Latest news with #racehorse
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Plans submitted for professional race horse training facility in Sussex
A retrospective planning application has been submitted for a professional race horse training facility. Cynthia Woods Racing, operating at Green Hedges Farm in Crowborough, has applied for permission from Rother District Council for gallops used to train professional race horses. A gallop is a dedicated track or surface designed for horses to exercise at high speeds, often used for training and conditioning. The retrospective application aims to secure the continued operation of Mrs Woods's professional race horse training business, which relocated to Green Hedges Farm in late 2016. Initially, Mrs Woods trained eight horses for point-to-point racing, a popular form of amateur horse racing, at the farm. The location was ideal for the fitness training and welfare of the horses, with access to hills on quiet roads, bridleways, and Eridge Park for fast work training. However, in 2018, the use of Eridge Park was withdrawn due to a new deer contract with Waitrose, forcing Mrs Woods to make a 50-mile round trip to Bo Peep on the Sussex Downs, three to four times a week, for galloping. Due to a shrinking pool of point-to-point racing enthusiasts, the death of one of Ms Woods's biggest customers in 2019, and the effects of the pandemic, Mrs Woods turned to professional racing to sustain her business. In September 2020, she was granted a professional licence, allowing her to race horses on licensed race courses. The British Horseracing Authority, as part of the licensing conditions, required gallops of approximately six furlongs within hacking distance of the stables. Mrs Woods managed to secure temporary approval for using a neighbouring farm's larger fields for professional training. However, this arrangement ended in September 2022, leaving Mrs Woods in need of a training facility or facing the closure of her business. With the immediate availability of a local tradesman, Mrs Woods began constructing gallops on her own land in July 2021. Fontwell Park racecourse, one of the locations that Cynthia Woods horses race (Image: Nick MacNeill) The construction was undertaken on the assumption that the gallops would be covered under the previously granted planning permission for equestrian use. The gallops were designed to ensure the exercising of horses in a professional manner, while also incorporating drainage to make the land more usable. This was considered necessary due to the clay soil, which would have become unusable, risking the withdrawal of Mrs Woods's professional licence and the end of her business. Read more: Indian restaurant gets one-star food hygiene rating following inspection 'Stunning' country home with pool and vast gardens on sale for £3.5m 15th-century pub with 80ft indoor well put on sale The retrospective planning application seeks to regularise the existing gallops, which Mrs Woods argues are essential for the training operation at Green Hedges Farm. The application states the development has been designed with consideration for its setting, access, and environmental impact, ensuring it aligns with planning policies and local rural enterprise needs. The gallops are positioned within the farm boundary and are designed to support the training and exercise of horses in a safe and controlled environment.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Leading trainer Edward O'Grady dies aged 75
Edward O'Grady, one of Ireland's leading racehorse trainers over the last 50 years, has died aged 75. Based in Ballynotty, Co Tipperary, O'Grady trained his first Cheltenham Festival winner in 1974 and went on to enjoy 18 victories in all at National Hunt racing's ultimate meeting. Most prominent among them was Golden Cygnet, a spectacular winner of the Supreme Novices Hurdle in 1978, who looked to have the racing world at his feet only to sustain fatal injuries in a fall just weeks later. O'Grady started training in 1972 and saddled his first winner, Vibrax, at Gowran Park in January of that year. He took over the license from his father Willie, who had just died. READ MORE It meant O'Grady, who attended school at Blackrock College in Dublin, had to leave university without finishing a veterinary degree. He was in the spotlight due to the famous Gay Future controversy in 1974 when the horse of that name was at the centre of a gambling coup by an Irish betting syndicate. O'Grady was later played by Pierse Brosnan in the film 'Murphy's Stroke' based on the matter. He was also instrumental in introducing the then bookmaker and gambler JP McManus to racehorse ownership. Trainer Edward O'Grady, former European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy and JP McManus at the Cheltenham Festival in 2012. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho In 1982 the pair combined to win at Cheltenham with Mister Donovan. McManus backed the horse and later admitted: 'He was needed!' O'Grady was champion National Hunt trainer in Ireland for four years between 1977 and 1980. He flirted with switching his attentions to the flat but returned to the jumps to some effect with star names such as Nick Dundee, Back In Front and Sound Man. A statement issued by his family through Horse Racing Ireland on Monday said: 'It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of Edward O'Grady, who passed away peacefully yesterday evening at St James's Hospital, surrounded by his family. 'Edward was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also one of the most respected and successful racehorse trainers of his generation. 'Over the course of an extraordinary career that spanned more than five decades, Edward trained just shy of 1,700 winners under rules. His name became synonymous with Irish National Hunt racing, and he was a formidable force at Cheltenham and across the racing world. 'Beyond the winners and the headlines, Edward was a man of deep intelligence, sharp wit, and remarkable warmth. He had friends on every continent, a story for every occasion, and a lifelong passion for the sport, the hunting field and everything equestrian.' O'Grady's second wife, Maria, died in a fall while out hunting in 2017. He is survived by their daughters, Mimi and Rosie Mae, as well as his older children, Jonathan, Amber and Lucy.
The Independent
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
King and Queen feed polo mints to champion racehorse on visit to Newmarket
The King and Queen each fed a polo mint to the champion racehorse Stradivarius on a visit to the National Stud in Newmarket, Suffolk. Charles, 76, held out the treat on his right palm for the stallion to take, then stroked the horse on the head. Camilla, 78, also gave the horse a mint then petted it as the animal loudly crunched on it. The King said afterwards: 'At least he didn't bite.' His consort said 'keep away from their teeth', adding: 'Now he's looking for more polos.' Charles and Camilla were shown four resident stallions on their visit to the National Stud, with each individually paraded before them. The last of the four was Stradivarius, who has career earnings in excess of £3.4 million and 18 Group wins – more than any other European horse. The King and Queen, who arrived by helicopter, also spoke to people involved in the horseracing industry during Tuesday's visit. Charles shovelled soil into holes beside two already-planted field maple trees and Camilla then watered them from a watering can, before a round of applause, and they left the National Stud in a dark blue BMW car.
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
King and Queen feed polo mints to champion racehorse on visit to Newmarket
The King and Queen each fed a polo mint to the champion racehorse Stradivarius on a visit to the National Stud in Newmarket, Suffolk. Charles, 76, held out the treat on his right palm for the stallion to take, then stroked the horse on the head. Camilla, 78, also gave the horse a mint then petted it as the animal loudly crunched on it. The King said afterwards: 'At least he didn't bite.' His consort said 'keep away from their teeth', adding: 'Now he's looking for more polos.' Charles and Camilla were shown four resident stallions on their visit to the National Stud, with each individually paraded before them. The last of the four was Stradivarius, who has career earnings in excess of £3.4 million and 18 Group wins – more than any other European horse. The King and Queen, who arrived by helicopter, also spoke to people involved in the horseracing industry during Tuesday's visit. Charles shovelled soil into holes beside two already-planted field maple trees and Camilla then watered them from a watering can, before a round of applause, and they left the National Stud in a dark blue BMW car.
News.com.au
21-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Taree, Moree previews: Trainer Robert Agnew's star galloper to show ‘em how it's done
Trainer Robert Agnew will gladly take his share of the $13,950 winner's purse on offer at Taree on Tuesday but it's the points – not the cash – he wants most. Agnew, a rising star trainer, has his rising star racehorse Show 'Em Howl back in action on the Mid-North Coast on Tuesday after back-to-back barnstorming runs at Royal Randwick and Rosehill respectively. It comes as no surprise then that Show 'Em Howl looks destined to start well into the red when he steps out in the MVRC Winning Post Function Centre Class 3 Handicap (1262m). 'He is definitely on a Country Championship path that's for sure,'' Agnew said. 'And it looks like a walk in the park to get his (benchmark) points up to be eligible. 'He wins on Tuesday, he goes from a 60 to 64 or 65 and then that would nearly get him in (to the qualifier). 'I'll run him there (at Taree) and then we go to Sydney two-and-a-half weeks later for a 1400m and then he is in the paddock or we give him one more kill and then he is in the paddock.' • Show 'Em Howl has finished fourth and fifth in his two Sydney runs, both ending in his now-trademark whirlwind finishing burst. Rival trainers hoping for a level-playing field at Taree on Tuesday will be disheartened to learn of Show 'Em Howl's current state of health and wellbeing. 'He's improved,'' Agnew declared. 'I'm expecting him to be very dominant on Tuesday to be honest.' Show 'Em Howl shows them how in the last at @port_races! ðŸ'� @AnnaRoper_ — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 19, 2025 Show 'Em Howl is not only a four-legged advertisement for Agnew's training prowess, his meagre purchase price of $5,000 at the far away Inglis Gold Yearling Sale in Melbourne in 2023 highlights Agnew's eye for a bargain. Show 'Em Howl is a son of Showtime who left Australia on a plane for Indonesia in August last year to continue his stud duties. Agnew's three-year-old has several Group 1 relatives on his page including Racing To Win as well as The Everest winner Classique Legend. Where to next for Show 'Em Howl? The Country Championships are on the radar! Hear from trainer Robert Agnew after the win at @port_races this afternoon... — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) January 19, 2025 Agnew's other runner at Taree on Tuesday is Prince Rupert who turned in a career-best performance last start when third at Coffs Harbour. 'He is my most expensive horse and he's been very disappointing,'' Agnew said. 'But we changed a few things, gave him a good spell and brought him back and fingers are crossed that he can do what he did first-up and he'll be on the right track to win races for us. 'He finds himself in a race that is very achievable for him to put himself in the first four again. 'I can't fault him. His work is good and he looks great.' Prince Rupert, a $50,000 Magic Millions Yearling graduate of the 2023 sale, is a son of Bjorn Baker's Winning Rupert who won the first five of his ultimately final six lifetime starts including the Group 2 BRC Champagne Classic, Group 3 Vo Rogue Plate and the Listed Gold Edition Stakes, all in Brisbane from May to December in 2016. Meanwhile there was good news on the Agnew front regarding his talented three-year-old Pony Soprano who came down in a drama-charged Highway at Rosehill on Saturday. 'He had a couple of little cuts on his legs but nothing major and a head knock,' Agnew reported. 'The initial plan was to spell him straight away but I got him home and it is not as bad as I first thought.' â– â– â– â– â– Prosser's Wild girl ready to rumble Highway-winning trainer Colt Prosser is hoping the 'real' She's A Wild One will reveal herself when she joins a caravan of four heading from Wauchope to Moree on Tuesday. The daughter of 2019 Doncaster Handicap winner Brutal, She's A Wild One has so far been more true to her name than the job of being a racehorse as Prosser explained. 'She has always shown me so much ability, I thought she was my best three-year-old by a country mile but she just does everything wrong,'' Prosser says. 'She duffs the start and then she wants to over-race mid-race and then she is gassing herself out by the time she gets to the post. 'If she can put it all together on race day, the day she does it, she will look very impressive put it that way. 'I am chasing a little BOBS bonus win with her so I am just trying to pick my best option and Tuesday looks like a nice race for her.' Prosser's first runner on the card is the (rare) black-coloured gelding Impending Fortune who ought to relish the opportunity to step out to 1300m in Tuesday's opener. 'It's probably even a touch short,' Prosser said. 'He is still a little bit green and he still does a little bit wrong but 1300m on a big track like Moree should be perfect.' Prosser has likewise found an ideal race on Tuesday for former Godolphin-housed galloper Montgolfier to record his second win in as many starts after a swashbuckling maiden win at Taree last start. 'I was very happy with how strong he was through the line,'' his trainer said. 'I always thought for him to be winning races, he has to get over a little bit further but he has still got to learn to harness that energy between the 800m and the 600m, he just wants to get going and do too much.' Prosser's final runner at Moree is Calamity Fox whose record at the venue is a win and third from his two prior visits. 'He is one of those old horses who loves a trip away and I picked out three races for the other ones and I thought I'll throw the old Fox on the float and take him. 'If he can get back to the form he had last prep he will run well. He likes the track.'
