Barbaro Still Lives On

The makers of Breyer model horses has donated $US126,500 to the Laminitis fund set after in honour of the late Kentucky Derby winner, Barbaro.
Reeves International company president Tony Fleischmann presented the cheque to the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, a beneficiary of the fund set up by Barbaro's owners, Roy and Gretchen Jackson.

The donation was from profits from Breyer's special Barbaro model, and increased the company's total contribution from sales of the model to $US241,000.

Barbaro shattered a hing leg near the start of the 2006 Preakness Stakes. While the fractures were successfully treated, he succumbed to laminitic complications more than eight months later.

"For over 50 years now, Breyer's has been celebrating the horse by making the finest models of the most famous and beloved horses," Fleischmann said. "But seldom have we experienced the level of excitement and interest that we, and indeed the entire nation did, with the courageous and wonderful Barbaro.

"In fact it was due to the overwhelming number of passionate requests for a Barbaro model, which continued long after our initial programme had ended, that moved us to go back into production."

NZ Farm Worker Charged over Horse Deaths

A farm manager in Gisborne has been sentenced and ordered to pay reparations after he pleaded guilty of the neglect of horses in his care.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) Animal Welfare Investigation Team welcomed the sentence handed down in the Gisborne District Court yesterday.

Matthew Brown pleaded guilty to nine charges of ill-treatment, failure to attend to the physical welfare needs and health of the horses and failure to comply with an animal welfare inspector's requirements. He was sentenced to 150 hours community service, ordered to pay $3016.41 in reparations and disqualified from owning or exercising authority over horses for two years.
A MAF animal welfare investigator first visited a Te Karaka property in early June 2005, with an SPCA Inspector, to follow-up on a complaint concerning the condition of the horses on the property. Some 35 horses were found to be in poor condition. There were no yards for the horses, the majority had not been broken in or handled, and most were riddled with worms. No one was present at the property.

The defendant was contacted by phone and advised that MAF would return to the property the following day with a vet to assess the horses. Following the assessment, the defendant was issued with a notice to prevent or mitigate the suffering under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.
On 20 June an SPCA Inspector and vet returned to recheck the horses and found that they had not been drenched. The vet discussed with the defendant a plan for drenching, culling and dividing, and feeding particular horses. A subsequent visit on 8 of July found that the horses had still not been drenched, several were in very poor condition and one was dead in a gully.
Inspectors visited the property again in July 2005. Three horses had to be put down because of their poor condition, a result of under feeding and worms. The horses had not been drenched. MAF obtained a temporary enforcement order in the Gisborne District Court on the 18 July that directed the defendant to attend immediately to the needs of the remaining horses. This was eventually complied with.

MAF's Animal Welfare Investigations Manager, Charles Cadwallader, said that this was a distressing case of animal neglect that could have easily been prevented.

"The defendant was given ample opportunity to rectify the situation and choose not to. I am pleased that a guilty plea was entered, as there is no defence or justification for this neglect."
"The Animal Welfare Act 1999 places a duty of care on everyone who owns or is in charge of an animal to prevent pain, suffering and distress. In this case the defendant has sadly chosen to disregard this obligation."

CEM Found in Stallion Bound for Oz

A stallion in Newmarket awaiting export to Australia has tested positive for Contagious Equine Metritis (CEM).

Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a transmissible, exotic, venereal disease of horses caused by the bacterium Taylorella equigenitalis. Thoroughbred horses appear to be more severely affected by the disease than other breeds. Because animals may be asymptomatic, the disease is difficult to detect and control. There is no evidence that CEM affects people.

CEM is a serious disease because it is highly contagious. When coupled with the fact that mares can be bred only during certain seasons, CEM can have a devastating effect on equine reproductive efficiency. Should CEM become established in the United States, the horse industry would suffer great economic losses.

A routine swab revealed the disease last week. CEM is a venereally transmitted bacterial disease, which was first reported in the UK in 1977. It is notifiable in Britain. The case has been reported to a Divisional Veterinary Manager at DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

CEM can be spread through contaminated water, utensils and instruments; on the hands of staff and veterinary surgeons who handle the tail and genital area of the mare, or the penis of the stallion or teaser; and through genital to genital or nose to genital contact between stallions/teasers and mares.

The species of bacteria likely to cause CEM are Taylorella equigenitalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

CEM can lead to infertility and cause a mare to abort her foal. It can be treated with anitbiotics.

Footstepsinthesand To Argentinia

Former 2000 Guineas winner Footstepsinthesand, whose first crop are foals this year, has been slated to shuttle to Argentina this Southern Hemisphere season.

Currently on covering duty at Coolmore in Ireland, Footstepsinthesand will stand at La Mission. No fee has been announced.

An Article Not to Be Missed.

For those of us who are interested in commercial breeding, whether it be for yearlings or weanlings or for those who are interested in just breeding to race, the following article appeared in The American Thoroughbred Review:-

Today's Commercial Environment: A Troubling Influence

The health of today’s thoroughbred industry is often times overly equated with the health of the commercial market. When sales numbers are climbing, it’s assumed that the entire industry is doing well. Media outlets praise the efforts of sales companies, consignors and breeders. But does the health of the commercial market exist in a vacuum, or does it send a rippling effect to other areas of the industry? And if so, what are the consequences, both positive and negative?

Little doubt exists that a healthy commercial market benefits stallion owners, boarding farms, and auxiliary industries such as veterinarians and feed suppliers. However, a broader examination of the industry reveals that a rising commercial market can present significant problems for other industry members.

First and perhaps most importantly, a lucrative commercial market inverts the standard relationship between wholesale and retail value. In traditional economics, the retail market environment sets prices for wholesalers. Wholesalers are rewarded only when the retail market is healthy enough to absorb higher costs of acquisition.

But in the thoroughbred industry, wholesalers (commercial breeders) are selling yearlings with an average rate of return of 26% after all expenses are accounted for. The retailers (owners) are collectively racing for less than half of the money they originally invest each year. Not that a stagnant commercial market would bridge that gap completely, but it would certainly allow owners greater opportunities to realize occasional profits at the racetrack.

Wholesale and retail prices aren’t the only components being inverted under a lucrative commercial market. Stud fees for proven vs. unproven commodities also seem to conflict with more conventional economic models. Older, more established sires get squeezed at the marketplace in favor of unproven sires who have no sire credentials, but effectively stir the emotions of buyers and advisors who adhere to the ‘what may be’ psychology, as opposed to ‘what is’. Back in the 1990’s, breeders lined up in droves to breed to European Horse of the Year and impeccably-bred sprinter Dayjur. Not only did they pay a stud fee well in excess of what others were paying for older, proven sires like Silver Ghost, but yearling buyers and their advisors were paying in the low to mid six figures for his yearlings. Dayjur’s failure best illustrates the potential pitfall of the ‘what may be’ psychology.

(For the full article please click here).

Who Owns Passenger?

Paul Crawley of The Daily Telegraph reports today:-

The horse is one of the most promising young gallopers in Australian racing. Purchased for $900,000 as a yearling, his value today is estimated at between $2 million and $3 million.
But who actually owns Passenger, the exciting John Hawkes-trained three-year-old colt who lit up the track at his only race start?

Is it the mysterious Mrs Amy Hyder, said to be a 30-something wife of a Texas oil baron, or is it Sydney's most controversial racing identity, Eddie Hayson?

This is the question Racing NSW stewards are demanding an answer to at an inquiry tomorrow.
Amid continuing racetrack speculation, chief steward Ray Murrihy yesterday decided it was high time the mystery surrounding Passenger's ownership was resolved. Murrihy confirmed Hayson and his racing manager, renowned Randwick trackman Mick Fagan, have been summoned to appear before stewards at 2pm tomorrow in relation to the Passenger matter.

"The stewards want to look at the bona fides of the ownership of the racehorse Passenger," Murrihy told The Daily Telegraph last night.

"I have contacted Eddie Hayson and Mick Fagan and asked them to appear at the inquiry."
Murrihy declined to make any further comment on the matter pending the stewards' investigation.

Hayson, well known for his great greyhound sting in 2005 and his clashes with thoroughbred stewards at previous inquiries, has previously requested his appearances before stewards be held in-camera, although those requests haven't always been granted. Murrihy said stewards would consider any such application from Hayson for tomorrow's inquiry to be held behind closed doors.

It is an unfortunate by-product of brothel owner Hayson's high profile and notoriety that the case lends itself to headlines and controversy. And in this instance, while stewards may well find nothing untoward, it has been the "cloak-and-dagger" innuendo that has fuelled stewards' interest.

The Passenger affair began at Canterbury last Monday when the superbly-bred Redoute's Choice colt scored a stunning debut win. Hayson originally purchased Passenger as a yearling and sent the horse to trainer Paul Perry at Newcastle.

Ownership of the horse was then changed about 12 months ago from Hayson to Mrs Hyder.
Racing NSW was apparently notified and the relevant ownership transfer papers were lodged with the sport's controlling authority.Media reports quoted Hayson confirming he had sold Passenger for "a lot of money" to the American.

However, when Passenger stepped out for his race debut, some media guides still had Hayson as Passenger's owner, but the racebook listed Mrs A Hyder.Good-natured Darren Beadman added to the mystery after Passenger's Canterbury debut when he jumped off his mount and joked: "Robbo (controversial hoop Allan Robinson) isn't the only one who can ride winners for Eddie."
Now trained by master trainer Hawkes, Passenger had drifted in betting from even money to $3.20 prior to the race on May 7.

But when Beadman booted home another winner, guess who was up in the stands cheering Passenger home?

Mrs Hyder is said to live in America and be married to a wealthy Texas businessmanMeanwhile, back in Australia, Eddie and the clocker seem to have retained a very close association with the colt.

Racing NSW stewards just want to know how close.

Victorian Cash Won't Go Round

In the following article in today's Australian, Brendan Cormick writes candidly about the prizemoney crisis facing Victorian Racing:-

THE thoroughbred racing industry in Victoria is at risk of being unable to provide a sufficient return to owners, trainers, jockeys and other industry participants and maintain the state-wide infrastructure base.

Racing Victoria chief executive Stephen Allanson yesterday responded to claims by the Victoria Racing Club on Monday that the industry was in great shape, following the release of his body's review.

Allanson challenged the VRC assertion, notwithstanding Victoria's pre-eminent position in the Australian racing industry, saying the risk was highlighted by four key factors:

* A decline in nett returns to owners over the past decade;
* A significant increase in costs associated with the purchase, training and racing of horses;
* Shortfalls in the funding of the true capital needs of the industry;
* And reductions in club profitability, especially in the country where 25 clubs made combined losses in 2005-06 totalling $1.2million.

"The past five years has been highlighted by considerably slower returns to owners' growth than that experienced over the previous five years, whilst costs continue to rise at a a rate faster than inflation and revenue," Allanson said.

"This is a financially precarious position for the entire industry, particularly in the face of increasing competition."

Total revenue to the Victorian thoroughbred industry (clubs and Racing Victoria) is in the order of $300m per annum, of which only $144m (48 per cent) is paid in returns to owners/participants.

Over the past five years, gross returns to owners have grown at the rate of 3.4 per cent per annum while, over the same period, the cost to train and race horses has increased 3 per cent.
"The industry review does not propose revolutionary, but rather an evolutionary change to transform and grow the industry for the next phase. It is a natural progression of the evolution of racing in Victoria that we need a truly independent governance model," Allanson said.