nomates

Go and look at the yearlings that are bought at sales and watch out for them , there is a large percentage never seen . It is the machine at work . As you said Jo , Armanasco babies were 6 weeks from box to post , that horrifies me , but that is the production line .

The only caveat to that is that because the money is bigger that jocks are prepared to be more reckless to get the result . They aren't going to give a shit if they can't get a run in a 10k mdn , but make that a 200k G1 and the brain works differently . Human nature .

There can't be any comparison between an A/W and a grass track , it is like comparing the earth to the moon . Just like a heavy in Sydney can't be compared to a H11+ at Trentham . There will be horses that are competitive on one but not the other , Trentham heavy is a form line all on it's own . And because they can't be compared is the reason there will be few horses that will be competitive on both surfaces .

Joe , the one thing about Johno is that he is a natural , he was going to be a very good jockey until weight and a poor attitude brought him undone , but from the start of his training he has shown an innate aptitude for training racehorses , and i think sometimes the good ones just have that talent . Johno also was indentured to J Sargent in Matamata for a while , now i think he probably learnt more there than anywhere .

I would suggest that what Benner learnt at Ruttens was breaking and the gates education along with making young horses do the small things professionally . Right from the start i noticed how well behaved and professional they were at the gates at the Levin Jumpouts , very rarely beaten out of the gates and railed well . Good 2yo's are generally just faster and more mature than other young horses , physically and mentally , nobody can make them faster than they are , the good 2yo trainers are the ones that identify that and make them professional to go with that maturity . I've seen plenty of nice young horses ruined by people trying to make them what they simply can't be , it is by nature , natural selection . My pet hate is what goes on now , and i heard it again on an interview this week , this horse is a bit shinny so we have been managing it . WTF is a bit shinny , the horse is either shinny or it's not . It's a bone issue , give it a chance to repair . That's in my opinion why a lot of the young horses that have competed in the millions over the years have not really gone on , been pushed when they are not really ready .

No relation .

Karen hardly trained 2yo's , very few 2yo winners .

A certain G Searle was the same .

Sophisticardo , very good run last start . But definitely want to see K Rae horse win , last start was huge .

You might be right , but for me it's one of those years where it's a nice average bunch that will have a couple of nice horses come out of it . It wouldn't surprise me if TA have the best still at home in that unbeaten filly that won at Otaki and Auck , or we might not have even seen the best one out yet .

Have a look at all the results from the 2yo million and some of the promising horses that never kicked on because they were hammered to get there . The interesting thing is that it is the fillies that are the ones that have gone on in the main , the colts might not handle the pressure cooker as well it seems .

I am fundamentally pointing the finger at NZTR , they just had to say sorry it's a closed race and we can't fund it , aside from the fact they can't afford it at present . I only want NZTR to stop funding it , for the reasons stated . As long as the wider industry isn't funding it i actually don't care how else it's funded , it's a sales race so it's their issue to find funding for the races . But as you suggest the breeding industry needs to step up if they want to see these races funded at this level .

Well when punters can't hear their money run and they have reduced the winners purses , they are clearly short of funds , so we shouldn't be propping up a pair of restricted races . If the rich guys of the industry can't afford to subsidize it then the small guys certainly shouldn't . If they can't get the purses up to the million with registrations etc then perhaps it's time to up those costs . Small clubs are sucking the industry dry supposedly , but guess what it turns out it's the rich . This 500k is pocket money for Vella , but no he's going cap in hand to the small players in the industry .

And while i'm having a grumble , the photo of B Saundry promoting his live chat on Love racing site , if ever a smug looking git needed a smack that face is it .

I'm thinking not , haven't seen anything on trackside . I suppose when they can the radio they wont spend money on sales coverage . But that's all good , the industry can afford 500k subsidizing the f#*cking millions races tho . I does my F^*king head in , where is the logic . I'm not asking for Einstein logic , just basic common sense logic . But it seems to be a sparse commodity when it comes to managing NZ racing .

They are , as they go . But i see they have put a meeting at Hastings on Thursday to make up for missing out on Monday . Shame everybody will be at work .

Does anyone know if K1 at Karaka is being televised this year ? , i can't find it anywhere on my sky planner .

Think Collet had the gig before Grylls , but Valachi and Grylls finished a couple of months back . Neither jockey really set the world on fire for Valachi . Had a chat to a name CD trainer yesterday and they were saying it is a nightmare getting decent jocks on their horses , Allpress is committed to Benner or Auret , Parkes' agent is a pain to deal with , but even to get one of the rest they have to book 3 weeks out , but they are at their wits end with the rides . They reckon 1 more year and if things haven't improved they will finish up .

I wonder if any questions were asked around those numbers , from Cambridge or NZTR . I'm sure they will have a ready answer , they weren't ready for Cambridge of course .

They said what they had to say to get their premier training track , nothing more nothing less . Complete and utter self interest . The other A/W's are being build with the same promotion from local trainers . At the end of the day it ain't their moola paying for the construction or maintenance , and no comeback on them if they aren't the golden goose for the industry that everyone is saying the are going to be .

You can never have enough of a good thing .

Seen that whilst eating my breaky this morning , i can tell took a few moments to clear my throat . I then called my wife over and said if she was struggling for a present for my imminent birthday . Her reply , i wont waste money , if you want it done i'll just your hair clippers , OOOUUUCCCHHH . Nasty , nasty woman , there used to be a heart in her , ONCE .

Here in lies the biggest misnomer , the winter horses are wet track horses for a reason , can't go fast enough on a good track . So when a grass track meeting is xfered to A/W how many of those slow horses are going to front up on what will essentially be a dead track , very few . Maybe some will try in the first instance but will soon find out they go too quick for their horse , won't make that mistake again . We have a very small pool of horses in NZ , certainly not big enough to supply horses for 3 A/W's in 3 distinct districts . The northern district couldn't supply enough horses for night racing at Avondale when the gloss went off it . The loss of some race meetings never required the industry to invest $15 mil to cover supposed losses from those meetings . And the $15mil is over and above the PGF money . So the industry goes deeper in debt when it can least afford to . Ah i have a solution , let's close and sell some of those ratty shitty little tracks around NZ that are sucking the industry dry .

In the end these tracks are going in , hell or high water , i fear tho that it will be like watching a car crash in slow motion .

If he would rather back J Fawcett ahead of OPB i'm glad it's his money and not mine . OPB is riding at better than 1 in 4 at present . There is a reason he gets those plum rides , when the money is up he doesn't melt . I can guarantee Te Akau are rueing OPB Not being on Brando on Sat , missed the G1 win for a Savabeel colt , what cost for the owners if he can't win another somewhere else , as Huey said no more G1 miles for 3yo's in NZ this season , so now must perform in Aus . How many of those other Jocks have had job offers from Aussie stables . There is a reason .