** Official Cricketweb Horseracing thread **

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Given the TAB was given a gambling duty cut only 18 months ago to fund similar activity, this change effectively makes the TAB 'duty free' as any remaining duty paid by the TAB is now being given back directly to the racing industry; coincidentally disadvantaging the funding process of the racing industry as this money is likely to go in the majority to Thoroughbred racing. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a shortcut round section 16 of the Racing Act at the very least.

I just don't see how this is going to help anyone other than the richest trainers getting richer

 

[_Ed_]

They're talking about $1 million for the NZ Trotting Cup, $750k for Auckland Pacing Derby and Trotting Cup, and even an extraordinary $250,000 for a greyhound race. So IMO all codes are getting a fair share.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

They're talking about $1 million for the NZ Trotting Cup, $750k for Auckland Pacing Derby and Trotting Cup, and even an extraordinary $250,000 for a greyhound race. So IMO all codes are getting a fair share.

Haha! We'll see. I think the code share at the moment is about 55/30/15, which would equate to about $1.3m extra for the Dishlickers. $250k wouldn't be a 'fair share'.

Chances are, this'll come out more like 70/15/5 on the code share, 'appeasing' (which it will fail to acheive) those Thoroughbred stakeholders who want to see a change to Section 16.

 

[_Ed_]

Greyhounds are much, much cheaper to own and race than horses.

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

Greyhounds are much, much cheaper to own and race than horses.

Yes - but that's beside the point. This is basically taking the $9m duty paid by the TAB and then spitting it amongst the codes not on a market share basis as the profits of the TAB are supposed to be distributed.

Anyway, I shouldn't talk about this stuff really. Walls have ears.

 

[Smudge]

Anyway, I shouldn't talk about this stuff really. Walls have ears.

As do floors..

 

[_Ed_]

I find this injury to Auckland Reactor interesting.

Just days before a race in which he has the worst possible draw, he has some mysterious soreness. In this article vet Bill Bishop talks about it and I find some of his comments interesting...

Bishop said today from the symptoms described to him by Christchurch trainer Mark Purdon "it sounds like an unusual problem".

"It doesn't sound like your run of the mill lameness. The horse does not appear to be lame in a particular leg."

I'm probably being completely unfair here and I'm sure it's entirely genuine. I've just become too used to exaggerated or entirely fabricated injuries bringing about the end of valuable future stallions' careers in the thoroughbred game.

But it just seems a bit...strange.

 

[Smudge]

Ha. Trust me, Ed, you’re not the only one. I think there’s a lot more concern as to Auckland Reactor’s unbeaten record as a 4-year-old in a strong crop (taking his stallion career into account) than any real injury problem. Already he’s getting better, according to Purdon, so one wonders just how serious the injury really was. Pretty miraculous turnaround if you ask me.

Fact is, with the draw the way it was, he was going to be buried three-back at best and would need to have been pulled back right to the back of the field and go round them, which isn’t an easy thing to do in a mile race. Still, it’s made little difference to our Pick Six – we’re now anchoring Fiery Falcon instead.

 

[_Ed_]

In other news, Big Brown will chase the Triple Crown in the Belmont in just over a week, and it looks like there's only one serious opponent - Casino Drive.

He's a half-brother to Jazil and Rags To Riches, the last two winners of the Belmont. And he will be ridden by Edgar Prado, who has won the race twice on Sarava and Birdstone - denying a horse the Triple Crown both times! *gasp* *dramatic music*

I really hope Big Brown gets rolled actually, his owners are a bunch of ****s who left the famous blanket of roses lying on the track at Churchill Downs and showed no class when the filly had to be put down, and the trainer's an arrogant prick who freely admits he's a drug cheat who has so far got away with it.

I want the Triple Crown to be won, just not by this horse (or rather, by his connections).

 

[_Ed_]

Apparently now Big Brown's owners have made arrangements for signs to be displayed prominently right around Belmont Park for their company UPS (after whom the horse is apparently named), including one just above the starting gate which says "What can Brown do for you?"

And his trainer has said the race is a "foregone conclusion".

I'm going to love it if they lose this race.

 

[Smudge]

And I'm sure you'll love the fact you'll be able to watch it live...

 

[_Ed_]

Yeah, always good. Epsom Derby would be nice too...

 

[Smudge]

Yeah, always good. Epsom Derby would be nice too...

Stay tuned...

 

[_Ed_]

I have to admit I enjoyed that. Normally I don't take pleasure from seeing horses beaten, but it was just brilliant.

Big Brown is fine, the vet has found nothing wrong with him, he just dropped out. And best of all, his connections were absolutely humiliated.

And the race was won by a horse trained by a good bloke. Fantastic.

The best horse in the Epsom Derby, New Approach, winning is the icing on the cake. Wonderful.

 

[_Ed_]

How good was Henry at Royal Ascot yesterday? Wow.

The 2yo Art Connoisseur wasn't too bad either.

In stark contrast, Sunstrike has been a bit of a disappointment to her parents, hasn't she? Her dad won 6 Group 1 races in a row, and her mum was a decent horse called Sunline or something like that...but the filly ran 5th at Ruakaka today. Oh dear.

 

[Smudge]

In stark contrast, Sunstrike has been a bit of a disappointment to her parents, hasn't she? Her dad won 6 Group 1 races in a row, and her mum was a decent horse called Sunline or something like that...but the filly ran 5th at Ruakaka today. Oh dear.

Pretty average ride, but still she didn't show much ticker in the straight. I guess it proves that horse breeding, at the end of the day, is a bit of a lottery.

 

[_Ed_]

Yeah I thought it was an average ride too, the leader had thrown off the rider 3 times on the way to the start and run her race before the gates opened (dropped out to finish 10 lengths last), so there was definitely no need to take that horse on in front.

 

[Smudge]

Australasian mile record for the pacers was broken at Menangle yesterday by Smoken Up, a former Kiwi pacer originally trained by John and David Butcher, and now with Lance Justice. He went 1.51.9 - almost a second under Pay Me Christian's record set at Newcastle a year or two back.

This roomy 1400m track looks a treat, although there are issues with access for the public as there's only one road in for the last five kilometres.

 

[_Ed_]

Seachange has the last race of her career in the UK today. Although some people seem to take pleasure in putting her down she's been a pretty exceptional racehorse, hope she goes out in style.

Unfortunately the weather forecast isn't too flash, and also one of her main rivals has a pacemaker entered. Seachange's best chance was to get a soft lead and catch them by surprise with her impressive acceleration about 400m out. But she's won two Group 1s over this distance with Sir Slick having beaten her to the lead, so it's not a completely lost cause.

I have to go in to work and play ads during the simulcast coverage tonight. I'd be more than happy to go through the odds and provide information about horses in the undercard races, but no, ads are all they want me to do. I guess the market being accompanied by random music will work just as well on radio as it does on television...

 

[Smudge]

I have to go in to work and play ads during the simulcast coverage tonight. I'd be more than happy to go through the odds and provide information about horses in the undercard races, but no, ads are all they want me to do. I guess the market being accompanied by random music will work just as well on radio as it does on television...

Pfft. The television coverage between races will be nothing short of outstanding. Tune in, Ed - you'll be pleasantly surprised.