The First Word

The Racing and Sports Magazine provides all your racing information, from week to week, year to year.

The Racing and Sports Magazine provides all your racing information, from week to week, year to year.

So we come to the end of Royal Ascot for 2011.

Yet again it has thrown up some fantastic racing, some surprise results and plenty of form to look at from a future perspective both domestically and maybe even down under.

Australia didn't walk away with a major but we know what happened to So You Think and Star Witness who himself ran so bravely twice in the feature sprints.

After the dust settled, So You Think did run well and probably should not have been beaten. He may have been in need of the run as he blew like an unfit horse after the race but race tactics played right into the hands of Rewilding who is a strong twelve furlong horse and was suited by a frantic up front pace.

Maybe if Ryan Moore had not exposed SYT so early up the long Ascot straight after such a hot early pace he would have been able to hold off the winner. He was certainly not disgraced all the same and ran very close to his Australian Timeform rating of 133 returning 131.

Regarding Star Witness he had genuine excuses both times, missing the kick and nothing to bring him into the King's Stand which likely cost him victory.

Then in the Golden Jubilee on a track too wet for him, he just failed to run out strong 1200m which was more like 1300m in the conditions. He may not find the testing six at Newmarket in the July Cup any easier but hopefully gets a firmer track.

Danny O'Brien's 3yo colt didn't bring the elite results into the meeting that the likes of Takeover Target have previously and that was probably a good indicator that he should finish in the placings but not win one.

Incidentally he ran to his Australian Timeform rating of 124 in the King's Stand. I have always maintained you need a horse Timeform rated 126 or better to compete with a chance in Europe and I have not changed that view.

However good on them for trying and connections can be happy that the son of Starcraft did them proud.

Another of the big race winners was the Gold Cup victor Fame And Glory.

Now a five time G1 winner, there were suspicions he might not stay the 4000m of the Cup given it was six furlongs further than he'd ever run before.

But Jamie Spencer kept him smothered away until necessary, he had more turn of foot coming with a well-timed run and held three lengths on the line on ground that was affected.

While he might be too dour for one of our Cups, perhaps better races to look to are the Hardwicke Stks won by Await The Dawn or the Queen's Vase taken out by Namibian.

The early indications from Aidan O'Brien were that Await The Dawn was more a Breeders Cup Classic horse in a down year internationally but consider some of the history of the Hardwicke.

Harbinger won easily last year before scoring the world's highest rate performance in the King George. Also Oscar Schindler went on to start favourite in Saintly's Melbourne Cup, Jeune won this then came to David Hayes and triumphed a year later while the same connections had Almaarad winning a Cox Plate 17 months after Hardwicke success.

Keep an eye then on the runner up Harris Tweed from the Haggas yard who may come to Melbourne. That isn't the kiwi who has run well in recent seasons.

The other event with form lines of interest might be the Queen's Vase.

This is over two miles for 3yos but Mahler was considered well enough rounded and of good enough quality to venture down and he placed behind Efficient in 2007.

The two that fought it out this year look decent stayers of the future.

Namibian is trained by Mark Johnston and so given his history with Australia and comments about Australian racing, he might be doubtful unless the horse was purchased.

And so to Solar Sky who is with Sir Henry Cecil. In an interview with Racing and Sports, he indicated he wasn't really keen himself to head down under but again I wonder if that doesn't stop a local buying this progressive Galileo colt.

Even if any of these horses don't come here this year, or any year for that matter, they are horses to follow.

One person who I enjoyed interviewing at Ascot was John McCririck. He is such an unconventional character and has many views on racing in general. (Spend a little time and listen to the audio on our website).

His public persona and opinions are well listened to over here. He holds firm on the funding of racing in the UK. It may be a noble view to put punters first but wagering revenue will always fund racing and returns to owners is a necessity for the game to survive.

However if you speak to most people, other than Big Mac, privately they will tell you UK racing is in dire straits. Many bookies have headed off shore to avoid tax and interestingly Betfair, although offshore, have still said they will pay their share of the levy at 6 million quid and have urged other off shore bookies to do the same.

The Levy funding for 2012 looks well short again of what is required to run the industry and already there is talk of fixture reductions. That can't bode well at all.

On another issue, McCririck holds strong observations on the banning the whip altogether which is another hot debate in plenty of places. As Hugh Bowman said over here it is a ridiculous proposition and is a view shared by a lot in the industry.

Just on John and his mannerisms, I'm informed there was an 'interesting' tête-à-tête between he and Matt Chapman from At The Races with Bart Cummings in the lead up to So You Think's run.

I'm also told there was plenty of reporting of the frank talks but let's get all this into perspective.

John is peculiar and puts one view and Chapman is a noted stirrer who loves to drive conversations to get an opinion. The latter has been to Australia before for the Cup and as such knows of its history and particularly that of Bart. Everyone knows of Cummings' laconic nature and age.

With those personalities and factors into the melting pot and incorporate a two second time delay via the Satellite, it was hardly conducive to a fluent discussion.

The outcome was that it was interpreted by many in the media that Bart hung up on them. I can't be certain it happened or not as I didn't see it but it has perfectly suited a media narrative surrounding this horse, its sale, where it is and who it was taken from.

Nothing surprises me the way things work these days.

I also noted a sign of disrespect in the media for our First Lady of Racing – Gai Waterhouse. It was a wonderful honour for her to be asked to present the Duke Of Edinburgh Trophy on the fifth day but Pommie jealousy knows no bounds, one journalist referring to her as “eccentric”.

Finally I wanted to get back onto staying races as I've seen plenty of them over here. We saw the Stayers Cup over two miles conducted at Rosehill on Saturday.

It only had seven entrants which is disappointing and its placement in the calendar is something which could easily need consideration toward a change.

But this whole episode of distance racing in our country is one of the chicken or the egg scenario.

Clubs put the races on for good prize money and get little reward. So why do they bother. But by not bothering would that offer nothing for the staying breed.

It is one we have long spoken about and I continue to be annoyed at the situation.

With only the Melbourne Cup and Andrew Ramsden in Victoria, the Sydney Cup and this race in NSW, the Queensland Cup and Adelaide Cup left as two milers, how do we properly generate a good foundation?

Sure the Stayers Cup was not likely to be responsible for producing a big Cup winner (Reuben Percival looks a three miler) and the critics in various areas will question the worth of the race. Might I offer that the Ramsden at Flemington only a month back had 16 in it but you had three horses beaten 50 lengths or more and half the field some 22 lengths away.

Competitiveness is not the issue. The more of these races that are scheduled by authorities with a sustained program, the more likely we'll get bigger fields into the future from trainers prepared to have a go.

And given the current trends and exchange rates, you can bet the Chris Waller ideal of European purchases will pervade many more stables along the East Coast.

We at Racing and Sports have continually said the entire industry nationwide should fund a distance championship which could run twice a year (Summer and Winter) and generate a pool of races designed to inspire trainers to foster young staying talent. Why not get a major sponsor for the series?

That talent could come from locals, imported from New Zealand to Australian trainers, have them come here for their kiwi conditioners who want to race for bigger prize money than they would at home or bring in those European conveyances.

I don't care how it is done or who does it but I see that as the only way we build a foundation of horses capable of running more than 2000m.

Like most things in racing, it takes time and money but it seems to me it is something worth doing.

Racing and Sports have now provided, free of charge, all UK and Irish form and info in our various databases where you might find the odd stayer.

Check out all the form for those races by going to our RAS FORMGUIDE and then click on the appropriate race meeting. You will notice that we also have videos in place for some jurisdictions and new video comments in our form.

Whatever your involvement there, we have your needs covered.

We welcome all your views so please contact us via our email support@racingandsports.com.au

Racing and Sports provides form references and the best coverage of all the important racing info, betting details and form references, not just for Australian racing, but now also for New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and Ireland meetings.

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Until next week,

Good Luck and Good Punting.

Gary