Wingman

My pet hate raises its ugly head across the Tasman. There was some fierce debate about the state of Rosehill last Saturday and I guess 80/20 rule, majority don't care but the minority who really matter as outlined in that article will continue to become disenchanted. Bottom line is if owners/trainers and particularly the regular punter who is a lot more adventurous with their size of bet loses confidence they will look elsewhere to be entertained.

And I am keen to know what is really going on at Te Aroha as it was by far my favourite track for a decent and often successful, punt.

You may brag. Having a genuine contender in a G1 is what we all strive for, winning is what most of us only dream about..congrats

We can only hope they get it right as my understanding Awapuni will host all of Trenthams races and that track gets a rebuild. Don't get it right and we might be hearing 'and they are off in the Wellington Castlepoint cup!😅

Sarcasm is irony used in a destructive manner, as in your Forrrest Gump quotes. Your lesson for this week is to remember what you would have been told as a child, 'Mind your manners'. Yes excellent training effort by Chad to get his filly to win the Oaks.

This is a racing forum, not a political forum. I joined this forum because I have a long term passion for thoroughbreds, not to have split personalities like yourself to play with the foxes and run with the hounds. I will accept playing the Nazi card is always contentious however what most do not appreciate, concentration death camps were in place in Germany well before WW2 started and they were a minority power targeting minorities. End game be the majority and stuff human rights. So Thomass if you want to keep good company, stay on script...or fuck off to the dark side.

There were quite a few jockeys walking the track on raceday at Trentham yesterday. You, that is you TAB for ever, are quick to say 'move on' and slow to rebut decent, genuine arguments. This is a site to put forward thoughts, yes some may be dissed but overall a site that can do without your continuous sarcastic replies to those that you consider wrong to your train of thought.

So in your 'club of the year' post you twice say 'The past is gone, concentrate on the future' yet here you are having a jolly good name dropping reminisce. As for keyboards running their mouths, how is the the above rant of yours any different other than an attitude of 'I'm right, you're wrong'

Touchy, touchy. Lots of tough talk but you have thin skin as I am not sure how my asking you to remove rose tinted glasses makes me a bully. I did read the optimist article prior to posting and the bottom line is no tracks, no racing, now flutter away for ever

I will try and be very polite. This is directed at you TAB For Ever. A lot of us are not negative we are however tired of the continuous appalling lack of direction and professionalism displayed by the so called executive of this industry. Back to the tracks, and back to the past, as in this January 2024, Ellerslie was on the cusp of being abandoned and would have been if it was a lesser meeting and Trentham being a lesser meeting was abandoned half way through their programme. These are are our two most important tracks historically and between them they still hold the bulk of NZ Group one races. So now with gloves off, I suggest you take your rose tinted glasses off and look at the reality.

Next season I would like to see a 'Most Improved Track' award. Meantime to hoist him on his petard a KEY PRINCIPLE NZTR have not yet identified is how to present tracks for raceday

It is not about the chance of success, it is simply what what was done ( I say, very little) and what was achieved. Again I go back to our track debacle (read plural) and white elephants such as Single National System. In true private enterprise he would have gone years ago because the 'shareholders' would not have accepted the lack of positive progress. NZTR are trying to look progressive on the coat tails of Entain which is a totally separate entity

Key points of failure during his tenure Retained almost all of previous chairs executive Did not improve calendar/pattern Track situation worsened Single National System $4million + abandoned Key points of success???

It was curiouser and curiouser but now..Gottcha

Thanks Curious. Here is why I am so puzzled. Top weight Prise de fer rated 93 weight 57. Dionysus same rating,93 and is weighted 55 then Trust in You rated 89 weighted 54. Mahrajaan rated 88 and Ocean Billy rated 82 are also on 54??

No they sensibly decided that the cup was going back to being a handicap but yes it still looks like SWP. Anyone out there with the answer?

Can someone please explain how the weights work for this race. An open Handicap but the weight scale differential from top to bottom based on their ratings is all out of order

Tracks like Foxton are perfect for not only trials but also as it used to be for decent lower level, think listed races, in the autumn which also keep the pressure off some the 'bigger' tracks. I know they raced the Foxton cup there until at least 2009 and if ever a 2yo race should still be racing there it is the Castletown Stakes. That race, once won by the great Veandercross, usually mid May date, is now programmed at Wanganui on Queens Birthday. The last 15 years have seen a lot of change in NZ racing and much of it unnecessary. On a positive note very pleased to see Ellerslie get through their big day on Saturday.

Too short to back for mine and very hard to see her get beat. Looked at this field in depth last night and decided there was value in a place bet. Settled on Mosinvader who was 31/5.50. Wake up to the price now 14/3.50 so I will watch and enjoy without a bet. Regarding the Sunline take a good look at the first 3 or 4 past the post as it will be very difficult for the fillies who now race at Taupo on 8th March to back up in the Oaks 8 days later

Bouquet Special Agent re highlighting Freda's H@S comments. Brickbat for complimenting Otaki track manager although in his defense inherited a lemon that used to be a peach of a track. The track is stuffed like so many others due to constant over watering and under investment in maintenance. The real issue now is why do we still have the tired managers/dinosaur's at NZTR continuing to dictate a path to oblivion. On 13 Feb NZTR press release re Hastings "The consensus among all involved was that the previous inconsistency issues had been successfully addressed." Today, 15 days later "NZTR and the club will undertake a full renovation of the Hastings turf." Whoopee, lets all celebrate, mad hatter style.

A top class racing journalist Tony Morris published a superb book 'Thoroughbred Stallions in 1990. In the Preface he said the aim of the book "was to provide a background to the Thoroughbred racing and breeding industries of the modern era with particular reference to the role played by leading stallions. It examines the key events in the racing and stud lives of 75 horses, each notable for some reason or other." This book is fascinating because the author doesn't just give dry facts but links those facts into other facts backed by his knowledge and yes, opinion. The following is the opening paragraph of one of the chapters and I will leave you to your own conclusions apart from the comment, 'The more things change the more they stay the same.' Quote, "One of the saddest results of recent developments in the pattern of ownership in Britain is that the vast majority of the better horses are now concentrated into a tiny minority of unnaturally flourishing stables. The likes of Henry Cecil, Michael Stoute, Luca Cumani, Dick Hern and Guy Harwood are obviously very good trainers, but they are not that much better than a host of talented smaller trainers who, until a few years ago, had a chance of competing with them. The little man has been robbed of his dreams while the favoured fellow at the top really has nothing to congratulate himself about beyond having made the most of what were, at best, his exceptional opportunities, at worst, his unfair advantages. The medias' inevitable tendency to concentrate on the big trainers and their strings only exacerbates matters. Countless second-rate horses, who would not be deemed worthy of notice in a smaller yard, become hyped, while the first rate-rate horse in an unfashionable stable is overlooked, seemingly powerless to attract attention to himself. "unquote

100% correct. Matamata was a perfect summer track

The race and other races on the day were a farce because the inside was totally off and the only reason the track was rated slow most of the week is due to NZTR mandates re watering. There is a big difference between watering to achieve grass cover avoiding rock hard tracks you allude to and creating slush. The bottom line is executive demands are overriding hands on track management

TAB For Ever you are totally missing the point. We should not have to factor overwatering into our betting analysis in Summer. The fuckwits at NZTR insist on having a track overwatered and it is playing havoc with punters confidence. It also weakens the constitution of the track, many of which are already neglected race tracks.

Peter Williams, trainer of hot Favourite Desert Lightning said this morning he was on a permanent weather watch Friday night, Saturday morning. I was puzzled. It is Summer, dry, little rain recently. Early in the afternoon at Otaki there was one brief heavy shower and a few light showers but really nothing of concern...or so we thought. Mr Williams knew what most of us initially did not know, the track had been heavily overwatered and any rain would be to the detriment of the track. The drone shots of the track once racing got underway showed a grass cover and colour that looked like it had been photo shopped to display a perfect Spring day, except it is peak Summer. We move forward to the Trackside presenters waxing lyrical about how the Trackside G1 Classic will be shown live in Hong Kong and showcase one of our great WFA races of which this year 7 of the 10 runners are G1 winners. The race is a farce, Belclare, firm track horse, makes the pace but goes extremely wide, Desert Lightning loved the first 200m down the shute on firm ground and despite being erratic showed his class battling on (yes being facetious) on good Summer footing. La Crique is more versatile with ground conditions and handles the conditions well after definitely running the race of an improver first up from a brief spell. How much more enjoyable would this race had been if raced on a genuine Summer track. How many punters here and offshore are going to say as I did, "Stuff this" and not bet and how many will not get involved again because they did bet their hard earned on a $2.20 shot that could never win because of the idiots who currently run our industry and insist on over watering summer tracks. Staying with the idiots at NZTR do they really not understand that mid December to mid March is what the racing industry is all about. Summer racing, picnics, yearling inspections, yearling sales and above all convivial times on good to fast tracks on mainly hot days. They really are the fun police and must be seen off. The final word goes to the trainer of the beaten fav who said prior to the running of the G1 at Otaki "Had the track been downgraded I would have scratched"