Agreed on Kennedy. Gets plenty right as well. We all have our favourites.  Sam Spratt on mild outsiders ($8-$20) can at times be worth a punt. 

Racing March 15 in the Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs, Render Judgment very likely could produce an effort more in line with the talent he displayed as a 2-year-old than his most recent result when eighth in the Feb. 15 Risen Star Stakes (G2).View the full article

Irad Ortiz Jr. won a total of eight races, including the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), leading the panel of racing experts to vote the five-time Eclipse Award winner Jockey of the Week for March 3-9.View the full article

According to the initial data analysis from the 16th year of reporting to the Equine Injury Database, the fatal injury rate in 2024 was 1.11 per 1,000 starts, the lowest rate since the EID began in 2009. View the full article

Ask Nick Sandman does he think he got 275 million from CNN for fake news and the 5 million a private security contractor in Afghanistan. Did ABC settle 15 million for Stehanopulos bullshit story. TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME at is very best. If you are brain dead imbecilic moron that believe CNN news you are extremely lucky, they closed the Lunatic Asylums.

A dramatic opening day at Cheltenham to say the least of which much more presently. Thursday's final declarations are through. The races for the last two days will be run on the New Course where the going is Good to Soft, Soft in places. The New course is used more in the depths of winter and suffers more from wear and tear so often rides a bit slower than the Old track. Ryanair Chase - 4050m Just nine got to post for the intermediate steeplechasing Blue Riband. FACT OR FILE is yet another Willie Mullins trained short price favourite. He won the Brown Advisory last year and many thought he was a potential Gold Cup rival to stable mate GALOPIN DES CHAMPS but after winning the John Durkan at Punchestown he finished behind GALOPIN DES CHAMPS when second in the Savils at Christmas and third in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Festival in early February. Connections have probably rightly decided this is the easier option - it isn't always - and the trip and ground look ideal and to be honest he's going to take a lot of beating. IL EST FRANCAIS is, as you might expect, a French raider and he burst on to the British scene in late 2023 when putting in an exemplary round of jumping to win the King George at Kempton. He's not the first French horse who took to the sharp right handed track and decent ground which is a world away from the main French jumping track at Auteuil in Paris. He returned after some inconsistent form in France and ran another blinder last Christmas when just failing against BANBRIDGE. I've seen a video of the race and it was magnificent to see two great jumpers in full flow. Cheltenham, however, isn't Kempton - it's much more galloping and of course left handed. The ground might be okay and the trip certainly will be so the question is whether IL EST FRANCAIS will have the tactical speed to run down the favourite up the final hill? I suspect not. PROTEKTORAT beat ENVOI ALLEN in this last year and both have been grand servants for their connections. PROTEKTORAT slammed DJELO at Windsor in the Fleur du Lys getting revenge for his defeat by the same horse in the Peterborough last November. I much prefer PROTEKTORAT over DJELO over this course and distance but whether he has the legs to go with the front two in the betting I'm less certain. ENVOI ALLEN fell five out in the King George but he has very good form here and he did the Champion Chase at Down Royal last November. He doesn't have many miles on the clock and I think he could be the each way steal at 16s. However, I think FACT OR FILE is the most likely winner. Stayers Hurdle - 4800m There's no getting away from it - the staying hurdling division is in a bit of a lull at the moment. The top novice hurdlers are mostly going straight over fences now and as a result the quality of the stayers coming through is poor. 15 line up for this championship race, however, and the favourite is TEAHUPOO who doesn't race very often but won this last year and went on to win the equivalent race at Punchestown. His sole outing this season was when narrowly beaten by LOSSIEMOUTH in the Hatton's Grace at Fairyhouse. Without giving too much away, that form was complimented yesterday. TEAHUPOO won this in 2024 and was a close third in 2023 and looks the one to beat. HOME BY THE LEE was six lengths behind TEAHUPOO in this last year and a further length behind at Punchestown. He won the stayers hurdle at Leopardstown over Christmas beating BOB OLINGER, who re-opposes but whether he's up to giving TEAHUPOO a race in this I'm not sure. Of the locals, LUCKY PLACE beat GOWEL ROAD in the Relkeel but that was over 4050m and at Grade 2 level which leaves both with questions to answer. ROCKY'S DIAMOND interests me as he is only a 5-y-o and having finished ten lengths behind HOME BY THE LEE at Leopardstown, won the Galmoy at Gowran. We know he likes decent ground so if it dried up he comes into calculations. CRAMBO won the Long Walk at Ascot but has never performed well at Cheltenham but one I like at an each way price is last year's Supreme runner up MYSTICAL POWER. His form this year over both fences and hurdles has been poor but a big step up in trip might be the answer and at 20s might be worth a play. There are two Grade 2 races on the card - a maximum field of 24 go for the Mares Novices Hurdle over 3400m in which Willie Mullins has just the seven runners. The 4-y-o GALILEO DAME gets 10 lbs from the older mares and that's significant as she has decent form running second in the 4-y-o championship race at the Dublin Festival which would have given her claims in Friday's Triumph so this could be a shrewd bit of placing by pundit Kevin Blake who works with Joseph O'Brien. This may be quick enough for likely favourite SIXANDAHALF in a race with a lot of unexposed types who are in the "could be anything" file. The Grade 2 Novices Limited Handicap Chase over 4000m is an addition to the festival running order (it's a race which used to be run at the April meeting known as the Golden Miller) and its inaugural edition has drawn a field of 20 and they go 6/1 the field. FIREFOX was third in the Supreme last year and while it's probably fair to say he hasn't quite reached the heights over fencves you might have expected he's still a good sort and the trip will be ideal. Selections - Day 3 Mares Novices Hurdle: GALILEO DAME Novices Handicap Chase: FIREFOX Ryanair Chase: FACT OR FILE (win), ENVOI ALLEN (each way) Stayers Hurdle: TEAHUPOO (win), MYSTICAL POWER (each way)    

The guy had a shocker of a ride no doubt.  I'm sure even he concedes that.  But lets not forget only a couple years ago there were whole threads dedicated to him and singing his praises.  Strike rate roughly on par or better than Lily, Masa, Doyle, Cartwright, Rooke et al, and only 3 riders with more G&L winners this season.  If hes now one of the bad ones, we can't have many good ones...   Warren Kennedy - Thoroughbred Cafe - RaceCafe NZ's Premier Racing Community Warren Kennedy & Craig Zackey - Thoroughbred Cafe - RaceCafe NZ's Premier Racing Community  

I don't really follow the trots these days, but I occasionally have a quick look at the fields just to see what's going on. I had a few questions about the Addington trots this Friday. I notice as well as a 2yo maiden with five starters there are two other six horse maiden fields. I see they run 12 races so I wondered why they feel the need to run 12 races when two of them are 6 horse maidens. Surely the maidens could race in a country maiden somewhere. It seems particularly strange to be running six horse maiden fields on a programme with group 1 and group 3 races. And on the subject of the group 1 race what would old traditionalists like myself have known the Fred Shaw NZ Champs as back in the day. Did it once have a more familiar name? Or is it a brand-new Group 1 race? And one last question, which will probably make me look very out of touch. I notice both Addington and Alex Pk have races called supporting team teal. Who is team teal and what are they doing that needs support?  

95 horses, certainly a big improvement on the 56 last week, even with 2 smaller fields, the average is 9.5 per race compared to 7 last week, all though the numbers are helped by the 18 horses that still call Canterbury home.

Yes 100% agree, he actually bounces up and down. He must end up with a sore arse. Wizard of whatever, what a load of B.S

Wrong! Ford has a phone conversation with Lutnick and it was agreed between the two that USA would not increase Tariffs from 25% to 50% as promised by Trump and Ford agreed to withdraw the Electricity Tariff Fake news is a bullshit saying invented by Trump given that he is a chronic liar. I see he is still saying that tariffs are a tax paid by the exporting country. Even a thick clown like Trump knows that is not true but he continues his lies because his Hill Billy base will believe any crap that he spins out

Over rated...rides some good for certain stables and slaughters plenty..like on Saturday.

Knockout type format this week - same as Round 2.  Please read the rules carefully. 1.  Simply pick two horses in each of the 12 races listed below. 2. The aim is to have at least one of your two runners finish in the first 4, while at the same time earning as many dollars as possible. You will have $10 each way on both runners and a $2 quinella with the two of them.  You will earn $1 for a runner which finishes 4th, or for a runner which finishes 3rd in a no third dividend race. You will have three "lives".  In each race where you don't have a runner in the first 4 you will lose a life.  The point at which you lose your 3rd life determines how well you place in this round. 3.  You will have two best bet races where your dollars earned are doubled.  They can be any two of the 12 races listed below. 4.  Finishing order for this round will be determined firstly by the number of races that you survive without losing three lives.  Where entrants lose their 3rd life in the same race, or where a number of entrants survive all 12 races, they will be split by dollars earned over all 12 races.   Posting deadline this week is 1.30pm This weeks 12 races are as follows - have tried to get bigger, more even fields just to add to the jeopardy. 1. Rosehill R1 2. Rosehill R3 3. Tauranga R7 4. Rosehill R4 5. Caulfield R5 6. Caulfield R7 7. Rosehill R7 8. Caulfield R8 9. Rosehill R8 10. Caulfield R9 11. Rosehill R9 12. Caulfield R10 Please enter horse numbers, with some form of punctuation (eg. / ) between each number, and don't forget to mark your two best bet races. Regular Scratchings - any regular scratchings can be replaced up until the posting deadline.  There will be no subs for regular scratchings - if you don't replace them you will be down a runner (or two). Late Scratchings - any late scratchings can be replaced up until the posting deadline.  After that you will get the sub, or the 2nd win favourite if you already have the sub.  If there are equal 2nd favourites on the tote the one with the lower saddlecloth number will be deemed as the more favoured. Abandoned races - we need 6 races to be run for the results of the round to stand.  If races are abandoned before the posting deadline you can change a best bet race, but after the posting deadline that is just the rub of the green. If two runners dead heat for fourth both will save you a life and both will earn $1.

Yes. He's always ridden like that. That's his style. Doesn't work too badly imo.

Yes I was forced to have a bet this week due to some of the odds the bookies opened with. These bigger fields definitely show up the bookies abilities to read a race.

It's just the way he rides. Even in a tight finish he still sits down every second stride.

“We'll always do what's best for the horse," said Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick. Class Act. Thank you.  Have a long and happy retirement. 

Multiple Group 1 winner I Wish I Win has been retired. Waikato Stud announced that the Peter Moody-trained galloper has run his last race after pulling up a touch lame on Tuesday. The six-year-old won two G1s and a staggering $12.8 million in prizemoney in his 25 starts. "We'll always do what's best for the horse," said Waikato Stud principal Mark Chittick. "This decision wasn't easy but on the advice of Peter (Moody) and Katherine (Coleman), we all felt the time was right for 'Wishy' to hang up the reins. "He will come home and have a paddock right outside our house for the rest of his days. He will be looked after like a king, because he is one." I Wish I Win (NZ) Trainer P.G.Moody & K.Coleman Age 6YO Sex Gelding Colour Black Prize Money $12,844,300 Last 5 530-3 Career 25-7-7-7 POS Jockey Track Date DIST Race WGT MRG Odds   3 – 10 J.Melham CAUL 22 FEB 2025 1400m FUTURITY STAKES 59kg 0.3L $7.50 11 – 11 L.Nolen RAND 19 OCT 2024 1200m EVEREST 58.5kg 6.18L $8.50   3 – 12 L.Nolen M V 27 SEP 2024 1200m MANIKATO 58.5kg 2.1L $5.00 5 – 9 L.Nolen M V 7 SEP 2024 1000m MOIR STKS 58.5kg 1.06L $4.40 1 – 10 L.Nolen E FM 1 JUN 2024 1300m K-SMITH CUP 59kg 0.4L -   I Wish I Win's final run was an eye-catching third in the G1 Futurity Stakes at Caulfield behind Mr Brightside and Tom Kitten. The latter pair then went on to fight it out in the All-Star Mile last Saturday when Tom Kitten prevailed. "You don't have a horse like this, an experience like this without so many people helping," Chittick said.  "It wouldn't have happened without our staff here, Jamie and Chanel Beatson who broke him in, Jamie Richards (first trainer), of course Moods and Katherine and all the jockeys who looked after him so well. "And especially to Gio Spiga his strapper for his special care and attention. We have loved it and I wish I could go on but the horse comes first. So, he is coming home." Moody said the horse was 'retiring at the top of his game'. "He ran third a margin in weight-for-age and it's a shame we didn't win, but he's been a fabulous horse for the stable and given Katherine, myself and the stable the ride of a lifetime over the last two-and-a-half years," Moody said. "Our stable are extremely grateful to the team Waikato for giving us this opportunity."  

You fail to recognise a complete and utter moronic imbecile when you see one, which is strange really because you'd have had plenty of practice staring at your own reflection in the mirror every morning.  "Trump" and "tactics" might both begin with a T, but they really don't belong together in the same sentence. 

Whoooaaa there Hoki - more fake news Canada electricity tariff was stopped by Doug Ford just hours ago - he recinds the tarfiffs because Ford blinked first keep up keep up