You deserve it. Just thrilled for you!

Hope you'll tell us a little about it whenever you can.

Very nice to see Allez Eagle back.

Looks like a nice field for the Rotorua Stakes! No jockey listed for your girl as of yet... who gets the mount?

Good luck!!!

She was going to be ridden by Mark Sweeney - her usual partner, Sam Spratt, has gone to Europe for our winter.

But I've just heard Pinzaara is scratched. She has conjunctivitis. :( So that's it for her this season - time for a long and well-deserved rest.

Awww very sorry to hear that but yes... a well deserved rest. She's had a lot of nice races!

Hope she recovers quickly. :)

Indikator! Amazing. His fourth Rotorua Cup. Great old horse. :)

Oh geez fantastic!

Will look at the replay soon. Happy to hear he won it. Again!

Hahahaha brilliant!

"Has he done enough? Has he done enough? You'd better believe it!"

Gave me the chills listening to his voice crack. Thrilled he won!

Silverdale pulled up after the line but nothing on the Stewards report (?). Hope he's okay.

Racing: Huge farewell on Cup day
By Mike Dillon
5:00 AM Monday May 12, 2014

Indikator set for hurdles after one of toughest dog fights in big race results to claim fourpeat.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/racing/new...ectid=11253254

Nice piece on James McDonald on mainstream TV last night. Here’s the clip: http://tvnz.co.nz/seven-sharp/kiwi-j...-video-5973043

The view from the Ellerslie press box. :) I love this job already.

And my first article:
http://www.theinformant.co.nz/racing...-Ellerslie-win

Well done, ed!

Catching up... thanks for the link and love the picture and whoa... continue to be absolutely thrilled for you! :tro:

Good luck to Postman's Daughter, who really should be able to win at Ellerslie on Saturday (confidence builder?), and to I Am Sam at Wanganui cause that would be awesome! :D

I know he's not a win machine but what a nice, hard-trying boy he is! :)

(... luck to The Filly and Flower Bomb as well).

Now that you are in the top echelon of racing can you try to find out what is up with Veyron someday if you get the chance?

Thanks, ed!!!

Veyron's just having quiet, easy exercise at the moment. He'll come back to racing in the spring. :)

Aw, halfway down the stretch I thought I was going to write something about Postman's Daughter winning. So close.

Thanks for that!

I just watched the replay and my heart was sinking when they caught her. :(

Would love to see her get a nice win one day, once again.

That was a nice race by The Filly and wow... the old man, John Gray? What a great finish that was. :)

All Decked Out did nicely at the trials today! First appearance since Boxing Day. Not fully fit, but ran well to finish second in his trial.

Great to hear!

On a not-as-happy note poor Upsala is now in Singapore and finished last.

I wish he'd be sent home.

Managed to find a NZ connection to California Chrome!

http://www.theinformant.co.nz/racing...of-New-Zealand

Really grateful to that website for giving me permission to quote that interview. And they were so nice about it!

John Sargent is closing his NZ stable. It's a shame, but I guess it makes sense if he wants to succeed in Sydney.

That is a shame. am enjoying reading your stuff and and always continued to be so happy for you!

Please let us know how Archie is and if Pinzaara is having a good break.

This is really lovely...

Sometimes the smallest gesture can make the most momentous statement.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/racing/new...ectid=11274553

* * *

Aww...

Poor All Decked Out.

http://www.racingandsports.com.au/en...t-story-305521

Thank you! :)

That is a shame about All Decked Out. Such a talented horse. Hope he's back to his best soon.

Sounds like Rising Romance is skipping the Hastings G1 races in the spring. Disappointing, but Donna Logan's reason was sensible. Those races have become so strong that they're not really suitable as preps for Melbourne any more. She wants some easier races to start off with.

8 minutes left, ed. I am going to be sick I'm so nervous. :D

She's at 9/1.

Here's hoping.

(... but please remember she doesn't exactly have the same kind of jockey here. I mean he is a special kind of awful but maybe she'll win in spite of him!).

That was so disappointing. She had no sprint at all. :(

I know, ed. It just didn't even look like her.

Read a bunch of your stuff this morning... well done!

How did Malala look? Have not yet seen the replay but disappointing to see where she finished.

A bit like her sister! Dropped back in the field early in the race and didn't make much of an impression down the stretch.

But, wow, the winner of that race looks good.

Malala apparently suffered an injury during Saturday's race. Not sure about the severity yet, but I didn't see anything obvious at the track. So probably not life-threatening, but possibly an explanation for the performance.

I'm also hearing rumours that Habibi's blood has some irregularities, so that could explain why she wasn't herself either. I'll try to find out more.

That's a shame about both of them and yeah the winner (I hate to say I already forgot her name!) did look good!

Loving the racing at Te Rapa today so far. Spin Doctor - wow! :eek:

When horses win that well, the articles almost write themselves.

In other news, I loved reading this yesterday about Ashley Frye:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/racing/...sh-with-death/

Great to hear she's doing so well.

That's wonderful to hear she's progressing.

So ed... do you get to go? Hope so!

http://www.nzracing.co.nz/OnHorseFil...014_PDF_FA.pdf

Thoughts on HOY and the categories?

I'd think maybe O'Marilyn for 2YO, Rising Romance for 3YO (but that is an impossible category!!!) (and it kills me not saying Puccini), Bounding for Sprinter, Dundeel for Middle Distance but Stayer? God I just don't know (except for the only one who won't win is Graphic but I am happy to see him there anyway! Very cool!).

I mean do they go with Silent Achiever for winning at Rosehill or stay local with Who Shot Thebarman (the Auckland Cup was a g1, right?) (who I would imagine has a slightly better shot than More Than Sacred for that very nice g3 win)?

What are your thoughts? :)

... And who wins HOY??!!

http://www.racingandsports.com.au/en...s-story-307009

I think I will get to go, yeah! And I'm going to be on the voting panel from next year. :D

Some of these are so hard to call.

I'll go for Vespa for 2yo, but it's a 50/50 call. O'Marilyn has been so good as well.

I agree with you on Rising Romance for the 3yo, but that is a tough group to call!

Definitely Bounding for sprinter.

I would probably go Silent Achiever for both middle distance and stayer, but I think they will give middle distance to Dundeel. HOY is another really hard one, but I'll go Silent Achiever.

Feel sorry for Viadana - her season would be good enough for an award usually.

Oh, look who's back:
http://www.theinformant.co.nz/racing...g-full-fitness

Agreed!

Oh! Be still my heart... great news!

Ed did you see that Jetset Lad won (Doomben)? (... and Lauren Tate was 4th!).

It had only been 875 days since his last trip to the winner's circle.

How cool is that?

http://www.racingandsports.com.au/en...ate=12/07/2014

That is so awesome. Thrilled for his connections.

Rangatira was so amazing in the Wellington Steeplechase yesterday. What a horse.

So thrilled for Trish after Spalato's amazing win! She's an awesome person to work with.

Oh how cool and yeah that was a really great win!

Awesome that they picked up the bonus!

VERY game run from Setitup especially coming from the 16 hole.

I was going to post a pick but couldn't decide between Verglatica (surprised went off as such a longshot) and the Japanese mare whose name I've already forgotten. :wf

Happy for your friends. Lovely horse. :)

edit - Oh right lest I forget not sure if you saw this (posted on the Singapore thread) but Upsala is over there. Was so surprised seeing his name...

Liked your Spalato piece in The Informant, ed.. :)

(Well I know you've read it but for anyone else interested...)

http://www.theinformant.co.nz/racing...ingapore-Derby

Thanks! :)