Advertise retired to National Stud

ADVERTISE, a three-time Group 1 winner, has been retired from racing and will take up stud duties at the National Stud in Newmarket. Trained by Martyn Meade, the son of Showcasing won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh as a juvenile. This year he won both the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville. His fee has not yet been announced.

Ocovango winner

OCOVANGO’s only National Hunt runner to-date, Langer Dan, won the Listed Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby yesterday. Trained by Dan Skelton, the three-year-old is the first foal of his dam What A Fashion. He was bred by Hugh O’Connor, who also bred last Saturday’s Cheltenham bumper winner Time Flies By (by Getaway). By Monsun, Ocovango stands at The Beeches Stud in Lismore, Co Waterford.

New trainer

JAMES Ferguson is the latest addition to the Newmarket training ranks.

The son of bloodstock agent John Ferguson was previously assistant to Charlie Appleby and will now operate from his own base at Saville House.

Joshua Tree to Kilbarry Lodge

CON O’Keeffe has secured the multiple Group 1 winner Joshua Tree for stallion duties at his Kilbarry Lodge Stud in Waterford. The Montjeu horse was trained by Aidan O’Brien to win the Royal Lodge Stakes as a juvenile and won the first of his three Canadian Internationals at Woodbine as a three-year-old. Marco Botti saddled him to win the same race as a five-year-old and Ed Dunlop was his trainer when he won it for a third time, aged six.

Joshua Tree has been standing in France and has had eight three-year-old winners to-date from his first crop.

O’Keefe said: “We hope he will be very popular with Irish National Hunt breeders. He is a lovely, attractive horse, by Montjeu.

“He was an incredibly sound racehorse and he has large crops of two-year-olds, yearlings and foals to follow.”

ITBA lecture

A STRONG team of speakers has been assembled by the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association for its Autumn/Winter Veterinary Lecture Series on Thursday, November 14th in the ITBA offices at Kill, Co Kildare. The overall theme is parasite control.

Starting at 7.30pm, the evening will feature Prof Jane Hodgkinson from the University of Liverpool, Nikki Walshe from University College Dublin, and Dr Ursula Fogarty from the Irish Equine Centre.

A question and answer session will conclude the evening and the Veterinary Council of Ireland will award 1.5 CVE credits to veterinary surgeons who attend.