Retraining of Racehorses benefits from stallion auction

A charity auction of stallion nominations held at Tattersalls on Sunday night in aid of Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) raised £147,000 for British racing's official charity for the welfare of retired racehorses.

The top lot was a nomination to Oasis Dream, donated by Juddmonte Farms, which was knocked down to John O’Connor of Ballylinch Stud for £33,000.

Di Arbuthnot, chief executive of RoR, said: "We are so grateful for the stud farms for generously donating such valuable nominations, as well as to those who showed their support for RoR and bought the nominations, and, of course, Edmond Mahony and his team at Tattersalls for hosting the evening and conducting the auction. There was a fantastic turnout and a wonderful outcome."

Leicester chase course remains out of action

The three chases due to be run at Leicester on Thursday have been abandoned. Two additional hurdle races will take place, making an all-hurdle six-race card.

The chase card is hard, firm in places and unraceable for the time being, and Sunday's fixture was also an all-hurdles affair.

Entries for the two new contests will close on Tuesday at noon, with declarations as normal on Wednesday.

Racing Welfare announces new Chief Operating Officer

Former finance and marketing consultant Gemma Waterhouse has been appointed the new Chief Operating Officer for Racing Welfare following a restructure.

The newly amalgamated role combines the previous Finance Director's position with that of the Head of Operations. Waterhouse said: "I am thrilled to be joining Racing Welfare as Chief Operating Officer. They are a fantastic team and I am very excited about the charity's plans for the future."

Dawn Goodfelow, Chief Executive of Racing Welfare added: "We are delighted to have appointed Gemma to the new role of Chief Operating Officer. Her recruitment represents another step forward for the charity and adds a further individual of immense calibre to our senior management team."

Guyon holds off challengers in Mauritius

Third place in the last race of the two-day Mauritius international jockeys' challenge on Sunday was enough for Maxime Guyon to hold on to the title by the narrowest margin in a one-two for France, writes Howard Wright.

Guyon failed to add to his three wins on Saturday, but two placings in the points-based competition enabled him to beat off the late challenge of fellow Frenchman Aurelien Lemaitre, who matched his feat by riding three winners on Sunday, by one point.

Maxime Guyon: won the Mauritius International jockeys' challenegeCredit: System

There was no such good fortune for Aidan O'Brien's stable jockey Seamie Heffernan, sole representative of Britain and Ireland, whose handful of placings kept him pegged in ninth place among 12 riders taking part.

"I would have loved to have ridden a winner but it wasn't to be," Heffernan said of his first visit to Mauritius. "My best chance couldn't get a clear run through on the tight track and finished second.

"Still it's been something new, which at my age is a bonus, and a wonderful experience. The welcome from the Mauritius Turf Club and the fans has been outstanding, and maybe I can come back and put the record straight."

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