I am boarding another plane this evening. The question that I always ponder at such times is why do airlines make the people 'down the back' walk past the business and first class seats after a lengthy period being deprived of decent food, a seat that reclines to any decent degree, knees that aren't squashed against the seat in front of you, and a movie that isn't halfway through when you want to watch it ?

Is it not punishment enough to have spent 10 hours strapped into a chair with a perfect stranger 6 inches away from you (the same person who has stolen your pillow and who is now snoring into your shoulder)? Anyone who lives with the idea that flying is glamorous should really give me a call.

There is some good news though. Destination for this trip is Melbourne for the Derby and Cup. I am also (for once) not traveling in a work capacity so I won't, alas, be supplying you with race previews or trackside photos.

As an aside (and no, before someone asks the question this ISN'T why I didn't seek media accreditation on this occasion!) did you know that you can't wear open toe sandals to the VRC carnival if you are a journalist ?! I'm wondering if thereare high heel/ sandal police who check everyone as they board the media bus each morning?

"I'm sorry madam - there are some toes visible there - you will have to step aside please" (god knows how the fashion journos get by).

Whilst the blog will still be updated in my absence (alternative correspondent enthusiasm, hotel broadband and wireless connections contingent !) reports may be a bit slower than normal. This blog now has a huge number of readers and many of you email saying you appreciate the daily updates .... On this occasion I will be relying on you cutting me a little bit of slack for a few days!

Here are the Athlone selections:

Juvenile Fillies
1. Adieu
2. Folklore
3. Along The Sea

Juvenile
1. First Samurai
2. Henny Hughes
3. Leo

Fillies and Mare Turf
1. Ouija Board
2. Megahertz
3. Karen's Caper

Sprint
1. Lost In The Fog
2. Lion Tamer
3. Wildcat Heir

Mile
1. Whipper
2. Leroidesanimaux
3. Host

Distaff
1. Happy Ticket
2. Stellar Jayne
3, Ashado

Turf
1. Bago
2. Azamour
3. Shakespeare

Classic
1. Saint Liam
2. Borrego
3. Starcraft

With Lee Freedman saying she is the best horse he has ever trained, it is worthwhile taking a moment to consider Makybe Diva's future.

A quick question: What would Makybe Diva's chances of success be if she went to Dubai next year (remembering of course that she failed in Japan last year - her report card stating that she was in season and did not appear to have an affinity with either the environment nor the hard track)?

The mare is the current darling of the media pack - and why not indeed? She has won 2 Melbourne Cups, last Saturday's Cox Plate (amongst a string of other G1 races) and in the process has de-throned Sunline as the greatest all time stakes money earner in Australasia.

So should she "do a Choisir/Elvstroem/Starcraft" and hop back on a plane next year?

A good benchmark for form is the Arc. Looking at the first 5 across the line in that race - Hurricane Run won but is unlikely to race in Dubai next year; Westerner is also unlikely. Bago is due to be retired, Motivator has been retired and will stand at the Royal Studs. Shawanda is an unlikely contender.

So, there are your best horses in Europe and none of them are likely to run in Dubai. For US$5million (AUD$6.69m) Makybe Diva would have to be favorite to win the G1 Sheema Classic over 2400 (G1- turf), the richest mile and a half race in the world.

In an interview with Fox Sports earlier this week Gai Waterhouse said:

"When you're the best in the land, you've got to travel. Of course you would go to Dubai."

David Hayes said "I would definitely travel with her, you have to."

Graeme Rogerson, who has run a stable in Dubai, said "She'll run well on grass over there."

Melbourne Cup decisions first ... and a few decisions after that. I do hope, however, that we get to see the champion mare line-up under Arabian skies on World Cup Night next year.

An article by one of the best racing writers in the world - Joe Drape - appeared in yesterday's International Herald Tribune. The article poses the interesting (albeit thorny) question of how a race meeting can be on one hand one of the richest in the world (and attract entrants from across the globe) yet, on the other hand, struggle to attract a solid local following. The reasons are said to spread from lack of familiarity with international form, to increased competition from other sports, to the Breeders Cup's lack of history compared to the Derby, to crowd favorites from the 5 week Derby/Preakness/Belmont marathon having either been retired, injured, or put out for a spell.

From a marketing perspective (and the eternal challenge of how to keep fans attending the track) the article is well worth reading.

"There is no disputing that the annual afternoon of eight races, with a total purse of more than $14 million, brings together the best horses from around the world and has been a success within the industry. In its inaugural year, 1984, at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, California, more than $19.4 million was bet worldwide; last year, when it was at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, more than $120 million was wagered.

Still, its marketers have struggled to make that Super Bowl metaphor resonate with a broader audience. The event has not come close to drawing the more than 100,000 people who attend the Kentucky Derby, and its television ratings have never approached those of the Triple Crown races. In fact, the most widely watched Breeders' Cup telecast was its first, and its least watched was last year."

The full article can be read at the following URL.

Latest Melbourne weather forecast for Saturday from The Bureau of Meteorology (note -this has been supplied by someone from Sydney - meaning anyone from Melbourne should know what is coming and doesn't need to read any further!):

Generally fine and sunny with possibility of light winds or medium winds or strong winds or gales or hurricanes with possibility of some showers or all showers or showery storms or stormy showers with possibility of thunder and lightning or tempests or cyclones, with snowdrifts unlikely (but possible).

Temp range: -2 to 38 degrees

That's the forecast for between 1.00pm and 2.00pm anyway. I imagine the rest of the day will be pretty much the same.

So, normal Melbourne Spring weather.

Meanwhile, eyes are to the skies in the US as well courtesy of an inch of rain that fell on Long Island last Saturday and gave New York a record rainfall for the month of October. The track itself has seen 18.2 inches of rain in less than a two-week period (not including Saturday night's storm).

The US has yet another hurricane on its mind - Wilma being the latest - so the potential is there for yet more rain on the East Coast. Starcraft's owners will be doing a few sun dances I guess. Not sure what else helps to alleviate bad weather apart from prayer which no doubt others would advocate.

"At times you feel like you're flying rather than riding a horse". Jockey Yatuka Take commenting on Deep Impact's win in the Kikka Sho (Japanese St Leger). The win gave Japan its second unbeaten Triple Crown winner. More than 130,000 racing fans were on course to witness the event. Deep Impact's win also provided champion sire Sunday Silence with the trifecta.

A few months ago we commented on a company offering high-end video analysis of yearlings for the Keeneland Sale.

It was quite interesting to speak with the company's marketing director recently to hear how the product had performed relative to consignor success.

The results are as follows:

The cumulative average of the Keeneland September Sale was US$108,420. Of those vendors using GaitCam at GaitCam.com the cumulative average yearling price was $166,805 (54% increase).

Overall GaitCam.com Statistics from August 28 to September 24, 2005:

- Total visits to GaitCam.com website: 3,389 Visits
- Total screen views: 9939 views
- Average visit length: 4.5 minutes
- Average visits per yearling: 39.4 visits
- Most active time: 8:30 PM – 9:00 PM
- % Visitors who visited more than once: 34%

Of note 3 of the 40 yearlings that sold for $1 million or more were also profiled on the site.

It's always useful to follow up these initiatives to see how they worked out. With broadband penetration rates increasing and marketing efforts now needing to be tailored to a worldwide audience it's not surprising to see technology playing a prominent role.

"I've got chills, they're multiplyin'" went the original Newton-John/Travolta song. Well it may have been showery and cold in Melbourne but the only thing multiplying for I Got Chills at Moonee Valley today was prizemoney after a 7 length whitewash of the opposition in the Tatt's Stks (L/R) over 1000m. The 2yo bay filly by General Nediym ex Tidfish (by Imperial Prince (IRE)) added another black type winner to David Hayes' impressive training performance since he returned from Hong Kong. The filly is owned by a few of the rich and famous amongst us as well - names including Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and Olivia Newton-John (hence the filly's name). I Got Chills has now had 2 starts for 2 wins and the ease with which she has found the line on both occasions appears to suggest she is destined for a promising future.

In the Mornmoot Stud Stakes (L/R) Brockman's Lass (a 3yo chestnut filly by Encosta De Lago ex Deal Me Out (by Final Card) - who races in the same colours as Alinghi) won by just shy of 3 lengths, giving Lee Freedman his first of 3 winners for the day.

The Inglis Mile (G3) over 1600m saw Matras (a 4yo bay mare by Zabeel (NZ ) ex Tropical Affair (by Danehill (USA)) in the winner's circle for Gooree Pastoral Company (this being the mare's 6th win from 8 starts). In the Schweppes Stakes (Gr 2) over 1000m, the 3 yo grey filly Virage de Fortune (by Anabaa (USA) ex Virage (by Kenmare[Fr])) gave Sunshine Coast trainer Bruce McLachlan, and connections, another victory - this her seventh win from just 10 starts. The race also gave Craig Williams his second win for the day (which rose to 3 when he won the Waterford Crystal Mile (G2) on Niconero [a 4yo bay gelding by Danzero - Nicola Lass (by Scenic(IRE))] later in the day ... another winner for David Hayes).

Meanwhile, in the feature event of the day, the $3.025m Carlton Draught W S Cox Plate (Gr 1) the mighty mare - Makybe Diva - lived up to hype and expectation and made history by winning the Cox Plate with consummate ease. Starting favorite, the mare settled well back in the field but 800m from home when Fields of Omagh, Xcellent and Confectioner made an early run, 'The Diva' went with them, 4 wide on the turn and 5 horses stretching across the track as they headed for the line. A mare that will be remembered as one of Australia's all time greats, she took the lead 100m out and never seemed pushed at any stage of the proceedings, winning by a length and a quarter. Lotteria took second, Fields of Omagh and Sky Cuddle third and fourth respectively.

The win is Makybe's 6th at Group 1 level (her 14th win in total) and adds to her dual victories in the Melbourne Cups of 2003 and 2004. After today's win her prize money of $11,426,685 exceeds Sunline's earnings of $11,351,607 - Makybe Diva thus becoming the highest stakes money earner in Australasian history.

It sounds like there will be a few people this evening raising their glasses to the fairer sex and singing "You're the one that I want ..." (I'll leave you to sing the chorus ... go on, I know you want to).


Photo: Makybe Diva post Cox Plate win (photo courtesy of MVRC).

On the 15th of this month a headline appeared in the Equidaily Racing Journal [see column below] that suggested a writer was perhaps unimpressed with the MVRC's marketing ploy to provide 'Diva' glasses to race fans at today's Cox Plate.

As the photo of Makybe Diva (above post) shows (and remember - this is a MVRC photo that was attached to the official media release so will appear on websites all around the world) others felt quite differently!

It just goes to show that just because someone else disagrees with a marketing/PR idea you have, it doesn't mean that it still won't be successful.

The following interview was secured with PHILIP BLACKER (equine sculptor) on a recent trip to Malaysia. Blacker's statue of Persian Punch was unveiled on Champions Day at Newmarket last Saturday.

[Note: this article is (c) Athlone & Associates (October 2005) and may not be reproduced without prior written permission of the owner]

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


It’s spring at Aintree and cherry blossoms drift in a sudden gust of breeze and layer the bronze back of Red Rum. Across the Channel at Longchamp the intelligent eye of Suave Dancer gazes over his domain; in Malaysia a dressage horse is poised in the immaculate tension of the dramatic dance of the piaffe; in the Hunter Valley in Australia Danehill strides in a muscular trot across a Coolmore paddock, and back in England a Derby winner - Generous - reigns at Epsom.

Champions and history captured in timeless perfection. But to their creator Philip Blacker – a man acknowledged by many in both art and racing circles as one of the finest equine sculptors in the world – that’s probably a bit too much poetic spin for someone who prefers to keep things simple.

“Everyone talks of me leaving an enduring legacy with these bronzes”, he says. “Personally I can’t see it. Won’t I just be dead?”

It’s a glimpse of humour from an artist who comes across as someone who approaches life with a high level of preoccupied intensity. Blacker admits as much. “Writers always say what a solitary job theirs is”, he comments “I would say the same about mine. It has to be.”

A former jumps jockey, now member of the Jockey Club, Blacker has certainly enjoyed a varied career. He has been amidst the thunder of hooves and horses surging at the huge fences that constitute the world’s most famous jumps race – the Grand National, he counts all number of famous names as clients, he owned the Group winning filly Ruby Tiger who won £650k in the early 1990’s, and today we are sitting in a committee room overlooking the Penang Turf Course on a 34 degree summer day and Blacker is looking a tad askance at the glass of red wine that has arrived overflowing with ice cubes.

Below us horses head out onto the track and circle in the humid heat. He watches them for a moment. “I love flat racing,” he says “have ever since I started buying horses.”

It’s not an unexpected confession, even from someone who rode 350 winners over a four year period and was leading jumps jockey at Cheltenham in 1979 (winning the Stayers Hurdle on Lighter and the Triumph Hurdle on Pollardstown, and placing second in the Gold Cup on Royal Mail - a New Zealand bred horse who came to England after winning the New Zealand Champion Hurdle). He also finished third on Royal Mail in the 1981 Grand National.

He hung up his whip and boots 22 years ago to pursue a career as a sculptor. Whilst artistic talent at his level is unique, Blacker’s predominant subject matter – horses – and his appreciation of the equine form is less difficult to explain when one considers his connection with the horse during his many years of professional race riding. “I knew horses from the rider’s point of view then I studied anatomy as well. But it’s still quite unusual.”

Unusual – perhaps – but his bronzes reflect such lines of brilliant simplicity and realism that they have been commissioned by some of the most well known names in the business and racing world including HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH Prince Fahd Bin Salman, The Machioness of Tavistock, The Marquess of Hartington, The Earl of Halifax, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, Mr Peter O'Sullevan CBE, Coolmore, and Mr Stanley Clarke CBE.

“It creeps up on you,” he explains when asked how such an esteemed client list makes him feel. “You just become established.”

Famous clients, and even more famous horses – Blacker’s commissions have included Northern Dancer, Fantastic Light, Galileo, Generous, Danehill, Desert Orchid, Red Rum, Be Friendly, and Bosra Sham – amongst others.

When asked what his favorite study has been he pauses and looks down the track.

“I always like the latest one I’ve completed best,” he admits “Therefore Best Mate, the triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, or Persian Punch who I am finishing for Newmarket at the moment.”



What about the ‘best built horse’? Again there is a studied pause. “Suave Dancer which I did for Longchamp”

“It’s a fantastic privilege to see some of the best horses in the world and study them and measure them”, he continues “I have more information about some of the best horses in the world than almost anyone else. It’s an absolute privilege to study them. It has given me a lot of insight about what is needed to make a great race horse.”

This year he has been working on three life size models. Explaining the artistic timeline he explains that “I like to see [the subject] on 3 or 4 occasions. The first time I see them I don’t like to spend long, I just want to get an impression of type. I like to get a picture in my head and like other horsemen I use a sort of shorthand to weigh them up, i.e. compact, strong neck, good forearm etc. This might be something as simple as ‘short backed, leggy’. Then I make a note of character i.e. restless, placid, tetchy, kind etc so that it will help me to create a suitable pose and create the right spirit.”

Blacker admits that not all subjects are easily reduced to such shorthand however. “Funnily enough it takes awhile for some pictures to build.”

At that point it becomes a little more mathematical and process-based. “After that it is just studying the animal with the help of sketches, photos, measurements, so that I really have a mental picture when I get back to the studio. With the large scale pieces I then make a scale model or 'maquette' which if possible I take along to the subject and work from life. I use this maquette to scale up using a ground plan and plumb lines. The big sculptures I create by welding a skeleton in steel, which is then covered in chicken wire. After that I model on the clay. The process takes about 4 months if all goes well. The statue never leaves the studio. The foundry guys come and take a mould from it and take that away. The casting process takes about another 4 months”.

Like all artists there are favoured elements of the sculpture. “My favorite part is the shoulder and forearm” Blacker says. “The hardest part is the neck as is it the only part of the animal that is totally flexible. Sometimes the head is easier than others as within an hour of seeing them you’ve understood them, meaning you have a complete mental picture of who they are. A horse with an individual character and expression – not necessarily a more beautiful horse – can make it a bit easier.”

The spirit of the animal is the quintessential factor. Blacker terms it “putting something internal into the model”.

“You have to have the personality and feeling of the animal in the sculpture. That’s a case of studying them for a sufficient time. Danehill is a good example. I just went down to his paddock. The lad let him loose and he charged around his paddock for awhile then broke into the most extraordinarily powerful trot. It entirely captured him. He is the first horse I have ever sculpted trotting.”

It is not only live horses that Blacker is commissioned to sculpt, Persian Punch a case in point. “He had died when then they asked me to sculpt him so I couldn’t measure him. He was the people’s horse - renowned for his stamina and utter courageousness. So I portrayed him at full gallop – absolutely going for the line - to capture that essence.”

Later we stand in front of a bronze of Fantastic Light and Galileo which is owned by Dato Seri Teh Choon Beng, Penang’s most illustrious trainer. This is the first of Blacker’s bronzes I’ve seen that includes jockeys. “It’s different with a rider on their back,” Blacker explains “A rider makes the horse subservient particularly on a large scale so if you really want to commemorate the horse you can’t put a rider on. This bronze was meant to capture the different riding styles of the jockeys.”

And what of art being 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration? Surprisingly Blacker agrees. “I don't believe in treating my work as a special case just because it is creative. It is like anything else that requires effort. You need discipline. Van Gogh was inspired maybe, but then he was also crazy. Normal human beings have to make do with dogged enthusiasm. Of course talent is enormously important, and I suppose there are times when one gets into 'the zone' which could be described as inspiration, but,” he pauses and with a bemused smile “I tend to put it down to going to bed early the previous night!”

The latest in Blacker’s collection of life size bronzes – Persian Punch – is to be unveiled at Newmarket this week. The accolades that have already been uttered by those who have glimpsed it speak volumes of the talents enjoyed by this former jumps jockey turned sculptor. Whilst the artist himself remains reticent about his legacy, the bronzes that represent him at race courses and leading horse studs all around the world whisper a different reality.

Blacker working on life sized bronze of dressage horse for The Penang Turf Club's Equestrian Centre

Thanks to our latest corresponent Alex for introducing the photos (audio stream can be replayed by clicking on the [>] button on Alex's photo to your left).

LEFT: The outside of the barns (all walkways around the barns are cushioned)



ABOVE: Inside one of the boxes (that leave my apartment for dead in terms of size!). In winter the shutters are opened to allow in the cooler air. In summer the boxes are air conditioned.

LEFT: Inside one of the Barns

LEFT: Closing on 20 years of age but the absolute picture of health - a retired horse enjoys the airconditioning of the stables during a Dubai summer

ABOVE RIGHT: One of the retired horses being taken for their afternoon walk

Left: side view across one of the barns within International Stables complex

Above right: Sand walking track alongside a barn

Right: One of the South African horses

Left: horses walked during afternoon period

I may have been stopping by Dubai on business but, as usual, when I am there the creative urge always overwhelms me (I do love the place!) and my thoughts (for those who haven't been there but wonder what the essence of the country is like) are as follows:

It was still 37 degrees the morning I arrived (the locals looking positively frost bitten after the 50 degree heat of just over a month ago). The glare of sunshine off all that sand (and the glass of the skyscrapers) is something I always find confronting to the senses. It is night that I crave though - the rhythmic call to prayer from the mullahs at neighbouring Shiia and Shiite mosques amplifying and echoing through the warm darkness. It is a sound that enfolds and hypnotises even as the clink of glasses on the table in front of you reminds you of a western culture sitting uneasily, perhaps, with that of a far more fundamental one.

A slipper moon hung gently above me for the 3 nights I sat in a comfortable chair alongside those of business colleagues at all number of venues, our conversation often fading to contented silence as we just listened to the slow breath of the desert and occasional hum of breeze through the surrounding trees. The only sadness was the lack of ink in the sky and only a handful of stars to gaze upon courtesy of the lights emanating from more cranes than you will find in any other country in the world.

It's certainly an interesting interpretation of 'desert oasis' that I grew up believing was something altogether different.

Arrowfield Stud announced today that it had negotiated the purchase of an interest in champion international miler, Starcraft. While terms had been agreed soon after Starcraft’s win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes-G1, the ownership change will not be effected until after Starcraft’s Breeders’ Cup appearance on Saturday week.

“Starcraft is quite unique. He is, in fact, Australia’s best internationally performed horse since Strawberry Road over 20 years ago. Starcraft is a multiple G1 winner in both hemispheres. He was Australia and New Zealand’s Champion Three Year Old in 2003-04 and now rated at 124lb is the Top Older Miler on Turf in the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings" said Arrowfield principal John Messara.

Starcraft will begin Southern Hemisphere stud duties at Arrowfield Stud, Scone, in the 2006 breeding season.

Source: Arrowfield Media release

We have a new (and rather unique!) correspondent joining the Athlone team this week(see sidebar to your left - halfway down page). If you want to hear what Mary has to say just click on the [>] button underneath her picture. The volume can also be adjusted.

We don't actually know of anyone else using animation in their blogs (a few sites are using it on their home pages) but for us, incorporating it has allowed us to solve a fundamental dilemma: how do we give a 'voice' to regular contributors who want to be in print but only on an anonymous basis?

A 'virtual' character seemed an ideal solution. The question has always been what technology could support such an idea (given not all avatars [virtual characters] are compatible with blogging) and how could we design online personalities to suit real people (given that apart from some basic html script knowledge we had minimalist programming experience)? All I can say is that we have certainly had a heap of fun, and the likeness between the characters and their alter egos is actually not that far off (well, ok, maybe you wouldn't recognize them if you bumped into them at the local supermarket but even so...)!

Mary is the first character to see the light of day (or at least the light of the Internet) and she will post the occasional audio comment from Europe. Please forgive her her voice ... we assume technology (or our skills) will catch up at some point!

We expect to introduce other commentators from the US, Dubai and Asia in the next few weeks.

Mary's email is Mary@AthloneAssociates.com if you wish to contact her directly.

No-one is perfect and mistakes are inevitable - particularly when working within deadlines imposed by "instant news".

The question I always have however is what exactly is so difficult about using spell checker before going live with a post?

There are all number of websites where you have to search pretty hard to find a mistake. Articles are all fact checked, there are no grammatical errors - and ultimately they are well edited.

Equally it is (worryingly) easy to track down a growing number of posts that are not proof-read. It has to be said - sloppiness at this level does degenerate the company brand behind them.

Case in point: An article was released today titled "APC Defends Black Type System".

It wasn't a particularly long article but the following errors appeared within it:

Richard Turnley's name appeared as: Turnelky AND Turnlkey.
Downgrade appeared as down grade (before appearing again, correctly, as downgrade).
Particularly came out as aprticularly.
AJC The Metropolitan was termed AJC Metropolitaning
Thoroughbred appeared as Thorougbbred.
'Its decisions...are' came out as 'its decisions ... is".
And the following punctuation marks appeared at the end of a quote ,":

One assumes the Australian Pattern Committee will be doing more than "ridicul[ing] suggestions that its decisions over the grading of black type races is influenced by thoroughbred breeders and bloodstock agents". It might be justified in ridiculing a few professional journalism standards as well.

If Makybe Diva wins this Saturday she will be only the third horse after Phar Lap and Might And Power to win the Cox Plate following a Melbourne Cup victory.

Spare a thought for the Little Sisters of the Poor who have spent three decades providing housing to elderly persons who do not have the means to live on their own.

Courtesy of a recent donation from Susan and Andy Beadnell in Warrensburg (USA), the nuns were recently made the proud owners of a thoroughbred weanling filly.

Unfortunately, whilst the nuns had no shortage of lawn on which to graze the filly, they did lack some practical expertise (and facilities) to raise a future race horse.

The 6 month old filly, named 'Poor Little Sister' was auctioned yesterday at Saratoga racecourse by the New York Breeders' Sales Co. The filly raised US$8,000 and as registered breeders the Little Sisters are also entitled to up to 20 percent of the horse's winnings in the future.

It would appear however that no-one explained to the Sisters that vendors should not, perhaps, raise multiple bids on their own horse to inflate its price (even in the interests of charity) - an article in the Post-Star reports that:

Sister Frances MacKay of the Little Sisters of the Poor order said when the bidding stalled at about $3,000, she took action - unwelcome by the auctioneer and sale sponsors - to raise the stakes.

"The bidding slowed down, so I stood up and raised my hand a couple of times to make sure the bids continued to go higher," she said. "They told me to sit down, or I'd own it. We had so much fun."

I can only imagine that there will be quite a few prayers featuring one horse in particular being offered in future years!

That Mudgee (rural NSW) has its own version of the Cox plate?

The Mudgee "GC Cox Plate" is for class 3 horses and is over 2000 metres (40m shorter than WS Cox Plate).

The winners of the Mudgee race will be presented with a trophy that looks similar to the famous Group 1 race at Mooney Valley, but alas the winner will take home about $3 million LESS in prize money.

An article in the Mudgee Guardian has all the details.

A glance back to Europe - and to Saturday's Dewhurst Stakes:

The race was - as usual - sponsored by Darley, and most pre race discussion had Horatio Nelson tipped as the expected winner, the colt replacing stablemate George Washington when the ground was deemed unsuitable for the latter.

More favorable odds were, however, being exchanged over whether there would be a truce in the current Darley/Coolmore 'stand off' on the winners podium.

Alas it was not a result we were meant to be privy to as Sir Percy, a 16,000 guineas purchase (and co-incidentally by Darley's Mark Of Esteem), got the clear run while the Coolmore colt found more trouble than his namesake at Trafalgar.

For winning rider Martin Dwyer it was a fitting Group 1 success on the day the statue of Persian Punch was unveiled; the jockey/horse partnership enduring the former champion's final 15 runs.

Champion galloper Mummify who ran third in yesterday's Group One $2.5 million Caulfield Cup, was put down this morning.

Veterinarians were unable to save the 6yo after he broke down in his near fore fetlock when pulling up after yesterday's race.

He was laid to rest at Rye alongside another former Freedman trained champion - Schillaci.

Mummify won nine times - five at Group One level- and died as as of the top ten stakes earners of all time in Australia.

Breeding: Jeune- ex Cleopatra's Girl by At Talaq
Breeder: Des Green, SA
Trainer: Lee Freedman, Vic
Sold for $41,000 at Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale
Vendor: Mill Park Stud (As Agent)
Buyer: Lee Freedman
Record: 48 starts: 9 wins (eight stakes wins), 8 seconds, 9 thirds
Prizemoney: $5,134,320

GROUP ONE VICTORIES

2003 SAJC South Australian Derby at Morphettville
2003 MRC Underwood Stakes at Caulfield
2003 MRC Caulfield Cup at Caulfield
2004 MRC Yalumba Stakes at Caulfield
2005 SingTC Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji

R.I.P

It's been a week of headlines but the Group 1 $2.5 Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup has now been run and won for 2005.

Four year old Railings made it another Cup victory for New Zealand sire Zabeel who boasted the Cup trifecta in 1999 with Sky Heights, Laebeel and Inaflury; and who has also sired one of the all time Cup legends - Might and Power - who won the race by 7.5 lengths in 1997.

Railings (fresh from back to back victories in the G1 Metropolitan and G3 Colin Stephen Quality Handicap) lunged on the line to snatch victory from Japanese runner Eye Popper and race top weight (and 2003 winner) Mummify.

Despite his wide barrier, Mummify had dictated the early race terms, crossing the field by the time they passed the judge for the first time and leading Hollow Bullet and Portland Singa out of the straight.

As they turned for home it was Mummify still leading the pack - the surprise being the dominating challenge by Eye Popper - the two engaging in a head to head duel that lasted all the way to the line; Railings and (second emergency) Natural Blitz coming with a late rush, Railings only securing it in the final stride.

It was, in commentator Greg Miles' words "a barnstorming finish", the win breaking trainer John Hawkes' hex on the race and giving Greg Childs his second victory (after Northerly).

Wayne Hawkes said he was "lost for words" after the run; managed to say that Railings “made his own luck 8 or 9 wide at the turn. Dad said he was right as rain in the yard and that was enough for me". Asked if Railings would now line up for the Melbourne Cup he said "Absolutely!".

Race favorite (and last week's Yalumba Stakes winner) El Segundo, and WATC and Victoria Derby winner Plastered finished well back in the field. Third place getter Mummify pulled up in distress after the race.

Stats:

It was a Metropolitan/Caulfield Cup double for Railings. The last horse to achieve this was Hayai in 1983 (before him Redcraze in the 1950's).

After the scratching of Fight Your Corner due to a tendon injury, only three international horses started in today's race: The Godolphin-owned Razkalla, Eye Popper (the first Japanese horse to contest a Group One race in Australia) and English stayer Carte Diamond (who attempted to become the second overseas horse to win the Caulfield Cup after Taufan's Melody 1998 victory). Razkalla finished 16th and Carte Diamond 9th.

There was some last minute rider shuffling as well - Kerrin McEvoy rode Razkalla; Vlad Duric secured the ride on Hollow Bullet and Kathy O'Hara (one of only two apprentices in the race and only the second female to ride in the Cup) rode Wild Iris.

Champions Day at Newmarket is a feast of racing with two Group 1s, two Group 2s, a pair of Group 3s and the Cesarewitch, one of the biggest betting races of the year in England and a very unique event, considering the start of this 3,600m event is in Cambridgeshire and the finish is in Suffolk.

The programme, in its present form, dates back to 1997 and since then stars such as Pilsudki, Alborada, Kalanisi, Xaar, Distant Music, Nayef, Rock Of Gibraltar, Rakti and Shamardal have all turned in outstanding performances and stolen next day headlines.

But while all this was going on another horse was doing what he did best - demonstrating his customary conviction to beat off all others in one of the 'lesser' races on the programme. The 3,200m Group 3 Jockey Club Cup doesn't really rate alongside the established stars in the Champion Stakes, the rising stars in the Dewhurst, or the massive plunges either brought off or gone astray in the Cesarewitch.

But this weekend Persian Punch gets his reward and will be honoured, 16 months after his tragic death, in the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot when a life-sized bronze statue created by renowned equine sculptor Philip Blacker will be unveiled at Newmarket.

Persian Punch was the epitome of a racehorse, the "way they used to breed them". He ran in four Jockey Club Cups, finishing third to Celeric in 1996 before victories in 2000 (defeating Royal Rebel), 2002 (defeating Boreas) and 2003 (defeating Millenary).

It would be fair to say he could have run in six Jockey Club Cups and won five but he missed in 1998 and 2001 - when he was on overseas duty finishing third to Jezabeel in the 1998 Melbourne Cup and occupying a similar place behind Ethereal in 2001.

But such was Persian Punch's popularity his performances at Newmarket did not go unnoticed. There won't be many that would say they were there the day Kalanisi bravely defied Montjeu in the 2000 Champion Stakes but all will say they were there when Persian Punch won his third Jockey Club Cup.

Spare a thought for the seven trainers saddling the opposition to Aidan O’Brien in tomorrow’s Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, part of Champions Day at Newmarket.

If the track dries O’Brien will run the Phoenix and National Stakes winner George Washington, current favourite for next year’s 2000 Guineas. If the track comes up soft, which appears likely after a heavy downpour on Wednesday, then the trainer will run Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere winner Horatio Nelson, who just happens to occupy the top line of betting for next year’s Derby.

If the opposition can take something into the race though, it’s the stats. Since 1988 only one horse has managed to win the National Stakes in Ireland and then go on to win the Dewhurst (Dashing Blade in 1989). Other National Stakes winners to try but came up short were Fatherland (fifth to Zafonic in 1992), Danehill Dancer (second to Alhaarth in 1995) and Desert King (sixth to In Command in 1996).

Only two horses in that time have attempted the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) – Dewhurst double: Rock Of Gibraltar completed the task in 2001 while Oratorio missed out last year when beaten by Shamardal at Newmarket.

Still, many consider statistics in horse racing the same as an oral contract i.e. not worth the paper they are written on (!).

Oratorio will start favourite in the other Group 1 on the programme, the Champion Stakes.

The start of Champions Week at Newmarket threw up an interesting result, particularly from an Australian viewpoint.

Godolphin’s Scandal Keeper, the first of a treble for the stable on the opening day, is an American-bred son of Danzig from the Marscay mare Canny Miss, making him a half-brother to Camarena and Untouchable.

A week shy of 12 months ago many were quick to write off Starcraft after his third to Savabeel in the Cox Plate. The horse was found to have pulled a muscle, an injury that would sideline him for the following Autumn as well. Many thought he was finished.

Fast forward 12 months and we now have him favoured to take Champion Mile honours in Europe after wins in the Prix Jacques Le Marois and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

A Breeders’ Cup Classic win awaits and while victory there may see him surpass Hurricane Run as favourite for Horse of the Year, even if he doesn’t secure that title, it isn’t bad for a horse written off as finished 12 months ago.

While first prize for the Classic is a little over US$2,000,000 it is fair to say that Makin has taken 13/8 about his chestnut winning at Belmont. Short odds but how much will Starcraft be worth if he manages to win? It would be the horse's sixth win at the top level in five different countries on both turf and dirt. Is there another stallion anywhere ­(or has there ever been for that matter) that can boast a racing performance like that?

Falbrav also has a "5 countries" tag - won at Group 1 level 8 times during his racing career, in England, Japan, Italy, France and Hong Kong - but if Starcraft wins the Breeders Cup he will go one better and have victories on both 'dirt and turf' surfaces to flaunt.

You may (may not) have noticed a new listing in the sidebar - The Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance ("TBA").

Seven bloggers - Athlone included - recently joined forces, not because we canvass the same topics or even analyse racing in the same States/countries, but given our commitment to the blogging medium, and unified by our love of the sport we felt an umbrella label would help both in raising awareness of racing within the blogosphere, and more specifically Patrick Patten's 'Standings' system.

I'm currently the only non-American member of the group.

Given the nascent state of the TBA it was a pleasant surprise to see Paul Moran's article "Bloggers make valid point on Eclipse voting" which not only mentions the group but takes a magnanimous approach to blogging - and those that engage in it.

"The blog, a fairly recent addition to the language that means Web log, has grown exponentially... The best bloggers have become influential, particularly in the political arena, but also in every conceivable field, enterprise, quirk and minutiae. Racing is no exception.

While the number of specialty sports blogs is incalculable, only a handful are devoted to racing. These are labors of love, produce no income and require considerable effort of people impassioned by things to which the mainstream horseplayer is oblivious. Horseplayers are not typical sports fans. Racing is a participatory sport, not a spectator sport.

[...] Those whose interest goes beyond the daily calculation of return on investment, to the point of creating and maintaining a blog, are few and far between.

Considering the shallow pool from which they might emerge, it is perhaps inevitable that an announcement this week heralding the formation of the Thoroughbred Bloggers Alliance listed only seven members, one of them an Australian."

Full story at the following URL.

It's hard to believe but it is 21 years (and 2 months) since the Fine Cotton ring-in.

Now, is it 'time flies when you are having fun'? (... or just 'time flies'?)

You may be dropping by the Rideau Carleton Raceway tonight (that would be the track at 4837 Albion Road ... in Canada). "Fine Australian wine combined with a long tradition of horse racing" are the highlights of this evening's event.

Many thanks to Canada's Foreign Policy Weekly (a Canadian Embassy publication) for alerting us to the fact!

Leading Canberra trainer Barbara Joseph may have been somewhat surprised to have been referred to as a "colourful racing identity" by a local journalist in the same sentence as her victory in the Canberra Trainers Premiership was announced.

A 'colourful racing identity' is, of course, a common euphemism for a criminal!

Owning an internationally successful, multiple million dollar G1 winning horse probably changes your views on acceptance fees, but despite that I am willing to put money on the fact that an entry fee of $800,000 may have made even Starcraft's owners stop and think "hang on a sec - our horse may have run better on the sand track back at the Gold Coast some time ago ... but on dirt in one of the best races in the world??"

The lure of the Breeders Cup prize pool is obviously a gamble worth taking - even when $800K is a fair slice of the AUD$2,790,879 Starcraft has earned to date (the punters [or 'glass half full' individuals] amongst you will no doubt say "oh get over it!") - but no matter which way you look at it, supplementary fees at this level are certainly a hurdle for owners. It is a point well canvassed in an article penned by Bill Finley that analyses the interesting question of whether a race is TRULY international (or only billed as such) when conditions of entry bar the majority of international performers from entering unless they have a king's ransom (or hefty dose of optimism) at their disposal.

"In reality, the Breeders' Cup is a lucrative collection of eight races that attracts the best healthy horses in the U.S., plus a smattering of Europeans horses. In 21 prior runnings, there has yet to be a winner who was not based in either the U.S., Canada or Western Europe. A world championship that is not.

To be a true world championship event, the Breeders' Cup can't ignore the fact that there is very good horse racing in the rest of the world, in places like Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, South Africa, Singapore, Argentina, Brazil, Chile.

But horses from those countries rarely compete in the Breeders' Cup. Breeders there are not focused on the Breeders' Cup, so they rarely nominate their stallions and foals to the series. That makes most horses racing in those countries ineligible to participate in the Breeders' Cup unless the owner pays a hefty supplementary fee, usually 20 percent of the purse. That means it's going to cost someone $800,000 to supplement to the Classic, where the winner collects $2 million."

It's an interesting article and in addition to discussing the tension between marketing, looking after local breeders, and ensuring the long term appeal of an event, it also provides some useful suggestions for the future.

Full story at the following URL.

The Breeders Cup program (Belmont Park, October 29) has lost two of its biggest drawcards. Hurricane Run and Afleet Alex may be out - yet the advertising splurge certainly isn't. The New York Racing Association (the same Association rumoured to be close to insolvency) has launched a $2-million marketing campaign less than 3 weeks before the event. The marketing mix includes television, radio, outdoor, Internet, and print advertising (inclusive of special sections in USA Today and the New York Daily News). Ad spend in New York alone will top US$600,000.

As reported on The Bloodhorse site, when Kentucky Oak (G1) winning filly Ashado is sold at the forthcoming Keeneland November Mixed Sale, a portion of the proceeds of sale will benefit Thoroughbred Charities of America - the largest umbrella non-profit organization of the Thoroughbred industry. TCA's sole mission is to raise money for distribution to over 100 organizations involved with Thoroughbred Rescue, Retirement, Rehabilitation, Research, Education, Backstretch, Jockey and Therapeutic Riding Programs.

Ashado is owned by Laurie and Jack Wolf, Paul Saylor and Johns Martin.

Some might say that given its historical and political background, Australia's capital city displays a number of "conservative" overtones.

Not so, according to a report in yesterday's Canberra Times that details Canberra Racing Club's rather novel decision to shift two races of Sunday's Canberra Cup card to Thoroughbred Park's unraced synthetic track "after spits of rain and jockey complaints of a "greasy" surface forced stewards to declare the track unfit for the final two races of the day.

Race bosses then took what they believed was a world-first measure, changing from the venue's grass surface to the unraced synthetic track - named the Acton track and running inside the main course - for the seventh and eighth races".

Canberra Racing Club officials labeled the innovative decision as "exciting".

No-one can say the local racing industry hasn't adopted a progressive approach to reforming Canberra's more traditional image!

3 mobile officially launched its mobile TV service today, offering customers six new channels, including live CNN breaking news and Sky Racing streams.

Rather than utilising the upcoming DVB-H (digital video broadcasting for handhelds) standard, 3 streams the programs to handsets using its third-generation mobile phone networks.

PAYG pricing structure for 3's mobile TV is 50c per two minutes (for most channels), with a monthly cap for each channel. The mobile service is reportedly not meant to replace regular television or compete with pay TV providers.

Sky Racing offers customers a live stream of the pay TV channel, access to 125 race meetings per week, betting tips, odds and results for horse racing, greyhounds and the trots, for $7 per month.

Over 60 percent of 3's 540,000 customers currently use the 3G portal to access content. Since the soft launch of the additional mobile TV channels three weeks ago, more than 147,000 streams have apparently been downloaded to 3 handsets, with the most popular channels being the Cartoon Network and Sky Racing.

Source: CNet.

Ten of the Caulfield Cup's greatest champions of modern times met on equal terms in today's Virtual Caulfield Cup. Carrying his cup winning weight of 52.5 kilograms and perfectly ridden by Jim Cassidy, Might & Power defeated 1991 titleholder Let's Elope by 2.4 lengths with last year's Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup winner Elvstroem a further 1.8 lengths away in third place. Mummify and Northerly were fourth and fifth respectively.

While the winning margin was less than the phenomenal 7 lengths by which Might and Power won the 1997 Caulfield Cup, the victory over a field of nine other modern greats confirmed the mighty stayer's indisputable class. On a good track under blue skies at Classic Caulfield, Might and Power posted the respectable time of 2:27.30. Leading rails bookmaker Alan Eskander had Might and Power starting theoretical favourite at $3.50, with Let's Elope at $4.50 and Elvstroem at $8.00.

The event was broadcast live by TVN and webcast at the following URL.

Expertform Virtual Caulfield Cup Finishing Order

Place Horse Saddlecloth No. Margin
1 Might and Power 6 0.00
2 Let's Elope 10 2.40
3 Elstroem 3 4.20
4 Mummify 5 4.30
5 Northerly 1 4.40
6 Tristarc 8 4.70
7 Ethereal 9 5.00
8 Sky Heights 2 5.70
9 Doriemus 7 6.00
10 Tautfan's Melody 4 6.20

You can see videos and more detailed analysis of each runner on the Melbourne Racing Club website.

In last Thursday's (UK) Telegraph, expatriate Australian (and renowned UK race commentator) Jim McGrath commented on Kerrin McEvoy's successful career to date as well as the youngster's impending return to Aus. to ride Fight Your Corner for Godolphin in the Caulfield Cup.

The article goes on to make a few observations about the Arc. Apparently those that watched the French feed via the BBC were in for a bit of a surprise and it wasn't just Hurricane Run's astonishing performance that has had people talking:

"Much was made of Johnny Murtagh's 'streak' in front of the TV cameras during BBC's Arc coverage last Sunday. It happened in the jockeys' room after the Arc as Murtagh dashed over to congratulate fellow Irishman Kieren Fallon on his success with Hurricane Run.

BBC were taking a French feed of the action and Murtagh's full-frontal (all of about four seconds) would have been more of a shock to those in the production truck than to most viewers.

But is hasn't prevented Murtagh getting plenty of ribbing in the weighing room. "It hasn't stopped," Murtagh told me at Leicester on Tuesday. "But I suppose it's good to be noticed on Arc day," he laughed.

No doubt he would have preferred it if Motivator had been the reason. But there will be other years."

Now who said the BBC was conservative?!

A marketing snippet for those who monitor them: US auction company Fasig-Tipton will release seven DVDs to promote their November Selected Mixed Sale. The DVDs will concentrate on the dams of current top class thoroughbred racehorses, as well as several Grade 1 winning mares. The sale takes place in Lexington, Kentucky and begins November 6th at 4:00 pm.

The group behind the DVD production is Hammond Communications Group.

A good friend is currently climbing the highest freestanding mountain in Africa for charity.

The same friend has also been known to have a bet or two.

Based in Tanzania Mt Kilimanjaro has a summit height of 19,335.6 ft (5,895m).

I received a text message from 4,000ft this evening saying "you couldn't possibly forward me Saturday's Yalumba Stakes field to me by SMS could you?"

I dutifully did so (after overcoming my initial surprise at receiving a message from such a destination).

Seems that the form/results - or even placing a bet - can nowadays be done from the most unexpected places. The wonders of modern technology ...

Speaking of travelling I have another 4 day business trip to complete so will be back on deck on Tuesday. One of my stopovers will be Dubai so stay tuned for the photos of the International Stables.

Montjeu's on something of a roll having sired the winners of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Hurricane Run), Gr.1 Derby (Motivator), the Gr.1 St Leger Stakes (Scorpion), the Gr.3 UAE 2,000 Guineas (Stagelight), the Gr.3 Prix du Prince d’Orange (Corre Caminos), the Gr.1 Derby runner-up (Walk In The Park) and second place getter in the Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks (Dash To The Top).

As a racehorse Montejeu was a sensation in his own right - an unbeaten juvenile then winning six times at Group level over the next two seasons, including victories in the Prix du Jockey-Club, the Irish Derby, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the 1999 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

His pedigree is also breathtaking.

I know I keep saying it but it is such a shame he isn't shuttling South this season.

There was a strange story in The Gulf News last week about one man's, err, how shall we describe it - 'fondness' for a camel (not a drug runner and no, I'm not supplying the URL, I will leave you to your own devices in terms of tracking it down) but not to be outdone, today we have news of a Queensland employee who is being investigated for allegedly stealing parts of human brains from a forensic laboratory to be injected into racehorses to make them run faster.

Perhaps best to just conclude with "it sure is a strange world we live in".

Full story at following URL (brains not camels).

You can apparently have a horse with a trainer for a considerable period of time (paying $77 + a day for the privilege) and still receive an email which suggests:

a) carelessness
b) that someone is too lazy to look up a file; and/or
c) that they have utterly no idea how offensive an email of this nature can be to an owner [because let's face it - all of us are fond of our horses]

The email to the group of owners reads as follows -

"THE HORSE went back into pre-training yesterday after doing well during her recent break. At this early stage I anticipate she will be there in work for approximately four weeks before heading back to the main stable."

'The horse' does (apparently) have a name (she has even won with it on 2 occasions) and she has also been with the trainer for more than 18 months. Any ideas why the sudden onset of amnesia as to her name?

I know trainers are busy but they're no busier than most people. It costs a lot to have a horse in work. These sort of emails are not, I would humbly suggest, the ones that make you think "gee I want to go and buy another 4 horses to put in someone's stable so they can forget their names as well".

I spend a lot of time proof-reading but like a painter not always being enthusiastic about painting their own house it would appear that I occasionally do an appalling job when it's my own writing!

I had that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when I pressed the 'send' button this evening and sure enough - the fortnightly alerter went out with a hopelessly misspelled word in it. Now you'll all be rushing off to spot it but to save you the time - it was 'generosity'.

So the Media Watcher becomes the 'watched' today ...

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better.
King Whitney Jr.

Various sections of the thoroughbred industry have been involved in some heated discussion of late. Recommendations by the Australian Pattern Committee (“the Committee”) have seen black type races brought more in line with the Australian metropolitan racing pattern in each of the four Age/Sex categories (2YO's, 3YO's, Fillies and Mares and Open Age/Sex). It would seem that history (courtesy of some detailed analysis of metropolitan race programming) has finally caught up with Black Type listings. The disparity between two year old and extended distance races compared to 3 year old, open, fillies and mares distaff races and races over shorter distances has seen (inter alia) the Committee downgrade or delist a total of 24 stakes races for two year olds. The changes are not new – they were announced more than a year ago - but with them now in place, those who stand to be affected, have suddenly become vocal.

The 2004 Committee Report sought a number and classification of Black Type races that was more representative of the standard of Australian racing (which, as logic suggests, should ideally “lead to a more accurate classification of Australian races and attempts to alleviate any concerns that may have been held in the past regarding an inequitable balance between age, distance and sex categories”). Opponents, meanwhile, state that the 44 nominations received for Victoria's first city two-year old race for the season - the $100,000 Maribyrnong Trial Stakes (1000m) – make a mockery of the Committee’s findings. Whilst the number of starters in 2004 (8) was considerably lower than the 2005 nominations (44) and starters (16), an additional factor may well have been the timing of the Cranbourne 2yo barrier trials this year, which coincided with the closing of nominations for the race.

Others claim (although Report statistics don’t support this) that the reasoning behind the re-grading of races has to do with politics i.e. the re-allocation of black type between the States. Still others say that delisting a race because it happens to fall in the early stage of the season is out of touch with reality. If a race like the San Domenico is downgraded from G2 to G3 because in the opinion of the committee, even though many (perhaps most) of the best 3yos line up, they are really using it as a preparatory/warm up race by most participants, then the reasoning would follow that many G1s in the Melbourne Spring would need to be downgraded, as, ultimately, they are mere preps for the Caulfield Cup, the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup. The converse argument is that to downgrade a race like the Debutante discriminates against the early/precocious Spring 2yos. Should early 2yos be denied their chance in the sun, just because certain people don't like early 2yo races? Some would say that early 2yo races are a lot more competitive than many of the staying races which carry black type, but essentially attract a field of older (and/or slower horses) each year. Why is an older, slower horse more worthy of an opportunity to earn black type than an early 2yo?

One could argue the relative merits indefinitely but the debate over the relative "value" of early two year old races versus latter season (or 3 year old) races is not new. Whilst many focus the argument on the physiology of the horse, crop size, and/or competing desires to produce more sprinters/middle distance/stayers, the fact remains that the modern thoroughbred has been built around the industry - not vice versa. People often forget that the advent of racing pre-dates the breed of horse developed for it (chariot races go back to Ancient Greek times and the first races held in England contained horses very different to the ones we see today). It has always been mankind's desire to create a faster or a superior horse. Millions of dollars a day change hands on that premise.

As Dennis McKeon states in an article titled “They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To” "Whenever men have undertaken the selective breeding of animals for utilitarian or sporting purposes, type has always adjusted toward purpose … Has the breed fashioned the marketplace, or has the marketplace genotyped the breed?"

No matter what country (or platform) you speak from there is one universal truth: today's racing industry is driven by commercial interests. The amount of money that is invested in sport and its related media show not only the perceived value of sport and the returns it can bring but also reveal the many vested interests protecting whatever it is they are buying, selling, funding, and/or managing.

It has been speed that has driven the industry's evolution as an article in The Racing Museum explains:

"For breeders, the change from long distance racing to sprints meant focusing on new genetic characteristics. The champion racehorse of 1750 had stamina and power to endure through the grueling match races. But by the end of the century, it was quick speed and agility that would mark a successful Thoroughbred. Breeders, as they developed the fast sprinter, were also being faced with an economically driven demand. Owners had traditionally raced their Thoroughbreds at five and six years old, but were realizing that financial resources were stretched too tight before they saw any return on their investment. By training horses to race at two and three years old, stables could see a profit earlier. For breeders, the end result was a horse that was not only fast, but also matured early.

"This precocious horse rocketed into the nineteenth century with a longer stride and more height (approximately six inches) than its eighteenth century Arabian and English ancestors. During the first half of the century, the number of Thoroughbreds tripled and the number of racehorses doubled. Young horses captured more and more of the spotlight at these tracks as the century wore on. Newmarket alone held over a hundred races a year for two year olds, and fifty percent of all horses actively racing were two and three years old.”

But let's be clear about one thing: Breeders supply horses that the market demands. They do not work in a vacuum.

Australian thoroughbreds have taken this propensity for early speed to a new level. In many ways it now defines the ‘type’ of horse the country is renowned for. As Byron Rogers states in a recent blog post on the subject:

"Australian racing has been shaped in modern history by the advent of a race called the Golden Slipper. Rightly or wrongly the Slipper, and subsequently the Blue Diamond and Magic Millions, have reshaped the Australian thoroughbred into an early maturing, speed oriented horse. They are among the best two year olds in the world. A by product of this racing environment is the fact that Australia consistently produces the best turf sprinters in the world."

The prices for yearlings with speed-focused pedigrees and mature physiques are therefore, perhaps unsurprisingly, generally higher (on average) at the Australian yearling sales than the classic slower-maturing types.

Whilst the Committee certainly recognize the impact of sprint racing on the Australian landscape their statistics also demonstrate that apart from the appeal of the signature 2yo sprint races, there have actually been fewer early 2 year olds appearing on tracks in recent years. Whether this is owner preference, the nuances of breeding, or simply equine physiology, the fact remains that there has been a distinct anomaly between the level of 2yo black type races (14.4% of the total) compared to the number of programmed metropolitan 2yo races (8.47%).

As the Committee state: “It has been recognized that there has been a shift away from the programming of two year old races in Australia. There has also been a reduction in two year old starters by nearly 20% in the last decade in Australia and the average field size has reduced from 10.13 in 1993/4 to 8.31 in 2003/4”.

So is the pressure for upholding black type for early 2 year racing generated by certain owners? The industry has long since shifted from the days when only royalty and those with significant personal/family wealth owned thoroughbreds. But whilst the ownership base may have shifted, the cost of investing has not decreased so there is arguably more pressure on horses to get to the track early to repay investors. Many modern-day owners do not have the financial freedom (or patience) to enjoy a magnanimous approach to owning horses that graze in a paddock until their classic year (or later), unless they exhibit special characteristics that require the additional time. The clock is ticking on monthly expenses and there is also the (difficult to overlook) incentive of bonus schemes that favour the early maturers. Despite this, it would appear that many owners are indeed following this path (whether by circumstance or choice is less apparent). There also appears to be a developing trend for trainers to make greater use of barrier trials for 2yos. A number of young horses now have 2 or more trials before they race, which certainly wasn’t the case in years gone by.

Breeders have long been advocates of early 2yo racing as black type upgrades catalogue pages which in turn enhance the value of stock (and their immediate family). For stallion owners, early 2yo performances boost marketing efforts for fourth season stallion books, increase average prices at future yearling sales, and can assist in increasing service fees (Redoute's Choice a case in point).

Proprietor of Yallambee Stud - Peter Woodard – is someone who feels very strongly about this issue. In a letter to members of the Pattern Committee last month concerning the de-listing of the Debutante Stakes he writes:

“The downgrading is, quite frankly, a body blow to the breeding fraternity – commercially, the Debutante had offered black type opportunity to stallion and broodmare owners and, a timely boost for those who put heart and soul into an industry which, more often than not, is short on rewards.”

Next we have the syndicaters who have marketed and (typically) sold a large number of horses. Whilst most make their money upfront and are not reliant on race results for additional income they do remain reliant on early results to guarantee marketing/PR fuel to attract new owners (or repeat business) prior to the following year's sales as well as keep existing clients happy. It was of little surprise then to see a commercial syndicator wade into the debate earlier this week. Her comments that appear on an internet forum have also been paraphrased on Byron’s site.

Others with a vested interest include those who make a living out of the industry - from auction companies to trainers to service/product suppliers. The media also play a role - their relationship with the industry a subject worthy of an article in its own right but suffice it to say they remain a powerful agent in the creation of public opinion (in many cases merely acting as the voice box of the commercial interests that support their publications/portals).

So what then are the vested interests, if any, of the Pattern Committee? When the Report was released in September 2004 the Committee - which represents a broad range of Industry interest groups - consisted of the following members:

• Mr Richard Turnley (Chairman Thoroughbred Breeders Australia)
• Mr James Ross (Secretary Australian Racing Board)
• Mr Stephen Allanson (Racing Victoria)
• Mr Mark Webbey (Racing New South Wales)
• Mr Vin Cox (Selling Agents Representative)
• Mr Mike Wisby (Tasmanian Racing Club)
• Mr Malcolm Tuttle (Queensland Racing)
• Mr Greg Carpenter (Racing & Wagering Western Australia)
• Mr Ian Hart Thoroughbred Racing (South Australia)
• Mr Trevor Lobb (Thoroughbred Breeders Australia)

The Review implemented 127 changes to current Black Type Listings with the aim to bring black type races more in line with the Australian metropolitan racing pattern in each of the four Age/Sex categories (2YO's, 3YO's, Fillies and Mares and Open Age/Sex). The Review openly acknowledges the role of the sprinting horse in the Australian culture. As a result of the changes to the black type listings there are now also genuine incentives for the owner of the later maturing horse (and filly/mare).

Whilst some will scoff, the Committee perhaps has loftier aspirations for the Industry than we give it credit for. As the Dennis McKeon article states:

“Should the racing industry have the ethics and foresight to adopt a pro-forma geared toward re-establishing a more comprehensive and results-oriented program of stamina-based venues, Thoroughbred type would be impelled to emerge toward it … Either way, it won't happen overnight or by serendipity. It will require a highly evolved sense of husbandry, horsemanship, sportsmanship, and fair play, and for some of the "prime movers" to dismiss their notions that "it's all about the money."

It’s a huge ask to shift an entire industry from one perspective to another – particularly if the reasoning behind the change are not made transparently clear (always helpful to know what goal it is you are working towards). Like anything that involves change it is also never an easy road or one without its detractors as reforms will never suit everyone. Meanwhile, whilst commercial interests stay in play and ultimately, the primary marketing vehicle for a number of industry sectors remain reliant on racetrack results, it’s of little surprise to see heated debate about the delisting of certain races unfolding. But as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “All things must change to something new, to something strange.”

Katrina Partridge & John Baxter

Tasmania's oldest thoroughbred trainer - 81 year old Jack Green - has called it a day after 50 years on the job. Green cited ailing health and the difficulties of training at Brighton as the reasons behind his decision to retire.

There are some very good writers in this world - those that pull you into a story, allow you to see the line of sweat break out on a 2yo coat, and immerse you in the emotion i.e that have the ability to draw a picture with words (not just put words on a page)

If you haven't read Patrick Smith's article in yesterday's Australian titled "In language of the track, brevity beats descriptive" then you are doing yourself a grave dis-servive - his turn of phrase is excellent.

"A MOUNTING yard is a pit of raw nerves. It can be a maiden at Benalla on a Friday. It doesn't matter. The jaws of life could not unravel the knot that has captured your tummy and scrunched it into a ball.

At Flemington on Saturday, the first race is for two-year-old ratbags. They are unraced and unnerved. Only the owners are sillier. The gates fly open and Publishing, drawn the inside and owned by Lloyd Williams, John Singleton and their partners, does a left turn. This is perilous, for the colt has drawn the inside. He narrowly avoids crashing into the running rail.

More rattled than ever, Publishing, a product of Testa Rossa and Sally Magic who ran the quinella in their Magic Millions race, worries his way home at the tail of the field until he passes four on the line. Danny Nikolic is grateful to have stayed on for the 1000metres. The four he beat are led away for counselling."

Full story at the following URL

There is only one horse sale in Hong Kong each year - the December International Sale. 22 immaculately bred and presented horses-in-training are offered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club - each horse hand-picked from leading yearling sales around the world the previous year.

Last year the sale average was HK$2,263,158 [AUD$386,732] (an increase on the 2003 average of HK$1,660,000 [AUD$289.098]) and the top price of HK$6,000,000 [AUD$1,025,290] was paid for a King's Best ex Georgiana gelding (bred in New Zealand).

There were only 2 colts in the sale last year (the other lots all geldings) but with a number of entires having been relocated to Australia in recent years following successful racing careers one can't help but wonder if some of the horses currently being purchased by the HKJC will have "don't geld - potential stallion prospect" marked on their files.

A case in point is the HKJC's recent purchase of the half-brother to Dehere at the final day of the Goffs Orby Million Sale. Lot 536 b c (Ire) foaled 14th March 2004 is by Danehill ex Sister Dot (Secretariat) and cost the HKJC €360,000 (approx. HK$3.36million).

The colt will be offered at the 2006 International Sale. Given the colt's purchase price there will be no doubt be a few people at the Jockey Club hoping he runs to expectations, and buyers are willing to pay well above average price to secure him.

Australian shuttle stallion in Europe, mare covered in France, foal born in Poland, wins in Slovakia ... just another everyday example of globalisation.

The 4yo colt CHERRY PIE (Pol) by Octagonal (AUS) ex Chesnut Tree (Shadeed) won a 3yo+, 1m2f race (£503) on September 11 this year.

The 2005 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale starts on 7 November (a mammoth 11 days of selling). In the interests of furthering client relationship, leading bloodstock agent Vin Cox is offering on-the-ground assistance for those Australians who want to do more than attend the sales.

“A trip to Keeneland for the sales can easily double as a great family holiday," says Cox. "We can assist with the booking of accommodation, organize a tour of the studs and a day out at the sales with no obligation to buy a horse.”

Now, who was it who said bloodstock agents only sold horses?!

The World's Top Ranked Horse on Turf in 2004/2005 was Silent Witness. He finished last season not quite as well as he started it after a third placing in the US$2 million Yasuda Kinen in Japan which followed a short head defeat by G1 winner Bullish Luck in the Champions Mile in Hong Kong (a race that brought Silent Witness' record run of 17 consecutive victories to a close).

But the final 2 races of the season were at distances that simply didn't suit him (1600m), and in my eyes anyway he lost nothing in defeat - the time in the Champions Mile - 1 minute 33.7 seconds - was just 0.4 seconds outside a track record that has stood for over two decades; and the time in the Yasuda Kinen was the second fastest of the prestigious Gr.1 mile event in 20 years.

Today the champion was back but this time over a more favourable distance, the 1200m of the Sprinters Stakes (JPN G1) at Nakayama Racecourse, Japan.

A few people (horses excluded given they tend not to interview well) were in a lather yesterday after Silent Witness stumbled, dislodged regular rider Felix Coetzee, then galloped a full lap of the dirt track before ground staff managed to stop him.

To give you some indication how seriously this news was received by HK fans, just take a look at a section of the detailed Hong Kong Jockey Club press release:

"It happened going into the straight after a lap on the dirt at a slow canter. Silent Witness suddenly stumbled. He seemed to have merely stumbled on his own and not spook or shy at anything. His head went nearly to the ground, which was, understandably, enough to throw Coetzee off balance and to the ground. Coetzee believed it happened right at the moment the horse was about to change leads. Others, who watched a video of the happening, think he may have also, just at that moment, startled at a shadow on the track.

In any case, Silent Witness nearly fell, his head touched the ground as he went to his knees. Shook up, Silent Witness took off on his own, galloping relatively slowly down the stretch and around to the backstretch, where he met Cape of Good Hope, who was cooling down after a lap on the dirt at an easy canter. Silent Witness picked up speed and continued around, passing Highlilli at the top of the stretch. Patrick Tse brought Highlilli around in an attempt to slow Silent Witness, but he ran right past. Coetzee, who was up and walking back holding his arm and a part of Silent Witness' tack, also went out in the track to try to stop the horse. Silent Witness kept going but was finally pulled up by JRA track workers who stretched a bright yellow line across the width of the track. Waving it up and down, they succeeded in convincing Silent Witness to stop just at about the finish line. The horse was taken off the track and Cruz checked his legs, concentrating on the front right. Coetzee walked to the clinic to have his arm checked."

Mishaps aside, Silent Witness started favorite this afternoon and won in convincing style in a time of 1:07.3. Durandal (JPN) and Admire Max (JPN) ran second and third respectively (margins 1-1/4 L, 1/2 L). Hong Kong's other runner - Cape of Good Hope - finished 11th.

My hero is back, and I couldn't have been more delighted with this afternoon's result than if I owned him myself.

As an aside (and to give you some insight into how this horse is lauded locally) - Silent Witness sports his own website these days (hardly surprising given he attracts more press in HK than many government officials). He was even packed off to Japan with his own cheer squad, and a giant birthday cake was set up at the Happy Valley Racecourse last Wednesday to celebrate his sixth birthday.

At the annual Goffs Arc Sale of horses in training turnover of €3,737,000 more than doubled 2004 figures (€1,753,000) for only five more horses sold. The average was also considerably higher (€128,862 cf to €73,042 last year).

Freddy Powell, representing Goffs Managing Director, Eric Hoyeau, explained the growth. “We saw a great diversity of buyers this evening. We have seen purchasers from Dubai, Qatar, the USA, Hong Kong and Ireland, and also several breeders. Goffs France have done a lot of promotion work in the Middle East during the last year and this seems to have paid off... It is also reassuring to see that the market is not dependant on the dollar which has not been in our favour recently.”

Source: European Bloodstock News

Some words of wisdom about the value of online marketing from (non-thoroughbred writer) Seth Godin who has taken his blog readership from nothing to one of the largest site readerships in the blogging world in just a few short years:

"We all want to open big. We want our product launches to be instant successes. We want the resumes we send out to be opened in one day, a call the next, an interview the third and a corner office by the end of the week.

The new marketing, it appears, doesn't work that way.

The bottom line is that it's way way easier to start things than it used to be (opening a movie big costs a tenth of a billion dollars, while opening a blog costs about twenty). The natural, user-driven networks that make a product succeed or fail rarely hit all at once. But the snowball effect online is far more powerful than the old-world scream & dream approach.

So, what's it mean to you?

- Make something worth making.
- Sell something worth talking about.
- Believe in what you do because you may have to do it for a long time before it catches on.
- Don't listen to the first people who give you feedback.
- Don't give up. Not for a while, anyway."

For anyone struggling with a new business or just having 'one of those weeks' where they wonder why they bother at all they are words well worth considering.