www.theownerbreeder.com Three Chimneys Farm Gun Runner fires in the winners Jon and Julia Aisbitt Owner-breeders’ terrific season German racing 200th anniversary celebrated PLUS THE £6.95 SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE 217 Perfect ten Baaeed joins the greats with brilliant Juddmonte International triumph
Kingman Invincible Spirit - Zenda (Zamindar) By black type winners to August 9th of their ffth season with runners Sire StudBlack Type Winners Frankel 2013 51 Kingman 2015 46 Dubawi 2006 45 Galileo 2002 44 See The Stars 2010 41 Only the best for Comparisoncompanyofthefirstfourcropsofleading European Stallions Contact Shane Horan, Henry Bletsoe or Claire Curry +44 (0)1638 731115 | nominations@juddmonte.co.uk www.juddmonte.com Statistics supplied by Hyperion Promotions Ltd
Interestingly, all of the females in this line of the family descending from Height Of Fashion – Bashayer, Rahayeb, Lahudood and Aghareed, Baaeed’s dam – were tested on the racecourse and while their abilities differed, they were all winners. The true merit of a thoroughbred is only discovered in competition and perhaps this says something about the constitution and soundness of British racing’s latest champion.Sheikha Hissa and connections of Baaeed had yet to confirm his next target at the time of writing and while the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe might be the least likely of all his options, wouldn’t it be something to see him turn up at Longchamp on October 2?
Crowley thinks he’d win from six furlongs up to a mile and a half – perhaps we will find out if he’s right.
The Aisbitts also race in France and perhaps unsurprisingly have noticed the superior purses available across the Channel. As Julia explains in this month’s Big Interview ( pages 40-43 ): “You don’t go into this sport and think that you’re going to make a lot of money. That being said, you expect that when you’re competing at a certain level that you’re going to get a reasonable return in terms of prize-money, which doesn’t always happen. That’s the frustration.”Howlong British racing can continue to frustrate investors like the Aisbitts and not cause irreparable damage to the sport is open to question. With the arguments over prize-money showing little sign of abating, it’s surely time to take a fresh look at the level of fixtures and funding if we want to retain and grow the ownership base.
THE OWNER BREEDER 1 Welcome Edward Rosenthal Editor Editor: Edward Rosenthal Bloodstock Editor: Nancy Sexton Design/production: Thoroughbred Group Editorial: 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 Advertising:Instagram:Twitter:www.theownerbreeder.comeditor@ownerbreeder.co.uk1SB@TheOwnerBreedertheownerbreeder Giles Anderson UK: 01380 816777 IRE: 041 971 2000 USA: 1 888 218 Subscriptions:advertise@anderson-co.com4430 Keely Brewer The01183subscriptions@ownerbreeder.co.uk385686OwnerBreedercanbepurchased by non-members at the following rates: 1 Year 2 Year UK £60 £100 Europe £90 £150 RoW £120 £195 The Owner Breeder is owned by the Racehorse Owners Association Editorial views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the ROA or TBA Our monthly average readership is 20,000 Racehorse Owners Association Ltd 12 Forbury Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 1SB Tel: 01183 info@roa.co.uk385680• www.roa.co.uk le, www.theownerbreeder.com Three Chimneys Farm Gun Runner fires in the winners Jon and Julia Aisbitt Owner-breeders’ terrific season German racing 200th anniversary celebrated PLUS THE £6.95 SEPTEMBER 2022 ISSUE 217 Perfect ten Baaeed joins the greats with brilliant Juddmonte International triumph Cover: Sheikha Hissa and William Haggas with their champion Baaeed, brilliant winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York Photo: Bill Selwyn B aaeed’s victory in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York will live long in the memory. Having won all nine previous races over a mile, the step up to an extended ten furlongs was supposed to present his toughest test to date. In reality the extra distance helped produce the best performance yet from the son of Sea The Stars and the manner in which he defeated the previous year’s victor Mishriff left little doubt that we are talking about the greatest racehorse in the world.
Baaeed the result overnurturingofdecades“All of the females in this line of the family were tested on the racecourse”
While trainer William Haggas has expertly managed Baaeed’s career to date – jockeys Jim Crowley and Dane O’Neill also deserve praise – the real credit for the production of this superstar must go to the late Hamdan Al Maktoum and the team at Shadwell Estates, past and present employees, who have managed this family for generations.
Jon and Julia Aisbitt may not have the resources of Shadwell, yet their boutique racing and breeding operation is going from strength to strength. Observing that fillies offered better value than colts when buying at the sales, they moved into breeding and have rapidly assembled a high-class broodmare band, highlighted by the success of homebred Lilac Road, a Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed this year.
This side of the story began 40 years ago with the private purchase of the Queen’s homebred racemare Height Of Fashion, Baaeed’s fifth dam. Nurturing and selective breeding over decades have been rewarded with a racehorse of such quality that he is now mentioned among the greats, including the unbeaten Frankel, who also won York’s most prestigious contest when going beyond a mile for the first time.
2 THE OWNERNewsBREEDER & Views ROA Leader Structural changes take time 5 TBA Leader Showcasing the best sport is vital 7 News Jumps Pattern revisions 8 Changes News in a nutshell 10 Howard Wright Opinion overload 32 TheFeaturesBigPicture From Ascot, Goodwood and York 14 German racing 200th anniversary celebrated 34 The Big Interview With owner-breeders Jon and Julia Aisbitt 40 Three Chimneys Farm Gun Runner on fire for Kentucky operation 44 Breeders' Digest Dr Catherine Wills tribute 49 Sales Circuit Prices soar at Arqana 50 Caulfield Files Sibling rivalry analysed 56 Dr Statz No Nay Never reaches elite level 58 The Finish Line With trainer Milton Harris 80 ROAForumForum National Racehorse Week preview 60 TBA Forum Junior NH Hurdle races schedule 66 Great British Bonus Latest news and winners 71 Breeder of the Month Shadwell Estates for Baaeed 72 Vet Forum Inspection of the yearling at the sales 76 Contents September 442022
THE OWNER BREEDER 3 Did you know? Our monthly 20,000readershipaverageis 405056
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This summer’s Flat racing has not disappointed. Kyprios landed the Goodwood Cup to add to his Gold Cup at Ascot while Baaeed continues to garner headlines and secure his place in racing’s history books with wins in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood and Juddmonte International at York. Baaeed’s first participation over a mile and a quarter saw him produce a mightily impressive performance, hugely appreciated by the those lucky enough to be on the Knavesmire, and we look forward to his autumn campaign withWerelish.now turn our attention to the St Leger to see what will unfold in the world’s oldest Classic at Doncaster before the start of the jumps season proper gets under way at Chepstow in October.Racing’s headlines over the summer have been dominated by opinions and philosophies on how best to ‘fix’ our sport. Many commentators have been forthright in their thinking and proposing radical change. As those around the table will attest, there is no simple solution, and the path of least resistance rarely produces the correct result. The industry’s leaders have been hard at work behind closed doors, looking at the biggest threats to the future of our sport – be it prizemoney, field sizes or the exodus of equine talent to foreign shores.The BHA announced at the start of the summer work on a full strategic review of British racing to produce a strategy for future growth. Work has been ongoing and the lead of the project team, Alison Enticknap, was announced with further restructuring taking place. Whilst it is concerning that no plan or strategy has been in place post the pandemic, it’s important to now look forward as a united industry to meet the challenges of the next few years head on. If we are to be successful it will require crossindustry buy-in, with multiple perspectives combined with myriad positions.
To outsiders I recognise this must be a painstakingly slow process, however progress is being made. Whilst within British racing there are many different types of participants, whether it is large independent racecourses, small summer jumps tracks, huge stables with over 250 horses or small 30box handlers, they all have common interests. Funding of the sport, betting income, data, media rights, equine and human welfare, labour force, breeding fashions, border controls etc, all impact the industry and will need to be considered as part of the Whilststrategy.progress may seem slow, the onus must be on getting it right. This strategy needs to be fit for purpose and designed for the future, ideally over a five to ten-year time horizon. All facets of the industry need to pull together to deliver this goal, which in its very essence needs to be workable and achievable. We need to have confidence in our leadership, leaning into their skill set and experience to identify a core set of objectives that are underpinned by the revised Corporate Governance structure. It is this that will make a difference to British racing and together we can deliver an outlook all participants believe in.
Without establishing the core data set we cannot make informed and correct decisions; this is the jump-off point, and from there we can start to frame and shape the future. It is not an easy task but finally we have a plan to really tackle the many issues that racing faces and can begin to work towards a better future for the entire sport.
Charlie Parker President
Redesigning the current structure is not a quick and easy task given its legacy and existing legal framework. In BHA Chair Joe Saumarez Smith’s letter to the Racing Post on behalf of racing’s leaders, he cautioned that changes would most likely be implemented in 2024. However, we can and should anticipate that certain building blocks for the future and changes will be introduced in advance of this date. Whilst the fixture list for 2023 has been set, there is plenty of room to make changes within race programming with the introduction of new initiatives that complement the plan for 2023 and lay the path for future years.
THE OWNER BREEDER 5 ROA Leader
No quick fix to manyoursolvingsport’sissues
“The industry’s leaders have been hard at work, looking at the biggest threats to racing’s future”
Edward Lucas Based in the North of England, the highlight of Ed’s year was purchasing a Northumberlandbeautifulfarm for a point-to-point family. Most often seen at Aintree and Bangor-on-Dee and covers all the Northern racing elucas@propertyvision.comcentres.
We have Partners and Executives who have lived and worked among racing all their lives. With nearly 40 years of experience, we offer a property service to private clients and family trusts looking to own property in the UK, whether for lifestyle or investment purposes.
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Robert Fanshawe Rob is well known in the racing community for buying and selling stud farms across the UK, Ireland, and France over the last 15 years. He lives near Marlborough, well known in Lambourn and often seen in Newmarket and at the rfanshawe@propertyvision.comSales.
Edward Clarkson Based in the Southwest, Ed has been racing horses of various ability all his life. His eldest son ran a lap of every English national hunt racecourse in five days aged eleven, raising over £15k for the eclarkson@propertyvision.comIJF.
Lucinda Eaton Lucinda, who represented Team GB in eventing operates in the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire and is involved in horses of all disciplines. Her family train in Gloucestershire and she is most often seen at leaton@propertyvision.comCheltenham.
As breeders, we all aspire to produce good horses, using stallions who have been challenged in the best races. We should support this direction of travel to safeguard the quality of the breed. It need not mean neglecting the lesser levels, rather being realistic about what drives interest and keeps us breeding in the hope of producing an above-average horse.
The cross-party letter carrying Peter Savill’s signature that went to the BHA at the beginning of August, and the subsequent personal interview he gave to Nick Luck’s online podcast, did not come about by coincidence.
“We should support this direction of travel to safeguard the quality of the breed”
The BHA strategy review group is made up of a large number of well-meaning industry and BHA executives, but there is a risk that radical thinking will be difficult to pursue when so many vested interests gather round the table. The risk of compromise, as demonstrated in the recent fixtures and funding review for 2023, is very real, so the debate must move away from where we are now to what the sport should look like in the modern era of media competition, where the best aspects of other sports are challenging racing’s space.
The immediate focus should be to narrow down on what needs to change and what will make a difference. If that means thinking outside the box, and upsetting some stakeholders in the process, that is a risk which will have to be considered if we want to move forward.
We should bear in mind that breeding and racing in Britain have benefited from considerable overseas investment over several decades, but this cannot be taken for granted. We need to have a strategy that ensures British racing remains attractive to the next generation of foreign investors, so that they and home-based participants help to maintain Britain as the top racing and breeding nation.
While this approach needs considerable buy-in from racing’s stakeholders, it is worth remembering that every other sport showcases its best or elite level to engender interest and promote interest, which then filters down and brings in followers at every level.
Of course, data and past history are important, but if we are to safeguard the future of our sport, we have to recognise that the need to act is urgent. Cutbacks by major owners and the recent loss of others, allied to the continued high export of horses in training and yearlings, show that the status quo is no longer acceptable.
THE OWNER BREEDER 7 TBA Leader
Julian Richmond-Watson Chairman
The IRRG report proposes that we should all focus on what is needed, in an ever more competitive world, to achieve that objective. Data and algorithms may help but the BHA’s strategy must have this as its primary aim, as everything else will flow from a flourishing, high-end international sport.
‘Premier Racing,’ which is one of the major planks of the paper, is not a new concept. However, what this group proposes for the Flat racing season is twofold: making a clear distinction between the higher-level race meetings and the rest of the fixture list, and having suitably high race values and prize-money accordingly. These races would be concentrated at weekends and among the traditional festivals, and, hopefully, would attract as much terrestrial television coverage as possible This is a move towards supporting the upper end of the sport and directing resources there, so that there is prizemoney and a programme that can be promoted as the premiership of British horseracing. As Peter told the Racing Post: “We need to make sure we get our field sizes right and we have our better field sizes at the top end, because that is where people bet more.”
Together, and following quickly after a general newspaper story based on a leak that in some vital aspects was wide of the mark, they provided an opportune communication, coming at a time when the BHA is seeking agreement from its stakeholders to put together and agree a strategy for the future of British racing.
Given Peter’s well-documented experience as Chairman of the BHA’s predecessor the British Horseracing Board, it is perhaps not surprising that many proposals put forward by what has become known as the Informal Racing Review Group (IRRG), which he chairs, have been considered before.
Focus on elite waymustsportbetheforward
To Behold and Fighting Irish were also Group 2 winners in France, while Jackfinbar won at Group 3 level across the Channel, where Dunlop was particularlyHowever,successful.sinceRobin Of Navan, the yard has been unable to unearth another high-quality sort and Dunlop said of his decision in a statement: “It is something I have thought about over the last few years and my main reason is that it is so hard to keep a business thriving in the current economic climate.
Northamptonshire trainer Caroline Bailey is another who recently called it a day, in her case staffing difficulties being the final straw. Dunlop, son of the late great John and brother of Newmarket trainer Ed, has held a licence since 2006, saddling a career-high 19 winners in 2016 but, more significantly, enjoying plenty of big-race success along the way. He hit the big time in November 2015 when Robin Of Navan added the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud to previous Listed and Group 3 victories with a two-and-a-half-length triumph over Cloth Of Stars, with Idaho and Isfahan among those in behind.
BHA reveals changes and downgrades to jumps Pattern News SELWYNBILL
Harry Dunlop: bowing out after 16 years
Dunlop’s announcement followed hot on the heels of another well-established Lambourn trainer, Joe Tuite, revealing he was to relinquish his licence for the same reasons.
Chepstow’s sister track, Doncaster, likewise owned by Arena Racing Company, also took a hit with the Summit Juvenile Hurdle downgraded to Listed from Grade 2.
One of the more notable changes is the renaming of Grade 3 handicaps to Premier handicaps, which comes into effect on October 1. The words Group and Grade are well-known reference points for racing professionals in terms of signalling whether a Flat or jumps race is part of the Pattern, but in Britain from next month there will be a new denomination with which to grapple. Explaining a change that will have its detractors, the BHA said in a statement:
Chepstow’s jump race programme has suffered a big blow with the news that two of its biggest races have been downgraded, having not met the required Pattern race parameters.
“The label ‘Grade 3’ has often been the cause of confusion for the sport’s customers, in terms of what role these major handicaps play within the overall framework of the Pattern. “The new title is therefore considered a more appropriate description for Britain’s principal jump handicaps, providing clearer, more logical signposting for racing’s fans.”
Porticello (right) wins Chepstow’s Finale Juvenile Hurdle, which has lost its Grade 1 status Group 1-winning trainer Harry Dunlop revealed last month that he will quit the training ranks at the end of the current Flat season due to financial pressures.
The Finale Juvenile Hurdle, the track’s only Grade 1 contest, has been redesignated a Grade 2, while the Silver Trophy Handicap Hurdle has been demoted from Grade 3 to Class 2.
Where it might get rather complicated is that Premier handicaps will continue to hold the same black-type status that Grade 3 handicaps do at present.
Listed handicaps, meanwhile, will be removed from the race programme, with those meeting the necessary criteria promoted to Grade 2 or Premier handicaps and the remainder downgraded to Class 2.
SELWYNGEORGE
Robin Of Navan was to snare two more stakes races in mainland Europe, winning another Group 3 at Chantilly and then, aged six, a Group 2 at Dusseldorf in JulyKnight2019.
“When you don’t have a huge string of horses to cover the rising costs of staff, transport, feed, bedding, it is just not“Thankfullyviable. my business is in good shape, so I thought this was a good time to make this decision and to look for a new career. We have had some wonderful horses and clients over the Lambourn trainers retire citing economic pressures
8 THE OWNER BREEDER
The British Horseracing Authority has announced changes to the British Jump Pattern and Listed races for the 2022-23 season, with further alterations in the pipeline for the 2023-24 campaign.
THE OWNER BREEDER 9
“Central to progress in this area is the need for the industry to agree to deliver significant prize-money increases in many of our principal jump races. Discussions will continue amongst the sport’s stakeholders with a view to ensuring that Britain invests sufficiently in the top end of our sport, under both codes.”Sheadded: “A more comprehensive update on the work of the Quality Jump Racing Review Group will be shared in the autumn, which will provide further details about the jump Pattern race programme proposals.”
In the case of fillies and mares, a fourth run is permitted in either the Listed mares’ bumper at Sandown in March or the Grade 2 mares’ bumper at Aintree, with the same fifth run allowed at Aintree as in the above example. Six-year-olds will no longer be able to run in bumpers after the final day of the current campaign – another change likely to receive a mixed response when it kicks in. Ruth Quinn. BHA Director of International Racing and Racing Development, talking generally about the jumps Pattern, said: “Work is under way to strengthen the performance in the upper tier of British jump racing. This is focusing specifically on the size and shape of the Pattern and the financial reward for owners for competing in our highest-level contests.
Julian Richmond-Watson, Chair of the TIBSG, said: “We have been engaging and offering proactive solutions on this matter, which has been causing significant industry concern, in discussions with HM Treasury and HMRC.
Although more than 18 months have now passed since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, the TIBSG has continued to meet regularly and is working on the ongoing challenges and opportunities created.Thegroup’s overall objective is to secure a settled future framework in which there are reduced administrative burdens on the movement of highhealth and welfare thoroughbreds, underpinned by biosecurity and facilitated by digital technology. The aim is to enhance trade, traceability and welfare outcomes, while demonstrating international leadership for the UK and British thoroughbred industry.Richmond-Watson added: “There remain significant challenges around the practicalities of post-Brexit thoroughbred movement, which while our industry has adapted can be improved through the government working with industry on solutions which are clearly available.
“We are therefore very grateful to HMRC for this industry-specific facilitation which recognises both the financial value and importance of international movement of thoroughbreds, and the challenges which the requirement for a guarantee was posing to owners and breeders looking to run their horses or breed them in Great Britain.”
The Thoroughbred Industries Brexit Steering Group (TIBSG) last month welcomed a change to customs arrangements making the movement of horses into Britain for racing and breeding simpler. The change, which will facilitate international competition and movement, follows significant representations by the TIBSG to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).Previously, in the majority of cases, thoroughbreds entering Britain on a temporary basis had to be accompanied by a financial guarantee, equivalent to 20 per cent of its value. While this would be refunded once the horse had returned home, it was posing significant cashflow challenges and acting as an inhibitor for international participation in British racing and breeding.
“We are committed to improving the situation and delivering a lasting settlement under which movement of thoroughbreds for international competition and breeding, underpinned by the highest standards of equine health and welfare, is realised.”
A new, industry-specific, facilitation has now been agreed by HMRC to the Temporary Admission procedure. This allows intermediaries (such as a transporter or shipper) to apply for an authorisation enabling them to move thoroughbreds under multiple ownerships, without the need for a financial guarantee to be provided. This change follows facilitations which were enacted by the Irish Revenue for movements of thoroughbreds into Ireland for racing purposes earlier this year.
New rules for horses entering Britain years with many happy memorable daysDunlopracing.”has more recently been at Frenchmans Lodge Stables, while Tuite has been based at Felstead Court Stables since 2010. Tuite won a couple of Group 3s via Four White Socks and Madam Dancealot, and the Ebor with Litigant, and in 2018 mustered 30 winners. However, there had been just two this year, and he said: “It hasn’t been a great season and the financial side of racing, when you don’t own your yard, is tough.“Before I get myself into any financial difficulty, I’m stepping back. That brought the decision on, but I’ve wrestled with it for a while. I’ve got some very good friends and, having discussed it with them, I decided it was the sensible thing to do.”
“While at this stage the shape of the Pattern in 2022-23 is likely to remain broadly similar, the aim and intention is to reach agreement on a more substantive package of measures, with changes to the race programme and increased investment into the jump Pattern, in time for the 2023-24 season.
In other changes, also from the start of next month, novices and juveniles will be required to run a minimum of four times (up from three) before competing in a Class 1 or Class 2 handicap hurdle.
“Increasing the minimum number of runs from three to four gives the handicappers more information on which to base their assessment, with the aim of boosting the fairness and competitiveness of our major handicaps,” explained the BHA. Further ahead, from the start of the 2023-24 season a maximum of three runs will be permitted in bumpers, though with a couple of exceptions.
A fourth run will be accepted in the Grade 1 Champion Bumper at Cheltenham, or the Grade 2 bumper at Aintree, and where the fourth run is in the Festival bumper, a fifth run will be allowed at Aintree.
And, subject to discussions, we are still hopeful of introducing some adjustments to the race programme for the second half of this current season.
Stories from the racing world
Joe Tuite
Godolphin Outfit will cease having horses trained in Ireland in future, with only two Irish runners having represented the boys in blue this year
10 THE OWNER BREEDER
Flutter Owner of Betfair, Paddy Power and Sky Bet reveals revenue in the UK and Ireland is down 4%, representing a figure of £48m. Paddy Power Bookmaker withdraws best odds guarantee for certain race meetings in Britain and Ireland citing higher media rights costs.
Gabynako 7 Talented chaser for the Gavin Cromwell stable succumbs to injuries following a final-fence fall in the Galway Plate.
Swain 30 Exceptional middle-distance performer won the Coronation Cup, Irish Champion Stakes and two King Georges.
Megan Nicholls
Silvestre de Sousa Three-time champion jockey in Britain relocates to Hong Kong, where he will ride for the foreseeable future.
Lambourn-based handler calls time on 11-year career. He sent out over 170 winners including the fragile Litigant in the 2015 Ebor.
Harry Dunlop Group 1-winning trainer announces retirement from the sport after 16 years with a licence citing economic factors.
Ella McCain 21-year-old quits the saddle having ridden 43 winners and will now help to oversee father Donald’s expanding Flat team.
Crowds down 8.8% in the first half of 2022 when comparing pre-Covid attendances in 2019 – the decline at British tracks is 17.6%.
Changes People and business
Cheltenham Festival Crowds to be capped at 68,500 each day from 2023 with the aim of enhancing the racegoer experience. Irish racecourses
Philippa Cooper Owner-breeder will scale down her Normandie Stud bloodstock operation and sell a number of horses later this year.
Maureen Haggas Wife of Newmarket trainer William breaks two vertebrae in her neck in a fall on the gallops after her mount was spooked by a dog. Newmarket Town Plate This year’s race is staged in memory of late trainer Julie Cecil, who won the contest on Adam’s Walk in 1959.
obituariesHorse
Racing’s news in a nutshell
Calls time on her riding career aged 25 having partnered 103 winners on the Flat, also landing a Grade 2 bumper on Knappers Hill.
Tel: +44 1638 665931 sales@tattersalls.com www.tattersalls.com MAGICAL LAGOON IRISH OAKS, Gr. 1 purchased at OCTOBER BOOK 1 for 305,000 gns DESERT CROWN THE DERBY, Gr. 1 purchased at OCTOBER BOOK 2 for 280,000 gns NATIVE TRAIL TATTERSALLS IRISH 2000 GUINEAS, Gr. 1, CHAMPION 2YO purchased at OCTOBER BOOK 1 for 67,000 gns TATTERSALLS OCTOBER YEARLING SALE Book 1 Oct 4 – 6, Book 2 Oct 10 – 12 , Book 3 Oct 13 – 14, Book 4 Oct 15 EUROPE’S CLASSICSOURCEPREMIEROFWINNERS CATALOGUES ONLINE
Racehorse and stallion Movements and retirements
Camorra Group 2 winner in June for Ger Lyons is bought by Jarred Magnabosco’s Best Bloodstock and will be aimed at the Melbourne Cup. Cyberknife Spendthrift Farm will stand the son of Gun Runner, a dual Grade 1 winner this year in the Arkansas Derby and Haskell Stakes.
Lionel Talented three-year-old, winner of the Listed Cocked Hat Stakes in May, leaves David Menuisier to join John and Thady Gosden.
12 THE OWNER BREEDER Changes
People obituaries
The Earl of Suffolk 87 The breeder of 1972 Oaks winner Ginevra was one of the inspirations for Jilly Cooper’s famous lothario Rupert Campbell-Black in bestseller Jump! Mike Foden 86 Director of Taunton racecourse for over 30 years and chairman for 17 years, from 2003-2020. Dr Catherine Wills 71 Art historian was a successful ownerbreeder, producing Dubai World Cup second Dynever and Group 1 victor Selino. Taiki Yanagida 28 Japanese jockey dies from his injuries following a fall at Cambridge racecourse in New Zealand.
Glen Shiel Hambleton Racing’s top-class sprinter, who provided trainer Archie Watson and jockey Hollie Doyle with their first Group 1 successes in the 2020 British Champions Sprint Stakes, is retired aged eight.
John Carrington 80 Investment manager was an ownerbreeder and director of Windsor racecourse who served one term on the ROA board. Lady Butter 97 Lifelong friend of the Queen was an owner-breeder who co-bred Eclipse and King George hero Kalaglow.
Harzand The Aga Khan’s Derby winner is sold to stand as a National Hunt stallion at Kilbarry Lodge Stud in County Waterford.
Stuart Jackson 81 Apprentice jockey became head lad to Luca Cumani during the era of Classic winners Kahyasi and Commanche Run.
LANWADES The independent option TM info@lanwades.com • www.lanwades.com • Tel: +44 (0)1638 750222 STUDY OF MAN SEE HIS FIRST CROP YEARLINGS SELLING THIS AUTUMN ALSO STANDING: BOBBY’S KITTEN Sire of 3yo filly SANDRINE – winner of 3 Group races in 2021/22 SEA THE MOON Champion 3yo & Horse of the Year – A Leading European Group 1 sire SIR PERCY Unbeaten Champion 2yo and Derby Winner – A Dual Group 1 sire BBAG September Sale - 2nd September Lot 48 – filly ex Linarda – Gestüt Westerberg Lot 85 – colt ex Guavia – Gestüt Fährhof Lot 147 – filly ex Mystic Sunshine – Gestüt Fährhof Keeneland September Sale - 12th - 24th September Lot 819 – filly ex Singing Sweetly – Stone Farm Tattersalls Ireland September Sale - 20th - 21st September Lot 206 – colt ex Spring To Mind – Danesrath Stud Lot 365 – filly ex Chiarezza – Airlie Stud Lot 421 – colt ex Eyeshine – The Castlebridge Consignment Tattersalls Ireland September Sale Part II - 22nd September Lot 502 – filly ex Matroshka – Baroda Stud Lot 556 – filly ex Zero Gravity – The Castlebridge Consignment Goffs Orby Sale - 27th - 28th September Lot 21 – colt ex Kinaesthesia – Staffordstown Stud Lot 236 – colt ex Starlit Sands – Staffordstown Stud Lot 321 – colt ex Albizzia – Staffordstown Stud Goffs Sportsman’s Sale - 29th -30th September Lot 921 – colt ex Cosmic Fire – Camas Park Stud Tattersalls October Sale Book 1 - 4th - 6th October Lot 197 – colt ex Seychelloise – Staffordstown Stud Lot 435 – colt ex Desert Berry – Strawberry Fields Stud Tattersalls October Sale Book 2 - 10th - 12th October Lot 691 – colt ex Nadia Promise – Blue Diamond Stud Lot 1044 – colt ex Alma Mater – Staffordstown Stud Lot 1199 – filly ex Dawn Horizons – Hascombe & Valiant Tattersalls October Sale Book 3 - 13th - 14th October Lot 1457 – colt ex Quintada – Staffordstown Stud Lot 1793 – filly ex Saphira’s Fire – Heatherwold Stud Lot 1895 – colt ex Avyanna – Beechvale Stud Lot 2004 – filly ex Ichigo – Strawberry Fields Stud A SON AND GRANDSON OF LEGENDS Winner of 3 races at 2 & 3, including the ‘Stallion Making’ Group 1 French Derby, and £1,033,142. The only son of DEEP IMPACT (Japanese Super Sire & multiple Champion) at stud in England
He may have been the outsider of the six runners in this year’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot yet the William Muir-trained Pyledriver won the Group 1 prize like an odds-on favourite. Broome and Westover set a frantic early tempo and as their exertions told in the straight, Pyledriver and PJ McDonald (red cap) galloped on powerfully to see off German raider Torquator Tasso by two and three-quarter lengths, to the delight of owners the La Pyle Partnership (above).
Photos Bill Selwyn Top of the Pyle
The Big Picture
Ascot
The Big Picture
Kyprios
Photos Bill Selwyn edges Cup thriller
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Kyprios confirmed his reputation as the best stayer in training with a narrow success over grand old stager Stradivarius in the Group 1 Goodwood Cup. Kyprios, owned by Moyglare Stud Farm and the Coolmore partners, was soon prominent under Ryan Moore, taking the lead three furlongs from home and staying on strongly to see off Stradivarius by a neck, with Trueshan a length and a quarter away in third on ground quicker than ideal.
Goodwood
The Big Picture
Hollie Doyle had already teamed up with Nashwa to win this season’s Prix de Diane, but with that came expectation and no little pressure on the irrepressible rider’s shoulders in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood. She handled it with typical aplomb, making sure her John and Thady Gosden-trained mount got a clear run on the outside and coming home a length and three-quarters clear of Aristia, to the delight of ownerbreeder Imad Al Sagar (above, centre).
Photos Bill Selwyn Doyle on the Downs
Goodwood
Goodwood does not lure the same widescale international competition as its summer festival predecessor Royal Ascot, but runners from overseas are an important element of Glorious week nonetheless, and a winner or two always goes down well. Stepping up to the plate this year was the Peter Schiergentrained Rocchigiani (No.5) in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes. The German raider was ridden by Tom Marquand and ran on to beat game outsider The Wizard Of Eye.
The Big Picture
Photos Bill Selwyn Rocchigiani a knockout
Goodwood
Two of the Goodwood Group races produced surprise winners in Marbaan, who landed the Vintage Stakes at 14-1 under Jamie Spencer (yellow, top), and Lennox Stakes heroine Sandrine, a 12-1 winner under David Probert (centre); Ashleigh Wicheard, meanwhile, was a stylish winner of the Magnolia Cup (bottom)
The Big Picture
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York
Is Baaeed unbeatable?
Jim Crowley can rarely have enjoyed an easier Group 1 success as Baaeed travelled powerfully, cruised up to Mishriff two out and quickened clear at the furlong-marker to win easing down.
How would champion miler Baaeed cope with the step up to an extended ten furlongs in the Juddmonte International at York? As this photograph shows, the son of Sea The Stars relished the extra distance, posting his most impressive performance yet as he dismissed 2021 winner Mishriff by six and a half lengths.
THE RED MILLS CARE RANGE TRIED, TESTED, TRUSTED THE HAGGAS RECIPE FOR SUCCESS Quality ingredients cooked for optmum digeston Producing a consistent product designed for the racehorse Fully tested and traceable Globally available Backed up by expert advice and support BAAEED Winner of the Juddmonte Internatonal Stakes (Gr. 1) Trainer William Haggas Jockey Jim Crowley Owner Shadwell Estate Company Ltd Contact our thoroughbredspecialistteam: Ireland: +353 599 775 800 UK: +44 1386 552066 France: +33 6 98 67 51 38 Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland Email: info@redmills.com www.redmillshorse.com
The Big Picture
Photos Bill Selwyn Alpinista peaks at York
York
Gallant grey Alpinista won her fifth Group 1 on the spin – though her first in Britain – with a ready success over Classic heroine Tuesday in the Yorkshire Oaks under Luke Morris. A three-time top-level scorer in Germany last year, Alpinista had made a winning return in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. All roads now lead to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 2 and there would be few more popular winners of the Paris showpiece than Sir Mark Prescott, described as a “fantastic trainer and consummate horseman” by Alpinista’s ownerbreeder Kirsten Rausing, pictured above.
Photos Bill Selwyn Fairytale Princess
The Big Picture
At the age of five Highfield Princess is better than ever and the mare followed up her Prix Maurice de Gheest success with a second Group 1 victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes over York’s sharp five furlongs. Regular rider Jason Hart, enjoying a first domestic top-level win, looked confident that he would pick up juvenile The Platinum Queen despite conceding 26lb as Highfield Princess, trained by John Quinn for ownerbreeder John Fairley (left), scorched to a two-and-a-half-length triumph.
York
The
Photo Bill Selwyn Quick off the blocks
Lady Blyth’s homebred gelding Quickthorn, trained by Hughie Morrison, took advantage of the absence of star stayers Stradivarius and Trueshan to come home a wide-margin winner of the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup. Tom Marquand immediately sent Quickthorn into an early lead, establishing a significant advantage, and in truth the duo never looked like being caught. Coltrane tried to close the gap in the straight but was still 14 lengths adrift at the line, just holding off the runningon Reshoun for the second spot.
Big Picture York
LANWADES The independent option TM info@lanwades.com • www.lanwades.com • Tel: +44 (0)1638 750222 SANDRINE – Winner of 3 Group races in 2021/22, incl. Gr.2 Lennox Stakes, 2022, Gr.2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes and Gr.3 Albany Stakes. Also Gr.1 placed in 2021 and 2022. ELDAR ELDAROV – Winner of 3 races in 2021/2022, including the Gr.2 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot in 2022. Don’t miss our 2022 yearling consignment, all selling from STAFFORDSTOWN Tattersalls Ireland September Sale - 20th - 21st September Lot 42 – colt Bobby’s Kitten ex Luisa Calderon Lot 290 – colt Mastercraftsman ex Akvavera Lot 457 – filly Holy Roman Emperor ex Heatwave Goffs Orby Sale - 27th - 28th September Lot 21 – colt Study Of Man ex Kinaesthesia Lot 236 – colt Study Of Man ex Starlit Sands Lot 321 – colt Study Of Man ex Albizzia Lot 329 – colt Bobby’s Kitten ex Alumna Lot 490 – filly Dubawi ex Here To Eternity Tattersalls October Sale Book 1 - 4th - 6th October Lot 197 – colt Study Of Man ex Seychelloise Lot 331 – filly Sea The Stars ex Alma Linda Tattersalls October Sale Book 2 - 10th - 12th October Lot 557 – filly Sea The Moon ex Kandahari Lot 702 – colt Sea The Moon ex Nimiety Lot 1044 – colt Study Of Man ex Alma Mater Lot 1184 – filly Sea The Moon ex Dame Freya Stark Tattersalls October Sale Book 3 - 13th - 14th October Lot 1457 – colt Study Of Man ex Quintada Lot 1569 – colt Kendargent ex Altra WorldwideSTAFFORDSTOWNVitaSuccessforLanwades-bredhorsesin2022Inthelastfewyears, LANWADES-BRED horses have won top-class races in: AUSTRALIA • FRANCE • GERMANY • HONG KONG • ITALY IRELAND • NORWAY • SPAIN • SWEDEN • UAE • USA • UK , etc. Since 1984 Lanwades has bred/raised the winners of more than 2100 races Worldwide including 161 Group or Listed wins ALPINISTA – Winner of 9 races including 5 consecutive Gr.1 races in 2021/22, Champion Older Mare in Germany in 2021 and Joint Champion Older Mare in England in 2021. ZAAKI – Leading Miler in Australia in the World Thoroughbred Rankings of 2021, winner of 12 races including 3 Gr.1 wins and prize money of over AUS$7m.
No room for reflection in crowded opinion space
SELWYNBILL 32 THE OWNER BREEDER
Wilf Walsh’s first annual report as RCA Chairman included a call for the sport to collaborate in its quest to attract new racegoers, using only “fact-based, comprehensive market research and data”, while the unnamed but generally accepted Informal Racing Review Group spearheaded by ex-BHB Chairman Peter Savill is understood to have included deep in its policy statement the intention to “develop racing’s data”. With all due respect to the individuals concerned and their standing in the sport, it was almost as if no-one had ever thought of either idea before. Yet a year-old company combining the expertise of the BHA and Weatherbys is putting together the makings of a data-driven force for good. So good, they say, that it will “transform and serve the sport we love.”Racing Digital is the company, a 50-50 responsibility between the two institutions, with a board comprising technology guru Chris Batterham as Chairman, Saumarez Smith, BHA Operations Director Richard Wayman, Weatherbys CEO Russell Ferris and racing and betting industry veteran Ian Penrose. Its tightly knit staff of four full-timers, plus two consultants, is headed by ex-BHA racing administration project team member Steve Gibson, whose enthusiasm for the new venture is infectious. Yet Racing Digital has to be the best-kept secret in the sport in Britain, if only judged on its accumulation, at the last count, of 59 followers to its Twitter feed. This response hardly reflects the high hopes the company has as it introduces new systems for a customer group that “covers all participants, consumers of data, Weatherbys and BHA teams.”
In short, Racing Digital is creating a next-generation digital platform for managing British horseracing. In time it will give the BHA and racecourses all the data they need to work together collaboratively on producing an agile, interactive race programming system that can adapt quickly to changing circumstances for the benefit of every sector.The snag is that Racing Digital is a three-year project, which started in July 2021 with a six-month ‘discovery phase’ that is gradually being put into practice through a process known as ‘build and deliver.’ Gradually but diligently seem to be the operative words, while Racing Digital absorbs the lessons the sport throws out. Anyone who has an inkling about speeding up the process should address their thoughts to ideas@ racingdigital.co.uk.
Racing Digital promises brighter future
Striking the right balance for the background to live commentary is one of the hardest jobs that production teams at Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing tackle every day. It sometimes proves beyond them and crowd participation drowns out the vital closing stages. That, though, is nothing to the general noise level currently enveloping British racing on a daily basis, and not all of it coming from within this sceptred isle. Time was, only a generation ago, that commentary on the state of British racing came in small doses, dished out by a recognisable band of notable, mainly experienced professionals, brought up to consider most of, if not all, the nuances of the sport’s administration and general well-being.
No sooner had BHA Chairman Joe Saumarez Smith’s maiden public speech majored on data and its greater use to benefit British racing than two more important references to the topic cropped up.
The Howard Wright Column
The two racing dailies of the day, the The Sporting Life and Sporting Chronicle, each produced a Friday comment column, Jack Logan (aka Sir David Llewellyn) striking out for the Life, Tom Kelly (editor) batting for the Chronicle From the mid-1960s onwards, there were similar contributions from the mainstream but occasionally short-lived weeklies, The Racing Week, Racing Ahead, The Racehorse and The Sporting Life Weekender, all individually served, most often by yours truly, but supplemented by the establishment figure of Tote monopoly advocate Roger Mortimore in The Racehorse Monthly magazines such as the British (later European) Racehorse and Pacemaker contained an editorial, as did the much-anticipated annuals Ruff’s Guide and the Bloodstock Breeders’ Review, while Timeform’s Racehorses series had its standard of commentary set by the late-1940s writing of Phil Bull and Quintin Gilbey. Public intervention came in letter form. Remember letters? Back in the day, when there was a single class of delivery that could be guaranteed to drop its missive on to the doormat early the next morning, letters to the editor piled into the two dailies. They were sifted, selected, copied and published at regular but not frequent intervals, so that their relevance rarely grabbed immediate attention. But the public had a say.
Nick Luck: presents a popular Sunday show while his podcast is the best in racing
Even when the Racing Post came along in 1986 to break The Sporting Life’s monopoly, the once-a-week comment column still prevailed for long enough, treading the familiar Friday path, and again featuring yours truly. Spin the clock forward through the invention of modern media communications, and a very different situation emerges. The noise level is deafening.
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• Each batch is officially certified by the LCH (following controls on final product, urine and blood of a horse having received 3 times the recommended daily quantity).
Take, for example, the trainer who said: “The NTF was in favour of canceling 300 races; I would cancel 300 fixtures and make the pool of races smaller; if the same amount of money is available, then that would go up.” He clearly did not step back, take a deep breath and examine the situation he was advocating, otherwise he would have realised that the two parts of his sentence did not hang together.
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The Racing Post, which surrendered its status as the paper of record many moons ago, now publishes two comment columns every day of the week bar Sundays, bolstered usually by at least three contributions from its burgeoning office in Ireland, often propped up by a couple of short-order letters, and supplemented by occasional editorials placed alongside news stories, as well as a daily members’ email, The Front Runner, that mixes news with comment in equal measures, In addition, the Post hastened its post-Mirror Group progress by moving into the world of television and has recently built on its live and lively weekend channel, operating on the lines of Sky’s frenetic Saturday football coverage, by developing a weekly YouTube programme, The Front Page, that gives a nod to the paper’s original gestation while majoring on the visual observations of staff members about stories that first appeared in print.
The world of communication will continue to spin on its axis, but while the noise level continues to rise, maybe it’s time to dust off the 1939 motivational poster produced by the British government. ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ might be just the best advice around.
Luck’s prodigious output, aided by competent stand-ins, had made his the best podcast on racing around, but he is not alone, as written blogs on such as sportinglife.com and the At The Races website, in addition to regular missives from trainers such as Mark Johnston, are wafted skywards in a space that allows anyone with the technical know-how to make a contribution.Thecommon denominator is immediacy. The spread of modern communications has produced a shortened attention span among many consumers, but the massive proliferation of comment can also obscure a shallow depth of understanding.
ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH YOUR VETERINARY SURGEON PAVESCO U.K. LTD. 116, High Tel.NorfolkNeedham,RoadHarleston,IP209LG01379-852885 e-mail: info@twydil.com PAVESCO AG Head Office CH-4051 Basel, Switzerland Tel. +41 61 272 23 72 Email:info@twydil.com www.twydil.com SOLID AS A ROCK ! PMC_88x251_NLook_Ang_2022.indd 1 23/02/22 11:49 “The massive proliferation of comment can also obscure a shallow depth of understanding”
THE OWNER BREEDER 33
In terms of chronology, The Front Page lags behind the satellite channels, for both RTV, with Luck On Sunday, and Sky Sports Racing, with The Racing Debate, have had their say 24 hours earlier, vying with each other to attract guests with something to say about the same current topics. The same could be said about the Nick Luck Daily, which survives for a six-day run despite the absence of the eponymous host on a fairly regular basis as he looks to outsmart Bruno Tonioli for transatlantic excursions.
200
Built
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34 THE OWNER BREEDER
Breeders, owners, trainers, jockeys, local dignitaries and – in a nice touch – a considerable number of racing fans were invited to a gala ceremony to mark the 200th anniversary of German racing at the prestigious Hotel Adlon in Berlin in mid-August.
Among the German-breds who appear on it since 2010 are two future Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winners in Danedream and Torquator Tasso as well as a Melbourne Cup victor in Protectionist, while the successful international raiders in the same timeframe include stars such as Alpinista, Best Solution and Meandre.
The evening was followed by two days of racing at Hoppegarten, the charming track in the city’s suburbs owned by financier Gerhard Schoeningh, with Godolphin colour-bearer Rebel’s Romance landing the feature, the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin. That race’s roll of honour provides a stark illustration of why German racing, with its current output of around just 850 foals a year, has so much to celebrate.
The German racing community is, needless to say, immensely proud of those results and the recognition on the global stage they have brought. They also feel vindicated for sticking to their guns by breeding stamina and soundness into their stock.That respect for staying power and robustness is set in stone, as the German racing programme includes just the one Group 1 race shorter than 11 furlongs – the Grosser Preis von Bayern, which is over ten – and the two-year-old programme only gets into gear mid-season, with the top prizes establishing the next year’s leading Classic contenders, and not considered championship events in themselves, as is the case elsewhere. In turn, the German racing authorities Well renowned as a producer of high-class, sound stock, not to mention equine celebrities such as
Words: Martin Stevens
Danedream: Arc heroine flew the flag for German-breds on an international scale
Monsun: Germany owes plenty to the sire phenomenon
Monsun and Danedream along the way, German racing has much to celebrate in its 200th year
SELWYNGEORGE SELWYNGEORGE years of racing in Germany to
THE OWNER BREEDER 35 ›› ensure that those values are brought into the breeding shed, with stallion prospects having to be approved by a committee on the basis of form, conformation and physique. If they don’t pass muster, their progeny won’t be eligible for breeders’ premiums, and so realistically are unviable. Those breeders’ premiums are also credited with fuelling much of Germany’s ability to punch above its weight, as it focuses the minds of mare owners – 80% of whom in the country own only one or two – to produce not just winners but repeatPaulwinners.Vandeberg, who gave the world Torquator Tasso and was voted German racing personality of the year, is one such hobby breeder. The retired Dutch butcher has just the one mare, the recent King George runner-up’s dam Tijuana, and has turned down a flood of requests from bigger operators to buy her. For much of the new millennium, Germany has owed another large part of its success to the sire phenomenon that was Monsun, a multiple Group 1 winner whose pedigree was unmistakably
There is, then, plenty for German breeders and its supporters to feel satisfied about, even a little smug. But not everything in the garden is so rosy.
Firstly, racing continues to make little impact on the wider German public, who are mad about football but also hold other sports like motor racing and even ice hockey higher in their affections.
After making a name for himself in Germany, the doyen of Gestüt Schlenderhan became an outstanding source of top-notchers in all four corners of the world – and not just middle-distance horses and stayers, but milers too. There was the world champion Manduro, the Queen’s Gold Cup heroine Estimate, the three Melbourne Cup winners Almandin, Fiorente and Protectionist, other celebrities such as Maxios, Novellist, Shirocco and Stacelita, and many more. Although his sire line has largely, and sadly, become concentrated in the National Hunt ranks, his influence will endure in distaff pedigrees. His daughters, for instance, have produced the likes of Pastorius, Sea The Moon, Vadeni, Waldgeist and Remarkably,Yibir.though, neither Torquator Tasso nor the last German-bred Arc winner before him, Danedream, were related to Monsun, which goes to show the strength in depth of German bloodlines. Torquator Tasso is by the Gestüt Schlenderhan-bred and raced Deutsches Derby winner Adlerflug, who died suddenly last year at the age of 17 just as he was coming to prominence, out of a Last Tycoon mare descended from Galileo and Sea The Stars’ German-bred maternal great-granddam Anatevka. Danedream, meanwhile, was bred by Gestüt Brümmerhof by sending the Irishbred Danehill mare Danedrop to Lomitas, who led a stranger-than-fiction life, being banned from racing due to a violently expressed stall aversion, redeemed by horse whisperer Monty Roberts, and later winning three Group 1 contests before being subject of a blackmail plot that meant he had to be whisked out of Germany into Susan Piggott’s Newmarket yard under an Brümmerhofalias.has also helped show in recent years that German breeding isn’t all stamina, stamina, stamina, as its homebred Shamardal colt Waldpfad, from the brilliant ‘W’ family that has also given us Arc hero Waldgeist, beat many of Britain and Ireland’s best sprinters when winning the Group 3 Hackwood Stakes and running third in the Group 1 Betfair Sprint Cup.
›› Alpinista defeats Torquator Tasso (partly hidden) to win a stellar renewal of the Grosser Preis von Berlin last August MATZKA/DPA/ALAMYGERALD “There is plenty for feelbreedersGermantosatisfiedabout” ››
German, being by the Triple Crown winner Königsstuhl out of a daughter of another great champion in Surumu. His heritage didn’t contain even a single dose of the otherwise ubiquitous Northern Dancer.
It would be easy to think that German racing and breeding is in perfect working order, but within the country itself many have cause for concern in different areas.
Gone are the days when racing was regularly broadcast live on the main channels, the ‘Galopper des Jahres’, or the horse of the year, was announced on TV in a grand ceremony, or the racy (in all senses of the word) drama ‘Rivalen der Rennbahn’, or Rivals of the Racecourse, drew millions of viewers. years of racing in Germany
200
Gr.1 winner as 3 and 4yo Winner Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Gr.1 Torquator Tasso Premier Yearling Sale: 2nd September 2022 October Mixed Sales: 14th and 15th October 2022 www.bbag-sales.de
38 THE OWNER BREEDER FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Sammy Martin, Racing Manager, NAF. Call 07980 922041 or email smartin@naf-uk.com RACING FIVE STAR TREATMENT FOR THE GOOD OF THE RACEHORSE Wind Clean d n 5L Enhance aerobic capacity and provide a fast daily decongestant CLEAN WIND Soothe and protect the stomach performanceandofthegut Prevent immune challenge and stress impeding health IMMUFORTE Settle the gut with fast acting biotics for times of stress Build strong, healthy and capable keratin for horn and sole integrity PROFEET Develop muscle mass and definitionimproved MPOWER Prevent tired musclesperformanceimpeding MUSCLE POWER PREPARE TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL SALES POTENTIAL Nutrition is a vital aspect of raising athletes and our dedicated and experienced team at NAF understand what it takes to support your yearlings to reach their full potential naf-racing-sales-prep-180x128mm-22.qxp_Layout 1 21/06/2022 16:03 Page 1
200 years of German racing – the milestones championAcatenango:runner later became a leading sire
Bad Doberan in the north of Germany holds the first race meeting thoroughbredsforin the country 1836
THE OWNER BREEDER 39
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The first German racing calendar is produced 1847 The first German general stud book is published 1868 racecourseHoppegartenon the outskirts of Berlin races for the first time 1869 The founding of Gestüt Schlenderhan 1871 The inaugurated2,000becameRennen,Henckel-whichtheGermanGuineas,is 1889 The Deutsches Derby is run in its familiar form for the first time 1924 Gestüt Röttgen is established 1938 The horses(GAG)Generalausgleichsystemofratingisintroduced 1947
SELWYNGEORGE 1822
The TV drama series Rivalen der Rennbahn, or Rivals of worldglamourthearehugeRacecourse,theattractsaudienceswhocaptivatedbyintrigueandtheoftheracing 1995 Lando wins the Japan Cup, and is still the only German horse to have done so 1995 Peter Schiergen beats Sir Gordon Richards’ longheld record for number of winners ridden on the Flat in a single season, with 275 2005 Monsun’s son Shirocco wins the Breeders’ Cup Turf 2007 Manduro, championofGerman-bredanothersonMonsun,isworld 2011 Danedream becomes Germany’s second winner of the Arc 2014 Protectionist wins the Melbourne Cup, one of three winners of the ‘race that stops the nation’ by Monsun in four years, along with Fiorente and Almandin 2021 Torquator Tasso makes it three Arc winners for Germany 2022 A grand celebration of the 200th anniversary of German racing is held at the Hotel Adlon in Berlin and at racecourseHoppegarten
The Direktorium, an association for racing and breeding similar to the Jockey Club, is established. It is now known as Deutscher Galopp 1949 14-time championGermanjockey Otto Schmidt rides his 2,000th winner
200 years of racing in Germany
But there have also been reasons for optimism on several of those scores. Racing did regain a little of its former popularity when it was the first sport to reopen after Covid-19 lockdowns in the spring of 2020, and so had a captive audience. It was broadcast then and now in fits and bursts on television, but more consistently on specialist equine internetbased channels, and the reward has been increased betting activity and footfall.
All that, and Torquator Tasso is likely to retire onto joint-owner Gestüt Auenquelle’s stallion roster next year to supply more typically top-class German-breds blessed with stamina and sturdiness, with any luck.
The stallion ranks, too, are at a crossroads. Adlerflug is gone, his fellow son of In The Wings and champion sire Soldier Hollow is no spring chicken at 22 and there have been some notable flops such as Helmet and Maxios. Other stallion prospects that might have suited German racing down to the ground, such as Adlerflug’s German Derby winner and Arc runner-up In Swoop, were signed up to go straight to National Hunt studs in Ireland.
There is also consternation over who will take over some of the larger studs, which usually race a large proportion of their homebreds, when their ageing owners aren’t around any longer.
This is also a country where several racecourses have recently closed, such as Bremen and Frankfurt, and where betting has traditionally been frowned upon in society, which doesn’t help tote turnover and its contributions back to racing.
1975 Star Appeal becomes the first German horse to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe 1977 Königsstuhl, later sire of Germany’s best ever stallion Monsun, wins the triple crown of the 2,000 Guineas, Derby and St Leger 1980 Europe’s first allweather racecourse is built at Dortmund 1983 Orofino is voted Horse of the Year for the third time 1987 Acatenango collects a third award as ‘Galopper des Jahres’ too 1989
1957 The first ‘Galopper des Jahres’ or Horse of the Year – a prestigious award in German racing – is voted for 1963 holdssalesBaden-Baden-basedhouseBBAGitsfirstauction
Younger people are emerging into the industry with fresh ideas of how to promote the sport, and while German bloodstock retains the respect of horsemen from around the world, especially Australia for finding stayers to race and Japan for pinpointing strong, sound broodmares to breed from, there are also emerging markets in central and eastern Europe investing in it.
The Aisbitts, ROA members for 17 years, are reflecting on their racing journey at home in Lunces Hall, set upon 32 acres of picturesque Sussex countryside. There are no horses on the property, just sheep – 47 in total – a mixture of Southdowns and Jacobs, for those who know their breeds.
For a couple who explain that there was no real plan behind their initial investment in thoroughbreds, save for wanting to have plenty of fun and enjoyment, Jon and Julia Aisbitt have achieved some remarkable things during their relatively brief time in the sport. What started in 2006 as a singlehorse operation has grown steadily to now include multiple horses in training, broodmares and youngstock across various establishments. Indeed, so successful have the Aisbitts been since turning their attention to breeding that restocking at the sales has become unnecessary; all their runners are now homebreds, among them a genuine toplevelStarperformer.fillyLilac Road, winner of the Group 2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes and third in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes, has spearheaded a superb campaign for the Wivelsfield-based owner-breeders that began domestically in the best possible fashion with Johan’s victory in the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster. Yet that wasn’t the Aisbitts’ first high-profile win of 2022 – over in Dubai, Pevensey Bay claimed a Group 2 prize in January for the Chantilly stable of Hiroo Shimizu.
Yet with neither having grown up following racing, what made the Aisbitts take their first steps in a sport that now plays such a big part in their lives?
“We called Mick and he said he had two horses for sale. One, by Xaar, was a grey and I told Jon to go for the grey, although we knew nothing about horses. That is how we bought Lunces Lad.”
Julia adds: “It seemed easy in the early days. You choose a decent horse and off you go. Little did we know! But Mick is a lovely guy, very genuine, and the yard was very welcoming. That’s how our story in horseracing began.”
40 THE OWNER BREEDER
Words: Edward Rosenthal
“It’s purely to keep the grass short,” Jon explains. “We used to pay someone to graze our fields, which seemed ludicrous. So, we thought, why don’t we just have our own sheep?”
Julia explains: “It was very simple. Jon and I attended a charity dinner for Barts Hospital where we met Mick Channon, who was providing one of the auction prizes of dinner and a morning on the gallops. Jon has always loved football, so we made a bid.
That example provides a small insight into the mind of the man who made his mark with Goldman Sachs, spending 16 Jon and Julia Aisbitt have rapidly established a boutique racing and breeding operation and are in the midst of their best season yet, with the promise of plenty more to come
“We went to the stables and had a wonderful time, I took my brother and sister-in-law, but we didn’t do anything for just over a year. Then in 2006 Mick dropped us a Christmas card and we decided we would do something.
The statistics show that six of their eight runners in Britain so far this season have won at least one race for a combined total of 11 successes – representing a 34% strike-rate — with over £350,000 banked, making it their best season to date both numerically and financially.
Jon says: “I’m a Manchester boy from Cheadle, a big United fan, and Mick had played for Manchester City so there was plenty of good banter. “I don’t know what I expected from Lunces Lad’s first race at Goodwood, but he was well beaten. Being an alsoran didn’t do anything for me. But the second race at Newbury – Julia couldn’t go – I cheered our horse home to victory with Alan Ball on one side and Mick Channon on the other. As a boy who’d grown up loving football, the idea that I was standing with these football greats, I thought this is it!”
The Big Interview Road to SUCCESS
SELWYNBILL
Jon says: “I’ve been involved in all sorts of different markets and all sorts of different businesses. I was just interested to know how other people did things. To me, it’s great that this horse is a stallion, but what had Timeform rated that horse and over what distance and at what point in his career? I was interested to know all of these things.
“One of the other things that drove us at the time is that I became very conscious of the fact you paid a good bit more for a good-looking colt as a yearling
THE OWNER BREEDER 41 ››
Jon and Julia Aisbitt Julia and Jon Aisbitt, pictured with Tom Marquand at Goodwood, are operating at a 34% strike-rate in 2022 years with the global investment bank, during which time he became a European partner and Chairman of the Australian business, relocating to New York and then Sydney. He was also Chairman of the Man Group from 2007-2016.
Jon has applied his analytical brain to the world of racing and breeding, yet there was never any masterplan, financial or otherwise. Rather, the Aisbitts’ interests have grown organically over time. He explains: “We only won two races in our first three seasons. It’s not as though we had immediate success. Then we had Gallic Star, who won a Listed race at the end of her two-year-old career [in 2009] and that’s what really kicked it off. “She went to the Ribblesdale at the royal meeting, finishing third – all of a sudden it started to get interesting. That fourth season in 2009 we won four races and went to Royal Ascot. It began to get exciting.”Julia,who joined the magistracy in 1994 and is now a Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex, says: “After buying our second horse, Kashmina, we both became interested in going to the sales. Jon started to look at the stallions and breeding. We’d been introduced to Gill Richardson, who became an amazing bloodstock agent for us. Jon would go through the catalogue, come up with a shortlist of 25 horses and Gill would then look at the horses in person.”
The Aisbitts have covered six mares this year, spread between Norman Court Stud, New England Stud and Coolmore Stud, with one in France. The French connection was initially through John Hammond – trainer of Lilac Road’s dam Lavender Lane – who has passed on the reins to Shimizu. Pevensey Bay, who made her breakthrough at Pattern level aged six, has now joined the broodmare band.
The Big Interview “It’s toaddingthatimportantwearequalityourbreedingoperation”
Julia adds: “Another important point in our ownership was buying Elidor as a foal in 2010. We knew it was a gamble but his half-brother Treasure Beach [future Irish Derby winner] was doing well. “It was a beautiful late November night at Tattersalls. We came out, it was dark and snow was falling. We’d just bought Elidor and we were so excited driving home. He became our only Royal Ascot winner [in the King George V Handicap]. He took us to the big days and good races. Everybody loved him and he was a wonderful horse.
“There was a period when we started to breed when we also went to the sales. Luck plays a big part in this sport, but in truth we didn’t have much luck with the ones we were buying. That helped push us towards breeding our own. “What is clear is that starting with good-quality broodmares is critical. It’s not just a question of sending your mare to a decent stallion. You also have to recognise that you will get things wrong –and things will go wrong.”
“We have splashed out from time to time in terms of sending our mares to a small number of expensive stallions, but we’ve tended to stick with proven sires. This year we’ve got mares in foal to Toronado, Churchill, Australia, Ulysses, Aclaim and Almanzor. Those are good stallions but we’re not paying £150,000 or £200,000 for a cover.”
“We’ll also have to move some mares on – we’re planning to sell three this year – but we are upgrading with our own runners.
He continues: “The owner-breeder process is interesting when you’re trying to identify your future mares. Not many horses like Pevensey Bay are kept in training for so long. Yet she was first and second in Group 2s aged six. For slowerdeveloping horses it can pay off.
42 THE OWNER BREEDER ›› than you did for a filly.
Jon says: “The first time we won a race in France I was genuinely shocked when
Racing and breeding in France has given the Aisbitts an insight into the superior financial rewards available across the Channel. At a time when prize-money in Britain is under huge scrutiny, the temptation for some owners might be to go where the rewards are greater.
“In the first phase of our ownership we tended to buy colts. In the second phase, before we starting to breed our own, we were just buying fillies, so we ended up with mares that we’d raced. I thought there was better value in fillies.” The focus on fillies paid dividends with Malabar, a daughter of Raven’s Pass bought for 70,000 guineas at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale in 2013 and sent into training with Channon. Winner of the Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood as a two-year-old, she finished fourth in three consecutive Group 1s, including the 1,000 Guineas, before returning to Goodwood for the Glorious meeting and bagging the Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes. Retired at the end of her three-year-old season, she is the dam of Listed-winning sprinter Tiber Flow.
“We’d often be looking at something we really liked [at the sales] and realise we weren’t going to get close in terms of the price we were prepared to pay. We’d seen with Elidor you could buy a foal and it could work out. We thought then maybe we should start breeding our own.”
“I would love us to continue to race our own homebreds and I would love the fillies to be good enough over the years to replace broodmares that get to the point where they need to be retired or aren’t producing. That is the plan.”
“The wonderful thing about Malabar is we were genuinely shocked we could buy her for the price we did,” Jon states. “Had she been a colt it would have been beyond us. Gill found her and we thought we had such good value. We warmed to her breeders, Barry and Fiona Reilly [of Woodcote Stud], and thought we’d give it a go. She won at Glorious Goodwood and it was a wonderful day.
“The important thing for us is that at least one of our black-type mares, Pevensey Bay, has been retired and covered,” Jon explains. “We’re adding quality to our breeding operation.
I realised what the prize-money was. It’s not like it was twice what you’d get in the UK, it was four times more. I think we won around €22,000 with the premiums.” “Prize-money here is ridiculous,” says Julia. “You don’t go into this sport and think that you’re going to make a lot of money – thankfully! That being said, you expect that when you’re competing at a certain level that you’re going to get a reasonable return in terms of prize-money, which doesn’t always happen. That’s the frustration.”Shecontinues: “Our life is here with our children and we’re now grandparents to two three-year-olds and two babies. We do this because we like going to the races, we love going on the gallops and enjoy seeing our mares, foals and yearlings. That in itself is such an enriching experience for us that to just say the prize-money is poor so we’ll up sticks and do it in France would never be an option.
“Mrs Aisbitt is a fantastic provider of the best chilli in the car park at Twickenham where we have debentures. We love rugby and watch all the England home games with friends. We have supported productions at Glyndebourne opera house. Rugby, opera, horses and family. I don’t get involved in the courts and Julia doesn’t get involved in the business world. But we have plenty of things to do together.”
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Being awarded a ‘free place’ to Manchester Grammar School (MGS) helped shape Jon Aisbitt’s outlook on education and life. The foundations for his success and subsequent philanthropy were formed during those school years and he is now one of the biggest supporters of the MGS bursary fund.
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“One of the things I was keen to do, when I was in a position to do it, was to support the bursary at MGS so other smart boys whose parents couldn’t afford [private education] would benefit in the same way. It struck me that the time to do that was not when you’re 80.”
Aisbitts determined to give back
Jon called one of our horses Why We Dream, who is now a broodmare. But that’s why we do this – it’s the dream. When you go on the gallops in February and early March, you are looking at the youngsters coming through and your horses from the previous year and you’re thinking of the season ahead. “We’ll keep ticking over in France because of the prize-money. We discussed closing up shop when John [Hammond] retired. But we thought no. We have a lovely relationship with Hiroo and will support him in future.” As for the rest of this season, hopes are high that Lilac Road, last seen finishing fourth in a high-class renewal of the Yorkshire Oaks, will continue to acquit herself well at the top level. Tiber Flow will be aimed at Pattern sprints while the frustrating Ingra Tor might benefit from some ease in the ground. Waiting in the wings are such as two-year-old Godwinson, Malabar’s second foal, who like Lilac Road is trained by William Haggas, enjoying a superb season thanks to the exploits of unbeaten star Baaeed. Plenty to look forward to, then, for the Aisbitts, who happened upon racing by chance but have each fallen in love with thoroughbreds, a passion which is very muchJonshared.says:“When we were coming back from Australia and entering a new phase in our life, we talked about the fact we should identify certain things we could do together. I think that’s very important. We now have grandchildren, which is great, and we have the horseracing and breeding side as well.
Jon read English Literature at Pembroke College in Oxford, meeting Julia, who was studying at the city’s polytechnic, in 1977. Qualifying as a chartered accountant, he worked for Arthur Andersen before moving to S.G. Warburg, a London-based investment bank, joining Goldman Sachs in 1986. Julia, who had a successful career in the hospitality industry, was involved with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and with Jon’s assistance, Goldman Sachs led the digitisation of the charity’s helpline. Jon ended up as the NSPCC’s honorary treasurer and has helped raise over £250 million for the Full Stop campaign since 1999. Since leaving Goldman Sachs in 2002, Jon has fulfilled a variety of nonexecutive roles and chairmanships and one of his current positions is Chairman of New Forests Holdings, an ethical forestry company in East Africa.
“The whole reason we ended up in racing is because of the pleasure and enjoyment and seeing our babies winning decent races. That’s what makes it work for us.
Jon and Julia Aisbitt
Lilac Road (left) sees off Aristia in the Group 2 Middleton Fillies’ Stakes at York in May
“I feel very lucky that I was able to get the education I could get because I had a scholarship,” he explains. “My parents could not have afforded to pay for me to be privately educated. I was on a path that other people were not going to be able to follow.
44 THE OWNER BREEDER
Gun Runner was a yearling when Three Chimneys entered into a partnership with his breeder, Benjamin Leon’s Besilu Stables. Besilu had been an active player at the Edward ‘Ned’ Evans dispersal at Keeneland in November 2011, coming away with $11.4m worth of stock. Among the most desirable Evans families on offer was that belonging to Quiet Dance, the dam of champion Saint Liam. Leon duly aggressively targeted the line, paying $3m and $2.6m for her daughters Quiet Giant, a Grade 2 winner, and Miss Besilu, then a foal, as well as $800,000 for the then 18-year-old Quiet DanceQuietherself.Giant was sent to Candy Ride and the resulting foal was Gun Runner.
The rapid start of Gun Runner, sire of Preakness Stakes hero Early Voting out of his first crop, has brought famed Kentucky nursery Three Chimneys Farm back to the glory days of Seattle Slew and Dynaformer
When the Borges Torrealba family made a significant investment in the famed Kentucky nursery Three Chimneys Farm in November 2012, it sent out a bold statement of intent. The Midway farm was synonymous with Robert Clay and his family, rising from a small boarding operation launched in 1972 to a major stallion station under whose custodianship it had stood Seattle Slew, Dynaformer and Rahy. The Borges Torrealba family were already major players in their own right in Brazil under their Stud TNT banner but such an investment in Kentucky, which deepened further the following year with a full acquisition of the farm, told the world that here was an ambitious owner determined to play at the top table in North America. In little time, the move was rewarded, with the farm going on to celebrate Group or Grade 1 winners such as Volatile, Carina Mia, Restless Rider, Guarana and Skitter Scatter, the 2018 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner who was bred in partnership with Airlie Stud. However, it must come as an immense source of satisfaction that within a decade of its new history, it is also home to one of the most exciting young stallions in North America, one that is already eliciting comparisons with Danzig, Mr. Prospector and the like. It is no exaggeration to say that Gun Runner has exploded onto the scene. Out of a first crop of 127 foals, the son of Candy Ride is already the sire of five Grade 1 winners, 12 black-type winners and 22 black-type horses. He was an immediate success, siring a brace of two-year-old Grade 1 scorers last year at Saratoga in Echo Zulu, who took the Spinaway Stakes en route to victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies, and Gunite, winner of the Hopeful Stakes. With fellow Saratoga Graded stakes victors Wicked Halo and Pappacap contributing to Gun Runner’s prizemoney haul of over $4.2 million, the stallion ended 2021 as the overwhelming champion North American first-crop sire – and with a record total. Echo Zulu ended the year as champion two-year-old filly, yet remarkably even better was to come. In April, his son Cyberknife captured the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby while $1.7m twoyear-old Taiba won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby on his second start. While those colts were down the field in the Kentucky Derby, they rebounded to run one-two in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, with Cyberknife outbattling Taiba for a head victory. In the meantime, another son, Early Voting, had tasted Classic success in the Preakness Stakes. Thus with only one crop of threeyear-olds on the ground, Gun Runner sits within the top six North American sires thanks to almost $7.5m in earnings. Making it all the more rewarding for Three Chimneys is that such success is being achieved with a horse who is more or less a home-grown product.
“Gun Runner was a yearling when Three Chimneys acquired the Besilu package,” says Doug Cauthen, ViceChairman of Three Chimneys. “That included around 50 horses in total – mares, yearlings, foals and a few racehorses. Acquiring that many important families in one group was a game changer for Three Chimneys, and sped up the development of the broodmare band dramatically. Ron Winchell bought into Gun Runner in April of his two-year-old year and he was raced as a 50/50 partnership.” Gun Runner was sent to Steve Asmussen and developed into an admirably consistent racehorse as the earner of $16m during a career highlighted by victories in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, Breeders’ Cup ››
TOP “Here was an toownerambitiouskeenplayatthetoptable”
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Three Chimneys Farm
Words: Nancy Sexton Shooting THE
Gun Runner has become a leading sire in the years since the Borges Torrealba family invested in Three Chimneys Farm, at which Goncalo Borges Torrealba (inset, right) is Chairman FASIG-TIPTON FARMCHIMNEYSTHREE
Three Chimneys Farm ›› PHOTOSTOCKALAMY/USSIPAKEENELAND
“He clearly loves Tapit, and that’s a great perk for Ron absolutely,” says Cauthen. “But Gun Runner does seem to love other A.P. Indy lines as well and clearly he likes Storm Cat. We believe he just likes an influx of speed to complement the speed he already had and we have focused on giving extra credit to that attribute when looking at mares.“But we also like to let good breeders do what they think will work because they know their mares better than we do – we simply make suggestions of trends we see so collectively we can get the best product and best runners on the ground.”Thequestion now is whether Gun Runner can transcend the different racing nations. As a son of the Argentinean-bred Candy Ride, he belongs to the Fappiano branch of the Mr. Prospector sire line, one that traditionally has been more at home in America than Europe. However, American Pharoah is one descendant of Fappiano to have enjoyed success in Europe as well as Japan, while there
46 THE OWNER BREEDER Classic, Woodward Stakes, Whitney Stakes and Stephen Foster Handicap. In 19 starts from two to five, he finished out of the frame only once. “He was a very good-looking yearling, so he was appraised accordingly in the package,” recalls Cauthen. “But as he developed in his early two-year-old year in Ocala, and especially after Steve Asmussen and his team got their hands on him, the feedback was really positive. When Steve and [assistant] Scott Blasi are both talking positively about a horse before he’s run, it’s a good sign.” Gun Runner isn’t a rags-to-riches success. Installed at $70,000 for his debut season in 2018, he was deservedly popular from the outset. But in return, he has certainly made the most of the opportunities afforded to him.
Fittingly, Asmussen is faring particularly well with his progeny, with his barn containing Echo Zulu and Wicked Halo in addition to the minor stakes winners Red Run, Society, Optionality and Concept. All bar Society are owned by Ron Winchell’s Winchell Thoroughbreds.“Hewaspopular,” says Cauthen, looking back to that first season. “There were plenty of mares to choose from but there definitely was extra credit given to mares with speed. Young mares were also popular, though it’s clear that a good older mare can produce a star, as Echo Zulu’s dam [Letgomyecho, who was foaled in 2002] proved – but she did also have that speed to complement him.“Most of Gun Runner’s progeny can really walk – they glide across the ground and have leverage behind. They also usually have plenty of length, and Gun Runner adds some altitude to most of the mares’ progeny.”
He adds: “It seemed that all the pretrainers who had Gun Runner’s loved their temperament and will to do the job, so by February last year the reports were positive.“Then when Taiba breezed like a beast at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale and brought $1.7 million [from Gary Young on behalf of Zedan Racing Stables], the buzz was all there. He then proceeded to keep having good breezers and sale figures at all the sales, and it was off to the“Theyraces.want to do the job, they have the physical attributes to actually be able to do the job and they are seldom overly heavy horses, so they do seem sound. And no doubt they showed earlier speed than was expected. This year, people will likely be more patient and play it a bit safer, because when you think you might have a good one, the record shows that they could even get better with age, so there is no rush.”
Doug Cauthen: farm Vice-Chairman has helped oversee the rise of Gun Runner Cyberknife (right) fends off Taiba to hand Gun Runner a one-two in the Grade 1 MonmouthInvitationalHaskellatPark
Winchell perk While it remains early days, Gun Runner appears to be clicking with a variety of sire lines. However, it certainly helps from Winchell’s perspective that he is proving so effective with champion sire Tapit, a horse raced and subsequently used at stud to great effect by the owner.
It’s also safe to say that fellow Three Chimneys stallion Sharp Azteca is also in line for an uptick in book quality following his swift start at stud. Impressive start Unlike Gun Runner, Sharp Azteca is making his name off a lowly first-season fee of $10,000, which dropped to $5,000 this year. By Giant’s Causeway’s brother Freud, he was a Grade 1-winning, hard-knocking miler and, as such, has been popular for his level. So far, his progeny have been quick to come to hand and are winning; at the time of writing he had fired in 15 winners and with stakes scorers Sharp Aza Tack and Tyler’s Tribe aiding his cause, was leading the North American first-crop sires’ list ahead of Triple Crown hero Justify, who stood his debut season for $150,000.“Hewas an extremely fast horse who could carry that speed at least a mile, and physically he is just a lovely specimen, with tonnes of natural muscling and great substance and balance,” says Cauthen. “He was a bit atypical for what Lexington farms often seek out nowadays but the idea was to offer something good at a lower price point that gave breeders a legitimate chance to breed a good horse.
“Priced at $10,000, he was extremely popular – once people saw him they wanted to breed to him.” Gun Runner is extremely well represented at this month’s Keeneland September Sale as the sire of 63 entries while Sharp Azteca boasts 16. As for Three Chimneys itself, it is also poised to make an impact with a clutch of Book 1 entries that includes a Curlin granddaughter of Quiet Giant, and thus a relation to Gun Runner, a Constitution half-brother to Early Voting and a Curlin daughter of Grade 1 winner Carina Mia. Meanwhile, it promises to be an important period for the farm’s Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, who has a yearling crop of 155 bred in the aftermath of a first group of runners that included the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor. Grade 1 sires Sky Mesa and Will Take Charge are also among the proven names on the roster while hopes run extremely high for the Grade 1-winning sprinter Volatile, a son of Violence whose first crop are foals.
“Volatile is throwing a lot of size and scope to his progeny with good strength and a strong hindquarter,” says Cauthen. “He was a brilliantly fast horse and his foals look like they’re going to be speedy types. In addition to his speed, he’s a very good-looking stallion who went through the sales ring as a yearling for $850,000 at Keeneland September. His weanlings will be ones to watch this November as they go to market.”Asany stallion master will attest, the stallion game can be extremely hard to crack. For all the groundwork laid, success is never guaranteed. Yet by the same token, a stallion can rise to the top by defying the odds. The Borges Torrealba family bought Three Chimneys with a vision and now, with Gun Runner in the stallion barn, the farm is rapidly heading back towards the glory days of Seattle Slew and Dynaformer.
THE OWNER BREEDER 47 are also various turf elements within Gun Runner’s female family, notably his close relation Funtastic, a Grade 1 winner on the grass who also stands at Three Chimneys. His first crop are now twoyear-olds.“There has been good support from Japan and some from England, Ireland and France,” says Cauthen. “His success this year has clearly spurred on international interest and he has plenty of support coming from Australia now for a limited southern-hemisphere offering.”GunRunner now sits in elite company. He was responsible for the $2.4m saletopper and a $1.4m colt at the recent Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, both of whom were bought by MV Magnier and associates, while Grade 1 winners and/or producers such as Take Charge Brandi, Stopchargingmaria, Restless Rider, Untapable, Dream Tree, Drumette [dam of champion Monomoy Girl], Chasing Yesterday, Groupie Doll and Amour d’Ete [dam of Early Voting] were among his book this year.
“Yes, the Torrealba family set out with a mission and they are achieving many of the goals on their list,” says Cauthen. “But there is still plenty more to do and everyone is hard at work to look forward, never back.”
“His success this year internationalspurredhasoninterest”
48 THE OWNER BREEDER Nutrition plays a key role in preparing yearlings for the sales. Maximise their potential with support from our expert team: • PRODUCT YOURFORMULATEDRANGEFORSALESSUCCESS • NUTRITIONALSPECIALIST SUPPORT • NUTRITION PLANS • DIETARY ANALYSIS • FORAGE TESTING www.redmillshorse.com Contact our specialist thoroughbred team: UK: Adam Johnson +44 7860 771063 IRL: Lorraine Fradl +353 87 2575398 FR: Sylvain Prouvoyeur +33 6 9867 5138 Goresbridge, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland. Email: info@redmills.com IT’S TIME TO GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK Standing at MICKLEY STUD • www.mickleystud.co.uk Enquiries: Richard Kent T: 079 73 315722 • E: mickleystud@btconnect.com or Clare Lloyd Tel: 07875 673260 email: karinga@btinternet.com MASSAAT TEOFILO - MADANY (ACCLAMATION) By Teofilo, sire of 6 Gr.1 winners in 2020 Brother to Gr.1 Commonwealth Cup winner EQTIDAAR and Gr.3 Winning 2YO MUJBAR, from the immediate family of PRECIEUSE, etc. Gr.1 placed at 2, 3 & 4 Gr.2 winner over 7f • TFR 122 Sire of multiple winners from his first crop including Stakes placed MASCAPONE DON’T MISS HIS YEARLINGS SELLING AT GOFFS UK, TATTERSALLS IRELAND and TATTERSALLS
Sir Gerry: Gimcrack Stakes winner is among the best horses bred by Dr Catherine Wills
So what now for Murau? Successful in three of his four starts this season, hopefully he can continue to do his late owner“Murauproud.isvery typical of the family,” says Fanshawe. “He’s a big, imposing horse and he’s getting better with age. Basically, he’s doing what he was bred to do.”
“I remember I had a group of horses heading to the December Sales in 1996 and there was a Zilzal filly called Flamboyance who had shown ability at two. I suggested to Catherine that she might suit her. She liked her, bought her and she won for her here and in the US. And from her, Catherine bred Dynever.”
Breeders’
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“Sir David gave her a daughter of Reuval called Fetla and from her she bred Be Mindful, quite a useful horse who was third for us in the Horris Hill Stakes, and Incredulous, a useful filly in her own right who bred Sir Gerry. And when Sir David died [in 1999], she inherited all the mares.
The two-mile handicap at Kempton Park on Wednesday, August 3 might not have attracted much attention from the wider racing world, save for the fact that it was won by an interesting four-year-old now fulfilling his potential as a progressive stayer. Murau’s win that evening, however, had a real poignancy to it, with it being announced not long after that his owner-breeder Dr Catherine Wills had lost her battle with cancer aged 71. Respected, enthusiastic, extremely knowledgable and unassuming, Wills belonged to a dwindling pool of ownerbreeders so important to the fabric of British racing. She was also a member of the Jockey Club and co-founder of the Martin Wills Memorial Trust, created in honour of her brother who passed away in 1992. The Martin Wills Writing Awards, for which she was a judge over its 25-year history, helped open doors for numerous budding journalists into theOutsideindustry.of racing, Wills was also a doctor of history of art and penned a biography of the Victorian portrait painter Sir Francis Grant. Under the banner St Clare Hall Stud, Wills maintained a group of mares in Britain, based latterly at Kirtlington Stud, in addition to Ireland and Kentucky. Murau epitomises the essence of St Clare Hall breeding as a son of an unfashionable yet effective stallion – Mukhadram – from a fine staying family; he is a grandson of Applecross, dam of the excellent stayer Invermark and Princess of Wales’s Stakes winner Craigsteel for her father Sir David StayersWills.were appreciated and afforded the necessary patience. On the other hand, the Sleat family, which had shone under the father’s ownership as the source of Jersey Stakes winner Ardkinglass, is apt to throw a quicker individual, as illustrated by the Gimcrack Stakes winner Sir Gerry, a son of Carson City bred in Kentucky by Wills out of Incredulous. Like her father, Wills enjoyed success with Sir Henry Cecil, trainer of her homebred Listed winner Succinct, and also forged an excellent and lengthy association with James Fanshawe, who saddled Eilean Shona to become her first stakes winner in a Listed handicap at Newmarket in October 1999. Fanshawe also sent out Invermark to win the 1998 Prix du Cadran. “Catherine was mad about horses and mad about pedigrees,” he recalls.
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Nancy Sexton Bloodstock Editor
“It is sad,” says Fanshawe. “From a trainer’s point of view, owner-breeders can be your chance of getting a good horse.“Catherine was a kind, unassuming person. She was a key figure behind the Martin Wills Writing Awards - a lot of time and money went into that. She also never forgot the staff in the yards and cared deeply where the horses ended up.”
Dynever, a son of Dynaformer foaled in Kentucky, won a pair of Grade 3 races and ran third in the 2003 Breeders’ Cup Classic before becoming a successful stallion in Saudi Arabia.
Digest
“Catherine thought things out very carefully,” says Fanshawe. “She was very particular in which stallions she would use. She was a great horse enthusiast, she would make her mind up on a horse or a stallion and would do what she felt was best. Her horses might not have always been commercially produced but she would look at the bigger picture, of how they might work with the family and their potential value as older horses.”Onesuch horse was Selino, a Champs Elysees grandson of Applecross. Selino won twice for Fanshawe and hit a rating of 105 before selling to Australia, where he won last year’s Group 1 Sydney Cup at Randwick. As is typical of owner-breeders, Wills reaped the rewards of having cultivated a family over a long period of time; by breeding from descendants of mares who had been introduced to the stud decades earlier, owner-breeders naturally come to know their mental and physical characteristics. As such, it is sad to think that few such enthusiasts remain today, a stark contrast to a previous era when stock belonging to Lord Astor, Lord Howard de Walden, Lionel Holliday, Sir Victor Sassoon, Jim Joel and Dorothy Paget among many others graced the turf.
Breeding all the poorer as sport says farewell to Wills
Record start to the yearling season as Arqana prices soar
Henri Bozo congratulates Anthony Stroud following the sale of the €2 million Dubawi colt
50 THE OWNER BREEDER
This brother to Sottsass was the star turn, selling for €2.1 million to Yoshito Yahagi
Arqana August Yearling Sale
After an opening session that was sticky in terms of trade and, due to a heatwave, extremely sticky for those in attendance, this sale of yearlings hit full stride.Over the following two days temperatures cooled slightly but business in the ring became hotter, with the result that Arqana was able to present record results in all the key indicators and an 84 per cent clearance rate from sales of 240 of the 285 offered lots. Since 2000 the clearance rate had only once before reached 80%. The catalogue was slightly smaller, but turnover soared ahead, achieving a mark of just over €51 million at an average price of €210,025, far higher than at any previous edition of the sale.
A French bank holiday had forced changes to the format with the result that it comprised one select sale run in alphabetical order, rather than two select days followed by a Part II session, but that seemed to find favour with vendors and buyers. Arqana’s Executive Director Freddy Powell said all aspects of the sale would be reviewed, but the combination of his company’s efforts, some choice yearlings by top sires, high-quality racing at the adjacent racetrack and the appeal of time spent in a French seaside resort meant buyers are likely to be returning in 2023. They will need to be patient, for the selling process is needlessly slow at 20 lots per hour, although French restaurants and bars remain open later than in Britain and willingly accommodate salesgoers who have been hanging around for a late lot. Four horses changed hands for a seven-figure sum, headed by a Siyouni brother to Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner and sire Sottsass. Consigned by the Henri Bozo-managed Ecurie des Monceaux – which once again waltzed away with leading vendor honours – the chestnut colt was knocked down to Japan’s champion trainer Yoshito Yahagi, whose bid of €2.1 million left Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad as underbidder. Yahagi, a man who has enjoyed international success, was in Deauville for the racing too, although his Bathrat Leon finished unplaced in the Prix Jacques le Marois. Monceaux, which gained €12.86m through the sale of 32 lots, also consigned a Siyouni filly who was sold for €1.4m to agent Alex Solis, who was representing New York-based Laurence, Nanci and Jaime Roth of LNJ Foxwoods. They part-bred the filly with Monceaux, but liked her so much they opted to buy herPartoutright.ofMonceaux’s success has been its ability to get mares into champion sire Dubawi. Monceaux was responsible for offering all four of his representatives in the catalogue and they contributed €3,475,000 in turnover. Godolphin buyer Anthony Stroud left with three of the quartet, headed by a €2m colt who had been bred by Monceaux and the aforementioned Roths of LNJ Foxwoods.Stroudalso accounted for a €1.6m colt from the final crop of Shamardal, the stallion who was euthanised due to prevailing ill health in the spring of 2020 having successfully served a small group of Offeredmares.bybreeder Dietrich von Boetticher’s Gestut Ammerland, the colt is believed to be the one and only yearling by Shamardal who will be offered at auction this year. Godolphin was the leading buyer,
ARQANALUPAZUZANNA LUPA/ARQANAZUZANNA
Sales Circuit • By Carl Evans
taking six lots for €5.55m, while others who made notable contributions to turnover included Oliver St Lawrence, who gained an €800,000 Kingman colt for Bahrain’s Fawzi Nass, and Richard Knight, who secured five yearlings for just under €2m with a top spend of €750,000 on a Wootton Bassett filly from Lady O’Reilly’s Haras de la Louviere draft. St Lawrence’s purchase came from Andreas Putsch’s Haras de Saint Pair, one of several breeding operations which enjoyed some outstanding results. Abu Dhabi’s Al Shira’aa Farms would like to join them one day, and having acquired Meadow Court Stud in Ireland a couple of years ago it was stocking up with fillies to race and then breed. Representative Kieran Lalor gained four fillies for a total of just over €2m. Godolphin came away with this Dubawi colt out of Golden Valentine at €2 million 600,000Godolphin SNC Havre - Glorious Sight Haras de Saint Pair 600,000Al Shiraa’a Racing Ltd
f Le
LUPAZUZANNA ›› Figures Year Sold Aggregate (€) Average (€) Median (€) Top price (€) 2022 240 50,406,000 210,025 140,000 2,100,000 2021 244 39,912,000 163,574 100,000 2,400,000 2020 228 42,789,000 187,671 125,000 1,625,000 THE OWNER BREEDER 51 Arqana August Yearling Sale Top lots Sex/breeding Consignor Price (€) Buyer c Siyouni - Starlet’s Sister Ecurie des Monceaux 2,100,000Yoshito Yahagi c Dubawi - Golden Valentine Ecurie des Monceaux 2,000,000Godolphin SNC c Shamardal - Lady Frankel Gestut Ammerland 1,600,000Godolphin SNC f Siyouni - Aviatress Ecurie des Monceaux 1,400,000Solis/Litt c Kingman - Dardiza Haras de Saint Pair 800,000Oliver St Lawrence c Wootton Bassett - Ambivalence Haras de la Louviere 750,000Richard Knight Bloodstock c Sea The Stars - Shamtee Haras Mont dit Mont 675,000Chauvigny Global Equine f Frankel - Crystal River Haras d’Etreham 650,000Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock c Galileo - High Celebrity Haras des Capucines 650,000MV Magnier f Siyouni - Aigue Marine Haras de la Louviere 600,000Nicolas Clement/RT Racing Stables c Dubawi - Dubai Rose Ecuries des Monceaux
TALKING POINT
• Sales and racing at Deauville in August is a combination which resonates like strawberries and cream – they were made for each other, but for how long? Some French breeders believe Arqana’s August Sale takes place too early, among them Eric Puerari and Michel Zerolo of Haras des Capucines. During the latest edition of the sale Zerolo said: “Let me show you any one of the yearlings here in six weeks time and they will look very different, bigger and stronger. The sale should take place in September, or at the very least at the end of August.” That would be anathema to some, not least those who enjoy the combination of racing at the Prix Jacques le Marois meeting. Oliver St Lawrence was one buyer who urged Arqana not to change the date, and said a move to September would be a mistake. He said his key client, Fawzi Nass, would be back in Bahrain in preparation for the racing season, Americans would be busy at Keeneland, and European trainers who came for the racing first and sales second would be less likely to attend.Inacrowded calendar moving would certainly be challenging, and Arqana’s Freddy Powell said the auction would be held in its current slot next year, although he added all elements would be reviewed.
TALKING Sales involving two-year-old jumping stores are nothing new in France, and given that country’s impact on racing in Britain and Ireland they were bound to make an appearance to the north of the Channel at some point. Dave Futter and friends spotted the opportunity and four years ago began offering two-year-olds at the Yorton Sale of stores, before Goffs UK added a tranche of such horses at the latest August Sale. This was in part prompted by the BHA’s plan to motivate the earlier racing of young jumpers – another idea nicked from the French – which it has backed up with a new series of hurdle races for threeyear-olds who have not raced on the Flat.
UKGOFFS
Goffs UK August Sale Top ten Name/age/sex/breeding Consignor Price (£) Buyer Miss Heritage 8 m Pour Moi – Haretha WH Bloodstock 78,000
Venn/DahlBury Townhill 4 g Presenting - Ladies Pride Loughanmore Farms 60,000 Ed Bailey Bloodstock Tara Line 5 m Kayf Tara - First Line Cobajay Stables 50,000 Syd Hosie/Gay Kelleway Shiroccosmagicgem 4 f Shirocco - Black Magic Baby Milestone Stables 40,000
Motiva 6 m Motivator – Panthesilea DahlBury/Cobhall Court Stud
Goffs UK stands alone in auctioning two-year-old, unbroken jumping stores on the northern side of the Channel. Initially this was through its involvement with the Futter family’s Yorton Sale, but it added a section for youthful horses of that age to this event, which took place in a single session at Doncaster. It had been held over two days last year, but that was due to the addition of jump-bred yearlings who had missed the January Sale when it was torpedoed by a national Covid lockdown.Inaddition to the two-year-old stores
52 THE OWNER BREEDER Sales Circuit Goffs UK August Sale
POINT •
In the meantime another question hovered. Were the two-year-olds sold in Doncaster heading to end-users, the trainers who will be targeting the new juvenile races, or to pinhookers who will trade them on next year, having kept them for less than 12 months? That is considerably shorter than the normal period from foal to three-year-old, but it will not help the BHA’s juvenile hurdle series.
As a result, 38 two-year-olds headed to Doncaster where 23 found a buyer at a clearance rate of 60%. It took more than a day to build Rome, and it will require more than one sale to get traders geared up for the trading of two-year-olds, but it will be interesting to see if next year’s leading store auctions – aka the Derby and Land Rover Sales – add the age group to their catalogues.
Goffs UK also added a section for mares, and it was from this group that saletopper Miss Heritage emerged. Consigned by W H Bloodstock, the eight-year-old daughter of Pour Moi could boast of Grade 2 chasing success in January for trainer Lucy Wadham before being successfully covered at Newsells Park Stud by Nathaniel. With that desirable cover, good racecourse form and a pedigree to back it up – her granddam won the German 1,000 Guineas and had foaled Group 1 winner Zahrat Dubai – Miss Heritage was the sale’s talking horse in advance of the event, and the belle of the ball once it wasWithconcluded.abidof £78,000 she was Richard John Reddington 40,000 Bobby O’Ryan
Figures Year Sold Aggregate (£) Average (£) Median (£) Top price (£) 2022 168 1,601,600 9,533 6,000 78,000 2021 260 2,495,150 9,597 6,000 50,000 2020 No sale Henry Beeby brings the hammer down at £78,000 for the mare Miss Heritage
Boyd Browning Jr, Fasig-Tipton’s President, was able to reach for hyperbole and superlatives when saying: “We shattered every record known to mankind for this sale. It’s a really, really good feeling but it’s not just for us. It’s a really good vibrancy for the industry and gives people confidence.” He described the sale as “the annual dose of hope and excitement,” adding: “That’s why we do it,” although his company’s cut of $66.955 million, a gross increase of $11.8m or 21% on last year’s record-setting turnover, was probably another reason why he and his colleagues do it.
Last year four horses sold for seven-figure sums at this two-day auction, which is held in New York and is one of North America’s premier opportunities to buy a yearling. Four was again the magic number at the latest edition, but that was at the first session alone. When another ten yearlings passed seven figures on day two, helping to create a mindblowing average of $500,000 during the session, and record results had been posted across the board, Fasig-Tipton was able to reflect on an outstanding sale.
The average sale price hit a new high of $468,217, up 15 per cent, the median grew seven per cent to $375,000, which was another high water mark, while the clearance rate achieved 80% with 143 sales of 179 offered yearlings.
Top-lot honours went to a $2.3m son of Three Chimneys resident stallion Gun Runner, last year’s leading first-crop sire ››
THE OWNER BREEDER 53
knocked down to agent Richard Venn who was acting for Simon Davies, a most welcome relative newcomer to the ranks of stallion masters and jump breeders, and who stands Planteur, Bangkok and Walzertakt at Chapel Stud in Worcestershire.Heisalsoestablishing a tasty broodmare band, and parted with £380,000 at Aintree in April for dual Grade 1 Cheltenham Festival heroine Put The Kettle On, and, less than a week after this sale in Doncaster, another €205,000 for 12-year-old mare Quilita, who was the sole lot in a Goffs Instant Online sale. The dam of dual Grade 1 winner Quilixios, Quilita was sold in foal to Waldgeist and is set for a mating with Bangkok. Recent purchases have been made in Davies’s trading name of DahlBury.Davies is not short of advisors, and one of them, Scarlett Knipe, urged him to trade the grey mare Motiva at the August Sale, in part because she had a very handsome Planteur colt foal at foot. The pair were sold for £40,000 to agent Bobby O’Ryan who was acting for an Irish breeder, but as an advert for his sire the colt’s appearance was probably worth that muchThereagain.was another bonus for Davies in the form of the leading two-year-old store, who had been sired by Walzertakt when he was resident in France before his move to Chapel Stud. Ed Partridge and his wife, former jump jockey Lizzie Kelly, offered the youngster through their Devon-based Little Oakwell Stud, and were delighted when he was sold for £32,000 to agent Matt Coleman. The same buyer bought the top-priced three-year-old store, a £37,000 son of Black Sam Bellamy consigned by Megan Bates’s Poplar Stud in Warwickshire, while the leading in-training lot proved to be the four-year-old Irish point-to-point winner Townhill, who left Sam Curling’s yard following a bid of £60,000 by Herefordshire agent Ed Bailey. With 100 fewer lots on offer turnover was down, eventually coming in at £1,601,000. Of the 232 horses who walked the ring, 168 found a buyer at a rate of 72%, the average was down 1% at £9,483 while the median was unchanged at £6,000.
Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale
54 THE OWNER BREEDER Sales Circuit and achieving great results with his debut three-year-olds – his son Cyberknife is a dual Grade 1 winner in 2022, while Early Voting won the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. Not surprisingly his yearling colt out of the Grade 1-winning mare Heavenly Love was always likely to command a proper price and he was duly knocked down to two men who could afford it, namely MV Magnier and Peter Brant of White Birch Farm. Heavenly Love was bred and raced by John and Debby Oxley and their yearling was consigned by MagnierGainesway.said of Gun Runner: “He’s a very good sire, and what he’s doing is very impressive,” and he backed that up by finding another $1.4m for a colt by the same stallion and consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of breeder Earle Mack. Magnier also showed support for one of his Coolmore stallions when sending bloodstock agent Michael Wallace in to bat for a Justify colt, who was duly netted with a bid of $1.1mApartnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and 3C Stable were the successful bidders at $2m for the top-priced filly, a daughter of Curlin and the graded stakes-winning mare America. Stone Farm consigned the filly on behalf of her breeder, celebrity chef Bobby Flay, while the Grade 1-winning mare Paola Queen was responsible for an Into Mischief filly who was sold by Gainesway for $1.2m to Japan’s Kohji Maeda. Twelve months ago the filly’s full-brother headed the sale when making $2.6m. Figures Year Sold Aggregate ($) Average ($) Median ($) Top price ($) 2022 143 66,955,000 468,217 375,000 2,500,000 2021 135 55,155,000 408,556 350,000 2,600,000 2020 No sale Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale Top lots Sex/breeding Consignor Price ($) Buyer C Gun Runner – Heavenly Love Gainesway, agent 2,300,000 MV Magnier/White Birch Farm F Curlin – America Stone Farm, agent 2,000,000 West Point/Woodford Racing/3C Stables F Quality Road – IthinkIsawapudycat Lane’s End, agent 1,800,000 Donato Lanni, agent C Curlin – Angela Renee Taylor Made Sales Agency1,750,000 Mike Ryan, agent C Uncle Mo – Secret Sigh Lane’s End, agent 1,500,000 West Point/Woodford Racing/LEB C Gun Runner – Flag Day Denali Stud, agent 1,400,000 MV Magnier C Medaglio D’Oro – Walk Close Four Star Sales, agent 1,350,000 D Wayne Lukas/John Bellinger C Constitution – Dothraki Sea Lane’s End, agent 1,250,000 Mayberry Farm F Into Mischief – Paola Queen Gainesway, agent 1,200,000 Kohji Maeda C Justify – Slews Golden Rule Warrendale Sales, agent 1,100,000 Michael Wallace/MV Magnier ›› GETTING PAID SHOULD BE THE LEAST OF YOUR WORRIES! AR Legal Collections specialise in collecting unpaid invoices and resolving disputes in the bloodstock industry. With over 30 years experience, our insider knowledge gives you a head start in recovering money you are owed. We offer a ‘no collection / no fee’ solution. So why not call Arno or Adrian on +44 (0)208 202 0730 for a no obligation chat! Visit our website: legaldebtcollectors.co.uk or email us: info@legaldebtcollectors.co.uk
SAFFRON BEACH AUNT PEARL · 1st Breeders’ Cup JFT Gr.1 · 1st Jessamine Stakes Gr.2 BAYSIDE BOY · 1st Champagne Stakes Gr.2 · 3rd Dewhurst Stakes Gr.1 · 3rd Futurity Trophy Stakes Gr.1 BURGARITA · 1st Prix de la Seine L · 3rd Prix de Diane Gr.1 EL DRAMA · 1st Dee Stakes L · 2nd Thoroughbred Stakes Gr.3 FAST ATTACK · 1st Oh So Sharp Stakes Gr.3 FRANCESCO GUARDI · 3rd Denford Stakes L GARRUS · 1st Prix de Ris-Orangis Gr.3 · 1er Prix de Meautry Gr.3 ISABELLA GILES · 1st Rockfel Stakes Gr.2 · 1st Prestige Stakes Gr.2 · 3rd Chartwell Stakes Gr.3 JUANMONTALBANDE · 2nd Derby Italiano Gr.2 JUMBY · 1st Hungerford Stakes Gr.2 · 3rd Abernant Stakes Gr.3 LONE EAGLE · 1st Zetland Stakes Gr.3 · 1st Cocked Hat Stakes L · 2nd Irish Derby Gr.1 NEW ENERGY · 2nd Irish 2,000 Guineas Gr.1 OVIEDO · 3rd Acomb Stakes Gr.3 PLACECARROUSELDU · 1st Prix Cleopatre Gr.3 · 2nd Prix Saint-Alary Gr.1 SAFFRON BEACH · 1st Sun Chariot Stakes Gr.1 · 1st Prix Rothschild Gr.1 · 2nd 1,000 Guineas Gr.1 SAVVY VICTORY · 3rd Chester Vase Stakes Gr.3 SEE THE ROSE · 1st Prix Six Perfections Gr.3 · 3rd Prix de Sandringham Gr.2 SKY ANGEL · 1st Prix du Point du Jour L · 2nd German 1,000 Guineas Gr.2 · 2nd Prix Imprudence Gr.3 SOLDIER RISING · 2nd Saratoga Derby Gr.1 STATEMENT · 2nd Fred Darling Stakes Gr.3 SWEET BELIEVER · 3rd John Musker Fillies’ Stakes L Recent BLACK TYPE SALES GRADUATES include: DON’TMISSOUR2022 YEARLINGCONSIGNMENTSA RICH HISTORY OF SUCCESS BALLYLINCH STUD Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)56 7724217 • info@ballylinchstud.ie • www.ballylinchstud.com
With so much of the thinking in thoroughbred breeding focusing on male lines, it is just possible to forget that Galileo and Sea The Stars are half-brothers, sons of the legendary Urban Sea. And, as with most siblings, comparisons are inevitable, even if – as the saying goes – comparisons are odious.That phrase is indeed unfair when the two horses being compared were both magnificent racehorses. One may have been slightly less talented than the other, but who could care when both won the Derby on the way to becoming Europe’s champion three-year-old? Sea The Stars officially had the edge, though, with Timeform rating him 140, 6lb higher than Galileo. Sea The Stars could also claim to have been the more versatile of the two, with his six Group 1 victories comprising one over a mile, three at around a mile and a quarter and two over a mile and a half. Galileo, on the other hand, gained all three of his Group 1 successes over a mile and a Unfortunately,half. comparisons are indeed odious for Sea The Stars when it comes to judging the siblings’ relative merits as stallions. Only Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Wells has bettered Galileo’s tally of 12 sires’ championships in the modern era, so Galileo wins this contest hands down. However, at the time of writing Sea The Stars held second place on the current table, one place ahead of Galileo. Sea The Stars had previously finished third in 2016, fourth in 2018, second in 2019 and fourth in 2021, so he is becoming a regular fixture among the top five stallions. And now he has come up with an unbeaten son, Baaeed, who has even been mentioned in the same breath as Frankel, Galileo’s phenomenal unbeaten champion. There has long been a theory that, for Galileo to shine, he needed a fast mare but the reality is that he could sire top performers from all types of mares. Take a look at his Group 1-winning progeny and you’ll find the likes of Monsun, Theatrical, Silver Hawk, Darshaan, Dalakhani, Shirley Heights, Slip Anchor, Caerleon, Desert King, Belmez, Lando and Erins Isle among their broodmare sires. I could add that Darshaan mares have 22 black-type winners among their 140 foals by Galileo. There is truth, though, in the fast mare theory, especially from a commercial point of view. Galileo’s sons out of faster mares have been much more marketable, especially if they shone as two-year-olds or at around a mile. I will return to this topic of fast mares later in this article. Arguably the biggest difference between the two stallions is in their performance as a sire of two-year-olds. Sea The Stars was the more accomplished of the pair as a juvenile, with John Oxx having him ready to make his debut in mid-July. Sea The Stars showed plenty of promise in finishing fourth, beaten a length, in what proved to be the only defeat of his nine-race career. His first win came little more than a month later and he wound up his first season with victory in the Group 2 Beresford Stakes on September 28. Galileo, for his part, had made his only two-year-old appearance as late as October 28, when he trounced the opposition over a mile on heavy ground at Leopardstown.
Sibling rivalry leads to inevitable
It has been a very different story with Sea The Stars. With over 1,100 foals of racing age, he has had nearly 800 starters and has racked up the impressive total of
Whereas the progeny of Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Wells had an average winning distance of 11.4 furlongs, Sea The Stars is a son of Cape Cross, whose average stood at 9.4Althoughfurlongs.Cape Cross was a sizeable, rangy individual who gained his first Group success as a four-year-old, he was the son of two very able two-year-olds in Green Desert, winner of the July Stakes and Flying Childers, and Park Appeal, a champion filly who won the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes. With these precocious bloodlines, Cape Cross was able to make a blazing start to his stallion career, taking the title of champion sire of two-year-olds with his first crop. It therefore seemed fair to expect Sea The Stars’ two-year-olds to make an impact when they first raced in 2013, even if they were likely to be more effective over longer distances at three. After all, Galileo had been champion sire of two-year-olds in 2007 and 2010 and was to add four further titles, thanks to the likes of Teofilo, Frankel, New Approach, Churchill, Gleneagles, Minding, Happily, Rhododendron, Misty For Me and Magical.
SELWYNGEORGE
comparisons“Galileo’ssonsoutoffastermareshavebeenmoremarketable”
Sea The Stars: brilliant racehorse is a regular fixture among the top five stallions
The fact that Sea The Stars proved fast enough to defeat the likes of Rip Van Winkle and Mastercraftsman in the 2,000 Guineas confirmed the impression that he was the speedier of the two half-brothers – a theory supported by his pedigree.
56 THE OWNER BREEDER
Caulfield Files
THE OWNER BREEDER 57
SELWYNGEORGE Urban Sea: an incredible influence
The Stars, Fifty Stars, Knight To Behold, Raa Atoll and Reach For The Moon among them. Sea The Stars’ partnership with mares by Monsun has also been highly fruitful, with no fewer than seven black-type winners among their 32 foals. Sea The Moon is the star of these seven but they also include the Group 2 middle-distance winner Night Music, the Group 1 Sydney Cup winner Shraaoh and Group 3 winners Raheen House and Soudania. Hernando’s daughters have also done extremely well, with the top-notch filly Sea Of Class, the smart Sea La Rosa and her Group 3-winning brother Deauville Legend among their ten foals. The broodmare sires of Sea The Stars’ other 2022 Group winners also include Nayef, Authorized and High Chaparral. And then there’s Bering, who ranks as the broodmare sire of only one foal by Sea The Stars – the wonderful Stradivarius. One thing Sea The Stars does have in common with Galileo is that they have both excelled with daughters of the top miler Kingmambo. Galileo has five black-type winners bred this way, headed by those top colts Ruler Of The World and Ulysses, while Sea The Stars has eight among his 31 foals. Baaeed followed Cloth Of Stars and Zelzal as the third to win at the top level and his year-older brother Hukum became the cross’s fourth Group 1 winner when he took the Coronation Cup. Incidentally, Kingmambo isn’t the only winner of a European Guineas race to figure among the broodmare sires of Sea The Stars’ best performers. Unlucky Oaks second Emily Upjohn has a dam by Barathea, while the champion older horse Crystal Ocean has a dam by Mark Of Esteem.Perhaps that’s the answer to breeding a smart performer by Sea The Stars. Send him mares by milers and middle-distance horses and you could add to his tally of 17 Group 1 winners. They include winners of the Derby and Oaks in Britain, Ireland and Germany, plus many of the most prestigious prizes for three-year-olds and older horses.
The Coolmore partners literally laid out millions in their bid to secure fast mares for Galileo, acquiring the likes of Airwave, Tiggy Wiggy, Marsha, Mecca’s Angel, Quiet Reflection and Heartache. It goes without saying that breeders have also tried sending daughters of fast stallions to Sea The Stars, but without replicating the success enjoyed by Galileo. For example, his 22 foals out of Danehill mares, which supplied Galileo with so many Group 1 winners, are headed by the Group 3 winners My Titania and Stellar Mass. Similarly, his 21 foals out of Danehill Dancer mares include only one black-type winner, the Group 2 winner Lavender’s Blue.Moving on to Pivotal, there is only one black-type horse – the Group 2 winner Mutakayyef – among their 31 foals. There is also one black-type horse – the Group 3 winner Star Storm – among 11 foals out of Storm Cat mares. There are no black-type winners among the 22 foals out of Invincible Spirit mares, and he has also drawn a blank with daughters of such as Oasis Dream and Indian Ridge, though the sample sizes are not always large enough to give a full picture. It seems that Sea The Stars is more at home with mares by stallions whose progeny have quite a high average winning distance. For example, he has 10% black-type winners among his 77 foals out of mares by Galileo’s sire Sadler’s Wells, with the Group winners Taghrooda, Storm
Investment in speed
Bloodstock world views 95 black-type winners. Remarkably, only five of those 95 were black-type winners at two. The first was My Titania, winner of the Group 3 C L Weld Park Stakes before developing into a terrific broodmare. Next came the French Listed winner Sivoliere in 2014, the Group 3 Prix des Chenes winner Cloth Of Stars in 2015, the Italian filly Call Me Love in 2018 and the Queen’s Reach For The Moon in 2021, when he took the Group 3 Solario Stakes. Others, such as Night Of Light, Stellar Glow, Fox Tal, Star Terms, Alpen Rose, Miss Yoda, Homeryan and Sea Of Sands, were Group-placed. So what’s the explanation? It’s possible that part of the answer relates to physique. Sea The Stars is tall and lengthy, standing a good 16.2 hands, so is similar to his sire Cape Cross, who was half an inch short of 16.2. Although Cape Cross will always be best remembered as a sire of a trio of outstanding middle-distance horses in Ouija Board, Golden Horn and Sea The Stars, he had a respectable record as a sire of two-year-old Group winners. The Gran Criterium heroine Nayarra was his only Group 1 winner at that age, but he enjoyed Group 2 success with Sea The Stars, Mokabra, Hatta Fort, Halicarnassus, Cape Dollar and Moohaajim and he was also responsible for a trio of Group 3 winners and 11 Listed winners. Whereas Cape Cross was out of a champion two-year-old, Sea The Stars’ dam Urban Sea won only a mile maiden in the October of her first season. Good enough at three to change hands for approximately £365,000 following her third in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, Urban Sea peaked at the age of four, when she landed the Arc at odds of 37-1. In a fascinating interview in the Thoroughbred Daily News, her trainer Jean Lesbordes spoke to Emma Berry: “In the stable at the beginning she was the easiest to ride,” he recalls. “Everybody could ride her as a yearling, even the girls who came to help at my stable on a Sunday. She was so straightforward. In our stable her name was ‘La Mule’…. “As a two-year-old she had a little issue with her fetlock so we had to stop. But it was no problem and then she ran later at two and won the second time she ran at Maisons-Laffitte. She was very easy to train. She was asleep most of the time, but every time we showed her something she picked it up no problem.” It is this equable temperament that Lesbordes says he believes has been key to the success not just of Urban Sea but of her offspring. In attempting to explain the difference in their achievements as sires of juveniles, I would refer you back to the list of horses which helped Galileo notch up his six juvenile sires’ championships. Teofilo and Frankel are out of daughters of the sprinter Danehill; New Approach is out of a mare by the very fast Ahonoora; Churchill, Gleneagles, Happily and Misty For Me are out of daughters of Storm Cat, a six-time leading juvenile sire in North America; Minding is out of a dual twoyear-old Group winner sired by a dual two-year-old Group 1 winner in Danehill Dancer; and Rhododendron and Magical are out of a daughter of top sprinter Pivotal.Needless to say, these stallions have played a huge part in Galileo’s success story. Pivotal mares have 12 black-type winners, which represents 26% of their 46 foals by Galileo. Danehill’s daughters have 60 black-type winners, for 18% of their 333 foals. Danehill Dancer mares have 25 black-type winners, for 18% of their 138 foals; and Storm Cat’s daughters have 15 black-type winners, for 21% of their 70 foals. Mares by Anabaa, another sprinter, had 11 black-type winners, for 31% of their 35 foals.
Juvenile quality places No Nay Never at elite level NO NAY NEVER’S TOP TEN RATED RUNNERS FormTFR Name Born Sex Dam Broodmare sire G1w126pLITTLE BIG BEAR 2020 C Adventure Seeker Bering G1w 126 TEN SOVEREIGNS 2016 C Seeking Solace Exceed And Excel G1w122ALCOHOL FREE 2018 F Plying Hard Spun G2wG1p 124 WICHITA 2017 C Lumiere Noire Dashing Blade G2wG1p119ARIZONA 2017 C Lady Ederle English Channel G2wG1p113NAY LADY NAY 2016 F Lady Ederle English Channel G2w115CHESTNUT HONEY 2016 C Ardea Brave Chester House G2w109MYSTERY POWER 2017 G Gems Haafhd G2w109 LAND FORCE 2016C Theann Rock Of Gibraltar G2w106 SHADN 2017F Amethyst Sadler’s Wells No Nay Never: in the midst of an excellent season with his juveniles SELWYNBILL
John Boyce cracks the code
58 THE OWNER BREEDER Dr Statz
Currently, he is atop the leading European juvenile sires list by earnings and by number of individual stakes winners and Group winners. This latest achievement is really no surprise, given the sheer quality of his latest crop of juveniles. With Little Big Bear, he has found a star two-year-old, one that may already be championship material at whatever distance his connections decide to pursue.Thebig colt’s performance in the recent Group 1 Phoenix Stakes will have no doubt made it abundantly clear to trainer Aidan O’Brien that he genuinely does have that rare mix of pace and stamina to either stay at six furlongs or move up to seven. And we should get some clear 2,000 Guineas clues when he contests the sevenfurlong Group 1 National Stakes, his next intendedTimeformtarget.already rate Little Big Bear 126p, a mark that would make champion two-year-old in most years. In fact, only Pinatubo (134), Frankel (133p), Dream Ahead (129), Air Force Blue (128p), New Approach, Johannesburg, Lady Aurelia and Too Darn Hot (all 127) have been rated higher this century. Little Big Bear is only one of four quality juvenile Group winners for his sire this term. Three of the four are trained at Ballydoyle and include, like Little Big Bear, another Royal Ascot scorer in Meditate, a filly who remained unbeaten when taking the six-furlong Group 3 Albany Stakes having earlier scored in a Group 3 at Naas. Then we have the Ballydoyle team’s Blackbeard, who has already had six starts but is still progressing, as his recent three-length success over stablemate The Antarctic in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin would suggest. The remaining No Nay Never Group winner is the Richard Hannon-trained Trillium, who graduated from a maiden success on her second start to Group 3 winner on her third, taking Goodwood’s Molecomb Stakes. These youngsters have been set a very good example by their sire’s excellent daughter Alcohol Free, who reminded us of her versatility this summer by taking the Group 1 July Cup, having also scored at the highest level over a mile earlier in her career, winning the Coronation Stakes and Sussex Stakes. From No Nay Never’s third crop, she has done a sterling job keeping her sire’s name in lights while we waited for his better-bred two-year-olds to arrive on the scene. No Nay Never’s current youngsters are from his first €100,000-plus crop, so this surge in his fortunes cannot have been unexpected. That said, it is still mightily impressive to have four young Group winners on the board by this stage of the season, all of whom seem to be progressive types. Hiking his fee from €25,000 to €100,000 was a bold move even allowing for the favourable impression created by No Nay Never’s first two crops. But breeders seemed to agree and the Coolmore stallion benefited accordingly with a book or mares vastly superior to what he had previously attracted.Moreover, moving him up to €175,000 a year later has resulted in even more top-class pedigrees among his current yearlings. So there will be plenty of high prices paid for his yearlings this autumn, while it is unlikely there will be many sold for as low as the €40,000 that Jeff Smith paid for Alcohol Free as a foal. The good news for potential buyers is that all of No Nay Never’s best ten racehorses ranked by Timeform rating have been sourced at public auction, including Little Big Bear, who was a €320,000 Goffs graduate.
Now sire of 62 stakes horses and 35 stakes winners, No Nay Never’s stakes winner strike-rate is 9.1% from runners, again an excellent score for a sire that plies his trade at the ultra-competitive speed end of the stallion spectrum. For good measure, this score is well ahead of the 5.3% achieved by his progeny’s siblings. Even more impressive is his strike-rate from elite mares, which stands at 12.2% stakes winners and 8.2% Group winners. Given that there are many more such well-bred horses in the pipeline, No Nay Never’s future looks very bright.
Now with five crops at the races, Coolmore’s No Nay Never looks set to carry on the high standards set by other veteran speed stallions such as Oasis Dream, Invincible Spirit and Dark Angel, who have ruled the roost for the past decade. Like Oasis Dream – and indeed many other speed sires – this fast son of Scat Daddy is capable of getting the odd high-class horse beyond a mile, but it is the quality of his progeny performances at up to a mile that really stand out.
Out of this WORLD27-28September2022 The Irish National Yearling Sale is packed full of world class yearlings as more Irish breeders send a greater share of their best to Goffs. 511 lots headed by 11 from the penultimate crop of the legendary Galileo. 001833No:LicencePSRA
”Other owners will relate that there is so much more to owning a racehorse than simply winning. Winning is the icing on the cake. It’s been a pleasure to share with people what Siggy means to me.”
Sigurd with students at Ilkley Grammar School in West Yorkshire
When owner Liz Verity first walked into a care home with her three-time Wetherby winner Sigurd, she admits feeling a little anxious.“He’s so easy to deal with, he’s always in a good mood and absolutely charming to have around, but I did think will he cope with this? Well, he did, admirably.”
“People were suffering from loneliness, isolation or mental health issues. These wonderful horses offer us so much more than simply winning races; they put smiles on people’s faces and can genuinely help improve their mood,” Jo explained. “It’s also an opportunity for people to come and see how much we love and care for our racehorses – which is what National Racehorse Week is all about.”AsSiggy’s owner, Liz was extremely supportive of the idea from the get-go. Accompanying Jo and groom Dawn on his visits out into the community, she enjoys talking with residents and young people about the experience of owning a racehorse and what Siggy means to her. Jo said of Liz’s support: “As an owner, Liz is tremendous – she’s backed us all the way. She understands horses and knows that we wouldn’t be doing it with him if he wasn’t right for it or he wasn’t enjoying it.”
Introduce a friend to National Racehorse Week As part of National Racehorse Week we are encouraging racing fans to ‘Bring A Friend’ and introduce somebody new to the sport of horseracing during the week-long festivities, which are taking place from September 10-18.
Based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, his trainer Jo Foster first had the idea to use racehorses to give back to the community after seeing the effects of the pandemic on the local area.
Profiling Sigurd and his owner ahead of National Racehorse Week
60 THE OWNER BREEDER ROA Forum The special section for ROA members
Now the face of this year’s National Racehorse Week in recognition of his work engaging the local community, Sigurd – known as ‘Siggy’ – is proving that racehorses are about more than elite performance on the racecourse.
Chris Hughes, who is a racehorse owner and ambassador for National Racehorse Week, recently visited Jackdaws Castle, home of Jonjo O’Neill Racing, to show his friend Danny, who has never been to a racing yard, what goes into caring for and training a racehorse. As we know, this element of horseracing is often a mystery to those outside the sport, and we encourage owners to get involved in the initiative and introduce their friends to the events up and down the country to help share the thrill of ownership and show how well racehorses are looked after during and after their racing careers.
‘He’s more than a racehorse –he changes people’s lives’
“It can be a tough day, but it’s very moving,” said Jo. Liz agrees and hopes that Siggy can carry on his ambassadorial role in the community long after his racing career comes to an end. She also hopes to see him go on to compete in dressage and other equestrian sports.
Malton and Epsom open days
The owner/trainer collaboration has touched multiple generations through their sustained effort over the past two years. Visits to schools have sparked interest in the sport and Jo now takes on regular apprenticeships from local students at the yard. Equally impactful, a recent trip to a care home as part of Great British Racing’s launch of National Racehorse Week saw a resident who had not left the home for five years take his first steps outside on hearing the news a racehorse was at the door.
National Racehorse Week will feature over 180 venues across the UK opening their doors to showcase to the public the fantastic care that racehorses receive across their lives. Visit nationalracehorseweek.uk to find out more and get involved using the hashtag #NationalRacehorseWeek.
Each year Malton and Epsom open their doors and welcome the general public to offer a fantastic insight into what goes on behind the scenes at a racing yard. As well as the opportunity to meet an array of equine heroes it also raises money for Racing Welfare, the charity that supports the horseracing industry’s workforce. This year both open days take place on Sunday, September 11 and coincide with National Racehorse Week. Racing Welfare are kindly offering ROA members a 20% discount on the admission prices for both of these open days. Log into the ROA members’ area and collect the discount code from the discount code area. The code can be used for online bookings when https://www.epsomopenday.co.uk/https://www.maltonopenday.co.uk/visitingand
Lissa Lowrie with her dressageStanleyhorse
contact details:
Annual General Meeting on September 15
The meeting will include a section dedicated for Q&As –should you wish to submit a question please email info@roa. co.uk before Monday, September 12. A copy of the annual report and financial statements has been emailed to members. This was sent from Civica (CES). This email included details on how members can vote for the resolutions pertaining to the 2021/22 AGM. Should anyone not have received this or would like to receive a printed copy please email info@roa.co.uk. A copy of the annual report is also available to view on the ROA’s website.
Scenario 1 –owner is not VAT-registered Scenario 2 –owner is VAT-registered
Income
New
Calculations
A number of owners have contacted ROA VAT Solution with the same query recently: I’m registered for VAT but have won prize-money and now owe money to HMRC. Is it worth being VATregistered?Onface value, it may appear that a VAT return that results in owing HMRC money is not ideal. However, this is the measure of a profitable operation and as the table alongside demonstrates, is still a favourable position to be in than not being VAT-registered. Here we have two scenarios where the only difference is being VATregistered or not. Here the owner is in a position where prize-money has exceeded expenditure. Even though it results in a payment to HMRC due to success, the overall position shows it is beneficial to be VAT-registered: Despite initially owing HMRC £1,000 in the above example, the reclaim of £400 back from HMRC by being VATregistered results in the owner being £400 better off. This is chiefly due to the fact that VAT is added to prize-money received for qualifying horses owned by VATregistered owners. After payment to HMRC the prize-money received is the same value. VAT-registered owners then benefit by reclaiming VAT on their racing expenditure.
Prize-money received: £5,000 To pay HMRC: £0 Received: £5,000
THE OWNER BREEDER 61 www.roa.co.uk • 01183 385680 • info@roa.co.uk @racehorseowners RacehorseOwnersUK Racehorseownersassociation
WELCOME LISSA!
Prize money received: £6,000 (inc. ToVAT)pay HMRC: £1,000 Received: £5,000 Expenditure Racing fees: £2,400 (inc. VAT) To reclaim from HMRC: £0 Racing fees: £2,400 (inc. VAT) To reclaim from HMRC: £400
Lissa Lowrie has joined the ROA as Head of Finance. Lissa is a chartered certified accountant, with a career spanning over 20 years, and has held senior finance roles at BP, Dyson and Hiscox. She has successfully operated at a senior level with accountability for managing substantial budgets. During her career Lissa has also delivered many complex projects, including process improvements, project investment and financial reporting. Lissa is an accomplished equestrian with a passion for dressage. Lissa’s current horse, Stanley, has won several regional titles and had regular top-five placings at the National Championships.
The 78th Annual General Meeting of the Racehorse Owners Association will take place on Thursday, September 15 at midday. The meeting will be held online and hosted by President Charlie Parker and Chief Executive Charlie Liverton. A webcast with live streaming will be available to allow members to join the meeting. Details will be sent to all members in advance of the meeting. If you require login details, please email info@roa.co.uk.
Receipts: +£5,000 Receipts: +£6,000 Expenditure: -£2,400 Expenditure: -£2,400 HMRC: nil HMRC: -£600 Total: £2,600 Total: £3,000
ROA:
Ask the why should I be registered for VAT?
“I just love her so much and to see her racing brilliant”is
“We have got five in training. Masterpainter, who’s two, and another couple of two-year-olds, Roaring Ralph, he’s a half-brother to Sandrine, the Kirsten Rausing filly, and Boy Douglas, by New Bay. He’s not run yet as we speak, we’re just waiting for easier ground. And we’ve got A Boy Named Ivy. As soon as we get soft ground, he’ll be running again. He’s four so we’ll probably go to the sales with him at the
Gale Force Maya looks set to outstay Enable as a prolific winning mare racing on, as owner Frank Lowe reveals to Owner Breeder he intends for her to run next year as a seven-year-old. The daughter of Gale Force Ten – certainly one of the sire’s best performers, if not the best – out of the Galileo mare Parabola has a fine strike-rate, given that she operates in the shark-infested pool of handicap sprinting.Indeed, so well does she continue to do that going up another 3lb after winning the valuable Sky Bet Dash at York elevated her rating to 107. She already had black type, having finished third in the Group 3 Summer Stakes on the Knavesmire a couple of weeks prior, and was beaten just a short-head when runner-up in the Listed Boadicea Stakes at Newmarket last backend. From the time she won on her debut at Newcastle in August 2018, she has carried her owner’s red and yellow silks with distinction, and at the time of writing was responsible for 11 of his 30 winners – she herself has run 36 times, with six seconds and nine thirds helping to propel her prize-money haul to £224,050. Shefollowed her York victory with another second at Listed level, this time in the Flying Fillies’ Stakes at Pontefract. Lowe’s horses are with Michael Dods, who is based in Denton, near Darlington, and speaking a few days after the Sky Bet Dash triumph, the owner says: “Without doubt York was the most magical day so far but we’ve done well at Newmarket and Pontefract too, so I think we’ll try to aim her at those three courses. “Ihad a chat with Michael and we’ve decided we’re going to carry on running her next year. It’s on the proviso that, like this year, she goes up another 9lb nextLoweyear!”is a breeder as well as an owner so will be centrally involved in the writing of Gale Force Maya’s future chapters, and continues: “I’ve got one mare, the half-sister to Gale Force Maya by Bated Breath, she’s in foal to Zoustar.
ConnorSheila,with(sunglasses)Lowe(froml-r)sister-in-lawbrotherKevin,jockeyBeasley,groomLaurenStockdaleandwifeSueafterGaleForceMaya’sYorkwininJuly
“I was looking at retiring Gale Force Maya at the end of this year but the way she’s going, I just love her so much and to see her racing, it’s absolutely brilliant.
Frank
62 THE OWNER BREEDER ROA Forum
Frank Lowe is blown away by his success with Gale Force Maya
MAGICAL MOMENTS
RACECOURSEYORK
September 6 Vintage colours auction (see story for details)
November 3 Welsh Horse Racing Awards
September 30 Stage 1 foal registration deadline for Great British Bonus
Dods is not the only trainer to have provided magical moments for the owner-breeder – Ralphy Boy was with the late Dandy Nicholls to start with, before moving on to Kevin Ryan and then Alistair Whillans, who has been Lowe’s other main handler down the years – but Gale Force Maya would take some topping. Lowe adds: “Ralphy Boy was our first two-year-old and he won his first two races, so we were really pleased with him. They all stand out in a certain way but to be honest Gale Force Maya just kills the lot of them! “She was rated 85 and went up 7lb after winning at Doncaster last April and Michael and myself both wondered if that was the end of it and whether we should turn to breeding. But she’s just proven so versatile – it’s extraordinary.”
September 1 Windsor Discover Shared Ownership Day – see www.inthepaddock.co.uk
November 18-19 Ascot Discover Shared Ownership Day
GoodwoodimpressiveTrillium:winnerat
September 11 Open days at Epsom and Malton
The Tote continues to generously support the ROA’s owner-sponsorship scheme. Horses sponsored by the Tote on the scheme have been enjoying a rare patch of form in recent months. Highlights included Double Or Bubble winning the Abernant Stakes, whilst Trillium captured the Molecomb Stakes for owners Rockcliffe Stud wearing the Tote logo on their colours. The scheme is one of the principal benefits of and enablesROA membershipownerstoregister as a business for VAT purposes. This means that owners can reclaim VAT on their racing activities as well as on the purchase price of their horse. The scheme was initiated in 2004 and in 2021 enabled ROA members to reclaim an estimated £7.5 million of VAT in addition to providing annual sponsorship payments for joining the scheme.
Tote sponsorship
November 25 Northern Racing Awards, Newcastle December 8 ROA Horseracing Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London Diary dates
September 10 Irish Champions Day at Leopardstown – Tote World Pool day
SELWYNBILL
THE OWNER BREEDER 63 end of the year. “I’ve named Boy Douglas after my son’s son. Funnily enough it was his birthday party recently and he had about 40 or 50 people round to his house. They were all asking where myself and my wife were – we were at York. Priorities! Ivy is my mother, and she likes Naminggreys.”horses with his family in mind has been a theme for more than a decade, with Ralphy Boy – named after his eldest son and who he also bred – becoming Lowe’s first winner in 2011, after having been an owner for ten years by that point. Lowe, who started off as an owner on the Flat with James Given and had a couple of jumpers who were placed, got into racing through going to Haydock from about the age of 15 –“racing has been in my blood from an early age,” he says. His business interests these days revolve around high-spec property builder Magnus Homes, while Dods’ yard is about an hour’s drive from where he lives, six miles outside of Carlisle.“They’re so friendly, not just Michael but Carol, his wife, and the staff,” he says. “I go about once every four weeks and will carry on as long as they keep making the bacon butties!”
September 15 Annual General Meeting (join us online)
September 17-18 Henry Cecil Open Weekend (Newmarket)
October 21-22 Cheltenham Discover Shared Ownership Day
October 15 British Champions Day at Ascot –Tote World Pool day
September 10-18 National Racehorse Week
takePiggottformemorialserviceLesterwillplaceonOctober27
The
Save the date –ROA AwardsHorseracing
A service to celebrate the life of Lester Piggott will be held at St Luke’s Church, Sydney Street, Chelsea, London SW3 6NH on Thursday, October 27 at 3pm. to the service and reception following will be by ticket only, as it is likely that more people will want to attend than the family’s chosen church can accommodate. Toapplyfor
64 THE OWNER BREEDER ROA Forum Lester memorialPiggottservice
a ticket please racingtheiratavailableAlternatively,bybypleasebrochureandshadesSecretariat,coloursincludealternativeareto£20,000.toregisterhistoricaltherememorabiliawillOnofdespatchednoteStreet,DimensionServicepleaseSeptembertelephoneyouraddeddimension.co.uk includingemail LesterPiggott@postaladdressandacontactnumberbyWednesday,14.IfunabletoemailwritetoLesterPiggott’sofThanksgiving,AddedEvents, 19RedburnLondonSW34DA.PleasethatticketswillnotbeuntilthesecondweekOctober.TuesdaySeptember6Sotheby’sbehostingitsannualsportingsale.Aspartoftheauctionwillbesixsetsofdistinctiveandcoloursonoffer.Therighttoeachsetofcoloursisestimatedsellintherangeof£2,000uptoTheauctionpresentstheopportunitypurchaseauniquesetsofsilksthatnotavailabletoownthroughanyavenue.SilksavailablethefamousblueandwhitecarriedbyAmericansuperstaraswellassetsincludingraresuchasaquamarine,primrosegold.Forfurtherdetails,ortorequestalistingallthelotsonoffer,contactLisaColeatWeatherbystelephoneon01933440077oremail:lcole@weatherbys.co.uk.allofthelotswillbetobeviewed,andbidon,onlinetheGrahamBuddAuctionswebpage.OwnerswishingtodesignandregisterownbespokesilksmaydosoviathecolourspageoftheBHAwebsite. VINTAGE COLOURS AUCTION
The evening will start with a champagne reception, followed by a three-course dinner with wine before the presentation of theTheawards.ever-popular Chance Band will play until 1am, ensuring racing’s revellers have a night to remember!
The 2022 ROA Horseracing Awards will take place on Thursday, December 8 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. This year is a special anniversary as we celebrate the 40th edition of the awards. Tickets will be available to purchase from October 1. The evening will celebrate the love of racing and recognise the sport’s participants and commemorate their successes over the past 12 months.
Admission
Contact Daniel on 07984 287 254 or Claire on 07714 294 172 Sarsen Farm, Upper Lambourn, www.kublerracing.comBerkshire
Team.toRetrainingimprovementseducation;traceabilitycommitments:anddata;accreditation;communication.onbehalfofRacehorsesbeprovidedbythe Advertorial BritishDutyracing expands initiatives. Aerial shot of the first-class
University.fromdegreeClaire,“WeanalysisofadvocatesKüblerClaireandarefortherolescienceanddataintraining.embraceit,”sayswhoholdsainPhysiologyCambridge“Havingthe additional awareness, gives you a greater understanding,” she asserts. Coming from a non-racing background, has allowed Daniel to approach training with a fresh perspective: “You can analyse the conventions. Lots of things are done the way they’ve always been done, and you can normally work backwards and find that the reason they work is because, scientifically, it stacks up. The exciting times are where you look at the science, and you identify a better way.”
“I love reading about sports science and listening to podcasts to get ideas,” he explains. “It’s about looking for winning edges and ways to deliver better care.”
n
“You’re always trying to find ways to help get an edge on the track —to get more winners,” says Claire. “You also want to do the best for each horse so you’re developing a sound horse that can achieve its Danieloptimum.”&Claire purchase yearlings for clients and on spec including horses for the two syndicates they run, Capture the Moment and Diskovery Partnership. They have had good success over the last few years. Stakes horses, great returns from sales to race overseas and tough consistent racehorses who have won multiple times over several seasons. They are great fun and anyone can join - get in touch for more details.
In 2021, the Horse Welfare Funding Review and the management and aftercare segment. The report found that provision has grown organically provide a blend of promotional opportunities for thoroughbreds career. While retraining offered by a mixture of charitable bodies, there assessment, methodology health and welfare provision to forecast and budget The review’s recommendations areas to improve the sector welfare
Daniel
THE OWNER BREEDER 65 THE SCIENCE OF WINNING, AN ANALYTICAL APPROACH TO HORSEMANSHIP
Daniel emphasises “Solving the challenge of selecting and training racehorses requires combining data analysis together with watching and feeling, it’s about having lots of information. “The numbers don’t lie, but still you need the horsemanship,” agrees Claire. Several horses have improved significantly for the switch to Sarsen Farm. Talented and experienced work riders and grooms play a big part in that. “You need skilled riders whose empathy and consistency gives horses confidence, grooms who pick up on the small things that keep horses happy, you add in the data and come up with ideas together as a team,” Claire adds. ‘Winning both the Lycetts Team Champions and Leadership Awards recognised we’ve worked hard to build up a great team of horsemen and women to care for the horses here at Sarsen Farm”
Utilising science allows the Küblers to develop happy, healthy horses— “I’d like to say our horses are very sound and durable,” notes Claire.
The couple’s clients benefit in other ways, too . “Owners enjoy the insights and gain a better understanding as to how horses develop,” she says. An example is how the couple analyse pedigrees. A key tool is Plusvital Genetic Testing. “We like to test each horse fairly early on during their racing career at Sarsen Farm. This allows us to understand what a horse’s likely optimum distance will be. With yearlings and two year olds the results add insight into a horse’s precocity too.” explains “WithDaniel.youngsters it contributes to the individual plan for each horse. The information helps us decide which horses can win early and which will benefit from a more patient approach. It is amazing how often conventional views of pedigrees and optimum race distance can come unstuck when one is looking at a horse on a genetic level.” expands GeneticClaire. testing has played a key part in the winning transformation for several horses whose careers had stalled elsewhere. It is a particularly powerful tool when combined with data such as stride metrics collected during training. It adds an extra layer to the input of the experienced riders at Sarsen Farm. With the yearling sales underway, lots of time is spent analysing pedigrees. The couple utilise data to improve your chance of finding winners at the sales. Alongside their own research some interesting peer reviewed scientific studies also inform their selection criteria. Whilst you can’t run genetic tests at the sales, understanding genetics on a more detailed level is a plus when it comes to helping clients find a horse that matches their ambition. A keen eye developed alongside some of the world’s leading yearling buyers still forms the foundation of choosing yearlings for Daniel & Claire.
Any win in these races will not rule a horse out from running in regular novice hurdles the following season and horses are permitted to run in other juvenile or novice events during the same season. However, any win outside of the Junior NH Hurdles will mean that the horse is not classed as a novice for the following season. All runs in these new races will be subject to assessment by the BHA handicapper and count towards qualification for handicap races. In addition to the 11 races to be run this side of the new year, up to 12 further races are planned between January and April.All races will be eligible for the lucrative Great British Bonus.
Junior NH Hurdle races schedule
The new series kicks off at Ffos Las
on October 9 Date Racecourse Oct 9 Ffos Las Oct 15 Newton Abbot Oct 28 Wetherby Nov 9 Bangor Nov 15 Fakenham (f only) Nov 21 Kempton Nov 25 Doncaster Dec 4 Huntingdon Dec 15 Exeter Dec 20 Ludlow (f only) Dec 22 Ayr
66 THE OWNER BREEDER TBA Forum
The flagship course, held over three days, covers a range of topics that have been selected to provide a comprehensive overview of general stud management. Starting from the very beginning in the selection of mating plans and understanding genetics, the course covers the care of the broodmare and foal from conception to the yearling stage, the management of barren and maiden mares, and the managing of stallions andDelegatesteasers. will have the opportunity to get to know each other better over dinner while included as part of the itinerary are visits to a stud farm and veterinary practice for a behind-thescenes look. The course fee for 2022 is £420 (including VAT) for TBA members, and £540 (including VAT) for nonmembers and includes dinner on the first evening, lunches and refreshments. It does not include accommodation and other meals which will need to be arranged separately.Adiscount is available for group bookings of four or more delegates.
December's three-day course will take in visits to a stud and veterinary practice Following the announcement earlier in the year of the introduction of the Junior National Hunt Hurdles, the BHA has published the programme of races for the rest of the year.
All races, which will be run at Class 4 level, are for three-year-olds only which have not run in any race prior to October 1, 2022, have not run in a Flat race and have not run in more than three previous hurdles.
The TBA Stud Farming Course will take place at the British Racing School on December 6-8.
Save the date: TBA FarmingStudCourse
The TBA offers a bursary scheme for individuals who require support for educational courses or CPD activities. Visit the TBA website or contact Melissa Rose (melissa.rose@thetba. co.uk) for further information. More information on the course will be available on the TBA website in due course. To register your interest in booking a place please contact Alix Jones on 01638 661321 or email alix. jones@thetba.co.uk.
The special section for TBA members
Stud staff
Bearstone Stud Culworth Grounds Fittocks NewsellsStudPark Stud Chapel Stud Far WindmillGlanvillesWestfieldStudFarm
Throughout Racing Staff Week and July the TBA sponsored stud staff parties to celebrate employees and teams for their hard work and success over the previous breeding season. Each stud received a monetary contribution to their parties, a party pack full of games and decorations, as well as branded cookies. celebrated as part of Racing Staff Week
THE OWNER BREEDER 67
Racing Staff Week returned for its sixth year and took place from Saturday, June 25 to Friday, July 1. The week showcased the passion, skill and dedication of all staff across the breadth of the thoroughbred racing and breedingCo-ordinatedindustry.by Racing Welfare, the week includes a range of events and activities which take place all over the country to celebrate the role of racing staff – activities such as rounders, auctions and competitions, BBQs, pool parties and quizzes all aimed to get staff involved.
Smaller owner-breeders, the Keswick family of Rockcliffe Stud, were left celebrating and dreaming following the impressive victory of Trillium against the boys in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, whilst Rocchigiani, bred by Dr Till Grewe, won a second Group 3 of his career in the Thoroughbred Stakes. There was much cause for celebration following the Group 2 Superlative Stakes win of Isaac Shelby for breeder Elaine Chivers, for he is the first foal out of a mare bought for just 4,500gns with Richard Knight.
Nashwa and Hollie Doyle recorded a decisive success in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes
Another smaller-scale breeder to enjoy big results in July was Chris O’Dowd, breeder of Rocket Rodney, who scorched the earth to land the Listed Dragon Stakes.
July witnessed the hottest temperatures recorded in Britain and Frankel was once again scorching up the history books. The Banstead Manor Stud resident reached the notable milestone of 100 stakes winners when The Molly Malone Partnership-bred Emotion took the Listed Chalice Stakes at Newmarket. In total there were six British-bred stakes winners for the 14-year-old and the month opened with an impressive win for the Kirsten Rausing-bred Alpinista, who defied the race being her debut start of the season to take the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in commanding style.
SELWYNBILL
The Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes went to the Chasemore Farmbred Lezoo, providing a first northern hemisphere Group winner for the Tweenhills-based Zoustar. The other Group 3 on the card, the Valiant Stakes, went to the Emily Rothschild homebred Jumbly Completing the quartet was the Godolphin-bred Naval Power, who took the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes for juveniles.Thefollowing week and Goodwood was indeed glorious. The second-day highlight witnessed another Group 1 saunter for Shadwell’s homebred Baaeed, as the four-year-old took out the Sussex Stakes. A day earlier and the Oasis Dream juvenile Marbaan scored in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes. He was bred by Shadwell, as was Alflaila, winner of the Listed Pomfret Stakes at Pontefract.Following three decent runs at the top level, Sandrine (Bobby’s Kitten) took a marginal step down in grade and trip for the Group 2 Lennox Stakes and the Kirsten Rausing-bred came out victorious.
Magnificent month for Frankel
68 THE OWNER BREEDER TBA Forum
First-season sires Cracksman and Havana Grey gained stakes winners. The former, represented by Dance In The Grass and bred by Minster Stud and Ann Dalgety, won the Listed Star Stakes, whilst the latter was represented by Lady Hollywood, winner of the Marwell Stakes. She was bred by D & SL Tanker Transport Ltd. Other Listed winners during the month included the Whatton Manor Stud-bred Grande Dame in the Distaff at Sandown Park, the Highclere Studbred Laneqash (Cable Bay) in the City Plate Stakes at Chester, and the Whitsbury Manor Stud-bred Harry Three in the Prix Kistena at Deauville.
Another three-year-old, McKulick, was victorious in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks. She was bred by Essafinaat. Completing the sextet was the Juddmonte-bred Raclette, winner of the Group 2 Prix de Malleret – also breeders of the Group 3 Brownstown Stakes scorer Marbling (Kingman) – and the Haras de Saint Pair-bred Eternal Pearl, winner of the Listed Aphrodite Fillies’ Stakes. They also bred Sicilian Defense, winner of the Listed Prix Amandine at Deauville.
On the Friday of Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes fixture, breeders of Royal Ascot winners were celebrated by the executive of the track. A day later and all four stakes contests were won by British-breds. The feature event fell the way of the Knox & Wells Limited & Roger Devlinbred Pyledriver. The son of Harbour Watch defeated Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe scorer Torquator Tasso easily for a second Group 1 victory.
A Group 3 winner in May, Quickthorn (Nathaniel), who was bred by Lemington Grange Stud, made just about all the running to win the Group 2 Prix Maurice de Nieuil on the Bastille Day undercard at Longchamp.
Having won the Prix de Diane the previous month, Nashwa doubled her top-level tally with a good win in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Goodwood for owner-breeder Imad Al Sagar.
Results up to and including July 31. Produced in association with GBRI.
A further Group 2 winner at Newmarket’s July Festival was the Godolphin homebred Yibir (Dubawi), winner of the Princess of Wales’s Stakes. The Hascombe & Valiant Studsbred Mighty Ulysses (Ulysses) won the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. Racing returned to Saratoga in upstate New York and the Grade 1 Diana Stakes was won in fine style by Dubawi’s daughter In Italian. The same day, but at the Curragh, Ladies Church, bred by Dukes Stud and Overbury Stud, finished fast and late to win the Group 2 Sapphire Stakes.
The Bearstone Stud-bred Raasel (Showcasing) gained a maiden Pattern win in the Group 3 Charge Stakes before later in the month going down narrowly in the Group 2 King George Stakes at Goodwood.
RACING HOME: a parenthood and family life resource for all industry participants
Project WORMS (which stands for working to overcome resistance and make for a sustainable future) has launched an initiative that aims to encourage dialogue between veterinary surgeons, stud owners/ managers and sports/leisure horse owners/keepers, in order to preserve the efficacy of the anthelmintics available and maximise welfare. The starting point of the project is a questionnaire relating to what breeders are doing to currently control internal parasites:
The Ascot executive warmly welcomed many of the winning breeders from this year’s Royal Ascot at a lunch hosted on the Friday of the King George weekend. The annual lunch was being held for the seventh time and many thanks go to Chairman Sir Francis Brooke and the executive for such an initiative.
The Racing Home portal is a new online platform providing guidance to employees, employers and the selfemployed working in the racing and breeding industry on all matters relating to motherhood and parenthood. The culmination of extensive research and consultation with industry participants, the Racing Home site has been developed as part of the wider Racing Home project initiated by Women in Racing and Simply Racing, and is funded by the Racing Foundation, Kindred Group and the Alborada Trust. The platform offers easy access to information on maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave, flexible working and more to provide comprehensive support for industry participants trying to balance parenting with working in racing. Equally importantly, it contains a wealth of information to enable employers to offer the right support to working parents, which in turn is good for retention and recruitment.TheRacing Home site is a vital point of reference for everyone involved in the industry and can be found at racinghome.org.uk.
facedSurgeons,studOctober.Thissurveymonkey.co.uk/r/WORMSstud.www.surveyclosesattheendofCamillaScott,amemberoftheteamatRossdalesVeterinarysaid:“Studmanagersarewithanumberofchallenges including maintaining appropriate stocking densities, dealing with an often transient horse population, and managing multiple different age groups of horses on the same grazing.
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Project launchesWORMSinitiative
“Foals and weanlings are particularly susceptible to parasites prior to developing immunity and the potential for clinical disease is a real concern. Add to this the increasing reports of anthelmintic resistance on stud farms – now is the time to act.”
There will be a range of activities for racegoers, including competitions, interactive displays, interviews with breeders, giveaways and trade stands. TBA members are entitled to two complimentary admittance tickets with a valid membership card – associate members are required to state their TBA number on entry. For more information visit the events page of the website.
Meet The Team –
In a partnership between the TBA and the Irish TBA, guidelines for the sale of thoroughbred breeding and young stock at public auction were published ahead of the yearling sales. The guidance, which aims to help new entrants navigate the sales preparation and selling processes for optimum equine health and welfare, were produced in consultation with industry participants and the support of both Goffs and Tattersalls.Theguidelines are available digitally and can be found on the TBA website.
Great British Bonus – Stage 1 deadline reminder
There is an afternoon of racing at the Esher track after lunch where the second Breeders’ Day will also be staged.
TURNBULLCAROLINE
70 THE OWNER BREEDER TBA Forum AGM & Breeders’ Day
HMRC transportationamends rules
Attendance at the event is free but booking is required – you can confirm attendance via the events section of the website or by emailing alix.jones@thetba.co.uk.
Favourite time of the day: Early morning Define yourself in three words: Tolerant, loyal, disorganised Favourite drink: Tanqueray gin with tonic, lots of ice and a slice of orange
Job title: Industry Education and Retention Manager
Interests away from work: Walking, birdwatching, photography, reading non-fiction
Favourite racehorse: Desert Orchid Place always wanted to visit: Alaska Switch lives for a day with: Any female wildlife film maker
Copies of the annual report and minutes of the previous meeting, plus the AGM notice and proxy form, are available within the members’ area of the TBA website.
Stage 1 registrations for 2022-born fillies close at the end of September and full TBA members are given a £200 discount, bringing the cost of registration down to £200 per filly. As soon as a filly is registered and passported by Weatherbys she will be available to be registered to the scheme via www.greatbritishbonus.co.uk. Late registrations are strictly prohibited and should you want more information or have an issue please contact Charlotte Newton (info@greatbritishbonus.co.uk).
The TBA’s AGM will take place on Wednesday, September 14 at Sandown Park from 10am. In addition to the formal matters of the meeting, the event will include presentations on the TBA’s workstreams and a keynote speech from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Minister for Rural Affairs), Lord Benyon.
datesDiary Thursday, September 1 South West Regional Day
A morning at Emma Lavelle’s Bonita Stables and an afternoon at the Vigors’ Hillwood Stud Wednesday, September 14 Breeders’ Day at Sandown Park
Taking place during National Racehorse Week, breeders are encouraged to join the TBA at Sandown Park, where TBA members can gain free entry to the course – your TBA membership card will be required
Having taken effect from July 11 and following ongoing representations from the Thoroughbred Brexit Steering Group, HMRC has confirmed its rules have been amended and will allow a Freight Forwarder or a Customs Agent working on behalf of the thoroughbred racing and breeding industry to apply for a full temporary admission authorisation.Thiswillmean that thoroughbreds travelling with transporters that have been authorised will no longer need to lodge VAT security for temporary movements.Furtherinformation will follow in due course and members will be notified. HMRC has updated gov.uk accordingly.
Sales guidelines produced by TBA & Irish TBA
Role: Responsible for the TBA’s education activity and employment matters, including recruitment and retention of employees. I collaborate with all sectors of the industry on training, careers promotion and people management such as wellbeing, mental health, and equality, diversity and inclusion
The GBB scheme is the most supportive new innovation for British breeders since I started in the industry.
Breed, buy and race GBB registered fillies GBB is a real financial boost for the owner breeder. James Fanshawe, trainer of ROYAL SCANDAL
If you don’t believe us, here are some of our satisfied customers...
Buy your own killer queen
Over £7 million reasons why More than 600 GBB registered fillies to choose from with sales throughout Britain and Europe.
Ed WhitsburyHarper,ManorStud
The Great British Bonus is a fantastic innovation. Alice Plunkett, ITV Racing GBB has been a game changer for us. Liz Lucas, Swanbridge
The GBB scheme that has already helped the fillies market will continue to have a positive effect and prove popular with buyers. Sara Cumani She’s not our first bonus winner and she’ll not be the last! The scheme really makes a difference and we’ll be looking for more GBB fillies this year.
greatbritishbonus.co.uk Information correct at time of going to press
The Great British Bonus scheme is such a great incentive and selling point for getting owners involved. Tom NewmarketClover,trainer
Rae Guest, trainer
The Great British Bonus gives you a fantastic incentive to buy a British filly for, potentially, a £20,000 bonus for winning one race. Michael Madden, owner
As for Baaeed’s immediate family, there is plenty of anticipation beyond his own stallion career. Gold says: “Aghareed has a Nathaniel two-year-old colt called Naqeeb with William Haggas, a big, long horse who’s going well, and a Night Of Thunder yearling colt who was a fairly late May 20 foal and is a pretty nice horse. She was barren the next year, and she’s now back in foal to Sea The Stars. It would be lovely to get a filly this time.”
Sheikh Hissa’s heavy involvement is further evident in the career of Marbaan.
Baaeed’s subsequent prowess has propelled him to the top of this year’s IFHA world rankings, bringing instant joy to Sheikh Hamdan’s daughter Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum, who took over as head of the Shadwell operation following her father’s death in March 2021.
Baaeed pictured with Sheikha Hissa Hamdan Al Maktoum at Goodwood
SELWYNBILL
Breeder of the Month
Shadwell racing manager Angus Gold recalls: “Looking back at the notes I made in the July of Baaeed’s yearling days, I see that I said he was a goodlooking horse with a great pedigree, from a good family and by a great stallion. But at that stage his dam Aghareed had been relatively quiet, until her fourth foal Hukum started showing his potential. She herself was out of Lahudood, who won the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf and Grade 1 Flower Bowl Invitational and was a Listed winner in France, but, although she had 11 foals and five winners, only Aghareed achieved winning black type.” Gold adds: “John Hammond trained Aghareed in France and he had her first foal. Owen Burrows had the second, Kasbaan, who was sold as a four-yearold to owners of Mick Appleby; the third was an unraceable filly who had terrible leg problems and was never going to stand“Thentraining.came Hukum, and Owen Burrows has since also had the threeyear-old Zaghaareed, a filly by Intello who’ll never run. In between, of course, came Baaeed. He was always a slightly neater horse than Hukum, a good individual who, although you look at him now as a real quality horse, went through a plain stage, as so many do at the backend of their yearling careers. I don’t think anyone ever said he was outstanding at that stage but he was certainly one of the better yearlings that we had.”
Gold explains: “After Sheikh Hamdan died, we had to sell a lot of yearlings, but Sheikha Hissa wanted to give some to her uncle Sheikh Ahmed, and Marbaan, who was always a very nice individual, was chosen to be one of them.”
Gold, who has overseen much of the subsequent rationalisation and downsizing of Shadwell, reflects: “Realistically, we have to say that it’s wonderful for Shadwell that Baaeed has come along so early in Sheikha Hissa’s involvement. It’s extraordinary that in the year that she and her family took on the Shadwell mantle we have a horse as good as this. “As a homebred, Nashwan is a long time ago now, so to come up with Baaeed is both remarkable and fortuitous. It must help Sheikha Hissa and her family, because they can see this as the culmination of all the work and money and thought that Sheikh Hamdan put into creating and sustaining“ObviouslyShadwell.it’svery sad that he’s not here to enjoy the success but it’s a huge thing for his family and all of us involved with the operation. We may never have another one like him, so we have to savour what we have.”
Sponsored by Manufacturer ofWords Howard Wright BREEDER OF THE MONTH (July 2022)
72 THE OWNER BREEDER
Shadwell Estates Quality usually comes to the surface, as Baaeed, whose comfortable success in the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood prompted Shadwell Estates to be named TBA Breeder of the Month for July, has proved time and time again. His ninth success from as many races preceded a resounding victory in the Juddmonte International at York on his first try over 1m2f, and followed closely on from black-type wins for fellow homebreds Alflaila in the Pomfret Stakes at Pontefract and Marbaan in Goodwood’s Vintage Stakes. All three emanate from families long founded by the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, but Baaeed, by Sea The Stars, takes the premier prize, being a fifth generation produce of Height Of Fashion, whose purchase from the Queen in 1982 created a dynasty highlighted by the great Nashwan.
©Mars, 2022.www.spillers-feeds.com ◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ Charlotte Mitchell charlotte.mitchell@efem.com(East)07776248957 Karon Brown (North & karon.brown@efem.comScotland)07860955719 Kay Scriven (West & kay.scriven@efem.comN.I)07817132678 “We’ve used Spillers for several years now and the overallbehaviour and condition of all of our horses has been second to none. We are extremely happy! Their support andnutritional advice is fantastic and they are always onhand for any advice if or when we need it’” - Adam Kirby & Megan Evans, Vicarage Farm winnersFeedingyourfuture
There is often a desire to pass assets down to the next generation, which can mitigate future liabilities to inheritance tax (IHT). This article considers the CGT impacts of making gifts, which also need to be considered.
What are the immediate issues?
Penelope Lang, Partner at Evelyn Partners LLP, considers the capital gains tax (CGT) consequences of gifting assets and the impact on racehorse owners and breeders.
Where a disposal is made other than ‘by way of a bargain made at arm’s length’ or to a relative, generally a member of the next any generation, any proceeds received are substituted with the market value of the asset at the date of disposal for purposes of the CGT computation.
The relief available extends to the following: Business assets
• Stables • Cottages used by employees
The legislation defines a ‘trading company’ as one that taken in the round does not include ‘to a substantial extent activities that are not trading’. HMRC interpret this as meaning not more than 20%, based on an assessment of:
What reliefs are available to mitigate CGT?
Holdover relief
Capital Gains Tax
Shares in an unquoted trading company are also eligible for holdover relief. If the trading company is a stud, operated commercially, the gain could be held over.
• Staff resource Provided the stud can demonstrate it is trading with a view to profit, the typical assets should work in the company’s favour for the purposes of this ‘trading company’ definition. Issues can arise where the company also holds properties for letting or other investments, which may not be treated as relating to trading activities.
Are you considering passing assets on to the next generation?
The gift of any assets used in a qualifying trade will qualify for relief. For breeders, this could include:
The legislation provides an opportunity to ‘holdover’ the gain realised following a gift, deferring paying the tax on the gain until the recipient sells it at a later date.
• Turnover • Expenditure • Asset base
This can create an issue for the donor as they will have accrued a CGT liability with no cash to pay the tax – otherwise known as a dry tax charge.
For a gain to qualify for BADR, the taxpayer must be able to demonstrate that the disposal is a whole or part of a business, rather than an individual asset.
Business Asset Disposal Relief (BADR) BADR (formerly entrepreneurs’ relief) reduces the rate of tax on the ‘material disposal’ of a qualifying business from 20% (for higher rate taxpayers) to 10%. The relief is available on qualifying gains up to a lifetime maximum of £1million.
Transfers to/from ‘relevant property’ trusts Where an asset is transferred to a trust within the lifetime of the donor, that trust will generally form part of the ‘relevant property regime’. Transfers to and from such trusts carry an immediate IHT charge and therefore any CGT can be held over. This form of holdover is invaluable when planning succession of assets with large unrealised gains that would not otherwise qualify for relief.
Care has to be taken with holdover relief (except with UK land). Should the recipient become non-resident within 6 years, the heldover gain will become chargeable.
The ‘trading’ requirement is broadly the same as that applicable for holdover of business assets, but the business interest must have been owned for at least 2 years prior to the disposal.
If a shareholder owned 51% of the shares prior to gifting 2% to another party, the CGT charge is based upon the open market value of the 2% holding which may be very little. For IHT, the ‘loss to the donor’ will be of greater significance due to the loss of voting control of the company. Making gifts is often a tax efficient method of passing assets to the next generation. Appropriate advice should be sought to ensure no unexpected tax liabilities arise from such transactions.
Evelyn Partners LLP is regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales for a range of investment business activities. Evelyn Partners LLP is an independent network member of CLA Global Limited. See www.clagobal.com/disclaimer. The title ‘Partner’ does not mean that the individual is necessarily a partner of Evelyn Partners LLP. a full list of LLP partners, please refer to Companies House or request directly from us.
Where an asset is gifted into a trust, the gain cannot be heldover if either the settlor or the settlor’s spouse can benefit from the gift in any way at all.
For
Miscellaneous points
over. company’ as This highlights the need for caution before relying on relief for business assets –various restrictions apply that can prevent gains being relieved in full.
The 20% rule that applies to ‘trading’ status for CGT differs from the ‘wholly or mainly’, i.e. over 50%, trading requirement for IHT business relief.
Gifts of horses Where a horse is gifted, the tax position will depend on the status of the horse. The gift of a horse in training will be free of tax in most cases. A horse is a wasting asset for CGT as it has an anticipated life of less than 50 years and therefore is exempt. On the other hand, if a broodmare is gifted she may be treated as stock in the business accounts. If this is the case, to make the gift, she would need to be transferred out of stock at market value which might give rise to a tax charge.
The IHT & CGT rules often interlink with each other. There are, however, a couple of key differences to note.
Provided the asset qualifies for Agricultural Property Relief (APR) at the time of gift, relief is available regardless of whether it was being used in a qualifying trade.
Advertorial Feature www.evelyn.comPenelope Lang Partner, Evelyn Partners t: 01722 431 064 e: penelope.lang@evelyn.com
Agricultural assets
This opens the door to relief for land used for broodmares and unbroken horses.
CGT rules apply the ‘open market value’ in calculating the deemed proceeds of a gift, whereas the IHT provisions follow the ‘loss to donor’ principle. This can create an imbalance between the two taxes where a gift includes an asset where the value decreases disproportionately as ownership decreases. This imbalance is best demonstrated when thinking about shares in a company.
Prevailing tax rates and reliefs depend on your individual circumstances and are subject to change. By necessity, this briefing can only provide a short overview and it is essential to seek professional advice before applying the contents of this article. This briefing does not constitute advice nor a recommendation relating to the acquisition or disposal of investments. No responsibility can be taken for any loss arising from action taken or refrained from on the basis of this publication.
With the yearling sales season clicking into gear, this article will look at the veterinary examination of the yearling. This procedure has evolved over many years into a refined process that includes a thorough clinical examination in addition to endoscopic evaluation of the resting function of the upper airway and appraisal of a standard set of radiographs. Veterinary inspections are performed not only for potential purchasers at the sales ground but also for vendors at home. This can help to identify any potential issues before the yearling is presented for sale. Traditionally viewed as a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ exercise and often a contentious issue, veterinary surgeons now generally attribute risk to particular findings during their examination.
Yearlings may be subject to veterinary inspection prior to taking their turn in the ring
The clinical examination starts following a conversation with the vendor to ascertain if they are going to declare any surgery the yearling may have undergone, and to question if the yearling has had any medications or if they have demonstrated any vices that will be announced from the rostrum pre-sale. The yearling is then examined outside of its stable, paying careful attention to its conformation and action at the walk. All four feet are examined to ensure they are well balanced, of normal size and without significant defects in the hoof wall. The next part of the examination is performed back in the stable. The eyes are examined for a normal response to light, any evidence of damage to the
76 THE OWNER BREEDER Vet Forum: The Expert View
&SUPPLEMENTSEQUINEHEALTHCAREUK: Adam Johnson T: +44 7860 771063 Ire: Lorraine Fradl T: +353 87 2575398 Email: info@foranequine.com www.foranequine.com #OURSCIENCEYOURSUCCESS CONTACT OUR THOROUGHBREDSPECIALISTTEAM: FORSUPPLEMENTINGSUCCESS MUSCLE PREP Readily available amino acids to support muscle development in combination with vitamin E for challenged immune systems, and B-vitamins to support appetite and form. WHEN TO USE: > In yearlings struggling to build topline > When sales prep period is shortened or limited > When appetite decreases with increased workloads > For horses off-form or struggling to recover from exercise Build topline and muscle this prepsalesseason
In the current market we often consider three viewpoints; the trainer who simply wishes to train the yearling, the pinhooker that wishes to represent the yearling for sale as a two-year old at the breeze-up sales, and the purchaser that may wish to sell to foreign markets if the yearling was to win a race.
Veterinary inspection of the yearling at the sales TATTERSALLS
CLINICAL EXAMINATION
The veterinary examination is not a determination of whether or not a given yearling will be a racehorse, but rather a balanced appreciation of any imperfections present and how they may affect the athletic potential of that yearling.Veryfew veterinary findings are definitive and every experienced veterinary surgeon will remember a yearling with a concerning clinical or x-ray finding, or a questionable larynx, that has gone onto perform at the top level. In order to determine suitability, to guide appetite and to place a value on each individual, the veterinary report should be considered by the potential purchaser in conjunction with the physical attributes of the described yearling, its breeding and their aspirations for that yearling.
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Figure 2 A normal throat demonstrating full abduction (opening) of both the left (red arrow) and right (blue arrow) arytenoid cartilages. Multiple raised spots are noted on the pharynx. This is a common finding and is described as pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia
A standard set of yearling radiographs includes images of all four fetlocks, knees, stifles and hocks. To discuss the many pathologies that we observe would be exhaustive for this article, so I have focused on a few of the more commonly identified radiographic abnormalities and their implications on both sale and performance. Stifle cyst Stifle cysts are not an uncommon cause of marked lameness and missed training days in the two-year-old, often requiring surgical intervention to encourage healing of the cystic structure. For this reason, they must be considered moderate to high risk if identified at the yearling stage and will devalue the yearling. Whilst most horses will go onto race, they are often not seen on the track until their three-year-old season.
Knee chip Remodelling of the distal radial carpal bone, the bone from which ‘chips’ in the knee originate, is a concerning finding in a yearling that has not yet undergone training. The risk attributed to these radiographic changes will be dependent upon whether or not the lower knee joint is effused upon clinical examination and whether or not the pathology is likely to settle given a period of turnout following the sale. Knee chips can cause ongoing lameness and require surgical removal. A chip will result in a significant devaluation or may put potential purchasers off the yearling. Whilst most make the racetrack, often in their twoyear-old year, some can be very tricky cases to manage. Hock OCD Osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) fragments are frequently documented in the hocks of yearlings. Thankfully these very rarely cause lameness or missed training days and so have little effect on sales value or performance. Trivial effusion of the hock may be noted during training. This normally resolves following anti-inflammatory therapy.
Most consignors now produce a videoscope to demonstrate the upper airway and the resting performance of the larynx. This has made the vetting procedure much more efficient and prevents yearlings being scoped multiple times prior to sale. The evaluation and grading of the equine throat by laryngeal endoscopy (‘scoping’) is an important component of the pre-purchase examination of any horse destined for the racetrack. Laryngeal endoscopy offers buyers assurance that the laryngeal function of their next purchase is good enough to provide the best chance of achieving their full athletic potential as a racehorse.Examination of the larynx at rest will, to a degree, allow a veterinary surgeon to predict how it will function during exercise. The larynx needs to open really wide during fast exercise to allow the vital flow of air to the lungs, and so oxygen to the muscles, to fuel the enormous energy demands of galloping. Without normal laryngeal airflow, respiration and therefore performance will be Pharyngeallimited. lymphoid hyperplasia, as seen in Figure 2, is a normal finding in yearlings and an indication of their immune response to a host of new infectious agents they encounter as they mature and mix with other horses. This normally settles with age.
The yearling is then observed to ››
LARYNGEAL ENDOSCOPY OR VIDEOSCOPE INSPECTION
Stuart Williamson BVSC MRCVS
Figure 1 (clockwise from above) X-rays showing a knee chip, stifle cyst and hock OCD
By cornea and for the presence of any cataracts within the lenses. Cardiac auscultation is then performed to ensure a normal heart rate and rhythm whilst also listening for the presence of any murmurs. Many yearlings will have a lowgrade murmur that is very unlikely to be of any clinical significance during its racing career, so it is the louder murmurs we are listening for. The clinician will then examine the mouth for evidence of significant jaw asymmetry that may cause dental or prehension issues. External genitalia are examined to ensure they are present and of normal appearance. Finally, the limbs are palpated to ensure free movement without any pain and to ensure all joints and soft tissue structures demonstrate no thickening, heat or effusion that may indicate an underlying issue.
X-RAY INSPECTION
views as a two-year-old or a sprinter. In contrast, we must be strict on a colt that will be racing over longer distances that may have limited residual value.
Grade 1
Movements of both the left and right arytenoid cartilages are synchronised and symmetrical. Full opening of the larynx is achieved and maintained. Grade 2 All the major movements of both the left and right arytenoid cartilages are symmetrical. Whilst full abduction is Expert View Harvey Bell, Head of Bloodstock at Tattersalls, on the yearling sales season
The thud of yearling sale catalogues landing on doormats is a timely reminder that we are entering that busy three-month period in the annual sales calendar. The yearling sales start in France in August and finish in late November in Newmarket. At Tattersalls we begin to think about the annual yearling sales almost as soon as the previous year’s editions have finished. After what we hope has been a successful instalment of auctions, our marketing team will begin to collate material to promote the Tattersalls Yearling Sale portfolio to our clients, with a brochure being sent to prospective vendors in the first few months of each year.
Nominations and entries In January we begin to receive nominations from vendors around the world. The nomination stage is a non-committal stage where vendors will provide Tattersalls with the details of any yearlings which they may wish to sell and where they are to be located during our inspection period. This stage completes in March each year to give us enough time to collate the pedigrees of up to 6,000 yearlings, which are put forward for consideration as we co-ordinate our team of inspectors to arrange viewings. From mid-April to late June, the team hit the road, viewing horses across the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and the USA. Appointments are made, routes are mapped and hotels are booked for what we consider a very beneficial period and an often enjoyable one. In particular, we rarely have the opportunity to sit down and talk to a number of our clients given the pressures of buying and selling often preclude long meetings when most people visit a Tattersalls complex.
››
Harvey Bell in action at Tattersalls, where 2,000 yearlings will be catalogued in October
Vet Forum: The
A grade between 1 and 5 will then be assigned, reflecting how well the arytenoid cartilages have functioned during the examination. Whilst a number of grading scales and therefore subtle variations do exist; overall grades 1 and 2 are passes, whilst grades 3 and below are viewed as weak. Larynges graded at 3 and below may not allow sufficient air-flow at exercise, carry risk for purchase and therefore fail the examination.Thescope result is then discussed with the potential purchaser in relation to each individual and their intentions for them as a racehorse. Subtle allowances may be given for certain types such as a well-bred or a precocious filly that the purchaser
78 THE OWNER BREEDER swallow several times. Upon each swallow, both the left and the right arytenoid cartilages should open symmetrically and completely; this is known as ‘full abduction’. If they are not breathing sufficiently to demonstrate good function, then both nostrils may be occluded by digital pressure from the veterinary surgeon to encourage them to breathe with an increased effort, whilst the veterinary surgeon continues to look through the endoscope. This provides the best chance of full abduction being achieved.
Grading laryngeal function
‘It’s a operation’24/7
A grade 2a is often given for a particularly strong grade 2 throat whilst a 2b may be given for a weaker grade 2 throat.
Each sales company will detail a number of wind conditions in their ‘Conditions of sale’ in the catalogue. These conditions allow for the return of any horse if the specified abnormality is identified, usually in conjunction with an abnormal inspiratory noise heard when the yearling is actively lunged. All of the listed conditions have the potential to adversely affect airflow and without treatment may carry a guarded prognosis for racing. These conditions are laryngeal hemiplegia, a branchial arch anomaly, cleft palate, a chondroma or severe arytenoid chondritis, permanent epiglottic entrapment and subepiglottic cyst(s). Pre-purchase examination allows buyers to make an informed decision on the suitability of the individual for racing or resale.
The sale The Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket will catalogue over 2,000 yearlings in the four books that run during the first two weeks of October. This poses certain logistical challenges for the team, beginning with the arrival of the yearlings. A control office, manned 24/7, manages the process of arrivals and departures and clients are asked to submit various health papers for their lots in advance of arrival in order to expedite entry to the site. Agents, trainers, owners and other prospective purchasers will trawl the sales complex to inspect and shortlist horses which meet their criteria. Many will then be subject to a veterinary inspection (detailed above) prior to taking their turn in the ring. Lots will often make their way to the pre-parade ring some 30-40 minutes before their turn arrives. The crowd assembled here will be closely observing the lots and buyers can often conduct one final inspection. Yearlings will then enter the sale ring and take their turn in front of the auctioneer. This is typically between two and two and a half minutes per lot prior to the gavel coming down in favour of the lot’s new owner. Immediately following this, lots are then escorted to a holding area where they can be subject to various blood tests depending on the purchaser’s preference. These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, clenbuterol, anabolic steroids, bisphosphonates and piroplasmosis. These blood-samples are taken by a team of vets employed by Tattersalls and immediately sent to laboratories for analysis. The results are then confirmed to the various parties following the sale. Finally, and specifically in the case of yearling sales, a wind test will then be undertaken while a horse is still on the premises by a vet appointed by the purchaser. Assuming this is satisfactory, we aim to have a yearling vacate their stable within two hours of selling in order to prepare the box for another lot, ready to be shown to prospective buyers. achieved and maintained this may be slightly delayed, transient asynchrony may be noted or a flutter may be seen, usually by the left arytenoid cartilage.
The skill of trying to identify horses which will change significantly – for better or worse – is something that requires constant honing. Vendors will receive a letter shortly following the inspection to itemise the sale place allocations for the yearlings which have been seen. They are then asked to confirm their sales entries by early July so that the task of producing the catalogues can begin.
Cataloguing The process of catalogue production is an intense period in the Tattersalls office, which begins with receiving pedigree page proofs from our suppliers at Weatherbys. These are then made available to vendors in order to be checked. A number of minor changes are also permitted to these pedigree pages as long as they meet rules set by the Society of Thoroughbred Auctioneers’ (SITA) International Cataloguing Standards Committee (ICSC). Individual auction houses may also have their own cataloguing rules.
During the catalogue proofing period any edits will be viewed by at least two or three sets of eyes to ensure accuracy. Alongside vendorrequested changes the pedigree pages also require regular updating with the latest racing results prior to printing the catalogues. The nature of racing each and every day effectively creates a moving target with regards to catalogueFollowingaccuracy.thecompilation of the pedigrees, the various yearling catalogues are then ordered alphabetically by the name of the dam commencing with a different letter each year. This starting letter changes in agreement with the ICSC. The process of stable allocation then begins. In the case of Tattersalls’ October Yearling Sales at Park Paddocks in Newmarket, a large 2,000-horse/850-stable jigsaw puzzle needsThecompleting.cataloguewill then have one final review and polish prior to being printed and distributed to our worldwide client base.
The allocation of sales is by no means an easy task and can on occasion be a contentious issue. The subjectivity of appraising stock does have its challenges, particularly with the time that will elapse between inspection and a potential sale. Horses can both surprise and disappoint given the physical transformations that can take place in the months subsequent to inspection.
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During the visit the inspector will conduct a physical appraisal of a yearling and submit notes on the yearling’s conformation to our database. The pedigree will also have been considered and the combination of both allows us to suggest suitability for a particular sale in the Tattersalls portfolio, which now extends to nine different yearling sales.
Grade 4 There is consistent asymmetry and the left arytenoid cartilage is not capable of full abduction. Minor movements do occur.
Grade 5
Grade 3 Whilst the left side of the larynx is still capable of full abduction, a more significant and prolonged asymmetry is noted. Full abduction can only be achieved briefly upon nasal occlusion or swallowing.
A completely paralysed throat on the affected side. Specific conditions
Interview: Graham Dench Harris
We try to be selective and our strike-rate under both codes is around 20 per cent. We are mainly jumps, but I like the Flat too and when Postmark won a Racing League race at Lingfield he basically won his training fees for the jumps season, which is what he was bought for. We love bringing on young horses and we’ve done very well in bumpers with the likes of Mullenbeg and Twin Jets. I’d love to have two-year-olds too, but you can’t just have two or three. You need ten of them to bring each other along.
My bankruptcy wasn’t racingrelated. It was personal. The bank always wants to lend you an umbrella when it’s sunny, but they won’t let you have one when it’s raining. I was asset rich and cash poor, and I went from having a £1 million overdraft on my personal account to not being able to borrow a tenner. It was nobody’s fault but mine, but I’d got myself from a standing start with no background in racing to the Premier League – albeit the relegation zone – and if it hadn’t happened I’d have been in the top ten by now. Hopefully I might get there this season, or very close. But to be clear, I wasn’t warned off and my licence was never taken off me. When I went bankrupt I was broke. There was no money salted away. Perhaps I should have walked away and come back when I was financially on my feet again, but racing gets under your skin. Luckily I had good friends who I could manage some horses for, and those good friends are still with me now. It was a constant fight to get my licence back and I had a couple of failed applications.
Knight Salute (left) has been a revelation over hurdles for the Milton Harris stable
However, there’s no doubt that I will stop one day on my terms – not on the way down, but on the way up.
There’s too much self interest in our sport – and I do think there’s too much racing.
80 THE OWNER BREEDER
I promised myself when I came back that when I left again it would be on my own terms. I actually came close to stopping during that long delay for the photo and then the stewards’ enquiry after we won the Grade 1 at Aintree with Knight Salute. That day I felt that I’d achieved what I set out to do, but I’ve got an obligation and a loyalty to those owners and staff who have seen me through to this point.
In an increasingly difficult financial climate when even long-established trainers with solid reputations are being forced to the wall, Milton Harris is among a handful who are bucking the trend by thriving. Harris has had a colourful career, for having mixed with Hollywood stars Cary Grant, Stewart Granger and Dorothy Lamour during a decade or so working on cruise ships in his twenties, his first spell as a trainer ended in bankruptcy. The battle to get his licence back was long and frustrating but since resuming from new premises in Sutton Veny in 2018 he has gone from strength to strength. His career-best 56 winners in the last jumps season included a first Grade 1 at Aintree and he is also starting to make his mark on the Flat.
The sooner you realise life isn’t fair the better, whether you are a racehorse trainer or a plumber. My seven or eight years in the wilderness have acted as a real spur. I keep fighting and maybe there’s an element of sticking two fingers up to the bureaucracy. You wouldn’t do this job if you weren’t passionate about it. My work ethic is good and I’ve bought well, but most importantly I have excellent staff. Like most of us, I wish I was ten years younger with the knowledge I now have. I’m not whiter than white – but I believe that everybody deserves a second chance. I’m involved in an experimental scheme with an owner who has a large company which does prison rehabilitation, predominantly for women. Racing is struggling for staff, and when offenders are released the Prison Service struggles to find them employment and accommodation. Racing can provide both. The idea is to talk to young, lowgrade offenders and get them six to eight weeks of in-house training from an equine expert. If they show enough initiative and enthusiasm, they can then go on to the British Racing School or the equine world and find a fresh purpose in life.
Some tracks are better than others – I’m thinking Fakenham, Ludlow and Stratford, for example, the independents who put in their own money – and we should support them. We have to race Saturday and Sunday, as that’s our best chance to get the public in, but I don’t for the life of me know why we have to race every Monday and Tuesday. Couldn’t we give staff and jockeys a quiet day or two?
The Finish Line with Milton
We came back with eight horses and two members of staff, and I was mucking them out and washing them down myself. We’ve gradually built things up, but if I’m a better trainer now it’s probably because I’m a better delegator. Tony Charlton, my senior assistant, has been in racing all his life, but under him are a lot of very good young people, mostly girls who arrived with no experience. In the last 18 months we haven’t had a single sick day, and I’m so proud that they feel that they are part of something. I think not having a racing background has been an advantage. I don’t have preconceived ideas and I’m always looking for an angle. I’ll train for anyone, so long as they are straightforward, and we treat everyone the same. Remember, it’s probably harder for the owner who spends £200 a month than it is for the man who spends £20,000 a month.
There are probably too many trainers, too. Too many are just doing it as a hobby, and I don’t see it as a hobby. At the other end of the scale, I don’t think it’s healthy for the sport to have so much horse power concentrated in stables of 200 or 250. Mind you, it’s even harder in Ireland if your name isn’t Willie, Henry or Gordon.
SELWYNGEORGE
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In August, for example: first-crop daughter Highfield Princess won the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest, Rumbles Of Thunder – from his second crop – took the G3 Give Thanks over 12f, while juvenile Mauiewowie won the 5f Curragh Stakes.
Night Of Thunder
Fif th-crop yearlings – conceived for €25k – selling now: at Arqana, two sold for €320k.
namesbiggestTheinthebusiness
The horse who, quite simply, made the best start at stud since Pattern racing began.