-olds in 2015; it’s the extent to which he has done that is eye-catching. He’s ideally placed as a potential mate for all the Galileo mares at Coolmore.

The leading first-season sires were the DerbyArc hero Golden Horn, followed by crack miler Gleneagles and top-class sprinter Muhaarar.

Darley and Coolmore have always dominated this market and it is no surprise to see them on top of the elite mare table also. Both farms had 23 stallions that covered 20 or more mares, with Coolmore attracting 1,049 elite mares compared to Darley’s 1,041.

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In Our Time

BY TONY MORRIS & JOHN P. SPARKMAN

This is your chance to buy a superb 280 page limited edition book packed full of historical detail and containing the unique reminiscences of two of the finest racing journalists of their generation.

Personally signed and numbered by the authors, it follows the careers of some of the greatest thoroughbreds of the last 60 years on either side of the Atlantic and is beautifully illustrated with over 180 photographs.

Hardback bound, sewn and finished in dark blue Brillianta cloth with silver foil blocked titles, it is a work of art which will be treasured forever.

UK: £55 • EU: £61 (o70 approx.) • USA: £64 ($77 approx.) • Aus/NZ: £69 All prices are inclusive of postage and packing.

To buy a copy visit www.racinginourtime.com or call Doug Forster on +44 (0)1883 714800 (orders@racinginourtime.com)

InOurTime_2017_owner.indd 1

18/11/2016 17:42

DATA BOOK ANALYSIS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD

European Pattern 353 DUBAI FILLIES’ MILE STAKES G1 NEWMARKET. Oct 7. 2yof. 8f.

1. RHODODENDRON (IRE) 9-0 £302,690 b f by Galileo - Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal) O-Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Hydrangea (IRE) 9-0 £114,756 b f by Galileo - Beauty Is Truth (Pivotal) O-Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor B-Beauty Is Truth Syndicate TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Urban Fox (GB) 9-0 £57,432 b f by Foxwedge - Lomapamar (Nashwan) O-Mr Saeed Manana B-Mascalls Stud TR-James Tate Margins 2.25, 6. Time 1:37.70. Going Good to Firm.

Age 2

Starts 5

Wins 3

Places 2

Earned £394,220

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 245 Stakes winners. In 2016 ALICE SPRINGS Danehill Dancer G1, CHURCHILL Storm Cat G1, DEAUVILLE Danehill G1, FOUND Intikhab G1, HIGHLAND REEL Danehill G1, MINDING Danehill Dancer G1, MONDIALISTE Kaldoun G1, ORDER OF ST GEORGE Gone West G1, PHOTO CALL Rock of Gibraltar G1, RHODODENDRON Pivotal G1, SEVENTH HEAVEN Johannesburg G1, THE GURKHA Danehill Dancer G1, THE UNITED STATES Pivotal G1, WALDGEIST Monsun G1.

1st Dam: HALFWAY TO HEAVEN by Pivotal. 4 wins at 2 and 3, Boylesports Irish 1000 Guineas G1, Blue Square Nassau S G1, Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S G1, 3rd Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron S G1, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches G1. Dam of 4 winners: 2010: FLYING THE FLAG (c Galileo) 3 wins at 2, 3 and 5 at home, UAE, eFlow ‘You First’ International S G3, 2nd Galileo EBF Futurity S G2.

2011: JUST GORGEOUS (f Galileo) Winner at 3.

2012: HANOVER STREET (g Galileo) Winner over hurdles at 4.

2014: RHODODENDRON (f Galileo) 3 wins at 2, Dubai Fillies’ Mile S G1, Breast Cancer Research Debutante S G2, 3rd Moyglare Stud S G1.

2015: (f Galileo) 2nd Dam: CASSANDRA GO by Indian Ridge. 6 wins at 3 to 5 King’s Stand S G2, Tripleprint Temple S G2, 2nd Darley July Cup G1. Own sister to Grey Eminence.

Dam of HALFWAY TO HEAVEN (f Pivotal, see above), TICKLED PINK (f Invincible Spirit: Connaught Flooring Abernant S G3, The Coral Charge Sprint S G3), THEANN (f Rock of Gibraltar: Cuisine de France Summer S G3). Grandam of PHOTO CALL, BEST REGARDS. Broodmare Sire: PIVOTAL. Sire of the dams of 53 Stakes winners. In 2016 - HARBOUR LAW Lawman G1, RHODODENDRON Galileo G1, THE UNITED STATES Galileo G1, MUTAKAYYEF Sea The Stars G2, PLUJA Sidney’s Candy G2.

The Galileo/Pivotal cross has produced: RHODODENDRON G1, THE UNITED STATES G1, Hydrangea G1, FLYING THE FLAG G2, GOSPEL CHOIR G2, SILVER GALAXY G3, Tamarind Cove G3.

Danzig line mares, but he has also consistently shone with mares from other lines. For example, he has 15% black-type winners with daughters of Darshaan, 20% with daughters of Storm Cat, 22% with mares by Nashwan and 17% with daughters of Kingmambo. Two others that demand mention because of their high percentages are Pivotal (19%) and Indian Ridge (15%) and these two respectively sired the dam and second dam of one of Galileo’s latest stars, Rhododendron. This tough filly was a very decisive winner of the Fillies’ Mile on her first start beyond seven furlongs.

Rhododendron is clearly very well suited by a mile and there is every reason to expect her to stay a mile and a quarter - a distance over which her brother Flying The Flag won at Gr3 level. Their dam Halfway To Heaven proved she was well suited by a mile, winning the Irish 1,000 Guineas after finishing third in the Poule d‘Essai des Pouliches.

Halfway To Heaven then stunned Galileo’s top-class daughter Lush Lashes in a tight finish to the Gr1 Nassau Stakes over ten furlongs, even though the five-furlong King’s Stand Stakes would have seemed a likelier target in view of her pedigree.

Pivotal won the King’s Stand and so did Halfway To Heaven’s dam Cassandra Go and her broodmare sire Indian Ridge.

Cassandra Go also won the Temple Stakes and King George Stakes over the minimum distance. Speed was also the main asset of Cassandra Go’s Gr3-winning daughter Theann, even though she was by the miler Rock Of Gibraltar. When Theann was mated to Galileo, she produced Photo Call, who defeated Tepin to land the Gr1 First Lady Stakes over a mile in 2016, having sold for $3,000,000 in 2015.

Cassandra Go’s half-sister Persian Secret was a Listed winner over a mile but a mating to the Prix d’Ispahan winner Highest Honor resulted in the very smart sprinter Do The Honours. Cassandra Go was also a half-sister to Verglas, a Coventry Stakes winner. Galileo also sired the Gr3 seven-furlong winner Prima Luce from this family.

RHODODENDRON b f 2014 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge GALILEO b 98 Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Polar Falcon Pivotal Fearless Revival HALFWAY TO HEAVEN b/br 05 Indian Ridge Cassandra Go Rahaam

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Mr Prospector Hopespringseternal Lombard Anatevka Nureyev Marie d’Argonne Cozzene Stufida Ahonoora Hillbrow Secreto Fager’s Glory

It would be easy to get the impression that Galileo shines only with mares from the Danzig male line, but the truth is that this is well wide of the mark. Certainly, he owes more than 50 of his 130-odd Group winners to

120

354 DUBAI DEWHURST STAKES G1 NEWMARKET. Oct 8. 2yoc&f. 7f.

1. CHURCHILL (IRE) 9-1 £283,550 b c by Galileo - Meow (Storm Cat) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-Liberty Bloodstock TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Lancaster Bomber (USA) 9-1 £107,500 b c by War Front - Sun Shower (Indian Ridge) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-Sun Shower Syndicate TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Blue Point (IRE) 9-1 £53,800 b c by Shamardal - Scarlett Rose (Royal Applause) O-Godolphin B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock TR-Charlie Appleby Margins 1.25, 0.5. Time 1:23.80. Going Good.

Age 2

Starts 6

Wins 5

Places 1

Earned £559,193

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 245 Stakes winners. In 2016 ALICE SPRINGS Danehill Dancer G1, CHURCHILL

Storm Cat G1, DEAUVILLE Danehill G1, FOUND Intikhab G1, HIGHLAND REEL Danehill G1, MINDING Danehill Dancer G1, MONDIALISTE Kaldoun G1, ORDER OF ST GEORGE Gone West G1, PHOTO CALL Rock of Gibraltar G1, RHODODENDRON Pivotal G1, SEVENTH HEAVEN Johannesburg G1, THE GURKHA Danehill Dancer G1, THE UNITED STATES Pivotal G1, WALDGEIST Monsun G1.

2009: 2010: 2011: 2012:

1st Dam: MEOW by Storm Cat. 2 wins at 2, Grangecon Stud S LR, 2nd Queen Mary S G2. Dam of 1 winner: 2012: Curlylocks (f Galileo) 2014: CHURCHILL (c Galileo) 5 wins at 2, Dubai Dewhurst S G1, Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S G1, Galileo EBF Futurity S G2, Japan Racing Association Tyros S G3, Chesham S LR. 2015: (f Galileo) 2016: (c Galileo)

2013:

2nd Dam: AIRWAVE by Air Express. Champion 2yr old filly in England in 2002. 6 wins at 2 to 5 betfair Cheveley Park S G1, 2nd Golden Jubilee S G1, 3rd Darley July Cup G1, Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup G1. Dam of ALOOF (f Galileo: D. C. Lavarack & Lanwades Stud S G3), ORATOR (c Galileo: Grand Prix Anjou Bretagne LR), MEOW (f Storm Cat, see above)

Broodmare Sire: MONTJEU. Sire of the dams of 46 Stakes winners. In 2016 - JOURNEY Dubawi G1, LUCIA VALENTINA Savabeel G1, OBVIOUSLY Choisir G1, MIME Mastercraftsman G2, NURSE KITCHEN Savabeel G2.

Broodmare Sire: STORM CAT. Sire of the dams of 201 Stakes winners. In 2016 - A SHIN HIKARI Deep Impact G1, CHURCHILL Galileo G1, DANCING RAGS Union Rags G1, REAL STEEL Deep Impact G1, WEEP NO MORE Mineshaft G1.

2015: 2016:

LANCING (g Dansili) Winner over hurdles.

Remind Me (f Dansili) Singing Sky (f Oasis Dream) JOURNEY (f Dubawi) 6 wins at 3 and 4, Qipco Brit.Champions Fillies/Mare S G1, 188bet.co.uk Pinnacle S G3, British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon S LR, Princess Royal EBF Nayef S LR (twice), 2nd Qipco Brit.Champions Fillies/Mare S G1, 3rd Betfred Middleton S G2.

TRAVELLING MAN (c Oasis Dream) 2 wins at 3 in France. (f Mastercraftsman) (c Oasis Dream)

2nd Dam: CONTARE by Shirley Heights. 3 wins at 2 and 3 in France Prix Casimir Delamarre LR, Prix Solitude LR. Dam of MONTARE (f Montjeu, see above), Destare (f Desert Prince: 3rd Prix Isonomy LR), Orzare (g Montjeu: 3rd betvictor.com Holloway’s H. Hurdle G2)

The Dubawi/Montjeu cross has produced: JOURNEY G1, LADY OF DUBAI G1, DIPLOMA LR.

JOURNEY b f 2012 Dubai Millennium

The Galileo/Storm Cat cross has produced: ALOFT G1, BALLYDOYLE G1, CHURCHILL G1, COOLMORE G1, GLENEAGLES G1, MARVELLOUS G1, MISTY FOR ME G1, DECORATED KNIGHT G2, GLOBAL VIEW G2, TWIRL G3, Galileo’s Song G3, Taj Mahal G3.

DUBAWI b 02 Zomaradah

Montjeu MONTARE b 02

CHURCHILL b c 2014 Sadler’s Wells GALILEO b 98 Urban Sea

Storm Cat MEOW b 08 Airwave

Northern Dancer Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Fairy Bridge Special Mr Prospector Miswaki Hopespringseternal Lombard Allegretta Anatevka Northern Dancer Storm Bird South Ocean Secretariat Terlingua Crimson Saint Salse Air Express Ibtisamm Indian Ridge Kangra Valley Thorner Lane

See race 288 in the November issue 355 QIPCO BRIT.CHAMPIONS FILLIES/MARE STAKES G1 ASCOT. Oct 15. 3yo+f. 12f.

1. JOURNEY (GB) 4 9-5 £340,260 b f by Dubawi - Montare (Montjeu) O-Mr George Strawbridge B-G. Strawbridge TR-John Gosden 2. Speedy Boarding (GB) 4 9-5 £129,000 b f by Shamardal - Dash To The Front (Diktat) O-Helena Springfield Ltd B-Meon Valley Stud TR-James Fanshawe 3. Queen’s Trust (GB) 3 8-12 £64,560 b f by Dansili - Queen’s Best (King’s Best) O-Cheveley Park Stud B-Cheveley Park Stud Limited TR-Sir Michael Stoute Margins 4, Neck. Time 2:28.40. Going Good.

Age 2-4

Starts 13

Wins 6

Places 5

Earned £590,054

Sire: DUBAWI. Sire of 127 Stakes winners. In 2016 ERUPT Caerleon G1, JOURNEY Montjeu G1, LEFT HAND Singspiel G1, POSTPONED Dubai Destination G1, WUHEIDA Singspiel G1, DARTMOUTH Galileo G2, MOVE UP Soviet Star G2, SAFETY CHECK Royal Academy G2, SHAMREEN Bahri G2, SHEIKHZAYEDROAD Highest Honor G2, TIME TEST Dansili G2.

1st Dam: MONTARE by Montjeu. 7 wins at 2 to 5 in France, Prix Royal-Oak G1, 2nd Prix Vermeille-Lucien Barriere G1. Dam of 3 winners:

Contare

Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector Con Game Colorado Dancer Shareef Dancer Fall Aspen Shirley Heights Deploy Slightly Dangerous Dancing Brave Jawaher High Tern Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Top Ville Floripedes Toute Cy Shirley Heights Mill Reef Hardiemma Pharly Balenare Flashy

“A wild little thing” was how John Gosden affectionately described Journey after this daughter of Dubawi had sprinted clear to take the British Champion Fillies & Mares Stakes in impressive style. This was the first Gr1 success for Journey, but she had also run very well when a close second to Simple Verse in the same race a year earlier.

Journey’s quirkiness is no great surprise in view of her bloodlines. For a start, her dam Montare is by Montjeu, a stallion whose daughters had a well-earned reputation for having temperament to match their talent. A prime example was Chicquita, the Irish Oaks winner of 2013 who snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when she careered across the course in the 2014 Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.

Montare also had her quirks and she was equipped with both a sheepskin noseband and with sheepskin cheekpieces when she took the Gr1 Prix Royal-Oak over a distance just short of two miles in 2006. Timeform’s description of Montare’s Royal-Oak success read “Montare, typically, looked ungainly in the closing stages, her tongue out as she carried her head awkwardly and also flashing her tail, though it has to be said she lacked nothing in resolution.”

Montare probably owed her tendency to flash her tail to her

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Caulfield on Journey: “Champions Day was the first Group 1 success for her, but she had also run very well when a close second to Simple Verse in the same race a year earlier”

broodmare sire Shirley Heights, whose daughters sometimes displayed this trait. One of the most memorable examples was the Gr1 winner Infamy, whose second dam, the very temperamental Sunbittern, is the fourth dam of Dubawi.

As Shirley Heights also appears in Dubawi’s pedigree, Journey is inbred 4 x 3 to Shirley Heights (with inbreeding to this game dual Derby winner being a notable feature in the pedigrees of plenty of Dubawi’s other Gr1 winners, such as Al Kazeem, Arabian Queen, Hunter’s Light and Left Hand).

Journey’s owner-breeder George Strawbridge also bred and owned the filly’s first two dams. Journey’s second dam, Contare, won a pair of Listed races at up to nine furlongs in France as a three-year-old. Contare was comparatively speedy for a daughter of Shirley Heights, no doubt because she was the product of a female line with plenty of speed.

Journey’s fourth dam, Flashy, was also very useful at around nine furlongs, and this tough mare was a daughter of Sovereign, Britain’s top two-year-old filly of 1967.

356 QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SPRINT STAKES G1 ASCOT. Oct 15. 3yo+. 6f.

1. THE TIN MAN (GB) 4 9-2 £340,260 b g by Equiano - Persario (Bishop of Cashel) O-Fred Archer Racing - Ormonde B-Mrs E. M. Grundy TR-James Fanshawe 2. Growl (GB) 4 9-2 £129,000 b g by Oasis Dream - Desert Tigress (Storm Cat) O-Dr Marwan Koukash B-Kincorth Investments Inc TR-Richard Fahey 3. Brando (GB) 4 9-2 £64,560 ch g by Pivotal - Argent du Bois (Silver Hawk) O-Mrs Angie Bailey B-Car Colston Hall Stud TR-Kevin Ryan Margins 1, Short Head. Time 1:12.10. Going Good.

Age 3-4

Starts 11

Wins 6

Places 2

Earned £516,937

Sire: EQUIANO. Sire of 11 Stakes winners. In 2016 THE TIN MAN Bishop of Cashel G1, MEDICINE JACK Formidable G2, BACIAMI PICCOLA Danehill Dancer G3, BELVOIR BAY Rock of Gibraltar G3, SEWAR Hurricane Sky G3, ALICANTE DAWN Rock of Gibraltar LR, VALLIANO Elusive Quality LR. 1st Dam: PERSARIO by Bishop of Cashel. 2 wins at 3 and 5. Dam of 5 winners: 2007: DEACON BLUES (g Compton Place) Champion older sprinter in Europe in 2011. 7 wins at 2 to 4, Qipco British Champions Sprint S G2.

2008: Voom Voom (f Bahamian Bounty) unraced.

Broodmare.

2009: IF SO (f Iffraaj) 4 wins at 3 and 4. Broodmare.

2010: Holley Shiftwell (f Bahamian Bounty) 4 wins at 3 and 4, 2nd Whitsbury/EBF Stallions Lansdown S LR, Scottish Sun EBF Land O’Burns S LR. 2012: THE TIN MAN (g Equiano) Sold 80,000gns yearling at TAOC1. 6 wins at 3 and 4, Qipco British Champions Sprint S G1, bet365 Hackwood S G3, Weatherbys Leisure S LR, 2nd 32Red Sprint Cup G1.

2013: Blues Sister (f Compton Place) unraced to date.

2014: HILARIO (c Sepoy) Winner at 2.

2015: (f Sepoy) 2016: (c Poet’s Voice) 2nd Dam: BARFORD LADY by Stanford. 2 wins at 3.

Dam of WARNINGFORD (c Warning: Peter Sandrovich Leicestershire S G3 (3 times), 2nd Juddmonte Lockinge S G1, 3rd Prix de la Foret G1)

Broodmare Sire: BISHOP OF CASHEL. Sire of the dams of 6 Stakes winners.

TR-John Gosden Margins 2, 1.75. Time 2:05.90. Going Good.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 2-3 10 8 1 £2,135,991

THE TIN MAN b g 2012 Royal Applause Acclamation Princess Athena EQUIANO b 05 Ela-Mana-Mou Entente Cordiale Mirmande Warning Bishop of Cashel Ballet Classique PERSARIO b 99 Stanford Barford Lady Grace Poole

Waajib Flying Melody Ahonoora Shopping Wise Pitcairn Rose Bertin Kris Secala Known Fact Slightly Dangerous Sadler’s Wells Estaciones Red God Sweet Almond Sallust Marvedo

When the time comes to decide the Broodmare of the Year award, serious consideration ought to be given to Persario. There have been only six Champions Days at Ascot but in that time the QIPCO British Champions Sprint has been won by two of Persario’s sons. Although the race carried only Gr2 status when it fell to her Compton Place gelding Deacon Blues in 2011, her Equiano gelding The Tin Man became a Gr1 winner when he took the latest edition, a year after he had finished fourth of 20 behind Muhaarar. Persario now has five winners from five runners.

Persario wasn’t an obvious candidate to enjoy such success as a broodmare, although Timeform rated her a respectable 96 after she had gained her second success, over six furlongs as a five-year-old. Her sire, the Gr2 winner Bishop Of Cashel, was represented by nothing better than a Gr3 winner in Europe (his son Ecclesiastical became a Gr1 winner as Olympic Express after his sale to Hong Kong). Bishop Of Cashel was

by Warning, who was mated to Persario’s dam Barford Lady to produce Warningford, a very durable and smart performer who excelled over seven furlongs. Barford Lady was a fairly useful winner at up to a mile.

The Tin Man’s win set the seal on a successful year for his sire Equiano.

This dual winner of the King’s Stand Stakes has only three crops of racing age and at least one Group winner has emerged from each of them. In fact there were three in his first crop, headed by The Tin Man and the smart sprinter Strath Burn, and three in his second, including Gr3 winners on dirt and turf in the U.S. That’s a pretty good record for a stallion who spent his first five seasons at £8,000 and his sixth at £7,000.

357 QIPCO CHAMPION STAKES G1 ASCOT. Oct 15. 3yo+. 10f.

1. ALMANZOR (FR) 3 9-0 £737,230 b c by Wootton Bassett - Darkova (Maria’s Mon) O-Ecurie Antonio Caro B-Haras D'Etreham TR-Jean Claude Rouget 2. Found (IRE) 4 9-2 £279,500 b f by Galileo - Red Evie (Intikhab) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-Roncon, Wynatt & Chelston TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Jack Hobbs (GB) 4 9-5 £139,880 br c by Halling - Swain’s Gold (Swain) O-Godolphin & Partners B-Minster Stud

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Sire: WOOTTON BASSETT. Sire of 1 Stakes winner.

2014: 2015: 2016:

Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas G1, Breast Cancer Research Debutante S G2, 3rd QIPCO Irish Champion S G1.

How (f Galileo) (f Galileo) (f Galileo)

1st Dam: Darkova by Maria’s Mon. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2013: ALMANZOR (c Wootton Bassett) Sold 79,365gns yearling at ARAU1. 8 wins at 2 and 3 at home, France, Qipco Champion S G1, QIPCO Irish Champion S G1, Prix du Jockey Club G1, Prix Guillaume d’OrnanoLogis St Germain G2, Prix de Guiche G3, Gd. Criterium de Bordeaux HK Jockey Club LR, 3rd Prix de Fontainebleau G3.

2014: Troarn (f Wootton Bassett) unraced to date.

2015: (c Falco)

2nd Dam: Hoity Toity by Darshaan. unraced. Dam of LILLIE LANGTRY (f Danehill Dancer, see above), COUNT OF LIMONADE (c Duke of Marmalade: Dubai Duty Free Celebration S LR, 3rd Jebel Ali Anglesey S G3, Airlie Stud Gallinule S G3). Grandam of MASTER APPRENTICE.

2nd Dam: DARKARA by Halling. 4 wins at 3 and 4 in France Prix des Tourelles LR.

The Galileo/Danehill Dancer cross has produced: ALICE SPRINGS G1, MINDING G1, THE GURKHA G1, WEDDING VOW G1, BEACON ROCK G2, QUEST FOR PEACE G2, Criteria G2, Lahinch Classics G2, BE MY GAL G3, KISSED BY ANGELS G3, RECORDER G3, Kingston Jamaica G3, Noble Galileo G3, Queen Nefertiti G3, INDIAN MAHARAJA LR, KIND OF MAGIC LR, Bound LR, Facade LR, Felix Mendelssohn LR, Seussical LR.

Broodmare Sire: MARIA’S MON. Sire of the dams of 26 Stakes winners. In 2016 - ALMANZOR Wootton Bassett G1, SANTILLANO Easing Along G1, USHERETTE Shamardal G2, INSPECTOR LYNLEY Lemon Drop Kid G3, ALIGNEMENT Pivotal LR, ENERGIA DAVOS Torrential LR, SHOW DAY Shamardal LR, UXIA P Wilburn LR.

Broodmare Sire: DANEHILL DANCER. Sire of the dams of 62 Stakes winners. In 2016 - ALICE SPRINGS Galileo G1, MINDING Galileo G1, MUSIC MAGNATE Written Tycoon G1, THE GURKHA Galileo G1, HAWKSMOOR Azamour G2.

MINDING b f 2013 ALMANZOR b c 2013 Northern Dancer Gone West Zaizafon Nureyev Pastorale Park Appeal Dominion Primo Dominie Swan Ann Susquehanna Days Chief’s Crown Gliding By Wavering Monarch Majestic Light Uncommitted Caro Carlotta Maria Water Malone Diesis Halling Dance Machine Doyoun Daralbayda Daralinsha

Sadler’s Wells

Zafonic

Iffraaj WOOTTON BASSETT b 08 Balladonia

Maria’s Mon DARKOVA ch 08 Darkara

See race 56 in the July issue

Fairy Bridge GALILEO b 98 Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Danehill Danehill Dancer Mira Adonde LILLIE LANGTRY b/br 07 Darshaan Hoity Toity Hiwaayati

See race 40 in the June issue 359 GRAN PREMIO DEL JOCKEY CLUB G1

358 QIPCO QUEEN ELIZABETH II STAKES G1

MILAN. Oct 16. 3yo+. 2400m.

ASCOT. Oct 15. 3yo+. 8f.

1. MINDING (IRE) 3 8-12 £656,432 b f by Galileo - Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer) O-Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Ribchester (IRE) 3 9-1 £248,868 b c by Iffraaj - Mujarah (Marju) O-Godolphin B-A. Thompson & M. O’Brien TR-Richard Fahey 3. Lightning Spear (GB) 5 9-4 £124,550 ch h by Pivotal - Atlantic Destiny (Royal Academy) O-Qatar Racing Limited B-Newsells Park Stud Limited TR-David Simcock Margins 0.5, 1. Time 1:38.50. Going Good.

Age 2-3

Starts 12

Wins 8

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Mr Prospector Hopespringseternal Lombard Anatevka Danzig Razyana Sharpen Up Lettre d’Amour Shirley Heights Delsy Shadeed Alathea

Places Earned 4 £2,261,742

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 245 Stakes winners. In 2016 ALICE SPRINGS Danehill Dancer G1, CHURCHILL Storm Cat G1, DEAUVILLE Danehill G1, FOUND Intikhab G1, HIGHLAND REEL Danehill G1, MINDING Danehill Dancer G1, MONDIALISTE Kaldoun G1, ORDER OF ST GEORGE Gone West G1, PHOTO CALL Rock of Gibraltar G1, RHODODENDRON Pivotal G1, SEVENTH HEAVEN Johannesburg G1, THE GURKHA Danehill Dancer G1, THE UNITED STATES Pivotal G1, WALDGEIST Monsun G1.

1st Dam: LILLIE LANGTRY by Danehill Dancer. 5 wins at 2 and 3, Coronation S G1, Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron S G1, 3rd Moyglare Stud S G1. Dam of 2 winners: 2012: KISSED BY ANGELS (f Galileo) Winner at 3, Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial G3.

2013: MINDING (f Galileo) Champion 2yr old filly in Europe in 2015. 8 wins at 2 and 3, Dubai Fillies’ Mile S G1, Moyglare Stud S G1, Qatar Nassau S G1, Investec Oaks S G1, Qipco 1000 Guineas G1, Sea the Stars Pretty Polly S G1, Qipco Queen Elizabeth II S G1, 2nd

1. VENTURA STORM (IRE) 3 8-13 b c by Zoffany - Sarawati (Haafhd) O-Middleham Park Racing LXXII B-Mr L. Kennedy TR-Richard Hannon 2. Full Drago (ITY) 3 8-13 b c by Pounced - Almata (Almutawakel) O-Dioscuri Srl B-Massimo Dragoni TR-Stefano Botti 3. Elbereth (GB) 5 9-1 b m by Mount Nelson - Masandra (Desert Prince) O-Mr David Taylor B-D. Taylor TR-Andrew Balding Margins Neck, 2.75. Time 2:29.20. Going Soft.

Age 2-3

Starts 12

Wins 6

Places 2

Earned £327,647

Sire: ZOFFANY. Sire of 10 Stakes winners. In 2016 VENTURA STORM Haafhd G1, KNIFE EDGE Monsun G2, ZODIAC RULER Last Tycoon G2, DOLCE STREGA Oratorio G3, LIGHT UP OUR WORLD Fantastic Light LR, WASHINGTON DC Shinko Forest LR. 1st Dam: Sarawati by Haafhd. Dam of 2 winners: 2011: BELLA VARENNA (f Lawman) Winner at 3.

2013: VENTURA STORM (c Zoffany) Sold 39,681gns yearling at GOOY1. 6 wins at 2 and 3 at home, France, Italy, Gran Premio del Jockey Club G1, Haras de la Pomme (Argentine) P. de Reux G3, 1stsecuritysolutions Feilden S LR, EBF Stallions Glasgow S LR, 2nd Ladbrokes St Leger S G1.

2015: (c Footstepsinthesand) 2016: (c Rip Van Winkle) 2nd Dam: MATHAAYL by Shadeed. 2 wins at 3. Dam of SAHOOL (f Unfuwain: EBF Chalice S LR, 2nd Bet365 Lancashire Oaks G2, Ribblesdale S G2). Grandam of MARAAHEL, GUTAIFAN, ERYSIMUM, Huja, Cest Notre Gris. Third dam of TAZAHUM, Alhaban, Munaaser, Haikbidiac, Kallisha, Eagle Rock.

121

DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

European Pattern Broodmare Sire: HAAFHD. Sire of the dams of 5 Stakes winners. In 2016 - QUIET REFLECTION Showcasing G1, VENTURA STORM Zoffany G1, MELESINA Dark Angel G3, RAINBOW ROYAL Paco Boy G3.

VENTURA STORM b c 2013 Danehill Dansili Hasili ZOFFANY b 08 Machiavellian Tyranny Dust Dancer Alhaarth Haafhd Al Bahathri SARAWATI b 06 Shadeed Mathaayl Manal

Danzig Razyana Kahyasi Kerali Mr Prospector Coup de Folie Suave Dancer Galaxie Dust Unfuwain Irish Valley Blushing Groom Chain Store Nijinsky Continual Luthier Top Twig

Like Danehill himself, Dansili has proved capable of siring smart performers over a wide range of distances and it looks as though Dansili’s son Zoffany is going to continue this trend.

On September 10, his son Ventura Storm finished a close second in the St Leger and just over three weeks later another son, Washington DC, was a close second in the Prix de l’Abbaye.

Ventura Storm then provided Zoffany with his first northern hemisphere Gr1 success when he gamely landed the Gran Premio del Jockey Club. He is one of six Group winners from Zoffany’s impressive first crop, which was sired at a mere £7,500, and this crop also includes Architecture, runner-up in the Oaks and Irish Oaks.

Bought for 110,000gns at Tattersalls as a two-year-old, Ventura Storm is out of Sarawati, who fetched 16,000gns, in foal to Lawman, at Tattersalls’ 2010 December Sales.

Like many of the progeny of Haafhd, she had been a disappointment on the track, her best effort in four starts being her fourth at Ballinrobe. However, Sarawati now ranks among four daughters of Haafhd who have been represented by a Group winner in 2016, another being the dam of that fine sprinter Quiet Reflection.

Although Sarawati was not bred by Shadwell, both her parents were. Her dam, the Shadeed mare Mathaayl, produced the Ribblesdale Stakes second Sahool and now has three daughters with Group winners to their credit.

Her Nashwan filly Nasanice produced Maraahel (Gr2 Hardwicke Stakes) and her Lahib filly Alikhlas is the dam of Gutaifan (Gr2 Prix Robert Papin and Gr2 Flying Childers Stakes).

Ventura Storm’s third dam, the French-bred Manal, also ranks as the source of many other good winners for Sheikh Hamdan, but one descendant which didn’t race for Shadwell is the 2016 Gr2 Duke of York Stakes winner Magical Memory, who has Manal as his fourth dam.

122

360 RACING POST TROPHY G1 DONCASTER. Oct 22. 2yoc&f. 8f.

1. RIVET (IRE) 9-1 £113,420 b c by Fastnet Rock - Starship (Galileo) O-The Starship Partnership B-Mr D. Scott TR-William Haggas 2. Yucatan (IRE) 9-1 £43,000 b c by Galileo - Six Perfections (Celtic Swing) O-Flaxman Stables/Mrs Magnier/Tabor/Smith B-The Niarchos Family TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Salouen (IRE) 9-1 £21,520 b c by Canford Cliffs - Gali Gal (Galileo) O-Mr H. Balasuriya B-Silvercon Edgerodge Ltd TR-Sylvester Kirk Margins 1.75, Neck. Time 1:37.00. Going Good.

Age 2

Starts 5

Wins 3

Places 1

Earned £210,481

Sire: FASTNET ROCK. Sire of 104 Stakes winners. In 2016 - FASCINATING ROCK Polar Falcon G1, HEROIC VALOUR Nassipour G1, INTRICATELY Galileo G1, RIVET Galileo G1, AMICUS El Moxie G2, AWESOME ROCK Giant’s Causeway G2, COUGAR MOUNTAIN Nureyev G2, FIRST SEAL Scenic G2, MONGOLIAN FALCON Galileo G2, ONE FOOT IN HEAVEN Peintre Celebre G2.

1st Dam: STARSHIP by Galileo. 3 wins at 2 and 3.

Dam of 6 winners: 2008: ALEXANDER POPE (c Danehill Dancer) 4 wins at 2, 3 and 6 at home, New Zealand, Airlie Stud Gallinule S G3, 3rd King Edward VII S G2.

2009: PICKLED PELICAN (g Dylan Thomas) 5 wins.

2010: MARTIAN (g Duke of Marmalade) 3 wins.

2011: BILIMBI (g Duke of Marmalade) 3 wins.

2012: Jamm (f Duke of Marmalade) unraced.

Broodmare.

2013: OUT AND ABOUT (g Fastnet Rock) 2 wins at 2 and 3.

2014: RIVET (c Fastnet Rock) 3 wins at 2, Racing Post Trophy G1, At the Races Champagne S G2.

2015: (c Declaration of War) 2nd Dam: Council Rock by General Assembly. Dam of SUPERSTAR LEO (f College Chapel: Polypipe Flying Childers S G2, 2nd Independent Heinz 57 Phoenix S G1, Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp G1). Grandam of DECEMBER DRAW, ENTICING, SENTARIL, Appiel, Boston Rocker, Dynamo, Biri’s Angel. Third dam of Sors, THE STOMP, Vlatan.

Broodmare Sire: GALILEO. Sire of the dams of 66 Stakes winners. In 2016 - GALILEO GOLD Paco Boy G1, INTRICATELY Fastnet Rock G1, LA CRESSONNIERE Le Havre G1, RIVET Fastnet Rock G1, DARTMOUTH Dubawi G2, MONGOLIAN FALCON Fastnet Rock G2, RICH LEGACY Holy Roman Emperor G2, ROLY POLY War Front G2, VANQUISH RUN Deep Impact G2.

The Fastnet Rock/Galileo cross has produced: INTRICATELY G1, MAGICOOL G1, QUALIFY G1, RIVET G1, TURRET ROCKS G1, MONGOLIAN FALCON G2, ROCK HERO G2, Sailing By G2, Shogun G2, COVER SONG G3, ZHUKOVA G3, Perfect Dare G3, EAGLE ISLAND LR, Land’s End LR, Special Memories LR.

RIVET b c 2014 Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Razyana Spring Adieu Nijinsky Royal Academy Crimson Saint Marauding Gatana Twigalae Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta General Assembly Secretariat Exclusive Dancer Green Dancer Dancing Rocks Croda Rossa Danzig

Danehill FASTNET ROCK b 01 Piccadilly Circus

Galileo STARSHIP b 03 Council Rock

Fastnet Rock’s progeny enjoyed something of a purple patch over a couple of days in late-October.

Rosarno took a mile maiden at Newbury and two more winners for the Coolmore shuttler followed that day, including the impressive handicap winner Entsar. A day later the milliondollar Crimson Rock made a winning debut in another Newbury maiden, before Rivet bounced back from a disappointing effort in the Dewhurst to win the Racing Post Trophy. There was even an impressive debut winner at Keeneland.

It will come as no surprise that the broodmare sires of these winners included Sadler’s Wells (sire of the dams of Crimson Rock and Keeneland winner Tamit) and his son Galileo (sire of the dams of Entsar and Rivet). The decision to shuttle Fastnet Rock from Australia to Ireland was at least partly motivated by a desire to inject speed into daughters of Sadler’s Wells and Galileo.

Fastnet Rock currently has 120 foals of racing age out of Sadler’s Wells mares and 74 out of Galileo mares (some of them based in Australia). Both crosses have proved their worth, with Sadler’s Wells mares achieving 6% black-type winners and Galileo mares a very impressive 12%.

The 74 foals include the Oaks winner Qualify, this year’s Gr1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Intricately, the Gr2 winner Turret Rocks, the Gr3 scorer Zhukova and now Rivet, whose record also features a victory in the Gr2 Champagne Stakes.

Fastnet Rock, of course, is by Danehill, so mating him to Galileo mares goes some way towards replicating the enormous success that Galileo has enjoyed with daughters of Danehill and now Danehill Dancer.

Rivet comes from a very successful female line, his third dam being the influential Dancing Rocks (a granddaughter of Nijinsky, which means that Rivet’s pedigree features 4 x 4 to Northern Dancer and 4 x 5 to Nijinsky).

Despite having a May 22 birthday, Dancing Rocks won both her starts at two and then progressed to defeat the outstanding Time Charter in the Nassau Stakes. Several of Dancing Rock’s daughters did well as broodmares, none more so than Glatisant. This Rainbow Quest filly enjoyed Gr1 success with Footstepsinthesand and Pedro The Great and her daughter Frappe matched this achievement by producing Power and Curvy.

Rivet’s second dam, the nonwinning Council Rock, can’t match Glatisant’s record but she still did very well. Her best effort was that fast filly Superstar Leo, a half-sister to Rivet’s dam Starship.

While not as speedy as Superstar Leo, Starship won over seven furlongs at two and twice over a mile at three.

Galileo, though, is generally a generous source of stamina and Starship’s previous Group winner, Alexander Pope, won the Gallinule Stakes over a mile and a quarter, even though he was by Danehill Dancer, another fast son of Danehill.

361 PREMIO LYDIA TESIO G1 ROME. Oct 23. 3yo+f. 2000m.

1. SOUND OF FREEDOM (IRE) 4 9-0 ch f by Duke of Marmalade - Paint In Green (Invincible Spirit) O-Scuderia Effevi SRL B-Razza Del Velino TR-Marco Botti 2. Zghorta Dance (FR) 3 8-10 ch f by Le Havre - Ana Zghorta (Anabaa) O-Ecurie I M Fares B-Scea Haras De Manneville TR-J-C Rouget 3. Laganore (IRE) 4 9-0 b f by Fastnet Rock - Lady Bones (Royal Applause) O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd TR-A. J. Martin Margins 1.25, 1.5. Time 2:03.73. Going Soft.

Age 2-4

Starts 14

Wins 5

Places 5

Earned £336,954

Sire: DUKE OF MARMALADE. Sire of 32 Stakes winners. In 2016 - SOUND OF FREEDOM Invincible Spirit G1, BIG ORANGE Fasliyev G2, SIMPLE VERSE Sadler’s Wells G2, CAN’THELPBELIEVING Soviet Star G3, DIAMOND MADE Show A Heart G3, DUCHESS ANDORRA Cadeaux Genereux G3, DUKE DERBY Medaaly LR, PAMONA Inchinor LR, RESPONSIBLEFORLOVE Vettori LR, SWINGING DUKE In The Wings LR. 1st Dam: Paint In Green by Invincible Spirit. 7 wins at 2 to 4 in Italy, 3rd Premio EBF Terme di Merano LR, Premio FIA European Breeders Fund LR. Dam of 3 winners: 2010: DRIVE TO HELL (c Manduro) 3 wins at 3 and 4 in Italy, P. Marchese Giuseppe Ippolito Fassati LR. 2011: COLLATERAL RISK (c Duke of Marmalade) 5 wins at 3 to 5 in Italy, Premio Gardone LR. 2012: SOUND OF FREEDOM (f Duke of Marmalade) Sold 42,586gns yearling at SGSEP. 5 wins at 2 to 4 in Italy, Premio Lydia Tesio G1, P.Regina Elena Tris Straordin-1000 Gns G3, Premio Seregno LR, 2nd Premio Lydia Tesio G1, Derby Italiano 10elotto G2, Premio Archidamia LR, 3rd Premio Verziere Memorial Aldo Cirla G3.

2014: Into The Lane (f Excelebration) 2015: (f Nathaniel) 2016: (c Rip Van Winkle) 2nd Dam: THEORY OF LAW by Generous. 3 wins at 3 in France. Dam of MARVADA (f Elusive City: Irish Stall.

Farms EBF Brownstown S G3), Paint In Green (f Invincible Spirit, see above) Broodmare Sire: INVINCIBLE SPIRIT. Sire of the dams of 6 Stakes winners. In 2016 - SOUND OF FREEDOM Duke of Marmalade G1, KHALEESY Galileo LR. The Duke of Marmalade/Invincible Spirit cross has produced: SOUND OF FREEDOM G1, COLLATERAL RISK LR.

SOUND OF FREEDOM ch f 2012 Danzig Danehill Razyana DUKE OF MARMALADE b 04 Kingmambo Love Me True Lassie’s Lady Green Desert Invincible Spirit Rafha PAINT IN GREEN b 04 Generous Theory of Law Lettre de Cachet

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Mr Prospector Miesque Alydar Lassie Dear Danzig Foreign Courier Kris Eljazzi Caerleon Doff The Derby Secreto Royal Suite

The early part of Duke Of Marmalade’s stallion career bore such little resemblance to his illustrious racing record that he was sold to Drakenstein Stud in South Africa in May 2014, when his first crop was three years old.

Since then, of course, he has hardly stopped siring smart winners.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Caulfield on Sound Of Freedom: “The Premio Lydia Tesio winner is the third Italian stakes winner for her dam Theory Law, a half-sister to Prix Morny winner Charge d’Affaires”

His three-year-olds of 2015 proved to be a remarkable collection, with Star Of Seville taking the Prix de Diane, Nutan the Deutsches Derby and Simple Verse the St Leger (with the help of the stewards).

There was also a success in a fourth ‘Classic’, if you are prepared to consider Italy’s 1,000 Guineas equivalent – the Gr3 Premio Regina Elena – worthy of such a description.

Sound Of Freedom finally became a Gr1 winner in the 2016 Premio Lydia Tesio, gaining compensation for her neck defeat in the same race a year earlier. In between these two good efforts, Sound Of Freedom had struggled in four races in Britain and she clearly appreciates the soft ground often encountered in Italy.

Sound Of Freedom is by no means the only good 2016 winner for Duke Of Marmalade, as he has also been very ably represented by Big Orange, Can’thelpbelieving (in the USA), Duchess Andorra and Simple Verse.

Sound Of Freedom is the third Italian stakes winner for her dam Theory Law, a half-sister to the Prix Morny winner Charge d’Affaires.

362 PRIX ROYAL-OAK G1 SAINT-CLOUD. Oct 23. 3yo+. 3100m.

1. VAZIRABAD (FR) 4 9-4 £147,051 b g by Manduro - Visorama (Linamix) O-H.H. Aga Khan B-S C E A Haras De Son Altesse L'Aga Khan TR-A. de Royer Dupre 2. Endless Time (IRE) 4 9-1 £58,831 b f by Sea The Stars - Mamonta (Fantastic Light) O-Godolphin B-Mabaki Investments TR-Charlie Appleby 3. Siljan’s Saga (FR) 6 9-1 £29,415 bl m by Sagamix - Humoriste (Saint Cyrien) O-E Palluat de Besset/E Tassin B-Mme Antoinette Ouvry TR-J. P. Gauvin Margins 1.75, 0.5. Time 3:29.33. Going Good to Soft.

Age 3-4

Starts 13

Wins 9

Places 2

Earned £986,011

Sire: MANDURO. Sire of 29 Stakes winners. In 2016 VAZIRABAD Linamix G1, LEONIDAS DA SILVA Val de Grace G2, BARAO DA SERRA Ghadeer G3, DURETTO Lando G3, OLYMPIC FLUKE Theatrical G3, PLEIN AIR Galileo LR, RED STARS Galileo LR, TECHNO QUEEN Priolo LR, WANDERINA Dashing Blade LR. 1st Dam: VISORAMA by Linamix. 3 wins at 3 in France, Prix de Flore G3, 2nd Prix Corrida G2, 3rd Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud G1. Own sister to VISIONARY and Visionnaire. Dam of 7 winners: 2006: VIDIYNA (f Danehill Dancer) Winner at 3 in France. Broodmare.

2007: VIZIYYA (f Sinndar) 2 wins at 3 in France.

Broodmare.

2008: VIDAYAR (c Shamardal) 2 wins at 4 in France.

2009: VIZINGA (f Marju) 2 wins at 3 in France.

Broodmare.

2010: VISOMIYA (f Rock of Gibraltar) Winner at 3 in France. Broodmare.

2011: VISORIYNA (f Dansili) 3 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Prix La Sorellina LR, 3rd Prix Perth G3, Prix de Lieurey G3.

2012: VAZIRABAD (g Manduro). 9 wins at 3 and 4 in France, UAE, Prix Royal-Oak G1 (twice), Qatar Prix Chaudenay G2, Prix Vicomtesse Vigier G2, Al Tayer Motors Dubai Gold Cup G2, Prix de Lutece G3, Qatar Prix Gladiateur G3, 2nd Qatar Prix du Cadran G1.

2nd Dam: VISOR by Mr Prospector. 1 win at 3 in USA. Dam of VARENAR (c Rock of Gibraltar: Total Prix de la Foret G1), VISINDAR (c Sinndar: Prix Greffulhe-

Mitsubishi Motors G2), VISORAMA (f Linamix, see above), VISIONARY (c Linamix: Prix Matchem LR, 3rd Dubai Poule d’Essai des Poulains G1), Visorhill (c Danehill: 2nd La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte G3), Visionnaire (f Linamix: 2nd Prix Chloe G3, Prix de la Grotte G3, 3rd Prix de Diane Hermes G1, Prix SaintAlary G1). Grandam of VISIONARIO, Visiyani, Danon Major, Vison Celebre. Third dam of Viserano.

Broodmare Sire: LINAMIX. Sire of the dams of 100 Stakes winners. In 2016 - ECTOT Hurricane Run G1, VAZIRABAD Manduro G1, FRANKUUS Frankel G3, KONTRASTAT My Risk G3, AZAZEL Snitzel LR, FIVE FIFTEEN Zafeen LR, GABELLA Archange d’Or LR, MUNTAHAA Dansili LR, SAGAROI King’s Best LR, SILVER RAINBOW Starspangledbanner LR.

VAZIRABAD b g 2012 Konigsstuhl Monsun Mosella MANDURO b 02 Be My Guest Mandellicht Mandelauge Mendez Linamix Lunadix VISORAMA gr 00 Mr Prospector Visor Look

Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Monasia Northern Dancer What A Treat Elektrant Mandriale Bellypha Miss Carina Breton Lutine Raise A Native Gold Digger Spectacular Bid Tuerta

I don’t suppose expectations were especially high when Vazirabad landed the odds in a 15-furlong maiden race at Dieppe in July, 2015.

However, that victory has proved to be the launchpad for a remarkable run of success. Ten subsequent starts have yielded eight further victories, plus a short-neck defeat in the Prix du Cadran. The only disappointing effort from the gelded son of Manduro was his seventh as favourite in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, over the inadequate distance of a mile and a half. Vazirabad can be forgiven that performance, as his first-prize earnings in 2016 alone stand at £638,000, his major paydays coming in the Gr2 Dubai Gold Cup and the Gr1 Prix Royal-Oak, in which he repeated his 2015 success.

Vazirabad is the seventh winner from seven consecutive foals produced by Visorama, winner of the Gr3 Prix de Flore over an extended mile and a quarter. Unfortunately Visorama then ran into difficulties, as she was barren in 2013 and 2015 and slipped her 2014 foal, but she got back on course in 2016, when she produced a colt by Sinndar.

Visorama is a half-sister to Varenar, winner of the Prix de la Foret, and to the French 2,000 Guineas third Visionary, the French Oaks third Visionnaire and the Prix Greffulhe winner Visindar. Their dam Visor joined the Aga Khan’s studs with the acquisition of the Lagardere bloodstock. Visor had moved to France at the end of 1992 after being bought for $65,000 as a three-yearold at Keeneland.

Visor won only a modest sixfurlong maiden race but this daughter of Mr Prospector came from a very good female line. The broodmare daughters of her third dam Continue included Tuerta, dam of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont winner Swale, and

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

File, dam of the champion colt Forty Niner. Another of Continue’s daughters, Continuation, was the second dam of the 2,000 Guineas winner Shadeed.

363 CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL G1 SAINT-CLOUD. Oct 30. 2yoc&f. 1400m.

1. THUNDER SNOW (IRE) 9-0 £105,037 b c by Helmet - Eastern Joy (Dubai Destination) O-Godolphin B-Darley TR-Saeed bin Suroor 2. South Seas (IRE) 9-0 £42,022 ch c by Lope de Vega - Let It Be Me (Mizzen Mast) O-Qatar Racing Limited B-Stonepark Farms TR-Andrew Balding 3. Promise To Be True (IRE) 8-10 £21,011 b f by Galileo - Sumora (Danehill) O-Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt TR-Aidan O’Brien Margins 5, 1.75. Time 1:28.20. Going Soft.

Age 2

Starts 6

Wins 2

Places 3

Earned £197,515

Sire: HELMET. Sire of 2 Stakes winners. In 2016 THUNDER SNOW Dubai Destination G1, ARCHIVES Canny Lad G3.

1st Dam: EASTERN JOY by Dubai Destination. Winner at 3 in France. Dam of 4 winners: 2011: IHTIMAL (f Shamardal) 4 wins at 2 and 3 at home, UAE, Barrett Steel May Hill S G2, 3rd Shadwell Fillies’ Mile S G1, Qipco 1000 Guineas G1.

2012: ALWAYS SMILE (f Cape Cross) 4 wins at 2 to 4, Betfred Hambleton S LR, 2nd Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot S G1, 3rd Tattersalls Falmouth S G1.

2013: FIRST VICTORY (f Teofilo) 2 wins at 2, Vision Oh So Sharp S G3.

2014: THUNDER SNOW (c Helmet) 2 wins at 2 at home, France, Criterium International G1, 2nd At the Races Champagne S G2, Qatar Vintage S G2.

2015: (f Shamardal) 2nd Dam: RED SLIPPERS by Nureyev. 3 wins at 2 and 3 Cheveley Park Stud Sun Chariot S G2. Own sister to ROMANOV. Dam of WEST WIND (f Machiavellian: Prix de Diane Hermes G1, 2nd Prix Vermeille-Lucien Barriere G1, 3rd Audi Pretty Polly S G1), REDBRIDGE (c Alleged: Leicester Mercury S LR), GRAN MAESTRO (g Medicean: Betfred Summer H. Hurdle LR) Broodmare Sire: DUBAI DESTINATION. Sire of the dams of 19 Stakes winners. In 2016 - POSTPONED Dubawi G1, THUNDER SNOW Helmet G1, DUTCH CONNECTION Dutch Art G2, THE JULIET ROSE Monsun G2, EZIYRA Teofilo G3, SILENT SEDITION War Chant G3.

THUNDER SNOW b c 2014 Danzig Razyana Lomond Gladiolus In The Wings Singspiel Glorious Song Mill Reef Anna Matrushka Anna Paola Mr Prospector Kingmambo Miesque Alleged Mysterial Mysteries Northern Dancer Nureyev Special Morning Devotion Affirmed Morning Has Broken Danehill

Exceed And Excel

Patrona

HELMET ch 08 Accessories

Dubai Destination EASTERN JOY b 06 Red Slippers

Thunder Snow lined up for the Criterium International as a winner of only one of his five starts, a maiden race at Leicester. However, this son of Australian-bred Helmet had some very solid form. He’d finished second in a pair of Gr2s, notably going down by only a head to Rivet in Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes, and he had been beaten only two lengths when fourth

in the Gr1 Dewhurst Stakes. He proved well suited by soft ground at Saint-Cloud, winning by five lengths.

A mile will suit him at three.

Thunder Snow is the leading earner from the first British crop by Helmet, whose best previous payday had come when the handicapper Orewa won Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes.

Helmet didn’t produce anything like his best form outside Australia, finishing soundly beaten at Meydan and behind Frankel in the Queen Anne. However, the son of Exceed And Excel had been a Gr1 winner over seven furlongs and a mile at two and again at three.

Thunder Snow is the fourth stakes winner from four runners out of the minor winner Eastern Joy, following Ihtimal (UAE 1,000 Guineas and Oaks), the smart miler Always Smile and the 2yo Gr3 winner First Victory.

Eastern Joy is playing her part in transforming Dubai Destination from failed stallion to highly respected broodmare sire, with Golden Horn and Postponed being the best winners with dams by Dubai Destination.

Eastern Joy is a half-sister to the Prix de Diane winner West Wind. Their dam Red Slippers won the Gr1 Sun Chariot Stakes and this daughter of Nureyev was a three-parts-sister to Storm Bird’s outstanding daughter Balanchine, winner of the Oaks and the Irish Derby. Red Slippers’ brother Romanov was good enough to finish third in the Derby and Irish 2,000 Guineas.

364 CRITERIUM DE SAINTCLOUD G1 SAINT-CLOUD. Oct 30. 2yoc&f. 2000m.

1. WALDGEIST (GB) 9-0 £105,037 ch c by Galileo - Waldlerche (Monsun) O-Mr Derrick Smith B-The Waldlerche Partnership TR-A. Fabre 2. Best Solution (IRE) 9-0 £42,022 b c by Kodiac - Al Andalyya (Kingmambo) O-Godolphin B-C. & M. McCracken TR-Saeed bin Suroor 3. Capri (IRE) 9-0 £21,011 gr c by Galileo - Dialafara (Anabaa) O-Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud TR-Aidan O’Brien Margins 1, 0.5. Time 2:12.73. Going Soft.

Age 2

Starts 3

Wins 2

Places 1

Earned £123,787

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 245 Stakes winners. In 2016 ALICE SPRINGS Danehill Dancer G1, CHURCHILL Storm Cat G1, DEAUVILLE Danehill G1, FOUND Intikhab G1, HIGHLAND REEL Danehill G1, MINDING Danehill Dancer G1, MONDIALISTE Kaldoun G1, ORDER OF ST GEORGE Gone West G1, PHOTO CALL Rock of Gibraltar G1, RHODODENDRON Pivotal G1, SEVENTH HEAVEN Johannesburg G1, THE GURKHA Danehill Dancer G1, THE UNITED STATES Pivotal G1, WALDGEIST Monsun G1.

1st Dam: WALDLERCHE by Monsun. 2 wins at 2 and 3 in France, Prix Penelope G3. Dam of 1 winner: 2014: WALDGEIST (c Galileo) 2 wins at 2 in France, Criterium de Saint-Cloud G1, 3rd Prix de Conde G3.

2015: (f New Approach) 2016: (c Sea The Stars) 2nd Dam: Waldmark by Mark of Esteem. 1 win at 2, 2nd Stan James Falmouth S G2. Dam of MASKED MARVEL (c Montjeu: Ladbrokes St Leger S G1, 3rd

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

European Pattern Diamond Jubilee Investec Coronation Cup G1), WALDLERCHE (f Monsun, see above), WALDNAH (f New Approach: Dallmayr Coupe Lukull LR) Broodmare Sire: MONSUN. Sire of the dams of 55 Stakes winners. In 2016 - GUIGNOL Cape Cross G1, WALDGEIST Galileo G1, KNIFE EDGE Zoffany G2, SAVOIR VIVRE Adlerflug G2, AMAZONA Dubawi G3, GUILIANI Tertullian G3, MOONSHINER Adlerflug G3, NIGHT WISH Sholokhov G3.

WALDGEIST ch c 2014 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge GALILEO b 98 Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Konigsstuhl Monsun Mosella WALDLERCHE ch 09 Mark of Esteem Waldmark Wurftaube

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Mr Prospector Hopespringseternal Lombard Anatevka Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Monasia Darshaan Homage Acatenango Wurfbahn

The Criterium de Saint-Cloud was widely expected to be a stepping stone to potential Classic success for a son of Galileo. This brilliant stallion was responsible for four of the 13 runners, headed by Capri, who started odds-on on the strength of victories in the last three of his four starts. All four of the Galileo colts finished in the first five, but third-placed Capri failed to quicken as well as Waldgeist.

There is no disputing Waldgeist has a pedigree packed with Classic potential. He is the first foal of Waldlerche, a Monsun mare who won the Gr3 Prix Penelope over ten and a half furlongs. More importantly, Waldlerche is a half-sister to Masked Marvel, the Montjeu colt who broke the course record in defeating Brown Panther to take the 2011 St Leger.

Waldlerche also has a 2015 filly by Galileo’s son New Approach and a 2016 colt by Sea The Stars.

Waldgeist’s second dam, Waldmark, is herself a half-sister to Waldpark, winner of the 2011 Deutsches Derby.

A daughter of the 2,000 Guineas

winner Mark Of Esteem, Waldmark proved most effective over a mile, as she showed when an unlucky loser of the Gr2 Falmouth Stakes. It is in Waldgeist’s favour Mark Of Esteem mares have a first-rate record with Galileo, with the partnership’s 13 foals featuring Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach, St Leger second Kite Wood and the versatile Gr2 winner Mikhail Glinka, who scored at up to two miles.

Stamina is never likely to be a problem for Waldgeist. The two-yearold’s third dam, Wurftaube, won the Gr2 Deutsches St Leger, a race in which one of her sons, Waldvogel, later finished third. Waldmark’s sister Waldbeere produced Wiesenpfad, a six-time Gr.3 winner at up to a mile and a quarter, and Waldtraut, who was third in the Preis der Diana.

365 PASTORIUS GROSSER PREIS VON BAYERN G1 MUNICH. Nov 1. 3yo+. 2400m.

1. GUIGNOL (GER) 4 9-6 £73,529 b c by Cape Cross - Guadalupe (Monsun) O-Stall Ullmann B-Stall Ullmann TR-Jean-Pierre Carvalho 2. Racing History (IRE) 4 9-6 £22,059 b c by Pivotal - Gonbarda (Lando) O-Godolphin B-Darley TR-Saeed bin Suroor 3. Hawkbill (USA) 3 9-1 £11,029 ch c by Kitten’s Joy - Trensa (Giant’s Causeway) O-Godolphin B-Helen K. Groves Revokable Trust TR-Charlie Appleby Margins 1.75, Nose.

Age 3-4

Starts 9

Wins 3

Places 4

Earned £106,852

Sire: CAPE CROSS. Sire of 113 Stakes winners. In 2016 - AWTAAD Shamardal G1, GUIGNOL Monsun G1, MOONLIGHT MAGIC Lammtarra G3, ALWAYS SMILE Dubai Destination LR, MISTER UNIVERSE Selkirk LR, MONTATAIRE Smart Strike LR.

2006: 2007: 2008: 2010: 2011: 2012:

2013: 2015:

Siemens Rennen - Hanshin-Cup LR, 2nd Walther J Jacobs Stutenpreis G3. Dam of GUARDINI (c Dalakhani: 4 wins at 3 to 5 in Australia, France, Germany, Gerling Preis G2), GOUACHE (f Shamardal: 2 wins at 3 and 4 in Germany, Preis vom Berliner Schloss Stutenpreis LR), Guizot (g Tertullian: Winner at 3 in Germany, 3rd Preis des Winterfavoriten G3) Glicine (f Tiger Hill) unraced. Broodmare.

GUIANA (f Tiger Hill) Winner at 3 in Germany.

Broodmare.

Guenea (f Sinndar) unraced. Broodmare.

GLEE (f Dansili) 2 wins at 4 in Germany.

GUILIANI (c Tertullian) 5 wins at 3 to 5 in France, Germany, Grosser Dallmayr Bayerisches Zuchtrennen G1.

GUIGNOL (c Cape Cross) 3 wins at 3 and 4 in Germany, Pastorius Grosser Preis von Bayern G1, 3rd Longines Grosser Preis von Berlin G1, www.pferdewetten.de Grosser Hansa Preis G2, Preis von Dahlwitz LR. Gauguin (c Tertullian) Winner at 3 in Germany, 3rd Prix Ridgway LR. (f Lawman)

2nd Dam: Guernica by Unfuwain. unraced. Dam of GETAWAY (c Monsun: Grosser Mercedes-Benz Preis von Baden G1, Deutschland Preis - Freunde und Forderer G1, 2nd Gran Premio di Milano G1, Rheinland-Pokal G1), GUADALUPE (f Monsun, see above), GUADALAJARA (f Acatenango: Grand Prix de Lyon - Radio Scoop LR, 2nd Prix de Pomone G2), Guardia (f Monsun: 3rd Japan Racing Association Trophy LR) Broodmare Sire: MONSUN. Sire of the dams of 55 Stakes winners. In 2016 - GUIGNOL Cape Cross G1, WALDGEIST Galileo G1, KNIFE EDGE Zoffany G2, SAVOIR VIVRE Adlerflug G2, AMAZONA Dubawi G3, GUILIANI Tertullian G3, MOONSHINER Adlerflug G3, NIGHT WISH Sholokhov G3.

The Cape Cross/Monsun cross has produced: GUIGNOL G1, Capo Maximo G3.

GUIGNOL b c 2012 Danzig Green Desert Foreign Courier

1st Dam: GUADALUPE by Monsun. Jt Champion 3yr old filly in Germany in 2002. 4 wins at 2 and 3 in Germany, Italy, Oaks d’Italia G1, 2nd Aston Upthorpe Yorkshire Oaks G1, Gran Premio del Jockey Club G1, 3rd Ostermann - Diana Deutsches Stuten Derby G1.

Own sister to GETAWAY and Guardia. Dam of 6 winners: 2004: Guendalina (f Kingmambo) unraced.

Broodmare.

2005: GUANTANA (f Dynaformer) 3 wins at 3 and 4 in Germany, Monsun Oster Stutenpreis LR,

CAPE CROSS b/br 94 Ahonoora Park Appeal Balidaress Konigsstuhl Monsun Mosella GUADALUPE br 99 Unfuwain Guernica Greenvera

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom Sir Ivor Courtly Dee Lorenzaccio Helen Nichols Balidar Innocence Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Monasia Northern Dancer Height of Fashion Riverman Greenway

Tuesday November 1 was something of a red-letter day for Monsun. Early in the day he was represented by his third winner of the Melbourne Cup in the space of four years, when Almandin followed in the footsteps of Fiorente and Protectionist. Later in the day it was the turn of one of Monsun’s Gr1-winning daughters, Guadalupe, who supplied the shock winner of the Grosser Preis von Bayern, when her Cape Cross colt Guignol led all the way. This fouryear-old’s starting price of 33-1 was partly a reflection of his failure to win any of his four previous starts at Group level (though he had a couple of respectable effort). It also reflected the presence in the field of his stablemate Savoir Vivre, the Grand Prix de Deauville winner who started a clear favourite.

Guadalupe won the Oaks d’Italia, was second in the Yorkshire Oaks and third in the German Oaks. Guignol is her second Gr1 winner, following Guiliani, a Tertullian colt who won the Grosser Dallmayr-Preis over a mile and a quarter in 2015. Guadalupe’s other stakes winner, Guantana, is the dam of Guardini, a Group winner over a mile and a half in France and Germany. Guadalupe’s brother Getaway was also very talented, as he showed when a good fourth in the 2007 Arc. Monsun mares have also produced several other 2016 Group winners, including Savoir Vivre, and previously produced three consecutive winners of the Deutsches Derby.

Guignol’s second dam, Guernica, never raced. She was the first foal of Greenvera, whose third foal, Royal Rebel, won the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2001 and 2002. Guignol’s fourth dam, Greenway, was one of the fastest French juveniles of 1980, even though her dam Gracious was a half-sister to Gold River, the remarkably versatile Riverman filly whose wins included the Prix RoyalOak, Prix du Cadran and the Arc.

Group 2 and 3 Races Date 03/10 05/10 07/10 07/10 07/10 08/10 08/10 08/10 09/10 09/10 13/10 14/10 15/10 16/10 16/10 16/10 16/10 19/10 22/10 22/10 22/10 23/10 23/10 23/10 23/10 23/10 29/10 30/10 30/10 01/11 01/11

124

Grade G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3

Race (course) Pferdewetten.de 26 P. Deutschen Einheit (Berlin-Hoppegarten) Prix Thomas Bryon (Saint-Cloud) Dubai 100 Challenge Stakes (Newmarket) Newmarket Academy Cornwallis Stakes (Newmarket) Visionsport.com Oh So Sharp Stakes (Newmarket) Prix de Conde (Chantilly) Dubai 100 Autumn Stakes (Newmarket) Godolphin Awards Darley Stakes (Newmarket) Premio Dormello (Milan) Premio Verziere - Memorial Aldo Cirla (Milan) P. Andre Baboin Grand Prix des Provinces (Lyon-Parilly) Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (Maisons-Laffitte) Qipco Brit. Champions Long Distance Cup (Ascot) Prix du Conseil de Paris (Chantilly) Premio Gran Criterium (Milan) Preis des Winterfavoriten (Cologne) Premio del Piazzale - Memorial E Camici (Milan) Prix des Reservoirs (Deauville) Premio St Leger Italiano (Milan) Worthington’s Horris Hill Stakes (Newbury) Worthington’s OCSL St Simon Stakes (Newbury) Baden Wurttemberg Trophy - Defi du Galop (Baden-Baden) Ittlingen Preis der Winterkonigin (Baden-Baden) Killavullan Stakes (Leopardstown) Premio Ribot Memorial Loreto Luciani (Rome) Prix de Flore (Saint-Cloud) Premio Chiusura (Milan) GP der Besitzervereingung Herbst Preis (Hannover) Prix Perth (Saint-Cloud) Prix Miesque (Maisons-Laffitte) Prix de Seine-et-Oise (Maisons-Laffitte)

Dist 10f 7f 7f 5f 7f 9f 8f 9f 8f 10f 10f 6f 16f 12f 7.5f 6f 9f 8f 14f 7f 12f 10f 8f 7f 8f 10.5f 7f 11f 8f 7f 6f

Horse Devastar (GER) Mate Story (IRE) Aclaim (IRE) Mrs Danvers (GB) Poet’s Vanity (GB) Frankuus (IRE) Best Solution (IRE) Muffri’Ha (IRE) Rainbow Royal (IRE) Wordless (IRE) Subway Dancer (IRE) Sans Equivoque (GER) Sheikhzayedroad (GB) One Foot In Heaven (IRE) Skarino Gold (GER) Langtang (GER) Voice of Love (IRE) Melesina (IRE) Dschingis Secret (GER) Pleaseletmewin (IRE) Duretto (GB) Palace Prince (GER) Well Spoken (GER) Making Light (IRE) Greg Pass (IRE) Loving Things (GB) Princess Asta (FR) Son Macia (GER) Siyoushake (IRE) Dame du Roi (IRE) The Right Man (GB)

Age 4 2 3 2 2 2 2 4 2 4 4 2 7 4 2 2 3 2 3 2 4 4 2 2 4 4 3 3 4 2 4

Sex C C C F F C C F F F C F G C C C C F C G G C F F C F F F F F C

Sire Areion Makfi Acclamation Hellvelyn Poet’s Voice Frankel Kodiac Iffraaj Paco Boy Rock of Gibraltar Shamardal Stormy River Dubawi Fastnet Rock Wiener Walzer Campanologist Poet’s Voice Dark Angel Soldier Hollow Power Manduro Areion Soldier Hollow Tamayuz Raven’s Pass Pivotal Canford Cliffs Soldier Hollow Siyouni Dark Angel Lope de Vega

Dam Deva Tierra Luna Aris Rebecca de Winter Vanity Dookus Al Andalyya Grecian Dancer Show Rainbow Holy Moon Sub Rose Suissesse Royal Secrets Pride Saaleland La Vinchina Snowfield Lastroseofsummer Divya Jacaranda Ridge Landinium Palace Princess Well American Instant Sparkle Baranja Fallen In Love Lune Rouge Sinaada Shakeyourbody Uruguay Three Owls

Broodmare Sire Platini Giant’s Causeway Danroad Kyllachy Thatching Linamix Kingmambo Dansili Haafhd Hernando Galileo Malibu Moon Highest Honor Peintre Celebre Lando Oasis Dream Tale of The Cat Haafhd Platini Indian Ridge Lando Tiger Hill Bertrando Danehill St Jovite Galileo Unfuwain Zinaad Giant’s Causeway Authorized Warning

Index 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396

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OWNERS – WE NEED YOUR HELP OWNERSHIP COSTS SURVEY Getting an accurate view of how much owners spend is an important task of the ROA. Please help by filling in a questionnaire of your ownership costs for 2015.

The deadline has been extended to December 31, 2016.

Each owner completing a valid survey will be entitled to a £40 John Lewis gift voucher or a £40 donation can be made to Racing Welfare or Retraining of Racehorses on their behalf.

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15/11/2016 17:34

DATA BOOK EXCLUSIVE STALLION STATS

Leading sires 2016 by percentage of stakes winners to runners Name

YOF

Dubawi War Front Galileo Monsun Adlerflug Shamardal Kitten's Joy Sea The Stars Mount Nelson Lope de Vega Dalakhani Soldier Hollow Dansili Dai Jin Dark Angel Azamour Fastnet Rock Teofilo

2002 2002 1998 1990 2004 2002 2001 2006 2004 2007 2000 2000 1996 2000 2005 2001 2001 2004 Duke Of Marmalade 2004 Manduro 2002 Areion 1995 Raven's Pass 2005 Showcasing 2007 Mountain Cat 1990 Dutch Art 2004 Siyouni 2007 Exceed And Excel 2000 Pivotal 1993 Zamindar 1994 Zoffany 2008 Invincible Spirit 1997 Wootton Bassett 2008 Stormy River 2003 New Approach 2005 Le Havre 2006 Footstepsinthesand 2002 Unaccounted For 1991 Rip Van Winkle 2006 Poet's Voice 2007 Luxor 2000 Cape Cross 1994 Iffraaj 2001 Tamayuz 2005 Myboycharlie 2005 Bushranger 2006 Rock Of Gibraltar 1999 Lord Of England 2003 Dylan Thomas 2003 Tagula 1993 Soldier Of Fortune 2004 Sir Percy 2003

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

%WR

Dubai Millennium Danzig Sadler's Wells Königsstuhl In The Wings Giant's Causeway El Prado Cape Cross Rock Of Gibraltar Shamardal Darshaan In The Wings Danehill Peintre Celebre Acclamation Night Shift Danehill Galileo Danehill Monsun Big Shuffle Elusive Quality Oasis Dream Storm Cat Medicean Pivotal Danehill Polar Falcon Gone West Dansili Green Desert Iffraaj Verglas Galileo Noverre Giant's Causeway Private Account Galileo Dubawi Distant Relative Green Desert Zafonic Nayef Danetime Danetime Danehill Dashing Blade Danehill Taufan Galileo Mark Of Esteem

190 67 281 55 53 216 39 137 113 143 100 101 169 52 284 111 198 189 174 135 136 116 118 97 194 129 260 184 110 144 232 29 87 149 150 186 93 157 127 96 193 194 104 140 216 218 111 149 75 116 156

101 34 135 29 26 108 20 78 44 57 37 44 82 25 122 47 90 75 64 53 73 43 50 35 91 56 110 87 46 53 107 11 34 53 62 98 55 64 51 37 91 85 41 49 94 87 47 67 19 48 51

53.16 50.75 48.04 52.73 49.06 50.00 51.28 56.93 38.94 39.86 37.00 43.56 48.52 48.08 42.96 42.34 45.45 39.68 36.78 39.26 53.68 37.07 42.37 36.08 46.91 43.41 42.31 47.28 41.82 36.81 46.12 37.93 39.08 35.57 41.33 52.69 59.14 40.76 40.16 38.54 47.15 43.81 39.42 35.00 43.52 39.91 42.34 44.97 25.33 41.38 32.69

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

SH

164 50 193 43 40 162 27 111 75 86 54 71 113 49 180 71 147 107 108 78 124 65 77 77 142 81 182 139 69 78 160 15 53 76 90 158 124 81 70 71 148 134 69 67 150 132 66 110 31 71 83

9.6 7.3 10.8 10.9 10.9 8.1 8.8 10.5 9.7 8.1 11.2 9.7 9.5 8.7 7.8 10.3 9.0 10.1 10.8 10.6 8.1 8.7 6.9 7.9 7.6 7.8 6.7 8.1 9.1 8.3 7.5 9.2 9.4 9.1 9.4 8.3 8.5 8.8 7.8 7.1 9.7 8.3 8.8 8.3 7.5 9.4 9.5 10.2 6.8 10.7 11.1

5,605,337 1,563,644 16,178,431 1,300,186 879,767 3,436,524 847,312 4,185,748 1,304,232 2,263,046 1,132,162 1,489,548 1,890,584 827,041 3,143,442 1,224,744 2,476,168 2,194,457 1,530,528 1,223,237 1,243,007 766,905 1,223,876 1,851,831 1,679,032 2,077,911 2,256,475 2,870,877 780,623 1,865,965 3,151,629 2,416,691 793,392 1,391,678 2,421,435 2,336,358 2,041,225 1,131,120 828,080 1,776,953 2,147,652 2,411,648 1,113,572 1,023,458 1,472,672 1,844,219 987,327 1,524,046 865,065 1,061,380 1,086,839

41 20 62 9 6 27 6 23 13 24 11 14 19 4 21 10 21 18 15 12 14 8 6 6 13 8 23 18 5 10 25 2 4 9 12 10 6 10 6 5 10 10 7 5 8 10 5 11 2 4 7

%

21.58 29.85 22.06 16.36 11.32 12.50 15.38 16.79 11.50 16.78 11.00 13.86 11.24 7.69 7.39 9.01 10.61 9.52 8.62 8.89 10.29 6.90 5.08 6.19 6.70 6.20 8.85 9.78 4.55 6.94 10.78 6.90 4.60 6.04 8.00 5.38 6.45 6.37 4.72 5.21 5.18 5.15 6.73 3.57 3.70 4.59 4.50 7.38 2.67 3.45 4.49

SW

%

28 9 34 6 5 17 3 10 8 10 6 6 10 3 16 6 10 9 8 6 6 5 5 4 8 5 10 7 4 5 8 1 3 5 5 6 3 5 4 3 6 6 3 4 6 6 3 4 2 3 4

14.74 13.43 12.10 10.91 9.43 7.87 7.69 7.30 7.08 6.99 6.00 5.94 5.92 5.77 5.63 5.41 5.05 4.76 4.60 4.44 4.41 4.31 4.24 4.12 4.12 3.88 3.85 3.80 3.64 3.47 3.45 3.45 3.45 3.36 3.33 3.23 3.23 3.18 3.15 3.13 3.11 3.09 2.88 2.86 2.78 2.75 2.70 2.68 2.67 2.59 2.56

Dubawi a sire for the generations Congratulations to Dubawi, who has swept past War Front to top the table.

Having 28 stakes winners from 190 runners is exceptional, and they include some of the leaders of each generation, with Group 1 victories gained by juvenile Wuheida, threeyear-old Left Hand, four-year-old Journey and five-year-old Postponed.

Dubawi stamps his stock but a high proportion are effective over longer distances than he was, which can increase a stallion’s chances of making a consistent impact. Mind you, he finished an eight-length third of 13 in the Derby and it is likely he would have proved a force at ten furlongs given the chance.

Soldier Hollow, who stands in Germany, doubled his stakes winners to six and Dark Angel added three to his tally.

Dark Angel’s total of 16 is remarkable for a sire with an average winning distance of 7.8 furlongs who did not stay beyond six furlongs.

Leading sires of two-year-olds 2016 by earnings Name

Galileo War Front Kodiac Dark Angel Acclamation Fastnet Rock Shamardal *Sir Prancealot *Helmet Arcano Invincible Spirit Lion Heart Scat Daddy *Frankel Exceed And Excel Mountain Cat Choisir Three Valleys *Mayson Myboycharlie Victory Gallop Dubawi *Dragon Pulse *Power Kaneko Sageburg Soldier Hollow *Native Khan Luxor *Rajsaman Equiano *Bated Breath

YOF

1998 2002 2001 2005 1999 2001 2002 2010 2008 2007 1997 2001 2004 2008 2000 1990 1999 2001 2008 2005 1995 2002 2009 2009 2001 2004 2000 2008 2000 2007 2005 2007 Holy Roman Emperor 2004 Dandy Man 2003 Bosporus 1995 Stormy River 2003 *Harbour Watch 2009 Canford Cliffs 2007 *Torok 2009 Poet's Voice 2007 Lawman 2004 Dream Ahead 2008 Fast Company 2005 *Foxwedge 2008 Rip Van Winkle 2006 *Sepoy 2008 Kendargent 2003 Hellvelyn 2004 *Requinto 2009

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

Sadler's Wells Danzig Danehill Acclamation Royal Applause Danehill Giant's Causeway Tamayuz Exceed And Excel Oasis Dream Green Desert Tale Of The Cat Johannesburg Galileo Danehill Storm Cat Danehill Dancer Diesis Invincible Spirit Danetime Cryptoclearance Dubai Millennium Kyllachy Oasis Dream Pivotal Johannesburg In The Wings Azamour Distant Relative Linamix Acclamation Dansili Danehill Mozart Night Shift Verglas Acclamation Tagula Singspiel Dubawi Invincible Spirit Diktat Danehill Dancer Fastnet Rock Galileo Elusive Quality Kendor Ishiguru Dansili

65 23 81 99 64 46 35 74 52 55 62 43 8 35 67 10 21 29 47 54 38 38 45 39 32 32 30 19 24 49 54 47 60 58 30 14 69 39 12 58 64 41 50 45 40 46 47 16 30

24 14 32 38 23 15 18 30 16 20 22 23 4 16 26 1 8 10 15 18 15 16 21 16 12 11 10 13 12 12 17 16 17 19 16 7 15 14 6 17 25 9 14 17 12 16 11 8 16

%WR

36.92 60.87 39.51 38.38 35.94 32.61 51.43 40.54 30.77 36.36 35.48 53.49 50.00 45.71 38.81 10.00 38.10 34.48 31.91 33.33 39.47 42.11 46.67 41.03 37.50 34.38 33.33 68.42 50.00 24.49 31.48 34.04 28.33 32.76 53.33 50.00 21.74 35.90 50.00 29.31 39.06 21.95 28.00 37.78 30.00 34.78 23.40 50.00 53.33

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

Top horse

Earned (£)

36 20 47 49 30 21 23 43 27 30 27 31 8 26 35 6 13 20 22 21 25 20 29 23 22 16 12 21 20 18 22 22 18 24 24 12 21 18 11 22 28 13 18 20 14 20 15 13 23

7.5 6.4 5.9 6.7 5.9 6.9 6.5 6.4 6.5 6.5 6.7 6.3 5.7 7.0 6.2 6.3 6.0 6.2 5.7 7.2 6.2 7.5 6.4 6.5 6.2 6.5 7.2 6.2 6.2 7.6 5.7 5.8 6.9 5.6 6.3 5.7 6.2 7.0 6.0 6.7 7.3 6.0 6.1 6.4 6.8 6.8 7.2 5.3 6.2

2,098,353 912,411 879,273 754,929 613,775 613,452 595,184 591,614 587,073 534,957 531,857 528,461 499,322 479,285 448,019 422,611 407,937 400,411 397,445 384,368 380,599 379,829 377,467 365,329 357,224 347,518 334,876 334,250 317,668 317,296 309,631 301,975 295,450 293,314 291,178 290,206 289,604 281,934 279,463 275,938 275,371 264,804 264,311 263,593 257,167 254,262 254,192 252,102 237,318

Churchill Roly Poly Best Solution Dame du Roi Mehmas Rivet Blue Point Stormy Clouds Thunder Snow Mubtasim National Defense Denizcanim Lady Aurelia Queen Kindly Yalta Waneta The Last Lion Copperfield Mazyoun Landfall Ayrton Wuheida Legendary Lunch Peace Envoy Glen Spain Burg Dia del Sol Zippy Finesse Brametot Medicine Jack Al Johrah Rich Legacy Big Time Baby Utkunbaba Sans Equivoque Tis Marvellous Salouen Piano Sonata Mi Raccomando Masham Star Boos Red Onion Urban Fox Bahamas Baileys Showgirl Xaarino Mrs Danvers Trevanna

595,026 167,511 132,324 91,357 313,314 210,481 268,025 213,760 221,277 194,386 194,175 129,590 255,068 138,146 61,238 394,799 230,727 172,348 98,775 58,708 65,512 153,046 53,118 130,158 64,850 100,236 99,358 51,814 74,229 74,654 107,017 92,805 74,396 51,729 41,344 182,639 75,513 114,192 174,671 54,314 35,179 95,477 61,333 95,441 47,770 47,058 42,221 196,236 60,839

First-season honours still in the balance Leader by earnings Galileo had 19 new runners during the month and added four winners to his tally, plus another stakes winner to put him in front in that category too. It is perhaps typical of the sire that he had the beaten odds-on favourite Capri in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud but still won the race, with Waldgeist. Dark Angel also had four new winners and his total of 38 from 99 runners gives him a clear lead in both departments.

Among the freshmen, Thunder Snow’s runaway success in the Criterium International boosted Helmet’s record and put him within a whisker of Sir Prancealot in earnings. Helmet may yet land that title, although Thunder Snow is his only stakes winner from 52 runners, a surprising fact considering the sire notched two Group 1s as a juvenile in Australia. Sir Prancealot is unstoppable in numbers with 30 winners, nine more than Dragon Pulse.

Statistics to November 7; *denotes first-season sire

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127

Dec_148_24Hours_Owner 18/11/2016 14:36 Page 128

24 HOURS WITH… MICK FITZGERALD

128

PA

I

’m up about 7am with the kids. Though my wife, Chloe, will already have been out and fed the horses before getting Zac, 10, Oscar, 9, and Lola, 7, ready for school. Chloe buys and sells eventers, looks after the kids’ ponies, and there are also our Racing Club horses around the place sometimes. So she is busy first thing.

I have a cup of tea and sometimes make the kids’ breakfast, which could be bagels because my culinary skills are limited. Every single day when I wake up, I spend a moment thinking of how my family have been my saving grace through the times when I was recovering from breaking my back in the 2008 Grand National, followed by the MRSA infection and its complications, which nearly killed me. Little Lola was born when I was ill and that meant so much to us. An experience like that makes you appreciate so much in life.

After breakfast I’ll pop into my office at home to prepare for the day’s racing, which I present for At The Races in their Milton Keynes studio. I’ll watch videos of each horse and go through all the runners making notes.

I might grab a bowl of porridge before leaving for work at either Milton Keynes or the races. If I’m doing The Morning Line for Channel 4 and the meeting is close enough I’ll stay at home and leave very early in the morning. I also write a column for Paddy Power whenever there is televised racing.

The guys at At The Races have been fantastic in helping me with my broadcasting. I was lucky to work with Clare Balding at the BBC and, being with the likes of Jim McGrath and Nick Luck on Channel 4, you can’t help but pick up worthwhile tips.

Grand National-winning jockey MICK FITZGERALD is carving out a successful career as a broadcaster after two decades in the saddle – but it’s golf he dreams about after he’s had his Twirl I always hoped I’d get a job with the new ITV set-up. After all, the terrestrial gig is the Cheltenham Festival, Aintree, Royal Ascot, the Derby and York – the meetings we all want to be involved with.

The Channel 4 team is very professional and it’s quite sad that it’s ending. But, having said that, I’ll be working alongside Ed Chamberlin, who I know quite well and is passionate about racing. He will come at the job from a different angle. Judging from the test day we had at Cheltenham recently I think ITV will be trying to appeal to a very broad audience, different to Channel 4 because of their wider reach.

Racing on the BBC was no better than the racing on Channel 4, but more people

watched it because more people tune into BBC. Similarly, ITV has a wider range than Channel 4 and the powers-that-be will be hoping for the same result.

Lunch is usually not much more than a bit of fruit. On a quiet day I might have taken the kids on the school run, while Chloe tends to the horses. Then if there’s time I love a game of golf with Johnny Francome or even sometimes AP [McCoy]. I used to play a bit of football, but my knees and ankles couldn’t take the punishment.

I love all sport and take my lads to watch Swindon Town, and I also enjoy watching them play mini-rugby.

Racing can so easily take over your life, your emotions, everything. I think I could

have been a much better jockey – and probably been a much nicer person – had I stood back from racing when I was riding and so completely wrapped up in it all. Nowadays I am much more aware of reality and life in general than I was then.

But that’s the nature of the beast.

In addition to running the Mick Fitzgerald Racing Club with our three horses, OneFitzAll, Westend Story and Steal My Thunder, I do some jockey coaching. At the moment I am looking after Alan Doyle, who is with Nicky Henderson, and Will Featherstone, who works for Alan King. They might come to the house in the evening to use my Equicizer; I film them on it and then talk through the video with them.

When they are riding I ring them after each ride. I wish I’d been able to call on advice from an experienced jockey during my early days.

We like to have our evening meal together as a family between 6.30-7pm. I don’t cook at all, but thankfully Chloe is very good.

I love steak and if I had my way I’d eat meat all the time.

But Chloe is more health conscious and makes a fantastic lasagne, my favourite dish. I am teetotal and, to be honest, I used to like a drink a bit too much and found myself struggling to recover from the hangovers.

After putting the kids to bed we might watch a bit of TV and bedtime is a bit of a ritual for Chloe and me. We always sit down and have a cup of tea together and I love a Cadbury Twirl before going up, which is rarely before midnight.

I’m a good sleeper and dream of shooting level par at Valderrama. Sadly, I haven’t managed it yet.

Interview by Tim Richards

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

DAR8879 OB page-GH-NOT 28 NOV16.qxp 17/11/2016 14:02 Page 1

Totally Classic!

A Derby winner and Guineas hero who both attracted excellent first books of mares.

All the more reason to use them in year two...

Golden Horn

Night Of Thunder

25 Group winners 48 dams of Stakes winners 145 mares all told

33 Stakes horses 80 siblings of Stakes winners 144 mares all told

Timeform Horse of the Year for 2015 – and rated better than every turf horse in the world in 2016, too!

Beat Kingman and Australia in a great Guineas – there isn’t a miler rated better than him retiring to stud in 2017.

£60,000 Oct 1st, SLF Cape Cross – Fleche d’Or (Dubai Destination) Dalham Hall Stud, UK

€25,000 Oct 1st, SLF Dubawi – Forest Storm (Galileo) Kildangan Stud, Ireland

Darley Find out more about them and the mares they covered at www.darleystallions.com Call the team on +44 (0)1638 730070 or +353 (0)45 527600