Chief Stipe

George Simon: We just want consistency trackside.co.nz The abandonment of the Matamata meeting on January 22nd after just three races, caused some controversy. Phelan The Power had won the first, In Haste, pictured above, had picked up her maiden victory in the second and then things all changed. Tempest Moon, ridden by leading apprentice Lily Sutherland, slipped free of interference with 250m to run. When I say it slipped it's probably understating the obvious. Calling the race, I was concentrating on the first few with Tempest Moon several lengths off the leaders and not really looking like a contender. However, the magnitude of the slip was enough to catch my attention. Immediately following the race, the dreaded track inspection took place. The usual delegation of jockeys, club officials and stewards were soon out inspecting the area where the slip occurred. In the meantime, I had watched several replays of the incident and was pretty sure we'd be going home. The upshot of course was the meeting was duly abandoned. As an expert Grandstand jockey, I wasn't surprised at that decision. Then the fun and games started. And it got rather interesting. The on-course Bush Telegraph soon had all sorts of rumours swirling around Matamata racecourse. I was reliably informed that the jockeys were willing to continue to ride, with the proviso that they would reassess their continued participation after each race. However, the Stewards vetoed that plan, in the interest of safety for horse and rider and pulled stumps on the day. The race day stewards report stated that the stewards were not convinced the riders would be riding competitively enough to fulfill their obligations to their owners and the betting racing public. Personally, I can see the argument for and against. Currently the Health and Safety Act ensures everyone errs on the side of caution. The ramifications of contravening those laws are obviously far reaching. My question though is all about consistency. I know that Matamata meeting was a low-key mid-week affair. But what if it was the TAB Karaka Millions night at Ellerslie? Complete with mega prize money, World Pool betting and huge International and local audience. Would the same outcome as Matamata prevail? Picture at the top of the page: In Haste powering away with her maiden victory in the Entain/NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race (1200m) at Matamata on January 22, the second of only three races that day. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images).

So why hasn't the Covid vaccine wizards created a vaccine for chickens? Surely a EUA could be granted that allows them to circumvent all the normal development and testing protocols. Or are Moderna and Pzifer waiting for the H1N1 pandemic in humans?

What if it isn't appealed? If the decision is appealed then stands then what?

How do you accidentally drop your foot from the foot rest and hit your horse with it?

If it isn't broken why do you keep banging on about it?

Why ask a question that you already know the answer to?

Westbury are running a business. They have high end products and low end products. Hard work being a private breeder not running it as a taxable entity. Otherwise you are relying on windfall luck.

Situation Normal Stewards video up.

Depends what their objective was. They've cleared a lot of yearlings off their property so don't have to carry them anymore nor spend hours trying to sell or place them somewhere else. Perhaps they have a new strategy - Studs that have been round for a long time have quite a ruthless approach to culling non-performing or marketable stock. They aren't emotionally attached! Also many overlook the cost structure for a stud. The largely own all their assets, put their own mares to their own stallions and have bloodstock taxation write off's. So the sales margin for them is a lot different to Joe Breeder in Taihape.

It amuses me how many in the industry talk doom and gloom about Book 2 EVERY year. "Bloodbath", "absolute carnage", "poor breeders not covering costs" and so on and so on. I've been hearing those comments from the days of the Book 3 Festival Sale. Although I always thought callong it a Festival was a misnomer. The fact is this years Book 2 statistics are no different than the average for the last 5 years. Sure costs have increased with inflation therefore in real terms returns are down but this year isn't any different to many before it. The difference this year is that the average is down and the clearance rate is up. Those metricd were influenced by Wesrburys decision to put their lots on the market with no reserve. Every year there are excellent bargains in Book 2 for those who are good judges and have an eye. Chris Rutten and Paul Moroney spring to mind. Sure some went very cheaply but most of them went to good stables. Generally horses sell cheaply because of being by an unfashionable stallion, a poor pedigree or having conformation faults. If you don't produce what the market wants then don't expect the market to buy it. Look on the bright side 742 yearlings sold for $86m at a 79% clearance rate. Deals are still being done. Given the state of the economy there is still hope for the naysayers.

I guess that would be consistency. Only problem with that is ,using your policy,once a driver does drop a foot from the footrest,why would they keep trying, as they know they are guaranteed disqualified anyway. Then add the condition - if your foot or any part of you leg makes contact with the horse when your foot is out of the foot rest - disqualified. Easy peasy.

True but then you did do the comparison.

Yep disqualify them all. Black and White no defence no mitigating circumstances.

Kheir buys NZ Oaks fancy www.racing.com Prominent owner Ozzie Kheir has purchased next month's New Zealand Oaks favourite Leica Lucy, with an eye to further Group 1 Oaks races in either Sydney or Brisbane this autumn. Leica Lucy, who has won three of her four starts in New Zealand, is due to race at Te Rapa in G2 company on Saturday as she progresses to the NZ$1 million New Zealand Oaks (2400m) at Trentham on March 22. Leica Lucy will race in partnership with her current owners and breeders Peter and Heather Crofskey and will continue her preparation for the New Zealand Oaks under the guidance of her current trainer Robbie Patterson. Kheir said on Monday that the deal, which was brokered by Mathew Becker of Group 1 Bloodstock in conjunction with Bruce Perry, will see Leica Lucy transferred to champion trainer Chris Waller at Rosehill after the Oaks for a potential ATC Oaks tilt in April. Leica Lucy is likely to start a short quote on Saturday in the G2 David and Karyn Ellis Fillies Classic as she steps to 2000 metres for the first time. Kheir has been active in New Zealand of late, with three purchases out of the recently completed Karaka sales. A Proisir filly and a Sword Of State filly are to be trained next season by Ciaron Maher, while Waller is to be the trainer of a brother to Stakes winner Scarlet Oak.

All good. I wonder what @Huey thinks about the Sandown race.

But was the Grp 3 at Sandown which was all maidens and won by a first starter OK? Other than the size of the field how is it any different to the one held at Ellerslie on Saturday?

Fair point. I was just making the point that many of the reasons used to negatively critique races in New Zealand could apply equally to races in Australia.

He would have been competitive. At least he had already won a Listed race before winning on Saturday. The winner at Sandown was a maiden - winning the G3 Chairmans! Actually they were all maidens in that race! I guess @Wingman , @Doomed , and @Jim Green all think that Group 3 two year old race at Sandown was a JOKE!

5% of what? 5% of the Entain contribution or 5% of what the slot holders have coughed up? At the end of the day isn't most of the stake money sweepstake money put up by slotholders. Surely they can run their own raffles? Whether the concept is a winner and is long term sustainable - who knows.

Hardly a fair comparison given the difference in ability of the horses they ride. As they all do Macdonald can get a ride terribly wrong - sometimes he admits it sometimes he blames the track. Good horses give you a lot of scope tactically. Some types of horse racing patterns he isn't suited to as much as others. Pinn is a very good rider and his strike rate is up there with the top 4 in NZ.

Still six to find and the 8 they have are very good ponies. Although I think the CJC went too early.

The 2nd horse showed it is a very good horse. There was a fair bit of class in that race but without exposed form. What has the price of a horse got to do with a horse being "decent"? $1.3m is a snip for a Snitzel colt out of a Lonhro mare. The dam line has the French bred Snowdrift - a prolific producer of Grp winners in Australia including Snowland. If he keeps winning that $1.3m will be worth 20 or 30 times that. I'm disappointed but not surprised @Huey that your blinkers don't allow you to say the winner is obviously at the top level. I've seen him up close and he is a very well put together colt. Unbeaten to date in races and trials. His trial at Matamata on the 14th of January against older horses was impressive. One to watch if he stays sound. You can't knock it when it has only raced at Ellerslie once. Trainers are notoriously slow to adapt. Most of any perceived problems are related to the pattern and placement of this specific race. This race was being screwed by those things well before it was shifted from New Plymouth. Distance to travel and the track condition there didn't help either on attracting a good field. That said it was a useful G3 in the past. Both New Plymouth, Ellerslie and NZTR thought moving it would help it BUT one thing that has been learnt from this latest edition of the race is that location isn't the only problem. As I've posted on a few occasions before all pattern roads point to KM and then to March at Ellerslie. There is very little in the way of alternative pathways for non KM eligible horses. Very little for 3yr old sprinting fillies but that's another topic. It isn't a dissimilar model to what happens in Australia where all paths point to a few tracks in each State. The difference is the pattern isn't skewed and based around races where ALL comers are welcome.

So I guess you found the Taranaki Cup mildly hilarious?

It said sub-standard - how do you know it was worn? Could have been made in China.