Month: February 2022

Tony and Anne O’Callaghan Inducted To ITBA Hall Of Fame

The cream of Irish Thoroughbred breeding was recognised on Sunday night, with the headline act being Tally-Ho Stud's Tony and Anne O'Callaghan, who were inducted into the ITBA Hall of Fame.

Last year's ITBA National Breeding & Racing Awards provided one of the bloodstock social media events of lockdown, but after two years of virtual presentations, the prestigious awards ceremony returned to its rightful home of The Heritage hotel in Co Laois.

The O'Callaghans also took home one of the main Flat awards when being named the joint-winners of 2-year-old colt category with Ben Sangster. This was in recognition for breeding Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), winner of the 2021 G1 Middle Park S. and G1 Prix Morny and the co-top-rated Irish-bred juvenile colt along with the unbeaten Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), who landed the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy after winning the G2 Beresford S.

Tally-Ho Stud, based in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, is currently home to seven stallions, among them the much respected Kodiac (GB), as well as Mehmas (Ire) and Cotai Glory (GB), who have been the leading first-season stallions of the last two years. A video produced by the ITBA to commemorate the induction included tributes from the O'Callaghans' two sons, Roger and Henry.

“They've worked hard to get here and everything they've got they've earned,” said Roger. “Mum did the night-watching for 25 years. She did all the foaling–mum did the nights and dad did the days.”

Henry also acknowledged his mother's role is the successful business. He said, “When it's a small operation everyone does everything. My mum was up during the night and when my dad got up she would give him a hand with the feeding. Even now, when we are watching the mares, she has an innate ability to predict when they are going to foal.”

In addition to Perfect Power, who was recognised with an award on the night and is himself by Ardad, a stallion bred by the O'Callaghans, the Tally-Ho team was also responsible last year for breeding the Group 1 winner Ebro River (Ire) by another of their stallions, Galileo Gold (GB). Further success came through the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 July S. winner Lusail (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), as well as Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who won the G1 Commonwealth Cup in addition to her 2020 victories in the G1 Prix Morny and G2 Queen Mary S.

Patrick Burns of Newlands House Stud was recognised with the ITBA Small Breeder Award, with his crowning glory of 2021 being the G1 Nuntorpe S. victory of Winter Power (Ire), a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (Ire) who stands at Rathasker Stud, owned by Burns's brother Maurice.

“Patrick is the epitome of a successful high-class small breeder,” said ITBA chairman Joe Foley. “From the small number of yearlings that he produces every year he seems to produce a really good horse from every crop. That success rate is really remarkable.”

Burns has never had more than six mares on his farm in Kildare, and recent graduates have included the G2 Lowther S. victrix Living In The Past (Ire), who is also a daughter of Bungle Inthejungle, as well as G2 Lanwades Stud S. winner Devonshire (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Listed winner Hurryupharriet (Ire) (Camacho {GB}).

Another hugely popular category is the Wild Geese Award, which honours Irishmen and women who have carved out successful careers in the bloodstock industry worldwide. Added to an impressive roll of honour this year are the names of Gabriel and Aisling Duignan. Based in Kentucky for more than 30 years, Gabriel 'Spider' Duignan is a founding partner of Paramount Sales, along with his fellow Irishman Pat Costello. Aisling Duignan, née Cross, is Coolmore's director of bloodstock at Ashford Stud.

Addressing the couple via the ITBA's video tribute, John Magnier said, “Spider, I knew you were clever from the time you were working and did so well for Tony Ryan, but when you got married to Aisling that confirmed how clever you were.”

He continued, “I remember Aisling from the time she was a kid really, leading out the mares in all kinds of weather and dressed up in this rain gear so you could hardly find her, but she always stood out and it's not a surprise to me that she has reached the heights that she has.

“She has been the utmost help to all of us. She keeps everybody on the straight and narrow and keeps everybody's morale up.”

The Special Recognition Award was presented to Julian Lloyd, a former trainer with rock star Eric Clapton among his owners, bloodstock agent, and, until his retirement last year, the manager of Kirsten Rausing's Staffordstown stud in Ireland. 

“I think he is defined by his enthusiasm for all matters racing and breeding, and also his professionalism, attention to detail, and great horsemanship in general,” said Rausing, who met Lloyd when they both worked for Captain Tim Rogers at Airlie Stud. 

“Julian, Paddy Moloney and I were the three that started up Staffordstown in early 1991, so Julian and I have been working and establishing Staffordstown with Paddy for exactly 30 years.”

The Grassick family's Newtown Stud and Tim Pabst received the award for breeding the top-rated Irish 2-year-old filly of 2021 in Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who is now owed by Katsumi Yoshida after selling for a million gns at the Tattersalls December Mares' Sale. 

In the 3-year-old filly division, the award was also shared, this time between the Gaffney family's Churchtown Horse Stud, breeders of Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never), and Tom Cooke's Thomastown Farm, which bred French-trained sprinter Suesa (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}). Godolphin received the 3-year-old colt award for their Derby and King George winner Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

Brothers Michael and Laurence Gleeson, young pinhookers based at Aughamore Stud in Co Westmeath, were recognised with the Next Generation Award. Among their early successes has been Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), who was bought by the brothers as a foal for €12,500 and sold on for €28,000 to Johnny Murtagh, who trained her to win the G1 Matron S. 

ITBA Award winners for 2021

Small Breeder
Patrick Burns, Newlands House Stud

Special Recognition
Julian Lloyd

Next Generation
Michael and Laurence Gleeson

Novice Hurdler
Appreciate It
Breeder: Barmakin Ltd & South Lodge Stud

Novice Chaser
Shishkin
Breeder: C J & E B Bennett

Leading National Hunt Mare:
Colreevy
Breeder:  Niall Flynn

Hurdler
Flooring Porter
Breeder: Sean Murphy

Chaser
Minella Indo
Breeder: Mrs R H Lalor

2-Year-Old Filly
Flotus
Breeder Newtown Stud & T J Pabst

2 -Year-Old Colt – Joint award
Luxembourg
Breeder: B V Sangster

Perfect Power
Breeder: Tally Ho Stud

3-Year-Old Filly – Joint award
Alcohol Free
Breeder: Churchtown House Stud

Suesa
Breeder: Thomastown Farm Ltd

3-Year-Old Colt
Adayar
Breeder: Godolphin

Wild Geese
Gabriel and Aisling Duignan

Contribution to the industry
David Minton

Hall of Fame
Tony and Anne O'Callaghan

The post Tony and Anne O’Callaghan Inducted To ITBA Hall Of Fame appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Global Views: Foaling Outside A New Norm?

Foaling inside has been the go-to method across many equine industries around the world. For decades this practice has been the norm, while the natural act of foaling outside is often something farms work to avoid; often the weather doesn't make foaling outside practical, and as managers we try to do what's best for these new foals by aiding in delivery and getting them a good start in life. However, when a new strain of Rotavirus ravaged farms across central Kentucky in the spring of 2021, foaling outside became a tool that a few farms used with great success.

In early 2021, several farms found their hands full with foals experiencing extreme bouts of diarrhea. Foals became lethargic and suffered from dehydration due to the severe diarrhea. What made this new strain so dangerous was that the vaccine for Rotavirus A didn't protect against the new Rotavirus B strain,

which prior to March 2021 was undiscovered. This viral disease had the contagiousness of Rotavirus A, which made biosecurity protocols very difficult to implement at farms due to labor shortages and the ease of carrying viral particles from place to place. Due to this, standard foaling protocols, including disinfecting stalls, isolating horses, and even moving barns, were sometimes not enough to stop the virus. Thus, the virus spread quickly, and infected foals failed to respond to treatments other than intravenously administered fluids and electrolytes. Veterinary clinics became overwhelmed by the number of foals and lacked the space to safely quarantine them within their facilities. Farms found their workforce spread thin as they tried to manage the rising number of sick foals.

Gerry Duffy, the Stud Manager at Godolphin's Stonerside Farm in Paris, KY explained how dire the situation became at his farm.

“The foals were getting diarrhea within 36 hours of birth,” he explained.

As more foals fell ill, horses were quarantined and fluids were run into sick foals, but the numbers kept increasing. As with many farms, staff became weary and disheartened. After trying new barns, using PPE, and increasing biosecurity, the only thing left to try was foaling outside. The idea came from the advisement of veterinarians and from conversations with other farms that were having similar experiences.

“We found that going outside broke the chain,” Duffy said. “It all comes down to biosecurity. You don't get the concentration of bacteria and viruses outside like you do inside a stall.”

When Stonerside made the switch to foaling outside, the spread of the virus stopped almost overnight. If it was dry and the temperature was greater than 35 degrees, every foal would be born outside. Ultimately, about 70% of foals born at Stonerside in 2021 were foaled in this manner.

Ben Henley, Airdrie Farm's general manager, went on to highlight some of the unforeseen consequences of the change.

Henley said they saw a difference in foals regarding mental and physical health. “You're often keeping the foal inside for a few days for up to a week due to leg issues, including stuff like contracted tendons or relaxed tendons,” he said. “We found that having them out the whole time that those things kind of rectified themselves a bit quicker.

“Additionally, there was an improvement in mares. The mares were a lot more relaxed being out the entire time. There wasn't that anxious moment of letting the mares and foals go and

watching them run around.”

But perhaps the most notable improvement was that of their health and recovery. When they were allowed to move freely about a paddock after foaling, the mare's uterus cleaned out more quickly, resulting in less management of the mare and veterinary intervention.

Given Henley's background in working on studs in Australia and Europe, the transition to foaling outside was not foreign to him. Furthermore, it's something Airdrie was already accustomed to.

“We have foaled outside in the past on several occasions, whenever we had an outbreak and you needed that separation,”

he added.

Ultraviolet light may kill the virus, so foaling in a natural environment seemed to be the logical next step.

Infrastructure is critical for safe mare monitoring and foaling. Airdrie boldly invested in infrastructure to make the transition to outdoor foaling more permanent. Flood lights were installed to illuminate the outside space, paddocks were put up, and an even larger paddock was split to provide a space for foals less than a week old. Beyond UV light, the elements of nature helped break down and clean foaling sites. As an added precaution, paddocks are rested for several days to prevent viral and bacterial loading of the foaling paddocks.

Duffy commented on the cleanliness of nature, and said, “There's less clean up required. In about two days there's no trace of where the foaling occurred in the paddock. The foals also seem to stand better, they can get traction on the ground and they're not swimming or tripping up in the straw.”

Duffy stressed biosecurity, saying that paddocks are rested and sparingly used to ensure the sites are clean and the mares are foaling on fresh ground to prevent a buildup of bacteria and viruses. In addition, foals are checked by a veterinarian on day one; and the handling is kept to a minimum during the first seven days while the foals' immune systems are the most naive.

Foaling and rearing outside has already resulted in a few positive outcomes, including a lighter workload on staff, improved health in mares, and some farms have even noted better attitudes in their horses. I challenge you to open your mind to what may happen in years to come with these young horses and future foals born and raised outside. Research has suggested that concussive forces play a critical role in developing bone thickness and density, so it could be theorized that something similar may happen when foals are kept outside for longer periods of time. Going forward, more research will be required to assess bone density and thickness in foals and their different stages of life.

Foaling inside will likely remain part of the way farms do things. It allows us to closely monitor mares and foals, intervene quickly as necessary, but most importantly, provide adequate shelter for those mares foaling early in the year when the weather is typically inclement. The shift to foaling outside was a reaction in response to a critical situation that many farms in central Kentucky faced. For some, this was the only way they were able to stop and eliminate Rotavirus B at their farm. However, given the many benefits this change has brought about, it would appear the positive outcome and its consequences are the new norm for some farms in Kentucky. Perhaps one day, foaling outside may become the go-to method for equine industries-racing and non-racing-across the world.

The post Global Views: Foaling Outside A New Norm? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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