Chief Stipe

Bloody all this angst and tribal diatrive over me making the comment that even Te Akau with all its resources are finding this Spring difficult to get their horses ready and that they prefer to educate and trial their young horses on Turf.

BUZZ - wrong! The Cranbourne Training Complex is the completion of Victoria’s vision to build a purpose-built training facility. This complex is the envy of trainers from all areas, a fact that is displayed openly on trial days when all the metropolitan trainers appear with their horses to take advantage of the excellent surfaces. Current training tracks include: Course Proper – 2400 metres – 27 metres wide Inside Grass – 2150 metres – 26 metres wide Viscoride Track – 1900 metres – 12 metres wide Fast Sand Track – 2020 metres – 15 metres wide Slow Sand Track (x2) – 1400 metres – 13 metres wide Cranbourne Training Complex also includes trail tracks, sand hills, an exercise track, a swimming pool, a bull ring and an underground tunnel network which provides safe access to and from all training tracks.

Bollocks @Freda. You've been listening to @Pitman too much. You know where Te Akau EDUCATE their young horses. It makes sense that they are educated in the Waikato where there are all the facilities you need plus world leading vet support and acres of high quality agistment. Surely you are not suggesting that for a horse to be considered "trained at Riccarton" it has to have spent its entire education time and pre-training there? That would eliminate quite a few of your horses would it not?

Usual suspects - a small number of underachievers and disenfranchised rousing a small group. I see Roc de Cambes has reincarnated and is "inspiring" those with no mates. Interesting how they don't actually debate the issues but focus on playing the man.

My partner and I spent a very enjoyable and enlightened evening with Ron and his partner at the Ellerslie Novotel after the first day of the Karaka Sales this year. What really resonated with me was his farming background (pigs) and his eye for livestock which transferred to buying good horses at good prices.

Full-on racing enthusiast Ron Stanley passes away loveracing.nz Ron Stanley (right) with his wife Kathy, brother Noel and his wife Suzie following Wahid’s win in the Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham. Photo: Race Images Dennis Ryan There will be a vacant seat in the owners’ section of the Ellerslie grandstand on Saturday when Ladies Man attempts a repeat victory in the Gr. 1 Livamol Classic.https://bitofayarn.com Ron Stanley, part-owner of the dual Group One winner along with a host of other class racehorses, passed away on Saturday just weeks short of his 70th birthday, ending more than 50 years fully immersed in racing. Life for Stanley had its challenges due to contracting polio as an infant, but supported by his wife Kathy, brother Noel and a closely bonded group of family and friends, nothing stood in his way. He became a farmer and racehorse owner while still in his teens, making a huge success of both endeavours as well as contributing immensely to racing administration in the Taranaki region. “Ronnie loved racing, every aspect of it, and it became a big part of his life in so many ways,” Noel said when reflecting on his older brother’s legacy. “He bought his first filly when he was 17 and put her with Wally McEwan at Hawera. https://bitofayarn.com “Our father was a rugby man and when Ronnie started to get in involved in racehorse ownership Dad warned ‘They’ll rip the shirt off your back!’ But it didn’t make any difference – he was in for keeps.” The horses had to be affordable, and in that respect the enthusiasm was just as infectious as he and his brother established a solid farming foundation. “Ronnie was 19 and I was 17 when we took over the farm from our father Noel and our uncle Ron, who the two of us were named after. That’s coming up 50 years ago when the farm comprised a dairy unit and a piggery with 40 sows. “Ronnie was the business manager taking care of finances and planning for the future, and he was just brilliant at it. His motto was ‘do it once and do it properly’. https://bitofayarn.com From those 40 sows the piggery grew to now have 500, we developed the rest of the farming operation alongside it and as far as he was concerned it was all about rebuilding, keeping ahead of the times.” That busy farming life was well complemented by the Stanley brothers’ racing interests, which since the late 1980s have centered around New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock. “To begin with when Ronnie got involved, he had horses with a variety of trainers – Wally McEwan, Charlie Gestro, Bob McSeveny, John Wheeler were some – before between us we settled on Allan,” Noel said. “Later in the 1990s we had a horse called Carter who won his maiden and ran in the Derby, then we sold him for $100,000. That bankrolled us to go to the sales to buy a horse we really liked, but Ron said we’ll only spend half of it. “We bought a lovely Gold Brose colt for $22,000, which meant we still had a fair bit left over, so we decided to look for another one, but Ronnie said we shouldn’t get carried way, and 20 minutes later we bought a Groom Dancer colt. “That left us with $5,000 of the $50,000, and typical of Ronnie he said ‘That’s good, it will pay to break them in’.” Those two Karaka purchases elevated the Stanley brothers to racing’s major league. The Gold Brose colt was Grout, who became champion two-year-old with four wins, including the two Group One Sires’ Produce races in the autumn, and was subsequently sold for big money to Hong Kong. The Groom Dancer colt, named Woburn, won his first two starts at two but eventually excelled as a stayer. At three years old, he won his two lead-up races to the New Zealand Derby before finishing third in the Ellerslie classic. He then won the Manawatu Classic and finished third in the South Australian Derby, eventually compiling a record of eight wins and numerous major placings. “We had had a good taste of that level of racing and I remember we were discussing our plans with Allan (Sharrock) and Ronnie said I only want to win one race – the Derby. In one of racing’s great stories, that lofty ambition was realised when the Stanleys’ chestnut gelding Wahid was victorious in the 2006 Mercedes Derby. He had already been a big winner at two and leading into the Derby he won the Levin Classic, Waikato Guineas and Championship Stakes, so his ultimate achievement was as much a relief as a thrill. “I remember Ronnie sitting there in the grandstand, very happy, and he turned to me and said ‘You lead him in and I’ll make the speech’. It was just perfect winning the Derby with the best horse we’ve ever had by a country mile.” Stanley’s involvement in racing was by no means restricted to ownership. His volunteer administrative roles began with the Opunake Racing Club, which he served as secretary/treasurer for nearly two decades and continued when the Taranaki coastal club relocated its raceday activities from Hawera to New Plymouth. “Ron worked tirelessly for the Opunake club, he was such a big part of its success and achieved his target of getting the Opunake Cup to a stake of $100,000,” longtime Taranaki Racing general manager Carey Hobbs said. “He was on the steering committee to bring New Plymouth and Opunake together, which he and others felt was the right thing to do. He was a very sharp administrator and every decision he made was for the betterment of racing. “He also served many years as raceday judge – apart from when one of his horses was racing – and we’ll all miss him as one of those guys you would turn to when a big decision needed to be made.” Allan Sharrock’s training career benefitted hugely from horses racing in the Stanley name. “The Stanley boys have been with me virtually since day one, owners that any trainer could wish for,” he said. “Ron certainly knew his stuff, he had a very good eye for a horse, he understood pedigrees and we never bought a horse if it didn’t meet his approval. I think the success we’ve had together says a lot for our relationship and the big wins speak for themselves.” The current headline act for Ron and Noel Stanley, along with their respective wives Kathy and Suzie, members of the O’Leary family and Sharrock, is Ladies Man. Already a dual Group One winner, the big Zed gelding will attempt a repeat of his 2023 Livamol Classic when he lines up in the weight-for-age feature at Ellerslie on Saturday. “We’ve already talked about it and we’ve decided that we’re all going to be up at Ellerslie. It’s going to be emotional but something we have to do,” Noel Stanley said. “If Ladies Man can win another Livamol – that would be fantastic, the ultimate tribute to Ronnie.” *Ron Stanley’s funeral service is scheduled for 11am Thursday (tomorrow) at St Paul’s Church, Opunake.

Thats a cheap sarcastic shot @Freda. How many Te Akau 2 yr olds turn up at Riccarton NOT already educated and trained to race?

Who are you @curious blaming for your gambling habit?

They bring their 2 yr olds up on turf tracks. Does a consistent synthetic track develop a young horse's muscles and tendons as well as a turf track?

Not their 2 yr olds. @Freda and @curious

Not their 2 yr olds

Ellis makes the point about not trialling/training 2 yr olds on the synthetic. Te Akau do have a good record of developing 2 yr olds and obviously the Synthetic tracks dont fit with their proven training regime. Marsh has incorporated the AWT into his 2 yr old programme with some success. Velocious coming to mind. But then Te Akau do have the skill at keeping their successful two year olds going well past their 2 and 3 yr old years.

Te Akau Monday Update 🍊 David writes: September and October are always a very frustrating time of the year for a racing stable - it's no different for us again this year. In my experience, we never get consistently good tracks in the North until we reach November, and this year is proving no different. At this time of year, we constantly find ourselves dealing with trials, races and race meetings that are postponed, rescheduled, abandoned or relocated - it happens every spring. New Zealand is simply very vulnerable to unpredictable weather at this time of year, and planning around it, and getting horses ready and running, it can be a real test of fortitude and initiative too!https://bitofayarn.com A good example of what I am speaking about is Thursday’s Matamata trials, which have already been called off due to further heavy rain forecast for the week ahead. https://bitofayarn.com We actually had 40 horses ready to trial that day, including 18 two-year-olds who were set to have, in many cases, their first official hit-out. For many of these youngsters, transferring to the synthetic track at Cambridge simply isn’t an option in our mind - they need turf to learn and progress, and take care of their young conformation. So yes, it’s a frustrating time of year, particularly when you have so many horses ready to step out.https://bitofayarn.com This is where having an experienced team really counts. Our team is smart, flexible and always thinking outside the square to keep the horses moving forward despite the disruptions. We have some important races coming up on both sides of the Tasman, so it’s imperative we keep progressing wherever possible.https://bitofayarn.com It’s also one of the key reasons why I’m such a strong supporter of racing at Hastings. The Hawke’s Bay region gets about half the rainfall of the Waikato, and nine years out of ten on average, the tracks there are in great order during Spring. By contrast, further north and especially in the Waikato, we almost never see consistently good tracks in September or October - in fact, over the last 20–25 years I can only remember one firm track in the north before late October. Similarly, our Christchurch stable plays a hugely important role at this time of year. Unlike the North, the tracks in the South are generally in very good shape through September and October, providing ideal trialling and racing conditions - especially in the lead-up to Cup Week in November. Just look at Ashburton on Saturday - the sun was streaming down and we were racing on a Good4 track! Interestingly, over the last 10 days, temperatures in Christchurch have averaged four to five degrees warmer than Waikato and Auckland. Congratulations to Mark and Sam, and especially to Hunter Durrant, our Assistant Trainer in the South Island. Hunter and his team did a stellar job producing two winners at Ashburton on Saturday, including our ninth win in the $100,000 Group 3 Barneswood Farm Stakes with Cool Aza Rene. Cool Aza Rene has joined our honour roll of previous winners of one of the South Island’s most important Guineas' lead-ups with King’s Chapel (2003), Sea Saint (2005), Princess Coup (2006), King’s Rose (2010), Abidewithme (2012), Costa Viva (2013), Cornflower Blue (2020) and Star Of Justice (2023). We were also pleased with the good efforts by Belle Du Monde (4th) and Origin of Love (5th), the latter having only her third start! It was a special thrill to win that race with Cool Aza Rene, a filly I bought out of Book 2 at the Magic Millions Sale for A$55,000. She has now won five of her eight starts and more than $171,000 in prize money. Cool Aza Rene has grown and developed into a really exciting filly, and she will now head into the Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas - a race we’ve won seven times previously. There was a lot of delight among her owners with Saturday’s win, but also a real sense of pride for all of us at Te Akau. Her sire Cool Aza Beel was a stable favourite - known affectionately as Sammy - who won both the Karaka 2YO Million and the Group 1 Sistema Stakes before being crowned Champion 2YO of the Year. I purchased him from Karaka for $150,000, he won four of his six starts, earning $707,560 and he now stands at stud at Newhaven Park in NSW. Cool Aza Rene is out of a mare by Xtravagant, who likewise stands at Newhaven and who was also purchased by me at Karaka. Xtravagant was a superstar on the track - he won six of his 12 starts, including the Group 1 NZ 2000 Guineas by 8.5 lengths (breaking the track record), before defeating the older horses in the Group 1 BCD Sprint by a similar margin. He was named Champion 3YO, winning $483,475 before being retired to stud. It’s interesting to note that both of our winners on Saturday came from Book 2 catalogues - Cool Aza Rene from the 2024 Magic Millions January Book 2 Sale as I said for A$55,000, and Court of Appeal, who I purchased for Fortuna Racing from the 2022 Karaka Yearling Sale Book 2 for just $20,000. Court of Appeal was a runaway winner by four lengths and is now targeting the Metropolitan Stakes and Group 3 NZ Cup during Cup Week at Riccarton. Te Akau trained Mehzebeen was very impressive when winning this double last season. Both of our Ashburton winners were ridden by Bruno Queiroz - this 24 year old from Brazil is really making his mark on New Zealand racing, with 17 wins already this season. His win on Cool Aza Rene was the second black type race he has ridden for us and he brings plenty of experience to our shores, having previously also ridden in Singapore. Another horse that really caught my eye at Ashburton was One True King, by King’s Legacy. On debut, he finished third, beaten only a nose and half a head, and it was a very eye-catching run. He’s a promising type who could well find himself in the Group 1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas, for which he does hold a nomination. There are still two final shares available in him, so if you’re keen to be racing a quality three-year-old, email Karyn today. I’ve spent the last five days in Auckland for a number of medical appointments, and the good news is that I’m improving all the time. Everything has gone like clockwork because Karyn and I are blessed to have a remarkable team of people around us - at Matamata, Riccarton, Cranbourne and on the farm. Speaking of the farm, conditions are warming up and we’re getting excellent grass growth. The stock are doing exceptionally well, and with sheep and cattle prices at record levels, it’s a welcome boost for both the economy and the wider farming community. Karyn and I plan to be back at the farm this week. It’s been a busy period for Karyn too - earlier this year she was appointed to the Broadcasting Standards Authority and had its monthly meeting in Wellington last week. We’ve got a good team ready to step out this weekend on both sides of the Tasman, including Quintessa in the Group 1 Livamol Classic, Queen's Evidence in the Group 2 Soliloquy Stakes at Ellerslie, and Chateau Eze in the Group 1 1000 Guineas in Melbourne. Good luck to all our owners with runners this weekend - we can’t wait to see what the next few weeks bring as the tracks finally start to improve.

Now you know the feeling.

I don't think the $8.5m loan in the late 80's helped Avondale.

Some very good questions. I haven't researched the NZ education connection. However I note that Equi-ed refer to NZ being a location on their website, social media and other communications.

FFS - do any armchair critics bother to view the Stewards Vision for these races BEFORE critiquing them? The "gap" didn't occur until the race was nearly over! As I said earlier she winds into her top speed.

Well according to @Pitman 's Facebook Page they won the SI Premiership! Yes and I see TA's stakes have passed the $1m mark this season. You'll probably find that like many years they send a few South early to ready them for Cup week. This year the tracks down there have been better than most in the North so you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out if you want to get your horses up and running a South Island stable is an advantage.

She keep running into walls and had to run sideways to get a run and then the gap was when the race was over. You lose a lot of momentum stop and starting and going sideways. As you know when you have to move sideways in the Lazy Boy to reach your beer or when the Matron stands in front of the TV with 200m to go.

The ground will only get better going further into the Spring. Looks like Adelaide or Brisbane in the Autumn for her.

Well we now have the situation with the likes of Equi-ed that "so called experts" now have the opportunity to get dodgy non-quality assured qualifications that make the "so called experts" qualified! I'm sure if you pitched up to the unitiated with a 6 month Diploma in Bit and Bridle selection/management you could command a fairly hefty fee!

Some parts of the Equine industry are akin to the Wild West. It has always troubled me that you don't need to be licensed to break a horse in.

We'll see what the new CEO does - I think he is the fourth CEO in 4 years. I also think you are stretching to call the UK Jockey Club "credible".

If you are referring to who I think you are I think it was either a B.Com or a Dip. Ag. Val.

Hung in badly. Won two Grp 3's over 1600m in NZ in time better than she ran in the Toorak.