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Letters to the Editor: Despite COVID, British Racing’s Success

There is much to be negative about with British racing but occasionally we should acknowledge and celebrate success. During this terrible year of Covid, racing’s rulers should be celebrated for what they have achieved and what has been saved.

Our great sport was back behind closed doors and handled the health implications effectively. The stud season took place with mares covered and the business uninterrupted.

The icing on the cake must surely be the remarkable resilience of the Tattersalls sales which ran in Newmarket on their original dates. To the best of our knowledge the December Sales ran without any outbreak of covid amongst the participants.

We should applaud Tattersalls for going the extra mile, the Maktoum family for their support, Government for recognising our importance as an international business as well as a great sport, but most of all our hard-working staff who kept the show on the road.

Well done ITV on spreading the message and pleasures of British Horse Racing. Let us hope that in 2021 the BHA can finally persuade Government that a properly funded industry can be for the benefit of all including bookmakers and the taxpayer.

Yours sincerely,

The Hon Peter Stanley & Simon Marsh
Manager, New England Stud General Manager, Watership Down & Kiltinan Castle Studs

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Colin Bowe Receives Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy

Trainer Colin Bowe was chosen as the recipient of the Willie Stephenson Memorial Trophy for 2019, Goffs UK announced on Tuesday. The award commemorates the co-founder of DBS, now Goffs UK and is awarded annually to the person or persons whom the Goffs UK Board feel have made the biggest contribution to the success of the company during the year.

Bowe trainees are a regular feature at the Goffs UK Doncaster and Aintree Sales, particularly the latter, where they have topped three of the four sales held at the venue thus far. Normally, the award is presented at Doncaster, but due to COVID-19, it was instead awarded to Bowe in his yard on Tuesday.

“Colin has had a lasting impact on our sales with his point-to-pointers regularly featuring at the top of the market–a testament to his ability to consistently produce horses of the highest calibre,” said Goffs Group Chief Executive Henry Beeby in his role as the second successor to Willie Stephenson as Goffs UK Chairman. “He has played a big part in the ongoing success of our Aintree Sale having produced most of the sale toppers including Samcro who topped the inaugural 2016 sale and went on to become a headline horse, winning the G1 Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2018 and the G1 Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Festival earlier this year.”

“We are delighted to add Colin’s name to the list of very worthy and diverse recipients of this award and look forward to selling more of his Milestone Stables’ graduates for many years to come.”

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Gillon Bloodstock at Floors Castle to Launch in January

After the partial dispersal of the late Duke of Roxburghe’s Floors Stud, current stud manager Christopher Gillon will start Gillon Bloodstock @ Floors Castle which will utilise the property and formally begin on Jan. 1. An eight-year veteran of Floors Stud, the 37-year-old began as a stud hand and progressed to his current role. The Floors Stud facilities include a horse walker, lunge rings, turnout paddocks and the most amazing estate for hand walking yearlings. Gillon Bloodstock @ Floors Castle will be taking a limited number of boarding mares, weanlings and spellers. Next fall, Gillon Bloodstock will offer its own draft at all major yearling sales.

During Gillon’s tenure, the stud raised, produced and sold five individual seven-figure yearlings, including in 2020 the 2.1 million guineas Dubawi (Ire)-Cushion (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) yearling colt and the 1.1 million guineas Frankel (GB)-Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) yearling colt.

Ed Sackville who was bloodstock advisor to the late Duke and has worked closely with Gillon commented, “The success the stud enjoyed with this years October sales are a true testament to Chris’s ability and professionalism. I will certainly endeavour to continue to support Chris in his new venture.”

Simon Marsh whose Kiltinan Castle Stud sold the mares and foals on behalf of Floors at the December Sales added, “In all my dealings with Chris he has been thoroughly professional and his attention to detail is excellent as has been borne out through the sale of the yearlings this year as well as the mares and foals that were all prepared by him at the stud.”

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Quartet of Lesters Nominations for Hollie Doyle

Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year Hollie Doyle, who is also a nominee for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year, has been nominated for four Lesters Awards, leading all nominations. Seven Lesters are voted on by members of the Professional Jockeys Association, with the Flat Ride of the Year picked by Racing TV viewers and the Jump Ride of the Year selected by Sky Sports Racing Viewers. Polls have closed and all winners will be announced during a live show at 6 p.m. on Sky Sports Racing on Dec. 22.

Doyle, alongside partner Tom Marquand, champion jockey Oisin Murphy and William Buick are up for Flat Jockey of the Year. Her ride aboard Glen Shiel (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the G1 British Champions Sprint S., her first Group 1 win, is a nominee for Flat Ride of the Year; while she is also up for Female Jockey of the Year alongside Nicola Currie, Bridget Andrews and Megan Nicholls. Finally, Doyal is also nominated for the Flat Jockey Special Recognition Award with Joe Fanning, Robert Havlin and Paul Hanagan.

Champion Jumps jockey Brian Hughes, Richard Johnson, Aidan Coleman and Harry Cobden are in the running for Jump Jockey of the Year. The Jump Jockey Special Recognition Award’s nominees are Leighton Aspell, Adam Nicol, Wayne Hutchinson and Andrew Tinkler.

Dale Gibson, PJA executive director (Racing), said, “Like other awards ceremonies, we were unable to host a Lesters Awards ceremony due to the pandemic so we were delighted when Sky Sports Racing agreed to produce another Lesters special, as they did in 2019.

“Having been lucky enough to win two Lesters myself I know how much it means so on behalf of the PJA and our members, I would like to congratulate all of the nominees and wish them the very best of luck.”

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