2yo Fillies in NSW. The saga continues.

[broncobrad]

Is the grass a little greener over the border Triple. HRV just released a little self promo for racing fillys and mares in Victoria that on face value looks the ants pants for the more classier ones. Don't know how the 'run of the mill' girls rate down that way prizemoney wise or for that matter if they have the same problem as NSW, throwing the girls in with the boys to make up the fields.

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=97601

[Bonnie]

Is the grass a little greener over the border Triple. HRV just released a little self promo for racing fillys and mares in Victoria that on face value looks the ants pants for the more classier ones. Don't know how the 'run of the mill' girls rate down that way prizemoney wise or for that matter if they have the same problem as NSW, throwing the girls in with the boys to make up the fields.

http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=97601

Don't always believe what you read ! It is not greener; perhaps even browner. As an owner/breeder whose racing team comprises 90% fillies/mares IMO the racing opportunities for the fairer sex in Victoria are extremely limited. There are very few country races for fillies and mares only , most have to race against the boys week in and week out. It especially impacts on mares assessed at the C5+ level; there are no mares only country races for them and the option is Country or Metro racing where you compete against the boys or open class mares such as Make Mine Cullen, Broadways Best, Pacific Playgirl etc. There is not even a mares M0 race once a week ( more likely once a month if you are lucky. )
As for the CEO's comment re Musical Delight's 2 year old success that was an APG Final and is a rotational race currently held between NSW, Vic and Qld . It is funded by APG, breeders and owners not HRV. Like Jaimie I am a passionate advocate for increased opportunities for fillies and mares but it's not happening in Victoria.

[Triple V]

G'day Anne,

Increased opportunities would indeed be great....as in opportunities being increased to something that is even remotely approaching a situation where the fillies & mares are on par with their male counterparts.
Here in NSW I have been keeping track of the 2yo Fillies Only events (as always excluding Sales Races, Futurities, Classics & Group events) and since the last week of Feb. and for the Fillies Only...the figures are currently running at a paltry 16% of all 2yo races programmed...or to look at it another way, 84% of the time 2yo Fillies are forced to race their male counterparts and what is worse still they more often than not have to do so in races that are conducted under RBD conditions. During certain parts of the season the fillies only races threaten to drop down into single digits, which is absolutely bloody disgraceful. There's no green grass anywhere, apparently.

[broncobrad]

Thanks Anne and Jaimie, your figures are a lot more plausible than the rubbery ones touted by the HRV boss. It must have galled Mr Anderson no end, to see along side his own media release promoting the fillies and mares opportunities on the harnesslink site, a story about Victorian trainer Shayne Cramp being lured to Menangle to chase the better prizemoney now being offered. The media can be such a double sided sword.