From the Callers Box – October 2026

There are no signs of slowing down. Not anytime soon.

The appetite for ‘down under’ horses to race across North America is insatiable, the market seems as strong as ever. Australian bred or even those that hail from across the ditch. Both sexes.

Agents are constantly working the phones, always looking to close the next deal.

Time and time again, I’ll grab the scratching sheet and notice “SOLD” as the reason for the race night scratching from an Albion Park meeting.

I would hate to think how many horses have left the state of Queensland let alone, throughout the southern hemisphere in recent times.

Every time you watch a race from North America, there’s always a familiar name that appears in the upcoming race.

Recently during a radio interview I conducted with leading Albion Park trainer Chantal Turpin, I posed the question of how many horses have left her stable within the last twelve to eighteen months? Her response – “Heaps!”. And that’s no exaggeration! The number probably sits upwards of 25! Extraordinary.

In most cases, that’s more than most stables have in work. But as she explained, that’s the business model they’re forced to undertake, get the horses through the grades and move them on.

Owners can’t sit idly by…. it’s strictly business. Obviously, you can’t stop the system completely but is there a way of slowing it down? Is there a way of limiting the number of quality fillies and mares leaving our shores which ultimately, dilutes the local breeding ecosystem? It’s a fascinating subject. Is it the system or is the money too good to refuse. Or both?

Until next time.