Italy Hit Hardest As EPC Cuts 25 Black-Type Races From Flat Programme

Italy's major races will see the most significant downgrades among European countries after the European Pattern Committee announced alterations to the 2023 Flat programme Wednesday, as a host of that country's major races are set to be demoted in status.

There will be 827 black-type races run in Europe this year, compared to the 852 in 2022, while group races have been cut by 13 to 412 and listed races drop to 415 from 427.

One of the most significant changes to the Irish programme comes in the case of the seven-furlong 2000 Guineas Trial, run at Leopardstown in April, being upgraded to a Group 3 from listed status. Ireland will also stage a new listed race for fillies and mares aged three years and older over eight furlongs at Navan in June.

Germany will stage two new listed races in 2023, both with a view to strengthening the stayers' black-type programme in that country. The first will be a race for 3-year-olds and older over 3000m at Hannover in July and the other will be a race for 2-year-olds over a distance of 2000m, also at Hannover, and scheduled for October.

However, the Italian racing programme has largely been downgraded, with the G2 Milano and G2 Federico Tesio, changed to Group 3s while the G3 Tudini, G3 Umbria and G3 Sergio Cumani all demoted to listed events.

Speaking about the changes, Jason Morris, the Chairman of the European Pattern Committee, said, “2023 will see a significant reduction in the number of Flat group and listed races staged within Europe, with 25 less black-type races to be staged overall. This reflects the voluntary downgrades that Britain has already announced for this year to aid the competitiveness of their Pattern race programme as part of an ongoing strategic review.

“Downgrades were also applied by the European Pattern Committee to a number of Group 2, Group 3 and listed races under ground rules which strictly enforce the highest standards of international quality control with underperforming races facing automatic demotion.

“At the same time the committee remains keen to encourage the development of the sport in the smaller racing jurisdictions throughout Europe, and Poland will now become the 11th country with a black-type race in 2023 (Britain, France, Germany and Ireland are full EPC members; Italy, Scandinavia (representing Denmark, Norway and Sweden) and Turkey are associate members; while Spain and Poland are emerging nations with one listed race each).”

 

Boost for Polish and Swedish Programme

While the Italian fixture list has been hit with a number of downgrades, the Eastern European programme in Poland and the Scandinavian division in Sweden has been boosted by a number of upgrades.

Sweden will stage a new black-type race in 2023, with the Challenge S. at Bro Park over seven furlongs for 3-year-olds and older being upgraded to listed status.

The EPC also agreed to upgrade Poland's flagship race, the Wielka Warszawska, to listed status as part of the committee's support of the emerging racing nations in the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation. The race will be run at Sluzewiec in Warsaw on the first Sunday of October, over a distance of 2600m for 3-year-olds and older.

Other changes were some alterations in dates for notable Pattern races in Europe in 2023. In France, the G1 Prix Saint-Alary at ParisLongchamp will move from late May to the Poule d'Essai fixture on May 14. The G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud will move back by a week to Saint Cloud's evening fixture on July 8.

In Ireland, the G2 Curragh Cup will move from the Irish Derby weekend in late June to the Irish Oaks weekend on 22 July.

Across Europe, a total of 11 Pattern races have been downgraded in 2023, with a further eight listed races losing that status.

Meanwhile, as previously announced earlier this year, Britain took the decision to voluntarily downgrade 11 black-type (three Pattern races and eight listed races) for 2023, as part of a wider–and ongoing–strategic review of the Pattern and listed programme. A total of 48 Pattern and listed races will be at risk of potential downgrade in 2024 depending on their performance this year.

The full list of changes made to the European programme are as follows:

 

France

  • G2 Greffulhe downgraded to Group 3
  • G2 Hocquart downgraded to Group 3

 

Germany

 

  • G2 Badener Meile downgraded to Group 3
  • G3 Von Lotto Hamburg downgraded to listed
  • Listed Grosser Preis Von Meravis loses listed status
  • Listed Grosser Preis der Sparkasse Hannover loses listed status
  • Listed Sparkassenpreis loses listed status
  • Listed Dusseldorfer Stutenpreis loses listed status

 

Ireland

 

  • G2 Kilboy Estate downgraded to Group 3
  • G3 Concorde downgraded to listed

 

Italy

 

  • G2 Milano downgraded to Group 3
  • G2 Federico Tesio downgraded to Group 3
  • G3 Tudini downgraded to listed
  • G3 Sergio Cumani downgraded to listed
  • G3 Umbria downgraded to listed
  • Listed Criterium Nazionale loses listed status
  • Listed Gardone loses listed status
  • Listed Bersaglio loses listed status
  • Listed Unire loses listed status

 

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In Sweden, A Seamless Transition Whip-Less Racing

When Sweden instituted a ban of the whip at the beginning of the 2022 racing season, racing official Dennis Madsen was pretty sure what would happen, which was nothing. The races would still be competitive, the betting wouldn't be impacted and there would be no issues when it came to safety.

Five months into the racing season in Sweden, Madsen, the head of horse racing for the Swedish Horse Racing Authority, says he has been proven right.

“There has been no negative impact on racing at all after we took away the whip,” he said.

Along with Denmark and Norway, Sweden is one of three Scandinavian countries where jockeys are no longer allowed to use the whip to encourage a horse to run faster. They are still allowed to carry them in a race in the event the whip may be needed for safety reasons.

Norway, Sweden and Denmark form a circuit attracting the same jockeys, trainers and horses and the three countries have worked toward having uniform rules.

The whip has been banned in Norway since 2009. In Sweden, racing authorities have limited its use over the years, starting with allowing only 10 strikes during race until that limit was reduced to three. The whip was banned all together in 2-year-old races and in steeplechase events.

The three-strikes rule may have remained in place for at least a few more years, but the sport faced a crisis last year when harness driver Joakim Lövgrens was banned for a a year, not by racing officials, but by a local municipality for what was deemed excessive use of the whip. “You have intentionally inflicted unnecessary physical and mental suffering on an animal in order to win a competition and money,” read the ruling regarding Lövgrens.

Around the same time, some jockeys were reported for animal abuse after the crop left marks on the horses during racing. Rather than allowing the situation to escalate into what could have become a huge problem for the sport, a decision was made to simply ban the whip in Sweden. Racing officials in Denmark made the same decision.

“The civil authorities were starting to take action against jockeys and drivers,” Madsen said. “We thought it was time to move on. We wanted to be proactive.”

Not that everything has gone perfectly. Because there was a concern that the jockeys may try to take the reins in their hands and use them to slash at the horses, rules were written that seemed to require that the riders keep their hands on their mount's mane or neck at all times. If that were the case jockeys could not change hands on the reins. The jockeys threatened to strike but we appeased when the wording of the rule was changed.

Otherwise, Madsen said, the jockeys have adapted.

“They have accepted the rules,” he said. “There have been no complaints. We've only had one race in all Sweden where there has been an issue. One rider tapped his horse on the shoulder with the whip and got a one-day suspension. Our jockeys have accepted the rules and are following the rules.”

Madsen said that not only have there not been any safety issues in the races, but that horses seem to be keeping straighter courses and that there have been fewer problems with interference.

“The stewards have experienced less interference so far this year,” he said. “We rarely see dangerous situations or dangerous riding in Scandinavia anymore. On the minor interferences we've seen about 10% less this year compared to 2021, though it would be premature to draw any definite conclusion at this stage.”

When it came to how the bettors would react to races run without whips, the Swedish Horse Racing Authority had reason to believe the handle wouldn't suffer. Prior to the ban being instituted, the Swedish tote surveyed bettors and asked if they had noticed cases where horses are being badly treated within the framework of competitions. Thirty percent answered yes.  Of those 30%, 91% said the reason was due to too hard or too frequent use of the whip.

Madsen said that total handle on Swedish Thoroughbred racing has increased this year.

“We haven't seen any negative impact on the betting,” he said.

Madsen admits that even he once believed that the whip was an essential and necessary part of horse racing.

“It was the culture at the time,” Madsen said. “I was told that the horse responded to the whip and I couldn't see a problem with that. That was more than 20, 30 years ago. We all get more clever over the years. I can see now that Thoroughbred racing can do without the whip. The races are just as exciting as ever. There was a time where people were hitting their children. You would never see that today.”

And his message to other countries where the whip is still allowed?

“There's less interference,” he said. “We've had international jockeys come in and they have not complained. Most importantly, the same trainers still dominate. The same jockeys dominate. There have been no real changes for the stakeholders. In your country, if you took away the whip, the same jockeys, Irad Ortiz Jr., Flavien Prat, they would still be on top. Racing here has shown that taking away the whip is not a problem at all.”

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Swedish Racing Regulator Bans Whip Use

New whip regulations will take effect in Sweden in April, according to regulator Svensk Galopp.

According to the new rules, the whip may not be used for driving purposes. The new rules mean that the rider may only use the whip to prevent accidents, and are largely in line with the Norwegian rules. The only difference is that in Sweden, riders can carry a whip in all races.

The whip regulations were discussed at the autumn meeting last year and the decision on the new rules was made by Svensk Galopp's board on Monday. The rule change is made in connection with a new version of SRG (Scandinavian Regulations for Galloping) being published in March.

Previously, jockeys in Sweden had been allowed to hit their horses three times in a race. The whip, however, had not been allowed in jumps racing or for 2-year-old racing.

“The use of the whip in Sweden has been discussed for years,” said Helena Gartner, project manager of the Scandinavian Racing Regulations Committee. “The regulations have changed gradually and the foam-padded sticks were introduced some years ago, but now it is time to ban the use of the whip completely. Whip use in horse racing simply does not belong in 2022.”

The new whip regulations in Sweden:

Whip may be used to ward off a dangerous situation. The whip must not be angled up to the horse's eyes and ears. With whip blows, blows are equated with the horse's rein, the rider's arm and hand. During the run, the rider must ride with both hands on the horse's mane and neck. From 200 meters before the finish line, in the obstacle course after the last obstacle before the finish line has been passed, the rider may not change the whip from one hand to the other unless such a situation as stated in the first sentence exists. Riders may only use a whip determined by Skandinavisk Galopp, so-called cushion stick (padded whip).

The first paragraph also applies when training a horse. By training a horse is meant the physical and mental preparation of a horse that is to compete and where the purpose of the training is to prepare the horse for competition. The horse is exerted, physically or mentally, in a way that is not only devoted to maintaining or achieving basic physical condition and mobility or basic mental training.

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Dubai Carnival: Pair Of Unbeaten Fillies Top Friday’s UAE 1,000 Guineas

Godolphin's Real World is just one of several stars on the third evening of the Dubai World Cup Carnival on Friday, Jan. 28. The card features Group 2 and four Listed races.

Saeed Bin Suroor's 5-year-old heads a strong field for the Group 2 Zabeel Mile over a mile on turf. Beaten in four starts on dirt here last season, the son of Dark Angel was a revelation when returning to Europe, winning four races on the bounce, culminating in the Gr2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein at Paris Longchamp in October.

“He's a different horse to the one we saw finishing placed three times last Carnival,” said Bin Suroor, who won the Zabeel Mile in 2008 with Third Set and 2012 with Do It All. “He really strengthened up and matured over the summer, progressing from handicaps to Group company. He's been off the track since October, but we always planned to start him here, before looking at the Neom Turf Cup or the Saudi Cup. The G1 Jebel Hatta on Super Saturday could also be an option.”

Real World, the mount of Frankie Dettori, is joined in the race by two other Godolphin trainees; Path Of Thunder and One Ruler, both trained by Charlie Appleby, who has won this race five times.

They finished first and sixth in the Zabeel Trophy three weeks ago and Appleby is confident of another big run from Path Of Thunder, saying: “He kicked off his Carnival by winning a Conditions race over a mile, so now he's forced himself into Group company. He should be competitive in the Zabeel Mile.”

Of One Ruler, whose classy European form saw him finish sixth in the Derby at Epsom, Appleby said: “He had an interrupted run when finishing sixth [behind Path Of Thunder], but he's come out of the race well.”

First Classic of season

The card also features the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas, in which the unbeaten Shahama has scared off much of the opposition. Trained by Fawzi Nass for owner KHK Racing, the daughter of Munnings overcame a muddy track in the Guineas Trial on New Year's Day to win by 2 1/2 lengths and looks hard to catch here.

However, Swedish-based Irish trainer Kahlil De Burca sends out his highly-regarded Uchcaihshravas, winner of her only start to date at Bro Park in Stockholm, Sweden.

“Fawzi's filly will be hard to beat, but we think our filly is special,” said De Burca, who will be saddling just his second runner in Dubai. “There isn't much between them on the times of the races they've won.”

Race eight, the Listed Dubai Sprint over six furlongs on the straight track, looks like one of the toughest races of the night for Pick Six players.

It features a raider from Australia, with Adelaide-based Will Clarken sending runners to the UAE for the first time. He saddles Parsifal here, who will be ridden by Caitlin Jones, seven races after she partners He's A Balter for the same trainer in the opening six-furlong Emaar Dubai Sprint Consolation race.

Among Parsifal's rivals is Man Of Promise, winner of this race a year ago for Appleby, who also runs G3 scorer Lazuli.

“He missed his intended start a couple of weeks ago after spiking a temperature”, said Appleby of Man Of Promise. “I didn't want to run him at less than 100 percent as he's a horse we think can be competitive at the Carnival. He's back on song now.”

On Lazuli, last seen finishing seventh in the G3 Troy Stakes at Saratoga in New York, he added: “Lazuli has a proper sprint profile. We're starting him over six on Friday to see whether he can book himself a slot in Saudi or go for one of the later sprints in Dubai.”

Competitive renewal of Zabeel Turf

The 1 1/4-mile Listed Zabeel Turf, race five, looks very competitive and features G3 Dubai Millennium Stakes winner Star Safari for Appleby. The 6-year-old warmed up for this assignment with a good second over 1 1/2 miles to Dubai Future in the Listed DRC Classic two weeks ago and will be happier back in distance.

The card is completed by two more dirt races. The seven-furlong Downtown Dubai Cup looks like a good opportunity for Doug Watson's Mubakker to follow up his six-furlong win here last month, while recent course winner Law Of Peace looks to have strong claims in the Graduate Stakes.

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