Chief Stipe

What does a staying three year old in NZ actually "kick on" to?

Definitely problems with it. A few good ones have been snapped up by overseas buyers. Plus any owner with any sense would get any decent young horse to OZ asap.

I don't believe Aegon bled. I recall reading that he had an injury to his lower nostril.

But predominantly over 1200 and 1400m. Don't get me wrong I have always been a fan of the horse. I just don't think he is a 2000m horse. $2 is far too short.

Most of the $1m comes from his Karaka Million 2yr old win.

I don't think Ellis has that type of influence as he leaves the training to his trainers. His job in the Te Akau machine is inspecting as many yearlings as he can each year and giving the wink at the sales.

I'm not convinced he does see out a mile. His galloping style and his looks are very much like his sire Brazen Beau. I'd be sticking to 1400m with the occasional 1600m. Surely you can tell in his training if he will get 2000m rather than "testing the waters". From the comments made by Richards and Bosson the horse is a laid back dude around the stable and in his work and trials. That may be giving a false impression of his ability to relax and stay. As for the lack of 3yr old races well that's where our whole pattern in NZ is screwed. The only options are Brisbane winter carnival. But that might be stuffed if the big wet continues.

The official decision may well have been Walkers but he has only been there five minutes so the recommendation would have come from Richards. It will take six months before Walker gets a handle on all the cattle at his disposal.

Hypnos.

I like Maven Belle in the Sires Produce but not the price. In my opinion was poorly ridden at Ellerslie.

Agree. Surely On The Bubbles is a false favourite? Don't see him getting 2000m. Some of Richards decisions I just don't understand.

Why?

Surely this highlights an industry problem with handicapping and Stakes distribution. All very well @Michael to say if these horses didn't race at Palmerston they would be shot but isn't the problem that they are handicapped out of racing too quickly. The same happens in the Thoroughbred code.

Were the stakes correspondingly less than elsewhere?

RA chairman quits: Messara unable to end NSW-Victoria feud Arrowfield Stud founder John Messara has resigned from the Racing Australia chairmanship. Picture: Supplied By Gilbert Gardiner 08:46pm • 30 March 2022 Racing Australia’s first independent chairman John Messara quit on Wednesday, conceding he was unable to settle state regulator differences. Hall of Fame administrator Messara, the founder of Arrowfield Stud, was appointed in May last year in a bid broker peace between Racing NSW and Victorian counterparts. Messara, who has voiced his frustration publicly about the stalemate before, was unable to make any inroads. Racing NSW and Racing Victoria have veto rights on decisions, including whether a board meeting can be held. In a statement on Wednesday, Messara said he was stepping aside in the hope his successor would have more luck. “I joined the Board of Racing Australia as its first ever Independent Chairman with the intention of reconciling differences,” Messara said in a statement. “I am now stepping aside to allow the Board to vote in a new Chair, who I hope will have more success than I have had.” RA will shortly consider a replacement for Messara. His departure came less than 24 hours after RA chief executive Myles Foreman announced his resignation. Racing NSW chief executive Peter V’Landys took exception to “certain sectors” accusing Racing NSW of being the cause of many of the problems in Australian racing’s civil war that resulted in Messara’s resignation. “… it’s complete rubbish that Racing NSW has never come to the table,” V’landys said on Wednesday evening. “The misinformation coming out of certain sectors is laughable. When all the facts are known in this situation people will take a different view. “John (Messara) tried his best, however, without expressing the serious concerns we have I can’t really say anymore.” RV chairman Brian Kruger was disappointed to hear about John Messara’s resignation. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images Racing Victoria chairman Brian Kruger expressed his disappointment on Wednesday. “This is a disappointing outcome as we had hoped John would be able to take RA forward and advance a number of important matters currently on the national agenda including equine welfare, the Rules of Racing and the Australian Racing Pattern,” Kruger said. “RV remains of the view that a united national approach is vital to Australian racing’s healthy future, and we stand ready and willing to engage in meaningful dialogue with all states on national matters. “We will be playing our role to ensure that RA can operate uninterrupted in the immediate future and will work with those that also believe in the importance of a national approach. “John is a decorated and highly respected member of the Australian racing community and while we are eager for him to continue in the role we understand the decision he has reached. “We would like to thank John for his contribution and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

We know not what we do By July, 98 percent of British adults had coronavirus antibodies, mostly through vaccination. Yet 35,000 Britons since then have died of COVID. Nearly all were jabbed. Now cases are soaring again. Alex Berenson Mar 29 840 257 It is time to face reality. If Britain is the future of the coronavirus in highly mRNA vaccinated countries, the future is bleak. Britain authorized Pfizer’s mRNA Covid vaccine even before the United States. It vaccinated against Covid faster than any other advanced country except Israel. The results have been worse than unpromising. Last week, Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer, warned the coronavirus would remain a public health threat “for the rest of our lives.” This assessment is far grimmer than any that American officials have made, at least publicly. But Britain is now facing yet another wave of Covid infections and deaths - its fourth, or fifth, or sixth, depending on who’s counting. Dismissing Whitty as a fearmonger would be easy. In much of 2020 and 2021, he pushed lockdowns and offered regular predictions of doom. But even a stopped hysteric can be right twice a day. And Whitty’s assessment is actually much darker than one he made in mid-December - when he predicted that “each six months [going forward] will be better than the last six months.” This graph of the last year of Covid deaths in Britain explains why Whitty is no longer optimistic: SOURCE After falling close to zero during spring 2021, during the happy vaccine valley, Covid deaths rose through the summer and have remained stubbornly high ever since. Week after week, about 1,000 people in Britain are dying from Covid, based on the most conservative definition of Covid deaths - those that occur within four weeks of diagnosis. During the Omicron wave the number rose even higher. In reality Britain does not seem to have “waves” of Covid anymore. Even when new variants roll out, deaths no longer fall close to zero, as they did in 2020, before the mRNA shots were introduced - and as they still do in countries that did not use those jabs. Nearly all these deaths - over 90 percent, closer to 95 percent under a more expansive definition of Covid deaths - now occur in people who have taken Covid shots. Even in people under 50, most Covid deaths now occur in the jabbed. SOURCE What’s gone wrong, and what happens next? Those questions will not be easily answered. Later this week, I hope to come back to one crucial issue - the fact that mRNA jabbed people struggle to develop antibodies to parts of Sars-Cov-2 other than the spike protein even after infection. But even as I have been chasing that question I am struck by how LITTLE research has been done on it. The best paper I can find on the role anti-nucleocapsid antibodies may play in the development of immunity was published in 2020. Because the mRNA vaccines fail to produce antibodies to any part of the coronavirus except the spike protein (and really just one part of that), research on other potential drivers of immunity seems to have withered. Whether this is simply an effort to chase research dollars I do not know, but whatever the reason for it, it has happened at the worst possible time. We are not quite flying blind. But a lot of the instruments are out, and the clouds are gathering. We were lucky with Omicron. It is contagious and very good at escaping vaccine immunity, but not very dangerous. We may not be as lucky next time. Governments and scientific researchers need to stop trying to ignore or even hide the obvious crisis now unfolding. They need to stop pretending the answer is more rounds of boosters, which at best will increase spike antibodies for a couple of months - at the cost of unknown long-term damage. (More mRNA boosters are politically untenable in any case, especially in the United States, where fewer than half of vaccinated people have taken them.) Before they can do anything else, they need to stop pretending that what is happening now is in any way what they promised. The fact they keep trying to do so is stunning, when less a year ago, in May 2021, the British Broadcasting Corporation wrote that “The vaccines are working wonderfully,” added that they reduced the risk of hospitalizations by up to 85 percent AFTER ONE DOSE, and asked: SOURCE A year later, it’s clear Sir Bell is right. The world - at least the mRNA-vaccinated world - “may indeed be at a tipping point.” Just not the way he thought.

Non Raceday Inquiry – Written Decision dated 29 March 2022 – Graeme Swann ID: RIB8234 Respondent(s): Graeme Swann - Trainer Applicant: Mrs G Murrow - Investigator - RIB Adjudicators: Hon J W Gendall QC Persons Present: Nil - on the papers Information Number: A15757 Decision Type: Adjudicative Decision Charge: Failed to comply with a NZTR Covid 19 Directive Rule(s): 802(1)(a) Plea: Admitted Stewards Report Results Code: Thoroughbred Race Date: 24/02/2022 Race Club: Wanganui Jockey Club Race Location: Wanganui Racecourse - 19 Purnell Street, Whanganui, 4500 Hearing Location: On the papers Outcome: Proved Penalty: Trainer Graeme Swann's Class B Trainer's Licence is suspended for 3 months and he is fined $1,000 DECISION MADE, BY CONSENT OF THE PARTIES, ON THE PAPERS Reasons 1. Mr Swann is a Licensed Class B Trainer operating at Whanganui and had 3 horses under his care at the relevant time. 2. He was charged with a breach of Rule 802(1)(a) of the Rules of Racing in that: (a) On 24 February 2022 he attended the race meeting at Whanganui Racecourse and failed to comply with a NZTR Directive (in line with the government “COVID 19 Public Health Response Act 2020”) and was therefore in breach of Rule 802(1)(a). (b) That Directive was provided to all Licencees and required persons entering a racecourse that they must have a “My Vaccine Pass” scanned or sighted to prove double vaccination. (c) Mr Swann did not have such a pass nor any valid exemption issued by the Ministry of Health. 3. Rule 802(1)(a) provides that: “a person commits a breach who acts in contravention of or fails to comply with any provision of the Rule … or any policy, notice, direction, instruction, … restrictions, requirement, or condition given, made or imposed under the Rules. 4. Following upon Mr Swann’s advice that he admitted the charge, the Adjudicative Committee has received submissions in writing from the RIB and Mr Swann (the latter via email). Essential Facts 5. Mr Swann holds a Class B Trainer’s Licence which is issued to Trainers who do not train more than 6 horses, which shall include those in which he/she may have an ownership interest. 6. On 24 February 2022 he attended the race meeting at Whanganui Racecourse it appears, for the purpose of assisting another in managing a horse. Under the NZTR Directive all persons attending a meeting at the racecourse had to present their “My Vaccine Pass” or evidence of it, and the Directive issued by the NZTR Board on 26 November 2021 provided: “This Directive outlines the following: 2.1(f) All persons admitted to a racecourse for a Meeting must: (1) Allow their “My Vaccine Pass” to be scanned or sighted as proof that they are double vaccinated. Any attempt to falsify proof of a person’s vaccination status (“My Vaccine Pass” or in another form) will be reported to the NZ Police and will be treated as a serious Racing Offence. A false statement regarding vaccination status to the NZTR, this RIB or a racing club will also be regarded as a Serious Racing Offence”. 7. Mr Swann, when asked by Stewards for his vaccine pass, produced a photograph on his phone of a Ministry of Health Exemption card. If valid, it would have permitted entry. Parts of the photograph had been pixelated out so it could not be read. When later interviewed by RIB staff on 28 February 2022, Mr Swann presented a printed version of his “Exemption” and said it was genuinely obtained from the Ministry of Health. But the printed version expired on the recorded date of 14 February 2022 – 10 days before he attended the races. Mr Swann then admitted that he had pixelated out the date on the photo on his phone, in order to attend the races, as he knew that the exemption had expired. 8. Although it is not claimed by Mr Swann, some might argue that the NZTR Directive only refers to “My Vaccine Pass” so that an Exemption card is not covered by the Directive. But that would miss the point. If an Exemption card does not exist or has previously existed but expired, in that case, a “My Vaccine Pass” does not exist, when, it was necessary in order to secure entry. And, in Mr Swann’s case, in any event, he committed a separate Serious Racing Offence under Rule 801(1)(h) by “wilfully supplying false or misleading information” to the NZTR, Stewards and Investigator. Informant’s Submissions as to Penalty 9. After referring to the principles and considerations discussed in RIU v Lawson, which are well known to the Adjudicators, the Informant summarised those relevant to this case as: (a) the need to punish an offender’s wrongdoing. (b) the importance of deterring others from committing similar offences in racing matters. (c) to reflect the Adjudicative Committee’s disapproval of this type of offending (ie disobeying NZTR Directives to all licence holders). (d) the need to rehabilitate. (e) attempts to subvert the expectation of the Directive involved a breach of trust of others attending race meetings. 10. Reference was made to the cases of: (a) RIU v Keegan – (4 months’ suspension, $3000 fine, $750 costs). (b) RIU v Harvey – (fine of $2,700). (c) RIU v Hewitson (fine of $2,400). Neither of the last 2 cases involved altering documents to mislead the Investigators, whereas Keegan’s case involved presenting a forged document to avoid detection. 11. The Informant submitted that Mr Swann’s offending was akin to that of Ms Keegan’s because he dishonestly altered a document that he presented to officials. The RIB contends that “serious consideration needs to be given to a period of suspension, considering the serious breach of public trust and the trust of the Racing Industry. General deterrence is another key consideration as to whether a suspension is warranted”. Submissions Presented by Respondent 12. Mr Swann, in several email communications has outlined at length his personal and medical background and history to illustrate why he had obtained an exemption. He says that “overrode the vaccine pass”. But, of course he did not have such an exemption at the time of this offence, but instead altered (or “forged”) the photographic record of his status. He said that a lawyer has told him that the Ministry of Health requirement was “a mandate, and not law”. That, also misses the point as the offence is a refusal to comply with a Directive of the NZTR, whatever was the background for it. He outlined his long involvement in racing, track riding, training matters, and pleads that this has been, and is, his life. He said that he would be lost without it. He advises that he is single, lives alone and is not financially comfortable. Outcome 13. The current training position of Mr Swann has not been made absolutely clear by him to the Adjudicative Committee. But it appears that he may have been training, at most, 3 horses – and possibly now only has 2 of those in his care. As mentioned a Class B Trainer’s Licence allows a person to train not more than 6 horses which “shall include race horses in which he [she] has an Ownership interest, is competent to train, owns or occupies appropriate Trainer’s Premises; and is financially sound and of good character. 14. As was observed in RIU v Keegan disqualification is manifestly excessive. Although Mr Swann argued that only a small fine was required, the Adjudicative Committee has to conclude that a Serious Racing Offence, involving presentation of false and misleading information to a Steward requires a sanction that deters other licence holders who might wish to defy the Directives and Rules of the Code. Those who have the privilege of working as Licencees in the profession have to understand that the Rules which govern the Code must be obeyed. If they do not agree with the Rules, they may elect to not participate in the profession. 15. The two cases of Hewitson and Harvey, which resulted in fines only, are to be distinguished as they involved only unauthorised crossing of temporary boundary restrictions in place. In this case, as was the position in Keegan there was involved deception and presentation (“uttering”) of a false document so as to be an offence of “Serious Misconduct”. 16. Mr Swann’s action is in the same category as was Ms Keegan’s and it is necessary to signal to all Licencees that when ignoring NZTR Directives by adopting fraudulent measures, stern sanctions will follow. It does not however have an additional aggravating factor of prior use of the forged document. A suspension Order must follow. But the Adjudicative Committee notes that under Rule 304(2) “a horse which is spelling is not being “trained” by a Class B Trainer. So, if Mr Swann spells those 2 (or perhaps 3) horses under his care during the period of suspension he is not “training them” so as to breach a suspension Order. But a financial sanction must follow so that, whilst he will remain in the profession and cannot “train” during the suspension, there has to be a further penalty. 17. From a starting point of 4 months suspension, and a fine of $1,500, the Adjudicative Committee allows a substantial discount to reflect Mr Swann’s good record over many years in the Industry; his acceptance of guilt, and his personal circumstances. For these mitigating features the terms of suspension is reduced by 25% to 3 months, and the fine by 33 1/3% to $1,000. Mr Swann can, and should, remain in the profession, and only will not be able to “train” as a Class B Trainer for a modest period. 18. Accordingly, Mr Swann’s Class B Trainer’s Licence is suspended for 3 months to commence at 5pm on 29 March 2022, and to cease at 5pm on 29 June 2022. 19. In addition he is fined $1,000. 20. There is no Order as to costs.

I just can't see the sense nor the economic benefit of shifting training facilities away from the main centres. It is a secure source of revenue and less volatile than relying solely on entertainment and hospitality revenue streams.

The MRC (Melbourne Racing Club) want to invest more than $300m in redeveloping Caulfield into a racing, sporting and recreational hub. To enable that it will mean divesting of Sandown. Don't forget there are three clubs in Melbourne - the MRC (Sandown and Caulfield), the VRC (Flemington) and the MVRC (Moonee Valley). So it looks like there will be only 3 courses left in Central Melbourne with training devolved to outer areas e.g. Pakenham etc. Moonee Valley has been undergoing redevelopment with housing/apartments being built.

Further in its only other start it obviously had some gait and or soreness issues. The Stipes report on it in FULL: Then it had 3 months between races. @Walt you didn't highlight the trial and workout it had in between her two starts. 5th in the trial and 1st in its workout. In the trial it got shuffled back to last after running 3 deep on the pegs and the winner ran the last 400m in 27. It can be excused for not running home in 26 or quicker surely? Especially given the fact it probably had a bit of a let up after its first start and would have been lacking race fitness. If I was you I'd have a sneaky fiver on The Fiery Countess next start.

It does happen but what's your point @Walt? We always used to set a maiden for a good dividend. Often the only time you ever did get a good dividend. But in this case it seems unlikely that anyone banked a huge amount given it paid 37's on the tote. Unless of course it was hammered on Fixed Odds which it didn't appear to be.

Clue?

Discretion can be interpreted as giving favour. The rules and penalties shouldn't be open to interpretation.

Can we try and not get too personal in our criticism? The whip rules are more black and white than most. Anyone who can count could do the job even Billy Connolly. Aside from the dumb whip rules the bigger issue in my mind is the process of determining charges and consistency in penalties. In that respect Algar seems to be doing alright. Also from what I can see the Chairperson's role has become procedural with the substantive arguments left to others.

Roch 'N' Horse headed to TJ New Zealand Racing Desk@nzracingnews 24 March, 2022 Roch 'N' Horse wins the Newmarket Handicap (Image: Racing Photos) Newmarket Handicap heroine Roch ’N’ Horse is thriving at Flemington and Michael Moroney and connections have confirmed the daughter of Per Incanto will head north to contest the Gr.1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 2. Bred and raced by Little Avondale Stud, Roch ’N’ Horse is blooming in the current warm Melbourne weather. “She looks absolutely fabulous,” Moroney said. “She’s a very contented mare, is eating everything and has actually put weight on since the win. “She’s had a bit of travel, from Matamata to Trentham and then the trip here but you wouldn’t know it, her constitution is amazing. “I haven’t done much with her since the Newmarket but she is lovely and bright and bouncing about like she is ready to go again which is exactly what we want.” Connections have elected to tackle the weight-for-age Sydney race with lucrative prizemoney of $A2.5 million. “She’s in career best form and the way she won at Flemington tells us she is certainly good enough,” Moroney said. “I had plenty of people tell me before the Newmarket that the New Zealand form was not good enough yet we won the race and Levante ran a terrific race to lead them home on the outside so it was a great result for New Zealand as a whole.” Moroney is concerned about the monsoon-like weather that has plagued Sydney over the past month, with testing heavy tracks the norm. “The one little question I have is about her coping with an extremely heavy track so I’m hoping things will improve in time,” he said. “Her last three starts have been at Group One level, she was desperately unlucky at Ellerslie in the Railway and then just missed in the Telegraph - the best two sprints in New Zealand and then we saw what she is capable of at Flemington.” Moroney is also upbeat about the prospects of another former New Zealand sprinter in Not An Option, who is likely to run in Saturday’s Listed Hareeba Stakes (1200m) at Mornington. “His work here at Flemington on Tuesday was as good as I have seen from him since we’ve had him and when we looked at the race on Saturday, it looks a suitable option for him,” Moroney said. “The field looks like dropping away a bit and more than half the nominations are on the minimum weight which for a Group winner like him is a luxury. “He won his Group Two going left-handed at Trentham and we gave him a nice break after having one run for us last September where he just got lost at Flemington. “If he can repeat his gallop from Tuesday then it does look a nice race for him.”