Always back the horse named self-interest, son. It'll be the only one trying
Wow, it was only yesterday that we wrote a story about the former gun apprentice Nick Keal riding trackwork, and welcoming him back. Now we learn that on Saturday he’s returning to saddle in race riding. Nick’s got three mounts so far at Goondoowindi on Saturday afternoon, and with undeclared riders in the last two […]
The APG is a world of pain, all of it self-inflicted. It’s competitor Nutrien Equine has had huge numbers entered into it’s 2023 yearling sales. Melbourne has 315 entries, and the sale will be run over 2 days. Sydney has 238. Neither of those numbers is surprising, given that APG have withdrawn from selling in […]
Queensland’s veritable Chief Steward Mr Peter Chadwick issues this directive to all members of the racing industry just six months ago. It makes a lot of sense. Horses should be ridden at their handicapped weights. If they are not, then what’s the point of the whole thing? Chief Steward Chadwick’s directive is plain and clear. […]
https://www.couriermail.com.au/lifestyle/qweekend/is-there-anything-brettlyn-beaver-neal-cant-do/news-story/059f9847b6867bf268942cb384f54270 Beaver Brophy – aka Brettlyn Neal, but really just Beaver – is an Aussie legend. I love her. Beaver got her start at the Birdsville races in 2010 when she was working as a security guard. She joined Fred Brophy’s travelling boxing tent and won 240 plus fights, against women and blokes. There has […]
Have you ever heard of a race meeting that is being conducted on a Heavy 8 and quite raceable track being delayed by several hours to allow the course proper to dry out further? Why would the authorities do such a thing if the track was deemed safe to race on? Could it possibly be […]
There is now very strong mail floating about suggesting that ALL of Todd Austin’s gallopers that had trackwork gallops at Birdsville on Tuesday morning were hit with a jigger. In the absence of any photos or footage it is not possible to prove these claims to be true, at least not without a witness statement. […]
This picture was taken at trackwork at Birdsville this morning. The horse in the picture is ridden by Ric McMahon and trained by Todd Austin. I don’t know which horse it is, but it won’t be hard to identify, for the brand is clear. Look closely at McMahon’s hand, just above where he is holding […]
The horse that Ric McMahon is riding with a jigger in his hand is Hemmerle. Todd Austin is the trainer. It is the topweight in the Birdsville Cup. Or was. All Todd Austin’s horses must be scratched from the meeting, and stood down from racing until the Stewards sort this whole thing out. Hemmerle is […]
See that thing in the US jockey’s hand? It is the same thing that was in Ric McMahon’s at Birdsville trackwork yesterday. It is a jigger. This is disgraceful conduct that brings shame to our sport.’ Everyone involved should be banned for life.
A jigger is a battery powered electric shock device, similar to a taser. Long used in the Australian racing industry as a means of pushing horses to run faster, their use was curbed during race meets once stewards vision of races improved with the introduction of video surveillance. Illegal under the Prevention of Cruelty to […]
