We're back from the Magic Millions sale in Qld; John's also currently representing Athlone at the Classic sale in Sydney. Meanwhile we have just published a major research report on the EU Commission's threat to remove stallion service fee tax incentives from the Irish breeding industry. You can find a copy of the report in our 'Features' section.

Katrina is also in the process of archiving (by subject area) the past 5 months of material from the weblog. The resulting file will allow you to search by topic area/title/date.

Katrina is also completing a major statistical analysis of international buyers (by sale, country, amount spent and name) at the premier sales (2000-present). This will be an invaluable tool for studs/vendors wishing to cross-check their marketing efforts with outcomes.

And last but by no means least, next month's Queensland Stud Series article will profile Glenlogan Stud.

Willowbend Stud is the next Queensland Stud to be profiled in the Queensland Stud Series. The article goes to print at the end of December in the Queensland Racing magazine.

You may have seen that we have added a Gallery to the site. You can now enjoy photos from the following:

- The Dubai World Cup 2004

- The Hong Kong Internationals 2003

- The Queensland Stud Series (photos to date include photos from Lyndhurst Stud, Glenlogan Park, Raheen, Eureka Stud, Wattle Brae Stud and Carringbush)

Next week the photos from this year's Hong Kong Internationals will also be uploaded.

Cyberhorse recently invited Athlone & Associates to contribute content to their Virtual Form Guide site. The first article has gone live in the new Thoroughbred Marketing section and we're delighted to be associated with Bill Saunders' progressive thoroughbred portal.

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Speaking of portals, the Athlone site was selected as the "Site of the Day" on the LetitRide.com site on 15 November.



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The next article in Queensland Racing's Thoroughbred Stud Series has also gone to press. It focuses on Gary and Phoebe Turkington's Wattle Brae Stud.

In the forthcoming November issue of Breeding & Racing (Australia) I write about the Queensland Stud that's challenging all the rules - Glenlogan Stud.

"I could just as well be standing 700 kilometres south. The surrounds are idyllic, the glossy corporate brochures distributed by uniformed staff adopted by many in the crowd as makeshift shields against the midday glare. The entrance and evaluation of the first stallion demands a shift in focus; as if defying the attention the horse rears against the lead that restrains him. Minutes later a mare whose name conjures memories of black type success and her 5 day old foal enter the parade ring. To complete the scene, further along the raked drive, crisp table cloths in stud colours flutter idly in the marquee luncheon area.

"There are, however, a few variations between this stallion parade day and similar events being played out south of the border..."

Photo (C) Athlone & Associates Ltd 2004

In the forthcoming November issue of Queensland Racing I write about Raheen Stud.

"Mention ‘Raheen’ to anyone involved with thoroughbred horses in England and they'll immediately know what you're talking about. Well, okay, maybe they'd be under the impression that you are, in fact, referring to a stallion of the same name that stands at the uniquely named Nant Loyw Stud in Ammanford, Carmathenshire rather than a stud farm on Queensland's Darling Downs. To make your conversation with this hypothetical person even more interesting, the UK Raheen is by Danzig ex Belle De Jour – but not the Belle de Jour that won more than $3 million in prize money and was owned and raced by (amongst others) John Singleton and Australia’s ex-prime minister Bob Hawke.

Confused? Good – so am I. So let's forget about baffling everyone in Carmathenshire for the moment and focus instead on the Raheen Stud that we are all more familiar with".

Photo: Basil Nolan ((c) Athlone Assoc Ltd 2004)

The second article in the Qld Stud Series is now available in the October edition of Queensland Racing

One of Australia's only Dynaformer fillies (Dynaformer ex Demure's Pride)

Australian expatriate David Raphael, race commentator for the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and also the Racing World Series. This photo was taken at Happy Valley race track last Wednesday 8 September 2004 in Hong Kong. David had [literally] just returned from calling Kerrin McEvoy's first European Group One victory on Warrsan in the Grosser Preis von Baden (2400m) in Germany. An article on David's career appears in the October edition of Australia's Breeding & Racing magazine.

PHOTO copyright KMP 2004

Copyright JM-P. Title: Morning trackwork, Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia

A 6-day old KING OF DANES foal [King of Danes ex It's a Giggle] (taken at Glenlogan Park Stud August 2004)

JOCKEY ADVERTISING

It's receiving global media coverage and remains a hotly debated topic by owners, advertisers and the human billboards at the centre of the controversy - the jockeys. We cover the developments in this most fascinating of Industry arguments in the August edition of Australian Turf Monthly.

HALL OF FAME NOMINEE, QLD RACING AWARDS 2004

From an historical perspective, Lyndhurst Stud boasts almost as many Australian breeding records as it does irrigated acres. This is the first in a series of articles on Queenslands' most influential breeding operations and you will find it in the September edition of Queensland Racing. (A longer version of this article will also appear in the September edition of Breeding & Racing)

THE VOICE OF HONG KONG RACING

He's "the voice" of Hong Kong racing. This candid interview with Australian expatriate race caller David Raphael will appear in the October edition of Australia's Breeding and Racing magazine.

STUD PROFILE

In the second of the Queensland breeding series for Queensland Racing we profile Eureka Stud.


see http://www.athloneassociates.com/articles.htm