Weasel

RIP, Comeback. Now take a quick look at his short( in time) but extremely busy career. This campaign was just his 2nd 'prep': resumed from a good spell on Livamol Day 6 Oct 2018 for career start #7 as a R63 horse (running 2nd to Blondlign) The Tarzino on 7 Sept 2019 was its 22nd race this prep, which included 5 wins in a row in the autumn. Not many win ''em in a row like that. Sign of an exceptional horse in the making. rating went from 63 to 94 in that time campaigned in Waikato in the spring 2018 and at Ellerslie Xmas Carnival, then on NI East Coast summer tracks early 2019, won those 5 in a row at Trentham and Manawatu in the autumn, then slogged through the Taranaki mud in the Opunake Cup in July (well behind Helena Baby) and the shifty shocking Te Rapa crap track in the Foxbridge in August to pick up a Grp 2 placing. Time then for a rest after being up for 10-12 months?? No, no, let's press on to Hawkes Bay, nothing like a sunny Spring carnival to perk up a decent horse. One thing is for sure. There will be no comeback now or ever again for Comeback - 28 starts (19 in the 2018/19 season as a 4yo) A very honest, classy and brave warhorse, only just turned 5yo ...what might he have done if handled more patiently?

Team Rogerson strike rate going into today 2019/20 3 $119,000 79 0 26.33 that's 79 runners for 3 wins, people and another 5 starters today, I think , no winners

I feel sorry for Smedley as mentioned BUT the ARC should be making a presentation to this horse ..he's had over 40 starts at Ellerslie and won a Cornwall Hcp, for goodness; sake ...a DSM is in order!!

ok smarty pants ..come up with a quiz of your own ...

yes the warning should be against the trainer not the horse ..i know trainers say the horse loves being in a race but really Clayton, don't ya think it's time to give him a well deserved pension?

To answer my own questions. Aalaalune not nommed for Windsor Park Plate (a relief, hopefully something else more likely to win gets a start). Unbelievably the wallies at the TAB have Aalaalune at $51 to win the Cox Plate. Should be at $551.

Good observations and research here by ATA and CS. I hope the connections do the right thing and give Aalaalune a decent spell. She is far better suited to longer trips and perhaps wetter ground in the autumn. She also needs time to mature. However, I expect TR will need no further invitations from the owner(s) to press on to the next hypothetically rich target. Is she in the market for the Windsor Park Plate? By the way, having a nomination for the Cox Plate is not necessarily a great guideline of a horse's ability. sometimes it is a better guideline of the connections' ambitious nature. (Your horses shows some talent and it's all go for the Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup or wotever.)

.yep, Livamol by way of a warm-up over 1600 in the Windsor Park Plate. If team R had any brains between em they'd give this horse a spell and hope like hell it forgets the beat-up it just had and bring her back for the autumn ...and try to win an Oaks...perhaps starting by breaking maidens

CS I am in total agreement..I think running Aalaalune in the Tarzino (or any WFA race) right now is daft and could ruin the horse's confidence completely. There is absolutely no compelling reason to chuck her in the deep end/ As a risk/reward scenario, it's right up there with winning Powerball off a $25 ticket. Yes it could happen, but...why other when there are so many decent races for her own age and sex in the next 3-9 months. She has shown potential at Group level as a 2yo...surely that's a good reason for being sensible with a $230k (?) purchase who has time and pedigree on her side.

There may well have been 'pressure' from owners and perhaps that's why there is a change of trainer. Rogie is not afraid to aim high, risk everything and take on older horses with young ones - with some success, mind - and Aalalune was not a cheap purchase, remember. Her pedigree does not jump out at you and say out-and-out 'precocious, speedster' or quick maturing, though she is from a Fastnet Rock mare. (She may well be the only Stakes placed 2yo by Reliable Man.) An older (2015) half-brother, Black Thorn by Redwood fetched a mere $6k at NZ Ready To Run Sale and has won 1 race in Singapore, in May 2019, so not exactly precocious. Another sibling (Redmann) didn't win but was placed at one of two starts in NZ; while The Stylist (Swiss Ace) has run two places from three attempts in Victoria. Intriguingly, there is a full sister to Aalalune (named De La Terre) part-owned by Rogie and Te Keeti, which has won both its 600m trials (the second of them two days ago) so may well be being prepared for a debut sooner than later. It's the nature of the beast and owners looking for a quick ROI are entitled to know if their horse(s) can stand an early prep.

yes, it can happen ...once in 100 years or so...my point is that the new training regime win whatever the result,...if the horse were mine, I wouldn't be in such a hurry to clean up everything in the Spring ...she's by Reliable Man!!

20 starts between late Dec 2010 (2yo) and late Dec 2011 (3yo) - incl 2 campaigns in Oz where it won about $430k of its $600k lifetime earnings in 4 starts ... didn't win a race, but ran 2nd (btn 9L) to Mosheen in the VRC Oaks.. Clearly an extremely good horse, pushed to the limit...or beyond, cos they even pressed on and ran her in the Eulogy, Eight Carat and Royal Stakes after returning from Flemington carnival. No wonder it never won or ran a place again. Wonder how she'd have gone as 5yo or 6yo (by Savabeel) ...

Rogie has nothing to lose...makes money even if it runs stone motherless last...if it runs above expectations he's a 'genius' and there are ready-made excuses if it fails, which is highly likely. I note Contessa Vanessa ran a very ordinary race fresh-up in the Taranaki mud - just another example of impatience ruining a classy galloper...

good assessment HS ...i think Reece is the new star finisher for the World Cup, amazing speed, balance and athleticism. Hansen will be hoping like hell both Retallick and Squire are at their peak by quarter-final match, whoever we play. At least Read seems to be improving and the 'Beau'unga' experiment worked well at Eden Park. I'm a tad concerned about our front row ..inconsistent lately, and Coles needs to stay under the radar of the ref! I fear the head knocks and Father Time have caught up with Ben From Accounts. Can they afford to take him, but not play him in the big games? His experience could be invaluable for the younger guys in midfield. Hopefully what we learned agst Aus in Perth is that we can't afford to have a bad day in Japan against South Africa.

indeed.. housing developments and winning races i Ozzie will !

last 4 completed seasons in NZ (2018-19 at the top); plenty of winners, decent strike rate, the diff is the absence of a top class runner now cf Kawi days. Minimum stakes went up, too, in this period. 14 Allan Sharrock 33 39 27 $649,385 217 0 6.58 24 Allan Sharrock 21 19 28 $867,037 183 3 8.7 15 Allan Sharrock 30 27 25 $909,311 198 6 6.6 13 Allan Sharrock 36 26 21 $975,227 182 5 5.06

Addendum to previous post. My ellipses had some of their connecting dots disconnected, in effect making them unrecognisable as ellipses and much more like periods (or full stops, if you prefer), albeit with an unnecessary space before the said dot, in effect making it grammatically incorrect in each instance. What can a poor Mustelid do (?) . other than to resolve to review and revise far more carefully before posting henceforth and thitherwith. MM B.A. (Hons), Mustelid School of Engrish

LOL .IRRITATING AND INFURIATING .but not difficult to comprehend.it's his way of 'buying time' to think/organise his mind. He uses 'there' and 'as well' to fill the air etc because the first rule of radio is (or was) that 'dead air' is bad. I turn him off or hit the mute button whenever practicable

So the Vote mechanism was set up to do . (note ellipse to indicate uncertainty) what? Find out what other people think? No, 'cos there is clear bias in the framing of the question. Give Thomass a hard time? Certainly . (ellipse here to indicate time passing, allowing thoughts to be processed). Anything else? Maybe. I'm guessing it's a mechanism to overwhelm poor Thomass with the weight of your 'supporters' on this trivia, as 'proven by a 'Vote'. All the Vote has proven is that not enough people care about the ellipses (note correct use of plural). I'm tending to agree with ATA on the 'let it go' advice. But I have enjoyed the brush-up on a point of grammar, MM PS: Will you now undertake a poll on the irritating (or not) use of brackets (parentheses) - please note correct use of plural, but possibly incorrect use of an 'em' (cf 'en') dash.

Ronaldo, you are missing the point. Peter is being given a serve on this thread for his flocking annoying, lazy, careless, unprofessional way of speaking.esp the endlessly irritating use of the word 'there' .

CS, you need to be careful when framing a Vote (survey of opinion) question that you don't 'skew it' one way or t'other. By using the word 'excessive' in the phrase 'excessive use of ellipses', there is a clear implication of undesirability, 'excess' being an undesirable quality, certainly in this context. I recommend that the word 'excessive' be replaced with 'frequent' (or something similar). MM

something of interest for you, Lady Jess https://www.racingnews.co.nz/blog/post/43865/New-focus-at-The-Oaks-Stud/

As Peter Posa's White Rabbit fades, Peter Poser cranks up with the tough questions: PE: Well, Johnny, ah ...there... I see you're based in the deep South ah... now ... there...what's the go with...ah that .... there, my son? Too warm in the north, haha...there?" JO:Morning Peter, can't really comment on that as it's above my pay rate PE: Ok..ah there... they've put the tongue tie on you again have they .. ahh ... there?" JP: Look I have to say well ,really that it's a classic case of "No comment", Peter, as I just mentioned, I can't really comment ... etc etc etc

she ain't good enough to be in the Cox Plate imo...but he'll be trying to get her in the field so he can get his photo taken standing on an apple box with the cognoscenti, celebrati, paparazzi et alia LOL

i think Helena Baby will be a long way from Queensland, unless there's been a change of plan on account of 'civil unrest' in Honkers