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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia has announced that the purse for the Howden Neom Turf Cup, which has recently been upgraded to Group 1 status, has been doubled to $3m for 2026. The 2,100m invitational race will be the first Group 1 to be staged on turf in Saudi Arabia and takes place on the Saudi Cup card on Saturday, February 14. The meeting has been further enhanced by a 50 per cent increase in prize-money for the 1,800m Listed Tuwaiq Cup, which will now be run for $1m. Entries for the dirt contest close on Monday, February 2. Previous winners of the Howden Neom Turf Cup include Shadwell's subsequent dual Group l winner Mostahdaf, while last year the race was won by Japanese contender Shin Emperor. The post Howden Neom Turf Cup Doubles in Value to $3m 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
Amid an ongoing lengthy hiatus of meetings of the Australian Pattern Committee, the Asian Pattern Committee has taken the unprecedented “temporary measure” of seizing control of the decision-making progress regarding black-type races in the country. A statement released by the Asian Racing Federation on Wednesday read, “The Asian Racing Federation (ARF) advises that, given the exceptional circumstances that exist, the Asian Pattern Committee (APC) will, for the time being, make decisions regarding the status of all black type races in Australia. “This means that the APC will now be responsible for making status change decisions (including upgrades and downgrades) for all Group 1, Group 2, Group 3 and Listed races in Australia. These decisions will be reported to the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee (IRPAC) of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, which will subsequently report any significant decisions to the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers (SITA), prior to publication in the International Cataloguing Standards Book. IRPAC and SITA have been informed of the ARF's decision. “The APC will commence its decision-making for black type races in Australia so that any status changes are determined prior to the start of the 2026/27 Australian racing season.” No formal meeting of the Australian Pattern Committee has taken place for seven years but despite this lack of oversight of Australia's black-type programme, and following the controversial adoption of Australian black-type guidelines by the Racing Australia board, 17 races in New South Wales were given upgrades in October 2024. These upgrades – which included the upgrading The Everest and the All Star Mile to Group 1 level – were not recognised by the Asian Pattern Committee, the coordinating panel for the region in the same way thatBritain's Flat Pattern Committee is governed by the ground rules of the European Pattern Committee. Arion, the southern hemisphere-based provider of pedigree information, also refused to recognise the changes in race status, meaning that they are not reflected on catalogue pages or in stallion pedigree records. The ARF statement continued, “This course of action has been adopted in circumstances where there has not been a properly functioning black-type quality control system in Australia since as far back as 2017/18. While the ARF has been extremely patient and provided significant assistance to try to resolve this matter, it determined that action now had to be taken. “The action to be undertaken by the APC, under the ARF's authority, is intended only as a temporary measure. The ARF's strong preference is that, as a Part I country, Australia establishes a functioning black-type quality control system operating in accordance with the APC Ground Rules in the near future, and for the above arrangements to end. However, absent such resolution, the ARF will consider other actions that it may need to take.” Australia has for now avoided the threat made during a meeting of the APC in Hong Kong last Friday of being downgraded to a Part II country within the Blue Book of the International Cataloguing Standards. Its fellow Part I countries include Britain, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand and the USA. In August, Racing Australia proposed a vote on new black-type guidelines which would involve the status of races being determined merely on “benchmark ratings” but without the oversight of a formal Pattern Committee. This suggestion was described at the time by Hamish Esplin, president of Thoroughbred Breeders NSW, as “nothing short of a complete bastardisation of the Pattern as it has worked in Australia for over 50 years”. He added, “The Pattern is fundamental; it has existed as long as black type has. What the pattern requires is considered thought and subjective analysis, to ensure racing is structured in a way that each part relates to the other. Without that balance, black type risks becoming cannibalised, uneven, or distorted.” The post Asian Pattern Committee Takes Control of Australia’s Black-Type Races 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
Exciting four-year-old Zambardo (NZ) (Belardo) was one of the stories of the spring, progressing from relative obscurity to Group One company in a matter of months. Originally prepared in Ashburton in New Zealand’s South Island, the son of Belardo came from modest beginnings. Sold as a weanling for just $3100 via gavelhouse.com to trainer Emma Wyatt, Zambardo, who raced as Our Martian in New Zealand, was a trial winner and twice placed at Ashburton before he was identified by astute bloodstock agent Phill Cataldo and traded to the stable of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. “He looked like a scruffy weanling when he got down here,” Wyatt recalled. “It was in the winter and he wasn’t much to look at to be fair, but I just liked his breeding, which was what caught my eye.” Zambardo as a weanling Photo: supplied Out of the winning Zabeel mare Zambezi, who in turn is out of triple Group One winner Tall Poppy, Zambardo is a half-brother to Group Two placed stayer Zambezi Warrior. “Time was his friend, and he grew out at my parent’s place,” Wyatt said. “When he had his first proper prep, I thought he was one of the nicest horses I’ve ever sat on. But he was also a real smart arse. When we were getting him ready for the trials he would still try to drop his head and pig root.” Zambardo had just the one trial which he won, but he was still wayward and Wyatt admitted she was hoping to educate him further before his raceday debut. “The trials kept getting cancelled at the time, so we sent him to the races and used it like a trial, and he ran third in both starts before his sale.” Purchased by a syndicate headed by prominent owner Carl Holt, the gelding was re-named Zambardo and joined the Price-Kent stable where he made an inauspicious start. “We bought him, he came across here and no joke, he went in the wind right away and was untrainable,” Kent Jnr told Radio TAB. “The owners were a bit upset about whether we did our due diligence, which we did. But throats are degenerative issues. They get worse over time, and it came out of nowhere. “Because of the lack of oxygen getting into his lungs, he was very hot-tempered. He was untrainable. He used to go sideways. “We did a tie-forward operation, which is probably the lesser of the two main throat ops, and it’s been amazing. He’s a different horse. He can breathe properly, he is super-relaxed, professional, easy to train and clearly the throat is working.” Runner-up on Australian debut in August, Zambardo progressed from a maiden victory on the Pakenham synthetic to win a further three races in succession before stepping steeply in grade to beat all bar Via Sistina in the Gr.1 Champions Stakes (2000m) on the final day of the Flemington carnival. Zambardo netted connections a whopping $540,000 in prize money for that second-placing but has leapt from a 78 rater to 104. “I don’t think is too bad,” Kent Jnr said. “Some people were thinking we might go higher than that because he split Via Sistina (125) and Tom Kitten (114), but they don’t normally punish you too much when you go in off those low ratings. “The track was very heavy which was an unknown, other than we’ve trained a few Belardos now and they all love it. And as Mick says, ‘Kiwis, they’re born in it’.” Kent Jnr drew some parallels with versatile Group One gallopers Mr Brightside and I’m Thunderstruck, who similarly came from modest beginnings in New Zealand. “It’s a remarkable country. I think they have a foal crop of around 2700 and they’ve got a lot of good horses in Australia at the moment,” he said. “Horses like Jimmysstar, Gringotts, Ceowulf and Antino, plus of course Ka Ying Rising, it’s phenomenal really.” Zambardo is still in the spelling paddock, but his trainers are delighted with the way he has continued to furnish. “He had six runs in his first racing campaign with us, culminating in a very heavy track gutsy performance and Group One second to Via Sistina,” Kent Jnr said. “It took a lot out of him and when planning a program for him, the Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) appeared an obvious option. “But I think that race comes around a little too quickly, so doing the right thing by the horse, if he had a normal six to eight week spell, that probably lands him in a Sydney-Queensland campaign. “Depending on how he comes up and what level we want to target, races like the Doomben Cup (Gr.1, 2000m) and the Q22 could suit. “It could be a lovely way to give him the break he deserves but also launch his spring carnival off the back of that, but that is all still to be determined.” Despite the heavy track placing, Kent Jnr is confident Zambardo is a good level horse but he is keen to see him replicate that performance. “He was just winning races so easily, getting to the front and pricking his ears and clocking off,” he said. “Credit to Mick, it was his idea to throw him in the deep end and give him something to properly chase down and gee he was tough. “We didn’t get to the outside of the track like we wanted to and often they just give up but he just kept sticking on. “Possibly a nice handicap might be in his grasp but he has probably got to go and do it again to prove he is a genuine weight-for-age horse, but who is to say he can’t. “We just know how much improvement there is in the horse and he has been going the right way in the spelling paddock. Even Phill Cataldo, who found him, wouldn’t recognise him.” View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The Asian Pattern Committee (APC) has moved to take ownership of the decision-making over the status of black type races in Australia. Coming under the umbrella of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), the APC has declared it has assumed responsibility from Racing Australia for any decisions on the upgrading or downgrading of all Group and Listed races in Australian due to dissatisfaction with the current system. The country’s national racing body, Racing Australia has been dogged by infighting amongst the principal racing authorities about the Pattern and its organisation for several seasons. “The APC will commence its decision-making for black type races in Australia so that any status changes are determined prior to the start of the 2026/27 Australian racing season,” the ARF said in a statement. “This course of action has been adopted in circumstances where there has not been a properly functioning black type quality control system in Australian since as far back as 2017/18. “While the ARF has been extremely patient and provided significant assistance to try to resolve this matter, it determined that action now had to be taken.” The ARF stated this was expected to be a temporary measure taken only until Australia could put in place a black type quality control system that was “in accordance with the APC Ground Rules”. It went on to say that if no resolution was forthcoming “the ARF will consider other actions that it may need to take”. The ARF is a regional body made up of 28 national racing authorities and racing related organisations from Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East and has formal links to the International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. View the full article -
Hearing from other punters now that 5hey are not getting on the bets that they are wanting. The TAB Bookies put up the odds but are not prepared to allow punters on for very much, unless you are a known losing punter or Out The Gate presenters, TAB Entain need to come out and explain why they are not prepared to take wagering at reasonable levels?
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