I thought I had it with Majestic Cruiser but Trevor and his favourite stable prevailed
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I thought I had it with Majestic Cruiser but Trevor and his favourite stable prevailed
No, Trevor and his favourite horse prevailed! What fantastic races the two big group ones were to showcase all that is great about the sport along with Millwood Nike's huge run to win the fillies' final. A fairly pedestrian 1:55.3 mile rate in the FFA so the first 3 were all great runs, the first 3 sprinting home from the rear. Self Assured ($6.80 on the tote!) was last until M Purdon moved him forward at the 600 and circled the entire field. The only better staying performance was my lungs still generating enough air to scream at the TV without a single breath those last 600 metres.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
TAB and Ladbrokes have removed Rocknroll Doo from the ID market. Sportsbet have listed him as unlikely. While some other betting agencies have now just listed him as Rocknroll Who.
Self Assured beat Arty as a 3yo and then put in two stellar efforts in the Bonanza and Chariots as a 4yo. Hopefully we see him back here in Aust some stage at his best
He is somewhat of a forgotten horse over here. I was in Hospital watching the Ballarat Cup on Trots Vision in 2020 when he circled the entire field in the last lap to run second to AG's White Socks. The nurses were most intrigued a few minutes later when they took my vital signs (this would happen at least eight times a day) as my heart rate had jumped dramatically.Quote:
Originally Posted by aussiebreno
The bloody COVID lockdowns in both countries basically put paid to Self Assured coming back over here. I see he has won just under $893,000 this season, more than double the next top earner in NZ. Perhaps that might bankroll an assault on the MM next season. It is not looking like a hot and dry summer ahead so perhaps the Hunter Cup might be on his agenda if he comes over. Hope so.
Victorian raider Rock N Roll Doo was a brave fourth after having to sit parked the last 1000m.
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...-for-the-ages/
No, he didn't have to - that was the driver's choice
He might be a better horse with a better driver
Both Rock N Roll Doo and Stanley would have learned from this week. The horse from racing genuine top horses and the driver, perhaps, if he watches the replay and takes note of the winning driver's tactics. It was the difference between winning a major group one in a high quality field and finishing a brave fourth.
Brave, as in the horse was beaten on straightening. It was only his big heart kept him going but too many of those energy-sapping runs won't help the horse's cause.
He has never shown a propensity to learn in the past and he is 42
Exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
The NZ'ers have revamped the Invercargill Cup hugely for this year, returning it to a 3200 metre handicap with a 30 metre backmark and $100,000 stakemoney. The Easter Cup was dropped this season so this race will become its "Merry Christmas" replacement. The Invercargill Cup was previously a $30,000 country cup but it is sure to attract more the big guns now.
https://www.hrnz.co.nz/news/self-assured-heading-south/
Ascot Park Raceway is a good 1029 metre track of the old style - long straights and bends that do eventually end - and gives all runners an opportunity. Well done to those in the deep south for promoting the sport so well.
NZ don't see the benefit of their champions going around!
Both Copy That (R120) and Hot And Treacherous (R92) were scrubbed from the field despite the conditions of the race saying the rating 35 and faster pace would be split into three races and selected from the highest rating downwards.
The decision left the race with an eight-horse field and a rating spread of R59 to R74.
Butterworth said the ridiculous situation of the two best horses and potential drawcards for the meeting being eliminated would never occur in Victoria.
“He clearly met the conditions of the race. It makes me wonder what I’m doing racing Copy That in Auckland. If it had been the gallops they’d have been ringing round trainers trying to attract the top horses to the meeting not blotting them out. How can doing this be for the betterment of the sport?”
https://www.lincolnfarms.co.nz/stori...liminated-too/
It's a shambles over there at the moment. Some changes are desperately needed at the top of HRNZ and true independents appointed. Then it must force changes to the board and management of Auckland Trotting Club.
Traditionally NZ racing is a huge let down after NZ Cup week but the change of the racing year changes all that. While the Inter-Dominion is in focus in Australia next Sunday's Grand Prix meeting at Addington is huge. Eight group one races including the $250,000 NZ Derby, $175,000 NZ Oaks, four $100,000 races for 2yo pacing and trotting colts and fillies, the NZ Trotters Derby and the NZ Trotters FFA.
For the older horses the group 3 Summer Cup, a 2600m FFA makes for an incredible day of racing.
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...20432pg-01.htm
Given the widespread snubbing of this year's Inter-Dominion across the ditch (at least Michael Guerin acknowledges it's importance by attending) we Aussies get to see a showcase of the best NZ talent from 10:15 AM Eastern daylight saving time tomorrow from Addington. Here are the fields:
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...s/120432fd.htm
Eight Group One races from race 2 through 9 with a Group 3 FFA to finish the day. The fields for the four 2yo Diamonds races for pacers and trotters have been selected on the Jewels format, the there ins the NZ Pacers and Trotters Derbies, the NZ Pacers Oaks and the NZ Trotters FFA make for quite a day.
Mark Purdon domination again
Wins 5 out of the 7 he contested
Including the First 5 in the 2yo Colts
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...s/120432rs.htm
R2 2yo trotting gelding Confessional was backed, driven and won like a good thing
R3 2yo filly Millwood Nike was a tough win by the favourite
R4 Trotters Derby was a bit of a shambles, a super drive got the winner home while the placegetters were big runs
R5 2yo Colts, Love the look of the winner and the Quinella so well bred. First 5 Purdon. Does the fav hand up IF the winner was from another stable?
R6 2yo Filly trotters. No wonder the caller got excited. Fav 3 wide whole way and still monsters them HIGH ENERGY
R7 Pacing Derby. We knew Akuta was something special. 1.54.8 for 2600m from last and 3 wide
R8 FFA Trot. Uneventful compared to the other races. Fav leads all way
R9 Pacing Oaks. Winner led all the way but you have to watch this. Led by 10m+ early then at 800m went away by 10m+ again AND still holds on
https://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gws/ws/r/...rSite&Arg=TRUE
The wins were a bit too good in PP's opinion and similar to his analysis of the Inter he has summed up yesterday in NZ with a lead sentence:
"Another big race day, another big fill up for the cheats"
How do we convince him otherwise?
He's yanking our chain. The Purdon / Stewart comparison lacks any analysis. We are comparing an entire country that might host 5 meetings a week agains Australia. Victoria, Stewart's home patch, hosts at least 10 meetings a week. There is far more competition between stables. I don't know how many horses are on Stewart's book but enough in numbers and quality to dominate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
I started to highlight the NZ trainer's premiership last night before losing the post, never to be found again.
In a nutshell the selection process for the four Diamonds two year-old races which mirrored the old Jewels series; the 12 highest stake earners of each gait and sex excluding sales series earnings. Three of the four were won by Purdon - Cullen trained horses. Don't Stop Dreaming, a $250,000 yearling purchase, made it 6 and a 2nd from 7 starts. The stable had 7 runners, no surprise they trained the first 5 home. Millwood Nike (8 from 8) and High Energy (5 from 5) are in a class their own. Akuta is a freak, No Matter Wat was a bolter by any sense of the word. So, credit where it's due.
PP is Merlin's greatest fan, he can't help it. The fact is Merlin was an early 2yo that came back stronger but is now having a let up. The country's third and fourth best of that age, Sherlock and Sinbad, only qualified in the Spring so following their improvement through the new season will be tantalising.
The NZ trainer's premiership has been subject of much conjecture, namely the expectation that Steve and Amanda Telfer might break the All Stars domination. Some facts:
The Telfers are private trainer's for Stonewall Stud, which established a South Island stable managed by Amanda Telfer for the start of the 2022 season. Steve Telfer runs the North Island operation. Stonewall Stud's principal, Steve Stockman, owns over 100 horses in work and bought yearlings in unprecedented numbers and prices at this year's yearling sales. They recruited Tim Williams, formerly All Stars #3 driver in the batting order, as its main driver in the South. Former All Stars travelling foreman Matt Bowden is working at the Northern operation.
All Stars, in its current iteration, stems from October 2021 when Mark Purdon came back in partnership with Hayden Cullen who took over in his own right at the end of 2020. An interesting aside, Cullen's success was comparable to the former Purdon-Rassmussen team. I don't know how many horses All Stars have in work but the numbers are far less than in 2020. It’s been a while since they campaigned teams in Australia, the logistics of replacing Bowden and Williams not being easy. Many of their big owners, while not abandoning All Stars, have spread there chips around to other trainers.
Here are the premiership totals as of tonight:
Telfers: 460 starts, 89 win, 77 2nds, 61 3rds, $1,423,323
All Stars: 363, 90, 61, 50, $3,815,197
I am sure the title is nice, but I reckon Purdon and Cullen - and their owners - would be pretty pleased with the All important stakemoney figure.
I agree with many of PP's observations but I reckon he is just trolling for bites. He hasn't let facts ruin a good story.
TAB CEO Mike Tod responded promptly to The Optimist’s request for an explanation for the reduction and the current state of TAB’s finances.
Tod said: “TAB NZ will reduce distributions by nine percent in the 2022/23 financial year (year ended 31 July 2023).
https://harnesslink.com/new-zealand/...%20July%202023).
A terrible sign
The long awaited Racing Integrity Board report into the three racetrack deaths of three horses trained by premiership-winning trainers Steve and Amanda Telfer was released this morning. In typical NZ fashion, the media release consisted of just three sentences.
https://racingintegrityboard.org.nz/...amanda-telfer/
Move along, nothing to see here. We're too busy not disclosing why the horses died and we have a second coat of whitewash to apply.
Twenty-nine horses were exported from NZ to Australia in the four weeks over Christmas and the New Year. I would expect only lack of space on planes prevented more from fleeing the joint if this is the level of contempt the Government appointed RIB shows its participants.
Tell us the cause of each horse's death RIB. They are going ape droppings over this "report" across the ditch.
Merlin was impressive but beaten when stepping out as a 3yo last night
https://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gws/ws/r/...rSite&Arg=TRUE
I have been asking for a decade,"Why can't we have the wonderful split screen vision that the NZers have?"
It appeared like a trial for Merlin. Most of the trials had been washed out recently.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
One of his main dangers in the Harness Millions next week week impressed again at Pukekohe workouts this morning in smart company. Sherlock.
The NZ Herald reports that international betting company Entain is set to take over the day-to-day operations of the New Zealand TAB in a 25-year deal.
https://harnesslink.com/new-zealand/...ompany-entain/
Only 8 days to the second running of $1 million The Race by Grins and tonight's Group 2 Waikato Flying Mile proved a tasty entree. 7 of the 10 acceptors for The Race were in the field but any preconceived thoughts of giving the first four, Akuta, Old Town Road Copy That and the chronically under appreciated Self Assured proved that theory wrong.
These 4 looked, and proved, a few lengths better than the others.
From the car park draw of 8, Self Assured dropped back to near last and tracked Copy That to the sword at the top of the straight. His 1:52.0 time has only been bettered by Adore Me in 2015.
Natalie Rasmussen's drive was an absolute gem, take the time to watch the replay on the HRNZ website. A great Race to wet the appetite for next week.
https://harness.hrnz.co.nz/gws/ws/r/...rSite&Arg=TRUE
Self Assured and Akuta draw 2nd line in The Grins
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...1965-race-8-dl
6.50 tonight AEST
PP says Akuta is a certainty
He must be better informed than Mark Purdon, who has his own assessment here:Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
https://allstarsracingstables.co.nz/...n-other-shoes/
There has been plenty of media to suggest, after barrier draws, that Copy That is near unbeatable. That may prove correct if not for the $1 million stakes breakdown which pretty much ensures they'll all be having a crack at the leader.
Self Assured is the freshest horse in the field, ignore the fact he locked wheels when sprinting hard two starts back. It was suggested last week he might need the run but, despite barrier 8, he brained the field in 1:52.0. And he won The Race from barrier 8 last year and he can do it again. He's no one-trick pony.
Congratulations to Copy That's connections
I guess a Tk Rec should be exciting but it all seemed a bit easy
I am thinking the Trainers and Drivers almost do the best out of these races as I would imagine they would get their full slings unlike owners who have to come to an arrangement with the slot holder
Tim Williams should hang his head in shame. A minute before the start we have Steve Telfer telling us BD Joe would go forward only to lob nowhere in the three wide line. (There may have been an excuse for the horse, it finished a mile back). Zac Butcher led easily with old Town Road, then gifts the lead and the race to Copy That without any pressure being applied.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Perhaps the near guaranteed $150,000 for second looked too good for a horse that has yet to win a Group race.
Self Assured was easily best of the rest, taking off when Greg Sugars dropped anchor on Bettor Eclipse which left Copy That unchallenged and pressure free. He was held up until half way around the turn but, by that stage, they were low flying out front but he still battled on well for 3rd.
David Butcher then took off seeking the death, an interesting move because Kango has loads of gate speed. His contribution ensured Akuta was stuck 3 wide without cover for the last 1200. From that point, Orange let Copy That quicken, running the last 3 quarters in 27.3, 27.7 and 28.3.
Had outsider No Matter Wat not broken, the first three places would have been filled by the first three horses along the pegs for the entire race. Symptomatic of the track and, unfortunately, driver tactics.
Or lack of them!
Well, yes, it is the slot holders that take all the risk and then they have to find a horse to fill the slot. Not so bad if you already own a good enough horse. A slot in The Race costs $75,000 per year for 3 years, a big commitment.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Slot holders must negotiate a fee with horse owners, usually a % of stake. I can't Imagine Copy That's slot holders would have negotiated any better deal than 50%, perhaps worse, but they would cover their cost with the win and bathe in the glory.
Interestingly, Self Assured was the only horse to front up from last year's race. His owner was never interested in the race or the concept until approached by radio station SENZ last year. After winning last year and third tonight the horse has earned $500,000 that didn't previously exist.
The danger is we will getting flooded with too many slot races for too few quality horses, which was apparent tonight compared to last year. On the flip side, it appeared to be a huge crowd in attendance at Cambridge tonight, many first time patrons there for a good party. If they come back again, that's a win.
Half of the $75k per annum comes back for 5th to 10th so a smart deal for a slot holder would be $10k plus half of anything over $37,500 earnt ie 1st to 4th
So it would only cost them < $50k which they are supposedly getting in publicity for whoever they are
The Taylor Mile at Alexandra Park tonight was a ripper, the opposite of last week's The Race. Blair Orange obviously expected his barrier 2 draw would make other drivers comply and allow Copy That to stroll to the front and dictate terms. Todd Mitchell on the rip-tearing Nicholas Cage didn't get the memo and challenged hard to run the first quarter in 26.7.
Orange then took the lead again as the pace slackened and got away with a second quarter in 31.1 as Self Assured was left to do the bullocking in the death. Akuta followed Bettor Eclipse from last through the third quarter in 29.6 while Self Assured turned up the pressure on Copy That upon straightening.
Self Assured got Copy That's measure with 100 to go while Akuta, given a good cart-up by Bettor Eclipse, peeled off them at the top of the straight and was able to put his whiskers in front of Self Assured in the last stride. Bettor Eclipse was huge a half neck away with another half neck to Copy That. The last quarter, on a slushy track, was run in a slick 26.4.
Some might say Copy That was unlucky. I'd say it wasn't a great drive but again proves my long held belief the horse is vulnerable when made to work. I stand by that.
PP, obviously peeved that he had done his dough on Akuta last week, launched into the Allstars stable and, in particular, Self Assured, this morning. Like he alludes, facts are facts and Copy That has the wood on Self Assured. A lot of this can be attributed to barrier draws (Self Assured drew the 2nd row in its past 3 starts) but, until the Cambridge mile a fortnight ago neither horse had run past the other. Self Assured has now done this twice in the past 3 starts. Make your own choice, I'd happily claim ownership of either.
What this race showed is the NZ Messenger, Roy Purdon Memorial and Auckland Cup in coming weeks are not foregone conclusions. Watch and enjoy this race on the HRNZ website
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...1789-race-7-dl
Good race thanks to the early lead take, if Blair could do it again he might have surrendered more easily before taking it back.
2nd, 3rd and 4th all better runs than the winner but that is poker - you do not need the best hand to win
Just a 6 horse field (with 3 chances) for the Messenger FFA at Alexandra Park at 5.37 AEST
while in the Peter Breckon Memorial the market does not think that Aldebaran Zeus is in the same class as Muscle Mountain ($1.20)
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...1801-race-5-dl
6 horse field did the race no favours - turned a 2700m race into a 800m sprint (53.1 last half)
Natalie outsmarted them going to the front - or did Blair outsmart himself handing up
I think Blair might have been more wary this week after Self Assured ground him down last week. Copy That got into an early war with Nicholas Cage, surrendered then took the lead. I've always argued this horse is suspect if he has to work early and is then pressured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
Self Assured is just so relaxed, as seen tonight when Chimmichurri tried to surprise him. As he has proven, he can win from anywhere on any track from any barrier in any company. Re-watch the NZ FFA if you don't understand what I am saying.
Perhaps this should be under the Stewards'News thread, everybody needs to see this race and read the what Jonny Cox has been charged with. A terrible look for the sport, Cox deserves a long spell for this. It race 10 at Rangiora today, click on the "Show Stipes" box on the right, read the report, then watch the replay. I've never seen anything like it.
https://infohorse.hrnz.co.nz/datahrs...837-race-10-dl
I don't believe Kiwi Hero was about to jump into Cox's cart, I counted three whacks to the nose with his helmet around the turn and three punches to the neck and one to the chest by Cox's fist as the field entered the straight
What was he thinking? I cannot believe that anybody could be so stupid to think they could do that in a televised race, much less a veteran of nearly 8,000 drives!
NZ stewards, adjudicate committes the call them, are even weaker than their Aussie counterparts when it comes to animal cruelty. Talk the talk but refuse to walk the walk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Messenger
What Jonny Cox did at Rangiora last Sunday was a disgrace and a blight on the sport. They heard his charge at Addington before tonight's races and gave him 50 lashes with a wet lettuce leaf.
Suspended for 7 days from 19th to 31 May! Kid you not. Animal activists, if they had a brain to share, should be up in arms over this.
That is so embarrassing for our sport
So often administrators/stewards/participants/fans just don't get it