Chief Stipe

I NEVER said she wasn't up to the class. I said she needed to win this race to be rated and to help the rating of the Livamol. As her trainer said "to be fair she hasn't beaten much" in New Zealand.

Rule Number(s): 870(3) and Breaking Horse RegulationsFollowing the running of Race 1 (MATT AND MARION HICKEY HANDICAP TROT) Information No. A10275 was filed with the Judicial Committee. It was alleged that LEESA CASTLETON (5th) galloped further than 50m inside the final 200m of the event. Judge’s Placings were: 1st No.7 SUNDONS FLYER 2nd No.3 THE REV 3rd ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(2)Following the running of Race 8 the “May Brothers Mobile Pace” an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward Mrs Tibbs alleging a breach of Rule 869(2) by Open Driver Mr R Cameron. The information alleged, You used your whip on more occasions than permitted by Clause (b) of the Use Of Whip Regulations. ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(1)(d)Following the running of Race 5 (PGG Wrightson 1400), an Information was lodged by Mr Goodwin alleging a breach of Rule 638 (1) (d) in that D Turner allowed his mount ONE PRIZE ONE GOAL to shift in when not clear of HARLEM “N” CO which was checked near the 1200m. Mr Turner confirmed his understanding ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(1)(d)Following the running of Race 5 (PGG Wrightson 1400), an Information was lodged by Mr Goodwin alleging a breach of Rule 638 (1) (d) in that R Goldsbury allowed her mount MYRTLE to shift in when not clear of STAND TALL which had to be restrained going back onto LINCOLN HILLS and PROSECCO which were hampered ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

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Good point.

There are still zillions of office sweeps and parties held on the day in NZ. My only gripe(s) is that the supporting races on the day at Flemington aren't that flash and the TAB will crash.

$1.05? Maybe they should run a book on it?

The probability of a horse breaking down on Melbourne Cup day is high as it is on any raceday anywhere. Although arguably in high pressure races where horses have been trained to their limit the probability is higher. The VRC vets have shown some duplicity however by the fact that they let Marmelo gallop AFTER they had seen the scans. The horse galloped well. It wasn't visually lame before or after the gallop. So is it really about the horse's welfare or something else? It is unlikely that Marmelo will be reinstated but one of the world's leading experts in Equine Orthopaedics has said the assessment of the scans is wrong. The diagnosis made by the RV vets is subjective at best. Now there is a can of worms opened. Will the bleeding heart animal welfare activists start demanding that ALL horses are pre-race scanned in ALL races? Or should it only apply to the Melbourne Cup because there is a wider audience watching? Should they scan all horses racing and review those horse's that breakdown during a race i.e. gather some definitive data? Racing is a dangerous sport for ALL participants and horses breaking down are a fact of the game. We have a highly inbred animal racing at the peak of its athletic ability racing 2 miles under pressure which is something that the horse structurally isn't designed to do. The horse's scratched after the scans won't be reinstated not because the science is accurate, it isn't, but because as you point out if an accident happens litigation would probably ensue.

HeadQuarters And get your millionaire-self a $300 "A Class" (A-lister) ticket - which gets ya unlimited Champagne Mumm until the end of the big race, a three-course meal and a goodie bag worth $250 - holler! Boogie your lost bets away to a live performance by none other than iconic Kiwi band of the noughties, True Bliss. Prizes will be awarded to the best-dressed couple, male, and female, so dress to impress.

The owners of Marmelo are considering legal options after last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up was controversially scratched from the race. Marmelo and Godolphin’s Ispolini, trained by last year’s Cup winning trainer Charlie Appleby, were on Wednesday scratched from Tuesday’s $8 million Cup after standing CT scans indicated potentia problems. Racing Victoria stewards reported Marmelo had incomplete fractures in his near fore and off hind cannon bones while Ispolini had an issue with his right front cannon bone. Part-owner John O’Neil said Marmelo was going for an MRI as the owners looked at validating their position. “There are a lot of issues with the welfare of horses and I would hate to think the recent incidents are causing Racing Victoria to make decisions based on that,” O’Neill told racing.com. “I’ve raced horses for 30 years. I’ve won a lot of Group One races. I’ve been very lucky. I know a lot of people and I would never put our horse in a position where we would be causing any issues. “Ozzie Kheir, one of the prominent owners, along with Phil Mehrten and myself have reached out to get some legal advice in relation to things and it’s certainly something we’re going to do.” Marmelo’s trainer Hughie Morrison said he took horse welfare seriously and was questioning the assessment of Chris Whitton from the University Of Melbourne. “We’ve had the major expert in this field in Newmarket, Ian Wright, look at these scans and he has put his neck on the line,” Morrison said. “He has said that it’s not justified to not race the horse.” Morrison questioned why none of the local horses had been subjected to scans. But RV head of integrity, Jamie Stier, said local horses would be scrutinised after vets began pre-acceptance testing of all horses remaining in the Cup. Stier said five horses had undergone standing CT scans this spring, Red Verdon and Gold Mount following their Caulfield Cup runs, along with 2018 Cup winner Cross Counter, Ispolini and Marmelo. Red Verdon was found to have a bone injury and Gold Mount a ligament injury. Chris Connett, travelling foreman for Appleby, said the Godolphin team was disappointed Ispolini had been ruled out of Tuesday’s race. “Obviously horse welfare is at the forefront and always is with any decision with our team and when you come to different racing jurisdictions you have to abide by their rules, and that’s what we’ll do,” Connett told RSN927. RV inspected the top 35 horses in the entry order on Thursday with Angel Of Truth and Raheen House presenting with lameness. Their respective trainers, Gwenda Markwell and William Haggas, have elected to scratch the horses from the Cup. The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Dal Harraild also presented with lameness in the left fore leg and required replating on the right front foot. An RV vet will re-examine Dal Harraild on Friday. The post Owners consider legal options with Marmelo appeared first on BOAY Racing News. View the full article

And the complete irony is it was initiated by Racing Victoria's INTEGRITY UNIT!!!!! It's a very dangerous precedent they have just set trying to predict the future.

Is that sarcasm?

Read the qualifications and experience of this vet who disagrees with the assessments. http://www.newmarketequinehospital.com/team/ian-wright/

Yes no doubt they are well qualified and experienced but are they qualified and have experience in making assessments of scans to predict future events? The Godolphin vets who one would imagine are the best in the world disagree with the assessment. Now what happens if a horse that races next Tuesday does break down and hasn't been scanned. The probability that a horse will break down is high given the conditioning required and the hard racing conditions. RV vets will have some explaining to do then. They should have left well alone as now trying to look proactive and appease the welfare fanatic minority they have opened a can of worms. Then again they didn't need scans to scratch Kiwi the second time did they?!

I bet if they scanned every horse lined up for the Melbourne Cup they'd find issues using the assessment criteria they have applied. The miles that are put into these horses to get ready for a hard two miles creates wear and tear. Also wouldn't Godolphin have access to the best international vets available? They are saying the assessment of the scans is wrong.

Rule Number(s): 638(1)(d)Following the running of race 3, Levena (Hines) Laird 100th Birthday 1400, an Information was filed pursuant to Rule 638(1)(d). The Informant, Mr Williamson, alleged that Mr Innes permitted his mount ITSY BITSY to shift out near the 500 metres when not sufficiently clear of TABATA which was hampered ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

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Then why did they allow them to gallop and watch them gallop AFTER the scans?

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