Nicolò Simondi - trainer profile - who became a Classic winning trainer with - Auyantepui landing the Gp2 Oaks d’Italia at San Siro

By Franco Raimondi

Thirty-one-year-old Nicolò Simondi became a Classic winning trainer on July 5th when Auyantepui, an unbeaten Night of Thunder’s filly, landed the Gp2 Oaks d’Italia at San Siro, less than six years before he saddled his first winner at his home racecourse. 

“The filly (Auyantepui) was just an unexpected bomb and she really exploded in less than 40 days, from her debut to her Classic win. She joined my yard in December and I planned, before the COVID-19, to have her ready for a debut at the start of the San Siro’s season in mid-March. The racing was shut down, and I ran her straight in a conditions race in the San Siro opening day, May 27th. She won in a canter by almost five lengths, and the rest is history. Maybe, as somebody told, she landed the worst Oaks d’Italia ever, but she did it and left my yard moving to France for the partnership OTI Racing and WE Bloodstock heading to my friend Mario Baratti. For me, it was mission accomplished, and I think that she is a much better filly than she showed in her first couple of starts in France. Don’t forget that she had three races in a short time. I trained her to win over 2200 metres (1m 1f), but she could be better at one mile and a quarter (2400 metres) or shorter”.

Several Italian young trainers have moved to France in the last years where Andrea Marcialis, a good friend of Simondi, is now fifth in the standings. The rich French prize money is very attractive. Simondi tried his luck there in 2016. “We sent six horses, with my partner Lucia Lupinacci, to Calas in the south of France. That was our first try, but we had the wrong horses. You can run for a lot of money, but when you finish last, the prize money is zero. So, we came back to San Siro with no regrets. The level of competition in France is very high, even in the provinces you can find the big stables. We decided to stay at home and find our spot in Italy”.

Auyantepui, winning the 2020 Gp2 Oaks d’Italia

Simondi got the call from leading owner Scuderia Incolinx during the summer of 2017. Diego Romeo called following the retirement of his former trainer Vittorio Caruso and needed a new face to work with him. Nicolò Simondi was the trainer and Vittorio Caruso the assistant. 

“To be honest, Vittorio Caruso was the trainer and I was his assistant while the horses of my other owners were in training with Lucia Lupinacci. Vittorio taught me everything, I had to be humble and follow him. For somebody to handle that could be tough and maybe farcical, but we enjoyed big moments together. When I count my big wins, I don’t look at the official stats. Anda Muchacho won the Gp 2 Premio Roma and Premio Vittorio di Capua trained by Vittorio Caruso, and I was just his assistant even with my name on the race card. I became the trainer in 2019, and I tried to apply all Vittorio’s lessons. In fact, my first Group win was with O’Juke in the Gp 3 St Leger Italiano, who was under Lucia’s name”, recounts Simondi.

Scuderia Incolinx is the main owner in the yard with 28 of the 52 horses under the name of Nicolò Simondi and his father Mauro, a former jump jockey. The trainer is at the head of two different teams: “The Scuderia Incolinx has its own squad, with Piero Pirisi who was a head lad before I was born. The team is very good, and I learned from Vittorio Caruso how to handle them. I have my own team for the other owners, Christian Troger, Scuderia Allegria, Elia Tanghetti, WE Bloodstock and others. Good staff at the yard is very important, and the recruitment is not easy in Italy as in the other countries because the kind of job is really full immersion, 24/7. When I was 20 years old and going out to dance, I was forced to come back at home at 2 a.m. My friends drove back home at 5.30 when I was in the saddle for the string. I am very happy with my staff; you have to respect them and be fair. The Italians are doing well abroad; at Newmarket and Chantilly, they are strong workers and dedicated”.

Simondi is based at Trenno, the training facility of Milan, just a few miles from downtown. The future of Trenno is under clouds, but Simondi is still confident. “We have a couple of useful training facilities at Milan and Pisa. For sure [it] is not the same level of Newmarket or Chantilly, but if you have the chance to find a good horse you can train him very well. For sure Trenno, the training centre in Milan, could be better. There are some worries about the future of the area and rumours about a development plan, but I think that in the COVID-19 times, the town of Milan don’t need more buildings; and a green space so close to downtown is very important for the citizens. We have to build a new image for racing”.

The Italian racing is facing tough times, even if the payment of prize money is a bit quicker than in the past and not affected by severe cuts like in other countries. Money is a matter but not the most important according to Simondi. “The level of prize money is OK, but the slow payment is a true concern. The cash flow is very important for the owners and obviously for the trainers. That's the first step, but we need to change the feeling of people about racing. For 20 years the media has reduced their interest in racing, and when our sport is in the news,  it is just doping, scandals, misconducts that get reported. We lost some generations of potential racing fans. I know about other sports, and they are not much cleaner than racing and even worse".

The hard core of owners are still going despite the tough economic downturn, but the gap between Italy and the other major countries has increased in the last decades. “We missed the boat of the Arabian investors, who are very important in Britain and France, and we have to deal just with domestic owners. Our owners are enthusiasts and never give up, but on the international market they don’t play at a level field with others; and when they have the chance to find a good horse, they are forced to sell. Scuderia Incolinx is a rare bird—the Ingegner (the Engineer) Diego Romeo wants to have fun with his horses and win good races. The small owners—when they’ve got a good one—will sell him abroad quickly because there is no domestic market. The major concern is the recruitment of new owners. I could be the son or grandson of most of the major Italian owners; I have plenty of respect for all of them and I learned a lot, not just about racing, from the owners; but we have to think about the future. The owners and the punters are the racing’s backbone”.

Simondi is a good-looking young man with an open mind and training is his life. He looks abroad to find a solution to the lack of fresh owners. “I think that the Australians are a good example. Their syndicates are the best way to get new owners involved in the game. We have three problems to solve here in Italy to follow their path. …

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Takashi Kodama - The Curragh based trainer is taking a global perspective - how the racing business has been affected during the Coronavirus shutdown

By Lissa Oliver

The respected Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, often speaks about the dangers of a single story. A single story, or viewpoint, leads to misconceptions and many lost opportunities, preventing us from seeing the many and varied stories within a place, or a person—the multifaceted bigger picture. Ireland’s Curragh-based trainer Takashi Kodama can never be accused of such an error. His is a life of multiple stories; and perhaps this has gifted him with the ability to identify and value the multiple stories of the international thoroughbred industry.

As we talk, Kodama has five fillies waiting to be shipped from South America, to the USA and Ireland. The border had been closed due to the pandemic but was to have reopened in mid-May, so Kodama had everything organised for their export, only to receive last-minute news that the border closure had been extended. He had to spend the day urgently contacting local agents and rightly admits, “It has been my biggest nightmare with the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Kodama is no ordinary trainer. Yes, he has his own yard in Kildare and a small string of six horses in training. He faces the same struggles as any small trainer. Yes, he has known major success as a trainer, Pop Rock winning at the prestigious Galway Festival and Elusive Time landing the 2017 Irish Cambridgeshire, a premier handicap, during Irish Champions Weekend at his home track. That saw Kodama honoured with the Special Achievement Award at the 2017 Curragh Racing Awards. 

But unlike many trainers, Kodama has embraced the idea of diversifying and, as a result, has his finger on the pulse of every racing nation as he searches for good value and winners, even if that means sending the horses in his care to other trainers. Even more than a trainer, he is a racing manager.

This brings additional work and issues, as the South American borders testify. “Afternoon here in Ireland is business hours in South America and the USA,” he points out, “and I have six horses in my yard who demand my attention in the morning.”

His passion for horses started a long time ago. “I first started working with horses a few days after my graduation from high school. I went to Hidaka, the main breeding area of Japan, to a pre-training and stud farm. It was supposed to be temporary, but in the typical way of these things I stayed five years!”

Breeding and pre-training are very much interlinked in Japan, so the young Kodama received a good foundation. “I worked at a facility where they did everything. I learnt to ride there, at the age of 18, and my interest went down the training side of the industry. A lot of things seem to happen by chance throughout life, and I met some people who suggested I should go to America. I worked at Santa Anita in California for three years, and then I came over to Ireland, in 1997.

“I got a trainer’s licence in 2002,” he says of his first start in Ireland, “but after three years I realised it was too difficult for a small stable to make a living in Ireland, so I gave up. It is still very difficult for small trainers to survive here.”

Acutely observant of cultures, politics and economies, Kodama is not a man to shy away from obstacles and, crucially, he makes a point of understanding the causes and implications to help him overcome barriers. He had gained from the experience, but it was time to explore different opportunities. “I sent my wife and two daughters to Japan, and I got jobs as a Japanese representative for Goffs and Connolly’s Red Mills. I worked with them for five years, and this brought me fresh opportunities to meet more people day by day.”

During that time Kodama began working for Japanese trainers and owners to assist their international operation. “I attended all the international sales and was familiar with Goffs and Tattersalls, Arqana, Keeneland, Gold Coast, Magic Millions, even Argentinian sales.” His training background also served him well. “I was also able to assist with their international runners in Dubai, Hong Kong, etc. and provided support to get the top international jockeys to ride in Japan, such as Mick Kinane, Ryan Moore, Fran Berry and Craig Williams. From these experiences I got to know more great international racing professionals and was travelling around the world for sales, racing and visiting stud farms.” 

Those five years, Kodama says, were the biggest factor in shaping his life. Four times a year throughout that period, he bought a round-the-world ticket. “I started in Ireland, flew to the USA— visiting Kentucky, California and Florida—then on to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, to Argentina, Chile, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, then back to Europe, to Germany, France, Italy and the UK, and then home to Ireland. I travelled with an economy ticket all the time, but my airline status was Emerald Member!

“I met so many nice, experienced horsemen all around the world: breeders, trainers, sales people, vets, jockeys, farriers. I found that every part of the horse industry in every country in the world has a different history, culture and the way they trust in the knowledge gained from generations going back more than 100 years.

“I have learned so many things and gained an understanding of the fact that there are so many different ways, different schools of thought, different tools, cultures and history everywhere around the world, but we are all the same in our love and passion being passed down through every generation. That is what is holding the horse industry together, beside the financial supports.”

Crucially, Kodama has also acquired a great understanding and depth of knowledge of the financial systems of racing around the world. “I examine the cost of breeding, cost of training, average horse values, market valuations, prize money, etc., and then I find the balance of all costs and prize money and sales money; and from those calculations I can calculate the cost of performance of the horse in each country.”

He also has an in-depth knowledge of the racing programmes for each region of the world, which he values. “I realised how important it was to have a knowledge and sense of judgement of the ability level of international horses and of the racing and breeding level in each country. I can compare the ability of horses in various countries and know their value, for buying and selling, in order to try to find the best value performance horses for my owners.”

Kodama cites European horses as definitely the most expensive in the world. “For the same money, you might buy only a maiden winner in Ireland but could get a Listed winner in some other European country or the USA; and you might be able to get a Group winner in South America. The important thing is to compare these horses’ abilities.” He laughs, a typically cheerful man who belies the pressure he is so often under. “Horses bought with the same budget, if you let them run in the same race together, who will win—the Irish maiden winner or the South American Gp1 winner? That is a difficult question to answer and may be impossible to find, but it is also a very important aspect of my job.”

It’s easy to think of him as a walking encyclopaedia, but he does have a lot of help. “I would not be able to do what I’m doing now without the help of the great horse people around the world I have been fortunate to meet. International jockeys who ride worldwide give me their opinion of each country’s racing and the quality of horses, and that also helps my knowledge.”

Communication is key and is one of the talkative Kodama’s chief talents.

“At one time, text and other mobile communications were not as popular as now. Although it might be much easier to communicate with people around the world right now, actually I feel that many, many of the people I have met directly face to face and have shared a drink with, eaten with, or just sat and had a chat or discussion with—or even sometimes arguing and fighting with them! ...but it’s those personal meetings that are my fortune in life and will be for a long time to come.”

Of course, as much as he relishes learning from others, his true passion is working with horses, and the lure of a return to training was never far from his heart. “In 2010, by chance, I was given the opportunity to train the Japanese Group winner Pop Rock, together with a few other Japanese horses in Ireland. So I renewed my licence and re-opened my yard once more.”

Pop Rock may have broken a few hearts when a narrow second in the Melbourne Cup to his compatriot Delta Blues, but he realised a dream once in the care of Kodama. “Legend Mick Kinane had retired a few years before I renewed my licence, but he very kindly helped me to try and get my first winner as a trainer. I had been with Mick as a translator in Hong Kong and Japan, and every night when we had a nightcap at the hotel bar he told me so much great things about racing and horses. He started riding out Pop Rock for me—at the beginning once a week—but getting closer to the race, he was finally riding out most of the week. We got Fran Berry as Pop Rock’s jockey for his first time out in Europe, at the Galway Festival.” The rest, as they say, is history. “Pop Rock won as my first winner at Galway and as my dream come true!”

Sadly, Pop Rock was injured during running next time out in the Gp1 Irish St Leger and retired after the race. But as Kodama reflects, “My time with Pop Rock and with Mick and Fran gave me another super experience as a trainer. After this great time I was so pleased to be able to support Fran for his first season riding in Japan. And when Pop Rock retired, a friend who I had met during those five years of travel found a great place for him as a stallion.

“I cannot say my training career has been good,” he admits, “but I’ve still got Elusive Time, who won three times for me, including the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh on Champions Weekend, which was my biggest success as a trainer. Elusive Time was also my first winner at the Curragh, when Joseph O’Brien rode. Now Joseph trains two colts by Galileo for my owners, and also a South American Group winner is going to him with the aim of running her in the Dubai winter carnival.”

Elusive Time with Kodama, Ross Coakley and The Elusive Time syndicate after winning The Tote Irish Cambridgeshire.

Kodama has some very good Japanese owners he met during his time with Goffs, and they have provided him with the opportunity to turn his small stable into an international racing operation. “As a trainer, I have had a runner at Royal Ascot, at the Arc meeting; and I have stayed in Dubai for the winter carnival with five horses, even though I was a really small trainer with not much experience and only 8-10 horses in my yard.

“I got horses for these international races from South America, Scandinavia, Italy—everywhere—with help from people I met while travelling. I also had help from every racing authority, through having met on my travels. I really wished I could step up onto the international racing stage as a trainer for these great Japanese owners who had given me fantastic opportunities, but unfortunately I realised I was not good enough as a trainer. I just felt so sad and sad and sad... because I could not give back anything good to these great owners who supported me so much.

“And I kept thinking, thinking, thinking… How can I give something good to these owners? What can I do for them? …

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Deauville's year round trainer - Stephane Wattel

By John Gilmore

For the past 28 years Stephane Wattel has been doing a job he loves—training racehorses just a stone's throw away from Deauville racecourse and infield training area. There are 15 trainers installed in the vicinity, and Wattel is firmly established as one of the leaders. Last year his 76 horses won 44 races and €1,365,550 total prize money, plus an additional €600,000 in French premiums. 

Wattel is still looking for his first Gp1 winner. Sacred Life (by Siyouni), his top two-year-old in 2017 was possibly denied this chance in the Criterium International at Saint Cloud 30 October, when a strike at Saint Cloud by racing staff after the first race caused the rest of the meeting to be abandoned. Last year on Arc day the Wattel-trained City Light (by Siyouni) was just beaten by One Master in the Prix de La Foret—the colt’s last race before going to stud at Haras D'Etreham. Sacred Path is now in training with Chad Brown in the states. Stephane Wattel only came into racing after his school days had ended. “I was brought up in Paris. I had no family background in racing, and my father was director of a press business,” says Wattel. “At 18 years old, after a year at University studying biology, I dropped out and decided to learn English, ending up on a stud farm in Kentucky. I had always wanted to do something in agriculture and my mother, knowing Tim Richardson, gave me the opportunity to work at Stavros Niarchos’ stud where Miesque was born. It was a wonderful experience.”

 Wattel stayed less than two seasons at Spring Oak Farm working as a lad, before returning to a similar job at the Niarchos’ Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Normandy Stud for a couple more seasons. But he discovered what he really wanted to do in racing after a season at Beach House Stud in Newmarket. 

 “This was the home of Ardross and Pharly, and I wanted to learn how a commercial breeder prepared yearling horses for the sales. For the first time I had the breathtaking opportunity of seeing horses training on the vast expanse of Newmarket Heath in the morning. It felt to me like the centre of racing, as I didn’t know anything about this side of the sport and had never even been to a race meeting before. On returning to France, after Newmarket, I wanted to learn more about the skills required to train horses."  

 Turning to the Richardson family once again, Wattel found a position with Nicolas Madamet, who trained horses for the Niarchos family in Deauville. Madamet was the first trainer from the mid-80s who realised it was possible to train horses in Deauville all the year round, rather than just during the annual monthly August racing period.

"Madamet received me for an interview where I lied to him, as I had never ridden a horse before. It wasn't easy at first, and I fell off about 30 times during the first week. Luckily, Madamet was at the sales in Newmarket, which gave me a few days to learn how to ride and the staff were a great help. When he came back, I didn't know whether he was short of staff or a kind man, as he should have sacked me. But instead he ended up passing on his lifetime experience of training racehorses, for which I will always be grateful. He added, “Jack Agoille travelling head lad at the time taught me how to saddle a horse. Yann Barberot was Madamet’s apprentice jockey and a couple of years later when I started out, he came to be my principal jockey, winning over 400 races; he is now my neighbour and a brilliant trainer. I have, fortunately, now an equally good stable jockey in Theo Bachelot.”

When Madamet left France to train in Oman in 1989, Wattel was on the move again. "Nicolas Madamet found me an assistant job with Alain de Royer Dupre in Chantilly, who he knew well. It gave me an insight into the classic world of racing with the Aga Khan's horses and final grounding to start out on my own as a trainer. It was impossible to contemplate training in Chantilly, as running costs were expensive and I didn't have any owners. So I began with just three horses in Deauville. At the end of my first year of training I had three winners. It wasn't easy at first and I took whatever horses I could get, but I knew the setup and had the good fortune of having a good team with many of  Madamet’s former work riders and stable staff coming to me, which made things easier." 

He added, "I always thought Deauville had a lot of potential and proved a nice challenging experience. Before there was no all-weather track in Deauville, and thanks to considerable investment by France Galop over the years, the training area inside the track has been modernised so that we now have three sand tracks—one for trotting and two for cantering …

 Concerning the possible closure of Maisons Laffitte, Wattel considers France Galop has to make some tough decisions—with state-run PMU betting revenue falling for the past few years.

 “Naturally, it will be a pity if Maisons Laffitte finally has to close, but France Galop needs to make some economies with falling revenue and give a sign to the French government to be seen making cost savings. The €140m spent refurbishing Longchamp should be viewed as a long-term project. If we hadn't modernised the racecourse to be used more efficiently for functions and concerts outside of racing, the future profitability of the track would have been in jeopardy.”

 Finding ways to encourage more people to go racing is a big challenge facing France Galop in trying to attract a new younger generation. Their family racecourse marketing approach with activities for children at Sunday meetings, during the past couple of years has seen increased attendances, likewise the Thursday evening  Spring/Summer meetings at ParisLongchamp with after race music for young office workers are proving popular.

Though Wattel considers it’s still a big hurdle to climb, as racing is not in the French culture compared to England; and the French prefer simpler forms of gambling.    

“The difficulty racing faces is both competition from the lottery, which has recently been privatised and young people preferring sports betting, in particular football, with many having no interest in racing at all. “The first Tiercé (now called Quinté) handicap race started in 1954, saw up to seven million people betting on it every Sunday; it now operates daily. It's the reason why there is more prize money in French racing, but the lottery numbers game image of the Quinté today (Find the first 3,4 or 5) has destroyed racing in France as a sport.” 

“He added, "There are now more girl jockeys, which is a good thing; and I am waiting for one to break through in the French Championship, or win a top Gp1 race. This would be a tremendous marketing tool for France Galop. They now have an allowance that’s encouraging more trainers in France to use female jockeys, and Alison Massin has won twice for me this season.”

Each season brings fresh challenges for racehorse trainer Stephane Wattel, and he is well aware of the importance in having a good backup stable team that he can rely on, to help obtain consistent results. Equally important is to maintain France’s attractive prize money system through finding new ways to increase betting revenue and attract greater public interest in racing as a sport. …

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Trainer Profile - Harry Whittington

By Alysen Miller

Photo credits - Georgina Preston

“I actually had no aspirations to be a trainer whatsoever,” confides Harry Whittington five minutes into our interview. The affable Lambourn trainer has already ridden two lots by the time I place my iPhone down on the table in his office: a modern, Scandi-style building perched on the highest point of the Berkshire Downs with commanding views over the Valley of the Racehorse, whose Hygge aesthetic is burnished by a wood-burning fire that he periodically gets up to stoke. Such a statement may seem like false modesty coming from a Gp1-winning trainer who is generally regarded as one of National Hunt’s brightest up-and-coming stars; however, it is already abundantly clear from having spent the morning on the gallops with Whittington that there is nothing false at all about his modesty, or his ambition.

Now in his seventh season as a fully-fledged trainer, the 35-year-old cannot deny that he has racing in his blood. His grandfather was legendary Lambourn horseman Colin Nash, a successful Point-to-Point and Hunter Chase trainer who is famous for giving Richard Dunwoody his first winner. Whittington himself was actually born on the yard where he now trains.

“Mum and Dad have been here since ‘74, when they got married,” he explains. “There was never a yard here, but we grew up riding ponies, hunting, team chasing. We did it all as kids.” Whittington always knew he was going to make horses his career: “I’ve got a brother and sister, and they have the brains,” he says, again without a hint of false modesty. “I didn’t have the brains, but luckily I had the horsemanship skills.” After school, he decamped to Australia, where he worked on cattle stations, breaking in wild brumbies. “I loved it out there, but I missed our winters,” he deadpans, adding a log to the fire. “I was 23 when I came back, and I decided I wanted to break in horses in Lambourn because I grew up here and I thought, ‘maybe one day if I could set up a yard here at home, I could do a business of breaking in and pre-training and that there would be a good market for it because I’m in the right spot.’” It was David Arbuthnot for whom he was riding out at the time who advised Whittington to go work for someone else first, to gain experience and learn the ropes. A chance encounter in the local pub led to finding his way to top pre-trainer and consigner Malcom Bastard. 

“He was a phenomenal man to work for,” says Whittington, not attempting to disguise the glint of admiration in his eye. “He was hard on me but very good to me as well. The harder the job, the harder the task master, the more appealing it is to me. I think you learn more from people like that.” 

Aside from the 4.30am starts, one of the perks of working for Bastard was the opportunity to attend yearling sales all over Europe and North America. This allowed Whittington to develop an eye for selecting quality bloodstock—a skill that would prove pivotal in his subsequent career as a trainer.

“I learnt from Malcolm all about pedigrees and conformation, what you can and can’t train.”

Whittington eventually rose to become Bastard’s assistant, before deciding the time was right to strike out on his own. In 2007, Whittington set up his own breaking-in and pre-training business at Hill Barn Stables. His main clients were Tom Dascombe and Nicky Henderson. Eventually, Dascombe would move to Cheshire to train for Michael Owen, but it is Lambourn neighbour Henderson who inspired Whittington’s eventual, if not inevitable, decision to take out a training licence. “He was pleased with the way the horses came back to him, and when Tom went up to Cheshire, Nicky started filling me up with horses.” Hill Barn Stables eventually became a satellite yard for Henderson. “We’re right next door. We can get to his gallops as quickly as he can get to his gallops, so we were able to join in the string. I had 25 horses that I was managing for him up here with my own staff. I got a great insight into how Nicky does it, and that’s when I got the bug [for training].”

Now two barns, housing a total of 43 horses, have risen up at Hill Barn; but back then, when Whittington first took the leap in 2012, it was a significantly smaller operation. “I went from having a thriving business to having five horses. I was doing every single job on the yard. It was literally me, and that was it. I was getting in more and more in debt through the winter because I owned half of the horses myself, having just about managed to scrape together some family and friends to take some shares and things.” 

But then Whittington experienced a dramatic change in fortune, thanks in no small part to his keen eye for a pedigree, gleaned from all those years working for Bastard. “I had bought a horse, Dubai Kiss, the previous summer for £2,800 at the Doncaster sales, and I just realised straight away he had a lot of ability. He was a backwards-bred flat horse, but by Dubai Destination, who’d just been bought to stand as a National Hunt sire. So I took a chance.” Dubai Kiss went on to win a bumper at Newbury at 100-1 and the rest, as they say, his history. “He won by six lengths on the bridle. I sold him for a very good profit, which cleared all of my debts and allowed me to put a round gallop in that summer.” Whittington’s success brought him into the orbit of owner Tony Holt, who gave him an order for €50,000 to go to France to buy a young horse. “It was my first order, for my first potentially big client. I went over and rode this horse out on the gallops. He’d finished second in two races in the provinces in France.” That horse ended up being Arzal, who went on to give Whittington his first Gp1 winner.

“People always say that if you have a grade 1 winner, it doubles your yard. That literally happened,” he explained…

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Trainer Profile: Cathrine Erichsen

By Amie Karlsson

With 400 winners and plenty of pattern-race successes to her name, Cathrine Erichsen is the most successful female trainer ever in Norway. 

This interview takes us to Oslo, or to be more precise, a 12-km drive northwest of the city center. Here, tucked away in a quiet residential area, we find Øvrevoll Galoppbane, the sole thoroughbred venue in Norway. 

It is the end of August. Erichsen, an independent, charismatic woman with more than 400 winners under her belt, has just got back to routine again after the Norwegian Derby Weekend—the highlight of the Norwegian racing calendar a few days earlier.  

Øvrevoll is where Erichsen participated in her first amateur race, saddled her first winner and enjoyed her first black type success. Today, it is where she cares for a string of almost 25 thoroughbreds. Erichsen is one of ten professional trainers at Øvrevoll—there are twenty in total in the country—and she has her base in one of the barns on the backstretch. 

She has been training for half her life, but the last four years have been particularly fruitful. In the last three weeks of August, she had won two Gp3 races in Scandinavia with two different horses. 

In the middle of summer, Øvrevoll is a beautiful place. Barns, outdoor boxes, lunge pits, paddocks and horse walkers are scattered around the backstretch and in the infield. It is charming and a little bit unpolished racing venue surrounded by mature trees, which provide green barriers between the racecourse and the adjacent villas. 

Right now, November seems an eternity away, when freezing temperatures and just a few hours of daylight brings the racing season to a halt until the following April. 

One would forgive a Norwegian racehorse trainer for complaining about the winters—even trainers living at latitudes far south of Norway tend to mutter and moan about the weather and training conditions of the winter months.  

However, Erichsen’s view on training racehorses in Norway in the winter may come as a surprise. 

She explains: “In my opinion, our strong winters is one of the particulars with training horses in Norway, but it is definitely one of the benefits. The cold gets rid of a lot of bacteria, and the snow is one of the best surfaces you can train horses on.” 

“We use special shoes with studs which prevent the horses from slipping and snow rim pads that prevent snow packing into their feet. The track workers at Øvrevoll are great. They harrow the snow and make it into a nice training surface. It is smooth—and cold. What other surfaces are there that cool the horses’ legs whilst they train?” 

Erichsen talks from experience. More than 35 winters have passed since she, for the first time, sat on a racehorse at the age of 12. 

For a child growing up in Norway, horse racing may not be the first thing that springs to mind when given the opportunity to choose a hobby. But the young Cathrine liked horses, and a school friend happened to be the daughter of a racehorse trainer; and that is how Erichsen got acquainted with the racing industry. 

It did not take long until her passion for horse racing was developed. When she turned 15 (the minimum age for race riding in Norway), she began a successful stint as an amateur rider.  

“I was lucky to get the chance to ride in the Fegentri World Champion series for amateur riders. The race riding experience is a great benefit for me as a trainer, and I learnt a lot from riding in different countries.” 

Despite the successful years as an amateur rider, Erichsen did not consider turning her hobby into a career. She had other plans in life and signed up for a degree in economics and marketing. For a while, her only connection to the racing industry was her riding horse, a retired racehorse. 

“One day I needed to get hold of the farrier. I knew he would be shoeing in a stable at Øvrevoll that day, so I rang the trainer.” 

The trainer answered, but before the phone was passed over to the farrier, Erichsen had found herself with a job. 

“He asked if I wanted to come and ride out, and I thought ‘why not?’ I was studying and needed some money.”  

What the economics student did not expect was that she, a year later, would have the sole responsibility for the stable. 

“One day, after I had ridden out part-time for a year, the trainer told me that he had decided to retire from training. He offered me to take over his yard. At the time I was 25 years old and quite fed up with school, so I thought it could be a fun thing to do for a while.” 

Erichsen with Gro Kittilsen and the mare Seaside Song (GB)

Being a trainer seemed quite easy, at least to start with. A stable full of race-fit horses, well-established routines, several loyal owners and an experienced employee who knew the stable inside out. Erichsen was off to a head start in the game of racehorse training.  

“It was great. I didn’t have much experience, of course, but I got everything served: here is a barn, here are 14 horses, here is the girl who works for you. What I didn’t think about was that I soon would have to acquire new horses, recruit more owners and find new employees!”

Erichsen laughs when she recalls the beginning of her new career.  

“When the employee some time later handed in her notice, it was certainly a cold shower for me. That wasn’t according to plan!”

There were times when the young Norwegian wished she had stayed far away from the racehorse business. …

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Trainer Profile: Kevin Prendergast

By Lissa Oliver

“The best horses are the best bred”, says Kevin Prendergast; and he should know. Right now, he’s watching a potential champion walk quietly past. Madhmoon has yet to win this year, but having finished fourth in the 2000 Guineas and second in The Derby, a win isn’t likely to be long in coming. Prendergast trained his dam, Aaraas and grand dam Adaala, both winners, and a long list of their siblings and progeny, too. No less than My Charmer, dam of Seattle Slew, is the fifth dam of the Friarstown Stables star.

Much like Madhmoon, Prendergast, who will be 87 this July, can also boast an illustrious line. He has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather, Patrick, and father, the renowned Paddy ‘Darkie’ Prendergast; as have his brother Paddy Jr and nephew Patrick, the latter recently joining forces with John Oxx in a dual-venture new to Ireland.

Innovation was nothing new to ‘Darkie’, who pioneered trans-Atlantic travel for racehorses and remains to date the only Irish trainer to become Britain’s Champion Trainer three years in a row. “It will never be done again”, says Prendergast, who took out his own training licence in 1963—the year his father won the first of those titles. Up until then, Prendergast had been working with his father as assistant trainer.

“It was the logical thing”, he says now of his decision to go out on his own. “I had always wanted to be a trainer. It’s a labour of love more than a job. There are more ups than downs. The good days are great days, but at the same time the bad days are very bad.

“I don’t know if starting out on my own was made easier because of my family background or harder, because I’ve never had to do it without that background”!

He may have learned a lot from his father, but Prendergast also gained a wealth of experience during a five-year stint in Australia, where he ventured in 1949 as a 17-year-old. The connection had started much earlier, however, as it is where he was born while his father was riding there.

“I was assistant to Frank Dalton; he had a very successful stable at the time”, recalls Prendergast. Indeed, during his time with Dalton, some of the country’s top prizes fell their way, with horses such as Oversight and Barfleur. “I wouldn’t say the methods of training were any different out there”, he notes. “Methods are basically the same for everyone. But they were so far ahead. Even then, all the tracks were watered, whereas in Ireland they were building a facility at the Curragh and forgot about the water! There was no thought given to how they would get water onto the track.

“I left Frank Dalton to come back home again in 1954, to work with my father. I was riding as an amateur then, too. I was assistant to my father for eight years”.

There was no shortage of top-class horses in his care at Darkie’s, and in 1960 Martial became the first Irish-trained winner of the English 2000 Guineas, in the same year that the stable saddled Alcaeus and Kythnos to finish second and third in the Epsom Derby. Prendergast has gone on to have seven runners in the great race—Madhmoon going tantalisingly close this year.

Mahdmoon

Setting up on his own, Prendergast got off the mark quickly when Zara won at Phoenix Park in May 1963—the victory all the sweeter because he was also the winning jockey. He had bought Zara, described as “a bit of a monkey”, from his father; and it wasn’t long before he stepped out of Darkie’s shadow to establish himself as a Classic-winning trainer.

Like Zara, Pidget wasn’t easy to train, but Prendergast knew how to get the best from the filly, and she provided the first two of his eight Irish Classics, taking the Irish 1000 Guineas and Irish St Leger in 1972, as well as the Pretty Polly Stakes. The following year Conor Pass gave him a back-to-back Irish St Leger win, a feat Prendergast repeated in 1996 and 1997 with Oscar Schindler. In 1977, Nebbiolo provided him with an English Classic when landing the 2000 Guineas.

There are not too many trainers blessed with the skill and longevity to boast a 40-year gap between their first Irish 2000 Guineas winner and their most recent, but Northern Treasure (1976) and Awtaad (2016) are testament to Prendergast’s vast experience.

“There’s no secret to it, we all want the same thing”, he says of that skill. “Just keep them healthy and happy”. When Tell The Wind gave him his landmark 2,000th winner at Dundalk in 2010, it was as good a proof as any of a healthy happy stable.

Friarstown Stables are conducive to contentment. Just close enough to the bustle of the Curragh to avail of the world-class facilities on the doorstep, yet tucked quietly away from the main thoroughfare, providing a little slice of peace and tranquillity. Mature trees shelter the farm and its fields, and private grass and all-weather gallops nestle imperceptibly in pastureland, protected by natural hedgerow.

Natural is the operative word. This is a working stable with traditional boxes, well-maintained and tidy, certainly, but with no airs and graces. Functional, not showy. Prendergast is very much stamped upon his surroundings.

For a successful yard, he has always kept a relatively small string. He has 35 horses and a small team of staff, who go about their work with quiet efficiency. There are no shouts or raised voices, but lots of laughter. Even first lot, keen to stretch their legs and get out, match the calm mood. There’s no skittish behaviour, no wilful shows of temperament, and each of the nine horses walk by on a long rein, perfectly settled.

“He has a bit of temperament, which Awtaad never had”, Prendergast says of Madhmoon, who is in the first lot and on best behaviour. “I was never worried about him training on at three as we’d looked after him. It’s the busy two-year-olds you’d worry about. He does everything right and he’s a good horse to work—you can set your clock by him. I trained the dam and the grand dam; I’ve had all the family here. He’s never been away from here since he arrived at two and I see him every day.”

Methods might be the same the world over and he might not be one for new technology, but therein lies the secret to Prendergast’s success. Observing the individuals and retaining a familiarity with the families that go back several generations. Much of that is owed to the loyalty of owner breeders such as Lady O’Reilly and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, for whom Prendergast has trained for over 30 years.

“I’m very, very lucky to have good owners like Lady O’Reilly and Sheikh Hamdan”, Prendergast acknowledges. “They have been with me for a long time and so have my Irish owners. Unfortunately, Ireland is losing a marvellous owner because conditions in France are so much better. The prize money is good and then there are the bonuses; it’s hard for us to compete. We tried to get a Tote monopoly here—my father tried hard. Australia, France, New Zealand, America—they all have a thriving Tote.

“Trainers are getting run out of it. the €2,000 or €3,000 we’re running for doesn’t pay for the horsebox to get them there. Trainers are giving up in England every day. It’s all to do now with agents and how well a horse is bred; everybody wants black type, but at the other end there are not too many races for horses that cost €72,000 or less. It puts the smaller fella out of the game. They don’t look after the smaller trainer, and it’s the smaller trainers who are the backbone of the game. If you lose them, you may as well close the whole game down”.

He has seen many changes during his career and suspects some may be for the worse—too often a case of, “Common sense gone out the window”. He smiles at the idea of giving horses Guinness or eggs: “That’s something in the past. Nowadays you’d be afraid to give them spring water”. But there’s an edge to the joke.

Like many, he feels the IHRB is too quick to follow the BHA and the equine flu scare was a case in point. “We had immunised our horses at Christmas, and then we were forced to get them done again. It made them ill, and we lost the early part of the season”.

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Hindsight : Andreas Löwe

By Peter Mühlfeit

His career as a trainer ended in style: With a winner in Dortmund just after Christmas in 2016. Thirty-five years earlier he had opened his account with his first runner Adita in Cologne, where he is still based. In between, Andreas Löwe collected 1,163 wins on the flat plus 25 over the jumps. Five individual Gp1 winners stand out, and he won seven Classic races. For his owners he earned almost €16 million in prize money. Löwe started his racing passion as a jockey at the famous Gestut Ravensberg, but was too heavy for a professional career. Löwe then became stud manager before turning to training. Peter Muhlfeit spoke to Andreas Löwe about his career and life today. 

AL: I haven’t really stopped working with horses. I’m an adviser and racing manager for Gestut Gorlsdorf and Gestut Winterhauch, in any capacity I’m needed. To stop completely would have made me sick, as my wife and I love to be around horses; and we like to travel to the sales and the races. Since the 1960s, I practically have been in the horse yard every day. I couldn’t just switch off the engine. Luckily my wife who had shared that passion all along, still thinks the same. Otherwise it would not have been possible. 

How are the Gorlsdorf and Winterhauch stables performing this season?

Gorlsdorf had a Listed winner at Baden-Baden with the Sea The Moon-Filly, Preciosa. That was a very promising run. I’m sure there is more to come from her as she is only three years old and raced very lightly. She was in the ring during the Spring Sales the day before the race, but luckily she didn’t find a buyer. Gorlsdorf has about 20 horses in training. There are some good two-year-olds, but it’s early days. Winterhauch was a bit unlucky with plenty of injured horses, but we are hoping for a much better second half of the season. 

As a trainer you won twice the German Oaks and four times the German 1000 Guineas. Were you particularly good with fillies?

I have been asked that a lot. But to be honest it had a lot to do with the fact that I often had more fillies in the stable than colts. A few decades they were much cheaper to buy, and we always had to look for budget opportunities. But I have to admit, I always had fun training fillies as they are often more sensitive than the colts and need a different approach. Mystic Lips was very special as she won the German Oaks like almost no other. I picked her at the BBAG Yearling Sales in 2005 for Stall Lintec. And Lolita, winner of the German 1000 Guineas, was a very sensitive filly. She was bought at the BBAG Spring Sales in 2003.

You also trained a lot of good colts. Name some of your favourites!

Amaron, a Group winner from two to seven years, impressed me the most. I bought him at Tattersalls December Sales in 2010 for Winterhauch. He was so consistent in his form. Just like Lucky Lion he won a Gp1 race. But Lucky Lion, runner-up in the German Derby and another one I bought for Winterhauch (this time however at the BBAG Yearling Sales) was a very difficult horse. So to win with him made me very proud. 

Mystic Lips with Andreas Helfenbein and trainer Andreas Löwe, after winning the Henkel Prize of Diana 2007.

In the early days it was Protector I liked best as he performed successful on Group level for eight years, winning two Gp2 races. He was also the first German horse to be invited to the International Races in Hong Kong. He finished fourth in the then Gp2 Hong Kong Vase in Sha Tin. 

What about the jockeys—who in particular did you like to work with?

With Andreas Helfenbein I had a lot of success, also on top level. He won the Diana (German Oaks) for me on Mystic Lips for example. But it has always worked well for me and my owners not to stick to one particular jockey, but to look around who is available and who would be the best to ride the horse. 

You picked a lot of your winners at the sales for your owners. Where were your best hunting grounds?

Kings Bell with trainer Andreas Löwe.

I’m still acting as a thoroughbred agent if someone wants me to buy a horse for them. In the past I obviously had a good range of owners who asked for my advice. I guess I was pretty successful in Newmarket. I always liked the December sales as the prices were much in the budget range of my owners. You could get some good buys there. For me, the looks of the horse is very important—the first impressions—to see how the horse presents itself. Usually you see rather if it has character. And that’s very important.  

For example Sehrezad—his story is rather unusual, isn’t it?

Holger Renz, a longtime racing owner, had the idea to buy a horse at Newmarket together with some friends. They asked me for advice, but the sales catalogue contained about 2,000 horses. So we decided to make a preselection by considering only the horses born on the 22th of April, the birthday of one of the partners. There were forty horses with that birth date and I immediately fell for Sehrezad, who became the top miler in Germany in 2010. He won three Group races. 

You have travelled a lot. Where do you like it best?

I’m anglophile. Newmarket is wonderful; the British people in general are very hospitable. I love racing in Epsom or Ascot, and we used to have runners there with some success. Italy had been our ‘El dorado’ through the years. We won a lot of big races, and they offered much more money than we got in Germany. But the situation now makes me rather sad. It’s a real shame if you think about the lovely tracks they have in Italy. 

You have been involved in racing for more than five decades. What do you still find fascinating? 

Needless to say, I love horses—their expression. They are such special animals. And I like to transfer the enthusiasm I have for these horses to my clients. Despite the fact that there is a lot of pessimism about the future of racing in Germany, in my circles, the people I’m dealing with I find plenty of enthused voices who are hoping for a better future of racing and are willing to invest in that future. 

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Trainer Profile: Harry Dunlop

By Carl Evans

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From Paradis to Paradise in Lambourn….

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Dr. Andreas Jacobs

By Peter Muhlfeit

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Andreas Jacobs with our Incoming Children

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

What are the major changes you have planned?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Hindsight: Simon Christian

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

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

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

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

• Race meetings each day of the week

• Racing all-year round, flat and jumping

• A dependency on all-weather gallops

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Positive actions include:

• Effective recruitment

• Appropriate induction systems

• Coaching and mentoring being taken to a new level

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

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

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

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

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Starting out - Gavin Hernon

By Gavin Hernon

It takes six hours door to door from my yard in Chantilly to Park Paddocks in Newmarket. I go there in the hope of coming away with a nice race filly for 2019.

Despite the friendly company of one of my mentors, Nicolas Clement, I can't help but feel that this is six hours of time that could be spent working through the huge workload that comes with running a racing yard.

It's been an eventful first four months in the training ranks, and I'm hugely indebted to my team to be able to say we've had four winners from just eight runners. I appreciate this is a strike rate that no trainer can maintain in the long term, but it's compensation for hard work from the team and for now it's a powerful marketing tool. When recently seeking advice from Andre Fabre regarding the start up plans I had in place, he advised me that the only marketing any trainer needs is winners.

I'm very much a goal-oriented person. For nearly five years, Nicolas Clement has been telling me that if I'm to meet my own high expectations I need to have at least 10 winners in my first 12 months. Just four months later, I feel we are on track but I'm tinkering with the idea of moving the goalposts.

December is set to be our busiest month to date on the track. With an intended runner in a couple of the remaining Listed races in the French racing calendar, I know what I want for Christmas.

Black-type is on my mind already. It’s the holy grail of this industry. It’s what we all dream of. It is so difficult to achieve but I know I have horses capable of it. As I stand on the side of the gallop waiting to see my string, there is no doubt in my mind that I will be disappointed if we fail to win a black-type race by this time next year.

Now that the stable has grown, getting systems and organisational structures in place has become more important.

I think if any of my past employers were to spend a morning with us, they would all see that parts of their training methods have left a lasting impression. Jim Bolger and Graham Motion in particular would both have cause to call it copyright.

Of course there have been setbacks and disappointments, but I've learned that you can't dwell on them. Repercussion missed his end of year target of the Prix Luthier (LR). The news wasn't overly surprising given he had been running since the Lincoln in March. The horse that took me to Arc day in my first year and gave me two wins at Chantilly will have a well deserved break on grass and will be back to 100% again for the 2019 season.

Nevertheless, making that type of phone call to an owner is a gut-wrenching feeling that I don't think I will ever get used to. Before now, I have only ever had to worry about the horse in this situation.

You have to move on, find the next opportunity; prevent the next setback from happening. Dwelling on these matters breeds negativity, inefficiency and serves no purpose to man or horse.

We took a huge risk setting up with just three horses in the middle of the season. I knew a good start leading into the European sales season was my best shot of gaining traction. Similarly, I was acutely aware that if I had nothing to show for it, I would struggle to attract investment. With current forecasts looking to be at 20 horses for the 2019 season, I feel the risk taken is starting to reap its rewards.

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Rather surprisingly, I have close to 50 CVs sitting in a drawer in my office from people looking for work. No signs of the staff crisis in Chantilly it would seem. This has allowed me to be selective and form a hard working team of excellent riders who bond well.

We have signed Flavien Masse, who has ridden 55 winners, as our apprentice. Flavien served as an apprentice to Criquette-Head for a number of years.

The sales season has been hectic. Despite knowing my yard is in the excellent hands of my assistant John Donguy in my absence, I'm anxious to get back the moment I leave. It is at home where things need to go right first and foremost.

I have tried to get on sales grounds to assist current owners with their purchases as well as trying to meet as many potential owners as I can. I found this to be quite an alien concept at the start. Of course I had been used to trying to sell myself as an aspiring trainer, but the entire dynamic has changed. I don't have anybody paying me a wage anymore. Get this wrong, and there are consequences.

It was satisfying to see recent purchase Mutarabby win so impressively on his first French start in a competitive conditions race at Deauville. He wasn't at 100%, yet his performance showed that he is capable of at least Listed level and given his turn of foot, his stamina and his love of good ground, there is a race in Melbourne already on my mind should he progress in the manner I'm hoping.

2018 has been very good to me. We have a lot to look forward to next year and It is with great anticipation that my team and I batten down the hatches with plenty of dreams to keep us warm during the winter months.

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Hindsight - Uwe Ostmann

By Peter Muhlfeit

Peter Muhlfeit spoke to Uwe Ostmann, who for four decades was a driving force in German racing, winning more than 1.600 races and who at the tender age of 78 still loves outdoor swimming and has a close eye on German racing.

You retired six years ago; how hard was it to give up racing?

It was tough for me as I was practically dealing my whole life with horses. But I live only a five-minute walk away from the racecourse and my former stable in Mulheim. I’m still in touch with the owners of Gestut Auenquelle, for whom I had plenty of success. I’m feeling well, do a lot of sport—cycling and swimming outdoors in a lake—and I watch a lot of racing. I hardly miss a racing day in Cologne.

How do you judge the current situation of German racing?

I’m actually quite optimistic that we will turn the tide, and better days are to come. If there is good weather and good racing, there are plenty of young people coming to watch the horses. But the racing clubs have to work to attract a new crowd. Cologne, Hannover and Hoppegarten are showing the way. But I realise that it is difficult to find sponsors and create the betting revenue to fund top racing.

What got you involved in racing in the first place?

I grew up in Detmold in North-Rhine-Westfalia, and there used to be a small racecourse in the Fifties. Bruno Schütz, one of our best trainers ever, did win a pony race back then. I was fascinated by the horses and wanted to do work with them. An uncle of mine helped me to get an apprenticeship with Sven von Mitzlaff when I was 15.

You learned the trade at the yard who has trained Germany’s only Triple Crown winner Konigsstuhl. What kind of man was Herr von Mitzlaff?

Herr von Mitzlaff was a really fine man—only on few occasions he raised his voice. The whole situation at the stable—we were six apprentices at the time—was very homely. We were raised and educated in a very good way...something that helps and stays with you your whole life.

Von Mitzlaff did win the German Derby seven times. You landed the Derby once—1988 with Luigi, ridden by Walter Swinburn. Was this the biggest moment of your training career?

Yes of course, despite the fact I trained plenty of other great horses. But a Derby win really puts you on the map, in the late Eighties even more so as the media attention was much bigger than it is now. And it was particular sweet for us that Luigi beat Alte Zeit, who was in training with me as a two-year-old and won the Preis der Winterkonigin for me. At three she raced for Hein Bollow. So I was very happy that we beat her and it wasn’t the other way round.

Gonbarda, homebred by Auenquelle, probably was the best filly you ever trained. She won two Gp1 races. What was so special about her?

She had real stamina and a big fighting heart. And even though she was a Lando-offspring she did not need any particular ground. She won the Gp1 Preis von Europa on soft ground. Gonbarda then was sold for big money to Darley Stud. Unfortunately she did not race again but produced some really good horses like the Champion Stakes and Lockinge Stakes winner Farhh.

You had a reputation of being particularly successful with two-year-olds. What was your secret?

I don’t have a secret, but I guess I trusted the good horses to go out early. Mandelbaum, who was unbeaten at two and three years, or Turfkonig, winner of eight Group races, were out three times at two, and it didn’t hurt their career. Today I feel that some trainers are a bit too timid in this respect.

How do you rate the current crop?

Noble Moon, winner of the Preis des Winterfavoriten, is well bred. Sea The Moon has done very well with his first year, and I’m convinced that there will be some good stayers out there by him. I’m anyway amazed that German breeding still manages to produce top horses on a regular basis despite its small base and the fact that we are selling plenty of our best horses abroad.

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Trainer Profile - Jessica Harrington

By Lissa Oliver

Some towns are all about the horse, the vast number of racing stables in the one place defining the community that has sprung up among them. Wherever there is a racing centre there are racing people at its heart. The tiny village of Moone is slightly different. There is only one stable in Moone, but that stable is the beating heart of the community.

The County Kildare village is home to the Commonstown Stables of Jessica Harrington, and the success of the yard has sent ripples of prosperity throughout south Kildare and the Wicklow border. Harrington herself might refute that, but Seamus O’Reilly, a local business owner, will beg to differ. He has witnessed a tide of changes in his 40 years at nearby Crookstown, where he owns and runs a now-thriving service station and shop, and he understands better than most the economic impact of a racing stable that has grown to be the area’s largest employer.

“I started the service station in 1978 and this area of South Kildare was unknown then. It was hard to give directions to anyone, no landmarks, they wouldn’t know where to find us, we were tucked away from anywhere,” he recalls. “Things have improved in the last 20 years and it’s more accessible now. It’s a huge bonus to the service station and retail business to have Jessie there; a lot of her employees come in, plus visitors such as her jockeys and owners and the media. The spin off from her success is great.”

It’s interesting to reflect that, about a 40-minute drive away in County Carlow, trainers Jim Bolger and Willie Mullins are the biggest employers in that particular county, so the importance of horseracing to Ireland’s rural heartland can never be underestimated.

Moone has no pub, no post office and no shop; although since the closure of the post office, some of the residents opened and run a part-time community shop. The village may be home to the historic Celtic High Cross, but there is otherwise nothing to bring people here. Except, of course, Commonstown Stables and the stars within.

Don’t get this wrong though, JHR couldn’t be better sited. Moone may be off the radar for many, but a new network of roads and bypasses links it quickly and smoothly with the nearby motorways serving Cork, Tipperary and Dublin, with the Dublin and Rosslare ports accessible within an hour. At home, the horses nestle in the idyllic peace of a secluded part of Kildare, and their journey to the racecourse is just as smooth and comfortable.

It’s a traditional stableyard with a comfortable rustic ambience that blends seamlessly with the more state-of-the-art features that are part of a modern racing establishment. Yet it’s also a production line of Group One and Grade One winners, at the centre of an industry.

“It’s like a small factory,” Harrington’s son-in-law, Richie Galway, observes, as Harrington sits with her family and gives some thought to how her business sits within the community. He recently took a backseat in his managerial role at Punchestown racecourse to devote those skills more fully to JHR (Jessica Harrington Racing), very much a business operation.

“Lots of our staff come in from Castledermot; a lot of them live there,” Richie points out. “There are a few who live here in Moone, but most travel in each day.” Castledermot is a bigger village 20 minutes away, with plenty of local shops, but most of its residents face a daily 90-minute commute to jobs in Dublin city centre.

The Irish rural landscape is changing at a quickening pace, with the so-called commuter belts widening and isolating communities. New housing estates replacing the farmland that no longer pays its way are home to those working in cities an hour or more away, and the homes largely stand empty during the day. Moone is becoming typical, with no local amenities, forcing the car to take over from walking, even for the school runs; and the opportunity to meet, mix and socialise are decreasing as a result. For JHR, the workplace is the hub of community.

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“When the post office closed, it was a big loss,” Harrington reflects. “The postman now picks up our post when he delivers and he’s been very good. He makes sure he comes in to us first, so we receive everything earlier in the day, which is a benefit. In many places with just one postal service a day, it tends to be midday, and that must make it hard to organise an office when you’re waiting on something.”

The office is the main entrance room of the farmhouse, leading into the kitchen and hub of family life. It’s no different to any racing yard office—a little too small for the three women working away there and the volume of paperwork, calendars, diaries and newspapers they share it with in the race to stay ahead of the entries. It’s edge of the seat stuff, but only because the chairs are also occupied by the smaller of the dogs who share the space too.

There can be no better working environment, whether for Ally Couchman, office manager, Jessie’s two assistant trainers, her daughters Emma and Kate, and Richie in the office, or the 65 staff members who form part of Team Harrington, headed up by head lad Eamonn Leigh and yard manager Nigel Byrne. It’s hard to imagine where 65 employees would find work elsewhere, particularly the hands-on physical outdoor work that won’t be on offer in Dublin.

“I don’t know how vital we are to the community,” Harrington muses, a lady who prefers not to take credit where it may not be due, as she considers what her business brings to Moone.

Richie is more forthright. “There was a public meeting in Athy on the increased business rates affecting the shops and commercial premises in the area,” he recalls, “and Seamus O’Reilly stood up and stated that if it were not for Jessica Harrington Racing providing so much employment locally, none of the businesses would have the huge revenue that brings in.”

There’s more to it than revenue, of course. Horses engender a strong sense of attachment, and successful horses offer something even stronger—pride. This was never better illustrated than in March 2017, when Jessica was crowned Queen of Cheltenham. The homecoming she received caught her completely by surprise. Imagine Jubilees, Founders Days, Royal Weddings, and then add in the joy and fervour of ‘shared ownership’ as the people of Moone welcomed back their very own heroes.

Supasundae, Rock The World and Gold Cup hero Sizing John had helped to cement their trainer’s name in history as one of the most successful Irish trainers at the Cheltenham Festival and certainly the winning-most lady trainer, should we feel it’s necessary to make any distinction. Harrington’s record speaks for itself, and she’s on an equal-footing with all great trainers. Bringing home three cups from the 2017 Festival, the top prize itself among them, was suddenly Moone’s badge of honour, not just Harrington’s.

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Sizing John and Jessica’s daughter, Kate.

“We had a homecoming for Sizing John, to parade him for the media and local fans, and it just took me so much by surprise,” admits Harrington. “The whole community seriously came out, everyone wanted photos taken, we were there for a good couple of hours. I remember worrying about everyone crowding behind the back of the horse, but he took it so well.

“They made me a huge banner; it stretched right across the street, ‘Moone’s Queen of Cheltenham’,” Harrington reveals with a smile. “They very kindly let me keep it, and we have it hanging up in the indoor arena. The village hall was opened up for tea and biscuits and buns and cakes for everyone. It’s amazing what it does for the community.”

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Hindsight - Alec Head

By Oscar Yeadon

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Oscar Yeadon recently caught up with Alec Head to look back on his remarkable career as jockey, trainer and breeder, and his part in the enduring Head training dynasty and development of the thoroughbred pedigree in Europe.

Your grandfather William Head Sr. was a steeplechase jockey in Britain before moving to France in the 1870s and later established the training business that you ultimately became part of. Did you ever have an ambition to have a career outside of racing?

“I don’t know why my grandfather came to France, particularly, but he set up in Maisons-Laffitte and then my father set up in Chantilly and everything followed from there. I don’t think I could have done anything else!”

What was your first involvement in racing?

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Alec Head (second right) with father, William (right), grand-daughter Patricia, Criquette and Freddy (in the family colours), 1982.

“It was around 1942, when I started race riding. I won the big race over jumps at Auteuil, and was riding on the Flat as well, but got too heavy. We raced through the war and it was tough, and I used to bicycle everywhere. The Germans would go to the races as well, so racing continued but a lot of the courses were shut, so they organised Flat and Jumps meetings at the few that were open, such as Auteuil and Maisons-Laffitte.

“Racing recovered fairly quickly after the war and I stopped riding towards the end of the decade, because I was by then married and my wife Ghislaine said I should stop!

“So I started training and had always planned to do so - what else could I do? We had very few horses, but the business grew organically by winning races. I had some luck in sending horses to Italy, who won their races there, which attracted some Italian owners, who then sent me horses, including Nuccio.

And Nuccio was your big break?

“Yes, Nuccio provided my big break, when he won the Arc in 1952 for the Aga Khan III, who had purchased him the season before. That led to the development of a relationship with Prince Aly Khan, who was a unbelievable, a superman. He could have bought two mountains.”

The Arc has certainly proven a special race for your family...

“Yes, my father twice trained the winner, including Bon Mot, who was ridden by my son, Freddie, the youngest jockey to win the race at that point, aged 19. My daughter Criquette trained Three Troikas to win in 1979, ridden by Freddie and owned by Ghislaine, while Treve’s two wins followed that of Criquette’s son-in-law, Carlos Laffon Parias, with Solemia.”

Treve was bred at Haras du Quesnay, which has been home to your breeding operation for sixty years. How did it start?

“About 10 years into my training career, I was looking for a stud as I love breeding. The stud had not been in use for many years and was not very well known, but I knew the guy who was dealing with Mrs Macomber [the widow of A Kingsley Macomber, who had owned a Preakness winner and also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Parth].

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Haras du Quesnay

“The stud was in bad shape, having been unoccupied since the Germans during the war. It took two years to get it up and running, as we could only afford to do it gradually.”

As a breeder, you have been widely acknowledged as a major influence by bringing American bloodlines to Europe. What are your memories of that period?

“The US bloodlines were doing well and we went to Keeneland and were lucky to buy the likes of Riverman, Lyphard and many others. We would later sell some back to the US, for which we received some criticism as some of the stallions were syndicated and the shareholders liked the money to spend on other stuff!

“Some of those stallions injected new blood into the French breeding industry and you can draw parallels with what Northern Dancer brought to Ireland, through Europe.”

What are your thoughts on the recent moves by the European Pattern Committee to enhance the stayers’ programme?

“It’s a very good thing. You can see the interest is these races. Look at the crowd for the Ascot Gold Cup this year. It’s a great race to win, as I did with Sheshoon, but I was fortunate to have a good jockey in George Moore, who was very smart. Sheshoon was difficult and very temperamental. It’s very important for a stable to have a good long-term stable jockey. Look at Dettori with Gosden.”

Do you think it’s harder or easier for the trainers of today to forge a successful career?

“I really don’t think there’s any difference between then and now. Gosden, de Royer-Dupre and others, are all 70-year-olds, or so, and they’re still at the top.

“At my peak, I had around 120 horses and, later in my career, only trained for Pierre Wertheimer and the Aga Khan. They were top breeders and it was wonderful. Mr Wertheimer gave me the money to buy horses from all over the world. I wouldn’t say I was a pioneer; I was very lucky!

“I think maybe it’s harder for younger trainers today, as the bigger owners have mostly disappeared, but it was hard in our time, too!

Of the trainers who were contemporaries of yours, who stands out?

“At the sales or on the racecourse, I would often run against Vincent O’Brien. He was a genius. He trained Derby winners and Grand National winners. He was very smart, he really was something else. You don’t have trainers who both codes at that level these days.”

Is there anything that you would change about racing today?

“I think racing’s wonderful, so there’s nothing I can really say I would want to change. I had everything I needed as a trainer in Chantilly. The track is beautiful, and you have a forest where you can work and the new dirt track is very good. Having lots of trees means it’s very sheltered. But I would also say Newmarket is a beautiful training centre.”

And what do you feel was your greatest achievement?

“Breeding Treve, that was the best accomplishment. She was unbelievable and unlucky not to win three Arcs.”

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Starting out - the latest update from new trainer - Gavin Hernon

Saturday 18th August 2018, a dream start and a day that will live very long in the memory.

To win a Deauville maiden, an hour before the hammer starts to fall on some of the best-bred yearlings in Europe would be a special moment for most trainers. I still need to pinch myself to be sure I'm not in a dream to have won the Prix Des Etalons Shadwell with my first runner.

Icefinger is a horse we have always thought might have a touch of class. We had given him Group entries before his race but we might opt for a Listed race to allow him grow up. His very relaxed manner at home just meant that it took him a bit of time to come to hand. Despite our belief in him, I never thought he would be able to beat nice horses who had experience in regarded maidens at the first time of asking. That day was a nice way to culminate the start-up phase of our yard.

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ICEFINGER

I firmly believe that the authorization and licensing process in France is the best grounding one can get. That said, it still doesn't quite prepare me for what comes next. Establishing a company in France and getting all the necessary paperwork in place isn't the most straightforward and this is probably an area where France lags behind other neighbouring countries. Admittedly, through August most of Europe takes the month as a holiday which adds to the timeline to do anything. It probably doesn't help that I'm wired to prefer spending time outside with the horses.

I am fortunate that I have an excellent accounting firm in Equicer guiding me through everything step by step and now we're fully set up and running. Even my bank account got held up in the bureaucracy so I'm grateful to my suppliers for their patience.

I feel it is necessary to say that Olivier Delloye of France Galop is an exception and his help throughout has been nothing short of phenomenal given his busy schedule and without him, Icefinger probably would not have been able to run when he did.

My previous update had been written days before myself and my girlfriend, Alice moved into what had served as a lucky yard to Mr. Francois Doumen on the Chemin du Mont De Po. It boasts 25 of some of the newest stables to be built in Chantilly and direct access to Les Aigles and Les Lions training centres. We are very excited to be training from here, the horses love the bright, well circulated boxes and we have settled in well.

We're up and running with three horses in the yard so far, for three different owners, and they've all run already! I'm lucky to have three good owners to start with, who all are interested in doing more and having more horses in France. Icefinger is a dream, one that his owner BLC Horse Racing, agent Morten Buskop and I are hoping will take us to exciting places over the coming months. We'll take it step by step as he still needs to learn more about his job!

We tried to be adventurous with Repercussion, entering him in the Prix Quincey. He is a quirky horse, but he has a lot of ability and just needs things his own way a little bit. Maybe a confidence booster might be best for him!

Epic Challenge is a gent of a horse who has quite a bit of ability. He found instant fame in Chantilly helping to catch a loose filly and being very chivalrous about the whole encounter. Despite his gentle nature, his testicles appear to be causing him some pain and he is set to be gelded in the coming days. I see him having a bit in hand off his UK mark of 83 in time.

We've been working hard to get around the sales and meet people to try and strike up and build relationships with new owners and horses and all going well we've got a few things in the pipeline. It's very difficult at this stage as we have to balance between managing the horses we have in and picking up new ones. Currently it's only Alice and I in the yard which makes getting away that bit harder - Alice is doing a great job riding the horses as evidenced by Icefinger! We've managed to attract a couple of experienced exercise riders for the yard as well who all come on board in the coming weeks and we'll start to get into a more established routine on a bigger scale.

Understandably, our current model of training three horses is far from being a financially viable one. It is however, what I consider to be a key stage in presenting what we do to potential clients. Attracting support in this industry has never been easy, particularly if there aren't results to back it up and I felt that if we could show some results from limited numbers during the sales season, it might just tip some potential clients over our side of the fence and be worth the financial risk.

The moment the first horses arrived on to this yard, life took a significant turn and a commitment was made to give maximum effort in getting the best out of each and every individual that walked into the yard.

There are no hiding places on any racetrack and without an attention to detail that rivals the competition, 4.30 a.m. starts would be in vain and days like Saturday, 18th August 2018 would remain as dreams unfulfilled.

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Trainer Profile - Nicolas Clément

Monsieur le président

By Alex Cairns

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe is often cited as one of the races trainers would most like to win. To reach such a pinnacle generally takes a lifetime of steady building. Powerful owners must be recruited, facilities enhanced, elite stock acquired. So when three-year-old colt Saumarez landed France’s premier prize in 1990, his trainer Nicolas Clément signalled himself as a major outlier. In just his second full season with a licence and with his first Arc runner, he had become the youngest trainer ever to win the race. Aged 26, he went from relative obscurity to international renown. But this was no flash in the pan. With 30 years’ training experience now under his belt, Clément has proved he does consistency as well as precocity. And he will surely leave a notable legacy through both his on-track achievements and his actions as president of the French trainers’ association. We tracked Nicolas down on the wooded gallops of Chantilly to talk communication, competition, and cooperation.

VOCATION

Being raised in Chantilly is always likely to increase one’s chances of being involved in the racing world. Add in being the son of Classic-winning trainer Miguel Clément and Nicolas’ vocation appears predestined. It could have been very different however.

‘I went to high school in Paris and my mother wanted me to go into business. We compromised with vet studies, but I only lasted two months and then told her I’d got a job on a farm in Normandy. I had always been drawn to horses and racing was my passion from a young age. I spent some time at Taylor Made in America, learning how the whole thing works straight from the farm. This gives a great understanding of the whole cycle; breeding to race and then racing to breed. After that I worked for John Gosden, Vincent O’Brien, and François Boutin. So I was lucky to learn from some of the best in the business. I then got my licence and set up in my father’s yard in 1988.’

This was the yard from which Miguel Clément had sent out Nelcius to win the Prix du Jockey Club in 1966, just one highlight from a successful career sadly cut short at the age of 42. Despite Miguel’s early death, Nicolas still feels a paternal influence.

‘I was very young when my father died, so didn’t get the opportunity to learn as much as I might have from him. He was always an advocate of keeping your horses in the worst company and yourself in the best and I have certainly tried to follow that ethos. He was good friends with a lot of influential people such as Robert Sangster and he had many English and American owners. This open, international approach wasn’t so common in my father’s time and I took a lot from it.’

Taking on the family business in his mid-twenties surely came with a degree of pressure for Nicolas, but winning the Arc at the first attempt is not the worst way to establish one’s credentials.

‘Winning the Arc at such an early stage of my career was exceptional, but it didn’t turn my head. I’ve always known this game is full of ups and downs. Saumarez’ victory definitely put my name out there all the same and helped me expand my stable, with more owners and better stock. Since then we’ve enjoyed more big days thanks to the likes of Vespone and Stormy River. Style Vendome won the French 2,000 Guineas for long-standing owner André de Ganay in 2013 and that was something special. I had bought him at the sales with my partner Tina Rau for less than €100,000. Not many sold at that price go on to be Guineas winners. In the past few seasons The Juliet Rose has been a wonderful filly for us. She took time, but excelled over a mile and a half.’

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COMPETITION

With 30 years in the business, over 900 winners to his name, and over €30m earned, Clément can boast impressive stats. Racing’s fast pace won’t allow for resting on laurels however.  

‘Each season I set myself goals depending on the stock I’ve got. With 70 horses, which is the average I tend to have, I try to have at least 35 winners and any year in which we earn over €1 million including premiums is a good year. Most years we have reached this goal. Our number of stakes winners is also an important measure. If we manage six or seven black type horses I consider that a pretty good achievement.’

Being the youngest trainer to win the Arc is certainly a way to grab people’s attention, but might it have resulted in some middle-distance type-casting?

‘Maybe in the early days, but I like to train any nice horse. Some people think that if you train one to win over a mile and a half in the Arc it means you are a mile and a half trainer, but I don’t like to be pinned down. I learnt a lot from François Boutin, who was brilliant with two-year-olds and I love to train them. I just wish I had a few more forward types these days, but I’m generally happy with the range I get through the yard. I would love to win more Classics and as many Group 1 races as possible. One race that has always attracted me is the Epsom Derby. And I’d like to win the English Guineas. We came very close with French Fifteen when he was second behind Camelot in 2012.’

Saumarez was owned by an American. French Fifteen by a Qatari. Style Vendome by a Frenchman. The Juliet Rose by a South African. It seems Miguel Clément’s international outlook really did leave a lasting impression on Nicolas.

‘Racing is an international business these days and my owner profiles reflect this. I have quite a few from America, partly due to the fact that my brother Christophe trains over there. I send him some horses and once in a while he sends me an owner who would like to own in Europe. We also have owners from Ireland, Germany, England, Scandinavia, Switzerland, South Africa, and elsewhere. So it’s a very diverse group, spread across the globe. I am a great believer in communication and think you have to provide a proper information service in order to satisfy owners and spread the word. We have a good number of French owners too, but there is a lack of racing culture among the general public in France these days and if you have a newcomer owner then you have to explain so much. It’s not easy and of course training racehorses is a game where there tends to be a lot of bad news for the few moments of joy. That’s part of the reason I enjoy working with owner-breeders because they know the game is a rollercoaster and see things from a long-term perspective.’

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Trainer Profile - Markus Klug

By Peter Muhlfeit

Baden-Baden is a rather small town in the southwest of Germany, close to the French border and at the doorstep to the Black Forest. But it has groomed its international reputation since the 19th century, when it was known as the “summer residence of the European aristocracy.” These days it is still famous for its spas, the gambling casino, and more recently the biggest opera house in Germany. And let’s not forget: horseracing. The racetrack at Iffezheim, founded in 1858 by Edouard Bénazet, the French tenant of the casino, holds the premier position in Germany – from an economic, social, and sporting point of view. And it is here where it all started for Markus Klug.

Born in Romania in 1976, Klug grew up in Rastatt – just a few strides away from Iffezheim. The 42-year-old has risen from owner-trainer with just one horse to the top of his guild at home, caring for more than 100 thoroughbreds at Rottgen stud, and quickly making his mark overseas as well.  

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We met at the Spring Festival at Baden-Baden – the first “must do” of the year on the German racing calendar, and a homecoming for Klug, who always seems to have an open ear for the press, unlike some of his colleagues. It turned out to be a rather special weekend for Klug. Not only did he win a Group 3 sprint with one of his favourite horses, Millowitsch, and was honoured as champion trainer in Baden-Baden for the third time in four years, but he also enhanced his international reputation thanks to strong performances of two of his best horses in Epsom and Chantilly.

“I loved to watch racing as a kid in Iffezheim and later started to ride in the morning for trainer Waldemar Himmel,” Klug says about his beginnings. Himmel runs a small yard in Iffezheim but competes rather successfully in the neighbouring France. Horses, however, weren’t the only passion of young Klug. He was a very decent tennis player in his youth, winning the Rastatt town championships as a teenager against the adults.

But soon the horses took over his spare time. “When we owned our first horse, I started to train it and it was clear to me that I wanted to do something with horses.” But becoming a professional trainer always looked like a far-fetched dream. So after passing his A-Levels he decided to study business administration but stopped after two terms. “It just wasn’t for me,” Klug said, but still, he stayed on a supposedly safer track to his future, learning his trade as an insurance salesman.

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At the same time he owned a few more horses and did a pretty good job with them. His first winner, Gordian, a four-year-old gelding, came in 2003 on the provincial track of Herxheim close to Iffezheim. He also won races in Austria, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, which is quite unusual for an owner-trainer. By 2009 it was clear to Klug that there must be more to his professional life than selling insurance. He got his licence as public trainer, and then a big door opened for him: “The chance of my life,” as he calls it. Gunter Paul, chairman of the foundation Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung, made the young man an offer, he just couldn’t refuse. “I turned my hobby into my profession.”

The Mehl-Mulhens-Stiftung owns the stud and racing stable of Gestut Rottgen, one of the most famous and traditional houses in Germany. The stud was founded in 1924 by Peter Mulhens, who made his money with Eau de Cologne 4711. His widow Maria Mehl-Mulhens, who died in 1985, saved the Rottgen legacy by creating the foundation, which apart from racing and breeding thoroughbreds supports horseracing in general, young riders, and helps jockeys who get into trouble due to no fault of their own. The foundation has the lawyer and former president of the highest court in the federal state of Hesse, Günter Paul, in charge.

The beautiful stud is located in Heumar, very close to the major city of Cologne, right in the middle of a forest and fenced off by a large wall. The training track – grass and sand – is 2.5 km long, and the horses have to pass a traffic light on their way from the stables to the working grounds. Rottgen has a fine reputation in the racing world, famously breeding the first German winner of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Eclipse Stakes, Star Appeal, in the ‘70s.

But things needed changing in the 21th century, and Rottgen needed fresh ideas.

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Hindsight - Ian Balding

By Oscar Yeadon

Although it’s now been more than 15 years since Ian Balding handed over his training licence to his son Andrew, he remains an active team member at Park House Stables. The former champion trainer will turn 80 later this year but continues to ride an ex-racehorse on a daily basis, still pursuing a passion which could have led him down a different career path but for some timely advice.

“I loved riding jumpers and wanted to concentrate on that, but I very nearly didn’t take up the chance to train until Prince Philip talked me out of it. I was staying with my then future mother-in-law, Priscilla Hastings-Bass. At dinner, Prince Philip said to me, ‘It’s important that young people take their golden opportunities, as this is what made our country great!’”

Balding became a trainer through the death of the then-trainer at Park House Stables, Peter Hastings-Bass. Park House Stables was patronised by some of the sport’s most influential owners, and Balding found himself in charge of one of the country’s most powerful strings.

“It was 1964 and I was 25 and had been assistant trainer for only three months. At that time, the Jockey Club wouldn’t allow ladies to hold a trainer’s licence, so following Peter’s tragic death at only 43, Priscilla couldn’t take over. The Jockey Club wouldn’t let me train professionally and ride as an amateur, but they made an allowance to accommodate so I could still ride horses that I owned myself.

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“I think it was because I was so young that I don’t remember being daunted by the owners. I met the Queen very early on and she was lovely, very understanding and very knowledgeable.

“In becoming trainer in the circumstances I did, I was rather overwhelmed and nervous. Happily, we had a wonderful head lad in Bill Palmer, and Priscilla helped me tremendously. Thank God we had some decent owners and horses in the yard at that time.”

Just weeks into his training career, Ian Balding trained two Royal Ascot winners on the same day, which included Silly Season’s victory in the Coventry Stakes, cementing the young trainer’s relationship with the two-year-old colt’s owner, the American anglophile and philanthropist, Paul Mellon.

“I was incredibly lucky to have the two Royal Ascot winners so soon, and I think we finished second in the trainers’ championship that year.”

Owner and trainer would scale even greater heights on the racecourse with the legendary Mill Reef.

“It was clear he was special from a very early stage,” remembers Balding. “When he first came here, he went for a canter over four furlongs. Beforehand, I said to his lad, John Hallum, ‘Go at a nice sensible pace, up the hill and round the corner, and then a stride faster.’ Suddenly, Mill Reef was 10-20 lengths clear. Before I could give John an almighty b******ing on his return, he said, ‘Guv’nor, I promise you, I did just what you said…’”

Mill Reef would realise the potential shown on that spring morning at Kingsclere several times over and was crowned champion English three-year-old colt at the end of the following season, which played a large part in securing the championship for his trainer.

Balding rates his favourite memory from the period as the Gimcrack Stakes, when Mellon attended to see his horse race for the first time but heavy rain had softened the ground. After walking the track at York, Balding and jockey Geoff Lewis both felt the going was against Mill Reef.

“We had a crucial meeting with Mr Mellon outside the weighing room and he just said, ‘Let him run, I have a funny feeling that everything will be alright.’ Mill Reef skipped over the ground and won by 10 lengths.”

Balding believes that Mill Reef’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe win was the highlight of his three-year-old campaign. “He was the first English-trained horse to win for many years and there were so many English supporters there, wearing black and gold scarves.”

The Arc win was one of many for Balding’s string on the international racing scene, including several wins in the Grosser Preis Von Baden with sons of Mill Reef. “I loved going abroad. It was probably easier to win a Group 1 race overseas than at home, and that may still be the case now.”

At the start of the 1980s, Ian Balding was still riding competitively in amateur riders’ races and finished fourth in the 1983 Foxhunters’ aboard Ross Poldark.

“By this time I was in my mid-forties, and I think Mr Mellon and the Queen may have both felt the time had come for me to hang up my saddle. The Queen simply said to me, ‘I really think it is time you stopped riding in races.’”

As the decade progressed, Balding says the stable probably reached its zenith in the era of top-class horses such as Lochsong and Selkirk. “It all depends on having good horses and we were lucky to have those horses in our stables at the same time time, as well as owners such as Mr Mellon, George Strawbridge, and Jeff Smith.”

Ian is still an active member of the Park House team, including playing football with his grandchildren, Jonno and Toby

Away from the results on the track, one area in which Park House Stables has always excelled is in its staff development, as evidenced by its list of former apprentice jockeys, which includes the likes of the late John Matthias, David Probert, and William Buick, and the number of long-term staff working at the stables.

“I still talk to the lads at the British Racing School once a year and I cannot stress enough the importance of looking after staff, from the provision of decent accommodation to simply making time to talk to them and listen to their feelings.

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Father and son, Ian and Andrew Balding

To that end, Balding is supportive of industry initiatives such as the NTF’s Team Champion Awards scheme, which recognises the contribution of stable staff.

“Anything that acknowledges the importance of stable staff is worth doing, and awards for staff are admirable.”

If staff care has remained a constant at Kingsclere, Ian Balding finds that the methods he once employed have changed.

“I used to let horses cover a bit of ground, yet Andrew rarely even goes to the Downs these days. I understand that it takes less time to get from A to B in the mornings if you have a four-furlong all-weather surface close by, and that horses are more fragile these days and rarely go flat out, but Andrew is successful so I won’t quibble!”

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Starting out -- charting Gavin Hernon’s plan to become a trainer

Gavin Hernon is about to set up as a licensed trainer. He’s young, ambitious, and internationally minded.

With experience of training yards in Ireland, Newmarket, Chantilly, and the USA, Gavin is hoping to launch his career in Chantilly. Over the coming months we’re going to be charting his progress, looking at all the highs and lows of a young trainer starting out.

In his own words:

I’m 26 years of age and from Cork (Ireland). Having grown up on a stud farm, I started in the racing industry with Jim Bolger and spent four years with him whilst at school and university, where I studied international commerce with French at UCD in Dublin. I had ambitions to be a jump jockey, but during my time with Mr Bolger, it quickly became apparent to everybody that this was not what nature had intended. So, through my passion for racing and all things horses, training seemed to be the route for me and I put France on a shortlist of places to do it from.

As part of my degree, I spent a year studying in France and learned the French language and the French culture. Thanks to Christy Grassick at Coolmore, I was able to secure a pupil assistant role with André Fabre and I simply fell in love with Chantilly. It’s a picture perfect training centre. Having spent the best part of the 2013 and 2014 seasons with Mr Fabre, I had my heart set on the place but was aware that with the vast array of gallops available I still had a lot to see, so in 2015 I decided to move one mile up the road to Mr Nicolas Clement. I am fortunate that both Nicolas and André were and remain to this day great mentors to me.

For the past year, I have been based with Graham Motion working as an assistant. I worked in Fair Hill (Training Center), Maryland, during the summer and spent the winter with his string at Palm Meadows (Training Center) in Florida. Leg maintenance, gate work, and the different medication usage were all of the utmost importance to my learning experience with Graham but above all else was the organisation and diligence required to run a business of that magnitude.

Why have I chosen Chantilly?...

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Brexit Interview - Andy Oliver

By Alex Cairns

Andy Oliver has held a training licence since 2004. Before setting up his self-contained establishment on his family farm in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, he qualified as an equine vet and spent time with trainer Mark Johnston in Yorkshire, England. Having built his owner base thanks to consistent success from relatively humble means, his career took off in 2011 when Flowers Of Spring registered a first stakes success for the yard in a Group 3 at Gowran Park. The good results continued in 2012, with Group 2 wins for First Cornerstone and Sendmylovetorose contributing to a prize money haul of over €490,000. In 2014, Team Valor’s Panama Hat flew the flag, racking up five consecutive handicap wins. Panama Hat went on the next year to prove he was much more than a handicapper, scoring at Listed and Group 3 level as well as running second in the American St Leger.

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Though stakes success has always been the yard’s ultimate aspiration, Oliver is also well known for sourcing good value stock and bringing along horses that might then be sold to race abroad. Sendmylovetorose was just a £5,000 purchase, and Oliver also handled future multiple Hong Kong Group 1 winner Luck Or Design and 2015 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Dodging Bullets in the early stages of their careers.

The past two seasons have proven more challenging for the Oliver yard. Having had almost 300 runners on the Flat in Ireland in 2013, this number was down to 92 in 2017. Oliver has taken this time to regroup and recently finished upgrading his facilities. The revamped facility now features a five-furlong woodchip hill gallop, a seven-furlong woodchip gallop with a slight incline, and a three-and-a-half-furlong sand gallop. Such advanced infrastructure allows him to train any type of horse, whether Flat or National Hunt, and his 80 boxes have been steadily filling.

With a lot of work having been put in and difficult years weathered, Brexit is surely a complication Oliver could do without. It is still unclear whether a hard border will be instituted between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but we can assume that the UK’s new arrangement with the EU will affect trade, transport, staff, and many other fundamental aspects of the racing industry. These issues will have a strong impact in both Britain and Ireland, with Northern Irish racing finding itself in a particularly precarious situation.

European Trainer spoke to Andy Oliver to gauge his thoughts on how Brexit might affect his business.

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