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33 years ago today, an east coast bred horse called Tumblin Down won the Great Northern Steeplechase ridden by Toby Autridge. The story behind this magnificent steed is one that movies are made of. The baldy white faced horse, being now more than 16hh, was bred on the east coast and was by a horse called Dodger (by the great jumping sire Kurdistan). Interestingly Dodger traced back to one of the first boat load of mares that were imported in the 1860's to NZ. Tumblin Down was a chestnut out of Maria Dallas (the singer had a hit song called Tumblin Down...hence the name). He was destined to become a war horse on type and ended up becoming a pig horse, where the hunters shot pigs and used horses to carry them out of the bush. Tumblin Down was doing this as a 2/3 year old. He was seconded to a movie set as an extra in a movie in the 1980's called Wild Horses (not the Kenny Rogers version). One of the lead actors liked Tumblin Down so much, he changed horses and rode him throughout the move. Sally House ended up with him and Paul Moroney and I ended up seeing him for the first time at the Te Rapa races in the middle of the winter, on a day where now-a-days they would have called the meeting off due to jockeys not having the skills or experience to ride in those conditions or health and safety. The thing that took us both was that in the pissing down rain, he tucked his head into the underarm of Sally, and where ever she went, his head remained there. It was a sight t see. It was a 1600m race and he came from last at the turn and chugged his way to third. We instantly thought Parliamentary Handicap and bought him for peanuts with two friends Connor Maloney and Craig Lindberg. Horse got a virus during the first year so we lost 6 months. Ended up turning him as a jumper. Problem was he wasn't a technically talented jumper (PC way of saying he couldn't jump well) and Graham Richardson fell off him at his first jumping race at Te Aroha (from memory). From that point on Toby Autridge rode him. Under Toby, Tumblin Down became first horse to have won the Great Northern and Pakuranga Hunt Cup in the same year. In the Northern he was spectacularly put through the wings during the last round, as Graham Lord, who had ridden for two rounds without irons (iron had broken two rounds before), veered off to the right taking Tumblin Down with him. Lord fell off at that stage and how Tumblin Down didn't fall we will never understand, suffice to say it was a miraculous piece of riding by Toby....freakish in fact. Tumblin Down went from 4th, 4 off them, to 10th losing 20- 30 lengths. With only a round to go we all thought it was over but Toby kept the game alive and somehow we found ourselves in 5th place at the bottom of the hill the last time but the leader, Vincere had got 20 lengths in front of the field. At the top of the Hill we got to 4th, turning for home he got to third, at the last fence 2nd and we won by a head. In that one ride Toby showed how much of an amasing horse person he was. Tumblin Down lived till he was 33 years old. The celebrations lasted a week as the Northern was worth $200,000 and we were all poor as paupers in our twenties. So 33 years ago, Toby rode like a demon to fulfil a dream we all had. This morning, unfortunately, Toby died. He was a good person and I shall remember him with much love and admiration.

Sad to hear of Toby Autridge's passing this morning. Super talented horseman and lovely human being. Sincere condolences to family and friends. RIP Toby

How many mistakes does this commentator want to make?? 2/June - calls Penelope hall - Penny Lope Hall calls The Present Maker -A Late Late Pressy the majority of the race calls Claaus- Stac Ashburton 5/June calls Escargo-Murano the entire race Still will only mention 2 drivers -when John Dunn makes a move-or Sheree Tomlinson Always only refers to Sam Ottley as *SHE* during a race This caller makes so many mistakes during his calls he must be either drunk or stoned

Murano was not even racing at Ashburton today. Comes across as thinking he’s a bit of a hot shot IMHO

Noted …and agreed …I’m not a whip fan at all, hence I prefer “kind” jockeys Let’s agree then to stop head to head betting right now, because it complicates these things, and stop charging jockeys with not riding their horses out, and let’s agree to let all horses who’re “ungenerous” to run off or do whatever they wish You can’t have it both ways ..that’s a fact It’s called moderation …and common sense My view, Billy Pinn is a good kid, who might need managing, but he’s a valuable asset to the industry….John Oatham however is a biter little man of no great significance who’s fixated with Pinn, and that’s a problem

Toby with Dandelieth maybe 3 days before the Melbourne Cup.

Dandaleith......the only Melbourne Cup I've been to Had he won I feel it would have been life-changing for the both of us I could've / would've bought a section ( 125's and 25's with bookie ) and Toby could've forged an Australian career maybe Over the years I've watched that replay about a hundred times and not once can I follow him all the way from the 600m mark to the finish post...... don't think I ever read him quoted after the race and I often wondered how he enjoyed the day / assessed his ride / wished he had done anything different........must have been an overwhelming experience for a teenager in front of 100,000 fans to this day I rate it the most impressive 2nd placing I've ever seen... RIP

Thoughts and prayers with his family at this time from all here at Racecafe...bloody good rider and luckily to have had the pleasure to have known him ....may you forever RIP.

The Epsom Derby winner Desert Crown absolutely destroyed rivals - is obviously one hell of a horse. But having a fireworks display pre-start on-course to honour The Queen - unbelievably reckless in my opinion

On the radio today that TCO will stand at Highview. I hope he gets well supported.

Toby will have a right old laugh at us all.... if Up'n'Gone can get up in the last.

Can't comment on Matt Cross but Craig Rail did the races at Wingatui today, how many days has Evans missed since replacing Davey Mac.

Bob and Steve very hopeful all three of Toby's runners will make it to Hastings tomorrow.( as at 8 :30 pm tonight ) Let's hope our Autridge / Somervell family have some fun tomorrow. Steve reacons he can improve them all with just 12 hours notice !! Bob has issued riding instructions to Emily and Shaun. He will be on his couch in Matamata riding them home. R2 # 9 Mrs Twinkle Toes 21 FF ( Emily Farr ) R3 # 3 Tommyra 8 FF BB ( Shaun F ) R10 # 13 Up "n" Gone 33FF

Steve, according to Bob tonight, Toby had not had his 17th Birthday. When he rode Dandeleith. For very loyal trainer Allan Pringle and the 2 other owners >

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/128868909/disgraced-harness-racing-trainer-admits-selling-nonexistent-horse-for-40k The summary of facts from the court was released on Friday. Sad reading and shocking dishonesty from Mr Kerr. The industry does not need crooks like him. Good riddance!!

When the Kaimai rail tunnel was opened in September 1978, Toby won the Tunnel Cup at Matamata on a horse with doubtful parentage. That horse had won its maiden at Matamata the previous month. Toby looks like a young bloke in that photo, which is still in my home office.

Carry on,hes pleaded guilty.

That’s very sad Condolences to all Thanks for the info Ted

Congrats to Mark Corcoran and his team on the Listed stakes win with his young new sire Derryn in the Castletown Stakes Not only did Derryn sire the winner he also sired the 3rd placegetter a pleasing result for the first years runners on the track.

Race 1/ 2 - 6 Race 2/ 3 - 8 Race 3/ 2 - 3 Race 4/ 8 - 13 Race 5/ 2 - 3 Not sure if these are TARANTULA beaters or not. Good luck young fella anyways... Race 6/ 2 - 3 Race 7/ 3 - 4 Race 8/ 1 - 3 Race 9/ 2 - 4 Race 10/ 1 - 11 Thanks you SNM. bit of a rush job as just got to workplace as not Queens B'day holiday in QLD till OCT 3rd. You blokes are all 'Ahead of your time ' Lol.... (plus it's only 9am here too)

GOOD MORNING.THANKS TO SCOOBY AND SAY NO MORE FOR GREAT CONTEST. R1. 4,5 R2. 1,4 R3. 1,2 R4. 8,12 R5. 3,5 R6. 2,5 R7. 2,3 R8. 1,3 R9. 2,4 R10. 1,6 HAPPY PUNTING .INTERESTING CONTEST PURE STEEL.

Thanks Say No More. Good luck all, and good luck Pegasus. Hastings R1 2-7 Hastings R2 3-4 Hastings R3 1-3 Hastings R4 11-12 Hastings R5 3-4 Hastings R6 2-5 Hastings R7 1-3 Hastings R8 1-2 Hastings R9 2-4 Hastings R10 1-11

Nice win by VADENI who looks a very decent prospect. Won by 5 lengths in a below-standard time despite rain-softened ground. In the Irish Champion and the Arc and on this evidence a real potential rival for DESERT CROWN and EMILY UPJOHN.

Day one of the Epsom Derby Meeting coincided with the second day of the Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday which brought a larger and more family-oriented crowd than usual for Oaks/Coronation Cup day which is often more the day for the racing purists. The two Group 1 races were run on ground described as Good with a few softer patches on the far side but otherwise very decent conditions. Starting with a small and arguably weak field for the Coronation Cup, the Derby for the older horses if you like. Just six went to post and favourite was last year's winner PYLEDRIVER who had outbattled AL AASY in 2021 and faced a new Shadwell challenger in HUKUM, the full to BAAEED. HIGH DEFINITION represented Coolmore and Ballydoyle and this type had at one time been Derby favourite but his 3-y-o campaign had failed to fire but as a 4-y-o he had shown a big return to form when runner up in the 2000m Tattersalls Gold Cup. Godolphin were represented by MANOBO who had shown good form up to 3200m in Dubai. Coronation Cup: I don't know whether redemption is a dish best served hot or cold but after having been on AL AASY when he threw away the race in 2021, Jim Crowley got his Group 1 with a convincing win on HUKUM. The fact he's won this off 116 by four and a half lengths suggests this was either a big improvement by the winner or (more likely) this was a moderate race. Both PYLEDRIVER and HIGH DEFINITION have been well beaten in Group 1 races and neither really deserve their lofty ratings (120 and 119 respectively) on this evidence. With both HURRICANE LANE and ADAYAR yet to be seen, the older horses over 2400m look a modest bunch and a race like the King George looks wide open to a promising classic colt or filly. MANOBO looked to hate every minute once he lost the lead and I'm not sure it was one of Buick's most thoughtful rides. HUKUM will head for the King George (no surprise) but if you think he can give the weight to DESERT CROWN or EMILY UPJOHN, there's a bridge I can sell you. On then to the Oaks for the classic fillies and the pre-race betting suggested the Gosdens had a stranglehold on the race with NASHWA, ridden by Hollie Doyle, second favorite behind the unbeaten Musidors winner EMILY UPJOHN who went off 6/4. Aidan O'Brien had the next two in the market with the English and Irish 1000 Guineas placed TUESDAY and the well-supported CONCERT HALL. Oaks: A race which will be chewed over for many years to come. Was EMILY UPJOHN the unluckiest classic loser since DANCING BRAVE? There seems little doubt in most people's minds she'd have won with a clean start which would have enabled (so to speak) a better race position. The fact is, 600m down, TUESDAY and EMILY UPJOHN were upsides and TUESDAY didn't run in a straight line to the jamstick, covering more ground but still beat the other filly so I'm less convinced. The front two are clearly very good - the winner is a full to both Oaks and 1000 Guineas winners and upholds the family tradition. I suspect she'll go to The Curragh which may suit her even better as a galloping track. From there, I don't know - the Arc will be tempting of course. The problem will be the runner up here who looks blessed with more straightline and tactical speed and performed wonders to get as close as she did. There's just a worry the race may leave a mark - EMILY UPJOHN would need to be supplemented for the King George but another option may be the Juddmonte and a clash with BAAEED. The Derby winner will also be a big player as we shall see. NASHWA ran okay in third but Hollie thought she emptied in the final 100m suggesting a race like the Nassau might be ideal. CONCERT HALL was four and a half lengths behind her stable companion in fourth followed by the outsider KAWIDA who outran her odds in fifth. The Cheshire Oaks form was shown to be modest with both THOUGHTS OF JUNE and MOON DE VEGA well held. The race times are informative - the Coronation Cup was run in 2:36.40 and the Oaks in 2:37.83 and it was interesting to see the race occur middle to stands side which is unusual but everyone agreed the slowest ground was down the far rail which again is unusual for the track.

Even the GOAT, CWJ got hounded for years but our Rumpole dealt with that and got the Master to achieve despite the shyte they both put up with. Young Wiremu needs to model himself on CWJ, .... kind, kind, kind.....

Well I was bitterly disappointed with the move from Wanganui to Waverley because that track was running faster than my horse!

PFP This looks like it will play out exactly how the N Jack,M Pitt case is over here The falsely accused will want a royal commission into the entire case , and heads must roll , and they will want to be reimbursed their costs The enquiry into the cases here are well advanced

A buckaroo with a stockwhip would have sorted those bastards.

A beautiful story Berri , so sad for one so young

Hawkes Bay.... Race 1 2/4 Race2 3/7 Race3 1/4 Race4 5/6 Race5 3/5 Race6 2/7 Race7 1/3 Race8 1/3 Race9 4/5 Race10 1/4 Cheers................

I really hope he can come back after this we need talented people like him in our riding ranks not sitting on the sidelines...wish him well and hope he can take some time to get himself sorted...talented rider one of the best in NZ....and that pool is getting smaller and smaller.

No Kerr will get jail time? Good riddance!

That's a lovely story Berri - thanks for sharing Toby was one of favourite jockeys. Very sad his passing. RIP Toby

Wingatui today listed as a Slow 7. So Much Mour one the first race over 1600m in a reported time of 1.33.38. Penetrometer readings don’t mean a thing although I would suggest the starting stalls were placed wrongly.

The best? It was shit racing watching them all charge towards the outside rail where the fast lane was.

Doesn't the Princess Royal look happy in the photo

None of that old-school thinking please Crusty--it has been well advertised by the wokester Coster and Ardern that we should have "Policing by Consent".

Absolutely - anyone can enter. Separate prize for Day 2 winner and a prize for combined Day 1 + Day 2 winner so still plenty to play for.

Not sure Chris needs to stay in the Yaldy, Ascot, or any other for that matter but he still rides okay. Lets remember that he is 58 years of age now, won his second premiership at 53 which is an amazing feat. Travelling is a huge toll, especially now as he is based in the deep south. I can't wait for a book that one day surely must be produced, reflecting and celebrating Chris' amazing career.

Well I see I've gotta go again and face the TARANTULA on Monday . Thats Enough to give you Arachnophobia. A strong performer in the previous contest you had. Sorry to of knocked you out it seems SAY NO MORE !!! . you put a lot of effort in here . (Pure Steel a tough bugger though lol) At least the 1970's horse was anyway. Very high quality players Redrew, High Sparrow and Tasman Man are out as well ??? crikey ! might be a slim chance then. What race Numbers am I taking on the giant TARANTULA on Monday please ?? (working out whether I need Pea-Beau or Mortein lol....)

Well spotted Say No More re my missing first race, a very lucky and tense last race... hard luck Shannon. Thanks for your efforts as always Say No More.

Great scoring John. My complimentary All Up bet for you failed miserably. I Got Leg one home for you with 5 length winner Turn The Ace . The other two legs were poor selections.By me. Well done to our comp Leader Tasman Man 756 points. High Sparrow on 639 and the wicked contestant " Insider " flogging 536 points. Don't forget the English Derby early tomorrow ( Sunday 3:30 am NZ time ) M51 R5 Ascot I Believe it will be on Ch 63 .

Yes , I just tend to read harness forums and the racehorse form in the main , so there is a lot of poor stuff involved lol. you could be right. I was involved in harness in Nz and Aus for many years. Once in Nz we started the wrong horse as another .good outcome too. funny things happen when you can get away with them. You need 'Authorities ' and investigators constantly working to stop this sort of thing happening . Excellent IMO that your hated mob have finished without a trial. How good? and yet you complain??. Harness Racing NZ would of looked far, far, far far worse if they convicted some of the greats. In Aus , they just get on with it . Many of the greats have been caught , taken to court , convicted , done their time , and now all back driving and training winners like they always did. I'm talking Pitt, Jack, S Graham , Vicki Rasmussen to name but 4 cases of many. none of the 'everyones innocent 'that is portraited on lots of Nz threads . do the crime. do the time. You all Know there's a LOT of stuff going on (McGrath and Alford and friends are proving it) but don't want to admit it . carry on then ......

I just mute the hounds until the horses are ready to go. Shouldn't have to. An ideal solution would be to have all hound coverage on T/Side 2.

15 go in the Jockey Club at Chantilly on Sunday which is worth £720,000 to the winner. As we know, it's run over 2050m and the ground at the beautiful Parisian track is Good to Soft. Charlie Appleby sends over MODERN TIMES who won the Poulains and had a number of his opponents behind next day. The most interesting of his rivals looks to be Guiche winner VADENI who looked a lot happier at 1800m and promises to see out the extra trip really well.

On to Saturday and 17 go in the Derby which is being run in the memory of Lester Piggott, arguably the greatest rider in the history of the race. At £910,000 to the winner, it's one of Britain's most prestigious races but if I'm being honest there's a fair bit of dead wood in the field. The top three in the betting are rated 117, 116 and 115 and they look the best place to start. DESERT CROWN did it really well in the Dante and I suppose the question is will his temperament stand the fever of Derby Day? It's an imponderable but this is only his third race and the Derby is often rough. STONE AGE is one of three from Ballydoyle and he won the credential Derby trial at Leopardstown. I'm not sure of the strength of the form but he has to be respected. NATIONS PRIDE has come to the fore in the last week - he won a Listed at Newmarket by seven lengths but this is a huge step forward. CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD won the Chester Vase and STAR OF INDIA won the Dee at the same track but I'd be surprised if either were good enough. The one I like at a big price is ROYAL PATRONAGE who was eighth in the 2000 Guineas and chased home DESERT CROWN in the Dante. That shouldn't be good enough but Epsom can be a front runner's track and he has more experience than many - he's 33s and I've had a small play but the record of Dante runners up at Epsom is terrible which is sobering. PIZ BADILE hasn't been seen since winning the Ballysax and could be anything. This is one of those races where the favourite, at 7/4, will either look the greatest value of all times and you'll be kicking yourself for not wading in or will look a complete dud. This doesn't look a strong race - there's no real Guineas form and Group 1 form in general is in short supply. Short answer now is I don't know who wins - STONE AGE could be the answer.

Back from two weeks cruising down to Iberia and back - most enjoyable it was too. Back just in time for the Epsom Derby and Oaks which coincide of course with HMQ's Platinum Jubilee. She may be missing the Thanksgiving Service but I suspect she'll fetch up to the Downs tomorrow for all her main hope for the Blue Riband hasn't quite lived up to the hype of last summer. After rain up here, the ground is just on the slow side of good - we've had a few meetings cut short due to rain on lush turf. Today's card has two Group 1 races - the Coronation Cup and the Oaks, both over the iconic 2400m. The former is for the older horses but this year's renewal looks a bit poor to be honest - the race only goes for £250,000 these days and urgently needs some boosting in my view. Top rated is last year's winner PYLEDRIVER on 120 and he was a close fourth in the Sheema Classic on World Cup night but his limitations against the very best have been exposed more than once. With only five rivals, he may be able to dominate in a way he can't in a big field. HIGH DEFINITION was the big Ballydoyle talking horse and at one point was Derby favourite until finishing third to HURRICANE LANE in the Dante which was followed by a miserable performance in the Irish Derby. After a couple of modest efforts early on this year, he returned a much better effort in the Tattersalls Gold Cup just failing to beat ALENQUER. I've not seen the race but I'm told Ganay winner STATE OF REST should have won but wasn't given the best ride by Shane Crosse. Mixing it with the likes of STATE OF REST and LORD NORTH puts you at the top table over 2000m but this 400m remains a doubt for me. We now know HUKUM as BAAEED's full brother but he's a decent type in his own right for all his limitations at Group 1 have also been exposed - he was just behind PYLEDRIVER in the bunch finish for the Sheema Classic. MANOBO is the problem here - he also ran on World Cup night but second in the 3200m race. We know he stays and that's a useful attribute at Epsom but he's untested at Group 1 level. PYLEDRIVER probably wins this if he brings his best to the table. The Oaks is the third classic of the season and the second for the 3-y-o fillies. EMILY UPJOHN has been widely touted for this since her Sandown maiden win and followed up in style at York. She ticks a lot of the boxes and could be very special - her main opposition looks to be her stable companion NASHWA and she could improve past her higher rated stable companion. Aidan O'Brien saddles TUESDAY who brings classic form to the table having run third in the English 1000 Guineas and then second to the hugely impressive HOMELESS SONGS in Ireland just 12 days ago. Her breeding screams for this trip and she could very easily be much better than the Gosden fillies. Aidan saddles four of the eleven in total and CONCERT HALL was third at The Curragh, just a length behind TUESDAY. THOUGHTS OF JUNE won the Cheshire Oaks in which MOON OF VEGA was a very unlucky fourth having been hampered on the home turn and coming home really well. I was taken and have had a fiver each way at 33s this morning. Who wins? I suspect EMILY UPJOHN and TUESDAY will be fighting out the business end and I'm just with the latter if her excursions a fortnight ago haven't left a mark.

Tauhei is a locality in the Waikato. When in Christchurch the Yaldhurst is my favourite pub. Not flash, nor pretentious, just a great N.Z. pub that attracts people who are interesting to chat with. Add that to reasonably priced food, competent tote operators and beer chilled to the optimum temperature. Which Wellington pub would Racecafers recommend to me. Today is a bit sad as my favourite drinking hole in Auckland is closing. It never had a TAB, but it always attracted interesting people to chat with. And the proprietor reminds me of Aristotle's famous quote; "There is a mixture of madness in the most excellent of men."

Certainly looks the real deal, my friend. Some are already calling him the best since Frankel and that's some accolade. The plan (I suspect) is the Queen Anne and the Juddmonte but after that, who knows? One thing of which I'm certain he will be retired at the end of the season and if they can get a couple of 2000m Group 1 races on his profile that will do his stallion fee no harm and I suspect both Darley and Coolmore will be looking at possible mares. Obviously, it will be a huge fillip for Shadwell if he makes the grade at stud and emerges as a major force to challenge the likes of Frankel and Dubawi down the road. For now, the question is whether anything among the 3-y-o can give him a race later in the season.