THE BRITISH NATIONAL STUD AND CHILDWICK TRUST SCHOLARSHIP

The National Stud 2011 Graduates
(Photo : The National Stud)

THE BRITISH NATIONAL STUD
DIPLOMA IN STUD PRACTICE AND MANAGEMENT

Most young thoroughbred breeding and racing enthusiasts dream of doing a season at The National Stud in Britain and completing the Stud’s well respected Diploma in Stud Practice and Management. For the top student graduating from the Al Maktoum School of Management Excellence, based at Summerhill Stud, in December, this dream is a reality.

The National Stud origins date back to 1916 when Colonel Hall Walker (later Lord Wavertree) presented his Thoroughbred stallions, mares, yearlings, foals and horses in training to the British Government and the nation as a gift on the condition that they bought his land at Tully, Co Kildare, Ireland. In 2008 ownership of the Newmarket-based Stud transferred to the Jockey Club. The internationally renowned programmes give young people entering the Thoroughbred breeding industry top class training opportunities.

The Childwick Trust was established in 1985 by Mr. H. J. (Jim) Joel who was a highly successful bloodstock breeder based at his Stud on The Childwick Bury Estate in Hertfordshire. He and his father Jack won many Classic races and Jim Joel was one of only a handful of owners to have won both the Derby (in 1967) and the Grand National (in 1987) with Royal Palace and Maori Venture respectively.

Mr. Joel never married and following his death at the age of 97 in March 1992, all funds from the sale of his estate were channeled into the Trust.

The Joel family had extensive business interests in South Africa since 1880 and as a consequence a core policy of the Trust is to reflect that involvement through The Jim Joel Education and Training Fund in Johannesburg.

A chance stopover at Summerhill by Trustees Anthony Cane and John Wood, who were visiting South Africa earlier this year to oversee some of the projects funded by The Childwick Trust, led to the prospect of a scholarship for a graduate from the School of Excellence.

The South African connections run deep, and the Late Mr. Joel, who raced horses with doyenne of Racing, Mary Slack (Oppenheimer) locally, gifting her the famous black-with-scarlet-cap silks.

About The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club is at the heart of racing in Great Britain as the largest commercial group in the sport. Its interests include :

• Jockey Club Racecourses : Responsible for the operation of a diversified portfolio of 14 racecourses in Great Britain : Aintree, Carlisle, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs, Exeter, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Kempton Park, Market Rasen, Newmarket, Nottingham, Sandown Park, Warwick and Wincanton.
• The group stages four of the five ‘Classics’ of Flat racing (the Derby and the Oaks at Epsom Downs and the 1,000 Guineas and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket), as well as the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National at Aintree.
• Jockey Club Estates : The property and land management company responsible for the management and administration of more than 5,000 acres of land in and around the racing training centres of Newmarket and Lambourn, as well as an extensive property portfolio, including the Jockey Club Rooms.
• The National Stud : Transferred from Government to The Jockey Club in 2008, The National Stud is a commercial thoroughbred breeding enterprise with a commitment to provide training and educational programmes. The Diploma in Stud Practice and Management celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2011 and has celebrated alumni including Teddy Grimthorpe and Ed Dunlop.
• Racing Welfare : A racing charity and company limited by guarantee with The Jockey Club being the sole member. The principal objective of Racing Welfare is to provide help to those in need who work or have worked in the thoroughbred industry, and their dependants.

In accordance with its objectives in the Royal Charter, The Jockey Club reinvests its profits in British racing and promotes measures to sustain and enhance the long-term success of the sport.

Press Release from The British National Stud

Heather Morkel +27 (0) 33 263 1081
or email heather@summerhill.co.za
www.summerhill.co.za

WILLIAM S. FARISH TO RECEIVE ECLIPSE AWARD OF MERIT

William S. Farish
(Painting : David Griffiths)

WILLIAM S. FARISH

William S. Farish will be honoured with the Eclipse Award of Merit for a lifetime of outstanding achievement in Thoroughbred racing, reports the Thoroughbred Daily News.

The Lane’s End Farm head will receive the award at the Eclipse Awards ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 18.

“I am so honored to have been selected for a sport which has given me and my family so much pleasure and enjoyment for the past 35 years,” Farish said. “I am humbled to be chosen to join this list of outstanding people who have received this Award of Merit, many of whom have been longtime friends.”

William S. Farish is currently a steward and vice chairman of The Jockey Club, a director and former chair of the executive committee of the Breeders’ Cup, a member of the board of directors of the Keeneland Association, and a Keeneland trustee. The prominent owner/breeder was also chairman of the board of Churchill Downs from 1992-2001, as well as the U.S. Ambassador to the Court of Saint James between 2001-2004.

“Will Farish is deeply involved in every phase of the Thoroughbred Industry,” said Keeneland President Nick Nicholson. “If you follow the life cycle of the Thoroughbred each stage from mating, breeding, raising, registration, sales, training, racing, and then back to the farm for breeding, Will has positively impacted each step along the way. His knowledge, passion and willingness to give his time for the betterment of the industry and the sport have meant so much for the modern Thoroughbred world. We are grateful to have him serve as a trustee of Keeneland, and appreciate his advice and counsel.”

Earlier this summer, the William Stamps Farish Fund donated $1 million to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund. Farish, a member of the PDJF board, is currently working to help raise more than $10 million to provide a continuous fund for disabled riders.

“The more I explored the situation, the more I realized that a sustaining pool of monies was necessary,” Farish commented. “I feel that everyone who is associated with our sport realizes that a permanent source of funding is needed improve the lives of these disabled riders.”

Born in Houston, Texas, Farish purchased his first Thoroughbred in 1963. He is a two-time recipient of the Eclipse Award as leading breeder and has raced no fewer than 150 stakes winners, including 1972 Preakness Stakes hero Bee Bee Bee.

AMERICA’S RACEHORSE PRODUCTION ABOUT-TURN

“…with our figures this season pretty much matching those of last year, almost to the mare.”
(Photo : Summerhill Stud)

THOROUGHBRED BREEDING TRENDS

Times like these often see people descend into “retreat” mode, intimidated by the doomsayers and the never-ending stream of “experts”, ready to proclaim financial Armageddon. It’s little surprise then, that the greatest businesses in the world were born out of these circumstances, because they’ve seen the retreat and in it, they’ve seen opportunity.

What’s happened in the northern hemisphere though, in terms of racehorse production, has been in need of retreat for at least five years now. With a situation of hopeless overproduction in the number of foals on the ground each year, it’s no surprise to see significant changes in all but one American breeding jurisdiction.

The Jockey Club of America has reported that 2,409 stallions covered 45,317 mares in North America during 2009, according to the Report of Mares Bred statistics received through October 13. The number of stallions declined 8.9 percent from the 2,643 reported at this time last year. The number of mares bred fell 13.5 percent from 52,410 reported at this time in 2008. Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) and Medaglia d’Oro (El Prado) led all stallions with 194 mares bred in 2009.

Candy Ride (Ride the Rails) (182), Lion Heart (Tale of the Cat) (180), and Corinthian (Pulpit) (171) round out the top five. The only region to realize increases was Pennsylvania. The percentage of mares bred soared 29.6 percent in the Keystone State; stallions were up nine percent as well. “Our mid-August projection of 30,000 registered foals in North America for 2010 was based on initial RMB returns, and these latest statistics reinforce that estimate,” said Matt Iuliano, The Jockey Club’s vice president of registration services. Iuliano added that the largest decline in breeding occurred at the top of the market, where the number of stallions covering 100 or more mares declined for the fourth consecutive year from 113 in 2008 to 85 this year. The Jockey Club expects to receive more RMBs for the 2009 breeding season.

The one state that has reversed the trend, and has bred almost 30% more mares, is Pennsylvania, buoyed by the attractive returns accruing from their state-bred premium programme.

While our own statistics are a little more tardy in coming through, it will be interesting to see the degree to which our population of mares has been crimped by the recession. That said, our circumstances at Summerhill might be a little skewed because of the strength of the stallion line-up, with our figures this season pretty much matching those of last year, almost to the mare.

TOP 10 STATES AND PROVINCES BY NUMBER OF MARES
REPORTED BRED IN ‘09 THROUGH OCTOBER 13

Region	‘08 Stallions	‘09 Stallions	% Change	‘08 Mares Bred	‘09 Mares Bred	% Change
Kentucky	318	307	-3.5	21,317	19,059	-10.6
Florida	202	155	-23.3	5,316	4,041	-24.0
Louisiana	230	216	-6.1	3,515	3,048	-13.3
California	233	201	-13.7	3,817	2,946	-22.8
Pennsylvania	89	97	+9.0	1,237	1,603	+29.6
New York	85	70	-17.6	1,839	1,561	-15.1
Texas	191	174	-8.9	1,722	1,411	-18.1
Ontario	77	72	-6.5	1,272	1,260	-.09
New Mexico	128	124	-3.1	1,546	1,222	-16.1
Oklahoma	126	113	-10.3	1,335	1,222	-8.5