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France Now Requires Horse Owners To Be Licensed; Nonpayment Of Fees Considered Abandonment

France has enacted three new laws to combat animal abuse and protect horse welfare. One requires horse owners to obtain a “knowledge certificate,” another requires “nerved” horses to be identified, and the third considers nonpayment of boarding fees to be abandonment.

Horse owners who aren't licensed by a governing body (like the French Equestrian Federation) will be required to complete a course that demonstrates their knowledge of equine management. This certificate will be required to be completed by all private horse owners within a year.

Horses that have received a neurectomy must have the procedure noted in their identification documents. Chronic hoof pain might necessitate the procedure, which involves cutting the nerve and making it insensitive to pain. Horses which have been nerved are not permitted to race or compete.

A horse owner who doesn't pay boarding or lease fees on a horse, leaving it in the care of an equine facility, will be charged with abandonment. After the horse owner or lessor has been served with a formal notice and three months have passed, the facility housing the horse can apply to have the horse auctioned to recoup lost fees.

Keeneland January Sale Kicks Off Tuesday

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale gets underway at 10 a.m. Tuesday with the first of four sessions. The sale was originally scheduled to kick off Monday, but was delayed due to a winter snow storm in Lexington, which also pushed back the ship in date. The 1,631-horse catalogue is comprised of broodmares, racing/broodmare prospects, newly turned yearlings, horses of racing ages and stallions/stallion prospects.

“It is a very solid catalogue with a lot of depth,” said Cormac Breathnach, Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations. “The January Sale catalogue doesn't always have major highlights like we would in November, but we do have strong offerings at the top, like Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}). She is the dam of Search Results (Flatter) and is in foal to Flatter, so she is carrying a full-sibling to that Grade I-winning filly. She is a real standout offering who fits a lot of programs. We have a lot of good race fillies who could retire as broodmares or who could go on and be a lot of fun in 2022, such as Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad). She has won eight stakes and she is either an attractive broodmare prospect or race filly. We have Inthemidstofbiz (Fed Biz), who won the GII TCA here at Keeneland. We are excited about what we have and the momentum from November carrying over.”

It was a strong Keeneland November Sale from top to bottom, but many people left that auction with unfulfilled orders, according to Breathnach.

“That sale finished before people fulfilled all of their orders,” he said. “We took supplemental entries to this sale on the back of the strength of November. The entries for November happen early. They happen before the September Sale. The market had not revealed how strong it was going to be at that point, so through the November Sale, a lot of people were interested in selling horses and participating from a buying angle. The sale in November was a record median and a really healthy market from top to bottom. It did not feel overheated, but was really strong in terms of supply and demand. That is giving us a lot of confidence going forward into January.”

At last year's pandemic-affected Keeneland January Sale, 998 horses grossed $46,482,600. The auction was highlighted by three dispersals and was topped by a member of the Paul Pompa dispersal, MGSW Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom), who summoned $925,000 and is now a Grade I winner.

Travel restrictions will not impact this year's auction, though the COVID-19 pandemic has taken another upswing.

“The travel restrictions have basically gone away aside from fulfilling testing requirements,” Breathnach said. “People will make their own personal decisions, but if there is an advantage through COVID, it is the ability to bid online or over the phone. People have found a way to make sales work for them despite these difficulties.”

The Keeneland January Sale runs from Tuesday, Jan. 11 through Friday, Jan. 14 with each session starting at 10 a.m. Book 1 is Monday and Tuesday followed by a pair of Book 2 sessions.

The post Keeneland January Sale Kicks Off Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Keogh Hopeful November Momentum Will Roll Into the New Year

James Keogh's Grovendale Sales enjoyed a very strong Keeneland November Sale about seven weeks ago. Finishing in the top 10 on the consignor standings, Grovendale sold 62 head for $6.9 million and had an especially good showing during the auction's second session. The Irishman says he hopes that success will carry into the upcoming Keeneland January Sale, where his consignment will offer 42 horses.

“We had several really, really nice mares and just feel very, very blessed. The ball just landed in our court,” Keogh said of the November Sale.

When asked if he feels the November momentum will carry into January, Keogh said, “It is a new year and why not? There were a lot of people in November who got outbid on foals, so I would say there are a lot of pinhookers who have money in their pocket for the right horse. It was a strong market, but it was selective. If you had the goods, you more than got paid for it.”

Keogh has a strong selection of broodmares and foals from top to bottom for the January sale, but his draft does have a clear standout in Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}) (Hip 492). Grade III-placed on the track, the 11-year-old mare is the dam of GI Acorn S. winner and GI Kentucky Oaks runner-up Search Results (Flatter) and she is carrying a full-sibling to that talented filly. Her now-3-year-old colt Search Engine (Flatter) summoned $625,000 at OBS last April and she has a yearling colt by Nyquist. Co Cola RNA'd for $925,000 at the recent Fasig-Tipton November Sale.

“Obviously, Co Cola, the dam of Search Results, is a very, very important mare,” Keogh said. “She is carrying a full-sibling to Search Results. Her full-brother sold for $625,000 last year and Search Results herself was a session topper in Book 4 at Keeneland. Co Cola is a mare who just gets it done on the racetrack and gets it done in the ring. Her first foal is a Will Take Charge (Blue Steel) and he was fourth in the GIII Harlan's Holiday at Gulfstream last month. Search Results had six starts last year and in four of them she ran 90+ Beyers. She is a quality race filly and very consistent. She is back in training with Chad Brown down at Payson and by all accounts, she is as good as she has ever been.”

Keogh also named Polyester (Tiz Wonderful) (Hip 850) when asked about his draft's standouts. The unraced 12-year-old mare is the dam of GIII Pimlico Special S. winner Harper's First Ride (Paynter), who has won four additional stakes. She sells in foal to reigning Horse of the Year Authentic (Into Mischief).

“I am very excited about a mare called Polyester,” Keogh said. “She is the dam of Harper's First Ride, who won the Pimlico Special. She is also a mare who gets it done on the racetrack and in the sales ring. Harper's First Ride has won 12 of his 23 lifetime starts with earnings of over $699,000. He is a tough, hard-knocking racehorse. She is in foal to Authentic and mares in foal to him averaged $390,000 in November. She is a very, very good-looking mare from a strong, old American pedigree.”

The Grovendale consignment also offers a strong group of yearlings. Most of them are by hot young sires, such as City of Light, Mitole, Connect and Vino Rosso.

“We have a very nice City of Light. I'm pretty bullish on him,” Keogh said. “We have a bunch of solid foals all of the way through. The Vino Rosso is a very good foal, two nice Connects and a big, strong Mitole foal, who is very nice. I am excited overall about the whole draft. It is a pretty good group of horses.”

The Keeneland January Sale gets underway Tuesday, Jan. 11 and runs through Friday, Jan. 14.

CLARIFICATION: In a story in Saturday's TDN about the Ontario Mare Purchase program, we neglected to say that the program applies to the Keeneland January Sale, as well as the OBS Winter Mixed, and the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale. Ontario residents who purchase an in-foal broodmare are eligible for a rebate of 50% of the purchase price to a maximum of $25,000 CAD. In-foal mares must be purchased for a minimum purchase price of $10,000 USD, with no maximum. Click here for complete program eligibility requirements, and details.

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OBS October Supplemental Catalogue Available

The supplemental catalogue for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2021 October Yearling Sale is now available via the OBS website and available in printed form on the OBS grounds. The two-day sale is set for Oct. 12-13.

There were 17 additions to the Selected Yearlings portion as Hips 136-152. Thirty-two horses have been added to the Open Yearling Sale, selling as Hips 565-596. The Selected Yearlings portion is Tuesday, beginning at 1 p.m. and the Open Yearling section is Wednesday, starting at 11 a.m.

The post OBS October Supplemental Catalogue Available appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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