Wow so close 

Don Goodwin, the breeder of 11-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant, has passed away, aged 86. Goodwin was a proud student of thoroughbred pedigrees, and it was this passion that led him to acquiring Verry Elleegant’s dam, Opulence, to send to Grangewilliam Stud stallion Zed, for whom he was a shareholder. It was purchasing Opulence off trainer Nicholas Bishara that set the wheels in motion for the formation of a lucrative partnership and friendship between the pair, which took them on the ride of a lifetime. “I had the mare, Opulence, we won a couple of races and she ended up flipping over in a freak accident in the paddock and hurt her spine, so she couldn’t race on,” Bishara said. “We put her in-foal to Towkay and we didn’t have land at that stage, so we decided to sell her. We put her in the sale and Don, who was into his pedigrees, bought her (for $14,000) specifically to go to Zed. “He put the weanling filly foal in the sales, so we snaffled that up (for $2,000) and she turned out to be (three-time winner) Black Lace.” Opulence went on to have a further six live foals, five of those by Zed, including Group 3 performer Verry Flash, Grand National Hurdle (4200m) winner Affluential, and most notably Verry Elleegant. Verry Elleegant showed immense talent from day one and won two of her three starts for Bishara before she was partly sold, with the ownership group expanding to include John, Mark and Rachael Carter and a group of their Auckland friends, along with a number of Australians, including Aziz “Ozzie” Kheir and Brae Sokolski. She was subsequently transferred to leading Victorian trainer Darren Weir, for whom she had four starts, including victory in the G3 Ethereal Stakes (2000m) and placed in the G2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), before she joined leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller’s barn following Weir’s disqualification. Verry Elleegant was a very raw individual with her eccentric and ungainly galloping style, but under Waller she matured into a world-class racehorse and won a further 13 races, 11 of those at elite-level, highlighted by her popular victory in the 2021 edition of the G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m). Conquering Europe was on the minds of a few of her owners and the decision was made to head to France with the mare, who had an unsuccessful four-start campaign for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard before she was retired from racing and was subsequently served by Sea The Stars. Her performances on the track earned her a string of accolades, including Australian Horse of the Year (2020-21), Champion Australian Stayer (2020-21 and 2021-22), Champion Australian Middle-Distance Horse in (2020-21), and Joint Head of 2021 WBR Rankings (Ext.). Bishara, who remained in the syndicate of owners of Verry Elleegant with Goodwin prior to selling their shares ahead of her European campaign, said he shared some of his biggest highlights with Goodwin when racing the great mare. “We had a lot of good times together, particularly with Verry Elleegant,” Bishara said. “We had a magical ride. “The only regret we had is that we couldn’t get to Melbourne during COVID to see her win the Melbourne Cup, that was a real disappointment.” While they enjoyed plenty of memorable moments with Verry Elleegant, they also enjoyed plenty of success with her full-brother Verry Flash, who won 14 races, including the Listed Rangitikei Gold Cup (1600m), and placed twice in the G3 Winter Cup (1600m). “He was a terrific horse in his own right but was overshadowed by Verry Elleegant,” Bishara said. “I think it is an appropriate time to retire him now and he will go to Rowena (Smyth, former jockey) who rode so many wins on him, she will give him a great life.” Through the success of his breeding endeavours through his broodmate gem Opulence, Goodwin was named the inaugural winner of the New Zealand Small Breeder of the Year Award for 2020-21. While racing was Goodwin’s passion later in life, rugby was his first love, and he spent years dedicated to the sport. “He played and coached a lot of rugby, he was very passionate about the sport,” Bishara said. “He was in Suburbs Rugby and he coached the Carter boys (John and Mark of Jomara Bloodstock), and that’s how they got them into the (Verry Elleegant) syndicate.” While Goodwin lost Opulence in 2022 and Zed passed away earlier this year, he was excited about the prospects of their last daughter Verry Stella, who is in training with Chris Waller, who also has her full-brother, So Suave, in work. “Waller has got the cracking full to Verry Elleegant, and they tell me that she is a gorgeous filly,” Bishara said. “It’s a shame he (Goodwin) wasn’t around a little bit longer.” Bishara said Goodwin would be greatly missed, and he will forever remember the great times they shared. “He was a generous man who was into his horses and pedigrees,” Bishara said. “We had a great time racing Verry Elleegant, she was an absolute freak.” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk

Forecast has 16mm rain Wednesday and another 10mm Thursday.

Great to see Tact Mcleod flyin the Kiwi flag agin the ozzies 😁 he had a bloody good win at Menangle on the 14th, and is now bein aimed at the bendigo Cup, GOOOOO! the boy I say...... https://www.harness.org.au/racing/fields/race-fields/?mc=PC141224   Cheers Iraklis

dalgety 64; S Thornley 62; W House 58. Close contest!

Interesting reading everyone's comments etc. It seems to me that like how this thread reads, there appears to be no systems every abandonment can differ yes, but if you don't have any semblance of systems with rules and regulations then it becomes a shambles. And I think we can safely say it's a shambles.

Who is in front and by how many guys ?  

Also working for the Malibu was Raging Torrent for Doug O'Neill. Installed at 9-2 on the morning line, Raging Torrent worked four furlongs in :48 1/5.View the full article

Following an impressive 10 1/4-length romp in his return to the races, 2023 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner White Abarrio jumps back into graded company as he faces 11 rivals in the $165,000 Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Dec. 28.View the full article

Quietside, one of the country's leading 2-year-old fillies, will make her 3-year-old debut in the 1 1/16-mile $300,000 Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park Jan. 25, trainer John Ortiz said Dec. 22.View the full article

A close second in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint when stuck on the inside, Motorious will likely go favored in the Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita.View the full article

I'm afraid that like most NI owners, if racing stopped at ATC I'd be out of the game. I like to physically see my horses from the time they are foals, through their early preps, be on the track when they race and visit them when broodmares. Yes, we raced two of our top horses in partnerships with a couple of southern owners and gone down when they were in major Group races, but it's definitely not the same. 

Makes you wonder why these guys get paid letting Alex Park crash like it has 

Perhaps you are right in a black and white rule sense however if the responsibility for the safety of the track on raceday resides with the Stewards then surely it is in their best interests to ensure that the track is galloped on prior to the first race.  Other wise Race One is even more of a Crash Test Dummy exercise.  In saying that it seems it is the Jockey's who make the descision to ride or not ride and thus abandon or not abandon the meeting.

Merry Christmas to you all, i hope owners horses win and punter take Entain to the cleaners. Thanks to the owner of the site , cant be easy at times but he makes it look s that way 

Liz it looks like Race has found another way to lose money. For the last financial year their catering income was $2641k and outgoings $,2988k, a deficit on catering of $347k. In their usual wisdom they opened a cafe at Trentham which is hidden away as you enter the course proper and in the Chief Financial Officer's report, she states that the cafe is under performing. Just another Race blunder . Also, I note that they have borrowed another $3.9M. Why would any Bank lend Race money given their appalling history.  

Have you sorted out a South Island based trainer, yet Nelli cos you will need one soon given ATCs continual losses and hopeless business acumen

The Arima Kinen (G1) often has been the final start for Japanese stars but, with Do Deuce missing that assignment in the Dec. 22 renewal, it was 3-year-old filly Regaleira leading a youth movement in the final placings.View the full article

Projected cold temperatures in Bensalem, Pa., Dec. 23 has led to Parx Racing management to cancel their Monday card.View the full article

Multiple Meydan group 1-winning rider Mickael Barzalona has been booked to ride Facteur Cheval (IRE) for his dirt debut in the Maktoum Challenge (G1) at Meydan Racecourse Jan. 24.View the full article