Stable Music

Courtesy of Deezer...French! You can turn the sound off by clicking on the || symbol. The same goes for the slide shows ... clicking on the || symbol will pause the show at the selected pic. (And clicking on any pic will take you back to the original image in the web album, from where you can download it if you wish) Musical suggestions welcomed... they will be moderated however, musn't scare the horses...

Homeward bound

The last few days in Sydney went very fast. Finally caught up with old mate Robert Marshall (and Gina), who have been forced to develop new Friday night habits as a result of the shutting down of Harold Park because of equine flu. Robert is on the NSW Harness Racing Regulatory Authority . It looks as if Harold Park will soon become part of Sydney University (is this progress I ask?), with a replacement 1400 meter track (that's progress) being built out at Campbelltown in the Western Suburbs. It will be much easier to reach for most trainers and likely to attract a better crowd. Possibly. [You wanted to know why it is called Harold Park? After Childe Harold (USA) an 1871 grandson of Hambletonian imported to Australia, to whom many good horses (both gaits) can be traced, especially via his son Rothschild. So not because Lord Byron was an early pilgrim.]

Heard that Laura had been entrusted to take the Cowan's promising 3yo filly Torias Secret* up to Auckland, where she is aimed at a $NZ125,000 race on New Year's Eve. So she gets to see the 'big smoke' in Kiwi land. Seems she will be staying on in Leeston to help prepare Peter and Vicky's yearlings for the February Sale. [*Vicky=Victoria, but Victoria's Secret is a big commercial name in glamour lingerie, so not available.]

Was able to check out Jack's latest run at Geraldine on the HRNZ video in the lounge at Hong Kong airport... well back on inside most of way and never likely to get into the finish from there... will wait to hear what the connections have to say.

And no, I'm not up one of those up there doing the Bridge Climb... not at $AU200 or more!

Google Earth

I haven't figured out how to make a connection yet but if you have Google Earth the Latitude of the marina is 33°48'20.72"S and the longitude 151°14'41.77"E. Zoom right in and you will see that Hakuna Matata is out (joke!) You insist on evidence that I was actually there?

A super Sunday

Can you imagine cruising gently (and not so gently) around Sydney Harbour on a perfect summer's day at 28 degrees in your own boat? Thanks to Lyndal Trevena and partner Steve Ferris I don't have to imagine it any more. Lyndal is a colleague who is running one of the Annalisa-based projects in the School of Public Health and Steve buys, sell, repairs and restores planes, engine and all their other parts... but only up to 737s he confided.They collected me at Manly Wharf and picked up Hakuna Matata (Swahili for 'no worries') at the nearby marina and we motored up Middle Harbour (occasionally at 25 knots, just to check things out), anchoring for lunch in Bantry Bay... and for a spot of fishing as it is known... hmmm, I did eventually manage a couple of twenty meter casts and had 3 prawns taken but no fish. Ah well, hakuna matata. Then back down and across the Heads and up the Harbour (weaving through the sailing fleets and ferries), past the Opera House and under the Bridge... seeing where Russell Crowe lives... into Darling Harbour... and then back to base. All pretty magical and takes ones mind off almost everything... almost. Merci beaucoup Lyndal and Steve.

Saturday night fever

Invited to a Labour party on Election night at Reg(ina) Graycar's - a friend of Jane, a friend of Pat and Sandy... so it goes in oz - I was fascinated how long it took everyone to believe they were actually going to win (after 11 years out) and that the eminently depisable Howard was for the butcher (as MP as well as PM). The bookies (the only poll worth looking at) had the ALP 'home and hosed' and from the first returns it was obvious to all but the faint-hearted that it was going to be a landslide (or Ruddslide as it became known here)... and that (racing metaphors always come to mind on this blog) 'you could put away your glasses' (binoculars). Eventually much bubbly was consumed with unalloyed joy, with the consequence that I was asked to drive since my licence was perceived to be less valuable or maybe less at risk. Strange car, strange city, but I done well (or was that just the bubbly?). Home from the party in time (1 am here) to turn on the Slingbox and watch Prince Djo running at Lyon. Off 25m he never really got into the race, was forced wide round the final turn and finished 8th. But next day (not on TV) I see that the other Prince (des Baux) ran a nice third at Amiens.

Earth from Above

A mizzly Election Saturday led me back to the wonderful Earth from Above exhibition, a set of which is on display in the open air at Darling Harbour 200m from my apartment. It's available on line but the full size (2mX1.5m I guess) have much more impact. And of course there is, as always, a horse connection (the pic is of Maisons-Laffitte hippodrome.) Not a coincidence in this case because photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand has done another series on Horses, illustrating all the various breeds of the world (though I couldn't find a standardbred!).The trotteur francais in the pic is Kahela de Luc, âgée de 5 ans, drivée par Sylvain Devulder. Pistes du centre d'entraînement de Grosbois, environs de Paris, France.

Disgusted...

Having diligently watched the trots, gallops and dogs from all over Australia on Trackside during my stay in NZ, I ventured into the health hazard that is the Haymarket TAB in George Street, Sydney confident that I would be able to see the Dominion Handicap live from Addington. (It's the top race of the year for trotters in NZ.) But no, to my utter disgust no sign of Addington on any screen.. plenty of pacing from all corners of OZ plus greyhounds. Where's the reciprocity? Whose negotiating the Trackside contracts? (I see there was a Southland galloping meeting imported late morning when they were short of fodder, but nothing later.) RaceTAB NSW website is interesting... versions in English, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese and traditional Chinese.) So I came home and watched it on HRNZ website, awarded the best HR site in the world at the recent Conference. Mountbatten, a 5yo son of Earl won in a km rate of 1.17.4 (3200m standing start).

Sculpture by the Sea

A wonderful collection of 106 sculptures (art? rubbish?) strung out along the coastal walk between Bondi and Tamarama. http://www.sculpturebythesea.com/html/bottom.php Drawn number 1 was Sasha Reid's 'making our own way'... His accompanying statement reads "Making our own way, stay put, or hope that around the corner the answer will reveal itself."... Which clarifies things a lot and makes $25,000 seem quite reasonable. (No red dot yet.). Probably not the solution to the equine flu problem. (Thanks to Paul Lancaster for the pic and company on the walk. The following slideshow contains all his 94 pics but I haven't got his permission yet and am just trying out the new facility to do this sort of thing. (He has now said he is happy to have them on here and will be learning about Picasa Web Albums sometime!)

Laura in Winners' Circle

Trotupastorm (12)redeemed himself today, turning in a big run after breaking and losing lots of ground on the first turn (grit in the face? needs a French mask?) but zooming round the field to lead for the rest of the trip. Held on by the narrowest of margins to give Laura her first taste of victory in New Zealand.Jack (7, seventh) ran well but wasn't suited by the way the race turned into a sprint home over the last 400.

Sydney sans

The equine flu has meant the indefinite end of harness racing (all pacing) at Harold Park Raceway, with unforeseen consequences. One being the return of the big crowds of old to watch... CAMEL RACING. http://www.haroldpark.com.au/paceway/camelresults.html Will I be tempted?... watch this space. Another consequence is that culture called in the form of the Sidney Nolan retrospective (accompanying Pat and Sandy Troy). Here I was moved to reinterpret (as one is allowed to do of course) a familiar painting as representing an early form of monte racing on a very dry and wide track. N Kelly is carrying a lot of overweight and his style is outdated but his horse is still showing the rest a clean pair of heels. Next: Sculpture by the Sea!