The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
New crowds ruling a major threat to jobs, BHA warns
Europe: The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has described the extended delay to the public’s return to sporting events confirmed this week as “a serious blow to the horseracing industry and to the people and communities who depend upon it for their living”.
On behalf of British horseracing’s tripartite leadership bodies, the BHA said in a statement that it had “worked hard with public health officials to return safely and carry out pilot events” and experienced an “exemplary response from the spectators” to the new measures that had been put in place.
“Despite all those efforts, our industry is now facing a severe threat,” it said. “We are the second most-attended spectator sport in the country. Without the millions of people who normally enjoy a day at the races, many people’s jobs are at serious risk, as are the businesses they work in.”
Nick Rust, chief executive of the BHA, said, “Racing’s leaders are responding to this crisis by working together like never before. We are working to a recovery plan, but the announcement will set back our progress. We will urge the government to provide financial support, as they have indicated they are considering, and to accept the case for urgent reform of the Levy.”
Meanwhile, Jockey Club Racecourses expect revenue losses to exceed initial estimates of £75 million following the announcement that crowds will be absent from sporting venues for the near future.
Now Asmussen eyes the world record
North America: World #9 Steve Asmussen has become only the second Thoroughbred trainer to win 9,000 races, which he called an “awfully significant achievement”.
The Hall of Famer claimed the landmark victory when Troy Ounce won the second race at Oklahoma’s Remington Park last Friday. “Will we celebrate? Heck, yeah! Every day from here on out,” crowed Asmussen.
He now only needs 446 more victories to become the all-time winningest trainer in North America, which that he revealed he had “been thinking about ever since they started keeping track of wins”. He added, “That's why you send them out, to win. If it wasn't important, they wouldn't keep stats".
The current leader is the late Dale Baird, who finished his career in 2007 with 9,445 victories.
Moreira on fire as crowds return to Hong Kong
Asia: Spectators were back at the races in Hong Kong on Sunday for the first time since the coronavirus outbreak began, and a crowd of 2,636 turned up at Sha Tin to see the familiar sight of Joao Moreira stealing the show.
“I just hope that I can keep it up – it’s not going to be an easy season,” Moreira said. “It’s just the beginning of the season, we have so much to look forward to and I don’t want to put the premiership in my mind. I want to concentrate on these good horses and hopefully I am on board some nice ones when we get closer to December.”
Classic-bound Tiz The Law misses Preakness
North America: Belmont Stakes winner and Kentucky Derby runner-up Tiz The Law won’t run in next week’s Preakness Stakes, which concludes this year’s reconfigured Triple Crown series on Saturday (October 3) and had been billed as a rematch with Derby winner Authentic.
Jack Knowlton, managing partner of Sackatoga Stable, which owns Tiz The Law, tweeted that it was “disappointing Tiz the Law will not be able to run in the Preakness”. But he did confirm that the “primary interest is doing what’s right for the horse and in this case he’s not ready”.
Knowlton later wrote, “We look forward to training him up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic on 11/7.”
Enable breaks a different kind of record
Europe: A new record for the amount of money bet on an overseas race shown in France was set earlier this month - by a humble Group 3 at Kempton Park.
There was a simple reason, though: the Unibet September Stakes was the final prep for Enable before her bid for a third victory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe a week on Sunday (October 4).
More than €1.93m was staked on the Kempton race, ikn which Enable was an unextended seven-length winner over five opponents. The broadcast in France was facilitated by France Galop, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), Paris Mutuel Urbain (PMU) and Racing TV International (RTVi), the leading broadcast and media service, which delivers content from 61 British and Irish racecourses to betting operators around the world.
Blandine de Kerautem, International Foreign Races & PR Manager, at PMU, said: “PMU and France Galop enjoy a close relationship with RTVi and we were delighted to work together in ensuring Enable’s Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe prep-race fitted in with the Equidia TV and PMU schedules. The popularity of Enable in France was reflected by the incredible volumes bet on the race in France. This record illustrates the dynamism of French punters.”
Regional Head of Racing and Clerk of the Course at Kempton Park, Barney Clifford, said: “While we always knew she had a tremendous following in Britain, these record-breaking levels of betting in France show how much she is savoured there too.”
Gosden in plea on Levy reform
Europe: Enable’s trainer, world #1 John Gosden, has voiced concern over how British racing is funded, putting his full support behind a movement on Levy reform, without which he said he believed “it won’t be long before we’re back to the 1970s”.
The current British champion was one of the trainers to meet Home Secretary Priti Patel in Newmarket last month to discuss the issue. It is believed that the Levy could be increased by as much as £30 million a year if extended to capture bets placed in Britain on foreign racing.
“The government have enough on their hands without us,” said Gosden. “And we’re not going there and saying, ‘Please’ – we’ve got to go there with ideas. We can do it only by working closely together.
“Our concern is that, at the moment, our industry does not have a sustainable financial footing for the future. We're all in it together and so we’re trying to do everything we can, talking to people and so on, because we cannot let this drift.
“We don’t have six months to start floating about, having committee meetings and chitting and chatting, we need to get our heads wrapped together, with the betting industry and the racecourses.”
Weatherbys leading the way on e-passports
Europe: The International Sport Horse Confederation Taskforce for Brexit and European Union Animal Health Law announced last week that a digital passport solution is the answer to ensuring the efficient cross-border movement of sport, racing and breeding horses from 2021.
The most advanced digital passport has been developed by Weatherbys, the British company says. It was a development that began over two years ago.
Indeed, elements of the Weatherbys E-Passport functionality are already in use in Britain, Ireland and other jurisdictions. These include vaccination and movement functionality to support the British Horseracing Authority and Horse Racing Ireland with their ‘Return to Racing’ protocols.
Weatherbys’ technology also helped trace the movement of breeding stock during the breeding season – working alongside the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.
The company says it continues to work closely with both HRI and the BHA regarding the rollout of the Weatherbys E-Passport, which HRI have made the central digital recording and data repository tool within their five-year Welfare Strategy.
In its simplest form, the Weatherbys E-Passport is a single, secure platform for all regulatory and legislative requirements relating to identification, health, welfare, movement and ownership.
It will go live to the UK and Irish Thoroughbred market in 2021, when it will include stallion, mare and foal registration, pre- and post-racing vaccinations and medications, along with ownership updates and full identification. And its functionality being trialled in the Middle East and North America, not only for horse racing but for other equine disciplines.
Elsewhere in racing …
North America: The 2018 champion U.S. 2-year-old Game Winner has been retired to Lane's End Farm in Kentucky. More here
North America: Longtime racing industry executive and industry ambassador Tony Chamblin has passed away at the age of 81. More here
Europe: Nominations have opened for the next Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards in Britain. They close on November 10. More here
North America: Arthur Hancock III has been named as the Thoroughbred Club’s honour guest this year. More here
Europe: Dundalk racecourse has announced a new partnership with bookmaker Hollywoodbets. More here