Hi Boss, Zakhu’s reply is just about spot on. It’s a lovely day here, currently 22 degrees going to 24 the experts say, and it’s certainly possible.  Tomorrow is forecast for 22 so that’s pretty good.  The official figures for the actual rainfall were less than I was expecting hence the the better track rating than I was expecting!  In my opinion it should be a lovely kind track for all runners. My guess though is that they will get off the fence as the day wears on - as they always do once it’s had a bit of rain on it. P.S. Our horse is coming out of the St Ledger, not because of the track but because at set weights he can’t beat horses in the field that have won the NZ Cup, the Wellington Cup or the Auckland Cup!  Maybe the St Ledger after this running will get its Black Type back 😂      

Just proves what arse licking morons they are…..🙈

Thanks for the update lets hope you are right.🤞

'Not under my watch' - Minister blocks TAB's $150m casino deal' Guyon Espiner, Investigative reporter, In Depth @GuyonEspiner [email protected] Photo: RNZ The TAB offered a $150 million deal to the government in a bid to secure a lucrative online casino licence, according to documents obtained by RNZ. The government is auctioning off 15 online casino licences as it regulates online gambling for the first time and local operators fear they'll end up in the hands of foreign owned multinationals and eat into their market share. The TAB, which is a statutory entity, is barred from offering online casino gambling under current laws. It wrote to ministers requesting a law change, saying its viability was under threat if it continued to be locked out of the online casino market. Documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show the TAB told Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden that it could offer up a $150 million payment to the government. But the deal was knocked back. "Not under my watch," van Velden said when RNZ asked whether she would allow the TAB to seek a licence. "I don't believe that the government should be involved in casino gambling," she said. "I look at the government trying to address the core services that people need in their lives and providing an online service for casino games is not what I think the government should be involved in." The TAB made the offer for an "iGaming" licence in writing to van Velden in December 2023. "It is possible to get a substantial capital payment to the government from selling the rights to iGaming in an exclusive market. We estimate that there is a $150 million capital payment available for an exclusive market where there are one or two providers," the TAB said. The deal would "meet the government's fiscal ambitions," the TAB told van Velden. "The operator could pay approximately NZ$150m upfront for the right to operate the business under a 10-year licence." The TAB declined to be interviewed about the deal but it's understood its proposal could have seen the money paid directly by the TAB or as part of a deal with an international operator. In a statement to RNZ, Racing Minister Winston Peters said he had "received correspondence" regarding the TAB's proposal, but he would not change the law to allow the TAB to run an online casino. "Casino products are fundamentally different to wagering products and the Minister has advised TAB NZ of his expectation that it retains its focus on sports and racing." Racing Minister Winston Peters said he would not change the law to allow the TAB to run an online casino Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER But the TAB is not giving up and said in a statement to RNZ that it "would like to be considered for a licence and has asked for legislation to be reviewed". Millions in cash for TAB when online monopoly law passes Peters has legislation before Parliament - amendments to the Racing Industry Act - which will extend the TAB's monopoly for sports and race betting to the online environment. The TAB refers to the online monopoly as the "legislative net" and documents released to RNZ under the Official Information Act, show how valuable this is for the TAB and its multi-national business partner Entain. In 2023 the TAB entered into a 25-year partnership with UK betting company Entain, which guaranteed $900 million for the racing industry over five years and a 50-50 revenue sharing deal. In one email to van Velden, the TAB said it wanted the online monopoly in place by April 2024 because it was losing $200 million a year to overseas operators. The TAB said it would get direct payments from Entain when the law, embedding its monopoly for online sports and racing betting, was passed. "A delay in the legislative net is costing TAB NZ approximately $1.5m per month in payments from Entain - funds that will never be recouped," it said. "There is also (the) significant downstream effect of Kiwis aged 18 to 35 being acquired by offshore operators at a greater rate than the TAB." The TAB told van Velden that the law change would see big cash payments from Entain. "We are seeking enactment of the legislative net from April 2024. TAB NZ will immediately receive an additional $100 million from Entain and an increase in minimum guaranteed payments of at least $15million per year from this law change, delivering a material funding uplift to both our racing and sporting partners." Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said she did not believe that the government should be involved in casino gambling. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver An Internal Affairs briefing to Peters, written in March 2024 and released to RNZ under the OIA, says it could be a bad look granting an online monopoly to the TAB, given its relationship with Entain. "When the land-based monopoly for TAB NZ was established, it was an entirely not-for-profit entity that distributed its profit to the racing and sports codes," the briefing said. "Since the Entain partnership was entered into in 2023, there is now a 50-50 split with a 'for profit' offshore online operator. Providing a monopoly to TAB NZ could be perceived as providing a global 'for profit' gambling provider a monopoly in New Zealand while sending profits offshore." The briefing said this was made worse by the fact that Entain was facing compliance breaches in Australia "This risk is compounded by the perception issues Entain is facing due to its noncompliance with anti-money laundering (AML) requirements in Australia." Despite those concerns Peters introduced legislation extending the TAB's sports and racing betting monopoly to the online environment last year and it is expected to pass into law by May. TAB gets to keep its pokies The TAB will also get to keep its pokie machines, despite a move by the previous Labour government to remove its Class 4 licence to operate pokies. The previous Labour government said that in return for allowing the TAB to have an online monopoly for sport and racing betting it would have to give up its Class 4 licence which allows it to operate its 415 pokie machines. In a December 2023 email to van Velden the TAB pushed back on the move, saying it would cost the TAB $18.5 million. "The previous government announced an intention to wind-down TAB NZ's Class 4 gaming operation which was not agreed by TAB NZ's board or management. TAB NZ does not support such a change and we seek to retain our Class 4 gaming licence." It said it was a "gold-standard Class 4 gaming operator" and was being "unnecessarily restricted" from rolling out its pokies to venues other than standalone TABs. The TAB has won that argument, with Peters telling RNZ that the TAB can hold on to its pokies. "TAB NZ has proven that it can effectively use Class 4 proceeds to fulfil its commitments to sports organisations and the racing industry and the Minister does not see any need to interrupt this revenue stream."

What about the trainer numbers to train these horses , how many registered trainers are there in the new season , I haven't seen any published numbers perhaps I missed it , anyone know ??

Working and spending time with animals one often comes off worse for wear on the clothing front. It's also easy to spill food, or equally as annoying but also funny, finding out that the dog has connived to steal ones lunch out of the car and leave remains on the seat only to unknowingly sit on the scraps left behind and be left with an imprint on clothing. So for whatever reason one may not have a change of clothes. Dogs, don't you love 'em?!   Without knowing the full circumstances behind the matter, who are we to judge?

The NZ bred bonus was ill conceived as it royally rewarded breeders for past decisions even if the stallion was no longer around and they no longer owned the horse. It gave no incentive for future owners to buy said horse. If the aim was to incentivize small owner/breeder/trainers who can only afford cheap stallions to breed again, why limit it to only NZ bred stallions? If the aim was to support studs standing NZ-bred stallions, why not subsidize them directly? And surely if we want to continue to improve our bloodlines, breeders should choose the best stallion for their mare within their price range and not be influenced by where it was foaled. Our homebred stallions pedigrees are chock full of northern hemisphere bloodlines so it is not as if we are preserving something indigenous.

Looks like nothing has really changed then in 100 years @stodge, it was Political then to, tied in with the Prohibitionists / Anti Gambling/ Anti so many other things, ( Methodists)  that have been very active also in recent years. We always learn something in reading those archives we do   

The TAB are understood to want an Online Casino License costing in the vicinity of $150 million dollars and have been firmly told Not under my watch. That's a sizable sum of monies. Who at the TAB/ ENTAIN(?) has been involved in this process and at what cost to the Racing and Greyhound sectors? What have been the Costs/ expenses to date for this project? Who has signed them off?   Now are any of those people wanting to migrate to New Zealand who have recently been given advantages others may not have and who are not proficient in English but claim to have monies to contribute to our economy likely parties to any applications?   With the amount of Money Laundering crime going on these matters  need to come under close scrutiny. Do remember that NZ MP who was tied in with CCP who went sideways and his roles in instigating unacceptable behaviour and unlawful activities in New Zealand several years ago who had a history that should have been detected prior to all those people arriving here  Where there's smoke, there's fire.   What steps has the DIA undertaken to close down ones that keep popping up in our Online News Feeds???

Mounga a great chance if Chase  A Dream can hold the front but some gate flyers out wide. They will run 2:36 - 2:39 and 55 so anything from trying to come from beyond midfield at the 800m is not going to have much chance.

Note the names of those mentioned also in the documents. Who made the initial complaints and why?   Note how "Our Pink haired friend" who somehow became New Zealander of the year has become very quiet on the New Zealand home front.   Note also the date of this appearing in the "Media" is the Anniversary of the start of COVID Lockdowns.   Do also remember the Andrew Borrowdale Judicial Review and how there was No Gazette Notices published and Miss Ardern and her Team were found to have failed to act in accordance with the Law so had to rectify matters.   As an aside, How many of you know that The Cattle Infectious Disease Act was enacted in New Zealand prior to The Public Health Act for Human Beings?   Back in the 1850's from recall, There's a Judicial Decision in The Supreme Court ordering the revoking of a Gazette Notice to prevent cattle traveling outside of their areas in Canterbury because of Infected cattle in one location, alas other places where there was No Infected Cattle had also incorrectly been restricted from travel. We found that decision, unfortunately, which could have also been referred to, after we found the other Articles and References sourced from DIA'S Papers Past NZ archives that are included in the Borrowdale Judicial decision which were delighted to see included.   Jurisprudence will continue on for years yet and rightly so as one should always continue to learn.

I was going to breed and race half a dozen as well but bought into a couple of syndicates instead. The stakes at lower levels continue to make it more and more uneconomical for people breeding and owning in the current conditions. If I was getting some return on the way through the grades it would be a different story.

I was going to breed 5 to 7 this season but only bred one, as they did away with the NZ Bred bonus   A horse I bred now turned 3 this year and I get no percentage.  Now to promote your horse and having to put the 10% on the lease becomes way more awkward .

She was not struck off. She simply did not renew her registration. 

Chris Waller's stable stars Via Sistina and Fangirl will contest separate races for the first time this preparation March 22, but Via Sistina will face a new challenge from a recent addition to the Waller stable: Full Count Felicia.View the full article

Henry Field's Newgate Farm is hoping it can add another Golden Slipper (G1) winner to its stallion roster following the March 22 running of the AU$5 million, 1,200-meter juvenile turf feature at Rosehill Gardens.View the full article

The Michael McCarthy trainee heads east after two top-four finishes at Santa Anita Park. This will be just his third start out of 13 away from California. Lord Bullingdon has improved his finishing position in each of his last three races.View the full article

Tim Williams on Mo'unga great choice . Looking forward to seeing him run tonight

If Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) means you see President Trump for what he is, then sign me up. I'll proudly where that moniker. Better than suffering BTBB (Blind to Trumps Bluster and Bullshit)

I live just over 5 minutes from Trentham racecourse, and can tell you that we did have some heavy rain occur on Tuesday, very misty with some rain falling on Wednesday, clearing around lunch time but not getting overly warm at the same time. Today is fine with quite a bit of blue sky around, currently 18 degrees with it expected to get to 22 mid afternoon.  Could get a little bit of drizzle tomorrow morning and along with some morning cloud but the sun will break through by midday and warm up into the low 20's.  Track currently rated a Soft 6, I'd expect that to be a Soft 5 tomorrow morning or after the first race, so the track should have a bit of give in it.  I agree, superb fields, perhaps they could move Wellington Cup carnival to this time? Lucy looks a home run in the Oaks but as for the other feature races they are wide open (excellent to see). Betty Spaghetti, Wingman & Mystic Park would be my 3 in the other group races.