jack

Executive change to lead racing industry growth
 
Press Release: NZ Racing Board
 
25-10-2012 15:55
 
( Business; Gambling; Commerce; Business Confidence; Finance; Sport; )
 
 
October 25, 2012
 
Executive change to lead racing industry growth
 
Major changes have been made to the New Zealand Racing Board's executive team to lead the growth of the country's racing industry.
 
NZ Racing Board Chief Executive Chris Bayliss said the appointment of four highly-regarded New Zealand business professionals to his leadership team would provide the necessary expertise and experience to deliver long-term growth to the industry and complement other changes within the organisation.
 
Stewart McRobie joins the organisation as Chief Financial Officer, Monique Cairns as General Manager Strategy, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Colin Philp as Chief Information Officer and Shameel Sahib as Head of Strategy.
 
Mr Bayliss was delighted with the calibre of the new appointees, which would enhance the NZ Racing Board's leadership capability with no increase to its cost base.
 
"The industry is facing a number of significant challenges and opportunities that make it vital we have a leadership group comprising different skills, experiences and approach.
 
"The New Zealand racing industry makes an important contribution to the country economically, socially and culturally, and these new appointments to the leadership team will ensure we're able to take an effective, agile and innovative approach to maximising this contribution and leading growth.
 
"There is a clear need for change. This new leadership team will initiate and lead that change with a strategy focused on delivering significantly enhanced returns to the racing industry."
 
Mr McRobie is one of the most skilled and experienced finance professionals in New Zealand, having held senior executive roles with some of the country's largest and most successful organisations. With more than 30 years of finance and accountancy experience, he has held the positions of CFO for Westpac and AMP and has been with ASB Bank for the past six years as CFO and Chief Executive of Relationship Banking.
 
Ms Cairns is a marketing and corporate affairs professional with global executive experience gained with Barclays, ANZ, Telecom, BNZ and GE Capital.
 
Mr Philp is an experienced ICT professional who joins the NZ Racing Board from Gen-i, where he is currently Head of Client Delivery for Gen-i's Australian business in Sydney.
 
Mr Sahib has more than 20 years' strategy and business performance experience in senior roles with SkyCity, Air New Zealand and BNZ.
 
All four new executives will start in their roles from next month. In addition, the key appointment of General Manager Sales and Distribution is pending.
 
Meanwhile, as part of the NZ Racing Board's renewed commitment to transparency and open communication with industry stakeholders, Mr Bayliss will join new Board Chairman Dr Alan Jackson in December in hosting the organisation's first annual general meeting in more than five years.
 
Open to all racing industry participants, the December 6 meeting in Wellington will also see full audited results for the 2011/12 financial year made available.
 
The 2011/12 accounts have now been approved by the Board. Despite a writedown on the NZ Racing Board's wagering system project as at July 31, 2012, provisionally disclosed in its recent Statement of Intent, the 2011/12 distribution to the racing industry has been increased by $2 million on forecast to $132 million following a financial year where wagering turnover on racing and sport exceeded $1.6 billion for the first time.
ENDS
©Scoop Media Ltd.

Six-time Group One winner Auguste Rodin will shuttle to Windsor Park Stud in Cambridge this spring in a coup for the New Zealand breeding industry.
One of the world’s finest racehorses, Auguste Rodin enjoyed elite-level success at two, three and four.
An impeccably-bred son of Deep Impact out of Galileo’s triple Group One winning daughter Rhododendron, Auguste Rodin boasts one of the most sought-after pedigrees in the world.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Auguste Rodin made an immediate impact on the track, showcasing an exceptional turn of foot and versatility over multiple distances.
As a two-year-old, his ability was immediately obvious, earning TDN Rising Star status when winning his maiden at Naas over 1400m, before taking the Gr.2 Champions Juvenile (1600m) at Leopardstown and the prestigious Gr.1 Futurity Trophy (1600m) at Doncaster.
His three-year-old campaign confirmed his status as a true champion. Auguste Rodin claimed a stunning victory in the Gr.1 Epsom Derby (2400m), followed by an emphatic win in the Gr.1 Irish Derby (2400m). His dominance continued with victories in the Gr.1 Irish Champion Stakes (2000m) before crossing the pond for a memorable triumph in the Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Turf (2400m) at Santa Anita.
Returning as a four-year-old, Auguste Rodin added another jewel to his crown, winning the Gr.1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (2000m) at Royal Ascot.
Auguste Rodin retired as the winner of eight races with prizemoney earnings in excess of NZ$11 million over distances from 1400m to 2400m, defeating 21 individual Group One winners, with 45 Group One wins between them.
“We are privileged to welcome a racehorse of Auguste Rodin's calibre to our stallion roster,” Windsor Park principal Rodney Schick said.
“His race performance has a remarkable similarity to that of High Chaparral who we stood here at Windsor Park and who enjoyed global success and international renown through his own success and that of his sons, grandsons and daughters at stud.
“We extend our thanks to Coolmore for their continued strong endorsement and support of both Windsor Park and the New Zealand breeding industry, just as they did last season shuttling Paddington here.
“Like High Chaparral, Auguste Rodin has loads of quality and we are so excited to be able to offer him to breeders.”
Auguste Rodin’s career mirrors that of High Chaparral. Both horses share victories in the Futurity Trophy at two, the English and Irish Derbies, Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup Turf with the key difference being Auguste Rodin’s success at Royal Ascot in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at four.
“Auguste Rodin is an exceptional racehorse and stallion prospect with the blend of class, speed and pedigree that only the very best possess,” said Coolmore’s MV Magnier.
“He is a very special horse for us at Coolmore and I truly believe he ranks up there with the best racehorses and sires that we have stood here before him.
“We’re delighted he is going to shuttle to Windsor Park Stud to enhance his future legacy in the Southern Hemisphere”.
Auguste Rodin hails from the final crop of Japanese Triple Crown winner and 11-time Champion Sire Deep Impact, a son of the legendary racehorse and sire Sunday Silence to whom Auguste Rodin bears a striking physical resemblance.
Auguste Rodin boasts six multiple-champion sires in his first three generations, directly descending from three standout race mares—all Group One performers at a mile or less. 
He is the first foal from triple Group One winner Rhododendron, one of the premier daughters of immortal sire and broodmare sire Galileo and a sister to seven-time Group One winner Magical.
Both Champion sisters are out of Pivotal’s triple Group One and 1,000 Guineas winner Halfway To Heaven while his brilliantly fast third dam Cassandra Go won the time-honoured Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot.
The blend of Deep Impact with Galileo blood has given rise to an eyewatering 17% Group winners to runners.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien described Auguste Rodin as a rare talent.
“He was always very highly rated from the time he was a foal at Coolmore and when Ryan (Moore) first rode him as an early two-year-old he said then he was a very special horse.
“He connects two of the most powerful breeding lines in the world and was a pleasure to train.
“Physically he fills the eye so well as he has that extra quality and movement. He’s very well balanced and very well proportioned and blessed with a big stride which is usually the sign of a very good horse.”
Auguste Rodin takes his place on Windsor Park’s 2025 stallion roster with fellow Coolmore sires Paddington and Circus Maximus and alongside resident leading stallion Shamexpress, sire of the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising.
Auguste Rodin will stand in 2025 at an introductory fee of $30,000+gst.

Not sure how many are Touchtone users however I have placed my bets this morning and was presented with a new female voice. Was told it has been upgraded however seems like the voice is the only real change. Everything worked as it should  

Pictured as a yearling .
La Dorada | Karaka 2024 - Book 1 | New Zealand Bloodstock | Thoroughbred Auction House
 
Ted and his wonderful wife Linda share in the ownership of La Dorada.
She was 1 of 15  fillies in Book One, 2024, by Super Seth.
Well Ted certainly opted for the right one with the assistance of DC and his team !!
Good on him and he is such a good contributor on this forum.
Rumour has it that DC has got him and Linda involved in a lovely Wootten Bassett filly for next years event ??!!
She probably cost more than Ted's first dairy farm.
Rev
 

I would like to encourage anyone who may be looking at getting involved in racing a horse. This is the best way, no upfront costs, you only pay your % share each month for training, vets, travel etc. I joined Scooby in a lease arrangement to race Fashion Icon. She won 3 or her first 4 races and it was a real thrill. There is nothing more exciting than being able to watch your horse win. She ended up with a further 2nd, 3 3rds, a 4th and 2 5ths for earning of about $90000 from 13 starts.
I have joined Scooby again because I am confident it will be a lot of fun. Both Scooby and Peter the trainer are very good at keeping you updated with what's happening. It would be great to see some of you join us.

Play-offs week 2 - Flemington R8  - Final race
# Name Jockey/Driver/Trainer Win Place 1 Light Infantry Man Ethan Brown 9.50 2.80 9 Deny Knowledge Craig Williams   2.60 8 Zardozi Jamie Melham   1.50 Bet Type Runners Dividend Quinella 1,9 52.30 NAME LATEST RACE TOTAL Reacher 41.00 475.00 Peter RS 30.00 302.00 Pheroz 0.00 288.20 Majestic 15.00 283.00 Pegasus 30.00 251.60 Gubellini 30.00 245.00 Ohokaman 0.00 231.60 Montydrum 30.00 227.00 Sayer 26.00 203.00 Say No More 60.00 188.00 Al Feilding 30.00 181.00 Aaron 30.00 179.00 Kiwignome 0.00 175.00 Jayar 15.00 173.60 Basil Brush 82.00 162.00 Kloppite 30.00 126.00       NAME LATEST RACE TOTAL Joan 0.00 370.00 Blaird  123.00 365.00 Floyd Pink 138.00 358.00 Pete Lane 123.00 351.00 Kilcoyne 123.00 338.00 Black Kirrama 0.00 280.60 Richie 0.00 261.00 Jack 0.00 232.00 Hall 0.00 194.00 Chestnut 30.00 173.00 Scooby 30.00 144.00

One of nicest,  down to earth, genuine people you’ll ever meet. Fun day at Flemington today even though we didn’t get the chocolates. 
How good Alabama for the Kiwis?! 😎

Can I replace Rosehill bb to Trentham  R7(comp 2)

And just a reminder, if you finished below Joan on the results table last Saturday you have been eliminated and no need to enter.  The other 28 should all submit an entry this week.

Apologies .... Got caught up with another event , congrats to those who made the cut off ... cheers

Thanks for the message, and no worries, life comes first and if you can fit the comp in then that is well and good.
You haven't been eliminated from the comp just yet.  Your path to the final is harder now but you should still throw some picks in this coming Saturday if you can.

Hi Insider and any other locals can we get some real time info on the weather and the prospective track conditions for Saturdays big meeting. Great fields some of the best all year...lets hope the weather plays ball and the famed Trentham can be at its best.

Hadid a fitting first winner for Brown
Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
16 March 2025 Northern apprentice jockey Sienna Brown earned a fitting first victory in the saddle aboard Hadid at Tauranga on Saturday.
The 19-year-old had ridden the daughter of Charm Spirit on four previous occasions, including at the trials in the early stages of becoming an apprentice. Prepared by Hanna Orting, Hadid is owned by Brown’s parents Tony and Nikki, who were on course to witness a very special moment in the Larissa Reid Bayleys Whakatane Commercial (1600m).
Having observed the pattern of the day, Brown took initiative from the jump, utilising her lightweight to press forward and put the pressure on her rivals. At the 800m, she extended the margin and had an eight-length buffer on Monday Melody, and turning for home, she had the winning break, holding off the late closing favourite to score by 2 – ¼ lengths.
Brown was delighted with the result, particularly on a horse that means so much to her family.
“They had all been coming off the front and on the rail, so from that gate on this track, everything was really set out for her,” she said.
“It is really special, especially because this horse has been with me since the start. She was my first trial winner and I helped name her as well.”
Coming from an equestrian background, making a career out of the horse industry appealed to Brown and racing was the obvious choice, with her parents also breeding a number of quality horses, including recent $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m) contender Hankee Alpha.
“I did a bit of show jumping and dressage, and I thought it would be cool to be able to make money out of riding,” Brown said. “Racing came naturally with Mum and Dad and I’m really enjoying it.
“I’m apprenticed to Shaun and Emma Clotworthy, Maryanne and George Simon recommended them to us and I went and gave it a go, and they’ve been very good to me. My riding has really improved since I’ve been with them.
“I’ve had so many opinions from other jockeys and they’ve been really helpful in helping me improve, giving me tips and things like that.
“I’m going to try to travel around as much as I can and get as many rides as I can."

Congratulations to this young lady, who rode her first winner yesterday at her 29th race ride. A day she will never forget.
Not every aspiring young rider has a fairytale start to their career - and she must have been wondering "will it ever come"?
Hopefully the first of many - and hopefully the scribes at NZTR will do some king of write-up on her accordingly.
 

More likely to be Ardalio or Zormella as they're paying $41. With pathetic promise you are allowed to win $2000.
How ridiculous that they come up with a 3.5 million dollar race, spend all this money and effort promoting it as New Zealand's biggest race and then limit a punter to a bet of $50.

Final Standings after pool play
The scorer finishes the final round with two quinellas to nab 2nd place today and to finish as the Minor Premiership winner (and finish the day with a full wallet).
Jayar and Al Feilding round out the top 3 spots.
The top 8 get a bye next week - no need for you to submit picks.
The rest of you need to post next week.   Those of you in 9th to 24th place have a much better chance of progressing in the comp than those below 24th.
See you all next week
  ENTRANT Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6 TOTAL 1 Say No More 35 10 32 42 199 2 Jayar 38 22 30 32 195 3 Al Feilding 36 24 33 31 191 4 Gubellini 26 21 42 28 189 5 Sayer 42 27 41 40 184 6 Basil Brush 41 2 45 29 179 7 Pegasus 34 44 24 27 177 8 Pheroz 6 23 38 36 172 9 Pete Lane 23 45 14 34 172 10 Kilcoyne 37 42 6 35 170 11 Peter RS 43 35 29 37 165 12 Richie 33 29 16 25 164 13 Jack  45 1 40 20 156 14 Black Kirrama 1 38 23 43 150 15 Hall 19 43 44 15 146 16 Kiwignome 15 11 34 23 146 17 Ohokaman 17 14 43 17 146 18 Majestic 16 33 22 19 145 19 Aaron 7 31 25 39 144 20 Floyd Pink 44 12 5 33 143 21 Kloppite 21 0 35 38 142 22 Reacher 30 18 18 26 142 23 Montydrum 2 5 37 22 135 24 Von Cettes 9 37 17 21 135 25 Blaird  27 28 19 1 131 26 Canterbury Man 28 39 12 2 129 27 Scooby 17 9 27 24 127 28 Joan 13 30 8 11 124 29 Pure Steel 40 32 21 10 120 30 Chestnut 31 16 27 13 118 31 Insider 22 15 36 6 117 32 Houlahan 0 26 2 5 113 33 Arjay 25 0 31 4 112 34 Koriokaramea 32 34 26 12 111 35 Ponderosa 39 19 20 18 110 36 Seddon 4 41 3 16 105 37 Pak Star 29 4 9 0 101 38 Lucasduke 24 6 39 7 100 39 Dogzstar 8 36 13 8 94 40 Foxmerts 12 40 7 14 94 41 Seakem 10 25 11 30 86 42 Manfield 3 8 4 41 66 43 Winner69 20 17 10 0 64 44 Alf 14 13 1 9 60 45 Mr gee 5 20 0 3 41 46 Maximus 11 7 15 0 36

Friday
This is the fourth time that John O’Connor of Ballykelly Stud has appeared in Good Morning Bloodstock. I make no apology for featuring him so often, though, as he is a fascinating character with an awful lot going on.
 
To refresh your memory, he formerly worked in the aerospace industry until he sold his business to Arnold Weinstock in 1994 and since then has worked with governments in Africa and South America on setting up infrastructure projects such as mining ventures or renewable energy schemes.
 
He calls himself an industrial diplomat, but what exactly it is he does isn’t quite clear. His friend Paul Webber, who trained his homebred Cheltenham Festival winner Indefatigable, was probably closest to the mark when he once described him as “an international man of mystery”.
 
O’Connor bought Ballykelly Stud in County Tipperary from John Magnier – he thinks he is probably the last person to have purchased a prime piece of farmland in Ireland from the Coolmore supremo – and has bred numerous high-class horses on the Cashel property.
 
Best of the bunch is undoubtedly Marine Nationale (pictured below), an eight-year-old son of former Darley Club stallion French Navy and the useful, multiple-winning Definite Article mare Power Of Future. 
 
O’Connor retained him and sent him into training with Sam Curling with the intention of advertising his ability to potential purchasers in point-to-points, only for Covid to hit and racing between the flags to be cancelled. 
 
Instead, the horse was sold privately to Barry Connell, who sent him out to win the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle two years ago, when he was partnered by the much-missed Michael O’Sullivan, and to record an emotional second victory at the Cheltenham Festival in the Queen Mother Champion Chase under Sean Flanagan on Wednesday. 
 
On the first occasion that the always eminently quotable O’Connor appeared in this email he was making mercy dashes to war-torn Ukraine to deliver much-needed supplies under the Irish tricolour. 
 
“The idea is for Ireland to have a bit of a presence and to make it felt, because the Ukrainians will remember who was there when they needed them, and who were the Johnny Come Latelys who arrived when it was safe,” he said.
 
A few months later he stood aside so that his highly valued stud manager John Fitzell could take the spotlight. Fitzell suffers from multiple sclerosis, but doesn’t let the illness stop him, as he runs the farm and rears all the stock from a wheelchair and specially adapted Jeep. 
 
When I asked O’Connor whether he was ever worried that onlookers might think he employed Fitzell as an act of charity, he replied without hesitation: “I’m the net beneficiary of our relationship. There’s no doubt about that. I couldn’t have done anything at Ballykelly Stud without John Fitzell.”
 
The last time I interviewed him in this space he explained how he bred the magnificent Marine Nationale, and came out with some crackerjack lines.
 
“I just love hard-knocking stallions like French Navy, and I like sending them mares who have a bit of class about them, even if it’s close up in their family and they didn’t show it on themselves, so I thought Power Of Future would be ideal for him,” he related. “I suppose you could say my ideal mating is Rocky Marciano meets Helen Mirren’s sister, and that’s what this was.”
 
O’Connor’s latest out-of-the-box innovation, discovered when I rang to congratulate him on Marine Nationale’s heroics at Prestbury Park this week, might end up being another one for the greatest hits.
 
He has identified a little-used sire as the one who will deliver him a capable athlete both on the Flat and over jumps, as Marine Nationale was intended to be, and supported him strongly with his small broodmare band.
 
“My version of Royal Ascot is a horse who’ll run at the Galway Races on the Monday, in the amateur handicap, and again at the meeting at the end of the week, in the Galway Hurdle: that’s what I’m trying to breed, a tough dual-purpose horse,” he says, outlining his ambitions.
 
“In fact, when I bred Marine Nationale what I was trying to do was produce a bumper winner and dual-purpose horse. So now he’s just got to win the Irish Cesarewitch in order to prove me right.
 
“The stallion I’m leaning on to achieve that is Tosen Stardom. He’s a Japanese horse by Deep Impact and is a lovely, big, loose-walking individual who raced a lot of times over multiple seasons and won a couple of Group 1s in Australia. He was a tough, tough horse, a French Navy type of horse. He’s my bet.”
 
Tosen Stardom, who struck in the Toorak Handicap at Caulfield and Emirates Stakes at Flemington at six, first arrived in Ireland two years ago. He stands with Tom Wallace at Zenith Stallion Station in County Westmeath, and covered 32 mares in 2023 and another 24 last year.  
 
O’Connor is sending him three of his mares this season: Caraboss, a winning Cape Cross half-sister to Australian Group 1 hero Kingdom Of Fife descended from Elizabeth II’s blue-hen mare Highclere; Tap Dance Way, a winning Azamour half-sister to stakes scorers Charleston Lady and Live Concert; and Twice Certain, a winning Lawman half-sister to Prix Saint-Alary second Epic Love.
 
Tap Dance Way has a yearling filly by Tosen Stardom and Twice Certain was covered by the sire last season.
 
“Tap Dance Way’s yearling is really lovely, and encouraged me to go back,” reports O’Connor. “Twice Certain is from a good family that has done well in Japan, with Epic Love producing the champion two-year-old Danon The Kid and another high-class horse in Mikki Brillante, by Deep Impact's son Deep Brillante. So it made sense to go to another son of Deep Impact, and luckily there was one on my doorstep. 
 
“Caraboss was bought from the Royal Studs. She’s got a really nice yearling colt by Shaman, who needs to pull his socks up as he hasn’t set the world on fire, but you’d have to hope that his stock will be better at three than at two.
 
“Those are three middle-aged, middle-distance mares who should suit Tosen Stardom and might give me a decent dual-purpose performer. I know he’s not all that popular and the foals won’t be commercial, but I like him and I’ll be more than happy to race them myself and maybe get them sold later. He’s my idea of another Rocky Marciano to introduce to Helen Mirren's sisters.”
O’Connor also has belief in connections of Tosen Stardom.
 
“I first met Tom [Wallace] when I sent a mare to him a couple of years ago and I just thought to myself that he was a real grafter, and that this was the sort of smaller operation I enjoy supporting,” he says. 
 
Among the more commercial Ballykelly Stud mares are Catwalk, a winning Pivotal half-sister to Flying Childers Stakes scorer Sir Prancealot, and Young And Fun, a winning daughter of Lope De Vega and Crimson Rosette, who in turn is a Listed-winning Teofilo half-sister to Gold Cup hero Courage Mon Ami.
 
“I bought Catwalk because I always wanted a Pivotal mare, and she’s from a really fast family," says O'Connor.
 
"She has a lovely yearling filly by Inns Of Court, who’s no longer considered commercial and now stands in Italy, but I kind of don’t care, as I’ve always wanted to have a horse by a fast sire out of a Pivotal mare that I can go racing with, and now I’ve got one.
 
“Young And Fun has gone to Dark Angel, and we’ll find out next week if she’s in foal. She’s from an absolutely beautiful Hascombe and Valiant Studs family, and is probably my one genuinely red-hot commercial mare."
 
Marine Nationale’s dam Power Of Future died from a severe form of laminitis in the year of his birth and both of her only daughters, Perfect Summer and Ballinderry Moth, were sold. But O’Connor has maintained an association with the family through Arnemviden, an unraced daughter of French Navy and Ballinderry Moth, thus closely related to this week’s Cheltenham victor.
 
It’s only a tenuous grip on the pedigree, though, as he explains: “We just couldn’t get her in foal last year, we tried everything, and until Wednesday she was on her way to a riding school in Wales for a new career. 
 
“I really was at the point of giving up with her, but seeing Marine Nationale bound up the hill at Cheltenham I said to myself maybe she’s worth holding onto and giving another spin. She’s got to be worth persevering with, as a three-parts sister to him, even if it takes until June to get her in foal.
 
“I don’t know what stallion I’ll use. I think it'll just be the most fertile one I can find, regardless of who he is and what he’s done. I’m even thinking of sending her off to run loose with Irish draughts. I know from speaking to other people that it’s worked before. Once you’ve got them in foal that way the first time, you can then revert them into a thoroughbred herd.”
 
Linguists, history buffs and even dog racing fans might have noticed that O’Connor takes great care over naming his equine charges, drawing on a range of sources before making his registrations.
 
Marine Nationale is, appropriately, the French navy, while Arnemviden was a sea battle fought in 1338 that was the first to use artillery, to continue the theme. Ballinderry Moth was meanwhile a brilliant greyhound of the 1970s trained by O’Connor’s father Barney – “beautiful, bouncy and just too fast for her own good,” wrote Monty Court at the time.
 
No doubt about it, O’Connor is an original thinker who takes satisfaction in doing things on his own terms. He has had to rely on others’ help a little more this year, though, due to circumstances beyond his control. 
 
“All the broodmares are being boarded with other people in various parts of the country now,” he reports. “The problem is simply that the staffing situation is so dire, especially here in Cashel as we’ve got Coolmore and Aidan O’Brien on the doorstep, and one of Sheikh Mohammed’s studs across the road, so the really good people get spoken for very quickly.
 
“I’ve therefore had to outsource the breeding. I’ll still pick the matings but I can’t look after the actual conceiving – dealing with vets, getting mares in and out of stocks, putting them to a teaser and so on – or the foaling process any more, without the right kind of assistance. 
 
“They’ll come home when they’re weaned and then I’ll give them what I call the Ballykelly treatment: wintering them out and feeding them hard.
 
"I don’t bring any of my young horses in, they stay outside, on the basis that if my horse and another horse that’s been mollycoddled all its life turn for home together at Cheltenham, and there’s a blizzard like we've seen this week, I know which one is going to come out on top.”
 
O’Connor’s right-hand-man isn’t retiring any time soon, despite the need for outside help this season.
 
“Oh John Fitzell is flying,” he says. “He was in uproarious form when he rang me after the race on Wednesday. We’re always arguing, as ever. If he was in the peak of health we wouldn’t board the mares out, but he’s not, that’s the way it is, and we’ll work around it. There’s always a way.”
 
I was on the phone to O’Connor for only half an hour but he still managed to fit in a disquisition on the British royal family, extensive quoting of political theorist Isaiah Berlin and some ruminations on the nature of atheism.
 
It’s a breeder interview, Jim, but not as we know it. 
 
“I don’t think along conventional lines, and I hate following the herd,” says O’Connor when it is put to him that he’s not all that much like other mare owners.
 
“It’s the same when it comes to breeding. I do what I believe will create an equine athlete. I think more about what will produce an athlete than what will hit in the sales ring, probably to my cost.”
 
Good Morning Bloodstock endorses free thinking like that. After all, it was by being unorthodox that the likes of Boussac, Tesio and Bolger helped shape the breed.
 
For that reason, don’t be surprised when O’Connor features in the email for a fifth time – perhaps for an update on those Tosen Stardom foals.

Thanks for this, my friend.
As I've said in my Cheltenham Review, not a dry eye in the horse as MARINE NATIONALE crossed the line on Wednesday and when JAZZY MATTY, who O'Sullivan had ridden to win the Juvenule Handicap Hurdle, won the 3250m handicap chase forty minutes later, you can believe any number were pondering on the reality of divine intervention.
TOSEN STARDOM hasn't done much yet as a stallion but who knows? I'll try to keep and eye for any of his progeny.

I think they’re going to be doing a lot more write downs in the future.  I stopped off at a Working Men's Club on Friday night to put some money into the TAB account so I could get the $25 bonus bet back on the first race on Champions Day.  The carpark was full.  There were heaps of people outside smoking.  I didn’t think that many people smoked these days.  Inside there were people everywhere drinking, eating, playing snooker, people on the pokies.  Not one person in the TAB section.  The Auckland trots, Wanganui dogs and Moonee Valley were all on.

You might say people bet on their phones these days, but surely they’d still want to watch these races if they’d had a bet.  We’re just a nation of mostly non punters these days.  Monopoly won't help much,  Entain should have sent someone over to see what was happening in the TABs as part of its due diligence.  They’ve bought into a duffer.

A tremendous card at Ellerslie as you might expect for Champions Day and even though I'm half a world away, I shall watch the replays when I get up in the morning.
There's a horse called TAJANIS running in the Auckland Cup - he ran here as a 3-y-o in the care of William Haggas and was an improving middle distance handicapper winning his final UK race in September 2023 over 2800m. He was running in first time blinkers and this was on Soft turf - I'm not saying he'll win tomorrow but he's an interesting type.
In the main races, my idea of the winners as follows:
Sistema - RETURN TO CONQUER
Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes - LEGARTO
Bonecrusher NZ Stakes - LA CRIQUE
Auckland Cup - TAJANIS (each way)
Kiwi - DAMASK ROSE
Derby - TUXEDO
Good luck to all playing in the main races.

1600  Should be a good one💚🤞

Sad news posted by Paul this morning that Mike passed away in his sleep.
condolences to all

I knew Don well and exchanged breeding ideas over many years. A great bloke and kiwi fruit grower / breeder who loved to take on the big boys. He told me about his punting days in Australia where on one day he took so much cash from the track he needed a bag! Others will know more about that… but he was a real gent, a race cafe regular, good contributor, raced a horse with me…. And I miss the man. 
 
so pleased his breed (and generosity) is coming out and he is being remembered 

No, only when silly buggers are attacking my home track of Trentham 😂