Straight Up – Farewell Singapore and Sharrock and it’s time for a survey

In this edition:

• The Straight’s first major audience survey
• As Singapore exits, is Malaysia ready to step up as South East Asia’s next racing frontier?
• “Constructive” – V’landys and breeders break bread
• Sharrock walks – New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing seeking a new chief executive
• OTI Racing finds its Knight in shining armour for Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe

Firstly, a quick note to say, today we are launching our first ever major audience survey.

We are fast approaching our first anniversary, so we are seeking a better understanding of who our audience are and what you like and dislike about what we do as well what you may want to see us do in the future.

We would really appreciate you taking a couple of minutes out of your day to do this.

Saturday sees the final meeting in Singapore after 182 years of racing. It is a significant moment in global racing, given that long history.

But what next for the horses and the participants. What happens to them after Saturday?

Malaysia, the closest racing jurisdiction to Singapore, shapes as a key player moving forward and the racing authorities there are keen to ensure they capitalise on this opportunity to establish themselves as the new major presence in that part of the world.

Tim Rowe takes a deep dive into the shape of Asian racing in a post-Singapore reality.

It has been a major week for Australia’s racing neighbours, with news from across the Tasman that New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing CEO Bruce Sharrock is set to step down by the end of the year.

While not directly related to the track issues at Hastings which led to relocation of two Group 1 races, it is clear that Entain’s major investment can’t paper over the challenges the racing industry faces in New Zealand, many of which were identified in the Messara Report back in 2018.

Closer to home and a meeting between Racing NSW and some of the country’s biggest breeders this week was deemed as ‘constructive’ after a significant deterioration in the relationship through the Rosehill inquiry.

Peter V’landys’ explosive comments about breeders during August’s public parliamentary hearings were apparently among the agenda items discussed, along with a host of other challenges. It is yet to be determined if two of the biggest players in the racing industry can find common ground.

Sunday sees the running of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, one of the world’s greatest races, in France and marks the 40th anniversary of Australian trailblazer Strawberry Road tackling the world’s best at Longchamp.

Australian syndicator OTI Racing has its first-ever Arc runner with Sevenna’s Knight set to take his place in the race and Warwick Barr caught up with Terry Henderson to reflect on the significance of the moment.

Finally, Yulong added yet another Oaks winner to its extraordinary broodmare band, paying $1.225 million for Autumn Angel in a standalone Inglis Digital Sale on Tuesday.

Thanks for your ongoing interest in The Straight. A reminder again to check out our audience survey. We also have a WhatsApp channel to keep you across all the latest news, analysis and features.

Regards

Bren O’Brien

Managing Editor and Founder

The Straight