Chief Stipe

Rule Number(s): 869(2) and Use of the Whip RegulationsFollowing the running of Race 1, the MURRAY GRAY MEMORIAL TROT, an information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr Munro, alleging that Mr Stratford, the driver of BIG IRON used his whip on more occasions than is permitted by the Use of the Whip regulations. Mr Stratford signed the information indicating ...View the full article

Just did some tests. They are still using Cloudflare. I'd love to know the technical rationale for them using it. I assume given the local vendor is Spark that it was an upsell. I'm assuming that my tests were done during a low volume time - i.e. Race 7 at Tampa Downs running now has $17 in the win pool and $18 in the place pool!! Load time for the front page is 8 secs. To then navigate and fully open the Racing page is another 8 seconds. Not exactly mind boggling speeds! We do know that these speeds degrade at periods of high traffic. Google Page Insights gives the site a score of 29. This is very poor. The average is considered to be between 50 and 89. Google measures the time that the home page becomes "fully interactive" i.e. you can do stuff at 13 seconds. Going to the racing page seems to start the process all over again so another 8 to 15 seconds. Also worth noting is that they block nearly all standard website speed tests. I guess bandwidth is precious to them! Heaps of things to fix. ? my consulting rates are relatively cheap...

Yeah sounds good. Clock up some easy money, grab some black type, look good and be able to call everyone else who hasnt done it "nillers". Yeah na. Been there done that when it was a damn sight harder to do it. I'll keep my 100% ownership and breeding record intact and applaud the battlers who are still turning up each week to take on the "big boys"!

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A G’s White Socks beats Thefixer to win the Rangiora Classic for driver Ricky May. Photo: Race Images. Relief was the overwhelming emotion driver Ricky May felt after A G’s White Socks ended his season with a swooping win in the Rangiora Classic on Sunday. A vintage May drive helped the Greg and Nina Hope trained pacer reel in Thefixer to win the $30,000 group 3 feature. The victory meant the Rock N Roll Heaven five-year-old would go to the paddock on a high note before he is prepped for a New Zealand Cup and Interdominion campaign. A frustrating season meant A G’s White Socks was in the winner’s circle for just the second time this term on Sunday. The pacer had to settle for second placing seven times this season, with six of those coming via just a head or a nose margin. “I was wrapped for the horse and everyone today, he really deserved that,” May said. May landed A G’s White Socks an early one-one sit, before settling him off a good speed set up by The Fixer and Alta Orlando, who duelled in the lead over the last lap. The reinsman pulled A G’s Whitesocks out for his finish on the point of the home bend, and he went whoosh. “He really sprinted hard today, he has been doing that lately.” “That is the way we are going to have to drive him.” “He can really fly off the gate and he can do work, but when he is saved up like that he is even better.” Thefixer fought hard after leading and was denied by just a nose at the finish. Chase Auckland and Ashley Locaz both produced good warm up runs ahead of the upcoming four-year-old features at Alexandra Park when running third and fourth, respectively. Didjabringthebeers continued his march through to open class by winning the feature trot at Rangiora on Sunday. Kimberly Butt gave the John Howe trained five-year-old a perfect run in the trail and he scored his fifth win of the season. Amaretto Sun showed he was on track for a tilt at the Rowe Cup with a solid second placing. His stablemate, Marcoola, provided the shock of the race. The Dominion winner hit the wheel of fourth placegetter, Habibti Inta, and galloped before the home turn. Driver Clint Ford was fined $300 after the incident. View the full article

The good times continued to roll for trainers Kirstin Barclay and Paul Ellis at Winton on Saturday when they scored their first race trifecta. Barclay led her stable’s success by steering Paddy Proudfoot to win over his stablemates, Franco Hampton and Chuckles. The Barclay-Ellis trifecta came during a magical month for the trainers. The pair have caught the attention of harness racing fans across New Zealand through the deeds of their break-out performer, U May Cullect. “It has been a bit of a fairytale, really,” Barclay said. “To have three in the race and get the trifecta was awesome.” Though he has not shown quite the same zip as his stablemate, there are some parallels between U May Cullect and Paddy Proudfoot. And the Winton winner has a decent share of his own ability. Barclay and Ellis have had to be patient with both pacers, who have gone amiss in their two previous preparations. “Paddy ran a really good second in his first start at three, but I had to scratch him on the morning of his second start,” Barclay said. “He had a really bad virus and he could just never shake it.” Paddy Proudfoot’s second racing preparation was also cut short after just one start. “When we worked him up and got him to the races he started hanging a little bit.” “He ran a really good second to Mighty Flying Art, but he was always a bit sore after that and he had a hairline fracture in his pastern.” Barclay credited the Duffy family, who race the Washington VC four-year-old, for having a patient approach and giving Paddy Proudfoot every chance to get over his injuries. They were rewarded for that patience when their pacer held out the finish of his stablemate, Hampton, to score by a neck. “Luckily he has got good owners, because every time I ring them they say do what is best for the horse.” “Finally, we got there today.” Hampton showed he was getting close to a maiden win when pushing Paddy Proudfoot in the final 100m. “He got skittled in his first start.” “The trip away to Omakau just knocked his confidence and it has taken him a while to get it back.” “He was pushing Paddy at the end.” Like Paddy Proudfoot, the third-placed, Chuckles, has faced health battles away from the racetrack. The three-year-old put two wind operations behind him when he produced a big finish for third in his debut on Saturday. “He is a neat wee horse, he has quite a lot of speed.” “He had to have a wind operation, but it didn’t work, so he had to go back and have another one.” The Barclay and Ellis stable star, U May Cullect, has recovered well from his brilliant win at Addington on Easter Cup night. The stable’s plan means good news for southern harness fans, but not so good news for Addington officials. U May Cullect was likely to have two more starts in Southland this season before being spelled, Barclay said. His trainers are set to resist the temptation to race the Gotta Go Cullect pacer at Addington again this season. The break-out pacer is almost certain to return there in the spring for New Zealand Cup week. View the full article

The point is our Open Handicap Group race quality is appalling. An R82 horse wins the HB Cup! Geez when my nag ran in it (twice) it was a full field of class horses.

I was quoting the first post. As I said hardly a top field that it beat.

It would have to be one of the poorest HB Cup fields ever. The other channels owners touting it has a horse that will win lots more. May I suggest it may well do if it stays racing in NZ and our Cup fields quality keeps degrading.

Which means the infrastructure is designed wrong or is under resourced and is not scalable. The last time I looked they were using Cloudflare for what reason I have no idea. That technology caches static content globally and I would have thought was useless when it came to a site whose main customer base was in NZ and whose content was dynamic! From my experience most of the main players in the cloud infrastructure business in NZ haven't a clue about providing truly scalable on demand infrastructure. They are all trying to squeeze too much out of what they have. They also work on averages and pay little attention to topside variation or standard deviation. I tried to watch the Oaks in OZ yesterday through the app and got similar issues to you including a very stuttering video feed. However it was fine for WINX'S race. I suspect they don't predict demand and only scale up AFTER they have a problem.

The depth and breadth of Chris Waller’s dominance gained further meaning when his champion mare Winx again lynch-pinned a Group One hat-trick on Sydney’s most important single day of racing. Twelve months ago Winx was the middle leg of a Waller clean sweep when winning her second Queen Elizabeth Stakes in between Unforgotten’s Australian Oaks and stable veteran Who Shot Thebarman in the Sydney Cup. Verry Elleegant kicked off the same sequence today with an easy Oaks win, Winx made it a century of Group One wins for her trainer as she brought the curtain down on her career with a third Queen Elizabeth and Irish-bred Shraaoh completed the same hat-trick in the Sydney Cup to begin Waller’s assault on his second century. Capitalising on the most economical passage in the 3200-metre race under Jay Ford, when he had to come around just one horse to lodge his bid, Shraaoh kept finding to hold out fellow Irish-bred, the Mike Moroney-trained Vengeur Masque. Kiwi racemares Glory Days and Rondinella were next across the line with solid performances. As she had done on the way to winning the Auckland Cup, Glory Days settled in the rear before Corey Brown let her slide forward into a perfect challenging position. She never stopped trying but was unable to pull back the pair of tough stayers inside her. Rondinella, who carried a kilogram over book weight, raced midfield outside Shraaoh and likewise was very brave even if she never quite looked like picking up the first two placegetters. Three autumn carnival placings, the most recent a brave second to Gallic Chieftain in last Saturday’s Chairman’s Handicap, set Shraaoh up for today’s big win. “He was identified from England by the people behind the horse and I thank them very much,” said Waller of the Sea The Stars six-year-old. “They’ve entrusted me to set him for it. He won first up over 2800 metres and that gave us the confidence to know he was capable of winning a race like this. “You hope they come up. The team in the Northern Hemisphere said he was twice the horse on a dry track and he proved that today.” Group One wins are nowhere near as common for winning rider Jay Ford as for Waller, and after scaling the heights a decade ago on freakish sprinter Takeover Target, today’s was his first in nine years. “It’s very satisfying for myself personally. I’ve ridden the rollercoaster a long time in Sydney,” Ford said. “I used to ride a very good horse and then he disappeared. Things have been up and down since then. “I’ve come close a few times since. I’m just thankful I can ride light and I do ride a lot for Chris. I had a couple of those things in my corner and we were fortunate enough that we got the job done. “I’m just happy to prove to myself more than anything that I can still compete and get the job done. I had a wonderful horse underneath me to help me.” View the full article

Most of the nearly 44,000 racing fans who flocked to Randwick today were there to see one horse – and she didn’t let them down. In the final chapter of her 43-start career, the incomparable Winx was at her imperious best as she again outclassed her rivals to complete an unbeaten 33-win streak. On the fourth anniversary of her last defeat in the Australian Oaks, she and Hugh Bowman responded as they have done for so long to adulation that began from the time she arrived at the saddling stalls. That had built to a crescendo by the time Winx reached the mounting yard and continued unabated. A roar went up when, for the last time, Bowman was legged aboard, again when the pair emerged from the tunnel and stepped onto the track, and again when the field jumped from the 2000-metre start point with all eyes on the $1.05 favourite. A cynic might describe what followed as boring, a realist might call it clinical, but for everyone else it was pure poetry. The first surprise was that Ranvet Stakes runner-up He’s Eminent didn’t take up the running and dropped out to the rear, but that was probably to do with how worked up he had become in the tumultuous pre-parade. Winx, meanwhile, had slotted in two-wide midfield and cruising as the outsider Mask Of Time carted the field along. Japanese-trained Kluger took over when that runner flagged, but looming out in the middle of the track with 400 metres to run was the awesome spectre of Winx. As she put in those raking strides with Bowman doing no more than go with her, this would indeed be the dream finale, the one they had all come to witness. To his great credit Kluger put up a massive fight, not flinching an ounce but simply proving no match to greatness. Blue and white were the only colours as the crowd went wild, Winx lapped it all up and charged across the line a length and a half in front. The veteran Hartnell was another two and a half lengths back third, followed in by fellow eight-year-old Happy Clapper. New Zealand hope Danzdanzdance never got into the act and was just as disappointing as He’s Eminent. To the strains of the Tina Turner classic “Simply the Best”, Bowman took his time as he brought Winx back past the stands, up the straight and then, for the first time in the 33, trainer Chris Waller went out and led her back to the winner’s stall. The finale could not have been more perfect, marking a neat century of Group One wins for the man who has had to soak up so much pressure as his champion of champions collected win after win. “I guess it’s been like this for the past 18 months,” he reflected, acknowledging not only the mare’s owners, his brother in arms Bowman and his staff, but also his wife Stephanie and on what today was a rare raceday appearance, their children Tyler and Nikita. “It sure has been. It is hard to explain. It has been amazing to be a part of. I’m a small cog in the wheel. My team have just done an amazing job. It is rare they get the accolades, racing for four years against the very best.” Bowman, whose part in the Winx story has also been huge, let similar and even deeper emotions out in his epilogue. “It’s going to be nice to have my life back,” he admitted. “Having a young family and such a supportive family has kept everything very real for me. Having children certainly keeps everything in perspective, especially young children. “Over the last 12 months there has been a few things in our lives that have happened to also keeps things in perspective. Our good friend Pat Smullen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about 18 months ago. He is in a good place at the moment. “I’ve known three or four other friends who have died from the disease since then. Christine’s brother took his own life in May last year and that was very hard for us all. “I’m so glad Tye Angland could make it here today. He used to sit beside me at Warwick Farm and I think so much about him. For me, that is where I get strength from. “To be in a position to ride such an amazing horse is a great privilege, I feel the emotion. At the end of the day, she is just a horse, she is a good one, but she is just a horse. “I think with what’s happened to us over the past 12 to 18 months has certainly helped me to keep everything in perspective.” Peter Tighe, representing one third of the membership group that has garnered such a wealth of financial and intangible benefit, was eloquent in his appraisal of the ride he and his group have enjoyed. “The experience we’ve had is testament to what great training and great riding can achieve,” Tighe said. “If there are tears being shed by us today, they’re tears of joy.” View the full article

New Zealand’s proud record in the Australian Oaks continued when the odds-on favourite Verry Elleegant trounced her rivals in the Randwick classic today. Rising Romance began the trend in 2014, followed by Sofia Rosa in 2016 and Bonneval a year later. The Chris Waller-trained Kiwi-bred Unforgotten added her name to the roll of honour last year and it was the champion expat who was again to the fore today when he legged up compatriot James McDonald. As Waller stood and watched, McDonald rode a masterly race, dropping the sometimes awkward filly towards the rear from her outside gate and not worrying when Hugh Bowman took second favourite Frankly Awesome to the front with 1100 metres to run. With 800 metres to run McDonald made his move, edging forward to midfield but on the turn still having a lot of work to do. Verry Elleegant took time to find a fluent stride and it was only when McDonald had her right under him that he asked her for a final effort. Just as she had been in the Vinery Stud Stakes two weeks ago, the Zed filly was relentless as she lapped up every bit of the 2400 metres to put a gap on her rivals and cross the line a length and three-quarters clear of Scarlet Dream, with another two and a half lengths to Frankly Awesome. There to soak up the moment were the trio who originally raced the big filly, breeder Don Goodwin, South Auckland trainer Nick Bishara and Matt Duffie, along with newcomers that joined the partnership when Verry Elleegant was transferred to Victorian trainer Darren Weir last spring. Goodwin had been at Rosehill for the filly’s first Group One win, whereas Bishara was prevented by commitments at home. The latter had concerns that his presence might spoil the occasion, but they proved groundless. He joined 80-year-old Goodwin in celebrating what they both described as the ultimate thrill to see the filly with a lowly background dominate Australasia’s best. “This is the ultimate,” said Goodwin, “it doesn’t get any better.” The contribution of Chris Waller, who took over the training of Verry Elleegant following Weir’s disqualification, can never be under-stated, but he was more inclined to deflect any credit for the 99th Group One victory of his career. “That was a brilliant win,” he said. “She’s a very exceptional filly. I think the best is yet to come. “I’m very lucky to be training her. She’s come from Darren Weir and that team had done a fantastic job when she was handed over. I do respect that regardless of what has happened. “It was a great ride from James McDonald, the barrier was very difficult and to be one off the fence going past the winning post the first time was pretty special. You can’t account for how far they have to travel sitting three wide.” View the full article

2.02.54 last 600m 34.6 soft track untested.

That may not be an App problem however architecturally from what I've been able to forensically discover is they have fucked up. Which doesn't surprise me when Spark is now their host provider. Wait until the rugby world cup! Not only will you not be able to get a bet on but you won't be able to watch it!

Glynn Schofield attends to his stricken colleague Andrew Adkins. A two-horse fall in the opening race at Randwick today has opened the door for the rising star of Sydney apprentice ranks Robbie Dolan to ride Sir Charles Road in the Sydney Cup. Andrew Adkins, who partnered the Kiwi stayer into third place in last year’s Sydney Cup, was taken to hospital after his mount War Baron and the Glynn Schofield-ridden Persan crashed as they crossed the finish line in the Listed Kings of Sydney Sport Mile. Schofield quickly got to his feet and was first to attend Adkins, who lay prone on the track. Medics then took over and after attending to the stricken jockey he was place in the ambulance and transported to hospital. Ironically both fallen horses, who appeared to escape injury, are trained by Rosehill-based David Payne. Completing a forgettable day for Payne, his third runner on the card, race two entry Tarka, had to be late scratched after suffering a bout of colic soon after arriving at the track. With a maximum 20-horse field and a weight of 53 kilos in the Sydney Cup, choices were limited for Sir Charles Road, but co-trainer Lance O’Sullivan was satisfied with his and owner David Archer’s decision to engage Dolan. “I’ve heard some good raps on the lad. It’s unfortunate what’s happened to Andrew and we hope he’s going to be alright, so as it stands I’m all for giving a young rider his chance,” the former champion jockey said. Irish-born Dolan is having a big season with 61 winners in New South Wales to date, 28 of them in the city to place him on the top-10 table. Today’s opening race was win by the Hayes-Dabernig-trained Power Scheme, a colt by Fiorente who dug deep to hold out the spirited challenge of the John Sargent-trained Dissident filly Foxborough. Racing is taking place under sunny skies on a track rated Soft 5. View the full article

After an autumn carnival beset with rain and heavy tracks, the Sydney weather has saved its best for the day that every racing fan has been anticipating, Winx’s farewell appearance at Royal Randwick. The mighty mare’s final curtain call in the A$4 million Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes will take place under sunny skies on a track rated this morning soft 5, with the likelihood of an upgrade. The rail is at three metres for the entire circuit after racing took place in the true position on Day 1 of The Championship. Everyone in Sydney has an opinion on how things will pan out when, on the fourth anniversary of her last defeat, Winx shoots for her 33rd straight win and 25th Group One. “It’ll be a different race this one, you can guarantee they won’t let Bowman get away with murder,” opined my taxi driver from Kingsford-Smith Airport. “So you’re suggesting that someone else has the horse-power to pull down a champion?” I asked. “All I’m saying mate, is they’ll make life bloody hard for Hughie. There’s no mates once they get out on the track you know, they’ll do everything they can to spoil the party.” Greater realists are those closest to Winx’s rivals, from Pat Webster, the trainer of nine-time runner-up Happy Clapper to Kiwi duo Chris Gibbs and Michelle Bradley, who would be thrilled to take some of the minor money with Danzdanzdance. Winx is at $1.06 for her grand finale, and punters are set to splash out again, if only to take home a $1 each way souvenir of the day they’ll never forget. For the man in the middle, today is more than the last time he saddles up the horse that has defined his career. Chris Waller’s Group One tally stands at 98, and in a remarkable scenario requiring the favourite Verry Elleegant to win the Australian Oaks, 40 minutes later at 5.05 NZT Winx can be the one to make it an incredible 100. Can’t wait – racing simply doesn’t get better than this. View the full article

Don’t forget about Lemond. That’s the message from his trainer, Ross Paynter, after the six-year-old won a stirring stretch battle with Massive Metro on mile night at Alexandra Park Friday night. Viewers were treated to an enthralling match race between the two Group 1 winners, who raced nine lengths clear of their opponents in the $25,000 open trot. With all the focus for the upcoming Anzac and Rowe Cups being on the potential battle between ‘the big three’ Marcoola, Speeding Spur and Monbet, Paynter said his horse, a two-time New Zealand record holder, deserved to be mentioned, too. “People don’t give anywhere near the credit he deserves, this horse. “In the last year, he was third in the Dominion, fourth in the Rowe Cup and won the Anzac Cup. “Sure, Marcoola is a freak at his best – we saw that in the Dominion – and Speeding Spur has been a wonderful horse too, but I think this fella is right there with them.” The problem, Paynter says, is ongoing issues with soundness that have seen Lemond raced more sparingly this season. So much so, and quite interestingly with a view to the upcoming Group 1s, that played a part in his preparation for mile night this week. “He was quite short for this run, actually, so there will be a lot of improvement in him. “He’d only had the one workout and he galloped out of it. “The biggest thing for him is staying sound. “We’ve had a lot of problems with him; nothing major, just lots of little niggles. “But with a change in shoeing and a little bit of maintenance on his fetlocks, we are staying on top of it.” One of the main issues, Paynter says, is that the horse can’t really be worked on the hard surface at his home track in Cambridge. “He actually does most of his work on the grass at Te Awamutu; I take him over there a couple of times a week.” The landscape for the $100,000 Anzac Cup in a fortnight, and the $150,000 Rowe Cup a week later, will become a little clearer after Sunday’s Rangiora meeting. It is there that Marcoola will try and get his season back on track after a disappointing resuming effort at Addington last week in the Group 1 New Zealand Trotting Champs, won by Speeding Spur. The latter will be back in Auckland for the features, while question marks remain over 2017 Rowe Cup winner Temporale, who suffered an atrial fibrillation at the workouts last weekend, and former star trotter Monbet, who was pulled from the nominations for Rangiora. The two-hour trip home was even better for Paynter having trained the quinella in the $20,000 R49-53 trot earlier in the night. Anditover defeated Molly Bones, a maiden racing out of her grade, by a nose, franking the opinion their trainer holds of the three-year-olds. “They’re both nice that I have a bit of time for.” It was a night of close finishes at the home of racing in the north, Benson Boys and Jack’s Shadow dead-heating in the R56-64 pace while On The Cards was a narrow victor over his stablemate, Mach Shard, in the night’s $25,000 feature pace, run in 1.54.0. View the full article

Game of two halves

Canterbury reinsman Joseph Gray returned to the winner’s circle for the first time in over a decade when driving Dreamy Damien to victory at Addington on Friday. Gray was having just his fifth drive of the season, and first behind the Andrew Garters trained Dreamy Damien, when guiding the horse to a rating 40-49 victory. A race smash at the same track over a decade ago saw Gray give race driving away until recently. Though his name has not been up in lights, the horseman has still been heavily involved in the industry. “I have been working for the Garters the whole time, it is coming up about 17 years in total and 12 years straight,” he said. “I gave up driving after I had a bad accident at Addington one night.” “The horse I was driving got brought down and one went over top of me.” “So, I chucked it in for about seven or eight years.” Some encouragement from Garters and a successful recent workout led to Gray teaming up with Dreamy Damian for the first time at the races on Friday. “Andrew has been trying to get me to drive him at the trials and I drove at Ashburton and he won easily.” “So, he said to me you are going to have to drive him at the races.” Gray showed plenty of talent as a junior driver, racking up 24 wins between 2003 and 2008. His last victory came behind the Garters trained Dontgobreakinmyheart at Reefton in 2008. “I had a decent opportunity as a junior driver, plenty of people gave me drives and I drove some really nice horses.” The support of the Garters family means Gray could add more wins to his first victory as an open driver with Dreamy Damien, before the season is over. One of the horses Gray is looking forward to driving is Raining In My Heart, who is from a full sister to Dontgobreakinmyheart. “Andrew, Bob and Maxine have been really good and wanted me back driving the team again.” “So, I suppose I am going to have to start driving some more.” “There is a trotter there, Raining In My Heart, he is really crook at the moment.” “But, he should win a few races once he is back.” Gray also holds his trainers licence and has lined up a small number of starters in the previous two racing seasons. He will be on the lookout for his first winner as a trainer soon. View the full article

Local pundits are overlooking Auckland Cup winner Glory Days, but the Waverley mare’s trainer Bill Thurlow isn’t allowing that to dim his optimism ahead of tomorrow’s A$2 million Sydney Cup. Glory Days is as long as $20 in a market headed by Godolphin’s Charlie Appleby-trained raider Dubhe at $3.50. A wide draw on top of an obvious undervaluing of New Zealand form has been factored into bookmakers’ calculations, however Thurlow sees it differently. “They’re probably picking 10 others in front of her, but that’s okay,” Thurlow told www.theinformant.co.nz today from his base at Warwick Farm. “A fella like me from South Taranaki, he doesn’t mind being the underdog.” Glory Days arrived in Sydney on Tuesday and according to her trainer took little time to find her feet in a quite different environment at expat Richard Litt’s stables. “It’s a bit different to what she’s used to but we made the right decision coming out here,” Thurlow added. “She settled in right from day one, and sure she tightened up with the trip up to Auckland and then the flight over, but we expected that. “The good thing is she did all her serious work before she left home and we’ve been able to just tick her over this week. That’s been the plan from the time we decided on the Sydney Cup and I’m happy with the way it’s all come together.” Thurlow has no qualms about barrier 19 in the limit field, something that he’s satisfied rider Corey Brown will be able to work with. “We saw in the Auckland Cup the way she dropped out to the rear and then what she did, so that’s pretty much the game plan. “The main thing for her is that there’s a decent tempo up front and with the big field that’s how you would expect it to play out. “Corey is an experienced jockey, he’s having a good carnival and I’ll leave that part to him to work out.” “No, we’re here, we’re all set to go and now it’s just one more sleep before it all happens.” View the full article

The morning sun shows Danzdanzdance in good light ahead her date with Winx at Randwick tomorrow. Winx has undisputed top billing on Day 2 of The Championships tomorrow, but the vibes around the Kiwi contingent stabled at Randwick suggest celebrations from this side of the Tasman won’t be only about the mighty mare. The satisfaction of Cambridge training duo Roger James and Robert Wellwood after Rondinella had got through her final piece of work suggested quiet confidence in their Sydney Cup prospects. Immediately after the Ocean Park mare had finished third in the Tancred Stakes, James had been in two minds about the merits of Rondinella taking her place in tomorrow’s two-miler. This morning, however, he conceded that he’s completely happy with her condition ahead of the A$2 million race, for which her $18 quote at withdrawal time has come into $12. “She might be six months away from being fully mature, but she’s done very well since the Tancred and I believe she’s ready to go a big race,” James told www.theinformant.co.nz. “Our jockey (Sam Clipperton) went into the Tancred in a very positive frame of mind and if anything that has only increased. “I put a lot of store in that, it all adds to her being able to have every chance tomorrow.” Matamata trainer Lance O’Sullivan also reports that Sir Charles Road is in good order for his second Sydney Cup attempt, having finished third last year. “That was a good run (for fourth) in the Chairman’s last Saturday and right now he’s a happy horse, which is where you want to be heading into a big one,” O’Sullivan said. “The improvement in the track is also going to help him, so at least he’s got a couple of things in his favour going into the weekend.” Tomorrow’s headline race, the A$4 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes, is all about Winx, who is quoted at a microscopic $1.06 to bow out with a 33rd straight win. Support roles in what promises to be true racing theatre in front of a sellout crowd of more than 40,000 may well be played by last-start Ranvet Stakes placegetters He’s Eminent and Danzdanzdance. The latter has pleased connections in the lead-up to her first meeting with Winx, and while co-trainer Chris Gibbs anticipates coming off second best, he’s optimistic she can claim some of the still substantial minor stake. “She’s really thrived since the Ranvet and we’re very happy with her,” Gibbs said. “The midfield draw (5) is ideal; from there Opie should be able to position her where he wants. “Let’s face facts though, Winx will again be virtually impossible to beat. Bowman would have rubbed his hands when she drew the outside gate – that way he can ride her like she’s the best horse in the field and keep her out of trouble. “It’s going to be huge tomorrow and it will be fantastic just to be part of it. Our mare will be there to do her best though, and I’m confident she won’t be disgraced.” Avantage, who won her Sydney debut three weeks ago, has also been stabled at Randwick, although this morning she did her final work elsewhere. “We took her and Probabeel out to Botany Bay for a wander in the surf,” Te Akau travelling foreman Paul Richards reported. “It’s something we’ve done once or twice a week and they really enjoy it.” Avantage lines up tomorrow in the A$1 million Arrowfield Sprint and in early markets shares favouritism with the Les Bridge-trained Classique Legend. “She’s well,” Richards added, “I can’t fault her work or condition. The first-up run didn’t knock her – even that night she ate up – and she hasn’t missed a trick since.” Perhaps the least regarded of the Kiwi contingent stabled at Randwick is Australian Oaks candidate Imelda Mary, but that doesn’t worry trainer and part-owner Wayne Hillis. “She took a day or two to settle in when she arrived here earlier in the week, but she’s good now,” Hillis said of his $40 prospect. “I’ve been riding her in her work and she feels bright enough.” Hillis is drawing on his experience with 2004 Australian Oaks placegetter Boulevardofdreams in assessing his chances in tomorrow’s A$1 million classic. “Ability-wise they’re pretty much on a par, and adding everything up I’m thinking she could run just as well. If this filly can run third too, that’d do me thanks.” View the full article

Unreliable beginner Tact Maggie starts in the Winton Businesses Cup on Saturday. Photo: Race Images. Tact Maggie will solve a mystery when the tapes fly to start the Winton Businesses Cup on Saturday. Trainer Trevor Proctor can not answer the question of whether the trained five-year-old will step cleanly or not with any confidence ahead of the 2400m handicap. Tact Maggie’s standing start practice in training this week meant Proctor is ready for absolutely anything when Saturday’s race gets underway. “The standing start is a big if,” he said. “I gave her four stands on Tuesday and she didn’t go away in one of them.” “Then, I put the pins in her and only pulled them up three holes and she pinged out like she meant it on Thursday.” “It is just hit and hope.” Though she is not adept or experienced from behind the tapes, Tact Maggie has scored once in a standing start race from five attempts. It will be Canterbury junior driver John Morrison’s task to help step the Lis Mara pacer step cleanly from the 10m mark. A family connection between Proctor, his partner and co-owner, Diane Dynes, and Morrison will make for a special win if Tact Maggie is able to score. “We have got young Johnny Morrison on him, which is quite special.” “He is family.” “I have always been quite keen to give him a drive on this mare, but it just hadn’t worked out until now.” Tact Maggie faces a massive drop in class from some of her recent racing in the Winton Businesses Cup. She took on Dream About Me in the group 1 New Zealand Standardbred Breeders Stakes three starts ago. She clashed with rising star, Henry Hubert, in her last start in the group 3 Northern Southland Cup. Tact Maggie comes in to Saturday’s race after winning two workouts since her last start sixth. “She just about dead heated with Franco Santino at the workouts last time.” “Brent Barclay was on her that time and he said she hadn’t felt like that for a long time.” “Her workouts have been quite impressive.” “Hopefully she will turn up on Saturday feeling like that.” Between her recent group races Tact Maggie clashed with some of the rivals she meets on Saturday when running sixth behind Robyns Playboy. Vintage Cheddar and Please Shuddup both beat her home that day and have both won races since. Please Shuddup’s stablemate, Mighty Flying Art, adds interest to Saturday’s event. The Murray Brown trained colt will have his first standing start in the 2400m handicap. View the full article

Mitchell Kerr’s team has been getting on a bit of a roll just lately and the stable looks to be in for another very good weekend. Kerr has some excellent prospects engaged at Addington on Friday afternoon and at Rangiora on Sunday, including the debutantes William Wallace and Justasec, the latter a three-year-old and unbeaten at the trials. The two-year-old William Wallace is the first cab off the rank at Addington and only a wide draw stands between him and a successful debut, like that of Koenigsegg at Rangiora last Sunday. “There’s not much between them although they’re two entirely different horses,” said Kerr. “Koenigsegg is a naturally speedy horse, but he’s not quite ready to be the full package yet so I’ve turned him out and he can come back in the spring for the Sires Stakes. “William Wallace is a powerful sort of beast with a lot of presence and he is a stayer for the future. “It’s disappointing he’s drawn so wide, but I’m sure he’ll acquit himself very well.” Koenigsegg, named after a high-performance Swedish sports car by Kerr’s cousin and co-owner Sam Casey, had a good tussle with fellow juvenile Peraki Reactor at Rangiora last Sunday and they were over 13 lengths clear of the other maidens. William Wallace came to light when he qualified last month at Rangiora, leading and winning over One Change after coming home in 56.6 and 28. Five days later he ran home strongly late in the piece to finish second in a 1.58 mile won by the promising Rough And Ready, who led and scampered home in 26.3. William Wallace, Koenigsegg and the filly Maharani, second on debut in a Sires Stakes heat at Addington to Amazing Dream a fortnight ago, were the three yearlings bought by Kerr’s stable at the sales last year. William Wallace was a $42,000 purchase at the Premier, while Koenigsegg cost $25,000 at Karaka. “I named William Wallace as Braveheart is one of my favourite movies.” Another two-year-old filly in A Taste Of Honey, who has drawn the ace in this week’s Sires Stakes heat at Addington, is co-owned by breeder Don Bates and Kerr rates her just as highly as her stablemate. “Sweet On Me is very classy and will be very hard to beat, but I think my two fillies are just as good as the rest. “A Taste Of Honey got a bit lost (when sixth) on debut when she got back and Amazing Dream walked them around and sprinted home. “But from barrier one this week I would expect her to lead and probably look to hand up to the right horse.” Blair Orange has taken the drive with Nathan Williamson not travelling to Addington, while John Dunn sticks with Maharani. The latter is a Mach Three filly who was bought at the Premier Sale for $21,000 and like William Wallace, she is raced by a group of owners which includes All Black Anton Lienert-Brown. Longtime stable supporter Keith Ovens is not involved in the fillies, but he does have a share in Koenigsegg and William Wallace, along with Smokin By. Kerr actually rates the latter as his best winning chance over the weekend. He starts from 20m at Rangiora alongside the good mares Onedin Reign and Sociable and Williamson will drive Smokin By along with Zinny Mach and Forgotten Highway, the latter in the Rangiora Classic. “Smokin By is right in the zone at the moment and would have won at Addington last time, but for leaning in on the bend, which allowed Gran Chico to get away on him. “Forgotten Highway is in a tough spot in that field, but if he can keep the trail and they go hard enough, they’ll know he’s there at the finish. “Justasec is a very handy horse with a bit of a future.” Kerr will have his first drive for the season on Justasec, a son of Big Jim that his partner Allie Paterson leased off John Vincent last year. View the full article

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