$65,000 Ellerslie farce

[Thomass]

So we all know the economy has tanked under this atrocious Knat Gumment, thanks for nothing Nichola, don't come back

But seriously, what did the connections of ORCHESTORAL do to convince HQ to run 3 horses against her?

Couldn't Craig Baker get off his chuff and talk a few R 75's into running as well and stump up the cost to run for free plus a few bangers chucked in??

Anything other than a 4 horse PATHETIC field

A pony scurry would've been far more entertaining...even a side saddle contest with Victorian era ladies, corsets attached for authenticity??

Just give Wodger the money now and avoid any more embarrassment 

 

[Huey]

Why is she not getting hammered at the weights also,  plenty of winter horses carry more than 60kg when gap in handicap is that large. 

[curious]

26 minutes ago, Huey said:

Why is she not getting hammered at the weights also,  plenty of winter horses carry more than 60kg when gap in handicap is that large. 

It's the handicapping system. She's rated 102 so she gets 62 less the 2kg female allowance. Shamus rated 98 gets 2kgs less, but not the allowance.

[Doomed]

The big thing is precedent. Makes it very hard to scrap a race with four entrants anywhere else now.

I also think it makes it hard to justify refusing to split a race in the south when you get 22 noms at a track that starts 14. The usual approach is to tell the 8 unlucky ones to piss off and wait another couple of weeks.

Not a single horse balloted or eliminated at Ellerslie or Trentham. It will be interesting to see what happens at the next few southern meetings when they get over 20 odd noms for a race.

[Huey]

5 hours ago, Doomed said:

The big thing is precedent. Makes it very hard to scrap a race with four entrants anywhere else now.

I also think it makes it hard to justify refusing to split a race in the south when you get 22 noms at a track that starts 14. The usual approach is to tell the 8 unlucky ones to piss off and wait another couple of weeks.

Not a single horse balloted or eliminated at Ellerslie or Trentham. It will be interesting to see what happens at the next few southern meetings when they get over 20 odd noms for a race.

It really doesn't for them. They ll do it again. They don't care.

CS doesn't think the racing mafia exist in NZ.

[Chief Stipe]

I really don't understand what the problem is here.  It happens on a regular basis at Metro tracks in Australia had often for a lot more dosh than $65k NZ Pesos!

As for @Huey and his mythical Mafia who is the capomandamento aka The Boss aka The Godfather?

[Chief Stipe]

The way Orchestral came back initially this season she isn't a racecourse certainty.

[Chief Stipe]

There's 6 horses running around in Perth on Saturday in a BM72 for $88k AU gold coins.

[Freda]

Yeah,  Chief,  but there isn't the  clear difference in process from N.I  to S.I that exists here.

[Chief Stipe]

18 minutes ago, Freda said:

Yeah,  Chief,  but there isn't the  clear difference in process from N.I  to S.I that exists here.

For example?

[Chief Stipe]

Another Auckland summer in store for Orchestral

loveracing.nz

A series of outstanding performances at Ellerslie last summer underpinned an award-winning three-year-old season for Orchestral, and trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood hope Sunday’s Auckland Co-Op Taxis (1400m) will set her up for more of the same in 2025.

The top-class daughter of Savabeel scored a stunning Ellerslie treble in last year’s $1.5 million Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m), Gr.2 Avondale Guineas (2100m) and Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). She powered home from the back half of the field to win each of those features with ease, racking up a combined winning margin of more than 11 lengths.

Orchestral carried on to Sydney and added the Gr.1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), which James and Wellwood had also won the previous year with Prowess. Orchestral’s exceptional three-year-old season came to an end with a third placing in the Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m).

James and Wellwood went into Orchestral’s four-year-old spring with high hopes, but she was unplaced in all of her three appearances. She resumed with an eighth over 1400m at Ellerslie in September, followed by a strong-finishing sixth in the Gr.1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) and a very disappointing 12^th in the Gr.1 Empire Rose Stakes (1600m).

“For whatever reason, she didn’t show her best form in that spring campaign,” James said. “She had a hard run first-up, and then to be fair to her, she was very unlucky in that second run. But her performance in that last race was a bit of a head-scratcher.

“We gave her a break after that and I’m super happy with her in the lead-up to Ellerslie this weekend. She’s looking great.

“The 1400m will absolutely be short of her best distance this weekend and there’s a fair bit of improvement left in her. We don’t need her to be peaking for this race.”

James is looking forward to taking Orchestral back to Ellerslie’s Karaka Millions meeting again on January 25 in search of another million-dollar prize.

“She’ll go to the Aotearoa Classic (1600m) next,” he said. “After that, she’ll probably continue to race in New Zealand through until the autumn. We can race for such incredibly good money on home soil now, with the stakes and bonuses, that there’s no need to look further afield.”

The TAB rates Orchestral a $3 favourite for the Elsdon Park Aotearoa Classic. She is also prominent in the market for the Gr.1 Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) at Te Rapa on February 8, where she sits on the second line of favouritism at $6 behind dominant $1.70 favourite Snazzytavi.

Orchestral is at the same $6 quote for the Gr.1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2000m), which is one of four Group One races run on Champions Day at Ellerslie on March 8.

The Aotearoa Classic, Herbie Dyke Stakes and Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes are all qualifying races for the Rich Hill Champion Middle Distance Series, which will award bonuses of $300,000, $150,000 and $50,000 for the three highest point-scorers at the conclusion of the 12-race series.

Orchestral’s return headlines an exciting weekend for Kingsclere Stables, who will also be represented by last-start Stella Artois 1500 Championship Final (1500m) winner Hasstobeawinner in the NZB Karaka 2025 (1500m) at Ellerslie on Sunday.

The form out of that Stella Artois 1500 victory on Boxing Day has already received a notable boost, with runner-up Bourbon Empress going on to win the Gr.2 Rich Hill Mile (1600m) on New Year’s Day.

“He won that race very well and the form has stacked up,” James said. “That looks to me to be the most competitive race of the day on Sunday, there’s a lot of form in that line-up. It’s not a given that he can win again, but we have been very happy with the horse in between times.”

On Friday at Tauranga, James and Wellwood will be represented by resuming runners Arabian Songbird in the MJ @ Ray White Greerton (1400m) and December in the Social Club Greerton (1200m).

“I think Arabian Songbird’s last race at Pukekohe in November was a real ‘forget’ run,” James said. “She won both of her starts before than in very good style. She’s had a little freshen up and has pleased us with her work. She can run a bold race on Friday.

“December is a pretty fair sprinter and is coming up really well. He’s still on the way up, so he’ll take some good improvement out of whatever he does on Friday.”

[Freda]

1 hour ago, Chief Stipe said:

For example?

We've just been reading about them

[Doomed]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

For example?

I cannot remember a single instance of a four horse field going around in the SI for $65,000. 4 and 5 horse fields quite regularly go around in the NI for big stakes.

The big difference is that they will not programme any race in the SI that has a significant chance of attracting a small field. Hence no 2yo racing. Very little 3yo racing, and no male 3yo race further than 1,600m. No such worry in the NI. The race in question was always going to be suspect with a 1,600m race for the same class at Tauranga today. 

Can feature stakes and multiple open class races be justified at Tauranga and Auckland two days apart? Are the small fields at both venues any surprise?

By contrast, there is no feature meeting in Canterbury for 10 weeks, apart from a low grade AWT meeting with no open or age group races, but bizarrely some enhanced stakes..

[Chief Stipe]

44 minutes ago, Freda said:

We've just been reading about them

Uh?  Why the cryptic comments?

[Chief Stipe]

7 minutes ago, Doomed said:

By contrast, there is no feature meeting in Canterbury for 10 weeks, apart from a low grade AWT meeting with no open or age group races, but bizarrely some enhanced stakes..

That's not correct.  There is one in two weeks at Riccarton on 25 January.  Two Open Handicaps and a 2yr old race. 

https://loveracing.nz/RaceInfo/53290/Meeting-Overview.aspx

[Doomed]

8 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

That's not correct.  There is one in two weeks at Riccarton on 25 January.  Two Open Handicaps and a 2yr old race. 

https://loveracing.nz/RaceInfo/53290/Meeting-Overview.aspx

Gee Chief. For there to be a 10 week gap there needs to be a start and an end to it. 25 Jan is the end of the 10 weeks. NZ Cup day was the start of the gap.

[Doomed]

And the 2yo race on 25 Jan is the first for 10.5 weeks. Try doing that in the NI. Meanwhile 3 southern 2yos have had to travel to Trentham and Ellerslie to get a start somewhere.

[Chief Stipe]

7 minutes ago, Doomed said:

Gee Chief. For there to be a 10 week gap there needs to be a start and an end to it. 25 Jan is the end of the 10 weeks. NZ Cup day was the start of the gap.

You didn't mention the START of the GAP!

[Chief Stipe]

6 minutes ago, Doomed said:

And the 2yo race on 25 Jan is the first for 10.5 weeks. Try doing that in the NI. Meanwhile 3 southern 2yos have had to travel to Trentham and Ellerslie to get a start somewhere.

The last SI trials were 27 November 2024 and not one 2yr old went round!  So what do you expect?

Prior to that only 3 went round at the trials on 7 November 2024.  

[Doomed]

8 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

The last SI trials were 27 November 2024 and not one 2yr old went round!  So what do you expect?

Prior to that only 3 went round at the trials on 7 November 2024.  

No jumpers at those trials either. Strange that.

At least we know that if they only get four 2yo acceptors for the 25th the race will go ahead.