Newmarket Eyecatcher Wild Desert can gain Superlative compensation
A runaway winner on his Haydock debut in May, the son of Too Darn Hot was then narrowly beaten at long odds-on on the July course last month and jockey bookings suggested he was the second string stepping up to Group Two level over the same track and trip.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
King Charles and Queen Camilla meet racehorse Stradivarius as they visit The National Stud in Newmarket
They share a fondness for horses with the late Queen Elizabeth II, so it was no surprise that the King and Queen looked right at home on Tuesday as they visited The National Stud in Newmarket. Charles, 76, and Camilla, 78, were pictured meeting racehorse Stradivarius, who has won 18 Group wins - more than any other European horse, on the centre lawn of the farm, which offers industry-leading stud services and boarding for mares, young stock, and spellers. Upon their arrival, Their Majesties, accompanied by Lord Grimthorpe and the Stud's CEO, Ms Anna Kerr, met members of staff, and representatives from racing charities and trusts - including 'Riding A Dream' and 'Autism in Racing'. One of the officials in the line-up praised the King's French, telling him: 'Compliments on your French during the State Visit - fabulous' to which the King jokingly replied: 'I don't know about that. I did a lot of brushing up.' Next, the royal couple met representatives from racing charities and trusts including Jane Buick, an ambassador for Autism in Racing who is working with the National Stud team to develop tours for neuro divergent groups and Oshane Marsh, a graduate from the Riding a Dream academy, who learned to ride at the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton which Camilla supports. Camilla, wearing a patterned silk dress and a straw fan-shaped clutch bag, told him: 'It's lovely to see a graduate from Ebony'. 'Also gathered to meet them were members of the National Stud's and British Racing School's Education teams. The National Stud's education team runs a programme of full and part-time courses and is the only provider of vocational thoroughbred breeding education in the UK. Around 50 students complete the programmes each year, with an 89 per cent retention rate of graduates working in racing after graduation. Camilla, who became patron of the British Racing School which is based near Newmarket earlier this year, together with Charles also met Katie Longbottom and Katie Fleming, the author and illustrator of the National Stud storybooks, which are currently in development and aim to encourage young children's interest in horses from an early age. The books feature an array of equine characters, including foals, stallions and holidaying racehorses, and their adventures beyond the paddocks. Looking at some of the artwork from the books on easels, the King asked Fleming how she produced her work, and heard how she works up paintings from sketches first made on a tablet. The King and Queen then watched a parade of the stud's four resident stallions - Lope Y Fernandez, Bradsell, Rajasinghe and Stradivarius – the latter of which won 18 Group 1 races, often jockeyed by Frankie Dettori. After his parade, Stradivarius was walked over to Charles and Camilla, who patted him and gave him mints. His handler told them 'he loves the cameras', and Charles asked after his daily routine and whether he was 'turned out a lot of the time'. Told he was out for most of the day and then in his stable for 'his dinner in the evenings,' Camilla joked: 'That's the good life'. They were also shown two retired racehorses who now live at the National Stud - The Tin Man and Lord Windemere. At one point, Lord Windermere reared up and swung round, prompting Camilla to quickly run out the way. After seeing two of the mares and their foals out in a field, Charles and Camilla, who have some of their own horses in training in Newmarket, then met several local trainers, including Charlie Fellowes, before joining the stud's gardener, Ian Bailey, who has worked at the stud for 46 years, by two pre-planted field maple trees. 'Do you want me to do the digging?' Charles asked, taking a spade and heaping some soil around the roots before tapping the trunk as his customary 'handshake' to wish the tree luck, after which Camilla gave the tree a drink with a watering can. 'Don't plant me,' she joked to Charles, as they did the same with the second tree, which Camilla then tapped as a handshake. 'Always got to wish it luck,' she said. Before leaving, they were presented with the watering can and spade as gifts by Lord Grimpthorpe. 'Look at our going home presents,' she said to Charles, who appeared thrilled: 'I don't believe it, how terribly kind.' After their visit to the National Stud, Charles and Camilla travelled to the King Edward VII Memorial Hall on Newmarket High Street for a reception where crowds had gathered as they met members of local community groups, businesses and Mark Ashton, the chairman of Ipswich Town Football Club. Their final engagement of the morning saw the King and Queen visit the Jockey Club Rooms to meet staff and members of the Club, of which they are joint patrons. Accompanied by Baroness Dido Harding, chair and senior steward of the Jockey Club, British racing's largest commercial organisation and employer which runs 15 national racecourses including Aintree, Cheltenham and Epsom, and Jim Mullen, the chief executive, they viewed artefacts from Newmarket's National Horseracing Museum, of which Camilla is also patron. Charles and Camilla also learned about the launch of The Jockey Club Patrons Scholarship, which is to be delivered in partnership by The National Stud and the British Racing School. The new initiative will provide access to careers in racing to those from diverse ethnic communities, working with organisations such as The Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, London. Two students will be selected each year for the next three years from the diversity recruitment pathway and trained at The National Stud and the British Racing School. Baroness Harding said: 'It was a great honour to welcome The King and Queen to Newmarket today. Their Majesties became The Jockey Club's joint Patrons last year and it has been our privilege to introduce them to those working in and supporting our sport right in the heartland of British racing. 'As racehorse owners and breeders Their Majesties are already extremely knowledgeable about the industry and today provided an opportunity to celebrate its success and pay tribute to its extensive heritage, while also demonstrating the role The Jockey Club and our industry plays in the town of Newmarket and the local community. 'Looking to the future, the launch of The Jockey Club Patrons Scholarship provides a lasting legacy from today's visit and offers a fantastic opportunity to those from diverse ethnic backgrounds who may not otherwise have considered a career in the horseracing industry.' Anna Kerr, CEO of The National Stud, said: 'The National Stud was officially opened by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1967 and it is such a significant moment in our history to welcome Their Majesties here 58 years later. 'Our business activity is connected to all within the Thoroughbred industry – from breeders and trainers to third party providers and the industry's colleagues of the future, our students. 'It has been truly wonderful to celebrate that community with our Royal Patrons today and to see how Their Majesties share our own passion for a thriving Thoroughbred industry for generations to come.'
The Sun
17 hours ago
- The Sun
Unless the Government axe the racing tax rise it will be goodbye Glorious Goodwood
LATE July is one of the most exciting times in our horse racing calendar. And next week we will celebrate one of the sport's most iconic meetings — Glorious Goodwood. 2 2 Few events capture the sport's history and tradition, its excitement and buzz, more than this glorious spectacle of racing on the South Downs. Thousands will go to the racecourse and millions more will watch it on TV — not just here at home but around the world. Like Royal Ascot before it, Glorious Goodwood is more than just five days of brilliant racing. It is a mix of world-leading sport, fashion and society and a vital soft power lever — as demonstrated by those attending from governments around the world — promoting the best of Britain on a global stage. Tearing the heart out As the MP for West Suffolk, and with Newmarket at the heart of my constituency, I know how these meetings, along with all the others which take place at the country's 59 racecourses throughout the year, showcase racing's vital role in Britain's economy, communities, culture and international reputation. But racing today faces the most serious threat to its future in generations, and if the Government has its way, we risk losing the likes of Glorious Goodwood forever. The Government is currently considering hammering British racing with a tax bombshell. It wants to bring the rate of tax on online horse race betting level with the rate placed on online games of chance — despite there being a huge difference between the two products. Yesterday, the Government closed its 12-week consultation period during which it sought the views of the sport and other interested parties over its so-called harmonisation plan. Racing's governing body, the British Horseracing Authority, led the sport's response in robustly opposing this unwelcome tax smash-and-grab, and hundreds more have made clear their objections to the Treasury officials who came up with this daft proposal. Winning jockey banned after 'extremely unusual' incident during controversial finish at Bath races And as they start wading through the responses which spell out in no uncertain terms the damage their reckless tax proposal could cause to racing, they should understand the strength of feeling shared by millions of people across Britain. According to the Treasury, its proposed Remote Betting and Gaming Duty is designed to simplify betting taxes. But in doing so, it would scrap the special treatment for betting on British racing that successive governments have recognised is needed due to the jobs it creates and its contribution to the economy. Betting on racing is currently taxed at 15 per cent while online slots are taxed at 21 per cent. The Treasury wants to harmonise those rates which means, more than likely, a tax raid on the sport. Racing is part of who we are. It is an essential part of our national sporting story. It is vital that the Government recognises that As many Sun readers who like to bet on the horses after studying the form will know, it is a different type of betting compared to online slot machines. And the current tax regime is designed to reflect both the higher costs borne by the sport — compared with online gaming — and racing's significant economic and social contribution to our country. In purely financial terms, harmonising the duty rates at even 21 per cent will hit racing's finances by £66million. Any higher and thousands of jobs will be lost across Britain. In a worst-case scenario, racecourses may be forced to close, tearing the heart out of their communities. Racing is part of who we are. It is an essential part of our national sporting story. It is vital that the Government recognises that. Without an exemption for horse racing from the harmonisation plans, Britain's second-largest spectator sport and a cherished part of the social fabric of our communities will suffer great harm. The Government, and the Treasury in particular, should take note and axe the racing tax That harm will be both economic and social. Let's start with the economics. Racing employs 85,000 people nationwide and adds over £4billion a year to our national income. Millions of pounds of international investment are drawn in from key trading markets by the world-leading standards of care, science and animal welfare found at British stud farms and training yards. Those in the local supply chain around those farms and yards and our racecourses will see their businesses affected if racing takes a financial hit. Just as important as the boost racing provides to the local and national economy is the way it knits itself into the social fabric of our communities. It helps to make up the identity and sense of place in racing towns. It brings together people from all backgrounds, unites families across generations, and is a way of life for communities around racecourses. Hammer blows And you, the voters, agree. A majority of Britons (68 per cent of Conservatives, 63 per cent of Reform voters, and 61 per cent of Labour voters) say horse racing is an important part of British culture, while two-thirds see racing as an important part of the identity of towns like Newmarket, Doncaster and Cheltenham. This damaging tax hike would be the third leg of a 'triple whammy' of challenges that represent an existential threat to the sport. Alongside the Government's failure to review the Horserace Betting Levy which funds the sport, and intrusive affordability checks placed on everyday punters, these financial hammer blows could tip racing into terminal decline. As they analyse the responses to their consultation, ministers and officials should understand just how many people's lives they will hurt by imposing a swingeing tax rise. It is millions of people in every corner of the country who enjoy attending race meetings and having a flutter on the horses. It is the people whose businesses and jobs depend on racing. It is the people whose civic pride derives from the local racecourse or their area's reputation as a centre of excellence for the rearing and welfare of horses. The Government, and the Treasury in particular, should take note and axe the racing tax.
The Sun
21 hours ago
- The Sun
Fears of jobs being axed and racecourses closing if levies hit the industry
THOUSANDS of jobs will be axed and racecourses face closure if Rachel Reeves hikes gambling taxes, campaigners warn. The industry fears being stung for £66 million with communities ripped apart if horse racing doesn't receive an exemption from increased levies. 1 Racing's finances will be brutally damaged if the current 15 per cent duty rate is harmonised with online casino-style games, which currently stands at 21 per cent. Tory MP Nick Timothy, who represents Newmarket, said: 'Racing is part of who we are. "It is an essential part of our national sporting story. It is vital that the Government recognises that. 'Without an exemption for horseracing from the harmonisation plans, Britain's second-largest spectator sport and a cherished part of the social fabric of our communities will suffer great harm.' A consultation closed yesterday on how to consolidate a three-tier system into a single tax for online gambling called the Remote Betting and Gaming Duty. The warning shot to Chancellor Rachel Reeves from the industry is fired ahead of Glorious Goodwood meeting which kicks off a week today. The sector supports more than 85,000 jobs and contributes more than £4 billion to the economy, research shows. Meanwhile, a new survey has found that almost a third of punters would switch to the gambling black market if the tax hike forced legal operators to withdraw offers and promotions. The illegal operators can offer better odds as they don't have to pay the tax or support the sport. Betting and Gaming Council boss Grainne Hurst said: 'Punters are clear, get the balance on tax and regulation wrong and you hand a competitive advantage to the black market where operators pay no tax, contribute nothing to British sport, and offer no safer gambling protections. 'The gambling black market is growing and actively targeting UK customers. "Any tax rise, whether on betting or gaming, makes that offer more attractive and puts more players at risk. Any tax hike would be catastrophic. 'This would put thousands of jobs and millions in investment at risk, while threatening the future of all sports that rely on regulated betting for funding – from racing and football to rugby league, darts and snooker.' Meanwhile, Brant Dunshea, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, said: 'If the Government goes ahead with this smash-and-grab tax raid it will have a disastrous impact on the cherished national institution that is British horseracing. 'As we gear up for one of the biggest weeks in our calendar the Government simply must understand that its proposed tax bombshell will hammer the country's second most watched sport. 'In a worst-case scenario thousands of jobs will be lost, racecourses may have to close and the future of some of our most iconic races will hang in the balance. 'MPs with any kind of racing activity in their constituency should also understand that it is their voters' livelihoods that are at risk if there is any increase in taxes on horserace betting. 'They need to all be getting behind the campaign to axe the racing tax. Or face the consequences at the ballot box. ' A Treasury spokesperson said: 'We are consulting on bringing the treatment of online betting in line with other forms of online gambling to cut down bureaucracy - it is not about increasing or decreasing rates, and we welcome views from all stakeholders including businesses, trade bodies, the third sector and individuals.'
