Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder

May_129_Cover_OwnerBreeder 21/04/2015 10:54 Page 1

£4.95 | May 2015 | Issue 129

Incorporating

Weight off his mind How George Baker came to accept his riding limits

Plus • Lord Grimthorpe on managing 250 horses worldwide • Fittocks Stud: Sara Cumani talks fillies and farming • Charlie Appleby is living the dream with Godolphin

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ROTW_TBOB_DPS_May15_TBOB_DPS 15/04/2015 15:14 Page 1

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May_129_Editors_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:41 Page 3

WELCOME FROM THE EDITOR Publisher: Michael Harris Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Emma Berry Designed by: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0209 Fax: 020 7152 0213 editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.ownerbreeder.co.uk @OwnerBreeder

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Incorporating

Weight off his mind How George Baker came to accept his riding limits

Plus • Lord Grimthorpe on managing 250 horses worldwide • Fittocks Stud: Sara Cumani talks fillies and farming • Charlie Appleby is living the dream with Godolphin

y the time you read these words, AP McCoy will have been seen in competitive action on a racecourse for the final time. His legacy may be assured however his loss to the sport will only become apparent in the next few years. Which of his former colleagues will be able to step up to the plate and take racing’s profile forward, as he has done so successfully?

While McCoy will certainly miss the buzz of race-riding – most jockeys do, with the exception perhaps of John Francome – he won’t be sorry to see the back of endless hot baths, saunas and miniscule meals, dictated by a daily battle with the weighing scales, one that has been a central part of his life for two decades.

As a jump jockey, McCoy’s minimum riding weight hovered latterly around 10st 4lb, although it would take a pretty special horse, or race, for the Ulsterman to achieve that mark. Either way, it’s not much for a man who stands 5ft 10in tall. Flat jockey George Baker, by contrast, is 6ft and can ride at 9st. It hardly seems possible, or fair, for an elite sportsman to thrive in this situation.

Yet Baker, 32, is on an upward curve. Last year was his most profitable in the saddle, notching 162 winners. While lacking the support of a big stable or owner, the rider has made a success of his career, building a reputation with plenty of trainers as a go-to man when a decent opportunity arises.

Baker has come to terms with the fact that he will never be able to compete in every race on a card. He understands better than most the current struggles of his young Irish counterpart Joseph O’Brien, whose inability to make Flat weight has seen him switch, possibly temporarily, to ride over jumps.

“Joseph is a big guy; he is broader than Adam Kirby or me,” Baker tells Julian Muscat (The Big Interview, pages 45-48). “He doesn’t ride through the winter and I think that makes a big difference. When you stop

riding for any length of time you try and lead a halfnormal life, and Joseph is only 21. His weight won’t have stabilised, as mine has.

“He is obviously fighting it hard. I’ve seen him when he comes over and he’s pretty sensible. He’s not doing stupid things. He was probably trying to get his weight down nice and gradually, but initially it didn’t seem to be working.

“Joseph has the best motivation in the world with all those beautifully-bred horses to ride, but he is fighting nature, really.”

Whether or not too many professional jockeys are being asked an unfair question in their quest for winners is a moot point. Increasing the minimum riding weights would help the Bakers and O’Briens of this world, while denying opportunities to the naturally lighter riders. Any change to this mechanism would, naturally, result in winners and losers.

The conundrum of which jockeys to employ is one that may well occupy plenty of Lord Grimthorpe’s time this year. As Racing Manager to Khalid Abdullah, who has taken the decision not to replace James Doyle as retained rider, Grimthorpe oversees around 250 horses in training around the world at any one time.

Having raced the likes of Frankel and Kingman in recent seasons, the search is on to unearth the next superstar from Juddmonte’s homebred battalions, although Grimthorpe is taking nothing for granted.

“I always think when things are going well it’s like a big wave and you’ve got to ride it as long as you possibly can before it all comes crashing down,” he explains to Tim Richards (Talking To, pages 38-42).

“The circle of fortune in racing is inevitable and to have two such outstanding horses in the space of a couple of years was very spoiling.”

It may be folly to think that Khalid Abdullah can race another world-beater this season – but you’d be foolish to bet against it.

“He is 6ft and can

Racehorse Owners Association Ltd First Floor, 75 High Holborn, London WC1V 6LS Tel: 020 7152 0200 Fax: 020 7152 0213 info@roa.co.uk www.racehorseowners.net

£4.95 | May 2015 | Issue 129

Big appetite for winners is helping Baker make bread B

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Cover: George Baker takes time out between races at Windsor racecourse Photo: George Selwyn

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ride at 9st – it hardly seems possible, or fair, for an elite sportsman

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May_129_Contents_Contents 21/04/2015 13:25 Page 4

CONTENTS MAY 2015

38 NEWS & VIEWS 7

ROA Leader

50 FEATURES 18

Aintree, Meydan and Newbury

Following right path

9

TBA Leader

38

Stayers’ boost needed

10

News TBA study update

14 26

Tony Morris The Times they are a’changin

28

Howard Wright Racing waits on election result

INTERNATIONAL SCENE 30

View From Ireland Female officials wanted

32

Continental Tales Slovakia innovates

35

Around The Globe US champ moves to Britain

4

Talking To...

Lord Grimthorpe

45

Changes Your news in a nutshell

The Big Picture

COVER STORY The Big Interview Jockey George Baker

50

Fittocks Stud Cumani breeding operation in focus

On cloud nine: Leighton Aspell is all smiles after riding his second Grand National winner in as many years

57

Breeders’ Digest Australian demand fuels debate

58

Sales Circuit Tatts and Brightwells breeze-ups

66 Caulfield Files Dynaformer’s legacy

89 Dr Statz Bishop deserves praise

96 24 Hours With...

Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby

May_129_Contents_Contents 21/04/2015 13:25 Page 5 B

4:53 pm

Page 3

BLOODLINES Simply the right policy – without the fuss We are able to provide cover for: All risks of mortality Theft Stallion’s congenital or permanent infertility Broodmare barrenness Prospective foal Foals from 24 hours

45

Yearlings unsoundness of wind Horses at grass

FORUM 68

ROA Forum NH review welcomed plus AGM lunch news

75

Racecourse League Tables How the courses compare

76

LEADING THE FIELD IN BLOODSTOCK INSURANCE

TBA Forum Your chance to stand for the TBA Council

80

Breeder of the Month Leonard Fuller, for Darna

81

Next Generation Club Hannah Wall hoping to scale heights

84

Vet Forum Good equine dental care is vital

Graded Races Latest NH winners

95

AHEAD OF THE FIELD CONTACT US

DATA BOOK 90

TO STAY

TODAY

Stallion Statistics Milan on the march

Our monthly circulation is certified at

9,340

Can other magazines prove theirs?

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BLOODLINES Marlow House, 1A Lloyd’s Avenue London EC3N 3AA TEL: +44 (0) 207 938 3033 FAX: +44 (0) 207 938 3055 ENQUIRIES@BLOODLINES.CO.UK WWW.BLOODLINES.CO.UK Bloodlines is a trading name of Bloodlines Thoroughbred Insurance Agency Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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Already 3 Gr.1 winners from our 2012 September Yearling Sale

LUCKY LION t a BBAG graduate 1. Großer Dallmayr-Preis, Gr. 1 1. German 2.000 Guineas, Gr. 2 2. German Derby, Gr. 1

'&0%03" q a BBAG graduate 1. German Oaks - Gr.1

4*3*64 q a BBAG graduate 1. Großer Preis von Berlin, Gr. 1

Sales dates 2015 Spring Breeze Up Sale: 5th June Yearling Sales: 3rd and 4th September October Mixed Sales: 16th and 17th October www.bbag-sales.de

May_129_ROA_Leader_Layout 1 21/04/2015 12:54 Page 7

ROA LEADER

RACHEL HOOD President Racehorse Owners Association

Main political parties on right side of horseracing Tories and Labour support our industry’s long-term goal of levy replacement

W

hichever of the major parties prevail in this month’s general election, our industry can take some satisfaction that racing’s longterm future funding plan should remain intact.

George Osbourne left us in no doubt in his Budget statement that the establishment of a racing right to replace the levy was the way his party saw racing’s future, while Labour have also embraced the racing right concept.

It is, however, rather worrying that Labour recently added another dimension to their policy on betting when the shadow culture secretary, Harriet Harman, proposed that a similar racing levy be applied to all sports betting.

It seems hardly credible that Labour is supporting a policy to close down the levy system for horseracing, only to want to reconstruct a similar mechanism to fund community and grass roots sport by applying a levy to betting on other sports.

Raising money for grass roots sport is an admirable objective, but the implementation of this proposal would be unhelpful to racing. We never doubted bookmakers would put up all sorts of barriers to the introduction of a racing right, but you can’t help agree that if Labour were to simultaneously impose a levy on sports betting it would be a step too far. The danger is that such an imposition really would be enough to put many bookmakers out of business, with consequential damage to racing.

Whatever Labour’s intentions here, it is unlikely to happen. It is better that we focus our concerns on how racing overcomes the obstacles of competition law and European state aid that the bookmakers will exploit to the full in their attempt to prevent the racing right becoming law.

It is not lost on the betting industry that, however much political clout they used to have, racing can more than match it now. Not only do we have those highly encouraging words from the chancellor; we also have

huge support and wise counsel from Newmarket MP and Energy Minister, Matthew Hancock, while David Cameron’s recent appearance in Newmarket sent a very reassuring message that he recognises the importance of horseracing to both employment and the economy.

By common consent, this will be one of the most open elections in years and the fact that it is long oddson for a coalition government tells its own story. And although Paddy Power is offering 25-1 against the Green Party being part of any coalition, it is bizarre and disturbing to find this anti-racing party achieving a significant profile in the run-up to the election.

It is clear that Natalie Bennett and her cohorts do not have any idea of what they’re talking about when it comes to horseracing in this country. To talk about horses being “raced to death” is as barmy as it inaccurate.

Before sounding off with such ill-informed rhetoric, the Green Party should have at least discovered that just 0.2% of individual runners meet with fatal injury.

They should also heed the wise words of former Senior Jockey Club Vet, Peter Webbon, when he said: “Racehorses in Britain are amongst the healthiest and best looked-after 2% of horses in the country. The sport employs 6,000 people to provide first-class care and attention for the 14,000 horses in training, providing them with a level of care and quality of life that is virtually unsurpassed by any other domesticated animal. In exchange for these exceptional levels of care, racing asks thoroughbred racehorses to do what they are bred to do, which is to race.”

Unlike the Greens, the principal political parties increasingly recognise racing’s contribution to the country, both in terms of employment and economic impact. British racing has done well to get its key messages across to this government and, whatever the complexion of the next one, we must ensure support for our industry continues.

“Bookmakers will

exploit competition law and state aid obstacles to stop the racing right from becoming law

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

”

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May_129_TBA_Leader_TBA 21/04/2015 12:34 Page 9

TBA LEADER

RICHARD LANCASTER Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association

Steps taken to protect the Great British stayer Ensuring a progression in the racing programme is a must to retain diversity

L

ast year the TBA published its Economic Impact Study into the breeding industry. Now we have led the way with another important document, the Study into British Stayers and Staying Races, which has even wider implications for the sport in Britain.

Britain’s programme for stayers – those horses racing at the Classic distance of a mile and a half and beyond – is the best in the world. No other country provides such a balanced series of races in this category and some, such as the US, appear to have given up the ghost altogether.

That said, though, there are signs that the British programme is in decline, and if that trend continues, there will be no going back. A significant element of the sport’s variety will be lost for good, with serious ramifications for all concerned, from owners and trainers to racecourses and fans. Nowhere would the consequences be felt more keenly than in the breeding industry, for as the ultimate providers of the racing product, breeders figure at the beginning and the end of the debate.

The Study into British Stayers and Staying Races, launched in mid-April, will appeal to anyone with an interest in maintaining the quality and variety of racing in Britain, and that extends to National Hunt racing, which depends on an appropriate supply of staying-bred mares and sires.

Changing trends in breeding naturally takes time, but there are two main areas where the findings can be taken forward immediately. They both involve race programming, firstly for two- and then three-year-olds.

There has to be more incentive for would-be purchasers of foals and yearlings who are likely to be seriously raced in the second half of their two-year-old seasons, rather than the first. That means providing suitable races with conditions that specifically stipulate they are for the produce of stallions who have won at a minimum of ten furlongs. It happens in a few cases at the moment, but they seem to be quirky exceptions that have been buried deep in the programme book and as such provide very

little general encouragement either to breeders or buyers.

Yes, they would be restricted races in an age when we are trying to be as open as possible, but we have let things run their course and occasionally you have to step in and adjust the path down which we are travelling.

If setting race conditions that promote staying horses is going to benefit the breed, as well as racegoers, that’s what we should do. Otherwise we will be producing, watching and betting on horses whose careers consist of a whole series of six- and seven-furlong handicaps. I can’t think of anything worse.

As for the programme for decent staying three-yearolds, you suddenly come to the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, with no build-up and no serious follow-up other than races that are regarded as trials for the St Leger and the autumn.

The Queen’s Vase should probably be rewritten and put on the British Champions Day card, instead of the all-aged Marathon, but that’s maybe too revolutionary an idea to find favour. Nevertheless, we want to see a properly defined programme for stayingtype three-year-olds. Their peak is not the Derby but the St Leger, which has held up in recent years thanks in a large degree to support from Coolmore and Godolphin. But where are the other major races?

And what happens to the British-bred horses who might have run in them? They’ve either been exported, such as last year’s Queen’s Vase winner Hartnell, who took advantage of a lucrative opportunity by winning a Group 1 over a mile and a half in Sydney at the end of March, or sold, like Grand Marshal, who raced in England as Magog and followed suit in the two-mile Sydney Cup in early-April, or they are not being bred in the first place.

Although we will always remain a trading nation, a further worsening of either situation would be dangerous for British breeding. We must not allow the Australian experience, where speed dominates and their owners have to come to Europe to buy staying horses, to happen here.

“We want to see

a properly defined programme for staying-type three-year-olds

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_News_Owner 21/04/2015 13:43 Page 10

NEWS Stories from the racing world

TBA wants action over stayers’ decline Report reveals lack of opportunities for horses with stamina and few incentives to breed them

T

he Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association has issued a ‘call to action’ to the racing industry to preserve the British-bred stayer, which a recently commissioned study shows is in decline.

The report highlights a fall in the number of proven staying stallions at stud, with implications not just for Flat racing but also the National Hunt sector, which relies largely on stamina-laden Flat performers for its sire base.

A significant increase in demand for stayers from Australia has also raised concerns that this will lead to a shortfall of such runners domestically, with the study highlighting the fact that, since 2011, more than 50 stakes races in Australia have been won by European-bred horses, including the last four renewals of the Melbourne Cup. TBA Chairman Richard Lancaster said: “This research was commissioned as a result of two triggers, the European Pattern Committee downgrading the Queen’s Vase, and then the Bahrain Trophy being put on the ‘at risk’ list.

Both deliver a worrying picture that the staying

Pattern and black-type programme is under threat and, as a consequence, the stayer is in decline.

“The TBA wanted to ascertain a complete and thorough analysis of the breeding and racing

“This isn’t a crisis yet

department, certain alterations can be made to the racing programme to enable a better progression for stayers, particularly three-yearolds and fillies.

Current suggestions include: The introduction of maiden races for the offspring of stallions that have won at 10-12f Reviewing the three-year-old staying programme and introducing fillies-only staying handicaps Including more three-year-old only Class 2 and 3 handicaps Creating more conditions race opportunities for fillies over 12f

• •

but we are heading • towards one – we need an enhanced • British staying programme – which covers stayers’ programme” The races of 12.5 furlongs or more – currently

staying landscape in order to act quickly before the issue escalated and more vulnerable blacktype staying races are downgraded.”

In a bid to maintain the diversity of races for which British racing is famed, the TBA is hoping that, in agreement with the BHA’s race-planning

includes 27 stakes races, approximately 9% of all black-type races. Currently there are no conditions races in this bracket for three-yearolds before or after Royal Ascot, where the Queen’s Vase, which now holds Listed status, is run over two miles. Estimate, winner of the race in 2012, went on to land the following

Not staying around: Hartnell (centre) won the 2014 Queen’s Vase but now races in Australia, where he won a Group 1 in March

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May_129_News_Owner 21/04/2015 13:43 Page 11

Racecourse Performance Table 2015 – January to March Racecourse contribution to prize-money per fixture Racecourse

1. ASCOT

Richard Lancaster: TBA acted quickly

season’s Ascot Gold Cup while other recent winners include subsequent St Leger hero Leading Light and Australian Group 1 winner Hartnell.

The Northumberland Plate in June is the first staying handicap of the season that is open to three-year-olds, but no horse of that age has featured in the last ten editions of the race.

Oaks-winning owner/breeder Julian Richmond-Watson, who chairs the TBA Flat Committee, said: “It is very much part of the TBA ethos to look after the heritage and represent the future of British racing.

“This isn’t a crisis yet but we are heading towards one and we believe that we need a carefully considered and enhanced racing programme with greater emphasis that the stayer brings to flat racing.”

Richmond-Watson also reiterated the importance of Flat staying bloodlines to National Hunt racing and added: “We must take urgent action to avert the decline. It is in all our hands to promote and preserve the stayers and the staying programme that is so important to Britain.”

Speaking at the campaign launch, the Chairman of the British European Breeders’ Fund (BEBF) Philip Freedman added his support to the TBA’s aims through increased BEBF funding for staying races.

He commented: “We’ve looked at the races we sponsor and there is a dearth of races over 12 furlongs or more that we’re involved with. It’s important that we lend additional support, both for two-year-old staying races and for developing three-year-olds.”

The BHA’s Director of Racing Ruth Quinn added: “This is an area that we’re keen to focus on and the European Pattern Committee and the BHA recognise all that’s been said here in terms of the scale of importance of ensuring the long-term health of the staying animal.”

The BHA is in for a busy time after the authority revealed it is also to conduct a THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

2015 (£)

2014 (£)

150,214

121,182

2. JOCKEY CLUB GROUP

61,371

54,771

3. NEWBURY

42,055

36,184

4. KELSO

36,046

25,713

5. CHELMSFORD CITY

35,090

–

6. MUSSELBURGH

28,472

25,176

7. CHESTER/BANGOR GROUP

27,757

15,023

8. FAKENHAM

24,815

21,189

9. LUDLOW

23,227

25,818

10. STRATFORD

22,539

22,092

11. WETHERBY

21,514

20,990

12. FFOS LAS

21,462

21,053

13. AYR

20,317

17,843

14. ARC

16,975

18,590

15. NEWTON ABBOT

15,212

–

16. CATTERICK BRIDGE

15,113

16,189

17. HEXHAM

14,103

12,538

18. TAUNTON

13,197

11,203

19. PLUMPTON

11,640

12,170

20. LEICESTER

11,159

11,242

9,493

9,154

21. TOWCESTER

Key to agreement level: GOLD Premier Tier • SILVER Standard Tier • RED Not Signed Notes: 1. Racecourse Groups have signed single agreements to cover all of their tracks. Jockey Club group comprises Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom, Exeter, Haydock, Huntingdon, Kempton, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown, Warwick and Wincanton. ARC comprises Bath, Brighton, Chepstow, Doncaster, Fontwell, Lingfield, Newcastle, Sedgefield, Southwell, Uttoxeter, Windsor, Wolverhampton, Worcester and Yarmouth.

2. The average racecourse contribution per fixture shows the average amount provided by the racecourse to prize-money at all fixtures during the period including any abandoned fixtures.

3. Comparable prize money statistics for Newton Abbot and Chelmsford City have not been provided as neither staged fixtures during the period January- March 2014.

Purses rise during first quarter Following record totals in 2014, prizemoney for the first quarter of 2015 rose again, this time by almost 7% compared to the same period last year.

Between January and March, £20.8m in prize money was won, an increase of £1.3m on 2014, and a rise of £3.7m compared with 2013.

In addition, since December last year, comprehensive review of National Hunt racing.

Its objectives are to assess the health of racing over jumps and identify and examine the threats and challenges it faces.

The review will look at the current race

owners have benefitted from the extension of prize-money payments in select Class 26 races as part of the Additional Voluntary Contribution Fund. While these payments, which can total up to £400 per horse, are not included in the table above, approximately £4.2m has been committed to the scheme which is set to run through until the end of 2015. programme, field sizes, breeding and prizemoney in jump racing, and will be chaired by Edward Gillespie, former Managing Director of Cheltenham racecourse.

• Richard Wayman on the NH review, page 68.

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May_129_News_Owner 21/04/2015 13:43 Page 12

NEWS

Racing returns to Yarmouth on July 23

Grass growth stalls Yarmouth’s re-opening Racing at Yarmouth will start a month later than planned following its turf replanting, to allow the grass additional growing time.

The new re-opening target is July 23. Local trainers will be invited before that date to bring horses to trial the surface.

According to the track’s owner, Arena Racing Company, the additional month will allow the sward to thicken, providing a suitable cushion for racing, while the roots develop further for sustained growth and

post-racing recovery.

Jim Allen, ARC Racing Director, said: “We are committed to ensuring each of our racecourses provides the best possible conditions for horses to race on, be that a synthetic racing surface or turf.

“We are excited about recommencing racing at Yarmouth, however we can only do so when we are confident that the racing surface is absolutely safe for horses and jockeys. We appreciate horsemen’s and racegoers’ patience

in this situation and will keep everyone updated as necessary.”

Racegoers who have booked a ticket for any of the four fixtures being moved can transfer to another date or claim a full cash refund.

ARC owns seven other turf courses – Doncaster, Lingfield, Windsor, Bath, Chepstow, Brighton and Newcastle – but in consultation with the BHA have moved the four fixtures concerned to the all-weather, switches that will disappoint turf aficionados.

Play Fantasy Racing to win ROA Awards tickets and £500 Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder has teamed up with Great British Racing’s Fantasy Racing competition for the 2015 British Champions Series, which kicks off with the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday, May 2.

As well as competing for the overall prize of a share in a racehorse for 2016, Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder is running its own league, the winner of which will win two tickets to the ROA/Weatherbys Bank Horseracing Awards in London on Thursday, December 3, plus £500.

Fantasy Racing is free to enter and players must select a stable of five jockeys and trainers to follow throughout the series, plus two horses in each race, chosen after the declaration stage. Points are accrued with each race.

The competition concludes with British Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday, October 17, which is Britain’s most valuable raceday, featuring the £1.3 million QIPCO Champion Stakes.

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The British Champions Series begins at Newmarket’s Guineas festival on May 2

To play, go to fantasyracing.telegraph.co.uk, register your stable and join the ‘Thoroughbred Owner and Breeder’ league using pin 8088269.

To win the Thoroughbred Owner & Breeder league prize, players must either be a current ROA or TBA member or a subscriber to the magazine.

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May_129_News_Owner 21/04/2015 13:43 Page 13

NEWS

New auction for ex-racehorses Brightwells will host the first ever auction of racehorses sold specifically for the sport and riding horse market on Wednesday, May 20 in association with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR).

RoR’s competition series for thoroughbreds has increased the profile and appeal of former racehorses – the likes of dual Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kauto Star and Grade 1 winner Grands Crus have gone on to enjoy success in their second career.

The new sale is the next step in facilitating the movement of racehorses from training yards to new homes.

Entry to the Brightwells sale will cost the subsidised rate of £50 (plus VAT). Each horse sold will have a non-racing agreement clause added to its passport, preventing it from ever racing again. The closing date for entries is May 8.

Grade 1 winner Grands Crus is enjoying life in his second career showjumping

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Andrew Elliott of Brightwells said: “We are very pleased to be working with RoR on the sale. Brightwells already conducts sales of bloodstock at Ascot and Cheltenham, however this new sale is aimed at horses leaving the racing industry that may have more to give as future competition or riding horses.

“Not only do owners get a subsidised entry fee, they also get piece of mind in that every sale will be accompanied by a change in the horse’s passport ensuring that it cannot subsequently be raced.

“Hopefully this new venture and outlet will prove useful for trainers and owners and most importantly for all suitable horses.”

The venue for the sale is the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW. For further details see brightwells.com.

Carole Goldsmith: degree is world-class

First MBA for the racing industry The BHA, Levy Board and University of Liverpool have combined to launch the inaugural Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA. Applications are open now, with the course – designed to produce future industry leaders – beginning in September.

It is suited to both those already working within British racing and individuals wishing to embark upon a career in the industry. The programme combines the modules of a world-class MBA with the specialised needs of horseracing, and students will gain understanding of management of racecourses and training centres, marketing, advertising, sponsorship, bloodstock management and veterinary issues.

The course offers vocational training through industry placements and visits to racecourses, studs, training yards, media companies and betting industry firms. It is a 12-month full-time programme or 24-month part-time, the latter designed in particular for candidates in employment. There are seven scholarship places available on the 2015/16 course.

Carole Goldsmith, Director of People and Development for the BHA, said: “We are delighted to launch and help fund the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA, a new world-class educational programme created to cultivate leaders in the racing industry.

“The course is the first of its kind in racing.

It offers top-class teaching and is a worldwide recognised qualification.”

Further information can be obtained at www.liverpool.ac.uk/horseracingmba.

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in association with

Racing’s news in a nutshell PEOPLE AND BUSINESS Tom Siddall Jump jockey quits the saddle aged 37 to focus on his equine dentistry business.

Strangles Single case of the potentially fatal horse disease is identified in the Newmarket stable of Marco Botti.

Richard Mullen Dubai-based 38-year-old claims his first UAE riders’ championship, his wins including a Group 1 on Reynaldothewizard.

Noel Quinlan Trainer relinquishes licence due to a lack of paying owners; as assistant to his late brother Mick he enjoyed success at Royal Ascot and Cheltenham.

Horses in training BHA releases figures that show the number of Flat horses in training has increased by 3% for the first three months of the year, up to 8,914.

Ryan Tate Barry Geraghty Jockey misses Aintree’s Grand National after fracturing his tibia in a fall at Downpatrick.

Jim Mullen Takes over from Richard Glynn as Chief Executive of Ladbrokes, having joined the firm in 2013 from William Hill.

Maggie Carver Will succeed Ian Barlow as Chairman of the Racecourse Association in June.

Harry Fry Young trainer enjoys first Grade 1 winner courtesy of Bitofapuzzle’s triumph at Fairyhouse over Easter.

Apprentice to Clive Cox, who enjoyed his best season in 2014 with 43 winners, breaks his right leg in a gallops fall.

Jamie Moore A broken tibia and fibia, caused by his mount falling on the walkway at Towcester, will keep the jump jockey on the sidelines.

Also...

Rodney Masters, the Racing Post’s longserving Lambourn correspondent, retires after 47 years in journalism; James Burn will now cover the Lambourn area for the paper.

Ryan Moore will ride as first jockey to Aidan O’Brien’s Ballydoyle stable following Joseph O’Brien’s ongoing battle with the scales. Racecourse Media Group, which manages the media rights of 34 tracks, will offer bookmakers the chance to buy the rights direct rather than through TurfTV. Josh Moore breaks his collarbone after falling from Sire De Grugy in the Melling Chase at Aintree. Robbie McNamara begins recuperation after suffering serious injuries in a fall at Wexford. The BHA says it will launch a comprehensive National Hunt review, the first in a decade. 21-year-old Australian rider Chad Schofield will spend three months in Britain attached to Ed Dunlop’s stable. George Irvine, the longest-serving member of staff at SIS, leaves the firm after 28 years and will set up his own consultancy business. Talented amateur jockey Colman Sweeney, who won the Foxhunter Chase at the Cheltenham Festival on three occasions, calls time on his career in the saddle.

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It’s all we do. We are your unfair advantage.

Unrivalled Access. Astute Advice.

Please contact either Robert Fanshawe or Henry Hannon on 01635 813 130

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>>

TWEENHILLS TIMES AN EYE FOR SUCCESS

MAY 2015

Group-one breakthrough for Makfi

Marky Mark, a first-crop son of the sire, won Awapuni’s Gr.1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes for trainer Moira Murdoch and his owner/breeders Brendan and Jo Lindsay. He also won the Gr.3 Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie in January and was

then fourth in the Gr.1 Diamond Stakes at the same track in March.

Qatar Bloodstock stallion Makfi stood at Tweenhills Farm & Stud for the past four years, but is now resident at HH Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval, making him more readily available to French breeders. He sired Marky Marky while at New Zealand’s Westbury Stud for the Southern Hemisphere season.

Photograph: Trish Dunell

Makfi has gained the expected breakthrough at Group One level with a top-grade win in New Zealand.

Noble mare nearly a Queen The wonderful mare Noble Protector has continued to be a flag-bearer for Qatar Bloodstock since featuring in Tweenhills Times last month.

Photograph: Fast Track Photography

She is now Group One placed, for after winning the Gr.3 Schweppervescence Trophy in March she went on to finish third in the Aus$1m Gr.1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes at Royal Randwick in April.

The rain-softened ground was all

against her, but she finished fast and late and missed out on second place by just a short-head.

Five-year-old Noble Protector was bought privately by David Redvers last summer as a Listed winner for trainer Stuart Kittow. Now based with Robert Smerdon, she will stay in training and is an exciting prospect for Australia’s spring calendar of races.

Sheikh’s Sporting bid in charity r ace Sheikh Fahad was due to ride in a charity race at Limerick in late April, to raise funds for Irish Injured Jockeys.

He deserves huge praise for the effort, for he had not ridden since a child and starved himself to shed many pounds in weight, but mornings on the gallops with various trainers who handle horses for Qatar Racing proved his capabilities.

Last year Sheikh Fahad, six Qatar Racing trainers and David Redvers, raised £200,000 for Racing Welfare by running the London Marathon. To support his latest fund-raising bid, visit http://www.mycharity.ie/event/sheikh_fahad_al_thani_charity_race/

Havana’s first foals are pure Gold

Havana Gold x Gypsy Carnival

Havana Gold x Glee Club

Havana Gold x Maid In Heaven

Havana Gold x Mortitia

It’s not too late to follow 8 Qatar Racing’s 8 to Follow competition starts on QIPCO 2000 Guineas day, May 2, so if you hope to win a share of nearly £20,000 in prize money and have yet to enter now is your chance.

The rules are simple – pick eight horses from among those trained in Europe for Qatar Racing, Pearl Bloodstock and associated partnerships, and gain points through your selections winning or being placed – the person with the most points picks up £10,000. Each ‘stable’ must include four two-year-olds, but you can enter as many times as you like. Entries cost £10 and money raised heads to the charity Racing Welfare.

A full list of horses, and some helpful tips from experts associated with Qatar Racing, can be found at: www.8tofollow.co.uk

Tweenhills Farm & Stud, Hartpury, Gloucestershire, GL19 3BG W: www.tweenhills.com T: + 44 (0) 1452 700177 M: + 44 (0) 7767 436373 E: davidredvers@tweenhills.com

645 - Tweenhills Times May 2015_FINAL AW.indd 1

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RACEHORSE AND STALLION MOVEMENTS AND RETIREMENTS Mull Of Killough Globetrotting gelding who amassed more than £370,000, running in Singapore, Australia, Dubai and America, is retired aged nine due to injury. He won three Group 3 races at Newmarket for the Jane Chapple-Hyam stable.

Moviesta Classy sprinter, a Group 2 winner and third in last year’s Prix de l’Abbaye, moves from Yorkshire handler Bryan Smart to join Eddie Lynam in Ireland.

Vercingetorix Recently-retired South African star will begin his stud career at Maine Chance Farms, where he will stand alongside his sire Silvano.

Morestead Handicap chaser, a Fontwell regular who ran 50 times at the West Sussex track, is retired aged ten by owner Les Gilbert.

Oscar Outstanding National Hunt stallion is retired from covering duties aged 21. His best runners include Big Zeb, Rock On Ruby, Oscar Whisky and Peddlers Cross.

PEOPLE OBITUARIES Tony Edwards 74

Former wrestler who spent 12 years on the Market Rasen raceday staff, he also worked at Southwell and Nottingham.

Swing Bowler

Allen Jerkens 85

Talented hurdler for the David Pipe stable, bred by the late David Johnson out of his high-class racemare Lady Cricket, is retired aged eight.

Hall of Fame trainer in the US who sent out more than 160 stakes winners, twice defeating Triple Crown hero Secretariat.

Dave ‘Devilfish’ Ulliott 61

Toronado

Poker professional who made millions and starred in Channel 4’s Late Night Poker; he was a keen horseracing fan and punter.

Outstanding miler by High Chaparral who is standing his debut season at the National Stud will shuttle to Swettenham Stud in Victoria, Australia.

Richie Benaud 84

Hunter’s Light

Former Australia cricket captain who went on to enjoy a career as a commentator; he loved racing and owned horses with Syd Dale.

High class son of Dubawi, winner of 12 races including three Group 1s for Godolphin, suffers a tendon injury and is retired aged seven.

Ron Muddle 99

Responsible for bringing all-weather racing to Britain, having bought and transformed the tracks at Lingfield, Wolverhampton and Southwell.

Mike Mitchell 66

American trainer who sent out over 2,500 winners, including Grade 1 scorers Egg Drop and Monzante, and is the winning-most handler at Del Mar.

George Shelton 55

Director and co-founder of horseracing pictures agency Racingfotos.com, having previously worked for the Mail on Sunday.

Peter Vischer 62

German owner/breeder whose best horse was US import Bluegrass Native, champion two-year-old in 1989.

HORSE OBITUARIES Elusive Kate 6

Top-class filly for the John Gosden stable, winner of four Group 1 races including two runnings of the Prix Rothschild at Deauville, dies giving birth to her first foal.

Smart Strike 23

Dual champion sire in North America based at Lane’s End Farm, his progeny includes Curlin, Lookin At Lucky, My Miss Aurelia and English Channel.

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Fujiyama Crest 23

Staying handicapper who achieved fame as the final leg winner in Frankie Dettori’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ at Ascot in 1996.

Highland Gift 22

Ballymacoll Stud’s outstanding broodmare dies following the arrival of her Arcano colt; she produced Derby winner Golan and high-class performer Tartan Bearer.

Balder Succes 7

High-class hurdler and chaser for owner Masterson Holdings Limited and trainer Alan King, winner of Grade 1s at Aintree and Ascot.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_Aintree3_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:28 Page 18

THE BIG PICTURE

TOM SCUDAMORE IS FLYING He’s enjoyed his best ever season for winners but Tom Scudamore failed to add the Topham Chase to his list of big-race victories after his mount Monetaire failed to successfully negotiate the Canal Turn. In this dramatic Aintree scene, Scudamore can be seen in mid-air about to fall on colleague Gavin Sheehan, who was himself unshipped from Annacotty at the same fence. All the horses and riders involved in the race returned safely Photo George Selwyn

May_129_Aintree3_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:28 Page 19

AINTREE

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THE BIG PICTURE

May_129_Aintree2_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:54 Page 21

AINTREE

CLOUDS RISES TO THE TOP Jumping the third last in this year’s Grand National and Leighton Aspell looks in control on Many Clouds, with AP McCoy and Shutthefrontdoor in pursuit. Sadly for McCoy fans, there was to be no fairytale ending on the champion jockey’s final ride over the big fences, as they faded on the runin to finish fifth. Leighton Aspell, victorious last year on Pineau De Re, became the first man to ride back-to-back winners of the National since Brian Fletcher on Red Rum in 1973 and 1974. For trainer Oliver Sherwood it was a first success in the Aintree marathon, and a third triumph for owner Trevor Hemmings (pictured above with Sherwood) following Hedgehunter (2005) and Ballabriggs (2011). Many Clouds received a hero’s reception in Lambourn a day after his famous win (above right) Photos George Selwyn

May_129_Brown_Panther_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:49 Page 22

THE BIG PICTURE

May_129_Brown_Panther_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:49 Page 23

DUBAI

PANTHER OUT ON HIS OWN Brown Panther looks every inch the experienced campaigner as he limbers up for the Dubai Gold Cup under Richard Kingscote, his regular rider who returned from serious injury earlier this year, with travelling head lad Chris Ely watching on in the background.

The race itself proved very straightforward for the Tom Dascombetrained globetrotter and Kingscote, as they recorded a decisive success in the Grade 2 two-mile prize at Meydan, much to the delight of joint owners Andrew Black and Michael Owen (left) Photos George Selwyn

May_129_NewburyBigPic_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:39 Page 24

THE BIG PICTURE

May_129_NewburyBigPic_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:39 Page 25

NEWBURY

DETTORI’S DRIVE UNDIMINISHED The Greenham Stakes at Newbury on April 18 was fought out by the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned pair Estidhkaar and Muhaarar (right).

It was Muhaarar and Frankie Dettori who prevailed, with the former champion jockey showing all his poise and strength in the saddle to get the Charlie Hills-trained son of Oasis Dream home by a neck, with favourite Ivawood (purple) four and a half lengths back in third Photo Bill Selwyn

May_129_Tony_Morris_Owner 21/04/2015 12:33 Page 26

THE MAN YOU CAN’T IGNORE COMMENT

Tony Morris I subscribe to The Times and always will – winning the Saturday Jumbo crossword is a big ambition! – but did not enjoy recent articles defending changes to the Flat championship

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GEORGE SELWYN

M

y old school has long enjoyed a proud reputation for sending its pupils on to further education.

Every year the cream of the crop seem to find their way to one of the Oxbridge colleges to study all manner of subjects, some of which did not exist in my day.

Because of those long-established links the alma mater has always staged annual dinners at Oxford and Cambridge for past pupils, and this year, for the first time, I got around to attending the one at Clare College, Cambridge. Needless to say, I was the oldest attendee, I knew nobody, and nobody knew me. But they were a chatty bunch and several wanted to know whether there was a suffix to my name, featuring some initials and (Cantab). I replied that my presence had more to do with the fact that I lived only a dozen miles away and had fancied a jolly evening with some fellow Devonians.

I was delighted to learn that the master who got me through O-Level Latin was still going strong at 91, but it seemed that the grim reaper had gathered in a bumper harvest from the rest of the staff I knew. It was presumably my seniority which decreed that I should occupy the privileged seat opposite the current headmaster, a charming young man – well, young to me – born in the year before I left the school. He told me of the many things that had changed there, invited me back to the place, and I told him that I would never make the Exeter dinner all the while it maintained its habitual clash with the St Leger.

He also had questions for me, particularly wondering what I remembered of the things I had learned at school. I told him that in the fourth form, aged 12, I had memorised all the Derby winners from 1780, something not actually on the curriculum, but useful later when it came to remembering dates for my O-Level History. Blow me down if he didn’t Google ‘Derby winners’ on his tablet and invite anyone in the room to challenge me; I passed the test with 100%.

I suppose I could have told him more about what I’d learned without risking a two-

Our columnist takes issue with some of the stories produced in racing’s press room

hour detention, but I decided not to mention that my last two terms were spent in virtually total idleness. I had wanted to escape in the summer of 1962, but had nowhere to go, and my parents insisted on my staying with a view to obtaining a place at university, a fate I would have dreaded if I had believed it possible. There was no way into any uni without O-Level Maths, which was beyond my comprehension. First time around I got 7%, reputedly the lowest mark in the county.

I could work out what a half-crown win double at 100-6 and 100-7 would pay, but trigonometry was always going to beat me.

The three A-Levels I’d already got meant nothing while maths remained a mystery. In those last two terms I suffered four periods a week in the company of kids three years younger than me, not even trying to make sense of sines, cosines and other such nonsense, and spent the rest of my time in the school library, where a daily delight was provided in the form of a copy of The Times.

In those days the front page comprised nothing but advertisements, but I soon learned where to find home and international news, and, more importantly, the location of the racing column and the crossword.

Nobody else was ever going to tear that paper away from me. After only 49 years’ addiction to the crossword I won a prize for the Saturday cryptic.

School work was the last thing on my mind, and I revelled in what I could only construe as idleness, but I recognise it now as highly constructive idleness. I was learning all the time, sometimes quite unconsciously, about words, and I was learning from a quality publication; that was good grounding for a lad with ambitions in journalism.

As the paper’s correspondents were anonymous, I had no idea who was hiding behind ‘From Our Racing Correspondent’, but the guy was well-informed, he knew how to string a few sentences together in impeccable English, and he educated the ignorant me no less than Clive Graham and Peter O’Sullevan, whom I read at home every morning in the Daily Express. I wasn’t to know that before very long I would get to meet Clive, Peter and Frank Byrne, the mystery Times man.

I have held The Times in the highest regard for more than 50 years, and at one time might have relished a chance to join its staff, if it weren’t for the fact that I have been lucky THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_Tony_Morris_Owner 21/04/2015 12:33 Page 27

enough to find employment with other worthy publications. While I never had a byline in The Times, there were occasions during my agency days when my words appeared in it, and I was mightily chuffed to read them there.

Differing views I am still a subscriber to The Times, and always will be, not least in the hope of realising my ambition to win the Saturday Jumbo crossword, but there are days when I have to feel that its current racing correspondent writes with the primary intention of annoying me.

Alan Lee, who writes for this magazine, is a nice guy. I enjoyed reading him when he wrote for the paper about cricket, and I take no exception to most of what he writes about racing.

But he appears to have become the chief advocate and apologist for all the absurdities recently introduced in Flat racing. His Times column of March 24, in which he attacked all who are opposed to change, and in particular castigated those opposed to the recently announced abbreviated jockeys’ championship season, was as wrong as it could be.

I make no apology for being a traditionalist. I’ve been in this game for over half a century and I know how valuable tradition is. The sport’s marketing arm do not and have not got the wit to realise the damage they are doing.

I don’t object to change per se. I’ve seen plenty of changes – starting stalls, Sunday racing, and a whole lot more besides. I’ve been in agreement with many of them. I like progress.

Alan Lee says that the essence of any championship is that it should be aspirational.

All those eligible to compete should see it as an ambition. And he says that in National Hunt racing the title is an ambition for almost all. So how many in the last 20 years have nurtured an ambition to be champion rider over jumps? There has never been a proper contest in that period, and who could ever have seriously imagined he might win it, save a couple of broken legs for the obvious champ?

Yes, aspiration counts in many sports, but not necessarily in racing.

Through all the years I was privileged to watch Lester Piggott in action, I was in no doubt about who the best jockey was. But he didn’t have to win the title every year to convince me of that. There were guys who wanted it more than him sometimes, and the championship came as a reward for industry. And there was nothing wrong with that. Those champions earned their titles.

So the jockeys were consulted over the changes made for 2015 and they like them. No, some of them like them, because they can employ less effort and maybe acquire bogus glory. The industrious guys, who will ride day in, day out, doing their damnedest in Britain all the time, are the fellows Britain should be promoting, not those who think that five and a half months constitute a season.

I favour change. I welcomed a Flat season that started on January 1 and lasted until December 31, something that sport on the allweather brought us. That is the truth about what the Flat season is.

Anything else is a lie in my opinion, and I am appalled that my favourite newspaper throughout the last half-century should be promoting that lie.

“While I never had a byline I was chuffed when my words appeared in The Times”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_HowardWright_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 12:27 Page 28

HOWARD WRIGHT COMMENT

Whoever the next Prime Minister and whatever the make-up of the next government, racing’s place in the grand scheme of things is in jeopardy

W

Corridors of uncertainty

ho will you vote for? That’s not in the forthcoming ROA and TBA elections, important though they are for both organisations, but in the really big one on May 7.

Will you be voting for the party that completed a truncated departmental consultation on the Horseracing Betting Right on March 12, and just six days later announced in the Budget that it was imminent?

Or will you vote for the party whose frontbench spokesman has declared that the betting right should be extended to all sports, in order to support grass roots?

Perhaps you will vote for the party that would slice off the UK at Hadrian’s Wall and allow five racecourses to float free and fend for themselves. Or maybe you will vote for the party that would cut off the supply of overseas stable staff overnight.

Or even the party, of a grass-coloured hue, that would ban the use of the whip immediately, close “dangerous” racecourses and introduce a “high level of compulsory levy” to be used solely for welfare purposes.

In the event, when the pencil hovers over the ballot paper, none of these considerations will shape opinions more than the economy, health, education and possibly immigration.

Yet next month’s voting patterns will still impact on British racing.

Ignore the polls, which are about as unreliable as the SP forecasts in some national newspapers; the betting markets say the outcome of the election will be a very different set-up in Westminster than we have encountered over the last five years.

Just as in 2010, even if either the Conservatives or Labour emerges with more seats than the next party, it will not be able to form a majority government. The difference this time will be in the make-up of votes among the allies on which the minority government will need to rely to get any legislation passed.

Bills will be much harder to get through the scrutiny of the Commons. Horse-trading will be the order of the day, and horseracing will be low down the list of priorities, simply because it carries little kudos and, as far as funding from bookmakers’ pockets is concerned, would risk debate far in excess of its

28

David Cameron on his visit to the Newmarket gallops, with MP Matthew Hancock

importance in relation to other major issues.

The last parliament can be regarded as a golden age for attention given to horseracing, but other than completion of the sale of the Tote, which was always on the agenda, and a commitment to tax offshore bookmakers, little of lasting significance has been achieved.

The facility to abolish the levy and the Levy

“The changing face of the next parliament should not be underestimated”

Board by means of a statutory instrument already exists, but the world is still waiting for a solution, and a replacement ‘levy’, which the BHA has said publicly is the Horseracing Betting Right, would require primary legislation, and for the reasons already noted this is unlikely to happen quickly, or without challenge in the UK and beyond.

The changing face of the next parliament should not be underestimated. Several previous supporters of racing and betting are standing down; others will get no farther than the final count, and there are likely to be around 200 new MPs, many of whom will know next to nothing about the sport, nor care, and whose immediate focus will be on popular, easy wins.

British racing’s romp to the start of a betting right has been taken through the corridors of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, where change is also on the cards. Culture secretary Sajid Javid is destined for a more illustrious posting, whether in government or opposition, while pro-racing sports minister Helen Grant is no certainty to retain her seat in Maidstone and The Weald, having succeeded Ann Widdecombe in 2010 with a majority that plummeted from 15,000 to 5,889.

Change is also in the air in British racing.

Nick Rust has settled into the Chief Executive’s chair at the BHA but remains relatively new to the business. The ROA and the TBA will have a fresh President and Chairman respectively at the helm from midsummer. They should prepare themselves for a bumpy ride over long-term funding.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 12:30 Page 30

VIEW FROM IRELAND

By JESSICA LAMB

CAROLINE NORRIS

Katie Walsh became the third jockey of her sex to win the Irish Grand National, giving Thunder And Roses an accomplished ride at Fairyhouse for trainer Sandra Hughes

Female firepower – but only on the track Jockeys and trainers are making their mark yet official bodies remain male-dominated

I

n a recent interview in this magazine, Jessica Harrington, Ireland’s foremost female trainer, said: “In Ireland more than England, racing is a far more male-dominated business. We don’t have a female starter, or a clerk of the scales, or a stipendiary steward, or a clerk of the course. I am always laughing about the situation.”

While Harrington, along with Nina Carberry, Katie Walsh, Liz Doyle and Sandra Hughes have shown the strength of women in Irish racing, there remains a distinct lack of female influence at an official level. Walsh and Hughes, who took over from her late father Dessie last year, teamed up to win the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse over Easter, catapulting back into the spotlight the prominence of Ireland’s racing ladies.

Walsh became the third woman to win the Fairyhouse event, after Nina Carberry and Ann Ferris, and has come closest to winning the Aintree Grand National, coming third on Seabass three years ago. She is the official ambassador for the British race, despite being based in Ireland and being Irish. Then there’s Carberry, who produced a superb ride aboard On the Fringe to land this year’s Aintree Fox Hunters’.

That’s only the present, and two examples, but this knowledge and mastery is not represented in the Turf Club, giving few female perspectives or input on big decisions. The Chief Executives of the Turf Club and Horse Racing Ireland are Denis Egan and Brian Kavanagh – only Meta Osborne sits as a steward of the Turf Club.

When it comes to raceday officials – starters,

30

clerks, judges – men rule the roost. Jennifer Walsh, sister to Katie and champion jockey Ruby, is the only paid female official outside of Turf Club vets and doctors.

Osborne stresses that this is not by design and that the system of selection is “fair”. She is, however, dissatisfied with the lack of women in official positions. She said: “I am disappointed when I sit at the top of the table and look down and see so few women. But the stewards’ room is a fair place. I just don’t think women think about it as a career. That said, the Turf Club hasn’t been recruiting lately and many of the present officials have held their positions for several years.”

Valerie Cooper, one of the many voluntary stewards, agrees with Osborne but thinks there is about to be a change. She said: “When they get the job it’s their job for life, unless they wish to leave. So they start at 25 or 30 years of age, after riding for example, and are there until they retire.

When the likes of Peter Mathews, Shay Quinn, Lorcan Wyer and Michael O’Donoghue were appointed, women didn’t really come into it.

“Now you have so many fantastic female trainers and jockeys and racing professionals that there is bound to come a time when they will get those roles, when they will be clerks and starters and senior stipendiary stewards – paid officials.

“There are only 11 female members of the Irish National Hunt Steeplechase Committee and Turf Club and 69 males the last time I counted.”

Cooper, whose family owned brilliant mare Opera Hat and now own her successful son

Woodland Opera, explains that she takes her voluntary stewarding position because she feels the integrity of racing is paramount.

She said: “The four stewards on the day [of the races] do so with a completely open mind, and we also stand down if we feel there’s a conflict of interest. For example, I have Woodland Opera in training with Jessica Harrington, so if Jessica or her jockey were to come in before the stewards, I would just disappear and have nothing to do with it. Every steward does that.”

Happy Christmas, mum!

Cooper’s late husband Tom bought Opera Hat as a yearling in 1989, but died before she won one of her 15 races. Cooper was keen to keep the mare after his death because he had loved her so much, but she was sold pregnant with her first foal shortly after her last run. Cooper didn’t think she would see her again.

“One Christmas Day I was asked out to the door at about 3pm – sloshed on champagne probably!” she said. “I saw my grand-daughter, Alice, leading around this rat of a thing and I thought it was her new pony. I hadn’t seen her for five years, but it was Opera Hat! Patrick, my son, had bought her back and told me nothing.”

They bred Woodland Opera, her last foal and only winning progeny. She added: “Tom bought her as he liked her face. His father trained the fourth dam, who ran in the Irish Oaks – I think she was last. It was sad that he never lived to see her racing. She’s still alive and up at the Fowlers.”

May_129_View_From_Ireland_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 12:31 Page 31

Can Joseph O’Brien replicate his success on the Flat over jumps? The champion jockey was last month stood down as number one rider for his father Aidan’s Ballydoyle stable after struggling with his weight.

The 21-year-old has already had a handful of rides over hurdles this season and, with O’Brien last year actively increasing his jumps string, it was always on the cards that his son would eventually make the switch.

Now Ryan Moore has been announced as the new partner for Ballydoyle’s big guns, leaving O’Brien free to explore jumping further at an easier weight for his 6ft frame. There is a view that being a good jockey transfers to all codes and that a champion is a champion regardless of the discipline. This has transpired with other top jockeys who have turned to jumping; Lester Piggott won over hurdles and Johnny Murtagh, months after winning his third Derby on Motivator, finished second in the World Hurdle on Golden Cross. Jamie Spencer has also won over jumps, as has Seamie Heffernan.

A sidebar to this new challenge for O’Brien is the potential revival of his uncle Joe’s Piltown Stables in Kilkenny. That’s where his mother AnneMarie started training jumpers before handing the licence to Aidan. When he became master of Ballydoyle, AnneMarie’s

CAROLINE NORRIS

Beginnings of a longer story for O’Brien?

Joseph O’Brien’s future might not only lie in riding jumpers but in training them

sister, Frances, took over, but she moved to the Curragh in 2002 with husband Pat Smullen and her father was forced to take the reins again to keep Piltown and its famous hill gallop alive. He did that with aplomb until ill health took hold and the yard has not saddled

a runner since 2009.

Not only is there the possibility that AnneMarie could train jumpers from there once again, but also the very real prospect that her son could one day switch from riding to training at Piltown and continue the legacy.

In brief The Curragh has cut admission prices by a quarter for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (June 27) to mark the 150th running of the Classic. Tickets bought in advance will cost €25, and a ticket including Dublin Coach transport from the City Centre will be available for €30.

There will also be a new art installation on the approach roundabout and the publishing of a book on the history of the race to mark the anniversary. The racecourse has also signed up Tattersalls to sponsor the Irish 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas for the next three years.

Michael Halford will send Debutante Stakes heroine Raydara to the 1,000 Guineas without a run. Ireland has a strong hand already in the race with Aidan O’Brien’s army and Jim Bolger’s Rockfel Stakes winner Lucida, but

Halford feels his 25-1 shot is vastly improved and ready to take them on.

He said: “Four runs last year was plenty and she has wintered well and is stronger this year.

She shows speed at home and I expect the mile to be perfect for her. She’s going well and we’re going to give her a racecourse gallop.”

Halford’s other big hope this season is Toscanini, who is being targeted at the Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Evanna McCutcheon, trainer of leading sprinter Maarek, has joined the moviemaking ranks. Following on from Curragh handler Michael O’Callaghan’s exploits with his gallopers and action cameras, McCutcheon has developed a very professional short film of a galloping session using Magisto.com. It’s not got the unique angles and insights that

Maarek with his trainer – and now film-maker – Evanna McCutcheon

O’Callaghan’s clip has, but it does show off Magisto’s impressive editing tools and flags it as another option for trainers wishing to keep owners in the loop.

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May_129_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:42 Page 32

CONTINENTAL TALES AK

IA

Small but perfectly formed and vibrant Scene in one of Europe’s minnows benefiting from new Bratislava development

S

lovakia is a small racing nation punching above its weight, continuing to innovate and modernise as its 2015 season gets under way.

Having split from Czechoslovakia in 1993, this Central European country has a population of only five and a half million but a racing history that dates back fully 200 years. Bratislava is not only its capital city but also the venue for its main racecourse, which has been in operation since 1826 and in recent years has hosted appearances from world-class jockeys ranging from Lester Piggott to Frankie Dettori and Kieren Fallon.

Bratislava stages three-quarters of Slovakia’s 20 annual race meetings and pulls average crowds of 2,500, making it the city’s second biggest sporting attraction behind the Slovan Bratislava ice hockey team.

In order to accommodate such numbers in comfort, a new grandstand is currently under construction. This project has already had €1 million spent on it and, come completion, is estimated to run to four times that amount.

The biggest race of the season, the Slovenske Derby, scheduled this year for Sunday, July 19, is expected to bring more than 6,000 people through the turnstiles. However, admission fees will contribute little to the €64,000 in prizemoney on offer for the big race or the expensive new grandstand as entry is charged at just €2 per head.

Yet the Turf Direktorium Bratislava (or Slovakian Jockey Club) rightly prides itself on being ranked the eighth best country in Europe in terms of how much of the expense of having a horse in training is recovered from prizemoney. Slovakian owners can expect a 34% return on their outlay, well ahead of their British counterparts on 24%.

So how is this figure achieved? One key factor is the low cost of training fees in Slovakia. The nation’s 22 licenced trainers house around 260 active racehorses and charge an average monthly training fee of €400. Hence the average race value of €4,460 represents a decent level of remuneration.

More important still is the support of the government, or more specifically the Ministry of Agriculture, which is both racing’s founder and its guarantor. The Direktorium does its best to bring in extra income via sponsorship and the hiring out of racecourse facilities, but the bulk of its funding comes from the state.

Slovakia is unlikely to suddenly become a

32

KAREL NEMEC

SLO V

By JAMES CRISPE, INTERNATIONAL RACING BUREAU

Ryan, the best Slovak-trained horse of this century, secures one of his 20 victories

European racing superpower. The only time in living memory that it has contributed to the British racing scene was in 1993 and 1994 when Quirinus, trained and ridden by Jaroslav Brecka, took part in the Grand National.

Over a third of runners at Slovakian race meetings come from the neighbouring Czech Republic and less than one in seven of its participants are home-bred.

“Its number of

thoroughbred stallions is up to nine, at eight different privatelyowned studs” Yet it does have a vibrant, if small, breeding industry. Its number of thoroughbred stallions is up to nine, at eight different privately-owned studs, including a couple of familiar names in The Bogberry, a Group 3 winner and third in the Craven Stakes in 2008 when trained by Aidan O’Brien, and Calming Influence, a King’s Best horse who won over £500,000 during a 15-

race career for Godolphin.

Much is hoped for in 2015 and beyond from the first crop of the best Slovak-trained horse of this century, Ryan. An Irish-bred son of Generous from the family of the 2005 Prix de l’Opera winner Kinnaird, Ryan was a 17,000 guineas yearling purchase at Tattersalls in Newmarket in 2004 and went on to win 20 of his 45 starts, notably three Italian Listed events.

The influence of Slovakia around our continent was enhanced by the election in February of the Direktorium’s CEO, Dr Marian Surda, to the Executive Council of the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF).

The EMHF has selected Bratislava as the venue in January 2016 for a ‘Training Masterclass’ from Middleham-based Mark Johnston. This two-day event will be open to trainers from Slovakia and all other EMHF member countries.

EMHF Secretary General Dr Paull Khan said: “Our Central European members, in particular, have been keen to hear from a trainer of international renown all about the many aspects of the trainer’s art, from finding owners, to buying and selling horses, to race placement, etc. Slovakia kindly offered to host and we are delighted someone of Mark’s stature has agreed to do this masterclass.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

SVENSK GALOPP

May_129_Continental_Tales_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:42 Page 33

N DE

FRAN

SWE

Bro Park racecourse, which will cost around £50 million to build, is due to open next year and will feature a turf and sand track

New era – and track – for Stockholm’s finest

The clock is ticking on an upcoming great upheaval.

Come November 25, the lights will go out on 55 years of action at Sweden’s top racecourse, Täby, in Stockholm.

Safety helmets will replace riding helmets as the site of the track, home to three of the nation’s five Classic races, is handed over to construction workers and building commences on an estimated 6,000 new homes.

Work on Täby’s replacement is well under way. The new course – expected to cost nearly £50 million to build – is some 20 miles north of Stockholm and has been christened Bro Park.

No opening date has yet been agreed upon but, barring accidents, it will be in the spring of next year as entries have already been taken for four races there, including the 2016 Swedish

CE

2,000 Guineas and Oaks. The new course will feature both a 1,900-metre (1m1f110yds) sand track and a 2,200-metre (1m3f) turf course.

Planning for both the new surfaces has been meticulous, as Nicholas Cordrey, Director Of Racing at the Swedish Jockey Club, revealed.

“Getting a turf course to bed in here is far from straightforward, as grass only grows for five months of the year,” he said. “But, on the advice of a specialist company, Mällarturf, which has done this kind of thing lots of times, the turf that we are going to use has already been growing at a golf course for two or three years.

“It will be moved to the course in April and the new irrigation system will be ready to help maintain it from May 1. It will not be over-used in its first season – we may programme only between 20 and 25 turf races. Bro Park will, like

Täby, stage racing through the winter, which means that getting the right sand surface is also quite a challenge given that the ground freezes to a depth of around one metre.

“The new sand track will start off being very close to what currently exists at Täby, with no clay content in order to cope with large volumes of snow. But in the last four or five years it has been becoming warmer, meaning that we have been experiencing problems with snow melt even before March – which is normally our month without racing when we allow everything to thaw – so the new track will have both horizontal and vertical drainage.”

Cordrey is aiming for intimacy, saying: “We are not going to build stands like at Royal Ascot.

But although facilities will be smaller than at Täby, the track itself will be bigger.”

This one stays longer than the brother-in-law

It is rare for a Group 1-winning Flat horse to be sent hurdling, but the recent Auteuil winner Les Beaufs seems to have transferred his ability on the level to jumping and, who knows, may even make an impact at the top tier over obstacles too.

Les Beaufs was one of the fairytale stories of the 2012 French season. A £3,100 yearling purchase trained by little-known provincial handler Valerie Seignoux, he has been owned throughout his career in partnership by her husband and brother-in-law, hence his name, which is French slang for ‘brothers-in-law’.

From the humblest of beginnings – six consecutive defeats often in modest company – this mud-loving son of Apsis shot to fame

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

by winning the 2012 Prix Royal-Oak. He began the following campaign in victorious style but then his career went steadily off the rails, so that when he made his hurdling bow at Nantes last November he arrived there on the back of 11 consecutive losses and had beaten a total of just one rival during his three previous starts.

The flame seems to have been reignited by the change in codes as, following an easy debut victory, he beat all but the very useful La Vaticane (who is now with David Pipe) at Auteuil on his final 2014

start and returned to France’s premier jumps venue to land a £40,000 two and a quarter mile hurdle in some style on March 29.

His success is made even more heartwarming by the constant presence in his saddle of Julien Guillochon – both on the Flat and over the sticks. For Guillochon is Seignoux’s young son who, on the very day of their latest triumph together, was celebrating having been on this earth for just 22 years.

Les Beaufs and his constant companion Julien Guillochon

33

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May_129_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:56 Page 35

AROUND THE GLOBE THE WORLDWIDE RACING SCENE

GEORGE SELWYN

NORT H A MER ICA

by Steve Andersen

Trainer Art Sherman is sad not to have California Chrome with him in Los Alamitos

Chrome a long way from California

T

he disappointment was palpable.

Trainer Art Sherman stood in the saddling enclosure at Santa Anita in southern California on April 2. Before him was one of his 20 horses, Afleet In Time, who was about to run fourth in a mile race for $20,000 claimers.

Less than a week earlier, Sherman watched California Chrome, his stable’s zstar, finish a game second to Prince Bishop in the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan in Dubai. Following the race, Sherman expected California Chrome to return to southern California for a summertime American campaign. But majority owner Perry Martin had other ideas.

To the surprise of Sherman and minority owner Steve Coburn, Martin had plans to send California Chrome to Newmarket, and trainer Rae Guest’s yard, with the intent of preparing for the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 17. Sherman was shocked by the decision.

“I hope the horse runs well,” he said. “It will be different. It’s my first time doing something like this.”

California Chrome, the 2014 American THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Horse of the Year, is in unchartered territory as well. A California-bred with a modest pedigree, California Chrome has run once on turf, winning the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby at Del Mar last November against a modest field. He has never experienced anything similar to a course such as the straight mile at Newbury, where he could run in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes on May 16, or the undulating right-handed track at Ascot.

California Chrome has known only lefthanded racecourses, and many of those of a uniform nature. Even Meydan, which now has a dirt surface, seems as American as racing at Churchill Downs or Santa Anita.

California Chrome has won nine of 18 starts and earned $6,322,650, but he has lost five of his last six outings. The six-race winning streak that included three consecutive Group 1s – the Santa Anita Derby, Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes – last April and May are fading from memory.

Sherman expressed concern about Martin’s plans to run California Chrome in both UK races, and about other possible targets such as the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp and the Japan Cup at Tokyo.

After all, he’s a thoroughbred racehorse, not Lewis Hamilton.

What bothered the 77-year-old Sherman as much as anything in early April was not having the horse at his stable at Los Alamitos.

“It will be hard to see that empty stall,” Sherman said, with a touch of emotion in his voice.

Sherman plans to travel to England for California Chrome’s races. His son, Alan, planned to travel to England in the weeks before the Lockinge to watch training at Newmarket and visit Guest and his staff in person.

Officials with the International Racing Bureau have worked with the Shermans and Guest on the transition. How the year unfolds is uncertain, with changes possible depending on how upcoming races unfold. What is most likely is that California Chrome will be retired at the end of 2015 and may not race extensively in the United States this year.

“I don’t think we’ll see this horse back here in California,” Sherman added. “They’re talking about so many races. The horse will have to be a super horse to do what he wants.”

35

>>

May_129_AroundtheGlobe_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:56 Page 36

AROUND THE GLOBE

AUS TRA L IA

by Danny Power

Sydney showcase ticking boxes

Red Cadeaux, or ‘Big Red’ as he is known down under, has now won nearly £5 million

36

“‘Big Red’ will be

back for a fifth tilt at the Melbourne Cup, in which he has finished second twice” Australia’s premier mile handicap, the A$3m Doncaster Mile, was the feature race and the George Ryder form was franked when the three-year-old colt Kermadec, a son of Teofilo, charged home between horses to beat Real Impact. The win gave trainer Chris Waller his fourth Doncaster and his third in a row.

The Australian Derby was won by the rangy New Zealand-trained colt Mongolian Khan, who gave trainer Murray Baker his third success in the contest and his 15th Group 1 win across ‘the ditch’.

Mongolian Khan, a son of Holy Roman Emperor, was bred in Tasmania and was sold in Melbourne as a weanling for only A$7,000 – he now boasts earnings of A$1.9m after also winning the NZ Derby.

The feature sprint was won by the grey gelding Chautauqua.

He powered home late to grab outsider Lord Of The Sky on the line. Last year’s winner Lankan Rupee finished a weakening ninth after a muscle tear in his chest hindered his preparation.

None of the BRONWEN HEALY

If the quality of racing – not the rain-soaked racetrack and small crowds – is the measure of success, then Sydney’s two-meeting A$16.7 million The Championships at Randwick gets an emphatic tick.

This second year of the big-money push to revamp Sydney’s autumn carnival had the welcome boost of the presence of four highclass Japanese gallopers, who settled in well under the media gaze at the new quarantine centre at Canterbury racecourse.

The Japanese were joined by England’s old marvel, Red Cadeaux, who ran a typical game fourth in the Group 1 Australian Cup at Flemington early in March before heading to Sydney. Red Cadeaux has become a cult hero in Australia. He’s been here so many times even his neighs have an Australian twang!

The Japanese were up and running early in the pre-The Championships races at Rosehill and quickly made an impact – a Real Impact. The powerful son of Deep Impact won the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill with a sustained exhibition of front-running. Jockey James McDonald described Real Impact as “awesome”, while trainer Noriyuki Hori said the horse was only “80% fit” after overcoming a heel issue.

Earlier in the day, Tosen Stardom, trained by Yosutoshi Ikee, finished a game second behind Godolphin’s Contributer in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes. Ikee also had the highly rated To The World and World Ace in Sydney for The Championships.

The first day of The Championships on Saturday, April 4 was a wash out, but the circus regrouped under dry tents to stage the meeting two days later, albeit on a heavy track.

Only 11,000 people, half of what was expected, turned up on the Easter Monday holiday, however they were treated to some wonderful, competitive racing.

big-name sprinters that raced at Randwick will be at Royal Ascot, but Australia will be well represented by Chris Waller’s brilliant colt Brazen Beau, who won the Newmarket Handicap, and the Robert Smerdon-trained mare Shamal Wind, who may not rank with the top sprinters, though she did win the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield.

The second day of The Championships on Saturday, April 10 featured the A$4m Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Overnight rain meant the meeting was also run on a slow/heavy track, but under blue skies.

Criterion produced the run of the carnival to win the QE Stakes – his first win since he took the 2014 Australian Derby. The training partnership of David Hayes and his nephew Tom Dabernig have been having a terrific season and Criterion’s win was their second Group 1 this year – they won the Group 1 Australian Cup with the import Spillway, previously trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, in March.

While much of the attention was on Criterion, who has emerged as a real star, the just under 24,000 at Randwick gave Red Cadeaux a heart-felt reception for his fast-finishing second. What an amazingly resilient horse. ‘Big Red’ rarely lets trainer Ed Dunlop and owner Ronald Arculli down and he pocketed another £390,000 to add to a bank balance that is nearing £5 million.

Jockey Kerrin McEvoy said “he doesn’t feel like a nine-year-old”, and Dunlop declared he will be back for a fifth tilt at the Melbourne Cup in November, a race in which he has finished second twice.

Before that, Red Cadeaux and Criterion had business in Hong Kong for the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (run on April 26) and it is likely Criterion will accompany his new older mate to Newmarket, where he will be prepared for Royal Ascot.

Criterion’s New Zealand owner/breeder Sir Owen Glenn said it is his ambition to win at Royal Ascot, and Criterion deserves his chance. “It will be in either the Queen Anne or the Prince of Wales’s Stakes,” he said.

Debate remains healthy as to whether The Championships, with its strong financial support from the state government, is attracting the crowds to warrant the A$10m of funding. But as a brand it works and the fact the races are attracting growing international interest makes it a tough call to say it is not a success.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_TalkingTo5pp_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:58 Page 38

TALKING TO...

LORD GRIMTHORPE

The full

MONTE York racecourse Chairman Lord Grimthorpe describes his day job as Racing Manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah as the “best in racing” – and with Juddmonte’s operation producing homebreds of the calibre of Frankel and Kingman, it’s not hard to see why

By Tim Richards • Photos George Selwyn

H

ow difficult is it managing the racing interests of Prince Khalid Abdullah, one of the biggest owners in the world, and overseeing York, in many eyes the best racecourse in the land?

It is a balance. Prince Khalid very kindly allowed me to become Chairman of my home course.

You make time for the things you want to do and I enjoy both jobs so much. I try and put in 100% with both assignments and think how lucky could I be. It’s not really pressure because I always think pressure is self-created. It is in the interests of Prince Khalid and York that we all strive for excellence, and I could not have better support from York’s Chief Executive William Derby and his team.

Did you grow up watching racing at York? And what are your earliest memories of racing generally?

My first experience of racing was when David Swannell was clerk of the course in the early 1960s. My father loved racing and I was always desperate to go – we used to have days on the Knavesmire when I was about ten or 12; I remember Alignment winning the Ebor [1968]. I was also there on that dramatic day Roberto defeated Brigadier Gerard.

I used to go to other Yorkshire courses like Ripon and Thirsk,

38

and, when my father was stationed in Malta he ran the racing there, so there were occasions when I used to go.

How many of Prince Khalid’s horses are you responsible for worldwide?

How many trainers does he have? And how do you keep up to speed with them all?

Generally there are about 250 in training at any given time. He has 14 trainers worldwide – seven in England, four in France, one in Ireland and two in the United States. Keeping up to speed with them is my job and quite frankly that’s exactly what I enjoy doing. I realise how lucky I am to be part of a breedingracing operation that produces so many good horses. I am in constant touch with all our trainers.

In the States, Garrett O’Rourke, the Farm Manager in Kentucky, does all the day-to-day arrangements with the trainers and Claude Beniada keeps me in touch in France. I do the English and Irish pretty much myself. It all finally comes through me because that makes it easier for Prince Khalid when he receives one co-ordinated report each night.

During the season I speak to him every single day. Prince Khalid watches everything, absolutely everything, specially the ones you don’t want him to watch, the disappointments!

Wherever he is he will watch all his races because he likes to follow all his horses.

You always speak very openly with the media and yet you are representing and protecting a very private man as well as the commercial and breeding interests of his horses. How difficult is that?

Prince Khalid recognises that we have a duty to keep the media informed about our horses wherever necessary or suitable. He is very

>>

May_129_TalkingTo5pp_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:58 Page 39

Lord Grimthorpe: up to speed with every Abdullah runner worldwide

May_129_TalkingTo5pp_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:59 Page 40

LORD GRIMTHORPE >> aware of the public interest. The importance

for me is to keep him fully up to date with what’s going on; I don’t want him to read anything that I haven’t told him well in advance. Prince Khalid will have a good understanding and knowledge of everything that goes out into the public domain. Then we can draw a line between what is considered the private and the public perception of news concerning the horses.

We certainly don’t want to be secretive.

Equally, we try and put out the news if we think there is likely to be a significant effect on a horse’s performance. After you’ve had a Group 1 winner it is always easy to be relaxed with the press, but on the other hand if a horse has run a stinker then it’s not much fun fielding the questions.

How difficult was it dealing with the world’s non-racing media attracted

by Frankel’s amazing feats?

It was rather a weird process. We started off talking to the local racing press, then the interest spread from Channel 4 to the BBC, ITV, the Today programme and ITN. Then it exploded into CNN, Bloomberg TV, The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times. I even did two hours with Algeciras Television. I also did monthly radio shows in Australia

New season, new look at York racecourse As Chairman of York racecourse and Racing Manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah, were you surprised by the news that the Juddmonte International, sponsored by the Prince, has been rated the best race in the world?

Naturally, we were all delighted. Wearing both my hats, I have to say we strive to make the job as good as we possibly can. Prince Khalid has supported the race for 22 years and I am pleased to say he has won it with Twice Over and Frankel, but only after a number of near misses. It is a huge honour to be rated the best race in the world; everyone from Juddmonte and York were absolutely thrilled. We’ve had some big-name horses in the race down the years and that’s what the Yorkshire public love.

York has made significant investment in its track and facilities. What are the major changes for the new season?

It’s been a two- to three-phase project starting with the new pre-parade ring, saddling and wash-down area, as well as the new weighingroom, which has a spectacular restaurant above it. We have also redeveloped and refurbished the north-eastern area, coming

40

Facilities at York are among the best in the UK – and there are changes for 2015

down from where the old pre-parade ring was. There is also a new champagne bar. The reaction from trainers and stable staff to the new pre-parade ring facilities has been beyond our wildest hopes.

What will be the benefits from moving the weighing-room to the far end of the paddock?

We had to improve the old weighing-room and were unable to do what we wanted on the original site, which is now being used as a new bar. I think the stewards, jockeys and

valets will have a big smile on their faces when they see the new weighing-room this month. We are aware that the jockeys will no longer have to walk through the crowd to the parade ring and have been very conscious that the public getting close up to the jockeys is part of the racing experience.

If we find that the new arrangements keep the jockeys too far from the public then we’ll take steps to try and bring them closer together. After all, jockeys are among the big names of the sport and racegoers love to mingle with their heroes.

May_129_TalkingTo5pp_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:59 Page 41

LORD GRIMTHORPE someone came up to me and said, ‘I’ve seen the most fantastic Frankel foal in South Africa’, I turned round and someone else told me they’d seen another, Stacelita’s foal in Japan. The worldwide interest in him and support has been extremely pleasing.

As far as the Juddmonte stock is concerned, we are incredibly excited about what he has got. In terms of what they look like, there is a pretty good mixture. I always thought personally that Frankel would have been effective from five furlongs to a mile and a half given the right considerations. That was the extraordinary thing about him. On pedigree he’s got a mixture of speed and stamina, Galileo on Kind. It’s all slightly dependent on the mare. When you’re managing young stallions you have to try to see where they do well initially with their foals, and it is a learning curve after that.

Now that James Doyle has moved on to ride for Godolphin, what is the jockey situation for Prince Khalid’s horses?

Our view at the moment is that if we have good horses there will be plenty of jockeys wanting to ride them. For this season we’ll be going for the best available. After all, we had seven or eight years without a retained jockey between the days of Richard Hughes and James Doyle, so it is not a must-have.

Frankel’s Juddmonte International win was Lord Grimthorpe’s best day’s racing

hand on South African TV. It was phenomenal and Prince Khalid was incredibly supportive. He said we have this wonderful horse and he is to be shared in this respect. The interest in Frankel was overwhelming. If I had a pound for every time I was asked, ‘How is Frankel?’ I’d be a seriously wealthy man. Luckily, the real beauty of it all was that there was only good news to report.

Having raced the world-beater that was Frankel, along comes Kingman.

Were you surprised at producing two superstars in such close succession?

And who would have won in a match over a mile on fast ground?

I always think that when things are going well it’s like a big wave and you’ve got to ride it as long as you possibly can before it all comes crashing down. The circle of fortune in racing is inevitable and to have two such outstanding horses in the space of a couple of years was very spoiling. Who would have won over six furlongs would have been an interesting question, and I’m not sure I know the answer. But I do know there will never be another Frankel, but there might be another THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

“I do know there will never be another Frankel, but there might be another Kingman”

Kingman. Kingman was exceptional, his turn of foot was really something, but the power of Frankel would have been overwhelming and made it very difficult for Kingman over six furlongs or a mile.

There is sure to be plenty of attention when Frankel’s yearlings go under the hammer. From what you have seen of the Juddmonte yearlings, do you think they look like future Guineas or Derby winners?

He got an extraordinary book of mares worldwide. I was in Hong Kong and

In 2013 it was announced that Khalid Abdullah would be scaling down his bloodstock interests. Is there any more you can tell us about the future of Juddmonte, in the UK or elsewhere?

I can tell you that Prince Khalid’s passion is undiminished. There has been a very gradual reduction in broodmares who, in a homebred operation, drive the available numbers we put into training. That has been the conscious cutback, nothing dramatic, just enough so that the operation makes sense to everyone involved. The broodmare band drives the requirements of the stud farms in Kentucky, England and Ireland, and is the absolute rock on which Juddmonte has been built.

Sir Henry Cecil and Bobby Frankel were very different personalities but both achieved huge success with Prince Khalid’s horses. What made them so good at their job?

They were both single-minded, instinctive and they had great intuition. It is always difficult to pinpoint genius or exceptional talent. All top-class trainers have that to varying degrees. Henry would walk round the yard as if he was in a daydream, but in fact he would be picking up the rhythms of the yard, and that’s one of the reasons why he

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May_129_TalkingTo5pp_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 10:59 Page 42

LORD GRIMTHORPE

CLOSE UP AND...

PERSONAL I love visiting… the Yorkshire Dales Best advice I’ve been given… if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail Four dinner party guests…

Michelle Pfeiffer, Sophie Marceau (French actress), my wife Emma and Winston Churchill I am annoyed by… litterers My guilty pleasure is… a secret

CLOSE UP AND...

PROFESSIONAL Biggest disappointment… I don’t dwell on the past Racing heroes… Colin Hayes, my father and Dick Johnson, father’s stud groom Lord Grimthorpe keeps his boss Khalid Abdullah informed on a daily basis

>> never had a mobile phone – he didn’t want to

be distracted. His horses were his friends and, yes, he probably was even better with horses than people. It was said that Bobby loved his horses and staff more than anything else, and he certainly looked after them as if he did.

Henry and Bobby had that instinctive mind of what they wanted to do with a horse, and exactly when. And they also recognised the slightest hint that something wasn’t right.

What in your view has made British racing so attractive to the massive Middle East investment?

The three foundation sires of the thoroughbred, Byerley Turk, Darley Arabian, and Godolphin Arabian, trace back to the Middle East. Their history and the cradle of the thoroughbred was nurtured on these shores. I’m sure that has played a big part in attracting and stimulating the interest from the Middle East. The fact that the Queen is so passionately involved in the sport has been magical and encouraged a lot of owners and breeders from abroad. The tradition and diversity of our racing provides an allure and charm that cannot be matched in any other sport.

Have you ever found yourself getting attached to a certain horse in its early days and then being either vindicated or let down?

I am an eternal optimist. From that point of view far too many don’t quite make the grade as you’d hoped they would. But that is the very nature of the game. You always have huge hopes for young horses, especially as you have seen them as foals and known their mother and father. Like your children you want them to be outstanding. The great thing about Frankel was

42

that he was no great surprise from birth – a very nice foal and by the time he went into training as a yearling there wasn’t a day when I didn’t want to ring up Henry and ask how Frankel was. Everyone at Juddmonte was incredibly excited about him from a very early stage.

How much are you affected by nerves on the big occasion? Is there one race in particular that stands out from the rest?

If your heart doesn’t beat on the big occasion then you don’t really care. I woke up early on the morning of Frankel’s Juddmonte thinking if things go badly today I could lose the only two

“The tradition and

diversity of our racing provides an allure and charm that cannot be matched” jobs I’ve got! When I was waiting for Prince Khalid to arrive at York I must have shaken a thousand hands, with people asking, ‘How is he?’ One man was even wearing Prince Khalid’s silks. The Yorkshire crowd was unbeatable, bursting with enthusiasm, and Henry was putting on such a brave face when he was not very well at all. It was a day none of us will ever forget. Enjoying those big times, rather than being nervous, is what the job is about. We come into racing for these moments and I

Best day of my racing life…

Juddmonte day 2012 Three words to describe my job… best in racing Alternative career… Guide Michelin inspector

would hate to think I miss any of them because I have allowed the job to get on top of me.

Another special moment in my life was Haymaker’s VRC Derby in Australia in 1974, when I drove 14 hours overnight from Lindsay Park Stud to Flemington to back him – but the winnings were soon given back I hasten to add!

Also Mrs McArdy, bred by my father, winning the 1977 1,000 Guineas. That was a great day for the family.

Do you switch off easily, and how do you like to spend your time when you’re not working?

Yes, I do switch off easily. I always say racing is my pleasure, while figuring out how to get down a mountain in one piece is hard work to me.

Can you give us a two-year-old, threeyear-old and older horse to follow this season?

I must pre-empt this by telling you that I am well known among my family as the worst tipster of all time. The two-year-old is Forge, a Dubawi colt, trained by Sir Michael Stoute.

The three-year-old is Criquette Head’s Epicuris, who will be aimed at the Prix du Jockey Club. The older horse is Kingman’s half-brother Remote, who missed last year with a bit of pneumonia but is back with John Gosden. We’ve always had a big opinion of him.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

You CAN tell a book by its cover

B AY, 2 0 1 0 , 1 6 . 1 H H , B Y G A L I L E O E X I M P R E S S I O N N A N T E ( D A N E H I L L )

His first book in 2014 included

22 Group winners (8 Gr.1) 17 dams of Group winners (5 Gr.1)

55 half/full sisters to Group winners (24 Gr.1)

by ranked ’ s e r i s res Top 014 ma orm ratings 2 r i e h f t e Time e averag 2015 fe R

00 £125,0 00 106.5 ,0 5 £12 00 106.4 Dubawi ,0 0 0 £1 l e .0 k 6 n 0 a 1 Fr Private i .0 il 0 s 6 n 0 a 1 D £80,00 o .9 0 4 le 0 li 0 a 1 ,0 G €40 proach .6 0 8 9 ,0 5 l New Ap e £7 0 And Exc 0 0 98.6 ,0 5 Exceed 2 £ m a e r .0 D 8 00 is 9 Oas €100,0 O .4 L 0 7 L 9 E INT €70,00 Spirit le .3 5 ib c 9 in Inv 015 March 2 dal reeder, Shamar er and B n w O d bre vTF Mares’ A

Source:

His second book in 2015 includes

5 Gr.1 winners, including Champion GOLDIKOVA and Classic winner WINCE, as well as the dam of leading 2014 2yo ELM PARK.

gh

, Thorou

Dr Statz

Be part of his next chapter Final nominations being offered

£25,000 (1st October, LFFR) Cheveley Park Stud

Intello_OwnerBreeder-May-2015.indd 1

Te l : 0 1 6 3 8 7 3 0 3 1 6 • e n q u i r i e s @ c h ev e l ey p a r k . c o . u k • w w w. c h e v e l ey p a r k . c o . u k

20/04/2015 11:42

May_129_georgebaker_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:05 Page 45

THE BIG INTERVIEW GEORGE BAKER

Walking TALL George Baker can empathise with Joseph O’Brien’s struggle against the scales, but like his fellow giant of the weighing-room, height and weight haven’t stopped him enjoying a successful career Words Julian Muscat • Photos George Selwyn

I

f acclaim was bestowed fairly, rather than in bouts of transient fashion, George Baker would be celebrated as one of Flat racing’s unequivocal success stories. A look at the numbers alone is praise enough. The jockey who can barely ride at 9st enjoyed a phenomenal 2014. He rode more than 100 winners during the (old) Flat jockeys’ championship, when competition is at its strongest.

He closed the year with the grand total of 162 winners, a personal best by some distance, while his strike-rate of 20% was bettered only by Ryan Moore, widely acknowledged as the world’s best jockey. All this from a man who is weighted out of two – sometimes three – races on a routine card. Or put another way, Baker has only 60% of the opportunity afforded most other riders.

One further detail warrants attention. Baker scaled these heights at the age of 32, which marked his 17th year in the saddle. He has flourished at an age when a jockey’s merit would have long been set in stone.

And who knows? The jockeys’ carousel that took William Buick and James Doyle to Godolphin, and Ryan Moore increasingly abroad, has opened doors at some of Newmarket’s most powerful stables. The Baker story could require further upgrading by the summer’s end.

So why have his fortunes taken such a turn for the better? “I don’t really know,” he says. “It never seemed to let up last year. I didn’t think I was doing anything different but I did get plenty of opportunities from decent yards. I had to pinch myself at times.

“Everything went right. I was also injury-free, and when the turf season started I rode some Group winners. It’s a great feeling when you’re on that kind of run. You think you’re indestructible.”

Baker rode five Group winners last year, the same number he’d accrued in 16 previous years. He gained his second career Group 1 triumph –

>>

May_129_georgebaker_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:05 Page 46

GEORGE BAKER >> Seal Of Approval’s Filly & Mare Stakes win

on Champions Day 2013 was the first – aboard Thistle Bird in the Pretty Polly Stakes.

He was also in the right place at the right time. James Doyle’s retainer with Khalid Abdullah saw Baker pick up some choice mounts for Roger Charlton, with whom he had existing links.

The first few months of 2015 have been less productive, although Baker is unconcerned. He hasn’t had the same ammunition. His principal source, Gary Moore’s stable, has had more jumpers and consequently fewer horses to run on the allweather.

“You get blocks of horses that come and go like that, but I’ve still had a good few winners,” he reflects. “It’s been a constant flow, rather than manic, and that’s allowed me to have a couple of week-long breaks in Dubai. I have recharged the batteries and given my body a rest.”

So he’s ready to go, braced for another turf campaign, and hoping the alliances that served him so well last year remain intact.

Nevertheless, it’s a reflection of life as a freelance jockey that Baker takes nothing for granted.

“When I packed up in December,” he relates, “I remember telling Guy [Jewell, his agent] it was difficult to see my winners total go from 162 to zero, and that I’d have to get back up there with no guarantees.

“Being freelance means I can only hope to be on the same horses I rode last year,” he continues.

“You have to pretty much prove yourself every year, but in a way I find that to be a good thing. It drives you on, you’ve got to get

Dynamic duel: Baker and Al Kazeem (right)

Baker wins at Group 1 level for the first time, riding Seal Of Approval to victory

46

out there, ride out, keep the revs up as much as you can.”

Although Baker claims to give it little thought, it can’t be easy wondering whether the quality horses you rode last year will again be your preserve. Al Kazeem, trained by Charlton, is a case in point.

Despite his link with Abdullah last season, Doyle continued to ride Al Kazeem when circumstances permitted. Baker duly got his chance in the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes, which Al Kazeem won, and the next time he rode the horse was in the Champion Stakes, when Noble Mission – ironically ridden by Doyle – narrowly prevailed in that barnstorming finish.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_georgebaker_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:05 Page 47

GEORGE BAKER feet tall and 19 years old.

It really should have been the end of the line, yet three years later he’d rebounded to surpass his previous-best total of 55 winners, which he posted as an apprentice. By then, however, he had already engaged in his daily feud with the scales.

That in itself has been an intense duel. His day starts with breakfast, followed by a hot bath. The routine is so well established that he describes his bathroom as his office.

“I have geared myself up,” he says with a smile. “I’ve got a TV in there, my phone is connected to speakers via Bluetooth and I give myself a set time to lose the weight I need to. I try to make sure I’m ready to ride when I leave home. I try to stay out of [racecourse] saunas if at all possible.”

For jockeys like Baker, the process of maintaining a stable weight has advanced

“Baths and saunas

are short-term fixes – you’re cooked if you lose all your weight that way”

battle it out with James Doyle and Noble Mission in last year’s Champion Stakes

Any jockey would be entitled to believe he should keep the ride, yet when Al Kazeem made his seasonal reappearance in France over Easter, Baker wasn’t considered because he couldn’t do the weight. Ryan Moore stepped in to collect the bounty.

“Not being able to make the weight is always going to be a hindrance to me,” Baker says. “Some years ago I’d have got frustrated, but now I know there’s nothing I can do about it. You can’t let these things wind you up. Al Kazeem was a spare ride for me in the first place, and so was Thistle Bird. You really have to prove yourself when those opportunities come around.”

Baker speaks in an unassuming, almost THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

self-deprecating tone. He is courteous, more than capable of annunciating his thoughts, and scrupulously fair. He doesn’t condemn a new development, like the revised jockeys’ championship, simply because it might not suit him personally.

He has a broader perspective than most of his contemporaries, but then, he appreciates how fortunate he is to be riding at all.

It has been a long road back for the man whose professional aspirations imploded when he was thrown from a horse in the paddock at Goodwood in 2002. He had a fit there and then; a brain haemorrhage sidelined him for ten months, during which his weight ballooned to 8st 11lb. He was six

considerably. Those before him survived on a regime of steam rooms and saunas – often to sweat off the previous night’s alcohol intake.

If Baker had followed suit he would almost certainly be on the rack.

“Baths and saunas are short-term fixes,” he avers. “You’re cooked if you lose all your weight that way; you’ve got to get weight off through hard work. I am a lot fitter now than I was three or four years ago because I do plenty of running.”

Baker winces when asked how much weight he would gain if he sat down to a Sunday roast with all the trimmings, washed down with half a bottle of red wine. “Alcohol really ruins my weight, so I hardly drink at all now,” he says.

“I wouldn’t be particularly heavy the next day but I’d be dry inside, dehydrated. And in those circumstances, when you start drinking water, your body holds on to it. I would easily put on 7lb – and it would take me three or four days to lose it.”

Few jockeys are better placed to understand the hardship Joseph O’Brien is currently enduring in his battle with the scales. Baker watches O’Brien’s tribulations from afar, but the pattern of events is both familiar and unmistakable.

“Joseph is a big guy; he is broader than Adam Kirby or me,” Baker says. “He doesn’t

47

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GEORGE BAKER

When defeat was snatched from the jaws of Glory Winners come, losers go, but few jockeys experienced the angst George Baker was obliged to contend with at Doncaster last September. The jockey went from winner to loser in half a stride.

Riding Cotai Glory for Charlie Hills in the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, Baker never saw another rival as the winning post loomed. He’d made all the running aboard a horse that had broken the Goodwood track record in the Molecomb Stakes on his previous start and was home for all money.

Or so Baker thought. Out of nowhere, Cotai Glory jinked sharply to his right, and the next thing Baker knew he was picking himself up, unhurt, off the Town Moor turf.

“Everyone seems to have different views on what happened,” he reflects ruefully. “Mine is that the horse knew where he’d come out onto the track. He was running completely straight until we got to the furlong pole and from there I could feel him edging to the right.

“Then, just as he suddenly ducked right towards the gate where he’d come onto the track a few minutes earlier, my saddle slipped, maybe half an inch,” he continues. “When that happens it‘s very,

very hard to keep your balance. And off I went.

“It was a devastating feeling. Nothing like that had ever happened to me before, so it was Sod’s Law for it to happen in a Group 2. It’s bad enough falling off, but when you know you’re about to win a big race, it is even worse. Cotai Glory is a very talented horse but he has his quirks. There’s no doubt whatsoever he would have won.”

It remains to be seen whether horse and jockey are reunited this year in the quest for redemption, but Baker is keenly anticipating the reappearance of another fast horse. He believes Lightning Moon, whose unbeaten three-race resumé includes the Group 3 Bengough Stakes at Ascot, has what it takes to make a big impact in the sprint division.

“He was among the favourites for the Champion Sprint until he got ill just before the race,” Baker says of the Ed Walker-trained four-year-old. “He is a really strong horse who I hope to get back on this year, and I know Ed thinks the world of him. Hopefully he can step up to the top level.”

Going, going, gone: Baker comes a cropper on the quirky Cotai Glory with the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes all but won

>> ride

through the winter, and I think that makes a big difference. When you stop riding for any length of time you try to lead a halfnormal life, and Joseph is only 21. His weight won’t yet have stabilised, as mine has.

“He is obviously fighting it hard. I’ve seen him when he comes over [to Britain] and he’s pretty sensible. He’s not doing stupid things.

He was probably trying to get his weight down nice and gradually, but initially it didn’t seem to be working. He has the best motivation in the world with all those beautifully-bred horses to ride, but he is fighting nature really.”

O’Brien’s travails are part of a dynamic that has brought considerable change to the weighing-room. It is one of the fallen dominos that often result from one or two new riding contracts. Baker can hardly be blamed for wondering whether it might play to his advantage.

“William Buick moving on has opened doors at John Gosden’s,” he says. “It’s the same with Andrea Atzeni at Roger Varian’s, and perhaps there will be chances at Sir

48

Michael Stoute’s. There is massive firepower in Newmarket, and while I don’t ride for any of those stables you never quite know what is going to happen.”

This is the flipside of the Al Kazeem

“I don’t think I’ll be

riding into my late 40s but I’m in a good place. I’m just going to enjoy what’s left” scenario, one which offers hope to all freelancers like Baker. Equally, he has learned not to expect too much. Those 162 winners have set a high bar for 2015, and he doesn’t believe it realistic to ride 200 winners in a calendar year.

“It would be a great thing to achieve,” he

says, “but Luke Morris rides light and he hasn’t yet managed to do it. To be honest I’d be delighted to ride another 100 winners during the turf season and keep up the quality.”

Spring is traditionally a time for optimism and Baker approaches it with plenty to anticipate. In addition to a regular supply of rides for the likes of Charlton, Moore and Chris Wall, he rides out regularly for Charlie Hills and has a verbal understanding to ride when available for David Lanigan’s main patron Bjorn Nielsen.

Having achieved a degree of consistency in maintaining his weight, Baker now brings consistency to his work in the saddle. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, he is reaping rewards for those early years of toil.

“Years ago, when my weight went up and down, I sometimes used to wonder whether it was all worth it,” he reflects.

“It is a very different feeling now. I don’t think I’ll be riding into my late 40s but I’m in a good place. I’m just going to enjoy what’s left.”

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May_129_FittocksStud_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:11 Page 50

The perfect FIT To breed thoroughbreds is to give a trainer an extra level of knowledge in preparing racehorses, believes Luca Cumani, and it has become a pursuit of excellence at Fittocks Stud, which is run by his wife Sara Words Emma Berry • Photos George Selwyn

T

here are few scenes more quintessentially English than Upend’s grass verge-lined lanes, dappled with daffodils in the early spring. In this quiet Suffolk enclave of thatched cottages sits Fittocks Stud, a bloodstock empire that is as reserved and unflashy as the village itself but which nevertheless has a long, solid record of understated high achievement.

The famous racing name of Cumani has been at its core since 1984 when the original stud buildings and 100 acres of land were purchased to house a small band of mares inherited from Luca’s father, Sergio Cumani. Sara is the handson force behind the day-to-day running of the immaculate farm, which has over time been extended to 360 acres.

Each Sunday, her husband turns his mind from the constant puzzle of training young thoroughbreds to the more bucolic theme of land and pasture management, but the inquisitive nature of the trainer’s mind, along with his penchant for forward-thinking and long-term planning, doubtless ensure that ideas and tweaks for matings plans are a regular source of mental rumination.

After three decades at the helm of Fittocks, Sara Cumani readily recalls the talented filly that put her operation on the map and helped to pay for a number of early improvements to the farm.

“Our first big winner was Shamshir, the first foal of Free Guest, who I suppose was our foundation mare,” she says of the daughter of Kris, who in 1990 became the second Group 1 winner for Cumani’s then-stable jockey Frankie Dettori in the Fillies’ Mile, 45 minutes after he won the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Markofdistinction.

50

“Sheikh Mohammed bought her from us privately as a yearling. She was the first bit of money that came in and allowed us to go to better stallions and buy a mare or two.”

The next breakthrough came with Kalata, a half-sister to the dam of the first of Cumani’s two Derby winners, Kahyasi.

“We bought Kalata because we had Kahyasi in training at the time as a two-year-old and Luca always thought he was something special.

She then produced Kithanga, who was by Darshaan and won the Park Hill. We sent Kithanga to Sadler’s Wells, with the result being Milan.”

This particular family has also played an important part in the development of Fittocks Stud, both financially and by repute. The subsequent St Leger winner and now popular National Hunt sire Milan – coincidentally named by Coolmore after the birthplace of his co-breeder – was sold for 650,000gns as a yearling, while another of Kithanga’s offspring, Go For Gold, fetched 525,000gns.

“They enabled us to restock and improve the land,” adds Sara. “We spent a lot of time refencing and improving the grazing. We very much learned as we went along but it was an interesting learning curve and slowly we attempted to improve the quality of mares.

“In 1994 we bought another 200 acres which was all arable land so it had to be drained, fenced, grassed, trees planted – the whole thing.

It was a great project to undertake but it took a lot of time to establish. We’re on quite heavy clay and it took quite a long time to understand the land. You have to work with clay, you can’t do what you want, you have to do what it tells you but it’s a lovely piece of land.”

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May_129_FittocksStud_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:12 Page 51

FITTOCKS STUD

Sara Cumani with Millennium Star and her Dubawi colt foal

May_129_FittocksStud_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:12 Page 52

FITTOCKS STUD

>>

The fruits of the Cumanis’ labour are evident from a tour of the farm, which sits in the breeding heartland just outside Newmarket, neatly enclosed by Darley, Juddmonte and Hascombe & Valiant Studs. Those who believe Suffolk to be a flat wasteland will be struck by the undulation of the pasture, while the size of the paddocks is another feature of note.

Explaining his reasoning behind such vast spaces, which emulate his admired method of Australian stud farming, Luca Cumani says: “I love land and open spaces and I think paddock management is very important as, after all, 90% of what the horses eat comes from the land.

Young horses need plenty of exercise and big paddocks so they can get a decent gallop up from time to time, which helps to develop bone.”

One of the more recent graduates who has just returned to the fold to begin her breeding career is another Park Hill Stakes winner, Silk Sari. The daughter of Dalakhani is out of So Silk, purchased by Fittocks from Eydon Hall Farm, owned by the family of Cumani’s long-term patron, the late Gerald Leigh.

Unraced but hailing from a family that includes two of the stable’s Group 1 winners, Barathea and Gossamer, her acquisition is understandable but also backs up one of Luca Cumani’s firmly held principles.

52

Sara explains: “We can’t afford to have the looks, the pedigree and the performance so always our resolve has been to have conformation first – Luca is insistent on this – and then family. Whether or not the mare has done something herself doesn’t matter so much as long as there’s a good solid family behind her.”

“We can’t afford to

have the looks, the pedigree and the performance so conformation is first” In producing a Group 2 winner with her second foal, So Silk has upheld this judgement and another to confirm the principle is Blue Symphony, a modestly-performing daughter of the high-class sprinter Blue Duster, who is described by Sara as “a fortuitous buy” having been secured privately from an owner who needed to sell. The mare’s progeny, which

include Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Fantasia and Derby entrant Rocky Rider, have regularly returned sums well into six figures at the yearling sales while she herself left the Fittocks fold when sold for one million guineas at Tattersalls’ December Sale of 2012.

Rocky Rider is racing for Qatar Bloodstock from Andrew Balding’s stable and Aktabantay is in the care of fellow Newmarket trainer Hugo Palmer, but hopes are high at the Cumanis’ Bedford House Stables that another Fittocks-bred three-year-old may have her say in the Classics this year. Lady Of Dubai will not race in the blue and cream Fittocks colours, having been sold as a yearling for 450,000gns.

She remains under the tutelage of her breeder, however, and sports the yellow-andblack-spotted silks of another long-term Cumani owner, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid. It’s easy to see how she appealed to him as Lady Of Dubai is by his much sought-after stallion, Dubawi, the flagship of the Darley roster.

Though Dubawi raced for Godolphin, Cumani trained his dam, Shiekh Mohammed Obaid’s homebred Oaks d’Italia winner Zomaradah, and all of her other offspring. She has one final foal yet to come into training, a colt by Frankel who is now a yearling.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_FittocksStud_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:12 Page 53

FITTOCKS STUD attempting to pursue a similar goal to theirs: the breeding of top-class middle-distance horses.

While operating predominantly as a private stud, Fittocks does have some select boarders – all of whom are connected to patrons of the separately run racing stable.

“We’ve always had some boarders. We keep it as limited as we possibly can but it helps with the cashflow,” explains Sara. “It’s just really for some of our owners because we don’t want to over-horse the place and we’re comfortable with the numbers we have.”

Among those who make regular visits is the pride of Floors Stud, Attraction, who currently has a smart Frankel colt at foot, while the dams of Craig Bennett’s two Group 1 winners of last year – Cursory Glance and Charming Thought – are also in situ.

Sara adds: “There are a few permanent boarders and the Duke of Roxburghe and Meon Valley Stud send mares for the breeding season.

The Meon Valley mares come foaled and they send us anything that’s going to be covered by a Newmarket stallion.

“With Floors [Stud], they send their mares to foal with us. It tends to be that the numbers they both send roughly equate to what we send away to be covered in Ireland so the number of mares on the place remains pretty constant.

“One of our biggest permanent boarding clients is Craig Bennett, so if his mares are going to an English stallion they come here.

Annabelle’s Charm is here and we raised and

Left: Attraction and her Frankel colt foal are residents during the breeding season; Sara Cumani, above, is at home among Fittocks’ rolling 360 acres, while Luca, right, marshals his troops on Newmarket Heath

Despite having planned her mating and known her since birth, Luca Cumani maintains that Lady Of Dubai receives no favourable treatment in training. He says: “The moment the homebreds are in the training yard they are the same as the others – all the horses here are my babies. Winning is the same for any horse in the yard, though of course it’s satisfying if you’ve bred them and known them all their lives.”

He is equally unequivocal about any twinges when horses he and Sara have bred succeed for other stables, adding: “In each case it has been my decision to sell so I have no regrets. It’s not a question of that horse being one that got away – any success helps our families and helps the stud. And quite often there are those that you’ve kept because they wouldn’t have made a good sales yearling but they turn out to be very good racehorses.”

The established British owner/breeders may be considered a dying breed but the Cumanis have maintained links with many of those still THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_FittocksStud_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:13 Page 54

FITTOCKS STUD >>

grazed Charming Thought. [Cursory Glance’s dam] Time Control is now here and she has a War Front yearling filly who is absolutely gorgeous and will be going to the sales.”

The sales process for the Fittocks team has evolved significantly from the days Sara recalls of “standing at Tattersalls during the foal sales and selling for 1,000gns, scratching our heads and thinking we somehow needed to do better”.

“We love progressive, middle-distance horses and that’s what we’re trying to breed”

Nowadays, Fittocks graduates are offered for sale though Highclere Stud, the operation which has a proven track record of flying high at the elite sales.

Sara says: “We’ve always had a feeling that being a trainer you’re better off being removed from the up-close and personal bit of the sales, but also having a top-class draft now is a real art. In the last few years we have liked to give our yearlings to Highclere, who do an excellent job.

“It’s all very good making money at the sales but we want them to go on and be good at the races – that’s our number one objective. We love progressive, middle-distance horses and that’s what we try to breed. We’re not really trying to breed two-year-olds.”

The Cumanis were initially aided in their mission by pedigree expert Alex Scrope, who has now passed the baton to Camilla Trotter and Nancy Sexton.

Sara continues: “We have a great team and we do the matings together. Luca is very strict about the stallions he likes to use. Occasionally I’ll put in a flyer and it doesn’t get very well received but mostly we tend to agree on things.

“I suppose our motto is to send the best to the best of what we can afford. The other big issue to be discussed is what’s sold and what’s not sold. We tend to sell our nicest but there’s no crystal ball and you never really know. We sell those by the right stallions who are perfect on x-rays and which we hope will help to pay the nomination bill at the end of the year.”

Though there may be the odd bit of wrangling over stallion choices from time to time, the one thing on which the couple agrees emphatically is the satisfaction of being involved with breeding good horses.

Luca says: “I was always interested and I thought that it would give me a bigger picture of the racehorse if I knew the breeding side as well.

“Breeding and training compliment each other – from the trainer’s perspective you get to know a bit about soundness and temperament and therefore you can use that when you get to the breeding side. On the training front, knowing the horse from the very beginning and having seen it from when it was born, all the way through, is a bonus.”

His wife adds: “We didn’t really set out to be breeders – it just evolved – but we’re very lucky to be able to do this. We love it.”

GROUP WINNERS BRED AT FITTOCKS STUD* 1988

SHAMSHIR – Group 1 Fillies’ Mile

1990

KITHANGA – Group 3 St Simon Stakes

1998

MILAN – Group 1 St Leger, Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes

2000

PONGEE – Group 2 Lancashire Oaks

2006

FANTASIA – Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes, Group 3 Prestige Stakes

2006

FORTE DEI MARMI – Group 1 Northern Dancer Stakes, Group 2 Sky Classic Stakes (twice), Group 3 Singspiel Stakes

2007

CHEETAH – Group 3 Robert Dick Memorial

2010

SILK SARI – Group 2 Park Hill Stakes

2012

AKTABANTAY – Group 3 Solario Stakes

*Year when foaled

54

The enduring legacy of Souk Plenty of well-credentialed mares have adorned the paddocks at Fittocks Stud but it’s unlikely that any are remembered with more affection than Souk. The daughter of Ahonoora died in 2012 at the age of 24 after producing 16 foals, 12 runners and ten winners, including Goodwood Cup runner-up Golden Quest and Listed winner Puce.

“Souk was amazing for us, and Kithanga was the same – they both had so many foals thanks to our vet Andrew McGladdery,” says Sara Cumani.

Souk’s descendants include the dual Oaks winner Alexandrova and Irish Oaks winner Chicquita. Her Darshaan daughter Puce went on to produce Lancashire Oaks winner Pongee, dual Listed winner Lion Sands and the Listed-placed Pukka.

Puce’s daughter by Zafonic, named Platonic, won one race in France before being sold by the Cumanis for 100,000gns carrying her first foal, who would become the French Listed winner Prudenzia. Like her daughter Chicquita, also a first foal, Prudenzia was bred in partnership by Lady Chryss O’Reilly and Lucien Urano under their Skymarc Farm and Ecurie des Monceaux banner.

Pongee – currently one of three descendants of Souk in the Fittocks broodmare band, along with Paisley and Barter – is visiting Dubawi this year and has already produced two black-type performers in Pinzolo and Poplin.

Sara adds: “We’re lucky because the training and breeding side of it is great – you can really start to understand families. Even then though you make mistakes, and we sold Platonic, which in hindsight maybe we shouldn’t have done.

However, if we hadn’t sold [Souk’s daughter] Shouk, Alexandrova wouldn’t exist because at the time we wouldn’t have been able to send her to Sadler’s Wells.”

Recent homebred Group winner Silk Sari

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FUTURE IN MIND

Sales preparation, with the future in mind.

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Our goal, your success. In the ring, then on the racecourse.

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FEED THE DIFFERENCE

May_129_Bloodstock_Intro_Owner 21/04/2015 11:15 Page 57

BREEDERS’ DIGEST

By EMMA BERRY, Bloodstock Editor

Our bloodstock coverage this month includes:

• Sales Circuit: The breeze-ups get underway; Alex Elliott on the Sales Beat – pages 58-64 • Caulfield Files: Dynaformer’s sons maintaining his legacy at stud – pages 66-67 • Dr Statz: Prince Bishop deserves more credit for Dubai World Cup win – page 89

Staying gene pool must not run dry

A

fortnight ago the TBA held a press conference to launch a campaign to protect the future of the British stayer on the same day that the BHA announced the formation of a committee to review the state of British jump racing. Both projects highlight concerns with falling numbers – whether it’s the decline in staying-bred horses being produced or the fall in the participation of grass-roots National Hunt owners.

The catalyst for the TBA campaign was the downgrading from Group 3 to Listed status of a staying race for three year-olds – the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot – along with another, the Bahrain Trophy, being put on the ‘at risk’ list for possible demotion from Group 3 level. The last three winners of the Queen’s Vase – Estimate, Leading Light and Hartnell – have all subsequently won Group 1 races.

The British-bred Hartnell, who also won last year’s Bahrain Trophy, left Mark Johnston in September and is now racing in Australia for John O’Shea. His Group 3 victory at Rosehill in March was followed by a Group 1 strike in The BMW a fortnight later – a pattern of perceived improvement which is common for European-bred imports to Australia. Whether or not they all do actually improve is debatable. It’s more likely that horses with naturally progressive profiles are more able to dominate in a weaker pool of stayers in the southern hemisphere.

Although Hartnell remains under the ownership of Sheikh Mohammed, plenty of British-bred horses have been bought by Australian interests and permanently exported. A dearth of staying-bred horses domestically is blamed for the Antipodeans’ regular treks to European yards and sales in pursuit of the perfect cup horse, and a decline of staying blood in the gene poool is what the TBA wishes to avoid in Britain as breeders with an eye on the sales ring shun middledistance stallions in favour of those likely to produce earlier, speedier types.

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This call to the industry to act now to preserve the type of progressive staying horse for which Britain is famed has been misinterpreted by some parties in Australia as an attempt to halt the export of such gallopers. This is not the case. Over the last decade the number of Australian buyers at Tattersalls’ Horses-in-Training Sale – never mind those engaged in private transactions – has risen to the extent that several million guineas are added to turnover each year from that country alone. It is not in British breeders’ interest to close off this outlet for potential lucrative sales of bloodstock and that was never the TBA’s intention.

Terry Henderson of OTI Racing has been one of the fore-runners in buying stayers from

“The study of British stayers highlights the ‘vital relationship’ the Flat has with National Hunt racing” all over Europe and, interviewed recently on the radio in Australia, he said: “If you look at the horses we buy, they are the type of horses that [Europeans] don’t want to put in their gene pool anyway. We buy them and bring them out here and geld them.”

As anyone who has ever attempted to find a stud berth for a stayer with a successful but lengthy career on the track will likely agree, it’s a valid point. It is perfectly illustrated by the fact that a stallion of just such a profile, Phoenix Reach, covered only 14 mares last year but has shown he is perfectly capable of producing a top-class two-year-old in Elm Park, while lesser-credentialed racehorses who have retired to stud with only one season of action under their belts swiftly attract three-figure books of mares.

This situation is unlikely to be reversed but in its bid to provide a progressive racing programme for stayers, the TBA’s aim is to encourage more breeders to patronise middle-distance stallions in the knowledge that there are better opportunities for their offspring to prove their worth, in turn making them more desirable to yearling buyers.

Henderson also stated in his recent interview: “If Australians are buying horses then that creates demand so the breeders should be clapping their hands.”

Again he makes a good point, and another factor to be considered is that the increased demand from overseas buyers for staying horses in training has made it harder for jumps trainers to participate at those sales.

This in turn must be an element in the improved results at the store sales which was vitally needed after some woeful years.

It’s hard to imagine that many in the industry favour a situation where Britain and Ireland end up breeding only sprinters but both countries have an advantage over Australia in this regard in that we have the extra ‘outlet’ of a thriving National Hunt scene for horses with proven stamina.

The TBA’s study of British stayers highlights the “vital relationship” the Flat has with jump racing, pointing to the leading National Hunt sires who were stakes winners at 12 furlongs or more. These include King’s Theatre, Kayf Tara, Oscar, Milan, Beneficial, Presenting and Flemensfirth – in other words pretty much the entire top table of jump sires.

The fairly drastic decline in British National Hunt breeders has already been highlighted recently by the TBA, and the number of jump and dual-purpose-bred foals fell again last year to 1,011, from 1,689 in 2008.

What is not falling is the number of people going racing, as evident by recent excellent attendances figures. Despite concerns over small-field sizes, it’s clear that racecourses and the BHA need to maintain the diversity of British racing by incentivising breeders, and in turn owners, to provide performers across the range of distances. After all, the most important element of any race meeting is the horse.

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May_129_Sales_Circuit_Sales 21/04/2015 13:11 Page 58

SALES CIRCUIT

By CARL EVANS

A game of two halves at Tattersalls’ first breeze-up Craven Sale fails to scale last year’s dizzy heights but rallies well in second session

Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale

T

At its conclusion the figures had bloomed and almost reached parity with the recordbreaking 2014 event. In fact the median for both days rose by 1% to a new European breeze high, while the second-session was also a continent best for a single day of selling such horses.

Admittedly the aggregate for both days was down 6% and the average by 9%, but it could have been a lot bleaker had the rally

EMMA BERRY

attersalls collate their breeze-up catalogues in alphabetical order under the dam’s name in a bid to create an even playing field.

Yet the latest edition of their two-day Craven Sale, Europe’s highest-grossing breeze-up auction, unwittingly became

markedly lop-sided. During the first session the figures showed double-figure falls, yet the second day produced double-figure gains.

Curiosities abound from such situations, and it seems unlikely the results were purely because the best horses with the sweetest pedigrees and most compelling gallops should all be in the second half of the catalogue. However, eight of the top ten lots appeared on day two.

The undulations of Newmarket’s Rowley Mile present a test for young horses but conditions were perfect for the Craven Breeze-up

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EMMA BERRY

May_129_Sales_Circuit_Sales 21/04/2015 13:11 Page 59

LAURA/GREETATTERSALLS

Mark Dwyer of Oaks Farm Stables

Oak Tree Farm’s daughter of Exchange Rate was the most expensive filly at 350,000gns

not come in such spectacular fashion – and the clearance rate was also up (by 8%) at 79%.

Leading the charge – for the second-year running – was a War Front colt, but the sense of déjà vu did not end in the sire. As in 2014 this sale best was consigned by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill and bought by the Coolmore trio of Tabor, Magnier and Smith.

Last year they used the services of agent Jamie McCalmont to secure the prize with a bid of 1,150,000gns while this time they called upon McCalmont’s former assistant and now sometime-colleague Alex Elliott to head interest from Tony Nerses and China Horse Club.

“Leading the charge –

EMMA BERRY

for the second year running – was a War Front colt from Mocklershill”

A War Front half-brother to Grade 1 winner Mani Bhavan topped the sale at 850,000gns

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Elliott’s 850,000gns bid was the secondhighest in Europe for a breezer, and a hefty mark-up on the same horse’s $400,000 yearling price. He had been bought by a

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May_129_Sales_Circuit_Sales 21/04/2015 13:11 Page 60

SALES CIRCUIT

Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale

LAURA/GREETATTERSALLS

Top lots Vendor

Price (gns)

Buyer

C War Front-Rehear (Coronado’s Quest)

Mocklershill

850,000

F Exchange Rate-Ruler’s Charm (Cape Town)

Oak Tree Farm

350,000

Oliver St Lawrence

C Exceed And Excel-Torentosa (Oasis Dream)

Mocklershill

310,000

China Horse Club/David Redvers

C Elusive Quality-Shady Reflection (Sultry Song)

Lynn Lodge Stud

300,000

Gerard Hourigan

C Canford Cliffs-Khaizarana (Alhaarth)

Athassel House Stud

300,000

Charles Gordon-Watson

C Exceed And Excel-Shepherdia (Pivotal)

Grove Stud

290,000

SackvilleDonald

C Oasis Dream-Independence (Selkirk)

Malcolm Bastard

250,000

John Ferguson

C Showcasing-Nizhoni (Mineshaft)

Gaybrook Lodge Stud

240,000

George Moore/SackvilleDonald

F Shamardal-Two Marks (Woodman)

Mocklershill

200,000

John Ferguson

F Galileo-Theann (Rock Of Gibraltar)

Mocklershill

200,000

Peter & Ross Doyle Bloodstock

McCalmont/Elliott

Five-year tale

Alastair Donald bought eight lots

client of Mocklershill’s at Keeneland in September, and that US auction had also been the source for a filly by Exchange Rate and a colt by Elusive Quality who finished second and fourth on the top-ten board at this sale. American-born horses remain popular despite fears that they are losing ground to their European counterparts.

China Horse Club, an entity that has shown marked willingness to share racehorse ownership, missed the top lot but joined with Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing to secure an Exceed And Excel colt, while Alastair Donald ensured Hong Kong interests were well served with several six-figure buys.

Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Avg (gns)

Mdn (gns)

2015

96

9,893,500

103,057

71,000

850,000

2014

93

10,489,000

112,785

70,000

1,150,000

2013

103

9,235,000

89,660

55,000

760,000

2012

117

8,578,000

73,316

57,000

500,000

2011

112

7,987,000

71,313

60,000

320,000

Closer to home, Godolphin, through John Ferguson and others, was another very influential and crucial buyer.

Among sires there were top marks for Darley’s proven Exceed And Excel, with six sold at an average of 135,333gns, and sophomore Showcasing showing six sold at an average of 106,667gns, a figure that makes very pleasant reading for his masters at Whitsbury Manor Stud in Hampshire.

EMMA BERRY

>>

Sex/Breeding

Moore, Moore, Moore at Tattersalls: brothers Ryan, Josh and Jamie with Ted Walsh, left

60

Top Price (gns)

Brightwells Ascot Select Breeze-up Sale It is said that fortunes can change in a minute, but in the case of this sale it was precisely 72.99 seconds.

That was the time it took The Wow Signal to win last year’s Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, giving this, the first European breezeup of the year, a level of credibility which can take years to achieve. Two months earlier he had breezed at the same racecourse before going through Brightwells’ ring and making £50,000 to a bid from trainer John Quinn. He had been offered by Eddie O’Leary’s Lynn Lodge Stud.

The Wow Signal subsequently proved the Royal win was no fluke by taking the Prix Morny, and when Son Of Africa scored at Glorious Goodwood and Bronze Maquette added a Listed win to the record of graduates from the event it had gained a foothold some thought it could never achieve.

It was no surprise therefore to see new faces among vendors and prospective buyers when the latest staging took place on a markedly chilly day, although prices in the ring soon added warmth to the occasion.

Topping the bill was a colt by Siyouni, a resident at the Aga Khan’s Haras de Bonneval and whose leading representative among his 2014 first crop was Ervedya, who was third to The Wow Signal in the Prix Morny and later runner-up in the Prix Marcel Boussac. Siyouni’s yearling from Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm draft made £90,000, a figure well up on last year’s THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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May_129_Sales_Circuit_Sales 21/04/2015 13:12 Page 63

SALES CIRCUIT >>

£52,000 high given for Son Of Africa, but the phrase ‘well up’ went across the board.

Turnover rose 158% to £838,000, the average climbed 67% to £24,647 while the median – a sign of strength in the middle of the market – leapt by no less than 226% to £22,000. The clearance rate climbed too, from 60% last year to 74%, despite a larger catalogue.

Matt Mitchell, the Ireland-based former head of Brightwells’ bloodstock division, has scaled down his involvement with the company to spend more time with his family, but he has been a key component in this sale’s growth, not least through courting consignors. On the evidence of the latest results it could prove a lasting legacy.

Brightwells Ascot Select Breeze-up Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Siyouni-Alfaguara (Red Ransom)

Greenhills Farm

Price (£) 90,000

Buyer A Stroud Bloodstock

C Pastoral Pursuits-Bayja (Giant’s Causeway)

Hillwood Stud

52,000

Mark Johnston

C Diktat-Villa Sonata (Mozart)

Bansha House Stables

42,000

Simon Crisford

F Kodiac-Think (Marchand De Sable)

Knockanglass Stables

41,000

Phil Cunningham

C Shakespearean-Renascent Rahy (Rahy)

Clenagh Castle Stud

40,000

Gary Moore

C Approve-Drumcliffe Dancer (Footstepsinthesand)

Kilminfoyle House Stud

38,000

Richard Knight/S Quinn

C Zebedee-Zinstar (Sinndar)

Grove Stud

37,000

Northern Line Racing

C Tagula-Sharadja (Doyoun)

Mayfield Stables

36,000

Peter Harper

F Kheleyf-Mosa Mine (Exceed And Excel)

Knockanglass Stables

34,000

A & E Bloodstock

F Pour Moi-Lake Windermere (Oasis Dream)

Lewinstown

32,000

H Dunlop/Crimbourne

Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Avg (£)

Mdn (£)

Top Price (£)

2015

34

838,000

24,647

22,000

90,000

Yearling buyers from around the world flew in for this three-day sale, which saw turnover pass A$100,000 for the first time in seven years.

Turnover rose 23%, the average went up by 15% and the median by 5%. MiddleEastern investment made its usual crucial mark, not least through the purchase of four horses by Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa al Maktoum, a cousin of Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai and Darley, and colossus of racing and breeding around the globe.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, whose yellow and blue (vee) colours have been carried by such as Asiatic Boy, Archipenko and recent big-race winners Pride Of Dubai and Vercingetorix, purchased four horses for $5,015,000, including the sale-topping $2,200,000 Snitzel colt from John Muir’s Milburn Creek consignment.

The youngster’s full-brother, Sizzling, won the 2012 Group 1 T J Smith Stakes.

Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Stud was top individual buyer for the third consecutive year, purchasing 19 horses for a combined $6,615,000 – that compares to 20 bought in 2014, but some $2,500,000 down on spend – while the burgeoning aspirations of the China Horse Club could be seen in its purchase of 21 horses with various partners for $9,125,000, more than $2,000,000 up on its investment at the same sale last year.

Also active, but on a reduced scale compared to 12 months’ earlier, was David Redvers, who bought two fillies – by Sebring and Gio Ponti – for a combined sum of $160,000 on behalf of Qatar Bloodstock.

The leading sire by average and aggregate was Fastnet Rock, whose offspring sold for a total of $22,410,000 at an average price of $476,809, while the full sisters Alinghi and Perfect Persuasion made the top-ten board.

2014

21

315,700

15,033

8,000

52,000

2013

20

147,300

7,365

4,650

25,000

2012

No sale

2011

36

575,400

15,983

10,000

100,000

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Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale Top lots Sex/Breeding

Vendor

C Snitzel-Admirelle (General Nediym)

Milburn Creek

Price (A$) 2,200,000

Buyer Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum

C Snitzel-Alinghi (Encosta De Lago)

Arrowfield Stud 1,800,000

David Raphael/G Ryan

F Fastnet Rock-Candlelight (Encosta De Lago)

Segenhoe Stud

1,750,000

Coolmore

1,600,000

Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum

F Fastnet Rock-Perfect Persuasion (Encosta De Lago) Yarraman Park C Sepoy-Ancient Song (Canny Lad)

Turangga Farm

1,600,000

James Harron Bloodstock

C Fastnet Rock-Wiener (More Than Ready)

Kitchwin Hills

1,350,000

G Waterhouse/Coolmore/Stonestreet

F Fastnet Rock-Mennetou (Entrepreneur)

Coolmore Stud

1,300,000

BBA Ireland

F Redoute’s Choice-Weekend Beauty (Helissio)

Arrowfield Stud 1,100,000

Japan Health Summit Inc

C Street Cry-Noesis (Exceed And Excel)

Willow Park Stud 1,000,000

George Moore Bloodstock

F Fastnet Rock-Hips Don’t Lie (Stravinsky)

Coolmore Stud

Aquanita Racing

1,000,000

Five-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (A$)

Avg (A$)

Mdn (A$)

2015

352

102,390,000

290,881

200,000

2,200,000

2014

328

82,942,500

252,873

190,000

1,600,000

2013

291

84,530,000

290,481

200,000

5,000,000

2012

331

72,880,000

220,181

160,000

2,600,000

2011

311

74,130,000

238,360

180,000

1,025,000

Alinghi’s colt by Snitzel and her sister’s filly

by Fastnet Rock were sold for $1,800,000 and $1,600,000 respectively, while a Sepoy colt who was knocked down to James Harron for $1,600,000 set an Australian public auction record for a yearling by a first-season sire.

Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster

Top Price (A$)

was grateful to foreign investors, but put in a word for trainers and owners who supported the sale lower down the scale, saying: “We have again seen industry players from around the world team up to invest in Australian bloodstock, and it is really encouraging that local syndicators have also been very active up to $200,000.”

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May_129_OnTheSalesBeat_Sales 21/04/2015 13:06 Page 64

ON THE SALES BEAT

Q&A

Alex Elliott

Hoping for a Beltor of a season I’m 29 and was born and raised near Sedgefield, County Durham. Horses were always an integral part of my life growing up as my father trained a small string of jump horses. Both my parents are lawyers and my sister finished up with a first in law from Leeds. As you can see I didn’t get the looks or the brains but they keep telling me at least I have my education!

My education began at Oundle School, where I excelled at most things bar achieving grades.

Most hours were spent watching AP boot home winners in the local bookmakers. They feared that turnover would drop dramatically when I left, but they need not have feared as a certain Oli Bell was on his way through the ranks.

From Oundle, a year spent as a groom at Philip Hobbs’s turned into three spent as pupil assistant and it was a better three years than any university could have given me. Philip was influential for me then gaining a place on the Darley Flying Start. From there, I spent six months as a head lad with Sir Michael Stoute prior to moving to America and spending four years as assistant, split between Christophe Clement and Eoin Harty. When I returned, in 2012, Jamie McCalmont took me on as his assistant before I set up my own agency in September last year.

Your best buy?

When I was working with Jamie, the first horse we bought was No Jet Lag. He was purchased on behalf of one of my closest friends, and he went on to win a Grade 2 in America for another great pal, Simon Callaghan, who I shared a house with when I lived in California.

No Jet Lag went on to run in the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Mile, for which he was sent off 6-1.

Nothing went right in the race itself but it was a huge buzz to be part of.

Since going out on my own, Beltor has to be my best buy. Purchased for 30,000 guineas at Tattersalls’ horses-in-training sale, he won at Ludlow on debut before going on to capture the Grade 2 Adonis Hurdle at Kempton. He was sent off second favourite for the Triumph but did not get a chance to show his best form.

One that got away?

Tom George and I underbid Moon Racer at Brightwells last year. To add insult to injury he beat Modus, in the Champion Bumper, who is

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trained by my old housemate from Philip Hobbs’s, Robert Stephens. Robert and I are at relatively similar points in our careers and I think he and his team are destined for the top.

PETER MOONEY/GOFFS

Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into racing and bloodstock…

Name a recent purchase you’re most looking forward to seeing race…

I purchased an Arcano colt last year that has gone into training with Hugo Palmer. He is owned by MPH Racing, an exciting new syndicate headed up by Michael Hills and Johnny Bryan. Johnny is a representative for Anglo Hibernian Insurance but is also running this new venture alongside Michael. They are a great group of guys and it will be fun if the horse can come up trumps for them.

A second horse I would particularly like to see do well is a two-year-old Kodiac colt in training with Michael Bell. He is owned by Bill Gredley and his son Tim. The Gredleys have been kind enough to support me since I have set up the new business and it would be a good start if this colt can do well for them.

When you see an individual you really like, how important is the horse’s pedigree to you?

I think pedigree is important but I’d be inclined to forgive plenty if I really like the physical appearance. I don’t think one can be too blinkered in one’s thinking when it comes to buying horses. Good ones come from anywhere and in all shapes and sizes.

Most under-rated stallion?

Flat: Sir Percy. I think he is going to have a big year. At £7,000 he is a steal. National Hunt: Doyen. His numbers stack up well and he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

And a young stallion to watch?

Zoffany (Flat) and Walk In The Park (NH).

Who or what has had the greatest influence on your career?

My parents have always backed me 100% with whatever I have chosen to do. They deserve a lot of credit for putting up with me and I hope they see that the expensive education is slowly paying off.

Philip Hobbs was instrumental in giving me the right grounding and helping me move forward with my career. Christophe Clement is the ultimate perfectionist. I hope it has rubbed off somewhat.

Alex Elliott started his agency last year

Since launching my own agency, Ralph Beckett, Michael Bell, Jonny Portman, Ed Dunlop, Tom George and Henry de Bromhead have all been supporters.

Your racing/bloodstock hero?

Racing hero would have to be Aidan O’Brien.

The way he conducts his business is something to behold. My bloodstock hero would have to be my godmother and aunt, Gill Richardson.

She has overcome some serious adversities and it is not through rose-tinted specs that I say she is one of the best judges in the game. Year after year she sources Graded stakes winners, and all on a shoestring budget. Most will think she’s tough as teak, which she has needed to be, but underneath it all she’s soft as cheese. She has looked out for me throughout my fledging career and I wouldn’t be heading in the same direction if it wasn’t for her.

Which is your favourite sale and why?

Keeneland September. From the buzz of the opening session to the endless search through the latter books for hidden gems. The Lexington nightlife can make it a long two weeks but it is a time of year I thoroughly look forward to.

Best auctioneer?

Very close between Alastair Pim and Nick Nugent. When Alastair gives it the, ‘Ah lads will yer try one more?’ it just about puts the fear of God into you and you can’t help but go again.

Nick’s quick-witted comments can make even the most po-faced crack a long-lasting smile.

Favourite sales food?

Ice-cream at DBS.

How do you unwind after a long, hard day at the sales?

I know looks can be deceptive but I find there is no better way to clear the head than an hour in the gym. It’s surprising who you can catch lifting dumbbells or pounding the running machines in Newmarket during sales season.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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jonny.allison@yahoo.co.uk THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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CAULFIELD FILES ANDREW CAULFIELD REPORTS ON THE BLOODSTOCK WORLD

A grand inheritance Dynaformer’s reputation for toughness lives on through a handful of his stallion sons

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EMMA BERRY

I

t is now just over three years since Roberto’s veteran son Dynaformer died at Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky, days after he had suffered an aortic valve rupture.

It is a measure of Dynaformer’s achievements that his fee at the age of 27 in 2012 had stood at $150,000, whereas he had started his career at a mere $5,000 in 1990.

Unfortunately the American Jockey Club’s statistics record that only one live foal was produced by the 21 mares he had covered in 2012, so we are rapidly approaching the end of a glorious era.

One of Dynaformer’s obituaries, by Janet Patton, made it clear that he had inherited a fair degree of the high-mettled temperament sometimes associated with his sire Roberto and especially with Ribot, the grandsire of Dynaformer’s dam. Indeed, Patton described the stallion’s temperament as “surly”.

Patton continued: “His trainer, D Wayne Lukas, allegedly called Dynaformer ‘the most difficult horse I ever trained.’ And Dynaformer’s stall at Three Chimneys added credence to that reputation: the iron bars were distinctly bent out at the bottom, the result of displeasing the great Dynaformer.”

Robert Clay, co-owner with his wife Blythe of Three Chimneys Farm, said: “‘Dynaformer’s tough spirit will continue to influence our breed for many years to come. He reminds us that looks aren’t everything, and that the will to win is that intangible ingredient we are all striving to find.”

Three Chimneys stallion manager Sandy Hatfield said: “He commanded respect and total attention at all times. He had earned every bit of his reputation as being one of the toughest stallions in the industry, but when it came to his job in the breeding shed he was a total professional. In my opinion, our industry has lost one of the greatest sires it will ever see.”

When I mentioned Dynaformer’s demise in the September 2012 Caulfield Files, I wrote that the saddest aspect of his death was that he did not have any Grade 1-winning stallion sons in Kentucky, despite having racked up the magnificent total of 23 Grade 1 winners on the Flat. It would have been a very different story, I speculated, had his 2006 Florida

European breeders have access to Dynaformer’s son Americain, who is now in Ireland

Derby and Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro not suffered such a catastrophic injury in the Preakness Stakes.

Consequently, it became all the more important that one of his youngest Grade 1 winners, Point Of Entry, should build on his reputation. Handicapped by a May 10 birthday, this big horse began to shine as a four-year-old in 2012. By the end of the year he had landed three Grade 1 victories on turf at up to a mile and a half, plus a close second after a troubled passage in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He kept up the good work in 2013, adding two more Grade 1 victories on his first two starts, this time over nine furlongs and a mile and a quarter. By this time Frank Stronach, of Adena Springs, had purchased a majority interest in him.

Stronach, of course, had every justification for adding a turf horse to his roster, having previously enjoyed considerable success with El Prado. Not every American breeder,

though, shares his enthusiasm for turf performers, so I wondered how well Point Of Entry would be accepted by the breeding community. It appears I shouldn’t have worried. No doubt helped by having a firstrate female line – and perhaps by the scale of success being enjoyed by Kitten’s Joy, a turf horse with a similar background – Point Of Entry covered 112 mares at a fee of $25,000 in his first season in 2014. It transpires that the quality of his first book was also high, so I am hopeful that the numerous Europeans who did so well with Dynaformer’s progeny will be taking a close look at Point Of Entry’s first yearlings next year.

Fortunately, Dynaformer’s male line isn’t entirely dependent on Point of Entry. Three Chimneys Farm – so long the home of Dynaformer – is now standing his son Brilliant Speed. Good enough to win the Grade 1 Wood Memorial and to finish third in the Belmont Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf, this THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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versatile horse is well qualified but has been struggling for support, with each of his first two books numbering fewer than 50 mares.

However, Dynaformer had to make his name with comparatively small crops, so this may not prove an insurmountable obstacle for Brilliant Speed.

Another inexpensive Kentucky-based son of Dynaformer has recently made a bright start. This is Temple City, whose only Graded stakes success in 15 starts came in the Grade

3 Cougar II Handicap on the all-weather, although he was narrowly beaten at Grade 1 level on turf. Part of his appeal was that he is out of a half-sister to Malibu Moon, whose stallion career has been one of rags to riches, and Temple City may be destined to follow in his relative’s footsteps. Starting out at a fee of $5,000, he has earned an increase to $12,500, thanks to having sired four Experimental Free Handicap horses and six Triple Crown nominees from a first crop of 83 named foals.

European breeders now have the chance of using Dynaformer’s well-travelled son Americain, who has moved to the Irish National Stud. It will be interesting to see whether this winner of the Melbourne Cup proves more popular on this side of the Atlantic than he was in Kentucky. As a stayer who raced on turf, Americain was never going to find it easy going in Kentucky, where he covered 58 mares in his first season and 41 in his second.

I have to admit to not having been enamoured with the sport on Meydan’s new dirt track. Indeed I found myself enjoying Lingfield’s All-Weather Championship Finals rather more than Dubai World Cup day. For a start, the biggest winning margin at Lingfield was little more than a length, with most of the races being very competitive, and I also liked the way that success at Lingfield was shared between free runners such as Fresles and Four Seasons and strong finishers such as Pretend and Tryster.

The richly-endowed contests on Finals day inevitably shaped the all-weather stallion statistics for 2014-15 – as did the scale of the success enjoyed by the Godolphin horses throughout the winter. Consequently it was no surprise to see several of the Darley stallions taking high rank, including Tryster’s sire Shamardal, Four Seasons’s sire Dubawi and Lamar’s sire Cape Cross.

However, it was the Irish National Stud’s Invincible Spirit who topped the table, thanks to the likes of Pretend, Grendisar and Blue Aegean. This is a reminder of how influential Green Desert’s sons have been in the allweather sector. Cape Cross headed the list for three seasons between 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010, on the last occasion leading a one-two-three for Green Desert’s sons.

Since then we have seen Oasis Dream take the championship in 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13, with Invincible Spirit being his nearest pursuer on the last two occasions.

Invincible Spirit then turned the tables on Oasis Dream in 2013-14, so his latest championship means that sons of Green Desert have taken the title in each of the last eight seasons, outshining the other main branch of the Danzig line, that of Danehill.

With the majority of his career having been spent at fees of £10,000 or less – and never higher than £20,000 – Royal Applause could be described as one of the unsung

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

DARLEYSTALLIONS.COM

Examining the all-weather influences

Royal Applause: unsung hero at stud

heroes of the British breeding industry.

Having covered 109 mares in 2013, his book fell to 22 last year. His name has now disappeared from the Darley roster, but he is still covering mares at the Royal Studs.

However, the 22-year-old son of Waajib reminded us of his various talents on the day of Lingfield’s All-Weather Championship Finals. It was his French daughter Fresles who got the action under way with a game all-the-way victory in the Fillies’ & Mares’ Championship. And it was another of Royal Applause’s daughters, the Gr.2 Cherry Hinton Stakes winner Please Sing, who is the dam of Four Seasons, a determined winner of the 3yo Mile Championships Conditions Stakes.

Royal Applause ranks as the only notable stallion son of Waajib, but he has singlehandedly ensured that this branch of the Northern Dancer male line will live on, at least for a few more generations. His main

achievement was to sire Acclamation, who has a strong hand of stallion sons, comprising Dark Angel, Equiano, Harbour Watch and Lilbourne Lad. Dark Angel already has three sons at stud, in Lethal Force, Heeraat and Alhebayeb, so Royal Applause appears to have founded a flourishing male line.

One aspect of Royal Applause’s achievements which surprised me was the success of his American-raced progeny. His daughter Ticker Tape landed the Grade 1 American Oaks, while his son Battle Of Hastings took the Grade 2 Virginia Derby and was second in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. That all these good efforts came over a mile and a quarter was very much at odds with Royal Applause’s own racing career.

A champion sprinter, Royal Applause made 14 of his 15 starts over five or six furlongs and his reputation in Europe was largely based on his success as a sire of precocious two-year-olds. As many as nine of his 18 Group/Graded winners enjoyed Group success as two-year-olds, these being Finjaan, Mister Cosmi, Majestic Missile, Nevisian Lad, Please Sing, Habaayib, Tremar, Peak To Creek and Whatsthescript.

This was pretty much in line with his pedigree, which featured several fast horses, but it also included such stamina influences as Sassafras, Sheshoon and Premonition, which partly explains why he was also able to sire such as Ticker Tape, Battle Of Hastings, Crime Scene (St Simon Stakes and second in the Melbourne Cup), Take A Bow (Brigadier Gerard Stakes) and Prince Siegfried (Winter Hill Stakes).

Although he sired only one Group 1 winner (Ticker Tape), Royal Applause’s ability to sire quick-maturing speedy stock ensured his continued popularity in the sales ring, with his yearling colts selling for up to 300,000gns and his fillies for up to 260,000gns.

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ROA FORUM The special section for ROA members

Jump racing is thriving – or is it?

Richard Wayman welcomes the BHA’s recently launched review into the National Hunt scene With a fantastic Grand National meeting at Aintree following on from a memorable Cheltenham Festival, isn’t it wonderful to be able to say our major jump fixtures are in rude health. The action at both venues has never been more compelling with race after race providing its own headline grabbing story. With attendances continuing to grow, these meetings are firmly established within the calendar of major British sporting events.

Away from the upper echelons, however, the situation is not quite as rosy and you don’t have to scratch too far beneath the surface to see jump racing is facing some significant challenges. The difficult economic environment in recent years has contributed to a decline in the number of owners and horses involved across all of racing. During 2008, 20,222 different horses appeared on a British racecourse at least once. By 2014, this had declined to 18,077, representing a drop of almost 11%.

This doesn’t tell the full story as this reduction has not fallen evenly between the codes, with the number of individual horses running over jumps falling by 15%, compared with a 9% decline on the Flat.

In trying to explain this differential, the massive investment in Flat horses by major international owners must have played a role and, as the new Flat season hits top gear, the word from Newmarket is the gallops are busier than they have been for a long time.

But this is not the only factor at play, as has been confirmed by conversations with a number of ROA members who have taken the decision to switch their ownership

“The recruitment and retention of more owners of jumpers is the key challenge”

interests away from jumping to the Flat.

The economics of racehorse ownership is a major issue across all of racing but the financial realities of owning jump horses can be particularly challenging. It generally takes longer and therefore costs more to get your horse to the track in the first place. Once its racing career is underway, the jumps horse races less frequently, on average, than a Flat horse. And when an owner decides to sell their jumper, they wouldn’t have the range of

options available to those moving a horse off the Flat, which includes buyers looking for horses to continue their careers overseas.

Against that backdrop, you might expect that market forces would compensate for these factors and jump races would offer relatively higher prize-money levels, particularly at grassroots levels. As we know, that isn’t the reality. The minimum permitted prize-money in a hurdle race is £3,500, the same as the lowest grade on the Flat. As for chases, the minimum purse is just £300 higher at £3,800.

When you also consider the extra (and welcome) investment in the all-weather Flat programme through the winter over the past couple of years, we really shouldn’t be surprised that jump numbers are under particular pressure.

The launch of a major review of jump racing by the BHA is therefore very welcome news. Under the chairmanship of Edward Gillespie, the committee, which includes Stephen Smith and Justin Wadham from the ROA Council, is well qualified to look at the key issues.

Their key challenge, however, will be to develop workable recommendations that reverses recent trends and encourages the recruitment and retention of more owners of jumpers. Make no mistake, the future of National Hunt racing depends on it.

Stable stars and sunshine at Alan King stable visit Visiting a top racing yard is a treat at any time, but in the peak of the season, and with the sun on the horse’s backs, there can’t be many better ways to spend a morning. That proved to be the case when a group of around 30 members visited trainer Alan King’s Barbury Castle Stables, near Marlborough, Wiltshire on March 27.

Barbury Castle Stables forms part of the Barbury Castle Estate which comprises 2,000 acres of farmland, woodland and downland.

Having watched second lot warm up in the yard’s huge outdoor school, members and guests then headed to the Sharp Ridge gallops to watch the string, an illustrious rollcall including commanding Grade 1 Ryanair Chase victor Uxizandre.

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Members enjoyed watching the horses exercise twice up Sharp Ridge while King gave a commentary of each group, their form and possible future engagements.

The group returned to the yard for refreshments and the opportunity to chat with the trainer. After watching the string enjoy a pick of grass in the sunshine, members were able to walk around the yard’s barns to meet the equine stars at close quarters.

Those attending enjoyed the morning immensely and were thrilled to have had the opportunity to see behind the scenes at such an impressive training centre.

Member Kathy Carter said: “It was most enjoyable and particularly memorable to see so many calm and relaxed horses in a big,

ROA members watch the horses work

busy yard. A great tribute to the staff, and the trainer of course, that they have created such a chilled out environment for their horses.”

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www.racehorseowners.net

The Jessica Bethell Foundation launch

After-lunch speaker: Harry Herbert, pictured with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal

Book now for AGM lunch We hope to see a good representation of members at the ROA AGM, which will take place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel, London on the morning of Tuesday, June 30.

As ever, the AGM will provide an opportunity for members to question the ROA Council on any racing topic, whilst listening to stimulating racing debate on a wide range of issues. The British Horseracing Authority’s Chief Executive Nick Rust, who will have been in the role for six months, will be the morning’s guest industry speaker.

The results of the ROA Council elections will be announced on the day. Details of the candidates and manifestoes will be mailed

out to members with voting ballot cards.

The formal business of the AGM will be followed by a champagne reception, to which all members are invited, and the everpopular members’ and guests’ lunch, which includes a three-course meal with wine.

Guest speaker Harry Herbert, who represents Highclere Thoroughbred Racing and Al Shaqab Racing, is sure to keep everyone entertained after lunch.

Places for the lunch are £90 or £825 for a table of ten.

Tickets do need to be booked in advance and you can book online through racehorseowners.net or by contacting the ROA office on 020 7152 0200.

Exclusive dining at Royal Ascot Royal Ascot provides a five-day feast of racing and ROA members can enjoy the pageantry and glamour of this most prestigious of race meetings in the comfortable surroundings of a private members’ facility.

Our new dining room, previously known as the Australian Bar, is located on the ground-floor level of the Grandstand enclosure, facing the pre-parade ring and Grundy & Bustino lawn. The facility offers television viewing and betting facilities.

The specially tailored offering includes a prosecco drinks reception, three course lunch with guests seated on shared tables of ten and full afternoon tea.

Complimentary beers, wine and soft drinks are included in the package, as is a car parking label for each two places booked.

The special package for Royal Ascot is priced per person per day Tuesday, June 16

£375

Wednesday, June 17

£375

Thursday, June 18

£460

Friday, June 19

£425

Saturday, June 20

£355

The Jessica Bethell Charitable Foundation will be launched on Tuesday, May 12 with a dinner at York racecourse. The foundation was set up following the tragic loss of Jessica Bethell to meningitis in 2012.

The proceeds from this inaugural event will be divided between the Meningitis Research Foundation and Jack Berry House, the rehabilitation centre for injured jockeys in Malton. These causes have been chosen as Jessica’s family feel they are completely fitting with her memory, combining her love and involvement in the racing world with the need to help fund research into the deadly disease.

Carol Vorderman and Matt Chapman will host the event, which includes a fundraising auction.

The foundation’s aim is to raise £1 million over the coming years. A splendid list of items will be auctioned at the dinner. These include a trip for two to the Dubai World Cup and a colt yearling – Jessinamillion – by Mine out of Miss Apricot. James and Sally Bethell, an ROA Council member for two years, will cover all costs for a term of two years, he will run in the purchaser’s colours and any prizemoney won will go to the new owner.

There is also a silent auction launched in advance of the event comprising over 25 lots. Items will be live for bidding three weeks before the dinner. A full list is provided at jessicabethell-auction.com.

If you would like to make a donation to the foundation, your generosity will be shown as an acknowledgement in the evening programme. Email Berni Parr at jessicabethellfoundation@gmail.com.

Places are limited and we advise booking early. For further details or to make a booking please contact Sarah Holton at the ROA office on 020 7152 0200 or see the Events section at racehorseowners.net.

Please note: prices do not include admission. Royal Enclosure or Grandstand admission badges can be booked direct through Ascot racecourse.

Jessica Bethell: foundation in her name

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ROA FORUM

MAGICAL MOMENTS

DUBAI RACING CLUB/ANDREW WATKINS

with ROA member Ken Rhatigan

Ken Rhatigan (right) and Brendan Powell at Goodwood watching Dark Emerald, who has blossomed in Dubai this year (inset)

F

or a lad whose formative years were spent with his dad at Scottish tracks, Heart of the South Racing was not perhaps the mostly aptly-named syndicate to join. But through it, the ranks of private owners gained Ken Rhatigan, who branched out to buy a half-share in Lupita and hasn’t looked back.

The financial services adviser recalls: “Lupita won for us at Bath with William Buick on and it was fantastic. That sense of winning is a brilliant feeling. Eventually I got my own horse, Edgeworth, who won quite a few. There was a particularly good season on the all-weather, when his picture was on the front of Lingfield’s racecard – he won five races there.”

Rhatigan has two horses currently, Dark Emerald, who has just enjoyed a marvellous stint at the Dubai World Cup Carnival, and Uncle Dermot, who has served up some great memories closer to home, and heart.

“I’d always wanted to have a winner at Ayr and Uncle Dermot won on consecutive days last year,” remembers Rhatigan. “I flew up there and it was a magical trip. I had seven winners last year in all, through Clear Focus, who I subsequently sold, and three each from Uncle Dermot and Dark Emerald.”

Dark Emerald has had an even better 2015, with two wins at Meydan, two second places – notably in a Group 2 – and an appearance on Dubai World Cup day itself.

He has been well placed by trainer Brendan

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Powell, and while the five-year-old is having a well-deserved break, owner and trainer are eying a possible outing to Royal Ascot, for the Wokingham or Hunt Cup, with Group-race options in Germany and Turley later on, and the aim of competing at the 2016 Dubai Carnival.

Dark Emerald has not run at Meydan without someone from Rhatigan’s family being there, indeed the social aspect of ownership is one of the many joys of it for him.

“Naming my first

two-year-old was magical – all owners must love that feeling of choosing a name” “We take friends, a picnic,” says Rhatigan.

“We have two boys and a grand-daughter. She enjoys it. We were in the Royal Box at Newmarket and she was asking if the Queen was coming to eat the sandwiches as well.”

There have been many magical moments so far – that first winner, winning under floodlights in Dubai, but also a less obvious one. “Naming my first two-year-old,” he says, “all owners must

love that feeling, that process of choosing a name.”

When it comes to racecourse facilities for owners, Rhatigan is impressed by the quality and efforts of tracks as diverse as Ascot and Lingfield, though the experience of being a Dubai World Cup card owner takes some beating.

“You’re treated nothing sort of magnificently,” says Rhatigan, the memory of it clearly fresh.

“You’re looked after so well, the food, the travel; the best compliment I can pay it is that you are treated like you’re the only owners in the world.”

More than that, however, Rhatigan was impressed with the facilities for his horse. “They are fantastic too,” he says, “the lap of luxury.”

The owner adds: “I’ve been very lucky, and whenever you have that winner, or placed horse, you’ve got to soak it up. I like to remember everything about the occasion.

“I may never have a horse as good as Dark Emerald again – you’ve got to remember how it feels.”

One thing Rhatigan has not yet experienced, but he leaves you in doubt he would enjoy it and remember it, is beating a jockey at golf.

“I have trainers and jockeys as clients, and my aim is to beat a jockey at golf,” he says. “Mick Fitz is a bandit, Kieren Fallon is a bandit. If there’s one thing I want to do this year, it is win a game of golf – they all beat me!”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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w w w. r a c e h o r s e o w n e r s . n e t

Exciting list of fundraising events for the year ahead R O A O F F I C I A L C H A R I T Y PA R T N E R Every year, Racing Welfare has to raise around £2 million to maintain and develop the services that it offers to the stud, stable and support staff of the British horseracing industry. A large part of this sum comes from a calendar of fundraising events. In 2015 the charity is running several regular favourites along with some imaginative new events.

One of the most important dates in this year’s calendar is April 27, when two major events are being staged. In addition to a team of 14 runners completing the London Marathon, on the same day, Woburn Golf Club will be hosting the 21st Annual Racing Welfare Golf Day, thanks to the generosity of His Grace, the Duke of Bedford, and sponsor Betfair.

On May 30 Racing Welfare will be at Newmarket for a raceday with a difference; one with an extreme sports theme. This will involve holding a fundraising bungee jump as part of the day, with a crane allowing up to 90 people to bungee jump on-site – a true adrenaline rush and leap of faith! The bungee jump is entitled ‘Racing’s Big Jump Got Bigger’, following the skydive that took place last year.

The inaugural running of ‘The Clock Tower Cup’ will take place at the Racing Welfare Charity Raceday at Doncaster on June 26. This charity race is exclusively for stable staff riding horses trained by the trainer for whom they work. Tables will be available for the day, which will include a champagne reception, threecourse lunch and a charity auction.

At Windsor on July 27 there is a charity race evening, featuring live music from The Dublin Legends as part of an Irish theme. A National Hunt raceday at Haydock Park will follow on November 20, with the traditional Christmas Carol Concert at Tattersalls on December 9 marking the finale to the event calendar.

Full details of all events are available at www.racingwelfare.co.uk.

Last year there was a skydive – in 2015 there will be a bungee jump

In Brief...

Poll of member views The ROA has launched an online poll that will be used as a tool to gauge members’ views on a wide range of racing matters. We hope that members will actively participate in the poll to help ensure that the ROA has a good understanding of the range of members’ views on topical issues. Members on the ROA email bulletin service will receive details in due course. To sign up, please email info@roa.co.uk

Newmarket stalls Newmarket racecourse’s QIPCO Guineas festival will see a change in

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

the stalls position for the opening Classics. The stalls will be moved from the centre of the Rowley Mile to the stands’ side. A false running rail will be used for the first five furlongs of the mile to narrow the course and avoid the field splitting into three groups.

Jumps course distances The BHA has undergone a re-measuring exercise of all jump courses to bring methods into line with those used for measuring Flat courses.

Any changes to race distances will be published in the Racing Calendar on May 7 and will take effect from June 1.

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TRACK TALK The latest news from the UK’s racecourses Owners with a runner can enjoy the great new restaurant

Complimentary lunches at Goodwood Goodwood racecourse has unveiled a brand new offering to owners this year. Following consultation with the ROA, an owners’ and trainers’ restaurant has been created that will offer owners with a runner four complimentary places for lunch, with the opportunity to purchase a further four places upon request.

Reservations must be made in advance of the meeting, details of which will be circulated at

the five-day entry stage, and sittings will take place between 12.30-2.30pm on the raceday.

Adam Waterworth, Goodwood’s Managing Director, said: “We are going to launch the restaurant in our Sussex Stand, but feel it is highly likely to move to the Richmond Enclosure in time for our Qatar Festival Week, when we are delighted to announce it will be presented by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as the Fairmont Owners’ & Trainers’ Restaurant.”

The Qatar Owners’ & Trainers’ Pavilion overlooking the paddock will continue to operate as normal, offering complimentary canapés over the lunch period and cream tea during the afternoon. Owners can therefore choose whether a light snack or a more formal meal best suits their needs. This impressive offer is excellent news for racehorse owners.

New York offer York racecourse kicks off the 2015 season with an enhanced hospitality offer to owners. Each owner with a runner will now be eligible for four complimentary lunches for the refurbished owners’ restaurant, situated on the first floor of the Melrose Stand. Reservations for the lunches must be made in advance by 3pm on the day before racing. The booking form will be included in the five-day letter from Weatherbys.

As part of the rebuilding work on the Knavesmire, a new owners’ entrance building will be in operation by the start of the Dante festival (May 13-15), while the weighing room has been relocated.

To read Chairman Lord Grimthorpe’s views on the York redevelopment, see Talking To, pages 38-42.

York: fine dining and superb racing

Other news...

Musselburgh go the extra furlong Musselburgh has announced an improved food offering for owners who can now enjoy a complimentary two-course meal, along with a glass of wine, bottle of beer or soft drink, for four people in the Bistro restaurant. Biscuits and scones are served separately in the owners’ marquee.

Musselburgh have also moved the owners’ car park to a new location in front of the stables that will provide direct access to a new owners’ entrance as well as allowing owners to exit the racecourse separately from the general public.

Winning owners will also receive an extra gift in the shape of a branded jute bag along with their prizes.

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Popular West Country racecourse Newton Abbot has confirmed its prize-money commitment for 2015/16. Average prizemoney has risen to £50,000 per fixture, with grassroots races being the main beneficiary.

The minimum amount of prize-money on offer for Class 5 races is now £5,000 (this excludes hunter chases and bumpers), which is significantly higher than the BHA Minimum Values. Newton Abbot continues its policy of no entry fees to owners who enter a horse for any race run at the course this year.

The online owners’ feedback questionnaire is already proving to be a valuable asset to the ROA Raceday Committee, with information provided by members to be used when allocating the Gold Standard Award to the six large and smaller tracks offering the best raceday

experience to owners. The March prize-draw winner, drawn at random from all completed forms within that month, is Edward Cassie.

Evening racing is now in full swing and there are plenty of opportunities for members to enjoy a night out with free admission to fixtures in the ROA/JCR Admission Scheme. Full details of upcoming fixtures and a ticketing link can be found in the Member Area of the ROA website.

Following a couple of recent instances where owners have been observed giving owners’ badges to members of the public outside racecourse entrances, the Racecourse Association would like to remind owners that complimentary badges are allocated by the racecourse to owners to allow them to attend the meeting with their guests, and should not be passed on to members of the public.

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ROA BENEFIT IN FOCUS:

The importance of third party liability insurance cover

This Racing Post story shows the unpredictable nature of racing – and why liability cover is so important for racehorse owners

The question of third party liability cover (also known as public liability) is an important consideration for owners, as they may be vulnerable to claims under the strict liability of the 1971 Animals’ Act, for damage or injury caused to a third party or their property by their horses.

While it is necessary for trainers to have public liability insurance for a minimum level of cover of £2 million in case a horse in their care injures a member of the public, there is no mandatory requirement for that cover to extend to owners.

Past tragic accidents have highlighted that, as well as the horse’s trainer, who carries the primary liability, an owner may be vulnerable to the risk of a claim in a secondary capacity – possibly running into millions of pounds – being brought against them by a third party, for which they otherwise have inadequate protection.

As such it is recommended that all owners ensure that they have suitable third party liability insurance in place for any horses in training in which they have an ownership interest.

All ROA members receive automatic third party liability insurance cover (up to a limit of liability of £10 million) against potential damages if a racehorse they own causes damage or injury to a third party or their property. Full terms and conditions and policy documents are available at racehorseowners.net.

When horses spend time away from the trainer’s yard The ROA third party liability insurance scheme provides fall-back cover for members with racehorses in training, those being THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

prepared to go into training and horses temporarily out of training.

Owners with horses in livery, being retrained, at stud, etc, are advised to check that the keeper of their horse has current third party liability insurance in place for an adequate amount. An absolute minimum of £5 million limit of liability is suggested.

Some owners may have cover through their own insurances, e.g. a decent household policy. While this may extend personal liability to animals the intention is that these are domestic pets so it’s worth checking horses are not specifically excluded. It should be noted that in the case of VAT-registered owners, their horses would be regarded as commercial so will almost certainly not be covered by a home policy, even if liability extends to animals, so check the policy wording carefully.

Shared ownership The law may define a racehorse’s owner as any individual who has a financial interest in that horse, so all members of a racing partnership should be mindful of their potential exposure to the risk.

The cover provided by ROA membership applies to the ROA members only, and doesn’t cascade down to non-ROA members in a syndicate – but they can of course join the ROA to have this peace of mind cover.

Permit trainers The ROA scheme is not intended to provide primary cover, the type of which is required by both permit holders and licensed trainers.

Weatherbys Hamilton offer permit trainers who are ROA members a discount of 20% on a primary policy. To get a quote contact Weatherbys Hamilton on 01933 440077.

Diary dates and reminders MAY 12

ROA Owners Seminar, London

Association of Irish Racehorses members’ suite.

All places have now been taken.

MAY 13

Regional meeting and ROA Owners Jackpot at Perth A chance for members in Scotland to meet the ROA and win a share of the £10,000 Owners Jackpot at this evening meeting.

MAY 23

The Curragh Free admission to ROA members on Irish 2,000 Guineas day on production of a valid Horseracing Privilege Photocard and to the

MAY 31

Chantilly ROA members attending the Prix du JockeyClub can enjoy access to the Jardin des Propriétaires – the owners’ outdoor garden party located against the racetrack and close to the finish line. Applications are invited in advance via the Events section on the ROA website or by contacting the ROA office.

Details of events are listed online at racehorseowners.net in the Events section.

Bookings can be made online or by calling the ROA on 0207 152 0200

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Five share in Ludlow Jackpot Ludlow played host to the third ROA Owners Jackpot meeting of the year on March 19. In unseasonably warm conditions, five qualifying horses were first past the post, each collecting £2,000 for their owner on top of their winnings. The successful ROA members are listed below.

Hannah James Diamond Tammy

Robert Mayall Double Silver

The next Owners Jackpot fixtures, run in association with the Racing Post, are at Pontefract on April 29 and the evening of May 13 at Perth. The Perth event will coincide with an ROA regional meeting. See racehorseowners.net for details of all future ROA Owners Jackpot fixtures.

Geoffrey Libson, David Bayliss, Geoffrey Taylor and Pamela Sly Arkaim

The Stewart Family Pacha Du Polder

Susan Howell Armchair Theatre

Memorial service for long-standing owner and ROA member A memorial service is to be held for former long-standing racehorse owner and ROA member Michael Broke.

The service will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at 5pm at the Royal Hospital Chapel, Chelsea, London SW3 4SR. The Broke family has asked us to communicate that any of Michael Broke’s racing friends would be welcome to attend the service.

Michael Broke owned all or part of more than 20 racehorses spanning a period of over

20 years and was a frequent racegoer, not only in Britain but also in North America, Australia, France and the Caribbean.

He spent half of 2010 travelling to the country’s 37 racecourses that staged Flat racing at the time and made his way to almost all the racecourses using transport by bus and train. The findings of his visits and a summary of recommendations of suggested improvements were published by the ROA at the time.

Michael Broke: owner for over 20 years

Alzammaar’s thrilling Newbury triumph

Members of the ROA Arkle Partnership enjoyed a thrilling afternoon at Newbury when their four-year-old Alzammaar, jointly-owned with Peter Deal, won the Class 2 Doom Bar Juvenile Handicap Hurdle on March 21. Well done to all!

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Flat Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36

Ascot York Epsom Downs Newmarket Goodwood Chester Doncaster Newbury Sandown Park Haydock Park Musselburgh Chelmsford City Ripon Pontefract Ayr Lingfield Park Salisbury Thirsk Ffos Las Newcastle Hamilton Park Beverley Kempton Park Carlisle Leicester Nottingham Windsor Bath Catterick Bridge Yarmouth Redcar Wolverhampton Chepstow Brighton Warwick Southwell Total

Figures for period April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

I I JCR JCR I I ARC I JCR JCR I I I I I ARC I I I ARC I I JCR JCR I JCR ARC ARC I ARC I ARC ARC ARC JCR ARC

360,861 169,619 118,711 91,930 88,884 81,446 65,290 55,785 54,675 47,465 39,444 35,090 31,611 30,775 30,759 27,942 27,442 27,174 24,490 23,350 22,641 21,852 21,392 21,234 20,104 19,898 19,707 17,760 16,912 16,478 16,378 15,927 13,169 12,786 11,757 10,406 41,275

140,561 101,795 84,726 85,792 77,199 47,063 59,615 61,138 56,651 48,867 25,367 15,766 28,557 33,991 33,722 26,200 30,130 21,832 9,578 23,269 21,083 19,205 19,580 17,357 22,309 22,393 22,168 15,996 20,273 20,188 19,911 20,424 14,808 16,723 16,166 20,476 34,250

218,152 93,710 109,390 90,483 26,402 10,055 43,560 27,621 23,058 17,037 5,677 3,204 4,658 3,719 9,959 4,445 4,942 5,603 3,323 7,075 3,333 2,954 3,966 3,945 4,822 5,427 4,795 3,165 2,739 3,389 14,820 2,994 2,874 2,481 3,305 1,995 18,349

719,574 365,418 312,828 268,461 192,709 138,898 169,058 144,853 134,759 113,796 70,489 54,059 64,825 68,485 74,735 58,699 63,181 54,943 37,390 54,532 47,058 44,289 45,152 42,689 47,521 48,153 47,040 37,671 40,276 40,273 51,108 39,456 31,620 31,991 31,228 32,877 94,103

18 17 11 39 19 15 24 17 16 23 17 16 16 15 17 89 15 15 7 17 18 18 77 13 21 23 27 20 17 23 18 94 13 21 6 45 877

12,952,340 6,212,100 3,441,104 10,469,983 3,661,465 2,083,471 4,057,401 2,462,493 2,156,139 2,666,084 1,198,306 864,950 1,037,208 1,027,280 1,270,500 5,224,193 947,720 824,139 243,035 927,050 847,044 797,200 3,476,693 554,959 997,934 1,107,519 1,270,087 753,415 684,700 926,282 919,950 3,708,873 411,058 671,809 187,365 1,479,482 82,521,329

349,480 160,032 120,544 91,698 84,714 77,393 55,854 46,673 53,586 41,800 29,270 0 27,030 28,935 29,569 18,456 27,239 20,943 23,461 20,782 17,024 17,864 20,558 21,280 18,719 16,842 20,262 14,678 15,840 12,327 15,226 14,338 10,464 8,671 15,897 10,293 37,093

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲

Jumps Racecourse League Table Ptn Racecourse

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Aintree Cheltenham Ascot Haydock Park Sandown Park Kempton Park Newbury Ayr Kelso Doncaster Wincanton Musselburgh Perth Ludlow Chepstow Cartmel Wetherby Fakenham Stratford-on-Avon Warwick Market Rasen Newcastle Newton Abbot Carlisle Bangor-on-Dee Huntingdon Exeter Ffos Las Uttoxeter Hexham Catterick Bridge Fontwell Park Taunton Worcester Plumpton Sedgefield Lingfield Park Leicester Southwell Towcester Total

Ownership

Avg racecourse spend per fixture (£)

Avg HBLB spend per fixture (£)

Avg owner spend per fixture (£)

Avg prizemoney per fixture (£)

Total no. of fixtures

Total prize-money (£)

Avg racecourse spend per fixture 2013-14 (£)

JCR JCR I JCR JCR JCR I I I ARC JCR I I I ARC I I I I JCR JCR ARC I JCR I JCR JCR I ARC I I ARC I ARC I ARC ARC I ARC I

248,442 222,430 135,525 99,475 96,828 51,500 45,631 30,510 27,892 27,022 26,879 26,507 25,650 25,492 25,113 24,425 24,013 23,616 22,631 22,499 22,112 21,606 21,166 20,845 20,309 19,622 19,254 18,676 18,118 16,671 15,602 15,431 15,163 14,083 13,974 13,569 13,076 12,844 11,527 11,218 34,079

120,439 113,486 82,339 82,338 79,398 63,753 66,742 36,600 31,877 40,868 32,264 30,256 22,799 30,558 29,928 18,129 25,723 17,200 18,614 34,735 25,217 31,801 26,874 24,956 18,005 20,626 30,816 18,738 20,583 16,682 26,527 22,410 22,146 18,487 26,246 19,235 25,769 25,923 20,404 15,721 32,490

69,741 55,946 16,197 16,862 17,868 10,692 16,400 9,869 3,001 6,317 5,195 4,450 1,953 4,816 6,460 4,014 4,617 0 3,855 5,400 4,461 5,124 0 4,185 3,934 3,731 5,016 3,322 4,758 2,427 2,758 3,180 3,792 3,263 3,369 2,829 3,077 3,486 3,005 2,797 7,224

439,497 391,863 237,812 199,995 195,205 126,095 130,439 78,128 63,847 75,407 64,357 61,213 50,516 60,867 61,501 46,568 54,526 40,817 45,265 62,633 52,140 58,531 48,040 50,569 42,249 43,979 55,261 40,736 43,577 36,301 45,087 41,021 41,101 35,833 43,589 35,982 41,922 42,253 35,091 29,736 74,087

8 16 8 8 9 12 12 12 13 10 16 10 16 15 16 7 18 13 17 10 20 11 19 12 15 17 16 19 24 14 9 20 17 22 15 20 6 9 18 15 563

3,515,977 6,269,803 1,902,495 1,514,247 1,756,846 1,513,139 1,565,268 937,540 830,015 754,066 1,029,713 612,129 808,250 913,000 984,015 325,975 981,465 530,618 769,500 626,331 1,042,809 643,836 912,759 606,832 633,732 747,637 884,171 753,613 1,045,837 508,219 405,779 820,420 698,713 788,317 653,828 719,645 251,532 380,276 631,645 446,037 41,716,026

232,451 188,857 90,263 90,268 108,909 51,061 47,222 49,061 19,328 23,093 23,089 21,859 28,814 22,564 26,064 24,931 20,943 16,156 19,163 17,959 22,404 23,026 19,508 14,846 13,675 21,012 18,332 13,352 10,384 12,798 15,554 13,389 14,275 12,278 14,509 8,676 13,805 11,747 12,546 10,308 30,524

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Up/ down

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲ ▲

EXPLANATION The tables set out the average prize-money at each fixture staged by a racecourse over the last 12 months. They show how this is made up of the three sources of prizemoney: 1. Racecourses’ contribution 2. Levy Board (HBLB) 3. Owners The tables also confirm the number of fixtures staged and the total amount of prize-money paid out by each racecourse throughout this period.

The racecourses are ordered by the average amount of their own contribution to prizemoney at each fixture. This contribution originates from various sources including media rights, admission revenues and racecourse sponsors.

If a racecourse has increased its average contribution at each fixture compared with the previous 12 months, it receives a green ‘up’ arrow. If its average contribution has fallen, however, it receives a red ‘down’ arrow.

As these tables are based on the prize-money paid out by each racecourse, the abandonment of a major fixture could distort a racecourse’s performance.

OWNERSHIP KEY JCR Jockey Club Racecourses

ARC Arena Racing Company

I Independently owned racecourse

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TBA FORUM The special section for TBA members

A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO: “Do you know someone who would bring valuable experience, perspective and judgment to the TBA Board?”

“By now all members will have received nomination forms for our forthcoming 2015 TBA board elections. If you haven’t already done so, please do give some thought as to who you would consider to be a valuable addition to the TBA board and to the future of the thoroughbred breeding industry.

It is important the board members are able to reflect the views of the membership and this is your chance to nominate any member of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and ensure the board is enriched with a broad spectrum of expertise.

The TBA board is an integral part of the operational team at Stanstead House, therefore we’d like to remind candidates that they should be prepared to devote considerable time and energy in support of the TBA. This includes membership of a range of sub-committees, attendance at associated functions and meetings, in addition to ideally possessing some experience of the workings of a board.

This year we are seeking to appoint two elected members for a four-year term of office to represent the range of breeding interests within the membership. Whilst the elected members enjoy a shared interest and knowledge of breeding, we’d like to ensure the board has adequate representation from the various sectors of the breeding industry and in

particular those breeders with hands-on experience.

We are very lucky to have a variety of valuable knowledge and skills amongst our current board but need to increase the numbers able to support our veterinary, education and employment sub-committees, as well as somebody to provide a vendor’s perspective to cover sales issues.

Importantly, the TBA Chairman and Deputy Chairman positions are also recruited from amongst the board members and it is through this process that we will find our future leaders.

So please also bear this in mind when you make your selections. The TBA have campaigned hard for greater industry recognition and these positions are vitally important if we are able to continue to influence outcomes both within the industry and further afield through government departments and overseas.

All members will have received a nomination form and information on the election process via the post. Please return the completed forms to Stanstead House by Friday, May 1. Those names appearing on six or more nomination forms will be eligible for the ballot stage.

Please make the most of this opportunity; if you know someone who would bring valuable experience, perspective and judgment to the TBA, nominate them today. Thank you.”

Louise Kemble: board members sought

TBA Annual General Meeting NOTICE The 98th Annual General Meeting of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association will be held at the Jockey Club Rooms, 101 High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 8JL on Tuesday, July 7 at 10.30am. The agenda and further details will be circulated at a later date.

Now increased to two days, the TBA Annual Seminar – ‘NUTRITION AND THE ENVIRONMENT’ There are two opportunities for members to attend this year’s TBA Annual Seminar, which is kindly sponsored by Saracen Horse Feeds, and takes place on Wednesday, July 15 at Tattersalls Park Paddocks and Thursday, July 16 at Newbury racecourse. Speakers include nutrition expert Dr Joe Pagan and veterinary surgeon Dr Brian Waldridge from Kentucky Equine Research, agronomist Roger Allman, Emily Haggett (Rossdale & Partners) and Charlie Pinkham (Pinkham Veterinary Services).

The seminar is once again free to TBA members, with lunch included. An application form will be enclosed in the May mailing. Save the date in your diary now. For further information email Caroline Turnbull at the TBA at caroline.turnbull@thetba.co.uk

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www.thetba.co.uk

TBA diary dates MONDAY, MAY 4

TBA Mares Maiden Hurdle at Warwick.

MONDAY, MAY 4

TBA Mares-only race at East Sussex and Romney Marsh Point-to-Point at Aldington.

SUNDAY, MAY 10

TBA Mares-only race at Melton Hunt Point-to-Point at Garthorpe.

SUNDAY, MAY 24

TBA Mares-only race at West Wales area Point-to-Point at Lydstep.

The National Hunt Foal Show, a fantastic day out for spectators and exhibitors

The popular National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show As the success of this unique show goes from strength to strength, the TBA is delighted to be inviting members to the National Hunt ‘Stars of Tomorrow’ Foal Show at Bangor-on-Dee racecourse on Sunday, July 26.

The day provides an opportunity for mare owners to showcase their young stock, with separate classes for colt and filly foals, and a championship where the first- and second-

placed foals from all classes will be asked to come forward for the judging of the champion and reserve champion of the show.

Judges from England, Ireland and France will choose the winners who, in their opinion, have the potential to make a good racehorse. A schedule and entry form will be posted to all members in the send-out next month. All enquiries to pauline.stoddart@thetba.co.uk

An opportunity to celebrate

REGIONAL DAYS

Thank you to all those members who have already returned the application form request sheet for the forthcoming regional days. The application forms for the first three dates, South West (May 26), West (June 8) and South East (June 9), will be posted imminently to those members who reside in each specific region along with all those who have requested details.

For further details on the Regional Day programme for 2015 please visit the TBA website or contact Carrie at Stanstead House.

SOUTH WEST TUESDAY, MAY 26

Visit to Richard Hannon’s Herridge Racing Stables, Marlborough, Wiltshire.

WEST MONDAY, JUNE 8

A visit to David Redvers’s Tweenhills Farm & Stud, Hartpury, Gloucestershire.

SOUTH EAST TUESDAY, JUNE 9

A visit to Jeff Smith’s Littleton Stud Winchester, Hampshire, followed by a visit to Winchester Cathedral or afternoon racing at Salisbury.

SCOTLAND TUESDAY, JULY 21

A visit to Robert Robinson’s Distillery Stud, Annan, Dumfriesshire, followed by a tour of Annandale Distillery.

TBA NEW MEMBERS

This year’s Annual Breeders’ Awards Evening will be held at The Granary Barns, Woodditton, Newmarket. The evening will commence with a drinks reception and will be followed by a dinner and the presentation of awards. It is a unique opportunity to celebrate the breeding successes of our THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

industry with friends and colleagues.

Invitations to apply for places will be sent to members next month. Numbers are strictly limited and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis – to avoid disappointment return your application to Stanstead House as soon possible.

John Benfield, Oxfordshire; Dale Clements, Suffolk; Miss Sally Dixon, Yorkshire; Jill Forrester, Northamptonshire; Jessica Fortt, Glamorgan; S W Hart, Gloucestershire; Alan Kent, West Sussex; Mrs Jackie Laws, Dorset; Ronald Lott, Norfolk; John Nicholson, Shropshire

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TBA groups review the black-type programme and look into improving National Hunt racing A small stakeholder working party, to include TBA board members Philippa Cooper and Paul Greeves, has been set up by the BHA to enable a review of the blacktype programme. Recommendations for change are to be discussed in more detail and will provide an appropriate forum at which to gain a greater clarity on the topics identified for further debate, ahead of taking any recommendations forward.

Commenting on the aim of the review group, TBA board member Paul Greeves, said: “We approach this important review very aware that the Flat Pattern races and the Listed races which support them play a critical role in maintaining the prestige of British racing, so vital to its pre-eminence despite its ever present funding challenge as compared to other leading racing nations.

“Our races invariably provide the quality benchmark for the ascending levels of Pattern races and in principle there should be no weakening of the criteria set for races to attain Group status throughout the European Pattern. As important however is the need to provide a full but not excessive programme of opportunities for horses of both sexes across all distances, being key to sustaining the breed. We look forward to what is sure to be an excellent discussion forum with our fellow stakeholders under BHA direction.”

In addition, the BHA National Hunt Race

fundamental problems NH racing will suffer a spiral of decline.

“In the short term we have to ensure that the NH programme provides competitive racing that maximises the income from levy yield; but the programme must also provide opportunities for young horses to gain experience early in their careers and it must recognise the traditions valued by lovers of NH racing. Longer term, it is essential that people are encouraged to breed more highclass NH horses. Unless we are able to improve the returns for breeders, NH racing will depend on a declining number of people prepared to spend whatever they can afford on what is effectively a hobby.

“To encourage NH breeders it is essential that we address the biggest problem they face: the low demand for fillies. We need the best possible programme for NH mares, incentivising breeders, owners and trainers to race far more of the horses that we are already producing.

“Increased racing opportunities for mares will lead to increased demand for them as racehorses and greatly improved economics for breeders. More will be tested before retiring to stud and both the quality and quantity of NH racehorses will be boosted.

“These are the challenges facing British NH racing and breeding today, and via this working group I hope to play a part in coming up with solutions to address them.”

“To encourage NH

breeders we must address the biggest problem they face: low demand for fillies” Review Group is currently undertaking a review of jump racing and has been gathering the required data to facilitate this. A working party, made up by individuals with knowledge of the subject who will be able to think innovatively about solutions, including TBA board member Bryan Mayoh, has now been created to review this data, in order to produce hypotheses and find solutions to specific issues. The group will ultimately report to the Jump Racing Committee.

Commenting on the NH division, Mayoh said: “National Hunt racing faces increasing problems due to the economic difficulties faced by NH breeders. Many breeders have reduced the numbers of mares they keep or have given up breeding altogether. Reduced sizes of NH foal crops are now having an adverse impact on field sizes, and this is impacting levy yield. Unless we address these

Notes for employers The second quarterly Employment Law update is now available online at www.thetba.co.uk under Employers’ Support. The update includes the latest information on redundancy, the new government occupational health scheme ‘Fit for Work’, shared parental leave and tax-free child care.

• For workers aged 16 to 17 years old – £3.97 per hour

IN ADDITION:

Detailed information is available in the Quarterly Update. Changes have also been made to the following Employment Law Factsheets which are also available on-line...

From April 5 the following reference figures will change: • The statutory limit of a gross week’s pay, used to calculate redundancy payments and unfair dismissal claims, will rise from £464 to £475 per week

• Apprentices aged 16 to 18 years old and those aged 19 or over in the first year of their apprenticeship will receive £3.30 per hour. All other apprentices are entitled to the National Minimum Wage.

• Parental rights • Maternity rights and shared parental leave

• Statutory maternity pay rises from £138.18 to £139.58 per week

• Redundancy

• Statutory sick pay rises from £87.55 to £88.45 per week

• Flexible working

National Minimum Wage rates from October 2015 are as follows:

• Sick pay arrangements

• For workers 21 years old – £6.70 per hour

• Engaging self-employed individuals/contractors

• For workers aged 18 to 20 years old -– £5.30 per hour

• Employing short-term workers

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_TBA_Forum_Owner 21/04/2015 12:29 Page 79

w w w. t h e t b a . c o . u k

GAVIN JAMES

Joe Grimwade steps down after 17 years

Paul Murphy, owner of Kalane, winner of the Mares’ Open NHF at Newbury on March 21, accepts his prize from Louise Kemble and Yorton Farm’s Teresa Futter

Joe Grimwade (left) presenting a Stud Staff Award to David Porter-Mackrell

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

TBA National Hunt Chairman Robert Waley-Cohen presents the EBF/TBA Mares’ Standard Open National Hunt Flat Race award to Rich Ricci’s racing representative for Babylone Des Motte at Sandown on March 7

JACKIE OLIVER

After 17 years of very active service, Joe Grimwade LVO has stepped down from his role as a co-opted member of the TBA board. During his time on the board, Joe served on a number of TBA committees covering veterinary and education matters and represented the TBA on industry committees, including as a trustee of Retraining of Racehorses. He also spoke and presented at many industry and TBA courses during this time.

Joe’s most significant contribution was made during his tenure as Chairman of the TBA’s Education and Employment Committee and the TBA Stud Farming Course. For both roles, his in-depth knowledge of stud work at the coal face and at a managerial level was invaluable.

His expertise, enthusiasm and wise counsel will be greatly missed by board members and the Stanstead House team, and we are deeply grateful for all that he has done to support the TBA over the years.

Simon Hart and Robert and Janet Bartlett enjoyed watching Claire Hart (Simon’s niece) pilot their Kazuri Kate to win the TBA Mares-only race at the Oakley Point-to-Point at Brafield-on-the-Green on March 22

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May_129_TBA-BreederOfTheMonth_Owner 21/04/2015 13:16 Page 80

BREEDER OF THE MONTH

www.thetba.c o.uk

Words Alan Yuill Walker Sponsored by

Manufacturers of

NH BREEDER OF THE MONTH – March 2015

Leonard Fuller

GEORGE SELWYN

With the late Lord Oaksey having already been given the February award by virtue of subsequent Gold Cup hero Coneygree, the March award concerns another Cheltenham Festival success story for a small British breeder.

The most recent winner of the Grade 3 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate, known previously as the Mildmay of Flete Chase, was the nine-year-old Alflora gelding Darna. This was due reward for the perseverance of his breeder, Leonard Fuller, a semiretired consulting engineer from Ashtead in Surrey.

Darna’s Cheltenham victory is certainly Fuller’s most exciting moment of recent times, but his most memorable success was winning the 1989 Cesarewitch (by a neck) with his homebred five-year-old Double Dutch. Runner-up in the previous year’s Cesarewitch (beaten a neck), she was described by Timeform as “splendidly tough, genuine and consistent”.

Fuller recalls: “Winning the Cesarewitch was unbelievable. We have still got the trophy on the dining table. Trained by Brooke Sanders, she was a very popular mare who loved the mud – she would never let herself down on firm ground.”

The grandam of Darna, Double Dutch was the first and best of Dutch Princess’s five winning progeny, and the latter also features as the grandam of two more prolific winners in Barton Nic, whose dam was leased to the Barton Stallion Partnership at the time, and Czar Wars.

Fuller bought what turned out to be his foundation mare, Dutch Princess, privately as a three-year-old in 1981.

“She was my first ever purchase,” he says. “She was in training with Auriol Sinclair at Lewes. I then sent her to Josh Gifford, but she got injured. Instead of having her fired, I decided to breed from her.”

Peter Hockenhull of Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire takes up the story, saying: “We have had Leonard Fuller’s mares here as permanent boarders for about 30 years. I remember Double Dutch looked just like her mum, hence the name. Over the years Leonard has had his fair share of bad luck so it was lovely to see Darna winning at Cheltenham.”

Most of the family have been prolific breeders but unfortunately Darna was the first of only two produce out of Dutch Dyane. Successful four times over hurdles, she died after complications foaling the

Darna (noseband) strikes at the Cheltenham Festival

following year.

Fuller’s only remaining mare is Dutch Dyane’s half-sister Dutch Star, who is by Darna’s sire Alflora. She is currently due to Black Sam Bellamy and has a four-year-old gelding by his stud companion Fair Mix. Incidentally, the Shade Oak stalwart Alflora, 26, is now enjoying a well-earned retirement out in the home paddocks.

Dutch Dyane had actually been retained by her breeder for 6,400gns as a yearling at Tattersalls Ireland’s 1994 December Sales. He did, however, sell her son Darna as a yearling for €10,000 when consigned

by Shade Oak to Tattersalls’ Ireland Sale at Fairyhouse in February 2007.

The son of Alflora was sold twice by DBS. As a three-year-old at the 2009 Spring Sale he realised £7,000, and then two years later, after scoring twice over hurdles at Ayr for Borders trainer Willie Amos, he was secured for £120,000 at the March Festival Sale at Newbury racecourse to join Kim Bailey.

“The family has given us a lot of fun,” adds Fuller. “Unfortunately I did not get to Cheltenham to see Darna win as my wife Myra was not very well so we watched on television. I’m not a betting man, but I did have £2 each way at 33-1!”

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May_129_NGC_Owner 21/04/2015 12:27 Page 81

N E X T G E N E R AT I O N C L U B

www.nextgenerationc lub.c om

By Lydia Symonds

Dreaming of Classic success for racing and bloodstock operation Hannah Wall is looking forward to Elm Park, while Makfi is off to a flyer in New Zealand

T

he Flat season is back in full swing but for bloodstock agents it is one small part of a year that never stops. This is very much the case for Hannah Wall, assistant to David Redvers.

This could be a groundbreaking season for Qatar Racing, whose main hopes lie with Elm Park, an impressive winner of the Group 1 Racing Post Trophy and the son of Phoenix Reach is currently looking like a serious prospect for this month’s QIPCO 2,000 Guineas.

Wall, 31, has been assistant for nine years working at the heart of the ever-expanding Qatar bloodstock operation at Tweenhills farm and stud in Gloucestershire.

“After my degree I then worked at Market Rasen and Goodwood but always had a lifelong passion, interest and family background in racing – breeding especially,” she said.

“It was just good timing. David needed an assistant and I was desperate to get in to something like that.”

Predominantly Wall works with Redvers at the sales internationally, but in addition manages all the stallion nominations and helps in all areas of the business including entertaining clients at high-profile events QIPCO sponsor.

The year has already started well for Qatar Bloodstock with Makfi posting his first Group 1 winner in New Zealand with Marky Mark.

“The first Group 1 was great and it was massive for Makfi,” Wall said. “He has been very well supported down in New Zealand and they are the first crop of two-year-olds, and to have a Group 1 in the first crop is a huge achievement.

“We’ve all seen what an incredible stallion Dubawi is and we’ve got a lot of lovely Makfis in training in the northern hemisphere. I think a lot of them needed a bit more time and patience, as you do with a lot of the Dubawis.

“I certainly think we will be seeing the best of them on the track this season.”

All attention will soon turn to Newmarket and the first Classic of the season, the Guineas, which is always sure to get the juices flowing for any racing fan. Wall is no different.

“I’m really looking forward to the year, we have some lovely horses, but especially Elm Park, who finished off the season so well last year,” she said.

Impressive as a two-year-old last year, being beaten only once, first time out, Elm Park has

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Hannah Wall was in the right place at the right time in terms of acquiring her role

gone from strength to strength and looks set to stake his claim in the most important year for colts.

“Last season was amazing and his performance in the Racing Post Trophy was one of the highlights for Qatar Racing,” said Wall.

“We went down to see him last week and he has wintered so well, he looks like he’s really strengthened up. It’s very encouraging.

“He was bred and raised down at Kingsclere and was a horse that we had an eye on for a while. He looked very impressive. David and I went to see him on our way to the Keeneland sales last year and we really liked him then.”

Straight after Qatar purchased him he went on to win the Royal Lodge Group 2 at Newmarket.

“He has course form at Newmarket, which can only help looking forward to the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas this season,” added Wall.

They certainly seem to have an exciting prospect on their hands but Wall warns they will hold tight and see how he runs at Newmarket before making any firm plans for the rest of the season.

WALL ON. . . .

SHEIKH FAHAD: We are incredibly lucky to have a fantastic client in Sheikh Fahad and his brothers. Sheikh Fahad’s enthusiasm and passion and drive for everything is contagious.

QIPCO British Champion series and QIPCO Champions Day is a huge investment and it shows his support of the whole of the British racing industry not just one part of it, which is brilliant. He ran the London Marathon in support of Racing Welfare last year and is due to ride in a charity race for the Irish Injured Jockeys Fund, which shows the level of support he puts back into the industry.

REDWALL BLOODSTOCK: I set up Redwall for friends and family who were interested in what I was doing and keen to get involved from a bloodstock trading point of view, as opposed to racing. We’ve had some great successes, most notably selling a Dubawi filly for 180,000gns in our first year and a Lope De Vega Colt last year for €270,000. I love it, I love the trading side and pinhooking side, it’s a part of my job I’ve always enjoyed, so I thought why not start one of my own.

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Horses in training: are you carrying out a trade?

With confusion surrounding tax relief for your horses in training, the important issue is whether tax is due on the profits.

A frequent topic of conversation amongst owners of horses in training is whether there is any tax relief available.

Many believe that, if buying and selling racehorses does not prove to be a profitable venture, then there should be loss relief available.

When considering if tax relief applies, the starting point is the relevant income tax legislation, which states that horses kept for racing will not be treated as trading stock. It follows that any profits on sale and/or prize money won will not be taxable, but equally no expenses will be allowable.

The question therefore arises why, when you consider that profits on the sale of a horse in training are tax free, would anyone want to have the trade of buying and selling horses in training taxed?

The answer is that most owners do not sell their horses in training and fewer still at a profit. Whilst there are several examples of promising two or three year olds being sold to wealthy owners for mouth-watering sums of money, these sales tend to be rare. Sadly, for each successful owner, there are many more who will never sell a horse at a profit.

Many individuals would therefore find it beneficial if the entire trade is within the scope of taxation, thereby allowing owners to claim associated reliefs.

In order for losses to be allowed against other income the trader must be able to demonstrate, with adequate records and other evidence, that he or she believes they can make a profit and is genuinely carrying out commercial activities.

Recent tribunal decisions are littered with cases where unsuccessful claimants did well with one horse, made a healthy profit, but then subsequently tried, and failed, to claim loss relief for further equine activities. Achieving success through the sale of an individual horse is normally insufficient evidence to demonstrate that you can make a profit in the future. It is necessary to be able to demonstrate a plausible business case showing why your business will be profitable over a sustained period.

Where a trainer buys a horse, runs it a couple of times and then sells it (or a large share in it), then HMRC would consider that the horse was bought to sell rather than race. HMRC has prohibited trainers from deducting expenses when running the horses under their own names. It is easy to demonstrate when a horse is being actively marketed amongst owners or advertised on the open market.

The “Badges of Trade”, which originate in case law but are subsequently set out in the HMRC Business Income Manual, help to establish if a trade is being carried out.* Some relevant badges are outlined below.

Smith & Williamson OB May 2015_Layout 1 20/04/2015 09:17 Page 2

F F F F

Profit making motive – do you sell your promising two year old after its first race because someone has made a premium offer rather than waiting to see if it is good enough for the Classics?

Is your motivation to win a Classic or make a profit? If the former, it will be difficult to argue you are pursuing a trade.

Alternatively, if you have a well-bred National Hunt store with the availability of cheap keep for two years, then it may be possible to buy a yearling and turn it away for two years before selling it at a profit. However, if it has to be kept expensively at a livery then a profit might not be as easy to achieve and so harder to prove as a motive.

Nature of the asset – is the asset ,-0+ **7 -3%&2 ," 1-*"= - *1 0# generally bought for pinhooking, which means they will almost invariably be sold as yearlings 11 months later. It may be easy to argue successfully that pinhooking is a trade provided the best foals are not kept personally and transferred into training.

Interval of time between purchase and sale – have you held onto your hurdler for two seasons before selling it for £3,000 more than you bought it for?

The costs may have been substantial over that period, so overall there has been a loss. Many flat horses are only in training for 2 years, so unless they have a good pedigree, they would have to be sold very quickly if a profit is to be obtained and the business considered a trade.

‘

When arguing if you are running a trade, be careful what you wish for!

Personal enjoyment – if the business is loss making but it is easy to demonstrate personal enjoyment or sentiment, HMRC may be unlikely to accept that the business is carried on commercially with a view to profit.

Keeping the horse with the nicest character as a pet indicates a private activity and therefore not a trade.

So, be careful what you wish for. Losses aren’t allowable unless you are running a trade in a commercial fashion and the business has a reasonable chance of making a profit. However, if you succeed in arguing that you have a trade, you will end up paying tax on the profits that you have asserted to HMRC will be made.

*http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/bimmanual/BIM20205.htm

Smith & Williamson is a top ten firm of UK accountants* with a specialist bloodstock and equine team that advises on the tax and financial issues facing owners, breeders, trainers and others in the industry. Drawing on the wide resources of the firm, the team provides comprehensive tax and accounting advisory services for both individuals and businesses.

Key bloodstock and equine specialists at Smith & Williamson:

Joss Dalrymple Head of private client tax 020 7131 4297

Penelope Lang Tax partner 01722 431064

Brigitte Potts VAT associate director 01722 431054

Peter Treadgold Assurance and business services partner 01722 431085

*According to the 2015 survey in Accountancy magazine Details correct at time of writing

Email: firstname.lastname@smith.williamson.co.uk F www.smith.williamson.co.uk/bloodstock-equine Offices: London, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cheltenham, Dublin, Glasgow, Guildford, Jersey, Manchester, Salisbury and Southampton.

Smith & Williamson LLP Regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. A member of Nexia International.

The word partner is used to refer to members of Smith & Williamson LLP and Smith & Williamson Investment Management LLP. code: 15/326 expiry date: 31/07/15

’

May_129_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:13 Page 84

VET FORUM: THE EXPERT VIEW

By DEIDRE CARSON BVSc, MRCVS

Chewing over teeth issues Good, professional dental care is just as important for horses as it is for humans

E

veryone who has anything to do with horses will probably know that we can get a pretty good indication of a horse’s age, especially in the pre-teen years, by looking at their teeth. This is because of the fairly predictable pattern of eruption (when the new teeth come through) and then growth and wear of horses’ teeth. What is less well known is that a horse’s teeth continue to ‘grow’ and are in constant wear throughout life so that their shape, contours and appearance all change with time.

All horses, regardless of their age or use, require regular, good quality dental care. There have been significant advances in equine dentistry over the past decade so that we now better understand not only what is ‘normal’ in appearance, we also better understand the composition and structure of individual teeth, natural growth and wear, and the damage and disease processes that can occur. We are also very much better at recognising, diagnosing and treating problems – and anticipating them. The use of oral endoscopy, radiography and CT scanning, endodontic treatment and access to more specialised training and equipment have had a major impact on the standards of equine dental care available.

Horses are quite good at disguising oral discomfort – this was an evolutionary necessity to avoid indicating any susceptibility to a potential predator – but a painful mouth can affect demeanour, feed intake and performance.

A minor problem can also occasionally develop into a costly disaster if not picked up. Routine care must be considered a preventative measure as much as a ‘treatment’ and should be planned and budgeted for. It is, however, important that the person who looks after your horse’s teeth is properly trained or qualified to do so.

Every horse should receive a full dental examination at least once a year

Technicians (EDTs) to legally undertake certain dental procedures. Like many similar expectations, this exemption order did not materialise.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and the British Veterinary Dental Association (BVDA) subsequently developed a set of categories of dental procedures, which was accepted by the RCVS to ‘permit’ non-vets to carry out certain procedures without risk of prosecution. The three categories set out procedures that any suitable person with some training may carry out (Category 1) and some

Who can do what?

All diagnostic procedures and treatments within a horse’ s mouth, with the exception of manual removal of dental overgrowths by hand instruments (rasps) and certain other minor procedures, are considered by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to be the practice of veterinary surgery and are therefore legally restricted by the Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) to be carried out only by veterinary surgeons. A number of years ago the government had hinted that there would be an Exemption Order that would have allowed qualified Equine Dental

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procedures that may be carried out by qualified EDT’s (Category 2). Most qualified EDTs in the UK have undertaken and passed the British Association of Equine Dental Technicians (BAEDT) examination and are BAEDT members.

In the interests of protecting the health and welfare of animals, all other procedures (Category 3) must be carried out only by veterinary surgeons. Should a non-veterinary surgeon carry out a Category 3 procedure, even if under the direct supervision of or assisting a vet then the vet, the EDT and the owner of the horse are all liable for potential prosecution should unforeseen complications occur. An increasing number of vets are specialising in equine dentistry and some have taken the BAEDT exam and/or further post-graduate equine dentistry qualifications in recognition of the developing knowledge and expertise in this field.

What are the main problems seen?

A CT image of the upper jaw showing displaced molars

It is not possible to cover all possible issues but there are several conditions we see frequently in young horses. In foals and yearlings most problems are associated with trauma such as a kick, foreign body in the mouth or other injury to the incisors or lower jaw. In the young Flat racehorse, the most common problems are associated with loose, broken or twisted caps.

These are the remnants of the deciduous (temporary) molars that sit on top of the THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_Vet_Forum_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 13:13 Page 85

emerging permanent teeth until they are worn away or knocked off. Sometimes they can become very sharp and cut into the cheek or tongue causing pain and drooling. In some cases, the temporary incisors do not shed naturally and might need to be removed. Even youngsters need to have sharp edges rasped off and a large proportion of them also have their wolf teeth removed to prevent them causing problems with the bit.

Occasionally other developmental problems are seen, such as parrot mouth. We also see injuries to the incisors as a result of the horse biting on or playing with a chain, bucket or other obstacle in the stable. Usually it is fairly simple to remove the damaged tooth/teeth, but if a large piece of the jaw has fractured it can be necessary to repair the fracture using wire. Even at an early age, it is possible for hooks and small steps to develop if there is any misalignment between the upper and lower jaws.

In older racehorses, the problems are usually associated with broken teeth, especially molars, overgrowths (either as a result of lack of dental care or, in some cases, in spite of it!), hooks and ‘steps’, diastema (gaps between the teeth allowing packing of food material and subsequent infection), misalignment of teeth, tooth root infection or abscesses. We can even detect caries (cavities) in horses’ teeth. Sinus infections can be secondary to tooth root infections.

Back on the stud, broodmares frequently suffer from overgrowths, irregular grinding surfaces, diastema, tooth fractures (often unsuspected), hooks and missing or displaced molars and pulp disease.

Categories of equine dental procedures and who can legally undertake them CATEGORY 1 These procedures may be carried out by anyone, irrespective of whether they have any qualifications: • Examination of teeth • Removal of sharp enamel points using manual (hand) rasps only • Removal of small dental overgrowths (maximum 4mm reductions) using manual rasps only • Rostral profiling of the first cheek teeth (maximum 4mm reductions), previously termed ‘bit seat shaping’ • Removal of loose deciduous caps • Removal of calculus CATEGORY 2 These are additional procedures that are suitable for delegation to an EDT who has trained and passed an examination approved by DEFRA: • Examination, evaluation and recording of dental abnormalities • The extraction of teeth or dental fragments with negligible periodontal attachment • The removal of erupted, non-displaced wolf teeth in the upper or lower jaw under direct and continuous veterinary supervision • Palliative rasping of fractured and adjacent teeth • The use of motorised dental instruments where these are used to reduce dental overgrowths and remove sharp enamel points only. Horses should be sedated unless it is deemed safe to undertake any proposed procedure without sedation, with full informed consent of the owner CATEGORY 3 These are procedures that can be undertaken only by a veterinary surgeon: • All other procedures. These include restorations, endodontics, tooth removal etc Note: Only a veterinary surgeon can prescribe, supply or stock prescription-only medicines such as sedatives and phenylbutazone.

Every horse should receive a dental check-up at least once a year and in some cases, more often.

Modern equine dentistry has come a long way

from the bad old days of simply running a rasp over the sharp edges. Most diagnostic work and many treatments, including the majority of tooth extractions, can be performed in the standing, sedated horse. Speak to your vet in the

first instance or look for a suitably qualified EDT via the BAEDT website or the BEVA website.

Many vets work closely with EDTs to ensure that procedures are performed safely, effectively and legally.

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May_129_AdFeaturev2_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:07 Page 86

FOCUS ON...

Data management expertise, Smartphone Apps and NASA-inspired technology don’t spring to mind as the traditional tools of a bloodstock yard, but they’re playing an ever-increasing role in ensuring equine health and excellence. In this issue we focus on four ‘yard’ products encompassing ground-breaking new technology, writes Sarah Miller

Olympic Plus Byerley Technologies and Horse Weigh have teamed up to launch a joint venture incorporating unique and revolutionary tendon diagnostic technology into a state of the art weighing platform, called the Olympic Plus.

The Olympic Plus combines Byerley Technologies’ data management expertise with Horse Weigh’s wealth of experience as leaders in the field of mobile equine weighing platforms.

Tendon Manager has the ability to pick up changes in the temperature in a horse’s legs that are undetectable to human hand or eye and so provide an early warning system for small issues to be treated before they become more critical.

All lower leg scans may be stored for future reference so that a veterinary practice is able to view a history of the lower limbs and compare results. The trainer, or designated person, can allow any veterinary practice access to the files of any of their horses over a secure network direct to their office.

Horse Weigh has developed the Olympic Plus platform, based on its established Olympic model, specifically for use with Tendon Manager. The results from Tendon Manager and Horse Weigh are compatible with Android and Apple computers.

Tendon Manager looks for changes in temperature in the lower limbs on a daily basis, and compares these retrospectively to previous readings for each horse. Its smart technology has a built-in analytical algorithm which delivers easily interpreted results. Should any changes be detected, the smart technology contacts the trainer, or designated person, with the information, thus enabling them to make an informed decision on what course of action needs to take place next.

Tendon Manager has undergone four years of testing in field trials and has evolved with the input from leading veterinary personnel and major equine establishments in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Incorporated into the Horse Weigh platform, it is easy to use and provides a safe environment. Weight records and the information from the Tendon Manager can be stored in one file for each horse. The whole system is simple to operate for tendon management and weighing, and will easily fit into the daily routine of equine management.

The Olympic Plus offers a data management and collection system for the whole equine industry. It is designed to improve welfare and enhance equine performance using technology and innovation.

Contact Tom Wallace tom@byerleytech.com

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The new early warning system for your horse’s fragile legs tel: +35 (0)3879 788044 or william@horseweigh.com tel: +44 (0)7774 783247 www.horseweigh.com

equinITy Fine Equinity Ltd was established in 2011 by racehorse owners Keith Hanson and Steve Catchpole to develop a product that would satisfy their need for a more interactive ownership experience. They felt that by collecting data relating to their horses’ fitness, they would have an insight without physically being present on the gallops each morning. equinITy has evolved over the last two years and now provides a powerful, state of the art equine training and welfare tool, designed to be simple to use whilst gaining as much important data as possible. The bespoke GPS device is held in a pocket on a lightweight girth sleeve which also incorporates an equine specific heart rate monitor. Speed, heart rate, stride, split times and location are all live streamed to any web-

enabled device anywhere in the world, either through the equinITy website or via equinITy’s App onto smartphones or tablets.

As well as real time delivery, the data collected is also available for retrospective analysis through equinITy’s web-based software.

This processes and graphically illustrates the data, producing highly informative performance reports of speed vs heart rate and stride, split times, distance and recovery rates enabling valuable comparison analysis. equinITy has already been used by trainers as far afield as Australia, USA and Dubai, as well as all over Europe, providing themselves and their owners with a method of accurately assessing ability and fitness in advance of running. equinITy has also proved a good indicator of impending health deterioration, saving on expensive and disappointing trips to the races.

A recognised specialist in veterinary cardiology, Dr Lesley Young, BVSc DVA DVC DipECEIM PhD MRCVS RCVS, has welcomed the development of this technology, saying:

Want to know about ability and fitness pre-race? Look no further!

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_AdFeaturev2_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 11:07 Page 87

New Technology & the Bloodstock World

A vital tool in keeping muscle tone on horses having box rest “Heart rate monitors and GPS devices are now commonly used in all branches of professional and amateur sport to individualise and optimise athletes’ training, resulting in improvements in performance at every level.

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Vitafloor® The Vitafloor® is a vibrating floor system specifically designed for horses which uses the physical and technological principles of whole body training (WBV) as developed by NASA for their astronauts. It works by stimulating blood circulation – especially in the legs – and helps promote muscle tone and bone density without physical movement.

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Trainer Olly Stevens said: “Vitafloor® is a fantastic tool for helping to bring horses back to fitness quickly and safely after injury – the speed of recovery has surprised us. We put all our

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horses on to help maintain fitness and to reduce the incidence of injury and as an integral part of our daily regime, as well as enabling us to keep recovering horses on box rest onsite.”

Tim Ryan of Fallows Farm Equine Rehab and Training Centre added: “In addition to producing remarkable improvements in a range of specific conditions and injuries, I have also found Vitafloor® keeps muscle tone in horses on prolonged box rest and highly recommend people to use it as part of their daily routine.”

Please visit www.ehc-vitafloor.co.uk for further information

Haygain HAYGAIN is a specifically designed spiked method of steaming forage which works by injecting steam into the bale. Scientifically-based research has proven that steaming hay and haylage using HAYGAIN reduces respirable particles, bacteria and mould contamination by greater than 95%.

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The spikes are fixed into aluminium plates which help produce more heat under the forage to assist with raising the temperature and thus improving the efficiency of the hay steamer. This allows the high temperatures in excess of 100°C to be maintained throughout the hay, which is crucial to the process, as partial steaming would actually increase the bacterial content of the forage.

Product development of the HAYGAIN hay steamer range continues with the latest model recently launched, the HG-ONE, which is designed to steam enough for one 8kg portion.

New projects currently in progress will mean steam treatment is available for all types of forage, irrespective of the bale size and how it is packed.

HAYGAIN is the practical solution to minimising the exposure to dust for the stabled horse. In the same way that it treats hay and haylage, it can also treat straw for bedding.

Steamed straw is an excellent bedding for foaling boxes with all the benefits of straw that is now completely clean, thereby reducing the risk of infection.

Steaming is now recognised by vets as a preventative measure and not just to treat a horse with issues; thus the main cause of respiratory disorders are being addressed much earlier.

The improvement in general hygiene levels, and more recently yards outsourcing professional organisations to do seasonal indepth cleans with anti- bacterial treatments and coatings, highlights how standards of the horse’s environment are improving.

Other developments in forage feeding include the ability to re-pack forage with a tailormade nutritional content suitable for more specific diets such as for a horse on box rest, prone to laminitis or one requiring a higher than average nutritional content. It can then be steamed to ensure the highest level of hygiene quality. The re-packed small bales are easy to handle and completely sealed, so suitable for storage outside.

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Reduces respirable particles, bacteria and mould contamination

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ownerbreeder ad pages 05.2015_OwnerBreeder Ad pages 05.2015 20/04/2015 09:29 Page 88

Yorgunnabelucky Bay 2006, 16.1 (1.64m)

GIANT’S CAUSEWAY – HELSINKI (MACHIAVELLIAN)

Ideal Dual Purpose Stallion

The Full-Brother to SHAMARDAL One of the leading stakes producing sires in the world. Stud fee: £70,000 Tough and talented racehorse, who beat several Group winners Won 5 races from 3 to 5 years, 10–14f, £60,916, and was placed 3 times Won Shergar Cup Challenge, 12f, Ascot, (left), beating multiple Group winner MACARTHUR, Group-placed SUBMARINER, etc.

“Put the race to bed with a change of pace.” RACING POST Won Eddie Stobart Stakes, 14f, Newmarket, beating Stakes winners TACTICIAN, CHIBERTA KING, TOMINATOR, Gr.2-placed NANTON, etc.

“Battled on well to hold challenges on both sides…” RACING POST Timeform’s Racehorses of 2011: 102 “tall horse: useful…races prominently/makes running”.

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May_129_DrStatz_Owner Breeder 21/04/2015 12:26 Page 89

DR STAT JOHN BOYCE CRACKS THE CODE

Time we gave credit where it’s due to World Cup hero Media response to Prince Bishop’s Meydan win disappointingly negative – and unwarranted

Prince Bishop vs California Chrome

Time taken (seconds)

I

n normal circumstances, I would usually stick to writing about breeding matters but this month I have been prompted to look into race analysis. The reason for this comes from the press response to the result of the recent Dubai World Cup, which to my mind has been unnecessarily negative. In fact, the Dubai World Cup is only the latest in what seems a trend towards the general dismissal of the face value of race results, particularly if they don’t fit the pre-race dogma or logic.

I recently witnessed a Kentucky Derby where the second home was crowned a champion and the winner largely ignored by the pundits, just because the runner-up set some astonishing fractions and just got his tactics wrong on the day. Well guess what? That happens every day in racing. Races are dynamic cut and thrust events that end up compromising most of the participants, mostly through their lack of ability but quite often through the tactics employed.

Each and every race, provided all the participants are fit and healthy, as well as being a thoroughly absorbing spectacle, is an unequivocal piece of evidence about the merits of horses under prevailing circumstances on a given day. Good horses can and do get overturned by inferior runners, but there will be another day for these performers.

The irony with the Dubai World Cup is that had Prince Bishop not been there, everyone would be rejoicing about how Dubai had recaptured the glory of past World Cups at its very first attempt back on

Distance (metres)

dirt. Going into the race, Timeform had Prince Bishop pegged at 125 and California Chrome on 127, hardly a mismatch on paper. So why the incredulity over the result? After all, this 125 rating was higher than the ratings accorded to California Chrome when he won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.

The general view is that California Chrome compromised his chances by going off too quickly and left the race on a plate for Prince Bishop. Well, the facts don’t entirely back that view. The big unknown, when trying to ascertain if California Chrome’s defeat was his own doing, are the characteristics of Meydan’s 2000-metre dirt track. We simply don’t have enough evidence yet as to how it plays – and won’t have for some considerable time.

Even so, the facts are still intriguing. The accompanying chart shows the speed profiles for both horses for every 100 metres from 200 metres onwards, as published by TurfTrax.

The shaded areas represent the two turns.

Here are a few facts to conjure with.

First of all, it’s worth bearing in mind that both horses covered the same distance of ground, California Chrome racing wide to avoid trouble and

William Buick salutes his victory on Prince Bishop in the $10 million Dubai World Cup

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Prince Bishop doing likewise to avoid kickback.

From the 700-metre mark (the opening 3.5 furlongs) to the end of the race, Prince Bishop ran faster at every stage than California Chrome.

So the question is: did the Kentucky Derby winner’s first 700 metres take too much out of him? Well, his first 800 metres went by in 49.54 seconds, yet the first half-mile (five yards longer than 800 metres) in the Kentucky Derby took only 47.37 seconds with California Chrome little more than a length off the pace. And he went on to win comfortably in 2:03.67.

Could this mean that Churchill Downs is way faster and less testing than Meydan? Possibly, and time will tell – eventually. But the simple fact is that the World Cup winning time of 2:02.19 is on a par with recent renewals of the Kentucky Derby. So, if very much quicker early fractions at Churchill Downs didn’t compromise California Chrome at that venue, why should a much slower opening half at Meydan be held up as a reason for failure this time?

When we reach the point in our sport that we pine for a particular result to fulfil some political, economic or, dare I say, prejudicial expectation (and we all have some), then we have lost sight of the essence of horseracing.

And the Prince Bishops in racing world suffer as a result. It’s still about first past the post and is not just a time trial. Winners, regardless of circumstances, should always get their due.

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

National Hunt Grade 1s 200 OLBG DAVID NICHOLSON MARES’ HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 10. 4yo+f. 20f.

1. GLENS MELODY (IRE) 7 11-5 £56,270 b m by King’s Theatre - Glens Music (Orchestra) O-Ms Fiona McStay B-Mrs F. McStay TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Polly Peachum (IRE) 7 11-5 £21,200 b m by Shantou - Miss Denman (Presenting) O-Lady Tennant B-C. O’Flynn TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Bitofapuzzle (GB) 7 11-5 £10,610 b m by Tamure - Gaelic Gold (Good Thyne) O-Mr Chris Giles & Potensis Bloodstock Ltd B-R. J. & S. A. Carter TR-Harry Fry Margins Head, Neck. Time 4:51.10. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-7

Starts 21

Wins 12

Places 7

Earned £276,224

Sire: KING’S THEATRE. Sire of 75 Stakes winners.

NH in 2014/15 - CARLINGFORD LOUGH Furry Glen G1, GLENS MELODY Orchestra G1, L’AMI SERGE Phardante G1, BALBRIGGAN Presenting G2, GLINGERBURN Broken Hearted G2, LITTLE KING ROBIN Robin des Champs G2, MENORAH Strong Gale G2, SHANESHILL Doyoun G2, SOUTHFIELD THEATRE Garde Royale G2, THE NEW ONE Turgeon G2.

1st Dam: GLENS MUSIC by Orchestra. 9 wins, Anglo Irish Bank Nas Na Riogh Nov. Chase G2. Dam of 4 winners: 2004: Quietly Fancied (g Presenting) 3 wins, 2nd Monksfield Novice Hurdle G2, 2nd Ladbrokes Munster National H. Chase G1.

2005: CEOL RUA (f Bob Back) 4 wins, 2nd John Smith’s Mares’ Open N.H. Flat Race LR, Easter 8-10 April Mares Novice Hurdle LR. Broodmare.

2006: Cottage Theatre (f King’s Theatre) unraced.

Broodmare.

2008: GLENS MELODY (f King’s Theatre) 12 wins, Irish TBA EBF Mares Hurdle G1, OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G1, Levy Board Warwick Mares’ Hurdle LR, Frank Ward Solicitor Solerina Nov.Hurdle LR, olbg.com Warwick Mares’ Hurdle LR (twice), 2nd Irish Stall. Farms EBF Mares Nov. Hurdle G1, OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G2, Limestone Lad Hurdle G3, 3rd Osborne House Relkeel Hurdle G2, ITBA Fillies Scheme EBF Mares Hurdle G3.

2009: LEAN ARAIG (g Old Vic) 3 wins over hurdles at 6, Paddy Power Johnstown Novice Hurdle G2.

2010: Glens Symphony (g High Chaparral) unraced.

2012: Glens Harmony (f King’s Theatre) unraced to date.

2014: (c Sholokhov) Broodmare Sire: ORCHESTRA. Sire of the dams of 23 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - GLENS MELODY King’s Theatre G1, LEAN ARAIG Old Vic G2, LIVING NEXT DOOR Beneficial G2.

GLENS MELODY b m 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge KING’S THEATRE b 91 Princely Native Regal Beauty Dennis Belle Tudor Music Orchestra Golden Moss GLENS MUSIC b 93 Furry Glen Glen’s Pride Santa Brigida

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Raise A Native Charlo Crafty Admiral Evasion Tudor Melody Fran Sheshoon Muscosa Wolver Hollow Cleftess Rarity Santa Nan

Willie Mullins may no longer be able to call on the services of that remarkable mare Quevega, a six-time winner of the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle (formerly the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle), but Glens Melody proved a first-rate substitute in the 2015

90

contest. This daughter of King’s Theatre had finished a fine second to Quevega in the 2014 Mares’ Hurdle and she again looked destined to play second fiddle to a stablemate in 2015, when she came to the final flight four lengths adrift of Annie Power. However, Annie Power crashed to the ground and Glens Melody gamely came out on top in a three-way finish.

Glens Melody now has the proud record of having won nine of her 18 starts over hurdles, plus all three of her starts in bumpers. Her dam Glens Music was another tough and durable performer. This daughter of Orchestra raced until she was ten, winning two bumpers, five hurdle races and a chase, and she also had time to win over two miles on the level as an eight-year-old.

Even so, Glens Melody has still had time to shine as a broodmare, with Glens Melody being her third blacktype performer, one of the others being Ceol Rua, a Listed winner over hurdles. Her 2010 High Chaparral gelding sold for €88,000. Glens Melody’s second dam, the Furry Glen mare Glen’s Pride, won a pair of hurdle races over two miles.

Glens Melody’s broodmare sire Orchestra was responsible for such good chasers as Dorans Pride, Rince Ri, Pat’s Jester and Fiddling The Facts. Other daughters of Orchestra produced Hello Bud, winner of the 2009 Scottish National, plus recent stakes winners such as Court Minstrel, Molly’s A Diva, Trustan Times, Deireadh Re and Whatuthink.

The last-named, whose exploits include a third in the Irish Grand National, is out of Glen’s Encore, a sister to Glens Music.

201 RACING POST ARKLE CHALLENGE TROPHY CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 10. 5yo+. 16f.

1. UN DE SCEAUX (FR) 7 11-4 £85,425 b g by Denham Red - Hotesse de Sceaux (April Night) O-E. O’Connell B-Haras de La Rousseliere & Mme Monique Choveau TR-W. P. Mullins 2. God’s Own (IRE) 7 11-4 £32,055 b g by Oscar - Dantes Term (Phardante) O-Crossed Fingers Partnership B-Mrs C. O’Driscoll TR-Tom George 3. Josses Hill (IRE) 7 11-4 £16,050 b g by Winged Love - Credora Storm (Glacial Storm) O-Mr A. D. Spence B-I. W. Moore TR-Nicky Henderson Margins 6, 2. Time 3:51.40. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-7

Starts 13

Wins 12

Places 0

Earned £311,410

Sire: DENHAM RED. Sire of 5 Stakes winners.

NH in 2014/15 - UN DE SCEAUX April Night G1, TEAM RED Saint Cyrien LR. 1st Dam: Hotesse de Sceaux by April Night. unraced.

Dam of 1 winner: 2006: Star de Sceaux (f Maresca Sorrento) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France.

2008: UN DE SCEAUX (g Denham Red) 12 wins, Red Mills Trial Hurdle G2, Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Chase G1, Frank Ward Arkle Challenge Cup Nov.Chase G1, Prix Leon Rambaud Hurdle G2, Prix Hypothese Hurdle G3.

Broodmare Sire: APRIL NIGHT. Sire of the dams of 5 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - BRISTOL DE MAI Saddler Maker G1, UN DE SCEAUX Denham Red G1.

UN DE SCEAUX b g 2008 Pampapaul Pampabird Wood Grouse DENHAM RED b 92 Giboulee Nativelee Native Berry Kaldoun April Night My Destiny HOTESSE DE SCEAUX ch 95 Diarifos Olympe Occitane Papakiteme

Yellow God Pampalina Celtic Ash French Bird Northern Dancer Victory Chant Ribero Noble Native Caro Katana Chaparral Carmelite Dionysos II Diana Klairon Gorda

See race 131 in the March issue 202 SKY BET SUPREME NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 10. 4yo+. 16f 110yds.

1. DOUVAN (FR) 5 11-7 £68,340 b g by Walk In The Park - Star Face (Saint des Saints) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-S.A.R.L. Haras de La Faisanderie TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Shaneshill (IRE) 6 11-7 £25,644 b g by King’s Theatre - Darabaka (Doyoun) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-Mr D. Johnson TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Sizing John (GB) 5 11-7 £12,840 b g by Midnight Legend - La Perrotine (Northern Crystal) O-Ann & Alan Potts Partnership B-Dr B. & S. Mayoh TR-Henry de Bromhead Margins 4.5, 2.5. Time 3:47.50. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-5

Starts 5

Wins 4

Places 1

Earned £108,970

Sire: WALK IN THE PARK. Sire of 2 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Star Face by Saint des Saints. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2010: DOUVAN (g Walk In The Park) 4 wins, Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1, sportinglife.com Moscow Flyer Nov.Hurdle G2.

Broodmare Sire: SAINT DES SAINTS. Sire of the dams of 2 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - DOUVAN Walk In The Park G1, CROSS IN HAND Silver Cross LR.

DOUVAN b g 2010 Sadler’s Wells Montjeu Floripedes WALK IN THE PARK b 02 Robellino Classic Park Wanton Cadoudal Saint des Saints Chamisene STAR FACE b 04 Saint Preuil Folie Star Gate Miss French

Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Top Ville Toute Cy Roberto Isobelline Kris Brazen Faced Green Dancer Come To Sea Pharly Tuneria Dom Pasquini Montecha Mistigri Lise Belle

Hurricane Fly has been flying the flag for his sire Montjeu for many years now and we have already seen Gr1 winners over hurdles by his sons Authorized and Montmartre. With the top-class performers Scorpion, Fame And Glory and Leading Light all being part of Coolmore’s National Hunt team, it is easy to believe that sons of Montjeu represent the future of National Hunt breeding. This theory gained further credence when Walk In The Park, Montjeu’s 2005 Derby runner-up, was represented by Douvan in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. This ex-French gelding had won his last three starts over hurdles, including a Gr2 at Punchestown, and he justified favouritism in good style , winning by more than four lengths.

The well-bred Walk In The Park

(out of the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Classic Park) hasn’t been widely used in France, to the extent that he has only 120 foals in his first four crops.

He is based nowadays at Haras des Granges and his fee in 2015 is only €1,500. His best representative on the Flat has been Dance In The Park, a Group-placed Listed winner.

Douvan, though, was bred with a jumping career in mind. He is the first foal of Star Face, who was sold for only €2,000 in 2012. Star Face is a once-raced daughter of that excellent jumping stallion Saint des Saints and her dam is the winning jumper Folie Star Gate. Douvan’s third dam, Miss French, was a sister to the smart French hurdler Discover d’Auteuil.

Saint des Saints was France’s champion sire of jumpers in 2014, thanks to the likes of Storm Of Saintly, Laterano, Kobrouk and Argentique, and he was also runnerup in 2012 and 2013. Star Face was a member of his first crop, born in 2004, so it is still early days for Saint des Saints’ broodmare daughters.

203 STAN JAMES CHAMPION CHALL.TROPHY HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 10. 4yo+. 16f 110yds.

1. FAUGHEEN (IRE) 7 11-10 £227,800 b g by Germany - Miss Pickering (Accordion) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Dr J. Waldron TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Arctic Fire (GER) 6 11-10 £85,480 b g by Soldier Hollow - Adelma (Sternkoenig) O-Wicklow Bloodstock Limited B-Mr U. Gruning TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Hurricane Fly (IRE) 11 11-10 £42,800 b g by Montjeu - Scandisk (Kenmare) O-George Creighton & Mrs Rose Boyd B-Agricola Del Parco SS TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 1.5, 5. Time 3:50.90. Going Good to Soft.

Age 4-7

Starts 10

Wins 10

Places 0

Earned £484,636

Sire: GERMANY. Sire of 8 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - FAUGHEEN Accordion G1, FREE EXPRESSION Bob Back G2.

1st Dam: Miss Pickering by Accordion. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2006: Molly’s Mate (f Goldmark) unraced.

Broodmare.

2007: Shedaka (f Lahib) unraced.

2008: FAUGHEEN (g Germany) 9 wins, Stan James Champion Chall.Trophy Hurdle G1, Neptune Investment Bingham Nov Hurdle G1, williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle G1, Herald Champion Novice Hurdle G1, Coral Ascot Hurdle G2, Liberty Ins. Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle G3.

2009: (c Germany) 2010: Telmadela (g Definite Article) unraced.

2013: (c Fracas) Broodmare Sire: ACCORDION. Sire of the dams of 6 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - FAUGHEEN Germany G1, MISTER HOTELIER Beneficial G2.

FAUGHEEN b g 2008 Atan Rocchetta Viceregal Trephine Quiriquina GERMANY b 91 Herbager Big Spruce Silver Sari Inca Princess Hail To Reason Inca Queen Silver Spoon Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge Accordion Successor Sound of Success Belle Musique MISS PICKERING b 01 Sham Creative Plan Another Treat Make Me An Island Ballymoss Bali Near The Line Sharpen Up

Trempolino

See race 92 in the February issue

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May_129_Databook_Layout 1 21/04/2015 12:31 Page 91

Caulfield on Windsor Park: “He’s already proved himself one of the best jumpers sired

by Galileo, but he needs to improve further before he matches Triumph winner Celestial Halo”

204 BETWAY QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 11. 5yo+. 16f.

1. DODGING BULLETS (GB) 7 11-10 £199,325 b g by Dubawi - Nova Cyngi (Kris S) O-Martin Broughton & Friends B-L. Dettori TR-Paul Nicholls 2. Somersby (IRE) 11 11-10 £74,795 b g by Second Empire - Back To Roost (Presenting) O-Mrs T. P. Radford B-Miss N. A. Adams TR-Mick Channon 3. Special Tiara (GB) 8 11-10 £37,450 b g by Kayf Tara - Special Choice (Bob Back) O-Mrs S. Rowley-Williams B-D. E. M. Young TR-Henry de Bromhead Margins 1.25, 1.75. Time 3:53.00. Going Good.

Age 3-7

Starts 27

Wins 10

Places 11

Earned £502,357

Sire: DUBAWI. Sire of 91 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - DODGING BULLETS Kris S G1, PURPLE BAY Nashwan G2, LACHLAN BRIDGE Anabaa G3.

1st Dam: Nova Cyngi by Kris S. unraced. Dam of 5 winners: 2004: SEIUN RHODEM (c Singspiel) 2 wins at 3 and 5 in Japan.

2005: YEM KINN (c Dubai Destination) Winner at 2.

2006: SINGITNSIGNIT (f Singspiel) Winner at 5 in USA. Broodmare.

2007: Fourlanends (g Dubawi) ran a few times.

2008: DODGING BULLETS (g Dubawi) Sold 8,000gns yearling at TADEY. 10 wins, Opus Energy Sharp Novices’ Hurdle G2, 2nd williamhill.com Dovecote Novices’ Hurdle G2, 3rd williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle G1, Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase G1, 888sport Tingle Creek Chase G1, Sodexo Clarence House Chase G1, Race Post Arkle Trial November Nov.Chase G2, williamhill.com Wayward Lad Nov. Chase G2, 2nd Betfair Game Spirit Chase G2, 3rd Shloer Chase LR. 2010: FRASERBURGH (g Shamardal) 2 wins at 3.

2011: Smart Panther (g Kheleyf) 2012: Good Omen (c Gloria de Campeao) 2nd Dam: NORTHERN TRICK by Northern Dancer.

Champion 3yr old filly in Europe in 1984. 4 wins at 3 in France Prix de Diane Hermes G1, Prix Vermeille G1, 2nd Trusthouse Forte P. de l’Arc de Triomphe G1, Prix Saint-Alary G1. Dam of ONDA NOVA (f Keos: Prix Imprudence LR), Evocatrice (f Persepolis: 2nd Prix de Meudon LR). Grandam of JEUNE-TURC, LIGHT SHIFT, SHIVA, NONNO LUIGI, LIMNOS, BURNING SUNSET, Hyades, Talwin, Edouna, Erewhon, Our Teddy, LETHAL WEAPON. Third dam of SMOKING SUN, MAGADAN, ZHIYI, Ikat, King of Dudes. Fourth dam of MAIN SEQUENCE. Broodmare Sire: KRIS S. Sire of the dams of 82 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - DODGING BULLETS Dubawi G1, MAHRAJAAN Machiavellian G3.

DODGING BULLETS b g 2008 Dubai Millennium DUBAWI b 02 Zomaradah

Kris S NOVA CYNGI b/br 99 Northern Trick

Seeking The Gold Mr Prospector Con Game Colorado Dancer Shareef Dancer Fall Aspen Shirley Heights Deploy Slightly Dangerous Dancing Brave Jawaher High Tern Hail To Reason Roberto Bramalea Princequillo Sharp Queen Bridgework Northern Dancer Nearctic Natalma Prince John Trick Chick Fast Line

See race 80 in the February issue 205 NEPTUNE INVESTMENT BINGHAM NOV HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 11. 4yo+. 21f.

1. WINDSOR PARK (IRE) 6 11-7 £68,340 b g by Galileo - Blissful (Mr Prospector) O-Dr R. Lambe B-Commonwealth TR-D. K. Weld 2. Parlour Games (GB) 7 11-7 £25,644 ch g by Monsun - Petrushka (Unfuwain) O-Bloomfields B-Darley TR-John Ferguson 3. Nichols Canyon (GB) 5 11-7 £12,840 b g by Authorized - Zam Zoom (Dalakhani) O-Andrea & Graham Wylie B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited

TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 3.75, 1.25. Time 5:07.40. Going Good.

Age 4-6

Starts 11

Wins 6

Places 4

Earned £117,855

Sire: GALILEO. Sire of 191 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - WINDSOR PARK Mr Prospector G1, BALLYGLASHEEN Danehill G3, SHELFORD Shirley Heights G3, SUPASUNDAE Danehill LR, WELLS Rodrigo de Triano LR. 1st Dam: Blissful by Mr Prospector. ran on the flat in USA at 2. Own sister to FUSAICHI PEGASUS. Dam of 4 winners: 2001: Dutchess Mojo (f Deputy Minister) unraced.

Dam of Sweet Nothings (f Street Cry: 3 wins at 2 and 3 in USA, 2nd California Oaks LR, Corte Madera S LR) 2002: Jellicle Cat (c Storm Cat) 2003: Where’s That Tiger (c Storm Cat) Winner at 2, 2nd DNRD UAE 2000 Guineas G3.

2004: Chico Cat (c Storm Cat) unraced.

2005: One Great Cat (c Storm Cat) 2 wins at 2 and 3, 2nd Nijinsky S LR, 3rd Urban-i Champagne S G2, Richmond S G2. Sire.

2006: CATS (f Storm Cat) Winner at 3 in USA. Broodmare.

2007: Ocicat (f Storm Cat) unraced. Broodmare.

2008: (f Johannesburg) 2009: WINDSOR PARK (g Galileo) 6 wins, Neptune Investment Bingham Nov Hurdle G1, 2nd Deloitte Novice Hurdle G1.

2012: (c Giant’s Causeway)

the distinction of being a sister to Fusaichi Pegasus. This son of Mr Prospector justified his 4,000,000dollar price tag as a yearling by winning the Kentucky Derby. Windsor Park’s second dam, Angel Fever, also had the distinction of being a sister to a winner of one of America’s Triple Crown events, namely the Preakness Stakes winner Pine Bluff. Angel Fever was also a half-sister to Demons Begone, who started favourite for the 1987 Kentucky Derby, only to bleed badly. Angel Fever managed only two starts but achieved enough to earn a weight of 106 on the Experimental Free Handicap.

Windsor Park has already proved himself one of the best jumpers sired

by Galileo, but he needs to improve further before he matches Celestial Halo, winner of the Gr1 Triumph Hurdle and numerous Gr2 events.

206 RSA CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 11. 5yo+. 24f 110yds.

Broodmare Sire: MR PROSPECTOR. Sire of the dams of 324 Stakes winners.

1. DON POLI (IRE) 6 11-4 £85,425 b g by Poliglote - Dalamine (Sillery) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Brian J Griffiths & John Nicholson TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Southfield Theatre (IRE) 7 11-4 £32,055 b g by King’s Theatre - Chamoss Royale (Garde Royale) O-Mrs Angela Yeoman B-Mrs A. B. Yeoman TR-Paul Nicholls 3. Wounded Warrior (IRE) 6 11-4 £16,050 b g by Shantou - Sparkling Sword (Broadsword) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Mr S. Lanigan-O’Keeffe TR-Noel Meade Margins 6, 1.5. Time 6:09.20. Going Good.

WINDSOR PARK b g 2009

Age 4-6

2nd Dam: Angel Fever by Danzig. 1 win at 2 in USA, 2nd Colleen S LR. Own sister to PINE BLUFF. Dam of FUSAICHI PEGASUS (c Mr Prospector: Kentucky Derby G1, 2nd Preakness S G1). Grandam of BRAVE TIN SOLDIER, TEXAS FEVER, SAINT ISABELLE, BOLD ANGEL, Gustnado.

Sadler’s Wells GALILEO b 98 Urban Sea

Mr Prospector BLISSFUL b 96 Angel Fever

Northern Dancer Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Fairy Bridge Special Mr Prospector Miswaki Hopespringseternal Lombard Allegretta Anatevka Native Dancer Raise A Native Raise You Nashua Gold Digger Sequence Northern Dancer Danzig Pas de Nom Halo Rowdy Angel Ramhyde

As a bunch of evenly matched contenders raced towards the final flight of the Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle, the question was which of them would find the best finishing speed. Would it be one of the jumping-bred sons of Presenting, Stowaway or Lion Noir, or would it be a Flat-bred son of Authorized, Monsun or Galileo?

Predictably it was the Flat contingent that prevailed, with Galileo’s son Windsor Park extending his slender lead to nearly four lengths by the line.

Windsor Park was born with the handicap of a May 24 birthday, so it wasn’t too surprising that he didn’t race until he was approaching his actual fourth birthday. His debut in a bumper was inauspicious, as he was quickly pulled up, but he has since finished first or second in nine of his ten starts, winning six of them.

Needless to say, this son of Galileo comes from a top family. He is a halfbrother to a couple of talented colts

by Storm Cat and his dam Blissful has

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

Starts 9

Wins 6

Places 3

Earned £214,260

Sire: POLIGLOTE. Sire of 74 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - DON POLI Sillery G1, FLEUR D’AINAY Cadoudal G1, POLYGONA Trempolino G3, ROI DES FRANCS Sillery G3, ALADIN DU CHENET Epervier Bleu LR, SO FRENCH Mansonnien LR. 1st Dam: DALAMINE by Sillery. Winner at 4 in France.

Dam of 3 winners: 2007: DALINO (c Trempolino) 2 wins over jumps in France.

2008: DO YOU JUMP (c Trempolino) 3 wins over jumps in France.

2009: DON POLI (g Poliglote) 6 wins, Surehaul Mercedes Powerstown Nov. Hurdle G3, 2nd Irish Daily Mirror Novice Hurdle G1, RSA Chase G1, Topaz Fort Leney Novice Chase G1.

2010: Mad About The Boy (g Robin des Pres) ran once in a N.H. Flat Race.

2011: Debece (g Kayf Tara) unraced.

2012: (f Kayf Tara) 2014: (f Beat Hollow) Broodmare Sire: SILLERY. Sire of the dams of 20 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - DON POLI Poliglote G1, ROI DES FRANCS Poliglote G3.

The Poliglote/Sillery cross has produced: DON POLI G1, ROI DES FRANCS G3.

DON POLI b g 2009 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge POLIGLOTE b 92 Val de L’Orne Alexandrie Apachee Blushing Groom Sillery Silvermine DALAMINE b 00 Lou Piguet Dalyane Dannes

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Val de Loir Aglae Sir Gaylord Americaine Red God Runaway Bride Bellypha Sevres Habitat Tuneria Mourne Dulzetta

See race 100 in the February issue

207 WEATHERBYS CHAMPION BUMPER NH FLAT RACE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 11. 4-6yo. 16f 110yds.

1. MOON RACER (IRE) 6 11-5 £34,170 b g by Saffron Walden - Angel’s Folly (Wesaam) O-Professor Caroline Tisdall & Bryan Drew B-D. & T. Bergin TR-David Pipe 2. Modus (GB) 5 11-5 £12,822 ch g by Motivator - Alessandra (Generous) O-Mr D. J. Deer B-Mr & Mrs D. J. Deer TR-Robert Stephens 3. Wait For Me (FR) 5 11-5 £6,420 b g by Saint des Saints - Aulne River (River Mist) O-Mr Andrew L. Cohen B-Haras D’Etreham TR-Philip Hobbs Margins 1.5, 1.5. Time 3:50.40. Going Good.

Age 5-6

Starts 3

Wins 3

Places 0

Earned £87,886

Sire: SAFFRON WALDEN. Sire of 1 Stakes winner.

1st Dam: ANGEL’S FOLLY by Wesaam. Winner over hurdles. Dam of 2 winners: 2004: (c Mr Combustible) 2005: (f Dr Massini) 2007: (f Raise A Grand) 2008: Saffron Wells (g Saffron Walden) Winner over hurdles at 6, 2nd EBF William Hill Nat.Hunt Nov.Hcp Hurdle G3.

2009: MOON RACER (g Saffron Walden) 3 wins in N.H. Flat Races at 5 and 6, Weatherbys Champion Bumper NH Flat Race G1.

Broodmare Sire: WESAAM. Sire of the dams of 1 Stakes winner.

The Saffron Walden/Wesaam cross has produced: MOON RACER G1, Saffron Wells G3.

MOON RACER b g 2009 Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Fairy Bridge Special SAFFRON WALDEN b 96 Riverman Irish River Irish Star Or Vision Raise A Native Luv Luvin’ Ringing Bells Never Bend Riverman River Lady Wesaam Share The Fantasy Exclusive Native Misukaw ANGEL’S FOLLY b 99 Run The Gantlet Ardross Le Melody Arum Lily Alias Smith Letteressie Princess Nefertiti Northern Dancer

Sadler’s Wells

Riverman’s son Wesaam had only four progeny born in 1999 but the only filly among them, Angel’s Folly, won over hurdles as a four-year-old and has now become the dam of a Gr1 winner. This is Moon Racer, a €5,000 purchase who remained unbeaten in three starts when he won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Wesaam had been a useful performer at his best but without showing a lot of stamina, his wins coming at around a mile. Angel’s Folly’s win came over the minimum distance over hurdles but she is out of an unraced daughter of the staminapacked Ardross – a stallion whose latest achievement is to be the grandsire of Coneygree, winner of the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Like so many good National Hunt winners, Moon Racer has a son of Sadler’s Wells as his sire. This is the very well-connected Saffron Walden, who justified his position as the highest-priced yearling of 1997 by winning the Irish 2,000 Guineas.

Unfortunately Saffron Walden failed to shine after his Classic success and he was sold to Japan as a stallion in

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

National Hunt Grade 1s 2000. He sired only around 100 named foals in his four seasons there, getting only one stakes winner, and he was returned to Ireland in 2005.

He left stud in 2012, without having sired anything of great note until Moon Racer came along.

208 JLT GOLDEN MILLER NOVICES’ CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 12. 5yo+. 20f.

1. VAUTOUR (FR) 6 11-4 £68,340 b g by Robin des Champs - Gazelle de Mai (Dom Pasquini) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Haras de Saint Voir & P. Joubert TR-W. P. Mullins 2. Apache Stronghold (IRE) 7 11-4 £25,644 b g by Milan - First Battle (Un Desperado) O-Mrs Patricia Hunt B-J. Robinson TR-Noel Meade 3. Valseur Lido (FR) 6 11-4 £12,840 b g by Anzillero - Libido Rock (Video Rock) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-M. Contignon & Mme N. Contignon TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 15, Short Head. Time 4:46.30. Going Good.

Age 3-6

Starts 11

Wins 8

Places 3

Earned £306,039

Sire: ROBIN DES CHAMPS. Sire of 23 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: GAZELLE DE MAI by Dom Pasquini. 20 wins, Prix d’Iena Hurdle LR. Dam of 4 winners: 1998: Brink de Mai (c Sir Brink) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France.

1999: BELLE PREUILLADE (f Royal Charter) 2 wins over jumps in France.

2000: Mozart du Berlais (c Pistolet Bleu) unraced.

2002: Line Mexia (f Indian River). Broodmare.

2003: LINE OCEANE (f Bonnet Rouge) 3 wins over jumps in France.

2004: GREG JACK (g Lost World) Winner at 4 in France.

2005: Disco Jack (g Kingsalsa) 2009: VAUTOUR (g Robin des Champs) 8 wins, Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle G1, Tattersalls Ireland Champion Nov. Hurdle G1, Deloitte Novice Hurdle G1, Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle G2, JLT Golden Miller Novices’ Chase G1, Leopardstown Killiney Novice Chase G2, 2nd Racing Post Christmas Novice Chase G1.

Broodmare Sire: DOM PASQUINI. Sire of the dams of 20 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - VAUTOUR Robin des Champs G1, SAPHIR DU RHEU Al Namix G2, HILTON DU BERLAIS Saint des Saints G3, URANNA Panoramic LR.

the JLT Novices’ Chase.

Vautour belongs to the French crop sired by Robin des Champs before this very successful stallion moved to Glenview Stud. Several members of Robin des Champs’s earlier French crops have also excelled outside France, prime examples being Sir des Champs (Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the Punchestown Gold Cup), Quevega (four editions of the G1 World Series Hurdle) and the Gr1 winners Un Atout and Sous les Cieux.

Robin des Champs himself won four of his five starts over hurdles. As he raced only as a three-year-old, the now 18-year-old is already making his mark as a broodmare sire, a good example being that smart hurdler Little King Robin. His first Irish foals, the eldest being five-year-olds of 2015, have enjoyed some fine results in the sales ring, with Potters Point and Champions On Ice respectively selling for £260,000 and £205,000.

Another son made €200,000 at the 2014 Land Rover Sale.

The maximum distance tackled by Robin des Champs was just under two and a quarter miles. However, both Sir des Champs and Quevega were suited by three miles, and Vautour stays at least two and a half miles. His dam Gazelle de Mai won at up to two miles five furlongs in winning nine times on the Flat, six times over hurdles and five times over fences. Her brother Lord Pasquini was also a prolific winner on the Flat and over fences. Gazelle de Mai is now the dam of four winners.

Her sire, the Gr2 Prix Greffuhle winner Dom Pasquini, was twice France’s champion sire of jumpers.

Dom Pasquini is best known here for his son Dom Alco, sire of such fine stayers as Neptune Collonges, Grands Crus and Silviniaco Conti.

VAUTOUR b g 2009 Mill Reef Garde Royale Royal Way ROBIN DES CHAMPS b 97 Iron Duke Relayeuse Reliorneuse Rheffic Dom Pasquini Boursonne GAZELLE DE MAI gr 89 Sword Dancer Mexia Kozmic Blues

Never Bend Milan Mill Sicambre Right Away Sicambre Insulaire El Relicario Ordonneuse Traffic Rhenane La Varende Arctic Star Eudaemon Doll Dance Swaps Red Spy

Having run up a sequence of five victories over hurdles, including three at Gr1 level, Vautour started long odds-on for his first two starts over fences. All went smoothly on his debut, which he took by eight lengths from Clarcam, but he could then finish only a well-beaten third behind Clarcam in a Leopardstown Gr1.

Was he going to be another top hurdler who proved less effective over the bigger obstacles? The answer has been a resounding ‘no’. Vautour led virtually throughout on his next two starts and he was superb in beating Apache Stronghold by 15 lengths in

92

209 LADBROKES WORLD HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 12. 4yo+. 24f.

1. COLE HARDEN (IRE) 6 11-10 £170,850 b g by Westerner - Nosie Betty (Alphabatim) O-Mrs Jill Eynon & Mr Robin Eynon B-Mrs J. O’Callaghan TR-Warren Greatrex 2. Saphir du Rheu (FR) 6 11-10 £64,110 gr g by Al Namix - Dona du Rheu (Dom Pasquini) O-The Stewart Family B-Mr C. Duval TR-Paul Nicholls 3. Zarkandar (IRE) 8 11-10 £32,100 b g by Azamour - Zarkasha (Kahyasi) O-Mr Chris Giles & Potensis Bloodstock Ltd B-His Highness the Aga Khan’s Studs S.C. TR-Paul Nicholls Margins 3.25, 3.25. Time 5:40.70. Going Good.

Age 4-6

Starts 13

Wins 6

Places 6

Earned £241,897

Sire: WESTERNER. Sire of 16 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - COLE HARDEN Alphabatim G1, GILGAMBOA Be My Native G1, EMPIRE OF DIRT Roselier G2, WAKANDA Indian River G2, CAID DU BERLAIS Kahyasi G3, WHAT A WARRIOR Be My Native G3.

1st Dam: Nosie Betty by Alphabatim. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2007: Ballyhindon Castle (f Milan) unraced.

2008: (f Milan) 2009: COLE HARDEN (g Westerner) 6 wins, Ladbrokes World Hurdle G1, Bet365 West

2010:

Yorkshire Hurdle G2, 2nd Doom Bar Sefton Novices’ Hurdle G1, Bet365 Long Distance Hurdle G2.

Wade Harper (g Westerner) unraced.

Broodmare Sire: ALPHABATIM. Sire of the dams of 7 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - COLE HARDEN Westerner G1, MONSAMOU Bienamado G3.

COLE HARDEN b g 2009 Danzig Danehill Razyana WESTERNER b 99 Troy Walensee Warsaw Verbatim Alphabatim Morning Games NOSIE BETTY b 02 Golden Love Cromogue Lady Gina Rose

Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Spring Adieu Petingo La Milo Bon Mot III War Path III Speak John Well Kept Grey Dawn II Major Play Above Suspicion Syncopation Prince Hansel Solbaygina

Plenty of stamina is required to make all the running over three miles but, fortunately for Cole Harden and his connections, he is a son of Westerner, a winner of the 2005 Ascot Gold Cup, plus two editions of the Prix du Cadran.

None of Westerner’s nine Group victories was gained over a distance shorter than 15½ furlongs, even though he once finished runner-up in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It was not so surprising, then, that Cole Harden was able to maintain his gallop to the end of the Gr1 World Hurdle, to record his second Graded victory. The gelding had used similar tactics when he landed the Gr2 West Yorkshire Hurdle over an extra furlong.

Cole Harden is Westerner’s second Gr1 winner at the Cheltenham Festival, following the 2014 Arkle Chase winner Western Warhorse, and he has also enjoyed Graded success with Captain Cutter, Deputy Dan, Creepy, Gilgamboa, Grandioso, Wakanda, Caid du Berlais, Ballynacree and What A Warrior.

Cole Harden’s dam Nosie Betty never raced but this daughter of Alphabatim is a sister to Mr Nosie, a smart novice hurdler who was winning for the fourth time in four starts when he won the Gr1 Deloitte Novice Hurdle in 2006.

Cole Harden’s broodmare sire Alphabatim won the William Hill Futurity as a two-year-old and then the Hollywood Turf Cup both at three and five. The next stage of his career was a spell as a stallion in Kentucky, but – for all his virtues – Alphabatim was not the type to appeal to American breeders and he was transferred to Ireland after six seasons.

Cole Harden’s second dam, the point-to-point winner Cromogue Lady, was a half-sister Gina’s Love, who visited Alphabatim to produce Golden Alpha, winner of the Red Rum Handicap Chase at Aintree after finishing second in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper earlier in his career. This family also produced the smart novice chaser Solbina in the 1960s.

210 RYANAIR FESTIVAL TROPHY CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 12. 5yo+. 21f.

1. UXIZANDRE (FR) 7 11-10 £178,538 ch g by Fragrant Mix - Jolisandre (Dear Doctor) O-Mr John P. McManus B-Mr F. Aimez TR-Alan King 2. Ma Filleule (FR) 7 11-3 £66,995 gr m by Turgeon - Kadaina (Kadalko) O-Mr S. Munir B-Mr S. Dubois TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Don Cossack (GER) 8 11-10 £33,545 br g by Sholokhov - Depeche Toi (Konigsstuhl) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Gestut Etzean TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 5, 3.25. Time 5:01.10. Going Good.

Age 4-7

Starts 17

Wins 7

Places 6

Earned £330,366

Sire: FRAGRANT MIX. Sire of 5 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Jolisandre by Dear Doctor. ran on the flat in France at 4. Dam of 1 winner: 2008: UXIZANDRE (g Fragrant Mix) 7 wins, Ryanair Festival Trophy Chase G1, Pinsent Masons Manifesto Novices’ Chase G1, Shloer Chase LR, 2nd JLT Golden Miller Novices’ Chase G1.

2009: Vosgizandre (g Go Between) ran on the flat in France and over jumps in France.

2010: Arqazandre (f Valanour) unraced. Broodmare.

2012: Caviar Izandre (f Lauro) unraced to date.

Broodmare Sire: DEAR DOCTOR. Sire of the dams of 3 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - UXIZANDRE Fragrant Mix G1, ASO Goldneyev G2.

UXIZANDRE ch g 2008 Bellypha Miss Carina Breton Lunadix Lutine Mill Reef Shirley Heights Hardiemma Grey Dawn II English Spring Spring Is Here Blushing Groom Crystal Glitters Tales To Tell Adele Toumignon Zeddaan Alvorada Soleil Levant Night And Day Nuit de Noces Tiros Corisandre II Corisandre Mendez

Linamix FRAGRANT MIX gr 94 Fragrant Hill

Dear Doctor JOLISANDRE b 97 Palisandre

Uxizandre will go down in history as the last horse to carry AP McCoy to victory at the Cheltenham Festival, and he did so in considerable style.

Out-jumping his rivals, he led throughout to record his second Gr1 victory, the first having come in the 2014 Manifesto Novices’ Chase. He has won beyond three miles but is arguably better when forcing the pace over shorter distances.

Uxizandre’s sire Fragrant Mix was a very smart performer who showed more stamina than his sire Linamix.

Fourth in Peintre Celebre’s Prix du Jockey-Club, Fragrant Mix went on to win the Gr2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and Gr1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud at four. He covered thoroughbreds and non-thoroughbreds, initially as part of the French National Stud team.

Uxizandre is arguably his best effort.

The gelding’s dam, the once-raced Jolisandre, is a non-thoroughbred but her sire Dear Doctor was a top international performer. He won Group races from ten to 12 furlongs in France, Britain, Germany and the USA, most notably taking the Gr1 Arlington Million. Uxizandre’s second dam Palisandre had a very busy career, racing 56 times over jumps, mainly in cross-country events, and she won nine times at up to three

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

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Caulfield on Peace And Co: “He certainly wasn’t bred with a jumping career in mind.

His second dam was a half-sister to Pistolet Bleu, who made such an impact on jump racing”

miles and a furlong. This daughter of the Prix du Jockey-Club runner-up Night And Day also enjoyed success as a broodmare.

211 ALBERT BARTLETT SPA NOVICES’ HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 13. 4yo+. 24f.

1. MARTELLO TOWER (IRE) 7 11-7 £68,340 b g by Milan - Johnsalice (Zaffaran) O-Mr Barry Connell B-M. Cullinane TR-Mrs Margaret Mullins 2. Milsean (IRE) 6 11-7 £25,644 b g by Milan - Boro Supreme (Supreme Leader) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-C. Buttimer TR-W. P. Mullins 3. No More Heroes (IRE) 6 11-7 £12,840 br g by Presenting - What A Breeze (Naheez) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-P. Downes TR-Gordon Elliott Margins 0.5, 1. Time 6:00.30. Going Soft.

Age 5-7

Starts 10

Wins 7

Places 2

Earned £128,996

Sire: MILAN. Sire of 19 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - APACHE STRONGHOLD Un Desperado G1, MARTELLO TOWER Zaffaran G1, MISS XIAN Supreme Leader G2.

1st Dam: Johnsalice by Zaffaran. unraced. Dam of 1 winner: 2008: MARTELLO TOWER (g Milan) 6 wins, Albert Bartlett Spa Novices’ Hurdle G1, Cliona’s Dorans Pride Novice Hurdle G3, Paddy Power Dial-a-Bet EBF Novice Hurdle G3, 2nd Lacy Solicitors Golden Cygnet Nov.Hurdle G2.

2010: (c Stowaway) 2012: (f Central Park) 2014: (c Milan) Broodmare Sire: ZAFFARAN. Sire of the dams of 3 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - MARTELLO TOWER Milan G1, FINE RIGHTLY Alflora G3.

MARTELLO TOWER b g 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge MILAN b 98 Darshaan Kithanga Kalata Assert Zaffaran Sweet Alliance JOHNSALICE b 01 Mandalus Bramble Charm Gold Label

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Shirley Heights Delsy Assert Kalkeen Be My Guest Irish Bird Sir Ivor Mrs Peterkin Mandamus Laminate Deep Run Bardicate

The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle proved a triumph for Milan, winner in 2001 of the St Leger and Breeders’ Cup Turf. Two of his sons, Martello Tower and Milsean, fought out the finish, with the older of the two, Martello Tower, proving just the stronger. Martello Tower didn’t see action until he was five, when he won a point-to-point and a bumper on his only appearances. Another bumper success followed on his fourth start, since when he had built a record of four wins from five completed outings over hurdles – and he was in the lead when he fell on the other occasion.

As three of his wins came over three miles, Martello Tower ranks alongside the likes of as Beat That, Le Reve, Double Seven, Catching On, Night In Milan, Big Shu and Duke Of Lucca as one of the sons of Milan who appreciate a test of stamina.

However, some of Milan’s best progeny have been speedy enough to shine over two miles, with Jezki

numbering the Champion Hurdle among his six Gr1 victories, Darlan winning the Gr1 Christmas Hurdle and Raya Star landing the Gr2 Scottish Champion Hurdle.

It is no surprise Martello Tower is among Milan’s stayers. His dam, the unraced Johnsalice, is by Zaffaran, a long-striding galloper who won the March Stakes and was fourth in the St Leger. Despite receiving fluctuating support as a young stallion, Zaffaran sired jumpers of the calibre of Beau (Whitbread Gold Cup), Aran Concerto, Frantic Tan, Scotsirish, Let Yourself Go and Looks Like Trouble, who followed up his win in the 1999 Royal & SunAlliance Chase with a victory in the 2000 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Martello Tower’s third dam Gold Label was a sister to Deep Bramble, a smart staying chaser, and this is also the family of the Midland Grand National winner Seven Towers.

212 BETFRED CHELTENHAM GOLD CUP CHASE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 13. 5yo+. 26f 110yds.

1. CONEYGREE (GB) 8 11-10 £313,225 b g by Karinga Bay - Plaid Maid (Executive Perk) O-The Max Partnership B-Exors of the Late Lord Oaksey TR-Mark Bradstock 2. Djakadam (FR) 6 11-10 £117,535 b g by Saint des Saints - Rainbow Crest (Baryshnikov) O-Mrs S. Ricci B-Mr R. Corveller TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Road To Riches (IRE) 8 11-10 £58,850 b g by Gamut - Bellora (Over The River) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-Sunnyhill Stud TR-Noel Meade Margins 1.5, 2. Time 6:42.50. Going Soft.

Age 4-8

Starts 10

Wins 8

Places 1

Earned £437,516

Sire: KARINGA BAY. Sire of 12 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - CONEYGREE Executive Perk G1, PASS THE HAT Primitive Rising G3.

1st Dam: PLAID MAID by Executive Perk. 5 wins. Dam of 3 winners: 2003: CARRUTHERS (g Kayf Tara) 9 wins, Ballymore Prop. Leamington Novice Hurdle G2, Sodexo Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase G2, 2nd Totesport Bowl Chase G1.

2004: Cuckoo Pen (g Alflora) 2005: Carstaires (g Classic Cliche) unraced.

2007: CONEYGREE (g Karinga Bay) 8 wins, Albert Bartlett Bristol Novices’ Hurdle G2, Neptune Investment Hyde Novices’ Hurdle G2, 3rd Neptune Investment Classic Nov. Hurdle G2, Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase G1, Kauto Star N. Clark Feltham Nov. Chase G1, Betfair Denman Chase G2, Fullers London Pride Berkshire Nov Chase G2.

2008: Maid of Oaksey (f Overbury) ran a few times in N.H. Flat Races.

2009: FLINTHAM (g Kayf Tara) 2 wins over hurdles at 5.

Broodmare Sire: EXECUTIVE PERK. Sire of the dams of 8 Stakes winners.

CONEYGREE b g 2007 Run The Gantlet Ardross Le Melody KARINGA BAY ch 87 Green God Handy Dancer Miss Golightly Lord Gayle Executive Perk Areola PLAID MAID b 92 Rarity Tipperary Tartan Colourful

Tom Rolfe First Feather Levmoss Arctic Melody Red God Thetis II Jimmy Reppin Gracious Gal Sir Gaylord Sticky Case Kythnos Alive Alivo Hethersett Who Can Tell Busted Topaz

See race 90 in the February issue

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

213 JCB TRIUMPH HURDLE G1 CHELTENHAM. Mar 13. 4yo. 17f.

1. PEACE AND CO (FR) 11-0 £68,340 b g by Falco - Peace Lina (Linamix) O-Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede B-S.A.R.L. Scuderia Bolgheri S.R.L. & Ecurie D TR-Nicky Henderson 2. Top Notch (FR) 11-0 £25,644 b g by Poliglote - Topira (Pistolet Bleu) O-Mr Simon Munir & Mr Isaac Souede B-Haras Des Sablonnets & B. Gabeur TR-Nicky Henderson 3. Hargam (FR) 11-0 £12,840 gr g by Sinndar - Horasana (Galileo) O-Mr John P. McManus B-S.C.E.A. Haras de Son Altesse L’Aga Khan TR-Nicky Henderson Margins Neck, 4. Time 4:04.40. Going Soft.

Age 3-4

Starts 4

Wins 4

Places 0

Earned £114,101

Sire: FALCO. Sire of 5 Stakes winners.

1st Dam: Peace Lina by Linamix. unraced. Own sister to Peace Dream. Dam of 2 winners: 2009: Il Capo Dei Capi (c Monsun) unraced.

2010: Piccolino (g Falco) 3 wins, 3rd Prix Achille Fould Hurdle LR. 2011: PEACE AND CO (g Falco) 4 wins, JCB Triumph Hurdle G1, JCB Triumph Trial Finesse Juv. Hurdle G2, bet365 Summit Juvenile Hurdle G2.

2012: Peace City (f Elusive City) in training.

2013: Peace And The City (f Elusive City) unraced to date.

2nd Dam: Peace Talk by Sadler’s Wells. unraced. Own sister to PALME D’OR. Dam of PEACE BURG (f Sageburg: Prix de Sandringham G2, 3rd Qipco Falmouth S G1), Peace Dream (f Linamix: 3rd Prix Occitanie LR). Grandam of ROOTHAM TRIPLE E’S, PEACE OF OASIS. Broodmare Sire: LINAMIX. Sire of the dams of 84 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - PEACE AND CO Falco G1, KHALSHANI Kahyasi LR. The Falco/Linamix cross has produced: PEACE AND CO G1, Piccolino LR.

PEACE AND CO b g 2011 Polar Falcon Pivotal Fearless Revival FALCO b 05 Unbridled Icelips Sea Hill Mendez Linamix Lunadix PEACE LINA gr 05 Sadler’s Wells Peace Talk Pampa Bella

Nureyev Marie d’Argonne Cozzene Stufida Fappiano Gana Facil Seattle Slew Featherhill Bellypha Miss Carina Breton Lutine Northern Dancer Fairy Bridge Armos Kendie

It hasn’t taken long for 2008 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Falco to fall from grace. French breeders clubbed together after his Classic success to keep him in France and he started out at Haras d’Etreham at a fee of €8,000. However, he has now been moved to Haras du Grand Chesnaie, at a fee of €2,500. Falco’s best efforts as a sire of Flat runners include Snowday (Gr3 Prix du Bois) and a handful of Listed winners headed by the Gr1-placed Odeliz.

Perhaps he will now attract support from jumping breeders, following the exploits of his son Peace And Co. After making a winning debut over hurdles at Clairefontaine in June, he was switched to England, where his three runs have yielded two Gr2 wins and a victory in the Gr1 Triumph Hurdle. Peace And Co’s older brother Piccolino has won two of his three

completed races over hurdles, having earlier won on the Flat.

Peace And Co certainly wasn’t bred with a jumping career in mind.

His dam Peace Lina is a daughter of Linamix, one of the best stallions to have stood in France in recent decades. She is also a half-sister to Peace Burg, who was sold for 700,000gns in 2013, after becoming a Group winner in France at the ages of two and three. Peace Lina is also a sister to Peace Dream, dam of the Canadian stakes winner Rootham Triple E’s, as well as being a halfsister to the dam Peace Of Oasis, a mile-and-a-quarter Listed winner by Oasis Dream.

Peace And Co’s second dam Peace Talk was a sister to the Groupwinning Palme d’Or, but more importantly was a half-sister to the high-class Pistolet Bleu, who made such an impact on jump racing.

214 IRISH STALL. FARMS EBF MARES NOV. HURDLE G1 FAIRYHOUSE. Apr 5. 4yo+f. 20f.

1. BITOFAPUZZLE (GB) 7 11-7 £46,512 b m by Tamure - Gaelic Gold (Good Thyne) O-Mr Chris Giles & Potensis Bloodstock Ltd B-R. J. & S. A. Carter TR-Harry Fry 2. Petite Parisienne (FR) 4 10-10 £14,729 gr f by Montmartre - Ejina (Highest Honor) O-Gigginstown House Stud B-T. de la Heronniere TR-W. P. Mullins 3. Lyrical Theatre (IRE) 6 11-7 £6,977 b m by King’s Theatre - Shuil Dorcha (Bob Back) O-The Hibo Syndicate B-Mrs M. Syme TR-W. P. Mullins Margins 4.25, 8. Time 5:23.20. Going Soft.

Age 5-7

Starts 9

Wins 7

Places 2

Earned £116,529

Sire: TAMURE. Sire of 1 Stakes winner.

1st Dam: Gaelic Gold by Good Thyne. unraced. Dam of 3 winners: 2003: Paris Gold (g Exit To Nowhere) unraced.

2004: MAGELLAN STRAITS (g Nikos) 2 wins.

2005: (f Mtoto) 2006: GOLDEN GAEL (f Generous) 4 wins, Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle LR. 2007: Miss Questionmark (f Loup Sauvage) unraced.

2008: BITOFAPUZZLE (f Tamure) 5 wins, HBLB Mares’ Standard Open NH Flat Race LR, J.C.Venues Standard Open NH. Flat Race LR, Irish Stall. Farms EBF Mares Nov. Hurdle G1, OLBG.com Warfield Mares’ Hurdle G2, 2nd Call OSE Swift SFM Abram Novices’ Hurdle LR, 3rd OLBG David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle G1.

2009: (f Rocamadour) 2011: Cider House (g Apple Tree) unraced.

2012: (f Apple Tree) 2013: (f Geordieland) Broodmare Sire: GOOD THYNE. Sire of the dams of 17 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - BITOFAPUZZLE Tamure G1, BALLYADAM APPROACH Bob Back G2, TOON RIVER Witness Box G2, PENCILHIMIN Presenting G3, HOME FARM Presenting LR.

BITOFAPUZZLE b m 2008 Northern Dancer Sadler’s Wells Fairy Bridge TAMURE b 92 Blakeney Three Tails Triple First Herbager Good Thyne Foreseer GAELIC GOLD b 97 Supreme Leader Ardfallon Vamble

Nearctic Natalma Bold Reason Special Hethersett Windmill Girl High Top Field Mouse Vandale Flagette Round Table Regal Gleam Bustino Princess Zena Vulgan Indicate

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DATA BOOK STAKES RESULTS

National Hunt Grade 1s 215 RYANAIR POWERS GOLD CUP NOVICE CHASE G1 FAIRYHOUSE. Apr 5. 5yo+. 20f.

1. GILGAMBOA (IRE) 7 11-10 £46,512 b g by Westerner - Hi Native (Be My Native) O-Mr John P. McManus B-K. McManus TR-Enda Bolger 2. The Tullow Tank (IRE) 7 11-10 £14,729 b g by Oscar - Bobbing Back (Bob Back) O-Mr Barry Connell B-A. Aherne TR-Ms Sandra Hughes 3. Smashing (FR) 6 11-10 £6,977 gr g by Smadoun - Faragreen (Green Tune) O-Ann & Alan Potts Partnership B-Jacques Seror TR-Henry de Bromhead Margins 0.5, 2.25. Time 5:20.60. Going Soft.

Age 5-7

Starts 10

Wins 6

Places 3

Earned £152,807

Sire: WESTERNER. Sire of 16 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - COLE HARDEN Alphabatim G1, GILGAMBOA Be My Native G1, EMPIRE OF DIRT Roselier G2, WAKANDA Indian River G2, CAID DU BERLAIS Kahyasi G3, WHAT A WARRIOR Be My Native G3.

Broodmare Sire: BE MY NATIVE. Sire of the dams of 45 Stakes winners. NH in 2014/15 - GILGAMBOA Westerner G1, FELIX YONGER Oscar G2, HAWKES POINT Kayf Tara G3, MORNING RUN King’s Theatre G3, WHAT A WARRIOR Westerner G3.

The Westerner/Be My Native cross has produced: GILGAMBOA G1, WHAT A WARRIOR G3.

GILGAMBOA b g 2008 Northern Dancer Pas de Nom His Majesty Razyana Spring Adieu Petingo Troy La Milo Bon Mot III Warsaw War Path III Exclusive Native Our Native Our Jackie Strate Stuff Witchy Woman Witchy Norma Pampered King Deep Run Trial By Fire Highly Acceptable Immortality Token Gift Danzig

Danehill WESTERNER b 99 Walensee

Be My Native HI NATIVE b 98 Hi’ Upham

CAROLINE NORRIS

Bitofapuzzle started favourite for the Mares Novice Hurdle Championship on the strength of her excellent third behind Glens Melody and Polly Peachum over three miles at the Cheltenham Festival. The drop back to two and a half miles posed no problems and she won virtually unchallenged, despite some jumping errors.

Bitofapuzzle, who won a point-topoint and a Listed National Hunt Flat Race earlier in her career, has the distinction of being the best winner sired by the now-retired Tamure. This son of Sadler’s Wells was a highclass middle-distance performer as a three-year-old, when he won four times, finished second in the Derby and fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Unfortunately he had some soundness issues afterwards. But he retained enough of his ability to win at Listed level as a six-year-old. He spent his stallion career in Somerset, where he also sired the useful hurdler/chaser Thomas Crapper.

Bitofapuzzle is the second black-type winner produced by the unraced Gaelic Gold, her predecessor being the hurdler Golden Gael. Although Gaelic Gold never raced, she had a traditional Irish jumping pedigree, being by Good Thyne (sire of such high-class jumpers as Brave Inca, Bannow Bay and Mighty Mogul) out of a Supreme Leader mare.

The second dam Ardfallon was a half-sister to Affability, dam of the talented chaser Bells Life. This female line also produced another recent Gr1 hurdling winner, Martello Tower.

Gilgamboa (right) and AP McCoy capture Grade 1 glory Westerner’s good season continued when his son Gilgamboa stayed on strongly to win the Ryanair Gold Cup Novice Chase. Three of the gelding’s six wins have now been gained at around two and a half miles and there is no reason why he shouldn’t stay a bit further.

His dam Hi Native is an unraced sister to Native Upmanship, a Gr1 winner over hurdles before developing into a multiple Gr1 winner over fences in Ireland and England.

Among his victories were two in the Martell Melling Chase at Aintree and two in the Punchestown Chase, both these races being over two and a half miles.

The second dam Hi Upham, a daughter of the many times champion sire Deep Run, was a three-partssister to Time For A Run, a smart stayer over hurdles and fences who regularly visited the Cheltenham Festival, where he landed the Coral Cup. Time For A Run was by Deep Run out of the Menelek mare Hourly Rate, a daughter of Hi Native’s second dam, the winning hurdler Highly Acceptable. Highly Acceptable also produced Glassilaun, runner-up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Sweeps Hurdle. This is also the family of the very useful staying chaser A Glass Of Thyne.

National Hunt Graded Races Date 07/03 07/03 07/03 08/03 08/03 10/03 11/03 11/03 12/03 13/03 13/03 15/03 15/03 15/03 28/03 29/03 05/04 05/04 05/04 05/04 05/04

Grade G2 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G2 G3 G3 G2 G2 G2 G3 GrB GrC GrC

Race (course) Holden Plant Rentals Shamrock Hcp Chase (Gowran Park) EBF William Hill Nat.Hunt Nov.Hcp Hurdle (Sandown Park) William Hill Imperial Cup Hcp Hurdle (Sandown Park) Woodlands Leinster National Hcp Chase (Naas) Naas Directors Plate Novice Chase (Naas) Ultima Solutions JLT Speciality Hp Chase (Cheltenham) Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Cheltenham) Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Cheltenham) Brown/Merriebelle Byrne Group Hcp Chase (Cheltenham) McCoy/Henderson Gd. Annual H. Cup Chase (Cheltenham) Vincent O’Brien County Handicap Hurdle (Cheltenham) I.S.F. EBF Dawn Run Mares Novice Chase (Limerick) Kerry EBF Shannon Spray Mares Nov.Hurdle (Limerick) Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nov. Hcp. Chase (Navan) Webster Cup An Uaimh Chase (Navan) Hugh McMahon Mem. Novice Chase (Limerick) Coolmore NH Sires Festival Novice Hurdle (Fairyhouse) Imperial Call Chase (Cork) Boylesports Greenogue Nov Hcp Chase (Fairyhouse) Easter Handicap Hurdle (Cork) Gleesons Butchers Novice Handicap Hurdle (Fairyhouse)

Dist 18f 20f 16.5f 24f 20f 25f 21f 16.5f 21f 16.5f 17f 22f 16f 24f 20f 24f 20f 24f 17f 19f 16f

Horse Toon River (IRE) As de Mee (FR) Ebony Express (GB) Miss Xian (IRE) Fine Rightly (IRE) The Druids Nephew (IRE) Aux Ptits Soins (FR) Qualando (FR) Darna (GB) Next Sensation (IRE) Wicklow Brave (GB) Vroum Vroum Mag (FR) Keppols Queen (IRE) Heathfield (IRE) Felix Yonger (IRE) Val de Ferbet (FR) Shaneshill (IRE) On His Own (IRE) Ballyadam Approach (IRE) Misty Lady (IRE) Sir Scorpion (IRE)

Age 10 5 6 8 7 8 5 4 9 8 6 6 7 8 9 6 6 11 10 6 6

Sex G G G M G G G G G G G M M G G G G G G M G

Sire Witness Box Kapgarde Superior Premium Milan Alflora King’s Theatre Saint des Saints Lando Alflora Brian Boru Beat Hollow Voix du Nord Indian River Definite Article Oscar Voix du Nord King’s Theatre Presenting Bob Back Oscar Scorpion

Dam Melody Thyne Koeur de Mee Coffee Ice Beech Lodge Bealtaine Gifted Reflexion Faite Qualite Controlee Dutch Dyane Road Trip Moraine Naiade Mag Keppols Princess Famous Lady Marble Sound Intrigue Deferbet Darabaka Shuil Na Mhuire Timely Approach Lady Sam Lady Goldilocks

Broodmare Sire Good Thyne Video Rock Primo Dominie Supreme Leader Zaffaran Shareef Dancer Turgeon Poliglote Midyan Anshan Rainbow Quest Kadalko Soviet Lad Presenting Be My Native Lights Out Doyoun Roselier Good Thyne Topanoora Mister Lord

Index 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236

Horse Tryster (IRE) Affaire Solitaire (IRE) Ramone (IRE) Ride Like The Wind (IRE) Ervedya (FR) Kalsa (IRE)

Age 4 5 5 3 3 4

Sex G H M C F F

Sire Shamardal Danehill Dancer Marju Lope de Vega Siyouni Whipper

Dam Min Alhawa Arlesienne Hayworth Biswa Elva Sovana

Broodmare Sire Riverman Alzao Night Shift Kafwain King’s Best Desert King

Index 1 2 3 4 5 6

European Pattern Races Date 14/03 15/03 29/03 02/04 02/04 05/04

94

Grade G3 G3 G3 G3 G3 G3

Race (course) coral.co.uk Winter Derby (Lingfield Park) Prix Exbury (Saint-Cloud) Lodge Park EBF Park Express Stakes (Curragh) Prix Djebel (Maisons-Laffitte) Prix Imprudence (Maisons-Laffitte) Prix Edmond Blanc (Saint-Cloud)

Dist 10f 2000m 8f 1400m 1400m 1600m

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

May_129_Databook_Layout 1 21/04/2015 12:32 Page 95

Caulfield on Gilgamboa: “Three of the gelding’s six wins have now been gained at around two and a half miles and there is no reason why he shouldn’t stay a bit further”

Leading National Hunt sires 2014/15 by earnings Name

King's Theatre Presenting Milan Beneficial Oscar Flemensfirth Kayf Tara Westerner Cloudings Old Vic Karinga Bay Dom Alco Heron Island Dubawi Shantou Gold Well Midnight Legend Definite Article Dr Massini Voix du Nord Alflora Network Saint des Saints Brian Boru Gamut Montjeu Germany Stowaway Vinnie Roe Winged Love Generous Galileo Authorized Danehill Dancer Witness Box Poliglote Overbury Sholokhov Anshan Turgeon Kapgarde Azamour Kalanisi Alderbrook Fragrant Mix Golan Scorpion High Chaparral Exit To Nowhere Bob Back Robin des Champs Sir Harry Lewis Goldneyev Accordion Turtle Island Fruits Of Love Halling Astarabad Craigsteel Al Namix King's Best Rudimentary Califet Soldier Hollow Blueprint Revoque Court Cave Tamure Hernando Beat Hollow Cape Cross Saddlers' Hall Martaline

YOF

1991 1992 1998 1990 1994 1992 1994 1999 1994 1986 1987 1987 1993 2002 1993 2001 1991 1992 1993 2001 1989 1997 1998 2000 1999 1996 1991 1994 1998 1992 1988 1998 2004 1993 1987 1992 1991 1999 1987 1986 1999 2001 1996 1989 1994 1998 2002 1999 1988 1981 1997 1984 1986 1986 1991 1995 1991 1994 1995 1997 1997 1988 1998 2000 1995 1994 2001 1992 1990 1997 1994 1988 1999

Sire

Sadler's Wells Mtoto Sadler's Wells Top Ville Sadler's Wells Alleged Sadler's Wells Danehill Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Ardross Dom Pasquini Shirley Heights Dubai Millennium Alleged Sadler's Wells Night Shift Indian Ridge Sadler's Wells Valanour Niniski Monsun Cadoudal Sadler's Wells Spectrum Sadler's Wells Trempolino Slip Anchor Definite Article In the Wings Caerleon Sadler's Wells Montjeu Danehill Lyphard Sadler's Wells Caerleon Sadler's Wells Persian Bold Caro Garde Royale Night Shift Doyoun Ardross Linamix Spectrum Montjeu Sadler's Wells Irish River Roberto Garde Royale Alleged Nureyev Sadler's Wells Fairy King Hansel Diesis Alleged Suave Dancer Linamix Kingmambo Nureyev Freedom Cry In the Wings Generous Fairy King Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Niniski Sadler's Wells Green Desert Sadler's Wells Linamix

Rnrs

262 383 298 324 295 292 278 171 69 160 63 37 95 23 89 68 132 121 100 17 110 34 24 99 51 48 15 62 86 71 84 63 38 27 46 20 90 13 51 30 34 31 86 61 11 79 83 69 59 43 50 52 4 31 55 60 40 15 72 14 32 27 10 2 41 54 63 20 29 37 35 42 26

Wnrs

123 130 89 100 94 97 83 58 25 50 15 16 36 9 32 29 49 40 32 11 32 11 14 29 14 16 5 18 30 26 33 25 14 8 12 8 27 3 11 13 13 10 32 19 2 15 18 21 13 10 14 20 4 9 18 17 10 8 21 5 14 12 4 1 12 14 15 6 12 8 11 13 7

Statistics to April 14

%WR

46.95 33.94 29.87 30.86 31.86 33.22 29.86 33.92 36.23 31.25 23.81 43.24 37.89 39.13 35.96 42.65 37.12 33.06 32.00 64.71 29.09 32.35 58.33 29.29 27.45 33.33 33.33 29.03 34.88 36.62 39.29 39.68 36.84 29.63 26.09 40.00 30.00 23.08 21.57 43.33 38.24 32.26 37.21 31.15 18.18 18.99 21.69 30.43 22.03 23.26 28.00 38.46 100.00 29.03 32.73 28.33 25.00 53.33 29.17 35.71 43.75 44.44 40.00 50.00 29.27 25.93 23.81 30.00 41.38 21.62 31.43 30.95 26.92

Races

211 191 141 151 139 136 118 87 33 68 28 22 58 13 50 41 74 59 45 28 44 20 24 45 23 28 8 25 43 34 43 32 27 13 16 15 41 7 17 19 21 16 42 23 3 20 30 27 22 14 19 27 8 13 27 21 14 10 33 8 30 18 8 2 22 20 23 13 18 12 16 20 9

AWD

19.7 20.1 21.0 19.6 20.0 20.2 19.3 19.8 22.2 21.4 21.2 20.7 20.2 17.5 20.5 19.5 19.5 19.2 20.8 18.4 21.5 21.1 20.2 20.4 19.8 18.5 18.4 19.3 19.5 21.0 19.7 18.9 17.5 16.7 21.7 19.2 19.9 19.4 23.0 20.2 19.3 18.4 18.5 20.1 17.6 19.1 19.3 18.0 20.5 21.5 17.7 20.8 19.8 21.2 21.3 18.9 18.1 18.8 20.9 20.3 19.0 19.4 18.3 19.5 20.6 21.3 20.6 19.8 20.0 18.3 17.5 21.3 18.6

Earnings (£)

2,596,619 1,914,800 1,768,657 1,577,835 1,555,672 1,332,122 1,309,315 1,167,753 984,039 859,486 643,686 603,204 546,039 535,886 522,852 504,072 493,636 493,132 493,123 488,334 446,944 444,006 437,741 415,777 415,360 405,021 390,499 380,471 373,961 367,779 363,847 359,224 337,834 328,443 317,034 304,912 301,095 296,165 285,715 281,090 273,078 270,777 255,269 241,716 239,384 236,727 233,686 232,062 224,352 224,263 223,288 220,620 208,357 207,304 206,797 205,144 204,463 202,413 198,826 198,572 197,507 196,848 195,892 188,292 187,578 185,680 178,195 176,231 173,765 167,234 166,498 162,444 161,500

Top horse

The New One Thunder and Roses Jezki Living Next Door God's Own Foxrock Special Tiara Cole Harden Many Clouds Southfield Vic Coneygree Silviniaco Conti Blue Heron Dodging Bullets Wounded Warrior Johns Spirit Sizing John Definitly Red Rocky Creek Vibrato Valtat Darna Saint Are Djakadam Next Sensation Road To Riches Hurricane Fly Faugheen Champagne Fever Hash Brown Josses Hill Henryville Windsor Park Nichols Canyon Bayan Monbeg Dude Don Poli Cyrus Darius Don Cossack Your Busy Ma Filleule Garde la Victoire Zarkandar Barters Hill Notarfbad Uxizandre Shanpallas Give Me a Break Hawk High On the Fringe Dedigout Vautour Whispering Harry Balder Succes The Romford Pele Gorsky Island Simply Ned All Yours Whisper Shammick Boy Saphir du Rheu Seventh Sky Hey Big Spender Clarcam Arctic Fire Gas Line Boy Ted Veale Court Minstrel Bitofapuzzle Carole's Spirit Wicklow Brave Devilment Master Of The Hall Dynaste

Earned (£)

203,606 122,661 168,309 83,768 94,714 97,266 84,819 231,418 740,944 47,797 398,935 313,525 72,190 362,578 48,584 97,774 60,675 35,251 77,777 114,346 60,191 240,866 163,335 53,306 296,248 177,556 335,393 64,643 36,068 35,001 47,954 95,315 139,345 122,378 132,953 131,852 40,536 246,034 110,614 107,504 81,539 59,660 31,391 24,759 222,113 67,853 34,799 35,433 54,933 65,829 107,776 28,518 140,957 54,278 27,254 48,044 68,265 76,709 25,641 161,435 54,505 39,593 127,610 126,255 28,156 46,251 28,393 101,816 27,583 45,560 34,746 27,405 74,660

Ace Milan on march with fellow young gun Westerner The results from Cheltenham and Aintree did little to reduce King’s Theatre’s sizeable lead and he can now be hailed as a comfortable champion. He had two winners at Cheltenham, Glens Melody in the Gr1 OLGB Mares’ Hurdle and The Druids Nephew, but none at Aintree.

Presenting had a winner at each meeting, Call The Cops in the Pertemps Hurdle and Rajdhani Express in the Topham Chase, while Benefical had Surf And Turf win.

The outstanding sire was Milan, who has more than doubled his earnings since we last carried the table, moving from fifth to third. He had Gr1 winners Martello Tower (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle), Jezki (Aintree Hurdle) and Sizing Granite (Maghull Novices’ Chase) with Duke Of Lucca also on the mark. Milan and eighth-placed Westerner, sire of Cole Harden, are the youngest sires in the top group and in time they may come to dominate the table. All credit to Westerner since, apart from King’s Theatre, all those ahead of him had at least 100 more runners.

Britain’s best, Kayf Tara, crowned a fine campaign by being on target at both festivals, with The Package and Gr1 scorer Thistlecrack (Sefton Novices’ Hurdle).

Anyone looking to buy a Grand National contender would be advised to check out Cloudings’s progeny. He doesn’t have many runners but besides Many Clouds he has also sired Cloudy Lane, who completed the course twice in the Grand National, finishing sixth and eighth, and landed the Fox Hunters’.

Want to find out which stallions are making waves?

For the very latest sire lists go to www.ownerbreeder.co.uk Tables updated every day THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

95

May_129_24Hours_Owner 21/04/2015 12:53 Page 96

24 HOURS WITH… CHARLIE APPLEBY

96

GEORGE SELWYN

I

’m a 5.30 man. Often even earlier if the kids have woken me before the alarm goes off. I am lucky because when I wake I am invariably filled with the excitement and anticipation of the horses and I can’t wait to get amongst them.

So it’s out of bed and straight into the yard; I live on site at Moulton Paddocks in Newmarket. I have a cup of coffee while catching up with the assistants and watching replays of the previous day’s racing. I’ll have a quick look through the Racing Post, see the horses pull out and then concentrate on their work.

Breakfast is just another coffee, followed by another.

My wife Aisling has her hands full with our daughters, the three-year-old twins Erin and Emily and oneyear-old Edith. We have a Shetland pony, Harvey, for the children and two terriers, Timmy and Molly. Aisling does the nursery run with the girls and I do the pick-up when I can. The twins are keen riders and when they watch racing on television they love to follow the blue Godolphin colours.

I was introduced to ponies at a very early age when my parents were racing Arab horses. I progressed into the point-to-point scene but with no success, though I did ride a few Arab winners.

Now I have a great team around me, many of whom I have worked with throughout the 16 years I’ve been with Godolphin. They are a fantastic support and I couldn’t train 200 horses without them. No-one could.

In my early Godolphin days I was with David Loder when a colt called Yaazer turned up in the yard. When we realised he was potentially a nice horse his name was changed to Dubai Millennium. He won his

Early starts do not bother Godolphin trainer CHARLIE APPLEBY, indeed his step is never springier than first thing in the morning, when the excitement of another day with blue-bloods kicks in maiden at Yarmouth and the rest is history, as they say.

Before that I worked for Susan Piggott and rode out with Lester, who used to give me a few bollockings.

Seriously though, I was very close to them and still am.

They were great years and a big learning curve for me. I used to watch racing with Lester and there was no better man to analyse a race.

I go to the major meetings and those I need to attend, but I prefer to spend time at home with the horses.

Frankly, when I get to the races I feel my part of the job has been done. When I’m not racing I’ll finish with

the horses around midday and have lunch, which is a sandwich and cup of tea.

Afterwards I’ll spend a bit of time with the girls and their pony before returning to the office about 2.30pm and start the work lists for the next day.

I get my real kicks from watching the two-year-olds progress and the older horses develop into potential Group 1 performers. If you don’t get excited by what you see in the mornings, you are in the wrong job. It keeps me driven.

Winning the 2013 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at

Santa Anita with Outstrip in my first season provided me with an early opportunity to start repaying Sheikh Mohammed for giving me the chance to train his horses.

I have been commuting a lot to Dubai this winter; from the new year it was every fortnight which became weekly because of the commitment to the AllWeather Championship here and the Carnival in Dubai.

Competing for the AllWeather Championship was something Godolphin hadn’t done before and we were delighted with the way it went.

Home time can often be spent keeping up to speed with the racing, which annoys Aisling. But we do take short breaks together in Paris without the children.

I enjoy playing occasional golf at Newmarket and in Dubai, where there are some lovely courses. I used to be a conservative 18 handicap and am happy to play off 24 nowadays. I am religiously in Ireland every November/ December to hunt with the Limericks. That’s about the limit of my riding these days.

I do enjoy cooking and my speciality used to be French cuisine, but now it’s the Sunday roast. I’d be hung drawn and quartered if I didn’t do that!

I’m home around 66.30pm, in time to bath the children, watch a bit of TV news and have dinner, which I’d only cook if it’s something simple like steak and chips. I shave before going to bed at about 10 o’clock to save time in the morning.

I am always relaxed when I’m horizontal so I go straight to sleep and very rarely dream. That happens when I get up in the morning. I’m living the dream.

Interview by Tim Richards

THOROUGHBRED OWNER & BREEDER INC PACEMAKER

DAR7796 OB full page Late-foaling mares 24 APRIL15 15/04/2015 16:34 Page 1

The

Darley

buds of May

Authorized’s latest G1 winner Hartnell.

Teofilo’s Oaks filly Tarfasha.

Manduro’s G1-winning daughter Ribbons.

New Approach’s amazing son Dawn Approach.

Among the many star performers produced by the Darley stallions from May or June covers – proof that it’s definitely not too late to spring into action.

Call for late-season availability:

+44 (0)1638 730070 or +353 (0)45 527600 www.darleystallions.com