The Dashboard: your daily update of racing news and events

Updated daily, the Dashboard is your round-up of the racing’s top stories, running plans, big race entries, quotes, upcoming fixtures, TV racing, and more

Prices quoted are from Paddy Power unless otherwise stated

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Racing People

NEW Eleven-times champion Flat Jockey Lester Piggot is in hospital in Swtizerland. The 86-year-old has experienced heart problems in recent years and his son-in-law, trainer William Haggas, who is married to Piggot’s dauther Maureen,  said: “He battling a bit but he’s a tough man. Hopefully he’ll pull through and get home as soon as possible.”

Speaking on Sunday, Haggas said: “Maureen is going over tomorrow to see him. Jamie, his son, is there today.”

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Trainer Charlie Appleby and owners Godolphin created history when Native Trail won the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas. The Oasis Dream colt competed a unique hat-trick for Appleby of winning the 2000 Guinease at Newmarket, the French version at Longchamp, and the final leg at the Curragh.

Asked about future palns for Natvie Trail, Appleby said:  “There are discussions to be had about the St James’s Palace. It is the last race where three-year-olds can take each other on at that level over a mile. You always like to see the best take each other on whatever the sport and you never know.”

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County Laois trainer Kieran Cotter, who has a potentional Royal Ascot runner, has been hit with one of racing’s biggest fines following the disqualification of a winner after a positive cobalt sample and a subsequent stable inspection of his yard revealing misconduct of a “serious nature”.

He has been fined €27,500 and ordered to pay a further €7,500 in costs following an Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board referral hearing.

The disqualified runner was Slade Runner, who came home first in a handicap at Dundalk in January 2021, who was found to have traces of cobalt which exceeded the international threshold.

An unannounced inspection of Cotter’s yard was subsequently carried out and, although hair and blood samples taken from all the horses in his yard revealed no results of concern, there were serious rule breaches in regard to veterinary products found.

Various locations in the yard were inspected for the presence of animal remedies. As well as finding burned bottles of animal remedies on the bonfire site, other bottles, used syringes and needles with residues, including blood traces, were seized.

Cotter had not been maintaining a medicines register for a number of years and further areas of concern included the apparent general use of veterinary medicines, other than under veterinary supervision, suggesting Cotter has been self-medicating some of the horses in his care.

He also administered, via intravenous injection, medicines without veterinary oversight, contrary to proper procedures. The referrals committee said there was a reckless disregard to the potential effects or consequences to administering the cobalt drench to Slade Runner in particular.

Cotter was not found in breach of the rules for possession of illegal substances in his yard, but did state that his conduct was of a serious nature

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

“Once William gave him the office and asked him to go to work I knew this horse was not going to falter. He’s done it in spades in the end.”

Charlie Appleby on William Buick and Native Trail winning the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas, ctreating up a moment in history as the trainer and owenrs Godolphin won all three Guineas races for colts in England, France and Irland

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Races and racehorses

Cash, a 16-1 shot for the Derby at Epsom will be an absentee from the Classic, along with New London and Franz Strauss.

The two entries who have lit up the trials races, Desert Crown (9/4) (pictured), winner of the Dante Stakes for Sir Michael Stoute, and Stone Age (5/2), the Aiden O’Brien-trained winner of the Leopardstown Derby Trial Stakes, are two of 21 colts who have stood their ground.

O’Brien also has Changingoftheguard (8/1), Star Of India (12/1), United Nations (14/1) and Ivy League (50/1). Donnacha O’Brien has the joint-third in the market, Piz Badile (8/1), who is due to be ridden by Frankie Dettori, and Joseph O’Brien will be represented by Buckaroo (25/1).

Charlie Appleby still has two in the race for Godolphin – Walk Of Stars (16/1) and course winner Nahanni (20/1)

Eydon (16/1) is due to go for Roger Varian.

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After suffering a minor setback, Derby winner Adaya will not run in the Group 1 Coronation Cup at the Derby meeting next month. The Godolphin owned four-year-old missed a week of training due to coughing which resulted in him putting on extra wieght, thus ruling him out of the mile-and-a-half contest.

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Racing and racecourses

There will be a review of the circumstances that led to an error within the race conditions, which meant four horses in Saturday’s 1.40pm William Hill Play Responsibly Handicap (Class 2) at York, were running from out of the handicap when this should not have be the case.

In 2021 the race was a handicap for horses rated 91-110, and the race conditions correctly stated that any horse rated below 91 would be treated as having that rating and would need to run from out of the handicap.

However, when the rating band was dropped for the race this year, the figure of 91 was retained in error in the race conditions (as opposed to being dropped to 86).

The result is that the following four horses were incorrectly weighted out of the handicap:

• SWISS ACE (rated 89 carrying 9st 2lb – should be 9st)
• NORTHERN EXPRESS (rated 88 carrying 9st 2lb – should be 8st 13lb)
• SNASH (rated 88 carrying 9st 2lb – should be 8st 13lb)
• ALEEZDANCER (3yo) (rated 90 carrying 8st 5lb – should be 8st 4lb)

The rules of racing are clear that, as the error was identified after 9am on the day of declaration, the weights cannot be amended. (Code 18, paragraph 38)

The trainers of the four horses were contacted and informed about the error. They were been offered the opportunity to declare their horses as non-runners and that the owners’ entry fees would be reimbursed should they decide not to run.

 The BHA apologised to the owners, trainers, jockeys and anyone else affected.

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NEW The Horsemen’s Group has been re-branded as the Thoroughbred Group.

The new identity is to reflect its vision and ambition for a more inclusive industry, driven by its members’ commitment for racing to be a diverse and welcoming sport.

Charlie Parker,  body’s chair, said: “In this age of diversity and inclusivity, ‘horsemen’ has grated for some time and the general view was that it needed to be changed.”  

The Thoroughbred Group represents the Racehorse Owners Association, National Trainers Federation, Professional Jockeys Association, the National Association of Racing Staff and the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association.

It was originally set up in 2005 to provide a single voice to fight to protect its members’ commercial interests, campaigning for courses to offer as much prize-money as possible.

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Levy income to the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for the year ended 31 March 2022 is expected to be around £97m, based on the receipt of provisional submissions to date from the majority of Levy-paying bookmakers.

The HBLB had said, in its most recent published update in December 2021, that within its full year forecast range the £96m to £100m band was at that time considered the likeliest outcome. Since then, the Board had noted reports of a below-par early start to 2022 before a stronger end to the Levy year.

The £97m yield is an increase on the £82m in 2020/21 when no racing took place for the first two months of the Levy year. The 2019/20 yield was some £98m.

HBLB Chairman Paul Darling commented: “This is a very welcome figure, which reflects that betting on British racing has continued to be resilient as it has been since the resumption of racing in June 2020.

“We expect to be contributing over £70m in prize money in 2022, compared to around £60m in a normal pre-Covid year. We said when announcing this last year that it would be very difficult to maintain this into 2023 and this remains the case.

“First, a contribution of this level continued to draw on our reserves, which is not a sustainable longer term position, and secondly it included some of the proceeds of a £21.5m loan from Government. The first loan repayment instalment must be made in 2023 and repayment continues each year until 2030.

“However, the Board will now be able to plan for 2023 with additional certainty and optimism in the light of receipts for the past year. We will look to provide an indicative prize money allocation after our June Board meeting at which we will also consider other potential major calls on expenditure next year.

“I would like to thank bookmakers for their timely submission of end-of-year declarations. Particular thanks go to the major bookmakers who have provided valuable information to us through the year which has helped us with accurate forecasting.”

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Racegoers at Royal Ascot will be able to pay by cash in all enclosures next month but, says the racecourse, this does not rule out the track being cashless at future fixtures. The Berkshire track reports that 75% of on-course transactions, excluding betting, are by card.

Card-only paymnets, which are now compulsory at courses run by Arena and the Jockey Clib, have come in for criticism recently, but the track owners respond by saying payment is quicker by card and costs reduced.

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An additional National Hunt meeting at Punchestown this Tuesday afternoon, 24 May has been announced by Horse Racing Ireland.

This meeting is one of the three floating fixtures that were kept in reserve when the 2022 fixture list was published in order to meet the demands of the horse population at specific times of the year.

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Windsor Racecourse has reversed its decision to deny spectators in its Trackside (Granstand) enclosure from access to the parade ring and winners enclosure.

Liam Johnson, the track’s chief executive said: “We have listened to the feedback from customers regarding the plans for adapting the layout of the enclosures at the racecourse.

“As such, from our next fixture on 16 May, and for the rest of the season, I can confirm that racegoers in the Trackside enclosure will have full access to the lawn adjacent to the Jubilee enclosure, which will offer views of the pre-parade Ring, paddock and winner’s enclosure.”

The move to remove access for grandstand racegoers to the paddock was highly criticised including by The Racing Hub https://t.co/mxiCrrOet6

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Uttoxeter Racecourse has been fined £2,000 after one of the pads on the final flight of hurdles came away as the field were jumping it in the second race on 29 January.

Footage established that as the front runners jumped the hurdle, the pad attached to the second panel from the inside appeared to come loose.  As each runner jumped the hurdle the pad came further away from the frame; eventually coming completely loose when the final runner jumped the hurdle.

The racecourse stated that the reason for the pad coming away from the hurdle was that on the day it was particularly windy with wind speeds of 34.5mph with a maximum gust of 40.5mph The  BHA said that, due to the high winds, regular checks should have been made to ensure that pads were safely secured.

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A guard of honour comprising 40 retired and current jockeys to have ridden in the royal colourse will greet The Queen at Epsom on Derby Day on Saturday 4 June as part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Among the jockeys will be Willie Carson, who rode the Queen’s Oaks winner Dunfermline in 1977, and John Reid. They will be joined by, among others, Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and Hayley Turner.

Epsom will permanently rename The Queen’s Stand as The Queen Elizabeth II Stand on 2 June in recognition of  Her Majesty’s contribution to racing and her long association with the Derby.

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Following a request from Roscommon Racecourse, Horse Racing Ireland have transferred the Roscommon evening meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday 5 July to Monday 4 July. The fixture remains an evening meeting.

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Bloodstock

The brother to dual Champion Chaser and ten-time Grade 1 winner Altior headlines a catalogue of 715 of some of the best three-year-old National Hunt stores for the 2022 Goffs Land Rover Sale.

The catalogue is now available online and features 476 Lots in Part 1 which takes place on Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 June with a further 239 Lots in Part 2 on Thursday 9 June. 

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Betting and bookmakers

The Gambling Commission has suspended the operating licence of Goldchip Limited as it carries out a review under section 116 of the Gambling Act 2005 (the Act).

The review and consequent suspension follows concerns that activities may have been carried out contrary to the Act, not in accordance with conditions of their licence and that the Licensee may be unsuitable to carry on the licensed activities. Suspected social responsibility and anti-money laundering failings were key considerations in the suspension decision.

In accordance with section 118 (2) of the Act (opens in a new tab) the Commission has determined to suspend the above operating licence.

In a statement the Commission said: “We have made it clear to the operator that during the course of the suspension, we expect it to focus on treating consumers fairly and keeping them fully informed of any developments which impact them.

The suspension does not prevent the operator from allowing consumers to access their accounts and withdrawing funds. Goldchip Limited – which operates goldchip.com – can be contacted through its website.

The suspension takes place immediately.

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The takeover of William Hill by 888 is expected to be completed at the end of next month after 99% of shareholders voted to agree to the acquisition at an extraordinary general meetting.

William Hill was acquired 13 months ago by US casino operator Ceasers Entertainment, who immediately said they’d sell off non-US parts of the business. The purcchase of 888 will see them operate on the UK high street under the William Hill brand for the first time.

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Media and marketing

The 120th running of the Group 1 Coronation Cup to be run at Epsom on Oaks day will have a new sponsor after DahlBury signed a one-year deal to support the one-and-a-half mile contest open to four-year-old and above.

DahlBury has been created with the aim of investing in and supplying quality thoroughbreds, focusing on British bred middle distance and staying horses for both the Flat and National Hunt.

Hurworth Bloodstock and Coral have sponsored the last two runnings of the race run over the Derby course.

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Steve Cauthen, who rode the Derby winner Slip Anchor in 1985 and Reference Point in 1987, will be part of ITV’s presentation team for the coverage of this year’s Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Derby.

He will be joined by Jason Weaver and Johnny Murtagh.

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Latest Racing Hub Notebook entries

11 May York 1.50 – Just Fine shaped really well on reappearance and has the scope to improve again as a 4yo – one for a big handicap

Gary Sears

8 May 2022, Plumpton 4.30 – After a promising start in bumpers and novice hurdles, Sambezi found his career drifting away from him over the winter. He had a wind op, made a respectable return from it and here was runner-up behind a horse that had looming in on a win and ahead of one that won over course and distance last time. The handicap mark is currently quite convenient too.

Simon McInners

♦ See all the Notebook entries and when horses are due to run http://wp.me/P8e3Dl-4qC

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Top three posts on The Racing Hub

Battle lines drawn between racecourse groups of BHA plan to cull 300 races http://wp.me/s8e3Dl-33891

Have we seen something special? Gary McKenzie on Guineas weekend at Newmarket http://wp.me/p8e3Dl-8Qj

It’s an Irish winner of the Derby, but which one? http://wp.me/p8e3Dl-8QY

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Free to view TV

Saturday 28 May (ITV4)

• 1:45 Haydock Achilles Stakes (Listed Race) (3yo+) 5f
• 2:05 Beverley Hilary Needler Trophy Fillies’ Conditions Stakes (GBB Race) Cl2 (2yo) 5f
• 2:20 Haydock Hindley Handicap Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 1m4f
• 2:40 Beverley bet365 Handicap Cl3 (3yo+ 0-95) 7½f
• 2:55 Haydock Betfred Pinnacle Stakes (Group 3) (Fillies & Mares) Cl1 (4yo+) 1m4f
• 3:15 Beverley bet365 Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes (Colts & Geldings) Cl2 (2yo) 5f
• 3:30 Haydock John Of Gaunt Stakes (Group 3) (4yo+) 7f
• 3:45 Chester Roman Day Handicap Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 7½f
• 3:50 Beverley Price Promise At bet365 Handicap Cl4 (3yo 0-80) 1m4f