Chief Stipe

WTF are you on about? Or on for that matter.

What favours should he have been given? It's public knowledge that the stable has cut their horse numbers down. Do you expect them to run a charity and pay people when there is no work? Happens all the time in all sorts of business. The only difference in this case is it gives the anti-All Stars mob another axe to grind.

He hasn't been shit on.

Imagine what we could have done with $30 million spent wisely. Then add the other $35 debt repayment.

The 2 that sired 4 of the derbies.

4 of the six Derby winner sires are now deceased.

Are you referring to me?

KIWI POWER Don’t mention this in the Hunter Valley, but Kukeracha’s win in the Queensland Derby on Saturday meant all six Australian Derbies this season have been won by New Zealand-bred horses. Explosive Jack (by Jakkalberry) won in New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia, Johnny Get Angry (Tavistock) won in Victoria, Western Empire (Iffraaj) won in Western Australia and Kukeracha (Night Of Thunder) won in Queensland. Kukeracha, who raced in Neville Morgan’s well known blue and white silks, was bred at Waikato Stud and sold for $130,000 at Karaka in 2019.

Grab the popcorn punters: This will be a show worth watching By Richard Callander 05:43pm • 01 June 2021 19 Comments In the past 15 or so years there haven’t been two smarter people in the wagering space than Matt Tripp and Dean Shannon and both are circling the wagering and media arm of Tabcorp. GETTING HOT UNDER THE COLLAR Will Tripp stay on his feet or will Shannon be the last man standing? Many are saying Tripp won’t stumble as he now has two irons in the fire. Will Tabcorp sell and if so who of the two will be the victor, or is there a left field suitor? We are a nation of punters and it seems Tripp and Shannon have unlocked the key to attracting customers and appealing to the punting public while making millions upon millions of dollars in doing so. Tripp bought Sportsbet around 2005 turning it into a mammoth business before selling out for close to $400 million. Then he did it all again buying BetEzy before selling a majority stake to Crown Resorts then buying William Hill (Australia) and selling out to Flutter Entertainment which is Sportsbet. Dean Shannon burst onto the scene with Bookmaker.com.au before selling to Ladbrokes in 2013. He then joined them as the boss before departing to set up NEDS. Incredibly he then sold NEDS to Ladbrokes. It wasn’t long before GVC Holdings which is now Entain woke up and Shannon was back in the chair as its Australian boss. Tabcorp shareholders want the company to split its lotteries business that is low flying from the lesser performing wagering and media business. Suitors have been circling low and hard. Racing NSW holds the keys to the city due to its 99-year deal with the TAB and the current NSW legislation that only allows a single shareholder to own up to 10 percent of the TAB. The tip around town is Tripp and Shannon have spent more time at Racing NSW offices than their own in recent times and the phone calls have been even more frequent as the possible sale of Tabcorp wagering and media looms closer. Tripp launched a $4 billion takeover for Tabcorp’s wagering and media business with BetMakers on Friday. Now let’s talk about Tripp’s other iron in the fire. Tripp has been linked with News Corp Australia’s quiet approach and plays for the wagering business of Tabcorp with its new brand FOX Bet. It’s no surprise Murdoch would single out Tripp to join forces. With Tripp’s nous and the power and reach of News Corp, the pair could shake up the Australian betting and the world betting landscape. One thing is for sure it’s interesting times ahead and it’s no surprise the man right in the middle of it all with plenty of power is the boss of NSW Racing Peter V’landys. V’landys is close with the big bosses at Tabcorp, but not one to burn a bridge of power he is on very good terms with all the players.

I hope he does appeal as the amount discovered was miniscule (21 picograms) and not a PED at that amount. The drug is not a banned substance except on raceday. For those that are challenged by numbers e.g. Thomarse - a picogram is one-trillionth, .000000000001, or 10-12 of a gram. One picogram is the average weight of the DNA in one cell of a hummingbird. They found a level of 21 picograms in the horses blood!

Churchill Downs bans Bob Baffert after 2nd positive drug test for Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit PUBLISHED WED, JUN 2 20214:15 PM EDTUPDATED AN HOUR AGO KEY POINTS Churchill Downs Racetrack suspended horse trainer Bob Baffert for two years after attorneys said Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had failed a second drug test for a banned steroid. The suspension means that no horse trained by Baffert or by Bob Baffert Racing Stables can race at any track owned by Churchill Downs Inc. through the conclusion of the 2023 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs. That meet includes the Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown. The company that operates Churchill Downs Racetrack on Wednesday suspended horse trainer Bob Baffert for two years, just hours after attorneys revealed that his Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit had failed a second drug test for the banned steroid betamethasone. The suspension means that no horse trained by him or by Bob Baffert Racing Stables can race at any track owned by Churchill Downs Inc. through the conclusion of the 2023 Spring Meet at Churchill Downs. That meet includes the Kentucky Derby, the first jewel in thoroughbred horse racing’s Triple Crown. Kentucky Horse Racing Commission officials have yet to rule on whether to overturn Medina Spirit’s victory in the Derby because of the two failed tests. Baffert was temporarily suspended in mid-May by New York racing officials, effectively blocking Medina Spirit or other Baffert horses from racing Saturday on Long Island in the Belmont Stakes, the last leg of the Triple Crown. Bill Carstanjen, CEO of Churchill Downs, cited Baffert’s prior history of failed drug tests by horses in announcing the two-year ban on the trainer, whose seven Derby wins are the most of any trainer. Baffert has had five horses fail drug tests this year alone. Carstanjen also took a shot a Baffert for floating the idea that Medina Spirit only had betamethasone in its system because of an antifungal ointment that was applied to the horse. “CDI has consistently advocated for strict medication regulations so that we can confidently ensure that horses are fit to race and the races are conducted fairly,” Carstanjen said in a statement. “Reckless practices and substance violations that jeopardize the safety of our equine and human athletes or compromise the integrity of our sport are not acceptable and as a company we must take measures to demonstrate that they will not be tolerated,” Carstanjen said. Bob Baffert, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, stands near the track at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, April 28, 2021. Bryan Woolston | Reuters “Mr. Baffert’s record of testing failures threatens public confidence in thoroughbred racing and the reputation of the Kentucky Derby,” the CEO said. “Given these repeated failures over the last year, including the increasingly extraordinary explanations, we firmly believe that asserting our rights to impose these measures is our duty and responsibility.” Churchill Downs Inc. said it reserved the right to extend Baffert’s suspension “if there are additional violations in any racing jurisdiction.” Baffert on May 9 revealed that Medina Spirit had tested positive for betamethasone, a steroid used for therapeutic purposes in horses, in a sample taken the day of its Derby win a week earlier. Baffert said 21 picograms of the drug were found in the sample. The drug, typically used to treat pain and swelling in a horse’s joints, is legal for use in Kentucky. But any trace of it on race day in the state is grounds for disqualification if a second test confirms it was in the blood on that day. On Wednesday, lawyers for Medina Spirit’s owner, Amr Zedan, and Baffert announced that the second test of a blood sample had also found betamethasone. Clark Brewster, the attorney for the Zedan, told CNBC that officials are allowing the Medina Spirit team to have another lab analyze a third sample from the horse. That test, Brewster said, could determine whether there are chemicals that would support Baffert’s claim that the betamethasone may have come from a topical ointment known as Otomax, and not from an injection. Brewster noted that picogram is just a trillionth of a gram. “Hopefully they will make a reasonable judgment,” Brewster said, referring to the review of the drug test results by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. “I think there will be unanimity on the subject that this is an infinitesimal amount that could not have affected the race,” the lawyer said. Marty Irby, executive director of the advocacy group Animal Wellness Action, in a statement, said that Baffert’s suspension by Churchill Down was a “swift and meaningful action ... but the penalty falls short of seeing justice and that track as well as others around the nation should consider a greater penalty for the trainer.” “He’s sneered at weak penalties for doping violations again and again,” Irby said. “Baffert will only get the message with a long-term suspension from the sport. “On the upside, it is comforting to know that Baffert will not be allowed to compete at the Kentucky Derby until after the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act - that bans race day doping in the sport - has been implemented and taken full effect.” Maryland racing officials in May allowed Medina Spirit and another Baffert-trained horse, Concert Tour, to enter the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore after getting what they called “a binding commitment” from Baffert for “full transparency of medical and testing results that will allow for all results to be released to the public.” Medina Spirit finished third in the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown, trailing behind the winner, Rombauer, and Midnight Bourbon. Concert Tour finished ninth. Disclosure: CNBC parent NBCUniversal owns NBC and NBC Sports, which broadcast the Triple Crown races.

Only been banned by Churchill Downs so far. No doubt Baffert can afford to lodge an appeal.

The industry can't afford to cancel anyone even if it is a cultural that you have signed up to. I guess you consider yourself 'woke' as well!

Your point is?

So can you give us all one of your "Masterclasses" on how to use this data? Perhaps some tips prior to the next meeting at Ellerslie? Also how will the value of collecting this data be measured? Thanks in advance.

Youthinks not much at all. Why would it favour TB's? The only way it could significantly favour TB's is if the Fixed Odds books were being manipulated. The Tote margins are fixed so there will be no difference in gross betting margins there. What you should be referring to is Gross Betting REVENUE not the Margin (assuming that the 'M' in 'GBM' stands for Margin). However as Curious points out the measure should be NET REVENUE if you are going to use % of revenue as the measure to distribute code funds. That is the real dollars contributed by each code. The only way gross or net revenue would favour TB's is because the imported races are skewed towards TB's. Now the RacingNZ Board (shit I thought we had got rid of this nonsense but now we have ANOTHER leech organisation) has statutory requirement to ensure that the distribution is equitable and fair. If they do their job and identify that the imported race revenue is unfairly skewed then they will adjust accordingly. Or they will base the distribution % on domestic net revenue. The latest figures I saw indicate that TB's will lose under than scenario.

Did anyone watch or even bet on today's edition of Synthetic Racing at Cambridge?

Because TAB NZ has no assets to secure a loan against. They were trading insolvent before the Government bailout enabled them to keep their Creditors at Bay. The only chance they have of a surety is if the Government acts as a guarantee. I wouldn't expect that to be a foregone conclusion. Don't forget the Messara report recommended outsourcing the wagering function. Instead they have doubled down on the stupid vendor contract. Outsourcing would have chopped tens of millions more out of costs than the slicing and dicing that they have done. Also don't forget they pushed costs off their balance sheet and onto the codes thereby making them look good but increasing the cost overall to the industry.

It's done all the time in the Corporate World. Wind up or sell a business to another party and all bets are generally off in terms of the prior vendor commitment. Ever heard of Corporate Raiders?

GBM? Excuse my ignorance WTF is a GBM? If you mean Gross Betting Margin then fine but what counts is Net Revenue and again they Budgeted less this year than last.

It will be interesting to see how Tim's UDR trends now that he is free-lancing. Arguably it might improve as he'll get more drives of the best horses from other stables.

Who cares.

@paleface adios was having a sly dig at the All Stars who had an issue with some stablehands who were looking after the horses on the float north a few years ago.

Tim won 16 Group 1's while he was there if my statistician is correct.