On to Fairyhouse and yesterday's two championship races (for those wondering, the Royal Bond has been downgraded to a Grade 2 so I'll mention it only in passing). The clash between Team Mullins and Team Elliott continued after mixed fortunes for both sides on Saturday. The Drinmore Chase for the novices over 4000m saw no Mullins runner and it was three of Gordon Elliott's taking on two of Henry de Bromhead's in what looked an intriguing and possibly tactical race. The pre-race market was fominated by two horses with Elliott's FIREFOX narrowly favoured at Evens over de Bronhead's HEART WOOD at 2s. There's an old adage you don't need a lot of runners to have a great horse race and this was a thriller. With stable jockey Jack Kennedy sidelined due to a broken leg the day before (his sixth leg fracture in his career), Elliott had to shuffle the jockey pack a bit.  As expected, this was a tactical affair and they sprinted from the second last. In a sprint, it always pays to be close to the pace and CROKE PARK sprang the 22/1 shock by making nearly all but the had to show plenty of resolution to hold the challenges of HEART WOOD, FIREFOX and the fast finishing GORGEOUS TOM with the front four split on the line by a length. I'm not sure we've learnt a great deal about the Irish novices from this chase and I suspect Willie Mullins won't think anything he saw here will concern him as he has BALLYBURN for the 3200m race at Chelteham and IMPAIRE ET PASSE for the 4800m race.  I was a little disappointed by FIREFOX but I suspect a shorter trip might help while GORGEOUS TOM looks to need further but while some of these will doubtless line up at the likes of Leopardstown and Cheltenham, they're only playing for places on this evidence. The Hatton's Grace Hurdle over 4000m saw another intriguing clash, this time between the Mares Hurdle winner LOSSIEMOUTH and the Stayers' Hurdle winner TEAHUPOO. Both dominated their respective divisions last year but LOSSIEMOUTH arguably had the form over the shorter distance and went off 4/7 favourite. Possibly the performance of the meeting as LOSSIEMOUTH looked at her brilliant best. To be fair, they didn't go nearly fast enough for long enough and Paul Townend could sit and count his percentage from the second last as LOSSIEMOUTH just had too much speed for TEAHUPOO and came home in third gear unchallenged. The future plans for her are interesting - IF she goes down the Mares Hurdle route, she'll likely come up against Morgiana winner BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD who beat her stable companion STATE MAN. On the other hand, she could take on STATE MAN in the Champion itself. The fact she's 3/1 for the Mares and 6/4 for the Champion speaks volumes. I suspect a clash with STATE MAN over Christmas and/or at the Dublin Racing Festival will be very informative. I certainly wouldn't crab the second who just ran into a very good one here - I imagine he'll be back up to 4800m next time and in a division with next to no talent in Britain, it's no surprise TEAHUPOO is only 5/2 to retain his Stayers' Hurdle crown in March. Finally, on a personal note, this is the last contribution on this thread for a while as I'm going to be heading in a new direction from the end of the week. Watch this space - not this space, but somewhere else on the forum.

Some disappointing numbers in some of the fields . Only 7 runners in the four year race worth 200k and 7 in the main trot worth 40k 

I missed your post here Ted and gave it a write up in the Tips section Here's one in Tokyo tonight. Shita Pants Brown gelding by William Shatners Pants Suffered the worst of runs on debut, but bowled along in front 2nd up and proved hard to pass. Expected to wipe them tonight. 

Canterbury Nan 🤣 🤣 🤣 That could well catch on. He's as argumentative as an old nana 

Yes Tom, unfortunately I started reading the thread, “saw read”  and responded before reading all of the other responses.  Is Canterbury Nan the owner of the 3rd channel riddled with adds?  If so, I wish that he would change his moniker as he’s doing Canterbury a massive disservice.  Liz

Best ignored Liz, he only stirs and offers nothing worth considering 

I strongly disagree with your opening statement. 

Here's one in Tokyo tonight. Brown gelding by William Shatners Pants Suffered the worst of runs on debut, but bowled along in front 2nd up and proved hard to pass. Expected to wipe them tonight. 

No, I only have the published figures up to 4th November 8/9   Sunday          T/O $1,105,528          GBR $254,196 6/10 Sunday          T/O $1,761,988          GBR $540,667 1/11 Friday            T/O  $790,661            GBR $226408 The funding figure is not available for the meeting on the 1st November, but the combined stakes and GBR for the 3 meetings is; Stakes $422,494   GBR $1,021,271    that's a % GBR to Stakes of 241.7%,   the next best would be Timaru with only one meeting @   215.5% By comparison,     Addington  67%,    ATC 63.5% Higher Stakes produce higher Loss's, they are not sustainable without Entain.  

Chris keep posting them too. Yes you land a few, but when you don't we like to take the piss, all in good fun though.    

Wow only one guy lol . I am just thinking of the girls in the junior drivers racing when I was driving . Were you driving at the same time in the 80's with me ? I remember Toni Leek , Dianne Cole . Julie Fraser , Sue Town / McKendry were around then but can't remember if they were juniors or not . Gotta hand it to the girls out there , some outstanding drivers . I remember the struggles back when we were juniors so hard to get drives . I was really lucky with the support I got but it was a tough life especially if you balls up a drive or two , no one wanted to know me haha

Monday When it comes to vintage 2,000 Guineas this millennium, the 2014 edition was up there with King’s Best flying from the clouds to slam Giant’s Causeway in 2000, Rock Of Gibraltar’s much debated defeat of Hawk Wing in 2002, George Washington sauntering home from subsequent Derby winner Sir Percy in 2006, Henrythenavigator and New Approach passing the post as one in 2008 and, of course, Frankel’s demolition job in 2011. That Newmarket Classic a decade ago was billed as a straight duel between the wide-margin Greenham Stakes winner Kingman and the equally exciting Australia, but Night Of Thunder – seemingly beaten fair and square by Kingman in the Greenham – defeated his much vaunted rivals, hanging badly left and losing several lengths in the process. All three colts upheld the form. Night Of Thunder didn’t win again at three but acquitted himself well in top mile races, and returned at four to add his name to the Lockinge Stakes roll of honour, while runner-up Kingman went the rest of the season unbeaten by bolting up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois, and third home Australia landed the Derby, Irish Derby and Juddmonte International. The reputation of the 2,000 Guineas of 2014 has been enhanced even further by Night Of Thunder, Kingman and Australia excelling at stud to varying degrees.   Night Of Thunder (pictured below) was retired to Kildangan Stud at a far cheaper fee than those peers, likely due to the fact that he has imperfect foreleg conformation and his father Dubawi’s credentials as a sire of sires had taken a few knocks, but he sprang another surprise by delivering 28 individual winners from 48 runners at an exceptionally high strike-rate of 58 per cent in his freshman season, and matching Fasliyev’s record of seven first-crop two-year-old stakes scorers. Night Of Thunder has gone from strength to strength, and can now boast 59 stakes winners from six crops of racing age, including this year’s Irish Champion Stakes hero Economics and unbeaten Fillies’ Mile winner Desert Flower. His fee has leapt by 50 per cent to €150,000 next season, but that likely won’t deter high-end breeders from using him. Kingman, who retired to Banstead Manor Stud after his three-year-old season and so has one more crop of racing age than Night Of Thunder, has always been well supported as he – sorry, but it’s true – ticked all the boxes, as a champion with the pedigree and physique to match. He hasn’t let down his many fans, notching up 89 black-type winners, led by 13 who struck at the highest level – most recently Elmalka in the 1,000 Guineas, Sparkling Plenty in the Prix de Diane and Friendly Soul in the Prix de l’Opera this year. His fee remains at £125,000 next season, which isn’t bad for a sire who consistently transmits class. Australia, at the same stage of his stallion career as Kingman, has established himself as a solid source of middle-distance performers and stayers, which was always going to be his metier when he was a dual Derby winner by one Epsom Classic winner in Galileo and out of another in Ouija Board. The Coolmore stalwart’s roll of honour contains 42 black-type winners including Broome, Galileo Chrome, Mare Australis, Ocean Road and Order Of Australia, all of whom scored in Group/Grade 1s. Admittedly, this has been a quieter year for him, with high-class fillies Port Fairy and Shamida among the fewer highlights, but that has resulted in a dramatic reduction in fee to just €10,000 for 2025. That seems an overreaction, an insult even, especially when he covered 173 mares at €35,000 a time in 2022 and another 111 mares at €25,000 in 2023, so has plenty of well bred runners in the pipeline. The real reason I’m writing about a ten-year-old 2,000 Guineas in the middle of winter is that the three protagonists all had breakthroughs as broodmare sire this year, which makes their daughters available for purchase at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale this week worthy of closer attention. Night Of Thunder has only ten maternal grandchildren who have made it onto the Racing Post database, but they already include a black-type winner in the shape of this season’s Rose Bowl Stakes winner Yah Mo Be There, a first-crop son of Mohaather whose Cracksman half-brother sold for 100,000gns at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale last Wednesday. Encouragingly for Night Of Thunder’s future exploits in this department, Yah Mo Be There is out of Shurakaa, an unraced full-sister to Moyglare Stud Stakes third Ornellaia bought by breeder Stuart McPhee for just 13,000gns from the Tattersalls February Sale of 2021. Night Of Thunder is the sire of a humdinger in tomorrow’s Sceptre Session, in Thunder Roll (Lot 1729). The Joseph O’Brien-trained four-year-old filly won the Noblesse Stakes in April and held her form until the autumn, when she ran fourth in the Prix de Royallieu and fifth in the British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes. She is offered as a horse in training and, as a hardy soul who stays all day, should appeal to Australian buyers. She is also exceedingly well bred, being out of a winning Pivotal half-sister to Listed scorer Under The Rainbow and Group-placed Starfala and Sweeping Up, from the Arbibs’ fabulous family of top fillies Stay Alert and Sumo Sam, so ought to be fought over by breeders, too. Night Of Thunder’s representatives at Park Paddocks this week also include the UAE 1,000 Guineas heroine and UAE Oaks runner-up Dubai Love, who is offered in foal to Kingman’s son Palace Pier (Lot 1336), and fellow stakes scorer Bredenbury, who is in foal to Havana Grey (Lot 1617). His three-year-olds and two-year-olds are the result of him covering generally better mares in the wake of his outstanding freshman feats, so any who come onto the market should be of interest. Heavenly Being, a winning half-sister to Matron Stakes victress No Speak Alexander in foal to Lucky Vega (Lot 1627), is an example of the quality on offer by the sire in that age group. Kingman is naturally a little further along the road to becoming a noteworthy broodmare sire, thanks to his extra crop and the better standard of mare he covered from the outset of his career. The highest achievers out of his daughters include this year’s talented two-year-olds Dubai Bling (by Dark Angel), King Al (by Al Kazeem), Korisa (by Kodiac), Nizam (by Pinatubo) and Regal Gem (by Zoustar), as well as classy handicappers Approval (by Le Havre), Kings Merchant (by Bated Breath), Meribella (by Sea The Stars) and Power Of Destiny (also by Sea The Stars). There’s no shortage of choice of Kingman daughters at Tattersalls this week, with 30 in the catalogue before withdrawals. That includes two in tomorrow’s Sceptre Session in My Sweetheart, an unraced half-sister to high-class sprinter and proven producer Heartache who is in foal to Havana Grey (Lot 1742), and Rathmore, a winning half-sister to Flower Bowl Stakes winner Idea Generation in foal to Modern Games (1751). An ordinarily bred Kingman filly or mare is probably a contradiction in terms, as the sire has always been so well supported, and so all his lots this week warrant a look. However, two others with especially striking pages are Crenelle, a Listed-placed relation to Logician and Whitebeam carrying a desirable foal from the first crop of Chaldean (Lot 1690), and Kingdom Girl, a winning half-sister to Group winners Blue Bayou, Hatta Fort and Spirit Of Appin in foal to Too Darn Hot (Lot 1708). Australia might not have hit the heights of Kingman or Night Of Thunder as a stallion in his own right, not commercially at least, but – fascinatingly, for me – he is streets ahead of them as a broodmare sire at this stage. Perhaps it should be no surprise when he is so brilliantly well bred, but he has been in sizzling form in this respect this year, and over a wide range of trips. It could be argued that in a few cases he has upgraded the matings, too. His daughters are responsible for Prix Maurice de Gheest hero Lazzat (by Territories), Superlative Stakes winner Ancient Truth (by Dubawi), Group 3 scorer Al Shabab Storm (by Advertise), Poule d’Essai des Poulains runner-up Dancing Gemini (by Camelot) and Listed-winning two-year-old Square D’Alboni (by Zarak), as well last month’s promise-filled first-time-out Chelmsford novice stakes winner Elements Of Fire (by Too Darn Hot). I suspect Australia’s fine start as a broodmare sire hasn’t gone unnoticed by breeders, as there were only seven entered for this year’s Tattersalls December Mares Sale, and two have been withdrawn. The remaining five include two wonderfully well bred four-year-old mares who were unraced and are offered in foal for the first time, to elite sires in both instances. Brisbane Road, selling as Lot 1460 in today’s Sceptre Session, is a half-sister to Normandie Stud-bred stars Hurricane Lane and Sweet William and is carrying a foal by Too Darn Hot, while Providenciales, on offer as Lot 1766 in tomorrow’s Sceptre Session, is a half-sister to dual Group 1 heroine Saffron Beach and is pregnant to Kingman, so carrying a foal bred on a cross that is very 2014 2,000 Guineas. There was real depth to that race on the Rowley Mile a decade ago, with Charm Spirit, Toormore, Kingston Hill, War Command and The Grey Gatsby behind. All were Group 1 winners, and Charm Spirit and The Grey Gatsby have also enjoyed their moments in the sun as sires. In fact, the colt who came plumb last in the field of 14, the former Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf scorer Outstrip, managed to supply the winner of one of the world’s greatest races when his son Gold Trip took the Melbourne Cup, in spite of standing at chickenfeed fees as part of the now defunct Darley Club offering. Outstrip happens also to be the sire of a mare who would be high up on my own personal shopping list at Tattersalls this week: Kolossal (Lot 1623), a four-time stakes winner in her native Germany who achieved little in four starts for Jamie Osborne after being purchased for €200,000 at the Arqana December Sale last year. She is a half-sister to five winners out of a Samum full-sister to German champion Kamsin and half-sister to another Group 1 winner in Khan, from Gestüt Karlshof’s excellent Kapitol family. Outstrip doesn’t boast the same cachet as a broodmare sire as Night Of Thunder, Kingman or Australia, and all that stamina wouldn’t be to many commercial breeders’ taste, but that’s just the sort of mare who could produce a middle-distance performer or stayer who can accrue significant resale value.

Agree 100% and so did just about everyone else. I must admit I was a little fearful when the rain came in but it performed very well.

😎 HK CUP  :   Wingspan HK MILE :  Voyage Bubble HK SPRINT  :  Ka Ying Rising cheers

Believe me he wins more than he loses, very very astute punter

That Just Believe from West Auckland goes okay most of the time.  

Thank you  Chris, Pondy inveryquickly with a potential winning entry Liberty Island Galaxy patch Ka Ying Rising..

HK CUP; Liberty lsland HK MILE; Voyage Bubble HK SPRINT; Ka Ying Rising   Cheers CT and RC 

Thanks Pete. Glad someone see's it differently to CM. I was just making a point that I think the Ellerslie track has played nice and fair the last 2 meetings. I think a fair track is paramount considering all the big races they have on it over the next 3-4 months.