First acceptances are in for the 2006 Magic Millions race day. The inevitable press releases have gone out and the news sites have duly covered the fact that a record number of horses have been entered (781). As I waded through the entries this evening I suddenly wondered if I could put a different spin on the subject (there's only so much you can say about trainers, State representation, and sire lines after all).

The task was as follows - analyse the 187 named 2yo's nommed for the $1m Conrad MM 2YO Classic ... and construct a short story using as many of the names as possible. (Names to appear in CAPS.)

Here's what I came up with:

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Our scene is set – a CHAMPAGNEBAR, the oddly named BLAZING STUMP, ten miles from the CITY LIGHTS of CHURCHILL DOWNS. An ASSERTIVE SWINGING BACHELOR – Bob - was OBSESSED WITH ELLA, a BUSTY albeit OVERWORKED (some whispered ‘FRIGID’) lady from the suburbs. She had FIRSTCLASS HONOURS from college; SOCIAL STYLE from Vogue. She was actually THE GIRLFRIEND of the local SUPERINTENDENT, someone who, I DO BELIEVE, an IRISH MYTH stated had, when confronted with a kitten falling from a tree, had made a FEARLESS LEAP across a blazing vehicle to CATCHIT.

“MIRROR MIRROR …” intoned Ella as she gazed upon her reflection. Her dress this evening had indeed been a rather CHEEKY CHOICE. It had also COSTATOOMUCH. The SUPERINTENDENT was a tad MISERLY. “He seems to FORGET IM A LADY” she grumbled to herself. “The BIG JOKER.”

She gave an indignant SNORT and signaled to the barman. “GOLD EDITION” she said “Make sure it’s COSTLY and order my favorite cocktail - a RASBERRY LICORICE for my friend – the CHICKEN BOB over there who has FOOLED no-one with his dreams of KNIGHTHOODS and a hope to engage me in a TWIST CONTEST. He’s so not MYCUPPATEA.”

“Ah, it’s UNINTENTIONAL” soothed the bar tender (a mate of Bob’s). “Just remember Ella – it’s a WONDERFUL WORLD.”

Her face broke into a delighted smile as she included a rendition of the STRAINED LYRICS INTHEMIX she was already humming.

“SIMPLY FANTASTIC,” remarked Bob from across the bar. “It seems as if you came TOTALLY PREPARED.” He NOTICED how ORGANISED she seemed but still yearned to ADVISE; a FOREWARNING perhaps that COUNTLESS DREAMS had been lost – mere FOOTSTEPSINTHESNOW – when people had that TWINKLE in their eye as they tried to REDEFINE their career.

“WHAT'S THE TIME?” Ella asked suddenly, giving a SIGNAL to the barman that she needed the bill, INCLUDING any UNINTENTIONAL tips she may have agreed to in her INTOXICAT state. She had, after all had a smidgen of ZYZXX 2C before she came out this evening.

“You’ll be pleased by this – a SPECIAL OFFER,” he said, passing her the bill.

“PRICEY all the same.”

She could ALLUDE to the fact that the prices were on the high side all she liked. He remained MUTE. Word on the street was that this girl had a SUPER SAVINGS policy anyway.

She waved her PINKY at him. “It’s over to the SUPERINTENDENT FOR ACTION” she said sternly.

And so the night ended at the CHAMPAGNEBAR, the oddly named BLAZING STUMP, ten miles from the CITY LIGHTS of CHURCHILL DOWNS.

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Whilst this year's Cup Week made history and provided enjoyment for the multiple thousands of fans who flocked to Flemington, it appears that one or two bookmakers in the Nursery Car Park may have taken subtle advantage of the "once a year racegoers" by offering odds which were not, strictly speaking, "reasonable".

I received a copy of a letter from an Australian contact which is worth sharing with you to see if anyone else has any thoughts on the matter:

"For almost every race during the Carnival there was a long queue of people at these bookmakers waiting to place their bets. Very few (if any) of these racegoers compared the odds which were on offer on the tote and would have had no idea as to the percentages that these bookmakers were betting.

"From my observations, it appeared that virtually every horse in every race was at odds under comparable odds which were offered by bookmakers fielding inside the course.

"Fortunately, I was able to see the screens that these bookmakers had tucked away so that they could not be seen by any unsuspecting punters showing the odds fluctuations. Each time I viewed the screen and compared those odds with the odds offered by these bookmakers, virtually every horse was "under". I can clearly recall specific examples where I was interested in having a bet on a particular horse but had no alternative but to refrain from doing so with the poor odds on offer.

"I consider that this is an unfair and unsatisfactory situation for these bookmakers to reap such an unfair advantage and I hope that something will be done about it. I suggest that bookmakers who operate in the main ring be invited to field in the Nursery Car Park and to operate on a similar basis to those bookmakers who also offer a betting facility in the new stand."

Quite a few lawyers have had their profit margins ably assisted in 2005 by the various arguments requiring legal intervention. ThoroughVision and Sky Channel have been making life hell for country punters, there's the Betfair debacle that has had more ink expended on it than how much water the Flemington track received the morning of the Melbourne Cup (and more twists of the spin selling cycle than we're likely to see again - at least until the studs start promoting next year's crop of first season sires), a high profile syndicater had the liquidators called in to sort out his financial woes, and the latest name-calling session is scheduled for the Supreme Court this week. What is it this time? The Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners' Association no less whose boardroom brawl now requires courtroom intervention. Nothing like grown men being able to sort out their differences of opinion in a gentlemanly fashion ...

Meanwhile, Adelaide has announced its social 'A-list' for 2005. Makybe Diva's owners - Tony and Christine Santic - came in at no. 82 on the list.

In the West it seems as if Perth Racing will have a larger slush fund in future years after it revealed plans for a AUD$2 billion residential real estate development centred on a 73ha land holding on the Swan River. The Western Australian thoroughbred racing body owns the freehold around the Belmont race track.

Back to NSW, and Camden police are looking for a stolen horse float valued at AUD$50,000 that one imagines is a tad difficult to disguise. The Daily Telegraph described the float as "the thoroughbred of horse floats, with mag wheels, an internal shower, air conditioning, BBQ and even a kitchen sink."

Spare a thought for Paul Bittar, the new head of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. According to an article published in The Dominion Post just after his arrival "[Bittar] plans to do more listening than talking as he eases into his role". Well, he didn't have much time to find his feet before being thrust into the decision making process when news filtered through that the Counties Racing Club meeting was abandoned following the opening event due to track safety concerns. The $100,000 Counties Cup was run as an addition to the Cambridge Jockey Club meeting at Te Rapa. The G2 NRM/Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders' Stakes was also rescheduled to the following week's Ellerslie meeting. The listed two-year-old Captain Rio Stakes is likely to be run on Avondale Cup Day, while the listed Ekraar Trophy has reportedly been scrapped. Speaking with The New Zealand Press Association, Bittar said "it was crucial, from an industry perspective, that the Counties Cup be run". One imagines, however, that discussions between the various stakeholders to determine when the races were re-scheduled (given that one ended up as race 11 the following day - and it was a G2 race) were a tad 'tense'. An interesting first few days at the office one suspects. I say 'good on him' for making the tough calls.

We started with a legal reference so let's end with one. The quote of the week has nothing to do with Australia but it concerns a subject anathema to the studs - AI (artifical insemination for the uninitiated). An article by Frances Johnson in the Salt Lake Tribune states "They call it white gold. More lucrative than jewellery, this stuff is a bargain at $100,000 and unlike pricey baubles, it multiplies. Its more common name is, well . . . horse semen." Don't fret, AI isn't legal in our Sport of Kings. The Jockey Club/Stud Book strictly state that the breeding of thoroughbreds must be by "live cover" and the foal must be carried for the full 11-month gestation period. So test tubes, cloning, and AI remain the stuff of articles and late-night scientific brainstorming sessions. Meanwhile, some breeders are racking up covering stats of 200+ for their stallions which makes you wonder if we are achieving the same results of AI in terms of numbers of horses bred - just without the official practices, technology or title?

One to ponder perhaps.

New program, “G1 Goldmine” expands research capabilities for breeders around the world

Australian based “G1 Goldmine”, developed by owner/breeder Leo Tsatsaronis, announced today that they are entering the competitive field of Thoroughbred Breeding Software by offering their extensive database of pedigree information free of charge. Designed to compliment, and not compete with existing pedigree programs, G1 Goldmine comprises 12 years of Graded Stakes racing results from around the world (USA, Canada, Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Argentina, South Africa, Japan, Australia and New Zealand).

The easy to use program allows for some extremely specific research to be performed, such as “query by position” – allowing the user to place a stallion in a particular part of the pedigree (such as dam sire) and see how many big race winners are bred in the same way. Results can be found at the tap of a finger but it is the ability to let breeders know which types of line-breeding have been successful (and not so successful) that really makes G1 Goldmine special.

“G1 Goldmine is designed to enhance and expand current pedigree search technology,” Mr. Tsatsaronis said. “Say for example, you have an ‘In Reality” line mare and you wish to find out how many times he has crossed with Fappiano to produce a “top-liner”. Normally this requires hours of research but G1 Goldmine can tell you in seconds.” He continued, “Another powerful use is in identifying crosses that have not been successful. For example, did you know that in North America there are over 340 Graded Stakes winners that are inbred to Northern Dancer but THERE ARE ZERO inbred to Northern Dancer THROUGH 2 DAUGHTERS? This is a staggering statistic for owners of mares with a daughter of Northern Dancer."

A free download of G1 Goldmine (with Gr.2 and Gr.3 races) is available at the following URL. For those who find the free Gr.2/Gr.3 program enjoyable and useful, the full version is available for US$90. This price includes bi-monthly updates until the end of the year.

More and more, the thoroughbred industry is embracing technology. From on-line wagering to bloggers, owners, trainers, and now breeders are using technology to help give them a leg up in the competitive, lucrative game of breeding and racing championship racehorses around the globe.

Source: G1 Goldmine media release

Silent Witness trialed at Shatin this morning, the World Champion Sprinter failing to show his usual speed, finishing a lethargic 5th, a number of lengths behind the leading pack. The virus which afflicted him some weeks ago appears to be still showing its lingering effects.

Race caller David Raphael's voice had a note of despondency to it as he said "the dream may be over for Silent Witness".

And for the 2005 International Sprint in just 12 days time, it looks as if it is.

You really can't go past the Thoroughbred Champions site. Alternatively the Horse Races site also has a few decent links for histories, biographies, and tributes to famous race horses from around the world. It's not that up to date (Sunline or Makybe Diva don't get a look in for example). Tranquility Farm in the US also lists a few well known names that now call its paddocks home.

If you're searching for information it can often be useful to hunt it down by spending half an hour browsing one of the book portal sites like Amazon (they have 78,635 books on racing!) or Exclusively Equine ... if there's a famous horse in the world there is bound to be a book (or 3) about him or her!

"Good question" is the usual response.

A couple of websites track horses that people have an interest in. One of the racing forums does. Another is The Winning Post. It's online edition has a specific section titled "Where are they now?"

Children can't attend racing in Hong Kong - something of a shame in terms of not allowing them an opportunity to see the horses, but one has to equally respect the government for wanting to protect children from gambling.

I was somewhat startled then to receive today's email advertising The Trackside Breakfast with the Stars:

"Members of the public will have a chance to meet international racing stars by joining the annual Trackside Breakfast With The Stars on Saturday 10 December 2005 at Sha Tin Racecourse. While enjoying a buffet breakfast, participants can watch the top class horses entered for the big races in trackwork. They will have a chance to share racing experience with renowned local and international owners, trainers, jockeys and racing personalities. There are also games for children."

Children. Crikey.

Where it gets amusing is with the next few sentences: "Kids will each receive a special gift. Kids under 3 will be admitted free. Kids and adults will be charged the same price."

Last I checked 'kids' were baby goats. I assume the colloquialism refers to the human youngsters that the day seeks to include ... Not doing a lot of marketing for children we can perhaps forgive the ever vigilant HKJC for their mistake on this occasion.

Retirement - it's all a matter of degree, or so an article in today's Fox Sports would have us believe. The article reports that "The mare is back in training at Freedman's Rye property as part of an exercise aimed at determining what makes a horse like her tick." (Thought she was spending her days eating grass and reminiscing about cheering crowds and Glen Boss waving his arms around a lot?!)

According to owner Tony Santic she won't, however, be returning to racing.

Meanwhile, a blog (of sorts) has appeared on the search engines which has collated various stories that covered the mare's historic win. It's nowhere near a comprehensive record but it's interesting nonetheless. You can access it at the following URL.

Racing is big business - that's hardly news. It is always interesting to see that a company is publicly traded however which news from the US over the weekend suggests is exactly what Go Baby Racing, Inc. is up to. It will commence trading under a new symbol "GBBR" on the Over-the-Counter "Pink Sheets" market. Go Baby reportedly provides an array of services including breeding, training, transport, feed, buying and selling and, of course, racing.

The company claims that "Through its unique marketing and structure the Racing Team enables the public to participate as owners in the long time exclusive sport."

I was still a tad puzzled what this lot actually did after I'd read that - the website has a few more details if you're interested.

The Bluegrass region of Kentucky is steeped in history. Churchill Downs may be familiar with its traditions but that hasn't stopped the race club from becoming the first North American track to introduce podcasting.

Introducing WHAT?

Podcasting is Internet-driven audio content that can be listened to on your computer or downloaded to a portable music player, like an iPod (which means you can listen to it whenever you want).

You need to be a member of Churchill Downs' Twin Spires Club (the track's free customer rewards program) to access the podcasts.

Podcasts currently available are:

- Churchill Downs This Week (a run-down of special events)
- Barn Notes (news from the track's stables and previews of up-coming races)
- The Horse Racing Podcapper (analysis of each day's races)
- Horse Racing 101 (beginner's guide to handicapping & wagering)
- Horse Tales (a video podcast featuring interviews with trainers, jockeys, owners & fans about experiences, favorite horses & racing stories).

It's the way of the future ... believe me. You read it here first.

We manage press releases and newsletter distribution for a number of global clients and yet I am often surprised by the sheer number of people who ask me how we get our emails through given the likelihood of email filters automatically screening messages as 'spam' even when an address has been approved.

We use a sophisticated mass email distribution system to deliver our emails - I think you need to these days if you are sending bulk email (not least if you get a spam complaint and you need to prove compliance with various laws - US and Australian spam laws being quite different) but also so you can check who opens/clicks through an email and who forwards it. Clients expect this sort of information when you are reporting results of a PR campaign.

In terms of general tips to people perhaps the following will assist:

- a lot of email systems reject html emails so you should always offer a 'text only' option when people register for a newsletter

- check your copy (wording). Racing immediately falls into the 'risk' category due to the frequency of 'flame' words in most press releases/newsletters eg. 'millions of dollars', 'gambling', 'stud' etc. Be conscious of what words might trigger a spam filter (our system automatically releases a pre-send spam analysis to let us know what the likelihood is of a message being rejected). Be especially careful with attached images as these will usually always trigger a spam alert. Try and embed them if possible.

- someone in your marketing/admin team should always monitor e-mail delivery. Who is getting the email, who is opening it, what ISP's are rejecting it (if it's a lot then it suggests your copy is not passing the spam threshold and needs to be re-drafted)

- make sure an eNewsletter or email can easily be unsubscribed from

- regularly clean your lists. We do this after every 3rd email distribution - if emails are undeliverable then they are cleansed from the lists. Similarly if someone does not open an email on more than 3 occasions it should also be unsubscribed.

- update your contact lists. People move jobs and change email addresses.

You have to hand it to the Hong Kong handicappers- there are some extraordinarily tight finishes these days and it ensures the racing is always exciting (read as "racing the crowds will be encouraged to come and watch").

It was a heavily polluted day in Hong Kong today (the joys of a fast approaching winter when the winds change direction and our 8 cigarettes a day of 'passively ingested particles' turn clear summer horizons to a brown pea soup fog with minimal visibility courtesy of all number of factories in the Pearl River Delta and a country that can't seem to deal with the environmental risk that the "Made in China" label has attached to the gold lining of everyone's pockets). The racing, at least, was first class.

I hadn't had time to analyse the form so accepted an "odds or evens" bet from a friend (we were level at 5 each after the 10th - I won the last), the trainer/jockey combination of John Size and Douglas Whyte ably assisting us both - and the traditional punters - by winning a remarkable 4 races on the card.

The Class 1 over 1400m was the highlight of the day. Danacourt (Danasinga ex Frizzle by Pompeii Court) marked the books as "definitely one to keep an eye on" after his oh so easy 3 length win made it 3 wins from 4 starts. Another potential top liner - the John Moore trained Joyful Winner (El Moxie ex Northen Tycoon by Last Tycoon) ran the last sectional in a blistering pace as he passed almost the entire field and is another to mark. The ever consistent Sirocco (Shy Tom ex Ma Lettre by Mountdrago) ran third. They clocked 1.21:8 for the 1400m and when you consider that the race average is 1.22:4 you can start to see why crowd and commentators alike were adopting superlatives ranging from "a phenomenal win" to "utterly dominant" to "demolished opposition" to "spaced his rivals" .... Remember, this was on a day when the HK handicappers had most other races down to a photo finish.

One can't mention today without also paying credit to the trainer and connections of the UK horse Alkaased - a scratching from the Arc and also the Breeders Cup earlier this year due to niggling injuries - he came to Japan and did what most foreign horses typically fail to do - won the prestigious G1 Japan Cup. Three champions were entered in the race - defending winner and 2004 Japanese Horse of the Year Zenno Rob Roy, 2004 European Horse of the Year and North American champion Ouija Board, and 2004 European champion three-year-old Bago (Fr). Alkaased held off Heart's Cry by a nose and ran the 2400 metres in 2:22.1 to shave .1 second off a 15 year record held by another international raider - the New Zealand mare Horlicks.

Back to HK - and it's 2 weeks til the HK Internationals and Tuesday's barrier trials will have a small army of fans in attendance as world champion sprinter - Silent Witness- will be tested to see if he has fully recovered from the effects of a virus. He certainly remained the focus of discussion amongst various groups at Shatin today.

An article by Rachel Pagones in last week's Racing Post outlined "major revisions to the Breeders' Prizes Scheme, which will fund incentives to the tune of pounds 1.8m [pounds] next year. The changes, which were advised by a Thoroughbred Breeders' Association review group, include setting prize levels according to race distance, with larger prizes for longer races, and awarding significantly more money to females racing on the Flat than to males.

The scheme divides Flat races into three categories, with the first for races shorter than seven furlongs, the second for those up to 11 furlongs, and the third for races of 11 furlongs and up."

The breeders' prizes scheme is funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB) to improve the quality of the British Thoroughbred racehorse. The essence of the scheme is as follows: 'Send your mare to a British stallion and rear the horse in this country and win a prize every time it race sin Britain".

Full details at the British Horse Racing site.

Todd Pletcher has secured the North American single-season record for stable earnings (the previous record held by Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel with 2003 earnings of US$19,147,129). After the conclusion of yesterday's racing the 38-year old trainer had season earnings of US$19,568,17.

And the season ain't over yet ...

Today's Thoroughbred Times reports that Racing Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has retired from the saddle after a career spanning 26 years and will launch his new career as a race analyst with TVG in January.

Stevens' retires with victories in eight Triple Crown races, eight Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships races, and a record nine Santa Anita Derby (G1) triumphs. His three Kentucky Derby (G1) victories came aboard Winning Colors (1988) Thunder Gulch (1995) and Silver Charm (1997), whom he also rode to victory in the $5-million Dubai World Cup in 1998.

Stevens demonstrated skill from his first start which he won riding Lil Star at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho, on May 16, 1979.

Stevens recorded more than 5,000 victories during his career and earned more than $221-million in purses (which places him fifth on the all-time list of earnings by North American jockeys.) Many non-racing fans will also be familiar with Stevens after his role playing George Woolf in Seabiscuit.

2 weeks from now all eyes will be on Hong Kong (the eve of the International races) and all credit to the Hong Kong Jockey Club - they even provide details of what flights the International Champions arrive on - click on the following URL if you're interested.

The results of the G1 Levin Turf Classic in New Zealand this week certainly made me pause and think "gee, what COULD this stallion have gone on to achieve in this part of the world?"

Almutawakel (Machiavellian ex Elfaslah, by Green Desert) was a dual G1 winner of the 1999 Dubai World Cup and Group One Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly (running second in the Group One Grand Prix de Paris and continuing his career in America, finishing second in two Grade One events). He retired with prize money of $3.6 million. He shuttled South from Sheikh Hamdan's Derrinstown Stud in Ireland on only one occasion for the Triumph Joint Venture partnership of Haunui Farm and Trelawney Stud in New Zealand.

His one and only southern hemisphere crop have certainly stamped their mark however. This week his 3 year old son Wahid won the Levin Turf Classic (in doing so becoming his sire's first G1 winner); another of his offspring - Izzat - securing third place in the same race, just half a length behind the winner.

Wahid was the 3rd highest-rated juvenile in NZ last season and now has 5 wins (and 2 Gr1 placings last season) to his name. Izzat, meanwhile, had last season's tag of becoming the fourth stakes performer for his sire in the southern hemisphere when he finished third in the Listed New Zealand Bloodstock Castletown Stakes (1200m). The sires other stakes performers in NZ include Alma June and Iguana. Almutawakel is currently Europe’s Leading 2nd Crop Sire in 2005.

Injury ruled out the stallion from future sojourns South. He may have shuttled only once but the news he won't be returning is on par with the disappointing news a few months back about Montjeu.

If you want to check out where the stallion is now - Derrinstown Stud has all the details (as an aside - great website, but do UK studs not appreciate the additional marketing benefits to promoting a sire's achievements outside the boundaries of the EU? What makes this even more odd is that the stud DO promote the stallion's results in NZ in their advertising in European Bloodstock News - perhaps the stud's IT team are just a tad behind their ad team).

The richest mile series in horse racing history was launched in Tokyo today with the announcement that the 2006 Asian Mile Challenge will be worth approximately US$12.6million in prize-money and bonuses.

The Asian Mile Challenge was first run in 2005 and incorporated the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s US$1,033,000 Champion’s Mile in Hong Kong and the Japan Racing Association’s US$2,000,000 Group 1 Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo.

But for 2006 the Asian Mile Challenge has been expanded to include Melbourne Racing Club’s Group 1 US$527,000 Futurity Stakes and Dubai Racing Club’s Group 1 US$5,000,000 Dubai Duty Free.

Open to horses from around the world, the Asian Mile Challenge will begin at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne on March 4 before continuing at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai on March 25, Sha Tin in Hong Kong on May 7 and concluding at Tokyo Racecourse on June 4.

Collective prize-money for the four races totals approximately US$8,600,000 however a bonus structure has been put in place to further reward those willing to take on the challenge and travel their horses.

A bonus of US$4,000,000 will be paid should a horse win all four races in the Asian Mile Challenge, US$2,000,000 will be paid for three wins and US$1,000,000 for any two wins.

In announcing the expanded series, Mr Masayuki Takahashi, President and Chief Executive of the Japan Racing Association, said, “We are delighted that the Asian Mile Challenge will see a new start next year with four of the world’s best mile races from all corners of the Asian Racing Federation region. We are very proud to announce that it is growing into an enriched international series with the addition of the Futurity Stakes from the Melbourne Racing Club, Australia and the Dubai Duty Free from the Dubai Racing Club, Dubai.”

“I strongly believe that horse racing must have such international development in order to obtain a wider following and more support from our fans. Thoroughbred racing is no exception and the Asian Mile Challenge will be a vehicle to share its spirit and excitement with fans by having the world’s top horses across the borders and compete in great international events.”

Melbourne Racing Club Chief Executive Warran Brown said the Club was extremely proud to be involved in the 2006 Asian Mile Challenge series.

“One of our Club’s key objectives under our strategic plan is to gain increased recognition, both nationally in Australia, and on the international stage, for a commitment to, and the delivery of quality thoroughbred racing,” he explained.

“For the past four years, our Club has enjoyed a successful racing alliance with the Dubai Racing Club, but the expanded Asian Mile Challenge series provides a wonderful platform on which to further build our international profile,” he commented.

Mr. Brown believes the series will strengthen the Melbourne Racing Club’s ties with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Japan Racing Association and the Dubai Racing Club, who he describes as the three pre-eminent racing bodies in the Asian region. He congratulated those organisations for their commitment and passion in taking the Challenge Series to new frontiers and greater heights in 2006.

“Importantly, the series complements perfectly the elite racing programme our Club operates at our premier racing venue – Classic Caulfield,” he continued.

Mr. Brown said that the leading local Australian trainers will be excited by the prospect of international competition at home and abroad and urged the trainers of Hong Kong, Japan and Dubai to take up the challenge of qualifying for the maximum US$4 million bonus by competing in the Futurity Stakes on March 4.

Mr Graham Duff Chairman of Racing Victoria Limited said "The Victorian Racing Industry has seen the rewards that international participation can bring to a racing jurisdiction and this exciting Challenge will further enhance our commitment and strategic direction in this regard. I wish all our Challenge partners every success for their Challenge races in 2006".

Mr Saeed Al-Tayer, Chairman of the Dubai Racing Club, said, “We are excited and honoured that the US$5,000,000 Dubai Duty Free will be the second race in the 2006 Asian Mile Challenge.”

“The Dubai Duty Free, along with our Dubai Sheema Classic, is the richest turf race in the world and we recognise the Asian Mile Challenge, which brings together four of Asia’s leading racing nations, as the perfect vehicle to showcase the quality of racing in this part of the world.”

Mr Frank Gabriel, Chief Executive of the Dubai Racing Club, said, “We currently find ourselves in an era of international racing and concepts such as the Asian Mile Challenge are the way forward. Co-operation between racing clubs around the world is paramount and the Dubai Racing Club is extremely pleased to be associated with this Series.

“In hosting the 2007 Asian Racing Conference in Dubai, we are firmly committed to the Asian region and are very proud to be part of the Asian Mile Challenge.”

“The Dubai Racing Club is proud to be associated with such famous clubs as the Melbourne Racing Club, Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Japan Racing Association and we are excited that the Dubai Duty Free, one of the richest races on turf, is a part of the Asian Mile Challenge in 2006.”

Mr Lawrence Wong, Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation and Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Jockey Club said, “The expansion of the series from two legs to four legs, the development of major multi million dollar bonus schemes for horses who can win multiple legs of the challenge and the commitment to a marketing and branding campaign could only be achieved through the commitment of the racing administrators in Japan, Dubai, Melbourne and Hong Kong to ensuring that the AMC becomes a world renowned racing series. To our partners here today I offer my thanks on behalf of both the Asian Racing Federation and the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“The commitment that all the partners share is to increase the international participation of thoroughbreds so that we can continue to grow the fan base. The competition from other sports is intense but through the combined efforts of these leading thoroughbred nations we will rise to the challenge and continue to position racing as the King of Sports.

To further emphasise the commitment and spirit of co-operation of all four Clubs to International racing, travel subsidies for horse, trainer, owner and jockey will be in place to further entice runners from around the world to the four jurisdictions.

Source: Dubai Racing Club Media Release

Saturday March 4:

Futurity Stakes

(Group 1) 1,600m (Turf)

approx US$527,000

Caulfield, Melbourne, Australia


Saturday March 25:

Dubai Duty Free (Group 1) 1,777m (Turf)

US$5,000,000

Nad Al Sheba, Dubai, United Arab Emirates


Sunday May 7:

Champion’s Mile 1,600m (Turf)

approx US$1,033,000

Sha Tin, Hong Kong


Sunday June 4:

Yasuda Kinen (Group 1) 1,600m (Turf)

approx US$2,000,000

Tokyo Racecourse, Tokyo, Japan


Bonuses:

US$4,000,000 to the horse that wins all four races

US$2,000,000 to a horse that wins any three races

US$1,000,000 to a horse that wins any two races

Click on the attached PDF for details AMC.pdf

Will we see minimum riding weights raised to 50kg? An article by Tim Habel in today's Melbourne Herald Sun reports that the Australia's chairmen of stewards will recommend weights be raised for Group race handicaps, including the Melbourne Cup. The national stewards' conference this week deemed that the limit for major handicap races of 48kg or 49kg was unrealistic.

Full story at the following URL.

Not surprisingly today's Inglis Christmas Thoroughbred sale drew both buyer interest and money with the news that the Sydney-based auction company had secured the rights to present the first draft of the Written Bloodstock Dispersal.

Top price of $725,000 was paid by Ultra Thoroughbred (Victoria) for Perfect Promise
(a 1999 mare by Ceasour ex Metriticous, by Dancing Champ). Alex Walichnowski from Dubai paid $280,000 for the South-African bred Princess Sassi (by Model Man ex Sweet Natasha) and Luskin Park Stud (NSW) paid $250,000 for Tranquil Storm (Storm Cat 0 ex Colcon).

It's been a week for strong sales (something the auction houses will be telling us lots more about no doubt as we head into 'yearling sale season') - at the Magic Millions monthly sale on Thursday a colt by Fusaichi Pegasus (an unraced two-year-old half brother to Golden Slipper winner Ha Ha) sold for $220,000 to local buyer Bill Murray.

An interesting business (and indeed marketing) initiative was reported in yesterday's issue of Breeding & Racing's Daily News.

Three studs in the Hunter Valley - Byerley Stud, Ashleigh Thoroughbreds & Riversdale Stud - have combined to market and sell their yearlings under the banner Southern Cross Breeders.

Byerley Stud's Martin Hawcroft was reported as saying "It's a logical progression. In this modern era of super-sized studs, many smaller studs have to increase broodmare numbers in order to stay competitive. We could end up with more mares of inferior quality, with little competition for their yearlings; we would all rather aim for something much higher than that. We are also finding service fees are becoming more expensive, so predicting what will be commercially viable in 3 years is a real issue for smaller breeders. We felt, as a group, our interests would be best served if we could concentrate on quality rearing of superior bred horses in smaller numbers on our individual studs, in order to optimise yearling development."

The group has the advantage of demonstrated achievements in breeding quality horses. Horses bred & reared at the studs include Danni Martine (Gr1 Coolmore Classic), Bulla Borghese (Gr1 Victoria Oaks), Laurie's Lottery (Gr1 Doomben 10,000), Adam (Gr1 Stradbroke Handicap), Spark Of Life (Gr1 Lightning Stakes), All Time High (Gr1 Thousand Guineas), Leica Falcon (Gr2 Winning Edge Stakes) & Rockford Bay (Gr3 Yallambee Stud Stakes).

It will be interesting to watch how the groups collectively market themselves and whether the promotion for yearling sale purposes will have any impact on their individual brand awareness.

Keeneland's November Breeding Stock Sale ended last week with sales records for average and median price and the third highest gross in the history of the auction.

On the first day of the sale, Ashado attracted a world record bid-$9 million-for a broodmare or broodmare prospect. It was the fourth highest price ever paid for a horse at public auction.

Keeneland sold 2,816 horses for $289,602,900 during the 12-day auction. Three stallion shares brought an additional $3,500. The average, $102,842, topped the previous record of $97,348 set last year and the median, $35,000, bettered the previous high of $32,000 in 1999, 2003 and 2004.

Gross sales were up 3.5 percent from 2004 for 2 percent fewer horses. The average and median were up, 5.6 percent and 9.4 percent, respectively. Last year, 2,873 horses brought $279,680,200.

"Solid and consistent from start to finish," said Keeneland's Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell, noting that the "not sold rate was similar to last year."

"Keeneland is the international marketplace for horses. Beginning with the September Sale and continuing through November, 47 states and 38 countries have been represented among the buyers. Central Kentucky is the commercial Thoroughbred capital of the world."

And just when you thought such massive catalogues were over - along comes the news that Keeneland has cataloged a record 2,508 horses for its 2006 January Horses of All Ages Sale- 435 more horses than the previous record of 2,073 cataloged last year. The 2006 sale will span seven days- Monday, January 9 though Sunday, January 15- compared to six days last year.

The total number consists of 1,290 broodmares and broodmare prospects, 924 yearlings, 268 horses of racing age and 22 stallions or stallion prospects and 4 stallion shares.

(all prices in USD)

I hate this subject as much as the next person - and in an ideal world it would never be mentioned and we could all go on enjoying our Enid Blyton books and mugs of hot cocoa.

The slaughter of stock is alas, an uncomfortable reality of this "sport of kings".

I remember a few years ago when the press focused on the Macau racing population after photos of horses being slaughtered hit the mainstream press via The South China Morning Post. I am not going to include those photos here but they are certainly not hard to track down on the web. Hong Kong has also received its share of bad press about the number of horses it euthanises each year. Then there was the huge outcry from the States over Ferdinand being euthanised in Japan (one good thing that came from that was the decision to include a term in stallion contracts to allow the vendor the choice to bring the horse back to its home country should it fail at stud or be retired).

Beijing is centre stage at the moment with their reported cull, but don't fool yourself and think that China/Asia is the only demon and the West - US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland etc - have unblemished records when it comes to putting down animals. Sure, I'm certainly not familiar with another case where 600 horses were reportedly euthanised in one go but that doesn't mean a huge number of horses don't meet the same fate around the world each year. The reason is simple - racing relies on young fit horses who win races and we simply breed way too many horses to find homes for them all afterwards.

Whilst various countries will now step forward and make various accusations against others (the underlying message "we wouldn't do that") just step back for a moment and ask yourself - Where do YOU think all the horses go in your local jurisdiction when they stop racing (if they ever get to the track in the first place)?

I'm as appalled by yesterday's news as anyone (given I just finished writing a research report on China and had absolutely no idea this might happen I am even more distressed - equally for the people whose livelihoods have been destroyed, and in a country with such a massive gap between rich and poor and the difficulty of securing work in the urban centres if you have a rural background ... then it is even more unsettling) but I really do think we need to examine this issue from a global stand point - not just a local one.

It's headline news. The opportunity is there for various Industry groups to try and determine a way of managing this issue GLOBALLY going forward. This is about a lot more than slaughtering horses - this goes to the very heart of the sport and how it is managed and promoted.

My guess? Everyone will just pick up their Enid Blyton books and hope the nasty stories about horses being killed will go away.

Meanwhile I'm going to go and get out a photo I took in Penang recently of one of the many thoroughbreds that 'work' on the beaches there offering pony rides. Seeing the familiar Australian brands on chestnut and bay shoulders as I walked along the beach that morning made me think how awful it was that such well bred and fine featured thoroughbreds who had been destined for the track had ended up in the $2 end of the tourism market.

I was arrogant that day. Those horses have a job and are well looked after; better than tens of thousands of others.

Beijing racecourse director Kevin Connolly has told The Racing Post that reports of 600 horses being culled in the Mainland capital is untrue. He said "we have destroyed 110 horses in this cull. Our plan was to cull maybe 500 of them & I might still do so in a period of time over the winter. But as it stands, we have yet to do so. I probably will do some more over the winter, I honestly don't know. The reason we do it is, it's the most humane thing to do under the circumstances to injured horses, retired horses, bad breathers or foals with poor conformation. They don't have a commercial future, so they are humanely destroyed. We do it at the end of every season, the same as other racing jurisdictions."

Meanwhile, international authorities have (unsurprisingly) had a bit to say about the reported cull.

The Thoroughbred Times was fast to reassure US race followers last night that: "China is not a market for United States Thoroughbreds. In 2004, only one U.S. horse was exported to China". (Not so helpful for Australia where the majority of horses were shipped from).

Meanwhile John Smales, the chief executive of the International League for the Protection of Horses said: "It is sickening to think of very healthy thoroughbreds being put down because the Chinese policy on racing is, frankly, in a muddle".

A local Chinese journalist has said the blame lies with the owner of the horses and not the Club behind them - their suggestion being that the plight of the horses has simply resulted from one man's bad investment. To an extent (and logically) there's probably some truth to that statement but to claim that the actions of someone who has spent (literally) billions of dollars developing an Industry in China is just 'a bad investment' (given the surrounding political circumstances) is a tad short sighted in my opinion. Anyway, if you can read Chinese the article is at the following URL.

A detailed article (a tad sensationalist but, honestly, what can you expect with news like this?) also appears on The Independent site at the following URL.

Sadly, the words in the 8th paragraph are probably the reality:

"It is all rotten public relations for a country that is preparing to stage the 2008 Olympics, for which the equestrian events will be held in Hong Kong as China cannot offer adequate quarantine provision. Now there will be binoculars other than those in the grandstands trained on the Chinese authorities".

Queensland's Lyndhurst Stud will stand exciting young stallion Hidden Dragon (Danehill ex Ballroom Babe, by Citidancer) in the 2006 season.

Hidden Dragon raced in Hong Kong during an era heralded by many as "one of champions". The striking bay son of Danehill had the distinction of running Silent Witness to less than a length when finishing 2nd to the champion during his 17 race win streak - something very few horses managed to do, even at G1 level. He also met (and defeated) such thoroughbred heavyweights as Cape of Good Hope (G1 winner in Europe and Australia), Great Delight (champion sprinter and multiple G1 winner in both Australia and Hong Kong), River Dancer (winner of the Audemars Piguet QEII- G1), Elegant Fashion (8 wins and A$6.6 million incl. 2003 Hong Kong Derby HK-G1), Super Kid (HK G1 winner and twice G1 placed this Spring in Melbourne), The Duke (G2 winner and G1 placed in the HK International Mile and in a domestic G1), Bowman's Crossing (G1 placed in the HK International Mile), Self Flit (Classic Mile and Sha Tin Trophy victor), and Planet Ruler (winner of Hong Kong International Sprint Trial HK-G2)

His trainer, the legendary Tony Cruz says: "I loved training Hidden Dragon. He had a positive attitude, speed, and a constitution that all trainers dream about. Had he not been injured he would certainly have been a Hong Kong International Group One horse and I was looking forward to traveling with him internationally".

From just 17 starts in Hong Kong, Hidden Dragon secured 6 wins, 6 seconds, and 1 third. He won at distances between 1000m - 1400m including the Chinese Challenge Cup HK-G3 over 1400m. He placed second in the HKJC Stewards' Cup HK-G1 over a mile and ran third in the HKJC Sha Tin Trophy HK-G3. He retired earlier this year with prize money of HK$7,483,500 (A$1,544,284).

As Lyndhurst Stud manager, Jeffrey Kruger, states "Whilst Danehills tend to produce their best on a firm surface Hidden Dragon showed versatility by winning on different surfaces. He raced in very good company and he was a genuine race horse - he could place himself well in a race and always ran on."

Bred by Dean Fleming, Hidden Dragon was purchased at the Inglis Easter Sale for $700,000 by successful Sydney based bloodstock agent Anton Koolman. In looks, Hidden Dragon is a mirror image of his sire Danehill, a stallion who revolutionized the global breeding industry and whose sons have ably continued in his footsteps by siring a number of champions in their own right. Hidden Dragon's dam, Ballroom Babe, was an outstanding performer having won three times at G1 level (twice as a juvenile) and was crowned champion NZ 2YO in 1994/5. In addition to Hidden Dragon, she has also produced his multiple stakes winning three-quarter sister Tahni Girl.

Jeff Kruger is delighted to have the opportunity to stand a horse of Hidden Dragon's calibre: "He offers significant value to the Queensland market. How many Danehill stallions at stud in this State have a triple Group One winning dam and also an international race record to support the pedigree?" he asks. "He was a winner at 2, trained on to win at 3 and 4 and was Group One placed at distances up to a mile. Importantly, he is being backed by his owners to ensure him every success at stud."

Hidden Dragon will join a proven line-up of stallions at the historic Queensland stud whose stallions have been awarded the title of Champion Queensland Sire on no less than 6 occasions (three of the current incumbents: Celestial Dancer, Canadian Silver and Sequalo also securing leading freshman sire titles in their respective years). The Stud can proudly boast a phenomenal number of winners having produced in excess of 8,000 since 1956 - a statistic that only Lindsay Park in South Australia can surpass.

The combination of pedigree, speed, race performance, precocity, athleticism, and good looks suggests that Hidden Dragon is certain to prove popular with local breeders in the 2006 season. Not surprisingly, shares in the new stallion have sold quickly, only a few remaining.

I'd heard the rumours and seen the news that racing in Beijing had been shut down but today's article by Nicholas Godfrey in THE GUARDIAN took me completely by surprise.

Headlined "Horses pay price for tycoon's lost gamble" the article reports that "about 600 thoroughbreds based at Beijing racecourse are believed to have been slaughtered in the past month.

"Racing on the outskirts of the Chinese capital was abruptly stopped at the beginning of October because of the continuing reluctance of the communist government to sanction gambling in a country where illegal betting is endemic.

"Since then it seems that a quarter of an equine population in excess of 2,000 has been put down. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source at the scene said: "They have culled 600 to date, 400 racehorses and 200 mares. It is an open secret here. They are being culled by injection in humane fashion."

There are 2 articles in The Guardian on the subject - they can be found at the following links: 1 and 2.

In terms of the horses, the future of the sport, the people who have spent so many years and so much time and money building the Industry ... and just having seen how far it has all progressed in recent years, this is a staggering (and bitter) blow.

A mare I had a fair bit to do with some years back was part of one of the first Australian shipments of mares to China. She produced a stakes performer after arriving too - Ming Dynasty. One can't help but think of her on days like today and just hope that she's ok.

Early days are these - the 2005/6 season just shy of 4 months old. Nevertheless, Glenlogan Park's SHOW A HEART is showing the way - 6 starters for 1 winner (Winaura) - total earnings for the sire of $59,500.

There are owners of various other new season sires (one in particular) that are running the media email systems into overdrive with their endless PR spiels.

PR plays an essential part of the marketing mix and used well it is a very powerful tool. All I will say is that sometimes it is useful to keep an eye on the real stats ie. race track performance, and balance these against the 'opinions' of those companies that can occasionally be a bit heavy handed with the hype.

Ever see a horse's name in a race book and say "GREAT name!!!"? Here's a few that caught my eye over the weekend:

EVENING ATTIRE (by Black Tie Affair ex Concolour)

YOUR TENT OR MINE (by Forest Camp ex She's Got the Look)

STICKY (by Concern ex Hair Spray)

And whilst others might raise an eyebrow at my sense of humour - I did grin when I saw this one:

ON FIRE (by Sunday Silence ex Wind in Her Hair)

(A scene from Dances with Wolves gone horribly wrong I suspect ...)

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Update 22/11/05

A reader has emailed this morning to alert me to the fact that ON FIRE is a full relation to the Japanese superstar DEEP IMPACT.

As noted in today's Stallions Daily Bulletin :

"More than 1500 yearlings by world class international and local sires will be offered at the 80th New Zealand National Yearling Sales Series at Karaka. The offering will begin with the Premier Sale on January 30th and February 1st. This will be followed by the Select Sale on February 2 and 3 and then the Festival Sale on February 5 and 6."

Add that to the Magic Millions catalogue of 1375 horses and that's a few nights spent poring over catalogues.

I heard a wife bemoaning the size of these catalogues at a recent race day in Queensland, the lady in question saying they were sure to be the cause of many a marriage breakdown as too many men took the catalogues to bed - and they weren't light reading.

Whilst I was amused at the time ... maybe she had a point.

In the recently run Kokkarebellur Plate in Bangalore, jockey T. Viyajan was fined Rs. 1,000 for not making sufficient effort to improve his position during the race.

The horse he rode? Silent Witness.

No, NOT the HK champion before people start jumping around ...

I'm somewhat relieved I DIDN'T go out to Shatin today as I suspect even my conservative betting habits may have taken a hammering considering the final results.

In the Cathay Pacific International Mile Trial (G2 - 1600m) Dave's Best went to the barrier at 78/1 yet managed to hold on (by a nose) from Bullish Luck with High Intelligent in third.

Ironically perhaps, Dave's Best almost didn't get a run in today's race - Tchaikovsky's withdrawal last night promoting him from reserve status.

The quote of the week goes to his trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong who admitted post-race: "I thought he could run well but I wasn't expecting [him] to win. I also had [fourth home] Wealthy in the race and thought he was a better chance but of course I'm thrilled to win."

Yip added that he would consider bringing Dwayne Dunn back to ride Dave's Best next month should the horse be selected for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile.

Darren Beadman finished 5th on The Duke.

Image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club

Silent Witness may have been in bed with a virus but certain owners who have had to hide in his lengthy shadow were making the most of his (and Cape of Good Hope's) absence in Hong Kong today. Planet Ruler ridden by Gerald Mosse and trained by Almond Lee, secured victory in the Cathay Pacific International Sprint Trial from Able Prince and Natural Blitz, his win all the more surprising given this is his first victory over 1000m (his traditional strength 1400m).

Planet Ruler was making just his fourth start for Almond Lee since former trainer David Hayes returned to Australia. Tellingly, Planet Ruler was not among the initial entries for the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint, but Lee said the horse would be supplemented before entries close on Tuesday, November 22.

The selections for the four Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races will be announced this week.

Image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club

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".

Sydney-based auctioneers William Inglis & Son are targeting country trainers for their February 2006 Classic Sale. Four prizes (each a $5,000 credit voucher) will be awarded to the winning trainers of the following selected races.

Friday 9 December: Mudgee Cup (Mudgee)
Tuesday 20 December: Shoalhaven Cup (Shoalhaven)
Wednesday 25 January: Country Music Cup (Tamworth)
Thursday 26 January: Australia Day Cup (Wagga Wagga)

Speaking of Inglis, it's not everyday a monthly sale throws up a few super stars in the pedigree or race performance stakes. Inglis may have a name for its December sale: "Christmas Thoroughbred Sale"(like the decorations in the shops it's just early this year [25 November]) but it's probably fair to say it is one of their lower grade sales no matter how well it's branded. Nevertheless, this Friday's sale offers some very well credentialed entries courtesy of the high profile dispersal of the Written Bloodstock horses.

If you're looking for US/European bloodlines there are quite a few entries of note including Sheer Brilliance by A.P. Indy out of the Gone West mare Simadartha (from the immediate family of champion European colt of 2004, Bago); Alluring Song by the all-conquering Sadler's Wells stallion El Prado; the three-year-old filly Tranquil Storm - a daughter of seven time champion 2YO sire Storm Cat, who stands at Overbrook Farm in Kentucky at a fee of $US500,000 and whose yearlings averaged $US956,667 for a dozen sold at Keeneland in September; and Impetuous Amour - a mare by US super sire Dynaformer whose progeny have been in great demand at the Keeneland Breeding Sale, and who, surprisingly (given the fact that his progeny perform best on turf) has a dearth of fillies/mares in the local market. One of Xaar's better Australian performers - Written by Xaar - will also be offered.

The draft comprises 10 race mares including South African Group One winner Perfect Promise and racehorses such as stakes winner Dance The Waves, along with horses by sires such as Danehill and Octagonal.

The Christmas Sale catalogue also boasts eight mares with foals at foot by champion first crop sire and leading second crop sire More Than Ready, whose 17 stakes winners to date include Victoria Derby winner Benicio and Champagne Stakes winner Carry On Cutie.

Not a bad "monthly sale" you could say! I just hope they have the "friand" cart there on Friday ... ever had a friand when you get yourself a coffee from the Cart (the one alongside the bar near the parade area)? Trust me - they are SUPERB.

Those who follow Internet trends may be interested to know that according to a recent MarketingVOX article, the USA has the largest number of broadband subscribers in the world "but China will likely surpass the US broadband population in the next few years". The US ranks first in broadband with 47 million subscribers, and China has 36 million.

The article goes on to state: "Worldwide, broadband subscribers are projected to exceed 215 million by the end of 2005, and 500 million by 2010. Internet users, including broadband and dial-up users, will number 1.08 billion by the end of 2005, and 1.8 billion in 2010".

This is good news for those investing in marketing technologies that allow interactive advertising, race replays, yearling and stallion 'parades' and general video streaming on websites.

Australian racing still remains way below that of its European and United States counterparts despite having a horse that has been mentioned in the same sentence as the immortal Phar Lap (some actually saying Makybe Diva was better).

Before you start e-mailing - it isn't us claiming this fact. These are the opinions of those that distribute the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.

The recently produced figures have the Arc winner Hurricane Run on top with a rating of 130, followed by Ghostzapper on 128 and further down to horses such as Azamour and Westerner on 126, and Shamardal and Motivator on 125. Makybe Diva is further down on 124. It is not clear whether this includes her four pound allowance for being a mare or not. If not, her rating could then be construed as being 128.

Despite all of this - and there is strictly no criticism of any horse, trainer, jockey or owner here - these figures do raise some questions, and answers would be welcomed.

First, let's go back to 2004 and the figures released at year's end:

Shamardal was the top rated two-year-old on 123 with Motivator on 117. Hurricane Run, having won his only start didn't figure in the top 58 horses published (i.e. those with a rating of 110 and above). Of the older horses Ghostzapper was rated 130, Westerner 118 and Makybe Diva 117. Let's assume Hurricane Run received a hypothetical rating of, say, 100 for his only win as a two-year-old. This means he has risen 30 pounds for two Group 1's (Irish Derby and Arc) and two Group 2 wins. Westerner rose eight pounds for one Group 1 win, that being in the Ascot Gold Cup where he beat Distinction (a horse trounced twice by Makybe Diva at their only two meetings). Yet since December 2004, Makybe Diva has won four Group 1's - the Australian Cup, BMW, W.S. Cox Plate - and carried the most weight since Think Big 30 years ago (and a record weight for a winning mare - only 14 mares have carried 57kg or more in the Cup but none, prior to Makybe Diva, have done so with success) when winning her third Melbourne Cup. Add wins in the Memsie Stakes and the Turnbull Stakes to that. And she has risen a mere seven pounds. If the Arc was run today she would have to concede Hurricane Run five pounds. If it was a handicap, he would have to give her six pounds. Does this indicate what the handicappers think of the standard of Australian Group 1's? Ghostzapper had just the one run this year, winning the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap and on the strength of that solitary performance his rating over a mile was increased five pounds to 128 (rated 123 in that category in 2004).

Then there are the three-year-olds. At the start of 2005 Shamardal was rated six pounds higher than Motivator but the handicappers believed Motivator's Derby win (despite being beaten in three subsequent runs) was the equal of Shamardal¹s victories in the French 2000 Guineas, St James' Palace Stakes and the French Derby. According to their figures Motivator was a six pound better three-year-old, which is a little confusing considering Shamardal remains the only horse to beat Hurricane Run, doing that in the French Derby.

Can someone please explain?

Goodness, I've caused some debate following my suggestion that a UK sculptor should get the commission for the Makybe Diva bronze. Without getting anyone else offside I should probably explain that I live in a town where all number of countries blend into one another and after awhile you forget racial and geographical boundaries and it doesn't really matter what name follows the "Made in ..." tag (I could be facetious and say that that's probably because China produces most of the world's goods these days anyway!) as long as the best person does the job (actually I would have to say this is probably one of the best things about an extended overseas posting - it really does open your eyes to the true meaning of 'globalization'). Having said all that, I appreciate that it's a slightly different approach 'at home'.

At least the debate which I have engendered has been useful in uncovering some Australian sculptors who have also completed some extremely good work. One that was brought to my attention is Tanya Bartlett whose projects have included a life-size Waler horse and trooper for Tamworth. She has also sculpted Percy Sykes for Arrowfield, Don Bradman for Bowral, Les Darcy for Maitland, TJ Smith for the AJC as well as complete a 1/4 life-size bronze of Octagonal.

Some photos of her Waler horse and trooper appear below.




Further details of the Makybe Diva project were revealed in an article in Tuesday's Port Lincoln Times:

"The State Government will spend up to $100,000 to honour Makybe Diva in the tuna town she has never seen.

Community support for a bronze tribute to the record-breaking mare was strong at the foreshore parade on Sunday when Deputy Premier Kevin Foley announced the contribution.

"We want to see a tribute to Makybe Diva for the Santic family, so future Australians will know the legend that is Makybe Diva," Mr Foley said.

It was an announcement that was above and beyond party politics.

Opposition leader Rob Kerin endorsed the announcement and congratulated Tony and his family.

"It is just fantastic for South Australia," Mr Kerin said.

"In 50 years time people will still be talking about it."

A local sculptor Ken Martin has said a full-size bronze statue of Makybe Diva will cost upwards of $145,000 depending on the final concept and design."

Full story (by Billie Harrison) at the following URL.

Darren Beadman has been granted a Visiting Jockey's Licence in order to ride THE DUKE, trained by Mr Caspar Fownes, when the horse competes in The Cathay Pacific International Mile Trial (Group 2) scheduled to be conducted at Sha Tin Racecourse this Sunday.

The World Champion sprinter was due to take his place in The Cathay Pacific International Sprint Trial on Sunday, but a vet examination following a rather sluggish gallop at Shatin yesterday morning has seen the withdrawal of the horse from the race.

Stewards have reported that Silent Witness appears "dull" and has been off his feed.

Not good news for the horse, connections, or the general public really as the Internationals are fast approaching and the HKJC would be banking on Silent Witness' ability to draw the crowds at the lead-up races.

Looks like I get Sunday at home after all!

"Living Hell" may have been somewhat aptly named given the magnificently bred mare (by Danehill ex Jezabeel (by Zabeel)) is now four years of age but has yet to face the starter. The 'Hell' works its way into the equation when you consider that she is obviously talented - twice she has trialed and twice she has made easy work of the opposition.

Alas misfortune and injury is an ever present part of the industry as Living Hell's case demonstrates.

In June 2004 the filly suffered a stress fracture. She reappeared briefly in February of this year (again, easily winning a trial). Something must have gone amiss as back to the paddock she went for another 40 week spell.

There's obvious talent here despite the setbacks as owner (John Singleton) and trainer (Lee Freedman) have persisted with her despite the fact that she would be worth a small fortune as an unraced broodmare prospect. Nevertheless, the 4yo will have her first start this weekend.

You can watch her go around in the Peter Loney MLA Maiden Plate (1121m) at Geelong this Sunday (race 3 at 2pm).

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

UPDATE 20/11/05

Living Hell won her maiden by 3.3 lengths.

It was the Southern Hemisphere's turn to celebrate at Nad Al Sheba last night at the DUBAI-sponsored race meeting, with apprentices from Australia and New Zealand claiming the first two legs of the Emirates International Apprentice Jockeys Championship (EIAJC).

Young Australian apprentice Kathy O'Hara claimed the first leg of the EIAJC when partnering the Ali Rashid al Raihe-trained Outpoker to victory in the DUBAL Stakes over the straight 1,000 metres.

Kodai Hasegawi, the apprentice representing Japan in the EIAJC, came with a challenging run aboard Siglo, but Outpoker held on to win by a neck. Mr Magistrate, the mount of Alex Lai from Hong Kong was four lengths back in third.

After the race O'Hara said "It was a big thrill to win a race over here, it is the first time that I have ridden over the straight 1,000 metres and also the first time that I have ridden on a dirt track at a racemeeting."

Apprentice Buddy Lammas, flying the flag for New Zealand came with a great run aboard the Mazin Al Kurdi-trained Delude to win the second leg of the EIAJC, the DUBAL Potline Classic over 1,600 metres, by a length and three quarters.

Yet another jockey has died - this time a 16 year old US apprentice (Josh Radosevich) who died yesterday whilst riding in the third race at Beulah Park. Radosevich's mount - Nyoka - broke down while in the lead and another horse - Hubble the Charmer - stepped on Radosevich’s neck. The young apprentice is reported to have died on the track.

I mentioned one of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's many charitable initiatives yesterday - it seems RacingNSW also have an event on the horizon. According to a Racing NSW media release the annual 'Kidz Toy Drive' is on once again to benefit sick kids who will be spending their Christmas at the Randwick Children's Hospital.

For many years now, Racing NSW Magazine Photographer, Steve Hart, & RNSW Training Support Officer, Malcolm Fitzgerald, have worked feverishly to brighten up this special time for the youngsters at the hospital.

The pair, along with Santa's helpers, distribute gifts to these brave kids and to assist with the raising of funds each year, the Gosford Race Club has kindly allowed Hart & Co. to use their race day on Thursday, 24th November, for fund raising in order to purchase the gifts for the children.

"The smile that these gifts bring to the faces of these kids is priceless," Hart explained. "They deserve a special little present to brighten their Christmas and we're always happy to help out."

At the Gosford meeting there is also a chance to win a framed "MAKYBE DIVA" Melbourne Cup treble photograph montage with engraved plaques and autographed by Glen Boss; a certain collector's item.

For further info please contact Steve Hart (0413) 731 658 or email: hartphoto@bigpond.com.au

If you run a horse stud it is always useful to keep an eye on what the opposition are offering to tempt broodmare owners to their stallions.

I saw something on the Thoroughbred Times site the other day which is worth making a note of from a benchmarking perspective even though the example is from the US. Adena Springs Farm (Kentucky) plans to give "special consideration to owners of graded stakes-winning mares seeking seasons to new stallions Ghostzapper & North Light for the 2006 season. Adena will also offer a 20% reduction in stallion fees for 10 of its stallions, until their individual books are 75% full".

Stallion books will be limited to 120 mares.

Whilst the 'special offers' to stakes winning mares is nothing new, the 'first in-discount' is quite novel.

Charity has been a well utilized tool by the Hong Kong Jockey Club ("HKJC") to integrate racing (and by extension - gambling) into Hong Kong Society. Not only is the HKJC the region's largest tax payer (HK$12.2 billion to the year ended June 30) but it is also the region's largest contributor to charity, annually providing HK$1.1 billion to trusts to support education, health, sports, and other community causes.

To give you some idea how the HKJC PR assists in promoting charitable causes it's worth looking a recent project called the "Hundred Family Patchwork Quilt" programme - a community event organised by The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals to raise awareness for elderly people living alone.

276 individual quilts created by volunteers were sewn together earlier this week at the Sha Tin Racecourse Parade Ring to create the largest patchwork quilt ever assembled in Hong Kong (and one that covered the entire turf of the Parade Ring). Afterwards the quilt was divided up again for distribution to the needy.

The HKJC has long encouraged its staff to become involved in community activities, so as to put into practice the Club's mission of "Racing for Charity".


Image courtesy of the HKJC.

The International Federation Of Horse Authorities released the World Thoroughbred Rankings overnight and Makybe Diva was rated best filly or mare & highest-rated stayer (beyond 2700m) in the world. The mare's rating of 124 placed her in equal 8th position internationally.

Fields Of Omagh with a ranking of 118 placed in equal 50th position.

Other horses with an Australian connection (owners or breeding) include Australian-owned 5-time Gr1 winner Starcraft who matched Makybe Diva with a ranking of 124 and claimed the title of top-ranked older miler on turf (following his victory in the UK Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Newmarket in England). The Australian-bred 6YO Silent Witness also secured the title of world champion sprinter with a rating of 123.

Young Australian apprentice Kathy O'Hara had her first riding experience of the Nad Al Sheba dirt track on Tuesday morning, as she and 13 other apprentices prepared for tomorrow night's first round of the Emirates International Apprentice Jockeys Championship (EIAJC).

Organised by the Emirates Racing Association, the EIAJC features 14 apprentice jockeys from countries within the Asian Racing Conference competing against each other in six races, beginning with two races at the Dubai Racing Club hosted DUBAL-sponsored meeting at Nad Al Sheba on Thursday.

OHara, who at just 19 years-old has ridden over 180 winners, became the first female to win the Sydney Apprentice Title with 84 winners in the 2004/2005 season.

Thursday will be the first time that she has ridden in races outside her native Australia. O'Hara recently finished second in the Epsom Handicap (Gr.I) at Royal Randwick, as well as becoming only the second female jockey to ride in the Caulfield Cup (Gr.I).


Photo: Australian apprentice Kathy O'Hara with Dubai International Racing Carnival winner Greys Inn, trained by Mike de Kock. O'Hara is in Dubai for the Emirates International Apprentice Jockeys Championship which starts at Nad Al Sheba this evening. Photo Courtesy of Dubai Racing Club / Andrew Watkins

Just when you thought the marketing department at Magic Millions couldn't pull another idea out of the hat they announce that they have signed an agreement with PhoneWords to provide the 1300 MILLIONS telephone number.

What's the fuss?

It's quite simple really - customer recall statistics are very high using this marketing approach(PhoneWords being derived from the alphabetic translation of a phone number - thus 1300 6455 4667 spells 1300 MILLIONS and is effective because of its easy recall by the customer), it's innovative in the Australian market, and an easy recall number has the added benefit of improving customer service.

Over 70% of Fortune 500 companies in the US have adopted PhoneWord numbers and studies consistently show an increase in advertising up to 6 times in print, 14 times in radio and up to 500% in television.

I have had quite a few emails today about last night's post concerning the Port Lincoln Council's landmark decision to commission a bronze of Makybe Diva.

Some people have asked who I believe should get such a commission given the importance of the project.

I'm not the Council - or her owner - but considering she is potentially the greatest mare we have ever seen in Australia then there is, in my opinion, only one sculptor who fits the bill.

Yes, I openly admit I'm biased. I have always stood by the belief that only the best people should work on a project. BUT it seems I am not the only one who has a high opinion of a certain UK sculptor's work. In addition to the Penang Jockey Club recently commissioning him, an article in October/November edition of The Australian Turf Monthly states that Philip Blacker is "one of the world's greatest equine sculptors".

He's some horse. When the 10 year old gelding - Bomber Bill - won the Heffernan Stakes on the weekend he added his 16th stakes win (22nd win overall from 86 starts) to his record. The $31,000 yearling from the 1997 Inglis Classic Sale (not a bad sale that one - it's produced all number of winners) has now earned his connections almost AUD$2 million in prize money.

I just wish every horse had legs and a heart like him.

An interesting article from Max Presnell in today's Sydney Morning Herald: "If you promote it they will come, for the party":

"The Rosehill Gardens meeting on Saturday was yet another example that promotions and not great racehorses are the best drawcards. Once an unwanted date by the Sydney clubs because of the hangover effect from the Melbourne Cup, it has been turned into a major event by the Sydney Turf Club under the "ladies' day" banner".

It's good news for marketing as it shows that the publicity machine (as well as the evergreen attraction of a well dressed woman) will attract the crowds but alas the STC doesn't seem to have come to terms with its own popularity if the queuing 'situation' is correct. In Hong Kong people have been known to create their own queue (strange but true) just by standing next to someone else and looking mildly interested in a window display. In Australia the institution isn't quite so entrenched - so I did empathise with Presnell's predicament.

Felix Coetzee - renowned jockey of Hong Kong sprint champion Silent Witness - had further cause to celebrate overnight when he booted home his 500th winner in Hong Kong (the aptly named "Good to Great") in the Tai Kok Tsui Handicap (1200m) at Shatin.

January's Conrad Jupiters Magic Millions Yearling Sale has assembled the largest ever catalogue for a yearling sale in the southern hemisphere - 1375 lots.

The catalogue will comprise yearlings by 192 different stallions. Of particular note will be the two colts by world champion sire Sadler's Wells as well as a colt by international sire Green Desert.

The online catalogue can be viewed at www.magicmillions.com.au

Alex has the latest - click on the [>] button underneath his photo for the full details

Scenario 1:

$70,000 was laid with Betfair on beaten favourite Vengo in a race at Sandown on Saturday - $30,000 from one punter. Victoria's chief steward Des Gleeson expresses concerns.

The only reason the Victorian stewards do not have access to Betfair's customer details however is reportedly because Racing Victoria has refused Betfair's offers to provide it to them.

The stewards do however do have access to the Betfair bet monitoring product, which was built in consultation with racing regulators in the UK.

According to a Betfair statement "It is Racing Victoria Ltd that insists on keeping the stewards in the dark about who our customers are, not us. If RVL were to sign a short information sharing agreement with Betfair, as other major racing and sporting bodies around the world have done, we could start providing customer details to their stewards immediately."

"We have made it clear to RVL that if they have any concerns about the draft information sharing agreement, they should suggest appropriate amendments".

Scenario 2:

Betfair named Socially Responsible Operator of the Year in the inaugural eGaming Review industry awards in the United Kingdom.

The award comes only days before the Tasmanian Government puts forward legislation which will entrench into law a range of Betfair's social responsibility initiatives, together with additional measures designed to ensure the highest standards in social responsibility for betting exchange operators.

According to a media release these initiatives include:

- Information sharing agreements with a wide range of sporting bodies

- Customer-facing staff trained by GamCare, the UK's leading problem gambling body

- Self exclusion programs including ability to self exclude via a single click on the website

- The capacity to restrict account deposits in a defined period

- The capacity to limit losses to a particular amount in a defined period

The judges decided that Betfair "won by a length" for the following reasons:

- Robust age and identity verification systems.

- New initiatives such as a multiple-database Know Your Customer checking system.

- Betfair's efforts to stop corruption in sport and to rescue Sporting Options punters went beyond pure commercial logic and demonstrated a commitment to making the industry as responsible as possible.

So, where does that leave us? Well, without stating the obvious - Betfair holds aloft an award - and Racing Victoria sulks in a corner. Perhaps it's best to leave it there ...

I'm not sure that this evening's news report about Port Lincoln Council building a "memorial" was strictly correct ... as last I checked the Mighty Mare was alive and well!!! Nevertheless it's fantastic news.

I just can't help but think that by a local Council (and apparently also the State government and local citizens) showing the initiative and pursuing this, one of Australia