Quote Originally Posted by mango View Post
Hi Greg

I agree with raising the import fee but to $5k for a colt is absurd, maybe they should of lifted it from $500 to $2k at most but thats just my opinion and fillies and mare's should be kepted at there same fee as the majority of them become future broodmare's in our country. I don't think this will change people's idea's on keeping horses and breeding 1 more mare per year as we can see now the decline of breeding has already started and people prefer to buy a yearling or a going horse which takes a lot of risks out from rearing a foal and so on. You can buy decent yearling's these day's for not much more than the service fee sometime's. Some people don't want horses sitting in a paddock for 12 months whilst still outlaying money on agistment, worming, hoof trimming and getting there teeth done they mostly listen to there trainers and if he say's the horse ain't know good or might win 1 at most whats the use of spelling paying agistment and then 12wks pay to the trainer to get that horse to the track to win 1 race you will be running at a loss.
Grandad kept a horse once till he was a 3 yo before he was sold as he needed time the horse went on to win an Inter had he been sold as a yearling he would have lost his head long before his 3rd birthday
and i think a lot of the time extra time will pay off for a lot of horses i agree with you if the trainer thinks the horse will only win 1 race though you get rid of it with the import fee being 5k for colt's it is good it may help the breeder get that bit extra for a yearling instead of only not much more than the service fee