the galah

bored,Married at first sight,that the wifes watching, just isn't doing it for me this year,so i had a look at the HRNZ website to fill in time. The lastest press release on the HRNZ website is from a grant jarrold,who is chair of the HRNZ board. its early days to form an opinion as yet on what level of competent decision making we can expect. The chair of the board,grant jarrold has a video clip with just a wee bit more deatail. I guess they are trying to be transparent,so thats a good thing i suppose,but we all know theres a difference between giving the impression your all about good governace and actually delivering good governance. So time will tell. I have to say,that in my opinion,the first vibe i get from the video is a positive one about the man,but still he said things that made me think,just wait and see. actually,while it has nothing to do with my thoughts,does anyone know what the first two words he used in the video were? i've played that bit over several times and my hearing says he using ,i guess maori words, that if you google, mean blood treatment or tatoo treatment. Now obviously i'm no expert on te reo,but somehow i don't think what i was hearing is the right interpetation of the words he used. Does anyone know what he said in maori? Anyways,there were some points which i think were areas of hope,but also many areas of concern. for example. 1)He sates in the video" we need to have high quality racing and content to ensure we can improve our wagering and increase the returns to all participants' Now,as i've pointed out so many times,anyone who says high quality racing will increase wagering ,does not have a real grip of the principle drivers of increased turnover. Yes,if you look at nz cup day,tyou would say that,but using a one off day as the barometer to gauge the yearly turnovers is in my opinion ignorant. As i've pointed out so many times,the main drivers of turnover are timeslots,pre race sky racing exposure and jackpotting pools.I have given endless figures to back up why i say that. 2)he staes HRNZ is on budget. Well anyone can say overall things are on budget,even if there are areas where things are terribly not on budget. So my point is,how about there be some transparency around the figures. For example ,lets have the breakdown of the profit /loss or budgeted for loss for specific regions and specific age group racing. How about being honest and telling participants exactly how much cross subsidising from profitable areas of the industry,is being poured into auckland racing and 2 year old racing. 3)he stated "wagering growth". now ,that comment may be true,but does he not realise anyone can work out that was always going to be the case when all the extra meetings were run. There needs to be precise data released if they are gping to be viewed as transparent. 4)He mentioned the on course success of the summer racing. Well yes,they have always been successful,as long as the weathers good. But,people aren't silly and they can see when they turn up at the races at every day meetings in the remaing 9 months of the year,on course attendance isn't good. Besides,i thought the clubs are always saying that their is no hrnz incentive for them to encourage people to attend on course. 5) next gen. he gave that a plug. And i agree ,it does seem to have had a positive effect on the sales. Of course i have also pointed out,that i believe its going to end up like one of those high flying stocks that list on the sharemarket,that its the hype that drives the share price up,not realsitic potential returns. And we all know,that if the hype doesn't match the reality,then i will sour people off future investment. My final thought would be,i hope this new board wakes up to HRNZ two biggest problems. That is decision making based on short sightedness and self interest.

your right. HRNZ are doing all they can financially to ensure they can run the races with the smallest turnovers, for the trainers who value their udr strike rates,which of course by definition means they don't line their horses up as much. While doing that,they do nothing to financially encourage those who provide the horses in the races that generate the most turnovers,who line their horses up far more times than the strike rate trainers. Then ,we have all these media articles on how great trainers think it is that HRNZ is funding the industry with bonuses for the 2 year olds. I mean,ask yourself,are these trainers that short sighted that they can't see,that to proritise the interests of 5% of the industries participants at the expense of the 95% of trainers/owners/breeders ,will undoubtedly undermine and contract the industry that they supposedly hope to make a living from in years to come. some of these trainers comments show no empathy whatsoever with 95% in the industry.. Personally i think its all incredibly short sighted,and all incredibly based on selfishness, which will long term cost them far more than they will ever gain in the short term.

surely not every trainer thinks their qualified to race 2 year old,will be a top 2 year old? i mean,they can go around in a 5 horse field at the races for good money,just like they have been going around in 5 horse fields at the trials. Trials for nothing or fridays $15,000 stake,with $8250 to the winner and an extra $12,000 in bonuses to the winner. The whole thing,does make you wonder about sometimes. We keep reading where hrnz tell us the bonuses are whats needed to get more 2 year old starters,then we read how they keep cancelling programmed 2 year old races or they run a 5 horse race with all starters from the same stable.Duh. Then there have been several media stories about trainers so enthusiastic about the next gen bonuses. I mean,seriously,these trainers must be expecting their owners to eventually pay another $4,000 in training fees so they keep them in training a bit longer and earn an extra $4,000 bonus.Do they not realise how stupid that sounds. Oh,thats right ,from what i've read,they all are targeting being the first next gen horse home in the 3 sales series races. From what i have read in the many media stories,read,it seems all these trainers think they are going to win. sort of reminds me,Donald trump keeps using the words,common sense thinking and realistic thinking. Somehow i think harness racing needs some of that.

If the class of the horses was the most relevant factor in encouraging punting ,then why do the lower grade meetings generate the most turnover in nz? punting profitably is all about assessing the current form of each runner. After you've done that then you factor in dividends,drivers/trainers/draws/courses. But to be successful,it all starts with comparing a horses recent form against its competitors,irrespective of the class or level of the horse .In other words,if a punter is blaming the level of the product for being unsuccessful,they are not giving a realistic assessment. One thing i know for certain,is if nz harness punters were to redirect their betting onto australian gallops ,and if they have less knowledge and therefore less ability to assess the australian form,then they are sure to be less successful than they already are. So,from a gambling perspective,logically the best advice for punters should be to Not diversify their focus to include australian gallops,it would be to do the opposite and place more focus on nz harness.

Normal transmission has resumed with both drivers driving well in the remaining races tonight.No ones perfect i suppose,even if punters may like the perfect drive each time.

you have to laugh sometimes. I gave h orange the big wrap because he drove jahi to his strengths,which anyone who has followed him knows,is he can stay ok but lacks any high speed. Well,what did he do tonight,just sat 3 back the outside on a race with no speed on and he just seemed to go around for a quiet run with no real intent. even the commentator referred pre race how jahi was best driven then kept saying no pace on during the race. That after the first race where wilson house elected to sit 5 back the fence on a $1.30 shot. Now i didn't lose any money on either race and i saw the funny side of those drives.sunday snooze maybe. i'm sure they both were trying and will bounce back later tonight,i suppose.

the whales tip, arizonawildcat in that race has now dropped into $4.20 from $10. Its amazing just how much the tab drop his tips prices. ok,he may win now i've said that,but to me,anyone who does their form, would not have it as a $4.20 shot. Even the $10 it opened at seemed rather short to me. The money tracker on the tab website has it the most supported runner by far.The whale sure must have some followers who don't think for themselves.

so the media and the hrnz website are saying there is a direct link between the next gen bonuses and the higher prices for the top end horses sold at the sales. Well,maybe they are right. Maybe all those trainers who paid over $100,000 for their purchasses,actually did so because the owners will get $4000 when they have their 2nd start as a 2 year old and the trainer will get $1000. hang on,are they saying lots of owners/trainers spent over $100,000 because they thought they may get a $5,000 bonus. thats right ,they are,no that can't be right,as if it was true,then the purchasers have more money than sense. There must be more to it than that. Of course,maybe all the purchasers are thinking they will own/train the first next gen horse home in the 3 sales series races,thus earning $35,000 for the owner and $10,000 for the trainer. Yes,heres a story about one such owner on the hrnz website.It was about kimberly butt having a big spending aussie owner who says he gave her instructions to spend double what he would have, because of the next gen bonuses. He apparently spent an extra $175,000,given he spent $350,000 on 3 purchases. I get it now,that fella spent an extra $175,000 because, if everything goes to plan and he flukes having the first next gen horse home in the two races hes eligible,(since he bought 2 colts),then he can earn an extra $82,000 to cover the extra $175,000 he just spent. you know reading about what that aussie sales buyer said,reminded me of a story from last month,where a queensland man was walking to his car,when he spotted 2 kangaroos nearby.One female and one male. A neighbour decribed what then happened...the female kangaroo fled "but the other bastard turned around and attacked him". The man was airlifted to rockhampton hospital where he was in a stable condition. Strange things can happen when aussies get involved.

Just watched a part of the box seat. Micky g stating,the purdons coming to auckland is like the greatest training team possible in the world that could possibly set up,to help the auckland club. As i pointed out earlier,the n purdon/m purdon training partnership ,on last years figures had 213 starters for the whole of 2024. They didn't rate in the top 20 trainers/starters numbers wise in nz. This year,in the first 7 weeks they have had 12 starters.not even in the top 60(probably more but i gave up counting)for providing starters so far in 2025. Mickey g.really is easily excited. settle down old son,as your sounding just a tad hyperbolic .

You have to remember brodie ,its really $27,000 being opaid out for these 5 horse,2 year old races.,once you include the bounus. In my opinion,You ,me and anyone with half a brain can see the bonuses they are offering,on top of the stakes, are having next to no impact on the size of 2 year old fields.(As i predicted last year). Gamma may not agree with me,but its a fact that the connections of horses who won bonuses last year are mostly the same people who were influentail in pushing the bonus schemes.You can't blame those people for that,as after all its just human nature. Its the people from HRNZ who have prioritised the value of some participants over others.Thats why HRNZ policies are seen as giving preferential treatment to certain sectors of the industry and if anything,have had more of an impact by discouraging people from breeding their mares. Its a fact that the entain man must have benefitted from the $12,000 and $6,000 bonuses last year. Must have been around $100,000 he would have got in bonuses. I again would ask,what were the number of starters last year,compared with the year before. And how many mares were bred this year and last(,compared with 2 years ago),since the bonuses came in. The new ,extra $5000 bounses they have this year,will have only very limited impact as well. Sure you may get the odd trainer convincing their owners,that bought a horse at tthe sales,that if youat least pay another months,possibly two, training fees and costs,we will line up your horse up twice and earn $4000,even if you run a tailed off last both time. And hey,mr owner,its great, because i get $1000 as well for being the trainer. Yes,you have always occasionally had the odd trainer line up 2 year olds, when their manners show they aren't ready. I can think of one in particular who often does it. HrNZ seems to be expecting lots of trainers to change their thinking,and expose the fact their 2 year old that has just qualified, isn't up to racing as a 2 year old,but hey think of the bonus. Strange. Anyways,,i'm just playing the same record over again .

was a bit unusual,but the mobile barrier gets closer to the people watching,so don't think there was much cause for concern.

Do you think they need to introduce a speed limit? Maybe not, as the Mobile driver may rack up a few tickets though. Maybe he hit the turbo boost by mistake? No cause for your concern about the kids though,as didn't see any running around on the track.. Must have done a good job putting the shoe back on Putere boy. It won paying $40. wonder if he got the word from the driver and sped back and put a bet on?

former nz,graeme telfer trained,Hanover da moon ran a 1.58 mile rate from a stand when bolting in last night at menagle. The locomotive ran third after starting from 40m but really,after beginning well, made little impression on hanover da moon at any point of the race. Interestingly,hanover da moon originally went to victoria and was trained by andy gath,but only managed to place without looking like winning in mid grade races. Certainly it seems to be a different horse now it has a nsw trainer. also last night you had sooner the better,better knuckle up,we walk by faith and another nz horse ran at menagle . They all went ok but never looked like placing. aardies express ran 4th when favorite. Really its been looking really sore again for some time ,but they keep racing it. Its surprising it keeps trying,but it still seems to.

you touch on a point i've discussed previously. Reality is,trainers like thats participation is taken for granted. If we are to judge by actions,its seems very few,including the hierarchy at hrnz could care less whether they turn up with their horses at the races or not. Heck,we are even discussing a topic where you've stated they shouldn't be turning up at the races with their horses. And guess what,people like that always do eventually just disappear.People do tire if losing is to be their only outcome. you know i started a topic a couple of years ago on here,pointing out how the likes of steve lock or paul andrews were taken for granted. i said if they wanted people like that to continue participating,bringing their horses to the races and making up the numbers in areas like southland, where they have ever declining starter numbers,they should at least try and encourage their continued participation. Simple really,just programme races where their horses may have a chance.. for example,all they had to do was programme a race whereby it could be for non winners,or 1 win horses who have not won in say 2 years or whatever. It was unlikely they would have won anyway,but just communicating with them and telling them they were appreciated would have bought a lot of goodwill. I remember giving the example of a 6 horse non win race in southland ,where they could have put one of the andrews trained horses in,instead of making it run in the r35 grade against horses who had won sevreal races. My point was paul andrews started his 3 horses 150 times in 2021.Thats 150 drivers fees for his drivers. thats extra turnover fot the club. steve lock 135 times the following year. Compare that to say the purdon barn who started their multitude of horses 235 times last year. people can go on about mediocre quality horses making up mediocre fields,but they do add value to the product,before they disappear,even if they aren't appreciated.

would that melando chief get around manawatu? Having said that,maybe the grass at otaki or wairarapa,but its silly if anyone thinks you can just turn up to m,anawatu and win. I think melando chief and buddy reign not going good enough to win there.. having said all that,if the trianer is enjoying taking his horses to the races,then thats what he should be doing. Pointless newmarket telling the trainer he shouldn't be doing something ,that he may actually be enjoying doing.

timaru was one of those tracks the messara report wanted to close.Trainers there seem to be nearly all galloping trainers.i would assume the gallops don't really want to see the trots run on the grass. The date timaru has been given shows that in my opinion. geraldine would have gone to methven i suppose ,had they been forced to close, even though the majority of their crowd for the november meeting came from south canterbury. Methven raced at orari a couple of years ago. Also Orari would have been looking for a grass track meeting, so you would guess timaru wouldn't have suited,,as if the timaru club can only negotiate a midweek april date to have their grass track meeting,then why would geraldine have got one. also i've always thought it obvious that many more people would attend the pre christmas weekend meeting at ashburton, if they ran that on their grass track. Never understood why they haven't done that. Mind you a lot of those clubs with galloping and trotting clubs in the same area,don't cooperate well and have had a history of squabbling.i don't know about now,but it wasn't that many years ago,someone told me ashburon was like that. To me the taupo meeting being 4 days before hawera makes sense. Using the same logic is why i think your comments about the date of the otaki meetins seems common sense.

Great to see a couple of more grass track meetings approved by hrnz,at taupo and timaru. The taupo date is reportedly on a possible good date. harness racing should be about taking the product to the people,so dates are of great importance and potentially down the track they can incorporate another taupo meeting into the holiday xmas period,maybe when trainers are on their way down to otaki. Who knows,but using the proven formula of success of other meetings makes obvious sense. Personally i think the grass track meeting at timaru in april being on a wednesday,makes little sense as far as a suitable date. I've advocated on here several times ,suggesting the timaru harness meeting in late niovember,2 weeks before geraldine,would be the perfect date for a another grass rtack meeting. It may or may not detract slightly from geraldine,but theres no doubt combined it would be a big boost for the product in that area. I also see, timaru have said they will be putting pylons 3 metres out from the rail. That to me doesn't make any sense either. Maybe thats a galloping condition,which in reality shows how some galloping clubs only grudgingly want to allow harness racing on a track used mainly for gallopers. Timaru is a track that narrows as you get close to the finish and if you were to walk it,you would see the outside portion is always significantly rougher close to the finish,i would assume because the gallopers who train on the track use that portion much more due to the narrowing of the tack .So running 3 metres out when theres a perfectly good track next to the rail,seems being over precious to me. but ,i do think these announcements about more grass track racingare positive moves.

Then 10 minutes later ,at albury,the commentator aptly summed up what those who watched had seen, saying that had to be one of the greatest races ever seen at albury. Captain hammerhead,who drew just inside swayzee,kept swayzee 4 wide around the first bend as they both progressed around the field. Then it developed into a war with swayzee attacking for the whole race,but captain hammerhead,driven by Moran,always seemingly going just a wee bit better. What looked to be a 3 horse race when captain hammerhead,swayzee parked and cya art trailing ,came well clear of the rest with a round to go,turned into a 2 horse war with 600m to go, as Captain hammerhead endeavoured to shake swayzee. And that he did with 400m to go,but swayzee,wasn't done yet and with captain hammerhead all out ,swayzee made one last lung to keep the million $ dream alive,but captain hammerhead and Moran also just kept giving enough and clung to victory,with both horses ,and the rest of the runners,some distance away, all out at the finish. the crowd who were there would remember that race for many a year,the night swayzee gave his all,but captain hammerhead and moran just wouldn't let him past.You could here the buzz watching it on trackside.

In my opinion,thats a silly thing to say. House contributes far more to nz harness racing than anyone else and makes far better use of harness racings number one resource,the horses,than anyone else. Theres another thread currently on the purdons and how significant they could be for auckland harness racing. So far in the first 6 weeks of the current season,the michael house stable has provided 152 starters and the purdon stable 10. so 15x more starters for house. also ,house is representative of the grass roots of harness racing,regularly training horses that small trainers have had previously. Theres a reason for that.Smaller trainers trust him to cut a deal that enables their horses to race on and contribute to them and the harness racing industry. i could go on and quote facts and figures,but i really don't get the thinking of anyone who underscores the achievements of the house stable and the contribution the trainer/driver/owners make. if anything,i think m house should be running HRNZ. And no,i don't have any connection to m house.

horses just keep going when this fella drives them. I just watched the last race at manawatu and orange summed things up and the horse respeonded with a top effort. I assume s doody ,the horses trainer had discussed the best way to drive jahi and orange executed that beautifully. The only fly in the ointment was jay abernethy,who refused to give the lead to him. I suppose it wasn't a surprise in some ways,as personally i always think abernethy is a tactically very unpredicatable driver. He was driving a horse who you knew was not going to be a hope if driven like abernethy did,but not all drivers are the best judge of other horses form and unpredictability makes racing interesting sometimes. But orange wasn't intimidated and drove the horse to its strengths and the horse was very willing all the way to the finish and was good enough to get the win. personally i don't think i've seen a driver with oranges natural talent before. maybe dexter dunn or maybe his father may come close. Hopefully he doesn't get a big head,as if he continues on a he has started,hes sure to achieve big things. the surprising thing is hes still paying $21 to win the junior drivers title. I guess because you only see him getting good opportunities at tracks like manawatu,he may be flying under the radar ,as far as that goes. He may struggle to get enough opportunities to win the title this year. But theres no doubt hes talented enough to win it.

It had been reported some time ago that their property at rolleston had been sold. The pak n sav next door already has its structure up and they say it will open later in the year and the pak n sav will be the main thing in the new shopping hub there. Obviously the clock was ticking down on when the move had to be made,so i guess its not like nathan purdon had a choice of staying where he was. I had read not that long ago that the pukekohe facilities needed quite a bit of money spent on them to bring them up to standard. But the move north ,whartever way you look at it,is to an area with an uncertain future. we still haven't had any plans announced by HRNZ as to exactly what plans and alternate plans they may have. You don't have to be a maths scholar to understand that anyone suggesting the auckland trotting club will solely finance any new training facility,once pukekohe is sold,is a dunce. Firstly,will they get near that $90-100m from any future buyer,given many say the original chinese buyers significantly over valued the property. Then even if they did,any new buyer you would think, wouldn't pay for the property until just prior to taking possessiion. So given the trainers at pukekohe would have nowhere to train from if a new buyer took possession after a quick sale,then where do all the trainers and horses go. And if they were able to lease it back for a year or two,then auckland wouldn't get paid for some time and would keep having the reported half a million a month added on to their debt,meaning they would not be able to contribute anything to a new training centre. Then even if they decided to sell alexandra park,all that takes time as well,but where would the races be held. And then why would HRNZ come to the rescue. Hrnz must know,that by putting tens of millions into a new training centre,without a guarantee over total control of the money from the sale of either pukekohe or alexandra park,would really tie south island racing to going down with the auckland ship.Having said that,they seem happy to fund the inflated auckland stakes with all the $35,000 finals that the south island never get for that5 grade of horse. And there are other variables that seem obvious,but the next at manawatu's on,thats more interesting than scratching ones head about what goes on in the north island.

seems an irony there. Steven reid moves to canterbury,then the purdons announce a move to train from steven reids fromer barn,at a training centre that the auckland club is desperate to sell,with no guarantee that any future purchaser will extend a lease to enable training to continue from ,even if it was sold. Auckland of course does have a future if sensible,realistic decisions regarding future plans , are made by the club and hrnz. but where's the evidence of anything currently being in place or being sustainable? What is happening with the pukekohe training centre? How many more millions will the auckland club be in debt before they announce a sale and will the sale price be anywhere near what the original offer was and how many million $, (possibly tens of millions) will hrnz contribute to help establish a training centre for the pukekohe trainers and will racing continue at alexandra park.And where does that HRNZ money come from? All those questions you would think must have been in the back of the minds of the purdons,but they have the luxury of having a big bank balance and can set up there own training facilty down the track i suppose. But at the end of the day,the purdons have a history of making wise decisions so lets hope they are happy and prosper and contribute as they have previously, to racing in the upper north island. i would say,they are a definite plus for auckland racing,as auckland harness racing is very much reliant on the professional trainers to provide the horse numbers. Having said that. The purdon stable very much focus on the udr. Last year they lined up 216 starters,and didn't actually make the top 20 trainers nz starters, numbers wise.

Maybe that "previously" definition was used to cover all the bonuses at the time and was more applicable to some other bonuses that they brought in and then cancelled. Like the nz bred stallions bonus. In that example,If you were a breeder and thinking, (or silly enough to think),that the bonus for going to a nz bred sire in the year that bonus scheme was announced,would still be going by the time your nz bred stallion foal got to races,then you may have ended up feeling a bit annoyed when they cancelled it the following year. Anyways,under the previous conditions,if you had bred a horse that won a 2 year old race,then obviously it shouldn't have needed to be stipulated it was within 5 years as it would have gone without saying,that it must have been. But what you say the defintion now is. i find a bit ambiguous personally. because they have used the word "since the 2021/2022 breeding season". does that mean since the start of that season,meaning the breeder of a mare bred in 2021/22 season is eligible,or does since mean from the end of the breeding season,meaning if a breeder hadn't bred after the 2021/22 season,then they wouldn't be eligible for the bonus,if a 2 year old they bred wins. had they used the words,including or after,i think it would have been much clearer. Now heres the main thing about the 2 year old breeders bonus. Did it result in more mares being bred in the season just after it was announced. and,did it result in more mares being bred in the year just gone by. If it didn't,and sadly we know the answer to the first part,then was utilising the money in the way they did,the best way to get more breeders breeding their mares.Clearly no, in my opinion,but this years figures will tell the story ,whenever they put those out.

What you say about the ladbrokes racing club discontinuing in australia is interesting. the tab racing club in nz hasn't been going long,but apparently is still going and has been promoted as being modelled on the now discontinued ladbrokes racing club. from what i've read previously the tab racing club is more about getting people to come along to the races to experience what goes with ownership,without any financial output,nor any financial rewards. They do say members can go into a draw sometimes for bonus prizes,whatever that may be. just last month Entain announced their forecast profit for the 2024 year was likely to be in the 1.26-1.32 billion US $. When they announced that, their shares went up 9%. that may sound good,but last year entains share prices fell by 30% and then a further 12% last month,prior to entains announcement,when the main US sports betting ageancy,flutter,advised they will be taking a hit to its yearly earnings. seems the problem for flutter and entain,who are the big players in USA sports betting, has been the current NFL season has seen the highest % of favorites win in the last 20 years. Entain and its partner(mgm), apparently lost 250 million US $ on the us sports side of things. JP Morgan saying' they think Entain will neeed more time and investments to turn its overall trading and profitability momentum around''. Don't know about the being bought out brodie,as they are still one of the biggest gambling companies worldwide. anyways,back to HRNZ and entains focus on 2 year olds. The biggest issue i have always had is simple, what proof have they given us that getting more 2 year olds to race will mean more overall starters ,of all ages ,in years to come. I mean,ask yourself,shouldn't it be blatantly obvious,the focus must be on getting more starters,irrespective of their age. I mean,by putting their focus on getting 2 year olds racing and neglecting older horses,then even if you achieve your goal with the 2 year olds,overall you still will be losing if you lose the same number of the older horses by ignoring their needs.. Its such a basic ,yet HRNZ ignore it. Which is why i keep saying,i don't think these people are very clever as not once have they addressed the point i just made.Wheres the proof what they are doing will help overall long term?

So the latest press release says they will only pay out the bonus to the connections of winning 2 year olds. the press release says" the big change is that the $6,000 that has been paid for either running second to a previous bonus winner or being the first non winning pacer or trotter home in a ratings race, has been discontinued". Going by that statement,theoretically last year you could have lined up the only 2 year old in a non win race for 2 year olds and older,and got $6,000 even if you ran last. thats going by the latest press release anyway. i think its a good thing they have stopped those $6,000 payments. But then again they are giving away $4,000 payments if you make it to the races ,run last, for horses bought at the sales this year who meet the criteria. And ,these bonuses that they change or cancel each year,if they were supposed to encourage more breeders to breed,wouldn't the breeders be worried that it might change by the time the mare they bred from last year has a foal old enough to race in future years. Anyways,the thing about this press release,is it wouldn't be a press release about 2 year old bonuses,without some smoke and mirrors . The press release says this. "we have more and more 2 year olds racing all the time and hrnz in conjunction with entain are keen to support this trend through 2025 says mathew peden" the number of 2 year olds that raced increased from 18 to 21% of the crop in 2024 and that number will only rise this year''. so can you see what they have done there. They have said theres more and more 2 year olds racing,yet they don't actually say what the number was. Why not use the simplest way for anyone to understand. Compare one figure with the next. But Instead they go to the % of the crops in previous years comparison. of course the flaw in that,which they must know,is if you had a larger crop in the earlier year,then you may in fact have had less 2 year olds racing last year than the previous year.