Wandering Eyes

A trio of authors have been selected as finalists for the 19th annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award with the winner being selected on Thursday, Nov. 7 at Castleton Lyons near Lexington, Kentucky, the farm said in a Friday morning release. This year's finalists are: Isaac Murphy: The Rise and Fall of a Black Jockey by Katherine C. Mooney Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's Legendary Racehorse by Kim Wickens The Turcottes: The Remarkable Story of a Horse Racing Dynasty by Curtis Stock The winner will receive a $10,000 prize with $1,000 going to each runner-up. Tipperary crystal trophies will also be presented to the trio. The judges for 2023 competition were Kay Coyte, Caton Bredar and Diane White. The post Finalists Named For 2023 Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The new reality of Computer Assisted Wagering's escalating presence in racetrack's pools and the emergence of horse racing as a fixed-odds betting product on sportsbooks were the focus of Thursday's second day of the three-day National HBPA Conference at Prairie Meadows. Discussing fixed odds on horse racing as a new betting product has become a fixture at the National HBPA Conference, led by industry consultant Michele Fischer, who also is vice president of SIS Content Services, a subsidiary of the largest horse-racing content supplier to global bookmakers/sportsbooks. But this time the panel had the added twist of having actually launched fixed odds on horse racing on a sportsbook in Colorado in February after years of talking about it. Fischer called it “a monumental first step,” saying that racing is attractive to sportsbooks globally and should be part of the U.S. offering. “Sportsbooks want quality 24/7 content with good margins. Horse racing provides it and more,” she said. The panel featured Louisiana HBPA executive director Ed Fenasci; Kim Oliver, president of the Colorado Horse Racing Association, and Dan Hartman, associate partner for regulatory and government affairs at GMA Consulting. Hartman previously held leadership positions with the Colorado Department of Revenue, including serving as Director of Gaming, where he played a pivotal role in establishing Colorado's sports-betting program. Both Bally's Arapahoe Park Horse Track and its horsemen receive source-market fees from all sports betting on horse racing in Colorado. Colorado is the second state to begin offering fixed odds on horse racing and the first to make it part of a sportsbook, currently only on bet365. Colorado sports bettors, through bet365, now have 155 racetracks distributed by SIS on which they can wager via fixed odds. bet365 is a leading global betting brand that offers racing on its sportsbooks around the world. Additional operators in Colorado are expected to include horse racing by the end of the year. Fixed odds wagering at Monmouth Park | Bill Denver/EQUI-PHOTO New Jersey's pioneering venture is much more limited, currently offered only at Monmouth Park and a separate website, but it is not as yet part of a sportsbook offering. Colorado's Division of Gaming does not yet break out the betting figured on fixed-odds on horse racing at this time. However, Colorado racing stakeholders have indicated that they are pleased with the growth from the launch in February. Tracks and their horsemen have to weigh the benefits of adding horse racing to a jurisdiction's sports-betting products with the possible cannibalization of its pari-mutuel wagering versus introducing horse racing to a massive number of sports bettors who may have never been exposed to the sport. In the case of Colorado, it was an easy decision, with Oliver saying they were struggling just to keep horse racing alive. “We are small and really didn't have anything to lose,” she said. The advantage of fixed odds is that players lock into odds on a horse race, just as they do betting football, basketball or, in Colorado, a myriad of sports that include table tennis, on which $10 million a month is bet. Fixed odds do not depend on pool liquidity like pari-mutuel wagering, with allows smaller racetracks with competitive fields to be attractive to bettors. Fenasci has been working for several years to bring it to Louisiana, where a portion of every bet placed on other sports goes to racehorse purses and the breeding fund. “Why do I get so excited about fixed odds, sports wagering on horse racing?” Fenasci said. “Why am I so optimist? One, it generates revenue for the tracks and purse money for my horsemen directly from the exciting product that is horse racing. There are people doing sports wagering on ping pong–and at a pretty good volume. A horse race is 100 times more exciting, in my opinion.” Also, Fenasci said, “It's directly tied to our product. At some point you're always worried that a legislative body might feel why are we giving them all this other gaming money that has nothing to do with horse racing. It's a constant battle to reinforce that it's important to keep our industry strong and moving forward.” The panelists expressed hope that if fixed odds on horse racing expands, it will get some committed sports-betting enthusiasts interested in racing. “They're bringing it to a new set of demographics,” Hartman said. Thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia now offer betting on sports since the Supreme Court in 2018 overturned the federal law banning it everywhere except for Nevada and Atlantic City. “There are aspects of parimutuel that are more attractive for certain types of wagers than with fixed odds for an expanded wagering product,” Fenasci said. “But if a certain trainer has five horses in, and you want to bet he's going to win three or more of his races, you can do that with fixed odds…. It gets our exciting horse-racing product in front of a much larger customer base and in new and innovative ways. If you have a product and you want to sell it, do you just want to be in the mom and pop store around the corner? Or do you want to be on Amazon and Walmart? That's what we get when we get our product on FanDuel, DraftKings and all the other big operations that are actively promoting, actively seeking customers.” Computer-Assisted Wagering (CAW) Panel The Computer Assisted Wagering (CAW) panel at the National HBPA Conference proved an especially lively session with the assembled experts not shy about challenging one another. Thoroughbred Daily News writer Dan Ross, who has written extensively on the subject, moderated the panel at Prairie Meadows. Pat Cummings, executive director of prominent horse owner Mike Repole's National Thoroughbred Alliance, started off the conversation by telling the audience of horsemen and their representatives that the acronym CAW refers to “a very small number of horseplayers who are using some sort of automated programs to place bets. Pat Cummings | HBPA “They develop finely honed systems, algorithms that sense vast amounts of data and place their bets in very quick fashion, oftentimes right before the race begins,” he said. “They are able to batch bets. My research [indicates] that there are 10 or 12 top-tier players in America who are using this approach to wager on horse racing. Those 10 to 12 players probably represent somewhere between $2-3 billion of U.S. thoroughbred racing's $11.6 billion wagered last year. “… So in a race here tomorrow night, there may be $4,000 in the win pool at one minute to post. And when the race goes off, there may be $10,000 in the win pool. In the last one or two tote cycles, a chunk of that money has come in from these players betting in an automated fashion. Their program may say to them, 'bet $125 on the 5, $272 on the 4 and $357 on the 6.' And of course, they're betting exactas and trifectas, every pool they're allowed to bet.” The criticism of CAWs is that they can discourage ordinary horseplayers because of how they can influence the odds– which might not show up until the race becomes official. In addition, the biggest players can get substantial rebates back from the track operators. On the other hand, horsemen's purse accounts could take a huge hit if the CAWs went away because they account for such a large percentage of overall betting. Some racetracks have gotten into CAW ownership, with the Stronach Group and the New York Racing Association buying into Elite Turf Club and Churchill Downs Inc. owning Velocity. “These CAW customers have vast teams working for them doing various forms of analytics,” Cummings said. “They're betting pretty much every race, every track, every pool, every day. They are your biggest customers. The story that emerges is what effect does that have on the average horseplayer who is engaging with your product.” Jack Jeziorski, president of NYRA Content Management Solutions, assured the audience that “these bets aren't put in automatically. There's somebody there physically hitting the key to put those bets in. And part of that is because most racetracks don't go off at post time, so you can't set it to go off automatically. A typical time is the first horse going into the gate, they'll place the first batch of bets, then maybe a batch or two after that. “… We're not looking to take advantage of players or have them have a bad experience. But at the end of the day, not a lot of people make money in this game…. (CAWs) have vast amounts of data and are always looking for another piece of data to add to the model.” And with online wagering, he said, “we all have the ability to get that bet in at the last minute. “The true difference is that these guys get the best rebates, and the speed in which they can get those bets in.” Dave Basler, executive director of the Ohio HBPA, said “close to 40 percent” of the wagering on his state's three tracks comes from CAW. He said what directly impacts both the Ohio horsemen and tracks' bottom lines from betting are the host fee charged to each outlet for a track's signal. “The other part of the equation that sometimes doesn't get enough consideration, I think enough, is the volume that they do,” he said. “There's a tipping point. The CAW players are very cost sensitive. Depending on what your takeout is and your host fee is, that can get to a point where your handle becomes less. The CAW players are unquestionably your biggest customers. I don't care which track you're at.” Basler acknowledged that negotiations have become more difficult when track ownership also is an investor in a betting platform catering to CAW players. Jeziorski said less than 20 percent of NYRA's betting come from CAW players. “What you really should be looking at is how much are these guys taking out of the pool vs. how much they're paying the track and the horsemen's in host fees,” he said. “If that ratio is out of whack, then you need to be looking at how to adjust it. The easiest way to adjust it is the host fee being charged.” Jack Jeziorski | HBPA Cummings said that with so much purse money now generated by other forms of gaming, tracks lose sight of “the importance of wagering connecting with customers on a day in and day out basis. It is not as important to the corporate interests that are involved. “I'd really like to challenge the horsemen's groups to spend more time focused on how do you exercise your rights as horsemen to ensure that mass-market customers, ordinary bettors stay engaged in the sport you cherish.” Cummings and Jeziorski disagreed on just what percent of overall wagering comes from CAW players. But they agreed racing has not done a good job trying to keep and grow its “retail” players. “The real problem right now is not the computer guys,” Jeziorski said. “… The problem is we don't have enough retail players, and we're not doing enough to get retail players. Part of the problem is we don't have a compelling betting product on a day to day basis. I think the number put out (Wednesday) is our field size nationwide is 7.4. It needs to be eight, really 10 – and then takeout doesn't matter as much. “The computer guys are not the problem. We know how to manage it. We know how to maximize our revenue out of it. It is not what's killing the game.” Cummings said that he's not against CAWs. “Horse racing needs all of its customers,” he said. “It is the negative effect that one group of customers cause another…. When you adjust for inflation over the last 20 years, the non-CAW play is down more than two-thirds. We have seen an erosion of our mass market customer base. That's really bad.” Basler spoke from the perspective of an accomplished handicapper who has qualified for the National Horseplayers Championship six times. But, he said, “I'm not in the same stratosphere as the computer-assisted wagering players. They are so much above anybody who picks up and reads the Daily Racing Form in terms of the hours they put in, every aspect of it. “… The best players are going to win, and I can't level that out, no matter what I do. I can't make the guy who comes in and bets the 7 horse in every race be on the same level as the guy who spends $7 million in programmers looking at every facet there is to look at in horse racing. They are extremely smart men and women. They put as much time and money into this game as anyone. So I don't begrudge them winning. “Overall for the industry, losing retail customers is a huge deal. I don't think it's directly related to CAW players. Sports betting obviously is part of that equation. There's a lot more entertainment, more options for people's dollars than 30 years ago.” The post Sportsbooks, CAW Wagering Take Center Stage At National HBPA Conference appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

The anniversary is right around the corner, a gruesome tragedy that nobody that was at Saratoga that day will ever forget. It was among the darkest days in the long history of racing upstate. But nobody had it worse than trainer Melanie Giddings, who, in a fraction of second, saw Maple Leaf Mel (Cross Traffic) go from the sure winner of the GI Test Stakes to a horse who broke down inches before the wire and could not be saved. Her business is doing fine. She has 42 horses and hopes to win a handful of races at Saratoga. But that won't be nearly enough to erase when happened on Aug. 5 of last year. “I don't think you'll ever get over something like that” Giddings said. “She was a pretty special filly but even if she were just a $5,000 claimer it would also have been a tragic thing. We are in this sport because we love the horse and we don't want to see any of them get hurt.” Owned by retired NFL Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Maple Leaf Mel served notice well before the Test that she was one of the fastest 3-year-old fillies in training. She was 5-for-5 coming into the race with wins in the GIII Victory Ride Stakes and the GIII Miss Preakness Stakes. For all but the last four or five steps, it looked like the Test was going to be a coronation. She had the race won until suffering a catastrophic injury to her right front leg. “It was pretty much a feeling of shock,” said the 40-year-old trainer. “I took a filly into a race that I thought was going to win. It went from a real high, to, literally, rock bottom and I couldn't believe that it actually happened.” She said that Parcells, who named the filly after her, was also deeply disappointed and upset. “For Bill Parcells it was obviously hard for him,” Giddings said. “He spent a lot of time and money in this business looking for a special horse. We were really enjoying having her. It would have been his first Grade I win and he was looking to have a real big summer here in Saratoga and the rest of the year and then looking forward to Breeders' Cup.” With the breakdown, the race was officially won by the Brendan Walsh-trained Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief). In a series of classy and magnanimous gestures, Walsh would not allow a winner's circle picture taken of his horse and the following day he gifted the blanket of flowers to Giddings. “It was really nice of him to do that,” she said. “Brendan is a good-hearted person himself. I've know him for a while, back when he was working with Eddie Kenneally. He takes great care of his horses and I know it was hard for him to see that as well. None of us ever want to see that. At end of the day we are competitors, but we are all doing it for the same reason and when something like that happens it affects everybody.” Giddings wouldn't talk about the race in the days immediately following it, but has grown comfortable telling her story. She said one of the harder days over the last year was when she attended the awards ceremony for New York-breds. “It was hard when I had to go to the New York-bred ceremony and they honored her and she won all sorts of awards,” Giddings said. “But it just shows you how good she really was.” Giddings has a lot to look forward to at this year's Saratoga meet. She finished second with Leon Blue (Mo Town) in a July 24 maiden race and had a runner-up with first-time starter Elemiah (Rowayton). She said she has other horses she is high on that will run before the meet is over. But another Maple Leaf Mel? She can't see that happening. “She was just pretty special all around,” she said. “You knew she was special from the start and those horses are very rare. She's a once-in-a-lifetime horse, to be honest with you.” The post A Year After Maple Leaf Mel Broke Down, Melanie Giddings Still Trying To Deal With Her Emotions appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

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Remedial work at Pioneer Park has not been completed in time thus forcing the Alice Springs Turf Club to abandon its final meeting of the 2023/24 season on Sunday The Alice Springs Turf Club’s final race meeting of the season, scheduled for Sunday, has been abandoned due to the condition of the Pioneer Park surface. After remedial work on the dirt surface, which took place a day after the last meeting on July 14, the track has not recovered in time thus forcing the meeting to be called off. As a consequence, trainer Terry Gillett and jockey Paul Denton have topped the charts in the Alice Springs and Provincial premierships for the 2023/24 season. With 25 wins, Gillett finished ahead of Paul Gardner (23), Kerry Petrick (19.5), Greg Connor (18) and Lisa Whittle (18). Denton (24 wins) finished ahead of Sonja Logan (19.5), who won the title last season, Stan Tsaikos (18), apprentice Dakota Gillett (16) and Jessie Philpot (15). “Unfortunately, the track didn’t recover in time, and the decision was made to abandon the meeting,” Thoroughbred Racing Northern Territory chief executive Andrew O’Toole said. “It’s pretty disappointing, but hopefully they will be back racing in Alice Springs on August 10.” David Westover, Chairman of Stewards in Alice Springs, inspected the track on Monday and deemed it unsafe for racing this Sunday. Westover had previously inspected the track last Saturday, and although there had been vast improvement by Monday, it was still considered unfit for racing. It is believed that following the grading process, stones covered a major portion of the track that would not have been removed in time. There was also a lack of oil on the track, with some sections showing no oil where the new sand had been laid, particularly from the 600m and continuing past the winning post. The lack of oil does not provide horse and rider with a safe racing surface, as there is no cushion in the track for a horse at full gallop. There has been slow track work at Pioneer Park for the past three to four days and oil will be applied on Saturday. “Hopefully, the meeting will go ahead on August 10, the program might have to be amended though,” O’Toole said. “Perhaps add a race and shorten a couple of distances because horses won’t be ready to go 1400m and 1600m. “We’ve then got the Truckies Day meeting on August 25, one of the big days outside Carnival, which will see the running of the $40,000 Red Centre Winter Series Final.” Horse racing news View the full article

Kana did her bit for raising money for Cure Kids at the second annual Red Nose Raceday at Riccarton Synthetic on Friday. The Peter Didham-trained mare carried the red-and-white spotted Cure Kids silks to victory in the Prezzy Card Rating 75 (1200m), raising $1,000 for the charity, with LOVERACING.NZ dedicated to donating that sum for every winner donning the colours on the day. Didham said it was a great cause and he and his owners were happy to do their part in raising funds for Cure Kids. “Anything to support a charity is a good thing,” Didham said. “My owners were happy to do that for them (use the red nose day colours).” The victory also fulfilled the first part of Kana’s southern venture, with the Palmerston North mare having trekked south to try and qualify for the $100,000 special conditions 1200m race at Riccarton’s Synthetic meeting over the Grand National Festival of Racing next month. “It is a plan that we have had for a while, so it was good that it paid off and it was a great ride,” Didham said. “I just felt we had to win another one on the dirt to get in (to the $100,000 race) because I think she will need at least two (wins) and we still might miss it. There have been a lot of dirt races in Christchurch, and a lot of winners, so it depends on who pays up. It would be a shame if she missed out, but she has had two wins and a third, so she is a chance.” Didham is hoping Kana is also in for a strong spring, with the Awapuni conditioner planning to give his charge a freshen-up following her southern venture. “I think she is a better mare in the spring,” he said. “We saw a bit of brilliance from her last spring and that has always been the plan, to have a go at the $100,000 race, she can then come back home, have a couple of weeks off and then come back for the spring.” Closer to home on Sunday, Didham will head to Waverley where he will line-up three runners, including Reprobate in the Pioneer Brand Products (1400m), Korolova in the Sandfords Rural Carriers (1200m), and Fabian Hawk in the Sportz Bar Wanganui – MRN Contracting (2200m). “They are all working well and have all got chances,” Didham said. “The disappointing one has been Fabian Hawke. His work has been outstanding and he has thrown in two really poor runs. We have checked him out all over and can’t find a thing wrong. This week his work has been the best out of my whole team, so I am expecting a bit better from him.” View the full article

Te Rapa has been the scene of plenty of this season’s success for Wexford Stables, and Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are hoping to bring 2023-24 to a close with more of the same at the Hamilton track on Saturday. Coming to the end of their 11th season in partnership, the Matamata trainers have secured a career-best 63 winners this term and sit in third place on the premiership. They have won nine black-type races, and their runners have earned more than $3 million in stakes. No fewer than 19 of those wins have come at Te Rapa this season, more than 30 percent of their total, including black-type wins by Dragon Leap in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), Molly Bloom in the Gr.2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) and I’munstoppable in the Gr.3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). That trend of Te Rapa success dates right back to the season’s first meeting at the course, where O’Sullivan and Scott secured a winning double with Highlighter and Winexpress on August 12. “We’ve certainly enjoyed a lot of success there this season,” Scott said. “It’s had plenty of racing but has held up to it very well. It’s a beautiful, consistent track and we’ve found that our horses have been able to get a good gallop going there and hit out confidently. It’s a track we’ve enjoyed racing at. “We couldn’t be more proud of the season that we’ve had overall. Lance, myself and the team have worked very hard for each and every one of those wins. It’s been a massive team effort, and we’ve been very fortunate to have had massive buy-in from a really talented and experienced group of staff. We all win together.” O’Sullivan and Scott entered nine horses for Te Rapa this weekend, which is the final Saturday meeting of the season. However, that Wexford contingent will be reduced to eight by the scratching of Juju Pop – a highly talented daughter of Castledale that has been off the scene since April 2023. “She’s had quite a long lay-off, and after her gallop this week we just felt she might need a bit more work,” Scott said. “So the plan is to trial her again on August 6. We’re looking forward to getting her back to the races once she’s ready.” Saturday’s $35,000 Stewart Browne Memorial (1200m) features Winexpress, who showed bright promise early in his career with fifth placings in the 2022 editions of the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) and Wanganui Guineas (1340m). He has rediscovered some of that form as a four-year-old this season, scoring stylish wins at Te Rapa in August and at Pukekohe in June. The Shamexpress gelding was a highly creditable last-start third at Hastings on July 6. “He’s been going well,” Scott said. “We thought he ran a very good race against the bias at Hastings last time, and he was a strong winner at Pukekohe before that. He meets a stronger field on Saturday, but he likes Te Rapa and we expect him to acquit himself well.” I Am Groot will contest the $50,000 Property Brokers & Katie Walker 3YO (1400m). The son of Wrote was a maiden winner over this distance in late March, and he has followed that with a third over 1560m, a fifth over 1600m, a third over 1750m and a last-start fifth over 1300m. “That last start run was at Tauranga, where horses that were close to the lead and along the rail were very hard to beat,” Scott said. “We might have got it wrong with our decision to ride him a fraction conservatively. “He should be better placed on Saturday on a track that we think will suit him. He’ll parade looking as good as anything all day – his coat is amazing at the moment. We see him as a strong top-three chance.” Scott also likes the chances of a pair of talented maiden gallopers – Ever Charm in the New World Taumarunui Mile (1600m) and Reptak in the opening race on the card, the Chief Stipe Morris (1200m). “Ever Charm certainly deserves to win one,” Scott said. “He’s just taken a while to learn to relax and to get his confidence up. But he was hitting the line strongly last time. From a better draw this weekend, he might be more prominently placed in the running. He’s a fit horse in good form and should be competitive again. “Reptak’s going really well. We always thought he’d make a good winter sprinter. He was another one from that Tauranga day, where you really had to be close to the rail and the lead. He was a long way off the fence and still kept up a strong gallop. “He’s really benefited from his recent racing. Now that he’s educated and fit, he should be hard to beat. We think he can start the day off well for us.” View the full article

Back and refreshed after escaping some of the coldest weeks of the New Zealand winter, Stephen Marsh is hoping the final weekend of 2023-24 will give his stable some momentum to take into the new season. The Cambridge trainer has enjoyed another outstanding year and went into Friday’s Riccarton meeting with 98 wins to his name. That ranks as the third most successful season of his career behind his totals of 104 in 2021-22 and 100 in 2022-23. Marsh’s runners have earned more than $5.2 million in 2023-24, which easily beats his previous best of $3.4 million, and his 10 Group and Listed victories in New Zealand equals what he achieved in both 2016-17 and 2020-21. This season also featured a Group Two win in Melbourne with Antrim Coast in the Alister Clark Stakes (2040m). Marsh has returned from an overseas holiday with a spring in his step, hoping Ortega can provide one last black-type success for the season when she heads to Otaki as a leading contender for Saturday’s Listed Phil’s Electrical & Gipsy Caravans Ryder Stakes (1200m). “It’s been a fantastic season,” Marsh said. “I’ve just got back from an overseas holiday, and now I’m hoping to finish this season off strongly and then get stuck into the next one. It would be great if we could cap off the season with a bit of black type for Ortega on Saturday.” Ortega has had two starts for a fifth placing on debut at Taupo and a last start win at Pukekohe. The daughter of Reliable Man impressed her trainer with her tenacious performance in the latter, overcoming a tough wide run to edge out Ryder Stakes rival Beau Luca by a long head. “I thought that was a bloody brave win,” Marsh said. “It was a tough performance after being caught so wide on quite a testing track. “She’s bounced through that race well and has had a nice five-week gap between races. I think she’s going into Saturday in good shape. “She deserves to have a crack at some black type, and this looks a nice race to give her that opportunity. There’s some good form in it, but she’s one of only two winners, so she’s going to get her chance. She’ll cope with whatever track conditions she’s faced with.” The TAB rated Ortega a $4.50 second favourite for the Ryder Stakes on Friday, just behind the Robbie Patterson-trained Read About It ($4.20). Ortega will be Marsh’s only runner at Otaki on Saturday, but he has 10 entries for Te Rapa including in-form runners such as Winning For All, Hula Beat and Shaking Stevens. First-starter El Arish adds interest to the team, being a two-year-old full-brother to this season’s Group One performer Talisker. Marsh would love to collect a couple of wins from that Saturday contingent, or potentially Tauranga next Wednesday, to take him to his third consecutive 100-win season. “It’ll be a well-earned century if we get there,” he said. “A few abandonments and very wet tracks over the last few weeks have stalled our progress a little bit. “A couple of months ago I thought we were no chance of getting to 100, but then we had a very good May and put ourselves within reach. To have got as close as we have, it would be a bit of a shame if we ended up falling one or two wins short. But having said that, I’ve got no complaints about the season that we’ve had. “I think we’ve got a handful of reasonably nice chances this weekend, like Shaking Stevens, who was a last-start winner on that Te Rapa track and should be very competitive again.” View the full article

Matamata trainer Wayne Hillis is hoping to record his third win of the week when he heads to Te Rapa on Saturday. Hillis kicked off the week in perfect fashion when Drop Of Something scored his second consecutive win in the AgFirst 1600 at Hawera’s transferred meeting on Tuesday, and Hillis said he is thriving on the heavy surfaces. “It was a very good run, he loves the mud and he had been placed there before,” he said. “The field looked a bit better than the one that he had raced in the start before, so to get another win was good. “I have only had him for about five starts and he has had a second and two wins.” A trip south to New Plymouth next month is now on the cards for the son of Telperion, with the ITM New Plymouth Interprovincial (1600m) firmly in Hillis’ sights. “The Interprovincial in about three weeks at Taranaki looks to be a good option,” he said. Drop Of Something will likely be joined on that trip by stablemate Runninwiththedevil, who continued Hillis’ pleasing week when victorious in the Martin Collins New Zealand MAAT 970 at Cambridge on Wednesday, his first start on the polytrack. “He hadn’t had a trial or anything, so I thought 970m would suit him because in his earlier races he had tried to run a bit too hard,” Hillis said. “He hadn’t actually been on the synthetic before, but I thought it would suit him. “He will probably head to the grass now, probably to a (rating) 65 1200m at Taranaki on the same day as the Interprovincial.” Hillis is hoping he can keep his winning momentum going into the weekend where Did The Trick is currently a $3.20 second favourite in the Property Brokers & Katie Walker 3YO (1400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday. The lightly-raced three-year-old has won his last two starts on Heavy footing, and Hillis believes he can feature once more on a similar surface at Te Rapa. “He seems to have found his form. He just needed a bit of time to work everything out and he seems to have come right now,” Hillis said. “He definitely likes it wet. It has been drying out the last couple of days, not that it is going to dry out that much, it will just make it puggy more than anything. “It looks a better field on paper this time, there are a few in there with lighter weights, but he should acquit himself well.” View the full article

A return to Riccarton is looming large on the horizon for reigning Grand National winners West Coast and Berry The Cash, who have been entered for a pair of 2200m races on the flat at Waverley on Sunday. The Mark Oulaghan-trained stablemates have been off the scene since Hawke’s Bay’s showpiece jumps meeting on June 29, where Berry The Cash won the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) and West Coast was runner-up in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m). Two-time Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) hero West Coast is entered for Sunday’s Ecolab Maiden (2200m), with Sarah O’Malley booked to ride. Berry The Cash, whose four-race winning sequence over hurdles started in last year’s Grand National Hurdles (4200m), will be aided by Jessica Allen’s 3kg claim in Sunday’s Sportz Bar Wanganui-MRN Contracting (2200m). Oulaghan has been pleased with the pair’s progress as they build towards their return to Christchurch. West Coast is being set for the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on August 3 ahead of his shot at a third consecutive Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase title on August 10. Oulaghan has won the Grand National Steeplechase on a record eight occasions. Berry The Cash is also set to line up on both Saturdays of the Grand National Carnival, contesting the Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) and the Hospitality New Zealand Canterbury Grand National Hurdles. “I think they’re both tracking well enough towards the National Carnival,” Oulaghan said. “They had a little bit of a break after Hawke’s Bay, which is why we didn’t run either of them at Wellington earlier this month. But I’ve been pretty pleased with the way they’ve been working. “When I entered them, I wasn’t 100 percent sure whether I was going to run them this weekend or not, but it’s a good to have it as an option to make sure they’re up to the mark.” Oulaghan also has dual representation in Sunday’s Bob Baker Steeplechase (4000m) with Super Spirit and Dal Kilchoan. Super Spirit has put together a solid form line in four steeplechase starts this winter, starting with a fourth at Wanganui and a second at Woodville behind subsequent Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) placegetter Auld Jock. Super Spirit won well at Te Rapa on June 15, beating Sweet Taboo by a short neck with the third placegetter another 30 lengths away. In his only start since then, Super Spirit ran third at Te Aroha after mixing his jumps. “He’s doing a few things wrong at times, but I think he’s going the right way,” Oulaghan said. “He keeps whacking away well in his races. I’ve been happy with him since that last start run. We’ve just been working him along pretty quietly in between times, but I think he’s where he needs to be.” Dal Kilchoan is switching to steeplechasing after finishing fourth and sixth in two runs over hurdles. “He just had a couple of problems and I spelled him earlier in the season,” Oulaghan said. “He’s had a couple of hurdle runs to build his fitness up, but I think steeplechasing is more his go. He’ll be better suited to this race on Sunday.” View the full article

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Cambridge trainer Stephen Marsh. Photo: Nicole Troost Back and refreshed after escaping some of the coldest weeks of the New Zealand winter, Stephen Marsh is hoping the final weekend of 2023-24 season will give his stable some momentum to take into the new season. The Cambridge trainer has enjoyed another outstanding year and went into Friday’s Riccarton meeting with 98 wins to his name. That ranks as the third most successful season of his career behind his totals of 104 in 2021-22 and 100 in 2022-23. Marsh’s runners have earned more than $5.2 million in 2023-24, which easily beats his previous best of $3.4 million, and his 10 Group and Listed victories in New Zealand equals what he achieved in both 2016-17 and 2020-21. This season also featured a Group Two win in Melbourne with Antrim Coast in the Alister Clark Stakes (2040m). Marsh has returned from an overseas holiday with a spring in his step, hoping Ortega can provide one last black-type success for the season when she heads to Otaki as a leading contender for Saturday’s Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m). “It’s been a fantastic season,” Marsh said. “I’ve just got back from an overseas holiday, and now I’m hoping to finish this season off strongly and then get stuck into the next one. It would be great if we could cap off the season with a bit of black type for Ortega on Saturday.” Ortega has had two starts for a fifth placing on debut at Taupo and a last start win at Pukekohe. The daughter of Reliable Man impressed her trainer with her tenacious performance in the latter, overcoming a tough wide run to edge out Ryder Stakes rival Beau Luca by a long head. “I thought that was a bloody brave win,” Marsh said. “It was a tough performance after being caught so wide on quite a testing track. “She’s bounced through that race well and has had a nice five-week gap between races. I think she’s going into Saturday in good shape. “She deserves to have a crack at some black type, and this looks a nice race to give her that opportunity. There’s some good form in it, but she’s one of only two winners, so she’s going to get her chance. She’ll cope with whatever track conditions she’s faced with.” Horse racing bookmakers rated Ortega a $4.50 second favourite for the Ryder Stakes on Friday, just behind the Robbie Patterson-trained Read About It ($4.20). Ortega will be Marsh’s only runner at Otaki on Saturday, but he has 10 entries for Te Rapa including in-form runners such as Winning For All, Hula Beat and Shaking Stevens. First-starter El Arish adds interest to the team, being a two-year-old full-brother to this season’s Group One performer Talisker. Marsh would love to collect a couple of wins from that Saturday contingent, or potentially Tauranga next Wednesday, to take him to his third consecutive 100-win season. “It’ll be a well-earned century if we get there,” he said. “A few abandonments and very wet tracks over the last few weeks have stalled our progress a little bit. “A couple of months ago I thought we were no chance of getting to 100, but then we had a very good May and put ourselves within reach. To have got as close as we have, it would be a bit of a shame if we ended up falling one or two wins short. But having said that, I’ve got no complaints about the season that we’ve had. “I think we’ve got a handful of reasonably nice chances this weekend, like Shaking Stevens, who was a last-start winner on that Te Rapa track and should be very competitive again.” Horse racing news View the full article

Wexford Stables’ co-trainer Andrew Scott. Photo: Nicole Troost Te Rapa has been the scene of plenty of this season’s success for Wexford Stables, and Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott are hoping to bring 2023-24 to a close with more of the same at the Hamilton track on Saturday. Coming to the end of their 11th season in partnership, the Matamata trainers have secured a career-best 63 winners this term and sit in third place on the premiership. They have won nine black-type races, and their runners have earned more than $3 million in stakes. No fewer than 19 of those wins have come at Te Rapa this season, more than 30 percent of their total, including black-type wins by Dragon Leap in the Group 2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), Molly Bloom in the Group 2 David & Karyn Ellis Fillies’ Classic (2000m) and I’munstoppable in the Group 3 Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). That trend of Te Rapa success dates right back to the season’s first meeting at the course, where O’Sullivan and Scott secured a winning double with Highlighter and Winexpress on August 12. “We’ve certainly enjoyed a lot of success there this season,” Scott said. “It’s had plenty of racing but has held up to it very well. It’s a beautiful, consistent track and we’ve found that our horses have been able to get a good gallop going there and hit out confidently. It’s a track we’ve enjoyed racing at. “We couldn’t be more proud of the season that we’ve had overall. Lance, myself and the team have worked very hard for each and every one of those wins. It’s been a massive team effort, and we’ve been very fortunate to have had massive buy-in from a really talented and experienced group of staff. We all win together.” O’Sullivan and Scott entered nine horses for Te Rapa this weekend, which is the final Saturday meeting of the season. However, that Wexford contingent will be reduced to eight by the scratching of Juju Pop – a highly talented daughter of Castledale that has been off the scene since April 2023. “She’s had quite a long lay-off, and after her gallop this week we just felt she might need a bit more work,” Scott said. “So the plan is to trial her again on August 6. We’re looking forward to getting her back to the races once she’s ready.” Saturday’s $35,000 Stewart Browne Memorial (1200m) features Winexpress, who showed bright promise early in his career with fifth placings in the 2022 editions of the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) and Wanganui Guineas (1340m). He has rediscovered some of that form as a four-year-old this season, scoring stylish wins at Te Rapa in August and at Pukekohe in June. The Shamexpress gelding was a highly creditable last-start third at Hastings on July 6. “He’s been going well,” Scott said. “We thought he ran a very good race against the bias at Hastings last time, and he was a strong winner at Pukekohe before that. He meets a stronger field on Saturday, but he likes Te Rapa and we expect him to acquit himself well.” I Am Groot will contest the $50,000 Property Brokers & Katie Walker 3YO (1400m). The son of Wrote was a maiden winner over this distance in late March, and he has followed that with a third over 1560m, a fifth over 1600m, a third over 1750m and a last-start fifth over 1300m. “That last start run was at Tauranga, where horses that were close to the lead and along the rail were very hard to beat,” Scott said. “We might have got it wrong with our decision to ride him a fraction conservatively. “He should be better placed on Saturday on a track that we think will suit him. He’ll parade looking as good as anything all day – his coat is amazing at the moment. We see him as a strong top-three chance.” Scott also likes the chances of a pair of talented maiden gallopers – Ever Charm in the New World Taumarunui Mile (1600m) and Reptak in the opening race on the card, the Chief Stipe Morris (1200m). “Ever Charm certainly deserves to win one,” Scott said. “He’s just taken a while to learn to relax and to get his confidence up. But he was hitting the line strongly last time. From a better draw this weekend, he might be more prominently placed in the running. He’s a fit horse in good form and should be competitive again. “Reptak’s going really well. We always thought he’d make a good winter sprinter. He was another one from that Tauranga day, where you really had to be close to the rail and the lead. He was a long way off the fence and still kept up a strong gallop. “He’s really benefited from his recent racing. Now that he’s educated and fit, he should be hard to beat. We think he can start the day off well for us.” Horse racing news View the full article

Foxton trainer Chrissy Bambry. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) Opawa Jack has come of age in his four-year-old autumn preparation and his trainer Chrissy Bambry anticipates the best is still yet to come. The son of War Decree showed early promise over staying distances and contested the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) last season, but a year down the track he has won three of his last five starts, comparatively on Awapuni Synthetic over 1200m and in Heavy 10 track conditions at Wanganui. With more of a preference for the drier surface, Bambry has elected to target the Special Conditions 2000m race on the Cambridge Synthetic in a fortnight, with the suitable lead-in race closer to her Foxton base at Otaki on Saturday. “He doesn’t really like a wet track, he was probably just the best horse on the day (at Wanganui),” Bambry said. “When it’s a little bit puggy like that he seems to handle it, but he doesn’t appreciate it loose. “I think he’ll acquit himself well on Saturday, he’s well-weighted in that race but there’s a few wet trackers that will like it a bit more than he will. “He should still be running well and it should tighten him up nicely for the Cambridge Synthetic final in the first week of August.” Looking ahead, Bambry is happy to continue taking her time with the gelding, with a multiple Group One-winning stayer among his pedigree page. “He’s a lot stronger this prep and will be better this time next year, he’s out of a half-sister to Who Shot Thebarman so time is always going to be his friend,” she said. Bambry will also be represented by Rock Angel and Saint Bernard at Otaki, with the former a three-year-old Road To Rock mare on debut. “She loves a wet track this little mare, so she should go well but obviously she hasn’t got the race-day experience and we’ve got a horror draw (20),” Bambry said. “If she can do everything right on the day I can see her being in the finish.” Saint Bernard was a winner two starts back on the Awapuni Synthetic and will have the benefit of experienced hoop Johnathan Parkes on board. “He’s going well and trained on from his last run, it’s a big assist having Parkesy aboard him,” Bambry said. “It’ll be a bit of a wait and see whether he can handle the wet track at Otaki, but he should run well.” Horse racing news View the full article

Berry The Cash will contest the Sportz Bar Wanganui-MRN Contracting (2200m) at Waverley on Sunday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North) A return to Riccarton is looming large on the horizon for reigning Grand National winners West Coast and Berry The Cash, who have been entered for a pair of 2200m races on the flat at Waverley on Sunday. The Mark Oulaghan-trained stablemates have been off the scene since Hawke’s Bay’s showpiece jumps meeting on June 29, where Berry The Cash won the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) and West Coast was runner-up in the Hawke’s Bay Steeplechase (4800m). Two-time Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) hero West Coast is entered for Sunday’s Ecolab Maiden (2200m), with Sarah O’Malley booked to ride. Berry The Cash, whose four-race winning sequence over hurdles started in last year’s Grand National Hurdles (4200m), will be aided by Jessica Allen’s 3kg claim in Sunday’s Sportz Bar Wanganui-MRN Contracting (2200m). Oulaghan has been pleased with the pair’s progress as they build towards their return to Christchurch. West Coast is being set for the Koral Steeplechase (4250m) on August 3 ahead of his shot at a third consecutive Grand National Steeplechase title on August 10. Oulaghan has won the Grand National Steeplechase on a record eight occasions. Berry The Cash is also set to line up on both Saturdays of the Grand National Carnival, contesting the Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) and the Hospitality New Zealand Canterbury Grand National Hurdles. “I think they’re both tracking well enough towards the National Carnival,” Oulaghan said. “They had a little bit of a break after Hawke’s Bay, which is why we didn’t run either of them at Wellington earlier this month. But I’ve been pretty pleased with the way they’ve been working. “When I entered them, I wasn’t 100 percent sure whether I was going to run them this weekend or not, but it’s a good to have it as an option to make sure they’re up to the mark.” Oulaghan also has dual representation in Sunday’s Bob Baker Steeplechase (4000m) with Super Spirit and Dal Kilchoan. Super Spirit has put together a solid form line in four steeplechase starts this winter, starting with a fourth at Wanganui and a second at Woodville behind subsequent Wellington Steeplechase (5500m) placegetter Auld Jock. Super Spirit won well at Te Rapa on June 15, beating Sweet Taboo by a short neck with the third placegetter another 30 lengths away. In his only start since then, Super Spirit ran third at Te Aroha after mixing his jumps. “He’s doing a few things wrong at times, but I think he’s going the right way,” Oulaghan said. “He keeps whacking away well in his races. I’ve been happy with him since that last start run. We’ve just been working him along pretty quietly in between times, but I think he’s where he needs to be.” Dal Kilchoan is switching to steeplechasing after finishing fourth and sixth in two runs over hurdles. “He just had a couple of problems and I spelled him earlier in the season,” Oulaghan said. “He’s had a couple of hurdle runs to build his fitness up, but I think steeplechasing is more his go. He’ll be better suited to this race on Sunday.” Horse racing news View the full article

Juan Hernandez at one time has ridden six of the nine Eddie Read Stakes (G2T) runners and will be aboard Du Jour for Baffert.View the full article

Midnight Mammoth led every step of the way in the $100,000 Cougar II Stakes (G3) July 25 at Del Mar to give rider Armando Ayuso his first graded stakes victory and trainer Craig Dollase his first graded score since 2020.View the full article

Godolphin’s last-start Sha Tin winner takes on Aidan O’Brien’s star colt in Saturday’s simulcast featureView the full article

By Brigette Solomon Junior driver Crystal Hackett has three promising drives at Alexandra Park, all for her parents, Waiuku based trainers Michelle Wallis and Bernie Hackett. “All three of the horses are nice each way chances,” says Hackett, “they’ve all been racing well but they meet fairly level fields tonight.” The first of the series races is Race 5, The Woodlands Stud Winter Rewards Final Handicap Trot over 2700 metres, in which Hackett drives Magic Dash who starts off a 20 metre handicap. “I’ll be looking to drive Magic Dash with a sit tonight and I’m confident he’ll finish off better this week.” The five-year-old gelding has six wins to his name including a win and placings over this journey at Alexandra Park. Although unplaced in his last outing after sitting parked for the majority of the event, Magic Dash’s prior form has been consistent and included placing second and finishing just 1.2 lengths behind Matty A on June 27. Hackett’s next drive is Nelson’s Boy in Race 6, the Southern Cross Partners Winter Rewards Final Mobile Pace over 2200 metres. The Washington VC gelding was a last start winner here on July 12, flashing home late in his typical fashion to beat Wicked Wanda and Fifth And Final. A winner of eight races, all at Alexandra Park, the gelding starts the race from barrier seven. “Nelson will need a bit of luck out wide I think,” says Hackett, “he’s got no gate speed so will be back early and although he can run a quick last quarter, it’s an even field, so it will depend what happens up front.” In Race 8, the Tactical Approach @ Alabar – Winter Rewards Final Handicap Trot, Hackett drives Five O’Clock Gerry. The four-year-old gelding starts the 2700 metre event off the unruly with a 10 metre handicap and exhibited a strong performance over this trip, albeit off the front line, at his last start on July 12. On that occasion, he finished second behind talented three-year-old Pantani. “He’s a pretty versatile horse so I’ll just see what happens early with him,” says Hackett, “being off 10 metres shouldn’t be too much of a worry and it’s a small enough field with nine starters.” “With a bit of luck in running all three should be thereabouts.” Racing action gets underway with Race one at 6:00pm with the Winter Rewards Finals being Races 5, 6, View the full article

Opawa Jack has come of age in his four-year-old autumn preparation and his trainer Chrissy Bambry anticipates the best is still yet to come. The son of War Decree showed early promise over staying distances and contested the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) last season, but a year down the track he has won three of his last five starts, comparatively on Awapuni Synthetic over 1200m and in Heavy 10 track conditions at Wanganui. With more of a preference for the drier surface, Bambry has elected to target the Special Conditions 2000m race on the Cambridge Synthetic in a fortnight, with the suitable lead-in race closer to her Foxton base being the Uzabus Handicap (1600m) at Otaki on Saturday. “He doesn’t really like a wet track, he was probably just the best horse on the day (at Wanganui),” Bambry said. “When it’s a little bit puggy like that he seems to handle it, but he doesn’t appreciate it loose. “I think he’ll acquit himself well on Saturday, he’s well-weighted in that race but there’s a few wet trackers that will like it a bit more than he will. “He should still be running well and it should tighten him up nicely for the Cambridge Synthetic final in the first week of August.” Looking ahead, Bambry is happy to continue taking her time with the gelding, with a multiple Group One-winning stayer among his pedigree page. “He’s a lot stronger this prep and will be better this time next year, he’s out of a half-sister to Who Shot Thebarman so time is always going to be his friend,” she said. Bambry will also be represented by Rock Angel and Saint Bernard at Otaki, with the former a three-year-old Road To Rock mare on debut in the Ilone Kelly Racing Stables Maiden (1600m). “She loves a wet track this little mare, so she should go well but obviously she hasn’t got the race-day experience and we’ve got a horror draw (20),” Bambry said. “If she can do everything right on the day I can see her being in the finish.” Saint Bernard was a winner two starts back on the Awapuni Synthetic, and will have the benefit of experienced hoop Johnathan Parkes on board in the Riverside Construction Handicap (2100m). “He’s going well and trained on from his last run, it’s a big assist having Parkesy aboard him,” Bambry said. “It’ll be a bit of a wait and see whether he can handle the wet track at Otaki, but he should run well.” View the full article

Thoroughbreds provide the racing industry with incredible thrills on the race track, and New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) are dedicated to giving back to the equine athletes by assisting in their transition into sport horse careers. NZTR recently sponsored a thoroughbred-focussed training clinic held at the National Equestrian Centre in Taupō, with the NZTR’s Welfare Coordinator Tracey Oakes initiating and assisting two days of learning and development. The clinic was tailored to build confidence and skill between horse and rider, developing partnerships with knowledge of how to move in a positive direction. “We’ve been considering for a while how we can assist thoroughbreds into their first home post-racing or coming out of the Acknowledged Re-Trainer network,” Oakes said. “We wanted to create a super supportive environment for people to bring their thoroughbreds to what could potentially be their first outing after entering their second career. We got a great range of people from those having their first time out, to horses that have had a bit of schooling and some with experience. “The 65cm class were jumping up to about 90cm by the second day, which was a reflection of the confidence between horse and riders throughout the two sessions. We had one rider who had done plenty of schooling at home but was a bit concerned about coming to a public venue, and her horses went beautifully. “We had another participant who competed to a high level in the past but had since had a family and was a bit worried as well, but her horse was flying by the end of the clinic which was fantastic to see.” The combinations were privileged to have lessons with top-class event riders Donna and Elise Edwards-Smith, who are huge supporters of the thoroughbred breed having produced a multitude to compete in the highest levels of eventing, including DSE Tangalooma and DSE Mendoza. “I contacted Donna and Elise to discuss all things thoroughbreds in the equestrian world and we discussed the possibility of running a clinic, which we ended up being able to do,” Oakes said. “They are super enthusiastic, and they love thoroughbreds, they compete on them and are such good advocates for the breed in equestrian sports. We were fortunate to have found the right people at the right time. “They were brilliant, they helped people in the right way with practical, simple support and everyone came away with homework at the end of each class.” Justine Sclater, NZTR’s Head of Welfare and Sustainability, also attended the clinic and was thrilled to see the level of improvement and enthusiasm among the participants, extending to pedigree background. “It was really inspiring and I got a lot of satisfaction seeing the progression and relationship built over the two days. The horses adapted hugely over a short period of time, so it was very worthwhile and positive,” Sclater said. “The riders really enjoyed learning about the breeding aspect through microchip scanning that Tracey undertook, and we were able to discuss the pedigrees and sires in depth which opened another area of knowledge in relation to their horses. “I’m hugely in support of doing more clinics, we are looking to incorporate further opportunities and this one was oversubscribed, indicating the need and appetite for them. “I congratulate Tracey for initiating the clinic, and Donna and Elise are a class act, they had an amazing rapport with the riders and gave fantastic advice and techniques to go forward with.” NZTR will conduct a South Island clinic in Canterbury this Sunday, 28 July, with an altered format hoping to achieve the same positive response. “At the same time as we were discussing the Taupō clinic, we started organising a clinic with Lisa Wilson of Pinoaks Park in Canterbury, who has done the administration for us,” Oakes said. “It is a different style to the Taupō clinic, we will have three coaches for show jumping, dressage/showing and horsemanship/liberty. People were given the option of who they would like to receive guidance from in a lesson, and some are taking the opportunity to see more than one coach through the day. “We have people travelling from as far south as Invercargill and Dunedin, who are making long trips to get to the arena at Selwyn Equestrian Centre to attend.” Beyond Sunday’s clinic, the industry has a long way to go in making the transition from racing to sport horse life seamless, but Oakes saw a glimpse of the bright future in store for thoroughbreds off the track. “We were happy to provide assistance by co-sponsoring participants attendance,” Oakes said. “The riders still had to invest to come, we covered costs of one lesson, the use of the arena, ground fees. The riders paid for Evo Events fees, one lesson and the yarding, so it was a split cost to make our funds last a bit longer. “Moving forward, I would love to see us be able to support clinics across the board, but particularly in that first year or two outside of racing to give people support and a safe space to bring their horses and develop both rider and horse confidence”. View the full article

A rise in distance and heavy track conditions at Rotorua was the winning formula for Step In Time on Thursday, with the gelding causing a minor upset in the Campbell Infrastructure 2200. The son of Time Test is trained at Matamata by Michael Moroney and Pam Gerard, and the latter anticipated an improved performance after he struck an unfavourable race pattern at Hastings last start, finishing back in the field. Her assessment proved correct despite the $23.50 closing quote, with Step In Time looking comfortable throughout the staying contest as he travelled kindly three-wide for stable apprentice Joe Nishizuka. He began to circle the field and Nishizuka set the gelding alight at the 600m, breaking away from the field by a healthy margin. Roc Up Ralph fought on gamely in pursuit of Step In Time in the straight, but Nishizuka’s four-kilogram claim was telling in the finish as he raced away by 2-1/4 lengths. Gerard was pleased to see the gelding back in winning form after breaking maidens three starts back over a mile at Matamata, also with Nishizuka in the saddle. “He’s not a big horse and easy to ride, so it’s good to make use of Joe’s apprentice claim, and he’s just been waiting to get up in trip,” Gerard said. “They walked and sprinted last time over a mile at Hastings, which didn’t suit him, and the ground was a bit better too. “He’s kept stepping up this preparation, hasn’t put in a bad run, so it shows he’s maturing into being a competitive racehorse.” Step In Time was purchased by Paul Moroney Bloodstock and Ballymore for $45,000 at the 2021 Karaka Yearling Sales out of Highden Park’s draft, and he is raced by the stable and Diedre Neville-White. “Deirdre absolutely loves this horse and given he’s going well with a claimer on means he should be able to remain competitive as he steps up in class,” Gerard said. The race was not without some dramatics, with favoured runner Danzino slipping at the 400m mark, dislodging jockey Joe Doyle and subsequently taking out Innocent Victim in the trail with Jasmine Fawcett also falling. The incident resulted in a track inspection and the meeting was abandoned for the final two races. View the full article

When morning-line favorite Roses for Debra scratched with a fever the morning of the race, her stablemate Dontlookbackatall was more than happy to finish the job with a late-closing victory in the Caress Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. View the full article

Grade 1 winner Arabian Knight returns to the sight of his biggest victory while making his 4-year-old debut in the $300,000 San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar July 27.View the full article

In 1962's Santa Anita Handicap, jockey Donald Pierce was part of a three-horse entry that included Bill Shoemaker and Alex Maese. Pierce was on a horse named Physician, Shoemaker rode Prove It, and Maese was on Olden Times.View the full article