January - March 2026 - issue 92
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Contents in this issue include:
Cavalor Trainer of the Quarter
Francis-Henri Graffard is our Cavalor Trainer of the Quarter - having enjoyed an amazing season, capped with victories in both the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Japan Cup.
The de Bromhead method
Daragh Ó Conchúir profiles Henry de Bromhead - we learn about his training philosophy, performance strategy, ambitions and his views on betting.
Muscle matters
Caroline Loos explains how protein quality, amino acid balance and feeding timing influence muscle development, recovery and performance.
Biosecurity - beyond the barn
Jackie Zions helps us understand how improved biosecurity and air-quality management can help reduce respiratory stress in horses.
From growth to performance
Åsa Beckman considers how musculoskeletal and neural development shape the transition from yearling to two-year-old.
Behind the breeze ups
Virginia Lisco explores the evolution of the breeze up sales and talks to consignors and riders about preparing horses for sale.
Have horse will travel
Lissa Oliver looks at the key fixtures trainers should target - in this quarter we focus on races that close for entries / run in between January and March.
The hidden time of healing
Laura Steley examines why healing in the Thoroughbred is far slower, deeper and more complex than it appears on the surface.
Racing tourism
Paull Khan on why racing’s heritage and settings deserve a place in tourism.
EMHF: welcome Romania
Paull Khan outlines Romania’s route into EMHF membership and the steps now being taken to develop a professional racing structure.
Betting on racing’s future
Mark Rowntree considers the challenges facing racing’s betting ecosystem, as governments, operators and the sport itself adapt to an increasingly complex environment.
October - December 2025 - issue 91
Contents in this issue include:
Cover Trainer Profile - Nicky Henderson
The race starts in the gut - Optimising digestive health for peak performance
Understanding the biomechanics of jumping - Impacts of suspensory ligament injuries on limb stiffness and fetlock angle
Exclusive interview with Elie Hennau - France Galop CEO - on the way forward for French racing
We report on the results of the survery conducted into the husbandry practices that are adopted in the training of racehorses across Europe
A look at 'Learning Theory' for reducing stress and developing top performers
Have Horse Will Travel - the key fixtures to target this winter
What we learned at the AI in Equine Conference 2025 on the latest advances in AI technology in racing / breeding
The use of diagnostics in horses in training
Cavalor ToQ - Eoin McCarthy
January - March 2021 - issue 72
CONTENTS
Yasmin Almenräder - cover profile - a rising star in German racing
David Conolly-Smith portrays trainer Yasmin Almenräder at her Mülheim stable and her aspirations for hopefully another successful year for German racing and breeding - in particular for the Mülheim training centre, the second largest training centre in the country.
Nutrition - antioxidants - their role in racing
Catherine Rudenko questions if there is merit in specifically supplementing antioxidants to enhance performance? Antioxidants are substances that slow down damage to organisms created by the presence of oxygen.
Zilpaterol fallout - isn't it time for a European wide threshold testing protocol?
Alysen Miller investigates another biosecurity scare threatened to cast the longest shadow over the blighted 2020 racing season when the French racing authority France Galop announced that five horses had recently tested positive for zilpaterol.
Anne-Marie Poirier - Riding short; took me months
John Gilmore visits the Dutch native that has come a long way from show jumping horses in Holland to now having a yard for backing and pre-training racehorses at Soucelles in France.
Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire researches how well pads under the saddle really work. A recent study suggests that using a pad beneath the saddle might not always achieve the desired pressure-relieving effect.
European Pattern Committee - regulating 'black type' races
Paul Khan looks at some of the EMHF region’s committees and starts with the European Pattern Committee, which controls the classification of black type races in Europe.
Bureaucracy in training - how trainers are coping with the added paperwork they now need to produce for racing authorities
Understanding hydrotherapy and the benefits of water based conditioning
Georgie White explains the use of water for therapeutic benefit in the equine industry and hydrotherapy as a mechanism for enhancing performance in the racehorse.
Sally-Ann Grassick describes the spirit that has resurfaced again with a campaign named in Pat Smullen’s honour driven by John Butler, physiotherapist to the Irish racing stars.
TopSpec Trainer of the quarter - TBC
Trainers and the importance of communicating with owners
Lissa Oliver shows that remote communication has become a necessity especially during a pandemic-stricken 2020.
Funding research in equine veterinary development - what we can expect to learn in 2021
Annie Dodd fills us in on the financial impact of the pandemic on scientific research.
October - December 2020 - issue 71
IN THIS ISSUE -
Johnny Murtagh- TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter
Lissa Oliver talks to Johnny Murtagh whose stable has been in top form this summer.
Nicolò Simondi - trainer profile
Franco Raimondi profiles Nicolò Simondi who became a Classic winning trainer when Auyantepui, landed the Gp2 Oaks d’Italia at San Siro.
Catherine Rudenko investigates alternative and supportive therapies as trainers seek to find other means of reducing the risk or severity of EIPH.
Can we train a completely symmetrical horse? Georgie White investigates this very interesting theory.
The benefit of using ‘yearling rollers’
Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire asks if aroller is a harmless piece of equipment or has it been previously overlooked?
Sales protocols across Europe this autumn
Alysen Miller explains how auction houses have embraced changes to their business practices in order to keep the show on the road with the global bloodstock calendar thrown into disarray by the COVID-19.
Sarah Plevin reviews different treatment options for ‘bowed tendons’ and amongst those a new ultrasound technology called ultrasound tissue characterisation.
Conformation - factors for racing ability
Judy Wardrope examines which factors might increase the chances to pick a future star on the racecourse.
Without Prejudice – how anti- doping rules leave trainers at risk
Lissa Oliver points out that it is time to look at whether Europe’s anti-doping rules protect the integrity of the sport and looks into the fragility of the licencing system in the face of integrity accusations, particularly when so many recent breaches of anti-doping rules have absolved the trainer of any responsibility.
Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures 2020 - minimising risk from equine infectious disease
Celia Marr condenses this year’s Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures and how it
will hopefully help support education on equine infectious disease.
It is time to celebrate - The European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation is
10 years old. Dr. Paull Khan tells the story about the first decade.
Will prize money ever return to pre-COVID-19 levels?
Lissa Oliver looks into the various pots of prize money and the racing authorities’
recovery plans to be able to return to pre-COVID.
Thoroughbred Tales - showcasing the good work of the unsung heroes of racing
Sally Anne Grassick explains Rebecca Menzies’s own “Thoroughbred Tale ‘’ when there were celebrations in order when Stormy Girl provided Rebecca with a first ever Black Type success.
