Chief Stipe

I guess TAB NZ has summed it up quite well.......

1:15pm on 29 December 2021 - I hope it doesn't cost stakeholders anything to provide betting on this crap. I'll give Trackside 3 a miss - I have trouble enough working out the logic behind what is broadcast on TS1 and TS2!!!!

This is already showing up in the low rates of testing now. Even that excuse for a scientist "I only paddled" Wiles was reported saying that. PS: @Thomass your Princess Cindy is going down quicker than your doll on your birthday.

I agree. Sloppy employment contracts but I guess the employers won't get slapped. In the real world it would be an ERA case to reclaim the fine. However you have to justify the position of the "Betting Analyst" somehow hence the random charges a couple or three times a year.

So you are a proponent of lock everyone down and cancel everything or do you support the creative alternatives to allow business and society to function? The more businesses that put pressure on the regime the more likely this nonsense will stop.

But does it make sense to make it a permanent move?

Most muppets polled think the question is: "Who currently is the PM?".

Bubbles seem to have worked for the Racing industry in Australia. They kept Racing with limited to zero impact on Covid-19 outbreaks. As for Ardern she has well and truly lost the room. Thats why 50 cops follow her around now.

You really do have an issue with the Waikato Studs don't you. The shift makes perfect business sense to me. NZB are only doing what many businesses are having to do and that is adapt to the circumstances. As for the proposition with the hotel it would only be a goer if Omicron has established itself in the NZ beforehand. Then there is no reason for not approving the concept. The NRL hasn't contributed to "super-spreader" events.

What do you mean? Isn't the March date better? Or is it a temporary move because of Covid-19 travel restrictions?

His sire Brazen Beau nearly did as a 2yr old in the JJ Atkins.

Karaka Million Hero Back on Top 27 December 2021 On The Bubbles. Photo: Trish Dunell On The Bubbles (Brazen Beau) was among the very best of his generation as a two-year-old last season, and a supreme performance in Sunday’s $80,000 Listed Shaw’s Wire Ropes Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) at Ellerslie showed he has lost none of that star power. Bought by Te Akau Racing’s David Ellis for $90,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2020, On The Bubbles won four times as a juvenile including the $1m DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka Million 2YO (1200m) and the Group One Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m). The Brazen Beau gelding missed the spring due to an entrapped epiglottis, and he was a beaten favourite when he resumed with a second placing at Te Rapa earlier this month. But on Boxing Day at Ellerslie, On The Bubbles was right back on top of his game. Ridden by Opie Bosson, he settled into a smooth rhythm in fourth spot before cruising into contention in the straight. Undefeated Group Two winner Pareanui Bay (NZ) (Lonhro) quickened smartly and swept up alongside him, but On The Bubbles lifted superbly and fought him off by a neck. “He had the improvement under his belt from last time and I was quietly confident,” Bosson said. “I heard them coming and so did he, so he put his head out and dug in some more. It just shows how good he is.” On The Bubbles has now had eight starts for five wins, three second placings and $796,950 in stakes – almost nine times his purchase price. Trainer Jamie Richards is now keen to give him a shot at the $1m Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 22. If successful, he would join stablemate Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) as only the second horse to ever win the Karaka Million 2YO-Karaka Million 3YO Classic double. “It was a tough effort, because the set weights and penalties conditions doesn’t really suit him,” Richards said. “He had to carry the weight (60.5 kilograms) and he was aided by a top ride by Opie. “He put him in a good position and he toughed it out all the way up the straight. He is tough and genuine and gives 100%, so it was a really good effort.” Curraghmore will offer a half-brother to On The Bubbles at Karaka 2022. The colt by Impending will go through the ring in Book 1 as Lot 433. Vendor Leanach Lodge Purchaser Mr DC Ellis (Te Akau) Breeding Brazen Beau – More Bubbles Sale Lot 116, Karaka 2020 Book 1, $90,000 Bred by Burnewang North Pastoral

NZB Pitches Sale Bubble Proposal to Government 1 December 2021 NZB Managing Director Andrew Seabrook is hopeful towards international attendance at Karaka 2022. The completion of the DoubleTree By Hilton Karaka hotel couldn’t come at a better time for New Zealand Bloodstock. Located at their Karaka sales complex, the hotel is set to open in February next year, just weeks before the delayed New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale Series, which will run from March 7-12. While New Zealand citizens will be able to return home for the sale from mid-January after a seven-day home isolation period, fully vaccinated foreigners won’t be able to enter the country until April 30 under the Government’s current border plan. As a result, overseas buyers would once again be absent from the Karaka sales complex at next year’s sale, however, New Zealand Bloodstock have gone to the New Zealand Government with a proposal that could change that, with the utilisation of their newly-opened hotel the main drawcard. “We are in a great position here at Karaka,” New Zealand Bloodstock Managing Director Andrew Seabrook said. “On our 140-acre property we have a hotel, the DoubleTree By Hilton Karaka, which opens in February. “It is only a couple of hundred metres stroll across the grounds to the sales complex. “We have put a very viable and risk-free proposal to Hon. Grant Robertson, the Deputy Prime Minister and Racing Minister. “We have 122 rooms, so we are proposing to fly in up to 122 Australian buyers over to New Zealand and we pick them up at the airport and bring them to the hotel here on site, which would be closed to the public. “They would be in their own bubble, not too dissimilar to what various sports teams have been doing around the world. “We would have security guards at the gates and they wouldn’t go off site. They don’t need to come in contact with the community. They have everything in the bubble - they can eat here, sleep here, and do their job here of looking at horses and buying them.” On New Zealand Bloodstock’s large sales complex, Seabrook said social distancing between foreign and domestic buyers would be easily achievable. “Putting them in their own bubble is pretty easy (at the sale), it is a big auditorium, and we can put aside a section for them to operate from,” Seabrook said. “Looking at the horses, they don’t have to come in contact with the handlers, so that is risk free.” The DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka has a room capacity of 122. Seabrook said the sale was a big contributor to the New Zealand economy and many Kiwis rely on the sale as a source of income. “This is not just a sporting event or concert, this is a massive economic event for the Auckland and New Zealand economies,” Seabrook said. “For most breeders, it is their one chance of the year to earn their income. We are talking about livelihoods here. “I think that we have come up with a decent proposal that will hopefully be thoroughly considered.” While hopeful of a positive outcome, Seabrook said the sales environment has been able to adapt to the challenging situation caused by COVID-19 over the last 18 months, and he is confident buyers will continue to support the sale remotely. “The sales have come a long way in the last 12 months,” Seabrook said. “People’s appetite to buy online and remotely has been fantastic, as we saw at Te Rapa (NZB Ready to Run Sale) a few weeks ago. “But the Australians are very keen to get here, so we would love to get them here and capitalise on the wonderful results New Zealand horses have had over the last 12 months. “But if it (proposal) is turned down and we can’t make it happen, we are still looking forward to a successful Karaka 2022.” If the Government turns down New Zealand Bloodstock’s proposal, Seabrook said Australian-based New Zealand citizens, including trainers and agents, of which there are several, will still be able to attend after undergoing a seven-day home isolation.

The NZB Yearling Sales have been moved from January to March 2022. Will the Karaka Millions follow the following year? Certainly the change will alter some pin hookers selection methods. Karaka 2022 Catalogues Online Now 13 December 2021 Karaka 2022 Book 1 & 2 catalogues are available to view online now. The date may be different, but when buyers and consignors converge on Karaka for the 96th annual New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sales Series in March, the stars of the show will be the same stellar selection of yearlings that New Zealand is famous for. Catalogues have been released for Book 1 and Book 2 of Karaka 2022, which has been pushed back from its long-standing late-January slot due to COVID-19. Book 1 will now run from Monday 7 to Wednesday 9 March, followed immediately by Book 2 from Thursday 10 to Saturday 12 March. A total of 1103 yearlings are set to go through the ring during the six-day sale extravaganza, including an exceptional line-up of 636 yearlings showcased in the elite Book 1 session. The pedigree pages are saturated with black type, with 30 siblings to Group One winners, plus the progeny of 99 stakes-winning mares including 10 at the elite level. Steeped in history and respected around the world for the racetrack heroics of its graduates, NZB’s flag-bearing Karaka Sales Centre regularly produces champions across all jurisdictions and at all distances. In the last six years alone, there have been 141 Group One victories recorded by 83 individual Group One stars sourced from NZB Sales. Just last season, Karaka graduates won 32 Group One races and scored a total of 108 blacktype successes. On average, New Zealand-bred horses earned 56% more than Australian-breds during the 2020-21 season in Australia. NZB graduates claimed four consecutive Hong Kong Derbys, with Sky Darci (NZ) victorious in the 2021 edition, cementing Karaka as the number one source of winners. The high-quality line up features the progeny of 97 different sires, including all of the top five names on this season’s stallion premierships on both sides of the Tasman. Leading technology and world-famous kiwi hospitality, will again combine for an unforgettable Karaka experience at Karaka 2022. For the second year, buyers who are unable to physically attend the Sale will be able to participate via NZB’s user-friendly online bidding platform. New Zealand-based agents are also available to complete inspections on behalf of international buyers at on farm parades and at the iconic Karaka Sales Centre. View the full Book 1 and 2 catalogues online here. Important Dates

G1 NZ 2000 Guineas Winner Noverre Retired to Stud Media Release - Monday December 27 Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis has announced the retirement of Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) winner Noverre. Noverre has been retired and will stand at Waikato Stud. “Noverre has been retired and has been bought by Waikato Stud and he’ll stand next season at Waikato Stud,” Ellis said on Weigh In. The classy son of champion sire Savabeel, was out of the money only once in his seven starts, with his three career wins including the Gr.3 War Decree Stakes (1600m) to go with his 2000 Guineas victory. The handsome entire had his career cut short after sustaining ligament damage just below a sesamoid bone, close to the suspensory last month. Bred by Chittick Investments Ltd, Noverre was an $800,000 purchase from Waikato Stud’s 2020 Book 1 yearling draft at Karaka. Noverre is the first named foal out of the Group Three winning Rip Van Winkle mare Magic Dancer, who in turn is out of the multiple stakes winner Dazzling Belle. Waikato Stud retained a share in the well-bred colt who was set to contest feature races in Australia through the autumn. Ellis also announced plans for Sunday’s impressive Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) winner On The Bubbles, who will now head to the Karaka Million 3YO Classic (1600m) at Ellerslie on January 22. “I have no doubt he’ll get a mile, he’ll probably get 2000m if that’s the sort of race we needed him to win,” Ellis said. “Any two-year-old that can get 1400m on a soft track at Awapuni will always get a mile as a three-year-old.” Ellis was also positive about the decision to move the annual New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale series from the traditional January date to now start on March 7. “When I was looking at the horses for the Ready to Run sale I saw a few yearlings at that time and I thought this is a vintage year, a vintage crop of yearlings, absolutely top quality,” he said. “I can’t wait to start looking at them in early February. It is going to be very exciting to see how the sale works in that period in March, I think it’ll be very successful and certainly gives me the first January at the beach ever.”

Ok there's another Topic taken off piste by @Brodie

That's what I reckon. Horses are not dumb - they see grass and expect it to be the same but it feels different to what they are expecting.

There doesn't seem to be many Omicron deaths so your prediction isn't going to happen. I think the $900k race is unlikely to happen because racing in NZ seems to be in free-fall and there soon won't be enough dosh to fund a beach maiden at Woodend.

They chuck grass over it so there is minimal difference in colour. They would be better to leave them bare in my opinion. Of course trainers could always train their horses to handle it.

What's this post got to do with a $900k race?

You posted your opinion which answers your question. It goes without saying that BOAY offers all unrestricted opportunity to express their opinion. However you haven't substantiated your opinion with any evidence. In fact you seem to undermine your own opinion. For example you suggest Richards was "pushed sideways" by DC facilitating his movement to Hong Kong. Is Richards having the opportunity of training in Hong Kong with the support of Te Akau really a push sideways? Or is it DC helping a relatively young couple grow and further their chosen careers? Of course the latter doesn't fit the narrative of Machiavellian machinations being afoot at TA.

Bollocks. You have no idea what the contractual arrangements are or have been. Fact is Walker has always been part of the TA team. You are asserting that Richards "has been pushed sideways" and inferring that DC orchestrated it by facilitating the Hong Kong offer. Where's your proof that any of your supposition is nothing more than fiction?

Where did you get that information from? Are you a Journalist because you have an aptitude for making things up. Mark Walker has been a part of the Te Akau operation for a long time. In effect he never left!

Where did you hear that from? If that's the case then why hasn't he been charged and/or stood down?

Ya reckon? Give Brodie one thing he is as consistent as the All Stars.