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Kublers Become UK’s First Married Training Partnership

Daniel and Claire Kubler have become the first husband-and-wife team to be officially licenced as a training partnership in the UK following a change in the rules in May 2020.

Prior to that, a British training licence could only be held in one name but, following a Twitter plea to the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) from the couple on International Women’s Day in March 2019, the rules were adjusted to follow countries such as Australia and France in allowing licences to be held in multiple names. Father-and-son partnerships Paul and Oliver Cole and Simon and Ed Crisford have already taken advantage of the new arrangement.

The Kublers, who train at Sarsen Farm in Lambourn under the name of Kubler Racing, announced on their website on Wednesday that Claire’s application had recently been approved by the BHA.

“We have always worked together, so it’s very much business as usual. We started out with just six horses and have grown the business to around 35 horses. Training winners is a team effort, a joint licence goes some way to reflecting that,” the statement read.

“We’ve been keen to operate as a training partnership since we started out. We floated the idea on social media and received a positive response that led to the BHA getting in touch. We worked closely with the BHA and the NTF to get the concept off the ground. We would particularly like to thank Henry Bradley at the BHA for going above and beyond to make this happen.”

Kubler Racing hopes to have a first runner for the new partnership at Ascot this weekend, where 2-year-old maiden winner Bowland Park (GB) (New Bay {GB}), who was bred and is owned by Claire’s parents Gary and Lesley Middlebrook, is set to contest the listed Pat Eddery S.

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Gordon Elliott Joins Virtual Live Racing

Irish trainer Gordon Elliott has become a shareholder of Virtual Software Limited, the firm behind Virtual Live Racing. Based on the Isle of Man, the firm is chaired by online betting pioneer and racehorse owner Vincent Caldwell. The VLR product is available to all tote systems in the US via distribution through AmTote International’s Spectrum wagering system which enables tracks to accept wagers from players and create a brand new risk-free revenue system.

“Vincent Caldwell and I have enjoyed winners for the last four seasons,” said Elliott. “Vincent is passionate about Irish racing and works tirelessly like we all do in this industry without complaint as we are lucky enough to work in an industry we love. His focus of wanting to excel and win, just like myself, is what sparked my interest in his new venture Virtual Live Racing (VLR). Vincent’s goal is to give back to racing so that it will flourish for the next generation. By creating virtual replicas of real racetracks, Virtual Live Racing’s software, creates a much needed new revenue stream for racetracks and wagering operators. The software helps promote and build future demand in our beautiful sport. Vincent has created a little bit of racing history here and I am happy to back a winner with Vincent and Virtual Live Racing.”

Added Caldwell. “It’s fantastic to have Gordon on board. He shares VLR’s vision which sees virtual racing as an innovation that has a vital role to play in the future success of the racing industry. The respect and status that Gordon has in the sport, combined with his business knowledge, is a major boost in our drive to support a future proof, sustainable, business model for the racing industry in Ireland, UK, and internationally.”

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Australia On The Cards For Deja

Deja (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}), recent winner of the Old Newton Cup for Phoenix Thoroughbreds, could be heading to Australia later this year after being given entries for the G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup.

The winner of five of his eight starts to date, the 5-year-old, who is trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam, has been raised seven pounds for his most recent victory and looks likely to carry top weight in the Ebor H. at York on Saturday, Aug. 22.

“We have had it on our mind all year to step him up into Group races before the end of the season and the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup are definitely options,” said Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ PR manager and UK representative Jamie Watson.

“If he were to win [the Ebor] or even go close, I think you’d have to strongly consider going for the Melbourne Cup. We think a mile and a half is his minimum and would expect even more from him over longer distances, and there’s every chance he’ll get his ground conditions in Australia at that time of year. We are also looking at the Doncaster Cup and the stayers’ race on Champions Day at Ascot as other options.”

The Phoenix Thoroughbreds team has already tasted Group 1 success in Australia with Loving Gaby (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}) as well as with the homebred Golden Slipper winner Farnan (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}), who is raced in partnership with Aquis Farm.

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Longines Irish Champions Weekend to Be Held Without Spectators

The Longines Irish Champions Weekend, held Sept. 12-13, will take place behind closed doors, the Longines Irish Champions Weekend Committee confirmed on Wednesday. The committee’s recommendation, which was made as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, was approved by the Board of Horse Racing Ireland at their July meeting on Monday, July 20. The Sept. 12 card at Leopardstown features the G1 Irish Champion S., and G1 Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron S. The Curragh plays host on the second day, with four Group 1 races on tap: the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National S., the Moyglare Stud S. and the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S.

“With less than eight weeks to go before Longines Irish Champions Weekend, it was the committee’s view that this was the optimum time to give people certainty,” said HRI Racecourses Chief Executive Paul Dermody. “It is a great shame that our feature weekend of Flat racing will not be enjoyed by racegoers in person this September, but we will ensure a warm welcome for everybody when they return next year. In the meantime, we will be refunding all of those who availed of early-bird and advance ticket offers. We will now focus our attention on providing racing fans with a brilliant at-home experience.”

Added Harry McCalmont, Chairman of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend Committee, “We had dearly hoped that circumstances would allow us have racegoers back on the racecourse for Longines Irish Champions Weekend but that doesn’t look at all likely so it is best to make a call on it now. It is a great pity, but we still have a wonderful weekend of racing to look forward to. The committee would like to take the opportunity to thank the sponsors of all races for their loyalty and we look forward with interest to see the array of horses that will line up at Leopardstown and The Curragh.”

It was also announced on Wednesday that the seven-day Listowel Harvest Festival from Sept. 20-26 would also be conducted without spectators. The Listowel Race Company Committee met on Tuesday evening, and, after consulting with Horse Racing Ireland, decided to hold the festival behind closed doors. The Guinness Kerry National is the featured highlight.

Pat Healy, Chairman of Listowel Race Company, said, “In these unprecedented times, and in line with Government guidelines, the Listowel Race Company has made the extremely difficult decision to race behind closed doors, this means the event will not be open to the general public this year. The health and safety of everyone is our number one priority and with crowd restrictions in place, it would be very difficult for us to run the festival, as it attracts significant numbers of visitors to Listowel each year.”

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