All Activity

Fresh off a Happy Valley winner just before Christmas, David Eustace is hoping to keep the festive celebrations rolling into Saturday with a strong squad set for the Sha Tin meeting. The British trainer watched Sports Legend record a facile success at the city circuit on Tuesday and after some downtime to enjoy the festive period, his attention now firmly turns to a pair of second-up horses who had luckless debuts. Perhaps his biggest chance of a Saturday winner is Greater Bae, who runs in the...View the full article

Since you are now professing to be an expert on the subject - WHO BENEFITS FROM THIS PROGRAMMING DECISION? If you are so much in the know then reveal ALL!! Or are you just an irrelevant blowhard?

I stuck to my knitting! One bet for me! Vegas Queen! loved seeing the yellow&black $$$ flooding in! I held off and bet! then bet again when she drifted! Nice Mare, well place and ridden! with thanks!

Bit of a reality check today at Ellerslie for NZ racing A journeyman, open class Aussie stayer deals to our best G1 horses Another journeyman horse given no chance runs second in one of our championship finals at $18.60, beaten by yet another journeyman horse 5 horses in a $90K race A lot of other very ordinary horses running around. Other than Well Written the quality of our 3 year olds is poor The rain, obviously that can't be controlled, but it still looked like a place you would not want to be on Boxing Day I could only see one highlight on the day, and that was Well Written and as Yulong own half, after the NZB Kiwi, all future racing will be in Aus

PS @Chief Stipe comments like yours show you are naive of the workings of the industry in NZ & you shouldn't comment. You obviously have no clue how poorly the industry in this country is run. Absolutely delusional!

Promising filly Bobby Mcgee showed she will be a force to be reckoned with against her age-group rivals over the next few months when she bounded home to take out her first victory at stakes level in the Listed NZB Airfreight Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui. The Terry Kennedy-prepared daughter of White Robe Lodge stallion Ancient Spirit had broken her maiden status on her home track two starts ago and followed that up with a tidy run for fifth against the three-year-olds at Invercargill a fortnight ago. Despite that form, she was overlooked in the betting for the Boxing Day feature event on her home track, starting at the generous odds of $18 in the Fixed Odds market dominated by Miss Starlight ($2.50) and Cool Aza Rene ($3.40). The two favourites looked as though they would fulfil those predictions as they set down to fight out the finish after separating themselves from the rest of the field with 150m to run. However, no one had told Bobby Mcgee and rider Rohan Mudhoo who had bided their time in midfield before angling to the middle of the track rounding the home bend. Just as Miss Starlight looked to have beaten off Cool Aza Rene, Boby Mcgee appeared on her outer and with several enormous bounds cruised past to win going away by just on a neck at the post. Kennedy had been confident of a good performance despite the class of the opposition. “She is a really nice filly and her work since the run at Invercargill has been top class,” Kennedy said. “She didn’t have a lot of luck that day and back to her home track gave us confidence she could compete today. “She is a beautiful, big filly who will only get better as she matures and I think the way she finished off today she will get up to 2000m without much fuss.” Kennedy will follow the traditional three-year-old path with the filly but isn’t prepared to overtax her this preparation. “She probably has three more runs left in her before we put her aside for a break,” he said. “She can chase the three-year-old series and I think her last run is likely to be in the Dunedin Guineas (Listed, 1600m) here in late February.” Bred and raced by Craig and Jim Hunter, Bobby Mcgee’s dam is the six-time winner Lucille, who recently produced a full sister to Bobby Mcgee. – View the full article

A brilliant front-running ride from Joe Doyle saw gritty filly Tellum upset the applecart as she downed the favourites in the Gr.2 Hallmark Stud Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The Debbie Sweeney-prepared three-year-old had been thereabouts in her recent racing and with no other runners prepared to set up the pace, it was Doyle and the daughter of Ocean Park who seized the initiative and dictated proceedings. It was obvious that the filly was travelling well on the home corner and when she sneaked away with 300m to run, the members of the Flying Mullet syndicate who own her, began to make their presence felt as the volume levels increased exponentially on-course. Tellum never looked like being caught as she held out the strong late runs of race favourite Lollapalooza, Fleeting Star and Fairy Dream to claim her third career victory and first at stakes level. Sweeney was all smiles after the race and praised her nearly 50-strong ownership group for their support of her and the horse. “This is extra special as she is a tough filly who has shown a lot the whole way through,” Sweeney said. “It is a great team of owners, 47 or 49 of them, and I’m so thankful to them. There are a lot of characters in there and when she won at Te Aroha they were all in the pub at Papamoa and having an absolute blast. “I did say to Joe that she does like to be on pace and I couldn’t believe how easily she was travelling. “I thought we were a massive chance then and I’m just rapt with her. “We will now carry on with her three-year-old campaign after we see how she pulls up” Bred by Waikato Stud, Tellum is out of the Fastnet Rock mare Early Morning Rise, who is a daughter of class racemare Kay’s Awake who was placed on four separate occasions at Group One level. She has now won three of her seven starts and more than $180,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Nerves are a rare feeling for Stephen Marsh on raceday, but he was certainly feeling them at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. The Cambridge horseman was lining up his unbeaten filly Well Written in the Gr.2 Jimmy Schick Shaw’s Auckland Guineas (1400m), and he knew the well-supported filly would be vulnerable fresh-up. The daughter of Written Tycoon has made waves since winning on debut at Ellerslie in September, going on to win the Gr.2 Soliloquy Stakes (1400m) in eye-catching fashion, attracting the attention of plenty of prospective buyers in the process. Yulong Investments subsequently purchased into the filly and she carried their green silks to victory in the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton last month. That performance attracted the attention of NZB Kiwi (1500m) slot holders and a deal was brokered with Entain New Zealand to represent their TAB slot in the $4 million feature. With his filly being the talk of New Zealand racing, Marsh had the weight of expectation on his shoulders heading into Friday’s feature, with punters backing Well Written into $1.30 favouritism, and she didn’t do anything to allay his nerves when she was fractious behind the barriers. However, she loaded away and jumped away well under Matthew Cartwright, who settled his charge in the one-one behind Affirmative Action, while jockey Opie Bosson made a beeline for the front and set the pace throughout. He Who Dares looked full of running at the turn, kicking clear of his rivals, and he was maintaining that advantage. However, with 200m to go, Cartwright pushed the go button on his filly and she started to take chase, firstly reeling in Affirmative Action before grabbing He Who Dares on the line to win buy a short neck. Marsh was understandably a relieved man post-race. “I haven’t felt like that before a race for a long time,” he said. “I have been feeling sick all week about it. We haven’t got her tuned up. I knew today she would be vulnerable. We certainly didn’t want to be coming here and getting beaten. “I am just proud of her and I thought Matt did a great job. I said to him to nurse her until the last little bit, don’t go for her too early, and he did exactly that. “It was a little bit hairy for a bit, but she knows where the line is. I knew with her condition she would probably come to the end of it in that last little bit, hence why I said to Matt to ride her with patience, don’t go early, and he gave her another 10 out of 10 ride. “I think she is one out of the box, she is brilliant. I felt a bit of pressure today, but I am certainly relieved now, and it makes it all worthwhile.” Marsh said it was also an honour to take out a race named after Windsor Park Stud principals Rodney and Gina Schick’s late son. “It is special winning that race, the Jimmy Schick. I know Rod and Gina will be watching at home. It is a very hard time for the family,” Marsh said. “It is pretty special for us. We are all very close in Cambridge and to win that race is great.” Cartwright was also rapt with Well Written’s performance and he is now looking forward to tackling some rich targets aboard her, with the filly heading the TAB’s futures market for both the TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and NZB Kiwi, at $1.40 and $1.90 respectively. “Coming to the last 100m I expected her to kick a little bit better but today is not her grand final,” he said. “She is a little bit underdone but still got the job done. “She is such an exciting filly and she has put her head out when it counts. It is just a privilege to ride her.” View the full article

Does the punters promise 5k limit apply to today's racing or harness racing?

Great ride Rory Hutchings on Kingswood. Take that you sit and sprinters!!!

Caspar Fownes is adamant Lo Rider is primed for a return to the trip of his creditable fourth in the Hong Kong Derby when he tackles Saturday’s Class Two Long Ke Handicap (2,000m). Bidding to add to his two-win championship lead over Mark Newnham, Fownes is full of confidence as Lo Rider bids to add to his first Hong Kong success over 1,650m at Happy Valley in September. The Irish import was unlucky not to strike in his first local campaign last season, notching a close second and a pair of...View the full article

Presumably to know that one would have to be restricted from both codes. You would imagine less would be restricted from gallops though.

Those Telfer horses at Westport have gone like shit.

David Hall is focusing solely on getting his progressive sprinter Magnifique back safe and sound before considering lavish targets as he begins on the comeback trail at Sha Tin on Saturday. The Charm Spirit galloper looked to be a smart operator in the making last season, rattling off three wins from four starts, and he runs in the Class Three Sham Chung Handicap (1,000m). Winning his opening two starts with his head in his chest, Magnifique had excuses when suffering defeat for the first time...View the full article

Seven years since the passing of John Tannehill.

Have said it before New Years eve is not the right date for the Auckland Cup, only 2 southerners nominated, Omakau on Jan 2 is better for southerners, me thinks Auckland Cup should be in March leading up to the slots meeting, Auckland stuffed things up moving in the first place.

White Robe Lodge has announced the death of proven stallion Ghibellines. A son of champion sire Shamardal and the Group One-winning Elusive Quality mare Camarilla, Ghibellines’ racing highlight was his victory in the Gr.2 Todman Stakes (1200m) for trainer Peter Snowden. Retired to stud in 2016, Ghibellines sired Group One winner Smokin’ Romans, last season’s Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (2400m) winner Campaldino and A$1.5 million earner Palmetto among nine stakes winners at a very respectable 4.3 percent stakes winners to runners. View the full article

Question for the galloping punters? Are galloping punters restricted from punting as much as harness punters?. I was told years ago from an employee in Petone that galloping punters werent restricted by the TAB Bookies! There will surely be some that are but is it big numbers or just a few?

Let's hope the forecast is out by about 90 minutes lol

Heavy rain now predicted to arrive at 5pm..

21mm of rain yesterday in Westport according to met service....always pisses me off in current conditions it's only by the hour I think, be nice if it was from midnight, TAB says good track....but for how long?

Maiden Watch: Week of Dec. 15-21View the full article

Are their any horses trained on the coast these days ?

Buller high school right next to race course, remember gazing out the woodwork room right next to 1200m cute for the gallops, the pain of not being allowed a day off school to go, good racing there on both codes, horse called Julloch held track record may have died in a float fire, peligro held 1200m track record 1.12 I think from memory, trained by Kennedy's ikamatu, they had some good horses in their day.Derby street very familiar to me, you'd remember a few good gallopers trained there, taxtale, Gaelic bid, buller bay a chestnut plagued by unsoundness,

I was there nearly every year in the 70's and a few times in the 80's. Had relations that lived across the road in Derby street. Invariably my father had a horse or two racing there from the Hill stable. High Chapparell won the main race one year. Apparently in those days we were related to two thirds of the town. I do remember one year Keithy Powell was way out in front half way up the straight on the rank outsider paying 60's or 90's. The crowd was silent except for one lady in the stand yelling "Go Keithy!!!"