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The Shadai Race Horse Company, which owns Masquerade Ball (Duramente) and Jantar Mantar (Palace Malice), has confirmed that neither horse will travel from Japan to the Dubai World Cup meeting, citing the uncertainty surrounding the conflict in Iran and across the Middle East. According to a report on the Nikkan Sports website, the stakeholders of the racing club reached their decision “based on the ongoing uncertainty regarding the smooth transportation to Dubai and the difficulty of ensuring the safety of horses and riders due to the lack of a clear end to the conflict.” Masquerade Ball, who was last seen running a close second in the G1 Japan Cup, had been due for a rematch with the winner Calandagan in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, while four-time Group 1-winning miler Janta Mantar was set to run in the G1 Dubai Turf. The four-year-old Masquerade Ball, who won last year's G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) after finishing runner-up to Croix Du Nord in the G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), is likely now to be rerouted to the G1 Osaka Hai at Hanshin on April 5. A trip to Hong Kong is under consideration for five-year-old Jantar Mantar, who holds an entry for the G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin, Hong Kong on April 26. TDN's Bill Finley yesterday spoke to a number of American connections with runners planned to travel to Dubai, with most adopting a wait-and-see approach. Trainer Jose D'Angelo, who has Bentornato (Valiant Minister) entered for the GI Dubai Golden Shaheen, said, “We are still planning to go. Everything is set up to go. We have talked to the people in Dubai there and they say that everything is good to go. “Of course, I am worried about it. This is not normal. We see from here on television everything that is going on. But, hopefully, in two weeks the situation will be better.” Racing in Qatar has been postponed this week but, at the time of writing, the Dubai Racing Club was still planning to stage its meeting on Friday, while the Bahrain Turf Club's two-day King's Cup meeting is still intended to go ahead on Thursday and Friday. The post Masquerade Ball and Jantar Mantar Ruled Out Of Trip To Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Latest appointment for Trustee NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE Appointment of a Trustee of the Riccarton Racecourse Recreation Reserve Under section 70(2) of the Reserves Act 1977, the undersigned, Department of Conservation appoints Rodger John Finlay, Director of Christchurch to be a trustee of the Riccarton Racecourse Recreation Reserve in the place of Gordon Hamish Fulton (resigned). Dated at Christchurch this 13th day of October 2025. Signed by ANDY THOMPSON, Operations Manager, Mahaanui/Sockburn District. (DOC R290220) 2025-go5842 15-10-2025 09:02

I may need to be corrected but I thought the land was under the control of the "CHRISTCHURCH RACECOURSE RESERVE TRUSTEES" Below from when the land was sold after earthquakes and change in ACT by Parliament. Maybe your focus should be getting some "new blood' into the place !!!! The partnership seeking to develop land at Riccarton Park Racecourse welcomes Government efforts to reduce red tape. In an announcement earlier today, Building and Housing Minister Dr Nick Smith said the government will introduce special legislation which will pave the way for the Joint Venture between the Trustees that govern Riccarton Park Racecourse and Ngāi Tahu Property to develop areas of land on the edge of the racecourse ready for around 600 new homes. Minister Smith also confirmed first home buyers will have an opportunity to invest via the government’s KiwiSaver HomeStart initiative. The Riccarton Park Racecourse land is currently bound by two Reserves Acts and requires zoning changes. Ngāi Tahu Property Chief Executive Tony Sewell says getting the land ready for development would have otherwise been very slow going. "As any developer in Christchurch knows, the margins we work within are unforgiving. Timing is critical when it comes to being able to deliver sections to market in the post-earthquake economic environment." Christchurch Racecourse Reserve Trust Chairman Peter Cordner says the Riccarton Park Racecourse site will remain unaffected, as well as the 1,200 m chute and the training stables on the Yaldhurst Road boundary. This project has been the result of countless hours of planning by both the Trustees and the Canterbury Jockey Club and I believe the very best interests of racing are at its heart. "The ability to free up some land for development will generate capital and a regular income which will benefit racing, the Riccarton Park Racecourse, the Canterbury Jockey Club and the wider Canterbury economy." Tony Sewell says he is encouraged by the pragmatic approach taken by all the parties involved. "As well as bringing developed land to the Christchurch housing market, the timely progression of the Riccarton Park Racecourse development will bring benefits to multiple communities". Background Ngāi Tahu Property Limited is a specialist in property investment, development and rural land ownership. The company is a subsidiary of Ngāi Tahu Holdings – the investment company for the tribe. Ngāi Tahu Property also manages the tribes Right of First Refusal. (As part of the settlement of the Ngāi Tahu Claim, Ngāi Tahu negotiated a Right of First Refusal on Crown land to be sold or made surplus within the Ngāi Tahu rohe (region/area), with a view to rebuilding the tribe’s economic base.) Ngāi Tahu Property will purchase its share of the Riccarton Park Racecourse land in a 50:50 joint venture with Christchurch Racecourse Reserve Trust. On behalf of the Joint Venture, Ngāi Tahu Property will develop the land for residential use which will bring much needed land to the Christchurch housing market. The Riccarton Park Racecourse is currently vested in The Trustees of the Christchurch Racecourse as a racecourse reserve under the Reserves Act 1977 (RA) and the Christchurch Racecourse Reserve Act 1878 (CRRA). The Christchurch Racecourse Reserve Trustees are obligated under law to manage the Reserve in the best interests of racing. The Trustees lease most of the Reserve land to the Canterbury Jockey Club (CJC) for the purpose of the racecourse known as Riccarton Park Racecourse. More than five years ago The Trustees and the CJC identified areas of the Reserve which had the potential to generate an income greater than the Trustees could otherwise achieve. The capital from the development would be retained and managed by the Trustees to provide an annual annuity to be made available to racing at Riccarton Park and the maintenance of the Reserve . The land earmarked for development is approximately 38 hectares of more than 121 hectares next to Yaldhurst Road, in the Sockburn and Broomfield areas of North-West Christchurch. The enactment of special legislation for The Trustees and CJC will mean the club can remain competitive with other clubs in New Zealand who have the ability to develop their freehold properties, unencumbered.

Chief might put up a ticket to the 'Night of Champions' champion. but he might not either 😎🏆

SLOT 1 / The Grimson Slot R1 Nerano , R2 ShowMeTheTanLines , R3 Calzaghe, R4 Zeus Lightning, R5 Hi MaNameIsJeff and Catch A Dream R6/ Rakero Rocket and Swayzee , R7 Captain's Mistress SLOT 2 / The Luke McCarthy Slot R1 Captain Bellasario, R2 Eye Need That, R3 Maxo Mighty, R4 Emporer, R5 Don Hugo R6 Eye Keep Smiling and Kingman R7 Hesitate SLOT 3 / The New Zealander Slot R1 Kingmaker and Classic Mission, R2 ShowMeTheTanLines , R3 nil , R4 Zeus Lightning and Fugitive , R5 BetterThanCash and Chase A Dream, R6 Rakero Rocket and Pinseeker, R7 Captains Mistress and Miki B SLOT 4 / The Queenslander Slot R1 and R2 nil, R3 Fire and Passion, R4 Move It Lou, R5 Speak The Truth and Leap To Fame and CheersTo Lou R6 The Janitor, R7 Franco Nel and Final Deadline. Gammalite will race this slot . SLOT 5 / The Last Start Winner 'Roughie' Slot R1 I Break the Line and Captain Bellasario R2 Soho Trump, R3 Usyk and Yottie R4 Emporer, R5 Captains Knock R6 Pinseeker and Swayzee R7 Double Lou and Hesitate Quite a few great horse to choose from . Good luck to your team if you pick one 🏆💪. the Previous contest the Interdominion BOAY Draft was won by The Galah by a nose (1 pt) , blousing the late TABman right at the line. Post your Slot nomination here anytime. first in Best dressed.

Slot 1 Wadd’d I win? 😎

Everyone loves a good Slot race , and with some great racing Saturday night with the Derby Heats and Miracle Mile Quaifiiers on at Menangle we have 5 Slots up for grabs for a BOAY slot race winner. Races 1-7 . Trying to support the majority of these great runners SLOT 1/ The Grim Slot. The Jason Grimson trained runners in the first 7 races Menangle culminating with Captain's Mistress in the Chariots of Fire. SLOT 2/ The McCarthy Slot .. Australia's leading horseman with 8 runners training or driving in the slot events SLOT 3/ The NZ bred NZ Winners Slot .. These great horses ALL won a race in NZ at some stage of their career. Can they win Menangle too? SLOT 4/ The Queensland trained Sunshine State Slot... The runners trained in QLD in first 7 races at Menangle. SLOT 5/ The LAST Start Winners Roughie Slot. All these horses won their last starts and are a good chance again to cause some upsets. Horse names running in each BOAY Slot will be up shortly in the next post . They will score points from finishing position in their races. Gammalite will take Slot 4 . Post your preferred SLOT number on thread here . and see if you can beat the other 4 slot holders home. results up after each race Saturday night .

Smart four-year-old Linebacker (NZ) (Super Seth) will contest the Gr.1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) fresh-up on Saturday, in a campaign focused on Doncaster redemption. The John O’Shea and Tom Charlton-trained gelding was luckless in the Gr.1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) last year when eighth and steps straight into elite-level company on Saturday when resuming. “He couldn’t be going any better,” O’Shea said. “He is always a bit suspect first-up, particularly at that level. But I have never run him first-up at 1300m since his first start in a race. “1300m is a good trip for him. He won the Silver Eagle at that track and trip last season and did a great job. “He obviously has improvement in him with whatever he does on Saturday, but with the strength of his trials and the manner in which he has worked, he will run very well.” Linebacker is on the fourth line of betting at $9 in a field headed by Cambridge Stud’s star sprinter Joliestar (Zoustar) ($2.50), her Chris Waller stablemate Lady Shenandoah (Snitzel) ($4.60) and high-class galloper Gringotts (NZ) (Per Incanto) ($8). A son of Super Seth, Linebacker has been allocated 53kgs in the A$4 million Doncaster which is run at Randwick on April 4. “Linebacker is a Group One winner at set weights and he is getting in six kilos under the scale,” O’Shea said. “We are very happy with how he is weighted. We are hoping to absolve the sins of last year, when he was frightfully unlucky in the race.” View the full article

The career of Pride Of Jenni (Pride Of Dubai) was at the crossroads 18 months ago but at Flemington on Saturday she can become the first two-time winner of the All-Star Mile. Pride Of Jenni suffered a bleeding attack when finishing last in the Champions Mile at Flemington in November 2024 prompting owner Tony Ottobre to announce her retirement. The now eight-year-old returned the following March to win first-up over 1800m and Pride Of Jenni gathered another three wins through 2025 including the Group 1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) during Melbourne Cup week, the race she won in 2023 that showcased her ‘catch me if you can’ style under Declan Bates. Trainer Ciaron Maher said Pride Of Jenni was in terrific order as she prepares for her latest racetrack return in the Group 1 All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday. “I’m rapt with the way she has progressed through the prep,” Maher said. “Tony kept her active when she was down at his property and she came here in really good order and she will strip pretty close to her ideal race weight. “She’s amazing how evergreen she is. Her endeavour, her action, her whole demeanour. “Dec sat on her on Monday and said she wanted to rip from the 600 metres. He doesn’t say a lot, but when he’s saying that you know you’re pretty close to the mark.” Maher said he has confidence in Pride Of Jenni running well first-up on Saturday, especially as her recent preparations have been centered around running over 1600m and further when resuming. He said to make the comeback after her racing days appeared over and to be aiming at a second All-Star Mile was a remarkable achievement. “She’s unbelievable,” Maher said. “Even what she did in the spring. She continues to surprise with her longevity, her endeavour, her will that she has. “The team have done a super job with her and continue to do that, and Tony and his team need to take a fair bit of credit as well. “She seems as good as ever.” Pride Of Jenni has 10 opponents on Saturday including last year’s winner Tom Kitten (Harry Angel), Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) , Antino (NZ) (Redwood) and Treasurethe Moment (Alabama Express). View the full article

War Machine (NZ) (Harry Angel) will chase a second Group 1 win when he lines up in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. A field of 15 is set to do battle down the famous Flemington straight six in the Newmarket Handicap. In what was a ‘who will be there and who won’t’ discussion in the days leading up to Wednesday’s acceptances, the highly rated three-year-old Tentyris (Street Boss) is among the 15 chasing Group 1 glory and joins an honour roll that dates back to 1874. Tentyris will be looking to add his name to previous three-year-old modern-day winners that includes Placid Ark (1987), Schillaci (1992), Exceed And Excel (2004), Weekend Hussler (2008), Brazen Beau (2015), Bivouac (2020) and Cylinder (2024). But with 57kg, Tentyris will need to equal the weight carrying record for a three-year-old set by Ajax back in 1938. Tentyris has raced up the Flemington straight on four occasions and was breathtaking in his past two victories, taking the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) in the spring and in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at his return on February 14. Mark Zahra gets back aboard on Saturday after Damian Lane steered him to victory last time and the pair will jump from barrier12. Looking to stop the winning record of Tentyris down the Flemington straight will be the Lindsay Park team of Ben, Will and J D Hayes. Lindsay Park is chasing its first Newmarket success since Redkirk Warrior went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018. A lot has changed at Lindsay Park since then when David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig were at the helm. The Hayes brothers will be represented by War Machine on Saturday who will jump from barrier 11 with Jamie Mott back in the saddle. Mott partnered War Machine when successful at his first outing for Lindsay Park at Caulfield in May before the galloper headed to Brisbane to win the BRC Sprint and Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. War Machine has not raced since finishing third as a $1.30 favourite in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Pakenham on January 23. But the sprinter has had two jump-outs since, finishing third behind Wodeton (Wootton Bassett) in his most recent at Flemington last Friday. Ben Hayes said the team was happy with the progression War Machine had made since being freshened after the Pakenham performance. “He’s spot on and will bounce back,” Hayes said. “We were really happy with his jump-out and I thought he was great through the line. “He didn’t handle the night meeting, and it was a very firm track that night and he jarred up, but he seems right back on track now.” View the full article

Mark Baker might be off trainer Mitch Freedman’s Christmas card list this year after the Hallmark Stud principal drew the outside gate for his gelding Asakura (Churchill) at the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) barrier draw at Karaka on Tuesday night. “We will cross out Hallmark Stud going forward,” Freedman quipped. “You can’t do anything about those barrier draws. “He has got gate speed and a little bit of versatility for a lightly raced horse. We will just work through some options there and communicate with Dean (Yendall, jockey) about what we think is the best way of tackling it.” Asakura is the only Australian raider in this year’s NZB Kiwi, which will take place at Ellerslie on Saturday, and despite getting the visitor’s draw, Freedman is pleased with his charge heading into the race, having finished runner-up in the Gr.3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at Flemington last month after winning his two previous starts this preparation. “The horse is in great shape,” Freedman said. “I think he was still coming to his top going to the CS Hayes, so we thought there was a bit of improvement to come. We think he has taken some improvement and we are looking forward to getting over there and testing him out. I haven’t raced a horse over there, so I am looking forward to that as well.” Bred by Jomara Bloodstock, Asakura is by Churchill and out of winning So You Think mare Sasanqua (NZ). He was offered through Hallmark Stud’s 2024 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where he was bought by Freedman for $140,000. Jomara Bloodstock, operated by siblings John, Mark and Rachael Carter, retained a share in the gelding, and John, who is part of NZB Kiwi slot holder partnership ‘The King’s Men’, first bridged the idea of targeting the NZB Kiwi following his debut win in January. “Mark Carter, who is in the horse, is in a syndicate that owns another slot,” Freedman said. “He raised it (idea of running in the NZB Kiwi) after he won his maiden at Terang, and we just said we would have to take it race by race and see how it all played out because he was still an immature horse and we weren’t sure how he would go through the preparation.” While The King’s Men elected to go with Belle Cheval (NZ) (Savabeel), Asakura continued to progress and attracted the attention of other slot holders following his next two starts. “Every time we have taken him to the races he has bounced out of it and he has just improved into the prep, and that is why we ended up going down the (NZB Kiwi) path,” Freedman said. Kerri Spence Bloodstock and Clotworthy Racing and fellow slot holder Ozzie Kheir made plays to secure his services for the race, and his owners ultimately decided to go with the latter. “He ended up with a few slot holders chasing him and the owners decided which one they thought was the best suit for them,” Freedman said. Asakura will fly to New Zealand tonight (Wednesday), and Freedman is looking forward to tackling the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race with him on Saturday. “He travels over this (Wednesday) evening and we will meet him at Pukekohe in the morning,” Freedman said. “He has got to settle in and eat and drink, and we won’t be doing too much work with him that’s for sure. “We are looking forward to it. It (prizemoney) was a major part of why we made the decision (to contest the NZB Kiwi). He is a gelding, so we decided to chase the prizemoney, and the owners were happy to go along for it. “He is in there bringing the right form lines and I am sure he is going to be competitive” Asakura is on the fourth line of betting for the NZB Kiwi at $19, in a market dominated by unbeaten Group One-winning filly Well Written (Written Tycoon) ($1.20). View the full article

Last year’s Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) hero Willydoit (NZ) (Tarzino) is returning home. The son of Tarzino was a standout three-year-old last term for trainers Shaun and Emma Clotworthy, winning four of his six starts, including the New Zealand Derby. MyRacehorse Australia bought 50 percent of the gelding mid-season, with the Clotworthys and Bryan Black retaining the remainder of the ownership. He crossed the Tasman to run fourth in the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) before joining the stable of leading Australian trainer Ciaron Maher, for whom he has had five unplaced runs, and the decision was made to bring him back to New Zealand and return to his initial trainers after he finished last in the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington last Saturday. “I was talking with Ben (Willis) from MyRacehorse Australia after his last run in the Blamey Stakes,” Shaun Clotworthy said. “He just hasn’t come up this time, which often four-year-olds don’t come up after their three-year-old year. “Ciaron has done a great job with him over there and he has really matured into a professional horse in their big operation. “We decided to step back a little bit and bring him back to New Zealand and give him some lush grass and look after him for three or four months and then we will reassess after that.” Willydoit won the New Zealand Derby on Champions Day last year and Clotworthy is hoping he can continue his great run at the meeting on Saturday where his NZB Kiwi slot, Kerry Spence Bloodstock and Clotworthy Racing, will be represented in the $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) by the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained To Bravery Born (Snitzel). The son of Snitzel will jump from barrier five with Rory Hutchings aboard and is currently an 81-1 shot with TAB bookmakers. “He is a good horse, he has been to Ellerslie a couple of times and he is from the right stable,” Clotworthy said. View the full article

Well-travelled horseman Henry Dwyer will bid for further overseas honours with a two-pronged attack on Champions’ Day this weekend. The Ballarat trainer has forsaken Australian opportunities with imports Paradise Storm (Masked Marvel) and Cote Atlantique (Kodiac) in favour of riches at opposing ends of the distance scale on offer at Ellerslie on Saturday. The French-bred Paradise Storm will take aim at the Gr.2 Trackside Auckland Cup (3200m) while Irish native Cote Atlantique will tackle the Gr.3 Haunui Farm King’s Plate (1200m), with the duo to arrive on Thursday morning. Dwyer has already savoured top level success on the international stage through the sprinting deeds of his outstanding mare Asfoora (Flying Artie), Group One winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye (1000m), Royal Ascot King Charles III Stakes (1000m) and Nunthorpe Stakes (1000m). Now, he has been lured across the Tasman with OTI Racing’s Paradise Storm and Cote Atlantique, who races in the colours of Seymour Bloodstock. “We were going to go to the Adelaide Cup (Gr.2, 3200m) with Paradise Storm and we pivoted a bit when we saw the prizemoney over there (Ellerslie),” Dwyer said. “It’s easy enough to get over and when we decided to send one, we decided we might as well send two.” Paradise Storm won three times in France up to 2400m before his arrival in Australia where he has added two further victories to his record. “We got him out to 2400m last preparation and always thought he would be a two-miler, so the Adelaide Cup came into play,” Dwyer said. “It’s on the same weekend and there’s more money in New Zealand and in fairness it looks a more winnable race, so it’s the better option. “It takes eight hours to get to Adelaide and takes two hours to the airport and three hours on a plane to Auckland and then on to Cambridge, so it’s a similar trip.” At his most recent outing, the five-year-old turned in a satisfactory performance when seventh over 2500m. “He ran pretty well at Flemington last time in a leader dominated race and with the slow tempo he got home well late,” Dwyer said. “Obviously, the extra 700m will suit him and it looks a good race for him. “He can get a little keen, so we’d want tempo in the race and we’ll take the blinkers off him stepping up in trip.” Joe Doyle will ride Paradise Storm, a son of Masked Marvel and Limmos who was successful up to 3000m, while Dean Yendall is booked for stablemate Cote Atlantique. The son of Kodiac was a dual stakeswinner in Ireland and France before joining Dwyer and has subsequently added the Listed Seymour Cup (1600m) to his record. “Dean is coming over to ride Mitch Freedman’s horse (Asakura (NZ) (Churchill)) in The Kiwi so we’re happy to have him,” he said. Cote Atlantique hasn’t raced since he finished third in the Listed Sale Cup (1600m) to close out his spring campaign and, following a break, was a trial winner last month on his home track. “He will be first-up and was going to go for a race in Sydney this weekend, but again it’s just as easy to go to New Zealand,” Dwyer said. “He’s probably a mile to 1800m horse, but he’s nice and fresh and can run a race over six furlongs.” View the full article

Bob Baffert will saddle multi-million-dollar purchases Brant and Potente in the 1 1/16-mile stakes, which offers 50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner.View the full article

Hawthorne Racecourse, Illinois, horsemen hear encouragement but see no final action at a first hearing on the track's bankruptcy petition.View the full article

A grade 1 winner in 2025, Lovesick Blues is currently in Dubai preparing for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1).View the full article

Westwood won the recent San Pasqual for the late John Shirreffs, and Vodka Vodka could give trainer Aggie Ordonez, also the trainer of Beholder Mile entrant Om N Joy, a big day.View the full article

The Jockey Club of Canada's Graded Stakes Committee held its annual review of the graded and listed stakes races in Canada and the number of higher level races will remain at 41, according to a press release late on Tuesday from the Jockey Club of Canada. The Committee reviewed the North American Race Committee (NARC) figures for all graded, listed and potentially listed races in Canada. Based on the data, the committee determined that the GIII British Columbia Derby will be downgraded to listed status and the early October running at Woodbine of the bet365 Algonquin Stakes for 2-year-olds on the turf will be upgraded to a Grade III. Additionally, the Century Casino Oaks, King Corrie Stakes, Niagara Stakes and Thorncliffe Stakes will all be upgraded to listed status. The Graded Stakes Committee meeting was conducted by Chair Ross McKague, who was joined by appointed members David Anderson, Jim Bannon, Jeff Begg, Catherine Day Phillips, Bernard McCormack and The Jockey Club of Canada's Chief Steward Chief Stipe Anderson. Also attending were racetrack representatives Allen Goodsell, Teagan Goodsell and Mike Vanin from Alberta. McKague represented Manitoba, and Julia Bell & Scott Lane stood for Ontario. The post Review Of Canada’s Graded Stakes Stands Pat At 41 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Another strange quirk in the programming in Southland, Wyndham and Winton Cups rating 55 to rating 90, why not all in, going to be off at least 40m so why a restriction, these are cup races, imagine having a rating93 trained in Southland, seems a bit odd to me.

On May 22, the HISA Board of Directors will take a vote that could result in the ban of Lasix in all races. Any decision made by the Board, whether to keep the rules as they are, or to enact a full ban, must be unanimous. In response, five trainers and Eric Hamelback, the CEO of the National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, signed a letter imploring HISA to continue to allow the use of the medication in most races. Trainer Ron Moquett was among those signing the letter. To talk about what is a divisive issue for the industry and his personal feelings that there should not be a full ban of Lasix, Moquett appeared on this week's edition of the TDN Writers' Room Podcast presented by Keeneland. He was the Gainesway Guest of the Week. Moquett said that the use of Lasix is something that is beneficial to the horse and something that, if taken away, would leave trainers without a valuable tool. “I think the definition of a horseman is to do right by your horse and to take every possibility to minimize the risk of anything bad happening,” he said. “Every day, every morning, the horsemen that I know, they make sure that all the snaps are closed on the gates. They make sure that the nails are pushed in the stall so that there's no shot that a horse would scratch it. We're constantly trying to minimize the risk of anything bad happening to a horse. That's our whole job. Training Horses 101–take care of your horse, do everything in your power to minimize the risk of something bad happening. Lasix falls into that category. I'm not out here asking for race-day medications such as pain-maskers, performance-enhancers, or steroids or any of that business. I'm asking for some people to use common sense. There's been a smear campaign on Lasix. You see people calling it doping. You see people calling it performance-enhancing. It's not any of that. It's just something we can use to help with the problem of horses bleeding.” Under current HISA rules, horses are not permitted to use Lasix in two-year-old races or in stakes races. Moquett said he had no problem keeping those regulations in place. “The current model that we have, everybody has basically agreed that it's fine,” he said. “I like the fact that 2-year-olds don't have it. I'm okay with the fact that graded stakes horses don't have it. But with the day-to-day horses that are competing, it's a safety tool that ought to be used.” It was pointed out to Moquett that when HISA banned Lasix in the stakes and juvenile races there was an outcry, with many people casting a dire picture that included horses bleeding frequently and openly in races. Most people agree that never happened. When asked why the situation would be any different if there were a full ban, this was his reply: “First and foremost, I would say that just because you haven't seen (horses bleed) in those races doesn't necessarily mean it hasn't happened. It's the same reason I put on a seatbelt. That's to be careful and take the necessary precautions. I don't want my horse to ever experience bleeding. I don't. This is something that can minimize the risk of something bad happening to a horse.” He was also asked why European racing, as well as racing in most of the rest of the world, seems to do fine without the use of Lasix. “I always like to steer away from comparisons,” he said. “But things are different here. First off, at Churchill Downs and at Oaklawn, there are no green pastures. There are no trees. We lovingly call Churchill 'Riker's Island' because it's just concrete pavement everywhere. That's not the case in Europe. We have long meets. They don't. It's just not the same. There's more turf racing there, where you just gallop around and sprint home for the most part. It's not like here, where there is more dirt racing and speed is the name of the game. It's always laughable to me whenever they compare racing here versus racing in Europe.” The “Fastest Horse of the Week” was Knightsbridge (Nyquist), who got a 112 Beyer figure in his romp in the GIII Gulfstream Park Mile. The Fastest Horse of the Week segment is sponsored by WinStar, which stands the sire Heartland. Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by the PHBA, 1/ST TV, and West Point Thoroughbreds, Randy Moss, Bill Finley, and Zoe Cadman took a look back at last week's preps for the GI Kentucky Derby. Though he finished second, the team was very high on the performance of Chief Wallabee (Constitution) in the GII Fountain of Youth and predicted he will only get better. The trio delved into the story of Hawthorne declaring bankruptcy, and what it means for the future of racing in Chicago. The podcast wrapped up with a preview of this Saturday's two Derby preps, the GIII Tampa Bay Derby and the GII San Felipe Stakes. To watch the video version of the podcast, click here. To listen to the audio, click here. The post To Discuss Potential Ban Of Lasix, Moquett Joins The TDN Writers’ Room Presented By Keeneland appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

It is a fix duty (type of tax). The point I was making was the TAB never paid company tax on its profits. Compare that with Sky City Casino which pays a minimum of 18% GST and gaming duty BEFORE tax on company profits.

How ridiculous of course it was a tax. Duty is a tax like a car is a vehicle.

As part of his official duties, Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Dean Rothemeier was attending the races Saturday at Meydan in Dubai at the same time that drone and missile attacks launched by Iran were hitting nearby. While he said he never felt unsafe, he noted that his biggest worry was, with the Dubai International Airport having been shuttered, how he was going to make it back home? But after a long, complicated journey, he had made it to Amsterdam on Tuesday and was expecting to land at the Cincinnati airport Wednesday evening, four days after he was nearly trapped in Dubai. “When I get home, I probably won't know what end is up,” Rothemeier said by phone Tuesday from Amsterdam. “I'm just happy to be that much closer to home.” He said that attending the Emirates Super Saturday card was an experience he will never forget. “It was pretty surreal,” he said. “I've been to a few Super Saturdays at Meydan and the crowd is always big and very lively. This crowd was as big as I've ever seen it and the racing was great. But everyone was asking 'What is going on?' We heard big bangs and booms and saw the drones and missiles being intercepted. Despite all that, it was pretty much business as usual. When Sheikh Mohammed showed up at the races, that gave everyone a lot more confidence that everything was going to be OK.” “Yes, it got to be a little nerve-wracking. I would have felt safe remaining in Dubai. But there were no flights going out. It was more of a logistical challenge.” Rothemeier was scheduled to attend the races at Jebel Ali Racecourse in the Jebel Ali District of Dubai on Sunday, the day after the main attacks. Keeneland is a major, long-standing sponsor at that track. But racing was canceled there because of the war, which meant that Rothemeier could head home…if only there were a way to get there. He helped gather a group that also included Keeneland colleague Ed Prosser, Arqana's Ludovic Cornuel and bloodstock agent Alessandro Marconi. The group made a connection with Mohammed Al-Saadi, a horse owner based in Oman. It was Al-Saadi who arranged the “great escape.” “After racing was canceled at Jebel Ali, the airport in Dubai was still closed,” Rothemeier said. “Our best option was to get to Muscat in Oman. The owner from Oman managed to get us a ride across the border. He sent a car to pick us up and get us to the airport. He was so gracious. He even had us over to his house.” With Muscat International Airport operating, the group was able to move on. They went separate ways, some going to Munich, others to Paris, all with the same goal in mind, to get on a flight to take them home. “Right now, everybody is back in Europe, so it all worked out,” Rothemeier said. “Everyone at Keeneland, including Tony Lacy and Shannon Arvin, was very supportive and they all worked to find options to get us out of there. We all got very familiar with every flight-booking website there is.” Though Rothemeier's journey was a long and arduous one, it could have been worse. The original plan was to return through Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. A day earlier, two drones struck the embassy compound there. As of Tuesday, the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh was not fully shut down, but was experiencing massive disruptions. The post It Wasn’t Easy, But Keeneland’s Rothemeier Is On His Way Back To Kentucky appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Interesting comment which raises an interesting question. If you take all clubs in combination, would there be a net taxable profit and therefore any return to government and the taxpayer? I would doubt it.

And it is no longer. The taxpayer has given that back too with some help from Winnie.