Understanding Trainers’ mental health

By Lissa Oliver

There is no doubt that the welfare of the horse is important and the public perception of how we care for the horse in training and on retirement impacts directly on the level of support we can expect from sponsors, racegoers and governments. The care of the horse, however, is wholly dependent upon those it is entrusted to and they are the ones who have often been neglected.

Racing Welfare was founded in the UK in 2000 and the service was expanded in 2014. In Ireland, the Industry Assistance Programme (IAP) was launched in 2016 and receives great publicity from Irish racing publications. Both support systems are easily accessed and provide a free and confidential 24-hour service, seven days a week, for everyone working, or who has previously worked, within the thoroughbred industry and their immediate family members.

Sadly, this is not the case elsewhere, but not from want of need. Many German trainers feel the wellbeing of industry professionals in German racing is sadly ignored. If the Direktorium has any regard or respect for stable staff, it is escaping without notice.

“At the Baden-Baden meetings, the stable staff are still living in squalor by today’s standards,” one trainer, who prefers not to be named, tells us. “Jockeys with welfare or alcohol problems are pushed aside and never heard of again. There is no Injured Jockeys Fund, no helplines or advice for a future career. For this day and age that is a really shameful state of affairs.

“It’s time these issues were aired. After all, without our dedicated workforce we have no racing. I have personally helped various people from the industry who have fallen on hard times, even in one case an attempted suicide, and have received no support. It has reached a point where I now only run horses in France when at all possible, I have lost all faith in German racing.”

That really is a damning indictment, particularly as one trainer went so far as to say that their support of an industry professional who had hit rock bottom earned them nothing but derision. It is interesting, too, that none of these individuals wanted to be named. Not for their own modesty, but in respect of the confidentiality of those they had helped.

This same sense of a lack of care and concern was reiterated by a French trainer unaware of AFASEC (www.afasec.fr), a service for racing and breeding professionals. AFASEC (Association of Training and Social Action Racing Stables) was commissioned by France Galop and the French Horse Encouragement Society in 1988 for the training and support of employees of racing stables throughout their career path. The association is managed under the double supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

AFASEC ensures the training of future employees through the French Horse Racing School and offers support to employees throughout their professional life. Five social workers and two social and family economics counsellors are at the disposal of 4,000 French racing professionals. Their mission is to inform, help and support in their professional and personal lives. The social workers can then refer those looking for support to relevant services.

The lack of awareness of this service among some French trainers suggests that more publicity is needed to ensure every racing industry professional has the necessary contact details and can avail of this service when required. The need for trainers to make such services known and displayed in the yard is paramount.

The confidentiality of the support network set up in Britain and Ireland is vital to its success, and Racing Welfare and HRI/CARE prefer not to reveal figures regarding the number of individuals who have availed of the service. However, Racing Welfare supported more than 2,200 people in 2017 with a wide range of challenges, which represents a significant proportion of racing’s workforce.

One trainer who is happy to discuss the help she received from the IAP is Clare Cannon, in County Down, Northern Ireland. She holds a Restricted Licence, with only four horses in her yard, and struggles to make her business pay.

View fullsize

Clare Cannon

Following the particularly harsh winter and spiralling costs, coupled with the retirement of her best horse, Cannon considered giving up and joining the many Irish trainers to have relinquished their licence this year.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small a trainer is, the problems are the same—just on a different scale,” she points out. “A lot of things had happened to me on top of each other. It reached a point when I thought, ‘why am I even doing this’? The biggest thing is that since going to the IAP I’ve had such a great season. If I’d not got help and I’d given up, I would have been watching someone else having a great year with my horses.”

TO READ MORE —

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD

January - March 2019, issue 64 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

January - March 2019, issue 64 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

WHY NOT SUBSCRIBE?

DON'T MISS OUT AND SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE THE NEXT FOUR ISSUES!

Trainer Profile - Jessica Harrington

By Lissa Oliver

Some towns are all about the horse, the vast number of racing stables in the one place defining the community that has sprung up among them. Wherever there is a racing centre there are racing people at its heart. The tiny village of Moone is slightly different. There is only one stable in Moone, but that stable is the beating heart of the community.

The County Kildare village is home to the Commonstown Stables of Jessica Harrington, and the success of the yard has sent ripples of prosperity throughout south Kildare and the Wicklow border. Harrington herself might refute that, but Seamus O’Reilly, a local business owner, will beg to differ. He has witnessed a tide of changes in his 40 years at nearby Crookstown, where he owns and runs a now-thriving service station and shop, and he understands better than most the economic impact of a racing stable that has grown to be the area’s largest employer.

“I started the service station in 1978 and this area of South Kildare was unknown then. It was hard to give directions to anyone, no landmarks, they wouldn’t know where to find us, we were tucked away from anywhere,” he recalls. “Things have improved in the last 20 years and it’s more accessible now. It’s a huge bonus to the service station and retail business to have Jessie there; a lot of her employees come in, plus visitors such as her jockeys and owners and the media. The spin off from her success is great.”

It’s interesting to reflect that, about a 40-minute drive away in County Carlow, trainers Jim Bolger and Willie Mullins are the biggest employers in that particular county, so the importance of horseracing to Ireland’s rural heartland can never be underestimated.

Moone has no pub, no post office and no shop; although since the closure of the post office, some of the residents opened and run a part-time community shop. The village may be home to the historic Celtic High Cross, but there is otherwise nothing to bring people here. Except, of course, Commonstown Stables and the stars within.

Don’t get this wrong though, JHR couldn’t be better sited. Moone may be off the radar for many, but a new network of roads and bypasses links it quickly and smoothly with the nearby motorways serving Cork, Tipperary and Dublin, with the Dublin and Rosslare ports accessible within an hour. At home, the horses nestle in the idyllic peace of a secluded part of Kildare, and their journey to the racecourse is just as smooth and comfortable.

It’s a traditional stableyard with a comfortable rustic ambience that blends seamlessly with the more state-of-the-art features that are part of a modern racing establishment. Yet it’s also a production line of Group One and Grade One winners, at the centre of an industry.

“It’s like a small factory,” Harrington’s son-in-law, Richie Galway, observes, as Harrington sits with her family and gives some thought to how her business sits within the community. He recently took a backseat in his managerial role at Punchestown racecourse to devote those skills more fully to JHR (Jessica Harrington Racing), very much a business operation.

“Lots of our staff come in from Castledermot; a lot of them live there,” Richie points out. “There are a few who live here in Moone, but most travel in each day.” Castledermot is a bigger village 20 minutes away, with plenty of local shops, but most of its residents face a daily 90-minute commute to jobs in Dublin city centre.

The Irish rural landscape is changing at a quickening pace, with the so-called commuter belts widening and isolating communities. New housing estates replacing the farmland that no longer pays its way are home to those working in cities an hour or more away, and the homes largely stand empty during the day. Moone is becoming typical, with no local amenities, forcing the car to take over from walking, even for the school runs; and the opportunity to meet, mix and socialise are decreasing as a result. For JHR, the workplace is the hub of community.

View fullsize

“When the post office closed, it was a big loss,” Harrington reflects. “The postman now picks up our post when he delivers and he’s been very good. He makes sure he comes in to us first, so we receive everything earlier in the day, which is a benefit. In many places with just one postal service a day, it tends to be midday, and that must make it hard to organise an office when you’re waiting on something.”

The office is the main entrance room of the farmhouse, leading into the kitchen and hub of family life. It’s no different to any racing yard office—a little too small for the three women working away there and the volume of paperwork, calendars, diaries and newspapers they share it with in the race to stay ahead of the entries. It’s edge of the seat stuff, but only because the chairs are also occupied by the smaller of the dogs who share the space too.

There can be no better working environment, whether for Ally Couchman, office manager, Jessie’s two assistant trainers, her daughters Emma and Kate, and Richie in the office, or the 65 staff members who form part of Team Harrington, headed up by head lad Eamonn Leigh and yard manager Nigel Byrne. It’s hard to imagine where 65 employees would find work elsewhere, particularly the hands-on physical outdoor work that won’t be on offer in Dublin.

“I don’t know how vital we are to the community,” Harrington muses, a lady who prefers not to take credit where it may not be due, as she considers what her business brings to Moone.

Richie is more forthright. “There was a public meeting in Athy on the increased business rates affecting the shops and commercial premises in the area,” he recalls, “and Seamus O’Reilly stood up and stated that if it were not for Jessica Harrington Racing providing so much employment locally, none of the businesses would have the huge revenue that brings in.”

There’s more to it than revenue, of course. Horses engender a strong sense of attachment, and successful horses offer something even stronger—pride. This was never better illustrated than in March 2017, when Jessica was crowned Queen of Cheltenham. The homecoming she received caught her completely by surprise. Imagine Jubilees, Founders Days, Royal Weddings, and then add in the joy and fervour of ‘shared ownership’ as the people of Moone welcomed back their very own heroes.

Supasundae, Rock The World and Gold Cup hero Sizing John had helped to cement their trainer’s name in history as one of the most successful Irish trainers at the Cheltenham Festival and certainly the winning-most lady trainer, should we feel it’s necessary to make any distinction. Harrington’s record speaks for itself, and she’s on an equal-footing with all great trainers. Bringing home three cups from the 2017 Festival, the top prize itself among them, was suddenly Moone’s badge of honour, not just Harrington’s.

View fullsize

Sizing John and Jessica’s daughter, Kate.

“We had a homecoming for Sizing John, to parade him for the media and local fans, and it just took me so much by surprise,” admits Harrington. “The whole community seriously came out, everyone wanted photos taken, we were there for a good couple of hours. I remember worrying about everyone crowding behind the back of the horse, but he took it so well.

“They made me a huge banner; it stretched right across the street, ‘Moone’s Queen of Cheltenham’,” Harrington reveals with a smile. “They very kindly let me keep it, and we have it hanging up in the indoor arena. The village hall was opened up for tea and biscuits and buns and cakes for everyone. It’s amazing what it does for the community.”

TO READ MORE —

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD

January - March 2019, issue 64 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

January - March 2019, issue 64 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

WHY NOT SUBSCRIBE?

DON'T MISS OUT AND SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE THE NEXT FOUR ISSUES!

The importance of good nutrition and its bearing on mental health

By Lissa Oliver

Unique to the racing industry is the daily need for staff to meet required maximum weights. Many in racing already believe they understand nutrition and the best methods to make weight, using tried and tested practices that have been in common use for decades. The perceived success of such practices leads to an attitude of ‘it works for me’ and a reluctance to change or adopt new suggestions, and few consider the future consequences on health in later years.

Dehydrating and starvation to make weight is commonplace, and long periods in saunas and salt baths, laxatives and self-induced vomiting are familiar practices. The health implications associated with these include poor bone density, hormonal issues and impaired mood profile. Despite increased awareness of these problems, they remain as common globally as they were thirty years ago.

To help address this, the UK based Racing Foundation awarded a grant of just over £200,000 to support a ground-breaking, nutritional intervention programme developed over three years by a specialist team at the Research Institute of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University. The team is led by former jockey, Dr George Wilson, and includes the head of nutrition for cycling’s Team Sky, Dr James Morton, and Daniel Martin, a doctoral researcher and high-performance nutritionist for the Professional Jockeys Association.

Dr Wilson has already spent seven years (part-funded by the Sheikh Mansoor Racing Festival) researching the serious health implications of extreme weight-making practises in jockeys and has designed healthier, alternative weight-making programmes. In addition to offering the facilities at the University to measure bone and body composition, hydration, metabolism and provide strength and fitness assessments, he also works with racing organisations to provide workshops, tests, presentations and bespoke advice. He is in the ideal situation to conduct research into the health issues faced by racing staff, having ridden as a National Hunt jockey in his younger days.

“For my first ride as a conditional jockey at Southwell in 1985, I lost a stone in five days to make 10st (63.50 kg) minimum weight, felt awful and, given the occupational risks, I shouldn’t have been near a horse, let alone riding in a race,” he reflects on his experience. He later rode as an amateur mostly in point-to-points and hunter chases when weight became a problem. “Having ridden over jumps, I fully empathise with staff and understand the need for, and risks from, dehydration and starvation. Riding out stable staff are weighed in some yards and most vacancies are advertised with a maximum weight, so making weight is not just a problem for jockeys but also for a lot of racing staff.

“I was aware that not a lot had changed since my own time in yards in the 1980s and 1990s and so I decided to do my doctorate in the effects of common weight-making practices such as dehydration and nutrition (or lack of!). In 2009 I started my first research and have now had 11 papers published.”

Currently, Dr Wilson is studying the effects of diet, dehydration and bone health of jockeys, but, as he recognises, comparisons of bone density between standard 12st athletes and 9st, (57.15 kg), jockeys may have potential flaws given jockeys are an atypical population, being much smaller athletes. Furthermore, unlike other athletes, jockeys don’t tend to perform substantial hard surface training that helps maintain healthy bone metabolism.

Assisting Dr Wilson is Daniel Martin, and their paper, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health (31 August 2017), is the first body of research to investigate the opinions and practices of racehorse trainers in relation to rider welfare. Disappointingly for the researchers, from over 400 invitations, only five trainers expressed an interest to take part, something that certainly needs addressing.

A reluctance to face up to industry problems isn’t new and is not confined to trainers. “When I first went to the British racing industry authorities and said I wanted to do this, they originally didn’t offer any help,” he reveals. “There appeared to be a reluctance to accept that the current services and advice to help riders, particularly with weight-management, were clearly not working. Therefore, I just ‘kicked on’ with my research, and because jockeys had not received the sports science support in the past, they flocked to LJMU to undergo the testing and receive bespoke weight-management programmes.

View fullsize

“Thankfully, now everyone is aware of the issues and have embraced the research findings on healthier weight-management practices, and it appears we are all singing from the same hymn sheet. Indeed, Dr Jerry Hill, the Chief Medical Advisor at the British Horseracing Authority, is a collaborator on some of my recent published research and we have some other research projects we are currently working on together.”

Even so, it is an industry culturally-driven and based on the shared knowledge and experience of its senior professionals, which can represent an obstacle to Dr Wilson and his team when some of that knowledge is outdated and incorrect. As Martin explains within one of the published papers, “If apprentice and conditional jockeys can carry some knowledge of evidence-based practices and the dangers of traditional methods into their early careers, there will be less of a reliance on seeking advice from senior jockeys. Similarly, over time the ‘new’ practices will hopefully supersede the current archaic medley of dehydrative methods.”

It certainly behoves trainers to ensure that younger staff members are set good examples and it isn’t asking too much of their time or level of expertise to provide suitable meals, in yards where catering is offered. Where meals are not provided, posters and literature should be made available to display in the yard to help encourage awareness of a good diet.

TO READ MORE --

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD -

October - December 2018, issue 63 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Purchase in print

October - December 2018, issue 63 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to cart

WHY NOT SUBSCRIBE?

DON'T MISS OUT AND SUBSCRIBE TO RECEIVE THE NEXT FOUR ISSUES!

Are the elite sales horses being prepared for their big day in the ring or a career on the track?

By Lissa Oliver

A question that continues to divide commercial breeders and racehorse trainers is the definition of The Big Day. Many trainers believe too much pressure is put on horses during sales preparation, because for breeders the big day is a major price at a major sale. I therefore examined the high-end sales market, looking at the Top Ten sales toppers at major sales over a 10-year period, from 2005 to 2014, and their subsequent racing careers.

As we saw in the previous issue, the assumption that the highest-priced (and thereby possibly the recorders of the fastest times) breeze-up horses would be ready to run wasn't necessarily the case, with 40% of the graduates not seeing a racecourse until three-year-olds or older. Of those that raced as two-year-olds, the highest number of debuts were made in July, with August close behind. More started in September and October than in May and June, and only 11% managed to win first time out at two. Sixty percent ran at two, 26% won as two-year-olds, and 14% failed to reach the racecourse, with an overall figure of 56% winners from the Top Ten of the selected sales over the decade.

Similarly, the supposed advantage of choosing from mature horses at the National Hunt store sales wasn't obvious in the results. There were significantly fewer unraced purchases compared to the Flat sales, with 8% at the Derby Sale and only 4% at the Land Rover, but 59% of graduates went on to win, which was on a par with the breeze-up graduates and, as we shall now see, the yearlings. In fact, given the higher proportion of runners, the National Hunt store graduates could even be argued to have produced a poorer proportion of winners.

View fullsize

In this issue, therefore, I will examine the yearling sales and the subsequent racecourse performance of the elite Top Ten purchases at the selected sales from 2005 to 2014. Career earnings have been included, but only as a guide to the general ability of the horse. The trading of horses in training means that earnings themselves have little relevance on whether a horse turned a profit on its original purchase price, and the residual paddock value of fillies also renders their career earnings irrelevant.

What the career earnings did reveal was that some British-trained winners have amassed only €4,000 or less in earnings. This covers just eight weeks of training fees and is a derisible reward for a winning owner, particularly when in Ireland, for example, minimum prize money has risen from €6,000 to €10,000 and a single win could pay the bills for four or five months.

Despite the prevailing idea that sales toppers don’t live up to expectations, the last 10 years of data of graduates of racing age (400 horses in total) paints a far rosier picture. Though 14% remained unraced, there is still a reasonably high strike rate of 59% winners graduating from the Top Ten of the four major European yearling sales, 11% of graduates winning at blacktype level.

Goffs Orby....

TO READ MORE --

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD -

July - September 2018, issue 62 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

July - September 2018, issue 62 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

Why not subscribe?

Don't miss out and subscribe to receive the next four issues!

Brexit - How high are the stakes?

By Lissa Oliver

When Britain submitted its notice to withdraw from the EU in March 2017, one of the biggest issues became border control and movement of horses, particularly between the EU Republic of Ireland and its bordering British Northern Ireland. A hard border between the adjoining counties of Ireland presents its own physical and political difficulties, but any restriction on the movement of horses between Ireland, Britain, and mainland Europe gives rise to problems that affect us all.

The uncertainty of border control also impacts on the safety of the national herd and disease control. The main principle of the Tripartite Agreement was to prevent the spread of disease and that, as Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board’s chief veterinary officer Dr Lynn Hillyer reminds us, is crucial and arguably the biggest issue when it comes to Brexit negotiations.

View fullsize

Dr Lynn Hillyer

Currently, 10,000 horses move freely between the UK and Ireland every year. Seven thousand horses move overland between the Republic of Ireland (EU) and Northern Ireland (GB); 5,100 horses move between Ireland and France, the majority using Britain as a land bridge; and 5,000 horses move between Britain and France, according to Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) figures. Such freedom of movement is dependent upon the Tripartite Agreement, which will no longer be valid after 30th March 2019.

The Tripartite Agreement simplified the travel of horses between France, Britain, and Ireland and reduced the cost of moving horses between the three countries, allowing racehorses to be shipped without pre-movement veterinary checks and certification, and without the requirement for isolation and quarantine periods at their destinations.

“It’s not just about movement, it’s the protection of the herd against disease, and it’s absolutely critical that’s protected,” warns Dr Hillyer, who has been working with her French counterparts in ensuring that safeguards are in place in advance of the end of the Tripartite Agreement. “There has been added pressure on us because of the enormity of movement involved.”

Adding to the difficulty in resolving issues has been the British government’s reluctance to commit to decisions and state definite demands. MEP Mairead McGuinness has been advocating on behalf of Ireland and warned in January at the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders Association (ITBA) National Symposium, “We hope when we sit down to negotiate, common sense will prevail, but the EU is not prepared to tweak its principles to accommodate the UK. If we cannot overcome our problems, there will be real difficulties for your industry.”

Fortunately, there has been a concerted team effort between all sectors of the thoroughbred industry in France and Ireland as they united to draw up a proposal to replace the Tripartite Agreement. Rather than sit back and wait, they decided to put together a draft for an improved alternative to the Agreement, the High Health Status (HHS) document for horses. “What is lovely is how the racing bodies and breeding associations have all pulled together, and that’s something that has come through the talks really strongly,” Dr Hillyer says.

Working with the Turf Club were HRI, the ITBA, Horse Sport Ireland – the representative body for the sport horse sector of show jumpers, dressage, and eventers – and France Galop. Paul Marie Gadot, head of the horses and control department at France Galop, explains, “The EU Commission draft doesn’t fulfil all our wishes as the breeding stock isn’t included in their proposal. A lot of work is still to be done. To be clear, we are working on an expedited movement system for high health horses.

“Currently, we are going to suggest a solution to the European Commission, which is working on the new legislation regarding movements of horses in the European Community and with the third countries. Actually, we are trying to address the modification of the European Law regarding horse movement, which isn’t linked to the Brexit negotiations. This way is more technical and also safer. I will be happy when a new system allowing easy horse movements will be in place.”

Both Dr Hillyer and Gadot have been happy with the level of awareness and support from their respective governments. “Our contacts in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have been fantastic and their response to our queries have come back by return,” says Dr Hillyer.

“The public information seminars here are probably less frequent than in Ireland,” agrees Gadot. “The preparatory work is done with the representatives of the equine industry, especially at racing and breeding levels, and we are in permanent contact with the hard core in charge of preparing the future of racing and breeding in Ireland and UK.

TO READ MORE --

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD -

July - September 2018, issue 62 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

July - September 2018, issue 62 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

Why not subscribe?

Don't miss out and subscribe to receive the next four issues!

Stable Staff: How do European governments classify and enforce racing's workforce?

By Lissa Oliver

Just over a year ago, in February 2017, the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) served four Compliance Notices on Ballydoyle, the training establishment owned by Coolmore. Irish trainers held their breath as the result of an appeal by Ballydoyle was anxiously awaited. That appeal was rejected in January of this year and will result in major repercussions for the industry.

The WRC was established in October 2015 under the Workplace Relations Act 2015 and replaced the National Employment Rights Authority, the Labour Relations Commission, and the Director of the Equality Tribunal. During an inspection of Ballydoyle in May 2016, WRC inspectors identified breaches of the Organisation of Working Time Act, involving failure to provide sufficient breaks and rest periods for five grooms and exercise riders.

View fullsize

This situation arose from what many would argue to be the unnecessary February 2015 Irish Amendment of the 1976 Industrial Relations Act, which was amended to exclude the rearing and training of racehorses from being recognised as agricultural labour. Interestingly, stud farms and their staff are not affected by this ruling, as horse breeding is still considered to be an agricultural activity.

The amendment made was not required by European law, but individual nation states are free to make such exemptions within their own legal system as they deem necessary. Therefore, since February 2015, Irish racehorse training yards do not qualify for the same working hours exemptions that have been agreed in agricultural workplaces, as defined by industrial relations law.

The 2015 Amendment was not widely publicised and escaped the attention of most trainers, but the WRC targets two industries each year for inspections, and the equine industry was among those specifically targeted for 2017, with around 60 inspections carried out.

Why Ireland’s racing staff are not agricultural workers...

TO READ MORE --

BUY THIS ISSUE IN PRINT OR DOWNLOAD -

April - June 2018, issue 61 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

April - June 2018, issue 61 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

Why not subscribe?

Don't miss out and subscribe to receive the next four issues!

Lissa Oliver's Spring Sales Analysis

By Lissa Oliver

A question that has divided commercial breeders and racehorse trainers since Tattersalls first decided to auction thoroughbreds is the definition of The Big Day.

For trainers, it is a major race at a major festival. Although every commercial breeder dreams of a high-profile winner, their big day is a major price at a major sale. Why else do we differentiate between commercial breeders and those who breed to race, lamenting the loss of the traditional owner-breeder at every dispersal sale?

If the outcome of the matings and sales preparation resulted in The Big Day for both parties, there would be no complaints, but as some have learned to their cost, the sales topper doesn’t always reach such dizzy heights again. The excitement and anticipation generated by the final knock-down figure builds to hype if and when the sales topper makes its racecourse debut, but can sometimes be followed by immediate disappointment and obscurity.

But is this always the case, and for all of the elite sales horses? And how does a big day in the sales ring affect the elite two-year-olds, prepared for the breeze-up sales that are often referred to as ready-to-run sales? Are the juveniles ready to run or, as some trainers suspect, over-boiled?

To see if any emerging pattern can shed light on these questions, I looked at the racecourse performances of the best-selling breeze-up juveniles and three-year-old National Hunt store horses from certain sales. I chose the period of 2005 to 2014 to obtain 10 years of data and to allow for the most recent of the graduates to reach their potential on the track, and I followed the careers of the 10 highest-priced lots sold (not unsold or bought in) at each selected sale. Because the Goresbridge Breeze-Up sale only began in 2006, a total of 490 horses were included from the five selected sales.

View fullsize

As most trainers earn a living by trading horses, career earnings often have little relevance on whether or not a purchase turned a profit. Many of the graduates here have gone on to long careers in Japan, Hong Kong, Dubai, Australia, or the USA, so their second-hand value is likely to have exceeded their original purchase price. In the case of the fillies, a residual paddock value also renders their career earnings redundant. However, the earnings on track do provide a measure of the ability of the individual and the longevity of career. A non-blacktype winner amassing more than €30,000 has undoubtedly been a top-class handicapper or a tough and consistent performer throughout a lengthy career.

What is quite shocking to see is that some British-trained horses who have both won and placed second during their career have amassed only €4,000 or less in earnings. This covers just eight weeks of training fees and is surely scant reward for a winning horse, particularly when in Ireland, for example, minimum prize money has risen from €6,000 to €10,000 and a single win could pay the bills for five months.

Regardless of whether a Flat breezer or National Hunt store horse can recover its purchase price, we can be sure that the store horse will at least recover its physical and mental well-being by the time its career begins. Many trainers of two-year-olds argue differently when it comes to the breeze-up graduates and so we must also examine the results to see if the preparation for these sales has any negative effect. Though times are not officially taken at European breeze-up sales, it can be assumed that the 10 highest-priced two-year-olds put in the most impressive gallop, so it will be of interest to see how this impacts, if at all, their immediate career.

TO READ MORE --

Order this issue in print or download 

April - June 2018, issue 61 (PRINT)

£8.95

Quantity:

Add to Cart

April - June 2018, issue 61 (DIGITAL)

£4.95

Add to Cart

Why not subscribe?

Don't miss out and subscribe to receive the next four issues!

Starting Up: Where in the EU can New Trainers Get the Best Start?

View fullsize

Published in European Trainer, January - March 2018, issue 60.

In the previous issue of European Trainer (Issue 59, October-December 2017),  the Trainers’ Daily Rates Survey was summarised, while Europe’s best training centres were also featured. From the former we learned that only 38% of trainers derive their sole income from training, yet this doesn’t deter hopefuls from taking out their first licence. So, where is the best place to set up a new yard to tip the balance in your favour?

Just over half of European trainers keep between 10-50 horses; fewer than 10% have more, and it is generally not considered to be economically viable to train fewer than 30 horses. The average daily rate per horse charged by a trainer is €43, which would provide a weekly revenue of €9,030 for a 30-horse yard.

Comparing daily rate to staff wages, there is little benefit to be found in starting up in one country versus another. The EU minimum wage maintains a constant across the board although the stable staff associations of some countries, such as Ireland, do ensure that a higher rate is paid. Therefore, anywhere from 50-90% of the daily rate charged will go to staff. A shortage of good riders and experienced staff is currently being endured throughout Europe, so, again, a new trainer is free to choose any location...

To read more - subscribe now! 

Gallery

Staff Focus – You are Only as Good as Your Team

View fullsize

Published in European Trainer, January - March 2018, issue 60.

A major challenge facing trainers throughout Europe is the attraction and retention of skilled riders and grooms. Trainers are competing with many other industries, and fewer people favour the type of work offered in a racing yard, which means that trainers need to be more innovative and proactive when it comes to staff management, retention, and recruitment.

Entries for the Lycetts Team Champion Award in Britain closed on 1st December, but for those who didn’t enter, and for trainers in the rest of Europe, it is not too late to examine the aim behind the inaugural award and use the judging criteria to establish a team of excellence in your own yard.

The idea behind the Lycetts Team Champion Award is to reward the stables with good employment practices in place creating the best team ethos, and it is an initiative that will hopefully combat the long-term stable staff crisis affecting many yards. The award is judged on the methods trainers use to attract and retain staff, plus the safe working practices employed. The winning team receives an item of infrastructure or equipment that will improve working life within the yard.

It is hoped that the stories emerging from the award will publicly celebrate the benefits of teamwork and demonstrate that racehorse trainers provide rewarding and well-supported jobs, and this is an ethos that can be easily extended beyond the award itself...

To read more - subscribe now! 

The true cost of training

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

Click here to order this back issue!

The FRBC French Annual Review 2016-2017 shows that in 2016, the total distributed prize money in Britain, Ireland, France, and Germany was €528,357,185.

It’s interesting to note that in France (95%) in particular and in Ireland (65%), prize money is pretty much self-funded via racing organisations, which contribute only 48% to British prize money and as little as 4% to German prize money. The contribution from owners stands at 4% in France, 7% in Germany, 16% in Britain, and 23% in Ireland.

 With prize money recognised as the lifeblood of racing, it’s interesting to see where it originates and even more interesting to see where it goes. In Issue 39 of European Trainer (Autumn/Winter 2012) we featured the distribution of prize money, jockey and trainer fees, and percentages. At that time there were 1,500 licensed trainers throughout Europe chasing 10% of winning prize money, from which further deductions in many cases brought that down to 7%.

 The figures have changed little since, and it’s no surprise that the majority of trainers continue to survive largely on the trading of horses. Selling winning horses out of a stable can hardly be viewed as a sustainable business plan and it is never going to help trainers in the lower tier break through into the higher ranks when their best horses are sold and moved to other yards.

 With so many relinquishing their licence each year due to rising costs and the inability to make training pay, there have been recent calls to put more in place to help trainers. Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) earlier this year launched a trainer marketing scheme to assist in attracting new owners, as well as the new “Experience It” campaign to provide potential owners with the experience of a day at the races as an owner. HRI also plans to assist in the collection of training fees to protect against non-payers.

 Gaining new owners and ensuring that they pay is only half the battle, however, and the high-profile removal of Gigginstown Stud-owned horses from Willie Mullins has highlighted the problem of the fees themselves. Mullins is not alone in maintaining the same weekly fee for 10 years, and the example set by Gigginstown shows the dangers of increasing fees when that is no longer viable. Wages, insurance, utility bills, diesel, and feed and bedding prices have all increased during the past decade but most training fees have not, which means trainers have effectively reduced their fees each year.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!

Staff Focus: Work experience and the pathways into racehorse care

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

Click here to order this back issue!

The pedigrees of racing’s human participants are often as impressive as the horses in their care, but the industry is doing all it can to attract and welcome newcomers from outside of any equestrian background in the hope they might establish future dynasties of their own.

A shortage of staff Europe-wide means it is vital that new initiatives are introduced and supported, to encourage young people to seek careers within racing.

A traditional route into racing has always been simply knocking at a door and asking. While many trainers will welcome schoolchildren looking to gain experience, not every trainer finds them useful and not every young person finds the experience useful. The key lies in matching the correct yards to those taking a keen interest, and the Racing To School programme in Britain and the similar Go Racing Kids’ Club in Ireland are proving beneficial in that respect.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE!

Michael Hourigan - The Gadget Man

CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ

To shoe or not to shoe, that is the question

CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ ARTICLE

THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - EUROPEAN TRAINER - ISSUE 43

European prize money payment

CLICK ON IMAGE TO READ ARTICLE
(European Trainer - issue 33 - Spring 2011)