Trainer Profile: Harry Dunlop

By Carl Evans

Frustrated by the lingering vapour trails of the financial crisis, Lambourn trainer Harry Dunlop sought an edge, and found it in France.

That was in 2011, when he ventured to Arqana’s October Yearling Sale for the first time, bought a yearling and found an avenue which, while not untrodden, gave his business another angle, namely buying French-bred horses to race for British owners across the Channel. His yard was conveniently located little more than an hour from the ferry port at Portsmouth. The prize money was good, and the French system of premiums given to horses bred in the country was a very attractive extra.

Seven years later, after steadily developing the process, Dunlop’s string includes some ten French-bred horses with which to target races on both sides of the Channel. Brexit could cause a few bumps along the way, but with an experienced shipping company on side, and his growing knowledge of racing in France, he is optimistic of a bright future.

Dunlop says: “Whatever Brexit throws up we will take of it, and on that score owners do not need to worry. Luck Greayer handles our shipping and excels at sorting out matters and getting across borders”.

Reflecting on that exploratory cross-Channel buying trip, he says: “In 2011 the recession was still having an effect and things were quite tough; we felt we had to do something different. I made my first trip to Arqana for a yearling sale, aiming to buy a horse on spec with a small budget. We bought an Astronomer Royal colt [for €16,000], and I managed to get seven people to form a syndicate with the promise of some racing in France.

“Named Sir Patrick Moore, he turned out to be a really nice two-year-old, who won first time out at Newbury’s Lockinge Stakes meeting, teeing up the option of running in Royal Ascot’s Coventry Stakes. Instead of that, we took him to Compiegne for a Class B race which he won, earning the equivalent of finishing second in the Coventry. That opened our eyes to how profitable it could be to race in France, and, no less importantly, we were seen to be trying something different.

“Sir Patrick Moore went on to be placed in a Listed race at two and in the [Gp3] Greenham Stakes the following year, and the owners all enjoyed going to different racecourses and enjoying some good lunches. We later sold him very well to race on in Australia.

“It steamrolled from there; we went back to Arqana the following October and have since bought four Stakes horses from that sale. The pound is weaker against the euro than when we started, but most of the horses we have bought would probably have cost more in Britain or Ireland”.

Dunlop is a family man, with two young sons (Tom and William) who know which way to place a saddle on a horse’s back. William is becoming a pony-racing rider to note, and Harry’s wife, Christina, plays an important role in the business which cannot be overstated. A horsewoman who has ridden since childhood, Christina is involved at the yard on several fronts, not least as head of public relations.

Six years working for PR specialists Johnno Spence Consulting, with the Epsom Derby as her key client, Christina polished a naturally easy style that would make her invaluable in any trainer’s yard. Yet Christina is a grafter too, willing to tackle anything from office administration to intractable colts, while organising staff discussions and outings and spending time on the road. Saying, with a barely-veiled side-swipe at her husband, “I do a lot of travelling—Harry says I’m very good at it”, she adds: “I have been across to France with runners on many occasions, and my French is certainly not fluent, but I’ve found that when I ask for help—be it from trainers, their assistants or staff—everyone is very helpful. We have always been welcomed”.

To anyone who has been following racing in recent decades, no matter how distantly, the name Dunlop must ring bells, for Harry’s older brother, Ed, is a Classic-winning Newmarket trainer who has successfully raided big races around the globe, while their late father, John, was a champion trainer who sent out the winners of 10 British Classics.

Harry says: “Ed and I chat a lot, and he’s very helpful. Newmarket is the centre of flat racing and therefore it’s nice to hear what’s going on up there, and I stay with him during the yearling sales.

“Dad was very proud of our achievements, and Knight To Behold winning last year’s Derby Trial gave him some pleasure just before he died. He had won the race on a number of occasions, and the following day we chatted on the phone several times about where to go and what to do next. He always loved to know about the good horses. This is not an easy business, but it’s very rewarding, and Dad recognised that when both Ed and I wanted to go into training”.

From Paradis to Paradise in Lambourn….

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All tied up?

By Catherine Rudenko

Tying-up or ER (exertional rhabdomyolysis) is a problem that every yard will encounter at some point in time with reports of 5-7% of the thoroughbred population being affected. ER is the general term used to cover two main forms of tying-up, acute or recurrent. ER by definition relates to the breakdown of striated muscle fibres following exercise. These fibres connect to the bone allowing movement of the skeleton. Damage causes anything from mild stiffness to the inability to move.

With much still unknown about the condition, the focus falls on reducing risk and ongoing management of those affected with recurrent form. The main area for intervention and management relates to feeds and feeding practices, an area that can be directly controlled by the yard and adjusted as needed for the individuals most affected.

Acute Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

The acute form is typically caused through factors external to the muscle rather than their being an intrinsic muscle defect.

Most commonly seen when the horse is adapting to a new level of work and the intensity or duration is too strenuous. Where speed work is concerned, the most likely cause is a depletion of cellular high energy phosphates, the muscles’ energy supply, combined with lactic acidosis. Where endurance work is concerned, depletion of intracellular glycogen—the stored form of glucose often combined with over-heating and electrolyte imbalances—is the common cause.

The other key factor for an acute episode is dietary energy intake being excessive to the current level of work. The use of high starch feeds to supply energy for horses in training is a common practice with grains, traditionally oats, forming the basis of such feeds. In the early stages of fitness work, an over-supply of energy relative to need, particularly when starch forms a large part of the diet, is a risk factor.

Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis

This form of ER, where episodes are frequent and often seen even at low levels of exercise, has led to the suggestion that much like humans, there is an inherited intrinsic muscle defect. Such defects would predispose the horse to ER. Documented defects relevant to thoroughbreds include a disorder in muscle contractility or excitation contraction coupling, whereby muscle fibres become over-sensitive and normal function is disrupted.  

Risk factors for ER in horses with the recurrent form include stress or high excitement during exercise, periods of jogging (10-30 minutes), infrequent exercise and over-feeding of energy in a high starch format relative to need.

Dietary Considerations for ER

The amount of energy fed and the type of energy fed are important considerations whether looking to avoid an acute feed related episode or considering the management of a horse with the recurrent form.

Other nutrients often talked about when managing ER include vitamin E, selenium and electrolytes. Historically the inclusion of vitamin E and selenium were considered important for the prevention of further episodes, however there is no evidence to support such use. A case of deficiency in either of these nutrients may well put the horse at a disadvantage and could perhaps create a state where occurrence is more notable; however, with the advent of fortified and balanced complete bagged feeds, such nutrients are normally supplied in more than adequate amounts. Their role as antioxidants which function to ‘mop-up’ damaging free radicals generated through training is where their use can benefit any horse at this level of work. The use of additional vitamin E is also recommended when increasing the fat content of the diet—a common practice when feeding horses with recurrent ER.

Electrolytes do play an important role in normal muscle function, and any deficiency noted in the diet should be corrected. Identifying a need in the diet is more easily done than determining if the individual horse has a problem with absorption or utilisation of the electrolytes. A urinary fractional excretion test (FE) will highlight issues, and subsequent correction through the diet to return the horse to within normal ranges may offer some improvement. However, it is important to note that for horses with recurrent ER, where an intrinsic muscle defect is present, the research to date has shown no electrolyte imbalances or differences between such horses and unaffected horses.

Quantifying ‘Low Starch and High fat’ Feeding

The recommended practice for management of ER is a reduction in starch and an increase in fats. This practice has two ways of benefiting the horse: a reduction in ‘spookiness’ or reactivity and a positive effect on muscle damage as seen by lower CK (creatine kinase) levels following exercise.

Positive effects on lowering CK levels were found when a higher proportion of the energy fed came from diets higher in fats and lower in non-structural carbohydrates (starches and sugars). The effect was noted when fed at 4.5kg/day—an amount easily reached and normally surpassed when feeding horses in training. The beneficial diet provided 20% of energy from fats and only 9% from starches and sugars compared to the more traditional sweet feed diet providing 45% of energy from starches and sugars and less than 5% from fats.

Finding Fats

Top dressing of oils will increase fat in the diet - with a normal intake of up to 100 mls per day. Although the horse can digest higher amounts, palatability usually restricts a higher intake. Pelleted or extruded fat sources are increasingly popular as alternatives to oils for their convenience of feeding and palatability. Straight rice bran and blends of materials such as rice bran, linseed and soya are available from most major feed companies. Oil content will typically range from 18-26% providing 180g-260g of oil per kilogram as fed.  

Racing feeds will also provide oil in the diet; content is quite varied typically from 4-10% providing 40g-100g per kilogram as fed. Hay and haylage also contains oil at a low level, typically 2% providing just 20g per kilogram on a dry matter basis.

Choosing Carbohydrates

Traditional feeding based on oats and other whole grains will have a higher starch content than feeds using a combination of grains and fibres. Levels of starch found in complete feeds and straights have a broad range from as low as 8% in a complete feed, specifically formulated to have a low starch content, and up to in excess of 50% for straights such as barley and naked oats.

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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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Dr. Andreas Jacobs

By Peter Muhlfeit

Dr. Andreas Jacobs is a truly international businessman with a record of managing globally significant organisations across diverse fields of interest. He is overseeing his family business with diverse interests in chocolate, education and e-commerce. Jacobs also oversees the growing presence of a multi-national thoroughbred empire—with breeding operations in Germany, England and South Africa. In all, there are over 200 mares across all three commercial properties as well as a series of high-profile stallions and racing interests. And he is the president of Baden Racing, running the most important race track in Germany. The Jacobs family’s contribution to thoroughbred racing and society at large extends further through the Jacobs Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting the development of young people through programs in life skills, computer skills and activities associated with nature and the environment.

Peter Muhlfeit spoke to Jacobs about the upcoming season with Baden Racing and his views on racing and breeding.

Dr Jacobs: You’ve studied classical music—cello and French horn—and you have a doctorate in European competition law and a Master of Business Administration. Those enterprises are far removed from the world of horseracing. What led you to get involved in breeding and racing of thoroughbreds?

Horses are a passion of our family since generations. My parents and grandparents were passionate horse riders in different disciplines.  When I was young, I started spending my weekends at horse shows. My first great horse was a very talented thoroughbred called Tristan. He was the first horse that was raced in our family silks. My grandfather bought him in England, and he became a top two-year-old in Germany, however, suffered from tendon issues. Subsequently, he became a riding horse.  I was able to ride him at the highest levels in dressage. He was a star and changed my life.

In 1995, my grandfather asked me to succeed him at Gestut Fahrhof. I was surprised but felt immensely honoured and privileged. So all my commitment and passion went into this stud. This is where the infection really started. Despite this passion, we have clear rules in my family. The fundamental rule is that family comes first, business comes second, and private passions come last. In that sense, I am a relatively disciplined horse owner.

In 2010, you also took the reins at Baden-Baden, the leading track in Germany to save it from going under. Why?

Baden-Baden is the most important race track in Germany. With only 13 race days during the year, Baden is generating over 25% of the German annual betting turnover. Baden-Baden is the flagship track. Without Baden, Germany has no relevance in racing, in black type races; and we all could close our breeding operations, our traditional studs and move elsewhere. It was of utmost importance to fix this flagship track to keep German breeding alive. I like to thank John Magnier for making this point to me around ten years ago.  

The problem started 15 years earlier—in the mid-nineties—when official betting turnovers collapsed, moving betting overseas to low-tax havens with no benefit for the race track. Germany, with low retail presence in betting, suffered more than any other European country. With the collapse of revenues, several race tracks were insolvent and had to close—like Baden-Baden in 2010.

Why did the old Baden-Baden management structure fail? And what's being done differently now to ensure Baden-Baden's ongoing success?

The former management had limited cost transparency and reacted late. When we took over in 2010, we established more transparency and got regional politicians and local communities back on board. And we received support from the German TBA who helps us finance our group races.  

2019 is the tenth season for Baden Racing under your leadership. What are your ambitions for Baden-Baden in the short, medium and long terms and for German racing as a whole?

Dr. Andreas Jacobs with our Incoming Children

We are planning and investing to continue the positive trend: more spectators on site, increasing betting revenue on and off track, and a strong recognition in the region. These three parameters are up since years. Never forget: if you win a race on a Wednesday in Baden, there are still 7,000 to 9,000 spectators celebrating with you! If you win on the weekend, we easily double this.

What are the major changes you have planned?

We offer three festivals a year: the Spring Festival at the end of May, the Great Festival Weekend of August, and the Sales & Racing Festival in October. At these fixtures, we run twelve group, five Listed and three rich Sales races—more than any other racing club in Germany. In recent years we decided to end each festival with a bang, presenting two Group races on the final days. Such Super-Sundays are very unusual for German racing. This year we will have a Super Weekend on 31 August and 1 Sept with two Group races on Saturday, two Group races and one Listed race on Sunday. This is the best any race track in Germany has ever offered. And, what everyone should know: There is no other race track in the world that has so many Michelin and Gault Millau Stars in proximity! So if you are tired of horses, you can enjoy great food and wine.

How much help does your national racing industry get from the German government?

Sports are very much a matter for the federal states in Germany, so we can’t expect too much from the national government. On the local level, we did receive quite some help over recent years to reinvest into the track (e.g., to build a new watering system and to renovate the grandstand).

Nationwide, our sport is suffering from one big loss: Our betting tax used to be reimbursed based on our contribution to breeding by selecting top horses and improving the quality of breed. This was a fundamental right in the German constitution of the 1920s. The reimbursement got cancelled recently for no justifiable reason. In Baden-Baden alone we lost a solid six-digit amount.  

What could be done to help German Pattern races, in terms of increasing the prize funds? 

We need more betting revenue and more sponsors. That’s quite easy to say but difficult to achieve. In Baden-Baden, we increased our TV coverage. You can watch the Grand Prix of Baden-Baden on German public TV, ARD or ZDF. Around 3 million viewers are watching it. We are happy to have Longines as main sponsor; still, for other tracks, it is difficult to find sponsors for Pattern races.

Turning to your breeding operations: Why is the German racing and breeding industry not going down the 'speed' route with their stallions as is the vogue in other breeding nations?

Our strength has always been middle- to long-distance horses. They are late-maturing and bred to be tough. That’s pretty unique in a world where you look for a quick return and a two-year-old career. And it explains why German horses are so popular in Australia to win the Melbourne Cup.

The shortest Gp1 race in Germany is 2,000 meters. If you want to stand a champion sire, he should be middle to long distance. Historically, a stallion had to win a Gp1 over a mile-and-a-half to achieve a rating that allows him to become a stallion. So we were mating stayers to stayers, tough horses with tough horses. We also have conditions of no bute or Lasix to become a stallion. It is another criteria where pure, natural toughness will survive and continue. 

What is the influence of your stallions on the international stage and your hopes for Silvano, Nathaniel, Querari, Equiano, Maxios and your new resident Helmet?

Nathaniel obviously has made his mark already with Enable—one of the best fillies in recent decades. He himself was brilliant, and he is reproducing it. This is what you love to see as a breeder. Silvano in South Africa is exceptional. Close to my heart. The first horse I bred, raised and accompanied. He has now 21 individual Gp1 winners in Europe and South Africa. He is already a legend. Querari is following him, being the best younger stallion in South Africa by all measures. And at Fährhof we have the most beautiful Maxios—the best bred son of the legendary Monsun and one of the most influential stallions in the world. We decided to attract Helmet to stand at Fährhof. He fits the German taste, having been a tough race horse and champion at two and three and stemming from a German family with Anna Paola, having sired a Dubai World Cup winner in his first year. What more can you expect?

Further to your own interests in South Africa, do you see South African racing and breeding playing a greater role internationally?

I first came to South Africa in 1989 when my wife worked at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, where the first heart transplant was done by Dr Bernard a few years earlier. We started dating in Cape Town. We love the country, and in 2002 we fell in love with the stud, which has both beauty and ruggedness. It became a family place with many European faces—horse faces. When I compare Maine Chance Farms with our other studs, there is no doubt that Europe is more sophisticated along the value chain. But South African horses are globally competitive because they grow up more natural. South African breeding is survival of the fittest. I can’t wait to see South Africa being allowed to export under reasonable quarantine regulations. It will be a source of excellent horses.

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EIPH: An Australian Perspective with Worldwide Implications

By Ellie Crispe and Guy Lester

Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH) is a common disease of racehorses. The precise cause of EIPH is yet to be fully determined, but a well-accepted theory is that lung blood vessels rupture in response to the extremely high blood pressure and low airway pressure experienced during strenuous exercise. The barrier that separates the airway from the blood vessels is ultra-thin to facilitate the efficient exchange of gases, but this predisposes to breakage. The condition is most frequently described in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses, but it has also been identified in racing Appaloosas and Quarter Horses, as well as horses involved in other high intensity athletic activities, including showjumpers, 3-day eventers, barrel racers, steeplechasers and polo horses.

EIPH is not unique to horses and has been reported in human athletes, as well as racing greyhounds and camels. Our group at Murdoch University in Perth Australia has had an interest in EIPH, which has led to three recent publications in the Equine Veterinary Journal.1-3

How common is EIPH?

Blood from both nostrils—also known as epistaxis—is the most obvious manifestation of EIPH and occurs between 1.5 and 8.4/1000 race starts, varying with racing jurisdiction. Epistaxis represents a severe manifestation of EIPH, and basing surveys on its presence vastly underestimates the true prevalence of lung haemorrhage. There are several techniques used to diagnose EIPH, but endoscopy of the trachea 30-120 minutes after racing or galloping is a common and reliable method. Occurrence and severity of pulmonary haemorrhage is typically graded using a 0-4 scale. Using endoscopy, we reported a prevalence of EIPH post-race in Australian thoroughbreds racing on turf tracks of around 55%, with most positive horses having low to moderate volumes of blood in the trachea. EIPH is less common if horses are examined after trialling, and reduced further if examined after track gallops. The prevalence of EIPH increases when horses are examined on multiple occasions after racing, and in fact all horses in our research population that had seven monitored race-starts experienced EIPH on at least one occasion.

What is the effect of EIPH on race-day performance?

It is generally considered that EIPH has a negative impact on racing performance, but evidence for this assertion is surprisingly lacking. We performed 3,794 post-race endoscopy exams on over 1,500 Australian horses and reported that inferior race-day performance was limited to horses with severe EIPH (grades 3 and 4); this reflected only 6.3% of all examinations. Horses with the highest grades of EIPH (grade 4) were less likely to finish in the first three, finished further from the winner, were less likely to collect race earnings, were slower over the final stages of the race, and were more likely to be overtaken by other competitors in the home straight than horses without EIPH. Interestingly, horses with EIPH grade 1 or 2 were more likely to overtake others in the home straight, compared to horses without EIPH (grade 0).

It is highly unlikely that low-grade EIPH (grade 1 or 2) confers an athletic advantage; a plausible explanation is that horses that are ridden competitively to the finish are functioning at their maximal physiological limit, compared to horses that are eased up, and overtaken, during the finishing stages of the race because they are not in prize contention or are affected by interference in the home straight.  Another interesting finding was that horses with moderate to severe EIPH (grades 3 or 4) raced the early and mid-sections of the race faster than horses without EIPH. It is possible that these horses reach the breaking threshold of the small lung blood vessels at an earlier stage in the race compared to horses that start the race slower, compounding the severity thereafter. A study of barrel racing horses reported that horses with the most severe grade of EIPH were faster than horses without EIPH, a finding which may also reflect this rapid acceleration increasing the risk of EIPH. It may be wise for trainers to instruct jockeys riding horses with a history of moderate to severe EIPH to refrain from racing in this manner.

What is the effect of a one-off diagnosis of EIPH over a horse’s career?…

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Skin-deep: overcoming barriers for effective transdermal drug delivery

By Roger Smith

Ancient art, modern science

One shared medicinal practice amongst disparate ancient societies was the application of primitive ointments to the skin to treat almost all and any ailments. A vast plethora of poultices and plasters have been described, including in Babylonian and Greek medicine texts1 amongst others, suggesting that the magical health-restoring powers of ointments were well-recognised to traverse the skin. Thus, it was no coincidence that the skin was the preferred therapeutic route over surgical (and oral) intervention since the former method was likely to result in reduced mortality rates compared to the latter; undoubtedly an important consideration, given that the top ancient physicians were likely charged with the health of the royal courts.

Although the art of transdermal delivery of medicines dates back millennia, it is only in more recent times that the science of transdermal drug delivery in man has advanced significantly2.  The choice of modern drugs for topical applications is, however, relatively limited compared to the seemingly infinite choice available for oral delivery.  This is perhaps not surprising since the gut is an organ that has evolved with the main purpose of absorbing food (chemicals when it comes to it) whereas the skin, despite being the largest organ, has evolved primarily as a protective layer to prevent desiccation of underlying tissues and to keep out harmful environmental chemicals. As this includes medicinal drugs, the pursuit of transdermal administration would appear, at first sight, to be an illogical choice. However, there are several compelling reasons why transdermal delivery routes are an important alternative to pills, injections or inhalation routes:

• It avoids poor absorption after oral ingestion—especially in animals, the absorption of a drug can vary between the omnivore (e.g., human) and herbivore (e.g., horse) stomach.  

• It avoids first-pass effect where the blood circulation from the gut passes through the liver to remove absorbed drugs.

• It can reduce systemic drug levels to minimise adverse effects.

• The design of sustained release formulations overcomes the frequent dosing necessitated by oral and injectables to achieve constant drug levels.

• It enables ease and efficacy of drug withdrawal.

• Transdermal drug delivery is painless and non-invasive, thereby potentially allowing longer treatment when daily injection is unacceptable or impractical.

• It has the potential to target local administration such as for the treatment of flexor tendon disease because the tendons are subcutaneous.

Challenges for transdermal drug applications

The skin is made up of three key layers: the epidermis, dermis and hypodermis (figure 1) and the water-attracting (hydrophilic) or water-repelling (hydrophobic) properties within each raise unique challenges for topical or transdermal drug applications.  

Figure 1 – Anatomy of the skin with expanded illustration showing the cells of the stratum corneum (‘bricks’) embedded in lipid matrix (‘mortar’).

Topical applications, such as insect repellents and sunscreen creams, target the surface of the skin or deliver a drug locally such as for the control of inflammation (insect bite or reaction to an allergen). In contrast the aim of transdermal, or subcutaneous, applications are to deliver the drug deeper to either an adjacent organ, or, more commonly, to the blood circulation as an alternative to oral or needle routes to reach distant organs. The main barrier to local or transdermal delivery is the outermost layer of the skin, called the stratum corneum in the epidermis (figure 1). This consists of dead skin cells, the corneocytes, that combine with lipid bilayers into a tightly packed “bricks-and-mortar” layer that form alternating hydrophilic (the water rich corneocytes) and hydrophobic (lipid bilayer) regions (figure 1). The stratum corneum therefore not only forms a mechanically robust layer but also presents a challenge in designing drugs with chemical properties that can negotiate their way into and through these contrasting hydrophobic and hydrophilic environments to reach the lower region of the epidermis. The epidermis consists of living skin cells but has no blood vessels for the drug to diffuse into, so instead the drug must penetrate further to the dermis where it can finally enter the bloodstream or the subcutaneous layers.

Routes for drugs through the skin

Most transdermal drugs are designed so that they diffuse through the skin in a passive fashion. The routes for drug can be through the skin cells (transcellular), around them (intercellular) or using the skin components hair follicles, sweat glands and sebaceous glands (produce lipids) to bypass the stratum corneum (so-called ‘appendageal’ routes).

Transcellular route: Drugs pass through the corneocytes of the stratum corneum rather than the lipid ‘mortar’ that surrounds them (figure 2). However, the drug has to exit the cell to enter the next corneocyte and therefore through the skin. It means that it has to encounter the external hydrophobic environment between the cells multiple times as it moves through the alternating cell and lipid layers of the epidermis. Drugs therefore have to have balanced hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties to enable this to happen.

Figure 2 – Path of molecules through (A) the stratum corneum for the transcellular route (Note: the drug has to enter and exit the aqueous environment of the cells into the surrounding lipid matrix requiring an ability to be soluble in both); (B) Intercellular route (Note: the tortuous path for molecules passing through the stratum corneum via this route which delays diffusion.

Intercellular route: The drug predominantly diffuses through the lipid rich ‘mortar’ around the corneocytes of the epidermis. This lipid matrix can form a continuous route through the epidermis (avoiding entering the cells), but this route has been suggested to be less efficient because it increases the distance 50-fold3 compared to the direct route through the stratum corneum due to the interdigitating brick and mortar arrangement (figure 2). Again, the chemical formulation used to carry the drug is important and drugs that more readily dissolve in lipids benefit from this route.

Appendageal route: The hair, sweat glands and sebaceous glands provide a direct channel to the deep layers of the skin circumventing the hazardous barriers of the epidermis and dermis. The main challenge for this relatively easy route is that the amount of drug that can be taken up is limited by the density of hair follicles and sweat glands, although in haired animals, such as the horse, the density can be as high as 1-5% of the skin surface area. Furthermore, sweat from an active sweat gland would be travelling against the direction of drug flow, washing out the drug and its carrier and severely limit drug uptake. It is likely that all skin applications use this appendageal route as it’s unavoidable but probably more efficient for drugs that are large molecules.

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Fungi - the invisible health risk

Dr. Emmanuelle van Erck, DVM, PhD, ECEIM explains her work looking at the link between the presence of fungi and lower airway inflammation

Horses are incredible athletes. Their physiology—the way their body functions—is truly fascinating. They can adapt to training at a phenomenal rate, they have massive hearts that fuel their powerful muscles and pushes them to peak speeds. So what could stop them? Oxygen, or rather the lack of it. Horses experience hypoxemia during racing, which means they enter a state of deficiency in oxygen. The reason for this deficiency is a failure of the respiratory system to effectively ventilate and adequately fuel oxygen to the muscles. Horses are obligate nasal breathers and were endowed with particularly long and narrow upper airways in relation to their body size. These factors increase the resistance to breathing. They are also constrained by the fact that they ventilate at very high rates, which does not allow for effective and rapid renewal of oxygen in the lungs. Even the fittest, best thoroughbreds crave oxygen from mid-race onwards. So maintaining horses in optimal respiratory health is absolutely essential for them to achieve an efficient sprint and optimal performance.

Respiratory diseases are highly prevalent in horses. It is inherent to their living and working conditions. The mere fact that a horse is housed in a box increases his risk of developing airway inflammation. The content in fine dust is naturally high in a horse’s box. Closed or poorly ventilated barns further deteriorate air quality in the horse’s immediate environment. Several studies have shown that horses housed indoors are exposed not only to high amounts of organic dust and ammonia but also germs and endotoxin they produce that trigger a detrimental reaction from the immune system. The problem is that even low-grade respiratory diseases will directly affect the horse’s capacity to perform and recover from strenuous exercise.

Microscope picture of a germinating fungal spore in a respiratory sample - an indication of inhalation of fungal spores in the airways and subsequent infection from the mould.

With my colleagues, Dr Dauviller and Dr ter Woort, specialists in equine internal medicine, we have investigated the link between the presence of fungi and lower airway inflammation. In our ambulatory referral practice, we go out to the stables and have the opportunity not only to examine the horse but also attentively assess his environment. As we collected respiratory samples and analysed them ourselves, we became aware that the presence of microscopic moulds or fungal elements was frequently associated to lung issues. To investigate this further, we decided to systematically record clinical and environmental data and link it to our findings in the respiratory samples of the horses referred for investigation.

We collected more than 700 cases; the horses included in the study were either referred routine examinations, unexplained poor performance or respiratory symptoms such as coughing or breathing heavily during exercise. All horses had a tracheal and a bronchoalveolar lavage done which allowed us to evaluate their level of respiratory inflammation, as well as estimate the presence of fungi within the airways. We also looked at the state of activation of fungi: if they were inert particles or if they showed signs of active proliferation. Our results were without appeal; the presence of inhaled fungi significantly and negatively affected respiratory health in horses, causing inflammation and in some cases, infection.

In this population, inflammatory airway disease (IAD) was diagnosed in 88% of cases, confirming that respiratory inflammation is very common and often under-diagnosed. Of these positive cases, 81% had evidence of fungi in their airways. The presence of fungi more than doubled the odds of having lung inflammation.

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VAT and tax-deductable expenditure across Europe

By Lissa Oliver

The EU has supposedly similar tax laws and reciprocal VAT agreements to avoid double taxation, but in practise racehorse trainers are among the many businesses who discover this is not always the case. Invoices incorrectly issued with VAT can lead to problems in reclaiming the tax, if at all, and tax deducted at source from prize money can take up to four years to reclaim. Such is the difficulty involved—many simply don’t bother to try.

The European prize money payment system may not be fully unified but most racing authorities and organisations such as Weatherbys, Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) and France Galop, work together on a reciprocal payment system to make the transfer of prize money as straightforward as possible. The problems arise when additional costs are imposed, not by the racing authority, but by that country’s government.

Withholding tax, which can catch owners and trainers unawares, is out of the hands of racing authorities and beyond the scope of unification. If, for example, a person is deemed to have earned money in Germany—including prize money—they are deemed liable for the income tax on that money. In most cases this can be very simply avoided by completing the necessary forms beforehand, as the EU rules that if you have paid tax in one European country you do not have to pay it in another.

However, some Member States do not consider an EU VAT number as sufficient for withholding tax exemption or VAT-free invoicing, and their racing authorities are obliged by law to charge VAT on their invoices. Which countries these are is not always clear, as treaties to avoid such complications are in place but not complied with. As an example, in December 2017 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided that German anti-treaty shopping rules, which denied full or partial relief from withholding tax, was not compatible with EU directives. An amendment to German taxation law is expected to be made as a result but has yet to be introduced.

Weatherbys, France Galop and HRI have a withholding tax exempt form, which can be filled in before a horse races abroad. This is advisable because it is much harder to claim back any tax stopped afterwards. It can be a month later when the prize money arrives into an account, at which point the tax stopped becomes apparent, and it is difficult to apply for a refund. Double taxation conventions and treaties exist between cooperating countries, but stamped certificates from the relevant tax offices are still required in advance. Your racing authority will be able to help you with this.

Withholding tax rates shown in the table are the current statutory domestic rates that apply to payments to non-residents, which may be reduced if an applicable tax treaty is in place. Qualifying payments to EU residents may also be exempt under EU directives for all listed countries, with the exceptions of Hungary, Norway and Turkey.

While withholding tax only applies to prize money won abroad, a more regular taxation issue is VAT, applied to purchased goods and services. The EU has standard rules on VAT, but these rules may be applied differently in each EU country. For EU-based companies, VAT is chargeable on most sales and purchases within the EU. If you are registered for tax, theoretically VAT can be reclaimed, but where it is deducted by another EU country, this can lead to “double taxation” problems.

In an attempt to ensure tax is paid only once on EU services and purchases, double taxation conventions and treaties have been agreed between cooperating EU countries. However, there are growing concerns at cross-border tax problems facing individuals and businesses operating within the EU and, at time of writing, the EU Commission is currently considering closely the possible conflicts between the EC Treaty and the bilateral double taxation treaties that Member States have agreed with each other and with Third Countries.

A study completed by the Commission in 2001 on taxation highlighted a number of problems that have yet to be tackled, including the question of equal treatment of EU residents and the application of bilateral treaties in situations where more than two countries are involved. A possible solution is the creation of an EU version of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Model Convention that serves as a guideline for establishing tax agreements, on which Member States' bilateral tax treaties are based, or a multilateral EU tax treaty.

The double taxation agreements of Member States will continue to be subject to review by the EU Commission, particularly in trying to address the problems resulting from a current lack of coordination in this area—most pronounced where more than two EU countries share a treaty or where a Third Country is included.

Belgium has a network of treaties for the prevention of double taxation with 88 countries, including Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK.

Germany has treaties with, among many others: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey and the UK. As identified by the ECJ, those treaties are not always honoured. France likewise has a long list of treaties that includes the EU Member States, and Ireland has signed comprehensive double taxation agreements with 74 countries.

Some racing jurisdictions have very clear guidelines set by government, and the German Federal Central Tax Office has a special procedure for exempting foreign taxpayers from certain taxes deducted at source, requiring a tax certificate and withholding tax exempt form well in advance. Foreign individuals are subject to limited tax liability in respect of the income they derive in Germany, and this tax is otherwise automatically withheld at source.

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Brexit Preparations?

By Lissa Oliver

At the time of writing, 29th March draws closer but we are no nearer clarity on the Brexit issue. Will there be a deal? Will there be no deal? Will there be an extension, leading to a second referendum and no Brexit at all?

We may not know what the future holds, but indications are that all governments are preparing for the possible border controls, which will have a serious impact on the movement of racehorses to and from the EU and the UK.

Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany are the countries with the closest trade links with the UK, and the Netherlands launched a major information campaign at the end of January. Trade Minister Sigrid Kaag commented, “After Ireland, the Dutch economy is most entwined with that of the UK," and warned that many small and medium companies had failed to make sufficient preparation for a no-deal Brexit.

The Netherlands has made provision for more than 1,000 future jobs created in customs and food safety agencies, but the government points out that a no-deal could also provide positive new opportunities for businesses. Whether or not there is a deal or the UK leaves on 29th March, the European Medicines Agency is relocating from London to Amsterdam.

France, closely linked with the UK and Ireland within the racing industry, published a draft bill in January for a no-deal contingency, which will reinstate checks on goods and passengers to and from the UK, as well as inspections of food, plants and live animals. An additional 250 customs staff have already been recruited in 2019, and this is expected to increase to 700 by the end of next year.

Edouard Philippe

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced a €50m investment in ports and airports to cope with a no-deal Brexit. “The plan consists of legislative measures that aim to ensure that the rights of French citizens and businesses are protected”, he said.

Germany has apparently lagged behind in providing public information and support for businesses regarding Brexit contingency plans but has also recruited additional staff to deal with new economic relations with the UK. No-deal preparations include dealing with the status of approximately 100,000 British citizens residing in Germany, as well as Germans living in the UK.

Spain has at the time of writing made no public information available on its no-deal plans but is expected to agree reciprocal arrangements for 310,000 British citizens living in the country. A protocol on Gibraltar, due to be attached to the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, will not come into effect if there is a no-deal, but Gibraltar is already outside the Customs Union and has a border control in operation. Staffing in Spanish immigration offices has been stepped up.

In Ireland, the government has been proactive in providing public information and supporting businesses. In February it launched a free-to-use Brexit SME Scorecard, an interactive online risk assessment tool for Irish companies to self-assess their exposure to Brexit. The assessment is based on six key pillars: business strategy, operations, innovation, sales and marketing, finance and people management.

Irish companies are told they can and should be taking immediate action to mitigate the potential risks and take advantage of any arising opportunities. The Scorecard, at www.prepareforbrexit.ie, identifies risk points, allowing managers to assess where planning and preparation are most required.

Companies are advised to:

• identify risk

• identify opportunity

• review supplier base for vulnerability

• consider the resources needed for extra administration

• consider potential impact of Brexit on your customers

• consider the impact of compliance with possible new standards and regulations in the UK

• amend sales and marketing plans

• assess impact of currency volatility

• consider potential for price changes with your customers and key suppliers

• consider how potential restrictions on the movement of people may impact recruitment

The Irish government also drew up the Consequential Provisions Bill 2019—Brexit Omnibus Bill—at the end of February, covering primary legislation to address the immediate issues likely to arise in the event of a no-deal Brexit, ensuring key measures and protections are in place. Financially, supports include a €300m Future Growth Loan Scheme and a separate €300m Brexit Loan Scheme for Business.

Helen McEntee

Helen McEntee, Minister of State for European Affairs, stated, “Revenue will have 400 additional customs staff trained and in place by the end of March, and they can recruit an additional 200 by the end of this year. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine is implementing the necessary steps to facilitate more Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls. Veterinary personnel and 70 other support staff are now being recruited to implement animal and health (SPS) checks, as are 61 extra Environmental Health Staff”.

While an alternative for the Tripartite Agreement has not yet come closer to being agreed, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) remains positive and in early February hosted a 2019 Action Plan, at which Michael Treacy, the ITBA EU consultant, warned a Brexit no-deal is the worst possible outcome from all points of view.

Treacy emphasised the ITBA had been very significant at key EU meetings and assured the audience the EU Commission has stated it will engage with affected Member States and endeavour to assist, saying of the thoroughbred industry in particular, “Everyone in Brussels is really aware of the problems we have”.

Treacy later accompanied the European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders’ Associations (EFTBA) Chairman Joe Hernon with a delegation to Brussels, highlighting the concerns of the European thoroughbred industry, which contributes in excess of €100bn to the EU economy, with around €800m of thoroughbreds sold annually. Approximately 220,000 people are employed in the equine industry throughout Europe.

The delegation also included Hubert Honore and Paul Marie Gadot of France, Andreas Tiedtke of Germany, Giovanna Romano of Italy and Des Leadon, EFTBA veterinary consultant. The EFTBA delegates met with senior EU officials, including EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan, and Dr Alf-Eckbert Fussel, EU Commission’s Directorate General on Animal Health.

One of the concerns raised was the free movement and transportation of thoroughbreds post-Brexit. Hernon confirmed, “The EU Commission and the respective Departments of Agriculture appear to be well-versed in our needs and desires for international trade to continue”.

Ireland’s Tánaiste (deputy prime minister), Simon Coveney, was among those addressing the ITBA Action Plan seminar and concluded, “Ireland has extraordinary solidarity across Europe. This is a sector that is extremely exposed to the wrong outcome. We need racing and equine health managed on an all-Ireland basis but don’t have an agreement from the UK on that yet. The derogation for movement of livestock is applicable to Member States only and not Third Countries. If the UK leaves with no-deal, there will be 100% animal inspection at the border”.

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State-of-the-art training facilities come to China

By Sally Duckett

The dream for many trainers is to be based at a top-class state-of-the-art training centre with wonderful gallops, leading rehabilitation facilities, top-class staff accommodation as well as an ambitious site owner prepared to establish the facility as the very best of the best. For nine Hong Kong-based trainers, that dream has come true.

In August 2018, an eight-year project conceived by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) came to fruition with the opening of its Conghua racecourse and training centre in China.

There is the slight downside for Sha Tin-based trainers, as the centre is a four-hour drive away from their main Hong Kong stables—across the border and in China. But every possible negative that it might have caused has been mitigated by the HKJC through discussion, cooperation with the Chinese authorities, big-planning, alongside the focused use of technology and ambitious ideas.

Nine trainers were invited to send horses to Conghua last autumn, and each has a string of between 15 to 20 horses based at the 150-hectare site—the trainers now termed ‘dual-site trainers’. Currently around 150 horses are in training at the €377 million facility, although by December 2018 the number of horses who had shipped to Conghua, returned to Sha Tin and travelled to China had already exceed 500 individuals.

The trainers were fully involved with the design and planning of Conghua from outset; the racecourse and gallops are in fact a replica of Sha Tin. Ensuring that the daily work and training processes are exactly the same, methods honed in Hong Kong can merely be picked up and transferred to China. There is though, at the trainers’ request, an additional 5f uphill straight gallop.

Selected trainers were invited to trial the Chinese venture and were chosen on their own abilities and that of their staff. The HKJC wanted to ensure that stable staff sent to China were capable and experienced.

The nine trainers with horses on site include leading trainers John Size, John Moore, Danny Shum, Casper Fownes and Tony Cruz.

All have been successful back in Hong Kong with their Conghua-trained horses (which are identified as such in the media for the betting public); and the Sha Tin nine are kept fully abreast of the training at Conghua courtesy of video, timing facilities and real-time technology all provided by the HKJC. The trainers, however, can spend as much time as they wish in China.

CRC will serve as a world-class facility for the training of Hong Kong's racehorses.

CRC has four tracks - one turf course (2000m), two all-weather tracks (1780m, 1600m) and one uphill turf gallop (1100m)

Spelling paddocks for relaxation and rehabilitation.

The 1,100m uphill gallop is the first of its kind for the Hong Kong horse population.

The equine swimming pool has a depth of 2.6m.

“John Size and Danny Shum in particular have spent a lot of time at Conghua”, reports Andrew Harding, the HKJC’s executive director of racing. “We have had applications from other trainers to send horses, and we will be adding another two later in the year”.

The success of the training process has kicked into gear quicker than even the ambitious HKJC team planned, and the site has already lost its initial ‘pre’ training tag.

“We had thought trainers would take horses back to Hong Kong two or three weeks ahead of a race, but they are travelling down and running just two days later—and winning”, smiles Harding. “We thought this would take perhaps a year to phase in, but it has come much quicker. The HKJC provides all the transportation, and we are already needing to ramp up the logistics—the transport initially between the two sites was twice a week, but we have extended it to six days a week (much earlier than anticipated). The travelling process had also been taking five business days to process with the levels of administration required for the border crossing, but our dual site trainers said that was too long. We have already narrowed that down to two days. Trainers can now ship on Monday in order to race on Wednesday at Happy Valley, and the horses need to undergo certain veterinary examinations ahead of racing; so they have to be in Hong Kong two days ahead of racing. They can then return to Conghua on Friday. The transport costs are all part of the HKJC’s service, and owners do not see any extra expense”.

Establishment of the Equine Disease Free Zone…

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Why are leg boots not commonly used in racing?

By Dr. David Marlin

Lower leg injuries are extremely common in all types of race and sport horses. Risk factors for traumatic injury from shoes on other legs due to over-reaching or brushing or even from other horses in racing or polo include high speed, jumping and rapid turning. Injuries can also occur from sharp stones being thrown up from the ground. Whilst in sports such as eventing and showjumping, it’s unusual to see horses competing without leg protection at least over the forelimb tendon area; in racing the use of protective boots is much less common. This is also true for polo—a sport which would present a high risk of injury to the lower leg due to balls, sticks, high speed, turning and close proximity to other horses. So is the risk much lower than we might expect, or is their some other reason why boots are not commonly used in racing?

Epidemiological studies of injuries to racehorses in training and racing certainly don’t point to a large risk for interference-type injuries from shoes within or from other horses. In the younger flat racehorse population, fractures remain the greatest concern both in training and racing. Injuries due to forelimb Superficial Digital Flexor Tendons (SDFT) tendonitis and Suspensory Ligament (SL) desmitis are not uncommon, with a prevalence of around 10-20%. However, information on the rate of injuries due to interference in racehorses is generally lacking.

Whilst an injury to the lower forelimb where the skin has been cut and there is clear penetration is easily identified, this is not the only way that tendons may be injured. Blunt force which does not result in obvious superficial injury may still lead to internal bruising and inflammation. Repeated traumatic insults due to interference may therefore still contribute to tendon inflammation. As we now recognise that most tendon injuries are due to chronic inflammation and damage as opposed to isolated accidents, anything that contributes to tendon inflammation is a cause for concern.

The risk to tendons from the heat generated during exercise may be one of the reasons why racing has tended to shy away from the widespread use of boots, except perhaps in the case of individuals suffering repeated or severe injuries. Wilson and Goodship at Bristol Vet School showed in the 1990’s that equine tendons reached temperature of around 45°C during galloping. Tendons are essentially large elastic bands which store and release energy on each stride—one of the adaptations that makes the horse such a supreme athlete. In the same way that if we stretch an ordinary rubber band, it will heat up. Tendons have a poor blood supply, and so the heat accumulates and the tendon increases in temperature during the gallop; the longer and faster the gallop, the higher the temperature. Why is tendon temperature a concern?

Heat: Tendon cells appear to be sensitive to increases in temperature. When isolated tendon cells in culture were heated for 10 minutes at 45°C (113.0°F), around 10% died; but when they were heated to 48°C (118.4°F) for 10 minutes, then around 80% died. Similar results were found in a later study by a group from Japan. Even though the number of live tendon cells in a tendon is low, compared with the elastic matrix that makes up the majority of the tendon, injured or dead cells release inflammatory mediators which in turn can lead to tendon damage. And of course, anything that insulates the leg reduces heat loss and can lead to even higher tendon temperatures. This is likely one of the primary considerations for not using a protective boot, although there are others.

Abrasion/rubbing: Boots (or bandages) that do not fit correctly or that are applied incorrectly may lead to skin abrasion and an increased risk of skin infections. In addition, boots that allow the ingress of surface material between the boot and the skin will likely lead to rubbing.

Restriction of blood flow to and from the foot: Morlock, et al. (1994) observed pressure under bandages applied to the lower limb during galloping which they concluded were high enough to restrict blood flow. In bandages or boots applied over the fetlock and cannon, high pressures due to the method of application, the tightness of the application and the type of material used the lateral and medial digital arteries and veins could be compromised.

Restriction of range of motion: Restricting the range of motion of a joint will change the loading dynamics of the joint. This may be beneficial in the case of a joint that is injured, but this will reduce the extent to which that joint dissipates forces during the loading phase. This may in turn lead to overloading of other limb structures. If the restriction is only on one limb, then this may lead to asymmetry and an increased risk of injury in the un-restricted limb. The effect of various equine boots on range of motion both in vitro and in vivo has been reported (Balch, et al. 1998; Kicker, et al. 2004).

Contact dermatitis: Boots and bandages have the potential to cause contact dermatitis. Neoprene is commonly used in boots, but it has been estimated that around 6% of horses are allergic to neoprene.  Rosin (also known as colophony), which is commonly found in the resin of pine and conifer trees, can cause skin contact sensitisation. It is used in neoprene adhesives and may also pose a risk of contact dermatitis in horses. The risk of skin infection is also increased by boots and bandages that do not allow sweat to evaporate and therefore result in hyper-hydration of the skin under the boot or bandage. This results in both an increased susceptibility to mechanical trauma to the skin from friction and an increased risk of infection, particularly by fungi.

Increase in weight….

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Racetrack birth and re-birth

BIRTH AND RE-BIRTH

WHEN IT COMES TO THE REGION’S RACECOURSES, IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT CLOSURES.

By Dr. Paull Khan

We are all familiar with the sad photographs of racecourses of the past: long-closed, on sites where little evidence remains of the horseracing that once took place there. We have come to accept the gradual closure of tracks, for development, maybe, as a sombre fact of life. But, just occasionally, we find evidence of the reverse, and in this issue we look at some examples of racetrack renewal and rebirth in our region.

WAREGEM, BELGIUM

Waregem, a pristine town of less than 40,000 people, between Ghent and Lille, has for over 150 years been well known for its Grote Steeple-chase van Vlaanderen (Great Steeplechase of Flanders). But since last May, the turf track, previously used but once a year, has started to stage flat races. Marcel de Bruyne, Director of the Belgian Gallop Federation, explains:

Flat Racing comes to Waregem.

“Flat racing at Waregem followed the creation of a new racing society, Waregem Draaft—which had previously been organising solely trotting races—and contact between its president, Lieven Lannoo and the Belgian Gallop federation”.

The success of mixed meetings at Ostend (albeit, there a combination of gallop and trotting) had been noticed, with a positive impact on both betting and attendance. It was also recognised that a number of thoroughbred owners lived in the Waregem region. And here was a turf track of some 1,330 metres circumference, idle for 364 days a year.

In 2019, there will be five meetings staging between them 15 flat thoroughbred races, all open to foreign-trained runners. Typical prize money will be €3,200-€4,750, and distances range from 900 to 2,700 metres. The flat programme culminates in a €16,000 race over the maximum distance, on the same day as the Grand Steeplechase. (To be eligible for this, though, horses must qualify through their performance in qualifying races at Waregem, Mons and Ostend).

Is it proving successful? De Bruyne again: “Yes. Turf races are a welcome variation in May and July (at Mons, there is just the all-weather track). Field sizes have been healthy, at an average of nine. The management of flat racing at Waregem asked to organise more flat races this year, raised the prize money and initiated the big race. That says it all, doesn’t it?!”

MARRAKECH, MOROCCO

Marrakech racecourse; international standard racing for Morocco's 'city of entertainment'.

Marrakech Racecourse is the ‘new kid on the block’ in Moroccan racing, being less than two years in operation. It is the furthest inland of Morocco’s seven racetracks and the furthest from its neighbours.

Omar Skalli, Director General of Morocco’s racing authority, SOREC (Société Royale d’Encouragement du Cheval), gives the background regarding the decision to build Marrakech Racecourse:

“Before the construction of Marrakech racecourse, horse races were already organized in this area but not according to international standards. We noticed that there was an important concentration of owners in the region, with the necessity to build a modern racecourse to develop the level of races there.

“Moreover, Marrakech is the city of entertainment in Morocco and a main touristic destination. The choice of this city to host a new racecourse came quite naturally.

“From a technical point of view, this new racecourse can already be considered as a success. It fulfils the high level of requirements of jockeys, trainers and owners. International races are already organized there. It currently hosts a race day per week from February to June and from September to December.

“Even though the racetrack is not located in the heart of Marrakech, it is situated in a populated area. People from the neighbourhood come to watch the races with friends or family. It became for them a good place for entertainment on Sundays. We are working to provide more facilities, services and entertainment for the general public”.

Marrakech, as with all Moroccan tracks, is dirt, but the possibility of building a turf track in the future, if demand warrants, is under consideration. For the moment, only Arabian and Arabian-Barb races are staged at Marrakech, but there are plans to introduce thoroughbred races here in the future. Morocco’s policy, in respect of allowing foreign-trained competition, could be said to be ‘semi-open’—four races on the typical Marrakech card are open in this sense, and it is planned to increase this number. Prize money reaches some €36K for the richest race.

Morocco’s racing industry continues to thrive, and SOREC remains in expansionist mode.

“Rabat racecourse is currently in reconstruction and should be reopened in two or three years”, adds Skalli. “And within the five to ten next years, we are considering building another racecourse”.

ANTALYA, TURKEY

Kocaeli Kartepe, the most recent of Turkey’s nine racecourses, was opened some five years ago, and already work is well underway on the nation’s tenth. It had, in fact, been hoped that Antalya racecourse would have been operational this year, but bad weather has delayed its launch.

The driver for new courses in Turkey is simple: the number of racehorses is increasing and there is a concomitant need for venues at which they may both compete and be trained. Sadettin Atig, Secretary-General of the Turkish Jockey Club’s Executive Board, explains: “There is no system of ‘training centres’ in Turkey—as there is in much of Europe—and so racecourses are needed to provide both stabling and the opportunity for on-track training”.

Kocaeli Kartepe Racecourse is now regarded as Istanbul’s second racetrack, after Veliefendi, since it is but one hour away. Atig again: “Kocaeli Racecourse has a very strategic location. It is both very close to Istanbul and also to İzmit—the breeding centre of Turkey—providing easy access to the breeders and farms around that area”.

Kocaeli - Istanbul's 'second racecourse'. Antalya will be larger still.

Kocaeli provides year-round racing on its 1,600 metre, left-hand silica sand track. There is capacity for nearly 500 horses in the stable area, and the track is paying its way as far as betting contribution goes, accounting for 10% of the country’s overall handle.

All of which bodes well for Antalya Racecourse, which will be larger yet than Kocaeli in terms of capacity, track dimensions and facilities. Antalya is the last major region in the country yet to boast a racecourse. Turkey being the size it is, the course’s catchment area will be substantial. It will be the only racing venue between Izmir (500 km to the northwest) and Adana (600 km east) and will be the nearest for most of the hordes of tourists who descend on Turkey’s seaside resorts. It is situated half an hour north of Antalya—the most populous city on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

There will be two tracks: one synthetic and one silica sand (mixed with fibre and stabiliser). Seven meetings of seven races, split roughly equally between thoroughbreds and purebred Arabians, had been planned for this year. Stabling will comprise 240 boxes initially but with an ultimate capacity of nearly 1,200.

Sadly, however, in keeping with Turkey’s overall racing programme, there will initially be no races at either Kocaeli or Antalya open to foreign-trained competition, although the staging of international races will be considered for the future.

MALMO, SWEDEN

Ironically, the ‘new’ racecourse potentially of most interest to European thoroughbred trainers is in fact a replacement. Jagersro Racecourse, outside Malmo in Sweden’s southernmost Skane region, will soon stage gallop racing no more. Like so many, it has become a victim of its charmed location. When it was built, in 1908, it was in the countryside. However, with Malmo’s growing population, so grew its attractiveness to developers. Trotting, which has no need of on-track stabling, has found a suitable venue to continue at Jagersro, just 1,000 metres from the old track. But thoroughbred racing is venturing into pastures new. To Bara, to be precise, some 10 kilometres further out of Malmo.

Jagersro - the Swedish Derby will soon have a new home.

One substantial plus would be the introduction of racing on turf. From its inception until 1979, Jagersro had been a woodchip track and, for the past three decades, an American-style dirt track. At Bara, it is planned to have both a turf outer track and a dirt inner track.

“The new Bara location, 15 minutes from Malmö, was chosen from a number of alternatives”, says Bo Gillborg, project manager for the Bara track, who, for many years was associated with Jagersro. “It is very close to Malmö, neighbouring the PGA National Golf Club and, in the future, a 170-room spa and conference hotel. The local authority—the town of Svedala—has been very positive. It was not only attractive for a racecourse, but the land is big enough to accommodate 300 horses in first-class training facilities.

“The actual planning is now in a very intense part of the process. To plan and design the racecourse, Swedish Racing has engaged world-renowned English company Turnberry to take a very active part. During spring 2019 most plans will be finalised. All functions will be designed to cater for high-class racing, including the facilities for horsemen and jockeys and a special focus on giving owners an exceptional experience. The highlight of the racing season will of course be the Swedish Derby. To have it back on the turf for the first time since 1979 will of course make some “turfists” extremely happy”.

The project is not yet assured. It must first overcome issues surrounding the past use of the site for landfill and must secure the support of Stockholm.

“Hopefully the authorities will give their go-ahead during the summer”, continues Gillborg. “Nowadays the whole planning process, with environmental issues etc., is quite thorough and detailed. So far it seems very positive. During the autumn Swedish Racing must also take its final decision to go ahead”.

Gallop racing sees this as an opportunity better to develop its own brand in a nation where trotting is far the more popular discipline. The European thoroughbred community will watch this development with interest.

So there we have it: two new racecourses (one awaiting a decision to involve thoroughbreds, the other still under construction)—one new flat-race track within an existing racecourse and one replacement build for a track fallen victim to the developers. And none of these to be found in European racing’s traditional heartlands where the significant capital expenditure has been directed, not on new tracks but rather at new grandstands where racing already exists.

Venue construction is a clear and obvious signal of market confidence in the sport in question. Let us hope these four ventures justify that confidence and that our region can look forward to many more.

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The latest from Gavin Hernon

Zyzzyva on the left and Beeswax on the right.

2019 has been good to us thus far. I was delighted to see Zyzzyva and Beeswax both recently make the Chantilly winners enclosure, getting us out of an annoying bout of seconditis. Finishing second place is so very bittersweet for me. On the one hand the horse is well and has put in a good performance, on the other... well, it’s not first. If all our seconds had won, then we would have well passed our target of 10 winners for our first year; however, as my mother rightly said, “better second than second last” and I am truly over the moon with how our horses have been performing over the last few months. Our 14 runners since January 1 have tallied as 3 winners, 6 seconds, a third and 4 not hitting the frame.

As the flat season beckons in earnest, excitement has been building over the past few weeks as we assemble an exciting team of horses. In total, we anticipate having just over 20 horses for the season with a 50/50 split between older horses and juveniles. I am extremely grateful for the amount of people who have been willing to take a chance on a fresh face and I aim to reward every one of them by training their horses to run to the best of their ability.

This is without doubt my favourite time of year as we start to turn the screws on the older horses and the juveniles progress through their bone density training programme. The latter plays a significant part of our juvenile training programme and we commenced the programme mid January.

Training juveniles for bone density simultaneously conditions a horse’s lungs to the pressures they will encounter at race speed and prepares them very early on in their education for the mental pressures put on them whereby fast work becomes part of routine.

I had always been intrigued by the workings done on this by Dr John Fisher at Fair Hill in Maryland as well as the subsequent findings of studies done by David Nunamaker at the New Bolton Clinic in Pennsylvania and I strongly recommend reading up on it:  bit.ly/buckedshins

The spread of equine flu has been cause for much concern over the past number of weeks, and it got worryingly close to our training centre when two yards were tested with positives just two miles away in Lamorlaye last week. We are doing all we can to not only boost our horses’ immune systems, but also to increase our biosecurity measures to give our horses every chance of not coming into contact with the virus. It did shock me to see English runners be allowed to run on French soil when their own racing authority deemed them unfit to run. That was an unfathomable logic.

Going forward, a big part of my attention will be on the health of my business as a whole.

Starting out in one of the biggest training centres on the continent brings its professional and financial pressures. We started out with a penetrative pricing model and will continue to operate as such for the 2019 season. Using some of the best raw materials on offer and having an excellent team of staff makes for very skinny margins at the end of the month. The fact that we have been winning races and showing results is by no means a bonus for our work, but a necessity.

January saw us delve into the world of claiming for the first time. Freiheit won her claimer well in Pornichet and was claimed for over €15,000. There is some excellent money that can be made even at this level of racing in France, her owners taking home €21,000 on the day.

We also dipped our toe into the other side of the claiming pool, purchasing an exceptionally well-bred Siyouni filly from the family of Bright Sky, named Siyoulater.

I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for my excellent team! I feel we have found the perfect balance of youthful energy and wise experience. Regardless of age or experience, they all share a common vein in the fact that they simply love and enjoy horses. They make me very proud as they continue to do an excellent job. I strongly believe happy staff make happy horses, and happy horses win races. It takes as much care and attention matching morning riders to horses as it does matching jockeys. These people are essentially shaping your horses. To make a mistake and cause a personality clash in the morning could cost you dearly in the afternoon. …

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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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Hindsight: Simon Christian

Simon Christian was a leading UK based steeplechase trainer during the late 1980’s and 1990’s. A multiple Cheltenham Festival winning trainer (with the likes of Nakir, Oregon Trail and Henry Mann), Christian now works as a bloodstock and racing advisor. This year, he joined the judging panel for the Lycetts Team Champion Award. Below he examines the major differences between the practices as his time as a trainer, as well as examining the major positive enhancements today.

Many changes have taken place since my time as a trainer in the 80’s and 90’s, and good things are happening.

It still remains the prime job of a trainer to train their horses to be fit of mind and body to win races.  However, in today’s jungle of other responsibilities, achieving this is a challenge.

The three major changes that have taken place since ‘my time’ are:

• Race meetings each day of the week

• Racing all-year round, flat and jumping

• A dependency on all-weather gallops

Increased racing has created the need for changes to staff working arrangements, and use of all-weather gallops has meant horses can be kept in work virtually throughout the year.

Veterinary skills and diagnostics have improved significantly. As ever, racing practices, rules, regulations, the nutritional aspect and range of supplements evolve, and it has always been vital to be up to speed with these.

The internet and data technology have changed our lives; entries and declarations, access to sales catalogues, keeping the workforce informed—saves time.  

Many owners appreciate receiving videos of their horses at exercise, on race days, and importantly possible purchases on sales days. A telephone call every six weeks and a large drink as an apology for not keeping in contact no longer suffices. Leading owners now retain their own jockeys—some older trainers would be surprised at that—and certainly at the vastly increased number of horses in yards.

This increase in both numbers of horses and race days has led to develop very different working practices. Two lots in the morning, and three ‘do up’ at night doesn’t exist.

We all know a good relationship between trainer and staff is integral as it affects the training of the horse. This generation of workers are more interested in career development opportunities. They are willing to learn new skills, they want a work/life balance—flexible hours and increased time off.  Many trainers are working on flexible working hours and time off.

Staff expect and deserve respect. They appreciate everyone in the yard being treated well and valued. Trainers are recognising good team ethos and staff engagement—some to an outstanding degree, which I saw when on the panel for the Lycetts Team Champion Award.

Positive actions include:

• Effective recruitment

• Appropriate induction systems

• Coaching and mentoring being taken to a new level

• Health and safety awareness highlighted and more qualified staff in this area

Help is available for staff welfare issues, including drink/drugs and mental health, with many understanding diversity and ethnicity. It is no coincidence that yards with good practices in place are not short staffed.

I would like to see racing and other equestrian organisations work together to introduce horses and ponies into young people’s lives to create a new generation of people who appreciate horse welfare and may make a career with horses.

Trainers are uniquely placed to showcase how well racehorses are cared for in racing stables. Together they are in the best position and have a responsibility to educate those interested and critical of horse racing.

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VetSet Trainer of the Quarter - Ben Case

By Ben Case

Amongst the different training successes from the Cheltenham Festival, one ‘smaller’ trainer stood out. Ben Case himself isn’t exactly small in stature, after all he’s built more like a rugby player than a jockey. His Edgcote yard, nestled in the Northamptonshire countryside, is blessed with the patronage of loyal owners with many being part of the yard since Case first took out his licence some twenty years ago.

The success of Croco Bay in the Gr3 Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Challenge Cup Handicap Chase is by far the most prolific of Case’s career and caps a memorable month for Case who enjoyed his first success at Newbury with First Draft back on March 2nd. Both horses have handsomely contributed to the earnings of the Wardington Gate Farm team this season, one which is set to be their highest earning season to date.

But what makes Croco Bay’s success stand out? Take a look at the form book, and the last time that Croco Rouge was seen on a racecourse came some 227 days prior when running second in a midsummer chase at Worcester. Before that, it was a further 501 days to his previous start when finishing 5th in the 2017 running of the Johnny Henderson Grand Annual.

"I don't know what to say”, reported Case. “A week ago I wasn't sure we would get in, and I have to thank Paul Webber, who let me swim Croco Bay. I knew he was fit as he went to Newbury the other day and never blew a candle out. He was in great form. He just loves it. He runs with his heart on his sleeve and I'm thrilled...lost for words.

"There has been a lot of work going into Croco Bay. He had a year off the previous year, and we brought him back from a long lay-off to run at Worcester, when he ran very well. The ground was a bit on and off afterwards, and I thought if we are ever going to have the chance of winning a big race, he has to come back here. We gave him the winter off and brought him back after Christmas. He loves it around here. He has been third and fifth, and the time I really did fancy him he fell at the water, which is very unlike him, but he has made up for it today.

"He is 12-years-old, but he is like a six-year-old at home. He has a great attitude, the horse, and if he was worked up, I would be worried. He has been to all the festivals—here, Aintree, Galway, Punchestown—and to win here is fantastic. He is proper handicapper. He is what he is, but he goes out there and runs his heart out every time. For a small yard like ours to have somebody like him, it is great for us.

"This is what we do the job for, to have days like this. We have about 30 in the yard, and it is a very small team. Everybody knows each other really well and have been with me for a long time. I am just really pleased for everybody. It is an emotional occasion. The owner has put a lot into it. We buy and sell foals. She has a few horses in training with me, and we have had a lot of fun. We had a big winner with Deep Trouble at Punchestown a long time ago, and this horse has carried the can for us as well."

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