Chief Stipe

RACE Awapuni September Meetings to Be Rescheduled Following a track inspection held Monday 18 August at RACE Awapuni, attended by representatives from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), RACE Inc., the Racing Integrity Board (RIB), consultant Liam O’Keeffe, the New Zealand Jockeys Association and senior trainers, it has been confirmed that the upcoming September meetings at the venue will be rescheduled. The inspection team noted that grass growth on the course proper has not progressed as hoped, largely due to ongoing cold temperatures, and the surface requires further time before it is ready to safely return to racing. As a result, the following meetings will be moved to alternative venues: Saturday 6 September Saturday 20 September All parties who attended the inspection on Monday 18 August will reconvene in mid-September to reassess the track’s progress. The track will continue to be closely monitored through this period. At that time, a decision will be made on whether to proceed with return-to-racing protocols ahead of the scheduled meeting on Saturday 11 October. Venue and programme updates will be confirmed by NZTR and advised in due course. Issued by the Office of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing 18 Dick Street, Cambridge 3434 Tel: 0800 WINNER (946 637) International: +64 4 576 6240 office@nztr.co.nz

Then send your screen shots directly to the enforcers not post them on social media. Although it would seem allegedly only 70 out of 4,500 "active members" support you. Office of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing 18 Dick Street, Cambridge 3434 Tel: 0800 WINNER (946 637) International: +64 4 576 6240 office@nztr.co.nz I assure you that BOAY will not be a part of your crusade. Suggest you join SAFE.

95% of the electorate don't want the Maori Party either lets ban it. If Winston can play with democracy under MMP to get a few thousand extra votes why can't the same apply to horse racing? BTW any Jockeys left you haven't bagged in your Anti-Racing crusade?

So we ban everything that doesn't get 51%?

So much for the alleged uneven ground at Te Aroha!!!

He's by Street Cry the same sire as Winx was by.

Precisely that's why it is very annoying to see the industry kowtowing to a very small minority. Sure the majority of people may not follow racing as a sport but it doesn't mean they hate it. We head down a slippery slope if we bend to the Anti-Racing idiots. It is unbelievable that some online social media groups/forums purport to be Pro-Racing but give airtime to those who are blatantly Anti it. De Lore does make one point (not very well) which seems to be the key premise of his opinion piece and that is banning Greyhound Racing is a vote counting decision. That is purely political. Logic has gone out the window. Everyone relates to a dog as a pet and the majority of the population have had one or know one who has had that cute loyal canine. Doesn't mean that the majority have no idea how to look after one properly!!! Yet we don't see SAFE campaigning for the elimination of obesity in pet dogs. Hell no that would put thousands of vets out of work!

Well Leaderboard does have UK 3yr old staying form.

Much of the article is illogical. Unfortunately it represents the view of a negative vocal group. A group I might add who still think the industry owns the TAB and have visibility to all the detail. De Lore also seems confused about the respective roles of TABNZ and ENTAIN and the latter's NZ brands TAB and BETCHA.

Perhaps it isn't the head but where the eyes are looking. Obviously with a shadow roll they can't see the ground beneath and can only see further forward. I might ask a couple of trainers what they think.

I see Fortuna bought Leaderboard in the UK for about NZD$200k.

Leaderboard has now won over AUD$800k including a Wellington Cup. Paid $50 to win that day. Won 12 times now. Overall the three horses in the trifecta have won over AUD$1.5m.

Politics is accelerating the decline of NZ Racing by Brian de Lore Published 17 August 2025 Everyone in racing will be grateful for the Government bailouts of racing in the past, but making political decisions to determine its future is going too far. The Winston Peters announcement to ban greyhound racing came just prior to the December 2024 Roy Morgan Poll, which saw the NZ First Party jump from 6.5% in November to 8.5% by January. He announced that the last greyhound meeting would take place on the last day of July 2026, two months before the next general election. Winston must have located his old NZ Maori football boots and is polishing them up in readiness to spiral punt the political greyhound football into touch on election eve. That should win a few voters over from Green’s Chloe Swarbrick. Winston has done some good things for racing, including the ‘Fair Tax’ in 2005, the Racing Act of 2020 and bailing out the TAB to the tune of $50 million in the same year, but banning greyhound racing is a big mistake. The ban will damage and expose both the horse codes; why haven’t they worked that out? Racing is a three-legged stool – cut a leg off and see what happens. The ban will leave the door ajar for the woke do-gooders and activist greenies to grow in intensity and noise and come after horse racing; that’s a certainty. In support of greyhound racing, it is important that I declare my impartiality. My interest lies with the thoroughbred code, having never attended a greyhound meeting or bet on a greyhound in my life, but I believe that the three codes need each other and should be unified in support of the status quo, meaning a retention of greyhound racing. NZTR declared ‘neutrality’ on the issue, which says nothing more than they’re happy to see greyhounds go. Some harness people have expressed the view that their code will benefit from the demise of greyhounds – delusion is the domain of the insane, the fanatically religious and the odd follower of harness. On August 4th, the NZ Parliament posted a petition canvassing for signatures to ban horse racing. If greyhounds go, the petitions and raceday protests against horse racing will occur more regularly with the woke greenies knowing they will get plenty of publicity from the lefties that pervade our televised and written media. The greyhound community cleaned up its act and now spends $8 million annually on welfare, but forces are at work to spread false information, including a series of fictitious claims recently made by a breakfast host for no other reason than sensationalism. In July, an Animal Justice Party MP from Victoria named Georgie Purcell visited the Greens co-leader, Chloe Swarbrick, to learn the ways of getting greyhounds banned in her state. Their Facebook page, which has 47,000 followers, recently carried a post that said: “Horse racing next.” https://www.facebook.com/AnimalJusticePartyAJP. What’s the connection between Winston and Chloe Swarbrick? They both want greyhounds banned, and Winston defended Chloe last week when she was booted out of Parliament by the Speaker. He said, “I do not think that eviction was warranted” Welfare and Health and Safety protocols now keep fatalities to a low level in the horse industry, with even fewer in the greyhound code. There is no legitimate reason to ban greyhounds, but the political weight in parliament has, over the years, shifted to the left, and this ban by the coalition government is directed at nothing more than an intended vote catch. Greyhound racing sacrificed for votes Are they frightened of the way the rabble-infested Greens and Te Pāti Māori are polling, and so Greyhound NZ is the sacrificial lamb? The use of the moral argument based on ethics and animal cruelty for the greyhound ban falls flat with the announcement that the now geo-blocked NZ punter may continue to bet on Australian greyhound racing on TAB NZ, despite the Australian greyhound industry sustaining a higher death rate. It brings to mind the quote of an American footballer who once said, “Hypocrisy is the audacity to preach integrity from a den of corruption.” This intended double-standard of Kiwi greyhounds being banned while allowing betting on greyhounds in Australia incurs Australian ‘racefields’ charges in the region of $5 to $6 million annually, payable by TAB NZ to the various Australian jurisdictions for the sustainability of their greyhound racing. Sacrificing ethics for money in keeping Australian greyhounds alive on TAB NZ is all in the figures. Greyhound NZ annually stages approximately 4300 greyhound races, grossing about $17 million for a TAB profit of $3 to $5 million after costs. The incumbent bean counters are happy to forego those profits as a trade-off for the apparent political gain. Ban NZ, keep Aus – hypocrisy for cash! But they are not prepared to give up Australian greyhound racing, which in 2025 figures accounts for 46,705 races, generating $48 million in gross TAB NZ betting revenue for a return of $12 to $15 million. And for another hypocritical act, what about the geo-blocking of the NZ punter to create a monopoly for TAB NZ, which began on July 1st? This option was written into the original partnership agreement between Entain and TAB NZ early in 2023, so no one is surprised. But in an era where the public and a cross-section of politicians advocate for more competition between banks and supermarkets to provide Kiwis with a better deal, punters looking for the best available odds for the horse they want to support have been left without any options; TAB NZ is Hobson’s choice. There wouldn’t be a punter in NZ in favour of snaking themselves by agreeing to have their choice of odds eliminated. The people who wanted it either don’t bet or are the ones who have entered the racing administration business with scant knowledge of racing, no passion for horses, and are blinded by the upfront payment of $100 million. Serious punters unfazed by geo-blocking I phoned a Kiwi punter I know, who bets around $25,000 weekly, and asked him how geo-blocking was affecting him. He said it wasn’t because he has an office offshore from where his bets are placed after he has done the form from his home here. Who will benefit from the $100 million? Sport gets $20 million, but the TAB is holding the balance to bolster its reserve fund, which has now grown to $250 million – the TAB has said a decision on how much reserve it should hold has not yet been made. That money belongs to racing, not TAB NZ. Even so, the TAB Board, led by Bill Birnie, recently offered the NZ Government $150 million for a sole licence to conduct online casino gambling – who gave him permission to do that? Winston Peters appointed him. Despite the fanfare arrival of Entain almost two and a half years ago and the hundreds of millions they have poured into New Zealand racing, a dark cloud hangs over the long-term future of the racing codes, not only because of the proposed ban of greyhound racing, but also because the betting revenue levels on horses are not improving. Betting on horses is marginal, but sports betting is up Figures extracted from the weekly dashboards produced by TAB NZ showed that betting on thoroughbred horses declined marginally (2%) in the first six months of 2025 compared to 2024, despite all the TAB advertising and ‘The Kiwi’ slot race, etc. Then the geo-blocking kicked in for July, and on the 21 comparable thoroughbred meetings held year-on-year for the month, betting on thoroughbred racing rose by only 10.9% ($2,4 million). Entain claims that $180 million is annually lost to overseas betting platforms, so the majority of that figure must be on sport, which makes sense given that sport now accounts for around 34% of TAB turnover. Sports betting is a growth market, but the profit margins are much skinnier than those in racing. Entain have guaranteed a $150 million return to the TAB each year, for the first five years. It’s believed they had to top it up with $31 million last year, and this year (ended July) will be about the same. We are almost halfway through the agreement to 2028 (which no one has ever seen in full despite OIA requests), when the guarantees expire, and the revenue is split evenly between Entain and the TAB. Will the TAB’s half be enough to sustain the cost of racing and the current prizemoney levels? Not likely. What odds will the TAB give me about Entain getting the stitch with NZ by the end of year five or sooner, and selling their interest to another operator? Would such a bailout surprise you?

Could be. I don't really know but my logic says what the shadow roll does is make the horse look ahead rather than down and keeps their head up. With their head up they are less likely to lose their front feet on landing. LOL or it could be that they can't see the shadows or uneven ground below them hence the name "shadow roll".

Interview with Mark Walker after the win https://bitofayarn.com

Interview with Winning Jockey

Replay of the Australian Grand National 2025https://bitofayarn.com

Te Akau trifecta in Australian Grand National loveracing.nzhttps://bitofayarn.com Leaderboard and Will Gordon on their way to winning the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat. (Image: Racing Photos) Te Akau trainer Mark Walker made history at Ballarat on Sunday with an unprecedented trifecta in the A$400,000 Ecycle Solutions Grand National Steeplechase (4500m). Walker saddled Leaderboard for a 25-length win in the showpiece steeplechase, with The Mighty Spar second and Prismatic third. It capped an enormously special Sunday for Walker and the Te Akau Racing team, who also took three runners to Taupo and came away with three winners – Carsolio, To Bravery Born and In Haste. Former Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m) and Listed New Zealand St Leger (2600m) winner Leaderboard settled in second spot on Sunday for jockey Will Gordon before taking command when topweight Stern Idol began to tire. Leaderboard and the favourite Noonday Gun seemed set to fight out a tight battle to the finish, but Noonday Gun fell at the final fence and left Leaderboard to cruise to a runaway win. “I can’t really believe it,” Gordon said. “I went out there without any pressure, just riding my race, riding the horse. Going down the back the last time, I thought, ‘I’ve still got a bit of horse here and might be in the finish.’ “He’s a legend of a horse. Everyone that rides him, or has anything to do with him, just loves and adores him. “There will be a line out the door that want this horse at the end of his racing career. He’s such a gentleman, such a dude to do anything with, a great jumper, and what you saw today was no better of example of that.https://bitofayarn.com “There are no chinks in his armour. He jumps, travels, and I was happy where we were in the run to be tracking Stern Idol. We got easy enough sectionals behind him and I thought he would be vulnerable late. “We were able to sit on his tail, conserve energy, and like I said, his jumping was great. He did the rest. “For me, the win is right up there. This is one that has been missing off my mantelpiece and to tick this one off, they’re hard races to win and only come up once a year.” Leaderboard has now had 68 starts for 12 wins, 19 placings and A$861,388 in stakes. Five of his wins have come over jumps, including four steeplechases. “It was a great ride by Will and it’s great to see all three horses come back safe,” Walker said. “The girls that strap them, Hayley (Morton) with the winner, Emma (Wilson) with The Mighty Spar, and Lisa (Strike) with Prismatic – they just love these horses. They’re got a dual purpose as well, these older horses, because they help out in the stables by educating the yearlings.” Leaderboard is raced by John Galvin’s Fortuna Leaderboard Syndicate. “The win would have to go down as one of the highlights we’ve had with Fortuna Racing,” Galvin said on Sunday. “The big thing I felt about today was redemption for Leaderboard, because he had that unfortunate fall in the Brierley Steeplechase (3450m), back in April, but he’d run three very good races since then for seconds. “He’d been beaten by Stern Idol in two of those, and today he was able to come out and beat not only Stern Idol, but also the up-and-comer Noonday Gun. “It was a huge thrill. The whole race, he was right there. You got the feeling he was always going to be in contention, provided, A, he could run past Stern Idol, and, B, he was able to fend off the grey horse (Noonday Gun). “We had two of his owners with us, Shane and Colleen Ivory, and they were here last year, as well, when he ran second. So, it was great for them to be here today and see him win. “It’s an unbelievable training feat by Mark (Walker) to get the trifecta, the first time it’s ever been done in the race. “While having plenty of international experience, Mark is a relatively new trainer to the Australian racing circuit, and he’s managed to have his three runners fill the first three placings in the most prestigious jumps race in Australia. “It’s a great effort and for him, specifically, with Leaderboard. He just loves the horse to bits and has nurtured him over the last few years to create an outstanding jumps career.”

I read the annual report and provided the correct figure.

Why didn't you get it right the first time?

Perhaps it would have been worse. You obviously didn't understand consolidated accounts. For all you know the first 5 months might have been crap and the last month more than "creaming it".

So where did you get the $10.8m personnel and associated cost from?

In my opinion what I think you are advocating will do the opposite i.e. will be worse for "horse and human welfare". We are about to see thousands of Greyhounds cast out to a life that will be far worse for their health and welfare. So a big YES to your question - what you are advocating will eventually achieve the opposite. Perhaps that is what you want. At the end of the day if you, @Freda , @Thomass and the @Comic Dog were honest you would admit you are Anti-Racing and late to that party by decades.

No. The UK is a basket case financially and the Government has to find revenue from everywhere. From what I've read the UK is close to flash point and significant civil unrest. I wouldn't be quoting anything from that hell hole at the moment. Go Woke You Go Broke. You should take heed of that @curious .

Well it is crap research to start with but I guess adherence to the scientific method has long gone. I imagine you and the @Comic Dog will be struggling to find Jockeys to ride your horses considering you've bagged most of them.