new global technologies: BLISTERING PACE

Thursday, September 8, 2011

BLISTERING PACE | Spashion

The Darley Arabian was purchased in Aleppo by Thomas Darley and brought to Aldby Park, a Yorkshire country estate, where he probably had the time of his life ? fathering around 1700 foals, and founding an entire dynasty of racehorses in the process. These became known as ?thoroughbreds? ? among horse fanciers known as ?hot-bloods? ? horses with an agile, elegant and athletic temperament. And, of course, prodigious sexual appetites; they aren?t called ?hot-bloods? for nothing! Like all elite sports, horse racing provides its followers with ample superlatives.

The word ?thoroughbred?, of course, refers to any pedigree animal ? one bred in a controlled way so that its lineage is known. In the racing world, ?thoroughbred? also refers to a breed, one in which every single member can be traced back through the male line to either The Darley Arabian ? the great grand-daddy of them all ? or to one of two other oriental stallions, The Byerley Turk and The Godolphin Arabian.

But good breeding ? although important ? isn?t enough. Great world champion colts like Montjeu and Kris Kin (pictured) go through a slow and methodical training regime, building up their fitness gradually. Like athletes, thoroughbreds need to be brought to their peak physical performance by trainers who know their craft. Just like the horses they look after, top trainers are a highly regarded ?lite. They achieve results through a combination of passion and science and they command huge respect.

This exclusivity helps to explain why racehorse owning attracts the powerful, the fashionable and the wealthy. So surely you have to belong to some kind of private aristocratic club to be a racehorse owner?

No. Wrong! It?s perfectly true that owners have to be rich ? or at least have access to money; buying, looking after, training and racing a horse does indeed take a great
deal of money and only the truly wealthy need apply. In fact, it can cost more to bring a great horse to the peak of championship perfection than to develop a club footballer into an international superstar. Competitive thoroughbreds are without doubt the best looked after animals in the world ? in many cases they enjoy a better life than people!

Despite all of which, the world of the turf is an egalitarian one, in which your social origins are completely irrelevant. Queen Elizabeth is one of racing?s staunchest supporters and owns several high performers. But she might well be rubbing shoulders in the owners? paddock with Rolling Stones guitarist and all-round bad boy Ronnie Wood, who breeds horses in Ireland.

But there?s no disguising the simple fact that owning and racing horses is for the affluent. For that reason alone it?s always been a highly fashionable way for the well-heeled to spend their money and the sport attracts a preponderance of royals, successful entrepreneurs, financiers and celebs. And for the best stables the rewards are in proportion to the costs ?thoroughbreds in tip-top condition can earn more than Premiership footballers.