WHOLE of life traceability is an essential element in the drive for verifiable high standards of care for all our horses. Going forward, this is set to become more and more important.

The industry is expected to know its horses, their whereabouts and who the responsible person is always. There is a robust identification system included in the foal registration process - the triple lock identification of markings, microchip, and DNA.

Completing these steps as early as possible is recognised as best practice.

To this end 30 Day Foal Notification is an essential part of a robust, lifetime traceability system. It is also the standard across the racing world, and the compliance rate in Britain is now almost 99.5%. There non-compliant horses must undergo an appeal process and subsequent drug testing, at the breeder’s expense, to be considered eligible for racing.

To improve compliance in Ireland, and in the hope of not having to apply stringent penalties, Horse Racing Ireland, the Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and Weatherbys Ireland GSB are supporting a new simple and free method for notification. Within 30 days of the birth of your foal in 2023, simply activate your ePassport. That alone will serve as notification. It could not be easier.

Encouragement

Following activation of the ePassport, they are encouraging breeders to submit DNA sampling and to microchip foals as early as possible to ensure best practice. Here are the easy-to-follow steps you need to take now.

From January 2023, to notify Weatherbys of the birth of your foal and activate your ePassport, breeders and/or keepers will have the option to log into the app and submit the following information:

It is vital for many reasons that Ireland keeps itself to the forefront of best practices when it comes to our thoroughbred herd. If you have any queries, or would like further information, you can contact Siobhán Griffin at Horse Racing Ireland (sgriffin@hri.ie or +353 45 455647) or Weatherbys Ireland GSB (studbookireland@weatherbys.ie or +353 45 879979).

Faiza delivers another ace for Girvin

THERE have been few fairytale starts to a stud career this year like that of Grade 1 winner Girvin.

In September it was announced that he was moving from Ocala Stud in Florida to Airdrie Stud in Kentucky after he had made a fine start with his first runners. A month later his fee, which had started at $7,500 and dropped to $6,000, was announced at $20,000 for next year. However, that has now been upped again to $25,000, and no wonder.

Girvin, a son of Take Of Ekati (Tale Of The Cat), was among the leading thee-year-olds of his year, winning the 2017 Grade 1 Haskell Invitational Stakes, and registering back-to-back Grade 2 wins in the Risen Star Stakes and the Louisiana Derby.

An earner of $1,624,392 on the track and a winner from six to nine furlongs, Girvin was popular and covered 149 mares in his first crop, while his yearlings sold for up to $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale in 2021.

Good breeze

That figure, for a yearling, was beaten this year when a colt by Girvin sold to St Elias Stables for $290,000 at Keeneland. The breeze-up sale in Ocala in April saw a son of Girvin realise $300,000, but this didn’t compare to the $725,000 given by agent Donato Lanni acting for owner Michael Lund Peterson at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale a month later for a filly who produced a good breeze.

In fact the filly was the session topper on the opening day, consigned by Paul Sharp, and she had worked an eighth in 10.1 seconds. The filly’s dam Sweet Pistol (Smart Strike) had already produced a winning filly in Kirtan (Cairo Prince), and she is a winner again in 2022. The filly, later named Faiza, was bred by Brereton C. Jones at Airdrie Stud, and B.E.T Racing had purchased her for $90,000 at last year’s July Sale.

Well, Faiza is now unbeaten in two starts, the most recent seeing her victorious in the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes at Los Alamitos. While she is a long way off winning her purchase price, she has certainly boosted her value well ahead of that figure.

A bargain

Brereton Jones bagged a bargain when he bought Sweet Pistol, who was unplaced in two starts, for only $33,000 at Keeneland. Her first four offspring have brought in $370,000 as yearlings, three of them by Airdrie’s Cairo Prince (Pioneerof The Nile), and Airdrie own Girvin in partnership.

Mating Sweet Pistol with Cairo Prince made sense as the mare’s Grade 2-winning half-brother Thousand Words is a son of Pioneerof The Nile (Empire Maker).

In fact, Thousand Words, now a Spendthrift stallion with foals this year, sold for $1,000,000 as a yearling, and he is the best of the three winning offspring from Grade 2 winner Pomeroys Pistol (Pomeroy) who was runner-up in a pair of Grade 1 races. She sold to Mike Ryan for $475,000 in 2020.

By the way, Girvin is in the top six first-crop sires with his runners this year, he and Good Magic ($50,000 in 2023) being the only ones with a Grade 1 winner. He has also sired Grade 2 winner Damon’s Mound, three other stakes winners, a total of eight stakes horses, and his percentages are up there, and ahead of, some of his more lauded peers. Expect this story of success to continue.

Seahenge doing it the hard way

BREEDERS in France with a limited budget could do worse than consider Seahenge next year at Haras de la Haie Neuve for €3,500.

He started his second career at a fee of €5,000, has had it reduced to its current level, but his stock are running and winning, and he has recently sired his seventh individual winner from 30 runners. One of his winners, Royal Dubai, was very impressive on his debut last month at Meydan, prompting me to look more closely at his sire.

Yes, some will point out that Seahenge has produced no stakes horse yet, but one of this year’s leading first-season stallions in Britain, with 22 individual winners, is also in the same boat.

Seahenge was a $750,000 yearling purchase by MV Magnier, and he raced from Ballydoyle. Winner first time out of his maiden at Naas, on his third start he won the Group 2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster. He then finished third to stablemates U S Navy Flag and Mendelssohn in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes. He didn’t win again, but as a son of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg), he was entitled to a place at stud.

A half-brother to Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Max Player (Honor Code), Seahenge is one of four stakes performers out of the Not For Love (Mr Prospector) mare Fools In Love, a stakes-winning own-sister to a stakes winner, and a half-sister to dual Grade 2 winner International Star (Fusaichi Pegasus).