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

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