Normally the feedback we get is the same kind you get with a badly placed microphone and some revved-up speakers, but last week's piece regarding International Sale horses, the current quality of Private Purchases and so on did bring some responses from different quarters.
Most interesting was the argument, which we have heard before but is worth wheeling out again, that the sad overall state of tried horse imports has plenty to do with too much involvement of vets in the ... er, vetting process.
The Jockey Club sought to remove a certain amount of responsibility from bloodstock agents and trainers, who may at times have put self-interest in front of the interests of owners (who knew?) and place that responsibility in the hands of vets, although what made them think that group has no self-interest is beyond us.
Beyond a certain point, the stringent examination process actually works against securing talented horses. Sound ones yes, but talented ones are less likely.
As anyone will tell you who has ever done much horse buying, anything from yearlings to tried older horses, the perfectly sound horse is rarely much of an athlete and the effect is certainly magnified when you're looking at horses with racing experience.
The comparison can be drawn with human sports people, who push themselves through comfort and pain barriers and ultimately suffer injuries, which then need to be managed and worked around for careers to continue.
If Rafael Nadal was a racehorse, he would never be allowed into Hong Kong despite his immense talent because he pushes his body so hard that wear-and-tear injuries are inevitable.
This season in Australian racing, the career of champion mare Atlantic Jewel ended due to injury - the third time she had put herself out of action because her heart and muscles were just too powerful for the container. She is one case in many.
The intention of the strict Jockey Club inspection requirements is a good one but the road to hell is paved with good intentions, because vets have self-interest too and never really want to pass horses for fear of some feedback of their own if they later go wrong.
So even the slightest doubt and the scratching pen comes out, greatly narrowing the choice of possible imports, which works against getting quality gallopers instead of the cast-iron scumpers who seem to be turning up these days.
Changes to the rules governing PPs were suggested by more than one reader, including one change that had some resonance: how many PPs turn up with soft- or heavy-track form from some other jurisdiction, only to find it's a bit hard underfoot here where soft tracks happen with the frequency of successful English Ashes campaigns?
The soft ground - and it applies to unraced horses from barrier trials, too - has too often masked some now or future issue with the horse long enough to get him sold here, but how about a clause that demands qualifying wins be on ground no worse than good to yielding?
