How Does the Regulatory Environment for Pool Betting Impact on the Financial Health of Horseracing Around the World?

Simon Bazalgette, the founding Chair of specialist management consultancy GVS EQ, and Martin Purbrick, a founding GVS EQ associate, take a canter around the world to see how betting regulation, and particularly pool betting, has a vital impact on the relative level of prize money, and therefore the financial health of the sport.

For the last century and beyond, Horseracing has had a symbiotic relationship with betting, and this remains the case in most countries – to a greater or lesser extent. As a result, the financial strength of each national horseracing industry depends on the way that betting is regulated and owned in that country. An understanding of a national regulatory structure for betting is vital for any understanding the wide variation of prize money in different countries.

Pool betting, also known as ‘Tote betting’ or ‘pari-mutuel betting’, has long been associated with horse racing. Tote betting was established in the 19th century and involves all the amounts bet combined in a pool, from which the operator takes a cut, then the odds are calculated based on the proportions wagered on each outcome. Totalisator odds are different to fixed odds in that they are not set until the race begins, no more bets are accepted and the total amount in the pool is finalised.

Tote operators were created to harness wagering to support the sustainability of racing, the welfare of horses, as well as employment for the large numbers of people involved in the sport around the world. Horse racing is a high cost and capital intensive sport to organise and operate, and requires considerable sustainable funding to survive. 

In markets with strong totes such as Japan, Hong Kong and France, racing generally does relatively well. In countries where other forms of betting have been licensed, racing can still do well if there is a fair balance of funding provided back to the sport from all types of betting. Australia would be a good example of this. In the US the position is rapidly changing from a pure racing tote market with the introduction of sports betting.

In the UK, the introduction of off course fixed odds betting in the early 1960s, with a relatively loose link to horseracing, has meant that British horseracing has lost pace with its fellow racing jurisdictions around the world when it comes to prize money and investment in the sport from the betting industry.

In South Africa and Australia there remains a mixed economy of fixed odds and pool betting. Australian racing has strong statutory support to ensure a meaningful percentage of betting revenues goes to horseracing ensures that prize money levels remain internationally competitive.

For many years there has been a steady but less than speedy process of the official totes connecting with each other to combine pools on racing – commonly known as commingling. There are several reasons for the slow progress, primarily the different bet types and conditions attached to similar bet types, but also the commingling technology (ITSP) which has been in place for more than 20 years but is still embedded in many heritage platforms. The most important development in commingling has been the World Pool, which is hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. 

In addition to the main national or state totes, there are a number of private pool operators who offer access to the pools particularly for large international players who offer significant liquidity to the market.

Some countries, particularly the Gulf States, do not have licensed betting of any sort, and the sport relies mainly on the financial support of the state, the royal families and rich owners.

To a large degree, the level of funding available for horseracing is dependent on the level of support that national or state regulations provide, particularly with regard to funding from betting, and therefore any attempt to assume that success in one country can be used as a template for another should be treated with great caution.

Let’s take a high level look at what this means for the major racing jurisdictions.

France

The French pool betting market is around €9 billion annually, the profits from which are reinvested back into the sport. It is notable for its wide retail distribution through the vast network of over 20,000 tabacs (tobacco and convenience stores) in the country.

Pool betting in France is primarily controlled and run by the PMU despite attempts to open up the market over the last decade or so. The PMU returns all its benefits to the 66 French horse racing companies organising gallop and trotting races (France Galop and Le Trot), sustaining more than 60,000 direct and indirect jobs throughout France. 

In 2023, the PMU paid a total contribution of 835 million euros to France Galop and Le Trot. This financial contribution supported the operation of 233 racetracks and 26,000 horses in training.

Other types of betting operator have been licensed in France since 2010 but they remain heavily restricted and take only a very small share of the French horserace betting market.

Japan

The Japan Racing Association (JRA) is the custodian of horse racing and also tote betting at the national level. Pool betting on racing in Japan generated a betting turnover of over 2.5 trillion Yen (Euro 15 billion). The JRA is required to provide 10% of its gross betting turnover to the national treasury, as well as 50% of any surplus profits remaining at the end of the fiscal year. Three-quarters of the contribution must be used for improvement of livestock breeding and the JRA also contributes additional funds to horse breeding as well as the promotion of equestrian culture.

It is no coincidence that Japanese racing offers the largest pool of prize money in the world, given the JRA’s control of horserace betting in Japan under its vertically integrated sole licensed operator. Betting on other sports is also limited to only a small number of local sports such as bicycle, boat and motor racing.

The Japanese pool is restricted from commingling with other international pool operators, with only limited pilot trials having taken place to date. Typically this is driven by the presence of Japanese runners in overseas races, to allow Japanese punters to bet on these horses. When this does take place, it generally has a major impact because the level of Japanese betting will be significantly larger than the home pool.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong has vertically integrated racing and pool betting, operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). It generates around HK$130 billion (€15 billion) in annual betting turnover, with the HKJC being the largest corporate taxpayer in Hong Kong, and operating one of the world’s largest and most active charitable trusts. All surplus funds after operating expenses are either reinvested in racing or passed to the HKJC Charities Trust.

Most recently, the HKJC has become the host of the most successful international pool betting initiative, the World Pool and involves a collaboration of over 25 racing jurisdictions allowing customers to bet into a single pool involving enormous liquidity. This enlarged liquidity ensures that there are less odds (price) variations in smaller betting markets and better value for all betting customers. In the 2023/24 racing season, there are 45 World Pool fixtures at racecourses around the world, and the number is likely to continue to grow.

By allowing international horseracing fans the ability to bet into one pool on the major group races around the world, it has created a significant additional betting revenue stream in other territories whereby, for example, racedays such as the Epsom Derby, Caulfield Cup and the Dubai World Cup benefit from the significant level of betting that can be generated. 

United States

In the US, betting is regulated at the state level and historically was limited to pari mutuel betting on horseracing.

Alongside this there were some examples of licensed casinos or slots which would usually be allowed only on racecourses or designated casino sites. Where a racecourse had such additional betting, it would significantly increase the level of prize money that racecourse could offer compared to other US racecourses.

The first Off Track Betting (OTB) service for horseracing was licensed in New York State in the 1970s, and rolled out in a number of states thereafter. These have been superseded by account deposit wagering services (ADWs). Horseracing remained the prime beneficiary of the OTBs and ADWs until in 2018 a Supreme Court ruling opened up the potential for states to licence fixed odds sports betting and almost 40 states have now done so to some extent.

US horserace pool betting is dominated by the two major racetrack groups - Churchill Downs (through its Twin Spires service) and the Stronach group (through their 1/ST and Xpressbet services). The two groups also own two of the major tote tech companies, United Tote (CD) and Amtote (1/ST). Churchill recently announced that NYRA (the racing operator in NY State) had completed its purchase of a 49% stake in United Tote.

Licensed betting on horseracing remains around $10 billion pa but betting on other sports has grown to over $90 billion pa.

United Kingdom

The UK has arguably the most competitive licensing environment for betting in the world. The UK Tote was created by Winston Churchill (a Jockey Club member) in 1926 as an independent body run for the good of racing; but unlike other countries, its betting monopoly was ended in the early 1960s with the creation of licensed fixed odds betting shops. Also unlike elsewhere, British horseracing was given no control over the off-course market, but instead a statutory levy was created to ensure that a small proportion of the profits from betting on horseracing was passed through to contribute to the financing of the sport.

Since that time, pool betting has had a declining share of the betting market and currently represents around 10%. The UK is dominated by fixed odds operators, and while British punters have the widest choice of competitive bets in the world, they also benefit from the highest return on bets in the world. This means that pool betting, with its higher take-out rates, struggles to match the pricing for fixed odds for simple bets, but is more competitive in so-called exotic bets, particularly the Place Pot.

The Levy is currently set at 10% of gross margin on betting on domestic horseracing, which, due to the highly competitive market and the low margins, is the equivalent of around 0.7% of betting turnover, amongst the lowest return from betting to horseracing in the world.

There have been various attempts to bring the Tote closer to racing, either through transferring its ownership to the sport, or through a preferential sale to racing, but these attempts have all failed. In 2011, the Tote was nationalised and then sold to the bookmaker group, Betfred, who sold it on to its current owners (which includes several large owners and breeders) in 2018. The UK Tote has had a commercial arrangement with the British racecourses (via their shared on-course betting company, Britbet) which is due for renewal in 2025.

Horserace betting remains at a significant level in the UK, c£5bn pa, second in Europe to France, but due to the difference to the regulatory structures, the amount transferred to the sport is significantly lower than in France.

Australia

Australia is arguably the best example of a mixed economy of pool and fixed odds betting, all of which provides significant funding back into horseracing. 

Each state and territory has its own regulatory authority for betting and racing. Betting is owned and run separately from the sport, and generates around €15 billion pa, which is pretty evenly split between pool betting and fixed odds.

Tabcorp Holdings, a public company, is the largest operator of pari-mutuel betting, running TAB-branded services across multiple states, and each state tends to have its own pool operator as well.

As in the UK betting operators are required to pay a proportion of their revenues to the sport, under what is known as Racing Fields regulations. The level required in Australia is significantly higher than the UK levy – typically between 1.5% and 3% of betting turnover - and allows Australian racing to offer prize money at the top end of international levels. 

Ireland

The betting market in Ireland has many similarities to the UK. Betting on horseracing is around €1.1bn to €1.3bn each year, with Tote Ireland representing a small proportion (6%-7%). Betting operators pay a government levy which is paid over to the horseracing industry via Horse Racing Ireland (HRI), usually between €80m - €100m pa. This funding supports the development and promotion of the industry, racecourse maintenance and annual prize money of around €65m pa.

South Africa

South Africa is a market with a mixed economy between the original pool operator (the SA Tote, owned by Phumelela, the largest racecourse group) and fixed odds operators. Phumelela has arrangements in place with the National Horseracing Authority of South Africa to support prize money and the promotion of SA racing in the country.

Pool betting on horseracing is around €400m pa and represents around two thirds of the market, with fixed odds operators growing fast.

Conclusion

The financial contributions to racing from totes are a critical part of the sustainability of racing, supporting a huge number of jobs in the sport. However, the regulatory and tax structure for pool betting varies considerably around the world.

Most countries will have started from a similar position of the tote being the only form of licensed betting as explained by Sir Winston Churchill: “I have always believed that it was a good thing for the State to organise the totalisator and take control of this form of betting in order to eliminate illegal practices and to ensure that a proper proportion of the proceeds went to public purposes.” 

The position in each country has diverged significantly over the last 100 years, and this means the impact on the funding for the sport is very different in each country. While there are areas of similarity, building greater collaboration between tote operators is a long road but one that can only benefit racing in the long term.

Gerald Leigh Lectures 2024 - Optimising Youngstock Growth and Development

Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust hosted the annual Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures at Tattersalls in Newmarket on June 11th.  These lectures are in association with the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust as a way of recognising Mr. Leigh’s achievements as a racehorse owner and breeder as well as continuing his passion for scientific knowledge and welfare of horses in the race industry and the equine industry as a whole. 

Dr. Chavatte-Palmer provided a very insightful and interesting talk on the influence of maternal and environmental factors during the prenatal period on athletic performance.  The lecture discussed the phenomenon of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHAD) which is demonstrated with the increasing evidence of the role in parental nutrition and environmental conditions, from periods preceding conception and throughout gestation, on phenotypic development in horses.  She described how the nutritional environment before birth can affect the postnatal performance of the offspring as it is believed that nutrients can alter the way genes are expressed resulting in developmental trajectories that have repercussions on postnatal development.  With a strong understanding and knowledge in DOHAD, nutritional strategies can be considered and developed to optimise youngstock growth and development.  This is an exciting field as further research will potentially allow veterinarians and breeders to work cooperatively to optimise athleticism as well as the wellbeing and health of foals and mares. 

Dr. Joe Pagan of the Kentucky Equine Research kindly visited from the U.S.A to discuss equine feeding management practices and equine nutrition in sports medicine. His first lecture discussed the effects of season on mare and foal nutrition.  Through various studies some conclusions could be made and these conclusions do appear to be a global trend.  It was found that colts are heavier and taller than fillies.  

After 1 month of age, fillies were fatter than colts.  Foals born in January and February were smaller at birth and grew more slowly in early life but by 150 days of age this lag disappeared.  In addition, mare weight changes and body condition scores were related to season and management factors, as winter-foaling mares lost weight and had lower body condition post foaling than spring-foaling mares. 

Dr. Pagan continued with a lecture on the right balance for optimal growth and development of youngstock.  Recent research has shown that the health of the offspring of overweight mares may also be compromised. In addition, studies have shown that excess maternal nutrition during pregnancy can alter glucose and lipid (fat) metabolism in foals until 160 days of age.  Another study reported a higher incidence of osteochondrosis (OC) in foals born to dams that were fed concentrates during gestation rather than forage. 

A more recent study on the nutrition of the mare during the last trimester and subsequent foal health revealed some interesting observations.  It was found that the growth of foals from 6-24 months of age was not affected by maternal diet and maternal undernutrition appeared to affect bone growth as foals from dams fed forage only had narrower cannon bones than foals from dams fed forage and barley.  In addition, it was found that overfeeding negatively affected yearlings from mares fed barley and forage more than yearlings from broodmares fed only forage.  

Finally, there was a decrease in insulin sensitivity and enhanced insulin levels suggesting insulin dysregulation in yearlings from mares fed both barley and forage and not yearlings from forage-only mares.  Another exciting field of research that will also lead to greater cooperation of breeders and veterinarians in providing good health and wellbeing to foals and mares.   

These lectures had the pleasure of hosting Paul Overton, who is an equine agronomist with a strong understanding of pasture management.  His passion for his area of expertise and in helping with improving management of studs was abundant as he outlined the aims of pasture management that included the need to provide safe grazing pastures from parasites, colic and grass sickness, atypical myopathy and other ailments as well as to provide a safe area to exercise horses of all ages.  In addition, he made clear that fresh leafy bite grass in the paddocks all year round is key.  

We were reminded of the fundamentals of good basic pasture management that included a removal programme for muck, providing a dense leafy grass sward, sharing and mixing the paddock use with other livestock (sheep and cattle) and moving horses to various paddocks around the stud to maximise rest of all paddocks. To optimise paddock health, it should be remembered that all paddock management follows the horses around the seed, be guided by the weather rather than the calendar and work quickly to maximise rest periods. Finally, good simple paddock and grassland management can help a multitude of issues and every marginal gain is helpful. 

Julian Dollar gave us an insight into a stud manager’s approach to soundness.  It was an integral part of the lecture programme as it provided the audience with another perspective of stud management. He made it clear that a variety of factors must be considered when breeding and raising sound horses but two main criteria is a strong team and an attention to detail. 

The team needed is one that is completely dedicated and passionate about their horses and should consist of a veterinary service, farriers, nutrition/feed and land management support. There must be a cooperative work ethic in order to provide the best all round management as possible. This team must strive for excellence and work on marginal gains.
A sound breeding and rearing programme starts with mating focusing on sound parents, especially the mare, to produce sound offspring.  It is important to work with mother nature rather than interfering with it, thus focusing on a healthy environment. This strategy must be flexible that will allow one to provide the horses with a quality paddock. 

The offspring should be between 55-60 kg and they should have a seamless transition from birth to exercise and living out.  In addition, the foals should be monitored and assessed closely in order to achieve timely and maximum beneficial interventions that may include selective surgeries.  Finally, it is believed that the perfect preparation for a yearling to go into training would be some controlled exercise combined with turnout the rest of the time. 

Professor Jacqui Matthews, the director of Austin Davis Biologics, provided some sobering information on parasites and their resistance in the United Kingdom.  She explained that intestinal worms are found in most grazing animals and most breeding premises are at high infection risk due to the presence of young animals grazing permanent pastures as well as having a history of interval deworming treatments. 

In addition, wormer resistance is being reported in all major parasitic worms of horses.  Therefore, it is vital to have control plans that include a risk-assessment approach.  Professor Matthews made it very clear that we need to be concerned regarding parasites and their resistance to wormers on UK studs and we need to act now.  She explained the action that is needed which includes evidence-based worm control.  This approach requires risk assessment that allows one to identify potential issues in the management, the avoidance of all horses regularly being treated, the assessment of wormer effectiveness as well as the effectiveness of interventions. 

With respect to the management, there are some principles behind reducing anthelmintic use.  Good pasture hygiene can substantially reduce infective egg and larval stages in the environment and the lowering of this pasture contamination decreases parasites acquired when grazing.  Pasture management must include: 

• Dung removal works! Full removal of dung at least once per week and place it away from pastures and water courses.  

• Maintain low stocking density 

• Rest pastures – ideally 12 months and avoid grazing foals on same paddocks every year 

• Consider grazing with ruminants between equine groups 

With respect to treatment, make informed choices by using various tests such as faecal worm egg counts, faecal egg count reduction test, antibody-based tests to identify worms, and other tests.  Ultimately, do not blindly treat horses without considering the reason for worming and assessing wormer effectiveness. 

Professor Matthews followed up with a second lecture on integrating diagnostics into sustainable equine helminth control programmes.  An integrated diagnostic-led control programme should consider: 

• Faecal egg worm count in late winter if grazing year-round.  Recommend treatment if 200 or more eggs per gram and select your anthelmintic according to its sensitivity. 

• Tapeworm test in spring to identify individuals with tapeworm burdens and treat infected individuals as these horses will contaminate the paddocks with cestode eggs. 

Late spring/early summer perform faecal egg worm count reduction test in order to assess anthelmintic effectiveness annually.  Worm all horses that have FEC of >200 eggs per gram.  Perform FEC test at day 0 and 14 days after treatment. Calculate the mean percentage.

• Reduction in FEC between 0 and day 14 post treatment. 

• In late summer/early autumn perform tapeworm test to identify individuals that have, over the summer grazing period, accumulated high tapeworm burdens which may put them at risk of colic  

In late autumn perform a small redworm test.  In low infection-risk situations, test in late autumn/winter to identify individuals that do not require treatment for small redworm.  Use in low-risk groups where owners usually apply all-group larvicidal treatments.

With good pasture management one can lower the selection for resistance, leading to a lowering the need for wormer treatments, a lowering in the proportion of horses that test positive and a lowering of paddock contamination; therefore, less horses are likely to be infected and more likely to have lower burdens. 

With his 20 years of buying and selling thoroughbred bloodstock, Jamie Railton gave us insights into the business of foal purchasing.  He discussed all of the variables that must be taken into account when selecting foals for purchase.  Skill and experience are needed in spotting the foal with the potential to increase in value because of its physical improvement and its pedigree.  He explained that a team of people are required as well as having a system to select foals; however, the system must be flexible and one must still want to continue to learn from the process and adapt and later the selection criteria. In addition, he discussed the need to reinvent oneself with the continuous change in the trends seen in the market. 

Dr. Rebecca Mouncey is a veterinary surgeon and post-doctoral research fellow, currently investigating early-life determinants of performance and economics of thoroughbred breeding.  

Dr. Mouncey discussed how musculoskeletal disease and injury remains the greatest barrier to thoroughbreds being retained within the industry and realising their maximum athletic potential, and is likely to have important economic consequences.  She explained that lameness/musculoskeletal injury and disease are the most common barriers to performance.  The causes of these conditions of developmental orthopaedic diseases are fractures and tendon/ligament injuries. 

By improving the foal’s/yearling’s strength to withstand training and resist injury, while avoiding trauma, one can help with the prevention of these diseases.  Unfortunately, there are still important knowledge gaps. It is possible to optimise musculoskeletal health during early-life with exposure during critical stages of growth and development that changes the distribution of cell types, alters metabolic function and ultimately altering the susceptibility and injury in adulthood.  

Postnatally the period of greatest plasticity, response to external stimuli/exposures is during periods of most rapid growth and development.  By 24 months of age, the horse is 96% mature bodyweight and 98% mature height and reached peak bone mass.  There must be a balance in early-life exercise and activity as too little will delay musculoskeletal development and too much will cause tissue damage and trauma.  We must always consider the animal’s growth, nutrition and exercise as a whole and not mutually exclusive.  

Abigail Kent MRCVS from Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons, presented an interesting lecture on the diagnosis and treatment of limb deformities in foals.  Dr. Kent is very knowledgeable in all aspects of equine elective and emergency surgery and has a particular interest in orthopaedics, specifically arthroscopy, angular limb correction and fracture repair.  

Limb deformities in foals are developmental orthopaedic conditions, that can be subdivided into 2 major groups: 1) angular limb deformities, in which there is deviation, primarily in the frontal plane, originating at a joint and/or growth plate and 2) flexural limb deformities, in which there is persistent hyperflexion or hyperextension of the limb. 

These conditions may be acquired or congenital and the aetiology is multifactorial.  Early appropriate intervention is the key to the best outcome. Angular limb deformities are relatively common in foals and strategies for management, including surgical techniques, are well established.  Early recognition, diagnosis and monitoring are essential in order to ensure optimal outcomes. 

In cases of severe deformities that fail to respond adequately to conservative approaches (restricted exercise, splints, corrective hoof trimming and shoeing) other treatments such as timely surgery may be used.  Transphyseal screws are effective for the corrections of both forelimb and hindlimb limb deformities.  Flexural limb deformities can be treated conservatively with the mainstays of limited controlled exercise, nursing care, manipulation of the foot with trimming/shoes, splinting/casting and pain management.

Surgical intervention is typically recommended when conservative treatment is not effective or for severe or rapidly worsening deformities. The goal of surgery is to release tension in the restrictive musculotendinous unit, allowing for greater stretch and more normal range of motion of the affected joint. 

In conclusion, all the contributors provided the participants a very interesting and illuminating day.  This event highlighted the lengths that all stakeholders and the veterinary profession are taking to constantly improve the health and wellbeing of the horses and the health of the race industry.  

What we learnt at the first carbon-neutral horseracing industry conference

Article by Rhianydd Lee-Jones

Delegates from across the racing industry attended the first carbon-neutral Horseracing Industry Conference at York Racecourse on Tuesday, October 24.

Over 250 delegates from across the industry registered for the event: from racecourse representatives to racehorse trainers, funders to charities and racing schools to suppliers. The cross-section of British racing and the wider sporting landscape attendees engaged with keynote talks from specialists and experts from within and outside of the sport.

When developing the agenda for this year’s conference, the Racing Foundation and University of Liverpool Management School did so with the belief that in order to discuss the future of the sport, it was imperative to engage younger audiences and make their voices heard. Each agenda item featured a ‘next generation panellist’ who represented the next generation of racing's fan base and workforce. Complimentary delegate tickets were offered to under 25-year-olds to encourage engagement and debate with the challenges and opportunities discussed at the conference.

Environmental sustainability was embedded into the conference this year not only through its inclusion on the agenda, but by its sustainable practices. The conference used reusable signage, encouraged delegates to travel by train, collected carbon data and used a digital-only brochure. Lanyards made from recycled bottles replaced traditional plastic name badges. A lunch using produce from Yorkshire was served as the Racing Foundation and University of Liverpool Management School addressed all aspects of environmental impact in delivering the event. The carbon used will be offset using an approved scheme.

Senior Independent Director and Chair of the Commercial Committee David Jones kicked off the conference with the keynote address, offering a commercial view of the forthcoming industry strategy and stressing the importance of significant innovation through collaboration.

The Racing Product agenda item commenced with Racing League founder Jeremy Wray discussing the importance of trying new ideas within the sport of racing and calling for more data and more technology to capture the next generation of racing fans. He said that while we haven’t managed to engage millennials or Gen Z with the sport yet, there is hope and time to win them back. Wray cited ITV’s new six-part primetime docuseries, that focuses on jump racing, as crucial to address racing’s “massive existential crisis.”

Vikram Banerjee is Director of Business Operations at the England and Wales Cricket Board. Instrumental in the delivery of cricket’s modernised format ‘The Hundred’, Vikram talked about breaking down perceptions of cricket as elitist and how the ECB broadened cricket’s appeal and engaged families with young children.

‘Equine Breeding: Past, Present and Future’ was the first session after lunch. Vice-Chair and Veterinary Chair of the International Thoroughbred Breeders’ Federation Dr Des Leadon delivered an educational keynote talk on the history of thoroughbred breeding and the integrity of the breed. In keeping with the conference structure of considering the wider sporting landscape, breeding specialists James Crabtree and Fred Barrelet then explored equine breeding techniques in the non-thoroughbred, reflecting on outcomes in other equestrian disciplines.

Ruth Dancer is the Director of White Griffin who delivered the racing industry’s sustainability assessment results and recommendations in 2022. She delivered a keynote talk at this year’s conference. After giving an update and insight into best practice across various industry sectors, Dancer posed the question ‘Where are you in your journey?’ Subsequently encouraging delegates to educate themselves, get started, and talk about what they’re doing and celebrate every single sustainability win.

Football followed Dancer’s talk.  Ben Fisher, Environmental Sustainability Officer of the English Football League, talked about the power of sport to engage communities in the area of environmental sustainability, its connection to social aim, and the opportunity to use sustainability to leverage fan buy-in.

The final item of the day was the industry leadership panel. Its aim was to offer all delegates the opportunity to quiz racing’s decision makers in an open forum. Keynote address David Jones was joined by Claire Sheppard (Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Chief Executive), Charlie Liverton (Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association), Dale Gibson (interim CEO of the Professional Jockeys Association), Jemma Marshall (President of the National Association of Stable staff), Neil Hayward (Chair the Industry People Boar) and David Armstrong (Racecourse Association Chief Executive) joined Rishi Persad onstage to answer questions from the audience. The discussion included data, training and retaining the industry’s workforce and community engagement for racecourses. This session, alongside other select keynote talks, is available to watch online at https://www.racingfoundation.co.uk/conference-2023

Who should be dictating the Rules of Racing - the racing industry or government?

Article by Lissa Oliver

Regular readers of this publication will already be well aware of racing’s social licence and the efforts required to ensure the sport’s popularity with the public and, essentially, the wellbeing of our participants. EU legislation is increasing in strength in addressing equine welfare in general, but in Germany in particular, laws coming down from the government are impacting many racing yards. 

The law introduced last year regarding minimum paddock time for all horses is one such notable problem. As Belgian trainer Guy Heymans points out, “Turnout for horses every day is not the same as the requirement for horses to remain in paddocks. If I understand correctly, the demand is not just turnout; they mean that the horses are in a paddock for a certain period of time every day. It’s OK for me, but a trainer with 20 horses or plus in training will probably not have enough paddocks, and it is difficult to keep such a horse in shape. Of course it is a plus for horses to spend a short time in the paddock, but when they demand horses stay permanently in paddocks, it is impossible to bring a horse to top form.” 

Not every trainer may agree with that, and some have enjoyed great success ‘training from the field’, but it is a matter of personal choice and methods, as well as having the luxury of such choice. It isn’t so much about making our own decisions on equine welfare in particular, which we would all prefer to embrace as much as we can; but it’s more about the practical ability to do so and the apparent gulf between those setting the rules, and now laws, and those who have to apply them in daily practise. 

“There are some countries lagging a bit behind in welfare, and I would be happy to see more legislation coming in,” says Irish trainer Amanda Mooney. “We just have to learn to adapt and work with it. Sweden has a very high standard of welfare and a very good aftercare service. Horses aren’t just sold on and rehomed; they’re put out on loan—the same as the Godolphin Lifetime Care programme. I think more could be done for aftercare.”

Germany has the strictest animal welfare legislation worldwide and is the only country in the EU to have integrated animal welfare into its constitution. German law could be the crystal ball into the rest of European racing’s future. In 2018, horses were no longer allowed to run in a tongue-tie, as a result of animal welfare concerns. Rüdiger Schmanns, director of racing for German Racing, said at the time, "In all other equestrian sports in Germany the use of tongue-ties is banned—racing was the last equine sport which allowed tongue-ties. With growing animal welfare activities, especially in Germany, there was no possibility of allowing the use of tongue-ties to continue."

This year, stricter whip rules were adopted; and any jockey who uses the whip six times in a German horse race could expect an 84-day ban under the new penalty system. The number of strokes of the whip allowed per race has been cut from five down to three, and the length of bans for going more than one over the limit can now be measured in weeks and months, rather than days.

 “This looks extreme but will hopefully not occur,” said Rüdiger Schmanns. “The animal health pressure is high in Germany. We would like to have harmonised rules regarding the whip at least in the whole of Europe, but that seems to be a long way off as the differences in England and Ireland compared to France and Germany are still quite big.”

At least those rules are coming down from racing’s governing bodies, assisted by Boards of selected professionals representing all industry stakeholders. In theory, the Rules of Racing should be a suitable compromise agreed by all for the betterment and progression of the sport. But what happens when Rule changes have not involved industry stakeholders? When changes come from government level they may not always be the desired result of consultation with racing’s professionals. 

The Rules of Racing have historically been set down by industry participants to govern the sport in a fair manner. The earliest known example is quite literally set in stone and dates to the earliest part of the first century, some 2,000 years old. Professor Hasan Bahar’s 2016 discovery at an ancient Roman racecourse in Turkey—the oldest existing tablet describing the rules of horseracing—illustrates a keen sense of fairness in the sport. Prof. Bahar points out, “It says that if a horse comes in first place in a race, it cannot participate in other races.” A winning owner was also forbidden from entering any other horses into an event’s subsequent races, presumably to give others a chance at glory, Prof Bahar suggests. “This was a beautiful rule, showing that races back then were based on gentlemanly conduct.”

It also highlights the origins of the sport’s governance, replicated in Britain by the next earliest-known Rules of Racing set by The Jockey Club in 1750. The Rules were dictated by racehorse owners to preserve and progress their racing and breeding interests. Even prior to a rule book, in 1664, it was King Charles II who personally wrote The Rules of the Newmarket Town Plate. According to Whyte's History of the English Turf (1840), King Henry VIII passed a number of laws relating to the breeding of horses. Racing was a self-governing institution, more to the point, one governed by racehorse owners.

Nevertheless, governments haven’t always been keen for that arrangement to continue. The British Jockey Club was formed in 1750, specifically to create and apply the Rules of Racing in the wake of a decade of Parliamentary opposition to the sport. There are few racing nations left where the original governance of a Turf Club or Jockey Club hasn’t transitioned into a State-funded corporate body.

Parliamentary opposition to the growth of horse racing in the 1740s focused on the damaging effect of gambling. Three hundred years on, no other sport has entangled itself so constrictively with gambling. Racing’s economy is no longer based on the revenue of racehorse owners, and the sport is answerable to the holders of the purse strings.

While researching a quote from former Member of Parliament Sir Clement Freud, who claimed that “horse racing is organised purely to generate taxes,” the transcript of an interesting House of Lords debate surfaced. Though dated February 1976, the facts, figures, and sentiments quoted could as easily place it in 2023, which makes for a sorry commentary on British racing.

The establishment of a Royal Commission on Gambling led to Sir Clement Freud remarking on the “large number of otherwise non-viable racecourses kept open to ensure sufficient races being run, even as the financial rewards to the owners and trainers declined to the point where most could barely cover their expenses.”

During the House of Lords’ debate on the matter, Lord Newall observed, “The income from betting is believed to reach the optimum level with two meetings every day with staggered starting times. After this, the same money apparently chases after more horses.” And perhaps initiating an argument that continues to this day, Lord Gisborough pointed out, “There has been, and often is, criticism of the value of the Pattern race prizes, but these few races at the top of the pyramid of racing are the necessary incentives to encourage breeding of the best animals, the very capital of the industry. It would not help racing in the long run if the value of the Pattern prizes were to be spread over the rest of racing. They provide the vital opportunity for the best horses of the world to be matched together, without which the best British horses would have to race more abroad to prove their value for breeding purposes.”

Perhaps we digress here, but the relevant points of 40 years ago, 300 years ago and, indeed, 2,000 years ago are summed up by The Lord Trevethin Oaksey, who explained, “What you need is honourable, fair-minded, unbiased men who are answerable to nobody but themselves, and who have as much experience as possible of the problems involved.”

And therein lies the modern problem, with racing dependent upon gambling revenue and accountable to the betting operators and the taxpayer. Self-governance is fast becoming a thing of the past, but the bigger problem is being given the necessary time and finances to adapt.

In our 2021 winter issue, German trainer Dominik Moser warned, “We have so many new rules and many more rules being introduced for next year. All horses must spend a number of hours out in the paddock each day, and they must be assessed by a vet before going into training. I have paddocks for my horses, but I don’t currently have enough for all of them to be out every day, so I have to build more paddocks. My aim is that all of my horses will be able to go out from after they have finished training at 1pm until the evening. The training centres, such as Cologne, will have a big problem, because there is not enough space for the number of paddocks needed. 

“These rules are coming directly from government, not from Deutscher Galopp. I like that we think more about the horses; we have recently been thinking more about the people, the jockeys and staff. The horse had stopped being our number one concern. This is the right way, but the rule is not easy to adapt to; we haven’t been given time to prepare.”

Christian von der Recke agrees wholeheartedly with the reasoning behind the legislation and tells us, “From day one, our horses go to the paddock; and I am sure that is part of the success. They enjoy more variety and have less stomach ulcers. More exercise is the key to success.” However, von der Recke has a large private facility at his disposal, with ample paddock space, denied to those trainers based at training centres. 

One such centre is Newmarket, where John Berry reasons, “It's clearly preferable to turn one's horses out for part of the day rather than have them confined in their boxes for 23 hours a day or more; but some people prefer not to do so, often because of not having either the time nor the space to do so. Just common sense says it's better for them mentally, and physically too; but each to his own.

“I'd actually regard not gelding horses as a far bigger concern as regards horses' mental well-being than lack of freedom, but that's by the by. Obviously, some colts have to remain colts to ensure the survival of the species, but only a tiny percentage are required for stud duties; and keeping the others as colts rather than gelding them is just nuts. Sexual frustration must be at least as great a cause of anguish for horses as frustration at lack of liberty. 

“I'd have thought if a government wanted to do something to increase the sum of equine happiness, addressing this issue might be more appropriate, but obviously it would be hard to frame the laws satisfactorily.

“Obviously in utopia every horse would have access to freedom and to companionship (although the latter isn't always a good idea with colts), but life isn't utopian. Similarly, it would clearly be a good idea if every dog could have a life where he can have a run off the lead every day, every school would have good sports facilities, and every community would have good recreation and leisure facilities. But we can't even manage to achieve that with humans, so I'd be surprised if the government thought that this was a worthwhile way to direct its energies.”

British government’s current distraction is reforming gambling legislation, which is creating anxiety and even panic among the racing community. Once again, it’s social licence and a need to enforce ‘protection’ that attracts government attention, with affordability checks upsetting punters and threatening horse racing's revenue.

In Ireland, that same focus is the driving force behind the Gambling Regulation Bill, which proposes a ban on televised gambling advertising between 5.30am and 9pm, which of course affects a large portion of advertising on live horse racing coverage. As a result, Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing have threatened to pull their racing coverage in Ireland, stating that their service will become "economically unviable.”

This no longer comes down to welfare or integrity within the sport. Do we protect the vulnerable or protect our own interests, even in the knowledge our interests conflict? We may try to excuse our decision, but further down the line, as more attention is put on the sport, will we really be able to defend our corner?

Ryan McElligott, CEO Irish Racehorse Trainers Association, announced in reaction to the bill, "If Racing TV determined it was no longer viable to broadcast in Ireland, then Irish racing disappears off our screens. That would be detrimental to the whole industry. 

"There are plenty of owners who don't get to go racing as much as they would like, but it's very easy to watch their horses run should they not make it. If you take that away, I think that would put a huge dent in the sport's appeal and also demand from an owner's point of view. It would put us at a huge disadvantage when compared to other jurisdictions.

"We're talking about subscription channels, and it is a requirement that you are over the age of 18 to buy a subscription to a package like Racing TV. These dedicated racing channels exist behind a paywall, so there is already a safeguard there.

“Every facet of the industry is wholly supportive of gambling regulation which protects vulnerable people. This is not a deliberate move to damage the sport; this would be an unintended consequence. It is hugely concerning for the industry."

In Britain, owners have already very publicly left the game as a result of the Gambling Act Review White Paper financial risk checks. All betting operators have a social responsibility to create a safe environment, and how much money a client can afford to spend on gambling is a key part of the safe environment.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lucy Frazer KC, described the White Paper as “consumer freedom and choice on the one hand, and protection from harm on the other” while stating in the House of Commons in April: “With the advent of the smartphone, gambling has been transformed: it is positively unrecognisable today, in 2023, from when the Gambling Act was introduced in 2005. Temptation to gamble is now everywhere in society, and while the overwhelming majority is done safely and within people’s means, for some, the ever-present temptation can lead them to a dangerous path. When gambling becomes addiction, it can wreck lives: shattered families; lost jobs; foreclosed homes; jail time; suicide. These are all the most extreme scenarios, but it is important to acknowledge that, for some families, those worst fears for their loved ones have materialised. Today we are bringing our pre-smartphone regulations into the present day with a gambling White Paper for the digital age.”

More and more, we can expect legislation to encroach on the racing industry and force us to face moral dilemmas. Racing jurisdictions are doing their best to be seen by the public to be doing their best for equine welfare. Currently, Ireland has a very basic 28-page “Our Industry, Our Standards” guide to equine welfare; France has a very comprehensive 139-page “Charter for Equine Welfare,” based upon the official EU Paper; Germany has a 44-page “Animal Welfare in Equestrian Sport Guideline”; and Britain has “A Life Well Lived,”—a 130-page welfare strategy. Sweden, renowned throughout other racing nations for its top-class welfare, relies on a website to provide current guidelines and information. 

The EU Discussion Paper on Equine Care, adopted so well by France Galop in its charter, has multiple language versions and informative images, making it a simple solution for those countries lagging behind. It is also of visual appeal to those outside of the sport seeking reassurance. We may not consider them to be relevant, but they are proving to be the most important players in rulemaking.

Dangers of inbreeding and the necessity to preserve sire lines in the thoroughbred breed

Inbreeding is the proportion of the genome identically inherited from both parents.

Inbreeding coefficients can be estimated from pedigrees, but pedigree underestimates the true level of inbreeding. Genomics can measure the true level of inbreeding by examining the extent of homozygosity (identical state) in the DNA of a horse. A mechanism to examine genomic inbreeding for breeding purposes has yet to be developed to be used by all breeders but once available, it must be considered as a tool for breeders.

Breeding of potential champion racehorses is a global multi-billion sterling or dollar business, but there is no systematic industry-mediated genetic population management.

Inbreeding in the modern thoroughbred

The thoroughbred horse has low genetic diversity relative to most other horse breeds, with a small effective population size and a trend of increasing inbreeding.

A trend in increased inbreeding in the global thoroughbred population has been reported during the last five decades, which is unlikely to be halted due to current breeding practices.

Ninety-seven percent of pedigrees of the horses included in a recent study feature the ancestral sire, Northern Dancer (1961); and 35% and 55% of pedigrees in EUR and ANZ contain Sadler’s Wells (1981) and Danehill (1986), respectively.

Inbreeding can expose harmful recessive mutations that are otherwise masked by ‘normal’ versions of the gene. This results in mutational load in populations that may negatively impact on population viability.

Genomics measured inbreeding is negatively associated with racing in Europe and Australia. The science indicates that increasing inbreeding in the population could further reduce viability to race.

In North America, it has been demonstrated that higher inbreeding is associated with lower number of races. In the North American thoroughbred, horses with higher levels of inbreeding are less durable than animals with lower levels of inbreeding. Considering the rising trend of inbreeding in the population, these results indicate that there may also be a parallel trajectory towards breeding less robust animals.

Note that breeding practices that promote inbreeding have not resulted in a population of faster horses. The results of studies, generated for the first time using a large cohort of globally representative genotypes, corroborate this.1,3

Health and disease genes

It is both interesting and worrisome to consider also that many of the performance-limiting genetic diseases in the thoroughbred do not generally negatively impact on suitability for breeding; some diseases, with known heritable components, are successfully managed by surgery (osteochondrosis dessicans, recurrent laryngeal neuropathy, for example), nutritional and exercise management (recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis), and medication (exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage). This unfortunately facilitates retention of risk alleles in the population and enhances the potential for rapid proliferation of risk alleles if they are carried by successful stallions.

Types of inbreeding

Not all inbreeding is bad. Breeders have made selections for beneficial genes/traits over the generations, resulting in some inbreeding signals being favoured as they likely contain beneficial genes for racing. Importantly, examination of a pedigree cannot determine precisely the extent of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ inbreeding. This can only be determined from DNA analysis.

Historic inbreeding (arising from distant pedigree duplicates) results in short stretches of DNA identically inherited from sire and dam. 

• This may be considered ‘good’ inbreeding.

• It has no negative effect on racing.

• The horse may be carrying beneficial mutations that have been maintained from distant ancestors through breeders’ selection.

Recent inbreeding (arising from close pedigree duplicates) results in long stretches of DNA identically inherited from sire and dam. 

• This may be considered ‘bad’ inbreeding.

• It is negatively associated with racing.

• The horse may be carrying harmful mutations that have not yet been ‘purged’ from the population.

Obviously, in terms of breeding, it’s always possible to find examples and counterexamples of remarkable individuals; but the science of genetics is based on statistics and not on individual cases.

Sire lines

Analysis of the Y chromosome is the best-established way to reconstruct paternal family history in humans and animal species. The paternally inherited Y chromosome displays the population genetic history of males. While modern domestic horses (Equus caballus) exhibit abundant diversity within maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA, until recently, only limited Y-chromosomal sequence diversity has been detected.

Early studies in the horse indicated that the nucleotide variability of the modern horse Y chromosome is extremely low, resulting in six haplotypes (HT). However, this view has changed with the identification of new genetic markers, showing that there is considerably more genetic diversity on the horse Y chromosome than originally thought. Unfortunately, in thoroughbreds, the male gene pool is restricted, with only three paternal lines remaining.

The Institute of Animal breeding and genetics of the Veterinary Medicine School at Vienna applied fine-scaled Y-chromosomal haplotyping in horses and demonstrated the potential of this approach to address the ancestry of sire lines. They were able to show the microcosmos of the Tb-clade in the thoroughbred sire lines. 

It is interesting to note that more than half of the domestic horses in the dataset (76 of 130) have a Y chromosome with a thoroughbred ‘signature’. These includes thoroughbreds, standardbreds, many thoroughbred-influenced breeds (warmbloods, American quarter horses, Franches-Montagnes, a Lipizzan stallion and the Akhal-Tekes).

The General Stud Book shows that thoroughbred sire lines trace back to three founding stallions that were imported to England at the end of the 17th century. 5 Now, the heritage of the thoroughbred sire lines can be better understood using Y chromosome information. It is now possible to clearly distinguish sublines of Darley Arabian, born in 1700 (Tb-d) and Godolphin Arabian, born in 1724 (formerly Tb-g, now Tb-oB3b). The third founder, Byerley Turk, born in 1680, was characterised by the Tb-oB1 clade. According to pedigree information, only few of the tested males trace back paternally to Byerley Turk, which are nearly extinct.

There are now 10 different Y chromosome sub-types known in the thoroughbred. Two come from the Godolphin Arabian, five come from Byerley Turk, and three come from Darley Arabian.

Even if genetic analysis shows that there was an error in the stud book recording of St Simon’s parentage and that horses descending from St Simon should be attributed to the Byerley Turk lineage, probably 90% of the current stallions are from the Darley Arabian male line. So, there is a true risk that we could lose a major part of the Y chromosome diversity.
Conclusions and solutions

We should do everything we can to ensure that thoroughbreds are being sustainably bred and managed for future generations. With the breeding goal to produce viable racehorses, we need to ask ourselves, are we on track as breeders? 

If inbreeding is negatively affecting the chances of racing and resulting in less durable racehorses, will this continue to affect foal crops in the future? How can we avert the threat of breeding horses that are less able to race? If the ability to race is in jeopardy, then is the existence of the thoroughbred breed at risk? 

International breeding authorities are studying the situation and thinking about general measures allowing the sustainability of the breed.

Breeders

What can individual breeders do to produce attractive foals that are safe from genetic threats? How do you avoid the risk of breeding horses that are less fit to race? 

There is no miracle recipe, and each breeder legitimately has his preferences.

An increasingly important criteria for the choice of a stallion is his physical resistance and his vitality, as well as those of his family. It is often preferable to avoid using individuals who have shown constitutive weaknesses, or who seem to transmit them.

The use of stallions from different male lines can make it possible to sublimate a strain and better manage the following generations. The study of pedigrees must exceed the three generations of catalogue pages.

In the future, genomics—the science that studies all the genetic material of an individual or a species, encoded in its DNA—will certainly be able to provide predictive tools to breeders. This is a track to follow.

Trainers

Trainers should be aware of the danger of ‘diminishing returns,’ where excessive inbreeding occurs. Today, when animal welfare and the fight against doping are essential parameters, it is obvious that trainers must be aware of the genetic risks incurred by horses possibly carrying genetic defects.

Together with bloodstock agents, trainers are the advisers for the owners when buying a horse. Trainers already know some special traits of different families or stallions, but genomic tools might become essential for them too.

Sources

1. Genomic inbreeding trends, influential sire lines and selection in the global Thoroughbred horse population Beatrice A. McGivney 1, Haige Han1,2, Leanne R. Corduff1, Lisa M. Katz3, Teruaki Tozaki 4, David E. MacHugh2,5 & Emmeline W. Hill ; 2020. Scientific Reports | (2020) 10:466 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-57389-5

2. Inbreeding depression and durability in the North American Thoroughbred horse Emmeline W. Hill, Beatrice A. McGivney, David E. MacHugh; 2022. Animal Genetics. 2023;00:1–4. _wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/age

3. Founder-specific inbreeding depression affects racing performance in Thoroughbred Horses. Evelyn T. Todd, Simon Y. W. Ho, Peter C. Thomson, Rachel A. Ang, Brandon D. Velie & Natasha A. Hamilton; 2017. Scientific Reports | (2018) 8:6167 | DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-24663-x

4. The horse Y chromosome as an informative marker for tracing sire lines Sabine Felkel, Claus Vogl , Doris Rigler, Viktoria Dobretsberger, Bhanu P. Chowdhary, Ottmar Distl , Ruedi Fries , Vidhya Jagannathan, Jan E. Janečka, Tosso Leeb , Gabriella Lindgren, Molly McCue, Julia Metzger , Markus Neuditschko, Thomas Rattei , Terje Raudsepp, Stefan Rieder, Carl-Johan Rubin, Robert Schaefer, Christian Schlötterer, Georg Thaller, Jens Tetens, Brandon Velie, Gottfried Brem & Barbara Wallner; 2018. Scientific Reports | (2019) 9:6095 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42640-w

5. Identification of Genetic Variation on the Horse Y Chromosome and the Tracing of Male Founder Lineages in Modern Breeds Barbara Wallner, Claus Vogl, Priyank Shukla, Joerg P. Burgstaller, Thomas Druml, Gottfried Brem Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Depart. 2012. PLOS ONE | www.plosone.org  April 2013, Volume 8, Issue 4, e60015

6. New genetic evidence proves that the recorded pedigrees of the influential leading sires Bend Or and St. Simon were incorrect. Alan Porter; ITB 2021

7. Eight Belle’s breakdown: a predictable tragedy William Nack; ESPN.com 2008

8. Suzi Prichard-Jones: Founder of "The Byerley Turk & Godolphin Arabian Conservation Project"

Special thanks to Emmeline Hill for her help in the completion of this article

Shared ownership

It has always struck me—as someone with a keen interest in most sports—that the lack of harmonisation around various rules and issues such as interference, jockey’s weights, and doping isn’t helpful as racing remains such a puzzle to most of the world.

This is evident too in the area of shared ownership, of syndicates, racing clubs and the developing area of micro share groups.

Never has it been more important for racing to attract fresh blood, with its core support ageing and the sport barely causing a ripple in mainstream media. Shared ownership is a foolproof mechanism for unearthing new acolytes because emotion and feeling will trump catchy slogans or slick promotional videos every time. If you want converts, having them in the parade ring as part of the inner circle and seeing their horse run and contend or win is your best bet.

Piers Winkworth, racing manager of Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds, summed it up well after Dragon Leader maintained his 100 per cent record from three runs by landing the £147,540 first prize in the Goffs UK Harry Beeby Premier Yearling Stakes at York’s prestigious Ebor meeting in August.

Dragon Leader with Ryan Moore up wins the 2023 Premier Yearling Stakes at York’s prestigious Ebor meeting in August.

“This is what syndicates are all about really—having cracks at these ultra-valuable sales handicaps with modestly bought horses,” Winkworth noted. “Dragon Leader, a £45,000 Donny yearling, goes and wins the big race by some distance under Ryan Moore. It was thrilling for all of our owners. We had about 16 people up at York to see him, and there were great celebrations after the race”.

Johnny Murtagh has participated in many such celebrations, having had a hefty number of syndicates at Fox Covert Stables since he took out a licence to train at the conclusion of a stellar riding career.

The Curragh-based conditioner secured his first Gp. 1 triumph with Fitzwilliam Racing’s Champers Elysees in 2020, and bagged his first Classic the following season when Sonnyboyliston swooped to score in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger for Kildare Racing Club.

This season, Murtagh has had runners for 11 syndicates, saddling winners for six of them. So enamoured is he with shared ownership that he has just launched a new racing club, Racing Revolution, more of which anon.

“There’s nothing better than coming back into the ring and seeing people who never thought they’d ever own a horse so happy”, reports Murtagh.

“We’ve been very lucky with Fitzwilliam. They ended up winning a G.p 1. We now have the likes of the Brunabonne Syndicate—lads from where I grew up. They’ve been so lucky with Mashhoor. He won a couple of big races (including at Gp. 3 level), brought the lads to York and Ascot, and ran on all the big days”.

The idea of the racing club came out of Mashhoor’s Listed triumph on Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas day at Curragh Racecourse in May. In particular, it was the reaction of Tommy Dowd, a celebrated former Gaelic footballer who led Meath to All-Ireland glory in 1996, that resonated.

“Tommy Dowd picked up the Sam Maguire as captain of Meath and he said, ‘This is the same feeling as that.’”

Dr Paull Khan, secretary-general of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation summarises the overall situation brilliantly.

“In many countries (in and outside our region), racing is struggling to maintain its popularity and relevance, as societal practices and preferences shift,” notes Khan.

“Broadening the base of racehorse ownership may well prove a key weapon in countering this trend. Quite simply, the more people that have an involvement in owning a racehorse, the more our sport becomes embedded in society.

“For racing authorities, the challenge is not limited to promotion. Appropriate Rules of Racing must underpin such activity, which allow for and define co-ownership options.

“But there is also a potential downside, in that the creation of ownership entities which encompass large groups of individuals brings with it increased risks of incompetent or, yet worse, fraudulent management. Any examples of people suffering bad experiences, which are not satisfactorily dealt with, are likely to gain much publicity and have the effect of putting off future owners. So the final aspect to which racing authorities must give thought is the need for effective regulatory oversight, to minimise this risk”.

What follows is something of a potted overview of the situation in Europe, thanks to a number of different stakeholders from governing bodies to trainers and plenty more in between. 

BRITAIN

Establishing a new syndicate isn’t laborious in Britain, and only the manager/syndicator must register as an owner. The members do not have to register, but an updated list of members must be provided to the BHA as well as the percentage share held by each one.

Racing clubs are focussed entirely on the experience of ownership but without having any equity in the horse or share in whatever proceeds it accrues while racing. Members pay an annual fee to enjoy most of the other benefits of ownership, on race day and while in training. Once again, only the person setting up or running the club must register.

Micro share groups are becoming more visible and are a very cheap way to become involved in racing as a tiny percentage of a share, normally a fraction of 1 percent , can be acquired for as little as £40. Like racing clubs, they are primarily experiential, though members are owners and are entitled to the equivalent cut of any money accumulated.

All forms of shared ownership in Britain are subject to a code of conduct that includes specific mandatory clauses in each written contract. Transparency and protection are the key tenets of the code. The BHA has committed to auditing a proportion of syndicate/racing club/micro share contracts to ensure compliance.

George Baker’s ‘Have horse, will travel,’ mantra has always made him attractive to shared ownership groups. The Robins Farm trainer has saddled winners all over the world and is as good a host as he is a trainer.

The Surrey-based conditioner has his own racing club, the George Baker Racing Club, which provides all the perks of an involvement in racehorses, including open house visits, parade ring passes, regular communication, picnics at Royal Ascot and Glorious Goodwood, and even a share in a prize money. 

Baker joins Andrew Balding and Harry Eustace as trainers for the MyRacehorse fractional share group, making a big splash on this side of the Atlantic and having initially enjoyed stupendous success when established in America by Michael Behrens.

The relationship with MyRacehorse began with Get It and Watchya racing in Bahrain; and the ambition was rewarded by the former being awarded a victory after the winner on the day was disqualified due to a positive sample.

“The key point here is making racehorse ownership accessible to absolutely everybody in the way that it has been for a few years now and obviously in Australia, where the big syndicates have had massive success”, Baker declares. 

“Like our horse (Get It) at Wolverhampton (on September 7) that won the Racing League race—a share in him was £45. The wonderful thing about a share at whatever level [is] the horse becomes your horse, regardless of whether you’ve paid a million pounds or forty pounds. 

“We all know it’s the way forward because we’ve just got to get as many people as we can into this game, and of course you hope that some of them become more heavily involved in the sport and that it evolves to a longer association; but the most important thing is showing racing as a viable means of enjoyment”.

A degree of suspicion has lingered around micro share operations, but Baker is happy to go to bat for MyRacehorse. 

“I can’t speak for any of the other micro share entities, though obviously I’ve heard rumours of numbers not quite stacking up or that horses worth ‘x’ have been marketed for ‘x + y + z’; but that’s not something I can be quoted on because I haven’t had intimate involvement or knowledge.

“I know from the MyRacehorse perspective, they are wholly transparent and very keen to be treated as you would treat a security in the stock market. They want to create a secondary market so people can trade in and out of their shares. 

“People demand absolute transparency and absolute integrity and from my experience, clearly that’s what MyRacehorse have based their brilliant business on in America and Australia; and they’re trying to bring the same criteria here. And that’s absolutely correct. I don’t want to be involved with any organisation or micro share entity where there’s a level of suspicion around the numbers. And that’s why MyRacehorse is creating a niche and an attractive market”.

Baker returns to Get It and Wolverhampton to ram home his point about the impact feeling a winner can have regardless of financial outlay.

“There was one of the guys in the winner’s enclosure who’d won a share that night in a race card competition that MyRacehorse had organised with the Racing League. And there he is in the winner’s enclosure being photographed with (jockey) Paul Mulrennan and the horse. The guy was almost in a state of shock, but he was absolutely loving it”.

IRELAND

Ireland is among the most proactive European jurisdictions for the promotion and growth of multiple ownership. Figures from 2022 indicate that the number of syndicates increased by 24 per cent to 825, comprising 8,030 people. 

The number of racing clubs increased by 6 per cent, comprising 1,683 members. 

People can join existing syndicates or racing clubs or establish their own. Syndicates in Ireland comprise 3–100 people, while racing clubs can have an unlimited number of members.

The above figure for syndicates also includes the evolving fractional ownership model, with MyRacehorse having horses in training with Joseph O’Brien and Michael O’Callaghan.

“It is a great way to dip your toe in the water and see if it is the pastime for you,” says HRI’s owner development manager, Amber Byrne of shared ownership, who adds that plenty with the means to indulge in sole ownership prefer syndicates as a means of spreading their risk or because they derive more enjoyment from them.

HRI maintains a register of racehorse owners and can void or suspend owner registrations. The onus falls on the agent to ensure the syndicate/club and its members complies with the rules of racing, HRI directives, owner eligibility policy etc. Unlike the BHA, they do not have a specific code of conduct in place but advise that all syndicates and clubs provide them.

Agents must be registered as full owners and provide necessary ID, bank details etc., while a full list of membership including addresses and contact details and shares held must be supplied and continuously updated. Syndicates/clubs must declare if they are selling shares publicly and declare the maximum number of shares available in a particular horse. 

Jack Cantillon, founder of the hugely popular Syndicates.Racing, says HRI has it just right in terms of regulation and oversight.

“We recently registered in France, and it took over a month for our application to be successfully processed; so we should be thankful for how quick it has been for us to do so in Ireland”, Cantillon relates. “We also are registered in New York, and they even wanted my fingerprints before we got over the line! Ireland strikes a balance of enough protections while not over burdening with ridiculous red tape.

“Syndicates are the backbone of building the pipeline of ownership of racehorses throughout the world”, he continues. “We’ve had incidents of people taking a €200 share as their first share in a racehorse and progressing to owning horses worth €100,000 on their own. It’s an amazing journey to see in full sight and something that’s incredibly rewarding”.

Syndicates.Racing has enjoyed spectacular success in a short period in both codes, with runners and winners at a host of major meetings and venues, including graded-winning mares Cabaret Queen and Grangee. Their trainers include Willie Mullins, Joseph O’Brien, Henry de Bromhead, Jessica Harrington, Gavin Cromwell, Peter Fahey, John McConnell, Jack Davison and the aforementioned Johnny Murtagh. They also have horses in training in Britain and America.

Grangee with Jack, John and Tom from Syndicates.Racing.

“We have been blessed with over a thousand owners that have gotten involved in Syndicates.Racing since its inception and bringing so many of them to the winner’s enclosure has been a hugely rewarding thing… If you do have a positive experience, there’s very few more rewarding experiences of intimate involvement that you can get in any sport”.

As mentioned earlier, Murtagh is such a believer in the benefits of shared ownership that he has just launched his own racing club.

“You’d love people to have a good experience of racing. They’re going to be racing, but they’re going to see behind the scenes as well—even things like a horse being shod or going through the stalls; the ins and outs of JP Murtagh on a weekly basis with a horse ready to run. You’ll have a morning on the gallops, a few get-togethers. I think there’s going to be a great take-up and plenty of entertainment.

“There’s a bit more work, but I only speak to the racing manager and they keep everyone else informed. You’re going to have to employ somebody to take videos and keep it updated every day. I want people to see what’s going on and to feel part of it.

“You like to promote the game as best you can and show it in a good light and maybe in a way that people with some bit of interest want to see more and you never know what it leads to. One fella might say, ‘I enjoyed that; can you buy me a horse?’ Rather than jumping into it straight away, they get a good feel.

“I think it’ll work. We’ve a good horse, and we’ve a plan for the horse. We have everything in place, ready to go. I think people will like to be part of it.

While there is “a bit involved” in setting Racing Revolution up, “Murtagh found HRI very helpful. Ireland’s governing body is full square behind shared ownership as a means of growing the sport and industry.

“The promotion of shared ownership is central to our domestic marketing strategy”, Byrne emphasises. “Syndicates and clubs are key in introducing the ownership concept. We see it as an affordable entry stage into ownership and a way for those interested in racing to get closer to the action and behind-the-scenes access.

“For the most part our domestic marketing promotion concentrates on highlighting multiple ownership. There is no other sport that allows the kind of access that ownership offers and allows fans to get fully immersed in a sport that they love”.

Cantillon sees one area of potential improvement.

“I think we as an industry should invest in a comprehensive customer relationship management system for our owners. We should take advantage of affordable technology available to improve owner experience tenfold. Send a special deal to owners on their birthday, invite them back to the anniversary of their winner last year, issue tickets digitally so there’s no mix-ups at the gate. It’s simple stuff but makes a huge difference”.

FRANCE

Syndicates are known as ecurie de groupe in France, which translates directly to racing stables but are generally known as racing clubs. They are not to be confused with the experiential model of racing clubs in Britain and Ireland and which do not exist in France.

Neither are there any micro share companies, though there have been some initial discussions with MyRacehorse.

“It is certainly an interesting model, one which is full of potential in France,” outgoing managing director of France Galop, Olivier Delloye tells us.

There are 44 syndicates in operation in France, and that figure—while low and down on the 72 recorded in 2014—will increase “in the coming months” according to France Galop’s marketing and ownership development manager, Raphaël Naquet. Ecurie Team Spirit, Shamrock Racing, Ecurie Vivaldi, Ecurie Brillantissime, and High Heels Racing Stable are among the flourishing factions; and there are links to several syndicates on the France Galop website.

As Jack Cantillon touched on, the process of registering a syndicate is more arduous in France than elsewhere. Irish native Timmy Love, who is a colleague of Naquet’s in the ownership development wing of France Galop, concedes that point but insists that this is due to the law of the land rather than the racing regulator.

“Setting up a racing club is probably slightly more bureaucratically heavy than what it would be in Ireland or in England, but that’s just the nature of the French system”, Love asserts. “It’s not a reflection on France Galop. It’s just in France (by law); there is quite a rigorous administration system. It’s quite demanding, but it’s to protect the people already within the sport or those trying to come into it.

“It’s by no means rocket science to get set up over here. Once you get all your different documentation together, it’s no more difficult than anywhere else. You just need slightly more documents in the first place”.

The syndicates must be registered as a company, and that means articles of association, declarations of the company, certificates of incorporation are required to establish the company’s eligibility. Once that is done, the usual proof of identification for the agent running the syndicate is required.

Every member of an ecurie de groupe has an owner’s card that entitles them to the exact same benefits as a sole owner. These include being allowed to bring four guests to every meeting at all the France Galop racecourses, with no exclusions. Being able to do that on Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe day is a phenomenally attractive perk as a syndicate member. 

The provincial tracks are not bound by general rule as regards to how many people are allowed to attend per owner card or runner, but according to Love, they are generally very hospitable.

“For example, I know Middleham Park (Racing) had a winner in Cagnes-Sur-Mer over the winter (Brave Emperor), and the racecourse was very good to the members of that syndicate that travelled over. That is just to give one example, but there are lots of country tracks that look after their owners extremely well”.

France Galop is considering being more proactive in going out into the marketplace to sell the benefits of syndicates as an ownership option. 

“We can see more and more shared ownership is more attractive. It makes the sport more accessible, so it’s certainly something we’re considering; and now we have a good base of racing clubs that are well set up and having a bit of success. It’s becoming an easier product to market”,

French trainers are not as enamoured with shared ownership as their British and Irish counterparts, however, as illustrated by Hélène Hatchiguian of the Association des Entraîneurs de Galop, the French trainers’ association.

“We have more and more owner agreements, but mainly for shared ownership, because having a racehorse is a cost. The consequence is that we have less horses in training,” Hatchiguian observes.

“For a trainer, it is easier and better to have one owner per horse, but now we have less of these owners and more shared ownership. It represents more work for the trainer, and more time (to communicate, for invoicing etc.). If trainers do not have time for it, they need to employ someone to do this job.

“When some shared owners do not pay their training fees, we can appeal to France Galop, the horse cannot run, and it is penalising other owners. In the future, it will be necessary to change the rules: if one or more shared owner does not pay, the horse can still run but the money won by the horse is not paid to the owner but to the trainer’s account”.

GERMANY

Christian von der Recke is cut from the same cloth as George Baker. Land and sea borders are no impediment to the multiple-champion jumps trainer travelling and running horses.

He says running a proper syndicate is difficult in Germany and points us in the direction of Lars-Wilhelm Baumgarten. A former sports agent (with Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber among his clients), now breeder and board member of Deutscher Galopp, Baumgartner founded Liberty Racing with his wife Nadine and realised a lifetime ambition when Fantastic Moon won the Deutsches Derby in Liberty silks.

Members are glorying in the anticipation of a tilt at the Breeders’ Cup and/or the Japan Cup at present – wherever there is good ground - after the Sarah Steinberg-trained son of Sea The Moon recorded a decisive victory in the Qatar Prix Niel. Some hefty offers came in for the German-bred colt after the romp at ParisLongchamp but they have been rejected by shareholders and he will continue to race for Liberty.

“I worked as a sports agent all over the world and was a lot of times in Australia and saw the syndicates there,” Baumgartner explains. “I decided to sell my company and do what I want—horses, poker, real estate, and coaching. I started breeding and was on the board of German Racing, and I saw the problem: less owners, less breeders.

“I started eight years ago with my partnership ownership, only with two or three friends. We had a lot of success together. Then I decided to make my three- or four-people ownership syndicate bigger and started in 2020, to bring all my owner and breeder know-how to bring more people to horses. That was in my mind, but also in my mind was to win bigger, not just to buy handicap horses for people. We wanted to buy stayers with stamina from good German families for the Classic races, the Derby, the Oaks, and the Leger. 

“The idea was that new people can dream and be part of the bigger races. That was the main vision for Liberty Racing. Nadine and I started with 12 shareholders and four horses. The next year, we had 22 shareholders in four horses and then 30 in five horses. This year we will buy 10 to 12 horses with 90 or 100 owners.

“It’s not easy with the German tax situation. We have a lot of law restrictions to bring money together. It’s not like in England and America. They have more share culture, but we did it. We created a good contract, and we have the okay from the government to do it, and so we started”.

Deutscher Galopp is very helpful, Baumgartner tells us, not least than when he brought 50 people to shout on Liberty Racing’s two Derby runners.

There are more racing clubs in Germany than syndicates, but Liberty Racing is a poster child for the latter model with its professionalism and specific departments to cater for acquisitions, financials, social media, and so on.

“German racing was a closed shop. We have to open it. At the moment, we have 1,800 horses in training. That’s not good. We have to find 1,000 new shareholders in horses, and then we find 100, 200 horses more for trainers to train”.

ITALY

Former top trainer and now flourishing bloodstock agent, Valfredo Valiani, is looking forward to attending all the major European sales in the coming weeks and months, but he won’t be buying for Italian syndicates.

“Italian people usually don’t like syndicates, and it’s something that never took off in Italy,” Valiani remarks. “When I used to train, I tried myself with a couple of friends to set up a few syndicates for a few horses. We had results with the horses. We went up to six partners. But Italians are pretty individual. We’re not used to doing syndicates in anything and especially in racehorses. 

“It’s not that easy to register a syndicate over here. You’re going to need all the papers for every single partner in the syndicate. So it’s really tough. And then, just the representative is allowed to get to the parade ring. 

“We need syndicates because Italian racing is not flying, especially in quality; and when you get a few people together, of course you have more money to spend and more power, and you can look for better horses.

“We do have one syndicate, which is named Equos. It’s very public because it belongs to somebody that runs the only racing paper in Italy. But nobody emulated that, so far at least. Italians are proud to be THE owner, and they don’t feel like being ONE of the owners. There are horses in partnership, but it’s not the norm.”

SCANDINAVIA

Norway does have company-regulated syndicates, but there are some operating on a private level.

“The main reason is that Norwegian rules and regulations do not allow ownership of racehorses to be defined as a business,” says Marianne Ek of the Norwegian Jockey Club. “It has to be taxed as private. This means that there are no incentives for companies to offer this service.

“The industry is constantly working towards our politicians to try to change this, but no luck so far.

“This does not mean that we don’t have syndicates and shared ownerships, but they are set up either by the owners themselves or the trainers.”

In Sweden and Denmark, syndicates are allowed to trade as businesses. Also, there are some companies that specialise in putting syndicates together and running them for a fee. 

CONCLUSION

As noted at the start, this is by no means a thorough investigation of shared ownership from the perspective of all stakeholders in all regions—lengthy and all as it is.

It is evident though that while some jurisdictions are more open to shared ownership than others, for a variety of reasons, there is a growing acknowledgement that for trainers, and thus the industry, the model has far more upside than any perceived negative once all stakeholders are protected by watertight regulation and rigorous oversight.

Make it as easy as possible, and make it attractive. After that, the smiles will go miles.

A new mission for Criquette Head

Article by Katherine Ford

Five years after retiring as a trainer, the handler most famous for the Arc double of Trêve wintered in the Bahamas where she devoted herself to caring for her mother Ghislaine during her final months. A figure in French and international racing and bloodstock alongside her late husband Alec, Ghislaine Head was influential in the running of the Haras du Quesnay. Her colours were carried notably by Arc heroine Three Troikas and homebred Prix du Jockey-Club winner Bering; and she passed away peacefully at age 95 in early June.

Horses were far away in the flesh during this time in the Bahamas but still close to Criquette’s heart and very present in her mind. “When would be a convenient time for a chat?” I texted Criquette Head to arrange this interview. The reply pings back, “You can call me at 11.30am French time; I get up at 5am (EST) here every day for my first lot.”

So it is 5.30am in the Bahamas, and Criquette is in fine form as ever with plenty of ideas to discuss. “I’m always wide awake at this time. I can’t get it out of my system. Of course there are no horses here, just water and boats.” When Criquette retired, she announced a plan to sail across the Atlantic in her yacht, named Trêve. However, in typical altruistic style of the former president of the European Trainers Federation, the adventure has been on hold. “My boat is here, but I haven’t done the crossing yet. I will do it one day, but for the moment, my priority is taking care of my mother. I will stay at her side as long as she needs me.” 

While she had no physical contact with horses in the Bahamas, and no imminent trans-Altantic sail to prepare for, Criquette has been devoting time and energy recently to the association CIFCH (Conseil Indépendant pour la Filière des Courses Hippiques, or Independent Council for the Racing Industry), which she created with long-time friend and associate Martine Della Rocca Fasquelle some three years ago and now presides. 

Senator Anne-Catherine Loisier & Martine Della Rocca Fasquelle.

“The idea came about because I found that our politicians didn’t understand the racing world. I said to myself that as I have some spare time, I would create a little association, and I would try to ask our politicians, those who vote for our laws in the National Assembly or the Senate, to understand what racing means. We are completely separate from any official organisation, and we don’t interfere with France Galop or Le Trot (French harness racing authority). I just want to show the decision makers what racing is all about. I have met a lot of people and invited them to the races. That’s all… I try to make them realise the importance of the racing industry, and the reactions have been very positive.”

An eclectic membership 

The CIFCH counts 140 parliamentarians among its membership and supporters, which is a varied panel composed of racing and non-racing people, from a wide professional spectrum. 

As Martine Della Rocca Fasquelle explains, “Our aim is to share ideas and knowledge, and everyone contributes what they can, depending upon their area of expertise.” Criquette adds, “We wanted to surround ourselves with competent people who are all volunteers. They all like horses, not necessarily racehorses but the horse in general, and the association works in favour of the entire equine sector. The VAT issue is an important one for the CIFCH. If we manage to reduce the rate for equine activity to 10%, the entire horse industry will reap the benefit.”

A key supporter is Senator Anne-Catherine Loisier, vice-president of the CIFCH and who notably assisted in opening the doors of the National Assembly for a meeting with French mayors. Criquette continues, “A year ago, we wrote to all the mayors in France with a racecourse in their municipality with a questionnaire, and most of them very kindly replied to us. However, it’s a shame that the mayors with some of our most important racecourses didn’t respond. We asked them about the economic importance of the racecourses for their municipality; and then we organised a meeting at the National Assembly, which was very productive.” Martine Della Rocca Fasquelle adds, “This was the first time that mayors have been heard singing the praises of racing. We were surprised as we received reactions from very high up, including Emmanuel Macron, who congratulated us for the results of the racing industry.”

Spreading the word

Senators Sonia de la Prôvoté and Valérie Letard and spouses with Criquette Head, Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe 2021.

The CIFCH compiled the responses from 27 mayors, representing communes ranging from Chantilly and Cagnes-Sur-Mer, several municipalities in the West of France (which is a hive of activity for both trotting and gallop racing, training and breeding), to the homes of tracks organising just one or two meetings per year, into an album “Une Ville, Un Hippodrome: les maires ont la parole.” (towns and racecourses, in the words of their mayors). The brochure, which has been distributed to members and interested parties, is an advocacy of the benefits of racing to local communities. 

Naturally, Isabelle Wojtoviez, mayoress of Chantilly, underlines the significance of the racecourse and training centre for the town, “It is impossible to imagine Chantilly without horses. The animal is at the centre of our economy, a pillar of our history and a vital tourist attraction...” 

Bertrand de Guébriant, mayor of 5,000-inhabitant Craon in the West of France, where the racecourse hosts 10 meetings for a mixture of jumps, flat and trotting action, says, “Craon is one of the most popular provincial tracks in France, and we welcome 25,000 people for our ‘Trois Glorieuses’ festival each year, making it a major tourist attraction. The notoriety of our racing means that the town has a riding centre and a nearby training centre for employment with horses, whose most famous graduate is certainly (leading jump jockey) Clément Lefebvre. During racing periods, Craon enjoys visibility in the media, and finally, the community receives a share of pari-mutuel turnover, which is a real plus for our budget.”

With 80 meetings per year in the three disciplines, the racecourse at Cagnes-sur-Mer plays an important role in the town’s economy. And with its Côte d’Azur coastline, charming old town and proximity to Nice, it already has plenty of advantages.

Mayor Louis Nègre explains, “The image of Cagnes-sur-Mer is intimately linked to the racecourse, especially on an international level. The opportunity for visitors to enjoy racing in a spectacular environment overlooking the Mediterranean represents a unique experience, which contributes to tourists returning to the town. The economic activity connected to the racecourse and training centre is important year-round, while hotels, restaurants and the property markets benefit notably from racing during otherwise quiet periods of the season (during the winter flat and jumps meetings).”

Senator Anne-Catherine Loisier, vice-president of the CIFCH with Criquette Head and Deputy Géraldine Bannier, vice-president of the CIFCH.

The virtuous pari-mutuel model

For Criquette and her fellow CIFCH members and supporters, it is vital to spread positive messages such as these in order to preserve the favourable French system. “Racing has a colossal impact on the economic and environmental state of our country, and this is thanks to our PMU system which must be protected at all costs; however, I get the impression that it is being destroyed. When I see that (online betting operator) Ze Turf has been bought by (lottery and sports betting operator) La Française des Jeux, I fear that racing punters may be tempted away to bet on poker or other markets. We need the PMU and its financial input, which represents our livelihood and that of our regions, our studs and stables. My aim is to valorise and protect this ecosystem which is an example across Europe. France has by far the highest prize money in Europe, and that needs to be preserved. Our system also brings money in for the state; it’s a win-win system. Indeed during the Covid pandemic, the PMU registered good results because the football and all other activity was stopped. We were lucky that the state understood the need for racing and breeding activity to continue. This is a good demonstration of the importance for government to understand the depth of the racing activity and that it is not just a sport like football, for example.”

Racing across Europe and further afield is faced with issues of perception, either from the general public or government representatives. “An association like the CIFCH would have a role to play in other countries,” says Criquette, “but things are more complicated in nations with bookmakers. If you look at the rising powers in world racing nowadays, such as Hong Kong and Japan, they have adopted the pari-mutuel model. I think that the World Pool is a very good concept, which can contribute to promoting the tote system and help racing to raise its level on a global scale.”

“The CIFCH doesn’t get involved in specific debates such as the whip. Personally, I am in favour of limiting the number of strokes, but we must be careful not to overreact. Those who are against racing are people who have never been close to a horse at the races or in training; and one of the missions of the CIFCH is to demonstrate that horse welfare is at the centre of our profession. We are pleased to show newcomers behind the scenes and the quality of care which racehorses receive.”

Opening doors for future owners

After a series of visits, debates and conferences with decision-makers, the CIFCH is set to widen its contacts further in 2023, when a major focus for the committee will be a two-day event in June in Normandy, aimed at business people and potential owners. 

Criquette explains, “We will invite entrepreneurs and business people who have nothing to do with racing to come and spend time at a stud farm and training centre in Normandy. Like a lot of people today, all they know about horses is that they have four legs, a head and a tail… Throughout my career I always welcomed people into my stable to discover the horses, and the reactions were invariably positive. Many of these [people] went on to become owners, not necessarily with me; and I was always pleased to see them develop their interest. I was brought up to be very open and welcoming, and now [that] I have free time, I want to continue to help people find out more about racing.”

Always renowned for her generosity with time and explanations, Criquette inherited these and many other qualities from her late father, the great breeder and trainer Alec Head who passed away last summer at age 97. 

Criquette and fellow CIFCH members at a meeting in Chantilly, 2021.

“He has left us with a fantastic legacy, and I owe him my success. He always loved his profession and defended the racing industry; and along with Roland de Chambure, he was a precursor in opening up the market with the USA. One thing which struck me when I was younger was that he used to say, ‘You should always try to read your horse. Once you have understood your horse, then the horse will tell you what they are capable of’. I used to say the same thing to all the young assistants who came to work with me and who are now trainers. I told them to pick just one horse and ignore the 80 others; study that one horse, and then tell me what they observed as the horse developed. For me, that is the basis of training. Like people, no two horses are the same, and so you cannot follow the same recipe with them all. You can lose horses by rushing them, and during my era, we were fortunate to have plenty of time. Last year, once again, the examples of Flightline and Baaeed proved that it can be beneficial to wait.”

The family dynasty continues

Criquette’s brother Freddy Head called time on his illustrious training career last year, and the family name is now represented in the profession by his son, Classic-winning Christopher and daughter Victoria. “Papa would have been very proud to see Victoria win her first race recently, and Christopher’s success. Christopher spent time working alongside his father, and two years with me, and Victoria worked for much better trainers than me! She was with Gai Waterhouse, Aidan O’Brien and André Fabre, as well as with her father. We have (French racing channel) Equidia in the Bahamas, so I’m often in front of my TV at 6am here! I keep an eye on everyone, not just my family…” 

In addition to owning horses or shares with a range of trainers in France and former assistant David Menuisier in the UK, Criquette also maintains her interest in breeding, despite the heart-wrenching sale of the family’s celebrated Haras du Quesnay last year. 

“There were a lot of us—five including my mother—and we didn’t all have the same ideas, so it was a family decision to sell. I love breeding, so I will continue with five broodmares. My grandson Fernando (Laffon-Parias) wants to be an agent and is interested in breeding, so this year I planned all the matings with him. I did consider buying a farm myself, but finally my mares will stay at the Quesnay as the new owners are taking in boarders and have kept on all the old staff under manager Vincent Rimaud. So, I decided to stay, and I will enjoy returning to the stud. It will be a very different feeling for me to visit, with no pressure or concerns about managerial issues. I will just be able to go and admire my mares and foals!”

As ever, with Criquette, the love of horses shines through in her words. “We talk endlessly about the people involved with the horses, which is logical in a way, but in the end, everything depends upon the animal. At all levels, whether in breeding, training or racing, the horse always has the last word.” If Criquette has her way, this would also be true for politics! 

What we learnt at the Horseracing Industry Conference

Article by Rhi Lee-Jones

The Racing Foundation was delighted to welcome more than 200 delegates to the fifth annual Horseracing Industry Conference at Newbury Racecourse.

Held on 30 June in partnership with the University of Liverpool Management School, the event was attended by leading figures from across the horseracing industry. 

The conference’s headline topic was titled: “A healthy balance: balancing economic, environmental and social health to ensure a sustainable racing industry.”

The conference gave keynote speakers the opportunity to address the challenges affecting the horseracing industry in Britain.

Rob Hezel, chief executive at the Racing Foundation, said: “When developing the agenda for this year’s Horseracing Industry Conference, we did so with the belief that the long-term sustainability of the sport depends on three things: economic, social and environmental health.

“The growth in the event and its popularity demonstrates to me the real need for a forum for the multitude of organisations and businesses that make up British horseracing to meet regularly and to challenge and support each other.

“We had a vast range of talent in the room from a great variety of organisations. If the Racing Foundation can assist in aligning and coordinating them, then we are adding real value to the industry."

Joe Saumarez-Smith, chair of the British Horseracing Authority, kicked off the conference with his first keynote address since taking on the position earlier in the year.

The importance of data collection and how the British racing industry understands and uses that data was cited by Saumarez-Smith as crucial to the sport’s future.

The economic section of the conference commenced with Peter Hawkings, strategy consultant at Portas Consulting, analysing the funding structure of British racing.

Hawkings warned that the British racing industry would have a low growth rate over the next five years should intervention not take place. Seven potential levers to improve British racing’s financial position were subsequently offered:

·       Build relationships with fans and make the sport more relevant

·       Create new, exciting racing formats and greater narratives across the year

·       Convert more fans to becoming fractional owners (syndicates)

·       Secure owners in new geographies

·       Optimise racing as a betting product

·       Achieve meaningful levy reform

·       Diversify racecourse revenue streams (e.g., becoming more of a 365-day event destination)

Continuing on the theme of the economic challenges of racing, “How People Bet on Horseracing and the Implications for the Sport'' was the title of University of Liverpool’s Professor of Economics David Forrest’s keynote talk. He took delegates through the findings of the Patterns of Play project, initiated by the Gambling Commission and GambleAware.

The project was intended to yield a description of how people gamble online, primarily with the intention of informing policy for harm reduction and analysed data from 14,000 online betting accounts.

The University of Liverpool professor explained that the Patterns of Play data revealed risks to racing’s implicit business model.

Even relative to the other gambling activities that were studied as part of the project, spending on race betting was found to be very concentrated indeed with its revenue stream very dependent on a small number of the population.

Indeed, the study found that the top one percent of gamblers on horse racing provided 59 percent of total stakes. One risk highlighted by Forrest was the possibility that the activities of these high-spending gamblers may generate regulatory interventions which could curtail their levels of activity.

Forrest then explored the age range of participants in online horse race betting, finding it relatively high in all age groups. Horse race betting was found to attract only a relatively small share of betting spend in younger age groups, with more than 55 percent of horseracing gross gambling yield generated by those aged 45 or above. 

If the younger half of the population maintains these preferences as they age, Forrest warned, there is likely to be a secular decline in racing’s revenue stream. This data illustrates a medium and long-term threat to the sustainability of British racing at its current scale of activity because those who are currently in younger cohorts clearly have a stronger preference for sports betting (predominantly football) than for horse betting.

A fundamental issue for British racing, Forrest warned, is that the senior age range for all British racing’s customer groups, including racegoers, television viewers, gamblers and owners, poses a threat to the future prospects for the sport.

Crucial to the health of British racing is the sport’s social licence. Next on the agenda, conference delegates heard an analysis on the impact of equality, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) in British racing in a talk that explored whether it was making progress in British racing or was merely ticking boxes.

The talk was hosted by Lee Mottershead, Racing Post senior writer and member of the sport’s Diversity in Racing Steering Group. Mottershead quizzed industry leaders including Chief Executive of the British Horseracing Authority Julie Harrington on the sport’s responsibility towards ED&I. Mottershead was also joined onstage by Urban Equestrian Academy founder Freedom (a.k.a. “FR33DOM”) Zampaladus, who offered honest insight into his experiences in horse racing as an individual from a historically underrepresented background.

Two members of the recently appointed project team at the Horse Welfare Board were next to present and sparked heated debate amongst the delegates present.

Mike Etherington-Smith, equine safety advisor, and Francesca Compostella, aftercare lead, explored racing’s aftercare responsibility towards its equine athletes.

A  number of horse welfare projects were also discussed, including the Racing Foundation-funded Orange to White project.

Currently being phased into British racing, the Orange to White project has seen an estimated 368 fences and 2,132 hurdle panels across 40 racecourses change markings from the traditional orange to white.

The project, which Etherington-Smith and Compostella explained as being delivered by the Horse Welfare Board as part of the ‘Life Well Lived’ strategy, followed intensive research carried out by Exeter University into equine vision between 2017 and 2018.

The study found that changing the wood and vinyl padding of take-off boards, guard rails and top boards to white provided increased contrast and visibility for horses, leading to improved jumping performance.

Rhi Lee-Jones, communications and events manager for the Racing Foundation, said: “The 2022 Horseracing Industry Conference was the biggest yet with 227 tickets allocated.

“I’d like to thank our speakers and panel experts for delivering such thoughtful and challenging dialogue and contributing to insightful debate, which I hope engaged and ignited action in our delegates.

“At the Racing Foundation, our aim is to drive industry improvement. We plan for the conference to keep developing in the years to come as an important means of achieving that end.

“That process of alignment and coordination is crucial, and it needs to be informed by racing’s leaders. They need to be visible and articulate the direction of travel but also be prepared to listen, reflect and respond to what they hear.

"I would like to reiterate our thanks to all those who attended."

Horseracing and Thoroughbred Industries MBA graduate Katie Walker also presented her research on the effect of whip use on stride parameters of the racehorse—more details of which can be found on the insert.

The final keynote address of the day came from Sustainability Consultant Ruth Dancer, who has recently completed a scoping exercise into British racing’s environmental sustainability practices. The White Griffing consultant examined with delegates the findings of the recently published report, looking into the way in which environmental sustainability impacts the British horse racing industry. From water shortages to the potential for biodiversity, Dancer detailed the risks, challenges and opportunities for the sport in this area. The importance of a whole industry approach was emphasised along with how horse racing might move towards Britain’s net zero goal on carbon emissions by 2050. Social licence was again mentioned and was a common theme throughout the day, with Dancer highlighting the importance of environmental sustainability for the next generation. The carbon footprint of delegates’ travel to the conference was also offset by the Racing Foundation through the process of carbon sequestration, reinforcing the Foundation’s commitment to environmental sustainability and its belief that the issue has to be at the heart of not only racing’s future, but its present too.

To conclude the 2022 conference, racing’s leaders formed a leadership panel in which they took questions from attending delegates.

Among the leadership panel was Chief Executive of the National Trainers Federation Paul Johnson, Chief Executive of the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Claire Sheppard, and Chief Executive of the Racecourse Association David Armstrong.

Chief Executive of the Racehorse Owners Association Charlie Liverton and Tim Naylor, the director of Integrity and Regulation for the British Horseracing authority, completed the expert panel.

Neil Coster, director of studies for the Thoroughbred Horseracing Industries MBA at University of Liverpool Management School, said: "It has been fantastic to see the conference evolve since it started in 2018—more than doubling in size and this year attracting a record number of delegates.  

“The University is delighted the event continues to showcase the graduates’ research projects, and this highlights one of the philosophies of the conference—that of better informed decision making.  

“It is now seven years since the launch of the MBA, and we are pleased to see a number of our graduates progressing to senior positions in the industry."

To be the first to hear about the 2023 Horseracing Industry Conference, sign up to the Racing Foundation newsletter at www.racingfoundation.co.uk/news

Vive La France - Why is France becoming the fashionable place to train?

By Katherine Ford

The French racing industry has always attracted an international profile of professionals and continues more than ever to do so in the 21st century. The Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was once again crowned Longines World’s Best Horse Race for its most recent edition, and the very sport of horse racing as we know it was brought to the country by an English lord two centuries ago. 

Indeed Chantilly’s destiny as the headquarters of French racing was shaped in the 1800s by the arrival of British training families such as the Carter’s, Cunnington’s and Jennings’. Brothers Tom and Henry Jennings still hold the record for the number of wins in the Chantilly Classics with respectively 10 Jockey-Club successes for the former and nine Diane victories for the latter, whose family tree descends directly to Alec Head and his offspring Criquette and Freddy. 

While the Head family is now firmly “tricolore”, British influences continued until recently in Chantilly with Gp. 1 trainers such as Jonathan Pease, Richard Gibson and John Hammond. It is interesting to note that the only British-born trainer currently active in Chantilly is Andrew Hollinshead, although top jumps jockey James Reveley has purchased a yard in the town and declared his intention to train there once he retires from riding. 

Today, with the best prize money in Europe and top-class facilities, France has become a destination for trainers from all corners of the globe; and in Chantilly alone, the profession’s ranks span five continents and fifteen nationalities. 

Close neighbours Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium are represented by a number of professionals such as Carlos Laffon-Parias, Mauricio Delcher-Sanchez, former professional footballer Markus Munch and Andreas Schutz who chose the location at the end of his stint in Hong Kong. Other Europeans include recent Greek arrivals Giorgios Alimpinisis and Attilio Giorgi, and Scandinavian couple Pia and Joakim Brandt. The young and ambitious Irish pair Gavin Hernon and Tim Donworth have both chosen Chantilly to launch their respective careers, and the American continents are represented by former International Herald Tribune journalist-turned-trainer Gina Rarick and young Argentine handler Sebastian Caceres. Add to the mix Japanese duo Satoshi Kobayashi and Hiroo Shimizu, plus Tunisian Hedi Ghabri, and it must be near impossible to find a more cosmopolitan racing centre. 

Expat experiences

After generations of domination in Italy, the Botti dynasty spread to Newmarket with Marco in 2006, and two years later his cousin Alessandro set out in Chantilly, initially as assistant, then in a joint licence with father Guiseppe. 

Maisons-Laffitte

The popular Italian was all smiles after saddling a quickfire double in the opening two contests on a Chantilly all-weather card in February, in the process pocketing €32,720 in prize money and owners’ premiums. He remembers, “I spent time with my cousin in Newmarket before deciding to come here. I didn’t speak a word of French, but we thought it would be a good idea to have a Botti presence in France! To start with, everything was complicated. We were a Classic stable in Italy, but it wasn’t easy to adapt to the right level of horses, the organisation and of course the language. One of our staff members spoke French, so in the early stages he helped a lot with translating; but I had to learn French to take my trainers exams. I’m perfectly at home here now and after all, France is quite similar to Italy!” 

From a racing point of view, the prize money and prestige are in contrast to the current situation in Italy and crucial for attracting owners, which for Botti include some of football’s biggest stars such as Champions League winning manager Carlo Ancelotti and top striker Javier Pastore. “I’ve had connections with the football world for a long time as the racehorse training centre at Milan is next to the stadium, but it’s much easier to attract footballers to racing in France where they find the whole package more exciting. Carlo Ancelotti has been an owner with us for 10 years, and now the challenge is to find him a horse to be as successful in racing as he has been in football!”

Parlez-vous anglais? 

Joint license holders Pia & Joakim Brandt’s Chantilly Stables

Another well-established European in Chantilly is Pia Brandt, who now operates as a joint licence holder with husband Joakim. Pia, who has won a pair of Gp. 1 victories in her adopted homeland (Grand Prix de Paris with Mont Ormel and Criterium de Saint Cloud with Mkfancy), remembers, “I came here at the end of 2005 because I wanted the best. An owner was supporting my move, and I could have picked any location in Europe. I chose Chantilly for the quality of the training facilities, the proximity to the airport, and of course the French prize money. I already spoke some French as I had spent time riding out here when I was younger, and the father of my son is French.” Pia says. “However my French wasn’t very academic, and I remember that utilities companies would often hang up on me when I asked if it was possible to speak in English! I think that things have improved in that aspect since then, and English is spoken more here now. At the time, the rules were that if you had had a licence for five years in another country in Europe, you didn’t have to take the trainers exam here, so I just had to follow a few modules at the racing school.” 

One unexpected complication for Pia Brandt was a succession of moves before taking the plunge to buy her own establishment with husband Joakim. “During the first 10 years, I was renting and moving stables seven times! At Chantilly, unlike at Maisons-Laffitte, all the stables are privately owned, so with changing requirements as my number of horses varied and owners selling the stables I was occupying, it was an unsettled time. We’re settled now since buying our yard, and although I have no regrets about coming to Chantilly, I am not sure that I would make the same decision if I had a second chance. It’s the most competitive and most expensive place in France to train. In a parallel world, if I had my chance again, maybe I would choose the French provinces or Deauville!”

The place to be

Tim Donworth with girlfriend Lavinia

A recent addition to the Chantilly trainers’ ranks, Tim Donworth saddled his first runners last September and ended the year with impressive statistics of five winners plus five placed horses for fifteen outings. 

The Godolphin Flying Start graduate and former assistant to Nicolas Clement and Jean-Claude Rouget is adamant that Chantilly is the best choice. “I have an international clientele, and this is where they want to be in France”, Tim says. However just a few years ago, the ambitious young Irishman had not even considered France, nevermind Chantilly. “It was all a bit of a mistake, or an accident in any case… I had spent time with Tom Morley in America during the Flying Start and loved it over there, so my aim was to go back. Christophe Clement offered me a role but he didn’t need me until six months later. He arranged for me to work for his brother Nicolas in the meantime, and that’s how I ended up in Chantilly.” Tim goes on to say, “The timing worked out well as while I was there, his assistant Laura Vänskä left [the Finnish national and Flying Start graduate is set to add another nationality to the Chantilly roster when she sets up in the town this spring], so Nicolas asked me to stay on. Wonderment had won a Gp. 1 in the same week, so he managed to twist my arm! 

“After a couple of years I decided to take the trainers course, although in all honesty I didn’t expect to pass. I tell people that it’s a fluke that I did pass, but to be honest I worked flat out for two months to prepare. The exams are definitely harder here in France than in Britain and Ireland; although I haven’t been through the process there, I have plenty of friends who have done. The language barrier is huge, but even for a fluent French speaker, the exam is hard. There are various subjects including the rules of racing, a big part on equine health, and then business planning which requires reams of Excel documents. The business plan is presented to a panel of assessors selected by France Galop stewards, including retired and active racing professionals, stewards etc.; and they give you a good grilling!”
Tim Donworth admits his French was “really shockingly bad” on arrival with Nicolas Clement, and although he progressed enough to pass the France Galop exams, he hit a real learning curve when deciding to further his racing education with Jean-Claude Rouget. “I thought that if I was going to train here, I should get more experience and see more of the country. I was in at the deep end as Rouget didn’t speak a word of English to me”, Tim says. “But I loved it at his yard in Pau—at the Cagnes sur Mer meeting and at Deauville—and got on really well with the boss as well as his assistants Jean-René Dubosc and Jean-Bernard Roth who I regularly ring for advice. I also met my partner Lavinia Brogi in Pau. She’s Italian, the sister of trainer Simone Brogi, and is a great help riding most of my gallops.” 

Despite enjoying this period in three of the four corners of France, Chantilly was where Donworth wanted to be, and he now rents part of Nicolas Clement’s yard plus boxes for his juvenile fillies in Pia and Joakim Brandt’s stable. “I’m really fortunate to have my horses stabled in two Gp. 1 yards. Nicolas is like family to me and is a great help. For instance, his head lad François works for me for an hour a day and is fantastic for keeping things in order. I did the trainers course with Joakim Brandt and was delighted when he and Pia offered me the space in their yard, which is just across the street and very convenient.” 

Tim Donworth is well on his way to becoming an adopted Frenchman, and his only reserve concerning his situation is opportunities for certain categories of horse. “The programme kills me for older horses, which have arrived from abroad. Those which aren’t up to stakes level are really difficult to place as you have to almost have a Listed horse to be competitive in Class 1 and 2 races. It’s tricky, but knowing the programme book is key to having winners.”

Results so far bode well, and Donworth has high hopes for the future. “I’m really pleased with my two-year-olds and I intend to run them early. They’ve been rocking and rolling for a while now, and I bought precocious ones as I haven’t many older horses and need to get the results to get noticed.”

Chantilly’s rising sun

One Chantilly trainer who has been noticed on the international stage already in 2022 is Hiroo Shimizu, whose Pevensey Bay came with a sweeping run to lift the Gp. 2 Cape Verdi Stakes at Meydan in January. The mare was one of a handful that the unconventional Japanese trainer inherited from the recently retired John Hammond, whose stable he now occupies. “I was present for the win in Dubai, but I don’t get excited or emotional. I soon move on to think about the next challenge.” 

Shimizu doesn’t fit the mould of your regular trainer. Dressed in scruffy, baggy trousers and sporting a thick woolly hat with earflaps, which looks more appropriate for Arctic exploration than nurturing blue-blooded thoroughbreds, he quietly indicates some of his Classic hopes turned out in the stable paddocks. 

When he arrived in France in 2008 to work as a stable lad for Pascal Bary and then Fabrice Chappet, making race entries—nevermind Classic entries—was far from his mind. “I knew [fellow Chantilly trainer] Satoshi Kobayashi and [Japanese specialist bloodstock agent] Patrick Barbe, which is why I chose to come to France; but I hadn’t considered training.” 

It was discussions with francophile Japanese training legend Katsuhiko Sumii—a regular in Chantilly whether with Arc runners or for a busman’s holiday which encouraged him to take the plunge, and contrary to many of his colleagues—he found the France Galop exams a mere formality. “They were very easy!” Shimizu admits. “I went to one of the best schools in Japan and so I am used to learning. I finished the exams with plenty of time to spare! When I first came to this country, I didn’t speak any French but now I can manage well with a Japanese accent. I think it’s a question of respect for the local population that expatriates should learn the language.” 

Hiroo Shimizu with jockey Gérald Mossé

In addition to the language, Shimizu has plunged into the programme book and specificities of the French racetracks. “In Japan all racecourses have similar ground conditions, whereas here, there is more diversity in the surface and track profiles. As for the programme, in Japan there are 2000m races for two-year-olds in June; but here you have to wait with longer distance types. In Japan people tend to be very disciplined and can sometimes lack initiative. I like the outlook here where you can do whatever you want!”

Back to school

Whatever you want… within reason and within a strict framework as far as the obtention of the official licence is concerned. France Galop delegates the organisation of the trainers’ course and exams to their educational arm, the AFASEC, and training coordinator Pierre-Henri Bas explains, “There are two sessions each year for applicants to obtain a professional licence. The training takes place during a five-week residential course, which includes 175 hours of lessons and terminates with three written exams and an oral and written presentation of the candidates’ business plan. The business module is a major part of the course and covers subjects such as management, accountancy and social legislation. We also study the rules and regulations of racing, matters concerning horses’ health, feeding and sporting performance and finally communication.”

With some general knowledge and English language thrown in for good measure, the procedure represents a real “back to school” experience for aspiring trainers who are expected to study hard. “Over recent years the success rate has been around 80%”, continues Bas. “Our aim is to evaluate the competences of individuals for the challenges involved in being a professional trainer. We have no interest in handing out licences for the trainer to fail just weeks or months later. Indeed we have a follow-up scheme whereby two of our representatives provide advice and guidance to newly qualified trainers, and they must complete an assessment after two years of activity.” 

As for trainers who hold a licence in another country and wish to transfer to France, Darius Zawiejski who is responsible for France Galop’s licensing department confirms, “These requests are examined on a case-by-case basis. We look at the professional’s CV and experience in his or her home country and some may be exempt from passing certain modules or parts of the exams. Derogations do occur, but they are quite rare; and foreign applicants, from whichever country, are treated in exactly the same way as French applicants.” So any trainers hoping to take advantage of France’s enviable prize money and excellent facilities should be warned: They will need to be willing to put their heads down and study, en français!

A handicap or a benefit? Is the European handicapping system fit for purpose?

By Lissa Oliver

Contrary to the populist view that horseracing is elitist, it is actually one of the few sports built upon equality. Fillies can race against colts, women can compete against men. We even have a handicap system designed to ensure a level playing field for all, providing an equal chance for the horse of little ability competing against the horse of greater ability. All is fair in love, war and on the racecourse.

Except… When did you last see a 10-way dead-heat? Even outside of the handicap system, in the truly level competition of a Gp1, the weak receive an allowance against the strong. The elders are penalised to assist their youngers. The fillies are compensated against the colts. Inexperienced jockeys receive allowances based upon, not exactly experience, but wins. In some jurisdictions, women riders receive weight allowances, too.

It might be equal, although results usually prove otherwise; but is it fair? Racing is the only sport in which winners are penalised and losers are rewarded. Is it any wonder another populist view of racing is one of deceit and cheating?

“Are the jockey clubs looking for equality or equity?” asks renowned handicap expert Mark Cramer. “There's a difference. I think it's a noble effort to have some sort of handicap system, but I'm not sure how equitable it is.”

Cramer is the author of “Thoroughbred Cycles – How The Form Factor Affects Handicapping,” which is considered the definitive work on the subject of thoroughbred form in the USA. “The system makes it that races labelled as handicaps are the hardest to decipher for the studious horseplayer. Furthermore, the whole weight factor may be overrated. A horse carrying two pounds extra is like me running with an envelope in my back pocket,” he points out. “The handicap system favours one type of horse, for example in the Arc, it's the three-year-olds who get a weight edge. I think the harness race industry does a better job with handicaps, simply making a high earner who's above the earnings limit start the race 25 metres behind the field.”

An earnings-based system rather than one based simply on wins alone is a suggestion put forward by more than one industry expert, but the current system of handicapping has been in place for 170 years, introduced by Admiral Rous in 1851. Rous was appointed the first official handicapper in Britain in 1855 and devised the Weight-For-Age scale, which in theory should afford horses of different ages an equal chance of winning.

Tellingly, it says a lot about our sport that he is still remembered anecdotally for the remark, “I have just gone through the next race and have discovered that I have handicapped each horse so well that not one of them can possibly win.”

We could argue that if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Certainly, many trainers have no issue with the system, other than its interpretation by the various official handicappers in relation to their own horse.

“There has to be a process in place, and if we didn’t have handicaps, a lot of horses couldn’t compete and would fall out of training,” says Michael Grassick, CEO Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA). “I personally believe that handicaps serve a purpose. Many do feel that in Ireland the handicapper is too severe. After a period of time horses will run to a certain rating and when they go above that rating, they will no longer be as competitive until returning to that rating. The Irish handicapper is felt to be very slow in moving a horse who has gone up through the handicap back down the ratings; we feel that in the UK horses are lowered a bit quicker. While in the lower grades of 45-60, the horses seem to drop quite quickly and drop through the floor and out of the system.

“I always feel the system is unfair on a horse who has run and placed,” Grassick observes. “The horse goes up two pounds, runs again and gets placed second again and goes up another two pounds. That horse will find it extremely hard to win and is not being rewarded for consistency. Personally, I don’t think a horse should be put up in the handicap until it has won.”

Grassick makes a valid point, underlined by the research and figures gathered by owner John Dance, an investment manager and CEO of stockbroker company Vertem, based on every Flat horse in Britain with an official rating. In March 2019, Dance tweeted his findings that 2.6% of Flat horses were Class 1; 5% were Class 2; 9.5% were Class 3; 16.6% were Class 4; 20.7% were Class 5; and 45.6% were Class 6 or lower. 83% of Flat horses, he noted, were Class 4 or lower.

Recently retired trainer Milton Bradley.

Recently, trainer Milton Bradley retired after a career of more than 50 years. He cited the growing lack of opportunities for the lower-rated horse in his decision to finally retire, saying, “The current state of the sport is making me feel despondent when it comes to horses being allowed to race and the cost of participating in the sport. Handicappers haven't been giving opportunities to lower-rated horses in weeks. It's frustrating to see people buying horses for over £100,000 only to compete for £2,000 prizes because that's all they qualify for. It's a sad day. I didn’t want to give up, but there’s no future in racing the way it is.”

Even if we agree with the system in place, the given ratings—based on the personal opinion of the handicapper—are often going to be contentious. Retired UK trainer Bill O’Gorman explains, “Handicaps are a reasonable way of ensuring competition between ordinary horses, much as in golf. As in golf, there needs to be a degree of trust. The most obvious solution is to award a rating only upon quantifiable form rather than upon the lack of it.

“The system that we had for nurseries should be revived for all handicaps; only those with a first four placing should be eligible. To get away from the prevailing culture of ‘defensive’ non-triers, I have suggested that maiden races ought to be streamed by valuation. Provincial maidens ought to be restricted to horses bought below the yearling median, to horses of any yearling price or to homebreds of any pedigree entered to be claimed for that amount. With that done, horses that are incapable of placing in a restricted maiden should not have a lucrative career in handicaps gifted to them.”

Like many, O’Gorman believes there are too many handicaps, and they should revert to 45% of all UK races from the present high of 65%. “They ought to be partly replaced with condition races, like the time-limited maiden-at-closing of old. Optional claiming races ought to be introduced so that horses whose connections feel them to be badly handicapped can face an easier task and be instantly re-assessed on one run, as long as they risk being claimed for the deemed value of horses eligible under the race conditions.

“For example, running in a race of level weights for horses rated 75 or less, or of any rating entered to be claimed for the last horses-in-training sales average for a 75-rated horse, would get a 90 horse dropped to 75—unless he won easily, in which case he’d be claimed anyway! If expensive horses were ineligible for every maiden, there would be less runners trying not to finish close up.”

O’Gorman also believes giving potentially top class horses the option of going into the handicap system as All-Weather winners is ludicrous. “The heritage handicaps have too much money and take horses away from the Pattern. If heritage handicaps were restricted to horses that have, say, run six times at entry they would not be such an attractive easy benefit for big stables,” he argues. “Tightening up the system would be universally unpopular in the same way that the 11-plus exam or reducing social security would be. Everyone likes a bad system as long as they can milk it; and it only creates underachievers—equine and human.”

Whether for or against the existing handicap system, there is a prevailing preference among industry professionals for alternative options, including those suggested by Cramer and O’Gorman. Paddock judge and racing historian Peter Corbett is unequivocal on the subject: “The handicapping system operating in Great Britain is not fit for purpose.”

He muses, “It seems incredible that nearly 200 years later racing in Britain still uses this method. One myth is that it is designed to give each horse in the race an equal chance. This is self-evidently not the case. The idea that any individual, or collections of individuals, however learned in the art of handicapping horses, can do so and equal the chances of all the runners in a race is ridiculous.

“Another rather silly expression when at the finish of a handicap, half a dozen runners are close together is to say ‘that was a triumph for the handicapper’. Rubbish! That was simply happenstance; if the race were to be run a couple of weeks later under the same conditions, the result would probably be completely different. Some trainers and owners are certain that the system is designed to prevent progressive horses from winning.

“Some horses can become almost valueless because they are euphemistically described as ‘in the grip of the handicapper’. I have never read or heard anyone prominent in racing describe this situation as ridiculous, which it surely is.”

A horse badly handicapped after its first couple of runs and allotted too high a mark can indeed have its chances of winning a handicap for the foreseeable future severely compromised. Corbett reminds us, “On the Flat, horses that are good enough to compete in Pattern races may never run in a handicap, and any handicap mark is likely to be irrelevant. However, for those horses that are below this level, the mark it is allotted will dictate its future career. …

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Trainers and the importance of communicating with owners

By Lissa Oliver

We are all in agreement that in an ideal world training fees should increase, as too the remuneration for existing staff and the ability to increase the team. We also recognise the scenario of “you get what you pay for”, and there is no doubt that owners would be happy to pay slightly more for a better service. But the tipping point doesn’t only come down to prize money. Horses cannot be expected to pay their way, but their owner still expects a certain level of enjoyment and engagement.

How would you feel if you were in the position of the female owner who recently revealed, “I only have two horses in training—one with a very high-profile trainer. She was injured and has stood in her box for most of the year. She hasn’t run in over 300 days and I have received no communication from her trainer throughout that time, other than a bill each month. I was surprised to see she has been entered and declared for a race at the weekend, and still no communication from her trainer!”

The same lady, who doesn’t want her trainers named, reveals that she receives daily updates of her second horse, with a different but equally renowned trainer. “I receive videos of her at exercise, photos of her in the yard and of course updates about her progress and racing plans.” She has younger homebred horses waiting in the wings, and despite the prestige and proven results of the non-communicative trainer, he is unlikely to receive another horse from her.

Just as results can’t be relied upon to pay the bills, so a trainer can’t simply rely upon his or her own results to attract and retain owners. Good communication and fully engaging owners have never been more important skills than during pandemic-stricken 2020.

We may have been used to regular visits from owners and discussions in person, without any need for remote communication, but in 2020, that ended for everyone. Whether we want to adapt, or see any need to adapt, the option has been taken from us; remote communication has become a necessity.

For many trainers, keeping in active contact with absentee owners has always been a part of daily business. You don’t necessarily need time or technical skills to engage your owners. There may be staff or family members who are happy to assist with social media updates, and the curation of yard photos and videos can be a team effort.

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube are increasingly popular platforms for instant updates, feeding easily into a website to keep the website current and dynamic. WhatsApp and other chat groups are useful for private group messages—one message goes to all in the group; and Facebook allows for private and group pages—a single point for sharing information that can be accessed by all those invited. None of the platforms require technical skills or high-tech equipment, so there really is no excuse for failing to keep owners involved.

Gina Rarick, based in Chantilly, has a dedicated private Facebook group page where entries, morning work videos, race replays and photos are posted; and she also has her own YouTube channel to which anyone can subscribe for free (www.youtube.com/user/GallopFrance). Regular uploads include horses-in-training, race day videos, explanations of training methods, and French racing rules and customs.

Ger Lyons

Even just maintaining a website can be a big step in the right direction. “We’re quite proud of our website,” says Newmarket trainer Charlie Fellowes. “Any syndicate we form has a WhatsApp group set up for all members so that we can instantly send a video of the horse on the gallops, which enhances the ownership experience.” A comprehensive gallery shows candid photos of the horses at home and at work, sent to owners regularly to keep them in touch and feeling a part of the process. YouTube links provide video footage, too. Fellowes also writes a lively and up-to-date blog, so it’s genuinely possible to follow the yard from anywhere in the world and always feel a sense of personal involvement.

Alex Hutter of Gordon Elliott Racing uses the The Racing Manager app to regularly send pictures and video to owners.

Trainers Jamie Osborne and Ger Lyons are others well-known for their daily Tweets and blogs, which Lyons says takes no more than 10 minutes each morning. Establishing five or 10 minutes per day for blogs or Tweets should be part of a trainer’s daily administrative business, keeping to a regular routine. The easy direct sharing of photos and videos is possible on all smartphones, and there are several apps on the market to assist trainers or syndicate managers with larger group sharing, which may include race entries and race replays—with pricing starting at around €30 per month or on a per-horse basis.

Alex Hutter, racing secretary for Gordon Elliott Racing, tells us, “We currently use The Racing Manager app and try to send our owners pictures and videos of their horses as often as we can. We try and set aside at least one afternoon per week to do this in the yard and each owner receives a video of their horse at the races in the paddock every time they run. It’s definitely beneficial to the business as you can never give the owners too much feedback. With the year that it has been, all of our owners have really appreciated the content that we have sent them.” …

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Bureaucracy in training - how trainers are coping with the added paperwork they now need to produce for racing authorities

By Lissa Oliver

Conny Whitfield, a small-scale German trainer based in Iffezheim, shares one of German racing’s best kept secrets. “Elsewhere in Europe, most stables have a secretary, but here in Germany, most trainers do not. There are 15 trainers based here, three with over 50 horses in training each; and none of us have secretaries.”

As the office work elsewhere in racing yards increases, it’s perhaps bitter-sweet to learn that some jurisdictions have honed an efficient online system that can actually save trainers time in the office.

“We have 10 horses in training, and I do all the office work myself, although I do have the help of an accountant,” Whitfield reveals. “I find all the paperwork and documentation required on a daily basis to be straightforward, and it has not really increased in recent years. The difference now is that it is all online, and I find it simpler. Moving online has been a great help. What used to take me an hour now only takes 10 minutes. The only paperwork needed is collecting receipts.”

Whitfield has a lot of runners in France and notes, “There’s much more paperwork required by France Galop!” She admits that recruiting and dealing with staff is a bigger issue than office work, as finding good staff in Germany is a major problem.

There are always exceptions, and Cologne-based Peter Schiergen is assisted with secretarial duties by his wife Gisela. He also has Valeria Holinger working on his website and social media, but he does have over 70 horses in training. Christian von der Recke, with 43 horses, has introduced Stefanie Sambale to his team—the first person in his office for many years.

Producing good riders and grooms is the necessary priority for the racing school in Cologne, but the mounting office work faced by most other trainers means that courses for Racing Secretaries are becoming an equal part of the curriculum at Europe’s horseracing academies.

Ireland’s Racing Academy and Centre of Education (RACE) is the latest to introduce such a course—the part-time racing secretary course new for 2020 and delivered via Zoom (due to pandemic restrictions) in six afternoons over three weeks. Among the six modules covered are Racing Administration, Payroll and Health and Safety, which have increased significantly in recent years.

Racing Secretaries courses are designed to provide aspiring secretaries and newly appointed secretaries with a comprehensive understanding of the role of the trainer’s secretary, the structure of the racing industry and racing administration. Clare Breadin was seeking work within the racing industry when she recently completed the Newmarket-based course and found it was an even mix between those already working in a racing yard office and those, like herself, looking to change careers.

“I see the role of the racing secretary as quite demanding,” Breadin observes, “as they cover Health and Safety, Human Relations, declarations, bookings, owners, accounts, payroll and so on. Attention to detail is a must. Also, now everything has to be on social media, which is another additional task. I feel the job could be very stressful, and secretaries are needed seven days a week.”

Breadin, who now works in a leading flat racing stable in Britain, found the software programmes for accounts and billing easy to use and straightforward, so it would seem the traditional tasks have been alleviated somewhat by the digital era. But new responsibilities for employers regarding data management, working hours and the health, safety and general wellbeing of employees have brought a tougher new dimension to the office.

“Some trainers have several secretaries, as some do the book-keeping and some deal with the racing side of things,” Breadin notes. “I think maybe with the increase of racing, and also more international runners, the role has increased.”

This is borne out by Hannah Watson, racing secretary and PA to British trainers James and Ed Bethell. “Over the last year, the emphasis on the trainer's secretary to carry out more and more administration duties and paperwork has increased dramatically,” Watson says. “Weatherbys have now changed several things. VAT Summaries are now online, and we must go through them all monthly and print them out. The naming of the horse online now is done by us, and Weatherbys just send us a sticker for the passport once confirmed. We must make sure of the correct spelling, etc.

“Unfortunately, due to COVID, we now must declare all racing staff online and then do the race day declaration. Previously this would be done by a member of staff at the races in the weighing room. This takes time, and it is so important to get all the information correct, such as whether the horse needs to wear a red hood to the start, etc. It's our responsibility to make sure all our owners and staff have passed the COVID questionnaire before attending racing; we then organise the badges via the PASS Card system.

“I am lucky, as I have worked on and off in the racing industry as a trainer’s secretary for many years. I have had no formal training and taught myself along the way. Weatherbys do have a help desk if we are ever stuck.”

Martine Ricard, secretary to Henri-Alex Pantall in Beaupréau, France, joined the team in 1983, and has followed its progress, being responsible for all the administration and management of the business. “It is with pleasure that I could talk about the job of racing secretary, I’ve been practicing it for 35 years and it’s true that there have been a lot of developments,” she says.

“The job of stable secretary has evolved considerably since I started, 35 years ago. Everything has become enormously professional and centralised at France Galop. The number of race meetings, now several meetings per day, has increased a lot and as a result the workload of entries, forfeits, declarations of starters, climbs too. Then there is the organisation for owners and transport for this. “Fortunately, the internet is there! And the France Galop site greatly facilitates our work, it has become an essential tool for our work, but also much more specialised and demanding, it is also our reference.”

Pantall’s stable is well-established and successful, as Ricard points out. “With the exception of this particular year, we have on average more than 1,000 starters per year, plus those abroad who are also ask to complete special formalities. In addition, there is staff management, and in France social laws are constantly evolving, and all the billing. “In conclusion, one or more secretary in a stable is more and more essential, to free the trainer from this increasingly time-consuming administrative work and she or he must have a great capacity for adaptation.”

It would seem that with any volume of runners, a trainer simply cannot devote the necessary time to the administration involved in running a larger racing stable, even if he or she possessed the required skill set and interest. Few people get involved with horses in order to immerse themselves in office duties, least of all trainers. For many British stables, having two office staff is fast becoming the norm.

With over 250 horses in training, Middleham-based UK trainer Mark Johnston has a team of seven in the office; four secretaries complimented by a dedicated human resources and transport manager, an accounts manager and a partnerships manager to deal specifically with shared ownership horses. …

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Sales protocols across Europe this autumn - global bloodstock calendar thrown into disarray by Covid 19 - how auction houses have embraced changes to their business practices

By Alysen Miller

With the global bloodstock calendar thrown into disarray by the coronavirus pandemic, auction houses have had to embrace changes to their business practices in order to keep the show on the road.

As a European summer racing season like no other winds towards its conclusion, the eyes of the racing world turn towards the autumn yearling sales. But the view from a corona-ravaged gallery might be somewhat different from previous years. “Things have been different already,” explains Alix Choppin, Head of Marketing and Business Development for Arqana. Earlier this summer, the major houses in Europe and North America made emergency changes to their calendars to enable their summer sales to go ahead. Arqana partnered with Goffs to move their Breeze-Up Sale to Doncaster to allow then-locked-down British buyers to attend. 

Now, hot on the heels of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement that any person entering the UK from France will be subject to 14 days’ quarantine, their Select Yearling Sale was brought forward to early September in order to allow buyers who make the journey to Deauville to follow with the Goffs Orby Sale, also relocated to Doncaster, then on to Newmarket for the relocated Tattersalls Ireland sale and the regular Tattersalls October Yearling Sales at Park Paddocks. 

This ‘moveable feast’ approach to auctioneering is just one way in which the major European sales houses are adapting to this strange new world. But it is not without its challenges. As the all-important yearling sales season approaches, the major houses around Europe are facing the prospect of restricted attendance and reduced volumes. “At the moment, the situation is that no American buyers are going to be able to attend unless they have a European residence or a European passport,” notes Choppin. “So that’s a big issue. The same applies to Australians and people from the Middle East. That’s obviously a big challenge.”

The decision to hold the Arqana and Goffs Breeze-Up Sales at the same time and in the same place, albeit with a reduced catalogue, proved to be a benefit for both buyers and sellers who would otherwise not have been able to make the trip. 

It was a different story for BBAG. The German auction house had to cancel its breeze-up sale in May. At time of writing, their Premier Yearling Sale had just taken place, topped by a record-equalling sister to Sea The Moon. “We were very happy that we could hold our Yearling Sale,” said BBAG’s Managing Director Klaus Eulenberger. After first demonstrating that they could hold a ‘concept’ sale that complied with Baden-Württemberg state COVID regulations, BBAG was given the go-ahead for entrance to up to 500 active buyers. “It was held in a way which was quite different to what is normal here, but at least we could have a sale; and there are no big troubles right now.” 

BBAG

With its smaller volumes (BBAG catalogues between 600-650 horses a year) and boutique catalogue, the annual yearling sale in the picturesque spa town of Baden-Baden—nestled in the foothills of Germany’s Black Forest—is as much a social event as a yearling sale. “This year our sales are not open for the public,” laments Eulenberger. “Usually we have loads of tourists, loads of visitors here. It’s a special atmosphere for them. They can’t access the sales this year.” For those agents and trainers who could not attend in person, a live stream was provided and telephone bidding accepted, although BBAG has no immediate plans to offer online bidding at any of its auctions.

Tattersalls

Tattersalls has used the opportunity presented by COVID to expedite the introduction of its new online bidding platform. “We’ve already rolled out an awful lot of new initiatives to try and make things as easy as possible for buyers in what’s proving to be a very difficult and challenging year for all concerned,” says Marketing Director Jimmy George. “We’ve been looking at developing an online sales platform for the last few years, but the outbreak of the virus accelerated that process. We now have a really good, fully functional online sales platform.” Live internet bidding was available for both the Craven and Ascot Breeze-Up Sales. Nevertheless, it’s hoped that the October Yearling Sales will be able to be conducted in a conventional manner. “So far, we’ve conducted five sales at Tattersalls paddocks since the outbreak of the virus, and every single one of them has enjoyed clearance rates of 83% or higher,” says George. However, even the mighty Tattersalls is not immune to the economic fallout of a global pandemic. “The numbers in each of those catalogues were smaller than they would be in a normal year, and that’s COVID-related,” says George. “And I don’t think anybody is under any illusions about the challenges that everybody’s facing—not just in the thoroughbred industry, but in every walk of life.”

Widely regarded as Europe’s signature yearling sale, Book 1 traditionally attracts buyers and sellers from all over the world. Jewels in this year’s catalogue include a Frankel half-brother to Prix de l’Abbaye and Nunthorpe Stakes winner Marsha, and a Kingman half-brother to 2,000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold. So what impact will ongoing travel restrictions have on the ability of clientele to snap up a future champion? “This is an ever-changing scene, so it’s extremely hard to predict. But we’ve introduced many different ways in which we can facilitate participation from buyers who are unable to attend any of our sales, to reflect the difficulties that some people are having. But equally, we’re in a better place than we were earlier in the year in terms of who can, and cannot, travel reasonably freely to the UK. The challenge is to do everything we possibly can within our power to make it easy for people to participate,” says George. While online bidding will not be available for the October Yearling Sales, Tattersalls has rolled out more extensive telephone bidding for those unable to attend the sales in person.

Arqana

By contrast, Arqana offered online bidding for its Select Yearling Sale. “We had the advantage of having an online platform before, named Arqana Online,” says Choppin. “But it was quite different. Originally, it was run under the format ‘one horse, one sale’ for rather elite horses in training or stallion shares. So this is the first year that we’re moving it to a mainstream online platform to complement live bidding.” Arqana also produced videos of all the yearlings to be auctioned so buyers can get a first glimpse. …

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Price money & the Covid impact - will prize money ever return to pre-COVID-19 levels? - Lissa Oliver looks into the various pots of prize money and the racing authorities’ recovery plans

By Lissa Oliver

We are in a period of uncertainty throughout the global business world, with the loss of many businesses and a need for government aid among others. Racing is no exception, but is the COVID crisis truly affecting European prize money levels or is it simply a new excuse?

In Ireland, 2020 began with great optimism as Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) announced a five-year strategic plan—its first in ten years—aiming to increase annual government funding to €98 million by 2024. The Irish State contribution to racing in both 2020 and 2019 stands at €67 million. HRI also hoped to have prize money increased to €90 million by the end of the five-year period and increase minimum race value to €12,500. Two weeks later, the COVID emergency erupted, and prize money for the year ahead was reduced by at least 10% and up to 50% at the highest level.

Deutscher Galopp produced a similarly upbeat reflection on 2019 as the year began, with imports well above average, negative trends reversed and prize money continuing an upward curve, with a further increase maintained for 2020. Then came COVID and Dr Michael Vesper, president of Deutscher Galopp, announced that due to having no spectators prize money would be cut by 50%, but minimum levels of €3,000 would be retained. 

This is a common picture across Europe, even when the new year had not brought with it such high expectations. The Norwegian Jockey Club announced that the association was in a difficult financial situation and prize money in the big races would be reduced. 

Prize money reduction, and fluctuation, is nothing new. At the higher end of the sport, the Group races have seen a steady decline in prize money since the turn of the century in all bar Ireland and Britain, although increases to the average prize value overall suggests simply a fairer distribution of the pot across all levels. The average Irish prize value, however, shows a recent decline and the financial focus appears to be more on quality racing. Nevertheless, the average prize money in Ireland last year only just topped 2015 levels and failed to match the heights of 2005. In Britain, 20 years have made a scant impact on average prize money, which more or less remains at 2000 levels. Are trainers also having to operate at fees unchanged for 20 years as inflation increases their costs?

Although we are far from any economic recovery and racing continues behind closed doors in many jurisdictions, racing authorities are making recovery plans and hoping to return to pre-COVID levels by year end. Other measures to lessen the personal economic hardship on industry professionals are also in place, and this will also ultimately impact overall recovery.

Deutscher Galopp asked participants to halve their fees and German betting companies to waive all fees until there was a full resumption of racing.

“This is a bridging period between the phase without races and the one with races in front of spectators. It therefore lasts as short as possible and as long as necessary,” said Jan Pommer, managing director of Deutscher Galopp.

All races have been broadcast live and free of charge on the Deutscher Galopp website and other digital platforms during this period. “We want to make the best of this situation and present our great racing to even more people. We hope to win new fans like this,” Pommer said.

Charlie Liverton

In March, France Galop stopped collecting the access fees for horses stabled in the training centres at Chantilly, Deauville and Maisons-Laffitte and regional training centres—a measure in place until at least  May 1st 2020. It also granted trainers who rent their boxes a suspension on rent payments for as long as racing remained suspended. Funds collected from fines were redirected to trainers to help relieve the financial blow of the lockdown. The fund contained €540,000, and if split evenly among all 381 eligible trainers each would receive €1,417. France Galop, however, gave trainers the opportunity to forego the aid to further assist those in need. 

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) provided emergency financial support of £22 million (€24.5m) to help racing people, businesses and communities cope with the crisis. British racing’s main charity, the Racing Foundation, holds the proceeds from the 2011 sale of the Tote, and the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) also stepped up with a substantial package of grants and loans. 

The Chief Executive of the British Racehorse Owners Association, Charlie Liverton, said at the time, “Racing’s leaders want to act as quickly as possible to protect livelihoods and address hardship. We hope this funding will go a long way to supporting the most vulnerable. We also support the Levy Board’s decision to ensure that there is enough money still available to get racing back on its feet once we resume.

“People across racing, including many owners, are currently facing significant financial challenges whilst continuing to maintain payments. They need the prospect of racing activity and prize money to support their costs and get the sport moving again. We would like to thank trainers and everyone else who have worked so hard to ease costs and care for horses in these most trying of times.” …

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Coronavirus shutdown - the effects on training regimes, racing staff wellbeing and how the racing industry adapts to change

By Alysen Miller

“Business as Usual”: How the Racing Community Learned to Thrive in a Pandemic, and What We Can Teach the Rest of the World

As the coronavirus blazed its pestilential path across the world, altering virtually every aspect of life as we know it, in a quiet corner of northern France it was business as usual. Every morning, accompanied by the sound of birdsong from the surrounding Chantilly Forest and unperturbed by the cacophony of confusion emanating from the corridors of power, 50 kilometres away in Paris, Nicolas Clément put his string through their paces on the gallops of Les Aigles and Les Lions. “The truth is we had to keep the horses ticking over,” he explains. “We did a bit less, obviously, when there was no visibility [about when racing would resume]. I had more time in the afternoon to look at my horses and stuff. But I didn’t change much, to be honest. Because your routine is your work.”

Nicolas Clément

It’s an attitude that is replicated from Newmarket to Norway. In fact, wherever racehorses are trained, European trainers have stoically gone about their business, even as the magnitude of the moment seemed to take on ever-more alarming new contours. Even as London’s Excel Centre was being converted into a field hospital and graves were being dug in trenches in New York City, racehorses still had to be exercised.

Doncaster’s COVID-19 screening process.

It’s a sentiment that is echoed, in virtually identical terms, by Oslo-based Are Hyldmo. “The daily routine hasn’t really changed that much at all,” he says. “Of course, we have had to be a bit more strict about who comes to the stables. I will allow owners to come but not in big groups. We have policies about washing your hands. We’ve used more hand soap in the last few weeks,” he deadpans, with typical Scandinavian understatement.

“I’m not one of the worriers,” chirps fellow Scandinavian Jessica Long from her yard in Malmö. “It’s not just going to go away, so we’ve got to cope with it. The world can’t stop.” The Nordic neighbours couldn’t be more different in terms of their respective responses to the virus: Norway has been praised for its swift and decisive COVID-19 response, announcing a nationwide lockdown on 12th of March that saw the closure of schools and businesses and a ban on sporting events. Sweden, meanwhile, is something of an outlier in its apparently more casual approach to managing the outbreak. Yet the experiences of the two trainers are remarkably similar. “For us it’s been pretty much business as usual,” confirms Long, repeating the trainers’ mantra.

Dr Antonis Kousoulis

All this is not to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic which, at time of writing, has infected nearly 5 million people and resulted in 324,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organisation. For many, the pathogen itself is only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of adults have reported feeling panicked, afraid and unprepared as a result of the pandemic, according to research from the Mental Health Foundation, a UK-based charity; while almost a quarter of adults living under lockdown have experienced loneliness. “The impact… on mental health can be very hard to manage,” warns Dr Antonis Kousoulis, director at the Mental Health Foundation, in the report. “We fear that we may be living with the mental health impacts of the coronavirus situation for many years to come.”

Yet the racing community has singularly maintained its sense of stoicism—even humour—even in our darkest hours. Now, as the first virulent wave breaks and rolls back and countries across the continent begin to take their first tentative steps out of lockdown, it is worth examining how, as a cohort, the racing community was able to survive and even thrive during one of the most extraordinary periods of human history, and what lessons we might be able to impart to the rest of the world.

“Racing people are incredibly resilient, that’s for sure,” says psychologist Michael Caulfield. “They’ve coped and adapted with extraordinary resilience, and they’ve done it their way. And everyone has found their own rhythm.”

One of the UK’s leading performance psychologists, Caulfield, works with a number of prominent football, cricket and rugby teams, as well as providing support to individual athletes and coaches. Even compared to other sportspeople, he says, the racing world has seemed to weather the storm far better than most. (In a previous life, Caulfield worked as a stable lad and, later, as chief executive of the Professional Jockeys Association; so he knows whereof he speaks.) The reason for this resilience, he suggests, is that racing people are inherently a species of risk-takers: “The racing world has always lived with risk. And I think with this situation now, we’re having to teach the world to learn to live with risk again because risk is a part of everyday life. With horses, it’s a part of every hour of your life; financially, in terms of the risk of injury, in terms of the uncertainty. So racing people are better equipped to deal with it than most.” Caulfield acknowledges that some of the restrictions imposed by lockdown, such as not being able to go to the pub with your mates, have perhaps been easier on people who didn’t have a social life to begin with: “How many people from equestrianism do you meet during the week for a night out? You don’t.” …

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Should we fear or embrace continuing professional development?

By Lissa Oliver

There is a saying, ‘teaching Granny how to suck eggs’, which implies Granny has more knowledge and experience than we may ever teach her, and it’s a reverent approach we tend to take with any successful professional within the thoroughbred industry. Be they young or old, if they have bred or trained winners, we defer to their expertise or seek it out for our own education. And yet there’s a far more common idiom used regularly among trainers: ‘you never stop learning when it comes to horses’.

Just how do our industry professionals continue to learn? From the new ideas of the next generation coming through? From innovations in technology and food science? From networking and sharing ideas? From trade magazines such as this, bringing the latest research news? Possibly all of those; but there is one obvious source missing: the classroom.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is mandatory in many professions, and we wouldn’t expect it to be otherwise. Vets, for example, need to undertake a minimum of 105 hours of CPD in any three-year period, with an average of 35 hours per year. That’s four full days a year. Veterinary nurses need to complete a minimum of 45 hours of CPD in any three-year period, with an average of 15 hours per year. Dentists must complete a minimum of 100 hours of CPD over a five-year period and must have some CPD training within two consecutive years.

Each registered practitioner must make an annual declaration of their CPD and will be removed from the register if they fail to record CPD. They are also required to have a personal development plan (PDP) outlining specific training requirements and targets. Even following a career break, to be returned to a professional register involves evidence of compliance with CPD. And would we, the client, have it any other way?

You might argue it is to be expected of medical practitioners and agree that it’s also a safeguard for teachers and accountants, among the many professions for whom CPD is mandatory. But is it really necessary for the thoroughbred industry, which is still based very much on skills handed down through generations? How much has equine husbandry actually changed?

Possibly very little, but the business of producing and training racehorses has certainly seen a massive change in recent years. Compliance with the arrangement of working hours, new taxation methods, the safeguarding of staff against bullying, parental leave, health and safety assessment, staff induction policies, social media marketing—the list is endless, and none of the new challenges facing trainers have readymade solutions passed down from our forebears.

Closer to home in the equine world, Horse Sport Ireland (HSI) has instigated a mandatory CPD programme for all Level 1 Apprentice, Level 2 and Level 3 Coaches. HSI is keen to see all coaches progress their coaching skills, and this is the premise on which their CPD programme is based. HSI’s CPD events are a minimum of a half-day, and the minimum requirement of CPD credits is five per year. Examples of CPD are Safeguarding, worth one credit; First Aid, worth two credits; and HSI Coaching, worth three credits.

Again, it is the responsibility of each coach to maintain records, certificates and other evidence of compliance and to submit these to HSI. Anyone who fails to acquire the required credits or submit sufficient evidence will be removed from the register. Similarly, the British and Irish Pony Clubs have mandatory CPD requirements for instructors based on the same credit/point system. How much has the art of teaching people to ride changed, we may also ask?

OK, so CPD is necessary for skilled practitioners upon whom the public depends, and for teachers and coaches who need to be certain they are passing on current approved skills driven by modern standards. But how does this apply to me? Racehorse trainers fit both categories. Not all staff arrive with years of experience behind them, and the general public is actively encouraged to get involved in horse ownership. We are skilled suppliers of a public service and are expected to be trusted sources of learning for our employees.

Whether we like it or not, the modern workplace has progressed, and as trainers we are expected to progress with it. CPD is no longer simply a requirement of licencing bodies; it is expected by clients and depended upon by those to whom we owe a duty of care—our staff and horses and, most importantly, ourselves. Can we afford to be without it?

In North America, many trainers believe we can. Under some licencing jurisdictions CPD is mandatory, yet trainers still fail to attend required seminars, and the compulsory attendance is unenforced. Deutscher Galopp has a dedicated page for trainers on its website and suggests news of seminars and workshops can be found there when available, but there are currently none. 

Liv Kristiansen

Liv Kristiansen, Norsk Jockeyklub, reports that other than the mandatory course to gain their licence, Norwegian trainers are equally reluctant. “We have arranged some seminars, but our experience is that trainers very seldom attend any conferences or seminars even when offered.”

“I can understand that,” reflects Michael Grassick, CEO Irish Racehorse Trainers Association (IRTA). “Many trainers are having to do most things themselves; the majority run small operations with less than 20 horses, and they’re riding out and having to be very hands-on. They haven’t the time to be away from the yard. 

“Courses are a help, but it should be a personal choice; I wouldn’t like to say mandatory. Trainers do need help with things; everyday business is becoming more complicated with more documentation needed. They need help with things like litigation, health and safety, manual handling, insurance. They are well able to train horses but are needing more and more help with the business side of things. Seminars would be useful, but they would need to be held in the afternoon or evening.”

Michael Grassick,

What is it about CPD that makes us wary? Continuing professional development certainly sounds like something we should all welcome and embrace, but it hasn’t always been marketed as such. With compulsory hours and the inference that participants are merely wasting time certifying already existent skills, CPD has become something to fear and resent, akin to being taught ‘how to suck eggs’.

We should instead remember that, working with thoroughbreds, we never stop learning; and the rapidly evolving workplace brings with it an additional pressure to learn. Correctly tailored, CPD helps enhance the skills needed to deliver a professional service to our clients, staff and satellite community, such as media and authorities, and ensures our knowledge is relevant and up to date. It should help us to be more aware of the changing trends and directions of our profession. It is vital, therefore, that the accredited courses and workshops recognise and address those needs. Simply acquiring a certificate for existing skills is not enough.

CPD must be a documented process that is self-directed and driven by the participant, not their employer or licensing authority. That means that to make it relevant, trainers should be sourcing areas of learning of most interest to them and suggesting topics for workshops to be run by the licencing bodies.

This has long been the practice of the various Thoroughbred Breeders Associations, who run seasonal training programmes and workshops for participants, based on the feedback and needs of members and participants. The education programme is not compulsory, but courses and workshops are always over-subscribed and certainly the idiom of ‘never stop learning’ is embraced and practiced by those working in the breeding sector. Should the training sector be any different?

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Staying power - is the French staying race division running out of steam?

By John Gilmore

The European Pattern Committee's decision that three French Gp2 middle distance races and the Gp1 Criterium de Saint Cloud for two-year-olds risk to be downgraded in 2021, should come as no surprise to anyone.

A major problem has been the lack of quality middle distance horses being trained in France over the past few years, which the country was once famous for. Most of the better stallions like Galileo, Dubawi, Sea The Stars and Frankel are based in Ireland or England, which wouldn't in itself be a problem if the majority of the foals born from French mares who cross the shores to be mated with them, ended up finally being trained in France. The truth is many don't, and it's a pattern that's been getting worse over the years with foreigners from around the globe, buying all the commercially bred top-priced yearling horses. 

Earthlight winning the Prix Morny. The only French trained Group I winner at Deauville last August

Arqana can be well satisfied with last August's three-day yearling sales. Overall turnover rose 14.8% to €42,789,000 from 228 yearlings sold, two less than how many went through the ring the previous year. But whether it's also good for French racing is highly questionable. Once again Ecurie Des Monceaux led the way with 28 yearlings, which sold for a total of €9,975,000, including the two highest Lot 147, a Galileo colt , sold to Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida for €1.5m and Lot 148, a filly by Dubawi, bought by Godolphin for €1.625m. Emphasising the studs’ trusted formula of mating, the majority of their mares with top Irish and English stallions. 

Of the 20 horses sold through the ring for €500,000 or more last year, all were bought by foreign buyers and only three sired by French based stallions: Siyouni, Shalaa and Le Havre for €650,000, €600,000 and €500,000, respectively. As most of the horses are unlikely to be trained in France, it's hardly positive for maintaining a healthy quality number of racehorses in France and as a consequence is somewhat negative for the future breeding industry, when needing to replace breeding stock in the future. 

Significantly, all but one of the American bloodstock agents present were GENERALLY buying only top quality fillies for their clients, not only for racing but also with future breeding in mind. This is a  trend that has been increasing at European yearling sales over the past few years to top up the short supply of turf-bred quality US mares.

The negative quality of top-class horses in France is evident looking at French track results over the past few years with British and Irish trained horses taking a large slice of the Group races in France.

At Deauville in August last year, only the André Fabre-trained Earthlight (Shamardal) prevented a clean sweep of the five Gp1 races run there by English and Irish trained horses. French trained horses won their five Classic races in 2019, but ended up winning only 12 of the 28 total annual Gp1 races in France with foreign-based horses taking the rest. This was inferior to the previous year when the French won 14 of the 27 Gp1 races held that year. 

The extra Gp1 in 2019 being the Prix Royallieu run at ParisLongchamp over the Arc weekend, which was upgraded to Gp1 status and its distance extended from 2,500m to 2,800. In the past two years the race has been won by a British- and Irish-trained horse. It broke a six-time winning sequence of French-trained horses, who had also won 15 of the previous 17 runnings since 2001.

Roman Candle winning the Prix Greffulhe Group 2. The race is under threat for downgrading in 2021.

In fact there has been a notable descending trend of French-trained Gp1 victories since 2011, when they won 22 of the 27 races on their soil. For the full picture of all Group races, it's a similar pattern, with French-trained horses victorious in 93 from the 110 on offer in 2011, down to 72 out of 115 Group races last year.

All in all, it's not too much of a surprise that the European Pattern committee is looking to downgrade the Prix Grefulhe Gp2 French Derby trial, which admittedly was won by the Niarchos families Study of Man two years ago, winning easily in a small field. The colt subsequently went on to capture the Prix Du Jockey Club but has not done much since. Last year the race was won by Roman Candle, who later finished 5th in the Jockey Club and 4th in the Grand Prix de Paris. Downgrading is not the only major issue here, but more so the weak fields, notably in the past two years, shows the lack of depth in quality middle-distance horses in France. 

When you consider that in the past, both the Prix Grefulhe and Prix Du Jockey Club were won by the likes of Peintre Celebre, Montjeu and Dalakhani who all went on to win the Arc de Triomphe and Pour Mol completed the Grefulhe and English Derby double before having a training accident. All horses had one thing in common: they were all owned by owner/breeders. 

The key factor is even owner/breeders who can take more time with racehorses have adapted to the change in the Jockey Club distance from 2,400m to 2,100m in 2005, which has led to them copying the commercial market and breeding shorter distance horses. Notably, French owner/breeders like the Aga Khan and Wertheimer, by their own high standards, have not produced a top classic middle-distance performer in the past few years. It is hardly a coincidence that since 2005, the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club has never gone on to win the Prix De L'Arc de Triomphe. By contrast, in the previous 13 years, three horses: Peintre Celebre 1997, Montjeu 1999 and Dalakhani 2003 did the double.

It would appear the prophecy made by the late French journalist and historian Michel Bouchet in May 2016 rings true. “It was a grave mistake to shorten the distance of the Prix Du Jockey Club race for the French breeding industry as it’s now possible to win the Poule D'essai des Poulains over 1,600 metres and Prix Du Jockey Club with the same horse.” Three did it: Brametot, Lope de Vega and Shamardal. “All the trainers I know will regret the change, and it will only encourage breeders to produce fewer middle-distance performers." 

This emphasis on the commercial markets’ influence on breeding increasingly shorter-distance horses can be clearly shown by last year's Arqana August yearling sale over the three days. …

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Finding Owners

By Alysen Miller

Millennials: as the younger generation of trainers comes of age, could they teach the old guard a thing or two about attracting and retaining new owners to the sport? As the racing industry collectively seeks to recruit a younger, more diverse demographic, and trainers are having to get increasingly creative in order to entice new owners into the sport, it is the trainers of the social media generation who are taking the reins.

The best way to make a small fortune in racing, so goes the proverb, is to start with a large fortune. But how large? £22,595, to be exact. According to the Racehorse Owners Association, that was the average cost of owning a flat racehorse in the UK in 2017 (the last year for which figures are available); and that’s before entry fees, veterinary bills and insurance are factored into the equation. Based on a horse’s running an average of 7.4 times a year, that gives a ‘cost-per-run’ of £3,053—in other words, a snip at £20 per second. Translated into Millennial parlance, that’s a lot of pieces of avocado toast. In short, you don’t have to be royalty to participate in the sport of kings, but it helps. So where do trainers find a pool of people willing to submit their bank balance to this particular kind of reverse equine alchemy?

Robert Cowell

The answer—as for where you turn when you want to find out what type of sandwich you are based on, your star sign or who would play your best friend in the movie of your life—is social media. Increasingly, trainers are turning to Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to advertise their wares to the wider world. These days, seemingly every trainer—Millennial or not—and his dog have a social media account (just ask the latest star of the Twittersphere, Jamie Osborne’s infamous whippet, Bad Bobby). “I think Facebook, Twitter and Instagram certainly help reach a larger audience”, says the decidedly non-Millennial Robert Cowell who, at 50, would doubtless be the first to admit that he is more au fait with winning posts than Facebook posts. “A lot of people that we have engaged with are very interested in the day-to-day life of what goes on in a racing yard. Short videos and little pictures every now and again—just giving them an update of what we do—is certainly no skin off our nose, and if it helps people to understand our industry, then I think it’s a very good thing”.

But though the tools at today’s trainers’ disposal may be relatively new-fangled, it remains to be seen just how novel this approach is in reality. From social media to syndicates, trainers have always sought new avenues to bring racehorse ownership to a wider public and diversify their portfolio of owners. Now a common sight on racecourses throughout Europe and, indeed, the world, the first syndicates in the UK were set up by Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds and then Highclere Racing more than 20 years ago. Today, Highclere is one of the largest manager of syndicates in Europe, where syndicate ownership is increasingly popular even as sole ownership is declining. In the UK alone, 5,447 people participated in ownership via syndicates or other shared ownership schemes in 2018—an increase of 6.2% year-on-year. Compare that with a 1.4% drop in sole ownership over the same period. So what is it about the communal approach that appeals to owners? The most obvious answer is the price: for a fraction of the cost of owning a racehorse outright, a syndicate member can rub shoulders with the Queen and Sheikh Mohammed in owners’ enclosures from Ascot to York. Yet the calibre of some of the celebrity clientele (high-profile syndicate members have included Sir Alec Ferguson, Elizabeth Hurley and Carol Vorderman, who can surely be counted upon to have done the math) belies the theory that cost alone is behind syndicates’ popularity.

Indeed, research shows that the satisfaction rating for syndicate members is 8.2 out of 10, compared to 7.5 out of 10 for sole owners, according to a 2016 survey undertaken by sports marketing agency Two Circles on behalf of the ROA and the BHA. Instead, the suggestion is that syndicate ownership appeals to civilians and celebrities alike because it confers a sense of being a part of something larger than oneself; of belonging to a community with whom to share in the highs and lows—in other words, that sounds rather a lot like a social network (Mark Zuckerberg, eat your heart out). So why not go all out for syndicates and the relative security they provide, rather than putting all one’s eggs in the gilded baskets of capricious individual owners?

Edward Bethell

“I think syndicates are a great thing”, says Edward Bethell who, at 26, sits squarely in the ‘digital native’ demographic. “I think trainers should do more of it. But then syndicates are a full-time job in themselves because you need someone to manage them. People need to be updated regularly”. So where does Bethell think trainers, and particularly young trainers, should focus their efforts? “I’m a big believer in social media. I think it gets you out there.

For a smaller trainer or for a young guy, you’ve got to create a niche in the market for yourself. I think social media can only be a good thing as long as you’re using it in a positive way”. Bethell, who has worked in Australia for Gai Waterhouse and sojourned for a stint in France, has overhauled his father’s social media profile and is making a name for himself as something of a social media maven.

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2019 Lycetts Team Champion Awards

Henry Owen (left), Jennie Sherrard and Josh Bennett (right).

It may only be in its second year, but the concept of Team Champion was never going to be just another annual awards bash. The award itself rewards the completion of a pathway to better business practice and is by no means simply the finishing line. Now it’s time to ask if the high-reaching objectives have been met by Team Champion and, if so, is it time to take the concept beyond the UK?

At the start of 2017, Chief Executive Rupert Arnold proposed the initiative of a Team Champion Award to the National Trainers Federation (NTF), and it wasn’t long before The Racing Foundation and sponsors Lycetts Insurance Brokers came on board. Like all good ideas, the concept was simple, the objectives being to deliver praise and a sense of achievement for the training yards with the highest standards of employee management, to showcase the positive results of developing a team that works well together, to raise awareness about safe working practices and to improve recruitment and retention rates by promoting the most successful management practices and encouraging their wider adoption among racehorse trainers.

Feedback from all those who entered in the first two years, whether or not finalists, has been hugely positive and Rupert Arnold reports, “I am delighted at how enthusiastically trainers and their staff have responded to this new award. By participating, they have opened their businesses to scrutiny by knowledgeable professionals and demonstrated that British racehorse trainers offer great places to work. We have established a strong base from which to build the award for the future. I know other trainers are already keen to follow their colleagues’ example next year, and we have acquired a bundle of knowledge and lessons to share with them”.

The Team Champion concept is underpinned by an industry standard established by the NTF, called The Winning Approach, from which it borrows its assessment criteria. One of the key challenges facing all trainers is the attraction and retention of skilled riders and grooms. Trainers are competing with many other industries for an increasingly demanding workforce, with fewer people favouring the type of work offered in a racing yard. The Winning Approach has been designed to assist trainers in managing their staff in a way that attracts and retains them, to help them engage and motivate their staff and create a better working environment.

The Team Champion categories are not only objectives in winning an award, but can also be adopted as positive steps in building a better business practise; and that is the biggest message coming back from those trainers who have so far taken part. Stars are awarded to the teams who:

• Use effective recruitment and induction systems

• Ensure a safe environment

• Create a positive working environment

• Provide development and training

• Reward and recognise the workforce

All yards that receive star recognition gain the right to use the unique award logo to promote their business.

The nomination form contains a series of questions prompting teams to describe the action they have taken to achieve those listed outcomes, and trainers have found that to be an invaluable way of assessing their own workplace and building strategic plans for the future, neither an area historically of concern to the horseman. Trainers have become businessmen through necessity, and Team Champion has undoubtedly helped many in that uncomfortable transformation.

Nick Alexander and his staff were the inaugural winning team for yards with fewer than 40 horses and he tells us, “I was keen to enter as I believe it is an initiative that trainers should support. I feel it’s very important that we change the historic way stable staff are regarded, and we need to get that perception out into the wider world.

“My assistant, Catch Bissett, did the majority of the work for the submission and everyone was fully supportive. We didn’t exactly set goals, but it made us focus a lot more on how we run the team and how we develop individuals. It has definitely had a good effect and following on, I’d like to keep moving forward in that regard.

“We do take a modern approach to how we manage staff, but I was delighted we made it to the finals and surprised to win. I can think of nothing negative about the initiative and it’s all positive. It has generated good PR, and at the moment I don’t have a problem recruiting. The only slight thing is that there is quite a lot of work involved in the submission, but that’s a positive as it makes you look hard at how you manage your business.

“We threw a good party for our core team of 14 full-time staff and with the prize money bought some smart kit for them to wear riding out and at the races, and they were all really pleased to be recognised as part of a winning team.

“Going forward, I’d like to think those behind the Award are looking at the way it’s going to be run and there really should be a higher percentage of trainers entering it; trainers should commit to how they look at their business. I realise the entry process can be daunting; I’m lucky to have an assistant who filled in the forms, so whether there could be an easier way to enter, that might help.

“I’d like to see a time when all trainers enter and if you haven’t got a basic one star you should be asking why haven’t you”?

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ETF AGM 2018

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