Tauhei Notts

King Of Steel would have been no show with any other jockey. Frankie Dettori's effort there was sensational. I would have preferred to see Paddington set for the W.S. Cox Plate, but the owners decided otherwise.

PeteL, thank you for your comments. Stylsie knows twenty times more about race track preparation than I will ever learn in two life times.

When a race is reduced to four starters BEFORE advance betting is opened AND when a race has a field of four, there is always a first four and a trifecta.

Last Sunday's Rotorua races were abandoned after four races had been run because of a slippery track. NZTR published the track's rainfall figures. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday= no rain. Sunday 0.2mm of rain. And that was sufficient to make the track slippery? Grab a ruler and see how long a millimetre is. Then divide that length by five. That is how much rain they got. That amount of rain was enough to make the track dangerous. Somebody is taking the piss.

Can anybody explain to me why we have both a first four and a trifecta when there are only four runners. The logic of that decision is beyond my level of comprehension.

I understand one has to be a devoted follower of Jimmy Two Mums to get on the committee at Avondale.

Small remote tote pools can turn up ridiculous odds. Ace Impact paid $5.00 for a place in The arc.

I never saw it but read where one commentator said that Hipkins versus Luxon was like a pillow fight between giggling pre-pubescent school girls.

At Tauranga today, despite the prediction of extensive rain, the rainfall figures at Tauranga for the 24 hours ended 9 a.m. today were, wait for it; "zip, zero, nothing." How on earth can climate alarmists predict the weather in fifty years time if they cannot predict the weather for tomorrow morning.

Readers, please accept my apology for my silly error. Somehow I got it in my mind that this year's St Leger was to be run on a Sunday English time. It was Saturday, you mug. I don't think Continuous can back up in two weeks time for Longchamps. I really was hoping for Desert Hero, but he wasn't good enough.

Stodge, it is disappointing that our TAB will not show the St Leger live. Apparently, apart from the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe day, they do not do telecasts past midnight, our time, on a Sunday evening. With the two majesties having a prominent runner, by no means a certainty, it might provide huge publicity for the racing game.

Sometimes, over a coffee by myself, I think of the logistical problems Mark Walker has with a huge stable. Planning racing programmes for so many. Co-ordinate colours, travel, floating, jockeys, support staff, a myriad of owners, intricate employment law, occupational health and safety detail, and 100 other related problems. It would be monumental task. I have seen the work they do on lesser beings, trying to coax a win out of them. The work on Leaderboard to win the Wellington Cup was wonderful. Take into account they are racehorses and staff; they are not robots. Each one is different in its own idiosyncratic ways; that is the horses AND the staff. And, apart from Tokyo Tycoon, I cannot think of a stuff up anywhere.

Stodge, if you are chatting with Chuck and Cam would you please wish them all the best for Desert Hero on Sunday.

Luxon is an invertebrate. It is possible that Seymour can insert a spine into Luxon's back. I hope so.

This is Race Cafe and most of us are punters. My mate said that the Toxic Trio will get 30 seats or less on election night figures, and he wants to put a lazy grand on it. The Toxic Trio is, of course, Greenhorilabour.. My question, to punters on this blog; should I take the supercilious so and so on? The trend shown by the latest poll suggests I should keep the 10 Lord Rutherfords in my pocket. Am I being a weak bettor?

1. WE do not have races for yearlings. 2. The first two year old race has been held at Wanganui for many years now. 3. Why is it called a "maiden" race?

BIg big day at Saratoga this morning, our time. I had a glance to see how the TAB tipsters went. Their tipsters never picked a winner. BUT Get this, and you are not going to believe it, they never ever picked a starter. They got the picks from some races somewhere, but it certainly wasn't the Saratoga races our TAB were offering bets on. If this is the brains of our outfit, now you know what kind of outfit we've got.

The Quezette Stakes is named after Test Case's first two year old winner, 58 years ago..

On 29th July I mentioned that I had seen a couple of champion fillies; being Emily Upjohn and Blue Rose Cen. They have both let me down. It would appear that my opinions are worth as much as Chris Hipkins' opinions. Damn it!!!

I visited Epsom, Longchamps, Chantilly and Ascot in June. Emily Upjohn, Blue Rose Cen and Paddington were the three champions that I saw.

Tripple Alliance has listed Hipkins' train wrecks. But they are all belt way issues. Joe and Josephine Public from Weymouth and Sydenham don't worry about them. BUT, and this is a huge BUT; Kiri Allen, with a fist full of taxpayer funded taxi chits, chose to drive home pissed. Not only that, but she is not a minister outside of Cabinet. She is a Cabinet Minister. As such she had access to a chauffer driven limousine, 168 hours per week. Still she chose to drive home fly blown drunk. Drink driving is the one offence that Joe and Josephine Public understand. They don't like it. Imagine having a dreadful tooth ache and the dentist told you it cannot be pulled until 14th October. Chippy, do the decent thing and bring the election date forward. Fix this terrible malaise upon all of your country's citizens.

Theer is a half page advertisement for Esquire on page 176 of the 1995 Register of Thoroughbred Stallions of New Zealand. Harry Parslow's phone number, 28 years ago, was 06 342 7814.

I saw where some people were complaining about the TAB having betting on an amateur riders' race. Tomorrow the TAB is taking bets on 279 races, plus the Amateurs' race at Avondale. If 279 races isn't enough for you to bet on then you have a problem.

Esquire was imported into New Zealand by Mr W.J Crocker. Whilst at stud in Australia his owners did not waste any money on advertising him. I looked through Australian stallion registers from 1982 to 1986 and he did not rate a mention.

I looked at Newmarket this morning and remembered that old saying; "odds on---get on." It certainly doesn't work in England this summer.