Trainer Magazine, European edition, issue 65 - April - June 2019

ISSUE 65 – APRIL-JUNE 2019 £6.95 www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED

THE

DUNLOPS Making tracks for French-bred success

DR. ANDREAS JACOBS Shares his thoughts on racing and breeding in Germany

FUNGI

Is fungi the invisible health risk?

NEW FINDINGS ON EIPH

From an Australian perspective but with worldwide implications

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| OPINION |

GILE S ANDE RSON PUBLISHER’S OPINION

t has been a long winter, with the worrying times when equine influenza seemingly looked like taking a stranglehold on racing in northern Europe. And then the positive action of many trainers in the UK led to a temporary reprieve in the reduction of prize money levels forced on the industry by one leading racecourse group.

True winter conditions greeted those who indulged in steeplechasing’s annual pilgrimage to Prestbury Park, and it was good to see so many faces from not just the United Kingdom and Ireland but also many from across Europe—all there for the best that the winter code has to offer.

For me the performance of the week has to be that of Bryony Frost, her ride on Frodon was an absolute peach, and she thoroughly deserved to be the first female jockey to ride a Gr1 winner at the festival.

Her performance in front of the camera won her so much praise and will have contributed to the excellent front-page media coverage the following day—certainly creating a positive vibe for our sport and showing that it can gain exposure for the right reasons.

Here is someone, just 23 years of age, who possesses such an eloquent vocabulary. Who can’t be inspired by what she said about Frodon? “When he got overtaken two out, most horses would quit, but he grabbed me by the hands and said, 'don't you dare give up, don't you dare not send me into the last, I want this more than you, now come on’!...... It's a lesson for us. Sometimes you might go down, but you've got to get up and get going again, and at the last, he was just magic. Then when he got to the front, he did his usual and just looked up at the crowd and made sure he took it in. Just like I did.”

Our VetSet Trainer of the Quarter in this issue also enjoyed success at the festival. It’s been some years coming for Ben Case but deserved all the same. Like many small trainers, Case has had to plough his own furrow. Buying and selling on young stock has been part of his mantra for some time, but it’s so good to see a horseman of such quality get the festival breakthrough that he deserves.

Another trainer who is used to treading his own path is Harry Dunlop, and in this issue of the magazine is our cover profile trainer who discusses his USP of success with French-bred horses.

Across to Germany and we are delighted to include a fascinating question-and-answer interview with Dr. Andreas Jacobs, who is not only the chairman of Baden-Baden racing, but also the driving force behind two major European stud farms: Newsells Park Stud in England and Gestüt Fährhof in his homeland. He shares some very interesting points on the development of the course as well as his thoughts on the breeding industry.

Wherever your racing takes you this spring – good luck!

I

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ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| CONTENTS |

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CONTENTS F E AT U R E S 10 Harry Dunlop

Carl Evans meets the Lambourn trainer who is making tracks for French-bred success.

20 Tying-Up

Catherine Rudenko looks at how to deal with cases of ‘exertional rhabdomyolysis’, otherwise known as Tying-Up.

28 Finding owners

Alysen Miller discovers how different trainers are going about marketing themselves to new owners and embracing digital technologies.

34 Australian EIPH report

New research on the impact of EIPH from an Australian perspective but with worldwide implications, by Ellie Crispe and Guy Lester.

40 Dr. Andreas Jacobs

Jacobs, talks to Peter Muhlfeit about his role at Baden-Baden racecourse and his thoughts on the breeding industry and racing.

46 Medication delivery

58 Taxing times

REGULARS

64 Brexit preparations

04 Contributors 06 ETF Members 08 VetSet Trainer

Lissa Oliver discovers why VAT and withholding tax rules vary so much across Europe.

The latest developments on preparations for Brexit from the racing industry’s perspective,

by Lissa Oliver.

66 State-of-the-art training centre

Sally Duckett reports from the new Conghua racecourse and training centre in China.

72 Why are leg boots not commonly Dr. David Marlin investigates.

78 News from the EMHF

Dr. Paull Khan shares where the new racecourses are opening across Europe.

/t ra in er ma ga zi ne /t ra in er ma ga zi ne

84 Starting out

86 Gaining momentum

52 Fungi

96 Hindsight

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

@t ra in er _m ag

The latest news from France-based trainer, Gavin Hernon.

Roger Smith investigates how medication might be administered through the skin as opposed to injection.

02

90 Course to Course 94 Product Focus

used in racing?

Lissa Oliver finds out how stables nominated for the Lycetts Team Champion Awards are raising the bar for both team spirit and staff management.

Is fungi the invisible health risk?

Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck DVM, PhD, ECEIM takes a detailed look.

of the Quarter

Simon Christian shares about his career and what he would be doing differently if training now.

Visit trainermagazine.com to download the digital edition of this issue.

DATE

SALE

COMPANY

January 29th - 30th

February NH Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

February 5th - 7th

February Sale

Goffs

May 2nd

Punchesto own Sale

Goffs

May 14th

May Store Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

May 23rd - 24th

Tattersallss Ireland Goresbrid dge Breeze-Up

Tattersalls Ireland / Goresbridge

June 11th - 12th

Land Rove er Sale

Goffs

June 26th - 27th

Derby Sale e

Tattersalls Ireland

July 19th

Mixed Sale e

Goresbridge

August 13th - 15th

August NH H Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

September 14th

Champion n Sale

Goffs

September 24th - 25th

Septembe er Yearling Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

September 26th

Septembe er Yearling Sale Part II

Tattersalls Ireland

October 1st - 2nd

Orby Sale

Goffs

October 3rd

Sportsman n’s Sale

Goffs

October 25th

Mixed Sale e

Goresbridge

November 4th - 6th

HIT & Autu umn Yearling Sale

Goffs

November 8th

Flat Foal & Breeding Stock Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

November 9th - 16th

Novemberr NH Sale

Tattersalls Ireland

November 17th - 24th

Novemberr Flat Foal & Breeding Stock Sale

Goffs

December 11th - 12th

Decemberr NH Sale

Goffs

Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson Design ATG Media Sub-Editor Jana Cavalier Advert Production Shae Hardy Circulation/Website Anna Alcock Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Anna Alcock Photo Credits: Francesca Altoft, Svensk Galopp, Shutterstock, Rose Lewis, Barney Curran, Alice Kenyon, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Dan Abraham, Matthew Webb Cover Photograph Giles Anderson

Trainer magazine is published by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. This magazine is distributed for free to all ETF members. Editorial views expressed are not necessarily those of the ETF. Additional copies can be purchased for £6.95 (ex P&P). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the European Union For all editorial and advertising queries please contact: Anderson & Co. Publishing Tel: +44 (0) 1380 816777 Fax: +44 (0) 1380 816778 email: info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com Issue 65

Ellie Crispe is a veterinarian with extensive experience in racetrack veterinary practice. After completion of a residency in Equine Medicine and Surgery at Murdoch University, she went on to complete a PhD on exerciseinduced pulmonary haemorrhage. She is currently the senior veterinarian with Simon Miller Racing in Australia.

Sally Duckett is editor of International Thoroughbred magazine, "aide" to trainer and partner Geoffrey Deacon and sales day live writer for Tattersalls and Tattersalls Ireland.

Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck-Westergren graduated from the École Nationale Vétérinaire de Maison Alfort (France) in 1996. After completing a PhD on respiratory diseases and respiratory function testing in horses at The University of Liège, Emmanuelle launched her own private referral practice in equine sports medicine. She specialises in exercise testing and unexplained poor performance cases.

Carl Evans has been a freelance racing journalist for 23 years, surviving by ‘metaphorically jumping on every horse that comes past the door’. From that modus operandi you will find him at Aintree or Royal Ascot one day, or reporting from a bloodstock sale or point-topoint the next. He says: ‘Some people study pedigrees, but I prefer to study the people who make the pedigrees.’

Gavin Hernon is an aspiring young trainer in Chantilly, France. At the age of 16, Gavin flew the nest of the family’s stud farm in north Cork on an adventure that would see him under the direction of Jim Bolger, Andre Fabre, Nicolas Clement, Ed Dunlop and Graham Motion. Gavin also acts as a French representative for Goffs.

Paull Khan PhD. is an international horseracing consultant. He is Secretary-General of the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation and Technical Advisor for Europe to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. His other clients include the British Horseracing Authority. Previously, Dr. Khan held many senior roles at Weatherbys, including Banking Director and Racing Director.

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

Guy Lester is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine who has extensive clinical and research experience in both Australia and the U.S. He is currently professor of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida.

David Marlin first studied racehorses as part of his PhD at the Animal Health Trust and was the first person in the UK to run horses on a highspeed treadmill. He then worked for 3 years in

Newmarket for Luca Cumani. From 1990-2005 David was Senior Scientist and Head of Physiology at the Animal Health Trust. His main areas of professional interest are exercise physiology, including nutrition, fitness training, thermoregulation, competition strategy, transport and respiratory disease.

Alysen Miller is a writer, editor and producer based in London. She has written about racing for publications including The Sunday Times. She launched and produced CNN International’s first dedicated horseracing magazine show, Winning Post. She has ridden on the Flat as an amateur and currently competes in eventing on her retrained racehorse, Southfork.

Peter Muhlfeit works for the public broadcaster SWR in his hometown (Radio and Online News) and has been a freelance racing journalist for more than three decades. Peter writes for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), the regional paper BNN, the German column in EBN and for the German thoroughbred magazine, Vollblut. Peter also worked for the BBC World Service for ten years.

Lissa Oliver lives in Co. Kildare, Ireland and is a regular contributor to The Irish Field and the Australian magazine, Racetrack. Lissa is also the author of several collections of short stories and two novels.

Catherine Rudenko is an independent registered nutritionist with a focus on thoroughbreds.

Based in the UK, Catherine has worked in the USA, Europe and Asia with trainers and studs creating feeds and feeding plans customised to their needs and climate.

With a keen interest in education and research, Catherine works with professional bodies and universities to promote knowledge of nutrition and its importance in the management of thoroughbreds and other breeds.

Professor Roger Smith is currently Professor of Equine Orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC).

He qualified from Cambridge University in 1987 with a First and a Full Blue in swimming. After 2 years in practice, he became a Resident in Equine Studies at the RVC and subsequently undertook a PhD on equine tendons. He holds the Diploma of Equine Orthopaedics from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and is both a Diplomate of the ECVS and an RCVS Specialist in Equine Surgery.

Your next chance to find a Derby winner

Weltstar winner of the German Derby 2018 - a BBAG graduate

Windstoss - winner of the German Derby 2017 - a BBAG graduate

Isfahan - winner of the German Derby 2016 - a BBAG graduate

Spring Breeze Up Mixed Sale: 31st May 2019 Premier Yearling Sales: 30th August 2019 Sales & Racing Festival: 18th and 19th October 2019 www.bbag-sales.de

EUROPEAN TRAINERS’ FEDERATION AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the ETF:

a) To represent the interests of all member trainers’ associations in Europe. b) To liaise with political and administrative bodies on behalf of European trainers. c) To exchange information between members for the benefit of European trainers. d) To provide a network of contacts to assist each member to develop its policy and services to member trainers.

ETF REPRESENTATIVES Chairmanship: Guy Heymans (Belgium) Tel: +32 (0) 495 389 140 Email: heymans1@telenet.be

Vice Chairmanship:

Nicolas Clément (France) Tel: +33 (0)3 44 57 25 39 Fax: +33 (0)3 44 57 58 85 Email: entraineurs.de.galop@wanadoo.fr

AUSTRIA

Mrs Živa Prunk Tel: +38640669918 Email: ziva.prunk@gmail.com

CZECH REPUBLIC

Vice Chairmanship:

Treasureship:

Christian von der Recke (Germany) Tel: +49 (022 54) 84 53 14 Fax: +49 (022 54) 84 53 15 Email: recke@t-online.de

Michael Grassick (Ireland) Tel: +353 (0)45 522 981 Mobile: +353 (0)87 258 87 70 Fax: +353 (0)45 522 982 Email: office@irta.ie

HUNGARY

UNITED KINGDOM

Mr Botond Kovács Email: botond.kovacs@kincsempark.hu

ITALY

Rupert Arnold Tel: +44 (0) 1488 71719 Fax: +44 (0) 1488 73005 Email: r.arnold@racehorsetrainers.org

RUSSIA

Joseph Vana Tel: +42 (0) 6024 296 29 Email: horova@velka-chuchle.cz

Agostino Affe Email: affegaloppo@gmail.com

Olga Polushkina Email: p120186@yandex.ru

GREECE

NETHERLANDS

SLOVAKIA

Aggeliki Amitsis Tel: 30 229 908 1332+ Email: angieamitsis@yahoo.com

Geert van Kempen Mobile: +31 (0)6 204 02 830 Email: renstalvankempen@hetnet.nl

GERMANY

NORWAY

Erika Mäder Tel: +49 (0) 2151 594911 Fax: +49 (0) 2151 590542 Email: trainer-und-jockeys@netcologne.de

Are Hyldmo Mobile: +47 984 16 712 Email: arehyldmo@hotmail.com

www.trainersfederation.eu

Jaroslav Brecka Email: jaroslav.brecka@gmail.com

SWEDEN

Caroline Malmborg Email: caroline@stallmalmborg.se

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GUARANTEED TO BLEED STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO REDUCE THE INCIDENTS OF BLEEDING

BY MARK HANSEN While bleeding from the nose in racehorses is uncommon, it is accepted that most every horse will experience some level of bleeding in their lungs. Even though this may only cause slight discomfort for the equine athlete, it is a trainer’s worst nightmare because it can lead to poor performance, lost training days, costly treatments, or worse — a very sick horse that’s banned from racing for life.

For one trainer, this is exactly the nightmare that happened to him. Suddenly not just one, but two of his best horses were bleeding from EIPH (Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage). They were in danger of being banned from racing, even though they were still in their prime. Lasix (Salix) wasn’t cutting it this time.

The trainer was at a loss. What can be done?

Facing these concerns for two of his horses, the trainer (who asked us to withhold his name for competitive reasons) was willing to try anything. So, he searched for another option.

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“I used BleederShield paste on two horses that had been bleeding. Now, neither horse has bled. This is a great product; it saved the careers of two very good horses.”

The Science Behind BleederShield To understand how BleederShield works, we looked at a controlled study run by veterinarians at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

They investigated the effects of the active ingredient in BleederShield, yunnan baiyao, which has been shown to help reduce bleeding in people and animals.

The veterinary team wanted to see how this active ingredient specifically affected bleeding in horses. They measured template bleeding times in horses before and after receiving a supplement with the active ingredient.

The researchers reported that the significantly supplement reduced bleeding time. They concluded that the active ingredient in BleederShield was effective at minimizing blood loss in horses.1 What surprised us the most about BleederShield is its effectiveness without the use of drugs. Having a drugfree option is critical in countries that ban most race-day EIPH medications.

And even though Lasix/Salix isn’t banned in the USA yet, its day may be coming. There’s a serious need NOW for a natural solution that can help control bleeding in performance horses.

Trainers and owners alike are impressed with the results they are seeing from BleederShield. One winning trainer told us: “I have horses that bleed and when I use this product I have no problems. I’m sure there are a lot of products on the market but I stand behind this one all the way.”

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1 2

Graham L. et al. J Vet Emerg Crit Care. 12:4 (2002) 279-282.

Graham L. Vet Clin North Am Equine Pract. 2006.

care with confidence

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TRAINER OF THE QUARTER

BE N CAS E

The VetSet Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Ben Case. Case and the team at Wardington Gate Farm will receive a large selection of VetSet Veterinary Bandages, Dressings and Hygiene products, and a bottle of Artisan British Gin. Giles Anderson mongst the different training successes from the Cheltenham Festival, one ‘smaller’ trainer stood out. Ben Case himself isn’t exactly small in stature, after all he’s built more like a rugby player than a jockey. His Edgcote yard, nestled in the Northamptonshire countryside, is blessed with the patronage of loyal owners with many being part of the yard since Case first took out his licence some twenty years ago.

The success of Croco Bay in the Gr3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual

A

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

Francesca Altoft

Challenge Cup Handicap Chase is by far the most prolific of Case’s career and caps a memorable month for Case, who enjoyed his first success at Newbury with First Draft back on March 2nd. Both horses have handsomely contributed to the earnings of the Wardington Gate Farm team this season, one which is set to be their highest earning season to date.

But what makes Croco Bay’s success stand out? Take a look at the form book, and the last time that Croco Bay was seen on a racecourse came some 227 days prior when running second in a

midsummer chase at Worcester. Before that, it was a further 501 days to his previous start when finishing 5th in the 2017 running of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual.

“I don’t know what to say”, reported Case. “A week ago I wasn’t sure we would get in, and I have to thank Paul Webber, who let me swim Croco Bay. I knew he was fit as he went to Newbury the other day and never blew a candle out. He was in great form. He just loves it. He runs with his heart on his sleeve and I’m thrilled...lost for words.

care with confidence “There has been a lot of work going into Croco Bay. He had a year off the previous year, and we brought him back from a long lay-off to run at Worcester, when he ran very well. The ground was a bit on and off afterwards, and I thought if we are ever going to have the chance of winning a big race, he has to come back here. We gave him the winter off and brought him back after Christmas.

He loves it around here. He has been third and fifth, and the time I really did fancy him he fell at the water, which is very unlike him, but he has made up for it today.

“He is 12-years-old, but he is like a six-year-old at home. He has a great attitude, the horse, and if he was worked up, I would be worried. He has been to all the festivals—here, Aintree, Galway, Punchestown—and to win here is fantastic. He is proper handicapper. He is what he is, but he goes out there and runs his heart out every time. For a small yard like ours to have somebody like him, it is great for us.

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“This is what we do the job for, to have days like this. We have about 30 in the yard, and it is a very small team.

Everybody knows each other really well and have been with me for a long time.

I am just really pleased for everybody.

It is an emotional occasion. The owner

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01553 819590

has put a lot into it. We buy and sell foals. She has a few horses in training with me, and we have had a lot of fun.

We had a big winner with Deep Trouble at Punchestown a long time ago, and this horse has carried the can for us as well.”

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PROFILE

Carl Evans Francesca Altoft, Giles Anderson

THE

DUN LOPS MAKING TRACKS FOR FRENCH-BRED SUCCESS 10

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

| HARRY DUNLOP |

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

11

PROFILE

Robin of Navan with Mohammed Mirza

F

rustrated by the lingering vapour trails of the financial crisis, Lambourn trainer Harry Dunlop sought an edge, and found it in France.

That was in 2011, when he ventured to Arqana’s October Yearling Sale for the first time, bought a yearling and found an avenue which, while not untrodden, gave his business another angle, namely buying French-bred horses to race for British owners across the Channel. His yard was conveniently located little more than an hour from the ferry port at Portsmouth. The prize money was good, and the French system of premiums given to horses bred in the country was a very attractive extra.

Seven years later, after steadily developing the process, Dunlop’s string includes some ten French-bred horses with which to target races on both sides of the Channel.

WHATEVER BREXIT THROWS UP WE WILL TAKE OF IT, AND ON THAT SCORE OWNERS DO NOT NEED TO WORRY. 12

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

Brexit could cause a few bumps along the way, but with an experienced shipping company on side, and his growing knowledge of racing in France, he is optimistic of a bright future.

Dunlop says: “Whatever Brexit throws up we will take of it, and on that score owners do not need to worry. Luck Greayer handles our shipping and excels at sorting out matters and getting across borders”.

Reflecting on that exploratory cross-Channel buying trip, he says: “In 2011 the recession was still having an effect and things were quite tough; we felt we had to do something different. I made my first trip to Arqana for a yearling sale, aiming to buy a horse on spec with a small budget. We bought an Astronomer Royal colt (for €16,000), and I managed to get seven people to form a syndicate with the promise of some racing in France.

“Named Sir Patrick Moore, he turned out to be a really nice two-year-old, who won first time out at Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes meeting, teeing up the option of running in Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes. Instead of that, we took him to Compiegne for a Class B race which he won, earning the equivalent of finishing second in the Coventry.

That opened our eyes to how profitable it could be to race in France, and, no less importantly, we were seen to be trying something different.

“Sir Patrick Moore went on to be placed in a Listed race at two and in the [Gp3] Greenham Stakes the following year, and the owners all enjoyed going to different racecourses and enjoying some good lunches. We later sold him very well to race on in Australia.

| HARRY DUNLOP |

Calling London

Pat Kennedy on Ted, followed by Iain Rogers on Jackfinbar and Phil Donnelly on Fighting Irish behind.

Andrew Lindsay

“It steamrolled from there; we went back to Arqana the following October and have since bought four Stakes horses from that sale. The pound is weaker against the euro than when we started, but most of the horses we have bought would probably have cost more in Britain or Ireland”.

Dunlop is a family man, with two young sons (Tom and William) who know which way to place a saddle on a horse’s back. William is becoming a pony-racing rider to note, and Harry’s wife, Christina, plays an important role in the business which cannot be overstated. A horsewoman who has ridden since childhood, Christina is involved at the yard on several fronts, not least as head of public relations.

Six years working for PR specialists Johnno Spence Consulting, with the Epsom Derby as her key client, Christina polished a naturally easy style that would make her invaluable in any trainer’s yard. Yet Christina is a grafter too, willing to tackle anything from office administration to intractable colts, while organising staff discussions and outings and spending time on the road.

Saying, with a barely-veiled side-swipe at her husband, “I do a lot of travelling—Harry says I’m very good at it”, she adds: “I have been across to France with runners on many occasions, and my French is certainly not fluent, but I’ve found that when I ask for help—be it from trainers, their assistants or staff—everyone is very helpful. We have always been welcomed”.

To anyone who has been following racing in recent decades, no matter how distantly, the name Dunlop must ring bells, for Harry’s older brother, Ed, is a Classicwinning Newmarket trainer who has successfully raided big races around the globe, while their late father, John, was a champion trainer who sent out the winners of 10 British Classics.

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

Harry says: “Ed and I chat a lot, and he’s very helpful.

Newmarket is the centre of flat racing and th herefore it’s nice to hear what’s going on up there, and I stay wit ith him during the yearling sales.

“Dad was very proud of our achievements, and K Kn n night To Behold winning last year’s Derby Trial gavve him some pleasure just before he died. He had won the race on a number of occasions, and the following day we chatt tted t on the phone several times about where to go and what to do next.

He always loved to know about the good horsses. This is not an easy business, but it’s very rewarding, and d Dad recoggnised that when both Ed and I wanted to go into trraining”.

| HARRY DUNLOP |

Phil Donnelly on Fighting Irish

From Paradis to Paradise in Lambouurn

When John Dunlop’s sons entered the world d of racing, there was probably an assumption that one of them would eventually take over his yard at Arundel in Su ussex. Yet Ed set up business in Newmarket, and Harry did likewise in Lambourn amidst the rolling downs of Berkshire.

Harry says: “When we were looking to start on our own I sought Ralph Beckett’s advice on yards that might suit us, and he said, ‘Why not come to Windsor House?’ (where Beckett was based). Ralph was heading to Whitsbury, and

IT’S VERY REWARDING, AND DAD RECOGNISED THAT WHEN BOTH ED AND I WANTED TO GO INTO TRAINING. the Lambourn gallops, which had been managed privately, were about to be taken on by Jockey Club Estates, which was a bonus.

“Arundel was a huge yard with a large rent, and given the number of horses we hoped to train at that time, it wasn’t viable. My father was still training and showed no intention of stopping, and we were keen to get started – Christina and I had been married in 2004 and started training here in September 2006”.

Dunlop is unequivocal in his praise for the service Jockey Club Estates gives to Lambourn trainers, saying: “The classic example of why Lambourn is such a good place to train came as recently as February, when we had nearly a foot of snow in a day, yet the Jockey Club cleared it all away and enabled us to continue to train. They are continually updating things, the gallops are always well harrowed, and in terms of safety you can be confident horses will come back to the yard.

“We also have a fantastic choice of gallops—it is very rare for our horses to arrive at a gallop and find another string about to go on. That means no queuing and fears about horses boiling over. Owners have visited and said it is so peaceful and tranquil, yet we are close to the M4 motorway”.

If John and Susan Dunlop had doubts their youngest son would follow a racing career, they were probably expelled once he started decorating his bedroom. Harry

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Miss Gargar

Harry speaking with Julie Sipova on Craneur

WELCOME TO THE LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN AND NORTHERN LIGHTS You won’t see either in Oslo in the summertime and no polar bears nor Vikings neither. However, we still think you should consider our pattern races for your horse this season.

Saturday June 29th, to close on April 29th THE OSLO CUP (Group 3) 2400 meters (1m4f), total value NOK 650.000 (€ 66.491) Also run on Saturday June 29th, to close on April 1st NORWEGIAN 1000 GUINEAS 1600 meters (1m), total value NOK 400.000 (€ 40.917) NORWEGIAN 2000 GUINEAS 1600 meters (1m), total value NOK 400.000 (€ 40.917) Thursday August 1st, to close on June 3rd THE LANWADES STUD STAKES (Listed) For fillies and mares. 1600 meters (1m), total value NOK 250.000 (€ 25.573) Sunday August 25th, to close on June 24th THE MARIT SVEAAS MINNELOP (Group 3) 1800 meters (1m1f), total value NOK 1.300.000 (€ 132.982) THE POLAR CUP (Group 3) 1370 meters (6f185y), total value NOK 650.000 (€ 66.491) THE ERIK O. STEEN’SS MEMORIAL For fil fillies and mares, 2400 meters (1m4f), total value NOK 400.000 (€ 40.917) Sunday October 6th, to close on August 5th THEE NORSK JOCKEYKLUBS SPRINTLOP (Listed) 1170 meters, (6f), total value NOK 250.000 (€ 25.5573) THE ARNFINN LUNDS MINNELOP (Listed) 1600 meters (1m), total value NOK 300.0000 (€ 30.6688)

www.ovrevollgalopp.no

For each horse trained outside Scandinavia participating in Group races, travel allowances will be subject to agreements. Please note that jockeys are not allowed to carry a whip in races for 3-years old and upwards.

For further information, please contact Liv Kristiansen liv.kristiansen@rikstoto.no International Racing Bureau Newmarket, UK + 44 1638 66 8881 Max Pimlott: max@irbracing.com “The track was great and we were very well looked after, it was a great experience and will certainly be coming back!”

Mick Appleby, trainer of Hakam (USA) winner of the 2018 Polar Cup (Gr 3) and Bigg Countryy (IRE) third in the 2018 Marit Sveaas Minneløp (Gr 3). Netting NOK 420 000 for connections.

Photo: Morten Reinert

PROFILE

Knight To Behold with Rolf Fowley

says: “I was 12 or 13 when I decided it would be a racing life for me. I placed posters on my bedroom wall of horses like Salsabil and Miesque; and Pacemaker was my favourite magazine—although I also had a poster of Vanessa Paradis.

“It was the heyday at Arundel, with Sheikh Hamdan’s involvement resulting in horses like Salsabil, Derby winner Erhaab, Marju and many others. I went to school in Dorset but was not a great scholar, and while I got through it, the prospect of training horses was my goal”.

His route took in some race-riding experience: a school holiday job at Jessie Harrington’s led to a first bumper ride at 17, and while studying agriculture at Cirencester, he rode in point-to-points on a couple of horses owned by his father and trained at Arundel. Talk about a shock to the point-to-point fraternity when the champion flat trainer turned up at venues such as Tweseldown and Parham.

With a hint of pride, Dunlop adds: “I won three points on a horse called Local Manor, and later won a bumper at Cheltenham on Shagreen, who also carried me to victory in a hurdle race at Uttoxeter”.

A stint in New Zealand and Australia with trainers Dave and Paul O’Sullivan—“that was a real eye-opener”, he says—was followed by the position of assistant to Nicky Henderson. Dunlop says: “There was plenty of jumping action in my early days, and I look back on them fondly.”

From top jumps yard to iconic flat trainer, he then spent two years with Sir Henry Cecil and recalls: “During my time there Henry became quite ill, and a group of us took on the yard. Jane, who was secretary at the time and later became his wife, plus head lad Frank Conlon and I came together to keep things ticking over. (At this point Christina interjects and says, ‘That probably mucked up the handicaps for the following year’.)

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

| HARRY DUNLOP |

THERE IS EXPECTATION WITH THE DUNLOP NAME, AND SO THERE IS AN ASSUMPTION YOU WILL HAVE 100 HORSES AND CLASSIC WINNERS, BUT THE REALITY WAS WE STARTED WITH ZERO AND GRAFTED IT LIKE THE MAJORITY OF OTHER TRAINERS. “Then my father became very ill with an aneurism and I returned home, spending four years there. Dad recovered, and at the conclusion of that stint we came to Windsor House”.

Christina adds: “We arrived here with a nine-month-old baby, four chickens, a carload of our possessions and found a house that was full of builders. Harry went to Goffs’ yearling, and I remember sitting with my head in my hands thinking, ‘What are we doing here?’. We didn’t have a single horse, although we were promised some, and eventually we started with 12. It was quite a different start to that of other members of Harry’s family. His father had been a private trainer for the Duke of Norfolk, while Ed had been thrust into the role of trainer by the sad death of Alex Scott (who he had been assisting). We were starting on zero”.

Harry says: “We went through the Directory of the Turf, wrote to a lot of owners, printed a flyer and did lots of PR. Some of my father’s owners were kind enough to say they would support us, including Prince Faisal who sent us the lovely Festoso. It was quite a gamble, nonetheless”.

Didn’t his family’s role in racing prove a benefit?

Christina says: “The name Dunlop can open some doors, but it shuts others. There is expectation with the Dunlop name, and so there is an assumption you will have 100 horses and Classic winners, but the reality was we started with zero and grafted it like the majority of other trainers.

We would like more horses and more good-quality horses, and hopefully we are building towards that”.

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

17

PROFILE

| HARRY DUNLOP |

QUICK-FIRE WITH HARRY AND CHRISTINA Stable star

Harry: “Robin Of Navan was bought for us by bloodstock agent Matt Coleman at Arqana’s breeze-up sale. He’s won a Gp1 and been placed in two Gp1’s, and has won in the region of €750,000, including premiums. He’s six, but he’s racing on for a partnership that now involves original owner Richard Foden plus Kevin Freeman, who owns Jackfinbar [who won the Gp3 Prix de Lutece in September]. Kevin is a hugely enthusiastic owner who lives in Singapore, and we have nominated Robin Of Navan for a race in Hong Kong. He will begin the season in France with some Gp3’s, but Hong Kong would be a nice aim for the end of the season”.

Top-class sponsor

Christina: “Our new stable sponsor is Class One Personnel, a recruitment agency which is headed by Daniel McAuliffe. He and Anoj Don own Fighting Irish, who was third in the German 2000 Guineas last year, becoming our first Classic-placed horse”.

Buying horses

Harry: “We do not always buy horses by top-of-the-pops stallions, but I do like the mare to have produced a Stakes horse or at least a very good horse— look at the success Mark Johnston has enjoyed by following that method. I like an athletic horse and will forgive a minor physical issue”.

A foot in France

Harry: “You cannot have a licence in France and Britain, but you can leave a horse in France for up to 92 days a year, and we have left horses at Deauville racecourse during August when there is more or less continuous racing there; and at Clairefontaine, quite a lot of trainers from the south of France do the same thing. We have considered a satellite yard”.

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

Italian plan

Harry: “My father won all the Group races held at The Capannelle, and last year they held a race in his memory. I was invited over to present the prize, and while there attended a yearling sale.

We duly bought a Kingston Hill colt we named London Calling and syndicated to a group of owners who had horses with my father. The plan is to take him to Italy for a sales race in the autumn and to have lunch at The Ribot, a restaurant where my father would often take owners. It is sad that Italy has no Gp1 races now, and I just hope the Ministry can sort it out, because Italy is a wonderful place to go racing”.

Fond memories

Harry: “My oldest brother, Tim, was 21 when he was killed in a car accident.

He was destined to start training from Dad’s second yard. I was 11 and away at school, but it was a tough time for the whole family. There is a National Stud scholarship named in his honour, and also an assistant trainers’ scholarship which funds the opportunity for a person to work abroad for a leading trainer. That fund was set up by Sir Francis Brooke, Richard Pilkington and my brother, Ed”.

Pedal power

Christina: “With a young family of our own, we understand how it is for staff in the same position. We pay a bonus for staff who turn in for the full week and do a really good job, and we introduced a [rota] system whereby every other Wednesday staff work until about 10.30 a.m. and then have the rest of the day off, and that is working well. We have regular staff meetings where we can discuss issues, and Harry is aware of the need to work to deadlines so staff finish on time”.

Harry: “We have two syndicates, the Windsor House Stables Partnership and Velocity Racing, which revolves around cycling. Members come here to see the horses and then go for a bike ride; and our 2019 highlight will be to cycle along the coast from Cherbourg to Deauville.

This is our second year, and the horse this time is called Saffron Lane, who is named after a velodrome in Leicester”.

Christina: “You will be amazed how many people like wearing lycra! On a serious note, you have to look outside the box because people expect more, and you need to step up. You have to offer something which might get you the next owner”.

Tip for a prospective trainer

Two-year-olds to note

Staff focus

Harry: “Take good, sound financial advice. It’s a business”.

My secret weapon

Harry: “Christina—who you may not know is a breeder of Gp1 pigs. She enjoys telling me she won a Gp1 before I did”.

Harry and Christina: “We have Knight To Behold’s half-brother by Dark Angel called Angel On High, and Fighting Irish’s half-brother by Free Eagle—he’s called Falcon. Lord Ardilaun is a son of American Post, the sire of Robin Of Navan, and there is a very nice Golden Horn filly called Cassidy Jo”.

| NUTRITION |

ALL TI ED U P? Catherine Rudenko Shutterstock

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| TYING-UP |

T

ying-up or ER (exertional rhabdomyolysis) is a problem that every yard will encounter at some point in time with reports of 5-7% of the thoroughbred population being affected. ER is the general term used to cover two main forms of tying-up, acute or recurrent. ER by definition relates to the breakdown of striated muscle fibres following exercise. These fibres connect to the bone allowing movement of the skeleton. Damage causes anything from mild stiffness to the inability to move.

With much still unknown about the condition, the focus falls on reducing risk and ongoing management of those affected with recurrent form. The main area for intervention and management relates to feeds and feeding practices, an area that can be directly controlled by the yard and adjusted as needed for the individuals most affected.

Acute Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

The acute form is typically caused through factors external to the muscle rather than their being an intrinsic muscle defect.

Most commonly seen when the horse is adapting to a new level of work and the intensity or duration is too strenuous. Where speed work is concerned, the most likely cause is a depletion of cellular high energy phosphates, the muscles’ energy supply, combined with lactic acidosis. Where endurance work is concerned, depletion of intracellular glycogen—the stored form of glucose often combined with over-heating and electrolyte imbalances—is the common cause.

The other key factor for an acute episode is dietary energy intake being excessive to the current level of work. The use of high starch feeds to supply energy for horses in training is a common practice with grains, traditionally oats, forming the basis of such feeds. In the early stages of fitness work, an over-supply of energy relative to need, particularly when starch forms a large part of the diet, is a risk factor.

Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

This form of ER, where episodes are frequent and often seen even at low levels of exercise, has led to the suggestion that much like humans, there is an inherited intrinsic muscle defect. Such defects would predispose the horse to ER. Documented defects relevant to thoroughbreds include a disorder in muscle contractility or excitation contraction coupling, whereby muscle fibres become over-sensitive and normal function is disrupted.

Risk factors for ER in horses with the recurrent form include stress or high excitement during exercise, periods of jogging (10-30 minutes), infrequent exercise and overfeeding of energy in a high starch format relative to need.

Dietary considerations for ER

The amount of energy fed and the type of energy fed are important considerations whether looking to avoid an acute feed related episode or considering the management of a horse with the recurrent form.

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| NUTRITION |

Other nutrients often talked about when managing ER include vitamin E, selenium and electrolytes. Historically the inclusion of vitamin E and selenium were considered important for the prevention of further episodes, however there is no evidence to support such use. A case of deficiency in either of these nutrients may well put the horse at a disadvantage and could perhaps create a state where occurrence is more notable; however, with the advent of fortified and balanced complete bagged feeds, such nutrients are normally supplied in more than adequate amounts. Their role as antioxidants which function to ‘mop-up’ damaging free radicals generated through training is where their use can benefit any horse at this level of work. The use of additional vitamin E is also recommended when increasing the fat content of the diet—a common practice when feeding horses with recurrent ER. Electrolytes do play an important role in normal muscle function, and any deficiency noted in the diet should be corrected. Identifying a need in the diet is more easily done than determining if the individual horse has a problem with absorption or utilisation of the electrolytes. A urinary fractional excretion test (FE) will highlight issues, and subsequent correction through the diet to return the horse to within normal ranges may offer some improvement.

However, it is important to note that for horses with recurrent ER, where an intrinsic muscle defect is present, the research to date has shown no electrolyte imbalances or differences between such horses and unaffected horses.

Quantifying ‘low starch and high fat’ feeding

The recommended practice for management of ER is a reduction in starch and an increase in fats. This practice has two ways of benefiting the horse: a reduction in ‘spookiness’ or reactivity and a positive effect on muscle damage as seen by lower CK (creatine kinase) levels following exercise.

Positive effects on lowering CK levels were found when a higher proportion of the energy fed came from diets higher in fats and lower in non-structural carbohydrates (starches and sugars). The effect was noted when fed at 4.5kg/day— an amount easily reached and normally surpassed when feeding horses in training. The beneficial diet provided 20% of energy from fats and only 9% from starches and sugars compared to the more traditional sweet feed diet

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| TYING-UP |

providing 45% of energy from starches and sugars and less than 5% from fats.

Finding fats

Top dressing of oils will increase fat in the diet - with a normal intake of up to 100 mls per day. Although the horse can digest higher amounts, palatability usually restricts a higher intake. Pelleted or extruded fat sources are increasingly popular as alternatives to oils for their convenience of feeding and palatability. Straight rice bran and blends of materials such as rice bran, linseed and soya are available from most major feed companies.

Oil content will typically range from 18-26% providing 180g-260g of oil per kilogram as fed.

Racing feeds will also provide oil in the diet; content is quite varied typically from 4-10% providing 40g-100g per kilogram as fed. Hay and haylage also contains oil at a low level, typically 2% providing just 20g per kilogram on a dry matter basis.

Choosing carbohydrates

Traditional feeding based on oats and other whole grains will have a higher starch content than feeds using a combination of grains and fibres. Levels of starch found in complete feeds and straights have a broad range from as low as 8% in a complete feed, specifically formulated to have a low starch content, and up to in excess of 50% for straights such as barley and naked oats. (See table below)

Starch Content of Commonly Fed Straights and Forage Material

Typical starch content %

Starch content per kilogram (2.2lbs) as fed

Hay

1.8%

18g

Oats

37%

370g

Naked Oats

52%

520g

Barley

53%

530g

Maize

63%

630g

Rice Bran

22%

220g

Sugar Beet (dry weight)

1%

10g

Alfalfa

2%

20g

Outstanding Results #FedonTopSpec

Photograph by Swiss Image

New Agenda (far left), winning the Grosser Preis Longines Condition Stakes in St Moritz, trained

by Paul Webber, ridden by Dennis Schiergen and owned by the New Agenda Syndicate.

“New Agenda is thriving on his TopSpec feed during his trip to St. Moritz. We are very grateful to TopSpec for organising a special delivery to his stable in St. Moritz. That attention to detail is so helpful when racing horses abroad or at home.” Paul Webber

Multiple Award Winner for ‘Excellence in Nutritional Advice and Customer Service’

®

CREATED WITHOUT COMPROMISE by experienced equine nutritionists

Contact Will Humphreys on 07909 909 5 521085 21085 01845 565 030 (062) 85401 www.topspec.com

| NUTRITION |

Examples of the Different Feeding Programmes on Total Starch Intake Example One – ‘High Starch’ Feeding Bowls

Weight (kg)

Starch Intake (g)

Morning Feed

30% Starch Racing Feed

1.0

1.5

450

Lunch Feed

30% Starch Racing Feed

1.5

2.25

675

Evening Feed

30% Starch Racing Feed

2.0

3.0

900

0.5

10

6.75

2,025

Large Handful Alfalfa Total

Example Two – ‘Moderate Starch’ Feeding Bowls

Weight (kg)

Starch Intake (g)

Morning Feed

18% Starch Racing Feed

1.0

1.5

270

Lunch Feed

18% Starch Racing Feed

1.5

2.25

405

Evening Feed

18% Starch Racing Feed

2.0

3.0

54

0.5

10

6.75

1,215

Large Handful Alfalfa Total

Example Three – ‘Low Starch’ Feeding Bowls

Weight (kg)

Starch Intake (g)

Morning Feed

10% Starch Racing Feed

1.0

1.5

270

Lunch Feed

10% Starch Racing Feed

1.0

1.5

270

0.25

5

2.25

405

Rice Bran

0.5

110

Beet Pulp (dry weight)

0.2

2

Large Handful Alfalfa

0.5

10

6.7

950

Small Handful Alfalfa Evening Feed

10% Starch Racing Feed

1.5

Total

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The level of tolerance a horse has for starch intake when suffering from recurrent ER is somewhat individual, but the general practice is to reduce the intake of starch as low as possible without compromising body condition or providing an insufficient amount of energy to maintain performance. Starch is a valuable carbohydrate needed to provide glucose—the primary muscle ‘fuel’ required during anaerobic exercise where the horse’s heart rate is elevated and the pathway for utilisation of fats is closed. For horses in training, a large part of the exercise programme is anaerobic and therefore starch is required in the diet.

There is no official value at which a feed goes from being a high-starch feed to a low-starch feed. That combined with a lack of information around starch levels for some products can often result in yards having feed programmes that are accidentally higher in starch than intended for their horses with ER. A common error is use of a pony feed or cool feed, which is assumed to be more suitable by description but may not be low in starch, only lower in protein than a racing feed.

Feed materials today are wide-ranging and allow feed companies to create a variety of feeds around different nutritional parameters. It is possible to have a 14% protein feed with a starch content ranging anywhere from around 10% up to 35%. Protein content is completely independent of starch content and cannot be used as a predictor as to what extra level of starch your feed may provide. Obtaining that information from your feed provider is essential when making an informed decision about your feeding programme for horses with ER. As the hard feed—whether straights or a complete feed—forms the largest part of the diet by weight for a racehorse, it is the most influential item when looking to

| TYING-UP |

regulate starch intake. When considering starch intake, the total intake needs to be calculated. The amount of starch in a feed is important, for example choosing a feed that is 10% starch is likely a good decision over a feed at 30% starch; but these are just numbers. How much is eaten of that feed in a day is important. Blending hard feeds with alternative energy sources such as beet-pulp, oils and alfalfa in the feeding programme dramatically lowers total starch intake. Through using a ‘low starch’ feed in combination with alternative fibre and oil energy sources, it is possible to create a very low total intake without compromising on energy.

FEED MATERIALS TODAY ARE WIDE-RANGING AND ALLOW FEED COMPANIES TO CREATE A VARIETY OF FEEDS AROUND DIFFERENT NUTRITIONAL PARAMETERS.

Normal Intake • 6.75kg (15lbs) of typical racing feed • Free choice hay consumed at 1% of body weight

Reduced Intake • 5.0kg (11lbs) of typical racing feed • Free choice hay consumed at 1% of body weight

Adjusting feed to workload

Regulating feed to match workload is another important factor in managing horses with recurrent ER. For days of rest or walking, only the ‘hard feed’ should ideally be halved in weight. This practice starts with the evening meal given on the day before rest and continues until the end of the rest day. To meet appetite and maintain condition, the fibre element of the diet needs to be increased to meet the gap left from feeding a reduced amount of hard feed. When soaked beet pulp and alfalfa or similar chaffs are included in the programme, these can easily be increased to in part replace the removed hard feed alongside an increased offering of hay or haylage.

Oils can be fed as normal on a rest day.

Maintaining a balance

Where the individual horse determines that hard feed intake must be significantly restricted in order to avoid further episodes, it is worth considering if the diet is now providing appropriate levels of key nutrients. Feeds are formulated to be effective between certain ranges based on normal intake for that category of work. In general horses fed typical feeding rates will be provided with levels above baseline, e.g., greater than 100% for many nutrients, particularly those where benefits arise from a higher level of supplementation such as vitamin E. The examples above right show the impact of a reduced hard feed intake. Whilst intake is considered sufficient in meeting the majority of nutrient requirements, the recurrent ER horse with a lower feeding rate is no longer receiving the same level of nutrition, including receiving lower levels of vitamin E and selenium which could be of benefit. In such cases, supplementing the diet through

use of a vitamin and mineral balancer or specifically with individual nutrients concerned will ensure that the horse still receives a consistently high level of nutrition.

A total dietary intake assessment is provided by most major feed brands on request or through an independent registered nutritionist. Reviewing the diet as a whole will help identify where improvements can be made, especially for horses with specific dietary needs.

ABOVE: Kentucky Equine Research Recommended Daily Allowance

Summary

Feeding is an important part of reducing risk of an acute episode and in the management of recurrent ER horses. Understanding the starch intake of the total feed programme and identifying any gaps or shortfalls in the diet will help you create a diet best suited to the individual. Including alternative energy sources in the feeding plan will create more flexibility in the programme, particularly around rest days and ensures appetite is met when hard feed must be reduced. If in doubt as to the contribution of what a feed, forage or supplement is making to your feeding programme, consult your feed provider or nutritionist for further advice.

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

25

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ESSENTIALS

RACING

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RaceOn Nutritional Advanced Formulas for racehorses

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| RACING |

F I RS T PA S T M

illennials: as the younger generation of trainers comes of age, could they teach the old guard a thing or two about attracting and retaining new owners to the sport? As the racing industry collectively seeks to recruit a younger, more diverse demographic, and trainers are having to get increasingly creative in order to entice new owners into the sport, it is the trainers of the social media generation who are taking the reins.

The best way to make a small fortune in racing, so goes the proverb, is to start with a large fortune. But how large? £22,595, to be exact. According to the Racehorse Owners Association, that was the average cost of owning a flat racehorse in the UK in 2017 (the last year for

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which figures are available); and that’s before entry fees, veterinary bills and insurance are factored into the equation. Based on a horse’s running an average of 7.4 times a year, that gives a ‘cost-per-run’ of £3,053—in other words, a snip at £20 per second. Translated into Millennial parlance, that’s a lot of pieces of avocado toast.

In short, you don’t have to be royalty to participate in the sport of kings, but it helps. So where do trainers find a pool of people willing to submit their bank balance to this particular kind of reverse equine alchemy?

The answer—as for where you turn when you want to find out what type of sandwich you are based on, your star sign or who would play your best friend in the movie of your life—is social media. Increasingly, trainers are turning to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

| FINDING OWNERS |

THE PO S T to advertise their wares to the wider world. These days, seemingly every trainer—Millennial or not—and his dog have a social media account ( just ask the latest star of the Twittersphere, Jamie Osborne’s infamous whippet, Bad Bobby). “I think Facebook, Twitter and Instagram certainly help reach a larger audience”, says the decidedly non-Millennial Robert Cowell who, at 50, would doubtless be the first to admit that he is more au fait with winning posts than Facebook posts. “A lot of people that we have engaged with are very interested in the day-today life of what goes on in a racing yard. Short videos and little pictures every now and again—just giving them an update of what we do—is certainly no skin off our nose, and if it helps people to understand our industry, then I think it’s a very good thing”.

But though the tools at today’s trainers’ disposal may be relatively new-fangled, it remains to be seen just how novel this approach is in reality. From social media to syndicates, trainers have always sought new avenues to bring racehorse ownership to a wider public and diversify their portfolio of owners. Now a common sight on racecourses throughout Europe and, indeed, the world, the first syndicates in the UK were set up by Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds and then Highclere Racing more than 20 years ago. Today, Highclere is one of the largest manager of syndicates in Europe, where syndicate ownership is increasingly popular even as sole ownership is declining. In the UK alone, 5,447 people participated in ownership via syndicates or other shared ownership schemes in 2018—an increase of 6.2% year-on-year.

Alysen Miller Francesca Altoft, Barney Curran, Shutterstock

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| RACING |

I THINK FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM CERTAINLY HELP REACH A LARGER AUDIENCE. ROBERT COWELL

Compare that with a 1.4% drop in sole ownership over the same period. So what is it about the communal approach that appeals to owners? The most obvious answer is the price: for a fraction of the cost of owning a racehorse outright, a syndicate member can rub shoulders with the Queen and Sheikh Mohammed in owners’ enclosures from Ascot to York. Yet the calibre of some of the celebrity clientele (high-profile syndicate members have included Sir Alec Ferguson, Elizabeth Hurley and Carol Vorderman, who can surely be counted upon to have done the math) belies the theory that cost alone is behind syndicates’ popularity. Indeed, research shows that the satisfaction rating for syndicate members is 8.2 out of 10, compared to 7.5 out of 10 for sole owners, according to a 2016 survey undertaken by sports marketing agency Two Circles on behalf of the ROA and the BHA. Instead, the suggestion is that syndicate ownership appeals to civilians and celebrities alike because it confers a sense of being a part of something larger than oneself; of belonging to a community with whom to share in the highs and lows—in other words, that sounds rather a lot like a social network (Mark Zuckerberg, eat your heart out). So why not go all out for syndicates and the relative security they provide, rather than putting all one’s eggs in the gilded baskets of capricious individual owners?

“I think syndicates are a great thing”, says Edward Bethell who, at 26, sits squarely in the ‘digital native’ demographic.

“I think trainers should do more of it. But then syndicates are a full-time job in themselves because you need someone to manage them. People need to be updated regularly”. So where does Bethell think trainers, and particularly young trainers, should focus their efforts? “I’m a big believer in social media. I think it gets you out there.

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For a smaller trainer or for a young guy, you’ve got to create a niche in the market for yourself. I think social media can only be a good thing as long as you’re using it in a positive way”. Bethell, who has worked in Australia for Gai Waterhouse and sojourned for a stint in France, has overhauled his father’s social media profile and is making a name for himself as something of a social media maven.

His slick use of social media has already hooked a potential new owner from the Middle East. “They saw my father’s business, when I was working for him, through Instagram, and they got in touch with me. Whether we buy something at the breeze-up sales, I don’t know. It’s a work in progress”. Edward and his father sit at the crossroads of the generational divide. “My father hates social media. He doesn’t get it; he’s not from the social media age. I’ve grown up with it, and it’s second nature to me. Everyone checks Instagram. Everyone checks Twitter. Everyone checks Facebook. I think social media can only be a good thing”.

“We’re too old-fashioned”, agrees Edward’s father, Group-winning trainer James Bethell. “Edward has tried to bring us into the twentieth century”, he sighs. Next stop: the twenty-first.

Edward and James Bethell are not the only father-son duo to find themselves on opposite sides of the social media debate. While Aiden O’Brien’s Ballydoyle operation barely maintains a Twitter account, posting, on average, once a month, his son Joseph is embracing social media. Last year, the scion of Ballydoyle—apparently not heading the warning of the Natural Environment Research Council’s attempt to name their polar research vessel—asked the denizens of Twitter to help christen a four-year-old Presenting filly in his care. The original tweet elicited more than 3,000 suggestions (including the inevitable Horsey McHorseface)

| FINDING OWNERS |

before the trainer settled on Seldom Is Precious. Joseph O’Brien was quoted at the time as saying, “We thought we’d put it out on Twitter for bit of craic. I cannot believe the reaction it got. It’s definitely something I’d think about doing again, and we certainly got a nice name out of it”.

While not every trainer is willing to place his or her fate in the hands of anonymous Twitter eggs quite so brazenly, it is undeniable that social platforms have allowed the racing industry to open its doors to the public like never before.

It’s a similar picture in continental Europe, where the embrace of social media has allowed unprecedented levels of access to racing’s inner sanctum. “Times have changed.

They (the public) need to be aware of what’s going on, which I understand very well”, says Nicolas Clement. Once a young whipper snapper himself, Chantilly-based Clement is a 30-year veteran of the industry. (“I was the youngest at the time. I’m still not the oldest”!) He uses Facebook and WhatsApp to communicate with his existing owners, as well as attract new ones. He is an advocate of the personalised approach to communication that social media allows.

“We’ve got a Facebook page, we’ve got WhatsApp groups.

Every owner is different. It’s a bit of a social club for some of them, for some it’s a family tradition; some it’s the love of the horses. You really want to match your service to the type of owner you’ve got”.

“You’ve just got to embrace technology”, says Edward Bethell. “I know a lot of the older trainers don’t, and I don’t see why. You’ve got to be vibrant and you’ve got to be ahead of the game and be ahead of your competition”.

He may soon get his wish. Michael Behrens is the creator of MyRacehorse, an app that allows punters to buy shares of racehorses online for as little as $100 (£75). Launched in California in 2016, MyRacehorse works by establishing a company for each horse offered and then selling stock in that company. “We’ve had over 20 horses listed on our platform. We’ve had thousands of people download and register. And we’ve sold pieces of all 20 horses through the app”, says Behrens. “On top of that, you have a suite of people who will facilitate the racetrack engagements, barn tours and race days, all through the app”. It’s a model that has more in common with speculation, or even gaming, than traditional ownership. “If you think about the mass adoption [of racehorse ownership] in places like Australia,

YOU’VE GOT TO BE VIBRANT AND YOU’VE GOT TO BE AHEAD OF THE GAME AND BE AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITION. EDWARD BETHELL

where I’ve read that one out of every seven people is involved in ownership, it seemed like a logical part of the sport was to embrace the gaming and the experiential component”. With a minimum outlay of less than the price of a plane ticket to California, MyRacehorse has the potential to democratise the industry in ways that could not have been imagined in the pre-digital age. “Our goal was to have every fan have the ability to join ownership at some level, so we tried to keep the price point in line with that mission”, explains Behrens. “There are a lot of partnerships out there across the globe that will allow you to come in for, say, $5,000. We always try to have at least one horse on the platform that you can invest in for $100.

Usually that represents about 0.1% ownership. We have some horses that are a little bit more expensive, more stakes calibre-type horses, and you’ll see $200 or $300 for 0.1%.

We see a lot of new people come in who buy one or two

WE’RE TOO OLD-FASHIONED, EDWARD HAS TRIED TO BRING US INTO THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, NEXT STOP: THE TWENTY-FIRST. JAMES BETHELL

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| RACING |

| FINDING OWNERS |

shares to have a unique experience, and we see others who are using it as a way to diversify and get a lot more action for what they used to spend on one share (in a traditional shared ownership scheme)”. Behrens’s team is in the process of bringing the app to the European market. Although initially Europeans will only be able to buy into horses training in California, eventually the intention is to bring European trainers on board. In the meantime, it’s good news for any European racing fan who has ever dreamed of owning a Kentucky Derby contender and has £75 to spare.

“One of our ideas is to go in and buy a really well-bred twoyear-old with that Classic pedigree and then make them available internationally”, says Behrens. Watch this space.

Yet despite the plethora of modern methods at trainers’ disposal for attracting new owners—from Instagram and apps to celebrity syndicates—there remains one triedand-tested formula for recruiting and retaining owners: results. “Results mean everything. Ultimately the best way of attracting owners is by getting results”, concedes socialsavvy Bethell junior. Bethell senior concurs: “Results are important. I’ve always said that your owners come from your other owners. That’s how we’ve managed. Someone says they’re happy with us, and they put someone else your way”. On this, it seems, both the older and the younger generation can agree. And that’s one for the (Face)books.

TIMES HAVE CHANGED. THEY (THE PUBLIC) NEED TO BE AWARE OF WHAT’S GOING ON, WHICH I UNDERSTAND VERY WELL. NICOLAS CLÉMENT

WE THOUGHT WE’D PUT IT OUT ON TWITTER FOR BIT OF CRAIC. I CANNOT BELIEVE THE REACTION IT GOT. IT’S DEFINITELY SOMETHING I’D THINK ABOUT DOING AGAIN. JOSEPH O’BRIEN

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ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| VETERINARY |

Ellie Crispe and Guy Lester Shutterstock, Ellie Crispe, Guy Lester

AN AUSTRALIAN PERSPECTIVE WITH WORLDWIDE IMPLICATIONS EX E R C ISE -IN D UC E D P UL M O NA RY HAEMORRHAGE

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| EIPH UPDATE |

Fig

1

E

xercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a common disease of racehorses. The precise cause of EIPH is yet to be fully determined, but a well-accepted theory is that lung blood vessels rupture in response to the extremely high blood pressure and low airway pressure experienced during strenuous exercise. The barrier that separates the airway from the blood vessels is ultra-thin to facilitate the efficient exchange of gases, but this predisposes to breakage. The condition is most frequently described in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses, but it has also been identified in racing Appaloosas and Quarter Horses, as well as horses involved in other high intensity athletic activities, including showjumpers, 3-day eventers, barrel racers, steeplechasers and polo horses.

EIPH is not unique to horses and has been reported in human athletes, as well as racing greyhounds and camels.

Our group at Murdoch University in Perth Australia has had an interest in EIPH, which has led to three recent publications in the Equine Veterinary Journal.1-3

How common is EIPH?

Blood from both nostrilsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;also known as epistaxisâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;is the most obvious manifestation of EIPH and occurs between 1.5

Fig

2

Fig 1 A thoroughbred racehorse with epistaxis after racing.

Fig 2 Standing post-race endoscopy.

and 8.4/1000 race starts, varying with racing jurisdiction.

Epistaxis represents a severe manifestation of EIPH, and basing surveys on its presence vastly underestimates the true prevalence of lung haemorrhage. There are several techniques used to diagnose EIPH, but endoscopy of the trachea 30-120 minutes after racing or galloping is a common and reliable method. Occurrence and severity of pulmonary haemorrhage is typically graded using a 0-4 scale. Using endoscopy, we reported a prevalence of EIPH post-race in Australian thoroughbreds racing on turf tracks of around 55%, with most positive horses having low to moderate volumes of blood in the trachea. EIPH is less common if horses are examined after trialling, and reduced further if examined after track gallops. The prevalence of EIPH increases when horses are examined on multiple occasions after racing, and in fact all horses in our research population that had seven monitored race-starts experienced EIPH on at least one occasion.

What is the effect of EIPH on race-day performance?

It is generally considered that EIPH has a negative impact on racing performance, but evidence for this

Fig

3

ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| VETERINARY |

| EIPH UPDATE |

Fig

3

HORSES WITH THE HIGHEST GRADES OF EIPH (GRADE 4) WERE LESS LIKELY TO FINISH IN THE FIRST THREE.

Fig 3 Endoscopy images illustrating progressive degrees of haemorrhage from grade 0 through grade 4.

Fig 4 Severity of EIPH detected post-race among thoroughbreds racing in Western Australia (3,794 observations collected from 1,567 horses).

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What is the effect of a one-off diagnosis of EIPH over a horseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career?

A pattern of increasing endoscopic EIPH severity over a racehorseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career is suspected but has not been proven.

Another Australian research group examined 744 thoroughbreds post-race with endoscopy, looked back 12 years later and compared EIPH score to their career performance. There was no association between any grade of EIPH and career duration, lifetime earnings, or the number of wins or places. These observations led to the conclusion that a one-off diagnosis of EIPH is an unreliable predictor of overall career performance.

0.5

Fig

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Proportion of examinations

assertion is surprisingly lacking. We performed 3,794 post-race endoscopy exams on over 1,500 Australian horses and reported that inferior race-day performance was limited to horses with severe EIPH (grades 3 and 4); this reflected only 6.3% of all examinations. Horses with the highest grades of EIPH (grade 4) were less likely to finish in the first three, finished further from the winner, were less likely to collect race earnings, were slower over the final stages of the race, and were more likely to be overtaken by other competitors in the home straight than horses without EIPH. Interestingly, horses with EIPH grade 1 or 2 were more likely to overtake others in the home straight, compared to horses without EIPH (grade 0). It is highly unlikely that low-grade EIPH (grade 1 or 2) confers an athletic advantage; a plausible explanation is that horses that are ridden competitively to the finish are functioning at their maximal physiological limit, compared to horses that are eased up, and overtaken, during the finishing stages of the race because they are not in prize contention or are affected by interference in the home straight. Another interesting finding was that horses with moderate to severe EIPH (grades 3 or 4) raced the early and mid-sections of the race faster than horses without EIPH. It is possible that these horses reach the breaking threshold of the small lung blood vessels at an earlier stage in the race compared to horses that start the race slower, compounding the severity thereafter. A study of barrel racing horses reported that horses with the most severe grade of EIPH were faster than horses without EIPH, a finding which may also reflect this rapid acceleration increasing the risk of EIPH.

It may be wise for trainers to instruct jockeys riding horses with a history of moderate to severe EIPH to refrain from racing in this manner.

0.2

0.1

0.0

EIPH Grade

0

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3

4

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| VETERINARY |

| EIPH UPDATE |

Fig

5

Grade 0

00.60

What are the risk factors for EIPH?

0.40 0.20 0.0 0

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differ from race to race, from a population perspective, we concluded that EIPH is a mildly progressive condition.

1

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Grade 4

0.60 0.40 0.20 0.0 0

1

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Current EIPH score 0-4 Fig 5 Bar graphs demonstrating EIPH score variability in thoroughbred racehorses.

The previous EIPH score (0-4) is demonstrated on the right verticle y-axis, corresponding to the current EIPH score (0-4) on the horizontal x-axis. N=747; number of observations= 2,227

Several investigators have found an association between temperature and EIPH. Cold weather on race day increases the chances of diagnosing EIPH and increases the chances of diagnosing more severe grades of EIPH. Furthermore, for horses that previously had no or only mild EIPH, racing in colder weather was more likely to be associated with a worsening of EIPH grade at the next observation. The reason that EIPH worsens with cold weather is unknown, but this phenomenon could mimic cold-induced pulmonary hypertension reported in other species. It may reflect the ambient temperature during training rather than specifically the temperature at the time of the race. Avoiding cold weather during training or racing may reduce the risk of EIPH in horses with a history of moderate to severe EIPH. Lifetime starts was a predictor for EIPH risk in our studies; a stronger risk was the number of works in a current racing preparation reflecting a straightforward, short-term cumulative association between EIPH and racing. Trainers frequently recognize that horses with EIPH perform well ‘fresh’, meaning that they perform at their best early in a racing preparation. From a management point of view, limiting the number of works in a racing preparation for horses prone to EIPH could reduce disease severity.

No studies have identified an association between EIPH and sex, altitude or racetrack surface. Other factors that have been investigated such as track firmness and race distance have mixed results in the literature. In Australia bar shoes are typically used when horses have short-term foot problems. We found that the application of one or more bar shoes increased the risk of EIPH and severity in our racing population. The reason for this is unknown, but it may not be a direct effect of the shoes; instead we speculated that subclinical hoof pain could increase cardiovascular pressures during racing. We found horses wearing bar shoes were less likely to collect prize money, collected less prize money and finished further behind the winner than horses racing in standard plates.

Trainers and vets should reconsider or delay racing a horse that requires a bar shoe for a short-term foot issue.

Is EIPH a progressive disease?

EIPH is typically described as a progressive disease, but again, evidence is lacking. In our Australian thoroughbred population, EIPH scores were often erratic from one race start to the next, especially as the EIPH severity increases.

We were able to identify factors which were associated with change in EIPH score from one race start to another and which might help manage horses that are prone to EIPH. Increasing the number of days between races was associated with a transition from a higher to a lower grade of EIPH and racing in cooler weather was associated with a transition from a lower to a higher EIPH grade at the next observation. There are also likely to be unmeasured intra-horse and race factors that could also account for the variation in EIPH scores from one race start to another. Although in individual horses, EIPH severity can

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IN CONCLUSION, FROM OUR STUDIES LOOKING AT EIPH IN AUSTRALIAN RACEHORSES, OUR KEY FINDINGS WERE: ● Endoscopy is the preferred method of detecting EIPH and should be performed 30-120 minutes after racing; ● Horses prone to moderate or severe EIPH should avoid racing or training during the colder months; ● Trainers should consider changing the riding tactics of horses with severe EIPH, settling the horse in a mid-field or back marker position; ● The number of works in a racing preparation should be limited for horses with EIPH; ● It is helpful to increase the interval between races for horses with severe EIPH; ● It is prudent to reconsider or delay racing a horse with a shortterm foot issue rather than use a bar shoe.

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PROFILE

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| ANDREAS JACOBS |

Peter Muhlfeit

Baden Racing, Marc Rühl

DR. ANDREAS

JACOBS

AND HIS THOUGHTS ON RACING AND BREEDING ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

D

r. Andreas Jacobs is a truly international businessman with a record of managing globally significant organisations across diverse fields of interest. He is overseeing his family business with diverse interests in chocolate, education and e-commerce. Jacobs also oversees the growing presence of a multi-national thoroughbred empire—with breeding operations in Germany, England and South Africa. In all, there are over 200 mares across all three commercial properties as well as a series of high-profile stallions and racing interests. And he is the president of Baden Racing, running the most important race track in Germany. The Jacobs family’s contribution to thoroughbred racing and society at large extends further through the Jacobs Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting the development of young people through programs in life skills, computer skills and activities associated with nature and the environment.

Peter Muhlfeit spoke to Jacobs about the upcoming season with Baden Racing and his views on racing and breeding.

Dr. Jacobs: You’ve studied classical music—cello and French horn—and you have a doctorate in European competition law and a Master of Business Administration. Those enterprises are far removed from the world of horseracing. What led you to get involved in breeding and racing of thoroughbreds?

Horses are a passion of our family since generations. My parents and grandparents were passionate horse riders in different disciplines. When I was young, I started spending my weekends at horse shows. My first great horse was a very talented thoroughbred called Tristan. He was the first horse that was raced in our family silks. My grandfather bought him in England, and he became a top two-year-old in Germany, however, suffered from tendon issues. Subsequently, he became a riding horse. I was able to ride him at the highest levels in dressage. He was a star and changed my life.

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In 1995, my grandfather asked me to succeed him at Gestut Fahrhof. I was surprised but felt immensely honoured and privileged. So all my commitment and passion went into this stud. This is where the infection really started. Despite this passion, we have clear rules in my family. The fundamental rule is that family comes first, business comes second, and private passions come last. In that sense, I am a relatively disciplined horse owner.

In 2010, you also took the reins at Baden-Baden, the leading track in Germany to save it from going under. Why? Baden-Baden is the most important race track in Germany. With only 13 race days during the year, Baden is generating over 25% of the German annual betting turnover. Baden-Baden is the flagship track. Without Baden, Germany has no relevance in racing, in black type races; and we all could close our breeding operations, our traditional studs and move elsewhere. It was of utmost importance to fix this flagship track to keep German breeding alive. I like to thank John Magnier for making this point to me around ten years ago.

The problem started 15 years earlier—in the midnineties—when official betting turnovers collapsed, moving betting overseas to low-tax havens with no benefit for the race track. Germany, with low retail presence in betting, suffered more than any other European country. With the collapse of revenues, several race tracks were insolvent and had to close—like BadenBaden in 2010.

Why did the old Baden-Baden management structure fail? And what’s being done differently now to ensure Baden-Baden’s ongoing success?

The former management had limited cost transparency and reacted late. When we took over in 2010, we established more transparency and got regional politicians and local communities back on board. And we received support from the German TBA who helps us finance our group races.

| ANDREAS JACOBS |

2019 is the tenth season for Baden Racing under your leadership. What are your ambitions for Baden-Baden in the short, medium and long terms and for German racing as a whole?

We are planning and investing to continue the positive trend: more spectators on site, increasing betting revenue on and off track, and a strong recognition in the region.

These three parameters are up since years. Never forget: if you win a race on a Wednesday in Baden, there are still 7,000 to 9,000 spectators celebrating with you! If you win on the weekend, we easily double this.

track (e.g., to build a new watering system and to renovate the grandstand).

Nationwide, our sport is suffering from one big loss: Our betting tax used to be reimbursed based on our contribution to breeding by selecting top horses and improving the quality of breed. This was a fundamental right in the German constitution of the 1920s. The reimbursement got cancelled recently for no justifiable reason. In Baden-Baden alone we lost a solid six-digit amount.

ABOVE: The paddock at Baden-Baden

BELOW: Dr. Andreas Jacobs with would be jockeys

What are the major changes you have planned?

We offer three festivals a year: the Spring Festival at the end of May, the Great Festival Weekend of August, and the Sales & Racing Festival in October. At these fixtures, we run twelve group, five Listed and three rich Sales racesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;more than any other racing club in Germany. In recent years we decided to end each festival with a bang, presenting two Group races on the final days. Such SuperSundays are very unusual for German racing. This year we will have a Super Weekend on 31 August and 1 Sept with two Group races on Saturday, two Group races and one Listed race on Sunday. This is the best any race track in Germany has ever offered. And, what everyone should know: There is no other race track in the world that has so many Michelin and Gault Millau Stars in proximity! So if you are tired of horses, you can enjoy great food and wine.

How much help does your national racing industry get from the German government?

Sports are very much a matter for the federal states in Germany, so we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect too much from the national government. On the local level, we did receive quite some help over recent years to reinvest into the ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

ABOVE: BadenBaden racecourse

| ANDREAS JACOBS |

What could be done to help German Pattern races, in terms of increasing the prize funds?

We need more betting revenue and more sponsors. That’s quite easy to say but difficult to achieve. In Baden-Baden, we increased our TV coverage. You can watch the Grand Prix of Baden-Baden on German public TV, ARD or ZDF. Around 3 million viewers are watching it. We are happy to have Longines as main sponsor; still, for other tracks, it is difficult to find sponsors for Pattern races.

Turning to your breeding operations: why is the German racing and breeding industry not going down the ‘speed’ route with their stallions as is the vogue in other breeding nations?

Our strength has always been middle- to long-distance horses. They are late-maturing and bred to be tough.

That’s pretty unique in a world where you look for a quick return and a two-year-old career. And it explains why German horses are so popular in Australia to win the Melbourne Cup. The shortest Gp1 race in Germany is 2,000 meters. If you want to stand a champion sire, he should be middle to long distance. Historically, a stallion had to win a Gp1 over a mile-and-a-half to achieve a rating that allows him to become a stallion. So we were mating stayers to stayers, tough horses with tough horses. We also have conditions of no bute or Lasix to become a stallion. It is another criteria where pure, natural toughness will survive and continue.

What is the influence of your stallions on the international stage and your hopes for Silvano, Nathaniel, Querari, Equiano, Maxios and your new resident Helmet?

Nathaniel obviously has made his mark already with

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Enable—one of the best fillies in recent decades. He himself was brilliant, and he is reproducing it. This is what you love to see as a breeder. Silvano in South Africa is exceptional. Close to my heart. The first horse I bred, raised and accompanied. He has now 21 individual Gp1 winners in Europe and South Africa. He is already a legend.

Querari is following him, being the best younger stallion in South Africa by all measures. And at Fährhof we have the most beautiful Maxios—the best bred son of the legendary Monsun and one of the most influential stallions in the world. We decided to attract Helmet to stand at Fährhof. He fits the German taste, having been a tough race horse and champion at two and three and stemming from a German family with Anna Paola, having sired a Dubai World Cup winner in his first year. What more can you expect?

Further to your own interests in South Africa, do you see South African racing and breeding playing a greater role internationally?

I first came to South Africa in 1989 when my wife worked at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, where the first heart transplant was done by Dr. Bernard a few years earlier. We started dating in Cape Town. We love the country, and in 2002 we fell in love with the stud, which has both beauty and ruggedness. It became a family place with many European faces—horse faces. When I compare Maine Chance Farms with our other studs, there is no doubt that Europe is more sophisticated along the value chain. But South African horses are globally competitive because they grow up more natural. South African breeding is survival of the fittest. I can’t wait to see South Africa being allowed to export under reasonable quarantine regulations. It will be a source of excellent horses.

SPRING MEETING FROM 30.05. TO 02.06.2019

GREAT FESTIVAL WEEK FROM 24.08. TO 01.09.2019

THURSDAY, 31.05.2019

SATURDAY, 24.08.2019

SUNDAY, 01.09.2019

41. BADENER MEILE POWERED BY GELDERMANN PRIVATSEKTKELLEREI Group II (A) | 70.000 € | 1600 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, April 9th

64. PREIS DER SPARKASSEN FINANZGRUPPE – EX SPRETI-RENNEN Group III (A) | 55.000 € | 2000 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, July 9th

148. LONGINES GROSSER PREIS VON BADEN Group I (A) | 250.000 € | 2400 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, June 11th

PREIS DER BADEN-BADENER HOTELLERIE & GASTRONOMIE Listed Race for Filies (A) | 25.000 € | 2200 m For 4 year old and older fillies Closing date: Tuesday, May 21st

SUNDAY, 25.08.2019

SATURDAY, 01.06.2019

WEDNESDAY, 28.08.2019

PREIS DER ANNETTE HELLWIG STIFTUNG – SILBERNE PEITSCHE Group III (A) | 55.000 € | 1200 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, April 9th KRONIMUS DIANA-TRIAL Listed Race for Fillies (A) | 25.000 € | 1800 m For 3 year old fillies Closing date: Tuesday, May 21st

SUNDAY, 02.06.2019 GROSSER PREIS DER BADISCHEN WIRTSCHAFT Group II (A) | 70.000 € | 2200 m For 4 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, April 9th DERBY TRIAL - FRÜHJAHRS-PREIS Group III (A) | 55.000 € | 2000 m For 3 year old horses Closing date: Tuesday, April 9th

149. CASINO BADEN-BADEN GOLDENE PEITSCHE Group II (A) | 70.000 € | 1200 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, July 9th

COOLMORE STUD BADEN-BADEN CUP Listed Race for Fillies (A) | 25.000 € | 1400 m For 3 year old and older fillies Closing date: Tuesday, April 9th

THURSDAY, 29.08.2019 BADEN RACING STEHER CUP Listed Race (A) | 25.000 € | 2800 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, August 20th

SATURDAY, 31.08.2019 T. VON ZASTROW STUTENPREIS Group II | Fillies Race (A) | 70.000 € | 2400 m For 3 year old and older fillies Closing date: Tuesday, July 9th

85. OETTINGEN-RENNEN Group II (A) | 70.000 € | 1600 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, July 9th BERENBERG CUP Listed Race | Fillies (A) | 25.000 € | 1800 m For 3 year old and older fillies Closing date: Tuesday, August 20th

SALES & RACING FESTIVAL TO 19.10. TO 21.10.2019 SUNDAY, 20.10.2019 BADEN-WUERTTEMBERG-TROPHY DEFI DU GALOP | Group III (A) | 55.000 € | 2000 m For 3 year old and older horses Closing date: Tuesday, August 27th

145. WACKENHUT MERCEDES-BENZ PREIS ZUKUNFTSRENNEN Group III (A) | 55.000 € | 1400 m For 2 year old horses Closing date: Tuesday, July 9th

CONTACT AND ALL INFORMATION ABOUT THE RACES: Baden Racing GmbH · Rennbahnstr. 16 · 76473 Iffezheimx Germany Racing Manager: Diana Raatz · Email: d.raatz@baden-racing.com · Web: www.baden-racing.com

| VETERINARY |

SK I ND E E P: OVERCOMING BARRIERS FOR EFFECTIVE TRANSDERMAL D R U G D E L I V E RY

Ancient art, modern science

One shared medicinal practice amongst disparate ancient societies was the application of primitive ointments to the skin to treat almost all and any ailments. A vast plethora of poultices and plasters have been described, including in Babylonian and Greek medicine texts1 amongst others, suggesting that the magical health-restoring powers of ointments were well-recognised to traverse the skin. Thus, it was no coincidence that the skin was the preferred therapeutic route over surgical (and oral) intervention since the former method was likely to result in reduced mortality rates compared to the latter; undoubtedly an important

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consideration, given that the top ancient physicians were likely charged with the health of the royal courts.

Although the art of transdermal delivery of medicines dates back millennia, it is only in more recent times that the science of transdermal drug delivery in man has advanced significantly2. The choice of modern drugs for topical applications is, however, relatively limited compared to the seemingly infinite choice available for oral delivery.

This is perhaps not surprising since the gut is an organ that has evolved with the main purpose of absorbing food (chemicals when it comes to it) whereas the skin, despite being the largest organ, has evolved primarily as a protective layer to prevent desiccation of underlying tissues

| TRANSDERMAL MEDICATION DELIVERY |

Professor Roger Smith

and to keep out harmful environmental chemicals. As this includes medicinal drugs, the pursuit of transdermal administration would appear, at first sight, to be an illogical choice. However, there are several compelling reasons why transdermal delivery routes are an important alternative to pills, injections or inhalation routes: • It avoids poor absorption after oral ingestion—especially in animals, the absorption of a drug can vary between the omnivore (e.g., human) and herbivore (e.g., horse) stomach.

• It avoids first-pass effect where the blood circulation from the gut passes through the liver to remove absorbed drugs.

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• It can reduce systemic drug levels to minimise adverse effects.

• The design of sustained release formulations overcomes the frequent dosing necessitated by oral and injectables to achieve constant drug levels.

• It enables ease and efficacy of drug withdrawal.

• Transdermal drug delivery is painless and noninvasive, thereby potentially allowing longer treatment when daily injection is unacceptable or impractical.

• It has the potential to target local administration such as for the treatment of flexor tendon disease because the tendons are subcutaneous.

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FIG 1 Figure 1 – Anatomy of the skin with expanded illustration showing the cells of the stratum corneum (‘bricks’) embedded in lipid matrix (‘mortar’)

Challenges for transdermal drug applications

hree key layers: the epidermis, The skin is made up of th dermis and hypodermis (fi figure i 1) and the waterattracting (hydrophilic) or water-repelling (hydrophobic) properties within each raiise unique challenges for topical or transdermal drug applications.

Topical applications, such as insect repellents and sunscreen creams, target the surface of the skin or deliver a drug locally such as for the control of inflammation (insect bite or reaction to an allergen). In contrast the aim of transdermal, or subcutaneous, applications are to deliver the drug deeper to either an adjacent organ, or, more commonly, to the blood circulation as an alternative to oral or needle routes to reach distant organs. The main barrier to local or transdermal delivery is the outermost layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum in the epidermis (figure 1). This consists of dead skin cells, the corneocytes, that combine with lipid bilayers into a tightly packed “bricks-andmortar” layer that form alternating hydrophilic (the water rich corneocytes) and hydrophobic (lipid bilayer) regions (figure 1). The stratum corneum therefore not only forms a mechanically robust layer but also presents a challenge in designing drugs with chemical properties that can negotiate their way into and through these contrasting hydrophobic and hydrophilic environments to reach the lower region of the epidermis. The epidermis consists of living skin cells but has no blood vessels for the drug to diffuse into, so instead the drug must penetrate further to the dermis where it can finally enter the bloodstream or the subcutaneous layers.

Transcellular route: Drugs pass through the corneocytes of the stratum corneum rather than the lipid ‘mortar’ that surrounds them (figure 2). However, the drug has to exit the cell to enter the next corneocyte and therefore through the skin. It means that it has to encounter the external hydrophobic environment between the cells multiple times as it moves through the alternating cell and lipid layers of the epidermis. Drugs therefore have to have balanced hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties to enable this to happen.

Intercellular route: The drug predominantly diffuses through the lipid rich ‘mortar’ around the corneocytes of the epidermis. This lipid matrix can form a continuous route through the epidermis (avoiding entering the cells), but this route has been suggested to be less efficient because it increases the distance 50-fold3 compared to the direct route through the stratum corneum due to the interdigitating brick and mortar arrangement (figure 2). Again, the chemical formulation used to carry the drug is important and drugs that more readily dissolve in lipids benefit from this route.

Routes for drugs through the skin

Most transdermal drugs are designed so that they diffuse through the skin in a passive fashion. The routes for drug can be through the skin cells (transcellular), around them (intercellular) or using the skin components hair follicles, sweat glands and sebaceous glands (produce lipids) to bypass the stratum corneum (so-called ‘appendageal’ routes).

FIG 2

Appendageal route: The hair, sweat glands and sebaceous glands provide a direct channel to the deep layers of the skin circumventing the hazardous barriers of the epidermis and dermis. The main challenge for this relatively easy route is that the amount of drug that can be taken up is limited by the density of hair follicles and sweat glands, although in haired animals, such as the horse, the density can be as high as 1-5% of the skin surface area. Furthermore, sweat from an active sweat gland would be travelling against the direction of drug flow, washing out the drug and its carrier and severely limit drug uptake. It is likely that all skin applications use this appendageal route as it’s unavoidable but probably more efficient for drugs that are large molecules.

Optimising skin penetration

Figure 2 – Path of molecules through (A) the stratum corneum for the transcellular route (Note: the drug has to enter and exit the aqueous environment of the cells into the surrounding lipid matrix requiring an ability to be soluble in both); (B) Intercellular route (Note: the tortuous path for molecules passing through the stratum corneum via this route which delays diffusion).

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Newer approaches can incorporate physical and active methods to improve drug movement, such as: Chemical formulations: This is the most common approach for preparing a drug for skin applications. The basic principle is to prepare a supersaturated solution or suspension of the drug. However, the uptake of the drug depends on the nature of the solvents used to resuspend

| TRANSDERMAL MEDICATION DELIVERY |

the drug, which can include amongst other things water, various alcohols and esters, which provide different amounts of positive and negative charges that can interact with the drug and the components of the skin such as water, lipids and proteins. The exact combination that most efficiently drives the movement of the drug through the skin has to be empirically tested in the laboratory. A database of critical parameters can be derived from which to determine the ideal combination to achieve optimum drug levels for topical or systemic administration.

Liposome formulations: Chemical formulations have been modified to include lipids that mimic the outer bilipid layer of the cells. These bilipids can spontaneously form into small spheres (liposomes) within which drug molecules can be enclosed acting as a protective transport vehicle to carry the drug through the skin (figure 3).

This arrangement can help avoid difficulties such as poor drug solubility. The current view is that the liposomes absorb into and fuse with the skin, and the broken lipid components boost the penetration of the drug. The efficiency can vary depending on conditions such as the size of the liposome and other chemical characteristics that can be introduced into the liposome structure. Introducing a mild detergent leads to a highly elastic liposome, which has been proposed to enable the structure to squeeze into narrow spaces in the bricks and mortar of the stratum corneum.

Microneedles: This approach uses minute needles arranged on a surface which when applied to the skin can penetrate the stratum corneum (figure 4). As they do not penetrate the dermis where the nerves are located, this is painless. Solid microneedles form very tiny channels in the stratum corneum so that the drug can travel into the dermis bypassing the stratum corneum barrier. In some cases the drug is coated onto the surface of the microneedle tips to deposit a drug below the stratum corneum.

Microneedles are made from silicon or various metals and can have a hollow centre to act like a hypodermic needle through which a drug can be transferred deep into the skin. Other variations include those made from materials that are soluble such as sugars. These biodegradable types can be packed with the drug, and the whole microneedle

FIG 3

Figure 3 – Liposome structure used to carry drugs through the skin.

The drug of interest is shown as the large red or blue dots

deposited into the skin to release the drug as the soluble scaffold dissolves with time. The packing density of the microneedles can determine the drug dose to be delivered and is pain-free. The key challenges with using microneedles is the volume of drug that can be loaded and delivered and the skin surface area they can currently cover.

This can be an issue for drugs that are not highly potent in their action (as more drug is required).

Horse skin properties and the potential for transdermal applications

Our work, generously supported by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, has exploited emerging state-ofthe-art strategies from human medicine to develop scientifically-based transdermal drug delivery systems.

However, horse skin is structurally different from human, and there has been only limited characterisation of the barrier properties of horse skin based on the diffusion of a few specific drugs in vitro. Consequently, this route of administration is poorly developed for horse and the fundamental properties of skin from different anatomical locations has not been systematically investigated.

We have found that while horse and human skin have remarkably similar overall thickness, the horse skin has a range of thicknesses dependent on its anatomical location with the metacarpal and croup skin being the thickest and the inner thigh the thinnest. The skin thickness does not appear to be related to the epidermis since this is thickest in the metacarpal and inner thigh skin and thinnest in the neck skin. However, the ratio of the dermis to epidermis is greatest for the croup skin (40-fold) compared to the inner thigh (15-fold). In addition, the density of hair follicles also varies with the neck and metatarsal skin having the greatest density and the croup and inner thigh the lowest, which suggests that appendageal routes could be more efficiently exploited in the neck or metatarsal skin.

To complicate things further, two other parameters influence the delivery of drugs to the body—the lag time and rate of ‘flow’ of the drug through the skin. To maximise the delivery of a drug through the skin, we need one that has a high flux and low lag time. Consequently, we have devised an ‘FLT ratio’ to provide an objective measure of this— the higher the value the better the drug can be delivered. The flank and croup had the highest values for hydrophilic drugs (e.g., caffeine), while the inner thigh was highest for the hydrophobic drugs (e.g., ibuprofen).

Our work highlights the site-to-site variations in drug delivery through equine skin when designing transdermal formulations for clinical applications to optimise treatment. To maximise delivery to the systemic blood, ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRANSDERMAL MEDICATION DELIVERY |

drugs that are hydrophilic in nature could be targeted via the flank or croup, whereas hydrophobic molecules could be targeted via the inner thigh skin.

Exciting new applications for the technology

In addition to the obvious usefulness in delivering established drugs for therapy, transdermal drug delivery could potentially be used to deliver new small therapeutic molecules locally. We are particularly interested is harnessing this technology as a preventative strategy for injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT).

The SDFT of the forelimb is frequently injured in athletic and sports horses and can be career ending. It is also a major cause of wastage in the industry. Our previous work shows that the damage to the tissue starts before there are obvious clinical signs and that specific classes of enzymes are actively involved in this pre-clinical phase.

Since the SDFT lies just under the skin, we propose that a transdermal approach to deliver inhibitory drugs to the metacarpal region skin could deliver the drug directly to the SDFT. This would overcome the side effects reported when such drugs are delivered to the whole body. In addition, application during or soon after exercise, when the degradative processes are most active, could be a more

PICS: UNC CHAPEL HILL

FIG 4

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Figure 4 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Microneedles.

Left panel is a typical template with microneedles on the end of a fingertip to show its relative size; the middle panel shows a magnified view of the microneedles; and the right panel is a rollertype applicator with the microneedles on the roller surface

effective preventative approach and our current work, also supported by the Horserace Betting Levy Board, is evaluating such small molecule inhibitors with this in mind. Challenges still remain but our systematic analysis of the horse skin properties is a step in the right direction for this and other disorders.

Acknowledgement

We are grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for funding this research.

References: J Dudhia1, S Bizley1,2, A Williams2, RK Smith1 2 Department of Clinical Sciences and Services, Royal Veterinary College, University of London North Mymms AL9 7TA UK; 2School of Pharmacy, Whiteknights Campus, University of Reading, RG6 6AF UK [Fig 1] Geller MJ (2010). Ancient Babylonian Medicine, 1st edn. Wiley-Blackwell: Malden, MA. [Fig 2] Williams, AC (2003) Transdermal and Topical Drug Delivery from Theory to Clinical Practice Pharmaceutical Press.

[Fig 3] Potts RO, Francoeur ML. Lipid biophysics of water loss through the skin. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1990; 87: 3871-3.

[Fig 4] Zhang Y, Liu Q, Yu J, Yu S, Wang J, Qiang L, Gu Z. Locally induced adipose tissue browning by microneedle patch for obesity treatment. ACS Nano 2017; 11: 9223-30.

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Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck

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Rose Lewis, Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck

| FUNGI |

F U NG I T H E I N V I S I B L E H E A LT H R I S K Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck, DVM, PhD, ECEIM explains her work looking at the link between the presence of fungi and lower airway inflammation

H

orses are incredible athletes. Their physiology—the way their body functions—is truly fascinating.

They can adapt to training at a phenomenal rate, they have massive hearts that fuel their powerful muscles and pushes them to peak speeds. So what could stop them? Oxygen, or rather the lack of it. Horses experience hypoxemia during racing, which means they enter a state of deficiency in oxygen. The reason for this deficiency is a failure of the respiratory system to effectively ventilate and adequately fuel oxygen to the muscles. Horses are obligate nasal breathers and were endowed with particularly long and narrow upper airways in relation to their body size. These factors increase the resistance to breathing. They are also constrained by the fact that they ventilate at very high rates, which does not allow for effective and rapid renewal of oxygen in the lungs. Even the fittest, best thoroughbreds crave oxygen from mid-race onwards.

So maintaining horses in optimal respiratory health is absolutely essential for them to achieve an efficient sprint and optimal performance.

Respiratory diseases are highly prevalent in horses. It is inherent to their living and working conditions. The mere fact that a horse is housed in a box increases his risk of developing airway inflammation. The content in fine dust is naturally high in a horse’s box. Closed or poorly ventilated barns further deteriorate air quality in the horse’s immediate environment. Several studies have shown that horses housed indoors are exposed not only to high amounts of organic dust and ammonia but also germs and endotoxin they produce that trigger a detrimental reaction from the immune system. The problem is that even lowgrade respiratory diseases will directly affect the horse’s capacity to perform and recover from strenuous exercise.

With my colleagues, Dr. Dauviller and Dr. ter Woort, specialists in equine internal medicine, we have

investigated the link between the presence of fungi and lower airway inflammation. In our ambulatory referral practice, we go out to the stables and have the opportunity not only to examine the horse but also attentively assess his environment. As we collected respiratory samples and analysed them ourselves, we became aware that the presence of microscopic moulds or fungal elements was frequently associated to lung issues. To investigate this further, we decided to systematically record clinical and environmental data and link it to our findings in the respiratory samples of the horses referred for investigation.

We collected more than 700 cases; the horses included in the study were either referred routine examinations, unexplained poor performance or respiratory symptoms such as coughing or breathing heavily during exercise. All horses had a tracheal and a bronchoalveolar lavage done which allowed us to evaluate their level of respiratory inflammation, as well as estimate the presence of fungi within the airways. We also looked at the state of activation of fungi: if they were inert particles or if they showed signs of active proliferation. Our results were without appeal; the presence of inhaled fungi significantly

WE BECAME AWARE THAT THE PRESENCE OF MICROSCOPIC MOULDS OR FUNGAL ELEMENTS WAS FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED TO LUNG ISSUES. ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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and negatively affected respiratory health in horses, causing inflammation and in some cases, infection.

In this population, inflammatory airway disease (IAD) was diagnosed in 88% of cases, confirming that respiratory inflammation is very common and often under-diagnosed. Of these positive cases, 81% had evidence of fungi in their airways. The presence of fungi more than doubled the odds of having lung inflammation.

The effects of inhaled fungi have been well described in human patients but not as extensively studied in horses. The fungi constitute very small dust particles that are easily inhaled into the deeper areas of the lung.

The inhaled fungi can cause inflammation of the airways by their mere presence or trigger an allergic reaction in sensitized individuals. Some fungal species will produce toxins, which can exacerbate the damages caused to the respiratory system. Furthermore, when the immune system is overloaded, some fungi will start invading the airways and cause infection. In our study, the horses that had fungi were more frequently affected with poor performance. More obvious respiratory clinical signs such as nasal discharge or coughing were not systematically observed. Some specific fungal species, such as Aspergillus type moulds, were more frequently associated with lung bleeding (exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage).

When we looked at the link with environment, it was obvious that its hygienic quality was determinant. The use of certain types of bedding and forage were major risk factors. The use of straw bedding and dry hay constituted the highest risks of inhaling fungi and more than doubled the odds of having IAD. Soaking hay and the use of haylage also came out as detrimental. On the other hand, steaming hay at high temperatures was the only means to effectively reduce risks of IAD. Likewise, the use of wood

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| FUNGI |

SOAKING HAY AND THE USE OF HAYLAGE ALSO CAME OUT AS DETRIMENTAL. ON THE OTHER HAND, STEAMING HAY AT HIGH TEMPERATURES WAS THE ONLY MEANS TO EFFECTIVELY REDUCE RISKS OF IAD. shavings was protective against fungal inhalation and IAD. Where do these fungi come from, and how can we evict them? When straw and hay are harvested, they are left to dry for a couple of days on soil. If the summer is humid, fungal content in soil is higher and the risk of contamination of the harvested hay and straw by fungi is increased. Subsequent storage of hay and straw can further promote fungal growth if temperature and humidity are favourable. Soaking hay has been shown to increase bacterial and fungal growth, whereas steaming hay effectively kills any deleterious microorganisms present in the forage, fungi included. Only hay steamers that provided high temperature steaming, right to the core of the bale, were used in the study.

Homemade incubators were exceptions but were unsafe as they did not steam at sufficiently high temperatures and served as incubators, multiplying microbial content instead of reducing it. Haylage did not come out as a protective factor probably because of the very variable quality of the bales that were used. In terms of bedding,

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| ENVIRONMENT |

| FUNGI |

UNLESS YOU HAVE OVERWHELMING PROLIFERATION, SUCH AS BLACK MOULD ON YOUR STABLE WALLS, OR HARD EVIDENCE BY HAVING THE ENVIRONMENT SAMPLED BY AN EXPERT, THESE FUNGI WILL REMAIN UNDETECTABLE BY SIGHT OR SMELL.

wood shavings were the best option, as they are produced in a non-contaminated environment wrapped up in plastic. Wood also contains natural antiseptic compounds, which would prevent microbial growth.

So reducing the introduction of fungi in the stables by choosing the right forage and bedding is key to ensuring respiratory health of our horses. The problem is that the fungi we are concerned with are microscopic, meaning invisible to the human eye. Unless you have overwhelming proliferation, such as black mould on your stable walls, or hard evidence by having the environment sampled by an expert, these fungi will remain undetectable by sight or smell. It is problematic for both the equine athlete and the persons working in the stables. Once introduced in the environment (storage areas and box), fungal spores can persist for hundreds of years. To eliminate them and avoid contamination of fungal-free bedding and forage, regular thorough disinfection of the facilities is mandatory. It needs to be carefully planned, as it requires the use of chemicals that can be irritating for the horse. Once the disinfection has been effectively made, adding specific probiotics to the environment can prolong its effects. We have tested products that effectively recreate a healthy ecosystem and prevent excessive growth of potentially harmful fungi and bacteria.

There are a variety of other environmental factors that can affect horses and foster airway inflammation.

These include everything from external factors such as climate and seasonal changes to internal factors, such as temperature and humidity within the stable, building configuration and ventilation, number of horses being housed. Management practices to clean can be paradoxically problematic. Human activity such as cleaning out the boxes, sweeping or the use of blowers will stir up high amounts of dust.

Our study has enabled us to prove how fungi can promote respiratory disease in horses. Horses with unexplained poor performance should be investigated for the possible implication of the respiratory system.

Ling sampling can help determine if the horses have inhaled fungi and what level of inflammation is present.

In addition to medical treatment, there are more global solutions that can be implemented to help affected horses through better management of the environment. Regular disinfection and the choice of adequate bedding and forage treatment can make a huge, long-term difference for the horsesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; health and performance.

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Lissa Oliver

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AN D TAX - DE D U CT I B L E EX PEN D I T URE A C RO S S E U R O P E 58

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| VAT REGULATIONS |

T

he EU has supposedly similar tax laws and reciprocal VAT agreements to avoid double taxation, but in practise racehorse trainers are among the many businesses who discover this is not always the case. Invoices incorrectly issued with VAT can lead to problems in reclaiming the tax, if at all, and tax deducted at source from prize money can take up to four years to reclaim. Such is the difficulty involved—many simply don’t bother to try.

The European prize money payment system may not be fully unified but most racing authorities and organisations such as Weatherbys, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and France Galop, work together on a reciprocal payment system to make the transfer of prize money as straightforward as possible. The problems arise when additional costs are imposed, not by the racing authority, but by that country’s government.

Withholding tax, which can catch owners and trainers unawares, is out of the hands of racing authorities and beyond the scope of unification. If, for example, a person is deemed to have earned money in Germany—including prize money—they are deemed liable for the income tax on that money. In most cases this can be very simply avoided by completing the necessary forms beforehand, as the EU rules that if you have paid tax in one European country you do not have to pay it in another.

However, some Member States do not consider an EU VAT number as sufficient for withholding tax exemption or VAT-free invoicing, and their racing authorities are obliged by law to charge VAT on their invoices. Which countries these are is not always clear, as treaties to avoid such complications are in place but not complied with. As an example, in December 2017 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided that German anti-treaty shopping rules, which denied full or partial relief from withholding tax, was not compatible with EU directives.

An amendment to German taxation law is expected to be made as a result but has yet to be introduced.

Weatherbys, France Galop and HRI have a withholding tax exempt form, which can be filled in before a horse races abroad. This is advisable because it is much harder to claim back any tax stopped afterwards. It can be a month later when the prize money arrives into an account, at which point the tax stopped becomes apparent, and it is difficult to apply for a refund. Double taxation conventions and treaties exist between cooperating countries, but stamped certificates from the relevant tax offices are still required in advance.

Your racing authority will be able to help you with this.

Withholding tax rates shown in the table are the current statutory domestic rates that apply to payments to nonresidents, which may be reduced if an applicable tax treaty is in place. Qualifying payments to EU residents may also be exempt under EU directives for all listed countries, with the exceptions of Hungary, Norway and Turkey.

While withholding tax only applies to prize money won abroad, a more regular taxation issue is VAT, applied to purchased goods and services. The EU has standard rules on VAT, but these rules may be applied differently in each EU country. For EU-based companies, VAT is chargeable on most sales and purchases within the EU. If you are registered for tax, theoretically VAT can be reclaimed, but ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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where it is deducted by another EU country, this can lead to “double taxation” problems.

In an attempt to ensure tax is paid only once on EU services and purchases, double taxation conventions and treaties have been agreed between cooperating EU countries. However, there are growing concerns at crossborder tax problems facing individuals and businesses operating within the EU and, at time of writing, the EU Commission is currently considering closely the possible conflicts between the EC Treaty and the bilateral double taxation treaties that Member States have agreed with each other and with Third Countries.

A study completed by the Commission in 2001 on taxation highlighted a number of problems that have yet to be tackled, including the question of equal treatment of EU residents and the application of bilateral treaties in situations where more than two countries are involved. A possible solution is the creation of an EU version of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Model Convention that serves as a guideline for establishing tax agreements, on which Member States’ bilateral tax treaties are based, or a multilateral EU tax treaty.

The double taxation agreements of Member States will continue to be subject to review by the EU Commission, particularly in trying to address the problems resulting from a current lack of coordination in this area—most pronounced where more than two EU countries share a treaty or where a Third Country is included.

Belgium has a network of treaties for the prevention of double taxation with 88 countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland,

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Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK. Germany has treaties with, among many others: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the UK. As identified by the ECJ, those treaties are not always honoured. France likewise has a long list of treaties that includes the EU Member States, and Ireland has signed comprehensive double taxation agreements with 74 countries.

Some racing jurisdictions have very clear guidelines set by government, and the German Federal Central Tax Office has a special procedure for exempting foreign taxpayers from certain taxes deducted at source, requiring a tax certificate and withholding tax exempt form well in advance. Foreign individuals are subject to limited tax liability in respect of the income they derive in Germany, and this tax is otherwise automatically withheld at source.

In 2017, revised guidelines were published by the French tax authorities in order to simplify the procedure of applying for the French withholding tax exemption.

Prior to this, specific documentation had been required before any payment was made, but a withholding tax exempt form is now the only upfront document necessary.

| VAT REGULATIONS |

VAT TABLE Country

Withholding Tax

General VAT

Foodstuff

Medications

Newspapers/ Periodicals

Sporting Events

Energy Bills

Motor Fuel

Austria

27.5%

20%

10%

10%

10%

13%

20%

20%

Belgium

0% - 30%

21%

6%

6%

6%

6%

21%

21%

Bulgaria

0% - 5%

20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

20%

Croatia

12%

25%

13%

13%

13%

25%

25%

21%

Cyprus

0%

19%

5% - 19%

5%

5%

5%

19%

19%

Czech Republic

15% - 35%

21%

10% - 15%

10% - 15%

10% - 21%

15%

21%

21%

Denmark

0% - 22%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

25%

21%

Finland

20%

24%

14%

10%

10% - 24%

10%

20%

24%

France

30% *

20%

2.1% - 20%

2.1% - 20%

2.1% - 20%

5.5%

20%

20%

Germany

25%

19%

7% - 19%

19%

7% - 19%

7% - 19%

19%

19%

Greece

15%

24%

13% - 24%

6% - 24%

6% - 24%

24%

13%

24%

Hungary

0%

27%

5% - 27%

5% - 27%

5%

27%

27%

27%

Ireland

0% - 20%

23%

4.8% - 23%

13.5% - 23%

9%

0%

13.5%

23%

Italy

1.2% - 26%

22%

4% - 10%

10% - 22%

4% - 22%

10% - 22%

10%

22%

Netherlands

0% **

21%

6% - 21%

6% - 21%

6%

6%

21%

21%

Norway

0% ***

25%

15%

12%

15%

12%

15%

15%

Poland

19%

23%

5% - 23%

8%

8% - 23%

8%

23%

23%

Portugal

25%

23%

6% - 23%

6% - 23%

6% - 23%

23%

23%

23%

Spain

19%

21%

4% - 10%

4% - 21%

4% - 21%

10% - 21%

21%

21%

Sweden

0% - 30%

25%

12% - 25%

0% - 25%

6%

0%

25%

25%

Switzerland

0% ****

7.7%

2.5%

0%

2.5%

7.7%

7.7%

7.7%

Turkey

15%

18%

8%

8%

1%

18%

18%

18%

UK

0%

20%

0% - 20%

0% - 20%

0%

20%

5%

20%

ABOVE: * Increases to 75% for noncooperative countries ** 15% non-treaty countries *** 15% non EEA **** 35% non EU

The Italian Revenue Agency approved new and revised forms in 2013 to be used to claim for reimbursement of, or exemption from, Italian withholding taxes. The initiative, which is part of a wider simplification process, aims to update the international forms that are presently in force and to make the foreign tax reimbursement and exemption procedures easier. Forms A, B, C and D must be filed by non-Italian residents in order to claim reimbursement of, or exemption from, Italian taxes.

Where a double taxation agreement with a particular country or jurisdiction has not been agreed, or a double taxation agreement does not cover a particular tax, the

Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides unilateral relief against double taxation in respect of certain types of income and gains, namely dividends from foreign subsidiaries, foreign branch profits, foreign interest and royalties, leasing income and capital gains on foreign assets.

With taxation and VAT for foreign citizens under review, we can only hope the situation will improve and become more transparent, but there are ways to avoid paying unnecessary tax and to claim tax benefits and reimbursements in your own country in the day-to-day running of your business.

Once again, this varies from one Member State to another, and there are few consistent rules across Europe.

In general, though there are several exceptions, it is possible to claim many of the tax-deductible expenses trainers regularly incur. Typically, if the personal home and vehicle are used partially for business, some of the costs incurred can be tax-deductible.

For example, if one room of a four-bedroomed house is used as an office, 25% of heating, electricity, telephone usage, etc., may be reclaimed. Similarly, it may be calculated that the family car is used a third of the time for business, and therefore a third of running costs and fuel become taxdeductible. In most cases, newspapers, periodicals and trade magazine subscriptions, and association membership costs, can be classed as tax-deductible.

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There are, however, wide variations when it comes to charitable donations, depreciation of assets, entertainment and corporate gifts—the costs of which are often incurred by trainers in their bid to attract new owners and maintain a good morale with staff. Depending on which country a trainer is based, they may or may not be able to put these through as tax-deductible.

Austria is fairly typical of the majority of EU countries, and the deductions allowed include the depreciation of assets, based on a “straight-line” method spreading the cost evenly over the useful life of the asset. Sweden is the only country that allows depreciation (up to 5%) on land. Austria also allows deductions against bad debts and charitable donations. Meals and entertainment are limited to 50% of the actual expenses occurred and only if they have been for the purpose of acquiring new business.

Fines and penalties, again in line with the majority of countries, are not tax-deductible.

In Belgium, vehicle costs are deductible at between 50% and 100%, depending upon CO2 emission and fuel type.

Sixty-nine percent of restaurant expenses and 50% of business gifts are deductible, as are charitable donations.

The Netherlands, Denmark and Finland do not include meals or entertainment in allowable business costs, while the Czech Republic allows travel expenses and meal allowances paid to staff, but not in relation to clients or third parties. Neither Spain nor Sweden allow charitable donations as tax-deductible.

In France, the depreciation of fixed assets must be evaluated component by component, depreciated

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| VAT REGULATIONS |

separately according to their own lifetime. Norway and Greece set a mandatory depreciation at a fixed rate stipulated in law. Charitable donations are not expressly regulated in Greece and are looked at case-by-case.

In Ireland, expenses incurred wholly and exclusively for business are considered tax-deductible, but costs incurred for third-party entertainment are not tax-deductible.

Entertainment here includes accommodation, food, drink and hospitality, including corporate gifts. Expenditure on staff entertainment is, however, allowable and some promotional costs are tax-deductible if exclusively for the purpose of business.

New for Italy in 2019 are tax credits for advertising campaigns and training expenses. Entertainment, and gifts of less than €50 are fully tax-deductible, providing the entertainment meets the requirements of Ministerial Decree.

Any cost defined as an expense incurred for deriving, preserving or securing a source of revenue is considered tax-deductible in Poland, but this does not include entertainment. Fines and penalties, however, can be taxdeductible if they meet the general conditions.

In Switzerland, generally all business expenses are taxdeductible, and depreciation of assets is set by the Swiss Federal Tax Administration. In contrast, although the UK considers all general expenses to be tax-deductible if wholly and exclusively for business, a significant amount of case law surrounds whether or not a cost was actually incurred wholly for business or not. Neither is depreciation of fixed assets an allowable deduction.

We may live in a Common Union, but there are clearly some laws that are not common to all. The simple advice when dealing with foreign suppliers is to research the necessary documentation required and have it completed and made available well in advance of any transaction. It is far easier to avoid paying unnecessary taxes than it is to attempt to reclaim them.

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ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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B RE X I T PRE PARAT I ONS? Lissa Oliver

A

t the time of writing, we are no nearer clarity on the Brexit issue.Will there be a deal? Will there be no deal?

Will there be an extension, leading to a second referendum and no Brexit at all?

We may not know what the future holds, but indications are that all governments are preparing for the possible border controls, which will have a serious impact on the movement of racehorses to and from the EU and the UK. Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany are the countries with the closest trade links with the UK, and the Netherlands launched a major information campaign at the end of January. Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag commented, “After Ireland, the Dutch economy is most entwined with that of the UK,” and warned that many small and medium companies had failed to make suffi fic i c i e n t p r e p a rat i o n f o r a no-deal Brexxit.

T h e Ne t h e r l a n d s h a s m a d e p r o v i s i o n f o r m o r e t h a n 1 , 0 0 0 f u t u r e j o b s c r e at e d i n c u s t o m s a n d f o o d s a f e ty a g e n c i e s , b u t t h e go v e r n m e n t p o i n t s o u t t h at a no-dea l could also provide positive ne w oppor tunities for businesses. Whe ther or not there is a deal or the UK leaves on 29th March, the European Medicines

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Agency is relocating from London to Amsterdam.

France, closely linked with the UK and Ireland within the racing industry, published a draft bill in January for a no-deal contingency, which will reinstate checks on goods and passengers to and from the UK, as well as inspections of food, plants and live animals. An ff have already additional 250 customs staff been recruited in 2019, and this is expected to increase to 700 by the end of next year.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a €50m investment in ports and airports to cope with a no-deal Brexit. “The plan consists of legislative measures that aim to ensure that the rights of French citizens and businesses are protected”, he said.

Germany has apparently lagged behind in providing public information and sup por t for businesse s re gardi ng Bre xit contingency plans but hass also recruited additional staff ff to deal with new economic relations with the UK . No-deal p r e p a r at i o n s i n c l u d e d e a l i n g w i t h t h e s t at u s o f a p p r o x i m at e l y 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 B r i t i s h citizens residing in Germany, as well as G ermans livi ng in the UK .

Shutterstock

Spain has at the time of writing made no public information available on its no-deal plans but is expected to agree reciprocal arrangements for 310,000 British citizens living in the country. A protocol on Gibraltar, due to be attached to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, will not come into eff ffect f if there is a no-deal, but Gibraltar is already outside the Customs Union and has a border control in operation.

Staff ffi fing i in Spanish immigration off ffi fices i has been stepped up.

In Ireland, the government has been proactive in provi viding i public information and supporting businesses. In February it launched a free-to-use Brexit SME Scorecard, an interactive online risk assessment tool for Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit. The assessment is based on six key pillars: business strategy, operations, innovation, sales and marketing, fin inance and people managem ment.

Irish companies are told they can and should be taking immediate action to mitigate the potential risks and take advantage of any arising opportunities.

The Scorecard, at ww ww w.prepareforbrexit.ie, w.

| BREXIT |

The plan consists of legislative measures that aim to ensure that the rights of French citizens and businesses are protected EDOUARD PHILIPPE

Revenue will have 400 additional customs staff trained and in place by the end of March, and they can recruit an additional 200 by the end of this year

Ireland has extraordinary solidarity across Europe.

This is a sector that is extremely exposed to the wrong outcome SIMON COVENEY

HELEN MCENTEE

identifies risk points, allowing managers to assess where planning and preparation are most required.

• Companies are advised to: • identify risk • identify opportunity • review supplier base for vulnerability • consider the resources needed for extra administration • consider potential impact of Brexit on your customers • consider the impact of compliance with possible new standards and regulations in the UK • amend sales and marketing plans • assess impact of currency volatility • consider potential for price changes with your customers and key suppliers • consider how potential restrictions on the movement of people may impact recruitment The Irish government also drew up the Consequential Provisions Bill 2019— Brexit Omnibus Bill—at the end of February, covering primary legislation to address the immediate issues likely to arise in the event of a no-deal Brexit, ensuring key measures and protections are in place. Financially, supports include a €300m Future Growth Loan Scheme and a separate €300m Brexit Loan Scheme for Business.

Helen McEntee, Minister of State for European Affairs, stated, “Revenue will have 400 additional customs staff trained

and in place by the end of March, and they can recruit an additional 200 by the end of this year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is implementing the necessary steps to facilitate more Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls. Veterinary personnel and 70 other support staff are now being recruited to implement animal and health (SPS) checks, as are 61 extra Environmental Health Staff ”.

While an alternative for the Tripartite Agreement has not yet come closer to being agreed, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) remains positive and in early February hosted a 2019 Action Plan, at which Michael Treacy, the ITBA EU consultant, warned a Brexit no-deal is the worst possible outcome from all points of view.

Treacy emphasised the ITBA had been very significant at key EU meetings and assured the audience the EU Commission has stated it will engage with affected Member States and endeavour to assist, saying of the thoroughbred industry in particular, “Everyone in Brussels is really aware of the problems we have”.

Treacy later accompanied the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations (EFTBA) Chairman Joe Hernon with a delegation to Brussels, highlighting the concerns of the European thoroughbred industry, which contributes in excess of €100bn to the EU economy, with around €800m of thoroughbreds

sold annually. Approximately 220,000 people are employed in the equine industry throughout Europe.

The delegation also included Hubert Honore and Paul Marie Gadot of France, Andreas Tiedtke of Germany, Giovanna Romano of Italy and Des Leadon, EFTBA veterinary consultant. The EFTBA delegates met with senior EU officials, including EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, and Dr Alf-Eckbert Fussel, EU Commission’s Directorate General on Animal Health.

One of the concerns raised was the free movement and transportation of thoroughbreds post-Brexit. Hernon confirmed, “The EU Commission and the respective Departments of Agriculture appear to be well-versed in our needs and desires for international trade to continue”.

Ireland’s Tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Coveney, was among those addressing the ITBA Action Plan seminar and concluded, “Ireland has extraordinary solidarity across Europe.

This is a sector that is extremely exposed to the wrong outcome. We need racing and equine health managed on an allIreland basis but don’t have an agreement from the UK on that yet. The derogation for movement of livestock is applicable to Member States only and not Third Countries. If the UK leaves with no-deal, there will be 100% animal inspection at the border”.

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S TATE O F T H E A RT

TRAINING FACILITIES COME TO CHINA Sally Duckett

66

Hong Kong Jockey Club

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

| CHINA |

he dream for many trainers is to be based at a top-class state-of-the-art training centre with wonderful gallops, leading rehabilitation facilities, top-class staff accommodation as well as an ambitious site owner prepared to establish the facility as the very best of the best. For nine Hong Kongbased trainers, that dream has come true.

In August 2018, an eight-year project conceived by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) came to fruition with the opening of its Conghua racecourse and training centre in China.

There is the slight downside for Sha Tin-based trainers, as the centre is a four-hour drive away from their main Hong Kong stables—across the border and in China. But every possible negative that it might have caused has been mitigated by the HKJC through discussion, cooperation with the Chinese authorities, big-planning, alongside the focused use of technology and ambitious ideas.

Nine trainers were invited to send horses to Conghua last autumn, and each has a string of between 15 to 20 horses based at the 150-hectare site—the trainers now termed ‘dual-site trainers’.

Currently around 150 horses are in training at the €377 million facility, although by December 2018 the number of horses who had shipped to Conghua, returned to Sha Tin and travelled to China had already exceed 500 individuals.

The trainers were fully involved with the design and planning of Conghua from outset; the racecourse and gallops are in fact a replica of Sha Tin. Ensuring that the daily work and training processes are exactly the same, methods honed in Hong Kong can merely be picked up and transferred to China. There is though, at the trainers’ request, an additional 5f uphill straight gallop.

Selected trainers were invited to trial the Chinese venture and were chosen on their own abilities and that of their staff. The HKJC wanted to ensure that stable staff sent to China were capable and experienced.

The nine trainers with horses on site include leading trainers John Size, John Moore, Danny Shum, Casper Fownes and Tony Cruz.

All have been successful back in Hong Kong with their Conghua-trained horses (which are identified as such in the media for the betting public); and the Sha Tin nine are kept fully abreast of the training at Conghua courtesy of video, timing facilities and real-time technology all provided by the HKJC. The trainers, however, can spend as much time as they wish in China.

“John Size and Danny Shum in particular have spent a lot of time at Conghua”, reports Andrew Harding, the HKJC’s executive director of racing. “We have had applications from other trainers to send horses, and we will be adding another two later in the year”.

Horses being led back to stables after security checks.

Horses enjoy the spacious and comfortable living environment at CRC.

The trainners pavilionn hass an unobsttructed view of the raceccourse.

The equine swimming pool has a depth of 2.6m.

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The success of the training process has kicked into gear quicker than even the ambitious HKJC team planned, and the site has already lost its initial ‘pre’ training tag.

“We had thought trainers would take horses back to Hong Kong two or three weeks ahead of a race, but they are travelling down and running just two days later—and winning”, smiles Harding. “We thought this would take perhaps a year to phase in, but it has come much quicker.

The HKJC provides all the transportation, and we are already needing to ramp up the logistics—the transport initially between the two sites was twice a week, but we have extended it to six days a week (much earlier than anticipated). The travelling process had also been taking five business days to process with the levels of administration required for the border crossing, but our dual site trainers said that was too long. We have already narrowed that down to two days. Trainers can now ship on Monday in order to race on Wednesday at Happy Valley, and the horses need to undergo certain veterinary examinations ahead of racing; so they have to be in Hong Kong two days ahead of racing. They can then return to Conghua on Friday. The transport costs are all part of the HKJC’s service, and owners do not see any extra expense”.

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ABOVE: CRC will serve as a worldclass facility for the training of Hong Kong’s racehorses.

BELOW: Wash-down facilities.

Establishment of the Equine Disease-Free Zone

The HKJC’s CEO Winfried Engelsbrecht-Bresges has driven the concept. (Engelsbrecht-Bresges is the organisation taking advantage of a unique opportunity that emerged in 2010.)

That year the People’s Republic of China hosted the Asian Games at Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. The equestrian sector was based at the site in Conghua, and in order to successfully host the equine side of the games, an Equine Disease Free Zone (EDFZ) had to be established.

An EDFZ is a way to create a disease-free zone within a wider geographical area in order to facilitate international equine movement to and from those countries which have stringent controls in place regarding diseases not found in their own regions.

The initial Conghua EDFZ consisted of a 5km radius around the site via a wire fence to exclude wildlife, stringent biosecurity measures and the exclusion of other equines within a 1km corridor linking to the local airport. A diseasefree equine sub-population was created at Conghua.

After successful operation of the games, the HKJC came up with the concept of extending the EDFZ and turn it from a temporary to a permanent zone. The Hong Kong veterinary services, Chinese veterinary authorities and the HKJC engaged in a public-private partnership to transform the venue into a permanent EDFZ to facilitate safe regular cross-border transportation of racehorses between the Hong Kong Special Administrative region and the EDFZ in Guangzhou.

“The EDFZ really is an asset and was an extreme opportunity to the catalyst development of the equine industry in China—both horseracing and equine sport”, informs Engelsbrecht-Bresges. “It took a significant time to be established and be internationally accepted, though there are some teething problems with Australia, which we can hopefully overcome.

| CHINA |

“We really could leverage the EDFZ. It was a strategic investment for China and a strategic investment for us and the Greater Bay area of China and required very strong collaboration between Hong Kong and Guangzhou”, explains Engelsbrecht-Bresges.

Now horses travelling to Conghua from Hong Kong are loaded into ‘sealed’ lorries at Sha Tin, and the transport does not stop until it reaches Conghua. Special border controls are in place to allow the lorries, grooms and drivers seamless travel while all others need to queue.

The lorries enter the Conghua site, still protected by an impenetrable fence, vi via i double-locking gates and wi with i full wash facilities, wi with i the horses unloaded in a special designated area before movi ving i to their respective barns.

The human and equine border requirements take place on site, requiring an on-site Conghua-based government department of 40.

“To run a world-class training centre w wiith i same quality ty of servi viice betw tween w Hong Kong and China has been a massive exercise”, adds Engelsbrecht-Bresges of the further requirements needed to house and feed nine stings of horses in a country w wiithout i any signifi fiicant equine infrastructure.

“There are multiple layers involved, government and stakeholders, to get approvals for things such as the import of feed and drugs so that our vets and horsemen can practice as required. “It ranges from talking to local off ffi ficials i right through to discussion w wiith i top-level departments in Beijing.

It has required tactics, diplomacy and an understanding of

ABOVE: Six horses ridden

by Hong Kong jockeys dash past the Winning Arch on the turf track.

BELOW: Spelling paddocks for relaxation and rehabilitation.

LEFT: Trotting rings for light training and pre- and post-workout routines.

Chinese culture and working methods.

“It has been the largest strategic undertaking by the HKJC since Sha Tin was built 40 years ago”, recalls Engelsbrecht-Bresges, placing the investment into context. “Forty years ago Hong Kong racing had Happy Valley only, and the decision made to build Sha Tin was a little bit like the move to Conghua—it was on an island, there was little infrastructure, [and] it was away from the centre. You have to ask now, if that had not been done, i Sha Tin? where would racing be in Hong Kong w wiithout We are hoping Conghua w wiill i be of a similar importance.”

Racing plans and Sha Tin refurbishment

Signifi ficantly, i there is a racecourse on site equipped w wiith i state-of-the-art facilities for stewards, jockeys and horses. i ‘exhibition race day’ took place on March 23, albeit The ffiirst wi wiithout bett tting t due to the anti-gambling Chinese rulings. firms i that the HKJC sees the While the meeting confi facility as a way to extend its racing facilities—while introducing the sport to the Chinese public—the reasoning behind the Conghua development, which at its current size could house 660 horses, was more immediate and more pressing; for years some of the stabling at Sha Tin has been in desperate need of refurbishment. “ The stables at Sha Tin are 40 years old”, says Engelsbrecht-Bresges. “ To further Hong Kong racing, we need to replace and refurbish—we need to build modern

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facilities, and we have a €150 million investment for the next phase of Sha Tin. We could only do this if we moved horses to Conghua; we couldn’t knock down stables and do the significant work with horses on site”. That phase is envisaged as a five- to seven-year plan with batches of horses moving to the China site as required.

Engelsbrecht-Bresges adds: “I visited Conghua around two weeks after the first batch of horses arrived on site, and I was surprised how well the horses looked; even then horses were eating better, were more relaxed, were looking good in their coats”.

Barrier trials have been held, attended by jockeys, and it is envisaged that in the future jockeys will make more frequent journeys to China to ride work.

The Hong Kong-based owners were initially a little resistant to plans unused as there were by the idea of travelling horses to race, but as ever in horseracing, success trumps all doubts.

“We have had greater buy-in from owners as they have become used to the idea of travelling horses and their runners have been successful”, observes William Nader, the HKJC’s director of racing business and operations.

“They can travel to Conghua to see the horses, we have an owners’ suite and entertainment facilities”.

Reporting on the concept so far, Engelsbrecht-Bresges is delighted with progress and is looking forward to the future. “We have been working on this for six or seven years”, he explains. “And we think it is a unique project.

We are pretty convinced it will help Hong Kong racing to develop to the next stage and continue to ensure we have the world’s best horses and the world’s best facilities.

“It is a beautiful fresh-air environment; there are no challenges in the environment, it is an environmentally protected site, and we are extremely certain that there are no negative challenges”.

The area around Conghua has for centuries attracted

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| CHINA |

ABOVE: CRC has four tracks - one turf course 2000m, two all-weather tracks (1780m, 1600m) and one uphill turf gallop (1100m) BELOW: The world-class veterinary hospital has 4,928m2 of working space.

tourists from all over China to visit its hot springs and enjoy using the healing properties of the warm water.

With an urban population of 25 million and only an hour’s drive from Conghua, the region’s Guangdong government is keen to leverage these advantages and has seized on the added value than an equine industry might offer. Of course, the ‘elephant in the Chinese room’ is betting, and the government is firmly opposed to legalizing gambling in China. But, if the Conghua venture proves to be successful, and with continual dialogue with the Chinese government, who knows what could be achieved by the special administrative district of China. Since they are world leaders in the field, technology could be developed to control gambling to certain geographical zones.

Betting, however, is just one item on a long-term plan for the HKJC. To begin with, however, the club is keen to ensure that its ambitious plan creates a win-win-win for the three main stakeholder groups: the Chinese government, the cash-rich Hong Kong racing industry, and its horses and horsemen—who can take advantage of on-site facilities that are the stuff of trainers’ dreams.

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WHY ARE LEG BOOTS

N O T C O M M O N LY U S E D I N R A C I N G ?

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| PROTECTIVE BOOTS |

L

Dr. David Marlin

Shutterstock

ower leg injuries are extremely common in all types of race and sport horses. Risk factors for traumatic injury from shoes on other legs due to over-reaching or brushing or even from other horses in racing or polo include high speed, jumping and rapid turning. Injuries can also occur from sharp stones being thrown up from the ground. Whilst in sports such as eventing and showjumping, it’s unusual to see horses competing without leg protection at least over the forelimb tendon area; in racing the use of protective boots is much less common.

This is also true for polo—a sport which would present a high risk of injury to the lower leg due to balls, sticks, high speed, turning and close proximity to other horses. So is the risk much lower than we might expect, or is their some other reason why boots are not commonly used in racing?

Epidemiological studies of injuries to racehorses in training and racing certainly don’t point to a large risk for interference-type injuries from shoes within or from other horses. In the younger flat racehorse population, fractures remain the greatest concern both in training and racing. Injuries due to forelimb Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons (SDFT) tendonitis and Suspensory Ligament (SL) desmitis are not uncommon, with a prevalence of around 10-20%. However, information on the rate of injuries due to interference in racehorses is generally lacking.

Whilst an injury to the lower forelimb where the skin has been cut and there is clear penetration is easily identified, this is not the only way that tendons may be injured. Blunt force which does not result in obvious superficial injury may still lead to internal bruising and inflammation. Repeated traumatic insults due to interference may therefore still contribute to tendon inflammation. As we now recognise that most tendon injuries are due to chronic inflammation and damage as opposed to isolated accidents, anything that contributes to tendon inflammation is a cause for concern.

The risk to tendons from the heat generated during exercise may be one of the reasons why racing has tended to shy away from the widespread use of boots, except perhaps in the case of individuals suffering repeated or severe injuries. Wilson and Goodship at Bristol Vet School showed in the 1990’s that equine tendons reached temperature of around 45°C during galloping. Tendons are essentially large elastic bands which store and release energy on each stride—one of the adaptations that makes the horse such a supreme athlete. In the same way that if we stretch an ordinary rubber band, it will heat up. Tendons have a poor blood supply, and so the heat accumulates and the tendon increases in temperature during the gallop; the longer and faster the gallop, the higher the temperature. Why is tendon temperature a concern?

Heat: Tendon cells appear to be sensitive to increases in temperature. When isolated tendon cells in culture were heated for 10 minutes at 45°C (113.0°F), around 10% died; but when they were heated to 48°C (118.4°F) for 10 minutes, then around 80% died. Similar results were found

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in a later study by a group from Japan. Even though the number of live tendon cells in a tendon is low, compared with the elastic matrix that makes up the majority of the tendon, injured or dead cells release inflammatory mediators which in turn can lead to tendon damage. And of course, anything that insulates the leg reduces heat loss and can lead to even higher tendon temperatures. This is likely one of the primary considerations for not using a protective boot, although there are others.

Abrasion/rubbing: Boots (or bandages) that do not fit correctly or that are applied incorrectly may lead to skin abrasion and an increased risk of skin infections. In addition, boots that allow the ingress of surface material between the boot and the skin will likely lead to rubbing.

Restriction of blood flow to and from the foot: Morlock, et al. (1994) observed pressure under bandages applied to the lower limb during galloping which they concluded were high enough to restrict blood flow. In bandages or boots applied over the fetlock and cannon, high pressures due to the method of application, the tightness of the application and the type of material used the lateral and medial digital arteries and veins could be compromised.

Restriction of range of motion: Restricting the range of motion of a joint will change the loading dynamics of the joint. This may be beneficial in the case of a joint that is injured, but this will reduce the extent to which that joint dissipates forces during the loading phase. This may in turn lead to overloading of other limb structures.

If the restriction is only on one limb, then this may lead to asymmetry and an increased risk of injury in the un-restricted limb. The effect of various equine boots on range of motion both in vitro and in vivo has been reported (Balch, et al. 1998; Kicker, et al. 2004).

Contact dermatitis: Boots and bandages have the potential to cause contact dermatitis. Neoprene is commonly used in boots, but it has been estimated that around 6% of horses are allergic to neoprene. Rosin (also known as colophony), which is commonly found in the

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| PROTECTIVE BOOTS |

resin of pine and conifer trees, can cause skin contact sensitisation. It is used in neoprene adhesives and may also pose a risk of contact dermatitis in horses. The risk of skin infection is also increased by boots and bandages that do not allow sweat to evaporate and therefore result in hyperhydration of the skin under the boot or bandage. This results in both an increased susceptibility to mechanical trauma to the skin from friction and an increased risk of infection, particularly by fungi.

Increase in weight: Small weights applied to the lower limb can have a significant effect on energy expenditure and gait. This effect is greater than if the weight is applied closer to the trunk/bodyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the pendulum effect. Some boots are made of highly absorbent materials which absorb sweat and water (from wet grass, ground or from passing through water).

Increasing concussive trauma: Boots that have metal strike plates, particularly over the back to protect tendons, may protect against penetration and cutting; but they may increase the transmission of concussion force into soft tissues leading to internal bruising.

Pressure: Boots or bandages applied incorrectly may cause inflammation of underlying soft tissues such as muscle and tendon and ligament. Smith (2010) used a pressure mapping

device (TekScan) to measure the pressure under a variety of boots and bandages on a static limb. The highest recorded contact pressure was reported for one of the protective boots tested, (46kPa) and the highest localized pressure was recorded under the bandage (154kPa). (Smith 2010). Morlock, et al.

(1994) measured the pressure and forces under six different bandages on the lower forelimb of thoroughbred horses during galloping on a treadmill and measured very high peak pressures (14.4 Ncm-2) and peak forces (290 N). Pressure and force were also observed to increase as the horses became fatigued. Morlock, et al. (1997) subsequently investigated the pressures generated under a range of cohesive bandages applied by racehorse trainers to an artificial horse limb equipped with pressure sensors. The types of bandage included high-modulus latex, two different low-modulus latex bandages, a medium-modulus laminate non-latex. When wrapped by a machine, the maximal pressures during maximum flexion of the artificial horse limb were greatest under the high-modulus latex bandage (5.7 N/cm) and greater than all other bandages (3.5 N/cm). Trainers applied the high-modulus latex bandages tighter than any of the other bandages, and the authors concluded that the higher pressures under this type of bandage were due to its material characteristics. They also concluded that differences between the other bandages were not due to

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material differences but due to the unwinding force. “If the unwinding force is higher than the force required to extend the bandage to 50% intercept length, trainers will probably wrap tighter as suggested and desired”. Thus, material characteristics and unwinding force can influence how tight caregivers apply bandages to horses’ limbs yet it is not clear to what extent these factors are recognised or controlled by bandage manufacturers.

So there are clearly many important considerations when deciding whether or not to use leg protection in the form of boots on racehorses. However, whilst boots are not as commonly used in racing, bandaging is much more common.

But what (if any) advantages do bandages offer over an appropriately designed protective boot? Firstly, bandages offer little in the way of protection from either penetration or blunt trauma, which can lead to internal injury. Secondly, they contribute significantly to heating up the limb. In one study, the skin temperature under bandages and boots at rest were only around 1°C higher than the temperature of the bare leg. However, after exercise whilst the bare leg temperature had not changed, the skin temperature under the tendon boot had increased by an average of 5°C and under the bandage by an average of 10°C (Westermann, et al. 2014). Thus, not surprisingly, bandages insulated the leg significantly more than a tendon boot. The final consideration is the belief that bandaging offers support to the limb and in particular, to the tendons. In the context of the way bandaging is most commonly used in training and racing, the amount of support offered to the tendons is likely to be negligible; and the disadvantages in terms of injury through compression, particularly of the SDFT behind the fetlock, will far outweigh the advantages. You can test this by heavily strapping an ankle over your Achilles and running.

Boots or bandages or nothing? Ideally the choice of

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| PROTECTIVE BOOTS |

what (if any) leg protection to use should be based on an assessment of each individual horse. A horse that interferes with itself in front or from behind on a regular basis is probably at high risk of sustaining a significant injury at some stage and is likely suffering from repeated lowgrade blunt trauma that is damaging the tendon. Whilst bandaging is popular, it should be considered that it offers minimal (if any) support to the lower limbs, offers little in the way of protection from either penetration/cutting or blunt trauma, may lead to high pressure on the SDFT during galloping and insulates significantly more than a well-designed lightweight protective boot. If you do decide to use a protective boot, choosing which make/model is incredibly difficult. From my experience of testing boots, it’s almost impossible to gauge the protection a boot will offer simply from appearance. Opening up the boots with a sharp knife can help gain some insight, but really the only way to know how well a boot will perform is a controlled drop test with a recognised testing rig. Although this type of service is widely available, it’s unfortunate that the majority of manufacturers still do not use them when developing their products. Fortunately some do, and I personally would like to see a recognised standard that boots would be required to meet in the same ways as standards for riders’ skull caps and body protectors.

If boots are used, they must fit properly, not be overtightened; like bandages they do not support and can lead to injury, they should be put on as late as possible and be taken off as soon as possible. There is good evidence that heat contributes to chronic tendon injury, and so whether or not a horse wears boots or bandages, cooling down the lower legs quickly and effectively following training or racing should also be a part of good management for tendon health!

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| EMHF |

BIRTH AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE REGION’S RACECOURSES, IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT CLOSURES. 78

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 65

ABOVE: Flat Racing comes to Waregem.

e are all familiar with the sad photographs of racecourses of the past: long-closed, on sites where little evidence remains of the horseracing that once took place there. We have come to accept the gradual closure of tracks, for development, maybe, as a sombre fact of life. But, just occasionally, we find evidence of the reverse, and in this issue we look at some examples of racetrack renewal and rebirth in our region.

W

| NEW RACECOURSES |

Paull Khan PhD.

Svensk Galopp

R E - B I RT H WAREGEM, BELGIUM

Waregem, a pristine town of less than 40,000 people, between Ghent and Lille, has for over 150 years been well known for its Grote Steeple-chase van Vlaanderen (Great Steeplechase of Flanders). But since last May, the turf track, previously used but once a year, has started to stage flat races. Marcel de Bruyne, Director of the Belgian Gallop Federation, explains: “Flat racing at Waregem followed the creation of a new racing society, Waregem

Draaft—which had previously been organising solely trotting races—and contact between its president, Lieven Lannoo and the Belgian Gallop federation”.

The success of mixed meetings at Ostend (albeit, there a combination of gallop and trotting) had been noticed, with a positive impact on both betting and attendance. It was also recognised that a number of thoroughbred owners lived in the Waregem region. And here was a turf track of some 1,330 metres circumference, idle for 364 days a year.

In 2019, there will be five meetings staging between them 15 flat thoroughbred races, all open to foreign-trained runners. Typical prize money will be €3,200-€4,750, and distances range from 900 to 2,700 metres. The flat programme culminates in a €16,000 race over the maximum distance, on the same day as the Grand Steeplechase. (To be eligible for this, though, horses must qualify through their performance in qualifying races at Waregem, Mons and Ostend).

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ABOVE: Jagersro - the Swedish Derby will soon have a new home.

Is it proving successful? De Bruyne again: “Yes. Turf races are a welcome variation in May and July (at Mons, there is just the all-weather track). Field sizes have been healthy, at an average of nine. The management of flat racing at Waregem asked to organise more flat races this year, raised the prize money and initiated the big race. That says it all, doesn’t it?!”

MARRAKECH, MOROCCO

Marrakech Racecourse is the ‘new kid on the block’ in Moroccan racing, being less than two years in operation. It is the furthest inland of Morocco’s seven racetracks and the furthest from its neighbours.

Omar Skalli, Director General of Morocco’s racing authority, SOREC (Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval), gives the background regarding the decision to build Marrakech Racecourse: “Before the construction of Marrakech racecourse, horse races were already organized in this area but not according to international standards. We noticed that there was an important concentration of owners in the region, with the necessity to build a modern racecourse to develop the level of races there.

“Moreover, Marrakech is the city of entertainment in Morocco and a main touristic destination. The choice of this city to host a new racecourse came quite naturally.

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THIS NEW RACECOURSE CAN ALREADY BE CONSIDERED AS A SUCCESS. IT FULFILS THE HIGH LEVEL OF REQUIREMENTS OF JOCKEYS, TRAINERS AND OWNERS.

“From a technical point of view, this new racecourse can already be considered as a success. It fulfils the high level of requirements of jockeys, trainers and owners. International races are already organized there. It currently hosts a race day per week from February to June and from September to December.

“Even though the racetrack is not located in the heart of Marrakech, it is situated in a populated area. People from the neighbourhood come to watch the races with friends or family. It became for them a good place for entertainment on Sundays. We are working to provide more facilities, services and entertainment for the general public”.

Marrakech, as with all Moroccan tracks, is dirt, but the possibility of building a turf track in the future, if demand warrants, is under consideration. For the moment, only Arabian and Arabian-Barb races are staged at Marrakech, but there are plans to introduce thoroughbred races here in

| NEW RACECOURSES |

the future. Morocco’s policy, in respect of allowing foreign-trained competition, could be said to be ‘semi-open’—four races on the typical Marrakech card are open in this sense, and it is planned to increase this number. Prize money reaches some €36K for the richest race.

Morocco’s racing industry continues to thrive, and SOREC remains in expansionist mode.

“Rabat racecourse is currently in reconstruction and should be reopened in two or three years”, adds Skalli. “And within the five to ten next years, we are considering building another racecourse”.

ANTALYA, TURKEY

Kocaeli Kartepe, the most recent of Turkey’s nine racecourses, was opened some five years ago, and already work is well underway on the nation’s tenth. It had, in fact, been hoped that Antalya racecourse would have been operational this year, but bad weather has delayed its launch.

The driver for new courses in Turkey is simple: the number of racehorses is increasing and there is a concomitant need for venues at which they may both compete and be trained. Sadettin Atig, Secretary-General of the Turkish Jockey Club’s Executive Board, explains: “There is no system of ‘training centres’ in Turkey—as there is in much of Europe— and so racecourses are needed to provide both stabling and the opportunity for on-track training”.

Kocaeli Kartepe Racecourse is now regarded as Istanbul’s second racetrack, after Veliefendi, since it is but one hour away. Atig again: “Kocaeli Racecourse has a very strategic location. t is both very close to Istanbul and also to Izmit—the breeding centre of Turkey—providing easy access to the breeders and farms around that area”.

Kocaeli provides year-round racing on its 1,600 metre, left-hand silica sand track. There is capacity for nearly

500 horses in the stable area, and the track is paying its way as far as betting contribution goes, accounting for 10% of the country’s overall handle.

All of which bodes well for Antalya Racecourse, which will be larger yet than Kocaeli in terms of capacity, track dimensions and facilities. Antalya is the last major region in the country yet to boast a racecourse. Turkey being the size it is, the course’s catchment area will be substantial. It will be the only racing venue between Izmir (500 km to the northwest) and Adana (600 km east) and will be the nearest for most of the hordes of tourists who descend on Turkey’s seaside resorts. It is situated half an hour north of Antalya—the most populous city on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

There will be two tracks: one synthetic and one silica sand (mixed with fibre BELOW: Korcaeli – Istanbul’s ‘second racecourse’.

Antalya will be larger still.

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and stabiliser). Seven meetings of seven races,, sp plit roug ghlyy eq quallyy between thoroughbreds and pu urebred Arabians, had been planned for this year. Stabling w wiill i comprise 240 boxees initially but wi with i an ultimate capacity off nearly 1,200.

Sadly, however, in keeeping wi with i Turkey’s overall racing program mme, there w wiill i initially be no races at either Kocaeli or Antalya open to foreeign-trained competition, although the staging of internationall races w wiil ill be consid dered d for the future.

MALMO, SWEDEN

Ironically, the ‘new’ raccecourse potentially of most interest to Euro opean thoroughbred trainers is in fact a repllacement. Jagersro Racecourse, outside Maalmo in Sweden’s southernmost Skane reegion, wi will i soon stage gallop racing no more. Like so many, it has become a vic ictim of its charmed location. When it was built, in 1908, it was in the countryside. However, wiitth Malmo’s growin ing population, so grew its attr tractiveness to developers. Trotti ting, which has no need of on-track stabling, has found a suitable venue to continue at Jagersro, just 1,000 metres from the old track. But thoroughbred racing is venturing into pastures new. To Bara, to be precise, some 10 kilometres further out of Malmo.

One substantial plus would be the introduction of racing on turf. From its inception until 1979, Jagersro had been a woodchip track and, for the past three decades, an American-style dirt track.

At Bara, it is planned to have both a turf outer track and a dirt inner track. “ The new Bara location, 15 minutes

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NOWAD D AYS THE WHOLE PLANNIN NG PROCESS, WITH ENVIRO O NMENTAL ISSUES ETC., IS QUITE THOROUGH AND DETAILED. SO FAR IT SEEMS S VERY POSITIVE.

from Malmö,, was chosen from a number of alternativees”, says Bo Gillborg, project manager for the Bara track, who, for many years was associated w wiith i Jagersro.

“It is very clo ose to Malmö, neighbouring the PGA Nattional Golf Club and, in the future, a 170-room spa and conference hotel. The local authority—the town of Svedala—has been very positive. It was not only attractive for a racecourse, but the land is big enough to accommodate 300 horses in fi first-cclass training facilities. fir “T The actual planning is now in a very intense part of the process. To plan and design the racecourse, Swedish Racing has engaged world-rrenowned English company Turnberry to take a very active part. During spring 2019 most plans wi will wil be fi finalised. All fin ll functions wil ill be designed to cater for high-cclass racing, including the facilities for horsemen and jockeys and a special focus on givin ing owners an exceptional experience. The highlight of the racing season wil ill of course be the Swedish Derby. To have it back on the turf for the fir irst time since 1979 wi will of course wil

mak ke some “turffists” i extremely happy”.

The projject is not yet assured. It must first i t overcome issues surrounding the past use of the site for landffill i and must securre the support of Stockholm.

“H Hopefully the authorities wi will i give theeir go-ahead during the summer”, continuess Gilllborg. “Nowadays the whole planning pro ocess, wi with i envi vironmental i issues etc., is quite thorough and detailed. So far it seem ms very positive. During the autumn Sweedish h Racing must allso tak ke its final i l deccision to go ahead”.

Gallop racing sees this as an opp portunity better to develop its own brand in a nation where trotting is far th he morre popular discipline. The European thoroughbred community wi will i watch thiss devvelopment w wiith i interest.

So there we have it: ttw w new racecoursees wo (one awaiting a decision to involve thoroughbreds, the other still under construction)—one new fl flat-race track fla wit ithin an existing racecourse and one replacement build for a track fallen vic ictim to the developers. An nd d none of these to be found in European racing’ss traditional heartlands where the signifi ficant capital fic expenditure has been directed, not on new tracks but rather at new grandstands where racing already exists.

Venue construction is a clear and obvi vious vio signal of market confi fidence in the sport in fid question. Let us hope these four ventures justify that confi fidence and that our region fid can look forward to many more.

BELOW: Marrakech racecourse; international standard racing for Morocco’s ‘city of entertainment’.

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ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRAINING |

Zyzzyva on the left and Beeswax on the right.

Gavin Hernon

Alice Kenyon

STA RTING OUT

the latest update from new trainer – Gavin Hernon 2

019 has been good to us thus far. I was delighted to see Zyzzyva and Beeswax both recently make the Chantilly winners enclosure, getting us out of an annoying bout of seconditis. Finishing second place is so very bittersweet for me. On the one hand the horse is well and has put in a good performance, on the other... well, it’s not first. If all our seconds had won, then we would have well passed our target of 10 winners for our first year; however, as my mother rightly said, “better second than second last” and I am truly over the moon with how our horses have been performing over the last few months. Our 14 runners since January 1 have tallied as 3 winners, 6 seconds, a third and 4 not hitting the frame.

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As the flat season beckons in earnest, excitement has been building over the past few weeks as we assemble an exciting team of horses. In total, we anticipate having just over 20 horses for the season with a 50/50 split between older horses and juveniles. I am extremely grateful for the amount of people who have been willing to take a chance on a fresh face and I aim to reward every one of them by training their horses to run to the best of their ability.

This is without doubt my favourite time of year as we start to turn the screws on the older horses and the juveniles progress through their bone density training programme. The latter plays a significant part of our juvenile training programme and we commenced the programme mid January.

| GAVIN HERNON |

Training juveniles for bone density simultaneously conditions a horse’s lungs to the pressures they will encounter at race speed and prepares them very early on in their education for the mental pressures put on them whereby fast work becomes part of routine.

I had always been intrigued by the workings done on this

by Dr John Fisher at Fair Hill in Maryland as well as the subsequent findings of studies done by David Nunamaker at the New Bolton Clinic in Pennsylvania and I strongly recommend reading up on it: bit.ly/buckedshins The spread of equine flu has been cause for much concern over the past number of weeks, and it got worryingly close to our training centre when two yards were tested with positives just two miles away in Lamorlaye last week. We are doing all we can to not only boost our horses’ immune systems, but also to increase our biosecurity measures to give our horses every chance of not coming into contact with the virus. It did shock me to see English runners be allowed to run on French soil when their own racing authority deemed them unfit to run. That was an unfathomable logic.

Going forward, a big part of my attention will be on the health of my business as a whole.

Starting out in one of the biggest training centres on the continent brings its professional and financial pressures. We started out with a penetrative pricing model and will continue to operate as such for the 2019 season. Using some of the best raw materials on offer and having an excellent team of staff makes for very skinny margins at the end of the month. The fact that we have been winning races and showing results is by no means a bonus for our work, but a necessity.

THERE IS SOME EXCELLENT MONEY THAT CAN BE MADE EVEN AT THIS LEVEL OF RACING IN FRANCE. January saw us delve into the world of claiming for the first time. Freiheit won her claimer well in Pornichet and was claimed for over €15,000. There is some excellent money that can be made even at this level of racing in France, her owners taking home €21,000 on the day.

We also dipped our toe into the other side of the claiming pool, purchasing an exceptionally well-bred Siyouni filly from the family of Bright Sky, named Siyoulater. She will soon chase some black type in a listed race in the first half of March.

I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for my excellent team! I feel we have found the perfect balance of youthful energy and wise experience. Regardless of age or experience, they all share a common vein in the fact that they simply love and enjoy horses. They make me very proud as they continue to do an excellent job. I strongly believe happy staff make happy horses, and happy horses win races. It takes as much care and attention matching morning riders to horses as it does matching jockeys.

These people are essentially shaping your horses. To make a mistake and cause a personality clash in the morning could cost you dearly in the afternoon.

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| STAFF |

Lissa Oliver Francesca Altoft, Dan Abraham, Matthew Parker, Andrew Parker

LY C ET T S T E A M C H A M P I O N AWARD S ET TI NG T H E S TA ND AR D t may only be in its second year, but the concept of Team Champion was never going to be just another annual awards bash. The award itself rewards the completion of a pathway to better business practice and is by no means simply the finishing line. Now it’s time to ask if the high-reaching objectives have been met by Team Champion and, if so, is it time to take the concept beyond the UK? At the start of 2017, Chief Executive Rupert Arnold proposed the initiative of a Team Champion Award to the National Trainers Federation (NTF), and it wasn’t long before The Racing Foundation and sponsors Lycetts Insurance Brokers came on board. Like all good ideas, the concept was simple, the objectives being to deliver

I

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praise and a sense of achievement for the training yards with the highest standards of employee management, to showcase the positive results of developing a team that works well together, to raise awareness about safe working practices and to improve recruitment and retention rates by promoting the most successful management practices and encouraging their wider adoption among racehorse trainers.

Feedback from all those who entered in the first two years, whether or not finalists, has been hugely positive and Rupert Arnold reports, “I am delighted at how enthusiastically trainers and their staff have responded to this new award.

By participating, they have opened their businesses to scrutiny by knowledgeable professionals and demonstrated that

British racehorse trainers offer great places to work. We have established a strong base from which to build the award for the future. I know other trainers are already keen to follow their colleagues’ example next year, and we have acquired a bundle of knowledge and lessons to share with them”.

The Team Champion concept is underpinned by an industry standard established by the NTF, called The Winning Approach, from which it borrows its assessment criteria. One of the key challenges facing all trainers is the attraction and retention of skilled riders and grooms.

Trainers are competing with many other industries for an increasingly demanding workforce, with fewer people favouring the type of work offered in a racing yard. The

| TEAM CHAMPION |

Winning Approach has been designed to assist trainers in managing their staff in a way that attracts and retains them, to help them engage and motivate their staff and create a better working environment.

The Team Champion categories are not only objectives in winning an award, but can also be adopted as positive steps in building a better business practise; and that is the biggest message coming back from those trainers who have so far taken part. Stars are awarded to the teams who: • Use effective recruitment and induction systems • Ensure a safe environment • Create a positive working environment • Provide development and training • Reward and recognise the workforce All yards that receive star recognition gain the right to use the unique award logo to promote their business.

The nomination form contains a series of questions prompting teams to describe the action they have taken to achieve those listed outcomes, and trainers have found that to be an invaluable way of assessing their own workplace and building strategic plans for the future, neither an area historically of concern to the horseman. Trainers have become businessmen through necessity, and Team Champion has undoubtedly helped many in that uncomfortable transformation.

Nick Alexander and his staff were the inaugural winning team for yards with fewer than 40 horses and he tells us, “I was keen to enter as I believe it is an initiative that trainers should support. I feel it’s very important that we change the historic way stable staff are regarded, and we need to get that perception out into the wider world.

“My assistant, Catch Bissett, did the majority of the work for the submission and everyone was fully supportive. We didn’t exactly set goals, but it made us focus a lot

ABOVE: Daniel and Claire Kübler ABOVE RIGHT: Henry Owen (left), Jennie Sherrard and Josh Bennett (right) RIGHT: Richard Phillips (left), with Eve JohnsonHoughton (right) BELOW: Michael Grassick

more on how we run the team and how we develop individuals. It has definitely had a good effect and following on, I’d like to keep moving forward in that regard.

“We do take a modern approach to how we manage staff, but I was delighted we made it to the finals and surprised to win.

I can think of nothing negative about the initiative and it’s all positive. It has generated good PR, and at the moment I don’t have a problem recruiting. The only slight thing is that there is quite a lot of work involved in the submission, but

that’s a positive as it makes you look hard at how you manage your business.

“We threw a good party for our core team of 14 full-time staff and with the prize money bought some smart kit for them to wear riding out and at the races, and they were all really pleased to be recognised as part of a winning team.

“Going forward, I’d like to think those behind the Award are looking at the way it’s going to be run and there really should be a higher percentage of trainers entering it; trainers should commit to how they look at their business. I realise the entry process can be daunting; I’m lucky to have an assistant who filled in the forms, so whether there could be an easier way to enter, that might help.

“I’d like to see a time when all trainers enter and if you haven’t got a basic one star you should be asking why haven’t you”?

Jennie Sherrard, racing secretary with 2019 winner Tom Dascombe, has really seen the benefits of an enthusiastic team ethic and the Manor House team have been finalists for a second year in the 40 or more horse category. “It is a really good experience—very positive and it was easy to apply,” she explains. “All of the team got really involved with it all and everyone ISSUE 65 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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was happy to give their feedback; and it’s thrilling to be shortlisted again, for the second time in the two years!

“I think it highlighted what you could improve upon, and if we win, we plan to improve the staff room into a nice comfortable homely area where all the team can sit and relax and watch the racing, particularly for those who live a little too far away to go home during the day.

“It was a good opportunity to have an informal discussion with all team members and it’s nice for the team to know they work for a recognised employer who does the most he can for them all. It’s excellent for recruitment and staff retention, to be recognised as a positive place to come and work. Overall it is great to have the NTF put in place a fantastic award scheme that provides an industry-recognised benchmark, so that yards across the country can put in place the mechanism to provide continuous improvement for their team”.

Daniel and Claire Kübler, under 40 horses finalists, are in full agreement and Daniel Kübler says, “I started out working in a yard as a groom and rider before going to university and studying business management, and Claire grew up on a stud farm and graduated from Cambridge before qualifying as an accountant at PriceWaterhouse Coopers, where the development of people is second to none.

Since we started training, we’ve both been very conscious of how we develop our people. We believe that if you have a happy bunch of people, you have a happy bunch of horses.

“We think the whole process of choosing to go through the questionnaire and

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ABOVE: Ann Duffield (left) with Rupert Arnold (right). OPPOSITE: Anna Lisa Balding with her son, Jonno Balding (left), lad Bradley Harris and Rob Hornby (far right). BELOW: Nick Alexander

look at what you’re doing in a structured manner is of real benefit. We worked together as a team to come up with things and identify areas we could do more to improve. It helped us to develop a better human resources process as a result. It makes you look at what you are already doing right but can do better.

“It prompted us into doing more regular formal appraisals and following up on that and implementing things within the yard to benefit the whole team. The first time we entered we were very conscious to involve the whole team, and they very much put the whole application together. It was important that it was a staff-led process”.

Kübler adds, “When racing looks at

the staffing shortages, there’s no point in blaming other people; as an industry we need to step up. We like to think Kübler Racing is ahead of the curve compared to other workplaces, and this will help us stay there. The Team Champion Award gives us an opportunity to showcase that ourselves, and lots of other trainers are very good employers; and it’s a good industry to work in.

“The organisers are still feeling their way how to run the Lycetts Team Champion Award, and it could do with becoming a bit more user-friendly with perhaps a look at the questions being asked, as they receive more feedback. We’ve not recruited for a while, but it is something you can put into the advert and if it all starts to link in and makes everyone up their game, it has to be good for the industry”.

This is a view reflected by Michael Grassick of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA), who says of the initiative, “It sounds like a very good idea and one that I feel Irish trainers would be happy to support. Anything that recognises the role of staff has to be positive”. To see the Team Champion Award concept set up in other racing countries is something many foreign trainers would certainly encourage.

As Richard Phillips points out, “One of the most interesting things I found was taking ideas from other stables and looking at different things we could perhaps try, and that sharing of ideas is a positive thing to come out of it. Even our owners got involved as well and it really brought everyone together. We’re in the final four this year, and the staff enjoy doing all the work involved in entering and do all the filming and come up with the ideas, so I think it’s a very good thing and is something all businesses should be doing”.

From the business perspective, that’s something Richard Hughes very much takes on board. “My secretary Rose Osborn received all the details for the Lycetts Team Award and attended a meeting on staff management practices hosted by the NTF”, Hughes explains. “She discussed the process with me and after talking it through with my senior staff, we all decided it would be a good idea to enter our team.

It has been a great experience and pretty straightforward. We already had certain things in place such as appraisals and staff barbeques, but it has meant we have added some new practices such as more regular meetings with staff, and three people now have a certificate in safeguarding.

“All the team have enjoyed making videos of their experiences here, and they

| TEAM CHAMPION |

even enjoyed our judges’ day! It has been great to see everyone pull together and get excited about the prospect of winning and being proud to be part of the team.

The biggest benefit is that it helps to bring everyone together and create a happy team of people who enjoy working

here and produce excellent results. In turn I hope it keeps our staff retention high and also encourages new members of staff.

“It is great that there is a star system rating yards, and hopefully this becomes more and more recognised by people

Reach your target audience every time with our range of publications for trainers, breeders and owners.

looking for jobs. Hopefully the Lycetts Team Award can get more publicity and recognition. It can only benefit the yards involved, and I would recommend that everyone enters each year”.

Anna Lisa Balding at Kingsclere Racing reflects, “We were honoured to have reached the Lycetts Team Champion finals and very grateful to Tessa Hetherington for filling out the forms; and it’s something we have set out to achieve this year. We don’t want to come third, we want to win! That goes for the entire team—everyone wants to win.

“We haven’t seen any benefits from being placed, but the evaluation was very interesting and the positive feedback we received was very inspiring and has made us determined to keep up the work we’re doing, such as extra-curriculum activities.

We do annual appraisals already, but the Team Champion Award provided a good opportunity to talk once again with a few of the staff on a one-to-one basis.”

There may be only two winning teams, but there are no losers in this award and the take-home message is clearly the opportunity it presents to focus on staff management. A win-win all round.

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| RACING |

CO UR SE TO CO UR S E RACE TO NORWAY THIS SUMMER

There are three Gp3 races run at Øvrevoll in 2019. The first one is The Oslo Cup (1m4f ) on Saturday June 29th.

This race was run for the first time in 1947 and has seen some great winners. In the 1950’s it was one of the most valuable races in Europe. Lester Piggot visited several times and won the race in 1955 and 1958. This year, the winner will receive NOK 350,000 (approx. €37,000).

The Derby Day, August 25th is the highlight of the racing season in Norway. The day attracts a big crowd as well as the best horses from Scandinavia. The two Gp 3 races Marit Sveaas Minneløp (1m1f ) and The Polar Cup (6f185y) are major attractions. The Marit Sveaas Minnelop has a home straight of 4 furlongs, while the Polar Cup has a home straight of 2 furlongs. The Marit Sveaas Minneløp is normally won by stayers as the track is demanding with 2 long straights.

The winner of The Marit Sveaas Minnelop receives NOK 800,000 (approx. €83,000), and in the Polar Cup the prize money is NOK 350,00 to the winner (approx. €37,000).

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Happy horse watchers

In 2018 Øvrevoll welcomed Michael Appleby, The Horse Watchers and their horses Big Country (IRE) and Hakam (USA). Big Country, having won a Listed race at Pontefract a month earlier, was second favourite in The Marit Sveaas Minneløp, and was beaten one length by the favourite, Our Las Summer (IRE). Hakam went as a travelling companion to Big Country. He won the Polar Cup easily, wearing the special blinkers, adopted from harness racing.

Chris Dixon, part owner of the two horses said, “We had a great time on our trip with Big Country and Hakam and were extremely well looked after by the team at Øvrevoll. The raceday was a fantastic experience from start to finish and even though the track is a unique one where you need a well-balanced horse, we left with a winner and a third and plan to visit again in the future.”

Luke Morris rode both horses for Mick Appleby, and also had a ride in The Norwegian Derby, finishing third on the Frankel colt Learn By Heart (GB).

Whip rules

While the debate on the use of whip in racing is spreading around the racing world, Norway has already banned it.

| COURSE TO COURSE |

In 1989 the Norwegian government decided that it was not permitted to use a whip. The riders were still allowed to carry it to correct the horse to prevent dangerous situations.

Due to an increasing number of breaches of the regulations, the whip was taken away completely in races for 3-years olds and upwards in 2009.This was a dramatic and controversial decision, and there are still some that hope the whip will be reinstated. However, racetrack management believe that it would be taking a step back in the wrong direction as animal welfare is getting more and more important to the Norwegian public. For safety concerns, one can argue that jockeys having both hands on the reins will be in better balance making it safer. While some horses might need a slap on the shoulder to perform their best, there are also horses that run better with only hands and heels.

Betting in Norway

From a betting perspective, Norway is a strictly regulated monopoly market with only two licenced operators, Norsk Tipping (sports betting, lotteries and casino) and Norsk Rikstoto (tote betting on horses).

Norsk Rikstoto is a foundation, founded in 1982 with the sole purpose of controlling the financing of the racing industry and other equestrian related business in Norway.

This is stated in the foundation’s governmental licence. The founders were the Norwegian Trotting Association, DNT, (90%) and the Norwegian Jockey Club, NJ, (10%). In the latest licence another objective has also emerged for Norsk Rikstoto—to promote socially responsible betting in Norway.

The foundation pays state taxes on betting, based on turnover. It also funds the state run equine research and education center Norsk Hestesenter. After that, all financial surplus goes back to the racing industry.

Prominent guests in May

The Norwegian Horseracing Authority is hosting the annual meeting of The European and Mediterranean Federation (EMHF) on May 16th, and horse welfare and whip rules will be at the top of the agenda. The International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) will also have their annual conference in Oslo, and the two forums will have a combined meeting in the afternoon. This will bring delegates, not only from Europe, but also from as far away as Australia and the USA to Oslo. The guests are in Norway for our Constitution Day, May 17th, and will witness and enjoy the big celebrations in Oslo City Centre in the morning and great racing at Øvrevoll in the afternoon.

MORE TURF RACING FOR WOODBINE

Woodbine Entertainment has unveiled its stakes schedule for the 2019 thoroughbred racing season highlighted by the prestigious $1 million Queen’s Plate and the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile, which will kick off Woodbine’s championship fall turf season. One of

three Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ events on the stakes calendar, the Ricoh Woodbine Mile is set for Saturday, Sept. 14 with a strong undercard including the $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (Gr1).

This spring also sees the opening of Woodbine’s new inner turf course. The

surface consists of mainly Kentucky Bluegrass, and the course will benefit from a vertical drainage system which will allow for more races to be kept on the turf following stormy weather.

The new course complements both the existing turf course and the much loved Tapeta main track.

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LONGINES IRISH CHAMPIONS WEEKEND – WHERE THE BEST IN THE WORLD MEET

Longines Irish Champions Weekend is a spectacular twoday event, featuring ten Group races (Six Gp1 races) run at two legendary Irish racecourses: Leopardstown and The Curragh.

Day One at Leopardstown will again host the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes, which has made legends of some of the finest thoroughbreds including Fantastic Light (2001), So You Think (2011), Snow Fairy (2012) The Fugue (2013) and Golden Horn (2015). Last year, the grandstand came alive as John Godsens’ Roaring Lion quickened over the last furlong to battle by Aidan O’Brien’s Saxon Warrior. The win for Roaring Lion was one of the highlights for John Godsen’s charge, in an incredible year which included 6 Group wins, 4 of which were Gp1 races, eventually leading to being named the Cartier Horse of the Year 2018.

Longines Irish Champions Weekend also features the Gp1 Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes as the second Gp1 race on the card and is the highest rated fillies and mares race in the world for the second year running (2017, 2018). Last year saw the superstar filly Alpha Centauri draw a massive crowd as she took on the equally fancied French-bred sensation, Laurens. Laurens led from the start and was never bettered with Alpha Centauri finishing second after a late charge. The win was one of an eventual haul of 4 Gp1 wins in the season for Laurens.

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| COURSE TO COURSE |

NEW RACECOURSE PUTTING SWEDEN ON THE WORLD MAP Bro Park, Europe’s newest racecourse, opened in 2016. Race meetings are regularly staged on both turf and dirt at the facility that replaced Täby Racecourse as the home of racing in the Swedish capital.

Since its inauguration, Bro Park has become a popular destination for foreign runners. Last year, eleven horses from Germany, Britain and France ventured to Sweden for the Stockholm Cup day in September. The popular grey Thundering Blue, trained

by Davi vid i Menuisier, madee headlines when wi winning i the main evvent, the Gr3 Stockholm Cup Internatio onal, on the Bro Park turf.

Svensk Galopp, the Sweedish

Horseracing Authority, takes away all the administrative eff fforts f of travelling horses to the Stockholm Cup meeting, which this year w wiill i take place on Sunday, 22nd September. Any horse competing on the day wi will i be able to use a chartered ffllight l from London Stansted to Stockholm Arlanda on the Friday and return on the Monday.

For those eyeing further foreign adventures, it should be noted that the Stockholm Cup card contains one race on the dirt, the 8f Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpn ning. The Listed event is one of the best races run on a sand-based track in Eu urope. With the Breeders’ i weeks away, the timing Cup about five is ideal for an above-average w wiinner i to

cross the Atlantic and compete in, for example, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

The new Stockholm racecourse has also helped givi ving i Swedish horse racing a more international profi file. i This season, Bro Park has teamed up w wiith i Goodwood Racecourse. The collaboration has resulted in a new bonus scheme to encourage horses to compete at both racecourses.

Any horse which w wiins i a qualify fyyiiing race at Bro Park on the Stockholm Stora Day, Sunday 16th June, w wiill i be entitled to free travel and entry to a reciprocal race at The Qatar Goodwood Festival, 30th July to 3rd August. In a reciprocal arrangement, any horse wiiinning certain races durring the Qatar w Goodwood Festival wi will i gain free travel and entry to selecteed races at the Stockholm Cup meeting, Sunday, 22nd September

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PRODUCT FOCUS FEEDING THE BEST – OPTIMUM FEED REGIME FOR OVER WINTERING YEARLINGS “Give a horse what he needs, and he will give you his heart in return”. It is impossible to overstate how important it is to feed yearlings as well as horses in training the best foods in terms of quality and balance to ensure everything is there to aid growth and general well-being.

During the winter as grass provides fewer nutrients, the feeding must promote good digestibility, warmth condition and thus help build strength and bone density ready to continue best development when the grass returns in the spring. Natural foods, and above all oats, provide excellent digestibility and are the ‘safest’ grain to feed horses because their starch is more easily digested in the horse’s small intestine with the highest fibre content (13%) and lowest energy of all the grains.

The palatability even makes oats the grain of choice for fussy eaters. At Highclere, we mix the oats with Dengie Alfa A, Copra which is packed with ‘cool’ energy and finally a fibre mix based on beet pulp with linseed and vitamins.

Natural foods can aid the prevention of ulcers, the bruised, rolled and clipped oats (which we soak before feeding), soaked

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OATS CONTAIN MORE SOLUBLE FIBRE THAN ANY OTHER GRAIN

| PRODUCT FOCUS |

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Applied as a hot wet poultice, a cold wet poultice or a dry dressing, the technique used depends on the condition being treated.

Animalintex® contains an antiseptic to clean the wound and prevent re-infection and a natural poulticing agent, Tragacanth, which draws out any infection and creates a clean wound area to facilitate healing.

When applied as a hot, wet poultice Animalintex® increases the blood supply to the hoof, providing more oxygen and white blood cells to fight infection. The improved blood flow also reduces swelling, whilst the warmth of the poultice provides comfort and pain relief.

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HOW QUICKLY CAN YOU ACCESS YOUR HORSES HEALTH RECORDS? “With my family having a yard, we knew that there are many ways we could lose our licence, and not keeping our medical regulatory records up to date was one of them.” Pierce Dargan said, explaining the reason for creating Equine MediRecord (“EMR”) with Simon Hillary and Finlay Dargan. Equine MediRecord provides the first and only digital medical record platform consisting of a mobile application, website and cloud-based database to allow for the recording of veterinary medicines regulatory documentation. This platform helps to ensure compliance to racing and EU equine regulations. Since its inception, the company has grown to service the Racing, Breeding and Equestrian markets. EMR now secures hundreds of thousands of records with a 100% compliance rate. It is the first system to be deemed compliant by Irish, British and French regulators and

is in discussions with regulatory bodies both in and outside of Europe.

Paper-based systems have been shown to be completely unfit for purpose. The need for a digital system is clear with the number of changes in regulation due to the recent equine influenza outbreak.

Trainers needed to know for certain when their horses were vaccinated. Trainers who did not have EMR had to spend eas hours looking through passports, whereas EMR customers were immediately re informed of regulatory changes and were able to see the information needed at e the click of a button. In under a year, the system has moved quickly into three d regions: Ireland, the United Kingdom and France, and has been publicly endorsed xx, by high-profile trainers such as John Oxx, Noel Meade, James Fanshawe, Nicolas Clement, Mikel Delzangles, Tom George,, Kim Bailey, Nicky Henderson as well as Yeomanstown Stud.

Michael Grassick, Chief Executive of the Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, explains that “with more regulations from the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board regarding medical record books and vaccinations, it is imperative that we keep records up to date. Using Equine MediRecord solves these problems. It gives you added security and peace of mind.” ● For further information visit www.equinemedirecord.com

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SIMON CHRISTIAN Simon Christian

Simon Christian was a leading UK-based steeplechase trainer during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. A multiple Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer (with the likes of Nakir, Oregon Trail and Henry Mann), Christian now works as a bloodstock and racing advisor. This year, he joined the judging panel for the Lycetts Team Champion Award.

Below he examines the major differences between the practices as his time as a trainer, as well as examining the major positive enhancements today.

M

any changes have taken place since my time as a trainer in the 80’s and 90’s, and good things are happening.

It still remains the prime job of a trainer to train their horses to be fi fit of fit mind and body to wi win races. However, win in today’s jungle of other responsibilities, achievi ving this is a challenge. vin The three major changes that have taken place since ‘my time’ are: • Race meetings each day of the week • Racing all-year round, fl flat and jumping fla • A dependency on all-weather gallops Increased racing has created the need for changes to staff ff working arrangements, and use of all-weather gallops has meant horses can be kept in work vir irtually throughout the year.

Veterinary skills and diagnostics have improved signifi ficantly. As ever, fic racing practices, rules, regulations, the nutritional aspect and range of supplements evolve, and it has always been vit ital to be up to speed wi with these. wit The internet and data technology gy have changed our lives; entries and declarations, access to sales catalogues, keeping the workforce informed—saves time.

Many own neers appreciate receivin ing vi videos vid of their horses at exercise, on race days, and importantly possible purchases on sales days. A telephone call every six weeks and a

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large drink as an apology for not keeping in contact no longer suff ffiicces. Leading own ffi wners wne now retain their own wn jockeys—some older trainers would be surprised at that—and certainly at the vastly increased number of horses in yards.

This increase in both numbers of horses and race days has led to develop very diffe ferent working practices. Two lots in the morning, and three ‘do up’ at night doesn’t exist.

We all know a good relationship between trainer and staff ff is integral as it aff ffects the training of the horse. ffe T h i s g e n e r a t i o n o f w o r ke r s a r e m o r e interes ted in career de velopment oppor tunities. T he y are willin g to learn ne w skills, the y want a work/life balance – fl flexible hours and increased time off fle ff. ff.

Many trainers are working on fl fl e x i b l e fle working hours and time off ff. ff.

A TELEPHONE CALL EVERY SIX WEEKS AND A LARGE DRINK AS AN APOLOGY FOR NOT KEEPING IN CONTACT NO LONGER SUFFICES.

Staff ff expect and deserve respect. They appreciate everyone in the yard being treated well and valued. Trainers are recognising good team ethos and staff ff engagement—some to an outstanding degree, which I saw when on the panel for the Lycetts Team Champion Award.

Positive actions include: • Eff ffective recruitment ffe • Appropriate induction systems • Coaching and mentoring being taken to a new level • Health and safety awareness highlighted and more qualifi fied staff fie ff in this area Help is available for staff ff welfare issues, including drink/drugs a n d m e n t a l h e a l t h , w i t h m a ny understanding diversity and ethnicity. It i s n o c o i n c i d e n c e t h at y a r d s w i t h go o d practices in place are not short-staff ffed. ffe I would like to see racing and other equestrian organisations work together to introduce horses and ponies into young people’s lives to create a new generation of people who appreciate horse welfare and may make a career wiitth horses.

Trainers are uniquely placed to showcase how well racehorses are cared for in racing stables. Together they are in the best position and have a responsibility to educate those interested and critical of horse racing.

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NICKY HENDERSON

EARLY DOORS

JOSEPH PATRICK O’BRIEN

Photos: The Racing Post

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