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It makes not one bit of difference what Trump does, in less than four years he will be gone and  the World  will probably be no different, he made a fool of himself by even attending church, the conflict in Ukraine still goes on, after this term maybe America can move forward, putting Tarrifs on increases living cost, siezing land  from others is dillousional, for all that sometimes he can be rather entertaining.despite being a embarrassment.

We used to have maiden handicaps Stodge. Probably ended early 80s. Consistent maidens used to struggle to get out of maiden class. Trainers in the North island can still place their horses in very weak maiden class if they wish too. Just look at Wanganui on Saturday. The first two maiden races only have 7 starters, and not flash ones at that. In fact 5 of the first 6 races only have 7 starters, even less by race-day. And bizarrely those are all higher staked races, so the maiden stake has zero to do with the quality of the field. You would love the trots. They have higher stakes for maidens than winners, something I have never been able to get my head around, but they seem to like it.

for a moment i thought you were referring to West Australia's Ascot but that was yesterday and yesterday's gone. Cue Chad n Jeremy ... sing along with Maxi now, stodge ...  

Max - and indeed the entire racing world - is still waiting for the update indicated in the initial post on LoveRacing yesterday ... Today’s Matamata meeting, after a slip in Race 3, has been abandoned. Further information will follow. Max expects the powers-that-be are having difficulty formulating a credible explanation for the abandonment without looking foolish. So ..it's nearly 24hrs since the abandonment, cant see anything specific on LR website ...let's see and read and digest what PR bullshit has been created this time by the spinmeisters at NZTR to justify this decision...or are they hoping to post nothing on account of being "so busy" dealing with the imminent KM meet ...seem to remember a horse slipping on the corner there last year (Pendragon?) and they didnt abandon that one at all, let alone with the indecent haste of lowly midweek, mostly-maidens Matamata . LOL  

Orchestral , Belclare and Alabama Lass , they wouldn't get my money at those odds . Each one is a huge risk to me 

Might be smarter to run 3 or 4 races at Tauranga before the gallops😁

This from a thinking American…..👏 Absolutely, because what could be more liberating than living in a society where you're either blindly loyal to Elon Musk and Trump or you're shown the door? After all, critical thought, healthy debate, and constructive criticism are so overrated. Let's just put those who stand up to tyranny in prison. Let's let the wealthy few and corporations tell the sheep what to think and believe. In a land where freedom is just a word. And those who died in wars to give the right to take those freedoms away—sounds like a dream country come true, right?" Fact check my own sarcastic response; Trump and Fake News: Trump has indeed made numerous statements attacking the media, often referring to them as "fake news." While he has expressed disdain for the media, there isn't a direct statement where he explicitly says he wants to put journalists in prison for reporting "fake news." However, his rhetoric has certainly been hostile towards the press. Withholding Federal Funds: Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from states that do not align with his policies. For instance, he has threatened to withhold disaster relief funds from states like California during wildfires, citing disagreements with state policies. Loyalty to Trump: Trump has been known to value loyalty highly. Reports indicate that he has conducted loyalty tests and has emphasized the importance of personal loyalty to him over other qualifications. Support Despite Interests: Many of Trump's followers continue to support him despite policies that might not align with their personal interests. This phenomenon can be attributed to various psychological and social factors, including a strong sense of loyalty, belief in his rhetoric, and distrust of opposing viewpoints.

On a tangent, I’m astonished by the number of maiden races on a New Zealand race card. There’s a place for maiden races - for inexperienced runners it’s a good place to start (though you have trials which we don’t in the UK) but in the UK once a horse has run in three maidens (or of course if it wins a maiden) it gets a handicap mark and runs in the appropriate grade starting from 0 to 45 and working up. Even juveniles can run in special 2-y-o handicaps called nurseries. Maidens put horses of vastly differing abilities together whose sole commonality is they haven’t won a race so a Te Akau star can run against a horse who hasn’t beaten a rival in four outings. That seems grossly unfair to the connections of the inferior horse. Why not have more maiden handicaps - we have them in the UK - which at least gives the slow horses the chance to be king or queen for a day? They would be more competitive and bring in more betting revenue. British race cards will have typically five handicaps out of seven races with a couple of maidens. Even to this observer, racing can’t just be about quality and money. It has to be the sport where a few mates can get together, buy a horse and have some fun pot hunting round the country tracks. Syndicate ownership is huge in the UK from the elite groups like Highclere to the four or five friends who get a horse and have some fun. It makes ownership and therefore the sport no longer the purview of the very wealthy.

On January 6, 2025, President Biden invoked Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to take an executive action prohibiting new oil and gas leases in vast offshore areas. President Biden cited the environmental and economic risks associated with offshore drilling, particularly the threat to coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies reliant on fishing, tourism, and recreation. This action builds on previous withdrawals, including prior protection of portions of the Northern Bering Sea and the Beaufort Sea in the U.S. Arctic Ocean.   Hokey your hero had 1461 days as President in that time he had 532 days holiday he is very sharp; it took him 1447 days to invoke Section 12 (a). Thats what makes you and Mitey proud of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Ascot this afternoon and don’t we just love it - the clothes, the pomp, the royal procession before the first, the colour and the glamour? What do you mean - not THAT Ascot? Ascot Park, not Ascot Heath…… A 5/1 winner pays out whatever Ascot you’re betting on. Probably not the strongest card you’ll see - I thought the opening maiden came dangerously close to the bottom of the barrel but someone has to win. A few observations or more likely losers from me - not sure what the ground will be, currently a Soft 5 but there is rain so it’ll probably end up a Good 2. 12.25: SHORT 1.04:  LEAVE IT TO ME 1.37:  BELARDO ACE 2.14:  MAMAEA 2.47:  INDIE ARDIE 3.57:  BURNVUE  

Romantic Warrior's assault on the desert riches starts on the Fashion Friday program Jan. 24 at Meydan Racecourse.View the full article

Locked, who did not resume racing until the fall of his 3-year-old year due to injury, is favored in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) after winning the 2024 Cigar Mile Handicap (G2). Aron Wellman discusses the colt in a Q&A session.View the full article

39 nominations at close of noms

Now 39 horses. Certainly predictable and poor programming with a 2 day grass track meeting starting on Friday. Then in February there is no racing at Cambridge!  Yes Auckland is back on Friday nights and there is a 2 day Manawatu meeting, but nothing for a whole month for those lesser horses that don't want to travel long distances.

I see In The Air is out of a dam called Missouri. I picked one out of a dam called Kansas - that's close enough isn't it!?   

Good call Liz, I was thinking we should try this again. The other thing I will do is roll these current selections forward to next year's KM 3yo - perhaps some of our picks just need a little more time Same points scoring basis and I'll put up $100 of the money that I won from CT's comp as a prize for the 3yo comp.  $100 prize will be in the form of a single bet (win, place or e/w) with half of any winnings to the winner and half to Liz's charity.

If you had bothered to look, the Biden ban has little effect on current exploration. More alternative facts ?   This client alert provides a brief overview of President Biden’s recent decision to expand the ban on offshore oil and gas leasing, outlining its background, scope, and potential impact on the energy industry.  Key Takeaways: President Biden has issued two Presidential Memoranda banning new offshore oil and gas leases across extensive areas of the U.S. coastline. The ban covers over 625 million acres, including the entire Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, and parts of Alaska's Northern Bering Sea. This action is the largest withdrawal of offshore areas from oil and gas leasing in U.S. history. Existing leases are not affected by this ban. President-elect Donald Trump indicated he will move quickly to revoke this ban.   Background: On January 6, 2025, President Biden invoked Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) to take an executive action prohibiting new oil and gas leases in vast offshore areas. President Biden cited the environmental and economic risks associated with offshore drilling, particularly the threat to coastal communities, marine ecosystems, and local economies reliant on fishing, tourism, and recreation. This action builds on previous withdrawals, including prior protection of portions of the Northern Bering Sea and the Beaufort Sea in the U.S. Arctic Ocean. Scope of the Drilling Ban: The ban covers more than 625 million acres, representing the largest withdrawal in U.S. history. The affected areas include: The entire U.S. East Coast, from Canada to the southern tip of Florida, and the eastern Gulf of Mexico, totaling approximately 334 million acres. Nearly 250 million acres off the West Coast, encompassing the coastlines of California, Oregon, and Washington. An additional 44 million acres in Alaska's Northern Bering Sea, known as the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area.  Impact on the Industry: While the ban significantly limits future oil and gas development in U.S. federal waters, it is important to note that existing leases remain unaffected. The ban will likely have a limited impact on current oil and gas production, as nearly all production occurs in the Western and Central Gulf of Mexico, which is not affected by the ban. Additionally, industry activity in the newly withdrawn areas has historically been minimal. However, the ban could hinder companies from developing new offshore oil and gas resources in the future. Notably, over 80% of 12 million acres already leased in this region remain untapped, indicating significant potential for continued production within existing lease areas. The administration emphasizes that U.S. oil production from federal lands and waters reached an all-time high in 2024, suggesting that the newly restricted areas have limited potential for fossil fuels and that their development would pose significant environmental risks. The Trump administration indicated it will attempt to revoke this ban at the beginning of his administration, however, this reversal will likely face legal and procedural hurdles. 

Like this…?..    

Thanks John [Say No More] for the update. I am actually surprised, that with the poor quality form, shown by the top priced lots, that 14 of you have runners in the field! Note that I said "14 of you" because I have been an abject failure, hundreds of thousands of dollars spent for nothing  😂   Obviously Pete is leading the field with two acceptances, but good luck to you all.   Now if it's OK with Scooby and you John, I would like to repeat the exercise all over again, on this years Sales Series. Same terms, same prize money, same everything, so get studying now!  

New York's racing and pari-mutuel law, with its labyrinthine clauses and subparagraphs that few in the state capital of Albany truly understand, would see some simplifications under a state budget proposal unveiled Jan. 21 by Gov. Kathy Hochul.View the full article