Chief Stipe

Well most young horses are for sale at a price. I find them to be far from boring. Excellent viewing when on track. Great for spotting a potential winner. Doesn't suit all horses and I see they ran the 2 yr olds with the rail at true and for the rest out to 20m. You would have heard on Saturday that it is still quickly cutting out and gets shifty.

Have you been visiting the doom and gloom site?

The Walker horses you CAN'T forget www.racing.com The G1 1600-metre classics of the Caulfield and Thousand Guineas are a little more than a month away but that hasn’t dulled the dream for a number of owners who on Tuesday paid the nomination fees for their still unraced hopefuls. The $3 million Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on October 11 attracted 119 nominations by the noon deadline on Tuesday with 10 of those entries for horses yet to make their debuts. In the $1.5 million Thousand Guineas (1600m) on October 18, there were 106 nominations with 17 of those yet to have their first start. The clock is certainly ticking for these horses to be ready to run at 1600 metres in four or five weeks’ time, so expect to see a flood of them kicking off shortly. Among those entries for unraced horses are seven from star Cranbourne and New Zealand trainer Mark Walker. You’d expect most of these will start their careers in the next two weeks, so let’s take a closer look at them. MARK WALKER’S UNRACED THOUSAND GUINEAS ENTRIES Sattva (Savabeel – Mawzoona): Been placed in two of her three trials to date. Bred to run as has Black Caviar’s granddam Scandinavia in her pedigree. Merrow (Ancient Spirit – Erin’s Babe): Has not been placed in any of her four trials to date but in her pedigree is Patrick Erin, who won the 2018 G1 Metropolitan (2400m) for Chris Waller. May Be Bubbles (Lonhro – Tracy May): Unplaced in both her trials, she is the first foal of mare Tracy May, who’s granddam Tracey’s Element produced the Australian Horse Of The Year in Typhoon Tracy. Lyrics ‘N’ Song (Written Tycoon – Melody Belle): Has been placed in both her trials so far and will generate any amount of interest as she is the first foal of the 14-time G1 winning mare Melody Belle. Girt By Sea (Ocean Park – Baggy Green): Managed to be placed once in her four trials but is out of a great producing mare who has already had the likes of stakes winners Tofane, No Compromise, Benaud and Bradman. Get Honor (Savabeel – Honor): Unplaced in all three trials, she is bred to get some ground being out of the family of the likes of handy staying type Ecuador. MARK WALKER’S UNRACED CAULFIELD GUINEAS ENTRY Hostility (I Am Invincible – Shillelagh): Hasn’t even been to the trials as yet but bred to be a star as by Australia’s champion sire out of the former Chris Waller-trained mare Shillelagh, who won the G1 Cantala Stakes (1600m) in 2017 and the G1 Empire Rose Stakes over the same course at Flemington 12 months later. First acceptances for both G1 Guineas races are taken on September 23. TO VIEW THE CAULFIELD GUINEAS CONTENDERS CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE THOUSAND GUINEAS CONTENDERS CLICK HERE

Geez I gather you have been given the flick from the Anti-Racing Forum by the @Comic Dog ? Well at least the new management team here are consistent.

I'd forgotten about that. I knew she had some niggles. Very hard at the elite level in OZ. Only a handful of fillies or mares really dominate and you only need to be less than 1% off your game to not be in the first half dozen. Quintessa is by the maiden Cox Plate winner Shamus Award (by Snitzel) out of a High Chaparral mare so you'd expect her to perform better over further than 1400m.

As @hesi said some adapt and some don't. I spoke with a well respected NZ trainer about a particular horse that a friend has a share in about going over there. She made an interesting comment - she said about the horse "she is the type that will work it out". Some step up some don't. But if you have a horse which performed at the elite age group level in NZ then you have to try as if they do succeed the rewards are huge particularly with a mare. Quintessa has done alright over there and has increased her value considerably.

If you have seen what a band of horses running in the wild do you'd think racing was tame by comparison.

It did win a Grp 3 there and ran second in a Grp 2. So not far off being competitive in the right races. Went off the boil for a number of reasons but has had a good spell and come back a lot stronger. Hardly "not up to them...."!

Roaming bulldogs invade home and maul toddler in life-threatening attack www.stuff.co.nz https://bitofayarn.com 18-month-old toddler attacked in own yard by two american bulldogs VIDEO CREDIT: Paddy Gower Has Issues This video is part of this week's episode of Paddy Gower Has Issues, made with the support of New Zealand On Air. A toddler is lucky to be alive after being attacked, mauled and bitten by dogs roaming an Auckland street. The 2-year-old suffered life-threatening injuries after being bitten on the neck and head by two American bulldogs. Horrific CCTV footage shows the toddler playing just outside their front door when the first dog wanders onto the property. The dog makes a beeline for the 18-month-old - and goes straight on the attack. The footage, from last year, shows the dog biting and attempting to drag the toddler. The dog is bigger than the child, and moves them across the front yard with ease. A second dog then enters the property and joins the attack. https://bitofayarn.com This dog is even bigger than the first, and together they push the toddler against a fence before pinning them to the ground. Both dogs maul the child, while other children at the property are too scared to help. Neighbours run onto the property to try and help, but they are unable to pull the two dogs off the toddler. Finally, two grown men arrive and are able to drag the dogs off the child. They struggle to pull the dogs away. The attack lasts for about a minute. The toddler was left with severe injuries - including bites and a fractured shoulder - requiring multiple surgeries and a long hospital stay Auckland Council provided the footage to Paddy Gower Has Issues to highlight the problem of roaming dogs across the city. ‘It is a crisis’: 6500 dogs killed by Auckland Council in just one year Last year, 10,000 dogs were impounded in Auckland - the highest number ever. And 6500 dogs were euthanised or put down. Auckland Council’s general manager of compliance, Robert Irvine, said simply: “It is a crisis.” He said mass euthanasia was necessary because the pounds were full, as so few owners came back to claim their dogs. Irvine said the euthanisations “keep the public safe”. “It means we can bring in more roaming dogs, and our ultimate goal is to protect the public.” The council says the dogs are either too dangerous to be adopted out, or people don’t want them. “We don't want to be euthanising dogs. Unfortunately, the shelter capacity is at a maximum,” Irvine said. Auckland Council has proposed reducing the holding period before euthanasia from seven days to five. “It is a very controversial proposal,” Irvine said. “But we are seeing so many dogs unfortunately being euthanised, and there’s a cost to it [keeping them at the pound].” The dogs at the pound include many cute puppies which council staff sadly admit will not find a home, meaning they too will be euthanised Paddy Gower Has Issues was shown Auckland’s most dangerous dogs at the pound - including one that was leaping and attacking from within its cage. These dogs are truly frightening. https://bitofayarn.com ‘It’s a crisis’: Council calls for help to tackle roaming dog problem VIDEO CREDIT: Paddy Gower Has Issues Auckland Council calls for mandatory desexing powers The big problem with the exploding dog population is that they keep breeding. “It's just too easy. A dog will just have litter after litter after litter,” Irvine said. “We've got to reduce the amount of unwanted dogs.” Desexing - preventing dogs from reproducing - is part of the solution. However, a big part of the problem is that Auckland Council does not have the ability to desex the dogs it impounds. It needs the owner’s permission - which is difficult to get. Irvine said this meant many reclaimed dogs were released still able to breed. He believed giving Auckland Council the power for mandatory desexing, and to introduce the five-day euthanisation rule, would require a law change by the Government. Auckland Council said its legal advice was that the Dog Control Act allows councils to set their own bylaws relating to dog control, but does not explicitly say that mandatory desexing for impounded dogs falls within this scope. It meant any bylaw with mandatory desexing could be legally challenged. That meant Auckland Council needed the Government to step in, Irvine said. “This is a crisis. Now we need the Government’s help,” he said. “We need some big changes, including the ability for councils to tackle the de-sexing problem.” Council and Government at war over dogs But the Government has already rejected Auckland Council’s call for new powers. Minister for Local Government Simon Watts released a statement that said: “Councils have the authority to develop dog control bylaws tailored to their local circumstances.” This directly contradicts Auckland Council’s position that a bylaw will not be enough. Watts said he had instead asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to explore “non-regulatory approaches to support better dog control”. “This includes improving the quality and consistency of dog-related data,” he said. Watch full episodes of Paddy Gower Has Issues on Three, Tuesdays at 7.30pm, or stream any time onThreeNow.

I'm not sure that in NZ and OZ they do. Our trainers realise the importance of paddock/yard time and the benefits of spelling on good grass for decent periods of time. They focus on two active stable/racing periods with spells in between. So most horses get at least 2 to 3 months of grass paddock time a year and often with other horses as a group. That works for fillies, mares and geldings. The expensive colts not so much. But then naturally a stallion is somewhat of a loner and a fighter in the natural herd. There is also the factor of line breeding of thoroughbreds and the nature vs nuture aspect. From what I've seen many racehorses favour human contact over other horses. In fact I've seen a pattern where the really good ones have a total disdain for their peers. Those types actually seem to be bored in a paddock. I know one in particular that just slopes around eating as much as it can. 200 years of line breeding and they have adapted. Modern stables are large and allow horses to see and hear each other. Some will just pace up and down. Good trainers know that a happy horse is a horse that will perform and they spend a lot of time making sure the horse has variation and time away from the stable. For example a trip to the beach is often on the agenda. cranbourne beach.mp4 One of the advantages we have in NZ is we still have access to large areas of good parture on rolling land. Most top stables after purchasing yearlings let them down and they destress in large paddocks in groups. I've seen a $1m+ yearling in a large paddock with 3 other yearlings and no cover on, covered in mud and just being a horse. These spelling paddocks often become part of the horses regime for its life as a racehorse.

Vale Fastnet Rock www.racing.com Via Sistina’s sire Fastnet Rock, who has long been a global sensation as a stallion for Coolmore, has died at the age of 24 following an injury. The multiple group 1 winner by Danehill, who had been retired from stud duties in Australia just last year, suffered an injury over the weekend at Coolmore’s Hunter Valley base and was unable to be saved. “Sadly, earlier today our much-loved champion sire Fastnet Rock was humanely euthanized at Coolmore, his place of birth and home for the past 20 years,” said Coolmore Australia’s principal Tom Magnier in a media release. “In that time, Fastnet Rock forged a legacy that will see him recognised as one of the greatest stallions Australia has ever produced. “This is such a sad day for everyone who has worked at Coolmore and played a part in Fastnet’s life. Our thoughts today are with all the staff who cared for him over the past 24 years.” Fastnet Rock was a G1 winner of the 2005 Lightning Stakes and 2005 Oakleigh Plate before embarking on a stud career which saw him stand at Coolmore Australia for 19 seasons and at Coolmore Ireland where he shuttled for 11 straight seasons until 2021. He served Via Sistina’s Irish-bred dam Nigh in 2017 with Via Sistina being born in March of 2018. Magnier said Coolmore had a long attachment with the record-breaking stallion, who was Australia’s champion sire in seasons 2011/12 and 2014/15. “He was born and prepared as a yearling here at Coolmore and raced in the navy silks for Paul Perry and our ownership partners,” Magnier said. “Residing in the stallion barn for 20 years, he was the kindest and smartest horse you would ever meet and I’m so glad that we got to parade him one last time at the open day two weeks ago, where he looked incredible. “Sadly, he suffered an injury over the weekend, which deteriorated rapidly and we did not want him to suffer. Coolmore Australia would not be what it is today without Fastnet Rock and we owe him so much.” Coolmore’s records show Fastnet Rock’s total number of individual stakes winners stands at 197. He was crowned champion broodmare sire for the past two seasons so his legacy will live on through his daughters who have already produced a 150 stakes winners. WHO WAS FASTNET ROCK? Foaled: 22 September 2001, Australia Colour: Bay Sex: Stallion Sire: Danehill (USA) Dam: Piccadilly Circus (AUS) Trainer: Paul Perry Career Earnings: A$1,724,100 Starts: 19 Wins: 6 Placings: 9 Major Wins: Lightning Stakes (G1, 2005) Oakleigh Plate (G1, 2005) Notable Offspring: Atlantic Jewel Mosheen Sea Siren Merchant Navy Via Sistina

Exaggerated claims. The reality is very few horses in NZ are confined to a stall for 23 hours a day 365 days of the year. Being driven by this group: Horseracing Wrongs is a 501(c)(3) non-profit committed to ending the cruel and deadly horseracing industry in the United States.

What they forget is they are more likely to be remembered for what they did last than what they did in the past.

Yes and many of them are yesterdays men with a reputation from a different era. You see groups of them at the local meekly affirming each others gripes. Best to keep them away from the young people coming back into the industry.

Blame or forgive? Quite frankly those that bitch and moan constantly have their eyes clouded by envy and or underachievement. There is a lot to be positive about at the moment. From last Saturday to this coming Saturday in one form or another 800 horses will have raced or trialled. So obviously some people are still enjoying the sport.

Those sectionals by Quintessa are not much slower than what Alabama Lass ran home in the Moir. 47.38 34.94 22.94 11.65 1400m vs 44.79 34.16 22.86 11.54 1000m

I really don't get why a certain group are intent on bitching about anything and everything. Good fields at the Cambridge Synthetic (AWT) Wednesday 10 September 2025. Plus 356 horses nominated for two trial days this week! I guess the bigger your butt the more you moan if it was on fire! 🙂🤣 🐶

Meeting News Avondale Trials - Thursday A total of 356 nominations were received for Ellerslie trials tomorrow (Tuesday). They will cater for 189 horses. As per previous communications, the overflow (167 horses) are being entered for Avondale trials on Thursday (10th). Trainers can withdraw from Avondale trials with no fees. The transferred horses include all Maiden 3yo 1100m, all Older Maidens (800m and 1100m), and 28 of 104 horses entered for Maiden 3yo 800 were transferred by ballot. Avondale entries will remain open until 12pm Wednesday September 10th. Ellerslie eliminations have priority. We appreciate participants understanding. Avondale JC 11-09-2025 Trial Nominations.pdf

26 Trial races at Ellerslie tomorrow and probably more at Avondale on Thursday 11 September 2025 to handle the overflow. So much for racing being in the doldrums. Race Meeting for AUCKLAND THOROUGHBRED RACING at ELLERSLIE on 9 SEP 2025 _ LOVERACING.NZ.pdf

https://loveracing.nz/raceinfo/54762/meeting-overview.aspx Some good fields for the racing on the AWT. I see the anti-racing mob still haven't got with the programme. 26 Trial races at Ellerslie tomorrow and probably more at Avondale on Thursday 11 September 2025. So much for racing being in the doldrums.

Yes and that is a major problem for visiting stables when races are on. Some of negative types don't understand how much growth in residential property and associated services has happened around the existing racecourse. Easy to walk the horses across Southland Road when it was a dirt road for horse and cart in 1879! Not the first location for the HB Racing Club either.

Yes I agree about Quintessa. Hutchings really didn't have much choice from the draw and the horse did all the work. I see the resident form analyst @SLB2.0 believes her win is an anomaly and she isn't very consistent. Well I wouldn't mind owning her. $1m in the bank. Several Grp wins and placings including a Grp 1. Very consistent as a 3 yr old. 6 wins and 4 placings from 19 starts. Only 2 of her starts haven't been at Group or Listed level. She has a Grp 3 win and a Grp 2 second in OZ. Her second prep last season didn't go to plan and I believe she wasn't quite right. But has come back very well after a decent spell.

Bidlake's training stables. Wall Road. Don't the Club own that property?