RaceCafe..#1...Tipsters Thread.... Share Your Fancies For Fun...Lets See Who The Best Tipsters Here Are.
Berri

Just keeping it real

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I'm already reading that Melody Belle is being touted as the horse of the year for 2018/19 racing year. We're in trouble if our racing scribes are already speaking this way. For two reasons at this stage. The first is that its the beginning of the year so its an indictment that races at the beginning of the season set the championships. That's a crap way of making a calendar of racing as the whole program should be setting a competition in one's mind that shouldn't finish until the last championship race. It's crazy to consider that this cannot be done.

The second is that Melody Belle is not really that good. She's a smart filly in NZ but can't compete at the top level in Australia. Two cracks at it and apart from a very weak group 3, she hasn't filled the frame in the other races against the best. Oh dear....and she's a so called champion over here.

My last two  beefs really annoy me. The first is how can this filly be called Melody Belle? I remember a Melody Belle. a beautiful dark bay by Taipan if I'm right, who was a fabulous filly in the late 1970's. She was a serious race mare who won the Te Aroha Breeders Stakes against some serious opposition when NZ horses regularly trounced the Aussies. How then can our registration office accept this for a name? Why doesn't someone work out that the policy should be that IF any horse gains black type, then it shouldn't be able to name a horse by the same name at a later date. Not rocket science!!

Beef two...why the hell can't we work out to name a race and allow that name to endure for eternity? How is anyone coming later , especially the internationals, going to know what races are what. A sponsor can simply be tagged to the front of the registered name.

Dumb.

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Berri the original Melody Belle was a brown filly bred in 1971 by Taipan 2 out of Belle Of Ascot. She was bred and raced by Annie Sarten and trained by the master Ray Verner at Takanini. Annie is the mother of Marie Leicester who bred the current Melody Belle. The original Melody Belle won 10 races including the 1975 Te Aroha Breeders’ Stakes as a 3yo. Her other main wins were the ARC Ladies Mile the third BOPRC Centennial Breeders’ Stakes at Tauranga and the Avondale JC Pegasus Stakes. 

When she won the Te Aroha Breeders’ Stakes she beat a top field. Ernader ran second, Bellota third, Free Gold fourth and Somerset Pride fifth.Others- Kia Maia, Jandell, Battle Eve, Lovely Honey, Prepak, Sweet Offer, Princess Patrice, Soliloquy, New York and Kathie’s Orders. 

You would never get such a class line up of Fillies and Mares today!

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11 hours ago, Kloppite said:

Bit harsh!?

She's won 5 Group races in NZ (3 Group 1s) and the Karaka Million.  I think the Aussie race she won was Group 2 and she beat Pierata and Tangled that day - wouldn't call that a very weak field.

Not harsh at all. Have you had a look at those horses' form subsequent to that group 2 win? Doesn't make me shout out loud at all. Then when she did hit good fillies, she got easily rolled.

I get it that she's won these group races in NZ but what happened to franking the form correctly? Shows she's rated 110 at best. That's a figure that isn't competitive in any group 3 race and above in the UK. Scary stuff. What my real beef was that she's being touted the horse of the year based on weak group races at the beginning of the season and people are nearly believing that these races are the championship races. This is very poor reporting and extremely poor programming for the sport of racing if that were to be the fact. The concept of mediocrity is alive and well.

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2 minutes ago, Berri said:

Not harsh at all. Have you had a look at those horses' form subsequent to that group 2 win? Doesn't make me shout out loud at all. Then when she did hit good fillies, she got easily rolled.

I get it that she's won these group races in NZ but what happened to franking the form correctly? Shows she's rated 110 at best. That's a figure that isn't competitive in any group 3 race and above in the UK. Scary stuff. What my real beef was that she's being touted the horse of the year based on weak group races at the beginning of the season and people are nearly believing that these races are the championship races. This is very poor reporting and extremely poor programming for the sport of racing if that were to be the fact. The concept of mediocrity is alive and well.

She can only beat what there is to beat and she is beating them easily... tell me other horses that would make these strong group races in your  opinion. The horses she beat will be no different to the horses she will meet later in the year, they are the best left here in NZ its not her fault if they are unable to beat her.JMHO.

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1 minute ago, scooby3051 said:

She can only beat what there is to beat and she is beating them easily... tell me other horses that would make these strong group races in your  opinion. The horses she beat will be no different to the horses she will meet later in the year, they are the best left here in NZ its not her fault if they are unable to beat her.JMHO.

You are correct but you're not really reading why I have a beef. I accept we are bereft of good horses. That has been an issue for many years now. What I am objecting to is the pattern that allows this to happen (ie the creation of a championship in the first week of the season) and the fact that reporters are promoting the crap I read in the papers this weekend. Both are serious problems and I'm speaking out about it.

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Berri the naming point is spot on. Your solution is the simplest and best - if a horse wins a stakes race then in that country at least it's name should be protected in stone forever. We have had similar issues with stallions - two Oratorios at the same time in Australia. When the Haunui-bound Crested Wave (USA) arrived on our shores he was actually named Crest of the Wave but was re-named to avoid confusion with the GB-bred Crepello son of the same name. But I digress. The authorities will no doubt tell us that because she was not a Group One winner that the name can be re-used. That's not good enough.

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Peter a good friend of mine Dave Richardson won the 1980 Gold Trail Stakes and the 1980 Eulogy Stakes with his good  Namnan filly Full Of Grace. He was understandably upset when the name was duplicated by the O’Reilly gelding and recent winner Full Of Grace. 

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6 hours ago, Peter Jenkins said:

Berri the naming point is spot on. Your solution is the simplest and best - if a horse wins a stakes race then in that country at least it's name should be protected in stone forever. We have had similar issues with stallions - two Oratorios at the same time in Australia. When the Haunui-bound Crested Wave (USA) arrived on our shores he was actually named Crest of the Wave but was re-named to avoid confusion with the GB-bred Crepello son of the same name. But I digress. The authorities will no doubt tell us that because she was not a Group One winner that the name can be re-used. That's not good enough.

I thought years ago it used to be that way, it seems ridiculous good horses names an be used again.

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22 hours ago, Berri said:

I'm already reading that Melody Belle is being touted as the horse of the year for 2018/19 racing year. We're in trouble if our racing scribes are already speaking this way. For two reasons at this stage. The first is that its the beginning of the year so its an indictment that races at the beginning of the season set the championships. That's a crap way of making a calendar of racing as the whole program should be setting a competition in one's mind that shouldn't finish until the last championship race. It's crazy to consider that this cannot be done.

The second is that Melody Belle is not really that good. She's a smart filly in NZ but can't compete at the top level in Australia. Two cracks at it and apart from a very weak group 3, she hasn't filled the frame in the other races against the best. Oh dear....and she's a so called champion over here.

My last two  beefs really annoy me. The first is how can this filly be called Melody Belle? I remember a Melody Belle. a beautiful dark bay by Taipan if I'm right, who was a fabulous filly in the late 1970's. She was a serious race mare who won the Te Aroha Breeders Stakes against some serious opposition when NZ horses regularly trounced the Aussies. How then can our registration office accept this for a name? Why doesn't someone work out that the policy should be that IF any horse gains black type, then it shouldn't be able to name a horse by the same name at a later date. Not rocket science!!

Beef two...why the hell can't we work out to name a race and allow that name to endure for eternity? How is anyone coming later , especially the internationals, going to know what races are what. A sponsor can simply be tagged to the front of the registered name.

Dumb.

I was bemused myself as they went on about Melody Belle wrapped up horse year title now or if she wins next up on weigh in. Thought it's not even end Sept , oh well don't bother with next 10 months of racing.

Another thing that made me chuckle was Sheldon Murtha almost dismissing Jungle Cat with well it took him the length straight to win it. Top weight,  first up 176 days layoff , taking on Aussies at own game ,travelling from other side world ,  yep he won it on post, that's where you need to have the head  in front Sheldon, not too shabby a run  imho and doubt Melody Belle would see where he went.

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I haven't seen or read wherever the comment came from that she already has horse of the year sewn, but if true I do agree it is a pretty stupid thing to suggest a horse winning a race in mid Sept is the best we are likely to see all year. These are basically warm up races. Given the respective runs they received I thought the southern mare was awesome on Saturday, and looked like the one to have some exciting prospects ahead of her.

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11 minutes ago, We're Doomed said:

I haven't seen or read wherever the comment came from that she already has horse of the year sewn, but if true I do agree it is a pretty stupid thing to suggest a horse winning a race in mid Sept is the best we are likely to see all year. These are basically warm up races. Given the respective runs they received I thought the southern mare was awesome on Saturday, and looked like the one to have some exciting prospects ahead of her.

One of the weigh in crew had it all parcelled up, I'd say Jon Snow winning one of the Cups,  Spring or Autumn in Aus would trump those wins. Don't get me wrong iam not trying to bag Melody Belle but agree totally with an earlier comment, form needs franking. That's why we have good classic year crops and not so good , not all Derby winners rated the same  but  it's a group 1 every year . So in Epsom terms Njinsky would be  same rating as Benny the Drip as both Epsom Derby winners ( Benny the Dip but sweated so much it got that moniker , love a good nickname).The Drip would have  been a stone at best behind Njinsky.

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10 hours ago, We're Doomed said:

I haven't seen or read wherever the comment came from that she already has horse of the year sewn, but if true I do agree it is a pretty stupid thing to suggest a horse winning a race in mid Sept is the best we are likely to see all year. These are basically warm up races. Given the respective runs they received I thought the southern mare was awesome on Saturday, and looked like the one to have some exciting prospects ahead of her.

She has a morgatage on the Livamol if everything goes to plan. Super mare hope she has a super season for Michael and his team...:rcfe-like:

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