Al Boum Photo to claim repeat victory in Gold Cup

Having waited so long for a first success in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, Willie Mullins is poised to make it two in a row, thanks to Al Boum Photo (3.30). The rangy bay ground his way remorselessly to the prize a year ago and something similar will probably be good enough against a list of rivals with questions to answer.

For years, Mullins used to joke that he had no idea what makes a Gold Cup winner but the formula he hit on with Al Boum Photo last year, having a quiet prep run at Tramore on New Year’s Day, has been repeated.

His effort in south-east Ireland looks even better than last year’s and he should be hard to beat.

Some in this field can win if they return to their best, like Kemboy, who has been gradually working back to form, and Lostintranslation, whose King George run was hopeless. Stable form is a concern for him.

Race times on Thursday suggest there is still plenty of juice in the ground, so Clan Des Obeaux may struggle to stay the trip. Santini and Delta Work are highly capable but possibly just short of the required level. If there is a shock, it could be Chris’s Dream, a progressive type with Henry de Bromhead. The way he bolted up in the Troytown suggests he may stay on into the places here.

1.30 Triumph Hurdle There is the potential for a real burn-up here and that ought to help A Wave Of The Sea, widely seen as a lucky winner of one of the key trials at Leopardstown. He stayed on strongly and this more galloping circuit will play to his strengths. The question is whether Solo may have gone beyond recall by the time he gets going.

2.10 County Hurdle It has been a superlative week for JP McManus, who has one of the most interesting runners in Saint Roi. He jumped poorly on his Irish debut but was a lot slicker and quicker at Tramore on New Year’s Day and looks very fairly treated for this handicap debut.

2.50 Albert Bartlett Hurdle Poor efforts this week by Sporting John and Defi Du Seuil provide something to worry about for fans of Thyme Hill, their stablemate. His route, from the Champion Bumper, is not the most conventional for this race. Latest Exhibition looks a stout stayer in the making and he was good enough to overcome a steady pace last time.

4.50 Grand Annual Chase Gordon Elliott is well placed to take the final two handicaps, starting here with Chosen Mate. He has been making steady progress over fences in non-handicaps and is somehow rated lower than when contesting a Grade One at Aintree last spring.

5.30 Martin Pipe Hurdle Elliott has a few contenders for this, a race he always targets, and Column Of Fire appeals most, with the promising Eoin Walsh aboard, trying to follow up his Leinster National win from Sunday. Column Of Fire stayed on well to be third of 28 on his handicap debut last time and there is better to come.

BHA confirms positive test as Hughie Morrison fights to clear his name

Trainer says he will do everything in his power to prove himself innocent

Hughie Morrison faces a fight to clear his name after Our Little Sister tested positive for Nandrolone

Martin Lynch

1 of 1

By Scott Burton 10:36AM, MAY 18 2017

Hughie Morrison has pre-empted disciplinary charges from the BHA by issuing the strongest possible defence of himself and his staff, having revealed that Our Little Sister tested positive for an anabolic steroid at Wolverhampton on January 14. 

The BHA confirmed the positive test on Thursday afternoon and said that the matter would be passed to its disciplinary panel.

Morrison is one of the training fraternity’s most vocal advocates of clean racing and is offering a £10,000 reward for information which could help to shed light on how and when nandrolone got into Our Little Sister’s system. 

"The point to make is that any trainer that gives a horse an anabolic steroid is committing professional suicide," said Morrison. "If you give it something to enhance its chances of winning and it is going to be tested, it’s madness."

It is understood Morrison first received notice of the failed test on February 3 but had to wait until now - a matter of hours after he went public with the failed test - for the BHA to formally charge him with an offence which carries a ban with an entry level of two years and an upper limit of ten. 

Morrison has called in a United States-based expert as well as the Thames Valley Police in an effort to prove outside meddling, going to the lengths of commissioning a hair analysis for Our Little Sister. 

"We had 77 horses tested three weeks later and they were all clear, including Our Little Sister,” said Morrison. “Clearly the horse only had one shot of the stuff from a source that we can’t find. 

"We all know the rules of racing. I am the responsible person and if there is a banned substance, I am guilty unless I can prove myself innocent. I have to do everything in my power to prove myself innocent."

Cumani suspended from training over strangles outbreak

 

Matt Cumani, the son of Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani, has been suspended from training in Australia after failing to adhere to Racing Victoria protocols following the outbreak of strangles at his stable last year.
Cumani, 36, has made a successful start to his training career after starting out last year, but is now suspended from having any runners until August.
At a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday, it was revealed that Cumani became aware one of the horses in his care was exhibiting signs of strangles on October 27 but he did not report this to the authorities until November 23.
Strangles is a highly contagious disease in horses that can cause respiratory problems. Other animals and people can act as carriers of the disease, and during the period when Cumani was aware of a possible outbreak, he held an open day at his yard.
Cumani pleaded guilty to two charges, one for conduct prejudicial to the image of racing and the second for not notifying authorities he had horses who were infected
Judge Bowman, who presided over the panel, had considered disqualifying Cumani, but opted instead for a suspension in the light of positive character references for the trainer.
"Luckily the spread of disease was not as bad as what it could have been," Bowman said.
"A clear message must be sent to trainers in the industry that the reporting of outbreaks of listed diseases must be done in the quickest possible manner."
As well as the suspension, Cumani was fined A$20,000. His decision not to notify the authorities sooner was highlighted by Bowman, who added: "You were specifically told of your duty to report by your vet Dr Anderson in late October 2016 but you did not do this until November 23, when the cat was effectively out of the bag.
"Instead of quarantining your stable of horses, you simply continued to train and certainly took some measures in relation to controlling it, it was no means complete.
"Your primary obligation is to report to the stewards immediately, instead you pressed on, possibly influenced by the fact you were going to have your first Melbourne Cup runner.
"Essentially you put your interests ahead of those of the stewards, your fellow trainers, proprietors of other racing establishments and your owners."
Cumani was was represented at the hearing by barrister Joe Ferwerda, who said his client had taken full responsibility for his actions

Windsor clerk replaced as Arc embarks on damage limitation

 Arena Racing Company has taken strong action in a bid to shore up horsemen's confidence in Windsor by replacing the clerk of the course who on Monday for the second consecutive year officiated over a mid-meeting abandonment brought about by serious safety concerns.
Twelve months on from the Listed Sky Bet Royal Windsor Stakes being lost when racing was halted after three events, one of the highlights in Windsor's calendar was again sacrificed following an inspection of the area where a horse slipped in the evening's second race.
On this occasion racegoers returned home having seen four contests. They will now be offered free admission to a future Windsor meeting, while a number of owners and jockeys are to receive financial compensation.
Amidst fears racing professionals might now think twice about supporting the figure-of-eight venue, clerk of the course Jeff Green has been stood down by Arc.
    
It is understood no decision has been made on his long-term future, but for the next Windsor meeting on Monday evening the key role will be fulfilled by Ed Arkell, clerk at Lingfield and Fontwell.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the racecourse group said: "Arc and the team at Royal Windsor would like to apologise to everyone who was inconvenienced by yesterday’s events.
"After a review of the incident by Arc’s racing department a number of actions are being undertaken.
"In order to ensure the safety of all participants extra remedial work will take place on the bends. The team at Royal Windsor will remain in close contact with the BHA course inspector and the Horsemen’s Group, and Ed Arkell, regional clerk for the south, will take clerking responsibility for the coming meetings."
  
It is understood no decision has been made on his long-term future, but for the next Windsor meeting on Monday evening the key role will be fulfilled by Ed Arkell, clerk at Lingfield and Fontwell.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, the racecourse group said: "Arc and the team at Royal Windsor would like to apologise to everyone who was inconvenienced by yesterday’s events.
"After a review of the incident by Arc’s racing department a number of actions are being undertaken.
"In order to ensure the safety of all participants extra remedial work will take place on the bends. The team at Royal Windsor will remain in close contact with the BHA course inspector and the Horsemen’s Group, and Ed Arkell, regional clerk for the south, will take clerking responsibility for the coming meetings."
   
Spencer added: "The sharpest bend in England is at Salisbury, yet there are never any problems there. We can skip around it at any speed. Yes, it's cambered, but the main thing is it's always prepared perfectly. Preparation of the track is where it starts and ends."
Arc has yet to identify why there were problems on Monday, when racing was staged on watered ground, with the bend having received extra watering. 
Work was carried out after last year's abandonment but it is understood the group accepts more investigation and work is now needed. What form that will take is unclear, although there is no suggestion putting an all-weather surface on the bend, as will soon happen at sister track Fontwell, is a likely option.
Explaining compensation arrangements, Arc's statement added: "We wish to provide horsemen and racegoers who were affected with a token of appreciation for their support.
"The owners of the 32 horses due to run in the last three races which did not take place will each receive £300 from Royal Windsor to help cover their costs. The seven jockeys who attended the fixture but did not ride will receive £115.52, equating to one riding fee.
"All racegoers who attended will be able to apply for a complimentary badge to come racing on Monday, May 22, or Monday, June 12, which is the Irish race evening, one of Royal Windsor’s premium fixtures.
"In order to obtain a new badge for one of these dates they need to retain their badge from yesterday and call the office or email at office@windsor-racecourse.co.uk."
Arc and the BHA were on Tuesday discussing whether the Royal Windsor Stakes could be rearranged, very much the wish of trainer William Muir, whose Big Baz had been an intended runner.
Asked about the £300 payment to owners, Muir said: "Any money back is obviously a help but I can't say with certainty what the costs on the night were. It's a 'how long is a piece of string' thing, so whether £300 is enough, I don't know."

A day at the races for Mary Kom

The Trainers Of RWITC felicitating MARY KOM .

Qipco Champion Stakes (Group 1) 1m2f, 3yo+

BY PETER SCARGILL4:10PM 18 OCT 2014
Report: Ascot, Saturday

Noble Mission just edges out Al Kazeem in a thrilling Champion


NOBLE MISSION stepped out from the shadow of his brother Frankel by emulating his famous sibling in winning the Champion Stakes and reducing his trainer Lady Cecil and many others to tears.
He did so in the most pulsating and heart-thumping manner earning himself many new admirers with a tenacious, game and ever so resilient defeat of Al Kazeem.

    And for Lady Cecil the triumph had a special resonance as she was able to match the victory her late, great, husband Sir Henry Cecil achieved with Frankel two years previously. Cecil's words after the race were felt by many others. "I did an interview before the race and said it would be a fairytale if he won and that's what it feels like to me," she said. "We hardly dared to dream this could happen. We knew he was in great shape but this was a tough race."

Front-running has transformed Noble Mission this season. Having been called names for his weakness in the finish in the past, he has proved a tough and courageous performer this season.

Straight out of the stalls and into the lead, Noble Mission was relaxed and comfortable in front with Al Kazeem tracking. Cirrus Des Aigles was caught out wide from his stall in nine and was keen in the opening stages.

Turning for home Noble Mission and Al Kazeem were still going the best and there was to be no fairytale for Cirrus Des Aigles, who was under pressure and going nowhere. Anyway, there was another story developing between the front two.

Noble Mission was trying his heart out in front and Al Kazeem was trying his heart out to catch him up. The two drew level inside the final furlong. Al Kazeem got his nose in front. Noble Mission battled back. Noble Mission got the glory.

                             Lady Cecil and James Doyle with Frankel's brother Noble Mission

Winning jockey James Doyle, who was handed a seven-day ban and fined £10,000 for using his whip above the permitted level on Noble Mission, was as pleased with the performance of the second as the first having enjoyed many fine days last summer with Al Kazeem.

Doyle said that he knew Al Kazeem would not be an easy horse to beat and added: "Straight away as soon as I saw his head I knew it was him and he's ran an absolute cracker. Al Kazeem is good but this fella is unbelievable - he just relaxes in the lead now.

"It is a great team effort by everybody at Warren Place. He was tough and I thought Al Kazeem had the better of us at one point but luckily he saved enough for the final half furlong. He is gutsy, tough and versatile and the family just improve with age."

Roger Charlton was thrilled with the performance of Al Kazeem as well. The six-year-old had been returned to training earlier in the year having proved subfertile at stud and produced his best performance since coming back to the racetrack.

"I am almost emotional," Charlton said. "He's a wonderful horse to deal with he's done everything I've asked of him. He's never acted like a stallion since he has returned.

"I couldn't be more chuffed. I was a bit insulted by his price at the beginning of the week (50-1). I knew he would like the ground, and he was only beaten five lengths in the Arc. I think he is back to his best. It's wonderful. I'm delighted."

Jockey Christophe Soumillon offered no excuses for the vanquished Cirrus Des Aigles and said: "He had a good run but unfortunately I didn't have any power when I came into the straight today. It was a run for nothing, it just happens sometimes with horses. The ground was not to blame as they are his best conditions."

Study Examines EIPH and Racing Performance

The study found no association between low-level EIPH (Grades 1, 2, and 3) and long-term racing performance.
By Frank Angst
Sep 19, 2014

                                                               Photo: Thinkstock

           Researchers recently found no link between the vast majority of horses who suffer from exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) and long-term racing performance, although they did find that the small percentage of horses who suffer severe EIPH see their long-term performance impaired.
           The study was conducted by some of the world's foremost experts on EIPH, including Kenneth Hinchcliff, BVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, and Paul Morley, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM. Hinchcliff and Morley were two of the authors of a landmark 2009 study that concluded pre-race administration of furosemide (Salix, commonly called Lasix) decreased the incidence and severity of EIPH.

           That study examined horses racing in South Africa in races carded for the study. In this latest study, the team acknowledged EIPH can impair short-term race performance but examined the relationship between EIPH detected on a single occasion and long-term athletic performance in Thoroughbred racehorses.

           In the study, 744 Australian Thoroughbreds a underwent a single tracheobronchoscopic examination to determine presence and severity of EIPH in 2003. The study then kept tabs on the racing performance of each of these horses.

           Following retirement of all the study horses from racing, career performance data, including duration, earnings, starts, wins, and placings, were abstracted from a commercial database. The association between presence and severity of EIPH in the single tracheobronchoscopic exam and individual performance variables were analyzed.

           In the tracheobronschocopic exams, 45% of the horses showed no EIPH while 55% of the horses showed some level of EIPH, which is graded on a 5-point scale (0-4). Grade 4 is the most severe level, typically associated with epistaxis (bleeding from the nostrils). Only 1.7% of the examined horses showed this level of EIPH. There were 273 horses found at Grade 1 EIPH (36.7% of all horses examined), 101 at grade 2 (13.6%), and 25 at grade 3 (3.4%).

         The study found no association between low-level EIPH (Grades 1, 2, and 3) and long-term racing performance. The racing performance of horses examined who showed Grade 4 EIPH was impacted, suggesting "that the severity of EIPH commonly associated with epistaxis adversely affects either the horse's opportunity to race or physiologic capacity to race."

         The study concluded, "There is no association between EIPH Grades 0 (no EIPH), 1, 2, and 3 and long-term racing performance."


The study noted that this conclusion was based on a single endoscopic evaluation. It suggested more study is needed on why horses with Grade 4 EIPH see their long-term performance suffer.

          The study, "Prospective study of the association between exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage and long-term performance in Thoroughbred racehorses," will appear in an upcoming issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal.

Originally published on BloodHorse.com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Frank Angst
         Frank Angst is a staff writer for The Blood-Horse magazine. An American Horse Publications three-time winner in best news story category, Angst has covered horse racing for more than a decade. Angst spent ten years at Thoroughbred Times, where he earned awards as that magazine’s senior writer and helped launch Thoroughbred Times TODAY. Besides covering horse racing, Angst enjoys handicapping. Angst has written about sports for more than 20 years, including several seasons covering a nationally ranked Marshall Thundering Herd football team.

Injury blow derails Faydhan

• Last Updated: August 27 2014, 13:46 BST

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's exciting prospect Faydhan has suffered a setback that could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Dutch Connection (right) franked Faydhan's form at York

The son of War Front was in contention for several of the top two-year-old races this term after he impressively defeated last week's Acomb Stakes winner Dutch Connection by six lengths on his debut at Haydock on July 3.

However, the John Gosden-trained colt has sustained a leg injury that has put all plans on hold.That victory took him towards the top of the ante-post market for the QIPCO 2000 Guineas.

"He's had a little setback. We're going to struggle to get him back on the track this year," said Sheikh Hamdan's racing manager, Angus Gold.

"Hopefully it's nothing major, just bad timing. We're trying to find out how serious it is. He's definitely had a setback and he won't run for a while.

"It's a leg injury, but hopefully nothing major. It's just going to hold him up for a while, quite possibly for the rest of the season."

CONTAMINATED feed to blame for MORPHINE Positives

  Associated Press

• LONDON -- Contaminated feed is likely to blame for the positive doping test involving a race horse owned by Queen Elizabeth II, British racing officials said Monday.

Estimate, which won the prestigious Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2013, was one of eight horses testing positive for morphine in postrace samples taken this year in the latest doping scandal to hit British racing.

The British Horseracing Authority said it has completed the initial stages of an investigation, which established that "in all but one of the cases, the circumstances are very similar and point to the source of the positive test being contaminated horse feed."

In the other case, there were different circumstances but "the evidence is also suggestive of contaminated feed,'' the BHA said.

The doping cases will now be heard by a disciplinary panel, which will not impose penalties on the trainers of the horses in question if it backs up the findings of the BHA. The trainers also must have taken "all reasonable precautions to safeguard against a positive test,'' the BHA added.

The eight horses will be disqualified from the races where the samples were taken, meaning the queen could have to forfeit more than 80,000 pounds ($135,000) in prize money for Estimate's second-place finish in this year's Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June.

Estimate's stable mate, Russian Realm, has also shown traces of the drug, according to trainer Michael Stoute. Tony Carroll, Eve Johnson Houghton, Gay Kelleway and Charlie Hills are other trainers who have confirmed they train horses which had positive tests.

Previously, Britain's most publicized case of a horse testing positive for morphine was Be My Royal, after he won the 2002 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. The horse was subsequently disqualified.

British horse racing was rocked last year by two doping scandals, the biggest involving Godolphin trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni, who was banned for eight years for giving his horses anabolic steroids. British trainer Gerard Butler was banned for five years in December for seven breaches of racing rules, including administering anabolic steroids to four horses.