The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Spendthrift in mourning after death of founder B Wayne Hughes
North America: Spendthrift Farms has announced the passing of owner B Wayne Hughes at his “beloved Spendthrift Farm with loving family by his side”. He was 87.
It described him as “one of the sport’s most influential figures of the 21st century, with wide-ranging contributions that will forever impact Thoroughbred breeding and racing”.
The billionaire philanthropist - the son of a sharecropper - pioneered the self-storage industry with his company, Public Storage, before his forays into the Thoroughbred industry and becoming the largest donor in University of Southern California history.
“You don’t get money unless you have a lot of talent, which I don’t have, or you work hard, which is what I do. We don’t have any golden touch here,” said Hughes of his business career.
That same ethos is prevalent at Spendthrift Farm, once home to the great Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew. It had fallen on hard times in the late 80s and 90s. Hughes bought it in 2004 and restored the historic brand and its acreage, renovating almost all the farm’s signature structures and returning Spendthrift as a viable commercial breeding operation.
It now boasts the largest stallion roster in North America, which is headlined by Into Mischief, leading the North American sire list for the past two seasons and current #1 in the TRC Global Sires Dirt Rankings. Spendthrift’s racing arm was the leading owner for North American earnings in 2020 due to a successful season for Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, who also won the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Hughes had recently taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the Lexington ranch. The founder of modern-era Spendthrift had handed over the reins to his son-in-law, Eric Gustavson, who is now the official owner.
“Thoroughbred horseracing has been a tremendous passion of mine ever since my father took me to the races as a young boy. It’s something he and I got to share together, and I’ve been fortunate to be able to make it a large part of my life and share it with so many that are dear to me,” Hughes said, when receiving the 2020 Galbreath Award winner from the University of Louisville.
Click here for What They’re Thinking with Eric Gustavson
‘The best Dubawi filly I’ve ever seen’
Europe: Charlie Gordon-Watson went to €2.4 million for the “best Dubawi filly I've ever seen” on the second day of the Arqana August Yearling Sale, which saw the three sessions of the select sale come to a close with total turnover of €40,229,000 from 246 lots sold from 324 offered.
The tally compared favourably with 2017 and 2018 but was €3.5 million behind 2019’s record sale. The average price overall was €162,638 and the median €100,000, while the clearance rate of 76 per cent was the best since 2016.
Of the Haras d’Etreham-consigned sale topper, Gordon-Watson, said, “She’s from the best Niarchos family. It has Group 1 2-year-old winners and she’s by Dubawi. Her dam’s first two foals were very good, and Andre Fabre loved her. She’s beautiful.”
Full results are available here.
When taking your kids to the races earns you a fine
Oceania: Australian trainer Matt Brown has been fined $400 by raceday stewards at Cranbourne racetrack for “breaching the Racing Victoria Covid-19 protocols in that he had additional people with him on course”. Those “people” were his 5- and 6-year-old children, who accompanied him to the track as he saddled up 4-year-old mare Bonee, who finished sixth in the fourth race.
Brown, who runs a small stable with his fiancé, Luana, called the litigious fine “unfair” as a lack of childcare options gave him “no other choice” but to take his kids racing: He always “aims to give his staff Sundays off due to their large workloads”.
“With lockdown the kids haven’t been at school, they have had care for six days in a row and Sunday isn’t an easy day to find help,” Brown told Racing.com. “There was no babysitter available and we couldn’t drop them anywhere as you are not allowed to go into other people’s home.”
Covid crackdown forces stallion parade to be put back
Oceania: After New Zealand’s move to a Level 4 lockdown, the Gavelhouse.com Waikato Stallion Parade weekend has been postponed to September 4 and 5 and will be run in accordance with relevant alert Levels at the time. It may revert to a virtual stallion parade if required.
A further consequence has meant that the Ebbett VW National Breeding Awards have been rescheduled to September 25 with the venue, Mystery Creek Event, remaining the same.
“We are so disappointed that this has happened, especially for our sponsors and everyone who has supported the weekend. But we are in very uncertain times and the main priority is that everyone is safe,” said David Duley, president of Waikato NZTBA.
F-T chief’s joy after sale of New York-bred yearlings
North America: “We hit the sales superfecta,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning at the culmination of its two-day sale of New York-bred yearlings, which saw across-the-board increases over 2019 as well as top-three historical marks in number sold, gross, average, median, and RNA rate.
“Average was up, median was up, gross was up, and RNA rate was down. We’re obviously very, very pleased,” Browning said.
The top-priced filly over the two days at the Humphrey S Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs came during the Sunday session, when a filly by Uncle Mo sold for $495,000.
"We’re fortunate enough that the consignors once again gave us really outstanding horses,” he said, adding that there was also “significant bidding from a diverse buying group”.
Overall, 203 yearlings changed hands for a total of $18,566,500, a sale record, just beating the previous highwater mark set in 2018, when 172 yearlings sold for $18,492,00. The gross rose 14.6 percent from $16,200,000 paid for 186 yearlings in 2019. This year also marks the first time more than 200 horses sold at the sale.
Full results are available here.
Elsewhere In racing …
North America: The 2021 live meet at Delaware Park has been extended through October 30. More here
Europe: Joint top lots head Tattersalls’ online August 17 sale. More here
North America: Wanamaker’s has released the eight-horse catalogue for its upcoming sale on August 26. More here
North America: NYRA and America’s Best Racing have extend their partnership through 2023.