What have you found for us? Oh, yeah, this was a win.

[laughs] It, it was a win.

Yes.

Uh, actually trained by the same trainer of, uh... as well, uh, of Princess Cope as well.

Uh, and that is, uh, Mark Walker and Sam Burgess and Pilates.

Oof.

Uh, they...

BP, who's got the coveted gong for this week?

[upbeat music]

I'm gonna go to Ellerslie, race four.

And I backed this filly a couple of weeks ago in the Sunline Vase, Latoya.

BP, come in with your Best of the Weekend.

Cheers there.

Let's try and nail one here, and we'll go to Riccarton Park, race number seven.

This horse was immense last time out, and he's a weapon of a horse in Iron Hawk.

He was very good in unsuitable ground, I thought, last time when winning.

Where do you want to start?

Yeah, I guess we should talk about heading north to Whangarei because it is very much the start of our spring racing is this weekend with the three-year-olds that we have in action.

So really good fields carded for their meeting.

It's their biggest meeting of the year.

It's great for the club to be able to get the field that they've got for the Cambridge stud.

northern breeders group three 1200 meters and it's worth a hundred thousand dollars then there's a horse in there by the name of shellabeer who created a massive impression when winning two weeks ago up there she won by five lengths in a maiden race she's now favorites for all the group one races coming up for the thousand guineas and all those sort of races she's well related they've turned down big money and she looks like a horse that is definitely a star on the rise but it was only a maiden race and it was a one and only start.

And I think the biggest danger is going to come from, uh, the local up there and Michelle Bradley's runner.

You'll be on course?

Where do you want to start?

Yeah, I guess we should talk about heading north to Whangarei because it is very much the start of our spring racing is this weekend with the three-year-olds that we have in action.

So really good fields carded for their meeting.

It's their biggest meeting of the year.

It's great for the club to be able to get the field that they've got for the Cambridge stud.

Northland breeders, Group 3, 1,200 metres.

and it's worth $100,000.

You'll be on course?

How about winning the comp? You'd feel like you'd won the lottery if you had a decent whack on Little Thief to win the Grand National Hurdles at the weekend.

Wow, what a win and what a performance too.

This horse ran on all three days and all three days by running on the flat.

So Middle Day won an amateur rider's race on the all-weather surface and won it quite nicely.

Was down to run in the first race but was scratched from the zero to one win hurdle and Kevin Myers, an absolute master, he was able to provide the trifecta in the race.

and he was able to win with the outsider of the field, a little thief.

And didn't he just win? He blew them off the racetrack in a performance...

And we're starting to see some of the spring prospects come into action this trials and a couple of open trials before the race meetings Friday night in Cambridge and then again Saturday at Tarapa anything catch your eye

How about winning the comp? You'd feel like you'd won the lottery if you had a decent whack on Little Thief to win the Grand National Hurdles at the weekend.

Wow, what a win and what a performance too.

This horse ran on all three days and all three days by running on the flat.

So Middle Day won an amateur rider's race on the all-weather surface and won it quite nicely.

Was down to run in the first race but was scratched from the zero to one win hurdle and Kevin Myers, an absolute master, he was able to provide the trifecta in the race.

and he was able to win with the outsider of the field, a little thief.

And didn't he just win? He blew them off the racetrack in a performance...

Anything catch your eye?

Anything catch your eye there?

Yeah, it was, um, great to see, of course, the turn of the calendar in terms of the new racing season on Saturday, and that does mean we start seeing horses that are getting ready for a spring preparation, and two notable horses in this race by the name of Group One horses, uh, of Crescetti, who's, uh, been good enough to win a Railway, uh, and also First Five, the two-time Group One winner last season.

They both trialed.

Crescetti trialed nicely.

Uh, he was on the bridle.

He really cruised into the trial.

He won well.

I mean, what, what have we got look, to look forward to as well as that this week?

Highlights for you?

Yeah, I thought there was a couple.

Uh, actually the, uh, half-sister to Crescehti, uh, won race number two by the name of Shellabear, and she absolutely blew them off the racetrack.

She won by five lengths.

Uh, and, uh, she won with the handbrake on, uh, basically, too.

She was very impressive.

She's now a $6 favorite to win the 1000 Guineas in November off just one run.

I mean, what, what have we got look, to look forward to as well as that this week?

Well, should we start with Tarapa?

Yeah, it was a good day there on Saturday at Tarapa with the one solo meeting in the country due to the movement of Otaki's race meeting to this Thursday coming up just with the amount of rain that's fallen there.

So the rider stakes, good two-yard race to look forward to on Thursday.

So, yeah, we saw a strong card of racing.

The Tamba de Nui Gold Cup was the feature race with $100,000 in, And a win to a horse who nearly won it in 2024, missing by a small margin.

Won it in 2025 and won it again on Saturday by the name of Diamond Jack.

He went around with 62 kilograms.

It is a quietish time of year, but what have we got to look forward to for the rest of this week?

Well, should we start with Tarapa?

Yeah, it was a good day there on Saturday at Tarapa with the one solo meeting in the country due to the movement of Otaki's race meeting to this Thursday coming up just with the amount of rain that's fallen there.

So the rider stakes, good two-yard race to look forward to on Thursday.

So, yeah, we saw a strong card of racing.

The Tamba de Nui Gold Cup was the feature race with $100,000 in, And a win to a horse who nearly won it in 2024, missing by a small margin.

Won it in 2025 and won it again on Saturday by the name of Diamond Jack.

He went around with 62 kilograms.

It is a quietish time of year, but what have we got to look forward to for the rest of this week?

There could be some value elsewhere here.

Yeah, it's a very good field.

This race always seems to produce... a very good winter staying field.

It's that key winter feature that a lot of trainers like to identify for this day.

It's a $100,000 race and a great opportunity to race for a good stake through the winter period.

And here's why we've got full of depth.

T's the favorite.

Is TriStar too short at 380 when you look at the rest of the field?

There could be some value elsewhere here.

Yeah, it's a very good field.

This race always seems to produce... a very good winter staying field.

It's that key winter feature that a lot of trainers like to identify for this day.

It's a $100,000 race and a great opportunity to race for a good stake through the winter period.

And here's why we've got full of depth.

T's the favorite.

Is TriStar too short at 380 when you look at the rest of the field?

that sound good, BP? You know the horse, don't

you? Yeah, I do.

I do know the horse.

Yeah, yeah.

Valp knows all about fire and passion as well.

Yep.

I'm keen.

BP, if you were to have to set the odds for tomorrow morning's golf match at the Christchurch Golf Club, Millsy and I singles match play, what would you set that market at,

You got any particular highlights that came at you that jumped out off the pages? Yeah.

Yeah, well, when we spoke last week, TJ, obviously it was around the feature meeting at Trentham, of course, in the Wellington hurdles and the Wellington steeplechase.

So that meeting has been postponed and it's coming up this Thursday so we can talk around that.

So it was just one domestic meeting and that was out of Tauranga and a really good race day, actually.

I know they get behind their race meetings regularly.

any time of the year.

But the feature race was the Tauranga Classic.

So we get to look forward to both the Wellington hurdles and steeplechase on that figure eight track Thursday this week.

You got any particular highlights that came at you that jumped out off the pages?

Yeah, well, when we spoke last week, TJ, obviously it was around the feature meeting at Trentham, of course, in the Wellington Hurdles and the Wellington Steeplechase.

But that meeting has been postponed and it's coming up this Thursday, so we can talk around that.

So it was just one domestic meeting and it was out of Tauranga and a really good race day, actually.

I know they get behind their race meetings, you know, any time of the year.

But the feature race was the Tauranga Classic.

It was at listed level worth $80,000.

So we get to look forward to both the Wellington hurdles and steeplechase on that figure eight track Thursday this week.

Any particular highlights for the weekend from you?

I certainly thought the race meeting at Ellerslie was the last Ellerslie race meeting for the season.

So that track gets a well-deserved break on what has been a massive season for that racetrack when you go all the way back to gaining the very first Group 1 of the racing season to then what we've seen through that period of racing with another amazing Champions Day, well-written, unbeaten, all those performances we've seen at Ellerslie, the last meeting of the season was a very good one.

Now, it was a winter series where it culminated on this day, so horses could qualify through different means by either running at Ellerslie or different qualifying races.

The maiden gallopers, the three-year-olds, the two-year-olds, stayers all had their opportunity Very good maiden horse by the name of Kasuda Rush, won race number three from the Wexford Farm.

I'm not too sure if this horse stays here or not, but was very impressive with how that horse came from the back of the field to win.

I thought one of the wins of the day, and maybe a horse we can jot down for a Cups horse, for the summer going forward is Box Moss.

Anything to look out for?

Any particular highlights for the weekend from you?

I certainly thought the race meeting at Ellerslie was the last Ellerslie race meeting for the season.

So that track gets a well-deserved break on what has been a massive season for that racetrack when you go all the way back to gaining the very first Group 1 title of the racing season to then what we've seen through that period of racing with another amazing Champions Day, well-written, unbeaten, all those performances we've seen at Ellerslie, the last meeting of the season was a very good one.

Now, it was a winter series where it culminated on this day so horses could qualify through different means by either running at Ellerslie or different qualifying races.

The maiden gallopers, the three-year-olds, the two-year-olds, stayers all had their opportunity Very good maiden horse by the name of Kasuda Rush, won race number three from the Wexford Farm.

I'm not too sure if this horse stays here or not, but was very impressive with how that horse came from the back of the field to win.

I thought one of the wins of the day, and maybe a horse we can jot down for a Cups horse, for the summer going forward is Box Moss.

Anything to look out for?

Pop, that must have been terribly, terribly difficult to confront.

Yeah, it was, TJ.

A very good morning to you and Chappie.

quite a somber mood on track because he fell down the back straight at about around the sort of thousand metre mark and the race continued obviously and we were sort of trying to look at what happened over the back and then when the race had finished, George had mentioned that he was still down and just the mood of the race being completed and then still unsure about what had happened to West Coast, what had happened to Josh Parker, the jockey, And you could honestly hear a pin drop.

It was quite airy and looked very triggering for everybody on course.

And then the unknown of, is he going to get up? What's happened? And then when you're sort of watching the scenes from afar and actually seeing the screens go up and around, it was pretty hard to take.

It really was.

Give us some highlights from the weekend.

The horse slipped and, and, had to be put down and I was put in a situation where I was interviewing Mark Todd and it was, honestly, it was such a tough, tough thing to do because such great bonds are formed.

Yeah, exactly.

And we all have bonds that are formed with animals ourselves.

I mean, so this is, you know, this is an animal that is hurt, that affects the people, but also we have watched this great animal do what he has done as well and, either got joy from him winning or maybe having a winning bet on him and what he was able to provide in terms of, I think, to a code that needs its heroes as well in the jumping code.

And he was that certain horse.

And it also resonated through, you know, to the flat community, people that maybe don't watch jumps racing this time of the year, people can sort of turn away.

But he was one of those horses, like you said, there TJ, your greyways, your bone crushers, those type of horses make you come to the races and that was one reason why people were there to be able to see if West Coast could win another big race on the weekend and unfortunately he died doing what he loved on a racetrack where he'd never been beaten

Yeah, before we get to Tauranga, some highlights coming up during the week?

Give us some highlights from that.

Yeah, you're right, TJ.

It was five race meetings, actually, over the long weekend, and Tarapa was able to hold a nice card of races, of eight races in front of them, and I thought there was two key races to identify out of the program.

One of them actually was a maiden race, race number two, that was won by Lumbridge Castle.

He looks like a real exciting type going forward.

He had his very first start to the races.

He sat off them, and he won with a bit of authority.

Yes.

Give us some highlights from that.

Yeah, you're right, TJ.

It was five race meetings, actually, over the long weekend.

And Tarapa was able to hold a nice cart of races, of eight races in front of them.

And I thought there was two key races to identify out of the program.

One of them actually was a maiden race, race number two, that was won by Lumbridge Castle.

He looks like a real exciting type going forward.

And of course, the big feature there was the Wait for Age race, the 1600 metre race.

Mm

... and it was a bit of an upset as well in the TAB Southern Alps Challenge.

Toahaka leading all of the way for, uh, David Walsh.

Uh, first time beyond 1400 meters, uh, to win at 1600 meters, uh, and delivered.

They were closing late, uh, Sir Albert and Betty Spaghetti, but Toahaka was able to take that race out.

We had racing at stakes level as well, and Bonna Forza, uh, in the Canberra Raiders colors, uh, was able to win.

Uh, and of course, the runner that won at the same meeting 12 months ago when winning the Welcome Stakes, she was good enough to run fourth to Well Written, uh, in a 1000 Guineas earlier in the season.

But let's talk about Otaki and the Hawke's Bay Cup and the City of Napier Sprint.

Yeah.

We've been, uh, keeping well and truly nice and close over the racing and everything-

Yeah, I'm sure

... that's attached to racing.

And let's talk about the beautiful day that was Riccarton on the weekend.

It was beautiful down here, so great track to be had, but, uh, talk to us about the two feature races.

Yeah, it was a real good day, it is, and, um, it's, uh, sort of building towards a, a couple of weeks' time where they've got the Canterbury Gold Cup and other feature races.

But, yeah, they had a race there with $350,000- Mm ... and it was a bit of an upset as well in the TAB Southern Alps Challenge.

So what stood out for you? Surely Canon Hill and the Opie Boss in effect.

[laughs] It was a good ride.

Uh, and O- Opie's got a interesting decision in front of him as well, too, because, uh, in two weeks' time it is the Easter Handicap and that will be, uh, one of the key contenders for that race.

And, um, Opie was also looking towards another runner in that race.

So he has a decision to make because Canon Hill has great Ellerslie form.

He really produced a nice turn afoot over 1,300 meters.

He was better at 1,600 meters as well.

Look, um, obviously there was some Easter racing yesterday with the Group 3 100,000 Manawatu Breeder Stakes, Easter Monday racing at Whanganui.

How was the weekend for you?

Hey, team.

Yeah, it was a good weekend.

It was, uh, really, I guess, the last of the, of the real big races.

Of course, it was the final day o- of Group One racing for the season out of Trentham where we saw, uh, the Courtesy Ford bundle with two size produce stakes won in emphatic fashion by Seize the Day for, uh, Tiako.

They keep their impeccable record going in the race, uh, a- and he just blew them away.

He set on speed from a wide draw, uh, and he looks to be a three-year-old with a, for next season to be really watching out for.

Mm