The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Retired Enable has a date with Kingman
Europe: “Enable has retired happy and sound after an extraordinary career,” according to her trainer, world #1 John Gosden.
Douglas Erskine Crum, chief executive of Juddmonte Farms, confirmed this week that Prince Khalid Abdullah’s star mare will “join the Juddmonte broodmare band to be covered by [Juddmonte’s world #10 sire] Kingman in 2021”.
The dual Cartier European Horse of the Year – who remains #1 in the TRC Global Horse Rankings - won 11 career G1s, including a hattrick of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes, two Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, an Epsom Oaks, an Eclipse, two Yorkshire Oaks, an Irish Oaks and a Breeders' Cup Turf, an achievement Gosden called a “marvel and unprecedented”.
The 6-year-old finished a disappointing sixth on the waterlogged surface at ParisLongchamp last week when seeking an historic third Arc victory. There had been speculation that she might attempt to add to her £10,724,320 career earnings at Champions Day at Ascot this weekend
World #1 jockey Frankie Dettori said it was “a bit of an emotional moment because we were still thinking about rolling the dice one more time”. He admitted to shedding a tear when he heard the news of Enable’s retirement.
“I had to emotionally accept it,” Dettori said. “But I woke up this morning, I was fine. Now that I know that she’s safe and she’s gone, I’m able to slowly be touched by emotions and just look at the wider picture.
“She’s done so brilliant for all of us and I love her. I’m never going to forget her. I went to see her this morning. We had a tremendous journey for three-and-a-half, four years. She was the horse that most touched my heart.”
Death of Hall of Famer Gary Jones
North America: U.S. racing is mourning the passing of Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Jones, who died at his Del Mar home aged 76 following a lengthy illness.
The son of trainer Farrell ‘Wild Horse’ Jones took over his father's stable in 1974 and trained 104 stakes winners over the next 22 years. His career accomplishments included earning more than $52 million in purses and 1,465 race victories.
His son, Marty, also a trainer, paid tribute to his father. “He was an amazing person, first and foremost. For me, that’s the most important thing. On top of that, he was a great horse trainer.”
Jones won 15 race meet titles, including four at Santa Anita, where he set a record with 47 wins in 1976, ranks eighth all-time in winter/spring wins with 576 victories, and ninth all-time in stakes won with 72.
Notable horses under his training include Turkoman, Champion Older Male in 1986, and Best Pal, the winner of the first Pacific Classic at Del Mar in 1991, as well as the Hollywood Gold Cup and Santa Anita Handicap.
Sea The Stars trainer John Oxx calling it a day
Europe: Dual Arc winning-trainer John Oxx has revealed that he won’t be renewing his licence next year after a career that spanned 41 years and saw him win 35 G1s, including the winners of 11 Classics.
“It has been my good fortune to have enjoyed a lot of success and trained some great horses,” said the ever-understated Oxx, 70, whose career highlight came in 2009, when he trained Sea The Stars to win six G1s in as many months, including the 2000 Guineas, the Epsom Derby and the Arc.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the man or the trainer,” said his former jockey, Michael Kinane, who partnered Sea The Stars in that prolific season. “He’s at the top of the list of both, up with the very best. I loved every minute I spent with him,”
Other career highlights were 2000 Derby, Irish Derby and Arc champion Sinndar; 1995 Breeders’ Cup Mile and Irish 1000 Guineas winner Ridgewood Pearl; and 1999 Ascot Gold Cup Enzeli.
“I will greatly miss training, but now is a good time for me to stop,” conceded Oxx.
Winx loses her first foal
Oceania: Connections of Winx have confirmed that the great mare has lost her first foal - still-born on Tuesday despite a complication-free 11-month pregnancy.
The superstar mare – voted World Horse of the Decade by TRC readers last December - is being closely monitored by veterinarians but is reportedly in good health. She had been in foal to I Am Invincible.
“There are so many people involved in the Winx story, from owners, staff past and present to her many fans around the world,” said former trainer Chris Waller. “Our thoughts and attention at the moment are on Winx ensuring that she remains healthy, as anyone in this situation would respect.
“It is a traumatic time for a mother and those involved and Winx is now the centre of our attention.”
The 9-year-old was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2017, counting 25 G1 wins by her retirement in April last year. She is still the world’s all-time leading money earner.
Spendthrift cutting stallion fees
North America: Spendthrift Farms has announced reduced stud fees for most of its current roster of stallions set to stand at the Lexington-based farm in 2021, a shift that owner B.Wayne Hughes says “recognises the challenges of the times and how the entire breeding community has been affected this year”.
Reigning champion general sire and world #1 TRC Dirt Sire Into Mischief heads the list yet again at a previously announced fee of $225,000 S&N and is fully booked. He represents the only stallion with an increased fee in 2021.
Hughes stated that the “breeders are the backbone of our industry” and that “if we had room to lower a stud fee, we did it”, adding, “We are all in this together”.
Malibu Moon and popular second-season sire Omaha Beach will both stand for $35,000 S&N. Fellow second-season sire Vino Rosso, last year’s Breeders’ Cup Classic hero, will stand for $25,000 S&N.
To see Spendthrift’s current stallion roster and reduced 2021 stud fees click here
Elsewhere in racing …
North America: Man o’ War has been named a 2020 Legend Honouree by the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame on the 100th Anniversary of his historic match-race with Sir Barton at Kenilworth Park in Windsor, Ontario. More here
North America: The Thoroughbred Charities of America announced the appointment of Leah O’Meara, Andy Hils, Erik Johnson, Marshall Gramm, and Marette Farrell to its board of directors. More here
Europe: Irish racing has welcomed a 14 percent increase in governmental funding – up to €76.8 million. More here
North America: Sam Houston Race Park has revealed an expanded live racing season with additional stakes throughout its 2021 meet, which will offer $2.4 million in purses, up from $1.8 million in 2020. More here