Cheer Up, It Might Never Happen

We've never had it so bad, apparently. That of course depends on whether you're a glass-half-full or half-empty kind of person. Mine has been mostly empty so far in 2024, of the good stuff at least, but the swapping of a decent claret for chai tea has not lowered the spirits as much as might have been imagined at the start of January. In fact, optimism levels are running high in this very small corner of Newmarket at present. 

For a start we have made it through storms Isha and Jocelyn with the loss of only one roof tile and a fence panel. There were no loose horses or fallers, and there has been no ice under the hooves of the fresh horses just back from their winter holidays. These sound like minor considerations, but in a small stable, when the horses who live below and the staff who come in every day to ride them feel like family members, every day that passes without dramatic incident is a good day. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't skip around every minute of the day being irritatingly upbeat. I have grave concerns over the way racing is heading in some areas, particularly that so many people seem willing to gamble on trading horses but have no interest in racing them. With little acknowledgement of their importance to the Levy, the paltry level of funding for lower-tier races is making it increasingly unsustainable for many of the sport's smaller participants to continue and is in part deterring others to get involved. It is becoming harder not to conclude that there is now no place for the small breeder, the small owner or the small trainer with their lesser horses. That would be a shame. 

In the long history of sport, fans have deified the very best, and rightly so. We all need a Pele, a Piggott, a Klopp or a Cecil to sprinkle a little magic. But the sporting public also loves an underdog. Only recently, the exploits of Hewick on Boxing Day reminded us of this. And I long to see another horse of the ilk of Sergeant Cecil or Speciosa in the hands of trainers whose talents lack only the supply of horses. 

For a start, what a story. Fresh faces, a new narrative. And then there's the knock-on effect; the hope brought to others in a similar situation, that encouragement to roll the dice. 

Racing has always been built on dreams. People come and people go, and new people replace them with that same old dream. Retention is important, of course, and it is hard not to look upon last week's announcement from Andrew and Gemma Brown of Caldwell Construction with anything other than concern. Here are owners who have enjoyed major success, with some exciting young National Hunt prospects on their hands, withdrawing from racing and dispersing their stock, apparently following three recent fatalities among their string. One can sympathise with the Browns while wondering how long jump racing will be tolerated by the general public, particularly in Britain. 

Among the other issues of the day are prize-money, concerns over Britain and Ireland becoming nurseries for other racing nations with deeper pockets, and the hoovering up of top-class stallion prospects by our friends in Japan. Well, guess what. None of this is new. 

'No Racing and no Money as 1968 comes in' ran the cheery headline on the editorial leader in the February 1968 edition of Stud And Stable. Britain was then in the grip of a foot-and-mouth epidemic which had halted racing during the previous December (the same disease later caused the cancellation of the Cheltenham Festival of 2001). Remarkably, the December Sales of 1967 had been permitted to go ahead by the government under strict protocols and they recorded some notable returns despite some epidemic-enforced withdrawals. Sound familiar? 

Vaguely Noble sold for a record 136,000 guineas, and he was far from the only high-priced lot to fall into the hands of owners from overseas.

The gloomy leader stated, “Already supported by racing programmes that justified the payment of high prices, French and American buyers were afforded a field day.”

It continued, “Throughout the century, England and Ireland have acted as a storehouse from which to supply the world's Thoroughbred requirements. This year's December Sales raised more dramatically than ever the question of how long we shall be able to go on doing so unless we can increase our prizes and keep the best at home.”

These words, written 56 years ago, could so easily have been penned today.

Elsewhere in the same magazine there was a short report on the sale of the stallions Larkspur and Hard Ridden to Japan, which began, “Following on from the rather alarming foreign purchases of the top lots at the Newmarket December Sales comes news of the export to Japan of two Derby winners.” Again, this has a familiar ring of recency to it (as did an advertisement in the same edition for Rathduff Stud's promising young stallion by the name of Cracksman).

In fact, the only thing that felt a little different in this edition of Stud And Stable from 1968 was a photograph of the packed stands at the Curragh in an advert for the Irish Sweeps Derby which boasted of the higher average prices of yearlings with Irish Derby entries. Just don't tell Patrick Cooper or he might write another letter. 

Over the years we have had epidemics of the human and bovine variety temporarily halt racing in its tracks. It would have felt catastrophic at the time, and the worry of the months of April and May 2020 in particular is still fresh in the mind. 

Somehow, though, this industry bounces back, often stronger than ever. 

Racing limped on, restricted and reduced, through the far graver years of the Second World War. The Derby and the Oaks were run at Newmarket, but at least they took place. It must be said that the influential owner-breeders of the day played a major role in persuading the government that a certain amount of racing must continue for the morale of the people, not to mention the important continuation and testing of the breed on the racecourse.

And yet even in those desperate times we find in the Bloodstock Breeders' Review similar buoyancy at the sales, which is quite staggering considering what was taking place in the real world. A report written in the sixth year of war concluded, “Bloodstock Sales in 1944 showed the highest aggregate ever known…The December Sales results alone beat all hitherto established records…The same story is to be recorded regarding the Dublin Sales. All records were surpassed by the results in 1944.”

I've lost track of the times I've reported on a “record-breaking” sale over the last decade. Of course the vitality of the bloodstock market should not be confused with the overall health of racing. As stated, an increased number of people treat the sales like the stock market and are not involved beyond that, while plenty of money that changes hand comes from foreign investors. 

That's not all bad though. We have always needed international interest in our bloodstock market, and the breed itself needs it. Many of those investors hail from countries which are not conducive to the breeding and rearing of horses, and the fact that the green and pleasant lands of Britain and Ireland are ideally suited to that pursuit has not gone unnoticed by those from overseas who have decided to establish their own breeding operations in this part of the world. 

And yes, to a degree, it is facetious to imply that little has changed. Glancing through those old books and magazines, the most telling difference is that there were once so many small, independent studs that each stood a stallion or two. Now, many have been subsumed by those major investors whose breeding operations have become empires. Whether that is good or bad is almost a moot point. It's different, but we still have the choice of a large range of stallions, with many of the best in the world standing in these isles.

None of this means that we can simply think all is well and turn to complacency. Those quickly expanding racing programmes in the Middle East will need more and more horses to meet their demands, at a rate and standard which exceeds the potential of their local breeding industries. In part that is good news for European breeders, but it may well prove detrimental to racing here.

A personal gripe is how much owners appear to be encouraged to sell on a horse as soon as it shows a glimmer of talent. Obviously lucrative offers are hard to turn down, and horses can suddenly be lame in the blink of an eye, so this isn't pointing the finger of blame at anyone who has cashed in. But what happened to that dream? Isn't it what drew people in in the first place, the chance to race a top horse? 

There really is nothing like the thrill of being connected to a winner, whether in a syndicate or as a sole owner-breeder. That's the dream we should be selling, for no get-rich-quick scheme can equal that high.

The politics of racing can certainly detract from our enjoyment of the sport if we let it. So it's time to stop doom-scrolling. Put down your phone and get yourself out to a paddock or a racecourse to marvel at the beauty of the Thoroughbred. The start of the Flat turf season is now but two months away and the foaling barns are once again filling up with the stars of the future. 

If we get it right now and treat these wonderful creatures with the respect they deserve throughout their lives, then there is hope that in another 80 years the bloodstock journalists of the future will be writing about yet more sales records and why the Irish Derby should remain at a mile and a half. 

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Coolmore Australia Secures Strawberry Hill Stud

by Kristen Manning/TTR AusNZ

One of Australia's finest equine properties, Strawberry Hill Stud, is set to continue its role as an industry leader with the famed thoroughbred nursery purchased by Coolmore Australia for an undisclosed amount.

And they are very pleased to have done so with Tom Magnier telling The Thoroughbred Report, “You just don't see places like that anywhere in the world go on the market.”

“The facilities are top class, everything has been done to the highest of standards,” he said, adding that not much needs to be done at the Mount White farm–“It is already at a Coolmore standard!

“It is all down to John's passion, there is no farm like it in Australia–it is just an unbelievable property, and one with such great proximity to Sydney.”

Ideally located just 58km north of Sydney, Strawberry Hill was named in honour of Singleton's great galloper Strawberry Road (Aus) (Whiskey Road).

A horse who so famously travelled the world, adding to his four local Group 1 victories (the 1983 WS Cox Plate, the 1983 AJC Derby, the 1983 Queensland Derby and the 1983 Rosehill Guineas) another two overseas–the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden in Germany and the G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in France.

“The first time we saw the farm we knew we had to have it,” Magnier said, adding that whilst exact plans are still being formulated for its use alongside Coolmore's current properties, it is likely that “by the end of this spring carnival we will have horses spelling there.”

 

A Historic Property

Magnier is not only excited to see Strawberry Hill become part of the Coolmore Australia story due to the advantages of the farm but also because of its history.

“It is a huge thing for Coolmore to be able to continue the legacy that John has built. It is a historic property that has the famous results on the board… it is truly one of the most iconic properties in Australia.”

One that has been built up over the decades with Tom respectful of the “time, effort and passion that John and his family have put into this farm.”

“It takes decades to develop a farm to this standard and the attention to detail was something we noticed from the minute we drove in,” he said.

Looking forward to the farm becoming “a world-class spelling farm for the best horses,” Magnier said that Coolmore had “searched for a long time to find the right place and it is a huge thrill to end up with Strawberry Hill.”

 

Singleton's Legacy Lives On

Singleton dispersed his considerable thoroughbred assets via a Magic Millions sale in late August, one which saw the likes of Ciaron Maher Bloodstock, the China Horse Club, Newgate Farm, Go Bloodstock, Trilogy Racing, Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing, Kestrel Racing, Highway Farm (Yulong), Kingstar Farm and Kia Ora Stud secure quality bloodstock.

The sale saw 55 lots sell at a gross of A$15.497 million with the top-priced seller being the regally bred G2 Tea Rose S. winner Miss Fabulass (Aus) (Frankel {GB}), a daughter of the Australian Champion 3-Year-Old Filly Samantha Miss (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) who was knocked down for A$1.85 million to Highway Farm (Yulong).

Magic Millions' Managing Director Barry Bowditch is happy at the outcome, noting that “one of the most successful thoroughbred breeding and racing operations globally, Coolmore identified from first inspection that this property was world-class and that it was an opportunity not to be missed.”

“It is a fantastic outcome,” Bowditch said.

And Clint Donovan, Director of Donovan & Co, agreed.

“It has been a pleasure representing John Singleton and the Singleton Group in facilitating this substantial transaction in partnership with Magic Millions,” he said.

“Strawberry Hill Stud is the pinnacle of equine farms of its size nationwide–the love, heart and soul poured into the farm by John over a number of years was clearly evident to all that visited this magical property.

“The result of the Coolmore Australia purchase is a fitting next chapter for this incredible piece of the country.”

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Foal Birthweights: Does Size Matter?

Have you ever wanted to breed a sales-topper? Or, better still, raise a stakes winner? Without promising to offer any secret formula to the aforementioned objectives, a recent study published by Dr Joe Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research in association with Saracen Horse Feeds takes a deep dive into the subject of how the size of thoroughbred foals ultimately affects their future sales price and racing performance.

Using tens of thousands of data records from prominent breeding nations across the world, Dr Pagan not only looks at the relationship between foal size and their achievements in the sales ring or on the racecourse but also, and perhaps most crucially, skeletal soundness.

With the benefit of international analysis on a scale never before seen in this field, the findings are significant; providing breeders and stud farmers with the knowledge to potentially adjust practices in pursuit of most favourable future outcomes.

What affects a foal's birthweight?

Before digging into the correlation between foal size and performance, the research initially highlights the factors affecting a foal's birthweight in the first place. 

Assessing a pool of over 3,000 birthweights, the basics show that in every region fillies were 1.5kg smaller than colts and America bred the heaviest foals, followed by the UK, with the lightest being born in Australia.

In addition to gender and region, one of the most significant elements to affect birthweight is the number of foals that a mare has had before – also referred to as parity. It may come as little surprise that maiden mares produce the smallest foals but most interestingly these first foals were on average 15% lighter than those out of mares that had already produced more than two foals previously (multiparous mares); adding scientific significance to the anecdotal 'first foal' theory.

The month of birth had a considerable impact on the weight of foals as well, with those born earlier in the season much lighter than those born later on. Of course, the likelihood that maiden mares are often bred towards the beginning of the season might explain some of the reason why January and February foals were lighter. However, equal gravity may be given to the availability of better pasture for mares foaling in springtime (April and May), with Dr Pagan suggesting that nutrition of mares at the time of foaling is also an important determinant of birthweight. 

Does yearling size affect sales price and racing performance?

As the study continues, percentiles and quartiles are referred to in order to make comparisons among varying sets of data. In simple terms, percentiles rank the size of an individual based on its age and gender in relation to a wider population on a scale from 1 to 100, while quartiles divide this further into quarters. The first quartile is the bottom 25%, the fourth quartile refers to the top 25% and so on.

Dr Pagan's research goes on to look at the relationship between the size of yearlings – measured by both body weight and wither height – and sales price, as well as racing performance. 

At the Kentucky yearling sales, a premium was paid for the biggest yearlings available – 55% of yearlings purchased for over $250,000 were in the fourth quartile for weight and 75% of those purchased were in the third and fourth quartiles for height. 

In the UK, the situation was a little different. Purchasers at the sales on this side of the Atlantic preferred a lighter yearling, with 70% of those sold for over £200,000 being in the second and third quartiles for weight; the same was evident for wither height; UK buyers favouring a slightly shorter type (59% being in the second and third quartile). 

Regular transatlantic racegoers and sales attendees might find these differing trends unsurprising given the powerful model of equine athletes that run over dirt in the US versus the slighter frames of those that compete on the turf in the UK. 

And here's the thing: 43% of Kentucky stakes winners were also in the fourth quartile for weight as yearlings and 62% were in the third and fourth quartiles for height. Proving that, fundamentally, the heaviest and tallest yearlings which found the highest favour at the sales in Kentucky, also achieved greatest success on the racecourse.

Reassuringly, racecourse results in the UK also stack up with yearling sales trends, whereby horses in the second quartile for yearling weight also took home the highest number of stakes races on home turf. 

How does foal size affect OCD and racing performance?

Having established factors affecting birthweights and, subsequently, yearling size in relation to sales results and racing prowess, the study moves on to analyse trends in skeletal soundness. For the purposes of this study, this may be defined by the incidence of surgery for osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). 

When looking at foal size and its correlation with skeletal soundness, results clearly show that during early life (1-90 days old) foals that had OCD surgery were far heavier than those that did not have surgery or, indeed, those that became stakes winners.

It is important to note, however, that as foals grew to become weanlings and yearlings (241-360 days old) weight no longer had a significant effect on OCD surgery. When it came to height though, the tallest foals at all age ranges (0-360 days old) had the highest incidence of OCD surgeries than any other groups.

When solely looking at birthweights, research highlighted that the very heaviest foals (born in excess of 64kg) were twice as likely to have OCD surgery than the rest of the population (foals born under 64kg) and only one-third as likely to win a stakes race.

Put simply, skeletal unsoundness was most prevalent in the heaviest-born foals but had less significance in foals that were of normal size and grew to become heavy weanlings or yearlings. And while weight caused most issues in the early life of foals, height was relevant throughout the first year, with the very tallest foals being at most risk and having the highest incidence of OCD surgery.

These findings neatly tie-in with the fact that foals that went on to reach the top of their game and win stakes races were a normal size as foals and became heavier, but not taller, as weanlings and yearlings. Still following? Basically, you're better off having an average-sized foal at birth that becomes a big yearling than a big foal from the start.

Does month of birth and parity have an impact on skeletal soundness?

The early part of Dr Pagan's study clearly showed that a foal's birthweight was significantly affected by the number of foals a mare had had previously, and also their month of birth. It goes on to highlight the strong relationship between these factors and the likelihood of OCD surgery. 

In Kentucky, foals born in April had by far the highest incidence of OCD surgery, while in the UK it was May-born foals that had most skeletal unsoundness. It is then perhaps no coincidence that the heaviest foals were born in April in Kentucky and May in the UK – emphasising further still the correlation between birthweight and OCD surgery.

Evidence showed that primiparous (maiden) mares produced foals that were less likely to have OCD surgery than mares that had had foals previously which would also make sense, given what we learnt earlier about maiden mares producing lighter foals compared to their more experienced counterparts. 

While parity in mares, can go some way to explaining why birthweights are higher and OCD surgery is more likely in foals born in the spring – because maiden mares are generally bred earliest in the season – the study places as much importance on the level of forage available around the time of foaling which can impact the nutrient intake of mares, foetal growth and milk production.

It suggests that being able to adjust a controllable element such as nutrition through understanding how a mare's due date and parity could affect its foal's birthweight, there is potential to improve sales-ring success and athletic ability, not to mention skeletal soundness.

Conclusion

So, what's the take-home message? In truth, there are many. And to reduce this level of research into a single sentence is possibly a disservice. But in basic terms, size really does matter, and it matters most during the early life of foals. So where size – and specifically birthweights – can be manipulated through feeding practices then so much the better.

Presentations by Dr Joe Pagan and Nick Wingfield Digby MRCVS at Saracen's Thoroughbred Growth Forum last June can be found via this link.

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Jockeys And Jeans Stallion Season Sale Reports Gains Over 2022 Totals

The seventh annual sale of stallion breeding seasons–which ended Jan. 25 to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund–raised $112,050 compared to $72,500 in 2022. The sale marked revenue increases in both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stallion seasons with increases more pronounced in the Quarter Horse breeding industry, accounting for $71,500 of the total proceeds.

The seasons were donated by breeders in six states, including several leading farms in Central Kentucky. To date, the sale has raised over $600,000 for the PDJF.

“The season donors as well as the buyers in both racing industries upped their game this year to help those former jockeys who gave a big part of lives to this sport and we thank them all,” said Jockeys and Jeans President Barry Pearl.

Jockeys and Jeans, founded in late 2014 by five former jockeys, has raised over $2.7 million for the PDJF through an annual fund-raising event and stallion season sale.

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