Always back the horse named self-interest, son. It'll be the only one trying
Allow me to throw a statistic at you. Prior to last Saturday, only three 4-year olds had won The Metropolitan in the past 20 years. They were Glencadam Gold, Tawqueet and Railings. Both Tawqueet and Railings won the Caulfield Cup at their next start. Montefilia won the Metrop on the weekend after sitting three-wide no […]
James McDonald is a champion jockey, we all know that. Like all of he has his flaws off the racetrack, but they are not major, and they are not fatal. The young Malaysian jockey in New Zealand Yong Chew’s throat cancer might well be, all though we all hope not. Bloody hell, the poor kid […]
We started writing about Phoenix Thoroughbreds and telling you that they were money launderers 14 months ago. You can read those stories here. The brilliant UK racing writer William Jones – who I met and spoke to last night after reading his work – does it a whole lot better. His books about drug use […]
Twelve Phoenix Thoroughbreds became a pariah in the international thoroughbred world after a US trial by a man convicted of one of the world’s biggest ever frauds – the $7 billion Onecoin cryptocurrency con – named Phoenix’s owner Amir Abdulaziz Salman in evidence as his partner and principal money launderer.
Last week an English trainer named Johnny Farrelly was permanently excluded – warned off – from racing after being found guilty of sexually abusing a 19-year-old apprentice jockey under his control and care. To protect the identity of the victim the reasons for his exclusion were suppressed, but that is what they are. The Australian […]
We have been supportive of the talented young apprentice Cody Collis, and have written a number of stories in his favour during his ongoing struggles with the Stewards and suspension, but enough is enough. The kid got suspended for whip use on the weekend. It was only one extra strike, but it was his 16th […]
In the year 2010 Harness Racing Victoria paid $33.7 million in prizemoney to participants. By 2020 the total stakes had increased to $41.6 million. You little ripper. An additional $7.9 million has been injected into harness racing. Well yes, but no, and not quite. Nine million more is being paid out in prizemoney compared to […]
Is Brian To’o the best sort of bloke you’ve seen in your life or what? Wouldn’t you love your kid to marry him? He’s as handsome as hell but but not vain. Big and strong. Respectful. Funny. As tough as hell. Happy. Smart. Musical. Totally unaffected by pressure or adulation. Clean living. A family man. A man who says he would take his baby sister’s […]
This following missive went out on various platforms yesterday to members of the Auckland Trotting Club foreshadowing a challenge to the President of the club that runs Alexandra Park and his board. The issues behind it are those we told you about in our story in June, but to reduce them to a few words […]
Gilbert Myles was a Robert Muldoon loving rank and file member of the NZ National Party (their equivalent of the LNP or the Liberal Party) who in 1990 stood as a stooge in the seemingly unwinnable seat of Roskill in Auckland – which had been held by Labour since 1957, and was considered the safest […]
