international federation of horseracing authorities

TIF Paper: American Racing Lacks Customer-Centric Focus

Full fields. Harmonized rules. Modernized wagering systems and protocols. Transparent officiating.

Can these be the future of North American horse racing, and of the greater sport around the world?

“Our customers, the bettors, must be at the center of everything we do,” Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges told the Thoroughbred Idea Foundation (TIF) last week.

“This approach applies to everything we do as a sport. Customers must be satisfied with our approach to horse welfare, to harmonizing betting rules, interference rules, the race schedule we offer and presenting races with full fields of competitive horses.”

What bettors want should drive how racing evolves. But that has not been the case in North America.

Customer centricity has not been a focus.

Hong Kong finds itself at the heart of a customer-friendly approach to racing and Engelbrecht-Bresges is the new chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). While he acknowledges the IFHA is not a rule-making body itself, the push for harmonizing the global racing experience for customers is moving beyond just recommended best practices.

“We can talk about the importance of a customer-centric approach and harmonizing rules all we want, but with the global commingling business–through World Pools–we are proving the commercial value of it. World Pools is creating the financial incentive to change.”

The World Pools concept is simple.

Instead of having separate pari-mutuel pools for major race days in America, Great Britain, France, Ireland, Hong Kong and South Africa, just to name a few, one massive pool can be created, maximizing liquidity and financial interest for all participants. On 17 days of commingled World Pools run across Britain and Ireland in 2021, total handle eclipsed the equivalent of $481 million.

Hong Kong is a major cog in the process, with bettors in the region often comprising roughly 60% of the liquidity in World Pools offerings, according to Engelbrecht-Bresges. In November, the HKJC provided its local customers simulcasts of two Breeders' Cup races for the first time since 2014, and the hope is to offer more later.

“I really commend the Breeders' Cup and their global vision. It was important for us to recognize the steps that have been taken to adopt racing free of medication and I hope we can expand wagering opportunities over the next three to five-year period.”

While U.S. customers have been participants in World Pools offered on key race days, such as Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and other major race days, American races have not yet been chosen as targets for World Pools.

The Modern Games fiasco sharpened attention on America's lack of a customer-centric focus, exhibited through disparate rules which disproportionately disadvantage betting customers.

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Ryan Moore Named Longines World’s Best Jockey

Ryan Moore has won the title of 2021 Longines World's Best Jockey with 112 points. He was a previous recipient of the award in 2014 and 2016. This year, Moore won six qualifying races-from the world's top 100 Group or Grade 1s–aboard five different horses in four countries. His qualifying races are as follows: Longines Hong Kong Vase (Mogul {GB}), G1 Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored by Azizi Developments (Extravagant Kid), Prince of Wales's S. (Love {Ire}), Diamond Jubilee S. (Dream of Dreams {Ire}), Coral-Eclipse (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}), and Irish Champion S. (St Mark's Basilica {Fr}).

Second in the standings was William Buick with 104 points, while James McDonald was third with 96 points. Moore will be honoured in mid-January when the 2021 Longines World's Best Racehorse and Longines World's Best Horse Race winners are announced. For more information, please visit the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities website.

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Niarchos Family Awarded 2021 Longines and IFHA Award of Merit

The Niarchos Family was awarded the 2021 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit at Del Mar during the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Champions on Friday, Nov. 5. Started in 2013 by Longines and the IFHA and given to horsemen and horsewomen who make lifelong contributions to Thoroughbred racing, the award was accepted by Maria Niarchos-Gouaze on behalf of her family. More than 125 Group or Grade 1 winners have been bred and/or campaigned under their banner, and they have been long-time supporters of the Breeders' Cup. Representatives from Longines, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the Breeders' Cup and The Jockey Club were in attendance.

“On behalf of my brothers and myself, I would like to thank Longines, the IFHA, the Breeders' Cup, and The Jockey Club for this great honour,” said Niarchos-Gouazé. “I would also like to thank all of our horses, the jockeys who mainly found the winning post, our trainers, our veterinarians and farriers, and all of the individuals who have worked on the studs and in our trainers' yards.

“In particular, I would like to thank my home team, Alan Cooper and Karen Clark, who have been with us since inception, for their dedication and loyalty, and also Jamie McCalmont and Bill Oppenheim, and those who have worked alongside them. Lastly, and the most deserving of all, I would like to thank my father, Stavros, for his vision.”

The late Stavros Niarchos, a Greek shipping magnate, first became involved with Thoroughbred racing in the 1950s. After a break, he returned in the 1970s. The 1956 Middle Park S. winner Pipe of Peace (GB) (Supreme Court {GB}) was his first major winner. Niarchos-Gouaze, his daughter, took over the Thoroughbred business upon his passing in 1996. Alan Cooper serves as the family's racing manager.

Seven Breeders' Cup races have gone to Niarchos Family colourbearers, six of them homebreds. A total of six editions of the GI Breeders' Cup Mile have been won by the family: Miesque (Kingmambo) (1987, 1988), Spinning World (Nureyev) (1997), Domedriver (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) (2002), Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}) (2003), and Karakontie (Jpn) (Bernstein) (2014). Additionally, Main Sequence (Aldebaran) won the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf in 2014.

Other notable horses to have raced for the Niarchos Family are: 2004 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Bago (Fr) (Nashwan); Classic winners Divine Proportions (Kingmambo) Light Shift (Kingmambo), Study of Man (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), and War of Will (War Front); Light Shift's son Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (2017 Eclipse S. and International S.); 2018 Irish Horse of the Year Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}); and Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (2019 St James's Palace S. and 2020 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot).

“We are delighted to celebrate tonight the Niarchos Family, whose strong commitment and dedication to Thoroughbred racing have been rewarded by so many remarkable successes over the years,” said Matthieu Baumgartner, Longines Vice President Marketing. “The history of the family proves that equestrian sport is one of passion, a passion that Longines has been sharing for a century and a half. Today, we are the partner of some of the major international institutions, including the IFHA, and provide our timekeeping expertise to prestigious events all around the world in the disciplines show jumping, dressage, eventing and of course, horse racing.”

“I would like to congratulate the Niarchos Family as this year's recipient of the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit,” said IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. “Reflecting upon the significance and the values associated with this award, I am struck by the level of success achieved by the Niarchos Family in nearly every corner of the globe, spanning multiple generations.

“On racetrack achievement alone, the Niarchos Family would be worthy recipients of this award, but their steadfast support of our industry is what sets them apart. Their unwavering partnership and development of international racing and breeding is a special feat, and it must be celebrated.”

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Niarchos Family To Receive 2021 Longines And IFHA International Award Of Merit

The Niarchos family has been selected to receive the 2021 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, which recognizes distinguished horsemen and horsewomen for lifelong contributions to Thoroughbred racing. They will be honored during a ceremony Friday, Nov. 5, in Del Mar during Breeders' Cup World Championships weekend, and Maria Niarchos-Gouazé will accept the award on behalf of the family.

The Niarchos family breeds and races Thoroughbreds around the world and has done so with great success for decades. More than 125 Group or Grade 1 winners have been bred and/or campaigned under their banner, and they have been long-time supporters of the Breeders' Cup.

The late Stavros Niarchos served as a Greek naval officer in World War II and made his fortune in the shipping business. He first became involved with Thoroughbred racing in the 1950s, took a break, and returned in full force in the 1970s. His first major winner was Pipe of Peace, who won the 1956 Middle Park Stakes.

At the 1978 Keeneland July sale, Niarchos paid the second-highest amount ever, at the time, for a yearling colt. Named Nureyev, he went on to be an extremely influential sire. Among Nureyev's most well-known progeny is Miesque, who raced as a homebred for the Niarchos family and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame of the United States in 1999.

Miesque, who won the Breeders' Cup Mile in both 1987 and 1988, was a champion in England, France, and the United States during her racing career. As a broodmare, she went on to produce elite runner and stallion Kingmambo as well as three-time Group 1 winner East Of The Moon. A multiple Group 1 winner in Europe, Kingmambo became one of the leading stallions in Kentucky, siring classic winners and champions in North America, Europe, and Japan. East Of The Moon, meanwhile, is the granddam of three Group 1-winning sisters in Alpha Centauri, Alpine Star, and Discoveries.

Niarchos was the leading owner in France in 1983 and 1984 as well as the leading breeder in 1989, 1993, and 1994. His daughter Maria took over the family's Thoroughbred business after his death in 1996, and Alan Cooper serves as the family's racing manager.

The Niarchos family has won seven Breeders' Cup races with six homebred colts and fillies. Six of those victories have come in the Breeders' Cup Mile (G1): Miesque (1987, 1988), Spinning World (1997), Domedriver (2002), Six Perfections (2003), and Karakontie (2014). Additionally, Main Sequence won the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) in 2014. The six Mile winners were trained in Europe, while Main Sequence began his career in Europe before being transferred to the United States. This record as an owner-breeder at the Breeders' Cup makes the Niarchos family one of the event's most successful participants.

A sampling of other notable international wins for the family as owner or breeder also includes Bago (2004 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe), Divine Proportions (2005 Prix de Diane), Light Shift (2007 English Oaks), Ulysses (2017 Eclipse Stakes and International Stakes, son of Light Shift), Alpha Centauri (2018 Irish Horse of the Year), Study of Man (2018 Prix du Jockey Club), War of Will (2019 Preakness Stakes), and Circus Maximus (2019 St James's Palace Stakes and 2020 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot).

Representatives from both Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), as well as the Breeders' Cup and The Jockey Club, will be in California to celebrate the Niarchos family. As the Official Partner and Official Watch of the IFHA, Swiss watchmaker Longines and the IFHA conjointly created the Award of Merit in 2013. Longines is also an Official Partner, the Official Timekeeper, and the Official Watch of the Breeders' Cup, as well as the title sponsor for the Breeders' Cup Classic, Turf, and Distaff.

Previous winners of this award include John Messara, the owner and chairman of Arrowfield Stud in Australia; the Magnier family and trainer Aidan O'Brien, the driving forces behind Coolmore and the Ballydoyle Racing Stable in Ireland; Yutaka Take, legendary Japanese jockey; the Romanet family, long renowned leaders in both the French and international world of horseracing; Jim Bolger, leading Irish trainer, owner and breeder; Alec Head, past champion trainer and patriarch of prominent stud farm Haras du Quesnay; Seth Hancock of historic Claiborne Farm in America; and the late Marcel Zarour Atanacio, former chairman of the South American organization for the promotion of Thoroughbreds (OSAF).

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