30 AIMING FOR SEASONS HOLIDAYS QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE GLORY
A total of 30 entries - 17 of them already Grade One winners - are revealed today (please note the embargo of 12 noon) for the first sponsored running of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. The two-mile showpiece, worth a record £310,000 and run on Wednesday, March 14, is backed by Seasons Holidays - see pages 16, 17, 18 & 19.
Last year's nine-length winner Newmill, trained in Co Cork by John Murphy, is one of a record 12 entries from Ireland. The strong Irish challenge also includes the 2006 fourth Central House, impressive recent Leopardstown winner Nickname as well as In Compliance, who defeated War Of Attrition last time out in the Grade One John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown in December.
Voy Por Ustedes and Monet's Garden, first and second respectively in the 2006 Irish Independent Arkle Trophy, are both entered. The former chased home Kauto Star in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown in December before winning the Grade Two Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton later in the month and is the ante-post favourite while Monet's Garden disappointed last time out in the King George VI Chase.
The 2005 Irish Independent Arkle Chase winner Contraband, who was well beaten on his last start in the Boylesports.com Handicap Chase at Cheltenham last month, is another engaged and has moved since that run from trainer David Pipe to Lincolnshire handler Steve Gollings and is now owned by John Webb. Ashley Brook, who was second in the 2005 Irish Independent Arkle Chase, is also entered, as is the Pipe-trained Well Chief, the 2004 Irish Independent Arkle Chase winner who finished runner-up in the following season's Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Kauto Star, a faller when favourite at the third fence last year, has been put in the race by trainer Paul Nicholls although the sensational seven-year-old, unbeaten in four starts this year, is more likely to be heading to the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup this year. The champion trainer may be represented by Sporazene, winner of his last two starts, and Armaturk, runner-up in the Beards Jewellers Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on November 10.
France could be represented by the Thierry Doumen-trained Foreman, who was third in last season's Irish Independent Arkle Trophy before turning the tables on Voy Por Ustedes in the John Smith's Maghull Novices' Chase at Aintree the following month. He was third behind the same horse last time out in the Desert Orchid Chase at Sandown.
Edward Gillespie, Managing Director at Cheltenham Racecourse, commented: "This year's Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase enters an exciting new phase in its history with a sponsor for the first time and all the leading two milers from Britain, Ireland and France have been entered.
"The young pretenders set to take on last year's winner Newmill look to be headed by Voy Por Ustedes, winner of The Irish Independent Arkle Chase at last year's Festival."
SEASONS HOLIDAYS UNVEILED AS QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE SPONSOR
Cheltenham Racecourse announces today (please note the embargo of 12 noon) that Seasons Holidays Plc is the first-ever sponsor of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, which takes place on Wednesday, March 14, 2007, day two of The Festival.
The announcement took place at trainer Alan King's Wiltshire stables and he paraded ante-post favourite Voy Por Ustedes. The race is to be run as the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The ground-breaking new sponsorship by Seasons Holidays sees the total prize fund for the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase rise to £310,000, an increase of £20,000 on the 2006 total. The Grade One race is the third most valuable chase run during the season.
Bristol-based Seasons Holidays is one of Europe's leading holiday ownership developers, with six resorts in the British Isles and three in Europe, and has the distinction of being the first sponsor of a race that has enjoyed an illustrious 48-year history.
Edward Gillespie, Cheltenham's Managing Director, said: "The Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase is the last of the championship feature races at The Festival to be open for commercial sponsorship.
"We are very pleased to have found a dynamic British-based consumer brand, Seasons Holidays, that we can work with to take the great race forward."
Season's Holidays Chairman Barry Hurley commented: "We are delighted to have concluded sponsorship of such a prestigious race.
"The Cheltenham Festival is the highlight of the racing calendar. I have been buying and breeding racehorses over the last 10 years and this opportunity enables me to combine my lifelong passion for racing with an attractive commercial opportunity to promote Seasons Holidays across the British Isles and around the world."
The two-mile championship contest, run in honour of one of Jump racing's greatest supporters, the late Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, is one of the four major championship events over the four days of The Festival and consistently produces thrilling contests between some of the best-loved and admired horses in training.
The race was first run in 1959 and was re-titled the Queen Mother Champion Chase in 1980 to celebrate the Queen Mother's 80th birthday. Last year's renewal of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase heralded a brilliant nine-length winner in the John Murphy-trained Newmill, who defeated a stellar field that included Moscow Flyer, twice successful in the race, and the brilliant Kauto Star.
The great Moscow Flyer triumphed in 2003 and 2005, having unseated Barry Geraghty in the 2004 renewal won by Azertyuiop, to become the 10th multiple winner of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Since the Dan Moore-trained Quita Que prevailed for Ireland in the inaugural running of the race in 1959, the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase has been won by a host of stars including the incomparable Badsworth Boy (1983-1985) who is the only triple winner of the race, having gained the prize for trainers Michael Dickinson and Monica Dickinson.
The impressive roll of honour also includes legendary names such as Fortria (1960 & 1961), Flyingbolt (1966), Drinny's Double (1967 & 1968), Royal Relief (1972 & 1974), Skymas (1976 & 1977), Hilly Way (1978 & 1979), Buck House (1986), Pearlyman (1987 & 1988), Barnbrook Again (1989 & 1990), Remittance Man (1992), Viking Flagship (1994 & 1995), the great grey One Man (1998) and Edredon Bleu (2000), who narrowly got the better of Direct Route in a typically pulsating finish.
SEASONS HOLIDAYS PLC
Seasons Holidays plc is an English company, which was established in 1997 and has grown into one of the European leaders in holiday ownership development.
Membership of Seasons Holiday Club now stands at 23,000 families, representing 70,000 Britons, for whom the company arranges holidays each year.
Each resort offers a choice of different sized luxury accommodation, up to three bedrooms, all fully equipped for self-catering. This timeshare stock forms part of the Seasons Holiday Club, a multi-destination club, where the members collectively own villas, cottages and apartments in 10 Seasons Holidays destinations.
The Seasons Holidays resorts provide major economic benefits to the local, rural communities in which they are located. They provide regular employment for permanent and part-time staff, while attracting thousands of visitors throughout the year who in turn provide a significant boost to the local economy.
Through Seasons Holidays' connections with other resort developers worldwide, members also have access to a further 70 affiliated destinations around the world, including Australia, Hawaii and the Caribbean. In addition, they can become members of the Interval International exchange network, giving them access to a further 2,000 resorts in more than 75 countries.
Membership of Seasons Holidays is available from as little as £3,750 for a week's holiday every year, and year round club membership until the year 2069.
Seasons Holidays is a long-term member of the industry's governing body, Organisation for Timeshare in Europe (OTE), and Seasons' Marketing Director Leslie McCann is currently on the board of the UK chapter - the Timeshare Council. In addition, Seasons' Managing Director, Michael Foundly, is chairman of the OTE Legislative Council.
SALE AND LEASEBACK
Seasons Estates, created in 2004, is a subsidiary of Seasons Holidays plc. Seasons Estates develops and markets new holiday bungalows, cottages or apartments on existing Seasons holiday resort sites on the increasingly popular buy to let basis.
In the past 18 months, 85 luxurious Cottages have been developed and sold at Seasons resorts in the Lake District and Scotland. During 2007, Seasons Estates intends to build more investment homes in the Lake District, 34 luxury lodges and eight apartments in Cornwall at the Clowance Estate, as well as 30 luxury apartments at Laugharne Park in South West Wales.
THE SEASONS HOLIDAYS QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE
Class 1, Grade 1, £310,000 Total Prize Fund. 3.15pm, Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14, 2007. For 5yo+ which are allotted a rating of 130 or more by the Senior BHB Jumps Handicapper following a review of the horses entered and after taking account of races run up to and including March 7 - horses which are not qualified for a rating in GB, IRE or FR may also be entered & such horses may be eligible providing the Handicapper is satisfied that the horse's racecourse performances up to and including March 7 would merit a minimum rating of 130 (the decision of the Senior BHB Handicapper shall be final), two miles. Weights: 5yo 11st 5lb, 6yo+ 11st 10lb. Allowances: mares 7lb. Entries closed January 3, entries revealed January 9 (30 entries), forfeit stage February 20, £15,500 supplementary entry stage March 8, six-day confirmation stage March 8. Final 48-hour declaration stage, 10.00am, March 12. Form figures supplied by Weatherbys and are correct up to and including the racing of Sunday, January 7.
Form Horse Age Owner Trainer
213F61- ACCORDION ETOILE (IRE) 8 Banjo Syndicate Paul Nolan IRE
P63-22U ARMATURK (FR) 10 Trevor Hemmings Paul Nicholls
2421/32- ASHLEY BROOK (IRE) 9 Elizabeth Ellis Kevin Bishop
2016-21 BRIAREUS 7 Miss E J Lambourne Andrew Balding
4R3-242 CENTRAL HOUSE 10 John Kenny Dessie Hughes IRE
6/2/111/F- CLOONE RIVER (IRE) 11 Kathleen Gillane Paul Nolan IRE
3/53-2P0 CONTRABAND 9 John Webb Steve Gollings
3P-0311 CROSSBOW CREEK 9 Mark Rimell Mark Rimell
12B-U4U DEMPSEY (IRE) 9 Tracy Brown Carl Llewellyn
0131-23 FOREMAN (GER) 9 J P McManus Thierry Doumen FR
1123-11 *IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) 7 Sean Mulryan Michael O'Brien IRE
312-13P JUSTIFIED (IRE) 8 Braybrook Syndicate Eamon Sheehy IRE
1F-1111 *KAUTO STAR (FR) 7 Clive Smith Paul Nicholls
6110F-1 MANSONY (FR) 8 M Mulholland Arthur Moore IRE
021536 *MARBLE GARDEN (USA) 6 Fergus Wilson Richard Chotard FR
P0-5424 MISTER MCGOLDRICK 10 Richard Longley Sue Smith
1121-16 *MONET'S GARDEN (IRE) 9 David Wesley Yates Nicky Richards
43111-4 NEWMILL (IRE) 9 Mary Hayes John Murphy IRE
P22-141 NICKNAME (FR) 8 Claudia Jungo-Corpataux Martin Brassil IRE
33U-032 ONEWAY (IRE) 10 Mark Rimell Mark Rimell
3UP3-42F *OUR BEN 8 Trevor Hemmings Willie Mullins IRE
2UP1-34 RIVER CITY (IRE) 10 Sally Rowley-Williams Noel Chance
133/1F5/- SAY AGAIN (IRE) 11 Sean Duggan Paul Nolan IRE
F630-11 SPORAZENE (IRE) 8 Ged Mason Paul Nicholls
044002 *SYBELLIUS D'ARTAIX (FR) 7 Fergus Wilson Richard Chotard FR
13P-201 TUMBLING DICE (IRE) 8 Mrs John Donegan Tom Taaffe IRE
0/PF-F00 VENN OTTERY 12 Oliver Carter Susan Gardner
1112-21 VOY POR USTEDES (FR) 6 Sir Robert Ogden Alan King
614-236 *WATSON LAKE (IRE) 9 John Corr Noel Meade IRE
3F1221/- WELL CHIEF (GER) 8 David Johnson David Pipe
30 entries, 12 Irish-trained, 3 French-trained
* Also entered in totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup
BREAKDOWN OF ENTRIES BY TRAINER WITH PAST SUCCESSES IN THE SEASONS HOLIDAYS QUEEN MOTHER CHAMPION CHASE
3 Entries
Paul Nicholls (1999 Call Equiname, 2004 Azertyuiop)
Paul Nolan IRE
2 Entries
Richard Chotard FR
Mark Rimell
1 Entry
Andrew Balding
Kevin Bishop
Martin Brassil IRE
Noel Chance
Thierry Doumen FR
Susan Gardner
Steve Gollings
Dessie Hughes IRE
Alan King
Carl Llewellyn
Noel Meade IRE
Arthur Moore IRE (1996 Klairon Davis, 1981 Drumgora)
Willie Mullins IRE
John Murphy IRE
Michael O'Brien IRE
David Pipe
Nicky Richards
Eamon Sheehy IRE
Sue Smith
Tom Taaffe IRE
The Grade One Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase has attracted 30 top-class chasers, one more than last season and just two below the record set in 2002, including a highest-ever 12 entries from Ireland and three from France.
With 17 individual Grade One winners engaged, the 2007 renewal of the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase promises to be an exceptional running.
Last year's victor Newmill heads the Irish challenge as he bids to become the ninth horse to secure back-to-back wins in the two-mile championship. John Murphy's charge established himself as the leading two-mile chaser with his Festival triumph and duly added the Grade One Kerrygold Champion Chase at Punchestown to cap an excellent 2005/2006 season. He was fourth to Iktitaf on his sole start this term in the Grade One Morgiana Hurdle on November 19.
The champion can expect a tough battle to retain his crown. The brilliant Kauto Star would be a hot favourite if switching from his likelier Festival target, the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. Paul Nicholls' charge in December became the first horse since the great Desert Orchid to win the two-mile Tingle Creek Trophy and the three-mile King George VI Chase in the same season.
The home defence looks particularly strong and the first three home in the 2006 Irish Independent Arkle Chase, Voy Por Ustedes, trained by Alan King, the Nicky Richards-trained runner-up Monet's Garden, and the Thierry Doumen-trained Foreman, could provide stiff opposition.
The David Pipe-trained Well Chief, winner of the 2004 Irish Independent Arkle Trophy and runner-up to the great Moscow Flyer in the 2005 Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase, could return from a near two-year lay-off, while Kevin Bishop's Ashley Brook is also entered having not raced since finishing second to Kauto Star in the 2005 Tingle Creek Trophy.
Irish opposition to the reigning champion is also strong and includes compatriot Nickname, who is trained by Martin Brassil and easily accounted for Central House in the Grade One Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting.
The imposing Irish entry also includes Michael O'Brien's top-class In Compliance, who defeated 2006 totesport Gold Cup hero War Of Attrition in the two and a half mile Grade One John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on December 10, with Nickname, Watson Lake and Justified well held. In Compliance is also entered in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The Irish challenge could also include the Paul Nolan-trained trio of Accordion Etoile, victorious from Justified and In Compliance in Punchestown's Grade One Swordlestown Cup over two miles in April, the 2004 Galway Hurdle hero Cloone River and 2004 Swordlestown Cup winner Say Again.
The Tom Taaffe-trained Grade Two Hilly Way Chase winner Tumbling Dice, and the Paddypowerpoker.com Handicap Chase one-two of Mansony (who could bid to give trainer Arthur Moore his third success in the race following Drumgora in 1981 and Klairon Davis in 1996) and Our Ben (Willie Mullins) complete the Irish entry.
Andrew Balding has entered the exciting novice Briareus, while Steve Gollings could saddle Contraband, winner of the 2005 Irish Independent Arkle Trophy when trained by Martin Pipe. Oxfordshire trainer Mark Rimell has Tingle Creek Trophy third Oneway and the smart Crossbow Creek engaged.
Sporazene impressively landed a two mile, one and a half furlong Exeter graduation chase in December and is one of three possible runners from champion trainer Paul Nicholls' yard, alongside Armaturk and Kauto Star. Dempsey, River City, last year's third Mister McGoldrick and Venn Ottery could also line up.
As well as Foreman, the French challenge includes the Richard Chotard-trained pair of Marble Garden and Sybellius d'Artaix, both owned by Fergus Wilson.
ROY ANNOUNCES BRITISH HORSERACING AUTHORITY OFFERS "FRESH START"
The British Horseracing Authority's Chairman Paul Roy, making his first public speech since taking up the role, today declared his hope that the new body could offer a fresh start for racing.
Addressing the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Annual General Meeting in London, where he was a guest speaker, Roy declared: "I want to make absolutely clear to you today that the BHA is not just a name change and yet another new acronym in racing. It is a genuine fresh start; a ground-breaking new concept in sports administration. It is the most independent governing and regulatory body in British sport. It will be performance-driven, dynamic and responsive, and its decisions will be taken for the greater good, free from sectional interest."
Roy admitted that factionalism within racing politics had previously put him off getting more involved.
He said: "Although a lifelong follower of racing, and an owner and breeder, I'd long been put off and disillusioned by the in-fighting, the politics and the factions. However, I viewed the formation of the BHA, in what is a radical restructuring of governance and regulation, as a tremendous opportunity for the industry to come together as one."
Roy welcomed TBA chairman Philip Freedman's calls for a meeting to discuss integrity in the bloodstock world and he also hoped that increased transparency in racing would heighten the public's confidence.
He said: "On the positive side, the number of races requiring investigation appears to be reducing all the time. This, together with the industry's more transparent, less self-denying response to any negative issues that make headlines in 2007, will build public confidence in our sport.
"The work of the regulator has been made increasingly transparent to both the industry itself and the wider public, through the opening of appeals to the press, to the production of detailed reasons for decisions. The BHA will continue this trend towards enhanced disclosure transparency.
"However, integrity will always begin with individual responsibility. Integrity needs to exist across the whole industry, not just on the racecourse but, as Philip rightly points out, within the bloodstock world. In the financial world, a clear distinction is made and transparency between somebody acting as both a principal and an agent.
"Acting in a dual capacity or taking a fee on both sides of a transaction has to be disclosed. The same rules and levels of disclosure should apply within this industry, and I welcome Philip's suggestion to meet with the TBA to discuss appropriate protection for vendors and buyers alike.
Roy also highlighted the potential to bring more owners and investors into racing as well as announcing that the Stable and Stud Staff Steering Group was set to continue under the BHA.
Peter Webbon, who became chief executive of the Animal Health Trust on January 1, was the other guest speaker at the TBA's AGM and he was set to outline future plans at the Newmarket research centre.
FREEDMAN CALLS FOR DISCUSSION WITH BHA ON FOALING DATES
Thoroughbred Breeders' Association Chairman Philip Freedman today called for a change to the long-standing rule whereby a thoroughbred born prematurely before January 1 in the northern hemisphere had to be registered as a yearling on that date.
"It is of course a nonsense that the premature foals of mares covered after the start of the covering season are discriminated against in this way, and your Council remains committed to bringing about a change in the rules," said Freedman, speaking at the TBA's Annual General Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Churchill Hotel in London.
"It is ultimately for the rules of racing, and not the Stud Book Authority - who merely record when a foal was born - to regulate on how a horse's age should be determined, and given our failure, thus far at least, to gain any support from our colleagues in Ireland for a united approach to our two racing authorities, this may be a subject on which we will have to make a unilateral approach to our next speaker (British Horseracing Authority Chairman Paul Roy), in the near future."
Freedman also announced that he wished to meet the BHA to discuss the issue of integrity in bloodstock trading. He added: "However much we may do to market bloodstock to new owners, or look to expand overseas outlets for the British thoroughbred, we will only succeed if British bloodstock sales are accepted as having the highest standards of integrity.
"It would be as complacent for us to believe that the absence of any formal investigations under the Bloodstock Industry Code of Conduct indicated this problem had gone away as it was for the Irish to assert that bung was an English problem caused by English vendors and English trainers' when their Turf Club was approached about introducing a joint Code of Conduct three years ago.
"While the last thing we would wish to do is see trade move overseas and away from Newmarket or Doncaster, we must recognise that the law of the land applies as much to our industry as any other, and to excuse an illegal act as being established industry practise would be a terrible indictment of our industry.
"Just as our interest in the regulation of the industry has been formally recognised by our position within the BHA, so we must recognise that the rest of the industry has a legitimate interest in how breeding and bloodstock sales are regulated.
"As a first step we will be looking to meet with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the BHA, both of whom have considerable experience in this area, in order that we can establish how best to ensure that vendors and purchasers alike are aware of law in this area."
Freedman, who will hand over the TBA Chairmanship to Kirsten Rausing in 12 months' time, also announced that TBA Executive Director Gavin Pritchard-Gordon was taking on an additional role promoting British bloodstock abroad.
"For far too long owners, trainers and breeders attending the major overseas racing festivals, international sales and trade fairs such as the Asian Racing Conference have contrasted the absence of any British promotion with the constant marketing of Irish bloodstock," continued the TBA chairman. "That will now end and I am delighted to be able to announce that Gavin Pritchard-Gordon has agreed to add the role of Ambassador for British bloodstock to the many roles he already undertakes for us."
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