The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Zayat legal battle takes a new turn
North America: There has been a change of tack in the protracted legal battle between MGG Investment Group and Triple Crown-winning owner Ahmed Zayat, with the New York firm suggesting that some of Zayat’s debts shouldn’t be legally forgiven under the Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection he is seeking because those loans were the product of years of systematic fraud.
A complaint filed by MGG read: “[I]t is a debt … that was obtained by use of a series of statements in writing that were materially false, respecting an insider's (Zayat Stables) financial condition, on which MGG reasonably relied, and that Ahmed Zayat caused to be made or published with the intent to deceive MGG.
“[I]t is a debt for wilful and malicious injury caused by Ahmed Zayat to the property of MGG within the meaning of [the] Bankruptcy Code.”
While this new inference of dishonesty isn’t fresh evidence, it is essentially a new allegation introduced in a different court in a different legal context.
The suit against Zayat in Fayette Circuit Court in Kentucky revolves around accusations that the Egyptian-American businessman hid the proceeds from the sale of nine lifetime breeding rights shares to American Pharoah, as well as 15 other “valuable racing Thoroughbreds” that had been pledged to the lender as loan collateral.
Purton takes the title
Asia: Australian Zac Purton won his second Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley in Hong Kong on Wednesday, edging out long-time rival Joao Moreira. The pair had one winner each in the four-race contest but Purton’s dead-heat for third in the final leg clinched him the title.
Hong Kong’s reigning champion jockey, world #9 Purton earned HK$500,000 ($64,500) as IJC champion. “In a competition like this when there’s so much on the line, it certainly feels nice to have won it again. It’s another moment that I'll cherish,” said Purton, who trails Moreira by 22 wins in this season’s jockey championship.
The other two winners were ridden by Britain’s Hollie Doyle (see story below) and French rider Alexis Badel. They finished tied for third.
Another great week for Hollie Doyle
Europe: More recognition this week for Hollie Doyle, who received four nominations for Britain’s Professional Jockeys Association (PJA) Lesters awards and became the first woman to ride a winner at the IJC in Hong Kong.
The 24-year-old is third female jockey to contest the championship, following Canadians Emma-Jayne Wilson in 2007 and Chantal Sutherland two years later - but neither won a race.
Riding 11/10 favourite, Harmony N Blessed, trained by David Hayes, in the last race of the four-race event Doyle finished ahead of the Ryan Moore-ridden Grateful Heart in second, with her boyfriend Tom Marquand third on Wind N Grass.
“It’s a huge privilege for Tom and I to be asked to ride here after a great season and it’s the icing on the cake,” she said. “It’s absolutely unbelievable. I knew I had a good chance on this horse, but you need a lot of things to go right,” she said.
Already named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year and on the shortlist for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Doyle leads the way in the nominations for this year’s Lesters with four nominations, including Flat Jockey of the Year.
She is also nominated for Flat Ride of the Year (for the victory by Glen Shiel in the British Champions Sprint at Ascot), Female Jockey of the Year and the Flat Jockey Special Recognition Award.
Moore looks set to stay at Ballydoyle
Europe: “That’s the plan,” was Aidan O’Brien’s answer when asked if Ryan Moore will retain his position next year as Ballydoyle’s stable jockey.
Moore and O’Brien were once the most potent pairing in European, possibly world racing since Vincent O’Brien and Lester Piggott, and it had seemed to many observers that the Englishman’s job at the all-powerful Coolmore operation was under genuine threat.
One Irish bookmaker priced 1/6 about Irish champion Colin Keane taking over the role. Meanwhile French champion and world #7 Pierre-Charles Boudot has kept the ride on Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia in Hong Kong on Sunday even though Moore will be at Sha Tin. O’Brien, however, pointed out, “Ryan has never sat him. He knew nothing about him.”
“Obviously, it was a disaster last year [2020 season],” O’Brien added. “It was a mess really. Everything is changing so much all the time so we’re just hoping we won’t be in the same situation again.”
Newspaperofrecord’s date with Galileo
North America: World #1 trainer Chad Brown has announced that the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner, Newspaperofrecord, has been retired and sold privately by owners Klaravich Stable.
Brown took to social media to tell his 11.4k followers, “She will be bred to the great Galileo!” And he thanked Klaravich Stable “for trusting her career with us, as well as everyone on TeamCB that played a role in her development!”
The prodigious daughter of Lope de Vega won all three of her starts in 2018 by 6½ lengths or more but failed to win any of her three races in her sophomore season.
However, she returned to form as a 4-year-old, winning the G3 Intercontinental Stakes and G1 Just a Game Stakes as well as finishing second G2 Longines Churchill Distaff Turf Mile Stakes and third in the G1 First Lady Stakes.
Ruling in Justify Santa Anita Derby case
North America: California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) stewards voted on Wednesday to dismiss a CHRB complaint into the results of the 2018 Santa Anita Derby and the 2018 Tokyo City Cup, won respectively by Bob Baffert-trained pair Justify and Hoppertunity.
The CHRB brought the complaint as part of a settlement agreement in a civil suit from Ruis Racing, which owned Bolt d'Oro, runner-up to the future Triple Crown winner in the Santa Anita Derby, which focused on the disqualification of the horses not to impose sanctions on Baffert or anyone else.
A September New York Times article revealed that post-race samples from both horses contained the banned drug Scopolamine, but CHRB equine medical director Dr Rick Arthur advised the board that several other horses also showed levels of Scopolamine in their systems around the same time, which led him to believe the tests were the result of environmental contamination.
“Even if this panel were to disagree with the CHRB's decision to dismiss these matters or the way the CHRB handled the situation, it cannot be argued that the CHRB lacked the authority to do so,” read the stewards’ decision. “The law specifically allows such actions to take place and the CHRB followed the law.”
See the full stewards' decision here.
Non-stop Nick Luck is broadcaster of the year once more
Europe: Nick Luck, a TV presenter on both sides of the Atlantic as well as hosting a Monday-to-Friday podcast and the Nick Luck on Sunday chat show on Racing TV, has been crowned British racing’s Broadcaster of the Year for an eighth time at the Horserace Writers’ & Photographers’ Association Derby Awards.
Luck, also an occasional contributor to TRC and its sister magazine Gallop, is the lead presenter on Racing TV, where he has worked since 2004, and has a significant role with the U.S. channel NBC at the Breeders’ Cup and other major racing events. He is also the voice of BBC equestrian coverage and hosts the Nick Luck Daily podcast.
“It’s an honour to win this award, especially as it is voted on by some wonderfully dedicated and talented colleagues,” Luck said.
The other nominees were ITV’s Ed Chamberlin, Sky Sports Racing’s Jamie Lynch, and Racing TV colleague Niall Hannity.
Elsewhere in racing …
Europe: The British Horseracing Authority has welcomed a government move to examine levy reform in 2021. More here
North America: Wendy Davis has been elected president of the Turf Publicists of America (TPA) for 2021 and 2022. More here
North America: Woodbine Entertainment has retained the services of Collaborative Equities and its managing principal and prominent developer William Kohn Fleissig to lead its property development portfolio.
North America: Keeneland has catalogued 79 lots for its December Digital Sale, as part of its Digital Sales Ring platform, which is available at keenelanddigital.com.