Madison County improving

The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained Madison County (NZ) (Pins) has had no luck in his two starts this spring and again has drawn poorly ahead of Saturday’s G2 Schweppes Crystal Mile at The Valley.

The dual Group 1 winner will start from the outside gate of 11, having jumped from barrier 17 when trapped wide in the G1 Toorak H., finishing seventh under topweight.

“His run was okay in the Toorak,” jockey Damian Lane said. “He is probably still coming right. He is a little bit behind in his coat, but he is starting to come good.

“It is a shame he has drawn wide again. It just makes it tricky around Moonee Valley.

“He is certainly improving with each run and he gets back to a better weight scale. He has been giving a lot of weight under handicap conditions, so that will suit him a bit better.”

Dreamforce better placed

Trainer John Thompson is confident Dreamforce (Fastnet Rock) can bounce back to form in the G2 Crystal Mile at The Valley.

The 7-year-old was beaten last time out in the G1 Epsom H. when he carried a top weight of 57kg from the outside barrier.

"It was just a race to put a line through," Thompson said. "He was poorly weighted there and the bad barrier was probably the straw that broke the camel's back.

"He had a shocking run and did too much work early and when Nash (Rawiller) realised he couldn't win he didn't knock him around. He just let him cruise up the straight."

It’s Faretti’s time

The time is now right for the superbly bred colt Faretti (I Am Invincible) to make his mark, according to trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott.

A $2 million yearling, he has had three barrier trials before he won a midweek maiden at Randwick and will line up in Saturday's Listed Brian Crowley S.

"He didn't get everything his own way in that race," Bott said. "He had to be used up and ridden a bit out of his comfort zone initially, but we knew we had the class horse in the race and we could still win the race by doing so.

"Tim Clark took full advantage of that and he put them away impressively. I'd like to see him take that next step now and I think he can."

Favourable comparison

Glen Boss has drawn comparisons between his G1 Melbourne Cup ride Constantinople (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the Flemington heroine Makybe Diva (GB) (Desert King {Ire}).

He has described Constantinople as a beautiful horse, yet to fully develop after riding him for the first time.

"He's going to be powerful," Boss said. "He's got the frame and he reminds me a bit of Makybe Diva before her first one (Melbourne Cup).

"She had a massive frame and then built up. He's the same, a bit like a coat hanger, but when he fills out, he's going to be something."

Chasing 2YO double

Robert Heathcote is hoping his good form continues on Saturday by making it two wins in a week with 2-year-olds raced by boutique breeders Gleeson Thoroughbreds.

Heathcote produced promising youngster Rothfire (Rothesay), who won on debut at Eagle Farm last Saturday.

He bought Rothfire from Gleeson Thoroughbreds in a private sale and prepares another promising young horse, Jellishot (Spirit Of Boom), who runs in the QTIS 2-Year-Old H. at Eagle Farm.

Jellishot is bred and raced by Gleeson Thoroughbreds, which is headed by Wally Gleeson and his wife Jill. They have built up a boutique breeding business near Chinchilla on the Western Downs which has undergone extensive refurbishment in recent years.

Thoroughbred welfare strategy

A meeting in Sydney on Friday co-ordinated by Racing Australia has identified options to further strengthen Australian racing’s equine welfare programmes.

The session identified a number of immediate initiatives including: seeking national adoption of the prizemoney levy and introduction of a sales levy to help finance an expansion of national Thoroughbred aftercare programs; further strengthening industry rules and penalties on the ownership, location and retirement destinations of Thoroughbreds and committing resources to ensure compliance; working with governments to ensure the introduction of the National Traceability Register for all horses; upgrading racing’s technology platforms to simplify participants’ ability to comply with the industry’s equine welfare rules and make access to data more transparent and robust and promoting the thoroughbred industry’s welfare policies and practices.

“Our goal is for Australian Thoroughbreds to be the best cared for members of the animal kingdom,” Chair of Racing Australia’s Equine Welfare Committee, Steve Wilson said.

Record average

Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky October Yearling Sale finished up as strongly as it started, leading to a record average for the final major yearling sale of the season.

Over the four-day auction, 1008 transactions were recorded for gross receipts of US$38,258,900 (AU$56,167,658). The cumulative average was US$37,955 (AU$55,721), bettering the previous record of US$36,507 (AU$53,597) set in 2017 and besting last year’s mark of US$35,576 (AU$52,230) by 6.7 per cent.

The sale and session topper was a Candy Ride (Arg) colt consigned by Reiley McDonald’s Eaton Sales and purchased by Carlo Vaccarezza for US$560,000 (AU$822,156) with the intention to resell him at next year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale.

Scat Daddy sons tops

Two sons of Scat Daddy (USA) - Justify (USA) and Mendelssohn (USA) - each covered 252 mares while standing their first seasons at Coolmore America’s Ashford Stud this year, knocking Spendthrift Farm’s Into Mischief (USA) (Harlan’s Holiday {USA}) who bred 241 mares, off his two-year reign as North America’s top-covering stallion.

Fellow Spendthrift sire, and shuttle stallion, Bolt d’Oro (USA) (Medaglia d’Oro {USA}) covered 214 mares in his debut season.

These statistics are based on 2019 reports of mares bred in North America (RMB) that were released Thursday by The Jockey Club (TJC).

Mare raring to go

Secret Allure (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}) will attempt to add to her black type tally when she lines up in the G3 Gee & Hickton Funeral Directors Thompson H. at Trentham, heading into Saturday’s feature off the back of victory in the G3 Taranaki Breeders’ S.

“She has come through her win at Hawera really well, I am really happy with her,” trainer Lisa Latta said. “Against her own sex can sometimes be a touch easier.”

Trentham was rated a Heavy11 track on Friday morning, which Latta believes will be an assist for her mare, with Secret Allure having recorded a win and a placing in her two starts on the surface. The 4-year-old will also benefit from a drop back in weight to 53kg.

“The weight is a big assist on a heavy track,” Latta said. “The heavy track won’t worry her. I am confident she will go a good race.”

Breeze ups online

The breeze ups at Te Rapa ahead of New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale can now be viewed online.

The auction will see 414 catalogued Lots go under the hammer on November 20 and 21 with highlights including siblings to 47 stakes winners such as Group 1 winners Maco'reilly (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Sacred Falls (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ}), Quintessential (NZ) (Fast ‘n’ Famous), Pondarosa Miss (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), Boom Time (Flying Spur) and Yourdeel (NZ) (Dundeel {NZ}).

New welfare guidelines

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing has announced new thoroughbred welfare guidelines, which will come into effect in December.

The strategy will allow for better traceability of horses from birth to death and there will be a clear onus on each racehorse’s owner, or accountable person, to ensure they sell or re-home horses to an appropriately skilled person and with an appropriate property.

There will also be a requirement for information relating to foaling, changes of ownership, location, and death or retirement to be promptly submitted.

NZTR has been fortunate during the development of the guidelines to have worked in partnership with Professor Emeritus David Mellor, who is globally recognised in the animal welfare field.