Cover image courtesy of Bronwen Healy

G1 Lightning S. - Australia's sprinting giant returns

For the fourth year in a row, racegoers rock up to Flemington to see the mighty chestnut Nature Strip (Nicconi) put his speed on display in this Group 1 dash down the famous straight - the G1 Black Caviar Lightning S. named in honour of the mare who made this race her own three years running.

Like Black Caviar (Bel Esprit), Nature Strip is out of a Desert Sun (GB) mare and what a great contribution that stallion has made to Australasian racing - siring the superstar mare Sunline (NZ) before making his mark as a broodmare sire.

Fourth behind Gytrash (Lope De Vega {Ire}) in 2020, too good for September Run (Exceed And Excel) in 2021 and only just beaten off an awkward start by Home Affairs last year, Nature Strip relishes Flemington - 10 of his 22 wins recorded at Headquarters.

Several of his rivals are quite fond of the track as well - the Queenslander Baller (High Chaparral {Ire}) is yet to miss a placing at Flemington whilst September Run is a three-time winner there. And then of course there is the horse who has already claimed Nature Strip's scalp - Roch 'N' Horse (NZ) (Per Incanto {USA}), winner at the track of the G1 Newmarket H. and the G1 Champions Sprint,

What an exciting race this shapes to be with the likes of Marabi (I Am Invincible), Coolangatta (Written Tycoon), Bella Nipotina (Pride Of Dubai) and I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) all likely to make spirited bids.

2YOs in Melbourne & Sydney - the Silver Slipper and the Talindert

The juveniles are strutting their stuff at Rosehill and Flemington on Saturday, with plenty of interest in the G2 Silver Slipper S. and the Listed Talindert S.

After an early scratching there are only seven left to contest the Silver Slipper but what an open race it is with five of those runners being kept safe at single figure odds.

The favourite is King's Gambit whose sire I Am Invincible was in the winner's circle two years ago with Home Affairs. He was good when resuming as runner-up in the G3 Canonbury S. By the same sire is Madeira Sunrise who showed heart getting up late to win the Listed Lonhro at debut whilst I Am Invincible's granddaughter Fire Lane (Hellbent) has been freshened since a nice run in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.

Cylinder (Exceed And Excel) resumes having run so well during the spring whilst the Zoustar pair Mumbai Muse and Platinum Jubilee (the Magic Millions runner-up) both have their share of talent.

James Cummings has cheered home two of the last four Talindert winners and this time around is represented by the favourite Amur (Snitzel) who has looked good winning his first two.

Maharbar (Pride Of Dubai) ran well at his Sydney debut last spring and has since switched stables to Grahame Begg who trained Written By, sire of Scorsese who was good to the line at his first start in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (Colts and Geldings).

3YOs in Melbourne and Sydney - three events for those in their Classic year

There are two black-type contests for 3-year-olds at Flemington on Saturday - the G3 Vanity for the girls and the G3 CS Hayes S. for the boys.

See You In Heaven (Divine Prophet) is the Vanity favourite on the back of her excellent first-up run in Adelaide and her overall consistent record is hard to fault. Swettenham Stud's Toronado (Ire) has a couple of nice chances - Papillon Club looking good winning her last two whilst the G1 VRC Oaks placegetter Queen Air looked to have plenty in hand when saluting first-up.

The CS Hayes is an even race, one which sees the good Jacquinot (Rubick) form held by Bank Maur (Maurice {Jpn}) and Maximillius (Written Tycoon) who both ran well in the G3 Manfred S.

Elliptical (Dundeel {NZ}) showed good talent over the spring whilst a couple with form in lesser company look to be on the up - Holymanz (NZ) (Almanzor {Fr}) and Attrition (Churchill {Ire}).

Rosehill plays host to the G2 Hobartville S. which was won last year by Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}). Another rising star in the Godolphin blue is odds-on this time around - Aft Cabin (Astern) is so impressive racing away with the G3 Eskimo Prince S. first-up.

Osipenko (NZ) (Pierro) endured a tough run out wide in that same race, game finishing fifth whilst Zou Tiger (Zoustar) tried hard as runner-up. Bringing in a different form line is the talented New Zealander Pier (NZ) whose sire Proisir has been in spectacular form of late.

Pinjarra Magic Millions races - features for the 2- and 3-year-olds

Magic Millions heads to Western Australia on Saturday with Restricted Listed features for the 2- and 3-year-olds.

Willaview Park's in-form stallion A Lot (USA) has two major chances in the juvenile contest - A Lot Of Good Men striving for a third win in a row; a deserved favourite on the back of that stellar form. Odinaka also comes off good form - atoning for a luckless debut with a soft Ascot win at start number two.

Snow Prince (Safeguard) was too strong on the pace at debut whilst a couple of promising youngsters are seeking to break their maidens including Super Smink (Super One) who finished off nicely when third behind A Lot Of Good Men at debut and Champagne Street (Street Boss {USA}) who was second in that same race.

Adding interest is the Lark Hill trial-winning debutant Dubai's Daughter (Pride Of Dubai) who hails from one of WA's favourite families, her dam is a half-sister to Playing God and God Has Spoken.

So open is the 3-year-old race that three nice horses are fighting out favouritism - Street Parade (Lucky Street) who has plenty of toe, Man Crush (Manhattan Rain) who resumes off good spring form and Malkar Pindari (Gingerbread Man) who is still a maiden, but one who has been game in the placings at each of her first four outings.

G2 Millie Fox S. - Expat back for more

Won by 22 different mares since its inception in 1998, the G2 Millie Fox S. at Rosehill has on just two occasions been one by the same horse more than once - Montana Flyer (Flying Spur) successful in 2010 and 2011 whilst Red Tracer (Dane Shadow) had her nose out in front in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

And Saturday sees another classy mare trying to win consecutive runnings of this sprinting contest with Expat (NZ) (Makfi {GB}) and she was also first-up when successful last year.

This time around she has an odds-on favourite to contend with, Mariamia (Toronado {Ire}) looking hard to beat on the back of her smart win over Golden Mile (Astern) in the G2 Expressway S.

Electric Girl (Declaration Of War {USA}), Katalin (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}) and Roots (Press Statement) resume off good spring form, adding interest to this contest.

With an eye on the future, it is interesting to note that seven Millie Fox winners have gone on to produce stakes winners... November Flight (Flying Spur) - Pierata and Ashokan (More Than Ready {USA}), Wild Queen (Loup Sauvage {USA}) - Varda (Lonhro), Seances (Canny Lad) - Haunted (Lonhro), Renaissance (Lonhro) and Sessions, Gentle Genius (Danehill {USA}) - Ironstein (Zabeel {NZ}), Nanny Maroon (Alquoz {USA}) - De Lightning Ridge (Tale Of The Cat {USA}), Verdict Declared (Mr Henrysee {USA}) - A Country Girl (Singspiel {Ire}) and Wynciti (Citidancer {Ire}) - Haussman (Commands).

First-season sire action

Two of Saturday's black-type races for juveniles see first-season sire representation - the Listed Talindert S. at Flemington and the R. Listed WA Magic Millions 2YO Trophy at Pinjarra.

The third race on the card at Headquarters, the Talindert sees Widden Stud sire Written By's Scorsese drawn for a cosier run than he endured from a wide gate when a gutsy debut third in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (Colts and Geldings). Tacito by Arrowfield Stud's Showtime also comes off a good first-start effort, a G3 Chairman's S. third whilst facing the start for the first time is Ten Warriors by Coolmore Stud's Saxon Warrior (Jpn).

Over in Western Australia Aquis Farm's Performer has Big Player who was in the placings at debut before drifting too far back at his second outing. Already a winner is Leading Taddy by Rivercrest Park's Ducimus whilst fellow Snitzel horse Bondi (Lynward Park Stud) has Twist Of Gold who has not been disgraced at her first two starts.

In the opening event at Eagle Farm Aquis Farm's Brave Smash (Jpn) has a leading contender in the shape of Ashigaru whilst Eureka Stud's Encryption has the debutant Cryptic Sound who has been placed in a couple of Toowoomba trials.

The third race at Morphettville sees the second local runner for the late National Defense (GB) - Nasho debuting off a couple of trial placings. And at Pukekohe Park the first race sees three runners by the new boys... Perenara (NZ) by The Oaks Stud's U S Navy Flag (USA), Page Turner by Written By and Tranquil Eyes by Yulong's Grunt (NZ).

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

The final day of the ARC saw some interesting points raised, with thought-provoking discussions on integrity and opportunities to expand the sport through novel technologies. And, at the closing ceremony on Friday evening it was announced that Japan will host the 40th ARC in Sapporo in 2024.

As one of the final speakers on Thursday, Beyond Blue founder Jeff Kennett told delegates that we should remind ourselves to be grateful for life every morning we wake up. So, it was a truly poignant beginning to Andrew Harding’s address on Friday morning when he paid tribute to a great Australian racing personality, Deane Lester, who passed away on Thursday evening.

Asian Racing Federation Secretary General and Executive Director, Racing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, Harding’s address headlined a morning discussion on the threat posed to racing by organised crime and illegal (or black market) betting.

“We are a sardine in a swimming pool full of sharks,” he told the conference, adding that the growth in illegal betting globally, not just in horse racing, is outstripping the growth in the legal market - and that the effect on racing has already been decisive in some cases.

“There are jurisdictions in this room which once had flourishing domestic racing scenes, but now are struggling because of the scale of the illegal market,” he said.

Harding pointed to progress made since the issue was first raised seriously at the 36th Asian Racing Conference in Mumbai in 2016 through; Rigorously academic assessments of the problem itself; making connections with international authorities; and offering education and advice to government agencies.

Former Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission CEO, Michael Phelan gave the conference an overview of the criminal world from a racing perspective, and although far from claiming that corruption is endemic to the sport, the depths to which he explained that criminal activity can (and has done in the past) perpetrate was a little startling.

The criminal world as it pertains to racing, Phelan explained, is often interconnected with other sports as the perpetrators trade in inside information and simply translate their modus operandi to any sphere in which they can capitalise, and he said that 'undesireable racehorse owners' remain a problem in Australia.

“There are still entrenched domestic syndicates who cultivate sports personalities because there’s dollars to be made,” he said.

Phelan’s warning was that this method involving the extortion of our insiders has been well-honed by the criminals who, for instance, target young jockeys. He said that the whole thing can be linked to the black markets, as they seek to draw people in and entrap them in the murky world of betting outside of regulations and borrowing money.

One point Phelan made which might reassure Australians is that participants are far more vulnerable to such exploitation when they’re not paid so well. However, he also argued that the implications of uncovering scandals are worse when racehorses are involved, citing Damion Flower’s conviction for cocaine smuggling.

“If the authorities publicly seize a Lamborghini, it does no damage to the reputation of Lamborghini, if anything it might even enhance it,” he said.

“If they own a racehorse, it’s the gift that keeps on taking - you’re going to keep hearing about it for months and years.

“In this case, for example, Damion Flower was still owning racehorses up to three years after his arrest. Not for Racing NSW’s lack of trying, it’s just that the system didn’t allow them to take those horses away.”

Crypto warnings

Following on from his insightful and compelling introduction to Web 3.0 on Wednesday, tech entrepreneur and former South China Morning Post CEO Gary Liu kicked off proceedings on the third day of the ARC.

Picking up where he left off, he outlined how racing should empower the behaviours shown already by Gen Z.

“The next generation are going to spend a significant amount of their time in the digital world, and their resources are going to follow them there,” Liu said.

“Their digital identities are going to be more important to them than their real-life identities.

“If we, as corporate leaders, as industry leaders, do not help facilitate those (new) communities, we will be increasingly left behind.”

After a brief rundown of the blockchain technology which underpins cryptocurrencies - essentially a decentralised ledger - Liu told delegates that they shouldn’t be too concerned about last year’s tumultuous events surrounding the technology.

Explaining that there are two types of crypto, money and tech, he warned against conflating them. Crashes in money crypto, including the heavily publicised collapse of FTX last November, Liu said, led to people associating the fraudulent behaviour of FTX owner Sam Bankman-Fried with the whole technology.

“Unfortunately, bad actors in one world have impacted the reputation of the other,” Liu said.

Crypto opportunities

Liu outlined how non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will be at the heart of how racing can benefit from the technology.

“An NFT is essentially a certificate which authenticates ownership,” he said, explaining that the authenticity is validated by the blockchain. He used the example of ZED Run, a digital horseracing platform, to show that this is already showing promise.

“The really interesting thing about ZED Run is not just that it’s sustained, but that it’s created a community-driven cottage industry… They’re not the only ones trying it (either).”

An informative speech from Joan Norton of Cricket Australia detailed how NFTs have been used to great success (and provided excellent profit for the governing body) in her sport.

A former equine internal medicine specialist who spent a great deal of time working in racing in the US, Norton drew inspiration from the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States to persuade her colleagues to try the technology.

As the owner of all the sport’s replays, the NBA sells short highlight clips of exciting pieces of play as NFTs. Whilst the replays can still be watched by all, each passage of play given to an NFT can now be traded by its owner, and it’s been remarkably successful.

“With that ownership piece, it allows fans to own a slice of the game they love. We have a really rich history, and we have hundreds of hours of digitised content,” she said, inferring that horseracing too has ownership of its historical and momentous highlights that may be ripe, low-hanging fruit.

“Get into the space, lean in. It doesn’t have to be a massive project that involves hundreds of NFTs,” was her conclusion.

Whilst there were some concerns raised in the ensuing panel discussion about the effects of non-physical participation in our sport, Liu likened it to viewing an artefact in a museum.

He argued that, rather than detracting from in-person participation, NFT-based involvement can offer two benefits: firstly, it generates interest which can develop into more involved participation; and secondly, it allows access to those who could never feasibly enjoy it in person.

A call for diversity

British racing broadcaster Josh Apiafi was amongst the final speakers at the conference and delivered some cutting messages on diversity in racing, and some of the approaches for attracting younger audiences set out by others during the conference.

“I’m here to tell you that it’s too late. We’ve got to start much earlier,” he said, arguing that it’s when they’re 12 or 13 years old that the youth land on their life passions.

“The last thing we need is parents designing an engagement strategy for teenagers; we need teenagers to do it,” he said.

“Diversity and inclusion has hardly been mentioned this week, and it’s a huge part of engaging Gen Z,” he said, adding that if diversity is not seen to be represented, racing will not attract people from different ethnic backgrounds. He pointed out that an advertising video for The Everest played earlier in the week failed to include a single non-white person.