Saturday’s Caulfield Cup proved that the most over-rated aspect of thoroughbred racing is the news appeal of imported horses to the general public in any of our feature races bar the big one early in November.

While there’s no question the internationalization of the Melbourne Cup has managed to lift the profile race into one of significant relevance on the world stage, the northern invades in other features, to me, seem far more trouble than they are worth.

This column recently argued that with racing losing its gambling market share to general sports betting, it was time to promote the fact that racing offers infinitely better protection for its punters, that what is available to those putting their hard-earned cash contests involving sports with two-legged contestants.

By extension, if racing is a wagering sport that exists because of the gambling dollar, then anything that diminishes confidence is detrimental to the code.

With regards to the northern hemisphere horses in the Caulfield Cup – Godolphnin’s Kirklees and Luca Cumani’s Cima De Triomphe, how could anyone genuinely have had a substantial bet on either of the duo, or conversely, any of the local hopes with confidence?

Because if there’s one theory that you can take to the bank as fact, which was underlined again on the weekend, it’s that following the imported gallopers in these big races is a total crapshoot. While the trend of putting a gun local jockey on board has taken some of the “sore-back” elements out of the performances, the bottom line is that few punters, and even the so-called experts, really know how these imports will perform on the day after such an arduous trip.

In the Melbourne Cup, it matters a whole lot less because everyone from the Prime Minister to the local priest has a bet on the big one, but in the “support” races like the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate, the bottom line is still the bottom line.

Let’s not forget that gambling is outlawed in Dubai, so if the Sheikh wants to invite, woo and encourage the best gallopers from around the globe to strut their stuff on World Cup Day, then good on him. Not only are their economies of scale – to say the least – vastly different to ours, then so is their raison d’etre.

Because down under, we all know it’s all about the punt.

THE FORM OUTWEIGHS JETLAG

It should be pointed out that none of the above theory is the type of borderline xenophobic nonsense you read in some quarters, as the involvement in Australian racing of the international conglomerates Darley, Coolmore et al, at every level, is nothing less than a huge plus for the sport?

But when Denman and Irish Lights line up for Darley and Coolmore respectively, punters can back them or doubt them accordingly by lining up their form lines, and not have to include jetlag alongside tempo, barriers, track conditions and jockeys as they had to do with Kirklees and Cima de Triomphe.

THANK GOD FOR BART

But back to Saturday. You might have read some copy, heard some airwaves or seen some vision about a bloke called Bart.

A heap of copy, airwaves and vision.

So conversely, have you considered what general media coverage a win by the aforementioned duo Kirklees and Cima De Triomphe would have received had either of them pulled out a blinder and beaten the Cups King’s horse Viewed?

Yep. We would have seen a back-to-back “who cares” result,  after last year’s win by Godolphin’s ground-breaker All The Good as returned to scale to a stunning round of indifference after winning the Caulfield Cup.

This column asserts that the publicity the imported gallopers receive leading into the event far outweighed the public’s real interest in them and their connections.

If it’s an incorrect assertion, the very poor crowd of 43,200 – down from 51,100 the previous year – has to be put down to something. The previous week’s Caulfield Guineas day, featuring the most anticipated clash of star (local and well-known) 3YOs in over a decade, attracted a modern day record crowd.

In my opinion, don’t tell your customers what they want but give them what they desire.

THE BART SCRUM

Speaking of the great man Bart, the post-race media scrum that he had to endure was an indictment on all areas of the media and the racing industry and it needs to be fixed immediately.

Not at the end of the season, not at the end of the spring, but now.

Here’s my solution for the big three races: (Melbourne & Caulfield Cup & Cox Plate.)

All connections are briefed pre-race as to where they are to assemble post-race should they win.
• From a media perspective, this area is to be restricted to the person charged by the rights-holding TV broadcaster to conduct the immediate post-race interview. Should a dual-rights situation occur – as it does with TVN and Channel 9 during the non-Flemington features – then organize it as a genuine partnership. For instance Tony Jones from Wide World of Sports could be with the owners in the grandstand while TVN’s Bruce Clark interviews the trainer. There is simply no need for more than one microphone immediately post race.
• On correct weight being declared, a five-minute window – prior to the presentation ceremony – is to be allocated to structured media interviews provided by a selected journalist/s, for immediate use of further quotes for all electronic and on-line requirements. As an example, this works successfully in Formula One.
• Post ceremony, the winning connections file into a well organized media room for an all-in conference complete with audio feeds and sponsor board backings.
• The winning jockey of a Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup automatically forfeits any booking for the race immediately following, and is guided through media commitments by a club representative specifically assigned the task of assisting him or her.

Or we can just leave things as they are and risk seeing an 81-year-old genius and national treasure shamefully bowled over in a post-Melbourne Cup bunfight.

And all those involved last Saturday should then hang their collective heads in shame.

WASTING SPONSORS’ SPACE

And apart from the safety and dignity element of the issue, the respective clubs should look at the poor exposure value currently provided for sponsors.

The interview grab that TV stations use generally has half a dozen print journos holding their recording device under the winning trainer’s gob, with not a sponsor’s logo in sight.

Ten minutes later, the staggeringly boring presentation ceremony takes place with due recognition of the sponsoring company … with no one watching.

You’ve got to like Darley’s mannered and manicured approach. That’s the property, the fittings, the staff and, most of all, the horses.

And you’ve got to like Darley’s New Approach, a super track performer in England and now a first-season performer in the breeding barn.

As a rig (having one testicle), he will cover 70-75 mares this season (maximum two a day), unlike third-season sire Gonski who can keep up to the four-a-day (6am, noon, 5pm and 11pm) schedule to reach his double century. (Gonski started his stud career with a bang, so to speak, advantaged when equine influenza trapped mares inside Victoria, covering 205 in his first season.)

New Approach was full of himself, on his toes and posing this week for watchers at Darley’s  media day at its Victorian shopfront, Northwood Park, near Seymour.

What Darley has done since it bought some 450 hectares (about half) of the already gorgeous Northwood Park from Barrie and Midge Griffiths in 2006 is typical of Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s worldwide look – money apparently no object and not a hair out of place.

Stud manager Matt Hill showed the media around, starting with a look at a couple of valuable boarders – Lonhro’s unraced  sister O’Giselle (Octagonal-Shadea, by Straight Strike (USA)) and her shadow, a Redoute’s Choice colt born on September 25. O’Giselle had a Commands colt the previous year and will go to New Approach this season.

Hill explained how Darley’s stud-farm system works as well as including brief  “breeding for dummies” content.  It included such touches as revealing that 16 days after service there should be “a little marble rolling around in a mare’s uterus” and, if there happened to be two marbles, one would be squeezed, hopefully leaving the one that was the colt and the Group 1 horse.

The teaser, a tiny grey pony called Jack, was praised for his toughness and – as expected – pitied for his lack of satisfaction; the breeding barn was referred to as the “love shack”, although Hill said it was not a place for pre-mating wine and chocolates as the seven stallions (and Jack’s teaser mates Boots, Big Wig and Calvin Klein) played their parts in adhering to a busy serving schedule on a rubberised floor with a mound for the vertically challenged – not Jack, perhaps Reset, successful and well put together, but short.

And to make sure the right stallion serves the right mare, she has a bumper sticker with his name slapped on her rump – the assumption is staff can read, not the stallions – and to ensure she doesn’t fret about her foal at foot, there’s a “crèche” where she can keep an eye on him/her during the mating.

Darley is Dubai-based Sheikh Mohammed’s global breeding business that has more than 60 stallions standing in Australia, the US, Britain, Ireland and Japan. There are 26 stallions working this Australian season, with 16 at Kelvinside at Aberdeen (NSW) and three at Twin Hills at Cootamundra (NSW). The Victorian seven, groomed as carefully as their grooms, were paraded:

New Approach (ch h 2005, Galileo-Park Express, by Ahonoora) $33,000 service fee, including GST

Hard Spun (b h 2004, Danzig-Turkish Tryst, by Turkoman) $22,000

Gonski (b h 2002, Danehill-Abonnement, by Marauding) $6600

Street Boss (ch h 2004, Street Cry-Blushing Ogygian, Ogygian) $16,500

Strategic (ch h 1992, Zeditave-Sudden Impulse, by Luskin Star) $16,500

Any Given Saturday (b/br h 2004, Distorted Humour-Weekend In Indy, by AP Indy) $13,750

Reset (b h 2000, Zabeel-Assertive Lass, by Zeditave) $27,500

It was an impressive display of horse flesh, boosted by Darley’s Victorian nominations manager Andy Makiv talking up “the boys” and revealing that Picholine, dam of 2008 Group 1 Victoria Derby winner Rebel Raider (by Reset) and 2009 Derby favourite Shamoline Warrior (by Shamardal), had returned a positive to Reset and Alcopop’s dam Iota Of Luck (by Blevic) had been booked to him.

The Darley spiel complemented, not overpowered, an impressive tour. The only windbag was Windbag – his grave to be more accurate: paying homage to the 1925 Melbourne Cup winner is a key and impressive part of any Northwood Park tour.

Windbag is not the only Melbourne Cup winner to have fed on the Park’s pastures – Tawrrific (1989), part-owned by the Griffiths, and Makybe Diva (2003, ‘04, ‘05) spelled there. So far, this year’s Group 1 Golden Rose winner Denman (by Lonhro) is the best of Darley’s racing team to have had some R and R there.

Arrowfield Stud’s announcement that its premier stallion Redoute’s Choice was having some early- season fertility issues was done in the best interests of breeders and the timing was right.

Redoute’s Choice is showing inconsistency in his pattern of getting mares in foal, so much so that if he continues at his early season rate, he will probably get only 80 of his 160 mares in foal. That can change as the season progresses and as the stallion starts to strike at his usual 80 plus percentage.

I have heard from some broodmare owners, not necessarily directly affected by the situation, that Arrowfield took too long to make its announcement.

That’s a very tough call on Arrowfield, who must be mindful that it doesn’t want to cause unnecessary anxiety to breeders with bookings to the stallion, especially those booked to be served later in the season, and at the same time be sure the stud is giving breeders the correct information to make a decision on whether to continue with their plans to go to the stallion.

Redoute’s Choice started serving on September 1, and he will have covered an average of four mares a day, with the first pregnancy test not done until 15 days after the cover. It would have been early in October before Arrowfield would have had enough information to consider there was a trend in Redoute’s Choice’s strike rate.

Apparently, there are days the horse gets all his mares in foal, and none on other days.The Arrowfield announcement said it was not uncommon for stallions, including Redoute’s Choice, to hit a flat spot in any breeding season, but in Redoute’s Choice’s case it happened to be at the start of the season, which caused most of the concern. Tests on the horse have failed to reveal the reason for the problem, but at $180,000 (plus GST) a cover, you can rest assured that John  Messara and his team will be working around the clock to find and correct the problem.

A moving addendum to Viewed’s wonderful win in the $2.5million Group 1 Caulfield Cup was Nash Rawiller’s reaction to brother Brad’s 2400-metre rails-hugging ride to glory. “He rode it like Scobie Breasley,” said Nash in reference to the legendary Breasley’s trademark rails rides as he congratulated his younger brother.

Praise is a two-way street for the Rawillers. Nash, on winning the 2004 Caulfield Cup on Elvstroem, also was touchingly fêted by Brad – and then, as now, it was almost as if one had ridden with the other. Each time, the spectator volunteered to look after the other’s gear while he attended the presentation; on Saturday, Nash made light of taking Brad’s cap, whip, vest and saddle back to the jockeys’ room. 

The Rawillers, have some way to go before being rated with Jim and Darby Munro, and Jim and Larry Cassidy, as the best jockey brothers of all time, but they are making claims with their Group 1 successes – 31-year-old Brad’s win was his 12th, and it followed his Golden Slipper on Phelan Ready early this year; Nash (aged 34) has 21.

Long may they enjoy each other’s success, for each has to fight the weight bogey to ride about 55kg.

Weight won’t be an issue for Brad and Viewed (b h 6, Scenic (IRE)-Lovers Knot (NZ), by Khozaam (USA)) in the Melbourne Cup, with handicapper Greg Carpenter today announcing a 1kg penalty for the entire, taking him to 58kg in this year’s race – he will carry equal top weight with the 2007 winner Efficient. Viewed won with 53kg last year, when ridden by Blake Shinn.

The brothers will be hoping, however, that Brad doesn’t ride like Breasley in the Melbourne Cup – the legend had 17 tries without a win. (He won the Caulfield Cup a record five times.)

Viewed was only Brad’s second Caulfield Cup ride. He was on the much-hyped Weekend Hussler ($7, 12th) last year, but the multiple Group 1 winner did not stay. While admitting disappointment with that result, Rawiller said, “My ride on the day, I felt, was as good as could have been done.”

On Saturday, he snagged Viewed ($13) back from a wide barrier, was last a lap out, before settling third or fourth last on the fence, made ground from the 1000m mark, saved ground on the corner, and motored home up the straight to beat stablemate Roman Emperor ($15, Hugh Bowman) and Vigor ($15, Corey Brown). He did not go around a horse. Cummings’ other runner, Allez Wonder ($10, Michelle Payne), trailed the leader Zavite and finished in the money (eighth – the first 10 earn a prize).

Rawiller explained how he got the Viewed ride. “In August I was approached by Reggie Fleming, the Melbourne foreman, to jump him out twice and ride him in the weight-for-age races (leading into the Cups).

“Steven Arnold would be caught up with (John) Sadler’s (horses for Lloyd Williams) and Blake would be committed with (Gai) Waterhouse’s, and they (the Cummings stable) wanted to have a rider who can have him settled and have him leading towards the Melbourne Cup.

“I was always confident the way things were going through and that it would be hard for them to take me off, but Blake’s won a Melbourne Cup on him. I got lucky … I just kept saying all along that I’ll be on him. Thankfully, it worked out.”

Another heavyweight, Noel Callow, actually rode Viewed in his first start this campaign (when Rawiller was committed to Phelan Ready in the G1 Golden Rose at Rosehill) for fourth in the G2 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 29. Rawiller took over for the G1 Underwood (1800m, Caulfield, September 19) – 10th – and the other run, seventh in the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) behind Efficient at Flemington on October 3.

He said he kept reminding Fleming and track rider Joe Agresta that he was committed, and the stable stuck with him, too.

Owner Dato Tan Chin Nam’s racing manager Duncan Ramage said Cummings intended to start Viewed next in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) on the Saturday before the Cup.

Brad Rawiller will ride, and follow up with his first try in the greatest race of all. (Nash does not have a ride at this stage.)

Brad might be a novice at Melbourne Cups, but over the weekend, like Cummings, he played down Viewed’s Caulfield Cup win, prompting the comment that he quickly had learnt how to play the weighting game as Carpenter considered any penalty.

Rawiller said of the 2¼-length win: “There’s no question it’s flattering … we didn’t go around a horse.” Cummings said: “Lucky to win. I think the run through on the fence assisted him a fair bit, and he got away with it.”

Amazingly, it was the first win in the city this season for Rawiller, who had 11 seconds before his rich breakthrough. Will the $5.5million Melbourne Cup be the baker’s dozen of Cups – his 13th Group 1, and Cummings’ 13th Cup?

The chance is there. “The best horse I’ve ridden is Weekend Hussler,” Rawiller said. “And Viewed’s the best stayer by a mile – I’ve never ridden anything like him.”

Carpenter said: “The win of Viewed on Saturday confirmed him as one of the great stayers of the modern era. He was already high up in the Melbourne Cup weights and his new weight of 58kg represents an increase of 5kg on his Cup-winning weight in 2008.

“He will need to emulate the deeds of Makybe Diva in 2005 when she became the only horse in the last 30 years to win the Melbourne Cup with more than 57kg.

“In determining the penalty it was important to understand that additional weight will have a greater impact on the performance of a horse higher up in the handicap than it will on a lightly-weighted runner.

“I was also mindful that the Melbourne Cup represents a new challenge for Viewed, with Efficient, Speed Gifted and Alcopop, last start winners of the Turnbull Stakes, Metropolitan Handicap and Herbert Power Stakes respectively, set to run, along with a second wave of international entries who did not contest the Caulfield Cup.”

Viewed’s weight is 1.5kg under WFA; Makybe Diva carried 1kg above WFA (mares get a 2.5kg allowance).

Third declarations for the Melbourne Cup close next Monday (October 26).

MARKET – TAB Sportsbet offers these odds (all in):

Melbourne Cup (3200m) November 3

$6 Efficient, Viewed

$7 Speed Gifted, Alcopop

$10 Roman Emperor

$14 Daffodil

$18 Master O’Reilly, Shocking, Vigor

$21 C’est La Guerre, Mourilyan

$26 Zipping, Whobegotyou, Kirklees

$31 Allez Wonder, Ista Kareem, Capecover, Vision And Power

$41 Munsef, Basaltico, Fiumicino, Warringah, Hissing Sid, Changingoftheguard

THEY SAID IT

“This one’s specifically been set for the Derby; that one was set for the Guineas and the Derby,” said Flemington trainer Mark Kavanagh after Shamoline Warrior’s winning ‘trial’ in the Group 3 Norman Robinson Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield on Saturday. ‘That one’, of course, is Whobegotyou, who won the G1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and then the G2 AAMI Vase (2040m) on Cox Plate Day at Moonee Valley last year before finishing second to Rebel Raider in the Derby. Whobegotyou (ch g 4, Street Cry (IRE)-Temple Of Peace (JPN), by Carnegie (IRE)) is a star of this spring, too, as favourite for this year’s G1 Cox Plate (market below). Rebel Raider came through the Geelong Classic (this year’s version is on Wednesday), but in recent years it has been the Vase that has provided the best Derby guide. The Norman Robinson is the other main lead-in race, and on what Shamoline Warrior (b/br c 3, Shamardal (USA)-Picholine, by Dehere (USA)) showed on Saturday it looks like being the main one this year.

“You’d need a hammer to get me off that one,” said jockey Michael Rodd after Shamoline Warrior’s impressive long run to victory.

“You’ve always got to improve,” said trainer Lee Freedman after First Command’s win in the G2 Caulfield Sprint (1100m). “There’s an 82-year-old bloke still winning Cups; I’ve got to improve.”

Freedman, 53, has five Melbourne Cups and four Caulfield Cups, and is likely to have one of the favourites, Speed Gifted, at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November. Actually, the man he was talking about, Bart Cummings, is 81 – he will be 82 on November 14. And he has 12 Melbourne Cups and seven Caulfield Cups. Viewed was that seventh, and could also be the 13^th. Then again, so could Roman Emperor, who gave Cummings his second quinella in the Caulfield Cup. And don’t discount a sixth Melbourne Cup quinella.

“After watching the Caulfield races yesterday, I might hang around for another 20 years,” said 62-year-old New Zealander Laurie Laxon (who has one Melbourne Cup – Empire Rose in 1988). Laxon, perennial champion trainer in Singapore, had his own cup moment yesterday when he won the G1 the Raffles Cup (1800m) at Kranji with $4.40 favourite Big Maverick. He, too, almost had a cup quinella, with Waikato finishing third.

Laxon leads this year’s premiership race with 81 wins from Australian Michael Freedman (47). Stable jock Saimee Jumaat, who won on Big Maverick (b g 5, O’Reilly (NZ)-Ajfan (USA), by Woodman (USA)) leads the riders’ race with 85 from Brazilian Joao Moreira (55). The season ends in December.

Victorian Vlad Duric, seventh of the Singapore jockeys’ list with 40 wins, had a long weekend. He had seven unplaced rides in Singapore on Friday, flew to Melbourne after the Kranji meeting to ride Master O’Reilly in the Caulfield Cup (and Singapore’s Jolie’s Shinju in the G2 Harrolds Stakes (1400m) – both were unplaced) and jetted back on Saturday night for six rides on a 12-race card at Kranji on Sunday. It took until the last in Singapore for him to get his first winner for the weekend – $3 favourite Langstraat.

Whereas Jolie’s Shinju run was weak (eighth after leading), Master O’Reilly’s was strong. The 1997 Caulfield Cup winner was a workmanlike sixth, and Duric will be back to ride him in the Melbourne Cup.

Duric and his family are great friends of owner Bill Sutcliffe and his family, and Sutcliffe gave Vlad’s wife Storm a 10 per cent share in Master O’Reilly (b/br g 7, O’Reilly (NZ)-Without Remorse (NZ), by Bakharoff (USA)).

The Master O’Reilly-Duric staying partnership’s 2007-09 spring cups record: Caulfield 1st, 7th and 6th; Melbourne 8th, 4th and shaping to be in the money again (horses down to 10th earn prizemoney in the big Cups).

WE SAW IT

Well we didn’t see it, actually; we noted – noted that the injury-prone Maldivian was retired on Caulfield Cup weekend after his latest track setback earlier in the week. Mark Kavanagh’s galloper had a first-rate career, but not in Australia’s second biggest cup.

He was considered a weight certainty and was hot favourite before he was injured in the barrier in 2007 and taken, bleeding, from the track before Master O’Reilly won; and last year he was ninth behind Godolphin’s All The Good. Maldivian (b g 7, Zabeel (NZ)-Shynzi (USA), by Danzig (USA)) quickly made amends for that poor run, winning the Cox Plate the following Saturday after Kavanagh put the blinkers on and put him over some trackwork jumps. Maldivian won nine of his 30 starts and earned $2.8 million.

We did see another good Victoria Derby trial when watching the replays of Shamoline Warrior’s win in the Norman Robinson – the West Australian Bridgestone ran home nicely for Brad Parnham, son of trainer Neville. If you prefer your odds longer than Shamoline Warrior’s $2.40, Bridgestone (b/br c 3, Pentire (GB)-Golden Dawn (NZ), by Gold Brose) will give a sight and looks value … especially if the $16 remains on offer.

The big run in the West came from boom sprinter Waratah’s Secret (br g 3, Oratorio-Blissfully (NZ), by Zabeel (NZ)) in the Listed Belgravia Stakes (1200m) at Ascot. He won as a $1.40 favourite should, smashing the 1200m record by 2.19 seconds in running one minute 8.13 seconds. Paul Harvey has ridden him in his three starts for three wins, with a combined margin of 16.6 lengths. The $43,000 Magic Millions (Perth) yearling is likely to be seen next in the Listed Fairetha Stakes (1400m) for 3YOs at Ascot on October 31.

Continuing the WA link, top Perth jockey William Pike quickly backed up his breakthrough Hong Kong win of October 11 with another on Saturday at Sha Tin – on Actuarial Talent ($12.75) – but copped a two-meeting suspension for careless riding. Pike will start his sentence after Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting.

Also riding at that meeting will be Craig Williams, winner of the past four Victorian premierships after returning from Hong Kong. Williams, recently sacked as stable rider by David Hayes, was called in by the Hong Kong Jockey Club because several of its lightweight riders are injured or suspended.

“He is a jockey well known to owners and trainers here, which was one of the main reasons we asked him to come,” chief steward Kim Kelly told the South China Morning Post. The paper speculated that, “Williams might return to Hong Kong in the near future as a club rider”.

Australian sprinter Scenic Blast (b/br g 5, Scenic (IRE)-Daughter’s Charm, by Delgado (USA)) arrived in Hong Kong from Japan on Saturday to prepare for the Cathay Pacific International Sprint (1200m, December 13), the final leg of the Global Sprint Challenge. Despite his failure, after suffering interference, at Nakayama on October 4, the Dan Morton-trained Scenic Blast leads the challenge and will earn a bonus of US$1m if he wins the Group 1 Sprint. The HKJC anticipates he will run in the Sprint Trial (1200m) on November 22 as a leadup.

Australian-owned Buccellati was unplaced in the G1 Canadian International (2400m) at Woodbine, Toronto, at the weekend, but trainer Andrew Balding said he was likely to go to Hong Kong for the 2400m International Vase, one of four G1 races at Sha Tin on December 13. Buccellati (ch h 2004, Soviet Star (USA)-Susi Wong (IRE), by Selkirk (USA)) was bought in England by Balding and his trainer mate Tony Noonan for Victorians Peter McMahon and Rex Gorell. He has won eight of 25 starts. Champs Elysees (b h 2003, Danehill (USA)-Hasili (IRE), by Kahyasi (GB)), owned by Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, won the International.

Godolphin, which had no luck with Kirklees (seventh) in the Caulfield Cup, won the G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club e Coppa d’Oro (2400m) with long odds-on favourite Schiaparelli at San Siro in Milan. It was Frankie Dettori’s first G1 win of the season.

WE’LL WATCH IT

Lesser-light internationals Godolphin’s Crime Scene (b g 2003, Royal Applause (GB)-Crime (USA), by Gulch (USA)) and Luca Cumani’s Basaltico (ch h 2004, Shantou (USA)-Sfilza (GB), by Indian Ridge (GB)) get their chance to qualify for the Melbourne Cup in the $200,000 G3 Geelong Cup (2400m) on Wednesday. Last year’s winner, the Cumani-trained Bauer, went within a nose of winning the Melbourne Cup. Another of the Derby trails, the Listed Geelong Classic (2200m), is the other key race on the 10-event card. No winner in the 30-odd runnings of the trail race has won the Derby – Birchwood (1981) and Sir Midas (1988) finished second.

The G1 Cox Plate (2040)m at Moonee Valley is the Saturday focus. It has four G2 supports (the Cathay Pacific Airways Cup, 2500m; AAMI Vase, 2040m; Schweppes Stakes, 1200m; Patinack Farm Crystal Mile, 1600m) and two G3s (Red Anchor Stakes, 1200m; Tesio Stakes, 1600m).

They also race at Ascot, which has the G3 Prince of Wales Stakes, 1200m, Rosehill, Morphettville and Doomben.

The immediate future of imports Changingoftheguard (David Hayes, ex-Aidan O’Brien) and Warringah (Chris Waller, ex-Sir Michael Stoute) should be decided this week. Will it be to run in the Melbourne Cup, or a lesser race, or hold off until next year?

SPRING MARKETS – TAB Sportsbet offers these odds (all in):

Cox Plate (2040m) October 24

$2.40 Whobegotyou

$7.50 Heart Of Dreams

$8.50 Speed Gifted

$10 El Segundo

$14 Manhattan Rain

$15 Vision And Power, Black Piranha

$17 Scenic Shot

$18 So You Think, Zipping

$26 Road To Rock, Rangirangdoo

$41 Nom Du Jeu

Victoria Derby (2500m) October 31

$3.50 Shamoline Warrior

$7 Extra Zero

$8 Monaco Consul

$10 Onemorenomore

$12 Gathering

$14 Rockferry, Spacecraft, Hanks

$16 Bridgestone

$18 Viking Legend, Don Joe, Saint Encosta 

The announcement that North American sire Theatrical was to be retired from stud duty, aged 27, was a reminder of his influence to Australia. Theatrical (b h 1982, Nureyev (USA)–Tree Of Knowledge (IRE), by Sassafras (FR)) is the sire of the 2002 Group 1 Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle.

However, the stallion’s influence “down under” stretches further back that that.In 1996, his son Portland Player (pictured) (b h 1993, ex-Spirit Of Kingston, by Bletchingly), trained by Lee Freedman for David Hains’ Kingston Park Stud Syndicate, won the Group 1 Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.Portland Player, like the 1990 Melbourne Cup winner Kingston Rule (ch h 1986, Secretariat (USA)–Rose Of Kingston, by Claude (ITY)), was part of the experiment by Hains to send his prized broodmare band, including the outstanding mare Kingston Rose and her two Group 1 winning daughters Rose Of Kingston and Spirit Of Kingston, to his Kentucky farm to be mated to the best Kentucky stallions (to both northern and southern hemisphere time) and the resultant progeny returned to race in Australia.

Whereas Kingston Rule was born in Kentucky, Portland Player was foaled in New Zealand in September 1993 when Spirit Of Kingston was on her way back to Kingston Park on the Mornington Peninsula.

Theatrical is generally regarded as the best staying influence of all Nureyev’s sire-sons – that stoutness came through his dam sire Sassafrass (by Sheshoon), who won the 1970 Group 1 Prix de l’arc de Triomphe (2400m) and the 1970 Group 1 French Derby (2400m).

Theatrical, who will serve out his days in retirement at Hill ‘n Dale Stud, Kentucky, sired 22 Group 1 winners from 19 crops and his stock were best over a distance on turf.

When I was racing manager for Lee Freedman in the early to mid-1990s, one of my favourite horses in the stable was the filly Big Sky Montana (br m 1990, Lord Seymour (IRE)–Tennessee Belle, by Bold Lad (IRE)), who was owned by a syndicate of mostly first-time owners put together by Vern Raynor.

Raynor also syndicated Freedman’s triple Group 1 winner Poetic King. Big Sky Montana was a natural talent, winning three of her first four starts before finishing second behind Asawir in the Listed William Crocket Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley in 1993.

It was unfortunate that Big Sky Montana didn’t win a Stakes race, as she certainly had the ability. As an autumn 3YO, she bled when fourth behind Balm In Gilead in the Group 3 The Vanity (1400m) at Flemington. She returned after her ban to beat the brilliant Brawny Spirit in a Flemington 1000m dash in December 1994. Lorraine Morrissey managed the syndicate of six owners and she retained an interest in Big Sky Montana when the mare retired to stud. Morrissey and her partners race all the progeny and Rick Hore-Lacy (also a partner) is their trainer.

At stud, Big Sky Montana is the dam of the triple Stakes winner Dantana (by Danzero).

I was reminded of Big Sky Montana when her promising filly Big Spirit (b f 2006, by Invincible Spirit) won in the mud at Cranbourne on Thursday. Big Spirit is a filly with a future.

Belleluia has accepted to trial at Cranbourne on Monday.

The filly has drawn barrier one in trial 8, at 10.50am, at the Cranbourne Training Complex. These trials will be replayed on TVN during the week.

Anyone planning to attend the trials should be at the saddling stalls no later than 15 minutes before the trial. Make yourself known.

Last Thursday, Belleluia worked strongly over 1000m, coming home her last 600m in a slick 35.5 secs. Trainer Robbie Griffiths was delighted with her action and how she pulled up. “I am very pleased with her progress and unless we get a very wet track, I plan to trial her on Monday,” he said.

The Thoroughbred’s in-depth Perth preview reveals the chances in the Quaddie legs and all races at Ascot on Saturday.

The best bets are in races one, four and seven, and we’ve found value in race eight.

To find out what our form analyst is tipping CLICK HERE

Starspangledbanner’s magnificent Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) last week firmly places him high on the prospective sires’ list with a value between $10 million and $15 million, depending on whom you talk to.

If Starspangledbanner (ch c 2006, Choisir–Gold Anthem, by Made Of Gold (USA)) can return in the autumn and win again at Group 1 level, his future is assured, but where?

The better his performance, the less likely Victoria is to retain him, even with Tony Santic’s Makybe, who bred the horse, retaining 25 per cent interest.

Santic is a businessman, and while he would certainly want to stand Starspangedbanner at Makybe, Gnarwarre, near Geelong, pure economics will come into play if one of the big studs in the Hunter Valley decides the son of Choisir is good enough for its roster.

As it stands, Starspangledbanner is a perfect fit for Victoria, whose breeding industry is desperate for more commercial, mid-range stallions for its breeders.

The fact that Starspangledbanner is another Group 1 winning Danehill-line stallion prospect is in Victoria’s favour, due to the abundance of Danehill and Danzig line stallions already on the rosters of most of the leading Hunter Valley studs.

In Victoria, the wealth of daughters of sires such as Encosta De Lago (by Fairy King) – before his move to Coolmore – Umatilla (by Miswaki), Bel Esprit (by Royal Academy), Rubiton (by Century) and Statue Of Liberty (by Storm Cat) and influential old-timers like Rancho Ruler (by Rancher) and Rustic Amber (by Thatching), means that a Danehill-line stallion has a suitable broodmare base to support him.

Starspangledbanner is the first Group 1 winner by Coolmore’s Choisir (ch h 1999, Danehill Dancer (IRE)–Great Selection, by Lunchtime (GB)), who like his sire is proving a prolific sire of good, quality winners both here and in Europe.

Starspangledbanner is a similar colour to the flashy chestnut Choisir, but physically he is less of a muscular brute than his “Schwarzenegger-like” sire. He is more athletic and slightly more refined, but like his dad, he is all speed from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail.

Syndicators Brad Spicer and Troy Corstens paid $120,000 for Starspangledbanner, from the Makybe draft, at the 2008 Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale.