This was the ad that appeared on MMSalesRing today (bit hard to read so have extracted the text for you below).



Is there anything wrong with it? Technically, no. Thoroughbred racing is a business for most people and this is an ad that works well within that equation. Equally you might have the money to spend on an airfare (given it certainly isn't inexpensive freighting a horse to America) and you might have a horse with a pedigree that suggests it is better suited to racing on the dirt. From a marketing perspective the Carondelet Farm proposal could be said to be novel (and therefore commendable).

The headline "Do you have a bleeder?" is not one, however, that makes me feel at all positive about this Industry. The beauty of air travel is that we can ship horses between countries far more conveniently. But should we be using this to move a horse from a country that does uphold rigorous standards on health/drug use to another that chooses not to? Using medication to disguise physical issues with a horse is exactly that - a disguise. If the horse is to be bred from, all I can say is (without being an expert in veterinary medicine) "are the inferior genes you are quite obviously passing on to the next generation something you feel comfortable with in terms of strengthening the breed?"

We all invest. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. (Actually, most of us lose- financially anyway - most of the time I suspect!) Despite that fact, we stay in the game. I'm just not sure if occasionally we need to stand back from the commercial aspects and say "hang on a sec - what about the animal we will be producing 4 generations from now?".

I won't deny that I have some serious issues with medicating horses to keep them on the track. Whether that's because I don't see medicated animals as "true athletes", whether it is because of the "future horse" argument, or simply because I think we often fail to put the horse first ... I just don't agree with it.

You may, however, not share these views. That's fair enough. The following ad might therefore be of some interest:

ATTENTION OWNERS & TRAINERS:
Do you have a bleeder? Are you looking to race in America?

Carondelet Farm has California trainers that will accept Australian horses on a percentage of purse earnings (based on the level of horse) to be raced at major Southern California tracks such as Santa Anita, Del Mar and Hollywood Park.

That is correct, NO MONTHLY BILLS!

In America, horses are allowed to race on medications such as Lasix, a drug that helps control bleeding in Thoroughbreds. This opens a range of opportunities for Australian owners and trainers for horses that have been ruled off due to bleeding, or are not reaching their potential because they are better bred for dirt racing.

Australian owner(s) must deliver horse to California and from that point on they will not see any bills.

Of course, all horses are subject to approval.

For an evaluation or discuss further, please send email to info@carondeletfarm.com and include complete details on horse such as name, pedigree, complete race record, medical history, and any other pertinent information.

Carondelet Farm will promptly come back to you with an answer and available options.

To those that do have an issue with horses racing on medication I would suggest (amongst others) Tom Ivers book "The Fit Racehorse".