With his weight issues he has done a great job to achieve what he has achieved . Not sure I'd put him in the top 3 ever , but he was a class act at his best .

It's not all that fair to talk about TA underperforming in NZ and making out that something's wrong there while ignoring the fact that they're spreading themselves thinner than in the past with the Cranbourne operation. Facts are indeed facts, after all.

With ATR wanting the focus on them in late January (traditionally the WRC's time), maybe it's time for a shakeup. The big Boxing Day and New Years' Day meetings go to Trentham; people generally evacuate Auckland over the holidays anyway so no big loss up there. This gives you the Manawatu Cup as a leadup to the Wellington Cup or Zabeel Classic, the Manawatu Challenge Stakes as a leadup to the Thorndon (and potentially the Thorndon as a leadup to the Zabeel, if you move the Thorndon to Boxing Day and the Zabeel to NYD), the Telegraph as a leadup to the Railway, and the Eulogy as a leadup to the Eight Carat and Royal (or the Eight Carat could stay at Ellerslie for their Karaka carnival with the Desert Gold at Trentham). It also moves at least one of those two major 3yo fillies races to the same track as the Oaks. Manawatu's Boxing Day meeting moves to the north, somewhere where the holidaygoers are (Taupo?). ATR won't miss the Zabeel; they already have another 2000m Gr. 1 WFA race and the Otaki WFA has just moved up there too. ATR also then get their big summer meeting either side of the sales, when everybody's in town.

I vaguely recall something similar happened at Pukekohe last month when Alladin Sane beat Sinhaman in a close one.  Stephen Marsh asked to see the supposed "inconclusive" inside camera angle because it showed a result different to the one that came through

Honestly thought he would chase the century before retiring but no doubt hes done whats best for him.  Wonderful career and will go down as one of NZs best.

Merriebelle Stable and Resolute Racing's grade/group 1-winning turf mare Didia, who was being pointed to a title defense in the $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf Invitational Stakes (G2T) next month, will not make that event.View the full article

Flavien Prat broke Jerry Bailey's 19-year-old record for graded stakes wins in a season, scoring his 56th aboard King of Gosford in the Mathis Mile Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park. Also Thursday, Johannes took the San Gabriel Stakes (G2T).View the full article

Five years after Spendthrift Farm's Omaha Beach landed grade 1 glory in the Malibu Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, the sire's daughter Kopion brought home the holiday cheer with a commanding victory Dec. 26 in the La Brea Stakes (G1).View the full article

After winning the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) in October, Lael Stables' She Feels Pretty notched a follow-up top-level stakes victory in the Dec. 26 American Oaks (G1T) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

The largest opening day crowd in eight years ushered in Santa Anita Park's 90th year on Thursday, joining horseplayers around the world in betting on the races with a total all-sources mutuel handle of more than $21.4 million.  View the full article

Opie Bosson retires Aidan Rodley 27 December 2024 Opie Bosson, one of the greatest jockeys New Zealand has produced, has today announced his retirement from riding. Bosson, 44, leaves behind an incredible legacy in the sport, winning 99 Group One races in a glittering career which saw him inducted into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame in 2023 and immortalised in the memorable "There's only one Opie Bosson" Boys Get Paid chant at the annual Karaka Millions meeting at Ellerslie. He was named an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) for his contribution to the thoroughbred industry in the 2023 King's Birthday and Coronation Honours. Among Bosson's biggest wins were the Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m) and Gr.1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) aboard Mongolian Khan in 2015 and nine Group One wins on champion mare Imperatriz. "My association with Imperatriz was the highlight of my career. Horses like that don't come along every day and to be involved in her big wins in Melbourne is something I'll never forget," Bosson said. "Once she retired, it became a lot harder for me to keep going. She probably kept me going really. It's just the right time to hang up my boots now. I feel I've given all I had to give." Bosson was first apprenticed to Te Akau when his godfather Stephen Autridge was the head trainer, having joined the stable as a 14-year-old. He enjoyed a long and successful association with the David Ellis-led stable. "I've done 30 years and it's time for me to start working for a future after racing, something I can be happy in," Bosson said. "I've had some great times in racing, enjoyed a lot of success and made plenty of lifelong friends. I just want to thank all the owners and trainers who have supported me and for all the comradery from the jockeys I've ridden with and all the support I've got from the racing public all over New Zealand." Bosson brought up his 2000th New Zealand win aboard Move To Strike at Te Rapa in December 2023 and finishes with a career tally of 2146 wins, 2059 of those coming in New Zealand. He won 51 races in Australia, 16 of those at Group One level, as well as 31 in Singapore, including two Singapore Group One races that didn't count towards his international Group One tally: the 2007 Singapore Cup on Recast and the 2010 Singapore Derby on Dream Ahead. Bosson also rode in Japan, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong, where he was successful on five occasions. Among those to pay tribute to Bosson was his long-time mentor and friend David Ellis CNZM. "Opie established himself as world-class, especially the way he rode Imperatriz. He's been a massive part of our stable," Ellis said. "He's had to battle weight problems throughout his career and for him to keep going as long as he did and with the success is a real credit to him. He's been a great friend and we'll never forget the success we've had together. "You think about the Karaka Millions winners we've had, Melody Belle, Avantage, Cool Aza Beel, Probabeel, Dynastic and before them King's Chapel right through to all the Guineas winners we've had together. He's been prolific, winning more than 50 Group One races for us. He's been a tremendously successful rider." Hall of Fame trainer Murray Baker rated Bosson up with the best riders he worked with. "He was the complete package," Baker said.    "He had a great temperament on a horse, was unfazed on a horse and just had great hands, a prodigious talent. He won three Derbies for us and a Caulfield Cup, among a lot of big-race wins. We had great success together and he'll be sorely missed in the riders' ranks."

Definitely in our top 3 ever riders. A great shame.  And to retire at NP is hugely anticlimatic.

I thought we were talking about NZ Racing..and TA in NZ is underperforming based on previous years when it comes to stakes winners...facts are facts.

Was down for 3 rides tomorrow at Rotorua, will this be his last 3 rides?  I read his post as he won't be riding tomorrow at all.

He may have had his personal issues but no doubt one of the best ever New Zealand jockeys, enjoy your retirement and lets hope you enjoy whatever you choose to do...thanks for all the great memories.

How many winners for Wexford in Melbourne this season? No doubt they're flying at the moment; (as mentioned) maybe the focus on NZ rather than HK is helping them and (as not mentioned) maybe the Te Akau focus on Melbourne rather than NZ is hurting them in NZ.

Champion NZ jockey Opie Bosson retires Posted by: JustHorseRacing at 12:54pm on 27/12/2024   Posted in: Horse Racing News, International Horse Racing      IMAGE: BRUNO CANNATELLI Champion NZ jockey Opie Bosson has announced his retirement from race riding on social platform X (formerly twitter) on Friday. Bosson’s journey in racing began under the guidance of his godfather, Stephen Autridge, where he started as an apprentice. His race-day debut came at just 15 years old, riding Comette at Dargaville on October 25, 1995. Not long after, he celebrated his first victory aboard Fairlie Airlie at Gisborne. His first Group 1 win was aboard Jezabeel in the 1998 Auckland Cup, aged 17. On September 2, 1998, Bosson secured Chris Waller’s first Australian victory by guiding Party Belle to triumph in a 2100m maiden race at Wyong. In March 2019, Bosson broke Lance O’Sullivan’s record for the most Group 1 victories in New Zealand, achieving his 63rd win when Melody Belle claimed the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie. Bosson is one of eight jockeys to ride over 2,000 winners in New Zealand.  

Happy retirement Opie Bosson 2059 Domestic wins 256 NZ Group & Listed wins 99 Group 1s  

My mum was right very hard to put brains in statues...😂...so you think the quality of their winners and the consistency of their runners is the same as previous seasons...then no point arguing with you as you have no idea.

The Fields for Banks Peninsular on Sunday, show that a lot of people want to stay local to race during the holiday season; The Emergency numbers per race are;   5-2-5 Nil 5-4-2-5-1-2-2-Nil,  obviously there are a lot of owners wanting to race now, even with the dilution of numbers to Southland, West Coast & Central Otago.