Robin Goodfellow’s Racing Tips: Best bets for Tuesday, December 7
Sportsmail's racing expert Robin Goodfellow dishes out his tips for Tuesday's meetings at Uttoxeter, Southwell and Fontwell.
Month: December 2021
Police Raid Rossi Stables In Marseille
The stables of Group 1-winning trainers Frederic, Cedric and Charley Rossi were subjected to police raids in Marseille on Tuesday morning, according to a report by Le Parisien newspaper. Charley Rossi and his wife, the jockey Jessica Marcialis, are reported to have been arrested at the Calas training centre. It is believed that Frederic and Cedric Rossi were also taken away by police.
The four are reportedly among a larger group of around 15 people from the Marseille and Paris regions, including at least one vet, to have been detained by police as part of an ongoing investigation into equine doping and race fixing.
French racing and bloodstock daily Jour de Galop (JDG) has reported that a judicial investigation has been opened and quotes the deputy prosecutor at the Aix-en-Provence prosecutor's office, Olivier Poulet, as saying that a 10-month investigation led to Tuesday's arrests and police search of the training centre.
“The two offences are organised cheating (for rigged horse races) and the administration of doping substances to horses participating in races,” Poulet told the JDG. “For this type of offence, police custody can last four days. The presentation before the judge of those in police custody is scheduled for next Thursday. At this point, we cannot divulge their identity.”
JDG also reports that a number of horses and their documentation have been seized by police from all three stables. The Charley Rossi-trained Droit De Parole (Ire) (Toronado {Ire}) was withdrawn from Tuesday's Quinté at Chantilly.
The Rossi family has long been at the forefront of racing in the south of France. Frederic's father Henri Rossi was a leading jockey before becoming a trainer. Frederic and his elder brother Jacques both followed in his footsteps. Jacques, who is no longer training, is president of the Societe Hippique de Marseille, which oversees racing at the two local courses of Borely and Pont-de-Vivaux as well as the Calas training centre, which is home to 27 trainers. Jacques is the father of Cedric and Charley Rossi.
The family has gained wider prominence in world racing in recent years. In 2020, Frederic Rossi, who also has a satellite stable in Chantilly, trained his first Classic winner, the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches victrix Dream And Do (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), as well as G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Sealiway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}). The Arc meeting of 2020 proved a highly successful one for the family, as Charley Rossi landed the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac with Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}), handing Jessica Marcialis a memorable first Group 1 win in the saddle. Third in that same race was Rougir (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), trained by his brother, who would go on to star on the same weekend this year when winning the G1 Prix de l'Opera. Italian-born Marcialis is the sister of former Chantilly trainer Andrea Marcialis, who in March was banned from racing until 2025 having been found guilty of a number of charges including medication violations and running a training operation under the name of another trainer.
On Saturday, Rougir topped the Arqana Breeding Stock Sale in Deauville when sold to White Birch Farm and Coolmore's MV Magnier at a record-breaking €3 million. Shortly before that, the 2-year-old Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), also trained by Cedric Rossi, fetched €2 million and will race on in America for Lael Stable.
Dream And Do has not raced since her Classic success but was sold privately last year to Katsumi Yoshida of Japan's Northern Farm. Tiger Tanaka went through the ring at last week's Tattersalls December Mares' Sale, selling for 450,000gns.
Sealiway was switched from the stable of Frederic to Cedric Rossi this summer and went on to run fifth in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe before winning the G1 QIPCO Champion S. He remains in training and may be aimed at the Saudi Cup in February.
French racing's governing body France Galop released a statement on Tuesday afternoon which read, “France Galop is following very closely the development of the ongoing investigations made public today and has no comments to make at this stage.
“France Galop has the responsibility of ensuring the regularity of races. In this context, it cooperates closely and regularly with the racing centres and the sports division of the National Police.
“The fight against doping is an absolute priority for the racing industry, which devotes an annual budget of €10 million euros to [this cause]. Thus, the equine sector carries out nearly 30,000 anti-doping tests per year, at the races, for horses in and out of training, and in the breeding sector.”
Frederic Rossi is currently lying in fifth in the French trainers' table for 2021 with 94 winners, and Cedric Rossi is in tenth place.
None of the horses in question are known to have tested positive for any banned substance.
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AAEP: Keynote Speaker Urges Veterinarians To Think About, Embrace Generational Differences
Between retirements, fewer veterinary students choosing equine and many of those who do leaving equine within five years after graduation, it is more important than ever for practices to embrace the unique strengths of the different generations within their practice. Doing so, according to keynote speaker Meagan Johnson, will help practices maintain outstanding service to horses and clients as well as facilitate the growth, satisfaction and long-term success of associates and interns.
Summarizing the strengths and work styles of each generation currently in the workforce, Johnson said:
Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) understand the importance of teamwork as the first generation for whom education became an expectation.
Generation X (1965-1980), as the offspring of parents who both worked outside the home, tend to be fiercely independent. They want to be given a task and the necessary tools, then be left alone to accomplish the task.
Millennials (1981-1996) tend to be interested in building their corporate “lattice” instead of climbing the corporate ladder. They value collaboration and want to know their manager is participating in their career development. Beyond feedback, they crave a sense of purpose: more than 85% of millennials who have remained with their employer for at least 5 years were happy with their sense of purpose at work.
Generation Z (1997-2012) is the first digital generation and by far the most diverse. They are values-driven and want to see diversity reflected in leadership. Nearly 60% of Gen Z job seekers rank their organization's social media presence as the reason they accepted the job. In light of that, Johnson recommends practices examine their website and social media to introduce their team, highlight success stories, share letters from clients, post about charity events and more.
Johnson also suggests practice's consider instituting monthly 15-minute conversations with younger employees to help advance skills, improve learning curves and facilitate satisfaction. The conversations should be built around four questions:
1. What's something you're better at now than you were last month?
2. What things would you like to get better at this month?
3. What is your plan for developing these skills?
4. What resources can I help you with?
Similarly, Johnson advises practices to consider replacing an employee's traditional annual review with periodic stay interviews to help ensure their professional growth and satisfaction, discover what they value and would like to improve, and identify any potential impediments that otherwise wouldn't be discovered until the employee's exit interview.
Finally, Johnson stresses the importance of young equine veterinarians feeling as impassioned as practice owners, who can expedite this process by not summarily dismissing ideas and suggestions from associates and new practitioners. Rather, practice owners should first explore how the ideas affect cost, quality, safety and service before making a determination.
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Miller Fined For Third Medication Violation In 365 Days
Trainer Peter Miller, who announced in November he would be taking a hiatus from training, has been fined by the California Horse Racing Board stewards for picking up a third medication violation in 365 days. A ruling issued Dec. 6 revealed that Miller trainee Mr. Dougie Fresh tested positive for pheylbutazone in a post-workout test following a Sept. 13 workout at San Luis Rey Downs.
Miller has been fined $5,500 for the violation and given a half-point on his license in accordance with California's multiple medication violation rules. The half-point will expire in Sept. 13, 2022.
Additionally, the CHRB ruling cited Rule 1866(h) regarding the veterinarian's list, which outlines the requirements for a horse on the veterinarian's list to perform a workout and have blood and urine samples taken for drug testing before being released from the list.
On Aug. 7, Mr. Dougie Fresh was added to the veterinarian's list for five days due to an unspecified medication administration. On Aug. 26, the horse was claimed from Race 3 at Del Mar, but the claim was voided by the state veterinarian and Mr. Dougie Fresh was placed on the veterinarian's list due to unsoundness on Aug. 27.
Earlier this year, Miller trainee Hembree tested positive for isoflupredone after a Jan. 1 graded stakes race, and graded stakes winner Mo Forza tested positive for phenylbutazone after a workout in June.
On Dec. 5, Miller was listed as the new trainer on Manhattan Up, who was claimed out of the eighth race at Oaklawn. The new owner was listed as Tom Kagele.
“Managing a large stable is a 24-hour, 365-day a year endeavor,” said Miller on Nov. 18 regarding his decision to step back from training beginning on Nov. 29. “The effort to compete at the highest level of my profession has taken its toll on my family and my health and I believe this decision is best for me, my family and our future.”
Miller said at the time he would remain involved in racing as an owner and a racing advisor for his owners and assistants.
Mr. Dougie Fresh later returned to the races and won a claiming race Oct. 11 at Santa Anita, followed by a third in an Oct. 30 claiming contest at Santa Anita, where he was claimed by Doug O'Neill. He has since begun working out at Oaklawn.
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