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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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Air De Valse Tops Tuesday’s Arqana February Session At 240k

The group heroine Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil Des Aigles {Fr}) took top honours during the first session of the Arqana February Mixed Sale on Tuesday.

The Bridge Consignment shelled out €240,000 for the 7-year-old G3 Prix du Petit Couvert heroine from the Corine Barande-Barbe draft. Placed in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye in 2021, Air De Valse is a daughter of listed winner Air Bag (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}).

Jérôme Glandais, the Director of Haras du Logis Saint-Germain said, “She's been bought for Mr. Benaroussi, who continues to invest in breeding. For the moment we haven't decided what stallion she will go to or where she will be boarded.”

Shalaa (Ire) mare Majal (Fr) (lot 173) changed hands for €102,000 to Eamon Reilly of BBA Ireland. Offered by Haras de Bouquetot, the winner is a half-sister to G3 Prix La Force victor Pao Alto (Fr) (Intello {Ger}), while her dam, a winner at Group 3 level in Germany, is a half-sister to G1 French Oaks heroine Palmas (Ger) (Lord Of England {Ger}).

Reilly said, “She's a lovely filly, that moves nicely and has an exceptional pedigree page. She'll come back to Ireland and start her broodmare career.”

The winning jumper Santa Fix (Fr) (Saint Des Saints {Fr}) (lot 118) was signed for by Paul Basquin for €92,000 on behalf of a partnership between Haras du Saubouas and Haras d'Etreham. She is a half-sister to listed-winning jumper Fixe Le Kap (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}), as well as A Mi Manera (Fr) (Great Pretender {Ire}), a dual graded winner over jumps.

“She's a magnificent filly that moves really well,” said Paul Basquin. “She's from a lovely family and by Saint des Saints, an excellent broodmare sire. She's been bought for a partnership between Haras de Saubouas and Haras d'Etreham. She'll be covered by Paradiso (Fr), a stallion that we estimate and want to support by sending him mares of this quality.”

The fourth dearest lot of Tuesday's session was lot 70, a nomination to Group 1 sire Camelot (GB) to aid the Red Cross in Syria and Turkey. Offered by Coolmore, the nomination was snapped up by Rahinston Stud for €62,000.

“I've bought it for a client of the farm, an owner/breeder who wants to breed the nomination to race if all goes well, said Rahinston's Harry Fowler. “We're delighted to support such a worthy charity, especially one that is at the forefront of all our minds. When the opportunity arose for such a lovely stallion and such a good cause, we felt we should support this very generous offer from Coolmore. It's also great of Arqana to facilitate the sale. A stallion like Camelot is not easy to get into; he's a beautiful horse and has a phenomenal record. We've an idea which mare we will send to him but we're not 100% sure, let's see how they all foal. But the progeny will be kept to race.”

At the close of trade, 111 lots sold from 148 offered (75%) for a gross of €1,805,000. The average rose 38.2% to €16,261, while the median rose by 50% to €9,000 from last year's opening session.

The second and final session of the February Mixed Sale begins at 11 a.m. local time. For the complete sale results, please visit the Arqana website.

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Oisin Murphy To Return At Chelmsford On Thursday

Three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy, who is confirmed to ride Group 1 winner Missed The Cut (Quality Road) during the G1 Saudi Cup meeting, will have his first ride back in the UK at Chelmsford on Thursday.

Murphy, who is returning to the saddle after a 14-month ban for alcohol and covid protocol breaches, will be aboard The Horse Watchers syndicate's Jupiter Express (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Winning Connections Networking H. at Chelmsford for trainer Mick Appleby. Gavin Horne will continue his association with Murphy.

“Gavin had asked Mick if there was anything he could ride when he was available,” said The Horse Watchers syndicate's Chris Dixon.

“Tom Marquand rode Jupiter Express to be second last time, but he's in Australia now so the jockey who rode him last time wasn't there and this was an opportunity for him to have a ride when he came back.

“Mick was always going to support him, he's ridden plenty of winners for him over the years–and us–so when a top jockey is available we are not afraid to use them. We're happy to give him his first ride back.

“He's been freshened up since his last run as he'd been a little busy and we'd aimed at this card ever since really. He's got a decent chance, he's in good form and hopefully there's a little bit of mileage in his handicap mark.”

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Gold Cup Hero Subjectivist Pleases Johnston In Newcastle Spin In Advance Of Red Sea Turf H.

Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who races for Dr. J. Walker, turned in a pleasing work over the Newcastle all-weather under Joe Fanning in advance of a start in the Feb. 25 $2.5-million G3 Red Sea Turf H. in Riyadh during the $20-million G1 Saudi Cup two-day meeting.

“I was pleased with what I saw at Newcastle,” said trainer Charlie Johnston, who has taken over the training of Subjectivist after the retirement of his father, Mark. “The difficulty with any horse is that you don't put really put them into the red zone at home, but particularly with a horse of this nature who runs over these distances.

“We've never gone to the distances which he excels over, and we don't have many 120-rated stayers to work him either, so of course there's that unknown, but both myself and Joe were pleased with how he went.

“Joe knows the horse better than anyone and he said he got better and better the further he went which obviously bodes well for next weekend.”

Although he currently holds a three-race winning streak of the 2020 G1 Prix Royal Oak, the G2 Dubai Gold Cup in March of 2021 and the G1 Gold Cup that same year, the bay has been on an injury-incurred layoff for the past 18 months.

“It's been an 18-month rehab journey, so to have come this far is great and we're all very much looking forward to having him on the track again,” Johnston said.

“It's a bit of an unknown in the sense we aren't entirely sure what we have back, and it will be asking a lot to have the same horse that we had 20 months ago. I sincerely hope we do, but we won't find that out until he runs in Saudi.”

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