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Sires Produce Stakes to Kick Off $1 Million in Bonuses for The NZB Kiwi New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has today revealed the initial New Zealand races that will allow the country’s fastest juveniles to compete for their share of an additional $1 million in bonuses associated with the country’s first Thoroughbred slot race, The NZB Kiwi. To be eligible for a share in the $1 million bonus pool, a horse must win one of the various Bonus Eligible New Zealand and/or Australian races, and also run a top three placing in The NZB Kiwi held on Champions Day (8 March 2025). The Bonus for horses that run a place in The NZB Kiwi (provided they have won a Bonus Eligible race), will be $600k for first, $250k for second, and $150k for third place. The first Bonus Eligible race will be the Group 1 Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) for two-year-olds, set to be run this season on 6 April 2024. The initial list of New Zealand Bonus Eligible races is outlined below: Group 1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes (1400m) - Manawatu Racing Club at RACE Trentham Group 2 James and Annie Sarten Memorial (1400m) - Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse Group 1 Barneswood Farm One Thousand Guineas (1600m) - Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park Group 1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) - Canterbury Jockey Club at Riccarton Park Group 1 Cambridge Stud Levin Classic (1600m) - Wellington Racing Club at RACE Trentham Listed TAB Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) – Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse Group 2 Cambridge Stud Alamanzor Trophy (1200m) - Auckland Thoroughbred Racing at Ellerslie Racecourse Group 1 BCD Group Sprint (1400m) - Waikato Thoroughbred Racing at Te Rapa Racecourse NZTR’s Chief Operating Officer Darin Balcombe welcomed today’s announcement. “Off the back of The NZB Kiwi and Summer Carnival announcement NZTR made last week, we have seen a huge lift in optimism towards our industry." “We wanted to build momentum for the inaugural running of The NZB Kiwi, with a two-year-old in the current season being the first Bonus Eligible horse, should they go on to run in the race next year. “This creates an opportunity for potential Slot Holders to start a conversation in securing the first Bonus Eligible horse once the Slot Auction has taken place on 27 February 2024 at Karaka,” he said. In the coming months, NZTR will look to announce a number of Australian Bonus Eligible races which will also form a part of The NZB Kiwi $1 million bonus pool.

Actually could be The Telegraph cos he won that too. One of my favourite horses when I was a kid. A big bold chestnut US import trained by Colin Jilllings. Decent sire too

Gee those names bring back some memories. It wasn't the Railway Handicap won by Sharivari in 1971 was it. Grenville Hughes?

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Was just about to post that. How good Dougie's info is is anyone's guess. Could be a good move to let it have some more time to be ready for the Derby.

Well at least he fronted up and basically said they didn't prepare the track correctly. Full marks for that. I think we just have to accept that it happened and move on. Obviously if it happens again there would be serious ramifications. Hopefully lessons will be learnt.

Futures bets only. That makes sense.

Ok which Seagull team member is responsible for this? https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350161366/seagull-chips-and-car-park-stoush

True but very unlikely TAB would pay out on it in my opinion.

Not really pertinent to this discussion Hesi. I'm talking about self preservation here.

True but we're talking James McDonald here. You would think he would be aware of the consequences of a serious injury to his stellar career. I can see how some of the local lesser lights could easily be persuaded.

Hmm not sure I totally buy that. I guess we'll never know.

Yeah I think he's stretching it a bit with that statement. I do think though that the fact the jockeys chose to race should be noted. I really can't see the likes of James McDonald and Blake Shinn allowing themselves to be compelled to race if they thought they were in danger.

Hmm ok.

God there's some numpties out there. This idiot called The Torch on the other channel is unhinged.

Here's the full article: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/ellerslie-bosses-to-work-out-teething-problems-before-next-race/SQ6T47MFJJFA3ONR6ABN4RIF6I/

Yup sounds like obfuscation to me.

Article in paper edition of Herald this morning by Mick Guerin. Quote from Paul Wilcox: "First thing first, we absolutely admit it was not ideal but we were unlucky with the rain, which can make any firm surface more slippery than you would like" "But we're dealing with a new track that everybody loved at the first meeting and the new surface is still settling down, which it will continue to do for another year" "That means the top had what was described to me as 'surface tension' and that caused the issue" "The bottom line is it wasn't good enough but the Jockeys were comfortable still racing and obviously we didn't try and convince them either way, that was between them and the stewards". Wilcox says he and his team will work with Stewards and, if needed, Jockeys to test the track if that is deemed necessary before the next meeting and they want to have things more settled for the Cup meeting.

You're right.

Vale Jimmy Choux Kevin Robertson, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 28 January 2024 One of the cult heroes of New Zealand racing has passed away with news coming through that former Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) winner and successful stallion Jimmy Choux was humanely euthanised earlier in the week. The multiple Group One winner was the standout story of racing in New Zealand during the 2011 calendar year where he captured four Group One titles and went within a length of a fifth when finishing runner-up to Pinker Pinker in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) of that year. His accomplishments for owners and breeders Richard and Liz Wood put fledgling trainer John Bary and former jumps jockey turned flat rider Jonathan Riddell on the map, with Bary quick to pay tribute to his mate and stable star. “We got the news from his home at Rosalee Park Stud in Western Australia on Tuesday that he had to be humanely euthanized as he was suffering from nose cancer,” Bary said. “It certainly brought back some very special memories as he was such a lovely horse, a great character and he put a novice trainer and battling former jumps jockey on the map. “The support he had from the general public was quite amazing as they really seemed to take him to heart and he returned that affection by trying his heart out every time we lined him up. “He wasn’t a natural talent but he had a big heart and big brain which meant he did things that a lot of horses couldn’t do. It would be great to have a few more like him in the stable.” Bary nominated his 2011 New Zealand Derby win as one of his fondest memories and was philosophical about the lowlight which was the narrow defeat in the Cox Plate later that year. “He gave me my first stakes victory when he won the Wakefield Challenge Stakes at Trentham (Gr.2, 1200m) and then in his three-year-old season he won the Derby which was worth $2.2million at the time, which was just enormous for us all. “He went close to becoming the first horse to complete the Triple Crown at Hastings as he finished runner up in the Makfi Challenge Stakes (Gr.1, 1400m) before winning the next two legs,” he said. “We took him to Australia for the Cox Plate and he went so close to winning that day. “Jonathan rode a ten out of ten race that day and we got beaten by an eleven out of eleven effort by Craig Williams on Pinker Pinker.” Following his successful racetrack career Jimmy Choux found his way to Rich Hill Stud at Walton in the Waikato where he produced Group One winners The Bostonian and Two Illicit amongst his five individual stakes winners. “Jimmy was with us for eight seasons after his racetrack career,” Rich Hill principal John Thompson said. “He was an easy horse to promote as he had such a following and he left some very nice horses without quite reaching the heights we wanted him to. “He had The Bostonian and Two Illicit but was probably a very good bread and butter stallion and it is sad to hear about his demise as he was a lovely horse to have around the farm. “The breeders here didn’t want to support him in the end but he found a lovely home in West Australia.” Jimmy Choux won twelve of his 26 starts and more than $3.6million

Euthanized this week. Top, top horse.

Ken Kelso reckoned Legarto is looking for 2000 metres now.

Agreed. Might be some juicy prices on some of the failures next time.

Difficult to know what to make of the performances behind Legarto. The margins seem to indicate most didn't handle it. Sacred Satono and Wild Night were just as bad as Sharp N Smart. Be interesting what the three of them do next.