Funny Yarns

Sure it does but if your horse is aiming for a BM65 or even a maiden does the extra cost to travel to Hawera instead of Woodville really matter?  Some owners gain some lose.  Swings and roundabouts.   The point is everyone is looking for flexibility in shifting meetings to avoid abandoments and when NZTR is proactive in doing so you all still complain!

That cost pales when you can't get a start!  Or as happened to my mate two away trips to see their horse race and two abandonments in three weeks.  Abandoned one week then raced two days later at a different location.  Then two weeks later race abandoned and two days later racing in a different location again! Add to the cost of the duplicate float trips there was travel and accommodation costs for the owner to watch Group races!  What would you rather have a race that is transferred a week or a few days out to a different location or no race at all?

Presenter-driver-trainer Brittany Graham knows a thing or two about racing on both sides of the Tasman and now that the Queenslander is working for Trackside in this country she’s (reluctantly) agreed to write a weekly column. Who wins and why at Addington tonight? By Brittany Graham  The final Group 1 for the first half of 2025 will take place at Addington tonight (Friday) in the Welcome Stakes, alongside a pair of competitive open company features as part of a 10-race card, starting at 5.02pm.    Race 6 7.34pm – Avon City Ford NZ Welcomes Stakes (GR1) Fugitive looks to be in prime position to be an early season dual Group 1 winner when he leaves from gate four as a short-priced favourite in the Welcome Stakes. His Young Guns success showed his immense talent when being forced to breeze throughout in solid time, before holding off a late challenge. Returning to the south last week, he couldn’t have asked for a better prep run when cruising to victory and his gate speed is a big asset. Allamericanplayer fell desperately short of his own elite success when a slashing nose second behind Fugitive three weeks ago after being held up in a peg line pocket to the turn. A beautifully-bred Stonewall trainee, his high speed makes him exceptionally dangerous from this improved gate of 1. He arrived in the South Island barn earlier this week, and despite a positive draw, he is yet to show a lot of early speed and will also racing left-handed for the first time. Freeze Frame and Rakero Maximus both draw wide which have no doubt hindered their chances, however, are both talents in their own right. Freeze Frame would love a genuine tempo as evidenced by his great second in the Diamond Creek Classic at Invercargill, while Rakero Maximus is a work in progress but possesses above average ability. Selections – (4) Fugitive, (1) Allamericanplayer, (5) Freeze Frame and (7) Rakero Maximus   Race 7 8.04pm – Hydroflow NZ Country Championship Final (Listed) A full field of 16 pacers will line up for a $100,000 stake in the fourth edition of the Country Championships final over the New Zealand Cup distance and conditions of the 3200m stand. Pinseeker is currently favoured to clinch his biggest career success to date after running some brilliant recent races, including a slashing fifth in The Race By betcha. Not much has gone right for the 5YO subsequently, getting a long way back in the Rangiora Winter Cup and doing a lot of work when third in the Superstars a fortnight ago. As will be the case for all, a quick beginning will be vital after he shuffled away a fraction at Rangiora. Wag Star has been placed at his last three starts, including back-to-back eye catchers here at Addington in the last fortnight. It appears as though his best pattern presently is to be saved up for one run, but his turn of foot will take him a long way should he land a kind spot off his 10metre handicap. In a race with a multitude of chances, I am going to side with Betterthancash at an each way price from a cosy draw. Very unlucky in recent times, he is a great follower of speed and follows out a quick beginner which should assist him in getting the kind of trip he appreciates. Here’s Herbie has been popular in early markets off the back of his recent return to winning form. Selections –  (11) Betterthancash, (17) Pinseeker, (14) Wag Star, (12) The Surfer   Race 8 8.32pm Haras Des Trotteurs Heather Williams Memorial (GR3) The trotting mares will have their time to shine, and an opportunity for group race success in the final feature of the night. Eurostyle has returned in sparkling form, winning three of her four efforts this preparation including last week’s Uncut Gems Trotters Classic when performing superbly off her 30metre back mark. She was forced to cart the field up off a strong tempo and then did all the work wide to win comprehensively with the ear plugs still in. She has a smart mobile record, even though she was a little tardy behind the gate at her last effort. Nellie Doyle will make her mobile debut after a late mistake last time out, while Julie Jaccka is in super form herself an possesses excellent early pace from behind the mobile. Walkinonsunshine returns from a fairly fruitful northern campaign however has her asset of gate speed taken away with a second-row draw, while Hidden Talent was exceptional without luck last start, though needs some again from position 13. Selections – (9) Eurostyle, (7) Julie Jaccka, (13) Hidden Talent and (11) Walkinonsunshine   View the full article

It matters to the owner paying the float account.

Homebred gelding Tobias (NZ) (Complacent) was a revelation for owner-trainer Tony Dravitzki last winter, and the Stratford horseman is hoping he can find a similar vein of form over the colder months this year. The now seven-year-old son of Complacent won four races on the bounce last winter, including the New Plymouth Interprovincial (1600m), before running fourth in the Gr.3 Metric Mile (1600m) at Wanganui. Dravitzki has been pleased with the way his seven-win gelding has come up this time in and is looking forward to kicking off his preparation in the Seaton Park 1400 at New Plymouth on Saturday. “He has matured a bit more mentally. He is more settled in his work, he is quite an excitable sort of horse,” Dravitzki said. “He is about where I want him, but he is going to take great benefit out of the run. Even though he has got a good fresh record, I don’t think he is 100 percent yet. “The track conditions (rated Heavy8 on Friday morning) won’t be any problem and he has won about four races at New Plymouth, it’s a good place to kick-off his campaign.” Depending on his first couple of outings, Dravitzki is weighing up two different paths for Tobias. “If he is not up to the top grade, I would like to get back to the Interprovincial again, but if he is going alright, he may sneak into the Opunake Cup (Listed, 1400m), which is a bit short of his best distance, he is really a miler,” Dravitzki said. While the winner of the Opunake Cup earns a golden ticket into the Gr.3 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton in August, Dravitzki isn’t entertaining a trip south. “I wouldn’t have any thought of going to Riccarton, it is just too far, and he would be coming to the end of his preparation,” he said. Meanwhile, stablemate More To Be Written (NZ) (Wrote) is unlikely to gain a start on Saturday, being fourth on the ballot for the Landmark Homes 1600, and Dravitzki said he may need to be a bit creative with his targets in order to gain a start. “He’s very well,” Dravitzki said. “His run wasn’t too bad at all at Trentham fresh-up, he was only three lengths off the winner. “He is struggling to get a start. I may have to start looking to run him out of his grade just to keep him up to the mark.” While finding a start is becoming problematic for More To Be Written, Dravitzki is excited about the prospects of his half-brother Inthemickoftime (NZ) (Time Test), who will head to the Foxton trials next week before returning to the races. “He was overawed by his first raceday at Woodville three weeks ago, so I am taking him back to the trials next Tuesday at Foxton to give him a trip away and a bit more education,” he said. “I have got quite a bit of time for him.” View the full article