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They have more than their share of two-year races. November 9, December 10 race scheduled was abandoned due to insufficient entries, January 2 and February 6. Surely when you have a massive crowd you want as bigger fields as possible to maximise betting turnover. Thay get the holiday dates because they have shown that they can get the crowds. Several Clubs have tried Waitangi Day and all have failed except Tauherenikau. 

Holding on to a one-win lead over David Hayes in the trainers’ championship, Mark Newnham is confident he can add to his advantage when the in-form Max Que and Power Koepp spearhead his team of six at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Newnham’s stellar campaign has seen him head the standings for most of the first half of the season, trading blows with Fownes for the lead several times while Hayes’ recent surge has also put him right into contention. After striking with impressive three-year-old...View the full article

hadn't realised you had answered that already gamma before i posted. that captain hammerhead race was a really great contest last year. the draws for this years hunter cup will be a major factor i think. amazing grimson has been able to get swayzee to be going so good again.  the recent nz horses he has got,rakero rocket and captains mistress,were both very good but have  improved since grimson got them. Obviously he makes previous trainers look like amateurs the way he gets them to run.. my wife said she thought they said on box seat pinseeker may head over there for a bit. if they gave him to grimson that would be another horse that could beat leap to fame at menagle over a mile.

No. I've said that repeatedly. It's another autocratic attempt by NZTR to shut down criticism instead of listening and engaging and responding. There are heaps of wonderful hard working people doing a fantastic job at NZTR just as there are at the coalface of racing. This stuff just undermines their efforts.  Can't re-litigate the Morton case here. I doubt NZTR will test that precedent. As I said that would be bloody stupid. They wisely chose not to appeal at the time.  

Doctor Askar (NZ) (Derryn) is having a few days of R and R in the paddock following a float incident on Saturday that resulted in his late scratching from the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa. The Waverley gelding looked a strong contender in the $700,000 feature following his last start heroics in the Gr.2 Thorndon Mile (1600m), and trainer Joanne Moss was excited to head north to give her charge his first tilt at elite-level. However, it wasn’t to be, with Doctor Askar becoming fractious in the float enroute to Hamilton and following a veterinary inspection oncourse he was withdrawn from the contest. “There were all those road works and we came around a corner, and he has scrambled. When he got off (the float) he was sore and that is why I got him vetted,” Moss said. “We got him home and I will give him a couple of days and see how it all goes. I will let him chill out because he has had 10 hours on the truck. “At the moment he is wandering around the paddock, is eating and he is happy as. He is just a little bit stiff and a little bit sore.” Moss felt it was the opportune time to step her charge up over ground and in Group One company, and while disappointed to be denied that chance over the weekend, she is choosing to take a positive outlook, believing there are plenty of opportunities ahead for the five-year-old. “It was just the right time to do it but never mind, you have just got to take the good with the bad,” she said. “You have got to look on the bright side, we have still got a horse. “He is still learning, I don’t think he still really knows what he is doing. He just gives me that impression, he is still playing around a bit too much.” All going to plan, and Doctor Askar makes pleasing progress, he may get another opportunity at elite-level in next month’s Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day. “If he looks good to go, I would look at the Bonecrusher, but I am not going to push him,” Moss said. Doctor Askar, a homebred son of Derryn, has won seven of his 21 starts to date, including the Thorndon Mile, Gr.3 Easter Handicap (1600m) and Listed Flying Handicap (1400m), and he has earned $586,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

After returning to her best form with a fourth Group One win in Saturday’s Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa, Legarto (NZ) (Proisir) is likely to have just one more start before being going to auction as a broodmare. The six-year-old daughter of Proisir had gone winless for almost a year when she repeated her 2024 Herbie Dyke Stakes win with a dogged victory over Victorian raider Kingswood (Roaring Lion), crediting her jockey Opie Bosson with his 100th elite win and trainers Ken and Bev Kelso with their 15th. That took her record from 23 starts to 11 wins and stakes of almost $2.6 million, with earlier highlights being the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) and Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m) as a three-year-old. She was also placed second, third or fourth in another six Group One races, three of those in races immediately leading up to Saturday’s win. Ken Kelso reported that Legarto came through her weekend exertions in excellent order, setting her up for the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie on Champions Day. “We put her out in the paddock after getting home from the races, but it took a while to catch her when I went out to put her cover on later on,” Kelso said. “That tells me she’s taken no harm from the race, so the Bonecrusher is the obvious next target for her. “Beyond that we’ll have to talk things through. She’s rising seven and we’ve already decided this is her final preparation, but if she was to go well at Ellerslie we could perhaps look at a race like the Australian Cup (Gr.1, 2000m).” Philip Brown, speaking on behalf of the 12-strong ownership group that includes the Kelsos, confirmed that Legarto will go to auction at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale on the Gold Coast in May. “We’ve already arranged for her to go to Brian Nutt at Attunga Stud to be prepared for the sale,” Brown said. “Being a partnership, public auction is the proper way to realise her true worth. As a multiple Group One winner including one in Australia, she’s obviously a valuable mare, so it’s going to be an interesting exercise. “That was probably the most emotional win of all on Saturday – to see her bounce back after some had begun to doubt her, Opie getting his 100 and another big win for Ken and Bev – it was special.” Brown and his wife Catherine, as well as fellow Matamata identities Tony and Mary Enting, were in the partnership that raced another four-time Group One-winning racemare in Levante (NZ) (Proisir), who likewise was by Proisir and was trained by the Kelsos. The Browns retained Levante after she was retired and are now breeding from her on a foal-share arrangement with Arrowfield Stud. Her only foal to date, a yearling filly by Snitzel, sold for A$600,000 at last month’s Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale and will be trained by Chris Waller. Levante is now in-foal to the rising star on the Arrowfield roster, The Autumn Sun, and is scheduled to be covered by him again next spring before returning to the Browns’ Ancroft Stud. View the full article

Late bloomer Autumn Glory (NZ) (Ocean Park) has shown the benefit of careful handling with her emergence as a serious Classic contender. Bred and raced by the Smithies family under their Monovale Holdings banner, the Roger James and Robert Wellwood-trained daughter of Ocean Park rounded off powerfully at Te Rapa on Saturday to claim the Gr.2 Waikato Guineas (2000m). Autumn Glory started at nearly 50 to one and her upset victory has resulted in her promoted to a $4 second favourite for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks (2400m). The filly has now won two of her three starts following a debut success at Ruakaka a month ago, and in between times was unplaced on a heavy track in the Listed Oaks Prelude (1800m) at New Plymouth. “We were very, very patient with her and sometimes you can get a bit stressed when you see all the spring three-year-olds coming out and performing, but if you give every horse the time needed, they can certainly do the job,” Max Smithies said. Autumn Glory is the last foal of Venus’s Dream (Viscount), who was purchased by Monovale out of Sledmere Stud’s draft for A$15,000 at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. The late Viscount mare was a half-sister to the two-time Group Three winner and dual Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) placegetter Spring Heat (More Than Ready). “She was an older girl and is unfortunately no longer with us, but she did a great job,” Smithies said. “Chris Waller bought a couple of her Ocean Parks and Loveplanet (three wins) was quite a handy horse in Sydney.” Loveplanet was a $140,000 yearling at Karaka while her brother Existential Bob (NZ) realised A$60,000 at the Inglis Melbourne Premier Sale and has won twice for the champion trainer. “We always thought she nicked well with Ocean Park and left a great type, so we were pretty pleased to get a filly,” Smithies said. “We always try to keep a few of the fillies and liked Autumn Glory from a young age, so we were happy to keep her to race for ourselves.” Monovale is currently breeding from a broodmare band of around 20. “We try to be quite critical of what we breed and really chasing the quality over quantity,” Smithies said. They enjoyed a 100 percent clearance rate at last month’s New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale with five in Riversley Park’s draft and two in Landsdowne Park’s consignment. “We were very pleased with the sale, and it works very well for (brother) Joe and I, in terms of having to get in extra staff for yearling preps,” Smithies said. Their top-priced youngster was offered by Riversley, with a son of Satono Aladdin selling for $400,000 to trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Champion Thoroughbreds and Kestrel Thoroughbreds. The colt is out of the unraced Snitzel mare Sayyzel and the family of the multiple Group One winners and sires Ocean Park and Grunt. A Savabeel filly, also in the Riversley draft, was knocked down to the Sunlight Trust and Phil Cataldo for $250,000. Her dam is the O’Reilly mare Miss Opulence (NZ), a half-sister to Sir Slick (NZ) (Volksraad) and the Monovale bred and raced Puccini (NZ) (Encosta de Lago), who between them won eight top-flight titles. View the full article

that should have read the figures in brackets were from the year before for Harness racing victoria. 

That was never tested in a higher court and you are being selective in your quotation.  In my opinion McKechnie was wrong. Regardless the question is do the new rules change things?