Fiorente has been retired after a veterinary scan discovered a tendon injury to his near foreleg, a reason for his lack lustre performance in the B M W at Rosehill on Saturday.

The future for the entire is sceptical at this stage; first thoughts of course are to put him to stud that is not all that easy, staying bred horses are not all that popular as potential sires.

It’s a different ball game now, there are those that will invest millions into the sprinter miler, they have visions of a quick return, they can hear the ring of the cash registers, there is a lot of silence around the stayer.

Maybe the owners will direct their attention to New Zealand as a likely option, but there are no guarantees there either, the Australian buyers deserted Karaka Sales this year like the plague.

Fiorente has done a great job for his group of owners, and Gai Waterhouse, let them pool their resources, buy a stud, plus 40 well bred mares, allowing for attrition, and see how easy it all is.

At least they will be in control of their own destiny.

Stewards Require Keys To Stables

Trainers have until Friday of this week to hand in a set of duplicate keys to the premises where their horses are trained 

Racing stewards will ultimately have keys to all on and off racing stables in Victoria.

Chief Steward, Terry Bailey, said, “the move will give my team the ability to conduct race day inspections of stables without hindrance.”

“We have found that some stables are locked up with people inside when we go there, but we still have trouble getting into the stables,” he added.

Those To Impress At Flemington

River Delta had the drop on those she met in the Prudential Plate, bookies were taking no risks with her after winning easily at Yarra Glen, she opened favourite and remained there throughout proceedings.

Possibly another run and then a break, the spring could then beckon, she has talent.

Pearly Whites led for much of the trip in the same race; there is a bit of form about her, she is a chance in a similar race 

Easy Drama gave her rivals a short back and sides with an impressive win in the VOBIS Gold Ingot. 

It was a nice run for a first upper, he could be improved by a sire that is getting winners in Real Gaga.  

Earthquake is the best two year old we have seen out this season, she has the record to prove it, unbeaten after four starts.

Yes, she has drawn a wide barrier but that is nothing new, she drew wide in the Blue Diamond and won well, so that cannot be used as an excuse at Rosehill, she has class on her side.

Whether she will be at home on a wet track is any ones guess, they all have to go through it, there is sure to be some hard luck stories after the race, there generally is, and the Slipper is not immune to hard luck stories.

Her rider, Kerrin McEvoy, is not all that concerned about the wide draw, she will be out of harms way, whilst she may have to cover a little extra ground, she can overcome that, as was proved at Caulfield.

She will be ridden off speed as was shown when she won the Blue Diamond Stakes and there is no reason to alter that pattern.

Oakleigh Girl, and Eloping, are the likely leaders, both have a lot of pace and are sure to lead, but likely to be found wanting at the concluding stages.

Mossfun, if ridden a little quieter than last start, could be well and truly in the mix , while Ghibellines and Valentia are worthy of consideration, the next best could be the Mick Price trained Cornrow, he has been handy all along the way. 

Earthquake- Slipper Favourite 

Spring riches await Signoff after his all the way win in the Medownick Laser Clinic Handicap at Moonee Valley yesterday.

It wasn’t what he beat, it was the way that he beat them, you just had to be impressed, even Gerry Ryan, a major shareholder in the horse, gave him the thumbs up, he liked what he saw.

Signoff’s record now stands at six wins from seven starts, he opened at two’s on and he remained at that quote throughout betting.

He bounced to the lead once the gates opened and didn’t appear to be out of a canter at any stage of the race.

Passing the winning post the first time with his ear pricked, leading by three parts of a length he retained that lead until the home turn when he bolted away to score, with still a lot in hand, by five lengths.

Signoff winning at Moonee Valley

The win was the middle pin of a winning treble for Darren Weir who looks to have the trainer’s premiership done and dusted, even this far out with four months remaining of the present season.

Weir is generally pretty conservative when commenting about his horses, he plays it on the side of caution, he doesn’t get carried away when assessing his horse’s ability.

He has come a long way in a short time, he seldom runs a horse out of its class and they are always rock hard fit.

Since moving to Ballarat he has gone from strength to strength, much of his success can be attributed to the uphill straight track; it lessens the pressure on a horse’s forelegs.

Ballarat is among the best training centres anywhere in Australia, it offers a wide variety of facilities.

Head study of Signoff

May’s Dream has earned herself a trip to Adelaide after what was an impressive win over 1523 metres at Moonee Valley yesterday.

She eased slightly in the close of betting when money came for Hazard and Hai Lil, but she still remained favourite.

Harry Coffey gave her the run of the race, she was perched in on the fence behind Hazard and Double Dee, it was just a matter of when she would be moved into over drive.

When Double Dee moved off the fence at the top of the straight May’s Dream was there in a flash, the issue was soon solved.

May’s Dream is out of She’s Archie who finished second to Makybe Diva in the 2003 Melbourne Cup.

There are a couple of good Black Type races that would suit her in Adelaide, thus enhancing her value as a brood mare in the future.

This is her second preparation, last time in, whilst she performed well, she was a bit light framed, yet she did run second to Guelph in the 1000 Guineas and second again in the Wakeful Stakes to Kirramosa.

She has thickened up quite a bit this time in, while she may not get 2400 metres she is going to be very competitive at 1600 metres, or a little further, the win completed a training treble for Darren Weir. 

May's Dream set for Adelaide 

A court ruling to enable Racing New South Wales to license veterinary surgeons, has not only angered

those in the veterinary profession, but would have a dramatic effect on racing with owners having to foot the bill.

The cost of treatment of racehorses would spiral, there would be no alternative, costs are high enough now they would only get higher.

When the suggestion was made some time ago that veterinary surgeons could be licensed in Victoria it was not well received, and the whole idea withered on the vine.

However, this is a different scenario, Racing New South Wales intend pressing on believing it is necessary to ensure the integrity of the sport.

One eminent veterinary surgeon said “there is no need for licensing as we are well administered now; another body is not necessary and unwarranted.”

If licensing was enforced within the Victorian racing industry, some vets that were questioned on the issue would prefer to watch the football, or mow the lawn rather than go racing.

Veterinarians will take a strong stand on this matter, they are a united and powerful group, they will not be taking this matter lightly.

What would this mean to the owner of the horse and how would he or she be affected? Vet bills are likely to exceed training fees; in the event of an injured horse the vet will not risk leaving any forms of medication with the trainer or stable staff.

If a bandage has to be changed twice a day for instance, it will be the vets job to do it, he or she will be fully responsible for the horse in fear of any ramifications that could arise at a later date.

There are those that believe that veterinary surgeons should be licensed by the ruling racing body, that they should be made accountable, but at what price.

Appearance Retired

It was a sad day for Guy Walter when he had to announce that his outstanding mare and Doncaster Handicap favorite, Appearance, has been retired from racing due to a leg injury.

Appearance was a top class race mare, they don’t come much better, her win in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes earlier this month was a real mind blower, she stamped her class on that occasion.