Thoroughbred Racing – a national obsession

Thoroughbred racing, the sport of kings in many countries, is accessible to all people in Australia.

The history of horses in Australia began when the First Fleet landed in Sydney in 1788, arriving with a stallion, three mares and three yearlings that were obtained at the Cape of Good Hope en route from England. Seven years later a shipment of good quality breeding mares from the Cape was imported, forming the founding elements of the Australian bloodhorse. However, it was not until 1799 that the first notable step to improve the breed of horses in the colony was made with the arrival of the English-bred stallion, Rockingham, from South Africa. In 1802, Northumberland became the first stallion to be imported direct from England. The establishment of the Australian breed of racehorses was also influenced by the importation of a number of Arabian horses from Persia and India.

The first official race meeting was held in Hyde Park, Sydney, in October 1810.

Currently the prize-money offered for Thoroughbred Racing in Australia totals around $A362 million annually – this is the third highest in the world, after North America and Japan.

Thoroughbred breeding in Australia has also become part of the “global village” as the greatest stallions from the northern hemisphere head south by jet to stand at stud for six months of the year.

Australia is the second largest thoroughbred industry in the world, producing 17 percent of the world’s foal crop. Australia is home to more than 25,000 registered thoroughbred broodmares and more than 1,000 registered thoroughbred stallions. Each spring about 60 dual hemisphere stallions are brought into Australia from around the world to bolster the Australian stallion roster. Commonly these stallions are imported from America, England and Ireland and they spend the Spring in Australia then return to their homeland at the end of the breeding season.

Magic Millions Sales Pty Limited is a world famous Thoroughbred Bloodstock company, and conducts the “Largest Yearling Sales in the Southern Hemisphere” on the fabulous Gold Coast in Queensland. Every January these sales attract the leading Thoroughbred Breeding and Racing identities to the Gold Coast. In addition Magic Millions conduct Australia’s greatest Summer Carnival.

Magic Millions offer over $5 million in prize-money to graduates of it’s sales, with Magic Millions races conducted on the Gold Coast and in Adelaide, Perth, Wyong, Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Tasmania and Malaysia.

Australian bred horses dominate the International racing scene, particularly in South East Asia – Hong Kong, Singapore , Macau, Penang, Perak and Selangor.

Australian bred horses account for :

Hong Kong – 47 percent of winners of all races

Singapore – 49 percent of winners of all races

Macau – 47.3 percent of winners of all races

Penang – 55 percent of winners of all races

Perak – 63 percent of winners of all races

Selangor – 65 percent of winners of all races

For those wanting to be right at the heart of the action by owning a horse – by themselves or with a group of friends – bloodstock prices are low enough that a fair quality horse can be bought for a reasonable amount of money.

For many years Australians in all states have enjoyed thoroughbred horse racing on all levels. This includes owning, breeding, syndication, watching and of course betting on most of the big races around the nation.

And for those who prefer to simply watch the unfolding show, most race clubs around the country offer sophisticated public facilities where tote betting and bookmakers add to the colour and excitement.

Racing is very much a part of the Australian psyche. Even for people who might rarely go to the races, the legendary horses Phar Lap, Tulloch, Kingston Town, Octagonal, Might and Power, Sunline, Northerly, Lohnro, Elvstroem, Makybe Diva and Starcraft are national icons.

Likewise, the great race of the year, the Melbourne Cup – held at the Victoria Racing Club’s Flemington course in November during the Spring Carnival – is as much a folk festival as a horse race. ‘The Cup’ a Group One event is raced over 3200 metres and has the distinction of being the only race in the world that brings an entire nation to a complete halt for the duration of the race.

As racing becomes more international, the Melbourne Cup – beamed around the world by satellite – attracts many entrants from the corners of the globe.

The 2006 Melbourne Cup was an outstanding success won by Japanese trained and bred campaigner Delta Blues, to create even more excitement his stablemate Pop Rock ran second beating the best horses in the country. Both horses were trained by Japanese trainer Yasunari Iwata. Australian horse Makybe Diva achieved legendary status when she won 3 Melbourne Cups (2003, 2004, & 2005) consecutively, one of the greatest feats of horse racing worldwide.

Australian bred horses have performed well overseas. In July 2003 Choisir won 2 group races at Royal Ascot prompting his sale to Irish stud Coolmore for a reported US$10 million. Takeover Target repeated this victory in 2006 winning the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.

In 2005 Elevstroem and Starcraft flew the Australian Flag in Europe. Starcraft had two Group I wins in the “Prix du Moulin” at Longchamp and the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Newmarket. Starcraft this year was awarded the title of World Champion Older Turf Miler.

Elevstroem won the Group I Dubai Duty Free Stakes, came second in the Group 1 Prix D’Ispahan and third in the Group I Prince of Wales Stakes.

Other great Australian-bred international performers recently include: Natural Blitz with a Group 1 victory in the Hong Kong International Sprint, Billett Express claimed the Group 1 Hong Kong Chairman’s Sprint Prize, Vengeance Of Rain claimed the Group 1 Hong Kong International Cup, and Silent Witness who claimed victory in Japan’s Group 1 Nakayama Sprinters Stakes.

This beautiful country of ours hosts many other Group One events during the big Spring and Autumn Carnivals held in Melbourne and Sydney, including such races as the Caulfield Cup, Golden Slipper, Doncaster and Epsom Handicaps. And all are special events that have racing enthusiasts flocking to the track.

And since 1999, the Cox Plate is the only southern hemisphere race to be included in the Emirates World Series. The Emirates Series is horse racing’s Grand Prix circuit, spanning both hemispheres and four continents.

The Winter Carnival in Queensland is a destination for top trainers, jockeys and owners keen to share in the huge prize money on offer.

On the west coast, in summer, the Perth Cup 3200 metres is another one of our Equine attractions.

There are many more top races including The Adelaide, Hobart and Darwin Cups that combine to make horse racing in Australia a truly enriching experience.

In addition each state hosts the traditional 3 year old races, the oaks for fillies and the derby for colts and geldings, during their carnivals.

Australians are among the greatest gamblers on earth. The various State governments turned this to their own advantage four decades ago when they began establishing the Totalisator Agency Boards and since 1998 all government owned TAB’s have been floated on the stock exchange.

TAB agencies are to be found in most suburbs, making it easy for people to legally bet on horse racing without going near a racetrack. In recent years, agencies equipped with huge screens have also been installed in hotels, making viewing more interesting for punters. At the same time, unfortunately, this drew punters away from racecourses. Raceclubs are now faced with the challenge of attracting back people who have the option of a multitude of alternative leisure activities.

However, although racegoers are fewer, legal gambling through TABs is gradually climbing and is now approximately $14 billion a year, helped by being able to bet over the internet.

Interesting Statistics

During 2007-2008 339 thoroughbred race clubs – metropolitan, provincial and country – conducted more than 17,200 races on more than 330 racecourses throughout Australia. The horses were trained by 4,782 trainers, and ridden by 1,065 jockeys and apprentice jockeys. Horses in training totalled 29,972 and the race clubs paid out $355,043,530 in prize money to the winners and placegetters in their races. An additional $48,583,575 was paid to owners and breeders, through various incentive schemes, rebates and fees.

Some of the information used in this article was supplied by:

Annie McDonald

Marketing & Media Manager

Magic Millions Sales Pty Limited

PO Box 5246, GCMC, Qld, 9726, Australia

Phone: +07 5538 8933

Fax: +07 5531 7082

Email: annie@magicmillions.com.au

Website: www.magicmillions.com.au