Huey

The Covid bounce has been good to Racing, let's keep everything o'seas off limits forever. Only problem is this coincides with the man made industry contraction and they are patting themselves on the back for it.

Bernard Saundry on FB live

Well if you've watched FB Live you would learn that trainers need to learn to how to train their horses on the AWT surfaces and apparently according to BS many are engaging with Australian trainers on how to do so, so thats cleared that up then. - The AWT are more popular than ever!

Better to keep it as is, stop bowing down to the world of woke, otherwise it never stops!

Good points, I have a feeling and its only a feeling that the AWT's will be the real nail driven into the NZ racing coffin. I'm a huge advocate for participation in any sport, the AWT will reduce participation not increase it imho. They also to my mind offer a very boring spectacle to watch and appear to only suit certain types of horses. They will kill the character of NZ racing and produce a one flavour fits all model to the industry . What will also potentially happen as you've pointed out is the noms for the grass tracks will be massive creating further frustrations for owners and trainers in the industry and the industry will persist with the AWT no matter the cost to the industry just to try to prove a point. I still do not think we need the AWT, we need better management of the industry and the current facilities available. Unfortunately we have a governing body that work against most of those fundamentals.

You'd have to think this is the day they'd go to , still a few races there of interest but the big 2 this year are a hard look.

Agree , shows a complete misunderstanding of the fundamentals of placing horses, the race is a joke this year.

Have to agree, unfortunately the Thorndon has thinned out, do like the look of the Desert Gold field.

They are the future of the industry and have to be treated as such we should all be bending over backwards to have them in the game, you just have to listen to them to know how important they are to the sport. Don't you know us oldies are lucky to have them around. If they don't get treated well they might take their toys and go play on the polo circuit.

In my price bracket its hard to find fault with any of those.

That first Sav. Looks very nice and lot 207 if only .

Has NZ Racing ever been in such a poor state though Freda? not diminishing achievements at all. But the state of the game here makes it a trifle easier for massive entity like that to dominate?

Well I'm not as convinced as CS ( but as he pointed out he has got an eye for these sort of things) but 11 Savabeels sold , of which 4 sold for 120k or less , hardly exciting given his fee. You'd have to say most of the Almanzor vendors would be happy though , some pretty good prices off a 30k fee to date. Congrats to who ever stole lot 39 , has Diesis head and looks like Pippie !

Especially for a $1mill race , surely? It just looks as NM says hicksville.

But thats what they intend to create.

Raise you an Almanzor

I take your bid and raise you a Zoustar and Written Tycoon!

Haha that might be true, only problem is most people be racing there soon enough don't you think?

No, getting outbid would explain why they purchased 3 of the top 5 lots at last years yearling sales and paid the highest price for a R2R horse last year. As for too big , well we will have to disagree on that, watch what happens over the next few years to racing in this country.

Exactly my point , we are very amateur.

Wouldn't the real mark of guy be him going out on his own? As it is he is likely to attract a lot of lovely bloodstock due to his performances with TA. Have any other trainers that have left TA continued to perform at the same level consistently? I also believe NZ is in such a sad state racing wise the way TA are set up there not much chance of whoever is in charge not performing. Take the sales today , they will buy whatever they want, will there be another NZ trainer(s) to challenge them? I highly doubt it. In fact one could argue they are getting too big for NZ. Having said that he comes across as a 1st class guy and I wish him every success.

You make a very good point JB, one would also think given possible positive a stable has had that testing would be undertaken in a more detail manner. But this is NZ racing we are talking about. The one thing that caught my eye yesterday also was the TV reporter carrying a saddle to the stables for one of the runners in a 2yo race for TA, a bit amateurish?

Not to mention the quality of the horse over there, probably 25 Levantes in Aus at the moment. But Aegon might measure up, he really shouldn't have been able to win that , didn't get the best breaks imo (fresh up over the mile, great training performance) but looks like he has a will to win and the gears to back it up. Also a stable that really knows how to get them going for Aus.

No argument from me, but this gift price is no different than the top up is it?

Agree with NM the crowd look a bit weaker than previous years, maybe unbeknown to us all 100s of Aussies have been coming along to the night?