Thoroughbred Owner Breeder

King George hero Banbridge heads Ronnie Bartlett’s Cheltenham squad

CHALDEAN

Editor: Edward Rosenthal

Bloodstock Editor: Nancy Sexton Design/production: Thoroughbred Group

Editorial: 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1SB editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.theownerbreeder.com

X: @TheOwnerBreeder Instagram: theownerbreeder

Advertising: Giles Anderson

UK: 01380 816777

IRE: 041 971 2000 USA: 1 888 218 4430 advertise@anderson-co.com

Subscriptions: Keely Brewer subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk 01183 385 686

The Owner Breeder can be purchased by non-members at the following rates:

1 Year UK £60 Europe £90 RoW £120

The Owner Breeder is owned by the Racehorse Owners Association

Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA

Our monthly average readership is 20,000

Racehorse Owners Association Ltd

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

Cash for questions saga makes sport look silly

You can rely on horseracing to manufacture a disagreement out of thin air. That’s the sense one gets after Peter Savill’s Professional Racing Association (PRA) called for media rights companies to pay trainers for giving live interviews on TV.

Jockeys have received a collective payment for such interviews since 2008, with the money used to fund their insurance scheme. The PRA, which says it represents 170 trainers, has suggested a “blanket payment” of £500,000 this year for trainers, who would then decide how the money is spent.

If the cash isn’t produced, some trainers could turn mute on air – a somewhat embarrassing prospect.

Responding to the PRA’s request/demand, the National Trainers’ Federation (NTF), which acts on behalf of 435 trainers, put out a statement saying that “our position is not to seek direct payment for interviews”.

The NTF believes that the Thoroughbred Group, representing owners, trainers, jockeys, breeders and stable staff – and which subsequently put out its own release describing the PRA’s actions as “divisive” – is the only organisation that should negotiate with racecourses through the signing of commercial partnership agreements.

So where does this leave the sport? In a pickle, I’d say.

Promoting horseracing in the current climate is no easy task, evidenced by the difficulties in taking the Premierisation message to the masses. Last month, the entire Board of Great British Racing – the sport’s marketing arm –resigned, set to be replaced by a new panel of experts that will meet more frequently and report to the Commercial Committee.

As racing’s top brass try to present a united front during their charm offensive with Labour politicians in the hope of securing levy reform – which would undoubtedly boost the sport’s declining coffers – the timing of the PRA’s intervention is far from ideal and potentially damaging.

Edward Rosenthal Editor

It’s difficult to see why any government would respond positively to a sport fighting among itself and which cannot agree on basic principles. Swift and decisive action must surely be the only response when racing’s reputation is threatened in this way.

As for participants receiving extra money, where do owners fit in? Not even into the conversation, it seems. After all, they’re only the ones who buy the horse, pay for it to be trained, ridden and transported to the track so that racecourses can sell tickets, hospitality and media rights, and bookmakers can take punters’ pounds. It’s a funny old game.

The Cheltenham Festival is looming on the

“The timing of the PRA’s intervention is potentially damaging”

horizon and Ronnie Bartlett will be hoping to extend his excellent record at the meeting, having enjoyed big-race victories with the likes of Simonsig, Rathvinden and Ballyburn, the brilliant winner of last year’s Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.

His 2025 team will include Banbridge, who has multiple options following his dramatic success in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day, when he was produced late by Paul Townend to deny Il Est Francais and James Reveley.

I caught up with Ronnie to discuss his love of the sport and views on the changes to a number of the Festival’s races, and why aftercare will always be an important aspect of his ownership journey (The Big Interview, pages 22-26).

Cover: Banbridge and Paul Townend are

picture of

before the start of the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day

Photo: Bill Selwyn

TO THE FORE

BRADSELL

Sprint sensation £10,000 (LIVE FOAL)

Champion 3yo sprinter £7,500

Exceptional value £3,000

Seven- time Group 1 winner £10,000 (LIVE FOAL)

Contact

Joe Bradley 07706 262046

Joe.Bradley@nationalstud.co.uk

Jamie Jackson 07794 459108

Jamie. Jackson@nationalstud.co.uk

SUPPORTING OWNERS EVERY STEP OF THE WAY

Racehorse owners are at the very heart of our sport. That collective investment fuels the racing industry, but the emotional roller coaster of being an owner is about far more than that. Whatever your level of commitment, becoming a member of the Racehorse Owners Association can help to enhance your ownership experience.

The ROA ensures that the interests of owners are represented across the industry and we play a significant part in all of the key decisions. Our team is dedicated to impacting positively the future of racing and works hard to improve the owners’ experience at every level.

Join the ROA and become part of something special.

o Third party liability insurance*

o Access to Tote Ownership Sponsorship Scheme

o VAT reclaim help and advice from ROA VAT Solution

o 20% discount on BHA registration fees

o Complimentary badge scheme Scan QR code to

ROA Leader

Funding hit as politicians fail to deliver levy reform

There have been some unwelcome noises coming from Westminster on the subject of levy reform, which of course was due to be reviewed by April 2024. It seems as if the Labour politicians are keener than ever for the racing industry and the betting companies to reach an agreement that can in effect be rubber stamped. However, with no incentive for the gambling industry to come to the table with a sensible and joined up proposal, the standoff looks set to continue.

As the sorry tale of the levy continues to drag on, perhaps we should be turning our attention towards the mess that is the Gambling Commission and its disastrous affordability checks. With no evidence or data to show that its efforts have had any positive impact on problem gambling – indeed, with the increased flight to the black market, there are several studies that suggest the Commission’s endeavours have actually increased problem gambling rates – we should be pushing this issue harder. In terms of real term impact on the industry’s finances, the harm that the ill-conceived and botched affordability protocols have had is significant and continues to cause major problems.

The impact on prize-money is really beginning to bite. Total prize-money in 2023 in real terms was the lowest since the levy reform of 2017. Executive contributions from racecourses continued to fall (in real terms) from the peak of 2016, and the racecourses’ contribution per race (in real terms) has remained the same as 2016. To add some context, the stagnation in real terms has been seen during a time of increased media right deals signed by racecourses with the betting operators, fixture policy initiatives promoted by the BHA, and of course more recently the Premier raceday concept and the changes around those meetings.

It does not take an expert to realise that it’s just not working. Of course, we can be optimistic around the ongoing initiatives on seeking new inward investment and establishing a clear engagement with all our consumers, but that is not enough. We must work together to highlight the folly that is the current approach to problem gambling and sort the levy out once and for all. We must also establish the contract between the racecourses and participants by way of a simple and robust partnership agreement that ensures the flow of revenues into executive contribution towards prize-money.

Participants have always played a key role on the political front. Owners have been prominent throughout levy negotiations, lobbying on the white paper and affordability work, as have the other stakeholder bodies. Participants have taken an altruistic approach in terms of looking at the

whole industry as one to fight for and protect. The elephant in the room has always been the lack of a clear link between revenues generated and prize-money levels. If we can put this to bed, we can then truly work together in the knowledge that everyone’s efforts will be rewarded.

The ROA has now signed an agreement with the BHA to allow us to really start to push forward on owner relations, benefiting all owners, not just association members. This is a groundbreaking agreement that could transform the sport and finally begin to deliver a 21st century experience for owners. Sometimes what looks like a simple idea can take an unexpectedly long time to deliver. What the agreement shows

“The elephant in the room is the lack of a link between revenues generated and prize-money levels”

is that working together can result in progress; we now must deliver both for the industry and the ROA itself.

Finally, the recent announcements regarding Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) highlight the entire industry’s commitment to the care of all horses bred for racing. The increased funding will go towards the strategy that the industry signed off on last year to allow RoR to lead the work stream.

It is essential that the new funds are used appropriately – and that RoR is held to account on its business plan and strategic goals. The industry has a history of assuming a problem has been fixed by the agreement of funding; in this case that cannot be the end, merely the beginning of a programme to ensure that we place the care of our horses at the very highest of priorities.

Charlie Parker President

TBA Leader

Global goals can halt sport’s rapid relegation

English football experienced its nadir in 1986, with hooliganism attracting government comment, falling attendances, and outdated stadiums that encouraged zero interest from broadcasters – even the iconic Match of the Day was losing viewers, with the BBC considering its position. The only betting available was a fixed odds product that had limited appeal.

By 1992 it was clear that if football was to survive and prosper, radical change was necessary in the institutions of the Football Association and Football League, established in 1863 and 1888 respectively. Six enlightened and progressive club chairmen conceived and promoted the concept of a Premier League, limited to 22 clubs (later 20 clubs) with clear ambitions of promoting a product in a global market.

Sky came along and paid £304 million for a five-year deal to broadcast matches live in a programme where the three o’clock Saturday afternoon kick off was no longer sacrosanct and fixtures would be played when audiences demanded. The betting industry also saw the potential of this ‘new lamps for old’ product and began to innovate and develop an offer for a digital age.

Fast track to 2025 and Premier League football is one of the world’s top four sports properties; global broadcasting revenue exceeds £3.4bn with feeds to 55 broadcast partners across 189 markets. The total revenue of the Premier League is more than £10.5bn, with global betting revenue exceeding £77bn.

A rising tide lifts all boats they say and the EFL – comprising the three leagues below the Premier League – is the highest attended league body in Europe, with just short of 24m going through the turnstiles. Add that to the 15m of Premier League attendance and it’s a far cry from the problems of 1986.

The foresight, courage and sense of those six chairmen has paid off handsomely. Premier League clubs have clear rules how income is shared and ownership is limited to income not equity, so the principle and structure of the Premier League remains uncompromised. In total, 17% of all broadcast revenue is directed to lower leagues and grassroots football, a clear recognition of the importance of a development pathway for players, managers, referees and the like.

British horseracing is currently in the same place that football found itself in 1986, with domestic betting turnover 25% down against a global market forecast to increase by 4%, over 15% lost through the turnstiles since Covid, and a foal crop down by 20% in three years.

The writing is on the wall – the industry, to paraphrase Socrates, needs to stop fighting the old and concentrate upon building the new. Project Pace is that builder, an all-industry initiative that seeks a transformational funding solution for British racing. It is not, as some claim, an attempt to sell the family silver but to develop

Philip Newton Chairman

a global product that has attraction to new audiences within a platform that British racing retains the majority stake.

All elite sport is now about global identity; horseracing has started on that journey and pulling together an international programme to include the best races and meetings worldwide has real currency – Britain must play a significant part in that.

As with the Premier League, there will be a limitation upon the number of racecourses and races that can be included. Control and restriction of supply grows interest and, as with football, there will be a recognition of the vital role the racing pyramid provides in the

“Project Pace is an allindustry initiative that seeks a transformational funding solution for British racing”

support and sustainability of these high-quality fixtures and horses.

Digital and AI platforms are growing exponentially internationally with sports betting forecast to grow to £169bn (ex football) by 2028. With major markets developing in Brazil, US, the Far East, India and eventually China, the opportunity is significant. What do these markets all require? Product – but it must be an elite offer delivered under the highest integrity standards.

This is British horseracing’s opportunity to leverage its strengths and right the decision disasters of 1962, when an annual levy payment was taken over an equity share of betting, and 1986, when picture rights became available but not developed to benefit the entire industry.

The window to capitalise on this opportunity is unlikely to stay open for long. Positive, decisive planning and delivery will be required. I am privileged to lead Project Pace and am determined that everything and anything is on the table. Steve Jobs said: “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do it”. I hope that, in time, you will be calling the Pace steering committee crazy too!

City Of Troy and Laurel River named best in the world

Outstanding colt City Of Troy and top dirt performer Laurel River shared the title of Longines World’s Best Racehorse for 2024, revealed at a ceremony at The Savoy in London on January 21.

City Of Troy, owned by the Coolmore partners, and Juddmonte’s Laurel River were both awarded a rating of 128, putting the pair just ahead of mare Via Sistina (127) and Goliath (126).

With wins in the Derby, Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International, the Aidan O’Brien-trained City Of Troy proved himself to be a truly brilliant three-yearold before finishing unplaced in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on his first try on dirt.

Laurel River, trained by Bhupat

Seemar, produced one of the most devastating performances of 2024 when pulverising the opposition in the Dubai World Cup, defeating Japanese star Ushba Tesoro by eight and a half lengths.

O’Brien, in London to accept the award alongside jockey Ryan Moore, said: “Everything about him was always different. He is a beautifully-made horse with a big, long stride, and very well-proportioned. We were very lucky to have him.

“As a trainer your job is not to mess them up or hurt them, mentally or physically. It went wrong in the Guineas – the same thing happens in all sports, if you get a little bit cocky it’ll come and get you. We thought all he had to

do was go into the stalls and come back and obviously he was too fresh.

“Everyone knows how tough the Derby is, so what the horse did in the Derby and the ride that Ryan gave him after what happened in the Guineas was incredible. Everything was to lose if it went wrong, but Ryan rode him with such patience and confidence.

“For the horse to come back and do that, he had to be very different. He’d never been a mile and a half or on a round track, or over undulations – it’s the ultimate test.

“He finished off in the Juddmonte against older horses – I know how tough that race is, there’s no hiding place because the track is so fair. For us to get over those hurdles was massive.”

Aidan O’Brien lauded the Derby victory of City Of Troy, who jointly topped the Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings for 2024

Greenham Stakes prize fund hits £100,000

One of the leading Classic trials, the Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury, has seen its prize fund increase to £100,000 in 2025.

The seven-furlong Group 3 contest, set to be run on Saturday, April 12 at the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials meeting, has been won by a number of top-class horses in recent years including Perfect Power, Mohaather and Barney Roy, while the names of Muhaarar, Kingman and Frankel also feature on the roll of honour.

Watership Down Stud, located around ten miles from Newbury, has sponsored the contest since 2019 and bred champion Too Darn Hot, now established as an outstanding stallion for Darley, after whom the race is named.

George Hill, Newbury’s Clerk of the Course, said: “We are delighted to be able to increase the prize-money on

ARC reveals new initiative for owners

Arena Racing Company (ARC) has announced the trial of a new initiative aimed at directly benefiting the owners of horses running in selected fixtures in the first quarter of 2025.

The ‘Floodlight Guarantee’ scheme, in place across 49 floodlit fixtures on ARC racecourses from February 1 to April 19 this year, will see the owners of all runners at these fixtures receive a minimum of £200. Any horse that wins less than this amount in prize-money will automatically receive a top up to £200, regardless of finishing position.

This new scheme sits alongside several others in operation across ARC tracks during this period, most notably

the £1,000,000 All-Weather Bonus, which includes a top prize of £100,000 for overall Horse of the Year, as well as monthly competitions worth £70,000 in February then March and April combined.

Louise Norman, Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association (ROA), said: “We are pleased that ARC approached the ROA with this initiative which will directly support owners during the trial, and we look forward to promoting it to owners.

“There is a real challenge here and now for owners with horses competing at this level, including the increasing costs across 2025. Historically, runners at

offer in this year’s Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes to £100,000.

“It is a significant boost for our first Group race of the year in a contest which has seen many of its winners go on to be successful stallions. It is therefore very fitting to have such a prestigious local breeding operation as Watership Down Stud continuing to support the race, named after their Classic-producing sire, Too Darn Hot.

“A notable change in the racing calendar this year, with a three-week gap between the Spring Trials and the Guineas meeting, should prove favourable for those trainers seeking to test their Classic credentials at the Dubai Duty Free Spring Trials meeting.”

The scheme applies to floodlit fixtures

these fixtures are provided by over 35% of our membership, so we are very aware of these issues and welcome such initiatives given the financial pressures being experienced by owners.”

BILL SELWYN

Perfect Power (right): 2022 Greenham victor was a three-time Group 1 winner

Changes People and business

George Boughey

Classic-winning trainer purchases Craven House and Shadowfax Stables in Newmarket, previously used by Godolphin as pre-training facilities.

JJ Slevin

32-year-old succeeds the retired Daryl Jacob as retained rider for owners Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Prize-money for Ascot contest is boosted to £1.5 million and owners whose horses run in the mile-and-a-half showpiece will have their entry fees refunded.

William Woodhams

Steps down as Chief Executive of bookmaker Fitzdares after seven years in the role. Chair Balthazar Fabricius will take on CEO duties.

Cian Chester

Conditional jockey has his licence withdrawn for six months, backdated to August 8, after supplying a sample that contained cocaine.

Retraining of Racehorses

Charity will receive £270 per fixture from all 59 British racecourses, representing a 170% increase on the previous contribution model.

Midsummer Bonus

Ascot, York and Goodwood start new initiative with the aim of attracting overseas runners for Group 1 races, with up to £1 million on offer.

Randox Grand National

Jockey Club decides to reinstate reserves system for the Aintree marathon – the deadline for non-runners to be replaced is 1pm the day before the race.

John Dance

Former owner, 50, pleads not guilty to fraud charges; he is alleged to have transferred more than £64 million in client funds to pursue his racing interests.

Zac Purton

Passes Doug White’s record for wins in Hong Kong when riding a double at Happy Valley on January 22, taking the Australian’s total to 1,814 victories.

Simon Tonge

Appointed new General Manager at Haydock Park racecourse, succeeding Molly Day. He joins from Bath racecourse where he was Executive Director.

Champions: Full Gallop

Levy Board confirms it will contribute over £1 million towards the production costs and promotional budget for series two of the ITV documentary.

Daryl Jacob

Grand National-winning jockey retires from the saddle aged 41. He partnered over 1,000 winners and captured 31 Grade 1s, including three Betfair Chases on Bristol De Mai.

Graham Lee

Becomes the first jockey to receive both the Flat and jumps special recognition accolades at the Lesters Awards in December.

Derek Thompson

Announces he will call his last race at the end of the year though will continue in his role as a raceday presenter.

People obituaries

Ted Bassett III 103

Former President and Chairman at Keeneland, which he helped transform into one of the biggest racecourses and sales houses in the USA.

Sir Thomas Pilkington 90

Owner-breeder was a muchrespected administrator in British racing, with key roles for the British Horseracing Board and Jockey Club.

Kosuke Matsumoto 43

Japanese jockey dies following a training incident at Sonoda racecourse in Amagasaki City. He rode 261 winners on the National Association of Racing circuit.

Jerry Russell 85

Father of dual Grand National-winning rider Davy Russell bred horses, ponies and point-to-pointers and was Chairman of the Town Council in Youghal, County Cork.

Racehorse and stallion Movements and retirements

The New Lion

Unbeaten novice hurdler is bought by JP McManus from Darren Yates, who has decided to sell his string and leave the ownership ranks.

Serpentine

Wide-margin winner of the behindclosed-doors 2020 Derby under Emmet McNamara is retired in Australia aged eight.

Equiano

Sire of Group/Grade 1 winners The Tin Man and Belvoir Bay relocates from the Irish National Stud to Haras de Fontaine in the south of France.

Horse obituaries

Measured Time 5

Senor Buscador

Son of Mineshaft, trained by Todd Fincher to win the 2024 Saudi Cup, is retired from racing and will stand at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky for $7,500.

Point Lonsdale

Group 2-winning son of Australia is retired from racing aged six and will begin his stallion career at Maine Chance Farms in South Africa.

Eldar Eldarov

St Leger winner’s stud innings will commence at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire, where he will stand alongside Planteur, Bangkok and Hellvelyn.

Westerner

Sire of Grade 1 winners Cole Harden and Gilgamboa is retired from covering duty aged 26 at Coolmore’s Castlehyde Stud in County Cork.

Nietzsche Has

Winner of the Grade 2 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle at Chepstow in December is retired aged four to begin his stallion career at Haras de Montaigu. His first-year fee is €7,000.

Telescope

Sire of 2024 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Slade Steel moves from Shropshire’s Shade Oak Stud to Foxwood Farm in County Cork. His fee is €3,000.

Lemon Drop Kid 28

Belmont Stakes winner in 1999 went on to sire Lemon Pop, 2023 champion dirt horse in Japan, and Arlington Million victor Beach Patrol.

Designs On Rome 15

Irish-bred son of Holy Roman Emperor was a top-class performer in Hong Kong, winning four Grade 1s for trainer John Moore.

Forward Plan 9

Talented performer for The Steeple Chasers and Anthony Honeyball sustains a fatal injury when falling in the Great Yorkshire Chase at Doncaster.

Uncle Mo 16

Grade 1 winner became a leading stallion in the US, his progeny including Kentucky Derby victor Nyquist and multiple top-level scorer Adare Manor.

Son of Frankel won twice at the top level for Godolphin in 2024, taking the Jebel Hatta at Meydan and Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga.

Faces at the Races

BERKSHIRE WINTER MILLION

Nico de Boinville on Jonbon (right) and Paul Townend on Energumene go head to head in the Grade 1 Clarence House Chase at Ascot

JJ Slevin: first jockey to owners Munir and Souede

Lucy Wadham hugs Gavin Sheehan after Terresita’s handicap win at Ascot

Marie Donnelly (left) has an exciting prospect in Lulamba, easy winner of Ascot’s juvenile hurdle

Photos: Bill Selwyn

Connections of Guard Duty celebrate his victory under Gavin Sheehan in a novices’ handicap hurdle at Windsor

John Hales and Harry Skelton enjoy Protektorat’s Fleur De Lys Chase success at Windsor

Take No Chances, owned by Garry Wilson (right), captured the Grade 2 mares’ hurdle at Ascot under Kielan Woods

David Maxwell rode his own In D’or to victory at Ascot

The Titan Discovery team enjoy the moment after the Robbie Llewellyn-trained hurdler secured a valuable prize at Windsor

The Big Picture

The late, late show

A thrilling climax to the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day saw Banbridge and Paul Townend collar French raider Il Est Francais and James Reveley to land the Grade 1 prize by a length and three-quarters. The rivals are pictured jumping the final fence, scattering the birch as Banbridge (left) edges ahead to score for owner Ronnie Bartlett and trainer Joseph O’Brien.

Photo Bill Selwyn

The Ed Grimshaw Column

The Cheltenham Gold Cup: a tale of two nations

The Cheltenham Gold Cup has long been the holy grail of National Hunt racing, a gruelling 3m21⁄2f test that separates the extraordinary from the merely excellent. But as we prepare for the 2025 edition, it’s impossible to ignore the widening chasm between the state of jump racing in Ireland and Britain.

On one side, we have Willie Mullins, whose Closutton empire has produced an embarrassment of riches, including the reigning champion and odds-on favourite Galopin Des Champs. On the other, a British contingent scrambling to remain competitive, haunted by dwindling entries, a fragmented racing programme, and a breeding industry under siege.

This year’s 19 initial entries, including only five British-trained horses, offers more than a race: it’s a microcosm of the sport’s growing imbalance. For owners and breeders who love the sport, the question isn’t just who will win the Gold Cup – it’s whether British jump racing can rise to the occasion or whether we’re witnessing a long-term slide into mediocrity.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Irish trainers have turned the Cheltenham Gold Cup into a fortress. Willie Mullins, the maestro who finally broke his Gold Cup duck with Al Boum Photo in 2019, now towers over the competition. His charge, Galopin Des Champs, is already a two-time winner of the race and is heavily favoured to join the ranks of three-time champions like Best Mate. His dominant victory in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over Christmas reaffirmed his position as the one to beat.

But Mullins’ arsenal doesn’t end there. Fact To File, his

next-generation star, has shown he can mix it with the best, defeating Galopin Des Champs earlier in the season before succumbing to him in their latest clash. At 4-1, he represents the most credible threat to the reigning champ. Add in Embassy Gardens and Grangeclare West and Mullins’ hand is as stacked as ever.

Beyond Closutton, Ireland boasts an impressive supporting cast. Joseph O’Brien’s Banbridge, fresh off his King George victory, offers an intriguing wildcard, though questions remain about his stamina over the extra furlongs. Gordon Elliott’s Gerri Colombe, who chased home Galopin Des Champs last year, will need to find another gear to upset his rival. Monty’s Star, trained by Henry de Bromhead, has already shown his liking for Cheltenham, finishing second to Fact To File in last year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.

This strength in depth isn’t a coincidence. It’s the result of a carefully curated ecosystem where prize-money, breeding, and a cohesive racing programme create a pipeline of elite horses. The Leopardstown Christmas Festival and Dublin Racing Festival provide ideal preps, ensuring Ireland’s horses arrive at Cheltenham battle-hardened.

A crisis of confidence

In stark contrast, Britain’s representation in the Gold Cup feels threadbare. Just five horses have been entered, and not one is priced below 20-1. This is a far cry from as recently as 2011, when Britain accounted for 29 of the 34 entries.

BILL SELWYN

Trainer Willie Mullins will entrust stable jockey Paul Townend with delivering a third Blue Riband aboard Galopin Des Champs

The Dan Skelton-trained Grey Dawning, a rare British Grade 1 winner last year, has yet to prove he can mix it with the Irish heavyweights and looks set to bypass Cheltenham for Aintree. L’Homme Presse, a solid performer for Venetia Williams, could try and improve on his fourth place in last year’s Gold Cup while stablemate Royal Pagaille is a soft-ground specialist unlikely to threaten on spring turf.

Elsewhere, Ahoy Senor, the mercurial star from Lucinda Russell’s yard, has shown flashes of brilliance but remains maddeningly inconsistent. And then there’s The Real Whacker, a Cheltenham Festival winner in 2023, but one who has struggled to reproduce that form since.

What’s gone wrong?

The decline of British-trained three-mile chasers is symptomatic of deeper issues within the sport. For starters, the UK racing programme offers limited opportunities for developing top-class stayers. While Ireland has a well-defined pipeline of high-quality races, Britain’s calendar is fragmented. The Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Cotswold Chase operate as isolated tests rather than part of a cohesive progression.

Moreover, the erosion of British breeding is becoming impossible to ignore. Once a powerhouse, the UK’s National Hunt breeding industry now lags behind Ireland’s, where the emphasis on quality bloodlines and robust stock has created a conveyor belt of talent. Irish breeders dominate the sales ring, and British trainers are often left to pick from what remains.

“There is no insurmountable reason why Britain cannot reclaim its place at the top of the NH hierarchy”

The economic disparity between the two nations only exacerbates the problem. Ireland’s racing industry benefits from significant government support and a thriving rural economy. By contrast, Britain’s stagnating economy, coupled with rising costs for owners and trainers, has created a less hospitable environment for investment in the sport.

The journey to Cheltenham begins not at the Festival but in the breeding shed, and it is here that Ireland has established an almost insurmountable advantage.

Ireland’s roster of National Hunt sires is unmatched. Proven names like Flemensfirth, Walk In The Park and Yeats have built dynasties of staying chasers. Walk In the Park, in particular, has become synonymous with producing elite talent, including Douvan, Minella Indo and Jonbon. Emerging sires like Crystal Ocean and Getaway ensure that the Irish pipeline remains robust for years to come.

The backbone of Irish breeding lies in its mares. Breeders retain mares with stamina, soundness, and jumping ability, ensuring that National Hunt bloodlines are not diluted. Over 60% of mares covered by Irish stallions in 2023 were selected specifically for staying races, compared to less than 40% in Britain.

Ireland has embraced genetic profiling and biomechanical analysis to optimise stallion-mare pairings. Advanced testing identifies stamina markers and conformation traits that enhance durability and jumping efficiency, giving Irish-bred horses a competitive edge.

In addition, many of the top French-bred jumpers, like Galopin

Des Champs, last year’s Champion Hurdle victor State Man and latest star Anzadam, end up in Ireland.

Britain, by contrast, has struggled to maintain its focus on stamina-oriented breeding.

The passing of Kayf Tara, Presenting and Midnight Legend has left a void in Britain’s stallion roster. Many British studs have turned to dual-purpose or Flat-bred sires, whose progeny often lack the stamina and robustness required for elite three-mile chasers.

Economic pressures have led to the sale of Britain’s best mares and foals to Irish buyers. In 2023, over 65% of National Hunt foals exported from Britain were destined for Irish studs or trainers.

While genetic testing is gaining traction in Flat racing, it remains underutilised in Britain’s National Hunt sector. This reluctance to adopt cutting-edge methods has left British breeders trailing behind their Irish counterparts.

The heart of the matter

For owners, the allure of Ireland is undeniable. The Mullins operation has become a magnet for those seeking the best chance of Cheltenham glory. JP McManus, who remains a big supporter of trainers in Britain, now places many of his best horses across the Irish Sea. Cheveley Park Stud has followed suit, as have numerous smaller owners lured by Ireland’s recent success.

British trainers, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to retain owners. Syndication has provided some respite, with innovative models like those employed by Dan Skelton and Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero proving popular. But even these efforts pale in comparison to the resources and results available in Ireland.

Breeders, too, must shoulder some responsibility. The UK’s focus on Flat racing has diverted attention and resources away from National Hunt breeding, leaving gaps that Ireland has exploited. A lack of incentives for British breeders has further eroded their competitive edge, with many opting to sell their best stock to Irish buyers.

While the current picture looks bleak, all is not lost. The British Horseracing Authority earmarked £3.8 million for prize-money at the top end of the sport in 2024, a step in the right direction. Proposed changes to the racing programme, including better scheduling of staying chases, could help nurture future Gold Cup contenders.

Breeders, too, are starting to adapt. Boutique operations focused on quality over quantity are emerging, offering hope that British-bred stayers might one day reclaim their place among the elite.

For owners, the challenge is to resist the temptation of instant success in Ireland and instead invest in rebuilding Britain’s long-term prospects. Syndicates and grassroots initiatives can play a crucial role in this effort, bringing new blood into the sport and revitalising the owner-trainer-breeder ecosystem.

The 2025 Cheltenham Gold Cup is shaping up to be another Irish-dominated affair, but for British racing, the stakes go far beyond a single race. Owners and breeders who truly love the sport must take a long-term view, investing not just in horses but in the infrastructure that supports them.

For the BHA, the task is clear: create a programme that rewards excellence, supports breeders, and offer owners a reason to stay loyal. For trainers, the challenge is to be more proactive in sourcing talent and to embrace innovation in how they operate.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup may remain out of reach for now, but with coordinated action, there’s no insurmountable reason why Britain cannot reclaim its place at the top of the National Hunt hierarchy. Until then, let’s celebrate the remarkable horses and people who make this sport what it is including Willie, Henry and Gordon – and keep dreaming of the day when the Gold Cup comes back home.

Racing around the World

BY MARCUS TOWNEND

Arabian nights set for new chapter in Saudi

SAUDI ARABIA

When the entries for this month’s two-day Saudi Cup meeting were unveiled, 1,123 possibles, including 81 individual Group 1 winners from 21 countries, had been lured by the offer of $38.1 million in prize-money.

That international diversity, which includes winners of the Dubai World Cup, Breeders’ Cup Classic, Kentucky Derby and Japanese Derby for the meeting run at King Abdulaziz racecourse in Riyadh, shows how firmly this fixture has become ingrained in the global racing calendar after only five runnings.

The entries include the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer and Annaf, representing Mick Appleby, who last year won two of the turf races on the Saudi Cup undercard, the Group 2 Neom Cup and Group 2 1351 Turf Sprint, to each scoop £945,000 for their owners.

The riches on offer reflect the seemingly limitless ability of Saudi Arabia and its Jockey Club, which is led by Chairman Prince Bandar Bin Khaled Alfaisal, to pursue its sporting ambitions.

The country is now a major force in the world of boxing, F1, golf and tennis while some of the world’s best-known footballers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema, ply their trade in the Saudi Pro League.

To top it all, the country will host the 2034 World Cup, the biggest sporting event on the globe.

Money makes the sports world go round and much of it is spinning around a Saudi Arabian axis.

Saudi Arabia Vision 2030 is a government programme aiming to diversify the country’s economy, society and culture. The biggest sovereign wealth fund on the planet plans to invest $30 trillion with sport, tourism and transport just three of the sectors due to benefit.

In finance terms it is a fantasy world compared to Britain.

Irish-born Emer Fallon, who has previously worked for Godolphin, Newtown Stud and the Irish Turf Club as well as enjoying a stint as a work rider at Ballydoyle, is Director of International

Racing for the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia.

Fallon concedes that even she was surprised at the depth of quality in the Saudi Cup entries.

She says: ‘‘Recruitment has definitely become easier. Owners and trainers are now familiar with us and with Saudi Arabia. They trust us to look after them, their staff and their horses with great facilities.

‘‘The first year [of the race] we felt that naturally there were a lot of unknowns and reservations about taking horses to Saudi.

‘‘We really had to have a good start to build the trust from day one, which we did.

“We had a couple of years in 2021 and 2022 through and coming out of Covid that skewed growth but 2023 and 2024 were a true measure of what has been achieved and an indication of where we are headed.

‘‘The strongest renewal of the Saudi Cup was 2024 but this year looks even better. If we can keep attracting winners of races like the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Kentucky Derby, Pegasus and Dubai World Cup and have them competing

“The region will develop more as a winter destination for racing”

against the top turf horses from Europe and Hong Kong, then we will be guaranteeing one of the most exciting sporting events in the world.’’

Upgrading the turf races at the Saudi Cup fixture is an immediate aspiration as those foundations are built upon in the second half of the decade.

Fallon continues: ‘‘We would love to see the undercard develop. I can see the Neom Turf Cup and 1351 Turf Sprint reaching Group 1 status in the next couple

of years with the [1m 7f, Group 2] Red Sea Turf Handicap and [Group 3] Saudi Derby not far off, maybe by 2030.

‘‘The Red Sea Turf Handicap is very attractive at $2.5m. I hope it can become more alluring once Saudi Arabia develops direct shipping protocols with Australia. The connections of the Melbourne Cup winner [Knight’s Choice] expressed an interest in coming but with the shipping complications didn’t proceed.

‘‘With those upgrades, the prize-money fund would also increase naturally, maintaining The Saudi Cup as the most valuable weekend of racing in the calendar.

‘‘I think the local horses, who have been able to hold their own against the internationals, will continue to strengthen. There is a lot of local investment from owners since the Saudi Cup began.

‘‘I would also imagine the region will develop more as a winter destination for racing and, hopefully, with collaboration between the Gulf Cooperation Council countries on race programming and horse movements, will be a thriving hub.’’

The ability to expand the race options at the Saudi Cup meeting will further increase after the completion of a new racecourse at Qiddiya.

Part of the Saudi 2030 Vision project, Qiddiya is a futuristic development described as Saudi Arabia’s ’first entertainment city’ which includes a

motor racing circuit, waterparks and the biggest theme park in the Middle East.

The plan is for the new racecourse to be the home of the Saudi Cup, hopefully by 2030.

Fallon explains: ‘‘With the move to Qiddiya for the Saudi Cup, different distance options, in particular on the turf, will open up.

‘‘I do get asked about five-furlong and mile turf races, which with the current configuration at King Abdulaziz are not possible.

‘‘We were keen to solidify what we have for a few years and build some data before adding more races but certainly there is room for discussion, and we love to hear feedback from owners and trainers on what they would like to see.’’

For the moment, outside of its prestige meeting on February 21 and 22, racing in Saudi Arabia remains a little bit of an unknown to many in Europe despite the exploits of Saudi owners like the late Prince Khalid Abdullah, whose legacy still thrives through his Juddmonte operation, and the Najd Stud of Prince Faisal Bin Khalid Bin Abdulaziz, which has become a prolific buyer at the sales.

Horses have always been ingrained within the psyche of the people on the Arabian Peninsula, but the first official race was staged in 1965 after the

establishment of the Equestrian Club, now the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, as the sport moved on from just being a pastime for the royal family and their associates.

The 25,000 capacity King Abdulaziz racecourse, with its 2,000m dirt track, was opened in 2002 with the 1,800m turf course added in 2019.

The track hosts the winter season with King Khaled racecourse at Taif in western Saudi Arabia the venue for racing during the summer.

The essential numbers indicate the expanding industry. During the 2023-24 season, Saudi Arabia had 1,168 meetings, up 143 on the previous year, with an average field size of 16.7 runners in Riyadh and 14.2 during the summer season at Taif.

They supported 495 licenced trainers and 163 jockeys, the vast majority of which are Saudi Arabian, who competed for prize-money outside of the key Saudi Cup fixture of 123,125,000 Saudi Arabian riyals, a few pounds short of £560m on current conversion rates.

There has always been a very strong KSA Purebred Arabian breeding industry and two races at every fixture are staged for Purebred Arabians.

Thoroughbreds are sourced in Europe and the US but unlike much of the region, Saudi Arabia operates a large in-country thoroughbred breeding industry. The foal

crop in 2023 was 1,320 and plans are being developed to ensure the production of top-quality bloodstock in-house.

The thoroughbred fixture list currently contains 11 Pattern races, a respectable number considering there were none in 2020.

In 2021, Saudi Arabia was promoted from a Part III to a Part II country by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities and the aim is elevation to Part I status as soon as possible.

All races, with the exception of those in the International Jockey Challenge which takes place on day one of the Saudi Cup meeting and this season features riders including Hollie Doyle, Rachel King, James McDonald, Oisin Murphy, Christophe Soumillon and John Velazquez, are open to international runners.

Fallon adds: ‘‘The qualifier races are starting to get some attention regionally but with such busy race programmes at home and no subsidies, they don’t get big numbers of foreign runners.

‘‘The idea of having satellite barns in Saudi for the winter is appealing to trainers. We have had enquiries about the JCSA’s plans to facilitate this. It’s something you may see more of in the future.’’

It’s a future for racing in Saudi Arabia that has few limits.

MATHEA

Senor Buscador (left) leads home Ushba Tesoro (centre) and Saudi Crown in the 2024 Saudi Cup

The Big Interview

Diamonds are FOREVER

Owner Ronnie Bartlett prefers to let his horses do the talking on the track while his commitment to his runners continues even when their racing careers are over

Words: Edward Rosenthal • Photos: Bill Selwyn

Most racehorse owners have photographs of their favourite performers dotted around their home – but Ronnie Bartlett can do a bit better.

Nestled in a paddock on his property just outside Glasgow are former Cheltenham Festival heroes Zemsky, 22, and Rathvinden, 17, enjoying their well-earned retirements having given their

all on the racecourse during celebrated careers.

“They all come home to me after their racing days are over,” says the softlyspoken Bartlett, Chairman of Albert Bartlett, the potato business established by his grandfather in 1948. “It’s lovely going out in the evening and giving them a carrot.

“When they’ve won the kind of races

Ronnie Bartlett

they have and provided so much pleasure, they’ve got a ticket from me forever.”

Bartlett fell in love with horses as a child, hunting from the age of eight with the Linlithgow and Stirlingshire Hunt, later riding in point-to-points and training for a period having invested in his first pointer while still a teenager.

It was his cousins in Ballymoney –Albert moved the family from Northern Ireland to Scotland in 1947 – who introduced Bartlett to a longstanding ally in Ian Ferguson.

A noted horseman and trainer, Ferguson supplied Zemsky and Rathvinden to Bartlett, along with a popular grey gelding who lit up the track under the tutelage of Nicky Henderson.

Simonsig won eight races under Rules

in the blue and white diamond silks. A bold-jumping superstar who scored twice in top company at the Cheltenham Festival, he captured the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle (then run under the Neptune Investment Management banner) in 2012 and the Arkle Trophy a year later.

Bartlett says: “I’d been having runners at Cheltenham since the 1980s. Rawyards Brig [trained by Ferguson] was fancied for the Foxhunter in 1991 but unseated Paddy Graffin at the open ditch second time round.

“Simonsig was my first Grade 1 winner. My wife sometimes thinks that I’m not showing much emotion, but I remember when he won the Neptune, coming down the hill he was travelling so well, I just

thought goodness me, is it really going to happen today? He had some ability but unfortunately legs of glass.

“He scoped dirty after winning the Arkle, so it was quite an achievement. Simonsig was a great horse – one in a million, really. He also won the Champion Bumper at Fairyhouse and other big races. Sadly, we lost him at Cheltenham in 2016 and I remember thinking I’m never going to get another one as good as him.”

Watching a replay of Simonsig’s brilliant Neptune win, one can’t help but draw similarities to the performance of Ballyburn in the same race last year, when Willie Mullins trained the first five home.

Ballyburn, voted Outstanding Novice Hurdler for 2024 at December’s ROA Horseracing Awards and owned in

Ronnie Bartlett with wife Freda, daughter Haley, trainer Joseph O’Brien, groom Lea Sutton and jockey Paul Townend after Banbridge swooped late to defeat Il Est Francais (left) in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day

The Big Interview

partnership with football agent David Manasseh, was another to pass through the Ferguson academy, bought by Bartlett privately from good friend Wilson Dennison.

Having carried all before him over hurdles, Ballyburn has embarked on a chasing career this season, scoring impressively at Punchestown before being outpointed by Sir Gino at Kempton over Christmas, although two miles on a sharp track looked far from ideal for the strapping Flemensfirth gelding.

“I don’t think Ballyburn turned up at Kempton,” reflects Bartlett.

“The other horse won fair and square on the day, but our horse didn’t travel with his usual authority.

“I’m disappointed we haven’t got the Turners [over two and a half miles] as a Grade 1. That would have been the race we’d have gone for but now it’s a handicap. We’ll learn a lot more after his next outing at Leopardstown whether we should stay at two miles or move up to three miles.”

While Ballyburn could even bypass Cheltenham in favour of a trip to Aintree, Banbridge, trained by Joseph O’Brien, has a range of Festival options following his dramatic success in the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

“We need to try and engage younger people and attract the next generation”

“The breeding tells you he’s going to go three miles. Touch wood if things stay good, a great goal for me would be to run him in the Gold Cup next year.

“He’s still got a lot to learn. If you’re going to go a longer distance, he’ll need to learn to relax a wee bit better. You don’t want to be burning too much energy.

Front-running French raider Il Est Francais and James Reveley had established a clear lead turning for home but as the leader began to tire, Banbridge was produced late on the scene by Paul Townend to hit the front after jumping the final fence, taking the prize by a length and three-quarters on his first chase start over three miles.

“The Kelvin-Hugheses [owners of Il Est Francais] are friends and I felt for them,” Bartlett says. “Some days you get beat and you’re well beat. Their horse

Simonsig was Bartlett’s first Grade 1 winner, triumphing at successive Cheltenham Festivals

produced some display of jumping and pace. Between four and three out we were gaining ground and I thought we’d get closer to him. Between the second last and the last I knew we had a chance.

“We ran him in a three-mile hurdle at Aintree when he was over the top. He’s one of these horses that if the ground is good, we’ll run him, and if it isn’t we won’t.

“He was jumping well while Il Est Francais was tearing up the track. Paul gave him a great ride and the horse came up at the right time. He’s entered for three races [at Cheltenham] in March. We’ll look for the best ground and I would say the Ryanair or Gold Cup is more likely than the Champion Chase.”

He continues: “What made Kempton really special was my three grandchildren

were there, along with my daughter Haley and her husband [former Wales and West Brom forward Hal Robson-Kanu]. The kids weren’t allowed in the paddock, so we watched on a big screen nearby – they were all so excited at the end!”

For a man involved in the best races and meetings the sport has to offer, Bartlett understands the plight of those further down racing’s pyramid and is keen to offer support where he can.

Albert Bartlett sponsors a Triple Crown series of 12 hurdle races, with qualifiers in Ireland and Britain, for horses rated up to 120, culminating in a €100,000 final on the first day of the Punchestown Festival in April.

Bartlett says: “We’ve been fortunate that we’ve had a few good horses that

Ronnie Bartlett

have won Grade 1s. But there are plenty of people out there that have been in the industry a long time and aren’t getting much of a return.

“The guys at the top of any sport are always doing well and some of our top trainers are falling over horses, but if you’re halfway down the ladder it’s not the same. The Jockeys’ Cup isn’t a bad idea, but we must look after people at the lower end.

“Owners are the bread and butter of our industry – without them we wouldn’t have a sport and we need to look after them as well. We need to make it work much better for the trainers and owners because we’ve all got middle-tier horses or worse.

“For these owners and trainers, we

Ballyburn: exciting novice chaser is viewed as a future Gold Cup contender by his owner

The Big Interview

need to ensure they get a decent payday, hence what we’re doing with the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown. You can have a good horse and a good day out – but for me it’s all about having a winner.

“I think we need to keep everyone at the table, and I’d like to see the industry working more closely together, particularly Britain and Ireland.”

He adds: “We’re standing at the edge of the cliff just now and we have to very careful as an industry that we don’t fall off the edge.

“I don’t think we’ve got too may racetracks, but we do have too many races in my opinion.

“There’s also got to be the opportunity for courses to get weekend racing and stage family days.

“We need to try and engage younger people and attract the next generation. If you go racing in certain parts of the country, the average age [of racegoers] will be over 60.”

Bartlett is the only one from his immediate family to catch the racing bug – “my dad and two older brothers have no interest in horses and wouldn’t even know

“I never backed Simonsig once and I’ve never had a penny on Ballyburn”

if I’d won a race at Cheltenham!” – and he enjoyed training under permit until having to focus on his career with the family firm, one of the biggest players in the domestic potato industry.

“I’m now the Chairman and my son [Alex] is the CEO,” he says. “My brothers and a cousin were in the business and at one point we all had 25% each. Between the four of us we took it from a small regional Scottish player to a national business.

“We expanded overseas and went to America and the Middle East, but now we’ve decided to focus on the UK. We make products in the frozen market and supply to Australia and the US. But we want to play at home now.

“I like the product to do the talking. We don’t want to cheat the customer. The products must be consistent so whatever season you buy them in, they’ve got to taste the same. When you buy Coca-Cola anywhere in the world, it tastes like

Ronnie Bartlett

Flummoxed by Festival race changes

Ronnie Bartlett has enjoyed three victories in the National Hunt Chase, the oldest race at the Cheltenham Festival, courtesy of Rathvinden (2018), Galvin (2021) and Stattler (2022).

He admits to being baffled by the decision to change the 3m6f contest into a handicap no longer confined to amateur riders, while also expressing his disappointment that the Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase over two and a half miles has been replaced with a Grade 2 limited novices’ handicap.

“I’m lost,” Bartlett says. “The National Hunt Chase has so much history – I cannot see the benefits [of the changes]. They’re trying to do the best thing for the meeting, but I don’t see why it should be a handicap. I’m a great believer that we should keep the amateur level alive.

“The Cheltenham Festival is a championship meeting. It’s like the European Cup Final and it should be about championship races. You want to see the best two-mile horse, best two-and-a-half-mile horse and best three-mile horse at level weights.

“If the Turners had remained a

Coca-Cola. That is our goal.”

On the racing front, the goal is to win one of the championship contests at the Cheltenham Festival to add to his already impressive haul of big-race triumphs.

“I’m not a gambler – all I want to do is win,” Bartlett says. “I never backed Simonsig once and I’ve never had a penny on Ballyburn, although I did take 33-1 on Banbridge for the King George!

“Cheltenham is the best week of the year. When you’re standing in the

Grade 1, we would have run Ballyburn – that would have been a certainty.

“The Cross Country Chase [which becomes a handicap] is great for horses that are over the hill slightly but retain some ability. It could be the race for Galvin as he may not carry as much weight as in the past.”

Albert Bartlett has backed the Grade 1 three-mile novices’ hurdle at the Festival since 2008, retaining its title while other sponsors have come and gone over the same period.

“A lot of farmers train horses and a lot of people have horses who are involved in agriculture,” explains Bartlett. “There’s a good link to what we do. It’s been a good relationship with Cheltenham.

“It’s a business for us. We monitor how much the race has cost us, what exposure the company has had and how much we’re talked about on TV and in the press.

“The deal has to work for the business and we’re happy with it. It’s like everything else – if you get a bit out of sport, you need to put a bit back.”

paddock and looking at the quality of horses around you, it’s amazing.”

He adds: “With horses, you’ve got to be 100% or nothing – that’s just the way it is. It’s about understanding the sport.

“Whenever I have a horse in training, I’ll never put the trainer under pressure to run in a race. I only want the horse to run when the trainer’s completely happy with it.”

Here’s hoping for some happy trainers come the second week in March.

Stattler strikes in the 2022 National Hunt Chase under Patrick Mullins

ULYSSES Smell the coffee

His successes included the Gr.1 winner WHITE BIRCH (Timeform 128) and Gr.2 winner PASSENGER. ...and wake up to the opportunity!

Sire of 5 individual Group winners worldwide in 2024, the same number as NEW BAY, SEA THE MOON and NO NAY NEVER, and more than SIYOUNI, NATHANIEL, OASIS DREAM and STUDY OF MAN.

Fee: £8,000 (1st Oct. SLF) His 2024 yearlings made up to 170,000gns

OUTSTANDING VALUE

WHITE BIRCH, winner of the Gr.1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and Gr.2 Mooresbridge Stakes in 2024.

First-crops include tough durable sprinters

Inc. 2024 Gr.3 & L winner WASHINGTON HEIGHTS (OR: 113), 5-time winner AMERICAN AFFAIR (OR: 97), 4-time winner VENTURE CAPITAL (OR: 92), etc. 48% winners/runners in 2024.

2024 yearlings realised up to 60,000gns

High class sprinter won/placed in 15 Stakes races

Won 5 Group/Stakes races and 2nd in the Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye, Gr.1 Phoenix Stakes & Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup.

Only son of Zofany at stud in GB

Half-brother to 2yo Gr.2 winner & Gr.1 sprinter Aesop’s Fables.

£3,500

Opportunity AWAITS

It wasn’t that long ago that breeders could access Havana Grey at £6,000. Time will tell if there’s another affordable stallion on the verge of following suit but regardless, there’s still plenty old and new to entice value hunters

Words: Nancy Sexton

Whether looking for a proven Group 1 producer or a younger name, breeders don’t need deep pockets to access a range of stallions in Britain and Ireland. Here we run through those due to stand for £10,000/€10,000 or less in 2025 and what they have to offer.

New names

From good two-year-olds to top sprinters and a champion middle-distance horse, this bracket has it all for breeders looking to use a first-year stallion on a budget.

Group 1-winning sprinter Bradsell has been installed at £10,000 at The National Stud, where by all accounts the son of Tasleet is set to be popular. Purchased by Victorious Racing following a nine-length

debut win at York, Bradsell became a regular fixture at the top level thereafter for Archie Watson, winning the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot at two and King’s Stand Stakes back at the same meeting the following June. He also returned from injury arguably better than ever at four when successful in the Nunthorpe Stakes and Flying Five Stakes.

Ballyhane Stud’s new recruit Sakheer (€6,500) was also a high-class twoyear-old for Bahrain interests, in his case KHK Racing who paid a sale-topping €550,000 for the son of Zoffany as an Arqana May breezer. He was highly impressive when winning the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury by a wide margin and now joins the stud that cultivated Dandy Man and more recently Sands Of Mali to

such good effect.

Aesop’s Fables (€6,500; Starfield Stud) is another Group-winning two-yearold, his breakthrough success for Aidan O’Brien coming in the Futurity Stakes at the Curragh. A fast horse in keeping with the speed often associated with his sire No Nay Never, Aesop’s Fables was also placed in the Prix de l’Abbaye and Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at three and was a Listed winner at four.

Go Bears Go (€8,000; Oak Lodge Stud), winner of the Railway Stakes as a two-year-old, retires with the support of his owner Amo Racing. A four-time winner in total, his performances also included placings in the Phoenix Stakes, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint and Norfolk Stakes during a busy two-year-old campaign, and a pair of sprint Group 3 victories at three.

Isaac Shelby (£7,000; Newsells Park Stud) also brings good two-year-old form to the table as winner of the Superlative Stakes. That was only the second start for Isaac Shelby, who subsequently won the Greenham Stakes and ran second in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at three. He is the first son of Night Of Thunder to stud and retires to Newsells Park Stud with the support of his increasingly powerful owners Wathnan Racing.

Shouldvebeenaring (€6,000; Irish National Stud), meanwhile, is an affordable option for breeders looking to tap into the Havana Grey line. The winner of six of 30 starts, his career highlight came when successful in the Prix de RisOrangis at three. However, this 118-rated performer was also beaten only a neck when second in the Betfair Sprint Cup and also ran third in the Prix de la Foret.

BILL SELWYN

Bradsell: top sprinter looks set to be popular at The National Stud

Value sires

As for the dual-purpose market, it has gained two elite campaigners in Eldar Eldarov and Luxembourg.

A beautifully-bred son of Dubawi who commanded £480,000 as a breezer, Eldar Eldarov (£5,000; Chapel Stud) lived up to expectations by winning both the Doncaster and Irish St Legers as well as the Queen’s Vase. He most likely would have taken high order again last year had he not suffered a freak stalls injury, which almost cost him his life. He’s a welcome addition to Chapel Stud and the British industry overall.

Luxembourg retires under the Coolmore banner to The Beeches Stud. A fee of €7,000 gains breeders access to a well-bred son of Camelot who boasts Group 1 wins at two, three, four and five years, namely the Vertem Futurity, Irish Champion Stakes, Tattersalls Gold Cup and Coronation Cup.

First foal anticipation

The busiest new sire of 2024 was Triple Time (£10,000; Dalham Hall Stud), a horse who offers both Group 1 form and pedigree. The son of Frankel gained his top-level victory in the Queen Anne Stakes, thereby kickstarting a Royal Ascot family tradition that has also come to celebrate Rosallion and Inisherin, successful in last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes and Commonwealth Cup. The common link here is Triple Time’s accomplished dam Reem Three, the dam of ten winners in total.

Triple Time’s debut book consisted

of 155 mares, narrowly ahead of another Royal Ascot ‘victor’ Dragon Symbol (£8,000; Whitsbury Manor Stud) on a full book of 140. This classy sprinter crossed the line first in the 2021 Commonwealth Cup but was demoted to second behind the filly Campanelle. Also placed in the July Cup and Nunthorpe Stakes, the son of Cable Bay is next in line from the farm that brought you Havana Grey.

Speaking of Havana Grey, there is only one other son of his sire Havana Gold

“Queen Anne victor Triple Time’s debut book consisted of 155 mares”

standing in Europe. The horse in question, El Caballo (£5,000; Culworth Grounds Farm), was one of the best three-year-old sprinters of his generation, winning the Sandy Lane Stakes and Spring Cup. He is backed by an enthusiastic syndicate of commercial investors headed up by Culworth Grounds Farm and with 100 mares covered last year, he already has a good foundation behind him.

There’s no shortage of two-year-old form on offer in this group. The Antarctic (€5,000; Coolmore) was a hardy juvenile

for Aidan O’Brien, winning the Prix de Cabourg and running second in the Middle Park Stakes. The son of Dark Angel, a brother to Battaash, covered over 120 mares at Coolmore’s Castle Hyde Stud while another Middle Park Stakes runner-up Castle Star (€3,000; Capital Stud) received close to 100. One of only two sons of Starspangledbanner at stud in Ireland, Castle Star was trained by Fozzy Stack to win the Marble Hill Stakes.

Rathbarry Stud should know a good Acclamation when they see one so it’s notable that they have taken a chance on Group 3-winning sprinter Bouttemont (€5,000). Acclamation’s legacy looks assured through the likes of Dark Angel and Mehmas; that aspect alongside the fact that Bouttemont was a fast and durable veteran of 26 starts most likely drove his first-year book of 81.

Dubai Mile, who was a two-yearold Group 1 winner in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud, switches to Coolagown Stud in Ireland. The only son of Roaring Lion at stud, and therefore a member of the Kitten’s Joy sire line, he heads into the second season at €4,000 with the full weight of support from his new connections not to mention his owner Ahmad Al Shaikh.

As far as durability is concerned, they don’t come much tougher than Marie’s Diamond (€5,000; Diamond Stud). Almost a throwback to another era, the son of Footstepsinthesand won seven of 65 starts over seven seasons led by the Anglesey Stakes at two and Paradise

El Caballo: by the same sire as Havana Grey, the Group 2 winner covered a debut three-figure book in 2024

2yo Gr.2 winner

1st Gr.2 Futurity Stakes, Curragh, 7f, by 2¼l

1st Maiden, Navan, 5½f, by 2¼l on debut

3yo Gr.1 sprinter

3rd Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Santa Anita, 5f, to Nobals by a nk & ½l

3rd Gr.1 Prix de l’Abbaye, ParisLongchamp, 5f, to Highfeld Princess by 1l & a shd

4yo Stakes winner

1st L Sole Power Sprint Stakes, Naas, 5f Beating 18 Gr.1 horses during his career.

He is typical of his sire, a big, strong, powerful horse with a good mind. He has loads of scope and could get very classy horses.

Aidan O’Brien

FEE: €6,500 LIMITED BREEDING RIGHTS AVAILABLE

Aesop’s Fables Dubawi Legend Far Above King of Change Space Traveller Galileo Chrome

Standing at Starfeld Stud, Ballynagall, Mullingar, Co. Westmeath, Ireland N91 K8Y9 Micheál Orlandi, Compas Stallions  + 353 (0)83 809 2299  compasstallions.com @CompasStallions

info@compasstallions.com

Value sires

››

Stakes at four, the same season in which he ran third in the Queen Anne Stakes.

Midnight Sands, a well-bred Group 3-winning son of Speightstown, is also available at Norton Grove Stud, where he is standing for £2,500.

The market speaks

This sector of the market, as a stallion’s first progeny come under the hammer, can be the most brutal as early opinions are formed, for better or worse.

In the case of Darley’s Perfect Power, the market has decided unequivocally that this is a horse worth following. That in itself shouldn’t come as a surprise. Having sold well as a breezer, Perfect Power went on to pull off the Norfolk Stakes - Prix Morny - Middle Park Stakes treble and trained on to win the Commonwealth Cup at three.

Yet initially breeders weren’t fully convinced. A moderate first book of 89 dropped to 58 last year and in turn his fee has been reduced to £7,500 for 2025, half that of his opening season.

Chances are, however, that the phones at Dalham Hall Stud are hot right now for the son of Ardad following the reaction to his first foals at auction. He was well represented with 30 catalogued, 27 of whom changed hands for an average of 40,407gns. Ten made north of 50,000gns led by a colt out of Mutrecy who made

“Chances are that the phones are hot right now for Perfect Power”

130,000gns to Peter and Ross Doyle. A number of other major pinhookers also got on the bandwagon.

Darley also stands another Group 1-winning sprinter in Naval Crown (€9,000), winner of the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. A good-looking and well-bred son of Dubawi, his 26 foals sold in the ring included a pair of €60,000 colts knocked down to leading pinhookers Brendan Holland and Eddie O’Leary.

Dubawi is also represented in this category by the Group 1-placed twoyear-old Dubawi Legend (€6,000; Starfield Stud). Another well-bred sort, he supplemented his accomplished juvenile campaign by taking the Goldene Peitsche over six furlongs at three.

There was also a good word for the first foals belonging to Persian Force (€8,000; Tally-Ho Stud). A Group 2-winning juvenile like his sire Mehmas, he returned an average of 25,985gns led by a 68,000gns colt. He has the benefit of the Tally-Ho machine behind him and it’s not hard to envisage his progeny finding favour with trainers and the breeze-up community at the yearling sales.

Similarly, Caturra (£5,000; Overbury Stud) is a quick Group 2-winning son of Mehmas. From the same farm that launched Ardad, this horse was also successful in the Flying Childers Stakes and was well supported in his first season as the recipient of just over 100 mares. His early auction representatives included a 55,000gns colt.

The Group 1 miler Space Traveller (€6,000; Starfield Stud), meanwhile, hit the headlines when supplying the top lot on the opening day of the Tattersalls December Foal Sale. The colt in question was knocked down for 82,000gns to Mick Carty of KCS Bloodstock and led the way among a 25-strong group of foals who averaged 18,840gns.

It was also encouraging to see the market’s reaction to Stradivarius (£10,000; The National Stud), whose representation at Tattersalls included a flashy colt in his sire’s mould who was sold by Brook Stud for 40,000gns to Newnham Lodge Farm.

Stradivarius was a remarkable horse over six seasons, winning 18 Group races including seven at the highest level. The son of Sea The Stars has a dual-purpose profile but has deservedly been given every chance to succeed on the Flat; indeed, he has covered three-figure books in both his seasons at stud to date.

Nor should Wells Farhh Go (£2,500; Norton Grove Stud) be underestimated. The son of Farhh won three stakes races, ranging from the Acomb Stakes over seven furlongs as a two-year-old to the Bahrain Trophy over 1m5f at three.

Crunch time

Sires with first two-year-olds – the bracket where expectations and risk run hand in hand. Breeders use these horses in the knowledge that they must hit the ground running. Should they do so, then the rewards can be very high. For that, look no further than Havana Grey, who stood for just £6,000 in the year his first two-year-olds hit the track.

Time will tell if there is another Havana Grey lurking among this group but buyers certainly seemed to like the look of the first yearlings by July Cup winner Starman (€10,000; Tally-Ho Stud). No fewer than 14 made six-figure sums to help push his overall yearling average to 42,266gns.

Plenty have ended up in a number of leading yards and as is typical of a TallyHo inmate, he also has a series of large crops to follow his two-year-olds through. In a nutshell, this son of Dutch Art has been given every opportunity.

Buyers were also positive towards the first crop of Yeomanstown Stud’s Middle Park Stakes winner Supremacy (€8,000). The first son of Mehmas to stand at stud and related to respected sire Harry Angel, Supremacy was responsible for six yearlings who broke the 100,000gns barrier while a list of buyers that includes the likes of Shadwell, Karl Burke, Clive Cox, Wesley Ward and Stonestreet Stables illustrates that his stock found favour with a number of sharp eyes. Expectations are that the progeny

Perfect Power was well advertised at the foal sales, including by this 130,000gns colt

Source:

of A’Ali (£5,000) will also be quick and precocious. An expensive breezer himself who won the Norfolk Stakes, Prix Robert Papin and Flying Childers Stakes before training on into a Group 2-winning sprinter at three, A’Ali returned a yearling average of 31,054gns bolstered by the presence of three six-figure yearlings, all of whom were knocked down to Stroud Coleman Bloodstock. They included a 200,000gns colt out of Royal Empress sold at the Tattersalls October Sale.

High-class two-year-old form is also offered by Capital Stud’s Alkumait (€3,000), a Showcasing half-brother to Chaldean who won the Mill Reef Stakes, the Irish National Stud’s Nando Parrado (€6,000), who won the Coventry Stakes and has around 100 two-yearolds to run for him, and Mickley Stud’s Ubettabelieveit (£5,000), the Flying Childers Stakes winner whose first yearlings sold for up to 70,000gns. Nando Parrado and Ubettabelieveit both offer access to the Kodiac sire line, which has been showcased to such good effect in recent seasons via the likes of Hello Youmzain and Ardad.

Lope Y Fernandez (£8,500; The National Stud) was another to offer plenty of return in the ring for breeders, with his name advertised to good effect by yearlings who sold for €175,000, 140,000gns and 125,000gns. He was a tough son of Lope De Vega who was Group 1-placed on five occasions, including in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Breeders’ Cup Mile, and has covered over 400 mares in his first three seasons.

Miler class is also offered by Roseman (£4,000; March Hare Stud), a well-bred son of Kingman who ran second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, as well as Century Dream (£3,000; Norton Grove Stud), a ten-time winning half-brother to King Of Change whose career highlight came in the Celebration Mile.

Class and durability is also the potent mix behind Group 2 winner Bangkok (£3,000; Chapel Stud), a son of Australia who has been well supported so far at stud by his connections, among them King Power Racing.

Rare opportunity

It’s not often that breeders can access the current leading first-crop sire within a ‘value bracket’ but that is the kind of opportunity available for 2025 in the case of Sergei Prokofiev, whose fee at Whitsbury Manor Stud has been set at £8,000.

The son of Scat Daddy ended the year as the champion first-crop sire in both Britain and Ireland and Europe, his tallies

bolstered by the presence of Arizona Blaze, the Marble Hill Stakes winner who signed off his year with a second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, and Listed winner Enchanting Empress.

Sergei Prokofiev’s overall record of 29 two-year-old winners, which also includes one of the leading Saudi Arabian juveniles in Mhally, led the way among a sextet of first-crop sires to end the year with 20 winners or more. In 2025, they will stand for up to €40,000 – but that does not include the third-placed finisher Sands Of Mali, who switches to ‘private’ at Ballyhane Stud following three seasons at €5,000. The son of Panis was a fast, tough two-year-old who trained on into a Group 1-winning sprinter at three and early indications are that a number of his stock have inherited his precocity and pace, the Windsor Castle Stakes winner Ain’t Nobody and fellow Listed scorer Ellaria Sands being notable examples.

Group 1-winning miler Without Parole (£8,000; Newsells Park Stud) didn’t deviate from a strong winners to

runners strike-rate throughout the season, ultimately winding up at around 40 per cent. There was plenty of quality as well among his 12 winners, among them the Group 3-placed Fiery Lucy, Listed-placed Newmarket winner Sea To Sky and North American maiden special weight scorers Serving Time and Without Caution. As a well-bred son of Frankel who hit full stride at three when successful in the St James’s Palace Stakes, it stands to reason that Without Parole’s stock will continue to progress into this season and beyond.

Yeomanstown Stud’s Shaman (€5,000) also hit 12 winners, his tally bolstered by the Group 3-placed Brian, who also won a lucrative sales race, and Listed-placed Eternal Elixir. By Shamardal and from the famous Fall Aspen family, he also progressed himself into a Group 1-winning miler, so there should be more to come from his stock. His yearlings sold for up to €110,000 in 2024.

Far Above’s winning dozen included a pair of Italian Listed winners in Kabir and Nigrum Regina. With several sizeable books in the pipeline at Starfield Stud, the Palace House Stakes winner remains at €5,000, the same price commanded by his studmate King Of Change. Also a son of Farhh, the Group 1-winning miler captured the imagination back in the spring as his first crop hit the breeze-up market, with a trio of six-figure breezers undoubtedly driving his 2024 book of 131 mares, up from 52 the year before. Six winners have since emerged out of that crop, with Listed scorer Lady With The Lamp adding a measure of quality.

King Of Change is a sizeable individual who was best at three himself, so expect his progeny to thrive as time goes on. Similarly, Tara Stud’s River Boyne (€3,500) was a high-class older miler in

BILL SELWYN

BILL SELWYN

Sergei Prokofiev’s first runners impressed

The first yearlings by top sprinter Starman were well received at auction last year

Value sires

the US whose nine wins were capped by the Grade 1 Frank E Kilroe Mile as a fiveyear-old.

Norman Court Stud offers Molecomb Stakes winner Rumble Inthejungle (£3,500), a son of Bungle Inthejungle who has sired a handful of winners to date, while Grade 3-winning sprinter Legends Of War (£1,000), a son of Scat Daddy who cost 900,000gns as a breezer, moves to Groomsbridge Stud.

Special mention must also go to Beckford (poa; Newtown Anner Stud). A Group 2-winning two-year-old for Maurice Regan’s Newtown Anner Stud, he has been used exclusively by his owner since retiring to stud in 2021. There are only five foals in that first crop but despite that, Regan’s belief in the son of Bated Breath has already been vindicated to some degree by the 96-rated Beckman, who followed up his debut Curragh success for Ger Lyons with a placing at Listed level.

Playing safe

Sometimes playing safe is the soundest option. Breeders know full well where they are with this category, with a number of proven Group 1 sires populating a group that offers a wealth of variety.

Looking to breed a middle-distance horse with the potential to appeal to an international audience? An outlay of around £10,000 gains you access to two such horses in the Derby winners Australia and Golden Horn. Meanwhile at the other end of the spectrum is champion sprinter Dream Ahead, another affordable proven Group 1 sire, this time at Bearstone Stud. By its nature, this is a bracket that hosts various elder statesmen and it will probably come as no surprise that by the metrics, it is once again Raven’s Pass who leads the way.

Now 20-years-old, the Darley veteran has long won admirers for a stud career underpinned by strong statistics. At the time of writing, he was operating at six per cent stakes winners to runners alongside a figure of 47 per cent winners to foals of racing age. A quartet of Group 1 winners, including young Darley Japan sire Tower Of London, underline his ability to cater for the top level but he has also developed into a formidable broodmare sire, as we saw again in 2024 via the Group 1 winners Rouhiya and Ramatuelle. All of which makes his fee of €7,500 at Kildangan Stud look pretty good value.

The same can also be said of another Darley stalwart in Iffraaj at £10,000. The 24-year-old has been overshadowed by the achievements of his leading sire son Wootton Bassett in recent years but he

remains very capable in his own right, as illustrated again last year when a trio of British and Irish stakes winners included the Lockinge Stakes hero Audience. Responsible for a 45 per cent winners to foals of racing age strike-rate, he’s already off the mark as a Group 1 sire in 2025 thanks to the win of Grail Seeker in the TAB Telegraph in New Zealand.

At Derrinstown Stud, top miler Awtaad has developed something of a following with breeders and deservedly so given the past season yielded two Group/Grade 1 winners in Anmaat, who claimed some major scalps in the Champion Stakes at Ascot, and top Californian filly Anisette. The sire of 11 stakes winners overall with a 40 per cent winners to foals of racing age strike-rate, Awtaad covered over 120 mares in 2024 and should again be popular at his new fee of €7,500, which represents a minor uptick from last year. Australia joins this bracket for the first time having been reduced to €10,000 at Coolmore. That’s a lenient price for a horse who was not only a champion on the track but is also the sire of 66 blacktype horses, among them five Group/ Grade 1 winners.

There were seven stakes winners in 2024, ranging from the Ribblesdale Stakes heroine Port Fairy to the promising Ballydoyle two-year-old Lambourn. As with several in this bracket, there are also some early indications that he will be worth watching as a broodmare sire; his eldest daughters are still only nine but have produced six stakes winners between them, headed by last year’s

Group winners Ancient Truth and Al Shabab Storm.

Other Coolmore-based options include the veterans Holy Roman Emperor, one of the last sons of Danehill left in production whose global roll call contains nine Group/Grade 1 winners as well as one of last year’s leading juveniles in Rashabar, and Footstepsinthesand, who tasted Classic success in 2024 as the sire of the Oaks d’Italia heroine Tomiko. Both stand for €8,000.

Classic success was also tasted early on by Aclaim, the sire of 1,000 Guineas heroine Cachet out of his first crop. The Prix de la Foret winner is a welcome addition to Batsford Stud for 2025 and given that he has the likes of high-class sprinter Purosangue in addition to a sizeable group of two-year-olds working for him on the track, he surely gives breeders plenty of breathing room at his new fee of £3,000.

Group 1 heights

Cheveley Park Stud’s Ulysses was another in this bracket to hit Group 1 heights in 2024, in his case courtesy of White Birch’s win over Auguste Rodin in the Tattersalls Gold Cup. The popular grey, whose yearling brother sold for 170,000gns in October, was one of five Group winners in 2024 for his sire –another was Group 2 victor Passenger – making a fee of £8,000 for this Group 1-winning son of Galileo appealing.

Bated Breath has long been a friend of the British breeder, with his 60 black-type performers led by the Grade 1-winning

DARLEY

Iffraaj: proven Group 1 sire stands for Darley at an affordable £10,000

SPRINGFIELD HOUSE STALLIONS 2025

Only Gr.1 July Cup Winner by Sire of Sires INVINCIBLE SPIRIT

PROVEN SIRE OF TOP CLASS SPRINTERS

Yearlings Averaged €29,000 in 2024

Fee: €4,250 1st Oct SLF

CHAMPION SPRINTER, GROUP WINNER AT 2 AND 3

Sound Bloodlines of KODIAC and GIANT’S CAUSEWAY

Family of Champion Miler BENBATL, Gr.1 1,000 Guineas Winner EMALKA, etc.

Fee: €8,000 1st Oct SLF

Value sires

American filly Viadera. His yearlings also averaged over 40,000gns and made up to 170,000gns in 2024, all of which should garner plenty of support at his fee of £8,000 at Banstead Manor Stud.

Harry Angel (£10,000; Dalham Hall Stud) is another who has forged a niche as a reliable source of precocious and fast stock. Last year was a productive and international year for this son of Dark Angel, with stakes winners in Britain, Ireland, France and Italy complemented by another bold showing in Australia.

Group 1 winner Toms Kitten leads the way among a quintet of stakes scorers down under for Harry Angel while he also came close to getting off the Group 1 mark in Europe last year as the sire of Irish 1,000 Guineas runner-up A Lilac Rolla.

Similarly Bungle Inthejungle (€7,500) is a proven sprint source at Rathasker Stud. Previously the sire of such speedsters as Winter Power (winner of the Nunthorpe Stakes) and Living In The Past (Lowther Stakes), he hit the headlines again in 2024 thanks to Givemethebeatboys, who struck in the Phoenix Sprint Stakes. With yearlings selling up to 150,000gns in 2024, he is well regarded for producing ‘trainers’ horses’, just like his stud mates Coulsty (€5,500) and Gregorian (€4,500).

Grade 1 winner Shantisara and Princess Margaret Stakes scorer Santosha emerged out of Coulsty’s first crop of 44 foals. Needless to say, he’s been well supported since then, with a crop of over 110 twoyear-olds to go to war with this year. As for Gregorian, he boasts a roll call of 14 stakes performers led by the Group 2-winning juvenile Plainchart.

Make Believe (€8,000) was quick to make his presence felt as the sire of Mishriff in his first crop and consequently had a large crop of well-bred two-yearolds working for him in 2024 off the back of that early success. They came to include a pair of Italian Group 2 winners, which helped the Ballylinch stallion end the year as Italy’s champion sire. It was also interesting to see Mishriff’s co-trainer Thady Gosden go to 125,000gns for a Make Believe colt at the yearling sales.

Golden Horn has developed a fan base as a high-class source of dual-purpose talent since his switch to Overbury Stud, underlined by the fact that success in 2024 ranged from a Cheltenham Festival winner in Golden Ace to Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Trawlerman and French Group 3 winner Higher Leaves. A champion in his time, he stands for £10,000.

The same figure also gains access to Al Kazeem (£10,000) at Oakgrove Stud. Although blighted by fertility problems,

he’s a very capable stallion as illustrated by a record that consists of a 57 per cent winners to runners strike-rate headlined by the German Group 1 winner Aspetar.

Also extremely capable is the veteran Sixties Icon, who stands for just £3,000 at Norman Court Stud despite owning a record highlighted by a trio of South American Group 1 winners.

Lanwades Stud’s Bobby’s Kitten, meanwhile, stands for £5,000 having supplied an early star in Sandrine, a Group 2 winner at two, three and four years. She is one of five stakes horses overall for the Grade 1-winning son of Kitten’s Joy, whose recent runners also include classy Saudi Arabian performer Almohahed.

“Massaat continues to punch above his fee for Mickley Stud”

All of the above are ideal for getting a young mare going, something which also applies to Dream Ahead (£6,500). Sire of Group 1 winners Al Wukair, Donjuan Triumphant, Dream Of Dreams and Glass Slippers among 65 stakes horses from his time in Ireland and France, Dream Ahead switched to Bearstone Stud in 2022 and has around 80 two-year-olds from that first British crop to run for him this year. He’s easy to use, being a grandson of Warning out of a Cadeaux Genereux

mare, and is also now starting to make his presence felt as a broodmare sire.

The Bearstone roster also includes hardy sprinter Washington DC (£3,500), sire of last year’s Abernant Stakes winner Washington Heights, as well another proven Group 1 sire in Belardo (£5,500), a top miler in his time who is responsible for 13 stakes winners including the Grade 1-winning Californian miler Gold Phoenix. His first British-bred crop are yearlings this year but in the meantime he has 124 three-year-olds from his time in Ireland to work for him. As it was, he returned 50 per cent winners to runners in 2024.

Another son of Lope De Vega, the Irish National Stud’s Phoenix Of Spain (€10,000), came close to tasting firstcrop Group 1 success last year thanks to Haatem, who followed up his win in the Craven Stakes with placings in the Newmarket and Irish 2,000 Guineas. Also responsible for the unbeaten Listed winner Lady Of Spain, Phoenix Of Spain was one of Ireland’s busiest sires last season as the recipient of 217 mares.

On the move

Recent seasons have seen the Irish stallion ranks welcome several durable speed influences led by Mayson and Twilight Son, both of whom are former Cheveley Park Stud residents. July Cup winner Mayson (€4,250), the sire of Group 1-winning sprinter Oxted, arrived at Oak Lodge Stud for the 2024 season. His yearlings sold for up to 100,000gns last year, quite a return on his 2022 fee of £6,000, while fellow Group 1-winning sprinter Twilight Son hit similar heights thanks to a filly who realised €100,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. The sire of 20

BILL SELWYN

Coventry Stakes winner Rashabar is the latest high-class runner for Holy Roman Emperor

Fee: £5,000 (1st October SLF)

Sire of: Winner of the Group 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint beating NO NAY NEVER Won 6 races at 2, 3 and 5 (6f-8f all on turf) and $1.4m

Lanwades bred/owned and Andrew Balding trained SANDRINE a Group winner at 2, 3 and 4

ALMOTAHED (GB) an impressive 3½ length winner of The 2000 Championship (Saudi 2000 Guineas), Saudi Arabia

Lanwades-bred colt AIRPORT (GB) winning DARK BLUE SKY (IRE) Hungarian top 2yo filly, winner of 4 races, including Hungary’s biggest 2yo race, (local Gr.2) over 7f

Value sires

stakes horses including the Group 1 sprinter Twilight Calls, Twilight Son (€5,000) has relocated this year to Annshoon Stud.

Another top sprinter, Advertise, moves from Manton Park Stud to Knockmullen House Stud. Advertised at €5,000, the son of Showcasing made something of a resurgence last year thanks primarily to a trio of Andrew Balding-trained inmates; Al Shabab Storm and Secret Satire were Group 3-winning three-yearolds out of his first crop while Cool Hoof Luke emerged as one of the leaders of the juvenile generation when defeating Shadow Of Light to take the Gimcrack Stakes. Some of his progeny stay better than he did, which might well open up some different avenues for the horse down the line.

Another son of Showcasing, Soldier’s Call (£6,000), made the reverse trip last season, switching from Ballyhane Stud in Ireland to Dullingham Park Stud in Newmarket where he covered a book of 70 mares. Another fast horse, his first crop contains five stakes horses, among them Group 3 winner Dawn Charger, while his second has to date added another three. He has several sizeable crops still to come, notably 113 yearlings.

Another new name to Britain this year is 2,000 Guineas and Vertem Futurity winner Magna Grecia (£5,000), who

relocates to March Hare Stud from Coolmore. He covered 105 mares as recently as 2023, so there’s plenty of time for this half-brother to St Mark’s Basilica to add to a stud record led by French Listed winner Myconian. March Hare also stands Middle Park Stakes winner Charming Thought (£3,000), sire of the American

“Dream Ahead is making his presence felt as a broodmare sire”

Grade 3 winner Amy C who operates at 40 per cent winners to foals of racing age, Windsor Castle Stakes winner Southern Hills (£2,000) and Master Carpenter (£1,500), whose seven-time winning son The Craftymaster was named the ROA’s Outstanding All-Weather Horse of 2024. Massaat (£3,500) continues to punch above his fee for Mickley Stud, with his first two crops containing the likes of Queues Likely and Coco Jambo, both Group 3-winning fillies, as well as the Group 1-placed miler Docklands.

Breeders also don’t require deep pockets to access either Mattmu (£2,500; Norton Grove Stud) or Swiss Spirit (£1,000; Batsford Stud), both high-class sprinters in their day. Despite operating with small numbers, Mattmu has sired the stakes-placed two-year-old Favourite Child while Swiss Spirit’s own speed is reflected by the deeds of stakes winners such as Tees Spirit and One Night Stand, two extremely quick representatives.

Coventry Stakes winner Rajasinghe (£3,000; The National Stud) continues to fire in the winners, as illustrated by his 57 per cent winners to runners strike-rate. His progeny seem well liked by trainers.

Richmond Stakes winner Land Force (£2,500; Hedgeholme Stud) has also sired plenty of winners out of his first two crops, among them two in Serried Ranks and Watcha Matey rated in excess of 90. He covered 114 mares in 2023 so has a large crop of yearlings on the ground.

Chapel Stud also continues to offer the reliable Hellvelyn, another proven Group sire, at £2,500.

Longford House Stud has added an interesting horse in De Treville (€2,500).

A Group 3-placed Oasis Dream halfbrother to Too Darn Hot, he has emerged out of his sibling’s shadow to some degree as the sire of a handful of stakes horses out of his early small French crops, including Athasi Stakes heroine Gregarina.

BILL SELWYN

Queen Anne Stakes winner Triple Time offers Group 1 form and pedigree and as such was busy in his first season at Dalham Hall Stud

Invincible Spirit x Cabaret

A Group One Futurity winner at 2 and a Classic 2,000 Guineas-winning 3yo and the only son of Invicible Spirit to do so

Half-brother to European Champion 2yo and Wold Champion 3yo St Mark’s Basillica

Out of Cabaret, a Group winning 2yo over 7f by Galileo

£5,500 1st Oct SLF CHARMING

Invincible Spirit x Cabaret

The highest-rated Son of Oasis Dream to stand in the UK

A Group One Middle Parks Stakes winner at 2yo

Produced Group 3 winner

Amy C and Group Placed and Listed winner

Charterhouse

£3,000 1st Oct SLF

Value sires

‘He’s the kind

of stallion

that could go supersonic’

Will Douglass, agent

“I think Sioux Nation (€30,000; Coolmore) is value. I had a Group winner by him the other day at Happy Valley called Helene Feeling. He was purchased privately to race in Hong Kong and is now winner of over £1.4 million.

“Another Sioux Nation I purchased at the Arqana May Breeze-Up Sale called Enacting won for James Fanshawe in December. He’s a horse we really like and he now goes to Hong Kong. And there’s She’s Perfect with Charlie Fellowes. She won first time out and struggled a bit on very heavy ground next time. We think she’s nice.

“I wanted to buy a few more by him but they’re hard to get. They have scope and quality, and they seem to do well all over the world, which is becoming more important with the strength of the secondary market. He also has some bigger books to come through. He’s a stallion on an upward curve.”

Kieran Lalor, Al Shira’aa Farms

“Gleneagles (€20,000; Coolmore) in my opinion is exceptional value. We have been very lucky with him. We have bred five by him to date, all winners and highlighted by [Derby runner-up] Ambiente Friendly. He had an exceptional year in 2024, probably his best to date, with winners and placed horses at the highest level in several countries and over varying distances. You would have to think Mill Stream winning the July Cup was an eye-opener to many, including myself, as to how versatile he is as a sire.

“Top that with his incredible family and race record, and a fee of €20,000 is a no-brainer. We will be going back to the well again this year.”

Matt Coleman, agent

“Zarak’s price has been increased but deservedly so (€80,000 at Haras de Bonneval). At 12 per cent stakes winners to runners from a less than stellar pool of mares thus far, I expect his star to continue to rise.

“I also like Study Of Man (£15,000 at Lanwades Stud). Bearing in mind the smaller books of mares that he has covered to date in comparison to many of his contemporaries, his 45 per cent winners to runners ratio including three Group winners and

Zarak: has gained his share of admirers thanks to some impressive early results

11 stakes performers, all from just 60 total runners, indicates a very talented stallion with more to come.”

Jack Cantillon, breeder

“If the breeding shed was the poker table, we have moved our chips all in on Study Of Man. His Group horses to runners ratio is like a computer glitch. We bought a number of mares in foal

winners. It helps that they are regarded as sound, laid-back horses, which makes them liked by trainers, and there’s also his burgeoning broodmare sire record to consider.

“Cotai Glory has been raised marginally by Tally-Ho Stud to €15,000. He throws his share of sharp two-yearolds every year but they also train on – with that in mind it would be no

Stallion popularity Collective THINKING

For a snapshot of market trends look no further than the covering numbers for 2024, which once again offer an interesting insight into the popularity of various stallions

Words: James Thomas

All breeders are essentially searching the stallion ranks for the same phenomenon: the next big thing. As there is no crystal ball to reveal what will transpire in the future, we have to rely on the next best thing instead.

The Return of Mares contains a wealth of invaluable information that tells us plenty about breeders’ collective thinking. Moreover, the trends in evidence throughout this weighty tome will eventually be borne out on the racecourse

and in the sales ring.

The Return of Mares details which stallions – and which sire lines – breeders are throwing their support behind, making this a useful guide to future achievement. It also highlights those that have fallen out of favour, and consequently face an uphill struggle to make their impact felt.

The publication confirms what we already know about some sires and also contains a few surprises about others. The identity of the busiest Flat sire in Britain and Ireland in 2024 falls into the latter category.

Step forward Coolmore resident Calyx, whose latest book numbered a whopping 273 mares. The son of Kingman made a perfectly promising start with his first runners in 2023, albeit without suggesting he was the standout performer among his cohort. In this regard champion first-season sire Blue Point and fellow Darley stallion Too Darn Hot stood head and shoulders above the rest. They duly covered 2024 books numbering 161 and 160 respectively.

However, with the former priced at €60,000 and the latter at £65,000, the pair were beyond the reach of breeders without fairly deep pockets. Instead, the wider market latched on to Calyx, whose first two-year-olds achieved more than

GEORGE SELWYN

Calyx: Coolmore resident was the busiest Flat sire of 2024

enough to make a fee of €12,500 look good value.

His debut juvenile crop yielded 19 winners in Britain and Ireland, which arrived at an impressive clip of 45 per cent. No stallion with more than five runners, not even Blue Point or Too Darn Hot, could match this strike-rate, and there was an eye-catching array of quality among the group too. He sired a brace of Group 2 winners with his first two-year-olds, namely Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes scorer Persian Dreamer and Classic Flower, who claimed the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte. He also saw Group 1 form added to his roll of honour when Eben Shaddad ran third to City Of Troy in the Dewhurst Stakes.

It has to be noted that Calyx’s first Classic crop did not necessarily build on that early promise, for all that he came up with another Group 1 performer in Irish Oaks third Purple Lily. His sole black-type winner in 2024 was It Ain’t Two, who won the Listed Bosra Sham Stakes by a hardfought nose on November 1.

Moreover, this year’s two-year-old crop is by some way Calyx’s smallest, which rather limits the expectations around his immediate future. However, with significant books now in the pipeline, it should only be a matter of time before Calyx gets back on the up.

Calyx was one of three Coolmore Flat stallions who covered in excess of 200 mares in 2024, with the trio completed by Wootton Bassett, who served a book of 223, and Sioux Nation on 246.

The latter is also the most popular member of the Scat Daddy line standing in Britain or Ireland. Breeders, particularly those operating at the more commercial end of the market, have continued to mine this sire line with enthusiasm. Other in-demand representatives include No Nay Never (173 mares), Blackbeard (171), Sergei Prokofiev (166), Little Big Bear (156) and Arizona (129). All bar last year’s champion first-season sire Sergei Prokofiev stood 2024 under the Coolmore banner, although

Flat-based

stallions who covered 125+ mares in 2024

the Whitsbury Manor Stud resident carried the colours of the Magnier-Tabor-Smith axis during his time on the track.

This list not only highlights the demand for Scat Daddy’s descendants, but also the risks involved when breeding at the commercial end of the stallion spectrum.

Despite covering a sizeable book in 2024, Arizona has already been moved on from Coolmore’s Castlehyde roster to Yigit Stud in Turkey after his debut juvenile crop failed to cut much ice on the track.

Ten Sovereigns, another former Coolmore resident from the same line, saw his book fall from 163 in 2023 to 72 last year. Despite his first crop containing 25 winners and nine stakes performers, he too has relocated to Turkey to continue his stallion career.

It is a sign of the increasingly commercial times that young stallions can expect their share of strong support but not necessarily a great deal of patience.

Elite endeavours

Another modern-day market phenomenon is elite stallions who stand for significant fees also covering vast books of mares. Seven stallions standing for a six-figure fee covered in excess of 125 mares in 2024, led by the aforementioned Wootton Bassett with a tally of 223.

Given his first Irish-bred crop contained a record-breaking ten Group-winning two-year-olds, and not to mention his second Irish crop being responsible for the most expensive yearling colt ever sold at a European public auction, the owners of those 223 mares will feel they are sitting pretty, particularly as the price of a Wootton Bassett nomination has risen from €200,000 to €300,000 for 2025.

Next up is Frankel, who served 192 mares. As befits a career-high fee of £350,000, a sum that drew him level with Dubawi as the most expensive sire in the world, there was an abundance of quality

Dubawi: covered another elite book

DARLEY/AMY LANIGAN

Stallion popularity

Good Guess covered 250 mares in his first book at Tally-Ho Stud

among that number. The nuts and bolts of this stellar book show that of those 192, 75 per cent (146) are black-type performers, giving Frankel access to an unmatched volume of high-calibre mares.

Among the Group 1 winners within his latest book are the likes of Alcohol Free, In Italian, Laurens, Midday, Saffron Beach, Sauterne, Sobetsu, Tenebrism, Teona, Urban Fox and Wild Illusion, while he also covered the dams of Ace Impact, Churchill, Courage Mon Ami, Desert Crown, Enable, Gleneagles, Hurricane Lane, Inspiral, Luxembourg, McKulick, Mill Stream, Nashwa, Rebel’s Romance, Siskin,

Soul Sister, Triple Time and Ylang Ylang, to name but a few.

He also covered five members of an incredibly exclusive club: Group 1-winning mares who bred a Group 1 winner themselves. They are: Beauty Parlour (dam of Blowout), Daddys Lil Darling (Savethelastdance), Dar Re Mi (Too Darn Hot), Mecca’s Angel (Content) and Quiet Reflection (Lake Victoria). Frankel may have relinquished his British and Irish champion sire title after a season that was somewhat quieter by his exceptionally high standards, but the galaxy of stars within his latest book is just one of numerous reasons

Flat-based stallions who covered 100-124 mares in 2024

All figures from the printed edition of the 2024 Weatherbys Return of Mares Name (sire) and 2025 fee

Palace Pier (Kingman) £32,000 Dalham

Study Of Man (Deep Impact) £25,000Lanwades

Ardad (Kodiac) £12,500

Cotai Glory (Exceed And Excel) €15,000Tally-Ho

Naval Crown (Dubawi) €9,000 Kildangan

Lope Y Fernandez (Lope De Vega) £7,500National

Baaeed (Sea The Stars) £65,000 Beech House

Showcasing (Oasis Dream)

Kodiac (Danehill) €25,000

Bayside Boy (New Bay) €12,500

Cracksman (Frankel)

Sands Of Mali (Panis)

Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) £350,000Dalham

Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) €12,500

Persian Force (Mehmas) €8,000

Bungle Inthejungle (Exceed And Excel) €7,500Rathasker Stud

Sottsass (Siyouni) Shizunai

Starman (Dutch Art) €10,000

Stradivarius (Sea The Stars) £10,000National

to believe he will regain his crown sooner rather than later.

The other elite sires with big books were Lope De Vega (175), No Nay Never (173), Sea The Stars, (172), Kingman (149) and Night Of Thunder (130).

A notable absentee from this list is Dubawi, whose book actually contained a higher percentage of black-type mares than Frankel’s, albeit at a lower volume in real terms. The 23-year-old covered 107 mares, 84 (79 per cent) of which have black type to their name. The household names among them include the likes of Enable, Jannah Rose, Mawj, Maybe, Misty For Me, Modern Ideals and Search For A Song.

A 2024 European yearling average of £750,465 proves the market retains full confidence in Dubawi, but with the son of Dubai Millennium now into the autumn of his stallion career, the baton will soon pass to one of his growing number of sire sons. Six of his sons covered over 125 mares in 2024, all of which can only shore up Dubawi’s growing standing as a potent sire of sires.

Dubawi covering his smallest book since 2009, when he stood for just £15,000 in the year his first runners reached the track, lessened Britain’s already smaller representation among the busiest sires of 2024. The 43 names that covered 125 mares or more include just 14 sires who stand in Britain, and two of the more wellsupported have the advantage of covering both Flat and National Hunt mares. They are Golden Horn, who covered 179 mares at Overbury Stud, and Newsells Park resident Nathaniel on 152.

Phoenix rises

Phoenix Of Spain, whose debut runners appeared in the same crop as Calyx’s, was subject to the greatest increase in support in year-on-year percentage terms. The Irish National Stud resident covered a 217-strong book in 2024, up 175 per cent (an increase of 138 mares) compared to 2023. This came on the back of his first two-year-olds yielding 20 winners at a strike-rate of 39 per cent.

Despite the promise within those results his fee actually dropped in 2024, standing for €10,000 after two years at €12,000. Phoenix Of Spain’s early flag bearer Haatem continued to show his sire in a positive light by winning the Craven and Jersey Stakes last year, as well as reaching the places in both the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas.

Breeders clearly feel this could prove to be a vintage crop of stallions as another member of the class, Study Of Man, saw his numbers increase from 72 to 123 (up

71 per cent) after his first two-year-olds contained the Beresford Stakes scorer Deepone. The Lanwades sire is reportedly heavily oversubscribed in 2025 after his first three-year-olds yielded even bigger results, not least Group 1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Kalpana and Group 2 Prix Saint-Alary victress Birthe.

Some promising results at last year’s breeze-up sales may have contributed to both Sands Of Mali and King Of Change receiving a notable uptick in support in the year their first two-year-olds hit the track.

Ballyhane’s Sands Of Mali covered 110 mares, up 162 per cent on the 42 who visited him in 2023, while Starfield Stud’s King Of Change also broke the three-figure barrier at 131, a 152 per cent increase on the 52 covered the previous season. Breeders who got behind Sands Of Mali will have enjoyed seeing the son of Panis come up with 21 European winners and four blacktype performers with his debut crop.

Two more established names also found more favour than has been the case in recent times with Derrinstown Stud’s Awtaad seeing a 72 per cent increase in support with a 127-strong book, while the 103 mares that visited Rathasker’s Bungle Inthejungle represent a 75 per cent yearon-year gain.

“Six of Dubawi’s sons covered over 125 mares in 2024”

New names to note

Given they have far fewer convictions than their predecessors, each year’s intake of new sires will always be sought after. Breeders once again placed their faith in Tally-Ho Stud as Prix Jean Prat winner Good Guess was comfortably the most popular new recruit of 2024 with a debut book numbering 250 mares.

Given what they have done in developing the careers of Mehmas and Good Guess’s sire Kodiac, there is little wonder that breeders are only too willing to row in behind the O’Callaghan family once again.

The second-most popular newcomer was Native Trail. The champion two-yearold and Irish 2,000 Guineas-winning threeyear-old covered 179 mares at Darley’s Kildangan Stud.

While Irish-based stallions may have dominated the covering numbers more generally, things were spread a little more evenly among the ranks of newcomers as five of the ten busiest new retirees stand in Britain.

Dewhurst Stakes and 2,000 Guineas hero Chaldean was subject to some rave reviews during the December stallion parades and the son of Frankel duly covered an introductory book of 173 mares at a fee of £25,000. And it was not just quantity that the Banstead Manor resident can boast, as no new stallion covered

more black-type mares than the 63 that Chaldean served.

Champion sprinter Shaquille was the main attraction as Dullingham Park Stud opened for business in 2024 and the Commonwealth Cup and July Cup winner got off on a positive footing by receiving 158 mares.

Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud is home to two of the most popular new stallions in Triple Time (155) and Modern Games (141), while Whitsbury Manor Stud is where Dragon Symbol covered 140 mares in his first season.

Flat-based stallions who covered 60-99 mares in 2024

All figures from the printed edition of the 2024 Weatherbys Return of Mares

Breeders’ Digest

Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor

Breakthrough research with the ability to aid breeders

Little stands still when it comes to research, even in the racing world. As highlighted in last month’s edition of this magazine, the opportunities are now even there for breeders to incorporate artificial intelligence and other tech tools into their armoury. That’s to go with the various genomic testing tools out there, among them the Equinome Speed Gene Test which broke new ground when launched in 2010.

Now new research published in the Equine Veterinary Journal has pinpointed genes associated with Recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy (RLN), otherwise known as laryngeal hemiplegia or ‘roaring’. For breeders, there has obviously long been value in utilising research with an eye on helping to determine the potential aptitude of a horse, for example its likely best distance. However, this new discovery has the scope to take matters a step further, with the hope that it should one day affect the thoroughbred for the better.

RLN is a major contributor to poor performance in racehorses with a reported prevalence of 15 to 19 per cent in thoroughbreds. It acts on the muscles in their upper airways, resulting in reduced airflow and increased work of breathing during exercise. It is why endoscopic examinations (‘scoping’) of the upper respiratory tract are often such an important part of a pre-sale vetting. But while it can help to identify horses that have the disease, studies have shown that scoping young horses at rest can fail to either detect it or assess if the disease will occur in the future.

Working with a leading international racehorse trainer in Ireland and with funding from Research Ireland, researchers at University College Dublin and Equinome followed over 200 horses in training in a case-controlled study between September 2012 and April 2016. Overground endoscopy examinations were carried out while the horses were under tack and at rest as well as laryngeal ultrasounds. The research was controlled to the point that the majority of the horses – 92 per cent – were bred, managed and trained at the same premises by one trainer.

Using DNA technologies, the research team identified a set of genetic markers

associated with RLN. It was hailed as a breakthrough in combating the disease. Just as crucially, however, it has the potential to enable the development of a genetic test to identify horses with a three-times higher risk of developing it.

The industry has long been aware of a hereditary element when it comes to wind problems, and quite often is happy to rely upon hearsay when it comes to potential culprits, especially among stallions. Indeed, the paper published in the Equine Veterinary Journal states: “It is well known in the industry that there are stallions that more commonly produce horses with RLN and that these horses continue to be used for breeding. Judicial breeding using genetic tools could reduce the incidence of risk alleles in the population if stallion and mare genotypes are known.”

Emmeline Hill, UCD Professor in Equine Genomics and Chief Science Officer, went on to say that the new findings would “lay the groundwork for the development of a genetic test to improve the welfare of horses that have a genetic predisposition to the disease.”

She added: “As well as identifying horses with an increased risk of disease, this new information could also inform breeding guidance to reduce the incidence of the disease and provide targets for new therapies.”

The idea that the breed isn’t as tough as it once might have been has gained momentum in recent years. There are a myriad of reasons as to why that might be the case, and it could well be that an increased efficiency in detecting such disorders is emphasising the issue as well. However, perhaps with these new findings

there is the potential to start reversing that trend and make it a stronger animal in one area at least. Hopefully that’s an opportunity that will be taken.

TRAILS POPULAR

By all accounts there have been efforts to launch a stallion trail in Britain but so far to no avail. That is a shame given the confirmed popularity of the Irish and French events, which were staged over consecutive weekends in January.

For many, those trails have become must-attend events in the calendar. They are important, not just because of the opportunity of doing business but also in that they bridge the divide between the industry and its fans.

In Ireland, over 30 studs opened their doors and were duly busy, with bad weather failing to prevent some hardy souls from venturing out to their chosen venues. In fact, so bad were the conditions leading up to this year’s event that Coolmore didn’t open on its scheduled first day, instead electing to host over two consecutive Saturdays; the registration slots were quick to disappear for both days.

The French trail, which is the older of the two initiatives, was similarly busy, attracting as ever a number of British and Irish visitors in addition to a deep domestic audience. And why not when visitors can enjoy the delights of Deauville in the evening having not had to travel far to view the likes of Ace Impact and Siyouni during the day.

It can be argued that the Newmarket open houses during the Tattersalls December Sale serve a similar purpose in Britain alongside the stallion parades – past and present – at the January and February Sales. But most would agree it’s not the same.

As for the stallion parades, Tattersalls has taken sole responsibility for the event run alongside its February Sale. In a throwback to what was once staged at The National Stud, this year’s gathering also includes exhibition displays from key industry organisations and a Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) showcase alongside a nine-strong stallion parade, all of which should make it more of an enlightening day than might otherwise have been the case.

GEORGE SELWYN

‘Roaring’ can contribute to performance

Sales

Circuit • By Carl

Evans

International demand helps drive strong end to sales year

Arqana December

Breeding Stock Sale

After strong results at major breeding stock auctions in Britain and Ireland, trade headed across the Channel where Arqana welcomed another international panel of buyers.

A catalogue of 782-offered lots contained the gems sought by wellheeled investors from major racing nations, but also the more affordable types who could bolster studs found in countries where racing is below that level.

The top lot, three-year-old filly Sparkling Plenty, whose €5 million sale to Coolmore’s MV Magnier set an Arqana record, was for a partnership that will race and breed her in the USA, while the final day’s highlight, the €160,000 sale of 15-year-old stallion Dabirsim, was created by a stud in Libya.

The catalogue contained three stallions and they were all knocked down to Libya’s KGS, with Dabirsim, a son of Hat Trick and with eight stakes winners to his name, being joined in North Africa by Free Port Lux and Le Brivido, who were sold for €24,000 and €21,000 respectively.

Top-end transactions became the reserve of overseas buyers while the top five lots were destined for the USA

and/or had a Coolmore connection. Sparkling Plenty’s sale completed a topsy-turvy year of ownership for the filly, who in June won the Prix de Diane and was sold the following day at the Goffs London Sale for £5m. The transaction, which was achieved outside the ring, resulted in owner/ breeder Jean-Pierre Dubois forming a partnership with Al Shaqab Racing. She

ran three more times, finishing third in the Nassau Stakes and Prix de l’Opera, before returning to the ring at this sale where MV Magnier was poised.

After signing the buyers’ sheet, he said the daughter of Kingman would be covered at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud by Justify and could then go into training with Chad Brown. Also set for a berth with Brown was Classic Flower, a three-year-old daughter of Calyx with a string of Group-race placings and a win in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte in her form line. Bred by Paul Venner’s Petches Farm and sold as a foal for 45,000gns, she was resold at this auction for €1.8m to Alex Elliott on behalf of Michael Tabor and Peter Brant. Her vendors, the Chehboub family, also offered last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Daylight, but retained her at €2.1m.

American money was again to the fore when the Prix de Pysche winner Excellent Truth, a four-year-old daughter of Cotai Glory, entered the ring and was sold to John Stewart of Resolute Racing, while Magnier added a choice package to Coolmore’s breeding stock when paying €1.4m for the Gestut Etzean-consigned 11-year-old Tres Magnifique, dam of October’s Sun Chariot Stakes winner Tamfana. Not

Making her second trip through the ring in a year, Sparkling Plenty sold for €5 million

Classic Flower: Group 2 winner also headed the way of a Coolmore partnership

only did Coolmore gain a high-quality new mate for its freshman sire City Of Troy, it can also look forward to foaling the Soldier Hollow full sibling to Tamfana carried by Tres Magnifique.

Gloucestershire’s David Redvers joined in with this plunder of sevenfigure fillies and mares when his bid of €1.3m – made on behalf of Sheikh Fahad – secured three-year-old Spanish Eyes, a blue-blooded winner in Germany and second in the Preis Der Diana. Redvers said the filly would bolster the Sheikh’s racing interests in the USA.

Trade on day two stepped down several notches, yet the figures soared ahead year-on-year and another US buyer, Mike Repole, captured the session’s top lot, Hoshiana, a winningtwo-year old by the aforementioned Dabirsim and knocked down for €220,000.

Ensuring that not every gem headed across the Atlantic, a British stud farm got in on the act when Crispin de Moubray’s €200,000 bid secured five-year-old Kensington with a Pinatubo foal in her womb. A winning

TALKING POINT

• Amid a swell of mega-money deals at autumn bloodstock auctions, it should be remembered that even small-beer players are key to a successful industry.

In terms of bloodstock trading, the ways in which they contribute include buying and selling below the top level, through adding numbers to catalogues, by employing and giving experience to staff, and, in some cases, becoming influential players of the future.

It will always be hard work, and it can be financially challenging too, which is why a success is invariably celebrated by friends, colleagues and rivals around the sales rings.

Guillaume and Camille Vitse of Normandie Breeding stuck their

Tres Magnifique 11 m Zoffany - Ticana

Spanish Eyes 3 f Zarak - Sortilege

Excellent

daughter of Frankel, Kensington is now owned by Minster Stud’s Willie Carson, who, as de Moubray pointed out, had ridden several family members to victory. Among them was Hellenic, winner of the 1990 Yorkshire Oaks for Lord Weinstock and third dam of Carson’s new mare.

necks out in 2019 when buying the four-year-old mare Strawberry Lace, in foal to Night Of Thunder, for 52,000gns.

In 2022, they sold her Wootton Bassett yearling colt for €340,000 and at the latest edition of the Arqana December Sale they reoffered Strawberry Lace to the market and sold her to Zhang Yuesheng’s Willingham for €900,000. The rocketing rise in value had been achieved because the Wootton Bassett became Unquestionable, winner of the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf.

Guillaume said: “We bought her with borrowed money – 52,000gns was an immense sum for us in 2019. We love our horses and letting her go wasn’t easy, but this sale allows us to make plans for the future.”

Days three and four continued the rise in figures seen at the first two sessions and a wider spread of nations joined in the buying spree. Turkey’s Emir Alkas, who has breeding interests in his homeland but also Ireland, lifted the third day’s high when making a €72,000 bid that gained the Pivotal mare Quara, an eight-year-old with a Persian King cover.

When the final figures were tallied, Arqana had finished a year of live sales on a high. This event alone added (with private sales) €56.4m to turnover (+15 per cent), a sum narrowly beaten only once before, in 2022. Yet the average and median prices set new benchmarks at €85,769 (+22 per cent) and €26,000 (+30 per cent) respectively.

When all 22 Arqana sales were pulled together – including online and pop-up versions – the company had generated nearly €212m, a record sum up almost €3.5m year-on-year.

Statistics

Sold: 661 (85% clearance)

Aggregate: €56,451,500 (+15%)

Average: €85,769 (+22%)

des Monceaux

Truth: one of several expensive purchases for John Stewart’s Resolute Racing

Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale

Sales Circuit

Goffs December NH Sale

Ireland’s two end-of-year auctions of jumping foals trimmed their catalogues and achieved results similar to those recorded in 2023 albeit with minor falls in average and median prices.

At Goffs a total of 672 lots (including small sections of yearlings and mares) was 117 fewer than a year earlier, but that helped the clearance rate rise six points to one of 65 per cent. Turnover of just over €7.5m was some €700,000 down, although staging the event in three days rather than four will have slightly helped the overheads, and the average price of €17,144 (-2 per cent) and median figure of €11,500 (-4 per cent) were perfectly acceptable at a time when the marketplace has been cautious.

In his closing statement, Goffs Chief Henry Beeby referred to the improved clearance rate, but said it was not where he wanted it to be, and added: “We acknowledge the challenging nature of the National Hunt market away from the headlines.”

At this sale those headlines included the €160,000 sale of a Walk In The Park colt foal and a transaction which saw the nine-year-old racemare Marie’s

Rock sell for €155,000, the best ring results of 2024 for a jump-bred foal and mare. In fact the foal’s price was a Goffs record that had been beaten just twice before at Tattersalls Ireland, both times at the same session in 2007.

The colt who headed trade was a first foal for the winning Saint Des Saints mare Holy Virgin – an appropriate name just ahead of the festive season – having been bred by Louis Vambeck and consigned by John Dwan’s Ballyreddin and Kate Walsh’s Busherstown, a team created a couple of years ago to combine talents and resources. At a time when British and Irish buyers plunder many of France’s jumping riches, this became a case of trade going in reverse, for the buyer was agent Nicky Bertran De Balanda acting for Sofiane Benaroussi.

Other highly esteemed foals who found buyers included a son of No Risk At All who had been bred by Shane Carmody and consigned by Rathmore Stud. Ross Doyle bought this one for €95,000 at the final session while Rathmore’s Peter Molony landed the opening day’s top lot, another son of No Risk At All who fetched €80,000. This one was foaled by Another Walk who was a half-sister to the top-class chaser Joncol.

The names of No Risk At All and Walk In The Park were ubiquitous among the leading ten lots, and a son of the last-named stallion made €82,000 at the final session when

This Walk In The Park colt set a Goffs record when sold for €160,000

Top hurdler Marie’s Rock sold for €155,000 to begin her stud career with Coolmara Stables

Louis Vambeck bred the sale-topping foal out of the Saint Des Saints mare Holy Virgin

TALKING POINT

• While it is in the interests of committed traders to talk positively of trade, it is a fool who dismisses the views of seasoned practitioners.

Asked at the Goffs December Sale for an assessment of the trade in jumpbred foals, Michael Moore of Ballincurrig House Stud said: “I wouldn’t be worried about the National Hunt trade at the moment,” while buyer Gerry Aherne said: “Everyone is playing down the game at the moment, but there are plenty of people out there who love this jumping game. Everything will be okay – it’s not as bad as people are making it out to be.”

Ballincurrig House Stud was the leading consignor, trading 28 lots for €567,000, while Aherne purchased three horses in his own name and another in partnership with Charles Shanahan.

knocked down to Gerry Aherne and Charles Shanahan. This was another outstanding outcome for a small breeder, in this case Zoe Tolson who is originally from Croydon in Surrey –hardly the beating heart of Britain’s breeding industry – although she has since moved into an area that can raise a thoroughbred.

Tolson acquired the then 13-year-old mare M’Oubliez Pas at Arqana in 2020 for €28,000 via agent Richard Venn, and the colt she sold at this auction

was the first she had prepped and consigned from a base in Cork where she lives with partner Tim Dineen.

Marie’s Rock joined a steady flow of talented fillies and racemares to enter the ownership of the Mariga family’s Coolmara Stables. A stand-out among a number of quality horses to carry Middleham Park Racing’s colours, she was bought by that syndication operation for €35,000 at the Goffs Land Rover Sale in 2018, and from Nicky Henderson’s stable went on to

win nine times and be placed in five races under Rules.

She peaked in the spring of 2022 when winning top-grade races at Cheltenham and Punchestown and earned on the racecourse ten times her purchase price.

It has become a common acknowledgement that Willie Mullinstrained racemares are talented and high value when offered at the sales, and that proved the case once again when Pink In The Park was consigned from Closutton and knocked down for €120,000 to Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud. Seven-year-old Pink In The Park, who had been bred by Mullins’s wife Jackie, had won a Listed mares’ chase a month before taking her place before the auctioneer.

Statistics

Sold: 439 (65% clearance)

Aggregate: €7,525,900 (-8%) Average: €17,144 (-2%) Median: €11,500 (-4%)

C No Risk At All - Morgan Has

C No Risk At All - Gardiala

Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale

When 28 of 30 lots, mostly geldings, find a buyer, ten sell for a six-figure sum and more than £2.5m is turned over in less than two hours, a bloodstock auction can claim a successful session.

Yet at this renewal, the year’s final Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale held after racing, overall figures were down as they had been at five of the company’s six events held in 2024. The exception had been the November Sale where the average and median prices were comfortably ahead, but it alone could not halt a fall in Tattersalls Cheltenham’s annual figures, which revealed turnover of £15,628,500, a drop of 26 per cent on the record sum achieved in 2023.

Figures go up and down, but it was noticeable that 30 offered lots at this auction was 11 fewer than in 2023, and by some way the smallest catalogue for the

Walk In The Park - Holy Virgin

Heron In The Park, a debut winner at Borris House, led proceedings at £280,000

Sales Circuit

››

event since Tattersalls took on Cheltenham sales from Brightwells in 2016.

Looking at trade for young jumping stock in Britain and Ireland during 2024, there were falls in the average and median prices for stores and point-topointers, yet end-of-year National Hunt foal sales produced figures largely on a par with 2023. It seemed pinhookers, particularly those who buy foals, were keen to keep doing business, even if the next buyers on the ladder were a little more cautious about the sums they spent. Whether some of the best horses, the cream of a sale, were traded privately is difficult to track.

Having referred to this as an auction dominated by geldings, it was in fact the four-year-old filly Heron In The Park who headed trade when selling for £280,000 to the former jump jockey Tom Morgan. In 1988 Morgan came close to wrecking the Gold Cup victory of Desert Orchid,

TALKING POINT

• Just two British point-to-pointers were entered for the Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, the season having barely started and then been hit by weather disruption.

The pair who went under the hammer were the once-raced winning fouryear-olds Jack The Lad, who was sold out of John Dawson’s Yorkshire stable for £120,000 to Highflyer’s Anthony Bromley, and Sinchi Roca, who left Eamonn O’Donovan’s Herefordshire yard with a £70,000 valuation after being knocked down to Syd Hosie and agent Darren O’Dwyer.

These two transactions were achieved after a steady run of success for young former British point-to-pointers, including two bumper wins for the Gordon Elliott-trained Kalypso’chance, who now heads the betting for Cheltenham’s Weatherbys Champion Bumper. Country Mile’s Grade 2 novices’ hurdle win for Dan Skelton on Cheltenham’s card a few hours before the sale was another good example, while a week earlier his stablemate Royal Infantry won a Haydock novices’ hurdle like a horse with an exciting future. The same could be said for Miami Magic, second in a Grade 1 hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day for Stuart Edmunds having broken his duck in a British point-to-point.

Top chasers like Ahoy Senor and Energumene – the latter roared back with a win at Cork just ahead of the sale – are older horses who have carried the flag for British pointing in recent seasons. However, it will take a steady stream of bumper and maiden/novice hurdle winners for the market to feel confident in buying British at the sales and for traders based in Britain to invest in stores and then train them to show their talents in point-to-points.

the beloved grey who was outstanding over two and three miles, particularly on right-hand tracks, but who in that year rose above doubts and logic to win a race that is for many the greatest steeplechase.

Riding Yahoo, Morgan landed narrowly ahead at the final fence, but Dessie’s fight back on the run-in encapsulated every epithet he was ever granted. It also meant revenge over Morgan, who one year earlier had ridden Pearlyman to victory in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with Desert Orchid finished second.

Back at ‘the home of jump racing’, Morgan said he was acting for The Jekyll partnership which had successfully raced the Listed-winning hurdler Mrs

Statistics

Sold: 28 (93% clearance)

Aggregate: £2,590,000 (-25%)

Average: £92,500 (-11%)

Median: £77,500 (-9%)

Heron In The Park 4 f Walk In The Park - Night Heron Monbeg Stables (Donnchadh Doyle)

Frankie John 4 g Walk In The Park - The Crown Jewel Boherna Stables (Denis

Cosmos D’Ainay 4 g Muhtathir - Eclipse D’Ainay Skehanagh Stables (Sam Curling)

Kaka’s Cousin 4 g Mahler - Dancing Baloo

Riskaway 4 g No Risk At All - Grey Owl

Monbeg Stables (Sean Doyle)

Monbeg Stables (Sean Doyle)

Aidan O’Ryan/Gordon Elliott

Ed Bailey B’stock/O’Neill Racing

Gordon Elliott Racing

Boulta debut winner Frankie John is put through his paces prior to selling for £275,000

Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale

Damian Tiernan

Hogan)

Tom Malone

Hyde. Members of that syndicate include Damian Tiernan – whose name was given as the buyer of Heron In The Park – and Edward James, who owns the exciting young stallion prospect

Nietzsche Has, a four-year-old son of Zarak about to commence duties at Haras de Montaigu. On his final run he advertised his talents to British and Irish breeders when easily winning Chepstow’s Finale Junior Hurdle at the end of December.

The Donnchadh Doyle-consigned Heron In The Park, who had won a mares’ maiden race on debut in County Carlow a couple of weeks before this sale, could well meet Nietzsche Has one day.

Tipperary trainer Denis Hogan and his friend John Mahon struck oil at this venue in November 2022 when selling Mahon’s

Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale – Book 1

The record price for a yearling at this glamorous auction, which opens the Australian yearling sales season on the Gold Coast, was smashed not once but twice during this year’s renewal, writes Nancy Sexton

In a measure of how Australian bloodlines are capturing the imagination of various international bighitters, the top filly will be trained by Mitsu Nakauchida in Japan while the headline colt was bought by trainer Ciaron Maher to race for British owner Phil Cunningham of Cockney Rebel and Rajasinghe fame.

Magic Millions catalogued a bumper 1,021 lots for this year’s four-day sale. A tepid middle to lower end of the market suggested that the numbers were bloated to some degree but in keeping with trends seen around the world, there were no shortage of admirers for those youngsters perceived as ‘quality’. All told, 766 yearlings turned over A$206,625,000 (£104.7 million), down 7.5 per cent from 12 months ago, while the average finished at A$269,754 (£137,000), a 2 per cent decrease on last year’s figure.

Coolmore invariably catalogues a powerful draft to his sale and keen to showcase its young, well-regarded stallion Home Affairs, sent one of his star representatives on paper in a daughter of champion Sunlight.

Nakauchida, the underbidder on last year’s Tattersalls October Book 1 sale-topper and making his first trip to Magic Millions, outlasted a determined online presence from flamboyant American player John Stewart to secure

Way for £360,000. Seven months later they reinvested some of the profit in a €115,000 store by Walk In The Park, named him Frankie John and then Hogan trained him to win a maiden point-topoint a few weeks before this sale. A grey with striking looks, he rewarded their enterprise when selling for £275,000 to bloodstock agent Tom Malone.

Trainer Gordon Elliott was underbidder for Malone’s purchase, but with a £165,000 bullseye gained Cosmos

D’Ainay, a winning pointer from Sam Curling’s stable, while Herefordshire agent Ed Bailey, who with Harry Derham had been underbidder on Heron In The Park, changed seats and clients and secured Kaka’s Cousin for £160,000. “He’s going to Jonjo and AJ O’Neill,” said Bailey of the four-year-old son of Mahler.

the filly at A$3.2m (£1.6m).

Coolmore paid a then record A$4.4m for Sunlight, winner of a trio of six-furlong Group 1 races including the Newmarket Handicap, at the Covidstricken Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale in 2020. Her first foal, the Justify colt Dawn Service, realised A$1.4m as a yearling and is now a Listed winner while her second, a colt by Wootton Bassett, also hit the A$1.4m mark when sold to Paul Moroney and Catherine Bruggeman at last year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. With the Home Affairs filly now in the books, it hasn’t taken long for Coolmore’s initial outlay to look like

good business.

Nakauchida is no stranger to the potential of stock out of Australian racemares given his yard houses four-time Group 1 winner Liberty Island, a daughter of top Australian two-yearold Yankee Rose, as well as Group 3 winner Eri King, a son of Queensland Oaks heroine Youngstar.

The filly’s sale also placed an exclamation point on a breakthrough sales week for her sire Home Affairs. Responsible for an entry of 55 yearlings, thought to be a southern hemisphere record for a first-crop stallion, he returned an average of A$383,298 (£194,000) for 47 sold,

This Home Affairs daughter of champion Sunlight sold for a record

A$3.2 million

Tom Morgan and Damian Tiernan sign for top lot Heron In The Park

Sales Circuit

among them a A$1.05m (£532,000) colt bought by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott. The son of I Am Invincible won a pair of Group 1 sprints for Chris Waller and probably wasn’t seen to best effect when down the field in the 2022 Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. He was the busiest Australian first-crop stallion of 2022, covering over 200 mares at a fee of A$110,000, and it will be interesting to see if Coolmore go down the shuttling route with him in the near future.

Prior to the Sunlight filly, the Magic Millions record was held for 24 hours by a son of champion sire Snitzel, for whom Ciaron Maher went to A$2.8m (£1.4m).

Maher was acting on behalf of a partnership including Phil Cunningham, who was making his second venture into Australian racing having been introduced to the scene by his friend Peter Trainor, co-owner of the successful Maher-trained import Future History.

Having originally booked his trip in the hope of seeing his first horse with Maher, Life After Love, make her second start, Cunningham arrived at the Gold Coast sales complex just ten minutes prior to his purchase of the Snitzel colt. Sold by Widden Stud, the colt is only the second foal out of Group 3 winner Humma Humma, whose first is the Listed-placed Price Tag.

They were among 13 seven-figure

Keeneland January Sale

Stability was the theme during the Keeneland January Sale in Kentucky, writes Nancy Sexton

Compressed this year into three days, the auction was lucky not to be derailed by the baltic conditions that hit Lexington just after the New Year. Given the ice and several foot of snow that settled in the area, it is a testament to the hardiness of sales staff and buyers that the sale not only went ahead as scheduled but with relatively positive results in relation to the year ahead.

lots sold, down from 23 the year before. The list also included a colt by Wootton Bassett out of the stakes-placed American racemare Battleofwinterfell who made A$1.7m (£860,000) to agent Dean Hawthorne. Wootton Bassett wound up with an average of A$439,348 (£222,500) for 23 sold while Frankel, whose representation included a filly from the Hasili family sold for A$900,000 (£455,000) to Damon Gabbedy, returned an average of A$762,500 (£386,000) for four sold. Too Darn Hot was also well

represented as the sire of 20 yearlings who averaged A$262,500 (£133,000) while Siyouni’s sole representative, a brother to Group 1 winner Amelia’s Jewel, made A$625,000 (£316,000).

Sold: 766 (82% clearance)

A$206,625,000 (-7%)

A$269,745 (-2%)

A$200,000 (unchanged)

There was no million-dollar lot but a trio of mares did hit the $700,000 mark.

It marked a quick turnaround for one of them, Pretty Birdie. Winner of the Grade 3 Schuylerville Stakes at Saratoga as a two-year-old, the mare had realised $1.1 million to Stonestreet Stables when offered in foal by Gainesway to Candy Ride at last year’s Keeneland November Sale. However, she was observed crib-biting in her new home and she duly headed back to Gainesway.

There were 13 seven-figure yearlings including this A$2.3 million filly by I Am Invincible

Adrian Wallace signed at $700,000 for Pretty Birdie on behalf of Barronstown Stud

Sales Circuit

As part of the estate belonging to the late John Hendrickson, the widower of racing socialite Marylou Whitney, who died at the age of 59 last August, the mare had to be reoffered even if a discount was on the horizon. David and Diane Nagle of Barronstown Stud took advantage and acting through Avenue Bloodstock, added her to their powerful broodmare band on a new valuation of $700,000.

“You take [cribbing] into account, but we’ve got lots of fence posts at Ashford Stud and hopefully she won’t do too much damage,” remarked Coolmore’s Adrian Wallace as he signed the ticket before adding that she would probably head to Justify.

There was a bittersweet element to Pretty Birdie’s sale. She was Whitneybred top to bottom as a daughter of Marylou Whitney’s homebred Grade 2 winner Bird Song from a line, that of Dear Birdie, which had been in Whitney hands for eight generations.

Marylou Whitney died at the age of 93 in 2019 and Pretty Birdie was one of the last good horses to carry the stable’s famous colours of Eton blue and brown, originally acquired during the late 19th century by W.C. Whitney. From then onwards the Whitney name became synonymous with elite racing. Now with the dispersal of Hendrickson’s stock, that lengthy association is coming to a close.

Three Chimneys Farm also went to $700,000 to buy out William Lawrence in Grade 3 winner Delahaye. The daughter of Medaglia d’Oro counted the Grade 3 Old Forester Mint Julep Stakes among her four wins for the partnership and will now visit Three Chimneys’ flagship sire Gun Runner.

The third $700,000 lot, Love To Shop, was purchased by Pin Oak Stud. Another talented racemare, she won the Listed Toronto Cup at Woodbine and was Graded stakes-placed on four occasions.

The average rose by six per cent to $48,825 but particularly striking was the 47 per cent increase in median to

$22,000. The 16 top-priced horses were bought by 16 individual entities.

European-based interests were out in force on the buyers sheets, among them Keeneland veterans such as BBA Ireland, Dermot Farrington and Avenue Bloodstock. Various names were also busy hunting for pinhook prospects, among them Fernando Laffon-Parias, Luke and Hugh Bleahen of Clifton Farm and Peter Vaughan of Moanmore Stables. Vaughan has fared well sourcing inexpensive stock out of America in recent years – he sold a colt

Birdie 6 m Bird Song - Bird SenseGainesway, agent

Prettiest 5 m Dubawi - Alice Springs Eaton Sales, agent

by Unified, a $8,000 pinhook, for 60,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls Somerville Sale and came away with four weanlings this time around ranging from a $5,500 Demarchelier colt to a $35,000 son of Maxfield.

Statistics

Sold: 723 (78% clearance)

Aggregate: $35,125,900 (-13.5%)

Average: $48,584 (+3%)

Median: $22,000 (+47%)

Thoroughbreds LLC Hot Peppers 6 m Khozan - Friends ProELiTE, agent

and Brandon Bray

Keeneland January Sale

Grade 3 winner Pretty Birdie sells for $700,000, a discount on her November valuation

TWO FILLIES FROM A WINNER PRODUCING FAMILY

Half Sisters to INTRINSIC BOND – the winner of 7 races / £166,000 including: The Great St Wilfrid Stakes at Ripon (Class 2) Whispering Angel Handicap at Ascot (Class 2)

MISU BILLY (Sire: MISU BOND) is the unraced dam of three winners from five runners to date Great opportunity for a start up owner/ breeder or syndicate to tap into this family

For further details, contact DAVID TATE on 01845 979065

BURATINO filly 2022

LAND FORCE filly 2024

Vega’s breakthrough year

At season’s end we justifiably praise the sires that end up on top of each region’s prize-money table. However, there always remains an unease about the efficacy of such a method for classifying sires. One of the reasons for this is that not all sires are fairly treated when it comes to the distribution of prize-money. That is precisely why the championship achievement last year of Dark Angel – a stallion whose stock tend not to compete over distances where money is plentiful – is so meritorious.

Personally speaking, I do not think there is a case for splitting Britain and Ireland when deciding who should be champion sire, whatever you think of the method employed. For the record, Dark Angel was still top by earnings in Britain, while Frankel was best in Ireland. The European champion was Camelot, helped enormously by the Arc victory of Bluestocking whose seasonal haul made up 44 per cent of Camelot’s European total prize-money. Limiting championships to relatively small geographical areas always discriminates against those sires who have a worldwide reach, so let’s look at some metrics that measure a stallion’s global achievements.

From an earnings perspective, Dubawi

individual winner log, the Ballylinch Stud patriarch dominated with 198 winners from perennial high scorer Kodiac on 173, followed closely by Dark Angel with 170. Thus it was a clean sweep for Ireland, where there tends to be bigger mare books.

For context, commendable as they are, neither the 2024 earnings nor the individual winner totals match Galileo’s £22.8 million in 2016, nor Dark Angel’s 225 individual winners in 2022.

Looking at what we can call quality rankings – stakes winners, Group winners and Group/Grade 1 winners – it is Lope De Vega who steps up yet again with 35 stakes winners, the best of any European sire and one clear of Dubawi’s 34 and six ahead of the 29 recorded by Sea The Stars. Again for context, Galileo sired 47 stakes winners in 2017.

Dubawi sired the most Group winners in 2024, his tally of 20 being well clear of Lope De Vega (16) with four other elite stallions – Galileo, Sea The Stars, Frankel, and Wootton Bassett – on 15.

Unsurprisingly, Galileo also holds this record with 32 sired in his standout year of 2017. For the record, the European-based leader by percentage of winners (56.9 per cent) and stakes winners (11.9 per cent)

was the best British sire with a haul of £17 million, while Lope De Vega was the best based in Ireland with £14 million. On the

Lope De Vega: Ballylinch Stud stalwart led the way by black-type winners in 2024

from 100-plus runners is Zarak.

There is no doubt that 2024 has proven to be Lope De Vega’s best year. His three-year-old son Champagne Prince scored at Listed level in mid-December to draw his sire level with Dubawi but Lope De Vega went on to overtake the Darley kingpin with two very late Listed scorers, one at Morphettville in Australia and the other at Al Rayyan in Qatar.

Perhaps most impressive of all is that Lope De Vega led all active northern hemisphere sires by Group/Grade 1 winners with six, sharing that score with the mighty Galileo. The last three years have been nothing short of outstanding for the sire, having provided 26 stakes winners in 2022 and 2023, and now a career-high of 35. These scores are at least eight more than he’s ever previously achieved, and they all coincide with a big increase in mare quality when his fee rose to €80,000 in 2020, his ninth year at stud. In his first eight years, Lope De Vega covered an average of 54 elite mares and in the six seasons since has averaged 110.

Lope De Vega’s 123 career northern hemisphere-foaled stakes winners comprise 36 (29 per cent of his total) juvenile black-type winners, 60 (49 per cent) three-year-old stakes winners and 68 (55 per cent) as older horses. His sire Shamardal, meanwhile, has the following breakdown: 27 (19 per cent) two-year-old stakes winners, 78 (53 per cent) threeyear-olds and 83 (57 per cent) older horses.

John Boyce cracks the code

So Lope De Vega’s runners are very much more likely than Shamardal’s to be stakes-winning youngsters, while his sire’s three-year-olds and older horses account for a higher percentage of his own black-type winners. In 2024, 25 of Lope De Vega’s 35 stakes winners were older horses, while three-year-olds accounted for just six and two-year-olds for only two. Three of his six Group/Grade 1 winners were Caulfield Cup winner Duke De Sessa

“His 123 stakes winners have come along at a rate of 11.4% from runners”

plus North American scorers Carl Spackler and Program Trading. All added to Lope De Vega’s fan base in America and Australia, where he has sired some of his most talented runners.

Back in Europe, Lope De Vega’s three Group 1 winners of 2024 are the Dewhurst-Middle Park Stakes winner Shadow Of Light plus French Classic winners Look De Vega, winner like his sire and grandsire of the Prix du Jockey-Club, and Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine

Rouhiya. The Timeform 120-rated Shadow Of Light is his sire’s sixth top-flight two-year-old winner, and he has excellent prospects of providing his sire with a fourth Classic winner following Phoenix Of Spain (Irish 2,000 Guineas), Rouhiya and Look De Vega.

All told, Lope De Vega’s 123 stakes winners conceived at Ballylinch Stud have come along at a rate of 11.4 per cent from runners, which marks him down as an elite sire in the modern era, albeit a fair bit removed from the three super elite stallions of recent years, Dubawi, Frankel and Galileo, all of whom typically deliver stakes winners at around 17 per cent.

Significantly, though, he gets more from his mares than the other sires who have produced runners from them and despite being a Prix du Jockey-Club winner by a Prix du Jockey-Club winner, Lope De Vega also gets plenty of zip from his runners. His progeny aged three and older have an average winning distance of just 8.9 furlongs, which is below the average winning distance of his runners’ siblings.

His Group winners are comprised of 40 colts and geldings compared with 23 fillies and mares. That’s a sizeable gap but it has to be acknowledged that his best female progeny are well up to the standard set by his colts and geldings. Will 2025 bring him a new highest-rated runner to replace the 125-rated Belardo, perhaps one capable of a 130-plus Timeform mark?

Lope De Vega’s son Shadow Of Light (nearside) gets up to win the Dewhurst Stakes en route to two-year-old championship honours

Sexton Files

Major void left by hugely influential Uncle Mo

Rare are the stallions able to influence across the spectrum. Uncle Mo won’t go down in history as a champion sire but that statement fails to do justice to a horse whose stud career for Coolmore was defined by a clockwork ability to throw top-level performers while exerting an important presence as sire of sires and damsire. As such, his sudden death in December at Ashford Stud in Kentucky at the age of 16 leaves a major void in international breeding.

One of the strengths to Uncle Mo lay in his background. As a son of Indian Charlie, he was a member of the Siberian Express branch of the Grey Sovereign line, whose once powerful influence is now wavering even in its natural home of France. This particular branch, which made its way to Kentucky via California, isn’t that typical of the line, not least because they tend to be bay dirt performers rather than grey turf runners. But Uncle Mo’s success, as well as that of his sons, does at least provide this line with something of a lease of life. Add in the fact that Uncle Mo was out of a daughter of Arch with the first strain of Northern Dancer not appearing until the fourth generation of his pedigree and it’s understandable how he became an easy horse for breeders to utilise.

That, however, should have included anyone with an eye on racing in Europe,

where he was woefully underrepresented. When an American-based stallion becomes so successful as a provider of dirt horses, there is sometimes a perception that he is irrelevant outside of the US. However, a number of his better progeny did actually work out for the best on grass, notably Golden Pal, an exceptionally fast turf sprinter for Wesley Ward, and Mo Town, winner of the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby.

Of the few runners on this side of the Atlantic, Lipizzaner took the Listed Doncaster Stakes for Aidan O’Brien. Ballydoyle also houses Takemetothemoon, City Of Troy’s half-sister who ran third on her debut at Leopardstown at the back-end of last season.

However, Uncle Mo will be remembered first and foremost as an archetypal North American stallion. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he was a brilliant two-year-old for Mike Repole, in whose colours he capped that championship first campaign by winning the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Repole is on record as saying it was Uncle Mo who triggered his heightened interest in racing. Today he is an important player in the sport as an owner and investor; had Uncle Mo not come along at that time, perhaps that wouldn’t be the case.

Illness restricted Uncle Mo’s three-yearold season to five starts, which was

highlighted by a win in the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap, and he was retired to stand for Coolmore following an underwhelming run in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Success was immediate. His first crop, bred off $35,000, contained 25 stakes winners including many of that generation’s leading protagonists including Nyquist, who emulated his sire by winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. Gomo, winner of the Grade 1 Alcibiades Stakes, was another major contributor to Uncle Mo’s first-crop sire championship, won with a then record of approximately $3.6 million. Not only that, there were numerous indications the following year that his progeny were training on; Nyquist went on to win the Kentucky Derby, Outwork took the Grade 1 Wood Memorial while Grade 2 winners Mokat and Laoban held their own in Grade 1 company.

There have been Grade 1 winners in each of Uncle Mo’s next seven crops since then. They are a varied bunch, comprising good juveniles such as Dream Tree and Bast, top dirt sprinter Yaupon and a Belmont Stakes winner in Mo Donegal plus the aforementioned turf runners Golden Pal and Mo Town. In 2025 he has several lively Classic prospects led by Godolphin’s Grade 2-winning homebred First Resort.

At the same time, his sire line has gained its own momentum. In a measure

Purple patch for Valirann keeping O’Neill’s name in lights

Irish jump racing lost a friend late last year with the death of Ronnie O’Neill of Whytemount Stud.

The popular trainer and breeder almost single-handedly developed Stowaway into a champion jumps sire, his extensive early support driving him from a near-private resident into one of Europe’s busiest stallions.

At the time of his death, O’Neill presided over a popular roster of six stallions. Quick to support the idea of Sea The Stars as a positive National Hunt influence, the list includes three sons of the stallion in Affinisea, who assumed Stowaway’s mantle of Europe’s busiest sire in 2021, Derby runner-up Mojo Star, who stands in conjunction with Amo Racing, and Behesht, who has covered

north of 120 mares since his $3,500 purchase out of the 2022 Keeneland January Sale.

The Galileo horse Feel Like Dancing, sire of Grade 1 winner Dancing City, also resides at the Kilkenny outfit as does Monsun’s Group 2-winning son Manatee.

However, quite whether anyone associated with the stud expected Valirann to outshine the above and keep the Whytemount name in lights during the Christmas period is surely doubtful.

A glance at the recent covering figures for Valirann is enough to glean that the son of Nayef isn’t really at the forefront of breeders’ minds. In the past two seasons, he has covered the grand total of 19 mares, a far cry from the 120 that he attracted in 2021. However, that deserves

to change if results from the past month are anything to go by.

In six-year-old Potters Charm, Valirann has one of the most exciting British-based novice hurdlers on his books. The Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained gelding, bred by Gerard Flynn out of an unraced Shantou mare and a £105,000 purchase by connections at the 2023 Tattersalls Cheltenham December Sale, captured the Grade 1 Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on Boxing Day and was subsequently second to Sixmilebridge in a Grade 2 contest at Cheltenham last month.

Valirann hit the news again at Chepstow on December 27 but on this occasion due to a very different type of animal in Val Dancer, who thrived over the

Bloodstock world views

of how quickly he became regarded as ‘a sire of sires’, Uncle Mo was only 12 when he appeared as the paternal grandsire of a Breeders’ Cup winner. The filly in question, the 2020 Juvenile Fillies heroine Vequist, was from the first crop of Nyquist and one of two Grade 1 winners for her sire that year alongside the top Canadian two-yearold Gretzky The Great.

Nyquist today heads Darley’s Kentucky roster at $175,000, a figure reflective of a very productive 2024 during which he supplied four Grade 1 winners, among them North America’s juvenile champion filly elect Immersive, and three milliondollar yearlings.

Nyquist’s first runners coincided with those belonging to Outwork, to date the

extended 3m6f trip to take the Welsh National for Mel Rowley. He was bred by Charles Persse out of Katies Dancer, a rare point-to-point winner by Danehill Dancer.

Nor did the purple patch end there as several weeks later another by Valirann, Lecky Watson, landed a Grade 3 novice chase for Willie Mullins at Punchestown. The seven-year-old had previously claimed the scalp of Slade Steel on his chasing debut at Naas in mid-December.

Valirann’s earlier runners include Knapper’s Hill and Forward Plan, successful in last year’s Grade 2 Kingwell Hurdle and Grade 3 Coral Handicap Chase. So this latest purple patch isn’t exactly a bolt out of the blue.

However, it vindicates the backing of O’Neill, who sourced the horse from the Aga Khan back in 2015. From the Lagardere family of Group 1-producing

sire of two Grade 1 winners, and Laoban, whose smaller first group of inexpensive New York-bred representatives contained its own Grade 1-winning two-year-old in Simply Ravishing. That prompted a switch to Kentucky at WinStar Farm for 2021 but he died before completing that season.

Kentucky is currently home to no fewer than ten sons of Uncle Mo. Nyquist leads the way but stationed at the other end of the spectrum are two effective value options in Coolmore’s Mo Town, a top 50 North American sire of 2024 who stands for just $5,000, and Crestwood Farm’s Caracaro, who has undergone a minor increase to $10,000 in light of the promise shown by his first crop. In fact, such was the good word on Caracaro’s first

sire Val Royal, Valirann was slow to come to hand for Alain de Royer-Dupre, as might be expected from a May-foaled son of Nayef. But once unleashed in the summer of his three-year-old year, he rattled off four successive victories culminating in the Group 2 Prix

Chaudenay at Longchamp’s Arc meeting.

Valirann never ran again after that and went missing for a year until retiring to Whytemount, which probably didn’t help his cause. But working firmly in his corner was the support of his home base. O’Neill utilised Valirann from the outset much like Stowaway all those years ago and as such today appears as the breeder of various good ones by the sire, notably Lecky Watson. That undoubtedly would have given O’Neill great satisfaction.

Potters Charm: major contributor

two-year-olds last spring that his book size swelled to 151, up from 67 the year before.

Of the others, expectations run high for Yaupon at Spendthrift Farm. He has over 180 two-year-olds to go to war with and buyers couldn’t get enough of his first yearlings last year, with no fewer than 26 making north of $250,000.

Even more popular with breeders has been Golden Pal, the recipient of over 500 mares in his first two seasons at Coolmore.

Uncle Mo also hit full stride as a broodmare sire in 2024. Leading the charge was the year’s dominant American three-year-old filly Thorpedo Anna, bred by Judy Hicks out of Sataves (who was unraced due to a birth defect). A daughter of the nondescript Fast Anna, she has carried all before her for Kenny McPeek so far in her career, winning the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks, Acorn Stakes, Coaching Club American Oaks, Cotillion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

Fellow Grade 1 winners Howard Wolowitz (by Munnings) and Muth (by Good Magic) also contributed to a breakthrough year for Uncle Mo’s daughters. He ended the year as a top 25 American broodmare sire, a list which contains only three stallions born after 2002. Indeed, Uncle Mo is the youngest name within the top 100.

Uncle Mo was due to stand at $125,000 in 2025 and would have undoubtedly received another sizeable book. However, Kentucky’s consistent appreciation of him means that he still has several big crops in the pipeline. That and the growing regard for his sons and daughters should mean his legacy is in safe keeping for some time to come.

COOLMORE

Uncle Mo: now making his presence felt through both his sons and daughters

Total print readership exceeds 20,000 per month – Europe’s most widely read monthly horseracing magazine A proven, tried and trusted publication with advertising packages available from just £305 per month

Targeted nutrition for early conception in barren and maiden mares

Words: Laura Steley

February is arguably one of the most important and influential months of the thoroughbred year. There will often have been months of preparation, discussions, stallion visits, pedigree analysis and economic evaluations prior to final mating decisions for broodmares. By this time of year, many nominations will have been put forward and agreed upon in readiness for the start of the covering season on February 15.

The aim for all broodmares, regardless of status, is to conceive on first cover. This is beneficial not only for the mare but also the covering stallion, future offspring, and the stud on numerous levels. Foaling mares are clearly restricted by foaling date and can suffer setbacks, such as from a difficult foaling. When dealing with maiden and barren mares, we do have the advantage of being able to prepare them specifically for the start of the covering season. However, breeding thoroughbreds is never as simple as it sounds and one major disadvantage for these mares is, of course, the climatic season.

“We can alter the signal to the mare’s circadian clock via blue light exposure”

Nature’s way

Under natural conditions, mares enter oestrus (begin their heat cycles/become fertile) in mid-April to early May and transition back to anoestrus (become infertile) around the end of September to early October. The transition from anoestrus to oestrus is in response to the lengthening daylight hours rather than warmer weather conditions, which is a common misconception. This timing is perfect for undomesticated horses as it facilitates foals being born when the weather is warmer and forage is at its

optimum. There will be some mares that cycle outside of these time periods, but they are rare.

We can alter the daily signal to the mare’s circadian clock via blue light exposure. This helps us to regulate mares’ seasonal reproductive cycle so that they cycle earlier in the year and are ready for cover when the northern hemisphere season begins. We can essentially trick a mare’s reproductive system into thinking it is time to transition from anoestrus to oestrus earlier.

The first heat period of the season is often ‘discounted’ as an opportunity to cover due to associated low conception rates, even if the mare is showing sexual receptivity. The follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) is one of the first hormones to rise during the transition from anoestrus to oestrus. FSH triggers the ovaries to produce egg-filled follicles that ovulate after stimulation by the luteinizing hormone (LH). However, during this first heat cycle, LH is often much slower to rise. This can frequently lead to mares sitting on large follicles that don’t ovulate and often vets will inject LH to force ovulation and allow the cycle to complete.

Some stud farms may choose to short cycle all maiden/barren mares on their first cycle to speed up the process of getting to the second more fertile one.

Assess and strategise

Carrying out veterinary checks ahead of the breeding season to catch any problems as early as possible is crucial for early conception. In conjunction with this, we can help encourage and support early cycling and conception in maiden and barren mares through providing correctly balanced and targeted nutrition. Louise Jones, nutritionist at Connolly’s RED MILLS, agrees. She says: “The key to successful breeding starts long before mating and it has been shown that nutrition plays a big role in the reproductive health of a broodmare. From broader aspects such as body condition all the way down to specific macro and micronutrients, fertility is influenced by what is fed.”

The central diet component for any mare is the availability of good quality ad-lib forage, therefore this is the first part of the diet that should be assessed. High quality forage will possess adequate levels of protein, fibre and minerals – calcium, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, copper and zinc. Usually, good quality ad-lib forage will provide enough calories to sustain a mare’s body temperature. This is particularly important in maidens or mares requiring weight gain ahead of the season as we need to avoid them using excess calories to keep warm.

Chemical analysis is an integral part of assessing hay quality and should

LAURA STELEY

Maiden mares may benefit from being rugged when turned out especially during winter

+ Equine Health

be a routine tool. It is important that the quality of protein within the diet is evaluated as well as the crude protein. Good quality protein is rich in essential amino acids, which play important roles in fertility. Studies have shown that mares fed a diet low in quality protein are more likely to suffer fertility problems including an increased risk of failure to ovulate, and the risk of embryonic loss is increased fivefold!

Recent research has proven that ensuring forage is available throughout the day/night, and therefore mimicking horses’ natural way of feeding, can help to maximise the chance and efficiency of conception. Horses should consume an absolute minimum of 1.5% of their own body weight in forage per day.

The amount and type of hard feed required will depend upon the individual’s status and condition. An ideal body condition for mares at the start of the season is 3-3.5 out of 5. Body condition scores outside of this can have a negative impact on fertility; careful monitoring is essential. A mare in poor body condition will be later in their transition from dioestrus to oestrus. Jones says: “Maidens coming out of training will naturally be fitter and leaner. It is important that these mares gradually gain some body weight prior to covering; we know that mares with a low body condition score were least likely to conceive and require nearly 2.8 heat cycles/conception, while more wellconditioned mares required only 1.4 heat cycles/conception.”

The amount of feed required by a maiden mare will be largely dependent upon the time you have before covering. Ideally a couple of months or more is needed to allow them to fully let down, however, if she has continued to race over the winter this may not be possible. In this case it might be beneficial to choose a higher calorie, low starch feed until she is settled, and wean off gradually. Jones continues: “Some maiden mares returned out of training may be both underweight and stressed. Thin maiden mares should be fed so that they are gaining weight and in a positive energy balance coming into the breeding season. Typically, they will require a specific stud ration such as Connolly’s Red Mills Stud Cubes or Mix.”

The age of the maiden mare should be taken into consideration. If she is particularly young, a bone supplement may be beneficial to support skeletal development and health, as well as biotin to aid hoof growth after the removal of shoes. Another point to

Research has shown that a rising plane of nutrition can benefit conception rates

“Obesity can be a serious problem and may reduce fertility”

consider is ensuring maidens are kept warm enough. Liz Bulbrook BSc (Hons), Director of Nutrition at Baileys Horse Feeds, advises: “A maiden mare who may have come out of training having been clipped and having a finer coat than established broodmares may benefit from being rugged when turned out, especially during winter wet and cold spells so as not to use up essential energy reserves in keeping warm rather than gaining weight.”

On the contrary, if an individual is looking a little too well, an effort should be made to support weight loss prior to cover. Obesity can be a serious problem; it may reduce fertility and increase the likelihood of complications such as insulin resistance and laminitis. Jones adds: “Barren mares that have gained excessive weight [body condition score >3.5] have been reported to have reduced conception rates and are more likely to suffer from longer oestrous cycles, which can be due to a persistent corpus luteum, increased risk of abnormal follicle maturation and/or insulin resistance.

“If a mare has pre-existing insulin resistance, the risk of laminitis, especially during the later stages of her pregnancy, is heightened. In addition, the risk of low-grade inflammation and

osteochondrosis in foals is increased if the mare is obese. Mares prone to being overweight or suffering from insulin dysregulation will need a carefully managed diet, including limiting nonstructural carbohydrate intake, i.e. starch and sugar. Several cereal-grain free, ultra-low starch commercial feeds are available, but you should speak to your feed company to discuss which product is most appropriate.”

Bulbrook says: “Mares who maintain condition on forage alone should also receive a stud balancer to ensure that essential nutrients – amino acids, vitamins and minerals – are used to complement the calories from the forage and ensure a balanced diet is fed.”

Timing is everything

Having discussed all the positives to arise from presenting a mare for cover in optimum condition, we must not make any sudden changes to diet in the weeks leading up to mating. Jones expands on this, saying: “Weight loss 4-8 weeks prior to the breeding season, or during the first 90 days of pregnancy, may negatively affect the onset of oestrus and increase the risk of early embryonic death. Therefore, the aim for mares that are overweight should be to maintain their current condition without promoting further weight gain. If this means they are fed less than the recommended level of a mix or cube, a nutrient-dense balancer such as Connolly’s Red Mills GroCare Balancer must be added to the diet to ‘top-up’ essential micronutrients.

Bulbrook states: “Whether aiming for weight gain or loss prior to covering, the diet should be fully balanced to provide all the mare needs for good health and to build up nutrient reserves to support the planned pregnancy. Research has shown that a rising plane of nutrition can benefit conception rates, which simply means that the mare should be improving in condition up to the point of covering.

“As changes to a mare’s condition can take some time, dietary adjustments may need to be made several months in advance, whilst those coming out of work as maiden mares will need to be well ‘let down’ to stand a better chance of conceiving.”

Older broodmares

Broodmares are commonly staying in production a lot longer these days and are often having more foals over the course of their lifetime. Declining fertility

LAURA STELEY

Mare Prepare BREEDING SUCCESS STARTS WITH

A premium stud cube fortified with marine derived oil to boost fertility, enhance colostrumquality,andunlockyouroffspring's athleticpotential. Marine Derived Oil - provides high levels of omega 3 fatty acids DHA & EPA

Prebiotics, Probiotics & Postbiotics - supports optimal gut health and digestive efficiency

+ Equine Health

›› of the older broodmare is unavoidable; one reason for this may be due to the malfunction of mitochondrial energy supply to the oocyte at conception and into early pregnancy.

Researchers at Colorado State University looked at the effects of a high in omega-3 fatty acid and antioxidant diet to see if this would influence oocyte mitochondria number and function. A total of ten mares, aged between 13 and 23 years old, were used in the study and fed a diet of grass/alfalfa hay. Six mares were supplemented with grain and corn oil, while the remaining three were supplemented with grain and an oil high in omega-3s and antioxidants. Follicular development was monitored closely and after a minimum of six weeks follicles measuring at least 35mm were collected and analysed for mitochondrial function and number. Some of the oocytes were injected with frozen-thawed sperm so that cleavage (cell division required for embryo development) and blastocyst (pre-cursor to an embryo) development could be assessed.

The results indicated that dietary supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants in the older broodmare improved oocyte metabolic function and embryo development when compared to diets supplemented with corn oil. To conclude, the research indicated that the test diet altered oocyte mitochondrial number and function, as well as potential for development into a blastocyte, indicating that it is capable of affecting the oocyte’s quality and developmental capacity.

Although the aged broodmares’ requirements will be similar to their

younger counterparts, age can often have a detrimental effect on gastrointestinal efficiency, so it is important to make sure that the nutrition we provide is easily digestible. Pre, pro and postbiotics are particularly useful in supporting the gastro-intestinal tract. All broodmares should have regular dental checks, but aged mares are more likely to encounter dental issues. This can make it harder to meet fibre and calorie requirements via forage alone. Softer, more digestible feeds may prove useful, such as dried grasses and mashes. Older mares may also be more sensitive to extreme weather conditions. By going the extra distance when it comes to caring for our aged broodmares, we provide the best possible chance of preserving our precious bloodlines for years to come.

The extra mile

Adam Short, Nutritional Advisor at Bluegrass Horse Feed, comments: “In recent years, there has been growing recognition of the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in the diets of broodmares. Omega-3s, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from marine sources such as fish oil, have been shown to improve fertility, colostrum quality, and re-breeding efficiency – key factors for the health of both mares and their offspring.”

He continues: “Omega-3 oils, particularly those derived from marine sources such as fish, are considered the most bioavailable form of DHA and EPA. The oils are easily absorbed and incorporated into cell membranes,

making them highly effective in supporting cellular processes critical to fertility, immune function, and overall health.

“Research by Cooke et al. (2014) demonstrated that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids in equine diets reduced post-breeding inflammation, thereby enhancing the uterine environment for successful conception. An excellent way to incorporate omega-3 fatty acids into a broodmare’s diet is through providing a premium stud feed such as Bluegrass Horse Feeds’ Mare Prepare. This premium stud cube is specially formulated with marine-derived oils rich in DHA and EPA, offering a bioavailable source of omega3s that supports fertility and enhances colostrum quality.”

Jones says: “Fresh grass is typically a good source of essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, however barren and maiden mares who are going to be covered early in the breeding season may have limited access and/or lower nutritional value grazing available.”

Antioxidants such as vitamins E and C can help control excessive free radicals, thus decreasing damage to bodily cells. Providing a source of bioavailable or ‘naturally occurring’ vitamin E in the diet will positively affect a mare’s fertility. The antioxidant CoQ10 (Coenzyme 10) has received much attention in recent times. It is produced naturally by the body and is known to have a positive impact on both male and female fertility. Jones explains: “CoQ10 is thought to improve the quality of oocytes because of its role in protecting the mitochondria from oxidative damage and in synthesizing ATP.

“CoQ10 comes in two forms –Ubiquinone and Ubiquinol, the latter is the most bioidentical source of CoQ10 and research has proven that up to eight times more Ubiquinol CoQ10 than ubiquinone is absorbed from the same dose. For maiden mares where fertility is unknown or barren mares, especially those that are older or have previously suffered from early embryonic loss, supplementation with Ubiquinol, the active form of CoQ10, may be prudent.”

The take home message is to evaluate body condition, plan ahead, ensure a rising plain of nutrition for lighter mares and aim to maintain rather than lose weight for heavier mares. Always provide the essential nutrients, regardless of circumstance, and endeavour to provide additional support wherever possible.

NEWMARKET

Mares are scanned at 16 days to determine whether a cover has been successful

ELDAR ELDAROV

NEW SIRE FOR 2025

A classical landscape ft for thoroughbreds.

CHAMPION 3YO STAYER & DUAL CLASSIC WINNER

DUAL ST LEGER WINNER

Won Gr.1 St Leger Stakes, Doncaster

Won Gr.1 Irish St Leger, Curragh

Won Gr.2 Queen’s Vase, Royal Ascot Won 2yo Maiden on debut by 2l Earnings over £1m Timeform: 122

BY DUBAWI - CHAMPION SIRE & SIRE OF SIRES

From the family of ALPINISTA, ALBORADA, etc. Out of ALL AT SEA (SEA THE STARS), a 1m2f Stakes winning daughter of ALBANOVA.

Fee: £5,000 1st October SLF

WELL BRED, TOUGH & CONSISTENT STAKES WINNER

WON/PLACED IN 8 STAKES RACES

Including winning the Gr.2 York Stakes, Gr.3 Classic Trial and L Winter Derby Trial (twice).

OUTSTANDING PEDIGREE

Half-brother to 6 Stakes horses including Gr.2 2yo and 3yo THE FOXES and Gr.1 winner MATTERHORN. Only son of AUSTRALIA to stand in GB.

Fee: £3,000 1st October FFR

SIRE OF GR.1 WINNERS ON THE FLAT & OVER JUMPS

SIRE OF CHAMPION STAYER TRUESHAN & GR.1 CHASE WINNER GRAN DIOSE

52% winners to runners. Tough, sound and versatile progeny from 2yos and up, fat or jumps.

PATERNAL HALF-BROTHER TO THE LATE JEREMY, A LEADING NH SIRE

Highest earning son of DANEHILL DANCER.

Fee: £4,000 1st October FFR

Jockeys will receive a 3% pay rise from February 1

BHA Board sets jockey fee increases

We wanted to provide owners with an update on jockey riding fees for 2025. During the recent annual riding fee negotiations between the ROA and PJA, various aspects were outlined by the ROA supporting a 2% increase proposal including – but not exclusive to – the challenges facing owners across British Racing in 2025.

The ROA also outlined the issues relating to outdated processes regarding price increases across all costs for owners, which continue to outstrip any potential increase in prizemoney. The PJA’s position at the time

of the negotiations was that it would accept an inflationary increase as it stood, which was 3.2%, and therefore rejected the ROA offer of 2%.

As the position offered by the ROA Board on behalf of owners was not accepted by the PJA, it was agreed that under the existing process, the BHA Board would be asked to determine what the appropriate increase should be. Submissions from the ROA and PJA were presented to the BHA Board alongside a BHA executive team recommendation.

The BHA Board has subsequently determined that riding fees shall

increase by 3% from February 1, which means that the amount payable to Flat jockeys will increase from £162.79 to £167.67, and for jump jockeys from £221.28 to £227.92.

In reaching its decision, the BHA Board took account of the submissions from both organisations. With reference to these and other considerations, the Board determined that a 3% increase would represent an equitable outcome for both parties.

In response the ROA has raised concerns relating to the legacy approach adopted as part of this process and will drive for changes to be adopted in the future that promotes a much improved and transparent solution.

We know this is a challenging time for owners with costs continuing to rise and appreciate your support as we continue to work on your behalf in 2025.

Havana Sky takes Horse of the Month prize

ARC’s All-Weather Bonus Horse of the Month prize for December has been won by the Ed Dunlop-trained Havana Sky, owned by The EDR Partnership. Connections of the four-year-old will receive £20,000.

Swinging London, Alfheim, Rebel Empire and Paradoxical all finished tied in second position and will split the £15,000 purse for finishing runner-up.  Havana Sky racked up three victories over six furlongs in December, extending

his overall winning run to five which consequently means he sits at the top of the Horse of the Year standings.

For more information on the All-Weather Bonus prizes visit arenaracingcompany.co.uk.

BILL SELWYN

Our contact details:

New licensing rules for syndicates: what racehorse owners need to know about VAT

The revised process is designed to protect those involved in shared ownership

From January 1, 2025, anyone looking to set up a new racehorse syndicate or racing club had to apply for a licence from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). This change is designed to make shared ownership in racing more transparent, trustworthy and well-managed. If you’re a racehorse owner dealing with VAT, here’s how these new rules might affect you.

What’s changing?

The BHA’s new licensing process builds on the current registration system. It makes sure that anyone who is managing a syndicate or racing club meets certain standards, such as:

• Being clear and honest about how the syndicate operates.

• Showing they have the skills to handle money and manage the business.

• Knowing how to advertise and promote shared ownership responsibly.

The licence won’t tell you how to run your business as long as it meets the rules. Instead, it’s about giving everyone involved in shared ownership confidence that things are being done properly.

Why it matters for VAT

If your syndicate is VAT-registered or you claim VAT under the Racehorse

Owners Scheme (ROS), the new licensing rules tie in closely with how you handle your finances. Here are the key points:

1. VAT registration and financial records

If your syndicate is VAT-registered, the person in charge needs to manage money carefully and keep proper records. This includes making sure all income and expenses are logged correctly for VAT purposes.

2. Splitting costs and revenue Syndicates usually share costs (like training fees) and income (like prize-money). The new rules will make it even more important to be clear about who pays what and how money is handled – something that’s essential for accurate VAT claims.

3. Marketing and VAT

If your syndicate earns money from things like sponsorships or selling merchandise, this income could be taxable for VAT. Being licensed means keeping an eye on these details to stay compliant.

4. Claiming VAT under the Racehorse Owners Scheme (ROS)

If you use the ROS to claim back VAT on racing costs, you’ll need to ensure your syndicate meets the licensing rules. The BHA’s focus on clear financial management will help with the kind of record-

keeping that HMRC expects.

5. Support Is available

The BHA is offering step-by-step guidance to help with licensing applications, and organizations like the ROA can provide advice on VAT-related questions.

Why this is good for shared ownership

Shared ownership is growing fast –it’s an affordable and exciting way to be part of racehorse ownership. The new licensing system aims to keep it fair and well run, which is great news for everyone involved.

The new rules will help ensure shared ownership continues to thrive while giving people confidence that syndicates are safe and trustworthy.

What’s next for racehorse owners?

If you’re already running a syndicate, the BHA is offering plenty of help to make the transition smooth. For anyone planning to set up a new syndicate, the licence will be a key step in getting started.

For owners dealing with VAT, this is a chance to streamline your finances, stay compliant with HMRC, and ensure your syndicate runs smoothly under the new rules.

By meeting the BHA’s standards, you can focus on what really matters: enjoying the thrill of racing.

ROA Forum

ROA Raceday Curtailment Scheme called into action

The recent cold snap has had a significant impact on racing, resulting in fixtures being abandoned, some even after racing had already started. During these challenging weather windows, racecourses face the difficult task of ensuring their meetings can proceed. Unfortunately, sometimes a fixture gets underway but needs to cancel part-way through the card.

This was the case at Chepstow on January 5, where, after two races, the racecourse team and a delegation of jockeys determined that the ground had become unsafe, leading to the abandonment of the fixture. Following this, ARC, which operates Chepstow, provided compensation to owners whose horses had travelled to the course but were unable to run. However, racecourses are not required to offer this payment, and in situations where they do, it can sometimes fall below £250. This is where the ROA’s Raceday Curtailment Scheme, which is included with full ROA membership, can help provide some compensation.

The scheme offers a payment of £100

to ROA members who own at least 51% of a horse that is due to participate but is unable to run in its intended race after at least the first race has been run and then subsequent races are abandoned. In these circumstances, the Raceday Curtailment Scheme can help offset some of the transportation costs that owners may have incurred for the horse or themselves.

Since the scheme’s launch in 2012, an average of 200 horses and their owners

have received compensation annually. If a member’s horse qualifies for a payment, a member of the ROA team will get in touch, and payments will be processed quickly and automatically.

To learn more about the ROA Raceday Curtailment Scheme, please visit roa. co.uk/rcs or if you’d like to discuss this or ROA membership and its benefits, please contact info@roa.co.uk and we’ll be happy to assist.

Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme

Racehorse owner David Howden has launched a new Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme (TAP) to assist anyone taking on a retired racehorse.

Further to the launch of The Howden Way in May 2022, which offers training and opportunities to riders of all ages and abilities, TAP hopes to enable more racehorses to live a rewarding life after they retire from racing.

The programme offers a nationwide support framework for anyone taking on an ex-racehorse to ensure a smooth transition from racehorse to riding horse with their new competitive or non-competitive rider.

There are three arms to The Howden Way’s work: The Howden Way Talent Academy, The Howden Way Young Horse Academy, and The Howden Way Thoroughbred Aftercare Programme.

Howden said: “As someone who is

passionate about horseracing, I see it as vital that I am supporting the sport in any way I can. By creating a

nationwide, freely accessible support programme that also includes 2,000 subsidised training sessions a year, I

The early weeks of the year proved challenging for racecourses across Britain

David Howden, pictured with high-class mare Running Lion, is behind the initiative

Introducing our new sub-editor!

Proving that you are never too young to start immersing yourself in the world of horseracing, Johnny Arkell gets stuck into the January issue of Owner Breeder!

hope we will see more horses leave racing safe in the knowledge that their pathway to becoming a riding horse will be as smooth and stressfree as possible.”

Through TAP, those who have taken on an ex-racehorse can access a comprehensive educational programme that delivers support to match aspirations. The programme will assist riders to understand their horse, progress through the transitional stages of racehorse to riding horse including lunging, hacking, schooling and, if it is their ambition, to develop through to a discipline-specific competition structure.

With an estimated 35,000 former racehorses in the UK alone, and on average 7,000 horses retiring from British racing each year, TAP will focus on the correct retraining of these horses to enable them to go on to become successful riding horses.

For more information visit thehowdenway.com.

Changing Lives Through Horses jumps ahead

The British Horse Society’s (BHS) Changing Lives Through Horses (CLTH) programme has already helped 2,000 disengaged young people gain key life skills and given them the tools to support their future careers. Funded by public donations, more and more of the BHS’s approved centres are joining the CLTH programme.

Participants are quickly discovering the transformative power of working with horses – and in particular exracehorses – combined with a focus on developing key skills they can use throughout their lives, leading to increased confidence and self-esteem, as well as lasting friendships, both human and equine.

Wirral Riding Centre

Central to the CLTH programme at Wirral Riding Centre is the story of one rehomed retired racehorse, who exemplifies the power of horses to foster confidence, emotional wellbeing, and personal growth.

Homing the ex-racehorse now known as ‘Spirit’ has proven to be an invaluable asset. His kind and caring nature not only enriches the lives of our young people but also serves as a living testament to the transformative power of horses. He has provided youngsters at the stables an exciting project who they can safely enjoying turning out, bringing in, grooming, practising their rug skills and bathing him. By providing a nurturing environment for both horse and participants, CLTH continues to change lives.

To strengthen their understanding of how to use and best support retired racehorses, the centre was very lucky to enhance this experience with a visit from recently-retired jockey Franny Norton. His wealth of experience in the racing world and deep appreciation for the versatility of retired racehorses inspired our staff and young participants to continue their work with Spirit and has helped to highlight the transformative power of equestrian activities. His involvement underscored the importance of giving retired racehorses a meaningful second career while showcasing the incredible bond they can form with people.

The programme has helped 2,000 young people to date

British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre

The thoroughbred homed with the British Thoroughbred Retraining Centre with the CLTH programme is an older horse who has been an assessment horse for the centre for a number of years and is 15 plus years out of racing. It’s much harder to get a thoroughbred approved on insurance, so the team had to implement robust risk assessments to prove suitability, but the extra effort was worth it.

Knowle Hill Riding Centre

The team at Knowle Hill Riding Centre in Derby have got their young people involved in the rehab and retraining of ex-racehorses, which gives them an even deeper sense of reflection of their own growth whilst genuinely helping a horse with a specific set of needs, most that riding school ponies simply don’t have. This element is particularly helpful for children who want a career with horses – learning about ex-racehorses, rehabilitation and retraining offers a solid grounding.

For more information on the Changing Lives Through Horses initiative, or to donate, visit bhs.org.uk.

MAGICAL MOMENTS

Val Dancer bags Welsh Grand National glory for Philip Rowley and friends

Philip Rowley’s tale of how he ended up owning a share in Val Dancer is both depressing and uplifting, taking him from financial peril to a landmark success in the Welsh Grand National.

Former point-to-pointer Val Dancer was identified as an exciting prospect for a group of owners and duly purchased at auction before relocating to Poplar Cottage Farm in Shropshire, the training establishment of Rowley and wife Mel, who holds the licence.

However, matters then took an unfortunate turn.

Rowley explains: “I’d been asked by some owners to buy a horse at the Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale in January 2022. So off I went with Mel to the sale. David Minton [aka Minty], who we’ve worked with for 25 years, also came along.

“We liked Val Dancer, bought him for £60,000 and took him home. Then a few days later the people we purchased the horse for said they didn’t want him!

“The horse was in my name, which was a big worry, but I spoke to Tattersalls and

they were very helpful regarding credit. I then approached a couple of big owners that have had horses with us before, but they weren’t interested.

“I told Minty we’d have to put a syndicate together and take a share each.

BILL SELWYN

BILL SELWYN

Val Dancer (left, rail) thrilled his connections with his victory in the Welsh Grand National under Charlie Hammond

Then John Nicholson, Peter Andrews and the late Tim Leadbeater each took a 20% share, which was unbelievably helpful. So that’s how the syndicate – The Val Dancers – was formed.”

Val Dancer showed promise over hurdles, landing a novices’ contest at Bangor, but chasing was always going to be the son of Valirann’s game.

Switched to fences and staying trips last year, he recorded a trio of victories at Leicester, Wetherby and Catterick, working his way up the handicap in the process.

“Val Dancer has improved all the way through and strengthened up for his summer break,” Rowley says. “He came back a really strong horse this season.

“We popped up to Carlisle for his reappearance when I wasn’t sure the ground would be soft enough for him, yet he still won, enjoying the stiff track. Charlie Deutsch got off him and said he was made for the Welsh National.

“It wasn’t guaranteed we would run him at Chepstow but he actually got in easily having gone up to a mark of 126.”

The big race itself remains something of a mystery – the Racing Post analysis says “not a great deal was seen in the fog” – but what is certain is that Val Dancer passed the post in front of Jubilee Express under Charlie Hammond, deputising for namesake Deutsch.

Rowley, who stayed at home while Mel went to the track, comments: “I watched on TV in the office and didn’t see very much. But I noticed he was travelling

“It was very emotional for us and his family – I think it was just meant to be”

well and jumping nicely when the commentator said they were coming to four out – then I started to get excited!

“Two out, Charlie said he thought he was beat, but the horse dug deep and tried his heart out. It was a great day.

“Sadly, Tim Leadbeater died in August, but his family have taken over his share and we ran him in Tim’s colours at Chepstow, so it was very emotional for us and his family. I think it was just meant to be.”

The Rowleys train around 60 horses at present, including point-to-pointers, having started out breaking and pretraining. They also produced young horses to sell on, one graduate being Ahoy Senor, a dual Grade 1 winner for trainer Lucinda Russell.

Mel took out a full licence in 2021 and has sent out 61 winners to date, the Welsh National being the highlight for the stable

so far. However, her husband has another magical moment that just about trumps that triumph.

He says: “For me, Wishing And Hoping winning the Veterans’ Final at Sandown in 2023 was my best moment.

“He’d been a tricky horse for various reasons – he’d been retired and then came back to us – but won the Lady Dudley Cup in record time. When he went to Sandown, I really didn’t think he’d win. It was a massive day.”

Alongside the racing operation, the Rowleys also have a livestock farm a mile and a half away. Daughter Isabella, 17, rides out and schools while son Edward, 14, “prefers cattle, sheep and tractors”.

They are keen to remain hands-on with the horses and for that reason wouldn’t contemplate increasing the size of their string.

“I think I speak for every trainer in the industry when I say the biggest problem is getting the riders and the staff,” Rowley says. “That’s the hardest thing. If we could have 20 or 30 really good riders, the number of horses wouldn’t be an issue.

“Staffing is the number one issue, but the financial side also has to add up. We probably don’t charge enough, and we’ll likely have to increase our prices. Our priority is always to keep the horses healthy and the owners happy.”

Val Dancer has certainly kept his owners happy, his latest win pushing his career earnings over £122,000, and while he could turn out at the Cheltenham Festival granted testing going, the Grand National is off the agenda this year.

“He’s not ready for Aintree,” Rowley states. “Although we would consider the National in future.

“Val Dancer could be very nice in time so we’ll look after him and let him tell us where we go next.”

Diary dates

MARCH 11-14

ROA Cheltenham Festival marquee

APRIL 3

Racing Welfare Aintree hospitality

ROA Forum

THE RACEGOERS CLUB COLUMN

Tony Wells looks at the racing scene

When was the last time you told someone about the brilliant day you’d recently had at the races? If you can recall it immediately, well done you. But if you’re like me and you’re struggling to remember when you last extolled the brilliance of a day spent at the races, you may not be alone.

I had a great time at the Tingle Creek meeting. There was massive relief among those of us waiting outside Sandown for the doors to open when the meeting was given the go ahead. Despite Storm Darragh’s best efforts to spoil our pleasure, we joyfully entered the course looking forward to one of the best fixtures of the jumps season.

The meeting, as usual, was well attended and when the runners in the first race were cheered as they passed the stands on the first circuit, it set the tone for the day. Any day you get to see Jonbon in action has to be a good one and he didn’t disappoint his supporters, winning the Tingle Creek for the second year running. The icing on the cake was when the enormous Mr Vango triumphed in the London National for Sara Bradstock to close the card with a hugely popular win.

Sandown on Tingle Creek day is a pre-Christmas highlight for me and my friends. Watching top-class

two-milers soaring over the railway fences is a sight to behold and all being well, Jonbon could become the race’s first triple winner in 2025. I left Sandown feeling really positive about the sport I love. But I don’t remember telling anyone how good the day was, particularly any friends or family who may not be huge racing fans.

Is my failure to do that a result of the way I perceive how others view our sport? Racing fans are regularly being told about the problems the sport is facing. From affordability checks, the threat of the black market, the impact that is having on the levy and the resultant reduction in prize-money, to small fields, uncompetitive races and too much racing – the list of issues is lengthy. These problems need to be addressed, but simply talking about them isn’t going to fix them.

Isn’t it time we changed the narrative to positively promote our sport? If hardcore racing fans aren’t doing it, then what hope do we have of changing public opinion? Some of the racing media could do more. I’ve lost count of the number of articles I have read recently about racing’s obsession with the Cheltenham Festival and how we’re not allowing connections the pleasure of a victory before asking them what the next target is or what

race will the winner run in at the Festival. It’s another example of people in racing turning a good news story into a bad news story.

It is possible to celebrate the current victory as well as looking forward to when we can see the winner again. There were brilliant performances over the Christmas period from the likes of Constitution Hill, Sir Gino, Banbridge, Galopin Des Champs and Brighterdaysahead. They’ve really whetted our appetite for when we can see these superstars again. If we want to attract new fans to our sport, racing needs to celebrate success while letting people know where and when they’re likely to see them next.

The Christmas period saw positive reports of increased attendances from many courses, with some reporting a sell-out. It appears the public are voting with their feet and enjoying a day at the races again. What has caused the reversal in attendance trends is unclear, but it’s important that racing capitalises on this positive news. After all, as we know success breeds success.

Horseracing is a fantastic sport that continually throws up great stories. As racing fans, we need to celebrate our sport and tell our friends and family when we’ve had a great day at the races. It’s the least we can do.

Mr Vango and Jack Tudor captured the London National at Sandown in December

BILL SELWYN

Experience Glorious Goodwood in style with Bid to Give

This month’s auction lot provided by Racing Welfare in partnership with the ROA is a Glorious Goodwood experience like no other. The successful bidder will be treated to a two-day package, with day one centred around hospitality for four in The Charlton Hunt restaurant at the iconic Qatar Goodwood Festival, worth more than £3,000.

On Saturday, August 2, guests will enjoy unrivalled views of the course, parade ring access for the feature race and a fine dining, fivecourse menu in The Charlton Hunt restaurant. An overnight stay with two rooms at the fabulous Goodwood Hotel follows before playing a round on Goodwood’s award-winning golf course to end the weekend in style.

Previous winning bidder, Patrick Plews, said of the experience:

“The facility in The Charlton Hunt restaurant is excellent and Roger Hart even managed to give out a couple of winners. It was lovely to meet Dawn [Goodfellow, Racing Welfare’s Chief Executive] and learn a bit more about Racing Welfare and the good work they do. We are delighted that our bid has gone to such a good cause within the industry we all love.

“The Goodwood Hotel experience was splendid and the whole Goodwood team should be commended for putting up such a special prize. We couldn’t help but feel privileged all weekend.”

The auction closes at 5pm on Friday, February 21 and raises

Significant impact in 2024

Racing Welfare continued to provide its vital support services to racing’s people in 2024, offering professional advice, guidance and practical support for a range of life’s challenges. That includes physical health, mental health, bereavement, careers advice, housing, money matters, illness, addiction, relationships, and retirement. Support can be accessed via a national network of welfare officers, as well as through a 24/7 support line, website, and the Racing Welfare App.

A snapshot of just some of the ways the charity has helped the wellbeing of the industry’s people in 2024 include:

• 2,254 individuals supported by the welfare team, via 12,895 interventions and instances of support.

• Over 650 workplace visits carried out including yards, studs and racecourses.

• Over £256,000 awarded in financial grants, helping to alleviate the burden of rising costs.

• 152 community events held for working age and retired staff, including 107 coffee mornings

across the country, bringing communities together to promote wellbeing and social interaction.

As an example of those community events, Racing Welfare rounded off the year by providing Christmas lunch events for retired racing staff at five locations across the country. The lunches combined saw more than 500 Racing Welfare beneficiaries and their guests in attendance, helping to reduce social isolation within these communities.

This year, Racing Welfare’s President, Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal, attended the East Beneficiary Christmas Lunch at the Rowley Mile racecourse in Newmarket on Thursday, December 12. While there, Her Royal Highness met with beneficiaries and staff to hear firsthand the difference Racing Welfare’s support makes to the local racing community, before enjoying a festive meal and musical entertainment from the Newmarket Community Choir.

Dudley Eynon, 84, and Brenda Eynon, 87, of New Cheveley Road, Newmarket, have been supported by Racing Welfare for a number of years, and had the pleasure of meeting Her Royal Highness

crucial funds for Racing Welfare, the industry’s human welfare charity. Head to www.bidtogive.co.uk to place your bid.

at the East Beneficiary Christmas Lunch. Racing Welfare is a lifeline for Dudley, who has cancer and relies on a mobility scooter, which Racing Welfare recently supplied to him. The charity also helps support Brenda who has deteriorating eyesight.

Dudley, who has worked in a number of roles during his career including at The Links in Newmarket where he booked in horses, Stables Manager at Huntingdon racecourse as well as working at Tattersalls until the age of 81, said: “On the day I received a letter confirming my cancer diagnosis, I also got a letter from Racing Welfare inviting me to this lunch and it’s something that we’ve both been looking forward to – it’s been keeping us going really.

“It was wonderful to meet Her Royal Highness and tell her all about our involvement with racing over the years as well as the difference Racing Welfare makes to Brenda and myself – we’d be lost without them.”

Racing Welfare can only provide these services thanks to the generosity of its supporters, including the ROA and its members. If you’d like to help the charity continue its vital work in 2025 and beyond, please go to racingwelfare.co.uk/donate.

The prize includes a superb meal in The Charlton Hunt restaurant

TBA Forum

Champions crowned as 2024 Flat Statistical Award winners announced

The Queen’s Silver Cup

Godolphin

Leading British-based Flat breeder (Flat earnings)

Having relinquished the crown last year to Shadwell, Godolphin wrestled it back for their 11th win in this category. Their domestic season was headlined by a pair of colts, one a member of the Classic generation and the other a fine juvenile.

When landing the 2,000 Guineas, Notable Speech became the first Classic-winning colt to have previously raced only on an all-weather surface. He had made his debut at Kempton Park in January 2024 and rapidly progressed, arriving at the Rowley Mile on the back of three victories, and settled the race with a smart turn of foot over a furlong out. He added the Sussex Stakes to his CV later in the year.

Shadow Of Light achieved a notable double with his strikes in the Middle Park Stakes, which he won by four lengths, and the Dewhurst Stakes two weeks later.

On the worldwide stage, Godolphin British-breds were performing and achieving victories with regularity. Measured Time captured the Jebel Hatta in Dubai and later followed up with a win in the Manhattan Stakes at Saratoga, whilst Cinderella’s Dream, a Listed winner in Dubai, won the Belmont Oaks at Aqueduct before running second at the Breeders’ Cup. In Australia, Cascadian landed back-toback renewals of the Australian Cup.

Leading British-based stallion (Flat earnings)

British EBF Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup

Dubawi

Leading British-based stallion (strikerate winners/runners)

Dubawi was crowned leading Britishbased stallion by earnings for a record-extending tenth time, whilst he

regained the British EBF Barleythorpe Stud Silver Cup, which is now awarded for winner to runner strike-rate, rather than total number of winners in a year.

Darley’s kingpin was well represented across the year; he supplied a pair of British Classic winners in the shape of 2,000 Guineas hero Notable Speech, who also won the Sussex Stakes, and the Aga Khan homebred Ezeliya, who impressively took the Oaks for Dermot Weld and Chris Hayes by three lengths from another Dubawi progeny, Dance Sequence. Unfortunately, injury cut short the racing career of Ezeliya.

Another of Dubawi’s progeny, Hidden Law, bred out of a Galileo mare, took the Chester Vase in impressive fashion only to succumb to a fatal injury shortly after passing the line.

Dubawi’s standout performer was globetrotter Rebel’s Romance, who was third in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on home soil but won the Emir Trophy in Qatar, Sheema Classic in Dubai, Champions & Chater Cup in Hong Kong, Preis von Europa at Cologne and the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar.

Amongst the younger generation there is Ancient Truth, winner of the Superlative Stakes and third in the Dewhurst, and Autumn Stakes hero Delacroix, who was runner-up in the Futurity Trophy.

For the Barleythorpe Cup, Dubawi

BBA Silver Cigar Box

Dubawi

BILL SELWYN

DARLEY

Sergei Prokofiev: leading first-season sire for Whitsbury Manor Stud

The outstanding Dubawi enjoyed a superb 2024

nudged out Frankel, with his 73 winners from 149 runners returning a 48.99% strike-rate.

Tattersalls’ Silver Salver

Sergei Prokofiev

Leading British-based first-season sire (Flat earnings)

Having received the Silver Salver for leading freshman sire on three previous occasions courtesy of Showcasing, Adaay and Havana Grey, Whitsbury Manor Stud gained a quartet of wins thanks to Scat Daddy’s Cornwallis Stakes-winning son Sergei Prokofiev

Amongst his 23 British and Irish winners who amassed in excess of £600,000 was the Andrew Bengough and Partners-bred Arizona Blaze, who was kept busy. Winner of the first Irish maiden at the Curragh on March 18, the bay captured the Marble Hill Stakes, was third in the Phoenix Stakes and ended his season running second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint on November 1.

Sergei Prokofiev’s other stakes performer, also owned by Amo Racing, was the Llety Farms & Whitsbury Manor Stud-bred Enchanting Empress, winner of the National Stakes at Sandown Park.

Love Is The Law, Pellitory and Seraphim Angel were also multiple winners for the nine-year-old, whose second crop yearling average and median stayed on par with his first, headlined by the half-brother to Listed scorer Great State, which went the way of S & R Investments for 170,000gns at Book 2.

* The Statistical Awards cover the calendar year 2024 and relate to racing in GB and Ireland only – statistics provided by Weatherbys.

Breed Smart Forum popular

Following on from the successful Foal Forum held the previous year, the TBA hosted a Breed Smart Forum titled ‘Matings for Markets’ during the Tattersalls December Foal Sale with over 200 TBA members, ACCESS subscribers and bloodstock enthusiasts filling the sales ring at Park Paddocks.

The forum, which was kindly sponsored by Streets Accountants, was hosted by Sky Sports Racing’s Vanessa Ryle, with a focus on matings and key considerations when it comes to selecting a stallion, the importance of trends, data and statistics in that process, and breeding for the sales ring as well as the racecourse.

An expert panel had been assembled bringing together a wealth of knowledge and expertise featuring bloodstock agent Richard Brown from Blandford Bloodstock, Patrick Diamond from the Castlebridge Consignment, Alice Thurtle,

Foaling the mare programme on TB-Ed

The TBA has launched its exclusive Foaling the Mare programme, a new series of comprehensive online courses designed to equip individuals with the knowledge to support the safe and healthy foaling of thoroughbred mares.

Hosted on TB-Ed, the TBA’s digital learning hub, the programme is written by industry experts, with courses focusing on preparing for foaling, the three stages of foaling, and post birth.

The courses follow the pregnancy of two thoroughbred mares, with emphasis placed on ensuring the safety and welfare of both the mare and foal, understanding signs of potential

complications, and applying measures to support the healthy delivery and early care of the newborn foal, safe handling practices, the three stages of labour, and post-foaling care for both mares and foals in the first 24 hours.

The courses explore the equine gestation period, the natural behaviours and sensitivities of mares, the signs of labour, recognising labour stages and understanding when to perform routine care and seek veterinary intervention, plus much more.

The interactive and video-based courses can be completed online in your own time, at your own pace and are fully

Marketing and Nominations Executive for Tweenhills, pedigree and matings expert Clive Webb-Carter, along with leading trainer and breeder William Haggas.

TBA Chief Executive Claire Sheppard commented: “We were really delighted to welcome another great turnout for our forum. It was lovely to see some of our existing membership, but particularly encouraging to see so many new and some younger faces in the audience.

“A huge thank you to our sponsor Streets Accountants, Tattersalls, as well as the panel who gave up their time and shared their expertise with everyone at what is a very busy time for them all.”

The panel discussion was followed by a Q&A with attendees getting into the festive spirit enjoying some mulled wine and mince pies.

A full recording of the event is available to view online at tb-ed.co.uk.

The course is accessible at tb-ed.co.uk

accessible. The programme is free for all TBA members/ACCESS subscribers and costs £95 per course for non-members. To access the courses, and a host of other educational content tailored for thoroughbred breeding, visit tb-ed.co.uk.

A packed Tattersalls auditorium for the Breed Smart Forum

TBA Forum

Crambo and Constitution serve up Christmas special

Bred by and part owned by Jared Sullivan, the Fergal O’Brien-trained Crambo landed back-to-back renewals of the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot before Christmas. The son of Saddler Maker was making his seasonal return and received a fine ride by Johnny Burke to fend off a late lunge from Irish challenger Hiddenvalley Lake to score in the silks of co-owner Chris Giles.

The previous day at the Berkshire track, the Kathryn Stud-bred Mark Of Gold, a son of Golden Horn, made a successful chasing debut, taking advantage of a final fence mistake by a rival to run out the two-length winner.

High-quality racing on both sides of the Irish sea was a feature of the Christmas period though fog made the action challenging to view. Despite this, there were some smart performances, including from Constitution Hill, who created history in becoming the first horse to win three Christmas Hurdles at Kempton Park. Bred by Sally Noott, the gelding jumped supremely well having been off the track for a year.

The Boxing Day highlight at Wetherby is the Rowland Meyrick Chase and the W L Smith and Partners-

bred Some Scope jumped to the front at the first in the home straight, travelled well and proved resolute to land the biggest win of his career to date.

Bred by Guy Bloodstock, Soul Icon gained a deserved Graded win in the Desert Orchid Handicap Chase, having been denied by a neck on two occasions previously this season.

Kayf Tara may no longer be with us, but Christmas served up a pair of Grade 1-winning novices, both of whom were impressive in their respective races. At Leopardstown, the Will Kinsey-bred Romeo Coolio, placed in the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last season, won the Future Champions Novice Hurdle by nine lengths.

A day later at Newbury and in a stacked Challow Novices’ Hurdle, The New Lion travelled like a dream and dealt his rivals a near five-length beating without barely coming off the bridle. He was bred by the Chuggs at Little Lodge Stud in Worcestershire.

Earlier in the month and Wynot, a progressive daughter of Schiaparelli, won the inaugural running of the Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle – she was bred by Mrs P Baily and Miss S Bailey.

At Fairyhouse at the beginning of the month, the Jeremy Mactaggartbred Washington was a good winner of the two-mile handicap hurdle.

Prior to Christmas, Meydan’s meeting served up a trio of Godolphinbred stakes winners. Measured Time, a son of Frankel and winner of the Jebel Hatta last term, got his winter season off to the best possible start with a second Al Rashidiya. There were also Listed victories for Native Approach (Too Darn Hot) in the Business Bay Challenge and Walk Of Stars (Dubawi) in The Entisar.

At Kempton, the Brightwalton Bloodstock-bred Champagne Prince won the Wild Flower Stakes.

In the US at Santa Anita there were Grade 2 wins for King Of Gosford (bred by Tweenhills) in the Mathis Mile Stakes and Motorious (bred by Kirtlington Stud & Mary Taylor) in the Joe Hernandez Stakes.

In Australia, the New England Stud & Sir Peter Vela-bred Dubai Poet captured the Christmas Quality at Morphettville.

Results up to and including December 31. Produced in association with GBRI.

Constitution Hill silenced his doubters with a decisive victory in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton

BILL

Shadwell's stallions were on show at Beech House Stud

Stud Farming Course well attended

The annual TBA Stud Farming Course took place at the British Racing School, Newmarket, in December where 36 delegates with varying backgrounds and interests came together for three days of lectures on some of the key topics involved in stud management, including foaling, nutrition, and sales preparation. Following an involved first day of lectures, a meal at the Mexican restaurant El Guaca allowed the attendees and speakers to get to know each other over bowls of nachos and fajitas, with a few sombreros for added effect!

In addition to the existing stud management topics, the course featured new lectures for 2024, including a talk on traceability and change of ownership by Dr Rebecca Mouncey, while Harvey Bell from Tattersalls discussed the yearling selection process at the sales, and industry consultant Joe Grimwade spoke on best practice for weaning.

News in brief

GBB deadline nears

The deadline to register two-year-old

Flat fillies from the 2023 foal crop for Stage 3 of the Great British Bonus (GBB) is fast approaching. Owners must complete registration by midnight on February 28. Late registrations will not be accepted under any circumstances. Registrations can be completed online at www.greatbritishbonus.co.uk or by contacting the Weatherbys Studbook at 01933 304808.

National Hunt Yearbook

National Hunt breeders will have received a copy of the TBA’s 2024/25 National Hunt Yearbook over the festive period. Available in both printed

Alongside the packed programme of lectures, the course included visits to Beech House Stud, residence of the Shadwell stallions, including the six-time Group 1 winner and young sire Baaeed, and a look around the facilities at Rossdales Equine Hospital. The group were also given a tour of the British Racing School by Chief Executive Andrew Brathwaite to understand more about the daily routine of the school’s new recruits.

The TBA would like to thank the speakers, those who hosted our visits, and the excellent facilities and team at the British Racing School, which help make the course possible. An extra thanks go to Ollie Pynn (Rossdales) and Liam MacGillivray (NEH) for their support in organising the course programme.

Details on the 2025 course will be announced later in the year in member communications and on the TBA website.

and digital formats, those that have not received but would be interested in obtaining a copy should contact Stanstead House.

The Yearbook reviews the tenth anniversary of the NH Breeders’ Awards Evening as well as containing interviews with Nick Luck, David and Kathleen Holmes, and Kevin and Anne Glastonbury.

The Agent Files podcast

TB-Ed has launched a new podcast which is well worth listening to. Available on SoundCloud, join host Alayna CullenBirkett for an in-depth conversation with agent Anthony Bromley and gain a fascinating insight into the people and

horses who helped shape his career. Bromley gives his view on key topics such as the importance of conformation, the role of corrective work and how market dynamics influence decisions.

Broodmare Ownership Guide

New to thoroughbred breeding? Why not check out the Broodmare Ownership Guide, which is packed with useful information on buying a mare, selecting a stallion, nomination terms and much more. Available on the TBA website ‘Getting Started’ section or scan the QR code here with your smartphone camera.

Breeder of the Month

Words: Tom Peacock

R D & MRS J CHUGG

Even with such a rich history of graduates from Little Lodge Farm over the years, Jackie Chugg admits there was something quite rare about the quality shown by The New Lion.

At Newbury just after Christmas, Dan Skelton’s gelding took the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle without appearing to break sweat. It had been much the same case in each of his previous three starts, prompting JP McManus to make a private offer to buy him from owners Darren and Annaley Yates.

The success has continued a fine partnership. Chugg’s husband Robert, a Cheltenham Festival winner as an amateur and a charismatic, cherished figure among the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association’s ranks, died just under three years ago and was a firm friend of the Skeltons.

The families jointly-owned The New Lion’s older sister, Kateira, who won a Grade 3 hurdle at the last Grand National meeting.

“When he won his first race over hurdles at Chepstow I thought to myself this could be the best horse we’ve bred,” Chugg says.

“It was the way he won that day, and also when he won his bumper he just accelerated right away from them, in the same manner Kateira won her bumper. I’d just thought, ‘You’ve got that bit of something special’ – and that’s what it takes to win races.”

The New Lion – and Kateira – are out of the unraced Astarabad mare Raitera and by the much-missed Overbury stalwart Kayf Tara. The younger sibling was taken as a foal by Little Lodge to the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale, where he was bought by Katie Rudd for €45,000.

“He was a very correct, lovely looking foal and he was good on the day,” Chugg recalls. “It’s really an amazing coincidence that he ended up at Dan’s, considering we hadn’t seen him for a few years. Dan did tell me back in August that he’d get black type this winter. I think the feeling was he was very special then.

“We actually last won this award when Le Milos won the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury – and it’s funny that they were both horses that Dan’s trained. He was out of our very good mare Banjaxed Girl.”

Raitera, now 20, cost €25,000 when the Chuggs saw her as a yearling at Arqana back in 2006.

“When she was four she was like a little tank and we thought we’d breed from her,” she continues.

“She has a great temperament and although she doesn’t measure much in height she’s so strong, and she breeds them all very correct.”

Among her other progeny are El Presente, a winner of the Badger Beers Chase, while Raitera has emerged as a half-sister of both the Grade 1-winning two-miler Golden Silver and Diamond Boy – sire of top-class jumpers such as L’Homme Presse and Impaire Et Passe.

“The pedigree never stopped improving; Diamond Boy wasn’t even in existence then,” explains Chugg.

“He was trained by Francois Doumen and won quite a few decent races on the Flat. He dropped off the radar, then suddenly he was standing as a stallion! It was quite exciting and he’s doing very well now.

“The family has had a few winners since and the mare has done very well. The first foal we took to Ireland was a filly by Presenting [La Pinede]. She was bought by a Frenchman, Bertrand Le Metayer, and went to France. She’s bred three winners now and there’s a few more in the pipeline.”

Chugg is both nervous and measured about The New Lion’s future prospects, laughing that she is happy to take it “one day at a time”.

In more than 40 years of breeding National Hunt horses from their farm in Worcestershire, the Chuggs have produced other stars such as Mary Reveley’s brilliant mare Marello and International Hurdle winner Guard Your Dreams.

With Raitera now producing such a dynasty, Chugg agrees she has probably now become Little Lodge’s most important broodmare.

“In terms of black-type winners, I think she has,” she says.

“I’ve got another four-year-old filly out of her that I’ll breed from in the spring and then there’s a lovely two-year-old filly by Blue Bresil.

“I sold the filly foal last year by Nathaniel. Sadly she wasn’t in foal last year, so we’ve got to sort out where she’ll be covered and take it from there.”

BILL SELWYN

The New Lion (nearside) in full flight en route to his emphatic victory in the Grade 1 Challow Hurdle at Newbury

The final piece of the puzzle

Stage 1

Stage 2 Stage3

Register your 2023 Flat filly for Stage 3 of GBB now! You have until the 28th February.

LARGEST SPONSOR

British Stallion Studs will contribute £2million towards British prize-money in 2025, bringing our total investment to £40million since we were founded in 1983

View from Ireland

EU transport regulations: a genuine threat to the breeding industry

The European Union (EU) is in the process of revising its transport of animals regulations, writes Dr Desmond Leadon, Veterinary Advisor to the ITBA. These regulations are aimed at improving the welfare of the 1.8 million animals destined for slaughter in and from the EU. The EU entrusted its European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) with the responsibility of providing it with a scientific basis for the new proposals. Importantly, EFSA has multiple representative members, but there are no EFSA members who are experts in the horse industry in general and the thoroughbred industry in particular.

The EFSA published its report in September 2022 and stated that it had found no evidence to differentiate the effects of transport between registered horses (thoroughbreds and other high-value, high health breeds) and those destined for slaughter. The EFSA chose “to treat them as one”. The EU responded by drafting welfare in transport regulations for all horses, which include inspection protocols at loading and unloading, at border crossings and stipulations on journey durations, per movement residency requirements and on temperature ranges in which such movements can take place.

Lobbying by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) and the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) succeeded in obtaining a ‘derogation’ or exemption from these regulations for racehorses and elite competition horses. Sadly, no such derogation was given to the thoroughbred breeding industry. When subsequently questioned during intensive lobbying by the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders Associations (EFTBA) as to why this was not forthcoming, the initial EU response was that it was an “oversight” and subsequently “that it was too difficult”.

The absence of a derogation for the breeding industry has multiple ramifications that will have significant adverse consequences. The seven-day residency requirement is incompatible with the current facilities and practices of thoroughbred auction sales. Documentary evidence of this fact, supplied by all of Europe’s major sales companies, has been sent by the EFTBA to the EU.

The proposal to forbid the transport of

The transport of pregnant mares would be impacted by the proposed new rules

pregnant mares beyond 80% of gestation will prevent the transfer of mares from private stud farms to foaling units. The proposal that young foals should not be transported postpartum would preclude foal heat coverings. The proposal for mandatory state veterinarian inspection of all loading and unloading is unworkable and the proposals for compulsory unloading at all state border crossings does not take account of the facts that this creates biohazards and risks injury. The regulations restricting movement to specific temperature ranges take no account of the differences between internal temperature within the vehicle and the external temperature.

In subsequent correspondence aimed at further meetings with the EU, the EFTBA was asked for responses to four specific questions to try to move towards a solution to these problems. The first question asked about the routes and distances travelled by breeding horses.

The EFTBA responded that as many of the racing centres of Europe are synonymous with its breeding centres, the routes and distances travelled were essentially the same and that racing had been given a derogation, but that breeding had not.

The second question asked for the numbers of breeding-related movements. The EFTBA stated that if one takes the global population of European thoroughbred mares to be in the order of 35,000 and one accepts the global fertility figure of 55%, then the average conception requires two journeys to and from the stallion, giving a global figure of some 140,000 such movements. If the EU auction sales entries totals are then added to this figure, it rises to some 160,000170,000 breeding-related movements.

This figure is in line with the European race entry figure and again, racing has been given a derogation but breeding has not.

The third question asked for details of the vehicles and personnel used for breeding-related movements. The EFTBA stated that in essence the same vehicles and type of personnel are used for the transport of breeding stock as is the case for racing. Once again, racing has been given a derogation but breeding has not.

Question four sought information on guidelines for the transport of breeding stock. The EFTBA has worked hard with the ITBF and IFHA to produce its ‘Welfare in Transport Guidelines for the Breeding Sector’ document. These are based on and analogous to the transport guidelines issued by both the IFHA and FEI. Yet again, the racing and competition sector has been given a derogation in this context, but the breeding industry has not.

There is no evidence that the current practices for transport of breeding stock result in compromised welfare and it is entirely wrong to equate our practices with those of the slaughter horse industry. Furthermore, and disturbingly, an EU parliamentary briefing document on these regulations states that a plan should be made to create a fund to facilitate the transition from transport for natural mating of breeding stock and replace it with transfer of semen and embryos. This, too, would have very serious consequences in an industry with a declining stallion base, potentially increasing inbreeding.

These proposals have now left the EU Commission and will next be considered by the EU Council of Ministers and then by the EU parliament. The time available for obtaining a derogation for the breeding industry is finite and may realistically be as short as six months. The EFTBA has joined with the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF) in its efforts to redress these multiple problems and achieve a derogation for the breeding sector, and sought further help from the International Sport Horse Confederation (ISHC), which acts as a united voice for both the racing and equestrian sectors.

Ultimately, it will be up to everyone in this industry to understand the magnitude of the problem that we face and to make their voice heard in every forum available to them. Quite simply, this must not happen!

Graham Dench asks our jury the big questions: How might the sport better manage procedures in order to minimise the frustration and inconvenience caused by late abandonments?

Jonny Allison Flat

“

owner

My issue is that while obviously everyone wants racing to be on, it’s a bit of a one-way bet for racecourses, in that they can leave it as late as they like, including when runners are in the paddock for the first, yet there is no guaranteed compensation for owners.

Some owners may just say ‘let’s declare ourselves a non-runner so that we don’t pay travel costs’, but I always want to run if there’s a chance, even though travel costs are expensive. I think there should be a cut off time on the day at some defined stage before the first race after which racecourses will have to give fixed compensation per horse if the meeting is subsequently abandoned.

That probably won’t help if one is travelling from Lambourn to Musselburgh, but it would help in many cases and it ought to encourage better decision making. As I understand it, at present such compensation is at the discretion of the racecourse.

Another thing about introducing a cut-off time after which compensation applies is that it

will give people going to the races a better idea of whether the meeting is really going to be on or not and take their own view.

Clerks of the Course must consider a range of different interests, but there is pressure on them from racecourses to maximise attendance and so they are naturally geared to be over-optimistic in their predictions in the days leading up to a meeting. They know that if they say that it is looking doubtful then many potential attendees will say let’s not bother going, while trainers and owners might look to make other plans. We need to put more balance into the decision-making process.

As we saw [in January] when Ludlow was found to be frozen when the first race was due off, the courses themselves can’t always be relied upon to act in the best interests of participants and racegoers. Coming hot on the heels of other embarrassingly late abandonments made the way that day unfolded seem all the more shocking.

”

Kerry Lee Jumps trainer

“

This issue is a very delicate balancing act. I’m not a trainer who would ever be in a rush to criticise those performing the Clerk of the Course role. However, horses, owners, trainers and hard-working stable staff provide the product, and it can feel as though our participation is being taken for granted by the sport.

Early winter race times at far away venues can mean departing from the yard as early as 5.30am, and there have been times when we’ve hit the road in icy weather or torrential downpours, with reports of a track being partially flooded or frozen, openly doubting whether conditions will improve suitably for us to be able to race, only to subsequently see an abandonment just before racing or after just one or two races have been run.

Wasted travel means bills, disappointment

and frustration for owners, wages for staff, reduction in manpower while those staff are travelling, the associated risk of travel, plus most importantly, a break in routine and possible stress for racehorses.

With that in mind, I’d like to see an industry-wide mechanism where unnecessary journeys for abandonments are compensated. Perhaps that would help bring a collective focus on this issue and prevent decision-makers in all areas of the sport gambling on the outcome.

A welcome postscript to these thoughts was that I learned that ARC sent a payment of £300 to the owner of our intended runner at Chepstow on the Sunday when racing was abandoned after the second race. It was a nice touch to at least show some goodwill and I know it was appreciated.

Think Tank

Cathy O’Meara BHA Head of Raceday Officials

“

Decisions to abandon are never taken lightly and we understand that it can lead to frustration, especially the closer to the scheduled beginning of the meeting we find ourselves.

In the last few weeks our racecourses have been faced with some extremely challenging conditions. It is important to keep in mind, however, that we are putting on sporting events in large outdoor spaces, often in rural areas, and so it is only natural that despite the best efforts of groundstaff across the country, we will sometimes be defeated by the elements.

Losing a significant number of meetings in succession is always going to lead to comment and discussion but some of this has not been completely accurate in its representation of how these processes play out. Specifically, suggestions that we lack some form of codified protocol are not correct.

The BHA General Instructions cover all aspects of the delivery of a race meeting. These documents are published on our website under the ‘Rules of Racing and Guides’ section.

In short, up until three days prior to a fixture, responsibility for abandoning a meeting lies with the BHA before switching to the racecourse once we reach the 72-hour window. Should the racecourse have concerns about the conditions, they must notify publicly their intention to hold an inspection, specifically when that will be and, where appropriate, what the inspection will entail. This information is then available on the BHA’s

website and the racecourse’s own communication channels.

Once an inspection has been completed, the racecourse must relay whether it has been passed or failed, or whether a further inspection is required.

Should a meeting reach two hours prior to the first race, the responsibility reverts to the BHA, whose officials will be on site. From this stage onwards, any inspection will follow the BHA’s operational procedures, an industry-agreed protocol for dealing with such instances. This includes an Inspecting Group of representatives of trainers, jockeys, and racecourse personnel to provide evidence for the BHA Stewards to take into consideration along with any other evidence they may have.

As with everything the BHA does, these processes remain under constant review. We listen to feedback and assess our own processes on this matter.

”

Richard Willoughby ITV Racing Editor

The crux of it from a broadcaster’s point of view is that there needs to be more flexibility around the protocols in place when we are faced with the sort of extreme weather we had in early January.

On the back of the amazing racing we had on ITV over Christmas, the first Saturday of the new year was especially frustrating. The jumps meetings that were scheduled for Sandown and Wincanton were both abandoned on the day, leaving just two all-weather meetings, neither of which were starting until later in the afternoon. We were due on air from 1.30pm – and on ITV’s main channel too – but the first all-weather race was not until 2.47pm.

We can fill time when required, but we can’t really fill for an hour and a quarter, and in any case, that first race was just a three-runner novice. As we know, once races are published you can delay them, but you can’t bring them forward.

The existing rules work well in normal circumstances, but everyone recognises the value to the sport of free-to-air coverage and

it would be helpful to have alternative procedures available in those situations.

One simple change, even if it’s just for those months of the year when we are susceptible to the weather, would be to have an all-weather meeting in place every Saturday afternoon. I don’t see the need for two all-weather meetings later in the day on a Saturday, but I’m guessing it’s down to Premierisation. If that’s the case, we need to review how it works and possibly adopt a system which I think applies in other jurisdictions where they might protect just a specific race, rather than a meeting, as is the case with the Melbourne Cup in Australia.

Another idea for occasions when there is clear potential for the weather to intervene would be to publish the declarations at the 48-hour stage as we do now but perhaps take a pull on the actual times of those races, and the order in which they are run, until we’ve seen the bigger picture.

It’s about being able to move races around and have that flexibility to tailor things best for a broadcast audience.

“ ”

“ ”

DUBAI MILE was a very smart colt, with a great mind. A very sound horse with clean wind, he displayed many of the attributes trainers are looking for in a racehorse – ability to handle all ground & found plenty for pressure.

Mark Johnson

“Could not have been braver. racing Post ”

ROARING LION proved with his sole crop of offspring that he could transmit abundant class, stamina and tenacity, and to that list of positive attributes we might now add durability. Those Roaring Lion five-year-olds remaining in training will fit right in with the elite broodmares at Tweenhills upon their retirement, very possibly with even more Pattern race successes on their records, considering their sadly short-lived sire is becoming a byword for robustness and resolution.

Martin stevens

Triple Time

Frankel’s best miling son out of a hats-off Royal Ascot Blue Hen – her sons and grandsons include three Royal Ascot G1 winners in two years. 118 in-foal mares in his first book. That’s a lot of breeders dreaming about the Royal Ascot winners’ lunch.

Back from Australia and awaiting your inspection: formal wear and morning coat not required...

£10,000 Oct 1, SLF. Dalham Hall Stud, UK