Shuttle Service Worries 1995

Shuttle Service Worries 1995

Source: Harley Walden Archive

Featured Image: Collage of Australian Stud Books

See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Stud_Book

Hypotheticals after 25 years:

  1. What is the situation today? How do we compare?
  2. Have we improved the breed?

1995

Concerned Breeders have raised a petition to the Keeper of the Australian Stud Book calling for a restriction on the number of mares a stallion may cover in a southern hemisphere breeding season.

Breeders who sign the petition will ask the ASB Keeper, Dr John Digby, not to register the progeny of any stallion covering more than 85 mares in one Australian season.

The originator/s of the petition have not, at this point, publicly identified themselves, or the particular targets for the restrictions which are sought to come into effect from January 1, 1996.

Dr Digby is on leave, but is due to return to his Randwick office today.

But the ASB Keeper would be aware of the groundswell of concern involving prodigious stallion covers, and particularly dual hemisphere stallions serving upwards of 90 mares in both hemispheres.

He has assessed an early reaction from a good cross-section of the industry’s stud-masters, including a number of papers he has prepared on shuttle stallions and their perceived excessive annual coverings.

Dr Digby has also sounded the industry out on paper seeking debate on the continuing necessity of the ban on artificial insemination (AI), given the mushrooming shuttle stallion operation.

In a July (1995) discussion paper, Dr Digby noted: “It is ominous that the large scale use of dual hemisphere stallions is likely to produce exactly the result which we tried very hard to avoid by banning AI”.

He may not have on his desk today signed petitions from breeders supporting the 85-plus cover restriction during the three-month Australian breeding season.

Signatories to the petition notified the Keeper of “our concern with the unfettered use of stallions” in any one calendar year.

And “until, or unless, the scientific world is able to provide you and the Australian Thoroughbred industry with confirmation that (this practice) cannot have any detrimental effect of the genetic integrity of the Australian thoroughbred population” the 85-cover restriction should be enforced.

The restriction, the petition form goes on, should remain in force until a suitably qualified scientist appointed by the Keeper certifies that there can be no detrimental effect on the breed.

The Digby papers list some of the busier stallions in the northern hemisphere regions and in Australia for the 1995 calendar year, with the shuttles noted by an asterisk:

North America 1995

Temperance Hill               137

Cure the Blues                  135

Woodman                           129

Phone Trick                        128

West By West                    119

Texas City                            118

*Dehere                              111

Septieme Ciel                    105

Louisiana Slew                   102

Olympio                               102

Williamstown                     101

 

Japan 1995

Sunday Silence                  142

Jade Robbery                    142

Toyn Bin                               138

Hector Protector              138

Smackover Creek             129

Soccer Boy                          118

Fuji Kiseki                            118

Groom Dancer                  116

Golden Pheasant             115

Afleet                                   114

Erbos                                     110

Scan                                       108

*Last Tycoon                      107

Sakura Bakushio               106

Real Shadai                         105

White Muzzle                    101

 

Great Britain-Ireland 1995

*College Chapel                               144

*Perugino                           128

*Royal Academy              118

*Fairy King                          110

*Grand Lodge                   106

Sadler’s Wells                    104

*Bluebird                            103

*Danehill                             101

Caerleon                              101

 

Australia 1995

*Danehill                             122

Zoffany                                                118

Celestial Dancer                                116

Yeats                                     113

Sports Works                     107

*Archway                            106

Canadian Silver                 103

Scenic                                   101

Industry management will have to come to grips with the concerns of the petitioners, but economic factors will determine any future growth of the shuttle brigade – given that Australian-based horses are now reversing the one-time, one way traffic.

Among them is Segenhoe Stud’s Palace Music, back from a tour of duty in Japan, and only days away from what could be the biggest weekend of his career. (A 1990 foal, beginning in 1994 Cigar won sixteen consecutive races, tying the record set by Citation in 1949. His wins included the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Dubai World Cup. The two-time American Horse of the Year retired the richest horse in the history of world Thoroughbred racing with earnings of US$9,999,815).