Murray Fish

Do many BOAY'ers watch this podcast? With the most famous surname in the world of horse racing, James Cummings has followed in the footsteps of his iconic Grandfather, Bart. As head trainer at Godolphin and with 50 G1 wins, James continues to carve out his own pages in the history books. This week Bossy, Adam and James chat training techniques, what makes a champion and lessons from his Grandfather.

between a rock and a hard place...

His dad won 12 Melbourne Cups. Now Anthony Cummings has called in liquidators Chris Barrett November 29, 2024 •09:21am Share Anthony Cummings’ business is being wound up.Jeremy Ng / Getty Images One of horse racing’s greatest dynasties is in turmoil after the training business of Anthony Cummings was placed into liquidation with debts of more than A$2 million (NZ$2.21m). Cummings is a member of Australia’s racing royalty, the son of legendary horseman Bart Cummings and father of James Cummings, the Cox Plate-winning head trainer of global thoroughbred powerhouse Godolphin in Australia. However, the 68-year-old could be forced to vacate the famous Leilani Lodge stables, where Bart trained some of his 12 Melbourne Cup winners, as Racing NSW investigates the collapse of his training company and assesses his suitability to hold a licence. According to a liquidator’s report filed with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Cummings’ business RossCarbery Holdings is being wound up, with A$4.2 million claimed by unsecured creditors. Almost half of that is loans made to the company by Cummings himself as well as by his wife Bernadette and another related party, Anthony Cummings Thoroughbreds. The report by Sydney insolvency firm DW Advisory said the Australian Tax Office had pursued it for debts of A$1.3 million and that a further A$797,399 was outstanding to other trade creditors. Employees were also due A$155,128 in superannuation when the company went into administration. ADVERTISEMENT Liquidator Cameron Gray said it was likely the company engaged in insolvent trading but further investigation may be required. He listed “failure to maintain adequate books and records” and “acting recklessly and not in good faith in the best interest of the corporation or not for the proper purpose” as other possible breaches of the Corporations Act but said they may also need further investigation. Anthony Cummings and his racing royalty father Bart in 1985.Fairfax Media The liquidator drew attention to the reduction of a loan from Anthony Cummings Thoroughbreds by A$298,433 in the past year and payments made to the creditors of another company of his that was placed into liquidation five years ago. “I don’t believe any of that applies. I acted in good faith at all times,” Cummings said on Thursday. James Cummings has carved out a formidable record after getting his start training with grandfather Bart.Eddie Jim “The reality is the biggest debts owed by the training company were to me, my wife and my thoroughbred company. That’s a matter of fact. I’ve had discussions with the majority of people involved and there is no issue there.” Cummings is continuing to train dozens of horses at Randwick and hopes to re-form a partnership with his other son, Edward, who previously operated at Hawkesbury, under the 38-year-old’s company Myrtle House. Edward Cummings has already transferred his horses in work to his father’s stables and offered a number of Anthony’s employees work and assumed or paid out annual leave entitlements, according to the liquidator. ADVERTISEMENT But after being issued with a show-cause notice by Racing NSW last month over the folding of his company, it’s unclear whether Anthony Cummings will be cleared by the regulator to continue training and link up with his son, with whom he was in partnership for nine years before Edward went out on his own in 2019. Racing NSW declined to comment on Thursday as investigation was ongoing. Cummings attributed the company’s failure to a “lack of on-track performance of horses” while its external accountant also ascribed responsibility to clients paying slower during the cost of living crisis. The liquidator reported the company was owed A$262,206, of which A$74,428 had been clawed back, and employees could expect to recover between 31¢ and 40¢ in the dollar of unpaid superannuation, with Cummings having made payments covering two months. But the company’s accountant advised that Cummings had assets totalling only A$979, as well as liabilities of A$50,000 and multiple personal guarantees, concluding: “On the surface, it appears that Mr Cummings does not have the capacity to pay in the event of a judgment against him”. Cummings, who had a Group 1 win with El Castello in October, said he had taken Racing NSW through the particulars of his training company’s demise and believed he had satisfied its queries. “The plan was for Edward and I to join a partnership,” he said. “He had an operating company, I had an operating company. We only need one. So one or the other had to be shut down. On the advice of various people, we shut down the one that I was using. There’s nothing unusual about that – there’s nothing nefarious about that.” His troubles come as his other son, James, re-writes the record books training for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and founder of Godolphin. Last month the fourth-generation trainer secured his 50th group 1 winner at the age of 36. Anthony Cummings, who has trained 34 group 1 winners in his three-decade career, said he did not believe his licence and his family’s long association with Leilani Lodge was in jeopardy. “All I know is I’ve got 50-odd horses in work here,” he said. “They’re well looked after, well fed and they’re racing as well as they ever have”. - Sydney Morning Herald https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/360504604/his-dad-won-12-melbourne-cups-now-anthony-cummings-has-called-liquidators

thanks. Though why have a ratings system then if you don't use it?

doh! what I have learned is it doesn't know that much about nz racing history, as much because the way that leadership in the industry has strategically gone about moving into the digital would! Going back to when they first set up the data base at NZTR re Horses in the 1980's, I knew the fella tasked to do that! I think he ended up pulling all his hair out! As the they, 'good data in, good data out', having said that, from the 2000's onwards it is more friendly! but Nothing pre 1979? ps, can you change the AI to artificial intelligence

from over the ditch, a decline in betting. "That points to a trend of wagering companies reducing marketing spend, including free bets and other inducements, and becoming more focused on individual customer profitability. The challenge with that approach is that it has a compounding impact on turnover. As bookie margins increase, returns to punters drop and they become less likely to re-invest. There are implications for this, not only in terms of race fields revenue, but POCT as well." https://thestraight.com.au/a-78-million-hole-wagering-slump-and-funding-changes-smash-pras-bottom-lines/?ref=straight-up-newsletter

Can someone explain the logic of how this sort or race is handicapped? sorry for page lay out... https://loveracing.nz/raceinfo/53204/meeting-overview.aspx#toggle-detail7 7 4:07 pm BAYLEYS GREAT NORTHERN CHALLENGE STAKES OPN-SW&P 1600m - $120,000Open /Close # Silk Form Horse 1 10X16 Midnight Blue (AUS)(8g So You Think - Midnight Special (AUS)) 2 2X480 Aegon(7g Sacred Falls - Toss Up) 3 63X02 Skyman (GB)(9g Mukhadram (GB) - Skyrider (IRE)) 4 02X41 Meaningful Star (IRE)(8g Pivotal (GB) - Adore (GB)) 5 71318 Heart Of Gold(7g Niagara (AUS) - Champagne Lady) 6 90962 Saint Bathans (AUS)(6g Maurice (JPN) - Princess Natural (AUS)) 7 0X607 Gee Cee(7g Sacred Falls - Smitten Kitten) 8 80870 Not Ideal(8g Nicconi (AUS) - Champagne Crystal (AUS)) 9 X7185 Islington Lass(6m Proisir (AUS) - Miss Relentless) 10 X3511 Sumi(7m Atlante (AUS) - Seek A Fortune) Fields Quick Trials Gear Barrier Stats ›Download PDF › Draw RTG WGT Jockey Trainer Win Place 6 95 55.5 Craig Grylls Mark Walker & Sam Bergerson - - 9 102 55.0 Vinnie Colgan Andrew Forsman - - 2 100 55.0 Warren Kennedy Stephen Marsh - - 4 91 55.0 Michael McNab Bruce Wallace & Grant Cooksley - - 5 85 55.0 Sam Spratt Sam Mynott - - 10 84 55.0 George Rooke Andrew Forsman - - 8 83 55.0 Sam Weatherley Stephen Marsh - - 1 83 55.0 Billy Jacobson Ken Harrison - - 7 95 53.5 Joe Doyle Allan Sharrock - - 3 97 53.0 Masa Hashizume Allan Sharrock - - Gear changes:

another play, spot the bi mistake! noel eales horse trainer ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Searched 2 sites Noel Eales was a prominent and highly successful horse trainer from New Zealand, known for his patient approach to preparing racehorses. Based in Manawatu and later at Awapuni, he became a leading figure in the New Zealand racing scene during his career. Eales trained several renowned horses, including Calm Harbour, who achieved numerous Group race victories, and The Phantom, winner of prestigious races like the 1993 Mackinnon Stakes in Australia. His career highlights also included training (Mr) Lomondy, the 1986 Caulfield Cup winner, and Ed, winner of the 1997 Wellington Cup WikiTree.com DOWN UNDER PUNTER.COM . Eales was celebrated for his ability to develop horses gradually, often bringing them to peak performance after long breaks. His work left a lasting impact on New Zealand racing, and his legacy is honored through the Noel Eales Memorial race WikiTree.com DOWN UNDER PUNTER.COM . 4o You said: what jockey rode the most winners for him? ChatGPT said: ChatGPT Searched 2 sites David Walsh is widely recognized as the jockey who achieved the most success with Noel Eales. Walsh rode numerous winners for the legendary trainer during his illustrious career, which included a remarkable partnership with horses like Castletown. This collaboration contributed significantly to both Walsh's and Eales' reputations in New Zealand racing history Horse Racing | Racing News | Sports News

coming from a Cretan like you I'm not to sure if your comment counts for much! ps, send me your name in private mail! I be keen to meet you in person one day! but then I bet odds on, you be way to gutless for something like that to happen! eh!

(blush) and I wonder how many punters are like me and don't know how to use them!!!

yip, hard to disagree! personally, other than for the G1 races, I now almost never do form, 99% of my bets are locked in by how x horse appears to 'my eye'. I still manage to grind a out a profit, but its getting harder and harder as less time is given by trackside to actually seeing the horses. More and more the ergonomic just doesn't stack up! If I related the net profit to a hourly wage for the effort put in! I'm sure it would be way under the minimum wage! Sigh, I'm sure if I didn't have a rather large racing photo collection I would have walked away years ago! am awaiting my next big 'dummy spit'!

Isn't that how capitalisms is meant to work? on the surface! not in reality of course! Especially so in the 'neo liberal', area! I'm always rather amused around propaganda of 'doing what is right for nz racing'! Punting to me very much falls into the heterogeneous camp, it's all about a group of punters all competing to win! (I could add with the hou$e often holding a rather vulgar advantage!) What was that old propaganda slogan that was in vogue not so long ago? "You know the odds now beat them!"

(blush) opps, perhaps not so.. talking RTC at 34/ and 41/1 elsewhere

With news of the fav drowning, I pop into tab to see odds, there seems to be quite a few missing?? ps. Return To Conquer 51.00 13.50 https://www.tab.co.nz/racing/Rosehill/future/1de3787c-5891-4111-81d1-665bbf881839

And this info will be made public to the mug punters?

Jockeys take jumpout stance Ryan Reynolds@Reynolds_R26 November, 2024 Victorian Jockeys' Association CEO Matt Hyland Victoria's senior jockeys have announced they won't ride in jumpouts at some of the state's biggest training centres until they are paid for it. In an email to stakeholders on Tuesday, the Victorian Jockeys' Association announced that its senior riders would not be available to ride at Cranbourne, Pakenham, Mornington, Caulfield, Balnarring, Ballarat and Flemington jumpouts from Sunday, December 1 until they are remunerated. Apprentices, who are employed by a trainer, as well as picnic and jumps jockeys, are paid to ride in jumpouts, whereas senior hoops, who number between 60 and 70 in Victoria, are not. Regional training centres like Geelong, Warrnambool and Wangaratta are not included in the current move. VJA boss Matt Hyland says his members are happy to ride in jumpouts but they want to be paid for their services. He added that approximately 500 horses a week jump out across those training centres and make up about 80 per cent of all jumpouts. The VJA asked senior jockeys who have paid agreements with stables to only ride for those stables from December 1 until an agreement is reached. Jockeys are paid $110 plus super to ride in official trials. According to Hyland, 'a large majority' of the state's senior riding ranks support the move. Hyland said the VJA has worked with Racing Victoria for the past eight weeks but added that the issue has been ongoing for eight years. He said jockeys have pushed for jumpouts to be converted to official trials, allowing them to be paid. "It's always been a complex issue, however, the reality of it is who would work and not get paid?" Hyland said. "The stakeholders have been notified. They've provided feedback which is not in line with the VJA's position. The reality is that it's been happening for eight years. "The members are not going on strike. They're withdrawing their services of unpaid work."

sigh

If I had to use one word it would be delusional

https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360498113/he-would-always-go-too-far-witnesses-tell-horse-trainers-alleged-animal-abuse?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3tmvp0uY8LyhSE3K4LMrXqBhKMistBAg2fpWIMK2FWohCYngyoBljnE40_aem_cypao5G3pIChx0awi2daJA

‘He would always go too far’ - witnesses tell of horse trainer’s alleged animal abuse November 26, 2024 Share John Malcolm walking into the Racing Integrity Board hearing at Cambridge Raceway.Christel Yardley / Waikato Times A former staff member who saw a trainer allegedly beat a horse, resulting in welts and a swollen eye recalls calling her grandparents crying. Cambridge thoroughbred trainer John Malcolm is facing 12 animal welfare related charges laid by the Racing Integrity board (RIB). The hearingat Cambridge Raceway is expected to run most of the week. The first witness for the RIB began working for Malcolm on March 8, 2023 as a stable hand, but only stayed at the Cambridge stables for 13 days. She told the hearing the first incident happened on her second day when walking past a wooden circular pen she heard Malcolm yell at his wife. “I think he was a lunging horse and she was on the whip, and that I could hear John yelling at Rachel and telling her to whip it harder, I could hear her saying something like no, I don't want to, and he was like for F…sakes I’ll do it. …” The woman said seeing the horse was led out of the ring was horrible. “The horse was dripping in sweat. I saw the welts and instantly saw the swollen eye. “I think the incident happened just before the lunch break because I remember ringing my nana and granddad and just crying and I was like ‘I cannot do this’.” One of the country’s leading trainers was zoomed in for her assessment of the methods allegedly used during incidents at Malcolm’s stable. ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff She admitted that “no trainer is perfect” but also that “it’s not necessary to thrash a horse.” Another witness who had two stints at Malcolm’s stables said she saw him “purposely hit horses over the head with alkathene pipe. She said that Malcolm would aim for the horse's eyes. “There would have been 10 eye injuries to horses in the second occasion I worked for John, and there may have been more as we were always putting eye drops in horses....One horse nearly lost an eye through being hit, the vet had to work hard to save the eye.” Malcolm’s lawyer Paul Wicks KC questioned why she didn’t report him. “I didn’t know who to complain to.” Another former staff member had worked for Malcolm three to four times in six month stints over a 15 year period. “Although what he does to his horses doesn’t agree with me, I needed the money. So I just put the blinkers on. She described how Malcolm would lose his cool with the horses, claiming that if he got angry, he'd start hitting the horse around the head. “And if he got too angry, he'd just go past the point and beat the shit out of it.” ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff She also said she’d seen the aftermath of a horse that had been flipped and hit its head. “They were bleeding, one died through flipping it. “It had blood coming out of its nose and ears and that was after John had been long-reining it, that would have been 13 years ago. “Sometimes a horse would need a little bit, but he would always go too far.” She said a lot of eye injuries were explained away. “He would say that it's happened in the box [stable], because the boxes were wire and netting and had a lot of wire sticking out... We all knew what had actually happened.” She explained how Malcolm would pick up a lead rope and then use the buckle to hit the horse across the head. She admitted previously not reporting it due to being concerned about future employment opportunities. A veterinarian with 30 years experience was called who had attended Malcolm’s stables a number of times. The vet couldn’t recall the explanations for the injuries or if he dealt with Malcolm, his wife or staff members at the time. Monday’s proceedings finished with the Board listening to part of Malcolm’s interview with RIB investigator Courtney Fox in June. In it, he claimed he doesn’t remember a lot of the incidents. One he did was between May and July 2023 when working with a gelding that got loose and galloped out of the yard. “You were heard to yell something similar to I’m going to mow that c... down, as you ran towards your vehicle and drove after the horse. You’ve caught the horse and driven into it with your ute,” Fox said on the tape. She was told the horse, after being caught by staff, had cuts on its body, and the ute had received some damage. Malcolm disputed what had happened. “The horse was in the tie-up. It front-footed me, put me on the ground, and got away onto the track. I’ve taken my ute out there because it’s been going mad out on the track.” Malcolm explained he parked his ute alongside the rail and the horse went between the vehicle and the fence. “It’s damaged my ute and had some minor cuts and grazes on its legs, but I don’ know if we got the vet to it.” Witnesses for the RIB will continue on Tuesday with witnesses for Malcolm to be called later in the week. The hearing is scheduled to run until Thursday.

how is is a ridiculous thread? perhaps I'm over sensitive what with personally know riders who have been killed and way to many that are crimpled for life!

looked rather dangerous to my eyes...

same...

You do know that Ignorance is not a defence in a Law Court, why should it be in Racing?

Te Akau’s Australian ambition is only just getting started By Matt Stewart - November 22, 2024 Te Akau has already made a major mark on Australian racing in the 18 months since setting up base at Cranbourne. But David Ellis’ Australian plan is far from realised, writes Matt Stewart. David Ellis, Ben Gleeson and Mark Walker, the three key men behind Te Akau's Australian operation, alongside Xavier Walker. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images) It was lunchtime on June 20, 2023 and Ben Gleeson had sweaty palms as he sat at a table for two at France-Soir, a swanky restaurant in Toorak Road. For the 29-year-old, this might prove the lunch of a lifetime. Gleeson had chosen the restaurant and by the time the souffle arrived for dessert, Mark Walker had chosen Gleeson as the frontman for Te Akau Racing’s inevitable entry into Australian racing. Gleeson had hoped that the entre of his strong CV and main course of the perfect steak might nudge Walker over the line and secure him a coveted gig. Te Akau was elite. They’d had more champions or near-champions than many far bigger Australian outfits. Between 2017 and 2023, Te Akau-trained horses won every edition of the rich Karaka Million while bombing Australian carnivals with stars like Probabeel, Melody Belle and Avantage. Before them, it was Te Akau Nick, Distinctly Secret, Princess Coup and Darci Brahma. The tangerine team has deep pockets and paid a ready-to-run record $1.65 million for an I Am Invincible colt in New Zealand on Wednesday. It has long been the biggest New Zealand buyer at the annual Karaka Yearling Sale. In May this year, Te Akau sold its champion mare Imperatriz for an Australasian record $6.6 million at a Gold Coast broodmare sale. Te Akau and its founder David Ellis was a famous New Zealand success story. Ellis took $12 to the Ellerslie races in 1971 and walked out with $84. Beginner’s luck on the punt would focus his ambitions on thoroughbreds instead of cattle and sheep. By 2023, Ellis had built a racing empire that required one more giant leap; a deep footprint into Australia. This would be his greatest challenge. Te Akau pulls out all stops for record-breaking $1.65 million colt at Karaka Newcomers to the training ranks would now be confronted with the unprecedented dominance of Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller, two of 3600 licensed trainers. Te Akau’s Australian operation would have to be carefully constructed. Ellis’ business partner and Te Akau’s head trainer Walker sat across from Gleeson at France-Soir and considered both the applicant and the menu. Gleeson had done his due diligence, gleaning a great deal about Walker’s training and a little about his diet. “Mark loves a steak,” Gleeson said. “He ordered a nice steak and some beers straight away and I felt I could relax a little. We were there for probably two hours. He wanted to know my journey and me his. We spoke about the business of running a Cranbourne stable and I knew in my heart straight away that this was the place I wanted to be.” Ellis was a start-up success story like few others. In the Easter of 1971 he was studying farm agriculture and working three jobs – at the freezer work and as a house painter and petrol station attendant. He saved and saved and in 1979 bought 575 acres in the Waimai Valley. He later bought surrounding farmland and created Te Akau Stud. He bought his first horse in 1983 and syndicated them under Te Akau Racing. David Ellis (right) alongside Coolmore Australia principal Tom Magnier. (Photo: Magic Millions). Walker was a young trainer who’d walked up Ellis’ driveway and asked for a job. Ellis took a punt on the quietly spoken youngster and by 2010, Walker had won five New Zealand premierships for Te Akau, which the following January opened a satellite stable in Singapore. Walker relocated and won four premierships. The impending closure of Singapore racing and the departure of Te Akau’s champion young Kiwi trainer Jamie Richards to Hong Kong paved the way for Walker’s return. Last year, another young, emerging horseman, Sam Bergerson joined Walker as co-trainer for the New Zealand operation. “I knew the story of Mark walking up David’s driveway looking for a job and I knew that David was great at giving young people an opportunity,” Gleeson said. “I had nothing to lose.” Gleeson had been raised on a horse farm near Seymour, worked for trainers Lee and Shannon Hope as a teenager, studied business management at Uni, had been a stable-hand for Peter Moody (Dave Eustace was his immediate boss), rode out at Newmarket as a foreman for Hugo Palmer and spent five years with Danny O’Brien at Flemington. Mate Calvin McEvoy nudged Gleeson to email Ellis. Renowned bloodstock man Henry Plumptre, in charge of Cambridge Stud, put in a good word for him. “The email was short and simple. I told David that I felt ready to train and would love to be part of Te Akau,” he said. “Within 24 hours I’d got a call from Mark. He told me they were opening a stable at Cranbourne. Next thing you know, we are at France-Soir planning the Cranbourne operation. I really felt Mark and I clicked.” Te Akau had two stables in New Zealand and Ellis felt an Australian base would take the business “to the next level”. Speaking from Karaka on Wednesday just after Te Akau paid $1.65 million for the I Am Invincible colt, Ellis said the team under Gleeson would be the shop window for Te Akau. “I went all around the training centres and we concluded that Cranbourne was head and shoulders above the rest and would be the place we would launch the operation,” he said. Ben Gleeson and Mark Walker have quickly formed a strong understanding, despite often being on opposite sides of the Tasman. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images) Perceptions that Te Akau was a private stable had been hard to shake. Ellis’ high profile as syndicate head had made it seem that way. But the big studs and owners moved Te Akau’s way. Thirty boxes at Cranbourne will become 70 in the next fortnight when the new barn is completed. Ellis said Walker had been with him “since the day he left school” and looked forward to Gleeson’s development. “Ben is very well regarded in Australia and has been a big help in setting up the business. We have the best work riders, the best staff,” Ellis said. Gleeson had underestimated the breadth of the role. “At times I felt I was juggling eight balls in the air. I had to start a business from scratch, from staff applications to Racing Victoria, to acquiring treadmills, sourcing feeds, gear, machinery,” he said. “It sort of blew my mind but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I feel I know every corner of the business. I have to admit I didn’t realise I had it in me.” Gleeson sought out trusted former Moody workmate Jason Levin as foreman. Staff gravitated to a stable that Gleeson says operated on a “happy staff, happy horse” mantra. On virtually the same day Levin arrived, so did Imperatriz. It was August 2023. Walker had been impressed with Gleeson’s results at Cranbourne and quickly afforded him a degree of autonomy. Gleeson’s fingerprints were all over Imperatriz as she charged through the spring of 2023 and the autumn of 2024. “Mark is a remarkable trainer. I picked up a few things along the way too and I find we have very fruitful discussions about how we want the horses trained. I listen a great deal to him but he’s allowed strong input from me,” Gleeson said. Ellis described Imperatriz as “an amazing horse who came along at a very important time for us” and Gleeson said such rare horses “were the reason people like me want to train”. Imperatriz had trialled poorly at Cranbourne a fortnight before she was to resume in the Black Caviar Lightning in February this year. There were sleepless nights. “I was a bit worried. Mark just says trust what you see and that she’s a race-day mare,” Gleeson said. “She had a body that wasn’t easy to manage. We had two weeks to figure our way through it. We grew in confidence. Driving to Flemington Mark asked 'what’s your gut feel?' "I said 'I think she will win'. She did, brilliantly." Imperatriz was sold for $6.6 million at the end of her brilliant racing career. (Photo: Vince Caliguri/Getty Images) Imperatriz has left the stable and Blake Shinn has wandered into it. Shinn rode track and trials for Te Akau in New Zealand last week and will be seen regularly in the famous tangerine. Like Imperatriz, Shinn is good for the brand. He believes Te Akau will become a giant slayer. “If they can emulate in Australia what they’ve done in New Zealand they will be huge,” Shinn said. “They’ve already done it here with Imperatriz and other horses. You can see where they’re heading. “I spent some time with David in New Zealand and learned a lot about him and his vision. In two years’ time people will be saying 'wow, where did they come from?'”