COURSE TO COURSE A look at stories in the news from racecourses across Europe.
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The UK’s first Equine Flu Awareness Month (EFAM) set for April
The UK’s first Equine Flu Awareness Month (EFAM) is being launched in April with the aim of raising awareness, understanding and virus surveillance of this highly contagious evolving disease, say the organisers.
The Animal Health Trust (AHT) and Merial Animal Health have joined forces to create the initiative. The AHT’s head of epidemiology and disease surveillance, Dr Richard Newton, believes that the campaign is a significant step in the battle against equine flu: “The creation of Equine Flu Awareness Month is an important step forward for the equine industry.
“There have been 52 recorded outbreaks of equine influenza in the last two years, and whilst this may sound considerable, we believe it’s actually just the tip of the iceberg,” he says.
“An equine influenza surveillance scheme at the AHT provides ongoing free sampling to all practices registered to the service, funded by The Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB).
“We are fortunate that the HBLB invests in this important scheme which also benefits the industry as a whole. We know that approximately just 40% of the total UK herd is vaccinated, so when you consider that all racehorses and many other competing and performance horses are vaccinated under compulsory rules, that leaves the remainder of the herd even less protected and the total percentage well short of the 70% required in order to prevent an epidemic¹,²,” he adds.
“Many horses that don’t travel are still at risk of equine influenza, but frequently go unvaccinated. These animals are not only at risk of contracting and amplifying virus from their stable-mates that do travel, but are also at risk of airborne infection as equine flu is capable of travelling over a mile as an aerosol on the wind,” he concludes.
For more information on Equine Flu Awareness Month visit www.equinefluawareness.com
References
1. Baker D. Equine Vet J 1986;18(2):93–96.
2. Merial Proactive Insight benchmarking 2015.
About Merial
Merial is a world-leading, innovation-driven animal health company, providing a comprehensive range of products to enhance the health, well-being and performance of a wide range of animals. Merial employs 6,200 people and operates in more than 150 countries worldwide with close to €2 billion of sales. Merial is a Sanofi company. www.merial.com
Slovak Classic Races 2016 to close on Friday 11th March!
Turf Direktorium Bratislava invites all trainers to Slovakia's Classic races in 2016.
Our Classic programme is held at Bratislava racetrack and contains the usual mix of quality races:
15th May 2016
Slovak 1000 Guineas (SVK Listed) – 1700 m
€23 000 (11 500 - 5290 - 3450 - 1610 - 1150)
For 3yo fillies. Weight: 58 kg.
22nd May 2016
Slovak 2000 Guineas (SVK Listed) – 1700 m
€25 000 (12 500 - 5750 - 3750 - 1750 - 1250)
For 3yo colts and fillies. Weight: 58 kg, filly allowance 1.5 kg.
17th July 2016
Slovak Derby (SVK Gd-3) – 2400 m
€64 000 (32 000 - 14 720 - 9600 - 4480 - 3200)
For 3yo colts and fillies. Weight: 58 kg, filly allowance 1.5 kg.
11th September 2016
Slovak Oaks (SVK Listed) – 2000 m
€23 000 (11 500 - 5290 - 3450 - 1610 - 1150)
For 3yo fillies. Weight: 58 kg.
25th September 2016
Slovak St. Leger (SVK Listed) – 2800 m
€19 000 (9500 - 4370 - 2850 - 1330 - 950)
For 3yo colts and fillies. Weight: 58 kg, filly allowance 1.5 kg.
The deadline to enter to all Classic races is Friday, 11th March 2016 at 2.00pm
Please also note the important highlight of the season - the XXXVIII Turf Gala meeting on 5th June, at Bratislava racetrack - includes five top international races:
1. Grand Prix of Slovakia (SVK Gd-3) – 2400 m
€30 000 (15 000 - 6900 - 4500 - 2100 - 1500)
For 4yo+ horses. Weight: 58 kg. Filly and mare allowance 1.5 kg.
2. Grand Prix of Ministry of Agriculture (SVK Gd-3) – 1200 m
€29 000 (14 500 - 6670 - 4350 - 2030 - 1450)
For 3yo+ horses. Weight: 3yo 57 kg, 4+ 60.5 kg. Filly and mare allowance 1.5 kg.
3. Stary Haj Criterium (SVK Listed) – 2000 m
€15 000 (7500 - 3450 - 2250 - 1050 - 750)
For 3yo horses. Weight: 58 kg. Filly allowance 1.5 kg.
4. Arva Trophy (SVK Listed) – 1800 m
€15 000 (7500 - 3450 - 2250 - 1050 - 750)
For 3yo fillies. Weight: 58 kg.
5. Scottish Rifle Trophy (SVK Listed) – 1800 m
€15 000 (7500 - 3450 - 2250 - 1050 - 750)
For 4yo+ horses. Weight: 58 kg. Filly and mare allowance 1.5 kg.
The deadline to enter to the Turf-Gala meeting is Friday 22nd April 2016 at 2.00 pm
For more details, please visit our website www.dostihy.sk or contact us by e-mail on: valtyni@zavodisko.sk or pfefferova@zavodisko.sk
"We look forward to meeting you at our modest but charming racetrack in the heart of Central Europe"
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT: www.dostihy.sk
Steer clear of banks in international prize money stakes
Since Cheltenham last year, over £317 billion has been wiped from the FTSE100, with major contributors being a 38% slide in the price of oil as well as the dramatic speed at which China’s economy is slowing down. As we rapidly approach this year’s festival, the economic outlook is even less predictable and currency markets are no more immune to volatility than anywhere else.
With an ever growing Irish dominance, the conversion of Cheltenham prize money from Sterling to Euro is likely to be a popular activity in the weeks following on from the festival, and bearing in mind the current fickleness of the global economy, Owners, Trainers and Jockeys will want to get the best exchange rate possible.
An example of how rapidly the GBPEUR rate can change came at the end of 2015; at the start of October, the exchange rate was around 1.3500, then moved to 1.4300 in mid-November. At the end of December, the price went back to 1.3500, where we saw a maximum change of 6%. So, when buying €100,000, there would a difference of €6,000, depending on the date of purchase. If the same were to happen over the coming months, for foreign winners at Cheltenham, victory would be somewhat dampened by receiving fewer Euros on the other side of their conversions.
“Once you move away from your regular bank to an independent currency provider, you
immediately notice how much more prize money you receive on the other side of the conversion.”
On top of this, Owners, Trainers and Jockeys should also be aware of the provider they use to convert their winnings. Typically, High Street Banks will charge 3%-5% on the interbank exchange rate, compared to independent currency and payment providers, who have the advantage of being able to offer clients more flexible rates, with some bespoke companies presenting their racing and equine clients with prices around 0.3%-0.5%.
To put this into perspective, if for argument’s sake, the interbank exchange rate for GBPEUR was 1.3500 and a client was charged 3% by their bank when converting £100,000 worth of prize money, the client’s rate would be 1.3095 and the amount of Euros they’d receive would be €130,950. If the same person converted their money with an independent provider instead, they are more likely to be charged around 0.5% on the mid-market rate, receiving a quote of 1.3432 and would obtain €134,320 on the other side of the conversion, saving them €3,370.
“I frequently have horses racing around the world, and you’d be surprised how significantly the market can affect the exchange rate you receive and, effectively, how much it costs you to convert your winnings.””
A mouth-watering total of $30 million will also be up for grabs at the Dubai World Cup at the end of the month and with competitors travelling from Japan, France, Australia and everywhere in between, the sums of currency being converted are likely to dwarf those of Cheltenham, with the difference in returns for connections using independent providers compared to a bank, being huge.
With over £4 million in prize money at Cheltenham and $30 million from the Dubai World Cup, the number of currency transactions within the racing industry this month looks set to be phenomenal, and the potential savings that could be made are unquestionable. As always, there’ll be winners and losers throughout the week, but by moving away from the banks, those who gain festival glory could be even more victorious.
For more information as to how you can save money on your next currency transfer, please visit www.racingfx.co.uk
Louisa Carberry - The up and coming French National Hunt Trainer in profile
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It won't be too long until the 2016 Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival is one of the highlights on the sporting calendar and tens of thousands of supporters travel to the racecourse every year to witness some of the best horses, jockeys and trainers pit their wits against one another for a number of the sport’s top trophies.
This year’s event was a huge success and the popularity of the event, both at the course and on the television coverage, has only increased the anticipation levels ahead of the 2016 event. Next year’s meeting will begin on Tuesday 15th March and will last for a full four days before the final race on Friday 18th March.
Vautour, who won so impressively at the festival earlier this year, is one of the early contenders to claim success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is arguably the most prestigious race of the week. There are a number of impressive horses already included in the betting markets for this race but the selection committee will narrow down the amount of horses involved as the event draws nearer.
By the same token, there are already some top quality horses pencilled in to run in the World Hurdle, which is one of the highlights of Thursday’s action. Jezki, which was a popular mount with AP McCoy before his retirement, and Annie Power, who famously fell at the final hurdle in the Mares’ Hurdle, are just two of the incredible field that could line up for this race.
Ruby Walsh will be well fancied after his tremendous performance at this year’s festival and will get the ride on most of Willie Mullins’ top prospects once again. The Mullins/Walsh combination has been incredible in recent years, particularly at televised meetings, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see those two feature regularly in the Winners Enclosure throughout the week.
The Cheltenham Festival truly is one of the great spectacles on the sporting calendar and supporters who travel to the racecourse are in for a treat. The atmosphere will be absolutely sensational on-site and anticipation is beginning to grow for the first major festival of the 2016 calendar. While you can watch the racing on terrestrial television, there’s nothing quite like the general buzz and vibe of live horse racing. It’s well worth a trip and, with a bit of luck, you could come home with profit.
PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH SLAP-UP-MEDIA