Thoroughbred Owner Breeder

Editor: Edward Rosenthal

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Breeders’ Cup provides fitting finale for Flightline

The Breeders’ Cup retains its position as horseracing’s premier end-of-season championships and last month’s meeting provided plenty of razzmatazz and cheer as we approach the festive season.

Extending the meeting to two days and increasing the number of turf races has ensured a steady stream of European challengers for the valuable prizes on offer. November’s extravaganza saw both Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby return with three winners each, in the process advertising the merits of British and Irish bloodstock on the global stage.

Undoubtedly the star performance at the Breeders’ Cup was provided by Flightline, brilliant winner of the Classic under Frenchman Flavien Prat. Against a high-class field, the four-year-old simply looked in a different league to his seven rivals, powering clear to win like the superstar he is. Bill Selwyn’s wonderful images capture all the atmosphere and drama of two outstanding days of racing at Keeneland (pages 18-26).

In last month’s issue, Flightline’s trainer John Sadler suggested the colt might race on next year, yet connections have made the decision to retire him to Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky ahead of the 2023 breeding season. He finishes his racing career unbeaten, winner of all six races, having banked over £3.3 million.

Deep pockets will be required to access Flightline’s services at stud, with his fee set at $200,000 – that’s more than his own tried-andtested sire, Tapit, stands for at Gainesway Farm.

However, as Peter Hockenhull says in this month’s Finish Line interview, mare owners like to use new and exciting sires. The proprietor of Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire has his own young stallion hopeful in the handsome shape of Logician, the 2019 St Leger hero, whose first foals will hit the ground in 2023.

At a fee of £4,000, Logician provides access to the Frankel sire-line for National Hunt breeders. Hockenhull is enthused by his newest recruit and hopes he passes on his looks and talent to his progeny.

“In your mind’s eye you know what you want from a stallion, and I want to have horses that look exactly like Logician,” he says (The Finish Line, page 104). “You want an athletic sire that can really stride out and has great fluidity about his movement. You also want a sire to have a bit of size, lovely conformation, and a deep chest. It’s hard to find what he doesn’t have to offer. “

With the jumps season clicking into gear, Brendan Powell is hoping to continue his excellent run of form in partnership with trainer Joe Tizzard. Having enjoyed winners at the Cheltenham and Aintree festivals in 2013 while still claiming 3lb, the jockey endured a challenging period, with his tally of winners falling to just nine during the 2018-19 campaign.

Yet with the support of his father Brendan senior, whose own career in the saddle peaked aboard the likes of Rhyme ‘N’ Reason and

Dublin Flyer, the younger man is back on an upward curve and relishing his role with the Tizzard stable.

Graham Dench caught up with the father and son to find out how their relationship works in this month’s excellent Big Interview (pages 32-36).

Ballylinch Stud enjoyed a fabulous climax to the British Flat season when its stallion New Bay secured a Group 1 Champions Day double with Bay Bridge and Bayside Boy. Managing Director John O’Connor tells Nancy Sexton what the wins meant to the operation and why he always has one eye on the future (pages 38-44).

Edward Rosenthal Editor

Cover:

Photo: Bill Selwyn

“The four-year-old simply looked in a different league to his seven rivals”

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Charlie Parker President

Hurdles negotiated as industry jumps ahead

Some festive cheer to start this month’s column following news of the agreement on the sport’s new governance structure, which was signed off last month. It is certainly a significant step forward for horseracing. These changes are not simply a box-ticking exercise; they represent much needed and vital work to lay a firm foundation on which to build a strategy for the sport to meet the many challenges that it faces.

The new governance structure bestows the final decision rights with the British Horseracing Authority, removing the previous model of decision – or dare I say indecision – by committee. We now have a governing body and regulator that is responsible for all aspects of the sport, including commercial decisions relevant to growth and change in an ever-developing marketplace. This doesn’t appear revolutionary, but from our start-point this is a significant achievement to have delivered.

Removing the power of veto, which in principle had some validity but in practice prevented progress from being made, is a key development. The veto has been replaced by a committee of key industry players who will reach a consensus and advise the BHA Board, which can then address the major underlying issues that have plagued our sport.

Three new committees have been formed, all reporting into the BHA Board, with the Board retaining ultimate decision rights, voted for on a simple majority basis. This represents the much-needed clarity and accountability the industry has been lacking. The multitude of existing committees will now be looked at to streamline the whole operating system, which will hopefully get the right people in the right seats.

With agreement on the new structure complete, we can focus on integrating ourselves into the new system, working effectively and finally start delivering for the sport, moving on from the confines of purely aspirational thinking.

The new governance model is in tandem with a more commercial mindset concentrating on the core groups of owners and bettors, providing much needed areas to pinpoint our focus, underpinned by a clear decision-making structure. It is essential that owners are at the forefront of the biggest discussions, with the area of ownership recognised as one of the sport’s top priorities. It may be long overdue but now the critical areas of acquisition, retention, recognition and attraction are front and centre of strategic planning.

The strategy must now crank up a gear and focus on growth rather than splitting the existing – and inevitably shrinking – cake. The industry should be brave enough to seize this opportunity and work to improve the lot of all

participants, by which I mean everyone from owners to punters, racecourses and stable staff. It will be a long and difficult journey but with imagination and a willingness to embrace change and progress, there is a real chance to reap significant rewards.

Reasons to be cheerful about the future of British racing also include record prize-money levels in 2022, strong horsesin-training numbers and sensational sales results, while the Tote World Pool is proving a huge boost to our biggest racedays and festivals, not to mention the British-trained runners that continue to enjoy big-race success around the globe, including at the recent Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland.

Of course, not everything in the garden is rosy. The economic climate remains challenging for many people in the country as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite due to a combination of the war in Europe, soaring oil prices and political turmoil.

Racing faces many issues, including troubling field sizes and irregular ground conditions caused by freakish weather, while the continued will they, won’t they guessing game around the government’s white paper on gambling reforms looks set to roll on well into 2023.

However, with the new governance structure in place, we can work together to overcome these obstacles and put the foundations in place to build a brighter future for all participants. That’s something we can all raise a glass to this Christmas.

“Removing the power of veto, which prevented progress from being made, is a key development”

Julian Richmond-Watson Chairman

Sport ushers in new era as structure is rebuilt

Proposals to amend the BHA’s governance structure significantly have now been signed off, enabling the British racing industry to look forward to a period when the determination of a new strategy for the sport can get under way.

The new structure is intended to ensure that the BHA board is in the best position to find the right answers to the difficult decisions that need to be addressed around the fixture list and race programme. Provided that happens, there is every chance that some of the substantial changes needed for the sport to progress can be made.

No process of this nature is ever fool-proof, and, inevitably, there will be winners and losers as the strategy evolves. Not everything that is trialled will work, however the starting point must be the belief that everyone involved in horseracing will be better off if the sport thrives and if the best quality racing can be advanced and promoted to gain greater public attention and interest.

Among the most contentious aspects of the discussions on bringing the BHA’s governance structure up to date has been the extent to which the body should be involved in commercial matters. This has so far been resolved and a Commercial Committee will feed into the BHA Board.

All the racecourse and Thoroughbred Group members will be part of and participate in this committee, which will allow those involved to hear and understand the arguments and discussions as the various strands of the strategy move forward. No one body should be ignored or feel left out.

A few, relatively small changes were made for the 2023 fixture list, following a two-day meeting of the Industry Strategy Group in September. These largely comprised tactical interventions aimed at driving increased competitiveness. If further changes are to be advanced substantially for the 2024 racing season they will need to be agreed by next spring if they are to have any effect.

This process represents a real opportunity for the sport and everyone will look forward with great interest to see how the parties involved can put aside any semblance of vested interest so that they come up with a strategy that all sides of British racing can buy into.

While there will be many strands to the BHA strategy work, particularly concerning data on customers and consumers, I do consider there is much that can already be done on the racecourse at no cost. Having been involved in the management of a number of racecourses, I am acutely aware that there are differing needs across the range of people coming racing.

One comment that has resurfaced recently, arguing against a 35-minute gap between races, is very relevant to racegoers who see their fancy drop out of contention in the last furlong or fall or trail over jumps. Aside, possibly, from the search for a drink over which to drown their sorrows, their first concern is to pick a horse in the next race. In today’s world of immediacy, 35 minutes is a long time, and if meetings are to have seven or more races, intervals should be 25 minutes, as happens elsewhere in the world.

Weighing out jockeys a race ahead and having horses available to enter the parade ring as soon as the previous runners are out of the way should be part of an aim to show off the equine athletes. My fellow horsemen may not agree

but the lax attitude to ensuring horses are taken at least twice around the parade ring, then not cantered past the grandstand, infuriates a section of the racecourse customers.

The same goes for major-race parades, from which exceptions seem to increase all the time. Racecourses are running a spectator event and if the participants don’t have the temperament to take part in this aspect of the theatre, we should be concerned that we are breeding from the wrong horses.

Racing has to become user friendly for all its paying customers and in particular racegoers. I challenge the racecourses to look at everything they do in creating and showcasing racing to make the sport engaging and exciting for all.

“We will be better off if the best quality racing can be promoted to gain greater public attention”

New governance structure agreed

British racing’s leaders last month agreed upon a new governance structure for the sport, which will allow for the development and implementation of a new industry strategy to secure racing’s future.

A restructure of the BHA’s corporate governance arrangements has been agreed, with new Articles of Association to be adopted following the signing by the sport’s member bodies of a special resolution and new Members’ Agreement.

The new structure enshrines, as standing committees of the BHA’s Board, a new Commercial Committee and Integrity Advisory Committee, with a new Industry Programme Group also created, all three designed to drive forward the sport’s main areas of strategic focus.

Julie Harrington, Chief Executive of the BHA, said: “The agreement of a new governance structure is an important step along the road to developing an industry strategy to secure the future prosperity of racing in Britain.

“This new structure not only provides a platform upon which progress can be established, but also clarifies the BHA’s role as the sport’s

governing body and regulator. Acting on behalf of our members at the Racecourse Association and The Thoroughbred Group, I am confident that this structure will lead to better informed decisions on commercial and strategic matters.”

The BHA will lead on the development and delivery of a new industry strategy, with this work underpinned by the new governance structure.

Meeting monthly, the Commercial Committee will oversee the work of the existing Fixtures and Funding Group, Racing Group and Gambling Strategy Group and develop areas of the industry strategy with a commercial focus, like the racing product, promotion of the sport and initiatives regarding key stakeholders such as owners and bettors.

Also feeding into the Board will be the Integrity Advisory Committee, which will provide strategic advice to the Executive, and make recommendations to the Board, on matters relating to the integrity of the sport.

The Industry Programme Group will contribute to strategies relating to

horse welfare, industry people, equality, diversity and inclusion, corporate social responsibility, social licence and environmental sustainability.

The Commercial Committee will be chaired by BHA regulatory independent Non-executive Director David Jones and includes ROA Chief Executive Charlie Liverton.

Judicial Panel’s new Chair

Sarah Crowther has been appointed Chair of the BHA’s independent Judicial Panel, it was announced last month, succeeding Brian Barker.

The appointment was confirmed by the BHA Board and Crowther will take up her position at the conclusion of Barker’s final term next month.

Crowther brings to the position considerable experience, having regularly acted for both claimants and defendants across a range of legal practices, including a particular interest in safeguarding in sport.

She has appeared in proceedings relating to racing, as well as in FA safeguarding cases, acting on behalf of individuals and sporting bodies in cases of non-recent abuse and recent harassment claims, including before the National Safeguarding Panel and the High Court.

Barker’s tenure began in January 2017. He was the first independent Chair of the Judicial Panel, which was set up following the recommendation of Christopher Quinlan in his review of the BHA’s then Disciplinary Panel, Appeal Board and Licensing Committee, published in 2016.

Joe Saumarez Smith, Chair of the BHA, said: “I’m delighted we have been able to appoint somebody of the calibre of Sarah Crowther KC to this most important position. Her breadth of knowledge and experience is deeply impressive and I wish her every success in her tenure.

“I would also like to place on record the thanks of the BHA Board to His Honour Brian Barker for his six years of service as independent Chair of the Judicial Panel. We are grateful for his diligence and hard work and wish him all the best for the future.”

STEVE DAVIES

Julie Harrington: ‘new structure clarifies the BHA’s role’

Sarah Crowther succeeds Brian Barker

Stories from the racing world

Baaeed takes Cartier crown

Whether he will follow up in the ROA Horseracing Awards will be known later this month, but Baaeed has one big honour safely stored away having been named Cartier Horse of the Year in November.

The son of 2009 Cartier Horse of the Year Sea The Stars became the first horse owned by Shadwell to receive the prestigious award after an outstanding season that yielded Group 1 wins in the Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne, Sussex Stakes and Juddmonte International.

Trained by William Haggas, Baaeed faced stiff opposition to claim the accolade, with Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Alpinista, four-time Group 1-winning stayer Kyprios and Highfield Princess, who captured three Group 1 sprints in 2022, also nominated. Baaeed also won the Cartier Older Horse award.

Vadeni became the third horse owned by the Aga Khan to take the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt award following Sinndar (2000) and Dalakhani

(2003). The Churchill colt, who is trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, won the Prix du Jockey Club and Coral-Eclipse in addition to finishing second to Alpinista in the Arc.

Having claimed the Cartier Two-YearOld Filly title in 2021, Inspiral received the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly award for 2022 – a double matched only by Divine Proportions (2005) and Minding (2016). The Cheveley Park homebred was successful for John and Thady Gosden in the Coronation Stakes and Prix Jacques le Marois.

John Fairley’s homebred Highfield Princess earned the Cartier Sprinter title thanks to a trio of sensational victories for the John Quinn yard in the Prix Maurice de Gheest, Nunthorpe Stakes and Flying Five Stakes.

Kyprios was crowned Cartier Stayer after an unbeaten campaign that featured an unprecedented sequence of victories in the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup, Irish St Leger and Prix du

Cadran. He is trained by Aidan O’Brien for a partnership that comprises Moyglare Stud, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg.

The two-year-old awards went to Kyprios’ stablemate Blackbeard and the Ralph Beckett-trained Lezoo.

The recipient of the Cartier/The Daily Telegraph Award of Merit in 2022 was Kirsten Rausing. Held in the highest regard throughout the industry, she has not only excelled as an owner and breeder but served as an integral figure in the sport’s governance and administration. Through the Alborada Trust, she has also provided vital funding for a host of causes in racing and wider society.

Renowned for adopting a hands-on approach in every aspect of her work, 2022 represented a banner year as she saw her colours carried to victory in the Arc by Alpinista and enjoyed a first UK Classic success as a breeder with Eldar Eldarov.

Shadwell’s Baaeed was named Cartier Horse of the Year and also leading older horse

Death of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild

Successful owner-breeder Sir Evelyn de Rothschild died last month at the age of 91.

Born in 1931, de Rothschild chaired NM Rothschild, the London end of the family’s banking firm, for 27 years, during which time its assets grew from £400 million to £4.6 billion. A widely respected philanthropist, de Rothschild was knighted by the Queen in 1989 for services to banking and finance.

In keeping with many of his family, he also took great enjoyment from racing and breeding, his interest in the sport reportedly triggered by a visit to the Epsom Derby just after the Second World War. Although a Derby victory eluded him, he did campaign a top-notch middle-distance performer in Crystal Ocean, a Sea The Stars colt from his highly successful Crystal Cavern family, who was bred and raised at his Southcourt Stud in Bedfordshire.

Trained by Sir Michael Stoute, Crystal Ocean carried his breeder’s famous navy and yellow colours to victory in the 2019 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot as well as the 2018 Hardwicke Stakes and 2017 Gordon Stakes.

Now a member of Coolmore’s jumps arm at The Beeches Stud in Ireland, Crystal Ocean is one of the most popular young dual-purpose stallions at stud.

Crystal Ocean’s Listed-winning dam Crystal Star, a daughter of Crystal Cavern, also supplied de Rothschild with the Canadian International victor Hillstar, now standing at Garryrichard Stud, dual Pride Stakes winner Crystal Capella and Listed scorer Crystal Zvezda.

De Rothschild also enjoyed top-level success over jumps courtesy of the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle winner Ogee, trained by his sister Renee Robeson.

A partial dispersal of the mares belonging to Southcourt Stud will take

Levy Board to contribute £66 million to prize-money

The Levy Board has budgeted to contribute £66 million to prize-money in 2023, it was revealed last month, below the comparable £70m initially budgeted for 2022 but £7m more than for each of the pre-Covid years of 2018 and 2019.

The Board has previously signalled that in 2023 it would need to scale back its significantly higher contributions of 2021 and 2022, in part because next year it will repay its first instalment of the government’s £21.5m Sport Survival Package loan.

Next year’s budget has been agreed in recognition of challenges still facing the sport as it recovers

from the effects of Covid-19. Reserves continue to be drawn upon, but to a more limited extent than in recent years.

The Levy Board expects to run a deficit budget for the third consecutive financial year in 2022-23, with a cumulative financial cost exceeding £30m in that three-year period.

Levy Board Chairman Paul Darling said: “Based on current assumptions, we intend to provide more for prize-money in 2023 than in the years before Covid, which we are very pleased to do. Nevertheless, as we have said previously, the scale of our additional contributions in the most

recent years during and since Covid cannot continue indefinitely.

“As well as racing and betting having to deal with the aftermath of Covid, the economic downturn will create challenging conditions in the year ahead. The Board therefore took the sensible step of supporting racing’s proposal for Programme Books 1 and 2 to allow for planning during the first two-thirds of the racing calendar, while agreeing to look again at the position in May 2023.

“In the event that betting revenues deteriorate to a significantly greater degree than anticipated, the position will be reviewed sooner.”

Horse Welfare Board receives £3 million grant

The Racing Foundation has awarded the Horse Welfare Board (HWB) a grant of £3 million over three years to support its cross-industry work to improve equine welfare in British racing.

The grant will be used to deliver the horse welfare projects identified in the industry’s ‘A Life Well Lived’ strategy, a five-year plan to ensure the highest standards of welfare for all horses bred for British racing.

Released in stages over the next

three years, the funding will cover multiple projects to drive forward important developments in safety, data and traceability, along with supporting programme and executive team costs.

Seventeen HWB projects are now live, with in-depth cross-industry work under way. Focus areas include obstacle improvement and development, stalls and starting processes, and analysis of medication

and clinical records.

Obstacle improvement and development and the advancement of the sport’s Jump Racing Risk Model (JRRM) are two of the HWB’s key safety projects for the first year of the grant. With support from external epidemiology experts, the JRRM will become a one-stop-shop for data on racehorse falls to identify trends and help drive forward the sport’s risk management actions.

place at Tattersalls this month, where stakes winners Crystal Capella, Crystal Zvezda and Waila are due to come under the hammer from New England Stud.

Sir Evelyn: enjoyed top-level success

Changes People and business

Aintree

Named Showcase Champion at the 2022 Showcase Awards, which recognises excellence and innovation at Britain’s racecourses.

Mick Channon

Trainer, 73, announces he will hand over to son Jack at the end of the season. He won over 2,600 races, including 17 Group 1s, over 33 years.

Haras du Quesnay

The Head family’s Normandy farm is sold in its entirety, with four stallions, including Motivator, to be relocated and the stock sold at Arqana.

Kevin Manning

Jockey who won the Derby on New Approach and captured eight Classics in his career retires aged 55 after riding Vocal Studies to victory at Galway in November.

Alan Byrne

Racing’s news in a

Steps down as Chief Executive of Spotlight Sports Group, parent company of the Racing Post. He is succeeded by Mark Renshaw.

Brendan Parnell

Australian is appointed Managing Director of Media and International at Arena Racing Company. He will start his new role in spring 2023.

Chad Brown

Trainer handed one-year conditional discharge after pleading guilty to a harassment charge following an incident at his home in the summer.

Jordan Vaughan

Former Flat jockey-turned-farrier wins £3,000 top prize at the JETS Richard Davis Awards, which marked its 25th anniversary this year.

Richard Guest

Ex-trainer fined almost £4,000 by the BHA Judicial Panel in connection with two horses that tested positive for banned substances.

Daniel Muscutt

Jockey partners his first Group 1 winner on the Mark and Charlie Johnston-trained juvenile Dubai Mile in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud.

Horse obituaries

Tiutchev 29

Top-class chaser won at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown festivals and was a dual winner of the Ascot Chase.

Quazar 24

Diminutive gelding won two Grade 1s over hurdles at Punchestown for the Jonjo O’Neill stable.

Areion 27

Germany’s four-time champion stallion was based at Gestut Etzean, siring 28 Group winners in total, including Criterium International victor Alson.

Dead Solid Perfect 39

Son of Raise A Cup, winner of one race, received publicity for likely being the oldest surviving thoroughbred in the US.

Racehorse and stallion Movements and retirements

Alpinista

Kirsten Rausing’s exceptional mare, winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe among six Group 1 victories, is retired to the paddocks aged five.

Flightline

World’s top-rated racehorse retires unbeaten after his emphatic Breeders’ Cup Classic victory. His opening fee at Lane’s End Farm is $200,000.

Win My Wings

Top staying jumps mare for Sue Howell and Christian Williams, winner of the Eider Chase and Scottish Grand National, is retired aged nine.

Blackbeard

Juvenile son of No Nay Never, winner of the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes, is retired due to injury. He will stand at Coolmore for €25,000.

Ebro River

Son of Galileo Gold, winner of the Phoenix Stakes for Al Shaqab Racing, is retired from racing to stand at Haras de la Haie Neuve in Brittany.

Charming Thought

March Hare Stud in Surrey acquires Group 1-winning son of Oasis Dream from Darley for the 2023 breeding season. His fee is £3,000.

Jack Christopher

US dirt performer, winner of three Grade 1s, is retired from the track and will stand his first season at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud for $45,000.

People obituaries

Sir Evelyn de Rothschild 91

Financier who led his family’s merchant bank enjoyed top-level success with homebreds Notnowcato, Hillstar and Crystal Ocean.

Charlie Tidball 84

One of the original starting stalls handlers, he worked at the British Racing School in Newmarket for almost 40 years.

Ito

Son of the late Adlerflug will stand at Yorton Farm in 2023 having previously been based at Gestut Erftmuhle.

Racinger

Annshoon Stud in County Kilkenny recruits 19-year-old son of Spectrum, sire of Irish Graded winners El Barra and Farouk D’alene.

Motivator

Sire of Treve moves from Haras du Quesnay to Haras du Hoguenet, which also welcomes Poule d’Essai des Poulains second Texas.

Golden Horn

Derby and Arc hero, sire of Group 2 winner Botanik and Ebor victor Trawlerman, will stand his first season at Overbury Stud at a fee of £8,000.

Charles Little 70

Accountant who co-owned Lincoln Handicap and dual Listed winner Ocean Tempest, trained by his client John Ryan.

The Big Picture

Runners break from the stalls in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on the first day of the Keeneland jamboree, with number four Forte (orange cap) to the fore, just to the outside of odds-on favourite Cave Rock. They do not hang about in dirt races in the United States, and this proved no exception as the market leader perhaps went a little too hard under Juan Hernandez, enabling Forte and Irad Ortiz Jr to pick them off in the final furlong. Forte consequently replaced Cave Rock at the head of Kentucky Derby ante-post betting.

Photo Bill Selwyn

And they’re off!

Breeders’ Cup

The Big Picture

Supersonic Flightline

Hot favourite he may have been but, on only the sixth start of his career, Flightline faced by far his toughest opposition in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Life Is Good (white silks) led into the home straight but when Flavien Prat pressed the button on the world’s best horse, the response was electric and Flightline soared to a race-record eight-and-a-quarter-length win. It proved a glorious swansong as his retirement to Lane’s End soon followed.

Bill Selwyn

Photos

Breeders’ Cup

Godolphin at the treble

It was a magical start to the Breeders’ Cup for Godolphin, Charlie Appleby and William Buick as Mischief Magic (main image) stormed home in the Juvenile Turf Sprint –and day two would be even more enjoyable. That was thanks to the Buick-ridden Modern Games (above, No.4) in the Mile and Rebel’s Romance (top) in the Turf, providing a first Breeders’ Cup strike for James Doyle. The treble was the icing on the cake of another splendid year for the Newmarket-based team.

Photos Bill Selwyn

The Big Picture

Moore masterful

Ryan Moore underlined his reputation as one of the world’s best Flat jockeys with a superb Breeders’ Cup treble for master Irish handler Aidan O’Brien and the Coolmore partners. Meditate (main image) got the ball rolling on the Friday with a clear-cut success in the Juvenile Fillies Turf, followed 80 minutes later by Victoria Road in the Juvenile Turf (far right). The following day Oaks heroine Tuesday (right, dark blue) returned to her brilliant best in the Filly & Mare Turf.

Photos Bill Selwyn

Breeders’ Cup

The Big Picture

Breeders’ Cup

Can’t catch Caravel

There was a strong British challenge in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint but none could muster the pace to overhaul the Brad Cox-trained Caravel. The five-yearold mare showed tremendous speed to get across to the rail from her outside gate and she made every yard of the running under Tyler Gaffalione to deny the Kevin Ryan-trained Emaraaty Ana by half a length. Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad Al Thani (above) was thrilled to collect the owner’s trophy.

Photo Bill Selwyn

years at home and in U.S.A. and £587,197 including First Lady Stakes, Keeneland, Gr.1, Rodeo Drive Stakes, Santa Anita, Gr.1, Orchid Stakes, Gulfstream Park, Gr.3, Violet Stakes, Monmouth, Gr.3 and placed 7 times including second in Beaugay Stakes, Belmont, Gr.3, Robert G Dick Memorial Stakes, Delaware Park, Gr.3, third in La Prevoyante Handicap, Gulfstream Park, Gr.3, Perfect Sting Stakes, Belmont, fourth in Glens Falls Stakes, Saratoga, Gr.3, Endeavour Stakes, Tampa Bay Downs, Gr.3 LAND FORCE (IRE) (2016 c. by No Nay Never (USA)), see above.

2nd Dam CASSANDRA GO (IRE), won 6 races at 3 to 5 years including King’s Stand Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.2 Temple Stakes, Sandown, Gr.2, King George Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.3, Lansdown Fillies’ Stakes, Bath, L and placed 7 times including second in July Cup, Newmarket, Gr.1, Ballyogan Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.3, Palace House Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3, Summer Stakes, York, L, third in Swinley Stakes, Ascot, L; Own sister to Grey Eminence (FR); dam of eight winners from 11 runners and 13 foals of racing age includingHALFWAY TO HEAVEN (IRE) (f. by Pivotal (GB)), won 4 races at 2 and 3 years and £475,211 including Irish One Thousand Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, Nassau Stakes, Goodwood, Gr.1, Sun Chariot Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1 and placed 4 times including second in One Thousand Guineas Trial, Leopardstown, Gr.3, third in Matron Stakes, Leopardstown, Gr.1, Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Longchamp, Gr.1, from only 9 starts; Broodmare of the Year in Ireland in 2018; dam of winners.

MAGICAL (IRE), Jt Champion 3yr old in Europe in 2018 (11-13f), 12 races at 2 to 5 years, 2020 and £4,681,782 including British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Champion Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Pretty Polly Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, Tattersalls Gold Cup, Curragh, Gr.1 (twice) and placed 10 times including second in Coral Eclipse, Sandown Park, Gr.1, Moyglare Stud Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1, Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Ascot, Gr.1, Darley Yorkshire Oaks, York, Gr.1 and Breeders’ Cup Turf, Churchill Downs, Gr.1 RHODODENDRON (IRE), Champion older mare in Ireland in 2018, Jt top rated 2yr old flly in Ireland in 2016, 5 races at 2 to 4 years, 2018 at home and in France and £1,363,928 including Dubai Fillies’ Mile, Newmarket, Gr.1, Lockinge Stakes, Newbury, Gr.1 and Prix de l’Opera, Chantilly, Gr.1, second in Investec Oaks Stakes, Epsom Downs, Gr.1, 1000 Guineas Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.1, Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Del Mar, Gr.1 and third in Moyglare Stud Stakes, Curragh, Gr.1 AUGUSTE RODIN (IRE) (c. by Deep Impact (JPN)), won 3 races at 2 years and £203,337 including Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1 and KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes Gr.2

FLYING THE FLAG (IRE), 3 races at 2, 3 and 5 years at home and in U.A.E. and £125,188 including eFlow ‘You First’ International Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3, placed 6 times including second in Galileo EBF Futurity Stakes, Curragh, Gr.2

TICKLED PINK (IRE) (f. by Invincible Spirit (IRE)), won 3 races at 3 and 4 years and £77,734 including Connaught Flooring Abernant Stakes, Newmarket, Gr.3 and The Coral Charge Sprint Stakes, Sandown Park, Gr.3, placed 3 times; dam of winners.

VICTORIA ROAD (IRE) (c. by Saxon Warrior (JPN)), won 4 races at 2 years and £504,866 including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Keeneland, Gr.1, Prix de Conde, Chantilly Gr.3 and Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l’Elevage, Deauville, L THEANN (GB) (f. by Rock of Gibraltar (IRE)), see above.

Fantasy (IRE) (f.

by Invincible Spirit (IRE)), won 1 race at 2 years, 2018 and £24,413 and placed 4 times including third in John Sisk & Son Round Tower Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3 and Curragh Stakes, Curragh, L NEVERLETME GO (IRE), won 2 races at 3 and £16,954 and placed 3 times; dam of winners.

BEST REGARDS (IRE), Champion 3yr old Sprinter in Germany in 2013, 3 races at 2 and 3 years in France and in Germany and £43,335 including Hoppegartener Fliegerpreis, Berlin-Hoppegarten, L , placed twice including third in P.Afrika Linen J Essberger Flieger Preis, Hamburg, Gr.3. Tilthe End of Time (IRE), unraced; dam of Snazzy (IRE), 1 race at 2 years, 2018 and £26,636, third in Langleys Solicitors EBF Marygate Stakes, York, L 3rd Dam RAHAAM (USA) won 1 race at 3 years and placed twice, from only 4 starts; dam of nine winners from 9 runners and 10 foals of racing age includingVERGLAS (IRE), won 3 races at 2 and 3 years at home and in U.S.A. including Coventry Stakes, Royal Ascot, Gr.3 second in Lexus Irish 2000 Guineas, Curragh, Gr.1, San Marino Handicap, Santa Anita, L.R. and third in Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes, Gr.1; sire.

Law puts away rivals

Ga Law is a young chaser on the upgrade and he turned in his best performance to date in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. The six-year-old, who missed the 2021-22 season through injury, is shown jumping the final fence under Jonathan Burke, chased by eventual fourth Il Ridoto and Storm Control. Ga Law, trained by Jamie Snowden for The Footie Partnership, chased down Irish raider French Dynamite and Darragh O’Keeffe (not in shot) to take the prize by three-quarters of a length.

Photo Bill Selwyn

Cheltenham

Time slows right down on disciplinary matters

Of all the advances in disciplinary measures relating to British racing over the last 20 years, and there have been many, none has been more welcome than the expansion of explanatory notes attached to the publication of decisions made by the various panels. They allow proper discussion of events, whereas previously there was little explanation, transparency or accountability.

Thankfully, the days are long gone when professionals, trainers in particular, could have their licences withdrawn with no declaration of the period of suspension. Indefinitely often meant what it said. However, it was still many years before explanations of what happened behind the doors closed by racecourse or national stewards reached beyond a couple of lines in the Racing Calendar, a publication whose circulation would have been a fraction of the Pigeon Fanciers Gazette

Today, though, disciplinary matters are explained in great detail and although live proceedings remain confined to those attending the BHA bunker on High Holborn and members of the media eavesdropping via Zoom, the governing body’s website is a treasure trove of information, inquiry and, at times, irritation.

The difference can be traced directly to the use of legally trained and practising personnel as chairs of the various panels, who are used to conducting proceedings, collecting their

thoughts and putting them down on paper cogently.

Occasionally, they let themselves down, or show their true colours, depending on the reader’s interpretation.

However, for the most part, the conduct of hearings seems fair, and the recording of decisions is fulfilling, even if it does

ARC ups ante with Parnell appointment

Forget Flightline for a moment, even if his Breeders’ Cup Classic success made compelling viewing and the subsequent sale of a 2.5 per cent share for $4.6m (£3.9m), producing a notional value of $184m (£156.6m), was jaw-droppingly amazing. His continuing story will impact only a few British racing professionals and public, while for the vast majority – although they may not realise it yet – potentially the most significant news that emerged in the first few days of November came from the London office of the Arena Racing Company.

The racecourse and media group, which was formed ten years ago by the merger of Arena Leisure and Northern Racing, revealed that Brendan Parnell would be joining its staff at the end of April 2023 as Managing Director of Media and International, a post that has been vacant since Kevin Robertson left in March this year.

Parnell has given six months’ notice to his present employer and will start work in Britain at the end of April in his first job outside Australia. It is a path that over the past 20 years has been trodden by a number of personalities who arrived with sky-high reputations in overseas jurisdictions but hardly any public recognition over here. Greg Nichols, Paul Bittar, Jamie Stier and David Sykes all returned to their familiar pastures, leaving Brant Dunshea, the BHA’s Chief Regulatory Officer, as the sole remaining voice in high office with an Aussie accent.

There is one major difference between Parnell and all these other worthy gentlemen; he will arrive with a massive commercial background to his name. He has made money for the companies he has served, while the others have been

employed in Britain on administration, admirable though their efforts were.

Parnell is familiar to several prominent personalities in British media and betting, who have known him since the early years of this century, when as General Manager for Broadcasting at Sky Racing World, based in Sydney, he was responsible for taking live British racing into Australia and setting up the reverse process. More got to know him when he left in 2007 for the betting giant Tabcorp, where over the next eight years he drove their media and international divisions.

He later moved to fellow gambling operator the Tatts Group, which in turn merged with Tabcorp, and in 2018 he was recruited for his first racing admin job, as Chief Executive of Racing Queensland, whose Chairman Steve Wilson summed up Parnell’s achievements as “negotiating our new media rights’ agreement, championing RQ’s reconciliation activities, driving innovation and commercialisation of the racing calendar, and delivering our long-term funding arrangement through the upcoming betting tax changes.”

That ringing endorsement demonstrates that the picture becomes clearer the more one examines Parnell’s CV. ARC is recruiting someone whose direct skills stretch from broadcasting and betting to racing and racecourse administration, with experience of dealing at the top level in all aspects.

ARC CEO Martin Cruddace, who figures on the newly announced BHA Commercial Committee, has had to go to the other side of the world to fill an important position in his company. He might also have found his own replacement should he fancy a quieter life.

GEORGE SELWYN

Mick Easterby: not amused at being fined 1p by the BHA

not always make comfortable reading for the governing authority, as in four cases that have come to fruition this year. All featured lengthy delays in being brought to resolution, and all prompted the relevant chairman to pass critical judgement on the BHA.

In January, Mick Easterby was fined 1p after two men were excluded from racecourses for ten years having doped his runner at Newcastle in September 2018, with Panel Chairman Philip Curl saying: “We are sorry that the matter has taken as long as it has.” In October, Curl was back in admonishing mood, when on reducing the penalty on trainer Richard Hughes for a positive sample taken in February 2020, he said: “We consider the delay in this case is simply unacceptable.”

Another time lapse, amounting to two years and 275 days from race to publication, was also the reason for trainer John Ryan’s receiving a discounted fine after a positive sample, with Panel Chairman David Fish noting “the lamentable delay in pursuing this matter with celerity,” while further admonishing the BHA for its failure to obtain relevant CCTV footage from the racecourse where the injection of a prohibited substance almost certainly took place.

Ryan’s case was heard a month after another long-running investigation, which began with a positive test from the colt Coltrane in August 2020, reached Disciplinary Panel Chairman Brian Barker, who expressed his disappointment that the matter had taken more than two years to be heard and finally went through the fast-track procedure requiring no oral evidence to be given.

All manner of extenuating circumstances has been advanced

for the delays, including those now old favourites Covid and working from home, but there is no escaping the fact that speedier justice was promised under BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust after the Quinlan review of the-then disciplinary panel, appeal board and licensing committee in 2016, and it has not happened.

Following the review, Barker became the first independent Chair of the Judicial Panel. He will complete his final term next

month, to be succeeded by Sarah Crowther KC, who is said to have appeared in proceedings relating to horseracing, although an inquiry to the BHA for details has received no response. Her main expertise in chambers appears to centre on safeguarding and medical negligence, prompting one fellow KC with vastly more acknowledged involvement in the sport to wonder if she has the right experience for the job.

Two truisms come to mind. Time waits for no-one – except perhaps the BHA integrity department – and time is of the essence. Whether the new Judicial Panel Chair can get the disciplinary clock to move a little faster, only time will tell.

“There is no escaping the fact that speedier justice was promised after the Quinlan review”

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON

Though separated for the last three years by the Irish Sea, Brendan Powell junior and senior remain close and while the former has some way to go to match the riding exploits of his father, which included a Grand National triumph aboard Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, his role as stable jockey to Joe Tizzard looks sure to provide plenty of big-race opportunities

Interview: Graham Dench

Brendan Powell junior is enjoying a successful association with the Dorset stable of Joe Tizzard while his father (inset) is putting his experience to good use as assistant trainer to Joseph O’Brien in Ireland

The Powells

BILL SELWYN

The Big Interview

Brendan junior

There was a time when I wanted to be a footballer, but realistically racing was all I was ever going to do.

I was only four or five when dad stopped riding and I don’t remember going racing with him much, but I’m pretty sure I was at Ayr when he won his second Scottish National on Young Kenny.

There were always ponies around and both of my parents were pretty influential in that respect. Dad was a jockey, then a trainer, and mum was also a very good horsewoman who rode a bit as an amateur and would take me and my sister Jenny off to shows at the weekend.

Mum and dad never pushed me, but they never discouraged me either. They were always there to guide me and give good advice.

I did a lot of showjumping as a kid and took it to a reasonably decent level, and then when I was 14 I went off to Ireland for a few months to spend the first of two summers with my godfather Adrian Maguire.

I did pony racing there at the weekends, and I think I rode about 25 winners. It was a great preparation for me and meant that by the time I was old enough to take out my amateur’s licence

Brendan senior

The days of Rhyme ’N’ Reason and Panto Prince were behind me by the time ‘B’ was born in January 1995, but I had another five years as a jockey and there were some nice wins still to come thanks to horses like Dublin Flyer and Young Kenny, and also to the big team Bob Buckler had at the time.

B seems to remember being at Ayr when Young Kenny won the Scottish National, and he was definitely at Hereford on the day I retired as the whole family came, including my mum and dad, and the racecourse put on a little party.

I’d come back to ride for about three months after a bad fall at Newton Abbot that summer, but I never felt the same. Bottle-wise I’d say I was still 100 per cent, but every time I had a fall it hurt for a week.

B never had the most expensive ponies but rode to a nice standard, his mum taking him here, there and everywhere. It was only later though that he decided he wanted to be a jockey. I just don’t think he was that interested in riding racehorses – he was too busy pursuing other sports.

on the Flat, I already knew a lot of the logistics about race-riding.

Dad was training then but everyone remembered him as a jockey and I felt I had big old shoes to fill, although I don’t think I ever thought that having the same name was any sort of a hindrance. In fact, having a dad as a trainer is a big leg up

for a young jockey, as at least you know there will be a few rides to get you going. Luckily I got off to a flying start.

I rode a horse of dad’s called Edgeworth into second on the all-weather at Lingfield about three days after my sixteenth birthday, and then on my second ride I rode a winner for him at

I’ve never played football in my life, but as soon as B started he was very good, playing for a local team down Southampton way. Then he tried cricket at school and was brilliant at it, and when he picked up a golf club he had the most natural swing you’ve ever seen. Everything he tried he was just a natural, and he was competitive whatever he did.

I think he got the racing bug after we had a conversation about what jockeys could earn, as he’s always been very money orientated. Anyway, he got the bug and started riding out, and then

when he was 14 or so he went to Ireland for the first of two summers with Adrian Maguire and with the Linehan family, who were like a second family to him.

Pony racing in Ireland helped him massively. It taught him such a lot and when he had his first rides for me under Rules people couldn’t believe how good he looked.

I sent him to Jonjo’s for six months and he learned a hell of a lot there too, and he also spent time with John Hills before he took the bull by the horns and went jumping with the Tizzards.

Brendan senior in action at Cheltenham in the 1995 Mackeson Gold Cup on old favourite Dublin Flyer (inside) and, below, studying the form in the Plumpton weighing room with three-time champion jockey Richard Dunwoody (right) in 1994

Southwell on one called Home.

A lot of my early rides were for dad, but I was never based with him. I think you learn a lot more when you go somewhere else. If you are at another yard, you don’t get treated like the trainer’s son, so you have to put the graft in to get on.

I was initially based at Jonjo O’Neill’s

and went there as soon as I was 16 for six or seven months. I also had a spell with the late John Hills, during which I rode a winner for the Queen at Newmarket’s July Meeting, on Free Verse, trained by Richard Hannon senior.

I was quite light at the time and so rode successfully as an apprentice for a

while, but I was quite tall too, and I didn’t want to ride out my claim on the Flat and then have to go jumping without one. I was lucky again when I went jumping, as that took off pretty quickly too.

I’ve sometimes wondered if I rode out my claim too quickly, but a jump jockey’s career can be quite short. When you are going well you don’t want to take your foot off the pedal. I was young and eager and all I wanted to do was to ride winners. Dave Roberts was my agent at that time, and he did an amazing job, right up until he retired.

I rode a Cheltenham Festival winner – Golden Chieftain in the JLT for Colin Tizzard – when I was still claiming 3lb, and I think I was barely 19 when I lost the claim. My first season as a professional was good too, but then things dipped for a few seasons.

I’d had a lot of success at an early age and at the time I probably didn’t appreciate it. You don’t realise how tough it can be in this sport until you have to go through it yourself. Mum and dad had always tried to keep me grounded though when I was doing well, and they were there too when things weren’t so great.

Dad was there for advice on all of the bigger decisions, and even though he’s in Ireland now and busy himself I still speak

somewhere along the line. I found that out for myself when I was riding, and I always told B just to keep his head down. Doors will shut, but if you keep working away at it, others will open.

The best thing that ever happened to him was getting back with the Tizzards. I kept saying to him ‘why don’t you go down to Colin’s and ride out one day’, and in the end he did. I remember him ringing not long afterwards to say Colin had booked him for a couple.

It went great for him down there last season and he’s got a great relationship with Joe, who had been stable jockey to me for a couple of seasons.

I think he learned a lot on the jumping side from his mother Rachel, because of the showjumping, but also learned a lot schooling for me and the Tizzards. I’d like to think I taught him a lot about race-riding.

He’s lucky in having a very natural side to his jockeyship. I wasn’t a natural by any means and so I had to work hard at it after both Jenny Pitman and David Gandolfo told me I’d never make it, but if you watch B going round in a chase or a hurdle you won’t see him move very much at an obstacle. He’s an instinct

rider and horses seem to jump well for him without him making a lot of effort.

When B hit a quiet spell, it was at a time I was packing up, so I could only give him limited help. Things with Colin seemed to turn a bit sour – Golden Chieftain fell at the last when clear in the Midlands National and there were one or two other things – and he went and did his own thing for a while.

While it’s a great sport when everything is going well, we all know what a tough game it can be when they are not. Everybody hits a difficult patch

We still speak most days. No matter where I am, I still take a close interest in racing in Britain and obviously take a particular interest in horses which B rides.

I don’t criticise as such, but we discuss every ride. In his younger days, when I was training, he might not have taken my opinions that well and would say something like ‘I suppose it would have run better if you were riding it’, but he takes them a lot better nowadays.

He’s grown up a lot and I couldn’t be happier with the way things are going for him.

GEORGE SELWYN

The Big Interview

to him just about every day.

He’ll quite often give an opinion on how a horse might be ridden, and he’s pretty good. He’s been there and done it himself, and when things don’t work out right, he can see it from a jockey’s point of view. He lives and breathes racing and misses nothing. He’s very sharp.

Dad was quite a forward rider and I suppose I am too. It will always depend on what I’m riding, but a lot of the horses I ride like to be up with the pace, and I quite enjoy riding a front runner and setting my own fractions. I’ve seen the videos of dad on Dublin Flyer and he used to be the same, although he wasn’t a onedimensional rider by any means.

The Tizzards have always been massive for me too. Colin and Joe have both supported me the whole way through and I’ve ridden a lot of winners for them, including some big ones.

They were the ones who really got me going over jumps, but I went through three or four seasons when I barely rode a winner for them. At the time a lot of the owners wanted to use the best available, and there was a stage when a few things weren’t going right for me and I didn’t win on a few horses who I probably should have done. I probably wasn’t mature enough to deal with those days the way I should have done.

Things weren’t going great for dad either at that time, and he packed up training and went back to Ireland to work for Joseph O’Brien, but he was always there with support and advice. He’d always drummed into me growing up that it wouldn’t always go well, but that so long as I kept my head down and my mouth shut and kept on grafting, there’d be a good chance it would come right again.

You need a bit of luck along the way of course – maybe just being in the right place at the right time – but just trying to do things to the best of your ability all the time plays a massive part.

There were a couple of seasons when

I stopped riding out for the Tizzards, but then I had a spare morning when we were racing at Wincanton and I thought I’d just pop down there. It was a schooling day and I rode out a few, then a couple of days later Colin put me up on a spare.

I went back a couple of weeks later, and then carried on popping in and out when I could, but it was at the time when Robbie Power was there, going back and forth from Ireland, and Harry Cobden and Jonjo junior were riding quite a few too, so there weren’t many spare rides coming my way.

Then a couple of years ago I decided to make going down there every other Wednesday a regular thing, while still maintaining my contacts with the other trainers I was riding for, and I started to pick up a few more rides.

I had quite a few seconds, and then Princess Midnight won at Wincanton right at the end of the season and that led to me having quite a lot of luck for them in the summer.

Robbie had gone by that time and

I think Colin and Joe had seen that I’d grown up a lot, so when Joe approached to say they were quite keen to use me more it seemed a really good opportunity for me.

Since then it’s gone really well, and I have to pinch myself. Last season was my best, with 65 winners and nice prizemoney, and this season has started well too. It’s fantastic to be back riding for them regularly.

It’s great to see dad so happy in his new role in Ireland too. He had a great career as a jockey, winning some of the biggest races in the calendar, and he had a great career too as a trainer, with more than 600 winners.

Dad’s knowledge of horses is second to none. What he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing, and he wouldn’t be working for Joseph if that wasn’t the case.

He’ll probably always be one up on me as a jockey through having ridden a Grand National winner, but you never know. I’ll hopefully have plenty more opportunities, and I couldn’t be with a better stable.

BILL SELWYN

Powell and Tizzard teamed up at Cheltenham last month with impressive handicap chase winner Amarillo Sky

“I quite enjoy riding a front runner and setting my own fractions”

Ballylinch Stud

Firing on all CYLINDERS

Words: Nancy Sexton

The history of Ballylinch Stud is a long and storied one dating back to the time when Major Dermot McCalmont retired his brilliant and unbeaten colt The Tetrarch to stand at his private residence, the Mount Juliet estate near Thomastown in County Kilkenny, in 1915. It’s a very different world to the one back then but with great care taken to appreciate its heritage and preserve the property as it

was over 100 years ago, it’s not too far fetched to think that McCalmont would recognise the farm in its current guise under the ownership of American John Malone.

Undoubtedly McCalmont would also enjoy and identify with its current success, which spans a thriving stallion roster that consists of three Group 1-producing sires, an Arc winner and Group 1-winning miler alongside a high-flying 70-strong

A stallion roster underpinned by Lope De Vega and New Bay alongside the Group 1 exploits of future sires Bay Bridge and Bayside Boy has made 2022 a year to savour for Ballylinch Stud

BILL SELWYN

John O’Connor (centre) celebrates with connections following Bayside Boy’s win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes

broodmare band and collection of 30 horses in training headed by the Prix de l’Opera heroine Place Du Carrousel. Ballylinch has long dined at racing’s top table, in particular for the past three decades under the eye of Managing Director John O’Connor. However, even by its own high standards, 2022 has been a year to savour, not least thanks to the Group 1 sweep of Bayside Boy and Bay Bridge in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Champion Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot; not only are both sons of resident sire New Bay but both raced for the stud in partnership with an eye towards their future stallion career.

“It was one of those unusual days,” recalls O’Connor of that October afternoon. “The two New Bays won at Ascot and then a homebred that we have with Willie McCreey called Self Belief won a Listed race [the Trigo Stakes] at Leopardstown. All three runners that we had won. We’ve never had a day like that before.”

In the case of Bay Bridge, he had the mighty Baaeed to overcome in his assignment in the Champion Stakes. Bought into last winter to race on in partnership with his breeder James Wigan, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained colt immediately underlined the value of that transaction by winning the Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown in May before running second to State Of Rest in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

A niggle picked up when behind Vadeni in the Eclipse Stakes temporarily derailed his four-year-old campaign, meaning that he had an absence of 105 days behind him upon his return in the Champion Stakes. Yet defy it he did, travelling comfortably in the hands of Richard Kingscote to take it up early in the straight and hold off the persistent challenge of Adayar with Baaeed back in fourth.

“Sir Michael Stoute was very positive going into the race,” says O’Connor. “He was working well and pleasing everyone

BILL SELWYN

Bay Bridge (left): future Ballylinch stallion wins the QIPCO Champion Stakes

Ballylinch Stud

at home. He’ll stay in training next year. Sir Michael was keen to have him again. And if he gets a clear run, he’ll turn up in all the big ten-furlong races across Europe.

“I think he’s still progressing. He came out of the Eclipse with a bit of a niggle which meant he had to miss some of those good races in the summer. But he’s well capable of running well fresh, as we saw in the Brigadier Gerard and again in the Champion Stakes.

“He’s a very good-looking horse, big and powerful with a very good temperament. He has a real will to win. That was the case at Ascot, he kicked and was always holding them.”

The dawn of a new era

The addition of Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Bayside Boy to Ballylinch Stud’s roster could not be more appropriate given that the stud not only stands his sire New Bay but also bred the colt out of Alava.

Part of the stud’s yearling consignment at the 2020 Tattersalls October Sale, he was knocked down for 200,000gns to Richard Ryan on behalf of Teme Valley. However, so taken with the colt were Ballylinch that they retained a share.

“I have a lot of respect for Richard Ryan as a yearling judge,” says John O’Connor. “We had this very nice yearling by New Bay at Tattersalls and Richard said to me, ‘I love this colt and I know lots of other people do as well and I might find it hard to buy him. So would you be interested in staying in?’ Well we loved the colt as well and that’s how the partnership began.

“New Bay had his first two-year-olds at the time, and in the days leading up to the sale, Saffron Beach and New Mandate won on the same day at Newmarket [Saffron Beach scored first time out while New Mandate landed the Royal Lodge Stakes]. So we knew then that New Bay was on a very steep upward trajectory.”

He adds: “Ironically, New Bay didn’t win as a two-year-old, although he was always held in high regard by Andre Fabre. But a few of the breeze-up people had some from his first crop that they really liked. So there was a little bit of a buzz about him in late spring and early summer, and then he kicked on ahead of the sales.

“They seem to have a determination

that turns back many horses. That’s a Dubawi thing. If there are good sons of Dubawi who succeed at stud, I think that can only be good as there’s an intrinsic soundness and will to win in there that is beneficial for the breed.”

Bayside Boy is also well-related on his female side as a half-brother to dual Group 2 winner Forest Ranger. Their dam Alava is a Listed-winning daughter of Anabaa.

“The dam is very good,” says O’Connor. “We bought her privately when Forest Ranger won his novice as a three-year-old at Newcastle. Home Cummins was already on the page. Her two-year-old, Lord Of Biscay, won for us on debut in the autumn but then didn’t really handle the ground at Newbury [when unplaced in the Horris Hill Stakes]. I’d still be very optimistic about him next year. Alava is a mare who had ability herself and she passes it on regularly.”

Bayside Boy signed off his career in style when running down Modern Games and Jadoomi to take the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes but he was also a smart two-year-old whose performances included a win in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster and placings in the Dewhurst Stakes and Vertem Futurity. He retires as the winner of four races and is set to stand his first season for €15,000.

“Bayside Boy ran some very good splits for those last couple of furlongs at Ascot,” says O’Connor. “There was a temptation to keep him in training. Both William Buick, who rode him when he won the Fortune Stakes at Sandown, and Tom Marquand, who rode him at Ascot, said they struggled to pull him up – they both said he had loads left in the tank at the end of those races.

“But with New Bay going to a much higher figure [€75,000], we wanted to be able to offer a very good son of his at the same sort of region that New Bay started his own stud career. So those breeders who supported New Bay early on now have the opportunity to support Bayside Boy. That’s the thinking, anyway.”

Bayside Boy (left) wins the Champagne Stakes as a two-year-old BILL SELWYN

Bay Bridge’s win set the seal on a remarkable day – and season – for Ballylinch’s young ascendant stallion New Bay. Bay Bridge is from his first crop, bred off a fee of €20,000, as is this year’s Prix Rothschild winner Saffron Beach, also successful in last year’s Sun Chariot Stakes, and the Group 2 winners Jumby and New Mandate. Just as impressive is his second crop, which is headlined by Bayside Boy and also includes the German champion two-year-old Sea Bay alongside this year’s Hampton Court Stakes winner Claymore.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it’s no exaggeration to say that New Bay possessed the ingredients to be successful at stud as a Classic-winning son of Dubawi from the deep Juddmonte family of the Group 1-producing sires Kingman, Oasis Dream and Beat Hollow, the latter of whom successfully formerly fulfilled a dual-purpose role on the Ballylinch roster.

“I really like a horse with a turn of foot,” says O’Connor. “The ability to accelerate is huge in a turf horse.

“New Bay was very highly regarded. When we went to look at him, Andre Fabre was very positive about him – he said to me, ‘You should buy this horse’. He had a serious turn of foot, which we saw in both the French Guineas, in which he came from last from a wide draw to be second, and then when he won the Prix du Jockey Club. He was effective at a mile, a mile and a quarter, and he was also third in the Arc over a mile and a half. So he was very versatile and I think we’re seeing that in his progeny as well. On average, he also speeds the mares up a little bit.”

In his first three crops, none of which number more than 80 foals, New Bay is the sire of three Group 1 winners among eight stakes winners and ten stakes horses. As a result, he is popular in the sale ring, where his yearlings sold for up to 475,000gns this year, and has had his fee increased to €75,000 for 2023.

The son of Dubawi isn’t the only highflying member of the roster, however. Stalwart Lope De Vega, also a French Classic winner trained by Fabre in his day, enjoyed another exceptional season, one that consisted of no fewer than 50 stakes horses, 27 stakes winners and Group winners on four continents. Leading the way were the French Group 1-winning fillies Place Du Carrousel, winner of the Prix de l’Opera for Ballylinch and Al Shaqab Racing, Prix d’Ispahan and

Prix du Moulin winner Dreamloper and the Prix Vermeille heroine Sweet Lady. Hypothetical also won the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 at Meydan.

Lope De Vega has attracted his share of the headlines in the sale ring, most notably as the sire of a half-sister to

Ballylinch Stud

mares well below the standard of those he’s competing with now. When you go down through the barns of mares and see the names in there, the quality that he’s covering, it still gives me a thrill.

“He puts speed, class and durability into them. He had a lot of speed himself – he had to come from last to first when he won the French Guineas. He’s had a lot of Group winners over five furlongs and six furlongs – he must be the only French Derby winner to sire a Cornwallis Stakes winner [Royal Razalma] in his first crop. We bred Belardo [winner of the Dewhurst and Lockinge Stakes], [Group 2 winner] Very Special and [Group 3 winner] Brown Sugar out of his first crop, so we knew then that he was a special sire.”

Battaash who sold for 1.8 million guineas to Richard Knight at the Tattersalls October Sale.

Having once stood as low at €12,500, the son of Shamardal will stand his third consecutive season at a fee of €125,000 in 2023.

“He’s a phenomenon really,” says

Lope De Vega now has a number of sons at stud, notably Belardo, Phoenix Of Spain and Lucky Vega, and although his oldest crop are ten-years-old, he is also making his mark as a broodmare sire, with two-year-old Group winners such as Persian Force and The Ridler among those to fly the flag.

“He certainly looks very promising as a broodmare sire,” says O’Connor. “One thing he definitely transmits is

“Lope De Vega puts speed, class and durability into them”

New Bay: now a leading young light in the stallion ranks

Ballylinch Stud

Group 1 sire Make Believe, who defeated New Bay in the 2015 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, stands for €10,000, an inexpensive figure considering his first crop included £11.6 million-earner Mishriff, a topflight winner on both turf and dirt.

It is also crunch time for fellow former Fabre trainee Waldgeist, whose first crop run next year. Best remembered for his defeat of Enable in the 2019 Arc, the son of Galileo also defeated four subsequent Group 1 winners when successful in the Criterium de Saint-Cloud as a two-yearold prior to also winning the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and Prix Ganay as an older horse. Bred by Gestut Ammerland out of the famous German ‘W’ family that descends from Waldrun, he represents the same axis that launched Lope De Vega and has also been well supported by his cobreeder and racing owner Newsells Park Stud. He stands next season at €12,500.

“He has stock in training with Andre Fabre, Peter Schiergen and Chad Brown among many others,” says O’Connor. “We’ve also kept a good number to put into training.

“He was a very good two-year-old, which sometimes gets forgotten. I think Andre Fabre seldom runs a two-year-old in a Group 1 unless he thinks he is really a Group 1 horse. So it could be that his progeny surprises people with more precocity than they might think. And looking at them physically, he does put

Star Appeal. In 1987 it changed hands to entrepreneur Tim Mahony and, under the management of O’Connor, in time stood Soviet Star as well as the popular dualpurpose stallion King’s Theatre.

Today the operation continues to maintain a dual-purpose influence through its association with Fascinating Rock, Jukebox Jury and Sea Moon, all of whom stand with Victor Connolly at Burgage Stud in County Carlow.

“So when he got both, he asked me to integrate Castlemartin into the operation. I think it’s had a very positive impact on Ballylinch because Castlemartin is a wonderful farm with excellent land. We’ve put a lot of investment into it and we have a very good team of people there.”

more muscle on to them than you might expect. They all have great temperaments as well.

“Like all young stallions, it’s up to him now. But he’s had good support throughout, and interestingly there won’t be a big drop in numbers in his second and third crops, especially after people liked the first foals last year.”

Despite its lengthy history, Ballylinch has remarkably only ever had three owners. During the later McCalmont era, it boasted a roster highlighted by the likes of Fortino, the sire of Caro, Arc hero Sassafras, the first horse to beat Nijinsky, and Appiani, sire of another Arc hero in

In 2014 the farm changed hands – lock, stock and barrel – for only the third time in its history to John and Leslie Malone, whose involvement in the thoroughbred industry also covers the acquisition of Bridlewood Farm in Florida. One of the largest land owners in the US, the transaction coincided with Malone’s purchase of the Kildare-based Castlemartin Stud for €28m from Sir Anthony and Lady O’Reilly.

Another farm, Broguestown Stud, is on a long-term lease from Michael Dalton, allowing the operation the flexibility of three properties with which to move the broodmare band and their followers. Ballylinch also houses a sizeable pretraining operation.

“John Malone had bid for both Ballylinch and Castlemartin at the same time,” recalls O’Connor. “He knew there were other people trying to buy Ballylinch, so he bid for both expecting to necessarily get one.

A season replete with Group 1 victories alongside a series of big auction returns highlighted by the sale of Place Du Carrousel’s half-sister by Kingman for 1,050,000gns to Shadwell makes 2022 hard to replicate. But with the stallion roster in such a powerful position and complemented by a such a deep broodmare band, the next few years could well see the stud reach even greater heights.

“We had a good sales season and we had a good racing season,” says O’Connor. “The mares are performing well and when that happens you can expect that, if you have some nice yearlings, then you will get paid, which is exactly what happened. We’ve got a strong broodmare band, the stallions are on a high and the horses in training are going well.”

He adds: “It’s unusual – I know how lucky it is to be able to find one good stallion. To have two firing at a high level at the same time from a roster that in 2022 consisted of only four horses is very fortunate. You have to be lucky to get that. Obviously, we’ve been trying and when it happens it’s fantastic.”

Lope De Vega: supplied Group winners on four different continents in 2022

“To have two stallions firing at a high level is very fortunate”

Breeders’ Digest

Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor

The $184 million horse is an historic moment for racing

The word ‘great’ can be bandied around easily in our industry when it comes to horses. Yet there is no doubt that those present for Flightline’s win in last month’s Breeders’ Cup Classic at Keeneland witnessed a performance worthy of such exalted praise.

The world’s highest-rated horse and one who has regularly drawn comparisons to various American iconic champions of the past, Flightline is one of those rare horses who has lived up to expectations every step of the way.

He was bred to be good as a son of champion sire Tapit and the Grade 1-placed Feathered, whose sire Indian Charlie continues to exert a positive influence on the breed. He was a $1 million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, when knocked down to West Point Thoroughbreds, and although a superficial hindquarter injury (suffered when he hit a stall latch) derailed the early part of his career, he rapidly made up for lost time to reel off four consecutive Grade 1 victories for trainer John Sadler capped by his Breeders’ Cup romp.

Six lengths was his smallest winning margin while his eight-and-a-quarter length win in the Classic, in which he put away the likes of Life Is Good, Rich Strike, Olympiad and Happy Saver with such ruthless efficiency, is the widest ever margin recorded in the race. The only knock is the brevity of his career, which took in just six starts and covered a total of just under ten minutes.

One of the associated questions with such a horse will always be value. As Flightline thundered through the past campaign, the industry went into overdrive, with whispers placing him north of $50m and beyond. And the Breeders’ Cup performance naturally served to propel that value further.

For years, the benchmark had been the reported $70m paid by Coolmore for the Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus back in 2000. Similarly, Coolmore and its associates acquired Triple Crown winner Justify for around the same mark in 2018.

In the weeks leading up to the

Breeders’ Cup, it was announced that Flightline would retire to stand at the Farish family’s Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky. Then as the race drew closer, it was revealed that a 2.5 per cent fractional interest in the horse would be offered as Lot 1F at the Keeneland November Sale. The share was put up for auction on behalf of Terry Finley’s West Point group, which owns seven shares in a 40-share syndicate alongside Kosta Hronis and family (15 shares), breeder Jane Lyon (ten shares), Bill Farish and partners’ Woodford Racing (four shares) and Anthony Manganaro’s Siena Farm (four shares).

It was out of the box thinking that not only offered an insight into Flightline’s potential value but also into the future, with the innovative auction featuring a first-of-its-kind Metaverse experience designed to give participants a front-row seat in a virtual sales ring hosted on Spatial and accessible via Oculus.

Come midday of the opening session at Keeneland and the champagne was flowing, 45 people had pre-registered to bid and the sale ring, which accommodates 700 seated people, was packed to the rafters.

As a computer-generated version of Flightline filled the pavilion’s video board, there was an opening bid of $500,000 before a flurry of shouts rapidly pushed it well into sevenfigure territory – $2m, $3m, $4m. By that stage, it was a battle between the Coolmore team and Brookdale Farm’s Fred Seitz, and as the bidding hit $4.6m, Coolmore cried enough, leaving Seitz to sign the ticket on

It was an historic moment for the sport and one that placed Flightline’s value at an astronomical $184m.

Of course, in these rare instances, actual values go out the window. Owning a piece of Flightline is laden with prestige, in a similar vein to owning a piece of great art. However, as any breeder or owner knows, indulging in racehorses and bloodstock comes with a heightened element of risk – as with any young stallion prospect, Flightline is not immune to that.

But even with those figures on his head, he certainly has the cards stacked in his favour more than most; not only is there his brilliance, something that places him in the same rarefied air as Secretariat, but his pedigree, which represents a blend of several of America’s most powerful influences, and good looks. He is due to start his stud career at Lane’s End at a fee of $200,000, the same level set for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah at Ashford Stud in 2016 and champion two-year-old Devil’s Bag at Claiborne Farm in 1985. In turn, he is odds-on to attract an outstanding book of mares; indeed, buyers were busy stocking up on potential mates at the Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland November Sales, most notably Jane Lyon, who paid $1.7m for the Grade 1-placed Edgeway.

It will be fascinating to watch how his second career unfolds. But for now, Flightline leaves us with memories of a spectacular career defined by utter brilliance.

behalf of an undisclosed client reportedly based in Seattle.

KEENELAND

Onlookers pack the sale ring to witness the sale of a fractional interest in Flightline

Sales Circuit • By

Carl Evans

Allure of British and Irish stock again firmly on show

Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale

A glance at the top 30 horses sold at this four-day auction tells you plenty about the drain of talent from Britain’s pool of racehorses.

On a positive note, it conveys the popularity of British and Irish-bred bloodstock, the trust that overseas buyers place on racecourse form and ratings achieved in the two countries, and one of the ways in which racehorse owners with horses trained in Britain can fund their pastime. Most who sell reinvest, which helps camouflage the paltry prize-money situation.

It should also be asked if those involved in British racing would prefer to see buyers from around the globe flocking to another country to buy horses in training?

In his summary of the sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony referred to “the high esteem in which British and Irish racing is held throughout the world”, and in thanking the input of buyers from the Gulf region he said they had been “spurred on by their burgeoning racing carnivals”. It is a very different landscape from the days when, at the conclusion of this sale, jumps trainers were thanked for their contributions – their markets have now

moved elsewhere.

Glancing down the 30 highest prices, you travel as far as the tenth horse to find one who will race on in Ireland and the 25th horse to find one who will ply their trade in Britain. The tenth, Coolmore-owned High Definition, switches from Aidan O’Brien to son Joseph having sold to Avenue Bloodstock for 450,000gns, while the 25th, Rare Middleton, was bought by agent Tom Malone and trainer Paul Nicholls for 215,000gns.

The top 30 also provides an insight to the way in which Australian racing is surfing a wave of success, one that is being buoyed by prize-money and the popularity of syndicates. Take the example of Fancy Man, who left Richard Hannon’s yard with a valuation of 675,000gns, bound for Melbourne and the stable of expatriate Briton Annabel Neasham.

Blandford Bloodstock’s Stuart

Boman, who represented Neasham in this transaction, said the trainer, when announcing she was hoping to buy a Melbourne Cup horse at this sale, had received 200 enquiries. That would be a fantastic response in any business, let alone the high-risk one involving racehorses.

With Australian and Middle Eastern interests driving the top end, this famous auction achieved record figures for turnover (just over 36 million guineas) and average (just under 36,000gns), which were both up 15 per cent. The median of 16,000gns matched last year’s record figure, while the clearance rate of 90 per cent was down two points.

North Yorkshire trainer Mark Johnston, who has voiced his fears about the long-term issues that will arise from selling equine assets abroad, had a role in the sale of top lot I’m A Gambler, who he trained to win nine

I’m A Gambler: durable three-year-old sold for a sale-topping 850,000gns to continue his career in California having ended his spell with Mark and Charlie Johnston with a Listed win

TATTERSALLS

Tim Cohen of Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal spent 1,215,000gns

››

races at two and three. Johnston had bought the son of No Nay Never for €47,000 and then sold him on to owners John Brown and Megan Dennis.

Landing Redcar’s Listed Guisborough Stakes a few weeks before the sale did the gelding’s value no harm and he was sold for 850,000gns to

TALKING POINTS

• A glance at the leading consignors’ table illustrates a change to Tattersalls’ famous HIT Sale, namely the way in which specialists now handle the work and deal with potential buyers at the venue.

• Of the top ten vendors just four trainers were represented, with Andrew Balding’s draft coming in at number six through sales of 39 horses for just over 1.5m guineas. Specialist consignors and Juddmonte filled the top five places, headed by The Castlebridge Consignment’s 106 sold lots who turned over 4.7m guineas.

California’s Tim Cohen of Red Baron’s Barn and Rancho Temescal. Cohen is a regular buyer at this sale, but this was his most expensive purchase.

Saudi Arabia’s expanding horse racing interests, headed by the financially well-endowed Saudi Cup meeting, meant buyers from that country made a hefty contribution to turnover. The pick of their purchases was the two-year-old One World, who sold for 525,000gns and became the first horse purchased by HRH Prince Abdulaziz Al Saud’s Athbah Racing, which is a major player in Arabian horse racing. One World had won a couple of

races for John and Thady Gosden.

Also Middle East bound was three-year-old Persian Royal, who had scored four times for Roger and Harry Charlton. Persian Royal was sold to Ollie Tait on behalf of Abdulhadi Mana Al-Hajri, head of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing, for 450,000gns.

Wathnan Racing bought nine horses for 1,750,000gns to become the sale’s leading buyer ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Najd Stud, which gained seven horses for 1,460,000gns. Two other buyers spent more than a million, namely the aforementioned Cohen and Australian trainer Chris Waller.

Arqana October Yearling Sale

Expanded to five days and comprising three books, this auction produced figures just below the records achieved 12 months ago.

An additional 29 yearlings walked the ring, but they could not prevent a two per cent fall in turnover to €26.4m, while the average (€43,866) and median (€26,000) dipped three per cent and five per cent respectively. The clearance rate was a tad below 83 per cent from sales of 597 of the 723 horses on offer.

Book 1 was enlarged and held over two days instead of a single session, and from it came the top lot, a €340,000 son of Sea The Stars out of the Listed-winning Shamardal mare Shamtee. Her son’s valuation was the lowest top price at this event since 2016 when a Lawman colt made €260,000.

Shamtee’s offspring was making his second appearance at an Arqana yearling sale, for in August he was

knocked down to agent Sebastien Desmontils on behalf of a Japanese client for €675,000. The transaction must have backfired for the colt was on the market once again at this sale and consigned as before by his breeders at Neil Helliwell’s Normandy-based Haras du Mont dit Mont.

West Sussex trainer David Menuisier was poised with the winning bid and said he will train the colt on behalf of Prime Equestrian, the racing operation of Didier Reed – yet Reed is general manager at Mont dit Mont. Whatever the ins and outs, the colt looks very good in appearance and pedigree, and his debut on a British racecourse next year will be interesting to watch.

He sold on the opening day, as did the top-priced filly, a daughter of Lope De Vega who was knocked down to trainer Yann Barberot for €310,000. Barberot will train the Anna Sundstromconsigned filly for Phillippe Allaire and his wife Gitte Poulsen-Allaire. Elisabeth

Fabre bred the filly out of Listed winner Alzubra, who has bred three stakes earners from her only foals to race.

Bloodstock agent Anthony Stroud was busy buying horses in the name of his Stroud Coleman agency and Godolphin. For Sheikh Mohammed’s operation, he secured a €300,000 Sea The Stars colt, while in the name of his agency he gained colts by Nathaniel and Frankel, each costing €360,000 and both bound for Simon and Ed Crisford’s stable.

Stroud also bought the top two lots on day two, namely a colt by Lope De Vega for €210,000 and a Zarak filly for €180,000.

Two horses broke the six-figure barrier during two days of Book 2 – an Adlerflug colt headed that section when making €125,000 to a Marco Bozzi bid – and while Book 3’s single session was a quieter affair it maintained the very good clearance rate seen earlier in the week.

This Sea The Stars colt topped the Arqana October Sale on his second trip through the ring ARQANA

Anthony Stroud: had a productive trip

Goffs UK October Horses in Training and Yearling Sale

Renamed from Autumn to October to avoid confusion with the Goffs Autumn Sale in Ireland, this one-day sale in Doncaster produced good prices for desirable lots.

They were almost all to be found among the 82-strong horses-in-training section, for the 61 yearlings who walked the ring proved less popular and just 30 found a buyer. The pick on price among these youngsters included a £20,000 Massaat filly who left Richard Kent’s Mickley Stud for a place within Matthew Hilton’s NE-Chance Racing syndicate.

The older horses contained the top lot which proved to be dual nursery winner Have Secret, a filly who had scored at Nottingham two weeks before she went to the sale. Her appearance in the ring had been necessary because of the death of her owner, Lady Mimi Manton, who had passed away in August at the age of 97.

Richard Fahey, who trained Have Secret and knew more about her than most, was keen to keep her in his Malton yard and with a bid of £100,000 bought her on behalf of an existing Middle-Eastern owner.

Three-year-old gelding Open Champion, who had won over 12 furlongs for Roger Varian at Lingfield in midsummer, was sold for £70,000 to agent Anthony Bromley and his client James Stafford of Thurloe Thoroughbreds. They had a dualpurpose plan in mind for their acquisition, while Cartmel trainer Jimmy Moffatt returned to a ring where he has made a number of successful purchases to gain Cuzco Du Mathan for £45,000. The son of Martaline looks nailed on for a maiden win over jumps after showing some useful placed form for Arnaud Chaille-Chaille in France.

The overall clearance rate of 66 per cent was pulled down by the lack of activity in the yearling section, but

Horses in Training

Have Secret will return to Richard Fahey after selling for £100,000

This sale comprised a session of horses-intraining followed by two days of yearlings.

Once again a draft from the Aga Khan proved influential during the horses in training section, but not to the same extent as in recent years. His three sold lots turned over €154,000, little more than half the amount which his four lots achieved last year, but his Karakoul, a three-year-old gelded son of Fast Company, proved the joint sale-topper when selling for €72,000 to race on in Qatar for Mohammed Al Attiyah. Goffs’ representative Tom Taaffe brought the hammer down on Al Attiyah’s behalf.

GOFFS ››

Karakoul, who had been in training with Johnny Murtagh, remained a maiden

Sales Circuit

after eight starts yet he had some smart placed form and had shown an aptitude for Dundalk’s all-weather surface, which should serve him well in his next home.

Another maiden, the two-year-old gelding Midnight Toker, also made a sum of €72,000 following a debut season in which he was placed in five of seven starts for Ger Lyons. A €330,000 Orby yearling who carried the colours of Peter Brant, Midnight Toker was sold to agent Marco Bozzi and will join Rome trainer Giovanni Colella.

Given concerns over the number of horses leaving Britain at these auctions, it should be noted that two of the top five lots were sold to trainers from northern England.

Tough sprinter Strong Johnson, a six-year-old who has shown a decent level of form over four seasons for Denis Cullen, joins Paul Midgley after being knocked down for €70,000, while Rebecca Menzies gained three-year-old colt

Painters Palette for €60,000 following some good efforts for Dermot Weld.

At the sale’s conclusion Goffs’ CEO Henry Beeby reflected on a smaller catalogue, but increases in the figures and clearance rate. ‘Give us more horses’ was part of his message to Irish trainers. The 98 offered lots was 24 fewer than in 2021 yet turnover gained seven per cent when reaching €1,367,700. The average of €16,679 was up 24 per cent, while the €11,000 median was a gain of 38 per cent.

The figures at the two-day yearling sale were not as good as last year when a draft from the downsizing Shadwell operation put a hefty gloss on proceedings. Shadwell yearlings filled four of the top five places at that sale, the quartet all realising a six-figure sum and headed by a €180,000 top lot.

That compares to the €80,000 best achieved this year, the sum given for a Dawn Approach colt who was knocked down to agent Alex Elliott on his way to a

box with Yorkshire trainer Grant Tuer.

Not surprisingly the Goffs team were quick to get among historical stats and Beeby’s post-sale summary pointed out the figures were the second best achieved at the sale since its inception in 2010. Turnover of €3.7m was a fall of 39 per cent on 2021, while the average of €9,405 and median of €5,500 were falls of 33 per cent and 39 per cent.

Of the 512 lots on offer, 41 more than in 2021, 394 found a buyer, producing a clearance rate of 77 per cent, down 15 points.

Other key sales included a Sioux Nation filly who made €72,000 when selling to Con and Neil Sands of Bronsan Racing – Joseph O’Brien will be her trainer – while Bobby O’Ryan brought the hammer down with a €70,000 bid for a Mehmas colt who will join Dermot Weld. County Meath trainer Jack Davison also gained a €70,000 horse, in his case a filly by Acclamation.

Goffs Autumn Horses in Training and Yearling Sales

Tattersalls Ireland

November National Hunt Sale

This behemoth of a sale saw jump-bred foals, yearlings and mares go under the hammer over a five-day period.

Quality foals, most bought to be resold as stores, headed trade, for on this occasion the final-days mares section was short of the talent offered at some recent sales when the likes of Benie Des Dieux, Laurina and Let’s Dance – all from Willie Mullins’ stable – pumped six-figure sums into the takings.

On this occasion the top mare had nothing like the form of the three mentioned in the previous sentence, although Say You Say Me could prove well bought at €95,000. That was the sum given by Welsh breeder Rowland Crellin, who bred five-year-old Say You Say Me and sold her as a Derby Sale store for €155,000. She had subsequently been placed in three starts for a Paul Shanahan/John Magnier partnership from Gordon Elliott’s stable, and since she was re-offered in foal to Walk In The Park, it could be said Crellin has enjoyed a good bit of business spread across two years.

A similar story relates to a foal by Walk In The Park offered by Oliver Loughlin, whose family bred the weanling’s dam Posh Trish. They sold her for a paltry €1,200 as a foal, saw her go up the grades and win black-type with Paul Nicholls, then bought her back for €118,000 at this sale two years ago. Within a few months she was in foal to Walk In The Park and the resulting colt was sold at this year’s auction to pinhooker Joey Logan for €85,000.

Another mare in the form of Limini was sold at the 2019 edition for €75,000 to Will Kinsey’s Cheshire-

based Peel Bloodstock, and at this sale her Nathaniel colt foal reaped that sum back in one go. Powerstown Stud’s Tom Whitehead lowered the hammer and plans to resell Limini’s son as a threeyear-old. Kinsey’s Peel Hall Stables also gained €82,000 for a No Risk At All filly out of the former Mullins-trained Shanning, a half-sister to the dual Ryanair Chase winner Allaho. Paul Murphy bought this one on behalf of his brother-in-law, French agent Guy Petit, whose plan is that she will race in France.

Topping the sale with a valuation of €100,000 – the lowest top-lot price since 2010 – was a foal by Walk In The Park, who was sold to Glenvale Stud’s Flash Conroy via bloodstock agent Aiden Murphy. Offered by the Motherway family’s County Cork-based Yellowford Farm, he is out of the Frank Motherway-bred, unraced Presenting mare La Bella Roma, whose half-sister Vegas Blue was a Listed bumper winner.

Coolmore’s 20-year-old sire Walk In The Park, who stands at Grange Stud, romped the leading sires’ table, his 39 sold lots generating just over €1.7m at an average price of €44,538. That would have been good business for broodmare owners who used him last year at a fee which is private.

A similar comment would apply to breeders who used Glenview Stud sire Blue Bresil, for his 51 lots averaged €29,108 – which is likely to be some three times his fee, which is also private. One of Blue Bresil’s colts headed the opening day’s yearling session when sold for €50,000 to point-to-point trainer Michael Murphy having been consigned by Juliet Minton’s Mill House Stud.

The figures rocked and rolled on each day of the sale, with gains at one session and falls at another. The much-reduced yearling section saw just 45 of 98 lots, or 48 per cent, find a buyer, and turnover was more than halved, yet the average price of €16,114 was up 21 per cent and the median gained 60 per cent at €14,000.

At the mares section, just 40 of 92 lots (43 per cent) found a buyer and the average and median figures were down 42 per cent and 35 per cent respectively at €17,625 and €8,500.

Foal figures were better, however, with the average price of €18,161 on a par with last year and the median gaining seven per cent at €14,500.

This led to an overall table which showed total sales of €13,883,050, down 11 per cent from a similar-sized catalogue. The average price fell two per cent to just under €18,000, while the median gained 12 per cent at €14,000.

TALKING POINT

• Many small-scale breeders from rural Irish locations will have transported their foals to Tattersalls Ireland’s November Sale of jumping stock well aware of rising costs for fuel, feed, wages and other ancillary products needed to raise young horses.

The overall clearance rate of 65 per cent, down eight points, will not have been cheering news, although that figure was pulled down by sales of mares and yearlings, for which the clearance figures were 43 per cent and 48 per cent respectively.

A daughter of Walk In The Park topped the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale

TATTERSALLS IRELAND The well-related Say You Say Me sold in foal to Walk In The Park for €95,000

Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale

The sale of £360,000 top-lot Mahon’s Way, a four-year-old winning Irish point-to-pointer, was good news for all of jump racing.

The buyers were the Thompson family of Cheveley Park Stud, whose colours have been carried with distinction in recent years by such as Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard, not to mention Allaho, Envoi Allen, Quilixios and Sir Gerhard. The link in that list of stars was their purchase after instruction by David Thompson, who died in December 2020.

Given that Cheveley Park Stud is very much a Flat racing concern with leading stallions and broodmares, its involvement in jump racing might have ended with Mr Thompson’s passing, yet it seems his widow Patricia and son Richard are keen to maintain a presence. Bloodstock agent Alex Elliott, who bought A Plus Tard for

the family, had been given an order to buy another smart jumping prospect, and after waiting some months he pounced at this sale and left with an undoubtedly hot prospect.

Mahon’s Way, who will join other Cheveley Park Stud horses at Henry de Bromhead’s stable, had won on debut a four-year-old maiden point-to-point in Tipperary the weekend before this sale, and it took so little out of him he was sent across the Irish Sea. The result was a pinhooking windfall for owner/trainer Denis Hogan, who had bought the son of Walk In The Park for €80,000 at last year’s Derby Sale.

For depth of pedigrees and the style of performances by the Irish pointers who made up the bulk of the catalogue, this was not a vintage Tattersalls Cheltenham Sale, although the figures belied that

theory and surprised some observers. They had predicted Mahon’s Way would sell well, and they also backed the filly Working Away to prove popular, and they were not wrong on either count.

The daughter of Workforce had made an emphatic winning debut at Tattersalls in County Kildare in October for the partnership of Joey Logan and trainer Denis Murphy, and it was enough to gain her a valuation of £330,000. That was the sum paid by Gordon Elliott, who headed off interest from Tom Malone.

Harold Kirk and Willie Mullins gained another ‘Hill’ from the stable of Colin McKeever and owner Wilson Dennison, who have sold them such as Yorkhill, Bellshill and Shaneshill in the past. The latest purchase, Tullyhill, was sold for £220,000.

Cheltenham sales often throw up a

Mahon’s Way will race for Cheveley Park Stud after

Alex Elliott: agent signed for

surprising name among the buyers, and on this occasion it proved to be Monmouthshire trainer Grace Harris, daughter of Chepstow trainer Ron Harris. Harris Jr bought four horses on the night, including her £170,000 purchase of the filly Sheeka Supreme, who was bought in

partnership with Foxhills Racing. Fouryear-old Sheeka Supreme had been trained by Colin Bowe to win at a fixture in County Antrim in October.

Thirteen of 54 lots made a six-figure sum and 48 changed hands, creating a clearance rate of 89 per cent. Just over

Tattersalls Cheltenham November Sale

£4m was turned over in little more than a couple of hours of trading, much of it watched by racegoers attending Cheltenham’s November meeting. The average price of £85,729 was slightly down, but the median of £72,500 was up 14 per cent.

Tattersalls Ireland Sapphire Sale

In a crowded sales calendar, the name ‘Sapphire’ is more distinctive and memorable than November Flat Sale.

Hence the rebranding of this single session of Flat-bred foals, yearlings and breeding stock which brought the annual round of auctions at Tattersalls Ireland’s Fairyhouse venue to a close.

Whether the new name gave the event a leg up is debateable, although Tattersalls Ireland will have been pleased with a bigger catalogue which saw 185 lots go under the hammer, 44 more than last year. Turnover was

helped by this increase with the result that it gained six per cent when reaching just under €600,000, but the average price of €5,994 was down 13 per cent, while the median dropped 27 per cent to €4,000.

Simon Kerins, CEO of the sales company, seemed pleased enough with the outcome and said: “We are in a position now to work on it and move it forward for next year”.

Top-lot honours went to an Advertise colt foal consigned by Olive O’Connor and knocked down to Paul McCartan’s Ballyphilip Stud for €38,000. The foal’s

dam, a winning Fusaichi Pegasus mare called Come Touch The Sun, is a halfsister to the tip-top racemare Play Misty For Me.

BBA Ireland bought the leading mare, Super Proud, who was offered by Rockview Stables and knocked down for €35,000, while the leading yearling was a Calyx filly who was sold to Con and Amy Marnane for €30,000. The Marnanes plan to breeze their purchase in the spring.

Each of those three section-toppers bettered the leading price of €29,000 given at last year’s sale for a Tasleet yearling.

David Ashby Underwriting Limited is an Appointed Representative of Asta Underwriting Management which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Sales Circuit

Fasig-Tipton November Sale

Still buzzing from a Breeders’ Cup meeting capped by the phenomenal winning performance of Flightline in the Classic, the Kentucky crowd descended upon Fasig-Tipton for its ‘Night Of The Stars’ sale, one of the year’s most eagerly anticipated bloodstock events, writes Nancy Sexton

Once again, it didn’t disappoint. A year on from breaking the $100,000,000 barrier in turnover, the auction pulled off the feat again thanks to the sale of 170 horses for a total of $101,289,000. The average dropped by 14% to $595,818 but at the top end of the market it was business as usual, with no fewer than 31 horses selling for seven figures.

The Coolmore team came away with the top two lots in Gamine and Campanelle, both brilliant racemares, while Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm led the way among the domestic players by buying out Qatar Racing at $5 million for

Grade 1 winner Shedaresthedevil and paying $2,900,000 for fellow Grade 1 winner Wicked Whisper.

Nevertheless, not for the first time the sale relied heavily on the volume of Japanese interest. Japanese buyers have long sourced successful racemares out of public auction in North America, and despite fears that an unfavourable exchange rate would temper enthusiasm this time around, they were once again strong participants.

Among the top-class mares set to leave American shores are Blue Stripe, a Group 1 winner in her native Argentina who came into the sale having run a nostril short of victory in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff a day earlier at Keeneland. Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International, acting on behalf of Grand Farm, came out on top at $4m for the five-year-old mare. Narvick also went to $2m for Grade 1 winner Grace Adler while Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm spent $8.05m on five lots, among them the top-flight performers Kalypso ($2m), Bella Sofia ($1.8m) and Going To Vegas ($1.5m). Keisuke Onishi of the JS Company was also active, going to $1.625m for the Irish-bred Australia filly Ocean Road, successful in this year’s Grade 1 Gamely Stakes.

The top two lots, however, are set to stay closer to home. Gamine was crowned the 2020 champion female sprinter as the winner of five of six starts that year, including the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, and offered by John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa on behalf of

owner Michael Lund Peterson in foal to Quality Road, duly dominated proceedings by selling for $7m to MV Magnier.

Magnier indicated that the daughter of Into Mischief could be covered by Justify next season, while No Nay Never was outlined as an option for Campanelle in the aftermath of her sale to the Coolmore team for $5m. Bred by Tally-Ho Stud, the daughter of Kodiac was trained in the US by Wesley Ward but was a regular traveller to Europe, where she won the Prix Morny and Commonwealth Cup for Stonestreet Stables.

The most expensive foal on offer was an Uncle Mo filly out of Grade 1 winner Bellafina, who commanded a bid of $1.35m from Gabriel Duignan of Paramount Sales.

Champion Gamine could visit Justify next season after selling for $7 million

Keeneland November Sale

Japanese participation was also a driving force behind trade at the single-session Book 1 of the Keeneland November Sale, writes Nancy Sexton

The action was opened in explosive fashion by the sale of a fractional interest in the brilliant Flightline for $4.6 million to Brookdale Farm on behalf of an undisclosed client.

Each of the top three horses through the ring, however, are destined to head to Japan, topped by champion Midnight Bisou, a five-time Grade 1 winner in foal to Tapit who joined Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm on a valuation of $5.5 million. Midnight Bisou was the most expensive horse to sell at this sale since Stellar Wind realised $6m in 2017, although it wasn’t the first time that she had lit up a sale ring since it was only two years ago that she sold for $5m to Chuck Allen at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

The mare was a late supplemental entry to the sale, as was the Ed Walkertrained Dreamloper, who took her turn in

the ring following a run in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The daughter of Lope De Vega was out of luck on that occasion but had previously taken the Prix d’Ispahan and Prix du Moulin for her owner-breeder Olivia Hoare to stamp herself as one of Europe’s top older racemares. She too is due to head to Northern Farm, in her case on a bid of $2.7 million.

Tomoyuki Nakamura’s KI Farm, meanwhile, went to $3m for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint

Keeneland November Sale

heroine Shamrock Rose in foal to Curlin.

Fresh from signing for approximately $4.5m worth of stock at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, MV Magnier had another busy day, going to $2.6m for 14-year-old Marion Ravenwood, the dam of this season’s outstanding American three-year-old filly Nest, and $1.5m for a Medaglia d’Oro weanling half-sister to Grade 1 winner Honor Code from the famous Serena’s Song family.

In what was truly a global marketplace, a number of Australian buyers – reportedly buoyed by the success of fast, American-bred mares at home – also made their presence felt. They included Kia Ora Stud, which paid $450,000 for the stakes-winning Toby’s Heart, a granddaughter of War Front.

An enthusiastic European buying bench also featured participation from the BBA Ireland, whose purchases included Onesto’s older sister Lora Padora, bought in foal to Justify for $260,000, as well as Avenue Bloodstock, Hugo Merry, Barronstown Stud and Mandore International.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Midnight Bisou topped the sale on

million

KEENELAND

Dr Statz

John Boyce cracks the code

Market takes step forward yet warning signs remain

The European yearling market took a gigantic step forward this season. Of that there is no doubt. But that doesn’t mean everyone wins. No, like all dynamic markets there must always be both winners and losers. It is just a matter of the relative size of each group. Despite the record-breaking numbers at the Tattersalls October Sale this year, would it surprise you to know that only 41 per cent of all yearlings in Europe this year by stallions with ten or more sold – in other words the mainstream stallions – made a profit after you add £20,000 keep costs to the advertised fee of each stallion? Or for that matter that only about 52% of this cohort of stallions posted an average profit after the £20,000 keep charges are added. These are sobering statistics.

However, the market did expand and that is good news for everyone, but whether the expansion is sustainable or not, only time will tell. Can we say for certain that Sheikh Mohammed will be back to spend another £25 million next year or the year after? For the record, £390.6m has been spent on yearlings in Europe this year, considerably more than the £317.1m the year before, and we still have a few sales to come. That’s a whopping increase of 23 per cent.

This figure also compares very favourably to the £264.8m that changed hands in the Covid-struck year of 2020 or, indeed more significantly, the £328.9m spent in 2019. And because the quantity of yearlings sold in 2019, 2021 and 2022 were pretty much the same, the average yearling prices also show a marked increase from £53,000 in 2019 and 2021, up to £65,000 this year, again an increase of 23 per cent.

Even with this influx of investment, not all sires benefitted. In fact, most of the new money went on the choicest lots, those by the super sires or sires on the way up. Dubawi yearlings were clearly the first choice of the Godolphin buying team and this showed in the stats, his average price increasing by £285,000 (+53 per cent) from a year ago. Frankel too benefitted from the increased demand, his average climbing by £255,000 (+75 per cent).

Of course, both had exceptional years and as Dubawi turned 20 this year, there was also a rarity factor at play. A stallion

that still averages over 16 per cent stakes winners to runners and who can get you a Group 1-winning sprinter in Naval Crown, a Guineas winner in Coroebus and a St Leger winner like Eldar Eldarov in the same season, is bound to be highly sought after.

The same is equally true of Frankel, who has just had his fee increased by £75,000 to £275,000 for 2023. With six Group 1 winners this year ranging from Arc

A break-even point of around £300,000 at the yearling sales is an extremely high hurdle to clear.

Take the case of No Nay Never this year, who perhaps didn’t attract enough of the quality of mare his 2020 concepting fee of €175,000 warranted. The son of Scat Daddy could not have had a better year on the racecourse, siring three Group 1-winning two-year-olds in Little Big Bear, Blackbeard and Meditate, plus three other Group-winning youngsters, not to mention Alcohol Free. Though he had plenty of big-ticket sales, including Blackbeard’s €2.6m sister at the Goffs Orby Sale, plenty failed to turn a profit for their vendors. By my reckoning, only 28 (40 per cent) of his 70 sold at the main sales brought enough money to cover their advertised fee, plus £20,000 keep.

heroine Alpinista through to Group 1-winning three-year-olds Westover, Onesto, Inspiral and Nashwa, plus Dewhurst Stakes scorer Chaldean, Frankel is currently riding the crest of a wave.

An increase in fee like that, however justified from the stallion’s point of view, means commercial breeders will need to be ever mindful first that their mare has a good enough pedigree and that she is a proven producer of well-conformed stock.

Of course, you can also undersell stallion nominations and with the benefit of hindsight that is probably why Darley’s Night Of Thunder proved such a lucrative investment in 2020. After his meteoric rise in 2019, his fee was set at €25,000, still below his introductory fee of €30,000, ostensibly because he had yet to sire a Group 1 winner. Naturally, breeders flocked to him and in the end, he covered 236 mares, which understandably featured over 100 elite mares, more than he attracted the following year at a fee of €75,000 and just as many as he did in 2022 again at a fee of €75,000.

The upshot is that Night Of Thunder’s

Dubawi: rarity factor at play

AMY LANIGAN

“Whether the expansion is sustainable or not, only time will tell”

yearling average sky rocketed to £197,346 this term, almost £100,000 higher than the previous year, a 98 per cent increase that represents the best commercial performance of any European sire standing at above £10,000 in 2020. Naturally, the pressure is now on the Darley stallion to continue to deliver stakes winners at his current rate if not better while a few more top-class Group 1 winners will also be expected. Remarkably, the Dubawi stallion posted a fee multiple of 8.7 again, comfortably the best by a £10,000-plus sire.

Along with Dubawi and Frankel, Siyouni was the only other sire to add more than £100,000 to his last year’s yearling average. Overall, the Aga Khan stallion ranks fourth among active European sires by average, which is slightly surprising given that he supplies stakes winners at a conservative rate of 7.9 per cent, his fillies being much more comfortable in stakes company (ten per cent winners to runners) than his male offspring (five per cent). He has yet to sire a top-flight winner from his current three-year-old crop, but his juvenile daughter, the impressive Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Tahiyra, put his name up in lights just before the main yearling sales got under way. It was a timely reminder of what the sire of St Mark’s Basilica and Sottsass can do. Once again, though, his €100,000 conception fee made it difficult for quite a few vendors.

Like his old adversary Night Of Thunder, Kingman too could have covered at a higher fee in 2019 after his first crop pleased everyone, but even a rise from £55,000 to £75,000 wasn’t enough to dampen demand for his services in the spring of 2020. He ended up serving 253 mares, including 150 that you could pretty much label top-class mares. Thankfully, the Banstead Manor Stud stallion is now beginning to reap the rewards from this stellar book through the likes of the unbeaten pair of Group 1 winner Commissioning and Group 2 scorer Noble Style, plus progressive colts like Nostrum and Epictetus.

A doubling of Kingman’s fee to £150,000 in 2021 did have the effect of reducing his book size while improving the quality within it, but his better yearling average (up 34 per cent this year) will still not have made it easier for some Kingman vendors this autumn, so a return to £125,000 for 2023 does make sense.

Of the 112 sires that had at least ten yearlings sell this year and last, 58 (or 52 per cent) improved their average yearling price this term. And the biggest improvers ranked by percentage gain in yearling

THE YEAR’S LEADING EUROPEAN SIRES BY YEARLING AVERAGE

Sire

DUBAWI

Fee SoldHigh £ Avg £ xFee 21 Avg £ Diff £Diff %

£250,000 27 1,690,615 818,980 3.3 534,327 284,653 53.3

FRANKEL £175,000 42 2,940,000 594,852 3.4 339,699 255,153 75.1

KINGMAN £150,000 31 1,102,500 328,787 2.2 245,958 82,829 33.7

GALILEO Private 32 761,250 321,043 - 464,193 143,15030.8

SIYOUNI € 100,000 62 1,775,146 289,493 3.2 182,176 107,31758.9

LOPE DE VEGA € 100,000 55 1,890,000 247,162 2.7 184,497 62,665 34.0

SEA THE STARS € 150,000 74 840,000 245,815 1.8 187,551 58,264 31.1

NO NAY NEVER € 175,000 71 2,324,190 227,571 1.4 183,863 43,70823.8

NIGHT OF THUNDER € 25,000 90 840,000 197,346 8.7 99,503 97,84398.3

WOOTTON BASSETT € 40,000 82 633,981 152,527 4.2 136,768 15,75911.5

INVINCIBLE SPIRIT

€ 100,000 41 630,000 129,418 1.4 112,827 16,59114.7 STARSPANGLEDBANNER € 22,500 58 630,000 118,122 5.8 62,487 55,63589.0

CAMELOT € 40,000 44 472,500 112,776 3.1 170,434 57,65833.8

FARHH £12,000 12 420,000 101,685 8.5 87,452 14,23316.3

TEOFILO € 40,000 15 315,000 97,606 2.7 69,296 28,31040.9

DARK ANGEL € 85,000 81 525,000 97,125 1.3 108,291 11,16610.3

LE HAVRE € 50,000 56 507,185 92,663 2.0 69,209 23,45433.9

KODIAC € 65,000 81 514,004 89,421 1.5 103,830 14,40913.9

NEW BAY € 15,000 52 498,750 81,454 6.0 64,456 16,998 26.4

MEHMAS € 7,500 65 472,500 79,591 11.6 80,032 441 0.6

ZOUSTAR £30,000 63 341,250 75,663 2.5 73,652 2,0112.7

SHOWCASING £55,000 77 315,000 74,108 1.3 90,920 16,81218.5

ARDAD £6,500 12 210,000 73,173 11.3 55,234 17,939 32.5

CRACKSMAN £25,000 33 294,000 72,276 2.9 54,269 18,00733.2

SAXON WARRIOR

€ 27,500 54 472,500 69,687 2.8 80,588 10,90113.5

NATHANIEL £25,000 29 225,611 69,438 2.8 46,800 22,63848.4

EXCEED AND EXCEL € 40,000 30 367,500 67,954 1.9 58,380 9,57416.4

SEA THE MOON £15,000 55 430,500 67,395 4.5 64,045 3,3505.2

CHURCHILL

€ 30,000 98 420,000 66,600 2.4 68,356 1,7562.6

BATED BREATH £12,500 42 630,000 63,700 5.1 35,889 27,81177.5

average are not at all confined to the top echelons. For instance, the young Kodiac sire Prince Of Lir improved his yearling average by as much as 170 per cent from 2021 to 2022. Alas, it had as much to do with his €300,000 Goffs Orby halfbrother to dual Group 3 winner and Group 1-placed Oscula as it did with his progeny performances on the racecourse in 2022, although he did sire a new Listed-winning juvenile in Prince Of Pillo during the year.

More reasonable was the 106 per cent hike in Havana Grey’s average price. Both he and Sioux Nation have set a blistering pace with their first two-year-olds this year. Given that Havana Grey’s second crop, unlike most sires, seems just as strong as his first, an increase from £29,000 to £58,000 would seem reasonable. With five stakes winners and

three Group winners already in the bag, buyers were entitled to get excited about the progeny of the Whitsbury Manor Stud stallion. Yearlings by Havana Grey’s arch-rival Sioux Nation, operating off a higher fee and a weaker crop than his first, wasn’t as popular.

In terms of how much a sire’s average eclipsed his conception fee, a metric that always favours the cheap sire on the upgrade, Mehmas comes out on top after another good year for the Tally-Ho Stud stallion. His 2022 yearlings were produced off a €7,500 fee and the son of Acclamation stood at €50,000 in 2022.

Ardad, too, with his £6,500 asking price and a triple Group 1 winner to his name in Perfect Power, a new recruit to Darley’s roster for 2023, also produced a yearling average over ten times his fee.

Caulfield Files Bloodstock world views

Illustrious family helping fuel Deep Impact legacy

How many sires’ championships does a stallion need to earn before he can be considered one of those exceptionally rare beasts who could be described as a breed shaper? While Northern Dancer undoubtedly revolutionised the thoroughbred, he is credited with just four Anglo-Irish titles and one in North America, whereas Bold Ruler topped the American table eight times, three more than his sire Nasrullah, who also had an Anglo-Irish title to his credit.

Other stars of American breeding such as Halo, Mr Prospector, Danzig, Deputy Minister, Storm Cat, A.P. Indy, Smart Strike and Tapit all managed only two or three championships (Into Mischief, the current dominant American stallion, is heading for his fourth consecutive title).

It has been a similar story in Britain and Ireland, where the superstar racehorses Ribot, Vaguely Noble and Mill Reef all topped the table two or three times. I mention this simply to provide some perspective to the truly extraordinary tallies of 14 and 12 sires’ championships respectively achieved by the father-andson team of Sadler’s Wells and Galileo. And we must not overlook Danehill, who landed nine Australian championships as well as three in Britain and Ireland and two in France.

Even allowing for the fact that lengthy reigns are not so unusual for champion sires in Japan, Sunday Silence and his son Deep Impact surely deserve to be considered breed-shapers. Sunday Silence achieved 13 consecutive titles and, at the time of writing, Deep Impact holds a narrow lead in his quest to land an 11th consecutive championship.

Of course, Deep Impact, Sunday Silence, Galileo, Sadler’s Wells and Danehill are no longer with us, but all five figure among the seven stallions in the first three generations of Saxon Warrior’s pedigree (another of them being two-time champion sire Halo). It’s not just the stallions in these three generations which are out of the ordinary. Saxon Warrior’s dam Maybe was Europe’s champion two-year-old filly of 2011 and his second dam Sumora was closely related to Oaks winner Dancing Rain. Also, with Galileo as her sire and a Danehill mare as her dam, Maybe represented the

same cross as Frankel, Teofilo and a host of other Group 1 winners.

No-one can be too surprised, then, that Saxon Warrior has become a Group 1 sire with his first crop, thanks to the thrilling Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf win by his son Victoria Road. Already a winner in Ireland and France, the May-foaled Victoria Road has also demonstrated admirable toughness, with his major win coming on his eighth appearance. Saxon Warrior has also been represented by the Group 3-winning fillies Lumiere Rock and Moon Ray, the Group 1-placed Gan Teorainn and the Group 3-placed fillies Thornbrook and Rage Of Bamby. There’s a good chance, too, that another of his sons, Greenland, will also make his mark at Group level.

Sadly, Deep Impact had to be euthanised in 2019 at the age of 17, after being taken out of service in March because of a problem with his neck. However, he had managed to cover 24 mares in early weeks of the 2019 season and he has at least 12 named foals in his 2020 crop. It isn’t just coincidence that as many as five of them are out of Galileo mares, as the Deep Impact-Galileo nick had been very well advertised in 2018. In Japan, the filly Cantabile had won the Roses Stakes prior to a fine third to Almond Eye in the prestigious Shuka Sho, but more importantly Saxon Warrior had won the 2,000 Guineas prior to narrow defeats by Roaring Lion in the Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes.

Although classy enough to finish in the frame in the Derby and Irish Derby, Saxon Warrior’s record suggested strongly that he was better suited by a mile and a mile-and-a-quarter.

The combination of Deep Impact and Galileo clearly had the potential to be something special and the nick had 21 per cent Group/Graded winners by the end of 2018. Although it hasn’t managed to maintain that extraordinarily high strike-rate, it has already produced another potential star in Auguste Rodin, who has been following the example set by Saxon Warrior. Both were successful at Group 2 level over a mile in Ireland before travelling to Doncaster for the Vertem Futurity Trophy.

Saxon Warrior had to fight hard for his victory, having just a neck to spare over Roaring Lion, but Auguste Rodin had more than three lengths to spare in scoring his third straight victory from four starts. The ease of his victory suggests he could become Deep Impact’s third Classic winner out of a Galileo mare, the other being the much-missed Snowfall, winner of the Oaks and Irish Oaks.

Deep Impact’s last-crop foals out of Galileo mares also include Bold As Love, who showed plenty of promise for Donnacha O’Brien on her debut. Yet to make their debut are Drumroll, a brother to Saxon Warrior, and Victorium, a filly out of that magnificent filly Minding, whose younger sisters include the Classic winners Tuesday and Empress Josephine. The Aga Khan’s filly bred this way is Azmaniya, a half-sister to The Autumn Sun, a top-class performer in Australia.

Of the 2020 Deep Impacts which are not out of Galileo mares, two have already made winning debuts in Japan, including Light Quantum, whose dam, the Grade 1 turf winner Illuminant, was bought by Shadai Farm for $1.1 million. It could also

BILL SELWYN

Victoria Road (centre) narrowly denies Silver Knott in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf

pay to watch out for Sahara Mist, a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Wuheida, out of the Fillies’ Mile winner Hibaayeb. Coincidentally, Wuheida’s Breeders’ Cup victory was gained at the expense of Rhododendron, the dam of Auguste Rodin.

Cassandra Go connection

Another coincidence is that Saxon Warrior’s Breeders’ Cup winner Victoria Road and Deep Impact’s Vertem Futurity winner Auguste Rodin come from the same excellent family – the one descending from Indian Ridge’s very fast daughter Cassandra Go, winner of the King George Stakes, Temple Stakes and King’s Stand Stakes.

Incidentally, Cassandra Go has a 2020 Saxon Warrior colt called Change Sings, who was knocked down for €540,000 as a yearling despite his May 10 birthday, but has yet to race. She also has a 2021 filly by Night Of Thunder, foaled when the mare was 25. This filly, Chaumet More, is the 16th foal out of the mare, who numbers three Group-winning daughters among her ten winners from 12 starters.

Cassandra Go stayed six furlongs well enough to finish second in the July Cup and to break her maiden over seven furlongs. However, she then trailed home in the rear when tried over a mile in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and thereafter never tackled a distance longer than six furlongs. That hasn’t stopped her becoming the ancestress of a wide variety of important winners.

Two of her Group winners, Theann and Tickled Pink, were sprinters. By Rock Of Gibraltar, Theann landed the Summer Stakes over six furlongs before becoming the dam of Photo Call, a Galileo mare who became an American Grade 1 winner at up to mile and a quarter, and Land Force, who took the Richmond Stakes.

Tickled Pink took the Abernant Stakes over six furlongs and the Coral Charge over five. With Invincible Spirit as her sire and a sprinter by Indian Ridge as her dam, Tickled Pink is bred to the same pattern as Profitable, a very speedy sprinter, and Swiss Spirit, who also gained his Group success over five furlongs. Despite appearing to be a sprinter pure and simple, Tickled Pink is the dam of Victoria Road, who led close home to take the Prix de Conde over nine furlongs before again snatching victory in the final strides of the Juvenile Turf. Clearly Saxon Warrior has dominated Tickled Pink, at least from the viewpoint of stamina.

It appears to be important to remember that Cassandra Go is out of Rahaam, a daughter of a Derby winner in

Secreto. When Cassandra Go was mated to Pivotal, a winner of the King’s Stand and the Nunthorpe over five furlongs, it seemed logical to expect a sprinter. However, the resultant foal was Halfway To Heaven, a winner of two Group 1 races over a mile and another, the Nassau Stakes, over a mile and a quarter. Halfway To Heaven has since earned the title of Broodmare of the Year, thanks to her partnership with Galileo.

Three of her seven foals by the perennial champion sire enjoyed Group success, with all of them gaining at least one Group victory over a mile and a quarter. That was the most rewarding distance for Halfway To Heaven’s best daughter Magical, but her year-older sister Rhododendron was fast enough to win both the Fillies’ Mile and Lockinge Stakes. In truth, Rhododendron was admirably tough and versatile, with seconds in the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks among her other

quarter, when soundly beaten by Easy Goer in the Belmont Stakes. Deep Impact received an injection of stamina via his dam, the Oaks second Wind In Her Hair, an Alzao mare whose second dam was the 1,000 Guineas and Prix de Diane winner Highclere.

Deep Impact sired four consecutive winners of the Oka Sho, with Marcellina, Gentildonna, Ayusan and Harp Star all taking this 1600-metre equivalent of the 1,000 Guineas. Gran Alegria later became his fifth winner of this Classic. We have also seen his daughter Beauty Parlour win the French 1,000 Guineas and his son Saxon Warrior take the 2,000 Guineas.

Deep Impact has also sired at least two winners of each of Japan’s four other Group 1 mile races for horses aged three or over. He has two winners of the NHK Mile Cup (Mikki Isle and Keiai Nautique), two of the Victoria Mile (two-time winner Verxina and Jour Polaire) and four of the Yasuda Kinen (Real Impact, Satono Aladdin, Gran Alegria and Danon Kingly). He has four winners of Kyoto’s Mile Championship and he even sired a winner of the Sprinters Stakes over 1,200 metres.

In addition to Beauty Parlour, Deep Impact has enjoyed Group success over 1,600 metres in France with the Group 3 winners Geniale, Akihiro and Savarin. He has also been represented over distances short of 2,400 metres by A Shin Hikari (Prix d’Ispahan), Fancy Blue (Prix de Diane) and Study Of Man (Prix du Jockey-Club).

achievements, and now she has produced Auguste Rodin as her first foal. This exciting colt should have no difficulty staying a mile and a quarter, just as Saxon Warrior did, but only time will tell whether he will shine over the Derby trip.

I’ve pointed out before that Europeans possibly have a rather false impression of Deep Impact, who gained three of his 12 wins over 3,000 metres or more, while never winning over less than 2,000 metres. What people need to understand is that Japan’s traditional racing programme is geared more towards stamina than its European equivalents. For example, Japan’s equivalent to the 2,000 Guineas is over 2,000 metres, rather than a mile, and the spring edition of the Tenno Sho – the equivalent of the Coronation Cup – is over 3,200 metres.

Although Deep Impact possessed enough class to shine from 2,000 to 3,200 metres, his pedigree and his achievements as a stallion suggest he would have been effective at somewhat shorter distances had he been trained in Europe. After all, his sire Sunday Silence only once ventured beyond a mile and a

There have also been major successes by Shahryar, Gentildonna, Real Steel and Vivlos in the UAE, with the last two taking the Dubai Duty Free at around 1,800 metres. It has been a similar story in Australia, with Real Impact, Tosen Stardom and Fierce Impact all becoming Group 1 winners at around a mile, while Profondo and Glint Of Hope enjoyed Group 1 success over 2,000 metres.

Although Japanese breeders have lost Deep Impact, they have many of his best sons as well as Kitasan Black, a dual champion sired by Deep Impact’s brother Black Tide. Kitasan Black was in fine form in the autumn, enjoying Graded success with Equinox, Gaia Force and the two-year-old Ravel. These three collectively may point to the future of Japanese breeding, as Equinox is inbred 4x4 to Sunday Silence’s sire Halo, while Ravel is inbred 3x3 to Sunday Silence and Gaia Force 3x4 to Sunday Silence.

Efforia, Japan’s Horse of the Year in 2021, is also inbred 4x3 to Sunday Silence and so are 2021’s champion two-year-old filly Circle Of Life and 2020’s champion three-year-old filly Daring Tact.

“Saxon Warrior has dominated Tickled Pink from the viewpoint of stamina”

Why being commercial is so important?

There have been dire predictions about the future of the UK thoroughbred industry, including the prediction that the UK is simply a nursery for the rest of the world. A recent Racing Post article poured on further concern by suggesting breeding horses was costly and it would be very difficult to make a profit.

Having started with gloom and doom, the sales results at the time of writing have been very strong, meaning that breeders who are selling Book 1 and Book 2 quality yearlings should be profitable. So far, the prices for the sale of Horses in Training have also stood up.

In tax terms, commerciality matters because running a business with a realistic prospect of a profit some time in the future could unlock access to various tax reliefs. In real terms, breeding bad horses is a very expensive hobby.

Losses on breeding horses can only offset profits for income tax where the business is capable of making money at some time in the future. Loss relief is restricted for farming and breeding to a 5 year run and then a profit has to be made before the losses can be offset again. HMRC is on the lookout for situations where people manipulate mare valuations to make a profit or a loss. Indeed, where there are 5 years of losses, followed by one year of

profit before losses are made again, they will look at the accounts very closely to make sure provisions and valuations are robust and affect the results appropriately.

Where the horses are kept at home, rollover relief may be available where the land used in the business and the proceeds reinvested in a new qualifying asset. To access rollover relief, a number of specific conditions must be met but, suffice to say, to access it in full there must be a commercial business. Rollover relief allows the gain on the disposal of a trading asset to be deferred if the proceeds are reinvested in new qualifying assets.

The same comments apply to Business Asset Disposal Relief, which allows the first £1 million of a gain made by someone selling a business to be subject to capital gains tax at a rate of 10% and not 20%. Again, the rules are complex, but the starting point is there must be a commercial business before the relief can be considered any further.

Where inheritance tax is concerned, assuming the property is used for breeding horses, (whether commercial or not) Agricultural Property Relief (APR) will only protect the agricultural value of the land and buildings used for the stud. APR will not protect any hope value or amenity value attributable to the property. Even if the property is used as a stud, when it comes to valuing it for IHT, the District Valuer is able to take into account hope value if there is any development potential or amenity value, such as if the fields would lend themselves to being pony paddocks with the house or even for sale to third parties. The business needs to be commercial for Business Property Relief to be in point

There may be cottages occupied by stud staff. Again, the agricultural value (being the value that would apply if the cottage could not be occupied by anyone other than an agricultural worker in perpetuity) should qualify for APR assuming the staff genuinely work in the stud business. Most cottages are attractive and would sell for considerably more than their agricultural value.

If the business is commercial and capable of making money, then Business Property Relief (BPR) should be available. Generally, BPR covers all of the value of the property including the non agricultural value. Even if the land has planning permission and is about to be sold for development (assuming contracts have not been exchanged), its value will qualify for BPR.

The horses owned by the stud business can also qualify for BPR assuming the business is run commercially. In this context, horses generally mean stallions, mares and youngstock. Once a horse is broken it generally ceases to be part of the stud business and enters the tax free zone of racing. At this stage, it comes out of the stud business at market value for income tax but the downside is that HMRC considers that BPR is not available on the value of the horses in training.

In summary, making sure the business is running commercially and with a view to profit is important for a number of tax related reasons The stud business should be given a chance to make profits by not overloading it with

overheads that may not be necessary. As ever, business plans are vital to show the business can be profitable. Having unnecessary overheads, such as retired mares going through the accounts, can turn a profit into a loss so care needs to be taken to make sure the business remains lean and fit.

Partner,

Evelyn Partners LLP

t: 01722 431 064 e: penelope.lang@evelyn.com

www.evelyn.com

Prevailing tax rates and reliefs depend on your individual circumstances and are subject to change.

By necessity, this briefing can only provide a short overview and it is essential to seek professional advice before applying the contents of this article. This briefing does not constitute advice nor a recommendation relating to the acquisition or disposal of investments. No responsibility can be taken for any loss arising from action taken or refrained from on the basis of this publication.

Evelyn Partners LLP is regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. Evelyn Partners LLP is an independent network member of CLA Global Limited. See www.clagobal.com/disclaimer. The title ‘Partner’ does not mean that the individual is necessarily a partner of Evelyn Partners LLP. For a full list of LLP partners, please refer to Companies House or request directly from us.

Penelope Lang

ROA Forum

The special section for ROA members

ROA Horseracing Awards: 40 years of glory and drama

The 40th anniversary edition of the ROA Horseracing Awards takes place later this month. It is a night that gives us a rare opportunity to celebrate the great and the good of British horseracing. From the event’s very first Horse of the Year, mighty stayer Ardross back in 1982, to 2021 champion Honeysuckle, the roll of honour showcases the superstars that have graced the turf over the last four decades. So, let’s look back at some of the most memorable moments from horseracing’s big night out.

The beginning

Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds supremo Nick Robinson had the idea of celebrating British racing’s best horses after reading about the Eclipse Awards in America. The first ROA Horseracing Awards was staged in 1982 and champion stayer Ardross was our first Horse of the Year, the six-year-old having gained his second Gold Cup, a Doncaster and Yorkshire Cup and only just failing in his attempt to capture the Arc, going down by just a head to Akiyda during a busy season. Owner Christine St George was on hand in 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his achievements.

Until the late 1990s the Flat and National Hunt awards were held separately at the end of each season. An interesting run-off was avoided in 1986 when Arc hero Dancing Brave was named Flat Horse of the Year while Cheltenham Gold Cup heroine Dawn Run scooped the jumping accolade after her famous Cheltenham Gold Cup victory.

Golden era for National Hunt racing

Although Jim Lewis picked up the Owner of the Year title in 2002, it is surprising that his beloved Best Mate never landed the overall Horse of the Year title. He did, however, pick up four National Hunt Awards, landing Novice Chaser in 2001 and the Chaser award in each of his three Cheltenham Gold Cupwinning seasons. He was pipped for the 2002 overall Horse of the Year title by Rock Of Gibraltar.

Aside from duelling on the track, Kauto Star and stable companion Denman also went head-to-head at the ROA Horseracing Awards. Denman gained the Novice Chaser title in 2007 and Chaser title the following year, while

Kauto Star’s longevity meant he won the first of his three Chaser titles in 2007 –when he was also Horse of the Year – and his final award in 2012.

There was almost as long between drinks for the wonderful Sprinter Sacre, who regained his Horse of the Year title after three years in 2016.

Sergeant lights up 2005

Although it can be assumed that Cheltenham or Classic winners will dominate the Awards, just occasionally a horse will come along under the radar and steal the headlines. One such year was 2005 when the Terry Cooperowned Sergeant Cecil had a phenomenal season, winning the unprecedented treble of the Northumberland Plate, Ebor and Cesarewitch, taking both the Handicapper of the Year and Horse of the Year titles.

National Hunt owners to the fore

Also showing it is not always the big battalions that come out on top, Steve Preston’s Sire De Grugy – his only horse in training at that time – propelled him and his family to the Owner of the Year title in 2014. The same award went to Andrew Gemmell in 2019 when Paisley Park was carrying all before him and won Outstanding Hurdler. Andrew was back celebrating last year after Trueshan’s Outstanding Stayer victory.

DAN ABRAHAM

Heather Bird, Michael Whitelock and Christine St George celebrate 30 years after Ardross was named Horse of the Year

Team Frankel with their trophies at the 2012 ROA Horseracing Awards

Our contact details:

Prince Khalid dominance

Since 2010 Prince Khalid Abdullah has dominated the Flat scene, with Workforce winning the overall title that year, the mighty Frankel gaining Horse of the Year honours in 2011 and 2012, and Enable becoming our first three-time winner from 2017-2019. The daughter of Nathaniel also holds the record for the most awards for a single horse, picking up the Outstanding Middle Distance horse and Outstanding Filly or Mare

each year, taking nine trophies in all. Prince Khalid also won Owner of the Year five times during this amazing period.

Some of the most memorable scenes on the evening have been when the Juddmonte, Warren Place and Clarehaven teams have all celebrated their wins together on stage and backstage.

Special Achievement winners

These Awards were introduced in 2011 and have produced some of the loudest cheers on the evening! From winners such as Hunt Ball, Top Notch Tonto, Roy Rocket, Cue Card and Frodon, it’s fair to say this award has really encapsulated the essence of racehorse ownership.

The great success of the ROA Horseracing Awards over 40 years would not have been possible without the support of our

members, sponsors, helpers, hosts and guests who have championed the event throughout the years.

The 2022 ROA Horseracing Awards takes place on Thursday, December 8 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. See roa.co.uk for more details.

DAN ABRAHAM

GEORGE SELWYN

Sergeant Cecil: Horse of the Year in 2005

Anthony Knott: hit the heights with his chaser Hunt Ball

Kauto Star: multiple award winner

DAN ABRAHAM

MAGICAL MOMENTS

Being one of the better and most well-known horses in a yard as sizeable as Dan Skelton’s takes some doing, but Molly Ollys Wishes’ name certainly rings out thanks to an excellent race record compiled over the past few seasons.

The eight-year-old had won an impressive seven of her 21 starts at the time of writing and been placed a further seven times.

She looked as good as ever on her

reappearance at the Charlie Hall meeting at Wetherby, really knuckling down well to beat the handy Martello Sky under the trainer’s brother Harry, in the silks of owner-breeder Dean Pugh.

He is understandably proud as punch of his mare, whose winnings have enabled him and wife Elaine to donate to the charity after which Molly Ollys Wishes is named, which was founded by their friends Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw.

Their daughter Molly was diagnosed

with a Wilms tumour aged three and sadly died five years later.

Explaining where his interest in racing springs from, Dean Pugh says: “My father was always interested in National Hunt racing and so my two brothers and myself followed in his footsteps.

“The three of us formed a syndicate called PCJF Bloodstock back in the early 90s and had a lovely horse called Man Of Mystery with Nigel Twiston-Davies who won five times in a season, including the

Dean Pugh’s Molly Ollys Wishes looks as good as ever this season

Molly Ollys Wishes: mare continues to perform with credit and publicise the charity after which she is named

BILL SELWYN

Perrier Jouet Handicap Chase at Aintree on the Friday before the Grand National.

“Our father was part of the syndicate along with some close friends. In later years my brother Kim and myself then got involved in breeding National Hunt horses from home, purely as a hobby.

“We started with Man Of Mystery and then on the proceeds of that successful season we bought a horse with Nigel called La Bella Villa – all the syndicate members were Aston Villa fans! – and we ended up breeding from her ultimately.

“I have also been involved in horses with a good friend at Philip Hobbs’s and even ventured into Flat horses with Andrew Balding. We bought a two-mile Flat horse from Mick Appleby called Brave Bugsy, who then followed Mick to Andrew’s yard, and I think he won five races.”

He adds: “My brother Kim and myself bred Molly Ollys Wishes from a broodmare bought from and recommended by Mick Appleby called September Moon and sired by Black Sam Bellamy.

“As she grew, my wife and myself decided to name her after a charity that is very close to our hearts – Molly Ollys Wishes [www.mollyolly.co.uk] was established following the death of Molly Ollerenshaw at the age of eight in June 2011. Molly’s last wish was that a charity be set up in her memory to help and support terminally ill and lifethreatened children, and so her parents Rachel and Tim formed the charity and it was launched in our back garden in September 2011 in a marquee.

“My wife Elaine has been a volunteer for the charity ever since that day, and I run the annual charity golf day at my home club, Fulford Heath Golf Club, just outside Birmingham. Since 2011 this wonderful charity has helped over 16,000 children, has granted over 2,500 wishes, and has supplied over 13,000 Olly The Brave books and therapeutic toys to over 70 hospitals.

“In total the charity has raised over £3 million, which has predominantly been achieved with about ten regular volunteers.

“We actually bred a full-brother to Molly who we named Olly The Brave but

sadly lost him with a broken pelvis two years ago.

“The idea of naming these two horses after the charity was to give the charity a bit of exposure should either of them ever win a race, but little did we expect that Molly would turn out to be the star that she is and Olly The Brave, bless him, won twice before his accident.”

Paul Nicholls’ former assistant Skelton was the kingmaker when it came to his younger brother winning the jump jockeys’ crown in 2020-21, and Molly Ollys Wishes is in good hands as far as Pugh is concerned.

“We live in Lowsonford, near Henleyin-Arden, so when Dan started training in Upper Shelfield in 2013 it seemed the

have also included the Grade 2 Warfield Mares’ Hurdle at Ascot, while there have been plenty of other memorable days down the years.

Pugh says: “I think magical moments are whenever your horse wins a race or runs a great race in defeat – thinking back, Man Of Mystery winning the Perrier Jouet Handicap Chase at Aintree all those years ago when my late father was with us and having been educated in Liverpool, it meant so much to him to be in the winner’s enclosure at his beloved Aintree the day before the Grand National with his three sons and his nephew, but all wins should be cherished.

“I remember Amroth Bay’s first ever run in a bumper at Chepstow when Andrew Balding surprised us by announcing that the great AP McCoy would ride him . . . and he hosed in by about five lengths!

“More recently, Molly Ollys Wishes has been an absolute star, winning seven times from 21 starts as we speak and giving the charity much needed exposure. When she won at Wetherby, after the interviews with Matt Chapman, Rachel told us that people who had backed her had donated some of their winnings to the charity online.

perfect trainer for us as I can drive to the gallops in about 20 minutes,” he says.

“I also feel Dan will ultimately become champion trainer and his facilities are state-of-the-art, plus Harry is a fantastic jockey and gets on brilliantly with Molly. When Dan started, my two brothers and myself had a horse called Amroth Bay who was getting to the end of his racing career and so he became one of the first horses in Dan’s yard.

“Despite having a leg injury when he arrived there, Dan still managed to win two races early the following season with him, including the Cambridgeshire National as a ten-year old. Apart from Molly Ollys Wishes, my wife has a fouryear-old with Dan called Bizzy Moon who was also bred from September Moon. She Is by Telescope.”

Aside from her recent Listed mares’ hurdle victory at Wetherby, which meant back-to-back successes for Molly Ollys Wishes in that contest, her triumphs

“The worst thing about being an owner is losing a horse. My two brothers and myself along with some friends [Can’t Do Ten Stone Any More Syndicate] had a lovely mare with Andrew Balding called Love Tattoo, who sadly broke a leg at Salisbury in 2012.

“And, of course, we lost Olly The Brave two years ago who was a fullbrother and a year older than Molly Ollys Wishes.”

He adds: “Business-wise, my two brothers and myself had a forklift truck business in the Black Country, but we have all retired now and are enjoying life, going racing and playing golf. My son and my nephew have carried on the business.”

Racing and golf doesn’t sound the worst way to spend retirement, and with Molly Ollys Wishes and Bizzy Moon continuing to boost Pugh’s enjoyment and involvement in the former, it should hopefully go with a swing into the new year and beyond.

“Little did we expect that Molly would turn out to be the star she is”

Owners encouraged to review their racing accounts

The ROA is keen to help members understand how they can both enhance their ownership experience and reduce some of the costs associated with being a registered owner. One of the ways in which an owner can look to reduce their costs is by re-evaluating their expenditure and look for ways to spend smarter. Owners may wish to take the opportunity to review their racing accounts – below is a comparison of

the two options available.

BHA Account: Owners with a BHA account won’t incur any account charges. The BHA account is an invoicing account which settles by direct debit or direct credit on the 15th day of the month for the previous month’s accrued racing transactions. The table below refers to withdrawals and provides further details relating to the settlement of prize-money.

This is a simple monthly invoice arrangement.

FEATURES

It is restricted solely to your racing transactions (entry fees, jockey fees, prize-money, gallop fees and ROA membership).

It does not extend to your payment of training fees.

You will receive an invoice at the beginning of each month. The balance will be requested by Direct Debit on the 15th day of that month.

PAYMENTS

If sufficient funds are not available at the time of the monthly Direct Debit an overdue account fee will be charged. If the account is not settled on a subsequent Direct Debit request, further charges will be incurred and all ownership activities related to the account suspended, with the result that any horse you have an interest in will not be allowed to run.

The British Horseracing Authority arrangement does not allow requested withdrawal of funds nor the retention of credit funds.

Weatherbys Racing Bank Account: Owners with a WRB account have the flexibility of a normal bank account, however they will incur charges for monthly account management fees and racing transaction fees may apply. All partnerships and syndicates will need to operate a Multi Owner Account.

The following table sets out a comparison of the two accounts currently available to registered owners.

This account combines racing transactions (entry fees, jockey fees, prize money, ROA membership etc) with the flexibility and features of a normal bank account.

You will receive a bank statement at the beginning of each month, or you can access your statements online at any time. If your account is overdrawn this can be settled via cheque, bank transfer or card payment. You can also view your accounts via the Weatherbys Mobile Banking App.

If you have received prize-money you will be able to access it as soon as it has cleared on your account, typically 15 days after the race date. You can use funds on your account to automatically pay your training fees, gallop fees, and any other racing or bloodstock bills.

You can access your funds in a variety of ways including auto payments, online banking and telephone banking. Further information is contained in the Weatherbys Bank leaflet ‘Account Terms and Conditions’ available at www.weatherbysbank.com.

WITHDRAWALS

INTEREST

Instead, if you are in credit at the end of the month, the full credit balance will be sent to your nominated account by Direct Credit at the beginning of the following month.

No interest is payable on funds.

None.

Overdue account charges: £50.16 (inc. VAT) for the second letter.

Weatherbys Bank may pay interest on credit balances at the prevailing rates. The current rates table can be viewed on  www.weatherbysbank.com.

Racing Account

A simple bank account for UK resident sole or joint owners looking to separate their racing finances from their day-to-day banking.

Multi Owner Account

This account is available to syndicates, clubs and partnerships.

TRANSACTION CHARGES

OTHER SERVICES

Racing Gold Account

Our flagship account available to sole or joint owners, bloodstock professionals and companies, and also owners who reside outside of the UK.

Banking charges will apply, for further details dependent on the type of account required please visit https://www.weatherbys. bank/racing-bank/racing-banking/current-accounts-page/.

More information on the range of banking services offered by Weatherbys Bank can be found by calling 01933 304777, emailing bank@weatherbys.co.uk or on the internet via  www.weatherbysbank.com.

BHA ACCOUNT

WEATHERBYS ACCOUNT

what two-time Breeders’ Cup

trainer Michael Dickinson has meticulously designed, constructed, and maintained here at Tapeta.

The 196 acre estate is designed as a training mecca with six diferent training surfaces, including: “Summer”, which is best utilized at that time when most other turf surfaces are harder; “Main Tapeta”, 7 furlongs with its long uphill gallop; “Tapeta Round”, a 4 furlong warm-up track on Tapeta surface; “Boomers Hill Turf”, 5 ½ furlongs uphill gallop for conditioning; “Noah’s Arc”, good even with 2 inches of rain; and “Normal”, which is best utilized under normal conditions. Also included is a modern 40 stall barn and a separate facility called the Tapeta Performance Center featuring a vibrating platform, salt room, cold-water spa and an eight horse Eurociser. Adjacent to the Performance Center is a swimming pond (with central dock) and extensive paddocks of varying sizes.

There are numerous trails, both wooded and felds, throughout the property for allowing the horse to relax and unwind. Tapeta is also accented by a beautiful 4,500 sq. ft. updated English Manor House situated on a hill overlooking the upper waters of the Chesapeake Bay.

North East, Maryland allows for access to numerous racetracks that one will not fnd anywhere else in the United States.

Tapeta Farm is a truly magnifcent private setting with rolling hills, vistas, and horse training improvements, which are second to none. A true horseman will appreciate

winning

Tote initiatives

The Tote is operating a free opt-in betting tournament throughout the jumps season. On participating days, you need to have a minimum of three bets totalling £10 to qualify for prizes, with the top ten players each day qualifying for the £25,000 Jumps Series Final, which will take place on the final day of the jumps season (April 29).

As well as testing your punting skills against the likes of Harry Findlay, Rory Delargy and Andrew Mount, players can play against friends and other tournament entrants.

Throughout the afternoon you can see updates on player positions in the tournament standings via the Tote’s ‘Betting Tournaments’ live blog page. Updates will also be published on @ ToteRacing twitter, as well as issued through emails/texts.

The next tournament is on Tingle Creek Chase day, December 3 at Sandown Park. Find out more at tote. co.uk/racing/betting-tournaments.

Guaranteed pools in the placepot

Every weekday during the National Hunt season the Tote will provide a minimum £100,000 guaranteed pool at one meeting per day. This will be extended on Saturdays and at some of the bigger festival meetings when the minimum guaranteed amount will be a mammoth £250,000.

This is in addition to the free placepot bet the Tote give their customers on a Saturday – so make sure you get involved.

Ten-to-follow competition

If you have joined the Tote’s Ten-tofollow competition, there is still time

for you to enter one of our special members leagues. We have two leagues in operation, one for ROA members and one for those in the Racegoers Club.

There are prizes on offer for members who finish in the top three in each league at the end of the season:

• 1st: £100

• 2nd: £50

• 3rd: £25

To add yourself to the league, log into the Tote website, select Ten-toFollow and click on League, and use the following PIN number to join the league and compete with fellow members:

• ROA Members’ League: 000095

• Racegoers Club League: 000096

Racing TV continues Irish coverage

Irish racing will remain on Racing TV until at least 2029 after SIS and Racecourse Media Group (RMG) won the bidding war to renew their five-year contract. This allows the channel to continue to show pictures from all 26 of Ireland’s racecourses.

Don’t forget that ROA members who are new to Racing TV can subscribe for £15 a month by using the discount code in the members area of the website.

Owners who have a horse running on the channel and are unable to visit the course can apply for one of our free day passes. You can then either access the main Racing TV channel or dedicated live feed from the track your horse is running at with Racing TV Extra.

On Racing TV Extra, you can watch all the build-up from the paddock and down at the start and continue after the race with expert analysis from Racing TV’s top pundits and presenters. The free day pass can be used online or through your Sky TV, website, mobile or TV Apps. Visit roa.co.uk/daypass for more information.

Viewers can follow Honeysuckle’s Irish campaign on Racing TV

Tingle Creek Chase day features in the Tote tournament

BILL SELWYN

Jack a fan of the Tote

Connections have the long-term aim of the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival for Straw Fan Jack after he ran out a gutsy winner of the Squareintheair.com Novices’ Chase at the opening meeting at Cheltenham in October, carrying the colours of Graham Wilson.

In brief

48-hour declarations

48-hour declarations, which are used for all Flat races in Britain, will be adopted permanently for National Hunt races. The system has been in place since the resumption of jump racing during the pandemic in July 2020. Prior to this 48-hour declarations had only applied to Sunday and selected major races, including the Cheltenham Festival. This decision follows engagement with and feedback from participants, with the BHA Racing Group considering the relative merits of retaining 48-hour declarations.

It was acknowledged that in certain circumstances, earlier confirmation of running plans can sometimes present challenges, especially around nonrunners following changes in ground conditions.

However, it was felt that 48-hour declarations have a positive impact on British racing more generally, supporting more effective forwardplanning, providing additional clarity for the sport’s customer groups –

The son of Geordieland is yet another winner under the ROA/Tote Sponsorship Scheme, our simple and easy way of obtaining sponsorship for your racing activities.

Sponsorship allows owners to register for and reclaim the VAT

including owners, bettors, racing fans and the media – and offering greater opportunities to promote and increase engagement with our horses, races, and the wider sport.

VAT update

As of November 1, VAT-registered owners will no longer be able to submit their quarterly or monthly VAT returns using their business government gateway account.

All VAT-registered owners should now be signed up to HMRC’s Making Tax Digital and submitting their VAT returns using compliant software. If your VAT-registered activities are not yet compliant with HMRC legislation, you may be liable to pay a fine.

The ROA VAT Solution team is on hand to assist you with all your digital VAT enquiries. Appointing us as your VAT Agent is straightforward. To engage our services please contact Davina or Glen at vat@roa.co.uk or call 01183 385 685.

Sunday appearance money scheme

With the phasing out of the existing appearance money scheme, a new

charged on the purchase price of their horse and many associated fees. This can represent an annual recovery of over £4,700. If you would like to know more about sponsorship visit roa.co.uk/ sponsorship or call our VAT team on 01183 385 685.

Sunday-only scheme will be introduced from January 1, 2023.

The new year will see minimum prize-money levels increasing by £700 and paid to at least fifth place in those races where appearance money was previously available.

From the new year, every runner on a Sunday will receive £100 to assist with the additional costs of transporting and running horses, and to support the VAT registration scheme for racehorse owners.

The £100 Sunday appearance money scheme will not be paid as prize-money and will instead be managed as a separate transaction with Weatherbys.

Been racing with a runner?

The countdown is on to decide the recipients of the ROA Racecourse Accreditation and Gold Standard Awards – and we need your help!

The AA is currently undertaking official visits to all courses, but it is owner feedback that will decide the winners. So, whether you had a good, bad or indifferent day, please complete our quick and easy questionnaire at roa.co.uk/feedback.

Connections enjoy Straw Fan Jack’s victory at Cheltenham in October

TBA Forum

Elite

Applications are now being taken for the TBA/HBLB Elite NH Mares' Scheme and will be accepted until January 31, 2023.

Created to highlight to breeders the quality of National Hunt stallions standing in Great Britain, so far 30 eligible stallions have been made available.

TBA members who own mares rated 130+ that have produced a runner of a defined performance level (see below) are eligible for subsidised nominations to British-based stallions, which are eligible and nominated by their managers under the terms of the scheme.

Winners of black-type races over obstacles in Britain, Ireland and France will be treated as having the minimum ratings in the smaller table below, if these are above those actually awarded.

A winner of an additional race as specified above will be treated as having achieved a rating 5lb above that defined by the single win, e.g. 2 x Listed/Grade 3 WFA wins = OR 140 = Grade 2 WFA win.

When these measures are applied, a horse relying on winning a race that is confined to three-year-olds or fouryear-olds only will be treated as having achieved a rating 5lb below that derived as above.

A mare that qualifies for the scheme by satisfying multiple criteria (either as a racemare and producer, or as producer of more than one qualifying horse) will be regarded as having achieved an Official Rating increased by 10lb for every additional qualification.

Grants

Owners of mares nominated for the

The special section for TBA members

scheme will receive a grant entitling them to a discount on the nomination fees of any of the stallions which are included in the scheme. The grant value is determined on the category of the mare.

• Category 1a/1b: £4,000

• Category 2a/2b: £3,000

• Category 3a/3b: £2,000

These grants, which are paid direct to the stallion owner on receipt by the TBA office of a positive October 1 pregnancy certificate, apply to the 2023 breeding season only and cannot be carried forward to any future season.

What to do next?

For a full list of eligible mares, visit the Elite Mares' Scheme page on the TBA website (www.thetba.co.uk) where an online application form can also be found. If you have a mare which you believe has attained the necessary credentials but is absent from the list, please contact Rob Davey (rob.davey@ thetba.co.uk).

Elite NH Mares' Scheme 2023 stallions

• ARRIGO

• ASK

• BANGKOK

• CANNOCK CHASE

• DARTMOUTH

• DINK

• FALCO

• FLAG OF HONOUR

• FRAMMASSONE

• FRONTIERSMAN

• GENTLEWAVE

• GEORDIELAND

• HARBOUR LAW

• ITO

• JACK HOBBS

• KINGSTON HILL

• LINDA’S LAD

• LOGICIAN

• MARMELO

• MASTERSTROKE

• OCOVANGO

• PASSING GLANCE

• PETHER’S MOON

• PLANTEUR

• SADDLER’S ROCK

• SCHIAPARELLI

• TELESCOPE

• VIRTUAL

• WALZERTAKT

• YORGUNNABELUCKY

Jack Hobbs, based at Overbury Stud, features on the list of stallions in the Elite NH Mares' Scheme

Post-mortem subsidy

The TBA recognises the vital importance of screening for the presence of EHV-1, enabling a rapid response to all positive cases preventing further spread of the disease and providing necessary information and up to date advice.

While EHV-1 is not notifiable by law, the TBA encourages breeders to notify Stanstead House of all cases of equine abortion or neonatal foal death. This allows monitoring of any disease outbreaks for which immediate action is paramount.

A £200 subsidy towards the cost of a post-mortem is available to members who meet the criteria – email alix.jones@thetba.co.uk for more details.

a TBA bursary

The TBA bursary enables anyone to submit an application for a grant to fund an educational course or continued professional development activity that allows them to develop or further their career in the thoroughbred breeding industry.

The TBA believes in an inclusive workplace and industry, and actively encourages applications from individuals who can benefit greatly from a bursary fund that can provide access to industry training and development.

Example grant requests include:

• Training course, e.g., stud secretary’s course, the racing industry course, National Stud lecture series

• Entry cost for attendance to an industry event or conference

• Equipment to support development of career

• TBA courses

• TB-Ed online learning platform courses and resources

To apply for the TBA bursary, contact the office for more information and an application form.

Meet The Team –CHARLIE NEWTON

Job title: GBB Operations Executive.

Role: Everything and anything GBB from cash flow and bank reconciliations to sales presence and marketing.

Favourite racing experience: Hard to pin one down but it’s probably going to be at a point-to-point somewhere in Scotland with a gang of friends watching a horse I have ridden out.

Die Hard or Home Alone: Neither –Love Actually.

Dinner-party menu: Twice-baked cheese souffle, fish pie, chocolate almond torte.

Broodmare I’d love to own: Well, keeping it realistic and given that I very easily get attached to GBB fillies and love the fact we’re now

Last chance to book for Stud Farming Course

Places are running out fast for the Stud Farming Course, which will take place between December 6-8 at the British Racing School in Newmarket.

seeing some of them as broodmares, I’d probably go with something like Blackberry, who won three bonuses and is now in foal to Sergei Prokofiev. Or a mare like Melody Of Love, who won a Group 3 herself and has produced two GBB winners from four runners. She also has a yearling filly by Territories and a Showcasing filly foal heading to the sales – both registered for GBB; it would be amazing if they won bonuses too!

Pets: A gorgeous Labrador called Toby who is supposed to be a working dog but I can’t remember the last time he worked! I also have a horse called Fanta (don’t tell anyone but he’s not a filly, not British and not even a full TB!)

Sunshine or snow holiday: Somewhere remote with beautiful views and good food – in sunshine or snow that’s a winner.

Wish for 2023: I might dig out the brave pants and start riding out again.

Costing £420 (inc VAT) for TBA members and £540 (inc VAT) for non-members, the three-day course covers a range of topics which have been selected to provide a comprehensive overview of general stud management, whilst there are a couple of trips included in the course.

For more information contact Alix Jones in the TBA office.

Could

help further your career?

Top-level success in both hemispheres for Rausing

British-bred success continued in October with winners coming from all corners of the globe. A brilliant and record-breaking season for Kirsten Rausing was topped with the magnificent victory of Alpinista in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s premier autumn event over a mile and a half. The daughter of Frankel was given a cool ride by Luke Morris and expertly handled by Sir Mark Prescott. Two weekends later and the Rausing-bred Durston, a son of resident Lanwades stallion Sea The Moon, captured Australia’s premier spring 1m4f contest, the Caulfield Cup.

The opening day of the month on the Rowley Mile and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s homebred daughter of Farhh, Fonteyn, captured the Sun Chariot Stakes.

The following weekend and there

was great success for Abdulla Al-Khalifa and Isa Salman as their homebred filly Commissioning (Kingman) won the Fillies’ Mile. A day later and Chaldean emulated his sire Frankel in winning the Dewhurst Stakes. The chestnut was bred by the Harper family out of the Dutch Art mare Suelita.

The Harpers' Whitsbury Manor Stud also bred Rumstar, a son of freshman sire Havana Grey, winner of the Cornwallis Stakes on the first day of the Future Champions Festival, and the Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy winner Cold Case (Showcasing).

British Champions Day saw a trio of British-breds enter the winners' enclosure. Emily Upjohn, bred by Lordship Stud & Sunderland Holdings Inc, got back to winning ways in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, whilst Kinross, a son of Kingman bred by Julian and

Sarah Richmond-Watson, stormed to an impressive win in the Champions Sprint. This win came two weeks after victory in the Prix de la Foret.

The main event of the day at Ascot was the Champions Stakes and Sir Michael Stoute’s expert handling of the James Wigan-bred Bay Bridge proved on the money. The four-year-old had not raced since the Eclipse Stakes in the summer and was given a fine ride by Richard Kingscote. The rain-softened ground proved too much for Baaeed on his final start in a glittering career.

Across the pond in America and the Fairway Thoroughbreds-bred Dubawi filly In Italian made every post a winning one to take the Grade 1 First Lady at Keeneland. Meanwhile at Aqueduct, where Belmont’s autumn racing programme was being staged whilst it undergoes redevelopment,

Chaldean edges out Royal Scotsman in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes in October

BILL SELWYN

the Andrew Rosen homebred Frankel filly Skims captured the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes.

The former William Haggas-trained Ready To Venture, a daughter of Kingman and a homebred of Lael Stables, won her first stakes in the HBPA Stakes on the all-weather at Presque Isle Downs. Days later and on the west coast, the David Curranbred Amy C (Charming Thought) won the Senator Ken Maddy Stakes on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita.

A plethora of riches were on offer in Australia during October and Juddmonte were represented by three stakes winners. Old Flame captured the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes at Flemington, while Kingman’s son Emissary confirmed his Melbourne Cup spot (finishing second) when taking the Group 3 Geelong Cup. Second at Geelong, Surefire won the Group 3 Archer Stakes later in the month.

The Chasemore Farm-bred Uncle Bryn, now plying his trade in Australia, won the Sale Cup in impressive fashion and followed up in the Cranbourne Cup in November. Another Listed winner was the Shadwell-bred Turaath, winner of the Black Pearl at Geelong.

The New Approach gelding Cascadian has been a grand servant for Godolphin down under and October was a good month for the seven-yearold. Having won the Group 2 General Hill Stakes, he won the Group 3 Craven Plate two weeks later. Closer to home and Flying Honours won the Zetland Stakes, whilst the month was rounded out with a Listed win for Warren Point in the Floodlit Stakes at Kempton.

The Italian racing season built to a crescendo in October and Aloa proved herself to be the best juvenile filly around. Bred by W & R Barnett Ltd, the daughter of Cracksman won the Listed

Premio Coolmore on the first day of the month before three weeks later taking the Group 2 Premio Dormello.

The following weekend was Capannelle’s big autumn weekend. The Cavendish Bloodstock-bred Romagna Mia took the Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio, whilst the Scuderia Blueberry homebred Cantocorale won the Group 2 Premio Roma. The feature sprint, the Group 3 Premio Umbria, fell the way of the Azienda Agricola Francesca Srlbred Agiato (Bated Breath).

Another sprinter in fine form was Manaccan. Bred by Al-Baha Bloodstock, the three-year-old flourished during late summer. He won the Listed Rous Stakes at Ascot under a penalty before adding the Mercury Stakes at Dundalk to his CV, a first Group 3 success.

With the rain finally falling, Hamish was in his element. The J B Haggasbred gelding, who was runner-up in the Irish St Leger, won the Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury.

The St Albans Bloodstock-bred Silver Knott, the first foal out of its Group 1-winning mare God Given, won the Group 3 Autumn Stakes at Newmarket before filling the runnerup spot at the Breeders’ Cup. The same day at Newmarket and Shadwell homebred Alflaila won the Group 3 Darley Stakes.

Numerous Listed wins were achieved, amongst them a first for Perfect Alibi in the Beckford Stakes, moved to Yarmouth due to the prevailing firm ground at Bath. Victory for the three-year-old was a poignant success as she was bred by the late Queen and provided a first stakes win for the silks of the King.

Other homebred winners included the Hascombe & Valiant Studs-bred Queen Aminatu in the Fleur de Lys Stakes, Hunscote Stud’s juvenile

Caenarfon (Cityscape) in the Montrose Stakes, and Eternal Dance, a Merry Fox Stud bred daughter of Dubawi, in the Prix Saraca.

Another juvenile winner was the Lady Legard-bred Lady Ewelina in the Grosser Preis der Mel-Mulhens, while the Stoneham Park Stud-bred Legend Of Xanadu (Sixties Icon) was successful in the Listed Doncaster Stakes on his 13th start of the year.

The John Deer-bred Harper, a son of Al Kazeem, won the Prix du Ranelagh at Longchamp and the Dayton Investments-bred Burgarita captured the Prix Casimir Delamarre on the same day. Later in the month and the Litex Commerce-bred Pennymoor, a daughter of Frankel, won the River Eden Stakes, two days before Ottoman Fleet, bred by Scea Marmion Vauville & Alain Jathiere, won the James Seymour Stakes.

Jump racing’s cogs turned a little faster in October, when Chepstow staged the Grade 2 Persian War Novices’ Hurdle, won by Accidental Rebel. The Kayf Tara full-brother to that magnificent chaser Special Tiara was bred by David Young.

The Gestut Gorlsdorf-bred Meydaf (Sea The Moon) won the Listed Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby. A day later and the Dean and Keith Pugh-bred Molly Ollys Wishes (Black Sam Bellamy) landed back-toback renewals of the Mares’ Hurdle.

In the States there were stakes wins for a pair of ex-Alan King trainees. The W & R Barnett Ltd-bred Cracker Factory won the National Sporting Library and Museum Cup, a timber contest, at Middleburg. The following weekend at Far Hills and Redicean, a son of Medicean bred by Cheveley Park Stud, won the Appleton Hurdle for Leslie Young, who gained her first trainers’ title.

Key dates for 2023

With the new year nearly upon us, members are advised of the following dates for events in 2023. Further events will be added to the calendar and members are advised to keep an eye on the news section of the TBA website for the most up-to-date information.

January 24

NH Stallion Showcase at Goffs UK, Doncaster

February 2

Flat Stallion Parade at Tattersalls, Newmarket

February 28

GBB – Stage 3 deadline for 2021-born

Flat fillies April 20

Cheltenham Mares’ Day at Cheltenham racecourse

May 22

NH Breeders’ Awards Evening at Doncaster racecourse

May 31

GBB – Stage 2 deadline for 2021-born fillies

July 1

Flat Breeders’ Awards Evening at Chippenham Park August 31

GBB – Stage 3 deadline for 2020-born jump fillies

September 30

GBB – Stage 1 deadline for 2023-born fillies

TBA Forum

Member Benefit - Third party liability cover

Third party insurance cover is included as standard within membership of the TBA. This sales season has seen a number of enquiries as to what is and what is not covered – Olivia Curl from Lycetts answers your questions.

I am a TBA member with three homebred foals going to the sales –are all three covered?

If you are operating as an individual for no commercial gain, i.e. this is a personal entity and you breed/race for yourself, then the public liability cover would respond if there was an accident where one of the foals caused damage to a third party person or their property.

What happens if my horse suffers injury or illness at the sales?

This is not included within the TBA membership policy but a separate policy with Lycetts provides cover for all risks of mortality, including destruction on humane grounds. In addition, Lycetts can provide an extension for life-saving surgical fees. There is no standard cover available within the thoroughbred insurance market for non-surgical or nonemergency veterinary fees.

My horse has kicked the farrier and he cannot work – am I covered?

Yes, if the horse is for your own personal use as a broodmare, foal, or a horse in training, then should a claim be brought against you the policy would respond to defend or pay a claim.

Olivia Curl: on hand to help TBA members with their questions around liability

I am a member of the TBA with three horses going to the sales that have been boarding on my property. Are they covered should an accident occur?

If you have horses owned by a third party that is paying to keep them at your property, then you should have a commercial liability policy in place.

Am I covered if selling in Ireland or France?

If you are an individual who has sent a horse to be sold in Ireland or France, and provided the horse is out there on a temporary basis, you are covered for third party

liability. However, if you are running a commercial breeding operation, a commercial liability policy would be required.

I am a TBA member based in the Republic of Ireland and am selling my horse in Britain. Am I covered if there is an accident on the way there?

In respect of the third party liability, there is no cover in place for those permanently domiciled in the Republic of Ireland, and a policy placed in the Republic of Ireland should be put in place. In respect of mortality cover, this would require a separate bloodstock policy arranged by Lycetts.

I am in a small syndicate with my family, however I am the only person with a TBA membership. How does the insurance work?

The syndicate should have its own liability policy in place which would offer joint and several liability cover for the syndicate members.

What do you mean by ‘business’?

The ownership, part ownership, or lease of a horse or horses recognised as thoroughbred breeding stock, young stock, stallions, stallion shares, or thoroughbreds retired from breeding or racing.

To discuss bloodstock cover further, please contact richard.freeman@ lycetts.co.uk and for all queries in respect of liability or property cover please email olivia.curl@lycetts.co.uk.

Breeder of the Month

Sponsored by Distributor of Words Howard Wright

BREEDER OF THE MONTH (October 2022)

LANWADES STUD

Ever since Kirsten Rausing was named TBA Breeder of the Month for August last year, the panel of judges will have had her name near the top of the list for virtually every subsequent award. Inevitably, and deservedly, she topped the poll again for October, when the wheel came full circle

Rausing’s August 2021 success largely rested on the achievements of the mare Alpinista, and once again the daughter of Frankel inspired the judges after her success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, her eighth consecutive win over two seasons, and her sixth in a row at Group 1 level.

Little wonder that regular jockey Luke Morris describes Alpinista as a “once in a lifetime horse,” yet for Rausing and her Lanwades, St Simon and Staffordstown Studs, October was quickly to become even better. Ten days after the Arc, and on the other side of the world, Durston carried the colours of the Australian branch of Highclere Thoroughbred Racing to a famous, final-stride victory in the Caulfield Cup, the early jewel in the Melbourne carnival season.

Alpinista’s background is well known to pedigree aficionados – a fifth-generation produce from one of Rausing’s earliest purchases Alruccaba, through Alleluia, Alouette, Albanova and Alwilda. The line illustrates how Rausing nurtures her broodmare band, while Durston’s success highlights her attention to stocking the studs’ breeding arm with appropriate and affordable stallions, for he is by Sea The Moon out of a mare by another Lanwades stalwart in Hernando.

Durston takes his antecedents from a line that began for Rausing when

she bought the Yorkshire Oaks winner Key Change’s daughter Carenage for 75,000gns at the 2003 Tattersalls December Sale. While Carenage lasted five years at Lanwades, before being sold on for 13,500gns, her daughter Caribana won once in Rausing’s green and white hooped colours and has subsequently produced five winners from eight foals to have raced, including the multiple winners Cubanita and Aquarium. The most rewarding, Durston, is the 16th individual Group 1 winner among the 28 such races attributed to Lanwades since 1984.

As if confirmation of Rausing’s outstanding run of success was really needed, the achievements of Alpinista and Durston were sandwiched between two other notable events. In September, she was provided with her first British Classic triumph as a breeder through the St Leger victory of Eldar Eldarov, a grandson of Albanova. In the first week of November, there was further success in Australia when Zaaki, a son of another former Lanwades resident Leroidesanimaux and sold for 40,000gns as a yearling before joining Annabel Neasham’s stable for 150,000gns,

became the first horse for 40 years to complete the double in Flemington’s Mackinnon Stakes, which he achieved in the newly-named TAB Champion Stakes.

And so to the crowning moment – for now – for Rausing, who on the very day when news was released that injury had brought an end to Alpinista’s racing career was handed the Cartier Award of Merit, honouring her lifetime achievements in breeding and racing.

On receiving her award, Rausing, who started her involvement as a 15-year-old in her native Sweden, remarked that “many, many years ago, and unlike my Viking forebears, I came to East Anglia in peace”. Her arrival will be exactly 42-years-old on December 1, and she paid tribute to her “wonderful team,” making particular mention of Julian Lloyd, who had run Staffordstown Stud in County Meath for 30 years, and Alastair Watson, whom she said had been at Lanwades for 35 years.

However, time moves on and Rausing noted: “My longevity in this game means that we have had a slight changing of the guard. Succeeding my great friend the late Lord John Fitzgerald, Richard Frisby has very ably managed my horses in training and the liaison between Lanwades and the various trainers, and of course Julian Lloyd has been succeeded by young John Oxx.”

The last word goes to Sir Mark Prescott, who has trained for Rausing since 1996 and has reached the pinnacle of his career with Alpinista. The Cartier organisers noted his recent tribute to Rausing: “She’s done it from the bottom. She can muck them out, she can plait them, she’s led them up. What’s more, she’s a highly qualified person, has a phenomenal memory and is a master of languages. And she has a tremendous sense of humour.”

BILL SELWYN

Kirsten Rausing greets her Arc heroine Alpinista following her win at Longchamp

TRIBUNEL TRIUMPHS IN THE HUNTING FIELD

128% increase in horses registered as hunting and associated activities

Born with a pedigree for the Flat, but unraced until making his debut in a National Hunt Flat race at Towcester as a 5-year-old, Tribunel’s lack of precocity was, unfortunately, matched by a lack of ability on the track. A son of Diktat out of sprinting mare, it should not have been a surprise that Jumping did not turn out to be Tribunel’s game, but his size and lack of speed no doubt reduced the options available. So, despite being with three different trainers and being tried in bumpers, over hurdles and over fences, in July 2010, just fifteen months after his debut, time was called on Tribunel’s racing career.

With nine unplaced starts to his name, Tribunel was sold as a slow, lightly raced 6-year-old with his prospects none too bright. Twelve years later, together with his owner and rider Vicky Heal, 18 year old Tribunel is the 2022 winner of RoR’s Racing to Hunting Challenge, sponsored by Ri-Dry Clothing.

Now in its sixth year, the Racing to Hunting Challenge seeks to identify the former racehorse with the best all-round behaviour and manners in the hunting field.

She added: “He’s a machine over hedges and just as careful over a metal gate or a trappy ditch. His soundness is unreal and at 18-yearsold, he is as fit and sound as a 5-year-old.”

As winners, Vicky Heal and Tribunel receive the Meriel Tufnell Trophy, a £1,000 cash prize and a Ri-Dry jacket that will be presented at the upcoming RoR Awards ceremony at The Jockey Club Rooms in January.

After receiving entries from all over the country, nominations were narrowed down to a shortlist of six horses. The finalists ranged from 14 to 18-years-old and were judged by a panel of experts over the course of a day’s hunting with the Kimblewick. And in another example of the lengthy, active and fulfilling second careers that horses go on to enjoy after they finish racing, this year’s winner was the 18-year-old gelding, Tribunel.

Vicky Heal, Tribunel’s owner and rider, said: “I have now hunted Tri (Tribunel) for eleven seasons, mainly with the Blackmore and Sparkford Vale, but he’s also been on many a visiting trip with me from Cornwall to Cheshire. As well as being an easy horse to look after due to being as tough as old boots, Tri is the most reliable hunter ever.”

While the bulk of RoR’s wide range of competitions and series take place over the summer months, the charity is also active through the winter, incentivising and catering for those former racehorses that still enjoy the thrill of the chase, whether it be in the hunting field, in hunt scurries or team chasing.

These series each play a part in helping RoR achieve some of its key objectives, namely showcasing the versatility of the thoroughbred, providing opportunities to give horses long and active post racing careers and driving membership and registrations to RoR to increase traceability.

Following the success and promotion of the Hunting Challenge, the Hunt Ride League and Team Chasing, in the last five years there has been a 128% increase in the number of horses listed on the database as participating in hunting and associated activities. There are now 3,155 horses registered as hunting from the overall total of 11,183. n

For more information or to make a donation visit: ror.org.uk

TRIBUNEL and Vicky Heal, winners of the 2022 Ri-Dry Racing to Hunting Challenge.

© Peter Nixon

REMARKABLE MAN , ridden by Zack Davidson (nearest camera) winner of The RoR Fox Grant GB Hunt Ride League.

© EquipassionUK

Horse Welfare Board’s Work Powers Forward

Racing Foundation grants £3million to Horse Welfare Board to drive forward equine welfare projects across British racing.

The Horse Welfare Board’s work to improve equine welfare in British Racing will move at pace over the next year with confirmation of a grant of £3million from the Racing Foundation. Released in stages over the next three years, the funding will cover multiple projects from the industry’s “A life well-lived” strategy to drive forward developments in safety, data, and traceability as well as supporting team costs.

Helena Flynn, Horse Welfare Board Programme Director commented: “Since the formation of the programme team last year, detailed work has been carried out to scope, prioritise, and cost the core initiatives from the strategy. This work is being developed collaboratively using the help of experts from across the industry and for me, it truly demonstrates the sport’s collective commitment to horse welfare.”

17 active Horse Welfare Projects are now live covering areas including obstacle improvement and development, ground and going research and training, the development of the Jump Racing Risk Model through to the analysis of fatalities and injuries occurring off the racecourse and improving traceability of horses after they retire.

Data

The Racing Foundation grant will fund academic collaboration with a university to provide equine epidemiology expertise to the industry. Once in place, this will support vital work on race risk modelling including the Jump Racing Risk Model. The collaboration will also progress data gathering and analysis work to better understand the types of injuries encountered in training centres, the factors that contribute towards them and will assist the industry with developing prevention strategies.

Safety

Obstacle improvement and development and the advancement of the sport’s Jump Racing Risk Model (JRRM) are two important safety projects for next year. With support from external epidemiology experts, the JRRM aims to become a one-stop-shop for data on racehorse falls to identify trends and help drive forward the sport’s risk identification and mitigation actions.

The work of the hurdle team continues at pace. Ideas and concepts are being studied to improve the current hurdle design, including exploring the feasibility of an ‘on the ground’ hurdle. A Hurdle Performance Technical Specification is also being finalised to set

minimum performance requirements. This work aims to achieve greater consistency across all racecourses, in addition to setting the specification to which any new concept of hurdle must comply.

Traceability

Several key pieces of work on traceability are set to commence to help reduce the sport’s data gaps, particularly for horses after they retire. The first project to be delivered will enable data sharing between the BHA Racing Admin system and Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) for all horses recently retiring with a Non-Racing Agreement. This development will increase the visibility of all horses taking that first step away from racing and will help inform programmes to support them.

Aftercare

The next project for aftercare aims to drive consistency of standards across British racehorse retraining and rehoming establishments. An accreditation framework is being developed as part of a wider industry review with projected launch during mid-2023. As well as supporting centres to be the best they can be, the accreditation system will help both the industry and the centres to easily benchmark best practice. Alongside this, the roll-out of the expanded safety net will continue through next year. The first selected thoroughbreds are now going through the new Retirement Assessment Programme, supported by RoR and its delivery partner HEROS.

A Year of Progress

2022 has been a year of positive progress with two significant projects delivered in the areas of safety and aftercare.

In the summer, the extent of racing’s responsibility for horses bred for the sport was agreed to include a thoroughbred’s first step out of racing. An extensive pitch processes saw HEROS selected to be RoR’s delivery partner to provide a funded retraining service with an evaluation and selection process put in place to identify horses in need.

In December the final jump course in Britain will have turned the markers on its obstacles from orange to white. Kicked-off in March and based on scientific research completed by Exeter University on equine vision, 40 racecourses will have made the change, supporting efforts to increase contrast and visibility for horses to aid jumping performance and help reduce risk.

If you would like to contact the Horse Welfare Board about any of its ongoing work, please get in touch via info@racehorsewelfare.co.uk

Thanks to the continuous support and funding from the Racing Foundation and Horserace Betting Levy Board.

The Horse Welfare Board’s comprehensive strategy will help move the sport’s already well-established welfare standards to new levels of excellence.

Barry Johnson Chair of the Horse Welfare Board

Bloodstock insurance in focus

The value of high-end bloodstock has been in the news recently with a 2.5% share in unbeaten US star Flightline selling at auction for $4.6 million, pricing the unbeaten colt at a startling $184 million prior to the start of his stallion career at Lane’s End Farm in Kentucky, where the son of Tapit will command a fee of $200,000.

While few people will ever need to worry about insuring such a valuable asset, bloodstock insurance is an important aspect of the racing and breeding industry and there are a range of options for those seeking to cover their thoroughbreds against mishap over the course of their careers, on and off the racecourse.

“Bloodstock insurance is a specific part of the insurance industry,” says David Ashby, an underwriter with almost 40 years of experience in the equine sector. “There are about eight or nine syndicates/insurance companies based in London that specialise in bloodstock insurance.

“Broadly speaking, the cover that people start with is a mortality policy, which covers death and theft. Some readers will remember what happened to Shergar, who was stolen from his owner the Aga Khan’s stud farm in Ireland. One of the big wrangles with Shergar was that some of his insurance policies covered theft and some didn’t. After that, all policies covered theft, which applies to any animal whether it’s a foal or a 20-year-old broodmare.

“The mortality policy is not a loss of use policy – a horse that ruptures a tendon and cannot race on isn’t a mortality claim. If your Group 1-winning filly suffers an injury, it could have a second career and go to the paddocks. The same criteria apply to a six-yearold maiden gelding – the policy doesn’t differentiate between the sexes, and you won’t get paid out if your horse suffers a career-ending injury.

“Another aspect to think about is insurance against the cost of live-saving surgery. Significant colic surgery on a horse can easily come to £10,000. I would always offer life-saving surgery

insurance to go with mortality insurance. This would be the most common policy combination that I sell.

“As horses age and the stage in their life changes, there are policies based around what activity they are involved in. They all start with the death policy, but people can buy additional policies appropriate for their horse’s career.”

Early years

Bloodstock insurance can be bought when a foal is born or even in utero and the premium cost will vary according to its age when the policy is purchased.

Ashby explains: “A foal insured from 24 hours for death coverage would be

at a higher premium than one insured at 30 days, because foal mortality is higher immediately after birth. The premium costs would remain relatively flat from 30 days through until the horse becomes a yearling. If going into training at two on the Flat, the premiums would start to increase upon the policy’s renewal.

“For those stallions that might stand for an upfront covering fee, with no free return or October 1 terms, mare owners can purchase a policy that protects against the mare being covered by a stallion and failing to get in foal. This policy tends to be more for older, very successful stallions that studs would only sell nominations for upfront.

“Mare owners could purchase a stallion availability policy if buying a nomination before the breeding season starts, as they want to guarantee that the stallion will be alive, cover the mare and that she will then get in foal and deliver a live foal. Unsurprisingly, that isn’t the cheapest policy. We would calculate the premium by looking at the stallion’s fertility percentage in previous years and his live foal figures.”

Cover according to activity

The price of a policy is directly related to a horse’s activities – racehorses are more expensive to cover than mares and stallions due to the risks of competitive racing, which means outstanding runners like the aforementioned Flightline and Shadwell’s superstar Baaeed would cost less to cover in their second careers.

Ashby says: “The rate to insure a Flat racer is more expensive than the rate to insure a yearling. The mortality risk in Flat racing is greater than the mortality risk for yearlings on a farm. Horses going flat out are more likely to injure themselves than horses chasing each other in the paddock.

“If you have a three-year-old Flat racer and you decide he’s not Frankel and he’s sent hurdling, the rate would change because the use has changed

from Flat racing to National Hunt. The premium would go up due to the change of discipline and the horse’s owner would need to tell us that information mid-term.

“Once a horse turns 14 or 15 the premiums start to increase. Mortality statistics indicate that horses are more vulnerable after this age so the premium needs to reflect that fact.

“The rate to insure a stallion like Flightline at one of the world’s top studs would be roughly half of the rate to insure him as a Flat racer. The premium is worked out on a percentage of the sum insured. The mortality rate for a racehorse in the US is around 4.5% of the value.

“Flightline’s current value would likely exceed the world’s capacity for insuring a stallion or a racehorse. The horse has now retired to stud, so the premium to insure him for death is in the region of 2.5% – the premium will have gone down from his racing career.

“It would be the same with a colt and a stallion in the UK – the premium would be higher for the colt. A filly or mare that retires from racing and becomes a prospective broodmare would also see their premium decrease.

“There are two types of stallion fertility policy. The first is the stallion permanent disability policy, which

Bloodstock insurance can cover a horse from foal to racehorse and stallion, the journey made by outstanding US dirt runner Flightline (above)

BILL SELWYN

GEORGE SELWYN

covers against a stallion being unable to cover any mares or get any mares in foal. The second is the first-season subfertility policy, which covers against a stallion that has retired to stud not being commercially fertile, calculated on how many mares he gets in foal.

“Broadly speaking, a commercially viable stallion will get more than 30% of the mares he covers per cycle in foal. If he doesn’t, an insurance claim will be met.”

To insure or not to insure

Purchasing bloodstock insurance is not compulsory. Individual owners must make up their own minds whether to invest in a specific policy, which could be affected by a number of factors, including the number of horses they own and their respective abilities.

Ashby says: “Of course, not everyone will insure their horses. Some will only decide to buy coverage for their most expensive or better-bred thoroughbreds for example.

“If you have up to five horses, I think people are better off buying insurance

to insure their well-bred colt because he’s just won his maiden easily and his trainer has told him the horse has Group potential, I’d check the pedigree, ask for a veterinary certificate and supply a premium quote.

“The premium would be around 3%. The owner would then take out the cover or take some time to think about it.

“If a horse wins a Group 1 race, the dam and/or that horse’s siblings may not be insured, but their value will have been affected and therefore their owners might seek insurance cover.

insurance from the second the gavel comes down.

“The premium is calculated as a percentage of the sum insured. We have an agreed value clause in our policies that states what we have agreed with the policy holder. The sum insured represents the horse’s value and if anything happens to the horse, that is the amount we will pay out.”

General advice

because mortality rates suggest that this would be a prudent idea. The loss of one of them is likely to have a significant effect on that owner’s racing enjoyment so that’s why I would recommend that they should think of insurance. It’s a matter of personal choice and mitigates the financial blow if the worst happens.

“For people who own 20 or 30 horses or more, there is an argument that self-insurance is most suitable because the premium to insure that number of horses would be a significant sum. If they didn’t insure but saved that money somewhere, they are effectively being prudent and self-insuring.”

Owners can start to insure their horses from any age – bloodstock valuations can increase according to improved racecourse performance and pedigree updates.

Ashby says: “If I’m approached by an owner who has decided they want

“Where it can go wrong is when someone insures their horse for £100,000, it wins the Guineas in the policy period and the sum insured is not increased. It can be important to increase the sum insured if a horse shows improved performance and goes on to win a big race. Equally, if the value of a horse decreases, a return premium would be payable.”

Sales purchases

For owners buying at the sales, insurance cover can be arranged at the venue or even organised in advance.

“With regard to owners investing at the sales, the horse becomes his new owner’s responsibility as soon as the hammer falls,” explains Ashby. “Insurance cover can also be organised beforehand; if the price exceeds what was initially quoted then the premium would increase as per the additional spend.

“A lot of our existing clients that already have policies with us would have an extension of coverage under a fall-ofhammer policy, which means as soon as they buy a horse at auction they have

Ashby recommends that owners speak to an insurer or broker in person before settling on a bloodstock policy.

He says: “In my opinion highvalue bloodstock insurance is not a transaction that should be made over the internet. I think you need to speak to either the underwriter or the broker and see how they respond to your questions and how helpful they are.

“If you are speaking to an insurance broker, it’s sensible to ask what commission they will earn from the transaction. The standard commissions from bloodstock insurance in the market can be as much as 25%.

“If the premium is £10,000, it’s possible that the broker is earning £2,500 and the underwriter is receiving £7,500. The Financial Conduct Authority does require intermediaries to disclose what their commission is in a transaction – and if they are not prepared to tell you that, it’s worthwhile thinking about getting another quote.

“It’s also a good idea to tell your insurer as soon as possible if something has happened to your horse. Immediate discussion about a problem is always beneficial, as the insurer may be able to assist with expert veterinary advice.”

Pre-arranged cover can be bought under a fall-of-hammer policy at the sales

“Ask the broker what commission the transaction will earn them”

GEORGE SELWYN

“Last season we fed all our stallions NAF Five Star Fertility as a matter of course. We found Fertility maximised conception rates throughout the season. It has become part of our routine to keep each stallion performing at his best and we will be keeping them on it next year for sure!”

Feed Five Star Fertility prior to the stud season and throughout to maintain and develop fertility in hard working stallions. Five Star Fertility is especially beneficial when fertility limiting behaviour is seen or when previous seasons have resulted in poor performance.

Phil Haworth, Whitsbury Manor Stud

The Finish Line with Peter Hockenhull

Peter Hockenhull is the driving force behind Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire, the National Hunt operation established in 1973 by his father David, who sadly died last month. Having graduated with a degree in engineering, the lure of horses proved too strong for Peter, who with wife Emma has continued to build on the success achieved with former stalwarts Gunner B and Alflora. The current roster, which is supported by around 30 of Shade Oak’s own broodmares, features sons of stallion legends Galileo, Dubawi and Frankel in Telescope, Dartmouth and Logician, the last-named one of the most exciting recruits to the jumps sires’ ranks in recent years and whose first foals are eagerly anticipated in early 2023.

When I came home from university aged 21, I was mucking out and doing other things on the stud. It was a family business started by my dad, who seized upon the fact I’d been to university and said, ‘You’re supposed to be the clever one, why don’t you get on with it then?’

In that way he handed over the reins to me quite quickly and I was tasked with financing our next stallion.

Two stallions stand out during my time here – Alflora and Gunner B, who was only bought as a fill-in. We desperately wanted to buy a horse called Rakaposhi King but he wasn’t available, so we got Gunner B. Then Rakaposhi came up and we bought him. Gunner B gets here and suddenly lands the Champion Hurdle with Royal Gait. From a small-time National Hunt stud used mainly by point-to-point breeders, he helped thrust Shade Oak into the limelight and introduced us to so many more clients. He was 16 when we got him from Germany; we thought if he did a couple of years it would be brilliant.

Gunner B was still covering aged 29. His

progeny had great heart and were as tough as nails. I owe an awful lot to him and of course so much of what he did was already laid down when he arrived. Gunner B really paved the way for Alflora. With him we had to do it from scratch. It was also during the time that interest rates were about 15%, which was very stressful and meant financially we were on the edge.

The overriding thing with stallions is firstly their performance and secondly their sire. Those two factors weigh heavily. It’s no mistake that we have a Dubawi, a Galileo and a Frankel. I’m missing one for the full set – to stand a son of Sea The Stars would be very nice!

Frankel’s up to £275,000 now – I stand his Classic-winning son at £4,000. In your mind’s eye you know what you want from a stallion, and I want to have horses that look exactly like Logician. You want an athletic sire that can really stride out and has great fluidity about his movement. You also want a sire to have a bit of size, lovely conformation, and a deep chest. It’s hard to find what he doesn’t have to offer.

You must look at what the other countries are doing to succeed in this industry. France has been very active in developing their National Hunt horses from a young age. You can look at the stallions and broodmare band, but it’s pretty evident there’s nothing really that much different [from Britain]. Their success rather comes down to how they bring their horses through. Ireland cottoned on to that and they develop horses through the point-to-point scene. What can we do over here? We don’t have the same structure so the introduction of these development races [Junior NH Hurdles for three- and four-year-olds] is a positive thing. If we don’t do something we’ll be left even further behind.

I’m not a fan of bumpers and don’t feel they have been a great friend to NH breeding. I think at the last Cheltenham Festival only one of the Grade 1 winners started their career in a bumper. Black type for bumper races? We’re either trying to breed jumpers or we’re not and if we are, surely it makes sense to get them jumping as early as possible.

At our busiest we’ve covered almost 400 mares. Last season Logician covered 183 – in terms of my owner base, it pretty well went berserk! Mare owners like to experiment with something new and exciting; Logician ticked that box and his timing was perfect, as there wasn’t a plethora of Group 1 winners retiring to stud.

If we didn’t have the Elite Mares’ Scheme then I wouldn’t have bought Logician. The success of a stallion is largely determined by the mares you attract. If you can cover those elite mares, it does give you an opportunity which in so many years was denied when the best mares went to Ireland. My ultimate dream would be to have the leading sire – it’s an outside shot but it is possible. The Elite Mares’ Scheme (see TBA Forum, page 88) is one of those factors that is just tipping things back towards us, as is the Great British Bonus and the hugely improved mares’ programme.

This business is all-encompassing – when you get to the end of the stud season you’re absolutely shattered. There are no weekends off and from the moment you kick into the season, it just loads and loads until you think you’re going to break. But it’s amazing what happens when you get round to January. The thought of Logician’s first foals – I’ll be racing down to the foaling unit as soon as I get the call! That is still the biggest thrill of all and if I lose that feeling then I’ll get out.

Interview: Edward Rosenthal

Logician: Classic-winning son of Frankel has proved popular at stud

GEORGE SELWYN

The