Deep within the Victorian Racing website there is an option termed 'publications'. If you're not careful you'll miss the reference to a book on the list called The Australian Thoroughbred Record.

I had utterly no idea what it was but figured I'd buy it anyway ... and now I have (risking an excess baggage claim in doing so - it's no lightweight matter) everyone else I know wants a copy as well.

The Record is 1500 pages, hard cover, and you'd better have good eyesight (as it's small print and doesn't lack for detail). It includes:

- the result of every runner in every official race conducted in Australia including their finish position, jockey, weights, beaten margin, starting price, prize money etc.

- Breeding results tables including sires of winners, sires of dams of winners, Stallion fertility stats etc.

- Summary tables including top prize money earners, stakes races, age and sex of starters, overseas bred horses, sires by earnings and wins etc.

If you breed, race, buy, sell, train, conduct research or write about horses then I'm not sure how you'll manage without it. Given its breadth of coverage it also has the potential to fast become THE book every Thoroughbred Trivia Master covets (as a manager of a leading thoroughbred stud was heard to comment last week when he saw it in the back of my car).

The volume (you can't really call it a 'book') is $198 (GST inc).

TO ORDER CONTACT: KATHY WHITE
RSB, 400 Epsom Road, Flemington Vic. 3031
Telephone: 61 (03) 9258 4721
Fax: 61 (03) 9258 4273
Email: k.white@risa.com.au
Internet: www.risa.com.au

And is it just me or has this not been widely advertised? It should have been ...