You refer to Badger's Wood, voted Australia's Most Popular Racehorse in 2002 ahead of Northerly, Lonhro and Ethereal. 

You would reckon they would have learned from that mistake but here they are throwing $5million at the concept.

Australian racing is idiotic.  I don't like it anymore.

Badger's Wood would have crushed any of those three in a match race. 


All they needed to do was attach Acme rocket rollerskates to his hooves.


I've seen this done before. 

Assuming Racing Victoria don't  want this race to be treated as a joke, it is surely time for them to start acting proactively.

Tonight at Moonee Valley and tomorrow at Caulfield they must have people at the track actively advocating all patrons, who haven't voted for a horse, to vote for their choice. 

I think this weekend will be the last chance to influence the voting public so that they really do have the best field for the race. Of the class horses only Land Of Plenty has managed to work his way into the top after being out of it after the first couple of hours of voting. 

Whoever thought up the idea to pay $90 000 for places 6th through to 14th should be thinking about doing what  David Cameron did after the Brexit vote - fall on his or her sword. No wonder horses like Foundry and Man Of His Word  are maintaining their position in the top 10. I see where the owner of Man Of His Word is giving out free cheeseburgers for their vote for his horse. $90 000 (less jockey and trainer percentage) is a hell of a lot of burgers.

Unfortunately for all the Kiwi expats  Te Akau Shark came out of the field today.

Having just read the Terms and Conditions of this race, I am thinking that Man Of His Word should be disqualified from the All Star Mile.

Condition No. 53 states a horse can be disqualified If a horse is subject to improper misconduct which leads to the  interfering or jeopardizing the fair and proper conduct of the competition.

Surely Bribery( in this case the cheeseburger) in any voting situation would constitute improper misconduct. 

The prizemoney goes to last place and it is $90k.

https://www.racingvictoria.com.au/news/2018-12-11/nominations-now-open-for-the-all-star-mile

Thus for some in the race regardless if they come near the bottom it is $90k.

That is more than they will win for a normal Saturday metro race. Easiest $90k some of them will ever get from horse ownership.

Freedom of information -- can we see the RVL file on the decision to stage this race?

The punting public, and the wider community, are surely entitled to be told who proposed what about this fiasco -- as well as the names of the RVL committee members that agreed to do so.

This is plainly an error of judgment that should ensure the Victorian government intervenes to run to ground those responsible and counsel them about external career development opportunities.

.......... and the Victorian government should ensure that the proposed 'race to the bottom' is abandoned if RV is otherwise unable to intervene to prevent a mockery being made of its responsibilities.

Don't be smart

The idea of having qualifying conditions on the horses eligible to contest the race is beyond the current intellect in the RVL stable.

Traditionally, racing in Melbourne was the best and fairest in the world -- now it is vying with SA and QLD for the wooden spoon.

Sacred traditions protecting the quality of the racing in Melbourne have been discarded -- replaced by a dedication to inflate fields with runners content with running 10th -- such dereliction delivering the predictable rough-results that defraud the punters and fill the pockets of fixed-odds operators.

............ talk about a sad state of affairs

The latest All Star Mile votes below.

I personally think the connections of a few of them will be very happy as there is $90k minimum awaiting them if their horses get a start.

The ex Weir runners also has the new trainers listed too in the profiles.

If Amphrite and Extra Brut slip down the ratings, it is going to be a midweek race with a few G1 winners thrown in.

No 11 Ringerdingding is around 2050 votes and around 150 votes behind no 10 Material Man.

14 days left for voting.

Mair, when will you be answering the questions that forum members have put to you

................. there are no indiscreet questions ........ only indiscreet answers

............  in Victoria, a racing royal commission beckons -- strike two

Many questions behind greatest scandal in local racing history

 If ever a royal commission was warranted, it is into the racing industry.

Dyson Hore-Lacy SC is a Melbourne barrister, former Fitzroy Football Club president and the brother of trainer Rick Hore-Lacy.[/i]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/many-questions-behind-greatest-scandal-in-local-racing-history-20190205-p50vwl.html

This seems more and more like the Logies.


Who's TV Week supporting?

Note my comments on another thread that RVL seems to be heavy with marketing people and lawyers and light on people who know about horses.

This is why you get debacles like the time it took to deal with O'Brien, Moody, etc. and the new farce, the All Star Mile voting. Obviously run by marketers who have NFI and stables taking advantage of that.

FWIW I voted for Hartnell but it looks like he has no chance of making the field unless RVL includes him. He is arguably the highest rating miler in the country behind you know who.

The marketing people are bombarding me with follow up emails, including asking me to "share" my vote. As if I'm going to let all my family and friends and professional colleagues know that I voted for Hartnell - 95% of them wouldn't have a clue what it would be about.

This is obviously being run by young marketing people.

Why don't some of the older racing people (if there are any still left at RVL) step in and take charge and end this farce.

Who the f@#$% is Balf's Choice