Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

Mar_151_Cover_OwnerBreeder 17/02/2017 17:30 Page 1

£4.95 | March 2017 | Issue 151

Incorporating

King’s charge Yanworth heads resurgent trainer’s Cheltenham squad

Plus • Tim Radford on sponsorship deals and Festival thrills • Best of both: dual-purpose sires offering terrific value • Tony Morris says developers are welcome to Kempton

03

9 771745 435006

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

35516_Mastercraftsman_TBOB_Mar'17.qxp_35516_Mastercraftsman_TBOB_Mar'17 09/02/2017 15:38 Page 1

You know he’s good.

But do you know what’s in the pipeline?

He’s a Champion Sire.

14 Group winners from his first 3 crops including Gr.1 winning 2yo Kingston Hill, dual Gr.1 winning miler Amazing Maria and record-breaking Classic winner The Grey Gatsby.

He’s proven in the ring.

2016 yearlings: €190,000, €190,000, €175,000, €175,000, €160,000, €160,000, €150,000, €130,000, €130,000, €130,000 etc.

2016 in-foal mares: €435,000, €410,000, €350,000, €240,000, €200,000, €175,000, €150,000 etc.

And with his best-bred crops in the pipeline the real value is now!

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

35516_Mastercraftsman_TBOB_Mar'17.qxp_35516_Mastercraftsman_TBOB_Mar'17 09/02/2017 15:40 Page 2

A champion sire and the best son of Danehill Dancer.

19

GROUP/STAKES PERFORMERS IN EUROPE IN 2016 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.

Mar_151_Editors_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 17:25 Page 5

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

Incorporating

£4.95 | March 2017 | Issue 151

King’s charge Yanworth heads resurgent trainer’s Cheltenham squad

Plus • Tim Radford on sponsorship deals and Festival thrills • Best of both: dual-purpose sires offering terrific value • Tony Morris says developers are welcome to Kempton

03

9 771745 435006

www.ownerbreeder.co.uk

Cover: Grade 1 winner Yanworth will spearhead trainer Alan King’s Cheltenham Festival team Photo: George Selwyn

Follow us on... @OwnerBreeder

EDWARD ROSENTHAL

Phil Smith’s not the only one winging it at Aintree O

ne of the abiding racing memories of my youth is watching Just So, carrying my 50p each-way stake, chasing home Miinnehoma in the 1994 Grand National. While the winner, a classy Grade 1 winner trained by Martin Pipe, would have earned his spot in any subsequent renewal with his rating, dear old Just So, an animal for whom the term ‘out-and-out stayer’ could have been coined, was 22lb out of the handicap at Aintree. Had he been entered for this year’s race, which attracted 109 entries, he would be number 110 on the list.

It is accepted that the Grand National, worth £1 million and backed for the first time this year by Randox Health, is not the contest it once was. It may still lay claim to be the greatest horserace in the world, a sentiment I share, however the fences have gotten smaller (easier to jump round), the distance has been reduced (less of a stamina test) and there are far fewer Just So-types turning out for their shot at stardom.

The weights are now dominated by horses with form in championship races.

Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud, which enjoyed 2016 National glory with Rule The World, is responsible for 16 entries this year. Ten of those are trained by Gordon Elliott, the coming force in Irish jump racing, who himself has 14 entries. With a maximum field of 40 runners, those owners and trainers with horses sat below the cut-off point will have been pleased to hear that a number of the Gigginstown/Elliott battalion will not be taking up their engagement. Yet should this decision be theirs only to make?

An issue with the lofty handicap assessments of his runners by the BHA’s Phil Smith – “he’s making it up as he goes along” claimed an infuriated O’Leary – saw the owner rule out his top three runners, Outlander, Empire Of Dirt and Don Poli. Yet if he took a different view and decided to throw the kitchen sink at the prize, as things stand Gigginstown would supply over a quarter of the field. Is this really what the National is about, or what

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

the public wants to see? I would say no, definitely not.

Of course owners and trainers having multiple runners in top races, under both codes, is nothing new.

We live in a free society and it would be folly – and frankly unnecessary as well as possibly unlawful – to try to place restrictions on who runs what where. But as Phil Smith’s ‘discretionary’ handicapping of runners shows, the Grand National is not a normal horserace. Special rules apply. And perhaps those rules should include a restriction of, say, a maximum of five runners per owner in the interests of the race’s competitive spirit.

It is Cheltenham, not Aintree, that is foremost in the mind of most trainers at this time of the year and Alan King is no exception. Ever-present in the trainers’ top ten for 14 consecutive seasons, King is enjoying his best run in terms of winners since two consecutive centuries in 2007-08 (128) and 2008-09 (136), with the promise of much more to come.

The Barbury Castle handler may not have yet achieved the trainers’ title that once looked a distinct possibility when the likes of My Way De Solzen, Voy Por Ustedes and Katchit were strutting their stuff, but he is still a force to be reckoned with and has a number of chances at this month’s Festival, led by this month’s cover star Yanworth, a horse that highlights King’s eye for a bargain.

“We found him way out the back at Doncaster, [Anthony] Bromley and I,” he says. “Sixteen grand. I remember taking him to Wincanton, still in my colours, and beating a hot favourite Paul [Nicholls] had for Graham Wylie. And when we came in afterwards he came up and said, ‘You must be seriously good.’ We sold the horse to JP [McManus] a couple of days later.

“I was surprised he was able to win [the Christmas Hurdle] at Kempton. I just thought that two miles round there, on good ground, it’s going to happen a bit quick for him; that he could run a very good Champion Hurdle trial that day and get beat. So I was thrilled to see him go about it the way he did.”

“Does the public

want to see one man responsible for a quarter of the Grand National field?

”

5

Mar_151_Contents_Contents 17/02/2017 16:56 Page 6

CONTENTS MARCH 2017

44

38

NEWS & VIEWS

INTERNATIONAL SCENE

9

ROA Leader

27

View From Ireland

11

TBA Leader

31

Continental Tales

12

News

35

Around The Globe

14

Changes

22

Tony Morris

24

Howard Wright

Is Festival prize-money sufficient?

Welcome to our new CEO

Staying races enhanced by Pattern Committee

News in a nutshell

Kempton should be sold

Safety first for jockeys

The world’s highest-rated racehorse Arrogate winning the inaugural Pegasus World Cup

6

Vincent Ward bounces back

Felix de Giles relishing French role

Introduction of elitist races

Mar_151_Contents_Contents 17/02/2017 16:56 Page 7

54

104

FEATURES

FORUM

18

The Big Picture

74

The Thoroughbred Club

20

From The Archives

76

ROA Forum

38

COVER STORY

84

TBA Forum

92

Breeder of the Month

96

Vet Forum

The Pegasus World Cup

Badsworth Boy in 1985

The Big Interview With trainer Alan King

44

Talking To...

Tim Radford on Somersby and sponsors

50

First ROA

54

Dual-purpose Stallions

64

Owners cause Jockey Club ire

Sires for all seasons

Sales Circuit In Britain and Ireland

72

Caulfield Files

100

Dr Statz

104

24 Hours With...

A huge range of 2017 raceday benefits

BHA simplifies owner registration process

Flat Stallion Parade at Tattersalls

Graham Smith for Unowhatimeanharry

Bent legs in foals

DATA BOOK

102

NH Graded Races

103

Stallion Statistics

Your latest winners

King’s Theatre holds his lead

The rise of Galileo’s daughters

Assessing National Hunt stallions

Bookmaker Geoff Banks

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Our monthly circulation is certified at

9,500 Can other magazines prove theirs?

7

Mar_151_ROA_Leader_Layout 1 17/02/2017 16:38 Page 9

ROA LEADER

NICHOLAS COOPER President Racehorse Owners Association

All contributors should share in Festival’s success It’s the biggest four days in jumping but are owners receiving a fair return?

W

hat do we know about the Cheltenham Festival? We know it is the outstanding success story of British horseracing and that during these magnificent four days in the Cotswold countryside well over 250,000 people will descend on a racecourse whose name has become synonymous with all that is great and exciting about jump racing.

We know, for those not lucky enough to experience Cheltenham’s unique atmosphere at first hand, TV coverage will allow several million of them to soak up the brilliant sport, entertained and informed this year by a new ITV Racing team that must be anticipating the third week in March with a mixture of excitement and trepidation.

We know no other event has a greater draw for punters and that betting shops will be packed to the gunnels like at no other time of the year, while millions of computer and mobile phone screens will be flashing up odds as the phenomenon of online betting grips the gambling nation.

We know that it has become that rare event in horseracing that goes beyond the racing parish so it occupies a place in the public consciousness comparable with the likes of Wimbledon, the open golf and Formula 1, with its influence becoming so strong that it acts as a promotional tool for racing generally in a way that, in our world, only the Grand National and Royal Ascot can match.

We know, for the horses and horsemen, no event in the jump racing calendar compares with the Cheltenham Festival, and that the moment a horse wins a decent quality chase or hurdle from November onwards the question on everyone’s lips is inevitably: ‘Is this a Cheltenham horse?’

We know, so strong has the draw of the Festival become, the meeting has introduced a new expression into racing as some commentators are now asking whether the jumps season has become too ‘Cheltenhamcentric’ and whether the habit of ‘saving’ horses for

Cheltenham takes too much competition away from some of the earlier major meetings.

We know for some time there has been an increasing tendency for trainers to avoid taking on horses of comparable class until the championship races and that you have only to look at some of the tiny fields running for excellent price-money at Sandown and Newbury in February to see there is some truth in this.

We know the days of campaigning horses like the triple Champion Hurdle winner Persian War – who in the late sixties was often asked to carry enormous weights in major handicaps before the successful defence of his Cheltenham crown – have sadly disappeared forever.

We know, for most owners, having a runner, let alone a winner, at the Festival is a huge attraction whatever the prizemoney, but, given the colossal sums the meeting generates, we wonder whether the prize-money is actually good enough.

We know Cheltenham publicises their prize-money figures with great fanfare but when total prize-money for the meeting is compared with inflation over the last decade or so it has only just kept up, especially so when allowing for the fact that this total is now spread over four additional races and that some of the Festival’s lesser events have hardly increased at all in actual prize-money terms.

We know the huge profits made by the Festival meeting cannot be seen in isolation and that Cheltenham’s owners, Jockey Club Racecourses – a not-for-profit organisation – spent £45m on the course’s redevelopment three years ago, while some of these profits also need to be used to help underpin their other 13 racecourses.

We know it is likely to be seen as disingenuous to put any sort of cloud over a meeting that is by any measure racing’s biggest success story, but we also know we would be failing in our duty if we did not do our best to ensure owners and all horsemen share proportionately in this success.

“When prize-money

for Cheltenham is compared with inflation over the last decade it has only just kept up

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

9

Just a few of the reasons why people join the TBA… FREE Third party liability insurance FREE Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder Magazine subscription (worth £55) FREE Stallion Guide (worth £25) FREE Exclusive member events FREE Employer support

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.

Membership from just £115

01638 661321 l info@thetba.co.uk Find out more at thetba.co.uk

Mar_151_TBA_Leader_TBA 17/02/2017 14:25 Page 11

TBA LEADER

JULIAN RICHMOND-WATSON Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

Remit more diverse than ever in our centenary year TBA will seek to maintain and enhance key industry contacts under new CEO

E

very trade association, inside or outside racing, needs strong leadership, and I am delighted that Claire Sheppard, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, is joining the TBA as our new Chief Executive Officer. The board, executive and I all look forward to working with her.

Among the by-products of the interviewing process from which Claire emerged as the outstanding candidate was the realisation of how diverse and far-reaching the TBA’s remit has become in recent years. The number and range of topics that staff at Stanstead House deal with continues to grow, demonstrating how important it is for us to have in place a sound structure and a well-equipped team able to serve the interests of all members, whether they have small or large operations, private or commercial.

Veterinary matters, race programming and training are areas that have taken on much greater importance as the TBA has approached this year’s centenary celebrations. Our veterinary research and advice is crucial, and the Codes of Practice, published annually by the Levy Board, is rightly regarded as the most vital practical guide in the event of a disease outbreak.

The availability of vaccines and medicine is becoming an ever greater issue and our veterinary committee – one of five sub-committees that support the TBA board – is constantly reviewing the status of products. In overall terms, it is increasingly important that we safeguard standards for disease surveillance and reporting within Defra.

Working with other thoroughbred breeding nations over the details of Brexit, when and where they are finalised, is bound to be time-consuming and complicated. The ability to move breeding and sales horses between countries without constraint is vital for the industry in Britain, and the TBA will need to be at the forefront of these negotiations to ensure that the present ease of movement continues.

Our engagement as members of the European Federation of TBAs and the International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation gives us the appropriate contacts and

opportunities to make this work.

Britain’s racing programme – about which our incoming Chief Executive has intimate knowledge, following her five years in a similar role at Plumpton racecourse and three years as racing director at the RCA – continues to improve.

Yet initiatives such as Plus 10 and MOPS would not have come about without the TBA’s hard work in persuading others to give their backing.

The TBA’s duty to support the diversity and excellence of the thoroughbred resulted in our undertaking a study into British stayers and staying races. We are delighted that others have taken up the cause, the most recent example being the European Pattern Committee, whose decision to upgrade the Goodwood Cup to Group 1 status, while enhancing other Group and Listed staying races, is a great testament to an initiative started by the TBA. Funding of education and training becomes more difficult as the government makes further demands on the industry and employers. The TBA must continue to help by providing courses for members and supporting the recruitment and training of stud staff.

Last year’s strategic review revealed a view among a significant number of members that the association is probably not as good as it should be in explaining to supporters and funders the wide range of activities undertaken on their behalf. With that in mind the board and executive will look at ways to engage with members to understand any issues they have with our work.

New money is about to flow into the sport and the TBA will work tirelessly to make sure that the voice of breeders and the industry is heard, so that support where it has a direct benefit to breeders and the racing industry is forthcoming and ensures a bright future for the thoroughbred and all it stands for.

There is plenty of work to do, but with the continued support of all our breeders I am sure Claire and her team will do their best to deliver on all fronts.

“Funding of education

and training becomes more difficult as the government makes further demands on employers

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

11

Mar_151_News_Owner 17/02/2017 17:15 Page 12

NEWS Stories from the racing world

Pattern changes target stayers Queen’s Vase upgraded to Group 2 but reduction in distance causes controversy

Leading Light (right) and Estimate (centre) were Queen’s Vase-Gold Cup winners

A

number of changes to the European Pattern have been made, focusing on trying to do for stayers what was done for younger sprinters.

Having tackled the dearth of opportunities for three-year-old sprinters, the centrepiece of that initiative being the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, attention has turned to the staying division, which was felt to be in need of review.

To that end, the Qatar Goodwood Cup has been upgraded to Group 1, with its prize fund boosted from £300,000 to £500,000, while a number of other staying events have been upgraded.

Among these are the Oleander-Rennen at Hoppegarten, now Group 2, the Loughbrown Stakes at the Curragh, and the Eyrefield Stakes at Leopardstown, which are both now Group 3.

A significant change is the reduction in trip from two miles to a mile and six for the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, a change that met with a decidedly mixed reception, with seven-time race winner Mark Johnston expressing “grave concerns”. The race has, however, been upgraded to Group 2 from Listed level.

The upgrades were said to demonstrate the appetite from the European Pattern Committee to enhance the stayers’ programme, with a view

12

to incentivising the breeding, owning and training of quality staying horses in Europe.

EPC Chairman Brian Kavanagh said: “The EPC has agreed that it remains vital, now more than ever, that Europe supports a strong programme for horses racing over extended distances.

“No other part of the world provides a meaningful programme of races for such horses and some appear to have almost given up altogether.

“Whilst the programme for stayers features some important races, it doesn’t offer a Group 1 over a distance in excess of 14 and a half

furlongs between Royal Ascot and the Arc meeting.

“We agreed that it would seem sensible to have a European Group 1 over two miles in the summer, and the historic Goodwood Cup is well-positioned in the year and was felt to be the obvious candidate.”

Kavanagh added of the Queen’s Vase: “A few years ago the EPC downgraded the race. It serves a specific, and currently unique, purpose, but it was required to be downgraded automatically under the rules.

“This was an uncomfortable outcome for us all but it helped concentrate our minds on the need to develop greater depth to the pool of young stayers. The reduction in trip should help make it more of a target for a greater number of quality young horses.”

That reducing the trip seemed at odds with protecting and enhancing the staying sector was not lost on many, and Johnston said: “After all the rhetoric about supporting and making a programme for stayers, my first reaction is desperate disappointment.

“In my eyes, the race is the three-year-old stayers' championship. Horses win that and then you can dream about the Ascot Gold Cup. To drop down in trip seems to be the opposite of what they are aiming to with the programme.

“It's not as if the race hasn't attracted great horses and great winners, especially in recent times.”

Two of the last five winners, Estimate and Leading Light, graduated to win the Gold Cup the following year.

Italy has lost three of its four Group 1s, although James Crispe in Continental Tales makes the point that at least the nation remains part of the European Pattern (see page 32).

Jim McGrath clarification Following his Talking To interview in the February magazine, Jim McGrath would like to clarify the position regarding his contact with ITV Racing. McGrath says: “Last month in an article for Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder I explained that, having gone for an interview for a position on ITV at the request of Niall Sloane, I subsequently failed to receive any contact from him regarding this.

“Since then Mr Sloane has been in touch to assure me that during August he left a voicemail message to the effect there wouldn’t be a position on the team for me.

“In the circumstances I have no reason to doubt that he did just that. Equally, he accepts that I never received his message. As such, in hindsight it was unfair of me to criticise him on the score of manners and for that I apologise.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_News_Owner 17/02/2017 17:15 Page 13

The 2016 Grand National winner Rule The World at the weights launch at the Victoria & Albert Museum

National weights revealed Outlander heads the weights among 109 entries for the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree on Saturday, April 8 – however the nine-year-old will not be taking part in the world’s most famous horserace.

No sooner had Outlander’s burden of 11st 10lb been revealed to assembled guests and media at the weights launch in London on February 14, trainer Gordon Elliott promptly declared that his charge would not be taking up the challenge.

Elliott, though, has ten other entries among the top 40 – and 14 overall – with the trainer nominating last year’s sixth Ucello Conti (10st 7lb) and Cause Of

Causes (10st 8lb) as intended runners.

Irish-trained entries dominate the weights, filling the top five positions, with 2016 runner-up The Last Samuri (11st 5lb) heading the home defence for owners Paul and Clare Rooney and trainer Kim Bailey.

Mouse Morris, who claimed an emotional victory in last year’s race with Rule The World, has three entries this time, with Rogue Angel (10st 3lb) the highest-rated in the list at number 60 – but he will need plenty of luck to get in.

A maximum field of 40 runners will go to post for the 2017 Randox Health Grand National, worth £1 million, the first renewal with its sponsor under a five-year deal.

Weatherbys releases Bloodstock Sales Review The increasingly busy world of sales is thoroughly detailed in the Bloodstock Sales Review of 2016, which has recently been published by Weatherbys.

The British-based Dubawi led the way at the yearling sales as the sire of the three most expensive yearlings sold in Europe last year – the joint-top colts each having been bred in this country by Mark Weinfeld’s Meon Valley Stud and Philippa Cooper of Normandie Stud respectively. Meanwhile, fellow Newmarket stallion Dansili provided the most expensive foal of 2016 in the James Wigan-bred filly out of High Heeled.

The lowdown on every transaction to take place in sales rings around Europe, as well as European-sired foals and yearlings to have been sold in America and Japan, can be found in the annual, which is available via www.bettrendshop.co.uk for £45.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Claire Sheppard joins TBA from RCA

Sheppard is new TBA Chief Executive The TBA has appointed Claire Sheppard as its new Chief Executive Officer.

Racing Director of the Racecourse Association for the past three years, Sheppard has more than 20 years’ experience in the racing industry, including her five-year stint as Chief Executive of Plumpton racecourse.

Commenting on her appointment, TBA Chairman Julian Richmond-Watson said: “I am delighted that Claire has agreed to become the TBA’s Chief Executive Officer.

“She brings a wealth of experience in racing administration and a personal interest in the sport. She has a good relationship with many of the key stakeholders within racing and has a track record of delivering strategic objectives as CEO. We all look forward to working with her to achieve the best outcomes for our members across the many facets of the breeding industry.”

Sheppard, who will move to Newmarket when she takes up her new role in the coming months, added: “I am thrilled to be offered this vital role within the industry, leading the team that represents the interests of British thoroughbred breeders.

“I look forward to ensuring our members are supported during these challenging times, and to working with the board of trustees and racing’s stakeholders to promote British bloodstock’s global reputation.”

She continued: “I am personally very grateful for the opportunities presented to me by the RCA and wish to thank all the RCA staff, board and racecourse members for their assistance throughout my time as Racing Director. I have a lifelong love of horses and the sport of horseracing and am really looking forward to becoming closely involved with another key part of the industry.”

13

Mar_151_Changes2pp_Layout 1 17/02/2017 15:03 Page 14

Racing’s news in a nutshell PEOPLE AND BUSINESS Juddmonte International York’s premier contest, rated the best race in Britain, increases in value by £100,000 to £1 million.

Seamus Buckley Clerk of the Course at Goodwood since 1994 will step down from the role at the end of the year.

Ryanair Paul Webber Trainer on the mend after fracturing his pelvis in a gallops accident at his base in Cropredy, Oxfordshire.

Chartered accountant succeeds Mark Davies as Trustee of the Ascot Authority; his father David trained Celeric, winner of the Gold Cup at Ascot.

Jockey currently based in Australia will be out of action until mid-March after suffering a hairline fracture in his wrist following a fall at Randwick.

Kristin Stubbs

Signs two-year deal to become the new sponsor of the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle at Aintree’s Grand National meeting.

Backtracks on her decision to quit the training ranks but will also start working with the Jockeys Employment & Training Scheme (JETS).

Olly Tait

William Carson

Darley’s former Chief Operating Officer buys Twin Hills Stud in New South Wales from Sheikh Mohammed.

Harry Morley

James Doyle

Jockey is banned from driving for three years and given a suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to driving while disqualified.

Also... Ladbrokes has been ordered to close shops on six Arena Racing Company tracks

after an escalation in the row over new betting shop channel The Racing Partnership. Tim Lane is appointed new manager of The National Stud in Newmarket by the Jockey Club. French racing authorities decide to introduce a 2kg (4lb) allowance for female jockeys below Class 1 level on the Flat and over jumps. George Chaloner sustains fractured vertebra and a broken foot after a fall at Newcastle in his comeback ride from injury. Chief Executive of the Irish National Stud John Osborne will step down at the end of the year after seven years in the role. PJ McDonald leaves his role as first jockey to Ann Duffield and will continue riding as a freelance.

Chester Racecourse will increase appearance money payment to owners of £500 per runner.

HORSE OBITUARIES Royal Delta 9 Outstanding daughter of Empire Maker, winner of six Grade 1s, dies due to complications foaling a filly by Galileo at Coolmore.

Fame And Glory 11 Son of Montjeu won the Irish Derby and Gold Cup during a superb racing career that yielded 14 wins and over £2.3 million in prizemoney.

Lucky Pulpit 16 Sire of two-time US Horse of the Year California Chrome dies of a heart attack while on covering duty at Harris Farms in California.

Many Clouds 10 Grand National winner for Trevor Hemmings, Oliver Sherwood and Leighton Aspell dies after winning the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.

>> 14

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_Changes2pp_Layout 1 17/02/2017 15:03 Page 16

RACEHORSE AND STALLION MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Shalaa Haras de Bouquetot’s new recruit will shuttle to Arrowfield Stud in Australia.

Proconsul Son of Galileo, a full-brother to Frankel who was in training with Andre Fabre, will stand his debut season at Mickley Stud at a fee of £3,500.

Smart Call High class filly in South Africa for Alec Laird, successful three times at the top level, moves to Sir Michael Stoute.

Vendangeur Anngrove Stud in County Laois acquires 14-year-old son of Galileo, a Group 2 winner whose progeny include the high-class but illfated chaser Arzal.

Swiss Storm Godolphin buys half-share in exciting three-year-old son of Frankel, trained by David Elsworth and impressive winner of his second two-year-old start.

Maurice First-season Shadai sire, winner of six Group 1s, will shuttle to Arrowfield Stud in New South Wales for the 2017 southern hemisphere breeding season.

Safety Check

Siljan’s Saga

Son of Dubawi, a four-time Group 2 winner for Godolphin, is retired to stand at stud in Argentina.

Talented daughter of Sagamix, twice successful in Group 2 company, is retired and will be covered by Intello.

Eric Tyner 94

Edgar Britt 103

A respected figure on the pony racing circuit in Ireland, he tutored the likes of Norman Williamson, Wayne Lordan and Jamie Spencer.

Australian partnered seven British Classic winners in the post-war period and enjoyed around 2,000 winners before his retirement in 1959.

PEOPLE OBITUARIES

Tony Geake 80 Cornishman who was the owner of Beech Road, winner of the 1989 Champion Hurdle at 50-1.

Jim Mitchell 86 Breeder of Music Maestro, winner of the 1977 Flying Childers Stakes when it was a Group 1, and high-class sprinter/miler The Cheka.

Nick Ayliffe 82 Ernie Pick 73 Self-made businessman from Huddersfield who owned 1995 Champion Hurdle hero Alderbrook (pictured), later a successful stallion.

16

West Country trainer who sent out more than 50 winners in his career.

Christopher Mordaunt 82 The Jockey Club’s former Senior Jumps Handicapper who was widely admired and respected.

Professor Bernhard von Schubert 65 An important figure in the German breeding community, with wife Ingeborg he owned leading owner-breeder Gestut Ebbesloh.

John Shortt 53 Former jump jockey whose best moments in the saddle came on Space Trucker, winning five races including the 1996 Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

June McKnight 98 Bred dual Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Alleged, successful in 1977 and 1978, and Tong, winner of two Maryland Hunt Cups.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Get Cover Not everything goes to plan Amlin Plus will tailor a policy for your requirements including: - All Risks of Mortality and Theft - Life-Saving Surgery - Colic Costs Extension - Operation Insurance - Transit Insurance Contact an expert.

BLOODSTOCK INSURANCE SPECIALIST Telephone: +44 (0)800 917 9712 Email: askamlinplus@msamlin.com | www.amlinplus.com Amlin Plus is a trading name of MS Amlin Underwriting Services Limited Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority

Mar_151_BigPic_PegasusWorldCup_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:07 Page 18

THE BIG PICTURE

ARROGATE JUST GREAT The first running of the world’s most valuable prize, the $12 million Pegasus World Cup, was supposed to have been a two-horse race between California Chrome and Arrogate, the pair having duelled in a thrilling Breeders’ Cup Classic, and California Chrome having been handed this shot at redemption before beginning a stud career.

But only one horse was to sprout wings in the Pegasus, Mike Smith never having to get serious on Arrogate as the duo romped home from Shaman Ghost. California Chrome was allowed to coast home in ninth place Photos George Selwyn

Mar_151_BigPic_PegasusWorldCup_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:07 Page 19

PEGASUS WORLD CUP

Most cameras – well, phones – at Gulfstream Park, north of Miami in Florida, were aimed at the retiring California Chrome, only for the seven-time Grade 1 winner to disappoint his legion of Chromies in trailing home well behind Arrogate, whose rider Mike Smith is pictured being congratulated by Pegasus World Cup founder Frank Stronach

Mar_151_FromTheArchivesV2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:14 Page 20

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The story behind the photo A number of horses have won the Queen Mother Champion Chase twice, including some greats of the game – think Sprinter Sacre, Moscow Flyer and Master Minded, and that’s just this century – but only one has the distinction of winning the two-mile chasing crown three times. That horse, Badsworth Boy, is captured here in splendid isolation as he flies the last under Robert Earnshaw to complete a famous hat-trick some 32 years ago.

Badsworth Boy’s success was orchestrated by the Dickinson family, with Tony, Michael and Monica all playing their part, Monica Dickinson being the trainer behind the Champion Chase hat-trick victory, having taken over when Michael moved to Manton to train for Robert Sangster in 1984.

Badsworth Boy himself started on the Flat, winning twice as a juvenile, but he really began to excel once switching codes, coming third in the Triumph Hurdle before stepping up another gear when seeing fences.

In 1985 he had ten lengths to spare over Far Bridge in winning at the Festival, though it did not come without a slice of luck as odds-on favourite Bobsline fell three out. Badsworth Boy had started 11-8 in a five-runner field.

Photos George Selwyn

Mar_151_FromTheArchivesV2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:15 Page 21

BADSWORTH BOY MARCH 13, 1985

Mar_151_Tony_Morris.qxp_Owner 17/02/2017 16:06 Page 22

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris It’s vital to maintain traditions and historical links but Kempton Park is well past its sellby date as a racing venue – good luck to the developers and Jockey Club Racecourses

22

GEORGE SELWYN

T

he recent announcement by the Jockey Club that it planned to sell Kempton Park for building came as a great surprise, labelled a bombshell by the Racing Post. The immediate reactions of interested parties were contrastingly predictable.

The news broke little more than a fortnight after the course staged the latest renewal of the King George VI Chase, its flagship event, and prominent National Hunt trainers were at once to the fore in condemning the proposal. Their views were promptly echoed by numerous readers of the paper, and soon the columnists had their say. Current racing journalist of the year Tom Kerr and a past winner of that award, Lee Mottershead, both expressed vehement opposition to the plan, while their senior colleague, multiple awardwinning Alastair Down, came under fire for daring to endorse the idea.

As one who has deplored many of the changes introduced in racing in recent years and has regularly stressed the importance of maintaining traditions and historical links, I suppose I might be expected to rejoice over the fact that two young talented writers exhibit such passion in defending the status quo, but this is one instance where I feel their righteous indignation is misplaced.

I became a racing journalist in April 1963.

My first week in the job ended and my second week began with the traditional Kempton Park Easter meeting that always had so much to offer. The Saturday featured the 2,000 Guineas Trial, with Classic hopes on parade, and the Rosebery Stakes, an ultracompetitive handicap with 23 runners and open betting. The Bank Holiday Monday card was even stronger, with three valuable events – the 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes, the Coventry Stakes for three-year-old milers, and the two-mile Queen’s Prize, contested by a field of 18 which included many of the best staying handicappers in the country. The fixture had long been recognised as one of the highlights of the spring programme.

In the following month Kempton staged the Great Jubilee Handicap, initiated in 1887

Quality at Kempton: Cracaval and Steve Cauthen (far side) defeat Ile de Bourbon and John Reid in a superb first running of the September Stakes in 1979

to celebrate Queen Victoria’s 50 years on the throne and always a highly competitive heat, attracting ante-post betting. I well remember that 1963 edition, won for the second consecutive year by the well-backed Water Skier, who beat 21 rivals and whose trainer, Eric Cousins, had a formidable record in handicaps at the time.

And I have equally vivid recall of that year’s September feature at the course, the Imperial Stakes. That two-year-old six-furlong event had been contested since 1889 and won by numerous subsequent Classic stars, ranking way above the Dewhurst Stakes among the season’s major juvenile tests. In 1963 it was won by a future tip-top miler and influential sire in Derring-Do, ridden by Lester Piggott, who had wasted drastically to make the colt’s weight of 8st 4lb – and hardly needed to have bothered, the colt romping home by four lengths in a field of 18.

Had there been a proposal to bulldoze Kempton Park in 1963, or for many years thereafter, have no doubt that I would have been among the first to condemn the idea. It was indisputably one of the nation’s premier

courses – and one where I was a regular attendee. I particularly remember going there in 1973 when it stood in for Sandown Park as the host for the Eclipse Stakes. The big draw for racegoers that day was Derby, Benson & Hedges Gold Cup and Coronation Cup hero Roberto, and it was only on our arrival that we learned that Vincent O’Brien had withdrawn him on account of the rainsoftened ground. That was hard luck for Kempton, but we witnessed a good performance by the game Scottish Rifle, securing the best victory of his career.

The Kempton Park of those far-off days was a major venue for Flat racing, staging valuable events over a fair course, attracting high-class performers, playing a role in the careers of numerous horses who went on to benefit the breed. Easily accessible from London, it offered a fun day out in pleasant surroundings, and was understandably very popular with southern racegoers. It would have been a sin to close it down.

The 21st century Kempton Park is a very different course, a downmarket all-weather track which routinely hosts inferior racing THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_Tony_Morris.qxp_Owner 17/02/2017 16:06 Page 23

and stages only a couple of ordinary Group 3 events – the Sirenia Stakes and the September Stakes – in its Flat programme. It has not kept pace with the times and has lost its appeal to racegoers. I’ve found no reason to pay it a visit since some time in the last millennium. What is it that everyone is so keen to preserve?

Okay, I have noticed that it also hosts racing over obstacles, and it was obvious that by announcing the proposal to shut it down in January, the Jockey Club invited the shock-horror response from a Racing Post readership that is overwhelmingly biased in favour of National Hunt at that time of year. I can well understand that jumping junkies would be upset over the prospect of losing their Boxing Day treat in the form of the King George VI Chase, but it is not as though the race is under threat of extinction; it can be renewed at a different venue.

Change not always easy Of course, therein lies another bone of contention, as the prospective alternative venue, Sandown Park, with its changes of gradient, would inevitably provide a test quite unlike the flat, galloping terrain at the race’s current home. Even I have to recognise that Ascot, or even Newbury, would be more appropriate. But so what? It’s not as though there has never been a precedent. The transfer of the Champion Stakes from Newmarket to Ascot created a very different race from the one that flourished for well over a century. Plenty of us continue to resent that switch, but we live with it.

Over the years I have become resistant to change, all too aware that what is claimed to represent progress often turns out to be nothing of the sort. But I’m with the Jockey Club wholeheartedly on this issue.

The sale of Kempton, projected to yield well in excess of £100 million, will help to secure the future of racing – Flat and National Hunt – in this country through the investment of £500m in a series of genuinely progressive, meaningful measures over the next ten years.

The plans include vast increases in the prize-money fund under both codes, a massive upgrade in facilities at Sandown to establish it as London’s premier dual-purpose venue, a new state-of-the-art allweather track at Newmarket, more funding for the enhancement of facilities at courses throughout the land, and additional support for education and recruitment in the industry, and for the welfare of those who earn their living from it. And, not least of the proposals, there will be more money devoted to the welfare of the sometimes neglected, all-important participant, the horse.

Why wouldn’t anyone acknowledge that the sacrifice of Kempton Park, a tired old course that has outlived its usefulness, is a fair price to pay for the promised benefits it would bring? But be mindful that those benefits can be realised only by the sale of the course for the sum required.

If you are still unhappy about the plan to convert Kempton into a giant housing estate, you may be sure that plenty of others think the same, not least the residents of the surrounding area. Nothing is going to happen in a hurry, and at my time of life I might be ill-advised to bank on being around to celebrate the fulfilment of a ten-year plan that has yet to reach the starting gate.

“Plenty of us

continue to resent the Champion Stakes switch, but we live with it”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

23

Mar_151_HowardWright_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 16:11 Page 24

HOWARD WRIGHT COMMENT

Complacency is biggest threat to jockeys’ welfare and there are areas we can improve to maintain our position as the number one safety-first sport

Let’s stay ahead of the pack

T

he mid-January death of Brian Fletcher inevitably provoked memories of his association with Red Rum and his partnership with Denys Smith. It also provided a reminder of how far jockeys’ welfare has progressed in Britain since Fletcher retired in 1976, just short of his 30th birthday, admitting that after one fall he almost blacked out driving up the M6, and having been warned that the next riding accident could leave him paralysed or worse.

Approaching the Cheltenham Festival, it is worth remembering that while the element of danger can never be eliminated and the same essence of competition applies as in Fletcher’s day, sensitivity to riders’ safety and well-being, particularly over head injuries, is streets in front of 40 years ago and puts British and Irish racing ahead of the sporting field.

While England’s football authorities have yet to trigger a study into the link between the sport and brain disease that was promised in 2002, and World Rugby is embroiled in controversy despite introducing a concussion protocol in 2013, racing’s regulatory bodies have turned thoughts into actions. The days of punch-drunk jockeys being slung on to the scrap heap to be rescued, if at all, by the NHS, are gone.

“Sensitivity to riders’ safety and well-being puts British and Irish racing ahead of the sporting field”

Much of the credit goes to Dr Michael Turner, who in a 21-year stint as the sport’s chief medical advisor recommended a groundbreaking protocol on concussion. Inevitably, some jockeys will still try to fool the medics – that’s the nature of a job which for the majority combines freelance status with an inbuilt fear of losing rides to someone else – but anecdotal evidence suggests that there are far fewer cases than in the past and more riders are alive to the long-term debilitating consequences.

24

Red Rum’s jockey Brian Fletcher happily chatting away to trainer Jonjo O’Neill

Since Dr Turner’s less-than-harmonious exit at the beginning of 2014 and the appointment of a permanent successor in Dr Jerry Hill several months later, the BHA’s concussion protocol has been enhanced. The PJA, which no longer supports its own medical advisor after Betfair’s funding came to a halt, recognises the importance of the protocol and an imminent edition of its Jockey Matters video series will cover the topic.

However, given the progress made and the lead that British racing enjoys over similarly high-risk sports, complacency remains the biggest threat to jockeys’ welfare.

Improvements are possible.

For instance, how has a situation come about whereby four standards for jockeys’ helmets are recognised, giving rise – to the best of everyone’s knowledge, in the words of a recent PJA news letter – to 15 different types of helmet being permitted? No doubt EU directives are to blame, but, equally, no wonder actual standards vary and British jockeys riding abroad are confused.

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities seems powerless to intervene, simply because it can only advise not properly authorise, but the issue of greater standardisation needs addressing. Maybe this

is a matter for Dr Hill to take up.

Yet here is another apparent anomaly. Like Dr Turner before him, Dr Hill occupies a parttime position, officially working three days a week. Yet Dr Hill’s remit covers 1,496 fixtures, a 31.6% increase over the number when Dr Turner was first appointed; the programme now operates seven days a week, whereas Sunday racing did not exist when Dr Turner started the job, and the amount of evening racing has gone up by 138% since 1992.

I am reliably informed that despite the constraints, Dr Hill makes himself available to jockeys outside the time-frame of his contract, yet its terms naturally mean he takes on other work, including for the FA, which may clash with racing events. For example, he will be unable to attend the RCA’s conference for racecourse medical officers – his men on the ground – next month.

This month the BHA welcomes the eminent veterinarian David Sykes as director of equine health and welfare. His is a full-time job, with input to the cross-industry campaign The Horse Comes First. Maybe it’s time for the BHA to consider putting Dr Hill on the same footing and changing the slogan to The Horse and Rider Come First.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

CC3123 TOB Jan 2017 (MUKHADRAM Foal Stats) PREF_Layout 1 30/11/2016 14:52 Page 1

Mukhadram

Shamardal - Magic Tree

Leading first day sire (aggregate) at Tattersalls Foal Sale.

December Foal Sale 2016 - Top 10 Sires Name

Average (guineas)

Total (guineas)

2015 Stud Fee

1

Dark Angel (IRE)

96,583

2,318,000

€27,500

2

Sea The Stars (IRE)

167,545

1,843,000

€125,000

3

Kodiac (GB)

91,550

1,831,000

€25,000

4

Toronado (IRE)

38,790

1,202,500

£15,000

5

Charm Spirit (IRE)

54,273

1,194,000

£25,000

6

Showcasing (GB)

59,611

1,073,000

£15,000

7

Invincible Spirit (IRE)

220,000

880,000

€100,000

8

Dansili (GB)

415,000

830,000

£100,000

9

Lope de Vega (IRE)

95,875

767,000

€40,000

10

Mukhadram (GB)

31,208

749,000

£7,000

Sales statistics courtesy of www.tattersalls.com

1of only 3 First Season Sires in the top 10.

Foal average of 31,208gns. from a £7,000 stud fee.

Lot 750 Mukhadram (GB)/My Inspiration (IRE) B.C. Consigned by Petches Farm - Purchased by Shadwell Estate Company for 120,000gns.

Top selling foal 120,000gns. www.tattersalls.com

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

01842 755913

Email us at: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk

Mar_151_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:54 Page 27

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By JESSICA LAMB

Trainer’s goose not cooked after all It was a long time between drinks for Vincent Ward but at last he is back on track

CAROLINE NORRIS

A

mid the factory-like churn of powerhouse domination, trainer Vincent Ward shows that there is still romance in Irish jump racing.

Ward, a sheep farmer, sprang to fame seven years ago when he took the ex-Dermot Weldtrained filly Fictional Account and saddled her to win Listed races at Ascot and the Curragh.

So impressive was the daughter of Stravinsky that news spread to Australia and she was sold as a Melbourne Cup hope for €90,000 – Michael McHugh, Ward’s neighbour, had paid €11,500 three years previously.

An inexplicable virus hit the County Meath yard shortly after she left, and at the end of January this year, the ten-year-old mare Western Goose became his first winner on the racecourse since 2012.

“It was a stressful time,” said Ward. “We got a virus in the yard, a sickness that we couldn’t cure or diagnose. It had me demented.

“We had the Irish Equine Centre in to test everything, we repainted all the barns, we imported this special disinfectant from Holland to power-hose the place, we replaced the rubber matting in the walker, we sent horses up to the veterinary college to undergo every test they could come up with. Nothing worked.”

The water, hay, and bedding was all blamed at one point, but each proved not the cause.

Ward was told he needed greater ventilation in his American barn, so he tried keeping horses out more, and even altogether. He tried working them less. He tried working them more.

“I was changing things that shouldn’t be changed,” he said. “I was doing things for the sake of it.”

The visible symptoms of the virus were coughing and an inability to train on; in steady work horses appeared healthy but when they stepped up a gear they fell flat.

The way it presented meant that at one stage Ward thought they simply weren’t fit enough, and the trainer

accelerated the problem by working them harder.

Ward did not get to the bottom of the issue, but believes it arrived aboard a “cheap horse brought in from the sales”, and he could see light at the end of the tunnel only when his own horse Golden Silence won a point-topoint last May. “I’m very lucky as my long-term owner Douglas Taylor stuck by me through all this, and so did my neighbour Michael McHugh,”

“We got a virus in

the yard, a sickness that we couldn’t cure or diagnose. It left me demented” he said. “Michael owned Fictional Account and has three horses with me now, including Western Goose.

“When he asked me to take the mare first she was a 94-rated ten-year-old and I said, ‘What am I going to do with that?’ She had a history of bursting blood vessels and I have trained horses like that before, but she’s ten, I wasn’t sure it was worth it.”

Ward took Western Goose on though, and made two changes to her training regime; he upped the volume of work she was doing and added a

powerful antioxidant supplement to her feed, Zosfor.

“I’ve always found that the most important thing to get right with horses that burst is their head,” he said. “You have to train them to get over it mentally. I get them so fit that they only think about that. It gives them confidence.

“Sometimes she’d be ridden out twice a day, not fast, just relentless swinging canters.”

Western Goose was run off her feet over two miles in her first run for Ward, but followed up with victory in a Fairyhouse handicap hurdle. She won by five lengths on January 25, shooting up the handicap ratings to 93, though her win off 98 in 2015 shows that should be no anchor.

The cost of the virus would have been fatal to the business of a full-time trainer.

“I don’t plan on training for a living,” stressed Ward. “I treat it as a sport. You couldn’t train the numbers I do and make it pay. It’s not viable, not now. You wouldn’t get the owners.”

He added: “We keep ewes, foal mares and pre-train. We foal Lorna Fowler’s mares – she could have 13 alone – and last year we foaled 38 in total. That gets going for us in March when the National Hunt mares come in, and of course we’re lambing at the same time.”

Vincent Ward and Fictional Account in more successful times – the trainer is recovering from a virus in his stable

Mar_151_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:54 Page 28

VIEW FROM IRELAND

Northern industry awaits Brexit impact Logistical nightmares could hit trainers across Ireland should ‘hard’ borders in the north return due to Brexit, but the old hands are not about to up sticks.

Well-known trainers like Andrew Oliver, Stuart Crawford and Ian Ferguson are natives of North Ireland and have experienced such borders before.

As negotiations continue in the build-up to the proposed triggering of Article 50 this month, they will be hoping that ministers and officials also remember the chaos of that history.

“I remember the hard borders before and I just can’t see us returning to that,” said Crawford. “I can’t see that being the case and would be very surprised if it ends up being a major issue.”

Customs posts, security checkpoints, and militarised fortifications greeted travellers at the Northern Ireland border during the troubles of the 1970s and 1980s, only softening in the early 1990s. It was a key part of the peace process, and remains in neither side’s interest to dismantle. But customs and trade lawyers have opined that it would not be legally possible to have free movement, as traders would have to declare goods to ensure customs, VAT and excise rules are complied with.

It would be a two-way problem, with checks made on commercial and private vehicles.

the potential issue, but not because he does not see it materialising.

“The only certainty about Brexit is the uncertainty,” he philosophised. “The process hasn’t even started and, to be honest, I don’t see it impacting on my business in the next ten years. It’s going to be a long time before anything happens.”

Gold Cup day at Down Royal

Trainer Stuart Crawford: ‘very surprised if it ends up being a major issue’

The potential for inconvenience and delays for those travelling to Northern Ireland is what concerns Down Royal Racecourse Manager Mike Todd.

“About 80% of our runners come from the Republic,” he said, “with our racegoers coming predominantly from the locality, the UK – it’s about 98%.

“So from a bums on seats perspective it wouldn’t make any difference to me. Where we could be hit is [the number of] runners.”

Todd shares Crawford’s lack of worry over

This month Todd plans on bringing the Cheltenham Gold Cup experience to his track.

Its traditional St Patrick’s Day meeting clashes with the chasing highlight this year, but rather than dwell on the attention it will take Todd is trying to capture it.

He said: “We’ve worked with the programmers at Horse Racing Ireland to ensure none of our races clash with any of the races on Gold Cup day at Cheltenham, that way we can show all of them live.

“We will have the Cheltenham racecard in our racecard and all the bookies will be betting on Cheltenham races, so apart from the location it will be as close as you can get to the atmosphere of the festival day.”

He added: “Last year we clashed with Cheltenham as well, though not Gold Cup day, and the buzz was electric. It was a great day and we’re looking forward to an even bigger day.”

It’s not often that a trainer begins their career with a career-break already in mind. However that is the case for 25-year-old Natalia Lupini, who had her first winners last year.

Traditionally training is the end game, with all jobs equipping one to set up their own business. Yet opportunity struck Lupini to jump several steps, and rather than miss out on those learning experiences she already harbours dreams to step back.

“The plan was never to stay forever,” she revealed. “I am only renting my yard and have always kept options open. I want to gain experience in bigger yards and I would like to go to Australia as well.”

She added: “I said that maybe I would do this here for a couple of years and see how we go. We’ve started off with a few winners, so who knows. I’m still pretty young.”

Lupini came to Ireland to work with hunters while she was at university studying psychology. She bought a twoyear-old at Goresbridge and put him in training with Sarah Dawson, watching intently as he won as a juvenile and threeyear-old, then finished a close second in a

28

CAROLINE NORRIS

Training not the be all and end all for Lupini

Natalia Lupini (left) with her dual winner and best horse Blairmayne

brace of Listed contests at four.

Lupini had worked with racehorses at home in Milan, but these successes by her own horse piqued her interest in becoming a trainer, and when she finished her degree she leapt at the opportunity to rent a yard in Armagh.

On a restricted licence, Lupini trains 16 horses, including Abstraction, Alnahar, and Blairmayne – the latter two giving the trainer her first three victories last year, and Alnahar

also giving her the first 2017 success at Dundalk in January.

She said: “Blairmayne is our best horse coming into this season, but Abstraction is coming back from a few problems. I still think we have a lot to see from him.

“I also have two two-year-olds this year that I bought myself with a couple of friends, so we’re looking forward to getting them started.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

PROVEN TO GO THE DISTANCE The formulation in GastroGard® is proven to deliver omeprazole beyond the stomach to areas of the gut where it can be rapidly & consistently absorbed into the bloodstream.

That’s why thousands of vets and trainers worldwide trust GastroGard® to heal or prevent gastric ulcers in their horses, keeping them healthy for optimum performance.

Use Medicines Responsibly Merial Animal Health Ltd CM19 5TG, UK. GastroGard® is a registered trademark of Merial Ltd. © Merial 2015. All rights reserved. Legal category UK POM-V . Please refer to your vet for further advice or contact the Merial Customer Support Centre on 0870 6000123.

7549 GastroGard 2015 Trainer AD A4.indd 1

w/w

For the treatment and prevention of equine gastric ulcers

16/03/2015 17:01

Mar_151_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:59 Page 31

CONTINENTAL TALES

Unrecognised riding masterclass

E

FR A N

C

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

Felix de Giles’ brilliance overlooked after Many Clouds’ sad death

A

mongst the understandable hullabaloo surrounding the triumph turns to tragedy tale of Many Clouds in Cheltenham’s Cotswold Chase, the superb ride of Felix de Giles that enabled the 50-1 chance Urgent de Gregaine to win the following Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase did not receive the credit it deserves.

All the more so because de Giles, formerly conditional jockey to Nicky Henderson but now based in France full time, was at the centre of a second serious incident at the end of the Cotswold Chase when his mount, Vezelay, took a crashing fall at the final fence.

Fortunately, horse and rider emerged unscathed.

Just 40 minutes later, de Giles was aboard a complete no-hoper, brought on the 1,100 mile round trip from central France primarily to give Vezelay some companionship, racing from 6lb out of the handicap and carrying an

“My boss loves

additional 3lb overweight, and one whose stomach for a fight was in enough doubt for him to be wearing cheekpieces. Sounds to me like a 500-1 shot rather than a 50-1 shot!

Undaunted, de Giles produced a riding masterclass, picking off his rivals one by one and allowing Urgent de Gregaine to gallop past the hot favourite, Cantlow, only after they had jumped the last of 32 obstacles of various shapes and sizes.

“It was a bit of a surprise,” de Giles admits, “and my boss [trainer Emanuel Clayeux] has a few better cross-country horses at home that he might now decide to run at the Festival.

“He loves bringing horses over because of the great atmosphere that the British crowds create for the big races. It’s really something different for his owners to experience and he would do it more if only it was a bit more financially justifiable.”

De Giles was at it again three days later THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

PRESS ASSOCIATION

bringing horses over because of the great atmosphere that the British crowds create”

Felix de Giles and Urgent de Gregaine en route to their surprise win at Cheltenham

down in Pau, not far from the Franco-Spanish border, and he is in danger of becoming something of a cross-country specialist, as five of his last six wins have come in that discipline.

He dismisses that notion, stressing that Cheltenham’s cross-country course is in fact like the course for most ‘normal’ chases in France, where you are always on the turn, just with a couple of banks thrown in.

But the 27-year-old does admit satisfaction at his progress since relocating from England to France little more than a year ago – in his first full season he finished in sixth behind fellow

Englishman James Reveley in the French jump jockeys’ championship with 42 winners.

“It probably exceeded my expectations, and though it wasn’t quite my best year purely in terms of number of winners, it brought four times as much prize-money as the same number of victories would have in Britain,” de Giles says.

“I was really happy to see James win the title, he’s a really nice man and has become a good friend since I moved over here. He’s a very patient horseman who works incredibly hard so he really deserved it.” >>

31

Mar_151_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 16:00 Page 32

Even this cloud has silver lining

Less than a year ago there were reasons for optimism about Italian racing because domestic prize-money was beginning to be paid more promptly and there were signs that the Classic crop of 2016 might be good enough to make some impact in top races outside Italy. Now there are none.

The Sword of Damocles has been hanging over the nation’s racing industry for some time.

It is a measure of how the expectations of key figures in the sport have come crashing down that the recent announcement of the downgrading of three of Italy’s four Group 1 races was met more with relief than dismay.

For many feared that the nation would be flung out of the European Pattern altogether – against this background the loss of a trio of toplevel races plus the demotion of the Premio Chiusura from Group 3 to Listed status was suddenly much more palatable.

The issue of slow payment of prize-money has reared its ugly head once more, exacerbated by the fact the Ministry Of Agriculture (which nowadays acts as both the sport’s administrator and its governing body) appears either oblivious or indifferent to the plight of the horseracing industry.

Some prize-money earned in May 2016 had still not been paid eight months later and, of the

SPAI

N

62 foreign-trained horses earning prize-money in 2016, less than 25% of them had received payment by the time that the European Pattern Race Committee met on January 23.

So this proud racing nation, once home to greats such as the unbeaten Arc winner Ribot, now stages just one Group 1 event, the Premio Lydia Tesio, named after the wife of Ribot’s breeder Federico Tesio, and itself elevated to top-level status only in 2004.

The continuing standing of every Pattern race depends on the handicap ratings achieved by the placed horses in the previous three years, so the Premio Roma is perhaps the most unfortunate of the three downgraded races, given that its 2016 renewal witnessed Group 2

Prix Dollar winner Potemkin beating Group 1 scorers Robin Of Navan and Elliptique.

Given its parlous financial situation, it is difficult to see Italian racing making a swift comeback. But one interesting regeneration scheme, though presently still in its very earliest planning stages, could see the Group 2 Gran Premio di Milano try to gain a niche in the new staying programme by returning to its original distance of one mile and seven furlongs.

This famous contest was run at that trip until 1974 and its position in the calendar in the middle of June might see it become regarded as a legitimate early-season target for the continent’s best stayers, and maybe even precipitate its return to Group 1 status.

Imaz after Group-race recognition

Not many 33-year-olds already have over 400 career training victories under their belts but the Spaniard Ana Imaz Ceca can make that boast.

In comparison, Hugo Palmer, the current blue-eyed boy among British trainers, is three years older yet can muster less than half the tally of his Iberian counterpart.

Where Palmer was born into the British aristocracy, Imaz (as she is widely known – the local custom is to add one’s mother’s maiden name in formal documents such as training licences, think Wimbledon finalist Arantxa Sanchez Vicario) was born into Spanish racing royalty.

Indeed, her paternal great grandfather trained racehorses for the King of Spain. Her father, Angel Imaz Belloqui, was a leading trainer, as were both her maternal grandfather, Emilio Ceca, and his son, Juan Jesus.

Imaz began training at the age of 22 and was soon crossing the border into France to take advantage of more lucrative prize-money, winning 16 races there in her first season and 33 in her second.

32

Capannelle racecourse is now home to Italy’s only Group 1, the Premio Lydia Tesio

She now oversees a string of some 65 horses at her base in San Sebastian and all her CV really lacks is a horse of truly Patternstandard and a Group or Listed victory. She made a good start, winning the Spanish Derby back in 2008 with Tsarabi, but that son of Hernando never reached the heights, ending a long and honourable nine-year career contesting handicaps and claimers.

She did get her hands on Arkaitz, the Spanish Triple Crown winner of 2014, but only once his powers were on the wane. And she does have broader international ambitions – her charges have journeyed across the Mediterranean to win a handful of valuable Moroccan events, including a notable double last November.

Yet her closest dalliance with more mainstream European glory remains the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at Longchamp in July 2014, when her Diktat colt Quevedo was touched off by a short head.

A month later Quevedo finished tailed off last in the Group 1 Prix Morny won by The Wow Signal and he never raced again.

JAVIER ZATARAIN

Y

ITA

L

CONTINENTAL TALES

San Sebastian trainer Ana Imaz Ceca

Time is still, however, very firmly on Imaz’s side. And, having won her initial San Sebastian trainers’ championship last term, it will be a surprise if her name does not appear in the near future among Europe’s Groupwinning handlers.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Respirator-boost-The-Druid's-Nephew-A4-17.qxp_0 15/02/2017 15:22 Page 1

The clearway to victory

“I have been a regular user of Respirator Boost over the past two years because, quite simply, it works.� Neil Mulholland

Respirator Boost is a powerful, natural formula created to clear and maintain the airways daily and support the respiratory system during exercise.

Breathtaking Results

GUARANTEED!

*48 Hours Clear Guarantee

For horses subjected to: - Dust spores from bedding

Buy in complete confidence...

48 hour money back guarantee if you fail to see a difference in your horse's breathing - you've nothing to lose and everything to gain!

- Dust spores from roughage - Kickback from surfaces

* should you not see a clear difference within 48 hours simply return your product, together with proof of purchase, for your money back.

The solution is Respirator Boost

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

www.naf-equine.eu/uk

naf-equine.eu/uk

30

YEARS CLEAN

HISTORY

OwnerBreederfinalMar2017.indd 1

16/02/2017 09:26

Mar_151_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 16:05 Page 35

AROUND THE GLOBE THE WORLDWIDE RACING SCENE

NORT H A M E R I CA

by Steve Andersen

Pegasus World Cup takes flight

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

GEORGE SELWYN

T

he landscape of leading races in the United States, and the world, is in a state of radical change.

The $12 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, run on January 28 in south Florida, has become the world’s richest race.

Its presence at the start of the American season could lead to additional older horses staying in training, and possibly spur growth for other big ticket stakes races through the rest of the year.

Already, there are three races on dirt worth $6m or more in the world in a five-month span from the autumn to early spring – the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic in early November, the Pegasus World Cup, and the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan in late March.

For all but the highest profile stallion prospects, the prize-money available in those races makes staying in training for another season a viable option. For younger horses, such races provide an opportunity for rapid accumulation of wealth.

Arrogate won the $1.25m Travers Stakes at Saratoga last August, the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November and the Pegasus World Cup in consecutive starts, the only three stakes races of his career.

The son of Unbridled’s Song won the Classic by half a length after an epic stretch duel with California Chrome, and was named champion three-year-old male of 2016.

California Chrome, who won the Dubai World Cup last March, was named American Horse of the Year and older male of 2016.

Their rematch in the Pegasus World Cup failed to meet expectations. Arrogate was in front after the first half-mile. California Chrome was as close as fourth before he faded to finish ninth in a field of 12.

California Chrome was kept in training specifically to start in the Pegasus World Cup, and was sent to Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky the day after the race to enter stud.

Arrogate earned a record $7m for winning the Pegasus World Cup by four and three quarter lengths over Shaman Ghost, who earned $1.75m for finishing second.

Neolithic earned $1m for finishing third. The fourth through 12th-placed finishers earned $250,000 each – substantially less than the $1m subscription fee owners paid last spring to secure a berth in the race.

Arrogate and Mike Smith romped home in the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream

Not all subscribers ran horses, with some berths changing hands in private transactions.

Juddmonte Farms, which owns Arrogate, acquired a berth purchased by Coolmore.

Shaman Ghost is owned by Frank Stronach, who owns Gulfstream Park and developed the Pegasus World Cup.

“Arrogate’s win left

him the undisputed leading horse in the US, and was his sixth win in seven starts” Unlike with other major stakes races in the United States, the track did not provide money for the purse. The Pegasus World Cup was funded wholly by subscribers. Stronach’s management team said participating owners

would share in revenue from the track’s portion of betting turnover from the race. The amount was not made public after the race.

The 12-race programme produced turnover of $40.2m, a record for Gulfstream Park.

The Pegasus drew runners from throughout the United States, and one horse, Eragon, acquired from Argentina. He finished last. There was no participation from Europe.

Whether the event has a more global feel in coming years depends largely on year-byyear rosters of leading runners. The 12 owners who purchased subscriptions for the 2017 race have rights of first refusal for 2018.

If Arrogate remains healthy, it is easy to see him participating next year, even if he begins a stud career weeks later.

Arrogate’s win in the Pegasus left him the undisputed leading horse in the United States, and was his sixth win in seven starts.

He has earned an astonishing $11,084,600 since his career began last April.

California Chrome earned $14,752,650, a record for a North American-based thoroughbred. His status at the top of that list is not secure.

35

Mar_151_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 16:05 Page 36

AROUND THE GLOBE

AUST R A L I A

by Danny Power

The highest peak in mainly flat Australia is Mount Kosciuszko, poking into the clouds a short drive north of the Victorian-NSW border. At 2,200 metres, it’s a pimple on a pumpkin compared to Nepal’s Mount Everest, which stretches to 8,848 metres.

On February 1, when Racing NSW and Sydney’s Australian Turf Club (ATC) announced its new $A10 million (£6m) sprint sweepstake race, based on the recent seemingly successful $12 million Pegasus World Cup in Florida, the name they gave the race, The Everest, was as much a talking point as anything else.

The six-furlong race will be run at Randwick in Sydney on October 14, on the same day Melbourne holds one of its most important meetings at Caulfield, featuring the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas for three-yearolds.

Rather than try to usurp Melbourne’s spring carnival – the two-city rivalry goes back to before Archer won the first Melbourne Cup in 1861 – Racing NSW and the ATC have positioned the new race to attract the best local and international

“The Everest, like

the Pegasus World Cup, is elitist. It’s not very Australian to be elitist” sprinters when they also can go on to the Flemington carnival two weeks later to run in either the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (for three-year-olds) or Darley Classic (weight-forage) down the famous Flemington straight.

That’s clever; but is the idea of a sweepstake in which a slot will cost $1.8m – instalments of $600,000 – over three years a clever one?

Are there enough wealthy individuals, studs and owner conglomerates, such as Coolmore, Godolphin and the China Horse Club, to buy 12 slots?

Melbourne trainer Mick Price, who trains the star sprinting colt Flying Artie, said he finds it hard to get his head around the concept. The traditional ‘stallion-making’ races Flying Artie will target will be races such

36

COLIN BULL

Will Everest scale the heights?

Is Chautauqua, the world’s top-rated sprinter, a contender for The Everest?

as the Darley Classic, so why jeopardise that, and if the owners do fork out $1.8m, what do they do over the next two years because Flying Artie will be heading for the stud barn in mid-2018, if not earlier?

True, whoever buys a slot can ‘deal’ with owners of other likely contenders, that’s if a suitable horse cannot be found.

What if another superstar such as Black Caviar bursts on the scene and dominates the sprint races? Parting with $600,000 a year to take on a sprinter of such dominance will be like cutting $100 notes into chaff.

The ATC went early with its announcement and we have been waiting for the fine detail of The Everest, which was being worked through as this is written. In Everest terms, we are at base camp. As a promotional tool, it will work. However, will it last?

Australia has seen many of these types of promotions come and go over the years.

Million-dollar bonuses attached to featurerace trebles, such as the defunct Melbourne Autumn 3YO Treble, have wilted on the vine after an initial burst of interest.

It’s hard to imagine sprinters from the USA and Europe making the trip, even if the $5.8m first prize is alluring.

The Japanese might come and then go on to Hong Kong in December, but it’s unlikely

they will send their best. The Hong Kong sprinters are high quality, but the locals prefer the prestige of winning at their International meeting, so a long trip to Sydney and a lengthy quarantine is as unappealing to them as it is to other internationals.

The Everest, like the Pegasus World Cup, is elitist. It’s not very Australian to be elitist. We take pride in our ability to mock the elite.

Cutting tall poppies is a national pastime.

The Melbourne Cup, as Prince Of Penzance proved, is our most famous and much-loved race because it can be won by ‘Joe Bloggs’ with his bush-bred gelding. It’s a two-mile handicap, it’s unique. The Cup has stood the test of time, and changed with it.

There’s no indication that the Victoria Racing Club will increase the value of the Melbourne Cup – traditionally Australia’s richest race – beyond the current figure of $6.2m. It won’t change the public perception that it’s the race for all comers and for the people.

Good luck to the ATC and Racing NSW for trying something different. They might need it because gimmicks have a short lifespan.

Back to the name. There’s nothing Australian about The Everest, apart from the fact many Aussies try to climb the real thing each year. Most fail. Is that an omen?

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_AlanKing_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:16 Page 38

THE BIG INTERVIEW ALAN KING

King still

ACE Alan King’s traditional training approach works well for him, his horses and owners, underlined by a long stay at the top of his profession – a man to be feared at big jump festivals, he also has a reputation for shrewd placement on the Flat Words Chris McGrath • Photos George Selwyn

F

rom the top of the Sharpridge gallop, 850 feet above sea level, the wintry downs billow across Wiltshire in great grey waves. And here, scuttling out of the valley floor like pebbles in the backwash, come the horses that daily obtain a practical purpose from these uplifting gradients. Twos and threes, the odd solo, snorting and panting towards their trainer. After nearly 17 years – season by season mastering the capacity of horses over these hills, and finetuning the facilities accordingly – Alan King has never felt so at home. The expression is used advisedly. For there is nothing like even the threat of absence to make the heart grow fonder.

No sooner did King permit himself the quiet certainty, last summer, that he had brought the racing stables at Barbury Castle closer than ever to their optimal operation, than he promptly received a call that the whole 1,800-acre estate was going on the market. Touring a couple of other yards, during the subsequent weeks of uncertainty, served only to confirm him in a helpless conviction. “It made me realise how lucky we are to be here,” he says. “I don’t want to train anywhere else.”

In the event, the transfer to a new landlord in Chris Woodhouse has proved a matter of a gratifying continuity. And as King prepares his team for the Cheltenham Festival, horses and staff alike can benefit from a fortifying sense that the guvnor is in his prime. Just turned 50, he has become a figure of standing and authority in his profession: a

38

trainer who has earned the respect of those he had in his sights, when he first emerged from the wing of David Nicholson: the Pipes, Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson; and one who meanwhile maintains an exacting standard for the next generation, those fashionable young guns who still have a long way to go before they can match the 15 Festival winners King has sent out from Barbury, not to mention the Royal Ascot breakthrough he made last summer.

That kind of presence in the profession is a matter of quiet accretion, so that when a horse like Yanworth comes along you feel an automatic comfort that he is in safe hands.

Trainers come and go, but any newcomer who announces that he wants to be champion would be well advised to get past men like King or Philip Hobbs before he starts worrying about Nicholls. As such, it is unlikely to be a coincidence that King, no less than Hobbs, has forged such strong partnerships with his stable jockeys. The fact that he has had as many as two, in 17 years, is only a result of Robert ‘Choc’ Thornton’s eventual admission that he had endured one injury too many. Wayne Hutchinson’s seamless succession reflects a broader fidelity, between staff and trainer and patrons.

“Any young trainer that starts well will get flooded with new owners,” King says. “It happened to me, you get that honeymoon period. But it only lasts two or three seasons and then someone else comes along. There’s a group around that seems to love going to someone new. But we’re lucky, the numbers

>>

Mar_151_AlanKing_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:16 Page 39

Alan King admits he is lucky to have such an outstanding training facility at Barbury Castle

Mar_151_AlanKing_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:16 Page 40

ALAN KING >> have been very consistent over the years and

we’ve a very loyal band of owners. Most of them I’d now class as friends. And you’re a much better trainer because of it, you’d never be frightened of someone screaming down the phone at you.”

King’s own breakthrough, of course, was crowned by a nearly simultaneous flowering in the likes of Voy Por Ustedes, My Way De Solzen, Katchit and Halcon Genelardais.

“What I maybe didn’t realise, around 2004 or 2005, was how incredibly spoilt I was to have all those at the same time,” he says.

“Bear in mind we didn’t have big budgets, none of them cost very much. And I probably went through a year or two taking it for granted they’d always be there. Then when they’d gone by the wayside you’re suddenly thinking, ‘Christ, I wish I could find some more from somewhere.’ But then you learn.”

Learn not to force things, that is; and how to delegate, how to place your trust where it has been earned. Yanworth has been ridden every morning for the past three years by one of King’s assistants, Dan Horsford. One morning, shortly before the horse was due to run at Sandown last month, Horsford called out from the string: “Boss, he’s not right.”

Yanworth was trotted up and down. It was very hard to see anything amiss. “I’m telling you, boss, he’s not right.” No chances were taken. Closer investigation disclosed a pulled muscle. A stitch in time, as they say.

With horses, of course, you cannot hope to anticipate every bump in the road; just as a stable jockey can’t sensibly be expected to ride the perfect race every time. “Ninety per cent of the time I pick up the saddle in the weighing room, and one word is said,

Cheltenham Festival contenders Sceau Royal and Messire des Obeaux (white blaze) walking back after exercise on the Barbury Castle gallops

40

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_AlanKing_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:16 Page 41

ALAN KING

Champion Hurdle contender Yanworth and Barry Geraghty see off The New One (left) and My Tent Or Yours in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton

good.’ We sold the horse to JP [McManus] a couple of days later.

“I was surprised he was able to win [the Christmas Hurdle] at Kempton. I just thought that two miles round there, on good ground, it’s going to happen a bit quick for him; that he could run a very good Champion Hurdle trial that day and get beat.

So I was thrilled to see him go about it the way he did.”

Win, lose or draw, King always wants to be looking forward. Having never even seen a video of Katchit’s Champion Hurdle, he is hardly going to dwell on Yanworth’s defeat

“Everything you do is about confidence.

And once you start undermining that you’re finished”

‘Normal’,” King remarks. “Which is to say, third or fourth round the inner. Our jockeys get used to the way they’re trained, and how we want them ridden. And nine times out of ten, if they have messed up, they’ll know it and they’ll come in and the first thing they’ll say is, ‘Sorry.’ Which totally defuses any situation. It’s not going to go right all the time, and I have to say sorry as well sometimes. ‘My fault – why did I run him there?’ If anyone comes in from riding a bad race and blames the horse, I wouldn’t be so understanding. But otherwise we’ll move on.

Because everything you do, whether you’re a jockey or a trainer, is confidence. And once you start undermining that you’re finished.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Hutchinson had long established his eligibility, not least during Thornton’s various spells in plaster; and King now hopes that Tom Cannon can stake his own claim for the longer term. Again, it’s about seasoning; about the kind of calm cycles bred into you when raised on a farm. About recognising that you don’t turn up a Yanworth through panic.

“We found him way out the back at Doncaster, [Anthony] Bromley and I,” King says. “Sixteen grand. I remember taking him to Wincanton, still in my colours, and beating a hot favourite Paul had for Graham Wylie. And when we came in afterwards he came up and said, ‘You must be seriously

by Yorkhill at the last Festival. “I don’t think things went particularly well,” he concedes.

“A very good horse just slipped the field a bit, round that bend, when we were trapped wide. But he was still trying to close. And don’t forget it was a time when I couldn’t win an argument. I had two finish second and the rest weren’t sighted all week.”

That aberration was as uncharacteristic as it was untimely, King having always brought his horses to a reliable peak for the big spring meetings. Albeit the single loss of rhythm over two years, Flat or jumps, it was sufficient to prompt a literal raising of the roof. Under the guidance of Alan Creighton, of the Irish Equine Centre, last summer King had a small ventilation gallery incorporated into three barns.

“It’s all very well having doors and windows open,” he explains. “But it’s not just about getting good air in, it’s getting the bad air out. When one of the barns was empty last summer we fired off a smoke bomb and it went about eight feet before going across and dropping into the other stables. We took the top off, raised it three inches, and it has made all the difference. When we tried again the smoke went straight out like a chimney.”

Like everyone else, King is perfectly aware that Colin Tizzard’s new yard is sited at the top of a hill, and of the perceived benefits in ventilation. At the same time, he views Tizzard’s remarkable elevation partly as a result of the kind of happy coincidence of champions he has already noted in reviewing his own career. As Nicholls himself knows, the clustering of top-class talent can be fairly random.

41

>>

Mar_151_AlanKing_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:16 Page 42

ALAN KING

Alan King, surrounded by pictures of past greats, has a shrewd eye at the sales and very rarely spends more than £100,000 on a horse

>>

King, for his part, did briefly allow numbers to spiral towards a point where the whole system, not to mention his own supervision of it, came under strain. He has since restored a more disciplined approach, typically culling 30% of his stock at the end of the season. At the first hint of a stalemate with the handicapper, say, or a basic discrepancy between a horse’s problems and its potential, he would sooner his owners moved onto a younger horse, a new project.

For they still have to box clever, in the marketplace. “I’m probably not spending any more than I was ten years ago,” King says.

“It’s very rare for a horse here to have cost £100,000. Luckily Anthony is very good at buying under the radar. When I started it was the Irish pointers that were expensive, and the French horses wouldn’t cost so much, but now it’s nearly gone the other way round. I find I’m buying more of those pointers, because you can still duck and dive a bit. Godsmejudge, for instance. Several horses that night made 150 grand-plus, but we gave 38 for him and he went on to win the Scottish National. But you’ve got to work at it, you know, got to go and see them all.”

Even King’s noted expertise with threeyear-olds off the Flat must come at a premium these days, with the Dubai and Australian market now such that he didn’t even go to the Horses-in-Training Sale at Tattersalls. His last serious punt there was Grumeti, in 2011. “We gave 100 for him, it was absolutely our limit and we’re just lucky he sold on the Monday night,” he recalls.

Grumeti proceeded to win the Grade 1 at

42

Liverpool as a juvenile and ultimately the 2015 Cesarewitch. (At 50-1; King also saddled the runner-up, at the same odds, in last year’s running.)

But King will still be at the breeze-ups, looking for another War Chief, a five-length maiden winner at Salisbury after being picked out for 17,000gns last year. Whatever the trends, the uncertainty of his calling will open as many doors as it closes.

“We had a lovely horse here once, Massac,” King recalls. “He’d won his first two for us, and I adored him. Big black horse, stood in the end box there. Stunning. And he got killed at the December Cheltenham meeting.

We were in bits, Bromley and me, and he said, ‘Well, I’ll get you something else with the insurance money’. And three weeks later in walked Voy Por Ustedes.”

So who can ever say how the next day will play out, never mind a full year? This one began catastrophically, when King lost the nicest prospect he has welcomed into his yard for years, Laissez Dire, in a fall at Plumpton on January 2.

He had cost McManus good money in France. For once, King had got his hands on a young horse at the top end. All he could do is return to his hilltop fastness and renew his trust in the people and methods that have passed every such test.

“We’re not into gadgets and such,” he shrugs. “I don’t even weigh them any more.

Used to, every Monday morning. But I got so little out of it that when the scales broke I didn’t bother getting them fixed. People have tried to tell me to use heart monitors. But I

don’t want too much information in front of me. His heart took 20 minutes to get back?

I’d rather just see how they’re blowing, or hear the lads say he was clear by the bottom of the hill. It’s not rocket science, and don’t make it that way – or you will get in a muddle. Just watch. Watch.”

Others can try to re-invent the wheel, if they want, but at the very least everything needs to be held together, kept stable, by the kind of old school axle that is built to last.

King has never shouted from the rooftops that he intends to wrest away anyone’s crown. Far better to look at the rooftop itself, and make the changes he did last summer.

Far better to know the difference between complacency and calm. That way, assuming King can maintain the standards he has set in the first half of his career, it will seem fitting – looking back, some distant day – that he should have been the last trainer to hoist AP McCoy onto a Festival winner, Uxizandre in the 2015 Ryanair Chase.

He returns this time back up to sixth in the table, having already banked very nearly as much prize-money as he accumulated all last season, when dipping to ninth with that fallow spring. “I think the competition is stronger than it’s ever been,” King admits.

“But I think I’m far more patient now than I was, certainly with the horses. I don’t mind taking my time. If you don’t get going until October or November, you get so far behind that you can start thinking you need to catch up. But I’m less worried about that now. I think you’re a better trainer, the longer you’re at this.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_TalkingTo_v2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:09 Page 44

TALKING TO...

TIM RADFORD

Going for

GOLD

Tim Radford would dearly love to own the winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the race backed by his company Timico, and while he doesn’t have prospects of a winner at this year’s Festival, a number of promising youngsters are helping to keep the telecoms entrepreneur’s dreams alive

By Edward Rosenthal

T

wo weeks after Betfred ended its sponsorship of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, your company Timico stepped in, agreeing a four-year deal. What made you decide to back this famous contest?

Our business installs data networks and manages infrastructure for multi-site organisations such as retailers, pubs, hotels and racecourses. We had worked for Lord March at Goodwood and were already talking to Jockey Club Racecourses. Ian Renton, who had been involved in the discussions, rang me to say they were looking for a new sponsor for the Gold Cup and did I know anyone who would be interested. I immediately thought it was a fantastic opportunity, one that does not come along very often. The Gold Cup is a blue riband event.

At the time we were looking for greater exposure. We are a business-to-business provider and don’t deal with the public.

However we wanted to widen the franchise and extend the brand. I spoke to Lord Daresbury, our Chairman at the time, and explained it was the chance of a lifetime. We met the Jockey Club team and explained what we wanted out of the deal in terms of an involvement in their technology infrastructure. We agreed quid quo pro to take up the sponsorship and become their partner of choice in terms of IT services.

How has the sponsorship benefited your business to date?

The sponsorship gives us huge exposure and has raised our brand profile. Cheltenham week is the second quietest week in the City of

MINI BIOGRAPHY Born: December 11, 1960 Education: Gordonstoun School from 1973-1978 Business career: Set up party organiser Chatters Entertainment in 1978 and sold it to Medminster plc in 1987. Launched mobile service provider Project Telecom in November 1987, floated the business in September 2000 and sold it to Vodafone Group in September 2003. Formed Timico in April 2004, which now employs almost 400 people and turns over circa £60m p/a Family: Married Camilla on June 10 1989, and together they had four children – Harry 22, India 20, Katie 17 and Jamie 16. Before Camilla died in May 2015, she and Tim had spent more than a decade actively involved in jump racing as owners Hobbies: Racing, fishing and following Nottingham Forest FC Ambition: To win the Cheltenham Gold Cup before Timico’s four-year sponsorship deal ends

44

“The sponsorship was the chance of a lifetime. It gives us huge exposure and raises our profile”

London; a lot of firms go to Cheltenham and there is a lot of corporate entertainment. It gives us a fantastic platform at the right level. One of the biggest customers we’ve signed up is Paddy Power, delivering services in 600 shops. We have also started working with Arena Racing Company.

It’s too early to say what impact the deal has had but I’m hopeful we’ll look back after the initial period and say it’s been a great success.

Would we extend our sponsorship? We’re at the beginning of the journey so it’s too early to have that conversation.

In part due to the Authorised Betting Partner policy, racing is desperate to attract more non-bookmaker sponsors. In your view, how can it achieve this?

Every sport has to look at their sponsorship audience and ask what they can do to make the product as attractive as possible. Motor racing, football, rugby – they all do it. Racing has relied for far too long on the bookmaking community THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

>>

Mar_151_TalkingTo_v2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:09 Page 45

Tim Radford’s firm Timico signed a four-year deal to back the Cheltenham Gold Cup until 2019

Mar_151_TalkingTo_v2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:09 Page 46

GEORGE SELWYN

TIM RADFORD stormed up the hill in the 2005 Neptune Hurdle it was incredibly exciting, even though he got beat. I realised Cheltenham is the place to be.

Somersby was a superb servant and ran at eight consecutive Cheltenham Festivals. What was the key to his soundness and longevity?

Apart from one blip he was incredibly sound. He had a lot of attitude and was

Tim Radford’s favourite horse Calgary Bay and AP McCoy en route to victory at Cheltenham

>> for funding. It’s a broken model. Racing must

attract a much wider group of corporate sponsors. For example, what would Bernie Ecclestone or Kerrie Packer have done in this sport? Sell it to the best stable of brands they could – car companies, banks, airlines. Racing needs to hire the best person they can to sell the sponsorship, someone with real commercial nous. It’s a fantastic sport, gets a lot of coverage on TV and is enjoyed by millions globally.

“We were hooked

from the beginning.

Ownership is the closest thing to a legal natural high!”

You became involved in jump racing with your late wife Camilla in the early 2000s, enjoying tremendous success with the likes of Racing Demon, Calgary Bay and old warrior Somersby. What was it that got you both hooked on National Hunt racing?

After I floated my business on the London Stock Exchange I bought myself an Aston Martin and decided to buy Camilla a present. I wanted her to have a bit of fun. One of my friends said I

46

should buy a racehorse – he introduced me to Henrietta Knight.

Hen went to Ireland and told me she had found a horse. At that time neither of us knew the first thing about racing. Camilla named it Allimac, her name spelled backwards. He won a few races but started bleeding and was sold to America. But we had a lot of fun.

We were hooked from the beginning – how could you not be? I’m very competitive and I like to win and I just thought, ‘This is amazing!’

It’s the closest thing to a legal natural high you can have.

When Racing Demon

Mar_151_TalkingTo_v2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:09 Page 47

TIM RADFORD a wonderful servant. When everyone thought he was finished he produced those runs in the Champion Chase, finishing second two years’ running aged ten and 11. He should have won more races but still earned more than £600,000.

Would you have continued in ownership if you hadn’t met Henrietta Knight and Terry Biddlecombe?

I’m a businessman; I discovered very early on in business that you must surround yourself with good people. I was very lucky that when I looked at getting involved in ownership I was introduced to Henrietta Knight, who has guided us on our journey and introduced us to people who can help us put together a string of top-class jumpers without spending fortunes.

The one thing I will not do is join the ranks of chequebook enthusiasts who will pay any money to get a horse. The real enjoyment comes from sourcing a store and watching it develop. In fishing terms, what gives you pleasure is selecting a fly that you’ve tied yourself on a winter’s night, under a dim table lamp, then going out and catching a trout or salmon. Rather than buying all the equipment from a specialist tackle shop.

It’s about the whole experience.

That’s why I respect the breeders – look at the team behind Coneygree. They’ve nurtured it, hugged it, cried with it. When they get a glory day it’s a much bigger moment, rather than signing a cheque for half a million. We bought Somersby for £80,000 and Racing Demon for £65,000 from the Costellos. That’s not a fortune in today’s market.

I try and tell my boys – who are fanatical about racing – that life is about who you do it with. It’s about the whole experience and we had fantastic years with Hen and Terry. I enjoyed their company and we had a lot of laughs. That’s very important. You’re pouring so much money into the sport and there are a lot of lows but occasionally you have the highs.

To survive the lows you need to be with people you trust and like being with.

How do you source your horses these days?

Henrietta Knight is still involved in the operation and is a very important part of the team. She manages the trainers for me, Dan [Skelton] and Mick [Channon], which horses go where, race planning, injuries, schooling.

Henrietta misses the training world. This year Hen has bought me three horses. In total I have eight in training, plus three three-year-old stores and two two-year-olds, a yearling and two foals.

Somersby: wonderful servant who ran at eight consecutive Cheltenham Festivals

>>

Mar_151_TalkingTo_v2_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:09 Page 48

TIM RADFORD >>

changed. The Great Storm had happened causing so much devastation. Black Monday was the 19th. It was extraordinary. But I was very lucky and pleased to get out of that business.

Are you enjoying the breeding side of your operation?

I’m only breeding in a small way with one broodmare, Lakaam. She is the dam of Sgt Reckless. He was like mustard on the gallops but we could never get him to do the same on the track. He demanded firm ground; I’ve sold him now. I’m just learning about the breeding process and Mick Channon is helping us.

Of all your big wins, which stands out most and why?

My favourite horse was Calgary Bay – he was a big, gentle giant. He scored three times at Cheltenham, twice on New Year’s Day. He won a chase at Doncaster under Graham Lee, coming from nowhere, and I thought this is one hell of a horse. He later landed the Sky Bet Chase and finished his career winning at Ascot in 2015, then we retired him. I think Somersby’s best win was the Victor Chandler at Ascot in 2012. The horse we beat, Finian’s Rainbow, won the Champion Chase next time and I think we would have won that race if we’d stuck to two miles, rather than choosing the Ryanair.

Timico has boosted the value of the Gold Cup to £550,000, but what is more important – increasing prizemoney at the top end or grassroots level?

I think we need more prize-money across the board for owners. We’re so far behind places like France and Australia. It costs three grand a month to keep a horse and often you’re running for £1,200 in bumpers – it’s ridiculous.

There’s too much low quality racing. I believe it’s a fresh approach to close Kempton, with Sandown down the road. Sell the asset and

“I think it’s a fresh approach to sell Kempton. Sell the asset and reinvest the money”

reinvest the money into making a better experience for racegoers, sponsors and the industry. People should be able to look at racing and see not a return but fair compensation for their efforts and investment.

Which of your current crop of youngsters are you most looking forward to for the rest of the season?

We’ve had a really frustrating season. We sold some of our older chasers last year in order to reinvest in young stock. I’m very excited about Kasakh Noir, who we bought from Tom

48

You have been very successful in business. What’s your secret and can you apply any principles from your working life to owning racehorses?

The fun I get out of businesses is getting them going, taking them through the early growth phases, winning customers and making them profitable. I love trying to beat the odds and beat the big boys. I’m 56 and I couldn’t sit at home and do nothing. But nothing’s for life; I’d sell anything and then reinvest, then the journey continues. I’m comfortable with that.

That’s why you have to be quite ruthless about horses. If you didn’t sell your horses you’d end up with hundreds of them!

Radford with Sgt Reckless, a horse that didn’t always show his true ability

Malone and trained by Dan Skelton.

Unfortunately he’s out for the season after being cast in his box but he’ll be back later this year.

Kasakh Noir won really well at Newbury and is one to look forward to. Another with Dan is Some Invitation, who won very well first time out over hurdles at Wetherby. Mick [Channon] has a lovely bumper horse called Glen Forsa and Mr Whitaker, a promising hurdler. This will be the first time in 12 years when we haven’t had a runner at the Festival.

On the Flat I’ve got Harrison with Mick and he ran sixth in the St Leger. Will he go hurdling?

Not yet. He’s been gelded and is having a breathing operation. Graham Lee said he’s got one hell of an engine. He could be a Gold Cup horse – that’s Ascot, not Cheltenham!

You seem to have been a very lucky owner. But what could be done to improve the owner’s lot?

Racing has to be more professional in how it attracts owners and sponsors. They need to craft a product and experience that people want to buy into, like at Cheltenham and Aintree.

But some of the other racing is pretty poor and racecourses have to work harder to look after their owners and sponsors, and recognise that without these people putting the money in there would be no sport. Initiatives such as the ROA Gold Standard Awards certainly help.

You sold your first business, Chatters Entertainment, days before the 1987 stock market crash. Good judgement or luck?

I sold it on my mother’s birthday, October 14.

I went fishing – one of my other great passions – on the isle of Lewis the day after. When I came home from that holiday the world had

CLOSE UP AND...

PERSONAL My perfect meal is… a cheese and tomato omelette with a green salad and a glass or two of red Burgundy. I have simple tastes and don’t like fussy or fancy food Favourite actor and author…

Rex Harrison and Jeffrey Archer I love visiting… wild places, like the Outer Hebrides Guiltiest pleasure… watching Gogglebox – brilliant TV I am annoyed by… negativity and mediocrity

CLOSE UP AND...

PROFESSIONAL My ambition is… to have a winner at the Cheltenham Festival!

Racing hero… Henrietta Knight.

Three Cheltenham Gold Cups with Best Mate was an outstanding achievement – she has taught me everything I know about racing Best advice I’ve received… never to do anything that in hindsight you would have done anything not to have done I handle defeat by… picking myself up and starting again. In racing you get used to defeat!

Best day of my racing life… being at Ascot with Hen and Terry to watch Somersby beat Finian’s Rainbow in the Grade 1 Victor Chandler Chase

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Al Kazeem TOB-Jan 2017:Oakgrove Stud

6/12/16

14:53

Page 1

THE GREY GATSBY

POSTPONED

FASCINATING ROCK

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

FIRST 2YOS IN 2017

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

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

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

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

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

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

First yearlings averaged 128,588gns and sold for up to €360,000 STANDING AT OAKGROVE STUD

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

Mar_151_FirstROA_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 17:06 Page 50

THE FIRST ROA

Before our

TIME

Owners demanding better treatment, belligerent behaviour by the Jockey Club, the threat of boycotts – it was all happening in racing more than 100 years ago Words David Ashforth

T

he present Racehorse Owners Association was founded in 1945 but the first Association, long forgotten, was created 40 years earlier. Its brief, tempestuous history throws a revealing light on the attitudes of the Turf’s rulers in a society a world apart from today’s.

In May 1905, Lord Carnarvon submitted a memorial to the Jockey Club signed by about 400 owners and trainers. The signatories were “of opinion that the expenses of taking horses to meetings are much greater than they ought to be (and) desire to ask that you will use your great influence to obtain a reduction in the following charges (a) carriage (b) charges for stabling of horses and lodging of boys at race meetings.”

The Jockey Club was like a python, slow and sleepy until threatened, then quick to crush any challenger to death.

Disinclined to rouse itself at the first prod, Carnarvon was informed that railway charges were a matter “beyond the powers of the Stewards” but agreed to write to the Railway Companies Association “asking them to give the matter their careful consideration.”

As for stabling and lodging costs, the Stewards “thought it was a matter which could not be forced on any race company” and should be brought to the racecourses’ attention by “some body representing owners

of horses rather than by the Stewards of the Jockey Club.”

Carnarvon replied that a Provisional Committee had been set up, including prominent racing figures such as Lord Marcus Beresford, King Edward VII’s racing manager, Lord Hamilton of Dalzell, later a senior steward, William Bass of the brewery family and Washington Singer of the sewing machine family, who won that year’s St Leger with Challacombe.

The Committee were “most anxious that the Association may have not only the approval but also the support of the Jockey Club”. It was a vain hope. The Jockey Club quickly retreated from the unintended encouragement previously conveyed and insisted that it had not suggested the formation of an Association. Alarmed that its monopoly of power might be threatened, the python stirred. It was “not prepared to say that the proposed Association has the approval or support of the Jockey Club”.

Shortly afterwards, Francis Luscombe, the Association’s secretary, asked Weatherbys to put a notice in the Racing Calendar inviting subscriptions to the new body. The Stewards, their temperature rising, resolved to “refuse to allow the advertisement to be inserted in the Calendar.”

“The Jockey Club was like a python, slow and sleepy until threatened, then quick to crush a challenger”

>> 50

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_FirstROA_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 17:07 Page 51

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ROUCH WILMOT LIBRARY

Newmarket high street in 1905, the year the first Racehorse Owners Association was born – though it did not enjoy a long life

51

Mar_151_FirstROA_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 17:07 Page 52

THE FIRST ROA >>

The Association’s protestations that they had no desire or intention to challenge the Club’s authority fell on stony ears. Arthur James, one of the Stewards, feared that if different individuals took over the Association it might “form a very serious and dangerous opposition to the Club”.

The Racehorse Owners’ Association was formally registered in October 1905 and the following year approached Sandown Park in search of free stabling and accommodation for staff. The racecourse refused and in June 1906 Lord Carnarvon, the ROA’s Chairman, told the Jockey Club that the Association had been informed “that the Sandown Park Company are receiving the support of the Stewards of the Jockey Club in their refusal to grant the concession of free stabling”.

Carnarvon wanted to know if this was true and what line the Club proposed to take in future.

The Club’s line was a hostile one, exacerbated by a long letter from Lord Marcus Beresford complaining of the mismanagement of the Newmarket training grounds, which he alleged were run in “the financial interests of the Jockey Club to the detriment of the interests of owners of horses”.

Ignoring all Beresford’s many suggestions, the Stewards fired off an insultingly brief reply, concluding, “they do not see their way to making any alteration in the orders which govern the management of the Heath at the present time”.

Unfortunately for the Stewards, the King shared his racing adviser’s concerns and asked that a committee be set up to consider the matter, prompting a flurry of anxious correspondence. Lord Crewe, a former Senior Steward, told Lord Stanley, a current Steward: “I quite understand how previous events may have led up to a curt manner of answering [Beresford],” but, as Crewe informed Lord Harewood: “From what the King said to me in conversation, it is absolutely necessary to ease the situation in some way if a rupture between His Majesty and the Stewards is to be avoided.”

A compromise emerged. The Stewards agreed to meet Beresford to discuss his concerns and the King withdrew his request for a committee.

The Stewards claimed to have taken no part in the dispute between the ROA and Sandown Park beyond showing Hwfa Williams, the racecourse manager, a letter from them to the ROA declining to approve its formation and giving Williams permission to have the letter published in The Sportsman.

It was a significant intervention, reflecting the Stewards’ apoplectic reaction to the new body.

The ROA’s response was to ask its members to refrain from entering their horses at Sandown, prompting a meeting of clerks of courses, which “strongly deprecated any

52

interference of the ROA with the business conduct of meetings”.

Lord Durham, outspoken and often controversial, condemned “this very unEnglish method of boycotting Sandown.” He was not convinced that reducing the cost of ownership was necessarily a good thing. “If people who owned horses were put to no expense whatever,” he said, “any crossingsweeper or chimney-sweep could constitute themselves owners of horses and obtain all sorts of privileges.” Durham would have spun in his grave at present-day syndicates.

In July 1906 the ROA wrote to emphasise that it “always recognised the Jockey Club as the only possible authority for the management and jurisdiction of matters connected with the Turf”. The Stewards replied, bluntly, that the Club “were unable to recognise the ROA and they must decline to have any further communication with you”.

At Doncaster’s St Leger meeting, Lord Hamilton of Dalzell and Lord Westbury, members of the ROA council, approached Colonel Baird, a Steward, who explained the terms on which the Stewards would agree to

“Colonel Baird, a

Steward, was convinced the ROA was composed of ‘the riff-raff of the Turf’” meet them. The terms were uncompromising.

There must be no more boycotting of racecourses and if, after the meeting, the Club decided that the Association’s existence was detrimental to racing, Hamilton would call a meeting of the ROA and propose that it be abolished. Hamilton agreed.

Reporting back to the Jockey Club, Baird stated that he “hoped very soon to hear that the whole thing had been abolished.” Lord Stanley echoed his opinion. “The Association ought certainly to die,” he said, “and they did not wish to see any chance of such an Association being formed again.”

Although the ROA council included eminent figures, the Jockey Club, a bastion of elitism, chose to believe the worst of the Association’s members, said to number between 130 and 150. Baird claimed to have asked: “Have you got all these wretched little owners with one horse – publicans and every ruffian that owns a horse – do they belong to your Association?” Whatever the answer, Baird was convinced the ROA was composed of “the riff-raff of the Turf”.

In October, after meeting Hamilton and two other ROA representatives, the Stewards reiterated their refusal to recognise the Association but, if it was dissolved, offered to meet individual owners at each Newmarket meeting for the Stewards to consider suggestions previously submitted in writing.

It was not much to present to the ROA’s members and, the following spring, Hamilton told Baird that “there would be some difficulty in getting the Association to disband unless some further concessions were made by the Jockey Club”.

None appear to have been made but in July 1907, doubtless despairing of making progress in the face of the Club’s hostility, Hamilton and Westbury proposed that the ROA be dissolved.

According to an imaginative report in The Sporting Times, the proposal provoked William Purefoy, a leading member of the Druid’s Lodge confederacy, to sing the American rebels’ song, “We won’t be reconstructed and we don’t care a damn”.

Beresford then jumped on to a table and directed the singing, after which Hamilton, Westbury, Bass and Captain J Orr Ewing immediately resigned from the council. The following year, Hamilton was elected to the Jockey Club, an unlikely event if he had remained to the fore in the ROA. Shorn of some of its more distinguished members, the Association battled on but with little success. In October 1907, Beresford, Sir Harry Randall and Luscombe met managers of Associated Railways to ask that railway horseboxes be properly and systematically disinfected, that horses be transported more quickly, and that charges be reduced. The managers agreed to consider their request but it is not known if any action followed.

Finally, in February 1909, Luscombe, by then the ROA’s President, announced that ill health meant that he was no longer able to play an active role. “The members of the Association seem to me generally to have lost interest,” he wrote. “We have still a very fair list of members but hardly any workers.”

Useful work had been carried out, including efforts to achieve “the proper inspection of boxes used by horses when visiting race meetings; the proper cleansing of railway horseboxes and various improvements in the construction of the boxes where the yearlings stand at the Doncaster Sales”.

Luscombe suggested that, if the Jockey Club agreed to take over this work, he would be prepared to advise the ROA to disband.

The Jockey Club agreed and proposed to give the job to Colonel Wilkinson, the Inspector of Racecourses.

On April 26, 1909 an extraordinary general meeting resolved “that the ROA Ltd be wound up voluntarily”.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_FirstROA_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 17:07 Page 53

THE FIRST ROA

ROUCH WILMOT LIBRARY

Trainer Richard Marsh (left), with King Edward VII, for whom he saddled three Derby winners, and the King’s Racing Manager Lord Marcus Beresford (centre)

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

53

Mar_151_DualPurposeSire_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:27 Page 54

Rule The World winning the 2016 Grand National; his sire Sulamani also produced the St Leger winner Mastery

40

Mar_151_DualPurposeSire_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:27 Page 55

DUAL-PURPOSE STALLIONS

Masters of

BOTH TRADES It’s all too easy to write off a top-class middle-distance performer as a ‘National Hunt sire’ on retirement to stud, but if breeding for the racecourse rather than the market is your mantra then there are plenty of stallions out there who could go either way and won’t break the bank Words Aisling Crowe

GEORGE SELWYN

O

ne eye on the future and a little flair for creativity will reward breeders if they know where to look. There are top-class stallions dotted around these islands who can provide them with black-type performers and a market for resale later. The only problem is that they have been pigeonholed as National Hunt sires when they were top-class Flat performers themselves and have sired, or are capable of siring, talented Flat horses.

The running of the 2016 Grand National was a banner day for Yorton Farm Stud stallion Sulamani when his son Rule The World won not just one of the most coveted prizes but also the most gruelling test of the National Hunt calendar. This surely was his crowning as a ‘proper’ jumps stallion, but it’s worth remembering that Sulamani, an outstanding campaigner for the Niarchos

family, then Godolphin, also sired a Classic winner, Mastery, in his first crop.

Given the right ammunition, he can do either job perfectly well and the same can be said for his stud mate Norse Dancer, sire of leading Champion Hurdle fancy and this month’s cover star Yanworth, along with decent Flat performers such as Norse King and Dorcas Lane. Norse Dancer is himself the son of a handy dual-purpose sire in Halling, who is likely to be represented at the Cheltenham Festival by top-class chaser Zabana.

Even Kayf Tara, Britain’s leading National Hunt sire for many a year, had a Flat stakes winner from his first crop – the ill-fated Ruby Wine, who won a Listed race at Newbury at three before finishing fourth in the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks.

Last year’s Irish St Leger at the Curragh was

>>

Mar_151_DualPurposeSire_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:27 Page 56

D U A L - P U R P O S E S TA L L I O N S >> unremarkable

in many ways, the first two horses were grandsons of Sadler’s Wells – nothing unusual about that – and the third was a grandson of Danehill. Perhaps that was a little more surprising for the pedigree of a Leger horse, but finding Danehill close up on the page of a Classic performer is not.

The runner-up Order Of St George is by Galileo but the identities of the sires of the first and third may have caused more of a surprise.

Wicklow Brave, the winner of the Classic, is

by Beat Hollow, while Trip To Paris is the son of another Juddmonte-bred sire in Champs Elysees.

Trip To Paris is a Group 1 winner for Champs Elysees, who has joined the roster at Castlehyde Stud

Beat of a different drum

56

EMMA BERRY

Don Poli’s three-partssister by Beat Hollow, seen here as a foal, is now three and in pre-training in Ireland

GEORGE SELWYN

Just a single Irish county now separates the two former Banstead Manor residents, who became increasingly overlooked in the commercial Flat market in Britain. Champs Elysees is at Castlehyde Stud in County Cork; Beat Hollow is standing his fifth season as a dual-purpose stallion at Ballylinch Stud.

Beat Hollow won four Group or Grade 1 races during his racing career, none of them over particularly long distances. Three were at ten furlongs – the Arlington Million, Grand Prix de Paris and Manhattan Handicap – while the fourth, the Wood Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, was over nine furlongs. His dam, the Irish Oaks winner Wemyss Bight, is a full-sister to Hope, who is the dam of Oasis Dream and the second dam of Kingman. It is a pedigree featuring not just brilliance but speed.

Wicklow Brave became his sire’s third winner at the highest level on the Flat, joining Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Proportional, and Beaten Up who won the Doomben Cup, while one of his Group 3 winners, Vote Often, is also Classic-placed having finished third in the Irish 1,000 Guineas. Group 2 winner Exospheric was second in last year’s Caulfield Cup, while Vagabond Shoes was second in the

Grade 1 Eddie Read Stakes over nine furlongs and has won Grade 3 races at a mile.

Despite not being an out-and-out stayer himself, and having raced mainly on good or firm surfaces in America, Beat Hollow has acquired a National Hunt sire tag. However, he has more winners at the highest level on the Flat than over jumps.

Cheltenham Festival winner Cinders And Ashes and Hollow Tree, successful in the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle, are his two Grade 1-winning jumpers. He had the honour of covering the outstanding hurdler Quevega in her first season at stud, and Dalamine, the dam of Don Poli, is another high-class National Hunt mare to have visited him since his relocation to Ireland.

Six years younger than Beat Hollow, the 14-

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

>>

THE NATURAL SUCCESSOR TO KING’S THEATRE

BEAT HOLLOW 14

5

GROUP/GRADE 1 WINNERS ADE R G / P U including GRO NERS

WIN

ing includ inner Gr.2 w 2016 PHERIC EXOS

2016 Classic winner WICKLOW BRAVE and the Cheltenham Festival winner CINDERS AND ASHES

45

BLAC K TY PE PERF ORM ERS in c Hardw luding icke S takes winne r SEA MOON

From the family of stallions

MARTALINE, OASIS DREAM and KINGMAN His first crop of Ballylinch bred horses are 4yo in 2017 with stores making up to €80,000 (W.P. Mullins/H.Kirk) Standing in 2017 at just €6,000 (1st Oct) Value doesn’t get better than that!

BALLYLINCH STUD THOMASTOWN, CO. KILKENNY Tel: 056-7724217 • Fax: 056-7724624 • info@ballylinchstud.ie • davidmyerscough@ballylinchstud.ie mark@ballylinchstud.ie • joc@ballylinchstud.ie • WWW.BALLYLINCHSTUD.COM

BeatHollow_Owner_Full_2017_Mar.indd 1

17/02/2017 14:24

Shade Oak Stud OB Mar 2017 f-p_Shade Oak Stud OB Mar 2017 f-p 17/02/2017 08:59 Page 1

SCORPION

TELESCOPE 16.11⁄2 h.h

16.11⁄2 h.h

New for 2017

Fee:

£3,000 (1st Oct terms)

Fee:

£3,000 (1st Oct terms)

With oldest runners just turned eight, already sire of G1 winners DON'T TOUCH IT and SCORPIANCER, G1 near-miss MIGHT BITE and G1-placed TELL US MORE. A major new British NH Stallion already with 32 winners of 42 races this season.

BLACK SAM BELLAMY

Outstanding Racehorse, Outstanding Pedigree, Outstanding Looks and now covering Outstanding Books of Mares, with 25 TBA NH Elite Mares covered in 2016 and 48 nominated for 2017. Including PEPITE ROSE, CHAMOSS ROYALE, UNITED, GEMINI LUCY, EASTER LEGEND etc.

LUCARNO 16.3 h.h

16.2 h.h

Fee:

Fee:

£3,000

£2,000

(1st Oct terms)

(1st Oct terms)

Early NH crops contain good Bumper & Hurdles winners that look like future chasers. These include recent winners SIR ANTONY BROWNE, SAM'S ADVENTURE, SAM SPINNER, SOMEDAY, SAM BROWN & OVER TO SAM. Also TBA award-winning Racemares HOLLIES PEARL and FLUTE BOWL.

A big horse with strength and scope rarely found today.

Good winners from his first crops include unbeaten Point & Bumper winner MONBEG WORLDWIDE, dual NH MOPS winner LAMANVAR ODYSSEY and multiple winning chaser GLOBAL DREAM.

FAIR MIX

RECHARGE 16.1 h.h

16.1 h.h

Fee:

Fee:

£2,000

£1,500

(1st Oct terms)

Sire of SIMONSIG (dual G1 Cheltenham Festival winner).

Winners include COCKTAILS AT DAWN (RPR 155 chaser), FAGAN (Cheltenham Festival G1 2nd), CARRIG CATHAL, FAIRLEE GREY, CATALAUNIAN FIELDS and CULTRAM ABBEY, etc.

(1st Oct terms)

G3 winner, beating G1 winner INTENSE FOCUS, and G1-2nd behind Champion FAME AND GLORY.

By Champion Sire CAPE CROSS, sire of SEA THE STARS, GOLDEN HORN and OUIJA BOARD. Out of Champion Older Mare in Ireland REBELLINE.

Contact: PETER HOCKENHULL • Tel: (01939) 270235 • Mobile: 07740 257547 E-mail: info@shadeoakstud.co.uk • Website: www.shadeoakstud.co.uk

Mar_151_DualPurposeSire_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:27 Page 59

D U A L - P U R P O S E S TA L L I O N S >>

year-old Champs Elysees now sees himself employed as a dual-purpose stallion at Coolmore. A Grade 1 winner at 12 furlongs in America and a son of Juddmonte’s blue hen Hasili, he is of course a full-brother to leading sire Dansili and also to Grade 1 winner and the now-retired stallion Cacique.

Remarkably, Champs Elysees became the third of the three brothers to sire a Group 1 winner when Trip To Paris won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2015. Perhaps the success of Trip To Paris as a Cup horse gave rise to the notion of Champs Elysees as a sire of stayers and potentially jumpers, but from four crops to race so far Champs Elysees has produced two Classic-performing fillies in Xcellence, third in the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and the Prix de Diane, and Jack Naylor, who was second in the Irish Oaks. A Group 3 winner at two, Jack Naylor was also placed in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac that season and sold for 800,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mare sale three months ago.

Champs Elysees is also the sire of Grade 2 winner Eastern Belle, a half-sister to Derby and Arc winner Golden Horn. Last season Champs Elysees sired 17 black-type horses, including Group 2 winner Renown and Grade 3 winner Suffused.

GEORGE SELWN

Champs to foreign fields The announcement of his move from Banstead Manor to Castlehyde in December prompted Peter Stanley to write to the Racing Post outlining his concerns over the direction the breeding industry is taking in its ever increasing need for speed.

The manager of New England and Stanley House Studs warned that British and Irish racing is in grave danger of replicating the situation in Australia, where only one locallybred horse competed in that nation’s most

prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup, last year.

Stanley fears that the emphasis on finding precocious two-year-olds for Royal Ascot’s juvenile races means that, in years to come, it won’t only be the Queen Alexandra which is contested by horses more familiar to National Hunt aficionados.

Champs Elysees’ move followed hot on the heels of that by another high-profile and successful Flat sire relocating to a farm more traditionally associated with National Hunt stallions, that of Mount Nelson switching to County Meath’s Boardsmill Stud.

Stanley pointed out that Mount Nelson, a

“There is a futility in trying to label a stallion as fit for one purpose only”

Group 1 winner at two and successful in the Eclipse, was at the time the sixth-best stallion ranked on number of winners to foals. The son of Rock Of Gibraltar is the sire of 55% winners from foals born.

John Flood, who, along with his father William, stands Mount Nelson, is keen to point out that he is very much a dual-purpose stallion and that Flat breeders are more than welcome to send their mares to him.

He says: “He is very well capable of getting faster horses out of faster mares. In his first crop he sired Royal Ascot winner Berkshire, who went on to win the Royal Lodge Stakes

and the Darley Stakes.

“Already a number of Flat mares have been booked to him, not only from Ireland but England and France as well. These are breeders who are able to see the opportunities he presents. They are sending their mare to a horse who has proven progeny across a variety of distances, depending on the mares, and he gets fast horses – fillies as well as colts.”

Purr Along, successful in the Group 3 Lanwades Stud Stakes and the Group 3 Prix du Calvados, is a pacey daughter of Mount Nelson, while Volume, third in both the Oaks and Irish Oaks, proves he can sire Classic performers.

In line with Champs Elysees, this year will see just the fifth crop of racing age offspring

by Mount Nelson hit the track, but the rush to judge both stallions has been extremely hasty.

“A lot of people are baffled by it,” admits Flood. “This need for speed is puzzling, maybe it is because of the increased amount of people selling as foals now. Previously there were a lot more owner-breeders and people who bought yearlings, so you were selling directly to the end-user, but it is different now.

Pinhookers seem to be more attracted to horses that will run as quickly as possible.”

There is a futility in attempting to label a stallion as fit for one purpose only, as winners and talent emerge in all shapes and forms.

Zebedee, the champion first-season sire in 2014, is the sire of Bunk Off Early, who was second behind stablemate Bacardys in the Grade 1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle at Leopardstown in February, while even the speed-oriented Dark Angel has had a dual Grade 1-winning hurdler in Guitar Pete.

Dubawi, one of the pre-eminent stallions of this age and the most expensive at stud in the United Kingdom, is the sire of Dodging Bullets, Champion Chase winner in 2015, and

Haafhd’s son Countrywide Flame (navy and white) en route to winning the Triumph Hurdle

>>

Mar_151_DualPurposeSire_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 18:27 Page 60

Hisaabaat, successful twice in Grade 1 hurdles either side of his second place in the Triumph Hurdle. His conqueror in that Cheltenham Festival appearance was Countrywide Flame, himself the son of 2,000 Guineas winner and Champion Stakes hero Haafhd.

Countrywide Flame isn’t the only Cheltenham Festival winner sired by Haafhd, as Grade 2-winning hurdler Carlito Brigante also gave the stallion a victory at the March extravaganza. Haafhd is also capable of siring top-class horses on the Flat, as illustrated by Junoob, first past the post in the Grade 1 Metropolitan at Randwick and a Grade 2 winner in Australia, while Haafaguinea and Fityaan have starred for him at Meydan.

Last year Haafhd had a superb winners-torunners ratio and he has relocated to Batsford Stud in Gloucestershire for the 2017 breeding season, where he will stand alongside Passing Glance and Mullionmileanhour.

Elm Park was a top-class juvenile for Phoenix Reach, who also gets his fair share of National Hunt winners and has moved to stand this year at Winterbeck Manor Stud

Within Reach Another Group 1-winning son of Alhaarth that has the potential to excel as a sire in both spheres is Phoenix Reach. Successful in the Canadian International, Hong Kong Vase and Dubai Sheema Classic, Phoenix Reach has returned to his owner Andrew Christou’s Winterbeck Manor Stud for the 2017 season.

Already the sire of a Group 1-winning juvenile, Elm Park, as well as having early successes with his first bumper and hurdles runners, Phoenix Reach has more than proved himself a reliable dual-purpose option.

Recent visitors to Tattersalls for the TBA Stallion Parade can’t have failed to be impressed by the physique of Shade Oak

Stud’s second-season sire Telescope. A product of that magical Galileo-Darshaan cross, with first foals on the ground this spring, Telescope of course has it all to prove.

He gained plenty of support in his first season at stud, predominantly from the National Hunt fraternity, but as a Great Voltigeur and Hardwicke Stakes winner who chased home Taghrooda in the King George, he shouldn’t be overlooked by Flat breeders.

New to the stallion ranks for 2017 is another Canadian International winner – Cannock Chase – who retires to Nunstainton Stud in North Yorkshire. The son of Lemon Drop Kid cost 310,000gns as a yearling and

AMY LYNAM

>>

GEORGE SELWYN

D U A L - P U R P O S E S TA L L I O N S

Derby and Arc hero Workforce, back from Japan, poses during the Irish Stallion Trail

60

won the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot for trainer Sir Michael Stoute.

With the winning hurdler and chaser Ultravox as his full-brother, he will certainly appeal to National Hunt breeders. However, Lemon Drop Kid hails from a family of topclass stallions, including AP Indy, Summer Squall, Wolfhound and Duke Of Marmalade, so his son’s potential to sire good runners on the Flat should not be underestimated.

Like dual Breeders’ Cup and St Leger winner Conduit, who is now at the Suffern family’s Tullyraine House Stud in Northern Ireland, the Derby and Arc hero Workforce has recently returned from Japan. The tenyear-old will stand at Knockhouse Stud alongside Notnowcato this season and he is already the sire of a Group winner in Japan.

Sean Kinsella of Knockhouse Stud is quick to point out that, like Notnowcato, he is very much a dual-purpose sire. He says: “Both Workforce and Notnowcato are capable of getting good Flat horses – all you have to do is look at Custom Cut. Workforce just didn’t get enough of them quickly enough in Japan.

A horse of his quality is very scarce for National Hunt breeders. He will put class and speed into National Hunt mares but is open for Flat breeders too.”

Arc heroes, Classic winners, international stars, Group 1-winning sires – we’ve highlighted just a handful of stallions available with the potential to produce classy middledistance performers on the Flat or decent National Hunt runners.

With a little creativity and the courage to look beyond what the market dictates to be fashionable, there are gems of sires all over Britain and Ireland waiting to be unearthed by breeders looking not only for Cheltenham Festival winners but Royal Ascot and Classic winners too.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:14 Page 61

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

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

PASSING GLANCE Polar Falcon – Spurned (Robellino) Tough and Sound Dual Group winning Miler from a Multiple Stakes Producing Dam 4yos have made up to £80,000

Fee: £2,000 1st October Terms (LFFR)

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

www.batsfordstud.co.uk THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

61

Mar_151_Bloodstock_Intro_Owner 17/02/2017 16:42 Page 63

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: Angels on high at Tattersalls’ and Goffs’ February Sales – pages 64-70 • Caulfield Files: Galileo’s daughters a rising force in the breeding pool – pages 72-73 • Dr Statz: Time is against us when it comes to assessing the merits of jump sires – page 100

Look beyond the label for value

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

place, but as we’ve come to find, somewhat depressingly, it’s all too hard for St Leger heroes or Ascot Gold Cup winners to attract sufficient support at stud as Flat stallions.

Of course, where a horse stands and whatever label we give him doesn’t change his genetic make-up or alter the fact that, especially with a horse such as Fame And Glory, he was a top-class galloper that any racing fan would be thrilled to own. And there’s the rub. Few things in the racing world could be more special than receiving a trophy from the Queen at Royal Ascot as the owner of the Gold Cup winner, yet precious few people want to buy potential stayers as yearlings. This conundrum makes breeders who need to balance the books understandably cautious when it comes to using middle-distance stallions.

As John Flood points out in our feature, Flat breeders are still welcome to use Mount Nelson since his move to Ireland, despite the fact that his presence at Boardsmill Stud has now effectively labelled him as a jump sire.

It is merely a matter of perception, of course. As the annual cry of stallion fees being too high and books being too large still lingers, it’s worth the few smaller owner-breeders left out there using a little imagination when it comes to stallion choice.

As the wonderful story of California Chrome reminds us, good horses can come from anywhere.

Klarion call Thanks to Mark Johnston for mentioning our German stud feature from last month’s issue in his stable’s publication, the Kingsley Klarion. As the former trainer of Gestüt Etzean resident Jukebox Jury, Johnston was pleased to hear that the stallion benefits from the unusual regime of living with a mare yearround after she has conceived to him by natural cover.

He said: “Gestüt Etzean should not be viewed as an oddity, where stallions have companion mares, but as a pioneer of a better way of doing things.” Hear, hear.

EMMA BERRY

O

n the cusp of the official start of the covering season we sadly lost two stallions in February.

In America, Lucky Pulpit died of an apparent heart-attack while covering a mare and the baton will now be passed to his most famous son, California Chrome, who signed off from his illustrious racing career at the end of January having banked almost £10 million in prizemoney for his colourful connections.

This much-loved Eclipse Horse of the Year was important for American racing in so many ways. His 16 wins from 27 starts made him an enduring hero in an era when our champions of the turf are there one minute and off to stud the next. It was a huge shame that he was unable to make his intended appearance at Royal Ascot in 2015 but his presence that summer in Newmarket – a very welcome temporary boarder at Rae Guest’s stable – added extra sparkle to a Heath laced with stars. California Chrome’s subsequent victory in last year’s Dubai World Cup, having run second to Prince Bishop 12 months earlier, was richly deserved and it is fervently hoped that his nemesis of late, Juddmonte’s top-rated Arrogate, takes up his engagement at Meydan later this month.

Closer to home, we lost Fame And Glory to the same fate as Lucky Pulpit, just as he was about to start his fifth season at Grange Stud in Ireland. Had he still been with us, the five-time Group 1 winner would have been a worthy inclusion in Aisling Crowe’s feature on the versatile members of the dual-purpose sire ranks (pages 54 to 60). With his eldest crop being just three, it’s far too early to say whether or not Fame And Glory would have been a good stallion, but I’m willing to bet that in a handful of seasons we will be ruing his untimely death.

At risk of accusations of being stuck in the dark ages, I still rue the fact that he wasn’t retired to Coolmore’s Flat base in the first

California Chrome, with the famous rubbing house in the background, was a welcome visitor to Newmarket in 2015 and has now retired to Taylor Made Farm

63

Mar_151_Sales_Circuit_Sales 17/02/2017 17:41 Page 64

SALES CIRCUIT • By Carl Evans

SARAH FARNSWORTH

Overview and analysis of the latest events and trends in Britain and Ireland

This unnamed Flemensfirth three-year-old was one of three lots to sell for six figures at Doncaster and will be trained by Paul Nicholls

Goffs UK January Mixed Sale There was big demand for places in auctions held early in the new year, resulting in oneday sales at Doncaster and Newmarket being extended into two sessions, and a two-day sale at Kill in Ireland extending to three days.

At this event that meant horses in training filled the first session, followed by jumping mares and ‘foals’ who had recently become yearlings, but more choice did no harm to the key figures. A 90% rise in turnover was in part down to the bigger catalogue, but the clearance rose from 74% to 76%, and the average and median went up 40% and 30% respectively. Last year’s top price of £38,000 was trounced on numerous occasions, not least by a trio who topped the sale with a valuation of £100,000.

The average price for horses in training

rose by 106%, encouraging Goffs UK’s Chairman Henry Beeby’s to assert “that Doncaster is the measure of any venue for the category”, while the foals’ and mares’ session saw a 30% average rise and a 25% increase in median.

What prompted the demand? A dispersal of stock from the late owner-breeder Graham Roach – he of Viking Flagship fame – was one factor, while demand for youngsters by Britain’s leading jumps sire, Kayf Tara, was another. Overbury Stud’s 23-year-old stallion is being carefully managed in regard to the number of mares he covers, and with Thistlecrack adding significantly to his profile there is every chance that the yearlings bought at this sale will be viewed with even greater reverence by association with their sire when they are reoffered as stores or pointers/bumper horses.

Of the 28 Kayf Tara yearlings in this sale,

TALKING POINTS • The 14-horse dispersal of stock owned by the late Graham Roach contained just a couple of gems, but the group as a whole did no end of good to Goffs UK and its Doncaster venue by creating some valuable pre-sale publicity.

• Another dispersal, involving a 17-strong group of horses from the stables of 74-year-old Northumberland-based owner/trainer Victor Thompson, was put on hold, although they could appear at Doncaster’s Spring Sale.

64

26 found a buyer, putting £587,800 onto turnover. The group was headed by a £66,000 colt who fell to a bid from agent Aiden Murphy having been consigned from Juliet Minton’s Mill House Stud.

Roach’s dispersal ticked through quietly at first, with two groups of five finding homes but without achieving special prices, but that changed when the final tranche walked in, highlighted by a three-year-old Flemensfirth gelding, who had been broken and ridden away by point-to-point trainer Chloe Roddick. Foaled by the Mandalus mare Mandys Gold, he was a half-brother to Sizing Gold, who made the frame in Grade 2 events over hurdles and fences.

Roddick, who works closely with champion trainer Paul Nicholls, must have put in a good word about the younger sibling, for agent Tom Malone and Nicholls duly teamed up to buy him for £100,000.

• It cannot be long before a British point-to-point winner sells at a public auction for more than their Irish counterparts. At this event the Colin Bowe-trained Minella Encore held £100,000 bragging rights, but after a private transaction. In the ring the top price for a pointer was achieved by Black Pirate, who made £75,000 having won his only start at Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire. Bred in Britain, the son of Black Sam Bellamy was another endorsement of the talents of Shropshire-based trainer Phil Rowley, a partner in the horse along with Bill Bromley, David Minton and others.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_Sales_Circuit_Sales 17/02/2017 17:41 Page 65

GOFFS UK January Mixed Sale TOP LOTS Name/Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

G Flemensfirth — Mandys Gold (Mandalus)

Exors of C G Roach

100,000

Tom Malone/Paul Nicholls

LEGACY GOLD (Gold Well — Durgams Delight)

Hurst Farm

100,000

Eamon Phelan

MINELLA ENCORE (King’s Theatre — Stashedaway)

Milestone Stables

100,000

Eamon Phelan

ANNIE ANGEL (King’s Theatre — Lady Rene)

Maggie McKenna

75,000

Peter & Ross Doyle

BLACK PIRATE (Black Sam Bellamy — Proper Posh)

Poplar Cottage Stables

75,000

Bobby O’Ryan/James Ewart

C Kayf Tara — Harringay (Sir Harry Lewis)

Mill House Stud

66,000

Aiden Murphy

G Presenting — Full Of Spirit (Exit To Nowhere)

Exors of C G Roach

65,000

Paul Nicholls

C Kayf Tara — Lago D’Oro (Slip Anchor)

Little Lodge Farm

62,000

Dick Frisby

C Kayf Tara — Fernello (Presenting)

Little Lodge Farm

52,000

Aiden Murphy

INDIAN HERCULES (Whitmore’s Conn — Carrawaystick)

Monasootha Stables

50,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

C Kayf Tara — Rattlin (Bollin Eric)

Goldford Stud

50,000

Aiden Murphy

FIVE-YEAR TALE Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

Top Price (£)

230

2,710,600

11,785

6,350

100,000

2016

173

1,427,350

8,251

5,000

38,000

2015

142

1,162,500

8,187

5,000

50,000

2014

153

1,177,550

7,696

5,000

65,000

2013

95

516,350

5,435

3,200

35,000

Matching that was Irish pointto-point winner Minella Encore – although it needed a private purchase by stud owner Eamon Phelan outside the ring to achieve the sale – and, on day two, by the mare Legacy Gold, who was also knocked down to Phelan.

He was acting for a client who plans to retire her to the breeding shed. A nine-year-old, she was offered by racehorse owner Roger Brookhouse, who had bought her for £210,000 at Cheltenham in April 2013, and then enjoyed seeing her in action at a number of big meetings, including when third to Vroum Vroum Mag in the OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle.

SARAH FARNSWORTH

Year 2017

Tom Malone signs his name on the dotted line after securing the co-sales topper

Tatts Ireland February National Hunt Sale Selective buying was the theme once again when Ireland’s first auction of 2017 – with a staple diet of jumps-bred horses foaled last year – took place at Fairyhouse.

Answering calls from breeders who needed a venue at which to display their wares, Tattersalls Ireland catalogued 350 horses, 41 more than in 2016, and the market coughed in trying to swallow such a feast, albeit just THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

23 extra horses walked the ring.

‘Lot not sold’ made the early running as results flashed up on the board, and just 57% of those on offer found a new home, but there were brighter moments too.

Turnover went up 13%, the average by 6% and the median by 24%, figures which led the company’s Managing Director, Roger Casey, to say: “We were confident of an improved renewal ... and today’s sale met our expectations for those lots with the necessary commercial appeal.”

Given that Cue Card leads a group of highclass graduates from this event it is not unreasonable to expect some gems to emerge, and possibly in the shape of a Shantou colt who headed trade with a valuation of €46,000. He was bought by former jockey Tom Rudd, a Tattersalls Ireland representative who also runs the County Laois-based Ormond Bloodstock with his wife Katie. The couple said they planned to syndicate the horse and reoffer him as a store.

65

>>

Mar_151_Sales_Circuit_Sales 17/02/2017 17:41 Page 66

SALES CIRCUIT TALKING POINTS • As expected, colts dominated trade, achieving an average price of €11,037 (220 offered, 131 found a buyer). There will have been small paper profits for many off that average, but for vendors of fillies the news was not so good, with just 39 of the 79 (49%) who entered the ring being rehomed. They achieved an average price of €5,669.

• The pick of the fillies, with a valuation of €28,000, seems unlikely to have made a profit for her breeder. A half-sister to Grade 1 Triumph Hurdle winner Tiger Roll, and to Group 1 Irish St Leger runner-up Ahzeemah, she was sired by Teofilo, Darley’s Kildangan Stud-based stallion, whose 2015 advertised fee was €50,000. His daughter did at least make the top-ten board, and with so many more jumping opportunities for fillies and mares could prove well bought.

• Pinhookers thrive on buying and selling, but the initial thrill of a big profit can later be matched by seeing their former charges rise up the ranks. For canny duo Alan Harte and Joey Logan that pleasure has been coming back in spades thanks to recent performances by the Colin Tizzard-trained Finian’s Oscar (sold for £250,000 at Cheltenham in November), now a short price for the Grade 1 Neptune Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, and Henry de Bromhead’s Champagne West (£120,000 at Cheltenham in November 2012), who landed January’s Thyestes Chase and is on course for the Cheltenham Gold Cup – he could also end up carrying top weight in the Randox Health Grand National.

It could be said Harte and Logan are getting a Famous Name, and they certainly did at this sale, buying the only yearling catalogued by the Irish National Stud stallion of that name. A colt, he was knocked down for €34,000.

TATTERSALLS IRELAND February National Hunt Sale TOP LOTS Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Shantou — Laren (Monsun)

Limekiln Stud

Price (€) 46,000

Buyer Ormond Bloodstock

C Montmartre — Caviar Izandre (Lauro)

Berry Farms

40,000

Michael Moore

C Presenting — Ballycloven Oscar (Oscar)

Yellowford Farm

37,000

Kevin Ross Bloodstock

C Fame And Glory — Coco Milan (Milan)

Ballincurrig House Stud

35,000

Glenvale Stud

C Famous Name — Annaharvey Pride (Accordion)

Burrow Road Stables

34,000

Alan Harte B/s

C Westerner — Flying Answer (Anshan)

Ballincurrig House Stud

32,000

Willomie Park

C Walk In The Park — Benali D’Airy (Anzillero)

Ennel B/s

30,000

Dan MacDonald

C Sholokhov — Lucy’s Legend (Norwich)

Rathbarry Stud

28,000

Glenvale Stud

F Teofilo — Swiss Roll (Entrepreneur)

Railstown Stud

28,000

Eamon Phelan

C Kayf Tara — Cathodine Cayras (Martaline)

Stephen Kemble B/s

27,000

K White

FIVE-YEAR TALE Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2017

170

1,666,900

9,805

7,200

46,000

2016

159

1,472,350

9,260

5,800

67,000

2015

173

1,493,900

8,635

6,200

65,000

2014

127

1,009,250

7,947

5,000

65,000

2013

113

720,850

6,379

4,500

60,000

Tattersalls February Sale It is not beyond the realms of possibility that the most successful sale to be held at Tattersalls’ Newmarket headquarters in 2017 has taken place.

Not that the February Sale will achieve anything like the turnover or stellar prices that will be achieved at subsequent events, and which make Tattersalls the highestgrossing European bloodstock sales venue, but in terms of doing its own thing better than most could have imagined it might prove matchless.

A new high price of 500,000gns – given for the fast four-year-old filly Easton Angel

66

– was the headline that stood out, but turnover that more than doubled and record average and median prices that soared by 56% and 60% respectively were proof that the event was not about one horse. She was bought by Newmarket-based Mick Flanagan for a European breeder.

Tattersalls had teetered on the verge of making the sale a two-day affair in 2016, and it had little choice but to do so this time around as an extra 101 horses entered the catalogue. That was pruned down to 71 additional lots who came under the hammer, and in part explains a much heftier gross figure, but a 110% rise in that category was not solely down to the extra horses. Big catalogues can backfire by

>>

TATTERSALLS/LAURA GREEN

Year

Mick Flanagan swooped for Easton Angel

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:16 Page 67

The Horses The Location The Glory FINIAN’S OSCAR winner of Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle, Grade 1 sold Tattersalls Ireland Cheltenham November Sale

by Ballyboy Stables to Tom Malone/C Tizzard for £250,000

The World’s Leading National Hunt Auctioneers at...

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Cheltenham Festival Sale Thursday 16 March 2017 after Racing Select NH Horses in Training & Point to Pointers Tel: +44 (0) 1568 617724

cheltenham@tattersalls.com

www.tattersalls.ie

67

CC3070 TOB November (Roster) +Fees_Layout 1 06/10/2016 12:11 Page 1

SHADWELL

STALLIONS

Muhaarar Oasis Dream - Tahrir

£30,000 (1st JAN, SLF)

Mukhadram Shamardal - Magic Tree

£7,000(1st JAN, SLF)

Nayef Gulch - Height Of Fashion

£5,000 (1st JAN, SLF)

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

01842 755913

Email us at: nominations@shadwellstud.co.uk

Mar_151_Sales_Circuit_Sales 17/02/2017 17:41 Page 69

SALES CIRCUIT

TATTERSALLS February Sale TOP LOTS Name/Breeding

Vendor

EASTON ANGEL (Dark Angel — Staceymac)

The Castlebridge Consignment

Price (gns) 500,000

Buyer Mick Flanagan

DRESSED IN FUR (Excellent Art — Little Empress)

Coulonces Consignment

155,000

Cormac McCormack B/s

MASAYA (Dansili — Anbella)

Rabbah B/s

115,000

Yeomanstown Stud

LABISE (Azamour — What A Picture)

Rabbah B/s

110,000

Tim Gredley

DREAM WALTZ (Oasis Dream — Valentine Waltz)

Clarehaven Stables

105,000

Broadhurst Agency

DANCEALOT (Lawman — Dance Of Light)

Rabbah B/s

100,000

BBA Ireland

VON BLUCHER (Zoffany — Tropical Lady)

Clarehaven Stables

95,000

BLOCKADE (Kheleyf — Barracade)

Rabbah B/s

85,000

BBA Ireland

MURHIBAANY (Elusive Quality — Alshadiyah)

Shadwell Stud

80,000

D Farrington/Makin Stallions

MARWA (Exceed And Excel — La Cucina)

Rabbah B/s

80,000

Rabbah B/s

John Dance/Salcey Forest Stud

FIVE-YEAR TALE Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

Top Price (gns)

338

5,735,200

16,968

8,000

500,000

2016

251

2,718,800

10,832

5,000

145,000

2015

211

2,586,100

12,256

7,000

80,000

2014

172

2,166,600

12,597

6,750

145,000

2013

190

1,747,600

9,198

5,000

100,000

proving larger than the buying base, but that was not the case on this occasion, as a superb clearance-rate figure of 90% underlines.

The choice attracted buyers from far and wide – it gets hardly any further than Australia – and also overseas vendors, including the France-based Coulonces Consignment run by Anna Sundstrom, who was selling at the February Sale for the first time.

She arrived with one horse but would have left with table-topping honours had Easton Angel not appeared – the Coulonces-consigned Dressed In Fur made 155,000gns, putting her second on the leaderboard.

Horses from Godolphin and Rabbah combined put more than 2,000,000gns on the sale’s total, while Juddmonte and Shadwell drafts added to the event’s profile.

TATTERSALLS/LAURA GREEN

>>

Year 2017

Dressed In Fur was the first February Sale entrant for the Coulonces Consignment

TALKING POINTS • Tattersalls’ decision to make the event a two-day affair seemed to find favour from buyers and vendors – last year’s single session had run to 12 hours, making for a very late finish on a cold winter’s night. The new format was far more user-friendly.

• Talking of User Friendly, Tim Gredley, who purchased the mare Labise with a bid of 110,000gns, is the son of Bill Gredley, who raced the 1992 Oaks winner. Labise, carrying to Golden Horn, will foal at the family’s Stetchworth Park Stud, based just a few miles from

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Tattersalls’ sales ring. Gredley Jnr has long been known as an international showjumper, but his life of coloured poles has been swapped for one of steeplechase fences after he became gripped by point-to-pointing. For one who has come to the sport rather late he is making a good job of it too, having finished third, fifth, second and third (of 17 runners) in just four spins on his own horse Bincombe.

• The appearance of Arrowfield Stud’s Paul Messara spoke volumes about the catalogue – why else would he have travelled from Australia? Messara was thwarted on toplot Easton Angel, and while he had pencilled interest in a couple of other horses he apparently left without buying. >>

69

Mar_151_Sales_Circuit_Sales 17/02/2017 17:41 Page 70

SALES CIRCUIT TALKING POINTS

Goffs February Sale

• It is sad to think of a famous stud like Ballymacoll being sold off, but it began the process with a 100% clearance rate, offering five horses through Jacqueline Norris’s Jockey Hall Stud, and they all found homes.

PETER MONEY

Goffs got the horses, some big-name drafts and the buyers to Kill in County Kildare for this three-day sale, which had been extended by a single session (it was a one-day event as recently as 2013).

However, the market took another long, hard look before buying, and in just over a third of cases that led to the horse walking from the ring unsold. Goffs had amassed enough buyers to sell an additional 104 lots compared to last year, but given that the company was being asked to clear 179 more horses (including an extra 111 yearlings, most bred for the Flat) the clearance rate had to suffer, and duly dropped a couple of points to 64%.

Turnover went up 18%, but the average and median marks fell back by 13% and 31%, and Goffs Chairman Henry Beeby – having noted demand for the best on offer – said: “The clear message is therefore to focus on quality as that is what the market requires, although the supply-versusdemand ratio is a palpable worry for everyone breeding to sell.” He had made similar comments following the 2016 rendition of the event.

First and last were features – the first part of the dispersal of the famous County Meathbased Ballymacoll Stud, and the last part of the Wildenstein dispersal – but top-lot honours went to the Ryan family’s Milltown Stud, which consigned Military Angel, a five-

Military Angel stole the show at Goffs

year-old US-bred daughter of Big Brown. Her dam was a Darshaan sister to the dam of topclass racemare Alexander Goldrun, and given that she had won her maiden and been placed in stakes races for trainer Michael O’Callaghan, her profile had plenty of appeal, not least to her buyers, French-based clients of the MAB Agency.

Just below her valuation came the mare Edith Wharton, the pick of Ballymacoll’s dispersal being a daughter of Dubawi out of Islington, a mare who was among a number of top-class racehorses bred at the stud while it was under the ownership of Sir Michael Sobell and Lord Weinstock.

Peter Brant, the polo-playing entrepreneur and frequently in focus for American gossip columnists, took this one back to the States for his White Birch Farm.

• It would require a leading firm of accountants and a great deal of research to accurately assess Sheikh Mohammed’s value to the racing, breeding and bloodstock industries in recent decades. June 20 this year marks the 40th anniversary of his first winner, Hatta, at Brighton, and would be an ideal occasion for recognition of his contribution to Britain and Ireland’s racing and breeding industries. The sheikh initially boosted the economy by buying extensively at public auctions, but these days the benefit is coming back the other way through the sale of horses from his Godolphin operation. At this event Godolphin was back on top as the leading vendor, adding €827,000 to turnover for all 28 sold. Potential buyers can ask Godolphin staff for fulsome information about a horse, and they receive it, warts and all. That gives buyers confidence, and is a facet of Godolphin’s operation which deserves applause.

GOFFS February Sale TOP LOTS Name/Sex/Breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

MILITARY ANGEL (Big Brown — Hannabarbera)

Milltown Stud

210,000

MAB Agency

EDITH WHARTON (Dubawi — Islington)

Ballymacoll Stud/Jockey Hall Stud

200,000

Andy Smith/White Birch

SARINDA (Dubawi — Viola Da Braccio)

Godolphin

90,000

Rabbah Bloodstock

EXPRESSLY (Street Cry — Express Way)

Godolphin

90,000

John Walsh Bloodstock

C Dandy Man — Sharki (Indian Ridge)

Collegelands Stud

86,000

Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock

LA REVEUSE (Galileo — Louve Rare)

Jockey Hall Stud

80,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

PERMISSION SLIP (Authorized — Najmati)

Godolphin

80,000

Cormac McCormack

F Le Havre — Kithonia (Sadler’s Wells)

Airlie Stud

75,000

Pier House Stud

ROCKADELIC (Bernardini — Octave)

Godolphin

75,000

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

C Kodiac — Tiz All Over (Tiznow)

Cashel B/s

72,000

Tally-Ho Stud

RYTHMIC (Dubai Destination — Northern Melody)

Godolphin

72,000

BBA Ireland

HONOUR BRIGHT (Danehill — Dabiliya)

Baroda & Colbinstown Studs

72,000

Paul Nataf

FIVE-YEAR TALE Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Avg (€)

Mdn (€)

Top Price (€)

2017

387

5,131,300

13,259

5,500

210,000

2016

289

4,333,250

14,994

8,000

165,000

2015

322

5,238,900

16,270

10,000

220,000

2014

256

4,218,100

16,477

7,000

975,000

2013

290

2,873,200

9,907

5,500

100,000

70

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:18 Page 71

Ascot 2YOS

(XURSH·V )LUVW %UH H]H 8S 6DOH

Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Breeze Up Sale 4 - 5 April All lots will Breeze on the Racecourse on Tuesday 4

View catalogue online at tattersalls.ie Tattersalls, Europe’s Leading Bloodstock Auctioneers at...

Ascot

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Air fare assistance available subject to purchase

T: +44 (0) 1568 617724

ascot@tattersalls.com www.tattersalls.ie

71

Mar_151_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 14:27 Page 72

CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

Galileo’s girls are gathering pace Coolmore’s champion sire is emulating the success of his own father closely

72

GEORGE SELWYN

I

t must be very reassuring for Galileo’s many admirers that the parallels between his stallion career and that of his sire Sadler’s Wells continue to grow. Sadler’s Wells notched 14 sires’ championships in the space of 15 years, whereas Galileo has so far dominated the table in eight of the last nine years. The 2016 season also saw Galileo overtake Sadler’s Wells’s three titles as champion sire of two-year-olds.

There is one difference between the two, though. Sadler’s Wells topped the table of broodmare sires in all seven years between 2005 and 2011 and it was only last year – 35 years after his birth – that he slipped out of the top three in this category for the first time since 2000. Galileo has still to land the title of champion sire of broodmares, but he is surely well on schedule to emulate his sire’s terrific record in this area.

It is essential to remember that success as a broodmare sire tends to grow exponentially, as more and more daughters become producers.

This helps explain why only one of the champion broodmare sires of the last 20 years was younger than 20 at the time [the exception was Rahy, who was only 15 in 2000, when he owed the title almost entirely to Giant’s Causeway, the first foal of his first-crop daughter Mariah’s Storm].

Sadler’s Wells was 24 by the time he took the first of his titles, having gained his best previous finish – second place in 2001 – at the age of 20.

With this in mind, Galileo has already shown immense promise. Last year saw him finish as high as fourth at the age of 18 and his daughters will have a lot more ammunition for the battle in 2017 – their 2016 total of 1,724 foals of racing age has risen to 2,046.

These figures include daughters of Galileo spread throughout the world, including the USA, Japan, Korea, India, South Africa, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. They also include a sizeable number of foals in Australasia, many of them produced by the daughters Galileo sired between 2002 and 2006 in his five seasons as a shuttle sire. In January, one of Galileo’s Australian daughters, Around The Clock, was responsible for Hall Of Fame (NZ), winner of the Group 1 Levin Turf Classic.

There is one significant difference between the stallion careers of Sadler’s Wells and Galileo.

Sadler’s Wells always ranked among Europe’s highest-priced, most in-demand stallions, starting out at IR125,000gns in 1985. However,

Classic contender Roly Poly (second left) is out of Galileo’s daughter Misty For Me

by the time Galileo joined him at Coolmore for the 2002 season, there were still plenty of critics questioning Sadler’s Wells’s ability as a sire of sires. Consequently, his fee fell from €60,000 in his second season to €40,000 in his third and then to €37,500 in his fourth and fifth years. He didn’t command a six-figure fee – €150,000 – until he was nine years old in 2007.

Although it goes without saying that Galileo has always received quality mares, there were times when the standard fell short of the bluebloods which flocked to Sadler’s Wells from the start. This is a convoluted way of explaining that Galileo’s daughters with the most consistently strong pedigrees were born from 2008 onwards, so have had comparatively little chance to prove themselves, with the eldest usually having only a couple of foals of racing age in 2016. A good example is Misty For Me, a Classic winner from Galileo’s 2008 crop. Her first foal, the Fastnet Rock filly Cover Song, won the Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita last October and her second, the War Front filly Roly Poly, won the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes before going very close in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

In view of the debt that Galileo owes to Danzig-line mares, it is no coincidence that Misty For Me’s Group/Graded winners were both by Danzig sires. These have been the first line of attack for many owners of a Galileo broodmare, to the extent that they accounted for 11 of the 12 stallions which, in 2016, had 18 or more racing-age progeny out of Galileo’s

daughters. Predictably, six of the 11 were sons of Danehill, with three others being sons of Green Desert, and the 11 were completed by Lawman, a grandson of Green Desert, and Mastercraftsman, a grandson of Danehill.

War Front doesn’t yet figure among these most prolific sires, but that is about to change.

The Claiborne stallion has 13 two-year-olds coming on line in 2017, including a brother to Roly Poly and a daughter of Oaks winner Was. Others are out of Galileo’s Group winners Aloof, Magical Dream, Say, Together and Up. There are no fewer than 18 yearlings representing the War Front-Galileo cross, with the dams including Gleneagles’ sister Marvellous and her fellow Classic winners Was and Misty For Me. War Front’s son Declaration Of War was also a popular choice for Galileo’s daughters while he was in Ireland, and War Command has three foals in his first crop with dams by Galileo. War Front still has plenty of work to do before he matches Fastnet Rock’s achievements with Galileo’s daughters, which already features ten black-type winners, headed by the Group 1 winners Rivet, Qualify, Intricately and Magicool (in Australia).

Danehill Dancer was another fast son with a pleasing record, which perhaps isn’t too surprising in view of Galileo’s exceptional achievements with Danehill Dancer’s broodmare daughters. Danehill Dancer’s 21 foals with dams by Galileo included Group 3 winner Alexander Pope and an Australian Listed winner, plus three others with ratings over 100.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_Caulfield_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 14:27 Page 73

there’s better to come, as Invincible Spirit’s 2017 juveniles include seven out of Galileo mares and there are a dozen yearlings to follow.

I should also mention that Green Desert’s grandson Paco Boy has sired the 2,000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold and the useful Imperial Aviator from only five foals, which surely bodes well for Kingman, who has as many as ten firstcrop foals with dams by Galileo.

It would be wrong to give the impression that the Danzig male line is the only way to bring out the best in Galileo’s daughters (many of whom already have Danzig in their pedigrees).

It would make sense to combine Europe’s two brilliant stallions, Dubawi and Galileo but, perhaps because of the Godolphin-Coolmore divide, Dubawi had only 16 foals of racing age out of Galileo mares to the end of 2016.

However, these 16 featured Night Of Thunder, winner of the 2,000 Guineas, and Dartmouth, winner of the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes. There should be more like them, as Dubawi has six two-year-olds and 13 yearlings to look forward to in 2017. A very well qualified mare is needed to access Dubawi these days and the Galileo mares responsible for his youngsters include the stakes winners Dalkova, Galatee, Galikova, Galvaun, Gemstone, Golden Lilac, Great Heavens, Lil’wing, Nightime, Opera Gal, Soon and Vita Nova.

Shamardal is another top-class stallion whose supply of Galileo mares is probably limited. This combination had only 17 foals of racing age but among them were Group winners Balios and Subway Dancer. This suggests Shamardal would benefit from receiving many more daughters of Galileo but he has only two 2017 juveniles bred this way and three 2017 yearlings.

The limited access to Shamardal appears to have benefited his talented son Lope De Vega.

Already the sire of two Listed winners from 14

The partnership with Holy Roman Emperor is also showing potential, as his 2016 two-yearolds confirmed. Among them were the Group 2 winner Rich Legacy and the progressive winners Good Omen and Gemina. Earlier crops included those very useful performers Leitir Mor, Magnus Maximus and Mayfair Lady.

Rock Of Gibraltar is yet another speedy son of Danehill who has enjoyed some success, via the French Group 3 winner Savanne and the South African Grade 2 winner Arcetri Pink. This

“It is essential to

remember that success as a broodmare sire tends to grow exponentially” cross will undergo further scrutiny in 2017, when it will have numerous two-year-old representatives.

Of course, this rush to the Danehill line isn’t producing universally good results – at least not so far. For example, Dansili had 16 racing-age progeny in 2016. None has managed to win at stakes level, but the ex-Irish filly Earring was beaten only a nose in a Grade 3 at Aqueduct.

Fortunately, the situation looks set for rapid improvement over the next few years as there are 13 juveniles bred this way in 2017, followed by 14 yearlings. These youngsters’ dams include such accomplished performers as the Group 1 winners Allegretto, Galikova, Great Heavens, Igugu and Mahbooba. Galileo himself may be heading for a breakthrough with Dansili’s broodmare daughters, as Cliffs Of Moher, his son out of Wave, looked potentially very smart when he won at Leopardstown in October. We have also seen Dansili’s son Strategic Prince sire the dual Group 1 winner La Collina from an unraced Galileo mare.

foals out of Galileo’s daughters, Lope De Vega looks poised to become a leading option.

Although he has only three 2017 juveniles, he has 12 yearlings with dams by Galileo.

Dark Angel has enjoyed a rise through the ranks which could be likened to those made by Ahonoora, Indian Ridge and Pivotal, and this will inevitably affect the type of mare he receives (especially with his 2017 and 2018 crops, sired at the increased fees of €60,000 and €65,000).

The three rags-to-riches stallions mentioned here all coped well with the change from fast commercial mares and we will soon have a chance to see how Dark Angel copes. His 2015 foals, sired at €27,500, include seven out of Galileo mares, and there are also five 2016 foals.

Dark Angel’s sire Acclamation has eight winners from nine starters out of Galileo mares, without siring anything special.

European breeders generally seem intent on sending Galileo’s daughters to the speedier stallions, but there are plenty of exceptions. The Coolmore team will be closely monitoring Camelot’s five first-crop foals out of daughters of his fellow Derby winner. Al Shaqab paid €320,000 for one of them, a filly out of Effervesce. Like Authorized, another son of Montjeu with a Group 3 winner out of a Galileo mare, Camelot creates 3 x 3 to Sadler’s Wells.

Incidentally, Jim Bolger has gone one step further, as his Galileo mares have a two-year-old and two yearlings by Dawn Approach which are inbred 3 x 2 to Galileo. The Prix du Jockey-Club winner Le Havre has also shown what he is capable of, siring the excellent La Cressonniere from a non-winning Galileo mare.

Unusually for the speed-obsessed Australians, the 2013 Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente, by Monsun, has five first-crop foals out of Galileo mares. Perhaps the days of foreign-breds dominating the Cup are numbered.

As yet Green Desert’s sons have achieved rather unexceptional results with Galileo’s daughters, with Oasis Dream, Invincible Spirit and Cape Cross each being represented by a single stakes winner from a joint total of 85 foals of racing age to the end of 2016. Oasis Dream sired the Group 2 winner Hard Dream and the bigearning Oklahoma City. Breeders haven’t lost faith in this cross’s potential, as there are a dozen 2017 juveniles bred this way, plus ten yearlings.

Invincible Spirit’s team of 31 includes the French Group 3 winner Alea Iacta and the useful handicappers Prince’s Trust and Edge Of Sanity. Again, there is still a good chance that

GEORGE SELWYN

Green Desert nick yet to sparkle

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Racing Post Trophy winner Rivet is by Fastnet Rock out of the Galileo mare Starship

73

Mar_151_ThoroughbredClub_Owner 17/02/2017 16:27 Page 74

Ascot and Newmarket among your range of raceday benefits for 2017

Members will be able to enjoy half-price racing at Newmarket throughout the season, including on QIPCO 1,000 Guineas day

Ascot and Newmarket continue their support Full members of The Thoroughbred Club will continue to enjoy exclusive racing offers throughout 2017 as part of their membership benefits package, as Ascot and Newmarket renew their partnership with the club.

TTC members will be able to take advantage of half-price admission opportunities throughout the year at Ascot, including to the Queen Anne Enclosure on the Tuesday and Wednesday of Royal Ascot. Members can take advantage of the discount by showing their TTC membership card on the day of racing, with the exception of the Royal Meeting, where advanced ticket purchase will be necessary (full details of which will be circulated nearer the time).

Members will also be able to enjoy free admission to Newmarket on Friday,

74

October 13 for Autumn Ladies Day, the first day of the Future Champions Festival.

In addition, half-price tickets will be available to all members for some other top-class fixtures across the season at Newmarket. This includes the second day of the QIPCO Guineas Festival on Sunday, May 7, when members will be able to witness the second Classic of the year, the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas, as well as the second day of the Moët & Chandon July Festival on Friday, July 14 with the highlight being the Group 1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes.

Harry Williams, Chairman of the Thoroughbred Club, said: “For many young people it is the thrill of going racing that hooks them to the sport for life and we are grateful to Newmarket and Ascot for giving our members these opportunities. Seeing the very best horses at two of the most iconic locations in

Britain is something not to be missed and I have no doubt members will make the most of these generous discounts.”

QIPCO British Champions Series ticket competition With the start of the Flat season comes the seventh running of the QIPCO British Champions Series, incorporating 29 top Flat races in the British horseracing calendar, staged across the country’s ten leading racecourses. This year TTC members will have the opportunity to win a pair of tickets to each of the 29 fixtures.

The series comprises five championship categories: Sprint, Mile, Middle Distance, Long Distance and Fillies & Mares, each featuring the seven highest-rated races in that category, including 12 of the world’s top 20 races and brings together the finest horses, jockeys and trainers, climaxing on QIPCO British Champions THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_ThoroughbredClub_Owner 17/02/2017 16:27 Page 75

www.thetho ro ug hb re d clu b . co . u k • Day at Ascot on October 21. It encompasses all of the industry’s key Flat festivals including the QIPCO Guineas Festival, Investec Derby Festival, Royal Ascot, the Moët & Chandon July Festival, Qatar Goodwood Festival, the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival and the Ladbrokes St Leger meeting.

TTC members can enter the competition on the lead up to each fixture simply by sharing the competition post through our social media platforms and emailing their interest to info@thethoroughbredclub.co.uk.

Newmarket Racecourses Chairman’s lunch TTC members have also been invited to attend the Newmarket racecourses Chairman’s lunch on the Saturday of the Cambridgeshire meeting in September, where they will have the opportunity to

enjoy hospitality in the Royal Box and exclusive access to the paddock with racing officials. Members will have the opportunity to put themselves forward for a place at the lunch closer to the event.

TTC horses update TTC National Hunt horse in training Mercian King recently returned from a well-deserved holiday having won and been placed on all four starts for The Thoroughbred Club and trainer Amy Murphy. Murphy reports: “Mercian King has returned to training really well, I have been very happy with him since his wellearned holiday. I will be looking to enter him in a suitable race towards the end of February. He looks great and we hope he can continue his fine form for The Thoroughbred Club members.”

The Thoroughbred Club broodmares return to the limelight as the breeding

@ T T C_ GB

season gets into full swing. Our maiden mare to follow, Blue Waltz, who is based at Fittocks Stud, was due to foal on February 5, and at the time of writing we were eagerly awaiting her first foal.

Established mares Shatabdi, based at Upton Viva Stud, and Sacre Coeur, at Whitsbury Manor Stud, were both due on February 10, so keep an eye on The Thoroughbred Club social media pages for news on any foal arrivals!

TTC events

A private view of equine art at the Osborne Gallery is open to members

The Thoroughbred Club is very excited to announce our first London evening event for members and guests – a private view of the Christian Shwetz and Tristram Lewis exhibition at the Osborne Gallery, Motcomb Street. The evening viewing will include drinks and canapes and the chance to view the exquisite photography of Christian Shwetz and the superb bronze sculpture of National Hunt hero Denman

by Tristram Lewis.

It is on March 23 and attendance is strictly by rsvp only. If you wish to attend then please email Tallulah Lewis on tallulah.lewis@thethoroughbredclub.co.uk.

Blue Waltz: The Thoroughbred Club’s mare in action during her racecourse career

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

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

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Associate Member - Free • Six-month membership • 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

75

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:51 Page 76

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

BHA simplify ownership in five categories

T

he BHA is simplifying racehorse ownership by introducing a package of reforms in the spring. In future there will be five levels of ownership, listed below.

Currently registered Joint Owners and Racing Partnerships who will be affected by these changes are being contacted by the BHA to explain what is happening. In most cases you will not need to take action, but their correspondence should help you understand any changes that might affect you.

The new Racing Administration website will enable you to maintain your ownerships online, from setting up a new ownership to registering sponsorships, authority to act and colours. The new system will streamline and simplify ownership registration, remove the need to submit most paper forms and provide you with free and easy access to information about your horses, the programme book and

No rating rise for placed horses in conditions races The BHA, with the support of the Racing Group and the sport’s Executive Committee, has launched a trial of an innovative approach to race conditions regarding handicapping in Flat conditions stakes races.

Following the running of 40 or so eligible conditions stakes races during this Flat turf season, the handicapper will be able to increase the rating only of the winner of the race, or any horses who have had fewer than four runs in their career. All beaten horses that have had four or more runs in their career must have their rating either unchanged or reduced. The trial will run until the end of the Flat turf season on November 11.

The All Weather Championships finals at Lingfield Park on April 14, as well as the Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot and the Epsom Derby Trial, will be excluded from the trial.

This trial is being conducted to ascertain whether a new approach to handicapping of conditions stakes races will boost field sizes and allay trainer concerns about running horses. The longerterm aim will be to provide alternative options and a better balance to the race programme, which is dominated by handicap races.

Richard Wayman, Chief Operating Officer for the BHA, explained: “As the Flat race programme has become increasingly dominated by handicaps over the last few years, for many horses there are now few opportunities to run in any other type of race.

We would like to provide a greater variety of options, particularly for the group of talented horses that compete just below black type level and who regularly end up being sold overseas.

“We recognise that conditions stakes races often suffer from small fields and this trial should help identify whether removing the preconception of the handicapper’s reaction would make such races more appealing. If it proves successful, our longer term aim

76

would be to develop the programme of conditions stakes races, supported by competitive levels of prize-money, to provide an alternative to handicaps.

“It is an innovative step but we want to be bold, progressive and try new ideas. We have spoken to horsemen and the racing public and listened to their concerns over a number of years, and this trial is designed to address those concerns.”

Conditions races could attract more runners if the handicapper is kept at bay

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:51 Page 77

www.roa.co.uk entries and declarations.

From spring onwards, owners will also start to see a rationalisation of their fees. As well as the removal of some fees, including the re-registration fee for joint ownerships and the daily charge to search for races and fixtures, the BHA will be aligning reregistration fees for colours, authority to act and VAT to one payment date. In most cases this will become the same date as your first colours registration date and you will receive further details in advance of these changes being implemented to explain how they will affect you.

Richard Wayman, BHA Chief Operating Officer, said: “Simplifying ownership administration is an important step in improving the ownership experience and our new Racing Administration website will allow owners to manage their ownership almost entirely online, eliminating time consuming and repetitive form filling.

“The modernised registration structures have been designed to better match the way that many ownerships are now organised, whilst we will reduce the number of charges made to owners by aligning re-registration fees and eliminating a number of existing charges.

“We will be contacting owners to explain how these changes will impact their ownership and we would encourage anybody with any queries to contact our hotline.”

The BHA will aim to make any changes as smoothly as possible. If you have any questions on the reforms please call 01933 304808, or alternatively you can email ownersupport@weatherbys.co.uk.

A message from the RCA...

The new Privilege Access Swipe System (PASS) has been live for just over four months and the more consistent approach that racecourses are now providing to VIP guests is already showing clear benefits.

Since launch on November 2, 2016 to the end of January 2017, more than 13,000 PASScards have been scanned at racecourses and a further 32,225 guest tickets have been issued through the system. That means the system has been used to grant complimentary access on more than 45,000 occasions, accounting for more than 5% of racegoers at all fixtures.

Going from a standing start to use on 45,000 occasions during this time has been no easy task and as a result a few issues have emerged along the way. Generally though the new technology has worked remarkably well after overcoming the initial teething problems that can be expected when new technology is introduced.

With the majority of technology issues solved, the RCA, ROA, NTF and BHA have been working together to act on feedback from customers to improve the online and raceday experience for guests.

Already improvements are in place to make it easier for syndicates and partnerships to manage their badge allocation in advance; changes have been made to ensure that card holders who share an email address can still have their own log in; the ability for owners to delegate authority to allocate badges on

their behalf is being progressed; along with the ability to access the online services and allocate badges earlier.

We will continue to listen to your feedback and work to ensure the system enhances your raceday experience.

The Racecourse Association Ltd info@racecourseassociation.co.uk PASS Helpdesk pass@weatherbys.co.uk or 01933 270333.

Get in early: exclusive Royal Ascot hospitality Spring is nearly upon us, and with it thoughts start turning to the Flat season, and the host of festivals it brings. One of the most important, as ever, is Royal Ascot, and the ROA are delighted to announce that once again we will be offering ROA members and their guests discounted hospitality packages in both the Carriages and Sandringham restaurants.

Situated on the ground and first floors of the double-decker Royal Ascot marquee, these restaurants offer diners easy access to the Royal Enclosure, as well as spectacular head-on views of the racing down the finishing straight.

The packages are available with or without Queen Anne admission as required. To book please visit roa.co.uk/Events, or call the ROA office on 020 7152 0200.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

CARRIAGES PACKAGE • Champagne reception • Four-course luncheon • Afternoon tea • Complimentary bar throughout the day (including champagne) • One car park label per two places booked • Racecards and racing papers

SANDRINGHAM PACKAGE • Prosecco drinks reception • Three-course luncheon • Afternoon tea • Complimentary bar throughout the day (excluding champagne) • One car park label per two places booked • Racecards and racing papers

Carriages

Sandringham

Hospitality Hospitality and Admission only

Hospitality Hospitality and Admission only

Tue, June 20

£575

£500

Tue, June 20

£415

£340

Wed, June 21

£575

£500

Wed, June 21

£415

£340

£490

£400

Thu, June 22

£650

£560

Thu, June 22

Fri, June 23

£620

£530

Fri, June 23

Sold out

Sold out

£435

Sat, June 24

£395

£300

Sat, June 24

£520

77

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:51 Page 78

ROA FORUM

M AGICAL M OM E NT S with ROA member Steve Wignall

T

GEORGE SELWYN

his time last year Steve Wignall and his partner in the Options O Syndicate John Flannery were nearing a magical occasion at the Cheltenham Festival.

JP McManus, Gigginstown, Rich Ricci, Alan Potts and Graham Wylie all had runners in the Champion Bumper. But none of them had a horse that could better Wignall and Flannery’s Ballyandy.

“For small owners like us, to have a Festival winner was unbelievable, it was a great day,” recalls Wignall, whose interest in the horses was sparked by his dad’s love of the sport – though in terms of owning fourlegged friends to become more involved in a sport, greyhounds came first.

“We began with greyhounds and three of us started a syndicate,” he says. “Dean Childs was our trainer and we had a bit of success. Lorrys Options was stayer of the year in 2009.

“As a progression we fancied having a horse and were recommended William Haggas. We bought three, including Dever Dream, who turned out to be decent. She won first time out for us, which was definitely a magical moment – we were just happy to be having a runner, never mind a winner! She won four times for us before we sold her on to Pearl Bloodstock.

“To give us an interest all year round we were recommended jumps trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies. Double Ross was our first purchase with Nigel and he has turned out to be a legend.”

At that time there were three in the Options O Syndicate, Larry O’Rourke’s name lending itself to the ‘O’ in the name, but in these days of Ballyandy, winner of the Betfair Hurdle last month, and Foxtail Hill, a winner on trials day at Cheltenham in January, it’s just Wignall and Flannery splitting the bills and sharing the fun.

“It’s not just personal enjoyment, owning

78

Ballyandy (right) en route to capturing the Betfair Hurdle to the delight of the Options O Syndicate, consisting of Steve Wignall and John Flannery

horses gives plenty of enjoyment to family and friends as well,” continues Wignall.

“We’ve owned about 15 horses and had around 35 winners. We still keep our hand in on the Flat but we have found we can compete a bit more easily over jumps.”

In addition to Double Ross, Ballyandy and Foxtail Hill, there is Dawn Missile and

“Nigel and his team are top class – I would recommend them to everyone”

recent buy Snobbery on the Options O roster.

Apart from the Festival success, Wignall has cherished the other five Cheltenham winners to have come their way, three courtesy of Double Ross, plus Foxtail Hill’s recent victory, while Ballyandy has won two there in all.

“Cheltenham is the pinnacle, and to have six winners there, for small owners, that’s superb,” admits Wignall. “Nigel and his team are top class and I would recommend them to anyone in need of a jumps trainer.”

Ballyandy – in the Supreme or Neptune after providing his owners with another magical moment at Newbury last month when winning the £155,000 Betfair Hurdle, Britain’s richest such race – and Foxtail Hill, who went up 7lb to 140 for his latest victory and is set for a handicap chase, are in line to give their owners a couple more shots at Festival glory this month, though it has not all been plain sailing.

“Foxtail Hill has had his problems, and the downside to owning horses is when you have problems,” says Wignall. “We lost Minella Reception in the Topham last year, and Florrie Boy suffered a tendon injury and has been retired.

“The best things are of course the winners, and we’ve had plenty of highs and been lucky, though the whole package is enjoyable. Cheltenham winners are just the icing on the case. William and Nigel have both looked after us very well, and I would like to thank them both for their help ” Despite day jobs in running Options Energy Services – a leading provider for the utilities, communications, highways and traffic management, and renewals sectors – Wignall and Flannery have the flexibility to ensure they frequently get to see their silks carried on the racecourse, and here’s hoping for as magical a March as they experienced last year.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:51 Page 79

w w w. r o a . c o . u k

Diary dates and reminders MARCH 14, 15, 16, 17 ROA Marquee At the Cheltenham Festival.

MARCH 22 Ownership matters roadshow In Winchester.

APRIL 6 Free admission to ROA members For the opening day of the Randox Grand National Festival.

APRIL 12 Member visit to Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale At Doncaster.

APRIL 19 Dalham Hall Stud visit

APRIL 25 ROA regional meeting At Hexham.

Will there be any future Royal Ascot winners at this year’s auction?

APRIL 25-29 Punchestown Festival Access to members to the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners Marquee on production of Horseracing Privilege Card and Complimentary Snack Refreshments. Please note racecourse admission is payable.

APRIL 26 Ownership matters roadshow In Newcastle.

MAY 17 Ownership matters roadshow In York.

Further details and how to book for ROA events can be found online at roa.co.uk/events

Visit to Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale Members are invited to join a tour behind the scenes at Goffs UK Breeze Up Sale on April 12.

Members will be able to see horses sell on the day from 10am, and there will be a parade-ring marquee for everyone to enjoy. Based on last year, members may be able to see some future Royal Ascot winners go through the ring – last year’s top two priced lots were Ardad and Prince Of Lir, both Royal Ascot winning twoyear-olds.

As is usual at Goffs, horses will have

breezed at the racecourse the previous day (April 11) and videos will be available to view online and on touchscreens throughout sale day on April 12.

We have 30 places available on the day, which will finish at around 4pm. The cost of £15 per person includes a three-course lunch with wine. Any additional refreshments can be purchased on the day.

Members can book for themselves and a guest or guests. Please see roa.co.uk/events email Sadie on sevans@roa.co.uk or call 020 7152 0200 to book a place.

In The Paddock: shared racehorse ownership Great British Racing launched a central website to promote shared racehorse ownership in January. Inthepaddock.co.uk is an interactive website aimed at anyone considering getting involved in racehorse ownership for the first time.

As well as providing useful information on the different facets of racehorse ownership, visitors are able to search for racing clubs and syndicates using the search function which filters results by cost, location, Flat or jumps, the average number of club members and the numbers of horses in training. Each club or

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

syndicate has an online profile and a link to get in touch with the racing manager directly.

The site includes a step-by-step guide of key points to consider when thinking about entering racehorse ownership. It also provides insight from current syndicate and racing club members on their experiences in a number of blogs and case studies.

Visitors are able to search for membership options from as little as £100 and there are more than 60 syndicates and racing clubs from across the UK to choose from. Each ownership entity is able to create their own

online profile and be listed on the site for free.

Charlie Liverton, ROA Chief Executive, said: “Some of the key findings of the ROA’s 2016 National Racehorse Owners Survey showed how important the social aspect and excitement associated with shared ownership is. This is a key driver for the retention and acquisition of new owners.

“This initiative showcases the qualities that shared ownership offers and provides an excellent first step for anyone considering owning a share in a racehorse and enjoying the benefits that this brings.”

79

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:52 Page 80

ROA FORUM

New SIS branding

On parade: Golden Horn

Dalham Hall Stud visit The ROA are delighted to announce that, following last year’s very enjoyable visit, there will be a second chance for members to experience an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Dalham Hall Stud. Home to 2015 Derby winner Golden Horn, who proved a friendly hit with visitors last year, as well as a host of top-notch stallions including Dubawi, Helmet and Iffraaj, and newcomers Territories and Toormore, there is something for everyone.

Taking place on Wednesday, April 19 the trip will commence from Newmarket racecourse, where a coach ride will take attendees to the stud. A welcome drink and talk will then precede the chance to watch stallions parade, before the coach takes members on a well-informed tour of the stud

Members whose horses are sponsored through the SIS owner-sponsorship scheme are reminded that the SIS logo is changing and, from March 1, the new logo pictured below needs to appear on the owner’s colours of any horses sponsored on the scheme.

Logos were mailed to trainers during February. Please note that sponsorship agreements remain in place, it is simply the logo that is changing.

Details of the SIS owner sponsorship scheme, which enables members to register for and reclaim VAT, can be found at www.roa.co.uk

itself, then returning to Newmarket racecourse.

The visit will take place in the morning, enabling members and their guests to stay in Newmarket for a fantastic afternoon’s racing that includes Classic pointers in the Lanwades Stud Nell Gwyn Stakes, and potential top miler title contenders in the Earl of Sefton Stakes.

Admission to the races will be complimentary to ROA members, via either the Racecourse Badge Scheme for Owners, or the ROA/JCR Admission Scheme, whichever is applicable.

Limited to 50 places, this visit is sure to be a sell out, so priority will be given to those who did not attend the trip last year. Members will be allowed to bring one guest each, and are advised to book early by emailing info@roa.co.uk or calling 020 7152 0200.

ROA Owners Jackpot races in March Members have a chance to win one of five ROA/Racing Post Owners’ Jackpot races during March.

The scheme focuses on horses racing in Class 4-6 races. Every week a race is selected for a £2,000 bonus. If the winning horse belongs to an ROA member, the extra payment is made on top of the prize-money on offer from the racecourse. If the race is won by a horse belonging to an owner who is not part of the ROA, the bonus will be rolled on to another race later in the year.

The chosen races are staged only at courses that have signed up to

the racing industry’s prize-money agreement, but in 2017 the weekly races will be run only at racecourses where there is a guaranteed minimum prize fund of £5,000 per contest.

To qualify, horses must be owned by ROA members. Where a horse is jointly-owned, at least 51% of the owners must be ROA members. In a racing partnership both nominated owners must be members of the ROA.

THE FIVE RACES OFFERING A £2,000 BONUS IN MARCH ARE...

March 1, Ffos Las, 2m4f Class 4 4yo+ 0-120 Handicap Hurdle

March 17, Fakenham, 2m5f Class 5 5yo+ 0-100 Handicap Chase

March 11, Chelmsford City, 1m2f Class 6 4yo+ 0-55 Handicap

March 20, Southwell, 2m Class 4 4yo+ 0-110 Handicap Hurdle

March 13, Stratford, 2m Class 3 4yo+ 0-130 Handicap Hurdle We were delighted to receive an email from the Alyasan partnership, whose Just Joelliot won at Ludlow in January. It read: “We were lucky enough to win the jackpot race at Ludlow. We are a small syndicate with just two horses and the extra prize-money makes a big difference.

This was Joe’s first time being placed and we had a fantastic day. Thank you for the added prize-money, it all helps the running costs of our small syndicate. Three of our partners are first-time owners through the partnership so were really pleased.”

To qualify, horses must be owned by ROA members. Where a horse is jointly-owned, at least 51% of the owners must be ROA members.

In a racing partnership, both nominated owners must be members of the ROA

80

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:52 Page 81

w w w. r o a . c o . u k

Leicester free food The ROA have been pleased to see an increasing number of racecourses across the country now offering a good quality complimentary meal. The latest to respond to the urgings of the ROA Raceday Committee is Leicester who, following a successful trial this National Hunt season, will be rolling out their complimentary food offering throughout the year.

Owners with a runner will receive four vouchers which can be exchanged for one of the hot dishes of the day, normally served in an area on the first floor of the Grandstand, or alternatively for £15 off the price of a three-course lunch in the Nelson Suite, which offers a reserved table for the day and fantastic views of the racing action.

Election candidates Are you interested in having a say in racing’s future? If the answer is yes, you may be interested in standing for election to the ROA Board. The ROA Board comprises 13 members who are elected through an annual ballot amongst the association’s members.

The Board meets monthly, in London, or at an accessible regional location. Meetings typically comprise discussion and ratification relating to the finances and politics of British horseracing, reports from committees where the ROA is represented, and ROA membership, services and the package of benefits.

Elected members serve a three-year term after which they can stand for re-election. To qualify to stand for election, members must own 100% of a horse in training in Great Britain, or interests that add up to 100%, either alone or together with a spouse/civil partner. The ROA strives to have a balance of different types of owners with a range of skills and experience on its board.

Expressions of interest and applications should be made to Chief Executive Charlie Liverton at cliverton@roa.co.uk. Further details have been mailed out to members.

Applicants are required to receive signatures of support from a minimum of four other existing Association members. The deadline for applications is April 1.

News in brief Elective testing to reduce risk of a positive sample The NTF is working with the BHA to provide guidance to trainers who wish to establish that medication given for essential veterinary treatment has cleared from a horse’s system before a race, or when a trainer suspects inadvertent medication or contaminated feedstuffs may have been given to a horse.

Elective testing can be undertaken at the trainer’s expense (the current charge is £123.92 plus VAT for the standard four-day turnaround) according to specified terms and conditions stated in the rules of racing.

Trainers can send a sample of urine, collected according to guidance provided, to a designated laboratory, which will test for the specific substance a trainer may be concerned about. In most cases the result is known within three days of receipt of the sample.

New BHA roles David Sykes joins the BHA in March as Director of Equine Health and Welfare, from the United Arab Emirates, where he held the position of Head Veterinary Officer for the Emirates Racing Authority. In what is a newly created role he will have responsibility for developing an enhanced welfare strategy, which encapsulates a thoroughbred’s full lifespan, from birth until well after the end of its racing career.

Emma Marley will join the BHA in April in

the position of Head of Raceday Operations.

She will be responsible for management of raceday regulatory teams, including the racecourse inspectorate, starters, clerks of scales and judges. Marley is known in racing having spent seven years at Ayr racecourse, as Racing Manager and Clerk of the Course, and she was previously at Bath.

Greek Amphora trophy loan The National Horseracing Museum, which makes up one-third of the new National Heritage Centre at Palace House Newmarket, is exhibiting an ancient Greek amphora, on loan from the British Museum, until June. It was made in Athens about 500BC-490BC, and is decorated in the black-figure technique.

This amphora is significant to horseracing because it is one of the oldest horseracing trophies. It would have been one of many given to the winner of the horse race in the Panathenaic games held every four years in Athens in honour of the goddess Athena, hence it is known as a Panathenaic amphora.

Unique: the Greek amphora trophy

Raceday feedback winners With the jumps season in full swing we’d love to hear about your experiences when you go racing with a runner. What’s the car parking like? How’s the complimentary food offering? Is the winners’ experience suitably celebratory? Let us know via our quick and easy racecourse feedback questionnaire on the ROA website, and you could be in with a chance of winning £50 of John Lewis vouchers. The last two months’ winners have been Heather Shane, of London, who has also been lucky on the track in recent weeks, with places for both of her horses over the sticks, and Gerald Daly, of Cheltenham, who recently left feedback following his visit to recently reopened Hereford.

Hospitality programme for members racing in Ireland We are delighted to continue our partnership with the Association of Irish Racehorse Owners, which provides reciprocal access to member facilities at specified festival meetings.

This year, ROA members will be able to enjoy access to an AIRO facility at the following four racedays on production of their Horseracing Privilege Photocard or PASScard. The AIRO facility will serve complimentary snack refreshments. On the two Curragh dates, this THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

offer extends to free racecourse admission.

Punchestown Festival Tuesday, April 25 to Saturday, April 29 inclusive. Free entry to AIRO Marquee.

Racecourse admission is payable.

Galway July 31 to August 5 (except August 3), Galway Race Festival.

Free entry to AIRO Marque. Racecourse admission is payable.

The Curragh The Curragh Sunday, July 2 – Pretty Polly Stakes Day. Free entry to racecourse and to AIRO Marquee.

August 20 Free entry to Racecourse and to AIRO Marquee.

81

Mar_151_ROA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 16:52 Page 82

ROA FORUM

w w w. r o a . c o . u k

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 Doncaster Newbury Sandown Park Haydock Park Ayr Musselburgh Chelmsford City Salisbury Ripon Pontefract Lingfield Park Wetherby Newcastle Hamilton Park Beverley Thirsk Windsor Carlisle Leicester Bath Nottingham Kempton Park Ffos Las Yarmouth Chepstow Catterick Bridge Redcar Wolverhampton Brighton Southwell Total

Figures for period February 1, 2016 to January 30, 2017

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 2015-16 (£)

Up/ down

I I I JCR JCR I ARC I JCR JCR I I I I I I ARC I ARC I I I ARC JCR I ARC JCR JCR I ARC ARC I I ARC ARC ARC

439,286 212,321 176,251 140,472 114,448 80,126 79,833 76,642 62,705 54,369 45,309 41,143 40,348 37,668 36,725 36,467 34,512 32,066 32,000 31,889 30,417 28,713 28,527 26,996 26,736 26,611 25,603 25,300 24,167 23,371 23,081 22,440 22,119 21,547 19,068 9,301 53,417

127,650 91,453 82,011 68,655 74,177 41,667 51,071 53,755 45,957 39,600 29,697 14,545 19,214 25,850 21,230 28,919 25,198 0 18,233 19,206 18,658 16,436 18,848 13,777 19,430 13,723 19,240 20,020 12,050 20,622 13,672 16,613 17,559 18,889 14,373 27,586 30,678

251,426 121,269 69,398 113,995 77,302 10,430 35,997 37,556 28,632 17,925 11,270 5,239 5,116 5,154 4,491 3,824 4,383 4,185 5,345 4,150 4,269 5,235 5,112 4,467 5,037 4,054 5,559 4,334 3,609 4,669 3,566 2,675 13,267 3,500 2,771 2,713 20,279

818,363 425,749 327,660 323,122 265,927 132,223 167,058 169,093 137,294 112,449 86,335 60,927 64,679 68,673 62,445 69,210 64,190 36,250 55,579 55,246 53,344 50,384 52,488 45,241 51,204 44,389 50,446 49,654 39,827 48,662 40,319 41,727 52,944 43,949 36,212 39,600 104,438

18 17 19 11 39 15 24 16 16 23 17 17 55 16 17 16 77 2 44 18 19 17 27 13 20 22 23 56 6 18 15 17 18 83 22 30 883

14,730,525 7,237,740 6,225,542 3,554,346 10,371,159 1,983,351 4,009,385 2,705,495 2,196,700 2,634,519 1,467,700 1,035,760 3,557,345 1,098,766 1,061,566 1,107,354 4,942,634 72,500 2,445,469 994,420 1,013,537 856,525 1,417,179 588,129 1,024,079 976,553 1,160,249 2,780,608 238,960 875,922 604,784 709,360 953,000 3,647,761 796,654 1,188,000 92,263,574

388,619 188,919 168,936 136,791 105,410 86,530 66,008 68,579 57,439 49,896 36,465 39,867 39,310 32,289 34,084 33,032 31,257 32,205 26,159 27,399 24,486 27,121 21,099 25,473 24,323 20,435 23,318 24,182 22,888 19,876 17,669 18,539 19,019 16,440 14,759 12,774 48,088

s s s s s t s s s s s s s s s s s t s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s s t s

Up/ down

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41

82

Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Sandown Park Haydock Park Newbury Kempton Park Doncaster Ayr Kelso Chepstow Newcastle Cartmel Stratford-on-Avon Ludlow Perth Newton Abbot Wincanton Wetherby Musselburgh Market Rasen Uttoxeter Fakenham Taunton Bangor-on-Dee Warwick Huntingdon Hereford Exeter Carlisle Lingfield Park Worcester Fontwell Park Ffos Las Hexham Southwell Leicester Sedgefield Catterick Bridge Plumpton 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 2015-16 (£)

JCR JCR I JCR JCR I JCR ARC I I ARC ARC I I I I I JCR I I JCR ARC I I I JCR JCR ARC JCR JCR ARC ARC ARC I I ARC I ARC I I I

250,443 235,147 136,843 95,191 93,559 52,342 51,606 37,242 37,181 36,902 34,031 33,649 30,843 28,982 28,234 28,103 27,196 27,147 25,137 24,514 24,420 24,278 23,976 23,103 21,638 21,397 20,507 20,410 20,253 19,879 19,873 19,683 19,054 18,520 18,143 17,901 17,032 16,746 16,352 15,992 15,584 37,722

131,251 121,028 82,868 86,811 86,291 75,081 62,951 46,696 27,856 25,128 39,767 38,815 17,023 19,467 27,903 21,875 29,517 30,734 27,032 36,370 22,516 28,206 23,132 25,947 18,007 30,040 22,759 15,548 27,606 24,165 22,582 23,551 23,080 19,835 17,860 19,492 31,532 21,506 24,674 24,461 22,150 34,184

71,423 62,512 20,505 16,604 19,471 20,393 10,889 8,472 9,941 3,090 9,937 6,851 5,156 4,398 4,856 3,755 0 5,241 4,832 4,909 4,325 7,448 0 5,504 4,659 5,728 4,276 4,291 5,093 4,366 4,005 4,252 3,837 3,930 3,173 3,939 4,783 3,351 2,725 3,652 3,736 8,311

453,929 418,688 243,073 201,718 206,453 149,634 126,112 92,826 75,132 65,584 83,735 80,251 53,022 53,280 60,992 53,733 56,713 63,122 57,000 66,823 51,943 60,028 47,108 54,554 45,040 59,348 47,876 40,249 53,889 49,894 46,460 47,739 45,971 42,286 39,197 41,332 53,347 41,845 44,174 44,105 41,638 80,742

8 16 7 9 8 11 12 12 15 14 16 11 9 15 14 16 18 15 18 10 22 24 11 13 17 17 15 6 16 12 7 19 22 13 14 20 10 19 9 16 9 565

3,631,431 6,699,001 1,701,511 1,815,458 1,563,143 1,645,972 1,513,345 1,113,907 1,126,973 918,183 1,339,758 882,762 477,198 799,206 853,892 859,728 1,020,836 946,834 1,026,004 668,234 1,142,741 1,440,669 518,191 709,207 765,673 1,008,908 718,139 241,495 862,231 598,723 325,219 907,037 1,011,368 549,718 548,762 826,632 533,472 795,047 397,562 705,683 374,739 45,584,593

242,694 226,859 140,405 93,109 83,611 27,472 47,962 28,558 36,459 28,939 28,086 23,202 25,256 23,882 47,962 53,935 25,153 27,234 24,388 13,214 17,519 18,043 21,346 19,868 18,398 20,650 19,634 0 19,652 20,544 28,939 14,741 15,526 17,971 16,762 15,439 19,634 13,546 15,067 13,253 12,797 35,449

s s t s s s s s s s s s s s t t s t s s s s s s s s s s s t t s s s s s t s s s s s

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prizemoney: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture. This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prize-money paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

ARC Arena Racing Company

I Independently owned racecourse Gold Standard Award

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:21 Page 83

ROBERT COWELL RACING MULTIPLE GROUP 1 WINNING RACEHORSE TRAINER Sprint to success . . .

Based at the family owned Bottisham Heath Stud. We are set within 180 acres of post and rail paddocks, with our own private poly track gallop, tranquil walk ways and stabling for 75 horses.

Also including starting gates, several Claydon horse walkers, and a large office with owner facilities.

It is a beautiful, peaceful and safe environment for horses to be trained in, with the added bonus of ‘time out’ in the paddocks to unwind and relax when needed. As well as this unique setting, we have easy, quick access to the vast array of gallops in Newmarket, the headquarters of horseracing.

Incorporating

BOTTISHAM HEATH STUD At competitive rates we also offer full paddock boarding all year round for Mares, Foals, Weanlings, Yearlings, out of training horses; resting or retired.

Contact us anytime for further information and our competitive rates:

T: +44 (0) 1638 570330 • M: +44 (0) 7785512463 E: robert@robertcowellracing.co.uk www.robertcowellracing.co.uk • @cowellracing Bottisham Heath Stud, Six Mile Bottom, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 0TT

ick Bradley Racing offers horse racing fans the opportunity to experience full racehorse ownership. You own a share of the horse, and receive your share of any prize money and re-sale value. Plus owners get free entry into the racecourse when your horse runs. When we combine full ownership and an opportunity to realise a return for your investment with our competitive monthly fees, it’s certainly good value. Hopefully we’ll see you in the winners enclosure soon!

N

Please contact Jodi Shanahan for further details.

Glebe Farm, Horsegate Field Road, Goxhill, North Lincolnshire DN19 7NN Tel: 07731 361339 Email: jodi@nickbradleyracing.co.uk Website: nickbradleyracing.co.uk

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

83

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:12 Page 84

TBA FORUM The special section for TBA members

National Hunt Stallion Showcase well supported

SARAH FARNSWORTH

G

offs UK’s Doncaster sales ground played host to 15 British-based National Hunt sires during the January Sale in an initiative supported by the TBA in association with Goffs UK Limited.

The showcase provided prospective breeders with the opportunity to inspect some of the newest recruits to the National Hunt stallion ranks, together with more established sires.

The initiative also gave breeders the opportunity to compare the selected young stock on offer at the sale with their sires at the same venue.

Stallions on show included a five-strong line-up from Yorton Farm, which included Blue Bresil, Clovis Du Berlais, Universal, Gentlewave and Pether’s Moon.

Shade Oak Stud brought along the newly relocated Scorpion, along with their popular son of Galileo, Telescope, who is awaiting his first crop of foals over the coming months.

Overbury Stud showed their hardy campaigners, Schiaparelli and Dunaden, both of whom had stock selling on the day.

Native Ruler represented Batsford Stud, whilst the Somerset-based Beech Tree Stud brought along Geordieland and Saddler’s Rock. Sun Central, standing under the Elusive Bloodstock banner, and the international campaigner Cannock Chase, standing his first season at Nunstainton Stud, completed the line-up.

The TBA hospitality box, situated in amongst the action in Yard A, was warmly received by members throughout the day.

Yorton Farm’s newest resident Clovis Du Berlais was among five stallions on show from the Welsh stud

The TBA would like to extend its sincere thanks to Goffs UK and to all the studs and stallion masters who helped to make the day such a success.

TBA to host Ratings Roadshows In light of the recent changes to Rateable Values for commercial properties, the TBA is hosting Ratings Roadshows at Cheltenham racecourse on Wednesday, March 8 (11am) and at York racecourse on Wednesday, March 22 (11am).

These events follow on from the successful Newmarket roadshow held at Tattersalls on February 15. An additional roadshow is planned for members in the north. Please check the TBA website for updates.

The roadshows, led by TBA Advisor Bill Simpson FRICS, will provide guidance for members who may be affected by the recent changes of the Valuation Office

84

Agency. The sessions will include: • How to check your property’s listed 2017 Rateable Value.

• How to request corrections to your property’s details.

• How to appeal a Rateable Value • What allowances/relief is available.

The Rateable Values calculated by the Valuation Office Agency will be applied in the new tax year starting April 2017.

For further information or to secure a place at the forthcoming roadshows, please contact the TBA on 01638) 661321 or email info@thetba.co.uk.

Places are limited and entry is strictly by RSVP only.

TBA HBLB NH Elite Mares Scheme The National Hunt Elite Mares Scheme, funded by the HBLB and now in its seventh year, provides a financial incentive to owners of National Hunt mares who have achieved an ‘elite’ status (according to the criteria of the scheme), with a subsidised nomination to a British-based NH stallion. The TBA publicised the names of mares who were eligible for the scheme through their own official rating, contacting the owners of those mares and also publishing the information in a previous issue of the magazine.

A mailing was also sent to all breeders who bred a NH-registered foal in 2016, inviting them to submit an application.

This year saw the highest take-up yet, with owners of 108 mares applying for a subsidised nomination of up to £4,000, depending on their level of qualification on the scheme. These mares have now been allocated a nomination to 15 Britishbased NH stallions. For further details of the scheme, please visit the TBA website.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:12 Page 85

w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

Land Of Glory sparks treble for breeder Stewart Pike TBA member and breeder Stewart Pike landed three winners in the space of two days with the offspring of his mare Land Of Glory. On January 18 What A Diva, a daughter of Kayf Tara, took the mares’ handicap hurdle at Market Rasen.

Her Midnight Legend half-sister Midnight Glory, trained by Philip Hobbs, triumphed on the same day, coming out on top in the novices’ hurdle at Newbury by four and a half lengths.

The mare’s third winner came when the Peter Bowen-trained Land Of Vic prevailed in a tight finish to the EBF/Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Mares’ Novices’ Chase at Ludlow on January 19, beating Kerry Lee’s Aces Over Eights by a short head. Land Of Vic, a daughter of Old Vic, was purchased for £32,000 in 2016 and has now won six races.

The mare notched another win on February 2 at Towcester, when What A Diva won for the second time in just over two weeks.

Smokin hot

Mr & Mrs Lycette present the award for the EBF/TBA Mares-only Novices’ Chase at Uttoxeter

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Bryan Mayoh with Mrs and Mrs Jonathan Martin, the owners of Land Of Vic

There was further EBF/TBA sponsorship action at Uttoxeter on January 28. The EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Chase had only two finishers, with another Kayf Tara mare,

the Robin Dickin-trained Timon’s Tara, coming out on top by 17 lengths. Timon’s Tara, who is owned by Mark James and was bred by A P James, is now a dual winner.

GROSSICK RACING PHOTOGRAPHY

Earlier in the month, the EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Chase at Kelso was won

by Michael Scudamore’s eight-year-old Two Smokin Barrels. The mare posted an impressive performance to win by a comfortable four and a half lengths, recording her third win in a row for owner Martin Jones.

The daughter of Kayf Tara, who was bred

by Richard Evans, has now won five races in total, including a point-to-point.

TBA representative Alan Mactaggart with the owners of Two Smokin Barrels

85

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:13 Page 86

TBA FORUM

FROM THE ARCHIVES: a selection of features from the TBA’s first 100 years

17TH EARL OF DERBY The 17th Earl of Derby was a highly regarded owner and breeder. His stud farm’s prolific success meant that he became the most prominent owner-breeder during the first half of the 20th century. In Lord Rosebery’s address at the TBA’s AGM in 1945 he acknowledged Derby as having ‘without doubt the finest stud in the world’.

The Derby family’s history with thoroughbreds is well known, but Edward Stanley started out his career with the military at the age of 17 in 1882. He held several notable posts in the army but in 1892 he was seconded to take a seat in the House of Commons as a Conservative MP for Westhoughton. In Parliament, Lord Derby was also an extremely prominent and active figure. He served under Lord Salisbury as a Lord of the Treasury between 1895 and 1900, then as Financial Secretary to the War Office between 1901 and 1903. Towards the end of 1903, he entered the cabinet as Postmaster General, a post he held until December 1905.

Following the death of his father in 1908, he inherited the earldom and joined the House of Lords.

Derby was active in promoting Lord Kitchener’s army recruitment campaign in the

early years of the First World War and by 1916 he had returned to government. He served as Secretary of State for War for the final two years of the conflict.

During this time restrictions had been placed on racing and by May 1917 the government had requested the suspension of all race meetings. Derby, as the nation’s leading owner-breeder at the time, had been supporting racing’s cause and was one of many to be affected by the change.

His significant government role meant that he wasn’t part of the formal establishment of the TBA, but on July 4, 1917 he hosted a meeting between the Stewards of the Jockey Club and the Prime Minister at his London home. The meeting was deemed a success as racing was reinstated, albeit on a limited scale and with a number of conditions.

After the First World War, he became Ambassador to France between the years 1918 and 1920, and then served a second term as the Secretary of State for War (19221924).

Lord Derby was champion breeder on nine occasions and runner up an admirable 11 times. On the racecourse he had similar success, becoming champion owner seven

Multiple champion owner and breeder, the 17th Earl of Derby

times and winning 19 British Classic races with his homebred horses.

Before his death in 1948, Lord Derby’s stallions had secured 15 British sire championships through Hyperion, Fairway, Phalaris, Alycidon, Mossborough and Pharos.

Breeders badge offer to continue at Ascot Ascot racecourse has generously agreed to repeat last year’s initiative to offer badges for breeders with runners at Royal Ascot and QIPCO British Champions Day. This wonderful opportunity for breeders was extremely well received and supported last year and we are thrilled to be working with the team at Ascot again in 2017. Please note that applicants must be TBA members to qualify.

The offer comprises: • Two complimentary owners’ and trainers’ swing badges for the breeder of each declared runner at Royal Ascot and Champions Day, which give access to the course and the owners’ and trainers’ bar. Only horses that are declared to run will qualify.

• Commemorative prizes for the winning breeders at Royal Ascot, which will be presented at a special lunch, held at the course on a subsequent raceday (to be confirmed).

86

• Applicants do not need to be the holder of an RCA PASScard to apply for this offer.

• Details on how to apply will be printed in future editions of this magazine.

• In addition to the above, Ascot has also offered two complimentary owners’ and trainers’ badges for breeders of the runners on any of Ascot’s racedays (excluding Royal Ascot and Champions Day), which include access to the course, the owners’ and trainers’ bar and parade ring.

Entry to these other meetings will be via your RCA PASScard and breeders must go to the owners’ and trainers’ desk with their PASScard and swipe in for access.

If you are a TBA member but not a current holder of the RCA racecourse PASScard and would like to apply for this free pass to take advantage of over 1,300 racedays – if you have bred a runner at the meetings – an application form will be included with the TBA February mailing which will go to all members.

Alternatively, please call 01638 661321 or email the TBA office (info@thetba.co.uk) for an application form.

For existing badge holders please note your card is valid until December 31, 2017 so you will not be required to complete the application for this year. Your card will be deactivated immediately if your membership is cancelled or has lapsed.

We hope to also be in a position to repeat last year’s great badge offers for TBA members at other racecourses. Please keep an eye out for further details in these pages of future editions of Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder, the TBA website and member emails.

If you are not a current TBA member and would like to take advantage of these and other offers, please contact the TBA office for a membership application form or you can also apply via the website at www.thetba.co.uk THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:13 Page 87

w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

Stud Staff Award for Sarah Hickey The first Stud Staff Award for 2017 has been presented to Sarah Hickey, Assistant Manager at Woburn Stud in Bedfordshire.

Sarah was nominated by employers Eileen and Keith Harte as an outstanding manager of people whose skills have improved efficiency and teamwork, and who also displays a passion for her job and for the breeding industry. She is respected by all staff and sets an example to the team.

Always first on the yard, she ensures staff needs well ahead of her own.

Eileen describes Sarah as an excellent communicator who has built good relationships with clients and who is dedicated and reliable. Sarah received a certificate, membership of the TBA and a cheque for £200.

If you have a valued member of staff you would like to nominate for the TBA Award, please contact Stanstead House for a nomination form.

Sarah Hickey with TBA Regional Representative Derek Christopher

NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme (NH MOPS) We have had an excellent response to the NH Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme with registrations for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 crops flooding in at the end of 2016. We would like to wish all those who have registered the very best of luck with their fillies this year.

TBA Regional Days for 2017 announced SOUTH EAST

THE EAST

Wednesday, June 7 Chasemore Farm. Cobham, Surrey

Tuesday, 23 May Woburn Stud, Bedfordshire

WEST

Tuesday, September 7 Sir Michael Stoute’s Freemason Lodge Stables and tour of the National Heritage Centre of Horseracing and Sporting Art at Palace House, Newmarket

Thursday, June 8 Highclere Stud, Newbury, Berkshire

WALES AND WEST MIDLANDS September – date to be confirmed.

Nigel Twiston-Davies, Grange Hill Farm, Naunton

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Further regional dates and venues will be confirmed and application forms will be sent to all TBA members for their region.

Dates and venues may be subject to change

MOPS Race Bonus Winners 2017 January 18, Newbury The Betfred ‘January Sale’ British Stallion Studs EBF Mares’ National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle (Class 4) Winner: Midnight Glory, owned by Mrs L R Lovell. Bonus value £5,000.

January 31, Lingfield The Injured Jockeys Fund Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Class 4) Winner: Molly Carew, owned by Mrs H R Cross & Mrs S A Keys.

Bonus value £5,000.

87

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:18 Page 88

TBA FORUM

TBA FLAT STALLION PARADE T

his year’s TBA Stallion Parade drew a strong crowd around the sales ring at Tattersalls to see the start of the parade. Gina Harding and Matt Prior were on hand to guide the crowd through the 11 first- and second-season sires parading prior to the start of the February Sale.

Following the parade, TBA members and broodmare owners were invited to view the stallions at closer quarters in the Left Yard and Right Yard of the sales complex, where stud representatives were on hand to

discuss mating enquiries for the forthcoming season. An additional four stallions were also on show, alongside the newer sires.

Members and their guests were also welcomed to the TBA hospitality suite in the sales ring bar for light refreshments, where the TBA team were on hand to answer any member queries.

The TBA would like to thank all who supported the parade, with special recognition to the stallion handlers and the stud farms, Tattersalls, Weatherbys, Gina Harding and Matt Prior.

ADAM SMYTH

ON PARADE

Kodiac ex Lady Lucia (Royal Applause) A 240,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up purchase in 2014, Adaay wasted little time in proving what a useful horse he was for the famous blue and white silks of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell Stud, beating subsequent Group 2 winner Kodi Bear on debut. Highly tried as a three-yearold, he beat a host of classy performers in both the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes and the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes, including the previously unbeaten and subsequent dual Group 1-winning sprinter Limato. The first son of Kodiac to retire to stud in Britain, Adaay is standing his first season at Whitsbury Manor Stud in 2017, for a fee of £7,000, October 1, SLF terms.

ADAM SMYTH

ADAAY

standing under the Worsall Grange management banner at Nunstainton Stud for 2017. His fee is £3,000, October 1 terms.

inches closer, when just touched off for top honours by Postponed. The son of Pivotal is standing his first season at Hedgeholme Stud in 2017, at a fee of £3,000, October 1 terms.

88

ADAM SMYTH

Lemon Drop Kid ex Lynnwood Chase (Horse Chestnut) Placed on his only start at two, Cannock Chase’s three-year-old season got off to a flying start, with three consecutive wins, including the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes at Royal Ascot, when beating subsequent fourtime Group 1 winner Postponed. After several credible efforts running in Group company for trainer Sir Michael Stoute, Cannock Chase’s finest moment came when winning the Grade 1 Canadian International at Woodbine. On his final start in the Huxley Stakes at Chester, he comfortably beat several smart performers including the Classicplaced Western Hymn. Cannock Chase is advertised as a tough, consistent and speedy outcross to the Northern Dancer bloodline,

ADAM SMYTH

CANNOCK CHASE

EAGLE TOP Pivotal ex Gull Wing (In the Wings) Eagle Top was bred and raced by Lady Bamford, coming from the family which produced European champion filly Sariska.

He started his career in style with a taking debut at Newbury and on only his third start won the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, beating subsequent Cox Plate winner Adelaide. A versatile horse with a trademark burst of acceleration, his performance in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes left connections wishing the winning post had been three

MATTMU Indesatchel ex Katie Boo (Namid) Mattmu, a high-class sprinter son of Indesatchel, won or placed in 14 of his 18 starts for trainer Tim Easterby. During his career he defeated an aggregate 52 individual Group/Listed winners, including Group 1 winners Sole Power, Maarek, and Goldream.

Never out of the first three in his juvenile campaign, his efforts were rounded off with victory in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte.

Mattmu won a hotly contested renewal of the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:18 Page 89

w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k New Approach, who sired three Royal Ascot winners from his first crop. His dam is a granddaughter of Meon Valley Stud’s outstanding blue hen mare Reprocolor, whose legacy is continuing to make an impact in the bloodstock world through the exploits of her descendants. Tha’ir is standing his first season at Lilling Hall Farm for 2017 at a fee of £3,500, October 1 terms.

CABLE BAY

Compton Place ex Our Little Secret (Rossini) Pearl Secret was a top-class and consistent performer, racing over six consecutive seasons for owner Qatar Racing. His biggest win came with a gutsy performance in the Temple Stakes, when beating Jack Dexter and Group 1 winners Goldream, Kingsgate Native and G Force. Throughout his career, he placed with credit in several high-class races, including filling the top three placings twice in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes. The distinctively marked sprinter son of the late Compton Place represents the last commercial male descendant at stud of the Byerley Turk line. Pearl Secret stands at Bucklands Farm & Stud in 2017, his fee is £4,000, October 1 LFFR terms.

Invincible Spirit ex Rose De France (Diktat) Cable Bay was given tremendous support in his first season at Highclere Stud, covering a book of 152 mares, the highest number of any sire retired to stud in 2016. Trained by Charlie Hills, the son of Invincible Spirit was a tough and consistent performer on the track having won or been placed in nine Group races, his wins including the Group 2 Challenge Stakes, when beating Group 1 winner Belardo, and the Group 3 John of Gaunt Stakes. During his juvenile campaign he was second, beaten a neck, in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes, capping off the season with a fine second in the Dewhurst Stakes, clocking a faster time than Frankel, Shamardal and Nijinsky. Cable Bay will stand at Highclere Stud for a fee of £5,000 in 2017, October 1 SLF terms.

ADAM SMYTH

Oasis Dream ex Attraction (Efisio) Fountain Of Youth is a beautifully-bred son of Oasis Dream, out of the dual Classicwinning champion filly Attraction. Costing 420,000gns as a yearling, Fountain Of Youth won his maiden by four lengths on his second start, followed by an impressive run in the Listed Windsor Forest Stakes, when beaten less than a length after being forced to race on the far side. At three he won the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes over five furlongs in a time of just 59 seconds. During his first season at stud he had 85 mares tested in foal, including a number of black-type producers. Retired to Bearstone Stud in 2016, with a 98% fertility rate, he stands at a fee of £4,500 in 2017, October 1 SLF terms.

ADAM SMYTH

ADAM SMYTH

MUSTAJEEB

THA’IR

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

ADAM SMYTH

PEARL SECRET

New Approach ex Flashing Green (Green Desert) Racing in the royal blue Godolphin silks, Tha’ir ran 27 times, winning seven races for trainer Saeed bin Suroor. Running at Group and handicap level, arguably his best performances came as a juvenile in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot, before placing in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes and Group 3 Solario Stakes. Tha’ir is a son of the multiple Group 1 winner and Derby hero

for the first time. Narrowly defeated by Slade Power in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, Due Diligence was awarded a Timeform rating of 120. In his first season at stud he covered a book of 124 mares at Whitsbury Manor. He stands for a fee of £5,500 in 2017, October 1 SLF terms.

ADAM SMYTH

ADAM SMYTH

Group 3 Phoenix Sprint Stakes at the Curragh at three, before producing a sparkling performance in the Nunthorpe Stakes, when finishing third to high-class fillies Mecca’s Angel and Acapulco. A tough and sound performer, Mattmu is standing at Norton Grove Stud in 2017 for £3,500, October 1 terms.

DUE DILIGENCE War Front ex Bema (Pulpit) Following an emphatic eight-length victory at Saratoga on debut, Due Diligence, a son of leading American-based sire War Front, was swiftly purchased by the Coolmore team and transferred to Ireland for his three-year-old campaign. He landed the Listed Lacken Stakes at Naas by an easy five lengths before heading to Royal Ascot to face older horses

Nayef ex Rifqah (Elusive Quality) Mustajeeb is a record-breaking winner of the 2014 Royal Ascot Group 3 Jersey Stakes and was trained by Dermot Weld in Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Shadwell colours. On his retirement from racing, only Muhaarar and Slade Power were rated higher than him over six and seven furlongs on official ratings.

He retired the winner of four races in total, which also included the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes, where he beat four Group 1 winners, and Group 3 Amethyst Stakes on his seasonal three-year-old debut. Out of the Elusive Quality mare Rifqah, he hails from the

89

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:19 Page 90

TBA FORUM auction made up to ten times his stud fee, with his oldest crop now yearlings. The son of Oasis Dream stands at Bucklands Farm & Stud in Gloucestershire for a fee of £3,000 in 2017, October 1 LFFR terms.

ADAM SMYTH

ADAM SMYTH

ADAM SMYTH

stallion-producing Allegretta family which is responsible for the likes of Galileo, Sea The Stars, King’s Best and Tamayuz. Mustajeeb is standing at Overbury Stud for 2017, his fee is £4,000, October 1 SLF terms.

TELESCOPE Galileo ex Velouette (Darshaan) A son of champion sire Galileo, Telescope ran in the Highclere colours for trainer Sir Michael Stoute. Winner of the Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes on his fourth start, he went on to capture the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot, beating Group 1 winners Hillstar, Pether’s Moon and Joshua Tree in an impressive seven-length victory. From 14 starts, he won five and placed eight times, including running second to Taghrooda in the Group 1 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, beating Mukhadram, Trading Leather and Magician. His female family has produced champion filly Moon Ballad and Group 1 winner Central Park. Retired to Shade Oak Stud in 2016, he covered 129 mares in his first season. He stands for a fee of £3,000 in 2017, October 1 terms.

GREGORIAN Clodovil ex Three Days In May (Cadeaux Genereux) Gregorian, a tough, good-looking son of Clodovil, covered over 100 mares in his first season at stud, with his first crop, now yearlings, making over ten times their stud fee at public auction. During his racing career he captured the Group 2 Hungerford Stakes, Group 3 Criterion Stakes and Group 3 Diomed Stakes, beating Group 1 winners Garswood, Power, Elusive Kate and Animal Kingdom. He achieved four placed efforts at the highest level, including a second in the Prix Jean Prat and third in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, amassing a total of £434,913 in prize-money. Standing in a partnership between Rathasker Stud and the National Stud, Gregorian’s fee for 2017 is £4,500, October 1 terms.

Also available to view on the day:

HEERAAT

HELLVELYN Ishiguru ex Cumbrian Melody (Petong) Since retiring to stud in 2011, Hellvelyn (below) has shown breeders that he is more than capable of upgrading his mares. As a leading juvenile sire he can boast a strike-rate of 57% winners to runners. They include his daughter Mrs Danvers, who, despite being led out unsold at auction, is now unbeaten in five outings, including a Group 3 and Listed company. Hellvelyn was a precocious twoyear-old himself, winning the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and placed second in the Group 1 Railway Stakes. His stock have been realising up to £75,000 at auction, more than 20 times his stud fee. He stands at Bucklands Farm & Stud for a fee of £3,000 in 2017, October 1 LFFR terms.

ADAM SMYTH

Dark Angel ex Thawrah (Green Desert) Heeraat (top right) retired to stud in 2015 the winner of five races. He broke his maiden tag

at two on only his second outing by an impressive 11 lengths and secured three further victories before landing the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury in 2013, beating Group-winning sprinters Hamza and Krypton Factor. In total, he defeated 43 Group/Listed winners throughout his career, including five Group 1 winners. When he retired, he was rated 5lb superior to his sire.

Heeraat covered over 100 mares in his first season at stud, with his first foals making up to 38,000gns at public auction. He stands at Mickley Stud for £4,000 in 2017, October 1, SLF terms.

COACH HOUSE

90

ADAM SMYTH

Oasis Dream ex Lesson In Humility (Mujdail) Coach House has been popular with breeders since retiring to stud in 2015. In his first year he covered a book of 108 mares and during his second season at stud covered 73. During his short racing career, he won a five-furlong maiden by seven lengths on his second start, followed by an easy victory in the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the Curragh. He was narrowly beaten by No Nay Never in an extremely quick running of the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, where both horses had broken the five-furlong track record. His first foals offered through public THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_TBA_Forum_Owner 17/02/2017 14:14 Page 91

w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

Employing staff – getting it right from the beginning

TBA diary dates MARCH 8 & 22 TBA Business Ratings Roadshows Cheltenham (8) and York (22) racecourses at 11am (strictly RSVP only)

SATURDAY, MARCH 11 EBF/TBA Mares’ Open NH Flat Race (Listed) At Sandown Park

ADAM SMYTH

SUNDAY, MARCH 12

As part of an occasional series of legal articles, TBA’s members’ lawyer Rachel Flynn of Keystone Law looks at some of the issues involved with employing people...

Employing people seems a perfectly straightforward matter: hire them, then set them to work, but is it so easy?

Many employers find the list of legal rights and responsibilities daunting. But complying with the law and looking after your staff will make you more efficient and more profitable.

Experienced employers know that getting the ‘people’ part of your business wrong can cost you time, money or lost profitability through recruiting unsuitable employees, low morale and motivation, high absence levels and turnover of employees and employment tribunal claims. Recruiting the right people sounds obvious enough, but statistics show that many new recruits leave in the first few weeks because they don’t feel made welcome or receive a proper induction programme. Employers can be so relieved to secure a good candidate that they forget to ensure that the new member of staff has a good experience in their first days and weeks. All employers will benefit from thinking clearly about and having a plan for this.

From a legal perspective, you have just two months to provide your new employee with a written statement or contract, setting out their rights to holiday, minimum pay, hours etc. It is important to ensure that you comply with the employment law basics from the start. The law sets out some basic minimum requirements that employers may default to or they may decide to offer more generous terms – for example in respect of pay, sick pay, pension contribution, living accommodation, notice or holiday.

Among the basics are a requirement to pay at least the National Minimum Wage for those under 25 and the National Living Wage for those 25 years old and over. The current rates range from £7.20 per hour down to £4 per hour for 16-17 year olds. After one month of service it is necessary to give an employee at least one week’s notice, increasing with years of service; THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

they are entitled to a set amount of paid holiday and, if they meet the qualifying requirements, statutory sick pay at a set rate. The rules on pensions have changed in recent years meaning that almost all employers in the UK are now required to automatically enrol qualifying jobholders in a pension scheme and pay a minimum level of contributions. The TBA has established an Employee Benefits Scheme to help (information from Caroline Turnbull).

It is also possible to ‘improve’ on the essential contract terms by introducing requirements that staff give you longer notice, maintain confidentiality or introduce any specific requirements that you have for your own place of work. Employers also need to be clear about grievance and discipline, and have policies about this that are provided to staff.

It is important to be conscious of unlawful discrimination and whistleblowing issues because – although most employment rights are earned with time in service (for example unfair dismissal after a qualifying period of two years) – dismissal or different treatment arising from reasons connected to sex (e.g. pregnancy), race, religion/belief, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or age can lead to claims right from the pre-recruitment stage.

Also worth noting is that not everyone that works for you is necessarily your employee.

The person who comes in for a few hours now and again to help out and gives you an invoice is most likely self-employed, provided that arrangement doesn’t develop into a pattern that has all the other indicators of employment – these include control, mutuality of obligation and integration into your organisation.

Finally, pregnant women have a whole host of employment-related rights that begin from day one of their employment. There is a lot of helpful information in relation to this and all other employment issues available from the TBA, on the ACAS and government websites, and employers need to be aware of the rights of pregnant workers and maternity returners. It is easy to get this wrong quite inadvertently, and

EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Chase At Warwick

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 EBF/TBA Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) At Warwick

FRIDAY, MAY 5 TBA Annual Awards Evening At Newmarket

TUESDAY, MAY 23 National Stud/TBA Broodmare Ownership Course At the National Stud

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7 MIND Mental Health First Aid Course At the National Stud

THURSDAY, JUNE 15 TBA Annual Seminar At Tattersalls

TUESDAY, JUNE 27 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28 Supervisory Skills Course At the National Stud

NEW MEMBERS Peter Mina Esq, South Yorkshire Mark Sherwood Esq, London Andrew Miller Esq, Oxfordshire Andrew Haden Esq, West Midlands Frank Lloyd Esq, Clwyd Mrs D Blyth Currie, Berkshire Richard Tufft Esq, Buckinghamshire Mrs Victoria Morse, Herefordshire Colin Bright Esq, Somerset Peter Symonds Esq, Herefordshire Gary Sanderson Esq, Yorkshire Mrs Sally Nurton, Somerset A P James Esq, Shropshire Tygelsjö Hundpensionat Esq, Sweden Mrs Margaret Granger, Devon

there is no cap on employment tribunal awards for discrimination claims.

Rachel Flynn runs the TBA’s legal assistance to members’ scheme. For advice, please contact the TBA office on 01638 661321.

91

Mar_151_BreederOfTheMonth_Owner 17/02/2017 14:47 Page 92

BREEDER OF THE MONTH Words Alan Yuill Walker Sponsored by

Manufacturers of

NH BREEDER OF THE MONTH – January 2017

Graham Smith

GEORGE SELWYN

On Festival Trials’ Day at Cheltenham in January two British-breds were endeavouring to extend their remarkable winning sequences.

While Thistlecrack failed to record a tenth consecutive victory in the Cotswold Chase, Unowhatimeanharry managed to extend his unbroken run to eight in the Cleeve Hurdle.

Will Unowhatimeanharry now manage to emulate Thistlecrack by completing the Cleeve Hurdle/World Hurdle double? (The latter race has now reverted to its former Stayers’ Hurdle nomenclature).

Monitoring owners, trainers and jockeys regarding National Hunt winners is one thing, but doing the same for breeders is altogether different. That is the nature of the beast.

Any one breeder’s involvement can range from having bred from the family for several generations to having acquired the relevant winner in utero with a whole host of other possibilities in between. But when is the breeder not the breeder?

According to the General Stud Book, Unowhatimeanharry’s breeder is R J Smith, but all is not what it seems. Evidently his son Graham is the real breeder, as his octogenarian father got the credit only “because

Unowhatimeanharry has now won eight consecutive races

92

he paid for the nomination to his sire Sir Harry Lewis”.

However, how the mating that produced Unowhatimeanharry came about is not in dispute. As field master of the Quorn, Graham Smith is a longstanding friend of joint-master Joss Hanbury. “He recommended the sire as he had been responsible for his Long Walk Hurdle winner Mighty Man”, explains Smith.

The nine-year-old Sir Harry Lewis gelding bowed out last season in the Grade 1 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle. Purchased by JP McManus, he then reappeared in Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle followed by the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

Unowhatimeanharry has been trained throughout his career in Dorset, first by Helen Nelmes near Dorchester, and then by Harry Fry at Seaborough. One of the younger generation of trainers, Fry learned his trade under the tutelage of Richard Barber and Paul Nicholls.

Just to add to the rather tenuous breeding background to Unowhatimeanharry, Graham Smith no longer owns any bloodstock, albeit he is still very much involved with horses as he heads a team of six at G J Smith Farriers at Wymswold, near Loughborough in Leicestershire.

In fact he trained Unowhatimeanharry’s dam Red Nose Lady for the Slow Donkey Partnership to score two of her four hurdle victories, having bought her at Doncaster as a seven-year-old out of Malcolm Jefferson’s stable in November 2004 for 4,200gns.

The only other (living) foal that Smith bred from Red Nose Lady (before selling her for £500 to Northern Ireland) was Happy Chance, a now six-year-old point-to-point mare by Indian Danehill.

Their distaff relations have long been prominent at the Hockenhulls’ Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire. Not only is Red Nose Lady by the former Derby-winning resident Teenoso, but also both her dam and grandam were mated almost exclusively with Shade Oak stallions.

Indeed it was one of no fewer than nine consecutive matings with Rymer that produced Unowhatimeanharry’s grandam Red Rambler.

Two of Red Rambler’s own-sisters made their mark at stud too, Jennie Pat as the grandam of Horus and An Accordion, and Running For Gold, the dam of Ballyfitz.

In 2015 Graham Smith and a partner sold the dual Nations Cupwinning team member Dougie Douglas at Goresbridge for a staggering €1.4 million – rather different to Unowhatimeanharry. Smith says of the latter: “He was dismissed by potential purchasers as he was small and looked more a polo pony than a racehorse, but we managed to sell him through an advertisement in Horse & Hound.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:26 Page 93

PROCONSUL Galileo - Kind (Danehill)

NEW FOR 2017 Full-brother to the multiple Gr.1 winners FRANKEL and NOBLE MISSION with a pedigree that speaks for itself.

Fee: £3,500 (Live Foal, 1st October) MICKLEY STUD • Enquiries: Richard Kent • M: 079 73 315722 • T: 01630 638840 • E: mickleystud@btconnect.com • www.mickleystud.com

WKHWKRURXJKEUHGFOXE FR XN

The social, educational and professional club for young people

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

93

Analysing the difficulties around the sale of developmental land The proposed sale of Kempton Racecourse for development has recently been announced and the potential sums involved are massive. The prospective sale highlights the publicised shortage of housing in the UK. This lack of supply has led to even higher levels of interest from developers in land surrounding towns, especially in the southern half of the country.

Where land is sold for development, the sums can be eye watering and thinking about the tax consequences at the outset can be beneficial.

The sale of land for development gives rise to a capital gain for most UK landowners. If the landowner does any of the development work themselves then income tax becomes an issue.

Promotion agreements vs.

Option agreements As the cost of obtaining planning permission is so high, the landowner often accepts an offer from a land promoter or an option from a developer.

If the planning permission process is progressing well before the purchaser arrives, a conditional contract is used. Broadly, where a contract is conditional, contracts will be exchanged but completion will not take place until the condition is satisfied. In most cases the contract is conditional on satisfactory planning permission being granted. Provided the condition is fundamental to the

contract, the relevant date for capital gains tax (CGT) will be the date the condition is satisfied.

Promotion Agreements A promotion agreement is an agreement between the land owner and the promoter. The promoter generally undertakes to obtain planning permission and to find a purchaser. The promoter will charge a fee in the region of 20% of the sale proceeds of the land. When the promoter finds a buyer the gain on the land is likely to be liable to CGT. The sale of land is usually exempt for VAT i.e. no VAT is payable on the sale proceeds but equally no VAT is recoverable on any costs associated with the sale. However, with promotion agreements, the promoter is providing a service and so will have to charge VAT on the fee. The landowner should seriously consider opting the land to tax, which registers the land for VAT. As a result, the sale proceeds will become liable to VAT but VAT is then recoverable on the costs associated with the sale, including the promoter’s fee and legal costs.

Option Agreements The main alternative to promotion agreements are option agreements.

An option agreement gives the developer the right to buy the land in question at an agreed price, normally based on a percentage of market value, after planning permission has been obtained. The option holder will pay an option fee to acquire this option.

Under an option agreement the amount to be taxed is the value of the option monies received plus the right to receive any further potential option receipts during the option period. What frequently happens is that the land is included in a local Strategic Plan but it then takes another five years, for example, to get detailed planning permission.

During that period, the developer needs the right to renew the option.

When the land is finally sold, the option fee is added into the sales proceeds and a credit is given for the tax already paid.

Where land is sold for development, the sums can be eye watering and thinking about the tax consequences at the outset can be beneficial.

Smith & Williamson OB Mar 17.indd 2

17/02/2017 09:07

Overage clauses

Pooled land

Most agreements for sale contain some sort of overage clause. An overage is the payment of additional sums if certain events happen. The two most usual types of overage relate to a payment if there is additional developable area or a payment based on the final sale proceeds of the developed property.

Land on larger sites is often “pooled�. Where there is more than one landowner involved in providing land for the development, there will be an average price paid to each of the landowners on a per acreage basis. Each landowner will receive the same price regardless of whether their land is used for residential housing, infrastructure or open space.

For tax purposes the former is subject to CGT and the latter subject to income tax. In both cases, the value of the right to receive the overage has to be taxed at the time the option is exercised or, in the case of the promotion agreement, the date contracts are effectively exchanged.

The pooled landowners involved in such a sale receive a share of the proceeds each time any of the land is taken. The landowner whose land has been sold is assessed on the total proceeds of sale but does not get a deduction, for tax purposes, on the amount which must be paid to the other landowners. This is a serious

issue which needs to be addressed at the outset, of any negotiations, as there are ways to address the problem, but as values increase the problem becomes greater.

Seeing the complexities Selling land for development can be lucrative, but the complexities mean that experienced tax and legal advice needs to be sought from the outset.

Penelope Lang Private client tax services partner t: 01722 431064 e: penelope.lang@smithandwilliamson.com

Smith & Williamson is an independently owned professional and financial services group with over 1,600 people. The group is a leading provider of investment management, financial advisory and accountancy services to private clients, professional 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.

smithandwilliamson.com Offices: London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Dublin (City and Sandyford), Glasgow, Guildford, Jersey, Manchester, Salisbury and Southampton.

By necessity, this briefing can only provide a short overview and it is essential to seek professional advice before applying the contents of this article. No responsibility can be 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.

Smith & Williamson OB Mar 17.indd 3

17/02/2017 09:07

Mar_151_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 14:06 Page 96

VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By MATTHEW SMITH, Newmarket Equine Hospital

Leg deformities in foals Whether a foal is born with a bent leg or develops one early in life, it is a condition which must be closely monitored in case the need arises for veterinary intervention Introduction

Assessment

Bent legs in foals is a common problem, which they can be born with, or develop in the first few weeks or months of life. The majority will self-correct with time, but some cases will either fail to improve, or get progressively worse, necessitating veterinary treatment. Because foals grow rapidly after birth, a bent leg can change quickly, and should always be closely monitored.

Particularly in the lower part of the limb, the window of time during which the problem can be treated is quite short, and failure to act promptly can leave the foal with a permanent deformity.

If you only ever look at a foal running in the long grass with its dam, it is easy not to spot developing limb deformities (Figure 1). It is important that the foal is looked at on a firm, flat surface, which makes recognising a bent leg early much easier. Having the foal stand square is important, and each limb needs to be looked at from both the side, and directly in-front. Each limb needs to be looked at individually, as the legs of foals tend to rotate outwards, making it impossible to look directly from the front of both limbs when standing in one spot. Next the foal should be walked away from the observer and back again, as more subtle defects can be much more obvious when the foal moves.

It is prudent to look at foals weekly, so that problems are picked up in time to act before they can’t be corrected.

may have absolutely no effect on the individual’s athletic potential” The importance of a bent leg varies depending on the type, severity and underlying cause. In the most severe cases, a bent leg can preclude an athletic career entirely, but more commonly the consequence is less than this, representing an increased risk of injury. Particularly in thoroughbred foals, destined for the sales

NEH

“Having a bent leg

Figure 1: It is important to examine foals on a firm surface, not in grass

ring as yearlings, the importance of a bent leg is heightened as it may affect value and saleability. It is important to recognise, however, that having a bent leg doesn’t mean a horse cannot be a world-class athlete – it may have absolutely no effect on the individual’s athletic potential.

Types of deformities Ligamentar laxity Newborn foals are often born with a degree of laxity of their joints (Figure 2) and supporting ligaments. This is the simplest type of deformity to deal with – usually requiring little more than sensible amounts of exercise to rapidly resolve. In the most severe of cases, the joints are sufficiently lax

What causes a bent leg?

There isn’t one specific cause of why a foal may develop a bent leg. Lots of factors can contribute, some occurring before birth, and some afterwards, as the table below shows.

Perinatal causes

Developmental causes post-partum

Malpositioning of the foal in the uterus

Nutritional imbalances

Toxins

Excessive exercise

Genetics

Overloading of a limb

Nutritional imbalances in the mare

Lameness

Prematurity

Trauma to the growth plate

Placentitis

96

NEH

Common causes of angular and flexural limb deformities

Figure 2: It is not uncommon to see lax joints in neonatal foals

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Figure 3: Flexural deformities are obvious when viewed from the side

that the heels drag on the ground causing abrasions, and some slippers to protect the feet when walking on hard (concrete) surfaces may be needed.

NEH

Flexural and angular limb deformities – what’s the difference?

Flexural deformities cause abnormal angles through the joints of the foal’s limb when viewed from the side. Different joints can be affected, and foals can either be born with the deformity, or develop it as they grow. The most common joints affected are the fetlock, knee and coffin joint (Figure 3).

In contrast, angular deformities result in abnormal angles through the joints of the foal’s limb when viewed from in front. The knee and fetlock are most commonly affected, but the hock is also occasionally involved (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Angular deformities are shown in the head-on view

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Angular deformities Although laxity is the most common cause of bent legs in newborn foals, incomplete development of the small bones in the knee can result in them becoming wedged, leading to an angular deformity. This occurs when the bones haven’t mineralised properly, and have a large, soft cartilage exterior which can deform. X-rays are needed to diagnose this condition, and when identified the joints need supporting with the limb straight to allow the bones to continue to develop

NEH

Flexural deformities In general terms, flexural deformities are caused by the tendons, along with their parent muscles (the musculotendinous unit), being relatively too short for the skeleton, causing them to pull tight, and consequently flexing the intervening joint. Some foals are born like this, and others develop the problem as they grow. Another less common cause of a flexural deformity to develop is lameness and offloading of a limb, which can result in the tendons ‘contracting’.

In most foals, treatment is focused around lengthening the musculotendinous unit which is causing the flexural deformity.

Oxytetracycline is an antibiotic drug, but when administered at high doses causes the muscles and tendons to ‘relax’, allowing correction of the deformity. Treatment needs to be repeated every two days for three or four treatments, and it is important that the foal receives some exercise during this period. An alternative approach is the use of splints to stretch out the muscles and tendons, which causes relaxation of the muscles to correct the deformity.

The splints need changing daily and much care is needed in application, as there is a risk of pressure sores. With either treatment approach, painkillers are often given simultaneously, to help encourage the foal to bear normal weight through the limb.

Despite intensive treatment some foals fail to respond, or revert when treatment is withdrawn. In these cases, surgery may be recommended. Different procedures are performed depending on the joint and tendons involved.

The most common surgery is a ‘check ligament desmotomy’, meaning literally to cut the check ligament of either the superficial or deep digital flexor tendon. This can be highly successful and foals can pursue a normal athletic career after this surgery. In severe cases, cutting the main tendon may be needed to correct the deformity, but this is a salvage procedure for breeding, as foals will not be able to pursue athletic endeavours as adults.

Figure 5a: A knee x-ray shows incomplete small-bone growth

normally, and prevent permanent deformity.

This is most effectively achieved by fitting a cast for around ten days (Figure 5a and 5b).

In older foals that develop a bent leg as they grow, the cause is most often disproportionate growth between the inside and outside of the growth plate (Figure 6, overleaf). This commonly occurs at the

>>

NEH

NEH

Mar_151_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 14:06 Page 97

Figure 5b: Casts can be worn for ten days to offer support for the joint

97

Mar_151_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 14:06 Page 98

fetlock during the first two months of life, and the knee at any time during the first six to nine months of life. Initial treatment involves exercise restriction, and the vet may advise that hoof extensions are fitted to the foot to encourage natural correction.

Other treatments sometimes combined with these approaches include shock wave therapy (to slow down growth on one side, letting the other side catch up), or periosteal strips (a minor surgery to release the outer envelope on the bone, to try to speed up growth on the side performed).

Most foals will correct with the above treatments, but in severe cases, and those either not responding, or responding too slowly, a surgical procedure is recommended to retard growth on the faster growing side of the growth plate.

Timing of surgery is important, as growth stops at different times at each joint level (e.g. two to three months at the fetlock, six to nine months at the knee). For surgery to work, it must be performed before growth has stopped. The most common technique to retard growth is by placing a screw across the faster growing side of the growth plate (Figure 7). Once the limb has straightened, the screw needs removing immediately, otherwise overcorrection can occur.

98

NEH

>>

NEH

VET FORUM

Figure 6: A bent leg in an older foal is caused by different growth rates on the inside and outside of the growth plate

Figure 7: In severe cases a screw is inserted in the faster-growing side of the joint to inhibit growth and encourage straightening

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_DrStatz_Owner Breeder 17/02/2017 15:01 Page 100

DR STAT JOHN BOYCE CRACKS THE CODE

Jump sires have limited shelf life Assessing their merits is also problematic – runners’ ratings is as good a method as any Leading NH sires ranked by average RPR of their elite runners (top 5%) Name

Sire

Class

Elite AvRPR

Top Horse

Rating

STRONG GALE

Lord Gayle

G3wG1p

162.8

Life Of A Lord

175

KING’S THEATRE

Sadler’s Wells

G1w

158.1

Cue Card

180

KAYF TARA

Sadler’s Wells

G1w

154.5

Thistlecrack

178

PRESENTING

Mtoto

G2wG1p

153.4

Denman

184

OSCAR

Sadler’s Wells

WG1p

153.4

Big Zeb

175

FLEMENSFIRTH

Alleged

G1w

152.5

Imperial Commander

182

but still some way short of being a top-class source of good horses. Surely, the empirical proof should all be about how consistently a sire can produce superior racehorses. Not one or two, but a solid range of good horses.

The accompanying table contains the top five National Hunt sires by earnings this season, rearranged by the average Racing Post rating of their top 5% of horses. In other words, how good their best runners are.

Straight away we can see that Presenting has sired the best runner of any of these sires with the Gold Cup winner Denman earning a rating of 184. However, on this evidence we cannot say that he’s best of this group. With an average rating of his top 5% of runners standing at 153.4, he’s behind both King’s Theatre (158.1) and Kayf Tara (154.5). The gap between Presenting and King’s Theatre is significant as it involves using the ratings of Presenting’s 75 best horses, who make up his top 5%. Likewise, Flemensfirth, who sired the excellent Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander, rated 182, has posted an aveage rating of 152.5 for his elite runners. Therefore, we can say that, on average, King’s Theatre’s best horses are 5.6lb better than those by Flemensfirth. A leading list on this basis would

serve breeders well. True, it wouldn’t change much from week to week, but that could be remedied by having a seasonal one as well which would indeed change as young horses blossom.

As with all statistics there are caveats.

Every sire’s performance is almost certainly influenced by the number and quality of mares he covers. If you fill your stallion to the rafters and don’t pay attention to quality, your stallion is likely to suffer when compared to another who has covered fewer and better mares. To illustrate this, we can look at a great jumps sire of the past in Strong Gale. This former Rathbarry stallion can boast an average rating of 162.8 for his elite runners. It just goes to show how important mare quality is when assessing National Hunt sires.

Cue Card – top horse by top stallion King’s Theatre

GEORGE SELWYN

A

ssessing the respective merits of National Hunt stallions fairly has always proved a challenge. Not only do we have the usual debates about what measure to use, we also have the vexing issue of the differing season start and end dates between Ireland and Britain. Punchestown, the traditional championship end to the Irish season, takesd place after the end of the British season. So, we are left arbitrarily choosing a start date and end date on which to base stallion statistics.

A single season’s statistics are probably not the way to go, anyway. There are likely to be too many fluctuations in the careers of key horses to produce sound statistical basis on which to evaluate sires. It is far better to look at longer time periods so that anomalies are ironed out. Of course, in the jumping game, time is always against you. To wait for that all-important evidence that a stallion might be succeeding or failing means waiting until his stock are six or seven. And this delay has often been compounded by the fact that many National Hunt sires also had a shot at being a commercial Flat stallion.

No wonder, then, that the years spent at stud as a proven jumps sire tend to be short.

Thankfully, many modern-day jump stallions are being employed directly to produce jumpers, but there are still significant numbers arriving at their National Hunt homes via failed careers as Flat sires.

So how do we assess the jumps brigade?

Earnings is the traditional way but for many it’s just a function of the number of runners representing the stallion at any given time.

Winners to runners will always be significant but again falls short of delivering an accurate and concise summary of a stallion’s merit.

My preferred method is ratings, be they Timeform, Racing Post or indeed official ratings, although experience tells me that official ratings can often mislead as we run into the problems posed by having two sets of handicappers on either side of the Irish Sea. Let’s assume that ratings, objectively arrived at, are the best way forward. How then do we employ them to make worthwhile assessments? An average rating per sire is very useful, though there are many sires that can produce good average ratings

ownerbreeder ad pages 03-2017_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 03-2017 17/02/2017 09:42 Page 101

Want to find out which stallions are making waves?

Brian Ellison One of the leading dual-purpose trainers in the country.

Over 1000 winners trained!

For the very latest sire lists go to www.ownerbreeder.co.uk Tables updated every day

Spring Cottage Stables, Langton Road, Norton, Malton, North Yorkshire YO17 9PY Office: 01653 690004 Fax: 01653 690008 Email: office@brianellisonracing.co.uk Website updated daily: www.brianellisonracing.co.uk Facebook - Brian Ellison Racing Twitter - @BERacingLtd ●

●

EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY

SPORTING COLOURS

EQUINE SERVICES

Treehouse

CROXLEA COLOURED THOROUGHBREDS

sporting colours EQUESTRIAN PROPERTY

CONSULTANCY SALES VALUATIONS LEASES Rothsay House, 124 High Street Newmarket CB8 8JP 01638 667118 • info@keylocks.com www.keylocks.com THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Silks, Paddock Equipment and Safety Wear

www.treehouseonline.co.uk Tel: 01299 851625

CROXLEA STUD 01275472978 • 07866218402 raceacolor@btconnect.com youtube/croxlea coloureds

101

Mar_151_DataBook_Layout 1 17/02/2017 16:29 Page 102

DATA BOOK ANALYSIS BY ANDREW CAULFIELD

National Hunt Grade 1s 122 32RED TOLWORTH NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 SANDOWN PARK. Jan 7. 4yo+. 15f 110yds.

1. FINIAN’S OSCAR (IRE) 5 11-7 £25,748 b g by Oscar - Trinity Alley (Taipan) O-Ann & Alan Potts B-R. O’Keeffe TR-Colin Tizzard 2. Capitaine (FR) 5 11-7 £9,737 gr g by Montmartre - Patte de Velour (Mansonnien) O-Martin Broughton & Friends 2 B-S.C.E.A. Haras de Saint Voir TR-Paul Nicholls 3. Chalonnial (FR) 5 11-7 £4,936 ch g by Protektor - Kissmirial (Smadoun) O-Mr Nicholas Cooper B-Mr F. Maze TR-Harry Fry Margins 5, 3.75. Time 4:07.50. Going Soft.

Age 4-5

Starts 3

Wins 3

Places 0

Earned £29,387

Sire: OSCAR. Sire of 62 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - FINIAN’S OSCAR Taipan G1, OUR DUKE Good Thyne G1, WRATH OF TITANS Lancastrian G1, ANY SECOND NOW Topanoora G2, DRAYCOTT PLACE Dashing Blade G2, OSCAR KNIGHT Supreme Leader G2, OSCAR ROSE Beneficial LR. 1st Dam: Trinity Alley by Taipan. ran a few times in point-to-points. Dam of 1 winner: 2011: (f Scorpion) 2012: FINIAN’S OSCAR (g Oscar) 2 wins over hurdles at 4 and 5, 32Red Tolworth Novices’ Hurdle G1.

2013: (c Presenting) 2015: (f Jeremy) Broodmare Sire: TAIPAN. Sire of the dams of 5 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - FINIAN’S OSCAR Oscar G1, FAYONAGH Kalanisi LR, POETIC RHYTHM Flemensfirth LR.

FINIAN’S OSCAR b g 2012 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge OSCAR b 94 Reliance II Snow Day Vindaria Last Tycoon Taipan Alidiva TRINITY ALLEY b 01 Strong Gale Trinity Gale Trinity Air

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Tantieme Relance III Roi Dagobert Heavenly Body Try My Best Mill Princess Chief Singer Alligatrix Lord Gayle Sterntau Menelek Beauair

No less than £250,000 was invested in Finian’s Oscar when this son of Oscar appeared as a four-year-old point-to-point winner at Tattersalls Ireland’s Cheltenham sale in November 2016. The first dividend came little more than a month later, when he won a novices’ hurdle easing up. His point-to-point win was gained over three miles and his debut over hurdles was over a distance not much short of two and three-quarter miles.

However, there appeared to be no doubts about his ability to shine over the minimum distance of two miles, as he started a hot favourite for the Tolworth Hurdle on his Gr1 debut, and he again won decisively.

Finian’s Oscar immediately became favourite to win the Neptune Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, scene in the past of important successes by numerous other sons of Oscar, including Rock On Ruby (Champion Hurdle, Arkle Chase), Lord Windermere (RSA Chase, Cheltenham Gold Cup), Big Zeb (Champion Chase), Peddlers Cross (Neptune Hurdle), O’Faolains Boy and At Fishers Cross.

102

The gelding’s dam Trinity Alley failed to win in point-to-points and is

by Taipan, a stallion still awaiting his first Gr1 success as a sire. However, Taipan was a smart and tough international performer over middle distances and Trinity Alley has a distinguished half-brother in Finian’s Rainbow. This accomplished son of Tiraaz won half of his 14 starts over fences, including the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Melling Chase.

Finian’s Oscar’s second and third dams, the point-to-point winner Trinity Gale and the winning chaser Trinity Air, were respectively daughters of the champion sires Strong Gale and Menelek. The fourth dam Beauair also won over hurdles and fences before becoming the dam of the talented Irish chaser Brave Air and second dam of another, Lucky Town. This is also the distant family of Welsh National winner Bonanza Boy. 123 LAWLOR’S HOTEL SLANEY NOVICE HURDLE G1 NAAS. Jan 8. 5yo+. 20f.

1. DEATH DUTY (IRE) 6 11-10 £45,385 b g by Shantou - Midnight Gift (Presenting) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-G. Thompson TR-Gordon Elliott 2. Turcagua (FR) 7 11-10 £14,615 gr g by Turgeon - Acancagua (Subotica) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mr P. Noue TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Blood Crazed Tiger (IRE) 6 11-10 £6,923 b g by King’s Theatre - Mardi Roberta (Bob Back) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mrs S. O’Ryan TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 9, 0.5. Time 5:08.90. Going Soft.

Age 4-6

Starts 9

Wins 7

Places 2

Earned £112,986

Sire: SHANTOU. Sire of 19 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - AIRLIE BEACH Shernazar G1, DEATH DUTY Presenting G1, SHANTOU FLYER Bob Back G3.

1st Dam: Midnight Gift by Presenting. 3 wins, 3rd Festival of Food Bumper N.H. Flat Race LR, 3rd INH Stallion Owners EBF Nov. H. Hurdle G2. Dam of 2 winners: 2008: (g Milan) 2009: HOW ABOUT IT (g Kayf Tara) Winner over fences.

2010: Lady Dromlac (f Beneficial) 2011: DEATH DUTY (g Shantou) 6 wins, Future Champions Flat Race LR, Lawlor’s Hotel Slaney Novice Hurdle G1, Navan Novice Hurdle G2, Monksfield Novice Hurdle G3.

2014: (c Beneficial) 2015: (f Stowaway) Broodmare Sire: PRESENTING. Sire of the dams of 12 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - DEATH DUTY Shantou G1, WESTERNER LADY Westerner G2.

The Shantou/Presenting cross has produced: DEATH DUTY G1, POLLY PEACHUM G1.

DEATH DUTY b g 2011 Hoist The Flag Alleged Princess Pout SHANTOU b 93 Shareef Dancer Shaima Oh So Sharp Mtoto Presenting D’Azy MIDNIGHT GIFT ch 00 Long Pond Midnight Pond Midnight Oil

Tom Rolfe Wavy Navy Prince John Determined Lady Northern Dancer Sweet Alliance Kris Oh So Fair Busted Amazer Persian Bold Belle Viking Rarity Raindrops Menelek Ballinacree

Having defeated Our Duke in the Future Champions’ INH Flat race at the end of 2015, Death Duty promised to develop into an exciting prospect when he started his hurdling career.

This son of Shantou is confirming his potential, scoring at Gr3, Gr2 and then Gr1 level in winning his first four starts over hurdles. Although his task in the Lawlor’s Hotel Novice Hurdle was made easier by the last-flight fall of Augusta Kate, he had nine lengths to spare by the line.

All of Death Duty’s hurdling successes have come over two and a half miles and he should eventually stay three miles.

His sire Shantou won the St Leger and has sired some notable stayers, such as Ballynagour, Shantou Flyer, Wounded Warrior and Morning Assembly.

Death Duty also comes from a family with a strong jumping heritage.

His dam Midnight Gift, a daughter of four-time champion sire Presenting, was a fairly useful performer in bumpers and over hurdles, winning at up to three miles.

Death Duty’s second dam, the unraced Midnight Pond, was a sister to Midnights Daughter, dam of that smart chaser One Knight (RSA Chase and Rehearsal Chase, the latter over three and a quarter miles). Midnight Pond’s sire Long Pond wasn’t a familiar name but he proved he stayed very well when a close fourth in the 1985 Gold Cup at Ascot.

Death Duty’s third dam, Midnight Oil, was a three-parts-sister to Champion Chase winner Lough Inagh.

Midnight Oil also produced Shannon Spray, who numbered Listed wins among her successes on the Flat and over hurdles, and Renagown, a Listed winner over fences.

Several of Midnight Oil’s daughters enjoyed successful broodmare careers, including Shannon Spray (dam of the smart chaser Eirespray), Collopy’s Cross (dam of Gr3 chase winner Sunset Lodge) and Spanish Flame (dam of very useful three-mile chaser Direct Access).

124 SPECTRA SOLUTIONS CLARENCE HOUSE CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Jan 28. 5yo+. 16f.

1. UN DE SCEAUX (FR) 9 11-7 £40,053 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 2. Uxizandre (FR) 9 11-7 £15,147 ch g by Fragrant Mix - Jolisandre (Dear Doctor) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Mr F. Aimez TR-Alan King 3. Top Gamble (IRE) 9 11-7 £7,678 ch g by Presenting - Zeferina (Sadler’s Wells) O-Walters Plant Hire & James & Jean Potter B-Mr D. Cantillon TR-Kerry Lee Margins 5, 2.75. Time 4:11.70. Going Soft.

2003: 2006: 2008:

Perle de Sceaux (f Diableneyev) unraced.

Star de Sceaux (f Maresca Sorrento) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France.

UN DE SCEAUX (g Denham Red) 17 wins, Red Mills Trial Hurdle G2, Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Frank Ward Arkle Challenge Cup Nov.Chase G1, Betfair Tingle Creek Chase G1, Sodexo Clarence House Chase G1 (twice), Ryanair Colliers Novice Chase G1, 2nd Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase G1, Bet365 Celebration Chase G1, Prix La Barka Hurdle G2, Prix Leon Rambaud Hurdle G2, Prix Hypothese Hurdle G3.

Broodmare Sire: APRIL NIGHT. Sire of the dams of 7 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - UN DE SCEAUX Denham Red G1, BRISTOL DE MAI Saddler Maker G2, CLAN DES OBEAUX Kapgarde G2.

UN DE SCEAUX b g 2008 Pampapaul Pampabird Wood Grouse DENHAM RED b 92 Giboulee Nativelee Native Berry Kaldoun April Night My Destiny HOTESSE DE SCEAUX ch 95 Diarifos Olympe Occitane Papakiteme

See race 71 in the February issue 125 BHP INSURANCES CHAMPION HURDLE G1 LEOPARDSTOWN. Jan 29. 4yo+. 16f.

1. PETIT MOUCHOIR (FR) 6 11-10 £55,470 gr g by Al Namix - Arnette (Denham Red) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr P. Gueret TR-Henry de Bromhead 2. Footpad (FR) 5 11-8 £17,863 b g by Creachadoir - Willamina (Sadler’s Wells) O-Mr Simon Munir/Mr Isaac Souede B-L. Collet & C. Collet TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Ivanovich Gorbatov (IRE) 5 11-8 £8,462 b g by Montjeu - Northern Gulch (Gulch) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud TR-Joseph Patrick O’Brien Margins 1, 37. Time 3:41.30. Going Good.

Age 4-6

Starts 11

Wins 5

Places 4

Starts 22

Wins 17

Places 2

Earned £729,478

Sire: AL NAMIX. Sire of 10 Stakes winners.

Broodmare Sire: DENHAM RED. Sire of the dams of 2 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - PETIT MOUCHOIR Al Namix G1, PTIT ZIG Great Pretender G1.

PETIT MOUCHOIR gr g 2011 Mendez Linamix Lunadix AL NAMIX gr 97 Dirigeante Daytona Pampabird

Sire: DENHAM RED. Sire of 7 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - UN DE SCEAUX April Night G1, ULTRAJI Africanus G3.

Denham Red Nativelee ARNETTE b 00 Cariellor

1st Dam: Hotesse de Sceaux by April Night. ran on the flat in France at 5 and over jumps in France. Dam of 2 winners: 2002: OLYMPE DE SCEAUX (f Diableneyev) Winner at 4 in France.

Earned £188,385

1st Dam: ARNETTE by Denham Red. 3 wins over jumps in France. Dam of 2 winners: 2011: PETIT MOUCHOIR (g Al Namix) 4 wins, BHP Insurances Champion Hurdle G1, Ryanair December Hurdle G1, 2nd Imagine Cruising Top Novices’ Hurdle G1, Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, 3rd Paddy Power Future Chmpions Nov. Hurdle G1, WKD Hurdle G2.

2012: PRAVALAGUNA (f Great Pretender) 2 wins.

Lead On Time

Age 4-9

Yellow God Pampalina Celtic Ash French Bird Northern Dancer Victory Chant Ribero Noble Native Caro Katana Chaparral Carmelite Dionysos II Diana Klairon Gorda

Gashaka Ironique

Bellypha Miss Carina Breton Lutine Nureyev Alathea Barbare Dourdan Pampapaul Wood Grouse Giboulee Native Berry Fabulous Dancer Bonicarielle Riverman Moqueuse

See race 88 in the February issue

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Mar_151_DataBook_Layout 1 17/02/2017 16:22 Page 103

Caulfield on Some Plan: “He races at around the minimum distance, even though there is no shortage of stamina in his pedigree; his dam Lough Hyne is a daughter of Classic Cliche”

126 FRANK WARD ARKLE CHALLENGE CUP NOV.CHASE G1

SOME PLAN b g 2008

LEOPARDSTOWN. Jan 29. 5yo+. 17f.

1. SOME PLAN (IRE) 9 11-12 £45,385 b g by Winged Love - Lough Hyne (Classic Cliche) O-Mr R. S. Brookhouse B-Mrs S. Livingstone TR-Henry de Bromhead Time 4:05.50. Going Good.

Age 5-9

Starts 15

Wins 5

Places 5

Sadler’s Wells In The Wings High Hawk WINGED LOVE b 92 Top Ville J’Ai Deux Amours Pollenka

Earned £96,465

Salse Classic Cliche

Sire: WINGED LOVE. Sire of 22 Stakes winners. NH in 2016/17 - SOME PLAN Classic Cliche G1, BAYWING Champ Libre G2, JOSSES HILL Glacial Storm G2, AMORE ALATO Medaaly LR. 1st Dam: Lough Hyne by Classic Cliche. ran once in a point-to-point. Dam of 1 winner: 2007: Aine Saor (f Oscar) unraced. Broodmare.

2008: SOME PLAN (g Winged Love) 5 wins, Frank Ward Arkle Challenge Cup Nov.Chase G1.

2009: Classic Graf (g Winged Love) unraced.

Broodmare Sire: CLASSIC CLICHE. Sire of the dams

was a worthy winner of this prestigious event, as he has now won all three of his completed races over fences (and was leading when he fell at the penultimate fence in the other).

He had previously shown useful form over hurdles, once finishing fourth in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.

Some Plan’s sire Winged Love won the Irish Derby and sired some smart stayers on the Flat during his years at stud in Germany, including Macleya, a close second in the Prix Royal-Oak. His best representative over jumps was the two-time Tingle Creek Chase winner Twist Magic, who had won five Gr1 races over fences by the time he was fatally injured as an eight-yearold.

Among his other good chasers are Josses Hill (Gr2 Peterborough Chase in 2016), Bostons Angel (who

of 5 Stakes winners.

Pato LOUGH HYNE b 01 Oats Smart Topsy I’m Smart

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Shirley Heights Sunbittern High Top Sega Ville Reliance II Polana Topsider Carnival Princess High Top Patosky Northfields Arctic Lace Menelek Smart Answer

Four set out to contest the Arkle Novice Chase but the only finisher was Some Plan – and even he looked destined to finish second until the narrow leader Royal Caviar fell at the last. Time may show that Some Plan

numbered the RSA Chase among his three Gr1 wins as a novice) and Hunt Ball. Winged Love died in 2015, at the age of 23, having received only modest support in the latter part of his career.

Some Plan races at around the minimum distance, even though there is no shortage of stamina in his pedigree. His dam, the once-raced point-to-pointer Lough Hyne, is a daughter of Classic Cliche, winner of the St Leger and Gold Cup. Second dam Smart Popsy was by Oats, sire of the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Master Oats (as well as the Champion Hurdle winner Flakey Dove). Third dam I’m Smart was a talented winner over hurdles and fences, and her son Smart Tar gained one of his wins in the Golden Miller Chase over three and a quarter miles.

Grade 2 & 3 Races Date 01/01 01/01 01/01 14/01 14/01 14/01 15/01 19/01 19/01 21/01 21/01 21/01 21/01 22/01 22/01 22/01 26/01 26/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 28/01 29/01

Grade G2 G2 G3 G2 G2 G3 GrA G2 G3 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 GrA GrB G2 GrA G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G2 G3 G3 G3 G2

Race (course) BetBright Dipper Novices’ Chase (Cheltenham) Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle (Cheltenham) BetBright Betting Handicap Chase (Cheltenham) Sky Bet Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle (Punchestown) Neptune Investment Leamington Nov.Hurdle (Warwick) Betfred Classic Handicap Chase (Warwick) Bar One Racing Dan Moore Handicap Chase (Fairyhouse) Coolmore Analog’sDaughter Mare Nov Chase (Thurles) Ladbrokes Ireland Kinloch Brae Chase (Thurles) Peter Marsh Handicap Chase (Haydock Park) Star Sports Novices’ Chase (Haydock Park) Supreme Trial Rossington Main Nov. Hurde (Haydock Park) stanjames.com Champion Trial Hurdle (Haydock Park) coral.ie Leopardstown Novice Chase (Leopardstown) coral.ie Leopardstown Handicap Chase (Leopardstown) coral.ie Handicap Hurdle (Leopardstown) John Mulhern Galmoy Hurdle (Gowran Park) Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase (Gowran Park) Betbright Trial Cotswold Chase (Cheltenham) JCB Triumph Trial Finesse Juv. Hurdle (Cheltenham) Neptune Investment Classic Nov. Hurdle (Cheltenham) galliardshomes.com Cleeve Hurdle (Cheltenham) Albert Bartlett River Don Novice Hurdle (Doncaster) Sky Bet Lightning Novices’ Chase (Doncaster) olbg.com Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle (Doncaster) Hugo’s Restaurant Murphy Group Hcp Chase (Cheltenham) Limestone Lad Hurdle (Naas) Woodlands Park 100 Club Naas Nov. Chase (Naas) Lacy Solicitors Golden Cygnet Nov.Hurdle (Leopardstown)

Dist 20.5f 20f 20.5f 16f 21f 29f 17f 20f 20f 24f 19.5f 15.5f 15.5f 19f 21f 16f 24f 25f 25f 16.5f 20f 23.5f 24f 16f 16.5f 20.5f 16f 24f 20f

Horse Whisper (FR) Agrapart (FR) Shantou Flyer (IRE) Any Second Now (IRE) Willoughby Court (IRE) One For Arthur (IRE) Ball d’Arc (FR) Westerner Lady (IRE) Sizing John (GB) Bristol de Mai (FR) Waiting Patiently (IRE) Neon Wolf (IRE) The New One (IRE) Yorkhill (IRE) A Toi Phil (FR) Ice Cold Soul (IRE) Shaneshill (IRE) Champagne West (IRE) Many Clouds (IRE) Defi du Seuil (FR) Wholestone (IRE) Unowhatimeanharry (GB) Constantine Bay (GB) Forest Bihan (FR) Vroum Vroum Mag (FR) Foxtail Hill (IRE) Sutton Place (IRE) Anibale Fly (FR) Let’s Dance (FR)

Age 9 6 7 5 6 8 6 7 7 6 6 6 9 7 7 7 8 9 10 4 6 9 6 6 8 8 6 7 5

Sex G G G G G G G M G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G M G G G M

Sire Astarabad Martaline Shantou Oscar Court Cave Milan Network Westerner Midnight Legend Saddler Maker Flemensfirth Vinnie Roe King’s Theatre Presenting Day Flight Stowaway King’s Theatre Westerner Cloudings Voix du Nord Craigsteel Sir Harry Lewis Kayf Tara Forestier Voix du Nord Dr Massini Mahler Assessor Poliglote

Dam Belle Yepa Afragha Carrigmorna Flyer Pretty Neat Willoughby Sue Nonnetia Pretty Moon Cloghoge Lady La Perrotine La Bole Night Rossavon Missy O’Brien Thuringe Lightning Breeze Lucidrile Western Whisper Darabaka Wyndham Sweetmarie Bobbing Back Quarvine du Seuil Last Theatre Red Nose Lady Alina Rheinberg Katell Bihan Naiade Mag Flynn’s Girl Glebe Beauty Nouba Fly Baraka du Berlais

Broodmare Sire Mansonnien Darshaan Bob Back Topanoora Dabali Trempolino Moon Madness Presenting Northern Crystal April Night Beneficial Supreme Leader Turgeon Saddlers’ Hall Beyssac Supreme Leader Doyoun Mister Lord Bob Back Lavirco King’s Theatre Teenoso Waky Nao Funny Baby Kadalko Mandalus Good Thyne Chamberlin Bonnet Rouge

Index 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155

Leading National Hunt sires 2016/17 by earnings Name

King's Theatre Presenting Kayf Tara Oscar Flemensfirth Beneficial Milan Westerner Shantou Midnight Legend Stowaway Authorized Kalanisi Gold Well Brian Boru Vinnie Roe Robin des Champs Voix du Nord Overbury Indian River Heron Island Yeats Martaline Scorpion Definite Article Old Vic Cloudings Winged Love Dr Massini Craigsteel Kapgarde Network Poliglote Court Cave Sir Harry Lewis Saddler Maker High Chaparral Walk In The Park Robin des Pres

YOF

1991 1992 1994 1994 1992 1990 1998 1999 1993 1991 1994 2004 1996 2001 2000 1998 1997 2001 1991 1994 1993 2001 1999 2002 1992 1986 1994 1992 1993 1995 1999 1997 1992 2001 1984 1998 1999 2002 1994

Sire

Rnrs

Wnrs

%WR

Sadler's Wells Mtoto Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Alleged Top Ville Sadler's Wells Danehill Alleged Night Shift Slip Anchor Montjeu Doyoun Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Definite Article Garde Royale Valanour Caerleon Cadoudal Shirley Heights Sadler's Wells Linamix Montjeu Indian Ridge Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells In the Wings Sadler's Wells Suave Dancer Garde Royale Monsun Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Alleged Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Montjeu Cadoudal

246 326 261 261 256 296 298 200 106 164 142 59 135 90 89 70 98 24 65 45 69 90 56 145 95 61 46 56 73 81 37 48 26 75 26 10 65 13 82

81 99 80 75 76 75 69 59 40 51 43 27 26 23 30 25 30 12 18 15 16 31 19 31 26 20 11 13 18 22 14 15 7 18 9 7 12 4 22

32.93 30.37 30.65 28.74 29.69 25.34 23.15 29.50 37.74 31.10 30.28 45.76 19.26 25.56 33.71 35.71 30.61 50.00 27.69 33.33 23.19 34.44 33.93 21.38 27.37 32.79 23.91 23.21 24.66 27.16 37.84 31.25 26.92 24.00 34.62 70.00 18.46 30.77 26.83

Statistics to February 6

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Races

AWD

Earnings (£)

Top horse

122 139 119 99 95 111 94 84 69 81 63 40 43 30 41 39 41 17 24 22 28 43 26 38 34 29 18 19 29 33 19 24 16 24 12 10 20 9 32

19.8 20.1 20.4 20.1 20.1 20.3 20.6 19.7 20.3 19.7 19.3 18.5 19.6 20.3 20.3 20.8 18.5 18.0 19.6 22.5 20.3 18.7 19.2 18.4 20.3 21.4 21.4 19.8 20.6 22.9 18.4 18.3 18.8 21.8 23.4 19.9 18.8 18.6 19.5

1,837,774 1,647,537 1,339,892 1,180,647 1,117,883 1,077,146 1,040,135 1,005,358 769,007 717,931 661,530 480,390 471,825 426,189 418,692 417,993 395,456 391,022 383,175 372,137 361,342 348,172 342,734 341,535 327,653 325,342 305,685 298,890 296,389 278,902 275,198 273,202 256,686 256,481 256,020 254,256 249,579 239,749 227,140

Cue Card Lord Scoundrel Thistlecrack Wrath Of Titans Noble Endeavor Realt Mor El Bandit Westerner Lady Airlie Beach Quite by Chance Outlander Tiger Roll Brain Power Kylecrue Sub Lieutenant Supreme Vinnie Listen Dear Taquin du Seuil Clondaw Warrior Native River Otago Trail Shattered Love Theligny Jack The Wire Definitly Red Village Vic Many Clouds Some Plan Foxtail Hill Wholestone Garde La Victoire Ball d'Arc Let's Dance Mercers Court Unowhatimeanharry Apple's Jade Altior Douvan Whizzzey Rascal

Earned (£)

172,967 126,784 183,767 97,270 93,250 40,905 52,012 142,604 101,400 59,074 97,504 81,071 119,187 65,882 54,022 51,479 42,472 94,349 174,802 207,873 87,195 52,824 34,339 39,667 43,852 57,714 79,730 63,832 46,253 50,411 58,464 77,288 63,349 26,391 119,595 83,445 52,957 98,032 17,581

Grade 1 treble for flying French-breds King’s Theatre did his cause no harm with Grade 2 victories by The New One and Shaneshill. There were wins at the same level for Kayf Tara, Oscar, Flemensfirth and Westerner. The last two, together with Beneficial and Milan, have now passed the £1 million mark and Kayf Tara increased his advantage over Oscar.

French-breds had a good month.

Both British Grade 1s fell to them, through Top Notch in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and Un de Sceaux in the Clarence House Chase, and Petit Mouchoir picked up the Irish Champion Hurdle.

Irish-bred Some Plan (by Winged Love) landed the other Grade 1 in Ireland, the Arkle Novice Chase.

103

Mar_151_24Hours_Owner 17/02/2017 15:47 Page 104

24 HOURS WITH… GEOFF BANKS

104

GEORGE SELWYN

I

’ve been going racing since I was six or seven.

My father John, who was the biggest independent rails bookmaker in Britain during the 1960s and 70s, used to take me to Hamilton Park – I remember him lifting me over the turn-style to get in.

Dad was a Glaswegian, a flamboyant character who used to travel to the races in style, in either a bright yellow Rolls Royce or his Piper Aztec jet. There was a three-year period when he was warned off for ‘talking’ to John Francome, so he became a punter instead.

I took over the business 19 years ago and now operate at 15 tracks, plus I have an online presence. The most popular service we offer is text betting – our customers seem to like it with their fiver and tenner bets.

Ten years ago I would have been racing three or four times a week but now I’m only on track during the big festivals or on Saturday; I suppose it’s more of a hobby these days. It’s not worth attending the midweek meetings – most of the time Sunday to Friday you are taking less than £1,000.

I’ve been going to the Cheltenham Festival since I was ten – and working there since I was 16 – and enjoy it more than any other meeting. Staffing levels at the Festival is six employees per pitch. I’ll rent a house for the week and I’ll be up by 8am, ready to enjoy a traditional Cotswold breakfast. But I’m usually quite healthy and will have something like eggs with avocado or salmon.

You certainly don’t see the number of big bets that you used to at the Festival. A decade ago it was routine to be laying lots of multithousand pound bets; now the exchanges and online

Bookmaker GEOFF BANKS has been taking bets at British tracks for two decades – he thinks the game has gone slightly off the rails in that period but he still loves the Cheltenham Festival firms mean everyone’s on a mobile phone and far fewer people carry cash. However it’s still the most vibrant betting ring in the country and there are still plenty of punters who enjoy the interaction and banter with the bookies.

Ante-post betting at Cheltenham isn’t the big deal it used to be, mainly due to certain owners and trainers and their policy of multiple entries combined with giving out misinformation on their horses to the public. This uncertainty is bad for the sport and nobody benefits.

I’d like to see the top stars running against each other more often and qualifying for specific Festival races.

The biggest bet I’ve ever laid was £80,000 at 7-4, on Kauto Star to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which he did. Would I do it again? Only if the price was right! I’ve never yet refused a bet on the rails.

I love the big Festival handicaps when you have four, five or six runners in with a chance jumping the last. I’m not really interested in something winning a Grade 1 by 20 lengths.

When you watch the runners fighting it out up that hill, seeing how much they give, that’s the essence of National Hunt racing. The Flat’s nowhere near as exciting. However I think jumping could take a leaf out of the Flat book and stage

some bigger festivals throughout the year. The best home for a proper Christmas NH festival – which the sport needs – would be Ascot.

When I’m working on course I don’t have time to eat. Maybe I’ll have a cup of tea to keep me going. At Cheltenham, if I bump into any friends, I’ll have a glass of champagne before the races begin.

I’m useless in the kitchen but luckily my Estonian girlfriend, Merle, is a wonderful cook. We’ll have something healthy and definitely no chips – I don’t eat them.

Time away from racing could be spent skiing or on the golf course. But it’s difficult to switch off completely when you’re running your own business.

My two boys, aged 17 and 14, are unlikely to become the third generation of Banks bookmakers. I wouldn’t encourage them to get involved in the industry. The big firms are right when they say they are paying more for a sport with diminishing margins. Racing needs to up its game and deliver a better product.

Nick Rust is a personable fellow but the BHA seems to be beholden to the racecourses; look at how Newcastle got the go-ahead for its all-weather track. I took the BHA to task over its handling of the Speculative Bid affair because its behaviour was poor, arrogant and needed to be challenged. (The dispute was subsequently settled out of court.)

Usually I’m in bed by 10pm after watching some sport on TV, but I don’t support any teams and don’t have any favourite horses – it interferes with your judgement, which is no good in my profession.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

DAR11318 OB page- Dawn Approach 28 FEB17 2.qxp 10/02/2017 12:07 Page 1

The Dawn Approaches I have are really nice and look like

precocious, early-running types with good attitudes.

I have three nice two-year-olds by Dawn Approach, and I like them all!

Saeed bin Suroor

Dermot Weld

I’ve got three lovely Dawn Approaches and one in particular is

a smasher!

Richard Hannon

I view Dawn Approach as the best first-season sire prospect that I have encountered. As a European Champion two-year-old with impeccable conformation,

a cast-iron constitution and a great will to win,

I believe he has what it takes. He excites

me greatly.

Jim Bolger

I have half a dozen two-year-olds by Dawn Approach. They have all impressed in everything they have done so far. Based on what I’ve seen, if I had to have a bet I would back Dawn Approach to be

leading first-season sire.

Hugo Palmer

Our Dawn Approach colt is a Coventry horse. We’re very excited about him. He’s very straightforward and sound mentally.

And he’s fast!

James Tate DAWN APPROACH

New Approach – Hymn Of The Dawn (Phone Trick) Stands at Kildangan Stud, Ireland +353 (0)45 527600 +44 (0)1638 730070 www.darleystallions.com

Darley