Ruscello Gets Entry To Melbourne Cup

Saturday, 02 November 2013 02:51

A gritty all the way win by Ruscello qualified him for a run in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup but is regarded as at best a 50:50 chance to run.

Winning trainer Ed Walker said of the Cape Cross gelding bred in Ireland:

"To be honest, it has to be no until the horse tells us yes because he’s only four and he’s just won the biggest race of his life and to ask him to run the next biggest race of his life three days later is a bit unfair."

"At this stage I think it has to be pretty unlikely."

Ruscello Hold Out Let's Make Adeal

Although marked as a five year old in Australian form guides, Ruscello was a late April foal which makes him only a four year old. According to part owner Terry Henderson, the Spring preparation for Ruscello is a bit of an experiment with the expectation that he will be more competitive next year.

Racing Victoria handicapper Greg Carpenter was not overly impressed by today's win, declining to apply a weight penalty to Ruscello for the Cup.

"It was one of the slowest run Lexus Stakes in years", he remarked.

Ruscello is undoubtedly a horse on the up with his rating likely to increase from a lowly 80 to 100 or so as a result of today's win. However today's Group 3 win against moderate opposition is a far cry from the proven Group 1 competitors he will be up against in the Melbourne Cup.

Winning jockey Kerrin McEvoy brought up a double with riding tactics very similar to those he used in winning the Carbine Club Stakes aboard Paximadia. He led all the way, allowing the horse to have an easy time to the home turn and then challenging the others to try and get past him in the straight.

Let's Make Adeal ($8-$9.50) tried valiantly to do just that but Ruscello ($11-$12-$11) was not going to let the mare get past him. The favourite Araldo ($4.20-$5.00-$4.20) ran home well from eighth at the 800m but failed by a couple of lengths to overhaul the winner, finishing in third place.

Ruscello

McEvoy ignored Walker's riding instructions but the trainer wasn't complaining.

"Kerrin has done a magnificent job because I gave him two instructions. One was to get cover and the other was not to hit the front too early so lucky he didn’t listen to me", Walker said.

McEvoy's post race comments were all predicated on Ruscello running in the Melbourne Cup.

"He’s a very genuine horse and he stepped up today to win and he’d be a completive chance in the Cup", he said.

"If he pulls up well you’ve got to have a look at him for sure and he’s a lightly raced horse that’s going to get into the field at 20 or 30 to one so you might as well have a crack."

"He’s not slow picking up and attacking the line so if he gets some cover in the Cup and relaxes better it will help him see the trip out and it will be interesting to see how he goes."

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

This Will Get Your Hearts Racing!

Tuesday, 05 February 2013 21:18

Kaleske Wins At Moonee ValleyCyberhorse's Hearts Racing is a new concept in horse racing designed to introduce the Sport of Kings to people at an affordable cost. In a first for the promotion of racing worldwide, Hearts Racing has equine welfare as its major focus - addressing commonly held concerns about how horses are trained and caring for its own horses in retirement as well as supporting horse based charities such as Horses for Hope.

With 13 superb thoroughbreds, Hearts Racing members will have plenty to take an interest in as we develop the team.

While Hearts Racing will certainly be of interest to punters, we want to share the development of our horses with our members, from their initial education through to their first jumpouts and their racing careers. Only a small proportion of the population are avid punters while many more are interested in horse racing as a sport.

We see no reason why potential racing fans can't be fascinated with how the game is played and following the ups and downs of their team just as they are with other sports like football.

The Hearts Racing concept has evolved over a number of years with our initial 5 horse trial team all winning races. Among these Kaleske won at Moonee Valley and Mystera won at Sandown and Morphettville. We are confident that the new team will also be successful.

Membership in Hearts Racing is available for just $199 a year. Couples can pursue their heart's desire for just $299 a year. The web site is here .

Great Oaks Trial From Kirramosa

Saturday, 02 November 2013 02:09

Kiwi filly Kirramosa showed she is a force to be reckoned with in next Thursday's Oaks with a last to first win in the Wakeful Stakes at Flemington this afternoon.

Dropped out to last by Tommy Berry, Kirramosa was content to lob along while Star Fashion made the pace. Coming to the home turn, Berry moved his mount off the fence and let her lengthen stride.

Kirramosa Wins the Wakeful Stakes

After balancing up Kirramosa ($8.50-$9.50) finished full of running out wide to gobble up the leaders at the 100 metre mark. She went on to win by a length and a quarter from May's Dream ($2.50-$2.60-$2.25) with a half length to Solicit ($7-$8-$7.50). Arabian Gold battled on for fourth.

Berry was thrilled with his first ride for the Flemington Carnival:

"I wanted to come down and win a Group race and to do it on the first day of the Carnival with my first ride is a great feeling but all credit goes to the trainer", he said.

"She just cruised around the back and doesn’t really use any energy in the run and she only had to sprint for two furlongs."

"They just went at a nice tempo but they really quickened up from the half mile and I gave her a little click and she really picked herself up and towed me into the straight and was always going to be hard to beat."

"You look at her previous form and you could see she had a devastating turn of foot so she’ll be hard to beat in the Oaks now and it’s just a pity they’ve already got Nash (Rawiller)."

Kirramosa

Trainer John Sargent explained that he was not originally planning to run in the Wakeful.

"That’s why I booked Nash Rawiller (for the Oaks) because she was going to go straight into it but at the end of last week she was jumping out of her skin and probably doing too well."

"You can’t go into an Oaks without having the distance and she was probably going to be too fresh going from a mile to 2500m so we changed our tack and it worked today."

Sargent has a high opinion of the Kirramosa, one of the first progeny of former top liner Alamosa which stands at Wellfield Stud in New Zealand.

"She’s always shown she’s had ability right from when she won her first start in New Zealand and her second start was fourth in a Group 1 so she's had that class."

Sargent is confident that today's run is the perfect conclusion to Kirramosa's Oaks preparation.

"As long as she comes through it she’ll be spot on for Thursday", he said.

"She is a very laid back filly and nothing worries her."

Photos: Fiona Tomlin

2040club Business Summit at Moonee Valley

Tuesday, 29 January 2013 22:05

Paul RoosThe 2040club is super excited to announce the running of our inaugural business summit set for Friday the 1st of March 2013.

We have assembled a Group 1 line up of special guest speakers which include AFL premiership coach *Paul Roos*, highly successful business leader and former CEO of Toll Holdings *Paul Little*and last but not least, *Danny Rogers* co-founder of the now global Laneway Festival and manager of massive music acts Gotye and The Temper Trap.

Held in conjunction with the Moonee Valley Racing Club and promoted as 2040club "Best of Breed" Business Summit, the day is being pitched at small/medium sized business owners, senior business managers and professionals throughout Melbourne.

The Business Summit is the first of it's kind for the 2040club and judging by the attendance and participation success of all events we have held to date, we expect participation to be at a high level which will grow exponentially in the coming years. Expected numbers for this year's summit will exceed 250 influential like-minded businesswomen and men. Our vision is to create a dynamic Business Summit that will become a 'must go to' annual fixture.

The event will conclude with summit attendees accessing a room on course with a view of the racetrack for the more social and netowrking aspect of the event. Here everyone will enjoy a night at the Moonee Valley Racing Club. During the races attendees will enjoy refreshments and canapés, an MC will manage a punters club and keep attendees up to date on what is happening on the racetrack. Other entertainment will be provided on the night.

Here's a bit more on our very special guests.

*PAUL ROOS*

Sydney Swans coach and 2005 Australian Sports Coach of the Year is one of Australia's most admired sporting personalities whose leadership skills are transforming the way coaches approach their work. Newspaper columnist, television host and commentator, author and professional speaker, he is regarded as one of Australia's leading motivational keynote presenters.

Paul will discuss;

• Creating a winning team culture
• Delivering results under pressure
• Finding a way to win against the trend
• Succession planning – for long term continued success
• Finding and nurturing talent
• The importance of winning in the Sydney market to grow AFL

*PAUL LITTLE*

Mr Paul Little became Toll Holdings' Managing Director in 1986. Under Paul's leadership, Toll grew to become the Asian region's leading provider of logistics services, including road, rail, air, sea freight and warehousing.

Toll was floated in 1993 with a market capitalisation of $60 million and peaked in size in 2007 at $16 billion.

Mr Little won the inaugural Trans-Tasman Business Leader Award in 2005, the CA / Zurich Business Leader Award in 2002, and has led a team that has achieved significant growth for all Toll Holdings shareholders since well prior to the Group listing in 1993. In 2008, Mr Little was awarded the Doctor of Business honoris causa by RMIT University.

Paul will discuss;

• The secrets to growing Toll
• Winning in business
• Lessons learnt from many complex deals
• Transferring your knowledge from one sector to another
• What makes a good acquisition

*DANNY ROGERS *

Danny Rogers is co-founder and promoter of the hugely successful St Jerome Laneway Festival which is now in its ninth year. Laneway festival is held in three countries across seven cities selling over 75,000 tickets a year.

The growth of the event has been extraordinary considering the first

Laneway Festival, held in Melbourne, sold just 1400 tickets.

In addition to this Danny is manager of two of Australia's most successful international and local artists of the past 30 years: Gotye (with John Watson) and The Temper Trap.

Under Rogers management, collectively they have sold over 6 million albums and 17 million singles worldwide. Other awards include 21 ARIA awards, 4 grammy nominations, number 1 single for "Sweet Disposition" and "Somebody I Used To Know" in over 37 countries and a record 8 weeks at number 1 for Gotye's "Somebody I Used To Know" SIUTK, which was also the highest selling single in the world in 2012.

Danny will discuss;

• Taking an Australian artist global
• How we used YouTube, iTunes and social media to grow
• The importance of delivering a great live experience
• Building a loyal fan base
• Being true to your brand - what you say no to as much as what you say yes to

For more information on this event click here.

Darley Wins Carbine Club Stakes With Paximadia

Saturday, 02 November 2013 01:23

The Darley owned Paximadia led all the way to win the Carbine Club Stakes at Flemington on Derby Day.

Rated expertly in front by Kerrin McEvoy, Paximadia ($8-$11-$10) had an easy time of it until the home turn. McEvoy then kicked him a further length or so clear and he had enough in reserve to win by a long neck from warm favourite Hucklebuck ($1.95-$2.05) with a length to third placed Equator ($4.20-$3.90-$4.20).

Paximadia wins the Carbine Club Stakes

After winning well over 1410m at Flemington on the 5th of October, Paximadia put in a shocking run at Caulfield in the Gothic Stakes on the 19th, finishing eighth.

Trainer Peter Snowden explained:

"We made the blue of letting them cross us the other day and he got shuffled back in the field and he's not the same horse when he's back in the run but today we announced that we wanted to be positive and dictate the race."

"It was good to see the horse bounce back today because I was bitterly disappointed about Caulfield."

"I probably thought the favourite (Hucklebuck) would pressure me a bit more but this fellow has done a good job", McEvoy observed.

"He quickened up nicely and its good to see him improve up to the mile and I would think he can again improve over a little bit further."

While Paximadia was enjoying soft sectionals in the lead, Dom Tourner on Hucklebuck let him get away with it and was left 5 lengths off the winner when he quickened. That poor judgement was the difference between first and second.

The David Hayes trained I Am Titanium worked home well from back in the field and should be competitive in a weaker race. Similarly the Cummings trained maiden Saintly was not disgraced, running sixth only 3 lengths off the winner.

Paximadia was bred by Darley Stud by their stallion Commands from the Fantastic Light mare Lalona.

Photos: Fiona Tomlin & Quentin J Lang

Tanby Gives Williams More Feature Success

Saturday, 17 November 2012 05:46

An extraordinary spring ended with more success for Lloyd Williams when Tanby added the race named after one of the owner's all-time favourite horses at Sandown on Saturday.

TanbyTanby ($7.50) proved to be the strongest stayer in the Group Two Zipping Classic (2400), claiming a three-quarter length win that gave the Williams family its fifth win in the race in the past six years and their sixth in the past 10.

"If there's a race other than the Melbourne Cup that we wanted to win it's this one," said part-owner Nick Williams.

"Zipping was Dad's favourite horse, it's a special win."

Zipping won the race named in his honour four times in succession from 2007 and was at Sandown to lead the field out on Saturday.

While Tanby is unlikely to reach the same level as his former stablemate, he will get his chance to improve on his record in the autumn.

"The Sydney Cup looks like the sort of race that'll suit him, so that's on the cards for now," Williams said.

With a little more luck Tanby would have been given the chance to add to the Williams dominance of the Melbourne Cup the stable won with Green Moon, only to miss out by a couple of spots to make the final 24.

"He only had 53 (kilograms) which would have been a nice weight for a horse who's shown he's an out-and-out stayer," Williams said.

TanbyAs was the situation in the Melbourne Cup, the stable's top pick was the Irish-bred Mourayan who ran a similar race at Sandown the one that had him looking the winner 300m from the finish at Flemington.

"I was focused on Mourayan until the 300 (metres) and then Tanby just swept past them," Williams said.

Tanby held off the strong finish of Exceptionally ($7.50) who had 1-3/4 lengths to spare over third placegetter Precedence ($9).

Unlike the Melbourne Cup, the finish of the Zipping Classic was all-Australian with each of the three placegetters being bred locally.

The Zipping also brought an end to a frustrating spring for the runner-up Exceptionally.

After controversially missing a run at Flemington in October because of the firmness of the track, the mare has been placed at her past two and will also be aimed at the Sydney Cup in the autumn with another Melbourne Cup campaign planned next spring.

Photos: Quentin Lang

Racing Victoria Runs Retrainer Clinic

Thursday, 28 February 2013 02:13

In mid-February Racing Victoria ran its first clinic for ex-racehorse retrainers at the Elcho Park equestrian complex near Geelong. Approved retrainers came from all over Victoria to hear from and work with equine behaviour expert Jonathan McLean and dressage rider and trainer Caroline Bentley.

Caroline Bentley presents her part of the seminar

Support from Racing Victoria for their 15 retrainers is intended to assist them to improve their skills across a number of areas including hands on horse handling as well as the business and legal aspects of preparing ex-racehorses for subsequent resale.

It is encouraging to see Racing Victoria getting behind such a training day which can only help to improve the knowledge level and  professionalism of its acknowledged thoroughbred retrainers.

There were several elements to the day ranging from a seminar presentation in the morning from Jonathan and Caroline to practical demonstrations in the afternoon where retrainers were able to iron out problems with horses they are working with.

Jonathan discussed many aspects of the sale process which encouraged contributions from participants about techniques they were using to present horses to potential buyers. These ranged from extensive hand holding for buyers post purchase to making sure that buyers unsuited to riding or handling an ex-racehorse were eliminated from the sale process.

One component of Caroline's session concerned scientific findings about how a horse learns. She emphasised the importance of trial and error learning using negative and positive reinforcement.

• Negative reinforcement (pressure-release)
  Using pressure (rein, leg, whip taps or clicking) to motivate the horse to trial a response and removing the pressure as soon as the desired response is given. Timing is critical.
• Positive reinforcement
  The addition of something pleasant (food, wither scratches) that rewards the desired response. It makes the response more likely. To be introduced once responses come from light cues. A secondary reinforcer such as "good boy" at the moment of the correct response followed by the food or wither scratch can also be used.

Jonathan demonstrated the correct use of pressure after lunch where a difficult loader was encouraged to load into a float safely and with minimum of fuss.

Float loading lesson with Jonathan McLean - don't you dare hit me with that whip

OK so tapping with the whip means go forward

Now that you've explained it nicely I can do that

Caroline and Jonathan also emphasised the importance of not trying to train too many new responses in a single session. Trainers needed to understand that doing the same thing in a different place is in fact requiring a new response from the horse and should be regarded as a new training session rather than a repetition of what the horse already knows.

Another important consideration was to anticipate potential flight responses before any training session and avoid them wherever possible as they are likely to trigger fear problems in the horse.

In a practical training session on the cross country course, Jonathan took several retrainers through the process of getting a horse used to the water jump.

Cara Shelley and Incitatus getting used to the water jump

Repetition produces confidence for horse and rider

Caroline took many of the horse and retrainer combinations through group dressage lessons where she gave advice on how to correct the tension and rushing so common in thoroughbreds fresh off the racetrack.

Caroline sums up for the retrainers after a dressage lesson

Jonathan then gave a demonstration of riding an ex-racehorse fresh off the track with the exquisite but very excitable Belmorri, owned by Thoroughbred Riding Club President Lisa Brown. Although he is by Black Caviar's sire Bel Esprit, Belmorri raced with little success, scoring three third placings and around $6,000 in prizemoney. He last raced in the latter part of 2012 and Lisa plans to  retrain him for dressage.

Notwithstanding Belmorri's lack of recent riding, Jonathan was prepared to get on him in the wide open spaces of the Elcho Park sand arena in front of the club house. After an initial bucking episode, Jonathan was able to get Belmorri to settle down by taking as little contact as he could while still retaining control.

Realising that he was not going to be forced into an unpleasant situation Belmorri quickly responded and Jonathan was able to trot and canter around the arena as if he had been doing it all his life. Definitely not a job for a beginner but how many ex-racehorses like Belmorri have never had the opportunity to learn about being a riding horse from a rider as skilled as Jonathan?

Belmorri not all that keen on being ridden

Belmorri tries hard to get rid of Jonathan

Belmorri relaxes into a nice canter

Belmorri finishes his session a much more settled horse

And will do whatever his rider wants

Retrainers were enthusiastic about what they had learned.

"The morning's sessions covered very important points essential to retraining a retired racehorse and then to have the opportunity to ride with one of the coaches in the afternoon was fantastic," said Catherine Shelley, RV acknowledged retrainer.

"The day also provided a great networking opportunity, to be able to meet and share stories with other retrainers."

The workshop also included presentations from Racing Victoria's Equine Welfare Officer, Cara Shelley and the Thoroughbred Riding Club president Lisa Brown outlining their commitment to retired racehorses and their role in the retraining process.

"Thank you Racing Victoria for recognising the importance of programs such as these and supporting their development," said Lisa Brown.

"The feedback has been over-whelmingly positive and we are already in the process of organising the next workshop," said Cara Shelley.

Photos: Bill Saunders, Cyberhorse

Retired Racehorses at EQUITANA

Friday, 16 November 2012 02:30

The suitability of retired racehorses to equestrian sports and leisure activities is on display at EQUITANA which opened at the Melbourne Showgrounds today. Retired racehorses which have made the transition into riding horses will be demonstrated throughout the course of the three-day event. From Race Horse to Riding Horse demonstrations will be held Saturday at 9.45am and Sunday at 12pm in the Epsom Arena.

Racing Victoria (RV) is committed to the welfare of thoroughbred racehorses and supports their re-training and re-homing after the conclusion of their racing career and this week launched a new website dedicated to retired racehorses.

Off The Track is an information portal showcasing the successful transition of racehorses into a life after racing and pathways for retraining and rehoming retired racehorses.

Click here to read more.

Specialised Syndication Site Launched

Wednesday, 20 February 2013 21:34

iSyndicate.com.au is an online marketplace for shares in racehorses launching in February 2013 which offers information and comparison services to new and existing racehorse owners to help them make a more informed purchase decision.

John Hamilton, co-founder and Director of iSyndicate explains: "Other websites assume that the customer has existing knowledge of the racing industry. iSyndicate assumes that the potential owner has no accrued knowledge of owning racehorses and seeks to educate and guide the customer through the purchasing process, building confidence and trust along the way".

The website only offers shares in racehorses and is not interested in selling tried horses, broodmares, or stallion service fees. They are solely providing ASIC-registered syndicators with a premium service to make the task of marketing shares in syndicates as simple and uncomplicated as possible.

iSyndicate's main point of difference is to offer a centralised website where people can compare the cost of each syndicate, learn about the ownership process with access to information from approved sources to make a better informed purchase decision, and provide a matching service to members who want to join a syndicate together anywhere in Australia.

"Our goal is to unite as many people in Australia into syndicates using our syndicate match service which has the ability to gather likeminded individuals who share things in common, such as sport teams and key interests, to get involved in racing a horse," John states.

Fellow co-founder and Director Brad Scott says the industry needs to encourage affordability, trust, education and transparency in the ownership process. "Being a breeder and owner myself, the cost of outright ownership of a horse has increased substantially and we believe the industry needs more transparency in the syndication process to increase horse ownership and registrations, which will in turn increase breeding turnover long term. There's no doubt every aspect of the industry can benefit."

• iSyndicate was formed in March 2012

• Soft launched October 2012, official launch February 2013 across Australia

• Syndicators will pay a simple subscription fee to the site to list their horses. Advertising will be the website's main source of income

• Free to join as a member and use the syndicate match service and namesake tool

Puissance De Lune Headed For Light Autumn

Sunday, 11 November 2012 05:00

A prospect as tantalising as any in Australian racing has emerged for the Melbourne autumn with boom stayer Puissance De Lune and world champion sprinter Black Caviar both scheduled to appear at Flemington.

Puissance De LunePuissance De Lune, arguably the most outstanding winner of the spring and nominal favourite for the 2013 Melbourne Cup, is likely to reappear in the Group Two Blamey Stakes in March only weeks after Black Caviar is due to run in the race renamed in her honour, the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes.

The provisional plan has been pencilled in following Puissance De Lune's stunning victory in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, a performance that has resulted in him being priced at $8 for the next Melbourne Cup.

As ridiculous as the Cup odds are a year in advance, no other horse at this stage can be regarded in the same category as the import who has added another layer to the French racing legend that has arisen around Australia's greatest race.

Connections have pencilled in the Blamey, a 1600m weight-for-age contest run at Flemington on Australian Cup day, as one of a maximum of two runs for Puissance De Lune in an autumn preparation which would mirror that of Melbourne Cup winner Green Moon whose only autumn run was in the same race.

While the country's premier sprint, the Newmarket Handicap, is run on the same day, Black Caviar is most likely to run at weight-for-age in the Lightning a month earlier.

Trainer Darren Weir was still coming to terms with what he had in his stable the day after the horse raced his way into the imagination of the racing public.

"When he came into work the long term goal, if he was good enough, was the Bendigo Cup," Weir said.

"We won that and now we've won again.

"You just have to hope that he's in the same order this time next year."

While Weir says he had little idea of what Puissance De Lune had to offer until a couple of weeks ago, he presumably had a higher opinion of him than his previous trainer Philipe de Watrigant whose owners parted with him for a bargain 100,000 ($A123,426).

Photo: Quentin Lang