Melbourne Cup Inquiry

On 4 November 2008, one of the most nail-biting finishes in the history of the Melbourne Cup took place at Flemington Racecourse, in Melbourne, Australia. Spectators had to wait approximately thirty seconds while stewards examined the photo finish to determine who the winner was. When the results finally came back, it was determined that Viewed, trained by Bart Cummings was first, with Bauer in second, C’est La Guerre in third and Master O’Reilly in forth position. Now, almost a month later, the shocking news that Bauer his position stripped has rocked the horse racing industry and torn the joy of their second place finish away from his owners.

Training Centers Under Discussion

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission seems to be leaving no stone unturned when it comes to the safety and welfare of horses, addressing the progress made on old issues raised at its last meeting and looking at new innovations and ideas to improve on what has already been put in place. One of the new topics on the top of the list at the latest Kentucky Horse Racing Commission meeting, which was held on 1 December 2008, was the licensing of training centers so as to be able to instill rules and regulations ensuring the safety of horses.

Somebeachsomewhere Heads for Top Honors

In harness racing, the Breeders Crown is the most prestigious event of the year and always attracts the most spectacular horses in the industry. With twenty-five years of Breeders Crown action to look back on, Saturday 29 November 2008 most definitely became a harness racing event for the history books. With a purse of $500 000, the Breeders Crown Pace is a race for three-year-old colt pacers and many were excited to see how Deweycheatumnhowe would perform in his trotting event, while Somebeachsomewhere was gearing up to pace into history, as both were scheduled for retirement after Saturday’s race.

Cloud of Uncertainty Hangs Over Thomas

When Ruby Walsh was in hospital, the responsibility of riding some of the big names in the Paul Nicholls’ stable fell to Sam Thomas. Thomas has already proven himself to be a very capable jockey, and had to stand in for Walsh previously. So it was thought that the transition would be smooth sailing and that the jumps racing schedule for Paul Nicholls would carry on a usual. That has unfortunately not been the case, as doubt, speculation and concern have been growing around Sam Thomas, and this has been the talk of the horse racing industry for the last two weeks.

Japan Cup Produces New Hero

The first Japan Cup was run in 1981 and has grown to be one of the most prestigious horse racing events in Japan. Run at the Tokyo Racecourse, over a distance of two thousand four hundred meters, the Japan Cup is not only an extremely rich horse racing event with a purse of $5.5 million, but a popular international racing meeting, even though the event has only been won by foreign horses twice in the last ten years. And locally bred horses definitely seem to have the upper hand in this event, as the long-shot for the day, Screen Hero, galloped his way to victory.

Cigar Mile Disappointment for Harlem Rocker

Aqueduct Racecourse, in New York, is known to host some of the best horse racing events on the racing calendar and Saturday, 29 November 2008, was no different. It was the running of the Grade 1 Cigar Mile Handicap, and with a purse of $300 000, many noteworthy horses were entered into this spectacular racing event. Previously known as the NYRA Mile, it was renamed to the Cigar Mile Handicap after the horse racing phenomenon Cigar retired in 1997. It is a flat horse racing event for three-year-old and older horses and is run over a distance of eight furlongs. But this year, the race was marred by disqualification, injury and loss.

Knight's Losing Streak Ended

At the age of sixty-two, Henrietta Knight knows that the sport of horse racing is unpredictable. She has had some of the best horses in her stables, including the legendary Best Mate and Edredon Bleu. She has enjoyed the exhilaration of big victories in jumps racing events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the King George VI Chase, the Ericsson Chase and the Clonmel Oil Chase. But of late, from approximately May this year, there has been nothing to celebrate. Victories have eluded her, and she has been doing everything in her power to find out where the problem lies.

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