Stud and Stable Staff Awards

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NOTICE IS GIVEN that the Annual General Meeting of Thoroughbred Breeders Queensland Association Inc. for 2024 will be held at the Magic Millions Sales on Sunday, 9 March 2025. We warmly invite all TBQA members to attend. ELECTION OF MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEMBERS There are three (3) positions which have become vacant in rotation as per our constitution and require election of office bearers. These are the positions of Mike Kelly, Steve Morley and Richard Foster. All three plan to recontest their positions. Dan Fletcher (Telemon Stud) was appointed to the committee in 2024 upon the resignation of Stan Johnston. If you wish to contest one of these positions you and nominate for the TBQA Committee you should be; (1) a breeder; (2) prepared to give up approximately 5 hours per week to the TBQA; (3) happy to attend industry functions when required; (4) able to attend all committee meetings (approximately 1 per month); (5) prepared to promote the Queensland breeding industry at all times. The work load is not large but it is a very important committee as it represents the most significant section of the thoroughbred industry. Please consider your candidacy carefully for this committee. NOMINATIONS ARE DUE BACK TO THE TBQA OFFICE BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS (5:00pm) ON FRIDAY 31 January 2025 via email info@queenslandbreeders.com.au with the original documents to be posted to TBQA, PO BOX 18003, Toowoomba, QLD, 4350 Download the nomination form here

AgriFutures provided funding to develop modules for TBA Learning, the Australian thoroughbred breeding industry’s home for online learning. The free online learning modules promote best practices that help improve horse and human welfare on a thoroughbred breeding farm and for any thoroughbred that was bred for racing. The first of the new modules has been uploaded to the TBA portal - Working at the horse sales and provides educational material about the tasks that people undertake when working for a farm at a thoroughbred sale. Details here

In this study, key industry groups, namely Thoroughbred breeders and veterinarians involved in yearling endoscopy, were engaged to investigate current concerns surrounding yearling sales endoscopy and discuss different laryngeal function grading systems and potential improvements to the current process. A large retrospective study (of a minimum of 5000 post-sale endoscopic examinations) was performed to investigate the relationship between post-sale laryngeal function score in Thoroughbred yearlings and future performance. The results will be used to determine the validity of the current yearling sales endoscopy process and guide future recommendations. One signficiant outcome of this research was the decision by all Australasian sales companies to take on the recommendation to change the yearling laryngeal grading system to the Havemeyer system from the traditional Lane-Bain Fallon scale. The Havemeyer system gives greater accuracy and clarity and takes away some of the stigma around grade 3 terminology that the research shows statistically shouldn't be there. Project snapshot: Project snapshot: Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract at Australian thoroughbred yearling sales: can we do better? | AgriFutures Australia Final report: Endoscopy of the upper respiratory tract at Australian thoroughbred yearling sales: can we do better? | AgriFutures Australia

The Snapshot provides a high-level, accessible overview of the current and recently completed projects funded by the Thoroughbred Horses Program. It contains a series of newspaper-style articles about the various projects underway or recently completed, highlighting the work undertaken, the findings and the implications for industry. AgriFutures Thoroughbred Horses Program 2024 RD&E Snapshot | AgriFutures Australia

Preparing horses for life after racing has always been in the blood for Rikkie Morton, but his retraining has gone to a whole new level since joining the Queensland Off-The-Track (QOTT) Program. The 40-year-old recently signed on as a QOTT Acknowledged Retrainer, with both thoroughbreds and standardbreds in his care. With his parents and grandparents all horse people, Morton has been around horses his whole life and decided he too wanted to make a difference when securing his property at Winwill in 2022. “When we bought our property a few years back, we decided to buy some horses and to put it bluntly, I couldn’t trust anyone with my horses,” Morton said. “So I put in the effort and got myself a couple of mentors and put my natural instinct to work and got to training these horses and it actually flowed on from there where I had friends of friends coming to me and asking me to train their horses and I ended up building a business from it. “What I found was in the market, a lot of the clients that were coming to me were purchasing off-the-track racehorses for a sum of money thinking that this horse is safe and sound for them to jump on and ride and off they go. “It was quite contrary to that - they needed a lot of retraining after coming off the track. “People were buying these horses for cheap, then they couldn’t handle them, didn’t know what to do with them, and were uneducated people in terms of retraining retired racehorses and it wasn’t a good outcome for the horses or the owners either. “I wanted to try and have an impact in that area where I’d been successfully retraining for our clients and I can make it more accessible so I can stop that cycle as much as we can by retraining these horses and then putting them into suitable homes.” Morton operates his business, MCE OTT Retraining and Rehoming, alongside wife Chantelle. The 125-acre property has onsite training facilities and access to an abundance of trails around the surrounding Lockyer Valley region, which Morton frequently utilises when retraining off the track horses. Since joining the QOTT Program in October, he has already successfully rehomed former harness racer Goelitz, who had eight wins from a 56-start career. Morton currently has three other horses on his property who are also being retrained, a number that he says would not have been possible without the assistance of the QOTT Program. “I think it’s a great thing, it’s outstanding for us as retrainers,” Morton said. “I was already doing it where I was either sourcing these horses myself or I had a couple of race trainers that were utilising us. “But the benefit of the QOTT Program to help financially, and know that the biggest costs of actually doing it ourselves was going to be reimbursed when we successfully rehomed that horse, has a massive positive impact. “With Goelitz, I’m about to get reimbursed all his vet bills, all his feed, and for me that seems small, but it gives me the ability to have confidence to get the next horse in.” Morton said the QOTT Program had also helped him with being able to dedicate more time to the retraining process. “We break horses and train horses of all shapes and sizes but our clients are limited by budget so they may say they can only afford six weeks’ worth of work,” he said. “With QOTT, I have six months available to me where I’m covered in terms of bills and that means that I don’t have to rush this horse through in six weeks or accelerate his program and push him on to the next challenge before he’s ready. “That’s where the QOTT Program helps…I can have more horses because I have the ability to be reimbursed once they’re rehomed. “Additionally, the amount of people that have contacted me saying I got your number from Racing Queensland - whether it’s a purchaser or a trainer looking to rehome a racehorse - it just works in both aspects. “It brings more opportunity to me with horses and also helps me rehome those horses to buyers that are buying through trusted sellers so it’s just a win-win all the way round.” Morton says his greatest success story as a retrainer so far has come in the form of former racehorse Maxi’s Taxi. The thoroughbred gelding only started in five races and required plenty of attention when he landed in Morton’s care. “He would never go on a float, he hated a float and would always carry on about it,” Morton said. “It was a process, and it took time and it didn’t happen in six to eight weeks, but it got to the point where I was happy for my kids to ride this horse in the round yard. “The willingness of Maxi to learn and be re-educated at nine years of age was great to see. “Working him through that and getting him through those challenges and to be able to ride him in the round yard - that’s a very emotional outcome when you can get a horse to do that.” While Morton retrains both thoroughbreds and standardbreds, he is most enjoying working with the harness racing breed to prepare them for new homes. “Both breeds have their challenges in terms of retraining them, but in my experience the standardbred is a much quieter, calmer horse for the clients I aim to match them with,” Morton said. “There’s plenty of people out there retraining horses for dressage and for sporting events, that are probably a little bit more of the athletic-type horses so to speak, and the thoroughbreds are really good for things like showjumping. “Whereas there’s a bit of a market out there for middle-aged women who have had kids that are trying to get back on a horse for the first time in a number of years, or ones that have had an incident at some point in their time riding horses.

The Queensland Off-The-Track Program’s partnership with Save A Horse Australia continues to support former racehorses well beyond their years on the racetrack. The partnership – unveiled 12 months ago – ensures a formal safety net for racehorses that have left the racing industry and become vulnerable at later stages of their lives. The three-year partnership, worth $900,000, supports the work SAHA does to take in vulnerable and neglected former racehorses into their care at their horse rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary. It also allows SAHA to continue monitoring horse sales in Queensland for the purpose of purchasing vulnerable and/or at-risk retired racehorses. Established in 2001, Beaudesert-based SAHA is Australia’s largest equine charity. SAHA’s purpose is to rescue and rehabilitate neglected, abused and surrendered horses, prior to assessing them and rehoming them appropriately into suitable homes under a lifelong lease agreement. Former jockey and SAHA president Laura Cheshire said the partnership has increased their ability to be able to better assess each horse to ensure they are placed into the right homes. “This partnership has really opened things up for our thoroughbreds and standardbreds here, and has allowed us to go through a really thorough process before they can move on to their next home,” she said. “Thanks to the Queensland Off-The-Track Program, we have really raised awareness for the racing industry that the horses are incredibly well looked after. Unfortunately, it is post-racing that the horses can slip through the cracks. “Going forward, we’re going to be able to keep bringing horses in from all walks of life. “These horses still have so much to give in their post-racing lives, and we are really fortunate to be able to help them move into that next stage of life in collaboration with QOTT.” The QOTT Program was established in 2021 following the Martin Inquiry to provide a high-quality first transition for thoroughbred and standardbred horses from racing and breeding activities to retirement. Racing Queensland Senior Animal Care Manager said that the partnership has created a lot of public awareness about the racing industry’s support of former racehorses once they leave the track. “The partnership with Save A Horse Australia has been so incredibly important – not only for the horses we support, but also for the racing industry,” she said. “We are so lucky in Queensland to have a registered charity like SAHA who does incredible work. “Their equine welfare is second to none, and the knowledge and experience of the people who run this organisation is really important to ensure that our former racehorses are well cared for. “To have a formal safety net in Queensland to support former racehorses should they ever become vulnerable or at risk later in their lives is incredibly important for the Queensland Off-The-Track Program but also for the racing participants who loved and cared for these horses during their racing years.” This partnership complements the various post-racing initiatives introduced by QOTT over the past three years. These include the QOTT Grants Program, the Subsidised Lessons Program, Acknowledged Retrainers Program, Event Sponsorship Program, QOTT Nutrition Education Hub, QOTT Clubhouse and the New OTT Owner Welcome Pack, QOTT Education Program and QOTT’s Premium Event Partnerships. Click here for more information on the Queensland Off-The-Track Program.

Congratulations to Madeline St Ledger, this year’s Nolan Scholarship recipient! Maddie, a member of the 2021 Fast Track class, completed her 12-month placement at Eureka Stud in QLD and loved it so much that she stayed on. She’s continued to develop her skills, from handling yearlings to assisting in the foaling unit. As this year’s Nolan Scholarship recipient, Maddie will head to Ireland in January 2025 to join the prestigious Irish National Stud Breeding Course.