Seven days in … racing – Ka Ying or ka-ching

In this edition:

• Why competition for recruiting international horses to Australia is greater than ever
• Freedman script flips but family’s racing journey continues
• Pop Award the reward for Kroger’s patience and persistence
• ‘Stark absurdity’ – Esplin blasts NSW racing review’s funding blind spot

When the trickle became a wave, the question had to be asked about the Melbourne Cup: how many is too many?

This was in reference to the growing number of overseas-trained horses converging on Flemington in pursuit of a race that had been for so long embedded in the Australian sporting psyche.

As the representation of northern hemisphere horses reached double figures, so too did the concern about a disconnect between what we knew as the romance of the Cup and a new-age version of the race.

Despite the Melbourne Cup barely getting a mention from those whose job it is to rank the world’s best races, superior prize money to the purses on offer in Europe has made it an attractive spring stop for overseas horses ever since Vintage Crop taught the locals a staying lesson in 1993.

On the domestic front, a dwindling interest in breeding stayers has meant the Cup isn’t quite what it used to be, so the argument remains that competition has to come from somewhere.

It’s a balancing act for racing. In recent years, overseas participation has halved from a high point of 11 in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

The pandemic and stricter Racing Victoria veterinarian protocols have played a role but that doesn’t mean the appetite for administrators to scout for overseas talent has diminished.

If anything, it would seem more imperative than ever for the Australian spring – whether it be Sydney or Melbourne – to attract foreign horses.

As Tim Rowe revealed this week, the reasons are now financial, as the Hong Kong Jockey Club-backed World Pool continues to expand its coverage.

Even though the World Pool doesn’t operate on the Melbourne Cup card, there are enough meetings in October and November to incentivise race clubs to always look aboard.

Race clubs receive a cut of the World Pool turnover. For a club struggling for wagering income such as the Australian Turf Club, any new revenue is welcome with open arms.

Having a horse like Ka Ying Rising represent racing-made Hong Kong in the $20 million Everest is effectively as good as having a licence to print money.

The Freedman name has been synonymous with the spring for four decades.

Lee Freedman’s five Melbourne Cup victories between 1989 and 2005 underlined his dominance in the training ranks in a Hall of Fame career.

Freedman runners haven’t been a factor at Australia’s major carnivals for several seasons but it was still a surprise when he announced he would be stepping down from training.

In something of a role reversal, Freedman will manage the Gold Coast stable that his youngest brother Michael has opened as a satellite venture.

Matt Stewart spoke to Michael Freedman about how the business relationship with his famous brother will work as the Freedman family prepares for a new era.

On the racing front, good horses are starting to emerge from their winter hibernations, and there will be quality on offer at Caulfield and Rosehill, on Saturday.

Inexperienced mare Pop Award still has much to prove from a spring viewpoint but the five-year-old is the subject of our regular preview as owner-breeder Debbie Kroger chases a reward for resolve to stay in the game.

On the political scene, it’s been a quieter-than-usual week but all eyes, in NSW at least, are fixed on the machinations of a review into the NSW Thoroughbred Racing Act.

What you may have missed this week:

• Phoenix Thoroughbreds founder jailed over involvement in OneCoin crypto scam
• Last available Too Darn Hot nomination to be auctioned for charity
• You betcha – Kiwi punters get win return guarantee under new minimum bet laws
• Hore-Lacy refreshes executive structure of Thoroughbred Breeders Australia and Aushorse
• Australia drags on Entain’s international growth, New Zealand surges on
• Pierre Bouchut appointed chair as Entain reports growth
• Run The Numbers – Banking a book to start your stud career
• Maranoa Charlie an Arqana success story for Australian Peter Maher
• Rowe On Monday – A Japanese Everest shot, Bobbin’s UK plans on hold for Duke, and Godolphin’s new era starts well
• ‘A concerning culture’ – Regulator blasts bookmaker over code of conduct breaches
• In his Element – new owner for farm which produced Golden Sixty and Typhoon Tracy

Don’t forget to check out this week’s episode of the Straight Talk Podcast with Alastair Pulford from Darley as our special guest. Bren O’Brien and Tim Rowe discussed the impact of international horses in Australia, potential political implications on the thoroughbred industry of the ban on greyhound racing in Tasmania, and the review of the Thoroughbred Racing Act in NSW. 

Enjoy your racing weekend,

Warwick Barr

Senior Editor

The Straight