curious

Good crowd at Timaru today. This was after the second race so early in the build up to the cup.

Never known him to run for cover. Do you have an example? And if you read anything from recent months, he's certainly named plenty of names. Have another look.

You obviously haven't read much of what he has written, or talked to him.

Just had a look around there. It's very tired and dilapidated looking. Even Pharlap is cracked and has a hole in him with cobwebs in his ears. Nothing surprising given it was scheduled for extinction for a long time. The track itself however, is in super order and should present a fair surface to suit most horses tomorrow.

Pivotal Ten and Samantha Wynne won the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m) at Wingatui on Boxing Day. Photo: Race Images South Pivotal Ten takes Wingatui feature Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 26 December 2024 Progressive filly Pivotal Ten completed an impressive hattrick of victories when she proved too tough on a testing Heavy 10 Wingatui surface to capture the Listed NZB Insurance Stakes (1400m). Ridden by her trainer Samantha Wynne, the daughter of Ten Sovereigns had broken her maiden status on a Slow 7 surface at the venue back in October over 1200m before repeating the dose at Timaru a month later. Given time to get over that run. Wynne presented the filly in superb condition for her biggest test to date and she didn’t disappoint after enjoying a dream run in the trail throughout the slowly run 1400m contest. Wynne angled Pivotal Ten into the clear at the 300m as she set out after Lil Zena, who had shot through along the inner to take the lead and from there the pair set down to a tooth and nail battle which went in favour of Pivotal Ten by just on three quarters of a length. Raced by Colin Wightman, who purchased her for $15,000 out of the Valachi Downs dispersal sale draft at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling Sale in 2022, Pivotal Ten is a half-sister to the stakes placed mare Woodcote Lass and hails from an extended family that includes European Group One winner Maarek. Wightman was impressed by the varied European bloodlines that the late Kevin Hickman had brought to his Valachi Downs breeding operation and was keen to secure the filly. “Kevin had some really lovely mares from England and Ireland at Valachi and the pedigree of this filly included a high class sprinter in Maarek who won about seven or eight stakes races including a Group One,” Wightman said. “The family had plenty of speed in it and Ten Sovereigns was also a speed machine so we expected this filly might get up and run. “She is still developing and on the up and up, but she is just a super competitor who just wants to go out and win. “We have spaced her races to give her plenty of time as we think she will be a much better four-year-old but you can’t argue with what she is doing now. “This win means a lot and I’m thrilled with her as she didn’t really handle the track but it was her toughness that got her home. “She may have a break now or we will hang around for some of the upcoming stakes races for the three-year-olds down here.”

I wonder if the NZTR system doesn't allow for a zero margin to be posted?

I thought the judges decision was final and couldn't be reversed by any inquiry?

Looks like a dead heat, eh?

Interesting performance given this. https://loveracing.nz/News/47751/DamaskRoseBloomsintoNZBKiwiCalculations.aspx

The clubs probably do re their oncourse turnover %

And it's only an R82. The solution might be to just never extend nominations in which case that race for example would have been canned.

Fair point. Actually thought about putting an R75 in there. Would likely have been running for 3rd or 4th but $750 for getting round pays for the start. I still see that as more of a programming and handicapping problem though. If a lightweight like that in that field got a fair suck of the sav in the weights, then it would be way more attractive in the first place.

I agree but I can't think of any way that can be prevented. Scratching fees are already high for horses that don't run for very good reasons.

To add extra races, you have to get NZTR approval for the extra funding which for the most part is not available. Same goes for upgrading meetings to feature level. The programming committee is limited to asking for those, but NZTR finance holds all the cards. They can't just add extra 40k races willy nilly. For the most part if they add one somewhere they have to take one out somewhere else.

Certainly not in Canterbury. They can be in person but most attend by zoom as there are reps from clubs and TA reps from around the SI + NZTR etc. It would cost a fortune for all to fly to Christchurch for one 90 minute meeting and you would still need to juggle spread sheets etc. when there.

Yes. The focus should definitely be financial viability and sustainability but I believe that social acceptability is the number one factor in achieving that. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges among others agrees with me.

So, in your view, what are the big(er) issues that I should be focusing on?

I wasn't really looking at that for the reason you state, but the quarterly data above shows a significant injury rate increase (p<.05) year on year from sample sizes of 9000+ starters. For those whose minds are boggled by statistics, that means that there is less than 5% chance that the increase in injury rates is due to chance. From the data I have seen, I don't see how you could possibly argue that injury rates haven't worsened in the last two seasons let alone that they have improved.

What statistics? I only see current data which all points to increasing injury rates.

What?

These are extremely perplexing. I realise these will vary with soil types but this morning we have Wanganui 44% a Heavy 8. Timaru 48% a Soft 5.

Fixed now

Finally.

It has black type. Listed (Restricted)

Gore is evidently today even though the results are there.