THE AUSTRALIAN THOROUGHBRED INDUSTRY CAN’T EVEN BREED ENOUGH DECENT HORSES TO MAKE REASONABLE SIZE FIELDS IN $250,000 RACES

27/09/13

Whilst there is a plethora of Group racing happening in Sydney and Melbourne over this weekend, it’s quite easy to sit back and smell the roses and peruse the problems that have beset the thoroughbred breeding industry in this country. Not only is the numbers of broodmares being served annual diminishing from where we were at a decade ago, but from that remaining pool of 17,000 or 18,000 foals that first see the light of day in Australia each year, we are flat out breeding enough decent horses to make up Group race fields.

Sydney’s Rosehill meeting tomorrow vindicates what I have just stated in the previous paragraph. Six of the eight races are black type events yet Race 2 which is a 3YO race worth a cool $250,000 in total prizemoney, has attracted only seven acceptors. Then one of those seven acceptors is already scratched, so now there are six. Then we have a Maiden called Desk Top drawn straight into the field. There’s also Best Case and his only previous win was by a short half head in a Gosford Maiden, so in reality he could go around in a Class 1 at Woop Woop tomorrow. So it’s little wonder the same often questionable 3YO’s keep earning the black type. For instance take Criterion – with form of 6-6-0-0. By a process of eliminations through scratching and a Maiden in the field, he has no option but to become either a Group 2 winner, or a Group 2 placegetter after this race tomorrow, yet do you think he’s a genuine Group 2 horse?

Race 3 on the Rosehill card is a Quality handicap over 2400 metres. I acknowledge that Julienas is what I’d call “a nice horse”, but the rest of the field are pretty much what I’d call “B-graders.” There’s only seven left in it presently and of those seven many are questionable types, as I’m Imposing hasn’t won for 35 months, Polish Knight hasn’t scored for 17 months and Wazn’s won just one race – and that was in a photo – in the last 20 months. Less Is More is hardly a budding star of the Australian turf as he’s won only two races in the last 18 months – one by a neck and the other by a long head.

So whether you’re looking at 3YO’s or older horses we are seriously struggling to provide much quality in our better Group races.

Head south of Rosehill and it doesn’t get any better. In Melbourne tonight a Maiden galloper named Shamus Award will carry the number one saddlecloth in their 3YO feature – the Group 2 Bill Stutt Stakes. In the ranks of the older horses in Melbourne tonight Mr Moet hasn’t won a race for 9 months, yet the Handicapper has given him 3.5 kgs more than any of the other pretenders in that Group 3 feature, which boasts total prizemoney of $200,000. To show us how bad the JRA Cup field is, t he Handicapper has weighted 11 of the 13 runners on the minimum. That’s always a bad look for the “class” of a race.

Then to show how bad the 3YO’s are down there in Melbourne, Miracle of Life, despite being what I’d call “totally pathetic” when resuming on 31/8/13 is $2.40 to beat the crew that have been nominated against her.

So I blame the thoroughbred breeding industry for the black type problem that we have in this country, as at the end of day they are supposed to be providing stallions that would reasonably be expected to upgrade the thoroughbred gene pool. I’m amazed at the huge number of what I would call “crappy stallions” that stand in Australia at varying service fees and yet many amazingly get 100+ mares a year, even though broodmare owners should know that it is an absolute waste of time and money patronizing such stallions. They’re already proven “failed stallions”, yet year in and year out broodmare owners support the trash, when in reality these stallions should be standing in Vietnam or China – if they are standing anywhere at all.

The Chief Handicapper Lester Grimmett has sent the scaled weights through for Eagle Farm tomorrow and they read – Race 3 + 1 kg, Race 4 – 1 kg, Race 5 + 0.50 kg, Race 6 + 3.5 kgs, Race 7 – 1 kg and Race 8 + 1.5 kg.

The Brisbane Racing Club Track Manager Bill Shuck has advised the website late today that the Eagle Farm track is currently a “good 3”. Bill added, “The track has been copping plenty of racing lately, but it has bounced back well. We’ve put around 40mm on the track this week. It looks good and it will race as a good track all day provided we don’t get any rain. The rail is out 4 metres.”

Don’t forget that Luxbet are the banner advertisers on Justracing throughout the Spring Carnival and they have some terrific offers happening. It’s just a matter of clicking on the banners to peruse them all. In respect of the special offers over this particular weekend, here’s some of them:

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The apprentice jockey weights at Eagle Farm tomorrow should be:

JOCKEY

WEIGHT

Rikki Jamieson

50.0 claims 3 kgs.

Tegan Harrison

50.0 claims 1.5 kgs.

Luke Tarrant

48.0 claims 3 kgs.

Kirk Matheson

52.5 claims 3 kgs.

Janette Johnson

53.0 claims 3 kgs.

Aidan Holt

54.5 claims 3 kgs.

Anthony Allen

50.0 claims 1.5 kgs.

Geoffrey Goold

54.0 claims 3 kgs.

Alisha Taylor

51.0 claims 3 kgs.

Maija Vance

54.5 claims 2 kgs.

Matt McGuren

55.0 claims 3 kgs.

 

Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au I preview tonight’s Bill Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley. On www.sydneyracing.com.au I look at “long term losers” for Moonee Valley tonight, Rosehill tomorrow and Caulfield Sunday. On www.melbourneracing.com.au Matt Nicholls looks at Melbourne racing.

 

The Postman is in fine form and he’s sent his thoughts through for tomorrow which read:

On what is another bumper weekend of sport & racing kicking off with Moonee Valley this evening, my best advice is to pick your battles carefully if you want to make the distance to the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes late on Sunday afternoon. With that in mind, I think Your Honour will be very hard to beat in the Shannon Stakes @ Rosehill tomorrow. Your Honour had a late but perfect start to his racing career with 4 wins from his first 4 starts. After a decent spell, Your Honour returned to racing @ Sandown Lakeside over 1200m in late August, where he ran a super race. After beginning slowly he was ridden quietly back last until approaching the home turn. He was then taken to the outside and was still last & widest at the 400m. Your Honour then powered home down the middle of the track to finish fourth, recording excellent late sectionals in the process. His stablemate Hosting won the race, after having a much better run in transit. Trainer Greg Eurell then sent both horses to Sydney & Hosting franked the Sandown form by winning last start & Rosehill two weeks ago over 1400m. Your Honour contested the G2 Theo Marks on the same day, and his effort was again full of merit. From a wide gate he drifted back in the field to settle near last. Rain Affair ran them along fairly well & approaching the 600m Your Honour had his momentum stopped monetarily by the horse in front of him, before he got going again & found a split upon straightening. Your Honour once again powered home & worked right to the line for third, nearly nabbing the classy Solzhenitsyn for second. His closing sectionals were the best in the race, and it’s important to note that the overall time was nearly 2 seconds faster than Hosting’s win earlier in the day. I thought the run of Your Honour sets him up perfectly for tomorrow’s assignment.

There are a few things in Your Honour’s favour tomorrow that should see him very hard to hold out. Firstly, with Ashokan & Our Desert Warrior in the race, the tempo should be solid. This should allow jockey Brenton Avdulla to settle Your Honour midfield at worst, hopefully with cover. The step up to 1500m looks ideal, and he stays down in the weights @ 53kg. The good track suits and he would’ve gained a lot of benefit from a run on the track. If he’s given a good run in transit tomorrow, I can see Your Honour peeling to the outside on straightening & mowing them down late to score. I think he’s got more upside than most here, and I think this is the right race at the right time.

Luxbet opened Your Honour @ $4.6 which I think is overs, as I have him marked @ 11/4 or $3.75.

Rosehill 7-8 Your Honour.

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