WELLESLEY STAKES

[Freda]

I don't know all the reasons, but I imagine, from the chat around the time, that one was to do with the attempt by the ARC - Weaver, at the time -  to create a carnival that could rival Cup week in ChCh.  So, shift the Derby to frank the carnival. 

 Another which attracted discussion, was the notion that later in the season made it a better option for the 3 year olds, many of which were simply not up to a Derby prep so early in their racing lives.

However in the discussion that ensued, one man made a point which made a lot of sense to me.    Namely, that as the classics were meant to determine the best of any crop, and as the Derby pretty much stood at the top of that particular tree, to make it 'easier' for a possibly lesser quality individual to compete in that classic actually undermined the point of the exercise.

Colin Jillings' handling of The Phantom Chance stands out for me..a horse which was clearly immature as a three year old, handled by a master to nurse him to his Derby win, and which showed later just what a good horse he was.

Graduates of the later running of the classic haven't, IMHO, really stood out as topliners consistently so he may have been right.

[mardigras]

5 hours ago, Hesi said:

Add to that, that Te Akau's best horses will not race in NZ, because they have set up in Victoria, so that will further demean the quality of group racing here.  That must have pissed Entain off, especially the timing, as they announced money to underpin NZ racing for the next 5 years.

Entain are pouring a lot of money into NZ racing, hopefully to improve fields (some will say it won't work, but that is another debate).  I note a few comments that it is not working, but it can't overnight, probably talking about a 2–3-year lag period

I don't think Entain care about who stays to race in NZ. I don't believe they are planning on making any money from NZ Racing and doubt whether NZ Racing itself had anything to do with their decision to want to take over the betting of NZ TAB.

The Entain deal is all about providing them a way to make money from the other betting opportunities whilst propping up NZ Racing to satisfy the demands of the agreement.

People are seriously dreaming if they think NZ Racing is going to suddenly change because of Entain. Nothing in NZ Racing has changed except stake money. Which will just help those involved get a little bit more in their pockets. It will do little to change the breeding side of things. There is still too much racing in NZ so we don't need more horses. And it hasn't had any impact on the way racing is run, the scheduling of events and providing punters with greater trust in the tracks. 

Edited January 14 by mardigras

[PWJ]

10 hours ago, Hesi said:

While on this subject PJ, do you know the background to the whys and wherefores of the Derby being moved from Boxing Day to March.

The Epsom Derby has been raced first week of June, which equates to our 1st week Dec.

As someone said, this was part of the ARC revamp driven by Weaver. As pointed out the Derbies in Oz are run at various times from November until the late Autumn so this affords trainers the opportunity to find a Derby that suits the maturation of their 3yos. In NZ of course we only have one Derby so the scheduling of it is of paramount importance. Personally, I do not mind the Derby moving to March although it has helped denigrate the Auckland Christmas carnival. You should remember that half a century ago the NZ Derby was run at Riccarton in November !

I agree with Mardy that UK racing has no bearing on our scheduling even after taking the hemisphere timing into account. The NZ Derby - currently scheduled for Mar 2 is ideally placed for those that run in the first 4 to attempt the Australian Derby at Randwick 4 weeks later. Should a 3yo (preferably a NZ-bred one) achieve this double it would be a hugely positive result for the NZ breeding industry, Karaka Sales and the grading for NZ internationally with regard to the Pattern Race assessment.