Common sense prevails

News in the Aus media is that NZ jumps racing to continue 

So thats money well spent is it?? Just because other channels do the same doesnt make it a good option. Heres an idea - let the pictures tell the story inbetween the analysts speaking. Why pay someone 100K plus just to provide white noise?? Spend that money on a jockey cam or something...far better use of the cash. Get smarter and not be sheep Trackside.

On then to the two day Punchestown meeting which functions for the Irish much as the November meeting at Cheltenham does for the English. The opening day saw the Grade 1 Morgiana Hurdle over 3250m and with LOSSIEMOUTH a late withdrawal, STATE MAN, the champion hurdler, looked to have an obvious chance with the main opponent looking to be the mare BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD. That didn't quite go according to plan and those who played on STATE MAN at  4/9 got their fingers badly burnt but this was no fluke. BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD, despite some errant jumping at time, took full advantage of her match fitness and stayed on too well for STATE MAN who for me just got a bit tired from the last but he will come on a lot for the run. BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD won't go down the Champion Hurdle route but will be kept for the Mares over 4000m and that looks a shrewd move, STATE MAN will doubtless be aimed at Leopardstown over Christmas. On the undercard, BALLYBURN made short work of second or even third raters on his novice chase debut winning by thirteen lengths at 2/11. He jumped pretty well as you'd expect and is clearly a very exciting prospect. He's being aimed at the Arkle which I find surprising as I think he's crying out for 4800m but with the Turners no longer on the agenda (the race has been downgraded from a Grade 1 to a handicap after a succession of small fields), the choice is either the Arkle for the speedy novices or the Brown Advisory for the stayers. I think it's a no-brainer and I think Willie Mullins has got this wrong (I'm ready for a faceful of omelette come March). Sunday saw the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial over 4200m which saw the seasonal re-appearance of Gold Cup winner GALOPIN DES CHAMPS, his Punchestown nemesis FASTORSLOW and some interesting second season chasers including FACT OR FILE who had been the top staying novice last season ending up winning the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham. A wonderful race - possibly the best of the season so far - and a hint of a changing of the guard among the Irish staying chasers as the established stars, GALOPIN DES CHAMPS and FASTORSLOW, were eclipsed by the two top staying novices of last season. I think I called this pretty well as there was only a head between FACT TO FILE (must get the name right) and SPILLANE'S TOWER and the latter, available at 20s with the English bookies, was the standout each way bet but that's me after timing I'm afraid. The first two now occupy first and third places in the 2025 Gold Cup ante post betting with FACT TO FILE 11/4 and SPILLANE'S TOWER 8s and between them GALOPIN DES CHAMPS at 7/2.  I'm sure GALOPIN DES CHAMPS will come on a lot for this run and I look forward to the rematch between the first three which could be in the Savils at Leopardstown over Christmas and you'd be a brave soul to be dogmatic about the outcome of such a rematch. FASTORSLOW was a shade disappointing in fourth vut I suspect next time the big chasers gather at Punchestown (next April) we could see FASTORSLOW as a much more competitive type. There is of course a lot of water to flow under a lot of bridges before than but FACT TO FILE looks a genuinely exciting prospect but don't discount SPILLANE'S TOWER. Gordon Elliott had the better of the exchanges with arch rival Willie Mullins on the second day of the Punchestown meeting. TOUCH ME NOT beat FARREN GLORY in the Craddockstown and looks a very good chasing prospect while for those with even longer term vision KALYPSO'CHANCE won the closing bumper by 15 lengths with Elliott's charge defeating the Willie Mullins runner SOIR DE GARDE who is a half to none other than STATE MAN.  

David Seymour is hyped up; crowing on about the influence he and his party has in the current  Govt. Mr Luxon disagrees and likely a few others do also. 'Pride comes before the fall,' David.

Four weeks removed from a disappointing effort in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar, Rigney Racing's Jonathan's Way is back home and ready to run in the $400,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 30.View the full article

Well said.

Not sure why its been so hard for some to understand that Guy is employed to run a TV presentation, not provide analysis.  That's why you rarely (if ever) see him on course.  No different to a news show who hire specialist presenters, and specialist reporters.  There are not many in the Trackside staff ranks who can do both roles effectively.  Guerin might be the closest thing to a hybrid presenter/analyst and even he cops it from the industry folk, so they can't win really

I'll split the review of the weekend just gone into two and cover the two days of the Punchestown meeting in my next. This one will cover Saturday's action in the UK and with the onset of some serious autumn rain and snow the ground softened appreciably at Ascot though less so at Ascot. By the time the field gathered for the Grade 1 Betfair Chase over 5050m, the rain had been falling for hours and the ground was Soft - both HEWICK and THE REAL WHACKER, my two fancies, were late withdrawals. The money came for the 2023 winner ROYALE PAGAILLE, all of whose form is on Soft ground but he hadn't run since taking a heavy fall at Cheltenham in January. He faced the up and coming novice GREY DAWNING, the Turners winner, who had always promised to be better at 4800m and beyond.  An attritional slog, especially over the last three fences, with ROYALE PAGAILLE and GREY DAWNING both having the initiative. At the last, I thought the latter was getting the upper hand but ROYALE PAGAILLE has won at up to 5600m and in the final 300m just had too much stamina and in the end won by a couple of lengths. ROYALE PAGAILLE isn't the most exuberant jumper of a fence you'll ever see but that's no bad thing in those conditions and "popping away" (as it is known up here) is a more efficient use of energy than strying to stand off every obstacle. You'd always want to be on ROYALE PAGAILLE in a slog in the mid but on quicker ground he doesn't have the tactical speed and he was found out in both the 2022 and 2023 Gold Cups though he ran creditably in both. GREY DAWNING went down all guns blazing - I'm sure better ground would help - he won the 4200m Graduation Chase on this card last year but this was a very different test in open company. I suspect the King George at Kempton, where he's likely to get much better ground, would be the target and he's widely regarded as Britain's beat hope against the Irish battallions (of which more in my next). BRAVEMANSGAME had the blinkers on but he's not the horse he was and was well held in third. GOLDEN TWEET, the French raider, ran well but he's been well held by the likes of IL EST FRANCAIS and the current top of the French tree, GRAN DIOSE, who won the Grand Steeplechase de Paris in the summer. AHOY SENOR and CAPODANNO both pulled up. Earlier in the afternoon, the Grade 2 Newton Novices Hurdle saw ROADLESSTRAVELLED make every yard and hold off COUNTRY MILE, who raced in second, came to challenge at the second last but just ran out of energy. The winner is unbeaten in three and could be anything but obviously you'd be inclined to think the winners of the big novice hurdles at Cheltenham are ptrobably trained in Ireland. At Ascot, the weather was much kinder and the gorund just on the slow side of Good. PIC D'ORHY went off 4/9 to follow up in the 1965 Chase and duly obliged though not without an anxious moment at the second last as DASHEL DRASHER looked a real threat but this is PIC D'ORHY's optimum trip, track and ground and he doesn't often lose going right handed. I imagine he'll be seen over Christmas at Kempton and Paul Nicholls has suggested he might try the King George over 4800m which would be interesting. The Grade 2 Ascot Hurdle saw LUCKY PLACE turn over BLUEKING D'OROUX, the Irish raider COLONEL MUSTARD and GOLDEN ACE in as race where all four had a chance at the last and were split by just two lengths at the post. Given COLONEL MUSTARD was eleven lengths behind STATE MAN at Cheltenham and twenty two lengths behind at Punchestown, I suspect we're a couple of notches at least below Grade 1 with these but all are decent types who will find race sover 4000m if not perhaps further.  

Those increasingly small fields in Southland must be a bit of a worry. Do they have too many dates?

Having won three of the six Kentucky Oaks (G1) prep races so far, trainer Brad Cox brings a pair of undefeated fillies, Good Cheer and Eclatant, to the $400,000 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs Nov. 30.View the full article

Lol the bloke (and I use that term loosely - would be weird calling him a guy) is a fake and a myth. How many months has he been in the job? I still havnt heard a sentence of real racing knowledge from him. Now we have to endure him strutting around in his plus 4's.  Jayne props up the whole channel. And yes great racing at Wanganui. Had the pleasure of watching it in the Bond St bar (formerly Lovelocks) on Saturday. Was refreshing to sit around real old style punters who enjoy an ale and listen to their "knowledge". Colourful language and sage advice for jockeys lol. I even heard why a prominent jockey is currently off the scene. Trackside could employ a couple of them to improve their product!  

The Wyoming Gaming Commission has approved Wyoming's first mile-long horse racing track for 16 live race dates in 2025, as well as simulcasting and related activities.View the full article

Especially in a multiple-horse photo-finish like the one in question. Doubly so when every person on-course with a microphone had called it wrong. 

There appears to be a conscious decision on Trackside to move on with the next race rather than presenting the result - I have even heard Guy recommend the viewers look up the result elsewhere. I have to agree that laboriously reading through the full dividends was getting tedious, but where there is such a close and uncertain result you would think the least would be to confirm final runner numbers of the first 4 home for the viewers with something riding on the result. So I think the policy change is positive but has gone too far.

I referenced this on a previous contribution. This was the first on the card as it happened - for inexperienced riders over 3200m of the synthetic circuit. It was a Class 6 handicap - the lowest grade over here - with the horses rated from 64 down to the winner who was running off 46. The winner had previously run 15 times and been placed second once (at 33s) and third once (at 66s). The conditions of the race were the jockeys had to have ridden fewer than 10 winners - Tyrese Cameron, who rode the winner, had ridden six and was the most experienced. The rider of the second, Kyle McHugh, had never ridden a winner. The others possibly five between them. It's a condition all the apprentices in the series have jockey coaches to guide and mentor them. Within that context, it wasn't pretty - those who backed CERTAIN STYLE at 28s could form an orderly queue from a long way out but, to be honest, anyone who plays in a race like that gets no sympathy from me. I am sorry for the connections of the beaten horses who didn't get a run but that's a risk when you put such an inexperienced rider up. I'm sure the coaches of the other riders will take plenty of time explaining to their students what they did wrong and kudos to Tyrese for an enterprising ride. CERTAIN STYLE had placed fourth over 2800m at Chelmsford running on which was a step up in form over a new trip so you could see why Tyrese thought stamina wouldn't be an issue. This kind of thing does happen - call it enterprising from the winning rider, call it bad riding from the others, it's up to you 

It obviously is just that little bit too hard. For the crew on track that day at least. 

Beyond Cringe , Have a look takes about 20 mins .