Spring carnival's hits and misses

Gai Waterhouse has claimed her first Melbourne Cup win with Fiorente taking out Aust racing's biggest prize.

The breakthrough ... Gai Waterhouse celebrates after winning her maiden Melbourne Cup. Picture: William West Source: AFP

THE carnival is over. MATT STEWART takes a deep breath and assesses the successes and failures of a dramatic spring.

HITS

THE VRC CARNIVAL

It just gets bigger and bigger. Oaks Day was a minor aberration, and the weather seemed to kick Stakes Day in the guts, but the week was another overwhelming success. If anything, the first two days were so big that perhaps the last two suffered a little. No sporting event can match the sheer volume of Cup Week; the swarming crowds, the colour, the magnificence of beautiful Flemington, the sense of an international epicentre provided by the swarm of raiders and their exotic entourages. This Cup was the best ever, not just because it attracted its best field but because it also seemed to have gained unprecedented world stage importance.

World stage ... Michael Owen was one of many foreign raiders at the spring carnival. Picture: Ryan Pierse. Source: Getty Images

ROBBIE LAING

The best Derby story of recent times; Polanski, the $4000 colt by the mad, unfashionable, dead sire, trained by one of racing's great survivors and most versatile horsemen. For good measure, Laing won the two-year-old race on Stakes Day as well. Laing, never fazed by anything, including bouts of crippling debt, stood in the mounting yard after the Derby, the hero of more than 95,000 on course and millions off it. He looked about and quipped in typical who-cares style: "I suppose this is one of the big ones.''

Against all odds ... Hugh Bowman and trainer Robbie Laing pose with the trophy after Polanski won. Picture: Vince Caligiuri. Source: Getty Images

GAI WATERHOUSE/DAMIEN OLIVER

Given the grand stage of the Cup, it would have been a travesty if Gai had never won it. She stood on that platform near the famous old members' stand steps and waved royally to an adoring crowd - an unforgettable image. She became just the second woman to train a Cup winner and the victory, combined with the back story of an often tough journey in what was once called the sport of kings, resonated beyond the racecourse. And Oliver, the irrepressible legend. Our greatest ever jockey, surely, off the canvas yet again. Oh, and the Cup was run at 3pm. Perfect.

Australia's first lady of racing, Gai Waterhouse, has won her maiden Melbourne Cup with Fiorente, but not before a summons to the Stewards sent a scare through the camp.

CAULFIELD OCCASIONAL FREE ENTRY

The Melbourne Racing Club has big ideas. The ones that float are often fantastic and few clubs are game enough to match strides with it. The bluff of the spring, when the crowds pour in, is that racing is a consistent attraction. Of course it isn't and the MRC realises that olive branches, such as throwing open the gates to win a few back, are a necessity.

Gai Waterhouse has claimed her first Melbourne Cup win with Fiorente taking out Aust racing's biggest prize.

MISSES

MOONEE VALLEY SPLIT MEETING

A failure. To the club's credit, it is prepared to reassess. Splitting Cox Plate in two may earn it some revenue - although the TAB isn't clicking its heels - yet it has damaged the brand. If the Valley continues with this for another year, that damage may be irreparable. A crowd of 7000 watched Buffering win a Group 1 at 10pm the night before the club's biggest day. Ridiculous. The Cox Plate crowd was down, a bit because Atlantic Jewel was scratched, a bit because the ever-growing Flemington giant was a week away and a lot because the club had diluted what should have been prime product.

LAST RACE AS FEATURE

The MRC and the MVRC seem obsessed that dramatic change must be immediate or racing will collapse. Running the feature as the last race out of season early in the spring served only to frustrate and annoy. Second-last race, then brought back a half-hour, would seem a reasonable compromise, and likely. The MRC might have earned a few bucks from international betting markets but at the expense of racegoers who were left in unnecessary holding patterns as these races lurched closer. It didn't work for the Caulfield Guineas or Caulfield Cup either, even though the club will this week release a proud balance sheet. The crowds dashed for the gates before anyone could absorb the main event. Racing has a prime time and it's between 3pm and 4pm on a Saturday. David Hayes, for one, said it was depressing watching Chad Schofield step on to the victory stage after the Cox Plate as cars exited the car parks. Racing does need to plot a new, imaginative course, but history and traditions sometimes stand the test of time for a reason.

Oaks Day flop ... 'Buddy' and Campbell at the Emirates marquee. Picture: Scott Barbour. Source: Getty Images

OAKS DAY

The phenomenon of the early-mid 2000s, when Oaks Day crowds soared above 100,000, has become the modern day head-scratcher. Oaks Day this year attracted just 66,000 - it felt smaller - and it was the most sparse Oaks crowd since 1995. Stakes Day, knocked about by the wet, also seemed down. Oaks Day culprits may include economic factors. How many can still justify a midweek "sickie''? How many employers tolerate it? Oaks Day also lacks quality racing. Maybe even party crowds are too discerning to cop pedestrian race cards such as last Thursday's. Could the Mackinnon Stakes, or Myer Classic, which would fit the "girls' day out theme", be moved to Oaks Day?

COUNTRY CUPS

One of racing's saddest declines. The Geelong Cup meeting used to run over two days. The weather was unkind this year, but it was a sad and sparsely attended event. The Werribee Cup used to have parked cars running a kilometre down the railway side. Now the Werribee Cup, at that basket-case track, is virtually extinct. Kyneton is a shadow of its former self. The reason? Probably too much racing at the sport's prime time of year, leading to too much diluting. Some of these cups had only a handful of runners.

View the original article here

Rogers to stand tall against Poms

Courier-Mail cricket writer Ben Dorries believes England are flying under the radar heading into the first Test at the Gabba.

Chris Rogers isn't concerned about England's over-sized pace battery for the Ashes. Photo: Scott Barbour Source: Getty Images

CHRIS Rogers says England's giant quick bowlers hold no fears for Australia's batsmen, even on lively Ashes pitches.

The plucky streetfighter, an unlikely batting hero of Australia's ill-fated winter campaign, says playing the towering tourists won't be made harder on decks likely to contain more venom than the lifeless strips served up in England in July and August.

But, as England legend Ian Botham suggests another rout is on the cards with the visitors' batsmen and bowlers suited to the pace and bounce, Rogers said the pace attack would offer no surprises.

Australian batsman Chris Rogers has backed David Warner to open the batting in the first test in Brisbane, saying he must perform if Australia are a chance to win back the Ashes.

"It's always a challenge when you face tall bowlers, but it also means there's going to be pressure on them to find the right length," Rogers said.

"If you're tall, you have to find that perfect length otherwise you're not hitting the stumps and that makes our (the Aussie batsmen's) decisions a lot easier to make.

"So the challenge is there for them as well. And we know what they've brought, so we'll play accordingly."

Rogers churned out 367 runs in the winter Ashes series at an average of 40.8, frustrating the English seamers, particularly James Anderson, with impeccable awareness of his off stump.

And he walks back into the "land of the giants" in good Sheffield Shield form, having peeled off 283 runs at 70.8 in two matches for Victoria.

"For me, I'm probably luckier than most in that I had the grounding of growing up on the WACA (Ground) in Perth and having learnt how to play balls at steep and different angles," Rogers said.

He said on renowned lively pitches in Brisbane and Perth, that would give him the upper hand as, with the extra bounce on offer, the tourists fought the temptation to bowl short.

"Who knows what their plans are? Whatever they decide, we'll just have to react and know there's going to be that kind of challenge,'' Rogers said.

"At times they'll probably come hard at us and try to get the ball up head-high, but all the batsmen know that's what's coming our way. There are no surprises there."

View the original article here

Poms advance party bowled out

Courier-Mail cricket writer Ben Dorries believes England are flying under the radar heading into the first Test at the Gabba.

Giant fast bowler Chris Tremlett and his pace team mates will stay with the rest of the England squad. Source: News Limited

ENGLAND has abandoned their successful ploy of sending an advance bowling contingent to Brisbane - because they are still clueless about their best XI for the Gabba Test.

Three years ago, the Poms flew their Test attack and bowling coach David Saker to Brisbane a week early for a private mini-camp which helped the bowlers acclimatise to the unique local conditions.

They left their second stringers Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad and Monty Panesar in chilly Hobart to play in a who-cares game against an Australia A side captained by Cameron White.

Meanwhile Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn and Graeme Swann were sweating it out in the nets in Brisbane in a week of heavy-duty practice as they were given extra time to get used to the local conditions.

Saker, the former Victorian paceman, said recently that the Brisbane camp in 2010-11 was a big moment in getting to know the England bowlers and earn their trust.

But this time, England team management have insisted the squad stays together in Sydney for this week's four-day game against an Australian Invitational XI featuring some of Australia's best Sheffield Shield players.

An England team spokesperson confirmed there were no plans to travel early to Brisbane and the squad would fly north on Sunday, the day after the tour game ends in Sydney.

The Courier-Mail has been told the main reason for not sending an advance party to Brisbane is the Poms remain uncertain what their best Test side is for the Ashes.

They want to keep the entire squad together as they are having major headaches deciding who should fill their third fast bowling slot behind certainties Anderson and Broad.

Tall timber Tremlett appears to be just in front of Finn and Boyd Rankin, but the final fast bowling spot is far from being set in stone and performances this week could yet be the deciding factor.

Big runs from Michael Carberry on tour so far may have sealed his opening batting spot, with Joe Root pushed down to No.6, but that is not yet a fait accompli.

View the original article here

German MP meets Snowden, says he is willing to come to Germany for inquiry

German Greens lawmaker Hans-Christian Stroebele poses for a picture with fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden (L) in an undisclosed location in Moscow, October 31, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Handout

By Alexandra Hudson

BERLIN | Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:19pm EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - A German lawmaker said he met Edward Snowden in Moscow on Thursday and the fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor was willing to come to Germany to assist investigations into alleged U.S. surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Hans-Christian Stroebele, a legislator for the opposition Greens party, told German broadcaster ARD it was clear Snowden "knew a lot" and that he would share details of their surprise meeting including a letter from Snowden addressed to the German government and chief federal prosecutor on Friday.

Stroebele, a well-known maverick in German politics, tweeted a photograph of himself and Snowden and ARD showed images of the two shaking hands in a room before their three-hour meeting.

"He made it clear he knows a lot and that as long as the National Security Agency (NSA) blocks investigations..., he is prepared to come to Germany and give testimony, but the conditions must be discussed," said Stroebele.

His trip came a day after top American and German security officials met in Washington to try and ease tensions caused by reports that NSA, for which Snowden worked, monitored Merkel's mobile phone. Germany is a close ally of the United States.

Stroebele, 74, sits on the German parliament's control committee, which monitors the work of intelligence agencies.

Germany's parliament will hold a special session on November 18 to discuss the tapping, and the Greens and far-left Left party have demanded a public inquiry calling in witnesses including Snowden. Stroebele told him he could give evidence from Moscow.

Snowden's revelations about the reach and methods of the NSA, including the monitoring of vast volumes of Internet traffic and phone records, have angered U.S. allies from Germany to Brazil. Admirers call him a human rights champion and critics denounce him as a traitor.

"BROKEN TRUST"

Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere said on Thursday Berlin was still smarting over the surveillance. "It is clear that trust has been broken and this trust must be restored ... This requires official agreements on which we can depend," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected U.S. pleas to send Snowden home to face charges including espionage, instead granting him a temporary asylum in early August which can be extended annually.

However, Putin, a former KGB spy, has said repeatedly that Russia would shelter Snowden only if he stopped harming the United States. That could make it difficult for Snowden to speak to any German parliamentary inquiry.

Gregor Gysi, parliamentary leader of the Left, has said Germany should include Snowden in its witness protection scheme so he could speak before the committee.

Germany's government was one of many that rejected an asylum request from Snowden earlier this year.

A Russian lawyer helping Snowden said earlier on Thursday that under current agreements Snowden cannot reveal secret information while he is in Russia. Snowden's location in Russia has not been disclosed and since July he has appeared only in a handful of photographs and video clips.

Thursday's encounter was Snowden's first known meeting with a foreign politician, and his first known meeting with any specific foreigner other than his father and a group of former U.S. national security officials he met in early October.

Stroebele, a distinctive figure in Germany with his shock of white hair, bright red scarf and common touch, is a lawyer by training and once defended members of Germany's far-left Baader-Meinhof gang that emerged from the student protest and anti-Vietnam war movements in West Germany in the 1960s.

(Reporting by Alexandra Hudson; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

View the original article here

Court halts NYC stop-and-frisk ruling, removes judge

Demonstrators hold signs protesting the New York Police Department's ''stop and frisk'' crime-fighting tactic outside of Manhattan Federal Court in New York, March 18, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK | Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:43pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court froze court-ordered reforms to the New York City Police Department's controversial stop-and-frisk program and removed the judge who found the police tactic unconstitutional because she "ran afoul" of the judicial code of conduct.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling was at least a temporary victory for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD, who have argued that stopping, questioning and frisking suspicious people has led to a steep decline in crime rates.

The three-judge panel said its ruling should have no impact on the merits of the case, but was a rebuke of Scheindlin, who became a hero of civil rights and civil liberties groups when, in August, she struck down parts of stop-and-frisk.

The court's removal of U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin from the case was an exceedingly rare action and an indication of how displeased the judges were with her.

The judges faulted Scheindlin for failing to appear impartial by making public statements about the case and by granting media interviews in which she answered critics of her ruling.

"We could not be more pleased with the Court's findings," said Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo, the city's chief attorney, who called Scheindlin's ruling "unjustified and deeply problematic."

The case "will now receive a fresh and independent look both by the appeals court and then, if necessary, by a different trial court judge," Cardozo said.

As part of her ruling, Scheindlin ordered a federal monitor to oversee changes to NYPD practices.

Her ruling was widely celebrated by racial minorities in New York who complained that innocent people were being caught up in the police sweeps.

It also played a role in the campaign for mayor of New York City in which candidate Bill de Blasio, who won the Democratic nomination and became the front-runner for next Tuesday's election, blasted stop-and-frisk as unfair.

The appeals court also took issue with how Scheindlin interacted with lawyers in a December 2007 hearing while she presided over another stop-and-frisk lawsuit involving some of the same lawyers.

"If you got proof of inappropriate racial profiling in a good constitutional case, why don't you bring a lawsuit?" Scheindlin asked. "What I am trying to say - I am sure I am going to get in trouble for saying it - for $65 you can bring that lawsuit."

She said the lawyers could mark it as "related," ensuring that it would be assigned to her docket rather than to another judge at random.

The New York Civil Liberties Union said it would appeal the ruling, and the Center for Constitutional Rights called the reassigning of the case "troubling and unprecedented."

De Blasio, who said stop-and-frisk was evidence of "two New Yorks" - one for the privileged elite and another for the poor and disadvantaged - said he was "extremely disappointed in today's decision."

"We have to end the overuse of stop-and-frisk and any delay only means a continued and unnecessary rift between our police and the people they protect," de Blasio said.

Police supporters applauded the ruling.

"That's great news," said former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir. "Stop-and-frisk is a legal tactic, not a policy. What police are doing are stopping people based on victims' descriptions" of perpetrators.

Heather MacDonald, author of the book "Are Cops Racist?" and a vigorous defender of the NYPD's use of stop-and-frisk, also celebrated the ruling but said it was no indication the appeals court would overturn Scheindlin's ruling.

"Appellate judges tend to take a deferential stance towards trial judges' fact-finding, and that's what a lot of this case hangs on," Mac Donald said.

(Additional reporting by Chris Francescani and Nate Raymond; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

View the original article here

U.S.-Mexico drug-smuggling tunnel closed in California

1 of 4. U.S. attorney Laura Duffy speaks during a news conference about a newly discovered drug smuggling tunnel in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego, California October 31, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Denis Poroy

By Marty Graham

SAN DIEGO | Thu Oct 31, 2013 10:35pm EDT

SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - U.S. authorities have shut down a secret underground tunnel equipped with electricity, ventilation and a rail system for smuggling drugs between a San Diego industrial park and Tijuana, Mexico, officials said on Thursday.

Border control and drug enforcement agents seized more than 17,000 pounds (7,700 kilograms) of marijuana and 325 pounds (147 kg) of cocaine from the tunnel, a rented warehouse where the passageway ended on the U.S. side and arrested three men arrested in a night raid on Wednesday.

The bust marked the first time cocaine has been found in connection with more than 75 cross-border smuggling tunnels that have been uncovered since 2008 along the Southwest border between the United States and Mexico, officials said.

Tunnels discovered earlier were used mainly for marijuana, which because of its bulk is harder to smuggle inside cars and trucks, said William Sherman, Drug Enforcement Administration special agent in charge in San Diego.

The tunnel, which was shut down on Wednesday, was built with one access point in a warehouse in the Otay Mesa industrial park of San Diego and another in Tijuana, Mexico, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy described the latest passageway as a "super tunnel," saying it was equipped with an electronic rail system, hydraulic doors and a ventilation system.

The Sinaloa drug cartel is believed to have built and operated the tunnel, which ran 1,760 feet from Mexico to the United States.

"The tunnels take hundreds of thousands of man hours and millions of dollars to complete," Sherman said.

U.S. prosecutors filed charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana against the three men arrested in connection with the tunnel. If convicted, each faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years to life in prison.

Ironically, the entrance to the warehouse at the terminus of the tunnel is two doors down from the Otay Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Chamber officials declined to speak to the media about the warehouse.

(Reporting by Marty Graham; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Steve Gorman and Christopher Wilson)

View the original article here

Court halts NYC stop-and-frisk ruling, removes judge

Demonstrators hold signs protesting the New York Police Department's ''stop and frisk'' crime-fighting tactic outside of Manhattan Federal Court in New York, March 18, 2013.

Credit: Reuters/Lucas Jackson

By Joseph Ax

NEW YORK | Thu Oct 31, 2013 6:43pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court froze court-ordered reforms to the New York City Police Department's controversial stop-and-frisk program and removed the judge who found the police tactic unconstitutional because she "ran afoul" of the judicial code of conduct.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling was at least a temporary victory for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the NYPD, who have argued that stopping, questioning and frisking suspicious people has led to a steep decline in crime rates.

The three-judge panel said its ruling should have no impact on the merits of the case, but was a rebuke of Scheindlin, who became a hero of civil rights and civil liberties groups when, in August, she struck down parts of stop-and-frisk.

The court's removal of U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin from the case was an exceedingly rare action and an indication of how displeased the judges were with her.

The judges faulted Scheindlin for failing to appear impartial by making public statements about the case and by granting media interviews in which she answered critics of her ruling.

"We could not be more pleased with the Court's findings," said Corporation Counsel Michael Cardozo, the city's chief attorney, who called Scheindlin's ruling "unjustified and deeply problematic."

The case "will now receive a fresh and independent look both by the appeals court and then, if necessary, by a different trial court judge," Cardozo said.

As part of her ruling, Scheindlin ordered a federal monitor to oversee changes to NYPD practices.

Her ruling was widely celebrated by racial minorities in New York who complained that innocent people were being caught up in the police sweeps.

It also played a role in the campaign for mayor of New York City in which candidate Bill de Blasio, who won the Democratic nomination and became the front-runner for next Tuesday's election, blasted stop-and-frisk as unfair.

The appeals court also took issue with how Scheindlin interacted with lawyers in a December 2007 hearing while she presided over another stop-and-frisk lawsuit involving some of the same lawyers.

"If you got proof of inappropriate racial profiling in a good constitutional case, why don't you bring a lawsuit?" Scheindlin asked. "What I am trying to say - I am sure I am going to get in trouble for saying it - for $65 you can bring that lawsuit."

She said the lawyers could mark it as "related," ensuring that it would be assigned to her docket rather than to another judge at random.

The New York Civil Liberties Union said it would appeal the ruling, and the Center for Constitutional Rights called the reassigning of the case "troubling and unprecedented."

De Blasio, who said stop-and-frisk was evidence of "two New Yorks" - one for the privileged elite and another for the poor and disadvantaged - said he was "extremely disappointed in today's decision."

"We have to end the overuse of stop-and-frisk and any delay only means a continued and unnecessary rift between our police and the people they protect," de Blasio said.

Police supporters applauded the ruling.

"That's great news," said former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir. "Stop-and-frisk is a legal tactic, not a policy. What police are doing are stopping people based on victims' descriptions" of perpetrators.

Heather MacDonald, author of the book "Are Cops Racist?" and a vigorous defender of the NYPD's use of stop-and-frisk, also celebrated the ruling but said it was no indication the appeals court would overturn Scheindlin's ruling.

"Appellate judges tend to take a deferential stance towards trial judges' fact-finding, and that's what a lot of this case hangs on," Mac Donald said.

(Additional reporting by Chris Francescani and Nate Raymond; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Toni Reinhold)

View the original article here