WOODBINE

Don Mclaren

Noted in The Informant that one of the largest bequests left to any industry organisation has been made by NZ breeder and racing leader - Don McLaren. Thank you Don for your great support. It sets up a challenge for other people to follow.

I have just visited this excellent site and would recommend a visit to view some exceptional sports memorabilia collected by this outstanding NZer. It is located at 23 Holmes Rd, Manurewa just off the Takanini motorward exit and is open every Saturday between 10 am to 2 pm. The NZ Racing Hall of Fame has established a site at this museum in addition to existing sites at Te Papa - Wellington (as part of the Phar Lap exhibition) and Hamilton International Airport.

Dopey - Are you writing this thread at work ? You must have nothing to do

What a wasted posting. If a NZTR forum was held on the West Coast it would be a positive event. I say the more forums that are held the better

NZTR should be attending the monthly Board meetings of the Australian Racing Board in an observer capacity, I am aware that their attendence would be welcome

The State Govt's second largest source of tax funding after GST is from gaming taxes. Therefore State Govts have major reasons to be interested in the welfare of their respective racing industries and to give financial assistance in order to make their racing industries very viable. In NZ gaming taxes are a minor form of tax revenue for the Govt hence their interest in our welfare will never be at the same level as the Australian racing industries.

How would you compare Mr Goodson's credentials compared to those of his predecessor - Guy Sargent?

Americian would make a geat sire prospect here in NZ. A natural successor to Zabeel perhaps?

If this position becomes vacant throw in your trainer's licence and take up this employment position. You have some good points so it would be good to put them into practice

Inland Revenue Information Request to NZTR - 20/09/11 Inland Revenue has approached NZTR with a request that we provide them with information we hold in relation to all horses, owners, breeders and licence holders. This request has been made under section 17 of the Taxation Administration Act 1994. As such NZTR is legally obliged to comply to their request within 28 days. If you would like additional information in regard to this request please contact: accounts@nzracing.co.nz.

The NZ racing industry is going through serious restructuring and its is time that NZB responded to this retrenching market and cancelled the Festival sale in 2012. Instead the KII Select Sale should be increased to a 4 day sale so that those top end Festival vendors have a chance to present their product in front of a decent buying bench. There will be no serious NZ based buyers for at least 3 years and a disasterous 2012 Festival sale is ahead - count my words. NZ breeders are not sending their mares to stud this year in their droves including myself so NZB has to have some decent planning to restructure their yearling sales series and thereby have yearling sales more open to more breeders.

The above topics warrant some discussion Are there any market indicators on the number of mares booked to stallions this season? The breeding season starts next week and it would be interesting to learn how bookings are going compared to previous seasons. New stallions should have some appeal but the older established horses may be struggling. An interesting calculation would be comparing the stallion's service fee and the average auction sale return for the stallion's weanlings (assuming they are good types etc.). In other words if a stallion stands for $10,000 and his average for weanling sales is say $8,000 then the service fee is grossly overvalued. We also need some incentives to be offered to vendors by NZ Bloodstock for the sale of yearling fillies - particularly KII fillies such as a reduction in sales entry fee for fillies and say reduced commission % for fillies selling say for $20,000 or less. The empty domestic market for yearling fillies will not be tolerated by private breeders for long to the detriment of the racing and breeding industries. NZ is no longer the land of rugby, racing and beer.

Ran shocking race late last year in Hong Kong. Was this his last race?

I have just returned from a business trip to Australia and this young fellow is receiving the highest praise in the Australian racing media. He may yet be one of the finest young jockeys to come from the deep south since Jimmy Collett.

I had dealings with a racing photographer called Craig Yaxton and paid him $250 for a winning horse photo at Wingatui to later find out that he was a bankrupt when this race meeting occurred. He cashed my cheque fraudently and disappeared. I had subsequent discussions with stipe Mark Davidson and these were ineffective as he pointed out to me that as racing photographers are not licensed people and they are not subject to the rules of racing he had no authority over their behaviour. It was my understanding that all bankrupts were not allowed access to race meetings and if this was the case the stipes were not implementing this policy correctly. I was then referred to Gaye Stuart? who was also present as a photographer on this raceday and advised her that I was prepared to pay her normal charges. Despite three phone calls and emails and continued promises from her to send me the negatives nothing was ever received. I also had another occasion at Te Rapa about 10 years ago when a mare that I bred and co owned won a stakes race and not one photographer was on course to take photos of this special win for me. Its about time that people that service on raceday such as vets, photographers, farriers, starting staff are licensed in some way so that they have accountabilities to NZTR and the race club. The present system is too sloppy.

I have a rising yearling Librettrist colt out of a Nureyev mare and he is a good compact colt. Being out of a mare from Nureyev's last crop (2000) I am interested in whether this colt will be accepted as a Premier Sale yearling by NZB as Nureyev is the dam sire of this season's Champion 2 year old and Champion 3 year old filly.

The time is appropriate to discuss some healthy changes to the NZ racing programme. The new NZTR Board has inherited the worse possible situation with NZTR financially insolvent. The retiring Board and its leadership have major accountabilities for the manner in which they have allowed the financial position and operations of NZTR to deteriorate to today's sorry state. Here are some suggestions for change: 1 Set up a winter racing season - say from 1 June to 15 August and only race on Saturdays. 2 Consider setting up a dedicated period of time say the month of July where a National Hunt type racing season occurs with no flat racing. 3 Immediately identify strategic racetracks (most obvious would be Ellerslie, Te Rapa, Awapuni and Riccarton) and undertake a review of their facilities with an immediate plan to upgrade any run down facilities. A plan should also be implemented to upgrade these strategic tracks to all weather surfaces in order to future proof future racedays against inclement weather. 4 An appointed director of NZTR should attend the monthly board meetings of the Australian Racing Board as an observer. 5 A new category should be introduced to the annual Mercedes Awards - Racing Club of the Year. Such an award would possibly inspire the race clubs to run their businesses on a more competitive basis. 6 The NZTR Board must have an immediate meaningful meeting with the NZ Racing Board - management and directors to seek their advice on how their organisation can ensure the survival of NZTR and the thoroughbred racing code. We don't need any further distractions like the One Racing fiasco which in essence was only a short term cost saving proposition. 7 The NZTR Board must immediately take steps to improve the financial returns to owners - one opportunity is to change the NZ Rules of racing to reflect the reality of relationships between owners, trainers and jockeys so that there are three distinct stakes pools with multiple million dollar savings to the majority of racing owners. This is one major difference between the Australian and NZ stakes distribution systems. So I urge the new Board to immediately action this initiative and not merely give it lip service like its predecessors. 8 Racing owners are leaving the NZ racing industry in their droves and many of these owners are our larger owners. An ownership retention plan must be drawn up to retain exisiting owners which in turn will provide assurance for breeders to continue in business. 9 The directors of the Racing Integrity Unit must be independent appointments as publicly promoted by all codes and NZRB when it was first set up. The appointment of code Chairmen to this Board results in a possible conflict of interest. The new NZTR Board should push for the appointment of independent directors so that all conflicts disappear. There are many other suggestions that can be put forward but that they dont require continuous planning - they require action.

How do people rate the performance of Savabeel's progeny at present? They appear to be winning some significant races at all ages - also 3rd and 4th placings in last week's Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes G1. There are some well bred Savabeel weanlings for sale at Karaka next month as they appeared to be on the outer at the recent yearling sales.

I saw this great horse on two occasions at Claiborne Farm in 1977 and 1988 (with Steve Davis). In 1977 I was given a horse shoe worn by Secretariat and it has been on my wall ever since. For many years I was keen to purchase a broodmare by Secretariat but there were so few around. In the end I acquired a young mare by another fabulous stallion Nureyev and she is doing me proud. I watched the film about Secretariat and thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadly the film audiences have resembled crowds at NZ racedays such is the interest in our great sport?

This horse/jockey combination was a real winner. My father was a part owner of Happy Union and even his trainer Bill Winder had a piece of the horse when he had a tasty breakfast one morning which included HU's private parts (post gelding).

What was the price?

Your constant utterances against Murray Acklin as a fraudster - your words above - probably make you no better that Rob McAnnulty.