Introduction

I enjoy Horse Racing. I think it is a genetic thing, my father is very much into it, I also have fond memories of my Grandmother sitting in her kitchen in Sydney listening to the radio, taking notes, and following horses. I probably got into it more seriously over the past 6-7 years once I had a real job and real disposable income. I am definitely not a big punter and I couldn't even claim to be a good one, but I do enjoy the challenge of studying form, watching the races, and trying to pick winners.

Why did I start this blog? I have been looking forward to this spring for months, there was a great group of horses in New Zealand last year, they had success in Australia, close and exciting Group 1's, I liked the 3 year old horses who would be moving up and the 2YO's becoming 3YO's this year. I had thoughts on a lot of these things, but really don't have a lot of people to share these with, when I get excited and babble about Jimmy Choux's achievements as a 3YO to my friends their eyes glaze over, people around me don't really seem to care about Racing (this is probably more of a societal trend than something specific amongst my friends particularly in the 25-30 age group where I fall). There are forums out there, and although I like reading these and picking up knowledge, learning and hearing insider stories, these forums do tend to be dominated by Racing insiders and it is intimidating to post in an environment where your credentials matter as much as your opinion. The third reason is simply to put my thoughts into words, I find this is a good way to step back and analyse races and figure out who I like and who I don't, when I go to the races I have the, admittedly geeky, habit of creating a spreadsheet of my picks for that day (Yes, I get mocked for this), this is like a verbal version of this.

This will focus mainly in New Zealand racing. This is what I spend most of my time watching and betting on, these are the horses I follow and know better. I will follow New Zealand horses as they travel for the bigger stakes in Australia, but that is more of an emotional attachment, a chance to see how they rate at that level. I am not aiming to compare and contrast racing on both sides of the Tasman. The reason I like and follow racing in New Zealand for the same reason someone would follow any sports league, they enjoy the competition and know the players/teams, for instance if you liked Basketball it is possible to follow the NBA (assuming the lockout ends soon) and the ANBL without comparing these leagues and simply enjoying them for what they are.

So feel free to enjoy, dislike, comment, mock this at will. This is created both to verbalise internal dialogue and for anyone who is interested to read and discuss.