It seems that I have upset the good folk at Eliza Park for misinterpreting yesterday’s media release regarding its “acquisition” of the Seymour farm formerly known as Newlands Thoroughbreds and Wadham Park.

Eliza Park CEO Cameron Croucher claims I have “ALL” my facts wrong. He couldn’t believe I had interpreted the media release in such a way.

He said that Eliza Park didn’t purchase the Seymour property, as I alluded to in the heading of my story – “Eliza Park buys on famous road” – and in the first paragraph, but it had acquired the farm under a confidential commercial arrangement. He could not understand how I came to the conclusion that it bought the property.

Was I wrong to think that Eliza Park had purchased the farm? You be the judge.

The opening paragraph of the media release states: “The continued expansion of Eliza Park took another leap forward with the today’s announcement that the stud had added a fifth Victorian property to its portfolio.”

No mention of a lease or any other arrangement, which Croucher told me was confidential and irrelevant.

He also couldn’t believe that I had interpreted the media release to suggest that the farm was to be used to service clients wishing to use the stallions in the north-east region.

“It couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “The farm will service our own farm (at Kerrie, near Romsey).”

I came to that apparently baffling conclusion from this quote in the media release, attributed to Croucher: “Eliza Park Northwood’s close proximity to all the major stud farms will also allow us to walk on clients (sic) mares on their behalf …”

Again, you be the judge. Is it so incredulous that I would come to such a conclusion? It is in the media release.

My knowledge of media releases, and I have read and written a few in my time, is that the purpose is to inform and not confuse – they certainly shouldn’t be vague and open to interpretation, and there should never be a story behind a story.

A check of other media outlets sees that they have produced the press release verbatim, without comment. It is interesting that of the hundreds of people who read my story and the media release, apparently only Croucher came to the conclusion that I had misread it … and I can tell you there are plenty of people around who would jump on the opportunity.

I’ve checked with others in the industry and they confirmed that their reading of the release was that Eliza Park had “purchased” the property. So I now set the record straight.

Of course, my commentary also congratulated Eliza Park and owner Lee Fleming on their foresight and business acumen. I suspect they believe I got that right.

‘Australian jockey under investigation in Hong Kong’ – over the years that’s been a recurring theme, with the most recent ‘big one’ in 2007 ending in tears and gaol for Chris Munce, now riding plenty of winners in Queensland and the stain of Honkers having pretty much faded into irrelevance in the most pragmatic of sports/industries.

The latest to feel the wrath of the stewards in Hong Kong is Zac Purton, who has made HK home, with considerable success and with nothing more than ‘standard’ race-riding misdemeanours, for four years.

Until this week when the Hong Kong Jockey Club stewards, led by chief steward Kim Kelly (an Australian) fined him 300 grand for doing nothing – literally. (That’s HK$300,000 by the way, about A$75,000 but still a big whack.)

The probe concerned meetings with a crook, a punter involved in the Munce case who apparently twice asked Purton to ‘do a Munce’ – tip him winners and profit from it.

Purton said he twice told the punter he’d have none of it, and stewards said he had done the right thing.

But he’d also not done something. He had not reported the incidents, hence the fine.

Purton pleaded guilty to keeping it to himself. No problem there, but he told the South China Morning Post he would appeal over the size of the fine.

The result is a story for another day. In the meantime, as the SCMP reported today, Purton showed his class in the saddle with a double at Happy Valley last night to pass 50 wins for the season and close on third place in the jockeys’ premiership – Douglas Whyte (92) wins the title, Brett Prebble (71) is second and with four meetings left this season Purton (51) might overtake Darren Beadman (53), who has a two-meeting suspension to serve.

This is the first time Purton, in his fourth full season in HK after riding successfully in Brisbane and Sydney, has topped 50. Last year he rode 48 winners.

Watchers suggest he is the Aussie on the rise there and the man most likely to unseat Whyte, who this season wins his 11th straight premiership. Regular runner-up Prebble almost did it last season, but just can’t get over the Whyte hump. Beadman is restricted by his contract with trainer John Moore (he is retained by the stable and can ride only a certain number of outside horses, whereas the other jocks are employed by the HKJC and can spread their services more).

Another young Australian, Tye Angland, who had a winner last night (his 17th in his first, injury-hit season), is well regarded but has a long way to go. Another up-and-comer from Sydney, Tim Clark, will join the ranks at the start of next season, in September.

Purton’s fine, whether it remains the full 300 or is cut, will be re-earned without too much difficulty. What could be costly is the innuendo that always accompanies such cases and often tarnishes reputations.

Purton will just have to ride through that. And, on last night’s evidence, he can do so.

Eliza Park Stud has added a fifth property to its Victorian portfolio by purchasing the old Newlands/Wadham Park farm on the famous Northwood Road, Seymour.

Eliza Park Northwood shares a boundary with the historic Darley-owned property, Northwood Park. Also on Northwood Road is Swettenham Stud, as well as Barrie and Midge Griffiths’ Northwood Pastoral (once part of Northwood Park) and Yarran Thoroughbreds, owned by the Griffiths’s daughter Robyn and her husband Andrew Hine.

Eliza Park’s new farm will be a dedicated foaling down and walk-in broodmare property servicing its clients wishing to use stallions in the north-east region. It’s an interesting concept for a stud that stands its own strong stallion line-up, including Victoria’s leading sire Bel Esprit, at Kerrie, near Romsey, to be servicing rival studs, but Eliza Park’s owner Lee Fleming has always taken an overall business approach to running his Victorian operation.

It’s akin to Arrowfield Stud buying a farm near Coolmore Stud for its clients to service the Coolmore stallion roster.

Well done to Fleming for the foresight and business acumen to look beyond rivalries for the good of his vast client base. He also has bought one of the best properties in Victoria.

The farm was initially developed by Walter Altieri who modelled it on a traditional Kentucky farm with its big barns and imposing spires. Altieri closed down his operation, where the stallion Kempinsky first stood, and sold it to Wadham Park, who used it as a pre-training centre until the end of 2010.

It was reported earlier this year that Wadham Park had sold the farm to Bendigo businessman/breeder Jim Anderson, but there is no mention of Anderson in today’s media release from Eliza Park, so at this stage I don’t know what, why or how the property finished up in the hands of Fleming. That’s another story.

The following is Eliza Park’s media release:

ELIZA PARK HEADS NORTH(WOOD)

The continued expansion of Eliza Park took another leap forward with the today’s announcement that the stud had added a fifth Victorian property to its portfolio.

The latest acquisition – a dedicated foaling down facility and walk in farm – is based in Northwood Road, Seymour and was formerly known as Newlands Thoroughbreds/Wadham Park.

The new farm will now be known as Eliza Park Northwood and encompasses 470 acres of prime North Eastern Victoria real estate and boasts world class facilities.

“We’re very excited at the opportunity to shift our foaling unit to Eliza Park Northwood as we again expect to foal down some 250 of our clients mares this spring,” Eliza Park CEO Cameron Croucher enthused. “The facilities are ideal and there will be little to no disruption in making the transition.

“Eliza Park Northwood’s close proximity to all the major stud farms will also allow us to walk on clients mares on their behalf and, naturally, we’ll be using our fleet to transport mares to the Kerrie property as well.”

Eliza Park Kerrie will continue to be the hub for stallions, nominations, marketing, administration and a flourishing racing division, while the adjacent property – Eliza Park Nardoo – houses the dry mares and spelling racehorses.

Eliza Park also has two other properties in the North East – Eliza Park Nagambie, dedicated to rearing young horses, and Eliza Park Smithfield, a purpose built farm to house yearlings and weanlings for the operation’s burgeoning sales arm.

“Eliza Park Northwood is an outstanding farm with much of the infrastructure already in place,” Croucher points out. “The manner and speed at which each facet of the organisation is growing, necessitated the move.

“It’s amazing to think that just on a decade ago our stallions covered just 187 mares … 70 of them owned by Eliza Park’s principal, Lee Fleming.

“Last year, our stallions covered 1100 mares.

“The important thing to remember is that Eliza Park’s expansion is purely client driven. It’s paramount that we offer clients a professional and dedicated service for all thoroughbred requirements: adding this property to our portfolio allows specialist facilities for each component of the thoroughbred breeding business.”

Photo: the impressive stable complex at what is now Eliza Park Northwood.

A lot has been said about Star Witness not measuring up to past Australian winners at Royal Ascot.

That might be so in some cases, but I believe that Star Witness more than matches the most recent Australian sprint star to capture the imagination of England, the flashy Starspangledbanner.

I believe that Star Witness is every bit as good a horse as Starspangedbanner, a horse who went to England in 2009 to be trained by Aidan O’Brien and won the Group 1 Golden Jubilee Stakes (1200m, Royal Ascot) and the Group 1 July Cup (1200m, Newmarket). He certainly has a more brilliant burst of speed, which might put him ahead of his rivals in tonight’s Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

That comparison might surprise some people in the UK, especially as Star Witness is very much under the Black Caviar radar, but let’s look at the record of the two horses.

Starspangledbanner won two Group 1 races before he left Australia – the 2008 Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) in the spring and the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate (1100m) in the autumn.

The colt’s spring campaign was terrific, particularly at Caulfield, winning the Listed Vain Stakes (1000m) and Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1100m) and taking out the Guineas thanks to a brilliant front-running ride from jockey Danny Nikolic. In the Guineas he beat Carrara and Manhattan Rain.

Starspangledbanner had three starts in the autumn – his Oakleigh Plate win was sandwiched between a first-up fourth behind Nicconi in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m, Flemington) and third behind Wanted in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m, Flemington).

Let’s look at his Oakleigh Plate win. It was a very low-quality Oakleigh Plate – Starspangledbanner carried the limit of 52kg and beat Here De Angels and Arinos in a blanket finish in which there was only a length between the first six horses.

I concede Starspangledbanner some credit for beating Manhattan Rain in the Guineas, because that horse went on to run a brilliant second behind So You Think in the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m, Moonee Valley) at his next start, but Carrara has shown himself to be nothing more than a Listed/Group 3 class horse. The same can be said for Here De Angels and Arinos, who chased Starspangledbanner home in the Oakleigh Plate.

Star Witness goes to England off a mixed autumn campaign, but we need to take it from the trainer Danny O’Brien that what happened in Melbourne earlier this year has been rectified. “The Royal Ascot meeting has been 12 months in the planning,” he said this week.

That year-long plan may have had something to do with Star Witness’ ordinary autumn campaign, which got off to a bad start when he was beaten first-up – fourth behind Enjin Number Nine – at Sandown. There is no doubt that Star Witness just wasn’t ready for that fresh run because O’Brien and connections probably their sight set too far ahead towards England. O’Brien says his horse pumped and ready to go.

I believe Star Witness’ spring carnival form is the key to his chances at Royal Ascot. He was brilliant winning the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m, Flemington) and more impressive chasing home Black Caviar in the Group 1 Patinack Farm Classic – behind him were Ortensia, All Silent, Melito, Hay List and Eagle Falls, and all bar Ortensia are Group 1 winners.

O’Brien makes no bones about the fact Star Witness, who won the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m, Caulfield) as a 2YO, is better suited to straight-track racing. He gets the perfect conditions at Royal Ascot.

I am unsure about the opposition, but I know that none of this lot would get within a bull’s roar of Black Caviar. If Star Witness runs to his Patinack Farm Classic run, he’ll win tonight’s Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes.

The only query I have is his temperament. He played up badly before the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington in March – O’Brien blames the noisy Top Gear racing cars at the nearby Showgrounds for upsetting the horse – but English journalist Emma Berry, who has watched Star Witness up close at Newmarket while riding out for her husband, trainer John Berry, is concerned about the colt’s attitude.

She wrote in an email to me this morning. “(I) have been slightly concerned with Star Witness’ appearance/behaviour on the heath. He gets very worked up and sweats a lot. Perhaps that’s just him. He doesn’t have a lead horse with him and the atmosphere on the heath can be quite a lot for a horse not used to it. He should still be way clear of our sprinters.”

That’s not the “relaxed” report we are getting through the media from O’Brien. Let’s hope that the happy, in-form Star Witness steps out tonight.

Tonight is a feast of great racing for Australians – the first three races feature the Goldikova/Canford Cliffs clash in the Queen Anne Stakes, the King’s Stand, and Frankel in the St James’s Palace Stakes. The first race kicks off at 11.30pm – all vision is on TVN (coverage starts at 9.45pm) and Sky.

PHOTE: Emma Berry’s picture of Star Witness working at Newmarket.