Chief Stipe

They seem to have a legally fairer more professional process in OZ than here.

A fair result. Again a trainer nailed for being proactive in caring for the health of their horse.

$175k Bonus Challenge and Public Slot Auction Headline New NZB Kiwi Initiatives New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) is thrilled to announce a raft of new initiatives aimed at further enhancing the country’s first-ever Thoroughbred slot race, The NZB Kiwi, set to be run on 8 March 2025 at Ellerslie Racecourse. $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge In a move to further reward foundation Slot Holders for their support, NZTR will offer a brand new $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge for three-year-olds participating in the 2025 edition of the NZB Kiwi. Once a Slot Holder has nominated their runner for the 2025 NZB Kiwi, that horse will be able to accumulate points by placing in the top three in any race it enters leading up to Champions Day next year. The three horses who start The NZB Kiwi with the highest points accumulated before the race will earn a share of the $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge, with $100k awarded to the winner, $50k to second place and $25k for the third placegetter. NZTR Chairman Cameron George is excited to announce yet another incentive, boosting The NZB Kiwi in its inaugural year. “We are delighted to be able to offer another Bonus aimed at rewarding our foundation Slot Holders for their strong support of this new race in year one.” “This new Bonus will enhance the promotional activity of both the Slot Holders and their horses, building anticipation from the moment the runners are nominated for The NZB Kiwi, right up until they enter the starting gates on Champions Day. “Once a horse is nominated, we anticipate heated competition between our Slot Holders as they battle it out to score the highest number of points and a hefty prize,” George said. Points for the $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge can be earned in both New Zealand and Australia where a NZB Kiwi runner places in the top three of any race it enters and will be allocated as follows: NZB Kiwi Bonus Eligible Race Points 1st Place – 11 points 2nd Place – 7 points 3rd Place – 5 points Black-Type and Special Condition Race Points 1st Place – 8 points 2nd Place – 4 points 3rd Place – 2 points Non-Black Type Race Points 1st Place – 4 points 2nd Place – 2 points 3rd Place – 1 point View the full $175k NZB Kiwi Bonus Challenge Terms and Conditions here. NZTR Public Slot Auction NZTR is excited to announce a second initiative as part of the NZB Kiwi programme, including the public auction of NZTR’s year-one Slot for The NZB Kiwi. This auction will take place at New Zealand Bloodstock’s 2024 Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds, held next November at the Karaka Sales Centre. The one-year Slot will be sold on behalf of NZTR, with 50% of the Above Reserve Fee ($125k) being donated to charity. Each current Slot Holder will nominate a charity aligned with a horse in the first New Zealand-based Bonus Eligible race next season, the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) at Te Rapa Racecourse in October. The mechanics include: NZTR will receive 14 charity nominations from each Slot Holder for the race. The 14 Slot Holders will be randomly allocated a horse in the field. If there are less than 14 runners e,g., 12 runners in the field, the first 12 Slot Holders drawn will be randomly allocated a horse. The charity attached to the winning horse of the Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) will be the beneficiary of NZTR’s Public Slot Auction proceeds in November. Cameron George commented on the public auction announcement. “Earlier this year, we saw plenty of fireworks in the Karaka sales ring at the inaugural NZB Kiwi Slot Auction.” “NZTR would like to offer another opportunity to those who missed out on a spot, giving them the chance to score a share of over $4.5 million in stakes and bonuses in year one we have implemented for next season’s race. “We know that spring three-year-olds will already be in full force, with potential buyers hopefully being able to identify their runner at the time of this auction. “We are also looking forward to donating a portion of our proceeds to a charity chosen by one of our current Slot Holders for the first year of the race,” George said. New Australian Bonus Eligible Races NZTR has announced the inclusion of two prestigious Australian races in the lineup of its iconic Bonus Eligible races. This expansion allows Australasia’s fastest juveniles to compete for their share of an additional $1 million in bonuses for The NZB Kiwi. The two newly included races will take place during Australia’s Spring Racing Carnival and feature the 2024 editions of: The A$1m Group 2 Callander-Presnell Stakes (1600m), held at the Australian Turf Club’s meeting at Royal Randwick on Saturday 26 October. The A$500k Group 3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m), held on Saturday 2 November, during the Victoria Racing Club’s Melbourne Cup Carnival at Flemington Racecourse. To be eligible for a share in the $1 million bonus pool, a horse must win one of the various Bonus Eligible iconic New Zealand and/or Australian races and also run a top three placing in The NZB Kiwi held on Champions Day next year. The full lineup of Bonus Eligible Races is provided below: Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) - Manawatu Racing Club at RACE Trentham - Saturday 6 April 2024 (Already completed). Gr.2 Callander Presnell Stakes (1600m) – Australian Turf Club at Royal Randwick – Saturday 26 October 2024 Gr.2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) - Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse - Monday 28 October 2024 Gr.3 Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) – Victoria Racing Club at Flemington Racecourse – Saturday 2 November 2024 Gr.1 Barneswood Farm One Thousand Guineas (1600m) - Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park - Saturday 9 November 2024 Gr.1 Al Basti Dubai Equiworld New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) - Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park - Saturday 16 November 2024 Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m) - Wellington Racing Club at RACE Trentham - Saturday 11 January 2025 Listed TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) – Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse - Saturday 25 January 2025 Gr.2 Cambridge Stud Alamanzor Trophy (1200m) - Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse - Saturday 25 January 2025 Gr.1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) - Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse - Saturday 8 February 2025 View more information about The NZB Kiwi Bonus Eligible races here. Media Contact The NZB Kiwi | New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Emma Thompson +64 21 071 2929 emma.thompson@nztr.co.nz

I guess @the galah is still reading but it is clear in the paper that aminorex is cleared very quickly from the horses bloodstream and body. Which aligns with the other work done on Levamisole metabolism. So if Levamisole does improve a horses performance it likely to be from a therapeutic effect I.e. it makes the horse healthier by resolving detrimental health issues. Historically it was being used as an immune system booster prior to long distance transport. Many positives arose as an inadvertent by-product of that administration hence the advisory from the NZ Racing Vet in 2009. Isn't ironic that we prohibit and ban drugs that actually make horses healthier and thus improve their performance. The research I've read is that gut and digestive disease is the biggest impediment to performance. How many trainers and owners out there are popping Omeprazole or Losec for gastric reflux and ulcers?

But not old enough old hat to not bother you hence the throw a brick drive by. That said it isn't that common at all. Certainly much rarer in Australia. I say well done to them and the national award for a deserving up and coming under 40 year old woman in NZ racing. The way things are we need many many more of them because it is looking rather thin in the ranks.

How?

How is it race fixing? Which dog pulled up? Who gained on the tote?

Have a read of this science testing Aminorex on horses. ajvr-ajvr.69.5.675.pdf

If you call success posting a lot of scientific nonsense and leading to an unsubstantiated conclusion then yes you have been successful. Tautology at best. The biggest flaw to your argument is: At any level of concentration Levamisole and its metabolites can be detected therefore if it is being abused then it will be detected. If it does have performance enhancing properties then it needs to be present at a detectable level to have a pharmacological effect. If it is present then it can be detected. That in a nutshell blows your hypothesis apart.

But they would have collected all the dosh anyway. You can still have a TAB event with 4 or less starters.

Ok treat us all to a logical presentation of your rationale for arriving at the right final destination. So far you have failed.

Where's the conclusive evidence rather than speculation, supposition, innuendo and inference? Spend less time chuckling and come up with some solid science rather than trying to links pieces of disparate information to support your hypothesis. Aminorex MAY well be performance enhancing hence Levamisole is now a Class B drug with the associated restrictions. But it is easily detected so you can't use it and have it at levels that may enhance performance without returning a positive. So you keep maniacally chuckling away.

Alleged performance enhancer based on the fact that one of its metabolites may be present. Where is the research that it enhances the performance of a horse? Where is the research that it enhances the performance of a horse when it isn't detected i.e. it has been metabolised from the body? That'sr one reason where your dots fail to become a solid line.

Some people didn't like him. I spoke to him a couple of times and found him OK. I also think he had a better approach to dealing with issues than the ex-Police mob that have changed the culture of the RIB. I think he realised humans are not infallible. Spent an entertaining and informative couple of hours with him and a few others in the bar at the Novetel after the races at Ellerslie about 18 years ago. It was the day that the young apprentice was killed in the deep south. He fielded calls and dealt with the aftermath that night with tact. The first thing he did was get the video embargoed. I reckon he could read a race better than most of today's mob.

Yep and what they use is legitimate. As @the galah stopped to to think what other things Levamisole may do that improves a horses wellbeing? I'm sure he is in the Ivermectin camp. The research I have done on Levamisole shows that it has antiparasite, antibacterial and possibly antiviral activity. Has anyone thought to join the dots in a positive fashion and come to the hypothesis that maybe Levamisole improves substantially the gut health of horses under high performance training stress? Especially when we know that horses in training on high energy diets suffer many gut/digestion problems including ulcers. We also know that over 90% of ulcers and stomach disease in humans is caused by a specific bacteria.

Who said I've gone "off the rails"? It isn't me that has come up with this conspiracy theory about performance enhancing metabolites from Levamisole. One of the issues I have with your supposition and inference is that you have cherry picked the science. Yes aminorex is a metabolite of Levamisole. Yes aminorex has amphetamine type properties which could be performance ehancing. However you totally ignore the research that says Levamisole metabolises into very small amounts of aminorex which is cleared quickly from the horse. Probably the reason there are no positives to aminorex. That's where once again your rudimentary knowledge of science is wrong. Levamisole and its metabolites can be measured at very very low levels. You can't avoid detection. We are talking about a very well defined and classifed chemical molecule. With your vast scientific knowledge how do the users of the substance avoid detection? A substance that has been easily detected since the late 60's!! If you are going to use aminorex why not administer it directly rather than rely on the hit and miss of Levamisole metabolism. Harden up. I call your BS out for what it is BS! Yes I do find you an irritation or anyone for that matter who misuses science to undermine racing integrity.

A 2022-presented levamisole study in equines that was partially co-authored by current KHRC (Kentucky Horse Racing Commission) equine medical directors Mary Scollay and Dr. Bruce Howard noted that levamisole can stay in horses' systems for an extensive period of time while the presence of the metabolite aminorex tails off quickly.

To put this in context - modern testing technology can detect levels at nanograms per liter and lower. If desired you can go as low as picograms per liter. A nanogram is 1 billionth of a gram. 0.000,000,001 grams. A picogram is 1 trillionth of a gram. 0.000,000,000,001 grams For those that think this isn't correct many of you will have had a PSA test - you get your test results back in a few days. A good result is less than 2.5 nanograms per liter. The same technology is used to test horse blood!!! A grain of white refined sugar weighs 625,000 nanograms. A poppy seed weighs 300,000 nanograms.

What's your point @the galah? I've never said that aminorex is not a metabolite of Levamisole. I have said that the volume produced is very small and unlikley to have a pharmacological effect. However it is easily detected and the piece you cut and pasted essentially says that!!!! Where did I say it wasn't? I'll repeat so perhaps you can comprehend - it is easily detectable, is metabolised in small amounts from Levamisole. If it isn't detected it CAN'T have a pharmacological effect. Where did I contradict them? You are the one joining all these dots and joining the uneducated rabble that are looking for any reason for a stables high performance. BUT you lack of understanding or chosen ignorance is deliberate on some science because it doesn't support your conspiracy!!!! Yep run for cover rather than addressing the science.

@the galah you are wasting your time because you are cherry picking and then linking dots to support your alleged consipiracy. Levamisole and its metabolites are easily detectable - if there are no positives i.e. the substances are not detected in pre-race and post race testing then how does zero presence affect horse performance? Yes there have been positives but THEY WERE DETECTED!!!! You argue that the Trainers in those cases got the withholding periods wrong or their timing wrong - that happens often with any number of banned or restricted substances many of which are legal to use. But if in this new world of super sensitive testing no metabolites were detected HOW CAN THEY HAVE HAD ANY PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECT? Explain that. BTW chemicals just don't suddenly disappear in a blood or urine sample when put in a bottle. You need a liver and kidneys to do that!

FFS do some more research. The amount of aminorex produced by the metabolism of Levamisole is very small and won't have a pharmacological effect. You might research stuff but you sure as hell don't understand. All you do is add to the BS that goes around.

I think that video was taken 5 years ago!

Yes but what the critics forget is that nearly every track in the country has a hard strip down the outside. It's generally where all the heavy machine tracks down including shifting the gates. Bit ironic that the Jockeys head for that strip when it suits and don't complain about slipping or crowding.