Whilst it will be wet it won't be bottomless. Currently rated a Heavy 8 this morning, a bit of rain forecast for Friday but with some mild days and if we get little on Friday I could see it in the 7-8 zone.

Luxury skyscrapers, golf courses and cryptocurrency: The Trump family’s rapidly expanding Middle East businesses             Trump Middle East business deals have tripled since first term 03:21  CNN —  The Trump family’s business ties to the Middle East have more than tripled since the president’s first term in office, a CNN tally of the deals has found, including a slew of new projects announced since he reclaimed the White House. Amid the ongoing plans for luxury skyscrapers, golf courses and cryptocurrency deals in the region, Donald Trump is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates this week not only as US president, but also as the patriarch of a family whose business empire continues to expand in that part of the world. His financial ties to the Middle East have prompted concerns among government ethicists who say it’s difficult to determine whether he’s acting in the best interest of the United States or his pocketbook.   “When the American people elect a president, they expect that person to work for them, not for profit,” said Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, a consumer rights advocacy group. Such financial links, Weissman and other watchdogs say, create an opportunity for foreign powers to seek to sway United States policy through those lucrative business deals. But Trump has moved full steam ahead, seemingly embracing the overlap of his personal interests and those of the nation. He’s shown he is comfortable boosting business ventures while in office – and doing so in public view. He set the tone by launching his own meme coin days before taking office, which spiked in value right after Trump offered a private dinner to its top investors last month. “I’ve always had an instinct for making money,” Trump said in February at a conference hosted by a group launched by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. During the event, Trump promoted the US as ripe for investment but also touted his personal business achievements. The Trump projects in the Middle East – many of which have been announced but not yet developed – largely involve licensing agreements with foreign developers that have partnered with the Trump Organization and paid to use the Trump name. Past presidents have divested their businesses or put them in so-called blind trusts to avoid appearances of self-dealing. Trump has taken a different approach. His assets are in a trust managed by his children, and his son Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, has said the business will be walled off from the office of the presidency to avoid any ethical conflicts. And while the Trump Organization in January pledged to make no new deals with foreign governments during the president’s second term, a recently announced deal for a Trump-branded golf course in Qatar includes a firm backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund, Qatari Diar. “Through this collaboration, we look forward to further strengthening Qatar’s position as a preferred destination,” the Qatari government minister who heads that firm said when announcing the venture earlier this month. Eric Trump said in a press release his organization is “incredibly proud” to expand the Trump brand into Qatar through Qatari Diar, and a separate real estate company, Dar Global. Eric Trump told the New York Times last month Dar Global purchased the land for the golf course from Qatari Diar. A Trump Organization spokesperson said the company has no affiliation, partnership or engagement with Qatari Diar or Qatar’s government and added that the company’s agreement to brand that project is with Dar Global. “The Trump Organization does not conduct business with any government entity,” spokesperson Kimberly Benza said     Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, in Doha, Qatar, in April.  Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images President Trump, who famously said “I want America to win,” has repeatedly sought financial boosts for the US from Gulf nations. His administration boasted about securing a UAE commitment to invest $1.4 trillion in the US over a decade, and Saudi Arabia announced in January plans to expand trade and investment with the US by $600 billion over four years. In March, Trump called for Saudi Arabia to spend $1 trillion in the US. Still, critics say the actions of Trump and his business in the first few months of his second term demonstrate a willingness to personally cash in on the presidency, and some fear foreign officials have helped him do so to advance their own agendas. During Friday’s press briefing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed a question about whether the president would conduct personal business meetings on his trip. “It’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” Leavitt said. “This White House holds ourselves to the highest of ethical standards.” ‘Believing in the Trump brand’ Immediately after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, following his election loss, Trump became a pariah in much of the American business community. Hunkered down at Mar-a-Lago, he was banned from some social media apps. A software company stopped processing payments for his campaign website. Prominent financial firms distanced themselves. Even the hotel bearing Trump’s name in the nation’s capital was virtually empty. “We live in the age of cancel culture,” Eric Trump said, reacting to those moves shortly after the Capitol riot. But some business leaders stood by Trump, such as his friends in the Middle East. “I would welcome the opportunity of expanding our relationship,” Hussain Sajwani, the head of DAMAC Properties, the developer of a Trump golf course in Dubai that opened in 2017, said a week after the January 6 insurrection. Soon, entities in the region offered new opportunities to the Trump family. After the PGA canceled its tournament at Trump’s New Jersey golf course, Trump partnered with LIV Golf, a new professional golf circuit backed by Saudi Arabia. The league hosts some of its tournaments at Trump properties, including one in April. In recent years, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, widely known as MBS, invested $2 billion in a private equity firm launched by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Kushner and MBS developed a close personal relationship when Kushner served as an adviser to Trump during his first term. Though Kushner said he would not return to the White House, multiple Trump officials and people close to Kushner say he has been informally advising US officials on negotiations with Arab leaders, CNN reported Friday. In the neighboring nation of Oman, the government’s tourism arm in 2022 partnered on plans to build a Trump-branded resort, along with villas and a golf club, near the capital city of Muscat. Last summer, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. commemorated the launch of the joint venture by dining with Oman’s crown prince near a stage emblazoned with the words, “The Ultimate Power Move.”     Trump during the final round of the Bedminster Invitational LIV Golf tournament in New Jersey in August 2023. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)  Seth Wenig/AP While those deals materialized during Trump’s time out of office, his business’s expansion in the region appears to have been supercharged after his electoral win in November. Dar Global, the real estate firm developing the Oman project as well as other Trump-branded towers announced before the election, has since promoted plans for two additional projects in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh capital and the golf club in Qatar. Dar Global’s parent company, which is based in Riyadh, has committed to advancing Crown Prince MBS’ ambitious plan to modernize Saudi Arabia’s economy. “Don’t stop believing in the Trump brand,” Dar Global’s CEO, Ziad El Chaar, said in a speech posted online this month in which he touted one of the projects planned for Dubai. At that same event, Eric Trump referenced how his organization has done “so many projects” with Dar Global and added, “I’m not going to break any news, but I think there’s a few more to come.” He has separately commended Gulf nations for policies that favor development and reject what he has called “woke cancel culture.” Just Sunday, President Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that his administration would accept a plane to replace its Air Force One as a “GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE.” Two people familiar with the agreement told CNN the 747-8 was from the Qatari royal family. However, a Qatari official said the plane is technically being gifted from the Qatari Ministry of Defense to the Pentagon, which would retrofit the plane for the president’s use with security features. The plane will be donated to Trump’s presidential library after he leaves office, a person familiar with the matter told CNN. Trump added that the plane will “go directly” to his presidential library after he leaves office. “I wouldn’t be using it,” he said. Companies in the region have also boosted Trump’s crypto firm, World Liberty Financial. UAE-based DWF Labs announced in April the purchase of $25 million worth of the firm’s tokens. MGX, an Emirati-backed investment firm, agreed to use a cryptocurrency launched by the firm for a $2 billion investment in crypto exchange Binance, according to an announcement from World Liberty co-founder Zach Witkoff, whose father is Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East. The chairman of MGX is the deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE national security adviser. That announcement from Witkoff prompted Democratic Sens. Jeffrey Merkley and Elizabeth Warren to press the US Office of Government Ethics to investigate the deal, which they stated could “open our government to a startling degree of foreign influence and the potential for a quid pro quo that could endanger national security,” according to a letter they sent last week. “These Gulf nations are very actively trying to advance their standing in the world and having the president of the United States both do business in their country and come in an official capacity conveys very significant respectability,” said Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “It may be a win-win for these Gulf countries and for the president and his businesses, but it’s less clear that it’s a win for the American people.” “This is a very delicate region of the world, where there are really important decisions that need to be made about where to deploy the military, how to engage in peace negotiations, and about economic agreements,” Bookbinder said. “You want the President making decisions based on what’s in the interest of the American people… not based on what’s going to be most helpful to his businesses.” ‘A real risk’ American presidents typically visit one of the country’s closest allies during their first major trip abroad. Since World War II, most presidents have traveled to Mexico, Canada or the United Kingdom, according to the State Department. Not Trump. In 2017, the newly minted president traveled to Saudi Arabia where he was greeted with a lavish reception. Then, he signed an arms deal with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud. Though Trump traveled to Italy for the pope’s funeral last month, his first official presidential trip during his second term is again to Saudi Arabia.     Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud welcomes President Trump during a reception ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in May 2017.  Jonathan Ernst/Reuters The United States and Saudi Arabia have a long history of diplomacy, mainly centered on a shared interest: oil. But Trump’s relationship with Saudi Arabia was particularly close during his first term, and the kingdom, which has faced allegations of human rights abuses, benefitted. When the journalist Jamal Khashoggi – a Saudi dissident and an American resident – was killed and dismembered at a Saudi consulate in Turkey after criticizing the Saudi kingdom, the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency reported that the crown prince was behind the assassination. Trump questioned his own government’s conclusion, instead backing MBS. “It could very well be that the Crown Prince had knowledge of this tragic event — maybe he did and maybe he didn’t!” Trump wrote in a statement. The crown prince has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing. Ben Freeman, who directs a foreign policy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, noted that geopolitics in the region are extraordinarily complicated and Gulf nations have an array of foreign policy positions that don’t align with those of the US. He said additional deals in the region, depending on the specifics, could create reputational risks for the US and even undermine national security. “There is seemingly this tit-for-tat where the Saudi regime, especially, makes investments in Trump… and Saudi Arabia is the first destination of his first state trip abroad,” said Freeman. “There’s a real risk that personal interests are trumping the national interest.”

Or poetic Justice

100% agree...but today is my be nice day....🤣

Yes, very controversial finish. When I get a chance to have a proper look at the race, I'll offer my thoughts. Mick Fitzgerald did a very good analysis on Sky Sports Racing which can be found on YouTube and it will no doubt be discussed at length on today's York coverage. You have to remember the rules in France aren't the same as in the UK and Ireland - interference which would be considered minor here is treated much more seriously there. Race outcomes which wouldn't be reversed in the UK or Ireland can be reversed in France even if the interference is deemed not to have affected the result. It's an anomaly but if you go to France you play by their rules . I'll come back to you.

Dimwit is far too nice a word.

And please enter your picks in the exact race order listed above. Don't sort/group them by meeting.

Different format this week - Knockout type format.   Please read the rules carefully.  New entrants welcome.   1.  Simply pick two horses in each of the 12 races listed below. 2. The aim is to have at least one of your two runners finish in the first 4, while at the same time earning as many dollars as possible. You will have $10 each way on both runners and a $2 quinella with the two of them.  You will earn $1 for a runner which finishes 4th, or for a runner which finishes 3rd in a no third dividend race. You will have three "lives".  In each race where you don't have a runner in the first 4 you will lose a life.  The point at which you lose your 3rd life determines how well you place in this round. 3.  You will have two best bet races where your dollars earned are doubled.  They can be any two of the 12 races listed below. 4.  Finishing order for this round will be determined firstly by the number of races that you survive without losing three lives.  Where entrants lose their 3rd life in the same race, or where a number of entrants survive all 12 races, they will be split by dollars earned over all 12 races.   Posting deadline this week is 2pm This weeks 12 races are as follows - have tried to get bigger, more even fields just to add to the jeopardy. 1. Doomben R3 2. Doomben R4 3. Doomben R5 4. Scone R7 5. Doomben R6 6. Flemington R6 7. Scone R8 8. Doomben R7 9. Flemington R7 10. Scone R9 11. Doomben R8 12. Doomben R9 Please enter horse numbers, with some form of punctuation (eg. / ) between each number, and don't forget to mark your two best bet races. Regular Scratchings - any regular scratchings can be replaced up until the posting deadline.  There will be no subs for regular scratchings - if you don't replace them you will be down a runner (or two). Late Scratchings - any late scratchings can be replaced up until the posting deadline.  After that you will get the sub, or the 2nd win favourite if you already have the sub.  If there are equal 2nd favourites on the tote the one with the lower saddlecloth number will be deemed as the more favoured. Abandoned races - we need 6 races to be run for the results of the round to stand.  If races are abandoned before the posting deadline you can change a best bet race, but after the posting deadline that is just the rub of the green. If two runners dead heat for fourth both will save you a life and both will earn $1.

But Guy's and Gal's it's not Winter yet here in Wellington 😂😂😂 Scooby, thanks for commenting on the Trentham fields and in earlier posts about  how well the track has done this year, basically taking half of the CD Saturday racing meetings. Yes they have been lucky with the weather overall, especially not getting rain on the day. Sadly there are dimwits out there that think Trentham is surplice to requirements.  

They put up decent stakes too...not like Awapuni.  

Interesting that nobody's mentioned that they managed to card 11 races on the Riccarton Synthetic tomorrow. Wightman will be spewing.

What are your  thoughts on the French 1000 Guineas Stodge?

I said in another thread that between Trentham and Hawera that the numbers were great . Trentham in the winter was actually more interesting in many ways , the 3 days in July was a must for the true racing enthusiast , some brilliant memories . I know things change and move on but geez the gap from what we had to what we have is galaxy's apart . I'm just an old fart reminiscing .

Pretty decent fields at Trentham this weekend, good amount of runners considering they had racing there last weekend...at least we know the track will be safe...just wet....there used to be some great racing there in winters past. Lucky to have it in the CD at present.

No protest here it's you who needs to apologise , after asking you 6/8 times for you to provide just one example of a racist post by me and you fail to deliver , you could always say I believe in equality for all clearly you don't believe in equality for all , you are all mouth and a lack of spine .  Now you went to a performance so what do you want a pat on the back , no doubt many of us have been to all sorts of different performances , who cares . Trump , today the US had inflation falling , Tariffs will eventually  be covered by tax cuts and you misunderstand the Brits trade agreement , that deal gives the USA access for cars, beef  and AG equipment into England , a Special deal for RR cars into the US , NO TARIFF .    Now show some spine and apologize for your groundless attacks on me , yes I voted for Seymour who has Maori ancestry .

Hang on a minute , I  posted that in the middle of cooking a fantastic Tai meal , the cooking came first , better cooking a brilliant meal than fretting over a bit of spelling or punctuation , YUM .

Yet again the small guys get shafted , why does the money always have to be thrown at stakes that are already good ? I just don't understand the rationale .  

This has been a bloody sad week after this tragic accident but how great is it how everyone has rallied around the family and supported them in many different ways including the Give a little page for the St Johns, Westpac rescue services and fire brigade...and raised such a huge amount in Jimmy's memory....it is unbelievable what we can do as an industry at times...great to see such an out pouring of support from many angles. https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/in-loving-memory-of-jimmy-schick?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExa1pKQXk0cldaNVlwTDRPWQEe20FZ0MEKuG7oj0CJkUHIfs7dlQWmUQ_X1TZjmlJ3cmwQOOYSluQchFD-H14_aem_sU0amOrGRqVMGV3uGMntCg

More spin. Still dont understand why winter horses race for less than the rest of the year overall.

NZTR has unveiled a refreshed winter racing schedule for 2025, delivering stakes increases and backing Clubs that are lifting the bar over the colder months.     No images? Click here NZTR Fuels Winter Racing Momentum New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has unveiled a refreshed winter racing schedule for 2025, delivering stakes increases and backing Clubs that are lifting the bar over the colder months. Leading the way is the return of Whangārei Racing Club’s 2025 Winter Championships at Ruakākā Racecourse, now set for Saturday 28 June. Proudly sponsored by ITM/GIB, the meeting features five $60,000 Finals, providing strong incentives for connections targeting progressive winter horses.  The first round of qualifying races for the 2025 Winter Championships kicks off this Saturday 17 May at Ellerslie Racecourse, including the 2YO feature - the $100,000 Listed SkyCity Champagne Stakes (1600m). There are no early nominations this year, with all qualifying races listed in the latest NZTR Racing Programme Guide and available online here. On Saturday 19 July, Taranaki Racing Inc.’s Powerworx Opunake Cup Day at New Plymouth Raceway receives a significant lift. The Listed Powerworx Opunake Cup (1400m) climbs to $120,000, with the winner earning a ballot exemption into the $110,000 Group 3 Winning Edge Presentations 128th Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton Park Racecourse. The total prizemoney for the day increases to $435,000, up $100,000 from 2024. NZTR Chief Executive Officer Matt Ballesty said the calendar adjustments aim to build consistency across the winter months. “These enhancements are a positive step for winter racing. They provide better structure for participants, increase opportunities at key points in the season and support Clubs that are looking to grow their raceday offerings.” The season wraps with a reinvigorated Taumarunui Cup Day, hosted by Taumarunui Racing Club at Te Rapa Racecourse on Saturday 26 July. The Taumarunui Cup (2200m) stake doubles to $100,000, thanks to a co-investment from NZTR and Taumarunui Racing Club. The 1300m Open Handicap also increases to $50,000 and the 1400m 3YO SW+P to $55,000, with total stakes for the day hitting $350,000. “Taumarunui (Racing Club) is a strong example of a tenant Club taking the lead,” said Ballesty. “They’ve put forward a clear plan to grow their feature raceday and NZTR is pleased to support that investment,” he said.  These enhancements sit alongside a major milestone at the 2025 Grand National Festival of Racing at Riccarton Park Racecourse in August this year. Held by Canterbury Jockey Club, the 150th edition of the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) will be run for a record $200,000, the highest purse in the race’s history. With solid prizemoney increases across these winter features, NZTR is backing Clubs, supporting participants and building a more competitive and compelling winter season. Winter 2024-25 Feature Highlights: 2025 Winter Championships | Ruakākā Racecourse – Saturday 28 June $60,000 ITM/GIB Stayers’ Final (2100m) – Open HCP $60,000 ITM/GIB Sprinters’ Final (1400m) – Open HCP $60,000 ITM/GIB Progressive Final – Spc Con HCP $60,000 ITM/GIB 3YO Final – 3YO SW+P $60,000 ITM/GIB 2YO Final – 2YO SW+P No early nominations; qualifying races are listed in NZTR’s RPG and online here Powerworx Opunake Cup Day | New Plymouth Raceway – Saturday 19 July Listed Powerworx Opunake Cup (1400m) increased to $120,000 Winner earns ballot exemption into the $110,000 Group 3 Winning Edge Presentations 128th Winter Cup (1600m) Total day stakes lifted to $435,000 (up $100,000 from 2024) Taumarunui Cup Day | Te Rapa Racecourse – Saturday 26 July Taumarunui Cup (2200m) stake doubled to $100,000 1300m Open Handicap increased to $50,000 1400m 3YO SW+P increased to $55,000 Total day stakes lifted to $350,000 (up from $285,000) Grand National Festival of Racing | Riccarton Park Racecourse – 2, 6 and 9 August 150th edition of the Racecourse Hotel & Motor Lodge Grand National Steeplechase (5600m) to be run for a record $200,000 Represents a major milestone and boost for Jumps racing