Racing Victoria, acting on legal advice, has made the shock decision to cancel all hurdle racing in Victoria for the rest of the jumps season.

RVL decided to cease all hurdle racing after being made aware of information Judge David Jones had received relating to safety concerns surrounding the modular hurdles.

The oral interim report from Judge Jones advised that he has obtained information that the modular hurdles raise significant safety concerns in their current form that cannot be rectified in the short term.

RVL has determined that in the interests of jockey and horse safety the remaining hurdle races for the jumps season at Moe on September 29 and Yarra Valley on October 5 will be run as high weight flat races.

Eligibility conditions for these races will not change however the handicapping of these races will be done according to flat ratings.

The cancellation also means there will be no hurdle trials or schooling for the remainder of the jumps season.

Steeple races will continue with the Open Steeple scheduled for Yarra Valley on October 5 to go ahead as programmed.

The Independent Review Report by Judge Jones will be provided to RVL in early November.
(Source: Racing & Sports)

Jockey Corey Nakatani could miss the remainder of the Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita, including the two-day Breeders’ Cup festival, with a fractured right clavicle suffered in a spill in the Morvich Handicap (gr. IIIT) on the opening day of the meet Sept. 24.

“It’s a new injury and a clean break,” said his agent, Ron Ebanks, on Sept. 26. “Doctors put him in a figure eight to promote healing and they’ll see him in three weeks for further evaluation, but he’s expected to be out from three to five weeks.”

A broken right clavicle after a training mishap at Hollywood Park earlier this year put the 37-year-old Nakatani on the sidelines for six weeks. He returned to action in early March.

Nakatani was aboard Easy on the Eyes, who clipped heels with another horse and went down just after the start of the Morvich on the hillside turf course.

The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Nakatani, who had four mounts in grade I races on Oak Tree’s major Breeders’ Cup preview program Sept. 27.

He’ll be replaced by Tyler Baze aboard Spring House in the Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship; by Rene Douglas on In Summation in the Ancient Title Stakes; by Alex Solis aboard Magic Roberta in the Oak Leaf Stakes; and by Jose Valdivia Jr. on Vacare in the Yellow Ribbons Stakes.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Midday at Beverley racecourse and bookmaker Keith Johnson is waiting to find out which pitch he can get in the betting ring.

He owns position number nine on the bookmakers’ list - the pecking order used to decide who goes where.

The closer a pitch is to the finishing post, the greater the revenue for the bookmaker is likely to be. And this morning, given everyone above him on the list has turned up, Mr Johnson gets a pitch around 30 metres from the line.

But this is his swansong at Beverley. “I’m selling the list position now before it becomes worthless,” he says.

List positions have been bought and sold for the last 10 years. But, because of what MPs and bookmakers call a “loophole” in the Gambling Act, the Racecourse Association (RCA) says it will not recognise them from September 2012.

In other words, racecourses intend to tear the lists up and negotiate new commercial agreements. For the bookmakers, it would mean writing off assets which two years ago were valued at £100m.

For punters, it could lead to a less colourful racecourse scene. Smaller, independent bookies fear they’ll be pushed out by bigger off-course operators.
‘Lot of talk’

“When we heard the RCA’s intentions we were absolutely stunned,” says Mr Johnson, who has spent more than £1m on 32 list positions.
“I could see that my future and my family’s future was in jeopardy.

“Before I invested any of my money I was given assurances that should I buy any of these pitches they would be mine forever, in perpetuity.”

In the last year, as Director of the Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers (FRB), he has travelled from his home in the Yorkshire Dales to 80 meetings with MPs and racecourse executives, 65 of them in London. He has clocked up 40,000 miles and sent 2,000 emails.

“There’s been a lot of talk, but nothing’s happened,” he says. “We await proposals from the RCA to our members.”

“A lot of talk” means two parliamentary debates, a Department of Culture, Media and Sport select committee inquiry and seven meetings of a working group convened by the sports minister, Gerry Sutcliffe.

The sticking point is one of tenure. The RCA says it is willing to extend tenure to 2032, but on terms which the bookies won’t accept. The FRB says it will only accept 99-year leases.

‘Invested everything’

At Beverley, the bookmakers are frustrated. ”We’ve spent just over £250,000 on pitches. Who knows what they are worth now - certainly nowhere near that,” says Andrew Geraghty of Geraghty Racing, Doncaster.

And Stephen Price, who trades as William Price, says, “My father, my brother and myself have invested everything. In some cases we’ve paid as small as £8,000 [for list positions], in other cases £25,000-upwards.

“Realistically, they are unsellable now.”

And they have the backing of politicians.

“The situation is the equivalent of owning the freehold on a home, only to be informed that not only has the freehold been rescinded, there are now only five years left on the lease,” Celia Barlow, the Labour MP for Hove, told fellow MPs in a Westminster Hall debate.

The body formed to do the buying and selling of list positions, the National Joint Pitch Council, which has now become the Administration of Gambling on Tracks also supports the bookmakers’ claims.

Its chief executive, Tim Moore, says the bookmakers have had a bad deal.

“We never thought we were selling something on a leasehold basis or which wasn’t for perpetuity. But we also never knew the Gambling Act was going to come along and would leave this loophole for racecourses.”

Negotiations

But the Racecourse Association counters that by extending tenure to 2032, every bookmaker will have been able to claim tax relief on everything spent.

“Looking at it from a financial perspective, they would have made a significant return from their investments,” its chief executive, Stephen Atkin, told BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours programme.

“The position was made clear when the sale of list positions started in 1998.

“In the auction literature at that time, and ever since, the word perpetuity has never featured in any document.”

But he stressed he was keen to see on-course bookmakers remain part of the consumer experience offered by racecourses.

Back in April, the sports minister recommended discussions go back to the local level. He asked for negotiations to take place at three ‘trial’ racecourses - Fontwell, Worcester and York.

In a statement to the BBC, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said it was pleased with the progress and would be expecting progress reports from the three by the end of October.

But York racecourse confirmed it is still to meet with bookmakers. The Federation of Racecourse Bookmakers sent letters out to all UK racecourses seeking meetings last week in an effort to give the process fresh impetus.

So what are the odds of finding a compromise? Surprisingly, Keith Johnson puts it at odds-on.

“It’s in our interests, the racecourses’ interests and the punters’ interests - the on-course family bookmakers add a lot of colour to the racecourse experience, and should the family firms cease to be here all you’ll see on the course are the big national companies.”
(Source: BBC)

Irish trainers are struggling to find owners for their horses in the midst of the economic regression.

It is understood that trainers from the elite to the small-scale are feeling the proverbial pinch. Training fees in Ireland generally range from €1,000 per month and up, but prospective owners are being put off by the warnings about the economy.

“I know that some of our top trainers here have 15 to 20 horses unsold for owners,” trainer James Barrett told setantasports.com.

“The first thing that goes when the economy takes a turn for the worse is the luxuries - and horses come into that category.”

However, Horse Racing Ireland does not report a reduction of any significance in the number of syndicates being set up this year.
(Source: Setanta Sports)

Jockey Patrick Husbands is fine after being ejected from his mount inside the gate in Wednesday evening’s seventh race.

Husbands, who currently ranks second in the standings with 89 wins, was flung out of the starting gate after his mount, Grenade, acted up prior to the race.

The five-time Sovereign Award winner, who won the Triple Crown with Wando in 2003, was taken to the infirmary before being taken to a local area hospital.

“He’s a little sore, but he’s fine,” said Husbands’ agent, Gary Kemplen. “He will be back riding today.”

Husbands has 1,783 career wins, including 131 stakes scores, as of September 24.
(Source: Woodbine Entertainment)

A Kentucky state judge signed an order Sept. 25 that could possibly pave the way for the minority interest in defending Horse of the Year Curlin to be sold by sealed bid.

The order, which was signed by Franklin County Special Judge Roger Crittenden following a two-hour hearing, allows the court-appointed receiver for the operator of Curlin’s minority owner, Midnight Cry Stable, to immediately begin the sealed-bid process.

The intent of the order is to help the receiver establish a “maximized value” for the 20% interest owned by Midnight Cry Stable’s parent, Tandy LLC, but could also result in the ultimate sale of the minority ownership if certain criteria are met. Curlin, who is owned in an 80% majority interest by Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables, is scheduled to run Sept. 27 in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

“That is something that would have to meet both the receiver’s acceptance and the court’s acceptance,” Sylvius H. von Saucken, counsel for interim receiver Matthew Garretson, said about any sale resulting from the sealed-bid process. “Stonestreet has a right to bid, as any other qualified bidders also have the right to bid. But Stonestreet also has rights under the co-ownership agreement that makes this situation particularly unique process.”

Under terms of the 2007 purchase of Curlin from Midnight Cry, the majority owner retains a right of first refusal on any sale of the minority interest.

The receiver in July was given charge of managing Tandy’s interests, and a subsequent recent motion filed on behalf of the receiver asked Crittenden to help establish a value for the colt by use of the sealed-bid process.

The sealed-bid process could be marketed through one of the major auction houses, such as Keeneland or Fasig-Tipton, according to courtroom discussion, but von Saucken declined to confirm after the hearing which sale companies have been contacted.

“We have contacted representatives from the world’s largest auction house to potentially assist us, subject to the marketing costs,” he said. “And we have contacted another company, each of whom would be well-recognized in the equine industry.”

Immediate attempts to reach officials with either Keeneland or Fasig-Tipton were unsuccessful following the hearing, which ended at about 4 p.m. (EDT).

A decision to retire the 4-year-old son of Smart Strike may hinge on the outcome of the sealed-bid process, according to courtroom discussion.

“My clients, as the 80% owners, are being infringed upon because of problems with ongoing litigation,” Richard Getty, an attorney representing Stonestreet Stables, argued before Crittenden. “My client has already been harmed by not already divesting this interest. The large farms are not interested.”

“Mr. Jackson is saying we may race the horse next year, because we are forced to,” Getty said, terming Midnight Cry Stable’s ongoing presence as an “albatross” at one point. “We would love to be rid of this interest.”

Midnight Cry Stable is the racing operation of Shirley Cunningham Jr. and William Gallion, a pair of Kentucky attorneys who are facing a new federal criminal trial in November for their alleged mishandling of the settlement in the prominent fen-phen class-action lawsuit. A previous criminal trial ended in a mistrial earlier this year.

Cunningham and Gallion are also involved in separate civil litigation with some of their former fen-phen clients, over which Crittenden is presiding. Funds from the sale of Tandy’s interest in Curlin could go toward a $42-million judgment previously awarded in the civil case against Cunningham, Gallion, and others.

Andre Regard, an attorney representing Tandy, told Crittenden the timing for the imminent sale of the minority interest is suspect, and reminded the judge the civil judgment is under appeal.

“His highest value is as a stallion prospect and not a racehorse,” Regard said. “Stonestreet hasn’t said anything definitive about retiring the horse. If they continue to run the horse, his value is decreased. Until Stonestreet makes a decision to market the horse with some sense of finality, any talk of a sale is premature.”

But Getty argued interested buyers are turned off by the “bad odor” attached to Tandy.

“If Tandy is still involved, most people who have high-quality mares are not going to bring their mares to this stud, because of the controversy involved,” he said. “Is there going to be a claim when the foals hit the ground? The pure and simple fact is that the entanglements … make it nearly impossible to stand the horse at stud. It’s not as simple as Mr. Regard makes it.”

Ultimately, Crittenden agreed with the plan proposed by the receiver.

“I am going to approve what the receiver is requesting,” he said. “And that is, we will solicit sealed bids, either through, or not through, a marketing agency, depending on what the cost is. From that, we will get a proposal that the receiver may or may not come back with that the horse will be sold.”

Von Saucken said the receiver believes Curlin is a “world champion horse and doesn’t deserve the treatment he has gotten through the legal process. From our perspective, this is the first opportunity to establish what the value is.”
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Sydney’s Eastern Creek quarantine station has been cleared of a suspected equine influenza outbreak.

A horse believed to have been imported from the UK returned both negative and positive results to EI on Wednesday.

Further tests on the import and samples from 73 other horses currently in quarantine at Eastern Creek were taken on Thursday.

Federal Agricultural Minister Tony Burke said the results received today from the testing laboratory at Geelong in Victoria had cleared all 74 horses of EI.

Samples from all 74 horses were also analysed at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute at Camden in NSW and also tested negative.

Burke said he was still waiting the results from a second set of samples results from the Geelong facility to ensure all horses are clear of infection.

“Until we get every test back negative I’m certainly not going to relax on it,” he said.

The racinf industry has been on alert since Wdnesday fearing a repeat of the devastation caused last year when the EI virus escaped from Eastern Creek and infected the general horse populations of NSW and Queensland.

The racing industry was shut down in both states for three months, unprecedented restrictions on horse movement were imposed and the horse breeding industry was severely curtailed.
(Source: Racing & Sports)

Jockey Eddy Lai Wai-ming will soon represent Hong Kong in Seoul, Korea at the 4th International Jockeys Invitation Race Series.

Organised by the Korea Racing Authority, this prestigious challenge takes in four races with the first on Saturday 4 October and three more the following day at the Seoul Race Park’s left-handed all-weather track.

Four other highly regarded jockeys from Australia, Japan, South Africa and the USA will join Lai to compete with five Korean riders for top prize-money of US$20,000 with US$10,000 and US$5,000 for the first and second runners-up. Prize-money is also awarded for a Korea vs World team competition.

The other invited jockeys from overseas are Robert Thompson (record holder for wins in Australia - previous standard 3,322; also rode 32 winners in Hong Kong in the early 1990s), Issei Murata (Group race winner in Japan), Greg Cheyne (Eastern Cape champion in South Africa) and Tony Black (over 5,000 career wins in the USA).

Race conditions:

The average purse is KRW53.9m (US$49,000) and prize-money shall be distributed according to the following percentages: 53% for 1^st; 22% for 2^nd; 13% for 3^rd; 7% for 4^th and 5% for 5^th.   

Points for each race are allocated according to the following method:

Jockeys participating in the series:

The KRA advises the expected minimum weight to be carried is 117lbs.

(Source: HKJC)

The California Horse Racing Board has ruled that Patrick Valenzuela, the talented but troubled jockey whose riding career has been repeatedly interrupted by numerous suspensions due to substance abuse, is ineligible to obtain a riding license in California.

Adopting an order by administrative law judge Daniel Juarez, the CHRB ruled that Valenzuela is permanently ineligible to reapply for, or hold, a jockey license in the state.

The CHRB revoked Valenzuela’s conditional license, which was suspended in December 2007 after the veteran rider was arrested for allegedly being under the influence of alcohol. Terms of the conditional license prohibited the 45-year-old Valenzuela from consuming or possessing alcohol.

A career winner of 3,998 North American races through Thursday, Valenzuela is currently riding at Louisiana Downs. He resumed riding on November 3, 2007, at Zia Park in New Mexico after being away from racing for nearly a year because of injuries.

Valenzuela guided Sunday Silence to victory in the 1989 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1). He also is a career winner of seven Breeders’ Cup races.
(Source: Thoroughbred Times)

In a staggering triumph of petty literalism over common sense, the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) last night came to an incendiary verdict in their challenge to the riding tactics of the most powerful stable in Europe.

Aidan O’Brien, who has prepared 20 Group One winners from Ballydoyle this season, was fined £5,000 and two of his riders, Colm O’Donoghue and Johnny Murtagh, were each suspended for seven days after being found in breach of the rules governing “team tactics” when Duke Of Marmalade won the Juddmonte International Stakes.

The three left for Co Tipperary with no comment, but O’Brien had made his feelings plain in his impassioned evidence to the disciplinary panel.

O’Donoghue, who rode the favourite’s pacemaker at Newmarket, admitted to having been unwittingly in breach of the BHA’s new rules governing horses ridden in the same interest. Riding Red Rock Canyon, he was perceived to have vacated a path on the rail as Murtagh sought a run on Duke Of Marmalade. After the race Murtagh acknowledged to the press that he had depended on O’Donoghue letting him through, although yesterday he clarified that he had simply told O’Donoghue not to get in his way “if he was dying in front”.

It was two years ago this weekend that O’Brien was exonerated of a similar charge following the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot. His indignation that day had been vivid, and he told the panel yesterday that he had subsequently implored all his riders to be scrupulous in ensuring that pacemakers were ridden in such a way that not even the most warped imagination could discover anything sinister.

He claimed the charges came from “fantasy land” and that he and his patrons, at Coolmore Stud, had become “paranoid” about the issue of pacemakers. “The last thing we would ever want is to win any race, anywhere, if anybody thought for one minute that it was anything but fairly run,” he said.

But a revision to the rules last March stressed that it would be an offence for a rider to make any manoeuvre in favour of a stablemate, regardless of any material alteration to the result. Though a number of zealots in the media had urged the BHA to take action, a discreet word in O’Brien’s ear would surely have sufficed. As it is, they have ignited a firestorm that the Ballydoyle counsel, John Kelsey-Fry, feared will “sully and besmirch” a trainer at the pinnacle of his career.

The BHA stressed that they did not impugn anyone’s integrity, and accepted that all three men had been ignorant of the rules. This was no defence, however, and O’Brien was found to have given inadequate instructions. Furthermore they saw fit to punish Murtagh under a rule prohibiting any licensed individual from acting in a fashion prejudicial to the proper conduct of the British sport, a charge that will be taken especially hard by his employers.

O’Brien said he became aware of the new wording of the rules only on St Leger day, earlier this month. But he said that since his last appearance before the panel he had tried to institute a culture among the Ballydoyle riders that would make them immune to any rule governing pacemakers. “We’ve nearly gone paranoid in case they cause interference to any horse,” he said. “It would put a stain on us, and the lads knew it was a mortal sin. No matter what the rule was, [our] instructions couldn’t be wrong.”

The BHA allows seven days for an appeal, starting from the date when its written reasoning reaches Kelsey-Fry. There is no danger of Murtagh missing the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on Sunday week, because there is no Flat racing scheduled in Britain that day.
(Source: Independent)

Jockeys gave Track 2 the thumbs up after three trials on the new Polytrack surface were conducted on Thursday morning.

It was the first set of trials to be conducted on the track since Polytrack replaced the Fibresand surface.

Three heats with fields of five, six and five were conducted over 1000m.

Jockeys all agreed the track rode extremely well. With 10 days to go until the first race is to be held, the surface will continue to improve.

There are at least four races set down for decision on Polytrack on Saturday October 4 with another four to be held the following day. A full Polytrack programme is to be held the following Friday, October 10.

Glowing in his report of Track 2 was Australian jockey Michael Cahill.

“Singapore is lucky to have it,” said Cahill of the new synthetic surface.

“I’ve ridden on two similar types of tracks back home in Australia and I’m a great fan of them.

“The track here is great for both horse and rider. You can hardly feel the horses hitting the ground.

“There is minimal kickback. You can be close to the runner in front of you and not need to be wearing goggles.

“While it’s still a little loose it’s first rate now, but when it consolidates it will be excellent.”

Mark Gallagher, who won the second trial aboard the Michael Clements-trained Golden Scalpel, said the track was lovely to ride on.

“It is still a little loose, but you can feel it getting tighter and tighter by the day,” said Gallagher.

“We still have 10 days to go until the first race will be held on the track. With more trials and work on the track it can only improve further.

“You couldn’t ask for a better track, especially one that has only just been laid. I haven’t ridden on a track that has ridden so well so early after being laid.”

Local rider Matt Kellady, who rode the first trial winner Fighting Spirit for trainer Don Baertschiger, said further consolidation would see the track in excellent order.

“It felt good but just needs a bit more consolidation,” said Kellady. “It just felt a little bit heavy, but once it settles down it will be spot on.”

Jay Ford said that while the track was a little loose, there was little kickback and described the track as “excellent”.

“The horses stretch out brilliantly on it,” he said. “Given that the track is fairly new, horses just seem to float along on it.”

Jockey John Powell has been enthusiastic about the Polytrack surface since it first opened for trackwork just on two weeks ago.

He has seen the track improve day-by-day.

“The track felt fantastic. My horse went great over it - we could have won, but I was happy to just let him coast to the line,” said Powell who rode the Laurie Laxon-trained Royal Palm in trial three.

“The horses have been working over it for a week now and that has helped the track to settle down. It’s just perfect now and it’s ready for racing.”
(Source: Singapore Turf Club)

Only two years after an industry summit apparently settled all debate on the parameters of racing seasons, trainers have proposed a radical change to the way the Flat championships are decided. If they have their way, the season - presently confined between March and November - will stretch for 12 months, ending with the November Handicap at Doncaster and starting again the following day.

Mark Johnston, a vocal proponent of such change, welcomed the possibility but various obstacles have to be cleared first, not least the likelihood of alternative proposals from jockeys and owners. The British Horseracing Authority says it is open to change if all parties can reach common ground and is set to ask the Horseman’s Group to adjudicate.

Rupert Arnold, chief executive of the National Trainers’ Federation (NTF), admits that the matter is “politically sensitive”. He explains: “I know everyone put a lot of work into the industry summit but there has been a change of heart among trainers. Many felt they were being effectively discouraged from having runners on the all-weather if the winners did not count towards the titles.

“The option of a calendar year championship was considered but a season ending on December 31 would be difficult to promote. It was also felt that if jumping could successfully end and start seasons in April, then why could the Flat not do it in November?”

Josh Apiafi, chief executive of the Professional Jockeys’ Association (PJA), has balloted his members on the issue. “We’ll have the results shortly. I can understand the trainers’ point of view but we have to take account of welfare issues relating to a 12-month season.”
(Source: The Times)

On the day that the thoroughbred industry was holding a vaccination summit in Sydney on the question of annual vaccination of the racing and breeding population for equine influenza, comes the news that all 74 horses at the Sydney Eastern Creek quarantine station are being retested for equine influenza (EI) after one horse returned a positive result.

Federal Agriculture Minister Tony Burke reported the news saying that while the horse in question at the Eastern Creek Quarantine Facility had returned a negative result after the same sample was retested, all the horses at the centre would be retested.

The results of all of the horses will be known in the next few days and all would remain in quarantine until there is an all-clear.

“Right at this point, I’m not at the stage of being able to say it’s time to relax because the second result came back as a negative,” Mr Burke told reporters in Canberra.

“We know how devastating it (EI) was a year ago.

“The billion-dollar figure is often quoted, the truth is we’ll never know the full cost of that outbreak.”

NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said there was serious concern the devastating disease was returning to Australia.

“To be quite honest, I was very worried because a national standstill, particularly at this time of the year, if it had got out of Eastern Creek, would be devastating,”said Macdonald.

Macdonald recommended voluntary vaccinations of all horses in NSW in a speech to the Sydney summit.

There is no threat to the current racing population at the moment as they are still immunised after their EI vaccinations after the 2007 EI shut-down of racing. However, unless they are re-vaccinated for EI they will loose that immunisation at the end of the year.
(Source: Thoroughbred News)

Oak Tree’s opening day, Sept. 24, brought sweltering temperatures back to Southern California, almost as if by design to test the new Pro-Ride synthetic surface. The surface heated up, but after the day’s six races over it (the other three being on turf), reviews were generally optimistic.

“It looks really good and felt good in the first race,” said jockey Rafael Bejarano, who won three races on the opening day card. Two of his wins came over the synthetic surface, including the first of the day aboard odds-on favorite Costa Marta. “It looks like it is very fair, and it’s consistent.”

Trainer Marty Jones saddled Costa Marta, a 2-year-old California-bred son of Bertrando he bred in partnership with owner Donald Valpredo. Jones trains at Hollywood Park and had shipped Costa Marta across town to win.

Jockey Aaron Gryder said he has been pleased with the spring that the Pro-Ride track has.

“It comes back much quicker,” he said. “You can see it come back when you’re behind horses.”

Vladimir Cerin, who trains at Santa Anita, finished first with two horses on opening day—Seven Point One and Benchmark Kid. The latter was disqualified to third in a double disqualification.

“The track has been good in the mornings,” said Cerin. “I haven’t had a whole lot of problems with it.”

Ian Pearse of Pro-Ride Racing Australia spent much of the summer overseeing the extensive renovation of Santa Anita’s main surface. Horses trained over it throughout the three-week Los Angeles County Fair meeting at Fairplex Park in Pomona, and overall horsemen have been pleased.

“Considering how well-received it was during the training portion, we were equally as pleased with the results that we had today,” said Santa Anita president Ron Charles. “In talking with owners and trainers, the consistent thing seemed to be that the track was consistent. Times were playing fair, and there wasn’t a variation, which we’ve been striving for and is one of the things we’ve been talking to Ian so much about.”

Pearse returned to Santa Anita from Australia Sept. 22. He was to remain on site through Sept. 27, when Oak Tree has carded six grade I stakes, all of them with Breeders’ Cup ramifications. On opening day, he closely monitored both the morning workouts and afternoon races.

“I have a lot of faith and confidence in Ian,” said Charles. “I think today passed with flying colors.”

Pearse has said that the Pro-Ride track does not require a lot of maintenance, and trainers have urged Santa Anita management not to work the track often.

“There aren’t any intentions of doing anything to the track,” Charles said. “We are taking it on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis, and Ian will continue to evaluate it.”

Winning prices on the six opening-day races over the Pro-Ride track ranged from the $3.40 Costa Marta paid to the $29.20 for Lardog, who was elevated to first upon the double disqualification. Though no horse won on the lead, winners came from second, mid-pack, and far back.

Pearse says that the polymetric binder used in Pro-Ride has more temperature tolerance than synthetic tracks that are wax-based. Charles said that it had not been necessary to water the track on opening day to cool it down.

“Synthetic surfaces are going to get a little warmer (than dirt),” Charles said. “When it gets to that point, then we can water it. But that’s the only reason we would water the track, to cool it off. Wax-based tracks need water to keep them together because when it gets hot, the wax spreads.”

Charles added, “The temperature went from 90-97 degrees (during the races), and the times were about as consistent as you can get.”

The track surface is being closely watched since the Breeders’ Cup World Championships will be run at the track Oct. 24-25, the first time the event will be run over a synthetic surface in its 25-year history.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Eighty three (83) race meetings have been scheduled in 2009 as compared to 78 in 2008. The increase in the number of race meetings is to meet the demands of the increasing horse population at Kranji.

The significant change in the Singapore Racing Fixture 2009 is that, with the exception of the SIA Cup weekend on 16 May 2009 and 17 May 2009, there will be no weekend Singapore race meetings (ie. Saturday races followed by Sunday races). On weekends when the Club is scheduled to hold weekend race meetings under the MRA Fixture, races will be held on Friday nights followed by either Saturday afternoons or Sunday afternoons instead.

This change will allow the Club the opportunity to simulcast more Australian races on Saturdays which are growing in popularity amongst the racing fans. In addition, it will also allow the Club to continue with the simulcast of Hong Kong races on Sundays when Malaysian races and Hong Kong races are scheduled on the same day.

Presently, when Singapore races, Malaysian races and Hong Kong races are scheduled on the same Sunday, the Hong Kong races would not be simulcast. This is in response to feedback from customers who indicated that they would like the Club to continue with the simulcast of Hong Kong races on such days as well.

Click here for the dates
(Source: Singapore Turf Club)

Phumelela has revamped its Summer-Autumn Feature Season from February through April next year and the new-look season includes both a Triple Crown open to all three-year-olds and a Triple Tiara for three-year-old fillies, which collectively will carry bonuses totalling nearly R4 million.

The Triple Crown will span eight weeks with total prize money of R4.5 million. It will comprise the Gauteng Guineas over 1600m on Saturday 28 February (stake R1 million), the SA Classic over 1800m on Saturday 28 March (stake R2 million) and the SA Derby over 2450m on Saturday 25 April (stake R1.5 million).

In addition to the prize money for the individual legs of the series, there will be a R2-million bonus for a horse winning all three legs as well as a bonus of R500 000 for the horse scoring the most points across the three legs. Horses must run in all three legs to qualify for the bonus with points being scored as follows: 10 for first; 7 for second; 5 for third and 3 and for fourth.

The three legs of the Triple Tiara for fillies will be run on the same days as the corresponding Triple Crown legs with the series comprising the Gauteng Fillies Guineas over 1600m (stake R500 000), the SA Fillies Classic over 1800m (stake R1 million) and the SA Oaks over 2450m (stake R750 000). The Triple Tiara will carry a R1 million bonus for a filly winning all three legs, as well as a R250 000 bonus for the filly who amasses the most points over the three legs.

“The Triple Crown was introduced by Phumelela in 1999 and was a huge success with Horse Chestnut winning the inaugural series and pocketing the then bonus of R1 million. Unfortunately, after only a few years the Triple Crown was done away with in favour of national championships, but in conjunction with the Racing Association we are bringing it back bigger and better from next year,” said Robert Garner, Phumelela’s General Manager Marketing and Communications.

“The aim is to make three-year-olds the focal point of the season and together with the Racing Association we want to build both the Triple Crown and the Triple Tiara into mega events going forward. We believe this will benefit horseracing and the breed in all respects, including enhancing the enjoyment of horseracing fans and going a long way to persuading owners of top horses to race their charges in South Africa as three-year-olds and only campaign them internationally as four-year-olds,” Garner added.

As has been the case since 1999, Champions Day will provide a grand finale to the season at the end of April. The final legs of both the Triple Crown and the Fillies Triple Crown will be run on the day, as well as the R2-million Champions Challenge (formerly the Gommagomma Challenge) open to all horses.
(Source: SA Horseracing)

The thoroughbred industry will put its case to vaccinate horses against equine influenza (EI), in the face of strong opposition from government authorities, at a summit in Sydney on Thursday.

Australia’s first outbreak of EI in August last year shut the multi-million dollar racing industry down in NSW and Queensland for three months and curtailed the breeding season.

The state and federal governments maintain that now the disease has been eradicated, vaccination is unnecessary and dangerous because it masks the symptoms of EI which could be present in a different form.

Thoroughbred Breeders’ Australia (TBA) president John Messara said the experience overseas did not support that theory.

Two international equine disease experts have been enlisted to bolster the pro-vaccination case while Messara will address the summit on the economic impacts of last year’s outbreak.

“We managed to contain the loss to a billion dollars, it could have been a lot worse,” Messara said.

“It will cost $10 to $15 million to vaccinate the thoroughbred population which the industry is prepared to pay.

“There are billions of dollars invested in this industry and it must not happen again.”

Australia and New Zealand are the only countries in the world with significant commercial horse populations that do not vaccinate against EI.

Dr David Powell, an equine epidemiologist based at the University of Kentucky, said the continued global movement of thoroughbreds and performance horses meant vaccination was essential.

“If Australia wants to compete internationally it needs to vaccinate,” he said.

“You don’t want to repeat the catastrophic events of last year.

“Technology is evolving all the time and we are able to detect outbreaks in vaccinated populations and contain them.

“If an outbreak occurred, it would not mean racing would stop for any length of time.”

Veterinarians also are divided on the vaccination issue with the chief vets from the states and the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) against it while Professor Dave Hutchins and Dr Jonathan Lumsden from the Randwick Equine Centre have supported it by contributing to the paper to be submitted to the summit.

“It is a fair assumption that we (vets) are divided over vaccination but a large number support it,” Dr Lumsden said.

“The AVA represents all veterinarians who work with all species and the government vets also look after all animals.

“As an equine vet I believe vaccination is important and would certainly reduce the impact of another outbreak.”

Dr Jane Axon, president of Equine Veterinarians Australia, a special interest group of the AVA, said her organisation, which represented all horses, was against vaccination.

“The AVA does not support ongoing vaccination and this will not stop another outbreak,” she said.

“Only strong and effective quarantine systems can keep this disease out of the country.”

The Callinan inquiry into the EI outbreak found the government-run quarantine centre at Sydney’s Eastern Creek to be at fault.

Rudimentary protocols were not followed and the disease escaped into the general horse population after most likely being brought into Australia by a stallion imported from Japan.

Tests on samples taken from horses housed at Victoria’s Spotswood centre showed the presence of EI in those horses but it did not escape the quarantine station.

Much of the thoroughbred and standardbred population was vaccinated after the outbreak was detected and will be due to receive further inoculations towards the end of the year while the horses which contracted EI have run out of the natural immunity generated by the disease.

The recommendations from the summit will be handed down in November.
(Source: AAP)

Trainer Larry Jones, who earlier this year saddled the winner of the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) and the following day had a filly finish second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), said he plans to retire by the end of 2009.

“It is just time to quit,” Jones said Sept. 23. “We have been very blessed. We have reached a level that 25 years ago I never knew we could ever reach, in the caliber of horses we have and the races we won. I had the best year of my career this year. Lots of very good things have happened and lots of bad things have happened.”

Jones, who is assisted in his stable by his wife, Cindy, cited a number of reasons for retiring, but acknowledged that the huge media coverage surrounding the death of Eight Belles was a “wakeup call.” Eight Belles broke down and died after her impressive second-place finish behind Big Brown in this year’s Derby, one day after Jones won the Oaks with Proud Spell. In addition to Proud Spell and Eight Belles, Jones’ other most prominent trainee was Hard Spun, the 2006 Derby runner-up who ran third in that year’s Preakness Stakes (gr. I).

“It definitely took a lot of the fun out of it,” Jones said of the toll that the filly’s death had on him, his wife, and the stable. “This was a hard thing to get over. Every day something reminds us of what happened.”

Jones, a Hopkinsville, Ky., native whose horsemanship skills took him from Ellis Park in western Kentucky to the upper echelon of the North American training ranks, said he will phase out his stable over the course of the next year. As long as the better horses in his barn continue to excel he will train them, but will not replace them once they retire and will let other horses that are no longer competitive at the top levels of racing go to other barns.

“Hopefully, I will be out within a year,” Jones said. “I will try to see them through their careers, although some are 2-year-olds. If I have any good 3-year-olds next year, I will go through the (Triple Crown races) with them. I would hope to shut it down after the Breeders’ Cup of 2009.”

Other factors behind Jones’ decision include several tampering incidents that have occurred at his barn this year and the personnel problems on the backstretch. “We still like what we do, which is training horses, but there are so many issues any more. It’s a sign.”

Jones also alluded to the difference between training on a small scale and life at the top as adding to this decision. “I have to become a manager rather than being a trainer. That’s what I want to do, is train the horse. Of course, we’re on a different level now. We’re strung out with divisions in several locations. And no matter where I am on a Saturday afternoon, the other owner thinks I should be there (where their horse is running). I like to be the guy who puts that saddle on the horse. But I can’t do it all. It has a price to pay.”

Jones said his experience in elevating his stable has taught him how tough it can be at the top.

“You have to be careful when you are envious of the top guys,” he explained. “You couldn’t understand their whole perspective. My hat is off to them, especially those who have horses in different places. I don’t know how they do it. My admiration for them is more than ever. How they can keep the owners happy, I just don’t understand it.”

While he is retiring, Jones said he would not rule out a return to training some day, but on a much smaller scale. “I am not going to say I will never train again. We will see what happens. We have never had any time off. I have taken 10 days off in the last 25 years.”

While his plans are uncertain, Jones noted, “I am not going to climb under a rock. I am going to find something to do in racing that is constructive.”

Jones said his family still owns a farm in Hopkinsville, which he operated before becoming a full-time trainer, as well a home in Henderson, Ky.
(Source: The Blood-Horse)

Updated plans of a multi-million pound redevelopment of Newbury Racecourse are to be unveiled.

The proposals include a £7.5m access bridge to help ease traffic problems in Newbury town centre on race days, a new hotel and 1,500 new homes.

Exhibitions will be held daily at the course between Thursday and Saturday where feedback will be welcomed.

A planning application is expected to be submitted to West Berkshire District Council in the coming months.

Golf course

The multi-million pound redevelopment includes a 120-bed hotel and improvements to the current racing and golfing facilities.

There will also be 1,500 new homes built on land no longer required for racing activities on the northern side of the course.

Sarah Hordern, managing director of property development and finance at Newbury Racecourse, says: “Newbury Racecourse is an historic Grade I course that needs redeveloping to assure its long-term sustainable future.

“Currently, we only race 30 days a year. If we are to compete with other courses, we need to maximise our potential and make our non-race days count.

“The improved racecourse will have a vibrant community, both residential and commercial, that will be well-integrated into Newbury town.”
(Source: BBC)

Aidan O’Brien and Colm O’Donoghue will face the disciplinary panel of the British Horseracing Authority on Thursday over a possible breach of the “team tactics” rules in last month’s Juddmonte International Stakes.

O’Donoghue was riding the pacemaker Red Rock Canyon in the Group One event and the BHA will look into whether he moved off the rail purposefully to help Johnny Murtagh and stablemate Duke Of Marmalade take the gap and eventually win the race.

He could be found in breach of rule 153(iv)(a) “by making a manoeuvre in the interests of a horse from the same stable.”

O’Brien could fall foul of Rule 153(vi) “in that the trainer of a horse whose rider found in breach of Rule 153(iv) is deemed guilty of an offence unless he is able to satisfy the stewards that he instructed his rider to treat every other horse in the race without favour.”

The panel will also consider whether or not Murtagh has committed a breach of Rule 220(i) or 220(iii), in that he “instructed, directed or encouraged Mr O’Donoghue to ride in the way he did.”
(Source: Sky Sports)