The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Racing mourns ‘exceptional person’ Pat Smullen
Europe: Tributes have poured in for nine-time Irish champion jockey Pat Smullen, who died in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin on Tuesday from pancreatic cancer at the age of 43.
The 12-time European Classic winner had been diagnosed with the illness in 2018. He is survived by wife Frances (sister of Annemarie O’Brien, wife of Aidan O’Brien) and their three children, Hannah, Paddy and Sarah. As well as his glittering career, the Irishman will no doubt be remembered for his tireless fundraising for Cancer Trials Ireland - most memorably an Irish Champions Weekend legends race that raised over €2.5 million.
Horse Racing Ireland CEO Brian Kavanagh called it the “saddest of days as Irish racing comes to terms with the loss of one of our brightest stars”. He added that Smullen’s “memory will live long wherever horse racing is discussed”.
-----------------------------------
Why Pat Smullen was such a massive asset
Read this 2015 appreciation of a great rider by Donn McClean
-----------------------------------
Multi-champion jump jockey AP McCoy – who won the aforementioned charity race – said, “It's just horrifically sad. I spent a long time crying last night. That day at the Curragh was hugely special.”
Dermot Weld, for whom Smullen was stable jockey for 19 years, which included Harzand’s Epsom-Curragh Derby double in 2016, called Smullen “an exceptional person - the professionals’ professional”, adding that “his loyalty and integrity shone out”.
Old rival Frankie Dettori said he was “devastated” by the passing of “my good friend”, describing him as a “genius in the saddle and a legend of a man”. British champion Oisín Murphy spoke of “What you meant to the people most close to you and the people of Ireland. Not to mind the rest of the world.”
Breeders’ Cup will be behind closed gates
North America: The Breeders’ Cup has confirmed that the 2020 event will take place at Keeneland on November 6-7 without fans on site due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The decision to hold this year’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships without fans in attendance was not made lightly,” said BC president and CEO Drew Fleming.
Despite the disappointing, if not inevitable, news, Fleming revealed, “Despite many major racing events reducing purses significantly, [the Breeders’ Cup will be able] to maintain 2019 purse levels to support our nominators and horsemen during this challenging year.”
A total $31 million in purses and awards will be contested over the two-day world championships, with purses of $6 million and $4 million respectively for the Longines Classic and Longines Turf.
Keeneland will also now hold the 39th championships on November 4–5, 2022, which will mark the venue’s third time as host since 2015.
Phoenix British ban is official
Europe: The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has informed global racing investment group Phoenix Thoroughbreds it can “no longer have runners in races in Great Britain until further notice”.
The group’s founder, Amer Abdulaziz Salman, was last year alleged in a New York court to be a key money launderer for the fake cryptocurrency OneCoin. Abdulaziz reportedly played a major role in laundering funds for a scam that duped $4 billion from victims who believed they were investing in a digital currency similar to Bitcoin when it was in fact a sophisticated Ponzi scheme.
Phoenix announced in mid-August that it intended to end its involvement with the sport in Britain “with immediate effect”. However, it had continued to race and won a nursery at York as recently as September 6.
The announcement by the BHA confirmed that its ban on Phoenix’s operations had come into effect on September 7.
The Everest: New promotional initiative
Oceania: The Australian Turf Club (ATC) has announced a new partnership with the New South Wales (NSW) Government that Stuart Ayres, minister for jobs, investment, tourism and Western Sydney, says will “ensure the prestige, energy and excitement of Everest Carnival is a magnet for locals and visitors”.
The partnership includes a collaborative media program showcasing the Everest Carnival and the flagship Everest race to prospective attendees, content on Sydney.com, social media and the inclusion of Sydney clips across ATC channels.
The Everest Carnival starts on Saturday (September 19) and runs until October 31 at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens. It will feature the world’s richest turf race, the A$15 million The TAB Everest, at Randwick on October 17.
Elsewhere in racing …
Oceania: Weight penalty boosts Aidan O'Brien's campaign for first Melbourne Cup. More here
North America: Keeneland fall meet to be held with limited participants due to Covid-19 pandemic. More here
Oceania: Australia’s world #13 jockey, Hugh Bowman, has received a 20-day ban for his ride on Golden Slipper winner Farnan, owned by Phoenix Thoroughbreds, in a G2 at Rosehill last Saturday. More here
Europe: Former trainer Jeremy Noseda was fined £1,500 on Tuesday and Walk In The Sun disqualified from a novice race at Kempton in January 2018 after the horse tested positive for cocaine. More here