the news
Fatality rates released after detailed Jockey Club research programme Based on the most thorough study of North American thoroughbred racing injuries to date, the US Jockey Club has released a fatal injury rate of 2.04 per 1,000 starts during 12 months
of racing beginning in November 2008. More detailed data is to follow and will allow for comparison of various racing surfaces and racing conditions. The Equine Injury Database tracked 378,864 thoroughbred Flat race starts at 73 tracks from November 2008 through October 2009. The database continues to gather data and has added more tracks. Dr. Tim Parkin, a veterinarian based at the University of Glasgow, is currently researching the various factors involved in the injury rates of the initial 12 months.
“Data collected from a broad cross-section of racetracks in the US and Canada will serve as an important tool for racetracks seeking benchmarks concerning the safety of racehorses,” said Parkin. “Over time, as data continues to be added, the database should yield numerous trends and factors associated with racing injuries and lead to strategies for their prevention.” Eighty-one racetracks, as well as the National Steeplechase Association, participate in the database representing 86 per cent of the Flat racing days in North America.
Bloodstock agent William Huntingdon takes a look at the varied world of racing and bloodstock
Good sport had at races and sales
H
aving slept soundly in my swag at Scone, next stop was Sydney for the Autumn racing carnival and the Inglis Easter Sale. Two good days’ action on successive Saturdays at Rosehill saw very competitive racing highlighted by the Golden Slipper win of Crystal Lily. She has had seven starts for four wins, is home-bred by David Moodie and has won nearly £1.4 million in prize-money. Had the race been run in France, the interference she caused Solar Charged would have cost her the race, as it was, her jockey was fined A$5,000. She is from the first crop of Redoute’s Choice’s goodlooking son Stratum, who stands at Widden. His dam’s side has a heavy concentration of precocious speed with Vain and Star Kingdom close up. Stratum had his first twoyear-old winner in Tasmania just
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before Christmas and at the Magic Millions Sale many were writing him off as a sire of note. He has now had 11 winners proving the “judges” wrong. The big race for the older horses, the BMW Cup, was won by Littorio giving his “English” trainer, Nigel Blackiston, his biggest success. Nigel began his racing career with Bruce Hobbs and Tony Hide, and arrived in Australia after a spell with Bill Mather in Dubai. This is the first year that Randwick has co-operated with Rosehill over the racing dates and the sun shone on everyone. Crowds were only fair but it meant that moving around was less of a battle and better for seeing the horses. High Chaparral continues to go from strength to strength in the southern hemisphere and had a wonderful result in the Derby with his runners filling the first three places. In addition, his Bart Cummings-
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trained three-year-old, So You Think, had defeated older horses in last October’s Cox Plate. This was all achieved from his season at Windsor Park Stud in New Zealand. He is now due to join the stallion roster at Coolmore in the Hunter Valley and it will be interesting to see whether the mare pool in Australia will suit him just as well. Gai Waterhouse was much in the news and made the front pages with her court action trying to retrieve her “stable” jockey Nash Rawiller, who had booked another ride after understanding that the Waterhouse-trained Theseo, on whom Rawiller has won five Group races, including two at the highest level, would not run in the Doncaster. On the racing front she won the Oaks with Once Were Wild. The filly was bought for A$50,000 by Amanda Skiffington on the Gold Coast and is by Johannesburg out of an Unbridled Song mare. Waterhouse gave Skiffington due credit for the purchase but added
that “she had very skinny legs”. I think she meant the filly not the agent! Once Were Wild is owned by the irrepressible John Singleton and has only been beaten once, when running too freely in firsttime blinkers at Rosehill. Singleton’s daughter received the trophy and only questioned whether the name was not a little rose-tinted as her father could still act the larrikin! Agent Tony Noonan, who was responsible for successfully buying some Australian-owned horses in training in the UK with Andrew Balding at Kingsclere, including Buccellati, won the big sprint with Ortensia, a daughter of Testa Rossa, who shuttled to France. Connections are eying a trip to Ascot next year. The big mile handicap was narrowly won by Rangirangdo, who was ridden by Nash Rawiller in preference to Theseo. The colt is by Pentire, a son of Be My Guest who was trained by Geoff Wragg