Chief Stipe

It ISN'T a NEGATIVE thread nor was it meant to be a spot for the Kool-aid inspired positivvidy marketing types. It is a thread to look analytically at how the Ellerslie track performed. Which is something I assure many people are looking at since it seems that is where the majority of NZ Racing's capital is now invested. Where did I say it didn't perform "well"? "Getting handy early and dictating from outside leader" would seem to be an agreement from you that it is an on pace track. The question is why? Is it Jockey induced? Or is it something to do with the track surface or shape? I tend to lean towards it being influenced by Jockey decisions and the shape and camber of the final part of the home bend. That is if you haven't got handy by the 500 metres then it is very hard to win and/or make ground from out wide. Kealoha's race was an even tempo race but not very quick. There might not be much form out of the race. Kealoha wasn't that far off the pace turning for home having made a move at about the 550m make to get handier. I'm not sure how you classify that as winning from back in the field. What were the other 3 wins from off the pace?

If you don't irrigate then you run a very real risk of having a hard pan that when it rains the horses slip aka the Hastings bend. Between a rock and a wet place.

The rail was out 9m! So unless you are travelling 8 wide turning for home you should be OK.

I think at least 7 of the races were walk and sprint. The Soliloquy the exception which seemed to be a more even tempo. They broke 1:23 in that race which isn't too bad for Ellerslie. https://www.aucklandracing.co.nz/racing-information/sectional-times/ In other races there were a few sub 11 second 200m sectionals - mostly between the 400m and the 200m. It seems the Jockeys are getting moving around the 500m mark.

I'll try and translate into layman's terms even though I'll be open to being critiqued! Basically when you open any website on a browser it consumes memory (RAM) on your device. A website will load images, code scripts, data and other things into your memory i.e. the memory cache. This enables a faster experience than having to download everything each time you flick through pages or click on something on the site. Some sites are hungrier than others with the initial upload. Some don't efficiently manage the memory usage because of poorly written code. A well built website will swap assets (images, data, scripts) in and out of memory without the user noticing and without degradation of the user experience. The TABNZ website keeps consuming memory as you use it. It doesn't seem to swap assets out that aren't needed and would appear to even duplicate them. Your PC or Laptop has a limited amount of RAM that it shares with everything else that you have open at any one time. If one app or website starts to hog more and more of the memory your Laptop or PC will slow down. I wouldn't recommend opening the website on a browser on your smart phone instead use the app. Although that's tricky too because the app has links to the tab.co.nz website hidden in it. Running a website performance checker over the TABNZ site you get a very very low performance score.

They put 20mm of irrigation on in the previous 14 hours before raceday. Spratt said the track was very firm and that they weren't getting into the surface after Race 3. I doubt the Good 4 rating was done with any penetrometer readings.

In 40 minutes: TAB.com.au still at 280MB Tab.co.nz at 3.4Gb and still climbing.

Ellerslie do it before they race. Do they do the whole width? It raced very firm today. Spratt said the horses weren't getting into the surface. Wouldn't verti-draining assist that?

Just compared against TAB.com.au. That site stays steady around 280Mb. TABNZ has climbed back over 2.4Gb and still climbing.

The memory hog just keeps climbing. You'll find your PC performance will start slowing down for everything. If you are using Chrome and hover over the tab at the top of the browser you will see how much memory is being used.

Just noticed something @curious with the TAB website. It has a very bad memory leak. Over time it gradually starts hogging more and more memory. The only way to fix it is to close the browser tab and open the website again. I've seen it go over 4Gb memory use and still climbing.

The Everest isn't exactly for "the battlers"!

Probably not but it seems to be mandatory if a horse slips.

A see the winner of the 4th slipped in the straight. Track inspection?

I take it you don't like The Everest either?

Seems Verti-draining is a standard regular part of the Ellerslie track management. Was done again this week. Seems a very aggressive form of turf management. Will the frequent mechanical intervertion affect the Strathayr components?

History Made With First Slot Filled for NZB Kiwi Waikato Stud has made a bold statement of intent by becoming the first Slot Holder to declare their runner in the inaugural $4.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). The powerhouse Thoroughbred nursery has announced the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Sought After (NZ) as their representative in the Southern Hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race to be contested for the first time on the all-new Champions’ Day at Ellerslie Racecourse on 8 March 2025. Sought After is a true-blue product of the Matamata nursery as a son of Waikato Stud stallion Tivaci and the Savabeel mare, Popular. “We think he’s the right horse for us and he has a lot of ability, so we identified him early and we are very happy to have done so,” Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick said. He began his career in perfect style with an impressive debut win over 1200m at Taupo in mid-September, and will be in action at Te Rapa on Monday in the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m). “He’ll go into the Sarten in great order and hopefully we can begin to collect points, that would be a great start,” Chittick said. The Sarten is a qualifying race for the $1million bonus attached to the NZB Kiwi. To be eligible, a horse must win one of the various nominated New Zealand and/or Australian races and also run a top three placing in the NZB Kiwi. In a move to further reward foundation Slot Holders, the three horses who accumulate the highest number of points in the lead-up events to the NZB Kiwi will earn a share of the $175,000 bonus challenge with $100,000 for the winner, $50,000 for second and $25,000 for third. Sought After will also chase bonus points in the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November. “He’ll go to the Sarten and then the 2000 Guineas before he comes home and a break before the NZB Kiwi,” Chittick said New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Chairman, Russell Warwick, is thrilled to have the first runner confirmed for the country’s biggest-ever race. “We’re delighted to have Waikato Stud involved in the NZB Kiwi, and to have the first runner in the field confirmed adds a whole new layer to the hype that’s starting to build ahead of a new event in New Zealand’s sporting landscape”, Warwick said It takes Waikato Stud’s involvement in Australasian slot races to the next level, having also been involved in the last two runnings at Randwick of the A$20 million The Everest (1200m), which now has Gr.1 status. Their homebred I Wish I Win, raced with co-trainer Peter Moody, finished a luckless runner-up in the 2023 edition before a tough run last weekend. “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but it was great to be involved in a massive day at Randwick and if we can replicate something similar to that then it will be just fantastic for our industry and our country,” Chittick said.

As long as the camber was Ok. There are tighter corners in world racing.

They could have moved the 2400m start further over and extended the corner camber until the straight lined up. Even making the bend a little tighter would have helped. I tried drawing it...

FFS you have no idea.

Love your work Gamma! I hope to see you in January!

Slot 9 please.

I haven't seen that with the new track at Ellerslie. Horses have been making up considerable ground in the straight. For the life of me I have no idea why they didn't fix the problematic bends into and out of the straight. The one into the straight and the sudden dropping off of the camber late in the turn really restricts back runners. BUT as with most perceived biases those that have the most influence on tempo - the Jockey's - tend to sit back and wait too long to make their run. In my opinion that is a mindset not a track bias.

NZB Kiwi Charity Partners Announced for Sarten Memorial Day New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is excited to announce 15 charities that have partnered with NZB Kiwi Slot Holders for the 2024 Sarten Memorial Day at Te Rapa Racecourse. Earlier this year, NZTR announced the public auction of its year-one slot for the 2025 edition for NZB Kiwi, with 50% of the Above Reserve Fee ($125k) earmarked for donation to one of these deserving Kiwi charities. "The NZB Kiwi Slot Holder charity initiative is a fantastic opportunity for us to give back to the community while celebrating the best of New Zealand racing," said Russell Warwick, Chairman of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. "We’re thrilled to have partnered with 15 deserving charities and through the generosity of our Slot Holders and the success of NZTR’s public slot auction later this year, we’re hoping to support a significant cause. “It’s exciting to see racing bring people together for this wonderful day of racing at Te Rapa and we look forward to seeing which charity will benefit from the winning horse on raceday,” he said. Due to fewer than 14 horses being accepted for the Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m), NZTR and Waikato Thoroughbred Racing (WTR) have made a slight adjustment to the raceday schedule. A different race will be selected for the charity draw, with Slot Holders and charities being notified on Monday 28 October, following final scratchings. The charity connected to the winning horse of the selected race will receive the portion of NZTR’s public slot auction proceeds in November. In addition, each charity involved will receive a $1,000 donation, ensuring all partners benefit from the excitement of this outstanding day. The 15 Kiwi charities and their chosen Slot Holders are as follows: The public auction of NZTR’s year-one slot for the NZB Kiwi will take place on the eve of the Ready to Run Sale, Tuesday 19 November at 5pm. This will be auctioned live during NZB’s Ready to Run Sale ‘Welcome Drinks’. For more information about the auction, contact emma.thompson@nztr.co.nz. In addition to the NZB Kiwi's base prizemoney, an additional $1 million in bonuses will be up for grabs each year for winners of a number of iconic New Zealand and Australian races leading up to the NZB Kiwi race day in March (1st - $600,000; 2nd - $250,000; 3rd - $150,000). To qualify for a share of the $1 million bonus pool, a horse must win one of the Bonus Eligible races in New Zealand or Australia and finish in the top three of the NZB Kiwi, which will be held on Champions Day (8 March 2025). The first of these Bonus Eligible Races will kick off at the end of this month, with the Group 2 Callander-Presnell Stakes (1600m) running on Saturday 26 October at Royal Randwick, the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) running on Monday 28 October at Te Rapa, and the Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) on Saturday 2 November at Flemington. View further information about the NZB Kiwi and a full list of Bonus Eligible Races here. NZB Kiwi Contact Emma Thompson - NZB Kiwi Programme Lead emma.thompson@nztr.co.nz

The fastest horse always wins @Huey you should adjust you punting strategy accordingly. When you start winning you might get a bit more excited!