Gabriel Duignan's Echo Sound makes her seasonal debut May 16 in the $150,000 Miss Preakness Stakes (G3) at Pimlico. She faces an expected dozen rivals in the six-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies, including Vodka With a Twist.View the full article

VESSEM - junior driver O Thornley, who declined assistance from a senior driver, defended a breach of Rule 869(2) and the Whip and Rein Regulations alleging she used her whip in a continuous manner in the early stages. After viewing the replays and hearing evidence from Stewards and Miss Thornley the charge was found proved and the Adjudicative Committee suspended Miss Thornley's driver's licence from the conclusion of racing on 14 May up to and including 1 June 2025 (6 days) and imposed a fine of $200. Don't recall her being a previous offender so this was a harsh penalty IMO. In the same race J Cox got a 4-day holiday for not running straight. So, can we expect similar penalties in future for similar indiscretions? or did the stipes just think it was time to put their foot down

I'll do a look back on what happened while I was away in the upcoming threads as the Guineas races in particular are of relevance for the rest of the season. Thunderstorms in London this afternoon but it's been incredibly dry in Britain since February - the Dante meeting at York starts on Wednesday on ground described as Good to Firm, Good in places. The opening day final declarations came through this afternoon - the Group 2 Duke of York over 1200m has eight runners and Karl Burke sets us a bit of a poser. He's put Ryan Moore on INISHERIN who has had wind surgery since flopping in the Sprint Trophy at Haydock last September. He won the Sandy Lane at Haydock and followed up in the Commonwealth Cup at Ascot beating the useful LAKE FOREST who won the Golden Eagle last November. On his best form, he takes a lot of beating but the wind surgery and an eight month absence leaves questions. His stable companion ELITE STATUS beat LAKE FOREST in the Hackwood at newbury but failed twice after in Group 1 company and is another about whom I have doubts. The money has come for NIGHT RAIDER who has it to do on the figures - he was tenth in the 2000 Guineas last year and last in the Jersey but returned to form last autumn with two wins on the synthetic surfaces at Kempton and Newcastle.  FLORA OF BERMUDA has done all her best running on softer ground, MARSHMAN is another Karl Burke runner but he was twelfth in this last year and doesn't seem to have improved. The one I like at a price is KERDOS who has been running over 1000m but has some form at this trip and loves fast ground. He won the Temple last year and was fourth in the Flying Five - the latter is Group 1 form and I'm jhust hoping with another winter on his back and the ground he loves and a flat track he'll see it out and he's my each way play if they all stand. The Group 3 Musidora over 2000m for the 3-y-o fillies is often considered an Oaks trial but just six go to post. Aidan O'Brien's team has been ominously strong in the trials in both Britain and Ireland and he runs WHIRL who I'm sure will have come on a lot from her sixth in the Park Express at the Curragh in mid April. MISS TONNERRE has probably the best piece of form when fourth in the May Hill at Doncaster to subsequent 1000 Guineas winner DESERT FLOWER. Ralph Beckett runs two and while SMOKEN is unbeaten her form is on soft and heavy turf and I'm much more interested in TATTYCORAM who went into the Stodge notebook after a promising third at Ascot on debut. I backed her on her seasonal debut at Yarmouth but she needed the run and got my cash back at Sandown last time.  Thursday will see the Group 2 Middleton for the older fillies and the Dante for the 3-y-o colts, one of the significant Derby trials. Last year's winner, AMBIENTE FRIENDLY, was runner up at Epsom. On Friday we have the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup over 2800m.  Saturday sees the Group 1 Lockinge over the straight mile at Newbury for which ten have been entered and it's a strong field with the first two from the 2024 2000 Guineas both lining up. NOTABLE SPEECH won at Newmarket beating ROSALLION but the latter won the Irish 2000 Guineas and followed up in the St James's Palace. Both are rated 122 and are seriously good horses. DANCING GEMINI was impressive at Sandown but will struggle with the other two if they are on song. More as the week goes on.

On the day Grand National and Gold Cup winning jockey Rachael Blackmore announced her retirement: Ladies team removed and replaced by new side in changes made to this year's Shergar Cup at Ascot | Racing Post Interesting to note the changes and perhaps we can get a Kiwi jockey over to ride.

Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner and Kentucky Derby (G1) runner-up Journalism will be entered in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course May 17, co-owner Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners confirmed May 11.View the full article

Tim Grams, a leading trainer at Charles Town, secured the 1,000th victory of his career when Moonlit Notion won the Coin Collector Stakes May 10 at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.View the full article

As several Preakness Stakes (G1) contenders departed Churchill Downs for Pimlico Race Course May 12, Clever Again recorded a half-mile maintenance work in :50 2/5.View the full article

Keeneland Library's popular lecture series continues this summer with public events that celebrate recently published works about Thoroughbred racing whose authors conducted research at the facility. View the full article

Looks like the markets have been manipulated again.

The US and China made “substantial progress” and reached an “important consensus” in their trade talks, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said today following high-level meetings over the weekend. He described the discussions as “candid, in-depth and constructive,” saying both sides agreed to establish a “trade consultation mechanism” for future discussions. “China and the United States will finalize the relevant details as soon as possible and will issue a joint statement reached at the talks on May 12,” a readout from the Chinese delegation said. Top US officials also signaled positive developments after this weekend’s talks in Geneva. A deal between the US and China, averting more damage from the trade war spurred by President Donald Trump’s tariffs, would be welcome news for the global economy.

So that's bullshit the deal they have done with China.

good to hear that

good to hear that

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Why would you run 1:51 when getting an easy lead.  Deserved to be beaten.

Yes my first favourite horse and still the one that have seen win the most races 'live'  ever. Must of been between 20-30 at Alexandra Park. she's a stunner alright.  Blacks A Fake the 2nd most here in QLD. 'Blackie' was in fact a brown horse though for Natalie Rasmussen 🤣.  he was quite dark though 😁 Blackie and Brownie 2 of the very best Football players ever played in QLD too lol. (Simon Black and Jonathan Brown winning 3 Premierships togeather for the mighty Lions ) top blokes. a team-mate of theirs and another excellent player was an aboriginal bloke named Darryl White  lol  

"......the cue is a long line....????" They's been playing some 8-ball? 2 balls in the corner pocket? 🤣 Which ever way you interpret it, Trump thinks being a bullying dictator (he's certainly good at the "dick" part) is the new way of international political negotiation. Whilst some might fold and strike new deals, he's got no queue of friends on the international stage if he may need it later. It's really like Bullshit in a China Shop 🤣 WHACK WHACK

Thanks for the responses to my initial points. The synthetic surfaces weren't brought in just for the benefit of the owners, trainers and jockeys but really for the bookmakers to provide an income stream for betting shops when turf racing was impossible due to the weather.  The concept was for synthetic surface meetings to run alongside jump races in December, January and February to provide that income stream and to provide a source of income for middle and lower level participants. It has evolved from that. I recognise in NZ you can and do run on grass in June, July and August and accepting the likelihood of soft or heavy turf means you can have winter gallopers who have their time while the turf is to their liking. If you have young or inexperienced horses, however, isn't there a niche for them to gain that experience on less arduous surfaces? That's how I would be marketing synthetic racing - as an opportunity for your decent ground performer or for your inexperienced horse to race without having to endure bad ground. Ireland has Dundalk which races twice a week in winter for decent money including under floodlights - perhaps another area for consideration? The likes of Aidan O'Brien and Dermot Weld run horses on the Polytrack and to be blunt if it's good enough for them it's good enough for everyone else. The core issue seems to be one of trust - not enough people in the NZ racing community, it seems to me from 12,000 miles away, have enough trust, faith, confidence, whatever word you want to use, in the ability of the clubs and those managing the synthetic surfaces to provide a consistent, safe surface for their horses. I said in my earlier Polytrack can be tailored to provide different kinds of surface - it can. IF you want summer type ground, it can be harrowed shallow but if you want winter type ground, it can be power harrowed to produce a softer like surface.  That information needs to be communicated and different surfaces can be provided if that's what is needed. There's an old adage - money talks, men walk. If you want horses to run on synthetic surfaces and you have competition from turf venues, you have to up the ante on prize money.

Wayyyyyy back in 2002 The Warriors won their first and only NRL Minor Premiership. That came as a result of the table-topping Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs being stripped of all of their competition points - just shy of the final round of normal play - after a massive salary cap breach was uncovered.  The Warriors of 2025 find themselves sitting in second place again (albeit with plenty of games still to go) behind none other than the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs. Both are surprises to be sitting where they currently are, as are most of the Top 8. They'll likely be plenty of movers, both up and down the ladder, in the weeks to come. 

Pure mate, was really wantin KZahara to get to win 16 🤗 agree she's a beaut lookin girl, I love the black harness horses pacin or trottin guess that's The Lady's (Queen of the park) fault, she got me hooked in the first place 😁 that Susan certainly looks speed smart....   Cheers Iraklis