Chief Stipe

Well if that was the test then Trentham may as well get rid of the shute!

Uh? So a horse that wins in North America has got automatic entry into a race in NZ that is raced 6 weeks later? Where are the quarantined training facilities?

New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and 1/ST Unveil Partnership to Elevate Global Thoroughbred Racing New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is excited to announce a transformative partnership with 1/ST, the premier North American Thoroughbred racing, gaming and entertainment company. Known for its iconic venues, including Santa Anita Park (California) and Gulfstream Park (Florida), 1/ST is a leader in modernizing horse racing by blending live racing with innovative gaming, hospitality and lifestyle experiences. As leaders of world-class racing, hospitality and entertainment events, 1/ST is also committed to advancing racing’s global profile through cutting-edge technology and international collaboration. This partnership brings a unique opportunity to connect three prestigious racedays: Auckland Thoroughbred Racing’s Champions Day (March 8), alongside 1/ST’s Pegasus World Cup (January 25) and California Crown (September 27). This collaboration will introduce "Golden Ticket" pathways, offering the winning horses direct entry into marquee races including: From the Pegasus World Cup (25 January 2025) to Champions Day (8 March 2025): The US$500,000 Group 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf (1600m) winner earns entry to the NZ$600,000 Group 1 World Pool New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m). The US$1,000,000 Group 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf (1800m) winner gains entry to the NZ$1,000,000 Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m). From Champions Day (8 March 2025) to California Crown (27 September 2025): The NZ$500,000 Rich Hill Stud Champion Middle Distance Series winner earns entry to the US$750,000 Group 1 California Crown John Henry Turf (2000m). The NZ$500,000 Sport Nation Champion Sprint Series winner earns entry to the US$750,000 Group 2 California Crown US$750,000 Eddie D Turf Sprint (1300m). To further enhance the partnership, NZTR and 1/ST will cover travel and freight costs for Golden Ticket-winning horses travelling internationally to compete in the respective countries. “This partnership marks an exciting milestone in showcasing New Zealand racing on the world stage,” commented Chief Operating Officer of NZTR, Darin Balcombe. “The Golden Ticket concept creates a unique pathway for international competition, enriching the experience for racing participants and fans alike.” Aidan Butler, President of 1/ST, added: “This partnership with NZTR exemplifies our commitment to elevating Thoroughbred racing globally. By linking these iconic racedays and supporting international competition, we’re looking to drive innovation, collaboration and global excitement in the sport.” Lachlan Fitt, Deputy CEO of Entain Australia and New Zealand, operators of the NZ TAB, also welcomed the announcement: “Congratulations to NZTR and 1/ST on reaching this exciting outcome. The partnership will continue the opportunity for NZ racing to be showcased to racing fans globally and is another new pathway for NZ racing participants to consider. And through our Trackside and Sport Nation media brands, we look forward to bringing the best of US racing to our wagering customers in NZ.” This partnership paves the way for significant growth in Thoroughbred racing across both regions, with both NZTR and 1/ST excited to build on this promising foundation moving forward. For more information about the partnership and Golden Ticket races, contact NZTR’s Head Handicapper Bruce Sherwin by emailing Bruce.Sherwin@nztr.co.nz. About The Stronach Group and 1/ST The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group's 1/ST business (pronounced "First") is North America's preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group's continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company's premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); Laurel Park, The Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST's media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing's largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group's commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group's TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company's live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Contact: Catlyn Calder +64 27 252 2803 nztrcommunications@nztr.co.nz 1/ST Contact: Romilly Evans +44 77 66 75 22 74 Rom@redknotcomms.com

Turf guru answers call to rescue Magic Millions day at the Gold Coast www.racenet.com.au – with Ben Dorries Evergreen Turf supremo Graeme Colless is no stranger to rescuing marquee events. In 2019, on the eve of the New Year's Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Colless and his team were parachuted in to bring the iconic venue's surface up to scratch after a series of U2 concerts in the lead up had left it in disrepair. And in 2022 they were at it again when front and centre in bringing a section of the Flemington track back from the brink following an act of vandalism during the Melbourne Cup carnival. • ‘Suspicious items' found near scene of Gold Coast track poisoning drama This week, Colless and his expert team are plying their trade on the Gold Coast in a bid to salvage Saturday's lucrative $14.5m Magic Millions meeting, following the much publicised poisoning of a section of the track surface which forced last week's meeting to be shifted to the Sunshine Coast. The damaged section of the Gold Coast track. Picture: Supplied And in the greatest endorsement yet, turf whisperer Colless, who answered an SOS call from Queensland officials at the weekend, has declared he is now "90 per cent confident" that the Gold Coast track would be fit to race on Saturday. Speaking to Racenet on Tuesday, Colless said the turf replacement had got to the point where jockeys would be able to test it in gallops on Thursday morning which will ultimately decide the future of the meeting. "Racing Queensland rang me on Friday evening and I had to get some of my staff back from holidays and fly in others from Melbourne," Colless said. • Barrier Draw: Dream turns to despair for Magic Millions favourite "There was also gear from all around Sydney that we needed to pick up, then we got up to the Gold Coast on Sunday and did an inspection. "We found some grass on the track that we are going to replace from the B-Grass onto the course proper and we have got specialised machines to do that. Mark Guest - Last 7 Days • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! "The machines that we use for stadiums, they cut (turf) rolls of about nine square metres and then they are all hydraulically pushed over by another machine that we have got. "All things being equal, I am giving them a 90 per cent chance of racing at the Gold Coast on Saturday." Late on Tuesday, News Corp revealed that it had become increasingly likely that the track poisoning at the Gold Coast was a deliberate act by vandals. Suspicious items, including weed spray nozzles, along with footprints near a canal which adjoins the racecourse are said to be forming part of the Police investigation.

Cool. Which Grp 1 did you win?

@Huey DCE has bought 6 yearlings on day 1. You muat like one of them.

Well some Pet Vets are a bit like some GP's. Hooked by Big Pharma and isn't in their interests for your dog to be too well! A bit like my mates dog. Steroid cream, regular injections and a very expensive shampoo all to treat a skin condition. Didn't think that half the dogs problem was it was overweight and had circulation problems. But I didn't cancel my mate over it.

You quoted one year out of press release. Hardly scientific rigour. Might work in social sciences but not in the real world of science.

Explain this years "sharp spike" in deaths? I thought as a University researcher you wouldn't be prone to cherry picking statistics.

Why is it a lost cause? 100% of Greyhounds that race have a healthier life than more than half of the dogs people call loved "pets".

How can you change a perception when most dog owners are abusing their own dogs? Maybe. Certainly you are not helping just as @Yankiwi 's crusade hasn't helped. I reaslise you both had a late life epiphany and now want to atone for your decades of racing participation but please just sign up to your local Church and confess.

Where are the Dog Crusaders tackling this problem? There you go @Yankiwi something to get your teeth into! Imagine the uproar if 11 dogs died a day on Greyhound tracks! Auckland Council is sounding the alarm as more dogs are being put down than at any time in the past decade. Staff euthanised 4007 dogs in the 2023-24 financial year - an average of 11 a day.

They are what they are. My research suggests that there is a natural attrition rate that can't be altered. The perception of the general public that a Greyhound is just like the pet they have at home which incidentally 80% treat abysmally. Over 50% of those "pets" are overweight or obese.

Oh that's the reason why you are on BOAY.

How many stakes races have you won in NZ?

I don't think it is a "major drawcard" and I'm not silly by any normal measure. It is a drawcard but at the end of the day the Magic Millions races are sweepstakes i.e. after you have bought your horse you have to pay a "nomination" fee. First and foremost the likes of Te Akau head to the Magic Millions sale because in terms of stakes winners to numbers bought they are very successful.

How many Grp 1 winners have you bought and raced @Huey ?

Inaction about what specifically?

Remarkable Track Record | News www.teakauracing.com Te Akau has a wonderful history of success with yearlings purchased at Magic Millions, and principal David Ellis CNZM and are team are ready for action with the sale commencing tomorrow, Tuesday 7 January. Ellis, along with the buying team comprising Mark Walker, racing manager Reece Trumper, and bloodstock agent Marcus Corban, made their initial inspections at the respective farms in Australia in early December, and returned to the sale grounds to continue work on 3 January, together with Te Akau Australia's assistant trainer Ben Gleeson. Having established a list, following the inspections and pedigree analysis, they will revisit those lots before creating a shortlist, put in place a budget for each horse, and try to buy them in the auction ring. The sale comprises 1401 lots, with around 200 sold each day, and can be watched live at https://www.magicmillions.com.au/live-broadcast/ In the words of respected, independent analyst Tom Wilson, in his '2024 Bloodstock Review: The Best Southern Hemisphere Buyers (Yearling Sales 2023)': "The 2023 Yearling Crop: 2YOs of 2023/24, 3YOs of 2024/25 - David Ellis (Te Akau) "I seem to write about David Ellis fairly frequently, and that's largely because I believe him to be one of the best purchasers of yearling bloodstock in the world. "On our figures since 2015 we have David Ellis with 368 yearlings purchased, 246 runners (66.84%), 154 winners (41.84%), 32 stakes' winners (8.69%), 25 Group winners (6.79%) and 13 Group 1 winners (3.54%). "That's a remarkable performance when you compare against the baselines across the entire dataset - runners (58.38%), winners (27.39%), stakes' winners (1.22%), Group winner (0.72%) and group 1 winners (0.1%) - note that yearling crops from 2023 and 2024 are included which has an impact. "Comparatively, Ellis punches above the baselines of the yearling purchase market bt 1.52x in terms of returning winners, 7.12x in terms of stakes' winners, 9.43x in terms of Group winners and 35.3x in terms of Group 1 winners. "Note that it is slightly easier to get stakes' winners in New Zealand than Australia. This is due to the available number of stakes' races comparative to the active population of racehorses. That said, Ellis still stands alone." Incredibly, when three-year-old Colonel Warden (Russian Revolution) won recently, he became the seventh winner of eight that Ellis bought at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. In addition, he purchased Group One winners Move To Strike (I Am Invincible) and Captured By Love (Written), along with multiple stakes placed winner Dream Of The Moon (All Too Hard), dual winners The Victress (Zousain) and Legally Binding (Exceedance), and stakes placed winner Unbridled Joy (Snitzel). From the 2024 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, now only two-year-olds, has come dual winner Cool Aza Rene (Cool Aza Beel), whom Ellis bought for A$55,000, and stylish debut Listed Counties Challenge Stakes' victor Return To Conquer (Snitzel), owned by Te Akau 2024 Stallion Breeding Syndicate (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). From just one sale, it is remarkable to have achieved such a strike rate and also to see that level of Group and Stakes' performers. One of the highlights this year is the first offerings by Cambridge Stud stallion Sword Of State (Snitzel), represented by six colts and two fillies. In 2020, Ellis purchased both Sword Of State (Snitzel) and Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) at Magic Millions. Sword Of State won four of five starts, including the Group 1 Sistema Stakes (1200m), before being named Champion Two-Year-Old. He now stands at Cambridge Stud, where his first foals drew high praise. Stable star Imperatriz (I Am Invincible) is the reigning NZ Horse of the Year and Champion Sprinter in Australia. Bought for A$360,000, Imperatriz was owned by the Te Akau Invincible Empress Racing Partnership (Mgr: Karyn Fenton-Ellis MNZM). Retired and sold in June this year for A$6.6 million, becoming the highest priced filly or mare ever sold in the Southern Hemisphere, Imperatriz recorded 10 Group One wins, from 1000m – 1600m, among 19 victories from 27 starts, and nearly NZ$7.6 million in prize money. Imperatriz put her name among other Te Akau champions. She recorded six Group One wins in Australia, surpassing the four by dual Horse of the Year Probabeel (Savabeel), headed off nine Group One wins by Avantage (Fastnet Rock), and got to double figures in accordance with Melody Belle (Commands), another dual Horse of the Year and national record-holder of 14 Group One wins. A ‘tale of the tape’ includes Ellis purchasing Princess Coup (Encosta de Lago) for A$260,000 at Magic Millions in 2005, and the four-time Group One winner still holds the record for New Zealand domestic earnings ($3.1 million – $4.1 million total). She was named Champion 3YO, NZB Filly of the Year, Champion Middle Distance Performer (twice) and Champion Stayer, before selling as a broodmare for A$3 million in Australia. Similarly, Ellis bought Group One performer Integrate (Integra) from the Gold Coast, costing $11,000 she won almost $700,000 before being sold for a large sum to Japan. Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas winner Tell A Tale (Tale Of The Cat) and Group 1 NZ 1000 Guineas winner and NZB Filly of the Year Costa Viva (Encosta de Lago) were both graduates of Gold Coast Yearling Sales – the latter subsequently selling as a broodmare for A$400,000 in Australia. Winner of the Group 1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic, Campionessa (Contributer) was purchased by Ellis for A$60,000 at Magic Millions, and her 39 starts have yielded 11 wins, eight seconds, four thirds, and $1.3 million in prize money. She has also won at the Group 2 level in Melbourne, defeating two former Melbourne Cup winners. Also at Magic Millions, Ellis purchased Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes winner and Group One placed Gold Fever (Savabeel); Listed Spring Classic winner Swing Note (Encosta de Lago); Group 2 Wellington Guineas winner Cognito (So You Think); Listed Welcome Stakes winner Sky On Fire (Exceed and Excel), and impressive winner Dream Of The Moon (All Too Hard), who placed in the Group 2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes. In addition to Imperatriz, who raced out of the Te Akau training base at Cranbourne (Victoria) in the latter part of her career, Ellis purchased stakes' winner and multiple Group Two and Group Three placed Sans Doute (Not A Single Doubt), along with dual winner and dual stakes' placed Rubicon Crossing (Rubick). The Te Akau buying team has been scouring the sale grounds in search of the right horses to purchase and offer to new and existing owners this year, always with the aim of buying the best horses possible. It is fair to say that the performance record of yearlings purchased by Ellis on the Gold Coast is outstanding.

Suggest @Huey you sign up for a share in the Te Akau 2025 Magic Millions draft. The stats speak for themselves!

You really don't understand this racing game do you. Are you suggesting tbe only reason anyone buys at the Magic Millions sale is to chase the bonuses on offer?

Geez @Yankiwi we've done this particular chestnut of yours to death. Get over it. Each case is different hence different penalties. Rightly or wrongly it happens every day in the Higher Courts.

I don't think @Yankiwi you are in a position to nit pick. All the best in your crusade retirement. Will you be taking on 6 retired greyhounds?

But suddenly, in October, Hancock was advised by his lawyer that the charges had been withdrawn...

Now you have to add a shadow roll. More headgear than an American Indian.