Undefeated Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) will try to extend her winning streak in Sunday’s G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies and in the process, the likely favorite will also try to become the white-colored horse to win a Group 1 race in Japan.
“The white really stands out on grass,” said trainer Naosuke Sugai. “I think she’s turning into a real star.”
The flashy filly triumphed in her career debut at Hakodate in July before scoring over 1,800-meters in the G3 Sapporo Nisai S. Sept. 5. In her latest start, she took the G3 Artemis S. at Tokyo Oct. 31.
“We like to keep her close because she can be sensitive, but physically, she’s very solid,” said Sugai.
Sodashi’s regular rider, Hayato Yoshida, worked her in the three weeks leading up to Sunday’s 1,600-meter test and is encouraged by what he’s seen so far.
“She took the bit on her own on the straight,” Yoshida said after last week’s fast work. “She was the one leading me. She’s been sharp since the week before and I think she’ll be in similar form compared to her last race.”
In an interesting fun-fact, Yoshida is the Japanese Racing Association’s all-time leader with six wins aboard white horses.
“They’re all very sensitive and [can be] high maintenance,” he said of white horses. “You do need to be careful with them but with her, that sensitive side is bringing out the best in her. She breaks well and is super responsive when you tell her to go. She’s really smart and a very complete racehorse.”
Also looking for her fourth career victory, Meiki Yell (Jpn) (Mikki Isle {Jpn}), who enters of a victory in the 1,400-meter G3 Fantasy S. at Hanshin Nov. 7. A debut winner at Kokura in August, she followed up with a win in the G3 Kokura Nisai S. Sept. 6.
“The performances have been good in all three wins,” said trainer Hidenori Take. “There was an unstable side to her at one point, but ever since her last start, the appetite is there and she’s added some weight. All in all, this is the best I’ve seen her yet.”
Take is part of Japanese racing’s royal family heralded by Yutaka Take–the great jockey and the trainer’s parents are cousins. Yutaka, who has ridden Meikei Yell in her last two races, likes what he sees in the filly.
“The most important thing is she won both races. She had a hard time settling, especially in the last race. So that is an area she needs work. Your average horse though wouldn’t have won –but she did. Which speaks to a lot about her quality, her upside. She just runs really hard. But as long as she can stay under control then she has every chance. I’ve known Hide since we were kids, our parents are cousins. Would be great to win a [Group 1] race together.”
Known to be keen in the early going of her races, the filly will be asked to go 200-meters farther than her latest start.
“She has looked good in the workouts,” Hidenori Take added. “We will push her over the weekend and breeze during the week as usual. I hope practice does translate into results. She’s physically sound and a good all-round horse. She hasn’t filled out yet but I’m excited by the prospect. She’s classy and gorgeous–almost like an actress. A win here, hopefully, will really get her name out there.”
Jerome Reynier may lack the name recognition and firepower enjoyed by his fellow Frenchmen like Arc-winner Jean-Claude Rouget, the legendary Andre Fabre and rising star Francis-Henri Graffard. But the 35-year-old, based in Marseille in the southeast of France, can boast of sharing a spot with that esteemed company on the French trainers’ premiership by earnings (north of €2 million in France alone, good for ninth place) and by number of winners (81, sixth most). Reynier can close what by any metric has been an outstanding season this weekend in Hong Kong when he sends out the win machine Skalleti (Fr) (Kendargent {Fr}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup and stablemate Royal Julius (Ire) (Royal Applause {GB}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase.
“We were locked down from mid-March to mid-May and the prize money was decreased as well,” Reynier said earlier this week from Hong Kong. “We are pretty happy to have earned a bit more than €2 million in France, so that’s a pretty good year. All I want for the guys and the owner I’m lucky enough to train for is to keep consistency, keep horses in good form and good shape.”
Like the aformentioned Graffard, Reynier participated in the Godolphin Flying Start program, working first as a bloodstock agent post-graduation before taking out a trainer’s license in 2013. Some four years later, Royal Julius provided him with his first stakes winner, defeating the Graffard-trained Maximum Aurelius (Fr) (Showcasing {GB}) in the Listed Grand Prix Anjou Bretagne at Nantes, and later became the young trainer’s first group winner when taking out the G2 Premio Presidente della Repubblica at the Capannelle in 2018. Royal Julius provided the stable a breakthrough winner on foreign soil in the 2019 Bahrain International Trophy and gave a good account of himself when fifth in this year’s HH The Emir’s Trophy in Qatar.
While the 7-year-old may lack the class of the market leaders for Vase, Royal Julius hasn’t made the trip to Hong Kong just for show.
“He’s there to be as competitive as he can and with only seven runners, we had to take this gamble,” Reynier commented. “He’s used to long travel–he’s been to Qatar twice and once in Bahrain, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The mile and a half around two turns, like the Emir’s Trophy in Qatar, he’s showed he likes that kind of trip. Mogul (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) will be very hard to beat, but I think it’s quite open for third place.”
Royal Julius has yet to crack the win column in eight trips to the races this season, but has run with credit, including a third to the recently retired Way To Paris (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) in the G3 Grand Prix de Vichy in May and a pair of runner-up efforts in Milan, including the G2 Premio Federico Tesio Sept. 20.
“I quite liked the way he ran in Milan in September, he showed that he is still competitive as a 7-year-old,” the conditioner commented. “I am very happy with him as well, he’s in very good shape.”
Skalleti is better fancied of the two Reynier runners as he takes on the likes of Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and defending champ Win Bright (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) in the Cup. A 12-time winner from just 16 starts, the 5-year-old has kept good company this season, finishing third to the classy Persian King (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in the June 28 G2 Prix du Muguet at Saint-Cloud before carrying Pierre-Charles Boudot to a hard-fought neck defeat of the Rouget-trained future G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe hero Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) in the G3 Prix Gontaut Biron – Hong Kong Jockey Club at Deauville in August (see below). Following up with a visually impressive title defence in the G2 Prix Dollar on Arc weekend, he backed up relatively quickly to run the soft-ground loving Addeybb (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) to 2 1/4 lengths in the G1 QIPCO British Champion S., with Magical one spot back in third.
WATCH: Skalleti outslugs Sottsass at Deauville
“After he won the Prix Dollar, he stayed up in Chantilly and prepared for the Champion S. It was the first time in his life that he was racing on two weeks’ rest,” Reynier explained. “We were not very optimistic, as that’s a long trip to Ascot. We didn’t know if he was going to be able to race up to that standard because he never raced in Group 1 company before, so we weren’t sure about his level. But he did show that he’s got plenty of ability and that he’s up to that standard and that he can be among the best in the world on the turf. That was a good run.”
Though very much suited to a race like the Hong Kong Cup, connections were wondering whether Skalleti might be over the top, but ultimately they let the horse do the talking.
“We were probably thinking after the race that’s he’s probably given enough this year and that we would see him next year, but he came back to the southeast of France in Marseille in very good nick,” Reynier said. “We were starting to think about the Hong Kong Cup and he showed us through the month of November that he was in top shape. We are very happy with him, so we decided to give it a go.”
Skalleti, who has been full of energy in his all-weather gallops this week, is certain to encounter much quicker ground at Sha Tin than he has seen for some time, but Reynier appears not the least bit concerned.
“He has won a Group 3 over a straight mile in Deauville on firm ground [2019 G3 Prix Quincey] and he has gone 1:35 for the mile,” the trainer said. “A mile and a quarter on good ground, I don’t think that’s a problem for him. He’s probably a little better on soft, but he’s been showing us that he’s able to win on a straight track, he’s won on Polytrack, left-handed, he’s won Group 2s in heavy ground, so he can handle anything. I think he’s just a good horse and I think he’ll be very competitive.”
The conditioner is also pleased to have Boudot back in the saddle, not far removed from his two-win day at the Breeders’ Cup last month.
“It’s very important that someone rides who knows the horse, because he can be a bit anxious,” said Reynier. “Pierre-Charles knows him very well and knows how to deal with him. He was drawn one last time and we knew it was going to be hard to come from behind at Ascot, so that’s why we wanted to be close to the pace. Pierre-Charles will be riding him with some confidence.”
A long, strange trip it has been, for both horses and humans, to get to this point. The equine athletes endured a lengthy journey, from Reynier’s Marseille base to Chantilly and from that equine center to Liege, Belgium, to board their flight. With no direct option available, there was also a layover in Qatar. Reynier said it was equally challenging for him and his team navigating the waters within the context of a global pandemic.
“We were not sure that my team was going to be able to make the trip until we got tested twice,” he explained. “We are exempted from the 14-day quarantine because we have a work visa, we spent one day in a hotel after being tested on arrival and then we moved into a hotel near the racecourse. We are able to go see the horses two or three times a day, but part of the deal is that we have to stay in our rooms. We won’t be able to see the city, but look, we aren’t coming here for tourism, we are coming to try to win some races, so we don’t mind.”
Judging by his statistics as the end of the year approaches, 2020 has been a wild success, pandemic or not.
“We have improved our results. I started out with four horses as a public trainer and I got up to 40 and didn’t really want any more than that,” Reynier said. “I thought that was a good number, because I didn’t want a big stable where you lose track of your horses. I was very happy, we had very good results and in September 2018, [Skalleti’s owner] Mr [Jean-Claude] Seroul asked me to train his string, with 50 to train. That was a very different scenario because he’s got his own yard and his own staff and I’m just kind of managing it all. When we are full with all the youngsters coming in, that’s 90 or so horses to train on a daily basis and that’s plenty to keep busy. It’s the reason we’ve been able to improve our results year after year and this year, we’ve got a bit more than 80 wins in France and a bit more abroad.”
It won’t be easy, but Reynier and team would surely not complain about adding to that total in Hong Kong this weekend.
In Global Views, Godolphin Flying Start trainees provide insight into practices experienced and observations taken on their worldwide travels. Second-year trainee Rachel Wade discusses how racing must gain a clearer understanding of its economics.
Often vaguely described, economics is a study in human choice and behavior and their effect on society. The term has historically carried a monetary connotation but really delves into how different choices are made, why humans make those choices and what the implications of those choices are to industry and the wider economy. As such, it is important for any industry to understand economic forces in order to achieve whatever their goals may be.
Horse racing falls short in its research and understanding of the more subtle economic intricacies such as incentives and decision making. Reports on economic impact show the quantitative measurements of the industry, which are indisputably important, but fail to address anything qualitative pertaining to racing. How can we expect to improve our industry and keep it relevant without understanding what everyday decisions and incentives drive it forward or hold it back?
I have been incredibly privileged to experience racing in four major racing jurisdictions during the past 15 months on the Godolphin Flying Start scholarship. Through my travels I have yet to see a racing industry that doesn’t suffer from a skilled staff shortage. This issue is both fashionable and widely accepted within the industry, yet there is no research into why it exists. Many are quick to point the finger extrinsically, blaming issues such as an increasingly urbanized population and its resulting disconnect between humans and animals or the younger generations’ aversion to manual labor. Perhaps it is time to look intrinsically and improve our understanding of things such as the appeal and value of racing, what its barriers to entry are and what incentivizes people to work in it. Without an understanding of something such as incentivization, our industry will never be able to attract and retain a viable workforce.
The book Freakonomics describes incentives as “why human beings do things,” and separates incentives into three categories: economic (material), social and moral. Humans base decisions on all three factors which is evident in society as well as more specifically in the Thoroughbred industry. For example, Australian studs in the Hunter Valley constantly compete with the neighboring mining industry for workers. Mining staff work fewer hours for substantially higher wages, yet stud farms still manage to recruit and retain staff (albeit often international/seasonal workers), demonstrating that people find value outside of material incentive to work in our industry. If humans were truly rational and motivated only by material incentive, it is unlikely racing would have any workers in any jurisdiction.
There can be no doubt that higher wages would make our industry more attractive, but it is unlikely that racing will ever be able to pay enough to compete with an industry as large and subsidized as mining. It is therefore paramount that we identify and promote the key social and moral incentives that racing offers in order to maximize our workforce. Furthermore, racing should pinpoint nonmaterial incentives that could be changed in order to align with society’s values. For instance, assume that society places high value on time spent with friends and family. If horse racing altered its working hours to appeal to this value and allow staff a more sociable lifestyle, the personal utility gained may make our jobs more attractive than the higher paying industry next door.
Oftentimes to its detriment, the racing industry has acted as a ‘reactive’ rather than ‘proactive’ business. Issues such as animal welfare and aftercare have emerged and been debated with increasing ferocity in the past decade as society’s values and opinions on animals used for sport has changed. In my opinion, racing has responded urgently and effectively to this issue, but much of the damage to public perception may prove irreversible. If the industry is to survive over the coming years, it will be necessary to identify strengths and weaknesses within the sport and attempt to make change proactively rather than reactively. The world’s population is expected to reach nine billion by 2050, with approximately 70% of the population living in urbanized areas. This can be viewed as both an opportunity and a threat to the racing industry. If racing can shift to a proactive mindset, perhaps this growth can be used to thrust horse racing into a top tier sport. For example, racing may appeal to those who value ecological sustainability as it is a sport with a relatively small ecological footprint and has many positive externalities. Stud farms have a vested interest in the land they occupy, protecting and cultivating it so that it may be used to raise healthy racehorses. This is more sustainable than single- use industries such as mining. As more people become disconnected from animals through an urbanized lifestyle, horse racing may satiate a desire to connect with large animals. Though these are only speculations, horse racing must prepare for society’s change over the coming years and identify how it can fit into shifting values and norms.
Although often hidden and misunderstood, economics plays a vital role in our beautiful industry. A greater understanding of its impact could unravel the numerous challenges the Thoroughbred industry faces as it struggles to maintain relevancy in a constantly changing and modern world. Maybe it is time we begin to look at racing through the eyes of an economist and ask ourselves why we love this industry and what hidden incentives can be used to attract new people to racing as both professionals and patrons.
History tells us that when one darling of the Hong Kong turf fades into the sunlight, almost invariably–though not to be taken for granted–another one appears.
Fairy King Prawn (Aus) was the marquee Hong Kong galloper at the turn of the century and it wasn’t long after that Silent Witness (Aus) took the jurisdiction by storm, embarking on a 17-race winning streak that included back-to-back runnings of the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in 2003-2004.
A Derby win often paves the path to Hong Kong super-stardom, and such was the case with the likes of Vengeance of Rain (NZ), Viva Pataca (GB) and Ambitious Dragon (NZ), while Hong Kong International Sale grad Good Ba Ba cemented his status as one of the greats with three consecutive victories in the G1 Hong Kong Mile.
Able Friend (Aus) became a fan favorite with his thrilling and irresistible late bursts, Rapper Dragon (Aus) was sadly lost before fully realizing his true greatness and Beauty Generation (NZ) was the undisputed king of the hill through the 2019 season, while Exultant (Ire) has proved an able understudy.
The proverbial baton is set to be passed on again this weekend, as Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro) looks to stretch his current winning streak to 11 and his lifetime mark to 14 from 15 as the banker of the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse.
A ‘Gaud’-y Purchase…
A $60,000 Keeneland September acquisition, Gaudeamus won the 2006 G2 Debutante S. for trainer Jim Bolger, but was winless in four starts as a 3-year-old, including the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Irish Oaks and was the first horse ever acquired by Sheamus Mills. He bought the filly on behalf of former Moonee Valley chairman Bob Scarborough and his wife Rosemary’s Victoria-based Wood Nook Farm. Gaudeamus arrived in Australia in foal to Pivotal (GB) to Southern Hemisphere time and went on to produce five foals to race for Wood Nook, including Listed Tasmanian Derby third Igitur (Aus) (Helmet {Aus}).
The Scarboroughs offered Gaudeamus in foal to Medaglia d’Oro on a Nov. 4 cover date at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Then 11 years of age, Gaudeamus, whose second dam includes European champions Bosra Sham (Woodman) and her full-brother Hector Protector as well as G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains hero Shanghai (Procida), was hammered down to Josh Hutchins Bloodstock for A$160,000. The mare produced a Queensland-bred bay colt Oct. 14, 2015, and a year and three months later when offered by the Hutchins family’s Element Park agency at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, he fetched A$120,000 from Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park and Ben Foote’s Enigma Farm, both New Zealand-based operations.
“He was a good-moving, athletic yearling with a great head and eye on him and looked like he would grow into a lovely 3-year-old and oozed class,” Beatson recollected.
The colt was sent across the Tasman for the next part of his preparation.
A Fast Start For Riversley Park…
Sam Beatson was always destined for a career that included horses. A descendant of John Beatson, a successful amateur jockey and one of the founding members of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, his grandfather was George Beatson, a similarly successful amateur rider, owner/breeder and racing administrator. Sam Beatson got started in show jumping from an early age, representing his native country in India and Australia, before relocating to Cambridge, where he started a breaking-in and pre-training business. He initially operated as Beatson Stables before going out on his own at Riversley Park in 2015.
The Medaglia d’Oro colt was the second most-expensive of five purchases made by Beatson and Foote at the Gold Coast sale nearly four years ago, and Beatson said the colt, who would ultimately be targeted at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale in the springtime, grew up the right way over the ensuing 10 months.
“He developed along the path that I hoped he would,” said Beatson. “He grew and strengthened and matured into the potential I saw in him early on.”
The Gaudeamus colt made an exceptionally racy impression during his under-tack preview, clocking :10.48 (see below) for 200 metres, a time well above average for the sale.
“He moved across the ground well with a great galloping action, doing it all in a nice time,” Beatson commented.
Consigned by Riversley Park to the RTR sale–also responsible for 2019 G1 Hong Kong Sprint hero Beat The Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus})–as lot 136 and by the sire of that year’s G1 Golden Slipper hero Vancouver (Aus), the colt was ticketed for Hong Kong after trainer Francis Lui signed the winning ticket at NZ$300,000.
“When I buy horses I try to identify horses that would be suited for Hong Kong, so I was confident that he would perform up there,” Beatson said.
And perform he has.
The Meteoric Rise of Golden Sixty…
Golden Sixty arrived in Hong Kong in October 2018 and his trackwork and trials were such that the betting public sent him away as the $27 (17-10) favorite for a Class 4 over 1200 meters and he obliged with a decisive turn of foot that has since become his trademark (video) en route to a cheeky score Mar. 31, 2019. He would go on to add a pair of wins in Class 3 before a below-par 10th to close the season in July.
He hasn’t lost since. Golden Sixty made the G3 Chinese Club Challenge H. his first success at Pattern level last Jan. 1, then joined the star-crossed Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) as the only horses to sweep the 4-Year-Old Classics with a thrilling victory in the BMW Hong Kong Derby over the 2000 meters (video). Put away for the year instead of pressing on to either the G1 QE II Cup or the G1 Champions Mile, he has rattled off three straight this term, all at odds-on, including a facile defeat of Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) in the G2 Jockey Club Mile. Vincent Ho has been in the boot for each of his 14 starts.
WATCH: Golden Sixty reigns supreme in the Derby
Beatson believed from his sales prep that he had a quick horse on his hands. But was he one that could see out a classic trip?
“I knew he had a lot of speed so he would suit running a mile, but I was confident he would make the Derby distance in Hong Kong,” he opined.
Beatson has been around a good horse or two in his career, having had a hand in the careers of horses like G1 Melbourne Cup hero Prince of Penzance (NZ), New Zealand Horse of the Year and six-time Australian Group 1 winner Dundeel (NZ) and Lucia Valentina (NZ), a treble top-level winner. He reckons that Golden Sixty can become the best of that bunch at the weekend.
“It’s fantastic to be associated with Golden Sixty, we always thought he was special and for him to be doing what he is doing on the track just reiterates my thoughts of what a special horse he is,” Beatson said. “I had very high expectations of him, you always dream of selling a horse of his caliber, so I hope he can carry on his great performances. To have bought, prepared and sold a horse that is competing in the Hong Kong international Mile is fantastic. But if he wins, it would be a huge result for Riversley Park.”
