News

How equine flu became a blessing for three-year-olds

21st Sep 2009

Sydney Morning Herald - Craig Young - Monday, 21 September 2009

One positive might yet come from the scourge of equine influenza - the virus that shut down the sport, forced many industry players on to the unemployment queue and cost Sydney racing a spring carnival.

Could it be responsible for a bumper crop of three-year-olds? The age group has emerged this season, and it would appear this mob will continue to make many a headline. Some serious bloodstock is producing on race day.

Colts such as Denman, Trusting and So You Think, juvenile group 1 winners Onemorenomore and Manhattan Rain, as well as Demerit, More Than Great and Rothesay - all from the male brigade. On the team for the fillies are Melito, More Joyous, Irish Lights and the sidelined Black Caviar.

In coming weeks, there will no doubt be fringe dwellers joining that list. This three-year-old crop might well be the best in many a season. Trusting dished it up to the older horses at weight-for-age when claiming the Warwick Stakes last month at start No.3. It was a rare feat for one so young. Trusting couldn't match it a week later with winter find Denman in the group 1 Golden Rose at Rosehill.

Denman looked rather special on that occasion, and punters can see the emerging star in the Stan Fox at Randwick this weekend. Sheikh Mohammed's head trainer, Peter Snowden, didn't bother taking Denman down for the Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on Saturday.

No, this astute horseman threw another stylish son of Lonhro to the wolves in the Prelude. Demerit ran into Black Caviar on debut earlier in the year, streeted rivals when resuming on a Sunday at Cranbourne, and then it was off to Caulfield.

Demerit covered ground in the Prelude but stuck its neck out to beat Trusting, which rattled home from the tail. Why was Craig Williams looking for inside runs on Trusting as the field swept around the home bend? As one wag put it: ''Might have been teaching the galloper to race inside horses.'' Mission accomplished.

Anyway, this crop of three-year-olds is well above the average. Bart Cummings, the man in charge of So You Think, reckons it might be a standout group. Gerald Ryan, who has Rothesay and Melito in the team, has no doubt it is a vintage crop. Plenty of others agree.

Could it have anything to do with equine influenza? Remember, it struck just as the new breeding season was about to begin a couple of years ago. It arrived from Japan and was brought in by the shuttle stallions. When racing closed down in NSW and Queensland, racehorses were stuck in their stables.

But this generation of three-year-olds were still roaming around in paddocks on stud properties. January's major yearling sale, the Magic Millions, was put back, as was the William Inglis Easter Yearling Sale. That gave these youngsters extra time in a paddock.

Did it allow them to begin to mature without being rushed and manhandled? There is a tendency in these parts to push the youngsters too early. The Golden Slipper is the ultimate prize when it comes to developing thoroughbred stallions.

Win it with a colt and you've got yourself a $20 million-plus equine money printer. But things are changing due to equine influenza. Horses are being broken in later. The rush is not as urgent. You can start late and still have horses ready for races such as the Golden Slipper, but age three is when the horse will truly develop. Some take longer but this age group is well above average.

And there are plenty of colts among them. It augurs well for racing's future. Whatever it might be.