The Australian Turf Club will be up against strong opposition from Victoria Racing Club should there be any intention of selling the Stud Book.

Everything is just at the rumour stage but the vibes are getting louder and where there is smoke there is generally fire.

The Stud Book is jointly owned by the former Australian Jockey Club, now the Australian Turf Club, and the Victorian Racing Club, it was purchased back in 1913 from the keeper Archie Yuille, it has never been a financial burden on either of the clubs.

When the V R C’s representative, Amanda Elliott, was questioned about a possible sale, she was adamant that would not happen.

A T C could have a different attitude; they are still staring at a black hole of $60 million relating to the reconstruction of Randwick Racecourse.

If the Stud Book was offered for sale it would be difficult to put a price on it, and would the VRC be prepared to out bid all contenders to gain outright control?

One club to administer four racecourses is a recipe for disaster, at least one has to go, Canterbury would be the most likely choice that would put an end to night racing in Sydney for at least a generation.

The ATC have to find money, it will be interesting which direction they will take, there are not that many options.

Clerks of the course employed by country race clubs need to be more pro-active and show a bit more enthusiasm than we saw at Ballarat last Thursday.

When My Villena dislodged the rider at the barrier, both clerks must have thought it was time for a tea break as they downed tools and just looked on.

With the riderless horse galloping up and down the track several times, one of the clerks, a rather rotund gentleman looking as if he should be carrying the pony instead of the pony carrying him, observed proceedings from a far.

After an unnecessary delay, a young lady, who was attending the horse, came down from the mounting yard giving the two clerks a 30 second demonstration of how to catch a horse.

Damian Lane was the star apprentice over the weekend, riding the first two winners at Bendigo on Saturday and the first winner at Yarra Valley yesterday.

He came over from Perth more than 12 months ago to join the stable of Matthew Ellerton & Simon Zahra, and hasn’t taken a backward step since arriving.

The opportunities were there to join the stable, he has accepted the challenge, the results are paying off, he is a highly promising young jockey, he communicates well with owners explaining how their horses have performed in a race.

The future of All Too Hard hangs in the balance, whether he will race again is not likely to be decided on the spur of the moment.

A lot of midnight oil will be burnt before any decision is reached; too much is at stake and those that make mistakes rarely wear medals.

The investment in All Too Hard is believed to be $25 million, you have to step wearily, no hasty decisions that are likely to jeopardise the stake in the horse.

Those that have invested in the horse have to be protected, he cannot afford to be soiled, a couple of racecourse defeats could change a lot things.

It is more than possible, that if All Too Hard was retired immediately to stud, he would gross $30 million in service fees before the first of his progeny even raced.

That is the main reason our good colts are retired so early, they can earn more at stud than they ever will on the racecourse.

Foxwedge is a good example, he went to stud as a four year old covering a big book of mares at $33,000, he is currently on the shuttle service in the U K.

N S W Jockeys and Trainers weekly winning lists week ending 17^th March 2013.

JOCKEYS.. Greg Ryan 6, Tommy Berry 5, Brenton Avdulla 4, Corey Brown 4 James McDonald 4, Raymond Spokes 4, Hugh Bowman 3, Grant Buckley 3, Christian Reith 3, Peter Graham 3, Peter Robl 3, Blake Shinn 3, Jason Taylor 3, Ricky Blewitt 2, Andrew Bloomfield 2.

TRAINERS John O’Shea 6, Chris Waller 4, Guy Walster4, Gai Waterhouse 4, Luke Griffith 3, Trevor Hardy 3, Hawkes Team 3, Trevor Sutherland 3, Bjorn Baker 2, Brett Bellamy 2, Gary Colvin 2, Greg Cornish 2.

Philippi gets his chance tonight, he has to stand up and deliver, I think he can, nothing has gone right for him this time in.

He has to stand tall tonight in the Sportingbet Alister Clark at Moonee Valley; in his previous two runs at Flemington, when drawn close, he was bottled up and never saw daylight on each occasion.

Michael Kent has been critical of both rides, there can be no excuses tonight, he has drawn the outside of seven runners and will have the services of Luke Nolan, having his first ride on the colt.

After winning three races back in the early spring, impressively, Kent was baited to run the colt in the Derby, but wisely declined.

Should Philippi win the Sportingbet Alister Clark it would be the first stakes winner for his sire, Host, whose progeny were on a roll earlier in the season and there is couple of handy ones likely to bob up later this month.

Realistically the colt has to win tonight, and win well, as Michael Kent’s long range plan is to take him to Sydney.

This race will be no walk in the park, there are three other top chances in the race, Hvasstan, Sheer Talent and Bass Strait, all ran well in the Australian Guineas.

The Penetrometre reading 4.62, track dead 4, rail true, 30 mls of irrigation during the week.

Champagne Shisha proved a class above her opposition at Moonee Valley yesterday in winning the Windsor Insurance Brokers Handicap.

Trained by Mark Riley who is on the crest of a wave at present having prepared nine winners since the last week in January, from 20 runners only four have missed a place.

He is now training out of Mornington with success and confidence, placing his horses carefully where he thinks they can win, which is the art of training.

Mark came into prominence back in the late seventies as a jockey, apprenticed to his father Martin; they had a wonderful association with the bonny filly Mistress Anne.

She defeated Luskin Star by three and a half lengths in the Northern Slipper Stakes at Broadmeadow, Newcastle, both shared favouritism at 5-4 each of two, as bookmakers quoted in that era, those odds are rarely seen on a racecourse.

Ryan Moloney makes the best of the opportunities he receives riding in the city, his win on Cash Currency was a gem, he rides the rails so well, always prepared to wait for that opening, more often than not it will come, it is just a matter of patience.

When the opening appeared, the son of Dash For Cash was there in a flash, having the race within his keeping in a few strides.

Cash Currency is trained by Robbie Griffiths; he has enjoyed a lot of success with the progeny of Dash For Cash.

Lightly raced filly, Pitch Perfect, showed her rivals a clean pair of heels, skipping away to an easy win at Moonee Valley .

Trained by Greg Eurell, she has an affinity with Moonee Valley, having won twice there in her five starts.

She is now ready to step up a grade or two, her greatest asset is her pace and she will give them something to chase next time she steps out.

Sydney filly, Twilight Royale, came to town with one mission in mind, the Inglis Classic at Mornington, the second leg of an ultimate payout of $2.4 million, the Guineas at Scone in May next year.

She had won so impressively at Mornington, the Sires Produce Stakes, down the six straight at Flemington, looked attractive, as she handled the reverse way of going so well at Mornington.

While the filly is paying her way connections are happy, she earned $487,000 in prize money, plus bonuses, after being purchased at the Melbourne Premier Sales for $ 45,000

Part owner, Craig Tognolini, was as happy as a sand boy after the win, explaining he owns 20 per cent of the filly and was prepared to sell 10 per cent up until Friday night, when the deal fell through, a case of no money no horse.

The market illustrated how open the Sires Produce Stakes was when Weinholt, a last start winner at Ballarat, started at $3.70, looked like winning at one stage until collared with 200 metres to run.

There is nothing much left for the filly now in Melbourne, she will return home to the stable of Bjorn Baker, at Warwick Farm, when a decision whether she races on or is spelled.

Twilight Royale getting up on outside to win the Sires Produce