Racing makes strides in '08

Million dollar races, a new darling of the turf and the recovery of top jockey Michael Walker highlighted a successful year for racing, though one clouded by a credit crunch at year's end.

Princess Coup, Nom Du Jeu, Seachange and Tell A Tale were the stars, though many in the industry would say former racing minister Winston Peters was as well.

Mr Peters pushed through changes during his time as minister, which others before him had shown little interest in doing. The reduction in gaming duty, breeding tax breaks and a government boost to major racing stakes revived the industry, with the effects shining through this year.

But there was a shadier side, as Mr Peters fell foul of his parliamentary colleagues over donations to his New Zealand First party, with some from the Vela family, who head New Zealand Bloodstock, coming under scrutiny.

Mr Peters was stood down before the election because of probes by the Serious Fraud Office, Electoral Office and police which eventually cleared him, but he failed to make back into Parliament in November, despite a push by many in the racing industry to vote for his New Zealand First party. There was no suggestion of impropriety by the Velas.

As a result of Mr Peters' endeavours, the New Zealand Derby will have a $2.2 million stake at the end of February, while the Two Thousand Guineas, Auckland Cup and Telegraph Cup are the other gallops races to join the $2m Kelt Capital Stakes and $1m Karaka Million in the million dollar club.

The huge stakes were not without controversy, especially as the industry has to match the government's contribution and betting turnovers drooped by around 10 percent as the economic downturn took effect, foreshadowing a tough year in 2009.

But if the Two Thousand Guineas at Riccarton was any indication, the million dollar races have added a buzz to racing. Tens of thousands flocked to Riccarton in November and partied - many of them pausing from their drinks to admire the upcoming star Tell A Tale unleash a brilliant finish to just inch out Il Quello Veloce, last season's champion juvenile.

The story had a greater edge. Twenty-year-old Troy Harris was on Tell A Tale, while his 53-year-old father Noel, one of New Zealand's great jockeys, was piloting Il Quello Veloce, who had been earlier crowned champion juvenile of the year.

"It was the first time he has outridden me. I've beaten him 6-0 (in tight finishes)," said the proud father.

Tell A Tale is trained by Mark Walker, who had a bumper year, with Princess Coup performing well in Australia (with a group two win and seconds in the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and BMW) in the autumn and then landing two group one victories at home in the spring - one of them the Kelt, for the second year running.

She replaced the retired Seachange as the darling of the New Zealand turf.

While Princess Coup won the Kelt in a thriller in 2007, just getting the victory on the line, she was dominant this year, easily beating Red Ruler, Nom Du Jeu and Boundless.

That trio had been impressive in the late three-year-old season. In the autumn, Nom Du Jeu became the first New Zealand-trained horse to win the AJC Derby at Randwick since the mighty Bonecrusher in 1986. Red Ruler finished second to give New Zealand the quinella.

Boundless, an upset winner of the New Zealand Oaks in February, nearly gave NZ a notable Sydney double, just going down in the AJC Oaks to Heavenly Glow.

Much was expected after the Kelt of the top four at the rich Melbourne carnival, but Princess Coup had no chance, caught back in the field and trapped on the rail in a muddling run Cox Plate and was then listless in the Mackinnon Stakes. She had had enough for the year.

But Nom Du Jeu lived up to his billing of a Kiwi stayer of note, finishing strongly for second in the Caulfield Cup, to give the new father and son training combination of Murray and Bjorn Baker a great start. Red Ruler was sixth. Nom Du Jeu was then eighth in the Melbourne Cup.

C'Est La Guerre was the other three-year-old staying star, winning the New Zealand Derby on a wet Ellerslie track in March by four lengths for trainer Kevin Myers. The horse was subsequently sold for $1.3m to Melbourne billionaire Lloyd Williams and ran a great third in the Melbourne Cup, won by Viewed who gave Bart Cummings an amazing 12 wins in the race.

Alamosa also performed on both sides of the Tasman, winning the Thorndon Mile and Otaki Weight-For-Age for trainer Peter McKay, before being sold to Wellfield Lodge at Palmerston North for about $5m million, with a future stud career in mind. His new owners transferred him to Mick Price in Melbourne, where he won the Toorak Handicap, his third group one for the year.

McKay had produced Vincent Mangano to win the Karaka Million earlier in the year.

Seachange retired in July after seven group one wins in New Zealand and a spot of globetrotting. She won the Telegraph Handicap sprint brilliantly and followed up with the Waikato Sprint, before heading to Dubai where she was sixth in the $US5m ($NZ6.68m) Dubai Duty Free in Dubai amid a high-powered international field.

One of New Zealand's best horses this decade, Xcellent, was retired in sad circumstances in January. The champ had just won the Trentham Stakes, but Michael Coleman dismounted soon after, as he had hurt a leg. He won eight of his 13 races for $1.65m in stakes, with five of the wins coming in group one events. He won the NZ Derby, the Kelt and finished third in the 2005 Melbourne Cup.

It was a tough year for his trainers, Mike and Paul Moroney, as other topliners, Jokers Wild and Resolution, had to be put down, but the brothers bounced back with Sarerra being a dual group one winner in Australia, Mr Baritone winning the group one Stradbroke Handicap and back in New Zealand, Altered Image claiming the group one Levin Classic.

Fritzy Boy was one of the year's stellar performers. He won the South Island triple crown, but his owners failed to land a $100,000 bonus because there were not enough runners in the last leg, the Southland Guineas, under the terms of the bonus conditions.

In one of the year's bizarre moments, jockey Darryl Bradley, who was riding a rival of Fritzy Boy's in the Southland Guineas, had earlier rung the underwriters of the bonus to see if there was any money in it for him if he won the race.

Bradley was disqualified for four months for bringing racing into disrepute. Fritzy Boy later ran third in the NZ Derby and won the group one Mudgway Stakes in the spring.

Michael Pitman gave the South Island a rare win, at least in modern times, in the trainers' premiership, while Graeme Rogerson racked up his 1878th win in New Zealand at Tauherenikau in February, surpassing the previous record set by Dave O'Sullivan.

Michael Walker was a runaway winner of the jockeys' premiership.

His was the amazing story of the year. He looked on track to becoming the first jockey to get 200 wins for a season, when he suffered serious injuries in May - falling down a bluff while carrying a pig on his back in remote north Taranaki bush.

His injuries were so serious he had to be airlifted to Auckland Hospital for treatment, but by October he was riding horses at trackwork again, as part of his rehabilitation.

"This is definitely a second chance at my life for me," he said.

By November, he had been cleared to ride competitively, and he celebrated with a win at his second ride back, on Santangelo at Matamata on December 4.

In November, veteran jockey Trudy Thornton had starting gate assistants to thank for saving her life after a horse collapsed on her during a race at Ellerslie.

They managed to lift the dead horse, which had cut off her air supply.

Thornton broke a few ribs but, tough as they come, was back riding just over a week later.

Sam Spratt was sidelined for some years after a bad fall at Trentham in 2003, but was the star of the new season, chalking up 50 winners by mid-December and leading the jockeys' premiership. She was in trouble with officialdom for a series of careless riding charges, but with mentoring help from former jockey Bob Vance appeared to overcome the problems.

Lisa Cropp's long running methampetamine case had still not been resolved by year's end. Cropp tested positive to the drug in May 2005 and the case rebounded from a Judicial Control Authority hearing to the courts and back, before the JCA reserved its decision in November.

Cropp rode with a broken leg in a race in November, after being kicked by a horse before the start. She has been sidelined since and was fined by a court in December for dangerous driving.

Top jockeys Bruce Herd and Opie Bosson fell foul of the judiciary in October.

Herd was disqualified for 15 months after Bosson provided a urine sample for him at race meeting. Bosson was outed for four months.

Staying races were under the spotlight this year, with the most controversial move being to downgrade the 2009 Wellington Cup to group two status and reduce its distance from 3200m to 2400m. Young Centaur won this year's Cup but neither he nor Auckland Cup winner Prize Lady made the finals of the stayer of the year award, won by Princess Coup.

O'Reilly was crowned champion sire for the 2007-08 season, but Zabeel was still clocking up winners of major races, with Maldivian claiming the Cox Plate in Melbourne this year.

Isaac Lupton beat Tommy Hazlett to the jumps jockey of the year title, but Hazlett won the jumps season premiership, which extended into September, claiming four wins on the final day at Matamata to extinguish Joanne Rathbone's challenge.

H e won the Great Northern Hurdles on Montezuma, while Hypnotize was jumper of the year, winning the Great Northern Steeplechase for the second consecutive year.

Just A Swagger won the Grand National Steeplechase. He had won the National hurdles in 2004 and 2005. He completed a double for Hawke's Bay trainer Paul Nelson as Just Not Cricket won the hurdles this year.

- NZPA