** Official Cricketweb Horseracing thread **

[Smudge]

Amazing day at Trentham - and not for the right reasons.

Seachange was stunning in winning the Telegraph. And the best horse in NZ, Xcellent, blitzed the Trentham Stakes field, only to pull up short and had to be walked back to the birdcage afterwards. Early indications suggest it's a broken cannonbone and that's likely to be his career over. Such a brilliant horse ravaged by injury.

 

[Hoggy31]

Lost about $100 in the last week or so, so devo. Need tips.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Made a couple of hundy on an each way bet on Molotov at the Melbourne Races on Saturday. Win dividend was $17.90 and the Place dividend $4.60. Woohoo! Also, a big Quinella on Race 2 in Hong Kong came in.

 

[Smudge]

Sly Flyin broke down after the City Of Auckland Free-For-All last night. What a career - but how much better could it have been if he had stayed fit over the last 7 years.

 

[headhunter]

So one of my favourite weeks of the year is almost opon us. Yes Cheltenham is round again
Cant wait for the Gold Cup, Denman v Kauto promises to be awesome. Had 50 on Kauto last year and am severly tempted to do so again.
So any chappies on here got any tips?

 

[_Ed_]

A bit disillusioned with the sport at the moment. In what has been the driest summer in decades, the 3-day NZ Derby/Auckland Cup meeting was completely wrecked by rain. Been looking forward to it since the start of Spring, and then it finally came and it sucked.

6 months 'til next Spring...

 

[headhunter]

Cork All Star 2.00 and Harchibald 3.15 be my picks for the 1st day of action at Cheltenham.

 

[_Ed_]

An unbeaten two year-old called Altered Image just belted a decent field by 7 lengths under a hold. Not many better sights than that.

I'm back in love with the sport again.

 

[Smudge]

Only downside to that is we're going to have to listen to Paul Moroney drone on and on about it.

 

[_Ed_]

That is true.

Although he's convinced Crown Of Thorns is the best 2yo in his stable...2 starts for nothing at all so far. Outstanding.

 

[headhunter]

Had the 2nd placed horse in the National yesterday, came from a mile back to pick them up towards the last, though he'd get up too around the elbow, Comply Or Die had too much left though.

 

[_Ed_]

The National is one race I've never been able to sit through. I always close my eyes and hope like hell they all make it over the next one...but they never do.

40 starters is about 20 too many IMO. The charge to that first fence is just dangerous.

 

[headhunter]

They all made it over the first this year (which was quite unusual).
I see your point and of course the safety of the horses is of utmost importance, but the 40 starters, higher fences ect make it what it is.

 

[_Ed_]

So the 2008 NZ Derby winner got rolled at a rural racemeeting in Marlborough today. Wonderful.

Apparently he's destined for a jumping career too. Marvellous. Just like his stablemate Balmuse, who won our best WFA race in 2004, who is starting a jumping career now despite his trainer saying the horse can't jump to save himself.

They say this guy's a genius...I disagree.

I hope a royally-bred colt from a top stable wins the Derby next year.

 

[Flem274*]

Eventing>racing.

OK OK I'll stop uneccessarily being a **** to all the racing fans.

Re: Ed: Why are they making it a jumper if it cannot jump? Thats just stupid. For a start it'll need about 12 months (on average) of work on calming it down enough for jumping, then teaching it jumping. All that work on something that cannot jump sounds incredibly stupid.

 

[Smudge]

So the 2008 NZ Derby winner got rolled at a rural racemeeting in Marlborough today. Wonderful.

Apparently he's destined for a jumping career too. Marvellous. Just like his stablemate Balmuse, who won our best WFA race in 2004, who is starting a jumping career now despite his trainer saying the horse can't jump to save himself.

They say this guy's a genius...I disagree.

I hope a royally-bred colt from a top stable wins the Derby next year.

I think Dummy Myers lives up to his nickname, which is supposed to be ironic. God, he's a knob.

Meanwhile, in wonderfully exciting news for the NZ standardbred breeding industry, Christian Cullen, the boom sire of the last 5 years in NZ, will be standing in the US later this year. Massive news, and if he can produce a few quality age-grade winners, it could open the whole NZ stallion ranks to a new market. With the likes of Gotta Go Cullen, Changeover and the utterly brilliant Auckland Reactor all looking to eke out a stallion career, this could be the start of something exciting, as the North American breed looks to bring in some new blood.

 

[_Ed_]

It is pretty stupid. The horse is too slow to be competitive in the best flat races now, and deserves a nice retirement, but they think they can get a bit more money over fences.

You'd think a horse who has won just over $1 million in prizemoney has done enough...well, apparently not.

But he does school all of his horses over jumps throughout their entire careers, so they at least have some preparation behind them when they come to the end of their flat career.

Just one point on the racing v eventing thing - one of my favourite things about racing is seeing a son or daughter of a good racehorse I can remember or was a fan of come out and win a race early in his or her career. That's a thrill I don't think I would be able to get if I was a fan of eventing.

And then there's the competitiveness horses show in a tight finish - I love two horse battles down the straight, where one moves ahead but the other one comes back at it.

 

[_Ed_]

Meanwhile, in wonderfully exciting news for the NZ standardbred breeding industry, Christian Cullen, the boom sire of the last 5 years in NZ, will be standing in the US later this year. Massive news, and if he can produce a few quality age-grade winners, it could open the whole NZ stallion ranks to a new market. With the likes of Gotta Go Cullen, Changeover and the utterly brilliant Auckland Reactor all looking to eke out a stallion career, this could be the start of something exciting, as the North American breed looks to bring in some new blood.

That is very exciting news, great to hear.

 

[Flem274*]

It is pretty stupid. The horse is too slow to be competitive in the best flat races now, and deserves a nice retirement, but they think they can get a bit more money over fences.

You'd think a horse who has won just over $1 million in prizemoney has done enough...well, apparently not.

But he does school all of his horses over jumps throughout their entire careers, so they at least have some preparation behind them when they come to the end of their flat career.

Just one point on the racing v eventing thing - one of my favourite things about racing is seeing a son or daughter of a good racehorse I can remember or was a fan of come out and win a race early in his or her career. That's a thrill I don't think I would be able to get if I was a fan of eventing.

And then there's the competitiveness horses show in a tight finish - I love two horse battles down the straight, where one moves ahead but the other one comes back at it.

I do eventing though, so I'm biased.

Racehorsing needs more jumps IMO, though I will (grudgingly) admit its pretty fun to watch. Especially when my Dad (foolishly) lets me pick the horses he'll bet on.

 

[Smudge]

Right, to see how clever I am, I'm going to put on an imaginary Pick Six on here (winners of the last six races) for tonight's Auckland meeting at Alexandra Park (which I'll be attending, and may even put the bet on myself).

10.00 Pick 6 Percentage Bet 48 combinations - minimum 40.00%
Leg 1 6. Sovereignty
11. Doctor Mickey
Leg 2 4. Antares
Leg 3 1. Gotta Go Cullen
9. Changeover
Leg 4 8. Goldie Blue
9. Absolute Magic
Leg 5 2. Playmate Of The Year
3. Pasi
14. Fayanni
Leg 6 1. Alta Casanova
3. Jonny English

TOTAL COST NZ$10.00

Anchoring Antares could cost me, but it'll remain to be seen.