Straight Up – Big races and big stories
In today’s edition:
- ‘I don’t grieve that it’s over’ – Nick Hall’s wild ride from Caulfield to Costa Rica and back again
- High stakes – how an ex-garbo has an Everest record that is the envy of most
- ‘Too big, too quickly’ – The lessons to be learned in the downfall of A List Stud
- Entain continues its Australian revenue growth and lifts its global sights
- Adams makes history as Perth Racing’s first female chair
- Former club chairmen to front final Rosehill inquiry hearing
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and an industry of incredible ups and downs. The Sport of Kings catchphrase betrays the fluctuation of fortunes, how racing can carry anyone on its back to incredible success and dump them back again in a moment. A King for a day, perhaps.
Today, ahead of one of the most anticipated racing weekends of the year, we feature three stories which depict those changing fortunes. They are all longer reads that we think are worth your time and contemplation.
Nick Hall will be in the thick of the action ahead of this weekend’s Caulfield Cup, but the two-time winning jockey’s job will be done as soon as the horses leave the gates.
Now a barrier attendant, Hall, a prodigiously talented horseman, has been on an extraordinary journey since he retired in 2018. He spoke to Matt Stewart about literally taking the road less travelled and the value of a different perspective.
‘I don’t grieve that it’s over’
Nick Hall’s wild ride from Caulfield to Costa Rica and back again
A one-time strapper and a trainer, Brad Playford has ridden racing’s rollercoaster more than most admitting when he walked away from racing stables around 30 years ago, he was disappointed with how things turned out.
The former council worker is now arguably one of the luckiest owners in the country. On Saturday, he will have a runner in The Everest for the sixth time, with Private Eye, while he has a share in King Charles Stakes contender Ceolwulf and St Leger runner Stockman.
He chatted to Warwick Barr about his fortunes, good and bad, along the way.
Our third feature piece is a deep dive into what happened with A List Stud, an ambitious breeding and racing operation headed up by Chris Lee, which is now being picked over by creditors and administrators.
Tim Rowe spoke to a host of key players in A List Stud’s rise and fall, including Lee himself. It’s a cautionary tale of how scaling up too quickly can lead to a rapid fall.
Other stories you might want to catch up on, Perth Racing has appointed its first female chair in its long history, while Entain’s Australian business continues to rebound off the wagering lull of the past couple of years.
Meanwhile, there is one extra day of public hearings at the Rosehill parliamentary inquiry on Monday. A couple of key players in the recent history of the ATC/AJC are set to appear.
ICYMI earlier this week:
- Racing Victoria executive revamp takes shape as Lynch appointed COO
- ‘It’s the equivalent of winning two Kosciuszkos’ – High emotions after $420,000 Ready2Race result for emerging trainer
- A Pattern of disorder – Stakeholder revolt forces a pause on race upgrades
- The kids are alright – How life’s biggest challenges turned Brett Cavanough from a trainer into a mentor
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Enjoy an epic racing weekend.
Bren O’Brien
Managing Editor and Founder
The Straight
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