TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter – SIR MARK PRESCOTT BT.

Article by Giles Anderson

Heath House Stables in Newmarket has been the only yard our deserved TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter, Sir Mark Prescott, has trained from during his fifty-three years with a training licence.

Britain’s longest serving trainer has produced many horses at the highest level. Consider the fact that he operates with a self imposed limit of fifty horses under his care at any given time and his record seems even more impressive.

Over time, Prescott has worked closely with many leading owner breeders - none more so than Kirsten Rausing. Over the years, they have produced the likes of Albanova and Alborada to score at the highest level.

In 2019 a filly named Alpinista, made her racecourse debut on July 18th at Epsom. The debut was a winning one. Prescott wouldn’t necessarily be a trainer you would associate with winning debutantes, so many took note of this performance. The Racing Post reported that Alpinista; “dwelt, in touch in 5th, slightly green when asked for effort over 2f out, soon closed to lead over 1f out, pushed clear, unchallenged after”.

It would be fair to say that the five horses who finished behind her, haven’t exactly set the form book alight since. The same can’t be said for Alpinista.

Her subsequent start at Goodwood in August (2019) proved to be her only start where she finished out of the first four - when finishing 6th in the Gp.3 Prestige Stakes.

Winning ways resumed the following August (2020) when scoring in the Listed Upavon Fillies Stakes at Salisbury.

In 2021 Alpinista simply dominated the German Gp.1 races, with victories in the Grosser Preis von Berlin, the 59th running of the Preis von Europa and the Grosser Preis von Bayern.

Prescott, has always been a devotee of the European Pattern, looking further afield to pick up (in his own words) “cheap black type” for the fillies in his care. But little did he know when Alpinista beat Torquator Tasso and Walton Street in the Grosser Preis von Berlin what impact this race would have and cement Alpanista as the filly of her generation.

Walton Street ran two places better on his next start in Toronto when a fascicle 5 3/4 length winner of the Gr.1 Pattison Canadian International.

Torquator Tasso went onto frank the form in a duo of Gp.1 races -  the prestigious Grosser Preis von Baden before a ‘shock’ win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

The only person who probably wasn’t suffering from shock on the first Sunday in October 2021 was Sir Mark Prescott - he now knew he now had a serious filly in his care.

When the actual plan was hatched to aim Alpanista for the 2022 running of the Arc de Triomphe one will never know. But one can safely bet that by the time the 2022 Pattern Book dropped through the letterbox at Heath House Stables, Prescott had already worked out her plan for 2022.

Fast forward to the build up for the 2022 Arc and anyone who has enjoyed the shere entertainment of Prescott’s company will have enjoyed the build up for the race. With Prescott providing a level of light relief, regaling stories of previous voyages to France and the disappointment of defeat that most such ventures result in.

But in Alpanista’s victory in the 2022 Arc de Triomphe we got to celebrate the victory of two of the greatest proponents of the European Pattern in Sir Mark and Kirsten Rausing. 

Alpanista was retired in November to embark on her next career as a broodmare at Lanwades Stud. 

Her final race record reads as; 15 starts, 10 victories - with 6 in Gp.1 company - coming in three different countries. Quite a record.

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. 

TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter - Johnny Murtagh

By Lissa Oliver

The TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Johnny Murtagh. Murtagh will receive £1,000 worth of TopSpec feed, supplements and additives as well as a consultation with one of their senior nutritionists.

Johnny Murtagh had said all along that he wasn’t there for the free lunch; and on the opening day of Irish Champions Weekend, the well-named Champers Elysees ensured the drinks were on her. The three-year-old filly provided Murtagh and his team at Fox Covert Stables on the Curragh, Kildare, with a memorable first Gp1 win in the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown—a remarkable improvement by Murtagh of a filly rated 86 only three months earlier.

Despite the foreshortened season, Murtagh has already surpassed previous season tallies, and Champers Elysees is his 36th winner of the season. Just to add icing to the cake, her stablemate Know It All was only narrowly denied third place, held by a head by Prix de Diane and Nassau Stakes heroine Fancy Blue. 

“I always thought she had a lot of promise,” Murtagh says of Champers Elysees, who remains unbeaten so far this year. “She ran well on her first two starts last year, so we had a go at the Tattersalls sales race where the big field was just a little too much for her; but she went back there and won two weeks later. In the Birdcatcher Nursery she just got a bit tired in the heavy ground.”

With a win and three places from her five starts at two, the interruption of COVID-19 saw a late start this year, when she collected a handicap in June on her seasonal debut. “We liked her a lot,” Murtagh reflects, “and then she won a Listed race at Galway by seven lengths, so I made the entry for the Matron Stakes. At that stage we thought of Know It All as our best filly—she’d won the Group Three Derrinstown Stud Fillies Stakes.

“Then Champers Elysees won the Group Three Fairy Bridge Stakes, and that was the key factor in convincing me to run her in the Matron Stakes—I knew she would run well. Both fillies had been going well for us at home all year, but the week before the Matron they were training really well.”

Know It All was beaten less than a length when third in the Prix Rothschild—that first Gp1 tantalisingly within reach—so the Fox Covert team had good reason to be optimistic ahead of Irish Champions Weekend, which they capped with a win in the Northfields Premier Handicap on the second day with Sonnyboyliston.

“We’ve not been doing anything different,” Murtagh says of his excellent year. “They got held up for two months at the start of the season, so they had a bit of extra training in the spring, then a bit of a break before they got going again. 

“But overall we’ve just got a better standard of horse. We’ve got them fresh and well and ready to run, and they’ve been consistent all year. I’ll be going to the sales next week, and I’ll buy a few that I like myself as I always do, and they’ve been lucky for us. The aim is always to win enough prize money for them to pay their way.

“It’s a real family affair, and my wife Orla runs the office. We’ve got a very good variety of gallops, very good staff and very good riders, which is the most important thing. There’d be no winners without them. I do enjoy sitting down at night to pick races, and this year it was easy to pick them out; they just fell right. 

“Self-belief is everything. I’m a naturally positive person, and I try to put a positive spin on everything we do. To go from champion jockey to successful trainer is hugely satisfying. I’ve worked with some of the best trainers in the world, and I’d like to think some of it has rubbed off and I’ve learned from them.”

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Understanding Trainers’ mental health

By Lissa Oliver

There is no doubt that the welfare of the horse is important and the public perception of how we care for the horse in training and on retirement impacts directly on the level of support we can expect from sponsors, racegoers and governments. The care of the horse, however, is wholly dependent upon those it is entrusted to and they are the ones who have often been neglected.

Racing Welfare was founded in the UK in 2000 and the service was expanded in 2014. In Ireland, the Industry Assistance Programme (IAP) was launched in 2016 and receives great publicity from Irish racing publications. Both support systems are easily accessed and provide a free and confidential 24-hour service, seven days a week, for everyone working, or who has previously worked, within the thoroughbred industry and their immediate family members.

Sadly, this is not the case elsewhere, but not from want of need. Many German trainers feel the wellbeing of industry professionals in German racing is sadly ignored. If the Direktorium has any regard or respect for stable staff, it is escaping without notice.

“At the Baden-Baden meetings, the stable staff are still living in squalor by today’s standards,” one trainer, who prefers not to be named, tells us. “Jockeys with welfare or alcohol problems are pushed aside and never heard of again. There is no Injured Jockeys Fund, no helplines or advice for a future career. For this day and age that is a really shameful state of affairs.

“It’s time these issues were aired. After all, without our dedicated workforce we have no racing. I have personally helped various people from the industry who have fallen on hard times, even in one case an attempted suicide, and have received no support. It has reached a point where I now only run horses in France when at all possible, I have lost all faith in German racing.”

That really is a damning indictment, particularly as one trainer went so far as to say that their support of an industry professional who had hit rock bottom earned them nothing but derision. It is interesting, too, that none of these individuals wanted to be named. Not for their own modesty, but in respect of the confidentiality of those they had helped.

This same sense of a lack of care and concern was reiterated by a French trainer unaware of AFASEC (www.afasec.fr), a service for racing and breeding professionals. AFASEC (Association of Training and Social Action Racing Stables) was commissioned by France Galop and the French Horse Encouragement Society in 1988 for the training and support of employees of racing stables throughout their career path. The association is managed under the double supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

AFASEC ensures the training of future employees through the French Horse Racing School and offers support to employees throughout their professional life. Five social workers and two social and family economics counsellors are at the disposal of 4,000 French racing professionals. Their mission is to inform, help and support in their professional and personal lives. The social workers can then refer those looking for support to relevant services.

The lack of awareness of this service among some French trainers suggests that more publicity is needed to ensure every racing industry professional has the necessary contact details and can avail of this service when required. The need for trainers to make such services known and displayed in the yard is paramount.

The confidentiality of the support network set up in Britain and Ireland is vital to its success, and Racing Welfare and HRI/CARE prefer not to reveal figures regarding the number of individuals who have availed of the service. However, Racing Welfare supported more than 2,200 people in 2017 with a wide range of challenges, which represents a significant proportion of racing’s workforce.

One trainer who is happy to discuss the help she received from the IAP is Clare Cannon, in County Down, Northern Ireland. She holds a Restricted Licence, with only four horses in her yard, and struggles to make her business pay.

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Clare Cannon

Following the particularly harsh winter and spiralling costs, coupled with the retirement of her best horse, Cannon considered giving up and joining the many Irish trainers to have relinquished their licence this year.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small a trainer is, the problems are the same—just on a different scale,” she points out. “A lot of things had happened to me on top of each other. It reached a point when I thought, ‘why am I even doing this’? The biggest thing is that since going to the IAP I’ve had such a great season. If I’d not got help and I’d given up, I would have been watching someone else having a great year with my horses.”

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Joseph O'Brien - King of the Hill

By Alex Cairns

Lineage matters in racing. The entire thoroughbred endeavour is based on selective breeding aimed at producing quality and even ‘perfection.’ Of course, thoroughbred breeding isn’t an exact science, with humbly bred horses sometimes defying their roots and blue-bloods regularly failing to live up to the promise of their page. But pedigree still reigns as the most reliable gauge of innate ability in racehorses.

In centuries gone by, humans too were judged on their parentage and given a particular standing based less on aptitude than origin. These days our social structure tends to be more of a meritocracy, in which people are born equal and gain a position through achievement.

Being the grandson of a successful trainer, son of two successful trainers, and nephew of a successful trainer, those in the racing game might say Joseph O’Brien has the perfect pedigree for the job and will logically excel.

At the same time, his background has afforded him a head start via a family owned yard and well-stocked address book. As we discovered in a recent interview, however, the soon-to-be-25-year-old takes nothing for granted and is determined that his operation will succeed on its own merits.

THE HILL

Severe snow and unseasonable cold had brought much of Britain and Ireland to a standstill in the week prior to our interview with Joseph O’Brien. Such conditions can prove a challenge even on the flattest, most accessible terrain. O’Brien’s yard, which operates under the banner of ‘Carriganog Racing,’ rests on the slopes of Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, a secluded location accessible only by small country roads.

This setting might be problematic in extreme weather, but it provides the foundation for a gallop that has proven its value in the training of several decades’ worth of winning racehorses. A steep uphill stretch of seven furlongs with a high hedge on one side, it was masterminded by Joseph’s grandfather Joseph Crowley. It then passed into the hands of Crowley’s daughter Annemarie. A certain Aidan O’Brien took the reins after marrying Annemarie, and then Annemarie’s sister Frances kept things in the family when the O’Briens moved to Coolmore’s famed training facility at Ballydoyle in 1996.

Stepping out of the crisp morning air into the yard office, Joseph reflects on his family’s longstanding relationship with this land. “Granddad originally came here and it was just fields. He had a few horses and started cantering them from the bottom of the hill to the top on a dogleg. Then Mum and Dad took over, then Frances. Over time it was a plough gallop, then artificial, but the layout is pretty much the same as it was 40 or 50 years ago. This office is actually where my bedroom used to be, though I don’t really remember living here as we moved over to Ballydoyle when I was four or five.”

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With two trainers as parents, Joseph has been steeped in the profession from day one, making the training vocation a question of both nature and nurture. “All my life I’ve been in this environment and training was always my goal. There was no backup plan, as I don’t know anything else, to be honest. I was raised at Ballydoyle and worked there from as soon as I was able. I went to Jim Bolger’s for a week for work experience at school, but other than that I never really saw anyone else training except Dad.”

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Starting Up: Where in the EU can New Trainers Get the Best Start?

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Published in European Trainer, January - March 2018, issue 60.

In the previous issue of European Trainer (Issue 59, October-December 2017),  the Trainers’ Daily Rates Survey was summarised, while Europe’s best training centres were also featured. From the former we learned that only 38% of trainers derive their sole income from training, yet this doesn’t deter hopefuls from taking out their first licence. So, where is the best place to set up a new yard to tip the balance in your favour?

Just over half of European trainers keep between 10-50 horses; fewer than 10% have more, and it is generally not considered to be economically viable to train fewer than 30 horses. The average daily rate per horse charged by a trainer is €43, which would provide a weekly revenue of €9,030 for a 30-horse yard.

Comparing daily rate to staff wages, there is little benefit to be found in starting up in one country versus another. The EU minimum wage maintains a constant across the board although the stable staff associations of some countries, such as Ireland, do ensure that a higher rate is paid. Therefore, anywhere from 50-90% of the daily rate charged will go to staff. A shortage of good riders and experienced staff is currently being endured throughout Europe, so, again, a new trainer is free to choose any location...

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Gallery

Staff wages are a major cost but are generally consistent across Europe

Where in the EU can new trainers get the best start?

Stable ownership and rental is split evenly in Europe

Racehorse being lead to the stables of Hoppegarten Racecourse after a race, Berlin, Germany, Europe

Hindsight: Tommy Stack

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Published in European Trainer, January - March 2018, issue 60.

NEW: 'Hindsight' - Clive Brittain

Published in European Trainer - October - December 2017, issue 59

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In a training career spanning more than 40 years, Clive Brittain and his Carlburg Stables in Newmarket became synonymous with high-profile success in Britain and on the international racing scene.

Clive’s lengthy resume of top-flight wins includes six British Classics and overseas triumphs in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and Japan Cup, achieved by horses such as the legendary Pebbles, User Friendly, Jupiter Island and Warrsan.

Two years on from his retirement, Clive reflects on the pivotal moments and people in his amazing career.

During your time with Sir Noel Murless, you were part of the move from Beckhampton Stables to Newmarket, which has been your home for more than 60 years. What are your memories of working for Sir Noel Murless and what changes have you seen in Newmarket in this time?

“Sir Noel was a very good boss, a very fair man, and never changed. I started out as an apprentice jockey, but I made a very good stable man and went with Sir Noel and the team to Warren Place. At the time, the stable held around 70 horses, which was a lot in those days, as most of established trainers would have around 50 horses with Geoffrey Brooke possibly having around 60, most of which were two-year-olds.

“Sir Noel later became the first trainer to have more than 100 horses, but numbers today for the larger trainers are typically well over 150 horses per trainer. We later had 160 horses between two yards, Carlburg and one at Stetchworth, on Bill Gredley’s estate, of around 30 boxes.”

You achieved notable success with long-priced runners in the big races (such as Terimon's second in the 1989 Derby at 500/1). What do you think of the BHA's recent decision to put a minimum qualifying rating of 80 on contenders for the Group 1 races for three-year-olds and upwards?

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The true cost of training

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

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The FRBC French Annual Review 2016-2017 shows that in 2016, the total distributed prize money in Britain, Ireland, France, and Germany was €528,357,185.

It’s interesting to note that in France (95%) in particular and in Ireland (65%), prize money is pretty much self-funded via racing organisations, which contribute only 48% to British prize money and as little as 4% to German prize money. The contribution from owners stands at 4% in France, 7% in Germany, 16% in Britain, and 23% in Ireland.

 With prize money recognised as the lifeblood of racing, it’s interesting to see where it originates and even more interesting to see where it goes. In Issue 39 of European Trainer (Autumn/Winter 2012) we featured the distribution of prize money, jockey and trainer fees, and percentages. At that time there were 1,500 licensed trainers throughout Europe chasing 10% of winning prize money, from which further deductions in many cases brought that down to 7%.

 The figures have changed little since, and it’s no surprise that the majority of trainers continue to survive largely on the trading of horses. Selling winning horses out of a stable can hardly be viewed as a sustainable business plan and it is never going to help trainers in the lower tier break through into the higher ranks when their best horses are sold and moved to other yards.

 With so many relinquishing their licence each year due to rising costs and the inability to make training pay, there have been recent calls to put more in place to help trainers. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) earlier this year launched a trainer marketing scheme to assist in attracting new owners, as well as the new “Experience It” campaign to provide potential owners with the experience of a day at the races as an owner. HRI also plans to assist in the collection of training fees to protect against non-payers.

 Gaining new owners and ensuring that they pay is only half the battle, however, and the high-profile removal of Gigginstown Stud-owned horses from Willie Mullins has highlighted the problem of the fees themselves. Mullins is not alone in maintaining the same weekly fee for 10 years, and the example set by Gigginstown shows the dangers of increasing fees when that is no longer viable. Wages, insurance, utility bills, diesel, and feed and bedding prices have all increased during the past decade but most training fees have not, which means trainers have effectively reduced their fees each year.

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Michael Hourigan - The Gadget Man

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JEAN-PIERRE CARVALHO - the French trainer in Germany

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The Other Half - what life is like being married to a trainer

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Ken Snyder (14 October 2009 - Issue Number: 14)

Michael Halford - a racehorse trainer with vision

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(European Trainer - issue 25 - Spring 2009)