Seven days in … racing – An age-old question to ponder

In this edition:

• Australian racing’s scale of injustice – Boss and Freedman’s call for change
• Hold your horses – How Ka Ying Rising has turned the Everest countdown into a waiting game
• Four more Sydney Group 1s put on Asian Pattern Committee agenda
• Plenty on his Plate – Moonee Valley boss Browell on turning his vision into a reality

At the upper echelon of Australian racing, longevity is becoming a precious commodity.

Yes, horses such as the mighty sprinter Nature Strip and his former racetrack adversary Eduardo enjoyed extended careers and the widespread fan bases that came with their knack to keep delivering results season after season.

But in the realm of the truly elite racehorses that have graced our racetracks in modern times, it has been the mares who have been able to stretch their dominance well beyond most other demographics of the racehorse population.

Sunline, Makybe Diva, Black Caviar, and Winx are the obvious examples. 

In the case of Black Caviar and Winx, and perhaps to a lesser extent Makybe Diva, were they simply just that exceptional that it is pointless trying to find other reasons for their greatness?

The good thing about racing is that someone will always have a theory. Early retirements for horses with stallion potential is one point of supposition.

Any colt with a semblance of superiority is whisked off to stud before we find out if they can reach even greater heights. Amanoe is one of the few exceptions of recent times, but even his racetrack career ended at four.

And then there are the mechanics involved in the weight-for-age scale and the allowance given to fillies and mares over their male rivals.

In Australia, female racehorses receive a 2kg advantage. Glen Boss, who rode Makybe Diva in her three successive Melbourne Cup victories, says it’s time to revisit the ins and outs of a weight scale that was first devised in the 1860s.

The former champion jockey’s thoughts come on the eve of the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, 20 years after the great mare raced her way into racing folklore with her third Melbourne Cup win.

As the eight-year-old mare Via Sistina prepares to add another Group 1 to her record against five rivals in the Makybe Diva, Matt Stewart caught up with Boss to find out why he thinks the current weight-for-age scale is outdated.

In a decorated career, Boss also counted an Everest victory among his highlights, winning the 2019 edition on the three-year-old Yes Yes Yes.

That age group is being closely watched in the lead-up to this year’s race as potential rivals for the Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising.

All eyes will be on the Run To The Rose at Rosehill and the Poseidon Stakes at Flemington on Saturday to see if a potential Everest runner emerges.

While there was movement from the Chris Waller Racing slot during the week with Joliestar picked for another shot at the race, it’s generally been a game of wait-and-see from other Everest investors.

Ka Ying Rising’s presence has been offered up as one of the explanations for a modest take-up of slots so far, but respected industry figure Jamie Walter has another theory.

“One of the reasons it looks a bit thin at the moment is because the three-year-old sprinting colts last year did not win one weight-for-age race,” he told The Straight. 

Retirements are also making the sprint ranks feel a little skinny.

Among last season’s three-year-olds who are now at stud are Everest placegetter Growing Empire, Coolmore Stud Stakes winner Switzerland and Godolphin’s Traffic Warden.

It’s a trio who would not have been out of place in this year’s Everest if given the chance to train on – and if they held their form.

As it stands, the Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley is shaping as a key race for sprinters to press their claims for an Everest start.

It will be the last Manikato run on this uniquely shaped track before it is reconfigured as a part of a massive redevelopment of Moonee Valley.

Moonee Valley Racing Club chief executive Michael Browell spoke to The Straight about a timeline for the racecourse’s reopening and the logistics involved in setting sail for a new era in Australian racing.

In other major racing news covered by The Straight this week, there is no escaping the issues surrounding our Pattern.

While colleague Bren O’Brien recently examined what a reduced Australian Group 1 schedule might look like, Racing NSW wants more Sydney races upgraded.

Racing NSW has submitted an application to the Asian Pattern Committee to elevate four races to Group 1 status in a move that can only be interpreted as a Group 1 flex of administrative muscle.

What you may have missed this week:

• Deep Field dispute – insurer yet to pay out on prematurely pensioned stallion
• EOIs open for possible Racing NSW board vacancies
• Keeneland records fall after another ‘amazing’ session
• Joliestar secures slot for second crack at The Everest
• The push to open up live in-play sports betting in Australia
• Uncontested – Kanga and two other MRC directors’ terms extended
• Controlled play: MIXI to take PointsBet board spot and plans to shut betr out
• Albanese government starts to move on gambling ad reform
• Mulberry Racing signs for Quality Road colt as Keeneland figures surge
• Run The Numbers – History repeats in Moir for Group 1-producing mares
• Farewell to Fastnet Rock – Champion Coolmore sire dies aged 24
• Moment of concern – Star mare’s spring campaign on hold for now after colic scare
• Rowe On Monday – Rosberg ‘a win for everyone’, Wootton Bassett’s select book, US a new source for HK

Don’t forget to check out this week’s episode of the Straight Talk Podcast where Bren O’Brien and Tim Rowe were joined by Moir Stakes-winning trainer Troy Corstens. Your hosts have also unpacked the latest in racing, breeding and wagering in a wide-ranging episode.

Enjoy your Group 1 racing weekend,

Warwick Barr

Senior Editor

The Straight