Let's have a brief look at some of the headlines in recent days:

A savvy reflection on the role that fate plays in this billion dollar industry of ours was covered by Tony Arrold's piece in The Australian titled "Group I winner cost just $500":

"Bloodstock markets may well be boiling along in major trading centres around the globe but the Group I Avondale Jockey Club's Avondale Gold Cup in New Zealand last week provided a healthy reminder that the market is fair to all.

Creil proved that conclusively when she won the honours for owners who paid just $500 for her in a private paddock deal."

Meanwhile, the trainer that a journalist recently termed 'colourful' (see previous post) has had a "sizzling campaign" according to The Canberra Times.

"Out of the 17 horses that I raced over the weekend 13 have brought home cheques," [Barbara] Joseph said.

The Sydney Morning Herald had a few good tales. There was the story penned by Max Presnell on the 41-year old apprentice jockey:

"Life begins at 40, but not usually for apprentice jockeys. One in particular, with a limited degree of separation from Phar Lap, is breaking new turf.

Mother-of-two Sheree Drake, 42, began race riding last year at an older age than Darren Beadman is now.

Now, you may figure Drake is some near-granny who wants to shed the shackles of housework, but her record shows she is an emerging talent. Since last August she has kicked home 95 winners, albeit mainly on country tracks and Toowoomba in Queensland."

There was also the article by James Chessell on "Singo and his birds and pigs" which looks (perhaps not surprisingly given the story's title) at how "a couple of miniature pigs came to be running around the $8 million home [of the famous Adman] a couple of months ago" and how "birds [the feathered kind] have been a lifelong fascination". Speaking of Singleton, he's been replaced by Adam Sangster as the keynote speaker at the Breeder of the Year function, which will be held on the Monday following the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races on December 11 in Hong Kong. Whether this is because Singleton isn't now available or because the Sangster family's Swettenham Stud is now a sponsor for the function is unclear. Whilst on the subject of the Hong Kong Breeders Group, they were recently away signing more cheques - 13 well-bred mares from Goffs to be precise. Most mares will reportedly be served by "the club's dual-hemisphere Danehill stallion, Danroad, at Hedgeholme Stud in County Durham, Ireland".

In Australia, the ongoing TV broadcast saga continues to make life difficult for punters. Roy Masters covered that in a story in The Age:

""When this is all over, I'm going to write a book called Bastards I Have Met," says NSW Australian Hotels Association boss John Thorpe, referring to the bitter saga of televising thoroughbred racing in Australia. The conflict between long-term racing broadcaster Sky Channel and the industry-owned newcomer ThoroughVision (TVN) is draining the financial reserves of race clubs, eroding the profits of pubs and clubs and infuriating punters".

Whilst punters gnash teeth, Racing Victoria CEO Robert Nason gave his views on a number of current issues in the Industry on Sky Racing's Racing Retro Program. Topics included TVN (which he still supports), Betfair (Nason broadly explained how the new Race Fields legislation in Victoria should work for the industry) as well jockey safety and compulsory barrier trials for unraced two years old in Victoria. All that in just 90 seconds!!

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that "Afleet Alex, who provided one of the memorable moments in thoroughbred horse-racing history when he overcame a near spill to capture the Preakness Stakes, then went on to win the final leg of the Triple Crown, has been retired from racing ... Afleet Alex made his mark not just on the track. His owners aligned with Alex's Lemonade Stand, and suddenly a charity started by a little girl with cancer received nationwide exposure a year after her death." The million dollar question: where will Afleet Alex stand at stud, has yet to be answered. Managing partner Chuck Zacney told the New York Times: "We pretty much turned everybody down because we planned to race him next year. Now we have to start from ground zero."

The Sunday Telegraph (UK) reported that "P&O agreed to enter the stable of Dubai Ports World, backed by the horse-loving Sheikh Mohammed, for pounds 3.3bn - a premium of 46 per cent to the share price when the offer was made just over a month ago."

The Sydney Morning Herald's Craig Young told the story of the "Journeyman [who] finds his way 'home'" - a name many thought had left the training ranks - only to return in fine style over the weekend:

"There was a time when Kerry Walker was a major player in the Sydney training ranks.

Back in the 1980s and early 90s Walker trained a team of 40-odd horses at Rosehill and bookmakers shook when this guy had a bet.

A down-to-earth, knockabout bloke, Walker went walkabout, off the beaten track . . . but the man is back. Back training winners, like Piculet which lobbed in time to score yesterday."

In the US the New York Daily News covered the results of The American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association listing of U.S. graded stakes for 2006:

"The Committee reviewed 734 unrestricted U.S. stakes races with a purse of at least $75,000, and assigned graded status to 475 of them, eight more than were graded in 2005. Eleven races were upgraded, making for four new Grade I races and seven new Grade IIs; 12 new Grade III races were identified. One race that carried Grade III status in 2005 is no longer eligible for grading."

The man who has spent his career whispering to horses - all 60,000 of them apparently - has his latest book on the shelves in time for Christmas. Reviewer Paul Delean of The Gazette says that the interest in the book is not the horses - "there are too many of them ... The author's own life and character are much more compelling. Roberts, now 70, won the first of countless horsemanship trophies at the age of 4..." (did you know that Monty Roberts also used to choose Frank Sinatra's thorougbreds?)

Still in the US and Associated Press Wires had the news that the longtime head of two state agencies set up to help the thoroughbred racing industry - William Levin, 83 - has pleaded guilty to stealing tens of thousands of dollars for himself and another former executive from the New York State Thoroughbred Capital Investment Fund.

Various journalists at the South China Morning Post upped the ante this week with the number of stories they were putting to press. As a lead in to the Jockey Championships this Wednesday evening we were privy to stories of the French jockey Olivier Doleuze "who has a smile that can light up a room, and a personality that can soften the most stony heart. But once he's legged up onto a thoroughbred, Olivier Doleuze is an uncompromisingly professional" and the Master himself, Felix Coetzee who "will be known forever as the partner of Hong Kong's greatest horse ever, the world champion Silent Witness." We also had some pre-sale PR to tempt the public out to Shatin this Saturday to see the 30-or so horses sold in the country's only thoroughbred auction. You do have to love the tinge of communist PR however: "When the sale was opened to the public for the first time last year, the atmosphere was electric. The crowd cheered like football fans as the thoroughbreds went under the hammer, particularly for those horses that topped $6 million."

The PR didn't stop there - we were reminded that International week in HK is a "week-long fiesta of fun and glamour" and "Hong Kong people are learning how to party seriously". Well, one thing is true - you may want to consider packing your thermals - it's certainly cold up here at the moment. If you are here for a few days ensure you grab dinner on Kowloon side (harbour front) to watch the laser show over the skyline at 8pm. But be clear about one thing, despite the SCMP journalist's attempt at hype - we don't actually need it - Hong Kong has always known how to party (and hard).

A long way South - in New Zealand - The Press in Christchurch reported that: "New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing's (NZTR) chief racecourse inspector John McKenzie is compiling a report on swabbing at trials. This will include policy recommendations on future swabbing at trials. The NZTR Racing Integrity sub-committee and Dr Murray Blue are to meet with the Racing Board to discuss the recommendations."

Back in Australia and Les Young from The Sportsman was as puzzled as the next person over the breeding of Double Portion who won the QTC Queensland Cup.

"The identity of his sire Tokyo Gold was a mystery to most but a little investigation revealed a horse with a quality pedigree if not the performance to go with it... Double Portion comes from a tiny five-foal second crop by his sire who to 2004 had covered just 47 mares over six seasons and has only 21 living foals."

Across to the US again and the New York Daily News reported that "The scheduled auction this weekend of 19 vintage race track paintings owned by the cash-strapped New York Racing Association has been nixed following pressure from watchdogs." No doubt there will be a few CFO's doing the Maths again. They were hoping for US$1.3 million apparently ...

Speaking of money, did you know that "Makybe Diva's accolade as the world's best mare and highest-rated stayer over 2700 metres is unlikely to raise her stud value in Australia?" So says the connections - faithfully reported by The Advertiser last week.

"It's nice to be recognised but whether or not it makes a lot of difference I'm not sure," Santic's racing manager Kevin Williams said. "Any foals out of Makybe Diva will be sold locally so they'll be sold on her reputation.

"It (the rating) might help overseas but not in Australia, I don't think."

Williams said connections were in no hurry to select the prime blood lines to put to Makybe Diva. Independent blood stock assessors have tipped Australia's greatest racehorse since Phar Lap would be worth $50 million at stud".

Did someone say AUD$50 million???

Good grief.