Chief Stipe

Well Ciaron Maher must have an open cheque book considering this is the first sale of the year. Shall we have a competition - select 5 or 10 yearlings and see who wins the most in stakes. I'm sure @Joe Bloggs will want to test his skill.

Fillies topping the sale on average so far.

I've come to the conclusion you aren't a good judge of horse flesh.

Well if MM "is a giant wank" then the other sales are going to be orgasmic.

Ciaron Maher seems to have all the money so far.

The "Experts" are spending money on them. Must be a reason. Makes the previous fad cheaper!

So much for American Sires not having any currency down under. Filly by Justify (USA) just sold for $900k.

Watch @Joe Bloggs bidding!

Depends how you work and race them when you have them in. The key is keeping them keen and interested plus speed in their legs.

I was always told the rule of thumb was for every week off you needed 2 weeks to get back to racing. So 4 weeks off equals 3 months before racing again. Varies of course between horses - some just go out in the paddock and eat and eat and eat where as others don't sit still for long.

2022-01-10-all-star-mile-nominations.pdf

Verry Elleegant heads the list of 77 Entries Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant and emerging star I’m Thunderstruck are two of 77 entries for the $5m All-Star Mile at Flemington. Trainers have nominated 20 Group 1 winners for this year’s All-Star Mile while 22 entries have won more than $1m in prizemoney. Mugatoo won last year’s All-Star Mile at The Valley, but the Kris Lees-trained import was not among the nominations for the March 19 event as he regains race fitness after a long-term injury. Verry Elleegant is one of 15 entries from the all-powerful Chris Waller stable. Waller’s entry list includes Group 1 winners Kolding and Hungry Heart as well as the exciting filly Espiona, a crushing winner at Flemington on VRC Oaks Day in the spring. Victoria Derby winner Hitotsu and in-form US mare Lighthouse are two of five Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained entries along with the 2020 Cox Plate runner-up Armory. Armory finished second to Maher and Eustace’s winner, the late Sir Dragonet, when trained by Irish master Aidan O’Brien. Armory travelled to Australia to compete during the spring carnival but did not race before connections decided to leave the stallion in Maher and Eustace’s care. The Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr-trained Golden Eagle winner I'm Thunderstruck will chase another big payday in the $5m All-Star Mile at Flemington. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images. Annabel Neasham has entered Underwood and Mackinnon Stakes winner Zaaki as well as Top Ranked, who finished third in the $1m The Hunter at his only Australian run. Group 1-winning duo Beau Rossa and Behemoth headline the South Australian challenge. Multiple Group 1 winner Probabeel and Group 3 winner Elephant are two of five entries from New Zealand. Trainers have another week to make any late entries for the race before public voting to select 10 All-Star Mile runners runs from January 24 until February 13. The top 10 All-Star Mile votegetters will be announced on February 19. Racing Victoria will announce five wildcards, which could include the winners of the Futurity and Blamey Stakes, on or before March 8.

Elephant trampling towards All-Star Mile Elephant made a big impression during his maiden Australian campaign, which included a first-up win at Caulfield in August. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images. By Brad Waters 05:03pm • 10 January 2022 0 Comments Popular Kiwi galloper Elephant will ramp up his All-Star Mile campaign with a trial against another top NZ performer on Wednesday. The oddly-named Elephant endeared himself to Melbourne punters with a solid spring preparation that brought a Group 3 win in the Sandown Stakes and a first-up win at Caulfield. Co-trainer Emma Lee Browne said returning to Melbourne for the autumn was the reason Elephant headed home after a solid third in the Group 2 Crystal Mile at The Valley in October. “We could have probably stayed but we always wanted to come back in the autumn,” Browne, who trains Elephant in partnership with her husband David, said. “We thought if we gave him a break after the Moonee Valley run, we’ll be able to get back there.” Browne said Elephant rapidly matured during his stay in Melbourne. She said Elephant has shown the effects of the trip since returning to the Brownes’ Cambridge stables. “He looks fantastic. He’s put on weight and looks a lot stronger since he got home from Melbourne,” Browne said. “He’s done really well so we’re hoping he can do better again. “We’ve definitely noticed with things he’s doing in the stable that he’s grown up a lot from what he was before he went to Melbourne.” The Brownes will have a chance to see how Elephant is progressing in a trial at Te Rapa on Wednesday. Multiple Australian Group 1 winner Probabeel will be one of Elephant’s rivals in the strong heat. New Zealand trainers David and Emma-Lee Browne have entered Group 3 winner Elephant for the $5m All-Star Mile. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images. “He’s trialling on Wednesday before the races so he’s going there not looking to win but to have a good gallop and get the adrenalin back up on a race day,” Browne said. “There’s a few smart ones going around in the trials because they restricted them to horses that have won or run placings in Group races.” The trial will play a part in the trainers deciding whether Elephant would have his first-up run in Melbourne, Sydney, or New Zealand in mid-February, about a month before the All-Star Mile at Flemington on March 19. Elephant’s standing in the All-Star Mile voting at that point will also be a factor. “We’ll have a go at it (the All-Star Mile) but it’s going to be a bit tricky to get the votes and everything, but we’ll give it a crack,” Browne said. “If we got into the All-Star Mile, then that would be the goal for the autumn but if it was looking like we’re not going to get the votes, then there’s so many other races for him. “He’s got a few options in Sydney as well so it’s a nice position we’re in where we can take our time and see where we want to go.” Jockey Damian Lane will have first refusal of the ride on Elephant during the autumn.

Surely they will televise them. Either way they will be uploaded sooner or later. I see Elephant is being aimed for the All-Star Mile. He'll get my vote.

Then make it hard for them to "steal our hard won assets"! Focus on turnover - getting full fields. Work together to avoid abandonment's. The odds are that at least one meeting next year will be hit by a weather bomb (unheard of to get 3 La Nina's in a row). What are the contingencies? Shift a meeting from one venue to another on the Coast - shift it to the AWT at Riccarton with the commitment that the circuit still happens. Doesn't take long for a track on the Coast to come right after rain. Engage as a collective with the pricks at HQ. Promote and publicly publish your proposals. Make it damn hard for HQ to cancel you.

Yes. No need to be facetious. The reality is that those races are providing low cost revenue however they don't offer opportunities for NZ trained horses to race. If you neglect that at the expense of trying to get more people on-course and in the process of competing with every other entertainment option in town then we fail. One of the reasons NZ Racing lost its way is because it thought and still thinks that it can compete with those other entertainment options hence the huge investment in grand facilities for on-course patrons. That investment should have been and should be directed to providing good racing surfaces providing high quality competitive racing that attracts punting revenue. Let it go @Reefton your comparison is spurious at best. I've already said many many times that the money invested in grand facilities or any public facilities is a waste of time especially if done at the expense of not investing in the racetrack. The key metric is how much was the total turnover. Theoretically Kumara was on equal footing with Awapuni on the day - did they out do Awapuni in turnover? Kumara had an advantage because they had two extra races. I doubt that Kumara would have had more turnover than Ellerslie on the Sunday even though the latter had only 8 races. I note with some amusement that you have frequently called Kumara a shit hole as often as Ellerslie. What odds are you offering that next year the meeting will be either: Abandoned; Transferred to the AWT at Riccarton; Run on a bottomless Heavy 15. Those options are not based on the grandness of the stands but the quality of the track. No that's not why I say it is irrelevant. You seem to assume that I have a bias towards Ellerslie over the West Coast. If you had put your confirmation bias to one side you will have seen that I have been a vociferous supporter of Coast racing. The point is my focus is on the key metrics not some spurious population based comparison. Probably 95% of the population of Kumara attended their race day- all 295 of them plus 14 dogs and 3 pet possums. Let it go @Reefton. It's the past - done and dusted. Look forward. Although you are fudging things just tad. Congratulations Reeton outdid Ellerslie in terms of hospitality but what impact did the hospitality have on turnover? An accounting metric and a poor one at that. Don't forget Avondale. Now finally we are getting somewhere even if you are being patronising Uncle Brian. Yes lets see the comparative return - we used to get that on a regular basis from Mr Purcell until someone drove him out of the country. Saundry tells us NOTHING!!! THIS IS A KEY METRIC. To get this information we now have to ring around and find out. Perhaps you could use your contacts and get Kumara's and ring a mate in Auckland and get Ellerslie's. Which achieves what? It adds cost to achieve what? All it does is further skews returns to the big clubs. How many people turn up to Kumara when the weather is crap? Probably Ellerslie does nothing to promote turnover. It used to be the role of TAB NZ - now it is the role of NZTR. NZTR seem to be doing everything they can to reduce turnover through poor race programming. Instead of bitching about how mean history has been to Reefton why don't you get together with your West Coast administrators, get some sponsorship and offer a prize that can be won by someone who bets on the West Coast meeting. A free trip and accommodation to attend the iconic Kumara race meeting. Think outside the square.

Two trials on at Matamata tomorrow.....avoiding the AWT perhaps? Or a float trip? 1:22 OPN Catchweight 1050 OPN HCP 1050m Open /Close Plc Horse Jockey Trainer 1 Markus Aurelius (5g Ghibellines (AUS) - Evancho (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Riccarton Park 2 Short Fuse (7m Per Incanto (USA) - Only Explosive) Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall, Matamata 3 Elephant (5g Shocking (AUS) - Ticklish) Emma-Lee & David Browne, Cambridge 4 Amarelinha (4m Savabeel (AUS) - Hopscotch) Jamie Richards, Matamata 5 Imperatriz (AUS) (3f I Am Invincible (AUS) - Berimbau (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Matamata 6 Vernazza (4m More Than Ready (USA) - Zonza) Lance Noble, Karaka 7 Probabeel (5m Savabeel (AUS) - Far Fetched) Jamie Richards, Matamata 1:37 OPN Catchweight 1050 OPN HCP 1050m Open /Close Plc Horse Jockey Trainer 10 Tiptronic (8g O'Reilly - Tiptoes) Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall, Matamata 11 Sword Of State (AUS) (3c Snitzel (AUS) - In The Vanguard (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Matamata 12 Aegon (4g Sacred Falls - Toss Up) Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman, Cambridge 13 Bonny Lass (3f Super Easy - Posh Bec) Graham Richardson & Rogan Norvall, Matamata 14 On The Bubbles (AUS) (3g Brazen Beau (AUS) - More Bubbles (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Matamata 15 Kahma Lass (4m Darci Brahma - Distinctive Lass (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Matamata 16 Festivity (5m I Am Invincible (AUS) - Mabsam (AUS)) Jamie Richards, Matamata

Magic Millions 2YO Classic final field revealed Magic Millions day 2019. PIcture: Getty Images By Jett Hatton 03:41pm • 10 January 2022 0 Classy New Zealand filly Bright Blue Sky has just snuck into the final field for Saturday’s $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic (1200m) at the Gold Coast. The Jamie Richards-trained juvenile has banked $50,177 in her two starts to date with that sum proving enough to gain a start, scraping in as the 16th runner of the field. Caulfield Cup-winning jockey Brett Prebble remains in Queensland and is set to partner Bright Blue Sky, who will take on the likes of standout two-year-old Coolangatta and Annabel Neasham’s Soaring Ambition in Saturday’s feature. Coolangatta remains the dominant $1.70 favourite ahead of Russian Conquest at $7. Neasham just missed out on having two runners in the rich event with Swiss Exile the first emergency while Peter and Paul Snowden’s Revolutionary Miss is also on the outer as third emergency. The father-son training partnership, who won the race in 2015 edition with Capitalist, still have a strong hand with Russian Conquest and Miss Hellfire both in the final line up. Eagle Farm trainer Les Ross is set to have three runners with Mishani Warfare, Mishani Spartan and Mishani Persuasion all in the final field while Spanish Angels is his fourth acceptor and is second emergency. Magic Millions ru2YO Classic favourite Coolangatta. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty Images $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic horse, trainer, jockey 1. Cusack – Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young – Craig Newitt 2. Mishani Warfare: Les Ross – TBA 3. Stupendo – Danny O’Brien – Craig Williams 4. Mishani Spartan – Les Ross – TBA 5. Golden Artie – Bryan & Daniel Guy – Ben Thompson 6. Mishani Persuasion – Les Ross – TBA 7. Thelwell – Sharryn Livingstone – Justin Stanley 8. Heroic Son – Peter & Will Hubert – Adin Thompson 9. Coolangatta – Ciaron Maher & David Eustace – James McDonald 10. Soaring Ambition – Annabel Neasham – TBA 11. Russian Conquest – Peter & Paul Snowden – Kerrin McEvoy 12. Miss Hellfire – Peter & Paul Snowden – Tim Clark 13. Sneaky Starter – Mick Mair – Tiffani Brooker 14. Perfect Mission – Michael Costa – Andrew Mallyon 15. Snitcat – Gary Portelli – Jason Collett 16. Bright Blue Sky – Brett Prebble 17e. Swiss Exile – Annabel Neasham 18e. Spanish Angels – Les Ross 19e. Revolutionary Miss – Peter & Paul Snowden 20e. Wild Botanica – Kacy Fogden 21e. Russian Warrior – Allan Chau

If the big screen at Ellerslie causes issues with horses suddenly veering away what happens at the Gold Coast?

I doubt it. Why? It was different when Club revenue was tied more to on-course turnover. It isn't now. With new technology an increasing number of people are betting through the TAB App on-course. Why leave your possie on the fence to go and queue behind a dollar each way pensioner? You assume there was a net benefit to the industry. As for Karaka night it is based around two sweepstake races mostly funded through horse purchases. NZTR shouldn't be topping up the stakes. If Ellerslie do and can fund it out of their own money good on them. Now the key for West Coast Clubs is what did they, the TAB or NZTR do to promote off-course turnover? Then the question is if the West Coast Clubs did in fact bat above the average on total turnover will they be rewarded accordingly.

There are quite a few good trainers like that as well.

No I'm not saying Ellerslie are doing a great job for the industry. I'm particularly worried about their proposal to cash up and distort stakes while eliminating the other two tracks in Auckland. Without another track in Auckland quite rapidly any new track development at Ellerslie will end up like the one they have now - stuffed. What I am saying is measuring success on the number of people who attend on-course is a red-herring. It is a hangover from the past when it did matter in terms of revenue to the industry. It doesn't anymore. The focus should be on quality tracks, quality fields and wagering revenue. That's not to say that a holiday circuit like the West Coast shouldn't continue. It has a place in the industry but don't forget that this year has been a rare one for the Coast weather wise.

I've been to Kumara many times and if a decent sized crowd turns up you have nowhere to stand unless it is against the fence. If I was going to the races to have a day out, drink and eat too much and get burnt to cinder yep I would hang around near the fence. But if I wanted to have a day punting, not get burnt to a frizzle, have a beer or three out of the heat and to get a decent view of the horses in the parade ring and on the track then I'd choose Ellerslie everytime.

You don't do yourself any favours by calling Ellerslie a dump. Reefton is hardly a 5 star entertainment venue (Ellerslie does have a successful Event Centre). Both venues could have thousands on course having a great time, drinking and eating up large occasionally watching the horses go round but not even having a bet.

Yet you come back with a typical accounting metric of on-course turnover that is irrelevant. The relevant metric is total turnover and the revenue return to the industry. The cost to acquire a $1 of on-course turnover is considerably more than a $1 off-course. Measuring the success of a race meeting, be it on the West Coast or at Ellerslie, by the number of people who attended is flawed and a pointless comparison. The only outcome that on-course attendance may achieve is to attract someone new to the sport who may or may not invest or remain interested later.