Been told that if the directors know that the races will not be held or that the full amount is not paid, it will be fraud. But this does not allay my concerns. All CTS has to do is give buyers comfort. By not doing so we can draw our own inference which will not be a positive one.
There will be a lot of anticipation and expectation in the air for the CTS Cape Premier Yearling sale as the Hong Kong Jockey Club will be attending…
Hopes are high that the Hong Kong Jockey Club will be buying in significant numbers at this weekend’s big CTS Cape Premier Yearling sale.
It is believed that this is a consequence of Hong Kong’s fallout with Australia and that it will result in Hong Kong becoming major buyers in the South African market. Even more importantly, it could lead to an end of the African Horse Sickness restrictions that have isolated this country’s racing and bloodstock industries from the rest of the world.
CTS boss Wehann Smith was unwilling to join in the speculation yesterday but he did say: “We are fully aware of what is going on between the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Australian authorities, and the fact that they have decided to boycott the Magic Millions sale.
“I can confirm that the Hong Kong Jockey Club are here and that it is the first time that they are attending our sale. We are obviously extremely excited given our efforts at internationalising the sale.
“However it would be presumptuous to say that they are going to be buying horses. We are, though, extremely hopeful and we are looking forward to the sale.”
The Australian government suspended the movement of horses from Hong Kong to Australia just over three months ago. As a result Hong Kong horses can no longer be sent to Australia to race (unless they serve 180 days quarantine in New Zealand) and nor can Australian horses run in Hong Kong’s big international races.
Hong Kong is the main international player in the drive to bring South African horses back onto the international scene – at present they have to quarantine in Mauritius for three months – and last year the HKJC’s CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “We have a major ambition to open up South Africa to be part of a wider international scene and one of our clear targets is that within the next two years we are able to find quarantine solutions with them.”
By Michael Clower
The following user(s) said Thank You: eramutsamaya
The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) has expressed its disappointment at the decision by the Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) to disrupt the movement of horses between the two jurisdictions.
The DAWR has informed the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) that it intends to suspend horse movements to Australia from 2 October 2017 pending a review of the biosecurity controls related to the Equine Disease Free Zone (EDFZ) between Hong Kong and Conghua in the Chinese Mainland. The HKJC is scheduled to open the Conghua Training Centre (CTC) in the third quarter of 2018.
Implications of this suspension include:
Horses cannot be transported directly from Hong Kong to Australia for participation in racing events or for retirement purposes.
Australian horses will not be permitted to travel to compete in Hong Kong’s international races.
Hong Kong horses transported to Australia via New Zealand will require 180 days residency in New Zealand.
Horse movements to and from Hong Kong in relation to other countries are unaffected by this DAWR decision. Horses from every jurisdiction other than Australia will still be able to travel and compete in Hong Kong on exactly the same conditions as have previously existed. Horses purchased in Australia for permanent export to Hong Kong are also not affected by the DAWR decision.
“This is a highly prejudicial action and it is at odds with the substantial economic relationship between the racing, breeding and wagering sectors of Australia and Hong Kong, which has existed for many years,” said the HKJC’s Mr. Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing Authority.
“DAWR’s review of the EDFZ must be carried out swiftly so that regular horse movements from Hong Kong to Australia can be resumed in a timely manner and we are in discussions both directly with DAWR and through the Australian Consulate-General to ensure that this occurs. Furthermore, the Club’s stable operations team will work with Owners to find alternative retirement locations during this period.”
The Australian Government’s DAWR was formally notified in March 2016 of trial horse movements utilising the EDFZ. In total 19 horses have been moved over an 18 month period: four small scale horse movements of two geldings in any one shipment have been conducted since February 2016 (February 2016, February 2017, April 2017, June 2017), one movement of four geldings in July 2017, and one movement of seven geldings in August 2017. The movements were planned and conducted with the supervision of the AFCD, Chinese Mainland veterinary authorities (Guangdong CIQ and the Ministry of Agriculture) and the Customs and Immigration authorities of both jurisdictions.
On each occasion the horses were transported in government authority-sealed, GPS-monitored vehicles and were stabled in high security stables within CTC during the entire period, all under the supervision of government veterinary officials and the HKJC. As the entire Conghua administrative district covering an area of 2,009 square kilometres is considered both ‘disease-free’ and ‘local-horse free’, including a 5km radius core area of the EDFZ surrounding CTC, there was no possibility the horses transported to CTC could come in contact with or be in the vicinity of local Chinese Mainland-resident horses. This freedom from disease and total exclusion of other horses is enforced by the Chinese Mainland’s Ministry of Agriculture.
“Given that the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer did not express any concerns 18 months ago when he was officially informed about the first trial,” Mr. Harding added, “it is impossible to see how DAWR can now say that these trials are the basis for imposing an immediate ban on direct imports from Hong Kong to Australia. The truth is that the Club’s biosecurity controls are world’s best and the fact that each of the trials conducted since 2016 have been incident-free evidences this.”
The HKJC’s expertise in maintaining the high health status of the Hong Kong racehorse population has been amply demonstrated over many years. In addition to the routine importation of over 400 horses per year, the Club conducts a number of international races which attract runners from across the world. In respect of the Hong Kong International Races alone, the Club manages the temporary import/export of approximately 30 of the best thoroughbred horses in the world. The Club has also successfully managed the conduct of equestrian competitions such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (in Hong Kong) and the 2010 Asian Games (at Conghua), major equestrian competitions which involved the importation and subsequent exportation of over 250 and 95 international horses, respectively.
The EDFZ is a World Animal Health Organization (OIE) management system that ensures all horses resident within the zone are of a proven high health status for international movement purposes. Strict government controls are applied to the movement of horses in and out of the zone and also to disease surveillance and reporting systems. The EDFZ was established by Chinese Mainland veterinary authorities (MOA – Ministry of Agriculture and AQSIQ – General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine) to allow the international movement of horses for competition in the 2010 Asian Games.
A World Animal Health Organization (OIE) expert mission visited the site in 2008, to provide expert advice on the establishment of the zone. Former Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Gardner Murray was the Special Advisor to the OIE on the establishment of the EDFZ.
The 2010 Asian Games equestrian events were successfully completed in November 2010 with 95 horses from 16 countries participating. No disease outbreaks or transmissions of disease occurred and all horses returned to their home countries without incident.
The EDFZ has been recognized by the European Union Commission since 2010 by publication of the Commission Decision of 30th April 2010 amending Decisions 92/260/EEC, 93/195/EEC, 93/197/EEC and 2004/211/EC.
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If the Hong Kong delegation choose to put up their hands for lots at this sale (with the specific intention of shipping them to HK ) will they really be subject to the distasteful CTS 'condition' of extorting a spurious additional R 17,000 + VAT per lot subscription levy to the 'CTS Millions' races; which they surely have no intention of ever competing in?
And how would us local mugs know if they were quietly excused from making this payment?
For me nothing illustrates the management style of the operator and its CTS stepchild better than this levy. In the weeks leading up to these races you can take short odds that they will be slapping themselves on the back for staging these cash rich races whilst conveniently forgetting to mention that much, if not possibly all, of the funding is provided from this levy.
Far from making this sale more inclusive it simply makes smaller buyers less likely to buy. Why would I, for example, want to pay an additional 17% on a R100k horse that I have no intention of 'forcing' as a two-year-old.
And why, as I have questioned before, is this levy not, at the very least, calculated as a % of the purchase price up to a maximum of R17,000. Instead we have this bizarre situation where the small buyer subsidises the bigger buyer!
Once again they just screw the smaller owner/buyer. And also, for that matter, a portion of the juvenile horse population whose immature physiques are put under career threatening pressure to 'get ready' for these pay days. The more I see of this industry the more I am persuaded that it barely deserves to survive. It's just one almighty meat grinder which chews up and spits out horses, punters & owners in pursuit of the bottom line.
But, hey, no matter. There's always the National Yearling Sale to fall back on; where insider trading is nowhere near as rife as for this sale & the majority of yearlings are more likely to be accessible at prices approaching their real world value.
Aussie govt value the bio resources more than the economic benefit of yearling sales. HKJC is shifting to SA as their buying zone so its an opportunity for SA breeders etc i think. 90 perc of horses in training in HK are Aussie bred.
John Magnier's Coolmore will be attending, and so too agents for:
China Horse Club; and
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
John Gosden is already in town, and so too, may be, Barry Irwin.
Mac wrote: John Magnier's Coolmore will be attending, and so too agents for:
China Horse Club; and
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
John Gosden is already in town, and so too, may be, Barry Irwin.
......no bids from the Coolmore crowd other than partner D Nagel....Angus Gould....zip....China Horse club yes again.....and John Gosden.....maybe through an agent.....Barry Irwin yes.... :whistle:
Mac wrote: John Magnier's Coolmore will be attending, and so too agents for:
China Horse Club; and
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid al Maktoum.
John Gosden is already in town, and so too, may be, Barry Irwin.
......no bids from the Coolmore crowd other than partner D Nagel....Angus Gould....zip....China Horse club yes again.....and John Gosden.....maybe through an agent.....Barry Irwin yes.... :whistle:
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