Enjoy the good money while it lasts...its like a bus careering towards a cliff and the driver has no control......make hay while the sunshines my Mum used to say...because in 3 years it will end in a mess.

So, are you suggesting that prior to Entain the TAB was incompetent and inefficient (certainly a viable argument) and now under Entain everything is so efficient and so well run that stakes have boomed in a totally sustainable manner and will continue to do so? We have seen million dollar races before, Auckland in the early 90s, 15 of them under Winston and Helen. None of them lasted and they left no long term benefit for the industry because they weren't sustainable. Traditionally in NZ racing, massive stakes for certain races have always been funded by low key meetings generating more revenue than they consume. The excess went to the big feature races. Now the low key meetings run at a loss so there is no excess to distribute to the Auckland's and Wellington's. The funding for those massive stakes therefore comes from a purely benevolent gesture from Entain, for now. I find it quite staggering the number of people who think the industry is going well because of the big stakes, despite turnovers continuing to plummet and virtually no major sponsors to be found anymore. Some people are very short sighted. Admittedly many people have no clear idea how the industry works.

Thanks Insider. A well researched piece and a great read. It is amazing how many great developments, not just in horse breeding but in business and life in general arise as a result of an unintended event or accident. This article has quite a few. I will have look for his first installment.

Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will bid for a fourth Florida Derby (G1) with a ride on Madaket Road, a mount he picks up after scheduled jockey Tyler Gaffalione injured an ankle March 26. View the full article

St. Elias Stable's Captain Cook breezed a half-mile in :49 March 26 over the Belmont Park dirt training track as he prepares for the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes (G2), a 1 1/8-mile test for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack April 5.View the full article

Choisya had only one black-type success to her name before joining Gainsborough Stables' satellite operation at Meydan prior to Christmas. Her improvement since has prompted connections to target a grade 1 at Keeneland: the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T).View the full article

I know from someone close to that operation the the boss is very much his own man and can be difficult to manage...but it is a huge player in the industry now and will continue to be.

Yes stakes are better but you'd be delusional to think the increase is coming from increased turnover.  ENTAIN shareholders are funding the increase as there is no evidence that turnover and net revenue from racing have increased to cover the increased funding. ENTAINs agreement with TABNZ is that at the end of the 5 years the true profits (not the shareholder subsidised) will be split 50/50.  IF the true net revenue hasn't increased from what it was BEFORE ENTAIN then the funding will be close to 25% to 30% of what it is now. IF the current level of funding is to be maintained then 1.  Greyhound revenue must come from another source or simply be taken up by existing products; 2.  The geo-blocking legislation must return the estimated revenue.  IMHO I believe that is an over estimate but really hope it isn't. Meanwhile we have tracks that need substantial invested to run on, a handicapping system that is screwed, misaligned programming and a raft of other issues including a lack of funding/revenue to maintain existing assets.  Winston hasn't got a clue amd is being poorly advised.

ANZ Bloodstock.   Yulong Investments general manager Vin Cox has tendered his resignation from the breeding and racing giant.  Cox, joined Yuesheng Zhang’s global operation in November 2023, and has cited “differences in opinion on strategic direction and values” as the reason for the decision.  "I want to thank the exceptional team and clients I have had the privilege to work with," Cox said in a statement. "I do not want to make any further comment."  The former boss of Magic Millions and then Godolphin Australia, Cox has enjoyed some high-class results during his tenure, headed by Via Sistina’s rise to the top of the middle-distance ranks, underpinned by her blistering Group 1 Cox Plate triumph and Devil Night’s recent Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes victory. Yulong has not responded publicly to the news.  

After seeing the light go on in Owen Almighty's second try around two turns, trainer Brian Lynch is hoping for a similar type of response from stablemate Jimmy's Dailys in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park March 29.View the full article

Trainer Gary Contessa's claim that he did not know about a change in New York State's claiming rules when he violated a new provision governing claimed horses running out of state "strains credibility,'' according to a hearing officer's comments.View the full article

Alabama Lass races in a A$500,000 listed 1100m for 3-year-olds.View the full article

Woodbine's CA$750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (G1T) has been added to the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series as an official "Win and You're In" race. ​The winner receives an automatic, fees-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T).View the full article

Ruling against the interests of four race tracks, the Supreme Court of Louisiana declared unconstitutional a statute legalizing historical horse racing machines without first requiring local voter approval.View the full article

Godolphin Mile (G2) contender Little Vic carries the colors of former Major League Baseball star Victor Martínez, a five-time MLB All-Star turned passionate owner.View the full article

America's Best Racing's Patrick Reed provides a horse-by-horse rundown of the Arkansas Derby (G1) lineup.View the full article

Mike Curry analyzes the 10-horse field in the $1 million Florida Derby (G1) at Gulfstream Park March 29, which has historically been one of the most important stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby (G1).View the full article

There used to be a straight track at Edgware in North West London. This was in a Racing Post piece about closed greyhound tracks - the dogs ran over 200yard and 300 yard trips. Edgware Straights This was one of the more unusual greyhound experiences I had and, although not strictly a track, more a field running parallel with the most northern section of the M25, it hosted regular flapping meetings until the 1980s. People brought their greyhounds along in vans or estate cars, registered their interest to race and were allocated a contest. As the name suggested, the runners set off along a huge grass straight, chasing a rudimentary drag hare. Good fun.

Don't see how any of this has anything to do with Winston Peters.

Very simple arithmetic. Prior to the Entain deal the TAB distributed $126million  to the 3 codes. This year, and for the next 3 years, Entain will distribute $180million to the 3 codes. Maybe each code distributes that extra income steam based on who’s around the table, however the bottom line is that stakes on all 3 codes have never been better. Year 6 is going to be fun but for now how anyone can knock the current return is delusional.