The Vent

Galah, they are not worried at increasing turnover! They are not wanting punters offloading on harness racing they are wanting losing punters who are not wagering significant amounts! They are not prepared to accept bets of any note and I am constantly hearing of punters receiving nowhere what they want to wager! The decision to sell out to Entain who have no idea about racing by McAnulty, is going to massively back fire on racing. Is anyone getting good amounts on fixed odds consistently??

La Crique (NZ) (Vadamos), arguably the most consistent horse in Australasian racing, has been retired. The dual Group One winner has been hampered with foot issues over the last couple of years, with a decision made on Monday morning to bring the curtain down on her racing career following her fourth placed run in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. “She is still putting in some terrific races and even on Boxing Day she ran a terrific race,” said Katrina Alexander, who trained the seven-year-old mare in partnership with her husband Simon. “However, she hasn’t pulled up from that as well as we would have hoped so we x-rayed her foot this (Monday) morning, the same foot that has caused her problems for the last two years, and she has degeneration of the foot tissue inside the hoof capsule. “I have been waiting for a sign for her to tell me that this (racing) just isn’t possible anymore, so it was a really easy decision in the end.” La Crique flashed onto the scene as a three-year-old, winning five and placing in three of her eight starts that season, including taking out the Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Gr.3 Desert Gold Stakes (1600m), and she was a beaten short-priced favourite when runner-up to Asterix (NZ) (Tavistock) in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). She got her Group One redemption seven months later in the Gr.1 Arrowfield Stud Plate (1600m) before heading across the Tasman where she ran fourth in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington. She added a further two Group One placings to her record later that season before foot issues, resulting from an abscess, led to ongoing problems for the mare. The Alexanders’ hard work behind the scenes led to La Crique returning to career-best form, with the mare going on to win the Gr.1 Otaki-Maori WFA Classic (1600m) and Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m) before posting six consecutive Group One second placings. Alexander has a particularly close affinity with La Crique, riding her in all her work, which she said has helped her monitor her soundness issues. “She has never in her career put in a bad race for any unknown reason. She is an incredibly tough horse that just races through a pain barrier that a lot of horses would give up on,” she said. “Behind the scenes you are constantly working at things. I ride her pretty much every day and I have done so for the last six years. I do that so I have an understanding of what I am asking her to do and her reaction to that. “I had a feeling going into Boxing Day that we probably weren’t as good as where we would want to be and she has still run a blinder of a race, albeit a strangely run race. She has finished on incredibly strong and pulled a shoe in the running, which has probably added to our problem this morning.” La Crique has had plenty of highlights throughout her career, but one race that particularly stands out for Alexander is her first stakes victory, the Desert Gold Stakes, which she won by an eye-catching 4-1/2 lengths. “The thrill of her Desert Gold win, and how convincing that was is one that comes to mind,” she said. “We go back and look at photos of that and seeing her at full stretch is just as impressive live as it is in the photos. You get a true understanding of her stride length and the mechanics of her. “She was so convincing in that age group, and she did bring that forward, but some of those tough battles have also been admirable, and I am very proud of her for putting up a fight like she did and making some of those races exceptionally good races to watch.” Bred and raced by John and Jan Cassin, La Crique will be retained by the couple as they look to breed their next star. “The Cassins have always shown an interest to retain her to breed from,” Alexander said. “They enjoy their breeding and they obviously bred her, and we have a sister there as well. “She will most definitely, at this stage, be retained by them. The luxury of having her retire at this time of year, they don’t have to make any quick decisions on that. It came as a bit of a surprise to them this morning when we broke the news of our findings. We have also known that this was probably going to be her final preparation. “She now has a good amount of time to letdown, have a good rest in the paddock and she should hit the breeding season fairly early. It will be interesting to see who she goes to, I wouldn’t want to be making that decision myself.” While sad to be farewelling her stable star, Alexander said they have a few exciting prospects in the barn they are looking forward to, including last Friday’s Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) winner Rise Companions (Capitalist) and impressive debut winner Aksil (NZ) (Ace High). “We have got a couple of really exciting horses, with Aksil and Rise Companions,” she said. “We have been extremely fortunate in our careers that we have always seemed to have had a good horse coming through. We are not a big team, but we always seem to get one at the right time. Hopefully either of those two horses can continue.” Three-year-old gelding Aksil will resume in the New World Mount Maunganui 1400 at Tauranga on Friday where he will carry the colours of OTI Racing after the syndicator recently purchased into the horse. Aksil was eye-catching when winning on debut at Taupo in October before running eighth at Ellerslie last month behind subsequent Group One performer Affirmative Action (Yes Yes Yes), and Alexander said he can be forgiven for that run. “He had a bit of time in the paddock and is a horse that has continued to grow and develop, and we do really feel like he needs more time yet,” she said. “However, we will continue to lightly race him. “He has just had an ownership change, with OTI buying 50 percent, so that is exciting to have them onboard, and he will stay in New Zealand. “It will be nice to see him do a good job at Tauranga. I am a little bit concerned about the weather as to how much rain they get there because we have opted to kick him off over 1400m. Hopefully we have pulled the right rein there, but we will just have to keep an eye on the forecast. “We will give him a short prep again now and just see where he gets to.” Alexander is also excited about the prospects of four-year-old mare Prominere (NZ) (Ardrossan), who will resume in the Saddlery Warehouse Cambridge 1100 at Te Aroha on Saturday following an 18-month hiatus from racing. The daughter of Ardrossan has had just the one start to date, finishing seventh in the Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) as a late two-year-old, and the Alexanders have given her plenty of time to develop. “She is quite an exciting horse,” Alexander said. “She is a big, masculine, strong filly. She showed us a lot as a two-year-old and then we have had to put her aside, she is a very big horse. The dam was a big mare too and took time. “We have just had to look after her a little bit. She had a lovely trial the other day at Avondale and we will keep her to the shorter distances. “She won’t mind a little cut in the track if that is what happens during the week. She won a trial at Te Rapa as a two-year-old on a Heavy track. “She is quite exciting going forward, I have got a lot of time for the horse, and I think she could be another nice horse for the Cassins.” View the full article

A picket fence preparation can continue for Grid Girl (NZ) (Time Test) at Flemington as the mare has her first attempt at black type status in the Listed Kensington Stakes (1400m) on New Year’s Eve. The Victoria Racing Club has made the switch from the traditional New Year’s Day fixture to a twilight card the day before and it is hoped that more than 10,000 will tick through the turnstiles to set a new precedent for highlight days of racing over the summer. Grid Girl is ready to line up in the 1400-metre feature after three wins in succession in as many runs this preparation with higher aims at Flemington later on should the five-year-old be able to keep raising the bar. Jd Hayes has the expectation that she can. “She’s gone to another level,” Hayes said. “She’s really come of age and she’s racing well, honest and consistent, and I can’t see why she can measure up at black type level.” Grid Girl made the trip to Rosehill and won, albeit narrowly, in benchmark 94 company on December 7 and notched a Racing and Sports ratings figure of 106 and etched herself in stakes company on that basis. “She used to do a fair bit wrong and I think it has all come with racing and age,” Hayes added. “She used to be quite keen in her races and she seems to have dropped that habit and it has culminated with her being able to finish a lot more strongly. “She is probably similar to what Marble Arch did at the same age,” he added of the now six-year-old who took out the Gr.2 Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington in March. “Her win in Sydney was dominant in that she was in for a dogfight and didn’t give up.” Grid Girl has drawn barrier one in the field of nine while the Lindsay Park team also have Run Harry Run (Written Tycoon) and Roll On High (Shamus Award) engaged in the Kensington Stakes. Grid Girl was bred by Guy Lowry and is out of the five-time-winning Savabeel mare Chic. Lowry initially trained Grid Girl for two starts from his Hastings stable in the spring of 2023, placing on both occasions before being purchased privately by clients of the Lindsay Park stable. View the full article

Gifted four-year-old She’s A Dealer is in the right order to make a successful challenge for higher honours on New Year’s Day. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained mare is unbeaten this preparation and will bid for a hat-trick of wins when she steps out in the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) at Ellerslie. The daughter of Ace High has won four of her seven starts and finished a gallant fifth in last season’s Gr.1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm. “Her work has been terrific and this race comes up at the right time, conditions suit and it’s an appropriate race for her,” Wellwood said. She’s A Dealer was bred by race sponsor Rich Hill Stud, who race her with Mark Neill, Richard Kidd, Ian Hart and Peter Merton. She enjoyed a decent break following her Australian venture and was a dominant resuming winner over 1400m at Ellerslie before she again trounced her Rating 75 rivals over 1500m at Te Rapa. “She’s very exciting and has been great in her last two starts and it would be nice to see her add black type to her record,” Wellwood said. The stable will also be double handed in the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2000m) with Dance The Night and Della Ricci to be ideally suited by a rise in trip. The former broke her maiden in fine style at Pukekohe before the Almanzor filly came from well back to finish fifth in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) on Boxing Day. “Her run the other day pointed toward New Year’s Day and she’s come through the race very well,” Wellwood said. Ocean Park’s daughter Della Ricci showed good improvement on her debut sixth at New Plymouth when a luckless last-start third over a mile at Matamata. “She will have blinkers going on and it will suit her down to the ground going 2000m,” Wellwood said. Young stablemates Incandescent and Spellbound are acceptors in the Gr.2 SkyCity Eclipse Stakes (1200m), but a trip south is also in the mix. “We could also look at Wellington (Listed JR & N Berkett Wellesley Stakes, 1100m), we’re very happy with both of them,” Wellwood said. Incandescent made the perfect start to his career at Ellerslie last month with a commanding performance to score over 1100m while Spellbound has already been black type placed when third in the Listed Challenge Stakes (1100m). Meanwhile, the stable has Road To Paris in the Eagle Technology (1600m) on New Year’s Day, but Trentham on Saturday is the preferred destination. “Ideally, he will go to the Levin Classic (Gr.2, 1400m) with Ellerslie a back-up in case he didn’t get in at Wellington,” Wellwood said. “Obviously, he didn’t get any points last time with Masa (Hashizume) coming off and if he gets in the Classic, that’s where he will head.” The Circus Maximus gelding had the Gr.3 Wellington Stakes (1600m) at his mercy last time out at Otaki before he veered out sharply close to home and dislodged his rider. View the full article

Hence,  my approach of seriously looking at these races with 'low' #'s..    $mall Fi$h are $weat! 🥷