Chief Stipe

The other thing I would point out and not wishing to be a smart arse but it is published knowledge that after the KiwiB Damask Rose underwent fetlock chip surgery. So her lead up to OZ racing wasn't that straightforward. In her 2 and 3 yr old seasons she wasn't too far behind the likes of Velocious, Alabama Lass and Captured by Love.

But what have you "seen"? At least @hesi you have given some justification for your opinion. In terms of "improving" being nebulous perhaps I should have said if she gets back to the level she has shown in the past then she will be competitive in races better than Grp 3 in OZ. She is currently rated at 103 which is just a few points below the elite level. When she first raced in OZ her rating was 104. Her first campaign lost her a point. There have been any number of horses that have won a Grp 1 with a lower rating at this stage in her career. Then you rate Evaporate as only a Grp 3 horse?

I don't disagree that she will have to improve. BUT sometimes these fields drop away really quickly. Personally I think they are aiming for something else. Both you and @Newmarket being supreme form analysts will have worked out by now the patterns available to her and the path towards them. Although @Newmarket says she isn't even up to OZ Grp 3 which she obviously is and would send her to Kanagaroo Island or prep her for the Kumara Gold Nuggets.

In your opinion. We don't know yet. There are a number variables that you sitting at home have no idea about nor do I nor does @hesi . Certainly she is up to Grp 3 level as proven in her last two starts. The best you can offer is starting in an R85 at Kangaroo Island. I must remember not to send a horse to any stable you rate.

But you have praised her performances on race outcomes not performance per se.

I sort of gave my opinon on that600 in another Topic. She had a very hard and long 3yr old season. More money and Grp1 opportunities at 1600m to 2200m i.e. middle distance than further. Only so many km's you can race them in a prep.

Personal experience and observation. As for your statistics - where did you drag these ones from?

Well the horse than ran second to her in the KiwiB - Evaporate ran 4th in the Grp 1 Futurity yesterday beaten less than a length. As for her Grp 1 runs in her last campaign. Her second up was her best run. Beaten 2.5 lengths in the Grp 1 Rupert Clarke. There was some very good horses in front of her and behind her. In my opinion she raced well below her best in that campaign. As for "quite frankly dreaming" - well I'd be happy dreaming to win a decent Grp race in OZ with a horse I owned. The trick in OZ is to place your horse and Mark Walker has done pretty well with that over the years. I guess racing is a sport but it just astounds me the level of negativity. No comment on Leica Lucy's run yesterday.

You are either deliberately playing the muppet clown or once again confirming you have no clue about horse racing. As far as I know from reading publicly available information is Damask Rose has no current soundness issues. To repeat for your benefit - two Grp 3 placings in OZ for AUD$54k from 2 starts this prep. A great start to any campaign. Again for your benefit - mares who have had fairly hard 2 and or 3yr old campaigns will sometimes struggle early in their 4yr old season. Some don't many do. She seens a lot better heading into the Autumn this year. Considering she performs best 3rd and 4th starts in a campaign, she is sound, racing well and is only 4 I don't see her "being retired soon". Unless of course you have "inside information". The best racing years for a mare are 5 and 6. With $2.1m in the bank winning some highly rated races the best option for her owners is to chase OZ black type to build her residual value. That residual value would be $1.5m+ currently which is also be helped by being a full sister to Provence the multiple Grp 1 winning mare.

Remind me again how many horses you have trained to win anything? Probably a bit like your punting. Damask Rose has won $54k in two starts this time in PLUS chalked up some valuable Grp placings for her pedigree page. Hardly struggling. But if you had any clue about how horses are trained and the fact that in a prep there is one or two "big dance" targets you'd realise that her two 2026 runs at Caulfield have been very good. Add to that she hasn't had the cleanest of runs either. She holds a nominaton for the Queen of the Turf 1600m $1m Grp1 at Randwick in April. You'd know that of course as you do extensive research - not. My guess is there is a race for her in the 1500 to 1600m range before then at Grp level.

No not at all. But she seems to have come back better this time in compared to last time. OZ Grp 3 black type boosts her residual value. She improves during a prep and Te Akau will have a decent race in mind for her over there. I thought her run was good today. Not sure Willo is the most suitable jockey for her. I saw her lift towards the end of todays race but the race was over.

She isn't that far away. Go back and have a look at her run in the 1000 Guineas. She's improved a lot since then and has been running similar sectionals. Your opinion?

I did answer it. Obviously Waldorf and Statler are not talking to you. Your opinion? Or will you wait for instructions? PS: you might want to let Waldorf know that he has his analysis of todays Group winners way wrong. For example Streisand was purchased for AUD$100k and Cinsault is a Goldophin bred horse. Hardly homebred.

I wouldn't be unhappy with two Grp 3 placings this time in. Like @Newmarket as an expert form analyst what do you think they are aiming for and is she on track?

Well since you are a form expert what race do you think the Trainer is aimimg for?

I know that. Just thought Panther went well against her and is improving.

I thought Panther went well today. Belle Cheval has improved heaps since the Guineas.

Another wonderfully positive post from @Huey .

Well you seem to be constantly griping about everything and anything about racing. I would have thought that the last thing you would do would invest in a sport that causes you so much angst.

Yeah whatever @curious and @Freda . There are a lot of variables in that as you know. I've never bagged my Trainer online either.

Standout New Zealand stallion sold to Australia in shock move www.nzherald.co.nz https://bitofayarn.com 20 Feb, 2026 06:00 AM3 mins to read Australian Guineas winner Feroce is one of four Group 1 winners already for stallion Super Seth. The New Zealand thoroughbred breeding industry is set to be stunned by news one of our elite stallions, Super Seth, has been sold to Australian breeding giant Coolmore. Majority owner Waikato Stud confirmed the deal on Thursday night which will see Super Seth move to the Hunter Valley in New South Wales to stand at Coolmore’s main farm there. https://bitofayarn.com The sale will come as a major shock to industry insiders as Super Seth is only a nine-year-old and was seen as one of the best young stallions in Australasia and Waikato Stud’s heir apparent to champion stallion Savabeel, who probably has only one more season at stud. Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick says the decision to sell Super Seth was a business one and he will retain a share in the Caulfield Guineas winner. “It is a business decision and obviously not one taken lightly,” he told the Herald. “He is a wonderful young stallion and we are very proud of what he has achieved in such a short time at stud. “Coolmore approached us looking for a stallion right at the top of the tree after they sadly lost Wootton Bassett last year and they have been on our farm all week looking at Super Seth and some of his stock. https://bitofayarn.com “They made us and the other owners a very generous offer and we have decided to take it to secure the next phase of the future of the farm and our family. “We were the majority owners and will retain a share while some of the other owners will take this opportunity to sell while others will stay in him. “But to have Coolmore recognise his value and want to work with us makes me very proud.” One thing for sure is Super Seth’s price tag must have been enormous to pry him away from Waikato Stud. The son of Dundeel stood at $75,000 at Waikato Stud this breeding season but that fee can expect to double, or more if you take the exchange rate into account, when he crosses the Tasman. Super Seth is already the sire of Australian Group 1 winners Feroce, Linebacker and Maison Louis while his daughter, La Dorada, won the Karaka Millions and Sires’ Produce in New Zealand last season. While losing Super Seth, Waikato Stud announced last week it will be standing unbeaten Group 1 two-year-old winner Return To Conquer from next season, with Coolmore also likely to be buying into him to further strengthen the ties between the two giant breeding operations. “Super Seth has been on our radar for a while now and he strikes us as a stallion that can make a significant impact on the Australian breeding industry,” says Coolmore’s Tom Magnier. “For a young horse, the trajectory that he is on is something that is very rarely seen. He is going to be ideal for so many Australian mares, both physically and on pedigree.” Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald’s Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world’s biggest horse racing carnivals.

Yeah lets ban the school fair chocolate spinning wheel. My first introduction to race betting around age 7. Dad's annual family holiday was the Nelson/Blenheim trots circuit in January. I always missed the first week of school. I then graduated to running the primary school sweeps on various events. I remember well the Thriller in Manila and the Rumble in the Jungle. Our teachers (Irish nuns) let us go home early to watch on TV.

In a car not a horse float that has to pick up other horses on the way. Nor does Google consider the prevailng weather and road conditions. I'll concede closer to 6 than 7 but still the horse would spend half a day in a float in deteriorating extreme weather - wind and rain. I guess some people are more interested in money than the welfare of their horse.

Apparently I got the 7.5 hrs wrong. But it is definitely more than 4.5. Unless it was the only horse on the float or the last one picked up! Given the weather forecast and the existing weather conditions through the Waikato it wouldn't have been a fast trip. But as we all know the Trainer makes the decisions and you only have a say if you own more than half. I don't think ANY Trainer is not trying to place their horses as well as they can. The bigger issue which we should ALL focus on is sorting out the scheduling/programming/pattern.

Of course you agree. Not sure why you bother racing a horse.