Forget about the history what's the F-ing track going to be like?!

[Chief Stipe]

Since 1857, horse racing has been a prominent feature here at Ellerslie, firmly establishing our heritage as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s rich thoroughbred racing history.

 

Among our many group race features, the Manco Easter Handicap has emerged as one of the jewels on our calendar with this year celebrating the 150th running of this time-honoured race.

 

With the race set to be run as part of our Easter Handicap Day on Saturday 20 April, let’s saddle up and journey through time to explore a chapter of the race’s storied legacy.

 

The Easter Handicap, first run in 1864, holds the distinction of being one of the oldest horse races in New Zealand. The inaugural race, held on Easter Monday, attracted a crowd eager to witness the prowess of the finest thoroughbreds of the time. The event quickly gained popularity, becoming a staple in the country’s racing calendar.

 

 

The crowd in the straight after the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on 29 March 1902

 

 

 

Over the decades, the Easter Handicap has seen its fair share of legendary moments and outstanding performances.

 

Horses like Kindergarten (a two-time winner), Tudor Light, Grey Way, Sedecrem, El Gallo, and Foxbridge have left an indelible mark on the race, etching their names into New Zealand’s racing lore.

 

However, it was a ‘little known’ racehorse by the name of Sleepy Fox for whom the lens is on today.

 

This was a horse who most certainly did not sleep on the job with the gelding dominating the race an incredible four times in succession in the mid-1940s, earning admiration from fans and experts alike.

 

While the gutsy gelding has been described by some as not a “champion… but out of the top drawer” of trainer Tom Verner’s stable, there is no doubting his astonishing feat most definitely deserves a spot in the race’s history books.

 

Sleepy Fox’s journey to Easter Handicap glory began with an unassuming start, with the then three-year-old not placing in the 1943 edition. However, he quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with when securing a win in the 1944 feature by an impressive five lengths carrying a weight of 8 stone (approx. 51kg in modern day metrics) under the guidance of Joe Williamson.

 

The following year saw him defy expectations again, this time with jockey Ian Galvin aboard where he shouldered a hefty burden of 9 stone 5 (59.5kg) to clinch the coveted title.

 

 

 

His path to glory, however, was not without its trials.

 

A trip to Australia that saw initial triumphs in the Canterbury Stakes and Chelmsford Stakes earn him acclaim as a rising star. It wasn’t to be however, with a sudden decline in form leaving him a mere shadow of his former self with commentary on his return home to New Zealand describing the gelding as “like a skeleton”.

 

Miraculously, just six weeks later, Sleepy Fox defied the odds, emerging victorious in the 1946 Easter Handicap. A true showcase of the horse’s mettle, he carried a staggering 10 stone 2 (64.5kg) to victory – 20kg more than second placegetter, Prince Revel.

 

One year later the now seven-year-old horse returned for his fourth and final Easter Handicap victory. Despite being given 9 stone 13 (63kg), Sleepy Fox rose to the occasion with the race favourite taking out the win and reaffirming his status as perhaps the race’s most beloved champion.

 

Owned by Eliot Davis in partnership with Oliver Nicholson, president of the Auckland Racing Club from 1933 to 1945, Sleepy Fox’s legacy endures as a testament to the indomitable spirit and unwavering determination that defines the essence of the Easter Handicap.

 

The Verner name too has lived on with the race, with Tom’s son Ray producing a Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000.

Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000.

 

---

 

The 150^th running of the Group III Manco Easter Handicap will take place here at Ellerslie on Saturday 20 April 2024.

General admission is free with the first race kicking off at about 12.30pm.

[Wingman]

Too early too call however at present at least 15 mm rain predicted central Auckland mid sat morning through to 4pm. As for the Easter Handicap, (Easter Saturday was 3 weeks ago) a shadow of what it once was, another victim of ignorant executive having little understanding, or caring little for tradition/pattern and the importance of the thoroughbred racing calendar.

[Special Agent]

It is quite mad to think the 150th running of the Easter will run well outside of the Easter Holiday period.  Is this Paul Wilcox's idea?

Chief, they don't give a stuff what the track is like.  That little detail is of no significance to running a successful race meeting.  The precedence at Ellerslie on the new fandangled track has been set.  You can slip and slide and still run.  As safe as houses.

[Huey]

13 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Since 1857, horse racing has been a prominent feature here at Ellerslie, firmly establishing our heritage as a cornerstone of New Zealand’s rich thoroughbred racing history.

 

Among our many group race features, the Manco Easter Handicap has emerged as one of the jewels on our calendar with this year celebrating the 150th running of this time-honoured race.

 

With the race set to be run as part of our Easter Handicap Day on Saturday 20 April, let’s saddle up and journey through time to explore a chapter of the race’s storied legacy.

 

The Easter Handicap, first run in 1864, holds the distinction of being one of the oldest horse races in New Zealand. The inaugural race, held on Easter Monday, attracted a crowd eager to witness the prowess of the finest thoroughbreds of the time. The event quickly gained popularity, becoming a staple in the country’s racing calendar.

 

 

The crowd in the straight after the Easter Handicap at Ellerslie on 29 March 1902

 

 

 

Over the decades, the Easter Handicap has seen its fair share of legendary moments and outstanding performances.

 

Horses like Kindergarten (a two-time winner), Tudor Light, Grey Way, Sedecrem, El Gallo, and Foxbridge have left an indelible mark on the race, etching their names into New Zealand’s racing lore.

 

However, it was a ‘little known’ racehorse by the name of Sleepy Fox for whom the lens is on today.

 

This was a horse who most certainly did not sleep on the job with the gelding dominating the race an incredible four times in succession in the mid-1940s, earning admiration from fans and experts alike.

 

While the gutsy gelding has been described by some as not a “champion… but out of the top drawer” of trainer Tom Verner’s stable, there is no doubting his astonishing feat most definitely deserves a spot in the race’s history books.

 

Sleepy Fox’s journey to Easter Handicap glory began with an unassuming start, with the then three-year-old not placing in the 1943 edition. However, he quickly emerged as a force to be reckoned with when securing a win in the 1944 feature by an impressive five lengths carrying a weight of 8 stone (approx. 51kg in modern day metrics) under the guidance of Joe Williamson.

 

The following year saw him defy expectations again, this time with jockey Ian Galvin aboard where he shouldered a hefty burden of 9 stone 5 (59.5kg) to clinch the coveted title.

 

 

 

His path to glory, however, was not without its trials.

 

A trip to Australia that saw initial triumphs in the Canterbury Stakes and Chelmsford Stakes earn him acclaim as a rising star. It wasn’t to be however, with a sudden decline in form leaving him a mere shadow of his former self with commentary on his return home to New Zealand describing the gelding as “like a skeleton”.

 

Miraculously, just six weeks later, Sleepy Fox defied the odds, emerging victorious in the 1946 Easter Handicap. A true showcase of the horse’s mettle, he carried a staggering 10 stone 2 (64.5kg) to victory – 20kg more than second placegetter, Prince Revel.

 

One year later the now seven-year-old horse returned for his fourth and final Easter Handicap victory. Despite being given 9 stone 13 (63kg), Sleepy Fox rose to the occasion with the race favourite taking out the win and reaffirming his status as perhaps the race’s most beloved champion.

 

Owned by Eliot Davis in partnership with Oliver Nicholson, president of the Auckland Racing Club from 1933 to 1945, Sleepy Fox’s legacy endures as a testament to the indomitable spirit and unwavering determination that defines the essence of the Easter Handicap.

 

The Verner name too has lived on with the race, with Tom’s son Ray producing a Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000.

Turfcutter-Pheroz Jewel quinella in the 1974 edition, and Ray’s son Kerry then training the winner of the 1991 edition with the aptly-named Ray’s Hope before going on to win it again as an owner with Zayyad in 2000.

 

---

 

The 150^th running of the Group III Manco Easter Handicap will take place here at Ellerslie on Saturday 20 April 2024.

General admission is free with the first race kicking off at about 12.30pm.

Divert attention away from the track issue.

[Pete Lane]

 

[Chief Stipe]

Mmmm I've heard "officially" at least 3 different amounts of sand they put on the track since the last abandonment.

[Chief Stipe]

Has anyone else noticed that for two months now the Stewards Video has not been posted for Ellerslie?  Do3s anyone know the reason?

[Special Agent]

No I hadn't.  You'd think by withholding the contents of the Stewards' vision there is something to hide.

[Newmarket]

Looks like last 2 races gone….

[Chief Stipe]

23 minutes ago, Newmarket said:

Looks like last 2 races gone….

They would have still run it 146 years ago.

[Huey]

The time has come for those responsible to walk, its well and truly beyond a joke .

The industry did this to itself all the know it alls when the Messara Report came out, its a circus and will always be.

[Chief Stipe]

8 minutes ago, Huey said:

The time has come for those responsible to walk, its well and truly beyond a joke .

The industry did this to itself all the know it alls when the Messara Report came out, its a circus and will always be.

What was the reason?  Visibility?  The weather was worse at Randwick!

[Huey]

4 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

What was the reason?  Visibility?  The weather was worse at Randwick!

Oatham said slip on M Cameron runner.

Why was this track rushed back for KM & now for this meeting , what are they trying to prove?

[billy connolly]

The crucial error they've made with this track is they never banked/cambered it, which was a monumental risk on their part and in my view is the reason why horses are losing their footing.

The significant problem with a cambered track though is it creates a leaders bias, but it looks like they're going to have to do it because safety is paramount.

[Chief Stipe]

2 minutes ago, billy connolly said:

The crucial error they've made with this track is they never banked/cambered it, which was a monumental risk on their part and in my view is the reason why horses are losing their footing.

That would have made it worse.

[billy connolly]

Oh dear, I thought you had a few clues but you obviously don't.

If Mooney Valley wasn't banked it would be a skating rink, car racing tracks likewise.

 

[Chief Stipe]

21 minutes ago, billy connolly said:

Oh dear, I thought you had a few clues but you obviously don't.

If Mooney Valley wasn't banked it would be a skating rink, car racing tracks likewise.

 

Have you walked Ellerslie since the rebuild?  I have twice.  The problem ISN'T a lack of camber.  Comparing it to Moonee Valley is like comparing chalk and cheese given the difference in the top layer.  The problem is the sand.  Cambering it won't stop the slipping - as I said it would make the problem worse.  They went faster at Ellerslie in race 1 today on a soft 5 than Imperatriz did winning the William Reid Stakes on a Good 4.  The top horses struggle to break 1:10 at Moonee Valley and that has nothing to do with the camber.  In race 1 today at Ellerslie they ran 1:09.68.

[Chief Stipe]

It's also a nonsense to make any excuses for the ARC.  The responsibility for providing a safe and fair track rests entirely with them. 

[Chief Stipe]

Picture taken on workouts day 26 Feb 2024.

 

 

[Huey]

58 minutes ago, billy connolly said:

Oh dear, I thought you had a few clues but you obviously don't.

If Mooney Valley wasn't banked it would be a skating rink, car racing tracks likewise.

 

Even if that was or is the case , still no excuse for putting on this S%%t show , this club talk themselves up at every opportunity and pretend to lead the way, they're the laughing stock of the industry!

[Huey]

Had the Strathy not been put in the industry would be in a better state than it is now.

[Chief Stipe]

24 minutes ago, Huey said:

Had the Strathy not been put in the industry would be in a better state than it is now.

Couldn't you say that about the AWT's as well?

[Huey]

8 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Couldn't you say that about the AWT's as well?

Yes for sure you could.

[billy connolly]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

The problem is the sand.  Cambering it won't stop the slipping - as I said it would make the problem worse.

I'm not familiar with Strath Ayr surfaces but when a horse negotiates a bend that isn't cambered its inertia pushes it outwards and if that inertial force is great enough it doesn't take much to make it loose its footing.

On a cambered bend the opposite occurs and although a portion of a horses inertia still pushes it outwards, the camber pushes it into the track which in turn provides grip/traction.

Jockeys will also try harder and take more risks on a cambered surface.

[Chief Stipe]

2 minutes ago, billy connolly said:

I'm not familiar with Strath Ayr surfaces but when a horse negotiates a bend that isn't cambered its inertia pushes it outwards and if that inertial force is great enough it doesn't take much to make it loose its footing.

On a cambered bend the opposite occurs and although a portion of a horses inertia still pushes it outwards, the camber pushes it into the track which in turn provides grip/traction.

Jockeys will also try harder and take more risks on a cambered surface.

Perhaps but the grass on this new surface is such that the horses hooves are not penetrating the surface.  Liken it to racing on glass - having a camber just changes the vector of the slipping as the hooves still won't be penetrative the surface.

I listened to Wilcox explaining how after they did the first round of remedial work the horses hooves were going in 10mm!  The picture I posted doesn't show that.

The only reason they don't slip on the inside is because the surface has become rough.  The wider you go on the bend the less rough it is hence more slipping.