New Zealand Racing, 2009-10
 

It'll be August 1 in about two weeks - the first day of the 2009-10 season. And that means our first G1, the Mudgway at Hastings, is only just over a month away.

I've decided to start a new thread for it because it's going to be the best season ever!

Time for some predictions that will look pretty stupid a year from now.

The three stars of the season:


Mufhasa
Champion sprinter this season and almost certainly Horse of the Year. He won the G1 Telegraph in 1:07.39. I don't think there's any horse in NZ that can keep up with him in sprint races.




Tell A Tale
This season's best 3yo should be bigger, stronger and more mature next season. He showed amazing speed in the 2000 Guineas and great courage with his 3rd in the Derby on a wet track over a distance way beyond what he's bred to handle. I think he could be a winning machine next season over a mile.




Prince Of Wales
I know this time last year I predicted that the Moroneys would have a big 3yo year with Altered Image and it didn't quite happen, but I think this colt could be better.

I'm not picking any Te Akau horses to have a big season, which is sure to be wrong - especially now they've contracted James McDonald (champion apprentice and number 1 jockey overall) to ride for them this season. Scary combination!

Summing up my predictions:

Best 3yo male up to a mile: Prince Of Wales
Best 3yo female up to a mile: St Germaine
Best 3yo male beyond a mile: Bally Duff
Best 3yo female beyond a mile: Masquerade
Best older male sprinter: Mufhasa
Best older female sprinter: Shanzero
Best older miler: Tell A Tale
Best older stayer: Daffodil

As Ellerslie race caller George Simon says, "let's bring it on." :cool:

Thanks for keeping us up to date!:)

Nom Du Jeu "galloped stylishly" at Cambridge yesterday - 52.0 for 800m.

I hope he's back in his best next season after two really bad performances in February/March.

Daffodil starts out her 2009-10 season on Thursday (still officially 2008-09 though!)

1 2138X Samurai 3 102 58.0 Neil Connors, Woodville
2 2441X Daffodil 6 96 55.5 Kevin Gray, Copper Belt Lodge, Palmerston North
3 14820 Mega Belt 1 95 55.5 Kevin Gray, Copper Belt Lodge, Palmerston North
4 26539 Woodbury Belle 7 89 54.0 Lisa Allpress Stephen Crutchley, Wanganui
5 X3249 Ease Hours 5 88 54.0 Kelly Myers (a) Dianne Sergeant, Hastings
6 244X8 Go Danny 4 86 54.0 Grant Searle, Awapuni
7 112X6 Yelracm 2 84 54.0 Grant Searle, Awapuni

The 1200m might be a bit short and the track could be a little bit wetter than she likes, but I think she should be too good for these. I have no idea why she, a dual G1 winner, is carrying 2.5kg less than Samurai, who is only a G3 winner.

Good question. He's only 20th on the NZ sires table for 2008-09, and didn't have any G1 winners this season.

There are no Zabeel horses in this country that look like real prospects to me at the moment. But a lot of his best ones do kind of come from nowhere, so you never know.

Just for fun, is there a video of her exhibition gallop a few days ago, ed?

I've been looking for it, but haven't found it yet. I'll post it if I do.

Thanks, ed.

Can't have a thread without our good :cool: Sir :{>: , can we?

This is a few weeks old, but...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times...-of-experience

... and then there's this...

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/...ck-partnership

Thoughts?

I don't know what's in store for him. Hopefully not loads more races. :(

Daffodil was 2nd. She just ran out of gas in the last 50m or so, and her jockey didn't knock her around. I think they'll be happy with that, she should improve heaps.

Who won, ed?

Woodbury Belle. A nice winter handicapper. It was probably one of her biggest wins.

It's August 1. Happy birthday to all the horses! I'm probably going up to Ruakaka today to see a few really nice horses starting out - Boundless, Richard Beymer and Morelle in particular. I think all three of those will have a nice year.

Thanks ed and happy birthday kids! :D

I love Ruakaka. It's still winter and most places are more like swamps than racetracks, but Richard Beymer won up there today in 56.30 for the 1000m.

That race was always going to be too short for Boundless. She was last as they turned for home, but finished it off nicely down the outside to be 5th. Look out for her over a mile and more.

Her stablemate, Beyond The Blues, was a nice debut winner in the 3yo race (at 32-1!)

half time pissed off is not the word :-(

:(
But we'll peak at the World Cup.

Last year's G1 Mudgway Stakes winner, Fritzy Boy, started off 2009-10 with a nice win at Foxton today.

He's 5-1 to win the Mudgway again this year - 2nd favourite behind 2008-09 HOTY, Mufhasa.

Il Quello Veloce is the 3rd favourite at 7-1 - apparently she was very impressive in a trial during the week.

Then there's Tell A Tale, Daffodil, NDJ, Prince Kaapstad...4 weeks to go. :)

A couple of names to remember from today's races at Taupo...

INDISPUTABLE (3yo filly) - 2 starts as a 2yo for a 3rd and a stakes 2nd. She won nicely today in what looked like a really strong maiden field - the 3rd horse, Guiseppina, had a bit of hype around her (she'll be better next time. She flipped over backwards before the race started and had her head in the air for the first half of the race).

GASTON (3yo gelding) - He only raced once as a 2yo and finished 7th. That was in Sydney in October last year! He's obviously improved a lot in the 10 months since then. He was near last at the turn but made a huge move in the (very short) stretch to get the win in nice time.

I think we'll see both of those a bit more in the next few months as we start to look at the 1000 and 2000 Guineas.

Bulginbaah (known around the stable as Cecil) won the G3 Foxbridge Plate today. It was his 20th win and the second time he's won this race.



Probably the best NZ horse not to win a G1 in the last 10 years. Maybe he can change that in the Mudgway in 2 weeks.