Chief Stipe

Group One performer Wild Night has been retired from racing. Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Full circle moment for retiring Wild Nighthttps://bitofayarn.com LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 18 November 2025 It will be a full circle moment for Group One performer Wild Night when he returns to Windsor Park Stud following his retirement from racing this week. Bred by the Cambridge farm, the six-year-old gelding is by their Group One-producing sire Vanbrugh and out of Supreme, who is also the dam of Group Two winner Play That Song.https://bitofayarn.com Wild Night was offered through Windsor Park Stud’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Book 1 Yearling Sale draft where he was purchased by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis for $50,000. He proved to be an astute buy, winning five consecutive races as a three-year-old, including the Gr.2 James And Annie Sarten Memorial Stakes (1400m) and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m), before finishing runner-up to Prowess in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and third behind subsequent New Zealand Horse of the Year Sharp ‘N’ Smart in the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m). He battled with soundness issues in subsequent years but added a further three wins to his tally before the decision was made to call time on his racing career following his seventh placed run in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Tauranga Stakes (1530m). “He was a really good horse for his connections,” said Mark Walker, who trained Wild Night in partnership with Sam Bergeron.https://bitofayarn.com “He had a brilliant three-year-old season but had a few soundness issues creep in when he was a four-year-old. “He was quite lightly-raced that season and came back at five to kick off with consecutive wins and had an unlucky run in the Cranbourne Cup (Listed, 1600m) in Melbourne. “He was a lovely horse to have in the stables and if it wasn’t for his soundness issues I’m sure he would have ended up a Group One horse.https://bitofayarn.com “He’ll live out a fulfilled life as a pleasure horse and certainly won’t be forgotten by everyone that had something to do with him.” Wild Night retires to Windsor Park Stud the winner of eight of his 23 starts, with earnings north of $550,000.

Perhaps they didn't want the horses eating the track? The clover would have been put in because the soil on the Coast would have been starved of nutrient. Hence rushes growing instead of grass. Perhaps there were one too many farmers involved in the Omoto renovation who were used to growing pasture to feed cattle.

I'm not sneering. But what I call renovation and what you call renovation are completely different. The tracks that were "renovated" weren't done properly. Riccarton was "renovated" in the 1990's. Correct? To think that it doesn't need to be done again inside 30 years even if it was done properly is incorrect. As I've said before if Clubs worked together then you could treat the tracks like crop fields/paddocks and have a renewal rotation in place. While one was renovated and rested the others took up the slack. Moonee Valley and Racing Victoria is taking this approach when they reshape and renovate completely The Valley track. As for the "Canterbury grass seed" being sown in the wrong place is probably a narrative of blame that has reach mythical proportions!

20 Grp 1 Harness wins!!!

Unfortunately @TAB For Ever will not be making a comeback unless broadband coverage has been extended to higher zones.

The T's and C's said only one syndicate per person didn't it? With 4 members. Those that didn't have the BETCHA app should have signed up (you can do it in a few minutes) loaded $150 (they would have got at least $50 bonus cash) and then joined the Syndicate you set up on BETCHA with a minimum signup of $150.

@Newmarket you could always contact the NZMTC organiser: rachel.deegan@addington.co.nz I'm surprised they didn't use the BETCHA app for the competition it is perfect for syndicate betting. Friends of mine used it Melbourne Cup Day and it worked a treat.

I'd say there would be a fair amount of punter error in @Newmarket's day.

Write to them: helpdesk@tab.co.nz media@entaingroup.co.nz

Actually I used to have that opinion of Gary but before I worked out who he was I twigged to his sense of humour. Then I saw more of the humour in his posts. I daresay not many got it. If you watch his cameo appearances on his son's show and other comedy appearances you get an understanding of his dry and self deprecating wit.

Whats the $149m vs last year? Or more importantly three years ago?

What's that got to do with racing?

At Club level you don't need "Marketing Managers" - you need a marketing strategy and plan. Most Clubs don't even think about it - hell they don't even think much about keeping their tracks maintained!

Well they are doing a great job of promoting Racing at the moment. From what I've seen 80% of the marketing by ENTAIN on channels other than Trackside are promoting racing. Of course Trackside is owned and run by ENTAIN and now it is free-to-air so you can't deny that the investment is significant. My understanding is that cost is BEFORE payments to racing. Yes but what do you promote? Of course there is a difference between promotion and marketing. NZTR do promote Christmas at the Races and the Grand Tour focussed on the big metro meetings. @Huey would argue they spend too much on the latter and perhaps they do. The biggest issue is a lack of a co-ordinated approach to the marketing where each of the groups - TAB, NZTR, HRNZ and local Clubs co-ordinate their efforts with an aligned message and market target. They don't need a lot to promote locally. For example they don't need to promote a local meeting on TV. Ruakaka for example do a lot of promotion with local businesses and pubs. In the past the TAB did all the marketing. It was McKenzie that pushed it off the TAB balance sheet (to make it look better) and pushed it out to NZTR and the other Code Administrators. None of them had marketing skills or personnel. So for a period either nothing was done or it was way off the mark. NZTR does have the funds if it chooses to spend more of the lump sum it gets from ENTAIN but that will result in a reduction in Stakes. At the end of the day Marketing is no different from any other cost centre in a business - the question is where do they spend their dollars to get the most return? Taking an extreme example running a national ad campaign for the Waipukurau races isn't going to give you much bang for the buck vs the local club going to the local businesses and pubs and making sure they put a poster or three up on the loo wall!

Jamie Melham got a "30 raceday suspension". Jamie Melham had her licence to ride in races suspended for 30 race meetings, with the period to commence on Sunday 16 November 2025, and expire on Wednesday 17 December 2025

Yes and that is where the industry has constantly dropped the ball. Although the various Pokie scandals haven't helped racing!

But NZTR don't have a repsonsibility to promote local race meetings to those Clubs local communities. They have a responsibility to promote racing and have a limited marketing budget (trainers, jockeys and owners are screaming out for more stakes!). Where is the local Club's marketing budget?

She got 30 racedays. Which in NZ would be about 10 weeks if you were domiciled in the South Island. There were differences of opinion on mitigating factors but I imagine having picked up over $500,000 during the carnival she will make good use of her holiday - shopping!

You just gave the reason why it may be a successful day - it is a "one off"!!! In a region starved for live racing action in the Hawkes Bay for 14 months!! You CAN'T replicate it for every meeting nor every club. WIll it produce any more of those outputs than if the meeting had been at Hastings? Communities drive community events NOT NZTR!!!! What does it have to do with NZTR? Clubs are generally the architect of their own success or demise!

Uh? Yet you complain about not having online access to a dozen or more Australian online gambling agencies? LOTTO has been in our faces for a very long time. It has huge takeouts, pays big wages and hides behind the dubious image of funding communities and charities!

Correct and very few of the older generation watch the 6 O'clock news anymore. I can't recall the last time I watched the news on TV.

Are you sure it was "live"?

You can support a mid-week meeting in the wops without being there. The reality is the same number of people (often the same people) have been attending these meetings for years. But does any full-time working person in Palmerston North have the time or can afford to take the day off to go watch a mid-week winter meeting at Woodville? But they can still watch and punt wherever they are.

Whats a "load of old cobblers"? The NZ TV channels are struggling for viewership hence the lay-offs of news reporters and presenters. Not to mention the sale of a channel for a $1!!!! Linear TV is not a happening thing. Increasingly viewers are streaming their favourite TV programmes to watch when they want to not when they are first scheduled. As for the NZ Trotting Cup you could have stopped the tractor opened a tinny and watched it streaming on your phone. Get with the programme!!!

They haven't shown it in full for a long time. To be fair they havent shown the Melbourne Cup live for decades! TVNZ is an anachronism from the past. Gone gone gone.