TBA NH Breeders’ Awards Night Scheduled For May

The 10th edition of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association National Hunt Breeders' Awards, sponsored by Goffs, will be held on Monday, May 20, the eve of the Goffs Doncaster Spring Store Sale. Doncaster's Hilton Garden Inn has been selected for the awards show, with Nick Luck signed on to host again.

The event celebrates the achievements of British-based breeders and British-bred horses across the 2023-24 National Hunt season. During the event there is a champagne reception, and dinner is followed by the awards ceremony. A total of 14 awards will be presented, including the Queen Mother's Silver Salver.

Simon Cox, chairman of the National Hunt committee and TBA trustee said, “We are very grateful to Goffs for their ongoing support of this event, as well as the individual award sponsors. We are looking forward to celebrating the event's 10-year anniversary in May and when you look at the list of previous winners, the quality of horses that British breeders have and continue to produce really stands out. The evening will be a celebration of this season's achievements, as well as a nod to past winners.

“I would encourage not only breeders, but trainers, agents and owners who are attending the Goffs Spring Store Sale to make sure that they add the awards evening into their diary and secure their tickets.”

Tickets are available for £65 until midnight on Mar. 31, and will be priced at £70 from Apr. 1. To purchase tickets and for more information, please visit the TBA website's events page.

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First Edition Of The TBA ACCESS Foal Forum Well-Attended

Over 250 people attended the first edition of the TBA ACCESS Foal Forum in the Tattersalls sales ring on Thursday night, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) announced on Friday.

The free-to-attend event welcomed both TBA members and non-members, and aimed to inform and educate attendees about the intricacies and challenges of breeding and pinhooking foals. The forum was led by Vanessa Ryle and featured insights into the first steps and considerations of breeding a foal, nurturing the growth of a young foal with the expertise of Kate Sigsworth of West Moor Stud, and Ed Harper from Whitsbury Manor Stud. Considerations when buying and re-offering stock at sales were covered by Mimi Wadham and Violet Hesketh of WH Bloodstock and leading bloodstock agent, Alex Elliott and some of the key mistakes both have made when first starting out. Robert Dallas of Rossdales provided excellent insight from a veterinary perspective across all areas.

A recording of the Foal Forum will soon be available to view on the TBA website.

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Business Essentials Programme Launched By TBA

The Business Essentials Programme, a new educational resource providing stud farm owners and managers with exclusive industry insights to support business understanding and provide the best welfare for horses, was launched by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) on TB-Ed on Wednesday.

Focussing on the areas of employment, leadership, finance and marketing, the courses aim to support the building blocks of a successful business operation with advice from experts across the breeding industry. Each course features fully narrated video-based modules with a downloadable script, allowing users to work through at their own pace and in their own time.

TBA members and ACCESS subscribers can access all courses free of charge for a limited time. Courses are available for non-TBA members at a cost of £250 per course, but you can become a TBA ACCESS subscriber for the year for just £60. For further information, please visit the TB-Ed website.

TBA chief executive Claire Sheppard said, “We are delighted to launch this new Business Essentials Programme which has been created off the back of feedback from our members. It has always been the intention of TB-ED to provide as many breeders as possible with high quality resources that will prove invaluable in order to thrive in the thoroughbred breeding industry.

“Whilst these are the building blocks, our future plans include the development of additional content exploring some of these topics in greater detail and we hope these courses prove useful tools for the smaller and medium-sized breeders in particular.”

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Julian Richmond Watson Steps Down As Chairman Of TBA During The Annual General Meeting

Long-term Thoroughbred Breeders' Association chairman Julian Richmond Watson will step down following eight years at the helm. He announced the news during the TBA's Annual General Meeting at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket on Friday.

Philip Newton will become chairman of the TBA with immediate effect, while Kate Sigsworth will become deputy chairman. Newton has been on the board since 2012, while Sigsworth joined in 2020. James Crowhurst will continue as a co-opted trustee for a second term to support the TBA's work on equine health and welfare. In addition, Will Kinsey was named to the board of trustees and Tom Blain will return to the board for a second term, the duo having filled vacant positions determined by an election.

“Bold decision-making intended to arrest the decline in racing's fortunes is essential if we are to move forward,” Richmond Watson said when addressing members and trustees, both past and present. “The TBA is a member of the Thoroughbred Group and will work wherever possible to advance the position of those involved with horses, their ownership and welfare.

“Of course, prize-money is the key to unlocking so many of these issues. Prize-money is not high enough in this country, and the obvious discrepancy between what the betting industry pays to the sport and how much the participants receive must be addressed, so that the income coming into racing is fairly shared.”

Richmond Watson is the longest-serving chairman since the office was introduced in 1962, and he has also served as a trustee for 12 years. On the specific issues facing breeders he added, “We have to focus on these ourselves. There is very little understanding of breeding within racing and the supply of racehorses is taken far too much for granted. It is up to the TBA to make sure our issues are constantly brought to the fore.

“There is an enormous amount of work that goes on behind the scenes and, as shown by Brexit and Covid, contacts developed along the way are vital when we need to be in touch with the important decision-makers.

“The carry-over from Brexit continues, and while we have had successes with the Treasury on VAT for temporary imports into this country, our trading partners in Ireland and France have still to sort this issue, so that transport and inspection-post issues, as well as increased costs, are still to be resolved.

“We have also seen recent positive steps made with the Migration Advisory Committee adding three stud roles to the Shortage Occupation List in their recent report and we must now continue to lobby government for this to be formally sanctioned.”

The Annual General Meeting also included the approval of the minutes of the previous AGM, re-election of the auditors, and the confirmation of membership fees for 2024. The 2022 Annual Report was formally launched and can be viewed here with highlights including:

 

  • Commissioning of the Economic Impact Study, the findings of which were published in January 2023.
  • Ongoing positive impact of the Great British Bonus scheme (GBB) managed by the TBA on behalf of the industry with a 16.3% increase in median value of British bred fillies reported since scheme launched in 2020.
  • Continued development of TB-ED, the TBA's online platform, and on the recruitment and retention of employees on stud farms with 67% of students enrolled in the E2SE programme remaining employed in the industry.
  • Launch of TBA Access membership.

 

Richmond-Watson said, “Evidence-based strategies have been at the heart of the TBA's work since the initial study in 2014, providing a sound basis for areas of focus in our work to support breeders and the industry as a whole. The results of this study will lead to some re-alignment of plans to ensure we continue to work on activities that deliver the greatest positive impact to our sector.”

Other presentations during the AGM included one by incoming chairman Philip Newton on implications from the Economic Impact Study and next steps, as well as an introduction to the TBA's Stud Farm Carbon Calculator by Victoria Murrell, the TBA's Equine Health and Welfare Manager and Sarah Wynn and Sola Samuel from ADAS who are developing the software, and which is due to launch in November 2023.

Richmond-Watson said, “We have been through some interesting times but hopefully I leave you in good order, but of course with plenty to do. And Philip Newton, thank you for being such a supportive and challenging deputy chairman.

“We have worked incredibly well together, and I wish you all the best as you take the TBA forward.”

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