December, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Ascot Projects Tough Times Ahead

Ascot Racecourse has said it does not expect crowds to return to pre-COVID levels before 2022, and in releasing its 2019 financial results on Wednesday painted a bleak financial picture for the next two years in the absence of continued government support.

“Overall, in terms of our long-term financial flight path, we forecast that the Covid-19 pandemic will have set the business plan back at least three years,” said Guy Henderson, chief executive officer of Ascot Racecourse.

Ascot returned a net profit of £7.3-million last year and a rise in turnover and reduced its net debt to £37.9-million, which is ahead of schedule, while making further investment and capital expenditure in racecourse facilities. Looking at 2020 and ahead into 2021, however, Henderson said things would have been extremely bleak this year without the significant government support the racecourse received.

“In 2020 the impact of the pandemic has been significant but mitigated by cushions such as the Government Furlough Scheme, Business Rates Relief and pandemic insurance for racing without crowds,” he said. “That picture adversely changes in 2021 and the business has had to take the appropriate steps to reduce its fixed and variable costs.

“Without our pandemic insurance and the Government support of furlough and business rates relief, our 2020 trading loss would be over £20m. The year will only be overall cash positive due to that support and a very significant reduction in our capital investment programme. 2021 will be much more challenging without such support. Our modelling currently projects a significant figure pre-tax loss in 2021. Whilst the business is robust and remains in sound financial health, the journey back to normality will be gradual and determined by the phasing of public allowed to the races.”

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Racing Welfare Emergency Appeal Hits Target

Racing Welfare’s Emergency Appeal, which was launched when the COVID-19 pandemic hit to make up for the income deficit the charity faced due to the cancellation of its fundraising events, has hit its £500,000 target.

Racing Welfare Chief Executive Dawn Goodfellow said, “I can honestly say that we have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the racing community. The news that we have hit our target is a great boost as we head towards the end of 2020 and is a wonderful reflection of the unwavering support we have received this year. I cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has donated during what has been a tough time for so many. I very much hope everyone in the industry is able to enjoy the festive period and remind anyone who needs support that Racing Welfare remains available 24/7 throughout this time.”

Racing Welfare this week has sent out nearly 600 Christmas boxes to retired racing staff who in normal times would be joining together for Christmas lunches. The charity has also continued its check-in calls and Facebook group, Racing Conversation, to try to combat loneliness and isolation during the pandemic.

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Two Unbeaten Sons Of Speightstown Head Entries For Malibu Stakes

A pair of unbeatens, Bob Baffert's Charlatan and Steve Asmussen's Nashville head a powerful group of probable starters in Santa Anita's Grade 1, $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes at seven furlongs on opening day, Saturday, Dec. 26. Santa Anita's traditional opening day headliner, the Malibu, the final Grade 1 of the year for 3-year-olds, will be run for the 74th time. (The race was run in divisions in 1972, 1975, 1977 & 1984).

Idle since taking a division of the G1 Arkansas Derby by six lengths on May 2, Charlatan was subsequently disqualified from purse money due to a medication violation, so he thus officially has two wins from three starts. Including the Arkansas Derby, Charlatan, who broke his maiden and took a first condition allowance here this past winter, has won his three starts by a combined 22 lengths.

In a performance that had the racing world abuzz on Breeders' Cup Classic Day at Keeneland Nov. 7, Nashville powered to a 3 ½ length victory in a six furlong ungraded stakes, stopping the clock at 1:07.80 and thus earning a solid 102 Beyer Speed figure—two points less than Whitmore's 104 Beyer in the Grade I Breeders' Cup Sprint over the same surface. Heavily favored in three starts, all sprints, Nashville, like Charlatan, is a son of champion sprinter Speightstown. A first-out maiden winner Sept. 2 at Saratoga, he has won all three of his races in gate to wire fashion by a combined 24 ¾ lengths.

Baffert will also be represented in the Malibu by three-time stakes winner Thousand Words, who has been idle since well beaten in the G1 Preakness Stakes Oct. 3.

Mark Glatt's Grade 1 stakes winning sprinter Collusion Illusion is also listed as probable and although he was well beaten by Whitmore when shuffled back early in the Breeder's Cup Sprint, he ran a much better-than-looked race and should give a good account of himself back on his home ground.

Nominations closed Dec. 10 and among those also listed as probable for the Malibu are the John Shirreffs-trained Express Train, Michael McCarthy's Independence Hall and Doug O'Neill's Strongconstitution.

Opening day entries for the Runhappy Malibu and five other stakes, the G1 La Brea, the G1 American Oaks, the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile, the G2 San Antonio and the Lady of Shamrock Stakes, will be taken at Santa Anita on Monday, Dec. 21.

Although there is still no public admittance due to continuing restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, Santa Anita's races can be viewed live at santaanita.com/live and fans can watch and wager on these races via a number of ADW platforms, including 1st.com/Bet.

Special early first post time on opening day is at 11:00 a.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Chronic Pain Can Be Detected In Equine EEGs

Chronic pain is difficult to assess as it involves subjective emotional and cognitive facets. There has been increasing interest in using electroencephalograms (EEGs), which measures brain waves, on resting horses to help determine if the horse is experiencing chronic pain. EEGs have been used as a tool in human medicine to help decipher chronic pain.

Riding horses are prone to chronic back pain; horses that experience this pain show lower levels of engagement and shorter attention spans. Drs. Mathilde Stomp, Serenella d'Ingeo, Séverine Henry, Clémence Lesimple, Hugo Cousillas and Martine Hausberger hypothesized that horses with chronic back pain would have resting-state EEGs that differed from horses that were pain-free.

The researchers fitted 18 horses with a headset and a telemetric recorder. The horses stood in a covered arena while they underwent back evaluations that noted the back's shape and muscular tension, as well as took precise spinal measurements. Thirteen of the horses had surface electromyography (sEMG) exams to measure muscle activity; each horse was monitored for 60 minutes to see if they had any stereotypic behavior.

The scientists found that the horses had consistent EEG profiles over time. Horses that were assessed as having back pain had resting-state EEGs that had more fast waves and fewer slow waves. The study team also linked back tension to the frequency of stereotypic behaviors. They scientists concluded that resting-state EEGs are a promising tool to assess chronic back pain in horses.

Read the full study here.