WOODBINE

In three days the Melbourne Cup will be run. The Melbourne Cup is probably the only race that businesses run a sweepstake on a horse race. For some years I have been an advocate for the TAB to develop a gaming product with Lotto to run on the Melbourne Cup. This would bring racing into the Lotto community and also give the sweepstakers an opportunity to win a major prize. I have raised this suggestion at several John Allen sessions only for it to be brushed off with the line we will consider it. NZ Racing is devoid of any growth ideas and strategies and it now may be too late to turn it around. Sadly we are now a sunset industry.

I wish Cambridge Stud all the best with Tavistock’s recovery This stallion is a world class sire that the NZ breeding industry can ill afford to lose He is the best stallion I have bred to in 30 years in the breeding game

Stephen had an arguable case and he should have been supported by the NZ Trainers Association This lass may have sadly misrepresented her riding experience to Stephen who I believe in good faith employed her. The consequences for everyone are very sad. The Auckland Council approved the use of hire scooters in Auckland and they have created a major danger for pedestrians in particular What liability did the AC have with the recent death of a scooter rider on their patch.?.? NZ has a number of laws or lack of laws in respect of employment accidents and non employment accidents (eg Auckland scooter death) that should be less PC focused and more responsibility focused

Guy is also NZ based and an ex NZB agent NZ Breeders congratulate yourselves NZ breds had a magnificent Raceday performance in Sydney and Melbourne yesterday. Confirmation that we continue to compete at the highest level despite all the doom and gloom of our local NZ racing industry Our horses are raised on green grass not drought ridden pasture in Australia with great growing conditions. These are factors our industry should be emphasising to our Australian friends

With a decent draw and ridden a little handier this horse could well win the Cox Plate

This is a very relevant posting. A succession of boards have contributed to the demise of racing starting with the declining of the Lotteries contract. This decision was probably made with no Risk assessment of the opportunities for our industry The TAB had an existing computer network infrastructure and it would have been an expansion of business with lotto patrons placing their money in TAB shops. Imagine the exposure that racing would have today if the TAB had approved this government invitation to be involved with thousands of NZers flocking into TAB agencies every day. Small sightless with long term industry implications and losses. i was on a metropolitan racing club board at the time of this decision re Lotto and I raised my disappointment at a board meeting. I was the only dissenting voice at that time. Yet many years later the TAB is running sports betting. i have been a long term proponent of the TAB joining with Lotto NZ to run a sweepstake on the Melbourne Cup. I have raised this at several industry meetings including one last December at Te Rapa where John Allen said that it would be considered. Probably never been considered at all. Many NZ business run a sweepstake on the Melbourne Cup so why not add to this opportunity for racing to run one nationally with Lotto. Fonterra is an organisation with major problems and it is addressing this presently starting with re-reviewing its business strategies which will involve massive changes. Racing leaders - RITA should study what Fonterra is doing and follow a similar path . Sadly time is against racing.

Agreed

The lightly raced son of He’s Remarkable- Age of Chivalry ran an outstanding 2nd in today’s Group 1 race at Caulfield the Rulpert Clarke Stakes. Well done to an understated NZ sire

He’s Remarkable is getting a steady number of winners this current racing season and has a runner in the Sir Rulpert Clarke Stakes G1 in Melbourne this Saturday He is obviously a reasonable racehorse sire to breed to

This is the type of story that should be played on national television A great story of a champion NZer

Cost to income opportunity is the problem with NZs racing and breeding industries We have a cost plus industry with a small opportunity to make a profit if any Remember the days when breeders sent a mare to stud and paid no agistment only a service fee and reasonable vet fees Racing is no different to rugby, golf etc - sports that have major problems There is no easy answer to racing woes my only complaint is that more immediate actions are required by RITA now

To have a large number of foals unregistered suggests that he has served a number of owner horses

What a shame I hope this magnificent horse makes a full recovery and is back next season Great to see the stud and its management team react quickly

The departed stallion Showcasing had his 13th 2 year old winner this season when No Regrets won in Singapore. This performance must be close to a record for a NZ stallion. He also has a number of trial performers who have yet to start so he may extend this number of winners before season end. I note that he has 8 weanlings for sale at next week’s.Karaka May Sale so they should attract attention.

There are two Aussie sires that I have bred to over the years that are reasonably priced and have achieved very good race results with their progeny namely Domesday and Shamus Award. They both have stood for A$10,000 and have enjoyed reasonable books. I suggested Shamus Award to one leading Waikato studmaster late last year and he said that he could not afford him. As a Cox Plate and Australian Guineas winner He would be among the best performed stallions to stand here. He is now standing in Victoria which is good news for that state. At the May weaning sale you will see the first crop of Telperions. The foals I have seen are outstanding

This horse is a well travelled and well performed racehorse in UK, Ireland, Australia and NZ and his sire is the world class stallion - Loup de Vega. After his strong win in the Easter he would be an interesting new stallion for our ranks.

I believe that Brutal by O’Reilly would have been very competitive against the Autumn Sun over 1600m Redoubtes Choice raced on as a 4 year old and it is disappointing that his son will not

The Loup de Vega sire line is performing to the highest level in Australia i note that his well performed son Endless Drama is now Racing in NZ He would be a good addition to our sire ranks

Trevor was a NZ gentleman and a fine example of racing’s achievers i remember my filly Ma Danseuse winning at Te Rapa 20 + years ago He walked across the Kentucky Room to congratulate me I bought him a beer and we went back to his group of fellow trainers who remained silent about the filly He was a man with manners much like his son Stephen May you Rest In Peace Trevor

Very sad I owned his dam Chiming In for some years and raced her daughter Abelard out of Danny Fryers stable

This would make sense He would be a good horse at WhitevRobe Lodge down south

I would like to see well performed sons of He’s Invincible, Loup de Vega (in addition to Belardo) and Frankel in New Zealand Group performed sons of Zabeel, and Scat Daddy should also be considered They don’t all have to be Group 1 winners- look at He’s invincible and Voksraad who both started off low stud fees but had genetics which worked with our broodmare pool. I’m also concerned about the quality NZ race areas being sold offshore particularly at The Magic Millions broodmare sales as racehorse owners don’t have the confidence to breed in NZ Well done To Luigi with his purchase of a very good son of Deep Impact for Novara Park. I hope that he receives great support from NZ’s reducing pool of broodmares

I have a good working knowledge of this issue as I was the GST advisor to the Australian Racing Board in 1999 and 2000. The division of prize money into three distinct pools was initially raised by myself with Andrew Harding - the then CEO of the ARB (now deputy CEO of Hong Kong Jockey Club). The ARB took up this opportunity and it estimated that in its first year it saved unregistered owners some A$7 million. This division of prize money was first raised by myself with the NZTR Board in 1999 after a similar change was made to the Rules of Racing in Australia. This opportunity fail on deaf ears with NZTR for 13 years despite regular efforts by myself to promote it This lost GST Refund opportunity for unregistered owners during this period would have been many millions of dollars. Again old style thinking. The opportunity was taken up by the NZTR CEO at that time Murray Holmes with great support from NZTR Board member Greg McCarthy and congratulations to both these forward thinking gentlemen. The GST Refunds yet to be received by unregistered owners will exceed $1 million which will be a welcome receipt

There is a good case for all three Racing clubs to merge and create one large and appropriate racetrack As a long standing member and former director of the WRC I’m disappointed at my club’s yo-yo approach to this outstanding opportunity

The appointment of Michael Cullen as Chairman of this independent group was certainly not independent as he is a Labour Party stalwart and has a predetermined view that CGT was required. As Chairman he would have controlled the discussion of this Group so this fact should be publicised. Another interesting question What position would the Labour Party be in if Jacinda was not their leader and PM.? My view is that the capital profit on the sale of any private racehorse will be subject to CGT just like it is in Australia.