Chief Stipe

Tim Williams booked to drive Johnny Nevits!

Don't look ETHEL!!!!

MANU-R09-261221.mp4

At least it wasn't a track worker!

You think they would have learnt the first time. This time right in front of the crowd 200m out!!! Unbelievable - Ellerslie needs to sort out their Track Workers!

I agree 100% with your comment. A skilled horsemen riding the Sheriff would have ridden it differently and not have been intent on keeping Run To Perfection locked up. Innes actually made the right decision in the end and pulled his horse out of the mele rather than risk injury to horses and riders. But what do you expect Kamaruddin to do when we have a stupid rule that forces Jockey's to attain the best possible position all the way back to 10th!!! Why not just pay back to 4th and then spread the stakes evenly across the rest of the field. Why the $700 difference between 5th and 6th. Then add to that the stupid head to head bets that the TAB offer. Here is the Stipes report for the race.

High Flying Harry According to the armchair experts he should have gone forward with a lap to go.

No mention in Stipes Report.

So it's not wacky baccy but the white powder!

Communique - must have been worse than a ligament. Euthanased.

So Tiptronic's jockey slows them down and stacks them up. No other Jockey shows any initiative and lets him do it. Two Illicit galloped on. What was the name of the horse that broke down badly? Looked like a suspensory ligament issue in its near rear.

Right you are saying he should have pushed out at the 800m? The horse was travelling because he had it settled on the fence doing nought. Just needed a smidge of luck.

There are less than a dozen skilled Jockeys left in NZ. However in Race 1 you have to give Innes some credit for not pushing through under Sheriff when it was laying in and hanging. Bowman might have gone for it but then that hasn't worked for him nor those around him including some horses this year. Has it?

FFS @Joe Bloggs hang your belligerent bridle up for a moment and take those blinkers off. Les Crayeres was outside Innes approaching the turn NOT Sheriff. When Les Crayeres went forward around Sheriff there was nowhere for Innes to go.

That's at least 3 crap opinions now. Have another look at the race. https://loveracing.nz/Common/SystemTemplates/Modal/Video.aspx?v=http%3a%2f%2fwww.racingreplays.co.nz%2fmedia%2f202112%2fAUCK-R01-261221.mp4&i=%2fCommon%2fImage.ashx%3fw%3d565%26h%3d314%26a%3d1%26o%3d1%26z%3d1%26bg%3deeeeee%26p%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fwww.racingreplays.co.nz%2fmedia%2f202112%2fAUCK-R01-261221.jpg&r=Race 1 - BARFOOT & THOMPSON 1400&rs=1&jwsource=cl Les Crayeres was on his outside on the turn - Sheriff was further forward and hanging. Once Les Crayeres went forward he tried to nudge Sheriff but it was hanging and laying all over him. Innes pulled the his horse up saving it from being banged up.

Well where was Innes going to go with it? Couldn't have settled the horse anywhere else but where he did. Had no opportunity to improve during the race. Sheriff caused it a few problems on the turn and straightening when you would have expected that horse to drift out but instead it hung in. As I said even if it got a run it wouldn't have beaten the winner. So there's two crap opinions.

Certainly wasn't up to beating the winner.

FFS Joe I was referring to the contract Richards is entering into with the HKJC. You yourself have said it isn't against the rules of racing to have a part absentee trainer as there are ways to stay within the rules. Get on the HKJC snitch line and let them know. I'm sure they know your views about China and Hong Kong racing and will sit up and take note. BTW I see TA are doing OK today as per usual in the Stakes races.

The fact is none of us have any idea what the contractual arrangements are during the transition phase of the three trainers involved. However given the amount of outside scrutiny and speculation that Te Akau is subjected to I'm sure that everything is well covered.

Lightning Jack set to strike in Summer Cup Former Kiwi Lightning Jack is out to make it two in a row in Australia in the Summer Cup. Picture: Grant Guy By Ray Thomas 12:37pm • 25 December 2021 0 Comments Trainer Annabel Neasham can put an exclamation mark on a stellar year if Lightning Jack wins the Group 3 $160,000 Summer Cup (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Boxing Day. Neasham has prepared five Group 1 winners during 2021 from stable stars Zaaki (Doomben Cup, Underwood Stakes, Mackinnon Stakes) and Mo’unga (Rosehill Guineas, Winx Stakes). It’s easy to forget Neasham has only been training for 18 months such has been her impact on the sport. “You don’t get any time to reflect in racing but it doesn’t feel like it was August last year when we started – it feels like we have been going a lot longer,” Neasham said. “I have to pinch myself when I think about the success we have had so far but the support we have been given and the quality of horses we have got has made it possible.” To that end, former New Zealander Lighting Jack is a new stable recruit, scoring impressively on debut for Neasham over the Randwick 1600m course two weeks ago. Lightning Jack ran unplaced at his only previous attempt at 2000m across The Tasman but Neasham doesn’t believe the Summer Cup distance will be an issue for her gelding. Trainer Annabel Neasham is confident Lightning Jack will handle the step up to 2000m in the Summer Cup. Picture: Getty Images “I don’t think 2000m will be a worry,” Neasham said. “He enjoyed being ridden ‘cold’ last time and he was strong through the line. “I didn’t know what to expect from him last start so I suppose it was a nice surprise that he measured up. “But (owners) the Tyler family have done such a good job with the horse and the fact they wanted to send him here gave me confidence, “Although Lightning Jack has drawn out wide in the Summer Cup, I don’t think that will matter. It will be great if we can get a Group win out of him.” Lightning Jack is on the second line of Summer Cup betting at $5 behind the Joe Pride-trained Stockman at $3.80 favouritism. Neasham has a strong team entered for the Boxing Day meeting including Holyfield and Southern Lights in the Hyland Race Colours Handicap (1400m). Holyfield ($10) indicated an imminent return to form with a good third to Brookspire at Randwick two weeks ago while Southern Lights makes his Australian debut but is an interesting runner as he was considered good enough to contest the English Derby earlier this year, finishing unplaced behind Godolphin’s Adayar. Holyfield produced a good effort last start and can continue his return to form at Randwick. Picture: AAP The Neasham-trained juvenile Narnia, a $600,000 Magic Millions Yearling Sale purchase, is at $9.50 for his debut in the Drinkwise Plate (1100m), while stablemate Spaltet is $4.20 favourite for the Midway Handicap (2000m). The beautifully bred Rejoiced – three-year-old colt by super stallion Redoute’s Choice out of Joy Toy, herself a half-sister to champion More Joyous – puts his unbeaten record on the line in the Heineken 3 Handicap (1600m). Neasham has also entered Rejoiced for an easier race at Newcastle on Sunday and is considering the best option for the promising colt. Meanwhile, Neasham’s brilliant Wyong Magic Millions winner Soaring Ambition was floated to Brisbane on Thursday to continue her preparation toward the $2m Magic Millions 2YO Classic on the Gold Coast on January 15. Neasham said Soaring Ambition will be nominated for a race in Brisbane on New Year’s Day but the filly is not a certain starter. “I am leaning to trialling her at the Gold Coast on January 4,” Neasham said. “Soaring Ambition galloped the best I have ever seen her work at Warwick Farm last Tuesday and I’m not sure she needs another race before the Magic Millions. “She is very professional and although she drew wide at Wyong and had to go back, then came around the field on the bend, got a check and still picked herself up and ran home. It was a very gutsy win.” Zaaki and Mo’unga return to Annabel Neasham’s stables on Monday to begin their autumn carnival preparations. Neasham also revealed Zaaki and Mo’unga will return to her Warwick Farm stables on Monday to prepare for the autumn carnival campaigns next year. “They have been in pre-training and arrive back in the stable (Monday),” she said. “Zaaki will be set for the All Star Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. We will find something leading in, but I haven’t decided that race yet. “Mo’unga won the Winx Stakes and ran second in the Makybe Diva Stakes during the spring and I feel they were his two best runs. “He never runs a bad race but he has proved he can do it over shorter trips so I might keep him sharper and go to the George Ryder Stakes off say the Canterbury Stakes.”

Depends on the HKJC contract. There would have to be a transition period with handover's occurring in Singapore and NZ as Logan and Walker moved around. Richards is best placed to oversee the horses currently lined up for the next few months. I would say that initially there is an amount of flexibility being applied to allow the smooth transition to the new regime. It would be in everyone's interests for that to be the case and I don't see where any rules of racing in NZ would be broken.

Is it any different to Richards having horses based in Sydney or Melbourne for months on end and not being on the ground there? Or for that matter Waller having stables in the Gold Coast, Sydney and Melbourne? All different racing jurisdictions. Waller having 400+ horses in work at anyone time. So what "rules of racing need to be re-written"? Or is it the waccy baccy talking @Joe Bloggs?

Johnny Nevits still in the field for race 2 even though officially still stood down. I see that Cam Jones has a couple in. No charges as it but that doesn't see to stop the rumour mongers beating the jungle drums.

When does the NZ season end and the Hong Kong one start?