Wed 25 Apr 2018
Launch of the 2018 Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Series – Nessa Joyce, Irish EBF, Patrick Prendergast and Kirsty McCann, Foran Equine with Sunday Smart and Red Persian
Owners & trainers poised to target €617,000 series with 22 qualifiers & €120,000 final
Irish EBF and Foran Equine have launched the 2018 Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Series for 2yos bought at auction for €72,000 or less and by an EBF registered sire. Total prize-money for the series has increased to €617,000 with two additional qualifying races bringing the total number of qualifiers to 22. Now in its fourth year the Auction Series has established itself as a principle target for 2yos.
Each of the 22 qualifying races will have a minimum prize-fund of €20,000 as well as the added benefit of being Plus 10 registered, whereby qualified winners will be eligible for a bonus of €12,500 under the Plus 10 Scheme giving a winning owner a potential payout of just under €25,000. The first race will take place at the Curragh Racecourse on Friday 11th May with the €120,000 final to be held at Naas Racecourse on 21st October.
Patrick Prendergast, trainer said; “I’m a major fan of the Foran EBF Series, it opens avenues for the smaller owner and encourages them to buy horses. It’s a good sales pitch for me when I go to the sales, I can say to the owners that you have a great chance on your investment. Because our Irish maidens are so competitive, we need people to have a chance and this series offers that chance, there’s room for every horse. The whole thing is achievable, it’s not like trying to win a Group 1, you buy a horse, syndicate it for a reasonable budget, there’s a programme of races and there’s a final to aim at. I have a good string of 2yos this year, they are nearly all eligible and we’ll be aiming at the series with plenty of them.”
Eamonn McEvoy, Stud Manager Grangecon Stud and owner said; “This series caters for everyone, which is important. It’s brilliant for owners, if you go and win or place in one of the qualifiers it can make a massive difference for your training fees, and other costs. Where else would you get it, if you are going to compete in an open maiden at the Curragh it’s going to be very difficult to win, so it’s very important that this series is in place. It’s great that there are two extra races this year, we’ll hopefully have a winner in one of them. If you have a horse qualified you’d be crazy not to target the final, everyone is going to be there, there is a great buzz about the Foran EBF Series, everyone is onboard and everyone is excited.”
Nessa Joyce, Irish EBF Manager said: “The Irish EBF committee created this series with HRI to stimulate the middle to lower end of the auction market and create a link between bloodstock sales and the racetrack. Data from last year’s series revealed that 50% of the winners were bought at auction for €19,000 or less which included the overall winner Yulong Gold Fairy who was bought for €8,000, this shows that the series has come full circle and in fact has exceeded our expectations. The focus is on continuing the momentum and reminding trainers, owners and agents heading to the sales this year to target the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Series.”
Kirsty McCann, Foran Equine said; “We were very lucky to partner with Irish EBF on this great series, we wanted to be able to support the grassroots of the industry and offer a valuable return to the owners, trainers and breeders who have been our customers for over 40 years. Each winning breeder and trainer receives a €150 voucher for our products, plus the winning trainer receives a pack containing many of our Performance Range products. Being a supplement company, we are all about wellbeing and welfare, and to see these horses racing and being presented in immaculate condition is fantastic, each Best Turned Out winning groom receives a voucher for our RED MILLS Store in Cillin Hill. The final at Naas Racecourse is a huge occasion, it’s our chance to say thank you and we invite everyone back including owners and breeders to celebrate and enjoy the occasion.”
Shane Doyle of Horse Racing Ireland said: “In 2014, before the series started, there was only eight 2yo auction races in Ireland, now there are 23 thanks to the growth and popularity of the Foran EBF Series. The total number of runners has more than doubled since 2015 to 287 last year and more trainers are getting involved every year, so it is having a positive effect. The €120,000 final pays prize-money to 6th place and the first six home last year were all bought for €20,000 or less. It helps to support ownership; a lot of these horses are able to pay for their expenses if they win or are placed in the series and they also become very valuable prospects as seen when Whitefountainfairy, purchased for €3,000 made £300,000 at the Goffs Royal Ascot Sale after winning a Foran EBF Maiden.”
END
Wed 4 Apr 2018
Arena Racing Company has announced it has formalised its partnership with the British arm of the European Breeders Fund.
The new partnership will see further investment in prize money by the British EBF and ARC, including the creation of new two-year races at Great Yarmouth and Newcastle racecourses.
Following feedback from leading trainers, ARC has worked with the British EBF and British Horseracing Authority (“BHA”) to create a new race for two-year olds at Great Yarmouth. The £15,000 Class 3 contest over 6 furlongs will be hosted on Wednesday 23 May and seeks to provide an ideal early season race for horses aiming to go on to run at Royal Ascot and other feature race meetings during the summer.
Leading Newmarket trainer John Gosden OBE said: “This will provide a useful opportunity for the two-year olds to gain race experience before Royal Ascot. After all the remedial work, the turf at Great Yarmouth is some of the best in the country and it is an ideal track for a young horse.”
Clerk of the Course at Great Yarmouth, Richard Aldous, said: “Every season racegoers have the chance the see some of the best young horses running here at Great Yarmouth. We hope very much that through ARC’s investment in the racing surface, and with the support of the British EBF, that this new race will provide another opportunity to see some of the stars of the future.”
In addition to the new race at Great Yarmouth further joint investments in the race programme include:
- The introduction of a British EBF supported sire-dam restricted £10,000 Class 4 race for two-year olds at Newcastle on 30 November 2018;
- The prize fund for the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF John Musker Stakes, run on the middle day of Great Yarmouth’s Eastern Festival in September, increasing to £50,000 through mutual match funding;
- British EBF support for the August Stakes at Royal Windsor; an 11 furlong Listed contest for horses aged three-years and over; the total prize money for this race has been increased to £40,000 in 2018 as a result of EBF investment;
- British EBF investment in a two-year old future stayers’ race on the third day of the William Hill St Leger Festival at Doncaster. This will be run as a Class 3 maiden over a mile with a Total Prize Fund of £15,000 in its first year; and
- Continued support from the British EBF for fillies and mares’ races through the winter months as part of the All-Weather Championships.
As part of the partnership all ARC racecourse websites now carry the British EBF logo and both organisations work together to promote British EBF supported races run on ARC racecourses.
ARC Chief Executive, Martin Cruddace, said: “The British EBF plays an incredibly valuable role in British Racing. By formalising our partnership, we are recognising this and providing the basis on which ARC and the British EBF can develop over investment in the race programme which is of significant long-term benefit to the sport. We look forward to see how the new races perform and hope they will be well supported by the racing community.”
British EBF Chairman, Philip Mitchell, said: “The trustees are delighted that ARC has worked so closely with the British EBF executive to bring these significant advancements to the race programme and funding to fruition. Of particular significance are the additions to the two-year old programme. The maiden races at Great Yarmouth and Newcastle which have been fashioned in direct response to feedback and requests from trainers. The new Sire/Dam Restricted race at Doncaster’s St Leger Festival complements a race meeting which celebrates the staying horse and forms part of the British EBF funded initiative to encourage late season opportunities for two-year olds by “staying stallions”. If one day, we see a future St Leger winner graduate via this race, we will know we are well on the way to the revitalisation of this area of the race programme.”
Sun 1 Apr 2018
Series designed for horses bought at National Hunt Auctions for €45,000 or less
Following on from the success of the Foran Equine/Irish EBF Auction Series on the flat, the Irish EBF wish to announce a parallel series for the National Hunt sector. The Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series will consist of 14 maiden and novice hurdle races from September 2018 until April 2019, each worth a minimum of €20,000, with a final in April worth €75,000. Entry into the valuable final will be limited to horses which have run in one of the previous races in the series.
The conditions will specify that all horses must be by an EBF registered stallion and bought as an unraced three or four year old at a recognised National Hunt Store sale for €45,000 or less, with weight allowances depending on purchase price.
Speaking about the announcement, John O’Connor, Chairman, Irish EBF, said; “Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish EBF designed this new series with the smaller trainer and owner in mind. This series will create a number of valuable opportunities where horses in this price range can compete on a level playing field. Based on initial feedback, we anticipate the new series will be very well received and our goal is to establish this as a permanent fixture on the National Hunt scene.”
Tony Mullins, trainer, commented;“This will be a super series and with big prizemoney on offer in each qualifier and in the final, I can see this being well supported. It will give me and my owners a focus for the sales this year, knowing the series is there as a target. “
Denis Hogan, trainer & jockey; “It is a fantastic opportunity for a trainer like myself to help recruit and retain owners in the yard and give them a fair chance to win a valuable race. The percentage of horses available at the sales for this money is vast and it will be great to purchase at this level with a goal in mind.”
For Further Information:
Nessa Joyce, Manager, Irish European Breeders’ Fund
Greenhills, Kill, Naas, Co Kildare, W91 FY62
M: +353 85 7590970, E: info@irishebf.ie Twitter & Facebook: @IrishEBF
