Phil Sly is a well known racing character, he loves the game, races a number of horses, he won a race at Caulfield yesterday with Politeness, and again was missing from the winner’s circle for another date with the dreaded chemotherapy.

Sly has cancer in just about every part of his body; he continues to shrug it off with a smile and gets on with life.

He is likely to be back at the races next week as if nothing has happened, he continues to take it all on the chin, he is a hard man to keep down.

Politeness would have given him a real thrill; he races the mare with leading Japanese breeder, Mr Yoshida.

The mare turned in a big performance, she was giving the leaders a fair start from an awkward position from the home turn, the run was full of merit, she can certainly win again now that she has returned to form.

Vezalay, the favourite, ran her races in patches, she began well and was with the leading bunch for a 100 metres, then dropped out completely until near last, where she commenced to get a new lease on life, running on to finish fourth.

Trainer, Robert Smerdon, is on the lookout for a suitable black type race for Politeness during the spring.

Politeness winning the Sprint Series

Terry O’Sullivan was all smiles after the win of Magnapal in the MRC Foundation Cup, earning the gelding a guaranteed walk up start in the Caulfield Cup, which he thoroughly deserves.

Punters sorted the race out pretty well, there was little between Magnapal and The United States in betting, with the former just getting in with a bob of the head.

The winner is proving a quite consistent horse for trainer, Terry O’ Sullivan, he has won at his last three starts, this time in will have another run before the Cup.

Luke Currie rode the perfect race, he had his mount well postioned on the home turn completing a winning double for a much under rated rider, he had previously won on Don’t Doubt Mamma earlier on the program.

Magnapal - A definite Caulfield Cup start

Magnapal has come a long way since winning the Terang Cup earlier in the year, he has since won the Heatherlie Handicap and the Naturalism Stakes, both good lead up races to the Caulfield Cup where he is weighted 50 kgs, if there is to be a penalty it will be announced tomorrow.

Terry O’Sullivan has only had the one other Caulfield Cup runner in Dolphin Joe, he was a more dour horse than Magnapal.

Luke Currie has had five rides for horses owned by Bill Gee; the record is 100 per cent.

Bold Sniper, raced by The Queen, showed marked improvement on his previous run, a repeat performance could see him in the money shortly.

Terry O'Sullivan and the Cup

The state of the track at Longchamp will be the determining factor whether Golden Horn crosses the channel to take on Treve, in the Prix De L’ Arc De Triomphe.

Golden Horn is the highest rated entire racing in Britain, rated at 132, and stake earnings of $ 3.751.923, twice the amount of his nearest rivals, Salow and Postponed.

He won the Derby, Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes, besides three other races, and remained unbeaten with six wins to his credit until he met his waterloo at York, in the Juddamonte Stakes, at the hands of Arabian Queen.

Arabian Queen went to Longchamp on Sunday for the Prix Vermeille, there was quite a lot of support for her, with solid backing in the UK, however, she never flattered at any stage of the race, and was a spent force turning for the final run in.

Golden Horn had a long and fruitful season, he may have been over the top at York, and thoughts of taking on Treve in the Arc, was not in the original plan.

Trainer, Tom Dascombe, has written a moving message thanking those who have joined in the sorrow at the death of his stable star, Brown Panther, as a result of an injury sustained during the Irish St Leger on Sunday.

Brown Panther was the standard bearer, not only for Dascombe and his team at Manor House stables in Cheshire, but also English footballer, Michael Owen, whose love of racing had been fuelled, and refuelled, by a horse he bred and part owned.

Reaction to the death of the Classic winner was instant, and sustained, prompting Dascombe to thank those that sent messages of sympathy and support.

Brown Panther had been attempting a repeat win in the St Leger, he had won 11 races during his career, including the Goodwood Cup, Ormonde Cup and the Dubai Gold Cup, he would have been here for the Melbourne Cup.

Bookmakers in the U K could find themselves being told their sponsorship money is not welcome any longer, unless they contribute more to British racing from their offshore business operations, with radical proposals being discussed within the sport are to be implemented.

Racing set the pace as far as sponsorship is concerned, it was agreed upon that when it comes time for renewals, racing could be starting off, on the back foot.

Sheikh Mohmmed Obaid Al Makoum is moving his entire racing string from Luca Cumani stables, at Newmarket, to the stable of Roger Varian.

This was a surprise decision, particularly after the success that Cumani has had with Postponed winning the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

All 23 horses that have raced this season will be moved from the Cumani stable, plus a sizeable number of unraced juveniles, after the high profile owner executed the latest in a series unexpected decisions.

Sheikh Obaid’s termination of working relations with Cumani could hardly been more surprising, given the Newmarket trainer saddled up the owner’s High Rise to win the Derby, plus Postponed has proved a major winner for the owner.

Fawkner is back at his best, now the others, the pretenders, have to get there.

First up since the Melbourne Cup, an outstanding performance, and a pearl of a ride tendered by Damian Oliver, he made sure he was not going to finish up in a sandwich.

He scouted wide for the majority of the trip, there was not going to be any horses running out of steam falling back in his path.

Punters remembered his gallant second in the Cox Plate, when the invader, Adelaide, nabbed him right on the post.

An eight year old, giving away age to most of his rivals, he has quickly returned to form, for what has proved a well earned spell.

The win, and how it was achieved, has a great touch of sentiment for the Williams family, certainly for the senior partner, Lloyd, he raced the sire of Fawkner, Reset, who retired to stud with an unbeaten record of five wins, including the Futurity Stakes and the Australian Guineas.

Fawkner will be improved by the run; he will follow a similar pattern to last year, with his next start, the Caulfield Stakes.

Both placegetters, Rising Romance and Entirely Platinum, can be improved ,while Boban can be excused as he was hemmed in for much of the trip, as for Happy Trails, a light of other days, he doesn’t win often, seven out of 52 starts.

Fawkner on the outside about to claim Rising Romance

Treve, the pride of all France, treated the Qatar Prix Vermeille Group1 as a mere walk in the park, strolling home untouched by four and a half lengths from Candarliya, raced by the Aga Khan, and Sea Calisa, who had been placed in the York Oaks, was third.

Thierry Jarnet rode the hill well, he allowed the mare to settle on the rail with the increase of pace on the first turn, and allowed the mare to shift out from there, she went from boiled lollies to chocolates within a few short strides.

Arabian Queen, who had defeated Golden Horn in the Juddemonte, at York, was considered the main rival to Treve, she punctured well before final turn.

Criquette Head-Maarek and Treve have proved the dominant force in French racing, a third win in the Arc would seal a marvellous career for both.