Is sweating always a bad sign in racehorses?

Is sweating always a bad sign in racehorses? Generally speaking, sweating in racehorses is a good sign insofar as it helps to regulate body temperature. The evaporation of sweat, which is 90% water, creates a cooling effect, known as evaporative cooling, which lowers the body temperature. Of course, racehorses have a thick, waterproof, hairy coat, so their sweat contains a protein, known as latherin, which accelerates the transfer of sweat from the skin to the surface of the hair. When subject to friction, from girths, reins, etc, latherin can cause foaming, or lathering, of the sweat. Sweating can also reflect the physical condition of a racehorse. The fitter the horse, the better it becomes at regulating body temperature and the more readily it sweats.

Of course, profuse sweating, particularly if accompanied by other poor behaviour, such as head tossing, rearing or tail swishing, before a race can also be a sign of agitation, excitability or irritation in a racehorse. A racehorse that displays such traits wastes nervous energy and is more likely to pull hard, wasting further energy, once the race is underway, resulting in poor performance. Some horses sweat more than others, even in cooler weather but, as a rule of thumb, any racehorse completely covered and/or dripping with sweat should be treated with caution as a betting proposition.

Which were the top three two-year-olds in 2021?

According to Timeform, the top three two-year-olds in 2021 were Native Trail (122p), Luxembourg (118p) and Coroebus (116p). Native Trail falls into the ‘very smart’ category, while Luxembourg and Coroebus are considered ‘smart’ at this stage of their careers, but Timeform analysts believe that all three are likely to improve on these ratings in due course.

Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, Native Trail was unbeaten in four starts in 2021, all over 7 furlongs. He made short work of the hitherto unbeaten Point Lonsdale in the National Stakes at the Curragh in September, winning impressively by 3½ lengths, and capped his perfect juvenile season with a comfortable 2-length win in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket the following month. A notably strong finisher over 7 furlongs, Native Trail promises to be better yet when stepped up to a mile but, being by July Cup winner Oasis Dream, is not short on speed. He looks an ideal candidate for the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, for which he is currently ante-post favourite.

Owned in partnership by Westerberg, the racing operation of Swiss billionaire George von Opel, John Magnier and his Coolmore associates and trained by Aidan O’Brien, Luxembourg was similarly unbeaten in 2021. The son of Derby winner raced exclusively at a mile and put himself firmly in the Classic picture when justifying huge market support with a clear-cut victory in the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster in October on his third and final start. Luxembourg had been clear favourite for the Derby since shortly after crusing to a 4¾-length victory in the Beresford Stakes at the Curragh in September, strengthened his position at the head of the market after passing a sterner test at Doncaster.

A stable companion of Native Trail, Coroebus was described by Charlie Appleby as ‘a 2,000 Guineas horse for sure’ after he had comfortably beaten subsequent Futurity Stakes fifth Imperial Fighter by 2 lengths in the Autumn Stakes on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket in October. The son of Dubawi had previously looked an unlucky loser – in fact, he was matched in-running at the minimum price of 1.01 on Betfair – when headed in the final strides of the Royal Lodge Stakes, over the same course and distance, having gone clear two furlongs out. He is currently joint second favourite for the 2,000 Guineas, alongside Luxembourg, and gives Godolphin a very strong hand in the first colts’ Classic.

 

Has David Pipe ever won the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle?

The short answer is no, he hasn’t. Run over 2 miles 4½ furlongs on the New Course at Prestbury Park, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle was added to the Cheltenham Festival programme in 2009. The race commemorates the achievements of the eponymous Martin Pipe, who won the National Hunt Trainers’ Championship fifteen times, including ten years running between 1996 and 2005.

All told, Pipe Snr. saddled 34 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, notably winning the Champion Hurdle twice, with Granville Again in 1993 and Make A Stand in 1997. His son, David, who took over the training licence at Pond Hill Stables in Nicholashayne, Somerset in 2006, has since saddled a further 15 winners at the March showpiece. However, the race named in honour of his father has so far proved elusive, although it has not been for the want of trying.

In fact, in the 13 runnings of the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle since its inauguration on 2009, David Pipe has saddled a total of 23 runners without success. In the 2021 renewal, for example, Pipe saddled three of the 22 runners, but could finish no better than sixth, beaten 16¼ lengths, with Leoncavallo, ridden by Fergus Gillard. His other two runners, First Lord De Cuet and Martinhal, finished miles behind, in fourteenth and seventeenth place, respectively.

Which jockey has ridden most winners for Peter Bowen in recent years?

At the time of writing, Pembrokeshire trainer Peter Bowen lies ninth in the 2021/22 National Hunt Trainers’ Championship, with 25 winners and nearly £223,000 in prize money. Unremarkably, granted that they have ridden 131 of the 138 runners Bowen has sent out so far in 2021/22, his sons Sean, 24, and James, 20, have collectively ridden all bar one of those winners.

It’s been a similar story over the last five seasons or so, although it’s worth remembering that it wasn’t until 2017/18 that James Bowen wrested the mantle of youngest champion jockey in history from his brother – who had held that distinction since 2014/15 – and had ridden just twice for his father, without success, before that season.

In any event, in the last five seasons, Sean Bowen has ridden 111 winners from 666 rides for his father, at a strike rate of 17%, while his younger brother has ridden 61 winners from 484 rides, at a strike rate of 13%. In the same period, just one other jockey, amateur Peter Bryant, has ridden more than one winner for the yard. The Bowen brothers have clearly come a long way since winning both finals of the Charles Owen pony racing series at York Racecourse on the same day in September, 2013, at the ages of 16 and 12, respectively. Peter Bowen later recalled, ‘That was pretty special.’

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