The Centaur

Actually I go further back . He was stable hand then foreman for Malcolm Smith. La Mer wasn't too bad. Negative today is no 4.5kg claim and a good old fashioned Marshment plonk

Interesting one for the first time blinkers formula. Tomorrow Race 6 Westside. Full brother to to Wyndspelle good 2yo now racing in top company in Australia. The way he is racing I suspect blinkers may help. Impressive last few bounds at the trials. At the races has been on scenic tours. Found 1400 bit much first up although 1400 looks best now nevertheless paying $34 and $7.50. Probably ideal place chance.Suspect odds will reduce tomorrow.

Blinkers can be overrated. Some trainers n.b. some don't like billing owners for items such as injections or "special" medication. They know that the "injection" along with variation in work and feed will turn form around and its in their interest to tell the owner the horse will go much better. What easier way than to excuse the form turnaround than by the application of blinkers. How often that happens I don't know but I do know it happens.

A classic example of information the public is entitled to is Captain Orange in the first today at Counties. Why was Captain Orange off the scene for over 600 days??? Back in 2015 he was a very nice horse and with Cameron on him went out hot favourite in a race. Interesting that he is back on board however whether its by choice or Kate Cowan favouring Aftershock that information is not necessarily entitled to everyone. But the reasons for such a lengthy break certainly should be supplied by the connections.

If owners and trainers want extra interest in the industry they must be be more forthcoming with information by entering it online. Two examples would be informing change in training routine like using the water walker. I asked a leading trainer which horses he had on the water walker and he replied only the stable stars. The others the owners wouldn't be happy receiving the bill for the extra cost incurred being sent to the water walker. Since we don't have pre race horse weighing and many trainers do their own then trainers when they suspect any major change in a horses weight should declare it. Last week in Singapore a horse won with an increase of 40kg in body weight yet by going back to when it last won that was its body weight.

I'll introduce another factor which is never listed on any race form manual or training manual. i.e. SLEEP Now horse trainers will go into the science of feeding, workouts etc yet ask any athlete what they consider the most important for a peak performance and chances are they will say getting a good night sleep even golfers.Why should horses be any different? But for horses getting a good night's sleep is dependent on workout and feed. Many trainers just assume its its in the feed or workouts but if athletes are to believed the answer is sleep. Winter time requires peak fitness not necessarily galloping ability. Horses racing on their home course usually can be relied on having a good nights sleep. And Barry I realize you will advise Thom would do better just sleeping.

One factor most will agree on is the more effort one puts in the more one can expect out of it in the long run. So we get to the most important factor that is TIME and lets face it most people have little to spare of it. So anything that makes time more productive with horses is valuable. Something to remember with form racing web sites. Its not the so called winners they may produce but the amount of time they save extracting the information one requires. That also applies to going to the races. Unless its for social or commercial reasons one might as well make the most of the "time" at the races.

There is another aspect to Barry's "day out". Myself at the races I keep a note of every horse entering the parade ring and as much of the behaviour afterwards until the jump When I put down "fat" as opposed to "bit fat" it usually means wait a few runs so I was surprized Barry had Colorado Bay as spot on but then there was three weeks for the trainer to get more more work into the horse something the trainer confirmed in the post race interview. Taking note of the size also important as sometimes guaging the size off the TV can be misleading. Another note I put down is "needle". Having trained a few I know what effect the needle can be. Definition of needle is not something illegal but the best legal "extra" a trainer can top a horse off with. In my day needle meant vitamin injection and there are tell tale signs to spot this like smell, special shine, demeanour etc. All trainers have a topping off routine when a horse is ready but nowadays particularly with the Baker/Forsman horses I can't seem to figure it out. Anyway Barry hope you also kept some notes from the day.

Brilliant effort Barry, appreciate your time. Just keep off that whiskey until AFTER the last.

Barry I see Quantum ran second in this race last year. Hope it looks OK.

I think Barry will be "under the weather" by now.

I saw it at Avondale and looked fat. Lets hope its trimmed up.

Good spotting Barry. Pays to be on track. Looks like the inner against rail best.

It will be embarrasing if Pink Graffiti can't win today for Waikato Stud From the stud's flagship breeding line i.e. out of Escada already left Doncaster winner Vision And Power, Glamour Puss (went to Uk Ascot King Stand Stakes ) also Escadaire top West Aus racer and a host of other winners. Dam by Centaine and the Centaine's went ok in heavy. Other breeding tips today Luck Of Master (out of good wet track mare Monrose), Mangaroa Fire (out of Rotorua Cup winner a toff in the wet) and full sister to Mangaroa Flo Jo etc. Master Genie should bolt in with the fourth so a good day for Mastercraftsman.

Could be fake news unfortunately from a very unreliable source. Maybe I should have known better.

The whisper from elsewhere is that Winston Peters is going to relieve most of the current NZRB Board members the interesting part is this decision comes before the Messara report. Could it be the $50 mill spendup on sports software is unravelling? Certainly there would have to be a black and white reason.

All Wallace has done is help place Justify in China Horse Club ownership. Justify may well have done the same without any involvement from Michael. His achievement would be the total success of China Horse Club for which he is no doubt well paid. There are people around who actually breed, train and ride their horses putting up their own hard earned as well. Nice to see a triple crown winner but lets be reasonable Tiger Woods had Steve Williams as caddy I didn't see much accolades for Williams even though being on the golf course he was far more visible than Michael Wallace.

Possibly??? But he didn't breed, own, train or ride the horse. How many "team members" does there have to be? Neither was it the NZ Horse Club. Compare say to Snow Lupton winning the Melbourne Cup the joint selection with two others of Justify is rather insignificant.

Interesting how this applies to the NZTAB development of sports betting software. Is there any relevance at all? One factor I can see is Silicon Valley getting more involved meaning a whole lot more competition and products. I cannot see Trump allowing US citizens to send funds overseas so if NZ Racing Board were planning on some sort of bonanza then forget it. With the explosion in software means there will be cheaper systems and more innovative products which kind of makes NZ TAB look stupid investing in unknown untried software developed for a tiny market compared to that available in the US. I always thought NZTAB investing $50 million writing sports betting software was absurd now I think its an absolute disaster.

If the only way to bet at night is through the internet then correct if I'm wrong the internet has the progressive dividends. Also we are not going to be that familiar with the form therefore the best indication for us is the appearance of the horse with associated comments. The logic of obscuring the horse and doubling up with the divs just beats me.

Its been raining quite heavily in Auckland with thunder predicted during the day. I've been fooled before however when one expected an abandonment the track was still raceable. Any update?

THe name changes undergone by the Taranaki club of recentt times have been ridiculous. Same with a lot of other clubs just a yuppie idea to make new committee members believe they are modernising racing where in fact they haven't a clue. Back in the sixties when the New Plymouth airport shifted from the old Bell Block site there was some talk of relocating the racecourse to Bell Block which would have given it plenty room. However the New Plymouth track is used extensively by sports clubs I doubt any valid reason would allow it being converted to housing unless the Bell block site was still available for an all weather track.

Notable feat. Raymond Connors winning main races at both venues owning both. One a jumps race the other flat. She's Poppy fresh up after 182 days. Might happen with Baker/Forsman but rarely with a trainer with his numbers and cheapies.

Barry, That was the year of the share market crash. Some pie in the sky breeding ventures but really I didn't think racing was on any great roll. Got worse obviously after the crash but had steadily been declining since the fifties. Lot of differences however. No wall to wall racing at the TAB, no Trackside and no TAB bookies. About that time pub bookies started dying out as TAB race closing times were reduced. The pub bookie may have taken turnover off the TAB but really gave a bit of interest to the patrons which in turn fostered interest in racing. With no Trackside and no TAB bookies Revel Somervell's trials videos were a goldmine. Trial and race performers which now go out at $3.00 would then go out at $20. Betting wise TAB bookies and Trackside have been a disaster.

Yes it appears Pike was caught out only because he or the staff wrote it up in the stable log book. In other words was Pike being too honest? If nothing had been written up nothing would have happened. In my short stint as owner/trainer back on the seventies there used to be a 7 day rule meaning any treatments given 7 days prior to racing had to be notified to the club by 5.00pm Friday before the Saturday. Being honest and perhaps naive I notified them. Then come Saturday morning at breakfast at the accommodation house a club rep came up to me and said we've scratched your horse because the withholding period for the ointment had changed. Thereafter I never bothered with the notification and I don't think many others were doing either.