TITAHI BAY scores her 1st career win – Luke Cartwright aboard
Traralgon 1st November 2025
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Headline News
Bellatrix Star to have Fetlock surgery to remove bone chip
Shares in our recent Ready To Run Sale purchases the 2yo Colt by Snitzel out of a Zabeel Mare fully sold
Entain November Update
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Fortuna has two runners Friday and Sunday on both sides of the Tasman
Cranbourne – Friday
OUR PARAMOUR races in the Benchmark 66 event over 1600 metres at Cranbourne – Race 7 @ 11.15pm NZT with Dan Stackhouse to ride from barrier 7 – 3rd up and performed well this trip at Caulfield Nov 19th, running 4th – bred to get a trip, she will be finishing hard and represents a good each way chance – TAB says “Can be strong late” – Showing $10/$3
Te Aroha – Sunday
LARA ANTIPOVA makes her much anticipated race day debut in the 2yo Maiden event over 1150m at Te Aroha – Race 1 @ 12.17 with Craig Grylls to ride from barrier 3 – this daughter of Russian Revolution has trialed twice for a 2nd and a win – has been turning heads in the Stable for a few months now and her Avondale trial win was all quality – could be hard to beat here – TAB says “Hails from leading stable – well educated with two trials – Craig Grylls in saddle provides strong lead – watch closely” – No Odds Showing Yet
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Trackwork highlights – Fortuna Runners
No timed trackwork this week for Fortuna runners
Matamata –
Cranbourne –
Matamata –
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Other News
Bellatrix Star to have Fetlock surgery to remove bone chip
Based on her track work and her Caulfield trial before her resuming run at Caulfield on the 29th of November, there was high expectations amongst connections that Bellatrix Star would deliver a strong performance on the day – however she was found wanting in the run home and did pull up very quickly. The immediate reaction from both Mark Walker and myself was “that is too bad to be true” and while she pulled up well immediately after the race, on Sunday morning, she trotted out of her box lame in her left fore – a subsequent x-ray revealed a bone chip in the fetlock and so while this will need to be removed and will therefore prevent an early return to further racing, at least it provided a reasonable explanation for her below par run.
Surgery was performed Thursday, the 4th of December without issue and she will now have 6 to 8 weeks of recuperation before returning to training – she will be prepared for a couple of trials in the autumn and her showing in those trials will determine whether or not we will see her on the race track again.
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Shares in our recent Ready To Run Sale purchase – the 2yo Colt by Snitzel out of a Zabeel Mare fully sold
This was a very successful syndication for us, with all of the shares sold within 3 weeks of purchase – as always with our syndicates we have a wide ownership spread with over 50 Members, which we just love and very pleasing to see a solid group of “first timers” to Fortuna get involved as well. At $165k purchase price, “Clint” was at the upper range of our usual budget level but his pedigree and physical type made him very attractive for purchasers.
“Clint” – the 2yo Colt by Snitzal out of Zasorceresse
We are now looking forward to the upcoming yearling sales, firstly the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale between the 13th and 18th of January and then the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka sales from the 25th to the 27th of January and notable that this will be the 100th National yearling sale in New Zealand
But just as a teaser, look out for an announcement next week – with the upcoming retirement of our star steeplechaser, Leaderboard, at the end of the 2026 jumping season, we have been looking for a suitable replacement and may well have found what we are looking for – so “watch this space” and note that this acquisition, if we pull it off, will be very much at the “budget” end of the market so should have plenty of appeal
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Entain November Update
See below our regular update from Entain – of note is a very interesting interview of the Entain Aus/NZ CEO, Andrew Vouris, in a You Tube inerview with Mick Guerin – of interest to me were his comments re the “slimming down” of Entain activities (e.g. exiting the TAB Racing Club for example) and focusing on their core business of “selling bets” and I am always interested in seeing the Turnover figures and also the “Active Customer” figures, which continue to show solid “year on year” increases
Welcome to November’s Entain Edition
This will be the last Entain Edition for the year, with the next edition in your inboxes on Wednesday, 28 January.
Spring racing is now all but behind us, and despite a few weather challenges – who could have expected a sustained hailstorm on New Zealand Cup Day at Riccarton, for example – punters continue to enjoy all the spring features on the calendar.
There are a few key highlights to call out from the spring. Melbourne Cup Day saw record turnover on the Cup itself, and active customers were up more than 20,000 compared to 2024. Closer to home, Ellerslie’s meeting that same day broke the $5m mark, a 37% increase on 2024, and a huge result for a non-Group 1 meeting.
Despite the inclement weather, New Zealand Cup Day performed remarkably well, hitting $7.7m in turnover, an increase of 9% on 2024. Likewise, the first day of the three-day thoroughbred carnival, featuring the 1000 Guineas, saw turnover up by 30%. This increase in turnover was also on the back of an 18% lift in active customers across the TAB and betcha digital channels.
The continued growth in active customers is a metric we keep a close eye on, so to see those big carnivals bringing out a wider customer base bodes well.
Please share or forward this newsletter to anyone in the industry who you think might like to read this. They can sign up to receive the Entain Edition directly by contacting communications@entaingroup.co.nz.
Wi-Fi solution on its way for iconic summer meetings
Earlier this year, we reviewed the domestic mobile network coverage across all New Zealand race tracks, and identified 15 remote thoroughbred and harness racing venues where, due to their geographic isolation, our customers have limited or no access to domestic mobile networks.
Those of you who have attended meetings in Central Otago, on the West Coast or other parts of Canterbury in particular, will have noticed that coverage issues may have restricted your ability to enjoy betting online via the TAB or betcha websites or app while on-course. All up, these 15 venues are scheduled to host 53 race meetings in the 2025/26 season, making up about 8.5% of all race meetings in the equine codes.
To address this, Entain – working in partnership with the racing codes – has developed a free customer Wi-Fi solution that will be deployed across all race meetings held at these locations throughout the 2025/26 season.
This solution gives customers the choice in how they bet with us, whether through on-course operators or via the TAB and betcha apps. All of these 15 racecourses are different, so depending on the layout and infrastructure of each racecourse, Wi-Fi coverage may be available across the full venue or concentrated within designated betting zones.
So far, we’ve used this solution across 14 race meetings held at seven different racecourses, with pleasing results to date, and another 21 race meetings are earmarked for coverage across the busy December–January summer circuit.
Exciting new era for race timing & punter information
New Zealand Cup Week marked a key milestone rollout of a new tracking and timing system for the vast majority of thoroughbred and harness racing meetings in New Zealand.
In a partnership between Entain ANZ, TAB NZ, and technology providers tripleSdata, the next-generation 4G GPS-RTK system is being implemented across 30 racecourses nationwide, covering more than 90% of all race meetings across the thoroughbred and harness racing codes in New Zealand.
Four of the 30 tracks are now operational with the enhanced technology, and more are coming online in the weeks ahead.
The new system allows racing fans and Trackside viewers to see their horse’s exact position and speed in real-time, with live race maps and on-screen graphics displayed on Trackside TV and TAB digital platforms.
In addition to transforming live race coverage, the new GPS-RTK system will deliver comprehensive post-race sectional and timing data, offering racing lovers unprecedented insight into race performance. This will soon be available through trackside.co.nz and other platforms as a powerful tool for form analysis and to enhance the overall racing experience.
Find out more at trackside.co.nz
Racing Blogger sets NZ Cup Week alight
After shaking up the Australian racing scene during Melbourne Cup Week at Flemington, the effervescent Stephen Power (aka @racingblogger on X.com) headed to New Zealand to experience NZ Cup Week for the first time.
The UK-based ‘Bloggsy’ has about 300,000 followers across his social platforms and was able to share the Cup Week experience with his worldwide audience. As well as attending the NZ Trotting Cup, TAB Mile Day, Show Day and NZ Cup Day at Riccarton, Bloggsy was in the North Island last week visiting some of New Zealand’s famous thoroughbred studs.
His content consistently hits 50,000 or more views, with his dual sulky ride and interview with Trackside’s Brittany Graham notching up more than 125,000 views.
News in brief:
- Entain Australia and New Zealand CEO Andrew Vouris appeared on this week’s edition of the Guerin Report, talking to Michael Guerin about the progress of the strategic partnership and the current wagering environment. Watch the full interview on YouTube.
- The World Driving Championships, held around New Zealand earlier this month, attracted 10 drivers from Australia, North America and Europe, alongside our very own Blair Orange. The series was won by Canadian reinsmen James MacDonald (not to be confused with the world’s best jockey, James McDonald), with the final heat held at Addington on NZ Trotting Cup Day.
- Stay tuned over the summer months for the debut of Upon The Land We Stand, hosted by Kylie Bax. Kylie is travelling the length of New Zealand to uncover the stories, spirit, and people that make our racing community so special. You can catch a sneak peek to what you might see on the show here.
- Nominations are once again open for the Entain-NZB Insurance Pearl Series. If you have a Southern Hemisphere-bred filly born in 2024, now’s the time to nominate that filly for the Series, to ensure you can target those lucrative bonuses through her racing career. Find out more at pearlseries.nzthoroughbred.co.nz
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Guest Commentator – Des Coppins
Greetings John and the Fortuna Team
Like most of your readers and many others too, we were focused on the screen last Saturday to watch the eagerly anticipated return of Bellatrix Star. Unfortunately it didn’t unfold the way we all hoped and now I guess it’s playing the patient game again.
It’s been an eventful week; a meeting midweek is postponed 48 hours because of a potential lengthy and risky downpour; an extreme heatwave in NSW especially on Saturday has forced Rosehill to run on Sunday and then to top everything off we had the weirdest of weirds in race finishes at Otaki on Sunday to keep racing very much in the limelight.
ROAD TO PARIS ON A ROAD TO NOWHERE AT OTAKI
How bizarre, how bizarre!
A NZ song title that became a global hit in the mid nineties and words that described what we just saw at Otaki on Sunday in the Jennian Homes Wellington Stakes. You would had to feel for the punters and all those associated with Road to Paris who had the race shot to pieces until disaster struck less than 20 metres from the post. He veered to the right, slightly baulked and catapulted Masa Hashazumi out of the saddle. Thankfully both horse and jockey escaped unscathed but left us all scratching our heads with “what the heck just happened!”
Questions like did Masa still had a slight connection with his mount and, if not, who in fact won and who were the dividend payers? It was all a bit of a blur before confirmation was given. Quite bizarre to say the least.
MELBOURNE CUP JOCKEY WAS DOWN BUT NOT OUT!
OLD time racegoers were racking their grey matter on the rarity of the incident but believe it not it has happened before. At Kembla Grange in Sydney in 1973 Ray Selkrig and his mount Hot Chestnut had taken the lead at the top of straight and were set for an easy win when the horse shied near the finish, dislodging the jockey. Selkrig refused to let go of the reins as Hot Chestnut dragged the jockey along the ground past the winning post.
Hot Chestnut then galloped on the fallen rider, leaving Selkrig with a broken pelvis. Selkrig was taken to hospital only to learn later that stewards had decided Hot Chestnut should be declared the winner.
Selkrig, who won the Melbourne Cup on Lord Fury in 1961, recalled the incident with me as a guest of Gary Willett’s at a Melbourne Cup function with our Tour Group about 10 years ago.
I remember him chatting about the incident and he reckoned the reason why the stewards declared him the winner was “because the horse did a harder job dragging me across the line instead of carrying me!”
Sadly Ray passed away in June 2023. – Here is the picture below of the incident in 1973
APPRENTICE’S ODD FIRST WIN AT TAUHERENIKAU
THERE was also a similar incident at Tauherenikau in the early 1960’s. I recall seeing the photo in an old Hoof Beats. The original framed picture is in the owners-trainers lounge on the course. Again the horse kept the race despite dislodging the jockey who maintained his connection by gripping on to the reins when crossing the line.
The jockey was little known apprentice R Anderson and the horse was Salut D’Amour.
It was the youngster’s first winning ride and unfortunately he suffered concussion and was transferred to Greytown hospital. – See picture below of the incident
IN THE USA AS WELL
IN 1981 Rosco Zee slipped just before the finishing line at the River Downs racetrack in Ohio, USA. The jockey stayed on as the horse slid across the line first and the green light was given to pay out. – See picture below – unbelievable track conditions!!!
THE JOCKEY MUST HAVE CONTACT WITH HORSE
For the record had Masa parted company with the horse but still had connection somehow with the reins as he touched the line, he wouldn’t have kept the race. Ditto for the Australian and USA incidents and naturally the Tauherenikau all those years ago had they happened today.
Jockeys must be “mounted” and rules world wide generally require the jockey to be on the horse or at least holding on to say the neck and with no body part touching the ground when the horse crosses the finishing line for the result to be official.
MY THREE TO FOLLOW FROM ELLERSLIE :
O’HELLO: on debut it rattled into 4th. She’s bred to be good. Her third dam was the group one Thorndon Mile winner Giovanna.
ESPADAS: in its first run for ages it made a likely looking run from the back wide out and just petered out to run 4th not far from third. It’s potentially a class act.
SOCIAL CLIMBER: not sure if this horse is a bit of a tease. It’s form shows us a big run from the back one day and then a lack lustre run at the very next start. On Saturday this horse charged from the back into 5th. I’ll give it one more go.
Good punting! I’m really look forward to the upcoming glut of black type racing starting with the Mufhasa TAB Classic on Saturday at Trentham.
Des Coppins – 021 448 052
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