Dolphins swimming in the Venetian canals may have been pandemic fake news, but that the world will have benefited environmentally is one of the few upsides to the coronavirus crisis. What is not fake news is that many heads and livers will have been feeling better on Sunday morning than would otherwise be the case following the annual ITBA Awards, but that is the only benefit to missing out on what is always one of the social highlights of the racing year.
Attendance at this event is not for the faint-hearted or the early-to-bedders. Traditionally, gongs are still being handed out past midnight and then the celebrating begins, on the dance floor, in the residents' bar and often through to the breakfast table. Like pretty much every other event of the past year, the ITBA Awards, celebrating the best performances by Irish-bred horses on the Flat and over jumps, was forced into a virtual format, but that didn't stop it being a memorably emotional evening.
Ireland's reputation as a country of Thoroughbred breeders of the highest calibre has long been a cause for celebration but before we toast the best in show for 2020, the award which will have lightened the lockdown gloom the most among the tight-knit breeding community was the Rathbarry Stud-sponsored ITBA Special Recognition Award for Todd Watt. The masterful Tattersalls auctioneer has been absent from the sales for the last few years since suffering a stroke but, with the awards presentations posted in individual video segments across social media channels throughout the evening, viewers and followers were able to see Todd receive his award from Niamh Woods. That he is missed as much as he is loved was clear from the many deserving tributes from his friends and colleagues, both in the moving film and subsequently on Twitter.
“All through his career in Tatts, he was our go-to guy, not just for me but for all the Irish,” said Eddie O'Leary of Lynn Lodge Stud, summing up the regard in which Watt is held by many vendors at the sales.
Fellow Tattersalls auctioneer John O'Kelly added, “Todd Watt is the great ambassador. A lovable character; everybody in the industry has huge respect for him. He sold horses with a smile on his face, he made people feel good, and no stone was unturned to ever get somebody an extra bid for a horse.”
Horseracing and breeding are not immune to the financial concerns generated by the Covid pandemic but in Ireland some comfort must be taken in the close links between the industry and government, which is doubtless the envy of other racing nations. This was evident in the fact that the Taoiseach Micheal Martin gave a video address at the start of awards evening, recognising the major contribution of the bloodstock world to Ireland's economy.
“The tumultuous events of 2020 and the continuing pandemic have had a significant impact on your industry,” he said. “An important pillar of government policy is to ensure that the horseracing and Thoroughbred industry achieves its maximum potential and, in so doing, continues to contribute to economic and social development across a wide geographic swathe of the country. It is estimated that the Thoroughbred industry has an annual economic impact of €1.9 billion, with direct and indirect employment of up to 29,000 people. Additionally the industry brings a high level of international investment into Ireland. The Irish racing and breeding industry is extremely competitive at a global level. We are the third-biggest producer of Thoroughbred foals in the world and estimates place Ireland behind only the United States as the biggest public seller of bloodstock globally.”
Three of those foals produced in 2018 led to Derek and Gay Veitch's Ringfort Stud being named Breeder of the Year. The Co Offaly-based farm had a year to remember with its 2-year-olds in particular, with Minzaal (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) and Miss Amulet (Ire) (Sir Prancealot {Ire}) winning the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 Lowther S. at York's Ebor meeting, followed by the G2 Flying Childers S. win of Ubettabelieveit (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). The latter and Miss Amulet both went on to be placed at the Breeders' Cup, and Minzaal was the second consecutive Ringfort-bred winner of the Gimcrack following Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}).
“The best 2-year-olds that we had in 2020 were all by stallions out of Tally-Ho. I love it because they were cheap horses to produce, just farm costs and running costs, and they've ended up great racehorses which has helped us immensely with the mares,” said Derek Veitch. “The couple of days in York was amazing. To have the Lowther winner and then the Gimcrack winner for the second year in a row was just incredible and very satisfying for us.”
Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was the toast of the Longines World's Best Racehorse ceremony last week and he was recognised again in the award to his breeder Dermot Weld's Springbank Way Stud in the Older Horse of the Year category. Ghaiyyath's former stable-mate Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) earned the Three-Year-Old Colt of the Year award for his breeder Godolphin, while the Two-Year-Colt of the Year was the G1 Middle Park S. winner Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), bred by The Hon. Kenneth Lau of Kangyu International Racing at John Tuthill's Owenstown Stud.Â
“It is very exciting to have bred Supremacy from one of the first mares I have owned,” said Lau. “Thank you to Owenstown Stud for raising Supremacy and to Ed Sackville for buying [his dam] Triggers Broom (Ire). We sold her very good Cotai Glory (GB) colt at Book 1 to King Power and we have a lovely Cotai Glory filly to race. Tiggers Broom now visits Frankel (GB).”
It is overseas that the best Irish-bred fillies excelled in 2020. Trained at Ballydoyle by Aidan O'Brien, the Coolmore-bred Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was unbeaten in her three starts, all in England, in the 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks. Farther afield, the 2-year-old Aunt Pearl (Ire) was also unbeaten in three races in America, culminating in her becoming the second daughter of Lope De Vega (Ire) to win the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf after Newspaperofrecord (Ire). Aunt Pearl was bred in partnership by Ballylinch Stud and the French-based Ecurie Des Charmes.
A highlight of Saturday's afternoon's racing was the success of Shishkin (Ire) (Sholokhov {Ire}) in the G2 ITM Lightning Novices' Chase but it was his victory in last March's G1 Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival which sealed his Best Novice Hurdler award for breeder Clive Bennett.Â
Philip and Jane Myerscough received the award for the Best Novice Chaser, another Cheltenham winner in Champ (Ire) (King's Theatre {Ire}), while Hurdler of the Year was Paisley Park (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}), who won the title for the second year for breeder Michael Conaghan. The Chaser of the Year was another multiple winner, the great Altior (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), bred by Paddy Behan who has now won five consecutive ITBA awards.Â
One of the most popular prizes given at this event is the annual Wild Geese Award which recognises the success of Irish men and women overseas. Recent recipients include bloodstock agent Mags O'Toole, Keeneland's Geoffrey Russell and the late Gerry Dilger of Dromoland Farm.Â
As awards host Leo Powell said, this year's winner has ventured just about as far from home as it is possible to be: New Zealand. Gordon Cunningham may have settled a long way away but his Irish roots are not forgotten, as the name of his successful Curraghmore Farm in Waikato suggests.
The Waterford native is a grandson of legendary Irish trainer Michael Collins, and thus cousin to current trainer Tracey Collins, who succeeded her father Con at Conyngham Lodge on the Curragh.
“We were always excited to go to the Curragh for the summer and of course Uncle Con was an icon for our family and we were inwardly very proud of just being in his presence or being able to visit Conynhgam Lodge, where mum was raised,” said Cunningham in a video made at last week's Karaka yearling sale.
He added, “I know there are many people around the world who are worthy of this award and I feel very privileged to be considered worthy of it. I'm very grateful to the ITBA and would like to congratulate all the other recipients of awards thought the evening. I would like to acknowledge my late Uncle Dick Collins and my Aunt Bernie, who took my younger brother and I under their wing when our father passed away when I was pretty young. They brought us up to the Curragh every summer. From my first summer at Lisieux [Stud] I knew horses were going to be my life.”Â
Among the notable graduates of Curraghmore Farm are Melbourne Cup winner Efficient (NZ), Australian champion 3-year-old Fairway (NZ) and Hong Kong champion stayer Liberator (NZ).
Andrew Seabrook of New Zealand Bloodstock said, “Gordon takes it to another level. He's more focused on breeding quality and good horses than getting the top price in the sale ring. He's so focused on just getting the very best out of a horse and he reads the market so well.”
The wide world of bloodstock boasts many graduates of the Irish National Stud breeding course, which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary. Further celebration is due in that the government-owned stud itself has now become the first organisation to be inducted to the ITBA Hall of Fame.
“The Thoroughbred industry in Ireland is something which we are justifiably proud of as world leaders, and having an organisation like the Irish National Stud that essentially belongs to the people is very important,” said Goffs Group chief executive Henry Beeby.Â
In accepting the award, the Irish Minister of Agriculture John McConalogue acknowledged the stud's “continued determination for excellence” and said, “I am delighted to be accepting the 2020 Hall of Fame award on behalf of the National Stud. This is in recognition of the stud's invaluable contribution to the Irish Thoroughbred industry over many decades, from the stallions it stands to the world-renowned breeding course and the impact it has as a national tourist attraction. This award sees the Irish National Stud join an august group which includes JP McManus, David and Diane Nagle, Jim Bolger, Sadler's Wells and Michael Osborne.”
While Ireland and Britain remain under strict lockdown, with racing continuing behind closed doors and sales online, there are currently few opportunities for the industry's participants to meet in person. What the ITBA successfully pulled off on Saturday night was bringing people together, albeit virtually, in recognition and celebration of one of Ireland's best attributes: its deserved reputation as a centre for equine excellence. Congratulations to the ITBA team and to all the award winners.
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