The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Big increase in Gun Runner’s fee
North America: Three Chimneys Farm has announced its fees for the 2022 breeding season, with the price for marquee stallion Gun Runner increased substantially to $125,000.
The 2017 U.S. Horse of the Year has made an impressive start to his new career - he has already climbed to #20 in the TRC Global Dirt Sires Rankings with his first crop of runners. He stood for a reduced outlay of $50,000 in 2021, which was trimmed from the $70,000 price-tag when he first stood in the 2020 breeding season as part of an overall reduction of fees at the Lexington farm to reflect the market as it responded to the travails of Covid-19.
Volatile remains at $15,000, while the fee for Palace Malice is reduced from $20,000 to $12,500, matching the cost of Sky Mesa. Sharp Azteca, Will Take Charge and Funtastic all stand at $5,000.
Gosden’s worry over recreational drug use among staff
Europe: World #3 trainer John Gosden has been fined £500 after one of his horses tested positive for ketamine last year. It was agreed, however, that there had been no deliberate wrongdoing.
A disciplinary panel accepted the likeliest source of the substance, found in a urine sample taken from the filly Franconia after she won a listed race at Newbury, was accidental contamination by a groom, who admitted to using the drug recreationally.
Ketamine is used to anaesthetise horses before surgery, and is also a recreational drug used by people.
Gosden was fined for taking some but not sufficient reasonable. Franconia was disqualified from the race.
Gosden said there was "great relief that we have managed to get to the source of the problem", but he said the amount of recreational drug use these days made him believe similar cases will become more frequent.
"If people aren’t hygienic about it and careful about it, and with the sensitivity of testing, which I must say did impress me, it is likely we will see more cases of it. I don’t know what you do about it.”
Baffert gets Breeders’ Cup go-ahead
North America: Bob Baffert will be allowed to enter horses in the Breeders’ Cup next month, but the event’s leading all-time money winner will need to adhere to a set of stringent requirements, such as stricter out-of-competition testing of his horses and greater security at his barn.
The Hall of Fame trainer has had five failed drug tests since May 2, 2020, most notably 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit’s test in May.
The Breeders’ Cup said, “Based on the totality of the circumstances, Breeders’ Cup has decided to require all horses trained by Mr Baffert to undergo enhanced out-of-competition, pre-and post-race testing and other security protocols, at his own expense.”
The extra conditions required of Baffert are 'to provide a more targeted layer of accountability’, which the world #4 trainer has agreed.
$50,000 starting fee for Charlatan
North America: Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s 2022 stallion roster and fees are headlined by 2-time Horse of the Year Curlin, the leading U.S. sire of G1 winners in 2021 with five. His stud fee remains unchanged at $175,000.
New to the roster is multiple G1 winner Charlatan, a son of Speightstown, who will take up residence at the stallion complex at Xalapa at a fee of $50,000, alongside the farm’s 13 other stallions.
Farm president John Sikura said, “Hill ‘n’ Dale stallions continue to succeed at the highest levels. Our newest addition, Charlatan, is hugely popular with breeders and will be supported with our best mares.”
Uncle Mo still Ashford’s most expensive sire
North America: Ashford Stud’s most expensive stallions, Uncle Mo and Triple Crown champions Justify and American Pharoah, have all had their fees reduced for the 2022 breeding season.
World #13 Uncle Mo is available for $160,000, which is down from last year’s $175,000. He remains the most expensive sire on the Coolmore stud’s 15-strong Kentucky roster.
American Pharoah, who now has three crops on the track and currently sits #72 in the TRC Global Sire Rankings, is priced at $80,000 (from $100,000), while Justify’s fee now stands at $100,000. He stood his first two seasons at $150,000 and was most recently priced at $125,000. His first runners will hit the track next year.
Freshman sires Practical Joke and Caravaggio have had their fees raised to $35,000.
Good news at last for troubled Oisin
Europe: Under-fire rider Oisín Murphy clinched his third successive British jockeys’ championship at Ascot on Saturday at Qipco British Champions Day. He described it as “a special day” and thanked “everyone who’s supported me throughout the season”.
The Irishman was pushed all the way by Godolphin jockey William Buick, who closed the gap to as little as one win in the week before Champions Day. He confirmed his title when Buick could only finish fifth on Derby and King George winner Adayar in the Champion Stakes.
Murphy’s achievement has been somewhat overshadowed by his recent travails off the track. He was stood down at Newmarket on October 9 for being over the alcohol limit. The Sun alleges he was involved in a “booze-fuelled bust-up at pub [in Newmarket] the night before a failed breath test” where he “appeared to threaten and then assault a bloodstock agent” with a plastic glass.
While some have been quick to condemn the Irishman, his boss, Qatar Racing principal Sheikh Fahad, launched a passionate defence of his retained rider, saying that “nobody reads the tabloids, that’s just tabloid rubbish”.
He added, “Unless you have walked in his shoes, you have no right to say anything. No-one’s dead and everyone makes mistakes. He’s a growing man, still a young lad.”
All-weather finals switching to Newcastle
Europe: Arena Racing Company (ARC) has announced that its All-Weather Championships Finals Day has been moved from Lingfield to Newcastle from 2022, with an increase of £4 million to prize money to a total of £21.7 million.
Lingfield will stage the inaugural ‘Winter Million’ fixture, which will see two days of jump racing and one day on the flat from January 21 to 23, with the Coral Winter Oaks headlining the Saturday card and £1 million on offer over the three days.
Martin Cruddace, ARC chief executive, said, “I would, of course, like to thank racehorse owners for their continued support of our racecourses alongside our partners in the online betting sector, who have all shown considerable support for the sport over the last 18 months.”
Niarchos family to be honoured
Europe: The Niarchos family has been selected to receive the 2021 Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, which recognises distinguished horsemen and women for lifelong contributions to Thoroughbred racing.
They will be honoured during a ceremony on November 5 in Del Mar during Breeders’ Cup weekend, and Maria Niarchos-Gouazé will accept the award on behalf of the family.
Elsewhere In racing …
Oceania: Melbourne Cup favourite Incentivise has been raised 1.5kg in the weights for the great race next month after his impressive victory in the Caulfield Cup last weekend, which lifted him to #13 in the TRC Global Rankings. More here
North America: Jockey Mario Pino hit the 7,000-win milestone at Presque Isle Downs. More here
North America: A celebration of life for Kentucky horseman James M Herbener Jr will be held in Fasig-Tipton's Lexington sales pavilion on Saturday (October 23). More here