Chief Stipe

Mmmm I've heard "officially" at least 3 different amounts of sand they put on the track since the last abandonment.

'The people's champ': Tributes flow for superstar racehorse Lonhro www.racenet.com.au Hall Of Fame trainer John Hawkes has paid the ultimate accolade to champion Lonhro by describing him as the "complete thoroughbred". "Lonhro did it on the racetrack and did it at stud,'' Hawkes said. "There are not many horses that can do it on both sides of the fence like he did. "He was a champion racehorse and then a champion at stud. He did it all.'' The Hall Of Fame trainer was moved to pay tribute to Lonhro after learning of the great horse's passing on Friday. Lonhro wins the epic 2004 Australian Cup. Lonhro finishing second in his farewell race at Randwick. Hawkes said Lonhro took on and beat the best of his era including Sunline, Makybe Diva, Grand Armee, Defier, Private Steer and Shogun Lodge. "I define a champion by the quality of horses they beat during their career and Lonhro took on some outstanding horses and beat them all,'' Hawkes said. "In my opinion, his three greatest wins were in the Australian Cup, his second George Ryder Stakes win and the day he ran down Sunline in the Caulfield Stakes. "The Australian Cup was something I will never forget because he struck plenty of trouble in the straight and still got up to win. "The day he won the Ryder, I don't think a horse anywhere in the world could have beaten him. Grand Armee was in great form but Lonhro sprinted straight past him. "Then there was Lonhro's win over Sunline. It was a two-horse race and he had to really dig deep to win. "Lonhro's record speak for itself, he was one of the superstars. I would like to have one like him in the stable now.'' Godolphin Australia's Ross Cole confirmed Lonhro's passing on Friday afternoon. "It is with a heavy heart Godolphin Australia announces the passing of former Darley stallion, Lonhro,'' Cole said. "A wonderful contributor to the Australian racing and breeding worlds, and as ‘the people's champion' Lonhro will be forever remembered for what he was able to achieve on the racetrack. "Lonhro had a huge and well-earned following, and he earnt the admiration and respect of everyone within our Godolphin teams over his years as a Darley Stallion and in his retirement. "We were honoured to have him as part of our operation." Lonhro was a December foal when born at Woodlands in 1998. He was the son of another Hawkes-trained champion, Octagonal. During an outstanding 35-start career, Lonhro won 26 races, 11 at Group 1 level including the Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield Stakes (twice), Mackinnon Stakes, Chipping Norton Stakes (twice), George Ryder Stakes (twice), Queen Elizabeth Stakes, CF Orr Stakes and George Main Stakes. Darren Beadman gives Lonhro a hug after winning the 2004 Australian Cup. Darren Beadman was Lonhro's regular rider and made mention of the champion's incredible win in the Australian Cup 20 years ago as one of the highlight of the champion's career. "People still approach me in 2024 to discuss the Australian Cup, it's a testament to how he captured so many people's imagination, which speaks volumes about his career," Beadman said. "It's a very sad day. It was a shock when Ross (Cole) rang and told me. It brought a tear to my eye. He will be a horse that talks about for generations to come, remembered not just for his victories on the track but also for being the people's horse. "He was very dynamic in his racing career, his acceleration, and the way he won with superiority and toughness. He oozed class. He was class with a capital C.'' Lonhro beats Sunline in the Caulfield Stakes. Lonhro was voted Australian Horse of the Year in 2003-04 then at stud became Champion Sire in 2010-11. He was the first horse since the legendary Vain in 1984 to win both titles. At stud, Lonhro has sired 86 stakes winners of 168 stakes races including 12 individual Group 1 winners, including champion Pierro, Denman, Exosphere, Impending, Kementari, Beaded and Lindermann. Lonhro's best son, Pierro, was a five-time Group 1 winner and made a clean sweep of the 2012 juvenile triple crown comprising the Golden Slipper, ATC Sires Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes. Coolmore Stud's Pierro is continuing the Lonhro legacy at stud and has already sired 34 individual stakeswinners including Pierata, Arcadia Queen, Levendi and Regal Power. Pierro is also the sire of the Winx yearling filly which sold for a world record $10 million at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sales earlier this month. LONHRO (Octagonal-Shadea) Born: December 10, 1998 Black-brown horse Race Record: 36 starts: 26-3-2 Prizemoney: $5,790,510 Group 1 wins: 11 MAJOR WINS Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Australian Cup, Caulfield Guineas, George Ryder Stakes (twice), Caulfield Stakes (twice). HONOURS Australian Horse of the Year – 2003-04, Australian Champion Sire – 2010-11.

Duplicate to remove spam.

Since 1857, horse racing has been a prominent feature here at Ellerslie, firmly establishing our heritage as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s rich thoroughbred racing history. Among our many group race features, the Manco Easter Handicap has emerged as one of the jewels on our calendar with this year celebrating the 150th running of this time-honoured race. With the race set to be run as part of our Easter Handicap Day on Saturday 20 April, let’s saddle up and journey through time to explore a chapter of the race’s storied legacy. The Easter Handicap, first run in 1864, holds the distinction of being one of the oldest horse races in New Zealand. The inaugural race, held on Easter Monday, attracted a crowd eager to witness the prowess of the finest thoroughbreds of the time. The event quickly gained popularity, becoming a staple in the country’s racing calendar. The crowd in the straight after the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on 29 March 1902 Over the decades, the Easter Handicap has seen its fair share of legendary moments and outstanding performances. Horses like Kindergarten (a two-time winner), Tudor Light, Grey Way, Sedecrem, El Gallo, and Foxbridge have left an indelible mark on the race, etching their names into New Zealand’s racing lore. However, it was a ‘little known’ racehorse by the name of Sleepy Fox for whom the lens is on today. This was a horse who most certainly did not sleep on the job with the gelding dominating the race an incredible four times in succession in the mid-1940s, earning admiration from fans and experts alike. While the gutsy gelding has been described by some as not a “champion… but out of the top drawer” of trainer Tom Verner’s stable, there is no doubting his astonishing feat most definitely deserves a spot in the race’s history books. Sleepy Fox’s journey to Easter Handicap glory began with an unassuming start, with the then three-year-old not placing in the 1943 edition. However, he quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with when securing a win in the 1944 feature by an impressive five lengths carrying a weight of 8 stone (approx. 51kg in modern day metrics) under the guidance of Joe Williamson. The following year saw him defy expectations again, this time with jockey Ian Galvin aboard where he shouldered a hefty burden of 9 stone 5 (59.5kg) to clinch the coveted title. His path to glory, however, was not without its trials. A trip to Australia that saw initial triumphs in the Canterbury Stakes and Chelmsford Stakes earn him acclaim as a rising star. It wasn’t to be however, with a sudden decline in form leaving him a mere shadow of his former self with commentary on his return home to New Zealand describing the gelding as “like a skeleton”. Miraculously, just six weeks later, Sleepy Fox defied the odds, emerging victorious in the 1946 Easter Handicap. A true showcase of the horse’s mettle, he carried a staggering 10 stone 2 (64.5kg) to victory – 20kg more than second placegetter, Prince Revel. One year later the now seven-year-old horse returned for his fourth and final Easter Handicap victory. Despite being given 9 stone 13 (63kg), Sleepy Fox rose to the occasion with the race favourite taking out the win and reaffirming his status as perhaps the race’s most beloved champion. Owned by Eliot Davis in partnership with Oliver Nicholson, president of the Auckland Racing Club from 1933 to 1945, Sleepy Fox’s legacy endures as a testament to the indomitable spirit and unwavering determination that defines the essence of the Easter Handicap. The Verner name too has lived on with the race, with Tom’s son Ray producing a Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000. Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000. The 150th running of the Group III Manco Easter Handicap will take place here at Ellerslie on Saturday 20 April 2024. General admission is free with the first race kicking off at about 12.30pm.

One suggestion I have is to ENTAIN - sack your graphics people. Orange bleeds into white so you can't read it.

That's an old trick. There is a story of a family in Ireland taking grandma in a wheelchair for a number of weeks to pick up the pension. Easier there as it's colder.

ATM-style machines at Sydney casino effectively started giving out cash. Soon $3.4m had walked out the door Harriet Alexander Apr 18, 2024, • 11:40am Share The Star casino in Sydney. DION GEORGOPOULOS/SYDNEY MORNING HERALD Casinos are generally places where punters lose money. For two glorious weeks in the middle of last year, customers of The Star casino in Sydney, Australia – along with their friends, relations and acquaintances – pulled out fistfuls of cash from the only sure bet in town. Four “ticket in, cash out” machines had malfunctioned, and word got around. They came in their dozens: criminals, gambling addicts, even a few homeless people. By the time the casino noticed anything was amiss, A$3.2 million (NZ$3.4m) had walked out the door. “Ticket in, cash out”, or TICO, machines are ATM-style kiosks that convert a player’s winnings into cash by reading the barcode on a voucher that the player has obtained from his or her poker machine. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF They are a known money-laundering risk because they can legitimise dirty cash without players needing to engage in human interaction. Casinos mitigate this risk by programming the machines only to accept tickets with winnings of up to A$2000. For greater amounts, people need to visit a cashier. Thanh Lan Le’s gambling addiction relapsed after she took advantage of the free cash. STEVEN SIEWERT / SYDNEY MORNING HERALD One afternoon in early July, Thanh Lan Le went to The Star to meet a friend. A recovering gambling addict, Le had been on the wagon for eight months and did not intend to visit the gaming floor that day. But she ran into her friend’s boyfriend, and his eyes were alight with wonder. “Look what I’ve found, look at this, am I tripping?” he said, according to Le, and placed two vouchers into a TICO machine. The machine accepted both tickets and spat out their combined winnings in cash. Then, as Le and the boyfriend watched, the machine returned one ticket worth about A$2000. He put it in the machine again and pulled out an additional A$2000. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF Nick Weeks was appointed to The Star by the NSW Independent Casino Commission on the day the casino was stripped of its licence in 2022. CROWN RESORTS LIMITED (VIRTUAL HEARING) A software malfunction meant that when a player inserted more than one ticket into the TICO machine, it would return one of the tickets along with the cash, allowing the ticket to be used again and again. Le was hooked. For the next 10 days, she moved between machines on the gaming floor, visiting the malfunctioning machines to fund her playing on 34 separate occasions. Twice, she fell asleep at her machine, she said. Twice, casino staff offered to book her a room upstairs, which she accepted, paying with money she had fraudulently obtained from the casino’s own TICO machines. She withdrew A$57,265, all but A$5000 of which was spent at the casino. “I was in this trance,” she said. “I’m really annoyed with myself. All that work I’d done with my psychologist was out the window.” But at some point, she looked around and came to her senses. The number of people using the TICO machines had swollen, and the floor was milling with rough-looking individuals. She got out. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISE WITH STUFF An inquiry into The Star, Sydney casino this week heard that 43 people used the faulty machines to withdraw a combined A$3,219,420 over 13 days. Numerous failures, human and technological, prevented the casino from detecting the glitch for six weeks after the fault occurred during a software update. 2 MINUTES OF STUFF The day's talking point and stories you don't want to miss, delivered to your inbox The players had cottoned on two weeks earlier. The Star, Sydney special manager Nick Weeks told the inquiry called by the NSW Independent Casino Commission that the non-detection was “a very significant failure across a large number of people and teams” and demonstrated an absence of leadership at the casino. The inquiry also heard that The Star’s head of investor relations, Giovanni Rizzo, subsequently asked the chief financial officer to doctor the books to hide the loss when the business presented its half-year results in February. Former chief financial officer Christina Katsibouba told the inquiry she did not comply. But not in evidence was the fact that the casino subsequently reported its customers to the police, who arrested Le and others in the weeks after the issue was detected. Among those charged was Troy Manning, 40, who is in jail awaiting trial on charges of fraud, participating in a criminal group, and knowingly dealing with the proceeds of crime. Le has pleaded guilty to a single charge of honestly obtaining property by deception and offered to repay the money. Her gambling addiction has relapsed. “I understand it was my fault,” she said. “I had deceivingly taken it, but the machine was giving us money.” But her solicitor, Natalija Nikolic of XD Law, said the episode would never have occurred if The Star reconciled its tickets and payouts daily in accordance with anti-money laundering provisions. “They run a system that seems to pay little regard to the licence standard expected of them,” Nikolic said. Star Casino in Sydney saved from major tax hike The Star Casino in Sydney has been saved from a major tax hike to prevent the business going bust. Play Video The Star Casino in Sydney has been saved from a major tax hike to prevent the business going bust. “They were giving away A$3 million and didn’t even notice – a system so evidently lax that it is a honeypot for money launderers. In our view the worst offending in this whole scenario could be laid at the feet of Star for these negligent breaches.” Former ClubsNSW anti-money laundering compliance manager Troy Stolz, who was drafted to give expert testimony for Le, said venues that operate TICO machines were required by law to apply closer scrutiny of their customers through CCTV footage, additional roaming staff and monitoring transactions, and The Star had failed to do so. “This also raises questions around the robustness/effectiveness of the Star Casino’s AML/CTF [anti-money laundering/counterterrorism financing] program,” he said in a letter addressed to the presiding magistrate. Star said it was inappropriate to comment on criminal matters while they were before the courts. The inquiry into the organisation’s culture continues. - Sydney Morning Herald

Is he taking over NZTR's offices in Wellington? Seems strange when NZTR moves to Cambridge and the NZ Racing Laboratory is in Auckland.

The Racing Integrity Board Chair Neville Harris announced the appointment of Dr Eliot Forbes to the position of Chief Executive. Dr Forbes, a qualified veterinarian, is an accomplished racing executive with over 25 years of racing administration and wagering experience across Australia, Asia, and the Middle East. He previously served as the Veterinary Steward for the Emirates Racing Authority, overseeing the welfare and equine integrity arrangements for six Dubai World Cups. Returning to Australia in 2010, he was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer and then Chief Executive Officer of Tasracing, the principal racing authority in Tasmania. He moved on to the Chief Executive Officer role for Racing Queensland in 2016 and delivered signification financial turnarounds for both state racing authorities. Dr. Forbes has served on the Boards of Racing Australia (RA) and Greyhounds Australasia; and Chaired RA’s Retirement of Racehorses Committee. He was also a member of the national Veterinary and Analyst committees for each of the three codes of Australian racing and a member of Harness Racing Australia’s Standardbred Welfare Advisory Group. He has also successfully launched agricultural start-up AniMark Ltd, a standards company specialising in the formulation and monitoring of animal welfare standards and livestock traceability. More recently he has been Chief Executive of RACELAB Pty Ltd, which provides software and data products to wagering operators worldwide. Dr. Forbes has been a Steering Committee member of the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR) since 2016 and also chairs the IFAR Conference Committee. He has previously served on the Executive Council of the International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians and is a regular speaker on equine aftercare, traceability, and welfare around the world. He holds an honours degree in Veterinary Science from the University of Queensland, a Masters of Business Administration from La Trobe University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Dr. Forbes will commence with the Racing Integrity Board on 29 April 2024 and be based in Wellington. The post Chief Executive Appointment appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Did they want to leave some staff behind? Or be closer to the professional sports player pool?

Which is what it should be not straight sand! I would have thought that you wouldn't need mesh in the very top layer but the next layer down. That way it gives you some room to move with mechanical cultivation in the top layer from time to time. But definitely having peat in that top layer with sand makes sense as it provides a buffer and lessens the need to irrigate constantly. The grass roots also grow through it better.

Where did you see that?

@curious the mesh layer is BELOW the 300mm sand layer in which the grass is growing.

Run by amateurs.

Anyway the sand is the problem and putting more on doesn't help. $55m stuff up. They might be able to race on it in the winter...oh that's right Ellerslie isn't doing that anymore.

https://au.scootboots.com/

Sometimes you just have to love the irony of Google Ads. Just been dished up this. They look ideal for Ellerslie! All Terrain Hoof Boots! Scoot Boot Scoot Boots All Terrain Hoof Boots Shop Now Ride Anywhere With Scoot Boots Scoot Boots are designed by a farrier for the barefoot horse to allow free and natural movement across all terrain. Our boots are perfect for all riding disciplines and a dependable rehab and transition boot. Open Toe and Side Vents Open Toe and Side Vents For drainage, ventilation and open toe for optimum break over Scoot Tread Scoot Tread For secure grip and great traction over all terrain. Secure & Easy to put on Secure & Easy to put on No cables or velcro. Precise fit to the hoof wall. Flexible, Shock Absorbing Sole Flexible, Shock Absorbing Sole Provides comfort for joints and soles when on harsh terrain. Lightweight & Low Profile Lightweight & Low Profile Sleek and light design ideal for competition. Removable Straps Removable Straps Fun coloured options available to make your boots stand out. Depend On Scoot Boots For The Trails Ride Anywhere You Choose Scoot Boots protect you over all types of terrain.

We should all have some sympathy for @Brodie. Gone are the days where he had a new Bentley every two years, 4 overseas trips a year to warmer climes - Brisbane, the Maldives, Monaco and any number of other places, a 30 day penthouse cruise and a few shopping trips to Melbourne with the bride coinciding with major sporting events. All funded through his TAB place betting. Thankfully his children managed to get through university without student loans before the mongrels at the TAB put the restrictions on his betting. But it isn't too bad he isn't means tested for his Super and he managed to coset a tidy sum from one big collect into his Kiwi Saver account at Milford. Personally I think the TAB should do what the Casinos do with big winners and ply @Brodie with 100yr old single malt whiskey delivered by young ladies and free penthouse room. Get him addled and get all his money back before the grandchildren put their hooks in.

So if they do become hugely successful will the individuals that bought syndicate $1.01 tickets be restricted as individuals because they are winning heaps? Just asking for a friend @Brodie.

If you want to have a squiz inside: https://www.bayleys.co.nz/listings/commercial/waikato/waipa/18-dick-street-cambridge-2314589 3.4 km to Cambridge Racecourse 27.6 km to Te Rapa 36.9 km to Matamata 385 km to Foxton