Tony Arrold's article Horse trading at its very best in this week's Australian declares this year's Easter yearling sale was a "refreshingly honest sale for the thoroughbred industry":

"What has been hard to put a lid on in the bloodstock market for many years at this, and almost every other significant sale, is the rorts that have gone on that leave a public perception that something was not as it had been presented.

A classic example was a yearling sold privately prior to the sale, with an arrangement for that yearling to go into the ring and bring the top, or near top, price in an exercise of ego or a future investment with other parties.

The 2006 Australian Yearling sale was almost totally clean of such nonsense, although there are strong suspicions over one yearling at the top end of the market -- and there seems to be no secret among industry players as to what that was all about.

So this was not only the mother of all sales, it was an honest sale."

For intriguing stories of Inglis security staff "frog-march[ing] a person from the sale grounds" on Day 1 and (the perhaps more dubious claim) that "The Inglis company, like all other auctioneers, has to turn a blind eye to rorts and "arrangements" since it is its job merely to set up and and sell the horses for the vendor to the highest bidder, and expect the appropriate fee from the vendor for doing so -- rort or no rort" the full article is at the following URL.

Cyclone Monica didn't (fortunately) deliver on threats of matching Cyclone Tracy's December 1974 wrath but it still caused no end of chaos to scheduled Anzac Day events. The march, dawn service and mass at St Mary's Cathedral were all cancelled. The horse racing meeting at Fannie Bay and the cricket matches at World War II Strauss airstrip were also non-starters.

One hopes that the Darwin Cup Carnival (July 8 - 7 August) doesn't suffer a similar fate.

I was interested to see an investment website run a series of articles on the forthcoming Emperors Palace National Yearling Sale that commences this Friday in South Africa. What sparked my interest was the fact that the portal typically has absolutely nothing to do with racing.

The interviews with "Mike Rattray: Lammerskraal Stud (and Mala Mala Game Reserve)" and former New Zealand All Black Alan Sutherland (Somerset Stud, KwaZulu-Natal) that appeared on the MoneyWeb.com site are an interesting twist to the traditional coverage provided by the racing media given the audience are a business (investing) group. It's interesting marketing - although perhaps not that far different from a bloodstock summary in The Australian Financial Review on a Monday - and it will be interesting to see what comes of this approach in the future.

Postscrip: Another story went up on Friday as well - see following URL]

Speaking of South Africa, it's a country that has been dominating a few headlines of late: first Charles Laird's spending spree at Easter, then Irridescence's Group 1 win in Hong Kong last Sunday; and this week the second and third highest priced lots at the Easter Broodmare sale were none other than South African mares (3-times Group 1 winner Paraca who sold for $800,000 and another G1 winner Battle Maiden who sold for $625,000).

Fiona Carruthers has penned an interesting article titled Aussie racing a high-stakes gamble that looks (generally) at the Australian bloodstock industry and (more specifically) the success of three of the bigger players: Bob Ingham, Gerry Harvey and John Messara.

"You would expect them to be breaking out the Dom Perignon or better. After years of playing the mug's game three long-time racing tragedies – chicken-king Bob Ingham, retailer extraordinaire Gerry Harvey, and fast-moving 1980s stockbroker-turned-horse-breeder John Messara – have broken clear of the pack.

It was expensive but it paid off. Between them they now boast the biggest studs, the best stallions and the most broodmares – and have acquired the odd bloodstock sale.

"When all my foals are born after August 1 this year, I'll probably have 1000 horses," Mr Harvey says. "I haven't got a plan. I've grown so much in the past five years, I have to decide if I want to grow any more."

Pundits estimate that the studs run by Mr Ingham, Mr Harvey, and Mr Messara – along with the two powerful multinational studs, Irish-owned Coolmore and Dubai-funded Darley – have tied up more than 60 per cent of Australia's breeding business, worth a total of A$240 million (NZ$282 million) a year."

Full article at following URL.

A couple of 'people moves' of note:

Ged Parker has been appointed the new Stud Manager of Plaintree Farms in Queensland. Ged spent six years in New Zealand before relocating to Australia and was closely involved in the relocation of Westbury Stud from Cambridge to its new location near Karaka, Auckland, where a multi-million dollar showcase farm has been built from scratch.

Satish Seemar has become the fourth trainer in almost as many months for Sheikh Rashid's Millennium Stables in Dubai.

Tattersalls Ireland has appointed Sophie Hayley (whose experience includes time with both Inglis & Vinery Stud in Australia) as marketing manager.

Champion South African mare Irridescence may well have been deprived of a run in the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free last month after a freak accident in the paddock before the race but today she turned the tables and led from barrier to post to win Hong Kong's $14m Group 1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at odds of 5-1. The mare is trained by South Africa's legendary trainer Mike de Kock and was ridden by Weichong Marwing. Irridescence held on by a head from runner-up Best Gift, with Ouija Board the same distance back in third.

Of note, the "born or raised in South Africa" label attached to no less than 4 jockeys in today's race: Weichong Marwing (Irridescence), Felix Coetzee (Russian Pearl), Glyn Schofield (River Dancer), Douglas Whyte (Falstaff).

The 2006 stud fee for Platinum Scissors – full brother to the record breaking super-sire Redoute’s Choice – has been officially set by his owners at $22,000 (inc GST)

The unprecedented world-wide demand for yearlings by Redoute's Choice at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale last week saw them sell to a top price of $3 million and average an extraordinary $710,857. Thirty five yearlings sold grossed over $24 million.

Arrowfield announced today that the 2006 service fee for Redoute’s Choice will be increased to a record $275,000 (inc GST).

Platinum Scissors will stand this season at Plaintree Farms, a specialized equine breeding centre owned by Dr Pascoe and his wife, Heather. The stallion will arrive in Queensland with his own large broodmare band owned by Teeley Assets. The majority of the mares are already safely in foal to him.

“Platinum Scissors is an outstanding Group 1 winner of nearly a million dollars in his own right,” said Heather Pascoe of Plaintree Farms. “His five Group level wins include the classic AJC Champion Stakes and champion trainer Gai Waterhouse has said he was the best horse she ever trained. He proved a tough, sound campaigner through his entire career.”

Platinum Scissors stood his first season at Arrowfield in 2004, where he experienced difficulties with his fertility. Mr Yaseen later resumed full ownership in the stallion from former part-owners Arrowfield Stud.

The stallion returned to racing with Gai Waterhouse in 2005 and managed to defy the odds against stallions ever making a successful comeback from the breeding barn to the racetrack. The tough campaigner stepped up once again and scored at Group level, with a win in the Hollindale Stakes (Gr 2) second in the BATC Doomben Cup (Gr 1) and third in the Lord Mayors Cup (Gr 3).

Mr Yaseen – also the breeder of Redoute’s Choice and the man who retains a massive 50% share in the champion stallion – retired Platinum Scissors to stud for the second time after his successful campaign at the 2005 Brisbane Winter Carnival. The stallion was then sent to Victoria, where he covered a private broodmare band owned by Teeley Assets.

Since the foals conceived during his first season at stud have developed into such exceptional types, Mr Yaseen has now moved to seek the help of a leading Reproduction specialist to work with Platinum Scissors in an effort to improve his overall fertility.

“His foals are extremely good looking,’ said Mrs Iris O’Farrell, spokesperson for Teeley Assets, “and breeders keep telling us they can’t tell the difference between the foals by Redoute’s Choice and the foals by Platinum Scissors. They are almost identical.”

Mr Yaseen has appointed world-renowned Reproduction Specialist Dr David Pascoe to manage the stud career of Platinum Scissors. “The enquiry from breeders has been overwhelming, particularly since the stallion will serve a strictly restricted book,” said Heather Pascoe.

“When we heard of Dr Pascoe’s reputation in fertility, Mr Yaseen and I decided he would be the best person to work with in Australia,’ Ms O’Farrell said. “He is extremely committed and extremely passionate, and we like to work with people like that.”

Platinum Scissors hails from the extraordinary Best in Show family – considered one of the greatest stallion- producing families in the world – and, if the quality of his first weanlings is any indication, the young sire has also started his stud career in spectacular fashion.

The demand for yearlings by Redoute’s Choice yearlings saw buyers from all over the world battle it out for in the auction ring. They included Charles Laird of South Africa, Patrick Hogan (Cambridge Stud) and Rob McAnulty (NZ), Tim Stakemire (on behalf of Sheik Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum ) Gai Waterhouse, Tim Martin and Clarry Connors.

You know racing has become an obsession when you examine the back of a Sydney City Rail ticket and momentarily wonder why on earth they email morning trackwork reports to you ...

Today's Sydney Morning Herald’s Column 8 contained an interesting post: “On the fourth of next month, at 2 minutes and 3 seconds past 1am, the time and date will be 01:02.03, 04/05/06. It will take approximately 400 generations before such figures are repeated”.

(Whilst breeders will certainly hope I am proven wrong) I couldn’t help but absorb the numbers and ask myself if the “400 generations” argument could equally be applied to the final figures from this year's Easter Sale. A total of AUD$117,130,000 changed hands for 403 yearlings, a 29% increase on last year’s record gross despite the fact that the 2006 catalogue contained less horses while the average leapt a huge 40 per cent to $288,497. Can such record breaking figures spiral still higher in 2007?

Do other people remember the day when a seven figure yearling would produce a round of applause when it was sold? A total of fourteen yearlings made in excess of $1,000,000 this year compared to eight at last year’s sale. The crowds seemed so immune to the million plus results that when Lot 385 (the full sister to Shamekha - pictured left) sold for $2.2 million to the bid of Gai Waterhouse the only response apart from the congratulatory note from Jonathan Darcy was the rather bored tones of the person sitting in front of me who yawned and stretched and asked if any of his colleagues would care for a coffee!

The 3 days of selling saw all number of records broken including the highest price paid for a filly (the full sister to Alinghi fetching AUD$2.6 million) and also for a colt (AUD$3m paid for the Redoute’s Choice ex Deja Slew colt). The clearance rate was a very healthy 90%.

It was also a record few days for Yarraman Stud, a farm that can arguably be said to be one of the quieter players in the distinguished inner sanctum of the Hunter Valley. The Mitchell Brothers netted $10,750,000 for their 14 lots and they sold the top 3 lots as well which prompted Arthur Mitchell to comment "Every dog has its day". One of the enduring memories of this year’s sale was the sheer number of people around Newmarket who were heard to remark “good on them, Harry and Arthur really deserve to do well.”

John Messara’s Arrowfield Stud deserves a mention – not just for their exceptional catering and attentive staff at the stud’s marquee that gave a few city restaurants a run for their money - but also the stud’s superstar Redoute’s Choice who didn’t let anyone down, selling 6 of the 14 million dollar lots, and progeny selling for an average of $710,857. The stud was also leading vendor by aggregate selling 33 yearlings for $13,660,000. This ended the long reign of Coolmore Stud in this category, with the Jerry’s Plains farm running a close second with gross receipts of $12,830,000 for 41 lots sold.

Another Arrowfield stallion whose progeny caught the eye was Hussonet – a stallion whose progeny’s performances in South America have been described by many as “devastatingly good” (in fact one very good judge who not only owns a few Hussonet yearlings but is one of Australia’s finest vets – and who is not prone to excessive adjectives when he speaks) spent a good 20 minutes and no end of superlatives describing just how good one of his fillies is. Judging by similar stories from other industry players one can’t help but wonder if Arrowfield might well have another super star on its door step.

Boutique Highgrove Stud certainly had the formula right as well. They arrived with just 2 yearlings from Queensland - a Redoute’s Choice colt from Chief’s Crown mare Brilliant Crown, which sold for $950,000 on Wednesday, while Thursday’s millionaire was out of a Snippets full-sister to three stakes-winners.

“It’s been fantastic,” said Gilbert, echoing the sentiments of many vendors. “We only bought the two here and have sold beyond our wildest expectations.”

The Ingham family’s Woodlands Stud remained the sale’s top buyers, spending $13,110,000 on 27 yearlings.

In other news, 2 years ago another Athlone contributor - John Baxter - and I were standing with Peta and Allan Tilden from Boscobel Stud when they sold a grey Encosta de Lago colt for $40k. Richard Turnley was one of those rare vendors who didn’t believe in reserves for his stock. John O’Shea came rushing back to the stables after he had signed the sales docket and ran his eye yet again over the well framed and agreeably mannered colt.

“What’s wrong with him?” he asked Allan.

An experienced horseman and well known farrier, Allan can crush anyone’s hand using his most mild of hand shakes. He enjoys a good cup of coffee, is always willing to have a chat (unless he thinks you're an idiot), looks you straight in the eye when he speaks to you, and calls a spade a spade.

He laughed. “Absolutely nothing.”

Someone suggested to me on Wednesday evening that the guru of the 2004 sale was not the person with a blank cheque book who could buy whatever they wanted in the seven figure vicinity; rather it was the likes of John O’Shea who could see something in the grey Encosta colt from a small farm that no-one else deemed "commercial". And because that same $40k colt fleeced the field in this week’s Doncaster, rumour has it that Encosta de Lago’s stud fee is about to be increased to $150k. Me thinks a fair percentage of that increase should be sent to John O'Shea for vision that no-one else appeared to have that night.

Anyone who has queried South Africa’s economic resurgence or belief in the long term future of racing only needed to look at the money they spent this week to see that the country has set in train an extraordinary commitment to the upgrading of local bloodlines. Following his spending spree at January’s Magic Millions sale, Charles Laird (on behalf of prominent owner Marcus Jooste) broke the Australasian record for a colt sold at auction when he bid AUD$3 million for the Redoute’s Choice ex Deja Slew colt on Wednesday evening. He also paid a seven figure sum for a Giant’s Causeway colt and 3 lots later $550,000 for another colt by the same sire. Other purchases included fillies by Redoute’s Choice, Giant’s Causeway and Red Ransom and another colt by Royal Academy. Overall Laird purchased 8 yearlings for an aggregate of AUD$5,640,000 and average of AUD$705,000.

The number of international buyers played an integral role in the overall sale’s success and ensured that averages stayed high. Buyers were attracted from the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, South Africa, USA, Singapore and New Zealand. A few local buyers were heard to complain that they were priced out of the market. I certainly empathise with the dilemma, but Australia simply cannot continue to rewrite record books and accrue such incredible prices at these top end sales if they are not willing to look outside their local boundaries for investors. Be realistic – if you are going to stand a handful of stallions in the vicinity of $100k - $300k then equally you need the people who can afford to purchase them (and if there isn’t the return on investment for the breeder then who will stay in the market). You need more than local buyers to play at this level (remembering as well that a stallion may serve 150+ at those figures and yet only 15-30 yearlings may make it into Easter … that’s a lot of yearlings produced at extremely high service fees who have to find a sale that doesn’t produce the record stats we see twice a year at the January and Easter sales and also produce a strong return. It’s not an easy journey for many breeders to embark upon.)

I thought Inglis did a sterling job. The sale was well marketed, well attended, and seemed to offer all the extras that only Sydney can provide – perfect weather, so much black type in the catalogue that it provides a year’s re-reading for the pedigree enthusiasts, and a setting that I personally feel is unmatched anywhere in the world; perhaps the prices merely reflected the crowd’s appreciation of the same.

Images





Owners of the new Rockmount Lodge (formerly Vinery Australia's pre-training Centre) -Geoff Guest and Jill Kewish - purchased 2 lots at the Easter sale, a Galileo filly from Devil's Gold (dam of Bardego) [image 1 above] and a Fasliyev filly [image 2 - above] out of Dora Maar (an unraced Royal Academy half sister to Easy Rocking, Fairy King Prawn and Crevette). The Rockmount purchases - overseen by property manager Damian Murphy - reflect the market's renewed attraction to well bred fillies who offer significant residual value on the broodmare side.



Whilst the good news always makes the front pages there were a few vendors left wondering what had happened during the 3 days as well. Lot 58, a magnificently bred Johannesburg filly ex Soda Watch (dam of group winners Camena and Jai's Jump) offered by Lurline Lodge reared and fell (breaking her pelvis) whilst being prepared for the ring. Another colt (pictured above) by champion sire Sadlers Wells - Lot 375 - (a sire who commandeers one of the highest stud fees in the world) was sold by Coolmore Stud (as agent) for just AUD$25k.

Betcorp, the online sports betting operator has released half yearly figures that are more than double its first quarter earnings - US$3.6 million its latest net profit margin (total betting revenue up 58% to US$287m for the period).

Betcorp Limited (“Betcorp”) is an Australian public company and is currently the fourth largest wagering company by turnover listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX:BCL). The Company changed its name in 2003 from Consolidated Gaming Corporation (‘’CGC’’) to Betcorp as part of a significant restructuring of its operations that included the acquisition of World Wide Tele-Sports (WWTS), a north American focussed operator of online sportsbooks. In early 2005, the Company acquired Sinsational Intertainment Inc an online sports betting and casino operator based in Antigua.

According to their website, the Betcorp management team was restructured in late 2004 and the new team is re-aligning the Group into a broadly based online gaming and entertainment operator, offering a comprehensive range of betting and gaming products to a wider geographical audience through the provision of new betting options in several languages and currencies.

New betting options and products include a wider range of sports for the global market, new casino games, poker and other card games relevant to an adult gaming audience, and games of skill suitable for single player or multi player activity.

It is the objective of the Group to appeal to a wide range of recreational clients and to expand the revenue base into less volatile and less seasonal gaming products. Income will be generated both by the traditional acceptance of bets as in sports and casino betting and from participation fees from poker, bingo and games of skill where the Group carries no risk.

Why am I telling you all this given that the company appeals to an audience wider than thoroughbreds ?

Well, it's always important to keep an eye on what the wider market is doing, particularly when gambling forms such an integral part of the thoroughbred racing equation.

I'm away now for 10 days and for the first time in 3 years will not have access to phone, Blackberry, laptop etc for the duration. What this means is that the Athlone site will not be updated during that period.

I'll be back online for the start of the Easter Sales.

I mentioned a few weeks ago an excellent article titled "The Carrot that can save racing". I was therefore interested to read the Bloodhorse column that spoke of the newly launched Youbet.net site which provides an educational site for players wishing to develop an understanding of pari-mutuel wagering.

The website came to fruition after the company realized that technology needed to be adapted to user needs and "teaching" people the intricacies of betting is certainly something that has been used to great effect in the poker industry which has adopted training courses that do not require patrons to play with actual money.

Youbet.net allows people to play for points as opposed to playing for money. According to The Bloodhorse column there will be "educational vignettes & graphics & a lot of text explaining things like what is an exacta, what is a trifecta & so on."

It's hard to write about gambling sites as it is easy to then be labeled "pro-gambling", but at the end of the day it is the punter who provides the money that keeps the racing industry going, so if we can educate people (with many other betting options) how to follow the horses to their benefit, then I guess that's not an all bad thing. Others may, of course, disagree.

The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) is inviting local communities across Australia to participate in the historic 2006 Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour, by providing the opportunity to join the celebration of an Australian icon with an international reputation.

With the 2006 Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour celebrating the theme, ‘The Melbourne Cup: a national icon. Why it stops a nation’, the VRC is inviting cities and towns around Australia and New Zealand boasting a link with the 18-carat gold trophy or strong affection for the Cup to come forward and host a leg of the journey.

Travelling more than 25,000km through Australia and New Zealand, visiting 25 towns, cities and outback centres – the 2005 Tour had a resounding impact on many communities.

The 2006 Emirates Melbourne Cup Tour will commence in late September, making its way to more than 20 cities and towns, before arriving at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.

Tenders are open to all Australian communities and community groups (with the support of local councils) at the following URL.

Closing date for submissions is 5pm Friday, 28 April.

The so-called "Australia's Largest 'Experts' Slipper Tips" list is now online; Greg Irvine from The Virtual FormGuide gets the credit for collating it.

I confess I grinned when I saw the Iskander Racing Press Release yesterday that stated (inter alia):

"Second metro winner for Honours List ... (etc etc etc) [then] Honours List progeny have been well-received at this year’s sales, selling for up to $200,000."

The bit they FORGOT to mention was that it was Iskander himself who paid the $200k for the yearling at the Magic Millions January sale (the bay colt out of The Baggy Green on account of Baerami Tbreds [as agent]). The next highest price for an Honour's List yearling was for a colt out of Radium Springs sold at the same sale for $140k (the sire's yearling average from 23 sold $49,760.87).

But hey, what's $60k between friends?! He's certainly not the first stallion owner to run up the price of a horse (or conduct an expensive buy back) to get the necessary marketing mileage.

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

There have been some emails going back and forth over this post. I think it important for me to clarify that I am not stating that Iskander Racing conducted anything other than a legitimate sale (ie. I am not saying that the 200k yearling was a buy back. Iskander's name was always disclosed for everyone to see as the buyer on the buyer's record). What I AM saying is that if you own a stallion and you pay 200k for a yearling by him it is slightly dodgy marketing to then state "and horses by the sire have sold up to 200k". Yes, they have. BUT the general public is not to know who owns Honour's List and whether the name on a buyer's sheet is one and the same. An approach that a number of buyers may more prudently adopt when they own/market a stallion and also purchase progeny by it is one that says they thought so much of the progeny of the stallion that they paid up to $x amount to secure one themselves. That way everyone is clear.

The Herald Sun has reported that trainers have been incensed by a new racing integrity hotline created by Racing Victoria.

"The service, which is run by an independent company called STOPline and began operating yesterday, will allow the public to call in anonymously and report anything suspicious.

"STOPline acts as a conduit for reporting corrupt or improper conduct. It will pass on information to the RV chief investigator's office, which will determine if the matter should be referred to stewards."

What makes the introduction of the service rather odd is the existence of the Integrity Services Department at Racing Victoria which already allows people to report sensitive information. Perhaps understandably, a number of trainers have reacted angrily to the new service stating its existence suggests to the general public that malpractice is rife.

Whilst I am all for cracking down on unethical behaviours, personally I'd be happier seeing STOPline installed at the annual yearling sales. I imagine a few lines would be running hot re. claims of 'tainted or unethical behaviour'.

Ever wondered what will keep the Industry Chiefs worrying late into the night once they have got past the TVN debacle, shuttle stallion debate, AI ban, race field size and market prices?

Racing Post may well have hit on the next topic worthy of mass debate when they ran a story on the commercial cloning of a champion quarter-horse (who is a leading producer of performance horses in the US). Breeding & Racing's Daily News went on to say: "Equine cloning has progressed steadily since the 1st clones were born in 2003: 3 mule foals produced at the University Of Idaho & a horse foal in the Laboratory of Reproductive Technology in Cremona in Italy. The Italian team also cloned a champion endurance horse (born last year) & Texas A&M University has been producing cloned foals since last year. Dr Jim Bailey (who oversaw the birth of the latest clone) said: "From the time I transferred the embryo into the recipient mare, the pregnancy was normal in every way & the birth followed suit. The resulting foal was born normally & immediately stood to nurse."

The stuff of nightmares for the purists I suspect.

The Irish Examiner is always a good newspaper for uncovering useful snippets of thoroughbred-related financial information.

In an article titled "Coolmore-linked firm pays €1.4m dividends" author Ian Guider states:

"A company connected to the Coolmore Stud farm operation paid out over €1.4 million in dividends to shareholders last year.

The payment by Leisure Holdings (Ireland) is up 75% on 2004. The business is owned by John Magnier, JP McManus, Mr Brosnan, Edward Irwin, Eamonn McElroy, Denis McCarthy and Owen McGartoll.

It receives income from stallion nominations owned by Coolmore. Its income fell because of the deaths of leading thoroughbreds including Danehill, whose offspring included Rock of Gibraltar.

In the year to end September 2005, turnover from stallion nominations fell to under €500,000 from €742,052 in 2004. Pre-tax profits slipped from €690,540 to €472,141.

But the company said it remains in strong financial health. Even after paying €1.4m dividends, the firm still had shareholders’ funds of €7.6m. In the past three years, over €10m has been paid in dividends."

Seems there is still big money in sperm.

The prized trophy - the Dubai World Cup, shown here outlined against a desert (night) sky.


Looking back over the grandstands at dusk, Nad Al Sheba race track, World Cup Night 25 March 2005.






Scenes from the opening ceremony (the Racing Club reportedly paid US$150,000 to get four Andalusians across from France to participate. There were flaming chariots down the main straight, dancers ... reminded me of an outdoor version of Cirque de Soleil).


The winner's rug awaits


Kane Hekili’s jockey - Yutaka Take - contemplates his race plan.


A thoughtful pre-race moment for Chiquitin’s rider Michael Kinane.


Ruler of Dubai, H.E.Sh. Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, analayses his runner Elecrocutionist, ahead of the US$6 million Dubai World Cup (the world's richest horse race).


Godolphin's champion jockey, Frankie Dettori


Group 1 winner of the Dubai World Cup, Electrocutionist, in the parade ring prior to the race.


One of Wilko’s connections tastes the possibility of victory 200m from the line (his feet off the ground demonstrating the emotion) - only to be overtaken close to the line by local hero Electrocutionist; another American horse Brass Hat taking second.


Electrocutionist is swamped by the media and excited fans as he returns to scale.

Former Champion New Zealand trainer (now Singapore-based) Laurie Laxon with Tracy Gill of the International Department, Dubai Racing Club. Arabian Nights Party, Thursday March 23, 2006. Laurie had MY ROYAL CAPTAIN in the UAE Derby (Gr.2), sponsored by Jebel Ali International Hotels (1800m) on World Cup Night.


Trophy for the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic being lifted into place on World Cup morning.




Fashions abounded ...


As did quality horse flesh ... Seen above - Frankie Dettori aboard Discreet Cat, winner of the Group 2 UAE Derby. Testimony ran 2nd, Flamme de Passion third.


Australia's Perfect Promise lines up for round 2 of The Asian Mile Challenge - The Group 1 Dubai Duty Free. She finished 6th. Her full sister, South Africa's Irridescence, was a shock withdrawal prior to the start after getting her stifle caught in the paddock rail.


South Africa's famous trainer Mike de Kock


Japanese fans celebrate victory in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile.


Heart’s Cry, partnered by Christophe Lemaire and trained by Kojiro Hashiguchi, gave Japan their second win of the Dubai World Cup meeting when winning the US$5,000,000 Dubai Sheema Classic (Gr.1), sponsored by Nakheel, over 2,400 metres on the turf. Britain’s Collier Hill, Dean McKeown up, raced up with the pace and finished four and a quarter lengths back in second and Falstaff, trained by Mike de Kock and ridden by Kevin Shea, was third. Ed Dunlop’s Ouija Board, the mount of Kieren Fallon, made progress into the straight to finish fourth.

Lemaire said, “Heart’s Cry seemed to be very relaxed and in good condition. It has been three months since last race, but he gets stronger. Now, he can go and run everywhere in the world. At the 1000m to the post, I felt pressure, but when I trailed the horse responded well. He was very strong.”

Hashiguchi said, “I am really excited. Heart’s Cry was very good, so I brought him to Dubai. If I had no confidence, I would not have come here. In last year’s the Arima Kinen(Gr.1), one of the biggest races in Japan, he was very strong. But now, he is stronger than then. We will look to going for the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes next.”

Full race results from the evening available on the Dubai International Racing Carnival blog

A couple of people have asked me whether the highlight of the Dubai trip was being in the paddock on race night, photographing the Sheikh etc ... I confess I looked embarrassed and admitted that the highlight was actually at around 11am on the same day when I lay flat on my stomach alongside the winning post and photographed the turf and dirt tracks (simply because it's "slightly outside the norm"!). I had never stood on a dirt track before - it was like standing in butter - astonishingly soft.

It may be April Fools Day but there is no joke attached to the following statistics provided by the Australian National University's Centre for Gambling Research which states that gambling is an A$16.2 billion industry in Australia, which is growing at more than 5.6% annually. Australian adults (on average) spent about A$1,067 a year on gambling in 2004, with this divided 60% on slot machines, 13% on race wagering and 10% on lotteries.

I'll refrain from commenting on the ongoing battle between TVN/Sky Channel/Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd. and co as too many others who have a far greater understanding of the subject than I have already said their piece. But the Australian stats are interesting from another perspective and that's the split of the gambling dollar.

It's a subject of interest to me from the Hong Kong perspective as the local Jockey Club has seen a continual slide in handle in recent years and loads of theories abound as to why this is the case. I was at dinner recently and the simplest answer yet was mooted (and I liked it so much I thought it was worth mentioning): football is such an attractive sport to gamble on as there are only 2 teams and you don't need to do the form for 17 horses over a period of months to have a realistic chance of picking the winner. Combine this with the fact that the local Jockey Club does not allow children under 18 to attend the races and you have a whole generation raised on one sport (football) yet 'expected' to bet on horse racing when they reach the legal gambling age.

If the TV/gambling wars don't get resolved any time soon in Australia one wonders if a similar situation (re. people not being able to see the races - even passively as a background TV picture) may not develop in future years in a country far from the Asian one I currently call home.

Let's face it. It's much easier to pick from 2 teams, not 17 after all ...