Walt

Luk Chin and his back story What a marvel Dr Luk Chin is (and one hell of a nice ole fella to boot). Now in his 80’s, the Tamahere (on the outskirts of Hamilton) trainer notched up 2 more winners at the recent Cambridge meeting (ANZAC Day), both horses being closely related but at different stages of their racing careers. Dr Luk Chin Jasinova (6m Love You – Jasinsky) now has 16 wins on the board as she closes in on $200k in prizemoney. Barsukov (4g Love You – Barsukova), in the hands of recent recruit and Jnr driver from WA, Australia, Emily Johnson, was securing his first win after 14 previous attempts. This takes Chin’s overall training record to 177 wins (166 trotting) with a further 443 top 3 placings for a return in stakes just north of $2M. Between 1980 and 1994 he trained for himself, by himself, but had others driving for him on race day. “I was in my 50s by then and I was doing all the work but letting others have all the fun so I decided to get my drivers licence,” Chin explained. After a 41 year stint at Waikato Hospital, Chin is now ‘retired’ (well, as retired as he could be) but spends his days helping out at the local Health Hubs within the Auckland/Waikato areas. One can trace Luk Chin and his family involvement in harness racing right back to the 1950s where a very healthy relationship was cemented between his father CB Foon and legendary Templeton trainer Derek Jones. Success came early for the Jones/Chin ‘partnership’ in the form of Dismiss (Light Brigade – Rendezvous) who won 5 races from 43 starts for the princely sum of $3380. As a broodmare, she had just the 3 foals. Disband (by U Scott) won 14 races and was placed in an Inter-Dominion pacing final when held for the one and only time at Forbury Park in 1965. Dr Luk Chin accepting the joint Courtesy Ford Lifetime Legacy Award Winners This race was famous for producing the only ever dead heat in a final where Robin Dundee and Jay Ar could not be separated. Dispense, a full sister, won 8 trotting and is the ‘grand matriarch’ of all of Luk Chins current ‘breed’. More about her daughters shortly. Disturb (by Johnny Globe) won 3 pacing but did not breed on when given her chance. All 3 were trained by Derek Jones. When his father decided to reduce his involvement with the breed, it was decided that brother Onn would take on the pacing side of the family and Luk would inherit the trotting family with Dispense his foundation mare. Brother Onn has had his share of success with the pacers too with Tartan Lady (14 wins), Imperial Time (9 wins), Ice Wise (7 wins) and Imperiora (10 wins) just a few to have his name ‘in lights’, when trained by Jones or Ray Faithful (father of Chelsea) Notably, in the mid 50’s, a full sister to Dismiss in Light Heart gave local Hornby identity Jimmy Bond (NZ Kiwi league player), also a good client of Jones, a strong launching pad for his own horse breeding operation and another full sister in Suyin established the commercial ‘Seafield’ breed for the Grant family of South Canterbury. Dispense went to stud and left 9 foals for 5 winners with another two racing but not winning. She had 6 fillies. Beat The Gun (6 wins) to Game Pride left Dispride who left seven winners including Lovina (by Plat du Jour), 5 wins, and who is the grand dam of Cambridge winner Barsukov. She is also the 3rd dam of Jasinova, Chin’s other Cambridge winner. Spassky, Alexikov and Illin, all sons of Dispride, won seven races each for Chin over 20 years ago. Another daughter of Dispense in Madam Faye (by Bachelor Hanover), unraced, left Faye’s Jewel (by Lumber Dream). The latter placed in a short racing career before going to stud and leaving arguably Chin’s best horse in Fayanni (10 wins + $215k). Fayanni has continued the family record by leaving Safrakova (14 wins) and Alana (9 wins) from just 4 opportunities at stud. Chin has recently retired Alana and she is in foal to Marcoola. Tereskova (Monarchy – Barsukova) and Gorbachev (Plat du Jour – Disarmbro) both won 9 races for the Chin training establishment. Remarkedbly, Chin has never bought a horse. “Everything I own and race I have bred myself”, he proudly shared. A Luk Chin quinella He currently has 4 mares in the broodmare paddock and is expecting foals by King Of The North and Marcoola in the coming season and admits to having a soft spot for the stock of Orlando Vici. Current Australasian superstar Just Believe is of course by that sire. So what is with the Russian names of his horses? “A long time ago I had 3 names rejected by HRNZ when I was trying to name a weanling and I was a bit ‘stumped’ as to what to do. Just at that moment a news flash came over the TV about the Chernobyl disaster in Russia and I sent through the name Chernobyl (Game Pride – Beat The Gun) and it was accepted. And he did ok on the track winning 7 races. I did spend 6 years in the UK when I was younger and travelled extensively through the Eastern European countries so the theme has stuck with me over the years.” With his health in good shape, Luk Chin is keen to keep going, contributing in his own way to a hobby that has given him so many great memories. 200 trained winners has a nice ring to it. : Copied and pasted from elsewhere.

We lived in Auckland from 1983 to 2022. I've attended virtually every Auckland and Rowe Cups during that time. The first being Armalight and the last Amazing Dream in 2020. The field assembled for this years cup is the best available but not only is it down numerically on what you'd normally expect but it's obviously not a classic Auckland Cup field. I don't believe it's an embarrassment but more a disappointing reflection of circumstance. It's not a Cup field I would have attended. The Rowe Cup is a small mixed bag. My first Rowe Cup was that of Sir Castleton. I've seen some beauties over the years. Once again numerically the numbers are obviously down on what you'd expect. Of the 7 horse field three would need something to go badly wrong with the others to be a genuine contender. Just Believe is a clear standout. Only bad luck beats him. Muscle Mountain has found his form at the right time but I don't believe he can work hard during his races and still beat the likes of Just Believe. If I know that Greg Sugars sure will know it. Oscar Bonavena is a genuine winning chance but has been up a long time and understandably looked to have lost his finishing spark recently. Can The All Stars find that for one more race? If anyone can it's them. If they do he's a chance to beat Just Believe but I'm lacking total conviction there. Love N The Port is more a place contender than winning chance to my eye but respect him and his trainer. If I went it would be to see Just Believe as I admire great trotters but wouldn't make the effort to go to the track if still living in Auckland. Alarm bells should be going off over these two time honoured great races. They need to be show pieces of Auckland Harness Racing in the way the NZ Cup and Dominion are @ Addington. Unfortunately, I don't feel they are this year.

Saturday nights at Addington would be awesome especially in the summer. BBQ's in the infield etc and turn it into a normal summer event. Will be much harder to get people out on cold winter nights unless you put something extra special on. Throwing rotten fruit at Jacinda Ardern between races might draw a big crowd

Excellent post

I missed the Hawera Jumps on Sunday which was my bad as I'm also a big fan of jumps racing. With the ongoing decline in jumps racing here it's vital the jumps product we do get to see it's a decent one. Last thing we need is a poor product that does nothing even for the fans of jumps racing.

You've touched on a subject that deserves it's own thread Brodie but we are on the same page. Where are the future of horse racing punters going to come from? If I was to say the three traditional areas from the past they would be.... 1) Our fathers 2) Melbourne Cup and associated sweepstakes etc 3) Embracing a champion racehorse. I feel we can start putting a line through the influence of our fathers. There are so many areas / sports competing for the punters dollar these days. Racing no longer has the monopoly it once enjoyed. I also believe more fathers than ever see gambling in a negative light akin to smoking cigarettes. Unsure to what degree animal welfare plays a role with some people not wanting to support horse racing like many people who disapprove of rodeo's. You also have to be committed if you intend going to the races. Ten races spread over five hours has limited appeal when most of us are in a hurry to get from one place to another. Imagine going to a Casino and telling people there for five hours they could only have one gamble every thirty minutes so could sit on their hands for 25 minutes in between. Watch how quickly the Casino emptied out. I have three daughters and three sons. All are happy to go with me to a race day like the NZ Cup day but wouldn't be interested in any other days. Only two of my sons gamble and that is almost exclusively on football, MMA and League. We've all been to NZ Cup day. There's a buzz most embrace but other punters are not fussed. Seeing so many young people on track is encouraging but that encouragement soon evaporates. Horse racing need a lot more big days targeting young people. It's up to them to work out how to do that. People like Carter Dalgety are making a difference. He's young, talented and engaging. Younger people relate to him way more than they would relate to David Butcher etc. Carter has encouraged some of his young mates into horse ownership that has produced positive results. Other young people will have noticed. Gambling should be seen as fun and with the potential of winning life changing amounts of money for relatively small outlays. Something to compete with Lotto. The nearest we come to that is Pick Six a wager that coincidently the TAB no longer want. There needs to be a weekly jackpot to get peoples attention. Something for them, especially younger folk to pool their funds into a syndicate with the chance of buying that new car with the result. Regular sweepstakes could produce positive results. More high profile raffles etc for a share in a horse that is already winning races. The TAB have a clear focus on quantity over quality. Compulsive gamblers will embrace that but once again this is the sort of thing that turns others off gambling. We are routinely missing out on features worthy of focusing on as Trackside rush off to another dog race from Wallawallabangdong and others venues that a percentage of viewers wouldn't even know what country the venue is in. Getting people to the track is key in my opinion. If I look at Nelson for example we no longer have gallops and have lost our winter harness meeting so 50% of our racing. Nelson has a superb course but the facilities look like it's been decades since a bean was spent on them. I've offered to waterblast some of the shite looking areas free of any charge but the club don't actually own the grandstands etc. The population of Nelson has grown considerably but that is not reflected via horse racing. Richmond the very area the racecourse is on has had a significant population increase and many of them are younger people. I use Nelson as an anecdotal example of racing going backwards. Is the writing on the wall and the TAB just letting it die knowing Sports Betting is not in the too hard basket?

You've also had the bug since childhood Brodie. Harness Racing arrange races so we develop our favourite horses and favourite moments and are hooked for life. Sneaky bastards I remember being 9 far king years old at Hampden Street Primary School in Nelson. My teacher was Mr Ching. He was awesome and got the Christchurch Press. He'd give me the racing lift out every morning. How bad is that? It get's worse. He encouraged me to put my name down for the free milk program. Not because he thought I needed it but because the kids on that program started their morning tea ten minutes before the other kids and he said that would give me extra time to study the form because he didn't think it was a good idea to look at horse racing while he was teaching the class. How could I ever forget him? He's the only teacher that I cried when he passed away.

Not sure what decade it was but the ZB network would broadcast the TAB doubles midweek as long as the gallop legs were worth 10k plus and harness 5k plus. Guthrie Bowron sponsored those commentaries if my memory serves me. You'd often have to listen to dozens of adds etc etc before they bothered to confirm the result and prices. If the whistle blew in any of those races you had virtually no hope of finding out who was involved in the protest which was a tad frustrating.....aka a frustrating pain in the butt. Then we had teletext which seemed a leap forward as Radio Pacific was. I think 3ZB Christchurch was 1260 on the AM dial. It was close enough to the National Program for that to be an issue at night for us in Nelson wanting to hear the Addington trots.

The recently retired fine trotter for the Williamson's died unexpectedly after running into a fence on an Oamaru farm. He always gave his best and will be remembered

https://banks-peninsula-tc.co.nz/club-history/dg-jones-banks-peninsula-trotting-cup/

Anyone wanting a great read will enjoy this magnificent book. https://phoenixbooksnz.com/products/win-without-boasting-the-derek-jones-story-by-don-wright

YEAR: 2006 Derek Jones was a man with a magnetizing personality. His sincerity, lightning wit, kindness, generosity, fairness, and above all, an easy-going charm, made him everyone's friend. Like a valuable commodity, Derek collected them from near and far, but especially within harness racing where he was renowned throughout the world. He was a superior horseman who trained more than 1000 winners, an entertaining raconteur and speaker, eulogist, part-time barber, and one who never lacked stamina when social activities demanded it. He was a spark at any gathering: no-one left his company without a smile. In short, he had qualities that cut a man above the rest. His death, last Friday at the age of 79, after complications following heart surgery three days earlier, was unexpected. In the dust cover of his biography 'Win Without Boasting', author Don Wright introduced it by saying: "A master horseman, devoted industry servant, family patriarch, humorist, and a friend to all, especially those in less fortunate circumstances. Those qualities and characteristics sum up the life of Derek Jones MMNZ. A respected citizen, his consideration for others and ability to make friends is legendary. His mirth, humour and generosity towards all, including his staff, young horsemen and rivals have endeared him to many from all walks of life and stamped as a pillar of the industry. The famous Templeton trainer/driver is patriarch of a harness racing family that continues to exert a profound influence." As an administrator, he was President of the New Zealand Trotting Trainers' and Driver' Association, and served in the same capacity for the Banks Peninsula Trotting Club. He was a trustee of the Addington Harness Racing Hall of Fame, honoured with a special award from the NZ Trotting Hall of Fame, and he gained recognition outside harness racing for the work he did inside with his NZ Order of Merit award six years ago. He was also a tireless campaigner for achieving a fee for drivers. "When I started, a trainer didn't get paid if he drove a horse he trained. But you got paid if you drove a horse for someone else. It was ludicrous." Derek's remarkable record as a trainer and a driver have been overshadowed in recent years by talented family members profiting from his actions in standing aside. Son Peter said winning the New Zealand Cup for his father with Hands Down was a bigger thrill than when he trained Borana to win it. "I wanted the win with Hands Down to be a bigger thrill for my parents than me. It was a way of paying them back for all they had done for me." Derek's grandson Anthony Butt was given favourable opportunities to establish himself, and in his first season of driving won the national junior drivers, title. Butt recalled a remark that was so typical of his grandfather..."I remember being in the drivers' room after Blossom Lady ran fifth in her first NZ Cup, and feeling so disappointed about it, but Derek came into the room and said 'at least it saves us from having a party'. I felt a bit better after that." His brother Roddy was also a former national junior driving champion, and Tim, another grandson, trained recent champions Take A Moment and Lyell Creek, plus top liners Sonofthedon, Happy Asset, Mister D G and Foreal. Other trainers who 'did their time' with Derek and became successful were Nigel McGrath, Erin Crawford, Stephen Doody, Kelvin Harrison, Ray Sharpe and Andrew Stuart. Training in partnership with Jack Grant, Derek headed the Training Premiership twice, in 1965 and 1969. Grant, who was with Derek for 24 years and stable foreman before becoming a training partner, said: "They were the best years of my life. If anyone should have driven 1000 winners" - he drove 814 - "it should have been Derek, but he stood down for Peter and then for Anthony." Top trainers Max Miller and Tommy Behrns can vouch for his generosity and kindness. Miller said: "He was a special sort of fellow. I had Jacquinot Bay who was a good horse, and I wanted to race him in sprints and take him to Hutt Park. It didn't suit the owner who wanted to race him in the Cup, so he got Derek to train him. He ran third in the Hannon but didn't do much else. When he was sold, soon after, Derek sent the commission to me. I wouldn't expect many others to do that." Behrns said he was the most caring guy in the game, "and we are not talking about racing here. I'm referring to the times he spent seeing the elderly and infirmed. Time after time you would see him leaving the trials and take off to visit someone in a home or the hospital. There wouldn't be a month that went by without him coming to see dad (Jack), and for the last five years he was housebound and didn't get many visitors. He meant the world to dad. He'd done it all his life." Derek was born in Christchurch in 1926 and became a hardresser "long enough for me to get sick of it". He started his driving career at Methven in 1946, aged 19, and drove his first winner - Quite Clever - in a division race at Riccarton two months later. Soon after, he moved north, winning races with Silent Knight and Culture, two smart horses trained by Dan Fraser. His first horse of great class was Soangetaha, who arrived while he was still a young man. A son of Light Brigade, Soangetaha was one of three horses brought south by Derek in 1949 following an air crash that claimed the life of Andy Ryland. Culture and Barrier Reef were the others. Soangetaha won 15 races including two Auckland Cups, two heats of the Inter-Dominion and was runner-up in the Grand Final. "He was a superb horse. They talk about Harold Logan, but I never had a horse that could begin as quick." The year after Soangetaha was beaten in the Grand Final, he won the Dominion Handicap with Barrier Reef, always regarded by Derek as the fastest trotter he has driven. Many good horses followed, including Trueco, Dismiss, Somerset Lad, Slick Chick, Cheta, Lochgair, Dispense, Snowline, Dupreez, Our Own, Diarac, Doctor Dan, Ardleigh, Smokeaway and Disband. Derek had great affection for Disband, a U Scott mare renowned for her notoriously bad manners at the start. "She would never begin," he said. "The first time she got a mobile she had too much class for them." At the end of the 60s and start of the 70s, Leading Light, Light View and Topeka were stable stars, followed by Premiership, Hands Down and Blossom Lady. Hands Down won a NZ Cup, three Easter Cups, four Louisson Handicaps and a NZ Free-For-All. Derek drove him in most of his trackwork, but Peter handled him on raceday. As great as the good ones were, Derek thought Blossom Lady was the best of them. "Ability-wise, she had to be the best I had." He said when she was at her peak that he had to "murder her in training. The harder you were on her, the better she would race. It was simply a matter of facing up to that reality. Her recovery powers after strenuous races and work were amazing. That was what stood to her and made her such a great stayer." Besides the NZ Cup, she won 43 other races including two Standardbred Breeders Stakes, a NZ Free-For-All, two Hunter Cups and five Inter-Dominion Heats. During that time, principal owner Ralph Kermode wrote a letter to Derek that said in part: "Thank you for all the time and effort you have put into 'Bloss' and the expert way you have managed her and kept her going so long. Thank you for your frequent hospitality and your friendship." Outside of harness racing, visiting the sick and delivering eulogies at funerals, Derek enjoyed the opera and musicals, rugby, travelling, meeting friends and making new ones, and supporting his wider family. Just days before he died, he was making plans for his next overseas trip. Nothing, however, gave him as much pleasure as helping someone else less fortunate than himself. In that respect, he truly was a man without peer. He is survived by his son Peter, daughters Glenys, Jennifer and Leigh, 10 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. -o0o- The funeral was held at Addington Raceway on Monday 3 July, 2006 attended by about 1500. The white hearse was led down the straight by the pacer Bowencourt because she has such a close resemblance to Blossom Lady. He left the track to the commentaries of Blossom Lady and Hands Down winning their Cups echoing around the course. -o0o- On a board in the stable is a sign on diplomacy, which reads "The ability to tell a person to go to hell in such a way that he looks forward to the trip." Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 5Jul06

There are a million memories from Addington over the years. Terror To Love winning his third Cup. Flashing Red winning his two. The second not as expected as the first. Lot of emotion for Ants with the great DG no longer in the picture. Naval Officer winning the 1984 NZ Derby or should I say Debacle. Borana winning the Cup at huge odds for Pete in 1985. Borana had worked a treat in the lead up and the win was not a big shock to Peter but it was to most others including myself. I've noticed that some of my big memories at Addington involve Peter Jones. I always rated him as a superb and very smart driver. His Cup win with Hands Down (Old Bill) in 1980 when he beat Delightful Lady was an epic battle similar to the Bonecrusher / Waverly Star in the Cox Plate six years later in 1986. Pete was only 26 and having his first drive in the Cup. I'm still in awe of that winning drive 44 years later for a list of reasons. Not a lot of people knew Peter had a non harness racing concern that day that weighed on his mind but you would never have known when watching his drive. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I have considerable respect for him. On that score I will pay tribute to his wonderful father and all round great human being. DG

She was a beauty for Noel Berkett the father in law of Murray Pash. Noel also trained Lady Eastburn to win a few races. It's a shame Chesapeake didn't leave anything of note.

I'm impressed Gammalite. Couldn't have been easy finding a photo of Gammalite actually winning @ Addington. I wonder how badly Bonnie's Chance and Delightful Lady were checked ? Meanwhile, back to reality......

Know the area well Chief. Next to Centennial Park with the Brightwater Hall nearby. Very good spot for a 21st. I know your connection to McShane. The best trotter to come out of Nelson. The best pacer was Single Lord so both with BJ. I can never drive on McShane Road without thinking of McShane and his deeds. Brother lives on Pugh Road heading in the opposite direction. Not sure the last time you were in Richmond but it has undergone big changes especially in housing / population.

Dedication / addiction / madness I remember thinking it was like Christmas when Radio Pacific arrived. A dedicated racing station that didn't treat racing like an inconvenience.

Hands Down winning his third Easter Cup in 1983 and his NZ Cup in 1980. Lord Module winning his NZ Cup in 1979 and his Alan Matson FFA win in 1981. Bonnies Chance winning her NZ Cup in 1982. My biggest ever wager and collect off a horse. Tussle winning her Dominion in 1986. Very smart drive by Pete The win of Chase A Dream in the Sires Stakes Final on Cup Day 2023 .......and a very long list of others

Have done the same Chief. Back in the days dinosaurs roamed the Earth I remember ringing home from the UK in the early hours to hear a race my horse had his debut in. Toll operator listened with me. Funny you should mention Brightwater. Been three times this week. Have family and a mate living there and always enjoy the drive out. Richmond getting harder to get in and out of if you're in a hurry. The eatery / Cafe on McShane Road "The Grape Escape" well worth the drive if you're heading out toward Rabbit Island or Mapua etc.

Nice setup Murray. Unsure of your age group but if you're a fellow dinosaur you will have seen some huge changes in horse racing coverage over the years....and sports for that matter. I remember as a young fella listening to the night trots. I'd have to go to a particular part of the house that even including the far king roof of the house. Hold my breath and point my transistor toward Mecca and hope I could hear the end of the race before the National Program drowned out the race. If I wanted a bet I needed to get to the TAB and hour and ten minutes before the race and get my duplicate yellow hand written ticket of my wager. Now we can bet online right up until the jump and then watch the race. Win and withdraw it online into our bank account. We've seen all the changes step by step over the decades

As per normal Gammalite your perspective makes sense to me bar one aspect. I don't ask the question about the All Stars based on one race or one meeting. They could come out and win the Auckland and Rowe Cup's as they are terrific at getting their stars ready for the elite big money races. Even if they did so it wouldn't lesson the validity of my question about their dominance in future big money races. We can talk about the races they've won over the last few months and it's an impressive list but we can also talk about the quality races they didn't win. It's been a while since that dynamic existed. Almost rocking horse poo With Mark elsewhere and openly talking about other priorities etc, the next 12 months will be telling. Potentially, very telling. It's perplexing that asking what I consider to be a valid and reasonable question would attract negativity and niggle. Go figure

When I'm considering my wagers I look at numerous factors that may even go back several generations in the bloodline. That however rarely supersedes what the horse and trainer did last week. No need to re-read my previous posts. I know what I "asked" and stand by it. There are a combination of reasons why the All Stars have been so dominant. Remove some of those factors including the biggest factor and my question is entirely reasonable and even appropriate. Yes, the All Stars will continue winning Group 1 races but the complete dominance in the big money races is now being challenged. I don't give a monkey's what the last five months say. I wasn't referring to that. Obviously, I'm talking about the next five, 12, 18 months and beyond. Revisit this topic in a years time and then do some comparing. If the record books prove me wrong I will happily own it. I make mistakes. Do you? The last guy that lived his life without making a mistake ended up getting nailed to a cross. If you're wrong, I will send you some wet wipes to clean the egg off your face and remember different perspectives are the heart beat of this site. Not so elsewhere.

I never suggested the All Stars have or will fall off their pedestal and nobody else is either. That is how you've chosen to interoperate via your own lens. What has been "asked" relates to the absolute dominance the All Stars have enjoyed for many seasons coming to an end. Completely reasonable question given the different sets of circumstance. The Purdon name both North and South will continue on winning Group 1 races as long as there is harness racing. They are that good right down to their bone marrow. You minimize anecdotal evidence / observations as often untrue, unreliable and even stoop to referring to it as sophisticated gossip. I'm in my early 60's. I've come into contact with people all over the world. I can talk the ears off a dead donkey so no subjects are taboo yet I've never heard anyone ever refer to anecdotal evidence as "sophisticated gossip". If you are correct to make what I consider an absurd comparison then I should return tens of thousands of $$ won via anecdotal evidence to the TAB. Would I wager my children's life on anecdotal evidence? No, but neither would I minimize, misrepresent or mock it either. Anyone that wagers based on stats alone will have their success for certain but so will those who routinely refer to anecdotal evidence. Some days one will win more than the other but both are valuable wagering tools and light years from gossip.

As Meatloaf sang.....I would do anything for love. But love of what? a woman, success, $$$, Glory ? The All Star domination of harness racing has set new benchmarks. At times I looked on in awe and seized the opportunity to make some very easy money. If the money was up, it was going to the All Stars and their owners. At times the awe turned to curiosity. How does a horse work harder than everything else in the race yet still easily dominate them? How do Cardigan Bays keep rolling off the production line? Despite the Light and Sound, John Seaton "situation', I've never suspected skullduggery. Like Gammalite, we remember the early days of Mark Purdon. He's been standing out with excellence at what he does for a long time. I've doffed my invincible cap to him many times. He's also got a great eye for picking out a potential star. This will not go unnoticed by owners with deep pockets. I've never actually met Mark but he strikes me as an affable guy easy to get along with. This will also appeal to owners. You add a driver like Natalie Rasmussen to that mix, a proven training and nutrition method along with a team in the background all on the same page you have the perfect recipe for success. Mark and Natalie obviously know exactly how to get the best out their charges. That would all be pointless if they didn't also know how to control the outcome of races as quickly as possible from the off. They were near unbeatable. This was even more so when Natalie took the drive. Along the way I haven't embraced this domination. Some owners / trainers routinely come up with a star on the track. For most others it's the dream that keeps them in the game. Imagine finally breeding or buying a horse capable of winning G1's but having virtually no hope of doing so in your home country. Would you become disillusioned? Call me old fashioned but I love watching the jubilation and joy of people winning their first Group 1. They remind me of Dick Tayler winning the 1974 Commonwealth Games 10,000 metres Gold medal in Christchurch. That never stopped me being in awe of the All Stars but it did present a personal quandary. When partnerships come to an end and a different love comes into play for the captain, how can a stable continue on with the same domination? That sort of domination needs a 100% full time commitment and passion. What Mark has said publicly does not marry up with that. It's one thing to oversee the goings on from a far careful not to undermine the next generation and to be living that day in day out. I believe Mark will likely always have some involvement leading up to the biggest days on the calendar but not the month in month out dynamic. As a result, asking the question about the end of the All Star domination is a reasonable question rather than going the "early crow". For the record, I'm happy to share my perspective prior to the event rather than be a Monday punter after the fact. I don't ask the question based on the Welcome Stakes alone but instead factor in multiple dynamics I've been witnessing. I believe The Galah makes some valid points and does his homework. Some I agree with, some not so much. He has a good eye, a good brain, a ton of experience and a perspective I enjoy reading which is what this site is about....Right? Anecdotal evidence and factual number crunching are obviously two different things. Some times the anecdotal evidence is contradicted and sometimes the stats are contradicted. I value both. I have a catalog of anecdotal evidence that I won't share with you at this time as my good lady is waiting for me to bring in her cup of tea with a smile. I'll collect my reward later I will say this. I've made a small fortune over the years from anecdotal evidence that wasn't always backed up by the stats. My advice is ignore anecdotal evidence at your peril. To close, I have always admired the Jones / Butt dynasty. I know some of them personally and you'll struggle to meet finer people anywhere in life. They are Gold. I believe the Purdon Dynasty deserve equal admiration and respect.