Dein erstes Forum » reference to their 6-0 record at home this season,

The Spring Racing Carnival is now behind us for 2016. It left racing fans across Australia and the world with many great memories of fantastic racing on the track and many great performances by highly gifted and, in some cases, some very expensive thoroughbreds.Some will go on to even greater heights, such as Winx, whom we are all hoping can stretch her Cox Plate streak to a record-equaling three wins next October. Similarly, Guineas and Derby-winning colts and fillies will be looking to see their stock prices reach new peaks with even richer successes.But for some horses, their racing careers might be coming to an end. What happens then? An event in Melbourne this week -- Equitana -- showcases just how horses, successful or unsuccessful on the track, can continue their competitive prospects in some very positive ways.Beginning on Thursday, Equitana is a four-day competition and exhibition with shows and events for everything equine; from stock horses to brumbies and thoroughbreds in show jumping to barrel racing. If you like horses of all sorts, and can get to Melbourne, then ESPN may now have sorted your weekend for you.A key part of Equitana will be participation of thoroughbreds in the off the track showjumping and showing showcases -- a program spearheaded by Racing Victoria, the governing body of thoroughbred racing in that state.One competitor who will garner a lot interest is Sirmione, formerly trained by 12-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer and racing legend, the late Bart Cummings.Twice a Group 1 winner, Sirmione won the 2007 Mackinnon Stakes in an upset result at 60-1 and the 2008 Australian Cup, both over 2000 metres at Flemington. A life at stud was never an option for the gelding but a career in other competitive sport was; and he has become comparatively successful.He was a very well put together animal, Peter Mertens, who rode Sirmione to both Group 1 wins, told ESPN. He always had show stamped on him.Ive seen some of them coming through racing and they dont do too well as a winning prospect on the track but theyve been very good at showjumping, added the seven-time Group 1-winning jockey who now enjoys his own retirement from race riding.He used to get around the mounting yard and carry himself really well. He had that look about him. He was always on his toes and had that really good look about him. It is no surprise at all that hes gone on to do well there.Mertens said he rated Sirmione one of the best horses that he had achieved such high levels of success aboard.From his racing days spent at Cummings stable at Flemington, Sirmione is now under the care of Off The Track trainer Fiona McIntyre; he calls Inverleigh home, west of Melbourne.McIntyre is a trainer of show horses who has also now turned her attention to re-training thoroughbreds towards new horizons.Not all ex-racehorses have the temperament to go onto these [different] disciplines, McIntyre said. Sirmione took to showing incredibly well. His transition from being a racehorse to was one of the easiest that I have been involved in.He behaves and doesnt bat an eye lid on the big stages; he goes out and performs every time.Sirmione enjoyed a second placing at last years Adelaide Show.There has some very negative press over time on the treatment of horses in their post-racing days, and historically there were few options for thoroughbreds to continue in a competitive environment. Racing Victorias manager of equine welfare Raelene Harrison says there has been significant progress made in the past few years to bring about positive change.Harrison said that 40 re-trainers had been accredited under Off The Track since the program commenced in 2012, and Racing Victoria hoped to see 20 more in the next 18 months.A challenge for racings authorities has been to pave a way for the growing number of horses retiring and steering them towards other positive opportunities. Many more thoroughbreds are now going into new stables and mixing it with other breeds. Some take to it, others dont.Success on the track isnt necessarily a pre-requisite for success off of it, but Sirmione is leading the charge on the for retired racehorses on the equestrian stage while another blue-riband performer, 2006 Group 1 Australian Derby winner Headturner, is leading a sedate life as a pleasure-riding horse for a 75-year-old lady on the Victoria beachside suburb of Leongatha.The competitive circuit is expanding. These horses have had the opportunity to return to the races in their current pursuits at demonstration events held during racemeetings at Caulfield and Mornington. Spectators have been able to get up close to showjumping events with temporary, but attractive, courses set up on the public lawns.Precedence is another Cummings-trained successful galloper who is destined to perform off the track under McIntyres care. The gelding notched two wins in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m) and ran in four Melbourne Cups, with his best result a sixth placing in 2014. A year after retiring from racing, McIntyre is about to embark on the geldings retraining towards a showjumping career.The expansion and willingness of thoroughbred racing participants to progress their retired chargers to showing or dressage has been a boost for the competitive equine industries, too.To be fair, we only used to get the slow ones who didnt make it into our stables but now there are top-line performers like Sirmione coming through, McIntyre said.Equitana Melbourne is being held at the Royal Melbourne Showgrounds until Sunday. The thoroughbreds will take centre stage on Friday and Sunday. Yeezy Boost 350 Fake . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. Yeezy Boost Norge . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. http://www.yeezysnorge.com/yeezy-boost-adidas-sko-outlet.html . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. Yeezy Boost 350 Norge . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Fake Yeezy Norge . Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. BATON ROUGE, La. -- From now on, Florida defensive tackle Cece Jefferson will think of LSUs Tiger Stadium as Swamp West.Its not simply because the Gators were supposed to host LSU this season before Hurricane Matthew blew ashore in October. There was also the matter of all the chatter suggesting Florida had tried to dodge LSU some six weeks ago -- and had used the storm as an excuse.But when time expired on Saturday, the orange-clad Gators were storming the field in euphoria after a dramatic goal-line stand preserved 16-10 triumph over the heavily favored, 16th-ranked Tigers -- and wrapped up Floridas second straight the Southeastern Conference East Division crown.There was a lot of buildup coming into the game, Gators defensive back Quincy Wilson said. The East was in our hands. The whole thing with the little hurricane and they were saying we were scared or whatever. Clearly, we aint scared. We came into their place and handled business.Florida had balked at initial offers to move the game to LSU as Hurricane Matthew approached in early October, or to play at home one or two days after the originally scheduled time. That left the SEC little choice but to postpone the game until both teams could buy out non-league opponents more than a month later. But LSU refused to give up a home game, forcing Florida to travel if it wanted a shot to play for a conference title.The way I look at it, they got what they deserved -- and it should have been worse, Florida coach Jim McElwain said about LSU.There was trash talking during warmups -- and ultimately a pre-game scuffle. Floridas Wilson was in the middle of it.One of their guys was in my way and I bumped into him on purpose to set it off, Wilson said. It gave us a lot of juice. Because, you know, they were disrespecting us and they disrespected us on the field. So just to send a little message that were not just going to take whatever yall trying to do.ddddddddddddWilson found it fitting that the scuffle began among defensive backs from the two teams. Both programs like to boast that they are DBU, because of all the NFL prospects they seem to have annually in their respective defensive backfields.With that in mind, Florida cornerback Jalen Tabor delighted in the fact that Floridas lone touchdown came on a 98-yard passing play from Austin Appleby to Tyrie Cleveland.DBU? Tabor said incredulously, referring to the longest scoring pass LSU has ever allowed in Tiger Stadium. Oh, wow!Several Gators made reference to their 6-0 record at home this season, even thought theyd played only five true home games in the real Swamp.It was also a special moment for veteran Gators who had yet to beat LSU. The Tigers had won the previous three meetings.Its the greatest feeling in the world man, because we just felt disrespected, you feel me? Florida defensive tackle Caleb Brantley said. Like, youre going to come at us and say were scared, when yall didnt want to come to Gainesville? So, you know what Im saying? We just going to come whoop yall in yalls stadium. Straight, like that.Brantley called the raucous celebration that erupted after LSU running back Derrius Guice was stopped inches short of the goal line on the final play one of the best feelings I ever had as a Gator.Someone then asked about another rivalry game notorious for trash talking that is next on the schedule: Floridas visit to Florida State next Saturday.Ill look at Florida State tomorrow, Brantley said. Right now, Im enjoying this.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '