October
NovemberNot the end of the world
I was disappointed to read that a visit to Japan by a delegation of key Australian racing people has been abandoned following the death of Melbourne cup favourite and Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti.
I appreciate the death of this horse would have shattered its connections, but the Japanese are serious, sophisticated and professional racing and business people who take these misadventures in their stride.
It was most fortunate that Admire Rakti didn’t suffer his heart attack in running and bring down half of the Cup field. That he compounded so quickly and dropped out of the race to be pulled up last was itself evidence that something was amiss with the animal. His run was totally uncharacteristic given his outstanding run in the Caulfield Cup.
The Japanese have had great success with their horses in our major races: Delta Blues and Pop Rock ran the quinella in the Melbourne Cup in 2006 and Admire Rakti won the Caulfield Cup this year.
It has only been through virtue of quarantine regulations, which we must protect, that we haven’t seen numbers of Japanese entries here in the period leading up to this year’s cups season. The Japanese strive to win major world events and our cups are no exception.
I think the visit should have proceeded without any drama and I’m sure the planned reception at the Australian embassy would also have been well attended and a very positive event. Invitations to our high commissions and embassies are always much appreciated by our invited guests.
Finally, I note that the connections of the other Japanese horse, Bande, expressed their appreciation that our vets had identified a major issue with the horse and had probably saved his life or, at least, from a breakdown. He might live to hold sway another day.
Canterbury (Vic)