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S.A./South Australian Racing

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    Posted: 03 Feb 2021 at 1:56pm
I can't find or the appropriate thread doesn't exist!

SA announces prizemoney boost

Four Adelaide Group 1s have received significant prizemoney rises in time for the 2021 Carnival.

And the Adelaide Cup will also increase in prizemoney as part of a $2.6 million boost announced by Racing SA on Tuesday.

The Furphy Goodwood, TAB Classic (Sangster), Australasian Oaks and TAB SA Derby have all increased by $100,000 from $402,250 to $502,250 while the Adelaide Cup will receive a $50,000 increase, rising to $302,250.

Other black-type races will also have increased prizemoney, while general prizemoney levels will also rise from July 1.

Racing SA CEO Nick Redin described the board's decision to boost prizemoney as another example of the SA industry pursuing its strategy of growth and job creation.

"The industry is strong and vibrant at the moment, and this announcement only adds further to that momentum," Redin said.

"We're backing the industry to get behind us, and the trainers and other industry figures we speak to are certainly doing that.

"These new prizemoney levels will ensure our SA participants will be in a position to continue to grow their businesses."

All metropolitan races and maiden races at both provincial and country meetings will also receive rises.

"That means Saturday races will offer a minimum $40,000 in prizemoney, from 1 July," Redin said.

"Importantly, all provincial and country maiden prizemoney has been lifted to the same as restricted levels."

Redin described prizemoney as 'the lifeblood of the industry' and said the Racing SA board made the funding decisions following the completion of the organisation's 2021-2023 strategic plan.

He said coupled with Racing SA's share of the Marshall State Government's industry investment of almost $30m in the racing industry in SA - including a $24m 2019-2023 stimulus package announced in 2019 - the prizemoney boost was aimed at increasing horse numbers in the state and creating more jobs.

"It's all aimed at achieving our target of having 300 more horses in work by the start of the 2024/25 racing season," he said.

"One job is created for every four horses, so the tangible benefits of this increase and the government investment are there for all to see."



Edited by Gay3 - 16 May 2023 at 7:27pm
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Murray Bridge Wed 5/5/21

RACE 4: 2021 NATIONAL APPRENTICE RACE SERIES BENCHMARK 68 HANDICAP - 1400 Metres (contd)

EXALTED MAXINE (S. Metcalfe)  raced keenly in the early and middle stages of the event. Laid out under pressure in the straight. A post-race veterinary examination revealed no visible abnormalities. Stewards questioned S. Metcalfe in relation to her riding of the mare over the concluding stages of the event, in particular, from approximately the 100 metres until near the 20 metres. After considering her explanation Stewards charged S. Metcalfe under AR131(b) in that, in the opinion of Stewards, she failed to ride EXALTED MAXINE out approaching the end of the race with acceptable vigour. S. Metcalfe pleaded guilty and was suspended from riding in races for a period to commence midnight Wednesday, 12 May 2021 to conclude midnight Monday, 12 July 2021, a period of two calendar months. In determining penalty Stewards took into account S. Metcalfes forthrightness, remorse, her record in relation to this rule and her guilty plea.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 2021 at 5:26pm
I guess a couple of grand overall is better than nothing Confused

Prizemoney boost for South Australia


Participants will be racing for more prizemoney across South Australia from next month.

Racing SA announced on Monday that all Adelaide metropolitan races will be worth at least $40,000, while the lowest purse for a TAB race across the state will be $16,800 after July 1.

"The industry is strong and vibrant at the moment, and this announcement only adds to further to that momentum," said Racing SA CEO Nick Redin in a statement.

"These new prizemoney levels will ensure our SA participants will be in a position to continue to grow their businesses.

"Importantly, all provincial and country maiden prizemoney has been lifted to the same as restricted levels."

The RSA board made the funding decisions following the completion of the organisation's 2021 to 2023 strategic plan.

The additional prizemoney coincided with the SA Government's investment of almost $30 million in the local racing industry in an attempt to increase the horse population and create further employment in the sector.

"It's all aimed at achieving our target of having 300 more horses in work by the start of the 2024/25 racing season," Redin said.

"One job is created for every four horses, so the tangible benefits of this increase and the Government investment are there for all to see."

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN PRIZEMONEY BREAKDOWN

Metropolitan

Open to BM72+ races: $54,750 (was $52,250)

BM68 races: $44,750 (was $42,250)

BM64 to maidens: $40,250 (was $37,250)

Provincial

Non-Listed Cups: $54,750 (was $51,800)

Non-Maiden: remains $21,800

Maidens: $21,800 (was $19,300)

Country

Cups: $31,800 (was $26,800)

Non-Maidens: remains $16,800

Maidens: $16,800 (was $14,800)


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The Gordon Richards yard has been rocked by the loss of highly talented four-year-old Garner.

"Unfortunately the horse had to be put down this afternoon," said a devastated Richards.

"He hadn't been back in work long and on Friday morning he went amiss, ripping tendons and ligaments on a hind leg.

"We were prepared to do all we could to save him.

"However, the veterinary opinion was that the right thing humanely to do in the best interest of the horse was to let him go."

Garner raced on 18 occasions, winning four times and placing on eight other occasions, finishing with earnings of $427,150.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote deejays destiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 11:17am
Grant Young out for three months, cobalt.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 1:05pm
Thanks 'dd' his team's been going very poorly for months now.

South Australian trainer Grant Young has been outed for three months after being found guilty of a cobalt charge.

It stemmed from a positive post-race urine sample taken from galloper Santelmo Fuego after his win in the Sir Loin Butchers Benchmark 68 Handicap (1800m) at Naracoorte on August 22 this year.

Analysis of the sample by Racing Analytical Services Limited (RASL) revealed Santelmo Fuego had a cobalt level of 127 micrograms per litre, which is above the threshold level of 100 micrograms per litre,

Young, who was charged under AR240(2), pleaded guilty.

Stewards announced their decision on Tuesday night, with Young suspended for three months, reduced from six months.

Stewards took into account Youngs guilty plea, personal circumstances, forthrightness during the inquiry process, factors relating to individual and general deterrence, the serious nature of breaches relating to prohibited substance rules and his relatively clean record.

Youngs suspension will start at midnight Melbourne Cup day and expire at midnight on February 2, 2022.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 1:16pm
What is it with these blokes? We never saw positives like this back in the day, yep, Bart went out as did Tommy and Lee too, but this is going beyond a joke. Some of these horses walk into the yard, backed off the map, they're sweating like a heavyweight boxer and run through walls......I've seen this before and it's not cobalt making them do it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote theshu25 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 2:02pm
Originally posted by deejays destiny deejays destiny wrote:

Grant Young out for three months, cobalt.
                                                        Should have got 5 years.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Pardon_My_Dust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 2:43pm
Yeah WTF is up with that? If it's found to be deliberately administered for performance enhancement has to be at least 12 months does it not?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote deejays destiny Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Oct 2021 at 4:04pm
6 months down to 3 months after "circumstances" considered. 
 
I wish they were transparent with the "circumstances"
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brudder_A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2021 at 6:56pm
Once in a while an SA horse shows up during the Spring Carnival and performs accordingly....

Duel Johnny Letts Stakes winner and lo and behold Murray Bridge Cup winner Regalio Di Gaetano.

How SA Great, Mate - is that!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Nov 2021 at 7:34pm
Grant Young appealed and had his suspension downgraded even further. Now 2 months

Starts after tomorrows Strathalbyn meeting
Will be back at the end of Jan.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Dec 2021 at 2:23pm
Cross posting this story from a few months ago about SA trainer Joe Hall. Sadly Joe passed this week, just 16 days after his wife Polly passed. 


Retired trainer Joe Hall is the patriarch of an immediate and extended family which has had an enormous influence on racing, plus hes been a mentor and father figure to many beyond his kin.

The breadth of the familys influence is best kept simple by way of introduction. 

Hall, 82, and still living close to the Morphettville racecourse and the stables now occupied by Stuart Gower, which housed his famous Joes Bar, had six brothers and two sisters which created the stretch of the familys impact. His father Robert (Bob) had trained and ridden jumpers including Arum, who won 12 hurdle races. 

His brother Ron (R.R. J. Hall) was champion jumps jockey in Victoria in 1946, 1947, 1948 and 1953. His sons Ron and Greg then made their mark. Ron junior (R.J. Hall) was champions jumps jockey in 1973 and continues in his role as Racing Victorias Jockey Wellbeing and Safety Officer. His son Vincent rode more than 400 winners. 

Gregory Michael Hall rode 49 Group 1 winners including three of the four holy grails Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate and Golden Slipper. The other the Caulfield Cup was won twice by his son Nicholas, who landed nine Group 1s in a truncated career. 

Joe, of course, is the father of David, who trained Makybe Diva (Desert King) to the first of her three Melbourne Cup wins before relinquishing that role when he moved to Hong Kong, where he is still training successfully. Its often said that David, at one point, trained the worlds best stayer, sprinter and jumper in Makybe Diva, Silent Witness (El Moxie) and Karasi. 

Brothers Brian, Bob and Max also rode at various stages, as did Joe. Brian (B.V. Hall) was a gun apprentice in his time and won the 1955 Adelaide Cup on Storm Glow. His son Robert rode for a while according to Joe. Brian and the great Geoff Lane were the two star apprentices of the time but Brian got heavy, recalls Ron junior. 

His sisters Noreen and Gwen married jumps jockeys. Noreen was married to Cliff Bickham who, somewhat famously, won the Von Doussa and Great Eastern Steeplechases at Oakbank in 1952 on the Kevin Lafferty-trained Royal Pentzia. They led throughout to win by 25 lengths. 

Bickham, who had not won a race in Adelaide for 15 months, went to Oakbank on the Saturday without a ride but picked up the mount on Royal Pentzia when Keith Denham couldnt make the weight. Bickham also won the 1947 VRC Grand National Steeplechase and Brierly Steeplechase on Formidable. 

Gwen married Kevin Callaghan, who made the news when he fell twice in a hurdle race at Geelong in 1955. His mount fell, when leading, near the winning post the first time around; he was placed in the ambulance which then rolled when it hit some loose ground while again pursuing the field. Kevin and Gwens son Danny also rode. 

Family aside, Joe Hall tutored many others in racing including apprentices Glen Dorol, Chris Symons and Jon OConnor, who remain close to the boss. Other young riders to go through the Hall stable were Ricky Barone, Jarrod Marks, Dean Cleaver, Jason Lyon and Kane Newsham. Not to mention now successful trainer Phillip Stokes, with whom he has a share in a couple of horses, and his long time assistant Paul Shepherdson.

He was the boss back then when I started at 15 years of age and I still call him boss now, said Dorol, and I was bloody petrified of him when I was a kid. He was very strict but I respected him and still do.

Symons echoes those thoughts. He was strict and tough. You couldnt go to the milk bar without his permission but he looked after me like I was his own and the whole family made me feel like I was part of their family, he said, referring to Joes wife Polly and daughters Jane and Mandy and to David to whom hed been apprenticed in Melbourne. 

If Joe Hall was a hard task-master, that is no surprise given his upbringing. He spent five years in an orphanage after his mother fell seriously ill. With his father unable to manage work and nine children, the two youngest, Joe and Brian, were sent to St Josephs boys home in Ballarat. I remember that time well, I had plenty of the strap. Youd hold your hand out and if you let it drop to lessen the blow then youd get another, he said. 

At just 13, he was sent to work at the Widgiewa Station in the central Riverina. I was just a kid. I fell asleep on the train and went through to Narrandera, which was about 40 miles further down the line. I was a bit concerned but an old woman said I could stay the night at the pub and I went to the station the next morning.

The station was owned by Otway Falkiner. He was a member of parliament and it was a big-time operation. I worked as a station hand. It was tough and I didnt get paid much but I loved it and stayed there for five years. I enjoyed my young life once I got out of the orphanage, he said. 

Six months after arriving he was riding at the bush tracks, in the area, on Saturdays and public holidays. Did you ride any winners?, I sheepishly asked. Of course I did, was there ever a Hall who didnt ride a winner?, he replied. 

His riding skills would be later honed with a move to Adelaide and an apprenticeship with brother Ron whod moved from Melbourne. I rode 25 winners in my first six months and finished up running second to Jim Courtney in the apprentices title, he said. 

He was competing against such household names as Pat Glennon, Billy Pyers, Des Coleman, Jim Johnson and Courtney. Glennon was amazing. Hed pinch two lengths out of the barriers while the rest of us were organising our reins. 

As I say, I did very well for about six months but it didnt get much better after that. I stuck it out until I was 21 before getting a trainers licence which was pretty automatic, in those days, if youd been riding, he said. 

He immediately spent the 2500 pounds from his apprenticeship fund on a truck and horse feed and stable rent despite having, that same year, married Polly (Pauline). I rented at Glenelg, behind the school and brother Ray was my first owner. I started with six horses and won with the first couple we sent to the races. Stone Of Destiny was one and Abdication the other, winning the Fulham Park Plate with Georgie Hall who was no relation aboard.

Maybe it was crazy training so young, but I just went with the flow. It seemed like the natural thing to do. I learned everything I knew about training from brother Ron, he said. 

He took to it well, remaining one of the most successful and respected trainers over the next four decades in Adelaide, which at one time, or another, then was home to Bart Cummings, Colin Hayes, John Hawkes, George Hanlon, Leon Macdonald, Mick Armfield, Bill Smart, Grahame Heagney, Tom Jenner and other training luminaries. It was a glorious era of South Australian racing. 

Hall more than held his own. He finished second one year, in the premiership, to the leviathan Hayes and trained many a good horse. He prepared Regal Jester (Sovereign Plea) to win the 1978 South Australian Derby beating the Hayes-trained champion Dulcify (Decies). He was ridden by John Murray, who rode many winners for Hall. 

Regal Jester later ran third in the Western Australian Derby but Hall then lost the horse to George Hanlon. 

He prepared Oenjay Star (Royal Yacht), who was unbeaten at two and won nine races including the SAJC Lightning Stakes twice and was runner-up to Manikato (Manihi) in the 1979 Freeway Stakes at Moonee Valley. 

A year earlier, Hall won the VRC Sires Produce Stakes with Pacifica (Red God), who beat Karaman (Karayar). Both horses had the misfortune to be born in the same year as Manikato and Dulcify. Karaman went on to win the AJC Sires Produce but was twice denied major races wins by both Manikato and Dulcify (including the Caulfield Guineas in which his rider Garry Murphy protested unsuccessfully against Manikato). 

Hall trained many horses for Makybe Divas owner Tony Santic and they included Smytzers Rivalry (Made Of Gold), who won the 1999 SAJC Sires Produce Stakes and 1999 Morphettville Guineas ridden by Dorol. In the Sires, she beat later Caulfield Cup winner Diatribe (Brief Truce). 

He trained the multiple Group 2 winner Royal Code (Kings Theatre) to win on debut in Adelaide before being transferred to Melbourne and son David and won the 1991 SAJC Dequetteville Stakes with Shes A Pipe Dream (Jackson Square). 

Dorol can rattle off a list of several other good horses to emerge from the stable, including the one who might have been anything Shady Road (Prince Echo). He won his maiden by 13 lengths and ran two seconds faster than the next best 1200-metre winner on the card at his second start at Strathalbyn in August 2000. 

He was very good, Dorol recalled, but he bowed a tendon after that race and despite numerous attempts from Joe, and later by David, he couldnt get back to the track. 

He had his first start at Cheltenham on the last day of the previous season. I said to Joe we should run him in the Dermody Sakes, the weight-for-age race for two and three year-olds, thats how good he was, but Joe opted for the two-year-old race. Unfortunately he reared up at the start and hit his head and Im sure he was concussed. I came back covered in blood and the horse, from memory, had to have eight staples in his head.

Dorol also well remembers the Morphettville Guineas win on Smytzers Rivalry. That was the most satisfying win for Joe. She was lame on the Friday and not going to run. That night we had pizzas delivered to Joes bar and probably drank a dozen beers. Then at 5am on the Saturday, Joe said shes OK to run and I had to shed about five kilos in a few hours, he said. 

Despite the many stories of Joes Bar, Dorol says Hall insisted that there was no alcohol in the stables. He was very strict on that. Not even permitted for owners and absolutely not for the staff. The bar was a great meeting place for Joes friends and owners. He wasnt the sort of bloke to go to the pub.

He didnt socialise much with other trainers. He never went to the trainers tower at Morphettville. Hed clock them from the middle, Dorol said. 

Hall himself concedes he didnt have many close relationships with his colleagues but he does speak highly of Bart Cummings. Cummings and his wife Val made a point of calling into the Hall family celebrations after Makybe Diva won the Melbourne Cup. 

We have been friends for years, Hall said at the time, I knew Barts father [Jim] and then I trained alongside Bart, so theres a bit of history. We even sent David to the Sacred Heart Christian Brothers school in Adelaide because Bart went there. I thought, Well, if they can teach David as much as they must have taught Bart, the boy cant go wrong.

Symons recalls that Hall was an amazing judge of a horse. He could tell you if youd gone two seconds too quick or two seconds too slow just by looking at the horse after its work, whether hed watched the gallop or not.

He had a big influence on me. I wouldnt say I was a bad kid but I was a vulnerable kid and without his discipline, I could have finished up anywhere. He gave me an opportunity to become a jockey. I was pretty hopeless when I went there. I think thats why David sent me over.

He gave me a work ethic and without that I wouldnt have the Funky Farm, Symons said in reference to the boutique zoo and tourist attraction hes now fully focused on following his recent retirement from riding, and I still speak to him quite a lot.

As to his father, son David says: I think he is very well liked by a lot of people. He was a very patient man with a horse, widely respected as a trainer and a great dad.

Collectively, you might say they are the Halls of (some) fame. Individually, Joe Halls place would be deserved in South Australias.

By Steve Moran
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Dec 2021 at 2:34pm
Thanks for those stories, interesting reads.

ps why isn't Jessica Eaton riding today?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2021 at 3:51pm
Jess will be back tomorrow.
Took the weekend off as she was bridesmaid for her friends wedding 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Dec 2021 at 4:49pm
Thanks Shawy.  Thumbs Up
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 2022 at 6:34pm

The Searle family will be hoping the dawn of a new year brings a fresh start after what can only be described as a tumultuous end to 2021.

Their wretched run came to its climax as trainer Gary and wife Nichole were preparing to float horses from their satellite Port Lincoln stable last Wednesday - while maneuvering the two-and-a-half-tonne trailer the jockey wheel landed squarely on Nicholes foot.

Just weeks after a knee reconstruction, Nichole Searle once again found herself bound to a hospital bed and after three-days she was airlifted to Adelaide for surgery.

Shes a lot happier now shes had surgery, shes sat around for three days not really knowing what was going on, Gary Searle said.

Shes got a fairly big wound on that foot and theyre just trying to keep infection out of it.

Its not ideal she cant weight-bear or anything.

But even while suffering immense pain, yesterday there was some temporary relief when the Searle-trained Heka Express made it two wins on the trot at Murray Bridge under the guidance of apprentice Ellis Wong.

Shes been a bit topsy-turvy thats for sure, Gary Searle said.

Somebody asked me before the race, can she win?, and I said, the way my last few days have been I'm not sure!

It was great to get a winner yesterday and the way she won made it better again. Certainly a bit of a relief after the last few days weve had.

Not even a visit from nursing staff was going to stop Nichole cheering home the five-year-old ex-Victorian mare.

The nurses were trying to take her blood pressure and Nichole started screaming at her phone, and the nurse said, I think well let you settle down a bit, she probably wouldve blown the machine up she was that excited, Searle said with a laugh.

It was a unique day for Gary Searle, who also co-trains with daughter Brianna, neither of the duo or any of the stables staff were on-course after a Covid scare wreaked havoc for the small team.

One of the trackworkers tested positive and had come into contact with all the staff, Searle said.

None of us were allowed to go to the races yesterday so it was all a bit of a disaster to be honest.

Thankfully my brother was able to come up from Bordertown and look after the horses, I cant wait to tell him we have six in at Strathalbyn!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 12:48pm

Star Adelaide jockey Jason Holder has been outed for five months by stewards after testing positive to a banned substance.

The suspension, which was handed down on Thursday, came after he returned a positive reading after a random trackwork test one morning at Morphettville last month. 

He was issued with a second charge for attempting to submit a substitute sample when asked to present for further testing at Racing SA’s offices later that day. 

Holder pleaded guilty to both charges. He was suspended for five months (reduced from nine months) for the positive urine sample and disqualified for two months (reduced from four months) for producing a substitute sample. 

They will be served concurrently. 

Sources close to Holder told Racing.com they did not believe the charge stemmed from the use of party drugs.

Holder was contacted for comment. He has been replaced on all of his rides in South Australia this weekend.

The 46-year-old already applied to apeal the length of the ban, which expires in late June. 

Former boss and friend Leon Macdonald told Racing.com Holder was “absolutely devastated” by the suspension

“He called into see Pam and I on Thursday afternoon and he is absolutely devastated,” Macdonald said.

“Obviously he is feeling a range of emotions, and naturally he is hurting and embarrassed.

“What I do know about Jason is a part from being a natural talent he is a great competitor and he will fight his way back to the top.”

The hefty suspension comes as a blow to Holder who, with 27 metropolitan wins so far this season, is leading the Adelaide Jockey Premiership ahead of Barend Vorster (24) and Kayla Crowther (20). 

When handing down the penalties stewards took into account some mitigating circumstances and the jockey’s clean record.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Pardon_My_Dust Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 6:55pm
If he's got a clean record with mitigating circumstances why such a hefty ban?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jan 2022 at 7:09pm
Well we don't know exactly what he was ingesting, so...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Batman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jan 2022 at 8:46am
Nine months is upper end of the scale, with reduction for previous clean record. Guessing it wasn't Panadol
Gambling has brought our family closer together. We had to move to a smaller house.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Feb 2022 at 3:30pm
I can't find the relevant thread if in fact there is one Confused Thanks for the relevant link Shawy Thumbs Up

Three more riders busted in same ‘substance' sting which caught Holder


Racing SA stewards have busted three trackwork riders for banned substances in the same sting that brought jockey Jason Holder undone.

Trainer Jason Cannon and work riders Ben Clarke and Christabel Pretlove have all been suspended from riding trackwork after urine samples were taken on Thursday, December 9 – the same morning Holder returned a positive after initially providing a substitute sample that subsequently saw him suspended for five months.

Cannon has Osiris Rex and Alaltun entered for Strathalbyn on Wednesday.

Cannon, who most recently tasted success when Outpost collected three straight wins in October, was found to have two banned substances in his system and was suspended from riding work for 18 months, taking into account the fact he had three prior offences – from 1998, 2015 and 2017.

Pretlove also tested positive to two banned substances and was sidelined from riding work for four months, stewards taking into account her clean record and personal circumstances.

Clarke only had one banned substance in his system and was suspended for four months, stewards also noting he had a prior offence in 2016.



Edited by Gay3 - 15 Feb 2022 at 6:02pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Mar 2022 at 3:21pm

Just as South Australian trainer Sue Murphy thought she had her best crack at an Adelaide Cup in years, another blow was dealt to the recently luckless horsewoman.

Stable star Hasta La War was scratched from important Adelaide Cup lead-up race the Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m) at Morphettville last Saturday morning on vet's advice.

Now following a visit to the vet, the extent of the tendon injury has become clearer.

"He'll have to go and get a plasma, he's got a black hole in his tendon," a dejected Murphy said.

It's a crushing blow for last year's Melbourne Cup hopeful, who just missed out on qualifying for 'the race that stops a nation' when he finished third in the Geelong Cup, before an untimely abscess prematurely ended his campaign.

Murphy had planned a similar assault on the Melbourne Cup this year, with Hasta La War set to also run in the G2 Adelaide Cup next month but those plans have now been shelved.

"Well and truly," Murphy said.

"He needs another lot of time off, he did the other tendon, so now he's done this one, it's the same sort of scenario."

Hasta La War was the odds-on favourite to win last Saturday's Morphettville staying feature and would have been one of the fancied hopes for the Adelaide Cup.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Mar 2022 at 12:49pm
Todd Pannell will be out for the majority of the SA Carnival, fall at track yesterday morning. Fractured collarbone, wait and see if surgery required.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2022 at 12:19pm

The iconic ‘Exalted’ prefix that has been a part of South Australian racing for decades is set to disappear, with confirmation that veteran breeders and owners Helen and Ken Smith will offer a complete dispersal of their bloodstock interests.

The couple of have been prolific supporters of the local industry and have bred and raced a string of feature race winners, including Adelaide Cup hero Exalted Time, Exalted Lightning, Exalted Miss and Exalted Lad.

The 45-lot dispersal, which includes foals, yearlings, mares and unraced stock, will be offered online via the upcoming Bloodstockauction.com sale, which begins on Thursday. 

The Smiths’ historic Narrung Stud property on the shores of Lake Albert has also been listed for sale with Sam Hayes of TOOP+TOOP RURAL. 

Helen Smith said the dispersal was promoted by age and declining health. 

“The time has come. Ken is not in the best of health and managing such a significant bloodstock business requires a lot of drive and attention,” Smith said in a statement.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VOYAGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 May 2022 at 9:48pm
As iconic as Geoff & Beryl White, and their colors were in NSW.  

The stud had a great record producing bread and butter winners with stakes winners strewn throughout its history.  
Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Shawy38 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Sep 2022 at 11:27pm

SA owner questions new rule


One of South Australia’s biggest racehorse owners has questioned the introduction of a local rule by Racing SA that limits how often horses can race.

Ewan Watt, who owns more than 10 horses with Murray Bridge trainer Garret Lynch under his ROI Bloodstock banner, said he was disappointed with the lack of communication from officials regarding the rule, which has already prevented several of his horses from racing in the last week.  

The local rule, LR 5.18, was introduced in late August and reads “Without derogating from, or limiting any other provisions in the Rules, the Stewards may decline to receive, or at any time after having received, reject any nomination or entry, in their sole discretion, based on considerations relating to the frequency of race starts of a horse.”

Unlike a similar rule in New South Wales which limits horses to five starts in any 30-day period, the South Australian rule allows stewards to determine how often is too often for a horse to run. 

Racing SA’s General Manager of Integrity, Johan Petzer, said the new rule was designed to ensure horses were given adequate time to recover between races. 

“The rationale for the introduction of this rule is underpinned by considerations which are aimed at ensuring the frequency of race starts of horses racing in South Australia is managed appropriately, for the assurance of the suitability to race of all horses, by ensuring sufficient periods of recovery between starts where deemed necessary,” Petzer said. 

But Watt said the discretionary nature of the rule created a platform for potential bias and subjective decision making by authorities. 

He said Lynch was informed about the rule last Tuesday and told that several of his horses who held acceptances for both the Wednesday meeting at Murray Bridge and the Saturday meeting at Morphettville could only run at one venue. 

Racing.com understands that Lynch has been contacted by stewards again this week and forced to choose between racing horses at Murray Bridge on Wednesday and Mount Gambier on Sunday, rather than both meetings. 

The horses in question include recent winners Ziggi Rocks and Obelos, who have both been racing consistently and passing mandatory veterinary inspections when backing up within seven days of racing. 

“I’m incredibly frustrated,” Watt said.

“From my perspective, there’s been a new rule that’s been introduced almost secretly.

“I would imagine that if you’re comfortable with a new rule that you’re bringing in, you would make sure that all stakeholders are informed of it from a transparency point of view.

“To me, that would me a minimum expectation and in this case, Garret was only made aware of it the day before (last Wednesday’s Murray Bridge race meeting) and I’ve only received a copy of the rule a week after the decision was made.

“These decisions are second guessing how he trains, when he gallops a horse and when he runs a horse and it undermines the whole essence of vets and the information they provide about a horse.

“In practical terms, the rule is saying that someone has information to make a better decision about a horse than the trainer or a vet which is flawed.

“It creates a platform for bias and subjective decision making.”

Watt said he was seeking further clarity from Racing SA about the rule, including any avenues to contest or appeal judgements by stewards, although he admitted that he’s considering pulling horses from the state. 

He said a situation in which connections are finding out about a horse’s eligibility to race after nominations have been taken for a meeting is unworkable. 

“If I have to race my horses in a different state, I will,” he said.

“I’m not in the inner sanctum, I’m not given the opportunity to talk the stewards and they always refer their correspondence to the trainers and it gets passed on to me second hand.

“I just want a fair playing field.

“I love racing but my enjoyment for this has gone from being very excited on a weekly basis to now the opposite.”

Lynch, who won last season’s Country SA Trainers Premiership, has made a habit of racing horses frequently and successfully, including many owned by Watt. 

Since January, Lynch has trained Harbouring to win on a two-day back-up and twice on a seven-day back-up, Maid In Milan to win on a four-day back-up and a seven-day back-up, as well as Smiling Assassin, Ziggi Rocks and Sunny Green to win on a three-day back-up. 

The Red Sea, Riched, Photogenic, Venusian and Dustin Dharan are other Lynch-trained horses that have won on a seven-day back-up in recent months. 

For a horse to run again within seven days of racing, it must pass a veterinary inspection by an industry vet upon arrival on course to ensure its soundness. 

Recently, iron horse Flow Meter was celebrated across all corners of the industry, including by Racing SA’s own social media platforms, for reaching 200 career starts.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 Sep 2022 at 12:00pm

Tourneur set for return

Leading South Australian rider Dom Tourneur is nearing a return to the saddle after missing more than three months with a troublesome back injury.

The dual Group 1-winning jockey had surgery in June to repair a badly damaged spinal nerve that was causing horrific pain, but started riding work last week, having not ridden since a Murray Bridge meeting on May 28.

"I'm really tracking well now," Tourneur said.

"In the last week-and-a-half it's become really strong, no pain, I'm building up the core strength heaps more and I feel way stronger.

"I'll ride a couple and go pretty slow to start with. Hopefully I can remember how to sit on them!"

Tourneur has kept fit during his injury enforced layoff and hopes to be back race riding in a couple of weeks.

"I've been doing three gym sessions a week, three Pilates sessions a week and swimming, now I'm jogging and doing physio, pretty much everything," he said.

"I'm just going to play it by ear and see how I progress at trackwork, no doubt I'll do jumpouts and trials and then get back into it.

"It's probably a matter of just getting the eye back in more so than the fitness, the fitness is good where I've got it at the moment - so that won't be an issue. Weight won't be an issue either because I'm about 53-and-a-half kilos.

"I can't wait, just hopefully I can get good solid support on my return, I'll repay the faith."

Despite battling the back injury for much of last season, Tourneur managed 40 winners across SA.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lord Hybrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Sep 2022 at 6:21pm
Looks like a massive crowd at Balaklava Cup meeting.

With the sad demise of Oakbank, is the Balaklava Cup the most well attended race meeting in SA?  Or is Adelaide Cup day attract the biggest crowd?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Second Chance Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Sep 2022 at 6:41pm
A Will Clarken long priced quinella!  Sadly no Coolth.  Balak is always well attended LH, dunno about Gawler or Murray Bridge.

ps more years ago than I care to remember used to dine out on a story about one of ours winning in front of a crowd of close to 80,000. "Wow, Derby or Melbourne Cup day?" they'd ask in semi-awe.  "Nah, Oakbank" I'd reply to guffaws all round.  Tongue


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