WESTERN AUSTRALIA RACES ON
In these days of rationalism and talk of course closures it is refreshing news to hear that Western Australia may be home to a new racetrack in early 2004.

Well, almost new — probably more of a transformation. Already operating as a successful training complex for over a decade, Lark Hill is situated at Rockingham, 45 minutes drive south of Perth in one of the city’s fastest developing areas.

The track, described by the Western Australia Turf Club’s Greg Carpenter as “an expansive 1800m circuit,” Lark Hill also has a straight 1200m course and for the past five years fortnightly trials have been conducted there.

In October last year Lark Hill hosted its first official racemeeting, a picnic event for amateur riders. Extremely well attended with 6000 racegoers enjoying the day, a second picnic raceday has been set for Sunday October 20.

With the Rockingham City Council putting $15 million into the development of a Sporting and Equine Complex surrounding Lark Hill training complex, there is much to look forward to and the WATC has been involved — represented on the steering committee and forming a project team to examine a proposal to hold TAB meetings at the site from April 2004.

Meanwhile, Lark Hill has also been designated as the site for a training facility for apprentice jockeys.

BOOKMAKER PROVES A GOOD TRAINER
Melbourne rails bookmaker Ray Swannie has proven his worth as a mentor of future bookies — an amazing eight of his clerks going on to take out their own licences. Frank Hudson, Charlie Nagle, Alex Bell, Danny Crimmins, Max Manning, Lyndon Hsu, Wayne Hay and Neil Bull all spent time holding the Swannie bag. “

That has to be some sort of record!” Swannie told On Course.

THIS OLD HORSE GETS AROUND
Not many horses are as well travelled as the consistent 5Y0 Old Swampy.

Bred in Victoria where he kicked off his career in January last year, the chestnut took 11 starts to break
his maiden, successful at Echuca in late May. From there it was on to Darwin where he won five in a row
— his winning sequence beginning with a six length Class D victory at Fannie Bay and culminating with a
6.5 length Class 6 win a month later.

He then made his way to Mount Isa where he was out of the placings, bouncing back with a game third
in the Birdsville Cup.

“ I wonder how many horses have raced on so many different surfaces,” wonders NT based former racing
journalist Dennis Booth.

YAVANA’S KEEPS UP THE PACE
English racing reporters have been enthusing over the recent deeds of the marvellous old stayer Yavana’s Pace who won a Group One in Germany in August at the ripe old age of ten.

Whilst it was said that Yavana’s Pace is the oldest horse ever to win at the elite level, West Australian racing fans know better — Magistrate taking out the then Group One Perth Cup as a 9Y0 in 1981 and again successful the following year.

As sound and tough as they come, Magistrate won 15 races during a 127 start career — also winning two Werribee Cups and the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Handicap in New Zealand.

Incidentally, Yavana’s Pace was 12th in Rogan Josh’s Melbourne Cup.

THE ZABEEL STOCK ARE TOUGH!
Speaking of older horses, the 10Y0 gelding The Big Bopper was recently retired in his native New Zealand. The winner of nine of his 48 starts, he had not tasted success since June of 1998 but in his early days he was a talented galloper — taking out the Listed John Griff Stakes in August of 1995. Also a Group 3 winner in early 1998, The Big Bopper — despite not being particularly well known by Australian racegoers — does have one claim to fame. He was his sire Zabeel’s very first stakes winner!

And Zabeel, winner of the 1990 Group One Australian Guineas, has certainly gone on from there — the super son of Sir Tristram now the sire of 55 stakes winners including the outstanding gallopers Octagonal, Might and Power, Mouawad, Jezabeel, Champagne, Don Eduardo and Sky Heights.

And then there is his recent overseas success — his son Zabenz, impressive ten length winner of this year’s Grand National at Flemington, travelling to the United States where he won a Grade One jumping event at Saratoga.

CHANGES AFOOT AT MOONEE VALLEY
The Moonee Valley Racing Club have appointed a consortium of architects (Jackson Clements Burrows and Daryl Jackson Pty Ltd) to devise a redevelopment plan for the popular Moonee Ponds racetrack.

With an emphasis on the horse, the changes will centre around enhanced viewing of the stars of the show — before, during and after they race.

“ In essence, given the compact nature of our facilities, we intend featuring ‘the horse’,” said MVRC Chief Executive Paul Brettell.

“ We will open up the stalls area, parade ring and mounting yard so that they are more obvious and accessible to all,” he continued — “we need to build our point of difference, that being the closeness of the track to the viewing audience. By doing this we believe we can make a day at the races truly a day with ‘the horse’,” he said.

BOOKMAKERS TRAINED IN THE ART OF THE INTERNET
With more and more racing information appearing on the Internet the Victorian Bookmakers Association recently decided that it was time all members knew how to make the most of this wonderful medium.

And so, kicking off in mid September, Racing Victoria’s Education and Training Centre hosted short courses for bookmakers and their clerks — the one night courses covering:
· Overview of the Internet
· Racing industry on the Internet
· Betting sites on the Internet
· Terminology
· Using the Internet for business
· Hardware requirements and how to connect
· Searching for information
· News and discussion groups
· Email

SUBZERO OPENS NEW MILLION DOLLAR EQUINE CENTRE
Melbourne Cup winner Subzero was special guest at the opening of the University of Melbourne Equine Centre in mid September.

Opening the new centre with the Chancellor of the University of Melbourne Fay Marles, Subzero was the first horse to officially test the $2.85 million development’s new equipment which includes a nuclear medicine suite (including the state of the art $600,000 gamma camera funded by the AE Rowden White Foundation and Racing Victoria) and an exercise physiology treadmill.

Additional teaching and research facilities are also part of this project with a new communication resource centre now in place.

“This is the first big step in a project that will invite industry partners to make a lasting difference in equine health,” said Professor Andrew Clarke, Professor of Equine Studies at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Melbourne. “

Horses throughout Victoria will benefit from this increased research capacity as well as from better therapeutic and surgical facilities at Werribee.”

A further $5 million is currently being raised for the second and third phases of this ambitious project which will see two state of the art surgical suites (one a specialist orthopaedic suite), a reproduction complex, a multi media lecture theatre and enhanced research, teaching and paddock facilities added to what are already world class amenities.

Also on hand for the celebrations was George Hanlon who trained Matlock, the very first horse operated on at Werribee over three decades ago. Hanlon is an official ambassador for the Equine Centre which treats 3000 horses per year, also providing training for up to 100 veterinary graduates each year.

Subzero walking the treadmill at the new Equine Centre. Photo by Quentin Lang.