curious

You?

Sorry, no fixed tote. Don't have harness.

60mms and a Soft6 this morning. I'd say back to Good4 by race time, Soft5 at worst.

You might well be correct. My point is it's really too early to say. I'd prefer to wait and see the WBBR ratings at the end of the season before arriving at any conclusions about the races' quality. Field sizes don't determine that.

Railway aside, it's hard to say much yet about the quality of those fields isn't it?

Alternatives are probably moot if they don't have the money anyway. Where would it come from?

I doubt the amount of rain forecast will have much effect on that track, certainly no worse than a slow 5 or 6.

I'd say why not put the 500k towards fixing a track or raising minimum industry stakes. Even if this worked, keeping 2 or 3 good 4yos racing in the country, ain't going to improve wagering revenue by a single $1.

Do you think they might have been better to make the Kiwi for 3&4yos and bump the stake by 500k, so $5m in 2027? Maybe make all or some G1s bonus races for it.

NZTR Unveils $500,000 Group 1 Bonus to Drive Elite 4YO Participation New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing 20 January 2026 New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has confirmed a lucrative new $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus that will be available to the first horse that wins a New Zealand-based Group 1 race in its four-year-old season, that runs in the 2026 $4 million NZB Kiwi (1500m). The initiative, designed to strengthen the domestic pathway from elite three-year-old racing into top-level four-year-old performance, will apply to the entire 2026 NZB Kiwi field, with the first eligible NZB Kiwi runner to win a New Zealand Group 1 as a four-year-old triggering the $500,000 Bonus. NZTR General Manager - Racing, Mitch Lamb, commented on the new initiative. “The NZB Kiwi has quickly become one of the headline acts for our best three-year-old sprinter/milers, and now we’re putting a very real incentive on keeping those standout horses here and targeting our best races as four-year-olds,” Lamb said. “If we want our premier weight-for-age races in New Zealand to have the highest-quality fields and drive optimal wagering outcomes - both domestically and abroad, one piece of the puzzle is incentivising our best young gallopers to stay on home soil for longer.” To be eligible for the $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus, a horse must be NZB Kiwi eligible as a three-year-old and be a nominated slot horse that starts in the 2026 NZB Kiwi. The Bonus will then be triggered by the first eligible 2026 NZB Kiwi runner to win any New Zealand-based Group 1 race during its four-year-old season. The $500,000 Bonus will be shared between the key connections at the time it is won, with 50% paid to the current NZB Kiwi Slot Holder (or lessee) for the 2026 year and 50% paid to the horse’s registered ownership group at the time of the four-year-old Group 1 win. Where the horse is owned outright by the current Slot Holder, that Slot Holder will receive 100% of the Bonus as both Slot Holder and Owner. NZTR will also allocate a 10% share of the Bonus to the Trainer responsible for preparing the horse at the time of the Group 1 win in its four-year-old season. Lamb said the rationale is straightforward: keep the best of New Zealand’s elite three-year-old performers racing on home soil at four, increase the strength of local Group 1 contests, and create a more compelling wagering product. “We want The NZB Kiwi to be more than a single raceday moment, we want it to be a genuine launching pad,” Lamb said. “By making the entire NZB Kiwi field eligible, we’re sending a clear signal that we want these horses to progress to Group 1 level at four, and in turn, reward the teams who commit to that plan in New Zealand.” How the $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus works To be eligible, the horse must: be NZB Kiwi eligible and a three-year-old be a nominated slot horse that runs in the 2026 NZB Kiwi then, in its four-year-old season (2026-27), become the first 2026 NZB Kiwi runner to win any New Zealand-based Group 1 race $500,000 Group 1 4YO Bonus Split The Bonus will be split: 50% to the current NZB Kiwi Slot Holder or lessee (for the 2026 year), and 50% to the registered owner group at the time of the horse’s Group 1 win in its four-year-old season (2026-27) If the horse is owned outright by a current Slot Holder, that Slot Holder will retain 100% of the Bonus (as both Slot Holder and Owner) A 10% share of the Bonus will be allocated to the Trainer at the time of the horse’s first Group 1 win in its four-year-old season (2026-27) Full Bonus terms and conditions will be released shortly.

It does look pretty desolate?

Yes. That's what I showed above as oncourse digital cf oncourse terminal. Clubs get a higher commission for digital on course turnover.