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Tarvue adds to strong Flemington record
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First stakes winner for Banquo
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New Zealand to host Asian Racing Conference
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OTI purchase quality Kiwi 2YO
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Noble Knight on Southland crusade
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Sam Sheppard CBE, former chief executive of both the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) and the European Breeders' Fund (EBF), died on Friday evening at his home in Suffolk. He was 84. His tenure at the TBA ran from 1973 to 1989 and during that time Sheppard was instrumental in setting up the EBF along with the late Peter Willett and Bob McCreery. He remained at the helm of the EBF, which is still going strong more than 40 years later, until his retirement at the end of 2012. By that time the scheme, which is funded by stallion owners, had distributed more than €100 million in prize-money. That figure has now climbed to more than €140 million. A keen supporter of jump racing and point-to-pointing in particular, Sheppard's background was in the National Hunt sphere. His father Gay was clerk of the course at Newton Abbot, Exeter and Taunton. He and his wife Jane have both been avid supporters of the Thurlow Hunt, which meets just outside Newmarket. Despite having been diagnosed with cancer two and a half years ago, Sheppard was still a regular attendee of those meets until recently. Kerry Murphy, his successor as chief executive of the EBF since 2013, said, “Sam was instrumental in setting up the EBF back in 1983 whilst also heading up the TBA. It is testament to his hard work and determination that the EBF still thrives today and we are proud to pay tribute to his life and contribution to the racing industry which he was so passionate about.” Having also served as secretary of the International Thoroughbred Breeders Federation, Sheppard was made a CBE in the Queen's birthday honours list of 2014 for services to horse breeding and the rural economy. It was a fitting honour to bestow upon someone who had devoted the majority of his working life to an industry that he adored and which was fortunate to have him in a role which often required his skilful blend of knowledge, tact and charm. Philip Freedman chaired the British EBF during Sheppard's time with the organisation and he too paid tribute to his drive in setting up the EBF. He said, “For a large part of its life Sam was the EBF. It's hard to imagine that it would have happened or flourished without him. He and Peter Willett were the people who got it off the ground and I know Sam had to be pretty determined to get through some of the opposition to it in the early days. “I think the role required a great deal of diplomacy – to get everyone involved in the first place and then throughout its life to ensure that it was seen as being a genuinely pan-European body. There were times when some of the other countries felt that he was too partisan in terms of supporting the BEBF, but that's not a fair criticism. He genuinely put the interests of the European Breeders' Fund ahead of any of its constituent members, which is what he quite rightly had to do.” Louise Kemble, who worked with Sheppard during her time as chief executive of the TBA, added, “Sam was always so helpful and had such knowledge of the industry, and of the people side. In his involvement in the setting up of the EBF and its link up with the Breeders' Cup he was probably ahead of his time with that line of thinking. He was a pioneer in projects that still stand the test of time today.” Speaking on behalf of the Irish EBF, chairman Joe Foley said, “Sam was a stalwart of the European Breeders' Fund. He deserves a lot of credit for guiding the fund though its initiation stages and was responsible for it becoming the powerful funding mechanism that it is now throughout Europe. “For a start he had to persuade stallion owners to contribute voluntarily to a fund to assist prize-money in their nations, and then he had to bring all those countries together under a pan-European banner and get them all to sign up to the memorandum of association for the fund. That was far reaching and far thinking 40 years ago, and the help that the EBF has given to the jurisdictions ever since is a testament to the people who set up the EBF, and obviously to its CEO who ran it for many years, Sam Sheppard.” In an interview with Owner Breeder magazine to mark his retirement in 2012, Sheppard was asked what it was that had made racing so attractive to him. He replied, “The thoroughbred horse, which is absolutely top of the pops as far as I am concerned. Very close to that are the people I have met and worked with over many years who devote so much of their time to the thoroughbred. “If you're a stockbroker you can go to work, beat the hell out of the market, go home and forget all about it. The people in racing are remarkable; they eat, drink and sleep the thoroughbred, particularly the breeders. All so enthusiastic; they keep the whole sport going and I admire them enormously.” So many people in the bloodstock industry who were fortunate enough to have known Sam Sheppard would say the same about him. He is survived by Jane and their sons Ed and Ben, to whom we extend our sincere condolences. The post EBF Founder Sam Sheppard Dies at 84 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
This column is not really supposed to start until the Flat turf season gets underway but we saw the sunshine in Newmarket on Monday morning for pretty much the first time this year so we're jumping the gun a little. After all, there was plenty of top-class Flat action on offer over the weekend in the Middle East and beyond, and following some frenetic race reporting on the spot in Riyadh, here are a few thoughts and breeding angles with the benefit of some time for reflection. Deep influence With Auguste Rodin to come, and Study Of Man and Saxon Warrior already up and running in Europe, it will be interesting to see if one of these sons of Deep Impact will have a lasting influence in this part of the world. (Martinborough, though being marketed more for the National Hunt sector, is also worth having a look at if you're passing Capital Stud in Ireland.) Certainly, Deep Impact's influence was very much felt in some smart races on Saturday and we'll start first with Deep Monster as he has the closest link, being an eight-year-old son of the late stallion. The father-son connection doesn't end there as Deep Monster is trained by Yasutoshi Ikee, the son of Deep Impact's trainer Yasuo Ikee. Deep Monster took the notable scalps of Group 1 winners Goliath (Adlerflug) and Giavellotto (Mastercraftsman) when rattling home to win the G2 HH The Amir Trophy in Doha, having also won last year's G2 Kyoto Daishoten. He's out of the dual Grade III-winning Bellamy Road mare Sisterly Love. The headline result of the weekend was of course Forever Young's second victory in the G1 Saudi Cup and his third in Riyadh having also won the G3 Saudi Derby in 2024. His owner Susumu Fujita flew in to Saudi Arabia for a few hours and even hinted at the post-race press conference that he may yet have a third stab at the Saudi Cup next year when this valuable stallion prospect will be six. Forever Young is by Real Steel, who, like his most celebrated son, was trained by Yoshito Yahagi and bred by Northern Farm. In fact, Saturday was a good day for stallion sons of Deep Impact, with Real Steel and Study Of Man both being represented by Group winners on the Saudi Cup card, while closer to home, Kizuna was responsible for Classic prospect Dream Core, who won the G3 Daily Hai Queen Cup in Tokyo. Interestingly, all three of these Deep Impact stallions are out of mares by Storm Cat. Real Steel, a full-brother to Yahagi's 2021 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and Hong Kong Vase winner Loves Only You, is a son of Loves Only Me, who is out of Miesque's daughter Monevassia, a full-sister to Kingmambo. This makes him very closely related to Study Of Man, who has Miesque one generation closer in his pedigree, his dam being Kingmambo and Monevassia's half-sister Second Happiness. The Study Of Man five-year-old Sons And Lovers won Saturday's G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap for Joseph O'Brien and may be seen next in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup having shown that he stays well. Sons And Lovers was bred by Kirsten Rausing, who was understandably eager to stand the beautifully bred Study Of Man when he was retired by his breeders, the Niarchos family. Rausing rarely races colts but she retained Almeric, a Listed winner last year for the same sire who will be an interesting four-year-old to follow this season. What undoubtedly makes these results extra satisfying for the Lanwades owner, apart from advertising her stallion, is that Sons And Lovers and Almeric represent her two long-established families, with the former having Sushila (Petingo) as his fifth dam, while Alruccaba (Crystal Palace) is the fourth dam of Almeric. Kizuna has been the reigning champion sire in Japan for the last two years. His dam Catequil was bred by Windfields Farm and raced for Sheikh Mohammed without covering herself in glory but she has excelled at stud, producing two Japanese Classic winners in Kizuna and Phalaenopsis as well as Sunday Break, who was third in the GI Belmont Stakes. The latter was a useful stallion in France with his offspring including the G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Never On Sunday. Kizuna, who was also champion first-season sire, looks to have another Classic prospect to represent him this season in Dream Core. Already the winner of three of her four races for owner-breeder Katsumi Yoshida and trainer Kiyoshi Hagiwara, she boasts a typically strong pedigree. Her dam is the Harbinger mare Normcore, who won the G1 Victoria Mile in Japan before her successful swansong in the G1 Hong Kong Cup. Normcore's dam Chronologist also produced Chrono Genesis (Bago), who won the Arima Kinen among her four Grade 1 victories in Japan. The Mighty Quinault We must also toast the twelfth win for Quinault, the one-time bad boy whose tearaway tendencies have been beautifully channelled by trainer Stuart Williams to make this six-year-old son of Oasis Dream into a consistent and classy sprinter. His latest victory came in the Dukhan Sprint Cup, a local Group 3 in Doha worth a not insignificant £168,888 to the winner. Bred by Gestut Fahrhof, Quinault was originally sold to Johnny Collins at the BBAG September Yearling Sale for €58,000. He was later picked up by owner Tom Morley for 25,000gns as a two-year-old at the Horses-in-Training Sale, having earlier that year cost 310,000gns at the Craven Breeze-up Sale. He now looks well bought indeed by Morley, with earnings north of £660,000, plus the G3 Criterion Stakes and three Listed victories to his credit. Wathnan Racing's Make Me King (Dark Angel) landed the Listed Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup on Saturday, adding to a good day for the older geldings as he too is six and was winning for the seventh time. It was a pattern repeated in Saudi, where Shamardal eight-year-old Royal Champion took the G1 Howden Neom Turf Cup, and was backed up by the five-year-old winners Forever Young, Imagination, Reef Runner and Sons And Lovers (though Forever Young and Imagination are both entires). If the expansion of the racing programme across the Middle East means that we see more horses remaining in training to target these races then this can only be a positive factor for racing. Admittedly there are concerns over losing too many decent horses from these shores to overseas owners with deep pockets, but there are plenty of examples of horses remaining in training in Europe and travelling abroad to plunder some of the valuable prizes on offer. One only needs to see the improvement in Royal Champion in the last year for Karl Burke to agree that he has been a horse well worth persisting with as he now reaches the peak of his powers at eight. A multiple winner at multiple prices Michael Scofield (Tiz The Law), winner of the Listed Tuwaiq Cup on the Saudi Cup undercard, also won the unofficial award for having the most exotic sales history of any of the wekeend's runners. Twice offered as a yearling in America, in July then October, he was unsold initially at $170,000 then bought by Tom Whitehead at Fasig-Tipton for $60,000. Whitehead breezed him at Arqana in Deauville through his Powerstown Stud and he was again unsold at $90,000 before being offered at the Tattersalls Online Sale of January 2025 in which he was bought for 3,400gns by Niall Scully. Five months later, having won twice for Michael O'Callaghan in March, he fetched £350,000 at the Goffs London Sale, bought by Michael Donohoe to head to Saudi, where he now races for King Abdullah Bin Abdullaziz and his sons. Saturday marked his third victory in the kingdom for trainer Saad Aljenade, those wins including the King Naif Bin Abdulaziz Cup, a local Group 2. It was a good couple of days in Saudi for Donohoe of BBA Ireland as he had also bought for the same connections the Juddmonte-bred Gran Descans (Frankel), who won Friday's $500,000 Saudi International Handicap. Iffraaj still in the mix at 25 It is somehow easy to overlook Iffraaj but we shouldn't. After all, he gave the breeding world Wootton Bassett, and for that alone his name will linger on, but he does also have another 12 Group 1 winners to his name across both hemispheres. These include Ribchester, whose son Facteur Cheval posted another game effort when chasing home Royal Champion in the Neom Turf Cup to give trainer Jerome Reynier his second runner-up of the day in Saudi after Lazzat in the 1351 Turf Sprint. Better still was to see Iffraaj represented by a new group performer in the G3 Saudi Derby winner Al Haram. The colt was bred by Seamus Phelan, who sold him for £150,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale to owner Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah, for whom he is now unbeaten in four starts. As a local winner, the Abdullah Alsidrani-trained Al Haram was given an electric reception when returning to the winner's enclosure, and the colt looks likely to head next to the UAE Derby in an attempt to earn more points towards the Kentucky Derby. Now 25, Iffraaj is about to embark on his twelfth covering season at Dalham Hall Stud, having stood for eight years prior to that in Ireland at Kildangan Stud. Wouldn't it be something for him to be represented by an Irish-bred, British-sold, Saudi Arabian-owned and -trained runner at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May? The post Seven Days: Do Not Adjust Your Sets appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Treo Eile has announced a new partnership with Horse Sport Ireland for the upcoming breeding season, launching a pilot initiative designed to safeguard Thoroughbred mares by creating further opportunities beyond their racing and breeding careers. The Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme is designed to provide an additional pathway for registered Thoroughbred broodmares, supporting their transition into sport horse breeding. Dr Sonja Egan, Head of Breeding, Innovation and Development at Horse Sport Ireland, said, “We are delighted to support Treo Eile's pilot scheme, which aims to encourage the use of quality Thoroughbred mares in sport horse breeding. “Thoroughbred mares have long been vital contributors to Ireland's foundation bloodlines within the Irish Sport Horse and Traditional Irish Horse populations. They have also played a key role in Ireland's success in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses rankings and at the highest levels of international sport under FEI.” More information about the Treo Eile Thoroughbred Broodmare Scheme is available here. The post Treo Eile and Horse Sport Ireland Join Forces for New Pilot Scheme appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) is embarking on a pre-market consultation (PMC), aimed at engaging international developers, investors and operators, in order to explore the next phase in the evolution of the Leopardstown Campus. This PMC follows a series of stakeholder briefings held in January, bringing together representatives from across the racing industry, local community, business and public sectors to share information, gather insight and begin an open dialogue on the future evolution of the Leopardstown Campus. According to HRI, the engagement phase of the Leopardstown Campus Masterplan revealed a “growing appetite from the market for a high-quality arena and a hotel at Leopardstown”. Paul Dermody, CEO of HRI Racecourses, added, “This pre-market consultation marks a significant step in realising the full potential of the Leopardstown Campus. We are engaging openly with leading international developers, investors and operators to understand how best to bring forward a transformative project in one of Dublin's most strategically located and high-profile destinations. “With its scale, connectivity, established international reputation and year-round event demand, Leopardstown presents a compelling opportunity for partners seeking to deliver a landmark arena and/or hospitality development within the heart of Dublin. Our objective at this stage is to listen, to test the depth of market interest and to ensure that any future procurement process is informed, ambitious and commercially robust.” Owned and operated by HRI, Leopardstown Racecourse hosts approximately 23 fixtures annually, including the Christmas Festival, Dublin Racing Festival and Irish Champions Festival. The racecourse is located 6 miles from Dublin city centre and benefits from strong transport connectivity, including LUAS access and proximity to the M50, as well as sitting adjacent to the Sandyford Business District. The Sandyford Business District is home to major multinational employers including Microsoft, Bank of America, ICON, Mastercard and Vodafone. Further details on the Leopardstown Campus Masterplan are available here. The post HRI Moves to Next Phase of Leopardstown Campus Masterplan appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Nowornever · Posted
I agree but can they have some consistency doing that. The GEM N EM questioning is more confusing than informing. If they are going to be subjective then question a horse that really needs to be questioned. If they are there for the public why do they question the favourite when it wins? Everyone expects it to perform so unless it dropped from double figures into favourite without cause there is no point. They should be questioning a horse like Kotare Rata who has not performed at trials has gone terrible on race day with a 13th out of 13 and an 8th out of 13 and suddenly pops up at $10.00 a place. They never question those ones but instead question a favourite with recent form who was unlucky last start and got the perfect run to win. I don't understand it and although I have asked them in the past for a reasonable explanation to this, no one can or wants to give me an answer. In any case the questioning is a token gesture because no one has ever been charged after questioning. Again pointless.
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