Chief Stipe

Ok. But explain how I get this Google ad served up!

Geez Thomass I wish you would work out the protocol of posting from Twitter.

I know where Kangaroo Island is but do they have races there? I thought K island had been devastated by fire? However I resonate with your approach to looking up on Google the location of an obscure race meeting. I see it as part of my life long education. It always amazing me how many race tracks there are in OZ. In NZ we just want to close them down instead of keeping them going.

270

Well you are actually genetically modifying the breed by essentially breeding from mares that are incapable of breeding. There are lots of consequences of that. Over time the breed may become incapable of breeding naturally and so will be reliant on surrogates. Those surrogates could be from any breed. For example what advantage would there be to use a Clydesdale cross as a surrogate? A lot more room and nutrient for the foal to grow. Sure the drop at the end of the pregnancy might be severe but I'm sure they'd work out a way around that. It may encourage selective breeding to develop a faster thoroughbred by trading off the mares breeding capability. The mare only has to produce eggs. She could start breeding from the moment she starts ovulating and continue racing. She could effectively produce 5 foals before she finishes racing. It reminds me what selective breeding has done to some dog breeds. The French Bulldog being a classic case. The male is too short in the legs and is incapable of serving a bitch. So AI is used. The bitch's pelvis is too narrow to allow natural birth so it requires a Cesarean birth.

Well it hardly helps the breed does it. Hell why don't you just clone them.

Ultra Tune boss denies artificial breeding claims at elite stud By Damien Ractliffe and Cameron Houston February 16, 2021 — 6.31pm Racing Victoria stewards are investigating claims of embryo transplantation at Ultra Thoroughbreds, owned by multi-millionaire businessman and entrepreneur Sean Buckley. Among the claims, it’s suspected Ultra Thoroughbreds used surrogates for champion mare Miss Andretti, as well as Strikeline – the dam of last year’s Australian Horse of the Year, Nature Strip – who were struggling to conceive. Embryo transplantation is forbidden in the racing and breeding industry. Jamie Kah steers Nature Strip to victory in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington last Saturday.CREDIT:GETTY IMAGES According to a source close to the Racing Victoria investigation, who is not authorised to speak publicly, it’s suspected that at least two foals may have been born this season out of embryo transplantation – a filly out of Miss Andretti and a colt out of Strikeline – which were sired by Ultra Thoroughbreds’ stallion Addictive Nature in late 2019. The Australian Stud Book, which guides thoroughbred breeding, clearly states a horse produced by any form of artificial breeding is not eligible for the stud book, meaning it is not permitted to race or breed for thoroughbred purposes. However, the Australian Stud Book says it has not received any paperwork regarding the foals. Racing Victoria has received photos of the embryos and foals in recent days from a disgruntled former employee, which has triggered its investigation. "The stewards are in the formative stages of an investigation that relates to thoroughbred breeding," Racing Victoria spokesperson Shaun Kelly said. "We don't intend to comment on the specifics of that investigation at this time." While Mr Buckley is the owner of Ultra Thoroughbreds, other employees are responsible for implementing its breeding program. Mr Buckley told The Age he will co-operate with any investigation. “I have bred over 700 foals in 17 years of breeding. I am well aware of the Australian Stud Book rules. I have always rigorously sought to comply with them,” Mr Buckley said. “I am aware that a disgruntled employee, against whom I have already commenced Supreme Court action, has made various allegations. The details of those allegations I am at this stage unaware of. “I have been advised by RVL that they are making enquiries. I intend to fully co-operate with any enquiry as is my duty and responsibility. I have a completely clear conscience.” Mr Buckley, the multi-millionaire founder of Ultra Tune, is currently involved in legal proceedings in the Supreme Court seeking an order to ban his former partner Jennifer Cole and former employee Anthony Swords from distributing audio recordings between Mr Buckley and Ms Cole. Ultra Thoroughbreds has a small but successful operation, which includes a 460-acre stud farm based in Willowmavin, just out of Kilmore, known as Barree Stud. About 20 staff work for Ultra Thoroughbreds. Nature Strip heads their success stories. The champion sprinter, who on Saturday won his sixth group 1 race to take his career earnings beyond $6 million, was last year crowned the Australian Horse of the Year. Racing Victoria would not say whether integrity officers have inspected the Kilmore property since learning of the claims. Ultra Thoroughbreds' success stories include the career of Australia's champion racehorse of 2007, Miss Andretti, and the Cox Plate win of Shamus Award in 2013. In 2014, they purchased a stud farm in the Hunter Valley, NSW, now known as Golden Grove Stud, where they bred Nature Strip, however most of the stud farm's mares were brought back to Melbourne in late 2018 when they purchased another 120-acre property adjoining Mr Buckley's Barree Stud. Racing NSW chairman of stewards Marc Van Gestel told The Age he had not received any complaints about Ultra Thoroughbreds. If the foals in question were bred naturally, they would be worth a significant amount as yearlings due to their pedigrees. One colt out of Miss Andretti, by Exceed And Excel, sold for $460,000 as a yearling in 2011. But the value of any horse found to have been artificially bred is virtually nothing in the racing industry.

You know I don't think that. But if you are going to be ambivalent about one set of rules why not all of them?

So I take it from that statement you don't see any harm or big deal?

AI and/or reinforcing are different debates. Surrogacy with the transplantation of embryo's is a completely different level of skulduggery with long term consequences to the breed. As for having my "head read" - of course I don't believe the rules are followed in all aspects of racing. That's why there is a need for the RIU. You can't bang on about the inconsistency one week and then excuse it the next.

So does financial fraud. Doesn't make it right does it?

Of course Veterinarian intervention was required. They were extracting an embryo! That is against the rules of Thoroughbred breeding. Obviously the "Champion Mare" was unable to carry the foal to term OR they were protecting her because of her value. This type of procedure opens up all sorts of possible manipulation. It isn't a simple case of AI. Shame Colin Wightman isn't online anymore.

Two recent Government orchestrated scares. One a Northland family - supposedly with the super South African variant. NO lockdown. They toured all over the place while infected - no infections outside their immediate family. Even then not everyone in the family got it! Second a South Auckland family - supposedly with the super UK variant. Auckland locked down. 250m cost to the economy. More businesses on WINZ benefits and handouts. Again no one infected outside the immediate family and again not everyone in the family infected! Schools closed down AGAIN in Auckland. What for? Is this the future for our children?

Really? A champion mare has an egg fertilised in situ (we presume) and then the embryo is transplanted to a surrogate mare. How many embryo's? What is the parentage? Presumably a major stud and stallion if the mare was a champion racehorse.

I think you may have both missed the mare surrogacy allegation.

There's no denying Jamie Kah is clearly the headline act in racing Article Author Bruce Clark 4:55PM15 February 2021 21 Comments Put aside the multimillion dollar investment in the All-Star Mile to promote racing relevance, the sport’s biggest ticket right now is, and continues to be Jamie Kah. Jockey, not “female jockey”, nothing to do with Michelle Payne, or any of those who worked hard to achieve before her, Kah is without question racing’s No. 1 star. So she loses the ride on Nature Strip because of borders, despite chaperoning him to a Group 1 Lightning Stakes win. That was Group 1 No. 4, and achieved on a far from easy horse to manage. Ash Barty in tennis, Sam Kerr in soccer, Elyse Perry in cricket, surfing, basketball, swimming stars, add whatever sport you like, all mentioned in similarly comparable terms to Kah, the relevance is irrelevant, the focus on the talent and achievement and marketability is what’s important. After three winners at Flemington Saturday, Kah made page three of the Sunday Herald Sun (see below) for what she does and did, not tokenism. She is now talked about for the right reason, success not gender. And it wouldn’t bother her one bit. I’ve mentioned she would be a shoe-in for Hong Kong based on performance, but Hong Kong is a closing shop for Australians and has never been an open shop for females. Not that Kah needs it. She will win the Melbourne premiership and touch wood, take the 100 winners with it. Dwayne Dunn resumes riding this week after injury, as a South Australian, his link to Kah is via his father Barry who “had a bit to do with her when she got started, but always believed she would make it.” “To be honest being a female then meant you had to be twice as good to get the opportunities. She is, but more so because she is a good horsewoman and has a love for the animals,” Dunn said. “She has bought another dimension to the game, it’s not her whole life, which is why things don’t seem to fluster her, she has a good balance in more ways than one, I’m sure she has an equestrian passion as much as riding winners, but she just seems to let horse travel for her rather than the other way around.” For a sport struggling for mainstream traction – put aside the whip discussion (which will be raised this week) - and share the stories of Kah, Rachel King and Jessica Eaton. Kah grew up riding miniature ponies (at two) and breaking in horses, when she was eight, now her passion away from riding winners is rehoming them. Horsewoman – horseperson!

Racing Victoria is investigating surrogacy claims in the racing industry. Photo: Getty Images AFP INDUSTRY Racing authorities probe serious breeding breach Article Author 12:12PM16 February 2021 0 Comments Racing authorities have been asked to probe claims surrogate mares have been used to breed horses in a serious breach of the sport’s rules. Investigators from Racing Victoria have been handed a file from a former employee of a major breeding operation. It alleges a surrogate was used for a champion mare that was struggling to conceive. A surrogate was used in ­another case to carry a foal that became a multiple Group 1 winner earning millions of dollars in prizemoney. Authorities have also been handed text messages that purportedly show a veterinarian’s involvement in the scheme. One text speaks of artificially inseminating a broodmare, then indicates two other mares are ready to carry the foal. “Glad to say that (horse name redacted) has read the textbook this cycle,” the message says. “I have done a split AI 6hrs before and during ovulation. The rest is up to her. I have two mares in synchrony so as well as it can be here. “Let you know in just over a week if we recover an embryo. “(Horse name redacted) still holding a HF but hope to see it move this week and will time nicely with other recips.” The word “recips” means recipient mares. RV has declined to confirm or deny whether its stewards are probing the breeding operation after the Herald Sun last week sent questions to the body about the program. Embryo transfer involves recovering an embryo from a donor mare after conception — either through artificial ­insemination (AI) or natural breeding — and transferring it to another mare, known as a recipient mare. The recipient mare then ­becomes pregnant and carries the foal to term. A mare is a female horse four years or older. It is understood the whistleblower wants an indemnity in return for his co-operation, telling the Herald Sun the ­information on the breeding operation was “explosive”. The rules of breeding for thoroughbred racing are set out in the Australian Stud Book. There are strict guidelines regarding breeding and the identification of thoroughbreds in the industry. In thoroughbred racing, horses must be naturally bred.

"Real bad" in comparison to what? "Inferno" is alarmist hysterical language. Over 1.5m people die in Brazil each year. That's 4,000 people a day! Italy has the second oldest population in the world. There are lots of funerals EVERY day! 150,000 people die a day from disease - a third of those from largely preventable cardiovascular disease. The USA will probably lead that league table as well! 25,000 people die a day of starvation!

Pointing out flaws in your argument is not assigning blame! The fact is both Australia and NZ did not protect ALL citizens. Their actions were to supposedly protect a very small percentage of people that would be adversely affected by getting Covid-19. What's more they knew which part of the population that was. What they chose to do to protect those few was harm many many others and cause more mortality in ways that are not as easy to measure as daily league tables plotting the evolution of a virus. On that latter point - will we have league tables for annual influenza? Or HIV deaths? Or TB deaths? Or how about daily league tables for diabetes and obesity caused deaths? That is emotional hysterical language - not an informed balanced narrative. Aside from the UK and NYC where has there been a "raging inferno"? It is notable that both those areas that I mentioned have dysfunctional health care systems and in one a political leader that seems to be nothing more than a charlatan. I can't speak for Brodie but I'm pretty sure that he, like I, have never ever said "let it burn". Again emotive hysterical language that offers nothing to the debate. You are willing to slash and burn the economy and businesses, peoples jobs and education to save a few? Imagine if our Grandfathers had thought like that when faced with WW2. What we have said is protect those that are vulnerable and let the rest of society get on. That option long term has less repercussions than the lockdown. If Sweden hadn't made a mistake early on with the shifting of residential care elderly from their homes to rest homes their league table status would be a lot better. Even then their excess mortality for 2020 is not much more than 10% higher than any other year in the last five. If you extend the comparison time you will find there is no statistical difference! They still have a functioning economy and industries surviving which we savaged. What the Australian and New Zealand Governments are not being honest about is that we will either have to live with the virus eventually OR remain in isolation for a very very long time. In my opinion the second option is not feasible. You don't get it do you? Lockdowns and isolation impact most the underprivileged and those with health issues OTHER than the flavour of the month. You are in a privileged position to have that view. You don't have to work at an essential service like a supermarket checkout do you? As for "experts" - ask yourself this - why was all the decades of pandemic planning by experts thrown out the window for a virus that was much much less dangerous than those they planned for?

I'm not a fan I'll admit. Changed my mind completely when he rode my horse about 16 years ago. I had the chance to compare his overall horsemanship with some other Jockey's that rode the horse and he was a few steps behind. I think he has a style that suits certain horses and their race styles. He got into that fad of doing the big grandiose exhibition of letting the reins drop and spreading his arms out and flapping them. In my opinion he is more about looking good style wise rather than adjusting to the type of horse he rides.

Rule Number(s): 869(4)Following the running of Race 1 Reg Drake/Alex Jenkins New Life Members Mobile Pace an Information A10666 was filed by Stipendiary Steward Mr V Munro against open driver N Williamson (Marie Long) alleging that Mr Williamson drove in a manner which was likely to cause interference when shifting in when . (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(2)Following the running of Race 3 an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward Mr S Renault alleging a breach of Rule 869(2) by Open Driver Mr C DeFilippi. The information alleged; ”You used your whip with more than a wrist flicking motion in the home straight.” Mr DeFilippi signed the Information admitting . (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(2)Following the running of Race 9 an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr S Renault, against Licensed Junior Driver, Miss L McKay, alleging that as the Driver of CAESAR’S QUEST in the race, “You used your whip free of the rein early in the run home”. Miss McKay had signed the Information admitting . (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(4)(6)(b)(c)Following the running of Race 7 an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward Mr S Renault alleging a breach of Rule 869 (4)(6)(b)(c) by Junior Driver Mr M Hurrell. The Information stated that “M Hurrell pushed out ARIZONAWILDCAT to race wider on the track racing around the first bend.” Mr Hurrell . (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article