Great stuff. 

Plan was to stay on for the Auckland Cup in March. Haven’t heard if that has changed.

Every jockey was happy to continue riding.  One person from the RIB said no.  Since when did NZ Racing become so authoritarian? 

Fair call. I just remember the "windburn" comment, and while l didn't see the race l was hoping he was carrying a good winter coat as it'd probably have got pretty blustery as all of the Kiwis swept past HIM [assuming he got near the front at some stage?] 🤣 Was it just a hit & run mission?

There was a rider though Idol….”if he could handle the weight…. “  As it turned out, the way the race was run ( slowly ) didn’t help him much either. Don’t drop just yet.

Two letters today ( rare articles these days) one from BNZ the other Father Murphy&Sister O'Malley Both asking why in banks case behind in mortgage and Father Murphy asking why contributions dried up and I'm lining up 3 times for 🍷.. Explained my income dried up since no S O   So anyone know how her recovery going so I can keep these two institutions of my back

An anonymous knowledgeable man told me that last week they had 250 horses run at the trials at Matamata with the rail out 16 metres.  Today the rail was out 7 metres.  When you are taking your horse wide you want to avoid that part of the track that had 250 horses gallop on it last week.  Hence the jerk to the left.

That was something that did go thru my head , something that happens often here when jockeys are asking their mounts to improve quickly on the bend .

Maybe he was sacked by the Mrs , still an interesting conversation .

My sympathy lies with the hard working Matamata committee. Racing was abandoned after Tempest Moon (Lily Sutherland) slipped where the stalls had been placed for the 2000 metre start. Poetic Justice, in a run from the back, went wide entering the home straight.  From about 10th at the 700 metre peg he got within a head of the winner.  Lily Sutherland followed Poetic Justice and, in the words of an elderly hugely experienced ex-trainer, Lily seemed to notice that she had taken her horse too wide and sort of jerked it to the left.  The horse slipped, but then ran on okay for about sixth.  I submit that the jockey correcting the horse's wide running caused the slip rather than an unsafe racing surface.   A horse slipped so the Judicial Control Authority abandoned the race meeting.  That is, in my opinion, the actions of spineless administrators.  The course looked like a lovely emerald green ribbon amongst a burnt off environment.  The sort of abandonment that destroys the enthusiasm of track staff who had worked so hard to present a great racing surface. But the down stream consequences are that next week is the great horse supermarket, that is, the Karaka Sales.  "Tauhei, would you like a share in a couple promising yearlings we have bought?" "No thanks.  If racing continues to be run by those numpties on the Judicial Control Authority we saw at Matamata today; I don't want any part of that game.  Call me Billy, but don't call me silly." Breeding horses to sell is a hard game.  The actions of the stewards at Matamata today make it even harder. Yesterday we saw the inauguration of a courageous man as president of the USA.  Trump achieved more in the four hours after his inauguration than did that spineless prime minister of ours in the past 15 months.  The stewards displayed as much backbone as our prime minister has shown.

What I found interesting in that race was Warrens jumped on Jaarffi over his mrs runner.  Must make for interesting conversations at home.. 😄

Wasn't it you Hokey that suggested Interpretation was going to give all the Kiwis windburn in the Wellington Cup? Maybe our local fields are full of undiscovered champions 🤣

Stand should be a stand start… not run in start… not who can cheat it…. Here we don’t have stands….Victoria make them stand…. As do Brisbane…. NZ may learn…..

Rail out 7m today at Matamata. Absolutely ridiculous. If it was out only 3 or 4m that horse wouldn't have slipped- it wouldn't have been as wide as it was. The thing about irrigating is that if it is done in windy conditions there is not an even spread of water- may have been a soft spot wide out where that horse slipped?

That was the best one. Top of the Bombay Hills wasn't a bad location either.

Okay 👍 Cool to know.

I thought it was in the new year, but obviously not. I'll have to admit to not taking that much notice at the time, which is rather obvious now. 

Interesting that Chris Waller has sent Konasana over for the Westbury Classic. She would be right in it particularly if the rain arrives.

CHOISYA was a decisive winner of last Friday’s Cape Verdi at Meydan coming home by five lengths making all. Mikhael Barzalona was allowed a soft lead and took full advantage. ROMANTIC STYLE went off 1/3 and raced freely after her long absence and that coupled with the fast ground left her quite unable to go with her winner when the pace quickened. None of this will do CHOISYA’s paddock value any harm but this was as soft a Group 2 win as you’ll ever see. This Friday’s card features the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint over 1000m and the Group 2 Al Fahidi Fort over 1400m both on the grass. More details when I see the final declarations. It’s Pegasus day at Gulfstream on Saturday. NATIONS PRIDE runs for Godolphin in the Grade 1 turf while the ex British galloper RAQIYA has the assistance of Frankie Detroit in the Grade 2 Filly & Mare.  

A very good point, stodge, re longer distance racing for lower-grade horses. There are many capable gallopers with staying bloodlines who dont get much of a go before being 'sacked' for being too slow. And the seemingly growing trend of' sit and sprint' tactics by jockeys will only make things worse for the true stayers-in-the-making. Would like to see some / more Mdn 2400m races scheduled, esp for horses 4yo+.