Another reason, if you need one, to hate this scumbag…..😠    

Green Light for Awapuni Racing After Positive Trials Yesterday  New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and RACE Inc. are delighted to announce the successful completion of the final phase of the Club’s ‘Return to Racing’ plan for the RACE Awapuni track, marked by a full day of trials held on the newly completed track proper. A total of 88 horses took to the track across 11 heats run over 1000m, 1200m, 1600m and 2000m distances. The trials were attended by senior Jockeys including Jonathan Riddell, Leah Hemi and Kate Hercock, who provided positive feedback on the track’s performance, especially in the face of challenging weather conditions. Senior Jockey Jonathan Riddell shared his enthusiasm following the trials. “The track is great, it’s really quite exciting. With the rain we’ve had, it just went straight through it and the footing is great. In the future here, we could have one of the best tracks in the country.” RACE Inc’s General Manager of Racing, Brad Taylor, echoed the optimism. “It is really pleasing to continue to get such positive feedback from the Jockeys today.” “The track faced its toughest test to date with extreme weather conditions and the largest number of horses on it. With this positive response, it gives us great confidence as we head toward our first meeting on ANZAC Day.” Jockey Leah Hemi, who participated in the Jump Outs last Monday, praised how the surface handled the heavy rain. “We are really excited with how the track held up with the rain. I was a little skeptical at first, but now I have no worries at all.” First-time rider on the track, Kate Hercock, was equally impressed. “The track is lovely, it’s very consistent all over.” Despite receiving 13mm of rain in the hour leading up to the first heat, the track was rated a Soft 5 at the start of the trials. As rain continued throughout the day, Jockeys noted it felt closer to a Soft 7 by the conclusion of proceedings. Following the running of the successful trials, the track is now cleared for racing to resume. Awapuni Racecourse will host its first race day on Friday 25 April, with the Listed $80,000 Manawatu ITM ANZAC 1600 as the feature event. NZTR Chief Operating Officer, Darin Balcombe, acknowledged the successful trials and the positive feedback from riders. "Completing the final phase of the ‘Return to Racing’ plan at RACE Awapuni is a great achievement.” “The track performed well despite challenging weather and the feedback from riders has been very encouraging. We’re now looking forward to getting back to racing on ANZAC Day,” he said.

Sent sir...thanks for the interest.

Details too please Leigh. The missus will be pleased…..

Jockey Luis Saez, unseated in the second race April 8 at Keeneland after his mount, Fateful Lightning, bumped with another horse in midstretch, escaped serious injury and could possibly ride as early as April 9, according to agent Kiaran McLaughlin.View the full article

Eight years after they ran McCraken in the Kentucky Derby (G1), jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., trainer Ian Wilkes, and owner Janis Whitham of Whitham Thoroughbreds are Derby-bound again with Burnham Square.View the full article

Godolphin and trainer Michael Stidham were thinking big following a pair of allowance turf victories by homebred Think Big, and they were rewarded with a graded stakes victory in the $376,563 Shakertown Stakes (G2T) at Keeneland April 8.View the full article

Yes Nelli, no complaints from me at all just wondered re. odds of Polly having so many DHs ....Manawatu a very well run club and do appreciate their PR efforts . Even TAB are good to pay full fixed odds bets on DHs ! 

Lucky you. A Manawatu win and no rating change. 

no chance Maximus,as I am approaching 78 and have not "embraced" the electronic world too well. maybe TAB could do it.. 

True - and we will be committing ourselves to follow the greyhound fraternity if we do not work out how to how to change that! Just one example: I doubt anyone in  HRNZ or our Northern clubs have the necessary cultural awareness to reach out and make the large Asian community in Auckland feel welcome. We keep on doing the same old thing and crying woe over the awful stats.

Thanks for those committed so far only 10% left to get her done....she is off to the breakers today..exciting times ahead.

Less than 24 hours after La Cara won the delayed Ashland Stakes (G1), Casse was back in the Keeneland winner's circle April 8 after Nitrogen topped a Casse-trained exacta in the $500,000 Appalachian Stakes (G2T).View the full article

Positano Sunset broke through at the top of the stretch and weathered contact to pull away late April 8 in the $623,338 Madison Stakes (G1) at Keeneland.View the full article

Winchell Thoroughbreds' son of Into Mischief got his fifth win from nine starts in the April 8 Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland. The son of Into Mischief was purchased for $1.35 million at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.View the full article

Whitham Thoroughbreds' homebred Burnham Square closed strong in the Keeneland stretch, flying from last to first in the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) to beat East Avenue by a head.View the full article

fab true story...any chance you can post the three photo-finishes?

The Oxford English Dictionary attributes the term to horse racing. Meets formerly had the same horses run several "heats" in a day, with victors being decided by the total number of wins. A heat which had no clear single winner was discounted from these tallies and was therefore "dead".

The reality…..   https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/07/politics/video/us-recession-trump-treasure-secretary-quest-digvid https://edition.cnn.com/2025/04/08/politics/video/trump-tariffs-apple-iphone-prices-digvid

After having been in harness Racing for a very long time and owning a large number of good and not so good horses (first winner Sun King Claudelands Hamilton1970) one of our  current crop "Bet on Polly" has had a deadheat for 3rd and 2nd and now 1st all within the last 9weeks !!! (spooky  as never in 55 years have even had 1 DH )Maybe.., Polly just likes the Company, not complaining but our  nerves are a tangle on each DH waiting for the result (anyone match 3 deadheats in 2 months ? (and why called deadheats ?)