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Newmarket Pony Academy to Launch in April

The Newmarket Pony Academy (NPA), where young people can enjoy close contact with horses and ponies, will begin in April. Based at the British Racing School (BRS), the NPA is supported by The Sir Peter O'Sullevan Charitable Trust and Godolphin and has been working closely with local schools and the West Suffolk Council. The NPA will operate a range of programmes to meet the needs of different groups of young people. Some of the programmes offered are as follows:

One-week courses for Year 6 pupils from local primary schools which will introduce them to ponies whilst making use of a different learning environment to engage them in core subjects. These courses will build on the curriculum, which students are studying, whilst also building confidence and resilience.
Breakfast, afterschool and holiday clubs for local young people identified by teachers and social workers as at risk of being drawn into criminality or likely to face challenges as they move from primary to secondary school. It is hoped that engaging with the NPA regularly will give these young people a positive constant in their lives.
One day per week course for students from The Newmarket Academy Polaris centre. The centre provides bespoke and individual education for young people in Years 7 to 11 with communication and interaction needs. It is well established that interaction with horses and ponies is of great benefit to this group of young people. You can find out more about the Polaris centre here.
Working in partnership with existing urban riding clubs such as the Urban Equestrian Academy in Leicester and the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, the NPA will provide their members with an opportunity to attend residential weeks at the BRS to learn about racehorses and the wider racing industry.
The NPA will also provide the opportunity to re-establish a Newmarket Riding For the Disabled (RDA) group.

Andrew Braithwaite, British Racing School Finance Director, said, “The case for racing becoming more open and inclusive is clear and the NPA will allow us and the wider industry to give young people a real insight into horseracing regardless of their background and, for those bitten by the bug, a route into the industry. I would like to extend a huge thank you to the Sir Peter O'Sullevan Trust for their generous support of this project and to the team at Godolphin for their vision and drive.”

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Equilateral to Remain in Dubai

Trainer Charlie Hills was very pleased with the recent performance of G1SP Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in the Listed Dubai Dash last Thursday, and the 6-year-old gelding will remain in Dubai for another tilt at the G2 Meydan Sprint on Feb. 18. In 2020, Equilateral ran second in the Sprint.

“I was really delighted with him,” said Hills. “Frankie [Dettori] gave him a great ride and it looked like he was always going to win the race. It's nice to have won the race twice now and he was 5lb worse off than last year. He seems to have come out of the race in great order and we'll train him for the Group 2.”

Another of Hills's pupils, the evergreen stable star Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), is wintering well and currently enjoying a holiday. The MG1SW is likely to make his first start in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot in June. Last term, the bay landed the King's Stand with Equilateral second.

“Battaash is still on his winter break,” he said. “He doesn't normally come in until the beginning of March. They all seem very happy with him. He's enjoying his hols at the moment.

“Last year he would probably have gone to Haydock [for the Temple S.] had that race been on. He's won first time out every year, so I think we'll just save him for Royal Ascot.”

Group 3 winner Tilsit (First Defence) is also being aimed at a Middle Eastern target, in his case the $20-million Saudi Cup on dirt and the Middle Distance Turf Cup both in Riyadh on Feb. 20.

“He's in those two races and we're looking at it,” he said. “Hopefully we'll run him. We'll see how he is in a couple of weeks.”

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Trainer Paul D’Arcy to Retire on Jan. 27

Paul D'Arcy, who trained Indian Haven (GB) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) to win the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas in 2003, will saddle his final runner at Kempton on Wednesday. The soon-to-be 65-year-old will leg up John Egan on Knight of Kings (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in the first race, a seven-furlong maiden over the all-weather. Egan was also aboard Indian Haven for his Classic score. A jockey prior to turning his hand to training, D'Arcy began training in 1993.

“I've no regrets, I turn 65 in February and always planned to step away then,” said D'Arcy. “The licence comes up for renewal on Feb. 1, so I don't see any point in renewing it for two weeks. We've been winding down for a while so we're down to five horses now. Those will now be going to John Butler, but I'll still be involved in a small way.”

Knight of Kings will be making his second start at Kempton after an eighth on debut at Wolverhampton on Dec. 27.

“There's no significance in me booking John for the last one, he rode that horse last time,” D'Arcy added. “Indian Haven was a very talented horse, he won the European Free Handicap and the Irish Guineas, but I still think he should have won the English Guineas.

“He was drawn on the fence at Newmarket when they decided to put the stalls against the rail. He just had nowhere to go. We never saw the best of him, he had a cecal dysfunction [form of colic] which was why he retired.

“We also had Edinburgh Knight (Ire) (Selkirk) who won the apprentice handicap on Champions Day, he was very talented, and of course there was Spring Loaded (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) who was very good on his day. There's been lots of highlights.

“As we never had that many horses we got to know the horses personally, I can look back with pride. Whether we'll leave with a winner I don't know, It would be a dream if he did, but dreams don't tend to come true–I'm a realist. But racing is about dreams.”

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International Cast For Qatar’s Major Festival

Three European Group 1 winners feature among a cast of 75 international entries for Qatar's biggest racing fixture, the HH The Amir Sword Festival.

Last week's G2 Singspiel S. winner Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) has been entered for the $1 million HH The Amir Trophy, the Longines-sponsored feature race for Thoroughbreds on Feb. 20 at Al Rayyan Racecourse in Doha, along with Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}), who is owned by Qatar's HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, and 6-year-old Intellogent (Ire) (Intello {Ger}). The latter has raced in America, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in recent seasons for trainer Fabrice Chappet, who was successful at last year's festival when Al Malhouf (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) won the HH The Amir Shalfa.

Intellogent is one of five French entries for the race along with Royal Julius (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}), another globetrotter who will be making his third consecutive appearance in Doha for Jerome Reynier, having finished runner-up in the HH The Amir Trophy in 2019 and fifth last year. Last season's St Leger runner-up Berkshire Rocco (GB) (Sir Percy {GB}) has also been given an entry for the mile-and-a-half contest by trainer Andrew Balding, who also has King Power Racing's six-time winner Johnny Drama (Ire) (Lilbourne Lad {Ire}) entered.

The 5-year-old Felix (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) has won four or his five starts since joining Marco Botti's stable and he is another with a Trophy entry along with his Newmarket neighbour, Red Verdon (Lemon Drop Kid), who has now won nine of his 41 starts for Ed Dunlop and the Hon. Ronnie Arculli.

Among the local entries for the domestic Group 1 contest is a Qatari favourite, The Blue Eye (GB). Now nine, the son of Dubawi (Ire) has won 20 of his 37 races at Al Rayyan and has contested the last five runnings of HH The Amir Trophy, winning in partnership with Harry Bentley in 2016 and 2018.

With a total prize fund of $4.34 million (£3.26 million), the three-day festival features five international races on Saturday, Feb. 20—three for Thoroughbreds and two for purebred Arabians—with the Thoroughbred turf races completed by the six-furlong Breeders' Cup-sponsored Dukhan Sprint and the Al Biddah Mile for 3-year-olds.

Last season's Stewards' Cup winner Summerghand (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) is one of two entries for the David O'Meara stable in the Dukhan Sprint, which has also attracted Corine Barande-Barbe's G3 Prix du Petit Couvert winner Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil Des Aigles {Fr}) and the listed Roses S. victor Acklam Express (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). Another French challenger in Qatar could be the 3-year-old Homeryan (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), trained by Francis Graffard for Steve Burggraf's Ecurie de Montlahuc. Last seen in public finishing runner-up in the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon in October, the colt is an entrant in the Al Biddah Mile along with Andrew Balding's recent Wolverhampton winner Wallem (GB) (Sea The Moon {Ger}).

The international contest on the Friday of the festival is the $200,000 Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup, run over a mile for 4-year-olds and up with an entry list of 59 horses from seven different countries. Ireland's Adrian McGuinness trains three of the entries, led by the 7-year-old Saltonstall (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who has won his three most recent starts, including the listed Glencairn S. at Naas. Frederic Rossi, who had a breakthrough season in 2020 with Group 1 winners Dream And Do (Ire) and Sealiway (Fr), has entered the consistent Kenway (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}), whose five wins include victory over subsequent Group 1 winner Wooded (Fr) in the G3 Prix la Rochette.

The six international races have attracted 29 horses from Britain, 23 from France, 15 from Oman, three from Ireland, two from Bahrain, and one each from Spain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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