Thoroughbred Owner Breeder by The Owner Breeder

Â£5.95 AUGUST 2020 ISSUE 192

Glorious victory

Mohaather showcases his brilliance at Goodwood www.theownerbreeder.com

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07/08/2020 17:01

Continuing his rise

BLACKTYPE PERFORMERS

IN 2020

Exciting Group victory for unbeaten Bated Breath colt Cairn Gorm. Following in the footsteps of subsequent Group 1 winners Earthlight, Ervedya*, Dabirsim, Silver Frost*, Denebola, Xaar, Coup De Genie, Hector Protector*, Kendor* etc. *Classic Winner

Cairn Gorm | by Bated Breath Prix de Cabourg Gr.3, Deauville Bred by Hunscote Stud

+44 (0)1638 731115 nominations@juddmonte.co.uk www.juddmonte.com

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Welcome

Funding woes can only be solved with long-term plan

Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Nancy Sexton Luxury Editor: Sarah Rodrigues Design/production: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1SB editor@ownerbreeder.co.uk www.theownerbreeder.com Twitter: @OwnerBreeder Instagram: ownerbreeder Equine Advertising: Giles Anderson/ Anna Alcock UK: 01380 816777 IRE: 041 971 2000 USA: 1 888 218 4430 advertise@anderson-co.com Subscriptions: Keely Brewer subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk

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£5.95 AUGUST 2020 ISSUE 192

Glorious victory

Mohaather showcases his brilliance at Goodwood www.theownerbreeder.com

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Cover: Mohaather and Jim Crowley storm home to win the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood on July 29 Photo: Alan Crowhurst

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Edward Rosenthal Editor

07/08/2020 17:01

he perennial debate over prize-money has intensified in the months since racing resumed, with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic having a huge impact on the sport’s revenue streams. Racing’s Members’ Committee, which includes representation from the BHA, horsemen and racecourses, agreed to protect purses in the middle to lower tiers in an effort to try and retain owners at grass-roots level. By contrast, the top races have seen huge cuts, including showpiece events at Epsom, Royal Ascot, Goodwood and York. Enable’s connections collected £708,000 after her victory in the 2019 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes; her prize this year, after becoming the first horse to win the race three times, was £226,000. While the Levy Board has stepped in to increase its prize-money contribution for the remainder of 2020, using its reserves built up over previous years, this is only a stopgap and not a long-term solution. Covid-19 has highlighted the financial issues facing our sport and brought the question of future funding firmly into the spotlight. Newmarket handler Ed Vaughan pinpointed the poor levels of prize-money on offer in his decision to stop training later this year. Despite winning a Group 2 race in July with Dame Malliot, likely the best horse he has trained over the past 17 seasons, and enjoying the patronage of some loyal owners, Vaughan has decided enough is enough. “The problem is that nothing has changed since I started back in 2004. We are running for the same sort of money, and yet all of the costs have gone up,” Vaughan tells Graham Dench (The Big Interview, pages 24-28). “I’ve got great owners and I’ve been making a living, but I’ve no dependents, which makes it easier, and I just don’t see anything improving. “The business model is badly broken and needs a complete overhaul. For a start, the industry needs strong leadership; it would benefit everybody. “The only hope we have is through the Tote,

although I know it’s in private hands here now. In Australia, where they have the TAB, in France with the Pari Mutuel, and in Hong Kong where the Jockey Club has a monopoly over gambling, the money gets ploughed back into the sport, whereas here we have too many take-out merchants. “The racecourses’ contribution is not what it should be and we need more transparency over media rights, and for the whole thing to come together. The people putting on the show are getting nothing out of it, and yet without owners and horses there is no show.” Against the argument that owning racehorses is purely a hobby and pleasure, rather than an

“Covid-19 has highlighted the financial issues facing our sport” investment, for the majority of well-off owners is summed up in just a few words by one of Vaughan’s patrons, Alan Pickering, who says his involvement in the sport he loves is fast becoming a “prohibitively expensive pastime”. Despite these challenging times, stories of hope and resilience can still be found. Gaie Johnson Houghton (The Finish Line, page 72) received an award from the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association after Accidental Agent, trained by daughter Eve, carried her silks to victory in the 2018 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. Now she has doubled her Group 1 tally as a breeder following Mohaather’s brilliant success in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood. Not bad going, you might say, for someone maintaining a broodmare band you could count on one hand.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

10/08/2020 15:46

Contents

August 2020

News & Views ROA Leader Permanent change sought

TBA Leader Pattern-race plan vital

News ITV Racing deal extended

Changes News in a nutshell

Howard Wright Better habits emerge

Features continued 5 7 10 12 22

With trainer Ed Vaughan

Haras d'Etreham French operation in focus

Resilience in abundance

Sales Circuit 41

The Finish Line 72

Forum ROA Forum

Big Picture The Big Interview

Breeders' Digest

With Gaie Johnson Houghton

Stan Mellor tribute

Goodwood Festival action

Challenging times ahead

Stability welcomed

Features Leading jump jockey remembered

Store horses

16 24

Prize-money boost from September

TBA Forum Review of the year so far

Breeder of the Month Mohaather and Oxted strike

Vet Forum 30

Intra-articular medication in the racehorse

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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30 18 16

Did you know? Our monthly average readership is

20,000

Aug_192_Contents.indd 3

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

10/08/2020 15:52

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18/04/2020

10:17

At the ROA we work tirelessly to support, protect and promote the interests of racehorse owners everywhere. We collaborate across the industry to make sure that owners’ voices are heard within racing – making it a more open, enjoyable and rewarding sport for everyone. SUPPORTING YOUR OWNERSHIP JOURNEY AT EVERY STEP. DISCOVER HOW - ROA.CO.UK

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ROA Leader

Charlie Parker Acting President

Working to achieve permanent change A

nother month has flown by and as a sport we are beginning to make progress in rebuilding to a ‘new normal’, having witnessed some fantastic racing with the likes of Enable, Stradivarius and Battaash all fulfilling their star status. Last month in this column, I was clear that as an industry we have an opportunity to move forward together in the interest of all participants. The response to this message across our industry indicates that it has been well received and that we can make an impact. In short, our message has been heard. Only very recently, we received a real boost with the news that prize-money minimum values will return to preCovid levels from the start of September, while we will also see a restart of the appearance money scheme. All of this, achieved through the hard work of the ROA, Horsemen’s Group, BHA, RCA and Levy Board, bodes well for the horsemen and women that keep this sport going. Our fixtures will now make a more meaningful contribution. However, this is an interim period whilst we focus on establishing a workable set of fair commercial agreements that will determine the level of prize-money that we race for over the next three to five years. Prize-money is the single biggest issue for owners and all horsemen, helping to attract new owners and retaining existing ones. We know more needs to be done. A long-term solution in the form of commercially sensible agreements will allow us to grow the sport together. Racecourses, which have kept their executive contributions to prize-money at historic lows, must improve their financial contribution. I believe we have already seen a willingness from a number of groups to engage in meaningful and constructive discussions around commercially sensible agreements for both parties. However, these early signs now have to be backed up with realistic, transparent and fair deals. Owners and the sport’s participants have, I am afraid, built up a cynical view of their treatment. The only way to dispel this cynicism is to be open and candid about the revenue. There is clearly more work to be done but the return of pre-Covid levels of prize-money is great progress for owners and horsemen. With regard to the racecourses, it was clear from the start of racing’s resumption that the owner experience and treatment on track was not good enough. Owners are simply essential to the sport; racing’s governing body,

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and the courses, must realise this fact and cater for them accordingly. I am delighted to see, as a result of some strong voices from the ROA and the working group that features representatives from the ROA, BHA and RCA, that we have significantly improved the guidelines for owners on the racecourse. Some of the improvements have been as a direct result of feedback from ROA members to both the executive team and board members, so please keep it coming, the good and the bad! Owners can now enjoy the reopening of hospitality and other concessions, extra badges and more time on course

“Commercially sensible prize-money agreements will allow us to grow the sport together” to enjoy the day and the racing. Particular thanks must go to the ROA team who have helped achieve this excellent outcome. So another month in these strange times and as a sport we are getting somewhere, albeit with the huge disappointment that the pilot event for a crowd at Goodwood was shelved. This cancellation has highlighted that while progress has been made, it can also be reversed. We are at the whim of the government, especially with the increasing use of local lockdowns. Yet, to end on a positive note, the sport is now listening to its owners and participants – long may it continue. Progress is good; let’s make it permanent.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

10/08/2020 13:11

A #WINWIN all round The Great British Bonus (GBB), a scheme for British-bred fillies and mares, is already having a huge impact on the prize money being won at racecourses up and down the country. Since launching at the end of May, bonuses have been paid on wins for both Flat and Jumps, with two multiple winners already.

BRAZEN BELLE earns £7,506 in prize money and £40,000 in bonuses from just three starts

POGO I AM has Harry Fry jumping for joy

Kevin Nicholson has only one broodmare and races her progeny. This year’s two-year-old, BRAZEN BELLE, became the first filly to pick up multiple Great British Bonuses after winning a novice race at Catterick, following on from her Beverley win in June.

Winning a Novice Hurdle at Stratford handed a £20,000 cash bonanza to Cornish owner/breeders Sandie and David Newton. They are the first winners of a Jumping bonus from GBB. POGO I AM also provided the first winner trained by Harry Fry at his new Higher Crockermoor stables in Dorset.

BEECHWOOD DONNA’s syndicate members in raptures

BLACKBERRY picking, and already £40,000 in the basket

Costing just £17,000 as a yearling, BEECHWOOD DONNA is already in profit for the Ontoawinner syndicate after Kevin Ryan placed her to win in her first start at Beverley, earning a £20,000 bonus.

Owner/breeder Simon Chappell has an easy decision to make with BLACKBERRY’s yearling half-sister. She will be kept to race, with the hope of emulating BLACKBERRY’s £40,000 of bonuses in two starts.

Eligible GBB store filly makes £130,000 at Goffs UK Summer Sale. Sired on a stud fee of just £5,000 in 2016, the three-year-old daughter of Kayf Tara and Mayfair Music produced a wonderful return for clients of Juliet Minton’s Mill House Stud, making £130,000 at the Goffs Summer Sale of Stores. She will now be eligible to run for multiple £20,000 bonus prizes under the Great British Bonus scheme.

Registration for your 2019 and 2020 GB-bred fillies is open until 31st August 2020. Make sure you register your fillies at stages 1, 2 and 3 to ensure they receive bonuses of up to £20,000, with multiple winning opportunities. If you’re a TBA member, you get an extra bonus, as you can register your 2019 foals for free. You’ll also receive a discount on all future foal registrations. To register or find out more, visit greatbritishbonus.co.uk

TBA Leader

Julian Richmond-Watson Chairman

Protecting prize-money in the top tier is vital W

e are all well aware of issues associated with the poor level of prize-money in Britain and while the 2019 total of £165 million was a record, the rewards are still woefully short of those offered by our major competitors in an increasingly global sport. It was extremely concerning to hear recently that some of the largest breeders and owners are reviewing their operations in Britain, compared with their activity in other jurisdictions where prize-money at every level is far greater than ours. Such a development is perhaps not surprising, but it needs to be at the forefront of the industry’s thinking as we recover from the impact of Covid-19. Tackling the imbalance requires a sensible strategy. Of course, it is important that those horses running in the lower tier of the sport should receive as good a reward as possible, but if our sport is to thrive internationally, serious consideration must be given to how our Pattern races in particular, which are intended to attract competition from overseas, are funded. We can only live off the reputation and past quality of our races, and the prestige and experience of racing in Britain, for so long. The drift away has already started and if we want to avoid Britain’s becoming a second-tier racing nation, we must address the issue of international competition head-on. The number of British-trained runners who supplement Pattern-race fields in France on almost every occasion when quality racing takes place has become very noticeable. Take a seven-day period in the middle of July, for example. Three meetings, including the midweek Bastille Day fixture at Longchamp, attracted a total of 24 British-trained runners to nine Group and Listed races. There were seven individual winners, including Pinatubo in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat, and British-trained runners finished second in the two races that got away, the Group 2 Prix de Malleret and Group 1 Prix d’Ispahan. In all, 12 horses picked up place prize-money, although it has to be admitted that not all would have covered the cost of travel. British runners Royal Crusade, Glen Shiel and Dubai Station were first, second and third in the Group 3 Prix de RisOrangis at Chantilly, while Ventura Tormenta and The Lir Jet were first and second in the four-runner Prix Robert Papin. Taken overall, UK-based horses represented 35 per cent of runners across the nine races, bolstering not only numbers but also their quality, to the detriment of British racing. This will soon show itself in the Pattern and then on to grading of British races. Very few French Flat horses now cross the

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Channel, and why would they, when there are plenty of opportunities with better prize-money at home? The top Irish-trained horses, who have a much smaller domestic racing programme, still come to Britain, but they also target France. How long will it be before the prize-money differential lures more of their best horses to France? I accept that Covid-19 has exacerbated the situation and even getting Pattern races back to 75 per cent of their 2019 values is a struggle, but this just highlights the issue when even full values were becoming uncompetitive. Quality in any sport promotes interest and a following. The racing public will soon spot the difference between topend racing and something more mundane. The premier tier

“Serious consideration must be given to how our Pattern races in particular are funded” of every sport leads the way and Britain must aim to stay competitive with other racing nations. This global sport makes quality racehorses very attractive in other jurisdictions and it is difficult for the average owner to turn down an offer from overseas for a horse that can win good prize-money elsewhere. If major owners feel the same way, or look to race elsewhere themselves, then the depletion of our bloodstock and dilution of our racing will become of real concern. If the sport aspires to remain at the top table and maintain its position as a world leader, we must consider how we support our Pattern races against this global threat. Racing is an aspirational sport and we need to make sure everyone can aspire to a top level in Britain that offers appropriate rewards.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

10/08/2020 13:10

Stan Mellor tribute

‘An outstanding jockey’ Stan Mellor, 1937-2020 Words: Tim Richards

GEORGE SELWYN

orseracing lost one of its most celebrated jockeys, as well as a great ambassador, with the death of Stan Mellor on July 31. He was 83. In a career spanning 20 seasons from 1954, Mellor was best known as the first jump jockey to ride 1,000 winners. He was the youngest rider, at 22, to win the National Hunt jockeys’ championship in 1959-60 and went on to retain the title in the following two seasons. The build-up during the week before his achievement in chalking up 1,000 winners on the grey Ouzo at Nottingham in December 1971 made daily headlines accentuating Mellor’s frustrating lack of success. ‘Mellor fails to make it,’ they kept saying. Yet through those seven winnerless days, Mellor handled himself impeccably despite persistent pressure and interruptions from the media. His unassuming, friendly manner in front of the press helped to promote the sport like no other jockey before him. He was ahead of his time and, unlike modernday jockeys, had no media training. He set a benchmark for subsequent champions and the 20-times title holder, Sir Anthony McCoy, described Mellor as a “great man who set the standard for jockeys to ride 1,000 winners over jumps.” Mellor retired from the saddle in 1972 with a total of 1,035 winners over jumps in Britain and was awarded the MBE for services to horseracing. Two of Mellor’s most famous rides saw him defeat those equine celebrities of the 1960s – Arkle and Mill House. In the 1966 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury Mellor rode a brilliant tactical race. In receipt of 35lb from Arkle, he held up Stalbridge Colonist in the slipstream of the great horse and timed his challenge to perfection going into the final fence, where he pulled his mount to the right and stayed on for a shock 25-1 victory. Four years earlier, Mellor had employed similar tactics on King’s Nephew to defeat Mill House in the Cottage Rake Chase at Kempton. Among Mellor’s other memorable victories were two King George VI Chases on Frenchman’s Cove (1964)

and Titus Oates (1969), the Whitbread Gold Cup on Frenchman’s Cove (1962), the Mackeson Gold Cup on Super Flash (1964) and the Grand Sefton Chase on The Fossa (1965). He never won the Grand National or the Cheltenham Gold Cup but finished second in both races. He was runner up on Badanloch behind Merryman II in the 1960 National. Badanloch was trained at Tarporley in Cheshire by George Owen, for whom Mellor rode during the early part of his career. In the 1967 Gold Cup he found himself in another desperate finish

aboard Stalbridge Colonist, this time with Woodland Venture, ridden by Terry Biddlecombe. They had a great set-to from the second last, with Mellor going down by three-quarters of a length. Biddlecombe’s widow, Henrietta Knight, trainer of triple Gold Cup winner Best Mate, recalled: “Terry always admired Stan, who was an exceptional friend. Stan was so light and Terry so heavy they never clashed in the Turkish baths that were used in those days!” Knight, a talented eventer and Olympic selector herself, added: “Stan was such an elegant rider and an

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 15:01

outstanding jockey. He had such lovely balance, horses ran and jumped for him. He also had a great way with people, always very kind and helpful.” Mellor set up as a trainer, first at Linkslade in Lambourn and then at nearby Wanborough, where he named his stables after Pollardstown whom he had saddled to win the Triumph Hurdle and Welsh Champion Hurdle. Other notable training triumphs included Royal Mail (1980) and Lean Ar Aghaidh (1987) in the Whitbread Gold Cup, as well as Pacify in the Midlands National. On the Flat, Al Trui won the 1985 Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood. Former Grand National winning jockey and trainer Brendan Powell, now assistant to Joseph O’Brien in Ireland, rode for Mellor as a conditional and

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“He had such lovely balance, horses ran and jumped for him” said: “Stan was a brilliant teacher, but also one of the kindest men you could ever meet, not only to his staff but the horses as well. He hated people using the whip. “He was a very good trainer. He put in two single lane canters at Linkslade

because he loved seeing horses lobbing round and enjoying themselves.” Powell, who rode Rhyme ‘N’ Reason to Aintree glory in 1988, added: “Stan had a horse that none of us could hold one side of. He got on him one day, riding full hunting length, jumped him off on a long rein, just lobbed around for about two and a half miles and never even picked up the bridle. “Stan was whistling and singing as he went round. And there were we watching, and none of us could manage the beast!” Mellor leaves a widow, Elain, herself a successful amateur rider on the Flat, and daughters Dana, a founding member of JETS (Jockeys Education and Training Scheme), and Linz, a winning amateur rider.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

PA IMAGES

Stan Mellor and Stalbridge Colonist (left) challenge Terry Biddlecombe and Woodland Venture at the final fence in the 1967 Cheltenham Gold Cup, which the latter won by three-quarters of a length

10/08/2020 15:01

News

ITV deal extended until 2023

GEORGE SELWYN

TV this month announced that it is continuing as the exclusive free-to-air broadcaster of British racing until 2023, news that was widely welcomed by stakeholders and the sport’s fans alike. Having shown terrestrial racing exclusively since 2017, ITV has secured the rights to show nearly 100 days of action each year for a further three years from 2021. The deal includes all the marquee events being on ITV’s main channel, such as the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National meeting, the Derby and Oaks, Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood. As part of the deal, The Opening Show, ITV Racing’s magazine preview programme, will continue each Saturday morning and on each day at the Cheltenham Festival, the Grand National meeting and Royal Ascot. Viewing figures have inevitably been high during the Covid-19 lockdown, though they have in any case been a major improvement on the Channel 4 era. The biggest events in the calendar have seen large increases, with the 2019 Grand National’s average audience up by more than two million compared with 2016, when Channel 4 last held the rights, and this year’s Cheltenham Festival hitting audience highs not seen since records began in 2003. There has also been official acclaim, with the ITV Racing team winning a Bafta for its coverage of the 2017 Grand National, and Director Paul McNamara earning a Bafta nomination for last year’s Cheltenham coverage. Ed Chamberlin and Francesca Cumani landed the Broadcaster Sports Presenter of the Year award at the 2018 British Sports Journalism Awards. Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport, said: “ITV is delighted to announce the continuation of free to air coverage of a sport that is loved and followed by so many. To do so following a successful resumption of the sport with wide audiences returning to our coverage after such a long lay-off is particularly welcome and we look forward to bringing the very best this wonderful sport has to offer to viewers over the next few years.”

Ed Chamberlin and the ITV Racing team have enjoyed excellent viewing figures in 2020

Richard FitzGerald, the outgoing Chief Executive of Racecourse Media Group, added: “ITV has been a terrific partner for British horseracing over the last three years and ITV has earned the right to renew the contract for a further three years. “Its award-winning productions are reflected with increased audiences, in contrast to wider TV audience trends, and they have succeeded in attracting a new, younger audience, without alienating in any way the existing fanbase.”

Concern over new anti-doping rules The BHA has unveiled a number of changes to its equine anti-doping rules, some of which have failed to find favour with trainers. The changes, which take effect from next month, flow from a review of the sport’s anti-doping rules announced in 2018, following a number of disciplinary panel cases that called into question assumptions that had been made regarding the rules and how they should be applied. According to the BHA, the amendments will ensure clarity for those who enforce and are bound by the rules. They primarily relate to circumstances in which the responsible person can avoid a penalty being imposed for a positive

ITV has gone above and beyond since the resumption of British racing on June 1, adding some Fridays and Sundays, along with top Irish contests, to its portfolio, providing a valuable shop window for racing in a sport-starved nation. BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust, who like FitzGerald is leaving his current role, said: “It’s good news that an agreement has been reached to secure mainstream terrestrial coverage for our sport for another three years. ITV do a great job in showcasing British racing.”

sample – and it is in this area that trainers’ concerns manifest. The BHA says it consulted on both the rules and associated penalties directly with trainers and via the National Trainers Federation, though, as with the changes brought in concerning apprentices’ earnings and expenses, the end result of their review does not have the support of trainers, at least not fully. In summary the changes are: • If a horse tests positive for a prohibited substance, in order to avoid a penalty the responsible person must establish the precise source of the positive finding and that they had taken all reasonable precautions; • Cautions are available for lower level breaches; • Suspended sanctions are available for breaches.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 15:49

Stories from the racing world

Tim Naylor, Director of Integrity and Regulation at the BHA, said: “It is our hope that we now have a set of equine anti-doping rules which are clear both for those who enforce them and those who are bound by them. “We have to ensure that our rules in relation to anti-doping are sufficiently robust, but also that as much as is possible in such a technical area everyone bound by the rules understands what is required of them. “Whilst in places the requirements upon the responsible person have been strengthened, there have also been changes to allow more appropriate penalties for lower and mid-level breaches of the rules.” In response, a statement from the NTF read: “The NTF is pleased that the BHA took on board the need to remove penalties where malicious administration

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British National Hunt breeding owes a huge debt of gratitude to Kayf Tara

list. He is responsible for an array of household names, ranging from that spectacular two-mile chaser Special Tiara to the top staying hurdler and King George VI Chase hero Thistlecrack. Another talented representative, Blaklion, won the RSA Chase at the same Cheltenham Festival in 2016 that Ballyandy, also by Kayf Tara, captured the Weatherbys Champion Bumper. More recently, Kayf Tara has been represented at the top level by Thyme Hill, the winner of last season’s Challow Novices’ Hurdle at Newbury for Philip Hobbs. In recognition of his success, Kayf Tara has won the TBA Whitbread Silver Salver as Britain’s leading active jumps stallion on no fewer than eight occasions. He has also won five TBA

GEORGE SELWYN

The British National Hunt scene has lost a major force with the retirement of Kayf Tara from stud duty due to declining fertility. The 26-year-old son of Sadler’s Wells, who has stood at Overbury Stud in Gloucestershire throughout his stud career, has reigned as Britain’s leading jumps sire for well over a decade. Indeed, the jumping landscape in Britain would look very different without Kayf Tara, his popularity underlined by the fact that he has long been one of those horses capable of garnering respect from across the Irish Sea and beyond. Kayf Tara was bred by Meon Valley Stud out of Irish Oaks heroine Colorspin, making him a brother to multiple Group 1 winner Opera House. Purchased by Darley Stud Management for 210,000gns as a yearling, he went on to become a stayer of the highest order for Godolphin, winning two Gold Cups and a pair of Irish St Legers. He was retired to stand at Overbury Stud in 2001 and enjoyed some success as a Flat stallion, notably as the sire of Listed winner Ruby Wine out of his first crop, before developing into a major influence over jumps. Kayf Tara has been Britain’s top active jumps sire in every season bar one since 2008-09 and hit a high point in 2016-17 when second behind King’s Theatre on the champion jumps sires’

GEORGE SELWYN

Kayf Tara retired from stud duties

Rupert Arnold and the NTF are unhappy with some of the rule revisions

could be proved. However, strict liability reverses the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ by putting the onus on the defendant to prove innocence, in this case by having to prove the precise

Horse and Hound Cups. Kayf Tara’s retirement marks the end of an era in British jumps breeding but his story is far from over as he covered 91 mares in 2018 and another 69 last year. Paying tribute to Kayf Tara, Overbury Stud Manager Simon Sweeting said: “I feel very lucky to have been with Kayf Tara every step of the way through his amazing career as a jump stallion, and am extraordinarily grateful to Sheikh Mohammed and the Darley team for entrusting him to us. “He’s been such a great servant to the National Hunt game, siring many breeders’ best ever horse, and affording race fans some great sport. He retires fit and well, and is as fresh and lively as a youngster.”

source of the prohibited substance. This is notoriously difficult to do. “It is right that the disciplinary panel should have the option of cautioning a trainer instead of imposing a financial penalty for the least culpable breaches. This protects trainers where a treatment has been correctly administered on veterinary advice, all guidelines have been adhered to and the horse has still provided a positive test. “We disagree with the BHA about the minimum sanction of a suspended disqualification in addition to a financial penalty for the lowest level breach for substances prohibited at all times. If the panel is satisfied the trainer had no knowledge of the substance’s administration and had taken reasonable precautions, a suspended disqualification is an unwarranted stain on the trainer’s reputation.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

10/08/2020 15:49

Changes

Racing’s news in a nutshell

People and business Investec

Name attached to the Derby and Oaks since 2009 agrees with JCR to cease sponsorship immediately despite contract running until 2026.

Paddy Aspell

Follows older brother Leighton into retirement due to a cruciate ligament injury. Aspell, 38, partnered 228 UK winners under both codes.

Pat Cosgrave

Broken leg sustained in a fall from Capla Berry at Newbury on July 19 will keep the 38-year-old out of action until September.

Ed Vaughan

Trainer who sent out recent Group 2 winner Dame Malliot will relinquish his licence after 16 years in Newmarket citing financial reasons.

Kenny Alexander

Chief Executive of betting giant GVC, parent company of Coral and Ladbrokes, decides to step down; he will be succeeded by Shay Segev.

Dave Crosse

Jockey takes a fall on his first ride of the season at Southwell, fracturing his T4 vertebra, and will be on the sidelines for around six weeks.

Bob Baffert

Leading US trainer receives a 15-day ban after Grade 1 winner Charlatan and a stablemate fail post-race drugs tests at Oaklawn Park in May.

Hollie Doyle

Up-and-coming rider, who enjoyed her first Royal Ascot and Pattern winners this year, is appointed first jockey to owner Imad Al Sagar.

Sir Graham Wylie

Owner of such names as Inglis Drever, Tidal Bay and Nichols Canyon will not have any horses in training for the first time in two decades.

Ella McCain

19-year-old apprentice joins Tim Easterby’s North Yorkshire stable having previously been based with her father Donald in Cheshire.

Madeleine Tylicki

Calls time on training career in Ireland having sent out ten winners since taking out her licence in 2016.

William Hill

Richard FitzGerald

Steps down as CEO of Racecourse Media Group after nearly 12 years in the role.

Kevin Nabet

Top French jump jockey receives sixmonth ban after punching weighingroom colleague Baptiste Dubourg, who suffered a fractured jaw.

Bookmaker will close 119 shops due to the effects of Covid-19, following the closure of 713 shops last year in response to FOBT restrictions.

Hazel Peplinski

Chief Executive of Perth racecourse is elected to join the Racecourse Association Board of Directors.

Horse obituaries Yanworth 10

Glatisant 29

Mountain Angel 6

Sceptical 4

Winner of two Grade 1s over hurdles, a Grade 2 over fences and successful over the banks course at Punchestown for JP McManus.

Rip Van Winkle 14

Son of Galileo, winner of the Sussex Stakes, Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Juddmonte International, dies at stud in New Zealand.

Talented gelding, winner of the Listed Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot in June for owner Ziad Galadari and trainer Roger Varian.

Defoe 6

High-class middle-distance performer for Mohammed Obaid, winner of nine races including ther 2019 Group 1 Coronation Cup.

Daughter of Rainbow Quest was a Group 3 winner and the dam of 2,000 Guineas winner and sire Footstepsinthesand. Top-class sprinter bought for just £2,800, placed in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and July Cup for owner James McAuley and trainer Denis Hogan, suffers a fatal injury on the gallops.

Hat Trick 19

Son of Sunday Silence won the Hong Kong Mile and was later a successful stallion, siring Group 1 winner Dabirsim.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:12

Tattersalls August Sale August 24 - 26 Three Day Sale 700+ Horses/Fillies in Training, Broodmares, etc Including consignments from Ballydoyle Stables, Godolphin, Juddmonte Farms, Rabbah Bloodstock & Shadwell Stud

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RIVER BOYNE Frank E Kilroe Mile Stakes, Gr. 1 purchased at Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale for 70,000 gns

Live

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FI NE XT W U RE

Changes

Racehorse and stallion

Movements and retirements Knockgraffon

Five-time winner for owner Barbara Hester, including two renewals of Musselburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s valuable chase on New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, is retired aged ten.

Al Namix

Stallion whose progeny includes Grade 1 winners Saphir Du Rheu, Grandouet and Petit Mouchoir is pensioned aged 23.

Kayf Tara

Leading British-based National Hunt stallion is retired from covering duties aged 26 after 20 seasons at stud.

Malotru

Talented three-year-old for the Marco Botti stable, third to Pinatubo in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat, is sold to continue his career in Hong Kong.

Magician

Steel Bull

Italy will be the new home for the son of Galileo, successful twice at the top level, after stints at stud in America, Ireland and France.

Exciting two-year-old, winner of the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, is bought by Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez.

People obituaries Stan Mellor 83

Champion jockey three times between 1959 and 1962 and the first man to ride 1,000 winners over jumps.

Norma Macauley 88

Sent out over 300 winners until her retirement in 2008, latterly having her horses in training with Ron Harris.

Geoff Turnbull 74

Owner-breeder who enjoyed success at the top level with Lord Glitters and Mondialiste, the latter now a stallion at Elwick Stud.

Stuart Wheeler 85

Former barrister and banker who founded pioneering spread betting firm IG Index in 1974.

Bill Booth 94

Racehorse owner enjoyed 47 winners including six-time scorer Crosspark, whose biggest success came in the Eider Chase in 2019.

Noel Martin 60

Owner whose best horse was the Sir Henry Cecil-trained Jacqueline Quest, disqualified after passing the post in front in the 2010 1,000 Guineas.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:13

The BHA is looking to appoint a Chairperson for Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) The BHA is looking to appoint a Chairperson for Retraining of Racehorses (RoR). Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) is British Horseracing’s official charity for the welfare of racehorses that have retired from racing. RoR’s vision is that there is a clearly marked pathway for all British trained racehorses to enjoy a fulfilling life further to their racing career, and where applicable breeding career, with a strong and secure welfare safety net in place.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone to lead the Board of Trustees to map out the path from the current remit of the organisation to the intended role as set out by the Horse Welfare Board strategy. The incoming Chairperson will work with the trustees and executive team to produce an appropriate strategy under the new remit which can guide the organisation’s operations and be used to secure necessary funding.

As the Chair of the RoR Board you will be passionate about thoroughbred welfare. The position of Chair is voluntary but reasonable expenses will be reimbursed.

The new Chairperson will review the requirements for key executive roles and structure, undertaking any necessary changes.

The term of appointment is for a period of three years starting December 2020 with an option subject to agreement of both parties to extend for a further 3 years.

To find out more please visit: https://www.britishhorseracing.com/work-bha/bha-vacancies/

Key responsibilities include: Chair the AGM and a minimum of four Trustee Board meetings per annum Other meetings may be called for specific agenda item Attend meetings with the BHA, HWB and other stakeholders

Interested applicants should send expressions of interest (no more than 2 A4 pages) to: fcarlin@britishhorseracing.com by close on Friday 28 August. For an informal confidential discussion about the role, please contact the BHA Chief Executive Nick Rust nrust@britishhorseracing.com

Review on-going work and progress on actions arising from Trustee Board meetings Participate as a member of Finance, Audit and Risk Committee meetings Visit RoR partnership centres as required. Attend RoR promotional, educational activities, and fund-raising events as desired

RoR is an equal opportunities employer and values diversity and inclusion within the charity. We welcome people from a variety of backgrounds, who display a team spirit and will contribute to delivering RoR’s vision and mission. RoR is a charity registered in England and Wales, and Scotland Registered Charity No: 1084787 / OSCR Number: SC043339 Registered Company No: 4089376 The Company is limited by guarantee

The Big Picture

THE OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:14

Qatar Goodwood Festival

Glorious spectacle The Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes looked like the race of the season so far, featuring the Guineas winners in England and Ireland, Kameko and Siskin, plus the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s runner-up Circus Maximus. As it turned out they were all put in their place by progressive four-year-old Mohaather, trained by Marcus Tregoning for Hamdan Al Maktoum. The British-bred son of Showcasing produced a tremendous turn of foot under Jim Crowley, storming home down the outside of the field to record a cosy threequarter length victory over the game Circus Maximus, with Siskin and Kameko in behind. Photo Bill Selwyn THE OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:14

The Big Picture

THE OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:14

Qatar Goodwood Festival

Stewards’ Cup cracker A tight finish to the Unibet Stewards’ Cup saw top-weight Summerghand and Danny Tudhope (centre) prevail by a head from Kimifive and Cieren Fallon (far side). Trained by David O’Meara for Hamad Rashed Bin Ghadayer, Summerghand produced a strong run from the back of the field having raced in the centre group, only getting on top in the final strides. The winner, rated 108 before the Stewards’ Cup, will likely be forced back into Pattern company in future. Photo Edward Whitaker

THE OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:15

Oak Buildings

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particularly at foaling time, and every aspect of the build needed to be as safe as possible.” Alex Edey, from Oakwrights, designed the overall concept for the stud and also advised on a number of key design decisions, such as the yard’s orientation to ensure it was south-facing. “Positioning the yard in this way has created a stable area that is sheltered and sunny,” Hayley explained. “Due to the enclosed nature and walk through to the turnout paddocks, it is also incredibly

Mares and foals were very much in mind during the design stage of the project

safe when leading mares and foals in and out.” The design of the yard also features a cruck arch in one roof section, which has helped to create a bespoke space where Hayley’s team can stay in close proximity to the foaling mares, and can also look down onto the foaling boxes through a triangular window from the observation room, without needing to disturb the horses or just relying on CCTV. Alex Edey commented: “This yard was a dream project to design. Drawing the structure using 3D modelling software created clear designs, which Hayley and I could then work from to determine the exact location for other bespoke aspects, such as the staircase and the spaces upstairs, while ensuring enough headroom throughout.” The last word, however, goes to Hayley, who is thrilled with her oak frame yard. “The delivery and erection of the frame was amazing,” she explained. “It all fitted together in no time at all and the team were onsite for three days in total. “I absolutely love how the yard works and would not change a single thing.” oakwrights.co.uk

20 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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10/08/2020 13:47

The Howard Wright Column

Better habits emerge from enforced trial T

maximum of seven or eight races, instead of the June-to-August norm of up to ten, will spell disaster for some tracks if crowds are not allowed back. However, continuing to limit participants to one meeting a day is a sound move, guaranteed to give more jockeys greater peace of mind and a better chance of sharing winning opportunities. And while we are looking at retaining the best of what might have been regarded as short-term measures, let’s keep two pushers at the starting stalls, to sharpen up home schooling, as well as 72-hour declarations for major race meetings, which worked well at Royal Ascot, five-day entries for Group 1 races, as long as horsemen recognise the likely downward impact on

GEORGE SELWYN

he wait goes on; just when the racecourse door was about to be opened to admit a small number of spectators, the government slammed the gates shut. Goodwood sent 10,000 scones down to the Chichester food bank, and another red entry went into British racing’s profit and loss account. Who knows when that particular ledger will be back in the black? As this column’s favourite sage, Sir John Timpson, pointed out when asked for his forecast about a postcoronavirus future: “It’s too soon to judge if old habits will ever return.” Nonetheless, this could be an ideal time to examine new habits, an opportunity to make permanent some enforced aspects of the unique circumstances in a trial that would otherwise have not been contemplated. Desperate measures, and all that. Business management consultants Regulus Partners made a relevant observation in a recent analysis note, saying: “British horseracing put its best foot forward as lockdown eased. The reopening has provided a very valuable test on a number of levels to get the fixture list right, based at least in part upon what customers want rather than what betting operators think they want, or what horsemen and racecourses are inclined to provide.” For as long as paying crowds are still locked out, complaining about the levels and derivation of prize-money will not help, but adopting and reinforcing some of the short-term principles introduced since racing returned from exile might. The newly published programme from September to December has reverted as closely as possible to the original schedule agreed a year ago. Only time will tell whether a

Goodwood played host to top-class racing amid empty stands

Sadness and dismay over AHT closure Of the internationally recognised names that have collapsed in Britain under the weight of Covid-19, from Carluccio’s and Cath Kidston to Debenhams and Laura Ashley, none will leave a more lasting dent in the bloodstock world than the Animal Health Trust. The world-renowned equine disease surveillance and specialist veterinary research unit, located on the edges of Newmarket since its foundation in 1942, has closed its doors for the last time. Apart from its redundant buildings in Lanwades Park at Kentford, the sole tangible acknowledgement of the operation is a sad website notice referring to the July 31 closure and adding, “It is proposed that the Trust enter compulsory liquidation.” So quickly has the AHT been obliterated from public memory that the single home page of its website is all that remains on an otherwise emptied-out internet record. Yet only 18 months ago its scientists and technicians worked flat out on behalf of the racing industry, processing more than 4,000 samples in doublequick time during the equine influenza shutdown. Leading the way in this work was Dr Richard Newton, then director of epidemiology and disease surveillance at the AHT and a man with an international reputation, like so many of his

colleagues, past and present. Now Newton is obliged to seek employment, noting on his LinkedIn business media page, “I am now considering all my professional options, including any new exciting opportunities,” adding almost plaintively, “Thank you in advance for any connections, advice or opportunities you can offer.” Like thousands of others affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Newton is out of a job. But how has it come to this, that the internationally acknowledged institution he has served throughout the 19 years of his working life has gone under? Andrew Higgins, one of the eminent AHT chief executives over the last 40 years along with Peter Webbon, summed up when, in reply to Newton’s post, he said: “I am devastated by the closure of AHT and the horrendous impact on staff.” The rest of racing and breeding, which annually provided funding of around £700,000 but probably took its eye off the ball before the charity’s trustees began to wave the white flag in March this year, should be devastated. Thankfully, action is being taken, and following discussions with the TBA, ROA, Levy Board and Racing Foundation, the BHA is heading efforts to maintain the previous surveillance and testing capability. Better late than never, it seems.

22 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_HowardWright.indd 22

10/08/2020 14:23

“Retaining virtual gatherings to conduct disciplinary hearings should be considered” Talking of technology, the coronavirus-charged concentration of racing has meant stay-at-home fans being spoiled for choice, with one high-class fixture following another, captured by ITV Racing and two satellite channels. That situation will not go on for ever, now that the time lag in the race programme has caught up on itself; nor has it been quite so much fun for many owners, denied the opportunity to attend either the stables or the racecourse. This is where their employees, the trainers, backed by syndicate organisers have had the chance to show their initiative. Just like hundreds of other small businesses involved in providing a service, whose personnel have battled to keep their heads above water in such trying times, they have had to adapt to fresh demands. The fleetest of foot, not the loudest moaners, have the best chance of winning the war.

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prize-money, and industry starting prices, while encouraging the return of on-course bookmakers for atmospheric purposes only. Serious consideration should also be given to retaining the use of virtual gatherings to conduct disciplinary hearings. Among the biggest public advances during lockdown has been the growth of Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings – says one who successfully completed a driver awareness course without moving from the comfort and convenience of a home office chair – and using this method of inquiry, instead of forcing participants to attend the BHA’s High Holborn bunker, saves both time and money for all concerned. As long as the technology holds up, what’s to lose?

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THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER 23 Stomacar_88X265_Ang.indd 1

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24/02/20 12:53

10/08/2020 14:23

The Big Interview

Money

MATTERS The parlous state of prize-money in British racing has caused trainer Ed Vaughan to hand in his licence. How many others will follow him out of the sport? Words: Graham Dench

››

GEORGE SELWYN

alph Beckett described his friend Ed Vaughan as “the proverbial canary in the coal mine” when the Newmarket trainer revealed that he had resolved to quit the training ranks by the end of the year. Vaughan had savoured one of the biggest wins of his career just days earlier when Dame Malliot had landed the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Tattersalls Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting. He also enjoys the patronage of several more high-end owners besides Dame Malliot’s breeder Anthony Oppenheimer, among them Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Khalifa Dasmal, Saeed Suhail, Rabbah Bloodstock and Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum. He might never have scaled the heights numbers wise, but he has always had a few horses for the bigger meetings, and he still has some bright prospects coming through.

Ed Vaughan says the British racing model is “broken” and describes training as “a day-to-day grind for very little”

24 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_EdVaughan-2.indd 24

10/08/2020 13:19

Ed Vaughan

DAVID DAVIES

The Ed Vaughan-trained Dame Malliot and Hollie Doyle (right) capture the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting

Aug_192_EdVaughan-2.indd 25

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER 25

10/08/2020 13:19

The Big Interview If a trainer with the patronage that Vaughan enjoys can’t see a future for himself in the training ranks in Britain, what does that say about the state of our sport? One of the first points Vaughan is keen to make is that while Covid-19 and the slashing of prize-money levels might have speeded up the process, this decision was already coming some time soon. “I’d been thinking about it for a couple of years now and at the back of last year I was seriously considering that 2020 could be my last,” Vaughan explains. “The problem is that nothing has changed since I started back in 2004. We are running for the same sort of money, and yet all of the costs have gone up. “I’ve got great owners and I’ve been making a living, but I’ve no dependents, which makes it easier, and I just don’t see anything improving.” Many will share Vaughan’s view that racing is too factionalised, with too much self interest and insufficient effort made for the greater good. He continues: “The business model is badly broken and needs a complete overhaul. For a start, the industry needs strong leadership; it would benefit everybody. We need someone like John Messara [the former Chairman of Racing New South Wales and also of the Australian Racing Board] – a very strong voice in Australia, who people

‘You need to win three or four races to break even’ Alan Pickering has been an owner with Ed Vaughan since day one and has won more than 50 races with him, enjoying an unforgettable day in 2014 when Robin Hoods Bay won the Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield, his home course. An owner initially with Vaughan’s former boss, the late Alec Stewart, he is also a former Vice President of the Racehorse Owners Association, serving under both Rachel Hood and Nicholas Cooper, before he was timed out under the terms of his tenure. Not only does he know Vaughan almost as well as anyone, he has a deep understanding of the sport and how its finances work. Nobody could be better placed to comment on Vaughan’s loss to the training ranks,

“The people putting on the show are getting nothing out of it” respect and listen to. He’s done a great job over there, and Australia is one of the few countries in which racing is thriving. Whether such a character exists here though I’m not sure. “The only hope we have is through the Tote, although I know it’s in private hands here now. In Australia, where they have the TAB, in France with the Pari Mutuel, and in Hong Kong where the Jockey Club has a monopoly over gambling, the money gets ploughed back into the sport, whereas here we have too many take-out merchants. “The racecourses’ contribution is not what it should be and we need more transparency over media rights, and for the whole thing to come together. The people putting on the show are getting nothing out of it, and yet without owners and horses there is no show. “It’s a broken model but I believe it could all be turned round with strong

leadership, provided we all come to the table together for the good of the sport. It’s not just now and for the immediate future – it’s for the generations to come.” Vaughan has yet to lose a horse or an owner through the economic downturn, but he knows plenty who have, and he can understand why trainers including Gay Kelleway, Richard Hobson, Sophie Leech and Paul George are setting up satellite yards in France. He says: “A couple of my owners have said they will be cutting back, and it is only going to get worse. I was astounded at how many people reached out to me after my announcement. It’s such an insult that nowadays you can go and win a race and you still haven’t covered a month’s costs. “How lucky are we here that people do it because they love horseracing? They’ll put their hands in their pockets, go out and buy a horse without expecting to make anything out of it, and they’ll do it just for the enjoyment. We are so lucky to have that, but I don’t know how much longer it can go on when the rewards are so low. “It’s nearly more of an insult getting the prize-money than it would be not to win the race. Even the winner of the Northumberland Plate took home only about £25,000, and that was obviously a good betting race. I know these are different times, and Covid-19 has obviously accelerated the situation, but

Alan Pickering says that owning horses is becoming a prohibitively expensive pastime with prize-money the way it is

››

DAN ABRAHAM

››

26 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_EdVaughan-2.indd 26

10/08/2020 13:19

GEORGE SELWYN

Ed Vaughan

Robin Hoods Bay (left), trained by Ed Vaughan for Alan Pickering, wins the Group 3 Winter Derby at Lingfield in 2014

I hope it’s not going to be used as an excuse to go back to the pitiful levels we had a few years ago.” Vaughan agrees that it is far tougher for trainers who are renting their premises, as he is, than for those who own them or else have a wealthy backer. He says: “If you don’t own your own yard the operating costs can be crippling,

and also the reasons behind it. Pickering says: “As Ed has said himself, our relationship has always been that of two friends, rather than that of trainer and client, so his decision makes me sad personally as well as professionally. “I keep my ear pretty close to the ground and I’ve never heard anyone say a bad word about him. He’s always had a way with horses that are not entirely straightforward, and he’s a great character – and all sports need their characters. “I’m sure he will find a rewarding role in racing, and when I say rewarding I mean emotionally, as well as financially – you do need both. Like any trainer with 20-odd horses, he has found it very difficult to make it financially rewarding, and if it isn’t financially rewarding it’s very hard to make it emotionally rewarding.” While accepting the unprecedented circumstances pertaining to 2020, Pickering is adamant that poor prize-

Aug_192_EdVaughan-2.indd 27

and if you have empty boxes you are still paying rent and rates on them. I’ve got the best landlord, who has been fantastic and even offered me six months rent free, but I said no thanks because it would only be like putting a patch on a puncture. It’s not going to fix the problem. “Unfortunately the model that works

money has long been an issue, though despite that he is “much more a fan of the BHA than a critic”. He continues: “It’s wrong to use this year as a yardstick, but if you compare the real value of winning with a horse at my level, which is generally class 4 or 5, it’s way, way below what it was when I became an owner. “I’m in the sport because I love it rather than to make money, and for me owning horses is a pastime rather than a business, but it becomes a prohibitively expensive pastime when prize-money is as depressed as it is and I definitely get fewer legs for my money now than I did. “If you were to draw a graph there was a bit of an uptick in recent years, owing to a lot of hard work from the BHA and horseman and a benign set of circumstances. But in real terms you need to win three or four races a year now before you break even, let alone start a kitty towards the next generation of purchases.”

so well in America for example doesn’t work here, although it’s been tried to an extent. For a start you might be running there for $70,000 or $80,000 in a maiden. You don’t have daily transport costs, unless you want to run out of town, and your stalls, water and electricity are all provided. You can just hire your staff as you need them, and so cut your cloth accordingly. “In the States that’s the way it’s been forever, whereas here part of the whole dream for owners is coming to the yard, seeing Newmarket, or wherever you might be, going out to lunch, and so on. It’s not the same here if you train out of Lingfield or Southwell or wherever it might be.” Vaughan knows he won’t be the last to call it a day as a result of the current extreme economic squeeze. He says: “I’ve had plenty of calls and texts. There are a lot of trainers out there who are barely surviving. When you start you just want to train horses and that’s it, so you probably don’t care so long as you have enough to survive on. But life changes the older you get, and there comes a point when you have to ask if you want to keep bashing away not making money. “Not long after my announcement a guy rang up and offered me a job as a private trainer over here but I said no, even before he had told me anything more about it. It wouldn’t change the fact that it would be a day-to-day grind for very little.” As a widely respected 47-year-old

››

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER 27

10/08/2020 13:19

The Big Interview ›› with no dependents, offering experience in the breeding industry and in horse trading as well as his 17 successful seasons as a licence holder, Vaughan should be in a position to go on and do something rewarding with the second half of his working life. He is certainly a lot more optimistic about his own future than he is about the sport as a whole.

Ed Vaughan won’t be here. “I’m actually excited about the new challenge, and I’m ready to go wherever it takes me. I’m very optimistic about it and we might even go out with a bang. Now that Dame Malliot has won a Group 2 against males, she ought to be competitive at Group 1 level against her own sex.”

He says: “I’ve been able to put a few quid away, but that’s from dealing rather than training. I’ve got nothing lined up, and that’s the honest truth, but the door is wide open and we’ll just wait and see what comes up. I’d rather wait for something I know I’ll be happy doing than rush straight into something. I wouldn’t mind training again, but it

Levy Board boost offers short-term relief even more difficult. Richard Wayman, Chief Operating Officer of the BHA, acknowledges the severity of the issues and is grateful for the fortitude that has been shown so far in such difficult times. He says: “British racing is incredibly fortunate to have owners who have shown great loyalty and commitment in the face of a period of considerable uncertainty which has had a significant impact on the finances of the sport, and we owe them a considerable debt of gratitude. However, we are seeing some effects of the pandemic both in terms of the number of owners and horses in training, and clearly that is of concern to the whole industry. “Improving prize-money at all levels is crucial to the future of the sport and retaining owners, from those who compete at the highest level on the international stage through to those in syndicates and racing clubs. “Prize-money levels are a huge factor in driving people’s decision to own racehorses and it also has a major impact on the livelihoods of thousands of people involved in the breeding and

GEORGE SELWYN

The announcement on July 30 that minimum prize-money values are to increase at all levels from September 1 was welcome, but for some it will be a case of too little too late. Most owners and trainers seemed to accept that prize-money levels on racing’s resumption were necessarily much reduced, with no crowds on racecourses and betting shops closed, and focusing as much as possible on safeguarding levels at the mid and lower echelons of the racing pyramid made good sense. However, thousands were bound to feel the pinch eventually in such straightened circumstances, and figures provided by the BHA on ownership and horses in training for the six months to the end of June confirm some worrying trends. While the numbers indicate that group ownership – clubs, companies and syndicates – has yet to be hit significantly, those registered in partnerships or sole ownership are down from last year. Sole ownership is down around 9% from 2019, from 4,403 to 3,990, and partnerships by around 7%, from 4,060 to 3,772. The number of Flat horses in training in June compared to the corresponding month last year was down by around 3%, from 12,563 to 12,174. Worryingly, the fear has to be that the worst is still to come. The Horserace Betting Levy Board’s increase in prize-money by 50% between September and December, while welcome, is only a short-term measure. Next year threatens to be

Richard Wayman: ‘industry leaders are focused on increasing prize-money’

racing of horses.” He adds: “The industry’s leaders remain focused on increasing prizemoney and the announcement of additional Levy Board funding for the remainder of 2020, which has allowed across-the-board increases to minimum values, is a positive initial step in this regard. “However, we have a long way still to go and we are committed both to growing racing’s appeal to its various customers and ensuring that all sectors of the industry see appropriate return from this growth.”

Owner numbers 2016-2020 2016

2017

2018

2019

Club

105

116

145

159

167

Company

365

351

390

383

3,612

4,009

4,021

4,060

3,772

4,703

4,591

4,437

4,403

3,990

Partnership Sole Syndicate Total

2020

2,036

2,171

2,199

2,216

2,150

10,821

11,238

11,192

11,228

10,462

Jan 1 - June 30

Horses in training 2019-2020 2019 Code

2020

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

June

9,549

10,492

11,170

11,572

12,222

12,563

9,771

10,390

10,926

11,267

11,782

12,174

Jump

6,168

6,458

6,759

6,910

7,063

7,215

6,448

6,606

6,858

6,941

6,988

7,015

Dual

534

567

651

707

822

925

421

532

591

628

679

856

Total

16,251

17,517

18,580

19,189

20,107

20,703

16,640

17,528

18,375

18,836

19,449

20,045

Flat

28 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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Haras d’Etreham

Family

HERITAGE

The presence of Wootton Bassett is ensuring that the de Chambure family’s Haras d’Etreham continues to remain at the forefront of the French scene Words: Nancy Sexton

een to advertise its young stallion Wootton Bassett, Haras d’Etreham headed to the 2014 Arqana August Sale with two of his first-crop yearlings. For one reason or another, the stallion had failed to capture the imagination of breeders, for all that the son of Iffraaj was a Group 1-winning twoyear-old, meaning that there were just 17 foals in his first crop. But between them, the chosen duo did their bit to remedy the situation, each selling for six figures off a €6,000 fee, and when one of them turned out to be champion Almanzor, Wootton Bassett was on his way. Six years on and the first-season sire promotion is again in full swing at the de Chambure family’s Haras d’Etreham. However, the situation is

very different. In Almanzor, the farm sits behind a young name in real demand, one whose popularity saw his first foals average close to 100,000gns at auction last winter. As such, he will be well represented when the market takes its next look at him at the upcoming Arqana Deauville Select Yearling Sale, now due to take place on September 24-26. All the while, the reputation of Wootton Bassett continues to grow by the year. He is in the midst of his best season yet, with a tally of six stakes winners contributing to a place among Europe’s leading sires. Etreham can already boast a tale of champion sires and influential graduates, with its Normandy land

once having hosted blue hen Urban Sea and her Classic-winning sibling King’s Best. Established during the early 1940s by Hubert de Chambure as a base to stand his Arc winner Verso II, it has remained at the forefront of the French bloodstock industry in the decades since and is now continuing to move forward under the direction of Nicolas de Chambure, Hubert’s greatgrandson. In turn, he is supported by a long-serving team headed by Manager Ludivine Marchand and Commercial Director Franck Champion. Wootton Bassett is the latest in a long line of successful Flat stallions to have stood at the farm while in Saint Des Saints, the National Hunt arm at Haras de la Tuilerie is in possession of one of

››

30 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Any French stud today that gets a proper horse to stand will now get good supportâ&#x20AC;?

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Wootton Bassett has taken Etreham to new heights and now hopes run high for his son Almanzor (facing page)

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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›› the most important jumps stallions of

the recent era. And for 2021, there will be a new name on the Flat roster in the top sprinter Hello Youmzain, winner of the 2019 Betfair Sprint Cup and Diamond Jubilee Stakes for Kevin Ryan. There is real excitement in the idea of bringing a fast horse to the attention of French breeders. Purchased in partnership with Brendan and Jo Lindsay’s Cambridge Stud in New Zealand from breeder Jaber Abdullah in the days following his victory in the Sprint Cup at Haydock, Hello Youmzain justified the decision to keep him in training by winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on his seasonal debut. He struggled with Newmarket’s undulations when fifth in the July Cup next time out but went on to find

Diamond Jubilee Stakes winner Hello Youmzain joins Etreham for 2021

Deauville much more to his liking when an excellent second to Space Blues in the Prix Maurice de Gheest in front of a French audience. “We found out through Hubie de Burgh after Hello Youmzain won at Haydock that he probably could be bought,” says Nicolas de Chambure. “Obviously it was a high price but he’s a very good horse who offers a blend of speed and precocity and he makes a lot of sense. For us, it’s a great opportunity to stand a commercial horse but also in the long term to bring a top sprinter to France, something which is rarely done. “He offers a blend of speed and precocity. He won a Group race at two [the Group 2 Criterium de MaisonsLaffitte] but also trained on to win Group 1 races at three and four. He is also the best by his sire Kodiac, who is starting well as a sire of sires, and that says a lot about his potential at stud. “He’ll be the first Kodiac to stand in France but he’s also out of a Shamardal mare. He’s a special horse and he should attract mares from Britain and Ireland.” It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a French stallion attracting a volume of mares from Britain and Ireland would have come across as far fetched. For instance, when former Etreham resident Elusive City was at his peak around a decade ago and standing for €20,000, he was one of the most expensive stallions to reside in France. Then thanks to the emergence of Siyouni, Le Havre, Kendargent and Wootton Bassett among others, matters swiftly changed. “It is hard to believe that French breeders were coping with such a low quality of stallions,” says de Chambure. “Breeders were sending their mares to be bred to stallions outside France a lot more. “Now we have better stallions. Firstly,

TATTERSALLS

Haras d’Etreham

Nicolas de Chambure: Etreham continues to move forward under his direction

there were people who were keen to reinvest and take a risk on one to stand in France. And then little by little, breeders got behind these horses more. So it’s a mix of both those things, and then of course, a bit of luck as well. “Any French stud today that gets a proper horse to stand will now get good support. And the British and Irish are not afraid to use them either.” Recent seasons at Etreham have proven exactly that, not just through

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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Etreham will offer a Siyouni half-sister to classy miler Duke Of Hazzard (nearside) at Arqana

Almanzor set to take centre stage at Arqana

››

For 20 consecutive years, Etreham led all vendors at the Deauville August Sale under the direction of Roland de Chambure and then his son Marc, and today, it continues to hold its position as one of France’s premier sales consigners. A regular top three vendor at recent renewals of the Arqana August Sale, the farm turned over €3.455 million in sales last year, its total bolstered by a Galileo colt out of Steip Amach who made €800,000 to Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Steip Amach, a dual Group 3 winner for Jim Bolger, is again represented in the Arqana consignment for 2020, on this occasion as the dam of a well regarded filly by Dubawi (lot 252). Also well thought of within the 31-strong draft is a Lope De Vega colt out of Listed winner Miss Infinity (160), an American Pharoah relation to Lammtarra (228; colt) and a Siyouni half-sister to Duke Of Hazzard (289). Almanzor is also unsurprisingly well represented. The headline act on paper is the half-brother to champion Uni (274) but the group also includes a half-sister to Listed winner Eliade (79), who is out of a half-sister to Group 1 winners Call The Wind, With You and We Are, a half-sister to Group 3 winner Suphala who is a granddaughter of top miler

Sophisticat (231), a half-brother to the Classic-placed Dice Roll (458) and the half-siblings to Group 2 winners Sans Equivoque (255; colt) and San Huberto (460; filly). The Arqana Select Yearling Sale is traditionally the curtain-raiser to the European yearling sales season but such is the outside world that the auction house understandably took the decision early on to push it back to September 24-26. Yet while upheaval to the yearling sales calendar is far from ideal, for some horses the move could end up being beneficial. “It’s difficult in that everything changes every week or so,” says Nicolas de Chambure. “That obviously makes it very difficult for the sale companies to make decisions. “But in terms of horse management, it’s been great to have breaks. For us, it gives the extra time to prepare for the sales after the breeding season. The extra month or so also gives the market additional time to recover, for owners to run their two-year-olds and for travel to become a bit easier. It just gives that bit more time to get the whole thing going. “Still, we have to take it day by day. But hopefully the whole situation will have improved by the time of the sale and people will be able to travel.”

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_Etreham-2.indd 33

GEORGE SELWYN

“His oﬀspring have helped us reach unbelievable heights”

GEORGE SELWYN

the support of Almanzor, who was one of the most exciting horses to retire to stud anywhere in the world in 2018, but also via the Group 1-placed sprinter City Light, who covered almost 140 mares in his first season this year at €7,000. “City Light is the first son of Siyouni to stud in France and is standing at the same fee that his sire started at,” says de Chambure. “There is a great feeling around Siyouni, a lot of breeders have had great success with him. City Light was a very good horse, he’s very good looking and hopefully he can repeat some of his father’s success.” By contrast, the launch of Wootton Bassett back in 2012 was not so straightforward. Winner of the 2010 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere for Richard Fahey, Wootton Bassett was installed at Etreham at a fee of €6,000. De Chambure had returned to manage his family’s farm only a year before following stints at Goffs in Ireland, Three Chimneys Farm in Kentucky and Lindsay Park in Australia, and in Wootton Bassett, he had seemingly secured an appealing prospect. Yet support was not forthcoming and it was left to Etreham to breed his first major runner, Almanzor, out of a first crop of 17. None of Wootton Bassett’s first four crops numbered more than 50 foals yet in addition to Almanzor, they have come to include fellow Group 1 performers Patascoy and Wootton. His 2017 crop of runners – also bred off a €6,000 fee – are now taking matters to another level as the source of seven stakes winners led by The Summit, who ran second in both the Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club, and fellow Group 3 winner Wooded. Daughters Speak Of The Devil and Mageva also ran second

10/08/2020 13:59

Haras d’Etreham Pouliches; the former was beaten only a nose into second. All of which is good news for those breeders who supported Wootton Bassett this year at a career high of €40,000. “Wootton Bassett was hard work to start with,” says de Chambure. “He was from the first crop of Iffraaj and when his first two-year-olds turned three, some of them didn’t train on as much as people thought they would. So when Wootton Bassett retired, Iffraaj was a bit cold – obviously that has all changed since then. “It was a struggle to attract mares to him. But little by little, people got to see that he threw a good type and so his books in years three and four started to increase. Even though he has had limited opportunity, he throws stakes horses every year and has a very high winners to runners ratio. “The amazing thing about him is his consistency, and the evidence says he upgrades his mares. “They’re tough, they’re very good mentally. They’re good doers and they enjoy their work. Not all of them are going to be champions but they are racehorses and they won’t disappoint their trainers. “Over the past three years, he’s been covering more mares from England, Ireland and Germany. And there’s been further syndication all the way with more people buying into him. “So I think the best is yet to come – we’re often saying that in this industry but everything suggests that in the next two to three years he will be one of the top sires in Europe. His future is exciting.” As if to add fuel to that prediction, his first €20,000 crop has already thrown Richard Hannon’s Listedwinning juvenile Chindit and the exciting Deauville debut scorer Midlife Crisis. The rise of Wootton Bassett to one of Europe’s most sought after stallions adheres to a tradition that took flight under the management of Nicolas de Chambure’s grandfather Roland. Roland de Chambure took over the stud from his father Hubert in the late 1950s and ran it with very much a commercial eye and an emphasis on internationalisation. By the late 1970s, Etreham housed champion sires Luthier and Fabulous Dancer as well as the influential Kaldoun and Top Ville. More recently, it stood Poliglote, whose stud record ranged from Arc heroine Solemia to top jumpers Politologue and Don Poli. Today, it is not too fanciful to

GEORGE SELWYN

›› and third in the Poule d’Essai des

Almanzor swoops to defeat Found in a vintage renewal of the QIPCO Champion Stakes

“Everything suggests that he will be one of the top sires in Europe” imagine Wootton Bassett following in the footsteps of Luthier and Fabulous Dancer by becoming a French champion sire. Before then, however, attention turns to his son Almanzor and the promise of his first crop. The backdrop of Covid-19, which forced the delay of the Arqana Select Sale by over a month, has made the task of launching a new stallion into the market that bit harder. But quality tends to hold steady in these instances and few young stallions can boast the kind of profile of Almanzor, whose championship record consists of Group 1 wins in the Prix du Jockey Club and the QIPCO Irish and British Champion Stakes. Backed by an ownership that includes SF Bloodstock alongside Etreham, Almanzor has stood every season for €35,000 and also shuttles to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand. “We had high expectations for his first foals and he throws a very good type,” says de Chambure. “Almanzor has a lot of quality himself. Wootton Bassett has a Mr. Prospector-type head – he’s more masculine – but Almanzor is more refined.

“His foals have plenty of quality and bone, and they are also very athletic – we saw that at the sales last year [when his foals sold for up to €260,000]. He’ll have a good group of yearlings spread around all the major yearling sales. “Obviously we’re in a tricky year and we know in difficult times that people tend to gravitate towards proven stallions, but Almanzor is an exciting young stallion and offers everyone involved much to look forward to.” Of course, a stallion farm is nothing without its mares. A broodmare band that numbers approximately 90 lives at Etreham, some of whom boast serious connections; current inmates include Group 2 winner Mission Impassible, a daughter of Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Margot Did who is a sister to this season’s high-class French filly Magic Attitude, and Purely Priceless, a daughter of champion Peeping Fawn. In turn, Etreham graduates are flying the flag to great effect on the track. There is American champion Uni, a three-time Grade 1 winner who was purchased in utero for $230,000; Etreham has since sold her dam Unaided for €1.25 million. Closer to home, Duke Of Hazzard and San Huberto, both of whom were sold by the farm on behalf of outside clients, are Group 2 winners. “It has been a good year despite what is happening in the outside world,” says de Chambure. “It’s been very enjoyable. Obviously we would have liked it to happen in a better climate but still, we’re very lucky that it’s going really well. It helps the stud and also to keep a good dynamic going in the French market.”

34 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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2020

CONTINUING THE RUN OF SUCCESS... WOODED, Prix Texanita Gr.3 Raised and sold

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SAN HUBERTO, Prix Vicomtesse Vigier Gr.2 Raised and sold

UNI, 3rd Just A Game Stakes Gr.1 Bred, raised and sold

DUKE OF HAZZARD, 2nd Lennox Stakes Gr.2 & 3rd Summer Mile Stakes Gr.2 Raised and sold

SOARING TO SUCCESS 50% MORE

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September Yearling Sale 21 - 22 September 2020

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Store market

Drama in

STORES

Despite a solid start to the store sales season last month in Doncaster the market looks unlikely to escape the ramiﬁcations of Covid-19 Words: Carl Evans

mid the horse-trading hopscotch of recent months, no sector has needed to be lighter on its feet than that involved in trading unbroken jumpers, aka store horses. When Covid-19 hit Europe and lockdown took place, store vendors not only faced a future without auctions at which to sell stock, they also recognised many of their core customers – the pinhookers who had bought their horses the previous year – had been left with horses they had been unable to race and resell in the spring. Racing and pointto-pointing had shut down in March, leaving numerous four- and five-yearolds in unraced limbo. Those who had raced were suddenly deprived of auction opportunities. The problem had been compounded by winter months of above-average rainfall resulting in heavy ground, but just as the courses began to dry out, the racing dried

“The plan was to buy ten stores but it is likely to be four or ﬁve now” up. On that note, one point-to-point handler, Sean Doyle of Monbeg Stables in County Wexford, saw a silver lining in the lockdown cloud. “I believe we dodged a bullet,” he said, “because the firm ground that prevailed through April and May would have made it very diﬃcult to run horses.” On top of the on-off possibilities of

staging sales came variables relating to travel advice given by the governments in Westminster and Dublin. From July 4, Britain relaxed restrictions on visitors from Ireland, but the Irish government held onto its stance of a 14-day isolation period for people entering Ireland. That was inconvenient for traders living in Ireland who wanted to attend British sales, but extremely challenging for vendors, agents and racehorse owners based in Britain who hoped to cross the Irish Sea. Irish folk who attended sales at Newmarket and Doncaster in July accepted they would have to isolate once they returned home, but since most lived on farms and could continue working with horses, they were sanguine about the prospect – by contrast, staying in an Irish hotel room for two weeks was not that appealing to traders based in Britain. Sales disruption had been running for months, dating back to the loss of four key sales of jumping horses – Tattersalls’ Cheltenham auctions in April and May, Goffs UK’s Aintree Sale and Goffs’ Punchestown Sale – plus Tattersalls Ascot’s June and July Sales. Goffs UK’s Spring Sale at Doncaster was postponed twice and then rebranded the Summer Sale to reflect its eventual staging at the end of July.

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_Stores.indd 37

››

10/08/2020 15:15

Store market There had been some respite from the gloom with the resumption in Britain on July 1 of racing over jumps, but the point-to-point season on both sides of the Irish Sea had long been consigned to history. Point-to-pointing authorities are planning an earlier-than-normal start to next season – September in Ireland and October in Britain – in a bid to help owners and trainers of horses who failed to get a run in the spring, but that gave little succour to store vendors. Into the mix came a hastily-arranged Monday afternoon session of selling at Doncaster in late July involving a catalogue of 65 horses (55 offered), the bulk of whom were originally destined to cross the Irish Sea from Britain for Tattersalls Ireland’s Derby Sale and Goffs’ Land Rover Sale, the twin peaks of store-horse auctions. Those two auctions were set to go ahead in August, but with little British participation unless the Irish government relaxed its rules. The Monday sale in Doncaster, held on the eve of Goffs UK’s Summer Stores Sale (which was supposed to be the Spring Sale held in May) was not ideal, but there was general praise for Goffs and Tattersalls in working together to stage the event, and a palpable sense of relief that horses were finally being moved on. However, buyers, fearful of a long-term downturn in the economy, were cautious. Chris Barber, who buys stores, races them as pointers from his Dorset base and then resells, said: “The plan at the start of the year was to buy ten stores during 2020, but it is more likely to be four or five now. We fear there will be a reduction in the number of buyers [next year], so we would rather purchase

“It’s my job to buy and sell horses and if I miss a year I’m in trouble” fewer stores now, but we are prepared to spend a bit more on them.” Barber was left with seven unraced four-year-olds in the spring, but managed to sell three privately, an essential move to help his business’s cash flow. The other four will be raced in the autumn, Covid willing. Pinhookers Charlie Poste and Fran Nimmo, who are based in Warwickshire, have 15 four- and five-year-olds still in their stable, of which ten are unraced.

GOFFS UK

››

Doncaster’s supplementary store catalogue included this £120,000 son of Martaline

He is pleased there will be an earlier resumption of pointing in Britain, but said: “We might have bought 12 stores this year, but at present it is likely to be five maximum. That is not set in stone, and if people want to get involved we might buy six or seven.” With investment in stables and gallops at their yard Poste has to be positive, and said: “We are not risk averse, and we put our own money into these horses, but we have to be sensible.” Store vendor Robert Chugg of Little Lodge Stud said: “I’m grateful for the work put in by the sales companies, but a Monday afternoon session in Doncaster is not the same as the second day at Fairyhouse. “In 2008 [after the bank crash] a number of store buyers became cautious about spending money on horses when they were laying off staff, and I suspect it will be the same this time. However, the top ten per cent of horses will always find a buyer. It will be horses in the £25,000 to £40,000 bracket that will probably struggle to sell.” Cheshire-based Richard Aston hoped to sell horses at the Derby and Land Rover Sales in Ireland under his Goldford Stud banner, but they were rerouted to Doncaster and the hastily-created Monday session. Goldford also offered seven the following day in Goffs UK’s Summer Sale catalogue. On the eve of that sale Aston said: “We’ve had horses on the go since February, thinking they were going to Doncaster in May. Some store consignors turned their horses back out, but we’ve kept ours in because the position was so unclear. In a normal year those horses

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

››

Colin Bowe (left), pictured with Barry Geraghty, is likely to buy fewer horses this year

Richard and Sally Aston (centre and left): profit

38 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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GOFFS UK

would have been sold, broken in, ridden away and about to be given a break, so it’s not been ideal. “I’ve seen crises come and go, but never one like Covid. However, in 2010, when the impact of the bank crisis was hitting a peak, we sold Empire Of Dirt [then an unnamed three-year-old store] for €325,000. You can never be sure what might happen.” Some Irish trainers of pointers have a glut of unraced four-year-olds. Perennial champion Colin Bowe described the situation as “a massive backlog” and said: “I have some 40 unraced four-yearolds to run, but I’m getting around the problem by building more stables. It’s my job to buy and sell horses and if I miss a year [of store buying] I’m in trouble. “In a good year I would buy 50 stores, but this year it is more likely to be 25 to 30. I’ll be buying fewer horses and hoping for better value.” County Tipperary-based Sam Curling said: “We have about 35 four-year-olds to run, but we’ll still buy a few stores. With luck we’ll be running plenty of horses when pointing restarts in September, and if the weather is dry the courses do a good job of watering. “Nice horses will always sell, but the bottom-to-middle market is likely to be challenging for vendors.” As it turned out trade for stores at Doncaster was very acceptable. The 55 Derby and Land Rover horses at the Monday session averaged £55,585 (up on the figures achieved in Ireland last year) with a 78% clearance rate. The 192 stores who should have been offered at Doncaster in May averaged £24,240, down eight per cent but with a worthy 75% clearance rate, while a small group

A son of Soldier Of Fortune was a highlight of the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale at £80,000

margins are getting “tighter and tighter”

Aug_192_Stores.indd 39

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

Rover – and trade there will have a bearing on the next link in the chain, the November foal sales. Store vendor and foal buyer Peter Molony of Rathmore Stud, speaking at Doncaster, said: “Our aim is simply to get the capital back on our stores before reinvesting [in foals] at a lower level.” That cautious note was echoed by Aston, who said: “Foal trade always follows the store trade, and generally they [sales of jump-bred foals] will be down this year, but with highlights. I just hope people still have the desire to take the gamble again, and buy foals and breed mares. “The margins are desperately tight. Having said we’ve sold ten of 11 horses here at Doncaster, I wouldn’t like to say where the profit margin will lie because it would be scary. Annual turnover is key for us and we’ve been doing it for a long time, but it’s getting tighter and tighter in this game.”

TATTERSALLS IRELAND

of August Sale stores (ironically being offered slightly earlier than planned) gave a taste of life in the lower tier. Here too the figures stayed off the floor, with 70% of the 56 lots offered finding homes at an average of £6,362, down nine per cent. Summing up trade Aston said: “We offered four on Monday who all sold, and seven on Tuesday, of which one might have been bought back. Ten out of 11 were definitely sold, and while not at a record level I’ve certainly seen worse trade. Considering events in the world it is amazing that we are here and able to carry on business almost as normal.” It will be interesting to see how the Derby and Land Rover store sales fare in Ireland where there is likely to be very little British participation on the ground – Henry Beeby and Nick Nugent of Goffs left Doncaster a day early to ensure they could complete 14-day isolation periods in good time ahead of the Land

Fran Nimmo (left) and Charlie Poste (centre): looking to buy a maximum of five stores

THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER 39

10/08/2020 15:15

Breeders’ Digest

Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor

Resilient breeze-up season lends hope for sales ahead

KAYF TARA A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW

TATTERSALLS

ny amount of adjectives could have been thrown at the breezeup sales during different stages of the season. ‘Disaster’ springs to mind for when the possibility of staging any live auctions at all hung in the balance. And ‘relief’ for when the sales season was rescued and ultimately successful for a number involved. The key theme throughout, however, has been resilience. This industry is remarkably resilient, on occasions perhaps guilty of operating inside its own bubble. And few sectors are tougher than those buyers who pinhook stock to resell as two-year-olds. With an array of top graduates scattered across the globe, including an increased presence in North America to complement the ongoing domestic success, the sense going into this breeze-up season was that the 2020 sales had the potential to be among the strongest of recent years. The vendors had certainly acted in anticipation of that hope last autumn by spending north of £20 million on their stock. Then Covid-19 reared its ugly head. With the sales calendar at one point changing by the day, vendors were faced with the dilemma of either selling their stock privately or sitting it out in the hope of sending them to a live sale. Some horses, including Norfolk Stakes winner The Lir Jet, did change hands privately. But for the likes of Johnny Collins of

Trade at the breeze-up sales was ultimately more robust than originally envisaged

Brown Island Stables, the decision to wait over two months for a viable auction place reaped major rewards in the sales of a pair of relatively inexpensive pinhooks, colts by Night Of Thunder and Exceed And Excel, for 575,000gns and £525,000. In that instance, a long spring of uncertainty was worth the trouble. Little about the season ended up being easy though. Each sale required an element of adaptability, whether it be holding on to stock for an extra couple of months or rerouting horses to different venues. When all was done and dusted, 553 two-year-olds out of 669 offered were listed as changing hands. Total sales across the seven auctions came in at just north of £28.1 million, against approximately £40.1 million in 2019. An

The curtain has come down on one of the great stories of British jumps breeding with the official announcement that Kayf Tara has retired from covering duties at Overbury Stud at the age of 26. It is not an exaggeration to regard his retirement as the end of an era. As a beautifully bred and outstanding stayer whose ten wins included two renewals of the Gold Cup at Ascot and Irish St Leger, his addition to the British jumps stallion ranks in 2001 was considered a boost to the British jumps industry, and in the two decades since, he has done a fine job of justifying the hopes held of him. Consider this: Kayf Tara has been Britain’s leading jumps sire in every season bar one since 2008/09 and has sat among the top ten jumps stallions overall for the majority of the past decade, notably when second behind King’s Theatre in 2016/17 in the season that his progeny amassed approximately £2.42 million in earnings. Along the way there have been ten individual Grade 1 winners headlined by the Cheltenham Festival heroes

overall average of £50,994 paints a better picture, falling just four per cent from 2019. The hit on turnover was unsurprising but having said that, it’s a figure that is on paper only; given the number of private sales that took place beforehand, the actual gap between this season and previous years is bound to be a lot tighter. And several sales did perform well, in particular the Arqana May (at Doncaster) and Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Sale (at Newmarket), at which end-of-sale figures actually showed an improvement from last year. A particularly positive aspect to take away is the overall clearance rate of 83%, which suggested a depth of trade even for the lower level horses. If that figure had been floated as a possibility back in April, then the industry would have certainly grasped it with both hands. All in all, the season was surprisingly robust, which bodes well for the yearling sales. Many of the breeze-up community will now return to the marketplace and reinvest. Alongside that, there is a renewed confidence from the industry as a whole. We can’t pretend that various sectors of the market won’t take a hit this autumn – in all likelihood, it will be selective and tougher going within the middle to lower levels – but at least we can now head into the yearling sales with some cautious optimism.

Thistlecrack (won the 2016 Ryanair World Hurdle), Blaklion (2016 RSA Chase), Ballyandy (2016 Weatherbys Champion Bumper) and Special Tiara (2017 Queen Mother Champion Chase). His latest Grade 1 winner, Thyme Hill, was bred when his sire still stood for only £3,000. However, as his career entered its twilight years, his fee was increased to £10,000, and given that he continued to receive good sized books of mares, he should continue to play a pivotal role in the fortunes of British jumps breeding. However, as it stands, his retirement leaves a major void. Take Kayf Tara out of last season’s championship and the leading British-based jumps stallion is Shade Oak Stud’s Scorpion – now 18-years-old – on a total of approximately £810,000. Next best is the deceased Midnight Legend. Thankfully, there are several younger names coming through, in particular fellow Overbury resident Jack Hobbs and Shade Oak’s Telescope. Now with Kayf Tara officially in retirement, the need for them to succeed has become that much greater.

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Sales Circuit • By Nancy Sexton

Relief as stable breeze-up season comes to a close With some of the earlier breeze-up sales having fared better than anticipated in the face of a two-month delay, there was a sense of cautious optimism as the juvenile auction season rolled back into Newmarket for the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale. As with all walks of life, the Covid-19 pandemic has cast a long shadow over the breeze-up calendar. At one stage, there was doubt as to whether sales would even take place, fears that in turn prompted some breeze-up vendors to sell what stock they could privately. Others decided to sit it out in the hope of a viable auction place coming to fruition. By the time attention turned to the Guineas Sale in its temporary July slot, five breeze-up sales had already taken place, including the Tattersalls Craven Sale in Newmarket and the Arqana May and Goffs UK Breeze-Up sales in an amalgamated format in Doncaster. Given how the pandemic continues to ravage the outside world, it is fair to say that the performance of each sale surpassed expectations, in particular the Arqana May Sale, at which the average price rose by 17% to €152,417. The Guineas Sale has never boasted the lustre of some of its more high-flying counterparts but even at its lower level,

TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale

The sale-topping son of Excelebration turned a fine profit when sold for 140,000gns

there was a depth of demand that saw it wind up with figures not too far adrift of last year. In the words of Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony, it featured a “solid if unspectacular” trade but one that was buoyed by its share of home runs for vendors led by the sale-topping son of former Coolmore stallion Excelebration. Bought for €18,000 by Meadowview

Stables at the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale, the youngster changed hands this time around for 140,000gns to Highflyer Bloodstock’s Anthony Bromley and trainer Alan King. The colt, bought on behalf of owners Max McNeill and Niall Farrell, was one of four purchases made on the day by the pair for a total of 258,000gns. Timing can be everything and Justin

››

Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-Up Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (gns)

Buyer

c Excelebration - Open Book

Meadowview Stables

140,000

Highflyer Bloodstock/Alan King

f Make Believe - Olivia Pope

Dolmen Bloodstock

105,000

Blandford Bloodstock

c Lucky Lion - Livia’s Wake

Tally-Ho Stud

95,000

John & Jake Warren

f Kodiac - Fair Nashwan

Derryconnor Stud

90,000

Rabbah Bloodstock

c Kodiac - Smart Bounty

Tally-Ho Stud

82,000

Compas Equine

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Average (gns)

Median (gns)

Top price (gns)

2020

2,680,000

28,511

17,250

140,000

2019

121

3,489,500

28,839

24,000

150,000

2018

143

4,697,300

32,848

24,000

200,000

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Sales Circuit ›› Timmons and Danny O’Donovan of

Dolmen Bloodstock also had cause to celebrate a similar upturn in fortune with the sale of their daughter of Make Believe. Offered just days following the Prix du Jockey Club victory of Make Believe’s first-crop son Mishriff, she sold for 105,000gns to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock, having been

picked up by her vendors for just €10,000 as a yearling. The sole offering by German 2,000 Guineas winner Lucky Lion, a son of High Chaparral who stands for just €4,500 at Gestut Graditz in Germany, also found favour, selling for 95,000gns out of the Tally-Ho Stud draft to John and Jake Warren.

Swathes of withdrawals have been a running theme over the course of this breeze-up season and the Guineas Sale did not escape that trend, something which in turn contributed to a significant drop in turnover. But the clearance rate wound up at a healthy 81% while the average dropped only marginally to 28,511gns.

42 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

Aug_192_SaleCircuit2.indd 42

The Tattersalls July Sale featured a depth of trade that resulted in a clearance rate of 96%

the farm added another potential mate to its list in the winning Scat Daddy mare New Jazz, sold in foal to Harry Angel. Although offered by Godolphin, the mare was actually well known to Tony Nerses, having been on his radar when offered as a Keeneland September yearling back in 2017.

“We always wanted a Scat Daddy!” commented Nerses. “She is a lovely individual, we saw her as a yearling but she was beyond our pocket then [when bought by Godolphin for $550,000]. “We hope to cover her with our own stallion Decorated Knight, she should suit him.” New Jazz led the way among the

TATTERSALLS

The first auction of mixed stock to be held in the post-lockdown market, the Tattersalls July Sale consisted of a slimmer catalogue than normal of 572 lots, down 37% from the previous year. As such, it was staged over two continuous days of selling, with the usual breaks for racing made redundant by a Newmarket July meeting that was run behind closed doors. No one should have been surprised at the drop in entries. Racing’s enforced Covid-19 break left plenty of owners keen to test their horses further into the summer before committing to a sale. That thinking has in turn prompted Tattersalls to add a new horses in training sale in late August to its calendar. What did come as a pleasant surprise, however, was the depth of trade at the July Sale. There was participation from buyers in 20 different countries, some of whom took advantage of Tattersalls’ new online bidding platform. While yearto-year comparisons don’t carry much relevance in this instance, it is worth acknowledging that a final median of 10,000gns represented the same level as 2018. Yet what was particularly striking was the clearance rate; of the 344 horses offered, 330 were sold, meaning that only 14 lots failed to change hands. “For a bloodstock sale conducted under normal circumstances to register a clearance rate in excess of 95% is quite an achievement,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “To do so in the current climate and with the prevailing government travel regulations preventing so many regular buyers from attending this week’s sales is little short of phenomenal.” A pair of mares offered during the opening session, New Jazz and Kalagia, shared top billing, selling for 130,000gns apiece. Blue Diamond Stud has thrown its weight behind its multiple Group 1 winner Decorated Knight since his retirement to the Irish National Stud and

TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls July Sale

New Jazz was bought by Blue Diamond Stud for 130,000gns to support Decorated Knight

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ever-popular Godolphin draft, which dominated the consignor standings as the vendor of 42 lots that sold for a total of 1,270,000gns. Its draft also included Gentlewoman, another in foal to Harry Angel for whom Roger Varian signed at 125,000gns under the name Ebonos.

Meanwhile, Kalagia was bought by National Stud Director Tim Lane for 130,000gns on behalf of a British-based breeder. A winning sister to Norfolk Stakes winner Prince Of Lir, she was offered by Highclere Stud in foal to its first-year stallion Land Force. “I was rung up by a top-class British

breeder and asked to bid on their behalf,” said Lane. “I am not sure of plans, but she has an exciting pedigree and obviously Prince Of Lir is flying.” Owner-breeder Michelle Morris later tweeted that the daughter of Kodiac had been bought to join her burgeoning broodmare band.

Tattersalls July Sale Top lots Name/Age/Sex/breeding

Vendor

Kalagia (5 m Kodiac - Esuvia)

Highclere Stud

Price (gns) 130,000

Buyer Tim Lane

New Jazz (4 m Scat Daddy - Seanchai)

Godolphin

130,000

Blue Diamond Stud Farm UK

Gentlewoman (4 m Shamardal - Satin Kiss)

Godolphin

125,000

Ebonos

Monya (4 f Dark Angel - Bridal Dance)

Shadwell Stud

100,000

Barronstown Stud

Zarnitsa (4 m Dubawi - Zofzig)

Shadwell Stud

90,000

Tally-Ho Stud

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (gns)

Average (gns)

Median (gns)

Top price (gns)

2020

330

5,940,900

18,003

10,000

130,000

2019

535

12,748,800

23,830

12,000

450,000

2018

562

12,074,300

21,485

10,000

350,000

A bizarre breeze-up sales season drew to a close in a similarly unusual manner with an Irish auction staged in Newmarket that traded in pounds instead of guineas. In a fine illustration of the adaptability and resilience shown by the breeze-up community throughout the season, the vendors heeded the late switch to Newmarket for the Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale with little resistance. Already delayed by two months due to the pandemic, it was scheduled to take place in Ireland at Fairyhouse right up until two weeks before the sale when fears over the travel restrictions between Ireland and Britain forced a late shift over to Newmarket. Not that it mattered. As with every breeze-up sale this season, it held up remarkably well, with an average and median in excess of last year’s levels. The only blip was the drop in turnover, an unsurprising development in light of the raft of withdrawals – of the 254 catalogued, 147 went through the ring – with a number of entries having been sold privately in the weeks leading up to the sale. For the second time this season, it was a graduate of Brendan Holland’s

Aug_192_SaleCircuit2.indd 43

TATTERSALLS

Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale

Bought for just $27,000 as a yearling, this Kitten’s Joy filly resold for £220,000

Grove Stud who stole the show. Holland holds the distinction of selling the most expensive European breezer of 2020 in a War Front filly who made £650,000 to Kerri Radcliffe at the Arqana May Sale (in Doncaster), and on this occasion, it was another Keeneland September pinhook, a filly by Kameko’s sire Kitten’s Joy, who led the way with a price tag of £220,000, a figure far ahead of her $27,000 yearling

valuation. Jockey Jamie Spencer, signing on behalf of David Simcock, landed the winning bid after fighting off the attentions of agents Mark McStay and Alex Elliott. “I bought her as a yearling off my pals at Hunter Valley Farm,” said Holland. “She has done really well, she is a lovely filly, she has loads of quality and was always very natural. ”It is a great end to the season. I look

››

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Sales Circuit yearlings in and we are starting to prep them.” The Kitten’s Joy filly continued the ongoing theme of high-flying American pinhooks, as did a Dialed In colt from Ger Kennedy’s Sherbourne Lodge. By a sire who has done well with his limited European representation to date, he sold for £140,000 to Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock having been picked up by his vendor for just $5,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling. Few sectors work the Kentucky yearling sales as hard as breeze-up

TATTERSALLS

›› forward to relaxing but we have got

The Kitten’s Joy filly was the second saletopper this season for Brendan Holland

pinhookers but at the time of writing, there remains major doubt as to whether European buyers will be able to travel to the US this autumn. Should they be unable to attend those sales, then the landscape of the 2021 breezeup season will look quite different. A good day for Katie Walsh’s Greenhills Farm was also capped by the sale of a Night Of Thunder colt for £160,000 to Mark McStay of Avenue Bloodstock. By a sire who can do little wrong, he was offered by Walsh on behalf of Al Eile Stud and is likely to join John Oxx.

Tattersalls Ireland Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

f Kitten’s Joy - Desertstormelite

Grove Stud

220,000

David Simcock Racing

c Night Of Thunder - Kymera

Greenhills Farm

160,000

Avenue Bloodstock

c Dialed In - Sueno d’Oro

Sherbourne Lodge

140,000

Blandford Bloodstock

c Lope De Vega - Danish Princess

Greenhills Farm

100,000

Peter Nolan Bloodstock

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg

Average

Median

Top price

2020

125

2019

179

£3,473,000

£27,284

£20,000

£220,000

€5,010,500

€27,992

€18,000

€175,000

*2018

135

€4,594,500

€34,033

€20,000

€315,000

*held by Goresbridge horse sales

The ravages of Covid-19 and dwindling presence of Deep Impact did little to dim the brightness of the JRHA Select Sale. Held in the sumptuous surroundings of the Yoshida family’s Northern Horse Park on the island of Hokkaido in Japan, the JRHA Select Sale aims to offer the cream of the Japanese yearling and foal crops. In that, it is unlike any other sale held worldwide, with on-site viewing of the foals limited to a two-hour window ahead of the sale as they wait with their dams in the grounds of the park. The Japanese market has been geared towards the selling of foals for some time now but on this occasion it was outshone by the trade for yearlings. The day included 13 youngsters from the penultimate crop of the late Shadai Stallion Station’s supersire Deep Impact, best known in this part of the

JRHA

JRA Select Sale

Deep Impact’s domination of the JRHA Yearling Sale was led by this colt out of Sheave

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JRHA

world as the sire of Saxon Warrior, Study Of Man and Fancy Blue. With many of Deep Impact’s last two crops in private hands – his last crop includes a filly out of champion Minding bred in Ireland by Coolmore – demand was understandably frenetic for those that were presented to the market. Ultimately, he accounted for the top six lots and eight of the top ten overall. Each were sold by either Northern or Shadai Farm, the breeding operations of the Yoshida brothers Katsumi and Teruya. The sale record of 360,000,000 yen was broken not once but twice, firstly by a colt out of American Grade 2 winner Forever Darling, who made 400,000,000yen (£2,933,000) to Masahiro Noda’s Danox Co. Ltd, and then by the eventual sale-topper, a half-brother to Kentucky Oaks heroine Cathryn Sophia who sold for 510,000,000yen (£3,740,000) to Tetsuhide Kunimoto. The sale-topping colt is out of the Mineshaft mare Sheave, a private purchase by Katsumi Yoshida out of the US who was to also feature during the foal session as dam of a 210,000,000yen (£1,540,000) Heart’s Cry colt. Kunimoto revealed that his new acquisition will be trained by Tomokazu Takano, who sent out the owner’s Shonan Pandora – another by Deep Impact – to win the 2015 Japan Cup. “I have been involved in the ownership of racehorses for more than 35 years and I am sure this is one of the best yearlings I have ever seen,” said Kunimoto. “Price is no object with

This brother to Grade 1 winner Yoshida sold for the equivalent of £2.9 million

regard to this colt and I hope his quality is as high as his price.” Deep Impact’s top sextet also included a half-brother to the unbeaten Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane heroine La Cressioniere. Produced by the Galileo mare Absolute Lady, who headed to Japan as a private purchase out of France in 2017, he made 220,000,000yen (£1,610,000) to Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd.

In all, 12 yearlings by Deep Impact sold for an average of 208,083,333yen (£1,526,000). By comparison, the overall sale average was 45,537,118yen (£334,000). Remarkably in light of the outside world, that figure represented a mere six per cent decline from 2019 while the clearance rate was 92%. As ever, there was a smattering of European interest including a strong result for young Coolmore stallion

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JRHA Select Yearling Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Vendor

c Deep Impact - Sheave

Northern Farm

510,000,000

Price (Yen)

Buyer

c Deep Impact - Forever Darling

Northern Farm

400,000,000

Danox Co. Ltd

f Deep Impact - Teddy’s Promise

Northern Farm

240,000,000

KIEFFERS Co. Ltf

c Deep Impact - Absolute Lady

Shadai Farm

220,000,000

Kaneko Makoto Holdings Co. Ltd

c Deep Impact - Cambina

Shadai Farm

200,000,000

Takaya Shimakawa

Tetsuhide Kunimoto

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (Yen)

Average (Yen)

Median (Yen)

Top price (Yen)

2020

229

10,428,000,000

45,537,118

31,000,000

510,000,000

2019

222

10,732,000,000

48,324,342

31,000,000

360,000,000

2018

210

9,661,500,000

46,007,143

31,000,000

250,00,000

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Sales Circuit ›› Caravaggio, whose sole offering – a

colt out of Old Time Waltz – realised 105,000,000yen (£770,000) to Azabu Shoji.

Heart’s Cry out of the shadows

With no foals from the final crops of either Deep Impact or King Kamehameha, another former champion sire who died last year, entered to boost the foal session, it was left to Heart’s Cry to emerge out of his former studmate’s shadow and fuel the top end of the market. Although not held in as high regard as Deep Impact, Heart’s Cry is a very good stallion in his own right. Indeed over the past few years, the son of Sunday Silence has compiled quite the international resume, one that includes Group or Grade 1 winners in Britain (Deirdre), North America (Yoshida) and Australia (Lys Gracieux). Appropriately it was a brother to Yoshida, one of the sale’s most accomplished international graduates

who was plucked out of the 2015 sale by John McCormack, that led the way on a bid of 380,000,000yen (£2,900,000) to Yoshihisa Ozasa. They are out of North American Grade 1 winner Hilda’s Passion, whose runners also include current Japanese Group 3 winner Sanctuaire. American Grade 1 form was also an ingredient in the sale of the second dearest youngster of the day, another by Heart’s Cry who sold for 270,000,000yen (£2,000,000) to Danox Co. Ltd. The colt in question is out of 2013 American champion two-year-old filly She’s A Tiger, for whom Katsumi Yoshida paid $2.5 million at Fasig-Tipton in November 2014. The day also featured the sale of a first-crop daughter of American Triple Crown hero Justify for 80,000,000yen (£570,000), as well as some familiar European names, notably July Cup heroine Fleeting Spirit, whose son of Japanese Horse of the Year

Kitasan Black made 110,000,000yen (£810,000). When all was done and dusted, there was little surprise from sales officials over the decline in figures, which consisted of a 15% drop in turnover and a 19% fall in average. However, the clearance rate held steady at an excellent 90%. “The market is slightly slowing down today and I think the key factor is the absence of Deep Impact,” said Teruya Yoshida, owner of Shadai Farm and active Chairman of the JRHA. “For example, when Northern Dancer died, the top end of the bloodstock market in America declined, and the same thing happened here today. “On the other hand, I believe the quality of mares that we have in Japan are world class and the quality of horses bred in Japan are world class as well. “I think the buyers are confident in making a big investment in the horses we offer.”

JRHA Select Foal Sale Top lots Sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (Yen)

Buyer

c Heart’s Cry - Hilda’s Passion

Northern Farm

380,000,000

Yoshihisa Ozasa

c Heart’s Cry - She’s A Tiger

Northern Farm

270,000,000

Danox Co. Ltd

c Heart’s Cry - Sheave

Northern Farm

210,000,000

Miwa Holding

c Lord Kanaloa - Final Score

Northern Farm

200,000,000

c Kitasan Black - Malacostumbrada

Northern Farm

190,000,000

Ryouichi Ootuka Azabu Shoji

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg (Yen)

Average (Yen)

Median (Yen)

Top price (Yen)

2020

203

8,333,000,000

41,049,261

29,000,000

380,000,000

2019

194

9,784,000,000

50,432,990

30,000,000

470,000,000

2018

205

8,257,500,000

40,280,488

28,000,000

290,000,000

Arqana Summer Sale

In keeping with the majority of sales held this year, the Arqana Summer Sale failed to escape the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Usually a two-day affair in early July, this year’s renewal featured a single day of mixed stock on a delayed date of July 21. On a more positive note, it marked a return to on-site selling at Arqana’s Deauville sales house, something that might have seemed a far-fetched hope a few months ago when the pandemic was at its peak. Promising three-year-old jumper

Prunay, a member of the first crop of Prince Gibraltar, dominated proceedings by selling for €240,000 to agent Toby Jones of TJ Bloodstock. Offered as a wild card entry after running third in the Grade 3 Prix Aguado at Auteuil, the gelding is now set to continue his career in Ireland on behalf of an undisclosed owner. The breeze-up section also supplied one of the day’s highlights as the source of a Mehmas colt who joined Francis-Henri Graffard after selling for €100,000 to Nicolas Bertran de Balanda. It was a momentous result for

his vendor Laura Vanska of Ecurie LV, a new addition to the consignor ranks who paid just €25,000 for the colt at last year’s Arqana August Sale. Not hurting his cause was the fact his young sire Mehmas had by then made a bright start with his first runners, notably as the sire of Method, who had won the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury only days before the sale. It was also a productive sale for owner-breeders Wertheimer et Frere as the vendor of 11 lots who turned over €422,000. They included Night And Day, a half-sister to Grade 1-winning hurdler

››

46 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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Lancade

winner 100. German 1.000 Guineas, Gr.2

Classic contenders Miss Yoda

winner 162. Henkel-Preis der Diana - German Oaks, Gr. 1

Talk to us and we will assist you!

Premier Yearling Sale 4th September 2020 October Mixed Sales 16th and 17th October 2020 entries close: Monday, 7th September

www.bbag-sales.de

Sales Circuit ›› Supasundae who will join Willie Mullins

The percentage of horses sold remained solid throughout the day [77%] and that’s the main thing. It also allowed us to reopen the establishment and to test the advances that we have implemented on Arqana Online.”

“This was a good return to action,” commented Arqana President Eric Hoyeau. “This particular renewal is incomparable to the previous ones, considering the difference in volume and density, but the sale has kept its role.

after selling for €90,000 to Highflyer Bloodstock, and Humble, a half-sister to Group 1 winner Platane who was bought by Arthur Hoyeau to join the broodmare band at Ecurie des Monceaux.

Arqana Summer Sale Top lots Name/age/sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (€)

Buyer

Prunay (3 g Prince Gibraltar - Diamond Star)

Jean-Marie Callier

240,000

TJ Bloodstock

2 c Mehmas - Hortensia

Ecurie LV

100,000

NBB Racing

Night And Day (3 f Sea The Moon - Distinctive Look)

Wertheimer et Frere

90,000

Highflyer Bloodstock

Humble (3 f Cacique - Modestie)

Wertheimer et Frere

80,000

Arthur Hoyeau, agent

Gin Coco (4 g Cokoriko - Qlementine)

Augustin Boisbrunet

80,000

TJ Bloodstock, Charlie Mann

Statistics Year

Sold

Agg (€)

Average (€)

Median (€)

Top price (€)

153

2,894,000

18,915

9,000

240,000

2020

Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age

John Ennis when selling for $475,000. The trainer paid just $9,500 for the Oxbow colt as a yearling and after placing him in a partnership to race, sent him out to win on debut at Churchill Downs and run second in the Grade 3 Bashford Manor Stakes. With that stakes effort in the bag, his value soared to $475,000 to the bid of syndicate West Point Thoroughbreds, who plan to send him to trainer George Weaver with an eye on competing at Saratoga. Recent form was also key in the sale of Per Capita, a well-related Tapit colt who will join Red Oak Stable after selling for $325,000. Formerly trained by Chad

With the July Yearling Sale having been pushed back to September and a distinctly open feel to the horses in training section, this was not the FasigTipton July Sale as we know it. But as the first sale to be held in Kentucky against the backdrop of Covid-19, it represented an important gauge to the market and ultimately fared with credit as a well-attended auction that saw a healthy trade conducted across all sectors. The sale-topping lot, County Final, provided a major homerun for Irishman

Brown, Per Capita came into the sale having broken his maiden at Churchill Downs for Gainesway and Peter Brant. Previous renewals of this sale had been conducted as a select auction but in light of the limited racing options brought on by the pandemic since March, Fasig-Tipton chose to open up the sale. As such, there was always the likelihood of a drop in the market, and that duly played out. However, encouragement can be taken by the level of business conducted that in turn led to a stable clearance rate of 68%, which compared favourably to the 70% figure achieved in 2019.

Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Top lots Name/age/sex/breeding

Vendor

Price ($)

Buyer

County Final (2 c Oxbow - Tapajo)

John Ennis Training

475,000

West Point Thoroughbreds, L.E.B, agent

Per Capita (4 c Tapit - Successful Outlook)

Gainesway, agent

325,000

Red Oak Stable, agent for Rick Sacco

Toledo (3 c Into Mischief - Endless Chat)

Taylor Made Sales

275,000

Bruno DeBerdt

Impeccable Style (3 f Uncle Mo - Deb’s Candy Girl

Gainesway, agent

275,000

Bradley Thoroughbreds

Three-year tale Year

Sold

Agg ($)

Average ($)

Median ($)

Top price ($)

5,072,000

62,617

30,000

475,000

2019

6,548,500

68,932

45,000

510,000

2018

100

9,318,000

93,180

50,000

700,000

2020

››

48 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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BUY ONLINE

AT IRISH SALES IN 2020 Both Goffs & Tattersalls Ireland offer online buying. So your next winner is just a click away!

Contact ITM for information on Irish breeding and sales: Phone + 353 45 443 000 | Email Info@itm.ie | Website www.itm.ie ITM OB Aug 2020 f-p.indd 2

29/07/2020 07:56

Sales Circuit ›› Doncaster Summer Sale

The current Covid situation does not lend itself to positivity but perhaps in the increased collaboration between sale companies, there is at least a silver lining. One month on from the amalgamated Arqana May and Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sales, there was a further example of auction houses pulling together in the Doncaster Summer Sale, a three-day auction that offered a mixture of stores and horses in training. Once it became clear that current travel restrictions would preclude Tattersalls Ireland from staging its Derby Sale on the scheduled dates in mid-July, plans were put in motion between the sale houses to present a select number of Derby and Goffs Land Rover sale entries to a British audience in Doncaster. Goffs UK had already reformatted its delayed store auction into a twoday event to cover both its May and August Sales and after collaborating with Tattersalls, added an afternoon of selling to accommodate a 60-strong supplementary catalogue. The result was a lively session of trade that included a guest appearance on the rostrum by Tattersalls auctioneer Ollie Fowlston and was highlighted by the sale of a Getaway gelding for £175,000 to Michael Moore. Of the 55 lots that went through the ring, 43 found new homes and at an average of £55,558, which compares very favourably to those levels achieved at last year’s Derby (average of €50,572) and Land Rover Sales (average of €48,386). Michael Moore of Ballincurrig House Stud played a key role in proceedings, not only as the buyer of the top lot but also as the vendor of a Walk In The Park gelding who made £135,000 to Ross Doyle and Colin Tizzard. Moore was acting on behalf of a new client to Ballingcurrig House in his pursuit of the session-topper, who is a half-brother to Listed-winning hurdler Dawn Shadow and out of the classy bumper mare Corskeagh Shadow. For vendor Norman Williamson of Oak Tree Farm, his sale provided a fine return on the €65,000 that the horse had cost as a foal. Olly Murphy, meanwhile, will take charge of a Camelot half-brother to the high-class trio West With The Wind, Midnight Game and New Year’s Day who cost £160,000 out of Flash Conroy’s Glenvale Stud draft. It was also heartening to see demand for one of few fillies catalogued in a Kayf Tara daughter of the Listed-winning

hurdler Mayfair Music. Bred in Britain by Bunny Roberts and originally entered to the Tattersalls Ireland Derby Sale, the filly realised £130,000 out of the Mill House Stud draft to Mags O’Toole.

Solid trade for Goffs UK stores

Trade for stores at the following day’s Doncaster Spring Store Sale did not reach such lofty heights but there were some encouraging aspects, notably the 75% clearance rate. Goffs UK Managing Director Tim Kent declared himself as satisfied with the day’s trading, commenting: “Selling National Hunt Stores at the end of July was not something that we would have predicted when we were inspecting the horses for today’s sale, and the widely publicised events that have led to this week’s sale schedule have been a challenge for all attendees, but the wait has been worthwhile and we are delighted with today’s trade.” Top billing of £80,000 was shared by two stores. A French-bred son of Diamond Boy, now based at Kilbarry Lodge Stud in Ireland, was the first to hit that mark when sold by the Bleahen family’s Lakefield Farm to Willie Twiston-Davies. Bought privately by Hugh Bleahen as a foal out of France, the gelding is the first foal out of a winning daughter of Bering. Fresh from a successful first day of selling, Ballincurrig House Stud was also again to the fore, this time as the vendor of the second £80,000 lot, a son of Coolmore’s Soldier Of Fortune. The gelding is set to carry the colours of Roger Brookhouse after falling to his son Shaun and is likely to head to trainer Tom George, who sent out his relation Black Op to win the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle for the same connections at Aintree in 2018. The sole representative of Midnight Legend, a filly, also caught the imagination, selling to Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock on behalf of Philippa Cooper for £70,000. Bred by Reg and Jane Makin and sold through Battlefield Stud, she hails from the final crop of her much-missed sire and is out of Listed-winning hurdler Annie’s Answer.

Grand result for Million In Mind

The high point of the entire sale, however, came on the final day in the form of Grand Roi, a member of the popular annual draft belonging to the Million In Mind Partnership. In a scene of pure theatre, the gelding became the subject of a protracted

battle between Gordon Elliott and Aidan O’Ryan and former jockeys Charlie Swan and AP McCoy, acting for JP McManus. Neither party were willing to push the bidding by further than £5,000 at a time, which led to a lengthy and entertaining slot in the ring for the gelding – auctioneer George Stanners was heard to quip at one point: “I wish your teachers had taught you to count in tens!” – that was finally halted by a winning bid of £400,000 from Elliott. David Minton and Anthony Bromley’s Million In Mind Partnership have used this sale to trade numerous good horses over the years, notably Voy Pour Ustedes, Garde Champetre and Mysilv, and understandably hopes run high that Grand Roi will be capable of joining that illustrious list for Elliott, who was acting on behalf of an established owner in the yard. Originally purchased by Bromley for €75,000 out of France after running placed in a Vichy bumper, Grand Roi looked a four-year-old of immense potential for Nicky Henderson last season, winning both his starts over hurdles at Fakenham and Warwick by wide margins. The partnership had been planning to test the gelding in Grade 1 company at Aintree’s Grand National meeting thereafter, only for the season to be cut short by Covid-19. The sale of Grand Roi stood tall over a single session of horses in training and August Sale stores that ended with an average of £14,999 and £7,000. Of particular note was the high clearance rate of 85%. No other entry was able to breach the six-figure mark, with the next best price of £82,000 jointly coming courtesy of supplementary entry Fabrique En France and Sky Pirate. Promising pointer Fabrique En France returned a good result for vendor Willie O’Doherty of Ash Hill House. A design technician for an aluminium extrusion company by day, O’Doherty and his sister Angela paid just €18,000 for Fabrique En France at the 2018 Goffs Land Rover Sale and after sending him out to run placed in a pair of points, including a second to the highly regarded Killer Kane at Ballycahane in March, were rewarded with a bid of £82,000 from trainer Olly Murphy. Sky Pirate, meanwhile, was knocked down to the Wasdell Group to remain in the care of Jonjo O’Neill. Previously owned by Lady and Alice Bamford, the Midnight Legend gelding has already won twice over hurdles for the Jackdaws Castle handler.

››

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Castlebridge

is now taking entries for the Foal and Breeding Stock sales

Sales Circuit Doncaster Summer Sale Supplementary Catalogue Top lots Age/sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

3 g Getaway - Corskeagh Shadow

Oak Tree Farm

175,000

Michael Moore

3 g Camelot - Midnight Angel

Glenvale Stud

160,000

Olly Murphy/Aiden Murphy

3 g Walk In The Park - Bitofapuzzle

Ballincurrig House Stud

135,000

Doyle/Tizzard

3 f Kayf Tara - Mayfair Music

Mill House Stud

130,000

Mags O’Toole

Statistics Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Average (£)

Median (£)

Top price (£)

2,389,000

55,558

42,000

175,000

2020

Goffs UK Spring Store Sale Top lots Age/sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Buyer

3 g Diamond Boy - Adelyta

Lakefield Farm

80,000

Twiston-Davies Equine

3 g Soldier Of Fortune - Afaraka

Ballincurrig House Stud

80,000

Shaun Brookhouse

3 f Midnight Legend - Annie’s Answer

Battlefield Stud

70,000

Stroud Coleman Bloodstock

3 g Doyen - Bay Dove

Ballincurrig House Stud

62,000

Tom Malone/Jamie Snowden

Goffs UK Summer Sale (HIT/P2P & August Sales) Top lots Name/age/sex/breeding

Vendor

Price (£)

Grand Roi 4 g Spanish Moon - Ultra d’Anjo

Million In Mind Partnership

400,000

Fabrique En France 5 g Yeats - Knar Mardy

Ash Hill House

82,000

Buyer Aidan O’Ryan/Gordon Elliott Olly Murphy/Aiden Murphy

Sky Pirate 7g Midnight Legend - Dancingwithbubbles

Jackdaws Castle

82,000

Wasdell Group

Lilith 5 m Stowaway - Flirthing Around

Poplar Cottage Stables

52,000

Anthony Honeyball

Goffs UK Spring Store Sale statistics Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Average (£)

Median (£)

Top price (£)

2020

146

3,539,000

24,240

20,000

80,000

Cumulative Doncaster Summer Sale statistics Year

Sold

Agg (£)

Average (£)

Median (£)

Top price (£)

2020

304

5,908,850

19,437

14,000

400,000

Please contact Andrew Mead (+44 7940 597573 mead@castlebridge.eu) or Bill Dwan (+353 87 648 5587 dwan@castlebridge.eu) to discuss all your 2020 sale requirements

52 THOROUGHBRED OWNER BREEDER

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B E PA RT O F THE JOURNEY 32 £12,500 Nine Individual 2yo winners to date STEEL BULL winner Molecomb Stakes, Gr. 3

Average purchase price of winners 2019 - August 2020

Black-type winners

ASCOT YEARLING SALE 8 SEPTEMBER 2020 PARK PADDOCKS , NEWMARKET T: +44 1638 665931 ascot@tattersalls.com tattersallsascot.com

Daniel & Claire Kübler A WINNING COMBINATION Exciting days on the racecourse, memorable mornings at Sarsen Farm. High quality horsemanship blends with an analytical approach to training. Together we’ll develop your horse to succeed.

“If you want a welcoming second home and a five star facility for your thoroughbred where every opportunity is given to your horse to perform to it’s best ability then you are in the correct place” Owner, Andrew StOnehill.

To arrange a visit, discuss your horse and ownership opportunities contact Daniel & Claire on 07984 287254 or daniel@kublerracing.com

Sarsen Farm, Upper Lambourn RG17 8RG

Fractional ad pages August 2020.indd 53

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ROA Forum

The special section for ROA members

EDWARD WHITAKER

Prize-money boost from September

British racing has received a timely boost with the Levy Board digging into its coffers to bolster prize-money until the end of the year

n late July racing welcomed news that the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) would increase its support of prize-money for the final four months of this year, with the sum set to rise by 50% on the originally allocated amount for this period. The British Horseracing Authority, in agreement with the Racecourse Association and Horsemen’s Group, published a revised fixture list containing details of increased minimum prize-money levels from September 1. Owners were further buoyed by news that the appearance money scheme, which had been in place until the suspension of racing in March, will also be reintroduced. A revised fixture list had been in place between June and August, with reduced minimum prize-money values based on the HBLB providing almost all prize-money for the three-month period, spending around 25% more than usual. From September 1 to December 31, with the return to what will be close to

the originally scheduled fixture list, the rate card rates will increase and HBLB will contribute £26.6m over the four months, a 50% increase on the original allocation of £17.7m. Of this sum, £24.4m will be paid as prize-money with an additional £2.2m estimated for a reinstated appearance money scheme, which will see payments down to 8th place for eligible races. This has been agreed as an important component of racing’s efforts to retain owners at grassroots level for the rest of the year and beyond. HBLB has also reconfirmed its previously announced funding for the Plus 10 scheme and the National Hunt Mare Owners’ Prize Scheme for the rest of the year (both will be absorbed into the new Great British Bonus scheme), with funding of £950,000 from midAugust to the end of 2020, taking the total paid by HBLB to these schemes to £1.8m from June 1 to December 31. Overall, for the seven months since racing resumed on June 1 until

December 31, HBLB prize-money expenditure is expected to be £49.4m, 42% more than the £34.9m paid in the same period in 2019. This reflects the priority that HBLB has placed on this area of expenditure. HBLB has been able to agree this funding package in large part due to the secure level of reserves that it has carefully sought to maintain, underpinned by the positive performance of betting since racing’s resumption. HBLB Chairman Paul Darling said: “We are very pleased to have been able to agree another rise in our prizemoney allocation for the rest of 2020 at what we recognise is a crucial time for the sport. Racecourses continue to operate with the uncertainty as to when racegoers will be permitted to return in significant number. The knock-on reduction on their own contribution to prize-money reinforces the importance of ours for owners and the sport’s participants. We intend that this substantial injection of funds will

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provide confidence and certainty. “I would like to thank bookmakers generally, who have continued to provide us with timely payments on account, and in addition those operators who have shared with us weekly race-by-race betting data, allowing us to measure very quickly the performance of racing since resumption. This has been key in supporting our modelling and given us the ability to take decisive action. “It must be emphasised, however, that our enhanced level of contribution to prize-money cannot continue indefinitely. We are drawing significantly on reserves to make possible this exceptional level of support. We now urge racing’s various parties to focus on developing a clear and sustainable position as regards prize-money from early 2021, as we would anticipate our own contribution reverting to closer to its normal level at that time.”

Minimum values

This news will see minimum values increase at all levels from September 1, with the middle and grass-roots tiers of British racing returning to their pre-Covid levels. For Class 1 races and Heritage Handicaps, minimum values will increase to become 75% of their levels from before the suspension. In addition to extra HBLB funding, all racecourses will be making executive contributions towards the prize-money of every race programmed.

Appearance money

The appearance money scheme, which had been created in 2018, will be re-introduced from the beginning of

September. The scheme is designed to improve the return to owners at the middle and lower tiers, and will involve qualifying races making payments of £300 on the Flat and £350 over jumps for horses finishing between fifth and eighth place. In eligible jump races, a trial will be conducted through the period involving making payments to the remainder of the field, subject to horses meeting minimum rating requirements. This is in response to potential issues raised in the five year-welfare strategy published by the Horse Welfare Board earlier in the year. Full details will be issued as soon as possible.

Fixture list

The fixture list for September to December sees the programme of fixtures remaining largely consistent with the list published in July 2019, subject to a number of minor adjustments: • A maximum of five fixtures will take place on any day to ensure the sport can continue to successfully implement the numerous Covidrelated protocols in place, including the health screening of all participants; • Start times of fixtures will be scheduled to avoid the creation of race clashes wherever possible; • Fixtures will generally comprise seven programmed races, with one race permitted to divide. To assist the needs of the horse population, up to two races will be permitted to divide at floodlit fixtures through the period;

“HBLB will contribute £26.6 million over the next four months” o reduce the risk of spreading •T infection, all participants will only be permitted to attend one race meeting on any day, which will be facilitated by scheduling a maximum of four Flat fixtures on any single day; •T o provide additional opportunities following the ten-week suspension, a programme of five floodlit fixtures will be added to the six days in November where a break in the Flat fixture list had originally been planned; •T he fixture list between Christmas and New Year, including the eight fixtures provisionally scheduled to take place on Boxing Day, will be reviewed nearer the time.

ARC course news

Following the publication of the British Racing Fixture list from September 1, ARC announced that neither Brighton nor Worcester racecourses will host their remaining fixtures for this season. Both racecourses are involved in the 2021 fixture allocation process that is currently ongoing, and will reopen for racing next season.

PRIZE-MONEY DISTRIBUTION The Industry Ownership Strategy highlighted that 60%+ of lapsed owners cited perceived poor prize-money as their reason for exiting ownership. The importance of identifying changes to current prize-money distribution is a topic that is often aired by members and is fully recognised by the ROA board. This has been further underlined by the challenges and opportunities brought about by the Covid-19 crisis. The ROA recognises the importance of prize-money being distributed in the most effective, efficient, and equitable way to support the involvement of all owners, and in turn, ensure a successful and sustainable future of the sport for all involved. A survey was circulated to members during July to better understand the implications of prize-money

Aug_192_ROAForumV2.indd 55

distribution on owners and whether there should be any changes to the current model. The aims of the survey are: 1. To find out more about owners and their ownership profile 2. To measure owners’ opinions on the current distribution of prize-money between the various tiers of racing 3. To measure owners’ opinions on the current distribution of prize-money between winners and placed horses For full details of prize-money distribution see Part 11, stakes & prize-money code of the BHA’s Rules of Racing. We thank members for completing the survey and will report on the findings in due course.

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ROA Forum

MY DAY AT THE RACES With Julian Harley at Goodwood on July 30

DAN ABRAHAM

ulian Harley fell in love with racing at an early age and has been an owner for over 20 years. He explains: ‘’I first went racing in 1966 at Towcester when I was nine years old – I picked a horse called Anglo who won that day and then went on to win the Grand National. I was hooked from that day onwards. “Sadly, my father died that year, but from the age of 12 or so, my mum would venture into the bookies – filled with smoke and men only – with my paper round money and put little bets on. I was quite successful and swore that if I ever made any money in life, I’d buy a racehorse. Fortunately, I have had a successful business career, so I was able to pursue my dream.’’ Julian struck lucky in his second purchase when he was offered a share in a yearling purchased at Goffs. The colt was Where Or When, trained by the late Terry Mills and co-owned with the trainer and John Humphreys. Where Or When was a top miler and gave his owners a wonderful run, culminating in the defeat of Hawk Wing in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in 2002. Julian has maintained connections from his early years with Terry Mills. One of those is Trevor Jacobs of Jacobs Construction, co-owner of three-year-old Junkanoo, trained by Gary Moore. Both were racing behind closed doors at Goodwood when Junkanoo

Gary Moore, Julian Harley (right) and Trevor Jacobs (behind Gary) taste Goodwood glory

broke his maiden, springing a surprise at long odds in a 12-furlong handicap. How did you find general guidance for owners around protocols for racing behind closed doors? It’s obviously a very difficult time for all of us. I did access and view the online learning prior to visiting Kempton a couple of weeks ago. It seemed basic and sensible.

How was the arrival experience? Staff at the owners’ and trainers’ entrance were very welcoming and helpful. How did you find the provision for owners on the day? All good. I sat on the lawn outside the Double Trigger restaurant – is there anywhere in England lovelier on a sunny day? To be honest, I was too nervous to enjoy my picnic box, it always feels like I am going to be running, not my horse! However, I picked at the salmon and salad, which was very nice. I wasn’t offered a complimentary drink with my lunch, which I think I was supposed to receive, but I wasn’t really concentrating at that point.

Did you receive information as an owner in advance of the raceday? Yes, I received a couple of emails from Goodwood and the RCA in advance of the meeting.

GEORGE SELWYN

Junkanoo and David Egan cause a 50-1 upset at the Qatar Goodwood Festival

What were your thoughts on the location, comfort and provision of the owners’ zone? Because of the staff and the sectioned-off markings, it was all pretty clear, although the inability to wander freely obviously rather detracts from the overall experience. But what else can you do? What were your thoughts on viewing your horse in the parade ring? Trevor Jacobs, who is my co-owner,

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and I stood together at the edge of the ring close to where the horses leave for the track. It was fine, although it would have been nice to have been allowed into the ring if we’d worn our masks. How did you find the race-viewing zone for owners? We watched the race live from the main stand where we were allowed to stand and there were two large screens so plenty of viewing opportunities. All good and once Trevor and I started screaming in the final furlong – frankly who cares! How was the post-race experience and location/provision of the debrief area? We were incredibly lucky to win with our horse Junkanoo at 50-1 so we were pretty shell-shocked afterwards. We were lucky enough to have a glass of champagne with Gail and watch the replay – I know the commentary off by heart now. Gail is always great and very welcoming when we visit Goodwood. How were you treated as a winning owner on the day? I guess the biggest disappointment on the afternoon for Trevor and I was not being able to greet our horse and make a fuss of him when he came back into the ring. As all owners know, it’s generally a long time between drinks and being denied the opportunity to stand with your winner is sad. What was your overall lasting feeling of the day, based on your racecourse experience? Given the restrictions, it was a fabulous day. Goodwood is a magical spot and incredibly we had a big-priced winner on the day. That’s really what we all dream about when we buy horses.

HOW IT RATED Entry Viewing Atmosphere Owners’ facilities Food Overall score

Aug_192_ROAForumV2.indd 57

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★ 23

News in brief Feedback is valued

The ROA, RCA and BHA are working directly with racecourses to improve the owner experience whilst remaining compliant with government guidance for elite sport. This is informed by feedback from owners, so please continue to share your views with the ROA via: info@roa.co.uk. Current protocols for owners returning to racing behind closed doors can be viewed at roa.co.uk. Owners and their guests are asked to familiarise themselves with the document before attending a race meeting behind closed doors. For further information on the return of owners to racecourses, please contact the ROA on 01183 385680 or via info@roa.co.uk. For specific questions about the RCA’s PASS please contact the PASS Helpdesk on 01933 270333 or pass@weatherbys.co.uk.

Aftercare of racehorses

The Horse Welfare Board has launched its strategic review into the funding for the aftercare of racehorses. This review is a key recommendation of the ‘A Life Well Lived’ Strategy, published in February 2020. The review will focus on ensuring the aftercare sector is financially sustainable and can consistently provide care and careers for racehorses beyond racing over the long term. The project is generously supported by the Racing Foundation. The review team is undertaking a wide-ranging consultation process. If you would like to provide feedback or your observations regarding this sector please email info@racehorsewelfare.co.uk with your comments.

Foreign-trained runners

Under current arrangements, foreign-trained runners are only permitted in Class 1 races and heritage handicaps. This approach will be reviewed by the Industry’s Racing Group in early September and will therefore remain in place at least until then.

AGM update

The ROA AGM will take place on September 3. Details will be circulated to members by email during August with the ROA annual report. Questions from members in advance of the meeting are welcomed – please email info@roa.co.uk with ‘AGM Question’ in the subject line.

Racing Calendar

A digital version of the Racing Calendar can be found on the Weatherbys website. It has been produced in its traditional layout and style by Weatherbys to aid trainers, owners and others during the period that there is no printed edition. This digital publication can also be downloaded and then printed. Whilst the content within it will be refreshed, for the most up to date news please refer to the BHA’s Racing Administration site.

Early-closing races

Details of race conditions for early-closing races are being updated as soon as they are available. Two races that were originally due to close at the end of July will now be closing at the five-day stage. These are race no 47002 the Park Stakes (Class 1, Group 2) and race no 47003 the Champagne Stakes (Class 1, Group 2) at Doncaster on Saturday, September 12. The St Leger (Group 1), due to be staged at Doncaster on Saturday, September 12 will now close at the five-day stage. Further details, including total race value, can be found on the Racing Admin website.

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ROA Forum

MAGICAL MOMENTS Dr Jim Walker on indulging in his favourite hobby

eing an economist, Dr Jim Walker knows better than anyone that the heart rules the head when it comes to owning racehorses, but during the past few years he has at least seen his investment translate into some notable successes. Indeed, arguably the most notable of all came just last month, when Subjectivist won the Listed Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton, a triumph that was close to home in spirit if not geographically, at least not these days. “I’m the Chief Economist at Aletheia Capital here in Hong Kong,” says Walker. “Don’t even ask how an economist that advises fund managers on investing in Asia can justify owning horses in the UK, because there’s no logic to the investment process whatsoever. “I just love the sport, love the thrill and love the people. Fortunately, I can afford to indulge a little in what is definitely a hobby, not an investment.” As to the foundations of his passion, Walker explains: “I bought my first horse in 1999, when I returned from the Far East for a few years and was living in Edinburgh. It was a filly called Jimgareen - which I co-owned with my boss at the time Gary Coull and another colleague Shareen Shah – who was trained by Linda Perratt out of Cree Lodge Stables in Ayr. “I’d always been used to going racing growing up; my first racecourse trip was as a four-year-old to Devon and Exeter races while on holiday in Paignton. We spent many holidays as a family in Ayr during the Scottish July circuit and went racing when the Ayr meetings were on. “My uncle was very keen and we would often head off to Newcastle, Hexham, Sedgefield and Ayr when the fancy took him – always just day trips. Oh, and of course, it was on the television every Saturday!” Subjectivist, who followed his victory at Hamilton with a tremendously game third in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, carries Walker’s now familiar colours of lime green, royal blue epaulets and cap, and he has now had

Dr Jim Walker with his five-time winner Austrian School

in all 44 horses under single ownerships in the UK, plus nine in syndicates or partnerships. In Hong Kong he has owned four outright, plus eight in syndicates. “I started off with Linda Perratt in Ayr,” remembers Walker. “That was really a nostalgia-based decision as I

“Don’t ask how an economist can justify owning horses in the UK” had been a huge fan of Nigel Angus – who trained at Cree Lodge in the 1970s – and Roman Warrior in particular. “I’ve had a few horses with Jim Goldie, and briefly had a horse with Mark Johnston in 2001, but I moved back out to Hong Kong in 2002 and was coming back and forward to London a lot, so I switched stables to William Jarvis at Newmarket. “I had been in one of his syndicates

while I stayed in Edinburgh and that gave me my first taste of a big race, Flownaway running in the Chester Cup. Since then I have always had horses with William – some good, some not so good.” He adds: “A few years ago I went into a partnership in a breeze-up horse trained by Mark Johnston and when we sold that one on I asked Mark about a Teofilo on his website. That resulted in me buying Monticello, who won his first two races and then finished second in a Listed race at Ascot. “Mark followed up that success for me the next year when he bought Austrian School – also by Teofilo – and we have been going well for the last few years. I really like Mark’s disciplined approach to buying yearlings and I love his willingness to go for horses with a distance pedigree.” Talking of which, Austrian School is, of course, a half-brother to dual Grand National hero Tiger Roll, his five wins for Walker including a score at Chester’s May meeting and six-length romp in the valuable Queen’s Cup at Musselburgh. “There have been many magical moments – if not quite at the highest level,” says Walker. “I’ll never forget my first winner, Milliken Park at Hamilton,

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More owners go racing bit out of his depth, so I couldn’t be happier. “As ever, Joe Fanning gave him a peach of a ride – he’s simply the best on front-runners around these turning tracks. All going well, we’ll look for one more run before heading to Doncaster.” He continues: “The best thing about being an owner is the anticipation of a two-year-old running for the first time. That is where the dreams begin. “Racing can quite often be a case of the journey being better than arrival! Winning is beyond description in terms of the high that it gives you. “As for the worst thing, that’s the UK’s financing of the sport. Hong Kong, France and Australia should be models for how the sport should be run – good returns to owners, good returns to participants, good returns to the community, and a good tax take. “In the UK it is all about the racecourse owners and the bookmakers. The balance is completely wrong, and if it weren’t for owners that just love the sport, there would be no racing, no breeding industry and no employees. The UK government has been out of touch with how to run the sport for 50 years at least.”

GEORGE SELWYN

trained by Linda Perratt, but truth be told the best have come in the last few years with Mark Johnston: Monticello, Austrian School, Kilbarchan – a game wee filly that won three races at two, named after my home village – and now Subjectivist. “He has given me my first ever capital letters black type in winning the Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton; Austrian School was second in the same race two years ago. “Every winner is a magical moment really, regardless of the grade of the race – and even a few of the narrow losers too!” Subjectivist lost out by a length and a half at Glorious Goodwood, giving best only late on to Mogul and Highland Chief, with his proud owner watching on from afar. Walker says: “I had a glimmer of hope when he started to draw away again at the furlong pole, but the first and second just swallowed him up at that interminably long final 110 yards is it the longest in the country?! “It was the most Group 1-looking Group 3 I’ve seen in a long time. Four out of the six came from the Derby, and the top weight had been an easy Group 3 winner at Newmarket. A Listed winner at Hamilton looked a

Subjectivist (rail) gives his all in the Group 3 Gordon Stakes at Goodwood

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An easing of restrictions has seen more owners go racing since July 28. The revised protocols have also allowed more flexibility around arrival and departure times. We have been encouraged that much of the feedback from owners who have attended racing has been positive. Information about badge allocations and registering to attend a fixture will continue to be communicated to owners via email in advance of raceday. Owners who are not already registered via the PASS or Racing Admin websites can do so at www.rcapass.com and www2.racingadmin.co.uk. The importance of the raceday experience was underlined in the National Racehorse Owners Survey in 2016, which revealed that 44% of lapsed owners cited the raceday experience as a factor in their decision to leave the sport. With the cost per run figure around £5,000, based on annual costs of ownership against average runs, it highlights the importance of an owner feeling valued at every point, from entry, declaration, as well as throughout the raceday. Follow up communications, including details of images from racecourse photographers, can help an owner feel valued. The ROA has been speaking to owners while racing has been behind closed doors and the contact has been well received. Emma Stewart went racing at Bangor on July 29 to watch her homebred filly Emmarelli make her first start in a bumper. She said of her experience: “Thank you for making Emmarelli’s debut win such a happy occasion. We were so pleased that we made the trip and that Bangor lived up to its reputation of giving owners a good time.” We thank owners for their cooperation in adhering to protocols for behind closed doors racing. Racing must continue to follow strict government guidance in relation to sports events behind closed doors, including restrictions on access to the racecourse, health screening prior to entry and social distancing. For more details see roa.co.uk.

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TBA Forum

The special section for TBA members

2020 – A Year To Date Introduction by Julian Richmond-Watson, Chairman

e live in extraordinary times. The Covid-19 pandemic has cast a shadow across almost every aspect of life and my thoughts are with those who have been affected by this virus. For breeders, the threat of an interrupted breeding season added to daily pressures and concerns, with many fearing the serious long-term consequences for their operations and the wider British thoroughbred breeding and racing industries. We have been heartened by the collaborative and supportive nature of all in the industry who rallied around in this time of crisis. We are all custodians of the breed. It is our duty and responsibility as the TBA to support breeders and the industry, to ensure a long-term sustainable future. Our specific areas of focus may have changed since the start of 2020, but our overall strategic objectives remain the same. We have adapted and responded to new circumstances, and are reviewing our longer-term projects to ensure they continue to address current and future needs of breeders and racing. The results of the Economic Impact Study of 2018 formed the basis of our evidence-based strategy, and key activities to support breeders were accelerated during this time, to deliver meaningful help to the industry. The Great British Bonus scheme, launched in tandem with the resumption of racing, is aimed at rewarding supporters of British-bred stock and raising awareness of the benefits of purchasing eligible

horses. The Digital Equine Movement System (DEMS) was also implemented ahead of schedule – being originally planned for use in a post-Brexit environment – and our thanks go to the team at Weatherbys for their help in delivering this. The ongoing work of the TBA board, committees and executive throughout this year has ensured a safe continuation of the covering season. Our thanks must also go to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for its support, and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and other stakeholders for their collective effort in the safe resumption of racing. Living with the virus will mean adapting our popular events and activities calendar to the ‘new normal’, and will undoubtedly result in more of our services moving across to digital platforms. It is encouraging to see that our members have embraced the changes and we are engaging with our membership in many more ways than ever before. The enforced change of using online procedures and protocols, developed to allow the covering season to continue, has helped bring many breeders into the digital world. There are many challenges ahead and, with your support, the TBA will be working on behalf of breeders’ interests to ensure the future of the British thoroughbred.

sustainability, resilience and impact of the British breeding industry by safeguarding the legacy of world-class British breeding for racing and future generations to come. The TBA’s board of 12 Trustees reviews the association’s aims, objectives and activities each year, the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to breeders, the racing industry and wider economy. In 2020, the TBA is implementing the second year of a three-year strategic plan that was largely informed by the publication in 2018 of an independent Economic Impact Study by PwC. The report summarised the importance of the British breeding industry to the rural economy and employment. It also identified a worrying decline in the profitability of breeders, breeders exiting the sector and the scale of skills gaps in studs. The TBA has five core strategic objectives: 1S hape national and international policy for the thoroughbred breeding industry 2S upport breeders in their care of horses and employees 3P rotect the diversity and promote the development of the thoroughbred breed dvance the development of 4A employees within the British breeding industry

The TBA’s vision and five strategic priorities

5S ecure the health of and support veterinary research into thoroughbred breeding

Our vision is to improve the

The ability of the TBA to adapt to wider economic, political and social factors is constantly being considered by its Trustees, with the need for the industry to become more sustainable, adjusting to new challenges and become more resilient. This has never been more important than in 2020.

GEORGE SELWYN

Response to Covid-19

Julian Richmond-Watson says the TBA wants to ensure a sustainable future for breeders

Even before the government imposed nationwide lockdown restrictions in the middle of March, the TBA had been working to adapt to the threat of Covid-19 for the industry, members and the team at Stanstead House. Embracing new technologies and

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Rural Affairs (Defra) contacts ensured everyone was fully briefed on breeding industry activity.

TATTERSALLS

Next steps

The 2020 sales season has been unlike any other on record

adapting to home working ensured that the TBA team continued to function throughout 2020, providing industry support and membership services. The safe continuation of the covering season quickly became the most pressing matter to ensure the medium and long-term impacts on future foal crops were minimised. Any curtailment would undoubtedly have had ramifications on the wider breeding and racing ecosystem, including future sales, the race programme, race field sizes and – ultimately – levy yields. The TBA liaised with government departments, veterinary and transport sectors to produce a set of protocols and online resources for the safe continuation of the thoroughbred breeding season. Adherence to government guidance and the breeding protocols were essential to maintain the British breeding industry’s reputation as bio-security responsible. Communication with national veterinary bodies was productive during this time. Talks with the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), and the veterinary regulator – the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons – brought about the resumption of reproductive services for thoroughbreds in accordance with health and safety protocols. The TBA joined Weatherbys to work to accelerate the launch of the Digital Equine Movement System (DEMS), which was able to monitor horse movements across premises, increasing traceability and adding additional assurance to authorities. A Covid-19 hub was created and

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published on the website, to give guidance and advice to breeders during the pandemic. It was launched with essential information and resources, including the Protocols for Thoroughbred Breeders, letter templates, employee training guidance and supplementary information on the provision of veterinary services. Wider government advice on health and business was also posted to the hub, to help the thoroughbred breeding community by directing visitors to official sources of information and relevant support schemes. During this time the TBA worked to keep members and the industry updated in a number of ways: • TBA Covid-19 hub • Covid-19 update emails • Social media announcements • TBA Forum, Thoroughbred Owner Breeder magazine • Advertisements in industry media • Industry media interviews A TBA-commissioned survey was carried out in April to better understand the environment and issues affecting breeders, and we collaborated with industry stakeholder groups to strengthen the wider racing sector’s response to the crisis and give a thoroughbred breeding perspective on support and resumption plans. The Covid-19 steering group, equine welfare, people, business and finance groups all included TBA representation, while weekly conference calls with Department for Environment, Food and

The TBA will continue to take an evidence-based approach to strategy, conducting a follow-up survey of breeders in the autumn to gain further insights on the impact Covid-19 is having on the sector. The data, along with sales results, will help shape future support plans for the industry heading into 2021. The Great British Bonus (GBB), an industry self-help initiative devised and backed by the TBA, was launched in May. It offers incentives for breeders and owners to buy and race Britishbred fillies and mares under both codes of racing. Promotion of registered GBB fillies at the autumn and winter sales will be a key priority. Raising awareness of the benefits of registered GBB stock among potential purchasers to increase interest and demand in this part of the thoroughbred population will be essential to support British breeders. The TBA is committed to keeping supporters informed during this time. A new e-bulletin email, giving regular updates on membership services and industry news, was launched in June, and Covid-19 update emails will continue to be sent out. The TBA also broadcast the first of a series of webinars in June, featuring talks and presentations from key industry personnel on topical issues. Virtual awards events will replace the annual Flat and National Hunt breeders’ celebrations this summer, with online ceremonies taking place from August. Early results have been positive and the TBA will continue to host regular online events throughout the rest of this year.

Great British Bonus

The Great British Bonus (GBB) incentive scheme concentrates on British-bred fillies and mares as inadequate demand and opportunity for these animals presents the biggest problem for the industry. Its aim is to make them more attractive as both sales and racing prospects and to encourage inward investment for the UK, as breeders increasingly will be persuaded to use British- based stallions rather than overseas alternatives. GBB offers the opportunity to win bonus prize-money of up to £20,000 in qualifying races, divided between owner (80%) and breeder (20%), and cumulative bonus prizes.

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TBA Forum ››

The scheme was launched on May 29 and is supported by an extensive marketing and communications initiative that encourages the registration of eligible fillies. GBB has been given a strong brand identity, offering a focus to introduce and increase awareness of the opportunity throughout all channels of the racing industry. A dedicated website has been created that transacts registrations and gives news and information about GBB. It can be accessed at www. greatbritishbonus.co.uk. Initially, marketing is focusing on encouraging the registration of qualifying horses. There are discounted fees available to TBA members with three stages of registration: foal, yearling and two-year-old. A campaign during July and August is principally aimed at achieving registration and familiarity with the GBB brand and the opportunities it offers. Later, the emphasis will switch to promoting GBB-registered animals at all UK sales. A scheme manager has been appointed and will be supported by advertising/email outs/mailshots/ media/social media and collateral to identify and highlight eligible fillies and mares, ensuring that prospective

buyers recognise the clear advantages of buying a GBB-registered animal. The scheme has been universally welcomed and winners have begun to flow since racing resumed following the Covid-19 lockdown. While every winner is welcome, it has been heartening to see a number of smaller ownerbreeders first past the post. Brazen Belle, owned and bred by Kevin Nicholson, won a median auction race at Beverley. “This is very much needed to pay a few bills,” said Nicholson. “What a great scheme. We will be aiming for more of these races.” Another success was Blackberry who won at Hamilton for Simon Chappell her

owner-breeder. The filly’s trainer, Bryan Smart, said: “This scheme is fantastic for the sport. I will be advertising the benefits far and wide to my owners.” And Richard Hannon, who had success with Concessions for international owners, said: “This is a fantastic initiative from the TBA to bring Great British Bonus to our industry and exactly what we need to encourage new owners, such as Sheikh Nasser, to invest in British-bred fillies.” There has never been a time when such a scheme was more urgently required. The breeding industry was already under severe economic threat and Covid-19 will only worsen that position. The TBA believe this scheme may influence breeders to rethink decisions to reduce production, by incentivising the purchase and racing of British-bred fillies and mares that are so essential to safeguarding the future of the industry. The full '2020 – A Year To Date' report, which also features sections on Brexit, equine health and welfare, and recruitment, retention and training initiatives, can be found by visiting thetba.co.uk/2020.

IN BRIEF Board member elections

This year’s AGM will take place on Sunday, November 22 and the TBA is seeking to appoint two elected members for a four-year term of office to represent the wide range of breeding interests within our membership. Candidates must be prepared to devote considerable time to the work of the association; the board meets eight times a year and there are other commitments, including attendance at the AGM, participation on TBA committees and attending association-run events. The TBA is looking for members with an understanding and passion for the thoroughbred breeding industry and the drive to assist the board and executive to deliver its charitable objects across its wide remit. Despite the hard work involved it is a very rewarding role, where successful candidates can have a direct influence on the development of the future strategy of the TBA.

Members will have recently received a nomination form in the post – if not, please contact the office. Should you feel you have the right attributes to become a TBA board trustee and wish to put yourself forward as a potential candidate, please complete and return the nomination form to Stanstead House no later than 9.30am on September 4 ensuring that you have six signatures of support from current TBA members (scanned signatures will be accepted). The signatories can offer their support to a maximum of two candidates in any year.

Webinars

Earlier in the summer the TBA initiated a series of webinars and there are two to look forward to this month. The first will concern marketing your yearling, with guest speakers Ted Voute and Jamie Railton. The second webinar, focusing on broodmare ownership, will be led by Joe Grimwade. Members are advised to check the

TBA website for upcoming events and details of how to get involved.

Member discount for Great British Bonus The deadline day for registrations to the Great British Bonus (GBB) is August 31 and TBA members are reminded that they are eligible for a discount. All 2019-born fillies that were entered into the NH MOPS scheme have automatically been transferred across into Stage 1 of the new GBB scheme. For those who missed the deadline earlier this year and for Flat fillies born in 2019, the foal registration stage is free to TBA members. For non-members the foal registration is £150. For those foals born in 2020 and beyond, TBA members receive a £100 discount on the registration cost, paying £200 instead of £300. The member discount is deducted on the website once the checkout process has been initiated.

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History was made at Ascot late last month when Juddmonte’s Enable sauntered to a third Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes victory, adding to her wins in 2017 and 2019. The supermare was one of four stakes winners in the month for Newsells Park Stud-based Nathaniel. The sequence started with the John Deer-bred Alkandora taking the Listed Prix Melisande at Longchamp, while Dashing Willoughby, bred by Meon Valley Stud, added the Group 3 Henry II Stakes to his CV. The day after Enable’s win, Lady Bowthorpe blew away the opposition in the Group 3 Valiant Fillies’ Stakes. Foaled at Luca and Sara Cumani’s Fittocks Stud, she was the second Group winner out of the Verglas mare, Maglietta Fina, last month, with her year older half-brother Speak In Colours having taken the Group 3 Ballycorus Stakes at Fairyhouse. Racing returned to the July course in Newmarket last month and at its flagship meeting, the Moet & Chandon July Festival, both top-level contests were won by British-breds. Shadwell’s Nazeef conquered the mountain by winning the Falmouth Stakes, while Oxted, bred by Homecroft Wealth Racing, was superb in the July Cup, a contest his sire Mayson had taken eight years previously. Like Nazeef, Tactical had been successful at Royal Ascot on his previous start and The Queen’s juvenile colt easily handled the step up to 6f with an authoritative win in the Group 2 July Stakes. The same day, Anthony Oppenheimer’s homebred filly Dame Malliot made the perfect start to her four-year-old season with victory in the Group 2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes to give Hollie Doyle her first Group winner in the saddle. Completing a hat-trick on the day was the Meon Valley-bred Al Suhail (Dubawi) in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. The month finished with a flourish and the Goodwood Festival, where the second day highlight was the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, which witnessed a superb change of gear from Hamdan Al Maktoum's Mohaather to back up his Group 2 Summer Mile victory at Ascot earlier in the month. The son of Showcasing was bred by Gaie Johnson Houghton. Also winning on the South Downs was the Newsells Park Stud-bred Mogul, who ran out the comfortable

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GEORGE SELWYN

Extraordinary Enable completes King George treble

Enable captured the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes for the third time

winner of the Group 3 Gordon Stakes, while One Master flew home to take the Group 3 Oak Tree Stakes. Across the Channel, July means Deauville and Godolphin raided Prix Jean Prat weekend, coming away with victories courtesy of Royal Crusade in the Group 3 Prix de Ris-Orangis and Althiqa in the Listed Prix Amandine. Italy’s Oaks fixture was pushed back from June and the third Italian Classic of the season was won well by Auyantepui, bred in Britain by Allevamento Le Gi Massimo Parri. The same day and freshman sire Twilight Son gained an all-important Pattern winner with the fast filly Aria Importante in the Group 3 Premio Primi Passi. As well as standing Twilight Son, Cheveley Park Stud also gained a couple of Listed wins with homebred fillies. Romola (Pivotal) took the Pipalong Stakes at Pontefract, while Cabaletta took the Aphrodite Stakes at Newbury. On the very first day of the month, Qatar Racing Limited’s Know It All landed the Group 3 Derrinstown Stud Fillies Stakes at Leopardstown in good style, while Tweenhills resident Havana Gold gained a third Pattern winner when Tabdeed, bred by Red House Stud & Ketton Ashwell Ltd, took the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes at Newbury. Bearstone Stud-bred Queen Jo Jo flew home with a wet sail for victory in

the Group 3 Summer Fillies' Stakes at York, while Earle Mack’s Mr Ritz (Oasis Dream) landed back-to-back wins in the Grade 3 Seagram Cup Stakes on the Tapeta at Woodbine. Other Listed winners over the past month were Litex Commerce-bred Labera in the Diana Trial at Mulheim, the Kirsten Rausing-bred Pondus (Sea The Moon) in the Lenebane Stakes at Roscommon, Mascalls Stud-bred Subjectivist in the Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton Park, Global Giant, who was bred by Martin & Lee Taylor, in the Steventon Stakes at Newbury, and the Shutford Stud-bred Kick On (Charm Spirit), who took the Swedish Open Mile at Bro Park. There was also a double for Juddmonte homebreds with Franconia and Viadera scoring in stakes contests on either side of the Atlantic, the former in the Lyric Fillies’ Stakes at York and the latter in the De La Rose Stakes at Saratoga. Over obstacles and the Meon Valley Stud-bred Really Super put in an assured performance to take the Summer Plate Handicap Chase, freshly upgraded to Grade 3 level, at Market Rasen, while at Saratoga in the Grade 1 A P Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase, the Kirsten Rausing-bred Moscato showed a fine turn of foot to land his first win at the top table. Produced in association with GBRI

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TBA Forum

ill Gredley has been around thoroughbred racing and breeding long enough to have the answer to most situations. One aspect still perplexes him, though. “We’ve been trying to act like a proper stud, offering our produce through the sales,” says the owner of Stetchworth and Middle Park studs near Newmarket, “but it’s not been very successful. We reckon people think, ‘Ah, they’re owner-breeders, only selling what they don’t want,’ and some might also think we don’t play the game, if you get my meaning.” Gredley, 87 in March this year, points out recent examples of that that “couldn’t sell”: James Garfield, bought in at £60,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale before being trained by his son-in-law George Scott to win the Group 2 Mill Reef and Group 3 Greenham Stakes; Pretty Pollyanna, named after his daughter, bought back at 50,000gns at Tattersalls Book 1 yearling sale before winning the Group 1 Prix Morny and finishing second in the Irish 1000 Guineas; and Eva Maria, retained at 260,000gns at the same Newmarket sale as Pretty Pollyanna, before winning three times as a threeyear-old from Richard Fahey’s yard. “All good horses,” Gredley says, with a sigh of resignation, “so it’s quite difficult for us. We have sold privately, and have sold very well, but if you’re a breeder and also racing horses, it doesn’t always mix. The problem is that we enjoy both sides of the business, the breeding and the racing. “We’re sending ten up to the yearling sales this year. We’re happy that one day someone will work out that they can buy good horses from us. We’re certainly trying to encourage that side of the business, but it’s a slow process.” Meanwhile, like hundreds of others, Gredley is coping with the impact of Covid-19, donating £50,000 through his property company the Unex Group to a fund managed by a community enterprise in Newmarket to help local residents, and following the fortunes of the 15-plus horses he has raced this Flat season in partnership with his son Tim. “We went racing at Newmarket in mid-July for the first time, and it was like walking into a desert,” he recalls. “We were lucky, and to be fair to Newmarket, they gave us a bottle of

GEORGE SELWYN

BREEDER IN FOCUS – Bill Gredley

Bill Gredley: planning to send ten horses to the yearling sales later this year

champagne and looked after us very well. But getting racegoers and all owners back on the racecourse has been beyond racing’s remit. “I haven’t really been affected by the virus. I’ve been at home and haven’t had a problem. I take the view there’s going to be people dying even if we didn’t have the virus. Just look at the number who usually die at this time of year, it’s a lot anyway. In any case, I understand there have only been three known cases in Suffolk, though that came from Barry Hills, and I’m not sure he’s always a reliable source!” Gredley continues to play a major part in the day-to-day running of the family property company he founded but admits that son Tim is “almost running” the racing and breeding operation. “He’s on the TBA Flat Committee and I’m very keen on the benefits of the association,” Gredley senior says, unprompted. “The latest initiative, the Great British Bonus scheme, is fantastic and Julian Richmond-Watson and the team are doing a great job. The TBA has led the way for the bloodstock industry during the Covid-19 pandemic, and I’ve had more information from them than anywhere else.” As for the current practicalities,

Gredley says: “Most staff live on site around the two studs and all have been practicing social distancing, but the stud environment is good for that anyway, as well as for health and welfare issues in the horses. “We’ve got very good staff, and to a certain extent they’ve been left to work out the social distancing in the correct way. It’s wonderful to be working in the stud and stable environment, out in the fresh air most of the time, and I haven’t heard anybody complain vociferously about Covid-19. “We’ve taken all the right precautions in the office, so I don’t think we’re been greatly affected. “In terms of moving the horses around, when the pandemic started, the TBA led the way, chatting to government and keeping everyone informed. We’ve followed all the relevant conditions in transporting horses inland, and we’ve been to Galileo in Ireland with Pretty Pollyanna – she’ll go to Frankel next year – and had no problems. Going to Ireland, we left all the bookings and arrangements to the people at BBA Shipping, they sort everything out.” Looking ahead to the short term, Gredley has mixed feelings: “In Newmarket we have a proliferation of top-class stallions nearby, we’re not short of selection. We have the best vets in the world, the best training grounds, good trainers and feed merchants. We’re spoilt for choice, and the TBA is working hard at promoting our own bloodstock industry. “About 20 of our horses in training came back in when Covid-19 cancelled racing, and we’ve done quite a bit of cutting back, instead of waiting a year. You have to think on your feet in this business and I’m sure there will be a contraction this year, especially with the problems with prize-money. “We don’t seem to be making much headway with the bookmakers, and racecourses haven’t been the most generous contributors anyway, but owners can’t keep running round for their own money for ever. “The upper end probably won’t be affected too much, but the overseas market will be greater and there will be more competition there. There will be a march back, but that in itself may be no bad thing, as owners will hopefully be running for decent prize-money.”

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