Latest news with #Forsman
NZ Herald
24-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse racing: Top trainer explains what punters should look for on heavy tracks
'It is very satisfying and we have some nice horses for next season too.' For all Forsman's experience and ability he admits the chances of many of those he sends to Te Rapa and Ōtaki tomorrow come down to a factor the eye simply can't see. 'At this stage of the season what sort of heavy track you get and whether they can handle it dictates so much,' he explains. 'The difference between a Heavy 8 and a bottomless Heavy 10 is huge and once you get to the really heavy tracks, it is nearly impossible to know whether they will handle it or not. 'If they don't, they simply can't win.' Forsman says the best indicator he can come up with as to whether a horse will handle trench warfare-level tracks is strength and size. 'Those bigger and most importantly stronger horses tend to handle the really heavy tracks better, because it can be a battle of who is strongest. 'But it is still really hard to predict and a lot comes down to how heavy it is and whether there is rain on the day, or even the day before.' The best example of the winter unknowns for Forsman tomorrow is Force Of Nature (race six, No 7) at Te Rapa, who has come a long way in a short time but may even skip tomorrow's open 1300m if the weather deteriorates. 'He won here on a Heavy 8 last start but I'd prefer it to come back a point from the Heavy 10 it was today [Thursday],' Forsman said. 'He is a really nice horse who I think will get black type but we don't want to be running him on anything too heavy.' Saint Bathans (R5, No 1) is a one-time Rich Hill Mile runner-up who has shown only glimpses of that ability since, so Forsman has opted for a different approach tomorrow, putting him in an R75 with a carded 63.5kgs but dropping to 59.5kgs with apprentice Sam McNab aboard. 'We know the abiility is there but he hasn't been showing it,' Forsman said. 'We put blinkers on the last two runs but they didn't help so we are taking him back the track where he last went well [second three starts ago]. 'He is big enough to carry a decent weight but it is up to him now.' Forsman has two other reps wearing the No 1 saddlecloth early in the card, with Richard And I (R2) and Rio Grande (R3) both getting star jockey Michael McNab. 'They can both win but it comes down again to how they handle the track. But I do like Richard And I and think he will improve on last start.' Forsman also sends one-from-one filly Accentuate to Ōtaki for the $80,000 Ryder Stakes and an ideal opportunity to get black type and again says how deep the track ends up will be crucial. 'She was really good winning on debut at when it was pretty heavy so she should handle it,' he said. 'I really like her but it is a nice field with a couple of horses with a fair bit more experience than her. 'So a lot will depend how they all handle the track.' Michael Guerin wrote his first nationally published racing articles while still in school and started writing about horse racing and the gambling industry for the Herald as a 20-year-old in 1990. He became the Herald's Racing Editor in 1995 and covers the world's biggest horse racing carnivals.
NZ Herald
01-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Horse Racing: Cashla Bay has form, wet-track credentials for Te Rapa feature
'It was good to tick that box the other day at Matamata and hopefully she can get some black-type.' Cashla Bay will jump from barrier six on Saturday and will be ridden by veteran hoop Vinnie Colgan. 'It all sets up really nicely for her,' Forsman said. 'We have got a good, experienced rider in Vinnie on [her] and she has got the ability. 'The big thing with her is that she jumps and puts herself in the race and she can handle all track conditions. There's no reason why she won't have every chance. 'She has been up a fair while now and this has always been the target, and hopefully she can go well.' Forsman will also be represented in the race by Engine Of War, who will carry the silks of Australian micro-share syndicator MyRacehorse. The Circus Maximus gelding placed on debut over 1100m at Waverley last week, and Forsman is hopeful of a bold showing with that experience under his belt. 'He is a very capable horse, he just lacks experience,' Forsman said. 'We had to take him down to Waverley the other day without the benefit of a trial just to get his campaign going. 'He is a horse we think a lot of and I think he will make a nice horse into the spring of his 3-year-old year.' Engine Of War is the first horse Forsman has trained for MyRacehorse, and he said his future is likely to be in Australia post Saturday's run. 'They have just come on board and bought into him,' Forsman said. 'At this stage, I'd say his future lies in Australia.' On the undercard, stablemate Force Of Nature is a dual acceptor for the Modern Transport Group (1200m) and Peter Kelly-Bayleys 1400, with Forsman to decide on which race he will contest closer to Saturday. 'We put in a late nom for the 1200m, which came on the radar because of the smaller field size and he is probably better-weighted there,' Forsman said.
Eyewitness News
23-04-2025
- Business
- Eyewitness News
Payment delay leaves KwaZulu-Natal charities struggling
Non-profit organisations (NPOs) in KwaZulu-Natal that rely on funding from the provincial Department of Social Development are raising the alarm over the department's delayed payments. Last year GroundUp reported that the NPO sector had its funding budget cut by the KZN social development department by R60-million. On Thursday last week, the department issued a circular informing NPOs of problems processing payments. This has effectively left organisations with no funding since February, and further delays payments for the first quarter tranche of the 2025 financial year, which includes March, April and May. Some are already battling, as delayed payments have become common since the provincial department introduced the new tranche payment system in October 2023. Several NPOs this week told GroundUp that this won't be the first time they have been paid in arrears. The first quarter tranche payment for this financial year was meant to run from April to June. But some organisations say they haven't even received their March payment. Julie Todd, manager of the Child and Family Welfare Society of Pietermaritzburg, said that department-funded organisations only got their December 2024 payments in the January to March tranche. This was confirmed by the department. According to Todd, her organisation has had to take out loans to pay staff. CEO of Lifeline Zululand in Richards Bay Bethel Jewlal said the delayed payment had left the organisation in 'a dismal situation'. LifeLine Zululand offers free mental health services. If payment doesn't arrive next week, they will struggle for two months to pay staff salaries and will have to pay penalties on late payments of bills, she said. Jewlal said in the past her staff have had to to take out loans to cover their personal expenses while the organisation waited for payment from the department. Christelik Maatskaplike Raad, which provides child welfare services, has used its reserve funds to stay afloat during previous payment delays. Following the latest delay to payments, staff will likely not be paid this month, said social work manager Carike Forsman. Recently, due to a lack of funds, the organisation has not been able to pay its electricity and telephone bills, said Forsman. 'The Child and Youth Care Centres also had to cut food budgets as there are no funds for proper meals.' To save money, the organisation has had to make salary cuts and is now considering retrenchments. Forsman said they tried contacting the department last month but received no correspondence about payment until the circular last week. The late payment has also left Emuseni, an old age home in Pietermaritzburg, struggling to pay for essential items such as medicine, adult diapers and food for residents, said general manager Sue McAlister. 'It's heartbreaking that we spend every month-end with our hearts in our mouths, wondering how we are going to keep it all going, and when we will be paid.' Some organisations have had to make alternative plans to find funding. Fiona Balgobind, director of the Pietermaritzburg Child Youth Care Centre, said the organisation had been approved for funding from the lottery. Had this not come through, she would not have been able to pay salaries or expenses this week, she said. The department said in the circular that the delay was due to the implementation of new rules by the National Treasury. It committed to making the first payment by the end of April. It said Spokesperson Thube Vilane told GroundUp that the change to the new system has been challenging for all government departments using the Basic Accounting System (BAS) system. The Treasury also sent its own circular to government departments, explaining the situation on 15 April. According to Vilane, the department is still within the payment deadline as the current tranche only has to be paid by the end of the month. But there is a chance that the payment may not arrive next week. Vilane said the department is currently working to solve the BAS issues. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
