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A couple of points regarding the facts.
Taufan’s Melody failing to be taken down for the Caulfield Cup was an even more egregious case than Dylan Thomas in the Arc,where the stewards lost their nerve.
To house international competitors at Sandown,a fully functioning racetrack but otherwise lacking a horse population,is more akin to being " quarantined" at a private training facility.
Bart has forgotten more than knows and makes a ham fist of the arguement about limiting foreign participation,but he does point to the kernel of the problem.The limited number of opportunities available to australian horses in terms of prizemoney,distance and suitable going place them at a severe disadvantage in meeting the minimum qualifying standard.Viewed,last years winner underlines this point,reliant as he was on backform on winter tracks,stepping up in trip,showing nothing in the lead ups going left handed.It was only Bart’s pro forma regime of pointing any group winner at the race,the fact that he performed well on a firm surfacea and was right on the day that the result was as it was.
The race is more akin to a cross between a limited handicap, with a a top and bottom weight,and a wfa race with handicaps and penalties.To dismiss it as a handicap falls short of the mark.Yeats despite an outstanding performance,given the poor tactical ride he got ,emphasized the current folly to suggest that he could be competitive at 1m4f nowadays,when he took part in the cup.A more interesting take on the decision.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/ … 21,00.html
Had a more rustic character(e.g Joe Janiak) finished close to the winner and agitated for an enquiry on the grounds of Baeur competing with an advantage expressly forbidden under the rules,RVL were dead to rights.Cumani need not be thankful for Lloyd Williams,having simply followed official advice,but they might consider a trainer’s licence application from their "saviour" more favourably at some future date.
The fact that the result of a stewards enquiry was handled by the RVL chief executive hardly indicates a seperation between them and the board.The former’s role is to police racing and the latter’s is to optmize economic performance(as taken from their website).
In light of their own complicity in the transgression of the rules,does the decision look correct or merely expedient?
A little more background with an enquiry decision imminent.
This chapter cites Luca Cumani’s take on events.
Bearing in mind that veterinary services are paid for by Racin Victoria Ltd. who subsequently bill the respective horses connections, this makes interesting reading.
Further, with the paragraph headlined when not to use being the most pertinent.
SHOCKWAVE THERAPY FOR THE HORSE
by Dr. Laura HarrisShockwave therapy is a relatively new treatment option for horses. Because of its recent
emergence in equine veterinary medicine there is a lot of confusing information available
in popular magazines and on-line. How does it work? When should we use it on the
horse? When shouldn’t we use it? Is it covered by the majority of equine insurance
companies?
HOW DOES IT WORK? – THE TECHNICAL (CONFUSING) PART:
Shockwave therapy in equine medicine is not the application of electrical current or
pulses. It is the application of electrically generated acoustic (sound) waves to body
tissues. It is similar to ultrasound because shockwave equipment sends a wave-like pulse
into the tissue from a position outside the body. The energy of the acoustic (sound) wave
produced by shockwave equipment is approximately 100 times higher than the energy of
the acoustic (sound) wave produced by diagnostic ultrasound units used in equine
veterinary medicine. While the acoustic (sound) wave produced by diagnostic ultrasound
equipment does not distort body tissue as it enters, travels through, and then rebounds
back out of the body tissues to be picked up by the ultrasound probe; the higher energy
acoustic (sound) wave produced by equine shockwave equipment does distort the denser
body tissues upon initial contact and again at rebound. The "shockwave" wave or pulse
compresses denser body tissues such as ligaments, tendons, and bone on its initial
journey into the body and then as the "shockwave" wave or pulse recedes these denser
body tissues rebound and expand at the cellular level. So, while ultrasound waves
rebound without tissue distortion and provide the viewer with a computer generated
visual image of body tissues, "shockwave" waves do distort the denser body tissues and
thereby essentially "massage" the denser body tissues at the cellular level.
This micro-manipulation of the denser body tissues such as ligaments, tendons and bone
by the shockwave acoustic (sound) wave stimulates neovascularization (growth of new
blood vessels in tissue) and the production of fibroblasts and osteons (cells that heal
tendon, ligament and bone). The cellular "deep tissue massage" produced by shockwave
therapy also appears to provide some degree of analgesia (pain control), improve healing
rates in skin wounds, and produce improvement in infected injury sites.
WHEN SHOULD WE USE SHOCKWAVE THERAPY? :
The list of equine injuries that can be treated using shockwave therapy is extensive.
Injuries in the equine lower leg including suspensory ligament damage, bowed tendons,
bucked shins, osslets, "splints", splint bone fractures, navicular syndrome, ringbone, and
various arthritic conditions of the knee and hock respond well to shockwave therapy.
Muscle strains and soreness (primarily muscles of the shoulder area, back and hip)
whether from athletic injury or poorly fitted tack respond well to shockwave therapy.
Shockwave therapy compliments other treatment methods including massage, physical
therapy, acupuncture, aquatherapy, swimming and surgery. It can improve circulation to
damaged tissue, making medications more available to the site of injury. Additionally,
shockwave treatment can be used to shorten convalescent time after surgery.
Because the use of shockwave equipment in equine medicine is developing rapidly
additional applications will emerge over time. And, contraindications for the use of
shockwave therapy will also become evident.
WHEN SHOULDN’T WE USE SHOCKWAVE THERAPY?
Care must be taken to avoid directing the shockwave probe toward large, thick-walled
vessels, air-filled structures like the brain and the lungs, large peripheral nerves and the
brain. Damage can results due to the manner in which the acoustic waves of shockwave
therapy impact these specific tissues and the tissues the border them.
Additionally, due to the localized reduction of pain perception that can follow shockwave
therapy, it is important not to over work the horse and re-injure the treated area. Horses
should not return to full work for as much as three to four days post-treatment. This pain
reduction phenomenon is significant enough that the FEI and the various racing
commissions have established waiting periods between shockwave therapy sessions and
return to competition.
FINANCES – THE BOTTOM LINE
Shockwave equipment is relatively expensive and the probes that produce the acoustic
waves have a finite lifespan before replacement. Most sites require between 500 and
1000 pulses (waves) per treatment session and between two and three sessions at ten to
twenty-one day intervals. Based on an average billing structure nationwide, most
veterinarians charge about 0.30 to 0.40 per pulse or $300 to $400 per thousand pulse
session. Some horses require tranquilization.
The VersaTron system manufactured by Saunawave ( http://www.saunawave.com ) is currently
the only electro-hydraulic shockwave equipment designed specifically for use in the
equine industry. It is the equipment currently in use at the majority of university level
research facilities. Consequently, treatment with VersaTron equipment is the most likely
method to be subsidized by the major equine surgical medical insurance providers.
IN CONCLUSION
Shockwave therapy is an exciting, emerging treatment modality in the equine industry.
When utilized to enhance healing in the horse it is an effective, low risk, non-invasive
treatment option alone or in conjunction with other treatment methods.Further to the original item.
The following is from Nov 5.
“Luca knows the horse inside out, he knows his foibles and problems with the horse at any age,” said Terry Henderson, who manages the OTI syndicate which owns 50% of Bauer.
I assume they,ve blistered or pinfired the horse as nerve blocking or cauterizing is a phenomena unique to the Americas.
Roger Stein stated,on his backstretch radio program,that Frankel knocked back 8 and settled at 12 million.
I’ll try and make the case which comes across as pure xenophobia from Cummings.The conditions of the race require that your qualifying form takes place in the proceeding twelve months.Given the derth of opportunities that count for both prizemoney and distance requirements this in essence means a horse needs to perform in two preparations within a calendar year.This years winner has been on the go for more than twelve months with a let up in the depths of midwinter after qualifying over 2 miles in the Brisbane Cup on a rain affected surface.The let up could at most have been 4 weeks.Contrast that with the multiple big pots in Europe,both handicap,listed and group that meet distance and stake won requirements.You also have the luxury of laying a horse out at the start of European campaign,progressing forward to the ultimate goal all in one preparation.It would appear that the last two winners belie the notion that the winner is a horse with current form,but the staying program is such a dog’s breakfast in Australia that many horses needing a run do so in races with unsuitable conditins.So if you were Cummings and getting a start is as hard as the race itself you too may feel frustrated.
What do you do in Murtagh’s position when they have provided you with two pacemakers and a plan?He may well have thought,along with us that they had made a pig’s ear of it,but do you disregard them and incur the wrath of Aidan? Do you remember the last time JM went rogue,with Dylan Thomas in the Derby when O’brien had a proper sulk and sent him to purgatory for getting beaten a lip?
As for the comment about Australian jockeys,what would be lost employing Brown,Oliver,Rodd,Beadman providing you were lucky enough to get them?Stephen Baster did a very capable job on Mahler last year I might point out.
