£6.95 MAY 2023 ISSUE225
Classic charge
Karl Burke targets Guineas glory with Indestructible
PLUS
Sires await market judgement
Constitution Hill
The making of a superstar
Franny Norton
25 STAKES WINNERS TO DATE
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Karl Burke might have been lost to the sport of horseracing following a series of setbacks that would have seen off lesser men. From bans to potential bankruptcy, the Middleham trainer has come through the other side and now manages one of the most potent stables in Britain.
The 2022 season saw Burke achieve a record number of winners, his tally of 117 eclipsing his century the previous year, while £2.9 million in prize-money won at home was comfortably his highest total in more than 30 years with a licence.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Burke’s ascendancy is the range of owners now ensconced at Spigot Lodge, including bigspending sole owners, sheikhs and syndicates. All the boxes are full as the quality of bloodstock continues to rise.
“For the first time ever we have turned down horses this year,” Burke tells Marcus Townend (The Big Interview, pages 18-22). “We had to draw a line – we just couldn’t keep taking horses. No doubt some of them will be nice ones.
“We are full and there are still horses waiting to come in. I never wanted to get in this position. We have had a big influx of Middle Eastern owners on the back of the results we have had. When you are being sent the quality of animals we are, it is hard to turn them down.
“I thought last year’s bunch were very good and that’s how it turned out. Touch wood this year we have an even bigger team and some better-bred horses.”
Burke has made a flying start to the turf campaign, taking the Craven Stakes with Indestructible, switched from Michael O’Callaghan’s Curragh stable by Amo Racing. Kia Joorabchian’s outfit looks set for a big year and Indestructible looks a likely candidate for the top mile races this season.
As well as the first Classics, the month of May also means Chester and one man who cannot wait to get back on the Roodee is Franny Norton.
Norton may be at the veteran stage but few jockeys ride Chester better and he tells Graham Dench (The Finish Line, page 72) why he enjoys the challenge of the turning track.
The 2023 Grand National may be behind us but the fallout from this year’s race could affect the Aintree showpiece for years to come.
Once protesters found their way on to the track, causing a delay of nearly 15 minutes, it was always likely to lead to unwelcome headlines across the wider media, regardless of what happened in the race itself, such is its appeal and status, attracting millions of viewers around the world.
Like many other racing fans, I dearly love the National. It presents a unique challenge to horse and jockey and stands apart from every other contest in the calendar. A number of alterations have been made over the years in
an effort to improve safety and the BHA will continue to review and assess the race, which this year saw the sad loss of Hill Sixteen.
The fact that 40 runners line up at Aintree has been a given during the modern era. I wouldn’t want to see a reduction in numbers, yet it seems inevitable that this aspect will continue to come under scrutiny. Preserving this great race, while simultaneously addressing safety concerns and public feeling, could become one of the sport’s greatest challenges.
Howard Wright (pages 16-17) asks whose role in racing it is to defend the sport from outside attacks and suggests a more coherent strategy is required in this digital age.
“All the boxes are full as the quality of bloodstock continues to rise”
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Last month saw the end of the winter all-weather season, with three fixtures held on Good Friday.
Prize-money levels were exceptional at all three ARC tracks that staged the meetings, and in addition crowds appeared to be healthy.
At Bath, a series of low-grade races were run but crucially for very good prizes. They had over 400 horses entered and managed to attract huge fields as well as a bumper crowd, which I believe was a record for the track. Whilst some of the races on finals day at Newcastle did not fill – a tweak to qualifying conditions may be needed for next year – overall it was a day that showcased what can be achieved.
At the Lambourn Open Day, also staged on Good Friday, a number of local trainers who had runners and winners at Bath were unanimous in their support for the racing that day, and the prizes that were on offer. It was not that long ago that no racing on Good Friday was held sacrosanct by many in the country. Yet a few years on we have three meetings attracting sizeable crowds, healthy field sizes and excellent prize-money. The Lambourn Open Day certainly did not suffer as attendance was amazing and by all accounts a record amount of money was raised for charity.
This example shows that the industry can make changes, which may at first appear unpalatable to some, and reap the benefits. As I mentioned last month, we are fast approaching the first real test of the new governance structure. The background noise of nervousness from certain racecourses and media companies has finally broken cover. Media coverage of dissenting voices will no doubt increase as we edge closer to making some key decisions on 2024 fixtures.
I recently read a quote saying that the BHA is the sport’s regulator and should keep their noses out of the commercial aspects of the industry; well, I am afraid that horse has well and truly bolted following the changes made last year and the establishment of the Commercial Committee. Steady nerves and clear thinking will be needed at BHA Board level to land these changes without causing too much discord amongst some of those impacted.
The Grand National proved to be a focal point for those looking to disrupt and eventually close down our sport. Whilst the race itself was quite a difficult watch, it remains the spectacle that inspires the nation to get involved. Last year the price of the winner ensured it was a ‘levy-saving’
event and this year, despite a relatively short-priced favourite triumphing, it still produced a great boost to the levy.
Aintree’s showpiece race is an event that moves coverage of the sport from the back pages to the front of the national newspapers. We must continue to stand up for the National Hunt game, engage with those who misunderstand or misrepresent the issues involved, and make sure we do not lose the great race for future generations.
With the first Classics upon us, it is interesting to see the changes to some of the ownership groups now inhabiting the sport. From syndicates with live contenders to emerging powerhouses, the landscape continues to shift. We have seen in the jumps arena the emergence of new owners with powerful strings and the same is now happening on the Flat. This has to be good news for the sport of horseracing, albeit the stalwart large Flat ownerbreeders remain and will surely dominate the Classics once more.
Personally, owning a very small share in a possible Classic contender has led to hours of fun this spring, with plans being hatched and routes mapped out. Whilst the dream remains alive there is nothing quite like it – long may the bubble remain intact, and long may the new strategy work continue to unite the industry and drive the sport forward.
“The industry can make changes, which may at first appear unpalatable, and reap the benefits”
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Good Friday, which used to occupy one of the few blank slots in the British racing calendar, now has a wellestablished place as a Flat racing day with significant prize-money and, in a first this year, ITV television coverage.
The landscape changed only nine years ago, when Lingfield and Musselburgh broke the Good Friday mould, and another step forward came in 2017, when Newcastle replaced Musselburgh to join Lingfield and the newcomer Bath on a day of three meetings for the first time.
The changes meant that Arena Racing Company (ARC) took on responsibility for staging all Good Friday racing in Britain. The company introduced a further development in 2022 by switching the day’s quality racing to its newest allweather circuit at Newcastle, leaving Lingfield to run a full card of handicaps, with four Class 3 and three Class 4 races, all carrying prize-money well in excess of the minimum levels.
At Bath, there were five Class 6 handicaps and two Class 5 handicaps run for prize-money significantly above the minimum required. By contrast, the Newcastle programme is far from open – except the £100,000 Listed Burradon Stakes – as it is the culmination of the All-Weather Championships, which has rules requiring entrants to have run at least twice on all-weather surfaces during the winter to qualify.
ARC should be recognised for putting up substantial prize-money at all these meetings – more than £1m being on offer at Newcastle alone – and as a consequence attracted strong fields and plenty of runners, averages of 14.8 and 12.7 runners per race at Bath and Lingfield respectively, and 8.4 at Newcastle, where the conditions race programme could not have been expected to match the other’s numbers.
It shows what can happen if a racecourse digs deep into its pockets. However, the industry has to look at the sport in the round. While Good Friday can be regarded as a one-off exception, we must make sure we are clear on the overall structure needed for our racing.
The welcome boost of £30,000 to £50,000 being made to over 60 maiden and novice and development races in 2023, with funding from Darley, Juddmonte and the BHA Development Fund, is a progressive step towards encouraging breeders, buyers and owners to put horses into training here, whereby they can target races and receive worthwhile rewards for winning.
A filly that wins one of these races and a GBB prize will more than pay her way for the season and so, hopefully, will encourage an increase in horses trained and run in Britain. All these developmental races are essential to bringing horses through to whatever level they can achieve, and while running
races such as those that took place at Bath and Lingfield on Good Friday might be attractive, a full and rewarding development programme is needed to produce even these Class 6 handicappers.
The BHA and racecourses must ensure that owning horses in Britain is encouraged at the development stage as well as later in a horse’s career. With that in mind, May is a critical month, since the BHA Board has to decide on the strategy developed by its new Commercial Committee – on which TBA Chief Executive Claire Sheppard is a member – about fixtures and funding for 2024.
A fundamental issue is to address making our sport more attractive and relevant in today’s world, at the heart of which
are two questions: does the majority of the sport believe in ensuring that breeding and owning racehorses is aspirational, with the bigger rewards going to the top, or is it prepared to see the continuing drift of prize-money and opportunity to the lower levels of racing?
Whatever changes to the fixture list are forged, it is even more important that the sport embraces a different direction for funding at the higher level. Each sport needs upper echelons to generate interest, and without it the whole of racing will be diminished, along with the quality we have built up over the years.
This challenge must be met full on if we are going to be able to continue to claim we breed and race the best horses in the world and run the best racing.
“A full and rewarding developmental programme is needed to produce even Class 6 handicappers”
Race-by-race contributions to prize-money by the Levy Board were last month published for the first time, increasing visibility of the organisation’s funding of the sport’s fixtures.
The Levy Board’s allocations of Ratecard Plus and Incremental PrizeMoney (IPM) for the first three months of 2023 were made public and will be updated each quarter.
The Ratecard Plus funding
mechanism, adopted last year, allocates the Levy Board’s prize-money on a race-by-race basis. The Board’s contribution varies according to the track’s own executive contribution, providing an incentive for racecourses
A new free-to-join club has been launched by QIPCO British Champions Series offering tickets to premier racedays at significantly reduced rates for those aged between 18 and 26.
to unlock further money from the Levy Board by increasing their own funding.
In the first quarter of this year the Levy Board’s Ratecard Plus payments amounted to £11.1 million, of which £8.2m was to jump races, including £1.3m to the Cheltenham Festival, and £2.9m to Flat races.
The total included £126,000 in prize-money funding for additional meetings in the light of weather-related abandonments of certain fixtures originally in the programme. The £0.9m IPM contribution was split approximately 50-50 between Flat and jumping.
Levy Board Chief Executive Alan Delmonte said: “One of the benefits of the Ratecard Plus mechanism is that it directly and immediately links how much a racecourse puts in to how much we pay out.
“Publishing our contribution to every race gives the industry and the public a clear view of how and to where most of our prize-money contribution is distributed.
“We already make available a total per year of how much we give to each racecourse and the amount split between Flat and jump racing. Publication of race-by-race information adds further transparency in this key area.”
With £66m budgeted in 2023, prize-money is the largest Levy Board expenditure item. Of this, the Ratecard Plus mechanism accounts for £56.8m and IPM £4m.
The other elements of the Levy Board’s prize-money contribution in 2023, to a combined budgeted value of £5.2m, are the Great British Bonus, Sunday Appearance Scheme and Divided Race Fund.
Club 26 aims to encourage more young people to go racing in 2023, with general admission available for £10 at a number of fixtures including British Champions Day at Ascot in October.
Further discounted ticket offers will follow throughout the summer at British Champions Series fixtures across ten racecourses.
In addition to discounted admission at meetings including the Derby festival, Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, Club 26 members will also be able to go behind the scenes at the races and enjoy raceday previews.
Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Director of
Leading jumps owner Dai Walters will offer a partial dispersal of his stock at the Goffs UK Spring HIT/PTP Sale on May 25, with 25 horses set to go through the ring.
Walters, who is continuing his rehabilitation at home having suffered serious injuries in a helicopter crash in November, has seen his blue and white silks carried to Grade 1 success by the likes of Oscar Whisky and Whisper.
All 25 horses will be consigned by The Hollies and offered without reserve. The partial dispersal will feature 19 horses in training, including seven-year-old Jazz King, who recorded an impressive victory on his chasing debut at Ludlow in March, talented two-mile
QIPCO, said: “We are passionate about attracting young people to horseracing as future fans and participants and are very proud to launch Club 26 ahead of the QIPCO Guineas Festival.
“We have lots of exciting plans for the Club and hope it educates and encourages more 18 to 26-year-olds, who are key to the future of this sport, to come racing.”
Rod Street, Chief Executive of QIPCO British Champions Series, said: “British Champions Series is delighted to be able to introduce Club 26 at our racedays.
“Our objective is to get a younger
chaser Grey Diamond and five-yearold Tzarmix, ready winner of a novice hurdle at Chepstow in March.
The draft will also feature four mares including Grade 2-placed six-year-old Great Snow and La Pagerie, a half-sister to Whisper.
Tim Kent, Goffs UK Managing Director, commented: “The Doncaster Spring HIT/PTP Sale is the largest NH horses-in-training sale in the world, and we are grateful to Mr Walters and his family for choosing it as an outlet for their partial dispersal.
“The Spring Sale has hosted many high-class dispersals over the years and this draft, which will be offered along with the annual Million In Mind dispersal in May, will certainly be among the highlights for 2023.”
audience closer to horseracing, by involving them in some of the best Flat racing occasions in the calendar. Horseracing takes a bit of understanding, but by involving people more closely in the racing experience, we know the magic can rub off and create lifetime aficionados.
“We believe the initial offer is fantastic value and there will be more to come as the British Flat racing season goes on.
“I would also like to thank our sponsor QIPCO, who have been such committed partners since British Champions Series began in 2011, for giving their backing to Club 26.”
Bryan Cooper
Announces his retirement from the saddle aged 30 having partnered 532 winners including Don Cossack in the 2016 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Andy Clifton
Appointed Corporate Affairs Director by the Racehorse Owners Association and will take up the position later this year, moving from the Racecourse Association.
John Dance
Partnership with Graeme McPherson ends due to logistical issues, with both men set to revert to training independently.
Sam Ewing
Jump jockey attached to Gordon Elliott’s stable will be out of action for a number of months after breaking his arm in a fall at Musselburgh.
Robyn Brisland
Trainer fined £8,000 after allowing a toxic workplace culture to take hold at his stable. Senior staff member William Degnan was fined £3,000.
Retires for the second time after taking three rides on Grand National day, enjoying Grade 1 glory on Irish Point in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle.
Owner sells his 50% stake in top chaser Bravemansgame to Bryan Drew after his business activities are curtailed by the Financial Conduct Authority.
Epsom Classics
Betfred steps in to sponsor the Derby and the Oaks on a three-year deal, taking over from Cazoo.
Jack Tudor
David Pipe appoints 20-year-old as his stable jockey, succeeding Tom Scudamore, who retired in February after 16 years in the role.
Freddy Tylicki
Former jockey now working in the bloodstock and media sectors becomes a jockeys’ agent with Tom Eaves and Harrison Shaw on his books.
Harry Whittington
Grade 1-winning trainer relinquishes his licence after a decade with a plan to focus on pre-training, rehabilitation and sales consignment.
Page Fuller
Retires from race-riding aged 27 after a succession of injuries. She enjoyed 108 winners over jumps and one success on the Flat.
Keith Ottesen
Will leave his role as Clerk of the Course at Newbury to take up a similar role at King Abdulaziz racecourse in Saudi Arabia later this year.
Pat Cosgrave
Rider hit with 28-day ban having eased up prematurely on Concorde at Chelmsford on April 20, throwing away victory in the mile handicap.
Brilliant grey, racing for his breeder the Aga Khan then Godolphin, winning seven Group 1s and siring Irish Derby victor Grey Swallow.
Selhurstpark Flyer 32
Won successive renewals of the Wokingham Handicap at Royal Ascot for owners Chris and Antonia Deuters and trainer Jack Berry.
One For Arthur 14
Talented staying chaser captured the 2017 Grand National under Derek Fox for trainer Lucinda Russell and owners Belinda McClung and Deborah Thomson.
Mighty Thunder 10
Lucinda Russell-trained chaser won the 2021 Scottish Grand National under Tom Scudamore for owners Colin and Nicola Drysdale.
Clan Des Obeaux
Kemboy
Willie Mullins-trained chaser is retired aged 11 after a career that yielded four Grade 1 victories, including the 2019 Aintree Bowl.
Blaklion
Popular chaser is retired aged 14 – he won the RSA Chase at Cheltenham and Becher Chase over the big fences at Aintree, which he relished.
John Spearing 82
Trained Run And Skip to take the 1985 Welsh Grand National; in all he sent out over 800 winners under both codes in a long career.
Peter Dever 61
Stylish rider was runner-up in the conditional jockeys’ championship in 1983-84 and partnered around 100 winners over jumps.
Mishriff
Stallion career is put on hold and he will not commence stud duties in 2023 at his French base due to an injury sustained earlier this year.
Dave Morris 74
Former jockey and trainer based in Newmarket sent out Bay Of Islands to win the Northumberland Plate for Bloomsbury Stud in 2000.
Ken Wingrove 84
Trained from bases near Rugby and Norwich, he was known as a great character and for succeeding with cheaply-bought horses.
The expression on Lucinda Russell’s face says it all after the trainer watched Corach Rambler and Derek Fox deliver a second Randox Grand National to her Scottish stable. It was also a second National for the jockey, having partnered One For Arthur to victory for Russell in 2017. In a renewal delayed by the actions of a number of protesters at Aintree, Fox rode the perfect race on Corach Rambler, owned by The Ramblers, stalking the leaders and pouncing approaching the final fence to take the prize by two and a quarter lengths from Vanillier.
Jack Tudor holds tight on the Christian Williams-trained Kitty’s Light at the final fence in the Scottish Grand National at Ayr. Despite this less than fluent leap, Kitty’s Light, runner-up to stablemate Win My Wings in 2022, still had plenty in reserve, running on strongly to defeat Cooper’s Cross by three lengths in the silks of RJ Bedford & All Stars Sports Racing.
One result, so many questions: in that simple respect this year’s Grand National was little different from many others. Overall, though, that was hardly the general feeling in the immediate aftermath of the timehonoured event, with most of the questions – and some instant answers – surrounding on-the-ground and on-the-air protests from a wayward group of animal rights’ activists that preceded, briefly interrupted and for a period continued to plague the race.
Yet one question seemed to get little attention but is at the centre of the issue as far as the fundamental future of the sport is concerned. Who or what organisation should lead the defence of British racing against those who would question its very right to exist?
It’s not as if protesting is a new phenomenon, even if much in the method has undergone change and developed a sinister undertone in recent years. The gentleman who passively paraded outside Doncaster racecourse during St Leger weeks of my youth, bearing a placard proclaiming ‘The End is Nigh, Prepare to Meet Thy God’, has been replaced by rabble-rousing groups in cheap emblazoned tee-shirts, carrying make-shift cardboard banners and with something more malicious than nuisance on their minds.
Opponents of the sport have circulated major racing festivals for many years, but generally without impinging on the events themselves. Today, though, rapid developments in media coverage – social or more traditional – have enabled these activities to infiltrate a worldwide audience much more easily.
Interactive platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide individuals intent on making mischief with instant gratification that would not have been possible 20 years ago. Rolling television news channels have mushroomed even in the last couple of years, with TalkTV and GB News joining Sky to
challenge the several national terrestrial outlets for attention.
In their wake, there are two obvious candidates from within British racing’s central organisation to address the question of who or what should lead the defence of the sport – the BHA, the governing and regulatory authority, and/or Great British Racing, the sport’s official marketing and promotional body, in the words of its website, and chief protector of the British Champions Series.
The BHA has a strong media relations department and appointed Greg Swift as its new Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs last September. His face takes up the largest area among the photographs of board and executive members displayed on the BHA website, for those anxious to know what he looks like.
GBR occupies the space that has probably caused as much consternation as any since the Jockey Club surrendered authority to the British Horseracing Board and subsequently to the BHA, and the sport appointed its first overall marketing
If today really is May Day, an opportunity to make Constitution Hill the superhero of 2023 is on the horizon, for at noon tomorrow, entries for the Gold Cup at Ascot close.
A crack at the stayers’ jewel in the crown, which momentarily flickered over owner Michael Buckley’s lips in the immediate aftermath of the Champion Hurdle, remains tantalisingly available, even down to a £35,000 supplementary stage on June 16.
The connection between the Champion Hurdle and Royal Ascot stems from 1928, the second year of the Cheltenham feature won by the four-year-old Brown Jack, whose greater claim to fame came when he amassed six consecutive wins in the Queen Alexandra Stakes.
Two decades later, National Spirit became the second dual Champion Hurdle winner in a career in which he mixed Flat and jumps, landing a wartime November Handicap as well as five out of seven outings on the level in 1948. Although 1977 Cheltenham winner Night Nurse went on to a useful chasing
career, it was not until his stablemate Sea Pigeon came along in the 1980s that a Champion Hurdler again combined the two codes at a high level, gaining a Timeform Flat rating of 123 for wins that included the Chester Cup and a record weightcarrying effort in the Ebor.
Just one horse who went on to win a Champion Hurdle has taken a higher Timeform Flat rating into the Gold Cup at Ascot, with Royal Gait’s various continental staying successes earning him a mark of 127, but sadly he was a victim of stewarding rules that would not apply today, and his five-length Ascot victory of 1988 was chalked off.
Royal Gait’s 1992 Cheltenham run gave him a Timeform jumps mark of 164, which Constitution Hill’s equivalent of 177 has already eclipsed on his way to becoming the company’s sixth highest-rated hurdler behind Night Nurse (182), Istabraq (180) Monksfield (180), Persian War (179) and Comedy Of Errors (178). Wouldn’t it be a thrill if the current Champion Hurdler was given a chance to put right the wrongs that befell Royal Gait?
director. Lee Richardson, who joined from car-hire giant Hertz, should have been paid danger money for the amount of flak he received, before he called it a day and dived into the calmer waters of the betting industry.
Today, GBR and its sister organisation Great British Racing International – launched in 2013 to “grow international investment into the British racing and breeding industries” –soldier on, funded by data rights payments made through the BHA and support from the Levy Board, as well as grants from the Racing Foundation.
Measuring the effectiveness of GBR, which has had Rod Street at the helm since February 2010, is not easy. Its website contains no annual reports, and its returns to Companies House are those of “a small company”, the latest of which, for the year ended December 31, 2021, revealed turnover of £2.39 million, admin costs of £2.5m, with 13 staff being paid £702,000 for an average of £54,000 a year, and an operating loss of £30,000, following 2020’s pandemic-affected profit of £63,000.
The document helpfully points out that Chairman Tony Langham waived his £30,000 annual fee for the first six months of 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19. Whether the next set of accounts will be as forthcoming about the payment made to that well-known horseracing enthusiast Jermaine Jenas – yes, the man whose salary from the BBC went up from the range of £195,000-£199,999 in 2020-21 to £220,000£224,999 last year – for his part in GBR’s organisation of the 2022 Everyone’s Turf campaign remains to be seen.
Other than that, there is no direct evidence of GBR’s activity, least of all any reference to its effectiveness through KPIs. Instead, its website offers some clues, even if, coming from a promotional outfit, they seem out of date in places,
such as the reference to “attracting new sponsors to the sport and, in 2015, the Stobart Group invested in the Flat and Jumps Jockey Championships” – but not anymore – and a prominently displayed YouTube video covering “the 2020 Flat season, an unforgettable year,” while appearing to forget 2021 and 2022.
Whether GBR regards the defence of British racing against ill-informed criticism, as opposed to straight promotion circulating on social media that largely preaches to the converted, as a key role seems debatable, and the BHA’s lack of media visibility in the run-up to Aintree was noticeable. Instead, after lamentably one-sided broadcasts on ITV and Sky, it was left to a hastily assembled group of four professionals based in Ireland, laudably led by Kevin Blake and quickly supported by commentator Richard Hoiles, eloquently to put the sport’s point of view, before Julie Harrington and Nevin Truesdale, the BHA and Jockey Club Chief Executive respectively, were able to make their voices heard.
It was possible to have some sympathy for the paid officials, for it is hard to get on the front foot when an argument is driven by social media and the vast air-space of so many different news outlets crave attention. But individuals should not have to bear the brunt of responsibility for the whole sport.
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“Individuals should not have to bear the brunt of responsibility for the whole sport”
including leading players from the Middle East headed by Sheik Mohammed Obaid, who first linked up with Burke when he bought Almohandesah, the first offspring of his 2015 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Postponed to score on the track.
They have added extra firepower to an established clientele that includes Steve Parkin’s Clipper Group Holdings, Middleham Park, Nick Bradley Racing, Highclere Thoroughbreds and Amo Racing. The result is that demand has outstripped supply. Despite erecting a further ten boxes to take the capacity of his Spigot Lodge stable to 139 boxes, Burke has found himself in a position he has never encountered before and one which goes against the grain.
Burke, who never envisaged numbers rising so high, explains: “For the first time ever we have turned down horses this year. We had to draw a line –we just couldn’t keep taking horses. No doubt some of them will be nice ones.
“We are full and there are still horses waiting to come in. I never wanted to get in this position. We have had a big influx of Middle Eastern owners on the back of the results we have had. When you are being sent the quality of animals we are, it is hard to turn them down.
“I thought last year’s bunch were very good and that’s how it turned out. Touch wood this year we have an even bigger team and some better-bred horses.”
Burke’s wife Elaine and daughters Kelly and Lucy play important roles at Spigot
Former jump jockey Karl Burke has negotiated plenty of hurdles in his training career yet on the back of his best ever season and with a stable chock-full of talent, the Middleham handler has every reason to be positive about the future
Lodge. The family set-up is a source of great pride for the trainer, all the more so because of the potholes in the road that he has overcome, which so easily could have proved deep inescapable craters.
In 2009 the 59-year-old was banned for a year for passing inside information to disgraced gambler Miles Rodgers. It was a shattering setback but one Burke, who spent much of those 12 months travelling, never shied away from and has candidly addressed.
His family kept the show on the road, even though the number of horses they trained plummeted to less than 30, with many of them their own. But surprisingly, former jump jockey Burke says that it wasn’t the most stressful incident of his training career.
That came when, equity rich through Spigot Lodge but short of cash and needing to reinvigorate his business, he agreed to act as a personal loan guarantor for someone he had been introduced to by one of his owners.
Securing a short-term loan was designed to benefit them both, but when the other person welched on the deal, Burke was left high and dry and needing to pay back £130,000 pronto.
He recalls: “Mentally that was far more torture than getting the year ban. For those two or three months I thought we might be literally homeless.
“We had just got going with the horses running in Elaine’s name. I remember thinking if we could just get hold of £50,000 or £60,000 – that was the figure I had in my head – to keep things going
and buy a couple more horses.
“Ironically, by the time the loan came through, I didn’t need the money because we were climbing back.
“But he didn’t pay it back – he still owes the money now – and it fell on us to do it. That was far worse than any BHA ban or bad publicity. To think after getting back going you had tripped yourself up.
“The only reason we managed to get out of it was we owned half the property across the road – Little Spigot. At the
Horses like Quiet Reflection, bought for £44,000 at the breeze-up sales and sold for 2.1m guineas after top-level wins in the 2016 Commonwealth Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup, have underlined Burke’s knack of winning on the racetrack because he knows his way around the sales ring.
Before that there was Libertarian, the 40,000gns purchase whose brief six-race career included winning the 2013 Dante Stakes at York and finishing second in the Derby at Epsom before a lucrative sale to Godolphin.
Burke describes Libertarian as “probably the most important horse in my career” – the Spigot Lodge barn his exploits helped build bears his name.
Burke says: “His influence on us was huge. When he was sold in 2013, that was the first time we got a bit of money coming through the system. It was the upward curve again.
time, it was hard to sell but at the last minute we found a buyer.
“That saved us. That meant we could pay off the loan and release the tie which had been on this place.”
Having survived by the skin of his teeth, Burke then rebuilt, horse by horse, relying on an uncanny eye for a talented thoroughbred.
The man who trained the brilliant Laurens to win six Group 1 races has consistently unearthed gems, retained a share in them and then been able to cash in when they are finally sold.
“It was a shame really that he was only around for such a short time. To put it bluntly he was a pain in the arse on the gallops as a two-year-old. He was a bit of a boyo and we never ran him.
“But in February whatever you worked him with he would just stay with them and not turn a hair. He’d come in without a sweat mark on him.
“One day we took him to Southwell to see what he did away from home. He worked really well with some good old handicappers.
“It was the beginning of March and the next day was the closing day for Derby entries. I rang his owner Hubert Strecker and said, ‘I am going to say something
“It was a shame that Libertarian was only around for such a short time”The Middleham moors provide a stunning backdrop at Spigot Lodge, which has seen continued investment in facilities by the trainer, pictured above right with high-class filly Electric Eyes and daughter Lucy
stupid now’, but he was already reading my mind and said, ‘Derby?’
“His first run was at Pontefract at the beginning of April. The Middleham Open Day was a week before and the late [Racing Post reporter] Tom O’Ryan always used to come into the yard.
“I was excited about this horse. He was
gorgeous-looking and I remember saying to Tom, ‘Come on, I will show you a really nice horse’. I said he goes to Pontefract next week and he will win there – and he could be a Derby horse.
“It was huge when he won the Dante. We went down to Epsom pretty bullish – we knew he was spot on – but the race
didn’t quite pan out for us. He ran really well, but I think if you ran the race ten times, we would probably win it six or seven times.
“We ran him in the Irish Derby for Godolphin, who said win, lose or draw he was leaving us, but if I am honest the horse had had enough. The ground was
Prioritising prize-money for middleranking runners is what the BHA and racecourses should be concentrating on, Karl Burke believes.
The trainer said the situation the sport found itself in on Good Friday particularly highlighted the issue of the talent drain which needs addressing.
The decision to put up £200,000 for a mix of Class 5 and 6 races at Bath meant the track’s card was massively oversubscribed with 408 entries.
On the same afternoon at Newcastle’s AW Championships Finals day, races failed to fill despite over £1 million of prize-money being offered.
Burke says: “We all want good prize-money across the board, but I couldn’t understand the prize-money
too quick and he never ran a race.
“It was some ride with him, but it was start to finish from April to June. Three months and he was gone.”
The foundations and security Libertarian helped put in place have certainly been built on.
“I love buying horses,” Burke explains. “Probably my favourite part of the job is buying yearlings. That is 90 per cent of being a trainer.
“I love looking at how they move and visualising how they will be in six months or a year’s time.
“At the yearling sales I would never buy a horse just on the page, the model has got to match. I like looking at pedigrees and different crosses, maybe with a firstseason sire or maybe you know the family.
“You have a vision in your head about what a yearling will look like. Nine times out of ten, when you pull it out of the box, it doesn’t look like you had hoped but every now and then you see a horse which matches your imagination and you go from there.
“Generally, my eye is still drawn to speed. Even staying horses need a certain amount of that.
“We still own a lot of our horses, but we didn’t buy as many this time round because I knew we were going to be sent plenty.”
If there is a colt in Burke’s care to go one better than Libertarian at Epsom in June it is Sheik Obaid’s Liberty Lane. An easy winner of a Nottingham maiden in
for those moderate horses at Bath.
“Most are running round for £3,000 or £4,000 maximum during the year. If you put on a £10,000 race those horses would have still turned up.
“It is the horses rated 75 to 90 that need as much support as we can give them. Those horses in that 80-85 bracket with potential – we are having to sell them. They are going out of the country and disappearing.
“If more money was put into that programme, you could give owners an incentive to keep them, or at least keep them for a little bit longer.
“It showed at the other end at Newcastle where those races didn’t fill because we haven’t got the horses any more.
“There will always be a glut of horses at the bottom end. It needs a
October, he had York’s Dante Stakes in his sights after finishing a fine second on his seasonal return at Newmarket’s Craven meeting.
But the Spigot Lodge talent is stacked. New arrival Indestructible showcased his Classic credentials when taking the headline Group 3 Craven Stakes in decisive style for big-spending owner Kia Joorabchian.
Hopes are also high for Holloway Boy, Flight Plan, Electric Eyes, Lowther Stakes winner Swingalong, who ran third on her return in the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, and potential Oaks prospects Bright Diamond and Novokai.
In the sprinting division, 2022 Gimcrack
bit of thought. The top horses are running for good money, maybe not the world’s best, but still good. It is the middle bracket really that needs some concentrated thought.”
Burke has contacted ARC, which runs both Bath and Newcastle, to discuss events.
He adds: “It is not just about Good Friday but supporting these [middlerank] horses all through the season.
“Not all, but some will progress, yet we are selling them off. You also need to advertise what you are doing and give owners advance notice about what will be happening.
“That doesn’t mean in October but before the July sales, so people can say, ‘Hold on there is great prizemoney available over the winter, let’s roll these horses on and see how far we can take them.’”
Stakes runner-up Marshman, already the winner of the Prix Sigy at Chantilly, and Cold Case, the Gimcrack third who won the Redcar Two-Year-Old Trophy, have the Commonwealth Cup on their agendas.
Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Dramatised has a return ticket booked to the US for this year’s meeting at Santa Anita, probably via the King’s Stand and Nunthorpe Stakes.
The nature of the pressure has changed for Burke. With more cash to spend at the sales, expectations have been raised.
“It is a different ball game now,” Burke acknowledges. Yet it is one he will relish playing over the coming months.
4 reception rooms
Upper Lambourn’s flagship house and training yard
Lot 1 - Kingsdown House
• 8 bedrooms • 2 bedroom staff flat • Gardens • 11 stables • Paddocks and parkland
33.46 acres (13.54 ha). Offers over £5m
Lot 2 - Kingsdown Stables
49 boxes • 5 cottages • Covered ride, trotting ring, walker and lunge ring • Barns
9.21 acres (3.72 ha). Price Guide £2.5m
Lot 3 - 53.17 acres (21.51 ha) of arable land. Price Guide £600,000
61.6 acres of arable land
Lot 4 - 94.40 acres (38.19 ha)
• 13.3 acres of woodland • 19.91 acres of pasture • Barn with potential. Price Guide £1m
190.24 acres (76.96 ha) in all
Offers over £9m (as a whole)
Words: James Thomas
Constitution Hill is one of those rare talents whose accomplishments have propelled his profile beyond racing’s parish and into the perception of the wider public. And rightly so, as who couldn’t help but be captivated by a horse who has won seven races under Rules from seven starts, six at Grade 1 level, and by a combined 89 lengths?
His growing fanbase has been treated to back-to-back Cheltenham Festival successes, with a record-breaking Supreme Novices’ romp followed by a bloodless Champion Hurdle victory, as well as imperious displays in the Fighting
Fifth, Christmas and Aintree Hurdles. The evidence of these efforts make the full extent of his ability incredibly hard to gauge, but each win will doubtless increase the number of those following this astonishing trajectory.
While the general public’s appreciation of Constitution Hill looks certain to grow, there are those who held the six-year-old in high affection long before he became a household name. And without the involvement of the likes of Sally Noott, Simon Balding and Barry Geraghty, this story could have panned out oh so differently.
Noott has the distinction of breeding
Constitution Hill having sent her winning and Listed-placed King’s Theatre mare Queen Of The Stage to Blue Bresil in the sire’s first season at Yorton Farm in 2016, back when the son of Smadoun was some way off the blue-chip prospect he is nowadays. The self-confessed “happy hacker” and “novice breeder” explains that another character, trainer Nick Williams, also had a significant role to play in Constitution Hill’s backstory.
“Nick Williams has bought a lot of our horses for us over the years and he’s very knowledgeable on breeding, particularly
Geraghty and Warren Ewing, a number of people can take pride in the early development of outstanding
French pedigrees,” says Noott. “I said to him that if he came across a broodmare that would be suitable for me then could he buy it.
“He got us one and they threw in another very reasonably. Sadly I lost one of those broodmares so I told Nick I’d like another and he said he’d got Queen Of The Stage and that she’d finished her racing career.
“All credit to Nick because we discussed who we were going to send her to, as I always did, especially in the early days because I was such a novice, and he said
he fancied Blue Bresil, although I can’t remember what it was that he liked about him at the time.”
Noott has been going racing since her childhood and first entered into racehorse ownership in late 2004 when her husband, Philip, purchased four-time winner Golden Duck, who was followed a year later by Call Me Edward.
Both raced in the colours of Noott and her daughter Isobel. Between those two purchases the family moved to a new home in Belbroughton in Worcestershire, which helped encourage Noott to take the
leap from owner to breeder.
“I’ve always had a horse of my own, as had my daughter, but I’m a happy hacker and she’s done eventing,” she says. “When we moved house we had the land here so the racehorses came home in the summer. When we rebuilt the stables my husband said he’d put some foaling stables in, in case we ever wanted to have a go at breeding. At the time I thought I’d never do that but a few years later I changed my mind. I’d always gone racing, which started with my parents taking me, but I didn’t know anything about breeding.”
Constitution Hill was born on March 17, 2017 and spent his early weeks at Coolmore’s National Hunt division at The Beeches Stud as Flemensfirth was selected for Queen Of The Stage’s next mating. Once back in Worcestershire, it wasn’t long before his famously unflappable temperament became apparent.
“He had a little knock in the field so he was actually at Coolmore longer than he should have been,” says Noott. “Then, bizarrely, when they came home Queen Of The Stage injured her leg so she had to stop in for a couple of weeks with her foal. Constitution Hill was lovely to manage though and we had to handle him plenty while the stables were being mucked out. You tend to think the feisty ones are going to be the better ones, or perhaps that’s my naivety, but I’ve always thought that when they’re harder to handle and they’ve got a bit more about them.
“He was just very quiet and very straightforward. I’ve had horses just as nicely bred over the years but they’ve done nothing like Constitution Hill. I’m sure every
breeder will say the same but it’s just the luck of the draw.”
Constitution Hill took his first step towards Cheltenham, literally and figuratively, when he was entrusted to the team at Throckmorton Court Stud just half an hour away from Prestbury Park. He spent around two and a half months at the Balding family’s operation before heading to the 2017 renewal of the Tattersalls Ireland November National Hunt Sale.
“He was weaned in September time and came over to us to get him ready for the sales,” says the farm’s Simon Balding. “When you have a horse who turns out to be a superstar you look back and think, was there anything memorable about him? He was an athletic colt and he had a nice page but you wouldn’t have looked at him and thought he was going to turn into the monster that he is, and that’s the beauty of the game.”
Balding says Constitution Hill breezed through his sales prep, with the only minor issue coming when he travelled over to Ireland in the company of a Gentlewave colt.
“He was very placid but the only thing we found with him was that he got a bit too attached to his mate that he travelled over with!” he says. “It was almost like another weaning process when he got to Ireland, having to walk him out and show him. That’s quite often the case if they’ve been prepped together, they can get a bit of weaning anxiety once they’re split up at the sales. He had a straightforward temperament though and like a lot of foals he adapted to the sales quite quickly and just got on with the job.”
There were six lots by Blue Bresil in the November National Hunt Sale that year and, somewhat remarkably in light
of subsequent events, Constitution Hill proved the cheapest of the bunch as he cost Warren Ewing and Barry Geraghty just €16,500.
“I was quite disappointed at the time but that’s the way it goes,” says Noott. “Obviously Blue Bresil wasn’t a really popular sire at the time and it’s so fickle in so much as you’ve got to have a fashionable stallion in the moment.”
a good bit of scope and good presence about him. He was an active individual with a nice pedigree, and a pedigree that had the potential to improve.
“We followed him in hoping to get him, but we were only hoping as we expected him to go just above our budget at the time, which was south of 20 grand. It must have been lunchtime and everyone was out as he seemed to go a little unnoticed.”
From the moment the hammer fell, Geraghty was confident he and Ewing had landed a bargain.
“I’ve bought a good few horses over the years but the ones that stand out are the ones when you’re leaving the sales and you’re thinking, ‘We might have robbed one today!’” he says. “We always felt we’d got a little bit more than we should for our budget with him.”
Balding shared Noott’s disappointment at the price, but says the identity of the purchaser was a cause for optimism.
“I thought he’d fetch a bit more to be honest but I remember having a conversation with Sally saying he was going to have every chance and would probably end up at Nicky Henderson’s,” he says. “That’s the way we all have to look at the sales. It’s a bit like handing your kids over to teachers at school, you want them in the best hands and obviously with Barry and then Nicky, well, I guess it was written in the stars.”
Reflecting on his first impressions when he ventured down to box 441 in barn L at the Fairyhouse complex, Geraghty says: “For a first foal he had a good bit of size,
Although Constitution Hill has done wonders for the profile of his sire, who now stands at the Cashman family’s Glenview Stud, Geraghty was among his early fans having had first-hand experience of his stock.
“Blue Bresil was a big factor,” he says. “I’d ridden Le Prezien for Paul Nicholls and JP McManus and although I never thought he was going to be a superstar, I’d have liked him as an individual and he was up for it, you could say. You want to be buying horses by a sire you have faith in, and from the experience I’d had with Le Prezien and other horses that I’d seen, I had faith in Blue Bresil. I felt he had plenty of potential as a sire.”
Once Geraghty got Constitution Hill home it wasn’t long before his own potential began to shine through, despite not appearing to take life as a racehorse too seriously.
“At every stage through his time here
“I had faith in Blue Bresil - I felt he had plenty of potential”
he was progressing the way you’d like,” he says. “We got him broken, got him going at two and he was as lazy as sin! He would have never excited me in what he was doing but I was always happy about how he did it. Albeit he was lazy about his work, he wasn’t finding it difficult at any stage. He was coming to hand nicely and in the end I told Warren he better take this fella on quick as he just needed to get into fast work.”
When horses have a quiet disposition it is often said a child could ride them. In Constitution Hill’s case, despite Geraghty saying it has never happened before and hasn’t happened since, that is exactly what transpired.
“Only recently the kids were telling me he used to look over the hedge at them when they were in the playground at the back of the house,” he says. “He was so quiet that my then nine-year-old Orla kept asking if she could have a go on him. Eventually I gave in and she had a sit on him, then my eldest daughter Siofra, who was 15, had a go and then Rian, who was only five, got up on him. Orla was leading him in and out of the paddock and constantly helping with him because he was that quiet. That’s not often the case with a three-year-old store, but that was him. He was just so placid.”
After a couple of years of growing and with the early stage of his education completed, Constitution Hill departed for Ewing’s County Antrim base, although such was his rate of progress that it wasn’t long before he and Geraghty were reunited.
“The reports from Warren were good so we brought him down to Jim Dreaper’s to gallop on the grass, gallops that have seen no shortage of famous names over the years,” says Geraghty. “I sat on him there
and he went really well. I ran out of gallop in the end and finished up in a ploughed field! He was doing all the right things.
“If you have to push them then they’re not likely to be the one you’re going to get excited about but with this fella it was just one click in the ear and boom, he’s up a gear. The good ones make themselves known.”
It may be hard to believe given what has happened since, but when Ewing saddled Constitution Hill in a four-year-old maiden at Tipperary he suffered defeat at the hands of Anyharminasking, who is now rated 40lb his inferior, with a bad mistake at the last proving the difference between victory and a head defeat under Ben Harvey.
That also impacted his next public appearance, as he was sent to the 2021 Goffs UK Spring Sale and sold to Nicky Henderson, acting on behalf of Michael Buckley, at £120,000. Although that is not an inconsiderable sum, there is no doubt it undersells Constitution Hill’s virtually priceless ability.
“He must have been sore somewhere or tweaked something as he had a good bit of muscle wastage across his back in the week leading up to the sale,” says Geraghty. “I’d say travelling over to Doncaster compounded that and he didn’t look well. For that reason a lot of people would have passed on him and he probably didn’t achieve what he should’ve.”
The rest is not so much history, rather history making. Constitution Hill may now be under the care of others, but his past connections are enjoying the journey as if he were still their own.
“Standing in the parade ring last year with my family around me watching what he did in the Supreme was up there with any of my great days at Cheltenham, be that Moscow Flyer, Sprinter Sacre, Bobs Worth or Kicking King,” says Geraghty. “To have my family around me sharing that moment, and for them to be involved in the way they were all the way through, was just magic.
“It was the same again this year watching him win the Champion Hurdle. I’ve never been as nervous watching a race. The flash at the last was over before I’d even realised what had happened because I was watching on so anxiously.”
Balding is quick to express his gratitude for being a part of a tale that he hopes will inspire others in the breeding game, saying: “We just feel fortunate to have played a little part in the story. It’s like looking at the National Hunt equivalent of Frankel and we always have a big smile on our faces when we see him.
“He came to Belbroughton, then to
Throckmorton and now there he is up the road at Cheltenham storming up the hill. It just shows for all those people out there breeding, anything’s possible.”
Having decided to dedicate more of her free time to her family, Noott no longer owns any broodmares, with Queen Of The Stage sold on to Jayne McGivern’s Dash Grange Stud for €340,000 in May last year. The mare delivered a full-sister to Constitution Hill in late March and is due to return to Blue Bresil.
Noott has not ruled out owning other mares in due course, but, whatever happens in the future, Constitution Hill has already taken her to the pinnacle of the breeding pyramid.
“I couldn’t get any more pleasure out of it if he was my own,” she says. “We always used to say, we don’t care what they do or if they play up in the field, so long as they get us to Cheltenham. That was always a bit of a joke but this is beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed of.
“There’s people who are into racing and they know I breed a bit, but when I tell people I don’t know that I bred Constitution Hill they absolutely fall off their chair. ‘You?! Constitution Hill?!’ I love it.
“I get such a buzz because I’m the unknown person. He hasn’t come from one of the big studs. He’s come from a small breeder and a woman who didn’t know anything about it really when she first started. I’ve just learned as I’ve gone along. We always go to Cheltenham anyway but I wouldn’t have missed him running and to be there has been fantastic, incredible… emotional.”
Words: Nancy Sexton
It’s that time of year when the chatter on the first stock thrown by those next sires in line takes on a momentum of its own. There is little that the industry likes more than to debate the merits of such stallions and as such their early progeny do not escape scrutiny, whether it be during those first few months of life before
they come under the eyes of the market or once they hit the track.
For the stallion farms that have invested both financially and emotionally, the arrival of a stallion’s first foals is an exciting yet nerve-wracking time. For while the confirmation that a stallion is stamping his stock does not guarantee success – there are countless examples
Space Blues: positive early reaction has led to a full second book of 170 mares
of such horses fading into oblivion – such an attribute is a good start and liable to ensure repeat business in those tricky second and third seasons.
Stockmen by their very nature tend to be positive but, even taking that into account, there seems to be a real confidence at Coolmore behind St Mark’s Basilica. The son of Siyouni was, after all, an exceptionally good-looking yearling, as underlined by his 1,300,000gns price tag. Add in the fact that he’s a multiple Group 1-winning half-brother to 2,000 Guineas hero Magna Grecia, and it’s easy to see how his first book of 176 mares contained over 30 Group 1 winners and/or the dams of Group 1 winners.
“He was a precocious horse, a champion two-year-old who went on to be one of the best horses in the world at three,” says Coolmore’s Mark Byrne. “He was precocious and kept going. And he got some serious mares.”
St Mark’s Basilica was the most expensive new stallion of 2022 at €65,000, a figure he commands again this season.
“The breeders are liking his foals and they’re going back to him,” says Byrne. “He’s a correct, good-looking horse and he’s throwing that. As a type, they are very like him. Paul Shanahan, along with Harry King, likes what he sees here of the ones with us and it’s the same when you
speak to the teams in the foaling yards. The foals are generally all very athletic
strong shoulders.”
He adds: “Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Again had a good filly by him, as did Anthony Van Dyck’s dam Believe’N’Succeed. She actually went back to him on the strength of her filly. Chenchikova, the dam of Fancy Blue, and Mr Tabor’s Keep Busy, a very fast filly herself, also have good fillies.
– when they walk they put their head down. They have lots of quality with good,
“He also got unbelievable outside support. David and Diane Nagle have a filly out of Remember You, the dam of Sovereign. Cecil and Martin McCracken’s queen Al Andalyya [dam of Best Solution] has produced a very good filly, as has the Niarchos’ [Group 1 winner] Fiesolana.
“Our French representative, Hermine
“The breeders are liking his foals and they’re going back to him”
›› Bastide, was also recently at Monceaux, where Henri Bozi has two foals that he really likes.
“People are liking what they’re seeing from him and he’s getting more serious outside support this year – operations like Godolphin, Cheveley Park Stud, Juddmonte Farms, Monceaux, Hascombe and Valiant Studs, Moyglare Stud and Wertheimer et Frere are all using him.”
In Britain, meanwhile, a first book of close to 160 mares belonging to some of the world’s top breeders went the way of Palace Pier at £55,000.
The Dalham Hall Stud resident emulated his sire Kingman by developing into one of the best milers of recent times, his championship career highlighted by wins in the St James’s Palace Stakes, Lockinge Stakes, Queen Anne Stakes and two renewals of the Prix Jacques les Marois.
He’s been understandably well supported by Godolphin and Rabbah Bloodstock, who between them sent him around 40 mares in his first season. However, there has been an impressive volume of outside support as well, with mares hailing from such breeders as the late Queen, Shadwell, the Aga Khan Studs, Juddmonte Farms, Peter Brant, Katsumi Yoshida and the Niarchos family.
Also keen supporters were Fergus and Farran Anstock of Clearwater Stud, who sent their homebred stakes-placed Tiburtina, a daughter of Holy Roman Emperor. The resulting foal is a pleasing filly.
“The foal is very well put together,
with lots of strength and quality,” says Farran Anstock. “She’s very correct with a great temperament on her, definitely a character. She looks a bit like him, which can only be a good thing, and although it’s early days she seems to move well.”
He adds: “He was an exceptional racehorse with speed that caught everyone’s eye. We were always huge fans of Kingman, so that helped in choosing him. We thought he would suit Tiburtina well on conformation. She was fairly quick but stems from a staying family, a bit like him, so we’re hoping for a nice blend of speed and stamina.”
Palace Pier wasn’t the only top miler to join Darley for 2022 since Kildangan Stud welcomed the tough Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Space Blues, while Haras du Logis added Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Victor Ludorum, the recipient of 154 mares. The pair are sons of Darley stalwarts Dubawi and Shamardal, and interestingly are both inbred to their sire’s respective families.
As we know, breeders vote with their feet and it tells you something that when the progeny of Space Blue’s first 160-strong book started appearing earlier this year, it didn’t take long for his second book to swell to 170 mares.
“For a horse at his price point, he attracted an impressive cross-section of breeders in his first season,” says Eamon Moloney, nominations manager of Kildangan Stud, on the three-time Group 1 winner. “You had the likes of the Aga Khan, Moyglare Stud, Cheveley Park, Ballylinch and Airlie using him alongside
support from Godolphin and Rabbah Bloodstock. William Buick even bought a mare to go to him.
“He’s a racy type of Dubawi but, from what we’ve seen, he’s throwing good size and substance into his foals, perhaps more than might have been expected. And that is something our clients are liking as well. He’ll get a full book of 170 mares this year, and that’s off the back of people chatting amongst themselves about his foals.”
It certainly aids the confidence of breeders if the stallion in question is good-looking, and for that there is no doubt in the case of Lope Y Fernandez, who stands at the National Stud as the property of a partnership between the Newmarket outfit, Coolmore, Whitsbury Manor Stud and Nick Bradley.
A high-class two-year-old, he was Group 1-placed on multiple occasions and is well-bred as a son of Lope De Vega from a deep black-type family. However, also enticing is the fact he was a €900,000 yearling purchase by MV Magnier, thereby underlining his quality as an individual. A number of breeders certainly believe he possesses the attributes for the commercial market given that his first book consisted of close to 140 mares.
One stud which knows what it takes to appeal to the commercial foal market is Overbury Stud, an annual presence among the successful vendors at the Tattersalls December Sale. The stud sent
Siralen, a relation to Barathea, and are delighted with the result.
“The foal has plenty of quality, balance and presence, is very strong with a great hind quarter and looks all speed,” says Overbury Stud manager Simon Sweeting. “He’s the best foal the mare has produced so far and is the type of foal any commercial breeder would hope for.”
Joe Bradley, head of bloodstock at the National Stud, concurs. “Their athleticism and bone just take your eye straight away and this is consistent throughout all of the foals we have seen to date,” he says. “They will flourish into gorgeous yearlings, just as Lope Y Fernandez was. We are already looking forward to the foal sales later on this year.”
As we all know, the idea of raw speed is a key element when it comes to fuelling the market. A number of this generation fulfil this criteria, among them Yeomanstown Stud’s Supremacy, the first son of Mehmas to stud. Long established as masters of their trade, Yeomanstown can be relied upon to bring a depth of support to their young horses that gives them every chance of success. The same has been afforded to Supremacy – like Yeomanstown stalwart Dark Angel, a Middle Park Stakes-winning member of the Acclamation sire line – whose first book consisted of approximately 190 mares.
“Much like himself, they have quality, strength and great action too,” says Yeomanstown’s David O’Callaghan. “He is an exciting sire for us being a Group 1-winning son of Mehmas with a big pedigree. He has the credentials to go all the way.”
Newsells Park Stud’s A’Ali also possessed speed in spades, winning the Prix Robert Papin, Flying Childers Stakes and Norfolk Stakes as a twoyear-old, and Sapphire Stakes and Coral Charge at three having cost £135,000 as a breezer. A son of the muchmissed Society Rock, he is backed by a powerful ownership group that includes Newsells Park, whose own first foals by the stallion include a colt out of Fred Darling Stakes winner Maureen.
“Maureen was an obvious type of mare for A’Ali and we’re delighted with the end result,” says Julian Dollar, the stud’s general manager. “This colt is very strong, balanced and well put together.
“Our hope was always that A’Ali’s foals would be in the same model as himself and so far from everything we’re seeing and hearing, that’s exactly what we’re getting.”
Dollar’s thoughts are mirrored by Keith Harte. Speaking on his filly out of Polight, he said: “We’re bowled over by our exceptional first foal by A’Ali, and we have a couple more very good foals on the farm by him. The stallion is giving his foals great size and strength. We will be back with more mares this year.”
Like A’Ali, Ubettabelieveit was another talented breezer who went on to win the Flying Childers Stakes. He shares his sire Kodiac with the likes of Ardad, Kodi Bear and Coulsty, and as is typical of Mickley Stud residents, is set to benefit from the
Castlefield Stud’s Alkumait, meanwhile, was another to cover over 100 mares in his debut season. It’s not hard to see how he attracted the interest of breeders as a Mill Reef Stakes-winning son of Showcasing at an affordable €5,000, but his profile has received a further boost in recent months thanks to the emergence of his half-brother, Dewhurst Stakes winner Chaldean.
“It was already a very good family but it’s been great to see such a good update with Chaldean,” says Jerry Horan, part of the management group behind the stallion. “Alkumait is really stamping his stock – they’re good-looking with good size and scope. We’re very pleased.”
enthusiasm and support of Richard Kent and his family; around 25 of his near 100-strong first book came from Mickley and its associates.
For followers of the Kodiac sire line, there is also the option of Coventry Stakes winner Nando Parrado at €6,000. Well supported by his connections, including his racing owners Paul and Marie McCartan, he covered 130 mares in his first year including Exempt, the dam of Group 3 winner Lola Showgirl.
The first crop of LM Stallion’s Roseman, a €650,000 yearling by Kingman who was only a head short of victory in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, includes a half-brother to Classic entry Liberty Lane. Another high-class miler, Group 2 winner Century Dream, stands at Norton Grove Stud for £3,000. Few horses boast the kind of durable career compiled by the son of Cape Cross, who won ten of 35 starts.
Such an attribute certainly wouldn’t be lost on German breeders, who themselves have access to a tough champion in Gestut Etzean’s Japan, whose seven victories for Aidan O’Brien included the Grand Prix de Paris and Juddmonte International. The only son of Galileo at stud in Germany, his first book of 83 mares included the dams of Group 1 horses Alter Adler, Miss Yoda, Olorda and Virginia Joy.
“Our hope was that A’Ali’s foals would be in the same model as himself”
Closer to home, Chapel Stud’s Bangkok, an Australia son of blue hen Tanaghum, was another to retire sound in wind and limb following a lengthy racing career, in this instance highlighted by a win in the York Stakes. One of several interesting young dual-purpose stallions alongside Fifty Stars, a Group 1-winning son of Sea The Stars, and St Leger winner Logician, Bangkok has been well supported by his owner Simon Davies and Chapel Stud.
A stud has to believe in a stallion if it is to stand one. Of course, support can be a double-edged sword, boosting the stud’s fortune if the horse is successful or dragging down a proportion of a broodmare band if not. Either way, such backing tends to inspire early confidence from the market.
Starman. The five-time winner, who was the busiest new stallion of 2022 with 254 mares, not only has the support of Tally-Ho to bank upon but also that of his owner David Ward, who bred the son of Dutch Art out of his Montjeu mare Northern Star.
“He has a niche following in the ownerbreeder market, but I hope when people see what great individuals they are, more will jump on the bandwagon,” says Chapel Stud’s Roisin Close. “They are strong, correct and good-looking – very much like their sire.”
For many, then, that first hurdle of approval has been cleared. Next up, the market will have its say, allowing for an informative winter of selling.
Few operations in recent years will have backed a stallion so strongly as Zhang Yuesheng’s Yulong Investments. To say he has thrown his weight behind his Phoenix Stakes winner Lucky Vega would be an understatement, with the son of Lope De Vega receiving around 30 mares from the owner in his first book. They included the likes of Plying, the dam of Alcohol Free who cost €825,000, and multiple stakes producer Eytarna. That support is likely to be replicated this year, with the full or half-sisters to High Chaparral, Midday and Mukhadram among those earmarked for 2023.
Breeders also head to Tony and Anne O’Callaghan’s Tally-Ho Stud in the knowledge that their stallions will be supported to the hilt, whether it be in the covering shed or in the ring. It’s a strategy that has been key in the making of Danetime, Kodiac and Mehmas among many others, and now it is the turn of July Cup winner
Ward has already reserved a number of Starman associated names in anticipation of racing the horse’s progeny.
“I had six in foal to him going into this year and they’re all going back,” he says. “I’m very pleased with the foals born so far, they’ve all got substance and scope with good temperaments. And speaking to others with them, they seem very happy as well.
“We also want to support those who had the belief in the horse to use him, and so we’ll be looking to buy some of his foals and yearlings.”
Whatton Manor Stud is another in a strong position to appreciate Starman having raised him on behalf of Ward.
“The chatter on the street about him is extremely good,” says the stud’s Ed Player. “People have also been ringing to say what nice Starman foals they have as well.
“We have six exceptional foals. They have great strength, substance and loads of quality and athleticism. They’re just very similar to him.”
“They’ve all got substance and scope with good temperaments”Starman: top sprinter had a first book of 254 mares
‘The chatter on the street is very good’
If you have nominated your yearlings with the major sale companies, there will likely still be decisions to make in terms of which sale to choose, and which consignor can best sell for you.
With ofces and farms in Newmarket and Ireland, The Castlebridge Consignment has been Europe’s leading sales consignor over the past twenty years and we would like to discuss with you the yearlings, foals and mares that you may be selling in 2023.
Castlebridge have sold nine individual Gr.1 winners including such Champions as Luxembourg, Night of Thunder and Ghaiyyath together with a host of other Group and individual winners, so not surprisingly our buyers keep returning to the source of their success.
The experienced team of Andrew Mead, Bill Dwan, and Patrick Diamond are available for farm visits to inspect potential sale candidates at your stud, and give you their assessment based on confrmation, action and pedigree, as to which sale your horse can be best placed. Why not take the opportunity to talk to the Sales Consignor with the best track record in the business?
To see a full list of our best auction sale results and racecourse graduates, go to www.castlebridgesales.com
“That was way above our expectations, we were just standing there smiling”
*Shane Power, Tradewinds Stud
Do not underestimate the ambition of the Turkish Jockey Club. That much has long been apparent for this non-profit association, for whom a key mission is to develop and improve the Turkish thoroughbred. Various high-profile stallion purchases have helped over the years, culminating in a productive spell of acquisitions in 2020 and 2021 when seven new sires were added to its roster, ranging from the French-based Authorized and Myboycharlie to the American horses Bodemeister, Daredevil and Super Saver and top Japanese performer Victoire Pisa.
The departure of Authorized from Haras du Logis, where he stood for Darley, came just as the horse was gaining real momentum as a dualpurpose sire. A champion of 2007, when his victories included the Derby, he initially spent his stud career at Dalham Hall and Kildangan Studs before switching to France in 2014.
It was from those early crops that Authorized sired the majority of his Flat stakes winners, among them the Group 1 scorers Hartnell, Ambivalent and Seal Of Approval. However, as could perhaps be expected from a son of Montjeu, a number of his progeny thrive when switched to jumps – think Nichols Canyon, Goshen and, of course, Tiger Roll. Only last month, another big winner came his way when I Am Maximus ran down Gevrey to win the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.
Authorized was on the cusp of turning 16 when news of his sale to Turkey filtered through in December 2019. It was widely known that Darley had turned down offers for the horse from the domestic National Hunt sector, and indeed such is his popularity today that various jumps traders have gone as far as to source several of his Turkish-bred progeny.
With regards to his new home, the move has been Turkey’s gain, with the horse fully booked in each of his four seasons to date. That includes this year at the Silivri Covering Station near Istanbul, where he has 70 mares on the books.
“We are always in search of highquality stallions to improve our bloodstock,” says the Turkish Jockey Club’s General Secretary Ahmet Ozbelge. “Being an Epsom Derby winner
and champion, Authorized was already a very well known big name. So his racing and stud performance besides his strong bloodlines were the main factors for us.
“We get contacted from time to time by owners, trainers or bloodstock agents from abroad about buying our stallion’s offspring or even themselves, including Authorized. And breeders from abroad can send their mares here to be covered – they can contact us for more information.”
Now 19, Authorized is reported to be in fine fettle, with his daily routine consisting of paddock turnout from 8am to 4pm and a maximum of two covers a day during the season.
While he is the only stallion based at Silivri this season, the Club’s other stallion farms are well represented for 2023. They included Authorized’s former base of Izmit Stud, home to the top American performers Bodemeister, Klimt and Victory Gallop, as well as Battleground, the first foal out of Found who won the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
The organisation has also welcomed its first son of Frankel in the York Stakes winner Elarqam, who joined following two seasons with the late Larissa Kneip at Haras de Saint Arnoult. A 1,600,000gns yearling out of Attraction, Elarqam has gone down well with Turkish breeders, being fully booked at 120 mares.
There is a strict criteria for the import of stallions into Turkey that places an emphasis on Group 1 performance. As
such, they often arrive with large crops already in the pipeline, allowing for the opportunity for further big updates to come; for instance, Authorized had just completed his first Turkish season when his son Santiago won the Irish Derby.
In the case of Daredevil, he became so successful that the Turkish Jockey Club took the unprecedented decision to send him back to stand under their umbrella in Kentucky, in his case to Lane’s End Farm. The Grade 1-winning son of More Than Ready was sold by WinStar Farm when he had first two-year-olds, a crop that later came to include the Kentucky Oaks and Preakness Stakes winners Shedaresthedevil and Swiss Skydiver.
“Daredevil was a very, very successful and lucky purchase for us,” remarks Ozbelge. “Sending him to the US was a first for Turkish breeding too.
“At the moment, we will consider keeping Daredevil in the USA as long as there is interest enough from breeders. His first and only crop of Turkish-breds are two. None of them have raced yet but they are very good-looking and very promising in training. Their values skyrocketed after Swiss Skydiver and Shedaresthedevil.”
All of which is good news for breeders in a country that is currently in a sad place following the devastating earthquake in February.
“The earthquake disaster affected our sector like every other in the country,” says Ozbelge. “We had to stop racing for two weeks. The material effects can and will be covered with time but the social effects are much more important for us. We did our best to help the people in need from day one in coordination with the local authorities by opening our racecourses for shelter, by sending them the most needed necessities and by monetary aid contributions.”
He adds: “We also have sent our mobile Pony Club Truck with our ponies and equine therapy team to the affected region in order to entertain and rehabilitate the traumatised children. Besides pony riding, various gifts were distributed to children during the visits. After having seen the positive effects on children and their interest in the horses, we have decided to continue this during the summer starting from mid-April.”
Late drama gave this sale of two-yearold breezers joint-top lots and an additional 1,250,000gns to carry it to record turnover.
The focus of this 11th hour shift in fortunes were colts by Havana Grey and Blue Point, who each sold for 625,000gns when becoming the two-day sale’s final two horses to change hands – two further lots who entered the ring failed to find buyers.
Anthony Stroud signed for both colts, the Blue Point on behalf of Godolphin, the late flurry lifting the sale’s
aggregate figure to 15,357,500gns, surpassing the previous high set in 2017.
The average price rose five per cent to 121,885gns, although the median was down 11 per cent at 80,000gns. Of 166 offered lots, 126 were sold, achieving a
clearance rate of 76 per cent, although, in an auction of two halves, the second session saw 84 per cent of horses find buyers.
Timing – both in the breeze and through events beyond a vendor’s
control – can make a significant impact on a horse’s appeal, and for the top two lots good luck was their running partner. First-season Darley sire Blue Point has made a rapid start to his second career, siring three winners before his colt from Norman Williamson’s Oak Tree Farm entered the ring, while Havana Grey’s glowing reputation gained further gloss when his daughter Mammas Girl won the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes on the Rowley Mile a few hours before Glending Stables offered his joint-saletopping son.
The Glending father-and-son team of Peter and Roderic Kavanagh had bought their colt for 42,000gns at the Tattersalls December Sale and shared part of him with Cormac O’Flynn. They must have fancied their chances of a good result for the grey had clocked a smart time during the breeze, a fact commented upon by Stroud.
Yet the lateness of the hour added to the tension, with Roderic, whose
US-bred colts and breeze-up specialist consignors from Ireland combined to drive trade at the second edition of this innovative sale created by the Dubai Racing Club and Goffs.
More than half the catalogue had begun life on a North American stud, changed hands at a yearling sale in their homeland and then shipped to Europe to begin prepping for a date in Dubai, their dirt pedigrees a prize asset in many countries, not least in the Middle East.
Six of the top ten lots who sold at the inaugural sale had reached Dubai via the US to Europe route, while at the latest edition that went up to eight of the ten-best.
had to scroll down to
parents Peter and Antoinette head Kildaragh Stud, saying: “It was getting late in the sale, a bit lonely, but they all got there in the end. It’s unbelievable, a great thrill.”
Williamson has sold a number of high-value horses, but you sensed the Blue Point colt had given him an additional buzz. He bought the colt privately after he failed to sell at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Sale with the bidding stuck at 70,000gns. Once broken in and ridden away, the colt gained special affection from his new owner, with Williamson saying: “There were a lot of people telling me this spring that these Blue Points could fly – and I knew I had one that really could fly.”
The colt’s sale completed a memorable trip to Newmarket for Williamson, who left with leading consignor honours after trading three lots for 1,185,000gns at an average of 395,000gns. Blue Point became the leading sire, his eight lots – which included four of the top ten – selling for
1,915,000gns at an average of 239,375gns.
Second on the sires’ table was one of Blue Point’s colleagues on Darley’s Kildangan Stud roster, Night Of Thunder. His highlight proved to be a filly consigned by Grove Stud’s Brendan Holland and knocked down to Kerri Radcliffe for 600,000gns. Radcliffe said she was acting for “a new client who is based in London”, adding that training plans were undecided, although as a half-sister to the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes winner and sire Rumble Inthejungle, the filly has residual value whatever her racing career produces.
Holland had bought the filly for €90,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale not knowing it would lead to such a terrific pinhook, but one of several during the sale.
Trade was less punchy during the first session, at which the clearance rate stooped to 69 per cent. Not all vendors were friendless, and Mick Murphy and Sarah O’Connell of Longways Stables enjoyed a nice touch when trading a colt by Coolmore’s Munnings for 360,000gns to Oliver St Lawrence and Fawzi Nass. Longways had bought a number of yearlings in America last autumn, trading some with success at the Goffs Dubai Sale, but electing to send the Munnings, a $150,000 purchase, to Newmarket.
The O’Callaghan family of Tally-Ho Stud also landed a useful pinhook during this first session when a Blue Point colt they bought for 70,000gns as a foal was sold to Stroud for 340,000gns. The Stroud Coleman agency took the leading buyer spot with three purchases for a total of 1,170,000gns.
›› horse on the list to find one by a European stallion, which in this instance was a son of No Nay Never and the only lot to be offered by Colm Kennedy’s Drumphea Stables. Selling the two-year-old to Saudi Arabia’s Najd Stud for the equivalent of nearly €210,000 was a key moment in Kennedy’s fifth season as a consignor from his County Carlow base.
Of 63 offered, 42 found buyers, a clearance rate of 63 per cent, which was down on last year when 55 of 69 lots were sold at a rate of 80 per cent. Turnover of just over €6.4 million was down 24 per cent, the average price was more or less static at just under €153,000, while the median gained 37 per cent at just over €135,000.
Dr Jim Hay, who is based in the Middle East, became a key buyer as the sale
unfolded. Teaming up with agent Stephen Hillen, Hay accounted for four lots including the top two, the peak being a Dhs2.2m (€543,000) son of Gun Runner, pinhooked for $160,000 at Keeneland and reoffered by Tom Whitehead’s Powerstown Stud. This completed a desert double of top lots for Whitehead, who 12 months earlier had sold the sale-topping Curlin colt at Dhs2.5m (€620,000).
The Gun Runner colt was out of Baby Go Far, who was placed in the Brazilian 1,000 Guineas, while the second on the list – a €518,000 son of Justify consigned by Willie Browne’s Mocklershill – was out of the mare Say, who won the Group 3 Dance Design Stakes and was placed at the top level. Hillen said Hay’s purchases would remain in Dubai and join the stable of Bhupat Seemar.
Mick Murphy and Sarah O’Connell of Longways Stables in County Waterford took four horses and sold them all having targeted the event with “the big, American type that will go on dirt”. Murphy said he and his spotters had combed Keeneland’s September Sale Books 2 to 4 looking for suitable material, and he commented that consigning was easier in Dubai than in Europe because the breeze focuses on a horse’s action, rather than its time against the clock.
The pick of Longways’ quartet proved to be a son of Bolt D’Oro who sold to Mohammed Khaleel Ahmed for €370,000, while Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud gained €395,000 for a colt by Constitution who sold to Najd Stud.
The peachiest of pinhooks saw a $60,000 Mitole yearling colt rise in value to €222,000 when transferring from Roderic Kavanagh’s Glending Stables to Oliver St Lawrence and Fawzi Nass.
In summing up the sale, Goffs’ Chief Executive Henry Beeby noted that the clearance rate had dipped, although he said the marked rise in median and steady average prices reflected that quality horses had sold well.
Against a backdrop of plateauing consumption and forecasts of economic slowdown, this two-day sale of Australasia’s finest yearlings defied gloomier predictions and reaffirmed that quality will always be in vogue.
“It has been a very good sale, particularly in the context of the year so far,’’ said Inglis Bloodstock Chief Executive Sebastian Hutch at the conclusion of the 118th staging of the event. In line with other yearling sales in 2023, results were down on last year – when there was a bull run not seen since the mega sale of 2008 – but with 26 lots achieving a seven-figure sum and gross sales tipping past Aus$139m (£75.3m), the third highest in the auction’s long history, it cannot be said demand was slack.
Of the 422 yearlings who entered the ring, 358 found buyers, a clearance rate of 85 per cent, creating an average price of A$388,547 (£237,886) and a median of A$280,000 (£151,755). The latter pair of figures were down 15 per cent and seven per cent respectively.
Those placing bets on which horse would top the sale had to wait until 12
lots from the end before a filly who would have been among the favourites emerged with number one honours and a A$1.8m (£975,567) valuation.
• The number of syndicates involved in owning racehorses in Australia is said to have doubled in the past decade.
Everyday Australians cottoned on to the fun of racing allied to markedly rising prize-money, while trainers, aware of an untapped source, have become adept at creating syndication opportunities and then keeping the many clients happy. That side of the job is made easier when leading stables have not one but two people at the helm.
However, when the economy tightens it is the working man and woman, not the very rich, who feel the pinch, and it is those on average incomes who have boosted the size and number of syndicates.
A report by the National Australia Bank says Australians can expect a sizeable per capita recession this year. The impact on syndication over a three to five-year period will be interesting.
Consigned by Steve Grant’s Silverdale Farm, this daughter of The Autumn Sun (Redoute’s Choice) had been bought as a foal for A$600,000 (£325,189).
John Messara, who stands The Autumn Sun at his Arrowfield Stud, signed the buyers’ sheet for a partnership involving his farm and Hermitage Thoroughbreds and then admitted: “We paid a lot for her, but she’s a very valuable commodity.” There could be no denying part two of his comment, for the filly is a three-parts sister to Group 1 winner and sire In The Congo having been foaled by Via Africa, a ten-time winner and champion in South Africa.
Of trade in general Messara said: “The top end was certainly stronger than I thought it would be.”
Another filly, a Coolmore Stud-
consigned Pierro half-sister to leading Australian juvenile Learning To Fly, came next on the top-ten board after being knocked down for A$1.75m (£948,468) to Michael Wallace, the Chief Operating Officer of Gandharvi Racing. This relative newcomer to the scene is headed by Kuldeep Singh Rajput, the founder and CEO of Singapore-based Biofourmis, which utilises artificial intelligence to aid patients with chronic conditions. His filly will join her close relative at the yard of Annabel Neasham.
Yuesheng Zhang of Yulong was
Maintaining its perfect record of achieving a six-figure average, this sale produced another set of solid results and turnover of just under £3 million in little more than an hour.
Despite that, it will probably fade from the memory quicker than some of the previous five renditions merely because it did what it promised but without a charismatic sale. Twelve months earlier the wonderful, dual Grade 1-winning racemare Put The Kettle On had given it a stellar focus, while the Grand National contenders Don Poli and Outlander had added a talking point in 2019 before Covid restrictions led to a two-year hiatus.
You could also throw in that the latest edition of the sale achieved a top lot whose £260,000 valuation was the lowest gained at any Aintree Sale, but that would be churlish given that a stream of horses hit the £100,000 mark. Uber prices can be gained only when vendors supply the material, and in this instance it cannot be said key buyers of jumpers were not in situ. Their presence at Aintree’s Grand National meeting is as assured as the ghost of Captain Becher.
The aforementioned top lot proved to be Nativehill, a five-year-old son of Flemensfirth bought privately by wizard foal buyer Wilson Dennison and then placed in the reassuring care of Northern Ireland point-to-point trainer Colin McKeever. He trained the gelding to win a maiden race and then it was off to the sales.
This is a format which Dennison has used many times in the past, as he did with Nativehill’s half-brother, the high-class chaser Bellshill, and also with Banbridge, who a few hours before the sale won Aintree’s Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase in the colours of potato merchant Ronnie Bartlett. Completing
underbidder on the filly, but with 24 purchases for a total spend of just
under A$12m (just under £6.5m), he was comfortably the leading buyer, investing more than double the sum spent by the China Horse Club and partners which lassoed six lots for just under A$6m (£3.25m).
Arrowfield Stud led consignors by turning over A$22,390,000 (£12,134,977) for 55 sold, while Yarraman Park’s ever-popular I Am Invincible headed the sires’ table by average and turnover. His stock’s average price was A$766,818 (£415,601). Snitzel finished second, ahead of Fastnet Rock and Zoustar.
the circle in this particular case was Bartlett, who stepped up through Ian Ferguson with the winning bid for Nativehill, although he said final ownership and training plans were still to be discussed.
Past successes are a constant theme at sales. Just 45 minutes before the first horse went under the hammer fiveyear-old Dysart Enos won the Grade 2 mares’ bumper for Fergal O’Brien, 12 months to the day since he had bought her for £95,000 at the Aintree Sale. The vendor was trainer and rider Harley Dunne, who was back in Liverpool to offer four-year-old Jeu Des Champs, a gelding he bought for €65,000 at last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale.
Once again Dunne achieved a good result, netting £180,000 to a bid from agent Jerry McGrath who was acting for a syndicate that will send the son of
Joshua Tree to Nicky Henderson.
Gordon Elliott rarely leaves a sale of this type without some tasty new ammunition and on this occasion the pick proved to be four-year-old D B Cooper, who had impressed with a debut win in County Cork just before the sale. Elliott looked on as Joey Logan brought the hammer down with a bid of £225,000 on behalf of racehorse owners Andy and Gemma Brown.
Four British pointers joined the throng of Irish representatives and they all sold well, not least Wicked Thoughts, who had scored on debut at a meeting in Shropshire just three days before the sale and yet looked as fresh as spring daffodils when entering the ring. Tom Malone liked what he saw and his bid of £135,000 rewarded trainer Tom Ellis, who had bought the son of Mahler for £30,000 at Goffs UK’s Spring Sale.
Malone said the four-year-old would be joining Michael Scudamore to race for Lynne and Angus Maclennan, while another British pointer of the same age,
Martin Plage, who had won in Yorkshire just ahead of his ring appearance, made £110,000 to a bid from Newmarket trainer Ben Brookhouse. Jack Teal, who
trains in the white rose county, had bought the son of Robin Des Champs for €16,000 at Goffs’ 2022 Land Rover Sale.
The Ocala Breeders Sales Company (OBS) catalogued close to 200 additional horses for its flagship breeze-up auction, which resulted in an extra day being added to this curtainraiser to the North American juvenile sales season, writes Nancy
SextonQuite where such a volume of extra two-year-olds came from was hard to pinpoint, although several would have been offered at the now defunct Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale in years gone past.
With the Gulfstream Sale now consigned to the history books, this sale sits as the only North American auction of its kind in March; it wasn’t that long ago that the breeze-up season opened in February.
As illustrated by the clearance rate of 77 per cent (before private sales), down from 86 per cent in 2022, the market wasn’t deep enough to fully absorb an additional day of trading.
But, as ever, there was no shortage of customers for anything deemed to possess a bit of quality, with a healthy top end of the market headed by five million-dollar lots. A total of 24 two-year-olds sold for $500,000 or more, twice as many as in 2022.
The sale-topping colt was a secondcrop son of the young and successful Curlin horse Good Magic, who had turned heads with a furlong work of 9.3 seconds for Torie and Jimbo Gladwell’s Top Line Sales at the breeze show the week before.
Out of the Uncle Mo mare Hoppa, there is not a single black-type winner within the first three dams of his family but he is evidently good-looking judging on the fact that he sold for $190,000 to Bishop Bloodstock as a Keeneland September yearling. With that furlong work in the books, his value soared to $2 million, with trainer Bob Baffert and agent Donato Lanni coming out on top on behalf of owner Amr Zedan.
A Justify colt also provided his vendors, Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo, with a big payday when selling for $1.2m to WinStar Farm’s Maverick Racing and Siena Farm. Hartley and DeRenzo had pinhooked the colt, a half-brother to the Grade 1-placed Moon Over Miami, for $250,000 as a yearling.
Middle Eastern interests have traditionally done well buying out of OBS and while such buyers were expected to be very busy at the company’s 1,222-strong April Sale, the March middle market also benefitted from their participation.
Of the other various international interests, Katsumi Yoshida spent $1.84m on four lots including $1.05m on an Arrogate brother to Grade 1 winner Cave Rock, while Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing added to its Americanbased string with the purchase of an Into Mischief colt for $550,000 through Ben
Just before the European Flat season gets into full flow, it’s worth looking back at the Australian season, which came to a climax recently with two days of championship racing at Randwick in Sydney. There is so much to be admired about how Australians organise their racing industry. The product is nothing short of outstanding with full fields and extremely competitive high-class racing conducted at iconic racetracks.
The debate as to whether Australia’s stayers are up to the standard found in Europe seems to be a moot point, with the top imports simply adding to the whole spectacle and providing a constant barometer of how the locals are shaping up internationally.
This season has seen the continued trend where some high-class overseas horses have given the locals plenty to think about, none more so than Dubai Honour, who posted the fastest closing 200 metres of any horse – sprinter or
stayer – at the Championships when landing the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over 2,000 metres from Australia’s much beloved nine-time Group 1 winner Anamoe. The handicappers at Timeform
Championships when taking the Group 1 TJ Smith Stakes over 1,200 metres.
There is also the well-founded viewpoint that the black-type system is bloated, with many of the nation’s Group races run as handicaps. And with new richly endowed races springing up on a regular basis, there are plenty of ways in which top-performers can avoid taking each other on.
were obliged to rate Dubai Honour 127+ for his efforts, which is all of nine pounds higher than his best European form. As things stand, he’s the country’s joint top-rated alongside sprinter I Wish I Win, who was also successful at the
By my calculations there have been 30 individual Group 1-winning three-year-olds this season and only three have won more than once at the highest level. The mere fact that there are Group 1 races confined to the Classic generation right to the end of the season must suppress inter-age competition, which can leave you wondering about the relative merits of the best three-year-olds.
Timeform’s idea of the best three-yearold is Giga Kick, the 125-rated sprinter by the Redoute’s Choice stallion Scissor Kick, who is now based in Tunisia, having failed to live up to expectations at Arrowfield
“Some high-class overseas horses have given the locals plenty to think about”
Stud. Having won the Everest in the spring, Giga Kick had to wait until the final Group 1 of the Sydney Autumn Carnival to win for the first time at the highest level in the All-Aged Stakes, one of the comparatively rare occasions when a three-year-old established his credentials while racing against his elders.
The next two highest rated on the three-year-old log are the ex-James Ferguson pair El Bodegon (124) and Deauville Legend (121), which speaks volumes about the dearth of classy stayers in Australia. We have to go down to Communist (by Russian Revolution), Golden Mile (by Astern) and Lindermann (by Lonhro), all rated 118, to find the first three-year-old Group 1 winners at 1,600 metres and beyond. In between, we have two more speed merchants in Australia’s top-rated three-year-old filly In Secret (by I Am Invincible) plus Jacquinot (by Rubick), both dual Group 1 winners this season, rated 120.
The pecking order among the two-year-olds is all sorted in just two or three races. Shinzo, by Snitzel, was decisive when winning the Group 1 Golden Slipper Stakes and has been rewarded with a 120 rating, 5lb clear of his stablemate Militarize (by Dundeel), who picked up both the Group 1 Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1,400 metres and Group 1 Champagne Stakes over 1,600 metres. Also on 115 is Godolphin’s Golden Slipper second Cylinder, a son of the evergreen Exceed And Excel. Australia’s other Group 1-winning youngster, Little Brose (by Per Incanto), winner of the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes, is on 114, alongside the best juvenile filly in Steel City, a secondcrop daughter of Merchant Navy.
On the stallion front, it looks like a second title for Yarraman Park Stud’s I Am Invincible, although New Zealand-based veteran Savabeel has put up a fine show in second, thanks to an extraordinary autumn which saw I Wish I Win become Australia’s top sprinter in a welcome surprise for the Waikato Stud sire, who normally produces stayers. His other Group 1 highlights at the Championships were the wins of Major Beel in the Australian Derby and Atishu in the Queen of the Turf Stakes, and Mo’unga’s second in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
But in terms of stakes winners, it’s a straightforward tussle between I Am Invincible and four-time champion sire Snitzel. Ranked joint third by stakes winners is Frankel with eight, a fine effort for a sire based outside Australasia –though none of the eight scored at Group 1 level, ex-British trained Francesco Guardi being just about the best.
LEADING FIRST-SEASON SIRES BY BLACK-TYPE WINNERS IN AUSTRALIA 2022-23
Of the four sires locked on seven stakes winners apiece, three are sons of Sadler’s Wells’s Derby-winning son High Chaparral and all are unsurprisingly stamina influences. The most progressive of the three is Arrowfield Stud’s Dundeel, responsible for dual juvenile Group 1 scorer Militarize, and just about to reap the rewards of two richly endowed crops in 2020 and 2021, earned on the back of the success of his previous Group 1 Champagne Stakes victor Castelvecchio, who went on to triumph in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas.
I Am Invincible also has the upper hand among sires of two-year-old stakes winners, his five featuring the 110-rated
Golden Slipper third King’s Gambit. Snitzel’s son Russian Revolution had a pair of Group 3 scorers – Red Resistance (112) and Libertad (110) – among his three stakes winners, while heavyweights Exceed And Excel and Snitzel weighed in with quality youngsters like Cylinder (115) and Barber (110) and Snitzel’s masterpiece Shinzo (120).
Remarkably, the fourth stallion to net a trio of stakes winners was Godolphin’s first-season sire Harry Angel, whose three Listed scorers include the very progressive Tom Kitten, who followed up his Fernhill success with a fourth place over the same course and distance in the Champagne Stakes.
If I were to tell you that a certain American stallion had only ever been represented by seven runners in Britain, two in Ireland and three in France, you could be forgiven for thinking that he must be some relatively obscure individual – especially when the stallion in question is already 19 years old.
However, there is absolutely nothing obscure or second class about this stallion. As a racehorse his seven Grade 1 victories included the second leg of the American Triple Crown, plus the Breeders’ Cup Classic and Dubai World Cup. And his current fee of $225,000 makes him one of the highest-priced stallions in the US, second only to multiple champion sire Into Mischief.
The size of his fee reflects the fact that he has rarely finished out of the top four stallions in recent years, at the same time becoming North America’s leading sire of Grade 1 winners in 2021 and 2022. And at the Breeders’ Cup, he has sired winners of the Juvenile, Classic, Sprint, Dirt Mile and Distaff, with the last three being added to his CV during a gloriously rewarding few hours on November 5 last year.
The stallion, of course, is Curlin, who spent the first seven years of his stallion career at Lane’s End Farm before being switched to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms. The switch occurred after majority owner Barbara Banke, of Stonestreet Farm, sold 20 per cent of the stallion to Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura in September 2015, a year in which Curlin’s fee had stood no higher than $35,000. In fact, Curlin’s fee had mainly been in the region of $25,000 to $40,000 during his seven years at Lane’s End, but those seven years yielded no fewer than ten Grade 1 winners and among them were Palace Malice (Belmont Stakes), champion filly Stellar Wind, Curalina (Coaching Club American Oaks), Keen Ice (Travers Stakes), Exaggerator (Preakness Stakes), Connect (Cigar Mile), Vino Rosso (Breeders’ Cup Classic) and Good Magic (Breeders’ Cup Juvenile).
This list doesn’t just highlight Curlin’s ability to sire top-class performer after top-class performer. It also acts as a reminder that his success at the top level has been based on his dirt performers, hence the comparative lack of interest in bringing his progeny to Europe.
According to the Blood-Horse Stallion Register, only around 13 per cent of Curlin’s progeny earnings have come on turf. That said, the versatility being shown by some of Kentucky’s most promising younger stallions, such as Justify, American Pharoah and Bolt D’Oro, should arguably encourage a less black-andwhite approach by Europeans.
Curlin, after all, was far from disgraced on his only appearance on turf. On that occasion, in the Grade 1 Man o’War Stakes in 2008, Curlin finished second to Red Rocks, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf 20 months earlier. In third place behind Curlin was Better Talk Now, a veteran whose major successes also included one in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Curlin’s sire Smart Strike also had a respectable record with his turf runners, which included English Channel, a champion who developed into one of the most consistently dominant sires of turf performers in recent years.
All the signs are, though, that Curlin’s legacy will be his impact on the US’s top dirt prizes, including the Triple Crown. Curlin himself was tough enough to contest all three legs in 2007. Despite having been beaten eight lengths into third place behind Street Sense in the Kentucky Derby, Curlin managed to turn the tables two weeks later in the
Preakness, where his last-ditch effort snatched victory by a head from the Derby winner. Three weeks later he went close to taking the Belmont, but found the concession of 5lb to the filly Rags To Riches just too much.
Curlin has already been represented by winners of two legs of the Triple Crown, thanks to the Belmont Stakes success of his first-crop son Palace Malice and the 2016 Preakness Stakes win by Exaggerator. He has also gone close to completing the treble in the Kentucky Derby. Exaggerator had run on to finish second of 20 to Nyquist and two years later it was the turn of Good Magic to chase home the unbeaten Justify. Derby success may yet come Curlin’s way, but he has already been beaten to the prize by one of his stallion sons, Keen Ice, whose first-crop son Rich Strike wore down Epicenter to take the 2022 race at odds of 81-1. Rich Strike, by the way, has the distinction of being inbred 3 x 2 to Curlin’s sire Smart Strike.
With the points race to contest the 2023 Kentucky Derby complete by mid-April, the Curlin clan is again well represented. Highest ranked, in sixth place, is Curlin’s son Lord Miles, who achieved a career high on his fifth appearance, when he landed the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes in a three-way photo. Further down the top 20 are three grandsons of Curlin, all from the first crop by Good Magic, and Curlin’s son Skinner is just outside the top 20 after twice finishing third to the leading Californian contender, Practical Move, notably when beaten only half a length in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby.
The parallels between Curlin and Good Magic are quite pronounced, including their physical appearance (though Good Magic isn’t as big as his 16.2-hands sire and is more correct). Bred by Stonestreet, Curlin’s majority owner, Good Magic was knocked down for $1,000,000 as a yearling, with Stonestreet retaining an interest alongside new partner E5 Racing. A promising second on debut at Saratoga in August, Good Magic was immediately pitched into Grade 1 company in the Champagne Stakes, in which he finished a fine second, beaten only half a length by the high-class sprinter Firenze Fire. Good Magic was therefore still a maiden when
he lined up for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile but he proved easily the best, having more than four lengths to spare over Solomini, another son of Curlin, with the odds-on Bolt D’Oro only third.
Good Magic took the Eclipse Award as champion two-year-old male but his nemesis, the Triple Crown winner Justify, hadn’t raced at that age. Good Magic’s Classic achievements amounted to a second in the Kentucky Derby and a close fourth in the Preakness. Maybe the sloppy tracks in these Triple Crown races were also less than ideal, as Good Magic bounced back to record a dominant win in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational over a fast mile-and-an-eighth track.
A disappointing effort in the Travers Stakes led to Good Magic being retired well before the Breeders’ Cup and he promptly joined Curlin at Hill ‘n’ Dale, starting out at a fee of $35,000 before
and he did particularly well to finish second to him, after being worn down close home, in the Grade 1 Florida Derby (sponsored by Curlin at Hill ‘n’ Dale).
Reincarnate first drew attention to himself when he became Good Magic’s fifth Graded winner with his victory in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. Since then he’s added more points with his third places in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes and Grade 1 Arkansas Derby.
With five Graded winners already from a crop of 128, Good Magic is justifying his position as heir apparent to Curlin at Hill ‘n’ Dale. He is the fourth son of Curlin to sire a Grade 1 winner, following Palace Malice, Keen Ice and Connect. In common with many another leading sire, Curlin’s reputation as a sire of sires is mixed at present but with considerable potential.
Although Palace Malice has a Grade 1
Westchester Stakes over a mile, but a soft-tissue injury ended his career. Confirming that it was his late birthday which had limited his own juvenile career, Connect finished a fine third behind Gun Runner among the first-crop sires of 2021, with the Grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll and Grade 3 winner Hidden Connection underlining his talent. This early success led to high demand for Connect’s services in 2022, so he will be one to watch out for in a few years’ time.
We perhaps won’t have to wait as long to see the best of some of Curlin’s other stallion sons, such as Vino Rosso, whose first crop races in 2023. Another contemporary of Justify, Vino Rosso earned a shot at the Classics with his victory in the Grade 2 Wood Memorial but had to be satisfied with ninth in the Kentucky Derby and fourth in the Belmont Stakes.
having his fee adjusted to $30,000. The fact that his fee for 2023 stood at $50,000 highlights the excellent start made by Good Magic’s first runners in 2022. In a very hot contest for first-crop sire honours, he finished second to Bolt D’Oro, ahead of third-ranked Justify. With his 128-strong crop being smaller than Bolt D’Oro’s (149 foals) and Justify’s (157), Good Magic sired 21 winners from 65 runners and no fewer than six of them scored at black-type level.
More importantly, Good Magic matched Justify’s total of four Graded/ Group winners. First came the filly Vegas Magic, winner of the Grade 2 Sorrento Stakes in August, and she was quickly followed by Curly Jack (Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes in September), Blazing Sevens (Grade 1 Champagne Stakes in October) and Dubyuhnell (Grade 2 Remsen Stakes in December). One of his Listed winners, Bat Flip, did well on turf.
With three sons, including Blazing Sevens, qualified for the Kentucky Derby, it goes without saying that Good Magic is building on this fine start. The lightlyraced Mage has twice taken on Forte, a triple Grade 1 winner as a two-year-old,
winner to his credit, his fee at Three Chimneys Farm has fallen to $7,500, down from a peak of $25,000. Then there’s Exaggerator, a triple Grade 1 winner at three who also boasted excellent juvenile form. He started out at $30,000 but now stands at $5,000 in Louisiana.
One son of Curlin whose career seems to be on an upward trajectory is Connect, who retired in 2018 to Lane’s End Farm, the former home of Curlin. Connect had a few obstacles to overcome. A May foal, he raced only once at two before improving in eye-catching manner at three, when he turned in his best performances later in the year. After taking advantage of a 3lb weight allowance to beat the notable Gun Runner in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby, Connect finally became a Grade 1 winner against older horses in the Cigar Mile Handicap.
It seemed fair to expect a fine four-year-old campaign from Connect, especially when he made a successful return to action in the Grade 3
Fortunately, Vino Rosso proved much more effective as a four-year-old, when he crossed the line first in three Grade 1s over a mile and a quarter, most notably the Breeders’ Cup Classic which he took by more than four lengths from McKinzie. Spendthift Farm – renowned for making stallions – stepped in to secure Vino Rosso’s services and he attracted no fewer than 238 mares in his first season and a total of 563 mares in his first three years. At the same time, Spendthrift has been reducing his fee each year, to maintain numbers, and Vino Rosso was available for $15,000 this year, from an original $30,000. As he won both his starts at two, Vino Rosso should be able to make a quick impact and his two-yearolds have already sold for up to $550,000.
There are several more Grade 1-winning stallion sons in the pipeline. Global Campaign, a winner of the Woodward Handicap based at WinStar Farm, will have his first runners in 2024; Known Agenda, a Florida Derby winner who stands alongside Vino Rosso at Spendthrift, follows a year later; and Idol, winner of the Santa Anita Handicap, covered his first mares at Taylor Made this year.
Elite Power, whose victories in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Riyadh Dirt Sprint entitle him to be considered Curlin’s fastest son, should be highly popular if and when he retires to Juddmonte, and the Godolphin team must be looking forward to welcoming Cody’s Wish after his Grade 1 wins in the Forego Handicap and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.
But will any of them be given a chance to make their mark in Europe?
“Good Magic is justifying his position as heir apparent to Curlin”KEENELAND Malathaat: top filly was one of three Breeders’ Cup winners for Curlin in 2022
Osteochondrosis, osteochondrosis dissecans and bone cysts are part of a group of developmental orthopaedic diseases (DOD) that we see in the joints of young thoroughbreds. As these three diseases can significantly affect horses both at the sales and in training, it is useful to understand the disease process and the risk factors involved so that, where required, appropriate management changes can be made to minimise the risk of them occurring.
When bone is formed in the uterus, it starts as cartilage and then transforms into bone (Figure 1) prior to birth. This process occurs in ossification centres in the middle and at the ends of the bone. When foals are born this process is nearly complete apart from a cartilage layer (the physis) that remains between the two main centres of ossification. The physis, or ‘growth plate’, is where the majority of bone growth occurs from in early life.
Developmental orthopaedic diseases
• Osteochondrosis (OC)
• Osteochodrosis dissecans (OCD)
• Bone cysts
• Sesamoiditis
• Physitis
• Acquired angular and flexural limb deformities
• Cuboidal bone collapse
• Cervical vertebral malformation (wobblers)
All of the developmental orthopaedic diseases listed (see panel) in some way relate to disruption of this process of bone development, be it a mismatch between the rate of growth of bone and that of musculotendinous units causing flexural limb deformities, or because of trauma to the rapidly dividing cartilage cells in the growing physis, causing physitis. For osteochondrosis, osteochondrosis dissecans and bone cysts, it is the transition into bone of the deep cartilage layer overlying
joints, a process called ‘endochondral ossification’, that becomes disrupted. The main cause has been found to be damage to channels within the cartilage that carry the blood vessels supplying this region (Figure 3). This is thought to be due to trauma in early life when the cartilage is soft and lacks the structural integrity of the bone which replaces it. It should be noted that though trauma may be the direct cause, there may be many reasons for the structure of the cartilage to be weak, including lack of vital nutrients, excessive or irregular growth and genetic factors leading to poor quality cartilage.
Because the architecture of the vessels in this area are such that single channels supply specific areas, if one vessel becomes damaged the area
may die off, causing osteochondrosis. Two outcomes can then occur. If the affected area is small and further excessive trauma doesn’t occur, the lesion can heal. If the lesion is large and there is further direct trauma, the bone cartilage (osteochondral) complex may fragment and displace in to the joint. This is called osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD).
Bone cysts are a related condition that likely have a similar cause, but occur at different sites.
Signs to look out for include:
• Effused (puffy) or swollen joints.
• Lameness – this can vary depending on the extent of the injury and whether an OCD fragment is present. Many horses do not show any signs of lameness.
• Altered gait – Osteochondrosis may occur in multiple joints altering the gait. A bunny hopping gait is typically associated with stifle disease in young horses and may be a sign of osteochondrosis.
Osteochondrosis is most commonly diagnosed with x-rays. Where osteochondrosis is noted on survey x-rays, follow up x-rays after two months are useful to get a better idea of whether the lesions are healing or are still developing. Ultrasound scans can also be used as a screening tool and can also be useful to assess the joint surface.
Vets will take into account the exact position of the lesion, its size and whether there is any fragmentation before making an assessment of the risk to athletic performance and the best approach to treatment.
For osteochondrosis where there are no or only mild clinical signs and no fragmentation has occurred, a significant number of cases will heal with conservative management and the athletic performance will not be affected.
These cases may benefit from some exercise restriction to give the bone the best chance of healing. Where foals have become heavy-topped, or are growing too quickly, there may be a benefit to restricting the food intake, although this can be difficult to achieve when the foal is still on the mare. Antiinflammatory drugs can also be used to reduce the inflammatory response within the joint to try to avoid longterm damage to joint cartilage.
Where fragmentation has occurred, in all but the smallest fragments, surgery is likely to be required to reduce the issues of chronic inflammation and the potential for osteoarthritis developing within the joint. This is done by keyhole surgery. It should be noted that foals will often require up to two months restricted exercise post-surgery.
A number of risk factors have been described for osteochondrosis.
• Weight – increased birth weight has been associated with an increased risk of the disease. In a recent study involving studs in the UK, USA and Australia by Saracens Horse Feeds
Osteochondrosis/ Osteochondrosis dissecans
• Fetlocks – dorsal aspect of the sagittal ridge
• Hocks – distal intermediate ridge of the tibia
• Stifles – lateral trochlear ridge
Bone cysts
• Stifle – medial condyle of the distal femur
Clinical signs associated with osteochondrosis typically develop between four months and two years of age. However, many osteochondrosis lesions are clinically silent and are only noted as an incidental finding on sales or survey x-rays.
Some of the predilection sites for these diseases are listed below:
and Kentucky Equine Research, heavier foals were found to be more likely to have hock and stifle OCD. They also found that foals out of maiden mares were on average 8kg lighter and had overall 30% less osteochondrosis lesions and 70% less osteochondrosis lesions within the lateral trochlear ridge of the stifle.
• Growth rate – excessively fast or irregular growth has been shown to contribute to the development of osteochondrosis.
• Nutrition – high energy diets, an imbalance of calcium and phosphorus, decreased levels of copper and high levels of zinc have all been associated with the development of osteochondrosis.
• Genetics – although genetic factors contribute to osteochondrosis, the situation is complex with many different genes being involved. Genes involved in body size and those involved in the growth and development of cartilage and bone have been associated with the development of OCD.
Given the above risk factors, the following recommendations can be given for reducing the incidence of the disease:
• Exercise – regular but not excessive exercise is critical to the conditioning and development of the young musculoskeletal system. Care should be taken to avoid young foals with soft cartilage having traumatic events to the cartilage that may later develop into osteochondrosis lesions. In practice this means having adequate numbers of nursery or smaller paddocks to avoid galloping in young foals.
• Nutrition – avoid over-conditioned mares and foals. Excessive foal weights relative to the stage of development of the skeletal tissues will contribute to the disease. Foals also derive many micronutrients from stores that build up in their liver in the last trimester of pregnancy, so it is important to make sure that mares have adequate access to micronutrients. Mineral licks in paddocks can be a useful dietary supplement for this.
Balanced growth – try to avoid significant fluctuations in growth rate. Regular weight, height and condition score measurement can be a useful monitoring tool to ensure balanced growth. Avoid prolonged periods of box rest where possible.
• Genetics – published heritability estimates for osteochondrosis are relatively low. This, combined with the large number of implicated genes and lack of commercially available testing, mean that it is unlikely that we will be able to significantly influence the incidence of osteochondrosis through altering breeding programmes in the short term.
• Survey x-rays – survey x-rays in foals and yearlings are a good tool to identify the disease in the early stages and to help inform the best treatment strategies to avoid progression of the disease. They are also useful to give an understanding of the prevalence of osteochondrosis in your stock. If rates are higher than expected, management changes can be implemented.
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“SUCCEED is a fantastic product that has helped my horses maintain condition throughout the season. The results speak for themselves.”
Jane Chapple-Hyam, Trainer
The optimum feeding programme to get a yearling turning up at the sales ground in peak condition, with a good topline, defined muscle and strong bone as well as bright eyes and a sleek coat, cannot be hastily arranged after entries have been made and accepted. Rather, it should start as early as conception.
“Sales prep really begins at the moment the horse is bred, or bought if it’s a pinhook,” says leading consignor Jamie Railton, who uses Saracen for feed. “Every nutritional requirement has to be met from that point, and the objective has to be raising a future racehorse that is physically sound and with a good immune system, to minimise the risk of problems like OCDs.
“You can’t play catch-up when it gets to the summer of its yearling season as the horse won’t have bone structure or strength, and then you’ll receive less from sales proceeds or prize-money and you’ve devalued your mare’s future progeny.”
“It all starts with the mare,” states Red Mills nutritionist Louise Jones emphatically. “You have to make sure she has the right nutrients to give to the foal while it’s inutero and soon after it’s born, as she’s the primary source of nutrition for the first three months of life. If you want a decent sized foal that’s well grown, you have to get those nutrients into the mare right from the off.
“There’s a lot of research looking at the impact of nutrition on developmental problems, so we know for example that low copper intake during pregnancy increases the risk of orthopaedic issues in the youngster. A lot of breeders will therefore not only choose a feed that contains copper, but also supplement the mare in those last three months using a chelated copper syringe, so the foal is born with adequate copper stores.”
Andy Richardson, veterinary director of NAF, also stresses the importance of getting the mare’s nutrition correct.
“There’s a lot of good evidence to suggest that what you feed the mare, particularly in that last trimester, is quite critical to the subsequent development of the foal, including at yearling stage.
“It’s too late to start feeding a yearling in the hope of influencing some of the
problems they can get, especially skeletal problems like OCDs and cysts, although no one will ever tell you nutrition is the only answer: it’s just one part of the jigsaw.”
Richardson suggests that a balance needs to be struck between overfeeding the mare – which can cause too much of the foal’s skeletal development to take place in utero, and her early milk to be too energy-rich, which once again can cause rapid and consequently weak bone growth – and ensuring she receives vital micronutrients such as calcium, copper, phosphorus and zinc, which the foal needs for growth.
Equine science company Plusvital’s Breeding Syrup provides a targeted range of vitamins and minerals specifically to help ensure the unborn foal has the nutrients required for healthy development.
In particular it provides the fat soluble vitamins A, D and E as well as folic acid, which is important for growth of foetal tissues during pregnancy as it is involved in DNA synthesis. It additionally provides amino acids lysine and methionine, which are required at higher levels as the pregnancy progresses due to the increased tissue growth of the foetus.
It also provides copper and other trace elements (manganese, zinc and iron) which are important for supplying the newborn foal with the reserves needed for the first period of life while these minerals
are in poor supply in the mare’s milk.
Once the foal is born, Jones emphasises that the aim is to maintain a smooth growth rate, with no periods of excessive loss or gain that can lead to joint issues, which makes finding a suitable ration during the transitional phase of weaning is essential.
“The mare should hopefully do a good job feeding the foal in the first few months of its life, but that said I do like to give foals a multivitamin and prebiotic supplement during the nursing period in the first three months to give them a head start,” says Jones.
“From three months onwards I tend to introduce a creep ration to the foal, because that’s when the nutritional value of the mare’s milk starts to decline, and you want to get the foal used to eating its own food, so that during weaning you don’t get a drop-off in growth rate.
“Choosing the most suitable creep feed will depend on the foal and their individual circumstances. A nice, strong early-born colt foal might do fine on just a high vitamin and mineral balancer like our GroCare balancer but if you have a slightly more backward foal or one whose dam isn’t producing such good milk, then a foal creep pallet is usually needed to provide the extra calories and protein.”
Plusvital Breeding Robust can help reduce nutritional and psychological stress
during the weaning period, when hard feed should be introduced little by little, by providing important nutrients in a palatable pellet form. This can be additionally fed by itself or mixed in with creep or concentrate feeds.
The product, a soy protein-based supplement that claims to be appetising for young horses, also provides increased levels of both lysine and methionine, both important amino acids for muscle growth, which will help to produce a high-quality topline on the young horse for the sales ring when used in combination with appropriate types and levels of exercise.
Richardson rightly asserts that a feeding programme designed to make a yearling look like a star athlete of the future at the sales should not be done at the expense of its wider health.
“When feeding a yearling during prep, it’s important to consider that how and what you feed has implications over and above the end goal of trying to achieve an animal of optimal muscle mass and condition score,” he says. “In other words, how we might want to feed a yearling to promote optimal muscle mass and growth may have unforeseen consequences in some individuals that requires additional consideration.”
For example, concentrate feeding and reduction in turnout during sales prep can
predispose individuals to gastric ulceration.
“In that case, consider targeted support fed on a daily basis during prep to help maintain a clear stomach,” says Richardson. “Look for a product with a combination of research-driven ingredients and published research. The blend that NAF use in our GastroForm is peer reviewed and published. Additionally GastroForm has all the evidence-based ingredients for a clear stomach, such as pectin, lecithin
fully utilise the energy and protein that concentrate feed provides,” he explains. “We know the hindgut microbiome has a key role to play in overall health, so consider combining a high quality fibre source (i.e. hay) in the diet with a source of pre, pro and postbiotics. This gives the hindgut its best chance of maintaining an optimal microbiome during prep.
“Prebiotics allow friendly bacteria to thrive, probiotics outcompete the unfriendly bacteria and help digest fibre, and recent research has also unlocked the exciting potential of feeding postbiotics, the beneficial metabolites produced by the good bacteria.
“The benefits that postbiotics bring to overall health is the subject of a lot of recent research, including some species specific research in horses. Recent data presented at the BEVA congress in 2022 showed that the microbiome of thoroughbred foals may influence rates of injury and disease during racing age.”
in a complex synergistic blend with the addition of hindgut support.”
Breeders and consignors shouldn’t forget the hindgut when it comes to feeding during the yearling prep either, he adds.
“Without a properly functioning hindgut, yearlings won’t be able to
Jones highlights the importance of not stinting on quality when it comes to feeding and supplementing the yearling, as a poorly thought out diet using substandard products will likely lead to worse results, and in the limited span of prep there is no time to rectify them. Saving money on nutrition could be a false economy, the theory goes, as an unhealthy
“We know the hindgut microbiome plays a key role in overall health”
horse will achieve a lower price.
“You’ve got to make sure that the base ingredients of the feed are high quality and that you’re feeding it at the recommended intake,” she says. “Sometimes, when a yearling is growing too fast, people think they had better drop the hard feed down, to put in fewer calories, and that’s correct in a sense, but what they often forget is that if they do that the horse isn’t going to get the right levels of micronutrients. So, if you’re going to reduce the feed, you need to compensate by adding in a vitamin and mineral supplement or an appropriate level of balancer.
“Some people feed cubes during yearling prep, but I tend to prefer a mix, as it’s a little more palatable and when you’re putting them under stress they can back off their feed a little anyway. If that does happen, you can supplement with B vitamins to increase the appetite, building up the quantities gradually as exercise increases.”
Railton also focuses on quality when it comes to feeding yearlings, and believes that investment in tried and trusted products will pay dividends further down the line.
“When I got into consigning, the first thing James Delahooke told me was never to penny pinch when it comes to looking after horses, and always to give them the best of everything,” he says. “That was sound advice, although sometimes with slightly lesser horses you have to weigh up production costs against what they’re realistically going to make at auction.
“Because the sad reality is that the cost of feed has gone up; it’s very expensive now, but I’m afraid that’s the modern world and taking shortcuts is counterproductive. The most cost-effective approach is probably feeding really well throughout the course of the year and giving the horse a shorter sales prep.”
Richardson believes that other areas of targeted nutritional support to consider during prep include optimal muscle mass and function and replacement of electrolytes.
Regarding muscle tone, he says: “Key considerations here are that although protein and fat requirements are met with the concentrate feed, there are additional benefits to be had by ensuring antioxidants are included, particularly in a high fat diet.
“A good-quality oil such as linseed oil can be a great source of energy without detriment to the stomach, provide Omega 3s and help with coat condition – however, fat will degrade by oxidation in the body and that can lead to unwanted free radical release, causing tissue damage and inflammation.
“So providing antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium when feeding a higher fat diet is beneficial. NAF Muscle Power is an ideal choice here: it combines key amino acids, the building blocks for muscle growth, with Vitamin E, selenium, and a unique herbal antioxidant blend.”
On the subject of electrolyte requirements, he adds: “Prep usually takes place during the warmer months, and horses have the highest sweat rate of any animal so electrolyte loss can be high.
“It’s vital to replace them in the diet to maintain performance, and beneficial to do so in as physiologically beneficial way as possible – like adding electrolytes to feed before and after exercise, as it also has the benefit of triggering the thirst reflex to help ensure adequate water intake on warm days, which is also important for maintaining the passage of food through the GI tract.”
Richardson also underlines the importance of not overfeeding the yearling, saying: “It can be problematic, especially in individuals with developmental orthopaedic disease or physitis. Using oil as an energy source can be beneficial to replace starch in the diet, and with additional antioxidant supplementation as described above.”
There are extra lengths that can be gone to from a nutritional perspective to ensure the yearling shows itself off at its very best on the sales ground, too.
“Sometimes I’ll use a calmer for yearlings that are a little bit hard to handle, or use it at the sales if I think one in particular is going to get stressed out by the experience,” says Jones. “I would tend to use Tryptophan-based calmers, as I think they work more efficiently than magnesium-based ones.
“I also like to keep a pre-fuel in my arsenal for those yearlings that are going to be very busy at the sales, like those Book 1 lots that can be in and out of their boxes 100 times a day, just to apply on maybe the second or third day of showing if they’re feeling tired, as it can help pep them up and make them show themselves better.”
There are also nutritional approaches to achieving more cosmetic results, like a glossy coat.
Jones continues: “Oil is of course brilliant for coat and condition, and Red Mills have actually just launched a new product, Define & Shine, which has really high levels of oil, particularly Omega-3 fatty acids which have additional health benefits, and also protein, which helps with the top line. I think that will be very popular during prep.
“There’s only so much you can feed a yearling and sometimes you need a few more calories or a little support for the top line, but can’t increase meal sizes anymore. Define & Shine is made to be fed in small quantities but provide very concentrated, high-quality levels of protein and fat. It should be really useful.”
The nutrients in the Plusvital Breeding Syrup provide a balanced supply of all the essential vitamins and minerals to support growth in a young horse, but they also promote the development of healthy skin and hair and can contribute to a glossy coat.
Highclere Castle Horse Feeds meanwhile has recently introduced Oataalin, comprising 75% superior rolled oats from the Highclere Estate, 20% pelleted alfalfa and 5% micronised linseed. It can give an extra boost to coat shine, positive gut acidity balance and hoof development, which ought to appeal to yearling consignors.
Feeding to achieve a cosmetic effect at the yearling sales, as well as providing essential nutrition for musculoskeletal development, might seem an unnecessary use of money, but first impressions count. A well-maintained appearance should suggest to potential buyers that the horse is healthy on the inside as well as outside.
“Sometimes you need a few more calories or a little support for the top line”
OATAALIN mix is designed to give horses the best of whole natural foods in three key grains: the digestibility and energy of Oats, the Calcium & Vitamins and buffer to acidity in Alfalfa.
Linseed aids skin & coat condition and is antiinammatory with slow release energy.
KEY INGREDIENTS:
• Superior Rolled Oats from Highclere Estate
• Pelletised Alfalfa
• Micronised Linseed
“At Highclere we have been feeding OATAALIN to our thoroughbreds. Highly palatable, its excellent qualities are reected in the shine of their coats, their energy levels and their relaxed attitudes.”
OATAALIN mix is designed to give your horse the best performance, energy and shine.Gwendolina. 3YO (Owner: Lord Carnarvon), winning at Lingeld, 28th January 2023.
Richard Hannon Jr., Pink Lily’s trainer, commented:
“Pink Lily when she came in she looked great, she has managed to put on all that weight over the winter and looks better than ever. She is a month further ahead than most of mine in her coat and I am looking forward to running her. Very happy with her indeed!”
Members have an exclusive opportunity to book Richmond Enclosure badges for all five days of the Qatar Glorious Goodwood Festival, taking place from Tuesday, August 1 to Saturday, August 5.
The stylish Richmond Enclosure provides a fantastic view of the action as well as access to the best bars and dining options on course.
Members also have access to
discounts on hospitality packages for both the Secret Garden and Final Furlong restaurants at the Festival.
The Secret Garden is an awardwinning restaurant, located in a superb position just beyond the winning post in the Richmond Enclosure. The location allows you to feel tucked away in a world of your own, with menus that focus on the very best ingredients from the land and sea.
The Final Furlong restaurant, as the name suggests, is located in the Gordon Enclosure alongside the racecourse’s final furlong. The light and airy pavilion is a fantastic spot to watch the climax of the action. Aside from the picturesque views of the racecourse, which can be enjoyed from your table, the Final Furlong boasts a delicious menu for you and your guests.
For more details and pricing visit www.roa.co.uk/events.
The election process to appoint up to three new ROA Board members will begin this month.
Anyone wishing to apply must be a registered owner and have at least one horse in training in the UK or have done so during the previous 12 months, or have part-ownership that amounts to at least one horse. Horses owned under the names of spouses will qualify for this purpose.
Candidates should be passionate about improving the racehorse ownership experience, be able to attend monthly meetings, and be willing to draw on their experiences and knowledge to help shape the future of horseracing.
As members will know, the ROA has implemented a corporate governance review and one of the recommendations was the transition to a skill-set-based Board. In order to ensure that we have the correct skills and expertise to help progress
the ROA’s strategy and wider industry initiatives, we would like to strongly encourage applicants with Board level experience or knowledge in the following five areas: finance, communication, legal, betting, and technology.
It is critical that applicants have experience of working at board or director level, as all three roles will be providing strategic insights, governance, subject matter expertise and leadership to the ROA. Once the application is received, it will be sent to the ROA’s Nominations Committee.
The Nominations Committee will have its own judgment and discretion in its ultimate recommendation of candidate(s) to the Board, and such judgment and discretion will be exercised having considered the balance of skills, knowledge and experience on the Board. The ROA is committed to creating a diverse environment within our organisation
and across the thoroughbred industry and will ensure specific effort is made to bring forward diverse candidates for consideration for Board appointments.
Early May Applications open
June 9 Applications close
Mid July Voting commences
August 29 Voting closes September 14 Results announced
If more than three candidates stand for election, a ballot will be held online. Members will be invited to vote for their preferred candidates.
If you would like further information on the election process, please see our Articles of Association online at roa.co.uk/articles.
Members who wish to express their interest in one of the available positions should apply online at roa.co.uk/election23 or email Charlie Liverton at cliverton@roa.co.uk.
Our contact details:
York racecourse has announced a record prize fund of £10.75 million for the 2023 season. This eclipses the total achieved in 2022, which also delivered a record number of runners and an average field size of 11.88, the highest of any racecourse in the UK.
York’s investment is £2m and 20% higher than in 2019 and surpasses the equivalent figure for last year by £750,000. Significantly, this is a 15% year-on-year increase in executive contribution to prize-money by York, given that Levy Board funding will be lower this year. All 18 of York’s racedays will offer at least £200,000 to connections.
Every race at York will now be worth at least £20,000 (up from £15,000), with increases on all racedays over a broad range of contests from maidens and developmental races to Pattern races and feature handicaps. All Listed races will be run for at least £70,000 (up from £60,000) and all Group 3 races will be worth at least £85,000 (up from £80,000).
Through the support of Darley, Juddmonte, the European Breeders’ Fund and the BHA Development Fund, an additional six-figure investment has been targeted at developmental maiden and novice races, to boost a dozen contests across the season to between £20,000 and £40,000. The British EBF Ruby Jubilee Convivial Maiden and two Sky Bet-sponsored nurseries at the Ebor Festival have been increased from £80,000 to £100,000, making them the richest developmental races of their type
in British racing.
The Group 2 Sky Bet City of York Stakes will receive the biggest single boost to £500,000 (up from £400,000), making it the richest racecourse-funded Group 2 in the UK. The course is hoping this increase in prize-money may help a possible upgrade of the seven-furlong contest, which has been won in the last two years by Space Blues and Kinross.
The Group 1 Juddmonte International will continue to have a £1m purse, whilst the Coolmore Wotton Bassett Nunthorpe, Yorkshire Oaks and Sky Bet Ebor will each continue to have a prize fund of £500,000.
ROA Chief Executive Charlie Liverton said: “York earned our Gold Standard Award last year and the many positives in this announcement indicate it should be another strong year on the Knavesmire. Offering such healthy prizemoney to such a broad church of owners is hugely welcome and I commend the York team for their consistent support in this area.”
York racecourse Chairman Bridget Guerin said: “We are incredibly grateful for the support of our sponsors, racegoers and partners that allows York to make this bold commitment of approaching £11m in prize-money to British racing.
“Facing up to the ongoing economic challenges, we wanted to demonstrate a commitment to the best in our sport. We now look forward to welcoming horses and their connections to the Knavesmire. I am confident they will repay this record investment by sending
their stars to York for us all to enjoy. They are assured of a warm Yorkshire welcome.”
Hamilton Park has announced its richestever season with every race staged at the Scottish track during 2023 worth at least £7,000. With all 127 races exceeding BHA minimum values by at least £2,000, there will be record prize-money of £1.64 million on offer.
Key highlights for the months ahead include the prestigious Phoenix Utilities Lanark Silver Bell, won last year by Wickywickywheels for local trainer Jim Goldie and owner Jimmy Long. The £100,000 heritage handicap is the centrepiece to the popular August 25 fixture. Prize-money on the evening will top £212,000 - making it the South Lanarkshire venue’s most lucrative meeting, thanks also to the addition of a new Darley/EBF development race, worth £50,000, prize-money on that evening.
It will be the second of two £200,000 racedays in 2023, following on from the return of the Sky Bet Sunday Series on May 14. The course has also added a number of high-value Class 2 races to the programme, each worth between £30,000 and £50,000.
Hamilton stages the first of 19 fixtures with its traditional Family Day on Sunday, May 7. Other highlights include the Listed EBF Glasgow Stakes, worth £55,250, and the G4 Claims Scottish Stewards’ Cup, worth £35,000, on Friday, July 21, before the season finale on Monday, October 2.
The dust may have only just settled on a fantastic Cheltenham Festival this year but thoughts are already turning to the 2024 feature, where the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup will celebrate its centenary. Cheltenham are organising a year’s worth of special events during the countdown to Gold Cup 100 and, to celebrate the rich tapestry of owners who have graced the Gold Cup winner’s enclosure during that time, we will be taking a look at some of those famous names.
John
The surname Whitney was synonymous in the early part of the century in political and racing circles. Indeed, both of Jock Whitney’s grandfathers had served in the upper echelons of the White House with roles including Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of State.
Despite astronomical wealth – he inherited a trust fund of $20 million (approximately $343.9m today) from this father and later inherited four times that amount from his mother – Jock started his business career as a clerk for an investment bank. He went on to found the self-titled JH Whitney and Co, America’s oldest venture capital firm.
He was once listed as one of the ten richest men in the world and was rumoured to have dated Hollywood starlets including Tallulah Bankhead and Joan Crawford. He met Fred Astaire when they were students and the pair were lifelong friends, bonding over their love of horseracing.
Alongside successful investments in theatre and film – his company was one of the backers for Gone With The Wind – the Whitney family were also
heavily involved in horseracing. Jock and his sister ran Greentree Stables. In 1928, he became the youngest member ever elected to the Jockey Club in America.
Jock also held interests in racing in Europe, and in particular National Hunt racing. His best horse was Easter Hero, who was the first dual winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1929 and 1930. Easter Hero also went close to taking the 1929 Grand National, suffering a twisted shoe in his defeat under the welter burden of 12st 7lb.
Easter Hero’s first victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup was a startling 20-length victory over Lloydie, where he never saw another rival. Whitney had only recently bought the horse after the horse’s original owner – Captain Lowenstein – had vanished when flying his private plane over the North Sea. The Festival that year had been delayed a week because of the terrible frost which had beset the country that winter. It was the third time jockey Dick Rees had won the Gold Cup in its short six-year history.
The following year, however, Rees was
Applications are open for horses to join the Tote Owner Sponsorship Scheme. The scheme provides sponsorship for horses in training which are wholly owned by ROA members.
In the case of a racing club or syndicate, all club/syndicate managers need to be ROA members in order for the horse to be eligible, or where the horse is owned in a partnership, all owners need to be ROA members.
A sponsorship payment of £100 per horse is made to the owner entity once the particular scheme their horse is
sponsored under has closed. This is paid into their Racing Account.
Sponsored horses will need to carry a Tote logo on the chest and collar of the owner’s colours. There are no provisions for branding on attendant’s clothing or horse rugs. Queen Aminatu showed off the Tote branding to full effect at Newcastle on All-Weather Finals Day on Good Friday, when she took the Fillies’ and Mares’ Championship in good style.
For further information on the scheme contact info@roa.co.uk.
claimed to ride Easter Hero’s chief rival Gib. Instead, the gelding was ridden by Tommy Cullinan. Things didn’t get off to the greatest start with the pair uprooting the first two fences, but they soon found their rhythm and turning for home had Gib under pressure before Rees and his charge fell at the second-last, leaving Easter Hero to score again by 20 lengths.
Injury then interrupted Easter Hero’s career. But not before he ran in the 1931 Grand National, where he was knocked over at Becher’s second time round. Incredibly, he dead-heated in the two-mile Champion Chase just 24 hours later. Jock decided to let him end his career on this winning note, retiring him to live out his days hunting in Virginia, where he lived to the ripe old age of 28.
Jock, meanwhile, went on to be US Ambassador to the UK from 1957-1961, was publisher of the New York Herald Tribune, and president of the Museum of Modern Art. In 2015, Whitney was posthumously inducted to the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame as Pillar of the Turf.
Spring is such an exciting time if you’re a racing fan. You have the culmination of the jumps season merging with the start of the Flat season, where optimism is high among owners who are hoping their horse could turn out to be the next superstar. I must admit, I do miss the old Whitbread meeting at Sandown, where you had a mix of jumps and Flat racing on the same day. It was an afternoon where you could see a Derby winner and a Grand National winner on the same card.
Talking of Sandown, I read with interest that a racecard for Constitution Hill’s debut at the track was sold for £87 just before this year’s Cheltenham festival. After his victories at Cheltenham and Aintree I’m guessing that price can only head in a northerly direction. The article had me rooting through my old racecards –I tend to throw them in a box and then every now and then, I’ll sort them into years, so it didn’t take me long to find the Tingle Creek racecard from 2021.
As I was rooting through the racecards, I came across a few from Frankel’s career. I was lucky enough to be there for his debut and yes, I did keep the racecard.
I even managed to get Tom Queally to sign it. Not at the time, but at the start of Frankel’s four-year-old season, I cornered Tom as he left the weighing room at Epsom, during the Spring meeting. I recall him looking a bit startled as I asked him if he would kindly sign my treasured momento and we exchanged a few words on how Frankel had worked earlier that week leading up to his seasonal debut in the Lockinge.
In 2020 the Racing Post announced they were going to mark the tenth anniversary of Frankel’s debut with a feature piece. I sent in my memories of that day and what follows is an extract of my account that was included in the feature:
“I made up my mind that I was going to go to the pre-parade ring to try and catch a glimpse of Frankel. It was raining when we arrived at the course and was still pouring down when racing started. Sarah and I had found a dry spot in a bar behind the
stands and venturing out to watch the first race was not even contemplated. Despite the incessant rain, I headed towards the pre-parade ring as the second race was in progress.
“For those that have been to the July course, you will know what a special place the pre-parade ring is. For those that haven’t, put it on your bucket list. It’s the only parade ring I know where you stand in the middle, as the horses walk around you. On a hot day, the tree-lined paddock is the perfect place to get out of the sun. But on this wet Friday night, I was standing there alone when I first clapped eyes on the horse that was to go on to be the highest rated of all time. Even to my untrained eye, he looked impressive. He was bigger and stronger than the other two-year-olds in the field.
“I watched the race from the lawn just beyond the winning line and as they came out of the gloom, I remember Derek Thompson calling Frankel home, as he asserted inside the final furlong from Nathaniel. At the time, I didn’t realise I was watching
probably the best maiden race ever. As well as these two multiple Group 1 winners, the well beaten third horse Genius Beast was a future Group winner and one of the also-rans, Colour Vision, would go on to win the 2012 Gold Cup.”
Knowing how much the Constitution Hill racecard had sold for, I couldn’t resist seeing if I could find out how much Frankel’s debut racecard could be worth. One estimate I found suggested a value of £600. Maybe I should carry out an affordability check on any prospective purchaser, if I choose to sell it. But then again, I don’t think I could part with it. It carries such fond memories.
As the 2023 Flat season gets into full swing, who knows if we’ll see another Frankel, Sea The Stars, Enable or Baaeed. That’s the beauty of our sport, you never know when you’re going to see the next superstar. But if you do think you’ve witnessed the next racing sensation and happen to have the racecard, don’t throw it away. You never know, it might be worth something one day.
The name of the longest-priced winner of this year’s Cheltenham Festival certainly lent himself to the title of this feature.
Premier Magic obliged at 66-1 in the St James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase – the Foxhunters’ to you and me – for trainerrider Bradley Gibbs and owner and ROA member Julian Sherriff.
The ten-year-old was due to contest the Punchestown Festival’s equivalent at the end of last month, however a licensing stipulation concerning Gibbs prevented the gelding from taking his chance.
The owner and his family’s connections to grassroots horses run deep, with the colours worn by Gibbs dating back decades.
Sherriff says: “My mother and father were very keen followers of the horses and they had point-to-pointers, from at least 1948 as I’ve got a plate from the Puckeridge Hunt, which has now gone. My father liked grey horses in particular.
“I’ve got photographs of their horses and original colours, which are practically the same as I use now. We had to make one change and put another stripe in as they were similar to another set. Otherwise, they’re the same as in 1948.”
Sherriff, who farms in the village of Lemsford, near Welwyn Garden City, continued: “They carried on until the late 60s, when I started getting interested in the farm and taking on a bit more.
“Later, along came my daughter, Claire, and she was to meet Bradley Gibbs, about eight years ago. At the time she was working with one of the local hunts down in Wales.
“The first horse I bought was called My Coranna, in 2015, and she went on to win a lot of point-to-points in that area.
“The highlight was winning the Dunraven Bowl at Chepstow, although it was also one of the worst occasions as we had a carload of people heading there down the M4 but there was a big smash-up and we missed it. That wasn’t one of my best days.
“I got bitten by the bug then and
went on to buy a few more horses who were trained down in Wales.
“Three years back now my daughter and Bradley decided they’d like to move to Hertfordshire, here with me, and we put a stable up which holds 24 horses. We used a grain barn for the first year, and this is the second year they’ve been using the stables.
“He’s got nearly 30 in training now, and we have a separate area where new horses first go before they come into the main yard.”
Premier Magic has been a regular point-to-point winner, starting at very contrasting odds to his Festival SP – he went to Prestbury Park off the back of justifying 8-11 favouritism at Garthorpe – and while the owner, his daughter and
other half focus on the amateur side of the sport, he is not a lone soldier when it comes to racing under Rules.
Sherriff says: “I’ve got three at the moment who are racing, and nine all told. There are four youngsters, one retired horse and of course a broodmare who has had the foals down the years. We hope to race some homebred youngsters next season.
“I had another nice horse called Rio Bravo, who won at Catterick; he unfortunately died this year. And there was another nice one called See U Again Son, but he had an accident at Horseheath and did a tendon, and unfortunately had to be put down.
“Premier Magic won at Leicester, then won the Lady Dudley Cup at
Chaddesley Corbett, and then that nice race at Cheltenham last month, which was a bit of a shock to a lot of people! He saved the bookies some money.
“That was probably the most memorable day’s racing I’ve had, as we’re only a small outfit. There were big guns from Ireland there, though we thought we had a fair chance; the year before we were a bit upset as he got bounced off a rail and took it out, which put him off his stride and it frightened him a bit, and he was pulled up.
“That’s why this year Bradley brought him round the outside and kept him out of trouble. It was a bit longer to run but he had plenty of steam in him; he moved him in tighter from the fourth-last, was upsides at the
last and then away he went. He had plenty of power left in him; he’s got a good engine and is a lovely horse.”
Connections were hoping for a Foxhunters’ double as Fier Jaguen – whose winning distances in pointto-points during the season put Constitution Hill in the shade, at 70 lengths, 60 and 25 – started among the favourites at Aintree last month.
However, after jumping boldly in the lead, if a little out to his right on the left-handed circuit, he unfortunately unseated Gibbs when pecking on landing after clearing the seventh fence.
The eight-year-old showed enough in the Sherriff silks to suggest, however, he should continue to win plenty of races, and it will be interesting to see if
he can gain compensation under Rules next time.
While every owner would crave a bit of glory on the racecourse, and Sherriff has had his share along with the heartbreak that inevitably accompanies having jumpers, you also sense there’s at least as much pleasure attached to the tight-knit set-up he is at the heart of in Hertfordshire.
“Bradley has a very nice gang with him,” he says. “My daughter’s just had a son so doesn’t do quite so much now, but she still does evening stables. Bradley becomes a house father at night! My daughter’s sharp in spotting one who doesn’t look quite right, and will get the vet out.
“I’m very lucky because my house is about 250 yards away from the gallop, so I can sit and have breakfast and watch the horses out of the window going up and down the gallop. It’s all very pleasant.
“It’s a very nice close-knit area we’re in. I can also walk across the fields with the dogs to watch the horses.”
He adds: “I’m a farmer. I don’t do so much now as I put a lot of it down to Mid Tier farming. I don’t own a Combine these days, though I run a fairly large GreenWave site as well. It keeps me occupied. I’ve a man who works for me.
“Bradley’s got two young riders from Ireland helping him out, very nice lads who like it here – we have a nice local pub they can walk to across the field –and there’s one regular girl who’s been helping us all season and lives locally. It’s a nice, friendly atmosphere around here.”
“I’m very lucky because my house is about 250 yards away from the gallop”
BILL SELWYN
All ownership types (sole owners, partnerships, syndicates, racing clubs and companies) can register to recover VAT under the registration scheme for racehorse owners (VAT notice 700/67) by meeting the eligibility criteria set out below.
• Racehorse(s) must be registered in the relevant ownership with the BHA.
• Racehorse(s) must be registered under the care and control of a UKbased, licensed trainer.
• Third-party sponsorship is required for all horses under the registration scheme for racehorse owners.
You will need to:
• Provide the DOB, national insurance number(s) and self-assessment UTRs for all sole, partnership and syndicate applications.
• Ensure that the bank details provided on the application match the name of the sole entity, partnership or syndicate. A BHA invoicing account number is also acceptable.
Quarterly VAT submissions seem to come around very fast. As well as the usual training invoices, livery fees, vet’s fees and racing transactions, there are other changes within your racing ownership and activities that you need
to inform your VAT Agent of:
• Changes to the partners or members within the registration, either through death, exiting the partnership or syndicate or a new partner or member joining.
• Changes to the HIT – a new horse, a horse death, retirement, nonracing agreements and when the HIT is given away. Any of these occurrences will need to be recorded in the VAT return.
Don’t forget:
• To notify the BHA of your VATregistered status so that VAT can be applied on top of prize-money.
• Any ‘supplies’ made by a sole owner, partnership or syndicate will be subject to VAT. This will include sponsorship and horse sales.
Instructing us to become your VAT agent is straightforward. If you are applying for a new VAT registration, please contact our team on vat@roa. co.uk or call 01183 385685.
To appoint ROA VAT Solution as your VAT Agent, please send a copy of your VAT certificate to vat@roa.co.uk and we will take care of the rest.
If you have any additional queries, please do not hesitate to contact Davina or Glen on vat@roa.co.uk or call 01183 385685.
The ROA’s Raceday Curtailment Scheme was called into action again in March. Whilst all eyes were trained on Constitution Hill and Honeysuckle on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival, Sedgefield encountered a heavy snowstorm that forced the track to abandon the final three races on the card.
The ROA Raceday Curtailment Scheme provides a payment of £100 to any members who own at least 51% of a horse that had been due to run at a meeting that is abandoned after at least the first race has taken place.
The scheme has been set up
in collaboration with Weatherbys Hamilton, insurance brokers for the ROA’s third-party liability insurance scheme.
Twelve horses qualified for the payment, which aims to reduce the financial blow to an owner who is left disappointed that their horse is unable to race but still has incurred transport costs, both for the horse and, often, themselves.
Members do not need to apply for this scheme. As long as the affected owner’s ROA membership is up to date, the payment will be made automatically.
Pontefract have brokered a deal with caterers CGC to cut the prices of drinks offered at the course.
John Smiths and Fosters will now be available for £5.40 rather than £5.90, thanks to a joint subsidy by CGC and the course. It has also vowed to offer the cheapest (or joint cheapest) price for any comparable drink on any Yorkshire course.
Premium lager, bitter, Guinness and Cider will be under £7, while soft drinks can be purchased in 500ml bottles for £3.60.
Chief operating officer Richard Hammill said: “We are well aware that the price of food and beverage in both sports stadia and local bars and restaurants has been rising quickly.
“We wanted to address these costs and, with the invaluable assistance of racegoers completing our survey, we’ve been able to work closely with CGC and agree reductions to the drinks prices proposed at the end of February.”
A six-figure project has seen a new drainage and localised irrigation system added into the standside turf canter-down, which is located adjacent to the racing surface, ensuring horses travel to the start on the best possible surface.
The irrigation system on the whole racing surface has been further upgraded using the best in sprinkler technology from Hunter, the California-based supplier.
The stableside complex has benefited from ongoing investment in improved equine walkways, as well as in an upgrade to the kitchen which delivers home-cooked, complimentary meals to stable staff.
Ahead of their first meeting this season, Nottingham unveiled their new-look owners’ and trainers’ facility. Now located in the Centenary Stand, above the weighing room, it is one of the largest suites at the racecourse and provides views of both the course and parade ring.
In its inaugural year the ARC All-Weather Bonus provided owners throughout the winter with huge incentives to race, with the season culminating on Good Friday. There were five Horse of the Month contests throughout the All-Weather season, with a total of £30,000 a month in prizes in October/November, December and January. The prize pot doubled in February and March/April to £70,000. There was also a prize pot of £10,000 per month paid to the staff
connected to the stables of the horses in the top three places.
The final Horse of the Month title for March/April was shared by Sausalito for The Southstand Syndicate and Kiss My Face for Dan Gilbert and Andrew Bruce. Both gained 15 points with three wins during the period.
The Horse of the Year competition offered a £100,000 first prize and was won by Walking On Clouds, who gathered 48 points through the season.
Trained by Grant Tuer and owned by Moment of Madness, their successful season saw the son of Gale Force Ten amass five wins, four seconds, two thirdplaced efforts and an all-important fifth place to secure 48 points, keeping him three points clear of the second-placed Man On A Mission for Miss K Squance.
Standings (top 12) for the Horse of The Year are listed below, with prizemoney paid out from first position down to 20th.
RANKHORSE OWNER TRAINER POINTS 1st 2nd 3rd 4th5thBonus
1WALKINGONCLOUDS(IRE)MOMENTOFMADNESSGRANTTUER4854201£100,000
2MANONAMISSION(GB)MISSK.SQUANCEP.CHARALAMBOUS&J.CLUTTERBUCK4544211£75,000
3STARSHIBA(GB)THEHORSEWATCHERS7DAVIDO’MEARA4142320£50,000
4VICTORYMARCH(IRE)MAGNACARTERBLOODSTOCKSEBSPENCER3842212£47,500
5JUSTCALLMEPETE(GB)PETERCLARKERACINGPARTNERSJAMESEVANS3842131£45,000
6DUBAIJEANIUS(IRE)MRSH.LLOYD-HERRINGTONMICHAELHERRINGTON3552010£42,500
7FLYTHENEST(IRE)MRB.J.MILLENTONYCARROLL3535000£40,000
8GLORIOUSCHARMER(GB)MRSH.LLOYD-HERRINGTONMICHAELHERRINGTON3533210£37,500
9POCKLEY(GB)J&RWINNINGLINDAPERRATT3533202£35,000
10KRAKENPOWER(IRE)MRPAULSTEWARTJIMGOLDIE3524211£32,500
11JOHNNYBOOM(IRE)DANGILBERTANDANDREWBRUCESHAUNLYCETT3443002£30,000
12DREAMHARDER(IRE)MRPAULFARRELLIANWILLIAMS3440321£27,500
There was a golden hour on the Tuesday of this year’s Cheltenham Festival and two British-breds were at the heart of the action, with the Champion Hurdle crown passing from one to the other. Having barely been troubled in his five previous starts under Rules, the Sally Noott-bred Constitution Hill took the Champion Hurdle in similar style, the only worry being the shadow in front of the final flight which meant that the son of Blue Bresil took off outside the wings. Later in the month his dam, Queen Of The Stage, produced a full-sister to the winner, subsequently successful in the Grade 1 Aintree Hurdle, for her new owner Jayne McGivern.
Completing the spectacle of the day was Honeysuckle. The daughter of Sulamani finished off her career with a second win in the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle, a contest which arguably could be regarded as the best group of mares to race against each other. Bred by Dr Geoffrey Guy at the Glanvilles Stud, the nine-year-old retired the winner of 17 of her 19 starts under Rules, of which 13 had come at the top level.
Completing the trio of British-bred winners at the meeting was You Wear It Well, who captured the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on the third day. The daughter of Midnight
Legend, bred by Jane Makin and her late husband Reg, was given a fine frontrunning ride by Gavin Sheehan.
March also witnessed two of the three EBF-sponsored series final races in Britain. The first, the National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, run on the Imperial Cup undercard, went to the Sullivan Bloodstock-bred Crambo, who found plenty to get up near the line.
The other final, the National Hunt Mares’ Novices’ Handicap Hurdle, went to the Goldford Stud-bred Ilovethenightlife Racing off top weight, the five-year-old travelled strongly and won in decent style. She is the second and final foal out of the placed Belle De Londres.
Bred by Cheveley Park Stud and racing for the first time since being gelded, Berkshire Shadow got his 2023 campaign off to the ideal start with a win in the Listed Lady Wulfruna Stakes at Wolverhampton. In France, the Al Asaylbred The Revenant (Dubawi) won the Listed Prix Altipan for a third time.
Having been campaigned by George Boughey and part breeder Sally Nicholls through the winter in Dubai, which yielded a couple of placings from four starts, Perdika gained a first stakes win in the Listed Prix Ronde de Nuit at Chantilly. The three-year-old filly was bred by Bumble Mitchell in partnership with Nicholls.
In the Middle East, Discovery Island, a son of Dubawi bred by Godolphin, stayed on best to win the Burj Nahaar on Super Saturday at Meydan. Meanwhile in Bahrain, the Toby Barker-bred Byline, a six-year-old son of Muhaarar, gained a first stakes win in the Listed Al Methaq Mile.
Evergreen Godolphin homebred Cascadian, a top-level winner over 1400m and 1600m, won a third Group 1 of his career in the 2000m Australian Cup at Flemington. Earlier in the month the Biddestone Stud Ltd-bred Cepheus, formerly a Listed winner when with Brian Meehan, gained a first Group win in the Group 2 Ajax Stakes over 1500m.
Stateside, the Muhaarar gelding Motorious, bred by Kirtlington Stud and Mary Taylor, won his third race in four starts when capturing the Grade 3 San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita. This was the five-year-old’s biggest win to date.
In the Black Gold Stakes at Fair Grounds, Imad Al Sagar’s homebred Wonderful Justice progressed quickly from debut maiden winner to stakes scorer on his second racecourse appearance. Fellow three-year-old Dude N Colorado, bred by St Elias Stables, took the Colonel Liam Stakes at Gulfstream Park the same day.
Towards the end of the month, but also in the Sunshine State at Gulfstream, the Saeed Nasser Al Romaithi-bred Crispy Cat gained a maiden stakes success in the Texas Glitter Stakes. The son of Ardad was third in both the Norfolk and Flying Childers Stakes last term.
Results up to and including March 31. Produced in association with GBRI.
Tickets for one of the highlights of the TBA’s social calendar, the National Hunt Awards, are selling fast. Readers are encouraged to secure their place via the events section of the TBA website.
Hosted by Nick Luck and taking place on the evening of Monday, May 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Doncaster, the awards ceremony will celebrate breeders and the horses
which made the 2022/23 National Hunt season so special.
Supported by Goffs UK, tickets are priced at £65 for TBA members and £70 for non-members, and the evening consists of a drinks and canape reception, followed by a twocourse meal and the awarding of 14 awards, including the prestigious Queen Mother's Silver Salver, which last year was presented to Aiden Murphy.
Breeders, trainers, owners, agents, everyone is welcome to join us in celebrating British National Hunt breeders and their successes at the ninth annual awards evening.
Legendary trainer Sir Mark Prescott and renowned industry writer Bill Oppenheim are amongst the names of speakers announced for the forthcoming Bloodstock Conference, which will take place at Tattersalls on Tuesday, June 27. They join leading industry professionals already announced – Paull Khan (ISBC), Jodie Daglish (Newmarket Equine Hospital), Chris Gibbons (Inside Inclusion), Jane Black (Chasemore Farm), Anna Kerr (The National Stud) and Terry Finch (ADAS).
Topics covered in the one-day event
Time is running out for nominations to be made for this year’s TBA Stud Employee Award, which is generously sponsored by New England Stud. The deadline for nominations to be accepted is Tuesday, May 2.
The award winner will be selected from six shortlisted candidates and receive the perpetual Charlie Langton bronze trophy and a £2,000 cash prize. The remaining five shortlisted nominees will receive a certificate and £250 each in recognition of their achievement.
Recognising and rewarding the significant contribution that stud employees on Flat and NH stud farms make to the thoroughbred breeding industry, nominations can be submitted by an employer, colleague or client by downloading a form from the TBA website at www. thetba.co.uk. Any completed paper forms should be sent to the TBA office or emailed to Rob Davey (rob. davey@thetba.co.uk).
Alternatively, a voice note/text can be sent via Whatsapp to 01638 661321. This needs to detail name and contact details of the nominator, the nominees name, and employer’s name, as well as the reasons why they are being nominated for the award.
include environmental sustainability, the influence of the Pattern and race programme, equine welfare, the role of equine physiotherapy, diversity and inclusion, recruitment and retention, broodmare ownership, and future thoroughbred breeders.
TBA members are encouraged to apply for their free ticket as soon as possible to secure their place at the event. Tickets can be booked via the TBA website events page. Nonmembers will need to sign up to TBA Access for £60 to be able to apply for a free ticket to the event.
In the wake of Covid, almost all businesses seem to be desperate for staff. There are currently major shortages of workers in several industries, with demand high in sectors including hospitality and care. The Chancellor, in his Spring budget, highlighted that a shortage of workers was holding back growth, and he wanted more over-50s, people with disabilities and parents of young children to get back to work. The object of many of the measures he introduced were intended to help fill a million vacancies across the UK.
Demand for people to work in studs and racing stables also remains high, meaning proprietors need to be seen to be offering competitive terms to prospective staff and be aware of changes to the law that may be round the corner.
First, the strikes. Government is introducing legislation designed to require workers in the transport, health, fire and ambulance and education sectors to work during strike action, to allow an employer to deliver a minimum service. These are controversial measures, with challenges expected by the unions.
The rest of the government’s proposals in the bills listed below are intended to meet a key objective: remove barriers for specific parts of the workforce. So, what to look out for and what does it mean for business?
• Flexible working rights. Amongst other things, the government supports the following measures: giving workers the right to request
flexible working from day one of employment, removing the present 26-week qualifying period; requiring employers to consult with their employees before rejecting their flexible working request; allowing employees to make two flexible working requests per year; and requiring employers to respond within two months.
• Up to 30 hours of free childcare will be available to working parents of children from the age of nine months by September 2025. Initially, from April 2024, working parents of twoyear-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free childcare per week.
• The Carers’ Leave Bill will give those responsible for dependants the right to up to one week’s unpaid leave as a day-one right. These new rights, alongside the changes to the flexible working regime, will add to existing entitlements including the right to emergency time off.
• The Neonatal Care (Leave and Pay) Bill would introduce another day-one right, for each parent to take up to 12 weeks’ paid leave to care for a premature or new-born baby in need of neonatal care.
• Also, on the horizon are changes to rights for maternity returners who find their roles redundant. The Protection from Redundancy (Pregnancy and Family Leave) Bill will change existing arrangements. This bill will extend the right to be redeployed during pregnancy (including miscarriage), maternity and family leave for another six months after that leave where an employee’s role becomes redundant during that period. These are important provisions that will need to be managed carefully during an employee’s family or maternity leave and as well as in the period following their return and when
restructuring or reduction in force exercises are being considered.
• It is expected that the Miscarriage Leave Bill and the Fertility Treatment (Employment Rights) Bill will progress, providing a right to paid bereavement leave and paid time off for fertility treatment respectively. Proposed amendments to the Equality Act, to address harassment in the workplace, will extend employers’ duties to protect against sexual harassment and reintroduce protection for third-party harassment. Key features of the bill include:
• The creation of a statutory duty requiring an employer to prevent sexual harassment of employees and workers.
• Where sexual harassment occurs, as well as enforcement by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, an employment tribunal will be entitled to increase compensation in an individual harassment case by up to 25%.
• It will also make the employer liable for the harassment committed by third parties, e.g., customers, service users and clients, and in an education setting (such as students). This third-party liability applies to all forms of unlawful harassment, including racial harassment and offensive conduct based on age or disability.
These are ‘duties to prevent’, which means having a policy won’t be enough. So, in addition to amending dignity at work policies, organisations must make clear what is unacceptable, enforce those standards and be able to demonstrate that action is taken to tackle these issues when they arise.
In light of the mass dismissals involving P&O Ferries, in March 2022 the Government announced that a new statutory code on dismissal and re-engagement (so-called ‘fire and re-
hire’) would be published. This will also allow tribunals to apply an uplift of up to 25 per cent on employee compensation where the code applies and has unreasonably not been followed.
Employers can voluntarily progress many of the issues raised above in order to make the workplace a fairer place and assist with recruitment and retention.
Finally, the so-called Brexit Freedoms’ Bill could impact a range of employment regulation from TUPE, working time, fixed-term, part-time and agency worker rights, as well as equal pay if enacted. The government has also announced its intention to replace the UK GDPR with a British data protection system.
Increases to the national living wage
and national minimum wage rates came into effect on April 6 and affect all employers. The National Living Wage increased on April 1 to £10.42, a significant jump from £9.50.
Statutory family leave payments – the rate of statutory maternity pay, paternity pay, adoption pay, shared parental leave and parental bereavement pay – will increase to £172.48 per week. Statutory sick pay will increase from £99.35 to £109.40.
The financial award for compensation for unfair dismissal will increase from £93,878 to £105,707 (or 52 weekssalary, whichever is lower). The new limits will apply to dismissals occurring on or after April 6, 2023.
Readers are reminded that the deadline to register their 2022 yearlings for stage 2 of GBB is Wednesday, May 31. Late registrations are strictly not permitted. Register online at greatbritishbonus.co.uk or over the phone with the Weatherbys Stud Book (01933 440077) or the TBA office (01638 661321).
The TBA is proud to support CANTER (Controlling Antiparasitic resistance in Equines Responsibly) as a member of the Core Steering Group and attended the recent launch at the National Equine Forum on March 2.
The Parasite Risk Table will be an
excellent tool for stud managers and their vets to support with categorising their adult horses as low, medium or high risk of parasite infection and disease and then in taking the appropriate action. Further information is available at canterforhorses.org.uk.
The TBA is hosting a Worm Workshop event on Tuesday, August 22 at Askham Bryan College in York, which is free to TBA members and Access subscribers. Places can be booked through the events page on the TBA website.
Would you like to know when a horse you have bred is declared to run, and even better watch it in action on the racecourse? The Racecourse Badge Scheme for Breeders is a very popular benefit and one which shows how our collaboration with the racecourses supports and recognises the vital role of breeders’ investment in the sport.
TBA members are entitled to free racecourse entry to watch horses they have bred, but may no longer own, run at over 1,000 fixtures at racecourses in Great Britain. Members must apply for the scheme to be eligible. Signing up to the scheme also gives you the opportunity to receive automatic text/email alerts, allowing you to keep a track of any horse
you may have bred and where they are entered or declared to run.
To find out which meetings are included in the scheme visit the TBA website > Advice & Info > Fixture List.
You will also find a downloadable form if you wish to join the scheme and a ‘How to Guide’ outlining the procedure at the racecourse.
Breeders wishing to race fillies or mares in France should note the recent amendments to the French Rules of Racing, regarding eligibility to race covered thoroughbreds (also AQPS and Anglo Arabs).
Article 123 of the Code des Courses au Galop has been modified and now stipulates that as of March 1, 2023 no covered and confirmed pregnant female may take part in a race. If conception has not been confirmed, she is eligible to race again 120 days after the date of last cover. No female having foaled will be able to race within 240 days
Members are advised of the following notable dates in 2023. Further events and reminders will be added to the calendar and members are advised to keep an eye on the news section of the TBA website for the most up to date information.
May 22
NH Awards Evening, Hilton Garden Inn, Doncaster
May 31
Stage 2 GBB deadline (2022-born yearlings)
June 27
from the date of foaling.
If a female in training has been covered since January 1 of the current year, the owner must inform both the stewards of France Galop and the trainer in writing, specifying:
• The date(s) of covering
• The name of the stallion(s) concerned
If the filly/mare does not conceive or is subsequently found to have lost the embryo/foetus, the owner must notify the stewards of France Galop in writing as soon as possible.
Bloodstock Conference, Tattersalls, Newmarket
July 12
Flat Awards Evening, Chippenham Park
August 22
Worm Workshop, Askham Bryan College
August 31
Stage 3 GBB deadline (2020-born NH 3yos)
September 30
Stage 1 GBB deadline (2023-born foals)
BREEDING
Multivitamin and prebiotic syrup to support foal development and digestive health
> Safe to use from 24 hours old
> Very palatable which can aid the handling of foals
IDEAL FOR
> Complementing mares milk in all foals up to weaning
> Foals during periods of stress
Reflected glory goes a long way for small breeders, as Sally Noott, the TBA’s Breeder of the Month for March after Constitution Hill’s stunning Champion Hurdle success, readily admits.
Since being given the award in January last year, when Constitution Hill started his climb to the very top by winning the Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown, she has continued to share in the gelding’s rapid rise through the ranks, although she gave up the direct association in November 2017, when she sold the son of Blue Bresil as a foal to Warren Ewing and Barry Geraghty for €16,500.
Later bought by Michael Buckley for £120,000 at Goffs UK, Constitution Hill has flown the flag for British jump racing, and Noott has been enveloped in the resulting publicity. “It’s been lovely,” she says. “It makes me feel part of it all. It’s been beyond anything I could have imagined.
“Yes, I sold Constitution Hill, but that’s the gamble you take when you have a general policy to sell the colts and retain the fillies you breed.”
Noott switched policy shortly after last year’s Tolworth Hurdle, selling Constitution Hill’s yearling half-sister by Jack Hobbs to the Skeltons’ Alne Park Stud for £50,000. Then came a much bigger decision, and Noott sent Constitution Hill’s dam, Queen Of The Stage, herself to the sales.
The Goffs-hosted sale was unusual in that it continued the innovation for online auctions introduced in response to the pandemic’s restrictions on movement of horses and people. The usual sale-ring atmosphere might have been absent but interest in the then 12-year-old mare, offered in foal to Blue Bresil, therefore
Sponsored by Distributer of
consuming and I’ve family commitments that I don’t want to neglect.”
She adds: “Even before Constitution Hill, I was thinking of downsizing the breeding operation. I’ve got seven horses, from 16, but five of those are pensioners, retired racehorses, so I’m down to one filly and one colt, and I’ll race both, although I may breed from the filly.
“They’re both by Jack Hobbs, products of what I describe as ‘the Covid years’, when it wasn’t possible to travel the mares so far and we sent most of them to Jack Hobbs.
carrying a full sibling to Constitution Hill, was undiminished and she sold for €340,000 to Jayne McGivern of Dash Grange Stud, for whom she produced the hoped-for filly foal a week after the Champion Hurdle.
Prior to the sale, Noott told guests at the TBA’s National Hunt Breeders’ Awards ceremony, where she picked up the prize for leading novice hurdler: “I’m very lucky and have been guided well. Selling Queen Of The Stage will be bittersweet, but the good ones pay for the not-so-good ones.”
Now, she reflects: “I do regret selling Queen Of The Stage, and then I don’t. I made a decision and I have to stand by it, because I’m winding down the breeding side.
“I’ve enjoyed it enormously and I’m ending on a high. I say ending, but, of course, I can always come back if I want after a short break. It’s quite time-
“One of those mares was Oeuvre Vive, who I’ve retired after I got little money for her yearling filly in January, which was bitterly disappointing. Her produce has usually made good money – two Kayf Taras went for €40,000 and €34,000 –but her last two foals haven’t been as well put together, so it seemed to be the right time to retire her.”
Oeuvre Vive was one of Noott’s two original foundation mares. The other, Cap Soleil, who won five of her 11 races with Fergal O’Brien, went to the Goffs UK January Sale and was sold to Peter Molony’s Rathmore Stud for £75,000.
“It was a big decision to sell Queen Of The Stage and Cap Soleil,” Noott says, “but it had to be done. It sounds blunt, but as a small breeder I’ve never made a penny out of the horses, although I’ve had an enormous amount of fun.”
That fun goes on, if at a slight distance, with Constitution Hill, of whom she says: “He’s wonderful, isn’t he? He’s never been under pressure.
“I get as much pleasure out of seeing him as I’ve done watching any of the horses running in my colours. I’m very proud to say I’m his breeder, and no-one can take that away.”
Franny Norton has been a fixture in the weighing room for more than 30 years and is still going strong at the age of 52. A former six-time stable lads’ boxing champion and a passionate supporter of Liverpool FC, he has ridden approaching 1,900 winners domestically, including three Pattern triumphs on staying star Sir Ron Priestley, plus plenty more when he was wintering regularly in India. The Johnston family have supplied nearly 500 of his winners and he remains an integral part of the team in Middleham, alongside his contemporary Joe Fanning. Widely acknowledged as the king of Chester’s helter-skelter turns, he cannot wait to return there for the Boodles May Festival, while a success at Wetherby would complete the full set of British Flat racecourses.
Interview: Graham Dench
I’ve always loved Chester because the atmosphere is amazing. I think it’s the only track in Europe where everyone can be involved. You can watch the horses all the way around, whether you are in the middle of the track or on the outside. I liken it to going to a restaurant and sitting at a round table. Everyone can be involved and so it’s much more inclusive.
There are only two ways to ride Chester. You are either riding with good gate speed, in which case you can dominate the race, or else you aim for luck. I had success there before I was involved with the Johnstons, but their horses always have good gate speed and like to race on the front end, so that gives you every chance. I prefer it when there’s no cutaway, because the cutaway gives those in behind you more chance of a clear run. When I won the Chester Cup for Mark on Making Miracles in 2019, we were drawn 16 of 16, but we were able to get to the front and then save our energy. If you are drawn on the inside and don’t get the jump it can be difficult. If you have to ride for luck, nine times out of ten it won’t work unless they’ve gone really fast.
I love a horse who wears his heart on his sleeve, and Sir Ron Priestley was a great favourite of mine. He’d have his eyes on my shoulders and he’d keep picking up and picking up. He’d actually ride the race for me, and I wouldn’t have to worry about
what was going on behind me as he’d let me know. We won seven times together, including three Group races, and we were second to Logician in the St Leger. You don’t like to be beaten, but he showed a lot of heart there and it was another highlight, as I haven’t had many chances in races like that. It was a sad day when it came to an end in the Goodwood Cup, but it was great to know he was going to be okay and he’s now at stud in France.
As a lightweight I knew I’d get on something with 7-11 or 7-12 in the old days, so I’d always be in demand in races like the Ebor or the Cambridgeshire. Those days are gone of course, and so are a lot of my fellow lightweights. The game has changed dramatically, and I’ve been lucky that the Johnstons have made so much use of me as they’ve played a massive part in my career. Living in Liverpool I don’t get in there to ride work regularly, but I try to go in early in the year.
I was one of the first jockeys to get involved with the dietary research at Liverpool John Moores University. I first went there in 2009, even though I didn’t have a weight issue. I wanted to learn about the nutritional side and do things properly, because for years we were so far behind it was unbelievable. For me it’s mainly about a low carb and high protein diet, and I’m sure that’s helping to prolong my career. I still train, though not as hard as I used to, as with a wife and three kids I don’t have the time. I run for 20 or 30 minutes every morning before taking my Doberman Nova for a walk and then cracking on for the day.
I’ve boxed all my life and the stable lads’ nights were massive in my life. They were brilliant days – great fun and a moneyspinner for racing charities – but times have changed. That’s partly because there are now so many girls in racing, which is no
bad thing. I had such a poor season when I came out of my apprenticeship that I thought about boxing professionally. I rang a pal called John Naylor, a far better boxer who had worked in racing and done the same thing, but he told me there would be nothing for me in the pro game and so I should just get my head down and crack on. That was the best advice I’ve ever had.
I twice fell foul of the new whip rules in the first few weeks and I must admit it’s a bit of a nightmare. I know we had a beddingin period, but when you’ve been riding for as long as me muscle memory can take over. The problem isn’t with the numbers, it’s with not giving a horse time to respond – that’s because I like to give them a little flick and then a reminder before putting the whip down again. I only gave a horse the two the other day, but they were a little bit quick and that cost me four days.
The old boys in the weighing room sit nearest the door and at 52 I’m among the oldest now. I sit next to Frankie when we are at the same meeting, and when he’s not annoying me he’s been absolutely phenomenal for the game. Sports need their larger-than-life personalities and Frankie has taken racing to a whole new level. We’ll miss him.
It’s going to be difficult for me when I retire – I need to be working, so the plan this year is to get something up and running for the future. I’d like to play a part in racing still, maybe coaching the kids, but as well as that I don’t think we reach out enough in terms of going into schools and identifying kids who might enjoy a future in racing. Not everyone will make a jockey, but there are so many different career paths and you don’t have to come through pony racing and that sort of background. I never rode a horse until I got into racing, and nor did Kieren Fallon, Darryll Holland and many others.
Owners who secure sponsorship for their racing activities may be able to register for VAT, enabling them to reclaim VAT on racing expenses and on the purchase price of their racehorse. The Racehorse Owners Association runs the Tote Owner Sponsorship Scheme which members can access to secure sponsorship.
For more information on how the scheme works visit www.roa.co.uk/sponsorship Need more help on your VAT? Our ROA VAT Solution team are here to help.
£14,000 Oct 1, SLF Dalham Hall Stud
The Royal Ascot juvenile who won the Derby. And from the supreme siremaking family of fellow Derby heroes Galileo and Sea The Stars. The product of a mid-May cover, there’s still time to book your late-foaling mare...