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The Ugly Sister  won and changed trainer and is still under Kurtis’s name as the winning trainer.        Go figure.  

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Looking ahead to the weekend, the centre piece is the two day Sandown meeting which used to be one of the few Mixed (both flat and jumps races) meetings in the calendar but the two cards were split a few years back. Friday is all flat racing while Saturday is the Jumps Finale. The ground on the flat course is Good, Good to Soft in places while the Clerk has been watering the track for the past fortnight to ensure Good ground for the jumpers. In the past, the Whitbread Gold Cup (the final big handicap) was often run on Firm ground. Friday's Flat card features the Group 2 Sandown Mile which is run over a mile (not surprising) at Sandown (even less surprising). NOSTRUM is favourite but for me he's been a bit of a talking horse while LORD NORTH was disappointing in the Dubai Turf. CHARRYN looked good at Doncaster but I like POKER FACE who looked to be on the upgrade when winning the Daniel Wildenstein at the Arc meeting last autumn. Saturday is the big jumping day - 14 have been entered for the Grade 1 Celebration Chase over 3150m. It's a cracking field and indeed had this lot turned up for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham you wouldn't have batted an eyelid. EL FABIOLO made a desperate mistake at the fence past the stands at Cheltenham and that ended his participation - if he does that at Sandown the result will be the same. JONBON missed Cheltenham but looked very good at Aintree over 4000m. I just wonder if he has the gears these days for a strongly run 3200 (or 3150m) race. GAELIC WARRIOR is the up and coming novice who won the Arkle - apart from his lacklustre performance at the Dublin Racing Festival he's looked very good. EDWARDSTONE was aruguably held by CAPTAIN GUINNESS when coming to grief two out in the Champion Chase. The eventual winner is well held on some pieces of form but looks a solid each way option at 9s. These five dominate the race - the remainder are 150s rated handicappers who will struggle to live with these top notchers. The Grade 2 Oaksey Chase over 4450m sees Aintree second AHOY SENOR as favourite but this isn't really the track for him in my view. The stables of Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead are well represented in the entries and JOURNEY WITH ME from the de Bromhead has real claims if acting on the quicker ground. The Select Hurdle, another Grade 2 over 4200m, has a number of entries who are also in the chases so we'll know more after the final declarations on Thursday. France stages the first European Group 1 of the campaign on Sunday with the Ganay over 2100m - more on that as we get to the final declarations on Friday.

Plenty going on up here but not the highest quality currently. There's been no Grade or Group 1 since the last day of the National meeting and the next Group 2 is at Sandown on Friday and the next Grade 1 at Sandown on Saturday. Catching up on recent events under both codes: Flat: Classic trials are very much the order of the day with the Craven meeting at Newmarket and the Spring meeting at Newbury last week both being of interest to an extent. Newmarket's opening meeting of 2024 took place on quick spring ground. The opening day card was low key - the highlight was KIKKULI winning the 1400m 3-y-o maiden. He's a half to none other than Frankel and if he can get anywhere near what that champion achieved, he'll do very well. The quality pushed up a notch last Wednesday - JAYAREBE was a likeable winner of the 1800m Listed and could be seen next in a race like the Dante at York but the fillies had their trial in the Nell Gwyn. DANCE SEQUENCE, second or third favourite ante post for the 1000 Guineas, went off a shade of odds on but was just beaten by PRETTY CRYSTAL. The former remains 5s for the classic on May 5th and Charlie Appleby was very much of the view the run and an extra 200m would see her improve a lot - she'd need to on this evidence but the race was run in a very good time and may turn out to be decent. Two other fillies caught my eye at the end of the day - BOLSANA won the 1600m maiden and could be anything while KALPANA was kicked up from 77 to 94 after a ten length win in the 2000m handicap - it will be interesting to see where both go next. The final day featured the Craven over the full 2000 Guineas trip for the colts. There were some tall reputations on the line with the best form arguably from the Dewhurst third EBEN SHADDAD but he was put in his place by HATTAM from the Richard Hannon stable which has started very well. The winner won the Vintage at Goodwood last year but was eight and a half lengths behind CITY OF TROY in the Dewhurst. The trainer thought better ground would see the horse to better effect and I can see him running well at a price in the 2000 Guineas. The French raider ALCANTOR disappointed by pulling too hard as did the Godolphin challenger NATIVE APPROACH while CAMBRIDGE, from the Aidan O'Brien yard, was well held in fourth. On to Newbury's two day card and the one from Friday's racing was the Hannon filly STAR STYLE who bolted up in the 1400m for unraced 3-y-o. She might have beaten trees but she did it well and I look forward to seeing her run again. Saturday saw the two classic trials over the straight 1400m on ground just on the easy side of Good. The Dubai Duty Free for the fillies had only six runners and it was a very tight three way finish which went the way of FOLGARIA who had won five in Italy as a juvenile. How good she really is I don't know but she showed the benefit of experience over some other types who looked gree under pressure. There was another bunch finish in the Greenham for the colts - ESQUIRE produced a shock at 16s but as a gelding cannot run in the 2000 Guineas. Barely half a length separated the next four home with a dead heat for second and third suggesting the form probably isn't that strong. The current ante post betting for the 2000 Guineas has CITY OF TROY at 4/6 and ROSALLION at 4s. HAATEM is 20s and there are worse each way bets for all the stable thinks ROSALLION is a bit special. The 1000 Guineas is more open - FALLEN ANGEL, who had a racecourse gallop on the Wednesday morning, the 11/4 favourite with YLANG YLANG at 3s and DANCE SEQUENCE at 5s. The other points to note are both the Ballydoyle runners at Newmarket ran moderately and the stable hasn't had many runners in Ireland yet while the Newmarket horses seem behind those elsewhere especially Lambourn - the Gosden horses all ran as though they would come on a lot for the race. Jumps: The season starts to wind down after the National but the ongoing Trainers' Championship battle has provided a real element of interest in the closing stages. The better ground has also meant some types who have basically been unable to run due to the incredibly wet winter, are finally getting a chance to shine. IN EXECLSIS DEO won the 4000m Grade 2 chase at Cheltenham last Wednesday and he's a fine example of a good ground performer - he had run with credit when fifth in a handicap at the Festival on ground which was too slow for him. MALAITA was an impressive winner of the Grade 2 4000m Mares Novice chase on Thursday and is very much one for the notebook. The circus moved to Ayr on Saturday for the Scottish Grand National meeting. Willie Mullins effectively sealed the Trainers Championship with a four timer including the £112,500 National over 6400m which saw MCDERMOTT win by a nose. There was a bunch finish for the Grade 2 Scottish Champion Hurdle which saw FAVOUR AND FORTUNE keep the prize for the British just holding off BIALYSTOK from Team Mullins. Mullins will be twisting the knife with a strong raiding party for the three day Perth meeting starting tomorrow and while Dan Skelton is talking a brave race, £180k of gap looks too much to close now.    

That doesn't seem correct, look at recent foxton trials, Kurtis name is on those horses that he trailed  that day and now those horses dont have a active trainer assigned to them, but his name is still on the trial results. 

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Because at 5pm the horse has no trainer   Until it is transferred to another trainer that will stay blank no trainer. Most probably when the horse is assigned another trainer Kurtis Pertabs name will reappear as the trainer on the day of the trial as it was under his name until 5pm.

I agree with all that but the interesting thing for me around the camber argument is that the race where the horse slipped , the winner came wider and was travelling faster than the horse that slipped on its inside yet had no issues , surely if it is purely a camber issue then the horse should have had issues as well . Personally from all I've read I think this is mostly about the grass and structure underneath that seeding instead of laying has caused , hence not enabling the horses to get a grip as a hoof hits the track . 

I agree with everything you say. Other than the camber I believe that sooner or later the other problems will be resolved. I hope so anyway.  Liz

Hey Flasher ....you seem conflicted you poor thing ......why don't you actually say somthing instead of using emoji's to make your case ......talk about kicking for touch ....your the best of all time ...🤨....if you wish to join the conversation please do. FF.

Slipper winner, 3rd in the Coolmore, failed in only run as an Autumn 3yo: $55,000. Winner of two non-BT late-Autumn 2yo races who then won the Coolmore before failing against older horses in the Autumn: $44,000. MGW 2yo and Slipper runner-up, MGW spring 3yo who ran 3rd in a Golden Rose and 5th in an Everest, then won the Newmarket in the Autumn vs older horses beating Imperatriz: $44,000. MG1W 2yo (Sires and Champagne), Golden Rose winner and 5th Cox Plate in the Spring, MG1P in the Autumn (Randwick Guineas, George Ryder, Doncaster): $38,500.   Aussies sure love their Slipper winners.

If it starts at 5pm today, then why the need for NZTR to remove his name from the horse trial results?

It seems the two main causes/issues are 1 They chose to grow the Strathayr from seeds and not roll in pre grown turf. This had never been done before. And I think this one may be even worse 2 They never fixed the camber on the home turn to preserve the "chracter" of Ellerslie. I believe this is a large contributor to the amount of slipping on the home turn. But hey not being anti Ellerslie or Negative, just would like some answers instead of the waffle they keep putting out to cover their proverbial. I keep saying the industry MUST have this track at its absolute best.

iced vovo biscuits, liptons black label tea, with a shot of vodka, NO sugar or milk.! keeps Covid at bay, n0?

but the jumps game is kaput here.  One year, two, but its finished.  Doesn't fit the agenda of the management  maybe they should fly over and head to warrnambool next week, they might find a one bedroom unit available in port fairy or koroit, such is the demand and influence on the economy of the area. they might also note the VIBE 🤣......( whatever happened to that bloke? ) the atmosphere,  the excitement , enjoyment and positivity and craic 🤣this carnival delivers year in and year out, n0?    

Surly only the RIB can make that decision and delay the start date? Will they release the report as to reason why it was delayed?

Agree that Geo blocking will only capture lazy punters, and even in Australia the Betting companies are still bitching and moaning about how much T/O they are still missing out on. The problem here though is that geo blocking is a significant part of the Entain  business model for NZ, their plan claims that 1/3 of NZ punters bet overseas and that they will capture that $200m and increase betting T/O another $200m on top, the brown stuff is really going to hit the fan when their guarantee runs out if their plan is a failure!  

And his name has disappeared from being the trainer

Correct Ed......they will never corner us with Geo-blocking....so just keep the 'no deductions' rule in play and they will have happy punters from Kaitaia to Bluff. Entain ....our saviour. FF.