Julian Richmond-Watson

Ascot's director of racing and public affairs, Nick Smith, has been named to the New Year's Honours list. Smith, who started at Ascot in 2000, was made a lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, which rewards personal service to the monarch and their household. In 2023, King Charles III and Queen Camilla celebrated their first Royal Ascot winner with Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who would subsequently be Classic placed in the G1 St Leger. Other highlights of Ascot's year include Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and...

Long-term Thoroughbred Breeders' Association chairman Julian Richmond Watson will step down following eight years at the helm. He announced the news during the TBA's Annual General Meeting at the Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket on Friday. Philip Newton will become chairman of the TBA with immediate effect, while Kate Sigsworth will become deputy chairman. Newton has been on the board since 2012, while Sigsworth joined in 2020. James Crowhurst will continue as a co-opted trustee for a second term to support the TBA's work on equine health and welfare. In...

Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Chairman Julian Richmond-Watson led a tribute to Her Majesty, the late Queen Elizabeth II, prior to the start of the TBA's 105th Annual General Meeting at Sandown on Wednesday, Sept. 14. Richmond-Watson said of the long-time Patron of the TBA, "Her Majesty was the most ardent supporter of Thoroughbred breeding and racing, and we were most fortunate to have such a patron for such a long period of time. "Her knowledge and interest ensured the Royal Studs enjoyed considerable success throughout her lifetime, and this along with...

Back in vogue when successful in last month's seven-furlong G2 City of York S. on the Knavesmire, Marc Chan's 'TDN Rising Star' Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}--Ceilidh House {GB}, by Selkirk) continued his renaissance at his specialist distance with a one-length victory over the same trip in Sunday's G2 Cazoo Park S. at Doncaster. Positioned third in the slipstream of eventual third Al Suhail (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) through the early fractions, the odds-on favourite quickened beyond that rival approaching the final furlong and was comfortably on top in the closing stages...

Unsurprisingly, 3-year-olds have come to assume dominance of late in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix Royal-Oak and it was a case of more of the same on Sunday as Julian Richmond-Watson's Scope (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) made the eight-pound weight-for-age pull count in the testing conditions he loves. Following a staying-on sixth in the G1 St Leger at Doncaster Sept. 11 with a powerful 7 1/2-length success in Ascot's Listed Noel Murless S. also over a mile and a quarter at the start of the month, the 15-2 shot was sent up to...

The complications faced by breeders following Brexit, particularly reduced horse movement, was at the forefront of chairman Julian Richmond-Watson's address at the 104th AGM of the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) on Wednesday. At the meeting, which was held online, he told members, "While our long-term aim must be to replicate, as closely as possible, the Tripartite Agreement (TPA) that existed between us, France and Ireland, our focus is now to remove as many of the barriers to movement before the end of the year and the start of next year's...

While Britain, Ireland and France are competing nations in the racing and breeding world, in recent years the Tripartite Agreement (TPA) has significantly eased the regular interaction between the three, particularly in regard to transporting broodmares and racehorses. The TPA recognised the high health status of Thoroughbreds and allowed for free equine movement between the countries.  All that changed, however, when Britain's departure from the European Union was finalised with the end of the transition period on Dec. 31. Now that the UK is no longer an EU member it...

Ahead of the start of the 2021 breeding season, owners and breeders have been warned to avoid to avoid transporting horses between the UK and the EU in the first few weeks of January immediately following the expiry of the Brexit transition period. A statement issued on Tuesday by the Thoroughbred Industries Brexit Steering Group, which is made up of representatives of the British Horseracing Authority, Thoroughbred Breeders' Association and Weatherbys, advised against horse movement in the early part of the new year "unless absolutely necessary". It continued, "With less...

The Thoroughbred Breeders' Association gave out 10 awards during a virtual edition of its Flat Breeders' Awards Evening on Thursday. Godolphin won four: the Queen's Silver Cup for leading British-based breeder by prize money; the BBA Silver Cigar Box for leading British-based stallion by prize money (Dubawi {Ire}); the Barleythrope Stud Silver Cup for leading British-based stallion by individual winners (Dubawi); and the inaugural British European Breeders' Fund Stallion Special Merit Award for Night Of Thunder (Ire). European Breeders' Fund Marketing Communications Manager Rachael Gowland said, "Night Of Thunder stood...

A new bonus scheme which amalgamates elements of Plus 10 and the National Hunt Mare Owners' Prize Scheme (MOPS) has been launched by the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) for British-bred Flat and jumps fillies and mares. Offering multiple bonuses of up to £20,000 per eligible race, the Great British Bonus (GBB) has been devised with the aim "to increase the number of British-bred horses in racing and, so, safeguard the future of British breeding". Devised by the TBA, the scheme's launch was delayed from March owing to racing being suspended...

The US Jockey Club's announcement of an impending cap on the number of mares a stallion can cover has received a mixed reaction among breeders in Britain and Ireland. As reported in yesterday's TDN, colt foals born in 2020 who eventually retire to stud will be restricted to covering 140 mares in a season. No limit will be set for stallions already at stud or for those born before 2020. The US Jockey Club figures for 2019 show that 43 stallions served books of more than 140 mares. In Britain...

Julian Richmond-Watson's Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with an eight-length romp at Newmarket in October, remains on course for the mile Classics should British racing resume in time for Classic season. Following that storming debut performance, the homebred bay was only fifth in the rearranged G1 Racing Post Trophy on Newcastle's Tapeta in November. Trainer Ralph Beckett is hopeful he can put that behind him in the coming months. "He had four weeks off in the middle of January, as he picked up an issue,...