Latest news with #GregWright
Courier-Mail
4 days ago
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Trainer Greg Wright has rethink on name change after The Right Way wins again at Doomben
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. Former Kiwi aluminium smelter worker Greg Wright had been planning to right a wrong and change the name of his horse, but now he thinks it would be a mock. Six-year-old gelding The Right Way won as a well-backed $3 chance at Doomben on Saturday, making it three wins from his last five starts. Pro Tips View All All Tipsters - Last 12 Months Profit Profit 0 * ROI 0 Strike Rate 0 Units Tipped 0 Avg. Winner Odds 0 • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Scoring the BM90 Handicap (2000m) on Saturday was a sweet enough moment, but it was even better with Wright's dad Alister on track. Alister owns the galloper and splits his time between living in Australia and New Zealand. The Right Way was meant to be named The Wright Way, after the son and father team, but the name of the galloper was incorrectly submitted. 'I was going to apply to change the name, but I don't think I will now,' Greg Wright said. 'The horse is winning and I am worried if I change his name I might put the mock on him and he might stop winning. 'This was my first winner in Brisbane, this horse just loves to run and he gives you everything he has got.' • 'I almost had to have a beer to function': How hoop won booze battle When Greg Wright moved to Australia five years ago, he and his dad purchased mainly unraced young horses. The Right Way was one of those and was bought sight unseen on his pedigree by Alister Wright. Trainer Greg Wright (left) after The Right Way's win at Doomben, with Wright's Dad Alister pictured on the right. Picture: Trackside Photography A NEW RACING DAWN? The Brisbane Racing Club is seizing the moment in the quieter months of the racing season and hosting regular themed Saturdays to try to attract and engage new audiences. The recent Teddy Bears Picnic at the Races was one of those days, with a day of fun for families with the jumping castles, a children's disco and pony rides. Saturday at Doomben was the Mekka race day with doof doof music and other dance party style entertainment for the funky young crowd, headlined by Thundamentals. For the racing purists, there was co-mingling between the general admission crowd and the members. • 'Elitist, outdated, unengaging': AI's brutal warning for racing On September 6, there's a country music race day at Doomben and also a special wine lunch with Australian cricket great Ricky Ponting. Also upcoming is a day where 160 years of racing at Eagle Farm will be celebrated and it's understood the entry price on that day will be the equivalent of what it would have been 160 years ago. There's a bit of something for everyone on these off-season days and racing needs to chase these opportunities. 'We have challenged ourselves to look at more ways to broaden racing's appeal,' BRC chief executive Karl deKroo said. 'We are always going to have our rusted-on racing fans and that's great. 'But a big part of what we need to do is to look at our offerings and offer different things on different days.' It comes after artificial intelligence gave a brutal warning to racing, finding it was often 'elitist, outdated and unengaging'. The AI platform ChatGPT found racing should 'rebrand racing days as experience, not just betting events.' Originally published as Trainer Greg Wright has rethink on name change after The Right Way wins again at Doomben
News.com.au
4 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Trainer Greg Wright has rethink on name change after The Right Way wins again at Doomben
Former Kiwi aluminium smelter worker Greg Wright had been planning to right a wrong and change the name of his horse, but now he thinks it would be a mock. Six-year-old gelding The Right Way won as a well-backed $3 chance at Doomben on Saturday, making it three wins from his last five starts. Scoring the BM90 Handicap (2000m) on Saturday was a sweet enough moment, but it was even better with Wright's dad Alister on track. Alister owns the galloper and splits his time between living in Australia and New Zealand. The Right Way was meant to be named The Wright Way, after the son and father team, but the name of the galloper was incorrectly submitted. Got it right! ✅ The Right Way hangs on at @IpswichTurfClub in the Stayers Final! @emilyyplang @RaceQLD â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025 'I was going to apply to change the name, but I don't think I will now,' Greg Wright said. 'The horse is winning and I am worried if I change his name I might put the mock on him and he might stop winning. 'This was my first winner in Brisbane, this horse just loves to run and he gives you everything he has got.' When Greg Wright moved to Australia five years ago, he and his dad purchased mainly unraced young horses. The Right Way was one of those and was bought sight unseen on his pedigree by Alister Wright. A NEW RACING DAWN? The Brisbane Racing Club is seizing the moment in the quieter months of the racing season and hosting regular themed Saturdays to try to attract and engage new audiences. The recent Teddy Bears Picnic at the Races was one of those days, with a day of fun for families with the jumping castles, a children's disco and pony rides. Saturday at Doomben was the Mekka race day with doof doof music and other dance party style entertainment for the funky young crowd, headlined by Thundamentals. For the racing purists, there was co-mingling between the general admission crowd and the members. On September 6, there's a country music race day at Doomben and also a special wine lunch with Australian cricket great Ricky Ponting. Also upcoming is a day where 160 years of racing at Eagle Farm will be celebrated and it's understood the entry price on that day will be the equivalent of what it would have been 160 years ago. There's a bit of something for everyone on these off-season days and racing needs to chase these opportunities. 'We have challenged ourselves to look at more ways to broaden racing's appeal,' BRC chief executive Karl deKroo said. 'We are always going to have our rusted-on racing fans and that's great. 'But a big part of what we need to do is to look at our offerings and offer different things on different days.' It comes after artificial intelligence gave a brutal warning to racing, finding it was often 'elitist, outdated and unengaging'. The AI platform ChatGPT found racing should 'rebrand racing days as experience, not just betting events.'
News.com.au
03-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Listed $300,000 Caloundra Cup: The Right Way or The Wright Way for owner Greg Wright?
Caloundra Cup hopeful The Right Way should have been called The Wright Way, but his trainer and former aluminium smelter worker Greg Wright certainly isn't complaining. Former Kiwi Wright, who moved to Queensland five years ago, says The Right Way was meant to be named after him and his father Alister who is the owner of the galloper. 'It should have been spelled with a 'W' but my Dad put the name of the horse through and he didn't tell his partner who was submitting it, that it was a 'W',' Wright laughed. 'It is a shame and we may even change it, because in Australia you can do that. 'When I moved over to Australia I purchased mainly unraced young horses, one of which is The Right Way who was bought sight unseen on his pedigree by my father who owns him. 'He is a big and slow-maturing lovely horse who I hope will continue to get better with age as he still does some dumb things like jumping the crossing and over-racing early if the tempo is too slow for his liking. 'He won the Stayers Final at Ipswich which was a target race, so anything else he does for the rest of this preparation is a bonus. 'At Ipswich he was aided by some great riding from Emily Lang. 'I said to someone it was a ten out of ten ride and they said 'no, it was twelve out of ten'.' Got it right! ✅ The Right Way hangs on at @IpswichTurfClub in the Stayers Final! @emilyyplang @RaceQLD — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025 • Guineas bid a nod and a Winx to Tighe's mighty mare Bookmakers have taken notice of the five-year-old gelding's win over 2500m at Ipswich and he is rated a $12 chance for Saturday's Listed Caloundra Cup which is raced over 2400m. Wright's galloper has drawn the widest gate but drawing wide didn't worry him at Ipswich and Lang has again been tasked with working her magic. Wright is enjoying his new career in the Sunshine State which is a far cry from his former life in Invercargill, the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand. 'I worked shift work at the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter near Invercargill, for just short of 20 years,' Wright said. The Right Way gives a good kick to win Race 4 at @SCTurfClub! — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 8, 2025 • The Inflictor has spell put on hold after rainy realisation 'I was an owner/trainer of usually a couple of horses at a time, riding most of the work and the gallops myself. 'I worked my way up to be a Metal Scheduler and I co-ordinated the tapping of molten metal through to the cast house into the appropriate furnace, alloying the furnace to the specific alloy required and setting the tapping tickets for the next shift among other tasks. 'We decided to come to Australia when there was talk of shutting the smelter and my father Alister had been suggesting that the racing opportunities were far greater in Australia. 'I'd love to win at Caloundra with this horse, we have a light weight (53kg) and a lovely horse that we are already so proud of and lucky to have.'
Finextra
26-06-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Experian integrates Mastercard ID verification and fraud prevention tech
Experian today announced the integration of Mastercard's identity verification and fraud prevention technology into the Experian Ascend Platform. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. This collaboration will enable seamless, secure, and efficient identity verification for the company's more than 1,800 global clients across industries such as financial services, automotive, health, and digital marketing, helping to prevent fraud and cybercrime. A key feature in Experian's Identity and Fraud solutions, identity verification, plays a vital role in the fight to prevent fraud and cybercrime. Ninety six percent of decision makers view identity verification as an important tool in preventing fraud, but 27% of businesses report that their current identity verification strategy negatively impacts legitimate customers and their experience. Mastercard's Identity Insights enriches Experian's data by verifying and connecting identity elements, aiming to validate individuals' authenticity. When combined with Experian's advanced fraud-detection capabilities, the integration offers robust protection against synthetic identity and application fraud, enhancing detection while reducing friction for legitimate customers. This solution is available through the Experian Ascend Platform across multiple geographies, including North America and UK & Ireland. The joint solution delivers powerful identity assessment by uniting the Experian Ascend Platform—a decision engine built on Experian's comprehensive data, strategy design, decision automation, monitoring and reporting—with Mastercard's Identity Insights for validating identity elements such as name, email, and phone numbers, and analyzing related metadata. The expanded collaboration builds upon the two companies' existing relationship, which has also encompassed open banking-powered solutions; Mastercard's identity solutions can be accessed via Ascend Platform in multiple geographies. 'When acquiring new customers, our clients want a frictionless process where both ID and fraud, as well as credit risk, can be assessed as part of a single request that streamlines and speeds the customer experience,' said Greg Wright, Executive Vice President of Identity and Fraud, Experian Software Solutions. 'Success is measured by helping our clients grow their business while making fast, efficient decisions. By enabling clients with advanced analytics solutions that bring credit, identity, and fraud data into the Ascend Platform, we help them achieve their strategic goals while also driving greater financial inclusion for consumers.' 'For many years, Mastercard and Experian have worked together to empower consumers to take financial control,' said Dennis Gamiello, EVP, Identity Solutions at Mastercard. 'By integrating Mastercard's Identity Insights with Experian's platform insights, we're partnering to streamline the entire customer journey from digital onboarding to fast-tracking secure transactions and reducing fraud.' "We believe signing up for electricity should be easy, so we need a system that addresses identity, fraud, and credit risk without adding friction or hassle for our customers," said Laura Persson, General Manager at OhmConnect Energy, a Texas retail electric provider focused on energy savings. "Experian and Mastercard's automated service accomplishes this, so we can make it easy for our customers to enroll and start their energy-saving journey."
Forbes
26-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
A New Bourbon Whiskey Pays Tribute To U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps And Air Force
Four Branches Bourbon. Devin Williams Photography A new bourbon honors a CIA officer who died protecting his team. It now also stands as a broader tribute to 250 years of U.S. military service. Four Branches Bourbon, founded by veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, will release The Continental, a limited-edition whiskey, in June. The founders, with more than a century of combined service, say the project began as a personal act of remembrance. It grew into something larger. Rick Franco, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and one of the co-founders, first conceived of the idea after the death of Greg Wright Jr., a former classmate at the Virginia Military Institute and CIA colleague. Franco had recruited Wright into the agency. In 2005, Wright died during a mission overseas. 'In 2005, following a successful mission in the Middle East, several CIA officers and Greg were returning to base when their vehicle was ambushed on the main highway,' Franco says, via email. 'Amid the chaos, Greg remained calm and professional, expertly maneuvering through a 40-kilometer chase under relentless enemy fire.' Wright, shot while shielding a wounded teammate, died at the scene. He was 32. His death left a lasting mark on Franco. 'It was through processing this that Rick came up with the idea to blend a barrel of bourbon as a way to honor Greg and all of the other unsung heroes in our lives,' the company's background materials state. Franco later spoke with Mike Trott, an Air Force veteran, and the two decided to turn the idea into a broader venture. 'The story of Greg Wright Jr. is the foundation of why we started Four Branches,' Franco says. Four Branches Bourbon now includes co-founders from all four military branches. Trott connected Franco with Harold Underdown, a Navy veteran, who then brought in RJ Casey from the Army. The inclusion, Franco says, was not part of the original plan. 'It happened organically as the project took shape,' he says. 'As we expanded, we realized we had three branches represented and reached out to RJ Casey to complete the Four Branches.' The founders of Four Branches Bourbon—veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force—created the company to honor those who have served through a shared spirit of remembrance. Four Branches Bourbon The company's upcoming release, The Continental, is named in recognition of the origins of the United States military, including the Continental Army. The release is timed to coincide with the 250th anniversaries of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, all founded in 1775. The Air Force was established in 1947. 'By selecting exceptional aged bourbon for The Continental, we pay homage to the founding of the Army, Navy and Marines, recognizing the enduring legacy over the past 250 years,' Franco says. The release of The Continental comes as the bourbon industry navigates shifting demand. After years of expansion, U.S. whiskey sales volumes fell by 1.2% in 2023 and dropped another 4% in 2024, signaling a slowdown in the category's long-running boom source, according to the Wall Street Journal. Still, the global bourbon market is projected to grow from $8.29 billion in 2024 to $8.92 billion in 2025, driven in part by international demand and a continued emphasis on premium, small-batch releases. Four Branches enters the market during a period of recalibration, offering a purpose-driven release that aligns with consumers' growing interest in authenticity and meaningful storytelling. Franco believes bourbon is an appropriate medium for remembrance. 'Bourbon is an old spirit, predating even the founding of our country,' he says. 'As a uniquely American creation, it only seems fitting to honor our service members with a spirit that embodies our nation's heritage.' That link to tradition is at the heart of the project's message. Four Branches' tagline, 'Serve honorably. Drink honorably,' reflects both military and personal commitments. 'This tagline is deeply personal. 'Serve Honorably' reflects our commitment to serving our country with integrity,' Franco says. 'However, service isn't limited to the military—everyone serves their community in some way. 'Drink Honorably' doesn't replace 'drink responsibly'; it carries a deeper meaning. If you are the one who made it home, honor those who didn't. More importantly, honor yourself by making choices that uphold your memory and legacy. We say, 'We don't drink to forget; we sip to remember.'' The company's founders see The Continental as a way to preserve memory through craftsmanship. The idea of creating a product that marks both personal and national history comes with challenges, but Franco says the guiding principle is simple. 'Our guiding principle is simple: as long as we remain true to our mission—honoring those who have served and those still serving—we will maintain the balance between personal tribute and building a brand with purpose,' he says. Greg Wright's story remains central to the founders' approach. 'Greg Wright died demonstrating extraordinary valor,' Franco says. 'His courage and quick thinking saved the lives of his fellow officers. His story is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who serve, both in uniform and in the shadows. His honor, courage and sacrifice are at the heart of our mission at Four Branches Bourbon.' The Continental is expected to be available nationwide in limited quantities beginning in June.
