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.
This is a preview of Racing Victoria Stuns Horsemen, Bans 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?
November 16, 2009 – 10:32 am
Twenty-three titles made the grade for the 2009 Irish Sports Book of the Year. Not surprisingly, Dermot Weld’s account of some of his greatest gallopers is one of the contenders.
Racing fans will no doubt be riveted by the behind-the-scenes look at the workings of Roswell House. I enjoyed seeing the way Dermot’s coy answers to my questions were just the tip of the iceberg. How did he nurse Vintage Crop back to health for the 1993 Melbourne Cup? Why didn’t he give up on Media Puzzle, a runner whose career had so many setbacks?
Best of luck, Dermot.
November 12, 2009 – 6:39 pm
During my whirlwind tour of the Melbourne Cup Carnival and the Breeders’ Cup, one of the most surprising developments I witnessed was that the world’s winningest stables was almost completely written off by the pundits and the betting public.
On the first Tuesday in November at Flemington in the Melbourne Cup, Crime Scene with 2000 Cup winner Kerrin McEvoy up went off at 40-1. As we all know, McEvoy’s runner took the lead 3 furlongs out and finished a strong second to Shocking.
This is a preview of Godolphin: Overlooked and Under Appreciated
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By eok
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Posted in Race Coverage
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Tagged Ahmed Ajtebi, Bob Baffert, Breeders' Cup World Championships, Flemington, Kentucky Derby, Kerrin McEvoy, Lookin At Lucky, Melbourne Cup, Saeed bin Suroor, Santa Anita Park, Sheikh Mohammed
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November 11, 2009 – 6:21 pm
This is fun. This is what horseracing is all about.
The racing writers at The Times have set up their own match race pitting Rachel Alexandra against Zenyatta for Horse of the Year. Both the filly and the mare have beaten the boys, and it’s up to us to decide who is the more deserving of the two.
Jay Schreiber makes the case for Rachel Alexandra. He cites three important wins on three different surfaces in three different states – the Preakness, the Haskell, and the Woodward. In almost any other year, this sweep would seal the deal for Horse of the Year honors.
This is a preview of Cast Your Vote for Horse of the Year at The Times
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November 9, 2009 – 8:38 pm
Now I’ve done it.
First, I got back from Down Under and started mouthing off about how the media doesn’t get horseracing here in the U.S.
But they get it in Australia, which is why the massive crowd last week at the Melbourne Cup dwarfed the one at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships at Santa Anita.
Next thing you know I went and put my thoughts down on paper. Now my rant is live at Huffington Post!
Click HERE to have a read, and feel free to let me know if I’m on the money or off the mark.
November 9, 2009 – 4:59 am
Thoroughbred racing’s global appeal was in full swing this weekend at Santa Anita Park during the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Countless connections were on hand, including two-time Melbourne Cup winner Dermot Weld, pictured here with owner Anthony Bonomo prior to the Gr. 1 Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies.
The Irish trainer confirmed for me that Profound Beauty was scratched from this year’s Melbourne Cup by Moyglare Stud because of concerns about the track conditions at Flemington this spring.
“She’s a valuable mare worth millions of dollars, and the risks associated with running her on such hard ground were too great,” he said.
November 3, 2009 – 4:28 pm
Corey Brown on Shocking edges Kerrin McEvoy aboard Crime Scene to win the 2009 Melbourne Cup.
Trainer Mark Kavanagh scored his first Melbourne Cup as did jockey Corey Brown, who piloted Shocking to triumph in the 2009 Melbourne Cup before a crowd of 102,161. Godolphin’s lone entry, Crime Scene, ran a gallant second three-quarters of a length back, and Mourilyan, a runner owned by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov, ran third.
Cups King Bart Cummings, who had been on target to win his 13th Melbourne Cup with defending champion Viewed, had to settle for seventh with his best credentialled runner. Cummings’s other two entries, Roman Emperor and Allez Wonder, ran 21st and 16th.
November 2, 2009 – 7:54 am
On the Sunrise Set With Mark Beretta
All credit where credit is due: Mark Beretta and the crew from Sunrise turned a soggy Melbourne morning into an unforgettable experience along the banks of the Yarra River outside the Crown Casino.
See for yourself right HERE.
We covered a lot of ground, and I would be remiss if I failed to commend the show’s researchers for digging up the awesome footage from the races I mentioned.
P.S. If your curious about the black-and-white clip, it’s from the 1896 Melbourne Cup, which was won by Newhaven.
