John has been driving quite aggressively for some time now. Got The Chocolates has always been a Very good horse ( probably the best in Dunn stable) and he drives him attacking a Lap out sometimes. He has beaten Marketplace on about 4 occasions to date , so that says something about his ability.  His (John Dunn)  best bet in the 3 yearold Sires Stakes Friday ( with Marketplace drawn 'Out the back')  is to hurtle to the front with the Choc's and plant the foot 😁, and keep as far ahead of Marketplace as he can throughout the race lol. 😆. if they catch ya , they catch ya. but at least they had a good go at it.  Note: In the 2 yearold Sires Stakes Final Group 1 back in November, Ferguson drove a great race going forward from the Extreme outside Barrier with Marketplace,  and burned early (then took a sit on Rubira, used passing lane and winning very nicely ) where-as John was driving 'Got The Chocolates' very hard once again looping to the breeze from a 2nd row draw,  and ultimately running 5th (beaten 4 lengths) . 

Maiden Watch Preakness EditionView the full article

Early Epsom Derby (G1) favorite The Lion In Winter will make his highly anticipated return to action after being declared for the May 15 Dante Stakes (G2) at York.View the full article

Scheduled to join Burnham Square, the sixth-place finisher from the Kentucky Derby (G1), in the $400,000 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) June 8 at Churchill Downs is Coal Battle, 11th in the Derby. View the full article

Easy one there JJ . J Dunn will lead and not hand up . Poor Marketplace what a horror draw . He will go back and pray someone gives him a tow into the race , but 1980m  I don't give him much chance at all of finishing top 2 . Even though he is the best horse in the race , its a tragedy he draw where he did 😪

Smoke and mirrors… Trump announced a huge U.S. shift on Syria President Trump is expected to meet with Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Shara, today in Saudi Arabia, a day after he announced that the U.S. would lift its sanctions on the country. The announcement came on the first day of Trump’s Gulf tour, where the U.S. president was treated to a lavish welcome by the Saudi kingdom. Trump said he had decided to lift sanctions on Syria after talking with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Oh what I do for the crown prince,” Trump said at an investment forum in Riyadh. The end of sanctions represents a sea change for Syria: It would allow for international aid and investment that would help the country recover after nearly 14 years of war. Context: The U.S. imposed sanctions on Syria in response to Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on a 2011 uprising, which became a civil war. Syria’s new leaders and their allies in the Arab world argued that the measures had outlived their purpose. A first: A meeting with Trump would mark a stunning turnaround for al-Shara, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda, but broke ties with the jihadist group in order to moderate his image. Deals: The White House said Trump secured $600 billion in deals with the Saudi government and firms. But details it provided were vague and totaled less than half that number.  

One wonders what J Dunn and C Ferguson will do from their respective draws on Friday night. Pure and Charlie E should be able to help us as they drove the odd winner  

The $150,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap (G3) lures quick horses to Pimlico Race Course to race six furlongs. Two of the race favorites—Booth and Concrete Glory—are speedsters, highly effective when racing three-quarters of a mile.View the full article

Trainer Mike Maker and Sugoi are back to try for a repeat in the May 17 Louisville Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs. View the full article

I have to say the whole NZTR SI management regime looks like a Rubik's cube , unsolvable to most looking in .

Also, for some reason they refuse to hold 2yo and 3yo races on the AWTs so SI trainers never get these options whereas virtually every NI feature meeting has a 2yo or 3yo race, usually both.

Another question that came up in discussion last night was , because they have failed to produce the report whether trainers and owners are going to be reluctant to trust that the tracks are going to be safe and reliable .  The lack of entries for the trials surprised me as you would think there would be many wanting to expose their horses to the new surface before racing on it . With very good noms for Trentham and Hawera in particular this weekend , is there going to be a dearth of horses for the first AWT meeting next week ?

Amazing how much has been raised for these great services so far...at times like these the industry always shines out in my opinion....hopefully help for others can come from this terrible tragedy.  

And why is it down south they race for much bigger stakes than at Awapuni...is this to encourage them to have to accept no grass racing...seems strange the big differences.

America's Best Racing compiles as schedule of racing on radio and television.View the full article

It was a relatively quiet May 13 morning at a soggy Pimlico Race Course as two of nine starters in the May 17 $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) jogged around the wet, sealed racetrack. View the full article

That observation about 'trust' i think encapsulates the major issue. How can stakeholders 'trust ' an administration that continually obfuscates,  hides facts, produces tracks newly renovated that aren't fit for purpose...and just keeps rolling on with impunity? Those who can read will be well aware that synthetic tracks of various designs have been in use for 30 years or more, all over the world.  They aren't new and have been, given initial teething issues,  well received.  A godsend as alluded above. They suit some, not others.  Same as any surface.  Its up to NZTR to produce the report they are sitting on and encourage discussion with folk who actually know a bit about the things.  I could mention a few names but won't. 

Central Christchurch is absolutely full of these and the building continues at a hectic pace. Soon these types of dwellings will outstrip single houses close to the main centre.

America's Best Racing provides quick looks at this year's Preakness runners.View the full article

Oil versus Gas, Electricity versus Solar, the world is going to run out so they turned to synthetics in USA back in the 1950's, didn't they? There's some worthwhile reading in those news media Archives. Take a browse using related keywords to Synthetic tracks and it all pops up. Who of you have lived in places with that cheap tacky artificial green grass in your houses and backyard? They introduced that as a feel good factor so you didn't have to move your lawns so you had more time to play golf! Bunch of goons, and here we wonder how the program was called The Going Show in the era it was created.   Some have totally screwed up nature with their alternative thinking about Saving Lives and use of "synthetics".   New Zealand has soil not sand and is a narrow isthmus unlike America and Australia and touch wood isn't yet like Hong Kong where high rise towers and concrete jungles have messed with the soil structures and what nature lay beneath. Suggest you also browse through "In the year 2000," in those PPNZ archives because there's lots that's relevant and applicable to the mighty mess the world has become and shows up who is responsible for the demise of what we grew up as Status Quo that worked in New Zealand. Get rid of the synthetic nonsense and go back to traditional tried and true sheep, horses and cattle grazing and ploughing of the land with a Harrow and plough where need be.