Ferguson has held a wide variety of positions within the Thoroughbred industry. He served as stable staff and assistant to trainer Sir Michael Stoute and, on his own, trained 287 National Hunt winners (including top-level scorers Ruacana and Parlour Games). He has also been a racing manager, owner, breeder and bloodstock agent, most notably as advisor to Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin for 22 years from 1994-2017. He was also Chief Executive of Godolphin for a time.

In 2021, he established Natalma Bloodstock, a bloodstock investment company which has broodmares in Europe, the United States and Australia. He is also a member of the UK Jockey Club, US Jockey Club and has a Japan Racing Association owners licence.

Ferguson said: “Having had a career in horseracing that has been beyond my wildest dreams, working for some incredible people, I feel honoured and privileged to have been offered this role.

“Having worked as a member of stable staff and had my first novice hurdle winner at Hexham, through to breeding, owning and selling horses all over the world, I hope that I am able to well represent licensed personnel.

“It is now in our hands to shape horseracing into a sustainable and fabulous sport for future generations.”

Added BHA Chair Joe Saumarez: “We are delighted to welcome John to the Board. He brings with him extensive experience of the training and bloodstock industries, alongside his intimate knowledge of the industry's workings from his time as a senior leader in the sport.

“We are all extremely grateful to Luca Cumani for his service to the Board. It was a privilege to work with someone of his knowledge and distinction. His understanding of every aspect of the horse and their training was of great benefit to the Board and the sport.”

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A new, industry-specific, facilitation has now been agreed by HMRC to the Temporary Admission procedure, allowing intermediaries (such as a transporter or shipper) to apply for an authorisation enabling them to move Thoroughbreds under multiple ownerships, without the need for a financial guarantee. Previously, in the majority of cases, Thoroughbreds entering Great Britain on a temporary basis had to be accompanied by a financial guarantee, equivalent to 20% of its value. The change follows similar procedure enacted by the Irish Revenue for movements of Thoroughbreds into Ireland for racing earlier this year.

Julian Richmond-Watson, Chair of the Thoroughbred Industries Steering Group, said: “The Thoroughbred Industries Brexit Steering Group has been engaging and offering proactive solutions on this matter, which has been causing significant industry concern, in discussions with HM Treasury and HMRC.

“We are therefore very grateful to HMRC for this industry-specific facilitation which recognises both the financial value and importance of international movement of thoroughbreds, and the challenges which the requirement for a guarantee was posing to owners and breeders looking to run their horses or breed them in Great Britain.”

Following Brexit, The Group's overall objective is to secure a settled future framework in which there are reduced administrative burdens on the movement of Thoroughbreds.

“We are committed to improving the situation and delivering a lasting settlement under which movement of Thoroughbreds for international competition and breeding, underpinned by the highest standards of equine health and welfare, is realised,” added Richmond-Watson.

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Recognising the difficulty some participants and officials have had in ordering Lateral Flow Tests (LFTs), the racing industry COVID-19 Group has temporarily deferred the requirement, announced earlier this week, to show a negative lateral flow test to gain entry to the Weighing Room, which was due to take effect at all fixtures from 5 January.

Existing requirements will remain in place, including the need for COVID status certification for all Weighing Room attendees at all fixtures. Anyone unable to provide evidence of vaccination status will continue to require proof of a negative PCR or LFT test.

This pause is to allow participants to secure a supply of tests and we encourage you to continue your efforts to do so. A new implementation date will be announced once LFT supply issues improve.

If you have been able to obtain tests, we recommend you start testing on a regular basis to protect your colleagues should you contract COVID-19. You should not attend a race meeting if you feel unwell in any way and should get a PCR test as soon as possible. Please be aware that the symptoms of Omicron can be very mild to start with. While vaccination with booster remains a key defence against severe illness and death, you may still contract and pass on the virus, hence the value in combining vaccination with regular testing.

On the racecourse, please wear masks and maintain social distancing where possible and as directed, and minimise the time you spend in indoor spaces.

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1.15 Newmarket, Novice, £10,000, 2yo, f, 7fT
CARNIVAL GIRL (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) is a daughter of the 2005 G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Punctilious (GB) (Danehill), which makes her a full-sister to the G3 Autumn S. winner and G1 2000 Guineas fourth Military March (GB). Godolphin's Charlie Appleby-trained bay encounters another in the Sir Evelyn de Rothschild silks in Crystal Estrella (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), another Stoute trainee from the immediate family of the first division's protagonist Crystal Caprice (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

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The post Observations: Half To Subjectivist Starts Out at Redcar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Racecourses around Britain observed a moment of silence on Monday, and jockeys wore black armbands.

Brooke was aboard Orchestrated, a horse trained and owned by her mother, Lady Susan Brooke, when she was unseated at the third fence on the course. She was treated on track before being airlifted to Southmead Hospital, where she was treated for suspected spinal injuries. Following complications, Brooke was placed into an induced coma, from which she never emerged.

The amateur jockey had ridden in over 400 races, mostly for her mother, piloting 17 winners in Britain and Ireland since 2001.

Read more at The Guardian.

Amateur jockey Lorna Brooke has sadly and tragically passed away. We can only send our deepest sympathy to her friends and family. And remember the sport we love can be so so tough. #rip pic.twitter.com/bkuZ2Y6TKs

— Matt Chapman (@MCYeeehaaa) April 19, 2021

“When racing loses one of its own, it's pretty tough to swallow” – @mickfitzg pays tribute to Lorna Brooke after her tragic death… pic.twitter.com/AL3yIuqkl9

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 19, 2021

We are all devastated to hear of the death of Lorna Brooke. She was so proud to win the 1st ever ladies chase run in Ireland or England in 2015. She rode 25/1 shot Moonlone Lane for Paul Stafford & was just so happy to get a ride in the race but her smile says it all on winning pic.twitter.com/kw6G7C7X3U

— FairyhouseRacecourse (@Fairyhouse) April 19, 2021

“When people get a fall, competitive edge goes out the window” – class words from the champion jockey Brian Hughes on the tragic news of Lorna Brooke… pic.twitter.com/JIGO0TFEdh

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 19, 2021

In memory of Lorna Brooke.

Jockeys pay their respects before this evening's card at @kemptonparkrace

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 19, 2021

The post Amateur Jockey Lorna Brooke Dies After Fall; First British Rider Killed In Racing Accident Since 2005 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The IEC statement read in part, “Currently 84 horses are showing clinical signs, 11 are being treated in external clinics and four have died. Horses that left the venue before movement restrictions were implemented appear to have spread the virus to France, Germany and Belgium where additional cases have been reported.

“It is understood that to date, no Irish riders affected have travelled from the event in Valencia to Ireland. However, anyone receiving horses particularly competition horses, from the continent should seek veterinary advice concerning isolation and EHV1 testing by PCR. Similarly, competitors planning to travel with their horses to events in Spain should see veterinary advice.”

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Blue Cross for Pets is a rehoming organization that helps horses, cats, dogs and other small pets in England, Wales and Scotland. The organization also has animal clinics and hospitals that assist sick and injured pets when their owners are struggling to afford the veterinary fees.

Blue Cross has created a “Home Direct” service to place horses into new homes straight from their current situation, eliminating the need for the horse to be moved more than once. This resource also takes the pressure off charities that may already be struggling and allows them to focus on welfare emergencies.

Blue Cross staff thoroughly assess each horse and then place it on the charity's website to find a new owner. Once a new potential owner is located, Blue Cross arranges and oversees the initial visit and introduction process. If the match is a good one, the horse is taken from its old home directly to its new home, reducing stress on the horse as it acclimates to one new environment instead of two. In each step of the process, the horse is treated as if it were living at a Blue Cross center.

Since its launch in 2015, Blue Cross Home Direct has helped 87 horses. Any horse can be a candidate for Home Direct if it passes a health check and is not on any long-term medications. The goal of Home Direct is to assist horses by finding them new homes while they are still healthy, instead of waiting to offer help when they are potentially in a welfare crisis.

Thus far in 2020, the United States has reported record numbers of equine adoptions, but equine rescue and adoption advocates are unsure if and when a large influx of horses needing help will come because of the pandemic.

Read more at HorseTalk.

The post British Charity Rehomes Horses In An Innovative Way; Less Stress For Equines appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Drs. Arran Folly, Elisabeth Waller, Fiona McCracken, Lorraine McElhinney, Helen Roberts and Nicholas Johnson note that while this is good news for horse owners, they must remain vigilant in the fight against the disease. WNV is seen in many parts of the world, including the United States, southern Europe and Germany.

The researchers focused their study on southeast England, the area of Britain considered most at risk for virus introduction. The virus is most likely spread geographically by birds that have the virus; horses are a dead-end host for WNV.

Two of the 998 horses tested were positive for WNV antibodies, but upon further review, it was deemed that the antibodies were a result of vaccination for the virus within seven days of the testing.

The scientists concluded that there was no evidence of West Nile Virus transmission in England in 2019; this is in agreeance with the results of a 2019 British bird surveillance, which also found no West Nile Virus RNA in the birds.

Read the short report here.

Read more at HorseTalk.

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With less than seven weeks to go before the transition period expires, there will be significant changes to how horses move between the UK and the EU from Jan. 1, irrespective of whether a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is signed.

Whilst British racing is in regular contact with the relevant government departments to gather information and best prepare the industry for Brexit, some details remain to be fully clarified and the new travel arrangements will also be entirely dependent upon any agreement which may be made by the UK government with the EU.

The steering group remains hopeful that any such FTA that is signed will allow the outstanding points of detail to be resolved quickly, but as things stand confirmation on a number of matters is still pending:

• The UK's status as a third country listing for animal health purposes following the end of the transition period
• Authorizations to allow British transporters to operate within the EU and EU operators to operate in the UK
• Recognition of the General Stud Book, (along with all other Stud Books and Breeding Books of all species), which identifies thoroughbreds and allows their movement as Registered horses.
• Even in the event of agreements on these key areas for British racing being confirmed in the coming weeks, the Thoroughbred Industries Brexit Steering Group is of the view that there will be additional friction in moving thoroughbreds through key ports from Jan. 1, with the potential for initial disruption.

It is therefore advising that industry participants put off moving horses unless it is absolutely necessary within that initial two-week period, and to contact a transporter or shipping/customs agent for further guidance as a matter of priority.

Furthermore, following the confirmation of any FTA the Thoroughbred industry will need to understand the details of any equine health rules under which movements can take place as well as any replacement for the current Tripartite Agreement – originally made with France and Ireland – which currently governs Thoroughbred movements between Britain, France and Ireland.

The Chair of the Thoroughbred Industries Steering Group, Julian Richmond Watson said:

“We know that some people want to make plans for the New Year, but the picture will remain unclear until we know the terms of any new agreements between Britain and the EU.

“Even if there is an overarching trade deal, we will still need specific arrangements to be agreed covering the movement of thoroughbred horses.

“If industry members want to avoid the risk of delays or disruption, we advise them not to schedule movements in the first two weeks of 2021.

“Our message right now is 'Stand By, Change is Coming'. We would ask participants to keep up to date with the latest information regularly via the Brexit page on britishhorseracing.com and await direct communication from their membership body once we know the details.

“We continue to work closely with Defra and all other relevant UK government departments, who are well-informed about the needs of the racing and breeding industries. We are also in regular contact with our counterparts in Ireland and France and other EU jurisdictions.”

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