The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Bernardini: ‘We have been blessed to have him’
North America: Preakness winner and Eclipse champion Bernardini has been euthanized due to complications from laminitis at Jonabell Farm, where he had retired to stud for the 2007 breeding season as one of the most highly anticipated stallion prospects in recent history. He was 18.
Jimmy Bell, President of Godolphin USA, said, “We have been blessed to have him. A beautiful horse, and a lovely character, we are lucky to have so many of his daughters on the farm to continue his legacy.”
Homebred by Sheikh Mohammed in the early days of Darley’s ownership of Jonabell Farm, Bernardini won six races in a row during his 2006 sophomore campaign, earning champion 3-year-old honours and the world’s highest 3-year-old rating that year. The son of A P Indy won that year’s Preakness, giving his owner a first victory in an American Triple Crown race.
Trained by Tom Albertrani and ridden by Javier Castellano in all his stakes wins, Bernardini recorded a dominant 6¾-length victory in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup, earning a career-best 117 Beyer speed figure. He finished his career with a runner-up finish to Invasor in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.
At stud, he sired four G1 winners in his first crop, notably Travers and Cigar Mile winner Stay Thirsty and Woodward and Cigar Mile winner To Honor And Serve.
In total, he has sired 80 black-type winners, 48 Graded winners, and 15 G1 winners worldwide. In May 2021, he became the youngest stallion to reach 50 black-type winners as a broodmare sire.
End of the road for Battaash
Europe: Shadwell’s star sprinter Battaash has been retired after his defeat in the King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood last Friday, racing manager Angus Gold confirmed “following telephone conversations with HH Sheikha Hissa Bint Hamdan Al Maktoum”.
The Charlie Hills-trained 7-year-old was attempting to win the G2 feature for the fifth successive year but could only manage seventh place behind the French filly Suesa. Hills said he was proud of the gelding’s long career, which saw him finish out of the first four just three times in 25 starts. “He's had a top career and this weekend has been emotional,” said Hills.
In all, Battaash earned £1,774,180 in prize money and won 13 times, four of them in G1s - the Nunthorpe at York twice, the King's Stand at Royal Ascot and Abbaye at ParisLongchamp on Arc day.
“He’s been an unbelievable horse for everyone involved,” said Jim Crowley, who only missed riding the son of Dark Angel once after their association began in August 2017.
The world #13 rider added that long-time groom Bob Grace “deserves a special mention for looking after him”, as well as saying Battaash was the “horse of a lifetime and I’ll miss him dearly”. He added, “To get a buzz like you got off him is very difficult to find.”
Melbourne Cup: Restrictions take a toll
Oceania: International nominations for this year’s Melbourne Cup are down by half. Yet the Victoria Racing Club has received 174 nominations, which matches last year’s figure.
Only 15 overseas runners have entries amid ongoing coronavirus restrictions and the introduction of stricter veterinary checks, which have been imposed after several high-profile deaths of European competitors. When the new legislations for November’s race were announced in April, many European trainers said it would “nigh-on impossible” for international horses to compete in ‘the race that stops a nation’.
Last year’s winner, Twilight Payment, is one of four nominations for Joseph O'Brien, but his father, Aidan, will have none. O'Brien senior entered 20 horses for the last two.
2018 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Charlie Appleby will not have any runners either following the decision by Godolphin not to send any international contenders, although their royal blue silks will be carried by horses trained by their domestic trainers.
Prince Of Arran, third in last year's race, is entered for Charlie Fellowes, in what would be a fourth crack at the race.
Prolific rider Gall dies at 79
North America: Canadian racing is mourning David A Gall, fifth in the North American jockeys’ all-time list for races won, who has died at the age of 79.
During a 43-year career, Gall was a two-time winner of the United States national riding title, winning more races than any other rider in 1979 and 1981. He was, upon his retirement in 1999, ranked fourth all-time among jockeys for races won in the history of American Thoroughbred racing with 7,396 victories from 41,709 mounts. He is a place lower now.
He began his career in his homeland before moving to California. Eventually he made his way to Illinois, where he was fondly known as the ‘The General’. The sobriquet was given to him by local track announcer, Todd Creed, who noticed that when Gall’s name was abbreviated as ‘D Gall’, it sounded the same as the former Gall French President General Charles de Gaulle.
Famously, on October 18, 1978, he won eight races on a ten-race card at Cahokia Downs. He also won seven races on a single card on five occasions.
“He was one of a kind,” said Mark Cooper, who was his agent from the mid-1980s until his retirement. “He had hands like you couldn’t believe, and hardly ever hit a horse. You’d see him out there with his reins dangling and he won so many races coming down the fence. He competed against guys like Shane Sellers and Mark Guidry when they were getting started. A lot of riders learned from him.”
In 1993, Gall was inducted in the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, and two years later he was the recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, given annually to a jockey who is Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or a regular in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.
He remained in the industry as a trainer and owner until retiring in 2011.
Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga partner
North America: BetMakers Technology Group has been named the official fixed-odds partner of the 100th Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, the auction house’s flagship yearling sale in Saratoga Springs on August 9 and 10.
The Australia-based company provides critical solutions in technology, data and development to the global racing and wagering industry, spanning both fixed odds and pari-mutuel markets.
Elsewhere In racing …
North America: Josephine Abercrombie’s Pin Oak Stud has announced that it will be offering its remaining broodmares, weanlings and some racing fillies at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky on September 12. More here
Europe: A man was arrested after a car crashed into crowd leaving Lingfield racecourse in Southern England last Saturday. More here
Europe: Juddmonte Farms has announced the retirement of 2019 St Leger winner Logician, who will stand as National Hunt stallion at Shade Oak Stud in Shropshire, England, after an injury-hit end to racing career. More here
Europe: Racecourse Media Group is continuing its expansion into India via a new agreement with Royal Calcutta Turf Club. More here
Europe: Football super-agent Kia Joorabchian, owner of Amo Racing, has said the reason he has removed his horses from Lambourn trainer Ralph Beckett’s stable was that “we weren't seeing eye to eye”. More here