BREEDING FORUM

Posted: **Thu May 10, 2012 21:26 pm**

The local Breeders Club at Hawkesbury (NW outer Sydney) had asked if they could visit Osborne Park, the new training facility built by Darley. Permission was given and the Club organised the visit. Initial expectations were for around 20 people to be there on the day. As word got around about the visit, many other members of Thoroughbred Breeders Club (not resident inthe Hawkesbury area) resolved to make the trip to Hawkesbury as there has been a lot of publicity about Osborne Park, and they wanted to be able to have a look first hand. So, around 40 people wanted to join the tour. Now rumour has it some of the management staff at Osborne weren't too thrilled about the visit and so many people, although they would not be required to get off their lazy butts to do anything. The farm's vet was going to handle the tour guide stuff in the middle of the day (Sunday) when the horses are all boxed or paddocked, and the staff a
have the middle of the day off anyway. The members would then adjourn to their own Club premises for lunch. A staff member (or more) then complained to the Marketing guys at Head Office in Sydney. Head of Marketing (who previously authorised visit) then rang the vet to find out how many people were attending and said that 40 was too many, so the whole trip must be cancelled. This was 48 hours before visit. People from other districts had made hotel bookings, combining the visit with Hawkesbury races on Saturday and the Osborne Park visit on Sunday -- you can imagine the reaction/disappointment. There was even a sign put up at the Hawkesbury race day office stating that Darley management had cancelled the trip with big Sad

drawn at bottom of page. //// Luckily another stud (Arrowfield Stud) heard this fiasco and immediately offered the same visiting tour to their farm to see the stallions, put on a picnic lunch and issued race tickets to the Scone races in a couple of weeks time for anyone who attended the tour. Arrowfield stands Redoute's Choice (champion Oz sire) along with several other very good sires. //// Apparently several of the Breeders Club who had bookings to Darley stallions have now cancelled and others who were contemplating using the D sires will go elsewhere, probably Arrowfield if nothing else. /// If that is Darley's version of promoting themselves as an Australian operation, then they do a very good job at coming out smelling like manure.