Post from Ozzie:
Quote:
My mind always boggles when I'm reminded of what you & your horses (US) have to contend with! I know one puts up with circumstances beyond control but can imagine the myriad of problems entailed in this system & do, honestly pity you!!!!! In Oz & everywhere else that I'm aware of, we train from our own homes whether that be a city trainer whose horses are permanently based at the track or country one with own facilities or nearby to a training track. I refuse point blank to travel more than 3hrs one way which gives me a choice of 25 (very quick mental addition) venues at which to race. Obviously their meetings are well spaced but with racing here 5 days/week, there's always something suitable to run in. Ours are always 'tucked up in their own bed/paddock', 365 days/year lol. How easy is that? lol. Our immigration laws are pretty tight these days but it's virtually open slather for skilled migrants.........anyone intersted? lol I too HATE travelling them far, it's just so unnatural to be standing all that time.
My reply:
Of the places I have been lucky to visit, NEWMARKET in the UK would qualify
as my dream of heaven. Maybe I was unable to see the negative sides to such
a configuration with my limited visit there, but I was impressed. The
English seems to know how to build a training colony in the truest sense.
Aiken might be our (USA) equivalent to Newmarket, but unfortunately there is
no active racing near South Carolina which puts Aiken into a slightly
different category.
If there is a heaven, it must be Newmarket?