International chit chat
 

Can someone please give me a visual of the race at Doncaster tomorrow..... the one with Gift Horse?

I know he's at 12/1 and i know he hasn't won since 2005 but still..... I remember when he beat a field of 27. Gotta love him.

Thanks.

I should be watching it today, so i will let you know how he gets on.

Racing at Doncaster isn't certain to go ahead yet though. It is their first racing in 20months after a major renovation, and they have been on a fight against time over the last few weeks to get everything ready for racing.

They need to pass an inspection.

It should go ahead, but it isn't certain at the moment.

You realise Spencer is in him???????

In him or on him? :D
Yeah I noticed that. Seems like everyone has had the mount on this guy..... he does best with Fallon up. (Don't they all). :)

* * *

A JRA press release.....

Scary stuff.

2007 News
August 17, 2007
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Announcement for cancellation of JRA race meetings at Sapporo, Niigata and Kokura on August 18th and 19th
Symptoms of equine influenza were found from horses stabled at JRA facilities. Inspection is being conducted to the horses entered for the races scheduled for this weekend and 29 out of 163 samples was found positive with one horse developing fever.

JRA race meetings for the weekend of August 18th and 19th have been cancelled in order to avoid increase of secondary infection.

© The Japan Association for International Horse Racing.

Gift Horse looks like he might be the favourite

WHAT? Very surprised.

At the time of writing this he is currently the 5/1 favourite. Maybe today is going to be the day for him.

This drop in grade is what he has been needing.

I hope so..... he needs a win.

So much heart.

Aaaah well hopefully later I'll come back to some good news.

6/1 now, but still the FAV.......

you should stay around, he runs in 10mins and i think it should be on TVG

mmsc.........

Cake won today, 9/1!!!!

a horse named Cute Ass was 2nd. I have a funny feeling you would have got the exacta :D

Jamie "i will sit out the back in last until a furlong to go" Spencer ***** up AGAIN.

He was last with only a furlong to go and he has flown home to finish a close 5th.

He is a joke.

Oh ****. That stupid ******* *******.:mad:

Jamie thinks all hold up horses are Dancing Brave.. When he wins he looks great but when they dont, boy, it is horrible..

Did you see yetserday's racing from Donny, Brock?

He had two shockers, one on Gift Horse and an even worse ride on Enjoy The Moment. He really is starting to annoy me at the moment with his rides. If you have backed them you're just praying for the gaps open when he needs them to.

If he does this on Asiatic Boy on Tuesday, if and when i go up there on Weds i am going to scream abuse at him!

was in bed for the afternoon racing and just got out in time for Tramore and Newmarket..:)

I can him doing something shocking on Asiatic now on Tuesday and with the race looking so loaded, he wont get away with it.. Id much prefer Frankie on a horse than Spencer.

Tough call, Spencer holds horses up and finds trouble in running 7 out of 10 times, Frankie usually gets to the front and can't hold horses or he just flaps.

It's a shame Joe Fanning is injured, he would have suited Asiatic Boy down to the ground. Him or Jimmy Fortune.

I don't think i'd like to be a jockey at Newbury today. It is awful there......

some tricky race coming up here at Newbury!.. Ive had something small on Welsh Emperor but anything could really win..

I am very strong on Red Evie......... but i have Spencer to contend with

aaaaaaaaaaah,

Done you on the line mate....... Spencer gives me a heart attack yet again

Ummm, was Caradak last?

Wow, I jinxed them all. :D

Newbury 15:20 - Result
Cga Hungerford Stakes (group 2)
£85000 added, 3yo plus, 7f, Class 1, £48263 penalty, 10 ran
Going: Good Winning Time: 1m 26.09s

Pos. Dr. Dist. Horse Wt Jockey Trainer Age SP
1 3 Red Evie (IRE) 9-4 J P Spencer M L W Bell 4 5/1
in rear, plenty to do and short of room over 1f out, switched right, strong run inside final furlong, led at post opened 9/2 touched 4/1
2 10 s.h Welsh Emperor (IRE) 9-3 M Fenton T P Tate 8 10/1
stumbled start, led to over 5f out, hard pressed from 2f out, stayed on gamely final furlong, caught post touched 9/1
3 2 1 Stronghold 9-3 R Hughes J H M Gosden 5 7/1
mid-division, effort over 1f out, every chance, not paced to challenge inside final furlong opened 15/2 touched 9/1
4 8 nk Wake Up Maggie (IRE) 9-0 G Baker C F Wall 4 9/2
towards rear, headway over 1f out, every chance entering final furlong, kept on one pace touched 11/2 £2200-£400
5 6 1¼ Silver Touch (IRE) 9-0 T P O'Shea M R Channon 4 11/4 f
took keen hold in mid-division, ridden over 2f out, chased leaders going well over 1f out, found little inside final furlong, one pace opened 7/2 £10000-£3000 £9000-£3000 £6000-£2000 £3000-£1000 £1500-£500
6 7 3 Per Incanto (USA) 8-12 R Hills J L Dunlop 3 10/1
led to over 5f out, tracked leader afterwards, going well enough, every chance over 1f out, no extra, weakened inside final furlong opened 8/1 £3000-£300
7 9 1¼ Beckermet (IRE) 9-3 S Drowne R F Fisher 5 50/1
prominent, ridden over 2f out, no headway and outpaced over 1f out opened 66/1 touched 33/1
8 4 1 Dubai's Touch 8-12 Greg Fairley M Johnston 3 16/1
tracked leaders, ridden and every chance 2f out, not quicken over 1f out opened 14/1
9 5 1½ Dark Islander (IRE) 9-5 M Hills J W Hills 4 20/1
towards rear, ridden over 2f out, no impression over 1f out touched 25/1
10 11 hd Caradak (IRE) 9-7 L Dettori Saeed bin Suroor 6 6/1
in touch, chased leaders 3f out, ridden and not quicken enough over 2f out, gradually weakened opened 8/1

Non-Runners
NR Assertive 9-3 R L Moore R Hannon 4

* * *
Good boy anyway.:)

From Godolphin.....

CARADAK UNPLACED AT NEWBURY
(no author)
18 August 2007


Caradak was unplaced when returning after a lay-off of over 300 days in the Group Two CGA Hungerford Stakes over seven furlongs on good ground at Newbury.


The six-year-old, an entire son of Desert Style, was settled by jockey Frankie Dettori in mid-division on the stands side in the early stages and after making headway after the three-furlong marker, dropped back in the race’s latter stages.


“He lacked match practice and will come on for that run - he’d been off the course for a long time,” said Godolphin’s racing manager Simon Crisford. “He made some progress a couple of furlongs out then Frankie looked after the horse when he was beaten.”

just looking back, thats the third time in less than a year that Red Evie has got me by a head or less. At Leopardstown last year, I had a huge bet on Peeress. I backed Ramonti in the Lockinge and now Welsh Emperor yesterday.. Im not her biggest fan and Spencer on her makes it even worse..

Timmy Murphy.

It was a goot 'sit', i thought he was going out the side door. Not only did he stay on board, he got both of his irons back in a matter of strides.

Shame he didn't win really after those skills.

Alexander Tango to go to Belmont for her next start, according to assistant trainer Fozzy Stack.

Very happy about Alexander Tango!

* * *

Bad news.....

Sydney Morning Herald.....


Flu cripples Sydney races
Craig Young and Paul Bibby
August 25, 2007

AUSTRALIA'S multi-billion-dollar horse racing industry is in meltdown with an outbreak of equine influenza spreading to Centennial Park, prompting the almost certain cancellation of today's meeting at Royal Randwick and casting a cloud over the spring carnival.

Racing officials announced early today that horses from the Centennial Park stables had returned positive tests to the highly contagious disease. This came within days of 52 horses being locked down at the Eastern Creek quarantine centre.

Most of those impounded at Eastern Creek are thoroughbred stallions worth about $500 million. They were due to begin serving some of the 30,000 mares registered in Australia when the breeding season starts on September 1.

The impact on the breeding program, combined with the effect on the racing calendar, would push the cost of a flu outbreak into the billions of dollars.

The first big casualty is today's feature meeting at Royal Randwick, which is next to Centennial Park. The meeting is set to be cancelled after racing officials meet at 6am today. No horses are allowed within five kilometres of the course.

"We will have to send security guards into Randwick to ensure none of the 600-odd horses stabled there are moved," said the chief executive of Racing NSW, Peter V'Landys.

The ramifications could be felt Australia-wide. The NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald, met Mr V'Landys last night before the test results from the Centennial Park horses were known. The Herald understands the eminent veterinary professor Dave Hutchins had alerted Mr Macdonald's department yesterday to concerns about recreational horses at the stables.

Mr Macdonald immediately contacted the state's chief veterinary officer, Bruce Christie, who in turn sent a team to the stables to carry out tests.

Horses competing in the harness meeting at Harold Park last night were also tested, and their owners asked to place their animals in voluntary quarantine until they were notified of preliminary results.

The federal Agricultural Minister, Peter McGauran, said the suspected diagnosis of equine flu in a quarantined stallion was the biggest risk ever faced by the thoroughbred industry.

"A number of these stallions are between $100,000 and $200,000 per serve, so you can quickly do the arithmetic and see that millions of dollars are being lost. [But] it would be infinitesimal compared to the long-term effects if [the flu] was to escape into the wider horse population."

The stallion at the centre of the scare is believed to be Encosta De Lago, which is quarantined at Eastern Creek.

Encosta De Lago had been booked to service the three-time Melbourne Cup winner Makybe Diva next month.

Moonee Valley's been called off for the day too, this is really serious.

Jesus. Scary stuff.


UPDATE SATURDAY - All racing in Australia called off 25 Aug 2007

By Rob Burnet

UPDATE 11.50AM SATURDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2007: All racing in Australia has been called off with first news late on Saturday morning that racing at Moonee Valley and Warracknabeal in Victoria, and racing in South Australia, has been called off late on Saturday morning in response to the equine influenza (EI) outbreak at Sydney’s Centennial Park stables.

Secondly news came through just before mid-day that racing in Perth, and all harness racing in Australia, has been called off.

Eleven recreational horses, believed to be ponies, tested positive to EI late on Friday night and this was confirmed on Saturday morning. The NSW state government immediately shut down all racing in NSW to prevent additional horse movement.

Racing has also been shut down in Queensland due to the outbreak, as well as the week’s wet weather in SE Queensland.

With horses from Randwick, which is locked down as it is within a 5k exclusion zone of Centennial Park, have this week travelled to Victoria to prepare for the 2007 Victorian Spring Racing Carnival.

“The risk involved far outweighs the consequences and we have to take steps to protect the horse industry in South Australia,” said Graham Lock, TRSA chief steward.

Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy confirmed that at least two sport horses from Centennial Park stables have been at shows in Maitland and Parkes.

“Everything will depend on reports coming in, but there are reports of a couple of horses showing signs of EI and we have to wait for the tests,” said Murrihy.

Murrihy said that the movement of vehicles and people from the Sydney Eastern Creek quarantine facility was being checked.

“We have to remain optimistic that we will keep it out of the thoroughbred industry,” he added.

Murrihy said that meetings with state officials from the NSW Ministry of Primary Industries and other officials were ongoing throughout Saturday.

Just read what the racing post have written about the listed race at Windsor tonight, which Tam Lin is running in and look what it says :D

SPOTLIGHT VERDICT: With Classic Punch flopping last weekend, Dragon Dancer never looking happy on his comeback, Hawridge Prince likely to find this sharp enough back from a break and Tam Lin a bit of a lunatic these days, everything looks in place for IMPERIAL STAR (nap) to defy his penalty.[GW]

:D

Won the Winter Hill on this card 12 months ago for Michael Stoute; always had his quirks and has become something of a nutter this season, again pulling too hard for his own good down to 1m last time; will have to settle a lot better if he´s to see this out and that´s looking less and less likely.


Probably the only two words to describe this horse properly are Lunatic and Nutter......... it's great stuff.

UAE press releases.....


UAE-owned Dono da Raia, Eu Tambem garner top honours in Brazil


Eu Tambem, seen winning on his first UAE start, has been honoured in Brazil (copyright Dubai Racing Club/Andrew Watkins)

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum’s Brazilian import Dono da Raia was honored with the Trofeu Mossoro Award as Brazil’s Horse of the Year for the second straight season at the Brazilian Jockey Club Salao das Rosas in Rio de Janeiro.

The awards, for the 2006-07 Southern Hemisphere season, are selected and presented by the Brazilian Breeders and Owners Association.

Dono da Raia, who earned 2005-06 Horse of the Year, best three-year-old colt, and best stayer honors in Brazil, captured the 2006 Grande Premio Brasil (Brz-G1) in his lone 2006-07 Southern Hemisphere start.

His efforts prompted his sale to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, although he failed to fire in both his UAE starts during the 2007 Dubai International Racing Carnival.

Dono da Raia placed sixth behind Quijano in the Gulf News Trophy Handicap on February 9, before finishing last of 12 in the Intikhab Dubai City of Gold on the “Super Thursday” March 1 card.

Another Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum-owned Brazilian import, Eu Tambem, was elected Brazil’s champion three-year-old colt and best dirt horse.

Eu Tamben made a fine first impression at Nad al Sheba when capturing the Elnadim Maktoum Challenge Round 3 on Super Thursday, before finishing seventh in the UAE Derby, sponsored by Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group.

Brazilian Nelore Pora, winner of the Dubal Stakes at Nad al Sheba in February, was voted champion miler.


* * *

Undefeated Argentine stars bought for 2008 DIRC

Unbeaten Argentine stars Love Dancing and Basko de Zarautz have been sold to interests in the United Arab Emirates for an undisclosed amount.

Both promising youngsters shipped to Dubai on August 12 ahead of the 2008 Dubai International Racing Carnival.

Haras De La Pomme’s homebred three-year-old filly, Love Dancing, followed up an impressive seven-length score on her career debut, with a dominant four-length victory in the Group 3 Clasico Manuel J. Guiraldes at Palermo on July 14.

While the other exciting South American purchase to be aimed at major races for three-year-olds in Dubai, is the very promising Basko de Zarautz, an impressive 10-length winner on his career bow when covering one mile in 1:33.48 at Palermo on June 25.

Races in Japan cancelled again.....

Forgot to say good luck to Echo tomorrow. :)

(Formal Decree too).

GO GODOLPHIN, GO! :D

That's how i feel, too :D

:mad: :D

ECHO WINS!

Sporting Life.....


LIGHT SMASHES YORK RECORD :cool:
(no author listed)

Echo Of Light smashed the course record for York's nine furlongs by more than two seconds when repeating last year's triumph in the TurfTV Strensall Stakes.

Frankie Dettori blazed the trail on the Godolphin five-year-old, who galloped on too strongly for the opposition.

The 5-4 favourite romped clear by two and a half lengths from the staying-on Halicarnassus, with Kandidate a further three-quarters of a length back in third.

"He has a tremendous cruising speed. I knew I had a healthy cushion by the time we were a furlong and a half from home," said Dettori.

"He likes to travel on the bridle and I was able to do that to the furlong marker and kept him going to the line.

"I was surprised it was a course record because the wind was a bit against us so it was a pretty good effort."

Trainer Saeed bin Suroor added: "This horse has always shown plenty of speed in his morning work.

"In the past he would not settle but with age he has become more relaxed.

"York suits him and he has improved from his win in France last time.

"There is a race for him he won last year on the day before the Arc over a mile (the Prix Daniel Wildenstein).

"He might take him there, but he will see how he is after this race. He is tough."

Happy for him, but why the hell didn't Kandidate help to force the pace? His best form has been when he has been on the pace. Today was a prime example why many people believe this sport is fixed. Echo Of Light was bet as if defeat was out of the question, everyone knew he was going to get on the pace as soon as the gates opened, and the only horse to challenge was a 100/1 chance. Everyone knows that if you challenge Echo he doesn't like it, but no.... they just let him have his own way.

Formal Decree on the other hand drifted in the betting and finished tailed off.

Strange tactics by the others, but well done to Echo.

Do you have the full order of finish? Haven't yet seen it.

It will be on the Racing Post and Sporting Life websites.
Halicarnassus was 2nd, Kandidate 3rd and Formal Decree second last, and that's all i remember.