Horn of plenty HERO IS A RIGHT STUD
HIGH TIME TO DISCOVER NEWMARKET
DISCOVER NEWMARKET is running another Champion Trainer tour on September 19 and there are a few places left.
Its other tours include visits to the gallops, the National Stud and the Jockey Club Rooms. It is also running a series of Tattersalls sales ring tours this autumn where visitors can experience at first hand thoroughbreds being sold for thousands of pounds.
This tour also includes a visit to the gallops, a trainer’s yard, lunch, the National Stud or the
It was the highlight of a stellar career that saw the Epsom Derby hero and Frankie Dettori strike up a deadly partnership.
They bagged £4.4million in prize money with the horse becoming the highest rated of 2015.
But the equine machine is now JASON HEAVEY excelling in his new stallion career. This year he has covered 145 mares at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket, the HQ of Sheikh Mohammed’s breeding operation. The oil-rich Godolphin supremo part-owns the horse with Anthony Oppenheimer, who wanted him to stand in Newmarket. But Golden Horn, who is 68kg heavier than when he won the Derby, is not a cheap date. Although each liaison is over in about 20 seconds, those seeking his stallion services will pay £60,000 a pop if their mare is scanned in foal in October. It will mean Golden Horn could earn his owners £8m this year alone. If he stays healthy and stands for 20 years, he could father about 3,000 foals. Dalham Hall staff say he has adapted well to his new career, which sees him cover three or four mares a day. But Golden Horn is not the biggest earner. A couple of boxes down is Dubawi, who commands £225,000 a mare. A visit to Dalham Hall is a feature of the Champion Trainer tour, organised by Discover Newmarket, which has been charged with promoting the delights of the unique town. Another highlight is meeting the mighty John Gosden, the reigning champion trainer and National Heritage Centre. Tattersalls tours are available on October 5, October 11, October 26, October 28 and November 30. Discover Newmarket can help to arrange accommodation, which includes the cosy Heath Court Hotel which has a racing theme throughout. Call 01638 667171 to book a room.
For more details on any of the tours, visit discovernewmarket.co.uk or call 0344 748 9200 or email admin@discovernewmarket.co.uk
JASON HEAVEY the man who masterminded Golden Horn’s racing career.
An imposing figure, Gosden talks with charm and a real air of authority. He provides an insight into the incredible team effort involved in training more than 200 horses, winning Group Ones and looking for the next star.
Steeped in equine history, Newmarket is home to more than 3,000 thoroughbreds and is the world’s flat racing mecca.
Earlier this week, Gosden, based at Clarehaven Stables, cantered his string on the Limekilns where horses have done their work for 350 years. Parfait was particularly impressive and ran well yesterday but Gosden allows his juveniles to develop in their own time.
Some, such as Royal Ascot winner Ardad (“He didn’t stay 6f last time”), are small and savvy while others are as green as the Limekilns grass.
Gosden revealed Jack Hobbs is nearing a return and has pencilled in a race on September 17 in an upbeat bulletin on last year’s Epsom Derby runner-up.
Meanwhile, Newmarket is set for a huge tourism boost with the opening on September 19 of the new National Heritage Centre for Horseracing and Sporting Art.
The new centre, which has cost a reputed £15million, is located at Palace House, Charles II’s former sporting palace and stables.
It will include a new National Horseracing Museum, a National Art Gallery of British Sporting Art, and a chance to meet former racehorses in the flagship home of Retraining of Racehorses.