Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

June_142_Cover_OwnerBreeder 20/05/2016 14:50 Page 1

£4.95 | June 2016 | Issue 142

Incorporating

Going the distance Will Galileo Gold’s speed gene test revolutionise racing?

Plus • Mick Kinane talks star rides and life out of the saddle • New channel: Ed Chamberlin on course for ‘dream job’ • Ralph Beckett on fabulous fillies and farcical fixtures

06

9 771745 435006

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33998_5DerbyWnrs_TBOB_Jun'16.qxp_33998_5DerbyWnrs_TBOB_Jun'16 17/05/2016 13:28 Page 1

❝It’s heartening that so many of the recent Derby winners

have gained prominent stud positions in Britain and Ireland, largely thanks to Coolmore, which stands Galileo, Pour Moi, Camelot, Ruler Of The World and Australia~ Source: TDN

• AUSTRALIA • CAMELOT • CANFORD CLIFFS • DYLAN THOMAS • EXCELEBRATION • FASTNET ROCK • FOOTSTEPSINTHESAND • GALILEO • GLENEAGLES • HENRYTHENAVIGATOR • • HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR • IVAWOOD • KINGSTON HILL • MASTERCRAFTSMAN • MOST IMPROVED • NO NAY NEVER • POUR MOI • POWER • • REQUINTO • ROCK OF GIBRALTAR • RULER OF THE WORLD • STARSPANGLEDBANNER • THEWAYYOUARE • WAR COMMAND • ZOFFANY •

33998_5DerbyWnrs_TBOB_Jun'16.qxp_33998_5DerbyWnrs_TBOB_Jun'16 17/05/2016 13:28 Page 2

GALILEO

POUR MOI

CAMELOT

AUSTRALIA

RULER OF THE WORLD

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

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

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Ireland: Goresbridge, Co Kilkenny T: +353 59 9775800 E: info@redmills.ie UK: Woodland Granaries, Narrow Lane, Wymeswold, Loughborough, LE12 6SD T: 0044 (0)1 386 552 066 E: info@redmills.co.uk

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June_142_Editors_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:51 Page 3

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Publisher: Michael Harris Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Designed by: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0209 Fax: 020 7152 0213 editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.ownerbreeder.co.uk @OwnerBreeder Advertising: Giles Anderson Tel: 01380 816 777 USA: 1 888 218 4430 Fax: 01380 816 778 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer Tel: 020 7152 0212 Fax: 020 7152 0213 subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker can be purchased by non-members at the following rates: 1 Year 2 Year UK £55 £90 Europe £66 £105 RoW £99 £154 Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder incorporating Pacemaker is published by a Mutual Trading Company owned jointly by the Racehorse Owners Association and Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association The Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association is a registered charity No. 1134293 Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA ABC Audited Our proven average monthly circulation is certified by the Audit Bureau of Circulation at 9,340* *Based on the period July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014.

Racehorse Owners Association Ltd First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0200 Fax: 020 7152 0213 info@roa.co.uk www.roa.co.uk Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Stanstead House, The Avenue, Newmarket CB8 9AA Tel: 01638 661 321 Fax: 01638 665621 info@thetba.co.uk • www.thetba.co.uk

£4.95 | June 2016 | Issue 142

Incorporating

Going the distance Will Galileo Gold’s speed gene test revolutionise racing?

Plus • Mick Kinane talks star rides and life out of the saddle • New channel: Ed Chamberlin on course for ‘dream job’ • Ralph Beckett on fabulous fillies and farcical fixtures

06

9 771745 435006

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

Cover: Galileo Gold and Frankie Dettori win the 2,000 Guineas for owner Al Shaqab Racing and trainer Hugo Palmer Photo: George Selwyn

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EDWARD ROSENTHAL

Shareholders want stake in future revenue stream F

or the first time under my editorship, the ROA and TBA Leaders this month are dedicated to the same subject: the Tote, more specifically the opportunity that exists for our sport when the exclusive seven-year pool betting licence – currently held by Betfred – expires in 2018.

This united front, which reflects the strength of feeling within both associations, is excellent news for those who wish to see a racing body have a crack at reinvigorating pool betting in Britain.

As you may or may not be aware, the saga of the Tote sale had more ups and downs than a rollercoaster. To cut a (very) long (and depressing) story short, the Conservative government backtracked on Labour’s pledge to sell the institution – founded in 1928 – to racing. Instead, bids were encouraged from a variety of potential purchasers, with 50% of the sale proceeds ring-fenced for racing.

The ‘Tote Foundation’ represented racing’s interests but was rejected – along with other bids from Coral, the Reuben Brothers, Sir Martin Broughton and Andy Stewart – in favour of the Fred Doneowned bookmaker, Betfred, which paid around £265 million to secure the Tote’s pool betting licence and its estate of betting shops. That was in 2011.

Fast forward to 2016 and, with less than two years remaining on the initial deal, racing can see the light at the end of the tunnel in its quest for an exclusive pool betting licence. As Nicholas Cooper and Julian Richmond-Watson explain, the key to any successful bid from racing will be cooperation and agreement between horsemen and all the racecourses.

If the ROA and TBA are singing from the same hymn-sheet when it comes to the Tote, the same cannot be said of this month’s contributors on the idea of a ‘Speed Gene’, the genetic test that indicates a thoroughbred’s likely level of stamina.

This controversial issue was brought sharply into focus after 2,000 Guineas victor Galileo Gold was

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

tested in order to establish his suitability for the Derby trip of a mile and a half. Computer appeared to say no – and connections subsequently agreed with this verdict when taking the colt out of the Epsom Classic.

Chris McGrath’s fascinating report (pages 48-52) features comments from Dr Emmeline Hill, whose company Equinome offers the test, and her business partner, the breeder and trainer Jim Bolger, who maps the training schedules of his young horses on the basis of their test results.

As a Turf purist, it is perhaps not surprising that Tony Morris (pages 22-23) views the idea of campaigning a racehorse according to its genetic make-up with a degree of scepticism.

“I just can’t persuade myself that any single gene might represent the factor governing stamina limitation,” Morris states. “The notion of a ‘speed gene’ strikes me as preposterous. I don’t believe we yet have the science to answer the question definitively.

Indeed, the question itself seems to be flawed if it takes no account of that crucial and undefinable quality we recognise as class.

“Traditionally we have made judgements over stamina from observation of the horse in competition and our interpretation of its pedigree. All very rough and ready, of course, with plenty of scope for alternative opinions, but I’d be inclined to prefer the view of a sound, experienced judge to what I consider the dubious and inadequate science currently available.”

One thing that Bolger and Morris would surely agree on is that Mick Kinane, the subject of this month’s Big Interview (pages 36-41), was one of the finest jockeys ever to emerge from Ireland.

In a superb interview with Julian Muscat, the retired Kinane talks about his rise to the top, the superstars he rode to countless big-race wins – including the sensational Sea The Stars that closed his superb career – and the difficulties he faced when trying to adjust to life away from the weighing room.

“The key to any

successful Tote bid is agreement between horsemen and all the racecourses

”

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June_142_Contents_Contents 20/05/2016 14:48 Page 4

CONTENTS JUNE 2016

16

36

NEWS & VIEWS

7 9 10 12

ROA LEADER Tote a sleeping giant

TBA LEADER Industry hopes for pool betting

NEWS BHA blunder over Best

CHANGES Your news in a nutshell

22

TONY MORRIS

24

HOWARD WRIGHT

Science can’t detect class

Women on the up

INTERNATIONAL SCENE

26

VIEW FROM IRELAND

29

CONTINENTAL TALES

33

AROUND THE GLOBE

Breed lacks toughness

Collinson eyes success

Nyquist the new star

The Queen turned 90 earlier this year; we celebrate with some of her best moments at Epsom and Royal Ascot

4

June_142_Contents_Contents 20/05/2016 14:48 Page 5

66

42

FEATURES

16

THE BIG PICTURE

20

FROM THE ARCHIVES

36

THE BIG INTERVIEW

42

TALKING TO...

48

COVER STORY GENETIC TESTING

Classic double for Aidan O’Brien

Teenoso’s Derby

68

THE THOROUGHBRED CLUB

70

ROA FORUM

78

TBA FORUM

85

YEARLING NUTRITION

90

VET FORUM

With former jockey Mick Kinane

Trainer Ralph Beckett

Investigating the ‘speed gene’

54

THE QUEEN AT 90

60

SALES CIRCUIT

Epsom and Royal Ascot highlights

Breeze-ups lack sparkle

66

CAULFIELD FILES

92

DR STATZ

104

FORUM

Japan’s star sire

Sales-ground experience vital

Great response to Owners Survey

Book your seminar places

How to prep for the sales

Bleeding in racehorses

DATA BOOK

94 102

G1 WINNERS Top-level winners under both codes

STALLION STATISTICS Theatre still king

Our monthly circulation is certified at

Earnings not the best indicator

9,340

24 HOURS WITH...

Can other magazines prove theirs?

Presenter Ed Chamberlin

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

5

June_142_ROA_Leader_Layout 1 20/05/2016 14:12 Page 7

ROA LEADER

NICHOLAS COOPER President Racehorse Owners Association

Let’s pool resources to help revive Tote betting Sleeping giant could rise from its slumber if our industry comes together

T

he Tote has often been described as British racing’s sleeping giant and, with Betfred’s exclusive pool betting licence expiring in just over two years, there is fresh determination within racing circles to have another go at invigorating pool betting in this country.

Even allowing for the fact that British punters have a fixed-odds mentality, it is easy to believe the Tote could take off and become a massive contributor to our sport. It is, though, far less easy to predict the route that might be taken to achieve this.

In a perfect world, by the summer of 2018, all elements of racing, including all 59 racecourses, would have come together under one umbrella organisation. It would, one presumes, hold one of the licences issued by the government to run a pool betting operation in the UK. The organisation would be on the point of finalising deals with the major bookmakers and at least one of the principal overseas pool betting operators.

Excitingly high turnover figures would be anticipated, driven by multiple bets, and everybody would be looking forward to getting a share of a new, ever-increasing revenue source.

But those of us who look at the form book of racing politics can see how difficult it will be to turn this scenario into reality.

The first problem is trying to convince the racecourses that one solution would work better for them all than if they fragmented. Not an easy task when any formula for dividing up the spoils has to find universal agreement at a time when some racecourse groups and independents will almost certainly be tempted to apply for a pool betting licence on their own behalf.

Yet it is crystal clear to any observer of pool betting operations that the key to success is liquidity and the strength of that liquidity would, in our case, be in direct proportion to the extent that racing unites.

Of course, you might argue that the future of pool betting is not going to be driven by people placing bets on the racecourse. Fundamentally it is about much, much bigger pools being fuelled by those betting offcourse, many of them from overseas. But trying to run a successful pool betting operation without the racecourses’ involvement, with all the legal and practical ramifications, would not be the chosen route.

Similarly, the Tote needs the compliance of the major off-course bookmakers because, even now, their betting shop customers form a significant slice of the market through Tote Direct, and would do so in any future setup under a racing-run Tote.

But, as I have said, the real opportunity for pool betting in this country comes not through people who frequent betting shops or racecourses but through the increasing millions who now bet online and those who would bet online if they saw the opportunity of a huge prize for a relatively small stake.

In pool betting terms, these so-called exotic bets are the ones that can sustain the biggest take-out and are therefore the most profitable for the operator.

Against that, there is opportunity for the Tote operator to look at the margins on win and place bets with a view to attracting the ‘value’ punters and setting up some real competition for fixed-odds bookmakers.

The benefit of enfranchising the exotic bet audience is not just about making more money for racing. It is also about winning a much larger audience. It is about exploiting the exponential growth of pools as a means of attracting a completely new audience to our sport, an audience that is stimulated by the prospect of every televised race-meeting creating another millionaire.

British racing can do this. But it can only do it if everybody adopts a greater-good attitude with racecourses, horsemen and BHA all working together for racing’s mutual benefit. Then the sleeping giant will surely rise from his slumber and begin to roar.

“It is easy to believe the Tote could take off and become a massive contributor to our sport

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

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FREE Online bloodstock taxation guide FREE Annual seminar FREE Boarding stud agreements FREE Education and training advice

Whether you own a broodmare, racehorse or are just a bloodstock enthusiast, join us today.

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June_142_TBA_Leaderv2_TBA 20/05/2016 14:13 Page 9

TBA LEADER

JULIAN RICHMOND-WATSON Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

Central pool structure is key to the Tote’s success Racing has two years to get its house in order and bid for an exclusive licence

I

t is unusual for both Leader columns to tackle the same subject in an issue of Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder. However the running of the Tote is of such importance to the future prosperity of British horseracing plc that I make no apology for following my counterpart at the ROA in writing about this vital opportunity.

As mentioned on the previous page, the Tote’s sevenyear exclusive licence runs out in 2018, after which any company can apply for a pool betting licence in the UK. It’s hard to believe that almost five years have passed since the government sold the Tote to Betfred, with all the furore and upset that the decision caused. There had been many false starts, and there were times before the latest recession when ‘racing’ and others bid amounts that would have resulted in major difficulties today.

In the past the Tote was seen as a vital asset to racing, one that the sport should make every effort to take over and control.

What, if anything, has changed?

Becoming part of a major betting firm has removed the Tote’s independence and a general rebranding has lessened its visibility as one of the major presences on and off the racecourse. Yet pool betting still has a significant role to play.

It is the dominant, and sometimes only betting system in most of the rest of the world, and its facility for exotic bets and co-mingling provides very exciting opportunities. A thriving Tote would offer great benefits for British racing, and the opportunity should be grasped with both hands.

Racecourses must get behind a project that revitalises the on-track Tote and generates more money that can be reinvested in areas such as prize-money. A successful outcome also requires a modern software system that encourages exotic bets and co-mingling of pools with other jurisdictions, using every available platform for promotion and providing far greater liquidity than is currently available.

The prime essential, though, is to agree on a single Tote system. Fragmenting the pools, leading to unfavourable

liquidity and an uncompetitive offering, would be a disaster. If a central pool and sensible take-outs are structured carefully, many existing betting promoters will benefit from running an independent pool system alongside their other offerings and a wide audience could be reached very easily.

Two years is not long to get a new system up and running and there is much to do. Through the Horsemen’s Group and the racecourses, racing needs to agree a way forward as soon as possible.

As with media rights, horsemen do not need to be involved in the minute detail of pool betting, but we do need to encourage the best possible outcome, so that everyone in racing can thrive.

We must be certain that in supporting such initiatives we secure a fair and substantial prizemoney agreement, in order to participate in the upside, and that is something the Horsemen’s Group board should engage in from the outset. The Tote has been good for British racing in the past and a well-run pool system should benefit everyone in the future. As breeders and horsemen we should lend our support to achieve this objective.

Closer to home I would remind all breeders, and particularly TBA members, about two important dates – June 23, when we hold our annual seminar at Tattersalls in Newmarket, and June 30, the deadline for completing Plus 10 yearling registrations for foals of 2015.

TBA members are entitled to one free place per membership at the seminar, where the morning session will feature presentations on equine genetics. This subject – looked at in this magazine on pages 49-53 – has been given extra focus by the debate about whether 2,000 Guineas victor Galileo Gold will run in the Derby.

As for Plus 10, it has gained real traction and I urge everyone in the UK and Ireland to make best use of the scheme. The new rules that allow both foal and yearling registrars to benefit from any Plus 10 winner whom they register should be a big incentive.

“Becoming part of a

major betting firm has removed the Tote’s independence and lessened its visibility

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

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June_142_News_v2_Owner 20/05/2016 13:19 Page 10

NEWS Stories from the racing world

BHA must learn from Best practice Guilty verdict against trainer is quashed as regulator errors come under scrutiny

T

he British Horseracing Authority is attempting to organise a rehearing of the Jim Best case after its original guilty verdict against the handler was quashed due to “grounds of apparent bias.”

Best was disqualified for four years in April after he was found to have instructed conditional rider Paul John to stop two horses from running on their merits.

However it subsequently transpired that Matthew Lohn, the solicitor who chaired the disciplinary panel – an independent body – had previously undertaken other work for the BHA, advising the regulator on a number of other cases.

BHA spokesman Robin Mounsey said: “Having received further details concerning the appeal, we have decided not to contest the appeal on the grounds of apparent bias.

Jim Best: sending out runners

“Perceptions of fairness in relation to the structure and composition of our disciplinary panels is a legacy issue and we have already agreed to tackle this in our integrity review.

“We have already started to review the structure and composition of disciplinary panels, appeal boards and our licensing committee.

“Our view is that the most appropriate next step in this case is for there to be a rehearing before a new disciplinary panel.”

Jim Best has continued to send out runners under both codes following his initial conviction.

It is understood that other verdicts from the disciplinary panel may also be open to challenge. The BHA is not likely to make any further comment until the Best matter is concluded.

June deadline to register yearlings Breeders have until the end of June to meet the Plus 10 yearling registration deadline. Plus 10-registered foals will remain in the scheme only if the yearling registration of £200 is paid by June 30.

Plus 10 is a £5.5 million owner and breeder incentive scheme which pays £10,000 bonuses on top of prize-money across more than 550 two- and three-year-old races in Britain and Ireland each year.

Breeders and pinhookers who pay the middle yearling registration fee will enjoy the dual benefit which Plus 10 offers – a valuable marketing edge in the sales ring and a guaranteed share of any bonus prize-money won on the track.

For breeders who pay both the yearling and earlier foal registration fees, there is a guaranteed £2,000 payment should their horse win a

Plus 10 runners can reward their breeder and buyers

10

race carrying a Plus 10 bonus.

Pinhookers who pay just the yearling registration will win £1,000 should their horse land a race featuring a Plus 10 bonus.

Plus 10 Chairman Julian Richmond-Watson said: “Following the scheme’s successful first year, where 215 breeders won bonus prizemoney, it is already clear that breeders benefited from investing in the Plus 10 bonus scheme.

“This year, with the recent changes announced, whereby registrants are guaranteed a return on investment should their horse win a bonus race, there is even more incentive for breeders and pinhookers to get involved.”

Bloodstock agent Matt Coleman said: “Plus 10 rewards breeders and pinhookers for producing a successful horse and significantly increases prize-money available to owners. This can only be a good thing for our industry and therefore I would urge all breeders to register their bloodstock for the scheme.”

Powerstown Stud’s Alexandra Whitehead added: “We register our own foals and any yearlings that we pinhook for Plus 10 to ensure the horses we sell are as attractive as possible to potential owners.

“On top of this, breeders can win a share of the bonus, which is a great way to recognise a stud for breeding a good horse, and there is no limit on the number of bonuses which can be won.”

Breeders are advised that any horse paid up to the yearling registration stage will be flagged as Plus 10 on individual pedigree pages within sales catalogues.

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June_142_News_v2_Owner 20/05/2016 13:19 Page 11

Challenger Series adds mares’ chases Owners of National Hunt mares have been given an extra incentive to race on with the creation of a new programme of ten chases as part of the Challenger Series, culminating in a £50,000 final.

The Challenger Series was launched last year and designed to reward mid-tier horses – rated up to 135, or 130 for mares – with valuable targets, featuring a number of qualifying races that lead to a final contest.

Finals Day, which is staged at Haydock Park on Easter Sunday and worth more than £300,000, includes the categories 3m handicap chase, 2m3f handicap chase, 2m handicap hurdle, 3m handicap hurdle and 2m3f mares’ hurdle alongside the recently-added mares’ chase.

Richard Wayman, BHA Chief Operating

Officer, said: “Two of the key recommendations within the Jump Racing Review were to create the Challenger Series for horses ranked below the highest level and also to continue to develop the mares’ programme in order to encourage an increased level of participation.

“We were delighted with how the Challenger Series was received in its first year and, following discussions with horsemen and racecourses, agreed it would provide an ideal opportunity to further support the mares’ programme.

“Owners continue to demonstrate their enthusiasm for series’ leading to high value finals and we believe that adding mares’ chases to the Challenge Series can provide a further boost to the number of jump mares in training.”

Matt Cumani’s Bendigo strike Matt Cumani, son of Newmarket trainer Luca, has got off the mark as a licence holder in Australia, writes Danny Power.

The Cumani name has been a familiar one in Australia for the past ten years, but not usually away from carnival time – Luca Cumani has had runners in the Melbourne Cup, while Matt’s sister Francesca is well known down under as a television presenter.

Matt Cumani’s first winner came at Bendigo in central Victoria, the new trainer having

A hit down under: Matt Cumani

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

established a stable at Ballarat, about one hour’s drive north-west of Melbourne.

Fittingly, his first winner, Our Covenant, was a former British-trained horse (he was called Covenant when with Daniel Kubler) having just his second start in Australia, and is owned by long-time Cumani supporters in Terry Henderson’s and Simon O’Donnell’s OTI Racing. He was the new trainer’s eighth runner two months into his new career, and Cumani has since saddled two more winners.

He said after his debut winner: “What a great place to do it, at Bendigo, a beautiful racecourse on a beautiful sunny day.

“I’m so thrilled how things have gone; the horses are all running really well, and they all look fantastic. I’m surprised; it has gone all problem-free so far.”

Cumani made a point of thanking Henderson and O’Donnell for helping him set up his stable at Ballarat, which is something similar to the support they gave another young ex-pat Englishman, Archie Alexander, who is also training at Ballarat.

“OTI has been a great support and I couldn’t really have done it without them; It’s fantastic to have my first winner for them,” Cumani said.

The trainer’s parents, Luca and Sara, spent time in Australia and New Zealand in January and, along with their son, bought a number of well-bred youngsters at the Magic Millions Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast and at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Yearling Sales near Auckland.

Frank Stronach with his champion Ghostzapper

Pegasus World Cup proposal The Stronach Group announced last month its intention to inaugurate what would be the most valuable race ever run, the $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park in Florida on January 28.

The race is to be restricted to 12 horses, whose owners would be required to pay $1m each to line-up.

The entrant’s owner can then race, lease, contract, share or sell their place in the starting gate. Original entrants will also have first option to participate in future Pegasus World Cups.

All entrants will not only be competing for the world’s largest purse – higher than the $10m that has been offered for the Dubai World Cup – but they will also share equally in 100% of the net income from pari-mutuel handle, media rights and sponsorships from the race.

“The Pegasus World Cup will be conducted to the highest standards,” said Frank Stronach, “and will be held on Saturday, January 28, thereby avoiding a conflict with either the Breeders’ Cup or the Dubai World Cup.”

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June_142_Changes2pp_Layout 1 20/05/2016 13:03 Page 12

Racing’s news in a nutshell PEOPLE AND BUSINESS David Pipe Trainer reaches landmark total of 1,000 career winners when Purple ‘N Gold strikes at Haydock.

Charlotte Clayton 24-year-old whose application for an apprentice jockey’s licence was initially rejected by the BHA for being too old has her first ride at Lingfield.

Peter Buchanan

Bath Track comes to the aid of the town’s evacuated residents by becoming a makeshift shelter when an unexploded World War Two bomb is discovered.

Betfair Launches exchange betting in New Jersey in association with Darby Development, operator of Monmouth Park.

Alan and Ann Potts Leading owners move some horses from Henry de Bromhead after change of policy – Jessica Harrington, Colm Murphy and Mouse Morris will benefit.

Leading jumps jockey, associated with the Lucinda Russell stable, quits the saddle aged 38 after 20-year career and nearly 400 winners.

Rebecca Davies Appointed the new Executive Director and Clerk of the Course at Hereford, which is set to reopen in October.

Richard Johnson Claims first champion jump jockey title having finished runner-up to AP McCoy on 16 occasions.; Paul Nicholls sees off Willie Mullins in the trainer category.

Blue Riband Bet Bespoke online bookmaker, which had signed up as an Associated Betting Partner of British racing, ceases trading,

Also...

On-course layer Geoff Banks settles out of court with the BHA after taking legal action following the infamous Speculative Bid fiasco at Ascot last summer. Businessman Iraj Parvizi, who owned Group 1 winners Dangerous Midge and Most Improved with trainer Brian Meehan, is acquitted in share trading abuse case. Tommy Dowling is set to be out until Christmas after fall at Fontwell leaves the 24-year-old conditional jockey with a broken shoulder and collarbone and shattered vertebrae. Racecourse attendance in Britain for the first three months of 2016 suffers 12% drop; bad weather is blamed. Gala Coral, the parent company of bookmaker Coral, pays out £846,600 in a social responsibility case following Gambling Commission investigation. Trainer Martyn Meade purchases Snailwell Stud near Newmarket with the intention of standing stallions at the historic property in the near future.

Ray Murrihy Senior Australian racing steward retires this month after 46 years in racing, the last 25 spent as Racing NSW Chairman of Stewards.

John Allen Former jump jockey in Ireland records biggest win of his career on Howard Be Thy Name in the South Australian Derby at Morphettville.

Jason Maguire Top jump jockey forced to finally call it a day through injury; he is now working as Racing Manager to leading owners Paul and Clare Rooney.

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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June_142_Changes2pp_Layout 1 20/05/2016 13:03 Page 14

RACEHORSE AND STALLION MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Pineau De Re Winner of the 2014 Grand National for trainer Dr Richard Newland, owner John Provan and jockey Leighton Aspell is retired aged 13.

Uncle Junior Cross-country chase specialist, a beloved favourite in the Willie Mullins yard who was a winner three times at the Punchestown Festival, is retired aged 15.

Don Cossack Career of this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup hero is in the balance after he suffers a serious tendon injury.

Kermadec Son of Teofilo, a dual Group 1 winner at a mile in Australia, is retired to stand for Darley at Kelvinside in New South Wales; his fee is A$22,000.

HORSE OBITUARIES Arzal 6 Legatissimo Outstanding filly for David Wachman and Coolmore, victorious in the 1,000 Guineas, Nassau Stakes and Matron Stakes last year, is retired aged four.

Now Or Never Leading three-year-old filly is purchased by Qatar Racing, though will remain with trainer Michael O’Callaghan in Ireland.

Harry Whittington’s stable star who won the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April in the colours of The Hennessy Six.

Saddler Maker 18 Sire of exciting dual Grade 1-winning hurdler Apple’s Jade and top chaser Bristol De Mai who stood at Haras de Cercy in France.

Present View 8 Rule The World This year’s Grand National hero is retired aged nine by owner Gigginstown House Stud after finishing sixth in a Grade 1 chase at the Punchestown Festival.

Darna Winner of the Plate at the Cheltenham Festival last year for trainer Kim Bailey and owners Julie and David Martin is retired aged ten.

PEOPLE OBITUARIES

Cheltenham Festival winner in 2014 and stable star for Jamie Snowden, owned by Sir Chips Keswick.

Big Bad Bob 16 Group 3-winning son of Bob Back who stood at the Irish National Stud, making a name for himself as a sire of tough and talented stock.

Comply Or Die 17 Gave David Pipe and Timmy Murphy a career highlight when winning the 2008 Grand National in the colours of the late David Johnson.

Alflora 27 Leading UK NH sire at Shade Oak Stud, his progeny included top chasers What a Friend, Hand Inn Hand, Wayward Prince and Wishfull Thinking.

Opera House 28 Sheikh Mohammed’s top-class performer who won the Coronation Cup, Eclipse and King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1993.

JJ Warr 88 Former Racecourse Association Chairman and England cricketer who helped save the RCA from financial ruin when a bank went bust in 1991.

Mark Hampson 45 Racehorse owner and father of Royal Artillery Gold Cup-winning jockey Brodie Hampson.

14

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June_142_Big_Picture_MindingV2_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:47 Page 16

THE BIG PICTURE

MINDING THRILLS Aidan O’Brien’s strength in the fillies’ department was exhibited emphatically with a superb 1-2-3 in the 1,000 Guineas for Coolmore’s Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor. Victory went to Minding and Ryan Moore, defeating Ballydoyle by three and a half lengths, with Alice Springs half a length away in third. The first three finishers are all daughters of perennial champion sire Galileo Photo George Selwyn

June_142_Big_Picture_MindingV2_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:47 Page 17

NEWMARKET

June_142_Big_Picture_French_Guineas_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:57 Page 18

THE BIG PICTURE

GURKHA IN COMMAND The Gurkha (purple) had only a maiden win at Navan to his name prior to the Poule d’Essai des Poulains – but that didn’t stop the son of Galileo from producing a most dominant performance in the French Classic, staged at Deauville while Longchamp is redeveloped.

Ryan Moore’s mount, trained by Aidan O’Brien, had five and a half lengths to spare over First Selection (yellow and blue) at the line and could now bid for the Investec Derby at Epsom on June 4 Photo George Selwyn

June_142_Big_Picture_French_Guineas_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:54 Page 19

DEAUVILLE

June_142_FromTheArchives_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:26 Page 20

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Right: Epsom maestro Lester Piggott wins his ninth Derby on Teenoso in the chocolate and gold silks of owner Eric Moller.

Above: trainer Geoff Wragg and Teenoso at Abington Place Stables four days after their Classic triumph

June_142_FromTheArchives_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:26 Page 21

TEENOSO, JUNE 1, 1983

The story behind the photo by Geoff Wragg Teenoso was a big, backward horse and didn’t win at two. However he finished fourth on his final juvenile start at Doncaster and Ray Cochrane, who rode him, told me the horse had a lot of ability. So I knew I had a prospective Epsom contender.

Derby day did not start well as there was a big diversion on the way to the track. I had to get out of the car and run from Tattenham Corner – through the gypsies and the fortune-tellers – to the weighing room and declare the horse.

[My wife] Patricia and I watched the Derby from the grandstand. I remember turning to Trish around halfway and saying, ‘He’s going like a train. He’ll win’. You could see from the top of the hill he had a stone in hand. You never gave Lester [Piggott] instructions – he would never carry them out, anyway.

Teenoso was always going so well he never even had to think about it.

As we left the grandstand and walked to the winner’s enclosure, Peter Walwyn saw me and said, ‘Geoff, you can retire now’. I had only had my licence for a few months. I recall we went up to the Royal Box for drinks with The Queen.

We all watched the replay together.

Teenoso was certainly an underrated Derby winner. But then he was bred unfashionably. He won at Epsom on very soft going and the King George on quick ground.

Unfortunately he injured a tendon before the 1984 Arc – Lester was confident he would have won in France.

Teenoso was a very talented horse, although, of all the horses I trained, I think Pentire had the most ability.

Photos George Selwyn

June_142_Tony_Morris_Owner 20/05/2016 12:30 Page 22

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris

PA

The appliance of science to advise on a colt’s chances of staying the Derby trip is no match for a sound, experienced judge – the notion of a ‘speed gene’ is preposterous

Hard Ridden and jockey Charlie Smirke in the Epsom winner’s circle after landing the 1958 Derby, tipped up by our columnist!

I

was an avid reader of the Tiger comic from the date of its first issue in September 1954, soon recognising that my life would be incomplete without a weekly update on how the career of Roy Race, dashing young centreforward for Melchester Rovers, was progressing in the strip that featured on the front page and continued inside. It was riveting stuff for a tenyear-old, and no doubt there were tens of thousands like me who could hardly wait for the next issue.

My enthusiasm lasted something over three years, and early in 1958 Mrs Rogers at the paper shop expressed surprise when I told her I wanted to cancel Tiger and switch to an alternative publication. She was even more surprised when I told her I wanted to replace it with the Sporting Chronicle Handicap Book.

Needless to say, she had never heard of it, and I dare say I belonged in a tiny minority of 13-yearolds who knew what it contained.

What it contained, most usefully, were last week’s results and the following week’s programmes. I don’t recall a lot of editorial matter, but I do remember a lot of advertisements for bookmakers and rogue

22

tipsters. For me what mattered most was that I could follow the form from the start of the Flat season, but it also had the virtue of being in a conveniently small format; it could be hidden within a lot of my school text books, so I could read it while I was supposed to be studying a piece of Latin prose or whatever.

I was now two years into what would become a lifetime’s fascination with racing, and I had laid the foundations of a library on the subject, but the books I had acquired had come from second-hand shops and were mostly of a historical character. The Handicap Book would, I hoped, bring me up to date and further my knowledge in weekly instalments. And it did.

Just how it was I became convinced that Hard Ridden would win the Derby I really can’t recall, but that was the opinion I formed from my illicit studies. He had won the Irish 2,000 Guineas by four lengths, and, so far as I was concerned, that was a first-class Derby trial. His chance seemed even more obvious once Alcide, favourite after his runaway Lingfield victory, had suffered a strained stomach muscle that caused him to be scratched. The strange thing was that nobody else seemed to fancy Hard Ridden.

On the day of the race – a Wednesday, of course – I took bets from my school chums and actually told them all that I believed Hard Ridden would win. That was a smart ruse, as they all reckoned to know better than me, and though the wagers were all in coppers, I had a skinner.

Hard Ridden didn’t just win, he scooted up by five lengths. I assumed the role of smug prophet for a couple of days, before my longshot Oaks selection finished way down the field.

Ignorance pays off Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise. My temporary blissful state had been attained, it seemed, because I had yet to acquire even the most basic appreciation of bloodstock breeding.

Everyone else had ruled Hard Ridden out as a serious Derby contender because his sire, Hard Sauce, had been a sprinter. Hard Sauce’s racing career had been over long before I became interested in the game, and I was entirely ignorant as to his accomplishments and the distances over which he ran. Once I had acquired and devoured a copy of Sir Charles Leicester’s Bloodstock Breeding, in 1960, I was bound to concede that if I’d known before the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_Tony_Morris_Owner 20/05/2016 12:30 Page 23

1958 Derby what I’d later learnt from that book, I would not have made Hard Ridden my selection. Sprinters were not meant to sire Derby winners, and my supposed prescience had been nothing but a fluke.

But a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and over the next 50-odd years, as I accumulated more knowledge and experience, plus a smattering of genetics, I reckon I’ve almost come full circle. Hard Ridden was by the sprinter Hard Sauce, but so what? Hard Sauce was himself by Ardan, who won 16 races, including the Prix du Jockey-Club, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and the Coronation Cup. He notched two victories in the Prix Kergorlay over 15 furlongs and was disqualified and relegated to third after finishing first over the same distance in the Grand Prix de Paris.

There was clearly the potential for stamina in Hard Sauce, although he never exhibited it; he was not bred to be the July Cup winner – never raced beyond six furlongs – that he turned out to be. As for Hard Ridden, he was out of a mare by Admiral Drake, winner of a Grand Prix de Paris and half-brother to Derby hero Bois Roussel.

It is intriguing to note that Hard Ridden fetched only 270gns as a yearling at Ballsbridge and might well have been cheaper still. Trainer Mick Rogers bid for the colt, believing that he would be able to pass him on to Sir Victor Sassoon, who had raced Hard Sauce and now had the stallion at stud, only to realise that his opponent in the bidding was Sir Victor himself. The English Classics closed at the yearling stage in those days, and it is fascinating to note that Hard Ridden was entered in the Derby and the St Leger but not in the 2,000 Guineas. There was an early indication that his connections did not expect him to take after his sire in terms of optimum distance.

I am inclined to think that after digesting all those facts about Hard Ridden’s background, I might have made a plausible case for his chance in the Derby – one more reasoned than my original fluke!

I have to wonder what the genetic test for optimum racing distance, now seemingly much in vogue, would have shown in Hard Ridden’s case, if it had been available. When 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold’s test reportedly showed him to be a C:C – code for very unlikely to last the Derby distance – Hugo Palmer was quoted as saying that Epsom would not feature on the colt’s schedule, but just a few days later Harry Herbert, racing manager for the owner, stated that a bid had not been ruled out.

As I write, no decision has been made, and I can understand the indecision. I am reliably informed that there have been cases of C:C horses staying a mile and a half at the highest level, I am aware that some geneticists believe there is a more reliable marker than the one used in the Galileo Gold test, and I just can’t persuade myself that any single gene might represent the factor governing stamina limitation. The notion of a ‘speed gene’ strikes me as preposterous. I don’t believe we yet have the science to answer the question definitively. Indeed, the question itself seems to be flawed if it takes no account of that crucial and undefinable quality we recognise as class.

Traditionally we have made judgements over stamina from observation of the horse in competition and our interpretation of its pedigree. All very rough and ready, of course, with plenty of scope for alternative opinions, but I’d be inclined to prefer the view of a sound, experienced judge to what I consider the dubious and inadequate science currently available.

The way I read Galileo Gold’s pedigree suggests that a mile and a half would not be his optimum distance. There is nothing in the top half to promise adequate stamina, and as his dam was probably the slowest daughter Galileo ever got, I suspect he is not the potent factor he appears to be in many other pedigrees. There is stamina further back, his third dam being a half-sister to Montjeu, but that is too far back for my liking.

For my money, I would not totally rule out his chance of getting the trip, but I have to feel there would be stronger contenders for Derby honours.

Genetic testing, pages 48-52 THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

23

June_142_HowardWright_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:28 Page 24

HOWARD WRIGHT COMMENT

Female influence varies within racing organisations but the general trend is such that establishing a Men in Racing body now needs consideration!

Girl power on rise in racing

H

ong Kong has a new riding star. Her name is Kei Chiong, 23, who raced through the 20 winners required to clip her 10lb allowance to 7lb by the beginning of May. Hong Kong also has a new football star.

The achievement of Yuen-ting Chan, 27, in leading Eastern to the premier league title at the end of April, led to her being acknowledged by Guinness World Records as the first female coach to win a top-flight men’s championship.

Media recognition of the pair could hardly be more contrasting. Within 24 hours of Eastern’s triumph being assured, having lost only once after Chan took over in December, she was interviewed by every Chinese- and Englishspeaking news, TV and radio outlet in the vicinity. Meanwhile, apprentice Chiong has been determinedly shielded from the media, apparently under a Hong Kong Jockey Club edict.

The only public comments from Chiong, whose achievements in the white-hot atmosphere of one of the world’s most competitive arenas have included a four-timer at Sha Tin, have been perfunctory post-race observations. Otherwise local media have had to feed from scraps provided by Amy Chan, headmistress of the apprentices’ school through which Chiong has risen, and Felix Coetzee, who rode Hong Kong’s greatest racer Silent Witness in a 16-year career there and is now a development consultant at the school.

What Great British Racing would give to have a talent

such as Chiong at its disposal. Which led me to think about the role of women in British racing, leaving aside the tired and fairly futile men versus women jockeys’ debate. The facts are that in a few organisations and institutions their influence is patchy to largely non-existent, but in several others it is remarkably strong compared with many other sports.

At the bottom of the scale is the PJA, with one

“Apprentice Chiong

has been determinedly shielded from the media, apparently under a HKJC edict” woman, long-serving Ann Saunders, on a 20strong board; Weatherbys, only one of whose nine directors is female; and the Levy Board, which numbers just Jockey Club-nominated Maggie Carver among seven board members.

The Jockey Club itself offers mixed messages – a single woman, Julia Budd, among seven stewards, and another, Dawn Goodfellow at

Racing Welfare, among eight topmost executives. However, Budd is soon to double the number of Jockey Club Racecourses Chairmen, when she steps up at Epsom to emulate Rose Paterson at Aintree.

Elsewhere, though, representation is significantly higher. For example, four women directors out of 12 at the BHA, where two of the five senior executives, including the redoubtable Ruth Quinn, are female, and various committees have a reasonable smattering of women, including Lucinda Cavendish as Chairman of the Disciplinary Panel.

Then there are the trade associations, which really show the way – two women among the triumvirate atop the NTF; three out of 12 members of the ROA board, including exPresident Rachel Hood, and four out of six members of staff; and TBA Chief Executive Louise Kemble leading an all-female staff of seven.

So to the racecourses, whose trade body the RCA is headed by Chairman Carver and ViceChairman Vivien Kyles, and has a staff of 12 split equally among women and men. And that’s before you look at the individual number of female racecourse managers, 15 out of 59, following the appointment of Rebecca Davies at soon-to-reopen Hereford, plus a dozen tracks with female clerks of the course.

Enough general representation, perhaps, to suggest that women are getting a fair deal in the administration of British racing. But then along comes Women in Racing, founded in 2009 as a networking and mentoring organisation but which is steadily moving into a more mainstream role, with an Aintree conference that drew BHA boss Nick Rust to its panel and a partnership with Oxford Brookes University to conduct a study on ‘gender diversity in British horseracing’, which has received funding from the Racing Foundation’s Tote-sale coffers.

There’s only one way that research is heading.

Hence I am seriously considering setting up a new lobby group. It will be called Men in Racing. Any takers?

Kei Chiong: rising star in Hong Kong who has quickly had her claim reduced to 7lb

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June_142_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:48 Page 26

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By JESSICA LAMB

Tougher to breed tough horses Modern fashions and need for speed having adverse impact say Weld and Bolger

GEORGE SELWYN

M

aster trainers Dermot Weld and Jim Bolger have raised concerns about the negative effects modern breeding fashions are having on the thoroughbred.

In careers spanning several decades, the Curragh and Carlow handlers believe they have seen a decline in quality of the breed.

Weld, first crowned champion trainer in 1983, feels today’s attitude to breeding has done away with the key element that gave him some of his early greats.

He commented: “The breed is not as tough as it used to be. It has gone a lot more delicate.”

Bolger, Director of equine genetics outfit Equinome, agreed with Weld, and tried to explain why this change has happened.

“Dermot was up and running – and champion trainer – before I had even taken out my licence,” he said. “I’m from the modern era that he speaks of, and I agree with him.

“Horses aren’t as tough and I think it’s probably because more emphasis is placed on speed nowadays.”

Weld, now best known for his middledistance stars and stayers, began his career as a sprint trainer, producing unfashionable US-bred Committed to be champion sprinter.

He recalled: “Committed was the champion sprinter of Europe two years running when she won the Prix d l’Abbaye two years back-to-back – interestingly at four and five.

“Steel Heart was also a very talented sprinter.

He won the Middle Park Stakes and was champion three-year-old sprinter in England in 1975.

“So I made my name training sprinters, then tried to change and train Classic horses.”

The current need for speed is highlighted by Equinome’s work; the company discovered the speed gene six years ago and has been selling tests to breeders and owners ever since. The 2,000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold was the latest high-profile horse to

“Horses aren’t as

tough and I think it’s probably because more emphasis is placed on speed” have such a test, with owner Sheikh Joaan wanting to find out if his Classic winner has the stamina for this month’s Derby.

He is among a claimed 13,000 horses from 19 different countries to have had the Equinome speed gene test, which uses DNA to find a horse’s optimum racing distance.

Bolger’s own Dawn Approach proved the test’s theory when failing to win over further than a mile, his genes giving him the test’s

C:C status – best over five furlongs to a mile.

Bolger added: “I’d say that between Dermot and I we’ve still got a few nuggets that are tough enough.”

The majority of Bolger’s string was bred by him or the mighty Godolphin – and it’s a similar story at Weld’s Rosewell House.

He handles mainly owner-bred horses, his stars being produced by the likes of Juddmonte Farms, Moyglare Stud, Newtown Anner Stud, the Aga Khan and Darley.

Having trained seven winners of the Irish St Leger and two Melbourne Cup and Irish Derby winners, Weld has witnessed many tough thoroughbreds, but few as stout as Khalid Abdullah’s Famous Name. He was retired to the Irish National Stud four years ago and will see his first crop race this year.

Famous Name: the epitome of a tough horse, with 21 wins to his credit under Dermot Weld’s care

June_142_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:48 Page 27

Weld said: “He was a very tough, genuine horse. He won 21 races for me, including 20 stakes races. He was an exceptionally sound horse, mentally and physically, and I expect him to do very well. I have a couple of very nice horses by him that we’re looking forward to.”

Weld is not looking forward to those

runners this year, though; he thinks Famous Name’s offspring will follow their sire’s mould.

He said: “He’s a lovely bred horse by Dansili out of one of Juddmonte’s best mares but he won’t feature in the two-year-old sire standings because he didn’t get the numbers of mares, plus you’ll find, like himself, they’ll

get better with age. They’ll be three-year-olds.”

Weld added: “He most definitely is an asset to the breed as a stallion, and the lovely thing about him is that he stands at a very practical price for small breeders [€4,000].

“They can breed to an excellent farm in the Irish National Stud and to a very tough racehorse for very little money.”

Can breeze-up sales ever replace yearling auctions in Ireland as Flat owners’ main source of finding winners?

Recent results have thrust Ireland’s only breeze-up sale, at Goresbridge, into the limelight and staunch supporter trainer Michael O’Callaghan thinks it’s obvious that they should.

However, the creator of Goresbridge, Martin Donohoe, sees each as a brand and an “individual choice that will never change”.

O’Callaghan, based on the Curragh, was a breeze-up consignor before becoming a trainer. He’s now in his fifth season and still buying the majority of his horses, very successfully, from breeze-ups.

He said: “It’s obvious that a buyer is getting better value [at the breeze-ups] as the consignor has put six months more keep, work and risk into a horse.”

For O’Callaghan, seeing a horse gallop – or ‘breeze’ – rather than walking as a yearling is a “no-brainer” and he has proven how well it can work. Group-race winner Blue De Vega was bought for €75,000 at Goresbridge last year and his star filly Now Or Never was a £42,000 buy from Doncaster.

The yard is full of similar purchases winning well above their price, but his link up with bigger owners, such as Qatar Racing, means he is also dealing with quality.

O’Callaghan said: “Qatar send us a lot of nice horses that aren’t cheap speed. I wouldn’t see that as pressure. It’s a challenge to get the best out of them. The day you buy them is the day you have to forget how much they cost.”

This year’s Goresbridge Breeze-up Sale catalogued a record 256 lots – up on the 236 listed in 2015. It’s grown into the largest breeze-up sale in Europe and gained its first Group 1 winner six years ago when Music Show took the Falmouth Stakes, with Donohoe confirming that results are on an

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

CAROLINE NORRIS

O’Callaghan thumbs up for breeze-ups

Talented trio: Michael O’Callaghan with Now Or Never and Kieren Fallon

upward trajectory year-on-year.

“The market is quite strong,” said O’Callaghan, “but the majority of big punters haven’t converted to that way of thinking yet.

They still want to buy their yearlings and produce them themselves.”

Donohoe agrees with O’Callaghan in part, but thinks there is no ‘yet’ about it.

He said: “Some people would just rather buy them as yearlings, and that’s fine. It’s an individual choice. For me, it’s obvious that breeze-ups are better because they are that much more forward. You see them gallop over three furlongs and you know what the action is like, far more so than you would walking as a yearling.”

Disposable income in Ireland remains tight in the receding wake of the recession, so although 100% of consignors are Irish, most of these breeze-up horses are still bought by foreign owners.

Donohoe said: “It’s not fair to say that breeze-ups are unpopular with Irish owners.

How many Irish owners are buying at yearling sales? Okay, there are plenty of pinhookers, but how many yearlings are sold to Irish owners for end use?

“Maybe the Irish owners just haven’t got the money to invest. The ownership landscape in Ireland has always been hard.”

Goresbridge’s future may take it to Asian markets, with Irish Thoroughbred Marketing

working with Donohoe to bring customers from Asia, targeting places like Macau, Korea and Singapore.

He said: “Our buyers are mainly from England now. In the early days, foreign buyers were mostly from Italy and places like that; we’ve flipped that over and are working on new markets all the time.”

What they cannot do is grow numerically.

From 60 entries at the first sale in 2005, the catalogue has expanded by 426% and Donohoe insists next year’s catalogue will not be allowed to swell again.

“I said when we got 230 last year that we wouldn’t have any more. But 256 has us bursting at the seams. We won’t have that many again.”

Looking at O’Callaghan’s latest buys, he picks out Spy Ring as one to follow.

Serendipitously, the Doncaster breeze-up purchase came out of the same box as his leading light and fellow Bushranger filly Now Or Never.

Talking first-season sires, he added: “I have a Harbour Watch to come out in the middle of the summer, and a couple of Dragon Pulses to look forward to, particularly Magical Fire, but I haven’t seen any Casamentos yet.

“I think it will be a competitive year for first-season sires. They thought Helmet was going to be the second coming, but now Sir Prancealot is up there. The title is anyone’s.”

27

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June_142_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:52 Page 29

CONTINENTAL TALES

F R A N CE

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

Collinson has now got her eye in Specialist in iridology also making her mark as dual-purpose trainer

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

CHRISTOPHE MORLAT/PANORAMIC

W

hat connects the 2015 King’s Stand Stakes hero Goldream with a fivehorse permit trainer based in the centre-west of France, and the little-known branch of veterinary science that is equine iridology?

The answer? The Collinson family, or more precisely, Ellen Collinson, pioneer of the method of diagnosis of horse ailments by means of looking very closely at the iris of the patient’s eye, and her son, Dickie Collinson, work rider of the Robert Cowell-trained Goldream, who will shortly be returning to Royal Ascot to defend his Group 1 crown.

Dickie is not just involved in Flat racing, he is also a top amateur rider over the sticks – the reigning East Anglian and point-to-point men’s champion jockey no less, with over 50 winners to his name.

The family’s racing interests do not stop there – Dickie’s sister, Louise Cornwell, is the Managing Director of Longholes Stud in Newmarket, purchased three years ago by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani of Qatar and currently undergoing a facelift to transform it into a stateof-the-art rehabilitation and pre-training centre.

But enough of the younger Collinsons. What about their mother, a woman who started riding racehorses in the north-east of England at the age of 16 for the small National Hunt trainer Freddie Dickinson?

Inspired by her first boss, who was a great believer in herbal remedies long before such things were fashionable, Ellen has been fascinated by natural horse medicines ever since and, for the past 25 years, by the practice of iridology – diagnosis via the examination of the iris of the eye.

Alongside her husband, Eric, she has lived a peripatetic life in and around the racing industry. The highlight of their spells with a British training permit (operating from different yards in Yorkshire, Devon and Leicestershire) being the 50-1 success of Meet The Foulkes, a horse they purchased for £350, in the valuable Tote Novices’ Chase Final at Uttoxeter in March 1992.

It was during a spell in Ireland that Ellen first discovered iridology and, having gained a qualification in its human branch, she turned her attention to applying it to thoroughbreds.

Her initial high-profile client was trainer Ted Walsh and his crack gelding Commanche Court, who won the 1997 Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham just weeks after completing a course of herbal medicine prescribed by her.

Ellen Collinson (left) with her prolific mare Something Else after victory at Vichy

“Nowadays French

trainers are very helpful and bend over backwards to make you feel welcome” She went on to successfully treat horses trained by the likes of Enda Bolger, Amanda Perrett, Jeremy Noseda and Michael Dods before, in 2009, coming to the sad realisation that the combination of paltry prize-money and sky-high overheads meant that having a British permit was no longer viable.

So the couple moved to France, initially to near Limoges but, since 2014, to the training centre of Senonnes-Pouance, 50 miles northeast of Nantes. A combination of Ellen suffering a smashed kneecap and administrative red tape meant that she didn’t gain her licence until 2013, but she has enjoyed a good level of success since then, winning five races on the Flat with the Sulamani mare Something Else,

and, at Fougeres on March 27 of this year, notching a first French chasing success thanks to Vous Meme.

“The prize-money here is phenomenal and although I found things a bit lonely at first, nowadays the French trainers are very helpful and bend over backwards to make me feel welcome,” she says.

“The facilities here in Senonnes are excellent yet the fees that you pay to use them are a quarter of what they are back home.

Renting out boxes is also much cheaper than in England.”

Ellen’s iridology business has taken something of a back seat over recent years, but she still sells her own brand of Ellen Collinson Herbal Products, which have all been passed by the Veterinary Medicine Directorate. And, with French vets more open-minded about alternative medicine than their British counterparts, the diagnostic side of things is beginning to pick up.

One problem she has found since crossing the Channel is finding decent jockeys to ride for her over jumps – “they all ride so short over here” she complains. But she is about to gain a solution as Dickie is planning a midsummer trip to partner Vous Meme for the first time, using his British amateur licence.

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June_142_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:52 Page 30

CONTINENTAL TALES

FEDERICO PESTELLINI/PANORAMIC

G E R MA N

Y

Spectre (nearside) gets the better of Midweek in the Group 3 Prix Imprudence

Former footballer hits the target The sports of racing and football have enjoyed close links in Britain over the last few years, initially thanks to the former England striker turned Group 1-winning trainer Mick Channon, and more recently through successful owners Sir Alex Ferguson and Michael Owen.

Up until recently, the nearest comparison Germany could come up with was Klaus Allofs, scorer of 17 international goals and recipient of

a European Championships-winning medal in 1980. Still heavily involved with football as sporting director of the top-flight outfit Wolfsburg, Allofs has been part-owner of, amongst others, Wake Forest, successful in Group 3 company and a Grade 1 winner in May since being sent to the US. But the victory of the 22-1 outsider Spectre in April’s Group 3 Prix Imprudence at Maisons-

Laffitte confirmed the ability of her trainer, the former German Under-21 international footballer Markus Münch.

Although his initial dose of sporting prowess will have escaped the attention of all but the most avid British-based soccer fan, Münch enjoyed a highly successful 15-year career, winning two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and also plying his trade to no little effect in Italy (with Genoa), Turkey (with Besiktas) and Greece (where he won the league with Panathinaikos).

Since his retirement in 2005, he has been making a pretty good fist of things in his attempt to conquer a second sporting discipline. He took out his licence in 2010 from a yard in Mannheim, and immediately made his mark by winning a Listed race with the filly Intarsia.

A couple of fallow seasons followed, but, after a move to Frankfurt, his small string began plundering trophies at a healthy rate in Germany and, even more so, across the border in France, where the bounty on offer was so much more lucrative.

The financial plight of Frankfurt racecourse prompted another move at the end of last season, this time following the euros to Chantilly, and this relocation has paid immediate dividends thanks to Spectre, a mudloving daughter of Siyouni that he not only trains – he owns her and bred her, too.

The dams of Classic winners can be found in the most unlikely of places and the 2,500 inhabitants of the French village of Clairac, between Bordeaux and Toulouse, will no doubt be surprised to find out that a recent four-legged addition to their community is Dictatrix, mother of Italian 1,000 Guineas winner Conselice.

Dictatrix is owned by Jackie Penny, until last year a resident of Beaminster in Dorset.

She has a long pedigree in racing, having first ridden out for trailblazing female trainer Louie Dingwall at the age of nine and gone on to perform the same role for the likes of Bob Buckler, Martin Tate and Richard Barber.

Having made her living as a rep for a pharmaceutical company, she fell into thoroughbred breeding by accident in the early 1990s when taking possession of the Tirol mare Lucky Dip, who went on to become the dam of seven winners and is now enjoying a well-earned retirement at the place of her birth, Whitsbury Manor Stud.

Following redundancy in 2012, and inspired by watching too many episodes of A Place in the Sun, Penny emigrated to south-west France 18 months ago, taking

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TREVOR JONES

ITALY

Penny hopes to make some money

Showcasing: Whitsbury sire enjoyed Classic success with Conselice in Italy

her two mares with her – Dictatrix, who cost £2,350 and is from the family of the Group 2-placed sprinter Blue Goblin, and Lucky Dip’s daughter Diamond Surprise, winner of a lowly Southwell handicap for

Penny when trained by Paul Blockley.

Sold as a foal for 4,200gns, then exported to the Italian champion trainer Stefano Botti, following a €25,000 yearling sale, Conselice became Dictatrix’s first winner (from four foals) when scoring in Rome last November.

She has gone on to win her next three starts, most recently in their 1,000 Guineas equivalent, the Group 3 Premio Regina Elena.

Still in regular contact with Whitsbury’s Ed Harper, Penny reveals that Conselice’s exciting young Whitsbury-based sire, Showcasing, is now out of her price range.

“But I feel I have helped contribute to his success,” she says. “I was responsible for his very first winner [Abscent Friends] a couple of years back, and now I’ve had his first Classic winner. I always liked Conselice as a foal, and sold her almost by mistake, but her latest win has been much to everyone’s surprise, mostly mine!

“Breeding racehorses can be such a money pit and up until now I have only just about managed to pay my way. It would be nice to make some money for a change – I am selling Conselice’s Cityscape half-brother at Arqana in August and he looks quite speedy.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Knockhouse Stud OB June 2016 f-p_Knockhouse Stud OB June 2016 f-p 19/05/2016 09:40 Page 1

LIBERTARIAN bay, 2010, 16.3hh by New Approach ex Intrum Morshaan (Darshaan)

Covered an exceptional book of mares in his first season Race record from only 6 starts: 1st Maiden Stakes, 1m2f, Pontefract, on debut.

1st Gr.2 Dante Stakes, 1m2½f, York, beating Trading Leather.

2nd Gr.1 Investec Derby, 1m4f, Epsom Downs, behind Ruler Of The World and beating Battle Of Marengo and Ocovango.

4th Gr.1 Ladbrokes St Leger, 1m6½f, Doncaster, behind Leading Light.

Stunning looking son of NEW APPROACH Bred on the classic NEW APPROACH/DARSHAAN cross From the same family as HALLING Second son of NEW APPROACH to go to stud

“With any pace in the race, he'd have won.”

KARL RICHARD BURKE, AFTER THE EPSOM DERBY-GR.1 Exceptional First Foals

Also standing: Notnowcato, Touch Of Land & Prince Flori

Sean, Geraldine & Janet Kinsella, Knockhouse Stud, Kilmacow, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland Tel: 00353 51 885170/885363 • Mobile: 00353 85 7852067 or Alan Grace: (085) 8136735 seankhstud@eircom.net • www.knockhousestud.com Follow us on twitter and facebook

Spillers Advertorial June 2016 OB_Owner 19/05/2016 09:43 Page 96

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June_142_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:49 Page 33

AROUND THE GLOBE THE WORLDWIDE RACING SCENE

PA

America’s new darling racehorse (leading) now has the Triple Crown in his sights

NORT H A M E R I CA

by Steve Andersen

Nyquist takes it to the next level

T

he plan was formed last winter, long after Nyquist concluded a perfect five-race two-year-old season with a win in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Keeneland in October.

Owner Paul Reddam, trainer Doug O’Neill and his brother, bloodstock advisor Dennis O’Neill, were among the group that sat down to determine how to get Nyquist to the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 7.

The trio settled on an unconventional tworace nationwide campaign geared to having Nyquist ready for the grueling American Triple Crown – a start at home in southern California in February and a trip to south Florida for a final prep in early April. Seldom do such long-range plans work so well in racing.

Nyquist proved more than capable, soon taking a prominent position under Mario Gutierrez and holding off a stubborn rival in Exaggerator to win America’s most popular race by a length and a quarter as the 2-1 favourite. The win extended his unbeaten streak to eight races and made Nyquist the first undefeated winner of the Kentucky Derby since Smarty Jones in 2004.

At the time of writing he was the warm favourite for the Preakness Stakes.

The son of Uncle Mo won the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes over seven furlongs at Santa Anita on February 15, beating Exaggerator, and the Grade 1 Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park on April 2 in advance of his trip to Kentucky. O’Neill said after the Derby that it was Nyquist the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

competitor who shone through in those races.

“He’s definitely the best horse I’ve ever been around,” said O’Neill, who has won more than 2,050 races. “He’s just a remarkable athlete that, if you work him by himself, he will even swish his tail a little bit, like what do you want? What do you want from me? You put him in company and he’s just a Ferrari.”

The names Reddam, O’Neill and Gutierrez should sound familiar. They teamed up to win their first Kentucky Derby in 2012 with the 151 outsider I’ll Have Another, now at stud in Japan. Nyquist was the ante-post favourite for the Kentucky Derby following his brilliant juvenile campaign.

O’Neill said he was comfortable with the role of having the ante-post market leader in his barn through the winter. Recent experiences with Kentucky Derby prospects provided that confidence. Four years ago with I’ll Have Another, he said that would have been difficult.

“In 2012, I don’t know if I could have mentally taken that,” O’Neill explained. “I don’t think there’s enough tequila in Mexico for me to handle that. But this year we are a lot more mature. And the people surrounding Nyquist are a lot more mature. It felt really good to have a favourite; I thought it was a real honour.”

Despite his credentials, many observers felt Nyquist was beatable in the Kentucky Derby.

“Along the way in the last year, he has taken a lot of shots for whatever reason,” Reddam said

after the Derby. “I think he proved all his critics wrong. I’m really proud of him and the whole O’Neill team and Mario’s ride. It was just flawless from beginning to end.”

Nyquist has a style of racing that is often dangerous – the ability to race on or near the lead, adapt to a jockey’s instructions, and provide acceleration at pivotal times in the last half-mile. Nyquist was prominent throughout the Kentucky Derby, stalking a solid pace to the turn before taking over in the stretch. Even though Exaggerator narrowed the margin in the final furlong, Gutierrez said he was in control.

“He will not allow any other horse to pass him,” the jockey said. “He’s the kind of horse that always has something left for whatever comes to him late. That’s how I get so much confidence from him.”

Tepin stars on big undercard The Kentucky Derby was the 12th race on a 14-race programme that lasted over nine hours.

Earlier on, Tepin, America’s champion turf female of 2015, won her sixth consecutive race in the Grade 2 Churchill Downs Distaff Turf Mile. Her next start could be the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 14.

Tepin’s winning streak includes the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Keeneland last October. Tepin is a five-year-old mare by Bernstein who races for Robert Masterson and trainer Mark Casse. She has won 11 of 19 starts.

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June_142_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 12:49 Page 34

AROUND THE GLOBE

AUST R A L I A

by Danny Power

There is no bigger personality in Australian racing than Gai Waterhouse, the recordbreaking Sydney trainer with an international brand.

Despite that, Waterhouse still often lives in the shadow of her famous father, Tommy ‘TJ’ Smith, who passed that training baton to his daughter in 1994, four years before his death.

When Waterhouse won her sixth Golden Slipper last year with Vancouver (now with Aidan O’Brien), it was a monumental feat unmatched by any other trainer – except her father, who also trained six. And so it goes on throughout her wonderful career that so far has amassed 134 Group 1 winners – albeit trailing her father’s Australian record of 282!

However, Waterhouse can finally boast something her father didn’t do in racing. She trained a feature winner over jumps at the iconic Warrnambool carnival in May. For the uninitiated, Warrnambool is Australia’s version of the Cheltenham Festival, although nothing like it really. As one wag recently said of Warrnambool: “It’s schoolies for adults.”

The Victorian coastal town, a good threehour drive west of Melbourne, has been conducting races since 1848, but its first Grand Annual Steeplechase, now run over nearly three and a half miles, with 33 fences, was held in 1872. In 1996, the Victorian government recognised the significance of the three-day, 30race festival of Flat and jumps racing as a major event.

Waterhouse fell in love with Warrnambool after accepting an invitation to attend the meeting as an ambassador in 2014, six months after she won the Melbourne Cup with Fiorente.

She was captivated not only by the tradition but also the way in which the public adored the horses and coveted this meeting as a celebration of racing, especially jumping, which only a few years earlier was on its knees fighting a welfare battle.

Waterhouse vowed to return with a horse capable of winning one of the jumping features. At the time, she was training Valediction, a hardy son of Zabeel from New Zealand, but the horse wasn’t firing, so she bought him from his disappointed owners as her ‘test case’ jumps horse.

Waterhouse didn’t have the facilities to teach him to jump at Randwick in Sydney, so she sent him to leading Victorian jumps trainer Eric Musgrove to learn the ropes.

Musgrove trained the great Karasi to win three Nakayama Grand Jumps. Musgrove’s wife Inez took a share in the gelding.

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BRONWEN HEALY

Waterhouse gets one over her father

The leading lady of Australian racing was on the mark over jumps with Valediction

Valediction showed a liking to the caper and finished third in his Warrnambool debut last year in a maiden hurdle. Waterhouse was rugged up in the stands against the cool southerly sea breeze to watch her horse and vowed to be back again.

Valediction continued his improvement, advanced from the hurdles to the big fences and earned a tilt at the Brierly Steeplechase, which is staged at the ‘Bool on the first day of the carnival.

“I knew training

jumpers would be something that I’d enjoy. This is one of my biggest thrills” The gelding, ridden by Brad McLean, produced a stirring front-running performance and jumped like a stag to win the $62,000 first prize in a canter. Waterhouse was over the moon, declaring: “This is one of my biggest thrills in racing.”

She added: “I really wasn’t sure I would be able to do it, but I knew it [training jumpers] would be something that I would enjoy.”

As is common in Australia, including at this carnival, Valediction backed up two days later in the $300,000 Grand Annual, but he raced too keenly to finish off strongly and eventually finished fourth behind No Song No Supper, trained by former star jockey Patrick Payne.

No Song No Supper, ridden brilliantly by Irishman Richard Cuddy, was too strong for South Australian Bold Zamour and former William Haggas-trained import Thubiaan, trained by Musgrove.

No Song No Supper gave Payne – the brother of Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Michelle – his third win in the Grand Annual. It was a triumph of aa training performance by Payne because No Song No Supper was having his first jumps start since August last year, when third behind the Ruby Walsh-ridden Bashboy in the Grand National at Ballarat.

This year’s carnival also saw Damien Oliver fail a breath test for alcohol on the morning of the third day. Oliver, 43, ‘blew’ .038, which was over the legal level of .02, a figure set for safety reasons.

He admitted guilt after “having a few wines too many” the night before and accepted a onemonth suspension.

Oliver may not have been allowed on a horse, but his alcohol level was such that he was under the legal driving limit of .05, which meant he was able to undertake a long, winding, lonely drive home to Melbourne.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

䤀渀 䔀甀爀漀瀀攀 刀椀挀栀愀爀搀 䈀爀漀眀渀 琀攀氀㨀 ㄀㘀㌀㠀 㘀㘀㘀㘀㘀㄀ 䘀漀爀 挀愀琀愀氀漀最甀攀猀 ☀ 椀渀昀漀 䄀氀椀挀攀 䰀甀欀攀礀ⴀ匀洀椀琀栀 琀攀氀㨀 ㄀㘀㌀㠀 㘀㘀 ㄀㠀㐀 䤀渀 唀⸀匀⸀ 吀攀爀攀渀挀攀 䌀漀氀氀椀攀爀 琀攀氀㨀 ㄀ 㠀㔀㤀 ㈀㔀㔀 ㄀㔀㔀㔀 簀 昀愀猀椀最琀椀瀀琀漀渀⸀挀漀洀

June_142_Kinane_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:55 Page 36

THE BIG INTERVIEW MICK KINANE

Mick’s still

THE MAN

Mick Kinane won just about all there was to win during a stellar career in the saddle, and while it has taken him time to adjust to retirement, he remains very much involved in the sport of kings Words Julian Muscat

T

he fruits of a rewarding career are plainly evident as you approach tall gates guarding the entrance to an immaculately kept property. Once inside, post and rail flank the drive towards a white-washed house surrounded by paddocks.

It is a spacious structure, yet unostentatious in the mould of its owner. And when the front door opens you are welcomed by a man radiating contentment. Six years on from calling time in the saddle, Mick Kinane looks every inch the riding icon in blissful retirement.

Truth be told, however, first impressions can deceive. There is nothing whatsoever contrived about Kinane’s countenance, it’s just that it took him a while to find it. After one year of gratefully winding down, shedding his body of adrenaline’s caustic byproducts, he struggled in year two.

This huge mental adjustment dragged him into a vacuum which he recognised but had never previously experienced. He had seen it in others; seen how recently retired jockeys found

Two champions: Kinane relaxing and sharing a laugh with Ryan Moore

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June_142_Kinane_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:55 Page 37

“Life is a different

CAROLINE NORRIS

pace when you’re not chasing around but it takes a while to adjust to it”

June_142_Kinane_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:55 Page 38

MICK KINANE >> the transition bewildering to the point where

CAROLINE NORRIS

some had self-destructed.

Just as he overcame professional turbulence by staying grounded, Kinane came to terms with bewilderment. You’d have backed him to do that, just as you’d have backed him with your last £10 to bring home the final-race favourite. But the gravity of his tone underlines that this was one of the hardest races he was ever asked to win.

“Life is a different pace when you’re not chasing around but it takes a while to adjust to it,” he reflects. “The first year was a novelty; you do things you always wanted, but suddenly going from flat out to full stop is not easy.”

This isn’t readily appreciated by people when they see retired jockeys on the racecourse. It seems like their natural habitat, after all, but the context suddenly flips on its head.

Kinane with master trainer Dermot Weld, for whom he was stable jockey for 15 years, and below winning the 2001 Derby on the mighty Galileo

June_142_Kinane_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:55 Page 39

MICK KINANE

GEORGE SELWYN

GEORGE SELWYN

The first of Kinane’s three victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe came on the Michael Jarvis-trained Carroll House

“I had to learn to become a racegoer,” Kinane continues. “That was a push. I still wanted to go, to be involved, because I’d seen too many jockeys just disappear. But it’s a completely different environment. You’re still thinking at the same speed but you’re on the outside looking in. And suddenly you have to become sociable.

“You know, most of us jockeys left school very young. We knew nothing else. It’s a very limited education, so unless you’re fortunate enough to be able to buy a property or have some revenue coming in, you have to start all over again.

“Jockeys are adrenaline junkies, pure and simple. It’s a big buzz riding a 500kg horse at 40 miles an hour when you’re stacked up.

There’s no margin for error. It’s hard to get that kick from anything else.”

It is fascinating to hear Kinane talk insightfully about such issues. He was a man of few words in his professional calling. With his skull cap on, he was hard to penetrate in those post-race debriefs, his eyes sunk deep below those signature bushy eyebrows, one of which he would raise quizzically to denote his despair at the banality of a question put to him.

It was, in fact, a reflection of his professionalism. Always engaged, never flippant, forever guarded against the volatile parabolas of saddle life. Kinane was never deliberately terse, just hyper-tuned to what was demanded of him by demanding patrons, and more poignantly, what he demanded of himself.

In his prime, this would have been the time of year that both animated and filled him with foreboding. For the greater part of his 15 years as Dermot Weld’s stable jockey he would parachute onto a fancied Derby mount at the eleventh hour, after which he would scrutinise his riding options for Royal Ascot.

The sheer breadth of them would sometimes keep him up at night. “It was a very exciting time but also one when you’d be forever wondering whether you’d made the right choices,” he says. “Even if you got most of them right, the one that got away would still hurt.”

An apt career epitaph for Kinane is that he only ever needed one opportunity to nail it. In 1989 Steve Cauthen attended his brother’s wedding in the US, opening the door for Kinane to partner Alydaress to victory in the Irish Oaks for Henry Cecil.

It was the start of a beautiful relationship that saw Kinane plunder the 1990 King George (Belmez), the 1993 Derby (Commander-InChief), the 1994 Coronation Stakes (Kissing Cousin) and, later that year, a second King George (King’s Theatre) – all for the master of Warren Place.

Over that four-year period there were other productive alliances beyond his retainer with Weld. Kinane rode Group 1 winners for Andre Fabre, Richard Hannon, William Jarvis, Heinz Jentzsch and Michael Stoute.

But in Alydaress’s year, another horse would propel Kinane to international acclaim.

“There was no Sunday racing in Ireland,” he recalls. “Everything happened in Italy, France and Germany, so I got on that circuit. Once that happens you’re mixing with all the top English trainers, riding against them; then they start putting you up. That’s how I met [the late] Michael Jarvis, and because I also used to ride in Italy for Antonio Balzarini, I got the ride on [Balzarini’s] Carroll House in the [1989] Irish Champion Stakes.”

Having won that race, Jarvis saddled Carroll House in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a race of high resonance in the Far East. Victory raised Kinane’s profile in Hong Kong, where he would

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June_142_Kinane_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 14:56 Page 40

MICK KINANE

British colony.

Although there has always been a constant stream of sublime Irish riding talent, Kinane was different. He was the first to make it big while basing himself at home. Those 15 years with Weld were punctuated by some groundbreaking triumphs from a trainer/jockey alliance that thrived on competing internationally.

Go And Go’s 1990 Belmont Stakes victory and Vintage Crop’s equally audacious win in the 1993 Melbourne Cup were spectacular examples. So much so that when Sheikh Mohammed beckoned Kinane to replace Cauthen as his retained jockey in 1993, Kinane declined.

New challenge accepted It took the might of a maturing Coolmore/Ballydoyle axis to prize him away from Weld. That change of allegiance in 1999 allowed Kinane to stay in a homeland so beloved to his wife, Catherine. It also allowed him to hold the heads of three racehorses that would become breed-changing stallions.

No other jockey has ever sat aboard the collective likes of Galileo, Montjeu and Giant’s Causeway, the last-named a champion sire in the US three times. The memories tumble out of Kinane in torrents.

“Galileo was a fantastic champion and physically beautifully balanced,” he says. “He was a to-die-for model, as nice as you’d ever lay eyes on. He was very genuine but he’d had a tough season by the time he got to Leopardstown [for the Irish

Champion rematch with his King George victim, Fantastic Light]. The ground was firm that day, he cracked, and that was the end of it.”

So much so that when Kinane turned up at Southwell, where Aidan O’Brien was galloping his Breeders’ Cup runners on the all-weather surface, Kinane pointed to one of them and asked which horse it was.

“I could hardly believe it,” Kinane reflects.

“The change in Galileo was amazing. He was trace-clipped and he seemed to have shrunk.

He’d lost that aura.”

“Montjeu wasn’t

easy to train. If you overshot the runway you couldn’t retrace your steps” He describes Montjeu in his pomp as “unbeatable”. But the horse never rebounded from an injury he sustained soon after he sauntered away with the King George as a fouryear-old. “Montjeu had unbelievable flair but he wasn’t easy to train,” he says. “If you overshot the runway you couldn’t retrace your steps, but that was part of his beauty.”

As for Giant’s Causeway, Kinane feels he never remotely got to the bottom of the ‘Iron Horse’. “With the whip rules, it would be a nightmare to ride him now,” he chuckles. “He needed three or four slaps just to get him going.

He was one hell of a horse to run as often as he did.”

There was, of course, the other side to Kinane’s relationship with Giant’s Causeway, the one when Kinane dropped a rein as the chestnut

duelled ferociously with Tiznow in the 2000 Breeders’ Cup Classic – only to succumb by a neck. The moment lingers specifically because it was a rare slip from a man renowned for being fireproof in the heat of battle.

“That was a difficult one to take,” Kinane admits. “I had Tiznow, then I was suddenly running on empty. I needed a fresh hold of the reins and a change of the stick because Tiznow was rallying. But you can’t take it back. It’s not how you fall, it’s how you pick yourself up that matters.”

Did it make the difference? “I don’t think so,” he replies. “Tiznow did exactly the same thing 12 months later when he beat Sakhee. You thought you had him and then he’d go again.

He was a huge horse, a monster. Must have been at least 17 hands…”

Eddery a role model By now Kinane is chatting effusively, willing to dwell on setbacks as well as basking in the afterglow of headline horses. But his voice lowers at the mention of another great ally, Pat Eddery. It assumes the octave with which he had earlier discussed the difficulties jockeys face on retirement. It soon become evident he had been talking as much of Eddery’s shocking demise as of his own challenging experience.

Eddery had long given up on life when he died in November last year. He was a role model to the young Kinane, who speaks movingly about how the 11-time British champion jockey took him under his wing when he made his first visit to Epsom.

“I flew across with Pat in his plane from Ireland and stayed overnight in his home,” Kinane relates. “After that, I’d stay with Pat quite a lot. He was always very good to me.”

Asked if he knew Eddery would come to a tragic end, Kinane nods his head silently.

In what way? “It’s really not fair for me to say,” Kinane responds.

“The one thing about Pat I always felt was that he struggled with life

Kinane acknowledges the acclaim on Montjeu, on whom he won the 1999 Arc and 2000 King George

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

>> spend lucrative winter stints riding in the former

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after the saddle. If he’d had the time again, I’d say he’d have ridden on and kept himself happy, rather than retiring to keep someone else happy.

“Pat loved the weighing room and was full of devilment in there. It left a void he was never capable of filling. But he didn’t want help.

Everyone tried to help but he didn’t want it.”

Eddery was the Irish comet who lit up English skies. He set standards daunting to the aspiring generation, especially when he went back home to ride during his tenure as Vincent O’Brien’s stable jockey. Kinane remembers those days vividly.

“It wasn’t often you got exposed to someone like Pat,” he says. “Only then do you realise what it takes to get to the next level. These guys had it mentally, they had every base covered.

As a young guy I got the better of Pat in a Group 3 at the Curragh. It made me feel good that I could mix it with someone like him.”

The most formidable opponent Kinane encountered in the saddle was Frankie Dettori.

“When he was on a high you couldn’t hang onto his shirt-tails,” he says. “You had to wait until he was on the way down to catch him. At his best I haven’t ridden against anyone better, anywhere in the world.”

So there was no finer man to ride Authorized in the 2007 Derby, in which Kinane finished a tailed-off last on Archipenko. Kinane was in the partnership that bred Authorized, whom they sold as a foal. It was one of his first dabbles in bloodstock, and it consumed him on Derby day.

“It was the most nervous I ever was going into a Derby – and it was all for Frankie,” Kinane recalls. “I’m just glad I didn’t have to ride Authorized myself. After Archipenko didn’t handle Tattenham Corner I stood as high in the irons as I could to see what was happening up ahead. I had a pretty good view of it, too. And Frankie had never won the Derby; it was a fantastic day all round.”

It was a seminal moment in more than one respect. The elation of breeding a Derby winner was such that it telegraphed Kinane’s route in retirement. He owns some mares jointly with Mark Gittins, who married his daughter, Aisling, and runs Castlefarm Stud, which bred Middle Park Stales winner Shalaa. Kinane keeps other mares in Tipperary, while another is stationed in the US. He has entered the realm of commercial breeding, by which he retains his links with animals that propelled him to such dizzy heights in the saddle. Of equal importance, it has allowed him to remain involved strictly on his terms. It’s an expensive game, but the rewards for success are commensurate.

It also accounts for Kinane’s sense of contentment. He can open his front door and look out at yearlings grazing the paddocks.

The scene exudes exactly the sort of tranquillity that has now settled over him. His mind has stopped racing, but he is still in the racing game.

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GEORGE SELWYN

MICK KINANE

Sea The Stars and Kinane take the plaudits after their victory in the 2009 Arc

Signing off as winners Of all the great horses associated with Mick Kinane, one in particular is emblematic. Sea The Stars, whose perfect season in 2009 provided the perfect springboard for Kinane to vault into retirement.

Fittingly, the connection between man and horse endures to this day. Kinane manages the racing interests of Sunderland Holding Inc, the umbrella company of David and Ling Tsui, who bred and raced Sea The Stars.

The Tsuis have more than 20 horses in training with John Oxx in recognition of his flawless handling of a horse that won six successive Group 1 races as a three-yearold. Kinane rides out four mornings a week to run his experienced hands over the string.

As with so much of Kinane’s riding career, this link resulted from him being in the right place at the right time. “I’d met Christopher [David and Ling’s son] when I was riding Sea The Stars,” Kinane says.

“One year after the horse retired I was racing in Hong Kong when I just bumped into him. It went from there, although I didn’t take on the role for another year after that.”

Sea The Stars handled everything that was thrown at him, including the threepronged assault primed by Ballydoyle in the four-runner Juddmonte International

Stakes. At the time it seemed Kinane might be overwhelmed by Ballydoyle’s array of tactical options, but the reality was very different.

“I had a head start there,” he says with a smile. “I’d been in the [Ballydoyle] camp, so I knew my opposition pretty well – including how Aidan [O’Brien] was likely to approach the race.”

So no surprises in the race? “None at all,” he relates. “Anyway, I had the proper tackle underneath me. Whatever came his way, the horse was so good he was able to overcome anything. He really had to do that in the Arc, because it didn’t pan out as I would have wanted.”

Sea The Stars got shuffled back early on in Paris after a slow-starting pacemaker brushed the colt’s flanks as he went past, in the process setting Sea The Stars alight.

Having settled him down, Kinane ran into a wall of horses on turning for home. The race was as good as over as soon as Sea The Stars found racing room.

“To me, it really matters that a horse like him goes out on a winning note,” Kinane says. “We always tried to do the right thing by him but his coat was just going. He’d had a hard season and there was nothing to be gained by sending him to the Breeders’ Cup to run on dirt.

“And if anything went wrong, well… you just wouldn’t.”

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TALKING TO...

RALPH BECKETT

Buoyant Beckett’s

HAPPY DAYS A multiple Classic-winning trainer, this could be the best season yet for Ralph Beckett, whose success is built on the support of traditional owner-breeders, while his profile has risen via the patronage of Qatar Racing, not to mention Prince Charles and his wife Camilla

By Tim Richards • Photos George Selwyn

Y

our Classic winners – Look Here, Talent and Simple Verse – are all members of the fairer sex. How do you explain this and do you enjoy training fillies more than colts?

Early on I got to train for a number of owner/breeders and they are inclined to have more fillies in training than colts. It’s not that I really enjoy training fillies more than colts, but

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it is fair to say that fillies take a bit more thought than colts. They tend to be more fragile mentally and physically; in a way we followed on from David Elsworth at Whitsbury, a place where he did very well with fillies. That quieter environment definitely suited fillies compared with Lambourn, where I started. Less traffic, motorised or equine, seems to suit their temperaments.

With strong support from a number of owner-breeders, your set-up could be described as ‘old-school’. What are the advantages of this kind of operation?

We have any number of daughters and sons of mares that I trained. It has its obvious advantages, getting to know the family traits and idiosyncrasies. It’s a big help having an

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Ralph Beckett: last year was the trainer’s best ever, with 80 winners and more than £1.5 million in prize-money

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RALPH BECKETT >> idea when a particular brother/sister is likely

to be ready to run and in what particular conditions. Owners/breeders are in the game for the long term. They are in a cycle and as long as you’re producing results for them, there is every chance you will stay in the cycle with them.

The aforementioned Simple Verse, in the St Leger, and Secret Gesture, in the Beverly D at Arlington, were involved in highly controversial disqualifications last year. Have their widely publicised cases opened the door for a change in the rules?

Causing interference in a race has recently been changed from “careless” to “improper” riding and carries stiffer penalties, all as a result of what happened last year. The jockeys had been pushing the rules as far as they could. If you give a jockey a longer suspension it’s likely he will take extra care to ride within the rules.

“On my way home

after the St Leger Sheikh Fahad phoned simply to say, ‘Get the best legal team’” Personally, I’d have cranked up the rule stating that any infringement in the final furlong would automatically result in a double penalty. I would like to have seen that trialled as I’m sure it would result in more jockeys riding within the rules and prevent a lot of what we saw last season, including Colm O’Donoghue leaning on Andrea Atzeni in the St Leger and Andrea leaning back on Colm.

Now we must wait and see what the adjustment to the rule brings this season. After our experiences last year it seems nothing should surprise us.

I didn’t know until then that you cannot even appeal against rulings and stewards’ decisions in the states of Kentucky or California. We all know that American racing has disparate rules – but not being able to appeal in every state does seem extraordinary.

It takes skill and planning to win a Classic or Group 1. To have victory taken away must have been hard to swallow. How did events affect you and what did you learn from the experience?

At the time I wouldn’t have been great company, that’s for sure! Apart from anything else we were trying to organise two appeals at the same time and that was pretty testing. The

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whole experience was pretty draining but at the same time character building and on reflection you realise life must go on. Sheikh Fahad [owner of Simple Verse and Secret Gesture] was particularly sanguine about the whole episode and backed whatever we decided to do. On my way home after the St Leger he phoned simply to say, ‘Get the best legal team’.

Simple Verse made a pleasing comeback in the Jockey Club Stakes.

What are your plans for the season ahead?

In all likelihood she’ll run in the Coronation Cup at Epsom and that would tell us where to go after that. She is likely to have a mid-season break before the Yorkshire Oaks. After that she might step up in trip or go for the Arc and the Fillies & Mares Stakes, which she won last year.

Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad Al Thani is now an enthusiastic rider. Does he ever ride out for you and could you

envisage putting him up?

He hasn’t ridden out for me yet. He tends to do that in Newmarket because he has a house there. I would certainly put him up in a charity race. He has become very keen on his hunting as well. He is planning to ride in that toughest of all races, the Mongolian Derby in August and possibly the Newmarket Town Plate. His enthusiasm is endless; he rang me at ten past ten the other morning to tell me a race had just been reopened.

What role does your wife, Isabelle, play in your training operation and how do you ‘switch off’ from racing?

Izzi is basically in charge of the financial side – mainly because I failed my maths ‘O’ level! – and she also rides out one lot most days. We have two children, Katinka, 11, and Cressie, 6, so Izzi is very busy during the season. But we do get time in winter to pursue our great relaxation together, hunting. Katinka loves it, though Cressie is still a bit young.

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RALPH BECKETT retired I thought I was too young at 28 to take over the yard, but I had to get on with it. And I did, thanks to him.

In 2011 you purchased Kimpton Down stables, built by Toby Balding. What are the advantages of being there?

Having nobody near you, though I realise Newmarket has other advantages with most of the best bloodstock being trained there. I don’t have to fit in with anyone else; for example, I can use the grass when I want to use it and not wait until I’m told it’s open. There are advantages with staff when you’re on your own.

If they’re here for any length of time they tend to end up being here for a long time. There’s not so much endless moving around of staff that you might find in the big training centres.

You have a new stable jockey, Fran Berry, who has relocated from Ireland.

What made you go for him and why is it important to have a retained rider?

Fran was looking to relocate and we started talking last November. He’d never ridden for me and I didn’t know him at the time. But he immediately struck me that he would be an asset because he is a very sympathetic rider, and with the sort of horse we are sent that is an advantage. It quickly became clear after he started that his feedback is excellent. On top of that he has moved close to the yard and is in here four days a week, which is a big help. We have had agreements with only two other riders, Seb Sanders and Jim Crowley; both were with us for five years. I think a retained rider brings stability to the whole set-up.

You are Chairman of the Central South National Trainers Federation Committee. What does your role Simple Verse (right) and Bondi Beach fight out last year’s highly controversial St Leger, after which Beckett’s filly was reinstated on appeal

You learnt your trade with Jimmy FitzGerald and Peter Walwyn. What important lessons did you take from your time with these two renowned trainers that you have applied in your career?

Jimmy gave us all a thick hide, but, my goodness, he produced some good trainers – Ger Lyons, Brian Ellison, Richard Fahey, John Quinn, who were all at Norton Grange before my time there. He used to tell us he was just knocking the edges off us. His greatest skill was readying a horse for a particular day and he did it many times, memorably with Trainglot on the Flat and over hurdles in the Cesarewitch and Coral Cup. More than anything else, Peter taught me to think for myself and that was a great help because, in retrospect, when he THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Beckett and wife Izzi (left) revel in their first Classic success with Look Here

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RALPH BECKETT good could she be and what ambitious targets do you have in mind?

She came in season and had to miss the Chester Cup. She had an injury that hindered progress when she was three but has improved massively and done phenomenally well making up for lost time. If she were to win a Listed race the idea would be to wait for the Melbourne Cup.

Oaks candidate Diamonds Pour Moi (centre) finished a fine third at Chester in May

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involve and do you play a part in other racing politics?

I attend three Council meetings and two regional meetings a year. In the new enlightened era of the BHA, there is a lot more communication with regard to race planning and there are other positives as well. I have had a year on the Horsemen’s Group where I represented the NTF as well. Of course it’s time consuming but somebody’s got to do it, and trainers before me, like William Haggas and Chris Wall, have put in plenty of time.

A big part of the job is communicating with my peers about what’s happening and also to feed back their views to the powers that be. A number of trainers thought that the deadline for reserves for big handicaps was too early and as a result it was pushed back to 1pm from 9.30am. That was the result of a trainers’ meeting, it got passed on and was implemented. A small example, but a positive one as it provides more chance of a full bigrace field after late withdrawals. I have just started on the Race Planning Committee with Seamus Mullins, as well as the likes of Lydia Hislop and Lee Mottershead.

be able to ride at the best meetings. Equally, how can the sport be televised satisfactorily when so many of the good races are packed together? No Channel 4 TV crew could cover Ascot, Newmarket and York successfully on the same afternoon. Several Flat courses want to race on Good Friday but only Redcar wants to race on Easter Monday. It doesn’t make sense, though I am heartened by the management changes at the top of Arena, who own 16 of our courses.

Having re-established the trainers’ title to run from January 1 to December 31, are there any other burning issues you would like to see resolved?

The fixture list has to be sorted out. It has become farcical. There was one day last month when there was one Flat meeting and four jumps. And very importantly racecourses have got to start playing ball, by co-operating rather than doing their own thing. They are not doing the sport any favours. There is the well-known Saturday in July when Newmarket’s July Cup clashes with Ascot, York and Chester, but there are numerous other conflicts. We’re trying to sell the sport and surely the top jockeys should

Do you have any Oaks contenders this year and is it possible to outline your running plans for Royal Ascot?

Diamonds Pour Moi ran well to be third in the Cheshire Oaks, despite not getting the rub of the green. She was the least experienced in the field and is an Oaks possible. Mountain Bell was third in the Oaks Trial at Lingfield and is another possible. Royal Ascot plans could include Chicadoro in the Ribblesdale, Pacify in the Wolferton and Pure Art in the Sandringham.

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You train two talented homebreds – Pacify and Carntop – for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. What are the plans for the year ahead?

The Duchess of Cornwall is hugely enthusiastic and the Prince of Wales is very supportive.

Hopefully this will be a year to remember for them. Pacify nearly won the City and Suburban at Epsom and then ran a close second at York’s Dante meeting. All being well he could go for the Wolferton Handicap at Royal Ascot.

Carntop finished a fine second in the Lingfield Derby Trial and has entries in the Derby and King Edward VII Stakes at Ascot.

On two occasions you have trained 80 winners in a campaign. In your 17th full season training, is the century a realistic target or are you more concerned with quality rather than quantity?

I suppose a century this season is possible but it’s not something I really focus on. My primary aim is always to train more winners than the previous season; we did it last year including the winners abroad. This year on paper we’ve got a better bunch than ever before, certainly among the two-year-olds and of course you’re always looking to improve the quality.

Give us a juvenile, three-year-old and older horse to follow…

The two-year-old is Tropical Rock, who ran well to finish third on her debut at Ascot and goes well at home. The three-year-old is Girling, who won at Bath recently and has plenty of ability. The older horse is Magic Circle, who should keep progressing and might have a nice staying handicap in him.

CLOSE UP AND...

PERSONAL Perfect meal… lemon sole and rhubarb crumble I relax away from racing by… hunting Actor to play me on screen…

Hugh Grant (or so I am told) My weakness is… swearing Four dinner party guests… Keith Richards, Debbie Harry, Peter Kay and Richard Hannon jnr or Andrew Balding

CLOSE UP AND...

PROFESSIONAL Racing has taught me… patience My racing idols are… Andre Fabre and David Elsworth – the greatest ever dual-purpose trainer My favourite racecourse is…

Salisbury I handle defeat by… moving on

Moonrise Landing, owned by Peter Savill, looks to be one of the most improved horses in training. How

One race I want to win… the Derby

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June_142_Genetics_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 16:33 Page 48

GENETIC TESTING SPECIAL REPORT

Golden opportunity

MISSED?

Genetic testing became headline news when 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold was assessed as to his suitability for the Derby trip; it’s an issue that had already prompted the TBA to launch a review aimed at informing breeders of the efficacy of such tests Words Chris McGrath

A

‘speed gene’ test for Galileo Gold is just the latest twist in a bewildering maze.

Revolutionary science might seem to tempt us one way, tried-and-trusted horse lore another. Each new turn presents bigger questions – ever more exciting, to some; ever more frightening, to others.

If the following overview represents only the clumsy groping of a layman towards the potential for genetic testing in the thoroughbred – its legitimate aspirations, its possible limits – then perhaps that is apt enough. As such, after all, it shares the uncertainty of so many horsemen in a highly conservative industry.

With all due humility, even so, two imperatives are proposed.

The first is for all sides to respect each other.

This means both that traditionalists should grant the innovators a fair hearing; and that commercial application of the new knowledge should not be hijacked by snake-oil hucksters.

The second is to seek common ground in the long-term interests of the breed. That, after all, is what lies in the middle of the maze.

The background Thoroughbred breeders have been using a form of genetic selection for centuries – and pretty successfully, too – but persistent flaws in the breed have continued to defeat both their eugenic skills and advances in veterinary science. From 1990, however, radical possibilities began to open up. The size and organisation of the genome is similar across all mammals. Could the information derived from the human genome project be used to map that of the thoroughbred? And, if so, what might be discovered about the breed’s physical deficiencies?

In 1995, 70 scientists from 20 countries convened in Lexington to plan the collaborative exploration of the equine genome. Initially this

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community set out to map the horse’s 32 chromosome pairs in a fashion that could borrow the advances being made in the human genome. This soon disclosed the genetic basis for such simple traits as coat colour and also some hereditary diseases, and triggered the commercial development of associated molecular tests.

In Britain, influential figures in the industry resolved to grasp the nettle – despite the jitters of commercial breeders, who were asking themselves what might happen if, say, the new science only fell within the reach of the very biggest pockets? Would these superpowers keep all their best stock, and offload only flawed

“C:Cs may win

at longer distances at a lesser level, because quality can have an impact” goods at the sales? But those trying to see the bigger picture agreed that if science was on this road anyway, the sport should try to retain some control of the steering wheel. A research body was duly instituted, in partnership, by the Animal Health Trust and the British Horseracing Board.

Its brief was to establish whether genetics might offer some reliable index of athletic capacity or physical weakness. The conclusions were sceptical, with regard to the former; and intriguing, with regard to the latter. Nonetheless the breeding industry remained extremely wary, the project lost impetus and the BHB stake was

bought out by the AHT. Internationally, however, the scientific landscape was meanwhile undergoing rapid change. Animal genes turned out to be both simpler and more complex than anticipated.

Originally it had been posited that there might be 300,000 genes. In the event, the figure proved to be nearer 20,000. At the same time, it was found that sequencing these would only uncover the margin of heredity. As much as 98% of genomic secrets instead lurked in what had been called “junk DNA”, which did not encode genes and was unique to each species.

Fortunately, the horse was then chosen as a model against which to measure differences and similarities in the human genome. This accelerated the DNA sequencing of some 30,000,000 genomic components. The genetic wiring of the horse was soon tracked with barely comprehensible intricacy: 20,000 genes and around 3 billion DNA bases. The question now was: who could gain what, as a result?

The ‘Speed Gene’ It seems important, at this stage, to stress that neither equine geneticists nor breeding professionals have a superior claim, as a community, to the moral high ground. Both will contain those who put short-term commercial opportunism ahead of the long-term interests of the breed; and vice versa. It is against this background that the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association has commissioned a review under the chairmanship of the respected and experienced veterinarian, Peter Webbon. He views his brief as a scrupulously objective one: to inform breeders about the options they have; the underlying science; and the potential consequences.

His preliminary assignment is to explore the tests currently available. Among these, none has gained a firmer foothold in the industry’s THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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“What’s extraordinary is that the more research we do, the more evidence we find of a very large and singular influence of this gene on the distance trait,” Hill says. “That seldom happens in science. The myostatin gene has been studied in 20 scientific papers since 2010,

in thoroughbreds and other horse breeds, and these have continued to validate both the findings and the interpretation. Its contribution to this trait is probably stronger than any gene in any other livestock populations. That’s because of the strength of historical selection in the population.”

After Galileo Gold returned a C:C, his connections elected to persevere at a mile in his next race – albeit while leaving the door ajar to longer distances, depending on his performance there. It was the test’s most public vote of confidence to date. But without prejudice to the findings of his review group, Webbon reminds horsemen that the prediction, first and foremost, is about the build of an animal.

“All it does, really, is tell you what sort of shape a horse might take,” he says. “Myostatin governs muscle development, so that you can imagine its use in breeding something like Belgian Blue cattle. Dr Hill came up with this notion that a horse’s genetic make-up could more or less predict whether it

GEORGE SELWYN

collective imagination than the one consulted by connections of the 2,000 Guineas winner, Galileo Gold, in pondering whether a fairly speedy pedigree might contain sufficient latent stamina to warrant a crack at the Investec Derby.

This so-called ‘speed gene’ test traced to the discovery of Dr Emmeline Hill, a University College Dublin geneticist, that a single gene – myostatin – governed muscle mass development and muscle fibre type in the thoroughbred. On this basis, since 2010 Hill has been able to propose predictable patterns of precocity and stamina in the careers of tested horses. The resulting test is the headline service offered by Equinome, the company she founded with the eminent trainer and breeder, Jim Bolger. (It has since merged with the nutrition firm, Plusvital.)

The test is based on a DNA variant within myostatin, labelled either C or T. Each individual inherits two copies of the gene, one from the dam and one from the sire, giving rise to three possible combinations: C:C, C:T or T:T. In analysing nearly 13,000 horses, including 1,000 black type winners, Hill and her colleagues have suggested a massive preponderance of early-maturing sprinters among C:C types, and late-maturing stayers among TT types. Moreover their genetic legacy at stud is also stipulated: the CC to produce only C:C or C:T progeny; and the T:T, only T:T or C:T. The C:T, predicted an intermediate stamina range, can breed any of the three types.

Galileo Gold’s pedigree gave his trainer enough doubt as to his stamina that he was prompted to take the Equinome test

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GEORGE SELWYN

GENETIC TESTING

Jim Bolger with ‘C:C’ Dawn Approach, who romped to a five-length Guineas win but was last in the Derby after failing to settle

>> would be short-coupled, stocky and muscular,

or rangy and lighter; a Linford Christie or a Seb Coe. This was called the ‘speed gene’ – but it actually tells you about shape, about physiques that are considered self-evidently typical of a sprinter or stayer.”

Hill qualifies that by noting that myostatin also influences the proportion of “fast-twitch” muscle fibres, associated with sprinting. But even a plain prediction of physique does not, in itself, entitle a traditionalist horseman to scoff that C:C, C:T and T:T merely condense his own seasoned assessment of a horse’s pedigree and conformation. As Hill emphasises: “The difference is that we can take a genetic test of a foal the day it’s born. I challenge anyone to say, at that stage, what they might be able to see later in the life cycle.”

And that is where Bolger feels he can get a head start, certainly as a trainer. “Our foals are hardly dry on the ground before they’re tested,” he says.

“Even when they’re mature they won’t tell you for certain, through their pedigree and physique, whereas from the day they come in as yearlings I know I’ll be looking at the C:Cs and the C:Ts first. I won’t be worrying too much about the T:Ts until the following April or May, because I know they won’t be running until August. So you don’t have to be getting them half-ready to do a gallop and find out what trip they might want. It’s easier on the horses themselves and easier on the owner’s pocket as well.

“Remember, if you cross two C:Ts, 50% of the progeny will be C:T, but 25% will be C:C and the other 25% T:T. There’s going to be a world of difference between those last two. That’s why

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a Derby and Oaks winner together might produce both a sprinter and a Gold Cup winner.”

“Nothing is black and white,” Hills accepts.

“C:Cs may win at longer distances at a lesser level, because quality can have an impact. Or it might be that a CC could do so in Australia, where the proportion of those horses is much higher, simply because a race might be full of them. In North America, equally, a large

“Remember, if you

cross two C:Ts, 50% of the progeny will be C:T, 25% will be C:C and 25% T:T” majority of the races are around a mile. So you will find idiosyncratic patterns depending on the race pattern. But when you’re pitching the top against the top, you need everything going for you. And looking at the data tells us that there is a very small chance of CCs succeeding at that level in Europe at longer distances.”

Her numbers, in fact, suggest that under 8% of elite European CCs show their optimum form over ten furlongs; and less than one per cent at a mile and a half. Harry Herbert, racing manager to Al Shaqab, felt that these trends demanded respect as they debated options for

their Guineas winner.

“I’m as gung-ho as anyone to win a Derby,” Herbert says. “But on gut feeling I didn’t have that ‘we-must-go-to-Epsom’ bell ringing with this horse, with a real speed sire on top – albeit out of a Galileo mare, but with speed there too.

So Hugo [Palmer, his trainer] going down that route, it was really interesting. If you’re told you have a 1% chance of staying a mile and a half it’s going to be very brave to run him over a mile and a half.”

Even Bolger evidently has sceptics among his patrons – after all, he ran Dawn Approach in the Derby for Sheikh Mohammed after his 2,000 Guineas winner had been tested as a CC – and there are also differences within the scientific community.

Dr Stephen Harrison, who founded the British firm of Thoroughbred Genetics Ltd as early as 2000, instead bases correlations of speed and stamina on certain energy release genes. “It’s a shame Galileo Gold didn’t come up CT because then I would have laid him!” he jokes. “We don’t focus on a single gene because we feel selection on that basis – say nobody wanted to breed a TT horse – might cause a restriction in genetic variability. If a single gene has such a high correlation to distance ability, you should be able to tell by looking at a horse.”

But Hill stresses that myostatin analysis is not so much intended to supplant the wisdom of the ages, as to complement and inform it. “Of course, the trainer wouldn’t just take our information into account,” she says. “Hugo Palmer only did the test because he had reasons

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GENETIC TESTING for doubt. We always say that genetics is a tool to be used alongside, and in partnership, with the knowledge that comes from the people who manage the horse.

Prediction of performance calibre If some people are a little uncomfortable with the attribution of muscular development to a ‘speed gene’, then at least everyone should be able to agree there is some heritable component doing a specific job. And, whether you view the information as a reiteration or a revelation, there do seem to be measurable patterns associated with myostatin.

But claims that the genome can identify in advance a horse’s performance potential on the track seem harder to pin down. Webbon does not mince his words. “Fool’s gold,” he says succinctly. “Performance testing is a completely different ball game. It begs the question how much genetic make-up can influence performance. You come back to the old adage: breed the best with the best and hope for the best. Only a relatively small proportion of horses are as good as their parents.”

Geneticists credit between 30 and 50% of performance to heredity, the rest coming down to such environmental variables as training or nutrition. “There are so many other influences,” Hill admits. “We recognise that the heritable factor is only a portion of the whole: in the very basic formula of the science, genetics plus environment equals phenotype. Elite performance is of course a complex trait and requires an optimal combination of genes for adaptation in the anatomy, physiology and metabolism – as well as an optimal environment. But with the sophisticated tools we have now we can scan the entire genome to pull out data patterns. It is important to have a very large sample set of horses, acting as a reference population, separable into high and low grade horses. To date we’ve tested over 4,000 horses and 48,000 units of genetic information to try and capture as much variation as possible. When we apply these methods, the relationship between genetic prediction and actual performance is very strong.”

To a degree, of course, 300 years of selective breeding have been predicated on some presumed ingredient of performance. As a breeder, indeed, Bolger sees performance properties even in the ‘speed gene’ test. “I made a lot of mistakes breeding to Galileo early on,” says the man who can comfort himself with Teofilo and Soldier Of Fortune. “If I’d known then what I have learned since, I would only have sent C:C mares to him, so that I’d be sure I would get C:Ts. Instead I sent him T:T mares and got some that wanted four miles.”

But it is the attempt to decipher the deeper genomic mesh that needs to become more coherent. Nobody pretends that it is easy, but that is not to say that it is pointless. For THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Harrison, genetic profiling is all about finetuning. “I don’t think you can actually predict performance per se,” he says. “But I do think there is a major correlation between performance and consistency. You definitely can reinforce what people see physically, in terms of performance. But the main thing is to put things together in a more targeted way, to seek better consistency.

“With cattle or sheep, it’s a lot simpler because you’re trying to achieve something relatively straightforward: high weight gain, say, or milk production. With racehorses it’s a lot more difficult to pinpoint where you’re trying to fix genes: because the mares don’t produce litters, because the timescales involved, and so on. It’s a very difficult animal to study. The ratios aren’t there. There are so many nuances: for example, longer-distance horses tend to be better when more outbred, and shorter distance horses to be better when more inbred.”

And that brings us to the first of two areas that should surely stimulate everyone’s imagination: the specific measurement of inbreeding.

Inbreeding For the time being, once again, science can only provide information. It still remains up to breeders, with their expertise and instincts, to interpret it. But the fact is that they have hitherto been making unprovable connections between targeted inbreeding and dividends on the track.

“Genomic inbreeding” tests expose previous “pedigree inbreeding” strategies as guesswork.

The Equinome version ranks low, medium and high levels of homozygous variants; identically derived, that is to say, from both parents. And it has recorded cases both of stallions returning a “high” score even with zero duplicate ancestors in five generations; and a “low” score with no fewer than eight duplicate ancestors in the same span.

“Using genetic information we can now measure the actual level of inbreeding in an individual: the relative level of the same version of genes inherited from both dam and sire,” Hill explains. “The thing about thoroughbreds is that they all come from a very small number of founding animals. There’s been a closed Stud Book for a long time with very strong selection.

When we look at genomic inbreeding – looking across the entire genome for measures of sameness – you might, just by chance and because of the nature of the population structure, find a much higher genomic inbreeding level in a horse with no common ancestor in the first several generations than in, say, one with five shared individuals.

“You can make an estimate from pedigrees, a best guess. But now you can unlock that and describe exactly what that individual has inherited. At some point you would hope to be able to look for signatures of past historic influences in the genes of modern-day horses.”

Who could fail to be interested by that possibility? In the meantime Harrison, whose very first test was focused on inbreeding, stresses the value of information already available. “The inbreeding test helps to provide basic breeding information that should be the first stop for every domesticated species,” he says. “We helped to breed a multiple G1 winner in Australia, Sacred Choice, from a highly inbred mare, primarily by taking inbreeding level into consideration. We term it the GhP test – genetic health and prepotency. We find that there is an optimum value that provides a balance between maintenance of genetic health, the ability to pass on characteristics more consistently and performance to an extent.” The wrong kind of inbreeding can, he recognises, be detrimental. “But to a degree I don’t think thoroughbreds tend to be inbred enough,” he argues. “Most of the time they tend to

Dr Emmeline Hill believes genetics is a tool to sit alongside traditional horsemanship

51

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June_142_Genetics_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 16:33 Page 52

GENETIC TESTING >> mongrelised. People aren’t putting all the right

components together. It’s about grouping for distance, precocity and so on within a safe inbreeding zone.”

The second area of incontrovertible value, you would hope, is the quest for a sounder, healthier thoroughbred. Certainly this is the over-riding priority of Webbon’s review. “It doesn’t matter how good a horse’s potential if you can’t get it on the track,” he says. “If we can improve the soundness of the breed, many more horses will realise their true potential.”

Webbon has long ago been persuaded by genetics as a reasonably reliable indicator of, say, risk of fracture or laryngeal paralysis. “Obviously there are all kinds of other factors,” he says. “Not least, with fracture, the trainer involved. But you can get some measure of susceptibility. Of course horses can win with these heritable weaknesses, in durability or health or soundness, but those aren’t the tests that are being made commercially available. That’s often the way in racing, of course. People work to the short term, they’re not that interested in committing to the ten or 15 years required to make a more durable generation.

“The type of tests that might make most short-term profits are not necessarily in the long-term interest of the breed. And if we’re looking for a quick fix without fully understanding the consequences, then we must bear in mind that some of those consequences may be deleterious.”

He will find no argument from Hill there.

Nobody should forget that most equine geneticists were first drawn to their trade by a love of the horse. One of the great sponsors of their collaboration has been the Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation, which was lavishly endowed in the cause of equine welfare. Hill herself is the grand-daughter of that top amateur rider, Charmian Hill, owner of Dawn Run. “It’s extremely important to emphasise that the goal of genomic sequencing is the improved health and welfare of the horse, the betterment and long-term sustainability of the breed,” Hill says. “One of our key goals is to maximise the genetic potential of each individual but we’re also looking to ensure a sustainable thoroughbred population in the future.”

And while Webbon’s review will certainly measure current commercial tests against these worthy aspirations, the racing and breeding industries are themselves hardly immune from tough questions. “You can’t go through 300 years of breeding without subconsciously hitting on the right thing,” Harrison muses. “But I think some of the things people do are not in the breed’s best interests: not getting rid of mares that don’t come up to scratch, for instance, whether physically or in terms of performance. Obviously people have put a lot of money into these animals, and the last thing

52

GEORGE SELWYN

Welfare of the breed

Peter Webbon is heading TBA review

they want to do is get rid of them, but that’s how commercial considerations can get in the way of what you want to do scientifically.

“Other pedigree species would weigh up both sire and dam, but so often the dam hasn’t even won a race. You look at operations like Juddmonte or the Aga Khan Studs, and you suspect that they almost get their own

“Nobody should

suggest to any breeder that this is what you should do; only that this is what you can do” populations; that they fix the genes themselves.

Obviously they’ve started with better stock and in that instance breeding the best to the best does work, because they’ve a higher level of culling and mare selection.”

The future There will be no more heads in the sand with Webbon steering the TBA review. Here is a man with the breadth of insight, rationality and experience both to challenge and reconcile the ideas of the scientific and breeding communities.

The first phase, as already noted, is to examine the existing commercial tests. “The idea is to look at what they’re claiming to reveal, and to try and make some judgement on whether these will have a good or bad impact on breeding,” Webbon says. “The TBA are keen that we essentially provide information, to help breeders to decide whether these opportunities

fit their strategies. Not for one moment is the intention to say: ‘Don’t touch this or that with a bargepole.’ Fundamentally, it’s about being able to make an informed choice.”

The second stage is to assess the wider world of animal breeding. “Genetic evaluation is widely used in virtually every other species – dairy and beef cattle, sheep, pigs, now even dogs – and we should see what lessons can be learned from the techniques being used, and to ask to what extent they could usefully be applied to horses,” he says. “We need to ask what other tests, not yet on the market, might be in demand by the industry.”

He hopes to tackle both these initial briefs within a year. “But the third stage is more bluesky,” he says. “And that’s to try and develop ideas for a longer term programme of breeding, employing whatever genetic techniques might be available to achieve the things we want for the breed: not just athletically, but for a fitter, healthier breed, better able to fulfil its potential.

“Nobody should suggest to any breeder that this is what you must do; only that this is what you can do. The choice is yours. But breeders of other species have appreciated what horse breeders will rapidly come to recognise: that it’s always only a small part of the jigsaw. The danger is that people will view one test as the be-all and end-all, and that’s just madness.”

Understandably, many breeders fear that their clients would not prove quite so wise. Already Bolger admits that he would not set out to buy a T:T yearling unless he happened to be seeking a Cup horse, or one to go jumping down the line. “But having said that, Galileo was a T:T,” he says. “If you were up front about it, when selling foals or yearlings, you might find that half the people would no longer be interested. But the other half still would be, provided you were offering them a nice-looking animal that looked like a racehorse. Who knows? In time, there might be some questions for breeders to answer under the Sale of Goods Act. We’ve come a long way from the days when all you were told was: ‘Easy to box, clip and shoe’.”

For all the nervousness this kind of talk may cause among horsemen, Hill takes heart from the way increasing numbers are at least trying to weigh up the broad precepts of what remains a young and fast-changing field of science.

“Genetics is a tool that sits alongside traditional horsemanship,” Hill says. “We’ve never made any claims to offer a silver bullet, by any means, we’re just trying to help people make more informed decisions.

“It is important to point out that the information we’re providing doesn’t exist in any other form. The fact is that in a single training yard, all horses have the same opportunity: the same training, nutrition and management environment. Yet one might win the Derby while another ponies it to the start. All you’re trying to do is establish what sets them apart.”

Tony Morris, pages 22-23 THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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June_142_Queens90th_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 16:09 Page 54

THE QUEEN AT 90

Her Majesty’s favourite month The Queen puts two dates in her diary before any others: the Derby and Royal Ascot.

In her 90th birthday year, we celebrate each decade with nine of Her Majesty’s most significant moments on the racecourse at both meetings staged in June

1953 Choir Boy Royal Hunt Cup Her Majesty’s first Royal Ascot winner was the Doug Smith-ridden Choir Boy in the 1953 Royal Hunt Cup. As the 21-runner field split into two groups, Choir Boy, racing on the far side, went to the front inside the final furlong and cleared away of Brunetto and Gordon Richards to score by two lengths. A newspaper report at the time said “grey top hats were raised in salute as the winner reached the finish.”

1953

1954

1954 Aureole Hardwicke Stakes The Hyperion colt Aureole had been The Queen’s first Derby runner in 1953, finishing a four-length second to Pinza, who was providing Gordon Richards with his sole Derby triumph. A year later Aureole proved his talent with victory in the Coronation Cup at Epsom before two big wins at Ascot, taking the Hardwicke Stakes at the Royal meeting and later the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, named after Her Majesty’s parents.

1957 Carrozza The Oaks A first Classic triumph for Her Majesty came in the 1957 Oaks with the Noel Murless-trained Carrozza, partnered by Lester Piggott. Sent off at 100-8 in the 11-runner field, Carrozza hit the front with two furlongs to go. Silken Glider, ridden by Jimmy Eddery, the father of Pat Eddery, emerged from the pack to chase her down and the pair flashed past the post together. After a tense wait, the judge declared Carrozza the winner by a short-head. Later that month, the Queen enjoyed Royal Ascot success in the New Stakes (now the Norfolk Stakes) with Pall Mall, winner of the 1958 2,000 Guineas.

54

1957

June_142_Queens90th_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 16:10 Page 55

1977

1977 Dunfermline The Oaks “She was slightly raw, not very pretty and didn’t have a change of gear. But she had plenty of stamina and courage.” So said jockey Willie Carson describing his 1977 Oaks and St Leger heroine Dunfermline, who achieved her Classic double in Her Majesty’s Silver Jubilee year. Unfortunately for the winning owner, she was not able to be present at either Epsom or Doncaster.

1979

1979 Buttress Queen’s Vase The Queen enjoyed a Royal Ascot to remember in 1979, recording a double with Expansive in the Ribblesdale Stakes and Buttress in the Queen’s Vase, both trained

by Dick Hern. On this occasion, the Queen’s Vase trophy was presented to Her Majesty by her mother.

1995

1995 Phantom Gold Ribblesdale Stakes Frankie Dettori was in the saddle when royal homebred Phantom Gold, trained by Lord Huntingdon, saw off all challengers in the 1995 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot. Flight Of Fancy, the result of Phantom Gold’s first liaison with Sadler’s Wells, went close to giving the family Classic glory when an unlucky second to Imagine in the 2001 Oaks.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

55

June_142_Queens90th_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 16:10 Page 56

T H E Q U E E N AT 9 0

2008

2008 Free Agent Chesham Stakes

2011

The Richard Hannon-trained Free Agent gave The Queen her 20th Royal Ascot winner – and her first for nine years – in the 2008 Chesham Stakes. The Queen’s clear delight at the victory was matched by the Ascot crowd, with the successful connections given a wonderful reception in the winner’s enclosure.

2011 Carlton House The Derby The focus was on Her Majesty’s representative Carlton House, a gift from Sheikh Mohammed, in the 2011 Derby, as he became the first horse to carry the royal silks in the Classic for three decades. The Dante victor, starting 5-2 favourite, posted a bold effort despite losing a shoe (pictured), finishing a close third behind Pour Moi and Treasure Beach. The race is remembered for winning jockey Mickael Barzalona’s premature celebrations before crossing the line.

2013

2013 Estimate Gold Cup Having captured the previous year’s Queen’s Vase, Estimate surpassed that achievement when winning the 2013 Gold Cup in the hands of Ryan Moore, with The Queen becoming the first reigning monarch to triumph in the Royal Ascot showpiece. Estimate now resides with Her Majesty’s broodmare band at The Royal Studs and earlier this year produced her first foal, a colt by Dubawi. A future Derby winner, perhaps?

56

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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June_142_Bloodstock_Intro_Owner 20/05/2016 11:48 Page 59

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: Arqana the highlight of a difficult breeze-up season – pages 60-64 • Caulfield Files: The spreading international influence of Deep Impact – pages 66-67 • Dr Statz: Assessing stallions’ books by comparison with mares’ other runners – page 92

First Classic within range for Turkish exile

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

I

t’s been a season of mixed fortunes at the breeze-ups, with the only sale in Europe to have shown significant growth being the recent Arqana auction, held for the first time in Deauville instead of Saint-Cloud. The move from Paris, prompted by renovation work at Longchamp which led to the relocation of the first two French Classics of the year to Normandy, was seemingly greeted with widespread approval but is unlikely to extend beyond next year.

The unbeaten La Cressonniere and previously unheralded The Gurkha posted impressive victories in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Poulains respectively, while Jemayel’s Prix SaintAlary success just 24 hours after Mekhtaal’s all-the-way romp in the Prix Hocquart gave Al Shaqab Racing a weekend to remember. Sheikh Joaan’s operation also purchased the recordbreaking €800,000 Frankel filly who topped the Arqana Breeze-up Sale in addition to securing a Group-race double.

Just a head behind Jemayel in second in the Prix Saint-Alary was Camprock, making her first start in Group 1 company for teenage Frenchbased breeder Moa Sundstrom, whose grandparents Jan and Maja bred Prix du JockeyClub winner and prominent French stallion Le Havre (who sired his second French 1,000 Guineas winner in just three crops with La Cressonniere).

Unbeaten before the Saint-Alary, Camprock, who has won at Listed and Group 3 level this year, is co-flagbearer for a decent season for her sire Myboycharlie, whose daughter Euro Charline was runner-up to Belardo in the Lockinge Stakes on the same weekend.

Myboycharlie is also represented in Europe by the G3 Prix Djebel winner Cheikeljack, who is likely to appear next in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, while 2015 VRC Crown Oaks winner Jameka, one of two Australian Group 1 winners for the shuttle stallion, continues to run creditably at the highest level.

Myboycharlie is not the only son of Danetime currently enjoying a purple patch. No sooner had Bushranger taken up covering duties at the

Bushranger en route to victory in the 2008 Middle Park Stakes, his second Group 1 win

Jockey Club of Turkey’s Izmit stallion station than he started to fire in a rash of winners in Britain and Ireland. Cammidge Trophy winner Mobsta and two-year-old Stringybark Creek got the ball rolling with their respective victories at Doncaster and Kempton on April 2, while Ridge Ranger won the Listed Kilvington Fillies’ Stakes at Nottingham on May 7, swiftly followed by Now Or Never’s triumph in the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial. She has subsequently been sold privately to Qatar Racing and, at the time of writing, was second favourite for the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Ross Castle added to the stakeswinning tally when winning the Group 3 Prix Texanita at Maisons-Laffitte on May 13.

Bushranger, the winner of the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes in 2008, covered at a fee of just €2,500 in the last of six seasons at Tally-Ho Stud in 2015. His move to Turkey was doubtless prompted by the fact that, despite being given support in numbers in his early days in Ireland, he had failed to sire a stakes winner prior to 2016. This year is a different story, however, with a winning strike-rate of just over 30% and four individual black-type winners in Britain and Ireland.

His and Myboycharlie’s sire, the Stewards’ Cup winner Danetime, retired to stud without a stakes victory to his name, though he was placed in both the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup

during his days with Neville Callaghan. The breeding world was prematurely deprived of his talents when he died on shuttle duties at Alwyn Park Stud in Western Australia in 2005.

Tally-Ho Stud was the northern hemisphere home to Danetime prior to his untimely death and while it may have lost the services of homebred Bushranger, the Co Westmeath farm still has another of Danetime’s sons, Baltic King.

Myboycharlie – the first sire purchase of the now burgeoning stallion-owning operation SF Bloodstock back in 2007 – shuttles to Vinery Stud in Australia and stood just two seasons in Newmarket at the National Stud before being switched to Haras du Mezeray in Normandy.

Farewell to Janet Sexton In May, we bade farewell to Janet Sexton, a small breeder who enjoyed great success under both codes. With her late husband Jeremy she bred Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Shadow Leader and, more recently, Janet was responsible for Enjoy Yourself, whose impressive debut victory for John Oxx last season led to her sale to America, where she has also won and finished second in the Florida Oaks. Janet’s legacy extends to the breeding of one of the best young pedigree analysts and bloodstock writers of our time, her daughter, Nancy, to whom we extend our sincere condolences.

59

June_142_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/05/2016 13:34 Page 60

SALES CIRCUIT

By CARL EVANS

Buyers in short supply as breeze-ups fail to sparkle Arqana’s Deauville date the only real highlight of a sobering season for juveniles

Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-up Sale Henry Beeby, Goffs UK’s CEO, cut straight to the point in his end-of-sale statement, when describing this one-day auction as one of “highs and lows”.

The highs were headed by two £170,000 colts, both by Kodiac, but the lows were evident in the figures, which suffered declines. Before noting turnover fell 29% it

headed by two £170,000 colts, but the lows were evident in the figures”

EMMA BERRY

“The highs were

Sheikh Fahad Al Thani and David Redvers in action at Doncaster with Kevin Darley

Goffs UK Doncaster Breeze-up Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Kodiac – Esuvia (Whipper)

Bansha House Stables 170,000

Price (£)

Cool Silk/Stroud Coleman

Buyer

C Kodiac – Good Clodora (Red Clubs)

Tally Ho Stud

170,000

Blandford Bloodstock

C Mizzen Mast – Sharp Apple (Diesis)

Lynn Lodge Stud

155,000

Hillen & Ryan

F Sidney’s Candy – Sealedwithapproval (With Approval)

Fairgreen Stables

150,000

David O'Meara

C Showcasing – Fuschia (Averti)

Mocklershill

140,000

A.C. Elliott/G. Scott

F Kodiac – Mimiteh (Maria’s Mon)

Grove Stud

120,000

Hillen & Ryan

F Bushranger – Refuse To Give Up (Refuse To Bend)

Tally-Ho Stud

88,000

David Redvers

C Kodiac – Cool Cousin (Distant Relative)

Hillwood Stud

80,000

Amanda Skiffington

C Dutch Art – Tahlia Ree (Acclamation)

Oak Tree Farm

80,000

Tom Malone

F Arcano – Sassari (Darshaan)

C A J Stables

75,000

David Redvers

Five-year tale

EMMA BERRY

Year

Matt Coleman bought the Goffs UK top lot on behalf of the Cool Silk Partnership

60

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

Top Price (£)

2016

109

3,562,750

32,686

22,000

170,000

2015

128

5,032,500

38,684

30,000

185,000

2014

127

4,646,250

36,585

22,000

340,000

2013

97

2,974,300

30,663

20,000

210,000

2012

122

3,601,500

29,520

24,000

300,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/05/2016 13:34 Page 61

“Timing is

everything in comedy and it helps in the sales ring, too”

EMMA BERRY

The Cool Silk Partnership of Peter Swann and Barbara Wilkinson are fans of the event, and having spent £170,000 on a Scat Daddy colt last year – a subsequent winner now named Jazz Legend – they invested the same sum in one of the two Kodiacs. A £40,000 yearling, he reaped a good return for vendor Con Marnane of Bansha House, while the other joint-top lot was a home-bred making his sales debut, and offered by the O’Callaghan family’s Tally-Ho Stud, which stands the stallion.

Kevin Ryan and Stephen Hillen have been active across the European breeze-up sales

It has been powerless to prevent rivals from opening over the years and taking some of its business, and while Beeby prefers to think of that as “catch-up” he will be working with his team to ensure this auction holds its place and status.

should be borne in mind it had risen 56% in 2014 and a further 7.5% last year, yet a drop in clearance rate to 73% and falls of 14% in average and 27% in median were disappointing for a sale which was a pathfinder in European breeze-up auctions.

Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Le Havre – Barmaid (Cape Cross)

Ardglas Stables

Price (gns)

F Acclamation – Malaspina (Whipper)

Derryconnor Stud

260,000

Blandford Bloodstock

C Zoffany – Rumina (Dashing Blade)

Oak Tree Farm

170,000

C Gordon-Watson

F Mayson – Millinsky (Stravinsky)

Sherbourne Lodge

140,000

Blandford Bloodstock

C Elzaam – Extraordinary (Swain)

Kilminfoyle House Stud

120,000

Blandford Bloodstock

300,000

Buyer Blandford Bloodstock

C Footstepsinthesand – Swift Acclaim (Acclamation)

Bushypark Stables

120,000

C Gordon-Watson

C Bahamian Bounty – Incarnation (Samum)

Windmill Stables

100,000

Blandford Bloodstock

C Helmet – Special Dancer (Shareef Dancer)

Oak Tree Farm

100,000

C Helmet – Malea (Oratorio)

Kilminfoyle House Stud

80,000

Justin Casse

F Sepoy – Crystal Bull (Holy Bull)

Oaks Farm Stables

75,000

Rabbah Bloodstock

Blandford Bloodstock

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

2016

164

4,207,900

25,658

15,000

300,000

2015

172

4,602,100

26,756

18,000

230,000

2014

145

3,955,328

27,278

16,000

270,000

2013

120

2,761,000

23,008

14,000

110,000

2012

104

2,414,650

23,218

15,500

115,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Top Price (gns)

Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up and HIT Sale A terrific pinhook for little-known consignors Ambrose O’Mullane and Mary Reynolds was the highlight of this one-day auction.

The couple, who trade as County Tipperary-based Ardglas Stables, bought a Le Havre colt for just €12,000 at Arqana in August, yet traded him on for 300,000gns, a sum that was the third-highest in the auction’s history. He was certainly a very good-looking colt with presence, but his towering valuation increase was rooted in one simple dictum of the sales ring – that two men wanted him. It also appeared that being offered just a few lots from the end was to his vendors’ benefit, for the two men involved, bloodstock agents Tom Goff and Charlie Gordon-Watson, had one good order to fill, and he was the last suitable horse.

Goff had the clinching bid, completing a busy day for himself and fellow Blandford Bloodstock agent, Richard Brown, who between them signed for six of the sale’s topten lots.

They helped set a record number of sixfigure horses, although none were to be found among the horses-in-training section which opened the sale and was short of quality. Of 145 horses offered throughout the day, 114, or 79%, found a buyer, and, while turnover was down 3% it had risen 16% a year ago.

61

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June_142_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/05/2016 13:34 Page 62

SALES CIRCUIT >> Osarus

Still finding its fledgling feet, but now settled at La Teste de Buch racecourse, this singlesession sale experimented with another ingredient by adding a horses-in-training section.

A glance at the figures suggest it was an underwhelming addition, although Osarus will have to judge whether it brought new faces to the venue and therefore had an oblique gain. Additional buyers were needed, for the catalogue was swelled not only by the 20 HIT horses, but also an extra 30 in the breeze-up section. As ever, less proved more in some key figures, including the 63% clearance rate.

Turnover made it into seven figures for the first time, but the average and median prices – which had leapt by 40% and 50% respectively last year – were pulled back to 2014 levels.

Jean-Claude Rouget, who took six of the top ten breezers last year, had a lesser role this time, although he did consign a threeyear-old winning Siyouni filly called Koshka, who headed the in-training offerings, selling for €15,000 to Zied Romdhane.

Local trainer Christophe Ferland left with the sale-topper, a breezing son of Wootton Bassett who rose in value from €38,000 as a yearling to €60,000. His consignor was Paul Basquin’s Haras du Saubouas, which dominated the top-ten board.

EMMA BERRY

Breeze-up and HIT Sale

Ambrose O’Mullane and Mary Reynolds consigned the top lot at the Guineas Sale

Arqana Breeze-up

Osarus Breeze-up and HIT Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Wootton Bassett – Haut La Main (Beat Hollow)

Haras du Saubouas

Price (€) 60,000

Buyer Christophe Ferland

F Orpen – Mafasina (Orientate)

Haras du Saubouas

60,000

Mousquetaire Investment

C Medecis – Mamusella (Invincible Spirit)

Haras de Saint Arnoult 52,000

MAB Agency

F Exceed And Excel – Banderille (Red Ransom)

Haras du Saubouas

52,000

Alain Chopard

C Myboycharlie – All In Order (Kingmambo)

Yann Creff

45,000

Mandore Int. (private sale)

C Elusive City – Party Lover (Tobougg)

Yann Creff

45,000

Nicolas Bellanger

F Rajsaman – Farwana (Sinndar)

Haras du Saubouas

40,000

Nicolas Bellanger

F Hurricane Cat – Cambarca (Aussie Rules)

Haras du Saubouas

40,000

Mousquetaire Investment

F Myboycharlie – Bocarosa (Linamix)

Yann Creff

35,000

ITS Bloodstock

F Canford Cliffs – Kibaar (Red Ransom)

Ecurie des Noes

32,000

MAB Agency

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2016

68

1,079,500

15,875

10,000

60,000

2015

43

909,000

22,725

15,000

65,000

2014

48

764,000

16,255

10,000

75,000

2013

50

802,500

16,596

15,000

45,000

2012

27

308,000

11,920

10,500

30,000

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Timing is everything in comedy, and it helps in the sales ring, too.

The sight of Frankel’s first racecourse runner, Cunco, producing a green, but eventually impressive victory at Newbury 24 hours before this sale, gave rise to hope the great horse might also become a great stallion, and also put an additional glow around one of his second-crop offspring that was about to walk the ring.

A filly, and bred by Ben Sangster on the same cross as Cunco, she subsequently made €800,000 – a European breeze-up best of 2016 – when knocked down to Nicolas de Watrigant of Mandore International on behalf of Sheikh Joaan’s Al Shaqab Racing.

Effervescent consignor Brendan Holland of Grove Stud was quick to credit Cunco with giving the filly a useful update, and he could revel in having sold the sale-topper at this event for the third year running. He pointed out that the colt Al Erayg and filly Al Shahaniya – who had been one and two on the top-ten board in 2015 after selling to Al Shaqab – have subsequently won three from four starts, and there is promise of more to come.

Stephen Hillen was underbidder on the top THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_Sales_Circuit_Sales 20/05/2016 13:34 Page 63

SALES CIRCUIT

Arqana Breeze-up Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

F Frankel – Rose Bonheur (Danehill Dancer)

Grove Stud

Price (€) Buyer 800,000 Mandore International

F Redoute’s Choice – Sunday Nectar (Footstepsinthesand)

Oaks Farm Stables

775,000 Stephen Hillen

C Sea The Stars – Happy Land (Refuse To Bend)

Mayfield Stables

600,000 David Redvers

F Siyouni – Acatama (Efisio)

Channel Consignment

400,000 Charlie Gordon-Watson

C Invincible Spirit – Spinamix (Spinning World)

Mocklershill

320,000 Broadhurst Agency

C Sepoy – Kocooning (King’s Best)

Saint-Arnoult

300,000 Blandford B/s

C Galileo – Ecoutila (Rahy)

Channel Consignment

275,000 Charlie Gordon-Watson

C Lawman – Quixotic (Pivotal)

Sherbourne Lodge Stables 275,000 Stroud Coleman

C Redoute’s Choice – Peinted Song (Unbridled’s Song)

Channel Consignment

250,000 Charlie Gordon-Watson

C Exceed And Excel – Reine Zao (Alzao)

Knockanglass Stables

240,000 Richard Knight

EMMA BERRY

Five-year tale Year

Sold

2016

94

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

10,367,000

110,287

66,000

800,000

2015

88

8,171,000

92,852

60,000

600,000

2014

89

6,885,000

77,360

55,000

750,000

2013

92

6,143,000

66,772

50,000

520,000

2012

102

5,776,000

56,627

42,000

420,000

Bansha House Stables maestro Con Marnane takes a hands-on approach

Deauville to coincide with the French Guineas meeting which was in exile at the same venue while Longchamp undergoes renovation, had planned to add a wild-card catalogue of form horses to proceedings. That plan was abandoned owing to lack of numbers, and the figures for the traditional breeze-up sale suggest it was not needed in any case.

The clearance rate was 82%, turnover rose 28%, the average burst through six figures for the first time, climbing 20% in the process, while the median was up 10% – and the racing was high-class too.

EMMA BERRY

lot, but soon landed a Redoute’s Choice filly whose €775,000 valuation was only just below that of the Frankel – she had been picked up for €75,000 by Mark Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables at Arqana’s October yearling sale. Hillen was buying for a Malaysian client of trainer Kevin Ryan’s called Tengku Abdul Rahman, who had secured a 320,000gns Zoffany colt through the same agent at Tattersalls’ Craven Breeze-Up Sale.

The consignor on that occasion was the inform Brendan Holland.

Arqana, which had moved this sale to

Frankie Price with the record-breaking Frankel filly at Arqana, who sold for €800,000

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale All sorts of talking points revolved around this sale, not least the dispersal of John Ferguson’s Bloomfields string of jumpers.

In his new role as head of Godolphin, Ferguson will have no more time for midweek afternoons at the likes of Huntingdon and Fakenham, and so his horses were sent to the home of jump racing to find new homes – and, with no reserves, they all did. The pick on price was Wenyerreadyfreddie, a five-year-old gelding, who had been placed in a bumper, and will continue racing with Nicky Henderson after being knocked down to agent David Minton for £95,000.

It would have been odds-on that at least four or five young Irish pointers or bumper performers – the staple diet at these Cheltenham sales – would have topped that price, yet only one did, which was another talking point, not least because nine horses made six-figure sums on the same day 12 months earlier.

Had the Bloomfields string stolen the limelight and dissuaded vendors of the traditional lots from attending? Not a chance, was the response from Richard Pugh, Tattersalls Ireland’s head of in-training sales, asking ‘Name me one four-year-old Irish pointer who should be here?’.

He had a point, for unrelenting rain has been hitting the Irish and British pointing scenes all season, leading to heavy ground and abandoned meetings, and the run-up to this event had been particularly affected by

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>>

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SALES CIRCUIT >>

such conditions, depriving trainer/consignors from getting their goods onto the track.

Ironically, on the day of this sale, an evening point-to-point in Ireland was abandoned because of a lack of medical cover.

So while a 93% clearance rate was spectacular, but helped by the no-reserve Bloomfields team, only 40 pointers or bumper horses walked the ring, compared to 71 last year. Turnover fell 19%, the average was down 46%, while the median declined 44%.

Bad weather and changes to the sales calendar, including a postponed Cheltenham January Sale, were genuine reasons for the falls, but Goffs’ new Aintree sale had also taken some of the spoils which might have been at Cheltenham. Was it ever thus between competing sales companies?

Donnchadh Doyle of Monbeg Stables was able to claim the kudos of selling the sale topper, Claimantakinforgan, a four-year-old who had slipped up before the first fence in an Irish point-to-point named, ironically, the Goffs UK Aintree Sale 4yo Geldings Maiden, before scoring in style five days later.

He made £110,000 to Minton’s colleague Anthony Bromley, but that sum was half the amount of last year’s sale topper Born Survivor. The name of that horse, a winner twice since for Dan Skelton’s stable, could be a reflection of this sale. A blip this time, but it’s Cheltenham, and sure to come back strongly.

Goffs Punchestown Fourteen of 16 horses offered (88%) found new homes at this post-racing sale during the Punchestown Festival, although the figures were not quite as buoyant as 12 months earlier.

The modus operandi of such auctions is to hoover up the best of recent winners and placed horses – that invariably means from the Irish pointing field or bumpers – and offer them while owners and trainers are in situ for the racing. In that respect Goffs got the horses and Punchestown supplied the racegoer/buyers, although the weather conditions which had created testing going in races before the sale would not have helped in the selection.

Winning point-to-pointer Getabird had the right CV – a four-year-old pointer from the Colin Bowe yard that is flying on the Irish pointing circuit, and from the family of J’y Vole and Long Run – and he duly topped proceedings with a €200,000 valuation and a golden ticket to enter the kingdom of trainer Willie Mullins.

Yet his price was below the record high of €280,000 given 12 months earlier – for a horse called Charbel who has done enough since to suggest it could be money well spent

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Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham April Sale Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Claimantakinforgan (Great Pretender – Taquine D’estrees)

Monbeg Stables

Wenyerreadyfreddie (Beneficial – Ware It Vic)

Bloomfields

Price (£) Buyer 110,000 Highflyer Bloodstock 95,000 Highflyer Bloodstock

Monbeg Oscar (Oscar – Simply Joyful)

Monbeg Stables

90,000 Evan Williams

Report To Base (Westerner – Marina Du Berlais)

Milestone Stables

85,000 Evan Williams

Wonderoftheworld (Beneficial – Our Lucky Supreme)

Monasootha Stables 80,000 G H Bloodstock

Impulsive Star (Busy Flight – Impulsive Ita)

Kilally Stables

London Prize (Teofilo – Zibet)

Bloomfields

70,000 Ian Williams

An Siltean (Milan – Shatani)

Ballyboy Stables

68,000 Highflyer/H Fry

78,000 Highflyer Bloodstock

Commissioned (Authorized – Zelda)

Bloomfields

65,000 Bradley/Kelly

Theatre Wine (King’s Theatre – Mistletoeandwine)

Scortheen Stables

58,000 Gordon Elliott

Three Kingdoms (Street Cry – Chan Tong)

Bloomfields

58,000 Bobby O'Ryan

Excellent Result (Shamardal – Line Ahead)

Bloomfields

58,000 Richard Spencer/Rebel Racing

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

2016

81

2,726,800

33,664

28,000

Top Price (£) 110,000

2015

50

3,136,000

62,720

47,500

220,000

2014

39

3,362,000

86,205

65,000

300,000

2013

57

3,702,500

64,956

52,000

250,000

2012

55

3,810,500

69,282

43,500

310,000

Goffs Punchestown Top lots Name/Breeding

Vendor

Getabird (Getaway – Fern Bird)

Milestone Stables

Price (€) 200,000

Buyer H Kirk/W Mullins

Elegant Escape (Dubai Destination – Graineuaile)

Christopher Donnelly

150,000

John Romans/C Tizzard

Vent D’automne (Denham Red – Foret D’automne)

Monbeg Stables

100,000

H Kirk/W Mullins

My Story (Court Cave – Holloden)

Monbeg Stables

90,000

R S Brookhouse

Castlegrace Paddy (Flemensfirth – Thunder Road)

Cobajay Stables

75,000

Gerry Hogan Bloodstock Highflyer Bloodstock

Top Ville Ben (Beneficial – Great Decision)

Monbeg Stables

70,000

At Rainbow’s End (King’s Theatre – Money For Buttons)

Meelahera Stables

65,000

Gerry Hogan/Paul Nolan

Flemcara Flemensfirth – Cara Mara)

Rosefield Stables

62,000

Gerry Hogan Bloodstock

Tacenda (Flemensfirth – Tordasia)

Monbeg Stables

60,000

Anthony Honeyball

Glenforde (Flemensfirth – Feel The Pride)

Paurick O'Connor Racing 42,000

Aiden Murphy

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2016

14

1,049,000

74,929

63,500

200,000

2015

15

1,483,000

96,867

80,000

280,000

2014

17

1,537,000

90,412

90,000

160,000

2013

12

1,094,000

91,166

72,500

190,000

2012

16

1,413,000

88,312

80,000

210,000

– and just three horses breached a six-figure sum, half the number of 12 months earlier.

Turnover fell 29% and there were declines of 24% and 21% in average and median.

It is food for thought that this event broke new ground when making its debut in 2011, but now there are three such post-racing sales – each with a small number of selected horses – at the big-three spring festivals.

Cue Card had fluffed his lines and the

expectations of adoring fans when fourth in the Grade 1 Punchestown Gold Cup 24 hours before this sale, but his presence at the meeting meant trainer Colin Tizzard was on the premises, and he and owner John Romans parted with €150,000 for Elegant Escape, another four-year-old who had finished second to Samcro on his pointing debut. The winner had been sold at Goffs UK’s Aintree sale a couple of weeks earlier for £335,000.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 11:50 Page 66

CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

Making an impact the world over Examining the international strength and depth of Deep Impact’s mare books

N

ew World Power is the name chosen

by Qatar Racing for a sale-topping three-year-old colt by Deep Impact, trained by Roger Varian. The name, of course, may refer to Qatar but it might equally apply to Deep Impact. This stallion, who has proved himself the Japanese equivalent to Galileo, could be on the verge of an international break-out over the next few years.

Galileo, you’ll remember, pulled off another Classic 1-2-3 when Minding led home Ballydoyle and Alice Springs in the 1,000 Guineas. I can think of very few stallions capable of such a feat. Sadler’s Wells was one and so too is Deep Impact. Just a couple of weeks before Galileo’s Guineas triumph, Deep Impact had set a precedent in the Satsuki Sho, the so-called Japanese 2,000 Guineas (even though it is contested over a mile and a quarter).

Deep Impact supplied six of the 18 runners including four which had already won Graded races in 2016. Three of those Graded winners – Dee Majesty, Makahiki and Satono Diamond – led the way home.

“The Japanese

equivalent to Galileo is on the verge of an international break-out” By the time this is published, Deep Impact may also have dominated the Japanese Derby on May 29 – a race which has previously fallen to his sons Deep Brillante and Kizuna. In addition to the first, second and third in the 2,000 Guineas equivalent, he is also the sire of Vanquish Run, winner of the Grade 2 TV Tokyo Hai Aoba Sho – a race officially subtitled as the Japanese Derby Trial. Deep Impact colts also finished third and fourth in this trial.

Vanquish Run is interesting on more than one count. Like New World Power, he is a graduate of the Japan Racing Horse Association sales, but he was sold as a foal, not as a yearling. Takaya Shimakawa had to pay ¥190,000,000 – equivalent at the time to nearly £1,300,000 – to secure the colt, and he has already recouped a

66

quarter of his outlay. Although Vanquish Run failed to win in three juvenile starts, he has progressed so well that he has won three of his four starts this year. Laevateinn, the only colt to have beaten him in 2016, was more than four lengths behind him in the trial.

It is probably no coincidence that Vanquish Run’s best efforts have come over a mile and a half.

Deep Impact, after all, won the Japanese Triple Crown and went on to take the Tenno Sho over two miles.

This stamina has no doubt been reinforced by the fact that Vanquish Run’s broodmare sire is Galileo, whose progeny have an average winning distance of more than 11 furlongs.

That said, Vanquish Run’s dam Lily Of The Valley was not one of the stamina-packed Galileos. She began her unbeaten threeyear-old campaign with a pair of wins over a mile before progressing to nine and ten furlongs.

She was very good at her best, as she showed in defeating Stacelita in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera, but she fell well short of that standard at four and was sold privately to Japan.

Vanquish Run could be just the first of several good Deep Impact winners with a dam by Galileo. There

Yoshida homebred Deep Impact has taken Japan by storm

are 29 broodmare daughters of Galileo registered in Japan, including those high-class performers Lush Lashes and Maybe, as well as the Group 3 winners Adored, Kissed By Angels and Leo’s Starlet. Kissed By Angels is especially interesting, as she is a sister to the exciting Minding. With Sadler’s Wells and Danehill close up in her pedigree, her options in Europe are limited, so Deep Impact would represent an exciting first step for this Group winner over a mile.

Maybe, the top juvenile filly of 2011, has a two-year-old filly and a yearling colt, both by Deep Impact. The filly is in training with Aidan O’Brien and the yearling is also in Ireland. The Coronation Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks winner Lush Lashes has 2014 and 2015 colts, the first named Double Bind.

There are also Deep Impact youngsters out of Chanrossa (an all-weather winner with a 2015 filly), Leo’s Starlet (a 2014 filly called Starlight), Lily Of The Valley and Livia Rose (a 2015 colt).

Qatar Racing turns to Japan To get back to New World Power, this son of Sadler’s Wells’s Fillies’ Mile winner Listen is just one of six Deep Impact youngsters which Qatar Racing has in training in Britain. The other five are two-year-olds, the highest-priced – at nearly £1 million – is a colt out of the Group 2 Prix Dollar winner Musical Way. French breeders were arguably much quicker to appreciate Deep Impact’s potential, with Barocci, Aquamarine and Beauty Parlour all becoming stakes winners in France for the Wildenstein family. Beauty Parlour’s win in the Poule d’Essai des THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

June_142_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 11:50 Page 67

The Wildenstein family was quick to latch on to Deep Impact and enjoyed Classic success with his daughter Beauty Parlour

Pouliches was her fourth from four starts. Her subsequent defeat by Valyra in the Prix de Diane was an early reminder that stamina isn’t necessarily going to be the main asset of Deep Impact’s progeny. It is worth mentioning that he already has 13 individual Graded winners in 2016 and the distances of their 15 successes break down to one over seven furlongs, three over a mile, five over nine furlongs, four over ten furlongs, one over 11 furlongs and only one over a distance as long as a mile and a half. One of the nine-furlong wins came from Real Steel in the Group 1 Dubai Turf.

The Wertheimer brothers have the two-yearold colt Akihiro with Andre Fabre and also have two yearling fillies by him which were foaled in France. One is out of the Group 3 winner Iron Lips, the other out of the Listed winner Baahama. Both mares are grand-daughters of Danzig, as is the Cheveley Park Stakes winner Donna Blini, whose visits to Deep Impact have yielded that outstanding racemare Gentildonna and her Grade 3-winning sister Donau Blue.

Gentildonna played her part in helping Deep Impact bag his first three sires’ championships, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Even though he was again champion sire in 2015 and has a sizeable lead in 2016, the chances are that his success so far is just the tip of the iceberg. He has 176 twoyear-olds this year, plus 172 yearlings.

The yearlings are out of a star-studded contingent of mares, which underline the burgeoning power and potential of the Japanese breeding industry. No doubt some of these youngsters will be on offer at the Select Yearling Sale, scheduled for July 11 (the catalogue was not available at the time of writing). There will also be some of Deep Impact’s 2016 foals coming under the hammer the following day.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

The mares responsible for Deep Impact’s 2015 crop have been drawn from most of the world’s continents, including North and South America, Europe and Australasia, in addition to the Japanese contingent.

Deep Impact’s opportunities with Japanesebred mares is restricted by the ubiquity of Deep Impact’s sire Sunday Silence in the Japanese gene pool. It is here that Japan’s Kingmambo stallions will be useful and Deep Impact has a 2015 colt out of Apapane, a King Kamehameha filly who won the Japanese 1,000 Guineas and Oaks in 2010. One of the fillies is out of the El Condor Pasa mare Chrysoprase, which makes her a sister to the Grade 1 winner Marialite.

Another is out of Rainbow Dahlia, a Grade 1 winner by Roberto’s son Brian’s Time.

Impressive list of suitors It is when you move onto the imported mares that you begin to appreciate the impressive strength in depth of the support Deep Impact regularly receives.

For example, many of the 2015 foals are out of mares which shone on North American tracks. Among the celebrities are Horse of the Year Azeri, who was bought by Katsumi Yoshida for $2,250,000 in 2009. Yoshida also bought the champion two-year-old filly Awesome Feather for $1,900,000 in 2013 and the champion female sprinter Dubai Majesty for $1,100,000 in 2010. There’s also the champion three-year-old filly Proud Spell.

Among the other North American Grade 1 winners with yearlings by Deep Impact are Ave (bought for $1,400,000), Cambina, Champagne d’Oro ($2,700,000), Commercante, Contested ($2,300,000), Diamondrella ($1,500,000), Franny Freud,

Gabby’s Golden Gal ($1,250,000), Gaviola, Gozzip Girl, Hilda’s Passion ($1,225,000), In Lingerie ($2,400,000), Island Fashion, Lady Joanne ($1,600,000), Persistently, Sky Diva, So Many Ways, Ultra Blend, Weemissfrankie, Willa B Awesome and Zazu ($2,100,000).

That adds up to at least 25 North American Grade 1 winners, and there are plenty more top performers among the contingent of Europeanraced mares. In addition to the previously-mentioned Donna Blini, Listen, Lush Lashes and Maybe, there’s Samitar (Irish 1,000 Guineas), Elusive Wave (Poule d’Essai des Pouliches), Fleeting Spirit (July Cup), Lune d’Or (Premio Lydia Tesio), Mrs Lindsay (Prix Vermeille), Night Magic (Preis der Diana and Preis von Baden), Paita (Criterium de SaintCloud), Salomina (Preis der Diana), Serious Attitude (Cheveley Park Stakes), Siyouma (Sun Chariot and EP Taylor Stakes) and Turfrose (Premio Lydia Tesio).

The small Australasian team also features a star or two. The New Zealand-bred Shamrocker defeated the males in the AJC Australian Derby, while Fastnet Rock’s daughter Mosheen collected a spate of Group 1 successes over an impressive range of distances.

In other words, Deep Impact is covering a large proportion of mares which made their mark at Group/Graded level, under a wide variety of conditions. Indeed, the quality of his mares must be the envy of stallion owners the world over and it isn’t hard to envisage his progeny enjoying more and more success outside his native Japan. As we have already seen Gentildonna and Real Steel shine in Dubai, with Real Impact and Beauty Parlour becoming Group 1 winners in Australia and France respectively, this is an exciting prospect.

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June_142_ThoroughbredClub_Owner 20/05/2016 12:28 Page 68

By Lydia Symonds

How both sides benefit from work experience at the sales

Alex Elliott: bloodstock agent with considerable knowledge of form and pedigrees

L

eading on from our article last month, we speak to two people working in the industry about what they look for when employing someone for the sales and the experience you should expect to gain when taking on these roles.

Alex Elliott, a graduate of the famous Darley Flying Start programme, from a very early age had set his sights on training. After a three-year stint as assistant to top National Hunt trainer Philip Hobbs and a spell in America, Elliott began assisting leading bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont.

Now buying horses in his own right for some of the biggest names in both Flat and jumps racing, a normal week would see a horse he has been involved with win under the California sun at Santa Anita and in the more rural surroundings of Ludlow in Shropshire.

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“If they show a bit of

hunger and passion, that’s what people are generally looking for in racing” Young people enjoying work experience with Elliott can expect to be thrown in at the deep end from the beginning. “I need the most help at the bigger sales,” he explained. “I think both I and the person doing the work experience gain hugely from the association.

“At the last sale I bought 70 yearlings,

so I really use the people on work experience, whether it’s getting the lists for clients, liaising with the vets or even going to pick up a client from an airport, basically making my life at the sales easier so I can really concentrate on the horses.

“Although it helps me massively it all makes them feel valued, involved and feel like they have really played a part.”

Former jump jockey Jamie Railton is now a consignor, specialising in pinhooking and investing in bloodstock, and since starting in 2000 has made a name for himself as one of the top people in his field. His knowledge and experience was gained during time off from riding in the summers.

“Even though I was a jump jockey my passion was always Flat racing and in those days there wasn’t any jumping in the summer, so I used to go and educate myself with agents,” he said. “I had to teach myself as there weren’t really any courses available.”

This lack of guidance has helped him realise the importance of feeding the passion shown by young people seeking jobs in bloodstock. “It’s important to help young people who show an interest,” he says. “It’s crucial that we make time for young people, giving them every opportunity to learn and gain an insight because they are the future of our industry.

“I would usually start new staff off with a quiet sale, where there is more time and less pressure, either at the February sale or a July sale and send them with one of the more experienced staff to chaperone them. At those sort of sales they have time to put some effort into a young person and pass on their knowledge and skills.”

Those on work experience with Elliott will be working closely with him. He said: “Whatever level they are at, you need them to understand the layout of the sales ground and all the basics.

“I wouldn’t care if they had no experience as long as they had interest. If they do have experience of the sales grounds then that’s great. But if they show a bit of hunger and passion, that’s what people are generally looking for in racing.

Both Elliott and Railton agree that sales work is a great place to start the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_ThoroughbredClub_Owner 20/05/2016 12:28 Page 69

www.thetho ro ug hb re d clu b . co . u k •

@T T C_ GB

DIARY DATES & REMINDERS BOOK NOW Thursday, June 23: TBA Annual Seminar, Tattersalls Friday, July 8: Behind the scenes at York racecourse Wednesday, July 13: TBA Annual Seminar, Haydock Park racecourse Friday, July 22: Overview of British Racing Seminar, London Saturday, August 6: The Royal Studs Tour, Sandringham Saturday, September 10: Dan Skelton Racing tour, Warwickshire

MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS Open to all 16- to 30-year-olds

Full Member Jamie Railton: former jump jockey who is nowadays one of the leading consignors

education and a good grounding for a basic understanding of bloodstock.

Railton explained: “It’s very important to get experience at grassroots level. It’s also an excellent opportunity to travel – they can do that and it can be a lot of fun for someone in their late teens or early twenties, meeting people from different walks of life.”

Elliott doesn’t pretend that work experience will make someone an expert overnight, but it will certainly set you on the right path. He said: “There is no quick fix in this industry, but sales work is a great place to start. The more time you do, the better you become.

“It’s very important

to get experience at grassroots level. It’s also an excellent opportunity to travel” “It’s all about experience and your love for the game; if you can combine those two it will only help you at the beginning of your career.”

£50 per year (£35 per year for 16- to 22-year-olds) • Access to all TTC Events & TTC Raceday Benefits • Follow our TTC broodmares and horse in training, King Of Arts • Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder magazine subscription • Annual Thoroughbred Stallion Guide • Blogs, webinars, vlogs with exclusive access on our website • TTC Career Course and educational opportunities

Associate Member - Free • Six-month membership

TTC RACEDAY BENEFITS Don’t forget that TTC and Ascot racecourse have joined forces to give you substantial discounts on racing at Ascot – including Royal Ascot!

• TTC Full Members are eligible for 50% off on-the-day admission on Ascot racedays.

• Experience the best in British racing at Royal Ascot with 50% off on-the-day admission to the Queen Anne Enclosure or Windsor Enclosure on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the Royal Meeting.

All you need is your valid TTC Membership Card.

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• Limited TTC events access • Limited TTC website access

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

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ROA FORUM The special section for ROA members

Huge response to Racehorse Owners Survey The National Racehorse Owners Survey was closed on Tuesday, May 5 and the ROA is delighted to report that over 2,200 responses were received.

We cannot thank enough all those owners who took part in the survey for their time, help and support, nor those within the industry that got behind it and ensured that the survey was widely publicised. This is a healthy response for a survey of this magnitude and as such, reflects the views of a high percentage of owners, be it new, experienced or lapsed owners.

The team at leading research agency Two Circles are now analysing the responses and will be reporting back to the ROA shortly. This is when the real work begins and we look forward to hearing the findings over the coming weeks.

For added rigour, focus groups in York and London will test these findings and help generate ideas for the future of ownership.

Undoubtedly, however, the survey responses and owner consensus on certain issues will help

increase the industry’s understanding of how we can both encourage change and enhance the ownership experience both on and off the racecourse. The views and thoughts of owners are critical and will ultimately drive the industry forward, so please accept our thanks once again to everyone for taking the time to complete the

National Racehorse Owners Survey.

The ROA helped secure funding for this important project through support from the British Horseracing Grant Scheme, administered by the British Horseracing Authority on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

Election results revealed at AGM With the ROA AGM fast approaching, we hope members will be actively voting for the candidates they would like to represent their views on the ROA Board for the next three years.

Members were sent an ‘Election Special’ mailing in May containing the manifestos of the five candidates standing for three places in this year’s elections. We would encourage members to cast a vote for their chosen representatives.

Voting closes on Monday, June 20 and the results of the election will be announced at the AGM on the morning of Tuesday, June 28.

We hope to see many members in attendance at this year’s annual gathering, which will be held once again in the convivial surroundings of the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in Knightsbridge, London.

The AGM provides an opportunity for members to be updated on current issues, with keynote speeches and industry debate. Our industry speaker is Martin Cruddace, Chief Executive of Arena Racing Company and a racehorse owner himself.

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We appreciate some members are unable to attend on the day, and this year we will be broadcasting the industry elements of the AGM live online so that members unable to attend will have the opportunity to watch the event. More details on how to watch the AGM will be released on the website in June.

We encourage members to ask questions on any ownership or membership matters during the morning’s owners’ forum. We would also welcome questions from members unable to be present on the day, and will endeavour to pose these to the Council during the session. Please email your questions to info@roa.co.uk with the subject heading ‘AGM’ or contact the ROA office.

The AGM will be followed by a champagne reception, kindly sponsored once again by SIS, and lunch for members and guests. A presentation of the Chris Deuters Award will be made to an individual for services to the racing industry.

Levity will be provided during lunch by the top impressionist and comedian Rory

ARC’s Martin Cruddace: AGM speaker

Bremner. Places need to be booked in advance for the three-course lunch with wine, and the price is £90 per person or £825 for a table of ten.

The ROA would like to recognise the kind support of our AGM partners CityAM and SIS, who have generously contributed time and resources. To book, please see the Events section at roa.co.uk or call the ROA office.

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www.roa.co.uk

ROA members and their guests at Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding headquarters in Newmarket, home to Dubawi (below)

Dalham Hall day delights On a balmy spring morning last month, 40 ROA members and their guests descended upon Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket and were treated to a wonderful insight into the headquarters of Sheikh Mohammed’s global breeding operation.

A selection of some of the most prestigious stallions at stud were paraded before the members, including Dubawi, who holds the record for the fastest stallion to reach 50 Group winners. Pride of place though was last year’s ROA Horse of the Year Golden Horn, who demonstrated a

fabulous temperament as he stood for all the photographs.

The attendees were then taken on a tour of the stud’s facilities by Head of Nominations Dawn Laidlaw, followed by a coach ride around the paddocks and outlying buildings. This was followed by an afternoon’s racing at Newmarket with all ROA members gaining free admittance.

The ROA would like to thank Dalham Hall and Newmarket racecourse for a fabulous day that was thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance.

ROA Jackpot races on into June Can we help pay for your summer holiday? Or towards this month’s training fees? Each week ROA members have the chance to land a bonus of £2,000 on top of win prize-money.

To qualify, horses need to be owned by ROA members. Horses owned jointly qualify provided 51% or more of owners are ROA members. In a racing partnership, both nominated partners need to be members of the ROA. ROA Owners Jackpot races in June June 3

Goodwood

Class 5 (51-70) Amateurs’ Handicap 1m 1f

Entries close May 28

June 7

Salisbury

Class 5 (51-70) Handicap 1m 4f

Entries close June 1

June 16

Leicester

Class 5 (56-75) Fillies’ Handicap 6f

Entries close June 10

June 24

Yarmouth

Class 6 (46-55) Handicap 1m

Entries close June 18

June 30

Perth

Class 4 (0-105) Novices’ Handicap Hurdle 3m

Entries close June 24

Details of future races can be found in the Jackpot section on the ROA website at www.roa.co.uk

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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ROA FORUM

TRACK TALK

The latest news from the UK’s racecourses

Uttoxeter ups its game again

Hamilton Park boosts purses Gold Standard Award holder Hamilton Park has invested further funds into prize-money this season, ensuring that their total fund of just under £1 million is their highest ever.

More than three quarters of this increase has been allocated solely to Class 4, 5 and 6 races – proving that grassroots racing is high on the agenda at the Scottish track.

Market Rasen bangers

Racing has taken place at Uttoxeter since 1907 and to mark this the management have invested a significant sum in their new 1907 restaurant (pictured above). Opened at the Midlands Grand National meeting – which has taken place at the track since 1969 – it will provide racegoers with a fantastic view of the action, as well as offering owners with a runner a place to dine.

Those preferring a lighter meal will be pleased to see that the complimentary lunch in the Owners’ and Trainers’ bar has been extended to include soup, a Chef’s Dish of the Day, and a selection of desserts.

The track has also responded to feedback

from the ROA Raceday Committee, and ROA members, and created a new winning connections area, as well as providing a new viewing box in a prime location. Owners lucky enough to have a winner will now receive two engraved wine glasses to accompany their complimentary bottle of champagne.

David MacDonald, Uttoxeter’s Chief Executive, said: “The new 1907 restaurant has benefitted from a £600,000 investment and is named after the year in which the racecourse was established. It will allow racegoers the chance to dine in full view of the action for the first time, as well as offering one of the finest conferencing/events venues in Staffordshire.”

Winning trainers at Market Rasen need no longer be jealous of their owners’ cheese hampers and their stable staff’s crisps, for they will now be the lucky recipient of a pack of Lincolnshire sausages. The chief beneficiary of the prize on the day it was launched was Dr Richard Newland, who scooped three races on the card!

BCD prize-money £100,000 has been added to the prize-money fund on British Champions Day at Ascot, taking total prize-money at the October 15 fixture to an impressive £4.2 million. The two beneficiaries of this boost, to the tune of £50,000 each, are the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup and Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, with these two races now being worth £350,000 and £600,000 respectively.

A new, purpose-built unsaddling enclosure area has been created for unplaced horses and their connections to improve the post-race experience for owners at Ascot.

An additional owners’ and trainers’ dining room has been opened up adjacent to the owners’ and trainers’ bar, overlooking the unsaddling enclosure. Ascot provides a complimentary rolling buffet, lunch and afternoon tea for owners and trainers with declared runners. A welcoming hostess will direct owners to one of two available dining rooms, thereby alleviating any potential waiting time during busy periods. The new facility started trialling in May and will be in operation for the five days of the Royal meeting, June 14-18.

A new ground-floor owners’ and trainers’ bar is also being opened in the Grundy Bar by the walkway to the existing owners’ and trainers’ facility, close to the pre-parade ring. The existing first floor bar and temporary facility for the Royal meeting will continue to welcome connections.

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IAN HEADINGTON

Ascot enhances its facilities

The new washdown area which will enhance owners’ experience at Ascot

This expansion in facilities will enable owners to have access to two dining rooms and three bars on its busier days, which will undoubtedly enhance the experience for connections with a runner on those days.

This year, owners with a runner at Royal Ascot will receive ten parade ring passes per runner, a huge boost. Details of arrangements

for owners with a runner at Royal Ascot this month can be found at ascot.co.uk.

The parade ring is a special place at Ascot and they limit filming in the area to a small number of rights holders. Owners and trainers wishing to take photographs of their horse and party are kindly requested to use standard cameras and not phones.

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Diary dates and reminders JUNE 14-18 Hospitality package at Royal Ascot

JUNE 21 Impressions of the Turf private view Osborne Studio Gallery, London

JUNE 26 Pretty Polly Stakes day at the Curragh Admission and access to The Curragh rooms

The new grandstand at Bath, a track which has come through a difficult period

Bath time takes the spotlight Bath has brought about several changes to the owners’ raceday experience that are sure to be appreciated by those with a runner this Flat season.

The area previously occupied by the ‘Beau Nosh’ restaurant has been converted into a new owners’ and trainers’ facility. This allows a newly expanded complimentary food offering to be made available in the same area as the bar.

Owners now have freshly cooked fish and chips available to order, and a cream tea

served after the fifth race. The owners’ outdoor seating area has been enlarged, and is sure to prove popular when the summer arrives.

All racegoers will also benefit from the new Langridge Grandstand, which will open later this year and represents a multi-million pound investment by the course and Arena Racing Company. The race programme has been enhanced too, and includes a new summer series for sprinters and stayers, and a new Listed fillies’ contest in October.

JUNE 28 ROA AGM in London

JULY 13 Lingfield Park regional meeting

JULY 25, 26, 27, 29, 30 Galway festival Access to AIRO members marquee

JULY 26-30 Badge service and hospitality package Glorious Goodwood

AUGUST Racing at Deauville

AUGUST 9 Chepstow regional meeting

News in Brief...

Pretty Polly Stakes day Members can enjoy free admission to the Curragh on Sunday, June 26 on Pretty Polly Stakes day through a collaboration with the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners.

The AIRO kindly extends a welcome to ROA members in its facility in the Curragh Rooms, which overlook the parade ring where complimentary snack refreshments will be served. Admittance will be provided on production of a Horseracing Privilege Photocard.

Private view of artwork The Osborne Studio Gallery will be presenting the work of some of the world’s outstanding contemporary racing artists at the Impressions of the Turf exhibition, running from June 13 to July 9.

An exclusive viewing has been arranged for ROA members and their guests to the gallery in London’s Belgravia on the evening of Tuesday, June 21. Artists exhibiting work include Jay Kirkman, Tom Coates, Mao Wen

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

OCTOBER 6 Ayr regional meeting Biao, Hubert de Watrigant, Michelle McCullagh and Elie Lambert.

To book a place, please email Sadie Evans at sevans@roa.co.uk or call the ROA office.

OCTOBER 15

Summer regional get-together

NOVEMBER 4

The next ROA regional meeting will be held at Lingfield Park before racing on Wednesday, July 13 and we would welcome members who live close to Lingfield to join us on the day.

Regional meetings are informal gatherings designed to provide an opportunity for members to meet locally with the ROA team.

Held around the country throughout the year, they provide valuable direct feedback about the issues affecting members, and provide a forum for members to be updated on topical issues.

Members who attend are able to bring a guest and can enjoy a buffet lunch and are able to use the ROA facility during racing. To book a place please contact the ROA office or email Sarah Holton at sholton@roa.co.uk.

British Champions Day at Ascot

Warwick regional meeting

NOVEMBER 15 Nichola Eddery private view Osborne Studio Gallery

DECEMBER 1 ROA Horseracing Awards Racing’s biggest night of the year at the InterContinental, London Park Lane Further details and how to book for ROA events can be found online at www.roa.co.uk, by emailing info@roa.co.uk or by calling the office on 020 7152 0200

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ROA FORUM

M AGICAL M OM E NT S with ROA member Julie French Twenty years is a long time to wait for anything. When, as a racehorse owner, you’ve waited that long and then your first winner arrives with you watching it from a King’s Cross betting shop, rather than being at the track, there is a huge element of both the deserved and undeserved.

The owner in question is Julie French, and horse in question Frosty Berry. The betting shop in question had probably seen nothing like it.

“I’m an HR director and was usually working out of London at the time, and it was Sod’s Law that Frosty gave us our first win when I couldn’t be there,” she recalls.

“It was at Newcastle in April 2014 and on her first run for Paul Midgley under Graham Lee. I went mad, I was so elated and screamed my head off.”

Which was understandable, albeit not to the betting shop clientele, who were even more bemused when French went up to the counter to collect only a few quid in winnings.

She does not usually bet on her horses, but did make an exception, and at 100-1 to boot, when Frosty Berry, having won four times on the spin last winter, made her first start of this turf season a winning one in the Listed Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes at Nottingham in April. The SP was 50-1.

“We knew she would act on the heavy ground and it was the best feeling in the world when she challenged Clever Cookie and then came out on top,” says the proud owner.

She was a first Listed winner for not only her owner, but trainer Ed de Giles and jockey Shane Gray. “As such it was a moment to treasure,” adds French.

Group-race targets Any thoughts of going jumping with the seven-year-old were shelved, and the hope now is she can notch a Group-race victory before probable retirement at the end of the year, when she will join her owner’s growing broodmare band.

All of which is a far cry from the early 1990s, when French had her first horse in training, Sunset Lady.

“She never won and raced for us only briefly before injury curtailed her racing career, but we were able to breed from her,” says French. “Her last foal, Sun In His Eyes, is also in training now with Ed.”

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Julie French with her ex-racehorse Merrjanah, who now excels at showjumping

Sadly, injury has peppered French’s involvement. “We’ve been plagued by injury and had a number of horses that never fulfilled their potential, their careers cut short even on the Flat,” she says.

“Even Frosty managed to injure herself twice while travelling in the horsebox and had to be withdrawn, once when she was odds-on favourite at Windsor.”

Frosty Berry, whom her owner admits “is a bit of a moo in the stable”, is not, understandably, completely in love with travelling, hence while soft ground is required, races in Ireland or France are not the straightforward considerations they might have been.

Fortunately for French, her partner Martyn and son Alex, an ex-amateur rider now aspiring to a career as a bloodstock agent, they have also had two-time winner Mu’Ajiza to enjoy, a six-year-old who is in foal to dual Derby winner Australia.

“She was our second winner and this time I was there, at Beverley, and it was a dream

come true,” says French. “She followed it up with a win at Hamilton and then went on to gain black type when finishing third in the Flying Fillies’ Stakes at Pontefract.”

While luck always plays a part, French attributes the upturn in fortunes to a change of strategy, coming back from a break from ownership while her son was pony racing with a different criteria in terms of horses and trainers, along with detailed research.

Breeding their own horses – the family having moved home explicitly to cater for equines rather than themselves – has become a much more integral part of their ownership experience, and they have two-year-olds, yearlings and foals waiting in the wings, along with five broodmares plus horses in training.

“It’s gone from being a hobby to a different level,” says French, “it’s more professional and commercial.

“I think our experience can give hope to other owners – that with perseverance and patience you can live the dream.”

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New UK National Heritage Centre Christopher Tregoning on the development at historic Palace House in Newmarket The Racing Museum in Newmarket is enormously grateful to the ROA for its generous support at the annual ROA Horseracing Awards evening. Over the last five years, the ROA has raised an incredible £100,000 in auctioning various items donated to the museum to raise funds. At last December’s dinner a bronze of Frankel by sculptor Mark Coreth attracted bids up to £20,000, a marvellous figure.

As many readers will be aware, the Racing Museum has teamed up with two other charities, the British Sporting Art Trust and the Retraining of Racehorses Organisation to form a new Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art in Newmarket.

The present museum was founded some 30 years ago and has a fascinating collection of racing memorabilia. The British Sporting Art Trust is the national collection of sporting pictures, which hitherto has never had a permanent home. The Retraining of Racehorses charity’s role is to retrain horses in other disciplines when they have reached the end of their racing careers.

The new Heritage Centre will be based at the historic Palace House site in Newmarket, where the Stuart kings used to hold court. More recently Bruce Hobbs trained there. The site consists of three main areas: Palace House itself, which is the remaining part of the former Royal Palace and the new home of the British Sporting Art Trust; two racing yards which will be converted for use by the Museum and the Retraining of Racehorses Charity; and a fouracre paddock area which will be used for riding displays.

Building work started in 2014 and the centre will open in September this year. It is a very exciting project which will give extra space for the museum’s bulging collection, offer a muchneeded shop window for Retraining of Racehorses, and provide a worthy showcase for British racing.

There are two other important features to the project. First, it will help to regenerate an historically significant part of Newmarket.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Christopher Tregoning, Trustee and Honorary Treasurer of the Racing Museum, urges ROA members to visit the new heritage centre in Newmarket

Apart from finding a suitable use for Palace House itself, we will be restoring the oldest surviving racing stables in the country. Also, we estimate that we will attract 50,000 to 60,000 visitors per year which will bring in increased trading opportunities for businesses in the surrounding area.

Second, from the education viewpoint, the new buildings will provide enhanced facilities for research into sporting art and racing history, and a stimulating venue for school visits. We have appointed an Education Officer to coordinate our activities in this area.

The £18m needed for the construction project has been raised. In this respect we have been hugely assisted by generous benefactors from within the racing industry and many large trust funds and organisations, including the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Lottery has now undertaken to help us establish an Endowment Fund for the new centre. They have agreed to match pound for pound any endowment funding we achieve up to £1m, hopefully making a total fund of £2m.

Our Endowment Fund will be hugely useful as support for our ongoing operations in that we can spend the income from it but not the capital. We are now in the process of raising the £1m, and we have so far got to £0.6m.

Our Director, Chris Garibaldi, and his team

look forward to welcoming visitors to the new centre when it opens in the autumn. In the meantime there will be a separate pre-opening visit organised for ROA members in September to see the project as the final finishing touches are added.

There is going to be so much to see.

Examples are a painting by James Ross of early racing near York in 1709 given in memory of the present museum’s founder, David Swannell and, of special significance to Palace House, a rose bowl presented to Bruce Hobbs (and given to the Museum recently by his daughter) when he won the 1938 National on Battleship. It was an incredible achievement. He was only 17, already very tall and riding one of the smallest National winners ever.

But my all-time favourite item is a stunning bronze by Sir Alfred Munnings of Brown Jack, who won our longest Flat race, the Queen Alexandra Stakes, an amazing six times.

Come and see the new Heritage Centre and its wonderful collections for yourself. You won’t be disappointed! Details of the member visit in September will be announced in the coming weeks.

To register interest in attending the ROA member visit to the centre, please email Sarah Holton on sholton@roa.co.uk or call the ROA office.

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ROA FORUM

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Flat Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Ascot York Goodwood Epsom Downs Newmarket Chester Newbury Doncaster Sandown Park Haydock Park Chelmsford City Musselburgh Ayr Ripon Pontefract Wetherby Salisbury Lingfield Park Thirsk Hamilton Park Newcastle Carlisle Beverley Leicester Kempton Park Nottingham Ffos Las Windsor Bath Redcar Catterick Bridge Yarmouth Wolverhampton Chepstow Brighton Southwell Total

Figures for period May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2016

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

I I I JCR JCR I I ARC JCR JCR I I I I I I I ARC I I ARC JCR I I JCR JCR I ARC ARC I I ARC ARC ARC ARC ARC

388,932 188,919 164,788 136,951 109,591 86,530 66,886 65,284 57,967 50,482 41,088 37,356 36,488 34,177 33,367 32,577 32,289 31,218 28,223 27,399 26,208 25,473 25,291 24,857 24,320 23,901 22,888 21,240 21,192 19,442 18,748 18,517 18,226 18,183 15,279 10,827 48,695

138,612 101,606 91,423 78,609 81,548 44,190 60,499 52,885 50,882 44,031 17,790 18,437 31,606 25,275 30,840 400 25,184 23,278 16,504 18,772 21,702 15,562 19,694 20,173 18,443 18,740 13,170 18,651 12,742 16,717 16,348 30,219 18,200 13,835 15,044 23,728 32,178

238,940 109,663 57,920 92,922 101,051 10,164 37,262 30,886 23,813 18,528 4,948 5,124 10,834 4,922 3,746 3,773 5,354 4,132 5,635 3,776 7,296 4,389 3,202 5,109 4,285 5,805 3,391 4,901 3,242 11,286 2,759 5,680 3,380 3,275 2,577 2,520 20,171

767,040 401,012 314,381 308,483 293,557 141,217 168,306 150,985 133,724 115,153 64,761 61,652 81,840 64,375 70,203 39,167 66,577 59,795 52,445 50,392 56,942 46,731 50,337 52,461 49,831 50,968 39,449 46,390 38,200 50,167 40,208 54,415 41,894 37,175 33,923 37,963 102,651

18 17 20 11 41 15 16 25 16 23 61 17 17 16 16 3 16 89 18 18 14 13 20 21 57 23 7 28 21 18 17 2 94 17 22 40 887

13,806,712 6,817,200 6,287,610 3,393,310 12,035,838 2,118,260 2,692,900 3,774,621 2,139,591 2,697,879 3,950,392 1,048,091 1,391,283 1,030,000 1,123,252 117,500 1,065,238 5,321,790 944,016 907,050 797,184 607,500 1,006,748 1,101,675 2,840,349 1,172,259 276,140 1,298,925 802,200 903,000 683,538 108,830 3,938,082 631,982 746,313 1,518,500 91,095,757

362,166 169,619 88,884 118,973 91,625 81,446 57,159 65,332 55,099 47,510 36,277 40,088 31,024 32,071 31,349 31086 27,442 29,354 27,367 22,641 23,457 21,234 22,069 20,533 21,810 20,435 24,490 19,854 17,620 16,782 17,171 16,535 16,081 13,169 13,109 10,447 41,765

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

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Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Sandown Park Haydock Park Newbury Kempton Park Ayr Newcastle Kelso Doncaster Chepstow Ludlow Wincanton Stratford-on-Avon Perth Cartmel Wetherby Newton Abbot Market Rasen Musselburgh Taunton Fakenham Warwick Huntingdon Carlisle Exeter Uttoxeter Bangor-on-Dee Leicester Hexham Ffos Las Fontwell Park Southwell Lingfield Park Catterick Bridge Plumpton Worcester Sedgefield Towcester Total

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

JCR JCR I JCR JCR I JCR I ARC I ARC ARC I JCR I I I I I JCR I I I JCR JCR JCR JCR ARC I I I I ARC ARC ARC I I ARC ARC I

249,344 234,698 139,862 94,827 94,662 56,101 49,437 41,260 33,912 31,884 30,154 29,800 28,225 28,030 25,675 25,486 25,256 24,567 24,481 23,272 23,094 22,635 21,925 20,384 20,212 19,680 19,668 19,557 18,442 18,171 16,677 16,038 16,016 15,965 15,855 15,689 15,201 14,741 14,561 13,203 36,687

131,964 115,233 86,051 86,945 78,470 78,430 58,722 38,295 41,652 28,526 44,404 38,554 27,078 31,271 17,331 25,953 21,388 26,058 27,625 23,755 33,896 25,134 23,767 30,025 22,600 27,492 29,710 24,360 21,898 26,219 18,369 23,651 22,943 19,552 26,864 25,998 23,546 21,230 20,744 20,622 34,675

70,651 61,573 19,014 16,507 16,640 20,946 10,031 12,896 8,416 2,906 8,385 8,277 4,737 5,171 3,606 2,629 4,528 4,515 0 4,436 5,136 5,339 0 5,419 4,581 4,146 5,104 5,612 4,605 4,546 2,875 3,672 3,305 3,661 3,348 2,917 3,338 3,615 3,087 3,460 8,096

452,146 411,504 247,427 200,500 191,405 157,477 119,344 92,452 83,980 63,816 83,360 76,631 60,040 64,636 46,611 54,068 51,171 55,234 52,107 51,681 62,776 53,107 45,692 57,387 47,687 52,572 55,420 49,789 44,945 48,936 38,093 43,360 42,264 39,293 46,067 44,834 42,086 39,701 38,947 37,507 79,843

8 16 8 9 9 10 13 11 8 13 12 14 15 14 15 14 8 16 16 22 10 13 12 17 17 13 16 25 14 10 15 10 22 20 6 10 14 20 20 9 544

3,617,168 6,584,067 1,979,413 1,804,503 1,640,613 1,574,775 1,551,478 1,016,973 671,839 829,606 1,000,318 1,072,828 900,600 904,910 699,172 756,951 409,368 883,740 833,711 1,136,989 627,762 690,392 548,310 975,574 810,684 683,438 886,722 1,244,727 629,232 489,356 571,400 433,600 929,809 785,862 276,400 448,339 589,198 794,014 778,941 337,566 43,400,345

245,718 223,142 135,525 96,862 99,054 45,631 51,871 31,902 21,606 29,309 27,022 25,177 25,746 26,336 22,715 25,431 24,425 24,399 21,452 22,136 26,507 15,750 24,324 22,678 19,709 20,584 19,932 18,118 19,860 12,844 16,779 19,558 15,533 11,902 13,076 15,602 14,074 14,083 13,663 11,374 34,180

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prizemoney: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture. This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prize-money paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

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TBA FORUM The special section for TBA members

TBA SEMINARS – don’t forget to book your places!

Don’t miss the chance to attend one or both of this year’s TBA one-day seminars which take place at Tattersalls in Newmarket on June 23 and then on July 13 at Haydock Park racecourse.

At Newmarket, leading experts Professor Max Rothschild, Dr Peter Webbon and Dr Sarah Blott have been secured to enlighten breeders on the new and potentially highly influential topic of genetic developments in the thoroughbred. While breeders must ultimately make their own decisions on the use of this new technology, the TBA aims to aid members in decision-making by providing expert and impartial information. There will also be a session on the changing nature of infectious disease which includes an update on EHV1-4 and vaccine production and availability.

At Haydock Park, thanks to the generosity of Saracen Horse Feeds, delegates will have the chance to hear Dr Joe Pagan, Roger Allman and Polly Bonnor reprise presentations made at last year’s Newbury and Newmarket seminars. Internationally renowned expert farrier Simon Curtis will speak on farriery management of the foot in the foal and yearling, and the topics of infectious disease and parasite control will be covered by Mathew Robin and Charles Cooke.

Both days are free to TBA members and include lunch and refreshments. Don’t miss this chance to brush up on your knowledge and catch up with friends and colleagues this summer.

DATES FOR THE DIARY

To secure your place contact Christine Standley at the TBA on 01638 661321 or email christine.standley@thetba.co.uk

These seminars are based on the Industry Health and Safety Manual, also known as the Red Book, and aim to explain the contents of the manual, enabling those with overall management responsibility or day-to-day responsibility of health and safety to apply the contents in a real and practical way.

The day is ideal for anyone keen to understand the health and safety requirements in yards and stud farms.

Supervisory skills course – Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 June at the National Stud The TBA and the National Stud have joined together to offer this new course aimed at those working on stud farms who are responsible for managing other employees.

The fee for TBA members is discounted to £165 (non-members £295), which includes lunch and refreshments on both days but not accommodation.

For further information and to book a place, contact Leaya Slater at the National Stud on 01638 675930 or email: leaya@nationalstud.co.uk

She’s Real picks up another TBA mares’ race at Mollington

Regional educational courses on stud management practice: Wednesday, July 20 – Plumpton College, East Sussex Wednesday, July 27 – Exeter racecourse, Devon In-demand topics delivered by industry experts: • Preparation for covering and biosecurity • New protocols for parasite control • Equine first aid and dealing with emergency situations • Nutrition for breeding stock For further information and to book a place, contact Leaya Slater at the National Stud on 01638 675930 or email: leaya@nationalstud.co.uk

ADDITIONAL DIARY DATES Health and Safety Seminars

August 16 – Jack Berry House, Malton September 6 – Oaksey House, Lambourn December 13 – The British Racing School, Newmarket For more information contact Clare Kingston at the BRS on 01638 665103 or email clare.kingston@brs.org.uk

Owner John Chatfeild-Roberts and son Tom receive the prize from TBA representative Mary Rimell

She’s Real collected her third TBA Mares-only Club race when landing the second race on the card at Mollington on April 9 for owner John Chatfeild-Roberts. Trained by Helen Connors and ridden once again by John’s son, Tom, the eight-year-old recorded an impressive 15-length victory over nearest rival Midnights’ Mischief.

The Berwickshire meet at Friars Haugh on April 3 was a successful day for owner-trainer Jimmy Walton, whose mare Catchamat won the TBA’s Mares-only Club race by six lengths. The seven-year-old Overbury mare out of More Flair was ridden to victory by Walton’s step-daughter Catherine Walton.

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www.thetba.co.uk

TBA diary dates TUESDAY, JUNE 21 East Regional Day At Newmarket

THURSDAY, JUNE 23 TBA Seminar At Newmarket

TUESDAY, JULY 5 TBA AGM & Awards Dinner At Newmarket

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 North Seminar At Haydock racecourse

SUNDAY, JULY 24 NH Foal Show Members at Charlie Longsdon’s stable, owned by Christopher and Fran Marriott

West Midlands Regional Day The Wales and West Midlands district held its regional day at Charlie Longsdon’s Hull Farm Stables and Steven and Lesley Smith’s Hunscote Stud on Wednesday, April 20.

Regional Chairman Hazel West had long been keen to include a visit to Hull Farm Stables and members were rewarded with a fascinating morning watching horses on the five-furlong woodchip gallop with an uphill pull of some 145 feet, and surrounded by the most fantastic views from the highest point in Oxfordshire, followed by some action in the schooling ground and a tour of the yard.

Based at long-standing TBA members’ Christopher and Fran Marriott’s 400-acre farm close to Chipping Norton, Charlie’s

facilities are naturally suited to training National Hunt horses. With well-ventilated barns, surrounded by good-sized turnout paddocks, the horses were happy and well.

The recent addition of a circular allweather ring with assorted schooling fences based on the French hurdles provided exciting entertainment for the TBA. Routine schooling consisted of three or four laps leftand right-handed with horses jumping in excess of 30 fences. The fences were placed to encourage the horses to think for themselves, and in the hands of retired jockey Marcus Foley, this all looked very easy.

Tearing ourselves away, a short drive to lunch at The Bell in Alderminster, was

A Charlie Longsdon-trained chaser schools in the idyllic setting of Hull Farm Stables

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At Bangor-On-Dee racecourse

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 Scotland Regional Day Dumfriesshire

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 North Regional Day North Yorkshire

NEW TBA MEMBERS Redmond Carroll, Oxfordshire Dan Matty, Gloucestershire Mrs H R Pitman, Wiltshire

followed by an afternoon at Hunscote Stud in Wellesbourne.

The 70-acre stud was purchased by Steven and Lesley Smith in 2012 and has since grown from four broodmares to 13. With a focus on investment in quality, Stud Manager Andy Lloyd explained the objective is to raise happy and healthy horses, supported by a strong team of staff whose boss had developed a love of tractor driving, ensuring that paddock maintenance was never left to chance. Despite a wet winter the stud is in good condition and the hedges and trees surrounding the paddocks had all begun to show some early leaf growth associated with sunny spring days.

Stud Groom Karen Padbury and her team paraded homebred yearling fillies by Cityscape, Shamardal, Soldier Hollow and Mastercraftsman, rounded off with a wellrelated NH filly by Milan from the family of Function Dream. Andy ran through the plans for the 2015 crop, many of whom will be placed with the Smiths’ regular trainers, including Henry Candy and Alan King. A leisurely afternoon was concluded with a delicious tea on the lawn. Thank you to our hosts for the generous hospitality and another superb regional day for members.

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TBA FORUM

Gearing up for the fourth annual TBA National Hunt Foal Show Members will have already received a schedule and entry form in the May send-out for the National Hunt Foal Show at Bangoron-Dee racecourse on Sunday, July 24.

Entries close on July 4; no entries are accepted on the day so, if you are intending to exhibit your foal, please make sure your entry is sent before the closing date.

Apart from a great social event, the day provides an opportunity for mare owners to showcase their young stock, with separate classes for colt and filly foals and generous

prize-money donated by Goffs UK Ltd, plus a superb luncheon for exhibitors sponsored by the BEBF. Judges are selected from England, Ireland and France and will choose the winners who, in their opinion, have the potential to make a good NH racehorse.

Entries are free and spectators are welcome; a limited number of non-exhibitors luncheon tickets are still available to purchase.

Contact Pauline Stoddart at Stanstead House for further details on pauline.stoddart@thetba.co.uk

REMINDER TBA Annual General Meeting The 99th AGM of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will be held at The Jockey Club Rooms, 101 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, on Tuesday, July 5 at 10.30am.

TBA members attending the meeting are also invited to join the board for a light lunch and refreshments.

Dan Matty with stud star Kayf Tara

TBA Chief Executive Louise Kemble presents the prize for the TBA Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Listed) at Cheltenham on April 14 to Katie Too’s owners Mr and Mrs Christopher Harris, trainer Alan King and jockey Wayne Hutchinson

Anthea Gibson Fleming of the TBA and the BEBF’s Simon Sweeting present the prize for the EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase Finale (Listed) winner Indian Stream to owner Mrs G Davies, trainer Neil Mulholland and jockey Noel Fehily

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May award for Overbury’s Matty The TBA’s May Stud Staff Award winner Dan Matty had no experience of handling horses when he joined Overbury Stud 15 years ago, but just ‘fancied giving it a try’. According to employer Simon Sweeting, Dan had an affinity with horses from the outset, and 12 months into his employment he began handling stallions.

He now holds the coveted position of stallion man and is responsible for an impressive roster of stallions including seven-time champion British National Hunt sire Kayf Tara.

His experience and skills are instrumental in ensuring that this busy stallion station runs smoothly, with all of his charges having good temperaments thanks to his own calm approach.

Dan has been a regular stallion handler at the TBA National Hunt Stallion parade over many years, and his skills at showing stallions in sometimes testing circumstances have been noted by all. These skills also come in handy at other times on the stud, such as when difficult foals are having feet trimmed. All in all his hardworking and dedicated approach make Dan a vital cog in the wheel at Overbury, and a very worthy winner of the May Award.

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w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

Ascot to work with TBA to recognise breeders Earlier this year, Ascot announced that it would be issuing strawberry bowls as prizes for breeders of winning horses at the Royal Meeting in recognition of their contribution to the sport.

In addition to this, Ascot will be hosting a lunch for these winners during the King George meeting to celebrate their success at the course. The TBA would like to thank the team at Ascot for their ongoing support for breeders and look forward to announcing further plans in the near future.

Ascot CEO Guy Henderson, said: “We’re very much looking forward to honouring the winning breeders at this year’s Royal Meeting.

We will be inviting all breeders of winners to a celebratory lunch on the Friday of the King George meeting, where we will be joined by the TBA Chief Executive.”

TBA Annual Awards Dinner – July 5 This year’s Annual Breeders’ Awards Evening will be held at Chippenham Park, Newmarket on Tuesday, July 5. The evening will commence with a drinks reception and will be followed by a dinner and the presentation of awards.

Invitations to apply for places have been sent to members, and additional application forms are available from the TBA office. Numbers are strictly limited and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To avoid disappointment, return your application to Stanstead House as soon as possible.

Don’t miss out, make sure we have your email address The TBA regularly sends news reports, last-minute offers, free tickets and details of events to members via email.

Make sure you are included by sending an email to annette.bell@thetba.co.uk using your current email address providing your name and postcode.

TBA Statistical NH Awards Whitbread Silver Salver

Horse & Hound Cup

KAYF TARA

KAYF TARA

For the leading active British-based National Hunt stallion in terms of earnings

For the leading active British-based National Hunt stallion for number of individual chase winners

With 106 winners of 164 races and nearly £2.26 million in progeny earnings, Kayf Tara was the leading British-based sire for the seventh time in the last eight seasons and the winner of both of the above categories in our statistical awards.

His third place finish behind King’s Theatre (another son of Sadler’s Wells), gives Kayf Tara the highest ever overall ranking for the Meon Valley Stud-bred stallion.

The Overbury Stud resident was responsible for nine individual Graded winners of 15 Graded races, outstanding among them being Horse of the Year Thistlecrack, who recorded Grade 1 victories in the Ryanair World Hurdle, JLT

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Long Walk Hurdle and Liverpool Stayers’ Hurdle.

Kayf Tara’s additional Grade 1 winners throughout 2015-16 were Blaklion, Ballyandy, Tea For Two and Identity Thief.

The leading sire at the Cheltenham Festival, he recorded 33 individual chase winners during the season, enabling him to head that category for a fourth time in the last six seasons.

But for his owner Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, Kayf Tara would doubtless have crossed the Irish Sea. Instead he has spent his entire stallion career in Gloucestershire at Overbury Stud where, in deference to his 22 years, he covered a reduced book of mares this time.

Kayf Tara enjoyed a terrific season

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BREEDER OF THE MONTH

www.thetba.co.uk

Words Alan Yuill Walker Sponsored by

Manufacturers of

NH BREEDER OF THE MONTH – April 2016

GEORGE SELWYN

Patricia Wilkins and Bobby McAlpine

privately and then as a three-year-old at the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale in 2010 for €90,000 to Mouse Morris, who had done well with his halfbrothers Venalmar and Elysian Rock.

Rule The World’s dam Elaine Tully was put down at Wilkins’s thenhome in Cheshire at the age of 23. Her daughter One Gulp (by Hernando), a dual Listed winner over hurdles, is now McAlpine’s solitary broodmare and has recently foaled a filly by Kayf Tara before going back to the leading British National Hunt sire.

Nine of Elaine Tully’s ten runners have won, including her final offspring, Gabriella Rose (by Kayf Tara), who is now one of the Astons’ broodmares. Meanwhile, One Gulp, a three-parts sister to Rule The World, featured in the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale catalogue in May with a threeyear-old Shirocco gelding.

BREEDER OF THE MONTH – March/April 2016

Brian O’Rourke Rule The World (blue cap) en route to Grand National glory

Not only was Rule The World (Sulamani) one of only three British-breds in a 39-strong field for the Grand National, but he was also the first Britishbred to prevail in the Aintree spectacular since Red Marauder in 2001. His joint-breeders are Patricia Wilkins and Bobby McAlpine.

Red Marauder was out of a mare by McAlpine’s Precipice Wood, and the McAlpine family won the Grand National back in 1921 with Shaun Spadah. Also successful over the big fences was Agden in the 1929 Liverpool Fox Hunters’, ridden by Wilkins’s father, Pat Moseley.

Wilkins explains how she and McAlpine became jointly involved with Rule The World’s dam, Elaine Tully. “I was looking for a broodmare prospect and bought her for 10,000gns at the Newmarket sales – Philip Hobbs and I chose her together,” she recalls. Altogether Elaine Tully scored seven times, including four races over hurdles.

“When she went to stud, Bobby persuaded me to go into partnership,” she continues. “At the time he was looking for mares to send to his stallion Handsome Sailor. I have known Bobby all my life as we were brought up together in Cheshire where my father was master of the Cheshire Hunt.”

Bobby bred an outstanding racemare in Cormorant Wood (Champion Stakes) and from her half-sister Cormorant Creek he bred Inglis Drever.

Three times winner of the World Hurdle, this orphan foal was consigned as a yearling from Richard Aston’s Goldford Stud. Previously McAlpine boarded his stock at Emral Stud in North Wales.

Rule The World himself was actually sold twice from Goldford – first

Galileo Gold, the 2,000 Guineas victor, has a far closer connection with Highclere Stud than is first apparent, as apart from being by the resident stallion Paco Boy he was bred by a former stud groom there.

Consigned from Trinity Park Stud, the former Templeton Stud in Kintbury, Brian O’Rourke sold Galileo Gold privately as a foal at Tattersalls’ 2013 December Sales for 8,000gns, the same price that he received for his dam Galicuix. Her Paco Boy filly, in utero at the time, topped last year’s DBS Premier Yearling Sale at £280,000 and is also in training with Hugo Palmer. Last season, Galicuix’s half-brother Goldream won the King’s Stand Stakes and Prix de l’Abbaye. He was foaled at Highclere for a friend of the late Jimmy Goldsmith, who bred Montjeu from the family.

SPECIAL MERIT – March/April 2016

St Albans Bloodstock Lady Carolyn Warren’s Highclere Stud was also involved with this award winner as she consigned Postponed as a yearling to Tattersalls, when he realised 360,000gns on behalf of his breeder Andrew Stone.

In March the five-year-old entire by Dubawi, successful in last season’s King George, gained two major triumphs at Meydan, the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Group 2 Dubai City of Gold.

Stone, who is involved with one of the world’s largest software companies, trades as St Albans Bloodstock, named after his address in London.

CALPHORMIN

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83

ADVERTORIAL Dr Tom Shurlock: Enhancing the diet with Super Fibres.

Traditionally a racehorse in training has been fed on diets rich in carbohydrates – high specification compound feeds, oats etc. – which, in theory can drive both anaerobic and aerobic driven muscle contraction. However there is increasing evidence that this approach has implications for the horse’s health and may also be counterproductive in achieving maximum performance.

Fibre, generally, is not regarded as ideal in the racing fraternity. Minimum amounts of hay are fed but many nutritionists would recommend at least 40% of the daily diet being fibre or forage. It was once thought that the physical bulk of this would impair performance and gut fill would slow a racing animal. This may be partially true. Forage, can lead to increased lactate levels and hypoglycaemia and hay has a relatively low degradability but there are fibre sources that can provide high levels of energy.

Beet fibre is particularly suited for performance animals.

It has high levels of soluble fibre and is broken down almost completely in the hindgut producing high levels of propionic acid (one of the VFA) that is converted to glucose in the cells without stimulating insulin and being converted to glycogen.

In addition fibre sources, such as beet pulp and alfalfa, have been shown to improve muscle recovery rates after exercise by stimulating catecholamines and reducing circulating ammonium levels.

Pectins and soluble fibres, found in beet pulp, can line the stomach protecting against ulcers and also absorb stomach acids, helping to combat acid related ulceration of the intestine.

So there is a strong case from moving away from a high starch, low fibre diet to one which contains highly fermentable fibre.

These super fibres include beet pulp, alfalfa and soya hulls and all have degradabilities that are 50% greater than hay and also have fermentation patterns that optimise the energy profile of the VFA. In addition, including a beet based fibre will add a proven prebiotic effect that increases utilisation of all dietary fibre and so gets extra energy.

By using products like Speedi-Beet (which has an energy level comparable to high quality oats) or Fibre-Beet, as partial replacers of both high starch feeds and poorer quality fibre sources such as hay, there will be no loss of athletic performance and there will also be an improvement in the overall condition of the horse.

By using products like Fibre-Beet (which has an energy level comparable to high quality oats) or Speedi-Beet, as partial replacers of both high starch feeds and poorer quality fibre sources such as hay, there will be no loss of athletic performance and there will also be an improvement in the overall condition of the horse.

Fibre-Beet at Foulrice Park Racing Patrick Holmes, Foulrice Park Racing: “Prevention is always better than cure.

“Fibre-Beet helps to protect the horses from gastric ulcers as the pectins in the beet pulp soak up stomach acid and line the gut wall.

“We didn’t have to completely change our existing feed regime, we just added FibreBeet to enhance what was already working for us. The results speak for themselves.

Condition of the horses has noticeably improved with numerous ‘Best Turned Out’ wins and most importantly they are performing well on the track.”

www.britishhorsefeeds.com F O U L R I C E PA R K R AC I N G

British Horse Feeds

June_142_AdFeaturev2_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 13:05 Page 85

FOCUS ON...

Nutrition Tips For Yearlings

Feeding any young, growing animal takes expertise; mistakes made in these crucial developmental stages will impact on the future. Sales preparation can be a stressful time for yearlings and even more so for those trying to get them there looking at their best. We have therefore asked some leading experts in the field of nutrition for advice on striking the correct balance and what ingredients we should be looking for in our choice of feed, writes Lissa Oliver

Preparing a yearling for the sales takes patience and skill: get it right and the result will be reflected in the selling price “In order to compete at two or three years, yearlings need to be on a high plane of nutrition in order to grow well and undertake early training.” So says Dr Tom Shurlock of British Horse Feeds, in advice to those producing yearlings for the sales and those looking to purchase, the former group trying to achieve the optimum in fitness for both the sales ring and a future career on the track. But how is this best achieved without compromising the natural growth and wellbeing of the young horse?

Dr Shurlock warns: “Traditionally, high protein/high starch feeds are fed. This will help develop muscle and a level of growth, but to concentrate solely on athletic prowess is not enough. Feeding for muscular development, circulation and stamina takes priority, but people should not ignore equally important organs – the gastro-intestinal tract and the skeleton.”

He explains: “Gut development is critical for future ability and correct development is needed to ensure the gut is at a stage of maturity that can service the training needed to produce a competing youngster. The single most important nutrient for an optimal development of a performing gut is fibre. Fibre moderates stomach and intestinal acidity, provides a physical framework for peristaltic

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Dr Tom Shurlock: on the case with regard to yearling nutrition

contractions pushing food along its length and the profile of the fibre helps ensure suitable populations of microflora, and subsequent energy generation. A mix of cellulosic and non-

cellulosic, soluble and insoluble fibres can provide an ideal profile and high energy, and contain a range of ‘functional’ nutrients that enhance and support normal gut function.”

Research has shown that yearlings are not negatively impacted when fed quality fibre instead of starch as their main energy source and we know that fibre is critical in avoiding gastric ulcers.

“Fast growth needs to be matched to good skeletal growth,” Dr Shurlock also warns. “The supply of calcium and phosphorus is paramount, but as important are the omega-3 and omega6 fats. Omega-3 plays a part in bone deposition, omega-6 activates bone resorption. It is a dynamic process that enables controlled growth but does depend on a good 3:6 ratio. Feeding linseed, sunflower or fish oil will help ensure a skeleton that keeps up with muscular development. Therefore, to present a yearling that is both physically and internally ready for intense training, a diet that contains good quality fibre and high omega-3 oils, rather than cereals and soya oil, is the better option.”

British Horse Feeds suggest using FibreBeet, a blend of Speedi-Beet, alfalfa and oat fibre supplemented with biotin, sodium and calcium, an easily digested soluble fibre for

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FOCUS ON...

“Prepping yearlings is

a balance between producing them to look impressive whilst remaining healthy” >>

slow energy release, along with low starch and sugar. Fibre-Beet is designed to be fed wet, the most natural way to feed your horse, and is ideal for those needing to control starch intake. Fibre-Beet and a balancer, plus a good forage, are all the horse in light work needs for a fully-balanced diet.

When it comes to good forage, the quality of hay being fed should never be compromised and Haygain Steamers ensure the horse is not ingesting dust and spores. Haygain provide a range of scientifically proven hay steamers that eliminate respirable dust in hay and haylage by killing mould spores and bacteria to produce hygienically clean forage. The number of spore colonies grown from just one gram of untreated good quality dry hay on a microbial media has been recorded as high as 7.75 million. Yet after steaming with Haygain no detectable spores were found.

The steamers are particularly valuable in helping to maintain a healthy respiratory and digestive system when horses are kept inside their stables for long periods of time, when they are therefore at the risk of increased exposure to dust from forage, bedding and feed. The HG-GO portable hay steaming system enables consignors to travel light, leaving their main Haygain unit at home, whilst still maintaining a consistent quality of forage when away at the sales.

Noel Brennan: Head Nutritionist at Connolly’s Red Mills

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Haygain provide a range of scientifically proven hay steamers Irish-based TRM provide plenty of practical tips and advice in-store and online and point out: “The drive for perfection in sales prep relies to a large part on the influence of feeding and nutrition on body condition, muscle definition, hoof and coat condition and behaviour. Some horses may have been prepared very slowly to achieve the end result at the sales, but a large majority rely on an intensive six-eight week period of preparation immediately before the sales begin.”

TRM also recommends feeding to influence the skeletal system and hoof condition.

“Robustness of the skeleton and structure and quality of hoof horn are so important for these ‘athletes in waiting’. Macro mineral as well as trace mineral intake supports bone density.

TRM’s Calphormin provides this additional calcium, as well as a balance of other trace minerals. Uniquely, Calphormin also contains zeolite, which has been shown to promote the durability of the skeleton during subsequent training.” Foot quality and conformation is another area of focus for potential buyers and TRM’s Hoofmaker provides vital nutrients including biotin, zinc and targeted amino acids including methionine.

Connolly’s Red Mills offer Horse Care 14 Cubes, which can be used to top up an existing diet and is an excellent feed for prepping for sales. Also suitable as the main diet where only small amounts of grain may be fed, Horse Care 14 is ideal for shy or fussy eaters, with a highenergy formula for growth and condition, and elevated levels of vitamins and minerals for bone development in youngstock, as well as high protein for muscle development. Noel Brennan, Head Nutritionist, says: “Horse Care 14 Cubes are suitable for all horses, especially those prone to gastric ulcers, those that get fizzy

on high grain (starch) diets, and it really settles horses, while supporting performance.”

Grocare Balancer is Connolly’s Red Mills’ unique balancer for broodmares, stallions and youngstock, containing high spec vitamins and minerals for sound musco-skeletal development and a low starch high nutrient formula for controlled growth rates. Brennan recommends: “It is particularly suitable if the normal concentrate feeding rate is reduced due to the yearling being too forward, showing any signs of OCD, or becoming hyper on high starch feeds.”

Clare Barfoot, Research and Development Manager at Mars Horsecare UK Ltd, explains: “Prepping yearlings for the sales is a delicate balance between producing them to look impressive, whilst remaining healthy and keeping a calm head. Spillers Prep Mix has been specially formulated for thoroughbred sales prep with a palatable blend of rolled oats and flaked barley and maize, delivering a careful balance of nutrients from quality protein to support growth and muscle development. Chelated trace elements are included for optimum bone health, and oil to put a fantastic bloom on the coat. Nutrition is the foundation of good health and will help you reach your sales potential in the ring.”

Inner health and weight are not the only considerations, however, and what everyone wants come sales time is an athletic mover, so Classic Equine Services offer Synomedic Joint supplement as an integral part of any sales preparation. “Due to the intensive strain exerted on immature equine joints during sales preparation, it is essential to maintain high levels of soundness and mobility to guarantee optimum results,” explains Eva O’Donoghue MVB MRCVS, Director of Classic

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_AdFeaturev2_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 13:05 Page 87

NUTRITI ON T I PS F OR Y E A R L I NGS Equine Services. “Synomedic Joint is a unique all-in-one product that protects the musculoskeletal system when it’s needed most.”

Synomedic Joint ensures maximum results by maintaining the necessary high levels of soundness and mobility.

The world of supplements can also be a minefield and many products are wasted in unnecessary use. Laurence Newton at Farm & Stable provides a guide to what we should be looking for, available to view at farmstable.com, and explains, “Equine supplementation consists of a variety of nutraceuticals, pharmaceutical and herbal supplements for a broad range of ailments and health benefits.

“Muscle and skeletal bone growth supplementations include the product Sodium Zeolite, which acts as the building blocks for bone calcification in horses. Sodium Zeolite is a fundamental requirement for the development of bone in the young horse.

“Joint supplements can be used as a preventative measure by keeping joints lubricated for horses under training pressure. Joint care can include glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphate supplements, which increase the levels of glycosaminoglycan’s (GAGs), the building blocks of the equine cartilage matrix.”

Newton continues, “Iron and B complex vitamin supplements are needed for red blood cell formulation and important metabolic functions relating to equine exercise. Iron enriched B supplements are essential in cases of equine anaemia.

“Sulphur-enriched hoof horn growth supplements include key zinc and methionine nutrients and are a great way to optimise and enhance hoof growth while also improving hoof integrity.”

He concludes, “Probiotic equine feed supplements offer control of gastric disturbances, gastric ulcers and diarrhoea in sport horses and foals, which can all be triggered by stress.”

Louise Radford of Merial concurs and warns: “The faster you respond to equine stomach ulcers, the greater your chance of reducing the painful and damaging effects of this serious condition. You can help by looking for changes in your horse and reporting them to your veterinarian, including any changes in eating and drinking behaviour, weight loss, change in attitude, recurrent colic, dull hair coat, and foals may also grind their teeth or lay on their backs.”

Merial’s equine division works with veterinarians and horse owners through educational programmes and online tools, to optimise the health and wellbeing of horses and, as a result, offers a range of targeted products against common parasites, infectious equine diseases and numerous other health concerns.

Gastrogard is the only proven and FDA-approved treatment for equine stomach ulcers and contains specially formulated omeprazole that acts at the source of acid production. Unlike other, unproven products, which attempt to coat the stomach lining or neutralise acidity, Gastrogard inhibits the proton pump that produces stomach acid. With fewer active pumps, the horse’s stomach produces enough acid to break down food, but not the excess acid that causes ulcers.

Finally, if you really want to be sure you have everything in harmony, Saracen Horse Feeds, who work in partnership with US-based Kentucky Equine Research (KER), can scientifically aid and monitor growth rate.

Saracen already produce a broad range of feeds, including Stud Prep 14, a high oil sales prep mix for putting on even body condition and topline, but now also provide KER’s Gro-Trac programme as a free service to stud farm clients, which can also be leased annually.

Gro-Trac is the first equine growth-monitoring software that allows breeders to compare the growth rates of their stock with those of young horses of similar age, sex and breed from the same country, or from around the world. Body weight, wither height and body condition score data has been collected from nearly 20,000 thoroughbreds in the USA, England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and India. By using this database of growth records, breeders can quickly assess, track and manage foals and yearlings from birth within the GroTrac programme.

In short, by working with your feed supplier’s equine nutritionist and by utilising resources now available to breeders, yearling prep may not be made simpler, but could be a lot less stressful to both horse and human.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Smith & Williamson OB June 2016_Smith & Williamson OB June 2016 17/05/2016 11:44 Page 1

Staff accommodation and taxation Employers who are in a position to offer accommodation have a real advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff. The provision of free or subsidised accommodation can be a crucial factor when an individual values their overall remuneration package. Ensuring that the remuneration packages are structured appropriately, taking into account the HMRC rules, FDQ EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W WKH HPSOR\HU DQG DQ\ SRWHQWLDO HPSOR\HH

Providing Accommodation It is important to distinguish between the various types of potential accommodation offered as the tax treatment of each is quite different.

Board and lodging This provision of accommodation can be applied, for tax purposes, where an employee cannot live independently. This is a test undertaken by HMRC. However, the absence of facilities to store, prepare or cook their own food is a key deciding factor when making the assessment.

Very few stable staff will meet the strict conditions for the tax exemptions afforded by board and lodging.

Living accommodation 7KLV LV JHQHUDOO\ GHĂ&#x20AC;QHG DV D location in which the employee has the use of a refrigerator and cooking facilities. Such accommodation could include a cottage, a hostel shared by a number of staff, a bed-sit or a room in a property rented or owned by another.

Stable staff will be exempt from tax on living accommodation if the following conditions are met: â&#x20AC;˘ The employee lives within the curtilage of the yard (regardless of grade); or â&#x20AC;˘ The employee is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Grade Aâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as per WKH 17) GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWLRQ ² +HDG /DG Travelling Head Lad, Assistant Trainer or senior staff - and, in addition, has access to motorised transport and lives within a 5 mile radius of the yard or otherwise can reach the yard within 10 minutes; or â&#x20AC;˘ The employer can satisfy HMRC WKDW WKH HPSOR\HH TXDOLĂ&#x20AC;HV IRU exemption on other grounds.

The employee is not permitted to sub-let the property and must have responsibility for looking after the horses outside of normal working hours.

If an employee meets the above conditions they are exempt from tax RQ WKH EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W RI DFFRPPRGDWLRQ this also includes council tax and water rates paid by the employer.

The exemption from tax does not apply, if: â&#x20AC;˘ The employee arranges their own accommodation and the cost is reimbursed by the trainer; â&#x20AC;˘ The employee has the continuing right at any time to give up the accommodation in return for a higher wage; â&#x20AC;˘ The employee is a director of the company providing the accommodation (unless the employee is a full time working director and controls less than 5% of the company).

The ownership criteria can be complex and can include the holdings of immediate family members.

National Insurance contributions (NIC) Where an employee meets the requirements for exempt living accommodation there will be no Class 1A NIC liability on the value of accommodation provided. However, LI DQ HPSOR\HH GRHV QRW IXOĂ&#x20AC;O WKH criteria for tax exemptions, living accommodation will be regarded DV D ÂśEHQHĂ&#x20AC;W LQ NLQG¡ DQG WKH employer will be liable to Class 1A NIC on the taxable value of the living accommodation.

The rules for the taxation of an employer providing accommodation are complex so it may be worth KDYLQJ D TXDOLĂ&#x20AC;HG SURIHVVLRQDO UHYLHZ \RXU RSWLRQV

Smith & Williamson OB June 2016_Smith & Williamson OB June 2016 17/05/2016 11:44 Page 2

Costs of occupation

Historical agreements

Even if the accommodation is tax free, an employee will have to pay tax and NIC on their share of the following expenses if borne by the employer:

Trainers may have historic agreements in place with HMRC that certain employees are exempt from tax on the provision of living accommodation, which normally remain valid provided the circumstances are the same as at inception. Trainers seeking to rely on such a historic agreement are recommended to ensure that circumstances have not materially changed since it was agreed.

â&#x20AC;˘ Heating, lighting or cleaning â&#x20AC;˘ Internal decoration and repairs â&#x20AC;˘ Telephone bills The use of furniture and appliances is also a taxable element of the provision of accommodation. The annual taxable amount is based upon 20% of the cost of the items when Ă&#x20AC;UVW SURYLGHG WR WKH HPSOR\HH If the employee is charged for the cost of heating and lighting this should be deducted from net pay, i.e. after the deduction of both Income Tax and National Insurance.

There is no equivalent agreement for stud staff and so each employer will need to negotiate an individual arrangement with HMRC. The general rules as to the tax status of accommodation will apply unless there is a separate agreement in place.

The rules for the taxation of an employer providing accommodation are complex and, whilst trainers are provided with guidance, it PD\ EH ZRUWK KDYLQJ D TXDOLĂ&#x20AC;HG professional review your employee accommodation options. This should provide peace of mind and ensure neither you, your employee or your business has any surprises in the future.

Peter Treadgold Partner, Assurance and Business Services W 01722 431085 H peter.treadgold@smith.williamson.co.uk

6PLWK :LOOLDPVRQ LV DQ LQGHSHQGHQWO\ RZQHG SURIHVVLRQDO DQG Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO VHUYLFHV JURXS ZLWK RYHU SHRSOH 7KH JURXS LV D OHDGLQJ SURYLGHU RI LQYHVWPHQW PDQDJHPHQW Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO DGYLVRU\ DQG DFFRXQWDQF\ VHUYLFHV WR SULYDWH FOLHQWV SURIHVVLRQDO practices and mid-to-large corporates.

The team advises on business, accounting and taxation issues for clients across the equestrian sector from thoroughbred breeders, trainers and owners to those working in eventing, dressage and show jumping.

smith.williamson.co.uk 2IĂ&#x20AC;FHV London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Dublin (City and Sandyford), Glasgow, Guildford, Jersey, Manchester, Salisbury and Southampton.

%\ QHFHVVLW\ WKLV EULHĂ&#x20AC;QJ FDQ RQO\ SURYLGH D VKRUW RYHUYLHZ DQG LW LV HVVHQWLDO WR VHHN SURIHVVLRQDO DGYLFH EHIRUH DSSO\LQJ WKH FRQWHQWV RI WKLV DUWLFOH 1R UHVSRQVLELOLW\ FDQ EH taken for any loss arising from action taken or refrained from on the basis of this publication. Details correct at time of writing. The tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.

Smith & Williamson LLP Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. A member of Nexia International. The word partner is used to refer to members of Smith & Williamson LLP.

June_142_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 11:54 Page 90

VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By ROB PILSWORTH MRCVS

The facts about bleeding Lasix is banned on racedays but in training it can help to prevent bleeding after strong exercise, a progressive condition which can worsen with age

What is EIPH? Just as its name suggests, exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage is bleeding into the lung stimulated by vigorous exercise. The lung is effectively like a large ‘sponge’, containing many millions of small air-filled pockets called alveoli, which are connected by tiny tubes through succeeding interconnections to the trachea and eventually to the air intake in the horse, the nostrils. The purpose of the lung is

90

BEN MASON

I

f you drive through Newmarket between 3am and 4am on a gallop day, you might be forgiven for thinking a night shift had just finished, as there are more cars on the road than you might expect. Most of these belong to veterinary surgeons calling from yard to yard to inject horses which are due to gallop with the diuretic furosemide (known as ‘Lasix’) in order to prevent them bleeding in their exercise.

What used to be a relative rarity has become increasingly commonplace over the last ten years for one simple fact: racehorse trainers have learned that preventing bleeding during training gallops by using furosemide helps to mitigate the progression of the performanceaffecting condition in their horses known as exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH).

In 2015, a new organisation was formed, the Thoroughbred Health Network. This is a collaborative project between various thoroughbred industry organisations based mainly in the north of England and Scotland.

It is supported by the Universities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, the BHA, the Racing Foundation, the National Trainers’ Federation and Racehorse Owners Association, among others. The aim of this group is to encourage the exchange of equine health knowledge and continue to drive forward the adoption of best practice standards in the care of the racehorse. ‘Bleeding’ was amongst the first subjects to be analysed in-depth, and a three-part investigation is available on their website at: http://www.thoroughbredhealthnetwork.co.uk.

The group’s main endeavour is to tease apart information for which we have good scientific evidence from information based only on anecdote or previous dogma. After its review of every aspect of EIPH we can now summarise with some certainty several key points.

Figure 1 Examination of the inside of the trachea and lung using a fibre-optic endoscope is a more reliable way of assessing whether or not a horse has ‘bled’ and in scoring the degree of lung-bleeding, in this case quite severe

to take in oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide, and to do this, the tiny tubes which supply air to and fro, from the nostrils to the alveoli, have to be free of obstruction. If the lungs become filled even to a partial degree with liquid, such as blood, on the inside of these airways, then the potential for absorption of oxygen from the air being breathed is dramatically reduced and the horse simply ‘runs out of puff’.

Why does it occur?

The honest answer is we don’t know. What we do know is that the bleeding comes from the small blood vessels called capillaries, which are there to supply the substance of the lung with nutrients from the blood stream, rather than from the blood vessels which are present to pick up the oxygen. We also know that the degree of bleeding seems to be linked to a degree of hypertension (high blood pressure) in these blood vessels. What we don’t know is why some horses succumb to this high blood pressure and others do not.

How common is it?

Many studies have been done on the frequency of occurrence of bleeding during racing. Not all of them have used the same end-point for

determining whether the horse had bled or not. Some use the presence of blood at the nose only (See figure 2). Others have used evidence of bleeding at a microscopic level following sampling of the deep recesses of the lung. The majority, however, have based the occurrence of bleeding and ranked its intensity examining the inside of the trachea (‘windpipe’) using an endoscope (see figure 1).

The blood in the trachea has come from the lung, it does not originate in the site we are assessing. What we are looking at is the end stage of a process which involves tiny amounts of blood bursting into the alveoli as the capillaries supplying them break, and this ‘ooze’ of blood slowly accumulating as the tiny airways coalesce until we see it as a pool at the thoracic inlet or splattered up the walls of the trachea when the horse has tried to cough it out. Endoscopic surveys usually rank the frequency of occurrence at around 70%.

In a very large study involving over 1,000 horses led by Hinchcliffe and his group in South Africa, a figure of 68% of the occurrence of EIPH agreed with this ‘ballpark’ figure. They found horses showing no sign of EIPH were two times more likely to win a race than horses showing grade 1-3 haemorrhage, and six times THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

June_142_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 11:54 Page 91

level playing field and this is considered by the BHA to be a step too far.

more likely to win a race than a horse showing grade 4 haemorrhage. In other words, the severity of the bleeding was definitely linked to the impairment of form.

Are there welfare issues?

Is it treatable?

BEN MASON

As yet there is no documented treatment that will cure a horse prone to EIPH. With severely affected horses, treatment usually involves removal from training and several months of pasture turn-out. In some racing jurisdictions this is mandatory for any horse showing blood at the nose on more than one occasion.

Long-term treatment with drugs such as antibiotics and corticosteroids has been attempted, and usually failed to have any effect.

There is good evidence that this disease is progressive in nature, and also strong evidence that it is linked to age, increasing in incidence in the older horse. This has led many clinicians to ponder over whether the best thing to do is to try to prevent bleeding, rather than cure the condition, and this is where attention has focused on the diuretic furosemide (Lasix).

What does Lasix do?

In 2015, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) published a consensus statement which was the result of a meeting of expert minds on the subject of EIPH. Here the ACVIM had gathered together seven internationally renowned experts on the condition to review the evidence for all of the factors involved in EIPH. Their conclusion was that there is strong evidence that the use of furosemide at 0.5 – 1ml per kg given intravenously four hours before strenuous exercise does in fact decrease the severity and incidence of bleeding.

This simple fact is something that most racehorse practitioners would have believed for many years, but at least now it has been unequivocally documented using large trials of real horses, racing on the track, with and without the use of furosemide. They also accepted that there was reasonably strong evidence that the use of Lasix decreases the pulmonary vasculature blood pressure, which we know is the inciting cause of the burst blood vessels.

Furosemide, however, is a diuretic, acting on the kidney and causing increased urination, so why should it have an effect on lung blood pressure? What seems to happen is that when the drug is administered and the horse urinates excessively, there is a movement of fluid between the various compartments within the body systems. This results in a reduction in the blood volume circulating within the blood vessels. This decrease in blood volume seems to impact on the blood pressure within the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

The idea of injecting horses with diuretics, and then depriving them of water for three hours prior to galloping may make some uneasy.

Whilst the horses clearly can’t tell us how they feel, human patients who use Furosemide in the treatment of conditions as congestive heart failure or liver disease do not report any feelings of thirst.

The movement of fluid between the different compartments within the body is something they are simply not aware of. Watching horses return from their gallops, horses which have had pre-treatment with furosemide seem no more thirsty than those which have not. All of them like a good drink on return to their stable, but this is normal following a gallop irrespective of prior treatment. We have been using Furosemide for long enough now to be fairly confident that there are no other untoward longterm side-effects of which we are unaware.

Why is it used in training?

Figure 2 Blood at the nose is the exception, and usually means the horse has suffered a fairly severe lung-bleed, but not all horses will show this; some will cough up and swallow the blood, and leave no external signs

pulmonary vasculature, therefore making the link between the kidney and the lung, and explaining the effect.

Why is the use of furosemide not permitted in racing in the UK? Given that drugs such as antibiotics and ‘wormers’ are now permitted during racing, one might wonder why a drug shown to be effective in reducing the occurrence and degree of lung bleeding is still banned. The reason for this is another finding which was accepted by the consensus group as having reasonably strong evidence, and that is that the use of furosemide is linked to improved racing performance, whether the horse bleeds or not.

In large studies carried out on Standardbred trotting horses, the finishing times of every race position from the winner down to eighth was faster with horses receiving Furosemide than when not receiving it. In another study, individual horses either received or didn’t receive furosemide during succeeding races, and every single horse showed increased performance when on Furosemide compared to when it was not. Allowing Furosemide to be used in racing would effectively mean that every horse would have to race on it to maintain a

Given the use of Furosemide is not permitted on raceday, one might ask the question why trainers go to the expense of having horses injected with this drug in the early hours of the morning in order to prevent them bleeding during training, when this treatment will have no effect on the horse when it is racing. The answer to this question comes from evidence gleaned some years ago by a large study in Newmarket by James Wood and Richard Newton, then both at the Animal Health Trust.

One of the things that their study showed was that the incidence of the presence of blood in the trachea following a gallop was greatly increased if the horse had shown blood in the trachea following a gallop in the preceding month. Whilst not establishing that ‘previous form’ is a causative factor, it did support the clinical view formed by many racehorse veterinary surgeons that bleeding was an example of a vicious circle, where the presence of blood in the lung seems to stimulate changes which makes it even more likely that the horse will bleed in subsequent exercise. This is the entire rationale for using Furosemide as a training adjunct, in that all that the vet and trainer are trying to do is to prevent the horse bleeding during its exercise, and therefore slow or halt the progressive nature of the disease.

There are many things we still don’t know about EIPH and we are still searching for an effective treatment for established ‘bleeders’.

What we do seem to have is a relatively effective preventative measure, which can in certain instances, help prevent progression of this debilitating disease in our racehorses.

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June_142_DrStatz_Owner Breeder 20/05/2016 13:01 Page 92

DR STAT JOHN BOYCE CRACKS THE CODE

Earnings an outdated indicator to measure success of stallions Assessing quality of mares covered and their performance with other sires is a better guide

‘

V

alue added’ is a phrase we’re all used to in our day-to-day lives, but it’s not one we fully embrace in the bloodstock industry. Our performance data, particularly when it comes to stallions, is still very rudimentary and in all honesty hasn’t changed much over the years. Our champion sires are still decided by earnings, when earnings have become more and more unreliable as a barometer of racing class.

Even in racing jurisdictions such as Japan, where earnings and racing class are still closely aligned, it is still problematic to use earnings as the ultimate measure of success. Stallions who for one reason or another don’t have enough racecourse representation tend to fare poorly. In this column in the recent past I have commented on how the British system tends to discriminate against sprint sires, whose stock on average campaign for less prize-money than the runners by a typical middle-distance sire.

Even if earnings were a fair system by which to judge stallions, it still tells us absolutely nothing about opportunity. Which of our stallions get the best help from their mares? And what is the typical distribution of good mares between the stallions that produce runners of different aptitudes? Our table this month is a state of play among the main British and Irish stallions, albeit some may have moved on to other countries, as we launch into the new season. It ranks active stallions by their lifetime northern hemisphere ratio of black-type winners to runners, and also gives the same ratio for the collective siblings of each sire’s runners. Additionally, we have listed the average winning distance of the stallion’s runners aged three and up, plus the average Timeform rating of the stallion’s black-type winners and the same average for their runners’ siblings.

Predictably, our leaderboard is dominated by Galileo and Dubawi. Galileo has the upper hand

Taghrooda, a daughter of Sea The Stars who won the Oaks and King George

Top ten sires by career %BTW-Rnrs (200+ runners) Stallion

AWD

Galileo

10.9

Dubawi

9.0

Oasis Dream

7.6

Dansili Pivotal Sea The Stars Shamardal Teofilo Invincible Spirit Dalakhani

%BTW

AvTFR

Sib %BTW

AvTFR

15.0

114

13.6

113

13.9

115

10.5

113

11.6

113

12.3

113

9.3

11.4

114

10.8

113

7.8

11.3

111

9.0

112

10.3

11.2

111

20.5

114

8.0

10.1

115

10.5

113

10.1

10.0

111

8.8

112

7.3

8.9

112

7.8

111

10.8

8.6

114

11.7

113

in terms of ratio of black-type winners, while the Dubawi runners are marginally superior by Timeform rating. What’s significant about these two – and it’s a fact that defines them – is that both are outscoring their opportunity figures and both are producing a higher-class blacktype winner than other sires managed with their mares. In terms of the aptitude of their stock, there is nearly two furlongs between them.

Galileo’s stamina index of almost 11 furlongs is ideal to exploit the major middle-distance races, while Dubawi’s runners are generally more speed orientated.

Oasis Dream is without doubt the leader when it comes to speed, which his recent stars Muhaarar and Goldream attest to. However, there is no doubt that he’s covered outstanding mares during his career and his comparable indices suggest that he’s just about capable of matching what other sires have achieved from his mares. In his case, he’s been given plenty of opportunities with stouter pedigrees, which is one reason for the high score of his runners’ siblings (12.3).

His stud companion Dansili is an out-and-out success as is Cheveley Park Stud’s Pivotal, according to the comparable figures. In his early years he upgraded

poorer mares by leaps and bounds, but as his success earned him better and perhaps stouter mares, his career didn’t go through the roof. It’s perhaps significant that the average Timeform rating of his black-type winners is 4lb behind the best. Most of this can of course be attributed to the fact that he sires primarily fast horses, which tend to have poorer ratings than their middle-distance counterparts.

The sixth stallion on our table is Sea The Stars, who has the potential to rise even higher.

Perhaps you have already noticed the unusually high sibling strike-rate of 20.5%, which is almost seven points higher than his brother Galileo’s 13.6%. It is clear to me that Sea The Stars’ early books contained unusually high numbers of older proven mares, hence this high score. And the simple fact is, it has held the outstanding son of Cape Cross back to some extent. This is most evident by the average Timeform rating of his black-type winners.

It’s 3lb behind his mares’ other runners and 3lb behind his great half-brother.

I believe Sea The Stars might have been seen in a better light had his books featured a better balance between younger and older mares. Others of note include speed sire Invincible Spirit, who has outscored his opportunity figures.

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93

June_142_DataBook_Layout 1 20/05/2016 12:27 Page 94

DATA BOOK ANALYSIS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD

European Pattern 4 QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS G1 NEWMARKET. Apr 30. 3yoc&f. 8f.

1. GALILEO GOLD (GB) 9-0 £283,550 ch c by Paco Boy - Galicuix (Galileo) O-Al Shaqab Racing B-Mr B. O’Rourke TR-Hugo Palmer 2. Massaat (IRE) 9-0 £107,500 b c by Teofilo - Madany (Acclamation) O-Mr Hamdan Al Maktoum B-Shadwell Estate Co Ltd TR-Owen Burrows 3. Ribchester (IRE) 9-0 £53,800 b c by Iffraaj - Mujarah (Marju) O-Godolphin B-A. Thompson & M. O’Brien TR-Richard Fahey Margins 1.5, 2. Time 1:35.90. Going Good to Soft.

Age 2-3

Starts 6

Wins 4

Places 2

Earned £438,282

Sire: PACO BOY. Sire of 7 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Galicuix by Galileo. ran twice at 3. Dam of 1 winner: 2013: GALILEO GOLD (c Paco Boy) Sold 26,190gns yearling at TISEP. 4 wins at 2 and 3, Qipco 2000 Guineas G1, Qatar Vintage S G2, 3rd Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere Grand Crit G1.

2014: Choumicha (f Paco Boy) unraced to date.

2015: (c Champs Elysees) 2nd Dam: Clizia by Machiavellian. unraced. Dam of GOLDREAM (g Oasis Dream: King’s Stand S G1, Qatar Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp G1) Broodmare Sire: GALILEO. Sire of the dams of 49 Stakes winners. In 2016 - GALILEO GOLD Paco Boy G1, VANQUISH RUN Deep Impact G2, DARTMOUTH Dubawi G3, KHUSOOSY Hard Spun G3, DREAMTIME DANCER Danehill Dancer LR, LA CRESSONNIERE Le Havre LR, NEAR ENGLAND Lord of England LR, ZHUKOVA Fastnet Rock LR.

GALILEO GOLD ch c 2013 Danzig Foreign Courier High Top Organza Canton Silk Pampapaul Sandhurst Prince Blue Shark Mummy’s Pet Rossaldene Palestra Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Mr Prospector Machiavellian Coup de Folie Highest Honor Cuixmala Floripedes Green Desert

Desert Style PACO BOY b 05 Tappen Zee

Galileo GALICUIX ch 08 Clizia

There was very little wrong – and an awful lot right – about Paco Boy’s racing career. Two wins in three starts as a juvenile were followed by Gr1 victories at the ages of three, four and five, with his Gr1 triumphs coming over the fashionable distances of seven furlongs and a mile. Arguably less fashionable was his pedigree, as was underlined by the fact he went through the sales ring four times before he raced, for a top price of 30,000gns as a two-year-old.

Consequently, Paco Boy’s fee was set no higher than £8,500 when he retired to Highclere Stud, before dropping to £8,000 in each of the next three years. The Highclere team set the level about right, as Paco Boy’s first three crops number 95, 88 and 90 foals, but he then found it harder to maintain his popularity. He covered only 44 mares in his fourth season, in 2014, and around 70 mares in 2015, when his fee went up to £9,000 following Group successes

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for his first-crop sons Beacon and Smaih in 2014. Even though his second crop came up with another Group-winning two-year-old in Galileo Gold, Paco Boy’s services are priced at only £6,500 in 2016.

No doubt that will all change now that Galileo Gold has taken the 2,000 Guineas. The immediate question was whether Galileo Gold would stay well enough for the Derby; a subsequent genetic test, suggesting he is a pure miler, means we might not be finding out the answer any time soon. Paco Boy never landed a blow on his only attempt beyond a mile and within a few months he was tried back at six furlongs in the July Cup, finishing a respectable fourth. There is little in Paco Boy’s pedigree to suggest that he would have stayed more than a mile, as it consists largely of milers and sprinters.

It is a different story with the bottom half of Galileo Gold’s pedigree. His dam Galicuix is by Galileo and comes from the female line that produced Montjeu. As Montjeu sired four of the last 11 Derby winners, with Galileo siring three of the others, these sons of Sadler’s Wells have exerted a powerful grip on the Epsom Classic.

Galileo Gold’s link to Montjeu comes via his unraced half-sister Cuixmala, the third dam of Galileo Gold. Their dam Floripedes won the Gr3 Prix de Lutece over 15 furlongs and was a half-sister to Dadarissime, a triple Group winner over distances just short of two miles. Dadarissime’s sire Highest Honor also sired Cuixmala. This is also the family of Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Again, sired by another member of the Danzig male line.

Galicuix’s racing record will provide hope for any breeder who can’t afford a well-performed filly, as she finished last in maidens at Sandown and Salisbury on her only runs. She was bought back by her vendor for 14,500gns at the 2011 December Sales and was again knocked down to her vendor, this time at 14,000gns, a year later. She was carrying Galileo Gold at the time. Both Galicuix and the weanling Galileo Gold were offered at the 2013 December Sales, with the mare selling for 8,000gns a few days after Galileo Gold had been led out unsold at only 7,500gns.

The youngster must have thrived after, as he sold for €33,000 as a yearling. Galicuix has also proved a bargain, as the Paco Boy filly she was carrying made £280,000 as a yearling, after Galileo Gold had won the Gr2 Vintage Stakes. The yearling also benefited from the Gr1 King’s Stand Stakes success of Goldream, a half-brother to Galicuix. Goldream, who also took the Gr1 Prix de l’Abbaye, is by a son of Green Desert (Oasis Dream), whereas Galileo Gold is by a grandson, sired by Desert Style.

40 QIPCO 1000 GUINEAS G1 NEWMARKET. May 1. 3yof. 8f.

1. MINDING (IRE) 9-0 £297,019 b f by Galileo - Lillie Langtry (Danehill Dancer) O-Mr D. Smith, Mrs J. Magnier, Mr M. Tabor B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt TR-Aidan O’Brien 2. Ballydoyle (IRE) 9-0 £112,606 b f by Galileo - Butterfly Cove (Storm Cat) O-Mr M. Tabor, D. Smith & Mrs John Magnier B-March Thoroughbreds TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Alice Springs (IRE) 9-0 £56,356 ch f by Galileo - Aleagueoftheirown (Danehill Dancer) O-Mrs John Magnier,Mr M.Tabor & Mr D.Smith B-Lynch - Bages & Longfield Stud TR-Aidan O’Brien Margins 3.5, 0.5. Time 1:36.50. Going Good.

Age 2-3

Starts 6

Wins 4

Places 2

Earned £762,404

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 225 Stakes winners. In 2016 MINDING Danehill Dancer G1, THE UNITED STATES Pivotal G1, FOUND Intikhab G3, MIDTERM Oasis Dream G3, MIZZOU Darshaan G3, PHOTO CALL Rock of Gibraltar G3, US ARMY RANGER Dalakhani G3, APPLE BETTY Mozart LR, BLACK SEA Lemon Drop Kid LR, BONDI BEACH Danehill LR, PRETTY PERFECT Danehill LR, SAYANA Danehill LR, SEVENTH HEAVEN Johannesburg LR. 1st Dam: LILLIE LANGTRY by Danehill Dancer. 5 wins at 2 and 3, Coronation S G1, Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron S G1, 3rd Moyglare Stud S G1. Dam of 2 winners: 2012: KISSED BY ANGELS (f Galileo) Winner at 3, Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial G3.

2013: MINDING (f Galileo) Champion 2yr old filly in Europe in 2015. 4 wins at 2 and 3, Dubai Fillies’ Mile S G1, Moyglare Stud S G1, Qipco 1000 Guineas G1, 2nd Breast Cancer Research Debutante S G2.

2014: How (f Galileo) in training.

2015: (f Galileo) 2nd Dam: Hoity Toity by Darshaan. unraced. Dam of LILLIE LANGTRY (f Danehill Dancer, see above), COUNT OF LIMONADE (c Duke of Marmalade: Dubai Duty Free Celebration S LR, 3rd Jebel Ali Anglesey S G3, Airlie Stud Gallinule S G3). Grandam of MASTER APPRENTICE. Broodmare Sire: DANEHILL DANCER. Sire of the dams of 53 Stakes winners. In 2016 - MINDING Galileo G1, BACIAMI PICCOLA Equiano G3, MUSIC MAGNATE Written Tycoon G3, SUYOOF Magic Albert G3, BRILLIANT CRIMSON Trippi LR. The Galileo/Danehill Dancer cross has produced: MINDING G1, WEDDING VOW G1, Alice Springs G1, QUEST FOR PEACE G2, Beacon Rock G2, Criteria G2, Lahinch Classics G2, BE MY GAL G3, KISSED BY ANGELS G3, RECORDER G3, Kingston Jamaica G3, Noble Galileo G3, Queen Nefertiti G3, INDIAN MAHARAJA LR, KIND OF MAGIC LR, Facade LR, Felix Mendelssohn LR, Seussical LR.

MINDING b f 2013 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge GALILEO b 98 Miswaki Urban Sea Allegretta Danehill Danehill Dancer Mira Adonde LILLIE LANGTRY b/br 07 Darshaan Hoity Toity Hiwaayati

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Mr Prospector Hopespringseternal Lombard Anatevka Danzig Razyana Sharpen Up Lettre d’Amour Shirley Heights Delsy Shadeed Alathea

Not for the first time, Galileo was represented by first, second and third in a Classic when Minding, Ballydoyle and Alice Springs proved too strong for the opposition in the 1,000 Guineas. Bearing in mind that Galileo has had three winners of the Irish 1,000 Guineas and one of the French version, it is rather surprising that this

was the first time a Galileo filly has triumphed in the Newmarket contest, though Cuis Ghaire and Together had finished second in 2009 and 2011 respectively. Perhaps Minding was helped by being out of a Gr1-winning daughter of Danehill Dancer, sire also of the 1,000 Guineas winners Speciosa and Legatissimo.

When I reviewed Minding’s pedigree after the first of her three Gr1 successes, I pointed out that Galileo’s partnership with Danehill Dancer mares had the potential one day to match the outstanding results Galileo has enjoyed with daughters of Danehill. The updated figures are that 34 daughters of Danehill Dancer have 69 foals of racing age by Galileo.

Thirty of the 43 starters have won and eight have become black-type winners. Six of those eight have scored at Group level, with the six also featuring Minding’s year-older sister Kissed By Angels, winner of the Gr3 1,000 Guineas Trial. Those six represent nearly 9%, with more Group winners likely to emerge from the 69 foals, which also include Minding’s two-year-old sister How (born on May 17, compared to Minding’s February 10). Another seven of the 69 have been Group-placed, including the Guineas third Alice Springs, and a total of 19 – 27.5% – have earned black type.

Minding’s sister Kissed By Angels finished last in the Irish Oaks on her only appearance over a distance longer than a mile and their dam, the Coronation and Matron Stakes winner Lillie Langtry, never tackled more than a mile. It therefore cannot be taken for granted that Minding will stay a mile and a half, but it must be in her favour that her second dam, Hoity Toity, is a daughter of Darshaan.

Galileo’s Group winners out of Darshaan mares include Alandi (Irish St Leger and Prix du Cadran) and the Gr3 winners Ernest Hemingway, Mizzou, Feel Like Dancing, Shataram and Sevenna, all of whom won Group races over further than a mile and a half. Remember too that Danehill Dancer sired an Oaks winner in Dancing Rain and he also went very close with Legatissimo.

Lillie Langtry’s dam, the Darshaan filly Hoity Toity, made only 15,000gns as a two-year-old as part of the Gainsborough Stud draft at the 2002 December Sales. Hoity Toity hadn’t raced and neither had her dam, the Shadeed mare Hiwaayati. Hiwaayati also hadn’t made a huge impact with her first six foals, her only black-type performer being her Bering filly Sweet Emotion (later to become the dam of the smart Winged Cupid).

On the plus side, Hoity Toity’s dam was a half-sister to two brothers by Nureyev that won Gr2 races now classified as Gr1. The first, Lead On Time, took the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the second, the Classicplaced Great Commotion, won the Cork and Orrery (Diamond Jubilee) Stakes. Minding’s fifth dam, Vive La Reine, was a sister to the brilliant Vaguely Noble and produced the Champagne Stakes winner R B Chesne.

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Caulfield on Minding: “It cannot be taken for granted that she will stay a mile and a half, but it must be in her favour that her second dam, Hoity Toity, is a daughter of Darshaan”

41 PRIX GANAY G1 SAINT-CLOUD. May 1. 4yo+. 2100m.

1. DARIYAN (FR) 4 9-2 £126,044 b c by Shamardal - Daryakana (Selkirk) O-H.H. Aga Khan B-HH The Aga Khan's Studs Sc TR-A. de Royer Dupre 2. Silverwave (FR) 4 9-2 £50,426 b c by Silver Frost - Miss Bio (River Mist) O-Hspirit B- Mlle M-L Collet, J Collet & Mme M Collet TR-P Bary 3. Garlingari (FR) 5 9-2 £25,213 b h by Linngari - Garlinote (Poliglote) O-Mme Corine Barande-Barbe B-Mme C Barande Barbe & Mme J-J Massy TR-Mme C Barande-Barbe Margins 1.25, 3. Time 2:07.72. Going Good.

Age Starts Wins Places Earned 3-4 10 4 5 £536,875 Sire: SHAMARDAL. Sire of 93 Stakes winners.

In 2016 - DARIYAN Selkirk G1, TRYSTER Riverman G1, BOW CREEK Most Welcome G2, USHERETTE Maria’s Mon G2, ARTISTRY Belong To Me G3, ROYAL SOLITAIRE Nashwan LR, WILDPARK Mark of Esteem LR.

1st Dam: DARYAKANA by Selkirk. 5 wins at 3 in France, Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase G1, 3rd Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud G1.

Dam of 1 winner: 2012: DARIYAN (c Shamardal). 4 wins at 3 and 4 in France, Prix Ganay G1, P.Eugene Adam (G.P.de Maisons-Laffitte) G2, 2nd Prix Guillaume d’Ornano-Logis St Germain G2, SkyCargo Dubai City of Gold S G2, 3rd Longines Hong Kong Vase G1.

2013: Darabad (c Dansili) 2014: Devamani (c Dubawi) unraced to date.

Grade G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3

Storm Cat Giant’s Causeway Mariah’s Storm SHAMARDAL b 02 Machiavellian Helsinki Helen Street Sharpen Up Selkirk Annie Edge DARYAKANA ch 06

2nd Dam: DARYABA by Night Shift. Champion 3yr old filly in France in 1999. 3 wins at 3 in France Prix de Diane Hermes G1, Prix Vermeille G1.

Dam of DARYAKANA (f Selkirk, see above), DARAMSAR (c Rainbow Quest: Prix du Conseil de Paris G2), DARAYBI (c Street Cry: Prix Marchand d’Or LR, 3rd Prix des Chenes G3), Daryamar (c Machiavellian: 2nd Prix du Pont-Neuf LR) Broodmare Sire: SELKIRK. Sire of the dams of 60 Stakes winners. In 2016 - DARIYAN Shamardal G1, FITYAAN Haafhd G3, POETA DILETTO Poet’s Voice G3, ALTESSE Hernando LR, CITY OF HARMONY Rebuttal LR, MISTER UNIVERSE Cape Cross LR.

Group 2 and 3 Races Date 03/04 03/04 03/04 07/04 07/04 10/04 10/04 10/04 10/04 10/04 12/04 13/04 14/04 14/04 16/04 16/04 16/04 17/04 17/04 18/04 20/04 20/04 20/04 22/04 22/04 22/04 24/04 24/04 24/04 24/04 27/04 27/04 28/04 30/04 30/04 01/05 01/05 01/05

DARIYAN b c 2012

Race (course) Big Bad Bob Gladness Stakes (Curragh) Prix Edmond Blanc (Saint-Cloud) Prix La Force - Figaroscope (Saint-Cloud) Prix Djebel (Maisons-Laffitte) Prix Imprudence (Maisons-Laffitte) Prix d’Harcourt (Chantilly) Prix Sigy (Chantilly) XTIP Fruhjahrsmeile (Dusseldorf) Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial Stakes (Leopardstown) P W McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes (Leopardstown) Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes (Newmarket) Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes (Newmarket) Connaught Flooring Abernant Stakes (Newmarket) Novae Bloodstock Insurance Craven Stakes (Newmarket) Betfred Fred Darling Stakes (Chelmsford City) Betfred Greenham Stakes (Chelmsford City) Betfred John Porter Stakes (Chelmsford City) K.Baronin von Ullmann Schwarzgold Rennen (Cologne) Premio Ambrosiano (Milan) Prix Penelope (Saint-Cloud) Prix Noailles (Chantilly) Prix de Fontainebleau (Chantilly) Prix de la Grotte (Chantilly) bet365 Mile (Sandown Park) bet365 Classic Trial (Sandown Park) bet365 Gordon Richards Stakes (Sandown Park) Prix de Barbeville (Chantilly) P. der SWK Stadwerke Dr Busch Memorial (Krefeld) Premio Parioli 2000 Guineas (Rome) Premio Regina Elena 1000 Guineas (Rome) Longines Sagaro Stakes (Ascot) Merribelle Stable Pavilion Stakes (Ascot) Prix Allez France (Chantilly) Dunaden at Overbury Jockey Club Stakes (Newmarket) Pearl Bloodstock Palace House Stakes (Newmarket) Charm Spirit Dahlia Stakes (Newmarket) Prix du Muguet (Saint-Cloud) pferdewetten.de Bavarian Classic (Munich)

Dist 7f 8f 10f 7f 7f 10f 6f 8f 7f 10f 7f 9f 6f 8f 7f 7f 13f 8f 10f 10.5f 10.5f 8f 8f 8f 10f 10f 15f 8.5f 8f 8f 16f 6f 10f 12f 5f 9f 8f 10f

Horse Onenightidreamed (IRE) Maimara (FR) Cloth of Stars (IRE) Cheikeljack (FR) Spectre (FR) Garlingari (FR) Quiet Reflection (GB) Guiliani (IRE) Jet Setting (IRE) Harzand (IRE) Nathra (IRE) Mahsoob (GB) Magical Memory (IRE) Stormy Antarctic (GB) Marenko (GB) Tasleet (GB) Dartmouth (GB) Parvaneh (IRE) Circus Couture (IRE) Camprock (FR) Raseed (GB) Dicton (GB) Qemah (IRE) Toormore (IRE) Midterm (GB) My Dream Boat (IRE) Fly With Me (FR) Millowitsch (GER) Poeta Diletto (GB) Conselice (GB) Mizzou (IRE) Gifted Master (IRE) Marypop (FR) Exosphere (GB) Profitable (IRE) Usherette (IRE) Vadamos (FR) Isfahan (GER)

Night Shift Daryaba Darata

The Aga Khan must be considering a stallion career for Dariyan now that this son of Shamardal has become a Gr1 winner in the prestigious Prix Ganay.

Shamardal is already shaping up as a sire of sires, as Lope de Vega has made a bright start and the first yearlings by the inexpensive Casamento were very popular at the 2015 sales.

Dariyan had shown Gr1 potential prior to the Ganay, finishing second to the top

Age 5 4 3 3 3 5 3 5 3 3 3 5 4 3 3 3 4 3 4 3 3 3 3 5 3 4 6 3 3 3 5 3 4 4 4 4 5 3

Sex G F C C F H F H F C F H G C F C C F C F C C F H C C H C C F H G F C C F H C

Sire Footstepsinthesand Makfi Sea The Stars Myboycharlie Siyouni Linngari Showcasing Tertullian Fast Company Sea The Stars Iffraaj Dansili Zebedee Stormy Atlantic Exceed And Excel Showcasing Dubawi Holy Roman Emperor Intikhab Myboycharlie Dubawi Lawman Danehill Dancer Arakan Galileo Lord Shanakill Beat Hollow Sehrezad Poet’s Voice Showcasing Galileo Kodiac Layman Beat Hollow Invincible Spirit Shamardal Monsun Lord of England

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colts New Bay and Postponed after his victory in the Gr2 Prix Eugene Adam.

He is the first foal of the very smart Selkirk mare Daryakana, who has since produced colts by Dansili and Dubawi and a filly by Redoute’s Choice.

Daryakana demonstrated her class with five victories as a three-year-old, including one in the Gr1 Hong Kong Vase, and she was a very close third in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at four.

Daryakana’s dam Daryaba did even better, winning both the Prix de Diane and Prix Vermeille. Daryaba’s other stakes winners included the very smart Gr2 winner Daramsar.

Dariyan’s fourth dam, Darazina, also ranked as the third dam of Darsi (Prix du Jockey-Club in 2006) and fourth dam of Darjina (2007 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches), so this has been an important family for the Aga Khan since he acquired Darazina as part of the Marcel Boussac bloodstock upheaval in the late 1970s.

Dam Pivotalia Hideaway Heroine Strawberry Fledge Senderlea Inez Garlinote My Delirium Guadalupe Mean Lae Hazariya Rada Mooakada Marasem Bea Remembered Safina Bird Key Galatee College Fund Girl Bois Joli Camporese Sudoor Saying Kartica Danetime Out Midday Betty Burke Bird of Paradise Muriel Mia Diletta Dictatrix Moments of Joy Shobobb Sampaguita Bright And Clear Dani Ridge Monday Show Celebre Vadala Independent Miss

Broodmare Sire Pivotal Hernando Kingmambo Giant’s Causeway Dai Jin Poliglote Haafhd Monsun Johannesburg Xaar Danehill Montjeu Cadeaux Genereux Doyen Pivotal Cadeaux Genereux Galileo Kahyasi Orpen Sadler’s Wells Fantastic Light Giant’s Causeway Rainbow Quest Danetime Oasis Dream Choisir Highest Honor Fath Selkirk Diktat Darshaan Shamardal Muhtathir Danehill Indian Ridge Maria’s Mon Peintre Celebre Polar Falcon

Index 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 42 43 44

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DATA BOOK

National Hunt Grade 1s 244 BETFRED ANNIVERSARY JUVENILE HURDLE G1 AINTREE. Apr 7. 4yo. 16f 110yds.

1. APPLE’S JADE (FR) 10-7 £56,437 b f by Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever (Nkosi) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr R. Coveliers TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Ivanovich Gorbatov (IRE) 11-0 £21,367 b g by Montjeu - Northern Gulch (Gulch) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud TR-Aidan O’Brien 3. Azzuri (GB) 11-0 £10,777 b g by Azamour - Folly Lodge (Grand Lodge) O-The Blind Squirrels B-Shutford Stud TR-Dan Skelton Margins 41, 0.5. Time 4:16.60. Going Soft.

Age 3-4

Starts 5

Wins 4

Places 1

Earned £154,691

Sire: SADDLER MAKER. Sire of 5 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - APPLE’S JADE Nkosi G1, BRISTOL DE MAI April Night G1, ALPHA DES OBEAUX Saint Preuil G2, LABEL DES OBEAUX Loup Solitaire G2, VERDURE DES OBEAUX Dom Pasquini LR. 1st Dam: APPLE’S FOR EVER by Nkosi. 5 wins over jumps in France. Dam of 3 winners: 2009: APPLE’S MAELYS (f Saddler Maker) 7 wins over jumps at 4, 5 and 7 in France.

2010: MADAME APPLE’S (f Saddler Maker) Winner over jumps in France.

2011: Le Sete For Ever (f Saddler Maker) ran over jumps in France.

2012: APPLE’S JADE (f Saddler Maker) 3 wins, AES Champion 4yo Hurdle G1, Betfred Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle G1, Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle G2, 2nd JCB Triumph Hurdle G1.

Broodmare Sire: NKOSI. Sire of the dams of 1 Stakes winner.

APPLE’S JADE b f 2012 Nearctic Natalma Sadler’s Wells Bold Reason Fairy Bridge Special SADDLER MAKER b 98 Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout Animatrice Val de L’Orne Alexandrie Apachee *unregistered Catherston Zulu VII *unregistered Nkosi Early Alarm Call Dutch Gold Ofc VII Joli Folie VII APPLE’S FOR EVER b 00 Succes Le Pontet Arielle Apple’s Girl Son of Silver Silver Girl Our Best Northern Dancer

Unquestionably the most spectacular display of the Aintree meeting came in the Anniversary 4YO Juvenile Hurdle, when the French-bred Irish filly Apple’s Jade strolled home with an advantage of 41 lengths over Ivanovich Gorbatov, her conqueror in the Triumph Hurdle. This was her third win from four starts, with all three wins being gained when the ground was soft or heavy. The going was good for the Triumph, which was Apple’s Jade’s first start for nearly three months.

Apple’s Jade’s emergence as a very exciting prospect was another feather in the cap of her late sire, the 18-year-old Saddler Maker. In a career hampered by injury, Saddler Maker failed to win when he finally raced as a five- and six-year-old, his biggest cheque coming when third in a Longchamp handicap over nearly two miles. However, his bloodlines were so good that they outweighed his failings on the track. As a son of Sadler’s Wells and the Alleged mare

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Animatrice, he was closely related to Poliglote, a champion sire both on the Flat and over jumps in France.

Animatrice, a Classic-placed halfsister to Poliglote, also produced the Gr3 winner Sadler’s Flag to Sadler’s Wells.

Based at Haras de Cercy until his death last month aged 18, with his 2016 fee set at €2,000 Saddler Maker overcame an initial lack of numbers to sire the likes of Bristol de Mai (a Gr1 winner over hurdles and fences), Alpha des Obeaux (Gr2 Galmoy Hurdle in 2016) and Label des Obeaux (Gr2 Winter Novices’ Hurdle in 2015), in addition to Apple’s Jade. Three of them were second at Gr1 level at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

Apple’s Jade jumps with great verve, which is interesting in view of the fact that her broodmare sire, Nikos, sired that spectacular jumper Master Minded. Nikos was most effective over seven furlongs and a mile but that didn’t stop him siring a Prix du Cadran winner in Nononito and jumpers of the calibre of Cenkos (twice a winner of the Celebration Chase), Nakir (Arkle Chase at Cheltenham), Encore Un Peu (runnerup in the 1996 National), Eric’s Charm (second in what was the Whitbread) and Fataliste (Top Novices’ Hurdle).

Apple’s Jade’s dam, Apple’s For Ever, won over hurdles and fences at up to two and a half miles. Apple’s For Ever now has three winners from four runners, all by Saddler Maker. This pairing also has a 2014 filly and the mare has a 2015 colt by Montmartre.

Apple’s Girl, the second dam, was a seven-time winner over jumps. Her sire Le Pontet won the French Champion Hurdle and numbered the 1994 King George VI winner Algan among his best winners, along with Le Pontif, the top French jumper of 1984, and As Des Carres, the top-earning four-year-old of 1991.

245 BETFRED BOWL CHASE G1 AINTREE. Apr 7. 5yo+. 24f 110yds.

1. CUE CARD (GB) 10 11-7 £84,655 b g by King’s Theatre - Wicked Crack (King’s Ride) O-Mrs Jean R. Bishop B-Mr R. T. Crellin TR-Colin Tizzard 2. Don Poli (IRE) 7 11-7 £32,050 b g by Poliglote - Dalamine (Sillery) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Brian J Griffiths & John Nicholson TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Djakadam (FR) 7 11-7 £16,165 b g by Saint des Saints - Rainbow Crest (Baryshnikov) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mr R. Corveller TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 9, 8. Time 6:41.20. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-10

Starts 31

Wins 14

Places Earned 13 £1,079,755

Sire: KING’S THEATRE. Sire of 88 Stakes winners.

NH in 2015/16 - BELLSHILL Be My Native G1, CARLINGFORD LOUGH Furry Glen G1, CUE CARD King’s Ride G1, JUNCTION FOURTEEN Roselier G2, MENORAH Strong Gale G2, MINELLA FORU Topanoora G2, SOLITA Erins Isle G2, THE NEW ONE Turgeon G2, DIAMOND KING Belmez G3, FETHARD PLAYER Supreme Leader G3, THEATRE GUIDE Denel G3.

1st Dam: Wicked Crack by King’s Ride. 6 wins, 3rd

McCabe Builders Ltd. Boyne Hurdle G2 (twice), 2nd Digifone Kinloch Brae Chase G2, Tote John Hughes Rehearsal H. Chase G2. Dam of 2 winners: 2003: (c Definite Article) 2004: HIDDEN CRACK (g Lahib) 5 wins.

2006: CUE CARD (g King’s Theatre) Sold 48,261gns yearling at TIFEB. 14 wins, Weatherbys Champion Bumper NH Flat Race G1, Cheltenham Collection Sharp Nov. Hurdle G2, 2nd stanjames.com International Hurdle G2, John Smith’s Mersey Novices Hurdle G2, William Hill King George VI Chase G1, Betfair Ascot Chase G1, Ryanair Festival Trophy Chase G1, Betfred Bowl Chase G1, Betfair Lancashire Chase G1 (twice), Bet365 Charlie Hall Chase G2, Sportingbet Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2, 2nd Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, William Hill King George VI Chase G1, John Smith’s Melling Chase G1 (twice), Fullers London Pride Berkshire Nov Chase G2, 3rd BetVictor Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2.

2007: For A Laugh (g Westerner) unraced.

2008: The Wicked Kipper (f King’s Theatre).

Broodmare.

2013: (c Beneficial) 2014: (c Gold Well) 2015: (f Milan) Broodmare Sire: KING’S RIDE. Sire of the dams of 17 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - CUE CARD King’s Theatre G1, TULSA JACK Urban Ocean G2, FIREBIRD FLYER Winged Love LR.

CUE CARD b g 2006 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge KING’S THEATRE b 91 Princely Native Regal Beauty Dennis Belle Rarity King’s Ride Ride WICKED CRACK b 93 Deep Run Mighty Crack Treize

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Raise A Native Charlo Crafty Admiral Evasion Hethersett Who Can Tell Sovereign Path Turf Pampered King Trial By Fire Thirteen of Diamonds Clear Bay

2003:

2004: 2005: 2007: 2008:

2009: 2010:

HEAD WAITER (g Lend A Hand) 7 wins, 2nd Listowel Races Supp.Club Lartigue Hurdle G3, Owens Mccarthy Claims H. Chase G3, 2nd Carrickmines Mick Holly H. Chase G2.

ATHENEUM (c Noverre) 6 wins at 3 to 5 in Hungary.

Manuels Sister (f Lend A Hand) ran twice in N.H. Flat Races. Broodmare.

AIR TROOPER (g Monsun) 2 wins at 3 in France, Prix de l’Avre LR. ANNIE POWER (f Shirocco) 15 wins, Stan James Champion Chall.Trophy Hurdle G1, Doom Bar Aintree Hurdle G1, Irish Stall.

Farms EBF Mares Nov. Hurdle G1, Irish Stall.Farms EBF Mares Chpn. Hurdle G1 (twice), paddypower.com Johnstown Novice Hurdle G2, Coral Ascot Hurdle G2, olbg.com Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle G2, 2nd Ladbrokes World Hurdle G1.

Kalucci (g Kalanisi) Anna’s Star (f Hernando) unraced.

2nd Dam: ANNA PAOLA by Prince Ippi. Champion 2yr old in Germany in 1980, Champion 3yr old filly in Germany in 1981. 5 wins at 2 and 3 in West Germany Preis der Diana G2. Dam of ANNO LUCE (f Old Vic, see above), ATLAAL (g Shareef Dancer: Bic Razor Lanzarote H. Hurdle LR, James Capel Novices’ Chase LR). Grandam of POZARICA, ANNABA, ANNUS MIRABILIS, ANNA OF SAXONY, MIDDLE CLUB, PIPING ROCK, SADLERS WINGS, Anna Mona, Andean, Anna Royal, Ancelin, Abyaan. Third dam of HELMET, EPAULETTE, ANNA MONDA, SMOOTH OPERATOR, PEARLS, AUTUMN GLORY, BULLBARS, ANNA PALARIVA. Broodmare Sire: OLD VIC. Sire of the dams of 29 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ANNIE POWER Shirocco G1, BONNY KATE Beneficial G2.

ANNIE POWER ch m 2008 Konigsstuhl Monsun Mosella SHIROCCO b 01 The Minstrel So Sedulous Sedulous Sadler’s Wells Old Vic

See race 42 in the January issue

Cockade ANNO LUCE ch 93

246 DOOM BAR AINTREE HURDLE G1

Prince Ippi Anna Paola Antwerpen

AINTREE. Apr 7. 4yo+. 20f.

1. ANNIE POWER (IRE) 8 11-0 £113,072 ch m by Shirocco - Anno Luce (Old Vic) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-E. Cleary TR-W. P. Mullins 2. My Tent Or Yours (IRE) 9 11-7 £42,932 b g by Desert Prince - Spartan Girl (Ela-Mana-Mou) O-Mr John P. McManus B-F. Dunne TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Nichols Canyon (GB) 6 11-7 £21,752 b g by Authorized - Zam Zoom (Dalakhani) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 18, 9. Time 5:06.00. Going Soft.

Age 4-8

Starts 17

Wins 15

Places 1

Earned £715,234

Sire: SHIROCCO. Sire of 35 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ANNIE POWER Old Vic G1, ROCK THE KASBAH In The Wings G3, MINELLA ROCCO Alleged LR. 1st Dam: ANNO LUCE by Old Vic. 4 wins at 2 to 4 at home, Germany, P.der Hannoverschen Sparkassen & der VGH G3, 3rd Preis der Diana - Deutsches Stuten Derby G2. Dam of 6 winners: 1999: ALOOF (f Rahy) Winner at 3 in France.

Broodmare.

2000: Anno Mundi (f Red Ransom). Broodmare.

Dam of GIANTOFAMAN (g Stowaway: 2 wins over hurdles, boylesports.com M.Purcell Mem.Nov Hurdle G2), Stowaway Shark (g Stowaway: Winner over hurdles in 2016, 2nd INH Stallion Owners EBF Novice Hp Hurdle G2) 2001: ANGELENO (f Belong To Me) Winner at 3 in France. Dam of LADY PIMPERNEL (f Sir Percy: 5 wins at 2 to 4 at home, USA, Robert J Frankel S G3, 3rd Yellow Ribbon H G2)

Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Monasia Northern Dancer Fleur Tap On Wood Pendulina Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Derring-Do Camenae Imperial Prinzess Addi Waldcanter Adelsweihe

See race 202 in the May issue 247 MERSEYRAIL MANIFESTO NOVICES’ CHASE G1 AINTREE. Apr 7. 5yo+. 19f 110yds.

1. ARZAL (FR) 6 11-4 £56,319 b/br g by Vendangeur - Ghostaline (Ghost Buster’s) O-The Hennessy Six B-D. Gouin & A. Racape TR-Harry Whittington 2. L’Ami Serge (IRE) 6 11-4 £21,249 b g by King’s Theatre - La Zingarella (Phardante) O-Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede B-P. Ryan TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Sizing John (GB) 6 11-4 £10,659 b g by Midnight Legend - La Perrotine (Northern Crystal) O-Ann & Alan Potts Partnership B-Dr B. & S. Mayoh TR-Henry de Bromhead Margins 8, 16. Time 5:08.20. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 14

Wins 5

Places 6

Earned £106,640

Sire: VENDANGEUR. Sire of 1 Stakes winner.

1st Dam: Ghostaline by Ghost Buster’s. Dam of 3 winners: 2000: MIESCISKO (g Signe Divin) 9 wins.

2007: Trimaran (g Until Sundown) 2008: UNESKO (g Della Francesca) 3 wins.

2010: ARZAL (g Vendangeur) 5 wins, Merseyrail Manifesto Novices’ Chase G1, 2nd grandnational.co.uk Lightning Nov.Chase G2, 3rd williamhill.com Wayward Lad Nov. Chase G2.

2011: Balisko (g Day Flight) Broodmare Sire: GHOST BUSTER’S. Sire of the dams of 2 Stakes winners.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Caulfield on Ballyoptic: “He represents a fitting farewell to his sire Old Vic, as he’s one of only two thoroughbred foals conceived in 2009, when the French and Irish Derby hero was 23”

ARZAL b/br g 2010 Sadler’s Wells Galileo Urban Sea VENDANGEUR b 03 Alysheba Vahine Virunga Pampabird Ghost Buster’s Diala GHOSTALINE b 94 Radetzky Marsch Volinska Prasline

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Miswaki Allegretta Alydar Bel Sheba Sodium Vale Pampapaul Wood Grouse Viceregal Lange Forli Rock Diamond Kouban Carline II

Galileo’s first crop produced an impressive number of Group winners, led by Sixties Icon, Red Rocks, Nightime and Allegretto. Less well known on this side of the Channel was Vendangeur, a Wildenstein homebred who looked a very smart stayer in the making when he won the Gr2 Prix Chaudenay at three.

Unfortunately, Vendangeur never raced at four and he wasn’t in great demand when he retired to stud in 2008, with only ten foals resulting.

Subsequent crops numbered 19, 39, 15, 16, 3 and 5, so he has hardly had numbers on his side. However, the 19 foals in his second crop include Arzal, who turned in a careerbest effort when he took the Manifesto Novices’ Chase by eight lengths. That improved his record over fences to three wins and three seconds from seven starts, but there will be no more, as this free-running gelding died from an infection a few weeks later.

None of Arzal’s first three dams was a winner. Indeed, his dam Ghostaline didn’t show much talent.

Fourth once in a non-thoroughbreds’ race on the Flat, she was pulled up in four of her nine starts over jumps.

However, Arzal was her third winner from her first four foals. Arzal’s broodmare sire, Ghost Buster’s competed at up to nearly two miles on the Flat during a career which yielded two wins from 18 starts.

248 BETFRED MILDMAY NOVICES’ CHASE G1 AINTREE. Apr 8. 5yo+. 25f 110yds.

1. NATIVE RIVER (IRE) 6 11-4 £56,319 ch g by Indian River - Native Mo (Be My Native) O-Brocade Racing B-F. Mackey TR-Colin Tizzard 2. Henri Parry Morgan (GB) 8 11-4 £21,249 b g by Brian Boru - Queen of Thedaises (Over The River) O-Ednyfed & Elizabeth Morgan B-J. R. Bryan TR-Peter Bowen 3. Blaklion (GB) 7 11-4 £10,659 b g by Kayf Tara - Franciscaine (Legend of France) O-S Such & CG Paletta B-Mrs M. D. W. Morrison TR-Nigel Twiston-Davies Margins 3, 3.75. Time 6:27.60. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 15

Wins 6

Places 5

Earned £148,144

Sire: INDIAN RIVER. Sire of 6 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - NATIVE RIVER Be My Native G1, KEPPOLS QUEEN Soviet Lad G3.

1st Dam: Native Mo by Be My Native. unraced. Dam of 2 winners: 2001: Milford Woman (f Taipan) unraced.

Broodmare.

2002: (f Good Thyne) 2003: ORPHEUS VALLEY (g Beneficial) 4 wins, Guinness H. Chase G1.

2004: Holmshill Gill (f Exit To Nowhere) unraced.

2005: 2007: 2009: 2010:

2012: 2013: 2015:

Broodmare.

Kilcamin Bay (g Luso) unraced.

Mo Bury (f Overbury) unraced. Broodmare. (f Milan) NATIVE RIVER (g Indian River) 6 wins, 32redsport.com Plymouth Novices’ Hurdle LR, Betfred Mildmay Novices’ Chase G1, Bet365 Worcester Novices’ Chase G2, 2nd National Hunt Challenge Cup Chase LR, 3rd Kauto Star N. Clark Feltham Nov Chase G1, Totepool Towton Novices’ Chase G2.

Mahler Ten (g Mahler) unraced. (g Milan) (f Jeremy)

Broodmare Sire: BE MY NATIVE. Sire of the dams of 50 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BELLSHILL King’s Theatre G1, NATIVE RIVER Indian River G1, COLMS DREAM Beneficial G2, FELIX YONGER Oscar G2, PAIROFBROWNEYES Luso G2, ROADIE JOE Golan G2.

NATIVE RIVER ch g 2010 Nijinsky Green Valley Sea Hawk II Come To Sea Camarilla Meadow Mint Funny Hobby Zakyna Lanark The Lark Norman Lass Exclusive Native Our Native Our Jackie Strate Stuff Witchy Woman Witchy Norma Pampered King Deep Run Trial By Fire Royal Buck Belle of The West Shelly River Green Dancer

Cadoudal INDIAN RIVER b 94 The Fun

Be My Native NATIVE MO b 96 Milford Run

There are now several ex-French jumping stallions available to British and Irish breeders, but it was a different story a dozen years ago. One of the first to arrive was Indian River, a son of Cadoudal – France’s perennial champion jumping stallion. Indian River had won six times over hurdles and fences, including in the Gr3 Prix du President de la Republique, a handicap chase over nearly three miles. There was a fair amount of interest in him after his arrival in Ireland in the autumn of 2005, but this interest had begun to fade until the emergence of his son Madison du Berlais as a high-class staying chaser.

This gelding easily defeated Denman in a Gr2 at Newbury in February 2009 and then showed his liking for Aintree in winning the Gr2 Bowl Chase over a furlong more than three miles.

As a result Indian River covered his largest book – 128 thoroughbred mares – in 2009. One of the 70-plus foals from this crop is Native River, another who has shone over Aintree’s extended three-mile course. Forcibly ridden in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase, he outstayed his rivals – as might have been expected of a horse who had recently finished second over four miles. Indian River’s Irish foals also include Keppols Queen, a dual Gr3 winner over hurdles.

Native River has a traditional Irish jumping pedigree, his first two dams being daughters of the champion sires Be My Native and Deep Run, and his third dam being the useful chaser Belle Of The West. His dam Native Mo has another good winner to her credit in the Beneficial gelding Orpheus Valley, winner of the Grade A Guinness Handicap Chase at

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Punchestown. The next dam, the bumper winner Milford Run, had a distinguished half-brother in Minella Lad, a very smart winner of seven of his 11 races over hurdles.

249 DOOM BAR SEFTON NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 AINTREE. Apr 8. 4yo+. 24f 110yds.

1. BALLYOPTIC (IRE) 6 11-4 £56,270 b g by Old Vic - Lambourne Lace (Un Desperado) O-Mills & Mason Partnership B-R. Ryan TR-Nigel Twiston-Davies 2. Bellshill (IRE) 6 11-4 £21,200 b g by King’s Theatre - Fairy Native (Be My Native) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-F. Motherway TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Potters Legend (GB) 6 11-4 £10,610 b g by Midnight Legend - Loose Morals (Luso) O-Mrs J. May B-F. S. and Mrs May TR-Lucy Wadham Margins Neck, 13. Time 6:17.90. Going Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 9

Wins 4

Places 3

Earned £65,883

Sire: OLD VIC. Sire of 59 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BALLYOPTIC Un Desperado G1, KILLULTAGH VIC Phardante G2, PENDRA Over The River G3, VILLAGE VIC Garde Royale G3.

1st Dam: Lambourne Lace by Un Desperado. ran 3 times in N.H. Flat Races and ran once over hurdles.

Dam of 4 winners: 2004: (g Alflora) 2005: CHICAGO OUTFIT (g Old Vic) 5 wins over fences to 2015.

2006: VICTOR ECHO (g Old Vic) Winner of a N.H. Flat Race.

2008: Fallingofthemoon (f Presenting) unraced.

2009: PEOPLES PARK (g Presenting) 2 wins over hurdles at 5 and 6.

2010: BALLYOPTIC (g Old Vic) 3 wins over hurdles at 6, Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle G1.

2011: Sharp Response (g Oscar) unraced.

2013: (f Milan) Broodmare Sire: UN DESPERADO. Sire of the dams of 7 Stakes winners.

The Old Vic/Un Desperado cross has produced: BALLYOPTIC G1, CARRAIG MOR G1.

BALLYOPTIC b g 2010 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OLD VIC b 86 Derring-Do Cockade Camenae Top Ville Un Desperado White Lightning LAMBOURNE LACE b 97 Connaught Connaught Lace Frivolity

Vic is already transferring his hurdling talent to fences, and so too should Ballyoptic in time. Their predecessors include the likes of Kicking King, Our Vic and the Grand National winners Comply Or Die and Don’t Push It, plus Racing Demon, Snoopy Loopy, Black Apalachi, Vic Venturi, In Compliance, Sunnyhillboy and Village Vic. Of course Old Vic also sired the dam of the remarkable Annie Power.

Ballyoptic’s dam Lambourne Lace shares the same sire, Un Desperado, as the triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate. Lambourne Lace didn’t show much ability but she is a half-sister to Storm Damage, a useful three-mile chaser, and this is also the family of Prominent Profile, a useful hurdler/chaser who stayed three miles.

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Darius Sipsey Bridge Vimy Madrilene High Top Sega Ville Baldric II Rough Sea St Paddy Nagaika Varano Primlace

250 IMAGINE CRUISING TOP NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 AINTREE. Apr 8. 4yo+. 16f.

1. BUVEUR D’AIR (FR) 5 11-4 £42,203 b g by Crillon - History (Alesso) O-Potensis Bloodstock Ltd & Chris Giles B-Gerard Ferte TR-Nicky Henderson 2. Petit Mouchoir (FR) 5 11-4 £15,900 gr g by Al Namix - Arnette (Denham Red) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr P. Gueret TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Limini (IRE) 5 10-11 £7,958 ch m by Peintre Celebre - Her Grace (Spectrum) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Sir E. J. Loder TR-W. P. Mullins Margins Neck, 8. Time 4:04.50. Going Good to Soft.

Age 3-5

Starts 8

Wins 5

Places 3

Sire: CRILLON. Sire of 4 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BUVEUR D’AIR Alesso G1, JEMY BAIE Mansonnien G3.

1st Dam: History by Alesso. Dam of 4 winners: 2003: PUNCHESTOWNS (g Morespeed) 9 wins, BGC Long Walk Hurdle G1, 2nd Ladbrokes World Hurdle G1, Totepool Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase G1.

2004: Quiet Story (f Franc Bleu Argent) ran on the flat in France. Broodmare.

2005: RACKHAM LEROUGE (g Fado) 7 wins.

2007: TISTORY (g Epalo) 5 wins.

2011: BUVEUR D’AIR (g Crillon) 5 wins, 2nd Betfair Bumper Standard Open NH Race LR, Imagine Cruising Top Novices’ Hurdle G1, 3rd Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1.

Broodmare Sire: ALESSO. Sire of the dams of 2 Stakes winners.

BUVEUR D’AIR b g 2011 Rainbow Quest Saumarez Fiesta Fun

Plenty of stamina is required to win the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle over an extended three miles, as was demonstrated in 2015, when Thistlecrack triumphed. The 2016 edition threw up another example in Old Vic’s son Ballyoptic. This six-yearold, a graduate from the point-to-point sector, is now unbeaten in three starts over hurdles, the first two over two and a half miles.

Ballyoptic represents a fitting farewell to his sire Old Vic, as he’s one of only two thoroughbred foals conceived in 2009, when the 1989 French and Irish Derby hero was 23.

Old Vic’s last sizeable crop, foaled in 2009, also contains a notable performer in Killultagh Vic. Killultagh

Earned £81,071

CRILLON b 96 Riverman Shangrila Garden Green Alleged Alesso Leandra HISTORY b 95 Altayan Clair Deux Lune Lili Dancer

Blushing Groom I Will Follow Welsh Pageant Antigua Never Bend River Lady Pinturischio Focal Hoist The Flag Princess Pout Luthier Ady Endre Posse Aleema Evainqueur Keen Dancer

The French imports were again on target in the Top Novices’ Hurdle, taking the first two places. Victory went to Buveur d’Air, who had arrived at the Nicky Henderson yard as a winner of two bumpers for nonthoroughbreds in France.

After gaining more experience in bumpers, he switched to hurdling

97

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DATA BOOK

National Hunt Grade 1s during the 2015-16 season and has now won three of his four starts. In the process he has arguably developed into the best winner sired

by Crillon, a very useful performer who did most of his winning at around 15 furlongs.

While Crillon may not be a familiar name, Buveur d’Air is the fourth British or Irish winner to represent his dam History, a lightly-raced selle français mare. Her first foal, the Morespeed gelding Punchestowns, was sparingly raced as an older horse but became a Gr1 winner over hurdles and fences, at up to three miles.

It is perhaps a little surprising, on pedigree, that Buveur d’Air has been kept to around two miles so far. His sire stayed well, as did his aforementioned half-brother Punchestowns, and so did his broodmare sire Alesso.

This French St Leger runner-up passed on his stamina to his son Baracouda, one of the finest staying hurdlers.

Buveur d’Air’s second dam was another lightly-raced maiden called Clair Deux Lune, but his third dam Lili Dancer was a prolific cross-country winner, often at around three miles.

251 JLT MELLING CHASE G1 AINTREE. Apr 8. 5yo+. 19f 110yds.

1. GOD’S OWN (IRE) 8 11-10 £112,788 b g by Oscar - Dantes Term (Phardante) O-Crossed Fingers Partnership B-Mrs C. O’Driscoll TR-Tom George 2. Al Ferof (FR) 11 11-10 £42,748 gr g by Dom Alco - Maralta (Altayan) O-Mr J. Hales B-Mr J. Rauch & Mr G. Chenu TR-Dan Skelton 3. Clarcam (FR) 6 11-10 £21,628 b g by Califet - Rose Beryl (Lost World) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-J. Michel & D. Le Breton TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 2.75, 9. Time 5:08.20. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-8

Starts 24

Wins 7

Places 13

Earned £412,347

Sire: OSCAR. Sire of 55 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - GOD’S OWN Phardante G1, DAYS HOTEL Strong Gale G2, FELIX YONGER Be My Native G2, MISTY LADY Topanoora G2, ROCK ON RUBY Tirol G2, OSCAR ROCK Supreme Leader LR. 1st Dam: Dantes Term by Phardante. unraced. Dam of 3 winners: 2001: Nell’s Oscar (f Oscar) 2002: Working Title (g Oscar) 6 wins, 2nd Toteexacta Novices’ Hurdle LR, 3rd victorchandler.com Holloway’s H. Hurdle G2.

2003: Tough As Leather (f Flemensfirth) ran once over hurdles. Broodmare.

2004: Dj’s Dolly (f Environment Friend) 2005: (f Oscar) 2006: El Pescadero (f Milan) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race and ran twice over hurdles.

2007: SHEES A DANTE (f Westerner) Winner of a N.H. Flat Race.

2008: GOD’S OWN (g Oscar) 7 wins, Boylesports Drogheda Champion Chase G1, JLT Melling Chase G1, Ryanair Colliers Novice Chase G1, Vix Technology Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2, 2nd Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase G1, Betbright Mobile Pendil Novices’ Chase G2, 3rd Sportingbet Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2, williamhill.com Wayward Lad Nov. Chase G2.

2009: Oscar Ladensa (f Oscar) unraced.

2011: Focaccia (g Milan) 2015: (c Oscar)

98

Broodmare Sire: PHARDANTE. Sire of the dams of 49 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - GOD’S OWN Oscar G1, CLOUDY TOO Cloudings G2, KILLULTAGH VIC Old Vic G2, SHUIL ROYALE King’s Theatre LR. The Oscar/Phardante cross has produced: GOD’S OWN G1, JETSON G1, OSCAR DAN DAN G1, OSCAR WHISKY G1, Tullintain G1, Working Title G2, FIERY OSCAR G3.

GOD’S OWN b g 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OSCAR b 94 Reliance II Snow Day Vindaria Pharly Phardante Pallante DANTES TERM b 96 The Parson Parsons Term Zozimus

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body Lyphard Comely Taj Dewan Cavadonga Aureole Bracey Bridge Rarity Rahat-Lakoum

See race 256, opposite page 252 DOOM BAR MAGHULL NOVICES’ CHASE G1 AINTREE. Apr 9. 5yo+. 15f 110yds.

1. DOUVAN (FR) 6 11-4 £56,270 b g by Walk In The Park - Star Face (Saint des Saints) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-S.A.R.L. Haras de La Faisanderie TR-W. P. Mullins 2. The Game Changer (IRE) 7 11-4 £21,200 b g by Arcadio - Gilt Ridden (Heron Island) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Arctic Tack Stud & Crossogue Stud TR-Gordon Elliott 3. Fox Norton (FR) 6 11-4 £10,610 b g by Lando - Natt Musik (Kendor) O-Mr B. Dunn B-S.A. Scuderia Del Bargelo TR-Neil Mulholland Margins 14, 18. Time 3:56.80. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 12

Wins 11

Places 1

Earned £435,964

Sire: WALK IN THE PARK. Sire of 4 Stakes winners.

NH in 2015/16 - DOUVAN Saint des Saints G1, MIN Saint Estephe G2, PARK LIGHT Lightning LR. 1st Dam: Star Face by Saint des Saints. ran over jumps in France. Dam of 1 winner: 2010: DOUVAN (g Walk In The Park) 11 wins, Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1, Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, sportinglife.com Moscow Flyer Nov.Hurdle G2, Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Frank Ward Arkle Challenge Cup Nov.Chase G1, Racing Post Christmas Novice Chase G1, Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase G1, Ryanair Colliers Novice Chase G1.

2011: Ribostar (c Epalo) unraced.

2013: Kalimama (f Charming Groom) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: SAINT DES SAINTS. Sire of the dams of 4 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ADRIEN DU PONT Califet G1, DOUVAN Walk In The Park G1, TOMMY SILVER Silver Cross LR.

DOUVAN b g 2010 Sadler’s Wells Montjeu Floripedes WALK IN THE PARK b 02 Robellino Classic Park Wanton Cadoudal Saint des Saints Chamisene STAR FACE b 04 Saint Preuil Folie Star Gate Miss French

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Top Ville Toute Cy Roberto Isobelline Kris Brazen Faced Green Dancer Come To Sea Pharly Tuneria Dom Pasquini Montecha Mistigri Lise Belle

See race 87 in the February issue

253 EZ TRADER MERSEY NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 AINTREE. Apr 9. 4yo+. 20f.

1. YORKHILL (IRE) 6 11-4 £42,402 ch g by Presenting - Lightning Breeze (Saddlers’ Hall) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-P. Keating TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Le Prezien (FR) 5 11-4 £16,100 br g by Blue Bresil - Abu Dhabi (Saint Cyrien) O-Million in Mind Partnership B-Mr J. Breton & T. Trapenard TR-Paul Nicholls 3. Flying Angel (IRE) 5 11-4 £8,157 gr g by Arcadio - Gypsy Kelly (Roselier) O-Mr R. J. Rexton B-Arctic Tack Stud TR-Nigel Twiston-Davies Margins 2.25, 1.5. Time 5:10.10. Going Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 9

Wins 7

Places 1

Earned £154,383

Sire: PRESENTING. Sire of 65 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - MY MURPHY Teenoso G1, NO MORE HEROES Naheez G1, ROGUE ANGEL Luso G1, YORKHILL Saddlers’ Hall G1, BRIGHT NEW DAWN Bob Back G2, PLEASANT COMPANY Alderbrook G2, RIVERSIDE CITY Beneficial G2, SNOW FALCON Kahyasi G2, SOUTHFIELD ROYALE Garde Royale G2, TOP GAMBLE Sadler’s Wells G2, UP FOR REVIEW Good Thyne G2.

1st Dam: Lightning Breeze by Saddlers’ Hall. unraced.

Dam of 1 winner: 2009: Hear The Thunder (f Presenting) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race.

2010: YORKHILL (g Presenting) 6 wins, Neptune Investment Bingham Nov Hurdle G1, 32Red Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle G1, EZ Trader Mersey Novices’ Hurdle G1.

2011: (f Flemensfirth) 2013: Ocean Breeze (f Presenting) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: SADDLERS’ HALL. Sire of the dams of 12 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - YORKHILL Presenting G1, WINTER ESCAPE Robin des Pres G2, SADDLERS ENCORE Presenting G3, THREE STARS Westerner G3.

Ardross G1, AUNT NORA Supreme Leader G2, KAYF GRACE Strong Gale G2, VALUE AT RISK Orchestra G2, WAR SOUND Gunner B G3, COPPER KAY Presenting LR, RONS DREAM Emperor Jones LR. 1st Dam: ARDSTOWN by Ardross. 4 wins over fences.

Dam of 3 winners: 2003: KENNEL BRIDGE (g Classic Cliche) 3 wins.

2005: Quick Approach (g Kayf Tara) unraced.

2007: Tiger Country (g Westerner) unraced.

2008: THISTLECRACK (g Kayf Tara) 9 wins, Liverpool Stayers’ Hurdle G1, Ladbrokes World Hurdle G1, JLT Long Walk Hurdle G1, Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle G1, galliardshomes.com Cleeve Hurdle G2, Bet365 Long Distance Hurdle G2, 2nd Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle G1.

2010: West Approach (g Westerner) Winner of a N.H. Flat Race at 5, 3rd Albert Bartlett Bristol Novices’ Hurdle G2.

2013: (f Kayf Tara) Broodmare Sire: ARDROSS. Sire of the dams of 29 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - THISTLECRACK Kayf Tara G1, ANNACOTTY Beneficial G3.

The Kayf Tara/Ardross cross has produced: THISTLECRACK G1, THE PACKAGE G3.

THISTLECRACK b g 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge KAYF TARA b 94 High Top Colorspin Reprocolor Run The Gantlet Ardross Le Melody ARDSTOWN b 91 Master Owen Booterstown Vulgan’s Rose

See race 83 in the February issue

The Presenting/Saddlers’ Hall cross has produced: YORKHILL G1, SADDLERS ENCORE G3.

Busted Mtoto Amazer PRESENTING br 92 Persian Bold D’Azy Belle Viking Sadler’s Wells Saddlers’ Hall Sunny Valley Strong Gale Park Breeze Park Delight

Crepello Sans Le Sou Mincio Alzara Bold Lad Relkarunner Riverman Vallarta Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Val de Loir Sunland Lord Gayle Sterntau Saint Denys Lover’s Delight

See race 95 in the February issue 254 LIVERPOOL STAYERS’ HURDLE G1 AINTREE. Apr 9. 4yo+. 24f 110yds.

1. THISTLECRACK (GB) 8 11-7 £84,405 b g by Kayf Tara - Ardstown (Ardross) O-John and Heather Snook B-Mr & Mrs R. F. Knipe TR-Colin Tizzard 2. Shaneshill (IRE) 7 11-7 £31,800 b g by King’s Theatre - Darabaka (Doyoun) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-Mr D. Johnson TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Prince of Scars (IRE) 6 11-7 £15,915 b g by Flemensfirth - Spirit Leader (Supreme Leader) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr E. Salmon TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 7, 5. Time 6:33.40. Going Soft.

Age 5-8

Starts 14

Wins 9

255 BET365 CELEBRATION CHASE G1 SANDOWN PARK. Apr 23. 5yo+. 15f 110yds.

YORKHILL ch g 2010

LIGHTNING BREEZE b 04

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Derring-Do Camenae Jimmy Reppin Blue Queen Tom Rolfe First Feather Levmoss Arctic Melody Owen Tudor Miss Maisie Vulgan Nevada Rose

Places 2

Earned £460,002

Sire: KAYF TARA. Sire of 39 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BALLYANDY Karinga Bay G1, BLAKLION Legend of France G1, IDENTITY THIEF Flemensfirth G1, TEA FOR TWO Tragic Role G1, THISTLECRACK

1. SPRINTER SACRE (FR) 10 11-7 £71,188 b/br g by Network - Fatima III (Bayolidaan) O-Mrs Caroline Mould B-Mr C. Masle TR-Nicky Henderson 2. Un de Sceaux (FR) 8 11-7 £26,713 b g by Denham Red - Hotesse de Sceaux (April Night) O-E. O’Connell B-Haras de La Rousseliere & Mme Monique Choveau TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Dodging Bullets (GB) 8 11-7 £13,375 b g by Dubawi - Nova Cyngi (Kris S) O-Martin Broughton & Friends B-L. Dettori TR-Paul Nicholls Margins 15, 1. Time 3:47.00. Going Good.

Age 4-10

Starts 24

Wins 18

Places Earned 4 £1,136,885

Sire: NETWORK. Sire of 18 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - SPRINTER SACRE Bayolidaan G1, ACAPELLA BOURGEOIS Valanjou G2, BALL D’ARC Moon Madness G2, VALYSSA MONTERG Panoramic G2, VENITIEN DE MAI Grand Tresor G2, VENT SOMBRE Video Rock G2, BEL CANTO VALTAT Dom Alco LR, UN ROC DU GRANDVAL Chef de Clan LR. 1st Dam: Fatima III by Bayolidaan. Dam of 4 winners: 1998: KASHIMA (f Kadalko) 3 wins over jumps in France. Broodmare.

1999: Lavande (f Iris Noir) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France. Broodmare.

2000: Magniolia (g Our Account) unraced.

2001: NUIT SACREE (f Brier Creek) 2 wins over jumps in France.

2003: Private (f Brier Creek) unraced.

2005: REGAIN DU CHARBONNEAU (g Arnaqueur) Winner of a N.H. Flat Race.

2006: SPRINTER SACRE (g Network) 18 wins, 3rd Stan James Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1, Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Sportingbet Queen Mother Champion Chase G1 (twice), boylesports.com Drogheda Champion Chase G1, Sportingbet

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Caulfield on Zabana: “The Punchestown winner is suited by a test of stamina and for this he can thank his dam Gandia, who gained her only success at a furlong short of two miles”

2007: 2010: 2011: 2013:

Tingle Creek Chase G1, John Smith’s Maghull Novices’ Chase G1, Victor Chandler Clarence House Chase G1, John Smith’s Melling Chase G1, Bet365 Celebration Chase G1, Betfair Super Saturday Game Spirit Chase G2, williamhill.com Wayward Lad Nov. Chase G2, williamhill.com Desert Orchid Chase G2, Shloer Cheltenham Chase LR, 2nd Sodexo Clarence House Chase G1, Bet365 A P McCoy Celebration Chase G1.

Toscane Sacree (f Dear Doctor) Altesse Sacree (f Daramsar) unraced.

Baccara Sacree (f Fragrant Mix) unraced.

Divine Sacree (f Network) unraced to date.

G1, CLOUDY TOO Cloudings G2, KILLULTAGH VIC Old Vic G2, SHUIL ROYALE King’s Theatre LR.

Age 3-7

The Oscar/Phardante cross has produced: GOD’S OWN G1, JETSON G1, OSCAR DAN DAN G1, OSCAR WHISKY G1, Tullintain G1, Working Title G2, FIERY OSCAR G3.

Sire: HALLING. Sire of 68 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ZABANA Danehill G1, RAYVIN BLACK Reprimand G2, THOMAS HOBSON Danehill Dancer G2.

GOD’S OWN b g 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OSCAR b 94 Reliance II

Broodmare Sire: BAYOLIDAAN. Sire of the dams of 4 Stakes winners.

Snow Day

SPRINTER SACRE b/br g 2006

Phardante

Vindaria Pharly Pallante

Konigsstuhl Monsun Mosella NETWORK br 97 Reliance II Note Nicotiana Kamaridaan Bayolidaan Bayonne FATIMA III b 93 Maiymad Viva Sacree Kiki Sacree

Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Monasia Tantieme Relance III Naras Nina Djakao Diamond Drop Stymphale Belsta Rheingold Miss Melody Edellic Amie Sacree

See race 203 in the May issue 256 BOYLESPORTS DROGHEDA CHAMPION CHASE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 26. 5yo+. 16f.

1. GOD’S OWN (IRE) 8 11-12 £86,765 b g by Oscar - Dantes Term (Phardante) O-Crossed Fingers Partnership B-Mrs C. O’Driscoll TR-Tom George 2. Vautour (FR) 7 11-12 £27,941 b g by Robin des Champs - Gazelle de Mai (Dom Pasquini) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Haras de Saint Voir & P. Joubert TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Simonsig (GB) 10 11-12 £13,235 gr g by Fair Mix - Dusty Too (Terimon) O-Mr R. A. Bartlett B-S. Tindall TR-Nicky Henderson Margins 2, 1.25. Time 4:10.30. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 4-8

Starts 24

Wins 7

Places 13

Earned £412,347

Sire: OSCAR. Sire of 55 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - GOD’S OWN Phardante G1, DAYS HOTEL Strong Gale G2, FELIX YONGER Be My Native G2, MISTY LADY Topanoora G2, ROCK ON RUBY Tirol G2, OSCAR ROCK Supreme Leader LR. 1st Dam: Dantes Term by Phardante. unraced. Dam of 3 winners: 2001: Nell’s Oscar (f Oscar) 2002: Working Title (g Oscar) 6 wins, 2nd Toteexacta Novices’ Hurdle LR, 3rd victorchandler.com Holloway’s H. Hurdle G2.

2003: Tough As Leather (f Flemensfirth) ran once over hurdles. Broodmare.

2004: Dj’s Dolly (f Environment Friend) 2005: (f Oscar) 2006: El Pescadero (f Milan) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race and ran twice over hurdles.

2007: SHEES A DANTE (f Westerner) Winner of a N.H. Flat Race.

2008: GOD’S OWN (g Oscar) 7 wins, Boylesports Drogheda Champion Chase G1, JLT Melling Chase G1, Ryanair Colliers Novice Chase G1, Vix Technology Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2, 2nd Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase G1, Betbright Mobile Pendil Novices’ Chase G2, 3rd Sportingbet Haldon Gold Cup H. Chase G2, williamhill.com Wayward Lad Nov. Chase G2.

2009: Oscar Ladensa (f Oscar) unraced.

2011: Focaccia (g Milan) 2015: (c Oscar) Broodmare Sire: PHARDANTE. Sire of the dams of 49 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - GOD’S OWN Oscar

DANTES TERM b 96 The Parson Parsons Term Zozimus

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body Lyphard Comely Taj Dewan Cavadonga Aureole Bracey Bridge Rarity Rahat-Lakoum

God’s Own still has only four wins to his name from 15 starts over fences but they include the Gr1 Ryanair Novice Chase at Punchestown (at 25-1), the Gr1 Melling Chase at Aintree (at 10-1) and now the BoyleSports Champion Chase (at 9-1).

His brother foaled in 2015 sold for €40,000 as a weanling, his price reflecting not only God’s Own’s efforts but also those of his older brother Working Title, a winning chaser who was later successfully returned to hurdling.

Their sire Oscar, who was retired in 2015 at the age of 21, enjoyed a rewarding partnership with mares by the St Leger second Phardante, the broodmare sire of God’s Own. This combination also produced Oscar Whisky (twice a winner of the Aintree Hurdle, as well as the 2014 Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase), Jetson (World Series Hurdle at Punchestown) and Oscar Dan Dan (Hatton’s Grace Hurdle).

Oscar wasn’t the only son of Sadler’s Wells to shine with Phardante mares, other examples being Milan (Jezki and Double Seven), Cloudings (Cloudy Too), Brian Boru (Fox Appeal), Old Vic (Killultagh Vic, Snoopy Loopy and Chelsea Harbour), King’s Theatre (L’Ami Serge) and Kayf Tara (Just Cameron).

God’s Own’s dam, the unraced Dantes Term, is a half-sister to the useful hurdler Moonshine Lad. The best previous winner from this family was Blitzkreig, winner of the Victor Chandler Chase and Aintree Chase over two miles.

257 GROWISE ELLIER CHAMPION NOVICE CHASE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 26. 5yo+. 25f.

1. ZABANA (IRE) 7 11-10 £43,382 ch g by Halling - Gandia (Danehill) O-Mr C. Jones B-Old Carhue & Graeng Bloodstock TR-Andrew Lynch 2. Outlander (IRE) 8 11-10 £13,971 b g by Stowaway - Western Whisper (Supreme Leader) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-R. O’Neill TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Sub Lieutenant (IRE) 7 11-10 £6,618 b g by Brian Boru - Satellite Dancer (Satco) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-E. Coleman TR-Ms Sandra Hughes Margins 2, 5. Time 6:26.40. Going Good to Yielding.

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Starts 23

Wins 7

Places 8

Earned £125,485

1st Dam: GANDIA by Danehill. Winner at 3 in France.

Own sister to Amalie Bay. Dam of 2 winners: 2007: Peace of Iona (f Medicean) ran a few times.

2008: Ekkaia (f Red Ransom) 2009: ZABANA (g Halling) 7 wins, 2nd Coral Cup H. Hurdle G3, 3rd Ladbroke World Series Tipperkevin Hurdle G1, Growise Ellier Champion Novice Chase G1.

2010: JONTLEMAN (g Whipper) 5 wins at 3 and 4.

2nd Dam: AL GALOP by Affirmed. 1 win at 3 in France.

Dam of Amalie Bay (c Danehill: 3rd El Gran Senor S LR). Grandam of SANGSTER.

258 HERALD CHAMPION NOVICE HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 26. 5yo+. 16f.

1. DON’T TOUCH IT (IRE) 6 11-12 £43,382 b g by Scorpion - Shandora (Supreme Leader) O-John P McManus B-M. Ryan TR-Mrs John Harrington 2. Petit Mouchoir (FR) 5 11-12 £13,971 gr g by Al Namix - Arnette (Denham Red) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr P. Gueret TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Brain Power (IRE) 5 11-12 £6,618 b g by Kalanisi - Blonde Ambition (Old Vic) O-Mr Michael Buckley B-D. Harvey TR-Nicky Henderson Margins 0.5, 4.5. Time 4:03.20. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 5-6

Starts 9

Wins 3

Places 6

Earned £63,480

Broodmare Sire: DANEHILL. Sire of the dams of 314 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ROCHES CROSS Whipper G1, ZABANA Halling G1.

Sire: SCORPION. Sire of 4 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - DON’T TOUCH IT Supreme Leader G1, SCORPIANCER Silver Patriarch LR, THE NIPPER Supreme Leader LR.

ZABANA ch g 2009

1st Dam: Shandora by Supreme Leader. ran twice in N.H. Flat Races. Dam of 2 winners: 2002: Bar Na Habhann (g Flemensfirth) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race.

2005: Glencarry Rose (f Flemensfirth) unraced.

2006: I NEVER KNEW THAT (f Anshan) 2 wins over hurdles. Broodmare.

2007: Shanbally Ruby (f Flemensfirth) unraced.

2009: (f Westerner) 2010: DON’T TOUCH IT (g Scorpion) 3 wins, Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, 3rd Paddy Power Better Value Novice Hurdle G2.

2012: (f Oscar) 2013: (f Arcadio) 2015: (c Scorpion)

Sharpen Up Diesis Doubly Sure HALLING ch 91 Green Dancer Dance Machine Never A Lady Danzig Danehill Razyana GANDIA b 02 Affirmed Al Galop Star Game

Atan Rocchetta Reliance II Soft Angels Nijinsky Green Valley Pontifex Camogie Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Exclusive Native Won’t Tell You Pia Star La Queenie

Halling is best known as the sire of such notable Flat performers as Jack Hobbs, Cavalryman, Norse Dancer and Opinion Poll. However, this outstanding mile-and-a-quarter performer has come up with a spate of Graded winners over jumps since the start of 2015.

All Yours’ victory in the Gr1 Anniversary 4YO Hurdle has been followed by Gr2 hurdles successes by Thomas Hobson and Rayvin Black, and now by a Gr1 steeplechasing success by Zabana.

This seven-year-old has already established himself among the best chasers by Halling, alongside the smart stayer Deep Purple and the hurdler/chasers Hasty Prince and Briareus.

Coincidentally, Zabana is out of a mare by Danehill, whereas Thomas Hobson has a dam by Danehill Dancer. Clearly Zabana was bred for the Flat, and he won once over a mile and a half. However, he has proved much more effective as a jumper and his Punchestown Gr1 success was his sixth victory over jumps.

He is suited by a test of stamina and for this he can thank his dam Gandia, who gained her only success at a furlong short of two miles in France.

Zabana’s second dam, the Affirmed mare Al Galop, won over 11 furlongs and was a half-sister to Both Ends Burning, a very smart American turf horse whose victories included the Gr1 Oak Tree Invitational Stakes and the Gr1 Hollywood Turf Cup.

Broodmare Sire: SUPREME LEADER. Sire of the dams of 61 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - DON’T TOUCH IT Scorpion G1, KYLEMORE LOUGH Revoque G1, OUTLANDER Stowaway G1, PRINCE OF SCARS Flemensfirth G1, AUNT NORA Kayf Tara G2, JESSBER’S DREAM Milan G2.

The Scorpion/Supreme Leader cross has produced: DON’T TOUCH IT G1, THE NIPPER LR.

DON’T TOUCH IT b g 2010 Sadler’s Wells Montjeu Floripedes SCORPION b/br 02 Law Society Ardmelody Thistlewood Bustino Supreme Leader Princess Zena SHANDORA b 96 Buckskin Rubydora Superdora

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Top Ville Toute Cy Alleged Bold Bikini Kalamoun Le Melody Busted Ship Yard Habitat Guiding Light Yelapa Bete A Bon Dieu Super Slip Solnora

In the wake of Gr1 winners by Montjeu and his sons Walk In The Park and Authorized, it was good to see Scorpion finally register his first Gr1 success as a stallion when Don’t Touch It battled on well in the Herald Champion Novice Hurdle.

Scorpion is highly qualified to succeed as a sire of jumpers. Talented enough to win the Grand Prix de Paris, St Leger and Coronation Cup, he has a pedigree geared to the National Hunt sector. Besides being a son of Montjeu, he is out of Ardmelody, whose pedigree contains several major influences. Two of Ardmelody’s grandparents were Alleged, whose sons sired numerous high-grade jumpers, and Le Melody, dam of that exceptional Cup horse Ardross.

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DATA BOOK

National Hunt Grade 1s Le Melody in turn was out of that influential broodmare Arctic Melody, whose sire Arctic Slave won over hurdles and fences before making a sizeable impact as a sire.

There is a lot of stamina in Scorpion’s make-up and it is possible that his progeny will do better over fences than hurdles. Don’t Touch It has yet to tackle more than two and a quarter miles, but there is no reason why he shouldn’t stay well.

His lightly-raced dam Shandora was sired by Supreme Leader from a daughter of the stamina-packed Buckskin, so was bred to the same pattern as Joes Edge (Scottish Grand National) and Whinstone Boy (Thyestes Chase). Shandora had a smart half-brother in Rubissimo, a Phardante gelding who won the Gr2 Prix des Drags at Auteuil, and their dam Rubydora was a winning half-sister to a distinguished mare with the unfortunate name of Niffy Nora. This daughter of Mandalus did very well over jumps in France, picking up over 500,000ff as a six-year-old, when she won the Prix Wild Risk at Auteuil. She went on to produce Snow Drop, winner of the Triumph Hurdle in 2000.

259 BIBBY PUNCHESTOWN GOLD CUP CHASE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 27. 5yo+. 25f.

1. CARLINGFORD LOUGH (IRE) 10 11-10 £86,765 b g by King’s Theatre - Baden (Furry Glen) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Kenilworth House Stud TR-J. E. Kiely 2. Djakadam (FR) 7 11-10 £27,941 b g by Saint des Saints - Rainbow Crest (Baryshnikov) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mr R. Corveller TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Don Poli (IRE) 7 11-10 £13,235 b g by Poliglote - Dalamine (Sillery) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Brian J Griffiths & John Nicholson TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 4.5, 2. Time 6:21.10. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 5-10

Starts 28

Wins 10

Places 8

Earned £528,614

Sire: KING’S THEATRE. Sire of 88 Stakes winners.

NH in 2015/16 - BELLSHILL Be My Native G1, CARLINGFORD LOUGH Furry Glen G1, CUE CARD King’s Ride G1, JUNCTION FOURTEEN Roselier G2, MENORAH Strong Gale G2, MINELLA FORU Topanoora G2, SOLITA Erins Isle G2, THE NEW ONE Turgeon G2, DIAMOND KING Belmez G3, FETHARD PLAYER Supreme Leader G3, THEATRE GUIDE Denel G3.

1st Dam: BADEN by Furry Glen. 6 wins, New Stand Ltd. Extended H. Hurdle LR, also won a Private Sweepstake in 1994. Dam of 4 winners: 1996: THISTHATANDTOTHER (g Bob Back) 10 wins, Tote Tolworth Hurdle G1, Extraman Henry VIII Novices’ Chase G2, Daily Telegraph Festival Trophy Chase G2, Independent Newspaper November Nov.Chase G2, 2nd Commercial First Ascot Chase G1, Martell Cognac Maghull Novices’ Chase G1.

1997: POLAR SCOUT (g Arctic Lord) 4 wins.

1998: Baden’s Queen (f Bob Back) unraced.

Broodmare.

1999: Bolly (f Jolly Jake) unraced. Broodmare.

2001: THE TOTHER ONE (g Accordion) 6 wins, Tote Scoop6 Heroes Sandown H. Hurdle G3, 3rd Albert Bartlett Spa Novices’ Hurdle G1, Citroen C5 Sefton Novices’ Hurdle G1, 2nd Bet365 Charlie Hall Chase G2.

2002: Ancora (f Accordion) unraced. Broodmare.

2003: Aventia (f Bob Back) ran a few times over hurdles. Broodmare.

2004: Vindonissa (f Definite Article) unraced.

Broodmare.

2005: St Blazey (g Bob Back) ran once in a N.H. Flat

100

2006:

2007: 2008: 2009:

Race.

CARLINGFORD LOUGH (g King’s Theatre) 10 wins, www.thetote.com Galway Plate H’cp Chase G1, Hennessy Gold Cup Chase G1 (twice), Growise Ellier Champion Novice Chase G1, Topaz Fort Leney Novice Chase G1, Bibby Punchestown Gold Cup Chase G1, 2nd Guinness Kerry National H. Chase G1, Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase G1.

Turica (f Flemensfirth). Broodmare.

Stein Castle (f Shantou) unraced.

Broodmare. (g Flemensfirth)

Broodmare Sire: FURRY GLEN. Sire of the dams of 29 Stakes winners.

King’s Theatre G1, NATIVE RIVER Indian River G1, COLMS DREAM Beneficial G2, FELIX YONGER Oscar G2, PAIROFBROWNEYES Luso G2, ROADIE JOE Golan G2.

The King’s Theatre/Be My Native cross has produced: BELLSHILL G1, MORNING RUN G2, Stephanie Kate G3, Dorabelle LR.

BELLSHILL b g 2010 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge KING’S THEATRE b 91 Princely Native Regal Beauty Dennis Belle

CARLINGFORD LOUGH b g 2006

Our Native Be My Native

Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge KING’S THEATRE b 91 Princely Native Regal Beauty Dennis Belle Wolver Hollow Furry Glen Cleftess BADEN b 88 Linacre St Moritz Machete

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Raise A Native Charlo Crafty Admiral Evasion Sovereign Path Cygnet Hill Gail Cleft Rockefella True Picture Macherio Eastern Slipper

See race 155 in the April issue 260 IRISH DAILY MIRROR NOVICE HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 27. 4yo+. 24f.

1. BELLSHILL (IRE) 6 11-10 £43,382 b g by King’s Theatre - Fairy Native (Be My Native) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-F. Motherway TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Coney Island (IRE) 5 11-9 £13,971 b g by Flemensfirth - Millys Gesture (Milan) O-Mr John P. McManus B-P. Tobin TR-Eddie Harty 3. Sandymount Duke (IRE) 7 11-10 £6,618 ch g by Hernando - Joleah (Ela-Mana-Mou) O-Mr R. Wood B-R. Wood TR-Mrs J. Harrington Margins 0.5, 3. Time 6:00.10. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 4-6

Starts 13

Wins 6

Places 5

Earned £194,212

Sire: KING’S THEATRE. Sire of 88 Stakes winners.

NH in 2015/16 - BELLSHILL Be My Native G1, CARLINGFORD LOUGH Furry Glen G1, CUE CARD King’s Ride G1, JUNCTION FOURTEEN Roselier G2, MENORAH Strong Gale G2, MINELLA FORU Topanoora G2, SOLITA Erins Isle G2, THE NEW ONE Turgeon G2, DIAMOND KING Belmez G3, FETHARD PLAYER Supreme Leader G3, THEATRE GUIDE Denel G3.

1st Dam: Fairy Native by Be My Native. ran twice in N.H. Flat Races and ran once over hurdles. Dam of 4 winners: 2003: Havajar (g Supreme Leader) unraced.

2004: IN THE ZONE (g Bob Back) 3 wins.

2005: Up And Away (g Saddlers’ Hall) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race and ran twice over hurdles.

2006: FOXBRIDGE (g King’s Theatre) 4 wins.

2007: Bella Venezia (f Milan) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race and ran a few times over hurdles.

Broodmare.

2009: CHIEFTAIN’S CHOICE (g King’s Theatre) 3 wins.

2010: BELLSHILL (g King’s Theatre) 6 wins, attheraces.com Champion INH Flat Race G1, 2nd Weatherbys Champion Open NH. Flat Race G2, Lawlor’s Hotel Slaney Novice Hurdle G1, Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle G1, Navan Novice Hurdle G2, 2nd Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle G1, 3rd Deloitte Brave Inca Novice Hurdle G1.

2011: Fairy Theatre (f King’s Theatre) 2013: (f Presenting) 2014: (f Stowaway) 2015: (f Stowaway) Broodmare Sire: BE MY NATIVE. Sire of the dams of 50 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BELLSHILL

Witchy Woman FAIRY NATIVE b 98 The Parson Amy Fairy Copp On

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Raise A Native Charlo Crafty Admiral Evasion Exclusive Native Our Jackie Strate Stuff Witchy Norma Aureole Bracey Bridge Menelek Stroll On

See race 96 in the February issue 261 ATTHERACES.COM CHAMPION INH FLAT RACE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 27. 4-7yof&g. 16f.

1. BLOW BY BLOW (IRE) 5 12-0 £43,382 ch g by Robin des Champs - Shean Rose (Roselier) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mrs E. Hadden TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Moon Racer (IRE) 7 12-0 £13,971 b g by Saffron Walden - Angel’s Folly (Wesaam) O-Professor Caroline Tisdall & Bryan Drew B-D. & T. Bergin TR-David Pipe 3. Bacardys (FR) 5 12-0 £6,618 b/br g by Coastal Path - Oasice (Robin des Champs) O-Shanakiel Racing Syndicate B-E. Vagne & J. Da Silva TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 0.75, 6.5. Time 3:58.20. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 4-5

Starts 4

Wins 3

Places 1

Earned £54,509

Sire: ROBIN DES CHAMPS. Sire of 26 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BLOW BY BLOW Roselier G1, UN TEMPS POUR TOUT Bonnet Rouge G1, VAUTOUR Dom Pasquini G1, LISTEN DEAR Lavirco G3, SIR DES CHAMPS Video Rock LR, WELSH SHADOW Persian Mews LR. 1st Dam: Shean Rose by Roselier. unraced. Dam of 3 winners: 2003: Knightsbridgelives (g Taipan) 2005: EVERDON BROOK (g Laveron) 5 wins.

2006: (f Alderbrook) 2007: ALDERIMLI (f Alderbrook) Winner over hurdles.

2008: (f Moscow Society) 2011: BLOW BY BLOW (g Robin des Champs) 3 wins in N.H. Flat Races at 5, attheraces.com Champion INH Flat Race G1.

2012: (c Stowaway) 2013: (f Stowaway) 2014: (f Stowaway) Broodmare Sire: ROSELIER. Sire of the dams of 31 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - BLOW BY BLOW Robin des Champs G1, EMPIRE OF DIRT Westerner G1, JUNCTION FOURTEEN King’s Theatre G2, FLYING ANGEL Arcadio G3.

BLOW BY BLOW ch g 2011 Mill Reef Garde Royale Royal Way ROBIN DES CHAMPS b 97 Iron Duke Relayeuse Reliorneuse Misti IV Roselier Peace Rose SHEAN ROSE b 99 Le Moss Shean Alainn Stable Lass

Never Bend Milan Mill Sicambre Right Away Sicambre Insulaire El Relicario Ordonneuse Medium Mist Fastnet Rock La Paix Le Levanstell Feemoss Golden Love Kilcoran Lass

The €130,000 paid by Willie Mullins for an unbroken three-year-old gelding by Robin des Champs at the 2014 Land Rover Sale is proving an excellent investment for Gigginstown House Stud. Named Blow By Blow, the gelding is now a winner of three consecutive bumpers from four starts and he made all to account for a strong field in the Champion INH Flat Race at Punchestown.

Now aged five, he comes from the second Irish crop sired by Robin des Champs. Of course Robin des Champs sired a long list of important winners during his time in France, including Vautour, Sir des Champs, Un Temps Pour Tout and Quevega. His early Irish crops are also shaping up, producing the likes of Tombstone, Champers On Ice, Listen Dear, Duke des Champs, Welsh Shadow and Vieux Lille – all of which have earned Racing Post ratings of 140 or more.

Blow By Blow is out of Shean Rose, an unraced Roselier mare with a stamina-packed pedigree. Roselier stayed beyond three miles, as he showed in winning the Grande Course de Haies d’Auteuil – a race also won by his brother Les Roseaux.

Roselier passed on his stamina to such a degree that his progeny featured winners of the Grand Nationals in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Blow By Blow’s second dam Shean Alainn was a daughter of Le Moss, an exceptional longdistance stayer. Shean Alainn won over 21 furlongs over hurdles and is a sister to Brackenfield, a very useful novice hurdler at up to three miles.

Shean Alainn’s best effort as a broodmare was the very smart chaser Cooldine. Other daughters of Le Moss have produced the likes of Tidal Bay, Albertas Run, Sir Rembrandt and Imperial Commander. Blow By Blow’s third dam Stable Lass was by Golden Love, who won over two and a half miles on the Flat.

262 LADBROKES CH. STAYERS TIPPERKEVIN HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 28. 4yo+. 24f.

1. ONE TRACK MIND (IRE) 6 11-10 £86,765 b g by Flemensfirth - Lady Petit (Beneficial) O-Mr Andy Weller B-T. Mullins TR-Warren Greatrex 2. Jennies Jewel (IRE) 9 11-3 £27,941 b m by Flemensfirth - Fishin Joella (Gone Fishin) O-Mr A.N.McIntyre B-E. Sexton C. Bailey & N. McIntyre TR-Jarlath Fahey 3. Alpha des Obeaux (FR) 6 11-10 £13,235 b g by Saddler Maker - Omega des Obeaux (Saint Preuil) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Marie Devilder & Stephanie Fasquelle TR-M. F. Morris Margins 2.25, 8. Time 6:09.20. Going Yielding.

Age 4-6

Starts 9

Wins 5

Places 2

Earned £117,445

Sire: FLEMENSFIRTH. Sire of 50 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - FLEMENSTAR Beau Sher G1, ONE TRACK MIND Beneficial G1, PRINCE OF SCARS Supreme Leader G1, CONEY ISLAND Milan G2, THREE MUSKETEERS Mister Lord G2, EMILY GRAY Jupiter Island G3, ENJOY RESPONSIBLY Mandalus G3, HIGHLAND LODGE Presenting G3.

1st Dam: Lady Petit by Beneficial. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2009: (f Bach) 2010: ONE TRACK MIND (g Flemensfirth) 5 wins, Ladbrokes Ch. Stayers Tipperkevin Hurdle

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Caulfield on One Track Mind: “He should develop into a formidable chaser. Not only does he stay well, he shares the same sire as Imperial Commander, Flemenstar and Tidal Bay”

2011: 2013: 2014: 2015:

G1, 2nd Betfred Rendlesham Hurdle G2.

Theopenmindedone (g Flemensfirth) unraced. (g Flemensfirth) (f Gold Well) (f Flemensfirth)

winners Morley Street and Granville Again.

ONE TRACK MIND b g 2010 Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout FLEMENSFIRTH b 92 Diesis Etheldreda Royal Bund Top Ville Beneficial Youthful LADY PETIT b 03 Welsh Term One Edge Steal On

Tom Rolfe Wavy Navy Prince John Determined Lady Sharpen Up Doubly Sure Royal Coinage Nato High Top Sega Ville Green Dancer First Bloom Welsh Pageant Trinity Term General Ironside Copp On

With one of the main fancies, Shaneshill, falling at the last, there was a surprise result to the Champion Stayers Hurdle, with Flemensfirth supplying both the 10-1 winner One Track Mind and the 33-1 second Jennies Jewel.

A very progressive six-year-old, One Track Mind was winning for the fifth time in eight completed outings and the next step is likely to be a switch to steeplechasing.

He should develop into a formidable chaser. Not only does he stay well but he also shares the same sire as those top-grade chasers Imperial Commander (Cheltenham Gold Cup), Flemenstar (four Gr1 successes over fences) and Tidal Bay (Lexus Chase and two other Gr1s), as well as their fellow Gr1 winners Pandorama, Joe Lively and Defy Logic.

None of One Track Mind’s first four dams raced, but they all produced talented performers. His dam Lady Petit is a sister to One Term, winner of a Listed bumper at Cheltenham before winning over hurdles and fences, at up to two and a half miles.

Their sire Beneficial was responsible for such good chasers as Realt Dubh, Benefficient, Cooldine and Annacotty. The next dam, One Edge, had the distinction of being a half-sister to One Man, a magnificent chaser who numbered the Queen Mother Champion Chase and two editions of the King George VI Chase among his 17 victories over fences.

One Track Mind’s third dam Steal On was a half-sister to Amy Fairy. This successful hurdler/chaser now ranks as the second dam of Bellshill, who also enjoyed Gr1 success at the Punchestown festival a day before One Track Mind’s win.

Fifth dam Stroll On was a halfsister to Royal Alliance, dam of the high-class chaser Royal Bond and the top hunter-chaser Matchboard.

Matchboard in turn became the second dam of the Champion Hurdle

JER’S GIRL b f 2012 Danzig Razyana Sharpen Up Lettre d’Amour JEREMY b/br 03 Blushing Groom Arazi Danseur Fabuleux Glint In Her Eye Alzao Wind In Her Hair Burghclere Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Scenic Foolish Pleasure Idyllic Where You Lead AFRICAN SCENE b/br 96 Sing Sing African Sky Sweet Caroline African Bloom Sovereign Bloom Florescence Sovereign Game Danehill

263 RYANAIR COLLIERS NOVICE CHASE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 28. 5yo+. 16f.

Broodmare Sire: BENEFICIAL. Sire of the dams of 5 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ONE TRACK MIND Flemensfirth G1, RIVERSIDE CITY Presenting G2, ROCK THE WORLD Orpen G3.

Shafoun G3, MISS DE CHAMPDOUX Hawker’s News G3.

1. DOUVAN (FR) 6 11-10 £49,890 b g by Walk In The Park - Star Face (Saint des Saints) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-S.A.R.L. Haras de La Faisanderie TR-W. P. Mullins 2. The Game Changer (IRE) 7 11-10 £16,066 b g by Arcadio - Gilt Ridden (Heron Island) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Arctic Tack Stud & Crossogue Stud TR-Gordon Elliott 3. Sizing John (GB) 6 11-10 £7,610 b g by Midnight Legend - La Perrotine (Northern Crystal) O-Ann & Alan Potts Partnership B-Dr B. & S. Mayoh TR-Henry de Bromhead Margins 11, 11. Time 4:17.90. Going Yielding.

Age 4-6

Starts 12

Wins 11

Places 1

Earned £435,964

Sire: WALK IN THE PARK. Sire of 4 Stakes winners.

NH in 2015/16 - DOUVAN Saint des Saints G1, MIN Saint Estephe G2, PARK LIGHT Lightning LR. 1st Dam: Star Face by Saint des Saints. ran over jumps in France. Dam of 1 winner: 2010: DOUVAN (g Walk In The Park) 11 wins, Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1, Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, sportinglife.com Moscow Flyer Nov.Hurdle G2, Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Frank Ward Arkle Challenge Cup Nov.Chase G1, Racing Post Christmas Novice Chase G1, Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase G1, Ryanair Colliers Novice Chase G1.

2011: Ribostar (c Epalo) unraced.

2013: Kalimama (f Charming Groom) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: SAINT DES SAINTS. Sire of the dams of 4 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - ADRIEN DU PONT Califet G1, DOUVAN Walk In The Park G1, TOMMY SILVER Silver Cross LR.

1st Dam: NAIADE MAG by Kadalko. Winner over jumps in France. Dam of 3 winners: 2009: VROUM VROUM MAG (f Voix du Nord) 11 wins, Betdaq Punchestown Champion Hurdle G1, OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G1, olgb.com Warfield Mares’ Hurdle G2, I.S.F. EBF Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase G2, Coolmore Anaglog’sDaughter EBF Nov Chase G2, Kerry Group EBF Lombardstown Nov.Chase G3, EBF T. A. Morris Memorial Mares Chase G3, John & Chich Fowler Mem. EBF Mares Chase G3.

2010: ANTO MAG (f Lavirco) 2 wins at 4 in France.

2011: Brise Vendeenne (f Dom Alco) 3rd Betfred TV Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle LR. 2012: CABRIOLE MAG (f Gris de Gris) 2 wins.

2013: Dandy Mag (c Special Kaldoun) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: KADALKO. Sire of the dams of 13 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - VROUM VROUM MAG Voix du Nord G1, ARKWRISHT Lavirco G3, VICENTE Dom Alco G3, MA FILLEULE Turgeon LR. The Voix du Nord/Kadalko cross has produced: VROUM VROUM MAG G1, Volca de Thaix G1, VIEUX MORVAN G2, Unique de Cotte LR.

VROUM VROUM MAG b m 2009 Lomond Valanour Vearia VOIX DU NORD b 01 Top Ville Dame Edith Girl of France Cadoudal Kadalko Koln NAIADE MAG b 01 Video Rock Fortanea Alconea

See race 199 in the May issue

DOUVAN b g 2010 Sadler’s Wells Montjeu Floripedes WALK IN THE PARK b 02 Robellino Classic Park Wanton Cadoudal Saint des Saints Chamisene STAR FACE b 04 Saint Preuil Folie Star Gate Miss French

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Top Ville Toute Cy Roberto Isobelline Kris Brazen Faced Green Dancer Come To Sea Pharly Tuneria Dom Pasquini Montecha Mistigri Lise Belle

See race 87 in the February issue 264 BETDAQ PUNCHESTOWN CHAMPION HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 29. 4yo+. 16f.

1. VROUM VROUM MAG (FR) 7 11-5 £86,765 b m by Voix du Nord - Naiade Mag (Kadalko) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-A. Maggiar & A. Maggiar TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Identity Thief (IRE) 6 11-12 £27,941 b g by Kayf Tara - Miss Arteea (Flemensfirth) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-C. Ennis TR-Henry de Bromhead 3. My Tent Or Yours (IRE) 9 11-12 £13,235 b g by Desert Prince - Spartan Girl (Ela-Mana-Mou) O-Mr John P. McManus B-F. Dunne TR-Nicky Henderson Margins 1.25, 3.5. Time 4:01.60. Going Yielding.

Age 4-7

Starts 16

Wins 12

Places 4

Earned £323,401

Sire: VOIX DU NORD. Sire of 13 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - VROUM VROUM MAG Kadalko G1, VANITEUX Video Rock G2, VIBRATO VALTAT Dom Alco G2, VOIX D’EAU R B Chesne G2, BACHASSON

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Northern Dancer My Charmer Mill Reef Val Divine High Top Sega Ville Legend of France Water Girl Green Dancer Come To Sea Fant Kornahre No Lute Pauvresse Brezzo Leuconea

265 TATTERSALLS IRELAND CHAMPION NOV. HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 29. 4yo+. 20f.

1. JER’S GIRL (IRE) 4 10-6 £43,382 b f by Jeremy - African Scene (Scenic) O-Mr E. Bourke B-Mr E. A. Bourke TR-Gavin Cromwell 2. O O Seven (IRE) 6 11-10 £13,971 b g by Flemensfirth - Kestral Heights (Eagle Eyed) O-Triermore Stud B-R. McCarthy TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Thomas Hobson (GB) 6 11-10 £6,618 b g by Halling - La Spezia (Danehill Dancer) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mount Coote Stud & M.H. Dixon TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 10, 2.25. Time 4:54.70. Going Yielding.

Age 3-4

Starts 8

Wins 4

Places 2

Earned £113,763

Sire: JEREMY. Sire of 12 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - JER’S GIRL Scenic G1, HENRY HIGGINS Acatenango G2, WHO DARES WINS Polish Precedent G2.

1st Dam: African Scene by Scenic. Dam of 4 winners: 2002: (f Daggers Drawn) 2003: (f Sayarshan) 2004: FREDA’S ROSE (f Rossini) Winner.

2006: ROSEWIN (f Hawkeye) 6 wins at 3 to 5.

2007: (c Swallow Flight) 2008: Spring Rose (f Hawkeye) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race.

2010: SCENIC STAR (g Erewhon) Winner at 5.

2012: JER’S GIRL (f Jeremy) 3 wins over hurdles at 3 and 4, Tattersalls Ireland Champion Nov. Hurdle G1, Irish Stall. Farms EBF Mares Nov. Hurdle G1, Betfred Fillies’ Juvenile Hurdle LR, 2nd Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle G2.

2013: Aboutagout (g Jeremy) in training.

2014: (c Lord Shanakill) Broodmare Sire: SCENIC. Sire of the dams of 49 Stakes winners.

Danehill Dancer

Mira Adonde

See race 213 in the May issue 266 AES CHAMPION 4YO HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 30. 4yo. 16f.

1. APPLE’S JADE (FR) 10-7 £43,382 b f by Saddler Maker - Apple’s For Ever (Nkosi) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr R. Coveliers TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Let’s Dance (FR) 10-7 £13,971 b f by Poliglote - Baraka du Berlais (Bonnet Rouge) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mr J. Hayoz TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Ivanovich Gorbatov (IRE) 11-0 £6,618 b g by Montjeu - Northern Gulch (Gulch) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud TR-Aidan O’Brien Margins 9, Head. Time 3:59.80. Going Yielding.

Age 3-4

Starts 5

Wins 4

Places 1

Earned £154,691

Sire: SADDLER MAKER. Sire of 5 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - APPLE’S JADE Nkosi G1, BRISTOL DE MAI April Night G1, ALPHA DES OBEAUX Saint Preuil G2, LABEL DES OBEAUX Loup Solitaire G2, VERDURE DES OBEAUX Dom Pasquini LR. 1st Dam: APPLE’S FOR EVER by Nkosi. 5 wins over jumps in France. Dam of 3 winners: 2009: APPLE’S MAELYS (f Saddler Maker) 7 wins over jumps at 4, 5 and 7 in France.

2010: MADAME APPLE’S (f Saddler Maker) Winner over jumps in France.

2011: Le Sete For Ever (f Saddler Maker) ran over jumps in France.

2012: APPLE’S JADE (f Saddler Maker) 3 wins, AES Champion 4yo Hurdle G1, Betfred Anniversary Juvenile Hurdle G1, Knight Frank Juvenile Hurdle G2, 2nd JCB Triumph Hurdle G1.

Broodmare Sire: NKOSI. Sire of the dams of 1 Stakes winner.

APPLE’S JADE b f 2012 Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special SADDLER MAKER b 98 Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout Animatrice Val de L’Orne Alexandrie Apachee *unregistered Catherston Zulu VII *unregistered Nkosi Early Alarm Call Dutch Gold Ofc VII Joli Folie VII APPLE’S FOR EVER b 00 Succes Le Pontet Arielle Apple’s Girl Son of Silver Silver Girl Our Best Northern Dancer

Sadler’s Wells

Fairy Bridge

See race 244 earlier in this issue 267 IRISH STALL.FARMS EBF MARES CHPN. HURDLE G1 PUNCHESTOWN. Apr 30. 4yo+f. 18f.

1. WHITEOUT (GER) 5 11-7 £43,382 b m by Samum - Wassiliki (Night Shift) O-David Lawlor B-Gestut Karlshof TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Limini (IRE) 5 11-7 £13,971 ch m by Peintre Celebre - Her Grace (Spectrum) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Sir E. J. Loder TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Keppols Queen (IRE) 8 11-7 £6,618 br m by Indian River - Keppols Princess (Soviet Lad)

101

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DATA BOOK

National Hunt Grade 1s O-Ms C. O’Loughlin B-Mrs M. O’Loughlin TR-Mrs J. Harrington Margins 4.75, 2. Time 4:33.90. Going Good to Yielding.

Age 3-5

Starts 18

Wins 7

Places 6

Earned £110,721

Jennies Jewel, Jer’s Girl and Apple’s Jade not in the line-up, the Mares Champion Hurdle didn’t exactly live up to its name. Willie Mullins was still expected to land the prize, this time with hot favourite Limini, but it was his second string, Whiteout, who came out on top.

As a 15-furlong winner on the Flat at Maisons-Laffitte and a winner of the Ulster Cesarewitch over two and a quarter miles, Whiteout clearly possesses plenty of stamina.

However, she hasn’t been asked to tackle more than two and a half miles over hurdles and is effective over less, as she proved at Punchestown.

A German-bred daughter of Samum, Whiteout is the best jumper to represent her sire. There should be more good winners to come, as Samum has an ideal pedigree for jumping, with Monsun as his sire and a daughter of Old Vic as his dam.

He has, of course, been represented on the level by such smart European Gr1 winners as

in Germany. Dam of WILD PASSION (g Acatenango: Walther J Jacobs Rennen G3, 3rd Renault Deutsches St Leger G2, Betfair Royal Bond Novice Hurdle G1, Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, 2nd Letheby & Christopher Supreme Nov.Hurdle G1, 2nd Durkan New Homes Novice Chase G1), White On Black (g Lomitas: 3rd Grosser Radeberger Pilsner Preis LR)

Sire: SAMUM. Sire of 12 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: WASSILIKI by Night Shift. Winner at 3 in Germany. Dam of 3 winners: 2002: White Blossom (f Waky Nao) unraced.

Broodmare.

2004: Wassiljew (c Zinaad) 10 wins at 3, 5 and 6 in France, Switzerland, 3rd Grand Prix du Nord LR, Prix Le Fabuleux LR. 2006: Wanted (f Ransom O’War) 2007: Wadi Qadisha (f Martillo) 2008: WAR BRIDE (f War Blade) 5 wins at 4 and 5 in Germany.

2010: Ways of Life (f Samum) 2011: WHITEOUT (f Samum) Sold 7,936gns yearling at ARAUG. 6 wins, Irish Stall.Farms EBF Mares Chpn. Hurdle G1, Grabel Mares Hurdle LR, 2nd WKD Hurdle G2, Pat Walsh Memorial Mares Hurdle LR. 2012: Moinseiz du Moulin (c Touch Down) ran over jumps in France.

2014: Darnight du Moulin (f Arc Royal) in training.

2nd Dam: WHITE ON RED by Konigsstuhl. 2 wins at 2

Broodmare Sire: NIGHT SHIFT. Sire of the dams of 107 Stakes winners. NH in 2015/16 - WHITEOUT Samum G1, KICK ON Poliglote LR.

WHITEOUT b m 2011 Dschingis Khan Konigskronung Surumu Mosella Monasia Sadler’s Wells Old Vic Cockade Ridan Brave Lass Bravour II Northern Dancer Nearctic Natalma Chop Chop Ciboulette Windy Answer Dschingis Khan Konigsstuhl Konigskronung Win Hands Down Ela-Mana-Mou Waitotara Konigsstuhl

Monsun SAMUM ch 97 Sacarina

Night Shift WASSILIKI b 97 White On Red

With Vroum Vroom Mag, Annie Power,

Kamsin, Durban Thunder, Baila Me and Be Fabulous.

Whiteout isn’t the first Gr1 Punchestown winner for her family.

Her dam Wassiliki is a half-sister to Wild Passion, a very useful Flat performer who landed the Evening Herald Champion Novice Hurdle in 2005. Wild Passion had earlier won the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle and finished a creditable second in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Whiteout comes from a German family that has enjoyed plenty of success with animals whose names begin with ‘W’. Her second dam, the dual two-year-old winner White On Red, is a half-sister to the Groupwinning German stayer Wins Fiction and to Wild Romance, a smart performer who developed into a very successful broodmare.

Wild Romance’s first three live foals were all Group winners, including Wild Side, dam of that smart filly Wild Coco.

National Hunt Graded Races Date 02/04 03/04 07/04 07/04 08/04 08/04 08/04 09/04 09/04 13/04 16/04 16/04 16/04 23/04 23/04 26/04 27/04 28/04 28/04 29/04 29/04 30/04 30/04

Grade G2 G2 G2 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G3 G2 G3 GrB GrA GrB GrC GrA GrC GrB GrB

Race (course) Webster Cup An Uaimh Chase (Navan) Hugh McMahon Mem. Novice Chase (Limerick) Goffs Nickel Coin Mares’ NH. Flat Race (Aintree) Betfred Red Rum Handicap Chase (Aintree) Weatherbys Champion Open NH. Flat Race (Aintree) Alder Hey Children’s Charity Hcp Hurdle (Aintree) Crabbie’s Topham Handicap Chase (Aintree) Crabbie’s Grand National Handicap Chase (Aintree) Gaskells Handicap Hurdle (Aintree) Teenage Cancer Silver Trophy Hcp Chase (Cheltenham) Jordan Electrics Future Chpn Nov. Chase (Ayr) QTS Scottish Champion Handicap Hurdle (Ayr) Coral Scottish Grand National Hcp Chase (Ayr) Bet365 Oaksey Chase (Sandown Park) Bet365 Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Sandown Park) Killashee Handicap Hurdle (Punchestown) Guinness Handicap Chase (Punchestown) Three.ie Black Hills Handicap Chase (Punchestown) Murray Spelman Handicap Hurdle (Punchestown) EMS Copiers Novice Handicap Chase (Punchestown) HanlonEBF Glencarraig Lady Mares H Chase (Punchestown) Coral Setanta Sports Handicap Hurdle (Punchestown) Palmerstown House Pat Taaffe Hcp Chase (Punchestown)

Dist 20f 24f 16.5f 15.5f 16.5f 20f 21f 34f 24.5f 20.5f 20.5f 16f 31.5f 22.5f 28.5f 16f 20f 16f 24f 21f 21f 20f 25f

Horse Smashing (FR) Avant Tout (FR) Kayf Grace (GB) Katachenko (IRE) Bacardys (FR) Party Rock (IRE) Eastlake (IRE) Rule The World (GB) Ubak (FR) Voix d’Eau (FR) Le Mercurey (FR) Ch’tibello (FR) Vicente (FR) Menorah (IRE) The Young Master (GB) Tempo Mac (IRE) Irish Cavalier (IRE) Bright New Dawn (IRE) Cup Final (IRE) Avant Tout (FR) Definite Ruby (IRE) Anibale Fly (FR) Pleasant Company (IRE)

Age 7 6 6 7 5 9 10 9 8 6 6 5 7 11 7 6 7 9 7 6 8 6 8

Sex G G M G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G M G G

Sire Smadoun Agent Bleu Kayf Tara Kutub Coastal Path Vinnie Roe Beneficial Sulamani Kapgarde Voix du Nord Nickname Sageburg Dom Alco King’s Theatre Echo of Light Antonius Pius Aussie Rules Presenting Presenting Agent Bleu Definite Article Assessor Presenting

Dam Faragreen Quiwfty Potter’s Gale Karalee Oasice Garryduff Eile Guigone Elaine Tully Gesse Parade Eau de Chesne Feroe Neicha Ireland Maid For Adventure Fine Frenzy Quecha Tracker Shuil Dorcha Asian Maze Quiwfty Sunset Queen Nouba Fly Katie Flame

Broodmare Sire Green Tune Dark Moondancer Strong Gale Arokar Robin des Champs Oscar Esprit du Nord Persian Bold Dress Parade R B Chesne Bulington Neverneyev Kadalko Strong Gale Great Commotion Indian Ridge Bustino Bob Back Anshan Dark Moondancer King’s Theatre Chamberlin Alderbrook

Index 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290

Leading National Hunt sires 2015/16 by earnings Name

King's Theatre Presenting Kayf Tara Flemensfirth Beneficial Milan Westerner Oscar Midnight Legend Robin des Champs Old Vic Network Sulamani Dom Alco Shantou Shirocco Voix du Nord Gold Well Authorized Winged Love Martaline Sholokhov Saint des Saints Cloudings Saddler Maker Brian Boru Definite Article Poliglote Alflora Vinnie Roe Dr Massini Heron Island Walk In The Park Scorpion Kalanisi Court Cave Stowaway Notnowcato

102

YOF

1991 1992 1994 1992 1990 1998 1999 1994 1991 1997 1986 1997 1999 1987 1993 2001 2001 2001 2004 1992 1999 1999 1998 1994 1998 2000 1992 1992 1989 1998 1993 1993 2002 2002 1996 2001 1994 2002

Sire

Rnrs

Sadler's Wells Mtoto Sadler's Wells Alleged Top Ville Sadler's Wells Danehill Sadler's Wells Night Shift Garde Royale Sadler's Wells Monsun Hernando Dom Pasquini Alleged Monsun Valanour Sadler's Wells Montjeu In the Wings Linamix Sadler's Wells Cadoudal Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Indian Ridge Sadler's Wells Niniski Definite Article Sadler's Wells Shirley Heights Montjeu Montjeu Doyoun Sadler's Wells Slip Anchor Inchinor

287 370 302 296 321 306 206 279 154 95 94 42 23 40 104 46 23 87 59 61 43 19 34 61 8 101 113 25 88 82 89 81 11 128 135 64 96 14

Wnrs

109 121 108 108 106 95 73 80 54 36 32 21 12 16 36 15 10 29 24 24 18 5 16 25 6 32 27 10 32 33 21 23 4 36 32 23 23 8

%WR

37.98 32.70 35.76 36.49 33.02 31.05 35.44 28.67 35.06 37.89 34.04 50.00 52.17 40.00 34.62 32.61 43.48 33.33 40.68 39.34 41.86 26.32 47.06 40.98 75.00 31.68 23.89 40.00 36.36 40.24 23.60 28.40 36.36 28.13 23.70 35.94 23.96 57.14

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

Top horse

169 174 165 154 148 139 104 115 73 52 53 38 13 24 62 20 23 46 36 36 32 8 24 38 11 50 39 16 47 41 33 32 11 47 38 31 30 17

20.2 20.0 19.7 20.6 19.5 21.0 20.2 20.2 19.0 18.6 21.5 19.0 20.2 22.1 20.6 20.0 17.8 20.5 16.6 22.7 17.9 22.7 19.2 21.1 18.7 20.8 19.8 19.5 22.2 20.0 22.0 21.3 17.2 18.6 19.4 20.6 18.7 17.4

2,900,991 2,343,582 2,251,436 1,947,820 1,707,467 1,375,444 1,282,664 1,277,004 849,310 841,980 753,465 739,334 696,954 670,975 618,944 605,752 549,151 530,830 518,484 515,368 503,231 492,873 451,620 448,097 437,333 432,414 424,049 418,110 416,014 409,371 393,601 393,388 367,636 344,428 336,860 336,493 331,446 320,215

Cue Card Rogue Angel Thistlecrack The Last Samuri Annacotty Mountainous Wakanda God's Own Sizing John Vautour Vics Canvas Sprinter Sacre Rule The World Vicente Shantou Flyer Annie Power Vroum Vroum Mag Sausalito Sunrise Nichols Canyon Firebird Flyer Agrapart Don Cossack Djakadam Many Clouds Apple's Jade Henri Parry Morgan Definitly Red Don Poli Fine Rightly Barney Dwan Sound Investment Black Hercules Douvan Don't Touch It Barters Hill Court Minstrel Outlander Old Guard

Earned (£)

374,029 217,985 372,003 277,920 126,630 72,269 106,781 233,371 88,968 290,755 109,558 358,786 591,772 143,134 53,328 370,387 204,580 75,566 153,316 100,665 101,333 420,432 204,156 49,767 147,506 56,029 61,625 193,222 50,437 44,646 53,562 93,422 280,127 64,163 50,160 71,490 93,883 142,571

King’s canters clear King’s Theatre won the title with remarkable ease, by a margin of £557,409. Menorah and Junction Fourteen gave him a splendid double on the final day of the British season at Sandown and Carlingford Lough and Bellshill were both on the mark in Grade 1s at Punchestown.

Generally there were few movements in the table, although Blow By Blow’s bumper success and Vautour’s second at Punchestown enabled Robin des Champs to overtake Old Vic. Vicente’s victory in the Scottish Grand National moved Dom Alco up two places into 14th.

Four stallions ended up with more than 300 individual runners: Presenting (370), Beneficial (321), Milan (306) and Kayf Tara (302).

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Queen at 90 OB June 2016 f-p_Queen at 90 OB June 2016 f-p 18/05/2016 08:39 Page 1

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June_142_24Hours_Owner 20/05/2016 12:24 Page 104

24 HOURS WITH… ED CHAMBERLIN

104

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harlotte and I get up just before seven as Polly, 10, and Sam, 7, need to be out of the house by 7.45 to get to school. I give Waffle, our springer spaniel, a quick spin in the garden and then check the sports headlines on my iPad while making a strong black coffee on my self-grinding machine, named Don Poli after last year’s RSA Chase winner. My winnings paid for the coffee maker!

I take the Times, Telegraph, Mail and Sun on my iPad so I can see what people are saying while I enjoy my coffee.

I must admit I’m mad about coffee and love Brazilian beans. Breakfast is Alpen and fruit with another black coffee.

I enjoy doing the school run when Charlotte can’t do it, and afterwards take Waffle for a run on Broughton Down above where we live in Hampshire. My knees have never been the same since competing in the London Marathon so I am restricted to short, sharp runs.

Every work day is different.

On Fridays I go into the office to plan the weekend shows, Super Sunday and Monday Night Football with my producer, Scott Melvin.

Saturday is generally travel day to wherever the football is, sometimes via a racecourse; I might drop in at Newbury or Sandown on my way to London.

On Sundays I need to be in the home ground studio by nine o’clock and I’m there all day at whichever match we are covering. Monday finds me in Sky’s high-tech studio and I don’t get home until one in the morning, with adrenaline still racing through me.

The day before Leicester won the league I spent the afternoon trying to equate what 5,000-1 was in racing terms. There’s nothing to match it, not even Foinavon’s

ED CHAMBERLIN says fronting racing coverage on TV is his “dream job” – having marvelled at Leicester’s stunning Premier League title triumph, the presenter is ready for a new challenge Grand National. A victory like Leicester’s gives individuals and teams belief that they can do it. I’m a Southampton fan, so why can’t we go and do it?

Leicester’s feat is the greatest sporting story ever and to be presenting it was unbelievable. As good as it gets and right up there with the ‘Aguero moment’ when Manchester City snatched the 2012 title, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s last game at Old Trafford.

Lunch on the hoof means grabbing a Pret A Manger sandwich, otherwise at home I’ll try to be healthy and whip up some scrambled eggs. But I’d be talking a good game if I said I was eating healthy every day. Sometimes after a longer run or a trip to the gym I’ll spoil myself in the evening.

Football was not my original route into the professional world after reading politics at Exeter University, where, incidentally, in three years I didn’t miss a Newton Abbot or Exeter race meeting.

I joined the BHA Graduate Scheme, did work experience in Newmarket and wanted to go into racecourse management. Then I got sent to Ladbrokes for two weeks, stayed there for over three years and loved being an odds compiler.

I love a bet, but am not as brave as I used to be. My biggest win was backing Shahtoush at 50-1 in the 1998 Oaks, which she won at 12-1.

I know my name has appeared in the betting to be the presenter of next year’s racing on ITV. It would be a

dream job in many ways. This year my focus has been on the remarkable title race and finale to the Premier League season.

Racing is spoilt and at times doesn’t realise how lucky it is having such blanket coverage. It is brilliantly broadcast by Channel 4 and the two subscription channels, At The Races and Racing UK. You can watch every race, every day, and all three channels do different jobs in their different ways.

It’s my afternoon escape and I love it.

I am going to Royal Ascot on the Tuesday, which is a completely different experience to Cheltenham, though I have to say nothing beats the Festival. But the pageantry and colour, together with the racing at Ascot, is something that we in this country do like nobody else.

Charlotte and I have supper at eight. She is a vegetarian and will cook what’s she’s having and I’ll add something to it. I enjoy sharing the cooking. But it’s my barbecuing skills that are second to none! Butterflied lamb is my signature summer dish and I rate fillet of buffalo from our local Broughton buffalo farm, better than any fillet of beef.

I’m in bed after watching the 10 o’clock news headlines and often read the next day’s Racing Post on my iPad. I still get terribly nervous before a show – as a result I’m a bad sleeper. I don’t use an autocue so I learn all my lines and wake up with the words swirling round my head the night before a game. After a match the adrenaline is still racing, making it hard to get to sleep.

I used to be a brilliant sleeper; now I’m hopeless.

That’s the job, but I’m not complaining.

Interview by Tim Richards

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DAR8873 OB page E&E 16 MAY16 17/05/2016 14:17 Page 1

The Exceed succession

Exceed And Excel. Australian Champion sprinter.

Australian Champion sire. World’s leading sire of two-year-olds.

Famed for producing offspring with great looks – and great speed.

Now his sons are spreading his influence into future generations.Excellent!

Helmet

Fulbright

The record-breaking Classic miler who has made an instant impact as a first-crop sire in 2016.

The CLUB stallion who was the epitome of an Exceed And Excel: precocious, durable, talented.

Dalham Hall Stud, Britain

Kildangan Stud, Ireland

Outstrip

Sidestep

Winner of the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf from El Prado’s family.

Also in the CLUB.

Australian Champion two-year-old colt who is impressing breeders with his athleticism and power.

Dalham Hall Stud, Britain

Haras du Logis, France

Please call for a last-minute cover +44 (0)1638 730070 or +353 (0)45 527600 or +33 (0)2 33362120 www.darleystallions.com

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