February 2, 2010 – 5:46 pm
Rumor has it that one of the world’s best known Thoroughbred owners might possibly attend the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup this November. Today at Flemington Racecourse, Victorian Racing Minister Rob Hulls refused to say whether or not the Queen had been invited to attend Australia’s most prestigious Thoroughbred contest.
“I know that the Queen is a great racing fan, and I honestly don’t know whether or not she has any plans to come here,” Hulls told reporters. Nor would he confirm if Premier John Brumby had extended an invitation to Her Majesty during their meeting at Balmoral last year.
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January 19, 2010 – 7:29 pm
Brian O’Connor of The Irish Times pours on the praise for the new book by the Master of Rosewell House, two-time Melbourne Cup winner Dermot Weld:
“Vintage Crop told the story of his famous 1993 success in the Melbourne Cup, a victory that quite literally changed the face of the racing world, and which cemented Weld’s place in the sport’s history.”
As with any Weld enterprise, the book was no fluke. Instead, as O’ Connor points out, it was a long-held dream. “His interest in literature was famously illustrated just minutes after that famous Melbourne Cup when he quoted long passages of the legendary bush poet Banjo Patterson to a startled Australian press corps.”
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January 13, 2010 – 11:41 am
At Government House in Melbourne with John in November 2009.
With the New Year comes a changing of the guard at the venerable Irish Turf Club as former Curragh chairman John McStay has succeeded Nick Wachman as Senior Steward.
Thoroughbred fans worldwide know the Turf Club as the be-all and end-all of Irish racing. It dates back to the dawn of time – 1790 to be precise – and in addition to serving as the regulatory body for horseracing in Ireland, it is responsible for flat, national hunt racing, and point to point racing in all Ireland.
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January 8, 2010 – 11:20 am
Zenyatta took to the track on Wednesday for her third workout at Hollywood Park since her decisive victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and subsequent “retirement” by owners Jerry and Ann Moss. The 6-year-old worked a half-mile in 48 seconds.
Naturally, this level of activity coupled with her undisputed appeal has spurred talk of a return to racing for the great mare, but trainer John Shirreffs insists that is not the case.
“That decision is Mr. Moss’s and he hasn’t said anything other than what he said after the Breeders’ Cup,” Shirreffs says.
Read more HERE.
December 11, 2009 – 12:10 pm
The New York Racing Association has taken a zero-tolerance stance on horse slaughter. NYRA CEO Charles Hayward announced the decision on Thursday.
“We are fully committed to protecting our sport’s equine athletes,” said Hayward. “This policy sends the message that horse slaughter will not be tolerated and that those participating in this practice, either knowingly or for lack of due diligence, will not be welcome at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, or Saratoga.”
The new policy language is quite specific, and the punishment severe:
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December 8, 2009 – 9:53 am
We’ve all marveled at Michael Kinane’s peerless career: a breathtaking series of victories around the globe, including the Epsom Derby, the Japan Cup, the Belmont Stakes, and of course the 1993 Melbourne Cup on Vintage Crop, considered one of the greatest achievements in Thoroughbred racing history.
But when the 50-year-old Irishman announced his retirement today after a sensational season on Sea the Stars, note who he credits first:
“I leave with a huge sense of gratitude to all the great horses I have ridden, all the great trainers whose genius developed those champions, and everybody else in racing, from the stable lads to the owners, who have made me deeply thankful for my involvement in the game.”
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November 29, 2009 – 6:04 pm
The capital of Australian racing has banned steeplechase and jumps racing. The controversial decision was announced late last week by Racing Victoria Chairman Michael Duffy. Animal welfare groups naturally greeted the news with unabashed enthusiasm, but many horsemen are bewildered by the decision, which effectively ends a 150-year old tradition in Victoria.
According to published reports, 10 horses have died this year in Victoria during compulsory trials and races.
The ban, which takes effect after the 2010 season, means that South Australia will be the only state left in the country to allow jumps racing.
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November 24, 2009 – 11:15 am
Here’s a first look at the movie poster for The Cup, which Executive Producer Kirk D’Amico and his team at Myriad Pictures took to the American Film Market last month in Santa Monica. The poster and a synopsis ran at Collider.com.
Based on the determined looks etched across every face pictured on the poster, you would think there is not a single lighthearted moment in the film. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
This is a preview of The Cup Goes to AFM
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November 18, 2009 – 8:00 pm
A lot of comments about my recent Huffington Post piece on the avalanche of media coverage at the Melbourne Cup Carnival versus the minimalist approach exercised by American newspapers at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita.
This article by Tony Arrold ran in The Australian on Monday. Arrold, who is the newspaper’s Sydney racing writer, brings up several points, and he got me thinking:
Damien Oliver has raced all over the world – Europe, Asia, and even out of the way places such as Mauritius. Should Ollie give it a go in the States?
