European Trainer - July to September 2021 - issue 74

ISSUE 74 – July-September 2021 £6.95 www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE THOROUGHBRED

UROPEAN TRAINERS’ FEDERATION

THE CURRAGH-BASED TRAINER IS A MASTER ETF REPRESENTATIVES Chairmanship: AT THE GAME OF PATIENCE 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.

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

WILLIE

Vice Chairmanship:

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

Vice Chairmanship:

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

Treasureship:

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

McCREERY

AUSTRIA

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

CZECH REPUBLIC

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

GREECE

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

GERMANY

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

HUNGARY

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

ITALY

Agostino Affe Email: affegaloppo@gmail.com

NETHERLANDS

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

NORWAY

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

UNITED KINGDOM

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

RUSSIA

Olga Polushkina Email: p120186@yandex.ru

SLOVAKIA

Jaroslav Brecka Email: jaroslav.brecka@gmail.com

SWEDEN

Caroline Malmborg Email: caroline@stallmalmborg.se

www.trainersfederation.eu

EUROPEAN RACING DOPING CONTROL

A Q&A with Henri Pouret, chair of the EHSLC

NUTRITION ANALYSIS

Separating the wheat from the chaff

MAISONSLAFFITTE

What does the future hold for this historic venue?

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| OPINION |

GILES ANDERSON PUBLISHER’S OPINION

In this issue of European Trainer Lissa Oliver profiles the Curragh based trainer Willie McCreery.

In McCreery, we have a trainer who interestingly relies not only on his background garnered from breeding horses but also what he learnt through his time playing Gaelic football at the highest level. He was a midfielder for Kildare that won a national title in 1998; and it’s clear to see that he has taken on board much of what he learnt under the tutelage of his manager Mick O’Dwyer and adapted many of O’Dwyer’s methods into the training of his horses.

McCreery also provides us with considered opinions on everything from social media to recruiting staff and the handicapping of horses. Looking to the future, McCreery feels more can be done on welfare issues, as he points out: ‘We really, really have to address welfare or we won’t have racing … The racehorse is a phenomenal animal, and we’re very lucky to be working with them’.

I’m sure McCreery will be heartened by the innovative idea of the Gloucestershire based trainer, Richard Philips, to introduce a National Racehorse Week, which is going to come to fruition this September. As Phillips tells us, ‘it is a fantastic opportunity for our owners, staff, trainers and jockeys to come together for a common love of the racehorse.

Racing can sometimes be divided, but the one thing we all agree on is our love of the horse. National Racehorse Week will be our chance to show the public and policymakers that racing has absolutely nothing to hide. We have a great story to tell, so let’s get it out there and tell it’.

We absolutely agree with Richard’s sentiments, and his drive and enthusiasm for this project made him an ideal recipient for our TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter award in this issue.

One issue which has been at the forefront of many trainers’ minds for some time has been the understanding of the regulations and thresholds for laboratory sample testing and understanding what determines a prohibited substance as well as a greater understanding on threshold limits for approved medications.

So, in this issue, Dr Paull Khan has posed a series of questions (many from trainers)AVAILABLE to Henri Pouret, who THROUGH serves as the chair of the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee (EHSLC). I do sense a ‘straight bat’ approach to many of the answers which he has given us.

Right at the end Pouret states that he ‘would be happy to consider further actions to be more transparent and collaborative with trainers if this is deemed necessary’.

I’m sure that sentiment would be welcomed by all trainers across Europe.

Wherever your racing takes you this summer, good luck!

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BEDMAX Euro Trainer Half Page Ad (June 2021).indd 2 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM 24/06/2021 11:55 ISSUE 74

| CONTENTS |

R EGUL A R S

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04 Contributors 06 ETF Members

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ISSUE

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Visit trainermagazine.com to download our current digital editions and access back issues of both European and North American Trainer.

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S 08 Richard Phillips –

36 What does the future

56 How breastplates and breast

Lissa Oliver talks to Richard Phillips about his innovative idea for a National Racehorse Week which will come to life this September.

Katherine Ford discovers the plans to rejuvenate the popular training centre outside Paris and the potential return to live racing at the historic racecourse.

10 Willie McCreery –

44 Prick test

Dr Russell Mackechnie-Guire shares his research which shows that by using pressure mapping and gait analysis technology, scientists have measured how breastplates and breast girths can compromise the horse’s jump and stride at gallop.

TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter

trainer in profile

There is nothing superficial about Rathbride Stables, a traditional yard on the history-steeped Curragh Plains of Kildare. And there’s nothing superficial about Willie McCreery, as Lissa Oliver discovers.

26 Nutrition analysis

Dr Catherine Dunnett explains how understanding feed labelling and feed manufacturing is worth the drudge, as it can help you make better choices for your horses in training and maybe even save a few pounds or euros.

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hold for Maisons-Laffitte?

Could an ancient Chinese therapy be a trainer’s secret weapon? Alysen Miller looks at the benefits of using acupuncture on the thoroughbred.

50 Doping control

in European racing Dr Paull Khan poses a series of questions to Henri Pouret—the chairman of the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee—about the role his organisation has played in the development of medication testing in European racing.

@ t ra i n e r _ m a g

girths can inhibit performance

62 Can we use biomarkers to predict catastrophic racing injuries?

Holly Wiemers reports on a University of Kentucky study which shows association between mRNA biomarkers and catastrophic injuries in thoroughbred racehorses—a positive step forward in the development of a pre-race screening tool.

/ t ra i n e r m a g a z i n e

/ t ra i n e r m a g a z i n e

IS YO U R CURREN T EG US T R E ATM E N T PERFO RMIN G?

EQ U I N E GAST R I C U LC E R SY N D R O M E ( EG U S ) A F F ECT S OVER 80% OF THOROUGHBRED HORSES IN TRAINING1 With nearly 20 years of robust studies, you can trust GastroGard® to help keep performance horses at the top of their game

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Speak to your vet about using GastroGard® to treat and prevent EGUS. References: 1. Sykes BW, et al. ECEIM Consensus Statement – EGUS in Adult Horses. J Vet Intern Med 2015; 29: 1288-1299.

GastroGard® 370 mg/g oral paste contains omeprazole. UK: POM-V IE: POM. Advice should be sought from the prescriber. Further information available in the SPC or from Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd., RG12 8YS, UK. Tel: 01344 746957. Email:vetenquiries@boehringeringelheim.com. GastroGard® is a registered the Boehringer Ingelheim Group. ©2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health UK Ltd. All rights reserved. Date of preparation: Oct 2020. EQU-0200-2020. Use Medicines Responsibly.

CONTRIBUTORS Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson Sub-Editor Jana Cavalier Advert Production Miranda Filmer Circulation/Website Miranda Filmer, Anna Alcock Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Anna Alcock Cover Photograph David Betts

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 74

Dr Catherine Dunnett BSc, PhD, R. Nutr. is an independent nutritionist registered with the British Nutrition Society. She has a background in equine research, in the field of nutrition and exercise physiology, with many years spent at The Animal Health Trust in Newmarket. Prior to setting up her own consultancy business, she worked in the equine feed industry on product development and technical marketing.

Katherine Ford was born in Yorkshire where she was raised with ponies, hunting and point to pointing. After completing a degree in languages and the BHA Graduate Development programme, she moved to France for a season with the International Racing Bureau’s Paris office. Three years later she joined French racing channel Equidia’s international department which took her on travels to racecourses from Brazil to Japan, California to Cape Town. She now splits her time between Equidia, Sky Sports Racing’s French coverage and freelance writing and translating, and dreams of future successes for the progeny of her two broodmares.

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.

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.

Dr Russell Mackechnie-Guire runs Centaur Biomechanics and works with elite athletes in all equestrian sports, optimising performance and marginal gains. He recently gained a PhD in equine locomotion from the Royal Veterinary College Structure & Motion Lab. Russell is co-author of more than 30 published papers on horse-saddle-rider interaction.

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.

Holly Wiemers, MA, APR, is the communications and managing director for University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs. A lifelong horse owner, she lives in Paris, Kentucky, with her husband and two children, who both compete in Pony Club events, primarily eventing.

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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@hotmail.com

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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STOP THE BLEEDING

NEW NATURAL APPROACH CAN STOP BLEEDING IN ITS TRACKS

BY MARK HANSEN There it was again. A trainer’s worst nightmare.

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) isn’t an option.

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

EIPH is a rough deal for any trainer, horse owner, and horse. After all, it can lead to poor performance, lost training days, costly treatments, or worse — a very sick horse that’s banned from racing for life.

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He gave his horses an alternative to bleeder drugs and treatments; something he had read about called BleederShield. This natural respiratory horse supplement helps control bleeding. It is just as effective in improving the health and performance of bleeders but without any of those “drug issues” that come with most race-day bleeder medications.

“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 Bleeding Time (sec) in Horses 340 320 300 280 260 240 220 200

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 supplement significantly reduced bleeding time. They concluded that the active ingredient in BleederShield was effective at minimizing blood loss in horses.

What surprised us the most about BleederShield is its effectiveness without the use of drugs. Having a drug-free option is critical in countries that ban most race-day EIPH medications, like Lasix/Salix. There’s a serious need NOW for a natural solution that can help control bleeding in performance horses.

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1

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Control

Treatment

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

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

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Feed Balancers and Quality Horse Feeds

TOPSPEC TRAINER OF THE QUARTER

RICHARD PHILLIPS The TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Richard Phillips.

Phillips will receive £1,000 worth of TopSpec feed, supplements and additives as well as a consultation with one of their senior nutritionists.

Lissa Oliver ritain’s first ever National Racehorse Week will take place 12-19 September this year, thanks to the brainchild of Moreton-inMarsh, Gloucestershire trainer, Richard Phillips. When fan pressure led to singer Taylor Swift withdrawing from performing at the Melbourne Cup, Phillips became aware how little people know about racing.

‘If they knew more about it, they would be more comfortable about racing’, he says.

Phillips has been training since 1993, enjoying success with star chasers Time Won’t Wait, Gnome’s Tycoon and Noble Lord, while La Landiere provided his first Cheltenham Festival winner. He has also won awards for his charity work, including

B

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Janos Borbeley Photography

the 2021 Community Award at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards, the 2014 Voluntary Award at the Animal Health Trust Awards and the 2011 Pride Of Racing Award from Racing Welfare.

‘I am delighted to see the idea of National Racehorse Week spring into life. It is a fantastic opportunity for our owners, staff, trainers and jockeys to come together for a common love of the racehorse. Racing can sometimes be divided, but the one thing we all agree on is our love of the horse. National Racehorse Week will be our chance to show the public and policy makers that racing has absolutely nothing to hide. We have a great story to tell, so let’s get it out there and tell it’.

National Racehorse Week has gathered momentum and support from across the racing industry and is funded by the Racing Foundation, The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust and Great British Racing, in partnership with the National Trainers Federation. It is also the first public engagement of the Horse Welfare Board’s Equine Welfare Communications Strategy, funded by the HBLB. Phillips is particularly keen to see MPs involved and visiting their local yards. ‘If racing is then discussed, they will be in a position to know more about it’.

As he points out, you never know who might walk into your yard and the influence that may have on them in the

®

future. ‘The public sometimes thinks racing and racehorse ownership is not accessible, but it is and this is our opportunity to show that. So many of us do so much every day and put the health of our horses before our own. This is our chance to engage with local people, invite them into our yard to meet our staff and get into conversation with them’.

Rupert Arnold, Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation, is equally enthusiastic. ‘There has been overwhelming and enthusiastic support from trainers.

Everyone wants a chance to show their respect for the racehorses to whom they give such exceptional care. I am confident that trainers and their staff, who forge such a close bond with their horses, will grasp the opportunity provided by National Racehorse Week’.

It’s not too great a leap of imagination to see National Racehorse Week becoming International Racehorse Week, or at the very least European Racehorse Week in years to come. It is a concept easily adopted by other countries and could work in tandem with existing stallion trail

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I AM DELIGHTED TO SEE THE IDEA OF NATIONAL RACEHORSE WEEK SPRING INTO LIFE. IT IS A FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR OWNERS, STAFF, TRAINERS AND JOCKEYS TO COME TOGETHER FOR A COMMON LOVE OF THE RACEHORSE. RACING CAN SOMETIMES BE DIVIDED, BUT THE ONE THING WE ALL AGREE ON IS OUR LOVE OF THE HORSE.” RICHARD PHILLIPS

weekends, incorporating every aspect of the thoroughbred’s life— ‘from cradle to grave, a life well lived’, as Phillips says.

‘It’s everybody’s duty to do something and it should be enjoyable, not a chore. We can show people how much we do for horses and how much they do for us. Celebrating the racehorse benefits everyone’.

If you are a trainer and interested in finding out more information please contact Harriet Rochester, harriet@nationalracehorseweek.com To register please visit www.nationalracehorseweek.uk

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ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

WILLIE McCREERY

M A ST ER AT THE GAME OF

PAT I E NC E There is nothing superficial about Rathbride Stables, a traditional yard on the history-steeped Curragh Plains of Kildare.

And there’s nothing superficial about Willie McCreery, either.

L

ike most modern racing yards, the atmosphere is relaxed. McCreery appears laid back, and the staff arrive at 7 a.m. and calmly set about their tasks—the routine as smooth as a well-oiled machine. There are no instructions being given and none needed; teamwork is at its finest.

But there’s a keenness here, too—a simmering energy beneath the calm exterior. McCreery is quietly watchful and aware of every nuance. This is a man who loves what he does and just happens to be very good at it, too. The Wall of Fame in the office bears testament to the success—no better example being Fiesolana, the Gp1 Matron Stakes heroine. Improving every season and gaining a first Gp1 win for McCreery and his team as a five-year-old, she’s a good example, too, of McCreery’s patience and expertise with fillies and older horses, for which he has gained something of a reputation. Her now five-year-old Galileo colt, Up Helly Aa, is also keeping Group company under the tutelage of McCreery.

This is thanks largely to the patronage of ownerbreeders. While some trainers survive on sharp two-year-olds and trading, McCreery acknowledges that having the perceived luxury of time with horses that have a longer career ahead comes with its own challenges.

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‘Not selling horses and training for owner-breeders brings even more pressure’, he points out. ‘A win becomes more important, and then when they’ve had their win, you’re looking for black type. If they don’t get a win, it’s worse than if they don’t race at all; poor performances run the risk of devaluing the whole family. It comes down to making the right call, being sure enough from what they’re doing at home that they can do well and improve the family; or maybe having to risk the decision not to run them’.

Rathbride Stables, once home to Flashing Steel and where the Irish Grand National winner is now buried, has been home to McCreery since 2010.

He had taken out a licence and sent out his first winner two years earlier. The original loose boxes are companion boxes, with the window through to the next box at the feed trough. ‘They can have a chat with their neighbour and have a nibble at the same time’, McCreery says. ‘It encourages them to feed, and I’m a fan of anything that gets them eating well.

‘I feed as best as I can. I hope to be second to none in that respect. I use a combination of Connolly’s Red Mills mix and nuts, and also alfalfa imported from Italy. I’ve picked it up along the way. I’m a firm believer in staying ahead of your feed, and if a horse is a little off, cut back straight away. I feed four times a day’.

Lissa Oliver

David Betts

| WILLIE McCREERY |

ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

McCreery starts his day in the yard at 6 a.m. with the first of the feeds, and he’ll turn out any of the horses not working that morning. That day’s runners will go out in the paddocks in the evening after returning from the races and again the next morning. Rathbride has 40 acres of turnout paddocks, as well as a 400m covered wood chip ride, and is currently home to 60 horses.

It’s ideally situated and well chosen. ‘We can just walk across to the gallops; we’ve the vet just beside us, and we’re within an hour of six tracks. As an example, I had a horse injured on the Old Vic gallop at 7.40 a.m. and he was X-rayed, diagnosed and back in his box—all by 9 a.m. I’m very lucky; any issue at all, and I have the vet with me in five minutes. I can drop blood samples in and have the results in 10 minutes’.

In the pre-COVID days, McCreery liked to give his horses days out, particularly at Dundalk where they could walk round the parade ring in front of a race crowd and gain experience. He also found the local equine pool a great help for horses who enjoyed it,

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| WILLIE McCREERY |

but that’s now closed. ‘I would love to be near a beach; sea water does a great job’, he says. ‘But I’m not a fan of spas. They can mask the injury, and the problem is still going to be there. They’re okay for sore shins’.

Training racehorses was always in his blood; McCreery’s father Peter had enjoyed great success as a National Hunt trainer, and his older brother Peter Jr by coincidence sent out Son Of War to win the Irish Grand National the year before Flashing Steel’s success.

We might wonder why McCreery chose the Flat in preference.

‘I’ve no preference, I’d be happy training both, but I was just led that way’, he says. ‘I suppose I veered more to Flat fillies because of owner-breeders. If people have a horse that needs a bit of time, they’ll send it to me because I’m known for that type of horse’.

This could be due to McCreery’s strong background in breeding.

As well as growing up with racehorses, he served his time on the renowned Irish National Stud diploma course. He went on to work in Australia, Japan and America. Having returned home and worked at Kildangan Stud, he served as assistant trainer to Charles O’Brien for eight years before setting up on his own. His experience and the insight gained from the breeding sector has certainly stood him in good stead.

‘A lot of what I’ve learnt comes from running a large commercial stud where we were foaling 100 mares in a season’, he says. ‘I picked up horsemanship. When you’re raising them, you know when they’re a racehorse—you can see when they have that fighting spirit. I also know about the doctoring that can be done on a young horse, which can impact on their racing but not for the sales. I know what to look out for and consider.

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| WILLIE McCREERY |

PROFILE

‘I see a big problem in the overpopulation of farms and the rate of Rhodococcus equi infections. The foal recovers, but what about the effect on lung capacity? Should that be recorded on the catalogue page? I believe that if a foal has had surgery, that should be on the catalogue page, but it’s not. Time spent standing in is going to impact on development at a crucial stage. My stud background has definitely been an advantage in so far as the youngstock side. I can see joint problems and other problems, and I know how to deal with them’.

McCreery is also scathing of the amount of scoping carried out at the sales, to the point that even professionals forget the simple basics. ‘I’ve seen vets walking round with the scope hanging over their shoulder!’ he complains. ‘One guy put it down on the floor, then wondered why I refused to let him use it on my horse’!

At the sales, McCreery relies on his own judgement. ‘I do all my own buying at the sales myself; I didn’t really like some of the horses agents were fetching out to show me. I used to buy cheap fillies with faults that I knew I could train, but then I’d find that I couldn’t sell them on afterwards. Because of the faults, agents wouldn’t look at them.

‘I try to buy the quick types, as I get given late-maturing horses, so it’s a way of having some early two-year-olds, but I’m not really known for my two-year-olds. I always go round the sales with horses marked off in the catalogue, but very often a groom will pull out another horse for me to see and if it’s a correct horse and I like it, I’ll take a chance on it, so usually I don’t end up with the horses I’d marked off at all!

‘There are some studs I won’t buy from because they only breed a sales horse. You look in a catalogue and see mares ruined being bred to the wrong horse. I’ll only look at those sent from the studs I know breed a racehorse’.

When it comes to buying cheaper horses and having to forgive some faults, McCreery is careful. ‘I won’t forgive wind.

Ninety percent of horses have wind issues; we’ve bred that into them now. Bad feet can be tricky, too. I wouldn’t like a curvy hock; you end up married to them then. I look at them as if I’m going to be selling them in a year’s time; I look at them like a vet. I don’t like a flashy walker; I like to see them more relaxed and professional. And I hate the fact they are all given so much tranquiliser at the sales; you get a totally different character when you get them home’.

Prior to taking out his licence, McCreery’s vast experience hadn’t been limited to horses, and he also brings a lot of knowledge from another sporting world, having played Gaelic football at the highest level. He was a midfielder for the famous Kildare team that won a national title in 1998, while still working by day with Charles O’Brien.

‘I learnt a lot from our manager Mick O’Dwyer’, he acknowledges. ‘I think the biggest thing was that when he had you 100% fit, he tried to get you 110% fit and lost three players to injuries. I learned from that. A lot of horses lose their races at home on the gallops. When a horse is 100% fit, it can’t get any fitter. I learnt to back off and not do too much with them.

‘That’s the greatest skill. What John Oxx did with Sea The Stars—that was a phenomenal feat, and we won’t see it again.

To win six major Gp1 races in six months, that was an incredible achievement and it’s a wonderful thing for us to learn from.

It’s what we all have to aim for, even with a low-class handicapper, that ability to keep them fresh and at their peak from the beginning of the season to the end. It’s things like that that I love.

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 74

Eddie Dempsey, travelling head lad.

A LOT OF WHAT I’VE LEARNT COMES FROM RUNNING A LARGE COMMERCIAL STUD WHERE WE WERE FOALING 100 MARES IN A SEASON, I PICKED UP HORSEMANSHIP. WHEN YOU’RE RAISING THEM, YOU KNOW WHEN THEY’RE A RACEHORSE—YOU CAN SEE WHEN THEY HAVE THAT FIGHTING SPIRIT.” WILLIE McCREERY

Visit Sweden?

Visit Sweden?

Sweden is a racing nation on the up.

We haveisplenty of black opportunities and larger Sweden a racing nationtype on the up. purses than most people realise. We are not even that We have plenty of black type opportunities and larger far away. Give it a go - before everyone else does. purses than most people realise. We are not even that The Stockholm at Broeveryone Park in Stockholm far away.

Give itCup a goday - before else does. on 19 September features four black type races.

The Stockholm Cup day at Bro Park in Stockholm on The main race of the dayfour is the Group Stockholm 19 September features black type3 races.

Cup, a 12f turf race which boasts a purse of €138,000.

The main race of the day is the Group 3 Stockholm The Nickes Minneslöpning, a Listed race Cup,Tattersalls a 12f turf race which boasts a purse of €138,000. over a mile on the dirt course, is the perfect European The Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning, a Listed race trial for the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. over a mile on the dirt course, is the perfect European Contact Svensk Galopp or IRB information on trial for the Breeders’ Cup Dirtfor Mile. travel incentives.

Contact Svensk Galopp or IRB for information on travel incentives.

See you in Sweden!

See you in Sweden!

SVENSK GALOPP The Swedish SVENSK GALOPP Horseracing Authority The Swedish www.horseracingsweden.com Horseracing Authority @swehorseracing www.horseracingsweden.com @swehorseracing

Dennis Madsen, Head of Racing dennis.madsen@svenskgalopp.se Dennis Madsen, +46 8 466 86 03Head of Racing dennis.madsen@svenskgalopp.se +46 8 466 86 03

Feature races on 19 September at Bro Park in Stockholm, Sweden Feature races on 19 September Closing on Monday, 2 August at Bro Park in Stockholm, Sweden Closing on Monday, 2 August €138,000 Stockholm Cup International (Gr. 3) 3yo+, 2400 m (Turf) €138,000 Stockholm Cup International (Gr. 3) 3yo+, 2400 m (Turf) €65,000 Bro Park Sprint Championship (L) 3yo+, 1200 m (Turf) €65,000 Bro Park Sprint Championship (L) 3yo+, 1200 m (Turf) €65,000 Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning (L) 3yo+, 1600 m (Dirt) €65,000 Tattersalls Nickes Minneslöpning (L) 3yo+, 1600 m (Dirt) €65,000 Lanwades Stud Stakes (L) 3yo+ f&m, 1600 m (Turf) €65,000 Lanwades Stud Stakes (L) 3yo+ f&m, 1600 m (Turf) €41,000 Appel Au Maitre Svealandlöpning 2yo, 1400m (Turf) €41,000 Appel Au Maitre Svealandlöpning 2yo, 1400m (Turf) Internatonal Racing Bureau Max Pimlott, Trainers’ Services Internatonal Racing Bureau max@irbracing.com Max Pimlott, +44 79 50 86Trainers’ 19 39 Services max@irbracing.com +44 79 50 86 19 39

| WILLIE McCREERY |

PROFILE

‘I see myself as a conditioner of racehorses, not a trainer.

Getting a horse ready for its first time at the track takes a lot of work, but from then on it’s just a matter of keeping them fit, and they don’t need much work at all. I like to use their races as their work. I weigh them once a week and before and after races. Their weight can tell you if they were trying or not.

‘On the gallops I love my horses finishing together.

That way, they are all confident; they all go home happy.

When they go to the races for the first few times, I like the jockey to make it an enjoyable day for them. Billy Lee is our jockey, and he won’t punish a horse; they’ll come on all the better for it. Most horses try their heart out; they know that when a jockey goes “giddy up”, they need to go faster. Billy Lee and Nathan Crosse are horsemen, and my apprentices are all drilled in the same: why hit a horse when he’s trying his best?

‘It’s about keeping them mentally happy and when they run it doesn’t kill them, there’s plenty more for next time; they can keep improving. With some trainers that first run is a horse’s best run; they went all out for that win and gave everything, and there’ll be nothing more to come from them.

‘It’s all about knowing when to stop. If I’m not sure about a horse, I’ll run it over a shorter distance and it will recover quicker. I’ve found from experience that if I’m doubtful about them getting a trip and I run them over shorter, I’m usually right. Individuals will get given a break if they’re not growing or they look a bit sad, but I like to keep going with the two-year-olds. I’m not a twoyear-old trainer; their early races are bonuses. It’s their three and four-year-old career I focus on. Horses are not mature until they’re four, so I won’t do too much with them in their first season. My owners know what they bought themselves and know I won’t push them’.

Typically, his horses, who step straight out onto the Curragh from the yard, will have a four-and-a-halfkilometre hack over to the gallops. Those that need it will have stalls practise, but otherwise he prefers not to put them through the stalls, as there’s always a risk they may get a fright and then develop an issue.

‘I love to use the grass gallops, and I especially like bringing them up Walsh’s Hill. It has a quarter-mile width and provides good ground from March to November. It has a little incline the whole way up, and if the Lord ever gave me a field, it would be this one. Some of my horses have never turned a bend until they get to the races!

‘I’m in the yard at six and matching riders to horses on the board—that’s so important. If any rider calls a horse a bad name, they never ride it again; it’s clear they don’t get on together. Some riders have a good energy, and some have a bad energy; and horses are very sensitive to that’.

McCreery has gleaned plenty of knowledge from the people he has worked with and the roles he has experienced, but he reveals, ‘By far the biggest help to me as a trainer was when I worked at Kildangan Stud, and I did a course in managing people. That taught me an awful lot. Every staff member has good traits and bad traits, so good management is about finding what they like doing and what they can do. The skill is in getting them to use their skill and be beneficial to the yard. It’s the same in every walk of life and in every business. If you leave people doing things they’re not good at and don’t enjoy, they’ll leave.’

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 74

Apprentices Nathan Crosse & Jack Cleary.

The new

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PROFILE

Staff retention is a big problem, and recruitment is an issue not only limited to Ireland. ‘It’s a huge problem and getting worse by the day’, McCreery agrees. ‘It’s a worldwide problem, and I worry about the state we’ll be in in 10 years’ time. There is so much being introduced—Health and Safety and insurance getting more expensive. It’s a lot harder now in the administration side of things’.

McCreery also notes a change in modern culture and work ethic.

‘Young people only want to ride out; they don’t want to do anything else. They don’t like early starts and working weekends or bank holidays. They’re not as driven. For every one good person you get, 10 go through your hands. There’s no loyalty.

‘People are getting heavier; it’s a tough game to get into for any kids. The educational facilities tell them they can have a good career ahead, and they then get disgruntled when they don’t get on as a jockey. All trainers want a good apprentice, but if they’re not good, owners don’t want them on their horse. You bring on an apprentice as best you can, but at the same time you can’t jeopardise your business. Apprenticeships and educational facilities are an integral part of recruitment, but the reality is that it’s like the soccer youth academies—only the very few will make it’.

Ideas have been cited in the past for every trainer to take on an apprentice to train rather than rely on the educational facilities, but McCreery has his doubts. ‘If you have a bad teacher, you get a bad pupil; it won’t work that way. It’s important to be guided by the right person. The only way for apprentices to learn is from the good riders around them, and the Irish jockeys are among the best in the world. You can put any of our top 10 jockeys anywhere in

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the world, and they’ll be in the top 10 there. Visiting jockeys find it hard to ride here; it’s so tight.

‘The reality is most jockeys have very poor winning percentages and it’s tough, but they have to deal with it. My old manager, Mick O’Dwyer, used to say (that) when someone pats you on the back, they’re just looking to see where to put the knife! As a jockey walks back in from a race, they can be aggressively accosted and verbally abused, so it’s important kids are protected from that and know how to deal with it’.

However, there is a growing shift in culture and a lack of respect among some younger people that can prevent them from learning the traditional way—ears and eyes open and mouth shut. ‘It’s unfortunate, but the older jockeys used to offer advice to the younger ones. But now, if an older jockey goes over and says something to them, the youngsters tell them to f *** off ’!

Perhaps a bigger issue is the scope of the education provided at racing academies. McCreery picks up on something that should be fundamental, given the modern issues of height, weight and mental wellbeing.

‘They should be taught how to cook’, he insists. ‘It’s farcical.

They come out of work and go to the chip shop! I’m astonished at their lack of basic; it’s fundamental. As soon as my apprentices arrive here, I take them to a nutritionist. They learn to cook and to eat the right things’.

He is, however, blessed with good staff who have been with him throughout. ‘Our apprentices are Nathan Crosse and Jack Cleary.

Mick Clarke—he’s my head lad and assistant—he’s been here 10 years. Eddie Dempsey is our travelling head lad. Cathy Canon is

| WILLIE McCREERY |

Mick Clarke, Willie’s head lad & assistant.

ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

19

PROFILE

in the office; she does the accounts. My wife Amanda and Brian Donoghue are in the office, too; they do all the horse side. And John Breen has been with me 10 years looking after the yard’.

The restrictions placed on working hours is another headache faced by European trainers and, as McCreery points out, ‘Animals don’t know what day of the week it is. When I worked in America, there was no difference between a weekday or a Saturday or Sunday. I can see that in the near future we’re going to have to hire more people to work less days, like in France. We’ll have weekend workers, kids from college. Owners will never be happy to accept a fee increase; the only way is to have more staff working fewer hours. But staff won’t be getting a full week’s wages, so they won’t stay’.

Many trainers are looking ahead with trepidation, but perhaps that was always the case and it has certainly never stopped aspiring young people taking out a licence.

McCreery had the full support of his wife Amanda when he decided to start up on his own, her own career providing financial support until such time as she could join the Rathbride team.

‘I don’t think it’s too difficult for a young trainer to start out’, McCreery believes. ‘You can rent a yard or even just a few boxes and start with just two horses. I started off with just €20,000 and 12 horses, in the height of a recession. There is so much to learn off other trainers, and you either pick it up fast or not at all. You make mistakes, and you learn by them. If you don’t do everything right and efficiently you won’t succeed’.

The topic of the moment is social media, and the stress and pressure it can cause where once it was promoted as the newest tool in marketing a business. McCreery isn’t a fan and doesn’t do Twitter. ‘Where do you stop’? he says.

‘It takes up so much time. The bigger yards can do it, where they have someone employed just to keep it up to date. I don’t get owners from social media. Do trainers really need advertising? The minute you have runners, they are your advertisement.’

A consistent problem in Ireland has been the treatment of owners at racecourses—a situation that is improving rapidly but still bringing complaints from some trainers. It has been highlighted by some that there can be a tendency for racecourse staff to behave more like “bouncers” than “greeters”, which can undermine the hard work trainers have put in to securing owners.

It has also been argued that Ireland doesn’t have room for two authorities, in the form of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB), but McCreery would disagree.

‘HRI has done a great job keeping racing going’, he acknowledges. ‘It’s hugely important to keep the structure that we have in place—to keep the two bodies neutral. HRI is responsible for the promotion of the industry, and the IHRB controls the regulations. We’ve the best racing and breeding in the world, and we cannot afford to jeopardise that status. We are a nursery for the rest of the world, and that trade is very important; it keeps trainers going.

Every weekend in the USA the grass races are won by former Irish-trained horses and look at their success in Australia and Hong Kong. We need to be totally transparent and 100% honest; we set the standards in racing worldwide.

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| WILLIE McCREERY |

FEEDING CHAMPIONS SUBJECTIVIST

POWERED BY

Baileys Racehorse Mix

Congratulations to Mark Johnston & all connections

RACE - RECOVER - REFUEL - REPEAT BAILEYS HORSE FEEDS Racing Specialist - Simon Venner 07977 441 571 Tel: 01371 850 247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

PROFILE

WE REALLY, REALLY HAVE TO ADDRESS WELFARE OR WE WON’T HAVE RACING. WE NEED A PROPER COMMITTEE. THE RACEHORSE IS A PHENOMENAL ANIMAL AND WE’RE VERY LUCKY TO BE WORKING WITH THEM.” WILLIE McCREERY

‘I think our stewarding is very good. I know some call for professionals and ex-jockeys instead of amateurs, but I would be very afraid of professionals once they’re on a salary; they can be got at and controlled. At least with our amateur stewards, they are respectable and they’re doing it because they want to give their time; they can’t be got at. I would have a fear of professional stewarding being tampered with. France’s stewarding has gone a bit mad, I feel; Europe has to come together and unify the rules.

As things stand, it’s very unfair on jockeys.

‘The biggest problem is the Handicapper—we only have the one, and no one questions him. It’s hard to have a conversation with him; it just turns into an argument. There should be Handicappers for different length races, with more specific knowledge of those horses. A horse needs to be rated 80 to win a maiden, so why should the runner-up be punished and raised?

The runner-up should be dropped 3Ibs’.

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 74

Obviously, HRI will be undergoing a change this year as CEO Brian Kavanagh moves on to a new role at The Curragh Racecourse and Training Grounds, and his successor is sought.

‘Brian Kavanagh gets things done, instead of talking about it he just does it’, McCreery says. ‘He has kept racing going throughout the pandemic, and he’s done great for prize money. He has been hugely beneficial to us especially in the redevelopment of the Curragh training grounds.

‘I suppose you could argue that trainers didn’t get enough input; we did and we didn’t, but that’s probably not a bad thing.

We know how to train, but it was probably better to leave it to the experts. The grounds are brilliant. In the future I would love to see a dedicated horse crossing, but that’s a council issue’.

As conversation turns to the infrastructure of the Irish industry, McCreery paints a positive picture and has few complaints. ‘I would like to see more median auction races and fillies maidens— for my own preference—as it’s very hard to win with cheap fillies.

Claimers are now part of the programme, and people understand them a lot better. A lot didn’t understand them at first, but it’s your chance to handicap your own horse, and it’s also a chance to get rid of a horse. At the same time, owners can buy a horse from a claimer that’s ready to run. They used to be very popular with syndicates, but COVID has led to the loss of a lot of syndicates’.

There is one area in which McCreery would like to see more action taken. ‘We really, really have to address welfare or we won’t have racing. We need a proper committee’, he warns. ‘The racehorse is a phenomenal animal and we’re very lucky to be working with them’.

10 Group Races Featuring 6 Group 1 Races 11 sep leopardstown & 12 sep the curragh €3.9 million prize-money including four €125,000 EBF Handicaps Handicap Entries Close 25th August 2021

For More Info visit irishchampionsweekend.ie

@HRIRacing

ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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Melbourne, Australia | September to November 2021

Enhanced safety measures announced for Australia’s showpiece carnival Ahead of the 2021 Spring Racing Carnival, Australia’s most prestigious festival of racing which will feature the 161st running of the Lexus Melbourne Cup on 2 November, Racing Victoria (RV) wishes to remind European trainers of the enhanced safety measures which were recently announced for horses wishing to compete in the carnival.

Earlier this year RV and the Victoria Racing Club (VRC), who host the Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse, both agreed to endorse 41 recommendations which had been put forward by a review group, and which seek to establish a new global safety benchmark for horses.

The measures, which will be implemented this year, follow an extensive review into the rate of injuries sustained by international horses during the carnival with a primary focus on Australia’s greatest race, the Melbourne Cup. There have been five fatal limb injuries sustained in the Melbourne Cup over the ADVERTORIAL

last 40 years, with four occurring in the past eight years.

Each of these horses was an internationally-trained visitor: Anthony Van Dyck (2020, Ireland), The Cliffsofmoher (2018, Ireland), Red Cadeaux (2015, UK), Verema (2013, France) and Three Crowns (1998, Singapore). Aside from the tragedy of such losses, these fatal injuries have caused considerable negative headlines in Australia and eroded public support for racing.

The review group conducted an expansive consultation process with more than 65 local and international stakeholders,

including veterinarians, trainers, owners, jockeys, track managers and racing clubs.

The 41 recommendations are focused on the enhanced veterinary oversight and screening of international horses seeking to compete in the carnival and of all horses – both local and international – in the Melbourne Cup. The recommendations also include the retention of the Werribee International Horse Centre (WIHC) as Victoria’s quarantine centre, with enhancements to aid horse welfare and a cap on the number of horses that can enter the WIHC.

Some of the initiatives which will be implemented with the aim of reducing the risk of injury to international horses are as follows: Pre-Travel

Werribee International Horse Centre

• An enhanced pre-travel veterinary examination process which will ensure an increased level of oversight on horses wishing to travel, with additional compulsory diagnostic imaging and examinations to be conducted; • All international horses wishing to enter WIHC must undergo full body scintigraphy and CT/MRI of their distal limbs two to six weeks prior to entering pre-export quarantine. These scans will be reviewed by a panel of three RV-appointed international experts in equine surgery and veterinary diagnostic imaging to determine the horse’s suitability to travel; • Horses that have suffered a major fracture or orthopedic surgery will be excluded from travelling and entering WIHC, regardless of their current health and soundness; and • An RV-appointed veterinarian will conduct a pre-travel veterinary examination in pre-export quarantine within a week of travelling to Australia, to ensure the ongoing suitability of horses to travel.

• The WIHC will be retained as the industry’s quarantine facility and international training centre, with further enhancements to be made to the two training tracks and veterinary examination facilities; • The depth of the profile of the sandfibre track will be increased and track preparation modified to increase the depth and frequency of harrowing, while the crossing will be upgraded on the turf track; and • The number of international horses permitted to enter the WIHC for the Spring Racing Carnival will be capped at 24 this year.

Post-Arrival in Australia • All international horses must undergo a standing CT scan of their distal limbs prior to each start in Victoria during the Spring Racing Carnival before being permitted to compete, with the costs to be met by RV. These scans will be reviewed by a panel of three RV-appointed international experts in equine surgery and veterinary diagnostic imaging to determine the horse’s suitability to race.

The Melbourne Cup • All horses – both international and local – must undergo a CT scan of their distal limbs before being permitted to compete in the Melbourne Cup, with the costs to be met by RV; • That diagnostic imaging must be performed after the date of the Caulfield Cup (Saturday, 16 October) and prior to Melbourne Cup final acceptances; • These scans will be reviewed by a panel of three RV-appointed international experts in equine surgery and veterinary diagnostic imaging to determine the horse’s suitability to race; • International horses that travel to Australia via the WIHC will be permitted to have a maximum of one start in Australia prior to contesting the Melbourne Cup; and

• An additional pre-race veterinary inspection of all starters will be conducted by a panel of RV veterinarians one day before the Melbourne Cup on Monday, 1 November, in addition to that already conducted in the week prior to the race.

“These new measures were introduced because we want to see Australia’s greatest carnival also become the world’s safest, and for every international horse who competes in Victoria to return home safely,” said Paul Bloodworth, RV’s General Manager of International and Racing Operations.

“International competition has undoubtedly enriched the Spring Racing Carnival ever since Vintage Crop became the first overseas horse to win the Melbourne Cup in 1993, but there is also no denying that the number of fatalities has presented a significant challenge in recent years.

“Whilst we accept the new measures are likely to impact the number of international horses coming to Victoria for our carnival, we are absolutely committed to strengthening the strong relationships we have developed with trainers from across Europe and we look forward to welcoming some high-quality horses to Melbourne later this year, and in the future.”

To facilitate the implementation of the plan and to allow sufficient time for the veterinary examinations of international horses, nominations for both the Melbourne Cup and the Caulfield Cup have been brought forward to Tuesday, 3 August.

2021 Spring Racing Carnival Schedule Date

Race Name

Venue

Distance

Conditions

Prizemoney AUD ($)

Closing Date

Sat 16 Oct

G1 Caulfield Cup

Caulfield

12f / 2400m

Hcp

$5,150,000 ($3,150,000 first prize)

Tues 3 Aug

Wed 20 Oct

G3 Geelong Cup

Geelong

12f / 2400m

Hcp

$400,000

Thu 14 Oct

Fri 22 Oct

G1 Ladbrokes Manikato Stakes

The Valley

6f / 1200m

WFA

$1,015,000 ($615,000 first prize)

12pm Fri 15 Oct

Sat 23 Oct

G2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup

The Valley

12.5f / 2500m

SW&P

$511,000

Mon 18 Oct

Sat 23 Oct

G1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate

The Valley

10f / 2040m

WFA

$5,050,000 ($3,050,000 first prize)

Tues 3 Aug

Sat 23 Oct

G2 Crystal Mile

The Valley

8f / 1600m

WFA

$303,000

Mon 18 Oct

Wed 27 Oct

G3 Bendigo Cup

Bendigo

12f / 2400m

Hcp

$400,000

Thu 21 Oct

Sat 30 Oct

G3 Lexus Stakes

Flemington

12.5f / 2500m

Q Hcp

$301,500

Mon 25 Oct

Sat 30 Oct

G1 Cantala Stakes

Flemington

8f / 1600m

Q Hcp

$2,002,500 ($1,202,500 first prize)

Mon 25 Oct

Sat 30 Oct

G2 Linlithgow Stakes

Flemington

6f / 1200m

Hcp

$302,000

Mon 25 Oct

Tues 2 Nov

G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup

Flemington

16f / 3200m

Hcp

$8,000,000 ($4,650,000 first prize)

Tues 3 Aug

Sat 6 Nov

G3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes

Flemington

13f / 2600m

Q Hcp

$301,500

Mon 1 Nov

Sat 6 Nov

G1 Mackinnon Stakes

Flemington

10f / 2000m

WFA

$2,005,000 ($1,205,000 first prize)

Mon 1 Nov

Sat 6 Nov

G1 VRC Sprint Classic

Flemington

6f / 1200m

WFA

$2,002,500 ($1,202,500 first prize)

Tue 24 Sep

Sat 13 Nov

Listed TAB Cranbourne Cup

Cranbourne

8f/1600m

Hcp

$500,000

Mon 8 Nov

Sat 20 Nov

Listed Sportsbet Ballarat Cup

Ballarat

10f / 2000m

Hcp

$500,000

Mon 15 Nov

Sat 27 Nov

Listed Ladbrokes Sandown Cup

Caulfield

16f / 3200m

Q Hcp

$160,000

Mon 22 Nov

Sat 27 Nov

G2 Zipping Classic

Caulfield

12f / 2400m

WFA

$750,000

Mon 22 Nov

WFA – Weight-For-Age Hcp – Handicap SW&P – Set Weights & Penalties Q Hcp – Quality Handicap Full racing programs and details can be found at racingvictoria.com.au/international

ADVERTORIAL

For further information on the measures and their implications for travelling horses to Australia, please contact:

Paul Bloodworth Email | p.bloodworth@racingvictoria.net.au Phone | +61 403 346 467 (noting the nine-hour time difference to Australia)

Melbourne, Australia | September to November 2021

| NUTRITION |

NUTRITION A N A LYS I S S E PA R AT I N G T H E W H E AT FROM THE CHAFF Understanding a bit about feed labelling and feed manufacturing is worth the drudge, as it can help you make better choices for your horses in training and maybe even save a few pounds or euros.

W

hilst the information that a feed manufacturer must legally provide can vary from country to country, it is broadly similar. The purpose of feed labelling is primarily to give information about the feed to a potential customer, allowing informed choices to be made. However, it also provides a measure against which legislators and their gatekeepers can ensure feed manufacturing is consistent and that the feed is not being misrepresented or miss-sold.

The on-bag information is most often separated into what’s known as the statutory statement (or the legally required information) and then other useful information which features outside of the statutory statement. The statutory information can be found in a discrete section of the printed bag, or it could be located on a separate ticket, stitched into the bag closure. Whichever is the case, this is the information legally required by the country’s legislators and which the feed manufacturer is legally bound to adhere to.

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Dr Catherine Dunnett, BSc, PhD, R.Nutr

Alamy, Nigel Kirby, Frank Sorge

ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

27

| NUTRITION |

| N U T R I T I O N A N A LY S I S |

TYPICALLY, THE INFORMATION REQUIRED WITHIN THE STATUTORY STATEMENT INCLUDES FOR EXAMPLE: •N ame, address and contact details of the company responsible for marketing and sale of the feed.

•T he purpose of the feed, for example for pre-training or racing.

• Reference to where the feed has been manufactured. Some companies do not have their own manufacturing facility and will use a contract manufacturer. In the UK, a feed mill manufacturing feed must be registered and on the UK list of approved feed business establishments and there is a number, colloquially known as a GB number, which refers to the feed mill’s registration. A useful snippet is that if this GB number changes on pack, this may mean that the manufacturer has switched to a different mill.

•A list of ingredients in the feed in order of inclusion. The first ingredient will have the highest level of inclusion and the last being the lowest level.

•A declaration of analysis, which is used to describe the nutritional characteristics of the feed is quite limited in what can legally be declared. There is a predefined legally binding list of analytes that must be declared in this section, which depends on the type of feed. For example, this might include percentage protein, oil, crude fibre, ash, as well as the level of added additives such as copper, vitamins A, D and E, as well as any live microbiological ingredients, or preservatives, binders etc. In addition, the analysis must be carried out using specific laboratory methodologies set out in the legislation.

Feed manufacturers are allowed some tolerance on analysis, or limits of variation around their declaration to account for variation in sampling and manufacturing as well as the analytical variation itself and this can be as high as 10-20% in some instances for example.

•T he level and source of additives. For example, added copper must be declared and the level (mg/kg) and source (copper sulphate or if as a chelate, copper chelate of amino acid hydrate) stated.

•A ny additives (i.e., ingredients that don’t contribute to the nutritional value of the feed) can only be used if they appear on an authorised list of additives—meaning they have passed scrutiny for safety and efficacy. This list of additives pre-Brexit was maintained by the EU and since Brexit, whilst we can theoretically modify on our own terms, the reality is that we have largely adopted the EU list.

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There is a lot of useful information that is not legally allowed within the statutory statement that you will often find on a separate section of the bag, or indeed on a company website. For example, other analyses such as percentage of starch and sugar are often useful when choosing an appropriate feed and an estimate of the level of digestible energy (DE MJ/kg) is also helpful. Feeding guides also generally appear outside the statutory statement and can be quite useful. Whilst I am a firm believer in looking at the horse to help set the required amount of feed, feeding guides do give vital information, particularly about the likely minimum amount of this feed required to deliver a suitable level of vitamins and minerals.

• When being first really counts One of the most important and useful pieces of information on a bag of feed is the list of ingredients, as this must be presented in order of inclusion, greatest to smallest. The first three or four ingredients will give a good indication of what the major components are and therefore its characteristics and likely suitability for your needs. From this list, you can glean information about the quality of the protein, whether it’s high or low in starch, or whether it contains a significant source of highly digestible fibre.

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| N U T R I T I O N A N A LY S I S |

More recently, racing feed formulations have offered a profile that is lower in starch and sugar, with less emphasis on high-starch cereals and greater inclusion of highly digestible fibre sources such as soya husk, beet pulp or alfalfa.

Lay off and other early training feeds have a difficult balance to achieve as they need to be lower in energy and starch, but do still require a decent level of quality protein to support muscle turnover and development. If you find, for example, when using a feed for box rest or light work, that your horses have lost muscle definition and are looking a bit dull, the level of quality protein in the feed may be too low for your requirements. By looking at the list of ingredients, you may be able to establish this, or at least be able to ask some relevant questions of the feed producer.

Cereals such as oats, barley, wheat or maize listed first in the ingredients suggests that the feed is relatively high in starch. Whereas ingredients such as alfalfa, sugar beet, soya husk, or oatfeed listed first in the ingredients suggest that the feed has a lower starch content and is higher in digestible fibre. Soya—either full fat or HiPro and when found relatively high in the list of ingredients—suggests an enhanced level of high-quality protein. High-quality protein in simple terms means that the ingredient provides a good blend of amino acids to match requirements and is easily digested. Often, we will find ingredient bi-products such as wheatfeed or oatfeed. This isn’t necessarily a negative finding as they have a role to play in balancing the level of overall energy and or protein a feed provides, and in general, they are well tolerated, digestible Minimum feeding rate and economical.

Traditional racing feeds generally Protein (g) per 100g combine high-starch ingredients such as oats, maize and sometimes wheat Protein (g) per kg (particularly in cubes) with high-quality protein (full fat soya or HiPro Soya) Protein (g) per day and some digestible fibre.

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• Protein – more than just a percentage The protein percentage of a feed listed on bags often causes confusion, and I always say that % protein is only relevant when you consider how much is fed. This is because horses don’t have a requirement for a percentage of protein; they work in grams per day. A percentage figure for protein simply means how many grams are delivered per 100g of feed. So, a 14% protein feed will deliver 14g per 100g of feed, or 140g per kg of feed. Using an example to illustrate the point, we can compare a traditional racing feed and with a balancer.

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| N U T R I T I O N A N A LY S I S |

You can see that it all depends how much you feed. In some other countries like Australia, racing feeds tend to be higher in % protein, but this is because they are fed at a lower amount per day.

When discussing protein, we also need to consider protein quality. In other words, what is the amino acid balance of the main sources of protein in the feed, and how easily it is digested? In general terms, oil seeds such as soya or linseed provide good quality protein that is easily digested. Protein from cereals such as oats, barley or maize is more digestible than from forage, especially where the cereal is precooked. Comparing sources of forage, alfalfa or lucerne provides one of the most digestible and quality sources of protein.

• Will any old oil do?

The oil content of a feed is also worth noting. A higher % oil content listed on the bag can often mean that the level of starch in the feed is reduced, as oil is often used as an alternative energy source. A lower starch, higher oil-based feed can be a better option for early training, or for horses prone to gastric ulceration, tying up or generalised behavioural issues. A glance at the list of ingredients can also give more information about the source of oil.

For example, soya, linseed and rice bran are all high oil-containing ingredients at 20%, 40% and 20% oil respectively, although linseed is the only one of the three considered a high omega-3 oil. Omega 3, as opposed to omega-6 rich oils, is particularly beneficial, as they help the body moderate inflammation and are reputed to have a beneficial effect on red blood cell membrane flexibility.

Pasture, whilst overall being low in oil, does predominantly contain omega-3 fatty acids such as alpha linoleic acid.

For stabled horses, a recent study has suggested that just

A HIGHER % OIL CONTENT LISTED ON THE BAG CAN OFTEN MEAN THAT THE LEVEL OF STARCH IN THE FEED IS REDUCED, AS OIL IS OFTEN USED AS AN ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCE.” 125g, or 4.5oz, of linseed per day can result in a similar blood omega-3 profile to a horse kept at pasture. Vegetable oils such as corn or soya oil, which are both rich in omega-6 fatty acids, are also often used to lift the level of oil in a feed. Rapeseed (canola oil) is another often used alternative, which has a higher omega 3:omega 6 balance.

• A crude measure of fibre Crude fibre is the type of analysis of fibre, which is legally required on bags. However, % crude fibre is not particularly helpful to tell us about the nature or suitability of this fibre. Racehorses in training need digestible fibre which is perhaps better realised through a measurement of % NDF, but this is generally not available on feed bags.

However, again looking at the list of ingredients will give you useful information on the nature of the fibre content and how digestible this is likely to be. Ingredients such as alfalfa, grass, soya husk, sugar beet offer a good digestible source of fibre.

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WHILST THE LEGALLY REQUIRED ANALYSIS DOESN’T ALWAYS PROVIDE THE MOST USEFUL INFORMATION FOR THE CONSUMER, IT DOES PROVIDE A GOOD PLATFORM FOR QUESTIONS TO POSE.” • Ash – what the hell is it?

• Add ons

Ash is largely what it says it is: the weight of residue remaining after what’s known as a proximate feed analysis once the feed has been dried, chemically extracted with acid and alkali and then burned in a furnace. It is equivalent to the total mineral content of the feed ingredients and additives; however, again, that is not very informative.

If we want information on the mineral content such as calcium, zinc, manganese or other macro or trace minerals, you will likely have to look on the feed company’s website or make a phone call.

For example, live yeasts, which are classified as zootechnical additives, must always be listed in the statutory declaration. Information pertaining to which authorised live yeast is present and at what level per kg in colony forming units or CFU. This means you can work out how much in grams is being provided and compare against the recommended level. This will tell you whether the additive has been included at a functional level or is simply there for window dressing.

• Vitamins Vitamins A, D and E must also be declared on the analysis section of the bag, as they are fat soluble with any excess being stored in the body. Vitamin A is normally the highest and often 10 times that of vitamin D, while vitamin E is the lowest. It is not a requirement to declare the level of B vitamins in a feed, and some feed companies include them whilst others don’t. So again, the company’s website can be visited for more information.

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• In summary Whilst the legally required analysis doesn’t always provide the most useful information for the consumer, it does provide a good platform for questions to pose.

The list of ingredients is particularly helpful, as it is in order of inclusion. Finally, the feeding guide gives important information on the minimum quantity for delivery of a suitable level of nutrients. If in doubt, visit the manufacturer’s website or pick up the phone, as all feed companies are generally very willing to help.

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| RACING |

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR

MAISONS-L AFFIT TE?

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| MAISONS-LAFFITTE |

Katherine Ford

ScoopDyga/Elliott Chouraqui

A

visitor arriving at Maisons-Laffitte from Paris is greeted as he crosses the bridge over the Seine by a spectacular view of the town’s 15th century baroque chateau.

Signage announces arrival in ‘MaisonsLaffitte, Cité du Cheval’.

The racecourse is currently inactive, but the town still revolves very much around the horse, of which approximately 1,000—half of them racehorses—are stabled in the wooded parkland. Supporters of the racecourse hope that a project will be validated to see the track reopen as soon as 2023, while the training community is revitalised following a 1.5€ million investment in facilities, and the team is keen to attract new professionals.

France Galop CEO Olivier Delloye explains, ‘The situations with the racecourse and the training centre are two separate subjects.

France Galop is focused upon ensuring continuity for the training centre. We have not closed the door to the possibility of racing returning to Maisons-Laffitte, but if this does happen, it will not be organised by France Galop.

‘There is no racing currently planned for Maisons-Laffitte, and none for next year or in the future unless new elements enter the picture. France Galop is working in partnership with the town council because if there is to be a future for the track, it will certainly involve both parties; and the mayor is very keen for the racecourse to re-open. The idea is to seek a new economic model to make use of the buildings and facilities and therefore finance their upkeep, while France Galop would contribute the prize money and a share of the maintenance costs. This is the model used for provincial racecourses in France, and the system works; however, the costs involved in Maisons-Laffitte are higher than at the country tracks. It is important that any racing at MaisonsLaffitte in the future be organised to a high standard in accordance with the track’s status as a Parisian and premium track.

‘Earlier this year, France Galop published a call for expressions of interest and will analyse which projects could be compatible with a commercial exploitation of the racecourse and buildings, in conjunction with the organisation of racing. We have received a number of dossiers including some quite creative concepts— from varying profiles of operators to envisaging different ways of promoting the site, which is recognised as being exceptional. The responses are a mixed bag with some quite structured and some more exotic ideas. We hope to be able to select one or two projects to work on a viable business plan. France Galop will not validate any project unless we are certain of its financial sustainability as the last thing we want is for the racecourse to open and then close again shortly after, or for the new operator to lose money and call in the racing authorities to help out. The whole process will be carried out in full consultation with the town of Maisons-Laffitte and in a best-case scenario, racing could return in 2023’.

Ironically, when the racecourse was closed by France Galop to reduce expenditure, the French racing authority announced an ambitious investment programme of 1.5€ million to modernise and improve the town’s racehorse training facilities. Olivier Delloye is pleased with the results: ‘I visited Maisons-Laffitte last ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| RACING |

Patricia Butel

week and found that there was a very positive atmosphere with trainers optimistic about the future. It is clear that the professionals based in Maisons-Laffitte have not lost clients due to the closure of the racecourse, and recent results show that the facilities are perfectly adapted for training all types of horses—from juveniles to top milers and the best steeple-chasers of Auteuil’.

Indeed, during the spring of 2021, Maisons-Laffitte has notably celebrated the second places of the Gianluca Bietolini-trained Colosseo in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Carriacou, trained by Isabelle Pacaut, in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris’.

Edouard Boutolleau, operations manager of the training centre of Maisons-Laffitte and also Auteuil Racecourse, shares Olivier Delloye’s enthusiasm for these results.

‘It’s great to see the horses from Maisons-Laffitte putting up excellent performances in the top races under both codes, and don’t forget that Carlos and Yann Lerner’s Berneuil was second in the Gp3 sprint on the day of the Poules; and Jehan Bertran de Balanda took third with Hades in the Gr1 Prix Ferdinand Dufaure Steeplechase, too.

The results prove that the training centre has lost none of its quality.’

Boutolleau, who arrived at Maisons-Laffitte three years ago, explains, ‘Maisons-Laffitte’s training centre was designed to accommodate up to 2,000 racehorses. The population dropped to 500, but our aim is to increase the activity to 800 horses; and to do that, it was essential that we improve the quality of our facilities.

Before we started any work, a panel of five trainers, the “Group of Five” representing flat, jumps and mixed yards: Pascal Adda, Gianluca Bietolini, Patricia Butel, Yann Lerner and Didier Prod’homme, was elected; and all decisions as to what to remove and what to renovate were discussed at regular meetings and made in unison. The envelope of 1.5€ million was not elastic, and so choices had to be made’.

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| MAISONS-LAFFITTE |

Between summer 2019 and early 2020, extensive work was carried out on the drainage of the training tracks and also to provide a top-class schooling and gallops area in the ‘Fromainville’ field. ‘One of the most difficult choices to make was whether to keep the Fromainville or the Penthièvre gallops and schooling zone. We chose the former and completely renovated all the jumps, which now meet the highest safety standards. There are both left- and right-handed schooling tracks of around a mile, with hurdles identical to those of Auteuil, as well as a U-shaped track with steeplechase fences; and there is the possibility to finish the schooling with a straight turf gallop. We also drained and relaid the circular polytrack gallop in the centre of the schooling tracks’.

The work on the all-weather gallops consisted of drainage, levelling of the bases of the tracks and installation of a new watering system; and Boutolleau underlines, ‘We didn’t have a drop of standing water on the gallops all through the winter. The main all-weather tracks are now narrower than they were originally, as they have been reduced from 9m to 5m wide. The cost would have been doubled if we kept the 9m width’. Pascal Adda, one of the ‘Group of Five’ trainers who has been based in Maisons-Laffitte since 1973, concurs: ‘In the past the horses would canter past the tractor on the wider tracks, but now we have a system with precise timings for the tractor during the morning and a warning light to indicate when machinery is in use. Some trainers have had to modify their schedules, but everyone has adapted well to the new system and above all, it is safer’.

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| RACING |

A final stage of work will take place this summer when the surface of the ‘Rond Adam’ all-weather schooling area with various circuits of hurdles ranging from miniature to full-size, as well as steeplechase fences, will be replaced. Pascal Adda cites this Rond Adam as an example of the rationalisation of some of the running costs. ‘A man used to be employed full-time to operate the gate for horses to enter and exit the Rond Adam every morning. When it was decided to install a press-button system instead, some trainers weren’t happy. We had a laugh one morning when one of our older colleagues couldn’t get in to see his horses’ school. But now we can all manage to operate the gate and the financial savings is considerable’.

Gianluca Bietolini is one trainer who has had to adapt his training regime following the closure of the turf gallops at Penthièvre, but the Italian-born professional proved with Colosseo’s recent second place in the Poule d’Essai des Poulains that the facilities are now perfectly up-to-scratch. Having spent temporary stints at Deauville, Calas (Marseille) and Lyon, Bietolini is effusive in his praise of Maisons-Laffitte: ‘I was looking to set up permanently in France, and Alessandro Botti advised me to come to Chantilly. As I was travelling over from Italy with a runner in the Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte, I told him that I would come a few days earlier and would visit him and the training centre of Chantilly. When I arrived at Maisons-Laffitte with my horse, I could barely say “Bonjour”, but I was introduced to Franck Lemestre, who was the director of the site at the time. He said to me, “Why go to Chantilly when all you need is here?” and he proceeded to commandeer a France Galop tractor and tour the facilities with me for two and a half hours. When I discovered the stunning Penthièvre gallops, I was in love. The next day, Lemestre kindly arranged for me to

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| MAISONS-LAFFITTE |

ride out for Jehan Bertran de Balanda, who was very welcoming, and my mind was made up’.

Bietolini has now bought his stable in Maisons-Laffitte and says, ‘I was keen to be a member of the “Group of Five” in order to protect my investment. The work that has been done is remarkable, and I am convinced that we now have the best all-weather gallops in France, made from a new-generation fibresand, which is softer and allows us to work the horses harder while avoiding percussion on horses’ joints. We have all you need for the psychology of the horses, the rides through the parkland and forests mean they can relax; and they also get used to the cars, mopeds and activity of real life. Even at Newmarket which I consider is the “top du top” for training, the horses are not able to be exercised in such varied and natural surroundings as they can at Maisons-Laffitte. It gives the horses confidence and keeps them calm’.

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From a stabling perspective, France Galop has sold a number of yards to trainers, ‘so that they feel settled and can make long-term plans here’, explains Edouard Boutolleau. ‘There are still stables available to rent, either belonging to France Galop or to private owners, and this is possible either for a whole yard or just a line of boxes, depending upon requirements’. Many of the yards have basic accommodations above the stables, and the racing industry works in collaboration with the municipality of Maisons-Laffitte to secure reasonably priced housing for stable staff.

This latter point is important as Maisons-Laffitte is a highly desirable suburb of Paris, connected directly to the capital by a regular regional train service. And despite not currently having its own racecourse, (‘only 6% of runners at the track were trained here’, points out Edouard Boutolleau), Maisons-Laffitte is wellsituated at 45 minutes from Chantilly and less than two hours from Deauville.

Maisons-Laffitte could be in for another significant boost in the forthcoming months as a project is currently being finalised by a private investor to create a state-of-the-art veterinary and rehabilitation centre on part of the training centre recently vacated by France Galop. ‘It is early days yet, but the plans for this exciting venture are progressing well, and this would represent a major benefit for the whole equine population and professionals of Maisons-Laffitte’.

The last word goes to international Gp1-winning handler Freddy Head, who although based in Chantilly, is the honorary president of the Racing Society of Maisons-Laffitte. ‘I was born in Maisons-Laffitte, and the town and its racing heritage are very dear to my heart. My grandfather William Head and father Alec

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I REALLY HOPE THAT THE TRAINING CENTRE WILL FLOURISH AND THAT THOROUGHBREDS WILL GALLOP ON THE FAMOUS STRAIGHT OF MAISONS-LAFFITTE RACECOURSE ONCE AGAIN.” FREDDY HEAD

Head trained numerous Grand Prix winners over jumps and on the flat from Maisons-Laffitte before my father moved to Chantilly to take up a contract with Prince Aly Khan; and I have wonderful memories of my childhood in this special town. The primary concern of the Racing Society is to save the racecourse, which I miss very much as part of the French programme, but it is also important to defend the historic training centre. The site boasts some beautiful tracks in the parkland, and all the trainers seem to be very satisfied with the work which has been carried out there recently. I really hope that the training centre will flourish and that thoroughbreds will gallop on the famous straight of Maisons-Laffitte racecourse once again’.

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PRICK TEST COULD AN ANCIENT CHINESE THERAPY BE A TRAINER’S SECRET WEAPON?

A

t first glance, the Curragh (Ire)-based trainer Michael Grassick Jr may appear to have little in common with NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. Yet both have embraced a practise derived from traditional Chinese medicine in their quests to leave no margin left ungained when it comes to minimising pain and maximising performance.

Acupuncture may be a controversial subject for some within the equestrian community, but its potential to treat illness and injury and alleviate pain in horses is increasingly being recognised.

‘My father used to use it a lot when he was training, so when I took over [in 2013], I continued it,’ says Grassick Jr. ‘I found it very successful. If the lads feel something isn’t quite right, like they’re leaning a little bit or hanging a little bit, then you call the physio. He will pinpoint the area, and we’ll work on that area and usually you wouldn’t need him to look at it again.’

‘It’s something I was interested to witness—seeing them, how they respond,’ he continues. ‘You’d see they’d be a lot freer in themselves.’

Although acupuncture has been part of the programme for the equine inhabitants of his family Fenpark Stables for a number of years, it was a brush with Bell’s Palsy that finally convinced Grassick of the benefits of the technique.

‘One side of my face went numb on me about five or six years ago. They put me on drugs, but the only thing that really got it back 100% was acupuncture.’

So what exactly is acupuncture, and how does it work?

Here comes the science bit—concentrate. Acupuncture works by stimulating the sensory nerves under the skin and muscles. Tiny intradermal needles penetrate the skin

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Alysen Miller

Alamy, Shutterstock

| ACUPUNCTURE |

ISSUE 74 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| A LT E R N AT I V E T H E R A P I E S |

just enough to stimulate collagen and elastin production—two of the main structural proteins in the extracellular matrix. During this process, the acupuncturist may feel the needle being gripped by the surrounding tissue—a phenomenon known as ‘needle grasp’. A 2001 study by the University of Vermont College of Medicine further revealed that gently manipulating the needles back and forth causes connective tissues to wind around the needle—think spaghetti twirling around a fork—and sends a signal to the fibroblasts (a type of cell that produces the structural framework for such tissues) to spread and flatten, promoting wound healing.

But wait, there’s more. Under MRI, it has been shown that acupuncture causes the body to produce pain-relieving endorphins.

Furthermore, it is believed that acupuncture stimulates the central nervous system. This, in turn, releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord and brain. These biochemical changes may further help the body’s healing process.

So what’s not to like? According to the British-based acupuncturist, Dietrich Graf von Schweinitz, the scientific benefits of acupuncture have been lost in translation. ‘The trouble with acupuncture is that it has a messy historical baggage’, explains Graf von Schweinitz, ‘that led the Western world to believe that this was metaphysical, spiritual, “barefoot doctor’ territory”’. ‘Qi’ (pronounced ‘chee’) may be best known as the last refuge of a scoundrel in Scrabble, but in traditional Chinese medicine, the concept of qi refers to the vital life force of any living being. Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners believe the human body has more than 2,000 acupuncture points

Graf von Schweinitz

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connected by pathways, or meridians. These pathways create an energy flow—qi—through the body which is responsible for overall health. Disruption of this energy flow can, they believe, cause disease. Applying acupuncture to certain points is thought to improve the flow of qi, thereby improving health. Although in this sense, qi is a pseudoscientific, unverified concept; this linguistic quirk has meant that medical science has been slow to embrace the very real physiological benefits of acupuncture. ‘The ability of neuroscience to unravel more and more of acupuncture physiology is becoming quite staggering’, says Graf von Schweinitz.

| ACUPUNCTURE |

A softly spoken American, full of German genes whose accent betrays only the slightest hint of a southern drawl, Graf von Schweinitz was an equine vet for 30 years until he sold his practise to focus on animal acupuncture. ‘I grew up on a farm in Georgia. My parents both came from rural farming backgrounds.

So I was around horses all my life. I actually had my first taste of acupuncture at vet school. In my final year there was an acupuncture study going on in the clinics on horses with chronic laminitis or chronic navicular’. Like Grassick, he has personally experienced the benefits of the technique. ‘In my first job as a vet, I got kicked and was treated by a client who was an acupressurist [a close cousin of acupuncture that involves pressing the fingers into key points around the body to stimulate pain relief and muscle relaxation]. The result in terms of pain control was so bizarre and staggering I just thought, “I’ve got to know more about this”, and started my mission’.

For Graf von Schweinitz, acupuncture is part of an evolution that starts with conventional manual therapies. ‘I spend an average of 10 minutes before I stick the first needle in just on the physical examination process’, he explains, ‘literally starting at the head and working my way back to the back end. That goes for every horse, no matter what its problem’.

The difficulty with treating patients who can’t talk is that identifying the source of the pain can often be a little like searching for the proverbial, well, needle in a haystack. ‘The animal reports through facial expressions and sometimes quite angry and aggressive responses’, says Graf von Schweinitz.

‘These reactions are often to the types of pain that are not particularly responsive to the medications that are available; so the horse has a restriction in its gait, in its spinal mobility, in its neck mobility. More and more research is uncovering why acupuncture is particularly suitable for those types of pain; it’s a combination of using local and distant acupoints, which looks a bit strange. The conventional veterinary approach is to isolate the part that appears to be the burden, and then focus solely on that part in terms of the treatment’.

The other major benefit of acupuncture is that there are no medications involved. ‘The less you inject into them, the better’, says Grassick. ‘With acupuncture there’s no withdrawal; it’s all natural’. Compared with phenylbutazone, which has a withdrawal period of seven days, acupuncture can be safely administered any time up until the day before the race. (As with other manipulative therapies that have a short-term analgesic effect such as physiotherapy and osteopathy, acupuncture may not, in most jurisdictions, be performed on race day.)

So why aren’t more trainers embracing acupuncture, even if only as a complement to conventional veterinary treatment?

Certainly, acupuncture has been part of the toolkit for physios treating elite human athletes for some time. ‘It’s something that we use a lot for the pain management side of things’, says Andy Steed, a musculoskeletal physiotherapist who has served as consultant physio to the Arsenal Ladies Football Club. He acknowledges that acupuncture may never have enough hard science behind it to convince the sceptics. ‘Some people will never believe in it; some people will use it a lot, and it will work’, he says.

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| A LT E R N AT I V E T H E R A P I E S |

| ACUPUNCTURE |

Michael Grassick Jr

‘More recently, they know a little bit more from the scientific point of view about how it affects the nervous system, the connective tissues, and the muscle fibres; but in terms of the qi and the flow of the energy through the body, it’s never going to be able to get that sort of hard evidence behind it. Because it is an invasive technique, you can’t really do placebo acupuncture. If you’re getting a needle put in you, you’re going to know about it; so it makes it hard to do those blinded studies’.

For Steed’s human patients, the hair-splitting debate between science and pseudoscience matters less than the results. ‘If there’s something that’s helping someone, even if it is a placebo, it’s still helping. If somebody feels a benefit from it, does it actually matter if it’s doing something physiological’?

While the debate over the scientific evidence looks set to continue, Grassick, for one, is not giving up the needles just yet.

‘I think you really have to see it to believe it’, he says. Crucially, he acknowledges, acupuncture is not a silver bullet. ‘[From] 48 to 72 hours after treatment you’d see the real effect, but we would have to continue the maintenance on the problem to fix it long term. You have to do the work yourself. When [the acupuncturist] is gone out the gate, you continue the work the following day. He’s helping you pinpoint the area, and he’s giving the horse relief for two to three days. You’ve got to keep going on that point to fix the problem’. And that, perhaps, is the point.

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WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE? • Acupuncture is believed to have originated in China as early as 100 BC. • Traditional acupuncture is based on the belief that an energy, or ‘life force’, flows through the body in channels called meridians. This life force is known as qi (pronounced ‘chee’).

• Western medical acupuncture is the use of acupuncture following a medical diagnosis. It involves stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles.

• This results in the body producing natural substances, such as pain-relieving endorphins. It’s likely that these naturally released substances are responsible for the beneficial effects experienced with acupuncture.

• Acupuncture is popular in the United States, Australia and Europe, although it remains most heavily practised in China.

• A number of peer-reviewed studies have supported its efficacy for certain uses such as musculoskeletal conditions, as well as chronic, tension-type headaches and migraines.

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| INDUSTRY |

Dr Paull Khan

ScoopDyga

DOPI NG CONTROL I N EUROPEAN RACI NG A Q & A W I T H H E N R I P O U R E T, CHAIR OF THE EUROPEAN HORSERACING SCIENTIFIC LIAISON COMMITTEE

I

n this issue, we continue our series of Question and Answer sessions with the chairs of international committees in the European and Mediterranean regions. We began (Issue 72) with the subject of classifying the major, Black Type races across Europe, with our interview with the chair of the European Pattern Committee, Brian Kavanagh. Here, we move on to the subject of doping

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control, which is the remit of the European Horserace Scientific Liaison Committee. Its chair, Henri Pouret, answers your questions.

Pouret, who has a background in law, is the deputy CEO of France Galop, in charge of racing and also represents France on the International Federation of Horseracing Authority’s (IFHA’s) Harmonisation of Racing Rules Committee.

| EHSLC |

THE EHSLC LISTS THESE AMONGST ITS TERMS OF REFERENCE:

• With the aim of achieving uniformity of approach, to provide advice to the Racing Authorities of the member countries on policy, scientific and procedural matters concerning the Rules of Racing as they relate to prohibited substances.

• To recommend alterations to the Rules of Racing as they relate to prohibited substances.

• T o recommend common policies and procedures where appropriate in the areas of sample collection, sample testing (including confirmatory analysis) and prohibited substances, and to monitor compliance by the member countries with these policies and procedures.

• To agree whether specified drugs fall within the List of Prohibited Substances.

• To recommend the need, where appropriate, for new or

varied threshold levels, for inclusion in the Rules of Racing.

• To promote liaison and discussion between the official racing laboratories and the official racing veterinary surgeons of the member countries.

• To promote inter-laboratory drug testing programmes, and to monitor the results vis-à-vis the official racing laboratories of the member countries.

• To agree with research priorities and to promote joint

approaches, where appropriate, for their achievement.

• To publish detection periods, agreed jointly between the official

racing laboratories and other interested parties in the member countries for therapeutic drugs commonly used in the horse.

• To exchange drug intelligence and other relevant information between the member countries.

Q: Let’s get some definitions out of the way first. One of the EHSLC’s Terms of Reference is ‘to recommend the need, where appropriate, for new or varied threshold levels, for inclusion in the Rules of Racing’. What is the difference between a ‘threshold level’ and a ‘screening limit’?

HP: ‘Threshold level’ and ‘screening limits’ are two critical indicators for doping control determined in urine and/or plasma.

A ‘threshold level’ is a numerical figure adopted by racing authorities for endogenous substances produced by horses and for some plants traditionally grazed and harvested to horses as feed. International thresholds are recommended by the IFHA’s Advisory Council on Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices and approved by the IFHA Executive Council.

A ‘screening limit’ (SL) is also a numerical figure determined by experts for legitimate therapeutic substances. Some are harmonised internationally and some are harmonised regionally (e.g,. within EHSLC for Europe).

Both ‘threshold level’ and ‘screening limit’ are applied by racing laboratories as a reference for the reporting of positive findings.

Q: On the IFHA website, there are lists published of ‘international screening limits’ and ‘residue limits’.

How do these differ?

HP: ‘International screening limits’ (ISLs) are SLs harmonised internationally under the umbrella of the IFHA after having been recommended by the IFHA’s Advisory Council on Equine

Prohibited Substances and Practices and adopted by the relevant signatory countries of the International Agreement of the IFHA. ‘Residue limits’ (RLs) are numerical data which are determined by experts. International RLs are recommended by the Advisory Council on Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices in order to control the detection of certain environmental substances.

Q: And finally, the old chestnut…what is the difference between a detection time and a withdrawal period?

HP: The detection time (DT) is a product of the first observed time point at which urine and/or plasma samples collected from all horses in a study conducted according to the recommendation of the EHSLC (a given medicinal product, manufacturer’s recommended dosage regimen, etc.) are negative (i.e., the concentration in the biological fluid under study would be below a proposed screening sensitivity limit) and also risk management.

The DT is a piece of information released by racing authorities to stakeholders to assist professionals (veterinarians) to recommend a withdrawal time for a given horse.

This allows the veterinarians to apply good veterinary practise in the use of therapeutic substances to treat racehorses. The overall process provides a fair and effective approach for controlling substances commonly used for treating racehorses and allows the eight member nations of the EHSLC—Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Nordic countries—to harmonise on the control of these substances through agreed limits of the sensitivity of screening procedures for race day samples.

To decide a withdrawal time (WT), an adequate safety margin must be chosen by the treating veterinarian using his or her professional judgement to allow for biological, pharmaceutical and pharmacological variation, thus minimising the possibility that a positive finding will occur on race day.

A DT, as issued by the EHSLC, is not equivalent to a WT. The WT should be longer than a DT to take into account the impact of all sources of animal variability (age, sex, breed, training, racing...).

Q: The first of the questions posed by members of the European Trainers Federation: ‘What are the current threats facing racing, and how does the EHSLC go about assessing which threats are real and which are only perceived’?

HP: The main threat facing racing could be the loss of confidence in the integrity of horse racing amongst both punters and stakeholders who are the best ambassadors of our sport. As far as doping control is concerned, the main threats are the use of major doping agents of any kind and the abuse of treating medications including endogenous substances.

The strength of EHSLC is the wide composition of the various groups of expertise including both the gallop and trotting worlds, coming from France, Britain, Ireland, Germany, Italy and Nordic countries. There is a group of chief veterinary officers including pharmacologists, a group of heads of racing laboratories and a group of administrators/regulators. Most of the contributors are also members of other international horse institutions such as the European Trotting Union (UET), the IFHA and/or the FEI. This composition, of very committed persons coming from different landscapes, allows us to address these threats.

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| INDUSTRY |

As far as EI vaccination is concerned, a thorough debate took place at EHSLC in 2019 when there were discrepancies between the various protocols put in place by the major racing jurisdictions in Europe. At the end, a harmonised position was reached, including a commitment from each party to make its best effort to achieve its implementation in its respective racing jurisdiction.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed this process.

Hopefully, the consultations will conclude soon. In France, the end result has been the implementation of the new protocol starting last month.

As far as EHV vaccination is concerned, this is still a hot topic; but I plead for harmonisation on this issue. In France, this vaccination became compulsory back in 2019, but this is not the case in other European racing jurisdictions or in other horse sectors. However, the recent outbreak in Valencia and the economic impacts associated with it will probably change the general perception on this subject.

Henri Pouret

Q: Another trainer asks: ‘How does the EHSLC work with the FEI? Surely it would be to the benefit of the global racing/sport horse industry if there was one common set of “rules” for professional keepers of horses’.

HP: As I just mentioned, some members of EHSLC also take part in FEI committees. The FEI has also a representative invited to EHSLC meetings. The current veterinary director of the FEI, Dr Göran Åkerström, is very familiar with EHSLC as he was one of the administrators representing Nordic countries for many years when he was managing director of the Swedish Trotting Association. As you can imagine, the liaison and the communication [are] now good between EHSLC & FEI.

Q: Trainers frequently complain about the lack of uniformity of the rules and have cited, as a prime example, the current disparity between the approaches of the major European countries to vaccinations, whether against EI or EHV. The EHSLC would also, surely, like to see such harmonisation.

Can you explain why it is not able to create this?

HP: Harmonisation of rules and practises is our goal, but this is a long-term process especially in an environment where the international institutions do not impose rules changes. The current situation is based on recommendations subjected to national enforcement regarding local considerations. The key principles such as doping regulations, and more recently, interference rules are in common among the different European justifications. The creation of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF), chaired by Brian Kavanagh in which Secretary General Dr Paull Khan plays a key role liaising with a huge number of International and European structures, including the European Trainers Federation, has sped up the benefits of sharing experiences—which is the first step for a broader harmonisation of rules and practises.

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Q: It is not only uniformity of the rules themselves that trainers covet, but also uniformity of their implementation.

Some have implicated differences in the capability of the various laboratories to which samples are sent for analysis, and/or in the guidelines for reporting to which they work.

Two questions illustrate this: 1. Why are there so many more positive test results in France than any other country in Europe?

2. Why do tests in, for example, Ireland not show the same results as those in France? Surely, if this is a governing body which covers the major countries, then the testing procedures should be the same.

If I was a trainer in France who has a positive, then I am going to get my B sample tested in Ireland!

Can you comment on this?

HP: These two questions are exactly the justification of one of the EHSLC purposes: obtaining the most consistent implementation of the testing mechanism in Europe. In order to reach this goal, there are constant samples exchange programs between the various EHSLC countries in order to assess the capability of the different labs to analyse blind tests to keep the highest standard in terms of analytical capabilities. When there are such issues, EHSLC is a quick channel of discussion in order to adopt a more consistent approach.

Q: There are differing views, not only between regulators and horsemen, but also between the racing authorities of various parts of the globe towards those substances which give therapeutic benefits, but may either mask the existence of other substances, or, through their pain-killing properties, make horses oblivious to underlying conditions—sometimes with catastrophic results. These are reflected in this question: Why does the EHSLC not want to authorise the use of products which reduce the risk of veterinary injury but protect the thoroughbred racehorse?”

Can you explain the EHSLC’s philosophy?

HP: EHSLC does not prevent any use of therapeutic substances provided that each treatment is truly legitimate for the horse.

However, there is a common view among racing authorities in Europe that considers that a horse should be free from drugs

| EHSLC |

when racing or, in some cases, for a specified number of days before racing. The reasons behind this are to ensure fairness in the performances of the horses, equality as between participants and, last but not least, to provide a sound basis on which to base selection of horses for a breeding career.

Q: As your website explains, ‘The key activity of the EHSLC is the determination and publication of Detection Times’ for commonly used therapeutic drugs. The drug betamethasone has been in the headlines recently, with the case of Medina Spirit’s positive sample. Why does the EHSLC not publish a detection time for betamethasone?

HP: Betamethasone is administered by intra-articular injections (IA). EHSLC is cautious regarding detection times (DT) of IA administered molecules.

In the case of betamethasone, it depends on several parameters such as the dose or its chemical formulation (quick acting or slow acting) and the nature of the joint selected, for instance fetlock or carpal.

In addition, even if a DT is not published, there exists the ‘14 days rule’ which states that ‘No horse may run if it has received an intra-articular infiltration containing a glucocorticoid substance within the 14 days preceding the race’ (Annexure 15, item f, France Galop rules of racing).

Q: Is it connected to the fact that the IFHA does not publish an international screening limit for betamethasone in blood—only in urine?

HP: I don’t think so. If you look at the details of the published IFHA ISL in plasma, you will see that other glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone are also not published in plasma, but dexamethasone DT is available on the EHSLC website.

• Thresholds Q: The North American Association of Racetrack Veterinarians called for ‘rational thresholds’ to be applied to therapeutic medications, including one of 100 picograms per millilitre for betamethasone—five times the level detected in Medina Spirit—because, they claimed ‘research has recently been published demonstrating that positives below this level can readily be achieved with the simple exposure of the horse to urine from a treated horse, or the many…creams and sprays…available...’ What is your view on that?

HP: This is an American approach and not an international harmonised approach endorsed by IFHA. According to Article 6 of the International Agreement, threshold levels can only be adopted for endogenous substances and substances arising from plants traditionally grazed or harvested as equine feed.

Q: A core concern of trainers is the possibility that therapeutic substances remain at detectable levels longer than expected. The distinction between ‘detection times’ and ‘withdrawal periods’ seems to be at the heart of this trainer’s question: ‘Who decides on the detection times for different circumstances/medication? There have been a number of cases where the trainer has followed the protocols yet has been in breach of screening limits. The strict liability approach often implicates the trainer/vet who has been playing by the rules’.

HP: EHSLC’s goal is to give available information to trainers and vets in order to prevent breaches of the rules following a legitimate treatment. Detection times (DT) are set up by EHSLC based on science and risk management. Having a DT to guide them, treating vets then decide a withdrawal time (WT) to be observed by trainers.

Moreover, racing authorities may provide ‘elective testings’, which are a fast-track targeted analysis based on the prescription of the therapeutic substance which has been administered to the horse in order to check that there is no remaining presence of a drug that would create a positive case after a race.

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| INDUSTRY |

Q: There have been several recent examples where it has been accepted that the causes of samples having tested positive for prohibited substances were external to the trainer’s yard, such as feed contamination. The caffeine positives in Germany and those for zilpaterol in Ireland come to mind. It emerged that variability even within a batch of feed means that a trainer could arrange to have his/her feed tested. Even if it tests negative, a horse may have ingested a prohibited substance from another portion of the feed.

HP: Strong quality control put in place by feed manufacturers is the best way to prevent any kind of feed contamination.

Furthermore, some trainers now keep the number of the batch or even a piece of feed in order to have some evidence in case of feed contamination.

| EHSLC |

Q: Racing authorities the world over are grappling with the difficulties all this creates. How can they best achieve the often conflicting aims of upholding racing’s integrity, protecting the interests of ‘clean’ trainers against those who transgress the rules, safeguarding horse welfare and ensuring that the disciplinary system applied to trainers is fair and reasonable. Lissa Oliver (European Trainer Issue 71) concluded: ‘It is surely unreasonable to expect a trainer to have to (trace the origin of a positive sample) in order to prove his or her innocence. Shouldn’t the onus remain with the regulators to prove guilt’?

As someone whose responsibilities outside the EHSLC include framing rules and racing and instigating disciplinary action, how would you answer that point?

Q: Trainers are also concerned about the risks of environmental contamination and of horses testing positive for substances they produce naturally in their bodies. One asks: ‘Why does the EHSLC not routinely provide trainers with a summary of threshold/screening limits as there are certain instances (testosterone/poppy seeds) where naturally occurring threshold limits could be compromised? These are now readily available in both Australia and USA’.

HP: You know, regulators aim to have a ‘clean’ sport and to

HP: Environmental contamination can be subjected to ‘residue

Q: Another trainer asks:

limits’ that are published in the International Agreement of the IFHA and can be included in the rules of racing of each racing authority. This is the same for substances which are produced naturally in the body of horses which can be subjected to ‘threshold limits’.

HP: The full members of the European Pattern Committee

protect both horses and ‘clean’ stakeholders. In most racing regulations, trainers are considered as ‘guardians’ of the horses under their care. They have to take every step to prevent any positive samples, and the vast majority of them succeed in it; this should be emphasised.

To me, any other approach would weaken the racing system and would leave the floor to people who aim to cheat.

‘Why aren’t all countries governed by the European Pattern aligned to the EHSLC?’ (EPC) [include] Britain, France, Ireland and Germany, [which] are all members of the EHSLC.

Q: Some questions have centred on the relationship between EHSLC and the training fraternity.

Two questions exemplify this: 1. Can the EHSLC be more transparent/‘collaborative’ with trainers?

2. How would the EHSLC like to work more closely with the training community?

HP: The natural link between EHSLC and trainers are the national racing authorities.

For some racing authorities which are not members of EHSLC, all the decisions taken by EHSLC are presented at the European and Mediterranean Horse Racing Federation (EMHF) level.

Furthermore, the secretary general of the EMHF has created strong links with the European Trainers’ Federation. I think there are good ways of communication with trainers. However, I would be happy to consider further actions to be more transparent and collaborative with trainers if this is deemed necessary.

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| TRAINING |

Dr Russell Mackechnie-Guire

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH UNCOVERS HOW BREASTPL ATES & BREAST GIRTHS CAN INHIBIT

PERFORMANCE

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| BREASTPLATES & BREAST GIRTHS |

Using pressure mapping and gait analysis technology, scientists have now measured how breastplates and breast girths can compromise the horse’s jump and stride at gallop

B

reast girths and breastplates are routinely used to prevent the saddle moving backwards at home on the gallops, and on the track. Post-race bruising to the pectoral muscles, sternal abrasions, soreness and even lacerations caused by a breastplate are often accepted consequences of keeping the saddle in place. But evidence is mounting that, in addition to the physical factors, a poorly designed breastplate or badly fitted breast girth could also be restricting the horse’s gallop and compromising its jump during a race, therefore impacting the horse’s locomotor efficiency, performance and athletic potential.

Recent research in the sports horse has demonstrated that breastplates have a significant negative effect on the horse’s action over a fence. A further pilot study looking at how breast girths and breastplates affect the racehorse indicates that they influence the movement of the shoulder and forelimbs whilst galloping, potentially comprising gallop efficiency.

• Jumping short In the sports horse jumping study, scientists used Pliance pressure mapping (fig 1) to identify areas of peak pressure beneath traditionally fitted breastplates.

A sensor mat placed between the breastplate and the horse’s skin recorded levels of pressure throughout the jump cycle. Regardless of breastplate design, the highest pressures were consistently seen in the centre of the chest

(located on the midline over the sternal region), at the moment of take-off as the horse’s shoulder, elbow and knee were flexed and the shoulder was in its most forward position (point P, fig 2).

Alongside pressure mapping, two-dimensional gait analysis was utilised to determine how pressures created by breastplates affected jumping technique. Markers were placed on the horse’s joints, and the horse’s jump was analysed at a rate of 300 frames a second—approximately 25 times faster than the human eye. The data quantified any changes in joint and limb angles. The findings demonstrated that the whole jump is adversely affected by the breastplate design and resultant pressures from the point of take-off to, and including, the stride immediately after landing.

Without a breastplate, the horse’s natural jump is a parabolic (symmetrical) curve, with the highest point an equal distance between take-off and landing. In the study, a breastplate was shown to shorten the horse’s landing position by 0.5m compared to landing with no breastplate.

This pattern of an altered trajectory was scientifically recorded under experimental conditions over one single oxer fence (1.2m) on a level surface. Applying the same principles to the racehorse, the negative impact that this would have when galloping would be magnified.

Fig 1: Pliance pressure mapping revealed the point of peak pressure common to all breastplates in the test occurred at the point of take-off.

FIG 1

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| TRAINING |

If the horse’s trajectory over a brush fence is shortened by the same distance as it is over a 1.2m jump, this is likely to have a significant effect on gallop efficiency—in particular stride rate, length and frequency. Over a course of 12 National Hunt fences, if half a metre of ground is lost (as a function of the altered landing trajectory) at every jump, this would require six metres to be made up over ground—potentially the length of a winning stride.

• Crash landing In addition, horses wearing a breastplate landed more steeply over the fence. When jumping 1.3m from canter, the trailing forelimb is subjected to a force two times the horse’s body weight as it lands. When the horse descends closer to the fence, the trunk lands at a steeper angle and it is likely, therefore, that the forces through the limbs would be higher; and the horse’s joint angles would have to alter as a compensation strategy, compared to

those of a horse jumping optimally on a parabolic trajectory. If a breastplate is being used regularly at home, as well as on the track, the horse will be exposed to increased forces more often, and this causes increased wear and tear on the limbs and joints.

This steeper landing with altered joint angles not only increases the risk of pecking or tripping on landing, it also requires more effort from the horse to make an efficient departure stride and resume its natural rhythm. This means the horse has to put more effort into every jump and, particularly over a long course, the accumulative effect may cause a reduced run-to-fatigue time.

A quick way to fatigue a horse is to interfere with its natural rhythm (i.e., periods of deceleration and acceleration). As trainers, we want to create an environment where the horse can jump optimally and effortlessly out of the gallop stride, maintaining a smooth uninterrupted rhythm. Our aim is to create optimum performance from the horse’s natural athletic ability, free from any restriction caused by the equipment we use.

FIG 2

Fig 2: Without a breastplate (top), the horse’s jump forms a smooth parabolic trajectory over the fence from take-off to landing (A).

With a breastplate (bottom), the horse’s lead foot makes contact with the ground much closer to the fence (B), and the landing phase of the jump is steeper.

CAGE FIGHTING A breastplate that attaches to a saddle and then the girth (between the horse’s front legs) forms, in effect, a ‘cage’ around the horse’s shoulder/chest apparatus that restricts its movement.

As the front legs are brought forward in the gallop stride, the chest comes up against the breast girth; and the contact that the horse feels restricts forelimb movement, which leads to the horse taking a shortened stride. At the same point in the stride, as the front legs are forward, the girth and saddle naturally move back, pulling the leather strap between the legs tight against the pectoral muscles, causing further restriction and adding the potential to bruise these soft

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tissues. It is important to note that this restriction occurs every stride cycle. So every time the horse’s forelimbs come forward, the cage effect created by the breastplate will affect forelimb (and hindlimb) movement and ultimately affect gallop efficiency.

The pectorals are also at risk of damage from this breastplate design when landing over a fence. As the mass of the horse descends, the left and right pectorals can be seen to envelop the strap as it digs into the muscle—inevitably causing discomfort and compromising the landing apparatus, which will already be adjusting to the altered jumping trajectory.

Furthermore, if the breastplate strap passes under the girth, this causes an added ridge of pressure right on the sternum under girth.

| BREASTPLATES & BREAST GIRTHS |

• Shortened stride The preliminary findings of the racehorse pilot study suggest it’s not just the jumping action that is affected; the gallop stride itself is compromised and shortened.

This study used gait analysis to compare the movement of horses without a breastplate to their movement when wearing a full elasticated breast girth, a non-elastic one (with elastic inserts at the ends) and an elastic breastplate that attaches to the saddle and between the horse’s legs to the girth (see figs 3a,b,c).

Because they’re always fitted statically, it’s difficult to envisage the effect breast girths have dynamically when the horse is galloping; but the standing posture bears no resemblance to the kinematics (body movement) of a horse galloping at 30mph.

Preliminary data suggests that, as the front legs are brought forward in the stride, the horse’s chest comes up against the breast girth, and the restriction the horse feels affects the scapula and forelimb kinematics forcing it to take a shortened stride.

This is due to the huge range of motion the forelimb goes through during the gallop stride. It appears to be the case even if the front strap of the breast girth looks to be fitted loosely when the horse is standing and the saddle is not slipping as the horse moves.

Initial findings indicate some differences between the elasticated and non-elasticated breast girths, with the non-elastic version restricting extension more than the elastic one. However, this was recorded using a saddle with good stability; but in a situation where the saddle moves back, the elastic component of the girth would eventually pull tight and restrict forelimb kinematics.

FIG 3a

FIG 3b

• Saddle slip Breast girths are the accepted method of preventing saddles from slipping backwards, but this research suggests that, in fact, solving one problem can create another. A breastplate tightens against the chest due to the nature of the horse’s movement in the normal gallop stride; but if this is coupled with the saddle moving backwards out of position, the negative effect is exacerbated, and the shoulder is restricted even more.

Taking action to limit saddle movement by use of a non-slip pad, rubber mesh, Shammy or similar might prove a useful alternative to a breast girth, particularly for flat horses. However, as these products age, or are repeatedly washed, they lose their grippiness and become less effective. Renewing them regularly could well be a more cost-efficient option and replace the need for a breast girth.

FIG 3c

• Need for speed When asked to go faster, a galloping horse has to either take more strides or increase its stride length. If a breast girth is restricting stride length and forcing the horse to adopt a strategy of increased stride frequency, it may well achieve the same speed, but every stride has an impact on the horse’s joints, causing wear and tear. A study has suggested that horses have around 100,000 gallop strides before the structures reach failure point, and so any reduction in loading cycles (number of strides) could potentially help reduce injury risk.

At gallop and when jumping, the tendons and soft tissues are already working close to the margin of failure, so all attempts should be made to protect the limbs by dampening these forces, not increasing them. Equipment that causes a stride frequency strategy instead of a stride length strategy increases the damaging forces and the accumulative effect will, over time, limit longevity and performance.

FIG 3a, 3b, 3c: Joint markers were used to study the effect on limb kinematics of a full elastic breast girth (3a), non-elastic breast girth (3b) and breastplate (3c) compared to action of horses without a breastplate or breast girth.

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| TRAINING |

| BREASTPLATES & BREAST GIRTHS |

WIND POWER

FIG 4

Just below the skin’s surface where the breast girth sits across the base of the neck lies the trachea (windpipe). If the breast girth is putting pressure on the windpipe during gallop, researchers speculate that this could have an effect on the horse’s breathing apparatus and oxygen uptake. It would also be interesting to determine whether there’s a measurable difference in performance between using a narrow (fig 4) or wide (fig 5) breast girth.

This hasn’t been scientifically investigated yet, but if there is any chance the width, height or tension of a breast girth could restrict breathing, then this is worthy of practical consideration now. A poorly designed or badly fitting breast girth could potentially be counterproductive to all the fitness training and respiratory health measures we take in the horse’s day-to-day training regime.

A breast girth positioned too high is more likely to interfere with the trachea and have the potential to restrict oxygen uptake and increase the risk of early fatigue (see fig 6).

FIG 5

Further reading • www.grayson-jockeyclub.org/resources/White_Paper_04272012.pdf • I nteraction of saddle girth construction and tension on respiratory mechanics and gas exchange during supramaximal treadmill exercise in horses, Australian Veterinary Journal (2005) 83, 62–67.

•B ack pathology in racehorses Equine back pathology, Wiley Blackwell, UK (2009), pp. 213-222.

•A pplied load on the horse’s back under racing conditions. Vet Journal, 198 (2013), pp. e88-e92.

FIG 6

•R elationship between saddle pressure measurements and clinical signs of saddle soreness at the withers. Vet Journal, (2010) 538 650-3.

•S chambardt HC, Merkens HW, Vogel V, Willekens C. External loads on the limbs of jumping horses at take-off and landing. Am J Vet Res. 1993 May;54(5):675-80. PMID: 8317758.

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BIOMARKERS TO PREDICT CATASTROPHIC RACING INJURIES?

A University of Kentucky study shows association between mRNA biomarkers and catastrophic injuries in thoroughbred racehorses— a positive step forward in the development of a pre-race screening tool.

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| BIOMARKERS |

Holly Wiemers dditional information by: A Allen Page, DVM, PhD Emma Adam, DVM, PhD, DACVIM, DACVS

C

atastrophic injuries in thoroughbred racehorses is a top-of-mind concern for the global racing industry and its fans. That sentiment is shared by researchers at the University of Kentucky and their collaborators, who are working to learn more about changes happening at a cellular level that might indicate an injury lurking before it becomes career or life ending.

Could it be possible to identify an early marker or signal in horses at risk of catastrophic injury, allowing for intervention before those injuries happen? And, if so, might this type of detection system be one that could be implemented cost effectively on a large scale?

According to Allen Page, DVM, PhD, staff scientist and veterinarian at UK’s Gluck Equine Research Center, the short answer to both questions is that it looks promising.

To date, attempts to identify useful biomarkers for early injury detection have been largely unsuccessful.

However, the use of a different biomarker technology, which quantifies messenger RNA (mRNA), was able to identify 76% of horses at risk for a catastrophic injury.

An abstract of this research was recently presented at the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ annual meeting in December 2020 and the full study published 12 January in the Equine Veterinary Journal (https:beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/20423306).

In this initial research—which looked at 21 different mRNA markers selected for their roles in encoding proteins associated with inflammation, bone repair and remodelling, tissue repair and general response to injury— three markers showed a large difference in mRNA levels between injured and non-injured horses.

For almost four years, Page and his University of Kentucky colleagues have been analysing blood samples from almost 700 thoroughbred racehorses. These samples, collected by participating racing jurisdictions from across the United States, have come from both catastrophically injured and non-injured horses in a quest to better understand changes that might be happening at the mRNA level and if there are any red flags which consistently differentiate horses that suffer a catastrophic injury.

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| VETERINARY |

| BIOMARKERS |

Allen Page

THE ULTIMATE HOPE IS TO DEVELOP A SCREENING TOOL THAT CAN BE USED PRE-RACE TO IDENTIFY HORSES AT INCREASED RISK FOR INJURY”.

According to Page, the ultimate hope is to develop a screening tool that can be used pre-race to identify horses at increased risk for injury. The results of this study, which was entirely funded by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission’s Equine Drug Research Council, suggest that analysis of messenger RNA expression could be an economical, effective and non-invasive way to identify individual racehorses at risk for catastrophic injury.

Joining Page in the research from UK’s Gluck Center are Emma Adam, BVetMed, PhD, DACVIM, DACVS, assistant professor, research and industry liaison, and David Horohov, PhD, chair of the Department of Veterinary Science, director of the Gluck Center and Jes E and Clementine M Schlaikjer, endowed chair.

Previous research has shown that many catastrophic injuries occur in limbs with underlying and pre-existing damage, leading to the theory that these injuries occur when damage accumulation exceeds the healing capacity of the affected bones over time. Since many of these injuries have underlying damage, it is likely that there are molecular markers of this that can be detected prior to an injury.

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The identification of protein biomarkers for these types of injuries has been explored in previous research, albeit with limited success. The focus of this project, measuring messenger RNA, had not yet been explored, however. The overall objective was to determine if horses that had experienced a catastrophic injury during racing would show increased inflammatory mRNA expression at the time of their injury when compared to similar horses who were not injured.

• The genetic acronyms: A primer on DNA, RNA, mRNA and PCR This research leverages advances made in genetics during the last several decades, both in a greater understanding of the field as well as in applying that knowledge to specific issues facing the equine industry, including catastrophic breakdown in racehorses.

The genetic code of life is made up of genes and regulatory elements encoded by DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, which is found in the nucleus of cells in all living organisms. It is arranged in a double helix structure, similar to a twisted ladder. The rungs of that ladder are nucleotide base pairs, and the ordering of those base pairs results in the specific genetic code called a gene. The genetic code in the genes and the DNA tell the body how to make proteins.

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| VETERINARY |

CATASTROPHIC RACING AND TRAINING INJURIES HAVE LONG BEEN A TARGET FOR RESEARCHERS DUE TO THE HIGH SOCIETAL AND WELFARE IMPACTS ON THE RACING INDUSTRY.” RNA (ribonucleic acid) is created by RNA polymerases, which read a section of DNA and convert it into a single strand of RNA in a process called transcription. While all types of RNA are involved in building proteins, mRNA is the one that actually acts as the messenger because it is the one with the instructions for the protein, which is created via a process called translation. In translation, mRNA bonds with a ribosome, which will read the mRNA’s sequence. The ribosome then uses the mRNA sequence as a blueprint in determining which amino acids are needed and in what order. Amino acids function as the building blocks of protein (initially referred to as a polypeptide). Messenger RNA sequences are read as a triplet code where three nucleotides dictate a specific amino acid. After the entire polypeptide chain has been created and released by the ribosome, it will undergo folding based on interactions between the amino acids and become a fully functioning protein.

While looking at inflammation often involves measuring proteins, Page and his collaborators opted to focus on mRNA due to the limited availability of reagents available to measure horse proteins and concerns about how limited the scope of that research focus would be. Focusing on mRNA expression, however, is not without issues.

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ABOVE: epMotion, liquid handling machine.

According to Page, mRNA can be extremely difficult to work with. ‘A normal blood sample from a horse requires a collection tube that every veterinarian has with them.

Unfortunately, we cannot use those tubes because mRNA is rapidly broken down once cells in tubes begin to die.

Luckily, there are commercially available blood tubes that are designed solely for the collection of mRNA’, he said.

‘One of the early concerns people had about this project when we talked with them was whether we were going to try to link catastrophic injuries to the presence or absence of certain genes and familial lines. Not only was that not a goal of the study, (but) the samples we obtain make that impossible’, Page said. ‘Likewise for testing study samples for performance enhancing drugs, the tubes do an excellent job of stabilising mRNA at the expense of everything else in the blood sample’.

In order to examine mRNA levels, the project relied heavily on the ability to amplify protein-encoding genes using a technique called the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). By using a variety of techniques, samples from the project were first converted back to DNA, which is significantly more stable than mRNA, and then quantified using a specialised machine that is able to determine the relative amount of mRNA initially present in the individual samples. While it is easy to take for granted the abilities of PCR, this Nobel Prize winning discovery has forever changed the face of science and has enabled countless advances in diagnostic testing, including those used in this study.

• The research into mRNA biomarkers Catastrophic racing and training injuries have long been a target for researchers due to the high societal and welfare impacts on the racing industry. With the nearly universal requirement for necropsies on horses that succumb to these injuries, work by researchers has demonstrated that most horses with catastrophic injuries have pre-existing damage in their legs. This pre-existing damage presents an opportunity to detect injuries before they occur, whether that be with advanced imaging or less invasive techniques, such as screening of blood for injury biomarkers.

| BIOMARKERS |

OUT OF THE 21 MARKERS (GENES) THAT WERE MEASURED, THREE OF THEM IMMEDIATELY STOOD OUT AS BEING ABLE TO PREDICT INJURY. THE THREE INDIVIDUAL MARKERS OF INTEREST WERE INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1, MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE-2 AND IL-1 RECEPTOR ANTAGONIST.”

Horses eligible for inclusion in the study were thoroughbreds entered into any race in one of five participating jurisdictions from September 2017 to June 2020. To look at the mRNA, these jurisdictions collected specific blood samples either pre-race or post-race from a selection of non-injured horses or immediately from a horse after a catastrophic injury. Once collected, samples were sent to the Gluck Center where they were analysed using PCR. The names of horses and sample types (injured, pre-race or post-race) were kept from the researchers until the samples had been fully analysed.

Once the names and dates of samples were revealed, public records were then used to learn more about each horse. Information examined included the horse’s sex, age, race type and whether non-injured horses raced again within three months of the sampled race. For horses who had been catastrophically injured, necropsy results were used to categorise the type of musculoskeletal injury that occurred.

‘Out of the 21 markers (genes) that were measured, three of them immediately stood out as being able to predict injury.

The three individual markers of interest were Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1), Matrix Metalloproteinase-2 (MMP2) and IL-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL1RN). Taken together, the changes seen in all three of these markers suggest that there is increased inflammation in the injured horses and that the inflammation arises from bone, just as was suspected’, Page said.

‘Based only on these three markers, we were able to correctly identify horses at risk for injury 76% of the time and exclude horses for being at risk 88% of the time’, Page said. ‘Obviously, we want to maximise those numbers as much as possible, so while there’s room for improvement, this is significantly better than any other option currently available’.

One of the limitations of the study was that horses were only sampled once, so there was no ability to identify changes in individual horses over a period of time. Once horses start being sampled repeatedly on a regular basis with this testing, Page said he believes the ability to identify at-risk horses will improve dramatically.

• What does the future hold?

‘Since the ultimate hope is to develop a commercially-viable screening tool that can be used pre-race to identify horses at increased risk for injury, we anticipate adding multiple other markers with a new study that is just getting started’, Page said.

As part of the new study, also funded by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Page and two Gluck Center colleagues, James MacLeod, VMD, PhD, John S and Elizabeth A Knight, chair and director of UK Ag Equine Programs, and Ted Kalbfleisch, PhD, associate professor, plan to utilise RNAsequencing, a relatively new technology, to expand their search to all of the approximately 22,000 protein-coding genes horses have. This will dramatically increase the likelihood that they will be able to identify additional markers for horses at risk of injury.

They plan to do this by using the large number of samples that have already been collected, further leveraging their initial research and decreasing the amount of time it will take to complete their new study.

‘We are really excited about this new project and the promise that it holds’, Page said. ‘In our first study, we drove the data because we had to select which mRNA markers we wanted to examine. In our new study, the RNA-sequencing data is really what will be driving us’.

While that project is ongoing, Page and his colleagues continue to refine and improve upon the various laboratory steps required to isolate and analyse mRNA. Guided by the hope of providing the racing industry with a high-throughput screening tool, the group has employed multiple robotic platforms that can already handle 100 samples per day and be easily scaled up to handle more.

‘As a researcher, I see it as being my job to provide practical and reliable solutions to the horse racing industry’, Page said. ‘I know that change can be scary, but we can all agree that something needs to change to help better protect racehorses and the jockeys who ride them. Ultimately, the racing industry will decide when it wants to give this screening tool a chance. I’m confident that, when the industry is ready, we will be too’.

The full study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13423

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From Claimer to winner of a Group 2 From FromClaimer Claimerto towinner winnerof ofaaGroup Group22 Belgian Galop Federation Belgian Belgian Galop Galop Federation Federation

Ms Lanslots Sofie and her husband founded “Stal Vie en Rose” approximately 5 years ago and have only eight horses in training at the MsMs Lanslots Sofie andand herher husband founded “Stal VieVie en en Rose” Lanslots Sofie husband founded “Stal Rose” moment, but as a small stable they try to invest and improve approximately 5 years agoago andand have only eight horses in training at the approximately 5 years have only eight horses in training at the continuously. moment, butbut as as a small stable theythey try try to to invest andand improve moment, a small stable invest improve continuously. continuously.

About the future, Ms Lanslots confided to us that they will try to find another 1000m race.

Thisconfided will probably be they a will Group in About the the future, Ms Lanslots to us they will try try to find About future, Ms Lanslots confided to that us that to3 find ParisLongchamp in September, but thing atbea be time. another probably a Group another1000m 1000mrace. race.This Thiswill willone probably a Group3 3in in

ParisLongchamp in September, butbut oneone thing at aattime.

ParisLongchamp in September, thing a time.

At this moment Ms Lanslots and her husband would like to thank everyone who has a partand in and PRADARO's (FR) everyday lifethank and At thisthis moment Msplay Lanslots herher husband would likelike to thank At moment Ms Lanslots husband would to well-being and specifically father,(FR) who passed away a few everyone who hasmore playplay a part in PRADARO's everyday lifelife and everyone who has a part in her PRADARO's (FR) everyday and years ago, and butand taught herspecifically to love the sport since she was aaway little well-being more specifically herher father, whowho passed agirl few well-being more father, passed away a and few who would been proudest insport the world. years ago, buthave taught herthe to love the the sport since sheshe waswas a little girlgirl andand years ago, but taught her to love since a little whowho would have been the the proudest in the world. would have been proudest in the world.

PRADARO’s (FR) victory or when a horse offers a first ‘black type’ PRADARO’s PRADARO’s (FR) (FR) victory victory or when orowner when a horse a horse offers offers a first a first ‘black ‘black type’ type’ victory for a Belgian trainer and since time immemorial. victory a Belgian trainer owner since time immemorial. victory for for a Belgian trainer andand owner since time immemorial.

Ms Lanslots Sofie, Belgian trainer better known as “Stal Vie en Rose” Ms Lanslots Sofie, Belgian trainer better known as “Stal enPrix Rose” Msbeen Lanslots Sofie, Belgian trainer better known as “Stal VieVie Rose” has expressing her joy after PRADARO’s (FR) victory inenthe has been expressing her joy after PRADARO’s (FR) victory in the Prix has been expressing her joy after PRADARO’s (FR) victory in the Prix du Gros-Chêne (Gp2) in Chantilly “the day he stopped our hearts, we du Gros-Chêne (Gp2) in Chantilly “the day he stopped our hearts, we du Gros-Chêne (Gp2) in Chantilly “the day he stopped our hearts, we are forever grateful to have a horse like him in our life”. forever grateful to have a horse in our life”. areare forever grateful to have a horse likelike himhim in our life”.

At the end of last year Ms Lanslots Sofie and her husband decided to of last Lanslots Sofie husband decided At At the the endend of last yearyear MsMs Lanslots Sofie andand herher husband decided to to buy PRADARO (FR) in a claiming race for €22.400. A choice they PRADARO (FR) a claiming €22.400.

A choice buybuy PRADARO (FR) in ainclaiming racerace for for €22.400.

A choice theythey will never regret. Once at home the horse proved to adapt very quickly. never regret.

Once at home horse proved to adapt very quickly. willwill never regret.

Once at home the the horse proved to adapt very quickly.

He was always prepared to train in the morning and wasted little or no always prepared to train in the morning wasted little or no He He waswas always prepared to train in the morning andand wasted little or no energy in the run-up to a race but even then they did not dare to dream energy in the run-up a race even to dream energy in the run-up to atorace butbut even thenthen theythey diddid notnot daredare to dream of such a success. “Our expectations were not too high, we were such a success.

“Our expectations were high, were of of such a success.

“Our expectations were notnot tootoo high, we we were realistic. We knew we were up against the best sprinters. We dreamed realistic. knew were up against sprinters. dreamed realistic.

WeWe knew we we were up against the the bestbest sprinters.

WeWe dreamed of a 5th place but were aware that it would be very difficult.” a 5th place were aware it would be very difficult.” of aof5th place butbut were aware thatthat it would be very difficult.”

His knew that the came atat the right time and thatthat thethe His trainer knew the came at the right time Histrainer trainer knew thatthat therace racerace came the right time andand that the horse always runs well on the straight in Chantilly, but the course of of horse always on the straight in Chantilly, course horse always runsruns wellwell on the straight in Chantilly, butbut the the course of the was nerve-racking.

“After 100m we knew there waswas the nerve-racking.

“After 100m we already knew there therace racerace waswas nerve-racking.

“After 100m we already already knew there was something possible for We watching from the grandstand, something possible for We were watching from grandstand, something possible forhim. him.him.

Wewere were watching from the the grandstand, from where ititisisstill 400m totothe Everything went perfectly. from where itstill is still 400m to finish. the finish.

Everything went perfectly. from where 400m the finish.

Everything went perfectly.

Then Berneuil attacked and we dreaming of of of Then Berneuil attacked we started dreaming a place Then Berneuil attacked andand westarted started dreaming of aaofplace place of honour.

But from the he back and thethe most honour.

But at 100m from the finish he fought back most honour.

Butat at100m 100m from thefinish finish he fought fought back andand the most improbable thing happened.” improbable thing happened.” improbable thing happened.”

Major flat Races Belgium come Major flat Races ininin Belgium come Major flat Races Belgiumtoto to come National Listed races National National Listed Listed races races

Prijs Prince Rose 02/08/2021 in Ostend: Entry date: 21/07/2021 Prijs Prijs Prince Prince Rose Rose 02/08/2021 02/08/2021 in Ostend: in Ostend: Entry Entry date: date: 21/07/2021 21/07/2021 Open deMons: Mons: date ToTo Confirmed Open Open de de Mons: date date To BeBeBe Confirmed Confirmed

FEGENTRI Races FEGENTRI Races FEGENTRI Races

Prijs S.Kervyn D’Oud Mooreghem 23/08/2021 Prijs Prijs S.Kervyn S.Kervyn D’Oud D’Oud Mooreghem Mooreghem 23/08/2021 23/08/2021 in in Ostend inOstend Ostend Entry date: 11/08/2021 Entry date: 11/08/2021 Entry date: 11/08/2021 Prijs R.& &J. J.Voss Voss 23/08/2021 Prijs Prijs R. R. & J. Voss 23/08/2021 23/08/2021 ininOstend inOstend Ostend Entry date: 11/08/2021 Entry date: 11/08/2021 Entry date: 11/08/2021 BINGOAL Leger 31/08/2021 BINGOAL StStLeger 31/08/2021 ininWaregem BINGOAL St Leger 31/08/2021 inWaregem Waregem Entry date: 18/08/2021 Entry date: 18/08/2021 Entry date: 18/08/2021

Races for Pure Bred Arabians Races Races for for Pure Pure Bred Bred Arabians Arabians

The The President President Of The The UAE UAE - Cup Cup ( Gr Gr IIIIII Pa) IIIPa) Pa) In In Ostend InOstend Ostend The President OfOf The UAE - -Cup ( (Gr Entry Date: 21/07/2021 Entry Date: 21/07/2021 Entry Date: 21/07/2021 Even though theythey chose the name name of their their stable through rose Even though chose the name of their stable “Life through rose Even though they chose the of stable “Life through rose coloured glasses” because their daughter is called called Rose, we could say coloured glasses” because their daughter is called Rose, could coloured glasses” because their daughter is Rose, we we could saysay it’sait’s aperfect perfect match after PRADARO’s (FR) victory. a perfect match after PRADARO’s (FR) victory. it’s match after PRADARO’s (FR) victory.

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The Sh Mansoor Festival Cup (Listed Pa) 31/08/2021 in in Waregem The Mansoor Festival Cup (Listed Pa) 31/08/2021 inWaregem Waregem The ShSh Mansoor Festival Cup (Listed Pa) 31/08/2021 Entry date: 18/08/2021 Entry date: 18/08/2021 Entry date: 18/08/2021 Details Details on on www.bgalopf.be Details onwww.bgalopf.be www.bgalopf.be

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