PRESS RELEASE: Black Type Changes at Trentham

[Chief Stipe]

PRESS RELEASE: BLACK TYPE CHANGES AT TRENTHAM

“The release of the New Zealand Pattern Committee’s 2024 report is a reminder of the need to ensure the best horses can attend our best races” says RACE’s CEO Tim Savell as a suite of programming changes are announced for the upcoming summer.

RACE General Manager of Racing Brad Taylor is under no illusions about the response to the constructive feedback received from the Pattern Committee. “The downgrade of the Levin Classic to Group 2 status is disappointing but fair. We need to make immediate changes to the program to give our other at-risk Group One’s the best chance to maintain their status at the pinnacle of New Zealand racing”.

These changes will see revised programmes for the December and January meetings at RACE Trentham, which has the overall effect of providing an increased number of blue ribbon racedays for members, owners and fans to attend.

Saturday December 7 sees the first Group One of the season raced at Trentham, the $400,000 TAB Classic over 1600m. Pleasingly, the warning on this race has been removed but the same cannot be said for the 2YO 1100m Wakefield Challenge Stakes. The Pattern Committee have recommended this race move back two weeks, to attract a better field of two year olds. It will now run on December 21, the LawnMaster Christmas at the Races meeting.

The Group 3 LawnMaster Eulogy Stakes was originally set down for Sunday December 15, but it was felt a Saturday was a more appropriate date for a black type race, and it has also transferred to Saturday December 21. The Group 2 Manawatu Challenge Stakes and Group 3 Humphries Construction Manawatu Cup were already scheduled for this date, which will now host a hefty load of four group races on the day - a great lead in to Christmas.

Saturday 4 January is the start of the NZCIS Wellington Cup Carnival and was set to host the Listed Marton Cup and the transferred Group 3 Anniversary Handicap. However this raceday has now had a serious upgrade with the moving forward of the TAB Telegraph by one week to run on January 4. On a warning and in severe risk of a downgrade, it has been agreed to move the Worlds’ fastest 1200m Group One so that eligible sprinters can compete at both the Telegraph and Ellerslie’s Railway, with the optimal three week break in between starts. "This moves gives our Group 1 sprinters a three week gap rather than two weeks between New Zealand's two Group 1 1200 metre events. We have to thank NZTR, Entain and the Pattern Committee for agreeing to the move and also Auckland Thoroughbred Racing for moving forward the Group 3 Concorde Handicap to early December to give the Northern horses the ideal lead up to the Group 1 Telegraph."

Saturday 11 January will now be known as Harcourts Thorndon Mile Day and is part of The Grand Tour Racing Festival. The Thorndon Mile is now also on a warning, but it is hoped the $100,000 stakes increase and move forward by one week will assist Wellington’s premier mile race. The Group 2 Levin Classic will still run this day on a reduced stake of $400,000, as will the $150,000 G3 Trentham Stakes and Listed $100k Wellesley Stakes.

The carnival reaches its peak on Saturday 18 January with the 152nd edition of the NZ Campus of Innovation and Sport Wellington Cup, running at an increased stake of $400,000 this year. Aussie sensations Peking Duk will return to highlight the off-track action, with the Group 3 Desert Gold Stakes and $350,000 Remutaka Classic also on the card.  

Looking forward a little further, the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Oaks on March 22 is the main benefactor of the downgrade of the Levin Classic, with the stakes being transferred to being the race up to a whopping $1 million in prizemoney. “This iconic race is also now on a warning” explains Brad Taylor, “We hope that a million dollars in stakes is an attractive proposition to ensure next season the best three-year-old staying fillies are at Trentham in March. This is an important Group 1 on our calendar for several reasons so seeing the best fillies here is key to it retaining its Group 1 status”.

Set to run on March 29, Brad also notes that “the Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes has had its warning removed, which is great news as the 2YO Group One returns to it’s home at RACE Awapuni next season”. A lift in prizemoney to $550,000 is also on the cards for what will be the first black type meeting in the Manawatu in over 18 months.

 

 

RACE Upcoming Meetings

 

[Murray Fish]

Speaking as a photographer! Trentham is the Best Track by a long way to work at because the sun comes from over ones shoulders and on a bright sunny day! Hence more 'important historical' shots have been taken there! Thankful for being able to be on course for some many of those races back 80/90's. 

Speaking as punter, all these changes etc stand for shit if we don't have a decent track to let the races play out on!

 

[Chief Stipe]

21 minutes ago, Murray Fish said:

Speaking as punter, all these changes etc stand for shit if we don't have a decent track to let the races play out on!

 

Or class horses to run on a decent track.

[Huey]

Add to all of this the announced changes in the pattern and the future is looking very poor indeed for nz racing. 

[Murray Fish]

1 hour ago, Huey said:

Add to all of this the announced changes in the pattern and the future is looking very poor indeed for nz racing. 

In some ways true, but in another it might be actually easy to get a win or place horse, I recon so!  especially in the black type races as there is not the deep in the fields that there would be!  I seem to be different than most when it comes to having a bet! give me a small field any day! a decent track would be nice as well!
 

But gee, where @TAB For Everis 100% correct! make sure you are having some fun along the way! Respectfully said Knowing of the hard work being put in by so many in producing each horse on a race day! Extra hard if you are distant from the bright lights of the Metro tracks!

[Doomed]

The Telegraph now has the distinction of being run at four different meetings from my memory.  Originally on the last day of the meeting, same day as the Cup, then on the Monday to boost that meeting, then on the previous Saturday to boost the original first day of the carnival, now a week or so earlier at a previously nondescript meeting. For a traditionalist it is dizzying trying to keep up.

With all of the shuffling around of races to suit Ellerslie, it is rather sad that there is now no SI lead in race to the Telegraph. Considering the SI has won four of the last 12 editions of the Telegraph you would have to consider this either gross incompetence or arrogance. A bit of both I would think. You can't tell me the people who have come up with all these changes are as clever as they obviously think they are.

There is a chance they are planning to add a $100,000 1,200m race to the Ashburton programme on 18 Dec, in which case my criticism is obviously far too harsh. I won't hold my breath though based on past experiences.

[curious]

7 hours ago, Doomed said:

There is a chance they are planning to add a $100,000 1,200m race to the Ashburton programme on 18 Dec, in which case my criticism is obviously far too harsh. I won't hold my breath though based on past experiences.

Nope. Only an open industry 1300 there. Where did you hear that or are you being facetious?

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, curious said:

Nope. Only an open industry 1300 there. Where did you hear that or are you being facetious?

That was purely from the imaginary world that I live in.  They have actually taken away the only vaguely suitable lead in race, The Hazlett, moved it away from Boxing day and made it 1,400m. It was going to be only 9 days before the Telegraph anyhow and they obviously think a 3 week gap is ideal, hence the Telegraph and Railway spacing.

Totally seriously, can anyone believe that the SI has won 4 of the last 12 Telegraphs, all Canty trained, and there is now not a single suitable race to prepare a southern horse for that race.

They are either totally unaware that the race relies on Southern horses to get a decent sized filed or else they find it embarrassing that the Southerners keep winning the race so want to make it as hard for them as possible. Probably a bit of both.

To me it just emphasises that the people running the show have virtually no idea how everything works. They have just been given a bucket of cash and want to splash it around in the direction of Ellerslie and bugger everyone else.

Interesting that this was all announced/promoted once the SI roadshows were over.

[Huey]

10 hours ago, Doomed said:

That was purely from the imaginary world that I live in.  They have actually taken away the only vaguely suitable lead in race, The Hazlett, moved it away from Boxing day and made it 1,400m. It was going to be only 9 days before the Telegraph anyhow and they obviously think a 3 week gap is ideal, hence the Telegraph and Railway spacing.

Totally seriously, can anyone believe that the SI has won 4 of the last 12 Telegraphs, all Canty trained, and there is now not a single suitable race to prepare a southern horse for that race.

They are either totally unaware that the race relies on Southern horses to get a decent sized filed or else they find it embarrassing that the Southerners keep winning the race so want to make it as hard for them as possible. Probably a bit of both.

To me it just emphasises that the people running the show have virtually no idea how everything works. They have just been given a bucket of cash and want to splash it around in the direction of Ellerslie and bugger everyone else.

Interesting that this was all announced/promoted once the SI roadshows were over.

To a degree that is true, but if you strip it all back you'll eventually notice all of NZracing is being run to suit the Waikato set.

[Chief Stipe]

13 minutes ago, Huey said:

To a degree that is true, but if you strip it all back you'll eventually notice all of NZracing is being run to suit the Waikato set.

Who exactly in the Waikato?  I'd argue that it isn't suiting the Waikato Trainers at all.  Especially those that try to look after their horses.

So who does it favour?  And why?

[Murray Fish]

4 hours ago, Huey said:

To a degree that is true, but if you strip it all back you'll eventually notice all of NZracing is being run to suit the Waikato set.

the praxis of 'core periphery model'..

Chch is for the South, but is also in the periphery to the primary core.. which of course is on the periphery of the likes of Mlb and Syd and into Asia,,  CD is interesting, its seems as if things are spread around, no place quite being the core, all those district off course very becoming to the Waikato/Cambride/Mattamata core  

[Murray Fish]

4 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

So who does it favour?  And why?

This is a 'Indu$try', where the Winner with the most Wins, rather  paradoxically perhaps,  also is  the greatest lo$er..

[Freda]

22 hours ago, Doomed said:

That was purely from the imaginary world that I live in.  They have actually taken away the only vaguely suitable lead in race, The Hazlett, moved it away from Boxing day and made it 1,400m. It was going to be only 9 days before the Telegraph anyhow and they obviously think a 3 week gap is ideal, hence the Telegraph and Railway spacing.

Totally seriously, can anyone believe that the SI has won 4 of the last 12 Telegraphs, all Canty trained, and there is now not a single suitable race to prepare a southern horse for that race.

They are either totally unaware that the race relies on Southern horses to get a decent sized filed or else they find it embarrassing that the Southerners keep winning the race so want to make it as hard for them as possible. Probably a bit of both.

To me it just emphasises that the people running the show have virtually no idea how everything works. They have just been given a bucket of cash and want to splash it around in the direction of Ellerslie and bugger everyone else.

Interesting that this was all announced/promoted once the SI roadshows were over.

There might be a nice 1200m race at the Xmas polytrack meeting...

[Freda]

Southerners are a resilient lot.

I recall the open hcps on the Coast being used as lead-ups to the Wellington Cup.

And, although the satellite stable concept like Te Akau and the now defunct Marsh operations at Riccarton are beyond most, there are some who regularly send horses north to accommodating trainers to take in suitable races..Kenny Moore and Kelvin Tyler immediately come to mind.

I've looked after horses for N.I trainers for years,  the same service in reverse,  as have many others.

Where there's a will there's a way.

[Pete Lane]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

Southerners are a resilient lot.

I recall the open hcps on the Coast being used as lead-ups to the Wellington Cup.

And, although the satellite stable concept like Te Akau and the now defunct Marsh operations at Riccarton are beyond most, there are some who regularly send horses north to accommodating trainers to take in suitable races..Kenny Moore and Kelvin Tyler immediately come to mind.

I've looked after horses for N.I trainers for years,  the same service in reverse,  as have many others.

Where there's a will there's a way.

I still remember Kevin Myers starting C'Est La Guerre at Wairoa as a lead up to his Derby win.