Chief Stipe

Jockeys, Stipes or Administrators? Trainers don't seem to be involved. With Hastings did the Stipes or Administrators consider delaying the races rather than abandoning? It annoys me a bit that Trainers seem to have a fatalistic view on tracks. They should be involved in the decision making. It isn't a recent phenomena either as it's been like it for the last 30 years.

It is short enough to lay.

Interesting though how OSH has a price though. Loads of money on offer at the Karaka Millions and an unsafe track - horses slipping and injured - the show goes on. Hastings - apparently only the potential of a problem and the meeting is abandoned. They delay the races again when the big money is up and the tote goes down but don't consider delaying Hastings for a race to let the water soak in. Who IS actually running the show?

But it isn't copied is it? Was the Karaka Millions before the Magic Millions? Both sweepstake races as is any slot race. Just another sweepstake race with a variation. Now what you should do is get your next good 3yr old lined up so they are trying to buy it for their slot?!

Waipuk? Wairoa? Woodville is close.

All the top horses have a high pain tolerance. That's why they are top horses.

I see that one of the rich stables/rich men (whatever that means) bought a Slot in the Kiwi B race. Clotworthy Racing - sure in partnership with someone else but they bought a slot. Shaun and Emma Clotworthy. I was reviewing the negativity on this thread and watching Trackside today and saw a young apprentice Ace Lawson-Carroll win a race in the so called Waikato Mafia home - Matamata. Now young Ace doesn't come from a very privileged background but I understand is apprenticed to the Clotwothy's and obviously is doing well in his chosen career. I might add that career hasn't been without some ups and downs. Who amongst us can say that our teenage years wasn't chequered?! I saw Ace at Ellerslie riding track gallops on Monday. He got off one horse exhuasted having had to work really hard to get it to gallop. I was impressed with his assessment of the horse he rode. I talked to the Clerk of the Course and heard all about his journey to this point. It isn't my place to relay that story but what I will say racing has offered a young keen man from south of Auckland a chance to pave a good career. Has the sport of Thoroughbred Racing really left the "common man" behind? Whatever that term means.

So are you suggesting the least favoured Te Akau horse is the one to back?

As a result of the abandonment of Hawke’s Bay Racing Inc.’s meeting at Hastings yesterday, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has confirmed the following date and programme changes. Programme and Date Changes After considering all options and taking into account the views of affected participants, NZTR has determined that the Group 2 Lowland Stakes and the 3YO Set Weights and Penalties that was not run yesterday will both be moved to Racing Taupō’s meeting on Friday 8 March. In order to accommodate these moves, nine races will now be run at this meeting next week. The necessary approvals for these changes have been obtained from the New Zealand Pattern Committee and the TAB NZ Dates Committee. The Group 2 Lowland Stakes will now be run over 2000m metres and the 3YO SW&P race will be run for a stake of $25,000. NZTR notes that, while the Group 2 Lowland Stakes is an important race in its own right, it also plays a very important role in the 3YO fillies pattern, as it helps underpin the race rating of the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks at Trentham. In NZTR’s view, running the Lowland Stakes at Taupō gives both it and the New Zealand Oaks, the best opportunity to meet the required ratings performance to retain their status as Group 1 and Group 2 races, respectively. In addition, the 3YO Set Weights and Penalties race will also move to Taupō as an important lead-up to the Group 2 Wellington Guineas. A 3YO Set Weights & Penalties race over 1300m is to be added to the Ōtaki-Maori Racing Club programme on 6 March, to be run for a stake of $25,000. Other key programme changes are summarised below: The R60 1200m is being deleted from the Racing Taupō meeting on 8 March An R65 over 2100m is to be added to the Wellington Racing Club programme on 9 March There will be new nominations for both races being moved to Taupo (closing at the normal time on Tuesday 5 March) with preference being given to horses who were meant to run yesterday at Hastings. Hastings Abandonment NZTR received a full Stewards’ Report this morning regarding the abandonment, including the track preparation in the lead-up to the raceday. NZTR is awaiting reports from the Club on the preparation of the track, particularly consideration of forecast showers, to ensure that all available options were considered for the surface preparation given the adverse forecast. NZTR will engage with the Club, Racing Integrity Board and New Zealand Jockeys’ Association to ensure we get the best possible outcomes for the industry moving forward and that we are making proactive decisions when it comes to the preparation of tracks with our current weather patterns. NZTR and the Club have also agreed to immediately undertake a full renovation of the Hastings turf to regain confidence in the track. More information will be provided by NZTR regarding this process once a detailed plan has been finalised. Yours in racing, Darin Balcombe Chief Operating Officer Darin.Balcombe@nztr.co.nz

Does your "left" grow back each time you lose it? My recollection is you have lost it often.

I would have thought that they would be a key stakeholder to be involved. May be they would have swung the vote Karaka night?

But they haven't told us why it "doesn't smell right"or why it is "sickening". So what are you doing to address the issues in your chosen racing sport? Of those in the "rich man's sport" (I note your gender bias) how many were gifted their stake in the Thoroughbred industry?

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.