Breeding and owning racehorses is not for the faint-hearted – disappointment is never far away on the racecourse or in the sales ring it seems – but when it goes right, the results can be truly magical. Just ask Vimy Aykroyd.
From four horses in training this year, Aykroyd has so far enjoyed five wins, two at Group 2 level supplied by star homebred duo Pride Of Arras and Amiloc, both trained by Ralph Beckett.
Now unbeaten in five races, Amiloc’s victory in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot saw the gelded son of Postponed finish ahead of horses owned by Aga Khan Studs, Coolmore, the Gredley family, Juddmonte and Wathnan Racing.
Incidentally, the combined fees of the sires responsible for the second and third from the King Edward VII would be almost £500,000. Postponed, meanwhile, is currently standing for £6,000 at David Futter’s Yorton Farm in Welshpool.
The beauty of horseracing is that a hefty price tag is not always a guarantee of success; as such the smaller man – or woman – always has a chance to triumph against the odds and provide that fairytale success to inspire others to get involved and live the dream.
Aykroyd, who at 80 retains all her passion for the sport, is certainly on cloud nine with Amiloc and recently-gelded Dante victor Pride Of Arras – her other winner this season, Old Cock, is a progressive handicapper with Ed Bethell – which means she is unlikely to accept the offers currently flying in for her talented pair, produced by her boutique broodmare band based at Copgrove Stud in North Yorkshire.
“It has been incredible, rewarding and quite fun for racing,’’ Aykroyd tells Marcus Townend in this month’s Big Interview (pages 28-33).
‘‘The likes of Juddmonte, Wathnan and Godolphin are such big operations. It is quite nice when a little person comes along. We need more of them!
Edward Rosenthal Editor
‘‘I have had offers made for both Amiloc and Pride Of Arras but my family says, ‘You are old, why not have fun? Why watch other people having fun?’
‘‘I would be very pleased if they did well for the people who bought them but what would I do if they paid me all the money offered – buy some useless horses?
“It is exciting because there are plans to travel the horses. Ralph has been talking about something at the Breeders’ Cup and then Patrick [Cooper] is talking about Japan. The prize-money out there is amazing.”
It was heartening to see King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit the National Stud recently
“The beauty of racing is that a hefty price tag does not guarantee success”
during a tour of Newmarket, reaffirming the royal connection to our sport in Britain, which is famed throughout the world.
Racing is threatened with a tax raid that would see betting subject to the same level of taxation as gambling on online casino games. The sport and industry needs all the support it can muster at present, with the threat of a huge fall in revenue and significant job losses should the tax rate rise be pushed through.
The campaign #AxeTheRacingTax is lobbying the government to scrap the plan –everyone can do their bit by writing to their MP and asking them to support British racing. The BHA and ROA websites both contain information on how this can be done easily, so take a look online and help safeguard the sport we all love.
Cover: Vimy Aykroyd with her colt by Territories out of Colima, a half-brother to Group 2 winner Amiloc, at Copgrove Stud in Harrogate, North Yorkshire
Photo: Louise Pollard
ROA Leader
Harmonising tax rates will hit finances and jobs
The government has had several recent setbacks regarding its economic policies, and it seems there is a large hole in its budget. Given the latest round of spending reviews has concluded, it is hard to see where significant savings can be made and therefore we will almost certainly see some tax increases.
Gambling could be seen as an easy target, which is deeply concerning for the racing industry given the plan to harmonise the rates, bringing sports, including racing, up to the level of online slots and casino games at 21%. Gambling on racing, like other sports, is currently subject to a lower tax rate at 15% of profits for online bets.
In racing’s response, the unintended consequences were plainly and starkly laid out. The economic consequences will be significant, hitting the sport’s income, with independent modelling showing that an increased tax rate of 21% will see a £66 million reduction in operator spending, resulting in at least a 6% decline in full-time jobs across the industry. If the rate is increased beyond 21% to say 30%, operator spend could fall by as much as £126m, with 10% of jobs being lost. The impact will be across the board, with fewer horses, owners, trainers and probably racecourses.
There is also the added social and cultural impact given recent polling showed that over half of the population believe that racing is an important part of British culture. Racecourses see around five million visits a year including royal patronage; it is the second bestattended sport after football and, crucially, spread across the whole country.
The government must try and balance the books. However, they are first and foremost a political party and rely on voters. A tax policy that impacts local communities, global prestige and crucially jobs is not welcome, and it would be extremely damaging for the present government to target a sport that not only supports these areas but provides a real growth story, both domestically and internationally.
Labour should be looking at ways to encourage investment, not causing catastrophic damage whilst raising a relatively immaterial – in terms of the overall deficit – sum of money, and we must let the government know that. The Treasury consultation has now concluded, but the final decision will not be taken until the release of the autumn statement.
I would urge everyone to write to their MP with their concerns – a template letter is available from the ROA. We have seen in the past how lobbying can be successful so it’s crucial that everyone who cares about our fabulous sport gets behind the campaign.
This period has also presented the ROA with an opportunity to reflect on its activities following a recent owners’ survey, which has yielded plenty of fascinating feedback. Owners answered the call and responded to let us know exactly what they thought about ownership today and the role of the ROA within British racing.
Further details about the survey results are provided within the ROA Forum section (see pages 70-71), highlighting the 60% of owners who currently feel undervalued and unrecognised by the sport, with 40% of respondents wanting to understand better the ROA’s role and responsibilities.
This constructive criticism must be welcomed as it provides an opportunity to listen first-hand to the challenges facing owners as a key stakeholder within British racing. The role we play in this sport on behalf of owners is critical, and with our Board members acting as member-nominated representatives, we will work hard to drive change and deliver the recognition and rewards owners need.
The ROA will continue to address the challenges being faced
“I would urge everyone to write to their MP with their concerns – a template letter is available from the ROA”
by using these crucial insights and data to inform discussions with other stakeholders. Owners have spoken – it’s crucial that the industry listens to what has been said and responds accordingly. We lost one of British racing’s icons recently, my family’s great friend Barry Hills. Our tribute gives a lovely insight into the man himself, and I know that he will be missed by so many across racing. It was fantastic to see Richard Hughes train his first Group 1 winner with No Half Measures in the July Cup at Newmarket. The filly was a relatively inexpensive yearling purchase and is owned by Richard Gallagher. Richard, who worked on a stud farm in his early career, owned horses with his father Pat, but the filly ran in his colours, providing a fantastic story of what can be achieved by a relatively small owner taking on the might of the racing superpowers.
Charlie Parker President
TBA Leader
Racing’s big challenge to attract new devotees
As outgoing CEO of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association I am grateful to have this platform to write this month’s Leader before my departure at the start of September.
While there is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of the industry, I have chosen to focus these words on my deep love and admiration of the thoroughbred, which is ultimately at the very heart of my connection with the sport. It is the thoroughbred that has inspired me every day of my career, from which I learn something new on a daily basis, even after 30 years, and what has made working for the TBA such an enormous privilege.
I was one of the generation who grew up with racing’s big occasions being marquee TV events, even for families like mine with no racing or equine interest or background. One of my very first memories is watching Red Rum win his third Grand National and I was thrilled to meet him at our local fete as he toured the country pulling in crowds across villages, towns and cities – a true racing hero!
Since Red Rum, I have followed a succession of famous and not so famous racehorses, marveling at the speed, beauty, versatility and endurance across all distances and disciplines, from Dayjur to Frankel to Party Politics and Kauto Star. Each season sees new equine heroes emerge and rivalries form. The puzzle of picking future stars from the two-year-old crop and novice hurdlers remains an ongoing quest that I will never tire of and gives me great joy.
So how do we ensure the next generation of fans and employees are similarly captivated? How do we build racing advocates and a deep emotional connection with horseracing as a sport? This is the fundamental question that racing must address urgently to underpin the continuing social acceptance of the use of horses for sport so that we will be enjoying racing from Plumpton, Musselburgh, Cheltenham, Ascot and venues across the country in 20 years’ time.
This has to be founded on a genuine championing of the thoroughbred, whether promoting the thrill of competition or ensuring their welfare is front and centre in decision making and embedded in our consumer engagement strategy. We need to focus on engaging honestly and transparently about the high standard of care they are given and the skill of the people who look after them.
Racing has made considerable progress in this area during my time in the sport, progress which has accelerated in the last five years with the establishment of the Horse Welfare Board and the publication of the ‘Life Well Lived’ strategy. From this detailed piece of work there has been tangible
Claire Sheppard Chief Executive
improvements to the thoroughbred’s quality of life and safety, to traceability and through public engagement with the launch of HorsePWR and continued growth of National Racehorse Week.
At the TBA we have been at the forefront of progress in the breeding industry, including the publication of welfare guidelines, traceability studies that have identified where improvements need to be made, research into genetic diversity, and an ongoing programme of training and education where horse and people welfare are embedded throughout.
“Equine welfare concerns remain the top reason cited as a barrier to deepening interest in the sport”
Equine welfare concerns remain the number one reason cited as a barrier to deepening interest in the sport. We need to be bold in facing these real issues for the sport’s future and have a great opportunity to do so with the next iteration of the HWB strategy under a new Horse Welfare Board. Properly addressing these must be a topic discussed widely and openly at the top tables of the sport, alongside a united ambition to better support each other across the rest of the equine sector.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the TBA team, Chairs and Trustees, both past and present, and our members for all their encouragement, advice and support over the last eight years, through some personally difficult times, through Covid and Brexit, and in helping me to understand the intricacies of the bloodstock world. It has been incredibly rewarding to represent and serve British breeding, and I wish Naomi and the team all the very best for the future.
Changes People and business
Racing’s news in a nutshell
Kevin Philippart de Foy
33-year-old links up with Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing operation, replacing Raphael Freire as retained trainer at Freemason Lodge in Newmarket.
Paul Cole
Derby-winning trainer, 83, retires from his joint-licence with immediate effect and son Oliver will take over completely at the famous Whatcombe estate.
Simon Michaelides
Steps down as Chief Customer Officer at Great British Racing to start a new role outside of the sport with the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers.
Jack Andrews
6ft 5in jockey who can ride at 10st 4lb will have a second attempt at turning professional following a landmark 200th point-to-point winner in May.
The King’s Cup
Group 3 contest run over a mile and a half at Bahrain’s two-day international meeting in March has its prize fund doubled to $400,000 (£294,000).
John Dance
Clients of former owner’s WealthTek will receive £6.3m from Barclays over the bank’s money laundering failures that saw customers’ funds put at risk.
William Buick
Jockey records his 2,000th winner at Newmarket’s July meeting on El Cordobes in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes.
Ascot racecourse
Reports pre-tax profit of £8.4 million (up £2.5m) for 2024 as turnover rises two per cent to £113.1m, leading to record prizemoney of £17.75m in 2025.
John and Thady Gosden
Trainers fined £3,000 after two horses in their care tested positive for the banned substance ketamine last year, the result of a former employee being a recreational user of the drug.
David Probert
Jockey granted a part-season licence to ride in Hong Kong from July 17 to February 17, 2026, joining Harry Bentley, Andrea Atzeni and Richard Kingscote.
Anna Alcock
Marketing Manager at Juddmonte will start a new role as Marketing Manager with Total Performance Data in September.
Ed Sackville
Bloodstock agent appointed to the new position of Head of European Sales at Juddmonte – his responsibilities include the sale of stallion nominations.
Chelmsford City
Racecourse fined £11,500 for faults in its ‘stop race’ procedures following a 1m2f handicap in November when the starting stalls became lodged on the track.
Horse obituaries
Jukebox Jury 19
Star stayer for Alan Spence, winning the Preis von Europa and Irish St Leger, has sired Grade 1 winners Il Etait Temps, Farclas and Bambino Fever.
Mopotism 11
Daughter of Uncle Mo was a Grade 2 winner in the US and is the dam of Journalism, winner of this year’s Santa Anita Derby, Preakness Stakes and Haskell Stakes.
Changes
Racehorse and stallion Movements and retirements
People obituaries
D. Wayne Lukas 89
Maranoa Charlie
High-class son of Wootton Bassett, trained by Christopher Head to win three Group 3s in France, is bought privately by Bond Thoroughbreds.
Raging Torrent
Son of Maximus Mischief, winner of two Grade 1s on dirt in the US, is retired aged four due to a leg injury and is set to embark on a stallion career.
Tycoon
Talented son of Kingman bought for £600,000 at the Goffs London Sale by Amo Racing will join Kevin Philippart de Foy from John and Thady Gosden.
Ghostwriter
Hardwicke Stakes third, bought by Amo Racing for £2 million at the Goffs London Sale, moves from Clive Cox to Kevin Philippart de Foy.
Valda Embiricos 92
Owner-breeder whose husband Nick won the Grand National with Aldaniti enjoyed success with Killaghy Castle and was a member of the Jockey Club.
Hall of Fame trainer and US icon won 20 races at the Breeders’ Cup and 15 Triple Crown races, including the Kentucky Derby four times (see tribute pages 52-53).
Homer Scott 68
Former trainer enjoyed Cheltenham Festival winners with Omerta and Rhythm Section.
John C. Harris 81
Prominent owner and breeder in California who stood stallions at his Fresno ranch was also a successful businessman, mentor and philanthropist.
Captain Fred Barker 88
Stood various stallions at King Edward’s Place Stud after a spell in the 11th Hussars and later with wife Penny owned horses in three-day eventing.
Tom Lacy 89
Ex-jockey and trainer sent out Group 3 winner Ingabelle and bred Persian Force, winner of the July Stakes and now a stallion at Tally-Ho Stud.
Barry Hills 88
Trainer sent out over 3,100 winners from his bases in Lambourn and Manton, winning Classics, Group 1s and big handicaps along the way.
Con Horgan 79
County Cork native trained Western Dancer to win the 1985 Ebor and 1986 Chester Cup.
Barry Hills
1937 - 2025
Barry Hills, who died in late June at the age of 88, was a legendary figure in the racing world, a selfmade man who worked his way up from head lad to become one of Britain’s premier trainers.
With a little more luck, he could have etched his name onto the Derby roll of honour at least twice – as it was, both Rheingold and Hawaiian Sound fell agonisingly short at Epsom, while Dibidale may well have provided Oaks glory but for a dramatic equipment malfunction in the home straight.
Despite those near misses, the numbers of Hills’ career tell their own story – ten British and Irish Classics, 46 Group/Grade 1 victories, and over 3,000 winners highlight the achievements of a man who became accustomed to dining at racing’s top table.
He also produced five sons who have all made their mark in the sport – twins Michael and Richard are both
ex-jockeys who triumphed at the top level, John, who passed away in 2014, was a Group 1-winning trainer as is Charlie, who campaigned champion sprinter Muhaarar from his base at Faringdon Place, which his father built into a state-of-the-art complex in Lambourn. Another son, George, works in bloodstock insurance in America.
Barrington William Hills was born on April 2, 1937, in Worcester, the son of William George ‘Bill’ Hills and Phyllis Biddle. Bill was head lad to Worcestershire trainer Tom Rimell and later George Colling in Newmarket.
Like his father, who had ridden winners over jumps, Hills went down the jockey route while apprenticed to Rimell’s son Fred and then Colling, partnering eight winners over four seasons.
After completing his National Service in 1957, Hills became travelling head lad to Colling at Hurworth House stables
on Newmarket’s Fordham Road. When he died in 1959, Hills fulfilled the same role with Colling’s former assistant and successor, John Oxley. That same year he married Maureen Newson.
Hills spent nine years with Oxley, taking out his licence after engineering a monumental gamble on the Oxleytrained Frankincense in the 1968 Lincoln Handicap, the proceeds of which enabled him to buy his own yard at South Bank in Lambourn.
Frankincense, a four-year-old son of Princely Gift owned by Lady Halifax, had been entered in the Lincoln along with stable companion Copper’s Evidence, owned by former trainer Syd Mercer and by far the better-fancied of the duo in the ante-post market.
When the two horses worked together on the gallops, Frankincense blew his stablemate away despite conceding two stone. That was the sign for Hills, who had by this point built up a healthy kitty with his betting activities, and some close associates to get stuck in.
Over a period of months, the group punted Frankincense from 66-1 all the way down to 5-1. Partnered by Greville Starkey, he triumphed at Doncaster by half a length under top weight of 9st 5lb – his price drifted out on the day to 100-8 – and Hills subsequently collected over £60,000, which equates to more than £900,000 today.
Establishing himself at South Bank with a small string of cheaply-bought thoroughbreds, Hills sent out his first winner – La Dolce Vita at Thirsk under Ernie Johnson – on April 18, 1969, and thereafter rapidly climbed the trainers’ table.
By 1971 he was celebrating his first Group 1 success courtesy of Our Mirage and Lester Piggott in the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp – that same year he took charge of a colt that would undoubtedly prove the best he ever trained.
Rheingold, owned by a syndicate that included nightclub boss Henry Zeisel, won first time out at Newcastle and went on to show himself a topclass performer during his two-yearold season, finishing runner-up in the Champagne Stakes and Dewhurst.
The next season Rheingold lined up for the Derby under Ernie Johnson having won his prep race in the Dante at York, although he was not the favourite at Epsom – that distinction went to the Vincent O’Brien-trained Roberto, owned (and bred) by John Galbreath and ridden by Piggott.
BILL SELWYN
In a pulsating finish, Rheingold, who was ill-suited to the contours of the track, and Roberto flashed past the post together and it was the latter under an all-action Piggott who gained the day by the narrowest of margins.
Under top French pilot Yves SaintMartin, Rheingold later took the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. He won the prize again in 1973 when his sensational season concluded with a brilliant success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe under Piggott, beating outstanding filly Allez France by two and a half lengths.
Speaking to Owner Breeder magazine in a 2015 interview, Hills explained the regard in which he held Rheingold when asked whether Frankel
was the greatest horse he’d ever seen.
“I saw Tudor Minstrel win the [1947] 2,000 Guineas and he was every bit as impressive as Frankel,” he told Julian Muscat. “Sea-Bird was a wonder-horse who won the [1965] Derby on the bridle, but I have always felt that on the day Rheingold won the Arc, no horse could have beaten him.
“He beat Allez France very easily. There was a long gap back to the third horse, there were a lot of runners [27] and Dahlia finished in the ruck.”
Had things worked out differently, it would have been Hills’ name appearing next to Allez France in future racecards. The filly’s owner, Daniel Wildenstein, was impressed by the young man and
wanted him to move across the Channel to act as his private trainer. Though Hills considered the proposal, he decided to turn the opportunity down.
“It was a really tempting offer; I’d even have got paid for training their jumpers in the winter,” Hills recalled. “But I’d just got going here at the time and didn’t want to give up the good horses I already had.
“I think I would have enjoyed living in Chantilly. There’s a good ambience about the place, but life’s a journey which you start with nothing and you go out with nothing. So, no regrets.”
If Rheingold’s Derby defeat was hard to take, Dibidale’s calamity in the 1974 Oaks was a bitter pill to swallow.
Barry Hills (right) and owner Henry Zeisel lead in Rheingold and Lester Piggott after their victory in the 1973 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
The daughter of Aggressor looked sure to play a big part in the finish when looming up two furlongs from home under Willie Carson, only for disaster to strike when her saddle slipped, dislodging the weight cloth.
Carson performed a minor miracle to keep the partnership together, crossing the line in third place, but the stewards had no alternative but to disqualify her. She made amends with victories in the Irish Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks.
Hills’ first domestic Classic arrived in 1978 with Enstone Spark in the 1,000 Guineas. The same year he suffered further Derby heartbreak when Robert Sangster’s Hawaiian Sound, ridden by US icon Bill Shoemaker, was mugged by the John Dunlop-trained Shirley Heights and Starkey, the man who had guided Frankincense to that famous Lincoln triumph.
Despite his best efforts, Epsom Classic glory would continue to elude Hills. Glacial Storm and Blue Stag both finished second in the Derby, in 1988 and 1990 respectively, while Slightly Dangerous (in 1982) and Bourbon Girl (in 1987) were bridesmaids in the Oaks.
When Tap On Wood provided the Hills stable with success in the 1979 2,000 Guineas, he was partnered by Steve Cauthen, the brilliant young American rider who had already claimed the US Triple Crown aboard Affirmed while still a teenager.
‘The Kentucky Kid’, as he was known, was lured across the Atlantic by Hills and Sangster. He displayed his prowess in the saddle on the likes of 1983 Champion Stakes victor Cormorant Wood, owned by Bobby McAlpine, and
Sangster’s Gildoran, winner of the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 1984, the year Cauthen was crowned champion jockey for the first time.
“Despite his best efforts, Epsom Classic glory would continue to elude Hills”
Gildoran, a son of Rheingold, took the Gold Cup again in 1985 under New Zealand rider Brent Thomson after Cauthen had moved to become first
jockey to Henry Cecil. Thomson also rode Sure Blade to victory in the 1986 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
The association with Sangster saw Hills train at Manton for four seasons from 1987 – at one point he came close to buying the property with three other trainers, failing by less than £500,000 to raise the required capital.
Howard Kaskel’s Sir Harry Lewis, successful in the 1987 Irish Derby, and Wafic Said’s Distant Relative, who took the Sussex Stakes and Prix du Moulin in 1990 – the year Hills recorded his best tally of 113 winners and finished runner-up to Cecil in the trainers’ championship – were two of the best runners trained from Manton.
Returning to Lambourn and South Bank, Hills continued to send out big-race winners at an impressive rate before moving his operation to the purpose-built Faringdon Place and Wetherdown House in 1994.
Hills could train all types of horses and his ability with sprinters was showcased by the likes of Royal Applause (1997 Sprint Cup), La Cucaracha (2005 Nunthorpe for good friend Guy Reed) and Red Clubs (2007 Sprint Cup). He even managed a Cheltenham Festival success for good measure, taking the 1992 Stayers’ Hurdle with Sangster’s Nomadic Way.
He was also an outstanding trainer of two-year-olds, winning the Dewhurst Stakes three times (Scenic 1988, In Command 1996 and Distant Music 1999) and Cheveley Park Stakes twice (Durtal 1976 and Desirable 1983).
The biggest owners of the past 50 years, from Sangster to Sheikh Mohammed, Hamdan Al Maktoum and Khalid Abdullah, were happy to put their faith in a man who was content
GEORGE SELWYN
GEORGE SELWYN
The popular gelding Further Flight won 24 races for the Hills stable
Hills with twins Richard and Michael at Newmarket in 2009
to let his horses do the talking on the track.
Despite his somewhat grumpy demeanour – Enstone Spark’s owner Dick Bonnycastle named his talented colt Mr Combustible, winner of the Chester Vase and Geoffrey Freer Stakes, after the trainer – Hills remained immensely proud of his sons’ achievements in the sport.
Michael’s victories for his father included two strikes in the Irish 1,000 Guineas aboard Nicer in 1993 and Hula Angel in 1999, and Storming Home in the 2002 Champion Stakes, a race Richard won for his dad aboard 2,000 Guineas hero Haafhd in 2004. Richard also partnered the Hills-trained Ghanaati to 1,000 Guineas glory in 2009.
It was Michael who was associated with his father’s favourite performer, the grey gelding Further Flight, winner of 24 of his 70 races between the ages of two and 12 for owner-breeder Simon Wingfield-Digby.
Michael guided Further Flight to five victories in the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket and the Ebor Handicap at York among 22 wins together. The trainer called him a “wonderful servant” but was disappointed when WingfieldDigby wouldn’t sanction a trip to Australia for the Melbourne Cup in 1990, the year of his Ebor triumph.
Eldest son John, who trained at South Bank during Hills’ spell at Manton, never reached the same heights as his father and there was a certain irony that the best horse he trained, Broadway Flyer, was beaten in the St Leger by 40-1 chance Moonax, trained by Barry for Sheikh Mohammed.
Second wife Penny provided wonderful support and care when Hills was first diagnosed with throat cancer in 2005. The treatment was gruelling and when the cancer returned three years later, his voice box was removed.
On April 7, 2009, Hills sent out his
3,000th winner when Chapter And Verse, owned by Jack Hanson and Sir Alex Ferguson, took a maiden at Pontefract with Michael in the saddle.
He retired from training in 2011 aged 74, handing over to son Charlie at Faringdon Place having sent out 3,147 winners over 42 years.
When John died tragically from pancreatic cancer aged 53, Hills returned to the training ranks in 2014 at Kingwood House, where John was latterly based, recording a further 34 winners over the next two seasons.
The Horserace Writers and Photographers Association presented Hills with the Outstanding Achievement Award in 2009 and two years later he was given the Cartier Award of Merit.
Hills set high standards for his horses and staff – he was always immaculately turned out and cut a dapper figure on the track – but behind the gruff exterior was a man who lived for the sport and cherished the animals in his care.
“I love horses sincerely,” he said in the 2015 interview. “They have been a large part of my life and they mean an awful lot. The two best places to be are with your horses in the mornings and with them in the winner’s enclosure in the afternoons.”
Hills is survived by wife Penny and children Michael, Richard, George and Charlie.
GEORGE SELWYN
GEORGE SELWYN
Heartbreak for Hills in the 1978 Derby as Hawaiian Sound and Bill Shoemaker (far side) are denied by Shirley Heights and Greville Starkey
Wife Penny was a tremendous support during her husband’s treatment for cancer
Premier racedays slashed in 2026 as BHA says ‘diluted’ product is struggling
The number of racedays that fall under the Premier bracket will be cut by more than two thirds next year as the British Horseracing Authority continues to try to differentiate the best of the sport for its
audience and participants.
Introduced in 2024, the Premier racing concept was implemented as a two-year trial, designed to engage more racing fans by promoting elite-level competition in partnership
Stradivarius receives royal seal of approval
with racecourses, industry stakeholders and the wider media. Saturday afternoons saw a two-hour protected window to focus attention on betterclass races.
The first year of the trial saw 170
King Charles III and Queen Camilla enjoyed a visit to Newmarket on Tuesday, July 22, stopping off at the National Stud to meet three-time Gold Cup hero Stradivarius.
Anna Kerr, CEO of the National Stud, said: “The National Stud was officially opened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1967 and it is such a significant moment in our history to have Their Majesties here 58 years later.
“Our business activity is connected to all within the thoroughbred industry –from breeders and trainers to third-party providers and the industry’s colleagues of the future, our students.
“It has been truly wonderful to celebrate that community with our royal patrons and to see how Their Majesties share our own passion for a thriving thoroughbred industry for generations to come.”
Promoting and selling the best of the sport to a bigger audience was one of the goals behind the Premier racing concept
DOMINIC JAMES
The King and Queen met Stradivarius at the National Stud last month
Stories from the racing world
Premier racedays scheduled, a number that fell to 162 this year. In 2026 there will be only 52 Premier racedays – 30 on the Flat and 22 over jumps – with feedback from a research project suggesting the product has been “diluted” by the current approach.
Richard Wayman, BHA Director of Racing, said: “In June the BHA Board ratified an approach that would see the number of Premier racedays reduced to 52 in 2026. This has the aim of providing a bridge between the two-year trial of initiatives which took place in 2024 and 2025, and the approach that will follow from the sport’s major consumer research project, known as Project Beacon, in 2027 and beyond.
“The decision to reduce the number of Premier racedays in 2026 reflects our commitment to learning from the past two years and evolving the way we present the sport to our customers. While the initiative has delivered clear benefits – particularly in terms of prize-money and on-field competitiveness – the concept of Premier racedays was never fully defined or delivered as a distinct
consumer proposition.
“The designation of a Premier raceday was based on racecourses meeting certain threshold criteria, including in relation to prize-money. The significant appetite to be part of this initiative resulted in 170 fixtures achieving Premier status in 2024, and slightly fewer in 2025.
“While this was a fantastic outcome in terms of prize-money injection into the sport, the large number of fixtures designated as Premier ultimately diluted the sense of them being our sport’s elite days, and we accept that more work is needed to clearly differentiate this tier in the eyes of fans and bettors.”
Premier racedays came in for heavy criticism from the start, with detractors citing the lack of promotion and failure to effectively communicate the message to a wider audience.
Wayman continued: “It’s important to recognise that this was always intended to be a trial period, and we are now entering a transitional year as we bridge to a more informed and strategic approach from 2027 onwards.
“The decisions taken for 2026 have been directly informed by the insights emerging from Project Beacon, the sport’s most in-depth piece of consumer research to date. That work has reaffirmed the importance of a Premier tier but also shown that it needs to offer more than simply high-quality racing.
“The data from Beacon is brand new and there is a vast amount we can learn from it to take forward to future iterations of the fixture list, once the sport has had a chance to properly digest it and agree how it should be implemented. Alongside this, Project Pace is exploring how our top-tier events can be better packaged and promoted, and this insight will be central to shaping a much clearer and more compelling proposition in future years.
“In the meantime, we are very clear that there needs to be a sustained investment in funding the fixture list, and the Levy Board are considering a package of funding proposals to that end, which we’ll be able to properly communicate when the fixture list is published later this month.”
REDWELD STABLES
Leading the way in stable design
The Big Picture
Moore magic as Delacroix delivers
This year’s Coral-Eclipse looked a tip-top renewal as the Classic generation took on the older brigade at Sandown. Prince of Wales’s Stakes victor Ombudsman (blue) and William Buick looked to have made a decisive move when overhauling frontrunning French raider Sosie (left) over a furlong out, but Ryan Moore galvanised three-year-old Delacroix (right) who came from last to first with a devastating run down the outside, edging ahead near the line to take the prize by a neck.
Photos Bill Selwyn
The Big Picture
No Half Measures for Hughes and co
Former top jockey Richard Hughes has spent a decade in the training ranks and he recorded his breakthrough Group 1 success when No Half Measures edged out Big Mojo under Neil Callan in the July Cup, the highlight of Newmarket’s July Festival. Hughes (pictured above next to owner Richard Gallagher alongside groom Toni Fogden, Callan and Paul Naughton) was concerned about his filly’s outside draw, but the daughter of Cable Bay picked up best of all to score by a neck at odds of 66-1.
Photos Bill Selwyn
Faces at the Races
NEWMARKET JULY FESTIVAL
Trainer Charlie Appleby with son Sean
Vanessa Peter and Ryan Moore
His Highness Shaikh Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, His Excellency Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohamed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa and Ed Veale
ITV Racing’s Ed Chamberlin, Hayley Turner and Jason Weaver
Sam James, Billy Loughnane and Trevor Whelan
Photos:
Hoycubed Photography/The Jockey Club and Bill Selwyn
Erwan Charpy and Sophie Able Joe Leavy, Harvey Williams, Jamie Piggott, Isabella Williams and Megan Burton
William Buick hit the 2,000 winner mark in Britain on Godolphin’s El Cordobes
Ali Al Ali and Matthew Lohn
Richard Hughes and Neil Callan savour July Cup glory
Francesca Cumani was on top form for ITV Racing
Racing around the World
Kentucky purses soar on the back of historical gaming bill
If British racing’s senior leadership needed inspiration on how to engage effectively with politicians and lawmakers while rallying against a proposed betting tax rate hike, they might like to look at what’s happened in Kentucky over the past few years.
Granted, the US system is very different to the UK – each state has its own rules and regulations on gambling – yet the message about different groups working together to achieve meaningful change is one that should be heeded.
In 2021, a bill was passed on gaming terminals known as Historical Horse Racing (HHR), which are designed to resemble traditional slot machines – the most popular form of casino-type betting in North America – but are not considered as such.
Explicit casino gambling is illegal in Kentucky, but HHR wagering, which takes place in gaming halls and is based on the results of old horse races, falls into the pari-mutuel category.
The take on these machines, which are owned by the major racecourses, is huge – Kentucky’s HHR business generated more than $9.6 billion in handle during the 2024 fiscal year – with each track allowed one extension (an additional facility/gaming hall) within 60 miles of the racecourse.
A proportion of the revenue generated is directed towards raceday purses, with the result that Kentucky offers some of the best prize-money in the USA, attracting elite runners from around the world.
Damon Thayer was pivotal to Senate Bill 120 getting the green light during his time as Majority Leader in the Kentucky State Senate. He explains how the industry united to support the legislation.
“HHR had operated in Kentucky since 2011,” explains Thayer, a lifelong racing fan who has horses in training with Harry Eustace in Newmarket. “It started to grow, and we saw some purse increases, but then in 2020 a Kentucky Supreme Court reversed its decision on the legality
of HHR and opined that for it to continue, it required an act of the legislature to put it permanently in the statutes.
“I knew it would be difficult, but not impossible, to rally the troops in a short period of time and pass that legislation. In the short term we got a stay, so the machines didn’t have to shut down.
“In America, as in Britain, we often have disparate goals with different groups and sometimes they work against each other or don’t work together. But in a moment of crisis, they all came together – breeders, owners, horsemen, jockeys, tracks – to form a massive, grassroots lobbying campaign, where we had citizens contact their legislators and tell them how important the horse industry is to Kentucky.
“It’s nearly 100,000 jobs, $3-4 billion in annual economic impact, and is central to tourism and farmland preservation. People know that Kentucky is famous for horseracing and bourbon – it used to be fried chicken! – which are part of our history, tradition, and brand.
“The bill passed narrowly in the Senate, and it passed the House of Representatives with a little bit more of a comfortable margin before it was signed into law by the Governor.
“Subsequently I chaired a task force on pari-mutuel wagering; we adopted the recommendations which set a 1.5 per cent tax rate on all pari-mutuel bets –live, simulcast, historical and advanceddeposit wagering [online]. We set in statute amounts that would go to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund (KTDF).
“The base purse is what everyone runs for, then on top of that you have the KTDF supplement, which is basically an incentive for people to buy Kentuckybreds and race them in Kentucky.
“The certainty of knowing HHR is now in statute has precipitated a huge boon.”
In 2022, Churchill Downs Inc. purchased Ellis Park having previously bought Turfway Park in 2019, boosting purses at both tracks as well as investing heavily in its Louisville property, home of the Kentucky Derby.
With Keeneland and Kentucky Downs – an all-turf venue that races over seven days in August and September – also hosting top-class action, Kentucky’s star continues to climb.
Thayer continues: “One of the things I predicted within a few months of the bill passing is that in just a couple of years, Kentucky would have the best year-
Damon Thayer, pictured with Mystik Dan, pushed hard for legislative change in Kentucky
2,025
Racing around the World
round circuit in North America. That prediction has come true. Oaklawn may have better purses during the winter, but they don’t race year-round.
“Now we’re seeing big-name trainers like Brad Cox, Mike Maker and Steve Asmussen leaving a significant number of their horses at Turfway for the winter instead of taking their horses to New Orleans, Hot Springs, Miami or Tampa.
“Part of the argument I made to my fellow legislators is that we would create a year-round ecosystem for horseracing in Kentucky that would grow the economy. We’ve done that. We see people staying in Kentucky all year.
“In the past, Keeneland and Churchill Downs hosted the elite meets, then the sort of bastard children were the winter meets at Turfway and summer meets at Ellis Park. Now we see big-name horsemen leaving a string of horses at Turfway in the winter and instead of taking everything to Saratoga in the summer, they leave a big string in Kentucky to race at Ellis Park.”
For European horsemen, Kentucky Downs offers the kind of riches rarely seen on this side of the Atlantic. The turning, undulating turf course has been attracting a growing number of British and Irish raiders over the past few years, with some notable success stories.
In 2023, Jim and Fitri Hay’s Ancient Rome pocketed $1,176,600 when taking the Grade 3 Mint Millions Stakes, while last year, the Andrew Balding-trained Bellum Justum, owned by King Power
“Your parliament risks making horseracing non-competitive for its operators”
Racing, earned over $1 million with his victory in the Grade 3 Nashville Derby. By contrast, the son of Sea The Stars took home £70,000 following his success in the Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket in May. Do the math, as they say in America.
The international nature of racing was highlighted at Royal Ascot in June, with Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen and Executive Director Gary Palmisano Jnr in attendance, along with Keeneland CEO Shannon Arvin and Kentucky Downs
owner Ron Winchell.
“They have a presence there because they want more horses to come over and race in Kentucky,” says Thayer, who has now stepped away from life in the Senate after 22 years. “It’s a global sport and betting is important.
“It all comes down to field size. Every track wants to average nine to ten runners per race because American bettors love larger fields. We do have a problem with field sizes in America right now. There are 33 state racing commissions and multiple ownership entities –and we have some states with self-inflicted wounds.”
While the horseracing industry in Kentucky is yet to achieve its true potential according to Thayer – “believe it or not we’re still in the introduction phase with HHR and our operators are all seeing growth” – plenty of other states are not doing so well. Could Kentucky’s success act as a blueprint for others?
“We have presented the rest of the US with a model which can be replicated,” says Thayer, who is currently working with a handful of other states, including Florida and Iowa. “I want Kentucky to be number one but it’s also important for other racing and breeding programmes to thrive.
“My message is clear – over the next five to ten years, the states that have a good relationship with their state legislators will do well. Those that don’t have less of a chance of doing well. “
As for British racing and its current struggles, Thayer has some words of advice.
“If you raise the tax rate, your parliament risks making horseracing non-competitive for its operators,” he says. “That affects the entire ecosystem, including all the jobs and economic
activity and the taxes it generates.
“I’ve been a fan of British racing since I read my first Dick Francis book as a teenager. I spent ten weeks of overseas study in London in 1986 and went racing every week – I saw Dancing Brave’s 2,000 Guineas victory and West Tip and Richard Dunwoody win the Grand National. I also met Steve Cauthen – now we’re good friends in Kentucky.
“The two biggest things in Britain right now are affordability checks –they’re not sustainable for the industry –and the proposal on raising the tax rate, which is a terrible idea.
“Every government official who thinks they need more revenue, the first thing they look at are the sins – gambling, alcohol, and smoking. Raising taxes on gambling, which is a high-volume, low-margin business, is a bad idea. If you tax something more, you’re going to create less of it. They risk putting some racecourses out of business and some bookmakers too.
“The margins are going to shrink and it’s going to become more expensive for people to [go racing], whether it’s a Thursday afternoon at Royal Ascot, Monday night at Windsor, or Sunday at Pontefract. All of these courses are part of the economic ecosystem that drives British racing and breeding; the government should hopefully understand that taxing it more is going to create less of it instead of creating more revenue, harming something that is integral to the country’s history and tradition.”
Thayer adds: “As I keep telling legislators in other states, there has to be legislative certainty for commerce – in this case the horseracing business – to thrive. Hopefully your members of parliament would be open to the same message.”
Ancient Rome: collected over $1 million at Kentucky Downs, an all-turf venue in Franklin
A record £14,911,460
was paid to breeders participating in the Kentucky Thoroughbred Breeders’ Incentive Fund (KBIF) program for racing in 2024.
KBIF has provided more than £186,393,250 to breeders of Kentucky-breds winning eligible races worldwide since the program was implemented in 2005.
Purses in 2024 hit an all-time high of £168,478,440.
Kentucky remains one of the leading racing jurisdictions, averaging a near-record high purse per race of £83,987.
Kentucky Downs (Aug. 28-Sept. 10) features stakes purses of £22,739,976 with maiden purses up to £126,747
Keeneland’s Fall Meet (Oct. 3-25) boasts its most lucrative stakes schedule in history, awarding £8,089,467 for 22 stakes races.
Find your KENTUCKY-BRED at the Keeneland September Sale Sept. 8-20
The Big Interview
Pride and JOY
Vimy Aykroyd’s story has seen her fulfil various roles in the sport, including jockey, steward and owner-breeder, and this latest chapter could be the most thrilling yet as she targets prestigious prizes with her pair of high-class homebreds
Words: Marcus Townend
As the big operations once again mop up the prestigious prizes in the European Flat season, some of the most refreshing results of the summer have been achieved by a Yorkshire-based owner-breeder with only four broodmares and not many more horses in training.
Top-level racing can often feel like a private party to which few are invited. Yet the exploits of the Ralph Becketttrained pair Pride Of Arras and Amiloc have ensured that Vimy Aykroyd has been rubbing shoulders with the juggernauts of the Turf, with wins in the Dante Stakes at York and the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.
away big-money offers for both her Group 2 winners.
‘‘It has been incredible, rewarding and quite fun for racing,’’ says Aykroyd. ‘‘The likes of Juddmonte, Wathnan and Godolphin are such big operations. It is quite nice when a little person comes along. We need more of them!
‘‘I have had offers made for both Amiloc and Pride Of Arras but my family says, ‘You are old, why not have fun? Why watch other people having fun?’
“It has been incredible, rewarding and quite fun for racing”
‘‘I would be very pleased if they did well for the people who bought them but what would I do if they paid me all the money offered – buy some useless horses? I might as well keep them.’’
It is quite an achievement, especially the heights achieved by Amiloc, who was gelded while he was being broken in after his owner was informed that she had bred a laid-back racehorse who was likely to make his first appearance on the track in a National Hunt Flat race!
It has meant that 80-year-old Vimy – the nickname has stuck since being used to distinguish between her and a classmate at her first school who was also called Lavinia – has had to swat
Aykroyd is speaking on a sunbleached morning at Copgrove Stud, the 400-acre farm near Harrogate managed by Brian O’Rourke which was once owned by Major Lionel Holliday, breeder of Vaguely Noble and Hethersett. It is now run by a trust set up to maintain the legacy of another giant of the Yorkshire racing scene, Guy Reed.
Only a 15-minute drive from Aykroyd’s home near Boroughbrdge, the location means she can keep a ››
Vimy Aykroyd
Vimy Aykroyd loves visiting her broodmares and youngstock at Copgrove Stud in Harrogate
The Big Interview
close eye on her mares and foals.
However, she credits her success to O’Rourke and her racing advisor, BBA Ireland’s Patrick Cooper, nephew of her husband David and the man who sourced Pride Of Arras’s granddam, Kitty O’Shea, from Coolmore.
‘‘The horses all used to be at the Cliff Stud at Helmsley,’’ Aykroyd relates.
‘‘That was when Henry Cecil used to lease it. We then heard through David Minton, who used to value horses for Guy Reed, that they wanted to take in boarders here, so we moved them.
“It’s exciting as there are plans to travel the horses – we can be ambitious”
‘‘If a foal appears, I come shooting up and I bring friends. Patrick comes over [from Ireland] two or three times a year.’’
Aykroyd may hand the credit for her racing success to others, but don’t be fooled into thinking that she is a racing novice.
She was among the first female jockeys to ride in Britain when the Jockey Club sanctioned a series of Flat races in the early 1970s and has also acted as a steward at a clutch of Yorkshire tracks including Pontefract, Ripon, Redcar and Thirsk.
Aykroyd, who has lived a life which
Vimy Aykroyd
would not look out of place in the pages of a novel, including her three marriages, also belongs to a family steeped in racing history.
Her paternal grandfather Harry Beasley rode and trained the 1891 Grand National winner Come Away. He was 72 when he rode his last winner on the original Pride Of Arras – a mare as opposed to Aykroyd’s winner of the Dante – and 83 when he rode in his last race.
Aykroyd’s cousin, Bobby Beasley, won the 1961 Grand National on
Silver while her father Pat carved a notable career on the Flat.
Born in Ireland, Pat, nicknamed Rufus because of the colour of his hair, developed a love of Yorkshire while at school at Ampleforth College. He would go on to train at Wold House stables in Malton.
He had moved to England to ride for 1930 champion trainer Atty Persse, who would become Vimy’s godfather, before going on to be retained by Jack Joel, the British-South African gold mining magnate and champion breeder, as well
Amiloc and Rossa Ryan strike in the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot, to the delight of Vimy Aykroyd, pictured below with trainer Ralph Beckett and daughter Serena
as Newmarket trainer Bob Colling.
But the most successful period of his career came as stable jockey to five-time champion trainer Sir Cecil Boyd-Rochfort when wins included the 1936 St Leger and 1937 Eclipse Stakes on Boswell.
As a trainer, one of Beasley’s best horses was Bounteous, victorious in the 1960 Dewhurst Stakes and runner-up in the 1961 St Leger. Before the colt contested the Derby – he finished unplaced behind Psidium – Pat hired a brass band to play next to the Malton ››
Nicolaus
BILL SELWYN
The Big Interview
Gelded Pride Of Arras has Great Voltigeur option
Vimy Aykroyd’s breeding operation is firmly concentrated on producing middle-distance horses.
She says: ‘‘I must admit I am not really interested in sprinters. It may be the way I have been brought up.
‘‘My father always trained homebreds for people whose ambitions were to have horses running in the Classic and those longer distance races.’’
Amiloc, who is unbeaten in five runs, missed the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot at the end of last month as Beckett decided to give him more time to get over his royal meeting exertions.
The Irish St Leger at the Curragh on September 14 or the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York’s Ebor fixture later this month are possible next races for him.
The Voltigeur is also possible for Pride Of Arras, who has been gelded following his two disappointing runs since winning the Dante at York in May.
The track at Epsom was blamed when Pride Of Arras ran poorly in the Derby, but that could not be offered as an excuse when he was last in the Irish Derby.
gallops to prepare his colt for the cacophony of noise at Epsom.
Beasley married Lady Alexandra Egerton, daughter of the sixth Earl of Wilton. Vimy was their only child.
The reason that Aykroyd became one of Ralph Beckett’s first owners when he set up as a trainer in 1999 is down to the strangest twist.
As an infant, Aykroyd was handed over to the Grimthorpe family and brought up alongside William, Ralph’s father.
Aykroyd recalls: ‘‘At the time it was traumatic. I never actually got on with my mother after that, which wasn’t really surprising.
‘‘The Grimthorpes were friends of my parents. I was three and at that age if you get put somewhere you didn’t have any choice. I had to stay with William – playing with him and sharing the nanny – until he went to his prep school.
‘‘Nanny didn’t like me. She loved William. It wasn’t a great time of one’s life. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
‘‘My childhood wasn’t great. Being an only child, you have to get on with life or otherwise you collapse in a heap. I have always been independent. I was moved on and then my parents split up.
‘‘I then went to a series of convents, one of which I was expelled from for swearing at the nuns because I didn’t like it.
‘‘When I was that young, I probably thought I could go and live with my father, staying in Yorkshire and helping with the horses. But my mother sent
Aykroyd says: ‘‘It went a bit pear-shaped when Pride Of Arras ran badly in the Derby and was even worse in the Irish Derby. Rossa Ryan said he didn’t go a yard, so we have now gelded him.
‘‘There was no point not to. He is not going to make a stallion because he has blotted his copybook twice.
‘’It gives you more options. He is back cantering again now and there is a thought we might go for the Great Voltigeur.’’
Aykroyd has four mares at Copgrove Stud and plenty to be optimistic about.
Parnell’s Dream, dam of Pride Of Arras, has his twoyear-old full-sister and is in foal to his sire New Bay again.
Colima, dam of Amiloc, has a yearling colt and colt foal by Territories while Chamade, a Sepoy half-sister to Amiloc, has a yearling colt by Mehmas and is in foal to Too Darn Hot.
Aykroyd’s fourth mare, Golden Myrrh, a daughter of Frankel who won two races before being retired last year, is in foal to Study Of Man.
me to another convent. I hated school. I learnt nothing and achieved nothing.’’
A brief stint at a finishing school in Paris was aborted when Aykroyd became ill and she ended up at secretarial college in London.
Aykroyd says: ‘‘That was another of my mother’s decisions but probably anything she decided I would have rebelled against.’’
It was a qualification that indirectly led Aykroyd to her first marriage in 1965 to Anglo-Indian Band leader Confrey Phillips. He played for royalty and showbusiness icons such as actress
“I was expelled from one convent for swearing at the nuns”
Ava Gardner, who demanded his band take the top slot at Les Ambassadeurs club in London after enjoying his music one evening.
Aykroyd states: ‘‘I met him at a party, like you did in those days. He wanted a secretary so I said, ‘Okay, I will do it’ and he became my first husband. I have one daughter from the marriage, a smashing girl called Emma who has three children and lives in Sussex.
‘‘The marriage didn’t last very long and that is when I came back north and did my race riding.’’
It was 1972 and the Jockey Club had introduced a 12-race series for lady amateur jockeys. Aykroyd won two races on a horse called Old Cock, the first at Doncaster and the second at Haydock the following year.
‘‘I rode out from the age of 15,’’ Aykroyd recalls. ‘‘I wasn’t allowed before that. My father didn’t really approve when lady jockeys came in and he wasn’t happy with me riding in races until he saw it was all safe.
‘‘Women were meant to be feminine, not riding horses in races! I just rode out in a scarf. You didn’t have back protectors and crash helmets.
‘‘My father was meant to train Old Cock, but he didn’t have room. Old Cock had been sent to Anthony Gillam to be trained for hurdling.
‘‘The owners wanted him back for the Flat so we persuaded them to send him to Jimmy FitzGerald so that he could be a dual-purpose horse. I used to ride out for my father and Jimmy.
‘‘I rode against people like Meriel Tufnell and Brooke Sanders – she was much the best of us all. We were treated respectfully but it was a novelty, and we were given extraordinary things.
‘‘I remember the first race I won on Old Cock was backed by Burberry. The first three were all given Mackintoshes, which were huge. None of us could wear them, they were too big! But it was great fun. Now you have all the professional girls which is good.’’
Aykroyd has also recycled the name of her winning mount, the new version in training with Ed Bethell. The son of Calyx, who was bought for 32,000gns at Tattersalls’ Book 2 Sale in 2022, has won four of his nine races including a mile handicap at York’s Dante meeting in May.
Aykroyd says: ‘‘I was lucky to ride and win on Old Cock. That is why I wanted the name back. Everyone said I would never get it because of the world we live in today – it would not be politically correct. I was amazed when I got it and we have been having a bit of fun with the current Old Cock.’’
Vimy’s riding career was brief and ended when her father retired and she married second husband, Richard Aykroyd.
She says: ‘‘Richard was more of a hunting man. He had the odd point-topointer and rode in them.
‘‘We went to live in Spain. We lived in the hills and Gibraltar was our nearest
airport. My children went to school in the International School in Sotogrande. We just opted out of life in England.
‘‘Richard was doing a bit of property business, but we were a bit like The Good Life. We were self-sufficient. I was out of racing for 20 years but still followed it.
‘‘We had a little farm with chickens, horses and pigs. It was fun. We were there for about 20 years and then Richard got ill so we had to keep coming back to England. “When he died in 1997, I came back for good because I did not want to stay down there, and the girls had grown up.
‘‘I lived in London for a bit and then came back to Yorkshire and I started stewarding.’’
Vimy would marry Richard’s brother, David, a man with a passion for racing.
He was a partner with Robert Sangster in the early days of the Ballydoyle story and, in the early 1980s, would accompany Cooper’s father Tom
to inspect yearlings in America for Vincent O’Brien.
Sadly, David has not been able to fully share in the joy of his wife’s success this season. Struck down by dementia, he is now resident in a Ripon care home.
Aykroyd says: ‘‘My other daughters Serena and Clare live in Yorkshire and Cornwall. Serena has got very keen on racing and came to Ireland with me. Her son is quite keen as is Clare’s son.
‘‘In the past they probably thought, ‘I don’t know what she is doing this for’. Now they are interested and getting quite excited, which is nice.’’
There promises to be more to interest them in the future.
Aykroyd adds: ‘’It is exciting because there are plans to travel the horses. Ralph has been talking about something at the Breeders’ Cup and then Patrick is talking about Japan. We can be ambitious – and the prizemoney out there is amazing.’’
Aykroyd credits her success to Brian O’Rourke, Stud Manager at Copgrove Stud, and BBA Ireland’s Patrick Cooper
St George Sales
High-rolling STAKES
Since launching St George Sales in Kentucky in 2011, Irish native Archie St George and his wife Michelle have had numerous high-class horses pass through their hands, the latest being leading three-year-old Tappan Street
Words: Martin Stevens
Collateral form lines suggest Tappan Street must be one of the best three-year-old colts in the US. The son of Into Mischief was a decisive winner of the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park in March, beating Sovereignty into second. The runnerup has since gone on to notch his own impressive victories in the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.
Tappan Street hasn’t been able to confirm his greatness, though, as he has been sidelined due to a condylar fracture to his right front leg sustained in the build-up to the Kentucky Derby in April. He is reportedly recovering well at WinStar Farm, which jointly owns him with China Horse Club and Cold Press Racing, and could be back later this year.
The sleeping giant was bred by the Corndorf family’s boutique Blue Heaven Farm in Kentucky but has a strong connection with Europe, as he was sold by Irish native Archie St George and wife Michelle to his owners for $1 million at the exclusive Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale.
“It’s been kind of bittersweet seeing Sovereignty do what he’s done this season, as Tappan Street had the measure of him in the Florida Derby,” says Archie St George. “But look, Sovereignty has obviously improved and is a brilliant horse, so who knows whether our horse would beat him again?
“Fingers crossed we see more of him, and that he returns in the same form. There could be more to come,
“I’m delighted for the owners as they put a lot of money into our game”
as he’s lightly raced. Either way, he’s proved he’s top-class and that’s what you want when you sell a million-dollar horse. I’m delighted for the owners as they put a lot of money into our game,
and they really deserve success, so it’s wonderful to see them get it.”
St George is also full of praise for Tappan Street’s breeders, who produced the colt out of Virginia Key, a dual-winning and Grade 2-placed Distorted Humor half-sister to Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes heroine Grace Adler.
“I’m thrilled for Adam Corndorf and his family and team,” he says. “We wouldn’t have this claim to fame without them. We actually only prepped and sold Tappan Street as they had a fire in the yard and lost a barn that year.
“We were delighted to help out and glad that everything ended well. It’s been such a big thrill, as Adam is a good friend, his daughter is in the same class as our daughter, and we’ve been fortunate enough to work with him for five or six years now.”
Tappan Street is one of six sevenfigure yearlings sold by St George Sales since the operation was launched in 2011. Many of the other millionaires were high-rolling pinhooks made with partners, including St George’s childhood friend Roger O’Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud in County Westmeath.
The Keeneland September Yearling Sale of 2023 was a particularly memorable one for the St Georges and their fellow investors, as it was the scene of two colts who made enormous profits: an Into Mischief half-brother to stakes performers Lady Kate, Prince Of Arabia and Princess Theorem bought for $550,000 and resold to Coolmore
KEENELAND
Archie St George: vendor of Tappan Street
Yearling prep is in full swing at Brookstone Farm ahead of the upcoming sales
for $1.8 million, and a son of Not This Time and the Exchange Rate mare Foreign Affair bought for $375,000 and resold to West Point Thoroughbreds and Talla Racing for $1.05m.
The son of Into Mischief was named Bernard Shaw and placed with Aidan O’Brien, and won a Dundalk maiden by nine lengths and finished third in both the Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and Star Appeal Stakes back at Dundalk.
St George Sales maintained momentum with its trades at Keeneland September last year, selling a Not This Time colt out of the stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare Believe In Charlie to SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and
Madaket Stables for $1.15m, having sourced him as a foal for $240,000.
“We do put down quite a bit of money on foals, but it’s been built up gradually over the years,” says St George. “Roger and I went to Headfort School in County Meath together and we’ve been friends since, he’s godfather to our daughter. We’re lucky to have him and the O’Callaghan family as partners, as their record of success speaks for itself and, just as importantly, they get it. They know the industry inside-out.
“They know you have to take the rough with the smooth in this game. They understand what can go right and what can go wrong. So when things
do go well we really value it, and when things go badly we regroup and move on.”
This year’s St George Sales pinhooks – often signed for under the name Brookstone Farm, the home of the St Georges’ operation located on a part of the historic Overbrook Farm near Lexington – include a son of blue-chip sire Quality Road and Ashland Stakes dead-heater Rosalind bought for $425,000. He is bound for Keeneland September.
“He was an expensive horse but we really liked him,” says St George. “He’s by a good sire and out of a good mare, and he has the power and size you would expect from Quality Road and ››
St George Sales
Broken Vow.”
St George Sales has a draft of around 65 yearlings this season, also including an “exciting” Vekoma halfsister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Valiant Force and a firstcrop Flightline colt out of German-bred Beverly D Stakes scorer Dalika, both being offered on behalf of the farm’s loyal clients Bryant and Joan Prentice.
The debut lots by unbeaten world champion Flightline should light a fire under the yearling sales in Kentucky this year, and St George has a fascinating insight into them.
“Flightline had it all – race record, pedigree, physique – and really captured everybody’s imagination, so there will be a big buzz about those yearlings,” he says.
“He hasn’t necessarily stamped his stock, though. The ones I’ve seen are a variety of sizes and colours, but the one thing I’ve noticed about all of them is that each and every one has an excellent mind, just like their father.
“They’re also strong like Flightline, but there’s a lot of the dams about them. Then again, considering he has covered the best mares in America,
it might not be the worst thing in the world if the progeny throw to their dams. The same was said about Frankel in the early days and look what happened: he turned out to be the best sire in the world.”
St George Sales got the North American yearling sales season off to a solid start, selling a Practical Joke filly to Justin Casse for $250,000 and a
Corniche colt bound for Wesley Ward for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.
“There was plenty of activity and a lot of buyers around, so it’s encouraging for the rest of the year,” says St George. “Saratoga will test the market, though.”
He adds that the increasing internationalisation of racing is cause
Brookstone Farm sits on a parcel of land on the historic Overbrook Farm
Archie St George has a good insight into the first yearlings of Flightline, seen here winning the Breeders’ Cup Classic
St George Sales
for optimism in the North American market.
“The world has become a much smaller place,” he says. “Europeans have had a lot of success with yearlings bought in Kentucky, especially the breeze-up trainers. There was a bit of a lull ten or so years ago. Maybe medication issues scared some people away, but that’s been tackled now, or maybe it was a period in which our sires didn’t fit European racing. That’s just the way it is sometimes.
“But then we had War Front and Scat Daddy come along. It took a little while for Scat Daddy to get recognition, but when he did it was a massive lift for the industry. Now we have Scat Daddy’s son Justify, who looks like having a big influence on the breeding world. There’s also been the mainstays like Hard Spun and Speightstown.
“The Breeders’ Cup meeting is truly international, with a race for every category of horse, and Aidan O’Brien clearly badly wants to win the Classic. Similarly, the Japanese are bringing some serious horses over for the Kentucky Derby now.
“On the other side, Americans are
desperate to win at Royal Ascot, with Wesley Ward having blazed a trail and encouraged others to follow his lead. It’s all helped sales in Kentucky become more global than ever, and that can only be a good thing.”
The man who preaches the virtue of international competition in Flat racing
“Now we have Scat Daddy’s son Justify, who looks like having a big influence”
from his base in Kentucky was actually born into a National Hunt background in County Kilkenny.
“My parents bred jumps horses and I was riding almost before I could walk,” recalls St George. “I had aspirations of being a jump jockey when I was a kid. I’d like to say the reason it didn’t
happen was because I grew too much, but the truth is that I just didn’t have the talent.”
He climbed the career ladder thanks to some helping hands.
“I was lucky enough to work for Edward O’Grady and Flash Conroy in my teens and early 20s, and that gave me a great foundation,” he continues. “I still look to them as mentors. Edward gave me a valuable insight into a racing yard and Flash taught me what to look for at the foal and yearling sales.
“I spent ten years with Flash, and count myself extremely fortunate to be able to go around with one of the best judges of foals in the world. He was even kind enough to lend me money to invest in a few pinhooks with him, and we managed to sell the Railway Stakes winner Formosina and make a nice bit of money on him.
“Flash did all the work, of course! He picked him out, but he let me be involved and have some of the glory. That’s how kind he is, and I’m proud to say we’re still good friends.”
St George was given an early introduction to the American bloodstock scene when he spent
Tappan Street, this year’s Florida Derby winner, pictured selling out of the St George Sales draft for $1 million at Saratoga
Over ALL 4th Crop Sires by % of starters
Including: Justify, Good Magic, City of Light, and on …
2024: 124 foals, his largest crop to date.
Mill Ridge thanks the breeders and shareholders for their support
Contact: Kim Poulin . ph: 859.231.0606 . kpoulin@millridge.com
St George Sales
a couple of summers working for powerhouse consignors Eaton Sales on the recommendation of the late Lady Vivienne Lillingston, his godmother, and her son Luke, the renowned bloodstock agent.
“I ended up working for Eaton Sales for ten years,” he says. “They were one of the largest consignors in town back then, so I saw everything from $5
million yearlings to $1,000 yearlings, which was useful for my education.
“Tom VanMeter was helping to run Eaton Sales at the time and he was very good to me. I look upon him like my American father. I also got to meet some of the most skilled and powerful players in the world. The experience I gained and the connections I made there were amazing. They set me up for life.
“It was meant to be two years in America but I’m still here 25 years later.”
However, the most important person St George was introduced to in Kentucky was undoubtedly his wife Michelle, who grew up in Pennsylvania and spent six years with Gainesway before joining Eaton Sales as a farm manager.
“We met in 2008, went out on our own with St George Sales three years later and bought Brookstone Farm five years after that,” says St George. “We do everything together, and I wouldn’t be able to do anything without her.
“She’s absolutely the key to the operation. They say behind every great man there’s a great woman, and while I wouldn’t necessarily call myself great I would definitely say that I have a great woman behind me.”
The winning relationship has built strong relationships with leading breeders and buyers and become renowned for presenting beautifully turned out yearlings in that relatively short space of time. Tappan Street won’t be the last Grade 1 winner to emerge from their St George Sales consignments.
BILL SELWYN
Hootenanny: Wesley Ward’s Windsor Castle Stakes winner was an early success story for St George Sales
AMY LANIGAN
St George Sales will present a draft of around 65 yearlings at this year’s auctions
CROSSING THE DIVIDE
Five Kentucky stallions making an international name for themselves.
Justify needs little introduction as the 2018 North American Triple Crown winner who provided Coolmore with City Of Troy, writes Nancy Sexton City Of Troy, the 2023 champion two-year-old who added the Derby, Eclipse Stakes and Juddmonte International at three, was the standout performer of Justify’s second crop, a group that also included Coolmore’s top-flight filly Opera Singer. They represent the fruition of unrelenting support by Coolmore, who has sent Justify numerous high-performing Galileo mares. Yet it isn’t all about Coolmore since his third crop is headed by this year’s 2,000 Guineas winner Ruling Court, bred by Nursery Place Farm and campaigned by Godolphin.
Justify’s first three crops are so far responsible for eight Group or Grade 1 winners, six on turf and two on dirt.
NOT THIS TIME
2014 Giant’s CausewayMiss Macy Sue (Trippi) Stands at Taylor Made Farm. 2025 fee: $175,000
One of the most impressive aspects to
Not This Time is his ability to upgrade mares, borne out by the fact that 39 of his stakes winners were bred off fees no higher than $15,000. There has since been a glimpse of what he is capable of via his first $40,000 fee, the source of 11 stakes winners – and counting – including last year’s Norfolk Stakes winner Shareholder.
Along the way, there has been seven Grade 1 winners ranging from top three-
Not This Time: has been represented in Europe by Norfolk Stakes winner Shareholder
Kentucky sires
year-old Epicenter to the exceptional turf sprinter Cogburn, who holds the world record of 59.08 seconds for 5.5f, and champion turf male Up To The Mark, whose Grade 1 wins were achieved from a mile to 1m2f. Turf or dirt, short or long – it doesn’t matter when it comes to Not This Time and it will be fascinating to see what he can achieve once his first six figures kick in.
KARAKONTIE
2011 BernsteinSun Is Up (Sunday Silence) Stands at Gainesway Farm. 2025 fee: $15,000
Karakontie possesses one of the standouts of 2025 in top turf filly She Feels Pretty, who recently supplemented her resume by winning the New York Stakes at Saratoga, her fourth win at Grade 1 level.
That filly’s achievements alone would make his current fee of $15,000 a value play but she is one of 22 stakes winners overall for the stallion.
Niarchos homebred Karakontie, a relation to Miesque, plied his trade in France, where he won the Poule d’Essai des Poulains. In keeping with
that profile, he has gone on to enjoy his share of success as a stallion in Europe, notably as the sire of stakes winners Kenzai Warrior and Cigamia.
Gainesway is also home to another top turf miler in Raging Bull, a threetime Grade 1-winning son of Dark Angel who is already off the mark with his first two-year-olds.
The heir apparent to Kitten’s Joy, Oscar Performance has swiftly become a consistent source of turf class in the US, his first two crops highlighted by the Grade 1 Belmont Derby winner Trikari alongside Grade 2 scorers Andthewinneris and Red Carpet Ready. He’s a fair source of juvenile talent –second-crop representative Endlessly was a dual Grade 3 winner at two – but it’s also notable how well a number of his better horses take their racing. They include Trikari, Red Carpet Ready and Grade 3 winner Tumbarumba (a veteran of 22 starts), whose consistency have
seen them put together records of five wins apiece.
The Kitten’s Joy sire line has long been associated with turf but before anyone pigeon holes Oscar Performance as such, it should be pointed out that he is also capable of throwing a high-class dirt horse, Red Carpet Ready being a case in point.
From an European perspective, it’s also worth bearing in mind that this four-time Grade 1 winner raced Lasixfree throughout his own championship racing career.
VEKOMA
2016 Candy RideMona De Momma (Speightstown) Stands at Spendthrift Farm.
2025 fee: $35,000
Barely does a day go by when Vekoma, the 2020 Grade 1 Carter Handicap hero, isn’t represented by a winner. He is the dominant leader when it comes to the second-crop stallions, his prize-money total of approximately $6.5 million for the year enough to push him within the top 12 US stallions overall. That’s quite an achievement considering that Vekoma is still working with only two
››
Exciting young sire Oscar Performance, pictured with Price Bell (left) and Headley Bell of Mill Ridge Farm
crops bred off no higher than $20,000.
All told, that first crop of runners has so far yielded 12 stakes winners led by the Saudi Derby hero Golden Vekoma and Grade 2-winning filly Five G. The bulk of them have come on dirt but in keeping with the record compiled by Candy Ride, he is also capable of producing a talented turf runner, the Grade 1-placed Vixen being a case in point.
Vekoma stood for a career-high of $35,000 this season but by all accounts was in such demand that several breeders were happy to pay more just to gain access.
Young guns…. Champion Flightline leads the way among a particularly deep group of American first-crop sires. Never challenged in six victories, four at Grade 1 level, Flightline duly covered an exceptional first book of mares at a first-year fee of $200,000 at Lane’s End Farm. Three of the resulting first crop were offered at last month’s JRHA Select Sale in Japan; led by a colt out Grade 2 winner Selflessly, who sold
for 190,000,000yen (£960,000), they realised an average of £794,000.
Four-time Grade 1 winner Life Is Good was also well supported in his first season at $100,000 at WinStar Farm while Coolmore’s Grade 1-winning quartet of Corniche, Epicenter, Golden
“Golden Pal possesses some of the attributes to appeal to Europe”
Pal and Jack Christopher are others to boast deep representation at the upcoming yearling sales. Golden Pal as a brilliantly quick turf sprinter possesses some of the attributes to appeal to Europe, particularly the pinhooking community.
Early Voting, the 2022 Preakness Stakes winner, was another to start his stud career at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud. As one of the first sons of Gun Runner to stud, he was a popular recruit before fertility problems prompted his removal from service. However, following a course of revolutionary treatment, he was returned to stud and now stands under the management of Taylor Made Stallions.
Darley offers a pair of Grade 1 winners in Mystic Guide and Speaker’s Corner while Juddmonte is home to Mandaloun, a homebred son of Into Mischief who was awarded the 2021 Kentucky Derby.
Of the other Grade 1 winners with first yearlings on offer, it wouldn’t be a surprise to European buyers return home with yearlings by either Olympiad or Aloha West. Gainesway Farm’s Olympiad, the Jockey Club Gold Cup winner, is a son of Speightstown, a stallion who has enjoyed plenty of success in Europe, while Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Aloha West, who stands at Mill Ridge Farm, is by another internationally versatile sire in Hard Spun.
Haras du Cadran
Incredible JOURNEY
A breeder who is never happier than when he wins with his friends, Pierre Talvard of Haras du Cadran is now dreaming of Arc glory with Leffard
Words: Adrien Cugnasse
Pierre Talvard is a commercial breeder – but one who prefers racing over sales. Known for his outbursts of joy during big victories, he enjoyed the win of Leffard, a colt produced with Ecurie Melanie, in the Grand Prix de Paris in an extremely intense way.
Ten days later during our conversation, the breeder is still on cloud nine. The emotion is all the stronger as it marks the return to the spotlight of his friend, Leffard’s trainer Jean-Claude Rouget, for whom the past year has been blighted by cancer.
“It’s a movie, a fairy tale,” says Talvard. “Because we mustn’t forget that this is the third time Jean-Claude
producing winners.
“I think we need to give a big round of applause to [assistant] JeanRené Dubosc and his team who truly supported Jean-Claude,” says Talvard. “What touches me in this story is that in the end, there are many empathetic people in the racing world who remained loyal to Jean-Claude. But well, he deserves it too.
“I think he is an exceptional man. During the Covid year, I called him. I said, ‘Listen Jean-Claude, the sales are going to be difficult. I can’t miss them given my situation.’ We sat down across from each other with a piece of paper and a pencil. We did our estimates. And he bought six yearlings from me. We
Leffard (nearside) becomes the latest Group 1 star bred by Haras du Cadran with his victory in the Grand Prix de Paris
Pierre Talvard: Group 1 breeder
Haras du Cadran
Beemsterboer. This Dutchman made his fortune with the vegetable seed brand Bejo, and his company has developed in multiple sectors. A Classic breeder and owner in New Zealand, Beemsterboer has been one of Talvard’s main partners for several years in the purchase of broodmares.
“Last year, Gerardus told me, ‘Pierre, well done, we had good sales, but now I want to be in the top 50 breeders in the French rankings and win a Group 1’,” says Talvard. “Mission accomplished! He is an exceptional person with whom I work in confidence. After each yearling sale, we look at each other and say: ‘How much can we spend this winter on mares?’ The deal is that I invest the same amount as him.”
Haras du Cadran has had the same clients for decades, attracting a loyalty that stands out in a modern world that is increasingly unstable.
“People who pay boarding fees must be rewarded,” he says. “They have to get winners.”
But the wealthy individuals who breed to race by entrusting their mares to Haras du Cadran are also there for Pierre Talvard himself. He is a man who loves to share his passion and who perfectly fits the term ‘aimable’; in French, being ‘aimable’ means both ‘worthy of being liked by others’ and ‘someone who seeks to please others’. Talvard, always welcoming, fits that definition. He has boarded dozens of broodmares for owner-breeder JeanClaude Séroul for decades. And it is highly likely that Haras du Cadran is one of the French breeding operations that produces the most winners every year if one combines those bred by Talvard, his partners, and his clients.
“When Jean-Claude Séroul comes to see his horses, I spend the day with him,” he says. “Same for Alain Jathiere. We have a duty to be kind and respectful to our clients. After all these decades, if Mr Séroul is still one of my clients, it’s because he’s convinced — and he’s right by the way — that I’ve never stolen a single cent from him. It’s a matter of trust. I’m the first to push him not to keep certain mares, even though that means fewer boarders. One must be honest. But honesty takes a very long time to pay dividends. It pays off when you’re old!”
In recent years, the number of French studs present at the Arqana August Sale has significantly declined, as has the number of yearlings eligible for French premiums. Many traditional French studs have either disappeared,
Jean-Claude Rouget: trainer of Leffard
“One must be honest - but honesty takes a long time to pay dividends”
been bought by breeders who do not sell (such as Haras du Mézeray, for example), or belong to people who cannot keep up with the pace of an increasingly fierce commercial market.
Pierre Talvard, on the contrary, heads a stud that is gaining in prominence year after year. With 24 yearlings catalogued to this month’s Arqana August Sale, his consignment is larger than in previous years.
“It’s up to each breeder to find partners, because there are a lot of people interested in buying good mares,” he explains. “I’ve recently found new investors. The key is that the breeder invests the same amount as his partners. Otherwise, they feel a bit trapped. Risk sharing is important.”
Let’s Misbehave, the dam of Leffard, cost €320,000 as a five-year-old. Unraced but from an exceptional pedigree, this Montjeu half-sister to High Chaparral was in foal to War Front,
a mating that ultimately produced Sippinsoda, winner of the Listed Prix Occitanie.
“We turned down a lot of money for Sippinsoda,” says Talvard. “My partner, who is much smarter than I am, told me it would be good to keep her but to sell the dam. So Let’s Misbehave was sold for €920,000 while her son Leffard was still a foal. It’s always difficult to sell mares of this quality. But from time to time, you have to bring in some cash. Sippinsoda has a Lope De Vega colt – and he’s the most beautiful foal at Haras du Cadran!”
When it comes to matings, Talvard tries to avoid inbreeding as much as possible and he likes to reproduce successful crosses. When Leffard was conceived, the cross of Le Havre over Montjeu had just produced the dual Group 1 winner Wonderful Tonight.
“Ah yes, that was obvious to me,” he says. “And I had no trouble convincing my partner.
“Leffard has always been an exceptional colt. He is an intelligent horse who understands everything that is asked of him. And I told Jean-Claude to buy him. When he saw him, he was won over. That year, Paul Shanahan had asked me who my best colt was. And I told him about the one who would become Leffard. He had everything going for him.”
Not all breeders succeeded with Le Havre, a stallion that Talvard managed to match well, also producing the Group 2 winner Roman Candle and Listed scorer Romina Power.
Talvard has also retained several daughters of Le Havre at the stud including Chuppy, a full-sister to Wonderful Tonight. The mare has a Mehmas filly (Lot 50) catalogued to the Arqana August Sale.
“Her first produce, the two-year-old Constitution River, was beaten a nose on debut at Newmarket’s July meeting,” says Talvard. “Her trainer Aidan O’Brien, whom I met on the day of the Grand Prix de Paris, told me she was a real hope for next year.”
Overall, Haras du Cadran’s Arqana consignment is another quality draft. The group also includes Lot 83, a Wootton Bassett filly who is the first foal out of the Group 1-placed Flighty Lady, a mare that Cadran owns in partnership with the Cheval Invest syndicate, Écurie Melanie and Ballylinch Stud.
“She’s an exceptional filly physically,” says Talvard. “Strongly stamped by her sire, she’s exceptional. Wootton Bassett
TATTERSALLS
JOCKEY CLUB OF TÜRKİYE
Haras du Cadran
is breaking all records. Every day, more and more, we realise how right Coolmore were to buy him.”
Talvard used the former Haras d’Etreham stallion quite early in his career, notably breeding the Group winner Wootton Asset.
One of Talvard’s major coups in recent years was buying Latita for only €20,000. She was five years old at the time, with a fairly modest pedigree, but had a Listed win and a third place in the Group 3 Prix de la Grotte to her name.
“It was Jean-Claude Rouget who told me to buy her,” he says. “He had told me that without an accident, she would have won her Group race. She gave me Daylight, second in the Cheveley Park Stakes. Her sister, by Teofilo, will be Lot 136 of the August Sale. I went to Teofilo hoping to keep a filly as a broodmare. But I have important investments ongoing, the dam is young and I have an exceptional filly foal – so we’re selling this year’s yearling.”
The progeny of Cayman Sunset has also brought great success to Haras du Cadran, not only with the triple Group 1 winner Qemah, but also Pretty Gorgeous, winner of the
Fillies’ Mile. One granddaughter of Cayman Sunset remains at Haras du Cadran in Niedziela, whose yearling by Blackbeard is Lot 169.
“Her sister has just won nicely in Germany,” says Talvard. “He’s a good yearling who looks a lot like Qemah. The resemblance is actually quite striking, as my son Emmanuel recently pointed out to me.”
Among the new partners of Haras du Cadran are the Forien family and bloodstock agent Victoire Langlais, with whom he purchased Sola Luna when she was in foal to Justify. The mare is from the great Strawbridge family of In Clover.
“Her Justify colt (Lot 264) is a spectacular yearling,” he says. “The dam cost $250,000, but divided into four shares, it’s already much more reasonable. And a quarter of a broodmare’s board is next to nothing.”
From the same family, the Group 1-placed Queen Trezy joined the stud when bought for €800,000. Her Lope De Vega colt (Lot 210) was bred in partnership with Écurie Mélanie, trotting legend Jean-Pierre Dubois and Ballylinch Stud.
“He’s a very handsome colt in whom you can really feel the influence of Lope De Vega,” says Talvard. “But his biggest quality is his walk – it’s absolutely outstanding. And the Lope De VegaDansili cross needs no introduction.”
From the Lomitas mare Varsity, Talvard has produced seven black-type horses in just a few years, including five by Dubawi or his sons. Now that’s a successful cross!
“That family really is the pride of Haras du Cadran,” says Talvard. “The yearling looks a lot like her full-sister La Parisienne, runner-up in the Prix de Diane. She will be Lot 261. The threeyear-old We’ll Defend won her maiden in spectacular fashion at Chantilly. It really is a page of courageous horses.”
Among French studs, Le Cadran is known for truly paying its staff well, who are also often rewarded when the sales are successful. As a result, employee turnover is limited – which is rare these days.
“We’ve always taken on a lot of apprentices,” says Talvard. “From each generation of apprentices, we keep the good ones and they then stay on with the team. There’s no turnover here.
BILL SELWYN
Qemah: Group 1 winner, seen here taking the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot, was a flagbearer for Haras du Cadran
2025/26 Race Programme
Anchorman Cup Thursday 29th January 2026
The Bahrain Mile Friday 30th January 2026
The Crown Prince’s Cup (Listed) Friday 30th January 2026
Al Sakhir Cup Thursday 19th February 2026
Bahrain Vision Cup Thursday 19th February 2026
HH Sh. Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup (Listed) Thursday 19th February 2026
HH Sh. Sheema bint Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup Thursday 19th February 2026
Al Fateh Cup Thursday 5th March 2026
The International Handicap Thursday 5th March 2026
The Chairman’s Cup Friday 6th March 2026
Al Methaq Mile (Listed) Friday 6th March 2026
The King’s Cup (Group 3) Friday 6th March 2026
$100,000 80-100 4yo+
SHIPPING & STAFF INCENTIVES PROVIDED. CONNECTIONS OF EACH HORSE WILL ALSO RECEIVE A $10,000 EXPENSES VOUCHER
Haras du Cadran
It’s always the same people over the years. To motivate people, you have to pay them well. That’s obvious. And everyone does a bit of everything –you can’t always leave the unpleasant tasks to the same people. This is a perfectionist’s job. You have to look at your horses ten times a day. You have to think only of them. I don’t go to the movies, I don’t go to the theatre, I don’t go to restaurants. I don’t go on vacation. I am at home, in my stud, with my horses.
“You cannot have multiple passions when you’re a breeder. I’m lucky that my son Emmanuel is just as passionate as I am. He’s given me a second wind since he arrived at the stud. He’s even closer to the staff than I am because the age gap is smaller. What’s more, Emmanuel brings in new, younger clients.”
Fifty years ago, Talvard started from nothing. He lived in a caravan for years, going through enormous difficulties before achieving financial success and managing to buy land on a regular basis. After decades of breeding, logic would dictate that he should slow down. But that is unthinkable for this workaholic.
“You have to constantly try to improve the quality of mares,” he says. “Horses must be kept in comfort all year long. We have to prepare them to become athletes. With them, you can’t put things off until tomorrow. If you see a horse lame, it has to be dealt with immediately. Similarly, if it’s not eating, the issue must be handled straight away. If my horses are happy, then I’m happy. With good organisation and a good team, things go well. But you must not rest on your laurels.”
Haras du Cadran now covers 400 hectares and Talvard concludes: “The
British and Irish interest on the rise
A deeper representation from British and Irish-based vendors has been one of the developing themes of recent editions of the Arqana August Sale, writes Nancy Sexton
The likes of Ballylinch and Camas Park Studs have long sent stock to the sale and are again well represented as the source of nine and ten yearlings respectively. Baroda Stud, which sold a €780,000 Night Of Thunder filly in 2024, has ten catalogued this time around while Barton Stud returns with a group of six, an increase on last year when its two yearlings offered included recent Vichy debut winner Pen And Sword. Kildaragh Stud (four yearlings) and Jamie Railton (two) are other consignors making a return trip.
This year, however, they have been joined by a number of Arqana August debutantes, namely Hazelwood Bloodstock (two yearlings), Moanmore Stables (one), Tweenhills (three) and Yeomanstown Stud (two).
The sale marks an important auction test for Baaeed as the host of nine of his first-crop yearlings, among them Moanmore Stables’ colt out of the Listed-placed Magical Journey (Lot 147), a relation to Kingman from Barton Stud (filly;
horse is an animal that needs space to thrive.”
It’s been an incredible journey for a man who started working in the horse
301) and a relation to Classic winner Beauty Parlour (colt; 39) from Baroda Stud.
Baroda is also responsible for a Dubawi grandaughter of Group 1 winner and blue hen Lillie Langtry (109) as well as a Churchill halfbrother to Australian Group 1 winner Land Legend (134).
Barton Stud also sends through a Night Of Thunder filly out of the Group 3-placed Dean Street Doll (61) while Tweenhills’ trio includes a Siyouni colt out of the 2011 Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lightening Pearl (140). Another Group 1 winner, Watch Me, is also the dam of a Zarak filly from Jamie Railton (299).
Ballylinch Stud hit seven-figure heights last year when selling a €1 million daughter of Lope De Vega to Oliver St Lawrence. A Mehmas halfsister to that filly (174) is among the highlights of a nine-strong draft for the Kilkenny farm this time around.
world as a teenager at the very bottom of the ladder; Talvard is one of the rare true rags-to-riches stories in the world of racing.
Baaeed: well represented at Arqana
BILL SELWYN
Grosser Preis von Bayern, Gr.1, Munich
Chariot Stakes, Gr.1, Newmarket
‘The
greatest of his era’farewell to one of a kind
Whether through his unrelenting drive, flair, meticulous attention to detail or confidence in himself, D. Wayne Lukas pushed the boundaries by which American racing operates.
Love or hate him, it was an approach that yielded immense success, at times rewriting the record books. There were the four leading trainer Eclipse Awards, 14 trainer titles, 20 Breeders’ Cup wins and 15 Triple Crown Classic victories highlighted by four winners of the Kentucky Derby. Only last year, he broke another record
when at the age of 88, he sent out Seize The Grey to take the Preakness Stakes, thereby surpassing James ‘Sunny Jim’ Fitzsimmons almost 70 years previously as the oldest trainer to win an American Triple Crown race.
It says plenty for the man’s work ethic that he prepared American Promise for an assault on this year’s Preakness, monitoring the colt astride his pony during early morning training just weeks before his death at the age of 89 in late June.
Lukas’ death will have marked the end of an era for many, but his impact reverberates across all areas of the North American industry, in particular through the likes of Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin and Dallas Stewart, each former assistants who have gone on to become leading trainers in their own right.
Then there are the many top-flight horses to have passed through his hands, many of them found at auction.
The 1980s was a heady era in the Kentucky yearling market, driven in part by the ambition of the Maktoum brothers and the Coolmore - Robert Sangster partnerships. Lukas had trained quarter horses before turning his hand to thoroughbreds in 1978 and brought with him a slick style embodied by the use of private jets, a Rolls Royce and designer suits. He also threw his weight behind that
bullish market, with his ability to persuade wealthy owners to trust in his judgement resulting in its own new sales dynamic.
It is estimated that between 1979 to 1988, Lukas pumped in approximately $103 million to the American yearling market.
Early on, he was invariably working for San Diego Chargers owner Eugene Klein. The partnership was mutually beneficial; Lukas received the quality of bloodstock he craved and in return crafted the careers of champions Winning Colors, a $575,000 yearling and one of only three fillies to win the Kentucky Derby, and Klein homebred Lady’s Secret alongside Grade 1 winners such as Fiesta Lady, one of the early success stories, 1985 Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Life’s Magic and 1989 Kentucky Oaks heroine Open Mind. The latter was an inexpensive $150,000 yearling but was sold at the end of her three-yearold season for $4.6 million. Similarly, Winning Colors made $4.1 million once her championship career was over.
Of the colts, neither 1986 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Capote or Grade 2-winning sprinter Pancho Villa were cheap purchases at $800,000 and $1.8 million for Lloyd French. However, both were later syndicated for stud in multi-million dollar deals. The same was also true of Saratoga Six, an expensive $2.2 million yearling who won the 1984 Del Mar Futurity in a brief
GEORGE SELWYN
BILL SELWYN
Lady’s Secret: the 1986 North American Horse of the Year was one of numerous top-class horses trained by D. Wayne Lukas
John Gosden with D. Wayne Lukas
unbeaten four-race career for a KleinFrench partnership. While none of them went on to leave much of a legacy at stud, the same can’t be said of French’s fast filly Terlingua, an early yearling purchase who went on to foal Storm Cat.
Joe Bagan, author of Lukas at Auction, calculated that the aforementioned $103 million outlay yielded a return of $162 million.
Lukas’ modus operandi was to buy on type and think about pedigree afterwards. In a ‘X’ post shared recently by SF Bloodstock’s Tom Ryan, Lukas uses an image of the Grade 1-winning Sadler’s Wells horse Perfect Soul to outline his desired checkpoints in a yearling. The animal was then graded on a scale up to ten, although it is said that no yearling ever received full marks; reportedly Saratoga Six and Landaluce, a brilliant two-year-old who died tragically young, were among those to come closest on a nine.
Bill Landes, general manager of Hermitage Farm in Kentucky, remembers those days well from when Hermitage was under the ownership of Warner L. Jones. The source of Classic winners such as Lomond, Northern Trick and Dark Star, Jones was a perennial vendor of high-end yearlings, making him something of a magnet for Lukas.
“Obviously the 1980s were heady times for North American yearling sales and D. Wayne Lukas was a key driver,” he says. “Wayne, training from Churchill Downs and so only 30 minutes from Hermitage Farm, would pre-sale examine Mr Jones’ yearling crop.
“My remembrance were his conformation lessons, especially when it came to evaluating back at the knee conformation – he looked at it from a totally different angle that we had never considered before.”
He adds: “He never gave his conformation secrets away but once let slip what he looked for in a filly – ‘I want to see the head of a princess, the butt of an Irish washerwoman and the walk of a hooker!’”
Lukas came close to securing history on a Hermitage yearling when coming off second best to the Coolmore-Sangster partnership at $13.1 million on the Nijinsky yearling Seattle Dancer in 1985. The price remains a record for a yearling at auction.
“Wayne and the team of Gene Klein, Mel Hatley and Barry French were the immediate underbidders on Seattle Dancer from the Hermitage July consignment in 1985,” says Landes. “Reviewing the video of the bidding shows Wayne using all his persuasive skills to get his team to respond to John Magnier and Robert Sangster’s
ultimate final bid!
“Hermitage did have success with Wayne as he bought the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Is It True for $550,000 off us at Keeneland in July 1987. He became the sire of Grade 1 winner Yes It’s True.”
Headley Bell of Mill Ridge Farm also vividly recalls those days.
“D. Wayne Lukas always had a flair of confidence matched with his talent to perform as a horse trainer,” he says. “His timing was perfect with his first champion Landaluce in 1982, who was purchased at the 1981 Keeneland July Sale. This was in the heat of a market driven by Robert
Sangster and team and the Maktoum brothers.
“Wayne was the ‘entire package’ of confidence, flair, style, discipline and performance. He was the ultimate in promotion and his owners believed in him because he backed it up with the runners on the track. With the carnival atmosphere present in that day with Tom Gentry, Wayne had a platform to entertain and celebrate the recruitment of his team of owners and yearlings provided with the yearling sales.
“He had an eye for the athlete and an air of confidence that gave his owners the belief that purchase would fulfill their dreams. This was a ‘new era’ and Wayne Lukas helped define and establish how the game was going to be played.”
“He was a charismatic character,” says Anthony Stroud. “He brought a lot of new owners into the sport, a lot of affluent people into California when it was at its peak. I was working in California at that time and he always had the smartest barn you could imagine. It was a golden era for Californian racing – he came in, he was on a par with it and lifted it to a different level. He was very good at getting people into racing and motivating them. He made it fun, interesting and captivating. He brought a whole new dimension to it.”
Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor
He adds: “He came from a quarter horse background and quickly became very successful with the thoroughbreds. All those good horses like Winning Colors, Life’s Magic, Open Mind, Capote – some were expensive, some were not so expensive. He was an incredible judge of a yearling.”
Lukas’ training operation duly became a who’s who of the ownership hierarchy. For Overbrook Farm’s William T. Young, there was the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Cat Thief and Preakness Stakes winner Tabasco Cat. For the Wildenstein family, there was the Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Steinlen while for Peter Brant, he trained Breeders’ Cup Sprint winner Gulch.
However, the good times couldn’t last forever. As some of his owners died or drifted away from racing, the Lukas barn went through a slump. There was also a personal tragedy when his son and assistant, Jeff, almost lost his life when Tabasco Cat galloped over him at Santa Anita in December 1993. The collision left Jeff Lukas with a skull fracture and severe brain injury, and he died 23 years later at the age of 58.
Lukas picked himself up and during the latter half of the 1990s, it was back to business thanks to three winners of the Kentucky Derby; Michael Tabor’s Thunder Gulch, Overbrook Farm’s Grindstone and Robert and Beverly Lewis’ Charismatic. Come the late 1990s, there was another Lewis star in Serena’s Song, a $150,000 yearling who wound up as a typically tough Lukas product, winning 11 Grade 1 races and over $3.2 million.
Numbers subsequently dropped but Lukas never lost his ability to draw in the big-hitting owners, a case in point being Brad Kelley, the latest owner of the famed Calumet Farm in whose colours Lukas saddled Oxbow to win the 2013 Preakness Stakes. Just over a decade later aged 88, Lukas struck again in that same Classic with Seize The Grey, this time for a very different type of owner in the microshare syndicate MyRacehorse; over 2,500 owners were cheering him on as he crossed under the wire at Pimlico.
The market of the 1980s is a world away from today but Lukas remained a major player until the end. The Justify colt American Promise, who took his chance in this year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes following his romp in the Virginia Derby, was a throwback of old as a $750,000 yearling.
“He was one of a kind in promotion, dedication, discipline, and talent,” says Bell. “Through his longevity and love of life, he is recognised as the standard of excellence and likely the greatest of his era.”
GEORGE SELWYN
D. Wayne Lukas: ‘the ultimate in promotion’
Sales Circuit • By
Carl Evans
Records fall as trade heats up
Tattersalls July Sale
This three-day mixed sale at Tattersalls’ Newmarket headquarters does not include a section for jumpers or jumping stock, yet it can be a source of horses suitable for that type of racing.
Illustrating that point, Golden Ace, winner of this year’s Champion Hurdle, was picked up for a mere 12,000gns at the event four years ago. A photograph of her was placed on the catalogue’s back cover alongside one of Group 1-winning sprinter Regional and the mare Entreat, dam of this year’s Prix du Jockey-Club winner Camille Pissarro. They say a picture tells a thousand words, and this particular trio of shots conveyed the range of buying opportunities to be found – and the three horses involved cost a combined sum of 29,500gns, so there is something for all pockets, too.
It proved a happy occasion for Tattersalls, with the record price being beaten twice in successive days, while the figures for turnover (16,985,555gns) and average (30,105gns) hovered within one or two choice lots of setting new highs. The median (15,000gns) equalled the best set on two previous occasions.
It also proved fertile ground for clients of Andrew Balding’s Kingsclere Stables, for his Al Shaqab-owned York winner Humam headed the opening day’s trade when knocked down for 190,000gns, while at the final session he provided the sale’s new record top lot in Quai De Bethune, who was sold for 775,000gns. It is rare for a Royal Ascot winner to then head to this sale, but after victory in this year’s Golden Gates Handicap for Gary Gillies and
Team Valor, the 100-rated colt by Persian King was sent to market.
Richard Brown, with Wathnan Racing’s budget on his side, was never likely to be anything but interested in such a horse, and it was his bid which proved decisive. Balding could not only take pleasure that Quai De Bethune would be returning to his yard for the new owners, but also in consigning General Admission –210,000gns to Libya’s Al Watan club – and Time Allowed – 160,000gns to Australia’s Busuttin Young Racing.
Quai De Bethune is likely to race in the Middle East at some point in his career, and that part of the world’s growing racing programme has given the July Sale – and others of its nature – a boost over the past decade. Horses with form in Europe can be bought, given a break and time to acclimatise and then race for valuable prize-money while their former
Pinhook of the sale
colleagues are waiting out the winter.
Gassim Ghazali, a multiple champion trainer in Qatar, was a pathfinder in plundering valuable stock at Tattersalls, and he was back again to land Green Storm for 380,000gns and Basalt for 220,000gns. Green Storm, Group
Green Storm was not bought as a pinhook, but his sales ring appearances have similarities. He was purchased as a yearling by the shrewd father-and-son team of Mark and Charlie Johnston for a humble €12,000. Given that his dam was the high-class racemare Banimpire, that was little money. A series of placings at up to Group 1 level and a win at two for owner Ahmad Al Shaikh, plus further sound form at three, meant he was odds-on to sell for a profit if ever returned to the ring, and when he appeared at the July Sale, he was knocked down for 380,000gns to Qatar’s Gassim Ghazali.
Quai De Bethune: Royal Ascot winner set a new sale record at 775,000 guineas
Richard Brown: signed for Quai De Bethune
Gassim Ghazali: bought eight horses
1-placed at two, had finished middivision in the Derby for Charlie Johnston, while Listed-placed Basalt had run well behind Quai De Bethune at Royal Ascot for Archie Watson.
A sister to Coventry Stakes winner and late sire Calyx had held the honour of being a July Sale record breaker for all of 24 hours when making 550,000gns on day two to a bid from Grant Pritchard-Gordon. He was acting for an undisclosed client when buying Orchid Bouquet, an unraced daughter of Kingman offered from Juddmonte, an operation so revered its stock have added appeal before they reach the sales complex.
Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff plucked another unraced gem from
QUOTE OF THE SALE
“I did not think we would have to spend so much, but these Juddmonte fillies and mares always command a premium and this is one of the very top Juddmonte families. There is so much happening around it and it’s one that just keeps staying alive.”
Grant Pritchard-Gordon of Badgers Bloodstock, buyers of Orchid Bouquet for 550,000gns, and paying another tribute in words and spend to the late Khalid Abdullah, creator of Juddmonte’s amazing bloodstock empire.
Juddmonte, his 300,000gns offer securing Frankel filly Fleeting Ember, whose bloodlines had the added allure of being from a top Niarchos family, while Zhang Yuesheng’s Ace Stud, based just outside Newmarket, helped trade in fillies when securing potential mates for resident sires Shaquille and Soldier’s Call. The pick on price, Regal Agenda, was bought for 375,000gns out of Karl Burke’s stable having been placed for owner-
Tattersalls July Sale
the highlights of Juddmonte’s powerful draft
breeder Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum. Being from the family of Dubawi was a magnet for Ace Stud representative Paul Curran.
Bouncing back after a two-year dip during which trade was slightly down, this premier sale of unbroken jumping stores managed to turn the ship.
A total of 401 horses entered the ring and 330 found a buyer, a clearance rate of 82 per cent that was up three points. Turnover of €17.5 million was a gain of 26 per cent, the average price rose 11 per cent to €53,261, while the median added 13 per cent at €43,000. Thirty-eight horses reached €100,000 or more, a record for the event.
The introduction of two-year-olds – an element running in conjunction with Britain and Ireland’s attempts to follow the French lead in getting young jumpers schooling and racing earlier – resulted in a curate’s egg of results. Of 22 offered two-year-olds just 11 found buyers, but some fancy prices were achieved with Dan Skelton buying an Ectot filly from the Denman family for €100,000.
Skelton, working with his bloodstock advisor Ryan Mahon, also bought a three-year-old son of Walk In The Park, who at €285,000 gained the highest
Orchid Bouquet: sister to Calyx was among
Dan Skelton and Ryan Mahon were busy, coming away with nine horses
Sales Circuit
QUOTE OF THE SALE
“This is his [Nathaniel’s] first proper crop from National Hunt mares – and he has good results jumping from Flat mares, so why wouldn’t he do it again, and better, with jumping mares?”
Timmy Hillman, who took two stores by Nathaniel to the Derby Sale and sold both (€180,000 and €100,00), giving an insight into why the sire’s progeny are revered by traders of both Flat and jumping-bred horses.
valuation across the two-day sale. Offered by John Dwan and Katie Rudd’s Ballyreddin & Busherstown, the gelding had been bought for €85,000 as a foal by Joey Logan having been foaled by Posh Trish, a Listed bumper and hurdle winner for Paul Nicholls.
Nicholls’ daughter, Megan, was the unwilling underbidder to Skelton, who said Pennsylvania-based Cherry Knoll Farm – headed by Margaret and Bob Duprey – will race the youngster.
Horse to follow
Tom Malone will not remember 2025 with the greatest affection following the break in his buying association with Nicholls, but it will seem somewhat better if a €260,000 Tunis filly he and Gavin Cromwell bought from Peter Vaughan’s Moanmore Stables on behalf of owner Owen Daley proves a class act.
Meanwhile, Gordon Elliott’s attempts to remove Willie Mullins from the top of the Irish jump trainers’ list saw him reel in three lots including a €235,000 Blue Bresil gelding consigned by Flash Conroy’s Glenvale Stud. Conroy also traded a €210,000 Walk In The Park gelding to Aiden Murphy.
Not that Mullins is going to be easy to dislodge, for he and ally Harold Kirk signed for nine lots at an average of €136,000, headed by a €180,000 son of
A filly by French stallion Ectot out of Polly’s Present, who headed trade among the sale’s clutch of two-year-olds when being knocked down for €100,000 to Dan Skelton. Why follow her? Because forward-thinking Skelton has a race in mind in December 2026, namely the valuable Mercedes Benz Bumper for graduates of the sale. As he put it: “She gets 22lbs in the bumper, 15 for her age and seven for being a filly. Being by Ectot, she could be forward, and if she’s not, she’s not. The bumper is something we definitely have to consider.”
Pinhook of the sale
Peter Vaughan’s ability to spot a young horse in France and then resell it for a profit at a venue north of the Channel is well documented. He did it again when netting €120,000 for a Doctor Dino gelding having bought the same horse in July last year at Arqana for €47,000. The buyers on the latest occasion were Willie Mullins and Harold Kirk.
Nathaniel offered by Castledillon Stud. Glancing at the list of buyers gives a clear indication that this sale is dominated by high-achievers from the world of jump racing, but also point-to-point handlers, a group of talented practitioners who buy stores, break them in, teach them to jump and then race them at four or five before being reoffered to the market. Sales companies love these operators because they mop up a lot of horses, they help drive the market and, when it comes to reselling, they get another cut of the action.
At the Derby Sale, the Doyle brothers of Monbeg Stables headed buyers when spending just over €1.4m on 27 horses, most of whom will start racing in point-topoints. From the list of top 20 buyers, fellow Irish point-to-point specialists Sam Curling, Johnny Fogarty, Matty Flynn O’Connor, Colin Bowe and Rob James secured another 36 lots between them. Britain’s Tom Lacey, a licensed trainer who also trades pointers, bought six lots under the name of UK P2P.
It is barely a secret that credit is offered to these loyal buyers by the sales companies, but one agent who chose not to be named said this was creating a narrow market which made it hard for trainers to fill orders for reasonably-priced stores.
When it was pointed out that sales such as Tattersalls Ireland’s July Sale of Stores would be an opportunity to buy a cheaper horse, the agent said that market was dominated in similar fashion.
Dan Skelton will train this sale-topping son of Walk In The Park
Tom Malone snapped up this daughter of Tunis on behalf of Gavin Cromwell
They appeared to have a point when at the single-session Derby Sale Part II –which had been reintroduced for the first time since 2017 following the closure of this year’s May Sale of stores – the top seven buyers were all noted trainers and traders of point-to-pointers.
Denis Murphy of Ballyboy Stables was the leading buyer with six purchases for a
Statistics - Derby Sale Part I
Sold: 330 (82% clearance)
Aggregate: €17,576,000 (+26%)
Average: €53,261 (+11%)
Median: €43,000 (+13%)
Statistics - Part II
Sold: 113 (70% clearance)
Aggregate: €1,995,500
Average: €17,659
Median: €16,000
total outlay of €210,000. Murphy’s buys included a €52,000 son of Poet’s Word who headed the top-ten board.
Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale
g Walk In The Park - Posh Trish
f Tunis - Russie
g Blue Bresil - Wattle Bridge
g Walk In The Park - La Bella Roma
g Nathaniel - Floressa
g Harzand - Sea Rocket
Arqana Summer Mixed Sale
Buyers around the globe are creating new highs at bloodstock auctions, as they did at this three-day event held in Deauville. It is a something-for-everyone sale with breezers, breeding stock, stores, jumpers and Flat horses in training on offer, and a good record of producing subsequent success stories. Turnover of €13,655,200 was a new best and an increase of 25 per cent despite a smaller catalogue, while the clearance rate of 80 per cent was 13 points up on last year.
The average price gained ten per cent at €36,074 while the median was up a quarter at €20,000.
Quality of proven racehorses will always be a factor in this sale, and a fancied German Derby runner by Wootton Bassett and with a Group 3 Derby trial win in his form line was just the sort of fancy bauble to whet buyers’ appetites. However, the Alessandro Botti-trained Juwelier was bought in at €1.1m and so the Summer
Ballyreddin & Busherstown 285,000 Ryan Mahon/Dan Skelton
Moanmore Stables 260,000 Tom Malone/Gavin Cromwell
Glenvale Stud
Glenvale Stud
Castledillon Stud
Oak Tree Farm
235,000 Gordon Elliott
210,000 Aiden Murphy/Olly Murphy
180,000 H Kirk/W P Mullins
180,000 Stroud Coleman/O’Neill Racing
Mixed Sale missed out on its second million-euro horse, the first having been sold three years earlier.
Not that Arqana’s management were too deflated because Zekret, offered by Al Shaqab Racing, was sold for €520,000, the second-highest valuation recorded at the auction. Nicky Bertran de Balanda and Alex Elliott teamed up to buy Zekret, a winner with good placed form on the Flat and from a solid German family. He goes jumping next from an Irish stable, said de Balanda.
Yorkshire trainer David O’Meara has profited from previous Summer Sale graduates such as top performers Lord
Glitters and Mondialiste, and he can be hopeful of further glory with Listedwinning four-year-olds Toyotomi, who was sold for €335,000, and Strassia, who made €165,000. Agent Jason Kelly lowered the hammer on both occasions, while Guy Petit found himself in pole position when the gavel came down at €320,000 for three-year-old gelding Macao, a French bumper winner over a mile and a half and set for a view of the Herefordshire countryside after being bought for a client of Venetia Williams.
Henri Francois-Devin trained Macao, a first-crop son of the former Hughie Morrison-trained Grand Prix de Deauville ››
Top lot Zekret is heading to Ireland following his sale for €520,000
ARQANA
ARQANA
Agent Mags O’Toole signed the ticket on five lots worth a total of almost €340,000
Sales Circuit
QUOTE OF THE SALE
“It’s very hard to buy and the Australian dollar is quite weak, so we have to be very selective.”
Terry Henderson of OTI Racing, owners of recent Queen Anne Stakes winner Docklands, lamenting a downturn in his spending power while shopping at Arqana’s Summer Sale.
He added: “The Australian dollar is 15 per cent down compared to this time last year, thanks to Mr Trump.”
winner Telecaster who now stands at the Devin family’s Haras du Mesnil. Good judges seemed to like Telecaster’s stock at this sale, for Willie Mullins was underbidder for Macao and also for the filly Gold Cast, a winner over hurdles who was sold to Anthony Bromley on behalf of Paul Nicholls for €300,000.
The opening day’s trade for two-yearolds – both stores and breezers – was up. A reduced catalogue of breezers – trimmed from 94 to 54 offered lots – saw the
Horse to follow
clearance rate leap to 94 per cent, although a top lot of €54,000 for a son of Acclamation conveys the event’s position among breeze-up auctions.
Two-year-old stores formed a bigger
Those trendsetters at Coolmore have reinvented the bloodstock wheel many times, but they have yet to race an entire horse exclusively as a jumper before retiring them to its National Hunt division. That modus operandi has worked with great success at French studs, but apart from Midnights Legacy – who is attempting to follow in the hoofprints of his sire, Midnight Legend, at Alne Park Stud – is non-existent in Britain and Ireland.
However, Coolmore have it in mind to create such a horse, and at the Summer Sale its representative Gerry Aherne purchased a €160,000 Walk In The Park two-year-old colt (Lot 215) out of Grade 1-winning hurdler Statuaire who is a half-sister to outstanding hurdler State Man. One to watch on the track while racing from the stable of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, and hopefully at stud, too.
Pinhook of the sale
Bought for €36,000 as a yearling at Arqana in November, a two-year-old store son of Doctor Dino raced to a new valuation of €120,000 when selling to Nat Barnett Bloodstock. The youngster’s dam, Shannon Marigold, deserves special mention, for her three-year-old Telecaster daughter Gold Cast also changed hands at the sale, making €300,000 to a bid from Anthony Bromley on behalf of Paul Nicholls.
Zekret 3 c Zarak - Anjella
Toyotomi 4 c Blue Point - Tribune
Macao 3 g Telecaster - Cour D’Eau Ludique
Gold Cast 3 f Telecaster - Shannon Marigold
Konada 3 f Toronado - Kookyluna
Arqana Summer Mixed Sale
part of the first day’s fare at which a €180,000 son of No Risk At All headed trade when selling to Guy Petit. He was acting for amateur owner-rider David Maxwell, who it was said would send his purchase to Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm. They will also receive an entire son of Walk In The Park who was knocked down for €160,000 by – no prizes for guessing – Coolmore’s Gerry Aherne, who has become a habitual buyer of the stallion’s stock.
Day three’s offerings of fillies and mares saw a choicely-bred 16-year-old top proceedings when selling for €85,000. Victoire Des Bordes, a half-sister to this year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner Kopek Des Bordes and a full-sister to top-class French chaser Utopie Des Bordes, was sold to Petit for French clients.
Sold: 369 (80% clearance)
Aggregate: €13,655,200 (+25%)
Average: €36,074 (+10%)
Median: €20,000 (+25%)
Jason Kelly
Henri-Francois Devin 320,000 Guy Petit
Mickael Seror
Jerome Reynier 280,000 BBA Ireland Statistics
300,000 Highflyer Bloodstock/P. Nicholls
This son of No Risk At All headed the two-year-old store section, selling for €180,000
Goffs Classic Breeze-Up Sale
Europe’s newest breeze-up sale is also the latest in the season, but given the level of trade it has a future.
Taking place at Goffs’ Irish HQ after the Curragh’s Pretty Polly Stakes card on June 28, it was designed for later-maturing two-year-olds, while also providing a handy outlet for horses forced to miss earlier sales through minor mishaps. Catalogued lots breezed at Naas racecourse five days before the sale, a longer-than-usual lead up to the auction, but with the aim of giving potential buyers plenty of time for inspections.
When the final one of 46 offered lots had left the ring, Goffs had added €2.5m to its annual turnover and enjoyed the kudos of attracting leading breeze practitioners and buyers. Thirty-nine horses changed hands creating a clearance rate of 78 per cent and eight lots sold for six-figure sums.
Putting on a breeze sale of juveniles in late June was bound to provoke some doubts, and even the most loyal followers felt tweaks would be needed, but with average and median prices of €65,783 and €45,000 – the highest recorded at Irish breeze-up sales – any review of the event by the sales company starts from a good base.
The thoughts of seasoned vendors will be digested, but those asked for opinions on the day provided mainly positive answers. “The format needs a bit of tweaking, but I think there’s something here [to work on],” said Glending Stables’ Roderic Kavanagh, who transformed a
Horse to follow
A Hello Youmzain colt sold by Katie Walsh for €185,000 to agent Mark McStay. Why should he be followed? He is a half-brother to three winners, his speedy sire has made a good start at Haras d’Etreham – his fee nearly doubled this year to €40,000 – and his unraced dam is a full-sister by Galileo to Lush Lashes, winner of the Coronation Stakes, Matron Stakes and Yorkshire Oaks. An interesting blend of speed and stamina and one to note for the autumn.
Buyer to follow
Sean Freney, just 17, is still awaiting his provisional driving licence, but joined Royal Ascot-winning trainer Joe Murphy in the purchase of a €110,000 Acclamation filly from the Bloodstock Connection. Freney was on the buyers’ sheet at the Tattersalls Ireland Breeze-Up Sale, he breeds and preps horses, and will be getting more involved in the industry once completing his school studies.
Pinhook of the sale
A son of Starman and a half-brother to six winners, bought for €20,000 by Michael Butler of Harristown Stables at the Goffs Autumn Sale, was resold seven months’ later for €135,000 to Rabbah Bloodstock.
€29,000 Starspangledbanner yearling colt bought at last year’s Orby Sale into the €330,000 top lot.
Adding a thumbs-up for sales in his homeland, the Irishman added: “Why do we need to travel [to Britain or France to sell horses]?”
Goffs rep Joey Cullen signed for Kavanagh’s colt after seeing off interest from Jason Kelly, and then revealed he was acting for Meridian International agent Ghislain Bozo. Further information was limited to the comment that the horse was likely to remain in Ireland.
Katie Walsh was grateful for the sale’s introduction to the calendar for it enabled her to offer a Hello Youmzain colt who had been a late withdrawal from the Arqana May Sale. Being the first horse into the ring appeared to have no negative effect on his valuation after Avenue Bloodstock’s Mark McStay invested €185,000 to buy him.
Another late withdrawal from the Arqana May Sale was a Sea The Stars filly from Cormac Farrell’s CF Bloodstock. She too went the way of McStay, whose bid of €160,000 was made on behalf of a client who will send his purchase to Joseph O’Brien.
Another at-the-double buyer was trainer James Tate, who was acting for Rabbah Bloodstock. Tate gave €135,000
QUOTE OF THE SALE
“I’ve no owner in mind yet. It was a case of buy now, worry later!” Expatriate Irishman Fergus Galvin of US-based Hunter Valley Farm takes the bold route after buying a €120,000 first-crop son of Darley America sire Maxfield.
for Harristown Stables’ Starman halfbrother to six winners and €120,000 for a daughter of Havana Grey sent to the ring by Johnny Hassett’s Bloodstock Connection.
Another €120,000 transaction –involving a son of US sire Maxfield – helped propel Willie Browne’s Mocklershill nine-horse draft to the position of leading vendor. The colt, a $125,000 yearling purchase, is likely to be recrossing the Atlantic after selling to Kentucky-based Hunter Valley Farm.
Statistics
Sold: 39 (78% clearance)
Aggregate: €2,565,500
Average: €65,783
Median: €45,000
This Sea The Stars filly was one of the highlights, selling for €160,000
Sales Circuit
JRHA Select Sale
At risk of sounding like a vinyl record with a deep scratch, this sale again returned record turnover.
Mind you, when all but two of the 227 yearlings offered on the first day find buyers and the eventual clearance rate over the entire event is 97 per cent, gross income is always likely to be in a healthy state. And the Yen equivalent of £164m is a lot of money.
Top quality mares and stallions and the popularity of racing in Japan keep the event as a world leader, and with some “60 to 70 new buyers” in attendance (all but a handful being Japanese), the latest edition of the JRHA Select Sale, held within the grounds of Northern Farm on the island of Hokkaido, was bound to return some big prices. That estimate of the number of fledgling faces was offered by Katsumi Yoshida, who, with brothers Teryua and Haruya, runs Shadai Corporation, the dominant force in Japan’s racing and breeding industries and responsible for staging this sale.
Running the show and selling much of the stock might leave buyers questioning whether the Yoshidas are selling the best of their foals and yearlings, or merely the lesser progeny of their top-quality broodmare band, but Japanese buyers – and those who travel from around the world – seem not to carry such doubts and trade bustles along. Other farms sell too,
QUOTE OF THE SALE
“I am about to cry, because this is too expensive.”
Yoshihisa Ozasa, with tongue in cheek, after spending ¥450m (£2.2m) on a son of Japan’s great new stallion hope Equinox. It seems trainers have some influence over racehorse owners in Japan, for Ozasa added: “My trainer, Yoshito Yahagi, suggested I had to buy this colt, and as he was sitting next to me I could not stop bidding.”
View from the ground
although the brothers’ Northern and Shadai Farms consign the largest number of yearlings on day one and foals on day two.
This enables them to set the catalogue in a way that generates some early markers, and by offering a son of Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail out of a Group 1-winning mare as Lot 1, they ensured the event got off to a flier. A bid of ¥260m (approx. £1.3m) by racehorse owner Yoshiro Kubota, who raced high-class sprinter Dragon Symbol in Britain, brought the hammer down.
Contrail may emulate his sire, Deep Impact, and grandsire, Sunday Silence, as Japan’s next towering colossus among stallions, but at this sale two
“I see this sale as an opportunity to bring some of the bloodlines back to the US that have been exported.”
American John Stewart of Resolute Racing after buying a Kitasan Black filly for ¥170m (£855,000). Stewart’s comment was not delivered in the manner of a protectionist concerned about Japan’s purchase of valuable bloodlines from the USA (not to mention Europe), for he referred to “the wonderful job that the Japanese have done importing many top stallions and mares to their country.”
other sires had more glitz appeal. Equinox, the world’s highest-rated horse of 2023, was represented by his first foals, while the progeny of his sire, Kitasan Black, a grandson of Sunday Silence, were also in pole position on many shopping lists.
Kitasan Black, a seven-time Group 1 winner, failed to sell out in his first season, but from that crop came Equinox, which boosted his popularity and played a part in the ¥420m (£2.2m) sale of the top-priced yearling, who was bought by new entity Nebraska Racing having been foaled by
John Stewart struck for this Kitasan Black filly out of US Grade 1 winner Photo Call
A Kitasan Black colt out of top racemare Mosheen led the yearling section of the JRHA Sale
The first foals by Equinox included this colt, bought for the equivalent of £2.9 million
multiple Australian Group 1 victress Mosheen – in whom a half share was purchased by the eagle-eyed Yoshidas while her racing career was still at midpoint.
Kitasan Black’s stock dominated the yearling session and he was responsible for siring four of the top five lots.
Twenty-four hours later, Nebraska
Racing went big again, this time buying the leading foal, a first-crop son of Equinox out of the outstanding US racemare and Saudi Cup winner Midnight Bisou. Given that Equinox was sold to Shadai for a reported ¥5bn (£250m) at the end of his racing career, and that Midnight Bisou made $5.5m (£4m) when she finished racing, it could
be said the foal was the result of two priceless horses – and apparently he had looks to match. It took a bid of ¥580m (£2.9m) to settle his future, a valuation that put him in joint second in the all-time list of horses sold at the sale.
Of 24 Equinox foals, 23 found a buyer at an average of some £780,000, and while Kitasan Black had to give best to his son for top foal valuation honours, he was responsible for the second-highest horse at that session, a ¥500m (£2.5m) colt out of the former Donnacha O’Brien-trained Simply Glorious, a daughter of top-class racemare Misty For Me.
Sakaguchi Naohiro’s colours will be carried by Simply Glorious’ son, while the sole representative of Frankel in the catalogue – a colt foal out of the Justify mare Blurry Memory – was bought by DMM.com and will be trained by Yoshito Yahagi, who saddled Forever Young to win this year’s Saudi Cup. Forever Young’s yearling half-brother was sold for ¥300m (1.5m) and will join his sibling at Yahagi’s stable for the same owner, Susumu Fujita.
Statistics
Sold: 453 (97% clearance)
Aggregate: ¥32,700,000,000 (+13%)
Average: ¥72,185,430 (+14%)
¥47,000,000 (+12%)
(F) Equinox - Midnight Bisou
C (F)
C (Y) Kitasan Black - Mosheen
C (Y) Kitasan Black - Normcore
Online sales round-up
The 140,000gns sale of two-year-old Dawn Approach filly Flawless Fusion was the highlight of the Tattersalls Online July Sale
Bred by Jim Bolger and his granddaughter Clare Manning, and trained by Bolger to finish second of 17 runners in a Leopardstown maiden ahead of the auction, Flawless Fusion was bought by Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart Boman.
A few days later, Boman was revealed as Mick Kinane’s replacement as the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s agent
in the northern hemisphere.
Ten horses owned by Kevin Prendergast, the Irish trainer who died the previous month aged 92, were offered and all found homes, headed by the 58,000gns sale of unraced Masar two-year-old Mergus Serrator to Jimmy Fyffe.
A total of 66 lots were sold to an international group of buyers, generating turnover of just under 700,000gns at an average price of 10,335gns.
Goffs came up with a variation of online bloodstock sales when launching
Kaneko Makoto Holdings
GoffsGo in the second half of July. Entries are always open, all year round, with the aim of taking “the waiting out of selling horses online”. Owners can present their horses to a digital audience when the time best suits – which might be within hours of a good racecourse performance or victory for a close relative. Lots remain on the market for between three to five days.
Many innovations take time to catch fire, and this one got away to a quiet start with a couple of sales valued at £7,500 and £5,000.
JRHA Select Sale
Speed merchants in focus
As we have been treated to some very impressive two-year-old sprint performances in recent weeks, it is a good time to review what sires are delivering the goods in this category.
Among those still active with more runners in the pipeline, it is the veteran Danehill sire Kodiac who sets the numerical standard with 39 stakes winners generated in this department over his 16 years with runners. But things are changing and there is no doubt as to who his successor will be, at least in the short and medium term.
Coolmore’s No Nay Never is just eight seasons into his career, and he already has amassed 29 stakes winners, just ten fewer than Kodiac. The son of Scat Daddy is the most efficient of the entire group, delivering his 29 stakes winners at a rate of eight per cent from runners.
This year, he has produced two more exciting sprint youngsters in Charles Darwin and True Love. True Love handled the step up to six furlongs in style with a five-length success in the Group 2 Railway Stakes at the Curragh, having previously taken the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot. At the time of writing, she is Europe’s Timeform top-rated juvenile filly with a
mark of 110p, the same rating as her stable companion Charles Darwin who won the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes on his most recent start. And he has only Gstaad ahead of him on the same Timeform log. These two top sprint two-year-olds serve as a reminder, if any were needed, of how good No Nay Never is at this particular job.
“No Nay Never has amassed 29 stakes winners, just ten fewer than Kodiac”
Given that he gets plenty of good staying two-year-olds, it is perhaps a bit of a surprising to see Wootton Bassett so prominent among this cohort of stallions. And while he will never challenge his stud companion No Nay Never for raw numbers of sprint juveniles, he is likely to be thereabouts on the efficiency scale. His 7.7 per cent
stakes winners feature Group 3 Marble Hill Stakes winner Albert Einstein – reportedly his trainer’s best juvenile –and the impressive Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes winner Beautify, who has only True Love ahead of her on Timeform ratings among Europe’s top fillies.
As reported in this space last month, Wootton Bassett has the unique knack of delivering stakes-winning two-yearolds at a rate (56 per cent of his total stakes winners) normally associated with purely sprint sires.
In fact, not only is the son of Iffraaj just good at delivering stakes-winning youngsters, he is in fact the best this century in Europe regardless of distance, with 39 total stakes winners produced at a rate of 8.5 per cent from runners. And guess who’s second? Yes, it is No Nay Never with 43 sired at 8.3 per cent. Galileo makes it a clean sweep for Coolmore with 7.1 per cent followed by Dubawi on 5.7 per cent and Frankel on 5.3.
Juddmonte’s Kingman is the first British-based sire on our list. Siring stakes-winning sprint two-year-olds may not be what this son of Invincible Spirit is best at given he’s sired three Classic winners since the beginning or last year, headed of course by the Timeform 132-rated Field Of Gold. But it is a very welcome side hustle, and he opened his 2025 account in this arena when his daughter Kimi Rey landed the 1,000-metre Prix Yacowlef at the beginning of July. Kingman’s previous best sprint juveniles include a trio of Group 2 winners in Calyx, Noble Style and Celandine.
Whitsbury Manor Stud’s Havana Grey is just on the tail of the leading group with a strike-rate of 5.2 per cent, which is a good position to be in given that he has his best-bred crops about to run for him from next year onwards. From his weakest crop to date, he has still managed to come up with six stakes horses this term headed by the Listed scorer Staya.
His star progeny is of course Vandeek, one of only a handful of horses to have landed both the Group 1 Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. There is also a strong supporting cast of Group 2 winners such as Arabian Dusk and Jasour. So, with the help of better mares, this is a record that is sure to improve further.
John Boyce cracks the code
Just like Kingman, stakes-winning sprint juveniles are a bonus for Night Of Thunder and although he has a decent strike-rate for his stakes winners, only two have won at Group level; first-crop daughter Under The Stars won the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes and, more significantly, Fairy Godmother won last year’s Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Five of Lope De Vega’s stakeswinning sprint juveniles won at Group level and two are Group 1 winners, namely last year’s Middle ParkDewhurst Stakes scorer Shadow of Light and first-season sire Lucky Vega, who struck in the Phoenix Stakes. Veterans Oasis Dream and Dark Angel have 23 and 26 stakes winners respectively, but Dark Angel has yet to sire a Group 1-winning sprint two-year-
old, something Oasis Dream has done three times through Charming Thought, Arcano and Pretty Pollyanna.
One young sire that is rapidly rising through the ranks in terms of raw numbers is Mehmas. He has already put 15 on the board including a pair of Group/Grade 1 winners in Middle Park Stakes winner Supremacy, now among the leading first-season sires, and last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint scorer Magnum Force.
Mehmas has also a strong supporting cast of Group 2 winners like Lusail, Aesterius, Caturra, Persian Force and Minzaal, all bar Aesterius to date having earned their own opportunity at stud.
The Tally-Ho stallion has now got two crops at the races bred off higher fees earned from his early successes. Magnum Force and Aesterius were
among five sprint juvenile stakes winners from his 2022 crop, while his 2023 crop has already delivered Godolphin’s Listed Rose Bowl Stakes winner Wise Approach plus French Listed winner Imperial Me Cen.
Mehmas has certainly done enough to keep No Nay Never on his toes in this division in the coming years, at least in terms of raw numbers if not by strikerate as Mehmas covers such large books.
Finally, also worthy of mention in this division are Cotai Glory, Showcasing and Starspangledbanner, who have each sired a top-flight two-year-old performer. It looks like Starspangledbanner may have another on his hands in the shape of Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner Gstaad, Timeform’s current European top-rated juvenile.
Kodiac: Tally-Ho Stud veteran still leads the way among all sires of five- to six-furlong stakes winners
Sexton Files
Another golden summer for regal Kilfrush family
The Mill Princess line was already established as something of a blue hen family by the time Coolmore made a further investment in it through the purchase of Beauty Is Truth in 2008.
As we know, very few of these powerful families pass the likes of Coolmore by. While built upon years of cultivation by Kilfrush Stud, then overseen by Brendan Hayes on behalf of former owners Jean-Pierre Binet and Richard Strauss, the operation and its associates had regular exposure to it over the decades starting with Mill Princess’ half-brother Assert, Robert Sangster’s wide-margin 1982 Irish Derby winner who was subsequently syndicated for $25 million to stand in the US.
Assert was part of a highly successful first crop for Be My Guest and not long after his outstanding three-year-old campaign, which also consisted of wins in the Prix du Jockey-Club and Benson & Hedges Gold Cup for David O’Brien, Coolmore added Assert’s relation Last Tycoon – the first named foal out of Mill Princess – to its roster. Billed (perhaps ambitiously) as the “most versatile horse in the world” in light of wins that ranged from the King’s Stand Stakes to Breeders’ Cup Mile, Last Tycoon’s male line today runs at its strongest through his son O’Reilly, a champion sire in New Zealand.
The family subsequently gifted Coolmore and its partners with Ice Queen, who was narrowly touched off in the 2008 Irish Oaks, while its sizeable 4.7 million guineas investment in Immortal Verse, a top miler in the colours of Strauss, is now bearing fruit following a quiet enough start.
However, perhaps more significant, as it turns out, was the private purchase of Beauty Is Truth. From a quick branch of the family, the Pivotal filly found her niche over five furlongs, the distance over which she bolted up in the 2007 Prix du Gros-Chene at Chantilly for Robert Collet.
Beauty Is Truth’s addition came just as Galileo was forging his reputation for clicking with quick mares. The mare’s first foal, Fire Fly, was a Dansili filly who was a multiple Group 3-winning sprinter for the Coolmore partners, but from then on, Beauty Is Truth was a regular partner for Galileo, with the visits yielding a pair of outstanding fillies in Hermosa and Hydrangea, the winners of four Group 1
races between them for Aidan O’Brien, as well as an Australian Group 1 winner in The United States.
Today, Hydrangea and Hermosa are doing plenty to drive this family forward.
Hydrangea’s first two foals are the Dubawi pair Wingspan, a Listed winner last season who was second in her attempt to emulate her dam’s victory in the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot, and this year’s Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer.
Hermosa, meanwhile, is dam of recent Hampton Court Palace Stakes winner Trinity College, another by Dubawi. He followed his Royal Ascot win with a close second to Leffard in the Grand Prix de Paris at Longchamp.
Yet the best of them, Whirl, is out of a full-sister to Hydrangea and Hermosa who took nine tries to break her maiden. The mare in question is Salsa, who gained her sole success for Aidan O’Brien when successful in blinkers in a mile maiden at
Thurles. Whirl, a star of the current season whose Pretty Polly Stakes victory over Kalpana may turn out to be one of the defining moments of the season, is Salsa’s first foal.
As for Fire Fly, she has yet to produce a black-type horse but opportunities at that level will surely now come the way of her Ballydoyle-based two-year-old Kansas, a Wootton Bassett colt who put it together in first time cheekpieces to get off the mark at Tipperary in early July.
That’s to go with the work being done in another area of the family by the Coronation Stakes and Prix Jacques les Marois winner Immortal Verse. It took until her fourth foal, Tenebrism, for the mare to produce a stakes horse but that daughter of Caravaggio was a filly of the highest order on her day whose wins included the Cheveley Park Stakes and Prix Jean Prat. She was followed by the Justify filly Statuette, the unbeaten Balanchine Stakes winner whose career was cut short by
BILL SELWYN
Whirl looked a Group 1 filly earlier in the year when winning the Musidora Stakes at York
injury, and now by the hardy miler Henri Matisse, this season’s Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner.
It is tempting to now regard this as a Coolmore family but in fairness, they would most likely be the first to give credit to Kilfrush Stud and its management under Brendan Hayes. So it’s very fitting that another of the clan’s current stakes winners, last December’s Tropical Park Oaks scorer See You Around, was bred by Hayes and races under his Cotton House Bloodstock banner. The Siyouni filly is out of Hayes’ Listed winner Besotted, a half-sister to the Group 1-winning miler Tie Black as well as the dam of this year’s John Of Gaunt Stakes winner Ten Bob Tony.
The exploits of Whirl, Henri Matisse, Trinity College, Officer, Ten Bob Tony and See You Around would suggest this family is in the midst of a purple patch. But this is one line that has been present at the top table with great consistency going as far back as the 1935-foaled Schiaparelli, dam of Lord Derby’s 1943 1,000 Guineas winner Herringbone.
“Mill Princess was earmarked for sale but then Assert won the French Derby”
Walter Haefner, then building up Moyglare Stud, bought into the family early on with the purchase of Irish Bird, by Sea Bird, for a record FR700,000 as a yearling at Deauville in August 1971 just weeks after the success of her half-brother Irish Ball in the Irish Derby. Several years later in 1978, Kilfrush followed suit, adding her Mill Reef half-sister Mill Princess for Ir£34,000 as a yearling in Ireland.
Fate dictated that while Moyglare moved Irish Bird on before she became a producer of note, Kilfrush held on to Mill Princess – albeit narrowly.
By the time Irish Bird’s third foal Bikala won the 1981 Prix du Jockey-Club, the mare was in the hands of Captain Tim Rogers. A year later, it was the turn of her fourth foal, Assert, to follow suit during his brilliant season in 1982 that ultimately saw him ranked only a pound below Golden Fleece.
Meanwhile, Mill Princess had gone into training with Bernard Secly in France, for whom she had won at Longchamp. In a piece with myself for the Racing Post, Hayes recalled the mare that would come
Bloodstock world views
to underpin the fortunes of Kilfrush.
“Alain Decrion was our agent,” said Hayes. “He was a real pedigree buff and he liked the pedigree of Mill Princess. The filly wasn’t that nice – I remember she had a peculiar hind gait – but she had a page to die for. We bought her for Ir£34,000, put her into training with Bernard and she won at Longchamp.
“Mill Princess was actually earmarked for sale but then Assert won the French Derby. So we kept her, sent her to [Assert’s sire] Be My Guest and got [Group 2 winner] Astronef.”
At the time, Mill Princess’ first living foal Last Tycoon, by Try My Best, was a yearling. Astronef, another quick horse, was her third foal and subsequently followed by the Listed-placed Save Me The Waltz (by Kings Lake), dam of the 1999 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches heroine Valentine Waltz, and American Grade 1 winner Sense Of Style.
Mill Princess’s illustrious stud record also included Listed winner Side Of Paradise (by Sadler’s Wells), in turn the dam of Immortal Verse, Group 3 winner The Perfect Life (by Try My Best), granddam of Ice Queen, and Tender Is Thenight (by Barathea), whose daughter Tie Black was awarded the 2006 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches.
The branch behind Beauty Is Truth descends from Mill Princess’ Caerleon daughter Zelda, a minor winner who foaled three smart sprinters for Strauss in the Prix Robert Papin winner Zipping, Prix du Petit Couvert winner Nipping and Prix du Bois winner Zelding. It is the latter filly, by Warning, who has done most to promote the line in recent years, not only as the dam of Beauty Is Truth but also Glorious Sight, a twice French Classic-placed filly for Haras
de Saint Pair who is the dam of Group 2 winner Glycon.
Currently, there are 11 Group or Grade 1 winners within the Mill Princess clan. Kilfrush was sold by Jean-Pierre Binet in 2013 and its stock dispersed, but even before then, various operations had made an effort to buy into the family, Coolmore’s targeting of Beauty Is Truth and Immortal Verse being a case in point.
A likely aid in the growing prominence of Beauty Is Truth is her sire Pivotal, of course an exceptional broodmare sire. Beauty Is Truth was bred by Kilfrush in the year Pivotal’s fee jumped from £10,000 to £25,000, just as he was starting to gain major recognition from leading breeders. Immortal Verse followed four years later, by which time the Cheveley Park Stud stallion commanded £85,000.
It has been business as usual this year for his daughters, with eight stakes winners contributing to an European haul of approximately £3.6 million. Chief among those are Immortal Verse’s son Henri Matisse and Camille Pissarro, both of whom represent the Wootton Bassett cross.
Coolmore’s decision to invest so heavily in Wootton Bassett back in 2020 becomes more rewarding by the week. With his first Irish-sired crop still only three, he heads all European sires by prize-money (£4.8 million at the time of writing) and stakes winners (19).
Several of his early sire sons have also had a productive summer, in particular Haras de Bouquetot’s Wooded as the sire of Prix Jean Prat winner Woodshauna, something that won’t harm the growing legion of Ballydoyle-based potential stallion prospects when the time comes for them to go to stud.
GEORGE SELWYN
Last Tycoon holds off Palace Music in the 1986 Breeders’ Cup Mile
+ Equine Health Exercise-induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage – what we know so far
Words: Laura Steley
Exercise-induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) is a condition in which fragile capillaries within a horse’s lungs rupture during periods of high-intensity exertion, causing blood to leak into the airways. It is especially prevalent among thoroughbred racehorses, though it can also occur in other equine athletes. Often, the condition goes undetected without proper investigation, yet it can have profound consequences on an individual’s health and performance. For owners and trainers, the occurrence of EIPH raises urgent questions regarding welfare, performance, and longterm management.
The most influential sire known to have suffered with severe EIPH is Bartlett’s Childers (1716), by Darley Arabian out of Betty Leedes, who was unraced due to the condition. He was aptly nicknamed ‘Bleeding Childers’ and went on to sire many successful racehorses and is the grandsire of the undefeated Eclipse. Up until around the 1970s it was assumed any blood observed in the nostrils was due to epistaxis (bleeding from one or both nostrils), originating from the upper airway. It wasn’t until the arrival of fibreoptic endoscopy that equine medicine understood the bleeding was largely pulmonary rather than nasopharyngeal. We now know that epistaxis represents just a small fraction of actual EIPH cases.
What happens in the lungs?
A horse’s lungs, when fully expanded and flattened out, including all the alveoli, have an internal surface area of around 1,500–2,500 square metres — that’s ten tennis courts! At the heart of the issue is the immense cardiovascular demand placed on a horse’s body during maximal exercise. During exercise a horse’s heart rate may exceed 200 bpm (maximum heart rate for a fit thoroughbred racehorse is around 220-230 bpm). This, combined with a dramatic rise in pulmonary blood pressure, places enormous strain on the delicate alveolar capillaries and under stress, they can rupture, allowing blood to enter the airways.
Alveoli are minute air sacs sitting within the lungs, which are surrounded by capillaries. Gaseous exchange takes place
The maximum heart rate for a fit thoroughbred racehorse is around 230 beats per minute
across a very thin membrane between the alveoli and capillary. The movement of oxygen and co2 between the alveoli and capillaries relies on naturally created negative and positive pressures. During exercise these pressures understandably increase, which can cause the capillaries to burst, dispersing blood into the lungs.
Another more recent school of thought is the potential effect of the left side of the heart/circulation on the pulmonary capillaries. During high-intensity exercise the horse’s spleen contracts, releasing stored red blood cells into circulation to increase the horse’s circulating oxygen capacity. Due to this splenic contraction, a horse’s resting blood volume can increase by 40% to 50% during exercise. This increased blood volume will in turn raise heart rate, causing greater pressure within the circulatory system and ultimately the pulmonary capillaries.
Although all this makes sense from a physics point of view, it doesn’t make sense from a biological standpoint. Why would a horse’s body allow bleeding into the lungs during a period of high-intensity exercise, for example when taking flight to escape a predator? Also, why are some horses more affected than others? One possible answer lies in individual variability. Some horses may be better able to recruit additional capillaries during exertion or may possess stronger pulmonary structures. This could be due to genetic or developmental reasons.
There has also been some research
into why and how the horse’s system gets to this ‘breaking point’ causing a bleed. The conclusion of this work suggests that a horse should not actually reach this point as they have the capability to recruit more capillaries to the gaseous exchange process as necessary. Scientific studies increasingly support the ‘capillary stress failure’ hypothesis. According to this theory, the rupture of blood vessels during high-pressure episodes is not a sign of disease, but a structural failure under duress. While some horses recover well, others suffer repeated episodes that can lead to lasting damage.
How prevalent is EIPH?
The occurrence of EIPH is known to be much higher in racehorses than other breeds or disciplines. However, the diagnosis of EIPH greatly depends upon the chosen diagnostic method. If epistaxis is being used as the sole indicator of EIPH then the occurrence will be quite low, somewhere between 0.15% and 3%. However, if a more thorough method is used, such as tracheal endoscopy and/or wash, this figure increases to between 44% and 82%, or bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL or lung wash) up to 100%.
The occurrence will also increase significantly if examinations are undertaken routinely. The degree of haemorrhage will vary greatly between individuals. It is commonly believed that if you were to routinely examine a racehorse for a long enough period of time, you would find
GEORGE SELWYN
some evidence of EIPH. Similar to gastric ulcers, EIPH is scored on a 0-4 point scale dependent upon severity. It is thought that around 10% of sufferers will be scored a 3-4 and they are much more likely to experience performance loss than horses scored 0-2.
The high prevalence of EIPH poses a substantial risk for the horseracing industry for multiple reasons. Short-term reduced performance, lost training days, requirement for pre-race medication, race bans and public perception are all points that require proper consideration. While EIPH is more common in sprint racing, it can also be seen in other highperformance disciplines, such as barrel racing, polo and three-day eventing.
The severity of risk factors for racehorses associated with EIPH are thought to be determined by the length of racing career and/or number of starts the individual has. This closely links in with age, as older horses will have raced more times and therefore more structural and functional maladaptations of the lungs will be seen.
To further explore the structural basis of EIPH, Rocchigiani et al. (2022) conducted a comparative study on lungs from horses
“The occurrence of EIPH is known to be higher in racehorses than other breeds”
that had died during racing or training. The researchers compared horses that had suffered fatal EIPH-related pulmonary haemorrhage with those experiencing milder forms of the condition. Their findings demonstrated that horses with EIPH exhibited widespread hemosiderin deposition, indicating repeated episodes of bleeding. Additionally, vascular remodelling – including thickening of alveolar capillary walls and fibrotic changes – was prevalent, further confirming the progressive nature of the disease. The study concluded that EIPH is not merely an acute or isolated event, but rather a chronic, accumulative process resulting from repeated stress on the pulmonary vasculature. These insights reinforce the need for early detection and potential preventative strategies.
There is also evidence to suggest that EIPH is inheritable, perhaps something which should be considered by breeders,
particularly in the more severe cases. A large-scale study conducted by McGilvray et al. (2022) examined EIPH prevalence in 177 British National Hunt racehorses, with over 1,100 individual observations. Using endoscopy and tracheal wash cytology, the researchers found a 7.2% prevalence of EIPH based on visible tracheal blood, and a much higher 36% prevalence when including evidence of previous bleeding via hemosiderophages – ironfilled macrophages that indicate past haemorrhage. Significantly, the odds of developing EIPH increased with each additional year a horse spent in training, indicating a strong link between training longevity and pulmonary capillary damage.
The study also supported the previously mentioned ‘capillary stress failure’ hypothesis, which suggests that extreme pulmonary pressures during maximal exertion cause microscopic rupture of capillaries in the lungs, leading to haemorrhage. This aligns with longstanding theories about the physical limits of equine pulmonary vascular integrity during high-speed exercise.
Another important area of interest is the development of EIPH in two-year-old racehorses. An observational study by Hinchcliff et al. (2020-2021), conducted across 15 racetracks in the United States, focused on juvenile thoroughbreds. The study showed a high prevalence of EIPH, challenging the idea that EIPH is strictly a disease of aging or heavily trained individuals. Furthermore, horses exhibiting EIPH were more likely to underperform in races compared to their non-bleeding counterparts. This supports earlier research linking even mild cases of EIPH to impaired racing performance.
Diagnosis and exercise management
Early diagnosis is key – endoscopy remains the most common diagnostic tool and should be performed within 60 to 90 minutes of intense exercise. If bleeding is not visually confirmed, BAL is the next rung up on the diagnosis ladder.
A horse’s fitness level will also play a significant role. A 2022 study by Stucchi et al. on standardbred racehorses found that those with higher lactate levels and peak heart rates were more likely to exhibit bleeding. This leads us to believe that horses inadequately conditioned for their workload may be at higher risk.
Tailored conditioning plans based on measured physiological thresholds can help ensure that a horse is not pushed beyond its capacity. Working with veterinarians and/or equine exercise
physiologists can be valuable in these situations and there’s much technology to assist us with this task. Arioneo’s Head of Marketing Louise Dugardin reiterates the usefulness of this type of in-depth exercise monitoring, saying: “Among these technologies, EQUIMETRE VET, developed by Arioneo, is a scientificallyvalidated tool designed for prevention and monitoring. It collects ECG data at full speed with medical-grade precision and simultaneously records cardiac, locomotor, and GPS data during training.
“This technology gives veterinarians rapid access to reliable indicators, enabling the early detection of cardiac abnormalities or abnormal physiological responses to exercise. Integrating this data into daily training management and clinical monitoring allows for workload adjustments and helps prevent the development of pathologies resulting from overtraining.”
Stable environment for respiratory health
Stable management is often underestimated in its impact on respiratory health. Yet, it’s one of the most practical and effective ways to reduce inflammation, a known risk factor for EIPH.
Nicki Reynolds of Red Mills & Foran Equine Nutritional Support advises: “Taking a holistic approach to respiratory health is fundamental when considering how to better support horses with EIPH. The objective is to avoid compromising the health of the lung, which can predispose the horse to various respiratory conditions including EIPH.”
Horses breathe in approximately 12 million particles, such as dust, mould, allergens and irritants, with every breath. With the average horse breathing over 70,000 litres of air per day when at rest and even more during exercise, it is crucial that a horse’s ability to breathe is not compromised. Reynolds continues: “Ensuring a plentiful supply of clean hay or haylage, along with dust-free bedding in a well-ventilated stable, will limit the
Tools such as EQUIMETRE VET can monitor and collect ECG data
+ Equine Health
›› environmental challenge to the respiratory system; in turn this will help maintain optimal functioning and avoid unwanted inflammation developing.”
Common strategies include feeding soaked or steamed forage, using low-dust bedding such as paper or shavings, and ensuring excellent ventilation throughout the yard. Many trainers also opt for routine turnout when possible, which is beneficial on all levels.
Medical management
Furosemide (Lasix) remains the most widely used and effective medication for EIPH. It reduces blood pressure within the lungs by promoting diuresis (increased production and excretion of urine by the kidneys), therefore reducing circulating volume. Numerous studies have shown it lowers the incidence and severity of EIPH, which is why its use has been so prevalent in North American racing. It is not permitted for use on racedays in Britain. With the use of Lasix on race days now banned in all two-year-old and stakes races in the USA and the likelihood that the restrictions will only increase, researchers are looking for alternatives. Nasal strips have been a regular sighting on the eventing scene for a long time. These adhesive devices support the tissues of the nasal cavity and help to keep the upper airway open during exercise. This reduces resistance within the airways and some scientists and veterinarians feel there is enough evidence to support their use as a preventative measure. However, they are not permitted under BHA rules.
In some cases, nebulised corticosteroids or bronchodilators may be prescribed to reduce airway inflammation, particularly in horses with concurrent conditions such as Inflammatory Airway Disease (IAD).
Nutrition and supplementation
While no supplement can cure EIPH, nutrition plays an increasingly important role in its management. Nutritionally, it makes sense to try and target any physiological processes that contribute to the occurrence of EIPH. This said, the main areas of focus have included blood clotting, inflammation, blood flow, water balance, collagen production and respiratory atmosphere.
Reynolds advises: “In addition to practical management aspects, we can further support the horse nutritionally by providing an optimal and balanced intake of nutrients, and by giving targeted support for those more vulnerable to respiratory issues or those with a history of problems.”
Omega-3 fatty acids are widely
recognised for their anti-inflammatory properties. EPA and DHA, in particular, support vascular elasticity and help control immune responses. Reynolds says: “Targeted EIPH support includes providing omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, these are known to have anti-inflammatory properties and therefore may impede airway inflammation. Common sources of omega-3 fatty acids include fresh pasture, which is often limited in the diet of a racehorse. We therefore look to supplements to boost intake, such as linseed/flaxseed and fish oils.”
Scientific studies have reinforced this thinking. In one study at the University of Liège, horses fed an omega-3-rich diet demonstrated increased red blood cell flexibility, while researchers at Kansas State University found that long-chain omega-3 supplementation reduced EIPH severity.
Reynolds adds: “Other nutrients considered beneficial include vitamin E and C, and some minerals such as selenium and zinc; these are all potent antioxidants, and they potentially mitigate the damage of oxidative stress and inflammation on the lining of the entire respiratory system, helping to maintain normal function and optimal health in exercising thoroughbreds.”
Vitamin K is traditionally included in targeted EIPH supplements due to its role in blood clotting. However, clotting alone is not a key factor in EIPH. Vitamin K1 also helps regulate calcium balance, directing it to bones rather than blood vessels. If calcium deposits in the pulmonary vessels, it can raise pressure and reduce elasticity, increasing EIPH risk. Research in horses is limited yet vitamin K has shown benefits
for vascular health in other species. Since K1 is abundant in fresh grass but degrades in hay and haylage, horses in training may not receive sufficient amounts.
General nutritional advice focuses on ensuring a balanced diet which is appropriate for the level of work the horse is undergoing. It is also recommended to introduce a respiratory-focused or EIPH targeted supplement well before the horse begins canter work, maximising the opportunity for preventive care.
When to reassess
In some cases, and despite best efforts, a horse may continue to experience bleeding episodes that impair performance or compromise welfare. In these instances, it may be appropriate to explore alternative options, whether that means transitioning to a lower-intensity discipline, targeting shorter or softer-surface races, or considering retirement.
These decisions should always be made in consultation with your veterinary surgeon, with long-term health and quality of life at the forefront.
To conclude, when using BAL for diagnosis, EIPH occurs in almost all thoroughbreds during high-intensity exercise. EIPH is a complex, multilayered condition that requires nuanced management. Advances in diagnostic techniques, training regimes, fitnessmonitoring technologies, stable management, and nutritional support are offering an integrated approach, allowing many horses affected by EIPH to continue to train and race. However, the condition is linked to poor performance and a reduction in career longevity, and there is still much to learn and investigate.
BILL SELWYN
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ROA Forum
Listening to owners, acting on insight: a new chapter beckons
Over the past few months, we’ve taken a hard, honest look at what it means to be a racehorse owner in Britain today, and what it means to be a member of the Racehorse Owners Association, writes Louise Norman, ROA Chief Executive. We asked our members and owners for their thoughts, and more than 1,400 answered. The feedback was candid, constructive, and deeply appreciated.
A rich and honest evidence base
The amount of data and insight owners shared through this research has been exceptional, far beyond a basic membership survey. We’re not going to dive into every detail here, but please be assured: this research is already actively shaping our strategy, our priorities, and how we operate day to day.
We’re also collating feedback on broader industry issues, like the administrative complexity of ownership,
registration fees and rising costs, and sharing that insight with the relevant industry bodies. This research will play a part in informing future discussions and helping industry partners design reforms that reflect the lived reality of owners.
Recognition, not just reward
We can’t talk about ownership without acknowledging the financial challenges and yes, prize- money remains a major concern. While this isn’t an issue the ROA can fix alone, we continue to push for clear commercial partnerships between the Thoroughbred Group and the racecourses as part of our activity. We can also address something that owners told us: they want to feel recognised.
Most owners don’t expect to make a profit, but they do expect the experience to be worthwhile. Far too many feel like they’re treated as afterthoughts by British racing centrally and, at times, by the ROA itself.
This is where we need to do better and where we are now acting. Through Owner Relations, led by Kate Freeman in partnership with the BHA, we’re working directly with racecourses and industry stakeholders to improve the owner experience across all levels. Kate will expand on this work in the following pages, but it’s already having an impact, and it’s only just beginning.
Our role and purpose
We’re using this insight to reset the way we present ourselves and the way we serve our members and all owners.
Over 40% of respondents said they were unclear about what the ROA does. Some saw us as exclusive or irrelevant, particularly among syndicate owners. Lapsed members sometimes didn’t leave due to dissatisfaction – they simply didn’t see the point of staying.
We are addressing this head on. We have developed a clear, confident purpose
The thrill of raceday and watching their horses in action is the biggest draw of ownership, yet other aspects leave many feeling let down
Our contact details:
statement defining the ROA’s voice and role in the sport, focused on four pillars that will guide both our communications and operations, which are:
1. The voice of the owner – building trust through advocacy and leadership 2. The ownership experience – driving retention and recognition for owners through initiatives like Owner Relations and racecourse standards including the ROA Gold Standard
3. Community and membership –delivering a community and enhancements for our members
4. Protecting ownership for the future –working with the sport to champion ownership growth and recruitment You’ll begin to see this structure come to life in our content, including in Owner Breeder, digital communications, and face-to-face engagement with members of our team. Bobby Burns, our Head of Business Development, is now frequently out representing the ROA at racecourses, meeting with members and owners and listening to your needs.
Improving the ROA membership journey
More than half of members said they couldn’t easily understand their benefits as a ROA member. The website was
described as confusing. Onboarding lacked clarity and energy. Many people stayed as members out of loyalty but didn’t feel they were getting tangible value. So, we’re acting fast:
• We will soon launch a new membership geared towards syndicate and racing club members: ROA Associate Membership
• Redesigning the membership onboarding experience
• Creating a digital member benefits guide
• Refreshing website navigation to make benefits visible from day one In the longer term, we’re planning a website and digital experience overhaul, with a dedicated membership dashboard, clearer joining process, and segmented welcome journeys for different types of owners.
The emotional core of ownership 43% of owners told us they got into the sport because of the joy of seeing their horse run. But for many, their experience within British racing is filled with admin, confusion, and silence.
“I love the sport. But the experience feels transactional,” was the response from one owner in our recent survey. We intend to change that by reintroducing the emotional heartbeat of ownership into our communications and through better storytelling. Expect to see:
• Member spotlights and peer stories across our channels
• More human and horse-related celebratory content
• A clearer connection between what the ROA does and how it improves your experience as an owner – from the racecourse to the boardroom Furthermore, as part of our wider commitment to improving the ownership experience, the ROA will be conducting
a full review of the owner onboarding journey, from the first steps into ownership right through to long-term involvement in the sport. We will map this journey in detail to identify key friction points, from confusing admin and hidden costs to lack of welcome or recognition.
Working closely with industry partners, including the BHA, we’ll use these insights to propose improvements that make joining and staying in ownership more rewarding, intuitive and engaging, for all types of owners.
Smarter and simpler communications
Members were clear: our communications need work. Too many found them too frequent, too generic, and not relevant to their ownership type or interests.
We’re now reviewing and overhauling how we communicate. That includes:
• Resetting the content of our e-communications and content
• Prioritising relevance over frequency
• Segmenting news preference
• Sharing our advocacy efforts more proactively
• Improving our website’s news and benefits experience
Looking ahead
The research has held up a mirror to the ROA and to the sport. What we’ve seen isn’t always flattering, but it is valuable. It’s given us the insight, the mandate, and the motivation to do things differently.
This is not a one-off. It’s the start of a more open, honest, owner-and-memberfirst ROA. One that listens, one that leads and one that helps shape a racing industry that recognises and values every owner.
To all who took part: thank you. Your voices are already helping to shape a better future.
BILL SELWYN
ROA Forum
The ROA is determined to ensure the raceday experience for owners at all levels is a positive one
Working to improve the ownership experience
Since January, the ROA’s Owner Relations team has been working to better understand how the sport can improve the ownership experience, writes Kate Freeman, ROA Head of Ownership. In that time, we’ve been speaking directly with owners, listening to their feedback, and identifying recurring themes around what’s working and where change is needed.
Additionally, in the spring, we led a wide-reaching owner survey, sent to all ROA members. For the first time in several years, we were also able to engage with a broader group of owners beyond our membership, helping us capture a more representative view across the ownership landscape.
What’s been striking is the consistency of feedback, not just from ROA members, but also between the survey results and the direct conversations we’ve had with owners over the past six months.
What are owners telling us?
One of the clearest themes is the raceday experience. In our survey, 43% of respondents said they had experienced “some” or “significant” challenges when attending the races with a runner. When asked what would make ownership more appealing, 84% said “an improved experience with a runner at the races” and 82% highlighted “owners’ & trainers’ facility improvements.”
This feedback mirrors what we’re hearing first-hand: owners value being on course with a runner, but too often the experience falls short of expectations.
What are we doing about it?
Working collaboratively through the cross-industry Owners Experience Working Group, and alongside representatives from several racecourses, we’ve begun scoping ways to improve the raceday experience for owners.
Currently, most courses adopt a ‘one size fits all’ approach to owners’ raceday access and facilities. While this reflects operational realities, it doesn’t always meet the needs of today’s diverse ownership base. We have identified an opportunity to explore a more flexible, tiered approach, one that not only improves the experience across the board but also allows us to recognise owners for their investment and tenure. This, in turn, could encourage further engagement and reinvestment in the sport.
We know change won’t happen overnight, and not every course will be able to deliver the same level of provision. But with shared ownership growing, and more individuals accessing owners’ and trainers’ facilities than ever before, this is an area that deserves focused attention.
In the coming months, several racecourses will be trialing different approaches to improving the raceday ownership experience. We look forward to sharing insights and learnings as these initiatives develop.
If you have thoughts or feedback or if you’d like to speak directly with a member of our Owner Relations team, please get in touch with Kate Freeman via the ROA inbox at info@roa.co.uk.
BILL
Meet Bobby
The ROA’s Head of Business Development, Bobby Burns, will be visiting racecourses across the country this summer to connect with owners and our members. From Windsor to Ayr, Bobby’s diary is filling up fast, and he’d love to meet you along the way.
Whether you’ve got feedback to share, questions about your membership, or would just like a chat about ownership, Bobby is all ears. The upcoming fixtures he will be attending are below, alternatively visit www.roa.co.uk/bb to arrange a meeting with him.
Bobby’s schedule
• Monday, August 11 - Windsor
• Wednesday, August 13 - Beverley
• Friday, August 15 - Newbury
• Tuesday, August 19 - Brighton
• Wednesday, August 20 - York
• Thursday, August 21 - York
• Wednesday, September 3Kempton
• Tuesday, September 9 - Ffos Las
• Wednesday, September 17Kelso
• Thursday, September 18 - Ayr
• Friday, September 19 - Ayr
• Sunday, September 21 - Hamilton
• Monday, September 22Hamilton
• Wednesday, September 24Perth
• Tuesday, September 30 - Bath
Diary dates
RACING TO SCHOOL, ASCOT
Saturday, August 9
Racing to School is delighted to offer two special activity days for ROA members and their children.
GEORGE BAKER, DOWNS HOUSE, EPSOM – FREE for ROA members!
Tuesday, August 12
Opportunity for members to visit these historic stables in Epsom and now the base for trainer George Baker
The ROA is here to help you reclaim costs associated with ownership
Don’t strain, reclaim with the ROA VAT Solution
Owning a racehorse is an exciting and rewarding experience, but it can also involve considerable costs. From training and veterinary care to transport and entry fees, the expenses can quickly add up. The Racehorse Owners VAT Scheme allows eligible owners to reclaim the 20% VAT charged on their racing expenditure.
Who is an eligible owner?
If you’re registered with the BHA and own at least 50% of a horse registered with a trainer (solo or in a partnership) and have sponsorship in place, you are eligible to apply for VAT registration with HMRC.
I want to reclaim, but don’t want the administrative burden. What are my options?
The ROA VAT Solution was launched in 2021 to provide racehorse owners with a VAT service to take the strain out of the administration of the reclaim.
We manage the entire process, from registration through to the compilation and submission of quarterly VAT returns. We can also take over existing VAT registrations with ease.
For further information, contact the VAT team at vat@roa.co.uk or call 0118 338 5685 to speak with Davina, Glen or Rebecca today.
DAVID LOUGHNANE, HELSHAW
GRANGE, SHROPSHIRE –FREE for ROA members!
Tuesday, August 19
Members can visit the beautiful stables of David Loughnane in Shropshire.
NATIONAL RACEHORSE WEEK
Saturday, August 23 – Sunday, August 31
The annual celebration of the racehorse gives plenty of opportunities to visit racing stables, stud and aftercare centres and meet the stars of our sport
DAN HORSFORD, SHARPRIDGE, nr MARLBOROUGH –FREE for ROA members!
Wednesday, September 3
Members can visit the yard of Dan Horsford who started out training this year at Sharpridge on the beautiful Marlborough Downs.
For more information on ROA member events and to book places, head to roa.co.uk/events.
BILL SELWYN
ROA Forum
OUR PARTNERS SECTION
Horsepower and hospitality at Goodwood Revival
Thanks to the ongoing partnership between the ROA and Racing Welfare, ROA members can travel back in time with our latest Bid to Give offering to experience the mid20th-century heyday of motorsport, with exclusive hospitality at The Mess at Goodwood Revival, which runs September 12-14.
Castle to Abbey update
Racing Welfare’s 80 participants for the Castle to Abbey Challenge have so far raised an incredible £103,507 in vital funds for the charity.
The 22-mile coastal trek from the historic Scarborough Castle to the iconic Whitby Abbey brought together a huge range of people from all walks of the racing industry, including owners, trainers, stud staff, volunteers, jockeys, racecourse staff, media and everything in between, creating a huge sense of community and team spirit.
Dawn Goodfellow, Chief Executive of Racing Welfare, said: “I wanted to say such a heartfelt thank you from Racing Welfare to every single person who has taken part from the first past the post
From the cheers at the start-finish line to champagne under the wing of vintage aircraft, every moment in The Mess is pure Revival magic.
This fantastic package, kindly donated by Goodwood, offers: Early access & premium viewing: admission badges with early-entry access into Revival, banked trackside
to the last – for all of the miles they’ve covered, and the fundraising and the promotion they’ve done. It has been probably our biggest challenge event to date, and probably the most money raised from any challenge event we’ve ever done from individual sponsors, so I can’t thank everybody enough. The support has been truly humbling.
“The funds raised will make a real difference to those in our industry facing difficult times, whether that’s through mental health support, housing advice, or financial assistance.
“To put into context the difference that could make, £100k could fully fund the costs of two welfare officers for a year, providing vital face-to-face support on the ground, as well as paying for the delivery of two instances of critical incident support in the aftermath of a traumatic event at a workplace. At what is a very tough time for charities,
seating right beside the start–finish straight to ensure you are front and centre for the high-octane wheel-towheel action.
Luxe welcome & gourmet dining: private Veuve Clicquot NV champagne reception to toast the day, light breakfast to start your morning right, chef’s-table lunch, followed by a classic afternoon tea buffet.
Unlimited drinks & pre-race entertainment: house wines, spirits, beers, and soft drinks served throughout the day, theatrical ‘sergeant-major’ moments and spirited troupe performances, and maybe even a spontaneous dance! Paddock access & behind-the-scenes intrigue: stroll through the paddocks to see mechanics tune classic cars pre-race, with a private garden and reserved table.
Keepsakes & connectivity: souvenir event programme, race card, and a radio earpiece to catch every rev and engine note.
To secure this experience, place your bid at www.bidtogive.co.uk before August 29.
As ever, all funds raised through Bid to Give go towards Racing Welfare’s vital work in supporting racing’s people.
this kind of support goes a long way and helps us continue to be there for all of racing’s people when they need us most.”
Dancers wanted!
The charity is now inviting applications for its next big shindig – ‘Racing Come Dancing’, a glittering new event bringing the glamour of Strictly Come Dancing to the heart of the horseracing community. The live performance will take place on Saturday, November 8 at the prestigious York racecourse.
Racing Welfare is looking for ten couples – 20 individuals – from across the racing industry to take to the dancefloor and raise funds in support of the charity. This is your chance to swap your boots for ballroom shoes, your silks for sequins, and shine under the spotlight.
All participants will receive eight weeks of free ballroom training from
Indulge in some old-school glamour in The Mess at Goodwood Revival in September
GOODWOOD
Return to School Grant offer
With the summer holidays here, many parents across the horseracing industry are already thinking ahead to September – and the growing costs that come with a new school year. From school-branded uniforms and shoes to PE kits and stationery, these expenses can mount up quickly, placing financial and emotional strain on families already balancing the demands of daily life.
Racing Welfare understands how these pressures can affect both the financial wellbeing and mental health of working parents. That’s why the charity is again offering a Return to School Grant to help families manage these essential but often overwhelming costs.
Eligible individuals working within the racing and breeding industries can apply for a grant of £100 per schoolaged child (up to four children per household) to ease the burden of backto-school expenses.
In 2024 alone, Racing Welfare issued 101 Return to School grants, totalling more than £20,000, and helping at least 200 children prepare for the classroom with confidence.
A racing groom in Newmarket, who wished to remain anonymous, was one such person to access the grant last year. Speaking of the impact the grant had upon his family and finances, he
said: “It is very expensive with three kids and my house is expensive – rent in Newmarket is very high and my wife is not working.
“It was very helpful because with three kids I have to get uniform, shoes, jumper, shirts. If they didn’t help us, it would be very hard.”
The need for support is greater than ever. Research from Turn2Us reveals that 40% of British parents worry about affording back-to-school costs, and 37% fear that the added expense could impact their ability to cover essential household bills. With Department for Education figures showing the average cost of a full school uniform and PE kit at £442 for secondary pupils and £343 for primary, it’s clear these aren’t minor outlays – they’re major considerations for families on tight budgets.
Lucy Miller, Regional Welfare Manager at Racing Welfare, said: “We encourage all eligible racing industry families to apply and take advantage of this vital support.
“None of this would be possible without the generosity of the John Pearce Foundation, which funds the grants programme, and we’re incredibly grateful for their ongoing support.”
Applications are open until Friday, August 29 and can be made via Racing Welfare’s website at racingwelfare.co.uk.
professional dance coaches, learning both a stunning routine for couples and a lively group dance to perform on the big night.
Anyone interested can find further information at racingwelfare.co.uk or email ckingston@racingwelfare.co.uk to register.
In brief
We must #AxeTheRacingTax
British racing is under threat. A Treasury proposal could see betting on racing taxed at the same rate as online casino games, a move that risks stripping millions from the sport and damaging prize-money, participation, and investment at every level.
Owners are already the key contributors at a time of rising costs across the sport. This change would pile on further financial pressure. That’s why the ROA is backing the industry-wide #AxeTheRacingTax campaign, led by the BHA.
The public consultation closes on Monday, July 21 but our work is not done. We urge all owners to continue lobbying their MPs to make the case for racing and help protect its future.
Learn more and take action at roa.co.uk/axetheracingtax.
Celebrating unique stories
This National Racehorse Week, which runs August 23-31 (further details at nationalracehorseweek.uk), the ROA wants to celebrate the powerful bond between owners and their racehorses, and we’d love our members and owners to help tell that story.
We’re looking for real moments that show the impact a racehorse can have on someone’s life. Whether it’s a horse that’s lifted your spirits or has helped you or someone through a difficult time, we want to hear what makes your story special.
This isn’t just about race results, it’s about connection, care, and the emotional heart of ownership on and off the racecourse, as well as in their second careers beyond the track.
You can email us your story (200 words max) with a good high-res photo, or record a 20-second phone video (in portrait) telling us your story in your own words.
We’ll be sharing selected stories as part of our National Racehorse Week celebration on ROA channels and with our partners across the sport. We can’t promise to use every submission, but we’ll do our best to share as many as we can and may get in touch if we want more details about your story.
Email your story, photo or video to hrochester@roa.co.uk including your name, horse’s name and a brief description.
This year’s intrepid hikers on the Castle to Abbey Challenge
ROA Forum
Fun and frolics on the sand
Last month on this page, I looked at recent syndicate success stories at the top level of racing – these are becoming more frequent, but of course are only part of the story, writes Phil Boyle
Shared ownership is delivering the same thrills of ownership that sole owners experience and it does not need to be a Grade 1 racecourse or a top-level race to deliver that experience.
Looking back almost ten years, a gentleman purchased a shareholding of a horse that I had bought off the Flat to go hurdling. When chatting with me ahead of his purchase, he told me that he loved the jumps, but was not as interested in the Flat, especially all-weather racing, which he had never attended and was not inclined to in the future.
You can perhaps guess where this story is going, as a couple of weeks later, I received a call from the trainer to say that the horse was schooling well but needed a couple more gallops to put him spot on. “Rather than galloping him at home, there is a race at Wolverhampton next week, we could give him a spin round there and it will give all your shareholders a
day out,” he said.
So just a few days later, we were heading up to Wolverhampton on a cold, cloudy day where there were probably more owners than spectators making their way to the course.
I ended up giving my all-weatherdetesting shareholder a lift to the races and on the way to the course, he made sure he let me know that he had not told his friends he was coming, and he hoped that the At The Races cameras would not capture any evidence of him breaking his long held boycott of racing on the sand.
On arrival, our large group of shareholders were able to discuss the upcoming race, and friendships were made and renewed, with the common interest in how their horse would perform.
Once our race came around, despite our concerns that our lad might need the run, as the horses swept into the home straight, excitement was building as our boy was coming home quickly down the outside and he got up in the final strides to win by a neck. For many, it was their first experience of ownership and for others it was their first winner – the elation is the same whether you own the whole horse or just a small share.
Despite his earlier assertions, my ante all-weather shareholder was front and centre for the post-race photos and presentation! We were then taken to the winners’ room for a glass of fizz and a chance to re-live the win.
Sharing that experience with others is another huge part of the syndicate ownership experience and the buzz of conversation amongst thrilled shareholders is great to be involved in.
I think the whole syndicate ownership experience was encapsulated in one sentence uttered by a man who had been to the Cheltenham Festival, the King George at Kempton and the Tingle Creek at Sandown, and who had also taken in Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood on the Flat, but who had never been to a race meeting on the all-weather, when he said: “I will probably deny ever saying this, especially in earshot of my friends who have heard me moaning about all-weather racing, but I have to say that was the best day at the races I have ever had!”
The all-weather isn’t everyone’s cup of tea yet still delivers standout moments
GEORGE SELWYN
THE RACEGOERS CLUB COLUMN
Tony Wells looks at the racing scene
Ascot are probably still basking in the glory of a magnificent royal meeting and justifiably so. The crowds were up on all five days, the racing was competitive, and the weather was glorious, albeit maybe a little too hot for those in top hat and tails.
On the track, the Gosdens stole the show, winning the feature race on each of the first three days. Field Of Gold gained his revenge for his Guineas defeat in emphatic style and Ombudsman put up arguably the best performance of the week in a strong renewal of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. But for me, Trawlerman was the star performer, taking nearly two seconds off the course record with a powerful front-running demolition job in the Gold Cup. He is such a likeable horse and could easily become a fan favourite over the next few seasons.
I was there on the first two days in the Queen Anne enclosure. Despite the increased crowds, it didn’t feel overly busy. We were able to get a table in the stand, the queues were not long at the bars and on the Wednesday my son and I were able to get a table for lunch in the Bandstand Kitchen restaurant without having a reservation – I can say we had a very nice lunch!
Compared to the Wednesday, there were 30,000 additional attendees on the Saturday. Yes, there would have been more people in the Queen Anne enclosure, but the vast majority of the increased attendance appeared to be in the Windsor and Village enclosures. It is this that Ascot does so well. They cater for customers at all levels, from the £25 tickets in the Windsor up to the Michelin-starred restaurants, Ascot have something for everyone. They are very good at pitching their tickets at the right price points; I was able to purchase my tickets at the two-for-one price through the ROA, so I decided to go on two days rather than just the Tuesday that I normally attend.
It’s inevitable that comparisons have been made with the Derby meeting, where numbers were down again. To be fair to Epsom, the weather was awful on Derby day and the forecast would definitely have
deterred the walk-up punters. Yet Epsom could learn from Ascot. I’d like to think that employees of Jockey Club Racecourses were in attendance at Royal Ascot to find out what it is that they do so well. I believe Epsom would benefit from a similar enclosure to the Windsor, where customers have a great view of the racing, are allowed to bring in a picnic, including a bottle of wine, and are given a memorable experience.
Moving the Derby to a weekday could also revitalise the race. It’s clear that the general public have lost interest in our premier Classic. It struggles to compete with football, with the off time changing almost every year.
If the race was run during the week, it would have the stage to itself and could become the focus of the sporting world again, as it once was. I think it’s worth swapping the two days and having the Derby on the Friday. The Cheltenham Gold Cup does very well on a Friday, so why not give it a try?
On the subject of Epsom, I had
the pleasure of visiting Downs House stables, the new training base for George Baker. He has made a very good start to the season and at the time of writing is the leading trainer in Epsom. The all-the-way success of Get It in the Wokingham was just the fillip Epsom needed.
It would be nice to think that Epsom-trained horses could regularly compete at the big meetings again and George is well placed to lead that resurgence. He wasn’t there when we visited. His assistant, Barry Murphy (son of Ferdy) showed us around the excellent facilities at Downs House. The two large barns are light and airy –the windows in the roof automatically open when the temperature in the barn reaches 18 degrees! The horses can see their next-door neighbours, as well as out the front and back of their stable.
It’s no surprise that with facilities like this, the horses are performing well on the course. Any owners based in London and the south-east would be well advised to consider having a horse or two with George.
Trawlerman: broke the course record in the Gold Cup under William Buick
BILL SELWYN
Threats in focus TBA Forum
TBA Chairman Philip Newton, TBA Chief Executive Claire Sheppard and TBA Veterinary Committee Chair James Crowhurst attended the latest AGM of the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations (EFTBA) in Newmarket at the start of July week.
Representatives from Europe’s breeding nations gathered to discuss the key challenges and potential threats facing the European bloodstock industry.
Amongst the areas discussed were:
• EU’s proposed animal transport regulations: since its previous meeting, the federation’s efforts had been dedicated to identifying and championing a workable solution at EU level. Des Leadon has led tirelessly in this area.
• Mandatory vaccination: it was agreed to make a fresh approach to all major auction houses to advocate for mandatory EHV vaccinations to be made a condition of sale. It was acknowledged that the International
The challenges faced by the European bloodstock industry were discussed at the AGM
Codes of Practice recommends vaccination.
• The ITBA and TBA were monitoring closely any developments following the recent EU/UK summit.
• EFTBA is closely watching the EU/USA trade negotiations as negative implications to trading and racing was a threat.
Commenting on the AGM, EFTBA Chairman Joe Hernon said: “The federation will continue to combat against the
GBB Stage 1 registrations now open
Stage 1 registrations for the Great British Bonus (GBB) are now open. They close at midnight on September 30 and late entries won’t be accepted under any circumstances.
Full TBA members can register their fillies for just £275, saving £200 thanks to the exclusive member discount. Discount codes have been sent by post, email and text but do contact the office if you have not received it.
Not yet a TBA member but want that discount? If you’ve used a British-based stallion this year or last, you can get £50 off a new TBA membership, bringing the fee down to £175. You’ll receive a GBB discount code, plus access to all the other great member benefits including breeders’ badges, third-party insurance, legal and tax advice, and much more.
Heading to the sales with your homebred? GBB-registered fillies often
serious threats facing Europe’s thoroughbred breeding industry, our fellow breeders and their livelihoods, while ensuring equine wellness is at the centre of all our actions and decisions.
“Despite such challenges, we can rightly take pride in our industry, which for us all is a wonderful and rewarding way of life. It is in this vein we will continue to be the guardians of the thoroughbred and strive to make it current and respected in an ever-changing world."
attract more interest and stronger prices at the sales – and you’ll receive up to 20% of her future bonus wins – even if stage 2 and 3 are not completed.
The scheme has paid out over £20 million in bonuses – make sure you get your share of the next £20m and register now at www.greatbritishbonus.co.uk.
Notice of the TBA’s Annual General Meeting 2025
The 108th Annual General Meeting of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will be held at the Jockey Club Rooms, High Street, Newmarket, CB8 8JL on Monday, September 1, commencing at 5.45pm. Official matters of business will be discussed in the AGM in accordance with the Articles of Association, where members will also have the opportunity to put questions to the Board of Trustees about current industry matters.
The AGM will include an address from the Chairman reviewing the year’s activity and the publication of the TBA’s annual report. Matters reserved for the Chief Executive include formal processes and any items relating to membership which require approval by voting process.
Copies of the annual report and minutes from the previous meeting, in addition to the meeting notice for
the forthcoming AGM, will be available on the TBA website. Please note that you will need to log in to view these documents.
Booking is free of charge but is required. Please confirm attendance by booking via the TBA events page or confirming via email to info@thetba. co.uk.
Refreshments will be served prior to the start of the meeting from 5.15pm.
Book now for regional days
Regional days are the ideal opportunity for members to meet up and the remaining opportunities in 2025 have been announced.
North – September 17
Members are invited to a special behindthe-scenes visit to Willow Farm Stables, kindly hosted by trainer David O’Meara.
After a successful career as a jump jockey, O’Meara turned to training in 2010 and has since celebrated over 1,000 winners. In 2016, he and his team moved to their impressive, purpose-built facility just outside York. The yard boasts top-class amenities, including all-weather gallops, a fluid motion treadmill and an equine spa, all designed to bring out the very best in their horses.
Following the tour attendees will head to Sandburn Hall, a stunning venue,
News in brief
Temporary admissions improvements
The temporary admissions system allows import of goods to the UK without payment of customs duty and import VAT, subject to certain rules. It benefits both the racing and breeding industries by allowing import of horses for race meetings and for short term import of mares to be covered by British stallions.
Following engagement with HMRC by the TBA and other industry figures, we are pleased to confirm that there have been improvements agreed, that come into force from July 16. These
for a relaxed lunch and networking opportunity with fellow TBA members and trustees.
The price for TBA full members/ Access subscribers is £50 (inc VAT) and for TBA essentials subscribers, guests and joint members it is £60 (inc VAT).
South & East – September 23
The visit will take in George Baker’s Down House and Chasemore Farm.
The day begins at 9.30am with a visit to the historic Down House, a yard steeped in racing history and beautifully restored in recent times. Just moments from the iconic Epsom gallops, this newly refurbished base brings together heritage and innovation at the highest level.
Watch fourth lot pull out before heading to the gallops, followed by a
improvements include:
• Extending the period a horse can be imported under the temporary admissions system. This will now be up to two years upon declaration, whereas it was previously one year. This will aid broodmares to remain for a further breeding season should they fail to get in foal in the first year.
• Allowing colts to be gelded while under temporary admission. Previously the colt would either have to be re-exported to be gelded or be permanently imported to the UK.
• Simplification and clearer guidance for those that use the system.
guided tour of the yard and its modern facilities, then enjoy a two-course lunch, the ideal opportunity to connect with fellow members.
The afternoon will be spent at Chasemore Farm, where attendees will have the chance to tour the grounds, view youngstock, and learn more about the farm’s forward-thinking breeding philosophy.
Spaces are limited and will be offered to TBA members in the first instance, so early registration is recommended.
The price for TBA full members/ Access subscribers is £50 (inc VAT) and for TBA essentials subscribers, guests and joint members it is £60 (inc VAT).
South & West – October 21
The day will begin with a morning visit to Polly Gundry’s Holcombe Brook near Ottery St Mary, which she runs with husband Edward Walker. Polly trained last season’s dual Listed-winning mare Don’t Rightly Know, whilst previous alumni include Santini when he was fourth in the Grand National, and dual Devon National hero Dawson City,
After the yard tour, attendees will head to Exeter for Best Mate Chase Day. After lunch in a private box, members will be able to get an update on the TBA and the wider industry, ahead of racing.
The price for TBA full members/ Access subscribers is £40 (inc VAT) and for TBA essentials subscribers, guests and joint members it is £50 (inc VAT).
To book onto either of the days, visit the events page of the TBA website, or to find out more information, email alix.jones@thetba.co.uk.
• A TBA customs technical handbook, bringing together all the relevant information for users of the system, will be published this summer.
NEW! Bloodstock Tax Guide
The TBA is pleased to announce that the revised Bloodstock Tax Guide is now available online to all members. This follows our commitment to review the guide annually to ensure that information is kept up to date. With support from Streets Bloodstock Accountants, we are invested in providing members with a useful resource to help guide their business interests.
Regional days provide the ideal opportunities to meet other members and breeders
STEVE CARGILL
Terrific Tuesday at Royal Ascot
Pomp, pageantry, and British-bred winners – Royal Ascot got off to a flyer for British breeders. The traditional curtain raiser, the Queen Anne Stakes, was won memorably by the Mickley Stud-bred Docklands, who provided the operation’s own stallion Massaat with a first Group 1 winner. Five-year-old Docklands has a love affair with the Ascot straight having landed the Britannia Handicap in 2023.
The following race, the Coventry Stakes, witnessed an impressive victory for Gstaad, bred by Kelly Thomas’s Maywood Stud. The juvenile, who had won at Navan in May on his only previous start, is a half-brother to Vandeek.
The third British-bred winner from as many races was American Affair in the King Charles III Stakes. The fiveyear-old was a first top-level winner for Windsor Castle Stakes hero Washington DC, and was bred by John McGrandles. The Jim Goldie-trainee was foaled at the Holdcrofts’ Bearstone Stud, who themselves were on the scoresheet through The In Trutina Partnership-bred Adrestia, a daughter of Havana Grey who won the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap.
Later in the month and the Holdcrofts’ homebred Argentine Tango, a daughter of Mattmu, captured the Empress Stakes at Newmarket.
Bred by Vimy and David Aykroyd, Amiloc took another step up the ladder, progressing from his Listed win to an impressive triumph in the King Edward VII Stakes. The son of Postponed was bringing his unbeaten record to five.
Ulysses’s son Humidity emulated his full-brother Holloway Boy in taking the Chesham Stakes. The colt was bred by Cheveley Park Stud, as was Formal, a daughter of Dubawi who won the Surrey Stakes at Epsom.
There was Royal Ascot Listed success for Lady Cobham as the Havana Gold colt Havana Hurricane won the Windsor Castle. Rockcliffe Stud were successful in the Sandringham Handicap with homebred Never Let Go, whilst Get It, winner of the Wokingham Handicap, was bred by Wood Hall Stud.
Marco Botti trained his maiden Derby Italiano winner in early June when the Chasemore Farm-bred Molveno had his head in front on the line.
Frankel’s daughter Magical Hope gained a maiden Pattern level success in the Munster Oaks, whilst Diamond Rain followed suit when winning the Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes on the allweather at Newcastle. Both four-yearolds were bred by Godolphin.
Gerard Augustin-Normand’s Franklin Finance homebred Monteille (Cable Bay) won the Prix du Gros-Chene, whilst the Aga Khan homebred Zabiari captured the Prix Bertrand du Breuil.
Juddmonte homebred Sunly proved too good in the Prix de Royaumont on the Prix du Jockey Club undercard, whilst elsewhere on the continent, the Rebecca Philipps-bred Lady Charlotte (Golden Horn) landed the Diana Trial at Berlin-Hoppegarten, and the Shadwellbred Admiral De Vega won a second Stockholms Stora Pris at Bro Park. The Kingwood Stud-bred Aphelios took the Bro Park Varsprint on the same card.
Closer to home and the Chipchase Stakes was won by the all-weather lover Diligent Harry, who was bred by Whitsbury Manor Stud. The Tapster Stakes at Goodwood went to the brilliant Hamish, bred by the late Brian Haggas, while the Eternal Stakes, run at Carlisle, went to the John Deer homebred Saqqara Sands, a daughter of Oasis Dream. The Pontefract Castle Fillies’ Stakes went the way of Kirsten Rausing’s homebred Allonsy, a daughter of Study Of Man.
There was success for the Ed Dunlop-trained Skukuza, a Cayton Park Stud homebred, in the Celebration Stakes on the Curragh, for the Fittocks Stud and Andrew Bengough homebred Troia (Kingman) in the Prix Volterra, and the Mette Campbell-Andenaesbred Nastaria in the Steher Cup.
At Capannelle, the Premio Tudini was won by the Branton Court Stud-bred Noble Title
Across the Atlantic, Motorious, just touched off for Breeders’ Cup glory last November, won the Daytona Stakes at Santa Anita. The seven-year-old was bred by Kirtlington Stud and Mary Taylor.
At Churchill Downs, the John Gunther-bred Rebel Red, a son of Frankel, won the Chorleywood Stakes and the Pocock Family-bred Lush Lips won the Tepin Stakes.
On the east coast at Monmouth Park, Redistricting, a son of Kingman bred by Farm Cove Thoroughbreds Ltd, took the Monmouth Stakes.
Results up to and including June 30 and provided by GBRI.
The Maywood Stud-bred Gstaad produced a superb performance to win the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot under Ryan Moore
BILL SELWYN
Stud employees get involved in Racing Staff Week
As part of Racing Staff Week 2025, the TBA sponsored stud farms across the UK to host celebratory barbecues. Through a ballot, 12 stud farms were selected to receive £100 and a party pack, enabling them to host summer gatherings for their employees.
Held between June 21 and 27, the Racing Staff Week initiative highlighted the vital role of stud staff in British racing and breeding industry. The photos sent in by the recipients highlighted the power of community, dedication and teamwork.
Diary dates
Monday, September 1
AGM, Jockey Club Rooms, Newmarket
The 108th Annual General Meeting of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will be held from 5.45pm at the Jockey Club Rooms, Newmarket, CB8 8JL. Further details to be released.
Tuesday, September 23
South East regional day, Epsom
The day starts off in Epsom at George Baker’s Down House with the afternoon at Andrew Black’s Chasemore Farm.
Tuesday, October 21
South West regional day, Exeter
Start the morning at Polly Gundry’s Holcombe Brook before heading to Exeter racecourse for your chance to listen to an industry update and pose questions to Trustees, all ahead of an afternoon’s racing.
For more information regarding events, as well as to see when regional events have been fixed, either contact the office or check out the regular e-bulletin emails.
Staff at Molland Ridge Stud in Devon take time out from their busy schedules
Childwickbury Stud and Rockcliffe Stud (right) employees get together during Racing Staff Week in June
Breeder of the Month
MICKLEY STUD
A much-deserved first Group 1 for Docklands in the Queen Anne Stakes provided several reasons for Richard Kent, the winner of June’s TBA Breeder of the Month award, to celebrate.
The Mickley Stud founder had not only produced a Royal Ascot hero out of a mare bought for just 9,000gns but had also been a landmark moment for Massaat, a resident stallion he has always championed.
And celebrate it he certainly did. “I don’t remember the end of the day, which was very good,” the popular and charismatic Kent says with a laugh. “It went on for weeks and hopefully there’ll be more again.”
Kent and his partner Clare Lloyd have run Mickley near Market Drayton in Shropshire for 20 years and they have been staunch friends to the smaller breeder, standing a range of reliable but usually lower-cost sires.
Massaat, the Dewhurst and 2,000 Guineas runner-up, has been there for seven seasons since retirement and is priced at just £3,500.
“I was very proud,” Kent says. “Docklands has been a special horse right through his career and he’s been very well managed.
“It was nice to see the stallion get the recognition on the racecourse when he didn’t always get it in the sales ring, too. He ended up having I think ten winners in June and a treble the week after. You’ll always have your usual doubters but your proper people would say that he’s capable of getting a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot.”
Mickley has produced top-class horses in the past, most notably Flying Five Stakes winner and powerhouse stallion Havana Grey, but this was a personal moment for Cork-born Kent.
His bargain-buy broodmare Icky Woo has produced three stakes winners headed by the Harry Eustace-trained Docklands, who was second in last year’s race and won the 2023 Britannia Stakes before his battling nose defeat of hot favourite Rosallion.
“He does love Ascot but you’re realistically thinking he can’t beat last year’s Guineas winners,” Kent recalls.
“We always try to go if we have a runner and we thought he
“It was a lovely surprise and I’m glad we were there”
was the one horse we really wanted to go and support. But it was a lovely surprise and I was glad we were there.”
Elaborating on just what it was that prompted him to select the unraced Icky Woo at Tattersalls in 2007, Kent continues:
“Bryan McMahon trained her mother, Bunty Boo, who was one of those tough sprinting mares that I love and when you have those tough horses in the pedigree they generally come out.
“Icky Woo was also by Mark Of Esteem, he’s finished up one of the best broodmare sires of the last 30 years, so I just thought we’d take a chance on her. She wasn’t very pretty but she’s never given us a minute’s grief and she’s just a really kind mare, to other horses as well.”
Icky Woo, who is now 21, has been retired to live out a happy retirement at Mickley and Kent has another of her daughters to breed from.
He explains that Terry Henderson, the chief of the Australianbased OTI Racing syndicate which bought Docklands as a yearling, is also developing the family.
“Terry had Docklands’ half-brother Harbour Views with Luca Cumani,” he says. “They thought an awful lot of him and had mentioned the Derby but Luca was very careful as he was a big backward horse. Luca retired and they took him to Australia where he did really well.
“That’s why Terry got Docklands bought as a yearling, he also bought his sister Ickymasho and has been breeding from her.
“It’s all done great good for European breeding. Terry rang me recently and told me he reckons the horses are much better value, there’s a much tougher horse up in Europe than Australia and he’s finding it easier to syndicate them.”
One of the parties Kent was determined not to miss was that of Eustace’s to mark an extraordinary Royal Ascot Group 1 double followed up by Time For Sandals in the Commonwealth Cup.
“Harry has been very good to the breeders and kept us informed all the way along the line,” Kent says. “We get regular updates on how Docklands has been bucking and kicking and feeling.
“I’ve known Harry since he was a young kid, I’ve known his parents, and to see a young man, a good guy, go on and train two Group 1 winners at Royal Ascot is just lovely.”
Richard Kent of Mickley Stud, breeder of Queen Anne Stakes winner Docklands and home to his sire Massaat
Buy a GBB-registered flly and you’ll be racing for more than DOUBLE the prize money
Average prize money taken home by a GBB flly
Average prize money taken home by a non-GBB flly: £5,506 £19,411
Head to the sales this month and look for GBB-registered fllies. Buy smart. Buy GBB.
Welfare & Aftercare
More than rosettes: why competitions matter for former racehorses
From August 19-24, the Jockey Club RoR National Championships return to Aintree International Equestrian Centre, bringing together over 300 former racehorses in one of the most inspiring events of the equestrian calendar.
For six days, they will showcase the diversity, talent and adaptability of the breed across showing, dressage, showjumping and arena eventing. It’s a sight to behold, but for Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), it’s about far more than prizes and lap of honour photos.
The Championships demonstrate what is possible when horses are given the right foundations after racing. With plenty of ‘have a go’ classes alongside the main Championship competitions, the event offers structure and goals not just for those at the top of their game, but for the many riders still near the start of their journey with a former racehorse.
This visibility matters. Competitions are one of the most effective ways of changing perceptions about exracers and providing motivation for owners and riders to invest in the retraining journey. But they also bring people together, creating a sense of community, aspiration and shared learning that benefits the wider aftercare landscape. Fundamentally, showcasing former racehorses in a range of disciplines helps drive demand for them after racing.
Competitions are often the most high-profile part of what we do, but they are by no means the whole picture. They sit alongside, and actively support, RoR’s wider education and welfare programmes, which are central to our mission and play a vital role in preventing welfare issues before they arise.
Education sits at the heart of RoR’s approach. We run a growing programme of education and training for owners of former racehorses, including webinars, camps, mounted and unmounted clinics, designed to equip owners with the knowledge and confidence they need to provide good care, whether they’re riding competitively or simply enjoying hacking out.
Where more targeted intervention
is needed, RoR’s welfare team steps in. In 2024 alone we supported 66 former racehorses deemed at risk, working with a trusted network of retrainers and equine welfare centres across the UK. The circumstances vary, but the principle is the same: every thoroughbred deserves to be safe and live a good life after racing, no matter how long ago they retired.
This year, the timing of the National Championships also dovetails with National Racehorse Week, providing a valuable platform to highlight life beyond racing. It’s a fitting alignment, and one that reinforces the importance of showing the public, as well as the racing and equestrian communities, how much former racehorses can offer.
It’s also worth clarifying how competitions are funded. RoR’s core funding, including owner contributions via the entry levy, does not fund prize-money. That’s not where your support is going. Instead, we actively seek commercial partners and event sponsors who want to invest in showcasing these horses. That model
ensures competitions continue to thrive without drawing from the pot that funds our welfare safety net.
The Championships are not a luxury add-on. They are a vital part of a joined-up system that supports thoroughbreds at every stage of their post-racing life. By giving owners and riders something to work towards, by raising the profile of retrained racehorses, and by embedding structure and accountability in retraining, competitions help underpin good aftercare.
RoR exists to promote a holistic approach to aftercare, one that combines opportunity, education and protection. Competitions are part of that, and we’re proud of what they represent.
If you want to understand the full impact of our work, we encourage you to download our latest funders’ report from www.ror.org.uk/about-us/ stakeholder-funding-reports or join our stakeholder mailing list at www.ror.org.uk/about-us to receive future updates directly.
HELEN CRUDEN
Festive Fare and Rebecca Court won the RoR Open Ridden Show Series Final in June
View from Ireland
Yearling sales preparation: key pointers to succeed at auction
As we approach the yearling sales season, breeders and consignors are gearing up for one of the busiest times in the calendar. ITBA offer a comprehensive guide to ensure your yearlings are ready for success.
Preparation is key
Sales preparation begins the moment a yearling enters your care. Building a relationship with the yearling through daily handling – leading them in and out of paddocks, grooming and routine checks – is essential. Monitoring growth, checking their legs and hoof health should become second nature.
Preparation can start as early as January. This is the time to consider vaccination schedules as you don’t want to vaccinate in the last two months before sales. February is the ideal time to x-ray for any chips or issues that might need surgery.
From June/July, hard feed can be gradually added to their diets. You should also consider getting their teeth done at this time so they will be comfortable with bits. Proper preparation starts at the end of July and is divided into three stages:
• Acclimatisation to new routines (walkers, hand walking, lunging etc)
• Muscle development (predominantly through lunging, walking and trotting in both directions). It is important to introduce practice shows too, teaching the yearling to stand and show properly
• Reducing the workload to allow the yearlings to fill out a bit more
Feeding to support muscle development
Yearlings have a heightened demand for nutritional requirements as they are being asked to exercise while simultaneously growing and developing. If you don’t provide enough quality calories and protein, the yearling won’t be able to develop properly.
There is no one ‘best way’ to feed for sales preparation. You need to treat horses as individuals for the best results and should pay attention to those struggling with weight, topline, soundness or coat condition.
Ideally, weight gain should be gradual from a mixture of exercise and feed. You want to keep meal sizes small, adding an extra evening meal where needed. Oats are good for producing lean muscle.
For yearlings requiring extra condition, you can choose a high oil, lower starch, highly digestive, cooked feed. Look for calorie density rather than high volumes to maintain roughage at a minimum of 1% DM intake. A high oil feed will have a higher calorie count, where you can feed less but it will have more calories.
As you come to the end of your preparation, a high fat supplement can help ‘finish’ horses that are in need of a final polish or in preparation for travel to further destinations.
Veterinary matters to consider
Veterinary requirements are set out by the sales companies and include:
• Up to date flu vaccinations
• Identification of lot: passport with microchip verified
• Description of lot in the catalogue –colt/filly, colour, date of birth etc
• Health cert dated within 14 days
Post sale, the purchaser has options to test after sale including:
• Wind testing is performed by the purchaser’s vet. If they are unhappy with the lunge, they can perform a scope, and if they are unhappy with the scope the animal goes to the veterinary panel to adjudicate
• Blood testing for antiinflammatories, prohibited substances (sedatives, diabetics, etc), and bisphosphonates
• Piroplasmosis testing is important for horses travelling to Hong Kong or Macau
Pre-bid veterinary inspection
Buyers may request pre-sale inspections with seller permission. These typically include:
• Head (mouth, eyes)
• Heart
• Body, neck, belly, no sign of hernias or previous colics/sarcoids
• Testes
• Forelimbs and hindlimbs – splints, distention of joints
• Exercise in hand (walking up and down, turning, maybe a trot if the area is quiet)
• Endoscopy or video scope
• Radiography, or x-rays in the repository
• Ultrasounds
Advice to breeders
Preparation is more than physical conditioning – it’s about readiness in every aspect. Ensure all documentation is in order: passport, microchip, vaccinations, and health certificates. Familiarise your yearlings with full-body handling to ease veterinary inspections.
Consider the cost-benefit of x-rays. If your horse is likely to attract buyers who expect them, it may be worth investing early, or be prepared to provide them at the sale.
Preparing a yearling for the sales is about more than just physical conditioning
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Graham Dench asks our jury the big questions: Are early-closing races part of an archaic system that needs overhauling?
Sam Hoskins
Syndicate manager for Kennet Valley and Hot To Trot Racing
“
The short answer is ‘yes’, but in trying to see it from the perspective of racecourses and sponsors as well as owners I do accept that early closers have some value.
I can see the argument from a funding perspective, and also as a trigger for publicity in the press, as well as for stimulating ante-post betting and building a race up. The problem is that races like the Eclipse or Coronation Cup and some of the two-year-old races close so early.
A lot can change in a couple of months and once you are not in, the cost of supplementary entry is prohibitive to many owners. If your horse is going to be a stallion or you are owned by a billionaire, then the £50,000 or whatever it might be is fine. But if you are mere mortals then you have to pick and choose your entries carefully.
With Sir Busker in the year that Baaeed was around, the early-closing system worked to our advantage, as he’d scare off a lot of the opposition and Sir Busker could pick up quite a lot of money for finishing third or fourth. That doesn’t make it right, though. A more flexible system would give races like the Eclipse and Coronation Cup the best possible chance of getting to the golden eight runners, which would be a positive in so many respects, especially now that World Pool is so important.
The early-closing system is particularly exposed when there are changing ground conditions, when the original entries were perhaps made on the presumption of decent ground but then the forecast is for a lot of rain. Would Here Comes When have been entered for the 2017 Sussex
Stakes if he wasn’t owned by Mrs Hay? He had just won a Listed handicap off 103 before the original entries came out that year. An inspired entry, but would smaller owners have opted to aim a little lower?
The current system lacks flexibility and encourages small fields. Perhaps a second entry stage such as they have in France might be desirable, or else a more affordable supplementary entry stage for horses rated between x and y, as they do in some valuable handicaps. ”
Ralph Beckett
Classic-winning trainer
My view is that early-closing races are a racket that suit the racecourses and nobody else.
Royal Ascot this year ditched a number of races that used to be early closers – the four Group 2 races, so the Hardwicke, Ribblesdale, King Edward VII and Duke of Cambridge Stakes – and I think they were all the better for it.
It made for very competitive racing.
Will Aitkenhead
Ascot’s Head of Corporate & Industry Affairs
“
Increasing prize-money in the current climate is challenging, so at Ascot we have looked at ways to save owners money. Dropping early-closing conditions for the four three-year-old Group 2s at Royal Ascot was an initiative we tried for the first time this year to help connections be able to make more informed decisions closer to the races.
It’s hard to tell how well it has worked after just one year’s figures, but although numbers at the six-day stage (entries this year and confirmations last year) were actually down, I think that over time it will definitely help improve competitiveness and quality, especially with the King Edward VII and the Ribblesdale.
I guess you could say the difference between entries and then decs was tighter, so those entering at the six-day stage were probably more certain to run at that point than those just confirming, but in this first year it didn’t help total field sizes. That’s not the main reason for doing it though – we wanted to make things easier for trainers and owners, especially with those developing three-year-olds, giving them more time to make decisions. Hopefully, it was well received from that perspective. It has required us to put in more executive contribution to meet the shortfall in entry fees.
The only other races we’ve changed recently are our jumps Grade 1s, which are no longer early closers. It’s probably a similar story in terms of effectiveness, but we want to maximise our ability to attract runners.
Think Tank
Gail Brown Syndicate manager of Goodwood Racehorse Owners Group
“
There are far fewer early-closing races than there used to be, but as a manager of partnerships and syndicates, I can see arguments both for and against.
I must admit that I enjoy watching the fluctuating market of a big handicap. Taking a price about a horse in one of the season’s coveted heritage handicaps is fun, and it would be a shame to lose the build-up to the Hunt Cup for example. Additionally, there is the added excitement of whether you will get into a race or not.
There is also a certain skill in placing horses well in advance of a race, and I would not wish to lose a tradition that tests a trainer’s foresight. Furthermore, it is difficult to argue that if multiple entry fees from early-closing contests are a boost to prize-money, there seems no need to break the tradition. Similarly, if ante-post betting supports the levy, this
Traditionally, most bluebloods hold entries in the Classics, which as we know offer forfeit stages. It is important, however, that we continue to enable owners to pay the high supplementation fees for a progressive horse for Classic and Group races, to ensure that the best of a generation can contest the top races.
In terms of my role as a racing manager, I no longer make multiple entries in earlyclosing races, particularly two-year-old races. I would far rather allow a young horse to demonstrate ability before investing in smart entries. You can argue that early closing entries allow the owner to dream, but the reality is that you can spend several thousands of pounds in entry fees without ever participating in these races. Surely it is better to protect your budget, wait for a horse to prove itself, and then spend your money on race entries for which you have a good chance of taking part.
Should we do away with early-closing entries? The answer would have to be ‘no’, but I would confine them to contests of wide interest. It is then up to an owner or manager to be selective and realistic about entries.
”
Rod Millman
Trainer of three winners of the Weatherbys Super Sprint
As a relatively small stable we don’t tend to make a lot of entries in early-closing races, but that’s partly because it’s so expensive and we tend to train mainly for smaller owners.
The Weatherbys Super Sprint is an exception; we put five in it this year as the first entry stage at the end of February comes before you’ve done anything with them, and you have to go on your gut feeling. With four stages the cost mounts up, but we’ve had a lot of luck in it in the past.
It’s like buying a lottery ticket, and it’s where the prize-money comes from to a large extent. From an owner’s point of view, it’s a chance of a big payout with a relatively cheap horse. It’s self-funding, I guess, but while I’ve bought a lot of tickets in the lottery I’ve had a good return, with three winners – including the latest renewal with Anthelia for Middleham Park Racing – and plenty of others in the money over the years.
So far as the early-closing system as a whole goes, if you are lucky enough to have horses bordering on Group class, it can get very expensive making early-closing entries for them. Take Adaay In Devon – if she’d had an Arab owner, we’d have entered her in all the Group sprints, but we didn’t because it’s too expensive. Those races tend to be dominated by the likes of Coolmore or Godolphin.
I did enter one in York’s Lowther Stakes early in July – I think it cost me £875. She’s a Havana Grey filly, already Listed-placed and so worth a lot of money, and she was heading for the Princess Margaret at Ascot first. If she’d won that I’d look silly if she wasn’t in the Lowther, but if she didn’t it was £875 down the drain.
It’s a tough one, and I don’t know what the answer is.
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Top that!
Stars of the Royal meeting, now with their first yearlings at the sales…
NAVAL CROWN PER F ECT POW ER
Dubawi’s lookalike sprinting son who won the G1 Platinum Jubilee from an elite field and beat the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner... over a mile.
Winner of the G1 Commonwealth Cup and G2 Norfolk at Royal Ascot, plus the G1 Morny and G1 Middle Park. The best sprinter of his generation.