Chief Stipe

A "potential problem"? So no horse had slipped? I realise it's chicken and egg. Why aren't trainers involved in these discussions as representatives of their horses and their owners?

So the issues the industry are facing are his fault?

Do you really think @Huey is a "common man"? How many youngsters do you think the major stables employ? I know one stable employs over 100 individuals. Or do you think a better option is for gang members to spend $50k plus on a gold plated motorcycle that they have funded by selling meth?

I'm not the one knocking Kah for the sake of it. However I'd have her on my horse before Willo.

It's not your money is it? So what's the problem?

But not for the reasons @Huey and @billy connolly argue. The tracks are the fundamental issue not the people at the coalface - the trainers, the owners, the Jockeys,....

What was the reason for the abandonment?

Define "the common man"?

You're arguing against yourself now. BTW the Cox Plate is Weight for Age - essentially a handicap using a different method!!

Are you talking to yourself now?

Rate of injury per what?

Phenomenal Results Achieved at The NZB Kiwi Slot Auction There were plenty of fireworks in the Karaka sales ring on Tuesday evening at the inaugural NZB Kiwi slot auction, with all nine lots up for grabs far exceeding their $450,000 reserve. The initial $3.5 million prizemoney on offer in next year’s NZB Kiwi (1500m), with a $1 million bonus up for grabs, was enticing for prospective New Zealand and international buyers alike. Group One darling Seachange was the first “hero” racehorse through the ring, representing slot one for The NZB Kiwi, and bidding was spirited from the get-go, with an opening bid of $600,000 which soon exceeded $700,000, and was finally knocked down to the $725,000 bid of Singapore businessman John Chew. The next four lots had a distinct New Zealand flavour, with slot two going to the $675,000 bid of Kerri Spence Bloodstock and Clotworthy Racing, slot three knocked down to Wexford Stables for $700,000, well-known owner and industry supporter Daniel Nakhle made sure he was in the mix when securing slot four for $675,000, while Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis ensured his ‘King of Karaka’ title wasn’t lost when his $675,000 bid bought slot five. Te Akau Racing director Karyn Fenton-Ellis was rapt her husband was able to secure a slot, but said it was unnerving going into the auction not knowing what to expect. “We had spoken to numerous people that we knew were registered, as the New Zealand industry is quite a compact industry, and no one knew what to expect,” she said. “When we come to the Karaka yearling sales, we have a game plan and know exactly what to expect. David Ellis never gets nervous and we know exactly what we want to do, he has bought some very expensive yearlings here. We sort of had a game plan, but it had to be a bit flexible. “We talked about this (NZB Kiwi) and we said given Te Akau Racing’s success with (trainers) Sam (Bergerson) and Mark (Walker), and the whole team, we were taking a slot home for our owners.” Te Akau Racing are hoping to have a number of contenders for what will be the southern hemisphere’s richest three-year-old race, and Fenton-Ellis said they already have a transparent system in place to identify their contender. “We have got a very good process that we have already decided on because we may have a number of contenders,” Fenton-Ellis said. “We will be very transparent with an independent third-party involved so that every owner and every horse in the Te Akau stable know they are equally considered and it will be a judgment made on merit.” Australian businessman Ozzie Kheir has been a strong supporter of the New Zealand thoroughbred industry, sourcing many of his racehorses from this side of the Tasman, and he ensured there would be a trans-Tasman element to the NZB Kiwi when he secured slot six for $700,000. Entain New Zealand took Kiwi punters on a whirlwind ride when securing a slot in last year’s A$20 million The Everest (1200m) and their representative I Wish I Win just came up shy when runner-up to Think About It. They are hoping to replicate that excitement on home soil after securing slot seven for $700,000. Chief Executive Cameron Rodger had been the underbidder on a number of previous lots, so was delighted to finally come out on top with just a couple of lots to go. “I was nervous,” Rodger said post sale. “They were opening and going higher and faster than we ever dreamed of. We had to revise the strategy there. I had the CFO (chief financial officer) next to me so we had to make a few emergency budget increases, but we got there, so we are pretty happy. “There were a great number of bidders early on from a different range. We didn’t want to be last, so that was the strategy, but the market found its price really well, so I think everyone will be pretty happy with how it turned out.” Rodger said the process of filling their slot had already started. “We have had a look at who didn’t get one and we are probably going to start conversations as we speak and that is the beauty of a slot race, it gets you engaged and talking starts right from the dot,” he said. “Hopefully we can have a few on our radar soon.” Rodger was pleased with how the slot race has been received and he said that has been reinforced by the heavy level of interest in the evening’s auction. “I think the action you saw today is a vote of confidence in the industry about where things are and where things are going,” he said. “That is important to us and we believe in the path that everyone is on at the moment, so bring on 2025, we can’t wait.” Cambridge trainer Andrew Forsman is hoping eight is his new lucky number after paying $675,000 for the slot, while Cambridge Stud principals Brendan and Jo Lindsay were intent on securing the final slot of the night, and went to $700,000 to fulfil that. “At the end of the day it is $3.5 million in prizemoney, plus a $1 million bonus. New Zealand has never seen anything like this before,” Brendan Lindsay said. “Jo and I have to be a part of it and we were always going to buy lot nine. We decided that we were going to buy lot nine no matter what happened – last in, first out. We would have gone a bit higher. We made our mind up that we were going to buy the last lot.” After the dust settled, the nine slots sold for an aggregate of $6,225,000 million, with an average price of $691,667, and a median of $700,000. The remaining five slots for the NZB Kiwi have been allocated to Auckland Thoroughbred Racing, Waikato Thoroughbred, RACE, and the Canterbury Jockey Club, with New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing holding the final slot for promotional purposes. NZTR Chief Executive Bruce Sharrock was rapt with the outcome of Tuesday’s auction. "Tonight exceeded all expectations and sets a new standard for the New Zealand racing industry,” he said. "The best part was how excited our participants and stakeholders are, and it sets us up extremely well for the future." NZTR Chairman Cameron George echoed those sentiments and said it was great to see international interest in the concept. “It’s an outstanding result for the industry and we are really proud of the fact that people around the world were participating,” he said. “We are looking forward to the next 12 months and how we can make this race the great event we can have in New Zealand racing.” New Zealand Bloodstock has been instrumental in the launch of the NZB Kiwi and managing director Andrew Seabrook couldn’t have been happier with Tuesday’s outcome. “It’s the first time that a slot race has been auctioned anywhere in the world. Everyone went into the unknown and what unfolded was quite incredible,” he said. “It’s great to see global participation and there is an amazing buzz here at Karaka.” The NZB Kiwi Slot Auction Results Average: $691,667 Aggregate: $6,225,000 Median: $700,000 Slot 1: John Chew - $725,000 Slot 2: Kerri Spence Bloodstock/Clotworthy Racing - $675,000 Slot 3: Wexford Stables - $700,000 Slot 4: Daniel Nakhle - $675,000 Slot 5: Te Akau Racing - $675,000 Slot 6: Ozzie Kheir - $700,000 Slot 7: Entain New Zealand - $700,000 Slot 8: Andrew Forsman - $675,000 Slot 9: Cambridge Stud - $700,000 Corporate Communications New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Contact: Emma Thompson +64 21 071 2929 nztrcommunications@nztr.co.nz

Sorry I'm confused? Why is it sickening? I thought you would find it entertaining given none of it was your money.

It's called marketing.

Can of worms. What law would apply in NZ?

But what I'm told is a nearby track manager (20 mins down the road) wasn't listened to.

You couldn't make that statement just walking the track. You'd need to take many rather large core samples.

Or even the owner questioning the trainer on why the dog was hurt.

I heard another perspective on the Te Aroha track. Apparently the Matamata track manager offered to assist but the local Te Aroha farmers said no thank you. I must say what I saw of the Matamata track on Saturday it was in perfect condition and offered a safe fair surface.

Is that right? Would it have been another $5m in cost?

I did see some improvement in the 20 days since I last looked at it. But they could have identified the problem and started the remedial work well before the Karaka meeting and perhaps avoided the injuries to some very very well bred and expensive horses. I wonder if they took any core samples BEFORE the big meeting?

Good point. I have no idea. A point though sowing grass seed on sand doesn't create turf - well that's my understanding. So the turf layer is going to take some time to develop if you haven't laid any soil over the sand. If you look at the picture of the core above it is mainly sand and possibly a very very thin layer of soil.

I'm not sure if we are talking at cross purposes... The turf layer isn't very deep and the roots haven't penetrated that far. The core I picked up on Waitangi Day showed very little organic matter, densely matted but very fine roots in a layer of about 25mm. It would appearing the coring has improved the turf layer since then and there is more organic matter but I would say the turf they laid had a very thin layer of soil and was put straight onto sand. With irrigation and fertiliser the roots wouldn't have penetrated that deeply so you would have ended up with something akin to carpet over a polished floor. When the horses gallope the carpet would have split into pieces and made it very shifty under foot. I'm only guessing about the "surface tension" explanation but thinking about it from a physics perspective the rain would have found it hard to penetrate and probably lubricated the carpet.

True. Trackside could always talk to Rogie - they wouldn't get any umms but he uses "this is the best horse I've had" as a segue to "this is the next best horse I've had"...

In your opinion. Of course your weren't listening to what he was saying just how he was saying it. Big ask for a young trainer to be superior in every aspect of horse racing from the get go. As you know public speaking is low on his list of priorities. Not many people work the hours a horse trainer in a large stable do.