Helping the Racehorse Owners Association

The letter below arrived in my inbox from the Racehorse Owners Association this week and, concious that they are keen to learn more about the thoughts and experiences of owners, I can think of no better way to help them than to ask our blog followers and owners to help out. I know they will be very grateful if you can take the time to complete the survey and, as a trainer who has for years, banged on about the importance of our owners,  their enjoyment and experiences - I think think this a great opportunity for us all to have our voices heard.  

Dear Mrs Duffield,

I am contacting you on behalf of the British Horseracing Authority and Racehorse Owners Association as we have now launched the National Racehorse Owners Survey, the largest of its kind ever undertaken in Great Britain.

The survey will anonymously canvas the views of racehorse owners past and present and is part of the industry’s “Strategy For Growth”. The survey will help us better understand the motives and thoughts of owners and the results will be shared industrywide in order to help devise strategies to better recruit and retain racehorse owners and improve the ownership experience.

The short survey can be accessed via this link: http://www.telluswhatyouthink-sport.com/s/OwnersSurvey2016

 To ensure that the results are as robust as possible, it is hoped that you may be able to share this link amongst your owners via email and social media to give them the opportunity to shape the future of the ownership experience.

Elsewhere in racing, this week saw record prices for two year olds in the breeze up sales at Newmarkets "Craven" sale. The report from the sale is below.

Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up finished with a flourish on the second day with twelve lots selling for 200,000 guineas or more, taking the two-day total to 17, compared with 13 at this sale last year. Trade on the second day was headed by a colt by THE FACTOR that made 350,000 guineas on a day that saw 41 lots sell for 5,094,000 guineas, at an average of 124,244 guineas and a median of 100,000 guineas. The two-day sale saw 78 lots sell for 8,641,500 guineas, at an average of 110,788 guineas and a median of 77,500 guineas. The average was up 8% and the median up 9% to a new record.

The top lot on the second day of the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale was the colt by THE FACTOR, the Grade 1 winning son of WAR FRONT. Consigned from Tony & Roger O’Callaghan’s Tally-Ho Stud, the son of the Listed winning DEPUTY COMMANDER mare SWEET BELLE was knocked down to Jamie McCalmont for 350,000 guineas after he saw off determined efforts from David Redvers and Shadwell Estates’ Angus Gold.

"He did a fabulous breeze, I don't think there is another here with a stride like him, and it was especially impressive as ground conditions weren't in his favour," said McCalmont, who bought the colt on behalf of a partnership between Coolmore and Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables.

.At the conclusion of the 2016 Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale, Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“The feature of the 2016 Craven Breeze Up Sale has been the strength of demand at the top of the market. The sale is a proven consistent source of top class performers on the global stage and leading international buyers, most notably from the Gulf region and Hong Kong, have made a significant impact. This year’s Craven catalogue is numerically the smallest this century and understandably the turnover has not matched last year’s level, but there have been some outstanding pinhooking successes, more lots sold for 200,000 guineas and above than last year, a new record median and a sale average second only to the 2013 sale.

“Every year we reflect upon the professionalism of our Breeze Up consignors and this year is no exception. Yet again they have brought a magnificent collection of two year olds to the Craven Breeze Up and we confidently expect to see graduates of the sale performing at the highest level throughout 2016 and beyond. In the meantime we look forward to the forthcoming Tattersalls Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale and to sustaining the momentum established over the last two days."

The next sale at Tattersalls is the Guineas Breeze Up and Horses in Training Sale on April 28 – 29.

We tend to swerve this sale because prices are so high and the horses are either exceptionally good and cost fortunes or very slow and often extremely immature while still costing the earth,  but that doesn't mean we don't have our ears to the ground and finger on the pulse - in case one might slip through the net.