Court Of Appeal on way to Victory – Bruno Queiroz aboard
Riccarton 11th Sept 2025
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Headline News
Melody Belle’s daughter on song for debut
Entain September Edition
Ragamuffin to pursue a Jumps career from the Kevin Myers Barn – shares available
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Fortuna has no runners this weekend
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Trackwork – Fortuna Runners
Matamata
Riccarton
Cranbourne – 30th Sept
Our Paramour (C Wilson) galloped over 1000 metres in 1.06.7, home in 37.1.
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Other News
Melody Belle’s daughter on song for debut
MELODY BELLE completes the first and only Hawkes Bay Triple Crown Victory
Hasting October 2020 – Troy Harris aboard
It will be a full-circle moment for Te Akau Racing at The Valley on Friday night when Lyrics ‘N’ Song (Written Tycoon), a daughter of their former multiple Group One winner Melody Belle (NZ), makes her debut. Raced by New Zealand syndicator Fortuna, Melody Belle won 19 races for former Te Akau trainers Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards, including 14 at Group One level. She accrued more than $4 million in prize money and was crowned New Zealand Horse of the Year in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
Following her racing career, she was offered at Magic Millions’ 2021 Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale where she was purchased by Yulong Investments for A$2.6 million. Her first mating was with resident stallion Written Tycoon, with the resulting foal being Lyrics ‘N’ Song, who would be entrusted to the care of Mark Walker at Te Akau Racing’s Cranbourne barn.
The now three-year-old filly has had three jumpouts, including winning her last outing over 1000m at Cranbourne, and she has made a good impression on Walker. “She has jumped out nicely and she has inherited some of mum’s ability, I don’t know how much yet, but I think she is well above average at this stage,” he said. “We are very grateful that Yulong gave us the first foal to train, and hopefully she is a good broodmare for them.”
Lyrics ‘N’ Song will line-up in the Drummond Gold Plate (1200m) on Friday and Walker is looking forward to seeing how she performs under the pressure of racenight.
“It has come up quite a strong field, there is a fair bit of depth to it, but she has drawn nicely (1) and should acquit herself well,” Walker said.
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Entain September Edition
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Welcome to September’s Entain Edition
Spring is traditionally a huge time for the Australasian racing industry, but the next few weeks are also a pivotal time for sports betting, particularly this year.
Alongside the Livamol Classic, The Everest, Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate over the next few weeks, there are major sports competitions reaching their peak (NRL Grand Final), ramping up (Premier League in England), or getting back into action (the 2025-26 NBA season).
This period takes on more importance in 2025, as we seek to attract those customers who may have previously been customers with offshore betting operators, prior to the change in betting laws in late June. We don’t just assume these customers will join up to our TAB or betcha brands – they need to see the value of being a customer with us. |
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With that in mind, the teams have been working hard to deliver more betting options, and more compelling promotions. One of the more popular new additions is our “3 from 4 Boost” bet, where customers take a bet on – for example – an EPL weekend where only three of the teams across four matches need to win for it to be a winning bet. We’re also adding to our in-play betting options, as we know it’s a popular choice for many punters.
While there’s plenty going on in sport, the spring racing continues to be a major focus across the business. With the strong possibility of some Kiwi representation through the Australian spring in particular, this is a great opportunity to introduce more New Zealanders to racing outside of the first Tuesday in November.
You’re very welcome to 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. |
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Sam Moncur,
Managing Director – New Zealand  |
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Here For the Horse appeal raises $50,000
It cannot be understated how important the NZ Horse Ambulance Trust has become in the last nine years since it was established, providing dedicated horse ambulances across the country to help our equine athletes in their time of need.
That’s why we enthusiastically supported their ‘Here for the Horse’ winter appeal, which has raised $50,000 in just six weeks, thanks to the generous support of the racing industry.
With Entain’s presence on both sides of the Tasman Sea, we were very pleased to offer a Cox Plate package, including accommodation and hospitality at this year’s edition of the great weight-for-age race, as one of the live auction items on gavelhouse.com earlier this month. The winning bid of $3,100 went to a racing enthusiast from Hamilton.
Alongside the auction, which featured other exclusive items like Joliestar’s Group 1-winning silks signed by jockey James McDonald and trainer Chris Waller, a range of on-course activities took place across the country, from Ruakākā to Winton, supporting the appeal through race sponsorship and donations.
Our media teams also created content for Trackside and Sport Nation to raise awareness and drive support.
The annual appeal is vital for the national horse ambulance service, protecting the welfare and well-being of the equine athletes at the heart of horse racing. Find out more about the appeal at horseambulance.co.nz. |
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Proisir Plate Day on the mark
Out of challenges comes opportunities, and that’s what Proisir Plate day delivered at Ellerslie earlier this month.
With a new home required for the first Group 1 of the season (a 1400-metre weight-for-age) due to Hastings being out of commission, the team at Auckland Thoroughbred Racing stepped up and put on a top-drawer raceday with turnover eclipsing the $4 million mark.
Most notably, the feature – sponsored by Rich Hill Stud in the name of their outstanding stallion Proisir – attracted a brilliant field of 16, won in equally brilliant fashion by Quintessa.
Our racing fans on both TAB and betcha responded in kind, with double-figure percentage increases in turnover and active customers.
The team also got on board with support of Daffodil Day, with a strong visual presence on-course alongside our promotion of the day through Trackside and other channels. Carrying the Daffodil Day silks, In Haste’s second placing in the Gold Trail Stakes saw Entain donate $2,000 to the Cancer Society, and the Social Racing Team kindly made a $500 donation for Lollapalooza’s classy victory in the same race. |
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Upskilling our customers on racing lingo
As we welcome more customers to our brands, many of them are still learning about the intricacies of racing. With that in mind, our busy Content team have started a “What Is That?” series, to help educate punters about how the world of racing works. Fans of racing will know it has a language all of its own, so series like this are an excellent way to decipher the jargon. |
News in brief:
- September 10 was World Suicide Prevention Day, and in the racing industry, OnTrack is doing some incredibly important work in this space. This year’s theme was “Changing The Narrative on Suicide” and as part of our support for the day, Trackside’s Brendan Popplewell talked to OnTrack CEO Victoria McArthur which you can watch on Facebook. There were also regular calls to action on the day through on-screen graphics. Learn more about OnTrack at ontrack.org.nz.
- With the final confirmation of feature race dates in New Zealand thoroughbred racing, the 2025-26 racing calendar is fully locked in. You can access a digital version of the calendar at tab.co.nz.
- As we near the heights of spring racing, a day at the races is the backdrop for some of our new TAB advertisements. Check out our Responsible Gambling, Odds Surge, and Easy Form ads to get into the groove for spring.
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Entain team profile
Name: Thad Taylor
Role: Broadcast Wagering Integrations
Time with Entain: Two years & four months  |
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Racing/sports interests:
My first love is thoroughbred racing, I spent the best part of the last 20 years being a pricer and trader for the TAB and to be honest it never felt like work.
This passion, no surprise, came from my father. My first racing memory is Kiwi winning the Melbourne Cup in 1983, and I still remember where I was when Bonecrusher defeated Waverly Star in 1986. It was, and still is, something that brings my family together. I also loved reading Racing Form, the ability to study it and then see your own insights play out in such an exciting arena really appealed.
I was an enthusiastic sportsman many moons ago and cricket was the game I loved best. I am now a keen NZ Warriors fan and pray every year this one could be ours. Now, 30 years without a result almost makes me love them more (Stockholm Syndrome). Up The Wahs!
What excites you about the strategic partnership?
Firstly, for me, the scale of Entain has allowed me to take my best skills and move over full-time to the Broadcasting area. Entain really understands the importance of the broadcast/content side of racing and sport, this has allowed me to be part of the storytelling and education about the wonderful world of racing.
Secondly, Entain’s commitment, strategically and financially, has been a much needed shot in the arm for the NZ racing industry after years of under-investment as people weren’t willing to take risks for fear of failure. Their involvement has given us the chance to make the necessary changes to make racing not just survive but thrive. It’s also that vote of confidence in us that has been heartening.
The race event I’m most looking forward to?
The Melbourne Spring is my favourite carnival every year, so the Melbourne Cup and the Cox Plate are races I have always loved – as much for the storylines leading up to the race as the races themselves.
The Ashes cricket is something I could watch from start to finish, but sadly my 3-year-old son will put a stop to that this year.
I was also so impressed with the inaugural NZB Kiwi and the concept of the whole day that I can’t wait for the second edition in March. |
John comments on the numbers “I must say I always take a lot of interest in these numbers as wagering turnover is very much the key to industry growth. I actually get weekly figures, but as you will see from this monthly summary, there were solid increases in betting turnover for gallops and harness and another very solid increase in what Entain describe as “Actives” which is the actual customers placing a bet – as you will see up from 89,900 a year ago to just under 105,000 this year – that represents an increase of almost 18% – this of course against a background where Zealand feels very much in “recessionary mode” with many businesses, particularly in retail and hospitality, with their backs to the wall – it is also interesting to compare these NZ figures with what we are seeing coming out of Australia currently, where there is definitely been a downturn in wagering figures over the last 12 months. Just this week for example Racing Queensland reported an annual decline in wagering turnover of 12%.
To be fair, however, Australian wagering figures had been very very good in recent years, whereas on this side of the Tasman, prior to Entain becoming involved and us seeing significant changes to stakes monies and the racing program as a result, turnovers had been in decline – in other words the increases we are seeing are coming off a “low base” and the challenge now for Entain and the Racing Codes is to sustain and grow these figures even more. Of interest also is the sports betting figure which is up 52% year on year and my understanding is that this growth has been largely fueled by that under 30 age group demographic”
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Ragamuffin to pursue a Jumps career from the Kevin Myers Barn – shares available
The 7yo Gelding RAGAMUFFIN (Belardo – Short Tale), currently trained at New Plymouth by Robbie Patterson, is going to have a change of career direction and a change of Stables as well. A competent performer on the flat with 4 career wins and numerous placings, he has been schooled over the Hurdles by Robbie in recent months and is described by Robbie as a “very proficient” jumper. A change of Stable to the very high profile jumping Trainer, Kevin Myers was recommended and approved by the syndicate Members, so this week RAGAMUFFIN will travel to the Myers Stable Turakina base, where he will have a month in the paddock before resuming work in November and be prepared for the 2026 Jumps season.
The normal process for the Myers Jumping Team is to head to the various Sports Days, Gymkhanas and Point To Point Races that are held over the late summer, early Autumn period ahead of the Jumping season which kicks off in April
Ragamuffin has had 36 career starts to date for four wins (two at 1600m) and 16 other top 5 finishes, so is a handy type who relishes wet track conditions and his jumping ability combined with his proven speed on the flat indicates a bright future over the Jumps – and as we wrote in the Friday Flash last week, there has been significant growth and improvement in jumps racing in the 2025 season and the immediate future looks very bright.
As is usually the case when we transition a galloper from flat racing into jumps racing, there are always a couple of syndicate members who prefer to exit the syndicate as they do not want to be involved in jumps racing – accordingly a 5% share in Ragamuffin has become available for zero consideration and $250 per month from the 1st of November – we can do this 5% in minimums of 1%, with just $50 per month required from the 1st of November. This is a compelling opportunity for readers to get involved with a promising jumping type. If you have interest in all or part of this 5% share, just drop me an email with your preferred maximum percentage
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Guest Commentator – Des Coppins
Before we see what Des has to say this week a note about his tipping service – we have pointed out to readers before that a number of our readers have subscribed to this service and I often get texts, emails or phone calls from readers giving celebratory news about nice collects they have – I had a flurry of these last Saturday, particularly after the Group One race when Des’ three picks ran 1st, 3rd and 2nd and delivered a trifecta divvy of $660!!! He actually tipped out the last 3 winners on the big day at Te Rapa with dividends of $9.60 (first pick) $12.60 (first pick) and $14.20 (2nd pick) – these are impressive results from a tipping service that does not cost a lot to subscribe to – over the years I have subscribed to quite a few tipping services with mixed results and one thing I have noted with Des’ results is its consistency
For example on each race day, beside giving two selections for each race (and occasionally three for the big races) – Des provides a Best Bet and a Value Bet – I have done some analysis on these for the month of September – see below
Best Bet – 25 selections – 10 winners and 21 placings (i.e 1st, 2nd or 3rd) with an average win divvy of $3.10 – I calculate that a betting strategy of level bets for the win would have delivered a 24% return on outlay – not too shabby and this return could be enhanced if one bets progressively (i.e increasing the unit amount following a losing bet and then reverting to the original stake when a collect is made)
Value Bet – 25 selections – 6 winners and 18 placings (i.e 1st, 2nd or 3rd) with an average win divvy of $8 and an average place divvy of $2.50 – a strategy of level win bets here would have delivered a 92% return on outlay and a strategy of 1 unit to win and 3 units the place, a return of 83% on outlay
These are solid results indeed
To celebrate a new month Des is offering our reader two options – $100 for the month of October or $240 for all of October, November and December. Email him dcoppins@xtra.co.nz and he will respond asap.
Here is what Des has to say this week
MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN NZ NOT A PATCH ON OZ WHEN IT COMES TO RACING
As much as we will continue to enjoy having a punt on NZ racing the focus does swing to Australia for the sheer joy of watching some of the very best races at the elite level, both in Sydney and Melbourne. I have a few mates in Oz that don’t want to talk about the rugby right now, despite the chance of a second bite at the All Blacks in Perth, but rather racing and, in particular, one very special race, The Everest.
They’re not alone in such discussions either.
The daily newspapers are punching out story after story surrounding the Everest I’ve been told by colleagues across the ditch and the main tv stations and radio aren’t missing a beat, either. If it’s not ARL and NRL evidently it’s Racing! They are the the Big 3 in sport judged on all round coverage at this time of the year. This is all tells us what we probably already know but worth the reminder.
It’s a pity we don’t get the same recognition with mainstream here, however, and just a wee taste would be appreciated wouldn’t it? To be rated on sports bulletins through all media franchises as the number 3 sport would be extremely satisfying to say the least. Lack of mainstream coverage isn’t helping our growth.
When was the last time you picked up a major daily newspaper and saw a decent racing story? Indeed when was the last time you watched prime time news on tv one or 3 on anything to do with a positive spin on racing.
You can’t recall one can you?You’re not alone, neither can I.
Yet negative stories pop up from time to time which probably tells us that the modern day editors and journalists don’t really give a damn about racing. And sadly it’s a mindset that might be too late to change. That’s all a far cry when we were young, however. Fellow racing enthusiasts from the “baby boomer” era like me will recall when jockeys rode milestone winners; the feat not only became stories in mainstream papers they made it to the front page.
Bill (WD) Skelton is one I remember given 5 star treatment when he became the first NZ jockey to ride 2000 winners. He made headlines for the right reasons and was the lead story not only in the papers but on radio and tv news bulletins as well.
Yet on Saturday Kylie Williams, mother of 3, who’s had her fights with injuries, reached 1000 wins at Riccarton on Saturday with hardly a murmur apart from social media racing outlets and the NZ Herald on the racing page. She’s the first female southern based jockey to achieve the feat. Simply outstanding!
We all reluctantly accept that racing is a distant cousin to just about every other sporting jurisdiction in the media but at the very least I’ll add to the congratulations through this forum on your behalf: WELL DONE KYLIE!
For the record 4 female jockeys have cracked 1000 wins in NZ; Lisa Allpress (1956); Trudy Thornton (1174); Sam Spratt (1127) and Danielle Johnson ( 1082).
MY TOP 5 JOCKEYS
Recently I ranked the top 5 NZ horses in my opinion in the 50 years I’ve been involved professionally in racing. I’ve been asked a few times whether or not I’d care to rate my top 5 NZ born jockeys. That’s more difficult. But I’ll give it a go for entertainment purposes.
In rating order:
5. NOEL HARRIS :
He had the balance and poise in the saddle like few others. He was a kind rider who preferred hands and heels over the whip all the time in the era when over zealous whip actions weren’t frowned upon as much. His judgement in staying races was unrivalled.
4. SHANE DYE:
He was one who rode hard but had a terrific strike rate in the big races. To win 4 Golden Slippers is a testament of his greatness. Of course he also won a Cox Plate and a Melbourne Cup. 92 group ones to his name. A very strong rider in close finishes.
3. BRENT THOMSON:
He was a globe trotting champion. He was the Wanganui Whizz Kid with domination in NZ from his first win as 15-year-old before embarking on an international career as an 18 year old in Melbourne where he won three Victorian premierships. As well as group one glory in the UK Brent will always be remembered as the Cox Plate king with wins in ‘75, ‘77, ‘78 and ‘79.
2. JIM CASSIDY:
As as good as any in a driving finish. Jim pumped those legs like few others and he had a terrific judge of pace whether he was on front runners ( Might and Power) or back runners ( Rough Habit and Kiwi). Over 100 group ones to his name. He rode against the best in Sydney; Dittman, Beadman, Cook, Dye, Quinton, Rawiller, Johnston etc but he was always up to the challenge.
1 JAMES McDONALD:
The best of the best. What’s he’s done in such a short time is truly remarkable.
He dominates the Sydney premiership season after season and throughout the world – he’s won over 120 group ones. He simply has the Midas touch and his ability to put his horses in the right spot and get the best out of them is staggering. He’s a world champion twice!!
Des Copppins with James McDonald – this picture taken when James was a guest speaker on one of Des’s Melbourne Cup tours and if you think James looks a bit “fresh based” that’s because the year was 2014!!!
THREE TO FOLLOW FROM RICCARTON
MIDNIGHT OAK: he never looked the winner in the small field at Riccarton but the way he attacked the line left little doubt that Robert Dennis has this youngster ready to strike. He was quicker than anything over the final 400 when running 4th in the 5-horse field.
CHARBANO : his run last Saturday was encouraging. He had chequered run in the straight but was very quick over the last 200m. He was in useful form this time last year.
MYSTIC PARK : the stable has him peaking at the right time with a race like the Stewards ( he won it last year) high on the list of priorities. The way he finished the race off on Saturday was eye catching.
Des Coppins
021 448 052
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