The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Eclipse Awards: Knicks Go named Horse of the Year
North America: Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Knicks Go has been voted North America’s Horse of the Year for 2021 at the Eclipse Awards ceremony, which took place at Santa Anita on Thursday night [Feb 10].
Trained by Brad Cox, who retained his title as champion trainer, Knicks Go won 228 out of a possible 235 in the ballot for US racing’s most prestigious accolade after a five-year-old campaign in which he won five of his seven starts including three G1s (Pegasus, Whitney, Breeders' Cup Classic). He is also a former world #1 on TRC’s Global Rankings – he was our joint World Horse of the Year for 2021 alongside St Mark’s Basilica – and the highest-rated horse in the world on the IFHA World Rankings for 2021.
Knicks Go was retired to stud after finishing second in last month’s Pegasus World Cup under Joel Rosario, who was voted outstanding jockey for the first time.
Full list of Eclipse Award winners at the Daily Racing Form website
Cox also trained Essential Quality, who won the Eclipse Award for champion three-year-old male. Sheikh Hamdan’s Malathaat was leading three-year-old female, with Letruska bagging the honours older female category.
Japan’s groundbreaking success at the Breeders’ Cup earned a major reward as Loves Only You was named champion turf female, with Yibir winning the male award. The latter represents Godolphin, who also swept both owner and breeder categories.
• Visit the NTRA website for more Eclipse Award details
Mine That Bird trainer Chip Woolley suspended
North America: Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bennie L (‘Chip’) Woolley, who earned a place in racing folklore when saddling 50-1 winner Mine That Bird to score at Churchill Downs in 2009, has been suspended by the Arizona Horse Racing Commission.
With his handlebar moustache and stetson, New Mexico-based Woolley became one of the most recognisable faces in the US racing community during Mine That Bird’s unlikely ascent.
However, the 58-year-old has been summarily suspended before a meeting with Turf Paradise stewards amid allegations a syringe was found in his barn at the Arizona venue.
According to steward Jason Hart, a more detailed investigation is scheduled for February 15; all Woolley’s horses have been listed as “scratched”.
Hart said he could not comment further on the matter including the specific reasons behind the suspension but Turf Paradise general manager Vincent Francia told Paulick Report that the state vet entered Woolley's barn and in doing so saw someone with a syringe. “I'm not sure who, because Mr. Woolley was present and his assistant was present, but one of them had a syringe,” added Francia, speaking to Ray Paulick.
Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot trophies stolen
North America: "I'm pretty bummed out by it all," said trainer Wesley Ward after being the victim of the theft of 12 trophy boxes from his home in Versailles, Kentucky – including one he received from the Queen when Undrafted won the 2015 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ward, celebrated for his annual transatlantic raids on the royal meeting, said a security camera caught a few inconclusive images of a stranger in his home in the early hours of Tuesday morning. The trainer described the burglary as “a great loss for my family”, adding that his son Riley is “devastated”.
Ward added: "They would be expensive to replace but for someone to sell on I'm not sure what sort of value they would have – it was the sentimental value of them, really.”
RMG payments to UK tracks back up to pre-Covid levels
Europe: Racecourse Media Group (RMG) has revealed its payments to British racecourses have returned to pre-Covid levels, with £110m forecast to be paid to its shareholders for 2021.
In 2020, RMG payments to racecourses fell by 25.9% on the previous year – but they are now expected to exceed 2019’s pre-Covid payments of £107m.
Meanwhile, RMG also announced that chairman Roger Lewis will step down at the end of 2022. “I thank and congratulate everyone involved in racing for their herculean efforts in 2021,” Lewis said.
“The 2021 performance will mean that RMG will have delivered £1bn to racecourses since the start of the business in 2004. This is a testament to our racecourses’ dedication and commitment to working together for the greater good of racing.”
New A$2m highlight part of latest Sydney cash splurge
Oceania: The Sydney racing scene is set for yet another massive cash injection after Racing NSW announced A$27m ($19.4m) in prize-money increases and two lucrative new races at the city’s spring carnival.
Although the state’s entire programme is to benefit from boosted purses from July 1, the headline news is the introduction of the A$2m event to be called the ‘Big Dance’ over a mile at Randwick to coincide with Melbourne Cup day at Flemington in Victoria. The new contest will be restricted to horses contesting one of 25 selected NSW Country Cups at the state’s non-metro tracks.
A second A$2m event, the ‘Five Diamonds’ for five-year-olds, also joins the ever-burgeoning Sydney spring schedule.
Elsewhere in racing …
Oceania: Australian racecaller and journalist Jack Styring has passed away aged 92. More here
North America: Brilliant Cut shines at Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale. More here
Europe: A Bellewstown raceday in memory of the late gambler and trainer Barney Curley has raised €104,000 for his Dafa charity. More here
North America: West Virginia owner and breeder Randy Funkhouser dies at 70. More here