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Bonjour View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Dec 2022 at 11:55am
Apparently the youngest lass involved was inconsolable in the jocks room, she will need looking after, the girls will circle the wagons to do that, NZTR however haven't even bothered to put out an update on the condition of the injured and effected riders.

NZTR are disgusting, mostly pale stale males, useless no hopers and the sooner there is a clear out at that joint the better.......
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote Passing Through Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Dec 2022 at 12:03pm
Just an update on my friend Sam Wynne who also fell in that terrible fall at Ashburton today ..She has a broken collar bone, broken ribs and broken pelvis ..Get well soon Sammie.

From yesterday.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Feb 2023 at 11:24am
I'm sure NZ's only remaining 'legit' racing journalist won't mind this opinion piece being placed here.

There are some clowns that still thinkNZ is going ok, it's not, and the sooner the World Pattern Committee take their black type races off them the better......they are Donald ducked over there....and no ones head will ever roll as that's the way it is......would never happen here, thank God.
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Looming NZ stakes money crisis

http://www.theoptimist.site/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/TAB-3.jpg

Operating expenses at TAB NZ out of control as profit declines

by Brian de Lore
Published 11 February 2023

The double-edged sword of incomings versus outgoings dealt the racing industry two more deep slashes in its death by a thousand cuts when TAB NZ released its December 2022 result last week.

Disastrous December!

Profit came in at only $14.0 million compared to $16.1 million for December 2021. This result came despite the most recent December having five Saturdays compared to three raceday Saturdays for 2021. It’s traditionally the day of the biggest turnover by sheer weight of race meetings, sporting events, and weekend punters.

Operating expenses have blown out to $10.6 million or $700,000 more than in the previous year, December 2021. The year-to-date costs for the August to December first five months of the season show an upward hike from $47.6 million in 2021 to $53.7 million in 2022 – an increase of $6.1 million or 13 percent.

$12.2 million behind with seven months to go

Add the increased costs to the profit decline; $67.8 million down to $61.7 million, a difference of another $6.1 million, and you have a five-month deficit of $12.2 million. Extrapolate that out to season’s end, and TAB NZ is heading for a $25 to $30 million shortfall on the 2022 end-of-season profit.

Are you shocked, or did you know? You didn’t have to be Einstein to predict it.

New Zealand buyers of thoroughbred yearlings at Karaka for Book One and Book Two two weeks ago reflected the failure of the TAB to provide the code with adequate prizemoney by spending $10 million less than they did in 2022. Kiwi buyers turn up in fewer numbers as each year passes.

Prizemoney drives every facet of the industry. The lack of it drives people out.

Seemingly, TAB NZ has decided to ignore the crisis. Otherwise, they would surely have taken measures to minimise costs. But then again, does anyone in an executive position at the TAB care about making a stand for the future of racing?

The pitiful scenario doesn’t even consider the downturn the economy is reputably heading towards, with inflation driving higher interest rates and a shrinkage of the expendable dollar Kiwis have traditionally spent at the TAB in the past.

Poor management – operating expenditure too high

This mismanaged TAB mirrors the behaviour of a hapless NZ Government that has continuously printed money in the misguided belief the roosters wouldn’t come home to roost. Both guilty of not controlling costs.

To paraphrase a famous mixer of metaphors, ‘we are in the gelati without a paddle.’

TAB NZ may partly blame the Government, partly blame COVID, and partly blame the codes, but never themselves. Is anyone in an executive position at the TAB concerned about their spiralling operating expenditure on a decreasing profit line? And, is anyone on the boards or in an administrative position in the codes doing anything at all to halt this decline?

The answer to both questions is an unequivocal NO because nothing ever changes.

NZTR’s wage bill at year-end 2022 had increased 35 percent to $5.4 million on the previous year. At its current rate, TAB NZ will have operating expenses of $129 million by season’s end – ludicrously extravagant. Even if the TAB reaches a partnering deal in the next month or so, it’s unlikely to kick in until 2024.

http://www.theoptimist.site/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Five-Month-TAB-Performance-2022-and-2023-680x1024.jpgThe parlous state of NZ racing is shown above in the first-five-month comparison of profit and operating expenses between 2021 and 2022

Examine the graph accompanying this narrative, and decide for yourself. All the figures have come from the monthly TAB trading updates; the indisputable numbers carefully checked for accuracy.  

Ask yourself this: If you owned and managed a company that started to return diminishing profit margins, would you or would you not examine the outgoings and cut your cloth accordingly? Not at the TAB; its costs have risen by $6.1 million in five short months.

The TAB continuing this performance can only mean one thing; a $25 to $30-odd million deficit on last year’s result and another forthcoming announcement (probably March) on a second reduction in the distribution to the codes. They cut the distribution by $15 million in December, announcing in a letter to the codes they even considered a cut of $24 million.

Failure to meet budgets

The TAB’s budgeting is so astray it has dealt with only half the problem.

If TAB NZ, under the advice of PWC, insists they keep a reserve of $100 million, New Zealand stakes money will get slashed across all three codes – would that mean the guillotine for racing as opposed to death by a thousand cuts – the same result but a far quicker conclusion?

The rhetoric and decision-making by the under-one-year experienced incumbent TAB CEO, Mike Tod, is enough to set alarm bells clanging. He came from Air Zealand two jobs ago and didn’t take long to head-hunt two other former Air New Zealand employees.

Jodi Williams (Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer) and Fred Laury (Chief Digital Officer) joined the TAB in May and August, respectively, in 2022.

Mike Tod has this hare-brained idea about rebranding the TAB for a $15 to $20 million cost, and employing Jodi Williams seemingly became part of that plan. Her bio on the website says, “Jodi developed the brand platform that Air NZ sprung off to international acclaim and worked on Kiwibank’s new brand strategy and repositioning.”

$450,000 annually

Reputedly but unconfirmed, Jodi Williams gets paid a salary of $450,000 annually – information supplied second-hand from a reliable source. But without a TAB profit line that’s going well enough, the rebranding is now on hold. So, what does Jodi Williams do?

Well, her quotes appear in a TAB announcement entitled ‘TAB NZ reaches quarter-million milestone,’ released on the same day as the awful December result, strategically timed to divert attention away from the poor figures with veiled lies about how well the TAB is doing.

It talks about record active numbers of customers, up from 225,000 to 250,000, the success of past events such as the Melbourne Cup and Woman’s Rugby World Cup, weekly customer betting numbers of 78,000, how much they look forward to fight nights and the Super Bowl, while asking for NZ punters’ loyalty to TAB NZ.

It fails to mention the poor financial result for December or the year to date. It says nothing about why turnover is up and profit is down, how poorly the TAB’s ‘bonus back’ promotion is tracking in a desperate attempt to maintain their diminishing market share, or why Jodi Williams’ employment is part of the massive increase in operating expenses.

Williams the new Spin Doctor

To read the entire spin, here’s the link: https://www.tabnz.org/tab-nz-reaches-quarter-million-milestone

Alternatively, here’s a few Jodi Williams quotes: “We’ve made great strides in the last year to offer a world-class betting experience, and it’s great that Kiwis want to get involved.”

“On the back of customer improvements like boosted odds in sports and racing, and removing deductions from racing, our customers have embraced some of the amazing events we’ve had over the past year.

“Kiwi punters are loyal punters, and we want our racing codes, national sporting organisations and communities to thrive.

“The best way for New Zealanders to do that is by betting with TAB NZ, as every dollar spent with us helps to fuel racing, sports and communities all over the country, and we want to thank those loyal customers who get in the game through TAB NZ,” -Jodi Williams.

Racing people won’t swallow this tripe

Have your eyes glazed over, and you’re now feeling nauseous? Do Jodi Williams and Mike Tod believe the racing industry is dumb enough to swallow any of this tripe which gets worse with each profit-contracting month?

If Kiwi punters are loyal, as Williams claims, why is the TAB pleading with the DIA for legislation to geo-block New Zealanders in an attempt to stifle overseas-based betting agencies and monopolise the market? Everything else in the quotes is pure spin.

Williams has now hired former leading apprentice Hazel Schofer and created a position called ‘Elite Relationship Specialist,’ in which Williams says Schofer will provide support to TAB NZ’s high-value customers. WHAT!

Schofer proved herself a talented apprentice, winning 78 races in the 2020-21 season, but with all due respect, how will this 24-year-old add value and provide a quantifiable return in dealing with the TAB’s biggest punters? It’s not difficult to imagine how operating expenses have raced out of control.

Another memorable Williams quote: “Hazel  has joined the team to deliver a world-class experience to our elite customers.” Really, ‘world-class’? Nothing has happened at TAB NZ for years that could be deemed ‘world-class.’

Racing’s survival not a priority at TAB NZ

Racing survival is no longer a priority for those running TAB NZ. The disconnect is so obvious, and some recent decisions have worked against turnover and profit. Consider the big Auckland wet two weeks ago when parts of Auckland flooded, effecting 0.3 percent of dwellings in the greater Auckland area.

The TAB made an across-the-board decision to close all Auckland TAB retail outlets the following day, Saturday, despite the vast majority residing in dry areas where retail around them remained open. Why?

The TAB is now closing down all TAB accounts of New Zealanders living overseas, despite some of these Kiwis having had betting accounts for many years. Why would they suddenly do that when no legislative changes have recently occurred?

An account holder who runs businesses in Thailand and has resided there for 30 years questioned the TAB about it upon receiving his closure email notice. He received the following reply:

“Unfortunately we were forced to close all accounts that were listed as having an overseas address in order to remain compliant with New Zealand’s Anti-Money Laundering laws. The TAB NZ app and site should not be able to be accessed outside of New Zealand.”

Why would it suddenly breach our laws when nothing has recently changed? Thailand has its own anti-money laundering laws, but the man in question with his TAB NZ account now closed, soon after legally opened an account with Bet365





    Edited by Gay3 - 16 Feb 2023 at 12:14pm
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Feb 2023 at 12:16pm
    Very sad indeed for the industry as a whole & not just New Zealand Cry Even more potentially top line stallions will be gelded & head to Asia Unhappy
    Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Feb 2023 at 12:36pm
    Yep...absolutely.
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lord Hybrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 8:42pm
    NZ racing may be having a rough time of it, but the breeding scene seems to be enjoying a very strong renaissance.

    In recent weeks we’ve had Legarto, Prowess & Imperatriz winning G1’s and today all 4 G1’s at Randwick were won by Kiwi bred horses.  As was the Bendigo Golden Mile winner, Here To Shock.

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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 9:06pm
    All the above stallions have AUS next to their names.  So they might geld and sell they just bring some of ours across the tasman.
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lord Hybrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 9:50pm
    Good point furious all Aus bred stallions.  But to qualify to have NZ suffix, does that mean todays winners were all foaled & raised on NZ soil? 

    Made a mistake on Imperatriz, though she was by the NZ based Per Incanto - actually I’m Invincible.

    But NZ based stallions are certainly having a great recent run with the likes of Savabeel, Proisir & Per Incanto.
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 9:54pm
    Yes it get confusing as they send their mares across and put them in foal and foal down in Australia also and then they get sent home to NZ.  Same happens when they get a good sire going ie Sir Tristram and Zabeel.  If the Aussie mare foals down in NZ then they have NZ and if the NZ mare foals in Australia its AUS.  Looking at Here to Shock today he's by an AUS bred stallion and out of an Australian mare by Lonhro goes back to Shaybisc.  Imperatriz carries the AUS suffix but plenty of others by Redoute's etc have NZ after their names.  It's easy to make a mistake!
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Brudder_A Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 10:29pm
    Just a comment about Per Incanto whom as mention is based in NZ - to add to the mixture....

    Hmm

    Bred in US by an Italian. Sent to Italy where he won and then he bought and sent to England and later he won at Aqueduct (New York).

    Does the horse really think he's an NZedder?  His owners think he's adapted quite nicely!
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote furious Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Apr 2023 at 9:22pm
    Well his suffix isn't NZ that's for sure but if his foal is dropping in NZ then that one has the suffix.
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bonjour Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 May 2023 at 12:36pm
    Riccarton trials on the AWT abandoned, insufficient entries, also Cambridge AWT trials abandoned, Hello, why are trainers reluctant to run on this surface?......we all know the answer, or most of us do, NZ has some serious questions to answer, however, as it's a land of zero accountability, transparency and good governance nothing will happen, their Government contributed more than 45 million dollars to build those white elephants, overseen by none other than Mr Useless, Bernard Saundry who for reasons only known to a select few was appointed as CEO of NZTR..... you know the bloke that left RVL following the Kate Goodrich fiasco......speaking of whom, shall have her day in court today/tomorrow.

    But back to AWT across in Noddy Land, we only have one horse left there and our lovely  talented Lady trainer has promised unequivocally that she shall never gallop ours on that AWT......the trainers at her track hate the thing, injuries, kick back, respiratory problems, eye injuries, you name it, so if our 2yo goes ok she'll be on the plane to join her big sis here who is going very well indeed....touch wood.

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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote horlicks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jan 2024 at 6:39pm
    Not a bad effort at Pukekohe today by former South African Warren Kennedy who rode 7 winners inclding the group 1 Railway. 

    Too good to lose in a monthly blog horlicks
     
    Wink

    Edited by Gay3 - 01 Jan 2024 at 6:57pm
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote VOYAGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jan 2024 at 8:25pm
    That winner of the Railway horlicks could be a big improver later this year.

    He was trained as a stayer and ran fifth in the NZ Derby last season and then 14th in the Queensland Derby as well. 

    His first up win was awesome, and after todays win Lance O'Sullivan said he would be restricted to 1400m and under from now on and that the Queensland carnival was the target for races like the BTC Cup, Kingsford Smith Cup and the Stradbroke.

    If he wins the Waikato Sprint on the way I would not be surprised if he turned up at Randwick for the All Aged. 


    Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (1) Thanks(1)   Quote horlicks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jan 2024 at 8:49pm
    Interesting fact he ran second to Prowess on this day last year (1600m Auckland Guineas)
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gay3 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 2024 at 2:32pm

    SEVEN WINNERS – INCLUDING THE G1 FEATURE – ON ONE CARD IN NZ
    IT’S one thing for a jockey saluting in one of the country’s top Group One races on New Year’s Day.

    It’s quite another adding six more for a remarkable, record-breaking haul of seven wins from nine rides at Pukekohe, south of Auckland.

    Stuff.co.NZ Sport reports that South African rider Warren Kennedy did just that on Monday as seasoned racing followers shook their heads in amazement to hail the ‘Wizard of Waz’.

    Riding seven winners in one day had never been achieved in New Zealand, with six the previous record held by the great Lance O’Sullivan, NZ Racing Desk reported.

    This was one of the country’s premier race days, usually run at Ellerslie which is soon to reopen this month after a major track rebuild.

    Kennedy capped his never to be forgotten day with victory in the G1 $450,000 Railway (1200m) aboard Waitak, trained by the O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott partnership.

    O’Sullivan was no stranger to multiple winners in a day, and won five Railways in the saddle before turning to the training ranks.

    Kennedy was last in the running aboard Waitak but timed his late finish to perfection aboard the $12 chance, which is owned by its breeder Colin Devine.

    He had 1-¼ lengths to spare on runnerup Bonny Lass, with the $2.70 favourite Babylon Berlin finishing seventh.

    Kennedy opened the New Year in style, winning race one aboard Grande Gallo ($7), also trained by the O’Sullivan-Scott duo.

    Kennedy then added wins aboard Bellatrix Star ($10), Pour The Wine ($8), About Time ($3.30), and Karman Line ($6.50). His only miss among those was the $2.50 favourite Terra Mitica who finished fourth in the Queen Elizabeth.

    Then, after saluting aboard Waitak, Kennedy added his third Group Two win for the day on Habana, the $3.50 favourite who got up in the final stride over Saint Bathans in the $225,000 Rich Hill Mile.

    “It’s been a fantastic day. I don’t think anyone could have asked for any better. Everything has gone my way,” Kennedy told Trackside TV after Habana’s win.

    “We’re all here to compete and everyone is congratulating (me), they know it’s a great feat to win seven in a day.”

    Shooting for a scarcely believable eighth win aboard the favourite Ominous in the 10th and final race, Kennedy’s mount dropped out to finish last.

    Durban-born Kennedy, 43, arrived in New Zealand in October 2022, with seven G1 winners to his name and a two-time South African jockeys’ premiership winner.

    He was joined soon after by wife Barbara and daughters Jamie Lee and Ryleigh, and stated his ambition to settle in New Zealand and gain residency. Kennedy quickly became one of the country’s most sought-after riders.



    Edited by Gay3 - 02 Jan 2024 at 2:34pm
    Wisdom has been chasing me but I've always outrun it!
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Balciano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jan 2024 at 11:27pm
    Legarto looked good winning her Trial today. Sharp N  Smart on the other hand was tailed off last in the same Heat.

    Be interested to hear what others thought of his action.
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lord Hybrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jan 2024 at 8:02pm
    Looks like they had a very successful day there in Auckland.  Will be interested to see what the crowd numbers were.

    Interesting to see it was just a 6 race card, all quality races.  I do wish we did that a bit more in Aust rather that padding out feature race days with Highways or BM races.

    Only depressing thing was seeing all those dozers & excavators ripping up the magnificent Ellerslie hill.  Steeplechase racing using that hill was the most spectacular sight in world racing.  Now consigned to history Cry
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote horlicks Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jan 2024 at 8:36pm
    They sold out at 12,000
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    Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote VOYAGER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Jan 2024 at 10:01pm
    And I am actually surprised that no one has pasted the media piece Lord where next year this race day will have prizemoney of $9 million with the 4yo race (the race today that Desert Lightning won) will be the second highest prizemoney for a race restricted to 4yo's after the Golden Eagle.

    Looks like Ellerslie is making this day at heir big day so in the future will not be surprised if they move the Auckland Cup, and have the New Zealand Stakes on this day in less than 5 years.

    Legato was unlucky getting back on a track where it was difficult to make ground up.
       
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