He was christened Ronald Richard Hutchinson, but to his wide army of friends it’s just Ron, and there were many there on Friday last to celebrate his 85^th birthday.

Ron met with much success riding in Australia, winning major races for the leading trainers, the late Lou Robertson and Theo Lewis.

In 1960 he accepted a retainer to ride for Paddy Prendergast in Ireland, that same year he rode Martial to win the Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket.

Ron is among the regulars at Flemington, he was there on Saturday sipping a quite ale with his group of mates.

The decision to set up a satellite stable, at Goulburn, is paying off for Warwick Farm trainer, Guy Walter, with a winning treble at the popular out of town track on Wednesday.

Goulburn is just an hour and a half down the road from Warwick Farm, several trainers may be encouraged to follow Walter’s lead in having a stable away from the main stream of racing, as land values are becoming a premium for housing.

John O’Shea also trained a winner on the same card at Goulburn, while Gai Waterhouse was an interesting visitor at a previous meeting.

Country racing comes into its own at this time of the year, with 34 meetings leading into the holiday season, commencing with racing under lights at Cranbourne tomorrow evening.

There will be plenty of activity for young and old at the various venues, from one end of the state to the other, and somewhere there will be a country course close to you.

There is concern among breeders with the lack of two year old races during the spring and into the New Year, the new sires, with the first of their progeny, are receiving little exposure leading into the yearling sales during the first quarter of the year.

No doubt there will be an excuse forthcoming from the race clubs, but that is little consolation for the breeders who are producing the racing product.

If Sydney racing can run two year olds, as they have done since early October, Melbourne can do the same, instead of looking for an escape clause.

Robbie Griffiths is currently on a roll, five city winners in a week and there are no signs of the gravy train coming to a halt.

It all began a week ago when It Is Written won at Moonee Valley last Friday , followed by a double at Caulfield with Floatmyboat and Vain Attraction, Caulfield again on Wednesday with Maglissa winning, then topping the week off with the win of Family Crest, saluting at Moonee Valley last night.

Robbie Griffiths sounded the message loud and clear, he’s back in town with a winner at Moonee Valley on Friday night, via It Is Written, and a winning double at Caulfield with Floatmyboat and Vain Attraction.

Floatmyboat looks as if he may be the real deal, there was a lot to like about his win, he settled well back in the field but responded quickly when called upon by Craig Newitt, and the gelding had the race shot to pieces within a few strides.

He is quite a promising gelding with a definite future, he is likely to get much further than the 1200 metres of Saturday’s win, he should get at least 1600 metres, he is by Pins who can get a strong miler.

Griffiths has always held a high opinion of the progeny by Pins, he gets a lot of winners, the gelding was purchased in New Zealand for around $80,000 and there were no complaints from the syndicate after the impressive win.

Floatmyboat- An impressive winner at Caulfield

The tempo of Saturday’s D’urban Plate suited Vain Attraction to the letter, coming off the strong pace set by Tariana, she was able to storm home to win in great style, completing a running double for her trainer, Robbie Griffiths.

This was the mare’s third run in since a break, and back to Caulfield where she seldom runs a bad race, this could easily be her best season, she looked a picture and a credit to her trainer.

There will be any amount of suitable races about for her in the coming weeks now she is back in form, and is more than handy at her best.

She has an ideal sprinter’s pedigree being by Bel Esprit, from Centennial, by ever brilliant Centaine, whose dam, Rain Beam ,was by Vain from a daughter of Todman, those pedigrees are part of a great era.

Robbie Griffiths on the crest of a wave 

Change Of Honour is on track for a shot at the Magic Millions, on the Gold Coast, after his win in the Sportingbet Plate at Caulfield.

On the downside the time was nothing out of the ordinary on a good track, with the second placegetter, Register, taking ground off the winner in the closing stages of the race.

In the field of seven runners Change Of Honour was the only horse that had previously raced, he had finished fourth to Too Sexy in the Magic Millions race on Ballarat Cup day.

Michael Rodd said, the horse has had an unusual race preparation, he has been working in both directions in readiness for the Magic Millions race, and he is a little confused at times.”

There was not a lot of business done on the race, the winner, Change Of Honour, shared favouritism with the third placegetter, Seriously Happy at $4.20.

The run of the race, and the most likely improver, could be Register, she was doing it all on raw talent, after racing wide for most of the trip, she made the turn awkwardly, with the race almost over before she put in her claim.

Register is about the last foal sired by Zeditave, a former outstanding sprinter, her dam, January, being by Marauding, she was bred at Newhaven Park at Boorowa, one of the great studs under the ownership of the Kelly family.

Change Of Honour wins Sportingbet Plate 

Robert Thompson is showing no signs of retiring after riding 3824 winners over 39 years, he is still going strong after having accepted four rides at Warwick Farm last Saturday.

He rarely rides in the city these days preferring the Hunter Valley tracks, and meetings on the central coast of New South Wales.

Thompson, like most jockeys, has had his share of falls, the worst at Warwick Farm when a broken leg forced him onto the side lines for two years.

He holds the record for the most number of winners, eclipsing the previous record of the late Jack Thompson (no relation), breaking his record at Port Macquarie four years ago.

Anthony Freedman is to move his training operation to Flemington, stables vacated by the Patinack operation, who are concentrating in future on stables at Warwick Farm.

Flemington is obviously the place to be, it offers excellent facilities with the capacity for 22 trainers and 550 horses.

When the Freedman family, of four brothers, originally came to Melbourne they set up stables at a few offcourse locations about Flemington, before the decision to train on course.

Caulfield was the next location before setting up the ultra modern training complex, with tracks at Rye, known as Markdel.

Stewards were active at Caulfield on Saturday, suspending Jake Duffy for 10 meetings until December 11, and Craig Newitt will be on the sidelines until December 14, which entails 14 meetings.

Any young person with designs of becoming a horse trainer would be advised to seriously consider Ballarat as a training base, it is fast becoming a popular area, it excellent facilities that cannot be equalled, the best all round training centre in Australia.

An all weather pro ride straight track of 1400 metres, with a rise of 9.98 per cent, is railed both sides and adjacent to the members drive being a major feature at Ballarat.

With around 200 horses in work at the course, at least 130 uses the straight track each day, Darren Weir is a great advocator for the track, all his horses work on it each day, and he should know, he is getting the results.

There is not much chance of any course in the country emulating Ballarat with such an excellent facility, as they are all cramped for room.

The straight gallops are the secret to its success, it places pressure evenly on forelegs, instead of turning tracks where the bulk of pressure is placed on the inside leg.

It is a great sight to see horses gallop in a straight line and being eased up as they reach the foothills of Mount Pisgagh, had that same track been available in the days of James Scobie, he may never have gone to train at Flemington.

There is no room for cheats, that message was sounded very clearly earlier this week by Racing Victoria’s recently appointed C E O Bernard Saundry, “we want anyone who does anything that compromises the integrity of the sport brought to account and penalised”

During the spring carnival the Compliance Assurance Team conducted 117 stable raids, with five of those resulting in stewards inquiries.

The two completed to this date have bought about successful prosecutions, Racing Victoria invests $10 million annually into integrity related services, including the funding of integrity staff costs and expenses , disciplinary board costs, external legal fees and drug testing.

Plastic running railing will be rolled out to a further eight racecourses and training centres this month, at a cost of $65,000 to $80,000, the budget for railing is $400,000 per year.