Following the sale of the AU$10 million Winx (Aus) filly and his announcement to step back from full-time duties at the end of the year, Jonathan D'Arcy, Inglis's general manager of bloodstock operations, spoke with TTR AusNZ.

   A few days after Jonathan D'Arcy, Inglis's general manager of bloodstock operations and auctioneer, made headlines for knocking down the Pierro (Aus) x Winx filly for a staggering AU$10 million to Woppitt Bloodstock, he took the time to sit down with The Thoroughbred Report for a Q&A session.

   While there was news of D'Arcy's retirement, he was quick to clarify that he would only be stepping back from his full-time role at Inglis. However, he plans to remain involved as part of the bloodstock inspection team and will continue his duties as an auctioneer.

D'Arcy told TTR AusNZ, “I'm stepping back from a full-time position, but I'll certainly still be around. I will be playing a role in inspecting yearlings with the team in August and September and I'll be in the auction box for as long as they [Inglis] want to keep me.”

Keely: Jonathan, could you provide readers with some insight into how your career in the breeding and racing industry began?

D'Arcy: Certainly, I am going back a long time, probably before you were born, but I grew up in Brisbane and I was always interested in the thoroughbred industry.

During my school holidays, I'd go and work on a stud farm or I'd go down to Eagle Farm Racecourse and help out a couple of trainers down there.

My mum was a tipster on the radio and had a column in the paper tipping horses, so there was always an interest there and after finishing school I worked for a couple of properties and then to the Agricultural College in Victoria, and as part of that course I ended up doing some experience with Inglis in 1986.

After that work experience I was fortunate enough that John and Reg Inglis offered me a position in the pedigree team. At that stage we wrote pedigrees, they weren't generated by computers, so we wrote all of them.

At that stage I certainly wasn't thinking I was going to become an auctioneer. I just enjoyed being around the horses and loved the pedigree side of the business. I was learning a lot, as you do working for a company like Inglis.

A couple of years later Reg Inglis asked me and Vin Cox if we'd like to have a go at auctioning. We both took up the offer, I kept going with it and Vin decided he'd go down more of a sales path where he became a successful bloodstock agent before embarking on his very successful management career.

I stayed with auctioneering because I enjoyed it so much. I've been lucky enough to see the world as a company representative and it's been a very enjoyable career to this date.

Keely: How do you ready yourself for an auction? Do you plan out your approach in advance, or do you prefer to improvise and go with the flow?

D'Arcy: Every auction is different, and obviously a sale like the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale there's a lot more work that goes into having a think about how you can promote these horses you're selling. Most auctions we take 90 seconds to 2 1/2 minutes to sell a horse.

So, there's not an awful lot you can say, you just make sure you're up to date with the pedigree and what the stallion's latest racetrack results are. We get all the information on the successful nicks and crosses, but all the buying bench is so well versed in all this information.

They don't really want to hear a lot about pedigrees–it's all in the catalogue and so they really want an efficient auctioneering service that can get the horses bought and sold in a good time.

I think we're actually selling a bit faster these days just to get through the large number of lots that we've got on our selling days.

But overall, I don't think we want to bore people with extra statistics or pedigree information. You just got to be up to date with anything that might help or make a difference when the final bids are called for.

Keely: Throughout your extensive and successful career, who have been some of your influences and sources of inspiration?

D'Arcy: I've been fortunate to be around a lot of successful people in this industry. Early days, I was learning from the auctioneers that were present at the company. So, that was Reg Inglis, John Inglis and Jamie Inglis.

Down the track we took over Dalgety Bloodstock in Victoria, and that meant that we had the services of Peter Heageny. Peter was certainly someone who I learned a lot of auctioneering skills from. We also worked with Simon Vivian.

I spent a lot of time listening to other auctioneers and I was lucky enough to follow Damien Cooley, who's a very successful real estate auctioneer. I followed him around for several months just learning how he sold houses. I was lucky enough to do a real estate auction for his company.

An inspiration has been Neville Begg. I am very fortunate to have developed a strong friendship with Neville. Obviously, he's been a successful trainer in Australia for many years. When he went to Hong Kong, I was lucky to stay with Neville and his wife on several occasions. Neville remained a very close friend and someone I learned a lot about horses from.

I've spent time with many successful bloodstock agents like Kieran Moore and John Foote. There's too many to name. You learn from everyone you're around, and it's an industry that you keep learning. You're still learning to this very day and that's what makes it interesting. It's an industry where a lot of people get involved and a lot of people do share their knowledge with you.

I think that's great for young people coming up through the business that you can learn from all these different people that we've got within the industry.

Keely: What is your favourite aspect of your role?

D'Arcy: At Inglis, we have a great bloodstock team. We've got about 10 people in the bloodstock team, so we talk to each other a lot. We have meetings almost weekly where we talk about some of the things we need to do, whether it's for a digital sale or whether it's recruiting buyers to certain sales. Sometimes it's about what we need to do to attract yearlings or attract mares for the Chairman's Sale.

So, there's always something different happening throughout the year. The most enjoyable part to me is the auctioneering. I love it because I think we can make a difference to the returns for our clients, and I love the theatre of it. I love the fact every sale is different.

When you're calling bids at a million dollars and seeing the emotion on both purchasers' and vendors' faces, that's a great kick. It's great to play a very small part in a successful sale. Because the breeders have spent up to 18 months, two years, breeding the mare to get the foal and then foal to a Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale or a Inglis HTBA Sale or Classic or Premier–to get the result for them that they dream of that's very important for not only myself but all the people in the company.

Keely: Apart from the Winx filly, could you share some of your other career highlights?

D'Arcy: I was lucky enough to sell a mare called Samantha Miss (Aus). She was put through as a racing and breeding prospect as a 4-year-old mare. She'd won the VRC Oaks and was probably one of the highest profile race mares to be sold that year.

Samantha Miss sold for AU$3.85 million – that was a great thrill. I was also fortunate enough to sell Makybe Diva (GB)'s Galileo (Ire) colt at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale when it was held at Newmarket many years ago.

Once again, that was not dissimilar to what we saw play out this week, there was a lot of mainstream media attention there. Makybe Diva having won the Melbourne Cup on three occasions and a Cox Plate. There was a lot of international interest, the colt made AU$1.7 million.

That was exciting but some of the biggest thrills you get are selling horses for AU$100,000 when the client thought it was worth AU$40,000 or selling a horse for AU$80,000 when they thought they were struggling to get AU$20,000.

That gives you as much thrill as selling the high-priced horses. Sometimes a result like that keeps that breeder in the game. It means they can breed the mare again the following year. So, I think it's very important, and it's not a cliché but every horse we offer is important. We would like to think that we're giving every horse the same opportunity to maximise its sale price through our auctioneering team.

Keely: Could you share some of your funniest or most cherished memories from your career?

D'Arcy: I can remember when I was a bit younger and I was actually taking bids in the Newmarket ring, which many people will remember had quite a lot of residential housing around it and a school and hospital across the road.

I can't recall if it was a Inglis Classic Sale or an Easter Sale but my wife and I lived across the road and we had a young beagle puppy called Jackson. Anyway, I had my back to the auctioneer and was looking at the clients under the tree taking bids and there was a commotion and I turned around and here was this beagle puppy racing straight towards me! It was quite a hilarious moment.

I'm sure there would be a lot of other funny moments around the sales. You get people who are surprised at what their horses are making, absolutely gobsmacked and wonderful things like that. We sold a colt for a vendor from New Zealand one day, who thought the horse was going to make AU$400,000- AU$500,000 and they ended up making well over that mark, selling for AU$1.5 million.

So, that was a bit of fun. You share a lot of jokes and camaraderie with the clients. Many of the people who attend the sales have been attending them for a very long time, you can always have a laugh with them about certain things that happen in the sale ring.

Keely: What positive changes or innovations have you observed in the industry, and are there any aspects you'd like to see improved or altered?

D'Arcy: I suppose the innovations are the way computers are used these days. The statistics are up to date and you can get the ratings that are put out after every meeting. I think that's certainly a tool that many people use now when they're buying horses or if they're trading horses to Hong Kong, those ratings are something that have become very

Prior to the introduction of computers – analytics, statistics, ratings was very much a personal opinion but now it's solid data behind why horses are bought and sold. One of the biggest changes with the selling of bloodstock/livestock has been the introduction of digital sales.

We've been lucky at Inglis to play a role in that. We're turning over AU$90 to AU$95 million a year in digital sales. But that's made it a very liquid market so you don't have to wait three or four months to sell a horse or even prior to this it wasn't really possible to sell a five or 10 per cent share in a horse.

Now you've got a sale every two weeks. So, it's almost like the stock market, like a trading floor of a stock market and I think that has changed the way people look at trading bloodstock.

We have horses that one year they're sold as a yearling for AU$400,000 and they have a couple of starts and the syndicate might decide that they're not exactly going to make a stallion, so they're traded for say AU$200,000. That horse might win a couple of races for that owner and then maybe nine months later they're traded again for AU$90,000 because they need to continue their racing in an easier jurisdiction.

Some of these horses have been traded three, four, five times in their lives and at each time it's important for the owners to be able to conduct that trading. I think the fact we've developed a trading platform that assists everyone.

The second part, I think the industry is now much more focused on welfare and the importance of displaying to the world that we care about these horses, not only during their racing careers but their post racing careers.

While there's still more that can be done and needs to be done, I think everyone is now thinking in the right direction. There isn't just financial support but also having a think about how we look after these horses once they are retired. So, I feel that was something that was very much required and it's been a rocky road to get to that point.

Keely: Is there a particular stallion that holds a special place in your heart over the years?

D'Arcy: I was fortunate enough to be around when Danehill was really in full stride. I can remember looking at his fist crop and they sold okay but when they started racing it was quickly understood that he was a breed shaper stallion. Danehill was getting colts and fillies, his sons were going off to stud and were successful – the likes of Danzero (Aus), Flying Spur (Aus), Redoute's Choice (Aus), Fastnet Rock (Aus).

The fact that we were able to sell Danehills for something like 12 years, the incredible popularity of the stallion and the success they had. Many of them were sold through our Easter Yearling Sale, it was just a great time to be involved.

I remember Danehills regularly making a million dollars, two million and he never had any sex bias. It's a rare thing to see in a stallion – the term is a breed shaper and I've only seen a couple of breed shaper stallions in my lifetime. Danehill was probably the greatest one and to have the opportunity to his progeny for an extended period of time was certainly a great highlight of mine.

Keely: Do you consider the sale of the Pierro x Winx filly to be the pinnacle of your career?

D'Arcy: I suppose a lot of people will because it got all the publicity, and it was certainly probably the most highly anticipated moment of my career.

I just hoped everything would play out well. I was pleased that there was competition, I would have loved to have had a few other people to jump in. However, I know people were trying to have a bid at AU$3 million, AU$4 million and AU$5 million. People have spoken to me afterwards saying we tried to get in but it was just too fast.

I was just delighted to be able to play a very, very small role in what was a great story. The marketing team here and the way buyers were recruited did a massive job.

I think the whole story captured the imagination of the Australian public and the thoroughbred industry around the world – that was great.

As an auctioneer we sell a lot of horses every year but it's been very enjoyable being part of this sale and it's very fresh in my mind. It's an easy one to remember because there's just been so much written about it and a lot of video content.

It was just a thrill to be involved and I'm pleased that it played out well for everyone. Fingers crossed the filly can go on and continue the legacy that Winx has laid down.

Keely: Has the reality of selling a yearling filly for AU$10 million fully set in for you?

D'Arcy: I practised selling her for about a month before the sale, not every day, but if I was driving for half-n-hour or every couple of days and in my mind she never made AU$10 million. When practising I'd be taking bids of AU$200,000 or AU$250,000 but to be taking bids of a million and a million and a half, that wasn't something I considered was ever a possibility of occurring.

I don't think any auctioneer in the world would have imagined they'd be calling bids of that magnitude in such quick succession as how it played out. Personally, I really didn't think she would be making that sort of money. When you think about it the highest-priced yearling ever sold was a colt at US$13 million and it was a long, long time ago.

The Australian record for a filly was AU$2.6 million, and I thought she'd be making somewhere around AU$5 million because of the interest. At AU$10 million, it is still sinking in for a lot of us. Just a magic moment to be involved in and a horse's worth is determined by what two people are willing to pay.

Debbie Kepitis had a part ownership of the filly, but she had to pay an awful lot of money to buy out her partners. It was a unique opportunity to buy the daughter of arguably the greatest racehorse we've ever seen in this country.

Keely: What would you name the Pierro x Winx filly?

D'Arcy: I quite like a name called An A Nod. Three words, a wink and a nod. Sort of something like that. There's an old saying, a nod and a wink. So, that's why I think An A Nod. But I'm sure smarter people than I will come up with a very suitable name for her.

The post ‘In My Mind, She Never Made AU$10 Million’: Jonathan D’Arcy And A Lifetime Of Sales appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Of course, that award was tinged with sadness after the death of Marnane's mother, Theresa, at the age of 61 in December. 

In this week's Q&A, Marnane discusses how the bloodstock industry has served as a tonic in times of sadness, her hopes for Givemethebeatboys and much more.  

BS: In all of his 25 years hosting the awards, Master of Ceremonies Leo Powell said he'd never seen a standing ovation like the one you received at the ITBA Awards last Sunday? That must have been pretty special. 

AM: It was a very emotional night. Sure I just thought there would be a small award and everyone would clap but there was a standing ovation when I went up to the stage and then again when I came back down after I got the award. It was just unbelievable. It meant a lot and it certainly put a lump in my throat. Although I might not show it on the outside, it was very special. For the ITBA to even put my name to paper initially, and then to be picked as the winner, it's just incredible. Obviously the award was tinged with sadness after we lost Mum in December but this industry is like a big family. Whenever anyone is going through something, the whole industry rallies around them. It's very special. 

We've been through some desperately sad times as an industry. Take the death of Pat Smullen or Jack de Bromhead as an example. The sport tends to pull together in hard times and I gather it was no different when Theresa passed away. To that extent, I think we can be immensely proud of our industry. 

Completely. It's an amazing game. We found out that Mum had cancer the morning of the breeze at the Goresbridge Breeze-Up Sale. We tried to keep it quiet but people knew that there was something up and that something was wrong. By the time the yearling sales came around, the word was out that Mum was sick. Any consignment we went to visit, you wouldn't be met with a, 'hello, how are ya? What would you like to see?' You were met with a, 'how's your Mum and is there anything we can do?' Mum passed away during the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls. It's the biggest funeral I have ever seen but, if that sale hadn't been on, there would have been even more people there. The phones were hopping. We got through Christmas and headed off to Australia for a holiday. Even at the Goffs February Sale just gone, people have still been amazing. Frances Smullen, in particular, has been very good to us. Obviously she has been through everything with Pat and was there to offer us a helping hand. I must say that, in the sales ring or on the track, everyone in the industry is ready for a dog fight but, when you go through something like this, you couldn't ask for better people to rally around you. The industry has shown this time and time again and I'm hugely proud to be a part of it. 

Your life has been a soundtrack of horses for as long as you can remember. I can only imagine that, for all of the big days and success that you have enjoyed, the horses and working closely with them were just as important to you when you were going through such difficult times. 

Absolutely. Going out to the yard every morning and keeping yourself busy was important. Con is a bit like a child, you need to keep him busy all the time, but even he will tell you the very same–it was getting up every morning and getting into the yard to watch the horses canter or to simply just be around them, that proved to be a major therapy for us and helped us to take our minds off everything else that was going on. They're incredible animals and the team of people we have working with us are equally as important. I couldn't thank them enough for what they have done for us. They would literally stand on their heads for you. They look after us just as much as they look after the horses. Particularly Mike O'Brien, Mr Ribchester himself, he has been an absolutely saint. He manages everything at home and without him we'd be lost. 

You've gathered up a lot of experience in the industry in your 30 years. Is there a certain path you'd like to go down or are you happy to continue as you are with your finger in so many pies?

I think it's important not to put all of your eggs in one basket. Some years the breeze-up horses can be very lucrative and the next year it might be the foals that you bred or the yearlings that you pinhooked that do well. Once you have your finger in every pie, something is bound to go right every year. That has to happen to keep the whole thing afloat. If the truth be known, we're probably completely addicted. If there's any Flat sale on, we'll be there. Trading horses is our business.

I suppose you're getting sick talking about Givemethebeatboys (Ire) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}) but he provided you all with plenty to smile about last year and the best may yet be to come in 2024.

I'll never get sick of talking about that horse. He has been a revelation. The Brickley brothers, who sold him to us, have been unbelievable and have tracked his journey the whole way through. The horse was bred by Mrs Rogers at Airlie Stud and you just can't beat those families. Givemethebeatboys got us through last year. To go and make that kind of money at the Goffs London Sale, to win the Marble Hill and to run such a good race in the Coventry Stakes, he's just been phenomenal for us. He's done very well over the winter-he's grown and filled out. Hopefully this time next year we'll be sending mares to him.

The Commonwealth Cup would presumably be the big aim for him this year?

Look, Royal Ascot is what it's all about for us. We finished second in the Commonwealth Cup with Sands Of Mali (Fr) so we'd love to go and win it. The King's Stand Stakes is also an option and, to be honest, it would just be a dream to win any of the big sprint races with him. The Sands family own the majority share in Givemethebeatboys and they have been so good to us. They are really, nice genuine people and I just hope the horse can go on for them this year and that we have a very exciting horse to look forward to together this summer. 

What was the result that got the whole thing off the ground for you?

I had just finished my honours degree in Equine Science when I went over to America in 2015. I had been buying a few foals here and there in Ireland and, before I went to America, Con told me that if I saw a nice foal in America, to go and get it bought. I saw this Orb foal–it was his first crop-and I bought him for $13,000. I gave him to Gerry Dilger, who has been so good to me, to prep him for the year. Gerry rang me and told me that the horse was getting into Book 2 at Keeneland in September. I was expecting him to tell me that the horse got into Book 4 or something. We chanced it anyway and the horse went on to make $125,000 and he turned out to be a Stakes horse. We were delighted with the price and even more delighted that he turned out to be a good racehorse. His name was Zero Gravity. 

What do you do with $125,000 in your mid-20s? I know what I'd do!

I reinvested the money. Con told me to go back and buy a couple of breezers and I did. I bought an Uncle Mo colt for $40,000. We brought him to the Craven Breeze-Up Sale and he made 150,000gns. He turned out to be a very good horse called Corrosive and was sold on again at the Tattersalls Horses-In-Training Sale in October 2018 for 450,000gns, so that was another good result. 

To have someone like Con in your corner must be brilliant. I know he said it half tongue in cheek at the awards night on Sunday, but you really couldn't have learned off many better people in the industry, could you?

I'd never say this to him but I'm probably the luckiest person in the world. We get up at seven o'clock in the morning to feed the horses together. I watch them galloping with him, and see all the things that he does with them, which is a lot-there's a treadmill, a swimming pool, they go away to gallop and we've five different gallops. His mind is working overtime. He never dwells on the past and never stops thinking about what he can do next to improve. Whether that's staying up to three in the morning Googling how to produce his own Alfalfa hay in Ireland or looking at the next gadget for the yard, he never stops. He'd always say that you never stop learning in this game and he's a prime example of that. He's a bit of a freak lately. 

It's not just Con that you have struck up a good relationship with. You've enjoyed some good results with his brother and your uncle David through buying a number of yearlings to race in the famous MRC International silks each year. Lady Tilbury (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) and Night Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) are two good examples given that both horses made six figures at the horses-in-training sale last year. 

David has been so good to us and the whole family has grown closer in recent times. I buy all of David's yearlings and we've had plenty of luck. We never spend huge money on a horse and we have to try and think outside the box. Lady Tilbury cost us just 18,000gns and was sold to Paddy Twomey for 150,000gns and I hope she's very, very lucky for him. She's a very good filly. Night Moon came from Germany. He's a bit different to the horses that I usually buy but he won impressively for David at Listowel and was sold to Harold Kirk on behalf of Willie Mullins for 100,000gns. He could be an exciting horse going forward over hurdles for them. 

There you go. You grew up watching with the Bansha Bullets but a nice horse is a nice horse no matter what the code and you can clearly spot them, whether they are out-and-out speedsters or middle-distance types. What is it that you look for at the sales?

You know a nice horse when it comes out of the box. The horse literally needs to take one or two steps and it's either a yes or a no. You need an intelligent-looking horse who has a good ear and a good eye. Different people like Mike and Mary Ryan, Niall Brennan, Gerry Dilger, Peter and Ross Doyle and even a lot of vets, they'd forgive a horse for not being perfect in front. I don't think we should start messing with them in terms of putting screws in and things like that. It can cause more trouble than good. I usually find that, if a horse is strong enough behind, he'll keep the weight off his front legs. 

Finally, your family is known for unleashing top-notch two-year-old talent so I can't let you go without nominating one or two for us to keep an eye on this year. 

I wish we had a Pinatubo (Ire) in the yard. We tried and tried to buy one last year but we kept coming up short. I think he is in for a big year. We have a couple by Sands Of Mali and they are very nice. They have super temperaments and have huge hind quarters. His progeny remind me a lot of him because they have such good attitudes. We have 24 to breeze this year. There are some very special horses in there-four Blue Points, four Havana Greys, a very talented Starspangledbanner (Aus) out of a sister to The Tin Man (GB) and a half-brother to Sands Of Mali himself who goes really well. There's a lot of quality in there.

The post Amy Marnane Q&A: ‘This Industry Is Like A Big Family – It’s Very Special’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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McKibbin sat down with Brian Sheerin during the December Mares Sale to discuss his career to date and hopes for the future for the latest TDN Q&A.

It's hard to believe that you've only been auctioneering for two years.

I started in August 2021 but it feels like I have been doing it for a good while now. Auctioneering at Book 2 this year was nerve-wracking but, since then, it just feels like it is second nature for me which is encouraging.

And you didn't set out to be an auctioneer, either. 

No, that's true. I started bid spotting for Tattersalls during my gap year to try and earn a little bit of extra money on the side. I was working as a pupil assistant with Simon Crisford at the time. I'd always looked at the auctioneers and thought, 'God, I could never do that.' A couple of years later, after I'd done the Irish National Stud course and worked in Australia, I came back and applied for the Tattersalls internship. Luckily, I got that, but it wasn't until I sat down with Ollie Fowlston that I thought about becoming an auctioneer. When you think of auctioneering, you think of the American and Australian way of doing things, where the numbers just roll off the tongue. Obviously at Tattersalls, we have a more traditional way of doing things, where you make out what the auctioneer is saying and the figures the auctioneer is asking for. I initially thought I'd be too boring-and just say numbers, numbers, numbers-but I practiced a lot and Ollie came up to the ring with me quite a bit at the start. He was my mentor and the guy who honed in on me and said, 'right, if you want to give auctioneering a go, this is what you need to do.' Edmond Mahony was also a huge help and he invested a lot of time in coming up to the ring whilst I was practising and giving me advice and things to work on. It took a good year of practicing pretty much three or four times a week before I was ready for the real thing.

What does that unseen practice consist of?

So, we'd do it in sections. The ring would be completely empty but for me and Ollie. We'd start with the figures, going from one thousand, to two thousand and three thousand, and just get into a patter from there. Next we'd add in the fillers, which would be, 'bid again,' for example and then we could concentrate on introducing the lot and eventually the selling of the lot. We'd do it all in different parts before piecing it all together in the empty ring. Once I got to a certain stage Edmond would then come up with me, he would put his hand up and I would take the bid from him. I wasn't allowed to go on to the next bid until he took his hand down. I was like, 'right, this is a live situation,' and I had to stay on that figure and work as though it was a real sale. Essentially, counting is the easy part, but it's when you haven't got any bid and you have to fill the time, that's when it becomes tricky. 

Even for me watching on as a journalist, I find it hard to track who's bidding so I can only imagine how difficult it is for you to maintain your rhythm as well as everything else.

It is difficult and, here at Tattersalls, we can't take a bid unless we have seen it. At other sales houses, they have bid spotters who can make noises to signify a bid has been taken, but we don't do that here. The bidder has to bid to the auctioneer at Tattersalls for it to be accepted. There's a lot going on but, it's really enjoyable and, the more you do something, the more confident you get. My confidence is growing but, again, there's still lots to be working on and I still try and come up to the ring when I can to practise. I do a lot of charity gigs as well to keep the momentum going in between sales. I did the Leger Legends auction at Doncaster which raises money for the Injured Jockeys Fund. They're actually great fun to do because it's a completely different kettle of fish. You need to be sharp as you are selling different items and you're not trying to be funny but, on the other hand, it shouldn't be boring. They're definitely good to do. 

Does it ever become daunting? For a lot of sellers, how their horse gets on in the ring can make or break their year and, if it doesn't go right, you could be an easy person to blame. 

Exactly. You're in control of the room and, no matter what the vendor has done or what the purchaser is planning on doing, you're the bridge, you're the broker. It is high pressure stuff and I try not to think about it like that. When I tend to think about a high valued lot or a lot where I know the vendor is expecting to get well paid, that can sometimes hold you back in a way, so I try to treat every lot the same, no matter the status. Obviously I do take it all into account but, in general, I try to treat them all the same in a bid to alleviate the pressure and it's something that works well for me. My hope is to always come off the rostrum after giving it everything I can and hopefully there's a happy vendor at the end of it all. 

In terms of satisfaction, I'd say selling I'm A Gambler for 850,000gns at the horses-in-training sale last year and taking bids from some of the biggest players in the game from the rostrum outside would rank pretty highly?

Selling I'm A Gambler was brilliant because he exceeded both mine and Charlie Johnston's expectations. It was a great experience and one I am sure I will not forget! During Book 1, I was out on the podium. You've got some big players outside and some of them can be discreet bidders so it's all about knowing when they're bidding and being careful not to miss a bid. Thinking about it, it's actually brilliant practice for what I will hopefully in time encounter up on the rostrum at Book 1 and in the Sceptre Sessions. That is the main aim; to sell at Book 1 and the Sceptre Sessions in time.

Along with I'm A Gambler, are there any other moments that stick out in the memory bank?

Well the I'm A Gambler one is funny because, when you watch the video back, it looks as though I've pulled my hamstring atop of the rostrum. When the Najd Stud team bid again, I dropped down as though I'd pulled my hamstring, as I wasn't expecting it. It got circulated on social media and, while it was funny, I'm not sure it was the most professional moment! That sticks out but there have been a few slips of the tongue at times as well.

Of course, auctioneering is not the only string to your bow here at Tattersalls. You've climbed the ladder pretty fast and have become a recognisable and friendly face of the company.

Working hard and gaining as much experience as possible is the priority. There are so many different facets to the business and I have a lot to learn. I do the stabling for the yearling sales and other sales bar December, where I do a lot of organising and help run the Sceptre Sessions, for example. That is great. We target the high-quality fillies and mares and try to give people an incentive to sell at the Sceptre Sessions. I have enjoyed that and it is very rewarding when you see the Sceptre Sessions producing such strong results for the vendors who support Tattersalls. There's lots to the role and I try to get over to other sales to represent the company. Yearling and breeze-up inspections are another big part of it. That's a process I'm looking forward to doing more of next year.

You touched on the fact you've spent time with Simon Crisford, did the Irish National Stud Course and have worked in Australia as well. You've crammed a lot in for a 25-year-old.

I just wanted to get as much experience in different areas of the industry as possible. I spent a year with Simon as a pupil assistant and learned all things hands on. There were a few great guys there, including Les Reynolds, the travelling head lad. He basically showed me the ropes and took me under his wing. I don't come from a hands-on background in horses–my Dad is in equine insurance and my grandfather is Tim Richards, who was a racing journalist–but the passion was always there. The hands-on experience is what I was keen to get and Simon was brilliant for giving me advice.  It made sense to me to kick on and bypass university, plus the Irish National Stud course was a great experience and I met some great mates there. After that, I went to work for Arrowfield Stud in Australia, so it was all packed into a short space of time.

You're obviously very ambitious. 

I like to think that I am the type of person that when I put my mind to something I put all my focus and energy into it and try to be the best I can be at whatever it is. I was not the best at school but always loved sport and rugby was my passion. I ended up being captain for the first team and thankfully I didn't disgrace myself in my final exams either. I have always been very driven and I definitely have a competitive side. It certainly shows when I play golf with my dad and brother!

With that in mind, where would you see yourself in five years' time? 

Hopefully selling at Book 1 and the Sceptre Sessions and being a senior inspector for Tattersalls. I don't know what will come after that but I will continue to work on honing my craft as an auctioneer and working within the company at Tattersalls.

Did you ever think of race commentating?

It's funny you say that because Richard Pugh, a Director of Tattersalls Ireland and a race commentator said the same to me and Matt Hall. He said that the two of us should think about giving it a go. Look, I wouldn't say no to it. I can remember being put on the spot to commentate on the Hennessy, or races like that in front of friends, and it's mind-blowingly difficult. It's not something I'd rule out!

In terms of theatre and drama, I'd imagine there are few better places to work than at Tattersalls.

It's an amazing place. Everybody goes back to Marsha or Alcohol Free selling here but even some of the smaller lots are fascinating. I'll never forget Alastair [Pim, fellow auctioneer] selling the Kingman half-sister to Chaldean for a million. The way he got to a million was seriously impressive. Sometimes that theatre is seriously engrossing.

Being an auctioneer yourself, you can probably appreciate the craft better than anyone on the big days.

Definitely. It is a skill being able to get up there and remember everything you need to know about each horse, their physicality, their pedigree, the instructions from the vendor and spotting bids all whilst keeping your patter and potentially having one of the rostrum spotters giving you instructions at the same time. And then you have the added pressure of the big days when you know you have a lot who is the highlight. At the end of the day Tattersalls works on behalf of the vendor and for most it is their livelihood, so you want to do the best you can for them and get the result they want. I remember coming up to Tattersalls when I was younger and being so impressed by the auctioneers. Not only were they good at their job, but they were also entertaining whilst keeping their nerve and staying calm under pressure on the big lots. It is something I have tried to take into account with my own style and I try to let my energy and enthusiasm show from the rostrum. I am lucky that I have learnt from some of the best auctioneers in the game!

The post Freddie McKibbin Q&A: ‘My Auctioneering Style Is Lots Of Energy’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Although I've read explanations and have had people try to explain it to me I still don't understand why we test to such a small level.  As I understand it a picogram is one-trillionth of a gram.  How can that have any affect on a 1200-lb horse?  Why do we test to such a small level?  Are we using the ARCI recommended guidelines?

It is important to remember that a picogram is a measure of weight, not potency. While some legal drugs are more potent and are administered in low doses, others are less potent and require larger doses to achieve their intended effects. This is why the Screening Limits used by HISA are different depending on the substance.

It is also important to note that substance concentrations are reported “per milliliter.” Thus, the picogram amounts you read in a lab report must be multiplied by approximately 50,000 to reflect the total milliliters of blood that can be found in a horse.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act requires HISA to adopt the standards used by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), which are followed in nations around the world and independent of the ARCI's guidance, as a starting point. The IFHA's Screening Limits and Thresholds are vetted by the European Horseracing Scientific Liaison Committee, which is composed of veterinary pharmacologists, regulatory veterinarians, chemists, and other racing regulators, before being approved by the IFHA. There are certain substances, e.g., phenylbutazone, for which the ADMC Standing Committee decided to deviate from the IFHA's published recommendations based on additional science and industry-specific insight.

Everyone agrees the ultimate goal is to keep honest people honest and dishonest people afraid to break the rules.  And that the objective is not to penalize trainers and owners that make honest inconsequential mistakes but rather catch the cheaters. Are we doing enough to catch the cheaters and those taking advantage of the system?  The objective isn't to penalize honest trainers and subsequently their owners for honest mistakes that result in an insignificant overage and that don't affect a horse's performance, is it?

The Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program is designed to detect and deter those who intentionally try to break the rules, thus compromising the integrity of the sport and the welfare of equine and human athletes. The Program includes a test distribution plan that will focus on utilizing testing resources in a manner that will both detect and deter violations, including thorough intelligence-based target testing.

In addition, sanctions associated with Anti-Doping Rule Violations, which include the use or administration of substances that are prohibited from being present in a horse at any time (Banned Substances), are intended to be harsh.

However, there are significantly less severe penalties for offenses related to legal Controlled Medication Substances. For example, the penalty for a first offense related to a Class C medication such as phenylbutazone or methocarbamol is the disqualification of race-day results and a fine of up to $500. There is no suspension.

For many types of cases, direct penalties for the Covered Person(s) involved can be reduced or eliminated depending on the degree of fault determined by the adjudicator(s) hearing the case.

Promoting integrity of the competition and welfare of the horse are two key pillars of the ADMC Program. In support of these two principles, the regulations require that disqualifications are upheld for positive tests regardless of fault in acknowledgment of the fact that the integrity of the race and/or the welfare of the horse may have been compromised by the presence of a Prohibited Substance in the horse's system.

On a national scale, HIWU's team includes an investigations unit that will utilize data science, intelligence from local investigators and racing officials, e.g., stewards and regulatory veterinarians, and information received from HIWU's anonymous whistle blower platforms. This group's objectives are to identify and catch those who commit violations of the Program, especially the most egregious offenses. HIWU Director of Intelligence & Strategy Shaun Richards brings 23 years of experience with the FBI and initiated and directed the criminal investigation that ultimately resulted in the indictments of more than 30 individuals, including trainers Jorge Navarro and Jason Servis.

What are we doing about positives that are possibly the result of contamination or human error? I was involved in a case that it seemed that the positive was a result of contamination at some point.  A Hall of Fame trainer with a pristine record had a horse test positive for a sedative drug he said he doesn't use and the horse was never given.  The horse ran his eyeballs out that day. My owner lost the $40,000 purse. We think the sample was contaminated or perhaps nefarious behavior took place, or someone along the chain of testing made a mistake.  I guess a positive is a positive and if you break the rules you are going to be penalized.  Even so, that's not what we should be trying to do in regulating horse racing, is it?  Do we have anything in place to address these types of situations?

The ADMC Program includes an Atypical Findings Policy that is intended to address cases of environmental contamination.  Under this Policy, if a laboratory detects the presence of the following types of substances, it will report the result as “Atypical,” NOT “positive”:

Specified Substances that pose a higher risk of being present due to environmental contamination, e.g., caffeine, cannabinoids, ractopamine, scopolamine, zilpaterol;

Endogenous substances, e.g., testosterone; or

Substances that pose a high risk of contamination but have yet to be identified.

When an Atypical Finding is issued, an investigation will be launched by HIWU, and the horse's trainer and/or owner will have the opportunity to provide information that can explain the presence of the substance. Examples of evidence could include proof that the horse consumed feed or bedding that was shown to have been contaminated with the substance in question. The trainer could also provide veterinary evidence indicative of the levels of the substance present in the horse naturally.

If HIWU determines that the Atypical Finding was due to environmental contamination and/or that the substance was not exogenously administered based on information gathered, the laboratory result will be considered negative, and no further action will be taken in connection with the result. Consequently, there will be no loss of purse money or imposition of any other sanctions.

The Atypical Findings Policy is intended to protect trainers from being punished for substance exposures beyond their control.

The post Horseracing Integrity And Welfare Q&A: Denali Stud’s Craig Bandoroff appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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How is it that the Breeders' Cup's momentum never seems to wane and what's ahead for racing's championship event? We posed those questions and more to Breeders' Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming.

TDN: The handle figures are particularly impressive as the Friday card yielded a record $66.1 million in handle and the Saturday card produced $122.9 million in handle, also a record. What has caused the growth in handle and what needs to be done to see that it continues to grow?

DF: We are very grateful to the horseplayers that have been supporting us and our Thoroughbred industry for a long time. At the Breeders' Cup, we take pride in the fact that we have the best horses in the world competing, which equates to really great betting races. Additionally, the Breeders' Cup, for many years, has been conducting its own global pool and we had 27 countries last year bet into the common pool. We had an additional six countries betting separately. One of the things that the company continues to invest in, not only in time but capital, is in the awareness of the Breeders' Cup as a whole. We felt we ran an effective awareness campaign last year, which caused an increased consumption of content as well as generating additional wagering dollars.

TDN: As they are proud of saying, Lexington is the horse capital of the world. There are racing fans all over the country, but it's just different in Lexington. How does that factor into the success of the 2022 Breeders' Cup?

DF: The moment you get off the plane in Lexington, Kentucky, horse racing is in the air. You go to a restaurant, a bar, a coffee shop, people are talking breeding, training, owning race horses. It's a way of life. The city was so welcoming. Unfortunately, in 2020 we weren't able to have fans due to the pandemic. We told the city we would be back as soon as we could. We were able to come two years later and deliver on that promise and they could not have been more thankful. The hospitality was everywhere. People were thrilled to have fans back and were also very thrilled to have the World Championships back in Lexington and to be able to showcase our industry.

TDN: The 2020 numbers aren't applicable because of the pandemic. Before that, the last Breeders' Cup at Keeneland was in 2015. The economic impact numbers from 2015 to 2022 increased by 27.8%. What was different about 2022 versus 2015 that the number increased the way that it did?

DF: A couple of things played a role. The brand and the demand for the Breeders' Cup continues to grow. Last year, we had people from all 50 states purchase tickets as well as 18 countries. Because the brand continues to grow we continue to see investment not only in the Breeders' Cup but in the surrounding areas when we are there.

TDN: It's not just Lexington. The entire state of Kentucky is horse-crazy and Louisville is also a great racing town. We haven't seen the Breeders' Cup at Churchill Downs since 2018 and it is not scheduled for there either this year or next. Is there any reason for that and what is the status of the event returning to Churchill Downs?

DF: Churchill is a great partner and we enjoy working with them and had a very successful Breeders' Cup there in 2018. Normally, we don't talk about future host sites until we have made a host site announcement. With the impact and the success of the past few times we have been in Kentucky, I anticipate that shortly in the future we will be back in Kentucky.

TDN: You had a superstar in the Breeders' Cup this year in Flightline. What impact did he have and can you address both the business aspects of the event and the excitement level that he brought to the event. Fifty years from now, people will still be talking about his win in the Classic.

DF: NBC compared Flightline's performance to Secretariat. Any time you have a horse like that there will be increased interest, not only for the Breeders' Cup but for the sport as a whole. It was amazing to see him deliver in the horse capital of the world. Being a hometown boy, seeing him come around the turn and the energy he generated was just amazing. It's something I will remember for the rest of my life. One thing about the Breeders' Cup that we are so proud of is that we know we're going to have the best horses in the world competing. In 2015, we had American Pharoah, who was the first 'grand slam' winner. That was also amazing. You feel humbled to be a part of that. As far as a monetary impact, that's hard to quantify. But we knew with him there would be increased interest and that was evident when he came into the paddock. It was like the Beatles were coming on stage.

TDN: Flightline aside, what were some of your favorite moments from this Breeders' Cup?

DF: There was not a dry eye in the house when Cody's Wish won. That was such a tremendous and compelling story. It's great when racing can tell feel-good stories like that. It was also great just having the fans come back after we couldn't have fans in 2020.

The horses break from the gate in the Dirt Mile | Coady

TDN: The Breeders' Cup Festival has become a big part of the whole experience. It's not just two days anymore. You have several events leading up to race day. Can you tell us a little bit of the history of this and how much has the Festival helped when it comes to things like economic impact?

DF: In addition to having the two best days of racing, the Breeders' Cup is a celebration of equestrian life. Like most major sporting events across the globe, it's important to have a festival component so that fans can come and see what a beautiful area the event is taking place in, be welcomed, have great hospitality and celebrate the equestrian lifestyle. We want them to walk away and say, 'Wow, not only was that two great days of racing, but it was a wonderful vacation, a wonderful experience and I want to come back.' In any of the cities that we are in, we work with the locals to develop that festival and to highlight key aspects of the region to our visiting guests.

TDN: NYRA is trying to get a loan from the state so that it can refurbish Belmont Park. You are on the record saying that if this gets done the Breeders' Cup would love to come back there. Your thoughts on a return to New York?

DF: We're incredibly supportive of NYRA and we will support any redevelopment at Belmont. We have a great relationship with the executive team at NYRA. I am having dinner Wednesday night in New York with (NYRA CEO) David O'Rourke. We wrote him a letter several months ago with the title, 'If you build it we will come.' The Breeders' Cup sticks to its word.

TDN: The Breeders' Cup has not been to Belmont since 2005, understandable because the current track is not a good fit when it comes to hosting an event like this. How much has the Breeders' Cup missed New York?

DF: We very much miss New York. There's so much energy up there and they are large investors in the game. We look forward to coming back. If they build it we will be there.

TDN: What can you tell us so far about what's in store for this year's Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita when it comes to new initiatives and things you can do to maintain the momentum?

DF: One of the challenging but also fun things when it comes to working for a company like the Breeders' Cup is that we are always innovating. We are continuing to move the ball forward on technological advancements in viewing and look forward to working with NBC, FanDuel and some other partners to continue to make sure that those who are watching have many different angles and experiences when it comes to watching the sport. Along with having great views of the San Gabriel mountains, we want to make sure that they have a world-class time when it comes to hospitality. We will continue to work to advance the culinary offerings and will have some exciting things to announce in the near future. We will also have some new ticket packages that we are putting the final touches on to make sure, again, that everyone has the best experience possible.

TDN: You brought up FanDuel. It's obvious that racing needs to find a way to attract the sports bettor and we need to have the FanDuels of the world offering betting on the Breeders' Cup and all racing on their sports betting platforms. Where do things stand when it comes to getting the sports bettors to follow and bet on the Breeders' Cup?

DF: Hats off to FanDuel for advancing the technology so there can be an aggregated wallet experience for the sports bettor. It's a tremendous marketing opportunity for our sport to be on the same bookshelf as the NFL, the NBA and MLB. Horse racing will be able to be cross-marketed from a wagering standpoint to those who are already wagering on other sports. This is one of the largest marketing opportunities we have had in a long time.

The post Q & A With Breeders’ Cup President and CEO Drew Fleming appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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With the anticipated March 27 implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority's (HISA) Anti-Doping and Medication Control (ADMC) Program approaching, it's increasingly important for all racing participants to understand how the Program will work. The following are HISA's answers to five frequently asked questions about the ADMC Program.

How will the new HISA ADMC Program impact the lives and workflow of horsemen?

The ADMC Program is designed to create centralized testing and results management processes and apply uniform penalties for violations efficiently and consistently across the country. Its rules will institute uniformity across jurisdictions, consistency in how laboratories test for substances, and swift and efficient adjudication practices.

Under the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), all sample collection personnel will receive in-person training on HIWU's uniform chain of custody process and digital data collection technology. The HIWU app that sample collectors will use will significantly reduce the previously required paperwork involved in the testing process and enable horsemen to receive electronic receipts of their horses' sample collection.

For the first time, labs across the country will be testing for the same substances at the same levels. The ADMC rules establish separate categories for Prohibited Substances that are allowed outside of race day and other specific periods (i.e., Controlled Medications) and substances that are never allowed to be in a horse (i.e., Banned Substances). This system is meant to appropriately penalize those who use Banned Substances, while being sensible and proportionate when it comes to Controlled Medication violations.

In addition to in-competition testing at racetracks, HIWU will introduce a strategic Out-of-Competition testing program that will incorporate intelligence and data analysis in the selection of Covered Horses. Responsible Persons (i.e., trainers) of Covered Horses selected for Out-of-Competition testing will have the option of either having their horse tested wherever it is currently located, or at another mutually agreed upon site as long as the Covered Horse is made available for testing within six (6) hours of notification.

To support its Investigations Unit, which will work to identify bad actors through intelligence gathering from industry participants and data analysis, HIWU will launch anonymous whistleblower platforms to enable individuals to anonymously submit concerns regarding suspected violations of the ADMC Program.

Who is in charge of HIWU, the organization tasked with implementing the ADMC Program?

HIWU was established by Drug Free Sport International (DFSI) to be the independent enforcement agency of HISA's ADMC Program. HIWU is independent from, but in frequent communication with, HISA on the implementation of the ADMC Program. HISA's ADMC rules are ultimately vetted and approved by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

HIWU is led by Executive Director Ben Mosier, who has overseen anti-doping programs for the NBA, the PGA Tour, MLB's Minor League Program, and NASCAR.

HIWU's chief of operations, Kate Mittelstadt, previously served as director of the Anti-Doping Program for IRONMAN and has held multiple roles with the World Anti-Doping Agency and Association of National Anti-Doping Organizations. Mittelstadt was also one of the first employees hired by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.

HIWU's general counsel, Michelle Pujals, was a member of the NBA's legal department for more than 20 years, where her duties included results management for, and investigations related to, the NBA's various drug programs and allegations of player and staff misconduct. Before joining HIWU, she was the owner and principal of Tautemo Consulting, LLC, a legal and sports consulting firm.

HIWU Chief of Science Dr. Mary Scollay was most recently the executive director and chief operating officer of the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium, prior to which she worked for more than 30 years as a racing regulatory veterinarian, including 11 years as the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's equine medical director.

How does the ADMC adjudication process work and what happens if someone is charged with a violation?

Violations under the ADMC Program are categorized as Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV), which involve Banned Substances and Methods, or Controlled Medication Rule Violations (CMRV), which involve Controlled Medications and Methods. There will be harsher penalties associated with ADRVs.

ADRV cases will be heard by an Arbitral Body chosen and appointed to cases by JAMS, a world-renowned arbitration and mediation provider with a panel of retired lawyers and judges who are experienced in anti-doping and sports adjudication. Before selecting individuals to hear cases, JAMS will ensure that there are no conflicts of interest between potential adjudicators and the Covered Person(s) involved.

CMRV cases will be heard by appointees to the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP), a group of 15-20 members selected by HISA and HIWU based on their previous equine regulatory experience. The IAP pool includes state stewards, who are only permitted to hear cases that do not originate in the state in which they are employed, and others with equine regulatory experience. IAP members will be appointed to hear specific CMRV cases on a rotating basis following conflicts-of-interest checks.

All members of both the Arbitral Body and IAP must undergo initial training and continuing education on the ADMC regulations to be eligible to hear and decide cases.

When charged with an ADRV, Covered Persons and Horses will usually be issued Provisional Suspensions, during which time they will be ineligible to train or race until the matter has been resolved and associated penalties have been served. Covered Persons subject to Provisional Suspension are not permitted to be involved in any activity involving a Covered Horse at a racetrack or public training facility. They can, however, request a timely Provisional Hearing to advocate for lifting the Provisional Suspension.

For most alleged CMRVs, Provisional Suspensions will not be issued unless the Controlled Medication was used within a period of Ineligibility defined in the Prohibited List.

For both ADRV and CMRV cases, Covered Persons are entitled to the opportunity to provide written submissions and present evidence on their behalf to the assigned adjudicator(s).

HIWU is required to publicly disclose the resolution of an ADMC Program case within 20 days of (1) a final decision, (2) a resolution between HIWU and the Covered Person, or (3) the withdrawal of a charge by HIWU. Final decisions of the Arbitral Body and IAP can be appealed to a federal Administrative Law Judge.

ADMC violations that arise from a Post-Race Sample or that occur during the Race Period automatically lead to the disqualification of race-day results. For ADRVs, any other results that the Covered Horse obtained from the date the ADRV first occurred will also be disqualified.

If a horse is disqualified due to an ADRV or CMRV, all purses and other prizes will be forfeited and redistributed accordingly. When possible, the purse for the Covered Horse involved in the alleged violation will be withheld until a resolution has been reached.

While the purse will be affected by ADMC violations and disqualifications, the wagering payouts that are published after a race is declared official on race day are the final payouts, regardless of any disqualifications subsequently issued.

How are HISA and HIWU preparing the sport for implementation of the rules?

HIWU staff have so far visited all racetracks that will be racing on March 27 and met with local test barn staff, veterinarians, stewards, and other personnel to observe current practices, evaluate test barn facilities, and help prepare personnel on the ground for the implementation of the ADMC Program. HIWU will visit each racetrack prior to their next meet start date after March 27 and hold in-person training events for test barn personnel prior to collections being conducted at each location. Over the last several months, the HIWU team has also met with industry stakeholder groups in-person and virtually to discuss the ADMC Program and answer questions.

HIWU plans to visit numerous tracks ahead of the expected March 27 implementation date to talk to stakeholders and encourages industry organizations interested in hosting informational sessions where members can speak with the HIWU team to email info@hiwu.org to request to schedule a virtual or in-person meeting. Visits and outreach will continue after implementation, as well.

The HIWU website is also home to educational material on the Prohibited List, Detection Times and Screening Limits, test types, results management, and more. Additional educational materials will continue to be published and shared broadly with the industry.

How will the ADMC rules improve racing and help the sport grow?

The ADMC Program is central to HISA's mission to ensure the integrity of racing to the benefit of participants, fans, and bettors. HISA's rules are designed to improve the safety and welfare of horses and restore public trust in the sport.

Bettors will be able to trust that the product on the track is fair and that cheaters are not welcome in Thoroughbred racing. All signs indicate that the enforcement of consistent, national ADMC rules will ultimately lead to broader public interest, including from younger audiences, and increased wagering.

Importantly, besides making the sport safer and fairer, the ADMC Program will also make the jobs of many horsemen easier as the patchwork of state-by-state rules are replaced with a unified, streamlined anti-doping regulatory system.

The post HISA Q&A: The ADMC Program appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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   In this week's Q&A with Brian Sheerin, D'Amato explained how, with the help of Niall Dalton, Craig Rounsefell and BBA Ireland's Michael Donohoe, he has built one of the most competitive stables in America.  

   Read about his approach to finding 'diamonds in the rough' on a budget, his training methods and much more. 

Brian Sheerin: You do extremely well with your imports from Britain and Ireland. What is it that you look for in form horses when you go about recruiting them from Europe?

Phil D'Amato: There are a number of factors. First and foremost, you need a horse that you think will handle a firm turf course and you can gauge that by the tracks that they have been running at in Europe and how they are handling that. If you don't have a good gauge on how they would handle the American turf, then you can check how the pedigree has done in the States and if that suggests they are prone to do better on firm ground. Number two, they definitely need a turn of foot. All turf races over here, from the quarter pole home, you need to show a good turn of foot. I definitely like to see that over horses who are more staying types in Europe. Horses who go to the lead in Europe and try to make all, those horses don't tend to do well in America, you need something with acceleration. Those are the big things for us. Conformation is another. I don't think conformation plays as big a part in Europe, especially with the amount of homebreds that race and the forgiving training surfaces, but in the States, conformation plays a much bigger role as our courses are not as forgiving. You need a horse with good conformation over here, one that's going to hit the ground square, so that it will be able to stay sound for you. 

You've built up a top-class recruitment team with Michael Donohoe and Niall Dalton coming up with a lot of the goods. 

You have to give them a lot of credit. I've also had a lot of good luck with Craig Rounsefell-all of those gentlemen know what to look for. They are trying to find the diamond in the rough and prove that you don't have to spend a lot of money to find a Going Global (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).They have good connections with the trainers and know who the sellers are. There are a lot of sellers in Britain and Ireland, as that's how a lot of these guys make their money given the prize-money over there, and not everyone can train for a Sheikh or somebody who is very wealthy. They need to trade so, in that respect, Niall, Michael and Craig know the people who will lead them the right way. They continue to buy horses from those people. 

And is it purely form horses that you buy from Europe or have you ever dipped your toe into breeze-up or even yearling markets?

We have bought a breeze-up horse or two but it's mostly horses who have run. I prefer to see a horse who has run at least twice and I am not a big fan of the horses who have run just once. To me, it seems like the horses who have run at least twice or more, they come over here to America and they seem to be hardier horses. You have a better handle on them and they tend to cope with the training better as well. They are better than the one-off horse who's run third or fourth. I just like horses who have been able to show their form a couple of times but, the flip side of that means that, getting to see a bit more often means that you have to pay that bit more. It has its pluses and minuses. 

I'd love to know what expectations you had for Going Global when you bought her after she won a Dundalk nursery off a mark of 70. Could you ever have envisaged that she'd improve to the level that she has?

Well, you know what, Michael Donohoe is really good friends with her former trainer Michael Halford, and we had bought horses from him before. Going Global had gotten sick previously and hadn't run well before she won at Dundalk but they had good reasons as to why she hadn't been running well. We knew that story coming into the race and then, when she did produce at Dundalk, it was time to strike. We had a little bit of extra insight into buying her and Halford liked the way that filly had been training for a while so he guided us in the right direction. That was the story there. 

You touched on the fact that a lot of trainers over here in Ireland where I am based, their business model accounts for trading horses, and Michael Halford would be up there with one of the best at that. Are there certain trainers you like to return to?

We have a good rapport with a lot of people and there are a lot of people who lead us the right way. It's the people who are going to leave a little extra in the tank who we are interested in buying off. That's the way I train my horses and I don't like to have them fully cranked first-time up. I like to let them develop through their races and I try to buy my horses off like-minded people. You need to try and buy a horse who is likely to continue to develop over here in the States. You know the yards that are crack first-time out specialists and I try to stay away from those trainers because all of their horses usually show everything they have first-time out. It's the guys who leave a little extra in the tank and like to let them develop race to race, those are the guys we like working with. 

What would be the key differences between the European horses compared to the American-breds who you have grown up with?

Size and conformation are the big things. To buy a dirt horse versus a grass horse, it's apples and oranges. You are looking at the horse totally differently. A dirt horse has a big thick bone, and a big hind end, gaskins and forearms, that can withstand training and pushing through the dirt. Your turf horse is a bit more angular, lighter of body and bone, just a little bit more agile. You need to put two different caps on when you are looking to buy a dirt horse versus a grass horse. 

And when it comes to acclimatising a European import, what is your approach to that?

They are all different and all treated as individuals. I like to gradually build them up and let them tell me when they are ready to do more and start breezing. Some horses take a month before you breeze them and others are ready to go within two weeks. They are all different. You can't put them in a cookie-cutter training style as they all needed to be treated differently. 

When you go down through the imports that you have done well with in America, there are no Galileos, Frankels or Dubawis in there, which makes the achievements all the more impressive. 

We mostly have horses by mid-range stallions, because we can afford them. We're not looking to buy a Galileo (Ire), Frankel (GB) or Dubawi (Ire) for half a million dollars, our budget is much less than that. Those are the stallions we look at, the ones that produce the goods but who are within our price range. We bought horses by Mehmas at the right time but now that stallion is moving up the ladder. It's all about leaving that to Michael and Niall, who are great at that. What's an advantage is, they work the yearling sales as well and watch these horses develop through all of the different yards. They have keen insights from when they hit the sales ground right up until when they race. That's a big advantage. 

American Oaks winner Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is the latest star European import to grab the headlines for your stable. How did she come on your radar? In many ways she was quite unexposed given she'd only had the two starts in Ireland for Ken Condon. 

She ran a really good second to a Juddmonte colt [Straight Answer (GB) (Kodiac {GB})] on her second start at the Curragh and that horse came out and won a stakes race not too long afterwards. She had good sneaky form in that she came out of a live race and ran a good second. Again, she came from a good yard that develops them the right way instead of having them cranked to the gills first-time out, so she looked a nice prospect. We went after her and thankfully we were able to get her.

You touched on how important a turn of foot is on the American turf racing scene. She showed that when winning the Oaks. Where next for her now?

She's in steady training right now and we will probably run her some time in March or April with a view towards a prep for the Gamely S., that's a Grade I, which we have in late April. Hopefully that will launch her 4-year-old campaign and lead us towards the Breeders' Cup in November. 

Given the prize-money situation in Britain and Ireland, have you had much interaction with owners from this part of the world who are interested in placing their horses in training directly with you rather than selling them abroad?

I actually have started to get overseas owners going that route as opposed to me buying them. We'll see how that goes. I got a filly sent to me, called With Love (GB) (Territories {Ire}), who is owned by Atomic Racing in Ireland. 

Look at a filly like Bellabel (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}); she won a race worth €6,490 on her final start for Jessica Harrington in Ireland but has won almost $200,000 in America which is borderline insane. 

She was another nice pick by Michael Donohoe. He has many clients who have horses in training with Jessica and she recommended us to buy her as the owner wanted to sell. We were in the right place at the right time. We gave her a little break and she'll also be back towards the end of the month. Hopefully she's another nice prospect for us. 

Has it been a conscious decision for you to concentrate on turf racing in America over the dirt?

The concentration on turf has really come down to budget. In America, if you want to compete with the Bob Bafferts, Todd Pletchers and Steve Asmussens of the world, it costs a lot of money. Those gentlemen have many million-dollar yearlings to work with and, to try and compete against that, you have to have a ginormous budget. I am lucky to have good owners with good budgets but nowhere near that. You can buy a good European horse for a fifth or a tenth of that price. It seems that, in turf racing, too, these horses seem to have a little more longevity and can be campaigned for an extra year or two. The racing is really more about that last quarter burst over the punishing grind from start to finish on dirt. That's why these horses seem to last longer and get the chance to develop into stakes horses or, for the fillies, into breeding prospects. 

Where do you see the future of turf racing in America? It seems to be expanding and growing so it could be an exciting position to be in.

I really see that. I see an expansion of turf racing across the country for many of those reasons; the longevity of the horses and people seem to like the last quarter mile compared to dirt races that can be decided right out of the gate sometimes. People like to enjoy seeing their horses run over a long period of time and so turf racing fits that category. 

Could we ever see a Phil D'Amato-trained runner at Royal Ascot?

One day. That definitely is a dream. I know Wesley Ward has been successful at Royal Ascot. You definitely need to bring the right horse but, one day, it would be a dream for me to do something like that.

The post Phil D’Amato Q&A: ‘You Don’t Have To Spend A Lot To Find A Going Global’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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   In this week's Starfield Stud-sponsored Conversations Q&A, Appleby discusses his approach to sourcing talent, speaks out on the poor prize-money in Britain and how difficult it is to stay afloat as a trainer as well as expressing a desire to train quality 2-year-olds in the future.

Brian Sheerin: It's an exciting time for the yard with four runners in Dubai to look forward to in the upcoming weeks.

Mick Appleby: It is and we've got Raasel (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) running in the Dubai Dash on Friday. The favourite, Man Of Promise (Into Mischief), is a very good horse and he should be hard to beat. But hopefully Raasel can make us all proud and run a good race. If we finish in the first four we'd be delighted.

BS: There could be a lot of prize-money to be won with Raasel in Dubai over the coming weeks and months.

MA: There are only two five-furlong races on grass and he'll go for those. We might try him over six furlongs as well because, if he's going to get that trip anywhere, Meydan is where he will get it as it's such an easy track and he'd get quick ground there as well. If he was to run well over six furlongs, there is the possibility of him staying out there for World Cup Night. We'll try him over that trip first and see how it goes.

BS: Have you anything in mind for him on home turf this season or does his programme almost map itself out? In hindsight, it was an excellent run to be beaten a little over four lengths in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye.

MA: It could be a big year for him. He ran very well at Longchamp and the draw did him on the day. He was just drawn on the wrong side and never really had any chance from there so I thought he ran really well that day. If he'd have been drawn on the other side, I think he'd have gone very close. He'll be campaigned very similar to last season and will be targeted at pretty much the same races.

BS: It's remarkable that all four horses you are running in Dubai cost less than 20,000gns apiece. What can you tell us about them?

MA: Edraak (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) will hopefully run on Jan. 20 in the 0-105 handicap. I am just waiting to hear back from the handicapper to let me know if he is dropping him in the weights or not. He's been off for six months because he did a suspensory in front when he was due to run at Newcastle. He should have been reassessed after being off for six months and, if he does get dropped, I think he'd have a very good chance. United Front (War Front) and Ayr Harbour (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) will be campaigned on the dirt. They are good all-weather horses and Ayr Harbour in particular has shown some very good form on the old fibersand at Southwell so he could do quite well on the dirt out there. Same with United Front, he's been a good all-weather horse for us and I think he'll be fine on the dirt out there.

BS: What do you look for in a dirt horse?

MA: The American-bred horses seem to do a lot better on dirt and United Front obviously has an American pedigree. Basically, you need a big strong horse. I found that out when I went to South Korea with Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) last year. The dirt was just far too deep for him. I am going to try and go back out there this year and would try to buy horses specifically to go out there. I'd be looking at American-bred horses to go out there. The prize-money is absolutely amazing in South Korea.

BS: And what is it that you look for in horses at the sales in general as few trainers–if any–have a better reputation for rejuvenating tried horses.

MA: The Dixon brothers, Matt Taylor and Richard O'Brien are very good on form. They will pick horses out at the sales strictly on form. They will see things that I can't see. Likewise, I will see things that they can't see when it comes to physical issues with a horse and that's why the whole thing works so well.

BS: And what would you not forgive physically when buying at the horses-in-training sales?

MA: Knees are the big thing with me. It's very hard to get a horse right if they have bad knees. It's very hard to get them back if their knees are gone.

BS: Too many horses have improved for joining your yard for it to be put down to a simple change of scenery. What routine do they go into and how do you go about finding the improvement?

MA: It sounds simple but you have to find what the problems are and try and manage them. The other thing is, don't train them too hard. Actually, I think that is the key, not training them too hard. Just keep them sweet. You also have to give each horse the individual attention that it needs. Okay, it's got harder to do that with the more horses that we have got but the most I'd ever train at one time is 80. That's the number where you can manage it all and keep an eye on everything that's going on with each horse.

BS: You must have a great team to be even able to apply such individual care to 80 horses. That must be a huge advantage as a lot of yards are struggling to find staff right now.

MA: A lot of the staff that we have here have been with us for a long time. But it is a big problem, getting staff, and we could possibly do with a couple more riders. Getting groundstaff is not as hard. Anyone can muck a stable out. But riding a horse is a completely different skill and we find it hard to get the good riders. When you have the likes of Godolphin offering mega money to work riders, you just can't compete with that.

BS: And how have you found competing in the sales ring throughout the past year? Even for those middle to lower tier handicappers, the prices have sky-rocketed.

MA: It's been a lot tougher buying those bottom-end horses the past few years. We are not prepared to pay over the odds. We might go a little bit more than what we think a horse is worth if we really want it but we are not prepared to pay three or four times the true value. Why would you? Some of these horses are not worth what people are prepared to pay for them. The days are gone when I could go out and buy Art Scholar (Ire) (Pyrus) and Lockantanks (GB) (Compton Place {GB}) for five hundred quid apiece. You can't do that now. We're a little bit down on numbers as a result but that's probably not a bad thing because of the staff situation. We've 80 horses in and we're happy with that.

BS: The quality of the yard seems to be growing every year. You sent out 107 winners last year and recorded a record haul of £1,438,497 in prize-money in Britain.

MA: We'd 109 winners the year before but only won about £1.2million in prize-money so the quality is growing. But prize-money is a big issue in British racing. Owners are leaving the sport because it's just not viable. It's meant to be a hobby for owners but it's becoming a very expensive one. There's no way that you should be winning a race and it's not covering your costs for the month. If you win a Class 5 or 6 race in Britain, you will be very lucky to cover your costs for the month. It shouldn't be that way.

BS: Take Win Win Power (Ire) (Exceed And Excel {Aus} as an example the other day. He won first time up for you at Southwell but won just £3,402.

MA: I bought him for £2,000 at the Ascot Sale in November, so he has paid for himself, but that's ridiculous prize-money. There's no way you should be running for less than £10,000 in this day and age. There's so many owners leaving racing now because it doesn't make economic sense.

BS: Is there anything you can do as a trainer to incentivise owners having a horse in training with you?

MA: Not really. We run it to a tight budget as it is. We are only £55 per day and are a lot cheaper than the majority of other trainers in the country. We can't slice it any other way. We just about break even and we're not making money out of it. Put it this way, if I was looking at coming into training now, I wouldn't do it. It's a good lifestyle but, is it a viable business? No, it isn't. Unless you have a bottomless pit of money, it's not viable. Obviously I've been doing it long enough to have built everything up but, if I was coming into it now, there's no way I'd be able to get where I have. Somebody needs to stand up and do something about the prize-money situation, otherwise there will be a lot more people leaving racing in this country.

BS: How frustrating is it when you rattle off a series of wins with a horse, feel you've done a great job with it but still haven't cleared what it costs to train the animal for a year?

MA: There's horses we've won five or six races with and they might only have won 20 grand. It's ludicrous. Owners would rightly look at that and think, 'why bother?' Being in horses now, you've got to do it for the love of it.

BS: Could you see things changing even five or 10 years down the line?

MA: Unless the BHA, the ROA and the NTF get their heads together and do something to sort this mess out, well then it's never going to change. They just bury their heads in the sand and don't do anything about it. The worst thing that ever happened is the Tote being sold off. The bookmakers need to be putting more money back into the sport. Look at the profits Bet 365 made last year. How much of that went back into racing?

BS: On that note, I interviewed Charles Byrnes a few years ago after he recorded a slew of bumper gambles and he was pretty forthright in saying that the money he won was necessary to keep the business in lights. When the money comes for one trained by Mick Appleby it is always very well-respected. Do you bet yourself?

MA: Not really. I don't really gamble because I'm a bad loser. It's not very often I'd have a bet on one of my own horses. If I'm having a bet, it's more likely to be on football. We've owners who like betting. We get our horses fit and well. A lot of the time, they will win first time out. Everyone seems to have cottoned on to that now and you'd see horses of ours who may not even necessarily be that well fancied and they'd be going off as odds-on favourites in races. People think we're going to just improve every single horse and it's going to be winning first time out for us. There's been times when horses of ours have gone off odds-on and we'd be thinking, 'bloody hell, who'd back that.' Then when it does get beat, all you get is abuse from people online.

BS: I know you've had some major successes on the grass but do you feel slightly pigeonholed as an all-weather trainer or as a trainer who just does well with other people's castoffs? Is there part of you that would like to start taking on more yearlings with a view to training 2-year-olds?

MA: Obviously we have been pigeonholed. People think we can just train handicappers, basically. Nobody associates us for having nice yearlings or 2-year-olds but that's only because we've never been sent any. There's no other reason whatsoever. We've had 2-year-old winners–I think we'd half a dozen 2-year-old runners last year and one winner. You can't run them if you don't have them. Aquarius (Ire) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) won first time out at Newmarket a couple of seasons ago, beating a Godolphin hotpot, but then there are still some people who think we can't train 2-year-olds. I can only train what I have. I'd love an owner to come along and say, here's two million quid, go and buy some yearlings. Then we'd be able to show people we can train 2-year-olds.

BS: You do extremely well with what you train and I know that Martin Dixon plays an integral role in the operation as a race planner. How much of an advantage has that been?

MA: Martin started off doing my entries a couple of years ago as I'd got a lot more horses and I was going racing a lot more so I was finding it hard to do everything. It's working very well.

BS: And how will you approach having runners in Dubai over the coming weeks? Will you go over a few times?

MA: We have two lads out there and one of them has been there before so he knows the ropes. They send us What'sApp videos every day and they have all settled in great. I am going out next Wednesday to see Ayr Harbour and United Front running on the Friday. I'll stay out there for two or three days and will continue to come back and forward.

BS: Another thing that is close to your heart is the Racing And Pride campaign that promotes racing as being everybody's sport and the LGBTQ+ community. You put yourself out there for that campaign. Do you think it was a good thing or is there much more to be done?

MA: There's always more that can be done but it was definitely a step forward. I came out as gay 15 or 16 years ago. You're always going to get certain people who will look down their nose at you and think you're a bloody alien or something but that's up to them. I just get on with my life and live it as I want to live it.

BS: But obviously you're in the public domain so I imagine it helped quite a few people to see a prominent trainer come out as gay.

MA: Quite a few people came up to me at the races actually. A lot of people thanked me for speaking out so I think it probably helped a lot of people. If it helped one person, that's all that matters.

The post ‘We Just About Break Even: Prize-Money Is Ludicrous In Britain’ appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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   For all the Manchester City fans out there, you can relax, as the analogy was simply fictional. However, there is nothing fictional about the mass exodus of talent facing British and Irish racing.

   Ger Lyons is better qualified than most to speak about the problem. Lyons, who has held a training licence for over 25 years, has built his impressive Glenburnie Stables in County Meath into one of the best training facilities in Ireland.

   He secured a breakthrough Classic success in 2020 when Siskin stormed to Irish 2,000 Guineas glory at the Curragh while Even So provided the stable with its second when landing the Irish Oaks in the same season. 

   From losing some of his best prospects to the international market, poor prize-money and what he describes as a lack of opportunities for good horses in Ireland, Lyons makes for a fascinating interviewee in this week's Q&A.

Brian Sheerin: You have trained 41 winners this season–only Aidan and Joseph O'Brien have managed a greater tally at this juncture–and you have already surpassed the €1 million mark in prize-money at Glenburnie. Everything is on course for another big season.

Ger Lyons: Everything is going steady away. We haven't run many 2-year-olds so far this season and I have had to be patient with them. The quality seems to be good as we are holding our own in stakes races which has always been the objective for us. 

BS: While things have been going well on the track, I know from speaking with you at length just over a month ago that you have major concerns for Irish racing. You also described yourself as “a pre-trainer” for international handlers due to the exodus of high-class horses to the foreign market. Would you care to expand on that?

GL: Sadly, our prize-money is very ordinary and what I would describe as the 'good horse' is being neglected, hence why they are all being sold to continue their careers abroad. From the top owners right down the ranks, no-one is able to turn down Australia, Hong Kong or America when they come calling. It's disappointing to have to sell our best prospects but the economics of it all makes sense. Not only that, but the owners can see the earning power for their horses in America and we have seen countless examples of horses being moved out there in pursuit of greater prize-money. Masen (GB) (Kingman {GB}) is the most recent horse to leave my yard for America. He has won over $300,000 in three runs in America but would have struggled to earn €100,000 in Ireland this season–and that's if he won three races over here, the chances of which would have been very slim as the opportunities just aren't there. 

BS: Mark Johnston echoed the same opinion in last week's Q&A. He revealed that the owners of Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), a Group 2-winning 2-year-old who reached a rating of 113 in his 3-year-old campaign, decided to move the colt to America in a bid to win more prize-money. Johnston was keen to point out that he didn't blame the owners but admitted the drain on resources is becoming hard to contend with as a trainer. Do you feel the same?

GL: I certainly don't blame the owners as we all trade. However, if we keep selling our best horses then we are going to be left racing what's left over and our product will lessen every year. If people don't want to watch our best, how will they come and watch lesser quality races and races with small field sizes? This trend needs to be addressed quickly as we are already a long way down a very slippery slope.

BS: Here's the bit that doesn't make sense for me; Mutasarref (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is a horse who you bought for 95,000gns from Dermot Weld at the Horses-in-Training Sale last October. He was obviously well-bought given he's won three races for you–at Leopardstown, the Curragh and last week at Naas–and has improved 25lbs in the process. However, he's picked up less than €30,000 for those wins at premier tracks and only qualified for that Naas race by virtue of the fact he hasn't won a race worth €15,000 or more. 

GL: He's a good example of a good horse not being rewarded with the prize-money he deserves to be winning. He is now rated 105 after that Naas win but look at what he has earned–it's pathetic. Good horses should be rewarded yet we seem to reward mediocrity. In what world should a stakes-placed horse earn the same as a low-grade handicapper operating in the 45-65 bracket? It does here and that's wrong. The strategy [from Horse Racing Ireland] seems to be all about minimum prize-money levels whereas I would have the lower-rated horses earning a maximum figure and it wouldn't exceed €5,000. No handicapper should be earning more than a stakes horse. It's not long ago that a certain rating, say in the 70s, wouldn't get you into a premier handicap. Now it will, which shows how far the standard is dropping. Not only that but, if you are going to reward mediocrity, that promotes cheating but that is another can of worms that I won't open!

BS: There was a story in The Times on Wednesday about how some leading figures in British racing are pushing for a restructuring of the sport that would result in a greater slice of prize-money being channeled to the elite level. It may not be a popular viewpoint but I gather it's one you would agree with?

GL: I was looking at the figures published at the end of last year and it showed that the average prize-money on offer for the premier handicaps was more than that for listed and Group 3 races which is not only astonishing but, in my opinion, wrong. I am also a big believer that our maidens need to be worth more money. You can only win your maiden once and you should be rewarded for doing so, especially because, in order to win a maiden in Ireland, you need to be rated in the mid-80s or above on average. So, when you win your maiden, that is obviously going to limit your chances when you step into premier handicaps. Therefore, the maidens should carry more prize-money. 

BS: You mentioned last month that the notion of prize-money in Ireland being strong was a myth. It's hard to argue against that viewpoint when you look at Slan Abhaile (Ire) (Territories {Ire}), who finished fourth in the G3 Anglesey S. and picked up just €2,750 for her troubles. Had she finished third and picked up black-type, she would have won just €5,500, which is still less than what you'd get for winning a 0-65 handicap.

GL: That's exactly my point and to add insult to injury, if she had finished third and picked up that valuable black-type, that would have ruled her out of a lot of listed races going forward as the conditions of most of those races state that horses who placed in group races can't run. The Ingabelle S. on Irish Champions Weekend is certainly one of those races so, while we were only beaten a head for black type in the Anglesey, I felt it was actually a good outcome as we still have the option of those listed races. But again, here is another example of the programme hindering the good horses whereas you can run your low-grade operator every day of the week if you want to.

BS: HRI released its six-month statistics last week. The figure that jumped out at me is that prize-money still hasn't risen to pre-pandemic levels despite the fact that HRI boss Suzanne Eade put prize-money at the top of her priority list when the budget was released in December. Not only that, but the Irish Derby, which is meant to be the flagship race of the season, carried a purse of €1m when it was worth  €1.5m before the pandemic in 2019. In actual fact, when High Chaparral (Ire) won the Irish Derby 20 years ago, the race was worth €300,000 more than what it was run for this year.

GL: That speaks for itself and I find they [HRI] try to dress up these reports to convince us that all is rosy in the garden but we are the ones on the playing field and we know the reality of the situation. Look, I was lucky to win two Classics in 2020 [the Irish 2,000 Guineas with Siskin and the Irish Oaks with Even So (Ire) (Camelot {GB})] and both races were worth just €145,000 each to the winner–I've won handicaps worth more. The Ebor for example, which we won with Mustajeer (GB) (Medicean {GB}), was worth €1m. By the way, both of my Classic winners were sold to go abroad! 

BS: You have made it clear that you have no interest in training horses below a certain standard. Given the lion's share of the horse population is rated 70 or less, I am interested to know how you go about weeding out the ones who don't make the grade. I know you are a big fan of claimers.

GL: Plenty of people will say, 'it's all right for Ger to say that,' but, like everybody, I do train plenty of low-grade horses–I just choose to move them on and concentrate on the quality. The claimers have been very successful for us and we need a minimum of one a week. Jim Gough claims a lot of my horses and has great fun with them. He actually came over and shook my hand at Naas last week and complimented me on not only supporting those races but for being realistic with price tags that I put on them as well. That allows him to claim them and enjoy them. Just because I don't want to train horses at that level doesn't mean I don't have them. I just choose to move them on. The authorities need to get their heads around the fact that there are hugely positive aspects to claimers and they need to be made more customer-friendly. I think that the claimers are a big addition to the programme and, if I had my way, I would replace a lot of the low-grade handicaps with claimers.

BS: There will also be people who read this and think, 'But Ger, if it wasn't for trading horses, Glenburnie would not have become the behemoth that it is now.' 

GL: At the start, horses were much cheaper to buy and the upside to trading them on was much greater. Nowadays, it's virtually impossible to buy the level of horse we were buying at one point for less than €50,000. There are always exceptions but in general the price of horses has escalated beyond all recognition which flies in the face of my prize-money argument.

BS: When you were starting out, and trading horses was necessary to survive, did you ever envisage a situation whereby, once you arrived at the top table, you would still be faced with the prospects of losing your best horses.

GL: In short, no. I always imagined it would be different when we got the good horses but times have changed and, as I said already, even the top owners are sellers now. Sure didn't Aidan [O'Brien] sell a Derby winner [Serpentine (Ire)] to Australia recently? It's very frustrating and I always use the football analogy in that we–and I mean Britain and Ireland here–are the team that keeps selling our best strikers. Sooner rather than later, we are going to get relegated.

BS: In the immediate future, you have some smart prospects to look forward to. Apricot Twist (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}) looked a potential top-notcher on debut at Naas last week. Could we see her in the Ballyhane S. next Monday?

GL: She's lovely but the race could just come too soon as she only ran last week. I've done very little with her since but when there is a race with such good prize-money, it's imperative that we support it. Barry [Mahon, racing manager at Juddmonte] and I will discuss it and do the right thing by the filly first and foremost.

BS: You won the race last year with Sacred Bridge (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) and, judging by the entries, have been keen to record back-to-back wins. What struck me about your entries is that some of them haven't even run yet so I am presuming you have kept a bit of powder dry for the second half of the season.

GS: We have. As I said, it's important to support such initiatives and hopefully I will have a few runners in the race. I've plenty of bullets to fire in the second part of the season as we have been very disciplined with the babies so far.

BS: It's one thing getting these well-bred fillies to train but another thing altogether managing them to fulfil their potential and achieve the valuable black type that they need before they go to the breeding sheds. You must get huge pleasure out of that aspect of the game?

GL: It's one of the great pleasures of this job and one that I very much enjoy. I always remind myself that these babies could be the dams of my next Classic winners, hopefully. One thing that I have learned that I didn't appreciate at the start is that an ounce of breeding is worth a ton of feeding.

BS: And speaking of high-class broodmare prospects, they don't come much better than Cairde Go Deo (Fr) (Camelot {GB}). I thought she ran a cracker in the Irish Oaks and would be excited to see her step up in trip in time. What are the plans for her?

GL: She's a sweetheart and is slowly developing into what we hoped she would be. I trained her mother and liked her and it was that reason that made me purchase Cairde Go Deo on behalf of Mark Dobbin. Also, the fact that she was by Camelot, the same sire as Even So, made it an easy decision. Hopefully she will stay in training at four, and yes, she should mature into a very good stayer.

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JR: What has it been like coming up under your father?
RM: To be honest, it's been like going to Harvard for horse training. Not only learning from him but from everyone involved in our operation, all the way up and down the ladder. I've gained knowledge from everyone in our barn at one point or another in my life. I have a great blueprint on how to run my business and feel very equipped for what lies ahead.

JR: Describe the type of horseman you are?
RM: I try to be patient and understanding towards the horses first and foremost. It's quite amazing what they allow us to do with them when you take a step back and think about it. They're such amazing animals. All horses learn and adapt at their own pace and I find it helpful to be cognizant of that while training.

JR: Describe the responsibility that comes with being a trainer.
RM: As a trainer you are the absolute insurer, so you have all of the responsibility. I've learned that you have to follow your gut and be confident in the decisions you make. Attention to detail and surrounding yourself with good staff can't be overstated.

JR: What is your favorite aspect of horse racing?
RM: I would say the lead up and anticipation of a race is my favorite aspect. It's basically a crescendo of blood, sweat and tears from the breeders, sellers, breaking farms and trainers (and many more parties in between) to get a horse in the starting gate for a race. And if you win, even more thrilling.

JR: What horses have had the biggest impact on your life?
RM: My dad has always said Theatrical (Ire) probably had the biggest impact on his life. The horse paid for my parents' first house in New York and they were able to start our family from there. Maybe if it weren't for Theatrical I wouldn't exist, so for that reason, Theatrical.

JR: Talk about some of the horses that have taught you the most?
RM: We've had a number of horses who I would consider “projects,” whether it be for soundness or temperamental reasons. There have been times where I've only seen a dead end with them, but we've given them the time required to get right and it's worked out well. I've learned that if they can go on and win a race down the line, it's worth giving the horse a fair chance, even if the end goal is well in the future.

JR: What is one of your biggest professional accomplishments?
RM: I've been involved in a number of champions, classic winners, Grade I winners, etc. I would consider all of those team accomplishments rather than my own accomplishments. There's no one person who is responsible for any of those successes, but I take a lot of pride in the horses our team has been able to develop.

JR: What are some ways trainers and their staff can improve the racehorse ownership experience?
RM: It depends on the ownership group. Some owners are happy to let you do your thing and see you over in the paddock for the race. Others enjoy being more involved in the day-to-day happenings. I believe in flexibility and having an open door for your clients. We're not just in the horse training business, but the service business as well. My goal is to get creative and introduce some new ways to involve our clients.

JR: In what ways do you think HISA will change racing in the coming years?
RM: I think it will ultimately create a more level playing field, which I would say most people are in favor of. In theory, horsemanship and skill will be rewarded. Some of the bookkeeping requirements appear to be rather tedious, but I'm confident the rules will evolve over time and the record-keeping system will be a bit more realistic. It would be nice to see uniformity without getting too radical.

JR: What (so far) has been your most memorable moment in racing?
RM: Country House's [Kentucky] Derby was quite wild. Not because that's how we wanted to win the race, but the roller coaster of emotion it took us on was pretty unique. From one extreme to another and everything in between. Experiencing it with my wife Megan was also very special. Both the positives and the negatives of the situation are something I'll never forget.

JR: What do you think horse racing is doing right?
RM: One thing that appears to be regularly overlooked is the amount of jobs our industry provides. Between the backstretch workers, administrative workers, frontside workers, maintenance teams and so on, it takes armies to operate a race meet. That's something I've been so proud of in regard to my parents' business over the years. Providing work for families is very honorable and something I hope to do in the same capacity going forward.

Mott with MGISW Yoshida (Jpn) | Emma Berry

JR: Do you ride, and if so, what is your riding background?
RM: I ride the pony every day, that's the extent of it. His name is Round, a Claiborne homebred who we raced. By Arch, out of Enth, half to multiple stakes winners. He catches the eye.

Think Fast…
JR: Most used app on your phone
RM: Dark Sky

JR: What is a good book you've read lately
RM: More of a past performance guy

JR: Favorite racing movie
RM: Seabiscuit

JR: What do you enjoy doing outside of work
RM: Golf and family time

JR: What is the last thing you Googled
RM: Best brand of electric scooter

JR: What do you wish you learned sooner
RM: I didn't learn how to ride a bike until I was about nine

JR: What skill are you still honing
RM: Everything. You're never a finished product.

JR: What trait most defines who you are
RM: Positive

JR: Favorite quote or motto
RM: Hindsight is everything in the game of horse racing

JR: What food (or drink) can you not live without
RM: Erma Scott's shepherd's pie

JR: What is a nickname that people call/have called you?
RM: Riles

JR: Go-to breakfast
RM: Coffee

JR: Go-to cocktail
RM: Casamigos margarita

JR: Go-to karaoke song
RM: Whatever song my 10-month-old daughter has been listening to

JR: What sports teams do you follow
RM: Kentucky Wildcats basketball/football. Cam Smith is my favorite golfer.

JR: What was the last show you binge watched
RM: Too embarrassed to say

JR: If you could have one super power, what would it be?
RM: Teleport

JR: What is the worst fashion (or hair) decision you've ever made?
RM: Middle school: surfer hair. Polo shirt with gym shorts.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @Riley_Mott

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