Striving to Illuminate the Path to Transparency, Light Up Racing Launched

'Light Up Racing', an initiative led by a group of industry participants, striving to illuminate the path to transparency, awareness, and accountability in horse racing, has been launched, according to a press release.

Light Up is spearheaded by a group of industry participants, including Price Bell, Roderick Wachman, Jason Litt, and Dr. Jeff Berk. Kick Collective, the marketing agency behind the Australian-based initiative Kick Up for Racing, is driving the marketing and communications.

“We have been inspired by the impactful work of Kick Up in Australia and believe we have a similar opportunity in the US,” said Price Bell, one of the founding directors of Light Up.

“Kick Up informs the public conversation about horse racing in Australia through grassroots education and engagement. Fundamental to its success is using data and factual information to provide transparency, and accessibility to our horses. This has created a culture of accountability to the horse. We believe we have similar opportunity, to support and inspire the collective voice of our industry participants.”

Established in 2022, Kick Up has quickly become a valuable resource for the Australian racing industry with content focused on addressing the common concerns surrounding horse racing. In addition to a digital presence via its website and social channels, Kick Up has fostered a community who are empowered to address misinformation about horse racing and share positive stories to their networks.

Vin Cox, Managing Director of Godolphin Australia and a Director of the Victorian Racing Club who host the iconic Melbourne Cup at Flemington, said:

“The anti-racing groups are well-funded, well-organized, and have been allowed to shape the public narrative of our industry, unopposed. Kick Up stepped in and empowered and emboldened racing supporters by providing fact-based articles that correct the misinformation being propagated by the anti-racing community.

“The social capital surrounding the Melbourne Cup carnival is now at its strongest in many years, and although anecdotal, I firmly believe that the work done by the Kick Up team has had a hugely significant impact.”

In a similar theme, the primary objective of Light Up is to empower the industry community with accurate knowledge by providing transparent information and distilled research.

Every industry issue Light Up will challenge is guided by a fundamental question: “What is in the best interest of the horse?”

Dr. JR Coffman, a past President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, captured this sentiment when he wrote, “whenever a question is answered based upon the welfare of the horse, the human principles involved are also best served in the long run. We are here for the horse; to the extent that we are responsive to that concept, we will prosper both as individuals and as an organization.”

Light Up is committed to dismantling the wall of secrecy that often surrounds the industry, empowering participants with the knowledge and confidence to engage in meaningful conversations with the concerned public and external media, and most importantly, provide the information needed to make informed decisions that prioritize equine safety.

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Vin Cox Joins Yulong Investments

by Jess Owers/TTR AusNZ

Vin Cox will depart Godolphin Australia on Dec. 1 in one of the most significant senior shuffles in Australian bloodstock. He will relocate to Yulong Investments in Victoria in a new role as general manager.

After five and some years as managing director of Godolphin Australia, Vin Cox will step away from the role on December 1 to join Yulong Investments as general manager. It's big news in bloodstock, Cox helming Godolphin's Australian outlet since January 2018.

He will migrate to Yulong with a wealth of experience behind him, having overseen one of the largest breeding and racing operations in this part of the world. The move will suit him as Yulong, the Victorian-based business of Mr. Yuesheng Zhang, emerges as a bloodstock super-power in Australia.

Speaking to The Thoroughbred Report, Cox said his tenure at Godolphin was a privileged one, and he was quick to deflect to the 300-odd staff that he had the great pleasure to work with the last five years.

“I'm very proud of what the team has achieved at Godolphin,” he said. “And it's a big team. I was just one part of it the last few years, but my time in the role is full of very lovely memories, both on and off the racetrack, and I will greatly miss so many parts of my everyday working life.”

The Godolphin team is extensive, dotted around farms and racing yards in two states. Cox is a genuine person and he will genuinely miss many of the relationships he's built at the operation, from the people he managed directly to the “unsung heroes in the background who I formed a really good relationship with, and whom I enjoyed working with immensely”.

“They are truly wonderful people in that organisation,” he said. “The staff is just short of 300 people and every one of them wears a blue shirt proudly. I'm going to miss them and miss representing them.”

 

High Achiever

Cox was announced as the managing director of Godolphin in October 2017. At that time, he held the same position at Magic Millions and had been in that company since 2011. As such, he's been a high achiever with some of the elite brands in Australian bloodstock.

During his years at Magic Millions, he oversaw the emergence of the A$10-million January raceday, and he negotiated the valuable grant from the Queensland government that backed horseracing tourism in the state. Long after his departure, he enjoyed continued affection for Magic Millions and he lives on the Gold Coast to this day.

Cox's tenure at Godolphin also coincided with some of the company's best years, and they've been interesting years. He has travelled widely, gone to the Dubai World Cup on numerous occasions, and he's met interesting people in far-flung locations. The operation has 700 horses across three training locations and three stud farms, and, for anyone else, it might have been a mind-bending scale in which to work.

But it never intimidated Cox who seemed to relish in the vastness of his role, and he's quite particular about what has given him the most satisfaction these last five years.

“The thing I got a real kick out of was enjoying looking at staff celebrate and revel in success we've had along the way,” he said. “For different reasons, different people got a real kick out of what we were achieving on the racetrack, in the breeding barns or in the foaling paddocks.

“There were so many parts to it all. I really enjoyed seeing people satisfied with how they were fulfilling their roles, in whatever that role looked like.”

It was a prolonged and consistent head-hunting approach over many months required by Yuesheng Zhang to encourage Cox to move and he will head to his new role at Yulong in early December after finishing up at Godolphin at the same time. He's looking forward to it, and he isn't intimidated by the vastness of the Yulong operation either, which has quickly climbed the rigging to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, bloodstock operations in the Southern Hemisphere.

Cox will remain living on the Gold Coast, but will travel extensively up and down to Victoria, and to anywhere else that is required as Yulong's general manager.

“I won't be permanently relocating to Victoria, but I'll certainly be spending a lot of time there,” he said. “I'll be moving about in a similar fashion as I have done with Godolphin between the Gold Coast and the farm in Victoria.”

Cox said his family is very supportive of his new direction. Wife Nicole is used to an upwardly mobile husband and their three sons, Harry, Charlie and Will, all of whom have been involved with horses, are grown up and on their own paths.

“The family is excited for me,” Cox said. “They are thrilled that it's a great opportunity and they're looking forward to that side of it. They too have enjoyed the ride at Godolphin and what the Godolphin association brings, and they also recognise the challenges that lie ahead.”

 

The Passion Is Very Apparent

Cox's appointment to Yulong is a huge announcement in Australian bloodstock circles, but it mirrors where the company is at right now.

Yuesheng Zhang is a Chinese billionaire that has made the paddocks of Yulong his second home, and the bloodstock he has purchased is now an eye-watering collection. Across the whole of the operation, there are around 700 mares in Australia and a further 100, give or take, in Ireland. He also has a number in Japan.

Zhang is clearly excited about the appointment, saying, “Vin's impeccable track record and vast experience in bloodstock make him an invaluable addition to lead Yulong. We are excited about the new chapter this heralds for our operations. Together, we aim to solidify our position as a leading player in the global industry.”

This year alone, Yulong made the single-deepest splash of any previous vendor at the Magic Millions National Sale when it threw A$33.5 million at 60 broodmares across three days. The effort made the pages of the Australian Financial Review.

Outside the perimeters of physical sales, Yulong has marched through almost every digital catalogue, plucking out the best broodmares to visit the likes of Written Tycoon (Aus), Tagaloa (Aus), Grunt (NZ), Alabama Express (Aus) and Lucky Vega (Ire). For this breeding season, the farm added Pierata (Aus), cherry-picked from Aquis, and Japanese import Diatonic (Jpn).

Into this fold Cox will head in early December and, while Yulong is similar to Godolphin in measure of scale, it's a very different everyday operation.

“What Yulong has done in a short space of time is extraordinary,” Cox said. “Mr. Zhang is a very prominent investor in the industry now, and that's happened very quickly at a very significant level. I'm excited to be getting in on that journey because he's making a long-term presence in Australia.

“He's very passionate and his two daughters are very passionate, and he's got great support around him. That passion he has is very apparent when you talk to him.”

Mr. Zhang's interest in Australian racing emerged in 2013 when he watched Fiorente (Ire) win the Melbourne Cup. Of all modern Cups to watch, that was the one because it was a Gai Waterhouse fairytale, and, locally, sentiment was strong.

Since then, Zhang's Yulong operation has become the biggest breeding outfit in Victoria, in a triangle of the biggest farms that includes Widden Victoria and Godolphin's Northwood Park. In fact, Northwood Park and Yulong's farm in Mangalore are next-door neighbours.

“You've only got to watch what Yulong has been doing at the elite sales, not to mention online as well,” Cox said. “Some of the best mares that have come on the market, they have been roundly secured by Yulong, and they're some of the best mares and best yearlings. This is an enviable portfolio of bloodstock, no doubt about it.”

To this day, Cox is missed at Magic Millions and he'll be missed at Godolphin Australia too. It's a testament to the gentleman he is, that he has moved from these positions of prominence so seamlessly.

At Yulong, the extensive and equally well-credentialled team can look forward to Cox's steady hand on the wheel, and it will be a good fit for him.

“I think it will be a good fit,” he said. “I wouldn't have taken the position if I didn't think it would be. I really am excited about the challenge of the role and what lies ahead, and it's something I'm really excited about.

“Mr. Zhang has got big ambitions and the international part of the role was a big enticement as well. It's been an honour and a privilege to be selected, as it's been an honour and a privilege at Godolphin these last five years.”

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Racing World Mourns Loss Of Australian Jockey Dean Holland

By Trent Masenhelder, TDNAus/NZ

The racing community is in mourning following the tragic news that much-loved jockey Dean Holland passed away on Monday.

The 34-year-old was involved in a fall during the opening race at Donald in country Victoria on Monday and died later that day.

Holland fell when his mount, the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Headingley (Aus), who was racing in second place, clipped the heels of the leader Kumicho (Aus) as the runners turned for home in Race 1. Fellow jockey Alana Kelly was dislodged from her mount Time To Rumble (Aus), but was uninjured.

Holland was treated by paramedics on course and an air ambulance was dispatched, however, he could not be saved.

In a statement, Victoria Police said: “Police will prepare a report for the coroner following the death of a jockey in Donald on Apr. 24. The male was riding in a race at a track on Racecourse Road when he fell around 1.30pm. He was worked on by paramedics but sadly died at the scene. Work Safe have been notified and will investigate. The death is not being treated as suspicious.”

Holland was married to Lucy and is a father to four children.

He won two Group 1s–the first coming in the 2010 Australasian Oaks aboard Small Minds (Aus) for trainer John Thompson. The biggest moment of his professional career took place just last month, with Holland called up late to replace Jamie Kah aboard In Secret (Aus) in the G1 Newmarket H. Holland wasn't overawed by the occasion and guided the star filly to a dominant victory, earning the praises of Godolphin Australia's head trainer James Cummings.

“I ran into Wayne Hawkes and he said to me, 'Don't you worry, you'll be fine with Dean Holland' and he rode the filly perfectly,” Cummings said post-race.

“I was so pleased for him. Didn't he do a good job? I'm very proud of him.”

Following Holland's death, Godolphin's Managing Director, Vin Cox told TDN AusNZ: “It's quite hard to put into words just how devastated we are hearing about this tragedy.

“He was a gifted horseman, but most importantly, a principled young man of the highest quality.

“We are absolutely gutted at Godolphin to hear this news and will do everything we can, with the racing community, to support Lucy and his beautiful young family.”

Holland rode 43 winners for top country trainer Paul Preusker and together they won the G2 Adelaide Cup in 2019 with Surprise Baby (NZ).

“It's an awful shock, I can't believe this has happened,” Preusker told TDN AusNZ.

“He was a champion bloke with a beautiful heart.”

Another Group 1-winning jockey, Dean Yendall, rode against Holland regularly and was a good mate of his.

Like many, Yendall was distraught when speaking to TDN AusNZ on Monday afternoon.

“All I can really say about this is why him? He was such a lovely person. I've known him from day one, even before he even started riding, when he was going to the races with his dad Darren,” Yendall said.

“He's gone and left a young family without a father and husband to his wife Lucy.”

Holland commenced race riding in his native South Australia in December 2005 and piloted his first winner at Ceduna (Aus) on Jan. 14, 2006. He went on to ride more than 1075 career winners with those victories predominantly coming in Victoria and South Australia, along with the Northern Territory and Tasmania. His last visit to the winner's circle was Apr. 20 at Ararat, where he rode a double.

Holland was enjoying a stellar season, with 82 winners in Victoria, which was good enough for fourth on the Victorian Jockeys' Premiership Table.

Racing Victoria (RV) Chief Executive, Andrew Jones, said: “On behalf of the Victorian racing industry, I would like to extend our prayers and heartfelt condolences to Dean's partner Lucy, his children, his family, friends and colleagues on the incredibly sad news of his passing.

“It was a tragic accident at Donald and we are all deeply shocked and saddened that Dean has passed away as a result of injuries sustained in the fall.

“Dean was a gifted lightweight rider who won over 1000 races and was highly respected by his peers. He showcased his immense talent on the biggest stage last month when winning the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.

“Dean's passing is heartbreaking for all within Victorian racing and the sport nationally. It is a sobering reminder of the immense bravery of our riders.”

Victorian Jockeys' Association (VJA) Chief Executive, Matt Hyland, said: “The VJA and our members are incredibly saddened by the loss of our colleague and friend Dean Holland and extend our heartfelt condolences to his partner Lucy, his four children and his wider family.

“Dean was a much-loved member of the riding group here in Victoria and when he travelled interstate, and his fellow riders will all be shattered at the shock news of his passing as we at the VJA are.

“Together with Racing Victoria, the Jockey Assistance Program will be wrapping its arms around the riding group and will be working to support Lucy and the Holland family both now and importantly into the future.”

RV and the VJA are working together to support the Holland family, the racing community and industry employees with counselling and support.

Members of the Australian racing industry are encouraged to utilise the free, confidential counselling service STABLELINE on 1300 530 122 if they are in need of support at this tragic time.

RV, following consultation with the VJA, has determined that Tuesday's ANZAC Day race meetings at Flemington and Moe will not proceed as programmed out of respect to Dean and the Holland family.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to raise funds for Holland's family.

 

 

 

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Godolphin’s Nine-Time Group 1 Winner Anamoe Retired To Darley Kelvinside

Godolphin homebred Anamoe (Aus) (Street Boss–Anamato {Aus}, by Redoute's Choice {Aus}), a nine-time Group 1 winner, has been retired from racing and will stand at Darley Kelvinside in the Hunter Valley. The most successful horse to ever race at Group 1 level in the royal blue, the November-born foal will stand for A$121,000 (inc. GST) at the operation's New South Wales-based stud.

Godolphin trainer James Cummings said, “Our team is proud of all he has achieved during his racing career. He has never let us down and has been there for us at every start. We wish him all the best in his retirement and we can't wait to seeing his progeny coming through the stables in the years to come.

“It has been an immense honour and privilege for our team to care for Anamoe and guide him through his racing career. His health has always been our top priority and we take great pride in retiring him in such excellent condition.”

Only the second horse in over 20 years to win top-flight races at two, three and four in his native land, Anamoe was placed in both the G1 Blue Diamond S. and the G1 Golden Slipper S. prior to claiming the G1 Sires' Produce S. by three lengths as a juvenile. At three the G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Rosehill Guineas went his way before he took second, with interference, in the G1 Cox Plate. Last August marked the first of four consecutive Group 1 race victories in the Winx S. He added the George Main S., Might And Power, and Cox Plate in succession. In the Australian autumn, his record was further bolstered by scores in the G1 Chipping Norton S. and G1 George Ryder S. His career finale was a good third in the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. earlier this month and he retires with a record of 25-14-5-3 and $7,710,095 in earnings.

Vin Cox, Managing Director of Godolphin in Australia, added, “It is bittersweet to see Anamoe retire from the racetrack. As an iconic figure for Godolphin and the world of horseracing, he leaves a legacy that will not be forgotten and he has nothing more to prove.

“The trifecta of performance, pedigree, and attitude are the most critical factors breeders consider and he possesses them all in spades. As he embarks on his new journey on the prestigious Darley roster, there's no doubt that he is the most sought after and exceptional stallion Australia has ever seen.”

Earlier this year, the Southern Hemisphere 4-year-old had been nominated for the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury next month, and he was also under consideration for a Royal Ascot bid as recently as Apr. 13 before connections decided to call time on his career.

The eighth foal out of G1 Australian Oaks heroine Anamato, who also ran third in the GI American Oaks Invitational S. in America, the bay is a half-brother to Irish stakes winner and G3 Weld Park S. second Anamba (GB) (Shamardal). Anamoe's extended family includes G1 Oakleigh Plate hero Drum (Aus) (Maurauding {NZ}) and Australian Champion Older Horse Grand Armee (Aus) (Hennessy), as well as the New Zealand Champion 2-Year-Old Yourdeel (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}).

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