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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The first foal of the high-class sprinter Bouttemont (Ire) was born on January 11, Rathbarry Stud announced on Monday. Bred by Equispirit Limited, the bay colt is the first foal out of the Showcasing (GB) mare Rival Queen (Ire) who, in turn, is out of a Galileo (Ire) half-sister to the leading sires Invincible Spirit (Ire) and Kodiac (GB). Bouttemont is a son of Rathbarry's much-missed stallion Acclamation (GB). He covered 81 mares in his first season at stud, including 13 black-type performers, 11 black-type producers and half-sisters to the Group 1 winners Mad Cool (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Zafisio (Ire) (Efisio {GB}). The post First Foal for Rathbarry’s Bouttemont 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
GBBPlus, an extension of the highly successful Great British Bonus (GBB) scheme, has begun issuing its first bonuses. Designed to incentivise and reward the breeding, buying and racing of British-bred staying fillies and chasing mares, GBBPlus officially launched on January 1, and within three weeks, it has already awarded two £30,000 bonuses. The scheme's extension, announced last year, provides all mares born in Britain and sired by a British-based stallion with the opportunity to compete for bonuses of up to £30,000 in Class 1-4 weight-for-age (WFA) and handicap chases. Mares by stallions outside Britain remain eligible but receive half the bonus amounts to promote the use of British stallions. GBBPlus introduces a straightforward “10-20-30” bonus structure with bumpers offering up to £10,000, hurdles up to £20,000, and chases up to £30,000. The first two winners of the £30,000 bonus include the Lucy Wadham-trained Telepathique (GB) (Telescope {Ire}) when she gained her fifth career victory at Fakenham on Sunday, January 19. Simon Cox, chairman of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association's (TBA) NH Committee, said, “We were really excited to extend GBB to an area of racing that needs additional support. GBB has already done phenomenal work in raising the value and appeal of British-bred mares, and this extension will only amplify that progress. “The number of mares participating in chases has been declining, so we hope the expanded coverage and increased bonus value will encourage owners and trainers to test their mares in these races.” He added, “It's fantastic to see successes like Telepathique's rewarded through the scheme. With her success on the track, she also qualifies for the HBLB funded Elite Mares Scheme (EMS), another TBA initiative, which offers significant discounts on covering fees, further supporting her future potential.” The post GBBPlus Delivers First Bonuses 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
The National Stud certainly cannot be accused of lacking variety in its stallion ranks. The champion stayer Stradivarius (Ire) has been the kingpin of the stallion yard for the last two seasons but now he will have to make room for another much-loved star in Bradsell (GB), the champion sprinter in Europe in 2024. It didn't take long for Bradsell to make his presence felt. Having been sold at the Goffs UK Breeze-up Sale by Mark Grant to Tom Biggs and Archie Watson, he made his debut exactly a month later on the Knavesmire, winning that York novice contest by nine lengths and instantly being named a TDN Rising Star. Further justification of that came another three weeks later when, by now racing in the red-and-white silks of Shaikh Nasser Al Khalifa's Victorious Racing, he won the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot from Persian Force (Ire), Royal Scotsman (Ire) and Blackbeard (Ire), all of whom went on to frank the form by becoming Group 1 or Group 2 winners themselves. When he stumbled in the G1 Keeneland Phenix Stakes before hanging to finish fourth of the five runners, it might have been easiest to assume that here was another flash-in-the-pan two-year-old, whose star burned brightly but briefly, and was extinguished for good before the season was out. But such an assumption was to reckon without the tenacity of the power-packed Bradsell, who was skilfully brought back not once but twice from injury by Watson to compile a record that speaks not just to his gumption but also to his good mind. “I think everybody can remember that debut,” says Joe Bradley, head of bloodstock for the National Stud, who is now responsible for ensuring that Bradsell has a similarly explosive start to his second career. “We all know that that two-year-old form, but especially the two-year-old to four-year-old form at a high level, is incredibly important for a stallion, and he has that in abundance.” Indeed, a low-key exit from a desperate draw in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint cannot detract from the three Group 1 triumphs added to Bradsell's record at three and four, along with a Listed victory in Deauville last summer as a pipe-opener after almost a year off the track with a fracture. “He was the first three-year-old colt in 15 years to win the King's Stand Stakes,” says Bradley. “And the King's Stand at Royal Ascot is one that sprinters from across the world commonly target. His performance that day was exceptional and for him to perform at the highest level as a three-year-old, then into his four-year-old campaign, was just incredible.” Straight off the plane home from California, Bradsell was in to the National Stud stallion yard and showing for breeders who were in town for the December Sales. Now, with a little time to settle in, he is already letting down and is quite clearly becoming a firm favourite of the team charged with his care. Bradley continues, “It's hugely exciting for the National Stud and for everybody involved with Victorious Racing to have him standing here for the 2025 season. The response has been hugely positive. I think we've been a bit taken aback.” He notes that it is hoped that Bradsell, who is one of only three new Flat stallions in Britain in 2025, will cover a book of around 130 mares in his first season, including a group owned by Victorious Racing and Fawzi Nass. “He looks like exactly what he should look like,” Bradley adds of the son of Tasleet (GB) and the Listed-winning Archipenko mare Russian Punch (GB). “We're looking at a champion sprinter, so he has all the qualities of that physically. Very strong: short-coupled, strong hip, strong shoulder. And he really just looks like that fast, precocious horse that he is. And he's really a pleasure to have around, especially for the people here who handle him daily. It's very important that they have a horse that is easy to handle.” While there were some notable highs at last year's yearling and foal sales, the overall picture can be a little daunting for those smaller breeders operating on a budget and sometimes struggling to get young stock into a sale, never mind to sell at a profit. Their numbers have dropped in recent years, as exemplified by a reduction in the foal crop, which was down by six per cent in Britain and Ireland last year. The departure of a number of stallions to stand overseas – including Bradsell's relatively young sire Tasleet, and Mutsasaabeq (GB), who was sold by the National Stud to India after standing just one season in Newmarket, adds to the uncertainty for breeders currently finalising their mating plans. The National Stud is attempting to ease potential cash flow concerns for breeders around sales time later this year by offering both Stradivarius and Bradsell on Live Foal terms, meaning that payment is delayed until a foal is on the ground next spring. (The farm's other two stallions, Lope Y Fernandez and Rajasinghe, remain on October 1 SLF terms.) “It's just our little additional help that we can do very easily,” Bradley says. “And I think that's reflected, again, in the support that we've seen so far. It really makes a difference for breeders and we're very happy to do it.” He continues, “It's something that's been talked about quite a lot recently, that lower-to-bottom-end market, and that's definitely an area that is struggling. But that's not to say that people aren't still participating and I think the appetite for breeding to horses is still there. “We see breeders who are still very keen to get involved at that level, and we're still seeing a strong uptake on boarding mares, coming not only here to National Stud stallions but also visiting other stallions in Newmarket. So we're very positive for the season ahead. We understand the challenges and we do what we can to help.” The post Bradsell a ‘Hugely Exciting’ Newcomer to the National Stud 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
Just over a month after being granted his trainer's licence, Colm Ryan lit up the Leopardstown Christmas festival when the not unfancied Karate Kid (Ire) (Spanish Moon) ran out a most impressive winner of the 2m4f bumper–a race that has been won by subsequent Grade 1 horses Carefully Selected (Ire), Appreciate It (Ire) and Fact To File (Ire) in recent times. This was the first time in six years where the powerful yards of Willie Mullins or Gordon Elliott weren't responsible for the winner of the race and Karate Kid will doubtless pique the interest of some of the bigger outfits when he goes under the hammer at the Cheltenham January Sale on Saturday. Karate Kid is owned by Ryan's close friend John Hayes, who actually held the licence when the horse made a promising start to his career to finish second in a Fairyhosue bumper back in October. From there, connections rolled the big dice by taking on the might of Mulllins and Elliott at Leopardstown and were rewarded ten fold for their bravery. And while Ryan acknowledges something of a flip-flopping of the market that sees potential suitors gravitate towards point-to-point graduates over bumper winners compared to what would have been the case a decade previously, the rookie handler remains optimistic that the gelding can make his value in the ring. Ryan, who is in his early 40s, explained, “There have been a good few calls but it made the most sense to bring him to the sales. The market does seem to be heavily biased towards point-to-pointers and we're not in that circle at the moment. Maybe if this was six or seven years ago, people would be knocking down the door for a Leopardstown bumper winner. But the market has been flipped on its head for whatever reason.” He added, “What some of those point winners are doing is nothing related to what Karate Kid did at Leopardstown. A lot of them run in a point-to-point in November and then they aren't seen for 12 months. The other thing is the level of form they achieve. They are getting away with murder, really. Okay, they may be good horses but there's no real value to what they are doing–hacking around and quickening up from the second last. “Compare that to the three-year-old hurdles at Auteuil in April and you've 18 runners and fields spread out like the washing. It's just a different test altogether. There's various examples of horses winning a point-to-point and being put away for a year. They can't run for 12 months because they can't handle the system of any of those big yards. The likes of Karate Kid and the system that he's in, he'd go into Willie's, Henry's [de Bromhead] or Gordon's in the morning and slot in straight away. There's no doubt about that.” Karate Kid was sourced for just £13,000 at the Goffs UK Spring Store Sale back in 2023. There were phone calls after that promising Fairyhouse debut but nothing materialised and he went on to deliver that memorable breakthrough victory on one of the biggest National Hunt stages of them all for Ryan. From the outside looking in, the decision to run Karate Kid in what is typically one of the hottest bumpers all winter looked ambitious at best. But it was one that was made easy given the form of the horse at home on the gallops, according to the handler. He said, “Three to four weeks out from the run, the decision became an easy one to make. It was just black and white as he was working so well. You talk about a young horse's ability but a lot of it is conjecture. This fella ran away fine on debut at Fairyhouse. It was a middle-of-the-road run. But sometimes these young horses can just improve and really start to roll and that's what he did after that run. They become really trainable and every day you do something with them they feel better. From the beginning of December, he was really flying and it was just a matter of hoping you weren't going to meet the second coming out of Willie's at Leopardstown. “Whether you are a singer, or an artist or whatever, the standard is unbelievable and the shape a good horse can itself into is phenomenal. Then you have other horses and you're persuading yourself all the time about what they might do. But the simplest thing about Karate Kid is that he took himself to Leopardstown. You didn't have to make any case for him. He did it himself. It was just clear-cut. People talk about galloping but it's nothing to do with galloping. It's a strong daily routine and the good ones will keep coming forward. I've no doubt that he's a good horse. Especially with how he came out of his race. We'd have had no problem going to the DRF [Dublin Racing Festival] with him–he was ridden out two days after the run because he was getting too fresh.” Ryan may be a rookie on paper, with Karate Kid just the second horse he has run in his own name, but Leopardstown was far from his first rodeo. After enjoying initial success, he was almost lost to the game after a series of investments went awry. It was only after teaming up with fellow Limerick-based handler Richard O'Brien in 2019 where his spark was reignited and the stable sent out four bumper winners in that time, including Ryan's homebred and Springs A Girl (Ire) and Hayes's homebred Shanbally Kid (Ire). “It's only in the last couple of years where this whole thing has become something real,” he explained. “The other side of it is that it's almost a second act if you like. A lot of people my age will have established themselves in life whereas I am starting again. I got out of horses for a good period of time. “Going back to the very beginning, there wouldn't have been any history of horses at home. My father just arrived home from the mart one day with a mare and sure we didn't have a clue what we were doing. We put her in foal anyway and put the progeny in training with Charles Byrnes. It was through that horse [Drive On (Ire)] that I got a job with Charles. I got a few quid together and I came home and put down a gallop.” He added, “The first store horse I bought by myself was named Lismakeery (Ire) and he went and won a bumper and I got him sold to JP McManus but I didn't know what I was doing at the time. I went off and bought seven or eight horses with the money I got from that horse and the whole thing just went up in smoke. I just got out of the game for a while after that. I was out of it for no other reasons than inexperience and stupidity. I went farming for six or seven years and had an attitude that it didn't work out because I wasn't up to it. The reality was I just didn't have enough exposure or experience.” He added, “I met Richard by chance. He had been calling into David O'Meara when he was based in the north of England and obviously Karl Burke, Kevin Ryan and Richard Fahey are based around there as well. This system of training that Richard brought back from his time over there was really invigorating. There was something really fresh about it and it really hit me. I would have been very blinkered and wouldn't have known anything other than the standard way of training horses and getting them fit–quite old-fashioned methods. This was back in 2019 and it created a completely new interest in racing for me.” It was last year when Ryan decided it was time enough to stand on his own two feet. And while allergic to self praise, he acknowledges that the role he played in nurturing a number of young horses who went on and won races provided the confidence to apply for the trainers' course. And the management of Karate Kid has been a vindication of that leap of faith. He said, “You can't really go saying these things about yourself, but I had a bit of success over the past couple of years and started to think that this might be something I could be good at. Usually, when you are dealing with a small number of horses, you might get a result every few years. But in the past three or four years, the results have been a lot more regular. It felt like there was something solid happening.” On the future, he added, “For the past five or six years, I have just been going non-stop 24/7. Now, I have got a good few quid out of horses but I found myself in a position where I was going to Leopardstown with Karate Kid and everything was revolving around how he ran. We were relying on him running well if not winning. That's a really bad position to find yourself in and thankfully he ran well and he looks a selling prospect now. But irrespective of the sale, if he didn't perform, it would have been fairly bleak stuff. I am at a point in my life now where I'd like this to work. I am not married and I don't have any kids. I have a huge interest in training but I'm still not in a position where things are normal-you're relying on a big result every year. The dream would be to have a batch of young horses coming through every year and to achieve a semblance of normality.” The post ‘We Were Relying On Karate Kid Winning – It Would Have Been Bleak If He Didn’t’ 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
Retired Hall of Fame jockey Ramon Dominguez and his wife Sharon are among the four new board members of Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS), a non-profit organization dedicated to providing sanctuary for retired racehorses and to sharing their horses and farm with the community through programs focused on mental health and wellness. Along with the Dominguezes, new board members are Keith Augustine and David Swank. “The addition of these dedicated individuals to the THS board will ensure that the organization continues to thrive and expand its equine-assisted therapy programs,” said THS co-founder Dr. Erin Christopher-Sisk. “Their unique expertise, shared passion for our mission, and commitment to mental health will help us make a lasting impact on our community. We are excited to work together as they bring their talents and insights to help move THS forward.” The post Ramon and Sharon Dominguez Join Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga Board appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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