Tag: Epsom Downs

Formal Dress Code Ended By The Jockey Club

Formal dress codes will no longer be in place at any of The Jockey Club's 15 racecourses beginning this year. The move is a result on the part of the organisation to make horseracing more “accessible and inclusive”.

The only exceptions to the new rule are offensive fancy dress or offensive clothing of any kind and replica sports shirts. The Queen Elizabeth II Stand at Epsom Downs Racecourse will also continue to require either morning dress or formal daywear on Derby Day.

Nevin Truesdale, Chief Executive at The Jockey Club, said, “Horseracing has always been a sport enjoyed by people from all different backgrounds and it's really important to us to be accessible and inclusive. We hope that by no longer placing an expectation upon people of what they should and shouldn't wear we can help highlight that racing really is for everyone.

“For those who visit our venues, a day at the races is all about spending quality leisure time with friends and family and we believe people enjoy themselves best when they feel relaxed. A major part of that is wearing clothing which you are comfortable in.

“While The Jockey Club has a rich heritage and history it is also a forward-thinking organisation which places a great emphasis on diversity and inclusion and always seeks to reflect modern trends. So, when we reviewed this area of the raceday experience, it has been clear to us that enforcing a dress code seems rather outdated in the 21st Century in the eyes of many of our racegoers.

“Of course that doesn't mean we are discouraging people from dressing up for a day at the races if they want to. This is about giving people a choice and the opportunity to come racing dressed however they feel most comfortable and confident, while also bearing in mind the challenges regularly presented by the British weather.”

He added, “It is a common misconception that a day at the races has always required you to dress in a certain way, regardless of the fixture. In fact, even at really high profile days like the Cheltenham Festival, that has simply not been the case and our only recommendation has been to dress appropriately for the weather.

“By taking the decision not to impose dress codes at any of our 15 racecourses we now hope to get rid of any ambiguity or uncertainty and simply let people know that whatever they feel comfortable wearing they'll be welcome to join us on a raceday.

“For many, clothing is the ultimate expression of individuality and by removing the need to be dressed in a certain way we hope to really demonstrate how inclusive we believe our sport is, as well as being a fantastic and thrilling day out.”

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James Crespi Appointed New General Manager Of Epsom

James Crespi has been appointed the new General Manager of Epsom Downs Racecourse, The Jockey Club announced on Wednesday. He will begin his duties on Monday, Dec. 5. The Chief Operating Officer of West Wittering Estate PLC since 2015, Crespi also spent 10 years at the Goodwood Estate, where he rose to the position of General Manager of Goodwood Racecourse. Simon Durrant will remain as General Manager of Kempton Park Racecourse while Sarah Drabwell has been appointed General Manager of Sandown Park on a permanent basis, having held the position in an acting capacity since late 2021.

James Crespi said, “I'm excited to return to racing and think The Jockey Club is a fantastic, dynamic and forward thinking organisation. Epsom is steeped in legacy and a unique venue; I look forward to delivering first class racing there and helping to ensure the Derby remains the greatest Flat race globally for generations to come.”

Amy Starkey, Managing Director for The Jockey Club's East Region, said, “I'm delighted that James will be joining the team and bringing such a wealth of experience in managing historic multi-use businesses.

“His appointment is part of a new management structure across our London courses which is designed to ensure the exciting opportunities for growth presented by all three venues can be seized upon.

“It is important that each course has a dedicated general manager to lead our fantastic teams to deliver this and we are looking forward to exciting years ahead across Epsom Downs, Kempton Park and Sandown Park.”

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Casting The Longfellow’s Shadow In The Derby

Saturday's G1 Cazoo Derby is no ordinary Derby, being placed squarely in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations and bearing the title “In Memory of Lester Piggott”, so the onus is on the latest collection of elite middle-distance colts to rise to the occasion. Famed for his ability to pick and choose in his heyday, the question is what would the Longfellow have opted for in this line-up? Few would say anything other than the edition's pop idol Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), whose Dante win had all the purists pricking up their ears, but then there is the Ballydoyle collective and the draw of the ruthless galloper Stone Age (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), or would he have sided with the surefire stayers Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire})? If the rain comes in stair-rods, as it could, and it comes up soft then it will take a Teenoso-like performance to win, but if the ground stays perfectly in the middle as it was on Friday then it is odds-on that Lester would have been eagle-eyeing Sir Michael Stoute's potential boy wonder.

 

Hitting Them For Six

   It is 41 years since the “Choirboy” Walter Swinburn enjoyed the perfect Epsom spin on the first of Stoute's Blue Riband heroes Shergar (GB) and 11 since Ryan Moore delivered a fifth on Workforce (GB), so in cricket terminology victory for Saeed Suhail's 'TDN Rising Star' Desert Crown would be delivering that sacred six for the cricket-devoted master of Freemason Lodge. Habitually prone to bat away all unwelcome attention, the famed Barbadian will be unable to stem the flow of warmth that will inevitably come his way if his unbeaten colt can come through this examination with that record intact. As the Sir Henry Cecil story showed, racing has its way of raising up its gods when they are at their most vulnerable and while it may seem fanciful, it could be that Desert Crown has been gifted following the sad passing of his partner Coral Pritchard-Gordon. If there is such a thing as a stand-out on potential, this colt represents it and he looks to possess a rare amount of ability. Like Swinburn back in the day, it is a jockey without abundant big-race experience who is charged with the responsibility but there is little to fear where the tactically-astute Yamaha-riding Richard Kingscote is concerned.

 

The Great Obstacle

Stoute's experience with The Queen's Carlton House (Street Cry {Ire}) in 2011 is a reminder that to get to Tesio's winning post first you have to subdue the force of Coolmore, which has been omnipresent ever since Galileo set a new tone 21 years ago. While the 2011 winner Pour Moi (Ire) was a rare runner for the operation not trained by Aidan O'Brien, it is Rosegreen that has come to be seen as the great harvester of Derby heroes over the past two decades. Remarkably, six of O'Brien's record eight winners have come in the last 10 renewals and while it is possible to waylay the stable's progress it is nigh-on impossible to achieve anything other than a temporary interruption to the machine. The Derby is in the very bricks, mortar and soil of the Co. Tipperary establishment and it always seems to wend its way back there one way or another. Be they in the form of the remorseless front-runner Serpentine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the strong late closer Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}), long-shots like that pair or “good things” such as Australia (GB) or Camelot (GB), it matters not. Aidan O'Brien just does Derbys.

 

A New Era

Ballydoyle began its Derby saga in cahoots with the American kingpins Raymond Guest, Charles Engelhard and John Galbreath, before forging a partnership in steel with Robert Sangster. In recent times, it has been Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith who have profited from sailing on the good ship and now it is the time of Georg von Opel's Westerberg and Peter Brant. Von Opel's increasingly-prevalent silks would have been carried by the long-time ante-post favourite Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) had he made the gig, but now they are sported solely by the dominant Chester Vase winner Changingoftheguard. Is there a story involved in this one, who was bred by Ben Sangster and whose family features the Piggott-bred Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB})? Brant's stock is fast on the rise in Europe and in Stone Age he has a colt who seems to have been sculpted with all the natural and learned guile of the greatest trainer in the history of Thoroughbred racing.

 

The Long Wait

When Stavros Niarchos began his quest for a Derby winner back in the late 70s, it would have been surprising that it would still not be forthcoming over 40 years later. Despite the ongoing pursuit for the holy grail, the distant 1985 and 2012 runner's-up Law Society and Main Sequence (Aldebaran) remain the closest it has come to fruition. How remarkable it would be if the 23-year-old Donnacha O'Brien were to supply it with Piz Badile, a relative of the emotive 2007 Oaks heroine Light Shift (Kingmambo). His sire Ulysses was only 12th in the 2016 renewal before hitting the heights at four and O'Brien, Jr. has stated that he expects the imposing homebred to be better in 2023, but there was enough in his battling win in Leopardstown's Apr. 2 G3 Ballysax S. to suggest he is not just one for the future.

 

Will It Go West?

The idea that West Wind Blows (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) would be lining up here seemed unlikely in the immediate aftermath of getting loose before the start of Newbury's Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup British EBF Conditions S. and being withdrawn from that Apr. 17 contest won by the subsequent Listed Lingfield Derby Trial runner-up Walk of Stars (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). That was before Abdulla Al Mansoori's son of the G1 Prix de Diane heroine West Wind (GB)  (Machiavellian) went to Nottingham and dominated a 10-furlong novice in which the G3 Sandown Classic Trial fourth Franz Strauss (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) was soundly  beaten. Big and powerful, the bay has paid a visit here in the interim and rates as the race's most intriguing outsiders for Simon and Ed Crisford.

“The mile and a half is well within his reach and that trip will probably see the best of him, as he has very high cruising gears,” jockey Jack Mitchell said. “He is relatively unexposed and I just hope that he can run his race. I was quite happy with stall 11, as if he does run a bit keen we know that we are not boxed on the inside and that if he does pull I can let him go on and use his stride.”

Click here for the group fields.

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Cazoo Oaks: Where Did They Come From?

This year's G1 Cazoo Oaks is an up-to-scratch renewal. Aidan O'Brien runs four, with Ryan Moore electing to ride Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Tuesday, while John and Thady Gosden are double-handed with short-priced favourite Emily Upjohn and Nashwa. Emily Upjohn cost just 60,000gns as a yearling while Tom Clover's Rogue Millennium, unbeaten in both of her starts, is another bargain buy that will line up in this year's Classic after she changed hands to join her current connections for just 35,000gns. We took a look at the story behind each of the 11 fillies that will step forward in the Epsom Classic on Friday afternoon and find out where they all came from.

 

CONCERT HALL (IRE), Dubawi (Ire)–Was (Ire) (Galileo {Ire})
Owner: D Smith, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, Westerberg
Breeder: Was Syndicate
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Pedigree Notes: Her dam Was stormed to Oaks glory 10 years ago under Seamie Heffernan. Was is from the family of G1 Derby victor New Approach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and is a sister to stakes winners Douglas MacArthur (Ire), Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) and the dual Group 3-placed Al Naamah (Ire), as well as a half-sister to listed winner Janood (Ire) (Medicean {GB}). Concert Hall is followed by an unraced 2-year-old sister and a filly foal by Wootton Bassett (GB) this year.

 

EMILY UPJOHN (GB), Sea The Stars (Ire)–Hidden Brief (GB) (Barathea {Ire})
'TDN Rising Star'.
Owner: Tactful Finance & S Roden
Breeder: Lordship Stud & Sunderland Holding Inc
Trainer: John & Thady Gosden
Sales History: The heavy favourite for this year's Oaks will provide many people with reason to dream, as she was knocked down for just 60,000gns during Book 2 of the Tattersalls Yearling Sale in October 2020.
Pedigree Notes: Emily Upjohn has a pedigree that belies that 60,000gns price tag. The race favourite is a half-sister to two winners, while her dam Hidden Brief is a winning sister to Hazarista (Ire) and a half-sister to Hazariya (Ire) (Xaar {GB}), both of whom were black-type performers for John Oxx. More pertinently, Hazariya is the dam of dual Derby winner Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). Hidden Brief has a yearling filly by Capella Sansevero (GB).

 

KAWIDA (GB), Sir Percy (GB)–Kandahari (GB) (Archipenko)
Owner/Breeder: Miss K Rausing
Trainer: Ed Walker
Pedigree Notes: Kawida is the first foal out of the dual winner Kandahari, herself a half-sister to triple Australian Group 1 winner Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). She has a 2-year-old full-sister called Khinjani (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}), who has yet to race, and a yearling half-sister by Sea The Moon (Ger).

 

MOON DE VEGA (GB), Lope De Vega (Ire)–Lunesque (Ire) (Azamour {Ire})
Owner: Regents Consulting
Breeder: Montcastle Bloodstock Ltd
Trainer: Ralph Beckett
Pedigree Notes: Her dam carried the colours of Lady O'Reilly to victory in France and is a half-sister to a French Group 3 winner, a listed juvenile scorer and a listed-placed performer. Lunesque has a 2-year-old colt named Sir Cilia (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and her 2021 filly Night of Thunder (Ire).

 

NASHWA (GB), Frankel (GB)–Princess Lulu (Ire) (Pivotal {GB})
'TDN Rising Star'.
Owner: Imad Alsagar
Breeder: Blue Diamond Stud Farm (uk) Ltd
Trainer: John & Thady Gosden
Pedigree Notes: A half-sister to three-time winner Louganini (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}), Nashwa is followed by a Decorated Knight (GB) yearling half-sister and a colt foal by Dubawi (Ire). Her dam won three times, including at listed level over 10 furlongs, and was runner-up in the G1 Prix Jean Rommanet.

 

ROGUE MILLENNIUM (IRE) Dubawi (Ire)–Hawaafez (GB) (Nayef)
Owner: The Rogues Gallery
Breeder: Shadwell Estate Company Limited
Trainer: Tom Clover
Sales History: Another castoff from a major outfit, Rogue Millennium was bought for just 35,000gns by JS Bloodstock from Shadwell at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale last year.
Pedigree Notes: Out of the G3 Cumberland Lodge S. heroine Hawaafez, who is a great granddaughter of Wedding Bouquet (GB) (Kings Lake), Rogue Millennium is a sister to the winning Khatm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Wedding Bouquet herself is a dual Grade/Group 3 victress, who was third in the G1 Phoenix S. and is a half-sister to Irish Horse of the Year Generous (Ire) (Caerleon). Hawaafez was also dispersed by Shadwell and caught the eye of Blandford Bloodstock for 14,000gns at the Tattersalls February Mixed Sale. She has an unraced 2-year-old filly by Awtaad (Ire) named Naomi Lapaglia (GB) and a yearling filly by Kingman (GB).

 

THE ALGARVE, American Pharoah–Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells)
Owner: Mrs David Nagle,Coolmore & Westerberg
Breeder: Barronstown Stud
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Pedigree Notes: The 13th and final foal out of Imagine, who won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in 2001 before winning this race for Aidan O'Brien, the bay is from the same family as three-time American champion turf mare Trillion (Hail To Reason). Imagine is a proven producer of high-class horses, six of which have achieved black-type, including G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Horatio Nelson (Ire) (Danehill) and Van Gogh, a full-brother to The Algarve, who won the G1 Criterium International.

 

THOUGHTS OF JUNE (IRE), Galileo (Ire)–Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat)
Owner: Moyglare Stud Farm & Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor
Breeder: Moyglare Stud Farm
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Pedigree Notes: From an ultra-tough family, she is a sister to a winner, while her dam Discreet Marq won six times in America, including the GI Del Mar Oaks before she was picked up for $2.4 million by Moyglare Stud at Fasig-Tipton November in November 2014.

 

TRANQUIL LADY (IRE), Australia (GB)–Repose (Quiet American)
Owner: Teme Valley
Breeder: Tinnakill Bloodstock Ltd
Trainer: Joseph O'Brien
Sales History: Failed to sell at the November Foal Sale at Goffs in 2019, however, she was knocked down from Tinnakill House to Richard Ryan for £160,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale in October 2020.
Pedigree Notes: The family has taken off in recent times, largely down to globetrotting star State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who has won three Group 1 races on three different continents. Tranquil Lady's unraced juvenile half-sister Double Scoop (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) was sold for €180,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale last year. Their dam also has a Sea The Stars (GB) filly foal at foot and was recently sold to Juddmonte in foal to Frankel (GB).

 

TUESDAY (IRE), Galileo (Ire)–Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire})
Owner: Mrs John Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith/Westerberg
Breeder: Coolmore
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Pedigree Notes: A full-sister to the brilliant 1000 Guineas and Oaks winner Minding (Ire), Irish 1000 Guineas scorer Empress Josephine (Ire) and Group 3 scorer Kissed By Angels (Ire), out of top-class racemare Lillie Langtry, who won the G1 Matron and G1 Coronation S., Tuesday turns three on Cazoo Oaks Day. Her 2-year-old full-sister has been named Delightful (Ire), but has yet to grace the track.

 

WITH THE MOONLIGHT (IRE), Frankel (GB)–Sand Vixen (GB) (Dubawi {Ire})
Owner/Breeder: Godolphin
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Pedigree Notes: A sister to Dream Castle, winner of a Group 1 over nine furlongs at Meydan, she is the sixth foal out of Sand Vixen, who won the G2 Flying Childers S. as a juvenile. Sand Vixen has a yearling filly by Cracksman (GB) and a filly foal by Blue Point (Ire).

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