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Earthlight Camp Considers Sussex S.

Godolphin’s unbeaten Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal), a winner of the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Middle Park S. as a juvenile, is a potential runner in the upcoming G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood on July 29. Although injury kept him from the G1 French 2000 Guineas, he resurfaced to take a listed race at ParisLongchamp the same day as Godolphin’s champion and MG1SW Pinatubo (GB) (Shamardal) claimed the G1 Prix Jean Prat. The one-mile feature is also the next likely target for G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero Kameko (Kitten’s Joy), G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas victor Siskin (First Defence), MGSW Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), and Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won 2019’s G1 St James’s Palace S. and G1 Prix du Moulin, as well as this term’s G1 Queen Anne S.

“We haven’t totally decided yet,” said trainer Andre Fabre. “He could go to Goodwood, but if not he will go for the G1 Maurice de Gheest [on Aug. 9]. He’s very fast and looks a real sprinter, but I’m convinced that he can go further. I think it was a good decision to split him and Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) up last time and it will be up to Sheikh Mohammed where he runs.”

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UK Gluck to Develop Biological Passport

The Gluck Equine Research Foundation at the University of Kentucky is developing an equine biological passport with the goal of identifying specific biomarkers that will detect drug use by monitoring changes to peptides and protein abundance, and monitor those biomarkers over time, they announced Monday via press release.

In simple terms, an EBP would track biological changes in horses over time. Just like the one introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2009, an equine biological passport would use repeated blood samplings and use biomarkers to detect a horse’s reaction to performance-enhancing drugs as an alternative to traditional testing.

“The goals of this program are to elevate equine research at the University of Kentucky, to serve as a platform to impact policy change and drug testing protocol, and further understand the impact of drugs and medications on Thoroughbred racehorses,” said the release.

The release quoted Dr. Scott Stanley, the Director of UK’s Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory.

“In the last few years we have seen too many negative headlines around equine drug use,” said Stanley. “As a research scientist, with 30 years of regulatory drug testing experience, my team and I know this is a problem we cannot currently solve. We know that it takes time to develop new tests for each new emerging drug, so we will always be behind. We know that each horse metabolizes drugs at a different rate, making standard clearance and withdrawal times confusing. In addition, we know that there are environmental factors, human interactions, and hundreds of other variables that can impact our current drug testing procedures. The EBP program is a tool that will enable us to rapidly identify new drugs and measure the physiological effect on the equine athlete. These data will be critical in differentiating between intentional doping and accidental contaminants, which can smear the industry image and damage reputations.”

Stonestreet Farm announced they would be major participants in the funding of the program.

“At Stonestreet. we are proud of our integrity, our commitment to a level playing field and our focus on the health of the horse above all else,” said Stonestreet’s owner, Barbara Banke “An equine biological passport will give us a comprehensive program that provides full transparency for both competition and out-of-competition testing, for every stakeholder. Stonestreet will contribute $100,000 toward this project and I encourage all stakeholders, trainers and owners alike, to consider a tax-deductible gift as an investment in the future of the racing industry.”

The Equine Biological Passport program is an evolving research program, which is designed to expand and to be flexible enough to address new challenges, such as bio-therapeutics. Over the next several years, Gluck said they would continue to validate and refine the EBP program to position it as a future tool for the industry. In addition, it will provide scientific data needed to support changes in rules, and regulations that will allow us to prosecute violators and prevent `at risk’ horses from entering in competitions.

The Jockey Club has also thrown their financial support behind the project. “As part of our mission, The Jockey Club seeks new practices and methods to ensure a level playing field and often look for solutions that may have had success in human sports,” said Matt Iuliano, the Jockey Club’s Executive Vice President and Executive Director, who said they had been financially supporting Stanley’s EBP research for four years. “As such, The Jockey Club has a continuing effort to support research aimed at developing an equine biological passport. The EBP employs new analytical methods to detect the administration of substances that evade traditional drug testing testing. Because these substances cannot be directly tested, they pose a significant risk to health, safety and integrity in our sport. The EBP looks for changes in bio markers which signal when a substance was administered. The EBP is a huge step in rooting out cheaters.”

Gluck’s efforts would not be the first time the concept of a biological passport has been raised in racing.

The TDN’s T.D. Thornton has written several articles about the concept and the need for funding, including this effort at UC Davis in 2016. Stanley headed up that effort and brought his work with him to UK when he moved there in 2019.

“What we budgeted was $250,000 a year for five years to move it forward,” said Stanley. “That pays for personnel, development, computer time, and the data analysis that we need.”

For more information about this project, visit http://gluck.ca.uky.edu/content/equinebiological-passport, or contact Dr. Scott Stanley at scott.stanley2@uky.edu or 859.494.6319. Funding for this project is entirely dependent on private support. For more information on how to support this effort or to make a gift, contact Danielle Jostes at danielle.jostes@uky.edu or 502.641.6906.

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Mehmas Colt A Summer Sale Highlight

An unnamed colt from the first crop of Mehmas (Ire) was the leading flat offering from Monday’s Arqana Summer Sale, with lot 13 hammered down to Nicky Bertran de Balanda for €100,000. Mehmas currently leads the European first-season sires table by winners with nine and he registered his first stakes winner on the weekend when Method (Ire) took the Listed Rose Bowl S. This colt’s dam is a half-sister to the dam of GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Vale Of York (Ire). De Balanda said, “He’s a lovely colt. His sire was a good juvenile and his offspring seem to be following in his footsteps, with another good winner this weekend. He’ll go into training with Francis-Henri Graffard.”

The Mehmas colt is the first horse consigned by Laura Vanska. A Godolphin Flying Start graduate, Vanska served as an assistant to Nicolas Clement before starting her own breaking and pre-training operation in Chantilly less than two years ago.

“He arrived with us in November and has been working with our other horses,” Vanska said. “He’s a colt that has not stopped improving. We were meant to offer him at the Breeze-Up in May, but for logistical reasons, we waited for this sale. I was confident in his breeze, and thought he wouldn’t disappoint us. I’m really happy for all my team.”

The Summer Sale-typically a two-day affair but this year reduced to one-offered a mix of flat and National Hunt prospects. Leading trade overall was the 3-year-old gelding Prunay (Fr) (Prince Gibraltar {Ire}) (lot 142) a wildcard entry who was third in the G3 Prix Aguado on July 4 on his second start over jumps. He was bought by Toby Jones for €240,000 and is bound for Ireland.

“I’ve bought him for one of my long-standing clients,” Jones said. “He’ll go to Ireland. He really stood out–he’s a good-looking individual and is still a maiden that could go over fences. He really ticks all the boxes.”

The Wertheimer et Frere-bred 3-year-old filly Night And Day (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) also looks bound for the jumping sphere, having been bought by Highflyer Bloodstock for €90,000. Lot 212, whose second dam is the excellent producer Magnificient Style-dam of Group 1 winners Nathaniel (Ire), Playful Act (Ire) and Great Heavens (GB)-was beaten a short head when second at Angers on June 5.

Another 3-year-old filly from the Wertheimer draft that proved popular was Humble (GB) (Cacique {Ire}) (lot 74), a once-raced maiden bought by Arthur Hoyeau for €80,000. She is a half-sister to the G3 Prix Vanteaux winner Platane (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) and a granddaughter of Gold Round, herself a half-sister to the great Goldikova (Ire).

While 257 horses were catalogued for the Summer Sale just 198 went through the ring. Of those, 152 (76.8%) were sold at an average of €19,030 and a median of €9,000. The aggregate was €2,892,500.

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Nunthorpe Next Port of Call for The Lir Jet

Royal Ascot hero The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}), second by only a nose in the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Chantilly on Sunday, will make his next start against elders in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. in August. Originally campaigned by Nick Bell and trained by Michel Bell, the bay sparkled on debut at Yarmouth on June 3 and was subsequently purchased privately by Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing. The acquisition proved a shrewd one, as The Lir Jet captured the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot on June 19, still in Bell’s care.

Bell said, “He’s back in the yard and seems none the worse for his exertions, thankfully. I’ve just been talking to Sheikh Fahad and I think we’re going to drop back to five furlongs for the Nunthorpe–that’s the thinking at the moment. Oisin [Murphy] is pretty emphatic that he’s better horse over five furlongs and the form book would suggest that, too.”

Facing the best European sprinters in the Nunthorpe, The Lir Jet will fortunately receive a hefty break in the weights.

“If the Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) we know turns up, he’ll be a worthy favourite, but if we don’t go there you’d be running somewhere carrying penalties, or running over six furlongs in the G1 Prix Morny, which would mean more travelling,” Bell added. “It’s not set in stone, but Sheikh Fahad’s view is you don’t succeed if you don’t try, which is a good attitude to have.”

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