why not make him have a good wash down and buy some new clothes? im sure he wouldnt mind.

I'd have to go along with a few of the thoughts I've read elsewhere on this.

One being the suggestion that the source of this flu isn't 'found'. We couldn't go setting up one of our major studs for litigation for bringing the virus into the country from Japan [just had a big flu outbreak before ours] that had a few of our top studs horses there recently, now could we?
I suppose the powers that be are trying to find some little pony club to pin the blame on. Nothing specific, [like proof] just plenty of innuendo will do and of course the virus just crawled out of the ground :-))

Perhaps its time the Racehorse breeding industry caught up to the Harness Racing breeding industry who have embraced modern breeding methods [artificial insemination is hardly new science], so all this risky traveling by mares and Stallions to breed, is put to an end?

Apparently Victoria will now just have one horse racing meeting a day from this Saturday through to Wednesday. Instead of having both Caulfield and Moonee Valley racing on Saturday, they're gonna just have Caulfield, and maybe have up to 12 races! This must make it tough for the trainers, owners and jockeys to get organized if they're gonna keep messing with the programme.

Here's the link:
VIC: Programming Shock: Back to One Meeting Each Day

Yes this from the RSB website. ************!!

Latest News: 29/08/07

Please note: all the below meetings have been abandoned.
1st Sep - Benalla
1st Sep - Moonee Valley (night)
2nd Sep - Hamilton
2nd Sep - Geelong Thoroughtrack
3rd Sep - Swan Hill
4th Sep - Geelong Thoroughtrack

__________________
Pixie

"It's worth remembering that profit isn't profit until it's spent off the racecourse." -- Crash

After quite a bit of googling on the subject, it seems the major reason for the International Racehorse breeding stud book's rejection of AI [artificial insemination] is mainly the one of loss of spectacular and 'protected' [economic rationalism doesn't get a look in here] profits world wide, as the science of AI is well and truly already refined, there really isn't any other justification for rejecting it's use, except protected profit [and ************ the risks of infections etc].

Considering that one Stallion using AI can inseminate thousands of mares, what would happen to the cost? It would plummet to a fraction. Take the example of Redoute’s Choice. His advertised service fee is $330,000. Official Stud Book records show last season he served 224 mares and on the basis that excluding free returns, 200 of those mares will fall pregnant and have the service fee paid, he would generate $66 million in revenue for Arrowfield Stud where he stands. Add on ajistment fees for broodmares and other costs etc. and we are talking obscene profits.

On the up-side, the introduction of AI would see the cost of decent racehorses plummet, meaning that even the average Joe would be able to afford a potential champion. Not such a bad thing and perhaps even a good thing for the racing industry?

That's a common sense decision I think.

10 - 12 races on saturday at caulfield should make for an interesting and long afternoon.