How are racehorses identified?

Notwithstanding legislation, such as The Horse Passports Regulations 2009, in England, which requires all horses and ponies to have an identification document, or ‘passport’, racehorses in Britain have needed such as document for decades. Indeed, historically, racehorses were identified on racecourses by checking their colour and markings against those recorded on an outline drawing in their passports.

However, since 1999, every thoroughbred foal registered in Britain has had a uniquely-numbered microchip implanted in its neck. Nowadays, all racehorses are identified by scanning their microchips on entry to racecourse stables and, although passport checks are carried out on certain horses – including those making their racecourse debut – the passport is typically only used for identification purposes if the microchip cannot be read. In a worst-case scenario, if a horse cannot be identified by its microchip or its passport, it will be prevented from running.

Who is, or was, the most successful jockey ever?

In Britain, the most successful jockey ever was Sir Gordon Richards who, between 1921 and 1954, rode 4,870 winners. The late Pat Eddery, who rode 4,633 winners between 1969 and 2003, and the incomparable Lester Piggott, who rode 4,493 winners between 1948 and 1994, are second and third on the all-time list, while Sir Anthony McCoy – far and away the most successful jockey in the history of National Hunt racing – is not far behind, with 4,358 winners.

However, none of the British jockeys can hold a candle to Canadian-born jockey Russell A. Baze who, between 1974 and 2016, rode an astonishing 12,842 winners – from 53,578 rides, at a strike rate of 24% – in North America. Baze is, comfortably, the most successful jockey in the history of horse racing worldwide, even outscoring prolific winners Laffit A. Pincay Jr. and Bill “The Shoe” Shoemaker by several thousand.

How can I buy a racehorse?

The majority of racehorses are sold at public auction, where they are grouped by type – yearlings, two-year-olds, horses in training and so on – listed in an auction catalogue and sold to the highest bidder. Depending on your budget and other requirements, buying a horse privately, directly from a breeder or trainer, at a negotiated price, may be your easiest option. Other choices include buying the winner of a selling race, which will be offered for auction immediately afterwards, or claiming a horse, at the advertised claiming price, from a claiming race.

Each method of buying a racehorse has its own pros and cons, so it is important, once you have decided on your budget, to seek a professional advisor, in the form of bloodstock agent or licensed trainer. Their knowledge and experience in analysing pedigrees, assessing form and, generally, in buying and racing horses, is likely to prove an invaluable asset.

Did Prince Charles ever ride a winner as a jockey?

king prince charlesCharles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles), made his debut as an amateur jockey, at the age of 31, in a charity race at Plumpton on March 4, 1980. He finished second aboard favourite Long Wharf and, just four days later, finished fourth aboard Sea Swell in his first steeplechase at Sandown. Those lumping on as a nap will have been disappointed! Later the same year, on October 24 – on the first occasion he and Lady Diana Spencer had been seen together in public – Charles rode his own horse, Allibar, into a highly creditable second place in an amateur riders’ handicap chase at Ludlow. After a promising start, it would be fair to say that the remainder of Charles’ brief riding career was not altogether happy.

In early 1981, Allibar collapsed and died while being ridden out one morning and Charles was subsequently unseated twice, in the space of five days, from his own horse, Good Prospect, including famously in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival. He rode his sixth, and final, race at Newton Abbott on May 21, 1981, finishing ninth on Upton Grey, owned by his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother; his career form figures read ‘242UU0’ so, while he came close once or twice, Prince Charles never did ride a winner as a jockey.

 

Royalty and Racing – A Unique Connection

Horse racing has long been associated with royalty, with figures like Prince Charles taking an interest in the sport. While his time as a jockey may not have yielded major victories, the thrill of the race remains a key attraction for many.

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