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some great Grand Circuit Champion Winners from NZ. Horse after horse doing NZ proud. The Champions of the Sport. don't forget em' boys. Maybe Republican Party can take down the Aussies in 2026 ?. best of luck to him to push em' hard. here's the quiz answers in some great action photo's !! 👍🏆. Remembering the Champs for Christmas. There you go Seven Amazing NZ bred horses in a row , being the Grand Circuit Champions. Such amazing Gait and Action . no wonder they were All the Best in World during their years. n.b the Tasmanian was the double NZ Cup winner Flashing Red. the 2 Queensland Champs were Blacks A Fake ( 2 time Grand circuit Champion for Natalie Rasmussen ) and Be Good Johnny for John McCarthy . the McCarthy family being based in Queensland for many years where the champion drivers Luke and Todd (john's Son's) learned the craft to now be the Best on the Planet . (along with the Dunn and Purdon families) 👍 we are blessed to see such quality in our lifetimes. these horses and Horsemen that trained and drove them are the truly' 'Elite of the Sport' . congrats to good bloke Grant Dixon , joining them as a QLD Grand Circuit champion with LEAP TO FAME past 3 years. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Maiden Watch: Week of Dec. 15-21View the full article -
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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Alessandro Marconi is perhaps best known for sourcing French 2,000 Guineas winner Metropolitan for just €78,000, but did you know that the Italian-born bloodstock agent can drink olive oil as if it were water? We bet you didn't. Marconi is next in the hot seat, where he reveals all of that and more. Enjoy. You are best known as the man who bought Metropolitan for €78,000 but what's the biggest mistake you've made in this business? Selling Facteur Cheval after he won his maiden. I think another mistake has been operating as a solo player rather than a global operator with deeper roots in the Middle Eastern market. If you get labelled too quickly in this game, and the label is wrong, you will struggle to become successful. At times, this can chew you up and spit you out. The key is to recognize your essential use and, despite how competitive the field may seem, work out where you can offer value. How did you become a bloodstock agent in the first place? Out of necessity. I worked with Ahmed Bin Harmash in Dubai for 11 years and that was at a time when building the stable was essential, so working the horses-in-training and breeze-up markets was a core part of the business. From that point of view, I have huge respect and understanding as to how good the younger Irish guys are. Their approach to a sale is very interesting. There is a great group of pinhookers that I would struggle to match because they can buy the foal with the right page that will marry up with market demand in six to nine months and, usually, make four or five times their investment. Then the breeze-up men and women are on a whole new level. I find that fascinating and believe that this generation is extremely sharp. What was your defining memory of 2025? This year was a rollercoaster that I am still dealing with. Tell us something people don't know about Alessandro Marconi…. I can drink olive oil as if it were water! Also, I love Formula 1. One other thing, I live my life by the mantra that tomorrow is another day. Therefore, if I can help somebody, I will. What keeps you awake at night? Watching races in America! Or else slow clients. I deal with some clients who must have memory problems because it takes them a while to pay their invoices! What motivates you? My Family. Give us an underrated sire to keep the right side of next year… I give Baaeed a big chance. He was a top-class racehorse and I liked his yearlings. I think he will do well. Also, in America, I like McKinzie. In Ireland, Make Believe is another stallion who consistently comes up with nice horses. Biggest regret? To this day, not buying Zaaki still haunts me. But I believe in fate so maybe it wasn't for me. More realistically, I regret not building a proper team of owners and horses by now. Your favourite sale/place and why? For holidays, it has to be Sardinia but for business, the Gold Coast in Australia. I think that will be the next stop for me. It seems to be a lucky charm for a lot of bloodstock agents. What's your go-to karaoke song? That's an easy one. Nessun Dorma, by Luciano Pavarotti. Who is your inspiration? Enzo Ferrari. He was a great breeder and was able to train his own horses well. A few people in Ireland, Yorkshire and even France have managed to emulate him. How do you want to be remembered? As one hell of an agent who managed to pull a little horse out of nowhere that would go on to win big races on the racetrack. That would be nice. The post In The Hot Seat: Alessandro Marconi appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Despite efforts dating back to May, negotiations around an annual purses and race dates agreement between the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (FHBPA) and Gulfstream Park remain at an impasse. The current horsemen's agreement expires Dec. 31. This agreement is a federal requirement for a racetrack to conduct live racing and simulcast its signal nationwide. Gulfstream Park, owned by The Stronach Group (TSG), is statutorily required to conduct a minimum of 40-days live racing to operate its casino. Without a horsemen's agreement, Gulfstream Park would still be able to conduct live racing—and presumably by extension, its casino—but it wouldn't be able to export its signal out of state. Efforts Tuesday to reach representatives from both the FHBPA and Gulfstream Park were unsuccessful. The TDN, however, obtained a copy of a rough transcript from a November 19 FHBPA meeting at which the status of the horsemen's agreement negotiations was front and center. Key sticking points in these negotiations include a multi-million dollar purse account overpayment, the length of the contract and number of race-days. In the crosshairs of this purse overpayment appears to be Florida's current summer racing program, which according to this transcript the FHBPA is fighting to maintain against efforts to scale it back. At the same time, Gulfstream Park's corporate leadership has also demanded that Florida horsemen provide a financial “backstop” to support the track's operational budget, according to the transcript. This is something the FHBPA has so far reportedly rejected on the grounds that they believe the track's racing operations are already profitable, according to two sources. Gulfstream Park receives considerable financial support from the state. Earlier this year, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a budget package that included $15 million annually for purses and facility maintenance for Gulfstream Park alone. On top of that, Gulfstream Park also gets $6 million from the state to be used as purses and purses supplements specifically for Florida-bred and sired horses. Gulfstream Park is also exempt from having to pay its $2 million annual slot machine licensing fee. These negotiations are playing out against a contentious battle between Gulfstream Park's corporate owners and the state racing industry's stakeholders. Efforts by Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs to decouple the live racing requirement to operate their respective casino and card rooms were ultimately thwarted in the state legislature. In August, Gulfstream Park filed a lawsuit suing the Florida Gaming Control Commission over the decoupling requirement. The commission subsequently asked the Florida state court to dismiss the lawsuit. A new decoupling bill was introduced Tuesday, meaning the fight will spill over into the latest legislative session in Tallahassee. The post Purse Overpayment, Financial “Backstop” Demands And Race-Days Hamstring Horsemen’s Agreement Negotiations appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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