New Zealand Racing To Use Typhoon System

Friday, 16 October 2009 01:30

NZ Racing Board Chief Executive Andrew Brown said the new betting engine would enable the organisation to drive revenue growth for the racing industry and grow its contribution to GDP beyond the current 1.3 per cent.

He said the existing Jetbet system was very old and is holding the business back.

"Jetbet is nearly 28 years old, which is ancient in technology terms. It was launched in January 1982 - the same year as the Commodore 64 computer.

"The move to a new system is long overdue and I'm delighted that we're building a platform from which we can launch so many more products and services quickly and efficiently."

Mr Brown said the new system would be user-friendly and responsive and more capable than Jetbet.

"Typhoon enables us to be much more agile and responsive in meeting our needs and those of our customers," Mr Brown said.

Typhoon would provide the following advantages:

• More betting events, including more race meetings and sports betting options. (The TAB cannot offer betting on some major international races because of the limitations of Jetbet).
• Better customer service and easier processing of bets - benefitting the TAB's agents and customers.
• Greater real time visibility and reporting that will enable improved management of any problem gambling issues.
• Improved systems for better decision making by the NZ Racing Board management through real time reporting.
• Ability to introduce new products and enhance existing ones much more quickly and efficiently.

"We've done lots of research worldwide and this is the best and most cost-effective solution. It is a $5 million investment in a system that will enable strong growth for the next 10-15 years," he said.

"Payment will be spread out over the course of the project and will depreciate over the next 5-10 years, which means the annualised cost to the business will be more than compensated for by the benefits the new system will deliver," he added.

"The racing industry, its stakeholders and TAB customers deserve the best products and services, which the New Zealand Racing Board and the new Typhoon system will deliver to them."

Mr Brown said that along with a fast and reliable service, Typhoon would significantly improve the TAB's capacity to compete against offshore operators, who return nothing to New Zealand racing or sports or to the New Zealand economy.

Media and Gaming Managing Director Nicholas Plowman said the deal between the two organisations will result in a commercial and technology based partnership, which will ensure the NZ Racing Board can take a market leading position in an increasingly competitive global entertainment market.

Mr Plowman said Typhoon will enable the NZRB to respond to customer demand and will help grow new revenues for the racing codes, clubs and New Zealand sport.

"We are excited for the NZRB in their far reaching decision, for the public in their enjoyment of a bet, and for the industry in its improved returns. With Typhoon, everyone wins," he said.

Media Release -

Nom Du Jeu Second In Comeback

Sunday, 20 September 2009 07:45

Nom Du Jeu has made a solid return to the racetrack, running second in the Listed Karaka Classic at Pukekohe.

Occidentalis was an easy winner of Sunday's 1600m feature but Nom Du Jeu ran on gamely for second after sitting in the trail for much of the race.

He did, however, pull hard in the closing stages.

The 2008 AJC Australian Derby winner has been troubled by bone bruising which terminated a disappointing autumn campaign, but had pleased co-trainers Murray and Bjorn Baker at the training track in the past week.

He still holds a nomination for the Cox Plate but has been ruled out of the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

Last year he flashed home from last on the turn to finish second to All The Good in the Caulfield Cup and was unlucky not to finish a little better than eighth in the Melbourne Cup won by Viewed.

NZPA WGT

Horse Trainer Accused Of Theft Of Horses

Friday, 09 October 2009 01:30

A Canterbury horse trainer has been charged with stealing five horses.

Nicola Anne Subritzky of Springston, south of Christchurch, was granted a registrar's remand without an appearance before the judge at Christchurch District Court on Friday.

Subritzky, 41, was bailed until October 23 to enable her to take further legal advice.

She is charged with stealing three horses belonging to a couple, a horse belonging to a bloodstock operation and another horse belonging to a person.

The horses are said to be valued at NZ3,000 ($A2,464) each, and all of the thefts are alleged to have been committed at Darfield, west of Christchurch, on August 4.

Occidentalis Thumps Stars In New Zealand Feature

Sunday, 20 September 2009 06:45

A son of the all conquering Scenic, Occidentalis swept upon the lead after covering ground in the straight and he strolled clear for an easy win.

Left in his wake were the outstanding group winners Nom Du Jeu and Ginga Dude who were second and third, while Oaks heroine Boundless was down the track in seventh place.

At just his 17th career outing, Occidentalis was able to notch career win number six as he strolled home for a comprehensive three and a quarter length victory.

When boom apprentice James McDonald asked the Otto prepared gelding to sprint he did and did it magnificently.

The classy performer is yet another bargain buy from the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale.

He cost his connections just $12,000 at the 2004 edition of the Gold Coast based auction.

An attractive grey, Occidentalis is one of two winners from two runners for the stakes performed Rory's Jester mare Rosa's Wish.

Rosa's Wish's present day yearling, a quality filly by Tiger Hill is heading to the Gold Coast in January for the 2010 Magic Millions Yearling Sale.

A lovely filly, the Tiger Hill youngster will be one of the popular members of a quality draft from Goodwood Farm.

Champion horsewoman Gai Waterhouse knows the benefits of buying a member of the Goodwood Farm draft. She purchased former champion juvenile Dance Hero from that outfit for $90,000 as a yearling.

Rosa's Wish, who was a multiple city winner and stakes placed at two, is a beautifully related mare.

She is a full sister to stakes winners Rosa's Image, Rosa's Joy and Rosa's Path and a half sister to fellow stakes winner Cohort.

Rosa's Joy, a winner of the Group Three Merson Cooper Stakes, has gone to produce the stakes winners Rosa's Spur and Rosarino.

Media Release - Magic Millions

Vosne Romanee Wins Kelt Capital Stakes

Saturday, 03 October 2009 08:30

Ian Smart had an image implanted his mind as a child that he planned to live out after Vosne Romanee's upset win in the $NZ1.2 million Kelt Capital Stakes.

Smart is a grandson of Rachael McDonald, who owned 1955 Melbourne Cup winner Toparoa, and he has long remembered one particular line McDonald trotted out in recounting the Cup win.

"I was only about 12 when she died but I never forgot how they celebrated the win," Smart said.

"She said they had the key to Melbourne and they danced on the tables through the night. That was an image that always stuck with me."

Smart said after winning New Zealand's richest weight-for-age race on Saturday it would be no different for him and his wife Alana, who shares in the ownership of Vosne Romanee.

"Well, we have just won the Kelt. We'll be dancing on the tables tonight," he said.

The Smarts own a vineyard in Martinborough but when it comes owning horses they are relative newcomers who have dabbled at the bottom end of the market.

"I am just a little guy with bugger all money but love racing," he said.

"This one is for the little guys."

Vosne Romanee was bred by the Smarts and is the first horse they have raced on their own.

They bought Vosne Romanee's dam, Madison Avenue, for $10,000 following advice from a friend and then purchased a share in former Manawatu stallion Electronic Zone.

"They were selling the farm up and my mate said do you want this mare?" Smart said.

"I was always going to get involved with racing but we had to keep the cost down. We bought a share in Electronic Zone so we could breed from the mare (Madison Avenue) and Vosne Romanee is the result."

Vosne Romanee had no luck in the first two races of the Hawke's Bay spring Group One treble and was at more than 50-1 in the Kelt although his win did not surprise trainer Jeff Lynds.

"Things have just gone wrong for the horse. He just needed a good draw, a good track and everything came right today," Lynds said.

"You get a horse, you put a lot of work into it and things go like this. We had faith in the horse with the team at home."

Vosne Romanee was ridden by Buddy Lammas, who completed his apprenticeship only two days ago.

He had Vosne Romanee tracking the favourite, Daffodil, for much of the 2040m race, angled a little wider at the top of the straight and finished best to score by three-quarters of a length.

Second was Ginga Dude, who was caught three wide most of the way while a long neck away third was Melbourne visitor Miss Maren. The latter raced midfield and finished well along the inside.

Daffodil was half a neck back fourth after racing three back on the outer while Sir Slick was fifth and Sterling Prince sixth.

Second favourite Sarrera was 10th with jockey Craig Grylls suggesting the dead track may have been a little too firm for the horse.

Hoorang Earns Melbourne Trip

Saturday, 19 September 2009 14:45

Durable mare Hoorang's Melbourne Cup campaign has received a boost with her win over a handy field at Hastings.

Her trainer, Wanganui vet Ian Shaw, was inquiring into bookings to Melbourne on Sunday and said it looked as if she would head over in the first week of October.

He had not nominated her for the $1.2 million Kelt Stakes at Hastings on October 3 and said the $45,000 late nomination fee ruled out any second thoughts on that front.

Hoorang is nominated for both the Caulfield and Melbourne cups, but Shaw said he wouldn't be worried if, as seemed likely, she failed to make the Caulfield Cup field.

"She is pushing it to get in, but it's an on-pacers' track and the turns are a bit tight. It might not suit her as much as Flemington, where the long straight is better for her," Shaw told NZPA.

Hoorang is 57th in the order of entry for the Melbourne Cup and would need to win a penalty-bearing race to have a chance of making the field.

Shaw said he would look for suitable races to try to get her in the field, including the Saab Quality (2500m) three days before the Cup, where the winner is exempt from ballot.

Hoorang, who won the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton in November, powered home down the outside on Saturday to win by three-quarters of a length from Halls who flew late to cut Harris Tweed out of third, with New Zealand Oaks winner Jungle Rocket running on well for fourth.

Hoorang had benefited from increased fast work at training and a tongue tie, Shaw said.

Harris Tweed's co-trainer, Bjorn Baker, was thrilled with his effort after he was run off his feet in his first run for the season over 1400 metres.

He said Harris Tweed would run in the Group One Kelt Stakes and then head to Melbourne for the Caulfield and Melbourne cups.

Jungle Rocket is also a Cups candidate with trainer Jeff McVean confident she will improve after her run came to an end in the last 20 metres.

Six O'Clock News was sixth, but jockey Noel Harris said he wasn't happy in the conditions.

"I wasn't disappointed in the run. He was only a length or so from the winner and has got such a massive stride on him that he was never going to be happy in that ground," he told the Sunday Star Times.

Six O'Clock News will fly to Sydney next week to run in the Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) at Randwick on October 3. A win in that would get him into the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups fields.

Another cups aspirant, All In Black, disappointed in finishing second last.

NZPA WGT

Daffodil Favourite For Kelt Stakes

Wednesday, 30 September 2009 06:30

Star mare Daffodil is $3 favourite for the $NZ1.2 million Kelt Stakes at Hastings on Saturday after drawing near the middle of the field.

Daffodil, who won the second leg of the Hawke's Bay triple crown, the Windsor Park Plate (1600m) with a whirlwind finish, drew barrier nine on Wednesday for the 2040m feature.

A field of 16 will jump, with Arlington the sole emergency.

Daffodil had closed $2.80 favourite when the TAB ended its features market on Tuesday, before she was installed at $3 on its final field book after the barrier draw.

The Hastings track was rated a dead (6) and Daffodil's trainer Kevin Gray said that would suit the AJC Australian Oaks winner.

"She'll handle most tracks. As long as the jar is out of the ground I will be quite happy," he told Trackside TV.

"She has done everything right, I couldn't be more happy with her. My only hope is she has a bit of luck."

Sarrera, who finished second in the Windsor Park, was $5.50 second favourite after drawing stall five.

Harris Tweed, one of New Zealand's main Melbourne Cup hopes, drew barrier four. He will be ridden by David Walsh and was third favourite at $10.

Australian visitor Miss Maren, from Mick Price's Melbourne stable, drew barrier seven and the TAB has her at $12.

Daffodil Stakes Claim On Melbourne Trip

Saturday, 19 September 2009 05:45

AJC Australian Oaks winner Daffodil scored a brilliant victory in the Group One Windsor Park Plate on a wet track at Hastings on Saturday.

The mare is entered for the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup and, on Saturday's performance, is capable of posing a big threat in Melbourne.

"She's very, very good," Daffodil's trainer Kevin Gray said.

"She's got the pedigree and is such a laid-back type."

The beautifully named Daffodil is by No Excuse Needed out of the O'Reilly mare Spring.

Asked about future plans, Gray was non-committal.

"We'll just take it race by race," Gray said.

Daffodil lobbed along near the rear of the field early in the 1600 metre weight-for-age race and was still among the tail-enders as they turned for home.

But jockey Hayden Tinsley pulled her to the outside and the mare responded with huge strides to gather in her rivals.

She hit the line powerfully to beat Sarerra with the little-fancied Sterling Prince third.

Daffodil was having her 19th start and boosted her winning tally to seven, three Group One triumphs among them.

Before her Oaks win last autumn she had won the New Zealand One Thousand Guineas at Riccarton.

Daffodil is now set to start a popular favourite in the rich Kelt Stakes, New Zealand's premier weight-for-age event, at Hastings in two weeks.

Earlier, St Germaine won the Group Three Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), the first race in the Filly Of The Year series.

The three-year-old, ridden by Mark du Plessis, bounded to the lead in the straight and was off and gone for a convincing victory.

The John Sargent-trained race favourite scored by 1-3/4 lengths from Eileen Dubh with another 1-1/4 lengths to Katie Lee.

Two races later, Melbourne Cup entry Hoorang surged away from the pack for an impressive victory in the Traderacks Hcp (2000m).

He beat Halls with Harris Tweed running home well to grab third.

The Murray and Bjorn Baker-trained Harris Tweed, runner-up to Roman Emperor in the AJC Australian Derby last autumn, is also entered for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups.

He carried 57.5kg on a wet track at Hastings, the same weight as Hoorang.

Fellow Melbourne Cup hopeful Six O'Clock News was slightly disappointing, finishing sixth.

New Wagering TV Channel Announced

Sunday, 27 September 2009 14:30

"Our decision to launch TAB TV is a direct response to customer demand and will help grow revenues for the three racing codes - greyhounds, harness racing and thoroughbreds," he said.

TAB TV is expected to generate $4 million in annual profit within three years, which will be distributed among the racing codes.

The new channel will be shown in all TAB outlets and will also be broadcast on Sky Digital, from December. The new channel will complement the existing Trackside channel which has a home viewership of 300,000 people per month. As a result, Trackside will now be able to offer more in-depth coverage of New Zealand racing.

Mr Brown said customer research showed people watched Trackside for two different reasons: entertainment and betting.

"Having two racing channels will enable us to give our customers more of the content they want to see. This is great news for punters, racing fans, and the sport of racing."

"TAB TV will be perfect for punters who want more racing events to bet on.

"At the same time, Trackside will now be able to provide more coverage of the build-up to all NZ races, highlight the results and prize presentations, and show more replays and analysis to satisfy New Zealand racing fans. Trackside will also broadcast a selection of high quality Australian racing, depending on the schedule of New Zealand racing."

"The new format for Trackside will also showcase racing sponsors and other commercial partners to greater effect, and TAB TV will generate more profits for the TAB which we will pass on directly to the racing clubs."

TAB TV will broadcast approximately 12 races per hour, including local races and overseas races from Australia, France, Hong Kong, North America, Singapore, South Africa and the UK.

Racing Board Head of Broadcasting Glen Broomhall said UHF viewers of Trackside will continue to see the best of NZ racing.

"We will broadcast the new Trackside programming on UHF including ‘First Call' on Saturday mornings to preview the afternoon's action," Mr Broomhall said.

The new TAB TV channel will be broadcast largely using existing resources.

"The new channel will be highly cost efficient and will require a modest capital investment of approximately $800,000 to deliver significant additional revenues for racing clubs across New Zealand. We expect it to generate profits within the current financial year," Mr Broomhall said.

Mr Brown said the NZ Racing Board is investing in the development of the racing industry which contributes 1.3 per cent of Gross Domestic Product and supports the livelihoods of 40,000 New Zealanders.

"We're very excited about TAB TV which will help deliver greater entertainment for the 300,000 people who currently watch Trackside each month from their homes.

"There's a growing demand for racing entertainment in New Zealand and we're meeting that demand with innovations such as this," Mr Brown said.

Media Release - New Zealand Racing Board

Baker Assembling Handy Spring Team

Sunday, 13 September 2009 07:30

Nom Du Jeu is an early casualty in the race to the Cups and the jury is out on Mr Tipsy but trainers Murray and Bjorn Baker still have high aspirations for Harris Tweed.

Nom Du Jeu wasn't paid up for when first declarations for the Cups were taken last week with the Bakers running out of time to get him ready for the staying features.

The 2008 AJC Australian Derby winner and Caulfield Cup runner-up has had a recurrence of the cannon bone soreness that ruled him out of the autumn carnival in Sydney.

But his kiwi trainers still remain hopeful of getting Nom Du Jeu to the Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley next month.

"He's got what is commonly known as cannon bone bruising, it's when everything is pretty much spot-on but they don't let go, they're just feeling something," Bjorn Baker said.

"He's out of the Cups but he's still in the Cox Plate.

"We've had a lot of wet tracks at home and he hasn't had a chance to gallop on a good track so we've still got to reserve judgement a little bit.

"We're going to persevere for another week or two and see if he really lets down but if he doesn't we'll save him for the autumn."

While Nom Du Jeu is in doubt for the spring carnival in Melbourne the Bakers' are happy Harris Tweed is on track.

The four-year-old claimed the Tulloch Stakes in the autumn before finishing a narrow second to Roman Emperor in the AJC Australian Derby.

He finished down the track when he resumed over 1600m at Hastings last month but Bjorn Baker wasn't concerned by that effort.

"He only went okay but as a three-year-old he couldn't win in maiden company over a mile and he's a horse that's going to need further so we're not overly concerned," Baker said.

"He needed the run the other day and he'll probably run again (next Saturday) at Hawkes Bay over 2000 metres and then two weeks after that, possibly in the Kelt.

"Hopefully he'll then come over for the Cups and once he gets to 2400 plus, that's when he'll really hit his straps."

Sydney Cup placegetter Mr Tipsy finished eighth to Ready To Lift in the Kingston Town Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday and didn't run on as Baker would have liked.

His short-term goal is the Metropolitan Handicap (2400m) at Randwick ahead of a Cups campaign in Melbourne, although with just 51kg in both Cups he will probably need to win a good race along the way to earn a weight penalty.

Rounding out the Bakers' team of raiders is the little-known Mountain Road who will make his Australian debut in the Newcastle Cup (2300m) at Broadmeadow on Thursday.

"We won't know really how he's going to go until he races but one thing is he's a genuine horse," Baker said.

"He wouldn't be in Mr Tipsy's league but we'll hope for the best."

A Listed winner in New Zealand, Mountain Road has won seven of his 26 starts.