"There are reports of racing initiatives of various sizes and ambitions under way in Wuhan, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanjing, even the racing lottery on Hainan island, and all of them being as careful as possible to get things rolling without upsetting anyone in Beijing. There are probably many others we haven't heard about, but they share one very obvious problem. Until China approves gambling on horse racing on the mainland, which is not on any radar yet, there is no commercial imperative to make these things happen the right way - and there must be doubts about the backers of some of these projects even being capable of that."

"And, if you are asking me for a personal opinion, the use of pacemakers in other jurisdictions is a blight on racing. Once you cross the line into allowing a horse to be ridden as a pacemaker for a better-fancied stablemate, you are allowing that horse to be run in a manner which may not be in its own best interests, and then I think you cross into very dangerous territory."

"Following a successful test run last season, most of the races in this year’s QIPCO British Champions Series will record sectional timing from TurfTrax. Fractional times will be available from about two-thirds of the 35 races in the series. The plan is a joint deal between the series and four tracks, Newmarket, Ascot, Goodwood, and York."

"Plus, there is a truth less readily acknowledged about the sport: danger is central to its appeal. A hard Cheltenham is a quick Cheltenham. And an exciting one. Standing by a fence is one of the most invigorating places to be. Watching tons of pricey horse flesh thunder past in a competitive storm is a wholly visceral experience. Knowing what might happen as horses address the towering obstacle at full pelt adds to our admiration for those who dare participate. The audacity of it smacks you in the stomach, richly appealing to your most primitive instinct."

"... occasionally a champion comes along and reminds us all that racing is a magnificent endeavour. That it is, in the purest terms, a sport.... Black Caviar always looks in control. That acceleration. There's something machine-like about it. To the jockey, it must feel like revving a Porsche against a field of Kombi vans. The owners must feel as coldly assured of a win as the bean counters upstairs."

"John Ridley has overseen myriad aspects of racing in Hong Kong for the past 18 years, from maintaining the grass on the tracks to managing multimillion-dollar grandstand redevelopments. Now, the Jockey Club's racing operations director is the logistical mastermind behind what could be the biggest challenge in more than 125 years of racing in Hong Kong - extending the Jockey Club's operations to the mainland."

"News of the mighty mare's 17th consecutive win last Friday night has been broadcast by media outlets across the United Kingdom, America and Europe - giving her amazing story, and Australian racing, priceless global exposure."

Re: Kentucky and New York rejecting Kadyrov's applications for an owner's license: "'Short of the State Department drastically changing its tune on Mr. Kadyrov,' said one New York racing official who refused to be identified by name, 'it’s safe to assume he will not be racing horses in New York State.'"

"In addition, the opening of Meydan racecourse in Dubai likely has changed Godolphin’s need for United States-based dirt runners, since Meydan has a synthetic Tapeta surface."

"This year, though, the shift to the American way of doing things feels more significant than ever. British racing seems to stagger from one crisis to another, with the levy apparently in freefall and the new whip rules tying the sport up in knots. Yet here in Kentucky, as ever when the Breeders' Cup comes around, everything just seems to work." Always interesting to get a different perspective.

"In its current slot, Champions Day is deliberately set up to discourage the proper exploration of a champion's limits." (Discussion of moving event to September, other changes.)

"As time goes on we will get horses competing from abroad. British horses can still go for the Breeders Cup if they want to but the races we want are on dirt there, so why fly turf horses all the way over to America? To win at Ascot on Champions Day, value-wise, will be much more."

"There is always a bit of pressure with a horse of his caliber. You are nervous about this, that and the other. I am very happy to have him and he is a challenge. I do the best I can with him. Frankel is a very hot-blooded horse. We have cameras on him and can see what he is up to in our bedroom.... He is always biting himself. He sweats between his back legs in the paddock before a race, and with a lot of horses that is a bad sign, but it is only because he is quite hot-blooded."

Darley and Shadwell juveniles from McLaughlin's barn are running without Lasix: "With the Breeders' Cup banning the use of Lasix (also known as Salix) in the 2012 2-year-old events at the World Championships, and with the American Graded Stakes Committee announcing that it will deny graded status to any 2-year-old stakes race in which horses can run on the diuretic in 2012, the trainer made the call."

"This far-flung operation makes Ward perhaps the first realization of the global American trainer. Like the world itself, 'racing’s getting smaller,' he says. Ward became the first American to win a race at Royal Ascot, when he pulled it off with Strike the Tiger in 2009, and this, more than anything else, propelled him on this international course. At Royal Ascot last June, the Telegraph dubbed Ward 'the mad genius from America' in one of its headlines."

"If Frankel can slam one of the 'big guns' over ten furlongs next year, then there's every chance he'll achieve a rating in excess of 145, thereby earning the title of Timeform's greatest ever racehorse."

"Canford Cliffs, the big, dappled colt who ostensibly represented the biggest challenge yet to Frankel's immaculate record, looked relaxed and imposing. But Frankel just took the breath away, brawny but fluid. His physique is increasingly pugilistic ... his overall demeanour was so insouciant that it was easy to accept Cecil's theory that Frankel is outgrowing the reckless exuberance of his younger days."

"The only thing that would worry me is that he didn't come down the hill particularly well last year, but he's a more mature horse now, so I don't think it'll be a problem. It's going to be a hell of a race. If there are any weaknesses in our fellow, I haven't found them. And Frankel is rated the best in the world. But one of them has to get beat."

"After a quarter of a century, it might have been assumed that the Breeders' Cup was the finished article but this is evidence that it is still growing and developing. If so, then the sooner Ascot can shift its new Champions Day to a permanent slot in mid-September, the more chance it will stand of making it a success."

"The search for a US superstar drew another blank this weekend, making it increasingly likely that the American horse of the year award could be set to leave the continent for the first time in 2011.... There may be four months left to run, but with no suitable alternative forthcoming, Goldikova is beginning to look more and more like a horse of destiny."

"Among the 60-plus member countries of the IFHA, however, only a few South American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay race predominantly on dirt. In North America in 2010, 76% of the races were on dirt, accounting for 63% of available purse money. Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Australia, Japan, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Singapore, all with horses rated higher than any American horse on the current ratings, all race exclusively or predominantly on turf. American exceptionalism, the idea that America is qualitatively different -- in so many words, better -- than other countries, may or may not still be a viable concept in political circles. In the context of Thoroughbred racing, however, the rest of the world has clearly decided that it is an outdated belief."

"Even if we agree that American conditions are different from foreign conditions -- and they are -- in the long run it does not matter. Globalization is here in Thoroughbred racing, and it has been here for about 15 years. Our choice is either to retreat from the global village and die a long, painful death, or to embrace it and compete on even terms."

“My worries for American racing is that you’ve become isolated,” he said. “We want to see more international racing.”

"It is six and a half weeks since Frankel broke his opponents before halfway in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket with an explosion of speed that was as brutal as it was astonishing. It was the sixth race of his career, and the sixth victory. If he can produce something similar on Tuesday ... it will establish him as being as close to perfection in racing horseflesh as an imperfect world is ever likely to get."

"And whatever the outcome, she thinks the contest will encourage more women to take on this challenging role. Which unfortunately leaves the frightening prospect of a woman being the next John McCririck."

"Frankel produced one of the greatest performances seen on a British racecourse when running away with the 2,000 Guineas here, propelling his much-loved trainer, Henry Cecil, back to the top of his profession long after his career had seemed in its twilight. Incredibly, the manner of this all-the-way victory matched the wildest hopes held for the colt, whose reputation has grown ..."

"Coming through a Classic trial like Saturday’s Greenham Stakes is so much more than winning a race that takes just 84.6 seconds to run. It is about coming through six months of winter, the trials and tribulations of a colt stampeding through its teenage years, maturing into an adult and converting raw potential into the thoroughbred breeder’s Holy Grail, the perfect racehorse."

"Frankel was a best-priced 5-6 for the Guineas before Saturday's victory, but Victor Chandler, who laid a bet of £550,000 on Frankel for the Guineas earlier in the week, now offer just 4-9 about the son of Galileo extending his winning record to six at Newmarket. Bookmakers were unanimous in cutting Frankel for the first Classic of the season, although Boylesports, Stan James and Coral offer a tempting 4-6. Ladbrokes make Frankel a 7-2 chance (from 9-2) for the Investec Derby."

"Global pool betting on last Saturday's Dubai World Cup meeting reached record levels, with Hong Kong leading the way, despite the first of six races on which bets were taken, the Godolphin Mile, not going off until 9.50pm local time."

"It would be a large irony, indeed, if Magnier & Co. pulled a Kentucky Derby runner out of the UAE Derby hat in Sheikh Mohammed's backyard."

"Run since 1924 at Cheltenham, a magnificently appointed racecourse set in the foothills of the picturesque Cotswolds, the Cheltenham Gold Cup stands alone as the supreme test of jumping quality. Its multiple winners Golden Miller (five times), Cottage Rake, Arkle and Best Mate (three times each) reverberate through history. Other winners like Easter Hero, Dawn Run, Desert Orchid and The Fellow have helped confirm the Gold Cup as an event that more than lives up to the third criteria required of any truly great race: the ability to produce a great story year after year without fail."

"The windfall for Hong Kong is threatened by a rise in unauthorized Internet betting sites, which avoid paying gambling taxes or royalties to the track, enabling them to offer more attractive odds, said Engelbrecht."

"... it is just possible that the purging of a couple of soccer bores has not quite brought an end to British misogyny and I wonder if there might be other sports that should be responding to this development with a bit of introspection. Racing, for example. I dare say I'm a terrible old communist who would be buried alive by a right-thinking society, but it strikes me that there might perhaps be the odd lingering trace of prejudice against women within our little world. At the very least, there are surely some questions to answer."

"The most successful Carnival trainer, bin Suroor is seeking his 100th winner at the annual racing extravaganza, while South African De Kock, second to bin Suroor in the Carnival statistics, is on 99 UAE winners. It will be a major surprise if at least one does not bring up their century."

"I had used the long train ride to study the form in Paris-Turf, the French racing daily. Try as I might, it was impossible to find anything that might beat Miesque in the Jacques Le Marois, which would be her first try against older horses. In the paddock she looked impeccable ..."

"It seems very short-sighted. It's a classic example of one part of racing trying to get a slightly bigger slice of the cake, regardless of how big the cake actually is, or what it might mean in a wider sense."

"Although there have been no obvious signs of a reconciliation, Magnier's decision to authorise entries will lead to speculation that an olive branch has been offered to Sheikh Mohammed, whose desire to further raise the status of Dubai racing has been hampered by an absence of runners from Ballydoyle."

"The difficulty with the WTR was highlighted this year when the committee rated Frankel and Dream Ahead as co-highweight 2-year-olds at 126. Most observers were aghast at the decision, as Frankel had dispensed with Dream Ahead in Newmarket’s seven-furlong, Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, beating him by 6 3/4 lengths into fifth place. Yet both horses will go into the record books as European champion 2-year-old of 2010. This is a gross injustice to Frankel and his connections, owner Khalid Abdullah and trainer Henry Cecil. Such a thing could only happen in the behind-closed-doors realm of the WTR."

"De Kock has adapted his methods at the carnival and, recognising the need to have his runners fit first time out, gave four of his charges prep races during the domestic season. The fact that one, Mahuba, managed to win, suggests much better is to come for the trainer who will once again rely on the services of Christophe Soumillon and Kevin Shea, with Pat Cosgrave also expected to come in for some rides."

"With perfect timing, McCoy had been seconded to partner Kauto Star in the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding's bid for a fifth consecutive victory in the Grade 1 contest, the sport's second highest-profile championship steeplechase after the Cheltenham Gold Cup."

"The last terresterial-televised racing before Christmas is likely to comprise all-weather action from Lingfield and Southwell, with only Haydock still in the turf picture, though Saturday's fare in Britain could be hit further."

"Nader said prize money would be unlikely to change for the feature events next year, with the Sprint, Mile and Cup already some of the most valuable races in their turf niche, but the pursuit of high-profile horses, among them Goldikova and Gio Ponte ... was a priority."

"Despite the course running fast, leaders staggered home in very slow sectionals but still held on as if by magic -- unless, like Spectacular Award, the run-on horses came up the rail. Horses which travelled up well and switched out rounding the home turn, disappeared into quicksand, never to be seen again."

"The failure of Breeders' Cup Ltd. and the Japan Racing Association to attract more than one foreign runner to the world's two richest dirt races provides some insight as to what the world at large thinks of dirt racing. America's surface of choice appears to be out of favor in most countries.... In this day and age, the quality of a championship race is determined in no small part by the number of top class foreign entries it contains."

"I would come even if tanks surround this place,'' said Haidar Rabat. "We come here to forget reality.''

"In an apparent attempt to make the sport here more attractive to overseas gamblers, a new method could be adopted under which the number one stall is always closest to the inside rail, in line with the system used by other countries."

"Developers are building tracks in several cities. Meydan of Dubai is building the $4 billion Tianjin Horse City, with a seven-star hotel. Shanghai, whose old racetrack is now part of People's Square, is trying to resurrect colonial history with its Shanghai Race Club."

"The track provided an even surface, consistency of form and really encouraged punting."

"Santa Anita's decision to return to dirt means the only cheering from outside the States is from officials at Ascot and Longchamp. They have to compete with the Breeders' Cup to attract top-class runners for the respectively revamped Champions Day and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe meetings.... The American Thoroughbred appears to be in decline -- and while everyone in their industry fears it, they would sooner bury their heads in the dirt than do something more sensible about it."

"Efforts to recruit the best horses in the world to run in Europe and the Far East are set to intensify this week when two of the highest-profile racing bodies embark on an annual drive to entice the equine stars to race for prestige and big money in foreign countries."

"Mid October was very much Plan B, and while there are over-riding concerns over whether or not the top horses will run at Ascot in preference to going to France or America, we hope to play our part. Next year, the Breeders' Cup will be run on a conventional dirt surface and with over £1million in prize money, we hope most of the good 10-furlong horses will stay at home and run at Ascot."

"The Racing Post and RPRs were not around in 1975 when Wollow was around, but compared to the top two-year-olds who have come since then Frankel rates up with the very best. He achieved an RPR of 127+ for his Dewhurst success, which puts him in co-third on the all-time juvenile list alongside Xaar, Seattle Rhyme and Rainbow Corner - behind Arazi (134) and Celtic Swing (133). Since all of those came in the 90s, Frankel rates as the best European juvenile in the 21st century."

Mike Watchmaker: "Look, I have been a big proponent of the European shippers this year and have been since early last July when Chinchon came over from France with mediocre running lines and dominated the United Nations. I have been saying here and in other places that the Europeans will be formidable in the Breeders' Cup. I still believe that, because considering some of the European names that have been bandied about in a Breeders' Cup context, the Europeans who have been so successful here so far this year aren't even close to being as good as what we might see in Louisville. Yet even if I believe this, I also believe that after really analyzing what happened Saturday, the state of the North American sport isn't nearly as hopeless and pathetic as some would have you think."

"In royal style and running under the same colors as 2005 triple crown winner Deep Impact, Apapane eased her way to the 2010 filly triple crown with a win of the Shuka Sho on Sunday at Kyoto. She became the second 3-year-old to sweep Japan’s current trio of filly classics – the Oka Sho (Japanese 1000 Guineas), the Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks), and the Shuka Sho." Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keiblog/5088829325/

"The handsome colt will now carry a banner for all. For the punters who have backed him; for those in the industry who seek a champion with the credentials to make a stallion; for racing fans who love to see a top-class racehorse; for the marketing people who know a 'sexy' story when they see one (a horse named after a genius horseman lost to cancer, handled by another fighting the same disease); and for the public, from the mawkishly sentimental to the quietly genuine, who wish his trainer, Henry Cecil, well."

"Two Group Ones on the same afternoon was a little too much for Warren Place's tradition of hoisting the family standard when the stable have a win at the highest level. 'Jane [his wife] and I have got flu, so we were too weak to sort out the flag when we got home. And we haven't got two flagpoles, nor two flags. So, we'll have to leave it up for two weeks. But we'll have to take it down before Midday goes for the Breeders' Cup. It's unlucky otherwise,' the trainer explained."

"I have Dream Ahead rated higher at the moment but I always want to believe the hype and, through not fault of his own, Frankel couldn't earn a higher rating because of the quality of the opposition. To get 130 rating a horse has to beat some extremely useful horses and, providing they all run their race, I'm hopeful the winner will be one of those once-in-20 year horses."

"According to some in the betting world, illegal exchange betting on Hong Kong racing, through Singapore-financed sites and even some across the mainland border, has become significant. The internet platform allows a very wide reach and this phenomenon might be the first hint of the power of mainland race betting, if it is unleashed."

Re: Casela Park performance and findings that trainer, jockey held horse back. "But it is one thing to see something that you suspect may be iffy, quite another to say as much in print or online. Our country's blessed libel laws mean that were I to write anything which damaged the name and reputation of a trainer or jockey I might have to prove in court that they had intended to break the rules -- proving someone else's intent is impossibly tricky no matter how compelling the evidence (remember the Top Cees case?)."

"Sunday afternoon, 57-year old jockey Josef Vana bagged his seventh Velka Pardubicka title."

"Anyway, those alarmed by the way things are going will permit themselves a certain bleak satisfaction should the Dewhurst live up to its billing, because it couldn't happen another time. It may yet be, of course, that some apparent no-hoper barges through and beats them all. And that, if we're not careful, is just the kind of disobliging behaviour that might some day drive these marketing cadets away from thoroughbreds -- and then where would we find the dimensionless froth to tempt all these lovely young ABC1s?"

"Europeans would have loved to return every year to Santa Anita, with a synthetic surface, given our fantastic record over the last couple of years. It is always wonderful for horsemen to go to a warm climate and our horses seem to thrive out there as well. It is disappointing, from a European perspective, to be returning to a dirt surface but we still love Santa Anita and I’m sure we’ll be keen to return there in future years. Remember what a fantastic record we have on their turf course as well!"

"Officials at the Japan Racing Association are hoping that the attraction of a huge financial reward for finishing in the first three in the Mile Championship on November 21, balanced against a significant supplementary cost to enter the Breeders' Cup Mile, will sway Canford Cliffs's owners, who include BHA chairman Paul Roy's wife Susan."

"After all, Workforce has had only four races this season, and five in total. Rested after that mystifying failure at Ascot in July, the Derby winner had been brought expertly back to the boil for the Arc by Sir Michael Stoute and it would seem perverse to board up the storefront after a fresh delivery of stock. Louisville in November, moreover, does not menace a European thoroughbred with the sort of abrupt change in climate experienced at Santa Anita over the past two years. And no rival, either side of the Atlantic, volunteers himself as particularly competent to thwart Workforce should he show up in the same form as at Longchamp. Pending a decision on his participation, bookmakers are already quoting him between 2-1 and 5-2."

"It was impossible not to be impressed with the style of Frankel's win at Ascot on Saturday when landing the Royal Lodge by ten lengths. Whilst it is true that none of his opponents were likely to test a champion, the manner of his run and the huge winning margin has landed him an official rating of 123. This is easily the best Royal Lodge performance of the last 20 years and puts him well ahead of horses like Benny The Dip (113) and Mister Baileys (115), who won the race before success in the Derby and the 2,000 Guineas respectively the next year. Eltish at 118 is the next highest winner for this race and he went on to finish second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile in 1994."

"A growing importance of horse racing in other parts of the world as opposed to the growth of the sport here is what most likely will constitute 'The New Normal.' But the Breeders’ Cup remains clearly the standard which all nations emulate."

"It will be staged at Ascot on 15 Oct 2011, with a six-race card that officials hope can be built into an extravaganza to rival the Breeders' Cup and Arc day." It's about "branding," of course. Also includes British Champion Series, a familiar sounding faux scheme for "newcomers."

"One thing to be aware of when you see the horses who competed in Sunday's races at Longchamp the next time they race is the ground was much firmer than the 'soft' condition that is was officially listed as."

"Though so far received as little more than a bureaucratic footnote, there is a case for wondering whether the latest such initiative will prove one of the most significant in the history of the international sport. For with a single stroke, the Breeders' Cup has dismantled the barriers that have historically confined European participation to a minority blessed by unusual luck or resources."

This kid is going to be a star at Churchill Downs. "With good looks, youth and talent on his side, Buick's rise has gathered momentum. Twelve months ago he landed a valuable but relatively insignificant sales race at Doncaster. Now he has five Group Ones and the prospect of two tasty mounts on the massive Breeders' Cup stage in November with Arctic Cosmos (Turf) and Debussy (Classic)."

"Buick may never match Dettori for theatrics – few jockeys ever could. But at a time when there are plenty of sportsmen on the front pages for the wrong reasons, Buick is accomplished, dedicated and articulate. The first Classic is often the most difficult to win, and this, surely, will be the first of many." More: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/racing/cool-buick-lands-leger-on-a-horse-nobody-wanted-2077062.html

"In an attempt to create a single climax to the British flat-racing season, Racing for Change has drawn up a blueprint for a season finale, which would be branded as a European Championship and could be staged at Ascot, one of the U.K.'s biggest and most prestigious racetracks, in October."

"For the second successive Saturday, women trainers saddled the winners of the day's two biggest horse races. This weekend it was Venetia Williams and Henrietta Knight, the week before it was Williams and Sue Smith who snaffled the major prizes on a day when Mary Reveley sent out her 1,000th winner. Such success invites little comment these days; after all, women trainers have won races as diverse as the Grand National and French Derby, with many a canny handicap success in between. However, the extraordinary fact is that just 33 years ago there were no women trainers. Back in 1966, when Jenny Pitman was a harassed housewife raising two sons, women were not permitted to hold licences to train racehorses." (The Independent, 1999)

Interesting reading. Proposes 30 days of international racing in US, a multi-jurisdictional racing association, compliance with IFHA rules.

"Quite why the Emir was so generous is unclear, but some say that as the ruler of a small state surrounded by big and powerful neighbours, he was an admirer of the plucky Falklanders and their refusal to be cowed by Argentina."

"Here, as all of racing knows, is the distillation of everything breeders and owners and trainers have searched for over centuries."

"For while their achievements together have lent an air of immutability to the partnership between O'Brien and his patrons at Coolmore Stud, the man himself shares no such illusions. Sooner or later, he candidly expects the emperors -- John Magnier, and his partners at Coolmore -- to end up with a new general. Already there are intimations of a long-term shift."

Nerd nirvana: "His voice echoed throughout the chamber growing louder until -- I kid you not -- he was yelling, 'So Say We All,' and the crowd answered right back. Hell, even I yelled it, I was in the fraking United Nations with Adama, the gods themselves could not have stopped this moment."