BREEDERS GUIDE TO THE 2016 APG – NOMINATE OR NOT?
With nominations closing this Friday 31st July for the 2016 Australian Pacing Gold Sales over the three Eastern capitals many breeders are considering their options and preparing to make a late decision. A task made easier by the APG now making it possible for vendors to nominate online:
http://www.apgold.com.au/apgold/index.cfm/yearling-sales/online-entry/
It is fair to say the APG has experienced its share of stormy weather. Some have said brought on largely by itself. Perhaps not so fairly. The vessel has however needed a few in transit repairs before embarking on the next stage of the journey. The crew,having found it difficult to make inroads in states further West,found themselves in a brawl with their Northern Alliance partner, QLD. Forced to sign a peace treaty to make it ashore, they also deemed it necessary to throw half the cargo overboard (the 3yo Series). In fairness to the APG they have pointed out a number of valid reasons to Trot Check. Critics point out a number of points as to what could have been done better. Granted it’s always easy to criticise from the armchair. A discussion of these issues may warrant a 2nd part to this story and the APG is always welcome to share its side of any story on Trot Check.
After the treaty with QLD, and the lightening of its cargo, the vessel appeared seaworthy again & ready to sail on into fair weather. The Southern crew then found themselves confronted by rumblingswithin their own stronghold. Struggling to find successful solutions some tough decisions were required. It’s never easy to make everybody happy. The noses of many of those that didn’t make the cut were always going to be out of joint when pushed down the pecking order from Premium to Melbourne to Melbourne Autumn Sales. A luxury never experienced by its two Northern Allies. The APG fell victim to VIC’s success, but a glaringly obvious class system was never going to make for a smooth trip.Casting the less profitable Melbourne Autumn Sales adrift, after having merged back the Premium & Melbourne Sales, the South, forced by economic rationalisation, now sees itself back on par with its two Northern Allies with just the one Sale. But now one step freerfrom pecking order politics. The South now back where it began can refocus on its vision of making its product the jewel in the APG crown.
The fun this time around will be watching how the big players in VIC react if they don’t make the cut for the Melbourne Sales. The reaction of some when demoted to the Melbourne Autumn Sales, rumour has it, was less than gracious, and didn’t improve with the news of its demise. Imagine their reaction if asked to shuffle off to new alliance partner, Shepparton, where vendors still have nightmares of the last Sale held there in 2012 which also signalled its demise. Only 56 pacing lots went under the hammer & 17 were passed in. 31 lots sold for $8,500 or less leaving only 8 lots getting $10,000 & above. The top lot, an Art Major colt, sold for just $20,300. The only winner from the demise of both Sales was former foe, Graeme Board & Co. The Bathurst Gold Crown Sales saw a modest increase in numbers.
But this time around things promise to be different. The APG has taken measures to placate the disgruntled. Realising they were heading into choppy seas last year they dangled a pre-emptive carrot of a $990.00 (normally $3,850 for Non-Sale) entry fee to those that didn’t make the cut to stay in the show. The new alliance will hopefully see a stable &enduring 2nd Sale. Something both Northern States with fewer foal numbers have achieved to their embarrassment.
A Sale for those who don’t have the Bettors Delight budget but nonetheless present yearlings from high quality proven stallions is essential for VIC. Having buyers fork out the cash still remains another matter. To help Shepparton overcome this, the APG, in the interests of the industry, has opened eligibility to those not making the cut who wish to still take their chances there. The cataloguing fee travels with them to Shepparton meaning no double dipping. If the yearling is passed in there, the option of paying the $550.00 sustaining fee has been made available to them providing they pay 10% of their reserve price. It surely has to be an incentive for VIC breeders of all budgets and may prove to be the magic formula that has eluded that state to date. It certainly should be with any kind of astute marketing.
Striding into the Shepparton Sales Ring with APG eligibility offers potential buyers the chance to dream big. This should see more bidders and therefore better returns for vendors. A luxury unavailable to vendors in NSW & QLD who when missing the cut have to decide whether or not to press on to Bathurst or Redcliffe. It will be interesting to see if this change affects either of those.
The big players in the market will have already made their decisions. The APG Sales in their respective Eastern states will have been their goal from the start of the previous season where their stallion selections would have been carefully considered. For them nominating for the APG Sales is a no brainer.With fewer yearlings on the ground, the big players in NSW & QLD are all but assured of achieving their goal of entry into the show. They certainly are in QLD.
In NSW it will be a case of keeping the ship on a steady course. Unlike VIC, NSW has never strayed from the formula that has always worked. There’s been no real opportunity given how established Bathurst is.
The choice to nominate, compared to pay the $3,850 Non-Sale entry, has made it interesting for breeders everywhere. If one genuinely wants to keep their yearling and sets an unrealistic reserve of say $30,000 they may as well not bother going to the APG Sales given the 10% commission, transport, stabling & preparation costs incurred. Those nominating for the APG Sales should therefore be genuine sellers in most cases. But the APG will hope more will consider nominating given the $990.00 value entry option is now available to those who miss the cut.
Northern victor in the APG wars, QLD, has stopped short of popping the corks. There’s been none of the characteristic crowing seen at the end State Of Origin matches. Theweather there on all fronts has been cyclonic and forced them to retreatinto virtual isolation. Perhaps to lick the wounds of much publicised internal wrangles involving court battles with the government over its abduction of the Gold Coast Harness Racing track:
The government seizure of Harness Racing QLD via Racing QLD,accused of being dominated by thoroughbred& greyhound interests. The barking down the street from the latter hasn’t allowed much sleep for the authorities having brought perhaps the biggest scandal in living memory:
And now to cap off it all off the dismissal of all boards associated with Racing QLD:
https://www.punters.com.au/news/Queensland-racing-boards-abolished_137225/
It certainly is anything but party time up there.
Let’s hope a new board can see the wisdom of fertilising its crop as we’ve seen happen so successfully in VIC. Abolishing Qbred bonuses, as the previous administration was considering, would be a good way to kill the plant just as it is starting to sprout again. Without a crop a lot of people will go hungry right up to the top of the tree.
As mentioned last week with the trotters,we’re once again seeing a situation where money is being moved around with the industry there staying in much the same financial place. Some would argue even a little backwards. The fearless QLD we see front up in the NRL has gone missing in action. No more goading ‘come on’ to interstate competition. The jewel in their juvenile crown, the $100,000 Nursery Series, open to all, and already reduced from 2010 & 11 highs of $150,000,has vanished from the newly released 2015-16 Feature Race Calendar:
http://www.harness.org.au/index.cfm?p=f&id=/hra/feature/index.htm
We now see an almost completely closed QLD 2yo shop. The spoils of their APG victory, aQLD only APG Final, may have helped slow the advance of the upwardly mobile rebels, the Redcliffe Sales.Though today’s announcement that the Redcliffe 2yo Final will increase from $80,000 to $100,000 in 2016 wouldn’t appear so. The APG so far still has an $80,000 Final listed for next year.
Other points of difference for buyers are the APG offers the Gold Bonus:
http://www.apgold.com.au/apgold/index.cfm/race-series-and-gold-bonus/gold-bonus/
The Redcliffe Sales offers a humble 3yo Series with a $25,000 Final. As mentioned the APG has abandoned its 3yo Series.
Importantly neither of them offers separate Finals for fillies. Something that needs to be addressed and we remain hopeful in time it will be should the extra Qbred bonusesfor fillies survive.
Some compensation for the dumping of the Nursery Series has been the increases to the Breeders Classic whose Final went up this year from $35,000 to $50,000 & the Qbred Triad Series Final up from $80,000 to $100,000.
The APG &Redcliffe Sales both open their doors to those bred interstate should they wish to make the long trip North(for unpredictable results). However, now with the Nursery Series scrapped there is little chance of that happening. That said, some breeders further South who took up Kevin Seymour’s generous offer with Mr Feelgood,may consider their options given that stallion opens the door of eligibility into the Breeders Classic & Qbred Triad Series.
The issue for QLD administrators is to ponder the impact of having limited options of gaining extra juvenile numbers elsewhere. With that the case one would think it would make sense to channel resources into growing their own, yet as mentioned the administration there,to the horror of the industry, was contemplating dumping Qbred bonuses.
For QLD breeders the choices (APG or Redcliffe Sales) are similar to those outlined above for NSW breeders (APG or Bathurst Gold Crown). The APG however, will ask them for $3,850 or $990.00 admission on top of the $275.00 cataloguing fee depending on whether or not their yearling goes under the hammer. The Gold Crown &Redcliffe Sales ask for $77.00 & $110.00 cataloguing fees.
But the APG remains the arena that attracts the buyers from the big end of town. In spite of all the stormy weather in their quest to please all the factions in VICand placate QLD, there’s nothing on the horizon to suggest that will change.
Good luck to all the breeders who pay up!
Check in next week on Trot Check where I’ll conclude my State Of The Nation Series on the Trotters.
Michael Taylor
Australian Sales & Booking Co-ordinator for Nevele R Stud
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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