jess

40% - gosh that's high isn't it! I guessis includes export at any stage of each foal's life. Renee - I don't doubt the figure but just for interest - where does it come from?

What, pray, will Fleur ACTUALLY produce? And on what salary, we can only wonder? What value will ACTUALLY be added to NZ Racing? (in likely tenure of 1 year 1 month - afterall - best way to predict the future is to look at the past!) Why does she stay in her jobs 1 year 1 month? - just flying so high and upwardly mobile she is forever seeking greater career heights (salary packages?) - OR - CV building - OR - have you ever heard the saying in employment matters - "packaged for export" ??

.... and anyway - by the time the big invite/advert hit the `cafe - it was a day after this momentous meeting was to take place! :e:

Sold to whom? In a package with what? Change of ownership papers were dated when ... ? Surprised such an astute judge as this much-revered buyer (and breeder) would have let her go 6 mo ago only then to decide 6 mo later he wanted her enough to buy her back for that sort of money. PS: apparently there are competitions for designing Tui billboards ...

- I'm sure the situations you describe do happen. And I agree - anyone can take their horse there to sell- and anyone (with enough $) can buy. However there are also plenty of other examples where sales are "disguised" as "real" deals with independent vendors/buyers - when this is not actually the case (a check a short time later will reveal the vendor remains the owner of the horse - despite it apparently changing hands in the sales ring). Then when these sales are trumpeted and used to promote the sire (or mare) by way of quoting the stellar prices the progeny attracted - I can't help feeling this is not fair advertising. It can be designed to attract more people to breed to that sire - yet the prices his progeny achieved at sales may be artificially inflated. Afterall - if the seller and the buyer are really one and the same -the sky's the limit as to the price paid for the horse - as the money leaves the same wallet that it is paid back into! I maintain a feeling of unease about this. I am not saying this is illegal - whether it is unfair advertising, disingeuous, lacks transparency or reflects poorly on some vendors - is up to the individual to decide. People may just like open their eyes a little and examine the facts behind the shop windows and determine for themselves what is real.

- whether it's a process of artifically racking up the (apparent) value of your broodmare band or your new stallion's progeny - where some vendors/buyers are concerned it is a complex world of smoke and mirrors. What you see does not necessarily what is real. Enter this world at your own peril. It is one more reason why the small (or transparent - ie no "arrangements or tricks!) breeder is at a huge disadvantage in this arena.

- I have noticed that most of their "sold" yearlings later show up as being owned by Wellfield. (Make what you will of that...) I have learned to take sales results with a huge grain of salt - albeit, somewhat depending on the vendors (and buyers!) involved. However it is certainly good to see a resurgence of stud activity in the CD and Wellfield must form a significant part of that.

- stud masters are EXPERTS at hype! But not sure your comparisons are altogether fair - sure, Iffraaj has yet to prove himself as a sire of southern hemisphere-bred stock - but at least he's got off to a flyer in Europe - so maybe a little justification for some "hype" - the likes of OCC - I'm not so sure what any "hype" is based on??

- have been wondering what you decided.

- seems a likeable enough presence on the radio - I do think tho' that he needs to do more preparation - as he often makes erors and doesn't seem up with the play when talking to guests and previewing races. It's a shame that some real enthusiasts don't make it on screen - someone who knows some stuff we don't - and can enlighten us about breeding etc. Luke is a major loss to the industry. I have no idea what these people get paid so no idea what sort of quality we can reasonably expect. I'm more concerned with substance than style - hence nicole1, I'm not too bothered about what tie the guys wear - in any case - the producers probably think a good gawp at K F-E's cleavage on a Saturday morning more than makes up for it :\ (it doesn't, actually). VENETIAN BLINDS - the bitching about these has gone on for years. I hate them. Didn't get on course today - and because I bet largely on prelims + my assessment of the appearance of the horses pre-race, the excessive use of the venetians today meant I never had a bet - despite watching quite a lot of the racing.

All a bit depressing really. I could well end up in the same position with my fillies - despite all the planning, care and effort to breed and raise them.

And from what I've seen of them he stamps them physically for sure. Including the fillies.

- understand the sort of circumstances you describe perfectly. I guess it's the transparency of the situations which interests me - what is known, what is expected (from each party), what is asked, and how any queries are respnded to. PS yours was obviously a pretty capable sort - would be happy if one of mine ends up winner of 6!

Now you're REALLY starting to scare me. That post sounded just like my other half talking to me from the next room - almost word for word on the subject, in fact. Very, very spooky, possums ... :eek:

- this expert panel? No overt price tag to be seen dangling .... I guess it's one of those "POA" situations ... But I guess cock-ups don't come cheap - and nor their solutions ...

- I was asking questions - not manufacturing anything.

- PLUS - has always been a jockey for the big race days. But that doesn't really apply to today I guess .. albeit part of the summer carnival on the champagne turf ... more a little-big day as it turned out ... Very accomplished rider. Often think when watching him how he rides like he is part of the horse - one with it - rather than perched on top, flapping about like some.

All I know is that you have NO chance of being on it Scotchy - infact you would be unceremoniously "grubbed" if you dared show your face down there. You talk too much sense ...

Beautiful :heart:

Unduly harsh, Joe .... Castlepoint Races have had to be cancelled more often than not the last 10 years. There was no sign of rocks, seaweed or stranded sea lions on the Trentham straight on either raceday this weekend - for which Mr Biddle surely deserves congratulations.

- well done guys. Reminds me of a certain skit starring darth vader (google darth vadar + lego) 1st Guy::"Do you know who I am?" 2nd Guy: "Do you know who I am?

- and don't know it it was a media special - with the emphasis all in the wrong places in an attempt to whip up a controversy/scandal - we all know how that can go! (carefully edited soundbites, voice-overs, selective dredging up of old news stories etc) Sadly though, there wasn't a lot of good publicity come out of this weekend at Trentham - tho' surely Mufhasa and Sam Spratt could have made reasonable copy? I am inclined to think however that as far as drug testing, a lot of improvements could be made to the regime in NZ - and none of those would include LESS testing.

And as for more extensive drug testing than sporadic, infrequent random testing - maybe the whole thing needs a decent shake just now. To take your drink driving analogy - maybe you could think of this as a (post-) Christmas drink-driving(drugged-riding) blitz. But then you probably disapprove of those too ... ? Cheers J

.. sorry - not quite with that line of reasoning ... IMO there should be a level AND METHODOLOGY of drug testing that discourages the practise of drug taking - and assures the industry participants that those who break the rules (which exist for good reasons) will be caught rather than later.