The Irish Trainer THE NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF THE IRISH RACEHORSE TRAINERS ASSOCIATION. Emotional Durkan win for Sizing John. Saturday 14 April 2018

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1 JANUARY 2018 The Irish Trainer THE NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF THE IRISH RACEHORSE TRAINERS ASSOCIATION Emotional Durkan win for Sizing John Gold Cup hero returns in top-class form just weeks after the passing of Alan Potts Saturday 14 April 2018 The Randox Health Grand National 2018 (Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 1)) Total prize fund 1,000,000 ENTRY DEADLINE: 12 pm, Tuesday, 30 January 2018 Please contact Andrew Tulloch (Clerk of the Course) at for further details.

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3 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 Foreword Firstly I would like to thank everyone who attended the AGM on Tuesday, 28 November. We had a good turnout, where a lot of issues were discussed. I can assure the members the Committee will be working hard on your behalf during the year. It is not always possible to have all the trainers wishes granted, but we do our best to put the trainers viewpoints to the relevant bodies, the Turf Club and HRI Those who were unable to attend on the day and would like a copy of the minutes, please contact the office on or office@irta.ie On a point of safety please ensure that your staff wear hi-visibility jackets when riding out on these dark mornings. Kind regards, Michael Grassick / Irish Racehorse Trainers Association CONTENTS Rule change for handicap chase ratings...4 Winners Abroad...5 COVER PHOTO: Trainer: Mrs John Harrington Jockey: R M Power Owner: Ann & Alan Potts Limited Breeder: Bryan & Sandra Mayoh, Eskdale Stud Photographer: Caroline Norris Upcoming sales dates...5 Interview: Pat Keogh, Chief Executive, Leopardstown...6 IRTA AGM report...11 Runners in British NH Festival races...14 Irish Racehorse Trainers Association Curragh House, Dublin Road, Kildare Chief Executive: Chairman: Vice Chairman: Michael Grassick Noel Meade Michael Halford Tel: Fax: Mob: office@irta.ie Council Members: Jim Gorman Jessica Harrington Andrew McNamara Aidan O Brien Patrick Prendergast Jnr. Eoin Griffin Tom Hogan Eric McNamara Andy Oliver Dermot Weld Published monthly by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. For all advertising enquiries please call: VISIT FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES 03

4 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 Note for Trainers Information regarding change to Rule 68 This rule change gives the handicapper the discretion to allot Steeplechase ratings to moderate, exposed horses over hurdles once they have run in 1 Steeplechase as opposed to 2 Steeplechases as the rule states to date. This will benefit trainers of low-grade hurdlers from having to compete on level terms over fences against some of the previous season s high-class novice hurdlers, and struggling to compete as a result, often in extreme conditions. The Stewards of the INHSC have agreed to this rule change and will review it thereafter. It has been agreed with the Irish Racing Trainers Association. It is to be used by the Handicapper at his absolute discretion, treating each horse individually, and taking each case on its merits. He can use this discretion not to handicap a horse after 1 Steeplechase run, even though it may appear to the trainer that his horse satisfies the criteria outlined below. He can use this discretion to mark a horse N.H. (Not Handicapped) when it is entered in a handicap chase even though he may have been allotted a Steeplechase rating based on 1 Steeplechase run previously, if: 1 the horse shows improved form over hurdles since he was allotted the Steeplechase rating and hasn t run in a handicap chase or 2 the horse changes trainer before it runs in a handicap chase. Such horses may be required to run in at least one more Steeplechase before being qualified to run in a handicap chase. He will use the following criteria when assessing whether to allot a Steeplechase rating after 1 run: 1 The horse will be rated 102 or less over hurdles and 2 Will have run at least 4 times in handicap hurdles (i.e. in the opinion of the handicapper, the horse will be well exposed and he will be satisfied with his evaluation of the horse based on all known form.) 04

5 Winners Abroad Aidan O Brien moved the benchmark up another notch when Highland Reel made it 28 Group 1 s for 2017 with victory in the Hong Kong Vase at Shah Tin and as already acknowledged, a fantastic achievement. Elsewhere, British Art obliged at Newcastle for Keith Watson. On the National Hunt scene things moved up a gear. Willie Mullins had an excellent double with Total Recall victorious in the Ladbroke Gold Cup at Newbury and Bene Des Dieux in the Houghton Mares Listed Race at Carlisle. Carlisle also produced a winner for Stuart Crawford when Our Valentina landed the final of the Northern Lights Series Final. Then we had High Expectations at Leicester for Gordon Elliott, Rare Legend at Huntingdon for Shark Hanlon and Famous Lily in the Juvenile Hurdle (L) at Aintree for Gavin Cromwell. As we go to press, 2017 has a bit more to run but by any standard it has been a most successful year. A great reflection on the industry and onwards to Every success is wished for the New Year and Well Done. UPCOMING SALES DATES JAN JAN 1-2 FEB 7-9 FEB 15 FEB 15 MAR GOFFS UK - January Sale 2018 TATTERSALLS IRELAND - February National Hunt Sale TATTERSALLS - February Sale GOFFS - February Sale 2017 TATTERSALLS (IRE) CHELTENHAM - Cheltenham February Sale TATTERSALLS (IRE) CHELTENHAM - Cheltenham Festival Sale 05

6 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 Michael Grassick in conversation with Chief Executive, Leopardstown Racecourse MICHAEL: Talk us through your programme for the year. PAT: We hold 23 race days, 15 of those are Flat. The National Hunt season for us is quite short, it s a challenge for a dual-purpose track to maximise the ground for both codes. We build our hurdles and fences from scratch every year. The most important thing is that we present the best possible ground for racing. We are often asked why we don t have another National Hunt meeting before Christmas but it isn t feasible if we re to have the track in the best possible condition for those four days of racing which are so important. We re looking forward to the new two-day Dublin Racing Festival, it s a big and very exciting challenge. We felt the three meetings before were fine, but we couldn t quite get them to the level they deserved to be at for such quality racing. The Stan James Irish Gold Cup fell a bit too close to Cheltenham and some trainers want more of a break, so the Dublin Racing Festival, a week earlier, is nicely timed. The most important people in our industry are the owners and their representatives, the trainers, and we sounded them out when we were considering whether the new festival would work and how we should go about it. We also worked very closely with Jason Morris and the team in HRI to come up with a programme. We then had to talk to our existing sponsors as they have a very important role in the event. These days it s all about festivals, be it sport or entertainment; they re becoming more and more important. People love these big days and they want quality. If you produce that, you have a good chance of having a successful event. MG: Was it an easy sell? PK: Sponsors nowadays have a lot of choice and all investment can be measured, so sponsorship must prove its value and there are many other potential opportunities besides racing. On our side is the very strong position of Irish racing. Irish racing is in a very good place, our racing is top quality and this is well recognised. Festivals are the shop window of Irish racing and the sponsors really liked the Dublin Racing Festival. All our existing sponsors of the corresponding races will be involved and we have attracted a number of new ones, which is great. 06

7 MG: Competing against international horses opens the door to which of our horses suit the major foreign races and provides an insight in class and conditions. We might change our opinion of what we had thought of as the right horse. PK: International racing is so important and it is great to see the best horses racing against each other all over the world. Irish racing is being watched around the world and it is great to see the growth of streaming which facilitates this global viewing. The racing world is a small place now. The strength of the Longines Irish Champions Weekend is attracting British and French runners to Leopardstown and the Curragh and we will hopefully have a German runner before too long. We are keen to attract Japanese horses. Racing is so well supported in Japan that if we had a Japanese runner, it would attract a big travelling party and also increase the viewing of the racing in Japan. We were unlucky this year with the Japanese horse, but it will happen. We have guaranteed entry races in both Germany and Japan and these are great to promote the Longines Irish Champions Weekend. MG: Bigger trainers find it difficult to get owners to come to midweek meetings, such as Thursday evenings. Owners want to make a weekend of it. PK: We haven t heard from trainers. The meetings are midweek as many people leave Dublin on the weekends during the summer. These are very popular with companies as either staff events or to entertain customers. That target audience would be much smaller at the weekend. The overall atmosphere of the evening appeals and they have racing at the core. This isn t always the case in Britain where the sport can be overpowered by the music. We see it as an opportunity to promote racing to a wider audience. We monitor the numbers who come for the music and we re pleased that generally they arrive early and are there for the racing. We also know that they subsequently return for non-music race days, so having experienced racing, they want to come back. We have an average of 5,000 at each of the Bulmers Live at Leopardstown Evenings and many of them are witnessing racing for the first time. If we didn t have the music you could very conservatively take 25% off our attendance figures for those meetings. There used to be a couple of Saturday evening meetings in Leopardstown and they worked well. This was long before my time and they were then changed to midweek. We have eight Bulmers Evenings each year and they attract in excess of 40,000 people. That is a big number and it accounts for almost 25% of our total attendance. We are trying to create an atmosphere and it is nice for the owners to see a good attendance when they have runners. When you re there collecting your trophy you want people around the rails watching. Our student race days are also very successful and they are definitely coming back for subsequent race days. Student race days have to be properly continued 07

8 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 The owner is king. He buys the horse, pays the training fees, it goes right back to the breeder and the owner pays for the lot. We must realise the importance of the owner, we ve no show without him. managed and you have to have the facilities for them. While we were learning it was a risk, but we ve got better and the students are definitely taking more of an interest in the racing. MG: Having lost the five-furlong and sixfurlong track, are there talks of a new sprint track? PK: It was looked at when the motorway was built but it was deemed to be too big a challenge and would have been too expensive. It would have involved moving the stable yard and would have gone over the existing reservoir. It could always be looked at again but it would be a very big decision. Given the capital cost of the project you would have to be sure that it could be justified. There has been good progress on the various sprint tracks around the country. Naas have done a great job on theirs and Cork are about to extend theirs to seven furlongs. While a sprint track would be nice to have in Leopardstown, it isn t essential. We have a very significant capital investment programme in place and have already spent 20m on the facilities. We have just received approval for the next phase. This is our development priority, so when we have that completed and paid for, we can start looking at future projects. Pat Keogh moment, but if we get 16,000 in and the weather s bad, the customer experience isn t where it needs to be. Our Weighing Room is well past its sell by date as are many of the other facilities for the support services. It is a priority to bring all these up to best standard as quickly as possible. MG: The initiative of the new owners lounge is an excellent one and the facilities there are a huge success. You've set the bar very high for others to follow, you have it right. PK: The owner is king. He buys the horse, pays the training fees, it goes right back to the breeder and the owner pays for the lot. We must realise the importance of the owner, we ve no show without him. It was the very strong view of the Leopardstown Committee, that if we were going to create a facility, take the best possible place and that s where the owner should be accommodated. We are very pleased with how the Leopardstown Lounge has worked out and the reaction from the owners has been very positive. continued MG: When will work start at Leopardstown? PK: We expect work to commence immediately after the Longines Irish Champions Weekend next September. It s an eighteen-month build and we ll continue to race throughout the redevelopment programme. It s very exciting and will bring Leopardstown to another level. We can comfortably look after up to 15,000 at the 08

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10 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 MG: It gives them an identity. Perhaps they themselves aren't top sportsmen, but racing gives them that. Was it money well spent? PK: Yes, it was money very well spent. That is our investment in the owner s experience. If an owner has two choices of where to run, he'll pick the one where he will enjoy the experience. Racing needs more owners and the racecourses have an important role in enhancing the ownership experience. It is vital that we support the trainers in attracting new owners to the sport. I believe that the facilities have improved all around the country and that is great to see. MG: Have the problems regarding the road crossing been rectified? PK: There were issues with the change in the levels and we've dealt with that. The problem is, there are major services running directly beneath the road it so it can't be moved. The colour of the surface had also been a problem, so we now dye it. We are satisfied that we have dealt with the issue but will keep it under review. MG: It's the best drained track in the country and good winter ground. PK: One thing Leopardstown has is an incredible surface. The quality of the soil, even up to two-foot down, is to die for, it's beautiful soil. The track had been holding water, so we did a thorough drainage job on it. It can now take quite a bit of rain and that is really important in protecting our National Hunt fixtures. Willie Gibbons minds it like it's his own, as his father did before him. We're very lucky to have an excellent team in Leopardstown who strive to present a lovely surface for each meeting. We have a very good young team here to support our ambitious plans. David Attwood is our Operations Manager and Vicki Donlon heads our marketing and events team. We want to do justice to Irish racing and we're the only shop window in Dublin which has great potential for racing. MG: When the Curragh is completed, will that boost your own Longines Irish Champions Weekend day? PK: The Curragh development is very exciting and will be a big boost for Irish racing. It will be great to have the new Curragh for the Longines Irish Champions Weekend in Ireland needed a showcase on the world stage and we are very pleased with how it has gone. It has been a great addition to Irish racing and I have absolute confidence in the concept. Course manager, Willie Gibbons (right) HRI s Jason Morris 10

11 AGM report More than 50 trainers were welcomed by Chairman Noel Meade at the AGM held 28 November at the Keadeen Hotel in Newbridge, where Noel assured members he would be remaining as Chairman until an ongoing legal case has been resolved. He also gave a word of caution about dealing with the media, as headlines can be misleading and many reporters jump on sensationalist opportunities that can be harmful to the industry. Brendan Duke, Patrick Prendergast and Eric McNamara were proposed for the two positions available on the Council, the latter two securing the necessary votes for re-election. Members were reminded of the Benevolent Fund and may get in touch with the IRTA office should they find themselves in financial difficulty or require assistance. Michael Grassick, CEO, then gave a detailed report on the year s events and issues, many of which are outlined within his review of the year, elsewhere in this issue. He began by explaining the Stable Staff Pension Scheme. It is hoped that by mid-2018 there will be 4,000-4,500 in each member s pension fund, available to view online and covering all 32 counties. The deed of adherence forms must be completed immediately and returned to HRI, as the deadline was 13 November. Copies were available on the day for those needing them. The issue of rates Patrick Prendergast revaluation was discussed, with Meath the next county to be affected, in IRTA has appointed Eamonn Halpin and company as advisors and a special rate of 400 plus VAT is available to members. In Kildare, appeals proved successful, with a 32%-35% reduction on average. Trainers being revalued are advised to contact the IRTA office and their local politicians and councillors for support. Regarding work permits, two unsuccessful applications were made in 2017 and a specialist has made representations on behalf of IRTA, sending a new submission to Minister Frances Fitzgerald. An update will be issued to members when available. The situation with the Workplace Commission and Working Time Act is also ongoing and IRTA awaits the outcome of the Eric McNamara continued 11

12 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 Ballydoyle case to see if the result will be of any benefit to members. It has also proven difficult to establish an agreement with HRI concerning the direct payment of training fees. Dr. Lynn Hillyer Michael also referred to the contamination case in 2016 involving the detection of caffeine, and the similar case more recently, and IRTA will seek legal advice on all options. To date there has been no official response from the Turf Club. On a more positive note, HRI responded to requests from members to stage more races over certain periods of time and Michael thanked Shane Doyle for his help and HRI for its flexibility in staging the additional races. On the sticky subject of UK handicappers, Michael reflected on the annual outcry over the weights allotted to Irish horses entered in Cheltenham handicaps. Irish trainers having won seven of the 10 handicaps last year, he pointed out that it s difficult to complain, but if any trainer is considering making an entry in England it is advisable to contact the BHA handicapper, who will give you a rating for your horse prior to making any entry. Horses imported from outside Ireland with an official rating of 60 or less will be allowed to run in handicaps, but will have to run off a mark of 60. HRI made an application for the rule change Garry O Gorman to the Turf Club in July on behalf of the IRTA submission and this is expected to be applied in mid-december. A positive outcome is also expected with regard to IRTA complaints against the 200 fine imposed for change of headgear. IRTA has also successfully appealed a number of fines imposed on trainers regarding passport irregularities and any trainer fined is advised to contact the IRTA office for advice. Similarly, where the handicapper refuses to allow a handicapped horse to run over a distance that the horse has not run previously, Garry O Gorman sends a list for review by IRTA and if Michael feels it is an unfair assessment, IRTA will make representation on behalf of the trainer. There have been a number of successes during the year. With Turf Club and Department of Agriculture inspections set to continue, trainers are advised that the Department of Agriculture has the authority to search any yard and any vehicles in the yard, without a warrant. The position in the areas of responsibility of the Department of Agriculture remain animal health, veterinary 12

13 medicines and all aspects relating to animal welfare and ancillary related matters, such as animal identification and registration of premises where equines are kept. Michael then touched upon the poor standard of stable yards at racetracks. With HRI grant-aiding projects, there is no excuse for Michael Grassick racecourses not to comply with guidelines. A consultation process between Paul Murtagh, Lynn Hillyer and IRTA is in progress. Michael concluded in noting the decline in the number of trainers to 372 currently. Since 2010, 22 new trainers took out licences, but only 15 of those now still hold a licence. There were 15 new trainers this year, the lowest number recorded. Members in attendance then raised concerns about the points discussed. Three members pointed out they had not received the necessary letter in advance of the Turf Club inspections, while one trainer was only handed the letter at the time of inspection. It was also noted that some Turf Club inspections had exceeded their remit and carried out the duties of the Department of Agriculture, not present at the time. There was mainly positive reaction to the book recording working hours and breaks, which has proved helpful in 70 Workplace Commissions inspections this year. The book is available to members on the IRTA website. The racing programme gave rise to animated discussion, one member pointing out there are only eight juvenile hurdles, with three before 10th December, three months behind the UK. Eric McNamara explained he attended the programmes meeting and there are 29 beginner chases from 1st January to 25th April. IRTA managed to get four races for horses rated less than 102. We had none before the meeting and left with four - one in January, one in February, one in March and one in April. This is good progress. Eric asked members to notify IRTA of any race programme issues they would like dealt with. Regarding a request for extended handicaps on the Flat, Michael Grassick pointed out that over the next two weeks a review is to take place of the lower grade handicaps on the flat within HRI. IRTA will be taking part and one of the proposals is to accommodate horses rated between and A need for more races was called for as they are the horses keeping people in business and the horses we can sell on. Fines regarding passports also caused heated discussion, prompting Michael Grassick to advise, From the beginning of the year up to 28th November, there were 106,000 fines issued on trainers, of which 36,000 were passport irregularities. The money goes to the Turf Club and is then deducted from the HRI money. If there are fines in relation to vaccinations that you feel you have a case against, you need to let me know. Dr Lynn Hillyer and her staff had been known to make mistakes, an accepted passport incurring a fine on another inspection, so appeals are necessary. The meeting concluded shortly before 5.30pm. 13

14 THE IRISH TRAINER / JANUARY 2018 Irish runners in British NH handicaps Over the past few years, we have had the annual outcry over the weights allotted to Irish horses entered in the handicaps at the spring festivals. Whilst it creates plenty of newspaper coverage for journalists, sometimes it can get nasty, which is a pity but I suppose it is all part of the game. However as we won 7 of the 10 handicaps last season, it s difficult to complain! The idea is that any trainer in the country can have access to their BHA mark via a simple which will normally be answered within 24 hours, 48 hours at most. The BHA Handicappers say that they are perfectly willing to discuss a trainer s horse if he/she has an issue with its mark. Far better to have that discussion before you enter (rather than afterwards, when it is too late), just as what seems to happen every year before Cheltenham and usually extends to Aintree. To contact the Handicappers, please All chasers, Phil Smith (psmith@britishhorseracing.com) Hurdlers from 2m - 2m3f, David Dickinson (ddickinson@britishhorseracing.com) Hurdlers 2m4f+, Martin Greenwood (mgreenwood@britishhorseracing.com) It might help diffuse the annual outcry and get Brexit off to a good start! 14

15 The 2018 IRTA Racing Diary WHO WHAT WHERE WHEN NEW & IMPROVED FOR 2018 JUST 29 Order copies for your office and owners today call

16 NAME OF RACE THE FESTIVAL 2018 EARLY CLOSING DATES DATE OF RACE 2018 CLOSING DATE 2018 SCRATCH DATE 2018 The Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup 16th March 8th Jan 12th Feb The Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase 14th March 8th Jan 12th Feb The Ryanair Steeple Chase 15th March 8th Jan 12th Feb The Unibet Champion Hurdle 13th March 15th Jan 12th Feb The Sun Bets Stayers Hurdle 15th March 15th Jan 12th Feb The OLBG Mares Hurdle 13th March 15th Jan 12th Feb The Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy 13th March 22nd Jan 19th Feb The RSA Steeple Chase 14th March 22nd Jan 19th Feb The National Hunt Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Amateur Riders) 13th March 22nd Jan 19th Feb The JLT Novices Chase 15th March 22nd Jan 19th Feb The Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle 13th March 29th Jan 19th Feb The Ballymore Novices Hurdle 14th March 29th Jan 19th Feb The JCB Triumph Hurdle 16th March 29th Jan 19th Feb The Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle Race 16th March 29th Jan 19th Feb The Ultima Handicap Steeple Chase 13th March 19th Feb The Fred Winter Juvenile Novices Handicap Hurdle 14th March 19th Feb The Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 14th March 19th Feb The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup 15th March 19th Feb The Close Brothers Novices Handicap Steeple Chase 13th March 19th Feb The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) 15th March 19th Feb The Pertemps Final Network Final Handicap Hurdle 15th March 19th Feb The Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle Race 16th March 19th Feb The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Steeple Chase 16th March 19th Feb The Randox Health County Handicap Hurdle 16th March 19th Feb The Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase 14th March 26th Feb The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (NH Flat Race) 14th March 26th Feb The Trull House Stud Mares Novices Hurdle 15th March 26th Feb The St. James s Place Foxhunter Steeple Chase Challenge Cup 16th March 26th Feb If you have any questions about the race programme, please contact Simon Claisse on or via Simon.Claisse@thejockeyclub.co.uk Any queries regarding tickets, lunches or any aspect of your visit please contact Victoria Bowen-Jones on or via Victoria.Bowen-Jones@thejockeyclub.co.uk. For all race conditions head to: