The Weekly Wrap

With green stuff underfoot we can now finally welcome the return of the Flat season in Europe, even though France's first group race of the year was conducted in a snowstorm and Doncaster's Town Moor provided a properly stiff test for the mud-lovers at the weekend.

In Newmarket yesterday morning, with the French windows of the Jockey Club Rooms flung wide onto a sun-speckled lawn, it was easy to cast one's mind forward to May. The organisers of the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million, which was officially launched at HQ to an audience of owners, breeders, trainers and the press, will be hoping to capture the attention of the racing cognoscenti throughout the summer, during which it is hoped that one of the best stayers in Europe will challenge for a £1-million bonus.

“We didn't want to just serve it up on a plate,” said Weatherbys Hamilton chief executive Charles Hamilton, when outlining the particulars of the series, and indeed it will be no pushover. The winners of any of four 'qualifying' races–the G3 Longines Sagaro S. (May 2), G3 Boodles Diamond Ormonde S. (May 10), G2 Yorkshire Cup (May 18) and G2 Matchbook Henry II S. (May 24)–will then be eligible to go forward to attempt to add, if you like, a stayers' Triple Crown of the G1 Ascot Gold Cup, G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup and G2 Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup. The owner of any horse that wins all four will then be awarded £1 million. Simple.

There were ringing endorsements for the initiative from all corners of the room, and rightly so, for despite the prestige of the top-level staying races, it's still a devilishly hard job to sell a middle-distance or staying-bred yearling outside those with the top-drawer pedigrees. Indeed, such a lanky, ugly duckling was Big Orange (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) in his yearling days that breeder Bill Gredley didn't even attempt to enter him for a sale. Who now wouldn't want to own one of the most popular horses in training? At seven, Big Orange has, believes his trainer Michael Bell, “another couple of years racing at this high level.”

The poster boy for the staying division, in achievements if not in looks, will start his season in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Saturday before returning to Britain and attempting to add another million to his earnings.

Posing the question “Why stayers?”, Charles Hamilton reasoned that members of this particular division are “romantic horses, they resonate with the public”. Their longevity has much to do with it.

Jeff Smith, the owner of Persian Punch (Ire) (Persian Heights {GB}), recalled how arguably the most popular stayer of the modern era outshone even Smith's champion sprinter Lochsong (GB) (Song {GB}).

He said, “David Elsworth's assessment of [Persian Punch] at two was that he was a boat. At that time we talked about whether he might make his debut in a bumper but he made his debut on the Flat at three and he absolutely trotted up. The rest is history, but in terms of popularity, he exceeded Lochsong as he had so many more years. To peak, if you like, at 10, as he did, is simply extraordinary.”

The WH Stayers' Million is the pinnacle of what is a much broader attempt by the British Horseracing Authority and the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association to breathe new life into a section of the breed which, though not on the endangered species list quite yet, needs a helping hand.

Ruth Quinn, the BHA's director of international racing and racing development, outlined that British staying races within the Pattern have been “ring-fenced” for a period so as not to be downgraded while the potential benefits from various initiatives are assessed.

Of the Stayers' Million, she said, “What's so heartening is that it feels like the whole of the industry is behind this project, and the BHA will be investing almost £2 million in the stayers' programme over the next three years.”

A former victim of downgrading was the Queen's Vase, previously a Group 3, which was demoted to listed status in 2016 and last year boosted to a Group 2 as part of the enhancement of the stayers' programme, while at the same time being dropped in distance from 2m to 1m6f.  Its promotion last year was rewarded with it being won by subsequent Goodwood Cup winner and St Leger third Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

His trainer, John Gosden, lent his full support to the Stayers' Million on Monday, saying, “I'm very clear in my mind when you got to Ascot, it's a wonderful selection of races from five furlongs, 2-year-olds, great sprints, miles, but when you get to the staying races, people really lock in to them. We need the stayers to be promoted in every way possible, otherwise we will end up with pretty boring, one-dimensional racing. We're going to have a go with Stradivarius. Mr. [Bjorn] Neilsen is bang up for it, it's exciting. With these horses, if they're fresh enough after going round York, you could still have a look at the Melbourne Cup.”

Don't Forget Donny…

It was pointed out at the press conference for the WH Stayers' Million that, had this challenge been around in 1995, it would almost certainly have been won by Ron Huggins's admirable champion stayer Double Trigger (Ire) (Ela-Mana-Mou {GB}). Almost, but not quite. In that particular year, when the great horse was in his pomp, memorably leading home his own brother Double Eclipse (Ire) in the Goodwood Cup, 'Trigger' also won that season's Henry II S. and Ascot Gold Cup, but instead of the Lonsdale, won the Doncaster Cup, which has hitherto been regarded as the third leg of the Stayers' Triple Crown.

It's hard not to feel that Doncaster racecourse is just a little unloved these days. Left out of the stayers' series, it is also only a bit-part player in the Champions Series, whose dates now frame the jockeys' championship, meaning that races from the traditional curtain-up Lincoln meeting and curtain-fall November Handicap fixture have no relevance in deciding the champion.

On QIPCO British Champions Day last year, the Great British Racing Twitter feed even carried a message along the lines of 'That's it for the Flat season, folks', when the final Group 1 race of the British turf season, the informative Racing Post Trophy, was still a week away at–where else?–Doncaster.

Asked for his view on the WH Stayers' Million, the ever-sensible Sir Mark Prescott said that he hoped that it might lead to a return to the days when the Derby winner was not instantly dropped back in trip to add to his commercial value at stud, but might be tested over farther and aimed at the St Leger. One can but hope that the world's oldest Classic can continue to attract the level of competitive field it did for last year's race, and that dear old Donny might start to feel the love once more.

Chop Sticks to the Task…

In highlighting the advantage of breeding or buying stayers, John Gosden pointed to the various resale opportunities available–whether to the domestic jumps market or to Australian buyers in search of a Cups horse.

The perfect illustration of why it's good to shop in Europe for a middle-distance prospect was again delivered in Australia over the weekend by the admirable Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}), the star performer of OTI Racing's significant cross-hemisphere portfolio.

The 7-year-old was bred and originally owned by Alain Chopard of Haras des Faunes, a French stud farm ironically more famed for its speedy graduates. In keeping with its regular strategy, the Terry Henderson-led OTI bought into the gelding as a 3-year-old after his victory in the G3 Prix La Force and raced him in partnership with Chopard, winning a further three group races in France before trainer Antoine de Watrigant took him to Melbourne to win the G1 Mackinnon S. on Derby day.

Following trips to Hong Kong and Dubai, a brief return to France and more than a year on the sidelines through injury, Gailo Chop joined Darren Weir's stable last season and has snared another five races, including the G1 Ladbrokes Caulfield S. in Melbourne and Saturday's G1 Ranvet S. in Sydney. The winner of 13 races has amassed just shy of £2 million in prize-money and could be out again as soon as this Saturday in the G1 Tancred S.

Parts and Labour…

Twenty-four hours ahead of the world's richest raceday in Dubai on Saturday, Britain stages its most valuable non-turf meeting, the £1-million All-Weather Championships, as the synthetic season draws to a close on Good Friday at Lingfield.

Two horses in particular have lit up the winter on the all-weather, the 4-year-old Spare Parts (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) and 8-year-old Captain Lars (SAf) (Captain Al {SAf}). They are currently locked in battle with seven wins apiece this winter, with the £10,000 prize for the leading all-weather horse set to go down to the wire on Friday.

Captain Lars, who was claimed by Archie Watson from Derek Shaw's stable in February, will run his final race of the winter season at Newcastle, but Spare Parts should be at Lingfield for his last hurrah despite entry conditions meaning that he might be balloted out of the apprentices' handicap which would be the most suitable of the three races in which he is entered. However, he also has the chance to go one ahead of his rival when he lines up for a seven-furlong handicap at Southwell this afternoon (Tuesday).

The Spare Parts story has been one to warm the cockles on even the coldest winter day. Having managed one runner-up finish in 11 starts for Charles Hills, Spare Parts was sold with a BHA rating of 49 for just 2,000gns at the Tattersalls Horses-in-Training Sale last October to Phil McEntee on behalf of owner Steve Jakes. Two months later he made his debut for McEntee, finishing third at Lingfield on Dec. 30, and since the dawn of the new year he hasn't looked back. A further 13 starts in the first three months of this year have seen the gelding, known in McEntee's Newmarket yard as 'Graham', win seven times and finish in the first three on another three occasions.

The hard-working Spare Parts, who ran on Saturday off a rating of 91, has formed a notable partnership with the rising star of the apprentice ranks, Nicola Currie, who takes her 12th ride on him this afternoon. In between races, he can often be seen on Twitter, rolling in McEntee's muddy paddock with a gang of similarly happy beasts as part of his daily turnout routine.

For Spare Parts, it truly is a case of mud, glorious mud. Here's hoping for another triumphant roll come Wednesday morning.