Paris

With more on his mind than most of us could bear, the BBC's racing commentator texted his understudy at Ascot with a few technical tips about the box he would be calling the big race from. On King George day, Darren Owen wasn't expecting help from John Hunt. Who would? On 9 July - 18 days earlier, John's wife Carol, 61, and their daughters Hannah and Louise, 28 and 25, had been fatally injured at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire. John and his daughter Amy were in the vortex of...

The first edition of the International Conference for the Health, Safety and Welfare of Jockeys (ICHSWJ) since the Covid-19 pandemic began was held at Auteuil Racecourse in Paris on Thursday, Sept. 28. Topics of the conference featured presentations and panels on concussions, spinal injuries, and mental health and psychological fitness before concluding with recently retired third-generation jockey Tom Scudamore providing his reflections on the conference. Tom Stanley served as moderator. The conference began with a presentation on management of concussion by Dr. Jerry Hill, Chief Medical Adviser, British Horseracing Authority...

A new logo for the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 1 was unveiled by France Galop on Thursday. The logo will be used from this year and going forward. More contemporary than its predecessor, the logo depicts the Arc de Triomphe monument in a nod to the heritage and historical influence of this race. It was designed by independent global design agency Seenk. The previous logo was used beginning in 2008 in celebration of the new partnership between the Arc and the Qatar Racing...

The International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, organised by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), will return as an in-person event in Paris, France on Oct. 3. Held virtually for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the conference's topics to be covered include the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) in the United States, broadening horse racing's appeal globally, addressing climate change through sport, and lessons learned from the pandemic. "As the first in-person conference in three years, this event convenes at a critical junction of our...

It was Wednesday morning, 5 December 1990. The phone rang. 'You running anything at the weekend?'. Inwardly I groaned, I knew what was coming. I was running a handicapper slightly past his best in the 2,100m handicap at Saint-Cloud on the Saturday.  An older horse with his issues, not a comfortable ride, Lester had ridden him 11 days earlier when he was a well beaten third. 'Ok, I'll come and ride him'. And so, to my embarrassment, he flew over at his own expense for one, dodgy ride. It was...

Marcel Weiss, trainer of the reigning Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}), has provided an upbeat bulletin on the 5-year-old ahead of his eagerly-anticipated return to action at Baden-Baden on Sunday.  Torquator Tasso shocked the racing world by becoming the longest-priced winner in Arc history when returning a 72-1 chance in a race where he had Dermot Weld's globetrotting mare Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) and Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in behind.  The poster boy of German racing will return in the...

Jean-Claude Rouget is not prone to hyperbole so, when the decorated French handler compared the unexposed Al Hakeem (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) to his only G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) earlier this week, some people did a double take. Not Benoit Jeffroy, who manages Haras de Bouquetot on behalf of the Al Shaqab operation. Jeffroy has long been aware of the standing in which the multiple Classic-winning trainer has held Al Hakeem and, when the colt won the Listed Prix de Suresnes at Chantilly on...

Jumps racing at Auteuil Racecourse in France was cancelled on Sunday due to an industrial dispute between France Galop employees and trade union members. The eight-race card included a listed race and a pair of Grade 2 races. The disagreement led to a demonstration in the parade ring. Although an emergency meeting was called to resolve the issue, a resolution was not reached and later talks between the two parties were also unsuccessful. After these efforts failed, the meeting was abandoned. "It's very frustrating for me and for everybody, a...

Florida businessman, Robert Slack, founder of Robert Slack, LLC, a Florida real estate brokerage, purchased Kilflynn Farm on Winchester Rd. near Paris, Kentucky. The 417-acre farm, formerly owned by Denis Brosnan, was originally part of Stone Farm. Joe Riddell of the Riddell Smith Group at Rector Hayden Realtors handled the sale. "I have been interested in a farm in Kentucky for many years, and when this one became available, I finally took the plunge, and I am excited to be in the same neighborhood as Claiborne, Machmer Hall, Hidden Brook,...

The Japan Racing Association (JRA) is the new official partner of the 55th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities. The conference, which is normally held in October, is organised by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA). The JRA will promote Japanese racing on the www.ifhaonline.org and social media channels, while the partnership is also expected to further development of international horse racing and international cooperation. "We are pleased to have the JRA become our partner for the Federation's signature conference," said IFHA Chairman Louis Romanet. "Our conference, which traditionally is...

A caravan of four massive Sallee Horse Vans journeyed from Fayette County to Bourbon County today to deliver the 13 members of the Hill 'n' Dale stallion roster to their new residence: Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. While Hill 'n' Dale President John Sikura said there was apprehension going into the big move, everything went smoothly. "It's kind of like when a horse goes in the starting gate- lots can go wrong," he said. "But thanks to the quality and class of the horses and the horsemanship of everybody who...

Just seven days ahead of the Oct. 3-4 G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meeting, Paris and its immediate suburbs were placed into the Reinforced Alert Zone (ZAR) due to a rise in COVID-19 cases on Saturday. This requires France Galop to limit attendance at race meetings at ParisLongchamp, Auteuil and Saint-Cloud to only 1,000 people per day, including racing staff. Priority access will be given to connections of starters at each meeting of the weekend, with owners able to enjoy the day thanks to a quota of six...