The weekly TRC industry digest - a round-up of the international racing news from the past week.
Britain’s new Hall of Fame: Frankel and Piggott lead the way
Europe: Frankel and Lester Piggott have been named as the first two inductees into British flat racing’s new Hall of Fame, which has been launched to mark the tenth anniversary of the Qipco British Champions Series.
Nine-time Derby winner Piggott and the undefeated Frankel will be initially celebrated in the Qipco British Champions Series online Hall of Fame and be awarded commemorative medals. A physical Hall of Fame was officially confirmed last week at an as-yet-unnamed location.
Piggott, aged 85 and based in Switzerland, called it a “terrific concept” that he hoped would provide an opportunity for wider sports fans to learn about racing’s “incredible history”.
“It's an honour to become the first jockey – and the first person – to be inducted into the Qipco British Champions Series Hall of Fame and I’m truly delighted to receive this special medal,” said the 11-time champion jockey. “I feel fortunate to have spent many brilliant years riding such incredible horses and I’m touched to see my story so well preserved through this initiative.”
Piggott also paid tribute to his fellow inductee, who was trained by Piggott’s former boss, Sir Henry Cecil. “It’s only right that Frankel is the first horse to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Piggott.
Sir Henry’s widow, Lady Cecil, said, “I’d say Henry would be very proud of Frankel being inducted into the Hall of Fame, as am I. He’d say it was a fitting tribute because Frankel had such a brilliant racing career.”
Concern over new Melbourne Cup safety rules
Oceania: Racing Victoria (RV) and the Victoria Racing Club are planning to “set a new global safety benchmark” for horses competing in the Melbourne Cup this Southern Hemisphere Spring, with a series of new measures to be employed to combat an “unacceptable death and injury rate in Australia’s greatest horse race”.
Forty-one of 44 review recommendations have been endorsed by the RV Board.
The number of international horses permitted at the Werribee International Quarantine Centre will be capped at 24 and these horses will only be permitted one lead-up run in Australia. Forty-two horses used the centre in 2018 and 29 last year.
Overseas horses will have to undergo a series of pre-export tests, as well as having to be available for a further pre-export test from an RV-appointed vet, all at the expense of their owners. Furthermore, any international horse who has suffered a previous fracture or undergone orthopaedic surgery will not be permitted to go to Australia.
A review into international participation was ordered after the death of 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck in the Cup last year. European trainers Charlie Fellowes, Hughie Morrison and Joseph O'Brien, who regularly target the Spring Carnival, all supported the review.
However, they believe the race could be less of a spectacle as a result.
Fellowes “accepts wholeheartedly they needed to make changes” but thinks that it will be “nigh-on impossible for us to come down”. Morrison believes “you'll end up seeing is fewer international names on the race card”, which will “lessen the race”. O’Brien “fully supports the review and anything that minimizes the risk of injury to any horse”, although wants to see what “impact the recommendations have on us competing in Australia”.
For full review recommendations click here
Gulf regional racing plan: Talks starting soon
Middle East: The leaders of three major Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) horseracing jurisdictions are set to begin a dialogue aimed at the development of a coordinated regional racing offering.
Initial talks between the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s Rashid Equestrian & Horse Racing Club and Dubai Racing Club are scheduled for the coming months covering topics such as coordination in equine quarantine and ease of travel, as well as race scheduling and the sharing of knowledge and information among owners and breeders in the three countries.
Prince Bandar Bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, said, “With an increasingly attractive racing offering already taking place across the region, we decided as a group that it was time to focus on ways to open up our racing to each other while simultaneously making it more attractive for internationals to come here, facilitating the progression of racing standards across the entire region.
“We are in the preliminary stages of these talks, which will initially take place between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, but we are laying the foundations for a Gulf-wide cooperation that will benefit all of us and, we hope, the racing world at large offering summer and winter racing in the Middle East.”
Circus Maximus to shuttle to New Zealand
Oceania: Triple G1-winning miler Circus Maximus will shuttle to New Zealand to stand at Windsor Park Stud for the 2021 breeding season.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Galileo won Royal Ascot’s St James’s Palace Stakes and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp at three and returned to the royal meeting to take the Queen Anne Stakes at four.
Circus Maximus, who is standing at Coolmore Stud in Ireland for the Northern Hemisphere season, continues the successful relationship enjoyed between Coolmore and Windsor Park Stud, highlighted by their previous success together with champion sires High Chaparral, Montjeu and Mastercraftsman.
A stud fee will be announced soon.
Now the St Leger goes under the Cazoo umbrella
Europe: Online car retailer Cazoo is increasing its sponsorship of the English Classics after being named as the sponsor of the St Leger, which takes place on September 11 at Doncaster.
The announcement comes in the same month that Cazoo was named as the new sponsor of the Derby and Oaks.
Cazoo replaces Pertemps as the headline sponsor of the world’s oldest classic, as well giving it exclusive naming rights for Doncaster's 4-day festival, along with multiple races that will be broadcast live on ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing
Mattress Mack’s Derby gamble
North America: In an interview with Las Vegas Review-Journal, Houston furniture store owner Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale has said he plans to bet “$2 million plus, maybe $3 million, maybe $4 million” on Essential Quality, the 5/2 favourite in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
The bet is believed to be one of the largest in Derby history, with the 70-year-old offering customers at his mattress company the chance to get their money back on a mattress purchased at $3,000 or more if the favourite wins.
McIngvale is famous for placing multi-million-dollar sports bets in an effort to hedge potential losses on furniture promotions. He reportedly lost more than $13 million in major league baseball bets on the Houston Astros in 2019.
“The favourite has won six of the last seven Kentucky Derbys run on the first Saturday in May,” he said. “So, the customers have an 85 percent chance of winning. My dilemma as a gambler is how to feed money into the pari-mutuel pool without killing the odds.”
Read McIngvale’s recent What They’re Thinking on this site here
Elsewhere in racing …
North America: Following the issuing of detailed racetrack health and safety protocols by New York State, the New York Racing Association (NYRA) has green-lit the readmission of spectators to Belmont Park from Saturday. More here
North America: Lil Indy, the dam of Maximum Security, has passed away at the age of 14. More here
Europe: Arqana's Auteuil Sale has been moved online and is being brought forward due to Covid-19. More here
North America: G3 stakes winner Ocho Ocho Ocho will stand at Haras San Pablo in Peru, starting in the 2021 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. More here