The next generation in Ozzie breeding

The Arkle and The Champion Hurdle were AMAZING watches. It's never over until it's over. 

I enjoyed this quote from "The White House is about to get a masterclass in Kremlin diplomacy."  In the article, the author sees Russia as the main impediment to lasting peace in Ukraine, pointing to recent history as an indicator. "Russia excels at grabbing the ball, pocketing it, debating the rules of the game and points lost three sets ago, before claiming the ball has in fact been stolen clean from them by the other team." "

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Sams runners always worth a look. Particularly at Te Rapa. Made a decent wedge off her two wins on Provence lately.

After a wonderful first two days - second day review to follow shortly  - time to round off the previews by looking at the final day's action on Friday. Triumph Hurdle - 3200m Eighteen runners and Willie Mullins trains no less than eleven but oddly enough his best hope is 10/1 and the market is dominated by British runners. EAST INDIA DOCK has the strongest form having won the two Grade 2 Trial races run over the course by wide margins - in the second, he thrashed STENCIL who was well fancied for yesterday's juvenile handicap hurdle but ran poorly. The trip and ground are fine and the question is really whether any of the less exposed types might have improved past him. NIcky Henderson runs LULAMBA who did it well on his British hurdling debut at Ascot - the bare form is inferior to that of EAST INDIA DOCK but there's plenty of ability in the Henderson runner. HELLO NEIGHBOUR looks the best of the Irish having won their equivalent at the Dublin Racing Festival and to be honest at 5s he might be the value against EAST INDIA DOCK. Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle - 4800m Twenty go to post for the championship race for the staying novice hurdlers and it's wide open as you might expect. The sole mare, THE BIG WESTERNER, is early favourite and she won a Grade 2 at Limerick on Boxing Day but whether she's up to this on faster ground I don't know. I like WENDIGO whose second in the Challow got a real boost when the winner THE NEW LION won the Turners this afternoon. He looks an each way play at 9s. The French runner JET BLUE won over the course and distance in mid December and has to be respected and has been backed from 10s to 15/2. Gold Cup - 5200m The big race of the week and the Blue Riband for the staying chasers. Nine got to post and at 1/2, the concensus seems to be GALOPIN DES CHAMPS will join the elite group of three time Gold Cup winners. He won the credential races at Leopardstown once again, the Savils and the Irish Gold Cup and to be honest some of those who opposed him have sought other options now. BANBRIDGE won the King George at Kempton, one of the three championshp races for the staying chasers (along with the Betfair at Haydock and of course the Gold Cup). The trouble is Kempton is flat, sharp and right handed, the opposite of Cheltenham and there are big questions over BANBRIDGE's stamina to be answered. Were this run at Kempton I'd give him a real chance of beating GALOPIN DES CHAMPS but I can't see it. CORBETTS CROSS won over 6000m last year and could well be staying on up the hill and on that basis looks each way value at 20/1. The Grade 2 Mares Chase supports the big races and needless to say Willie Mullins dominates with DINOBLUE and ALLEGORIE DE VASSY who were first and second in a Listed at Naas last month. BRIDES HILL is trained by Gavin Cromwell but she has run twice in Britain this season and has been turned over on both occasions at short prices.  Selections - Day 4: Triumph Hurdle: HELLO NEIGHBOUR Mares Chase: ALLEGORIE DE VASSY Albert Bartlett Hurdle: WENDIGO (each way) Gold Cup: GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (win), CORBETTS CROSS (each way)      

Mrs. Astor, perfect in her last two California starts for trainer Jonathan Thomas, faces a formidable challenger in Kathynmarissa in the March 15 Santa Ana Stakes (G3T) at Santa Anita Park.View the full article

The problem with Champions day is it makes this weeks racing look like crap 

He is a couple of years older now too..just saying...as you say each has their own likes and dislikes...

An extraordinary and dramatic opening afternoon at the Cheltenham Festival. Over 55,000 spectators saw the racing which took place on a chill but dry afternoon with the ground confirmed as Good to Soft. The card opened with the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices Hurdle over 3250m run in memory of the 24 year old jockey who tragically lost his life in a fall at Thurles last month. The first of many Willie Mullins-trained odds on shots ran here in the form of the ex-French galloper KOPEK DES BORDES who had bolted up in the equivalent race at the Dublin Racing Festival. In truth, not many got into this. I was hopeful for ROMEO COOLIO at the second last but Paul Townend was sitting quietly on KOPEK DES BORDES and in the end had far too many gears. WILLIAM MUNNY kept the winner honest up the run in but was never a serious challenger. For me, KOPEK DES BORDES won despite his jumping which was far from fluent. I wouldn't want to risk him over fences and I think Willie Mullins has plenty to do to get more improvement but he looks a good prospect for next year. The second did very little wrong and looks more of a chaser. On then to the young chasers in the Arkle Challenge Trophy over 3250m. MAJBOROUGH, last year's Triumph Hurdle winner, was strongly supported to follow up against the likes of L'EAU DU SUD. The first reverse for Team Mullins as MAJBOROUGH's jumping let him down especially at the second last where he basically "sat down" and lost a lot of momentum. In the circumstances, I thought he did really well to finish a close third. L'EAU DU SUD led at the last but emptied badly up the hill but they had gone a searching gallop all the way and that played right into the hands of the Nicky Henderson runner, JANGO BAIE, who had form at 4000m but couldn't live with the early gallop and coming down the hill he was available at 300/1 in running but Nico de Boinville kept perservering and got his reward close home to snatch the race on the jamstick with the first four split by a length and a half. A word also for the runner up, ONLY BY NIGHT, who previously had plied her trade in mares races but took on the geldings and might have won on another day. I'm sure MAJBOROUGH will be back at Aintree or Punchestown but they have to sharpen up his jumping - L'EAU DU SUD looks tailor made for the Manifesto at Aintree. The Mares Hurdle over 4000m was dominated by LOSSIEMOUTH who was solidly supported at 4/6. She had taken a heavy fall in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time but had previously chased home CONSTITUTION HILL at Kempton and beaten TEAHUPOO in Fairyhouse and the two last named were favourites for the Champion and Stayers Hurdles respectively. Another imperious performance by LOSSIEMOUTH who brushed these mares aside to win by seven and a half lengths without, to be honest, having to come out of third gear. The runner up, JADE DE GRUGY, is a decent mare in her own right and was beaten four lengths into fourth in this last year behind GOLDEN ACE. LOSSIEMOUTH made her look second rate. As to whether LOSSIEMOUTH goes from here, I wonder if they'll run over 4000m at Aintree - she seems so much more comfortable over this trip than 3200m these days. On then to the big race, the Champion Hurdle over 3250m. Seven went to post but this looked to concern just three - CONSTITUTION HILL, the 2023 winner, was back and wa still unbeaten having beaten LOSSIEMOUTH at Christmas and then had little more than a canter round Prestbury Park in the Unibet at the end of January. He was backed in to 1/2 but faced two strong Irish contenders. STATE MAN had won the Champion in 2024 but in 2023 had been well beaten by CONSTITUTION HILL and there seemed little reason why the form would be reversed. A more potent threat seemed to be last year's Mares Hurdle runner up BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD who had won the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown at Christmas by 30 lengths. One of those races about which people will talk for years to come. A truly dramatic race and hard to believe the 2023 and 2024 winners would both fail to complete. There's always been a slight quirk about CONSTITUTION HILL's jumping inasmuch as he tends to be too exuberant, take off too soon and paddle through the obstacle. He's got away with it before but at the fourth last he just dived at the hurdle and that was that. STATE MAN was clear coming to the last and having backed him at 12s each way I was counting my money but the bookies were having an absolute bonanza and they got even more hard earned as he in turn stepped at the hurdle and pitched Paul Townend out the front.  First thing to say is both horses and jockeys were fine and I suspect there will be a rematch at Punchestown. BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD should have been the beneficiary but she was badly hampered by the fall of STATE MAN and to be honest I think she was beaten anyway. With the three fancied runners all out of it, GOLDEN ACE emerged as an unlikely heroine following up her Mares Hurdle win of last year at the rewarding odds of 25/1. BURDETT ROAD ran on into second at 66s and WINTER FOG's connections, who had presumably come for the day out, collected nearly £50,000 for finishing third at 150/1. The Trifecta paid £4,433 and kudos to anyone who had that. GOLDEN ACE was bought for just £12,000 by his owner, Ian Gosden, and is trained by Jeremy Scott in the West Country for whom this was a first Grade 1 success in four years. She becomes just the seventh mare to win the Champion Hurdle joining an elite group including Dawn Run, Epatante, Honeysuckle and Flakey Dove. Whether she'll run again this season is open to question. It doesn't get more dramatic than that in all honesty. After day one, the score in the Prestbury Cup was 4-3 to the British which is better than you might have expected at the start of racing.

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