“It’s in everyone’s benefit that we can breed a better horse,” leading Australian trainer Mick Price wrote in a recent article published in The Thoroughbred Report.
Sustained racing careers benefit everyone. Horses who compete across multiple seasons not only enhance their own welfare outcomes, but also deliver greater value to owners and stronger engagement for fans. Recent history offers clear examples: Winx (Street Cry {Ire}), Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) and Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) all raced across multiple seasons, building followings that extended well beyond a single campaign.
Japan markets their racing with “hero is coming”, putting the horse at the centre of their marketing slogans. And so, how do we create horses, who are not only champions, but champions who last and can pull crowds back to the races?
Price has an idea that warrants consideration, drawing inspiration from Germany.
“I would love to see the Stud Book introduce an A category for broodmares and stallions – an added layer of quality control. I understand the German Stud Book operates under stricter standards than we do.
“I’m not suggesting we restrict Australian Stud Book numbers in any way. Rather, if there were a recognised category for soundness, it could provide an incentive for people to aspire to that level,” Price said.
The German Stud Book states their aspirations that extend beyond horse racing, looking on into their post-racing career:
“The breeding objective is a sound thoroughbred horse bred for speed, stamina, endurance, commitment and toughness in the highest performance, displaying nobility and enough substance in bone and body which, moreover, due to its character, harmony in conformation and its naturally elegant, fluent and supple movement can be employed for breeding programmes in warmblood populations as well as be used as a riding horse.”
To meet those objectives, Germany limits approval to stallions who have achieved a rating of 110 or higher on the World Thoroughbred Rankings, raced across more than one season, and passed a conformation assessment scored across a 30-point system.
Australia allows the marketplace to determine suitability for stud. Stallions stand based on commercial demand, with breeders weighing performance, pedigree, physical type, race record and service fee when making mating decisions.
How do we determine which horses get the A standard?
“If he retired to stud with no knee surgery, no fetlock surgery, no throat surgery, and you could add a soundness category in the stud book and say this horse retired sound, if you stamp them with an A, and they were A breeder, and the mare was also A, you would actually get more for your product,” said Price.
“It doesn’t mean to say you’d get less if they weren’t an A grader because of the variables in the game. We all understand them, but I just think as an attempt to evolve in a better way. It would be interesting if there was the chase for a better standard.”
In South Africa, there are detailed yearling inspections prior to the various auctions, but stallions and broodmares are not specifically graded for any physical or previous performance issues.
Bloodstock South Africa’s Alistair Gordon, who has inspected yearlings on behalf of BSA for the last eight years (the last two alongside Cathy Rymill) noted: “We have a thorough yearling inspection in January, three months before the National Sale.
“We are given basic micro-chipped info like sex, colour and date of birth and we give every yearling a score out of 10. We afford every farm the same courtesy and attention, whether they are big commercial breeders or smaller concerns.
“We viewed 480 yearlings this January and the final catalogue is 376-strong, from which there have already been some withdrawals, which is normal. We don’t automatically approve any yearling because we like the stallion or the farm. If they don’t make the grade, they are not given the nod and we advise the breeders to take them to a later sale.”
Many yearlings arrive at the National Sale already scoped, as breeders do not want to risk the costs involved of losing a deal due to a negative scope report at the sale. Some also arrive with X-rays already done and available. When they are not at hand, it is standard procedure for breeders to pay for X-rays at the sale on request of prospective clients.”
Photo: Equus Magazine.
