All The Aces

In the case of the track becoming sticky and holding during the day they would incur a fine Chief. They can only late scratch penalty free with a change in the rating of the track during the day.

I think Thomas is the one judging Curious..... re weight etc. ?

? Unbelievable!! A 10kg difference in weight for example you would never factor in at all.

I gather the other would be Mr Universe, a 4yo entire (should have been gelded) who is now with his third trainer. Aalaalune over 1000m at Ruakaka was never a certainty. She did well to run a close second at that distance. From what I have heard the owner is a nightmare to train for so it should be an interesting scenario with Rogie. Shame for Jacob but a lot of stress would have also been loaded up into the float and gone away with the two horses. Jacob will be stronger for it.

Stating the obvious Chief. Of course you have to try and figure out which horse wins the race but you also have to do the same with the fully fledged riders who don't claim. There are better apprentices just as there are better senior riders and that is all part of the equation. But one has to look very closely at a good apprentice taking weight off a horse's back particularly when one rates the horse a winning chance without the allowance. The idiots are quick to jump on Thomas when he makes mention of an apprentice claim. As to value, have a look at their price ratings over the past few weeks and you will see a big variance in pricing of runners amongst the posters. Value is subjective to each person and what is value to one is not to another ie it can swing wildly. Surely the object is to back the actual winner rather than back a "so called value runner" that runs down the track. You only have to look at Barry's value runner scenario selection which he gave up on after closing in on a four fiqure loss to work that one out.

Not to mention Saturday at Counties where apprentices won four and Riccarton where they won four. Woodville they won three of the seven. First day Riccarton they won three and of course Te Rapa where they won six of the eight races. Apprentices in the past week have won 25 of the 45 flat races. I hope these experts listened to what Asvin Goindasamy had to say post race after Scaglioni's win over Paisley Park. And I thought I would mention the report that have come out of France recently re the women rider's winning statistics since they were given a claim. Claims making a difference in a race...….who knew? The experts on the other channel...…..yeah....na!!

BTW Muzza the man you know so well is NGH not NDH and there is no reason why he couldn't show Em how to balance better. FYI Em parted company from Laekeeper on the flat both days. Perhaps putting her irons down a notch could help.

Stop embellishing....he never had a sister. ?

The start was delayed due to the two D Crozier stable runners being incorrectly saddled. D Crozier was charged with a breach of Rule 614(2) in that he had been neglectful in saddling these two runners. D Crozier was further charged with a breach of Rule 656(5)(b) after producing a breath alcohol result in excess of the allowed level. Both charges were adjourned to be heard at Riccarton Racecourse prior to Race 1 on Saturday 10 August.

Well this is what the Shark said about the first day run: RACE 8 1 Laekeeper ($4.00) Runner up to the smart Jackfrost in the 2018 running of the Grand National Hurdles. Ignore his last start in the Sydenham - the jockey got knocked off when beginning his challenge. He'll relish every metre of this. Perhaps he meant "knocked up" and that is why she overbalanced today. ?

Still pretty green. Trial in May is worth watching also.

You may well be already validated. Ring the TAB help desk on the 0800 number and they will let you know.

The second horse is the one to watch. ?

No, the other site run by two who got the pip here and threw their toys out of the cot...….again. ?

Gosh guys I hope that the experts on that other site are not reading this.....they don't believe that claims make any difference. ? Weight is of no significance to that lot.

NZTR didn't stump up the $2 million for the 2yo & 3yo races though Curious.

I bet you are well over 50 Reefie. Scared of change and one who wants to keep everything exactly as it is now. There's thickness for you. Let's look at the first and last day of Cup week when both Guineas races are run. The total on and off-course figures for those two days this season totaled $3,531,901 with a total of 18 races run. Let's face it the majority of race goers on Cup Day don't give a toss about the 1000 Guineas it's all about the Cup. Let's compare that with Karaka Millions evening when Ellerslie hold a twilight meeting of six races which had turnover of $2,279,829. Now imagine a late afternoon 6 race card at Ellerslie in November featuring both Guineas races on the programme with four really good supporting races. You could probably guarantee both Guineas fields will attract bigger numbers than at present creating additional turnover. Two great evenings of racing, creating plenty of interest and plenty of turnover. The net result I think would lead to greater turnover all round benefitting NZ racing if this was to occur.

Unfortunately too busy for that Reefton but the drift North continues. Yet another trainer from the CD moved up in Kylie Little last week to Cambridge. It's not about what I am wanting Reefie but what the trainers up North are wanting. That's where the discussions are at present. You had better get some SI horses in these races this year otherwise those voices could be raised.

You must be wetting yourself laughing at the self appointed experts over on that other site re their ratings /pricing of the Taumarunui Cup. Perhaps they forgot about the apprentice allowance in the race this year. ?

Despite the real factual evidence as shown above with them to be more likely run on good tracks. You seem to have a imagined ingrained mentality re all these bog tracks in the North at this time of the year. FYI. There were 20 North Island meetings run in November last year the worst track was a Slow 7 at Rotorua. The remaining 19 meetings were run on tracks from a Good 2 to a Dead 6. In October there were also 20 North Island meetings, the worst track were two Slow 8 tracks at Waipa and Matamata. Again the remaining 18 meetings were run on tracks from Good 2s to a Dead 6. Not one track in the North Island ran a meeting with a heavy bog track as you ASSUME is the case. Your argument based on your opinion on this issue just doesn't stand up. Just to rub a little more salt into your wounds there were 7 meetings run in the South Island last November. Four were run on Slow 7 or worse. Wingatui Slow 7, Ascot Park Slow 9 Riccarton (2000 Guineas day) Slow 9 & Gore Heavy 11. In October from 7 SI meetings Gore ran on a Heavy11 and Winton on a Slow 9. So from 40 North Island meetings only three were run on tracks worse than dead. One Slow 7 and two Slow 8s. Yet from fourteen South Islands meetings six were run on Slow 7 or worse. One Slow 7, three slow 9s and two Heavy 11s. Your North Island bog track spiel is nothing more than house of cards opinion.

As Agent 54 pointed out Freda the Te Aukau winners Embellish and Xtravagant didn't prepare down there. Embellish's preceding start was a win at Trentham in late October on a dead 4 track 2017 and Xtravagant had followed the same path by winning at Trentham in October on a Dead 6 track 2015 . Last year's winner Madison County came in off the back of a win at Te Rapa in October on a Good 3 track. As did the year when Ugo Foscolo won off the back of a win at Te Rapa in October 2016 off the back of another Good 3 track. And Turn Me Loose 2014 won off the back of a win at Te Rapa in October 2014 off a Good 3 track at Te Rapa. 2012 Sacred Falls off the back of a win in October at Te Rapa on a dead 6 track. 2010 Jimmy Choux wins the 2000 Guineas on a heavy track following a win at Hastings in October on a Good 3 track. 2009 Katie Lee won coming in off the back of a win at Te Rapa in October on a Good 2 track. I trust that Reefton will note that by far the majority of them came off the back of racing......wait for it.....wait...wait...on GOOD tracks in the North island in OCTOBER!!! So those are the last ten winners of the 2000 Guineas. 8 coming off the back of their prior start on the North Island with the worst track being a Dead 6 in October. The other two winners were Atlante who had one start prior in the SI and the only winner who campaigned in the South Island being Rock ' N' Pop.

Freda, Reefton in making off the cuff statements that are clearly incorrect in defence of the status quo needed to be pointed out. The South Island is clearly not supporting the 1000 & 2000 Guineas races with horses numbers. The reason I brought it up is that there have been discussions over the last couple of years by trainers in the North is that these two races are clearly being filled by North Island horses and with the huge cost and logistics of getting to and back from Christchurch that these two races should be brought North. Those discussions became louder following the transport difficulties in getting horses down to Christchurch last November. Capacity fields actually do increase turnover and those two Guineas races are in all likelihood able to create more turnover run up North. It makes economic sense all round.

Bog tracks in the North at this time of the year!!! At least do some homework before making such statements. The following stats blow what you have stated out of the water. . Ellerslie's meetings in early November for the last ten years have been. Good 3 tracks for nine and a Dead 6 for the other. Last years 2000 Guineas at Riccarton was run on a slow 9.

Convince me as to why the two Guineas should remain down South.