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In response to Maggie Sweet's powerful letter to the TDN–February 2, 2026, I would like to add my support–and my urgency. The Jockey Club needs a paradigm shift, and so do Thoroughbred owners and breeders. The future of our sport depends on it. Think of a stunning model–poised, admired, photographed from every angle. Now imagine that same model with a mouth full of rotten teeth. No matter how beautiful the rest of her may be, the illusion collapses the moment she smiles. Perception changes instantly. The image is damaged, and with it, her career. That is the racing industry when aftercare is neglected. Our sport is magnificent in its athleticism, tradition, and heart. But when the public sees horses without safe and dignified futures, the image fractures. We are forced to keep our “mouth closed,” hoping no one looks too closely. And when they do, the damage is swift and lasting. Aftercare is not a side issue. It is not charity. It is the moral and reputational dental care of this industry–basic, necessary maintenance that preserves both life and image. If we had built its cost into the structure of our business from the beginning, we would not now be scrambling to defend our integrity. Do we really want to watch the racing and breeding industries suffer irreversible harm because we failed to budget for responsibility? It is time to act. The Jockey Club has made meaningful progress, but incremental steps are no longer enough. This is the moment for leadership–visible, collaborative, and industry-wide. Owners, breeders, tracks, and registries must work together to create sustainable, mandatory support for aftercare. A paradigm shift is not optional anymore. It is the price of preserving the sport we love. Suzi Pritchard-Jones is the founder of the Byerley & Godolphin Conservation. The post Letter To The Editor: In Response To Maggie Sweet appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

With the announcement in early January that Elliott Walden would step down from his role as CEO of WinStar Farm in October, passing the torch to Gerry Duffy, a 20-year run at the company is coming to an end. Until 2005, when he took over as Vice President, Walden had trained horses for the organization. Under his management, the farm won the Triple Crown with Justify along with two Kentucky Derbies, three Belmont Stakes, five Breeders' Cups, and four Eclipse Awards. Walden hand-picked Duffy to take over the reins, praising both his organizational and people skills. Walden sat down to talk to the TDN about what he loved about the job, what he'll miss, and what's next for the 62-year-old. SF: As I understand it, Gerry starts on April 1st and then you will be with him until October, but talk to me about that transition and how that will work out. EW: It was a well thought-out plan and we just wanted to have time with Gerry to pass this baton. He's coming aboard on April 1 as President. I'm going to be CEO, and he's going to hit the ground running with the main personnel on the farm. They're going to report to him, and then we're going to work side-by-side for six months and he's going to see the strategic side of things, when we go to buy horses, et cetera. We chose October 1 so that we could get through the September Sale. And then I'm going to consult for nine months. SF: What led you to this decision? Trainer Todd Pletcher with Walden | Jon Siegel EW: It was really about timing; more WinStar's timing than my timing at my age and where I am in life. I could have gone another four or five years, barring any health or any type of issue, but we have talked amongst ourselves about what's next for WinStar as far as the Troutt family goes, and we're seeing Preston Troutt (Kenny's son) really step up in a big way and he's coming alongside Kenny and showing the same interest. So building a team around Preston was the main impetus of this, and Gerry is the right age for that. We had a transition at a couple of other key positions. Jack Mullikan stepped down a couple years ago and handed the baton off to Michael Holmes, who's a real star in the CFO role. And Gerry was at the point where he wanted to come back. He was still in Abu Dhabi, but his family decided to stay here, and that always changes things. SF: So after October 1st, what happens for you? What do you do on October 2nd? EW: I don't know. That's the exciting thing about it. I get to figure out some things to do. I'll probably consult in some way, and I've had a lot of calls on that, but really I'm just being open to what God has in store for me. I'm excited about that. I've always been a planner. I've always been an organizer. It's worked well for me to this point, but in this next phase I really don't know, and so it's allowing me an opportunity to grow my faith in that. And you know what? I don't have everything figured out, but I'm excited about it because with our children growing and Will doing so well in the business as a trainer, it's exciting to see that allow a little more time to be able to focus on that and to support him and our other kids in the endeavors that they have as well. SF: Could you see yourself going back into some sort of training role? EW: No, I don't think so. That would be getting right back into the day-to-day grind, and one thing I am looking forward to is the opportunity to be able to do some different things. From the time I started on the racetrack, I've worked 45 years basically six or seven days a week, and so the opportunity to be able to do some different things is exciting to me. So I don't see myself training. SF: Are you the kind of person who can see themselves retiring, or do you need a purpose? Will and Elliott Walden | Jon Siegel EW: Oh, definitely a purpose. I'm not going to sit on the couch. There are going to be opportunities that come up and I'm already starting to think about some of those. But right now, I don't have anything scheduled because I'm still a hundred percent all-in to give Mr. Troutt and the Troutt family my focus. SF: What was the highlight of your time at WinStar? EW: The Triple Crown is an easy one. That's pretty incredible to do, and just to think about the history of that accomplishment and that it hasn't been done but 13 times, that's pretty overwhelming. I tried to win the Kentucky Derby twice as a trainer and got beat a neck both times, so really, I think being a Kentucky guy, winning the Kentucky Derby twice with WinStar is right there. SF: How does your family feel about this transition? Does your wife worry you're going to be around too much? EW: No, no. She's completely supportive and this is an opportunity for me to support her. She's supported me for so long in these two roles, moving around the country and being gone a lot, so this is an opportunity for me to give back to her. SF: WinStar really came of age under your guidance, becoming a true global brand. What are you going to miss the most about it? Is it the people? Is it the day-to-day coming in the office? EW: The highlight of WinStar for me has been the team, and that starts at the top. Kenny has been an incredible boss and leader. He has entrusted us to execute, but it starts with his desire. He's an example of what makes a farm like WinStar successful, and you see it in other farms as well, and that's first and foremost a very proactive owner. I think a farm of this magnitude needs a proactive owner, whether it's John Magnier at Coolmore, Kenny Troutt at WinStar, or B. Wayne Hughes at Spendthrift. I don't think you accomplish all that we've accomplished without somebody who has their eye on the ball. And with that, he's also entrusted us to make the decisions. So working for him has been a real honor and a blessing, and what's so exciting about the future for WinStar is that Preston is starting to step into that role. Kenny's still going strong, but we're all getting a little older, and that's part of why we made the decision we made. Preston is a very impressive young man. For WinStar to survive over the next 25 years, they need a Troutt at the helm, and Preston's going to be that guy when Kenny is ready. SF: Is there anything I haven't asked you that you'd like to say? EW: We just had our annual managers' retreat. This was our 25th, and it just reminded me how much I'm going to miss this team. They are exceptional. I feel good that we're handing a really accomplished, professional team off to Gerry in a way in which we can make sure that WinStar Farm does not miss a beat. We have a bright future with the young stallions that we have coming up, starting this year. Life is Good and Nashville have their first runners this year, and Constitution is rolling. I'm excited about what Preston, Gerry, David, Natanya, and the whole team can do for the next 25 years. I'm going to miss working with the quality of these horses, but I would anticipate that I'm going to be around some quality horses in the future. The post Q and A: A New Chapter for Elliott Walden appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The Lambourn Open Day, a fixture in the racing calendar for more than three decades, returns in 2026, celebrating Lambourn's role at the heart of the sport whilst raising vital funds for charity. On the morning of Good Friday, April 3, over 20 of Lambourn's Flat and National Hunt trainers will open their doors to the public, offering a rare chance to step inside some of the country's most famous yards. Leading names such as Nicky Henderson, Archie Watson, Clive Cox, Ed Walker, Jamie Osborne, Jamie Snowden and Richard Hughes will be among those welcoming visitors, with Nick Scholfield also set to open his yard for the first time. Following the morning yard visits, the focus switches to the main showground for a full afternoon programme designed to appeal to all ages. Racing legend John Francome has been appointed a Patron of Lambourn Open Day for 2026 and will be in attendance on the day, taking part in the afternoon events. Highlights for 2026 include Celebrity Show Jumping, the ever-popular Shetland Grand National, Schooling with Top Jockeys and the Windsor Clive International Parade of Equine Heroes, alongside a range of additional displays, trade stands and family entertainment. The Outside Chance Beer Tent will be open from midday in the afternoon events field. All profits from the day go towards supporting Lambourn, with the majority donated to the Lambourn Valley Housing Trust, which works for the welfare of Lambourn stable staff, alongside contributions to other local facilities and the Thames Valley Air Ambulance, which provides critical emergency support to the area. Mark Smyly, chairman of Lambourn Open Day, said, “Lambourn Open Day is always a special occasion for the sport and for everyone connected to the area. It gives racing fans the chance to see how these yards work on a daily basis, meet the horses and the people behind them, and enjoy a brilliant day out. With top-class yards open in the morning and a packed afternoon programme, there really is something for everyone, of all ages.” Tickets for Lambourn Open Day are on sale now, with full event information available on the website. The post ‘A Special Occasion for the Sport’ – Lambourn Open Day Returns in 2026 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

For @nomates and his new (old) buddy Bucky can someone explain to them where in this Topic is there mention of the word defamation? I guess literacy isn't a strong point with some. Actually you can't explain it to them because there isn't any mention.

Actually @Murray Fish I think you will like the humour in this post.

https://www.obstetricgynecoljournal.com/index.php/cjog/article/view/cjog-aid1197

Guest post: Forget pickles and ice cream. I published a fake paper on pregnancy cravings for prime numbers Image generated by Google Gemini I had grown weary of the constant stream and abuse of spam invitations to submit manuscripts to journals and to attend fake conferences on the other side of the world, a trend extensively studied in academia. The last straw: a solicitation from the Clinical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, well outside my work in mathematics education. Accepting the challenge, I decided to submit a deliberately nonsensical, AI-generated manuscript in response to observe how the individuals behind these supposed journals operate. In October 2025, I wrote to someone named Henry Jackson, who had sent the article invitation in August (despite the fact that no such person is listed on the journal’s website). I sent a manuscript generated entirely by ChatGPT to test how far a publication created with zero genuine effort could go and whether there was any filtering mechanism in place to prevent a meaningless article from being published. I proposed the following title in my reply: “Obstetric Paradoxes and Didactic Equations: The Impact of Mathematical Teaching on Childbirth and Beyond.” The abstract read: On October 29, I received the following response from someone named Amelia Sandra, from the journal’s editorial office (who is also not listed among the journal’s staff): “We request that you submit the full-length article on your research so that we can forward it to our quality department for evaluation.” I asked ChatGPT to generate a full article (clearly absurd and entirely fictitious) consistent with the submitted title and abstract. I deliberately included graphs that explained nothing and results that were entirely implausible. The conclusions were patently unbelievable. A cursory glance at the paper would have been enough to realize it made no sense whatsoever. Pascual D. Diago At this point, I resorted to a small deception and submitted the article under a pseudonym, as I had no intention of gaining any benefit from the publication, nor of having it appear among my genuine academic works. I chose a pseudonym similar to my real name, “Pascual Chiago,” since I had to submit the manuscript from my official university email account. I left other obvious signs that the article was a joke, such as references to non-existent journals and authors with rather explicit surnames (e.g., Sneakydez, Trickón, Sneakarez, Hoodvez, Cheatillo) hoping that anyone would clearly see the false nature of the article. On November 3, I submitted the AI-generated article on the impact of mathematics education on unborn children. Minutes later, I received a response from Amelia stating that my article had been forwarded to their “professional review team.” At this point, I assumed my experiment would end there. I was wrong. On November 12 a certain Susan Lee (also not listed on the journal’s website) demanded an immediate response within 24 hours to the review comments on the submitted paper, even though I had not previously received any email with review comments. The tone was threatening and insisted on payment of the invoice. I received six identical emails with the review comments. Fortunately — or amusingly — the manuscript was rated as “ACCEPTED WITH MINOR MODIFICATIONS.” The review letter praised the manuscript as “fairly written and interesting” and commended my “hard work.” Among the requested revisions were suggestions that made little sense, including demands that I cite unrelated journals such as the Journal of Molecular Liquids and Spectrochimica Acta. Pressed for time and increasingly irritated, I resubmitted the same file five minutes later, randomly highlighting passages in yellow and making no actual changes. I also added the requested citations without checking their existence, inventing authors and titles to further test whether anyone was genuinely overseeing the process. The references included authors explicitly named to suggest fabrication (e.g., “Me-Lo, I.” and “Nvent, O.”, names that, when read in Spanish, sound like ‘me lo invento’, meaning ‘I’m making it up’). Within less than an hour, I received final acceptance from the editor. Shortly after, I was sent an invoice for APCs amounting to USD $2,949, payable within two to three days. Naturally, I had no intention of paying such a sum. So when I received a payment reminder email on November 18 signed by Robbie Williams, I decided to extend the joke slightly further so they might realize they were the ones being deceived this time. I replied angrily and embedded references to songs by the singer Robbie Williams (the real one), with a fake receipt attached from the “CheatBank of Spain” generated by AI. Perhaps the fake invoice was excessive, but it felt like poetic justice. I assumed the matter would end there. However, a few days later, after recounting the story to a colleague, I discovered that the article had indeed been published on the journal’s website with an assigned DOI. I had assumed that without payment, publication would not proceed. My email of November 18 was my last communication with them. Since then, Robbie Williams has continued to email me every five or six days requesting payment. The paper has somehow brought me back to where I started. This week I received an unsolicited email from the conference manager of an upcoming gynecology meeting. It seems my paper “was identified as pertinent to themes under consideration.” What was my intention in doing all this? Even today I am not entirely sure, but I suppose that, first, I was seeking a kind of vendetta against the malicious spam emails that academics receive daily. Second, I wanted to demonstrate what we are repeatedly told in training courses about predatory journals: The machinery designed to exploit the academic system is devoid of scientific rigor and ethical standards. But I don’t think I needed AI to tell us that. Pascual D. Diago is a professor in the Department of Teaching of Mathematics at the University of Valencia in Spain. His (real) research is on the use of new technologies in teaching mathematics.

fact? for those stated events! Have not charges etc been laid? in time those actions will have measured consequences? ps. I note some chickenlicken in ya back ground as well!!!

The Lindsay Park stable is confident the Blue Diamond Stakes aspirations of two-year-old Eurocanto (Per Incanto) are back on track. The Ben, Will and J D Hayes-trained two-year-old was sent back to the trials after being withdrawn from the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield on January 24. Eurocanto played up in the gates that day and was scratched at the barriers. The colt required a veterinary clearance to be cleared to race again after the vets on race day deemed Eurocanto lame in the near foreleg, while stewards ordered the two-year-old to trial their satisfaction in a jump-out. That jump-out occurred last Friday at Flemington with Eurocanto finishing second in an 800m heat behind the Don’t Hope Do. J D Hayes said the stable was relieved to see their Blue Diamond hope back at the races with the two-year-old down to run at Caulfield on Saturday in the Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m). Hayes said in an ideal world Eurocanto would be heading into Victoria’s premier two-year-old race, the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 21, at his third run for the campaign. But Hayes said the stable was buoyed by the way Eurocanto performed last Friday. “He trialled really well against the older horses, and he’ll be taking his place,” Hayes said. “He’s back on track and I thought it was a good trial. “He passed with flying colours, and he was on his best behaviour and hopefully he stays that way.” Eurocanto has raced just once previously winning the Listed Maribyrnong Trial (1000m) at Flemington last October. In preparation for what was hoped to be his first-up outing on January 24, Eurocanto had two jump-outs, finishing third at Flemington on January 2 before scoring at Werribee on January 16. “I don’t think he will be lacking anything for fitness on Saturday,” Hayes said. Eurocanto will be the sole starter in the colts and gelding’s division of the Prelude for Lindsay Park with the stable accepting with Jacaranda, Medicinal and Portinari in the fillies’ division. Jacaranda has also been accepted with in the Inglis Millennium (1100m) at Randwick on Saturday with all three fillies looking to join both Eurocanto and Torture in the Blue Diamond on February 21. View the full article

The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Knobelas will tackle 2000m for the first time when she contests the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. The four-year-old daughter of Belardo is back campaigning in her country of birth and was unlucky not to have snared more of the $1 million prizemoney on offer when third in the Gr.3 Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie just under a fortnight ago. On that occasion Knobelas finished third to Tuxedo and Hinekaha, the latter whom she meets again on Saturday. “We think we probably should have won,” Kent Jnr said. “We spoke pre-race about the Ellerslie track. It’s a tight corner, if you have to cut the corner and then come out that’s a good thing but she was already on the outside so I didn’t see the reason why we had to go back inside looking for runs. “She got held up, got out late and she was good to the line, so I’m sure she’s class-wise up to these gallopers on Saturday. “She’s a very progressive mare but the big unknown is 2000m, but this is certainly a good chance to find out. “We’re very hopeful she does get the 2000m, but you never know until you try it. She’s certainly had the right preparation and she’ll be fifth-up on Saturday. “We’ve got a good jockey in Daniel Stackhouse and a good barrier (two). Daniel’s a prolific winner over here, he’s looking for his first Group One, and it’d be nice if we could supply him with that.” Knobelas is a $3.60 second favourite behind fellow Australian raider Kingswood ($2.50), who won the Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) on Boxing Day. Kent Jnr said it is a short turnaround from the Aotearoa Classic to the Herbie Dyke, but Knobelas has prepared well. “She’s staying at Lance Noble’s place at the Cambridge Stud facility at Karaka,” he said. “I’ve not seen a better facility in my time worldwide, it’s outstanding, we’re very lucky and she’s thrived there. In fact she’s eaten better there than she has back here at home at Cranbourne, she’s done so well, so we’re very fortunate. “She’s had the racing required to get out to 2000m and she’s not a robust mare, you don’t want to be shoving too many hard gallops into her and she’s naturally athletic. “She goes in to Saturday in 100 percent order and we are very happy with her.” Kent Jnr said he and training partner Mick Price were yet to plan beyond Saturday for Knobelas, who races in the colours of OTI Racing, with the Australian syndicators having a growing presence in New Zealand. “We are taking it run by run and she’s pencilled in for a flight back home on Wednesday, but I suppose if things went really well or you got desperately close there is that option to go back to a mile for the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (Gr.1, 1600m) or there is the Bonecrusher (Gr.1 New Zealand Stakes, 2000m) in four weeks,” Kent Jnr said. “We haven’t discussed it honestly. It’s run by run with her and hopefully we’ve got a good problem on our hands on Saturday afternoon.” View the full article

As always you miss the point and contradict yourself at the same time. I just said I don't see what the big deal is about following due process. You and others will make a meal out of it.

What a ludickridous thing to say NOBODY will be baying for him to be stamped out fgs Why are you so limp wristed/lassez fear when it comes to things INTEGRITY? it's THE very basis that ANY wagering industry is based on Drugs/shoulder charges/horse's ridden into other horses/ et el have NO PLACE in the racing industry...end of

I honestly don't see what the big deal is. Due process has been followed and Cole will be suspended for a period of time. No doubt, appeal options aside, Cole is working through the process of who continues training the horses in his stable. Hopefully he has someone there that can step up. Cole will in due course do his time and be allowed back to training. But there will be the holier than thou types (most of whom are hypocrites) that won't let up and will be baying for him to be stamped out.

Lisa Cropp fights at every turn Phil Taylor Senior Writer· 10 Jan, 2006 02:01 PM14 mins to read Save Share Lisa Cropp's life hasn't been easy of late, but colleagues will say that this determined winner is not one to give up without a hard fight. Picture / Kenny Rodger This is the time of Lisa Cropp's life. She is at once in her prime and yet faces her greatest test. Though she is reaping records and trophies she is unlikely to emerge unscathed. It is in her nature to go hard. Even in the inquiry room - where allegations that she used methamphetamine and took deliberate steps to evade detection are being made - her defence is attack. In these holiday weeks, while we sunned, surfed and over-ate, Cropp took to the racing calendar with a vengeance. And it may be vengeance she seeks, or to thumb her nose at doubters. She rode at almost every available meeting, criss-crossing the country, jumping on planes to ride in towns such as Rangiora, Levin, Timaru, an exhausting schedule which saw her charge to the head of the jockeys' premiership from eighth a month ago. In four weeks she matched the number of winners she rode in the previous four months. On New Year's Day she chalked up another memorable career chapter, piloting within an hour the winners of two of the big races of summer, the City of Auckland Cup for stayers, and the Railway Handicap for equine speed merchants. If she was elated with the first, her joy was boundless when Baldessarini outgunned the sprinters in the day's other $200,000 race. Her smile was a chasm. As she returned to the mounting yard to applause and a phalanx of photographers, she thrust her clenched fists skyward, a reminder that this is her arena, this is what she was born to do. The contrast could not have been greater to the scene in a room not 50m away during the inquiry into her methamphetamine positive. In that room there were no smiles. She seemed taut, brittle, cornered, defiant. With top jockey Michael Walker sidelined with a broken thumb, the resumption of that inquiry may be the main obstacle to Cropp winning back-to-back premierships. If the charge against her is upheld she would likely face an immediate ban of up to a year. For eight months, Cropp has engaged in an expensive legal arm-wrestle with racing authorities, holding at bay the charges laid by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR): that in breach of industry rules, she rode in races on May 7 with methamphetamine in her system, or, alternatively, that a urine sample she provided that day tested positive to the drug. She has fought at every turn, challenging the rules and procedures not just for each step of the taking, handling and testing of urine samples but the process by which the Judicial Control Authority (JCA) formed the committee hearing her case. One of her lawyers, high-profile criminal barrister Barry Hart, has indicated he is seeking a High Court judicial review regarding the latter. Hart claims there is a procedural flaw in that a member of the JCA, which appoints the committee to hear the charges, was also a member of prosecuting body NZTR. It boils down to a few days. The member joined NZTR two days before the charges were laid, but his resignation from the JCA is not recorded until five days later. The member is not on the two-person committee hearing the charges but Hart told the inquiry that having someone as a member of both bodies meant Cropp's right to a fair hearing could not be assured. It may be a pointless exercise because even if successful, NZTR could lay the informations again. It is an example of the cat-and-mouse nature of proceedings that were expected to take a few days now at eight months with no end in sight. Patience has been frayed. NZTR's lawyer, Crown Solicitor Simon Moore, at one point accused Hart of wasting time: "My learned friend is thinking it up as he goes along, conjuring up some intriguing grounds." Hart, who has enlisted the services of Antony Shaw, a Bill of Rights specialist from Victoria University, took exception. "It's unreasonable to suggest that we doodle along without any basis in law," he said. The potential consequences to his client were serious and scrutinising the informant's case was no more than protecting the rights of all working in the racing industry. Century-old case law has been quoted, minutiae of regulations trawled, but as yet the fundamentals of NZTR's case have not been challenged: that Cropp, a licensed jockey, was asked by a racecourse inspector to provide a sample for testing, that she did so to an authorised nurse, and that on analysis the sample was found to contain methamphetamine and amphetamine. Where chief racecourse inspector John McKenzie restricts himself to describing such matters as "shadowboxing", Sports Minister Trevor Mallard used parliamentary privilege to label Cropp a "cheat". Two days at Te Rapa racecourse in Hamilton's north marked last year's high and low points for Cropp. On Saturday, July 30, she made history on a horse named Good Reason. It was win number 194 for the season for Cropp, one more than champion jockey Lance O'Sullivan's record. For good measure, she flew to Oamaru and rode three winners the next day, the last of the season. Breaking the record was her big prize, an achievement all the more meritorious because of what she'd overcome. Twelve months earlier she had returned to race riding after a three-year absence, riding a winner appropriately named Explode Away. Her "retirement" had been forced on her by a broken neck - her second such injury - suffered in a race fall in Macau. But the inactivity didn't suit her. Watching riders she considered inferior win races frustrated her. In her comeback season she destroyed the record for a female of 109 wins, won the premiership by a country mile, and nabbed O'Sullivan's mark. Pioneering woman jockey Linda Jones and Cropp's neighbour Mark Todd, a double Olympic equestrian gold-medallist who trained the horse Cropp rode to break the record, praised her focus, her grit. Said Jones: "I knew a girl would win the premiership. It was just a matter of time. But to break the record is phenomenal." Said Todd, who knew Cropp as a little girl at pony club: "I'm full of admiration for what she has done." Said Cropp: "This is my dream." But when the racing industry presented its awards at a glitzy function in August, Jockey of the Year was not among them. A spokesman told the Weekend Herald that it was considered unfair on finalists for the vote to go ahead when the inquiry into Cropp's methamphetamine positive was incomplete. What was not elaborated on are the difficult questions the methamphetamine positive raises. A central one is whether Cropp was aided by a class A drug that lands dealers and suppliers in jail and is banned in sport because of its performance-enhancing effects. Massey University's Chris Wilkins, a specialist on the impact of illicit drugs on society, says methamphetamine was used during World War II to help soldiers remain alert, aggressive and positive. "It's one of the oldest types of performance-enhancing drugs, so there are benefits for all sports people." Noradrenaline provides the hyped effect while dopamine promotes a sense of wellbeing and confidence. It promotes weight loss by suppressing appetite and speeding metabolism causing calories to be burned quicker, which might appeal to a jockey along with the edge it gives to stamina, strength, courage and concentration. Downsides can include short temper, paranoia, anxiety, depression, and exhaustion caused by interrupted sleep, over-exertion and inadequate nutrition. It's a drug used by people from all walks of life, from building sites to plush Queen St offices. John McKenzie acknowledges there are substances that can improve a jockey's performance but says New Zealand horseracing was unlikely to adopt a regime aimed at detecting performance-enhancing substances in jockeys in the absence of such a move internationally. Saturday, May 7: Racecourse inspector Bryan McKenzie saw Cropp go into the female jockey's room at Te Rapa before the start of the first race and called out to her. Cropp told him to "wait a minute" because she needed to go to the toilet. McKenzie - according to his evidence replied that she was to be tested that day and suggested that because of her previous difficulty providing a sample that they go straight to the testing station. McKenzie said there was a delay of about 10 minutes before Cropp emerged. He accompanied her to the testing station where he introduced her to the nurse who was to take the sample. He was later told by the nurse that "Lisa Cropp had been unable to supply a sample despite her claim to me a short time earlier that she needed to go to the toilet." She did supply urine later in the day in which the nurse, and later scientists at Environment Science and Research (ESR) in Wellington, noticed contained hair and "what appeared to be straw". In the race immediately before she produced her sample, Cropp presented 0.5kg overweight an unusual occurrence. NZTR claimed these were attempts to dilute her urine and contaminate her sample, "deliberate steps," Moore told the committee "to foil the tests ... so they would not reveal what they did". The ESR tests revealed particularly high readings of methamphetamine and its metabolite amphetamine. Scientists gave evidence that the medications Cropp had declared were incapable of breaking down into methamphetamine or amphetamine. Cropp's reading for methamphetamine was 100 times the threshold of 300 nanograms of the drug a mililitre of urine before a sample is regarded as positive. She originally told media her positive was not for methamphetamine even though she had been formally notified that it was. The Herald went to Cambridge to interview Cropp, who lives with her young daughter next door to her parents on a rural road. She was keen to tell the story of how she put her injuries and doubts behind her to win the premiership. "But I have some rules," she said. The methamphetamine positive must be ignored in the article. "You could be first to do this kind of story," she said. "I have got housewives back to work through what I have done." That is as far as the interview went. Cropp has indeed been an inspiration to many. Punters yelled not the horse's name but "go Lisa" as they watched her race at Stratford. Paul Moroney has known Cropp for 15 years. A racing manager, he was instrumental in her riding in Japan where she was the first foreigner to ride and the first female jockey to receive a full licence. "She was an absolute rock star up there," Moroney says. "I read a statistic that the biggest increase in on-course patrons in Japan was for girls 18 to 25." Cropp was revered not only by girls. On her last day in Japan, the vice-president of the Japanese Racing Association made a special presentation. The chauffeur-driven car provided for her was mobbed. "I couldn't believe my eyes. It was like rock'n'roll." Moroney, part owner of the country's top galloper Xcellent, describes Cropp as a "natural" who rides with an "international" style. "She was virtually born on the back of a horse," he says, of the future star raised in a close-knit family centred around horses. She and her sister, Vicki, were standouts at pony club, and dad was a huntsman and trainer of the mighty Hunterville, three-time winner of the Great Northern Steeplechase. She was in the company of Hunterville when Moroney first saw Cropp. "Lisa was leading the horse in after the Great Northern. This was a 17.1-hand horse, being led by this tiny tot who would only have been 8 or 9. This little wee girl leading this great big horse. That was Lisa." Moroney has never seen Cropp show fear. When she planned a comeback after her last broken neck he went to visit her "to try to talk her out of it because she's a bionic woman, she's pretty much man-made from here up," he says jabbing a thumb into his chest, such is the surgery she's had. Cropp is known as a jockey horses will run for. She doesn't need to rely on the whip to get the best from them. By "international style", Moroney is referring to how Cropp rides with her weight over the horse's shoulders, using her strength to drive it forwards. "She doesn't grab the horses up tight, she has very soft hands and she rides on a long rein, and the horses relax for her." As Zarius did last Sunday in the City of Auckland Cup. She didn't panic when the horse virtually fell out of the starting gates settling last in the field of 18. Still there on the turn, Cropp eased the inexperienced gelding to the centre of the track and waited. A gap opened with 200m remaining and the pair drove through for a decisive win. Cropp is undoubtedly one of the best jockeys racing in New Zealand. But is she the best? She won last season's premiership by so much it would seem there would be little room for argument. But her 197 wins came from 1261 rides, a staggering 60 per cent more than the next busiest jockey, premiership runner-up Hayden Tinsley, who was one of only four other jockeys to ride more than 700 races during the season and one of two with a ratio of winners to starts better than that of Cropp. The industry's most prized events are called "group" or "listed" races. They carry the serious money and the most pressure. Cropp won six, but eight other jockeys won more. Leith Innes won 14. "You can have someone who is really fit and dedicated flying around the country," says Pat Finnegan, author of Tapestry of the Turf, "and at the end of the season they haven't made that much. Whereas some are real good money riders. Joe McFarlane [who rode during the 1940s] only rode about 300 winners but when the money was up he'd come through." O'Sullivan, for example, set his record of 193 wins in the 2001/2002 season from only 815 rides, 446 fewer races than Cropp took to beat it. "Physically, I don't know how she did it," says O'Sullivan, who describes Cropp as "talented and very driven". Although competition is weaker at midweek meetings in out-of-the-way places, Moroney says Cropp maintained a remarkable standard considering her workrate. Cropp has always had her mind set on getting to the top, Moroney says. "In a lot of cases those people will get there come hell or high water." "Lisa has often in her life come first, second, third and fourth. That's part of her makeup that's got her where she has got. I don't mean in the trouble she is now in, but more in the way she has succeeded. She wouldn't think twice about getting under another jockey's neck to get a ride. Everyone's fair game." Her singlemindedness helped her break into the top bracket in the tough Sydney competition, beating down the resistance of trainers to putting women on their horses, something Moroney rates as good as her New Zealand record. "Lady jockeys had no chance when she went there. Sydney was the last bastion." She returned from Macau in 2001, her marriage over, fractures to three vertebrae and with a harder edge to her character. A year later her sister, after whom Cropp named her daughter, drowned in Florida. "You wonder what drives people to where they get to in life," says Moroney. "There are usually reasons and Lisa has had her fair share of trauma, heartache and pain." Moroney believes Cropp draws motivation from her sister. When he visited to dissuade Cropp from returning to race riding there were pictures of Vicki on the fridge. Cropp told him she had made up her mind to race again. "You're a long time dead," she said. Cambridge is in the heart of Waipa District, and as proud districts often do, it advertises its successes. The faces of Olympians Sarah Ulmer, cyclist, the Evers-Swindell rowing twins and Mark Todd adorn billboards proclaiming the county "home of champions". But for the baggage, the district may have been moved to add the name of a determined jockey.

I thought they changed the Rules of Racing that meant that a trainer could not train, a jockey could not ride etc etc while they had proceedings against them I could be wrong, but this happened when Lisa Cropp, back in 2007, kept on appealing the charges against her, such that she ended up riding and winning another premiership or 2 because under the Rules of Racing, she could not be stopped. It made a mockery of racing, in the end she took it all the way through to the Court of Appeal before she was finally put out. Some of the detail may be a bit sketchy, Curious will know more

Moi knows it's fun dealing with FACTS The only good thing to arise from this very unfortunate case is that it'll leave an undeniable impression on other stakeholders just how serious avoiding drug testing is Also good on the RIB for adopting the same test vehicle drivers are subject to A simple spit test that Cody said he wasn't aware of...even though he was told oh how easy to do a quick lick then off to do other horsey stuff

You are not really a bundle of fun are you @Thomass ?

Ok... charged with "wilfully fails to perform an act as ordered by a steward" GUILTY Oxford languages synonyms "WILFUL deliberate, intentional, intended, done on purpose, premeditated, planned aka REFUSED

True from a legal perspective he just didn't turn up to be tested. Which is different to refusing. But he is guilty so now it is just waiting for the penalty.

Chief, The headline of this thread risks litigation. I don't see any evidence of refusing a sample. Delay is not refusal.

Correct. But the Industry holier than thou types like nothing better than a witch hunt and lynching.

Is he still allowed to train while there are proceedings against him

A typical @Thomass embellished story.

Yes @Thomass

It's a good story boner. I did the reverse not too long ago in an online auction. Didn't bid expecting the other party to. Nek minute the hammer comes down and neither of us have it! Only consolation it probably saved the expenses on another slow horse.