What is racing's "Social Licence" and what does this mean?

Paull Khan expands upon a presentation he gave at the 

European Parliament to the MEP’s Horse Group on November 30th

As World Horse Welfare recently pointed out in its excellent review of the subject—while social licence or the ongoing acceptance or approval of society may be ‘intangible, implicit and somewhat fluid’—an industry or activity loses this precious conferment at its peril. Examples, all too close to home, can be seen in greyhound racing in Australia and America or jumps racing in Australia.

What is clear is that our industry is acutely aware of the issue – as are our sister disciplines. The forthcoming Asian Racing Conference in Melbourne in February will feature a session examining what is being done to ‘ensure that (our) a sport is meeting society’s rapidly evolving expectations around welfare and integrity’. And back in November, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) held a General Assembly whose ‘overriding theme’ was ‘that of social licence, and the importance for all stakeholders to understand the pressing needs for our sport to adapt and monitor the opinions of those around us’.

Considered at that meeting were results of a survey, which indicated that two-thirds of the public do not believe horses enjoy being used in sport and have concerns about their use. Those concerns mainly revolve around the welfare and safety of the horses. Intriguingly, a parallel survey of those with an active involvement in equestrian sport revealed that as many as half of this group even did not believe horses enjoyed their sport; and an even higher proportion than the general public—three-quarters—had concerns about their use.

While it is likely true, to an extent at least, that the public tends not to distinguish between equestrian sports, the specific concerns about horse racing are certainly different from those about Olympic equestrian disciplines, which centre on such matters as bits, bridles, spurs and nosebands. 

Upon what, then, does our social licence in European horse racing critically depend? What are the major issues about which the public has opinions or worries, and on which the continuance of our social licence may hang? It should be said at the outset that what follows is not based upon scientific evidence (and the research should certainly be undertaken) but merely reflects the belief of the author. But it is suggested with some confidence that the following (in no particular order) are the three issues uppermost in public consciousness. They are:

• Use of the whip

• Racecourse injuries/fatalities

• Aftercare – the fate of retired racehorses

There are, of course, other matters – the misuse of drugs and medications, gambling harms, etc., but the three topics above seem to account for a large proportion of the public’s anxieties about racing. There are likely to be subtle differences in the views of the public between one European country and another. Certainly, it is true that the volume of public disquiet varies very considerably between nations. In Scandinavia and Great Britain, for example, horse welfare and animal welfare more generally are very much front of mind and near the centre of public discourse. It is far less evident in several other countries. 

But it is illuminating to look at what racing has been doing in recent years in the three areas listed above, and what the future looks like. A survey was conducted among member countries of the European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation (EMHF); and it is clear that, while there is much still to be done, there has been significant and sustained progress and good reason to believe that this is likely to continue – and in fact accelerate – over the next few years. 

Use of the whip

Let us consider whip use first. At the most recent World Horse Welfare Annual Conference in London in November, straplined ‘When Does Use Become Abuse’, one speaker was called upon to give strategic advice as to how to counter negative perceptions of equestrianism. 

What he decided to major on was striking. With the whole breadth of the equine sector from which to draw, he chose to hone in on horseracing and—more specifically yet—on the issue of whip use. It was a salutary further example of how, while the whip may be a tiresome distraction to many, it is front and centre in the minds of many of the public.

Is there any more emotive or divisive issue within racing than the whip? Admittedly, most racing professionals hold that it really is very difficult to hurt a horse with the mandated padded crops, even if one wanted to. And, with veterinary supervision at all tracks, it is impossible to get away with, even if one did. In brief, they don’t consider this a welfare issue, but rather one of public perception. 

But it is then that the divisions set in. Some conclude that all that is necessary to do has been done, and that any further restriction on the whip’s use would constitute pandering to an ignorant public. Others argue that, even if it is just a matter of public perception and the horses are not being hurt or abused, the sight of an animal being struck by a human is now anathema to increasingly broad swathes of society—in a similar way to the sight of a child being struck by an adult: a commonplace 50 years ago, but rare today. Therefore, the sport must act to be ahead of the curve of public sentiment in order to preserve its social licence.

How is this argument playing out? Let us look at a key element of the Rules of Racing in 18 European racing nations—the maximum number of strikes allowed in a race is a blunt measure, indeed, and one that takes no account of other variables such as the penalty regime for transgressions, but one that, nonetheless, paints a telling picture.

The first map shows how things stood 20 years ago. The majority of the countries are shown in black, denoting that there was no specified limit to the number of strikes. Just one appears in white – Norway banned the use of the whip as long ago as 1986.

The second paints the picture as it was 10 years ago. Eleven of the 18 countries had, in the intervening decade, changed their rules and applied a lower maximum number of strikes, and are shown in a lighter colour as a result.

Today’s situation is shown in the third map. All but one of the countries (excluding Norway) have tightened up their whip use rules still further over the past decade. None now allows unlimited use, and countries now banning the use of the whip for encouragement, number four.

It can be concluded that all countries across Europe are moving towards more restricted use of the whip. At different speeds and from different starting points, the direction of travel is common.

What will the situation be in another 10 years? Many administrators within EMHF countries, when asked to speculate on this, gave the view that there would be no whip tolerance within ten years and that the Scandinavian approach will have been adopted.  

On the other hand, Britain has recently concluded that the biggest public consultation on the subject and the new rules that are being introduced do not include a reduction in the number of strikes, but rather a series of other measures, including the possible disqualification of the horse and importantly, the requirement only to use the whip in the less visually offensive backhand position. 

Whether or not we will see a total ban within the next decade, it must be long odds-on that restrictions on whip use, across the continent, will be stricter again than they are today.

Aftercare

Twenty years ago, little thought was given to the subject of aftercare. There were some honourable exceptions: in Greece, the Jockey Club required its owners to declare if they could no longer provide for their horse, in which case it was placed in the care of an Animal Welfare organisation. Portugal had a similar reference in its Code. Most tellingly, in Britain a trail-blazing charity, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), had been launched, following a review by the former British Horseracing Board.

Ten years ago, RoR had nearly 10,000 horses registered, had developed a national programme of competitions and events in other equestrian disciplines, and was holding parades at race-meeting to showcase the abilities of former racehorses to enter new careers. 

Di Arbuthnot, RoR’s chief executive, explains, “In the UK, a programme of activities for thoroughbreds had started to encourage more owner/riders to take on former racehorses.  This was supported by regional volunteers arranging educational help with workshops, clinics and camps to help the retraining process. Other countries were looking at this to see if similar ideas would work in Europe and beyond.

“Racing’s regulators had begun to think that this was an area they should be looking to help; retraining operators and charities that specialised in thoroughbreds were becoming recognised and supported; and classes at equestrian events began in some countries.  Owner/riders were looking to take on a thoroughbred in place of other breeds to compete or as a pleasure horse; the popularity of the thoroughbred was growing, not just by professional riders to use in equestrian disciplines, but also by amateurs to take on, care for and enjoy the many attributes of former racehorses.

“The aftercare of the thoroughbred was on the move.”

But not a great deal else was different in the European aftercare landscape.

Since then, however, there has been little short of an explosion of aftercare initiatives. In 2016, the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) was born, “to advocate for the lifetime care of retired racehorses, to increase awareness within the international racing community of this important responsibility.” In this endeavour, IFAR is not in any way facing resistance from Racing Authorities – far from it. It is pushing against an open door. 

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities has, as one of its twelve objectives, the promotion of aftercare standards. And the chair of its Welfare Committee, Jamie Stier, said some years ago that there is ‘now a better understanding and greater recognition that our shared responsibility for the welfare of racehorses extends beyond their career on the racetrack’. 

This direction from the top has been picked up and is increasingly being put into active practice. Also in 2016, France launched its own official charity Au Dela des Pistes, (‘beyond the racetrack’),  in 2020 Ireland followed suit with Treo Eile (‘another direction’). By 2019, in Britain, remarkably, many more thoroughbreds were taking part in dressage than running in steeplechases! 

So now the three main thoroughbred racing nations in Europe all have active and established aftercare programmes; and many other smaller racing nations are moving in that direction. It is not just a matter of repurposing in other equestrian pursuits – many of those horses retiring from racing that are not suited to competitive second careers are simply re-homed in retirement and others find profitable work in areas such as Equine Assisted Therapy. 

Arbuthnot (also chair of IFAR) adds: “For racing to continue as we know it, we must assure the general public, those that enjoy racing, that thoroughbreds are not discarded when their racing days are over and that they are looked after and have the chance of a second career.  It is up to all of us around the world to show that we care what happens to these horses wherever their racing days end and show respect to the thoroughbred that has given us enjoyment during their racing career, whether successful or not on the racecourse. If we do this, we help ensure that horse racing continues in our lifetime and beyond.”

It is important to publicise and promote the aftercare agenda, and the EMHF gives IFAR a standing platform at its General Assembly meetings. EMHF members have translated the IFAR ‘Tool Kit’—for Racing Authorities keen to adopt best practice—into several different European languages.

Time Down Under and Justine Armstrong-Small: Time Down Under failed to beat a single horse in three starts but following his retirement from racing, he has reinvented himself, including winning the prestigious showing title of Tattersalls Elite Champion at Hickstead in June 2022. Images courtesy of Hannah Cole Photography.

British racing recently established an independently chaired Horse Welfare Board. In 2020, the Board published its strategy ‘A Life Well Lived’, whose recommendations included collective lifetime responsibility for the horse, incorporating traceability across the lifetimes of horses bred for racing. 

Traceability will be key to future progress, and initiatives such as the electronic equine passport, which has been deployed among all thoroughbreds in Ireland and Britain, will play a vital part. Thoroughbred Stud Book birth records are impeccable, and we know the exact number of foals registered throughout this continent and beyond. The aim must be to establish the systems that enable us to ascertain, and then quantify the fate of each, at the least until their first port of call after retirement from racing.

Racecourse injuries

There can be nothing more distressing – for racing professionals and casual observers alike – than to see a horse break down. The importance of minimising racecourse injuries—and, worse still, fatalities—is something everyone agrees upon. What is changing, though, it would appear, is the potential for scientific advances to have a significant beneficial effect.

Of course, accidents can and do befall horses anywhere and they can never be eliminated entirely from sport. But doing what we can to mitigate risk is our ethical duty, and effectively publicising what we have done and continue to do may be a requirement for our continued social licence.   

There is much that can be said. It is possible to point to a large number of measures that have been taken over recent years, with these amongst them:

• Better watering and abandonment of jump racing if ground is hard 

• Cessation of jump racing on all-weather tracks 

• Cessation of jump racing on the snow 

• Safer design, construction and siting of obstacles

• By-passing of obstacles in low sunlight

• Colouring of obstacles in line with equine sight (orange to white)

• Heightened scrutiny of inappropriate use of analgesics

• Increased prevalence of pre-race veterinary examinations, with withdrawal of horses if necessary

• The outlawing of pin-firing, chemical castration, blistering and blood-letting

• Abandonment of racing in extreme hot weather

Many of the above relate to jump racing, and Britain has witnessed a reduction of 20% in jump fatality rates over the past 20 years. But there is more that must be done, and a lot of work is indeed being done in this space around the world. 

One of the most exciting recent developments is the design and deployment of ground-breaking fracture support kits which were distributed early in 2022 to every racecourse in Britain. 

Compression boots suitable for all forelimb fractures

By common consent, they represent a big step forward – they are foam-lined and made of a rigid glass reinforced plastic shell; they’re easily and securely applied, adjustable for varying sizes of hoof, etc. They reduce pain and anxiety, restrict movement which could do further damage, and allow the horse to be transported by horse ambulance to veterinary facilities. 

X-rays can then be taken through these boots, allowing diagnosis and appropriate treatment. These kits have proved their worth already: they were used on 14 occasions between April and December last year, and it would appear that no fewer than four of these horses have not only recovered but are in fine shape to continue their careers. It is easy to envisage these or similar aids being ubiquitous across European racetracks in the near future.

Modular splints suitable for slab fractures of carpal bones

Perhaps of greatest interest and promise are those developments which are predictive in nature, and which seek to identify the propensity for future problems in horses. 

Around the world, there are advances in diagnostic testing available to racecourse vets. PET scanners, bone scanners, MRI scanners and CT scanners are available at several tracks In America, genetic testing for sudden death is taking place, as is work to detect horses likely to develop arrhythmias of the heart.

Then there are systems that are minutely examining the stride patterns of horses while galloping to detect abnormalities or deviations from the norm. In America, a great deal of money and time is being spent developing a camera-based system and, in parallel, an Australian-US partnership is using the biometric signal analysis that is widely used in other sports. 

The company – StrideSAFE – is a partnership between Australian company StrideMASTER and US company Equine Analysis. They make the point that, while pre-race examinations that involve a vet trotting a horse up and down and looking for signs of lameness, can play a useful role, many issues only become apparent at the gallop. 

There are, in any case, limitations to what is discernible to the naked eye, which works at only 60 hertz. StrideMASTER’s  three-ounce movement sensors, which fit into the saddlecloth, work at 2,400 hertz, measuring movements in three dimensions – forward and backward, up and down and side to side, and building up a picture of each horse’s ‘stride fingerprint’.

In a blind trial, involving thousands of horses, 27 of which had suffered an injury, this system had generated a warning ‘red-flag’ for no fewer than 25 of them. The green lines in the centre of this diagram are this horse’s normal stride fingerprint; the red line was the deviant pattern that would have flagged up the potential problem, and the grey line was where the horse then sadly injured itself.

The ‘stride fingerprint’ of a racehorse

While the false-positive rate is impressive for such screening tools, another enemy of all predictive technologies is the false positive, and ways need to be found to take action on the findings without imposing potentially unnecessary restrictions on horses’ participation. At present, the StrideMASTER system is typically throwing up three or four red flags for runners at an Australian meeting—more in America. 

A study in the spring by the Kentucky Equine Drug Research Council, centering on Churchill Downs, will seek to hone in on true red flags and to develop a protocol for subsequent action.  David Hawke, StrideMaster managing director, expands, “Protocols will likely vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, depending on the imaging modalities available. At Churchill Downs, they will have a PET scan, and we will be going straight from red-flag to PET scan.” 

There will be other approaches available to regulators involving, for example, discussion with the trainer, a requirement for a clean vet’s certificate, or perhaps for a normal ‘fingerprint’, before racing next.          

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for continued investment and resource allocation by Racing Authorities. But the will would seem to be there. In Britain, €7M from betting will, over the next three years, fund an extensive array of no fewer than 26 horse welfare projects, covering such matters as education and support for re-homers, analysis of medication data and clinical records, fatalities occurring off the track, ground/going research and obstacle improvement and development. That is a serious statement of intent and an illustration of just how high in importance the welfare of racehorses has now become.

Of course, not all racing nations have the resources to conduct such research. It will be vital, therefore, that the lessons learnt are shared throughout the racing world. In Europe, this is where the EMHF will play a vital role. The federation has always had, as primary aims, education and the adoption of best practice across its membership.

The hope must be that, through all these measures and many others in combination, we can assuage the concerns of the public sufficiently to retain our social licence. But let our ambitions not rest there. We must also strive to shift the debate, to move onto the front foot and invite a focus on the many positive aspects of racing, as an example of the partnership between man and horse that brings rich benefit to both parties. 

Elsewhere in this issue, there is a feature on racing in Turkey, and it was the founding father of that country, Kemal Ataturk, who famously said:

“Horseracing is a social need for modern societies.” 

We should reinforce at every opportunity the fact that racing provides colour, excitement, entertainment, tax revenues, rural employment, a sense of historical and cultural identity and much more to the human participants. It is also the very purpose of a thoroughbred’s life and rewards it with ‘a life well lived.’

We have a lot more to do, but let’s hope we can turn the tide of public opinion such that people increasingly look at life as did Ataturk.

Jérôme Reynier - The French horseman’s pathway to success

Article by Katherine Ford

Take a look at the French trainers’ standings in September, and hot on the heels of the Classic powerhouses of Rouget, Fabre and Graffard in fourth place was Jérôme Reynier. Based in his native Marseille, still a couple of years shy of his 40th birthday, the discreet yet determined professional has climbed step by step to racing’s top table, and his ascension is far from over. 

I met Reynier at Deauville during the August meeting and interrupted his breakfast with half a dozen staff. “We have a family atmosphere and a good relationship. I’m not a difficult boss, but if there are decisions to be made, that’s my job. I don’t want anyone else to take initiatives without consulting me first. That’s why I’m always available in case there’s a problem,” Reynier admits.

What is striking with Reynier is an attention to detail, whether that be in the organisation of his training regime, his assiduous desire to answer any queries from any quarters, or his true passion and almost encyclopaedic knowledge of bloodstock and racing. Going back to the origins of his love of racing, he explains, “I caught the virus from my father who was an architect but passionate about racing and breeding. I was born in 1985, and that was the year that he bred his first horse, called Shaindy.” 

Reynier goes on to recount in great detail the destiny of Shaindy, who was bought back as a yearling and ended up Group-placed as a juvenile and winner of the then Listed Prix Djebel. It is easy to forget from the vividness of the description that at the time he was still in nappies and has no direct memories of the time. “It was magical, for a first homebred, carrying my grandfather’s colours. That caused a snowball effect with my father who bought more mares. He was lucky, but then you make your own luck.” 

Learning the trade

Just a few years later Reynier’s father sold all his burgeoning thoroughbred interests when his son was still too small to remember, in order to devote more time to his wife and family. 

However, the marriage broke down and his son remembers, “My parents separated when I was 12, and I went to live with my father who took me to Deauville sales to see if I took to the bloodstock world. It was all new to me, but I loved it and thought of nothing else from then on. 

“At school, I put sales catalogues inside my textbooks; so during lessons I was engrossed in the pedigree pages. I had never touched a horse in my life—my experience all came from books as there wasn’t even [French racing channel] Equidia at the time.”

At 15 years old, Jérôme Reynier had his first hands-on experience during a summer at Alain Brandebourger’s Haras de Chartreux, and the following summer his father sent him to Newmarket to learn English. “I spent two months with David Shekells at Old Mill Stud. He had two yearlings for Deauville sales, but I was only tiny and not strong enough to hold a yearling weighing 400kg. They were both monsters—a Nashwan and an Unfuwain—so my job for two months was to walk behind them to keep them moving forward. 

“Then during the journey from Newmarket to Deauville, I had to travel in the back of the horsebox at their heads all the way to stop them from fighting. It was a real test of my enthusiasm!”

Full marks for effort

Jérôme passed the test with flying colours, and his enthusiasm remained intact, more so than his academic career, which suffered from his obsession with thoroughbreds. “I failed my Bac [baccalauréat], and things weren’t easy then as I had no qualifications, contacts or references. When I went to the races at Deauville, I didn’t have access to any of the reserved areas; I saw racing as a very closed environment. For me, it was unattainable. During that summer, I worked at the Forien’s Haras de Montaigu to prepare the yearlings. After that, I applied to do a season at Coolmore, and they took me on from January to June in 2005; so I went to Ireland and passed my Bac as an external candidate.”

A fascination for pedigrees

Jérôme Reynier has stars in his eyes as he remembers his stint at Coolmore. “I worked in one of the small yards with barren or maiden mares, so there were no foals but some amazing pedigrees, and we took them to stallions like Sadler’s Wells, Galileo and Montjeu. I got to see the stallions and how the system worked. I was always more interested in the pedigrees and breeding aspect than the racing in the afternoon.” 

The Irish National Stud course followed in 2006 and while there, the determined and precocious Jérôme applied for and was accepted onto the Darley Flying Start programme. “I didn’t waste a minute!” he remembers. “In 2008 I was 22 years old and found myself with qualifications from the Irish National Stud and Darley Flying Start. The problem was that I was overqualified for my age. I needed work, but everyone considered that I was too young to take on the jobs in the breeding industry that I was qualified for. At the same time, my father fell ill so I went back to Marseille and as nobody would employ me, I set up my own business as a bloodstock agent. But I soon realised it was very difficult to earn a living without a large volume of trade. I knew a few people, but I didn’t have a network of clients. I was young and based in Marseille, so I didn’t tick the boxes…” 

It was therefore by default that Reynier began his successful training career, initially as a private trainer for the Ecurie Camacho Courses. “I was employed to train around 15 horses for them at Marseille, and in two years we had 38 winners and €800,000 in earnings with modest horses. It was a great way to start off, but after two years, I wanted my independence.” 

Starting from scratch

From four horses at the outset in March 2013, the ambitious professional soon made himself noticed and his stable grew. “I was getting good results, including in the Parisian region where I could find favourable entries and make a name for myself, rather than focusing on local races at Marseille. I’ve always tried to look beyond my immediate horizon. I had horses of a limited quality, but my passion was to find winnable races. I was back to what I loved—really hands on, mucking out in the morning, going to the track, driving the horses to races myself. I wouldn’t hesitate to make a long journey for a made-to-measure entry. I think that was the best period in my career as a trainer.” 

Reynier was hit hard by the untimely death of his father in November 2014 and doubled down to bury his grief in work, “to make him proud from where he is now.”

He was satisfied with his 40-capacity stable but in 2018 received a career-changing offer from powerful local owner Jean-Claude Seroul, whose orange and grey colours were a familiar sight in Marseille. They are now known far beyond, thanks notably to the exploits of prolific top-level winners Skalleti and Marianafoot.

Reynier took on the job as private trainer to Seroul’s 50-55 strong string, based just across the road from his own yard at the Calas training centre, 30km north of Marseille, “Mr Seroul has his own stable, his own horses and his own staff; it didn’t affect my own structure. They are two separate operations, and the strings don’t go out at the same time; so instead of having four lots with 30 riders in each, I have eight lots with 15 riders each time. It’s much more manageable as I like to give each rider precise instructions for including the exact position of every horse in each lot. All the details are indicated on the list, which is sent out the previous evening, and that organisation now allows me to delegate more; and for instance to spend the month here in Deauville where we have an allocation of 14 boxes and a rotation of horses. If we win six races here and a few places, it will be a good result.”

That August target was achieved with the highlight being a Listed victory for the Seroul-owned filly, Rose Premium.

Calas ticks all the boxes

The conversation moves back to Calas, described by Reynier as a “perfect” facility with a main 3km round track, which gives the opportunity to work left- or right-handed depending upon the day. It also offers an incline for interval training, as well as turf, sand and jumps schooling tracks. “We have all that we need, and the results are proof of that. I will never abandon Calas because it is a good training centre with a wonderful climate, and it allows us to create a very progressive programme for the horses. We all—Christophe Escuder, Fabrice Vermeulen and myself—like to run our horses as much as possible rather than over-train them, so we provide a lot of runners for the PMU. Our owners want to see their horses at the races, so as soon as the horse is ready, whatever his level, I find a race for him. I find the French programme clear and simple, with opportunities for all categories.”

Marseille was rocked in late 2021 as dawn raids saw three members of the Rossi family among several professionals taken into police custody under suspicion of the use of forbidden substances and conspiracy to defraud and fix races. Frederic, Cédric and Charley, who were responsible for around 150 horses at Calas, are currently suspended from training and under police investigation. Reynier comments, “It saddened me because I know Cedric and Charley (Rossi) well, and I am sure that they are not cheats. It’s been a tough time for the region to be in the spotlight for negative reasons, and there is also the risk that if we don’t generate enough runners for turnover on the PMU, they will reduce the number of races at our tracks.” 

The city’s best racecourse, seaside Marseille-Borély, is already under threat of closure and Reynier adds, “The lease has been extended until 2024. It’s perfectly situated for development, but it will be a disaster if it is lost; so that’s why it is important to keep an open mind geographically. I wouldn’t exclude creating a small satellite yard in Chantilly to start with to avoid too much travelling for some of the horses. Then why not extend the Chantilly stable to have two bases… But it is certain that the future lies in Paris, or maybe abroad.”

Plotting a path to success

Jérôme Reynier has always had the opposite of a blinkered approach and loves to see a well-made plan come to fruition, as his first stable star Royal Julius, winner of the inaugural Bahrain International Trophy, demonstrates. “When Bahrain created the new international race, the prize money was very generous. And the conditions were optimal for Royal Julius, who was a true right-hander who loved a fast surface and ten furlongs, so I set out to prepare and qualify him for that race. He needed to keep a high rating, so I sent him to Italy where it was easy for him to do well in Stakes company; whereas if I’d run him in a Gp. 3 in France and he’d finished fifth, his rating would have dropped and I would never have been invited there or to Qatar. He was a great horse for the stable, as was Master Spirit who was a “second hand” horse we received; and from being a handicapper, we managed to take second place in the Grand Prix de Deauville with him. I’ve been lucky to train some good horses, but it’s important to take good care of them to age well.” 

More recently, flag bearers Skalleti and Marianafoot have rewarded the patience and skill of their handler, along with Thunder Drum who joined Reynier for owner Lady Bamford. “It was particularly satisfying for me to receive beautifully bred horses for Lady Bamford and exceptional to win the Prix du Royaumont (Gp. 3) last year on Jockey-Club day with Thunder Drum, who couldn’t win a maiden in England as a juvenile. We had intended to run her in the Italian Oaks that weekend but made a last-minute change of plan due to a modest field and rain in Chantilly; and it worked perfectly! As for Skalleti and Marianafoot, they both had their best seasons last year at six years old, which is amazing. In fact, I was the leading French trainer on Gp. 1 wins, with the three victories of that pair. Cédric Rossi and André Fabre had two each!”

Prize money for happy owners and trainers

“We don’t have a star this year, but a lot of horses are earning their keep and that keeps the stable going. Take the example of Happy Harry, a son of Zarak that we claimed in January; in six months, he has earned €70,000 (the gelding boosted his earnings by a further €14,000 in prize money and owners’ premiums for a handicap win days after our interview). If I have 50 Happy Harrys, I’m happy! The French system makes this possible if you have a healthy horse who can run regularly. In England, if you have a decent horse, you either try and win some good races or you try the commercial route, win on the debut and then sell it on. It’s impossible to earn money with prize money in England, and I couldn’t train there. It’s a different policy. The French way of constructing a career is with a horse that might be just 80 percent ready for his debut and he will progress as he races. So, we can think of the long term rather than the short term. As long as we can keep our system in France with the PMU and decent prize money, we are privileged. We are the best country for racing in Europe or maybe in the world, but a whole generation of punters is on the way out, and I don’t see many young people betting on racing, so I often feel pessimistic.”

Despite his concerns, Jérôme Reynier is, as always, aware of upcoming opportunities and a changing of the guard, which may enable him to move even further up racing’s top table. “There is a whole older generation of trainers in Chantilly who are on the way out, so there will be opportunities. The new trainers who are there now and setting up soon will create a new dynamism. Maybe I will be a part of it and maybe I won’t…” 

One thing is certain, whatever Jérôme Reynier does or doesn’t become a part of will depend upon a carefully constructed plan, leaving little to chance and attracting more good luck his way. 

EIPH - could there be links to sudden death and pulmonary haemorrhage?

Dr Peter W. Physick-Sheard, BVSc, FRCVS, explores preliminary research and hypotheses, being conducted by the University of Guelph, to see if there is a possibility that these conditions are linked and what this could mean for future management and training of thoroughbreds. 

"World's Your Oyster,” a three-year-old thoroughbred mare, presented at the veterinary hospital for clinical examination. She won her maiden start as a two-year-old and placed once in two subsequent starts. After training well as a three-year-old, she failed to finish her first start, easing at the top of the stretch, and was observed to fade abruptly during training. Some irregularity was suspected in heart rhythm after exercise. Thorough clinical examination, blood work, ultrasound of the heart and an ECG during rest and workout revealed nothing unusual. 

Returning to training, Oyster placed in six of her subsequent eight starts, winning the last two. She subsequently died suddenly during early training as a four-year-old. At post-mortem, diagnoses of pulmonary haemorrhage and exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage were established—a very frustrating and unfortunate outcome.

Across the racing world, a case like this probably occurs daily. Anything that can limit a horse's ability to express its genetic potential is a major source of anxiety when training. The possibility of injury and lameness is the greatest concern, but a close second is respiratory disease, with bleeding  from the lungs (most often referred to as exercise induced pulmonary [lung] haemorrhage or EIPH) being high on the list. 

EIPH is thought to occur in as many as 85 percent of racehorses, and may initially be very mild without obvious clinical consequences. In some cases it can be associated with haemorrhage of sufficient severity for blood to appear at the nostrils, even at first occurrence. In many racing jurisdictions this is a potentially career-ending problem. In these horses, an impact on performance is unquestionable. Bleeding from the lungs is the reason for the existence of ‘Lasix programs,’ involving pre-race administration of a medication considered to reduce haemorrhage. Such programs are controversial—the justifications for their existence ranging from addressing welfare concerns for the horse to dealing with the performance impacts. 

Much less frequently encountered is heavy exercise-associated bleeding from the nostrils (referred to as epistaxis), which can sometimes be accompanied by sudden death, during or shortly after exercise. Some horses bleed heavily internally and die without blood appearing at the nostrils. Haemorrhage may only become obvious when the horse is lying on its side, or not until post-mortem. Affected animals do not necessarily have any history of EIPH, either clinically or sub-clinically. There is an additional group of rare cases in which a horse simply dies suddenly, most often very soon after work and even after a winning performance, and in which little to nothing clearly explains the cause on post-mortem. This is despite the fact most racing jurisdictions study sudden death cases very closely.

EIPH is diagnosed most often by bronchoscopy—passing an endoscope into the lung after work and taking a look. In suspected but mild cases, there may not be sufficient haemorrhage to be visible, and a procedure called a bronchoalveolar lavage is performed. The airways are rinsed and fluid is collected and examined microscopically to identify signs of bleeding. Scoping to confirm diagnosis is usually a minimum requirement before a horse can be placed on a Lasix program. 

Are EIPH, severe pulmonary haemorrhage and sudden death related? Are they the same or different conditions? 

At the University of Guelph, we are working on the hypothesis that most often they are not different—that it’s degrees of the same condition, or closely related conditions perhaps with a common underlying cause. We see varying clinical signs as being essentially a reflection of severity and speed of onset of underlying problems. 

Causes in individual cases may reflect multiple factors, so coming at the issues from several different directions, as is the case with the range of ongoing studies, is a good way to go so long as study subjects and cases are comparable and thoroughly documented. However, starting from the hypothesis that these may all represent basically the same clinical condition, we are approaching the problem from a clinical perspective, which is that cardiac dysfunction is the common cause. 

Numerous cardiac disorders and cellular mechanisms have the potential to contribute to transient or complete pump (heart) failure. However, identifying them as potential disease candidates does not specifically identify the role they may have played, if any, in a case of heart failure and in lung haemorrhage; it only means that they are potential primary underlying triggers. It isn't possible for us to be right there when a haemorrhage event occurs, so almost invariably we are left looking at the outcome—the event of interest has passed. These concerns influence the approach we are taking.

Background

The superlative performance ability of a horse depends on many physical factors:

• Huge ventilatory (ability to move air) and gas exchange capacity

• Body structure including limb length and design - allows it to cover ground rapidly with a long stride

• Metabolic adaptations - supports a high rate of energy production by burning oxygen, tolerance of severe metabolic disruptions toward the end of race-intensity effort

• High cardiovascular capacity - allows the average horse to pump roughly a brimming bathtub of blood every minute

At race intensity effort, these mechanisms, and more, have to work in coordination to support performance. There is likely not much reserve left—two furlongs (400m) from the winning post—even in the best of horses. There are many wild cards, from how the horse is feeling on race day to how the race plays out; and in all horses there will be a ceiling to performance. That ceiling—the factor limiting performance—may differ from horse to horse and even from day to day. There’s no guarantee that in any particular competition circumstances will allow the horse to perform within its own limitations. One of these factors involves the left side of the heart, from which blood is driven around the body to the muscles.

A weak link - filling the left ventricle

The cardiovascular system of the horse exhibits features that help sustain a high cardiac output at peak effort. The feature of concern here is the high exercise pressure in the circulation from the right  ventricle, through the lungs to the left ventricle. At intense effort and high heart rates, there is very little time available to fill the left ventricle—sometimes as little as 1/10 of a second; and if the chamber cannot fill properly, it cannot empty properly and cardiac output will fall. The circumstances required to achieve adequate filling include the readiness of the chamber to relax to accept blood—its ‘stiffness.’ Chamber stiffness increases greatly at exercise, and this stiffened chamber must relax rapidly in order to fill. That relaxation seems not to be sufficient on its own in the horse at high heart rates. Increased filling pressure from the circulation draining the lungs is also required. But there is a weak point: the pulmonary capillaries.

These are tiny vessels conducting blood across the lungs from the pulmonary artery to the pulmonary veins. During this transit, all the gas exchange needed to support exercise takes place. The physiology of other species tells us that the trained lung circulation achieves maximum flow (equivalent to cardiac output) by reducing resistance in those small vessels. This process effectively increases lung blood flow reserve by, among other things, dilating small vessels. Effectively, resistance to the flow of blood through the lungs is minimised. We know this occurs in horses as it does in other species; yet in the horse, blood pressure in the lungs still increases dramatically at exercise. 

If this increase is not the result of resistance in the small vessels, it must reflect something else, and that appears to be resistance to flow into the left chamber. This means the entire lung circulation is exposed to the same pressures, including the thin-walled capillaries. Capillaries normally work at quite low pressure, but in the exercising horse, they must tolerate very high pressures. They have thin walls and little between them, and the air exchange sacs in the lung. This makes them vulnerable. It's not surprising they sometimes rupture, resulting in lung haemorrhage.

Recent studies identified changes in the structure of small veins through which the blood flows from the capillaries and on toward the left chamber. This was suspected to be a pathology and part of the long-term consequences of EIPH, or perhaps even part of the cause as the changes were first identified in EIPH cases. It could be, however, that remodelling is a normal response to the very high blood flow through the lungs—a way of increasing lung flow reserve, which is an important determinant of maximum rate of aerobic working. 

The more lung flow reserve, the more cardiac output and the more aerobic work an animal can perform. The same vein changes have been observed in non-racing horses and horses without any history or signs of bleeding. They may even be an indication that everything is proceeding as required and a predictable consequence of intense aerobic training. On the other hand, they may be an indication in some horses that the rate of exercise blood flow through their lungs is a little more than they can tolerate, necessitating some restructuring. We have lots to learn on this point.

If the capacity to accommodate blood flow through the lungs is critical, and limiting, then anything that further compromises this process is likely to be of major importance. It starts to sound very much as though the horse has a design problem, but we shouldn't rush to judgement. Horses were probably not designed for the very intense and sustained effort we ask of them in a race. Real-world situations that would have driven their evolution would have required a sprint performance (to avoid ambush predators such as lions) or a prolonged slower-paced performance to evade predators such as wolves, with only the unlucky victim being pushed to the limit and not the entire herd. 

Lung blood flow and pulmonary oedema

There is another important element to this story. High pressures in the capillaries in the lung will be associated with significant movement of fluid from the capillaries into lung tissue spaces. This movement in fact happens continuously at all levels of effort and throughout the body—it's a normal process. It's the reason the skin on your ankles ‘sticks’ to the underlying structures when you are standing for a long time. So long as you keep moving a little, the lymphatic system will draw away the fluid. 

In a diseased lung, tissue fluid accumulation is referred to as pulmonary oedema, and its presence or absence has often been used to help characterise lung pathologies. The lung lymphatic system can be overwhelmed when tissue fluid is produced very rapidly. When a horse experiences sudden heart failure, such as when the supporting structures of a critical valve fail, one result is massive overproduction of lung tissue fluid and appearance of copious amounts of bloody fluid from the nostrils. 

The increase in capillary pressure under these conditions is as great as at exercise, but the horse is at rest. So why is there no bloody fluid in the average, normal horse after a race? It’s because this system operates very efficiently at the high respiratory rates found during work: tissue fluid is pumped back into the circulation, and fluid does not accumulate. The fluid is pumped out as quickly as it is formed. An animal’s level of physical activity at the time problems develop can therefore make a profound difference to the clinical signs seen and to the pathology.

Usual events with unusual consequences 

If filling the left ventricle and the ability of the lungs to accommodate high flow at exercise are limiting factors, surely this affects all horses. So why do we see such a wide range of clinical pictures, from normal to subclinical haemorrhage to sudden death? 

Variation in contributing factors such as type of horse, type and intensity of work, sudden and unanticipated changes in work intensity, level of training in relation to work and the presence of disease states are all variables that could influence when and how clinical signs are seen, but there are other considerations.

Although we talk about heart rate as a fairly stable event, there is in fact quite a lot of variation from beat to beat. This is often referred to as heart rate variability. There has been a lot of work performed on the magnitude of this variability at rest and in response to various short-term disturbances and at light exercise in the horse, but not a lot at maximal exercise. Sustained heart rate can be very high in a strenuously working horse, with beats seeming to follow each other in a very consistent manner, but there is in fact still variation. 

Some of this variation is normal and reflects the influence of factors such as respiration. However, other variations in rate can reflect changes in heart rhythm. Still other variations may not seem to change rhythm at all but may instead reflect the way electrical signals are being conducted through the heart. 

These may be evident from the ECG but would not appear abnormal on a heart rate monitor or when listening. These variations, whether physiologic (normal) or a reflection of abnormal function, will have a presently, poorly understood influence on blood flow through the lungs and heart—and on cardiac filling. Influences may be minimal at low rates, but what happens at a heart rate over 200 and in an animal working at the limits of its capacity.

Normal electrical activation of the heart follows a pattern that results in an orderly sequence of heart muscle contraction, and that provides optimal emptying of the ventricles. Chamber relaxation complements this process. 

An abnormal beat or abnormal interval can compromise filling and/or emptying of the left ventricle, leaving more blood to be discharged in the next cycle and back up through the lungs, raising pulmonary venous pressure. A sequence of abnormal beats can lead to a progressive backup of blood, and there may not be the capacity to hold it—even for one quarter of a second, a whole cardiac cycle at 240 beats per minute. 

For a horse that has a history of bleeding and happens to be already functioning at a very marginal level, even minor disturbances in heart rhythm might therefore have an impact. Horses with airway disease or upper airway obstructions, such as roarers, might find themselves in a similar position. An animal that has not bled previously might bleed a little, one that has a history of bleeding may start again, or a chronic bleeder may worsen. 

Relatively minor disturbances in cardiac function, therefore, might contribute to or even cause EIPH. If a horse is in relatively tough company or runs a hard race, this may also contribute to the onset or worsening of problems. Simply put, it's never a level playing field if you are running on the edge.

Severe bleeding

It has been suspected for many years that cases of horses dying suddenly at exercise represent sudden-onset cardiac dysfunction—most likely a rhythm disturbance. If the rhythm is disturbed, the closely linked and carefully orchestrated sequence of events that leads to filling of the left ventricle is also disturbed. A disturbance in cardiac electrical conduction would have a similar effect, such as one causing the two sides of the heart to fall out of step, even though the rhythm of the heart may seem normal. 

The cases of horses that bleed profusely at exercise and even those that die suddenly without any post-mortem findings can be seen to follow naturally from this chain of events. If the changes in heart rhythm or conduction are sufficient, in some cases to cause massive pulmonary haemorrhage, they may be sufficient in other cases to cause collapse and death even before the horse has time to exhibit epistaxis or even clear evidence of bleeding into the lungs. 

EIPH and dying suddenly

If these events are (sometimes) related, why is it that some horses that die of pulmonary haemorrhage with epistaxis do not show evidence of chronic EIPH? This is one of those $40,000 questions. It could be that young horses have had limited opportunity to develop chronic EIPH; it may be that we are wrong and the conditions are entirely unrelated. But it seems more likely that in these cases, the rhythm or conduction disturbance was sufficiently severe and/or rapid in onset to cause a precipitous fall in blood pressure with the animal passing out and dying rapidly. 

In this interpretation of events, the missing link is the heart. There is no finite cutoff at which a case ceases to be EIPH and becomes pulmonary haemorrhage. Similarly, there is no distinct point at which any case ceases to be severe EIPH and becomes EAFPH (exercise-associated fatal pulmonary haemorrhage). In truth, there may simply be gradation obscured somewhat by variable definitions and examination protocols and interpretations.

The timing of death

It seems from the above that death should most likely take place during work, and it often does, but not always. It may occur at rest, after exercise. Death ought to occur more often in racing, but it doesn't. 

The intensity of effort is only one factor in this hypothesis of acute cardiac or pump failure. We also have to consider factors such as when rhythm disturbances are most likely to occur (during recovery is a favourite time) and death during training is more often a problem than during a race. 

A somewhat hidden ingredient in this equation is possibly the animal's level of emotional arousal, which is known to be a risk factor in humans for similar disturbances. There is evidence that emotions/psychological factors might be much more important in horses than previously considered. Going out for a workout might be more stimulating for a racehorse than a race because before a race, there is much more buildup and the horse has more time to adequately warm up psychologically. And then, of course, temperament also needs to be considered. These are yet further reasons that we have a great deal to learn.

Our strategy at the University of Guelph

These problems are something we cannot afford to tolerate, for numerous reasons—from perspectives of welfare and public perception to rider safety and economics. Our aim is to increase our understanding of cardiac contributions by identifying sensitive markers that will enable us to say with confidence whether cardiac dysfunction—basically transient or complete heart failure—has played a role in acute events. 

We are also looking for evidence of compromised cardiac function in all horses, from those that appear normal and perform well, through those that experience haemorrhage, to those that die suddenly without apparent cause. Our hope is that we can not only identify horses at risk, but also focus further work on the role of the heart as well as the significance of specific mechanisms. And we hope to better understand possible cardiac contributions to EIPH in the process. This will involve digging deeply into some aspects of cellular function in the heart muscle, the myocardium of the horse, as well as studying ECG features that may provide insight and direction. 

Fundraising is underway to generate seed money for matching fund proposals, and grant applications are in preparation for specific, targeted investigations. Our studies complement those being carried out in numerous, different centres around the world and hopefully will fill in further pieces of the puzzle. This is, indeed, a huge jigsaw, but we are proceeding on the basis that you can eat an elephant if you're prepared to process one bite at a time.

How can you help? Funding is an eternal issue. For all the money that is invested in horses there is a surprisingly limited contribution made to research and development—something that is a mainstay of virtually every other industry; and this is an industry. 

Look carefully at the opportunities for you to make a contribution to research in your area. Consider supporting studies by making your experience, expertise and horses available for data collection and minimally invasive procedures such as blood sampling. 

Connect with the researchers in your area and find out how you can help. Watch your horses closely and contemplate what they might be telling you—it's easy to start believing in ourselves and to stop asking questions. Keep meticulous records of events involving horses in your care— you never know when you may come across something highly significant. And work with researchers (which often includes track practitioners) to make your data available for study. 

Remember that veterinarians and university faculty are bound by rules of confidentiality, which means what you tell them should never be ascribed to you or your horses and will only be used without any attribution, anonymously. And when researchers reach out to you to tell you what they have found and to get your reactions, consider actually attending the sessions and participating in the discussion; we can all benefit—especially the ultimate beneficiary which should be the horse. We all have lots to learn from each other, and finding answers to our many challenges is going to have to be a joint venture.  

Finally, this article has been written for anybody involved in racing to understand, but covering material such as this for a broad audience is challenging. So, if there are still pieces that you find obscure, reach out for help in interpretation. The answers may be closer than you think!

Oyster

And what about Oyster? Her career was short. Perhaps, had we known precisely what was going on, we might have been able to treat her, or at least withdraw her from racing and avoid a death during work with all the associated dangers—especially to the rider and the associated welfare concerns. 

Had we had the tools, we might have been able to confirm that whatever the underlying cause, she had cardiac problems and was perhaps predisposed to an early death during work. With all the other studies going on, and knowing the issue was cardiac, we might have been able to target her assessment to identify specific issues known to predispose. 

In the future, greater insight and understanding might allow us to breed away from these issues and to better understand how we might accommodate individual variation among horses in our approaches to selection, preparation and competition. There might be a lot of Oysters out there!

For further information about the work being undertaken by the University of Guelph

Contact - Peter W. Physick-Sheard, BVSc, FRCVS.

Professor Emeritus, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph - pphysick@uoguelph.ca

Research collaborators - Dr Glen Pyle, Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph - gpyle@uoguelph.ca

Dr Amanda Avison, PhD Candidate, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph. ajowett@uoguelph.ca

References

Caswell, J.I. and Williams K.J. (2015), Respiratory System, In ed. Maxie, M. Grant, 3 vols., 6th edn., Jubb, Kennedy and Palmer’s Pathology of Domestic Animals, 2; London: Elsevier Health Sciences, 490-91.

Hinchcliff, KW, et al. (2015), Exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage in horses: American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine consensus statement, J Vet Intern Med, 29 (3), 743-58.

Rocchigiani, G, et al. (2022), Pulmonary bleeding in racehorses: A gross, histologic, and ultrastructural comparison of exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage and exercise-associated fatal pulmonary hemorrhage, Vet Pathol, 16:3009858221117859. doi: 10.1177/03009858221117859. Online ahead of print.

Manohar, M. and T. E. Goetz (1999), Pulmonary vascular resistance of horses decreases with moderate exercise and remains unchanged as workload is increased to maximal exercise, Equine Vet. J., (Suppl.30), 117-21.

Vitalie, Faoro (2019), Pulmonary Vascular Reserve and Aerobic Exercise Capacity, in Interventional Pulmonology and Pulmonary Hypertension, Kevin, Forton (ed.), (Rijeka: IntechOpen), Ch. 5, 59-69.

Manohar, M. and T. E. Goetz (1999), Pulmonary vascular resistance of horses decreases with moderate exercise and remains unchanged as workload is increased to maximal exercise, Equine Vet. J., (Suppl.30), 117-21.

Dermot Cantillon - What it takes to breed winners and run a racecourse

Article by Daragh Ó Conchúir

“My philosophy is if you’re in something and you can get into a position where you can bring change about for the common good, that’s a thing to aim for. I’m not one for being a hurler on the ditch, give out and not try and do anything about it.” 

Dermot Cantillon, The Irish Field (February 24, 2018)

Living true to his motto, Dermot Cantillon ran for election to Seanad Éireann—the upper house of the Irish Legislature (the Oireachtas)—two years ago. He was prompted to do so, even though he had no political background or experience, by a firm belief that horse racing and the bloodstock industry lacked representation despite their significance to national and local economies.

As an independent candidate, the Co Waterford native was up against the powerful party machines with their established lobbies and financial clout, so it did not come as a big surprise he did not make the cut. But he would not have been true to himself and his ideals had he not had a go.

Proactivity is a default setting for Cantillon, who along with his equally industry-immersed wife Meta Osborne, owns and runs Tinnakill House Stud in the Laois village of Coolrain. As a man who has walked the walk and continues to do so, he is always worth listening to on matters pertaining to the sport and business of thoroughbred racing.

Apart from being a breeder of multiple Gp. 1 winners and overseeing a flourishing enterprise for two decades, Cantillon has also helped steward the massive strides made by Naas Racecourse in 13 years as chairman. 

In addition, the 62-year-old is chairman of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing, a director of Goffs and board member of the Irish Equine Centre. Previously, he has served as chairman and president of the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, chairman of Tote Ireland and director of Horse Racing Ireland. 

He also served as manager of the Smurfit family’s Forenaghts Stud outside Naas for 32 years until standing down two years ago. This is a polymath on breeding, selling and running racehorses.

Osborne is the daughter of Michael, the late Irish Turf Club (IHRB) senior steward and Irish National Stud managing director. He was also the creator of Dubai as an international racing venue and of Sheikh Mohammed’s stud operations in Ireland. Meta would follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming the first woman—and still the only one—to be Turf Club/IHRB senior steward and is a current HRI director. 

She is Kildangan Stud’s chief vet, having worked there for 34 years, while her family has been inextricably linked with Naas Racecourse since its foundation.

She and Cantillon make a good couple and that they don’t agree on everything is a positive. Among the many things they shared a page on was the desire to own their own stud. They bought Tinnakill in 2002 when it was a sheep farm, and the fecundity of the land and broodmares that have inhabited it since has propagated substantial success. Among the stellar cast of those bred there are Alexander Goldrun, Red Evie (dam of Arc-winning Breeders’ Cup heroine Found) and Casamento.

As a four-time Gp. 1 winner in four countries and three continents before injury brought his career to a premature conclusion last month, State Of Rest is the best though. 

Due to the colt’s astounding feats in adding the Prix Ganay and Prince of Wales’ Stakes this year to last season’s Saratoga Derby and Cox Plate triumphs, Juddmonte made a bid for the son of Starspangledbanner’s 10-year-old Quiet American homebred dam Repose, who is in foal to Frankel. 

“To be perfectly honest, like most Irish people in the industry, I’m a trader at heart,” Cantillon relates. “By definition then, if a big enough offer comes along, you’re gonna sell. Legacy is important but at the same time being able to meet your commitments for a long period of time and the security of that is also very important; and that won it over for me. She became too valuable a mare nearly to hold on to in proportion to the other mares I had. She was worth nearly more than everything else put together. That’s a total imbalance. 

“We have a philosophy to buy taproot-type females in outstanding American and European families, and she was the embodiment of that in that her dam Monaassabaat, who we bought initially, was out of It’s In The Air, who was one of the best mares in America ever (five of her 16 triumphs were Gr. 1’s) and also a fabulous producer. So it was an overnight success that took 15 years.”

Despite the windfall, Cantillon will not be splurging unnecessarily, though he will look to improve the lowest bar. With around 40 mares, Tinnakill focuses on quantity; and thanks to their canny approach and eye for a bargain, that tends to produce some quality along the way.

“We don’t spend a lot at the sales. We buy mares from one grand to maybe seventy five. That’s the comfort zone for us, and that’s where we intend to stay. To be successful at that level, you need a lot of mares; and you hope some will make it big for you. The philosophy is probably to throw enough at the wall and some of it will stick.”

They are willing to sell their homebreds at any stage up to and including as a racehorse but will not be forced into accepting a price that doesn’t match their value.

“I see five different opportunities to sell along the way. The first one is in utero, the second one is the foal, the third is yearlings, the fourth is breeze-ups and the fifth one—the ultimate one—is in training. So within the philosophy of business, all five operate—and I’d say more so now, the fifth one. To show confidence in our own yearlings especially, we’ll keep 25 percent in them in partnership if whoever buys them asks us to do so. We’ll go to the next level on the understanding that if they prove themselves on the racetrack, they will get sold in a commercial way.

“We’d predominantly be known as foal sellers, and we sell a lot of foals in England and Ireland. People want foals that they can bring to the Orby and so on, and we sell those sort of foals. If they make money, so be it.

“We tend to keep any foal after the 15th of April. People have an idea of what a foal should look like—it’s a good, strong foal. As they head towards a May foal, the discount that you’re expected to take can be fairly big, so we don’t tend to bring the later foals to the foal sales; they tend to go on to the yearling sales. At the yearling sales, we bring mostly foals we failed to sell because we didn’t get what we thought the foal should’ve made, and also later foals.”

The demand for precocity and immediate results has inflated that specific market, but that means there is value for discerning buyers.

“What happens at yearling and foal sales is that people have a certain view of what a good foal or a good yearling should look like, and most people have exactly the same view. So if you have that particular product, you get a big premium. But for people buying horses, I think the value is slightly to either side and for a deviation of 10 percent, you might get a discount of 50. 

“So if you can forgive some slight physical flaws, these are going to be discounted significantly; and I think there’s great value if people can get away from perfection to look upon the foal and yearling more as an athlete with slight imperfections but at the same time, an athlete.

“I think for that reason trainers probably make the best buyers because they’ve seen it all, whereas often, agents are under pressure to buy the horse that ticks all the boxes.”

Fashion also applies to stallions and again, Cantillon is imaginative when it comes to where he sends his mares. He has said previously that he likes to go against the tide when selecting stallions.

“I like to breed to middle-distance horses. Last year, I bred five mares to Australia. I think he’s a very good stallion. He can get you a two-year-old, he can get you a good three-year-old, he can get you a horse you can sell to Australia for a lot of money if it shows some form. The demand for middle-distance horses is enormous and very lucrative.

“The only time I would be breeding to ‘expensive stallions’ would be a foal share. I wouldn’t be putting more than 30 or 40 grand into any mare, barring we owned a nomination. I do invest in a lot of stallion shares, and to a large extent, that dictates what my mare is going to.

“I think it’s a great business move. It’s not without risk, but you can buy a stallion share; and in most cases, you’ll get most of your money back within three or four years. And if it hits, you’ll get many multiples of it. So, I think, if you’re in the industry, you have a nucleus of mares that you can use these nominations on, it makes huge sense economically to invest in stallion shares.”

He sees the economics of horse breeding as being cyclical and thus predicts a significant downturn in two or three years, with the thoroughbred industry tending to “have a significant correction” within a couple of years of a societal recession.

There is no hint of doom in these utterances, given that he has always cut his cloth to measure, and he expects any shrewd operator to insulate themselves in preparation for what’s down the tracks. Indeed while he has expressed concern for the smaller breeders in the past, he believes the environment is more conducive to them getting a positive return for their investment now. 

“I think it’s a bit healthier than it was. The top end was very lucrative and is still very lucrative, but maybe there aren’t as many players at the very top end where there’s a lot of players in the middle tier now.

“I think that ITM and the sales companies in Ireland have done a great job in attracting American buyers. There was a significant increase in yearlings going to America from the Orby Sale last year. That’s a tremendous result. To some extent, the American market is replacing the Maktoum market in Ireland. And when you look at history, you always see that major players come and go; but the industry always survives, and I think now the American market is going to get better and better.

“There’s a couple of factors there. The injuries in turf racing are less, the number of participants in turf races are more, and that’s good from a gambling point of view. And the fact we’ve sent a lot of horses over to America now, they’re acting as advertisements for the next bunch, and they’re doing exceptionally well. So as night follows day, I think that at the upcoming yearling sales, the American influence will be huge.

“I think Charles O’Neill (ITM CEO) has done an outstanding job. To see him in action internationally is a joy to behold. That’s a role that takes a long time to get people’s trust. Our industry is based on trust, but he has it now; and a lot of markets have been opened up year-in, year-out by him visiting these places with his team. Over time there’ve been very lucrative transactions, especially for horses in training, as a result of that.”

Back at home the evolution continues, and Cantillon’s entrepreneurial son, Jack, has become a key part of a team in which manager Ian Thompson is also a vital cog.

“I think Jack is a good catalyst because he pushes you. A lot of the accolades have to go to him because I’d be at the sales sometimes and he’d be after buying a mare without me knowing. He’d never buy a mare I wouldn’t have bought myself, but he pushes the boat out more than I would and that keeps me on my toes.”

Among Cantillon Jnr’s interests is Syndicates.Racing, which focuses on the fractional ownership model and has been a resounding success on both codes in a very short span of time. The founder’s proud parents have shared the journey, and Dermot emphasises the importance placed on having a positive race-day experience. This is a central tenet of all the improvements that have taken place at Naas during his tenure.

“In terms of building the new stand, the whole concept of it was to bring the horse into the main focus. You look to your right, and you have the horses in the parade ring along with the actors—the jockeys, the trainers—you have that whole environment there. Then you look to the left, and you see where the horses will be participating. So the whole philosophy of that stand was to bring the horse more into focus.”

Osborne calls Naas her husband’s “fifth child,” and it has certainly flourished in an atmosphere that promotes and encourages imaginative thinking. Former manager Tom Ryan oversaw much of the improvement, and Eamonn McEvoy continues in a similar vein.

“The philosophy is ‘never stop.’ What’s next? Eamonn has done a super job. He’s a very progressive, inclusive person. He tries to bring everybody with him.”

Rewards have come in the form of the upgrading of the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle to Gr. 1 status and being asked to take up the slack during The Curragh’s redevelopment. But there is clear impatience about the difficulty in climbing further up the ladder. Not yet having a Gp. 1 race on the flat is especially annoying.

“My big frustration is that within the whole structure of Irish racing there’s no pathway in how you can get better. How do you go from being classed as a second-grade track to being one of the elite tracks? I’ve asked this question five years, six years now, and nobody has been able to tell me. How do we change it so that the 13 Gp. 1 races in Ireland are not divvied out every year to two tracks? Why can’t other tracks that have a good proposition get one of those races? Why don’t we challenge the status quo for the benefit of Irish racing? Nobody’s been able to tell me why not except that they won’t rock the boat.

“Convention is an easy way of management, but it’s not the progressive way.”

In any high performance network, the existence of a clear pathway provides an incentive for improvement and as a consequence, raises standards. Why do more than trouser the media money if it doesn’t matter what you do?

“That’s exactly it. That’s what we’ve been told for generations, more or less. There are little tweaks where they give progressive tracks like Naas additional fixtures; and also, we’ve been able to increase our black-type races. But at the same time, there’s a glass ceiling there, and we need to break that for the good of Irish racing. We need to be progressive. We’re not progressive. We just maintain the status quo.

“There’s two ways we can get a Gp. 1. The first is to have an existing Gp. 1 transferred from another racecourse. The other way would be one of our races, over time because of the ratings, would qualify as a Gp. 1. At this point in time, there are one or two races that we would think could be due to be upgraded, but it hasn’t happened yet and that’s frustrating.”

There are some “outside the box” plans that are being considered at the moment that include some potential ground-breaking global partnerships. Further enhancements for the course are also in the pipeline.

As for the racing product itself, he believes maintaining quality is critical.

“My view of Ireland: we’re like what the All Blacks tend to be in rugby. If a horse wins a good two-year-old race in Naas, then he’s marketable to the whole world as that’s as good as you can get in terms of a young horse and where he’s performing. I have a lot of sympathy that everybody gets a run because I have some bad horses myself that can’t get into races, but I think it’s very important that we maintain the brand.”

He believes that the betting tax should be limited to winnings for off-course bookies but be increased to three percent. This would lead to a likely increase in funding for racing, he argues. It would also go some way to arresting the decline of the on-course betting ring that used to be central to the race-day experience.

“We need to give an advantage to bookies on track. There needs to be something which makes you go racing if you want to bet and a differentiation between off-track and on-track in terms of the three per cent could be a big help.

“When I was on the board at Naas first around 25 years ago, a very good race meeting could turn over a million pounds on-track. Now we’re looking at 150 (thousand). There’s a crisis. We need to do something radical about the crisis. My solution would be to have no tax on-course and increase the tax off-course on winnings.”

This might also help increase attendances, which despite what some industry leaders suggest, has to be a cause for concern with racing’s supporters getting older by the year.

“We’re nearly totally dependent on media rights money to operate the racecourse. You could do a strength-and-weakness analysis, and a massive weakness is its dependence on the media rights. Because of the media rights, we’ve maybe neglected the attendance.

“We now have a new audience, which is the digital audience and… people don’t travel to race meetings like they used to, so the emphasis has to be on the local audience, and we have identified that at Naas. We have taken a number of steps, and we’re going to take more to be more and more part of the Naas community. If we’re going to get people back racing, we see our growth within Naas and its environs.”

It is a recipe that has worked for a number of regional venues but has not yet been utilised, successfully at least, by too many. And as Cantillon has already suggested, media rights income has removed much of the incentive to bother doing so.

That said, he understands the disappointment of some of the smaller racecourses that feel the distribution of the media rights income has been inequitable. 

“Something like an extra seven-to-nine percent went back to central funds when the last agreement was made. I was in the room when the thing was voted on, and people were looking at how much extra they were getting; and they were so happy about how much extra they were getting, they didn’t really think of the implications of giving an extra seven or eight per cent to Horse Racing Ireland. Horse Racing Ireland said, ‘Oh that’ll all come back in grants.’ And as a totality, it came back in grants. But for certain racecourses, it didn’t come back proportionally because if a track couldn’t come up with 60 percent of the cost, they wouldn’t get the 40 percent grant; and I understand their frustration.”

The current deal concludes next year, and he yearns for a “unified approach” towards negotiating the next one. But whatever unfolds, positive or negative, Dermot Cantillon will be putting his best foot forward. He knows no other way.

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

By John Gilmore

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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