Latest news with #MichaelWood
News.com.au
a day ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Racing Confidential: Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Wayne Harris recovers from spinal surgery
Wayne Harris, the former champion jockey and popular Sky Thoroughbred Central form expert, is recovering slowly after another major spinal surgery. Harris has had ongoing health issues for some years and been forced to undergo many operations. But he has repeatedly shown remarkable courage to continually overcome his health setbacks. His many friends in the racing industry are hoping he returns to the racetrack very soon. A naturally gifted jockey, Harris won the 1979 Golden Slipper while still an apprentice on Century Miss and later in his career rode Jeune to win the 1994 Melbourne Cup before increasing weight and health problems forced him into retirement. My thoughts to former Jockey Wayne Harris - notably missing from last few weeks covering @kemblaraces - @SkyRacingAU - hopefully he shows improvement soon and we see him back being involved with the Racing he knows and loves. @skyjasonwitham — Anne Munsie (@munsieanne) June 3, 2025 • â– â– â– â– â– MICHAEL Wood, Royal Randwick 's respected track manager, is now in charge of Sydney's four racetracks, effectively immediately. Wood, who has held senior roles at Canterbury and Royal Randwick before taking on the track manager role at headquarters in 2019, said he is 'excited to join with the teams' at ATC's four racetracks – Randwick, Rosehill Warwick Farm and Canterbury. 🚨TAB Track Report 🚨 The latest at Royal Randwick ahead of Bob Charley AO Stakes Day. @racing_nsw | @tabcomau | @SkyRacingAU | @7horseracing 🎟ï¸�Tickets: â›…ï¸� Weather Tracker: — Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) June 5, 2025 • Randwick Turf Talk: Saturday's best bet has a Contemporary feel 'The four tracks all have their points of difference and their own challenges,'' Wood said. 'For example, Warwick Farm has 800-odd horses in training so there's a massive focus on the training tracks there. 'I'm looking forward to the role and getting out to the other tracks more regularly. I think it also shows the ATC's commitment to providing quality racetracks and training surfaces.'' ATC's Head of Racing and Wagering Nevesh Ramdhani confirmed Wood's appointment on Thursday. 'Michael has a wealth of experience and knowledge around racing and track management, and we are delighted to extend his role,'' Ramdhani said. 'Michael is well respected by his colleagues and the industry, and he will work closely with all of the teams at ATC's four racecourses and five tracks to continue to deliver Sydney's world class racing.'' â– â– â– â– â– PRIVATE Eye, racing's $11.9 million earner, will be the star attraction at the Rosehill barrier trials session on Friday. Trainer Joe Pride elected to trial Private Eye rather than start him in the Group 1 $1 million Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm on June 14.
Hamilton Spectator
25-05-2025
- Automotive
- Hamilton Spectator
Car fires are more common than you think. What are the common causes?
'There's a car fire somewhere in Toronto every day, but it rarely makes the news,' says Michael Wood, a Toronto Fire Services captain. Despite high-profile incidents involving electric vehicles (EVs), North American fire services are preoccupied with a far more common menace: fires involving conventional gasoline-powered cars and trucks. Here's a little-known fact: internal combustion engines grow more hazardous with age, especially as our vehicles become neglected and begin to leak flammable fluids. Transport Canada estimates there are about 10,000 vehicle fires nationally per year. In the U.S., more than 170,000 vehicle fires occur annually on average, accounting for one in every eight calls to fire departments there. EVs make up a tiny fraction of vehicle fires. The civil authority in Sweden reported 23 fires in 611,000 EVs in 2022, or 0.00004 per cent. It's true the fires involving electric vehicles can be dramatic, serious and hard to control. An electric Mercedes-Benz EQE 350 sedan parked in an underground apartment garage in South Korea spontaneously caught fire and damaged some 140 other vehicles and left 200 families homeless for weeks. In Toronto, a Tesla Model 3 driven at high speed crashed into a bridge abutment, killing four occupants and starting a battery fire that smouldered for days. They're just two incidents in a growing litany of events that have drawn attention to the challenges of an EV fire that sees its lithium-ion battery overheat or short-circuit, triggering a chemical reaction and fire that can last for days — even submerged under water. 'We're still learning to deal with EV fires,' explained Wood, who is co-ordinator of Centennial College's pre-service firefighter program. 'In the case of the Tesla crash, we put the car's battery into a dumpster, moved it to a secure location and poured sand over it to suppress the fire.' There's little information conveyed about car fires on how they start and why. Proper automobile maintenance goes a long way in keeping your daily ride from going up in smoke. Wood outlined many of the causes of vehicle fires and what he's seen on the job: Leaky fuel system: Fuel leaks are among the most common causes. Gasoline fires typically arise from old, worn fuel lines or faulty fuel line connectors, and leaky fuel-injection systems. Because gasoline vaporizes across a wide air temperature range, the fuel/oxygen mix present under the hood is ideal for ignition. All that's needed is an errant spark. Today's fuel pumps aggravate the problem by working harder to compensate for the drop in line pressure, inadvertently feeding a potential fire. Wood watched a Ford F-150 pickup burn to the ground after it had been serviced (poorly) for a fuel leak. The aluminum hood and body panels melted away, but not before producing some lovely colours as the magnesium burned. Electrical system faults: Electrical system failures are another common cause of vehicle fires. Engines move on their mounts and virtually everything under the hood shakes to some degree, allowing cables to rub off their insulation or fray, and a short-circuit to develop, over time. Battery and starter cables carry enough current to ignite combustibles in the event of a fault. A vehicle's 12-volt battery may produce hydrogen gas when charging, creating an explosion hazard. Fuses, fusible links and circuit breakers provide an element of safety in case of overloaded wiring, but component faults or careless repairs can defeat these safeguards. Overheating engines: An overheating engine is not an uncommon occurrence as a neglected vehicle ages. A malfunctioning radiator or cooling fan is all it takes to send the engine temperature into the red zone and potentially crack the engine's head. Combine an overheated engine with combustible liquids, such as motor oil, transmission fluid and brake fluid, and you have a recipe for disaster. The exhaust manifold on a hot-running engine can exceed 500C — that's high enough to ignite any liquids oozing from a leaking seal. Aftermarket accessories: Sloppy accessory installations can introduce an electrical fault and cause a fire down the road, according to Wood. Something as simple as a mounting screw contacting high-output stereo wiring can short circuit the system and light a fire. Many custom installations have two batteries to operate all of the sound equipment, which makes things doubly complicated. Always get your aftermarket accessories installed by an authorized technician. Backyard mechanics can often overlook complex issues involving the vehicle's computers and wiring. Shortcuts can introduce unwelcome hazards. Catalytic converters: Catalytic converters in your car's exhaust system are tiny incinerators that operate at 700C-800C to convert the harmful exhaust gases into inert ones. A clogged catalytic converter can easily overheat, rising to more than 1,000C, hot enough to heat up the carpet and other combustibles under your feet. Catalytic converters can be a magnet for road debris that catches on the heat shield protecting the converter and this can ignite. A flimsy heat shield may fall off after several years, leaving the catalytic converter exposed to debris, such as plastic or paper bags. (Wood noted that vehicles, especially farm machinery, parked on long dry grass, can set the field ablaze if the heat shield is missing.) Mechanics often throw away loose shields, but they really need to be reaffixed to keep combustibles away from the heat. Pesky animals: Auto technicians often remove nests and stashes of nuts that rodents love to store within the warm confines of an engine. Dried leaves, twigs and other nesting materials rodents bring into the engine compartment act as kindling that can create a fire under the hood, explained Wood. The auto industry's zeal to adopt recyclable, organic materials has introduced a new problem: soy-based electrical wire insulation. This has become a rat treat. Toothy rodents can expose hot wires that may eventually cause a fire. You can buy wire wrap, infused with rodent-repellent, to address the problem. Dangerous cargo: Some people store spare fuel and combustible products in their car or truck. Unauthorized containers left in a hot car will allow fuel to expand, then leak and saturate the trunk liner or carpeting. A motorist who kept pool chlorine in his trunk, along with a cardboard box saturated by a leaky container of brake fluid, saw smoke seeping from his trunk lid — right before watching his vehicle burst into flames, said Wood. In the event of a collision, propane tanks and gas cans can fuel a big fire and endanger lives, he added. Smoking and driving: While just 11 per cent of Canadians are regular smokers, that's still enough of them to make driving and smoking a common hazard. Wood recited stories of motorists who have flicked their cigarette out the window, only to have the burning butt re-enter through the back window and land on the upholstery or carpeting, igniting the synthetic materials. A variation of that, said Wood, involves pickup truck drivers who throw their cigarette out and it lands in the bed of the pickup. The smouldering butt can set fire to cargo, such as cardboard boxes, sawdust and spilled oil, on the bed floor. Some cargo doesn't even need an ignition source, Wood noted. 'Somebody was hauling old manure in their pickup truck on a hot day, and the stuff generated enough heat on its own to spontaneously combust.' No bull!
News.com.au
24-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Tuesday is D-Day for Rosehill sale decision
The contentious Rosehill sale proposal will be determined by an Australian Turf Club membership vote on Tuesday. ATC has a membership base of nearly 11,500 and at most annual general meetings, usually less than 2000 cast votes on various issues. But the club expects at least half of members to vote on the proposal to sell Rosehill for at least $5 billion to make way for 25,000 new homes. Postal and online voting closes at 2pm on Sunday and the only other avenue members have to vote is to attend Tuesday's extraordinary general meeting at Royal Randwick. ATC is likely to side with convention and not allow media into Tuesday's meeting. It is understood all votes will be collated and the result announced on the same day. â– â– â– â– â– THE Royal Randwick track surface was in remarkable shape considering the rainfall which swamped Sydney last week. Despite the track receiving nearly 200mls of rain in the lead-up to Saturday's meeting, course manager Michael Wood and his staff were able to present a track rated as a heavy 9 for the opening race. Australian Turf Club Track Manager Michael Wood updates us on tstate of the Royal Randwick surface in the lead up to today’s @Sportingchance_ cancer Foundation Raceday meeting — Australian Turf Club (@aus_turf_club) May 24, 2025 • World famous Dapto Dogs to be shut down â– â– â– â– â– TABCORP chief executive Gill McLachlan has revealed plans to invest millions of dollars to upgrade wagering facilities in pubs and clubs to improve the wagering giant's retail offerings to punters. In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, McLachlan said he wants to 'prioritise the retail experience' including the 3700 venues across the nation which host betting terminals. 'This investment will make pubs and clubs busier and is at the heart of our business,'' McLachlan said. 'We will be injecting unprecedented levels of promotions and new initiatives into our retail network over the next 12 months as we aim to revitalise our retail offering. 'We want to grow the retail network and work transparently with our partners to create alignment on a growth strategy that creates better commercial outcomes for venues.'' McLachlan said the proposal was the 'biggest upgrade to our retail network in the company's history'' and would include more $20 million in wagering credits and special offers to TAB punters betting in pubs and clubs in the new financial year. â– â– â– â– â– Tabcorp's proposal to stimulate betting on their retail network comes as French racing authorities announced huge prizemoney cuts due to a worrying decline in wagering revenues. France Gallop plans to slash prizemoney by about $A35 million per year as it tries to slash costs and bring the sport to a balanced budget by the end of this decade. Although prizemoney for Group 1 races won't change, stakes for other Group and Listed races will be reduced by 8.5 per cent, and other flat races by 4 per cent. France Galop's administrative council has agreed a plan to cut prize-money by €20 million per year in an effort to bring the sport back to a balanced budget — Racing Post (@RacingPost) May 20, 2025 â– â– â– â– â– Champion jockey James McDonald made the trip to Hong Kong overnight to partner favourite Voyage Bubble in the Group 1 Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday. Voyage Bubble has been dominant over 1600m to 2000m this season but needs to stretch his stamina reserves out to 2400m for the final major of the Hong Kong season. Among his main rivals is England's globetrotting Dubai Honour, winner of three Australian Group 1 races including the Ranvet Stakes - Queen Elizabeth Stakes double in 2023. The William Haggas -trained Dubai Honour returned to Sydney for the autumn carnival this year and won the Tancred Stakes before finishing second to champion Via Sistina in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Hong Kong International Vase last December.
Toronto Star
24-05-2025
- Automotive
- Toronto Star
Car fires are more common than you think. What are the common causes?
'There's a car fire somewhere in Toronto every day, but it rarely makes the news,' says Michael Wood, a Toronto Fire Services captain. Despite high-profile incidents involving electric vehicles (EVs), North American fire services are preoccupied with a far more common menace: fires involving conventional gasoline-powered cars and trucks.
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Climate
- News.com.au
Randwick meeting predicted to go ahead on Saturday despite dire weather forecast
Racing's return to Royal Randwick on Saturday is set to go ahead despite a deluge of rain forecast for Sydney in coming days. Randwick's capable course manager Michael Wood is confident the track surface 'will be fine' to host the 10-race program. 'The water is moving off the track as well as it ever has,'' Wood said. 'We are on the back of a track renovation after the autumn carnival which helps and there is no surface water on the track. 'Saturday's meeting is in no doubt at this stage.'' Wood confirmed he was factoring in the rain forecast to fall at Randwick over the next 48 hours and is also cognisant fine weather is likely on Saturday. 'There is about 30mm forecast for Thursday and another 30mm on Friday,'' Wood said. 'This will bring the total this week to about 70mm by Friday afternoon but then the weather is clearing for the weekend. 'I'm not too worried about rain during the week so if the forecast is right and we don't get any rain on Saturday, then we will have no problem going ahead with the Randwick meeting.'' The Randwick track surface was rated a Heavy 9 late on Wednesday but will almost certainly be downgraded for Saturday's meeting, the first on the track for a month. Despite the expectation of a heavy track surface there are a bumper 171 entries for the 10-race program. With the rail out 10m from the 1600m to the winning post, this has meant field size restrictions with eight races having a capacity 13 starters and the other two races with a 12-horse maximum. But there are full fields all day with only one race, the Charity Challenge Handicap (1600m) not having emergencies although it has the maximum 13 starters. The juvenile opener, the Sporting Chance Cancer Foundation Handicap (1200m), features a possible clash between the talented Chris Waller -trained colt Regulated Affair and boom unbeaten filly Agarwood from the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable. Regulated Affair and Agarwood are being readied for the Group 2 $1m BRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm on May 31. The Waterhouse-Bott stable also has promising three-year-old filly Bella Montagna continuing her preparation for the Group 1 $700,000 Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm on June 7 either at Royal Randwick or Doomben on Saturday. Bella Montagna, the former New Zealand filly who was so impressive at her debut for the stable at Kembla Grange earlier this month, is entered for the Chalouhi Handicap (1800m) at Randwick and also the Group 2 $300,000 Red Roses Stakes (2000m) at Doomben.
