Chief Stipe

Soft 5 on the TAB site.

Yet it says its Good 4 on the fields page?!

MEETING NEWS Wellington RC | Saturday 13 January RACE DAY Race Day Weather: Fine Track: Soft 5 Moisture Meter: Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours Irrigation: Weather and Track updated at 6.37am Saturday 13 January Friday Afternoon Weather: Overcast Track: Soft 5 Moisture Meter: 34.7% Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 2mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: 8mm Irrigation Last 24hrs Weather and Track updated at 3.50pm Friday 12 January Friday Morning Weather: Fine Track: Soft 5 Moisture Meter: 34.7% Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 2mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: 8mm Irrigation Last 24hrs Weather and Track updated at 9.08am Friday 12 January Thursday Afternoon Weather: Fine Track: Soft 5 Moisture Meter: 34.6% Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 2mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: 8mm Irrigation Tonight Weather and Track updated at 3.30pm Thursday 11 January Withdrawal Morning Weather: Fine Track: Soft 7 Moisture Meter: 34.5% Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 2mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: 10mm Irrigation Lat 24 Hours Weather and Track updated at 8.40am Wednesday 10 January Nomination Morning Weather: Fine Track: Soft 7 Moisture Meter: 36.5% Rail: True Rainfall: No Rain Last 24 Hours | 2mm Rain Last 7 Days Irrigation: 16mm Irrigation Last 24hrs Weather and Track updated at 8.30am Tuesday 9 January Head Stipe - John Oatham 021 725 550

Getting back to the original post... Why were the Cambridge Synthetic Track trials cancelled and replaced by trials on turf at Taupo? Why has there only been two trial meeting in the last four months at Cambridge?

Still won 5 two year old races. Not many do that anywhere. Isn't Fastnet Rock proving himself as a broodmare sire? It helps. But they've also chosen her on type and conformation.

But the majority of expensive flops are colts bought with the intention of making a stallion. It only takes one good one to make up for a lot of duds.

Yes but he makes some good points about the handicapping system.

Charming. Tar everyone with the same brush? Obviously you frequent 5 star establishments.

Where are they now? Top lots from previous Magic Millions sales www.racenet.com.au Spending a fortune on a yearling doesn't always mean they will be a success on the track. We take a look back at the top five lots from the past three Magic Millions sales and see where they are now. 2023 MAGIC MILLIONS YEARLING SALE (now two-year-olds) I Am Invincible – Anaheed colt — $2.7 million Purchased by Tom Magnier. Hasn't raced yet. Zoustar – Solar Charged filly — $2.6 million Purchased by Yu Long Investments. Hasn't raced yet. I Am Invincible – Booker colt — $2.5 million Purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock. Hasn't raced yet. I Am Invincible – Flippant filly — $2 million Purchased by Tammy Rigney. Hasn't raced yet. Exceed And Excel – Ichihara colt — $1.8 million Purchased by Kia Ora Stud/TFI. Hasn't raced yet. 2022 MAGIC MILLIONS YEARLING SALE (now three-year-olds) I Am Invincible – Suspicieuse colt — $1.9 million Purchased by Tom Magnier. Suspect had three runs for Chris Waller for one third at Warwick Farm in a maiden. He's now gelded and trained by Mitchell Beer at Kembla Grange. He ran fifth of seven in a trial at Kembla Grange on January 5. Not A Single Doubt – Miss Admiration colt — $1.7 million Purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock. Unquestionably had three starts for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace for one win and a third. He ran ninth at Cranbourne in a three-year-old handicap over 2025m in November, beaten 10¼ lengths. He was sold online for $85,000 in December and is now gelded. He's now in the care of Neil Dyer at Kyneton and listed as spelling. I Am Invincible – Najoom filly — $1.55 million Purchased by Sheamus Mills Bloodstock. Charm Stone has won three races from six starts, including two Group 3 wins for Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr. She is currently listed as spelling and last ran fifth in the Group 1 Golden Rose in September. Pierro – Ravi colt — $1.5 million Purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock. Pasima has had three starts for a second and two thirds. He ran second to Vanquished in the Magic Millions maiden on January 6. Snitzel – Sweet Sherry filly — $1.35 million Purchased by Badgers Bloodstock/Glentree Thoroughbreds. Madeira is yet to race and is trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace. 2021 MAGIC MILLIONS YEARLING SALE (now four-year-olds) Snitzel – Bonny O'Reilly colt — $1.9 million Purchased by Tom Magnier. Raced as Basquiat in Australia, winning a maiden at Doomben and placed twice in Group races, before being purchased at an online sale in November 2022 for $290,000. He now races as Pacific Warrior in Singapore. He's won one race from 13 starts in Singapore. His overall race record is two wins and seven placings from 23 starts. Kingman – Florentina colt — $1.8 million Purchased by Tom Magnier. Spanish Empire ran last in two trials in November and December 2022. He was subsequently gelded and is now listed as retired. Not A Single Doubt – One More Honey colt — $1.8 million Purchased by Tony Fung Investments/Phoenix Thoroughbreds. Man In The Mirror has won one race from seven starts and $97,775 in prizemoney. He ran second in the Group 2 VRC Sires' Produce in 2022. He was purchased by Lizzie Jelfs and Annabel Neasham Racing at an online sale in October 2022 for $135,000. He is now a gelding and won a trial at Warwick Farm on January 2. Not A Single Doubt – Soleil Brulant colt — $1.5 million Purchased by Tom Magnier. Diaco has had 18 starts for three wins and three placings and $85,525 in prizemoney. He was originally trained by Chris Waller but is now trained by Olivia Cairns at Beaudesert in Queensland. He was purchased at an online sale in March 2023 for $32,500. At his most recent start, he won a BM65 at the Sunshine Coast over 1600m. I Am Invincible – Maastricht filly — $1.2 million Purchased by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock/Nxt Level Syndication. Greece has won one race (a maiden at Geelong in September 2022) from seven starts and $80,375 in prizemoney. She is trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace and is currently listed as spelling.

Won 5 as a 2yr old. Compact - similar to her mother who was a precocious 2yr old winning Karaka. Avantage did win a G3 at Rosehill and wasn’t that far away from winning the Arrowfield. I'm guessing they can see a lot of Avantage in her and the target is the Magic Millions in a years time.

Widely published that it was Yulong.

Brilliant information. Oh we wish in NZ......

Assuming by indirectly you mean the likes of my Imperatriz posts? Are you suggesting we shouldn't comment on the best sprinter in OZ/NZ that happens to be trained by a New Zealander? BTW she was bought at the Magic Millions sale which the likes of @Joe Bloggs attests is a second rate sale. Only 20%? Geez I'll have to try harder. Jokes aside is it all that surprising when they win about 20% of the NZ black type races. BTW what % of your posts are on the same topic? You must have that figure at your fingertips since you appear to be keeping a tally.

It makes perfect sense to me as it would at the very least enable a comparison and/calibration with the turf track. Obviously from @Freda comments depending on management of the surface the firmness differs. If I was a trainer I'd like some quantitative measure of that. At the very least it would eliminate some of the arguments from some of the trainers.

I've said it many times before I've never been a sycophant to anyone (anyone who knows me will attest to that) and as for naivety with regard to racing I lost that decades ago. Now you keep kneeling at your altar of socialism and think bitter thoughts.

The feedback from [ local ] riders who actually RIDE on the polytrack, is inconsistent. However one opinion that seems to be almost universal - I say almost because there will be one who disagrees - is that the surface is vastly better after rain. That does indicate that irrigation would probably be a good idea, especially in the very hot, dry summers we regularly experience in Canterbury. The surface should be consistent and to achieve that it needs to be managed relative to rain, irrigation and temperature and the mechanical fluffing of the track. I assume it is never ever rolled with a heavy roller. If it isn't managed consistently relative to those variables mentioned then they should be using a penetrometer on it before every race meeting.

You've just proven that the necessary daily maintenance is probably not occurring. I suspect you aren't a cost accountant afterall as you've only looked at one figure in the accounts. With a training centre that is touted as having 1,200 horses in work I'm surprised they haven't made a profit. They were before the AWT and arguably could have funded their own AWT rather than getting a handout from the Government taxpayer. You are being surprisingly loose with your description of depreciation as well. Unless you aren't a very good accountant you'll know that depreciation is a mechanism by which the cost of replacement of a capital asset (or in the case of the AWT renovation when it is inevitably required) at the end of its economic life has been funded by offsetting against profit. So the question is from your analysis has the Cambridge Jockey Club increased their cash assets sufficiently to fund future renovation? Bearing in mind they started with a sizeable lump in the first place. If they haven't then not only will the AWT be a White Elephant but a millstone. With Riccarton and Awapuni given they don't have anywhere near the horse population they are a millstone from day one. (There's a pun in their for Riccarton). But what do you expect when there was clearly never any business plan done. Now that the asset grab plan doesn't have any potential of success will another handout be required?

Says the permanently cynical tall poppy slayer with an anti-Matamata bias.

Ellis is running close to 20% stakes winners from the Magic Millions. No one else is close. However Coolmore own zero % of the Avantage filly. What was Bromley's ROI?

But how many was he the major share holder in? He bought quite a few duds. Actually more duds than good ones. His best two were bought by Ellis. His first horse was Madame Shinko and he wasn't a majority share holder. I doubt any "breeding expert" would have selected her being out of a Lanfranco mare.

But back to the Topic. Coolmore own zero % of the Avantage filly.

Really? You have zero idea what happened and why. Who was Bromley's first horse? Or more importantly how many of Bromley's few good horses did he actually select?

I said rare - you inferred often. How many years are you going back? So who bought Princess Coup?

Investing in Commercial Property and them Bloodstock would be a challenge for most.

Proof?