You will often here a horse talked about in terms of the types of races they contest and their style of running.
So, a horse might be described as a sprinter, a stayer (if it runs over the longer distance races), a miler, a hurdler, or a chaser (if it runs in steeplechases).
Some terms used to describe a horse’s running style include:
• A front runner – a horse that likes to lead from the front from the start of the race
• A hold up horse – a horse that is ridden in the middle of towards the back of the field in the early stages of a race. The intention is to move past the front running horses in the latter stages of the race
• A flat track horse – some jumps horses do not like running on undulating tracks, which can be more stamina sapping then flatter courses. A horse might have the stamina to compete over two and half miles on a flatter track but not stay the distance if it is run on a more hilly track.
• Running freely or keenly – at the start of a race a horse might want to go faster than the jockey wishes. The jockey might try to slow the horse down so that it does not expend its energy too early on. A battle between the horse and jockey often ensues, with a tug of war on the reins
• Green – if a horse is said to be running ‘green’ it usually refers to a young, inexperienced racehorse that has had few runs on the racecourse. The horse might be wandering across the racecourse as it runs rather than going in a straight line, or it might be pricking its ears and looking around rather than concentrating on its running
30 April 2013
Talking Race Horses: Part 3
Racehorses are also described by their colour and markings and information about a horses colour will be shown in the race card.
Bay (race card abbreviation = b): a term that describes a variety of shades of brown, from light to dark. A bay horse will have a black mane and black tail. Bays are the most common colour of racehorse.
Brown (br): a horse registered as brown will be brown all over, including its tail and mane
Chestnut (ch): will have a red/gold hue to its coat and have a similar colour in its mane and tail
Grey (gr): ranges from almost white to dark grey
Roan (ro): a mix of white and a number of colours
Black (bl) and white (wh): horses that a truly black or white are rare to see
Newmarket racecourse runs a race solely for grey horses. The Grey Horse Handicap is a six furlong sprint for grey horses aged three years and older. In 2012 the race attracted 15 runners and was won by Medici Time. There is no doubt that the sight of 15 grey horses charging down the track is an arresting one.
Bay (race card abbreviation = b): a term that describes a variety of shades of brown, from light to dark. A bay horse will have a black mane and black tail. Bays are the most common colour of racehorse.
Brown (br): a horse registered as brown will be brown all over, including its tail and mane
Chestnut (ch): will have a red/gold hue to its coat and have a similar colour in its mane and tail
Grey (gr): ranges from almost white to dark grey
Roan (ro): a mix of white and a number of colours
Black (bl) and white (wh): horses that a truly black or white are rare to see
Newmarket racecourse runs a race solely for grey horses. The Grey Horse Handicap is a six furlong sprint for grey horses aged three years and older. In 2012 the race attracted 15 runners and was won by Medici Time. There is no doubt that the sight of 15 grey horses charging down the track is an arresting one.
26 April 2013
Jockey Club Issues Fundraising Bond
The Jockey Club has announced the issue of a bond that intends to raise GB£ 15 million or more to help fund the redevelopment of Cheltenham racecourse.
The Racecourse Bond will allow investors to invest between GB£ 2,000 and GB£ 100,000 in the bond, which will pay 7.75% gross interest per annum over a minimum five-year term. This 7.75% interest will consist of 4.75% in cash and 3% in ‘Rewards4Racing’ points that can be put towards to racing ticket discounts and other hospitality services at Jockey Club racecourses.
Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, explained: “Several million people every year enjoy a day at the races, whether you are lifelong fan of the sport or just love a great day out. Our racecourse bond offers you generous cash returns at a time of rock-bottom interest rates, with a racing rewards element that can pay for your racing experience at any of our 15 courses nationwide.”
The Jockey Club is planning a GB£ 45 million redevelopment of the Grandstand at Cheltenham racecourse. Subject to planning permission, the main phase of development will begin after the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 and be completed in time for the Cheltenham Festival in March 2016.
Ian Renton, South West Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, stated: "Over the course of a successful 2013 Festival, we gathered customer feedback asking us to improve bar facilities, increase the number of toilets, provide further viewing opportunities of the racing and the parade ring and help improve circulation on the busiest days.”
"This new development will deliver all these enhancements as well as offering much improved facilities for Annual Members and Owners & Trainers, an excellent facility for our existing A&R [current grandstand] boxholders, and new opportunities through additional hospitality areas and viewing boxes to generate revenue to reinvest into racing.”
The Racecourse Bond will allow investors to invest between GB£ 2,000 and GB£ 100,000 in the bond, which will pay 7.75% gross interest per annum over a minimum five-year term. This 7.75% interest will consist of 4.75% in cash and 3% in ‘Rewards4Racing’ points that can be put towards to racing ticket discounts and other hospitality services at Jockey Club racecourses.
Paul Fisher, Group Managing Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, explained: “Several million people every year enjoy a day at the races, whether you are lifelong fan of the sport or just love a great day out. Our racecourse bond offers you generous cash returns at a time of rock-bottom interest rates, with a racing rewards element that can pay for your racing experience at any of our 15 courses nationwide.”
The Jockey Club is planning a GB£ 45 million redevelopment of the Grandstand at Cheltenham racecourse. Subject to planning permission, the main phase of development will begin after the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 and be completed in time for the Cheltenham Festival in March 2016.
Ian Renton, South West Regional Director of Jockey Club Racecourses, stated: "Over the course of a successful 2013 Festival, we gathered customer feedback asking us to improve bar facilities, increase the number of toilets, provide further viewing opportunities of the racing and the parade ring and help improve circulation on the busiest days.”
"This new development will deliver all these enhancements as well as offering much improved facilities for Annual Members and Owners & Trainers, an excellent facility for our existing A&R [current grandstand] boxholders, and new opportunities through additional hospitality areas and viewing boxes to generate revenue to reinvest into racing.”
25 April 2013
Al Zarooni Banned For Eight Years
Godolphin trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni has been given an eight year ban from racing by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) for administering prohibited anabolic steroids to 15 horses in his care.
The BHA held a hearing on Thursday 25 April 2013 at which the case was heard. As well as handing out the ban to Al Zarooni the BHA also prohibited the 15 horses from running for six months until 9 October 2013.
Jamie Stier, Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation at the BHA, explained: "The length of suspension reflects the period beyond which the BHA is confident that the horses in question can have derived no performance-related benefit from the administration of these prohibited substances."
The banned horses include: Artigiano, Certify, Opinion Poll, and Valley of Queens.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin racing manager, stated: "This is a terrible situation. It's an awful situation that Godolphin has found themselves in. Mr Al Zarooni acted with awful recklessness and caused tremendous damage, not only to Godolphin and British racing. I think it will take a very long time for Godolphin to regain the trust of the British public. We're shocked and completely outraged by the actions he has taken."
The speed with which the authorities have acted has been taken as a move to limit the damage this doping episode has caused to the integrity of British racing. UK bookmakers have also played their part in trying to limit the impact of the scandal by refunding ante-post bets on the horses involved in the ban, particularly Certify who was entered for the 1000 Guineas.
The BHA held a hearing on Thursday 25 April 2013 at which the case was heard. As well as handing out the ban to Al Zarooni the BHA also prohibited the 15 horses from running for six months until 9 October 2013.
Jamie Stier, Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation at the BHA, explained: "The length of suspension reflects the period beyond which the BHA is confident that the horses in question can have derived no performance-related benefit from the administration of these prohibited substances."
The banned horses include: Artigiano, Certify, Opinion Poll, and Valley of Queens.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin racing manager, stated: "This is a terrible situation. It's an awful situation that Godolphin has found themselves in. Mr Al Zarooni acted with awful recklessness and caused tremendous damage, not only to Godolphin and British racing. I think it will take a very long time for Godolphin to regain the trust of the British public. We're shocked and completely outraged by the actions he has taken."
The speed with which the authorities have acted has been taken as a move to limit the damage this doping episode has caused to the integrity of British racing. UK bookmakers have also played their part in trying to limit the impact of the scandal by refunding ante-post bets on the horses involved in the ban, particularly Certify who was entered for the 1000 Guineas.
24 April 2013
Qipco British Champions Series - Fantasy Racing Game
There is still plenty of time to submit a stable for the Daily Telegraph's Fantasy Racing game, which runs throughout the Qipco British Champions Series over the summer.
The game begins on Saturday 4 May with the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and finishes on Saturday 19 October with Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.
Over the six months the Qipco British Champions Series takes in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, the Yorkshire Cup at York, the Epsom Derby and Oaks, seven races at the Royal Ascot Meeting, and the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, to name but a few.
Enter the competition here: http://fantasyracing.telegraph.co.uk/
The game begins on Saturday 4 May with the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and finishes on Saturday 19 October with Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot.
Over the six months the Qipco British Champions Series takes in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas, the Yorkshire Cup at York, the Epsom Derby and Oaks, seven races at the Royal Ascot Meeting, and the Coral Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, to name but a few.
Enter the competition here: http://fantasyracing.telegraph.co.uk/
22 April 2013
Sample Irregularities Rule Certify Out Of 1000 Guineas
Godolphin’s unbeaten filly Certify will not contest the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket next month after “serious irregularities” were found in samples taken from horses trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni in Newmarket.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, stated: “This is a dark day for Godolphin. We are all shocked by what has happened. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was absolutely appalled when he was told and this is completely unacceptable to him. We will await the outcome of the BHA inquiry before taking any further internal action. Sheikh Mohammed has instructed me to begin an urgent review of all of our procedures and controls. That is already underway and we will take advice from the BHA in completing it."
A press release from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) gave further details of the testing that had taken place. Samples were taken from 45 horses trained by Al Zarooni on 9 April 2013 and it was discovered that 11 samples tested positive for either Ethylestranol or Stanozolol, both of which are anabolic steroids and classed as prohibited substances.
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, stated: “This is a dark day for Godolphin. We are all shocked by what has happened. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed was absolutely appalled when he was told and this is completely unacceptable to him. We will await the outcome of the BHA inquiry before taking any further internal action. Sheikh Mohammed has instructed me to begin an urgent review of all of our procedures and controls. That is already underway and we will take advice from the BHA in completing it."
A press release from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) gave further details of the testing that had taken place. Samples were taken from 45 horses trained by Al Zarooni on 9 April 2013 and it was discovered that 11 samples tested positive for either Ethylestranol or Stanozolol, both of which are anabolic steroids and classed as prohibited substances.
Hannon Starts Season Strongly
Trainer Richard Hannon has made a strong start to the new Flat racing season with 23 winners so far and a strike rate of 20%.
After the Classic trials races at Newmarket and Newbury last week, Hannon looks to have some serious contenders for the big races later in the season.
Toronado was a notable winner of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket and is currently 3/1 second favourite for the Qipco 2000 Guineas in May and 7/1 for the Investec Derby at Epsom at the start of June. Olympic Glory is also entered in the season’s first Classic, the 2000 Guineas, and won the Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury in a solid but unspectacular manner. But it seems that the Choisir colt will go for the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp rather than the English version.
Writing on his website richardhannonracing.co.uk the trainer explained: “France was always the plan for Olympic Glory, and, though he was only workmanlike, he is a bull of a horse and it is not easy to get the weight off him as all he does is eat and sleep. He is not the flashy type - he is lazy and he will always do enough and no more. You saw that in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood last year, and it was again all too evident at Newbury. But one thing is certain - he will be sharper next time and he will also improve for stepping up to a mile, while if the brollies are out in Paris on May 12 we won't complain as Olympic Glory loves soft ground.”
Maureen, winner of the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury, and Sky Lantern, second in Newmarket’s Nell Gwyn Stakes, are both priced around 14/1 for the Qipco 1000 Guineas.
In discussing Maureen’s chances trainer Richard Hannon stated: “She has bundles of speed, so we held her up to stay the seven [furlongs], and she got the trip well. She is not there in her coat yet, so there is more improvement to come, but obviously Hughesie [jockey Richard Hughes] will have to adopt exaggerated waiting tactics if she is to get the mile at Newmarket [in the 1000 Guineas].”
But jockey Richard Hughes was also not disheartened by Sky Lantern’s defeat to Hot Snap in the Nell Gwyn Stakes: "Henry's (Cecil) filly is clearly smart, but I am looking forward to taking her on again, and if the ground rides faster we might get a different result.”
“Sky Lantern loves it like a road [ie firm ground] and it can dry up quickly at Newmarket, whereas Hot Snap is by Pivotal, most of whose progeny enjoy some juice [ie softer ground] in the ground.”
"I am certainly no less optimistic about Sky Lantern winning the Guineas than I was before the Nell Gwyn. We went very fast and I was conscious of the fact that we had a 3lb penalty [a weight penalty carried because the filly has won a Group 1 race], so, though we were travelling like a dream going to the Bushes [a point on the Newmarket Rowley Mile course just over 2 furlongs from the finish], I did not want to make my move too soon."
After the last week’s racing action, the Herridge Racing Stables have much to look forward to in the coming months.
Quotation source: richardhannonracing.co.uk
After the Classic trials races at Newmarket and Newbury last week, Hannon looks to have some serious contenders for the big races later in the season.
Toronado was a notable winner of the Craven Stakes at Newmarket and is currently 3/1 second favourite for the Qipco 2000 Guineas in May and 7/1 for the Investec Derby at Epsom at the start of June. Olympic Glory is also entered in the season’s first Classic, the 2000 Guineas, and won the Greenham Stakes over seven furlongs at Newbury in a solid but unspectacular manner. But it seems that the Choisir colt will go for the French 2000 Guineas at Longchamp rather than the English version.
Writing on his website richardhannonracing.co.uk the trainer explained: “France was always the plan for Olympic Glory, and, though he was only workmanlike, he is a bull of a horse and it is not easy to get the weight off him as all he does is eat and sleep. He is not the flashy type - he is lazy and he will always do enough and no more. You saw that in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood last year, and it was again all too evident at Newbury. But one thing is certain - he will be sharper next time and he will also improve for stepping up to a mile, while if the brollies are out in Paris on May 12 we won't complain as Olympic Glory loves soft ground.”
Maureen, winner of the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury, and Sky Lantern, second in Newmarket’s Nell Gwyn Stakes, are both priced around 14/1 for the Qipco 1000 Guineas.
In discussing Maureen’s chances trainer Richard Hannon stated: “She has bundles of speed, so we held her up to stay the seven [furlongs], and she got the trip well. She is not there in her coat yet, so there is more improvement to come, but obviously Hughesie [jockey Richard Hughes] will have to adopt exaggerated waiting tactics if she is to get the mile at Newmarket [in the 1000 Guineas].”
But jockey Richard Hughes was also not disheartened by Sky Lantern’s defeat to Hot Snap in the Nell Gwyn Stakes: "Henry's (Cecil) filly is clearly smart, but I am looking forward to taking her on again, and if the ground rides faster we might get a different result.”
“Sky Lantern loves it like a road [ie firm ground] and it can dry up quickly at Newmarket, whereas Hot Snap is by Pivotal, most of whose progeny enjoy some juice [ie softer ground] in the ground.”
"I am certainly no less optimistic about Sky Lantern winning the Guineas than I was before the Nell Gwyn. We went very fast and I was conscious of the fact that we had a 3lb penalty [a weight penalty carried because the filly has won a Group 1 race], so, though we were travelling like a dream going to the Bushes [a point on the Newmarket Rowley Mile course just over 2 furlongs from the finish], I did not want to make my move too soon."
After the last week’s racing action, the Herridge Racing Stables have much to look forward to in the coming months.
Quotation source: richardhannonracing.co.uk
21 April 2013
Newmarket Craven Meeting Review
The Craven Meeting was held over Wednesday and Thursday last week (17-18 April 2013) at Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course. Historically, the Craven Meeting acted as a good guide for horses to watch later in the season and for the Classics. It is certainly worth spending the time watching the races a few times for horses that look like they could progress as the season goes on – such horses are not necessarily those that won their race at the Craven Meeting.
Sir Henry Cecil had a successful meeting, sending out Hot Snap to win the Nell Gwyn Stakes for fillies on the Wednesday and Tickled Pink to win the Abernant Stakes on Thursday.
One feature of the Craven Meeting is strongly fancied horses being beaten early on in the season. Six of the 16 races were won by the favourites over the two days. John Gosden’s Ghurair was even money favourite for the valuable 200,000 Tattersalls Millions 3yo Trophy but was beaten into a narrow third by Mark Johnston’s Windhoek and Greatwood for Luca Cumani.
Sir Henry Cecil’s Stipulate (15/8 favourite) was beaten into second by Mull Of Killough in the Earl Of Sefton Stakes, whilst Sky Lantern (11/4 favourite) finished second behind Hot Snap in the Nell Gwyn Stakes.
Richard Hannon’s three-year-old Toronado (8/11 favourite) looked impressive when winning the Craven Stakes, albeit in small four-runner field. Richard Hughes made every yard of the running in the mile contest and only really faced a half-heated challenge from Dundonnell at the two furlong post. The High Chaparral colt is now unbeaten in four runs and is currently 3/1 second favourite for the Qipco 2000 Guineas, which will be run over the same course and distance on 4 May 2013.
It was a shame that the Craven Meeting was not shown on terrestrial television, given the meeting’s position at the start of the Flat season.
Channel 4 Racing said: “90 days per year is the biggest commitment to racing Channel 4 has ever shown, but unfortunately the Craven Meeting is among those to miss out.”
I would have preferred to have been able to watch at least one day of the Craven Meeting on Channel 4 rather than the Saturday’s mediocre racing they showed from Kempton (all weather) and Doncaster on the weekend (13 April) prior to the Craven.
It is certainly true that the Craven Meeting does not have the importance it once did as a trial for the bigger races later in the season – as shown by the relatively small fields for Craven Stakes, Earl Of Sefton Stakes, and Feilden Stakes – but either day of the meeting still had more merit from a racing perspective than the previous Saturday’s fare.
19 April 2013
Bookies Yearn For Annual Encore In National
This blog has written before about how the Aintree Grand National is just a large benefit gig for the bookmakers and the financial results announced by William Hill have confirmed it.
The bookmaker reported: “Auroras Encore made the Grand National a major success for William Hill, even beating our record win achieved on the race in 2009 when Mon Mome romped home at 100-1.”
William Hill did not give exact numbers for the amount it won from Auroras Encore’s 2013 Grand National victory but in 2009 the bookmaker won GB£ 6.2 million on the race and had a gross win margin of 37.8% on the event. So the company has earned its shareholders a nice little bonus of more than GB£ 6 million in revenues from the Grand National.
William Hill’s CEO Ralph Topping wrote in his blog:
“I’ve watched some fantastic winners in my 43 years in the business - Red Rum, Aldaniti, West Tip . This year’s result for bookies was as good as it gets….[The Grand National] was a great British tradition, done in a Great British way. Racing was a winner, Sport was a winner. But I’m a bookmaker first and foremost and it’s our William Hill shareholders who top the podium today.”
The bookmaker reported: “Auroras Encore made the Grand National a major success for William Hill, even beating our record win achieved on the race in 2009 when Mon Mome romped home at 100-1.”
William Hill did not give exact numbers for the amount it won from Auroras Encore’s 2013 Grand National victory but in 2009 the bookmaker won GB£ 6.2 million on the race and had a gross win margin of 37.8% on the event. So the company has earned its shareholders a nice little bonus of more than GB£ 6 million in revenues from the Grand National.
William Hill’s CEO Ralph Topping wrote in his blog:
“I’ve watched some fantastic winners in my 43 years in the business - Red Rum, Aldaniti, West Tip . This year’s result for bookies was as good as it gets….[The Grand National] was a great British tradition, done in a Great British way. Racing was a winner, Sport was a winner. But I’m a bookmaker first and foremost and it’s our William Hill shareholders who top the podium today.”
18 April 2013
Talking Race Horses: Part 2
The age and sex of a racehorse are two important characteristics which can influence a horse’s racing career.
In the northern hemisphere all thoroughbred horses have their official birthday on 1 January, regardless of when they were actually born. So a horse born in November will actually turn one year old (a ‘yearling’) just two months later in January.
This universal birthday can have racing implications. Flat racehorses start their racing career at two years old and the universal birthday means there can be some ‘old’ and ‘young’ two-year-olds taking to the racecourse.
In theory the youngest ‘two-year-old’ could actually have only been alive for one year.
E.g. born 31 December 2012; turn one year old on 1 January 2013 (one day after it was born); turn two years old on 1 January 2014 (when the horse has only been alive for 12 months).
At the other extreme a foal born on 2 January will actually be a year old when it has its official birthday the following 1 January.
So the ideal is to have a foal born in the early months of the year because it will be more mature and physically developed when it takes to the racecourse. Over time any difference in physical maturity and development diminishes.
In the southern hemisphere the official birthday is 1 August.
Yearling: a one-year-old horse i.e. in the second year of its life
Juvenile: a two-year-old racehorse
Colt: a male horse up to and including the age of four-years-old
Filly: a female horse up to and including the age of four-years-old
Horse: a male horse aged five or older
Mare: a female horse aged five or older
Entire: an ungelded (not castrated) male horse, also called a ‘full’ horse
Gelding: a male horse that has been castrated
Stallion: a male horse used for breeding purposes
Broodmare: a female horse used for breeding purposes
The age and sex of a horse can determine the races in which it can participate as some races are open only to certain age groups or sexes. For example:
• The 1,000 Guineas race is open to three-year-old fillies only
• The 2,000 Guineas is open to three-year-old colts and fillies
• Geldings are not allowed to take part in the Classic races: 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, St Leger
• A nursery race is a handicap race for two-year-olds
• In jumps racing veterans races are open to horses and mares aged 10 or older
• There are also mares only races
In the northern hemisphere all thoroughbred horses have their official birthday on 1 January, regardless of when they were actually born. So a horse born in November will actually turn one year old (a ‘yearling’) just two months later in January.
This universal birthday can have racing implications. Flat racehorses start their racing career at two years old and the universal birthday means there can be some ‘old’ and ‘young’ two-year-olds taking to the racecourse.
In theory the youngest ‘two-year-old’ could actually have only been alive for one year.
E.g. born 31 December 2012; turn one year old on 1 January 2013 (one day after it was born); turn two years old on 1 January 2014 (when the horse has only been alive for 12 months).
At the other extreme a foal born on 2 January will actually be a year old when it has its official birthday the following 1 January.
So the ideal is to have a foal born in the early months of the year because it will be more mature and physically developed when it takes to the racecourse. Over time any difference in physical maturity and development diminishes.
In the southern hemisphere the official birthday is 1 August.
Yearling: a one-year-old horse i.e. in the second year of its life
Juvenile: a two-year-old racehorse
Colt: a male horse up to and including the age of four-years-old
Filly: a female horse up to and including the age of four-years-old
Horse: a male horse aged five or older
Mare: a female horse aged five or older
Entire: an ungelded (not castrated) male horse, also called a ‘full’ horse
Gelding: a male horse that has been castrated
Stallion: a male horse used for breeding purposes
Broodmare: a female horse used for breeding purposes
The age and sex of a horse can determine the races in which it can participate as some races are open only to certain age groups or sexes. For example:
• The 1,000 Guineas race is open to three-year-old fillies only
• The 2,000 Guineas is open to three-year-old colts and fillies
• Geldings are not allowed to take part in the Classic races: 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, Oaks, St Leger
• A nursery race is a handicap race for two-year-olds
• In jumps racing veterans races are open to horses and mares aged 10 or older
• There are also mares only races
14 April 2013
Grand National Is A Different Challenge Now
John Francome, the former champion jockey, has been speaking to the Daily Mail (Grand National is a joke now; 13 February 2013) and he believes that the Aintree Grand National is not the challenging race that it once was.
“No disrespect to the winner Auroras Encore, but he is not the best jumper in the world and he would not have won it five years ago.”
“It [the Grand National] used to be a jumping test, but no longer. It is a joke and horses like Grittar, who won in 1982, wouldn't succeed now because they wouldn't be quick enough.”
“In the past you needed a special type of horse to jump round Aintree. They looked at the bigger fences and backed off themselves, yet on Saturday they were going faster as they got closer to the jumps.”
As this blog discussed in its review of the Aintree meeting, it does seem on the evidence of the 2013 running that a new profile of winning horse might emerge with the new course set up. Time will tell.
12 April 2013
Talking Race Horses: Schedule 1 - Registration of horse names
Schedule 1 - Registration of horse names
Source: British Horseracing Authority
1.1 The following names are not available for registration for a horse
1.1.1 subject to Paragraph 3, a name already registered in the register of horse names under Part 2;
1.1.2 subject to Paragraph 4, a name followed by one or more numbers;
1.1.3 a name on the International and Domestic Lists of Protected Names;
1.1.4 a name of more than 18 characters, including signs or spaces;
1.1.5 a name made up entirely of initials, or include figures, hyphens, full-stops, commas, signs, exclamation marks, inverted commas, forward or backward slash, colon and semi-colon;
1.1.6 a name that starts with a sign other than a letter;
1.1.7 a name containing more than seven syllables;
1.1.8 a name the pronunciation of which the Authority considers to be identical or unacceptably similar, to
1.1.8.1 a name that is on the International or Domestic Lists of Protected Names, or
1.1.8.2 a name that is already registered for a horse foaled in a year that is within 10 years of the year of foaling of the horse to which the application relates;
1.1.9 a name which the Authority considers
1.1.9.1 is suggestive or has a vulgar, obscene or insulting meaning,
1.1.9.2 is in poor taste,
1.1.9.3 may be offensive to religious, political or ethnic groups,
1.1.9.4 may otherwise cause offence,
1.1.9.5 may cause confusion in the administration of racing or betting, or
1.1.9.6 is the name of a well-known horse.
1.1.10 a name already registered to a sibling or parent of the horse in question;
1.2 For the purposes of Paragraph 1.1, the use of the definite or indefinite article does not constitute a different name.
2.1 The following names are available for registration for a horse if the conditions specified are met
2.1.1 the name of a public Person may be registered if the Person or his family have given permission;
2.1.2 a name which the Authority considers to be of commercial significance may be registered if appropriate permission has been obtained;
2.1.3 a name which the Authority considers to be that of a prominent company, product or trade name may be registered if
2.1.3.1 the written approval of the company or body associated with the name has been obtained, or
2.1.3.2 the Authority is satisfied that the name has an alternative meaning in common usage.
3.1 A name which has already been entered in the register of horse names shall become available for registration for a different horse at the end of the month of the relevant year during which it became available, as determined in accordance with Paragraphs 3.2 to 3.4.
3.2 Where the name was registered to a brood mare, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
3.2.1 10 years after the mare's death,
3.2.2 10 years after the last recorded year in which the mare was covered or produced a foal, or
3.2.3 when the mare attains 30 years of age.
3.3 Where the name was registered to a stallion, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
3.3.1 15 years after the stallion's death,
3.3.2 15 years after the last recorded year in which the stallion covered one or more mares, or
3.3.3 the year when the stallion attains 35 years of age.
3.4 Where the name was registered to any other horse, the relevant year is whichever of the following first occurs
3.4.1 5 years after the horse's death, or
3.4.2 the year when the horse attains 20 years of age.
Talking Race Horses: Part 1
When it comes to discussing thoroughbred race horses there is a number of ways of going about it. For those new to the world of horseracing it can seem an esoteric language but with some research and learning the ‘veil can be lifted’. Over the coming series of ‘Talking Race Horses’ posts I hope to provide some starting points for those looking to deepen their knowledge.
A Horse By Any Other Name
An obvious starting point when talking about a horse is its name. The naming of horses is controlled by an organisation called Weatherbys, which undertakes a number of roles – financial and administrative – in British horseracing.
The Names Team at Weatherbys is responsible for the registration of horses’ names and states:
“Your name choice can be up to 18 characters, including spaces. All names are registered subject to approval by the British Horseracing Authority [BHA].”
So 2012 Grand National runner Shakalakaboomboom, at 17 characters is permitted, if a bit of a mouthful for commentators.
A horse’s name cannot include elements such as hyphens, various punctuation marks, numbers, or initials. But owners can spell out initials or punctuation, such as Edmo Yewkay (‘UK’) or Justbookie Dot Com.
It is not possible to give two horses the same name, at least if they are registered in the same country and new names should be checked against the current register. There is also a list of domestic and international names that are protected and cannot be reused to name another horse. One purpose of this protected list is to prevent the name and reputation of great horses of the past being tarnished by being attached to a lesser horse of the current era.
The full regulations for horse naming as set out by the BHA are here.
One common convention for naming a horse is to derive a name based on its father (sire) and mother (dam).
Sometimes the derivation is obvious, sometimes the owner shows a bit of wit and lateral thinking to create a clever name for their charge. Some examples:
Docofthebay: sired by Docksider out of the dam Baize
Dubai Hills: sired by Dubai Destination out of the dam Hill Welcome
Genzy: sired by Gentlewave out of the dam Zycia
Verse Of Love: sired by Byron out of the dam Lovellian
Naming themes can also pass down the generations to horses from certain sires or dams. For example:
Lady Cricket was sired by Cricket Ball out of the dam Lady Mariza.
Lady Cricket has finished her racing career and is now producing offspring of her own. One such offspring is the mare Swing Bowler, continuing the cricketing theme in her name.
A Horse By Any Other Name
An obvious starting point when talking about a horse is its name. The naming of horses is controlled by an organisation called Weatherbys, which undertakes a number of roles – financial and administrative – in British horseracing.
The Names Team at Weatherbys is responsible for the registration of horses’ names and states:
“Your name choice can be up to 18 characters, including spaces. All names are registered subject to approval by the British Horseracing Authority [BHA].”
So 2012 Grand National runner Shakalakaboomboom, at 17 characters is permitted, if a bit of a mouthful for commentators.
A horse’s name cannot include elements such as hyphens, various punctuation marks, numbers, or initials. But owners can spell out initials or punctuation, such as Edmo Yewkay (‘UK’) or Justbookie Dot Com.
It is not possible to give two horses the same name, at least if they are registered in the same country and new names should be checked against the current register. There is also a list of domestic and international names that are protected and cannot be reused to name another horse. One purpose of this protected list is to prevent the name and reputation of great horses of the past being tarnished by being attached to a lesser horse of the current era.
The full regulations for horse naming as set out by the BHA are here.
One common convention for naming a horse is to derive a name based on its father (sire) and mother (dam).
Sometimes the derivation is obvious, sometimes the owner shows a bit of wit and lateral thinking to create a clever name for their charge. Some examples:
Docofthebay: sired by Docksider out of the dam Baize
Dubai Hills: sired by Dubai Destination out of the dam Hill Welcome
Genzy: sired by Gentlewave out of the dam Zycia
Verse Of Love: sired by Byron out of the dam Lovellian
Naming themes can also pass down the generations to horses from certain sires or dams. For example:
Lady Cricket was sired by Cricket Ball out of the dam Lady Mariza.
Lady Cricket has finished her racing career and is now producing offspring of her own. One such offspring is the mare Swing Bowler, continuing the cricketing theme in her name.
07 April 2013
Aintree Grand National Meeting Review
The Aintree Grand National meeting provided an excellent three days’ racing culminating in a Grand National that seemed to mark a new era in the race’s existence.
Several big name horses were on a ‘reputation recovery’ mission after disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
On the first day First Lieutenant won the Betfred Bowl Chase, having finished second in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival. Silviniaco Conti had fallen when travelling well in the Betfred Gold Cup and went off favourite for the Betfred Bowl but finished a couple of lengths behind First Lieutenant in third.
Zarkandar, fourth in the Champion Hurdle, won the Aintree Hurdle and beat the Novices’ Hurdle winner The New One in the process.
Special mention must go to Battle Group who won the Silver Cross Handicap Chase on Thursday and then came out again on Saturday to win the John Smith’s Handicap Chase with an equally impressive performance. Two wins round Aintree in the space of just three days is some feat.
Sprinter Sacre showed he is just as good at 2 mile 4 furlongs as at 2 miles when winning the Melling Chase. The Irish contender Flemenstar did not run to his best and was well beaten in third place.
My Tent Or Yours showed the same classy cruising style that he had displayed in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. On this occasion, however, there was no Cheltenham hill to contend with and no Champagne Fever to out battle him.
Similarly, Dynaste had disappointed as favourite in the Jewson Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham but made amends at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Saturday’s main event, the Grand National, does look to be a different race now with the changes made to the course and jumps. Jumping mistakes of previous years that might have resulted in a fall or unseating might not be punished as severely judging by the 2013 running of the Grand National.
When searching for a winner in future years it could be less easy to discount the sketchy jumpers because now when they make their customary mistake they could get away with it. A low weight rather than jumping ability or experience of the Aintree fences might take more emphasis in the assessment of the likely winner.
The 2013 Grand National winner, Auroras Encore, trained by Sue Smith and ridden by Ryan Mania, carried 10 stone 3 lbs, which is the lowest winning weight for many years. A trend had been developing for winners carrying 11 stone or more.
Several big name horses were on a ‘reputation recovery’ mission after disappointing at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
On the first day First Lieutenant won the Betfred Bowl Chase, having finished second in the Ryanair Chase at the Festival. Silviniaco Conti had fallen when travelling well in the Betfred Gold Cup and went off favourite for the Betfred Bowl but finished a couple of lengths behind First Lieutenant in third.
Zarkandar, fourth in the Champion Hurdle, won the Aintree Hurdle and beat the Novices’ Hurdle winner The New One in the process.
Special mention must go to Battle Group who won the Silver Cross Handicap Chase on Thursday and then came out again on Saturday to win the John Smith’s Handicap Chase with an equally impressive performance. Two wins round Aintree in the space of just three days is some feat.
Sprinter Sacre showed he is just as good at 2 mile 4 furlongs as at 2 miles when winning the Melling Chase. The Irish contender Flemenstar did not run to his best and was well beaten in third place.
My Tent Or Yours showed the same classy cruising style that he had displayed in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham. On this occasion, however, there was no Cheltenham hill to contend with and no Champagne Fever to out battle him.
Similarly, Dynaste had disappointed as favourite in the Jewson Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham but made amends at Aintree in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase.
Saturday’s main event, the Grand National, does look to be a different race now with the changes made to the course and jumps. Jumping mistakes of previous years that might have resulted in a fall or unseating might not be punished as severely judging by the 2013 running of the Grand National.
When searching for a winner in future years it could be less easy to discount the sketchy jumpers because now when they make their customary mistake they could get away with it. A low weight rather than jumping ability or experience of the Aintree fences might take more emphasis in the assessment of the likely winner.
The 2013 Grand National winner, Auroras Encore, trained by Sue Smith and ridden by Ryan Mania, carried 10 stone 3 lbs, which is the lowest winning weight for many years. A trend had been developing for winners carrying 11 stone or more.
06 April 2013
Bookies Fail National Stamina Test
Several online sports books experienced some serious technical issued with their websites as they struggled to cope with the surge in demand caused by the Aintree Grand National on Saturday.
Accounts with several online sports betting firms used by the authors of this blog all experienced some technical issues with both their websites and mobile apps at varying points during Saturday.
Some of the problems stated quite early in the afternoon, well before the Grand National itself.
The winner of the Grand National was the 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore trained by Sue Smith. Such a result may even have been a ‘skinner’* on some books.
It will be especially galling for the bookmakers not to have taken as much money as they could because of the technical difficulties. The fancied horses – Sea Bass, On His Own, Teaforthree – were all beaten, with only Teaforthree making the places.
On Twitter there were numerous posts by people complaining about a certain betting website and threatening to take their business elsewhere. It was a difficult threat to carry out because a number of leading betting websites experienced problems at different times.
The inquiries will begin on Monday when senior management returns to the office as to why the technical contingency plans failed to work. It might transpire that some sites were subjected to cyber attacks (though such attacks are rarely acknowledged publicly), although there is no evidence for such activity at present. But it is unusual for such a number of betting sites to suffer outages even on Grand National day. It could simply be that the betting platforms cannot cope with the Grand National day betting surge.
*A ‘skinner’ refers to a horse upon which the bookmaker has taken no money. If it wins, therefore, the bookmaker does not have to pay out any winnings. An excellent result for the bookmaker.
Accounts with several online sports betting firms used by the authors of this blog all experienced some technical issues with both their websites and mobile apps at varying points during Saturday.
Some of the problems stated quite early in the afternoon, well before the Grand National itself.
The winner of the Grand National was the 66/1 outsider Auroras Encore trained by Sue Smith. Such a result may even have been a ‘skinner’* on some books.
It will be especially galling for the bookmakers not to have taken as much money as they could because of the technical difficulties. The fancied horses – Sea Bass, On His Own, Teaforthree – were all beaten, with only Teaforthree making the places.
On Twitter there were numerous posts by people complaining about a certain betting website and threatening to take their business elsewhere. It was a difficult threat to carry out because a number of leading betting websites experienced problems at different times.
The inquiries will begin on Monday when senior management returns to the office as to why the technical contingency plans failed to work. It might transpire that some sites were subjected to cyber attacks (though such attacks are rarely acknowledged publicly), although there is no evidence for such activity at present. But it is unusual for such a number of betting sites to suffer outages even on Grand National day. It could simply be that the betting platforms cannot cope with the Grand National day betting surge.
*A ‘skinner’ refers to a horse upon which the bookmaker has taken no money. If it wins, therefore, the bookmaker does not have to pay out any winnings. An excellent result for the bookmaker.
03 April 2013
Not All About The National
Aintree’s three-day Grand National meeting has much more to it than the Grand National itself but, unfortunately, most casual viewers will confine themselves to the ‘main event’ on Saturday afternoon.
This year the John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday 5 April could be the highlight of the whole meeting.
Sprinter Sacre, the impressive winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, will be stepping up in distance to two and a half miles for the first time. If there are any doubts about his ability to stay the extra furlongs they will be seized upon by Cue Card, winner of the Ryanair Chase, a winner over hurdles round this Aintree course and distance earlier in his career.
They will both be taking on the Irish gelding Flemenstar, who was last seen being beaten by Sir Des Champs in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. The Melling Chase will be Flemenstar’s first trip across the Irish Sea to race in the UK and, whilst two and half miles is his ideal distance, the drying ground at Aintree could be a concern. His wins have tended to come on softer going.
One horse that will appreciate the firmer ground is Finian’s Rainbow, who won this race in 2012. He is the oldest horse in the race and has finished a well-beaten last on his two runs since then, behind Cue Card and For Non Stop on separate occasions. But both defeats were on ground described as heavy and soft respectively.
Clearly Finian’s Rainbow has to improve on those runs and Sprinter Sacre is rated vastly superior to all of his rivals. But 14/1 about Finian’s Rainbow, a previous winner and getting ground that suits, appeals for an each-way bet.
Elsewhere at Aintree, Silviniaco Conti will attempt to get things back on track in the Betfair Bowl Chase (Thursday 14.30) after falling in the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time.
The New One, Grandouet, Zarkandar, and Countrywide Flame line up against each other in the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle (Thursday 15.05). The last three all contested the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month with Countrywide Flame finishing third and Zarkandar fourth. It promises to be another hot contest with Festival winner The New One thrown in to the mix for good measure.
This year the John Smith’s Melling Chase on Friday 5 April could be the highlight of the whole meeting.
Sprinter Sacre, the impressive winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March, will be stepping up in distance to two and a half miles for the first time. If there are any doubts about his ability to stay the extra furlongs they will be seized upon by Cue Card, winner of the Ryanair Chase, a winner over hurdles round this Aintree course and distance earlier in his career.
They will both be taking on the Irish gelding Flemenstar, who was last seen being beaten by Sir Des Champs in the Hennessey Gold Cup at Leopardstown in February. The Melling Chase will be Flemenstar’s first trip across the Irish Sea to race in the UK and, whilst two and half miles is his ideal distance, the drying ground at Aintree could be a concern. His wins have tended to come on softer going.
One horse that will appreciate the firmer ground is Finian’s Rainbow, who won this race in 2012. He is the oldest horse in the race and has finished a well-beaten last on his two runs since then, behind Cue Card and For Non Stop on separate occasions. But both defeats were on ground described as heavy and soft respectively.
Clearly Finian’s Rainbow has to improve on those runs and Sprinter Sacre is rated vastly superior to all of his rivals. But 14/1 about Finian’s Rainbow, a previous winner and getting ground that suits, appeals for an each-way bet.
Elsewhere at Aintree, Silviniaco Conti will attempt to get things back on track in the Betfair Bowl Chase (Thursday 14.30) after falling in the Betfred Gold Cup at Cheltenham last time.
The New One, Grandouet, Zarkandar, and Countrywide Flame line up against each other in the John Smith’s Aintree Hurdle (Thursday 15.05). The last three all contested the Stan James Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last month with Countrywide Flame finishing third and Zarkandar fourth. It promises to be another hot contest with Festival winner The New One thrown in to the mix for good measure.
The Grand National – A Bookmaker’s Benefit
In a week in which the UK coalition government has introduced reforms and reductions to various public benefits, the country’s bookmakers can rest assured that their big annual benefit event remains intact – the Grand National at Aintree.
If a bookmaker were able to design the perfect race to maximise their profits, then the Grand National would not be far short of what they would create: a handicap steeplechase with 30 fences, 40 runners, over more than four miles. It is no surprise that it was bookmaker Ladbrokes which effectively rescued the Grand National in the 1970s when Aintree racecourse was sold and threatened with closure. The bookmakers probably saw their big annual pay day disappearing with it.
From a bookmaker’s perspective about the only way the Grand National could be improved to fill their coffers even more was if they were able to change the height of the fences or the width of the water jump at the last second just as the horses approached (as perfected by James Bond’s enemy Max Zorin in A View To A Kill).
The bookmakers’ biggest worry is having enough cashiers behind the betting shop counter, enough agents in the call centre to answer the phone, and that their website can hold up to the extra traffic (a test which Coral’s new website failed in the aftermath of its Sprinter Sacre offer at the Cheltenham Festival last month).
For a gambler who takes their betting even moderately seriously the Grand National should really be a non-betting event, however difficult it is to resist getting sucked in. The overround the bookmakers work to is obscenely high. It is one of the few betting markets where every horse can seemingly shorten in price just before the race without any other runner’s price being pushed out to counteract it (thus increasing the overround further still). At the time of writing, with 48 runners still entered the theoretical percentage on the book is 33%.
In addition, however good your form study, the amount of luck needed in running to get round is a lot higher than for an ‘ordinary’ horse race.
The current favourite for the race is Willie Mullins’ On His Own, which fell in the Grand National last year. The gelding has only run once since that day, winning the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in February. But a price of 7/1 is surely too short in a 40 runner handicap, no matter how good the horse or how talented the trainer.
Even if every other runner in the race were a three-legged shire horse I would still think twice about taking 7/1 in a 4 mile+ steeplechase with 30 fences.
If a bookmaker were able to design the perfect race to maximise their profits, then the Grand National would not be far short of what they would create: a handicap steeplechase with 30 fences, 40 runners, over more than four miles. It is no surprise that it was bookmaker Ladbrokes which effectively rescued the Grand National in the 1970s when Aintree racecourse was sold and threatened with closure. The bookmakers probably saw their big annual pay day disappearing with it.
From a bookmaker’s perspective about the only way the Grand National could be improved to fill their coffers even more was if they were able to change the height of the fences or the width of the water jump at the last second just as the horses approached (as perfected by James Bond’s enemy Max Zorin in A View To A Kill).
The bookmakers’ biggest worry is having enough cashiers behind the betting shop counter, enough agents in the call centre to answer the phone, and that their website can hold up to the extra traffic (a test which Coral’s new website failed in the aftermath of its Sprinter Sacre offer at the Cheltenham Festival last month).
For a gambler who takes their betting even moderately seriously the Grand National should really be a non-betting event, however difficult it is to resist getting sucked in. The overround the bookmakers work to is obscenely high. It is one of the few betting markets where every horse can seemingly shorten in price just before the race without any other runner’s price being pushed out to counteract it (thus increasing the overround further still). At the time of writing, with 48 runners still entered the theoretical percentage on the book is 33%.
In addition, however good your form study, the amount of luck needed in running to get round is a lot higher than for an ‘ordinary’ horse race.
The current favourite for the race is Willie Mullins’ On His Own, which fell in the Grand National last year. The gelding has only run once since that day, winning the Boyne Hurdle at Navan in February. But a price of 7/1 is surely too short in a 40 runner handicap, no matter how good the horse or how talented the trainer.
Even if every other runner in the race were a three-legged shire horse I would still think twice about taking 7/1 in a 4 mile+ steeplechase with 30 fences.
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