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Mercury
a day ago
- Sport
- Mercury
Muswellbrook preview, best bets, inside mail for Sunday, June 1, 2025
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. As the clean up from the devastating floods in northern New South Wales continues, Taree trainer Tony Ball is looking to cause an upset in the two-year-old feature at Muswellbrook. Ball has three runners engaged in the Greg Cribb Memorial Red Crown 2YO Handicap (900m) in Andrea, All Too Silent and Northern Glow. Andrea opened a $26 chance on TAB Fixed Odds on Friday morning behind the Peter Snowden-trained Raging Force at $1.35 before firming into $19 after the early scratching of Firepop. The son of Group 1 placegetter Graff made his debut at Newcastle on February 15 when coming from last to finish fifth behind Frostfire, You're The Choice and Mednyi. 'He probably should have run fourth. He just got a bit lost,' said Tony Ball. Andrea (purple and white) finished fifth to Frostfire on debut. Picture: Bradley Photos The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! 'He will get back and get home hard.' Ball said Andrea has shown nice ability but has been a work in progress. 'He has shown me a bit this horse,' Ball said with a laugh. 'He had a few trials because he was slow to get going and put it all together but he has learnt to do it now.' Ball's other two runners in the Red Crown - All Too Silent and Northern Glow – opened as the two outsiders of the field at $101 but he expects them to make their presence felt, especially Northern Glow. The daughter of Group 1 Golden Rose runner-up North Pacific bumped into a pretty smart one on debut at Coffs Harbour where she had to chase the speedy Shaggy before finishing fifth. She then finished seventh behind the unbeaten Zumbo at Grafton on January 27. 'She didn't much wrong in her first preparation, she was just a bit green,' said Ball. She has improved immensely from last preparation and this time, I've put the ear muffs on her. 'She will go forward from the gate. She is quick.' All Too Silent raced in the same two races as Northern Glow when last behind Shaggy before closing from near last when fourth to Zumbo. 'His last run was excellent at Grafton,' he said. 'He's learnt a lot from that first preparation and is a lot different horse now. 'If Andrea is on song, he will beat the other two of time home and will be hard to beat. 'The filly could knock him off if he doesn't run to his potential but he has just a little bit more class than her. All Too Silent can run well but is probably looking for 1200 metres.' Ball's other runner for the day is Star Prediction in the Super Maiden (1280m) and he expects the gelding to go close to breaking through. The son of Nostradamus has placed in three of his five starts including a close second to Solitario at Scone on Cup Day. He also finished third behind Mia Ballerina and Hidden Achievement at Canterbury on April 21. 'He has tonnes of ability and is going enormous,' Ball said. 'He just got beat at Scone the other day. The horse of (Paul) Messara's just grabbed him in the last few strides. 'The second horse in that Canterbury race, Hidden Achievement, was racing at Rosehill this weekend and was also nominated for the Group 2 Sires' Produce at Eagle Farm. 'It's pretty good form.' The three-year-old has drawn out the outside barrier but Ball and jockey Shae Wilkes are too concerned. 'I said to Shae on Friday morning that we've drawn bad this weekend and she said 'We'll be outside the leader after we've gone 50 metres'. 'He worked really well on Friday morning and looks fabulous and I'm sure he will run very well again.' ADAM SHERRY'S TOP SELECTIONS BEST BET Race 7 No. 2: RITZSUN Narrow seconds at his past two runs and can go one better. NEXT BEST Race 3 No. 5: IMAGE OF THE SUN Well suited stepping up to the 2300m and gets her chance. VALUE BET Race 6 No. 7: ZOOMORPHIC Strong wins at his past two and an improving track only helps as he chances a hat-trick. QUADDIE Race 4: 3, 5, 8 Race 5: 1, 2, 8 Race 6: 4, 5, 6, 7 Race 7: 2, 8, 11 JOCKEY TO FOLLOW REECE JONES has some nice rides and looks a chance in the TAB Jockey Challenge. Reece Jones can have a good day at Muswellbrook. Picture: Getty Images INSIDE MAIL – MUSWELLBROOK RACE 1: GREG CRIBB MEMORIAL RED CROWN 2YO HANDICAP 900m RAGING FORCE (2) was well backed on debut in the Group 3 Breeders Plate where he raced wide without cover and finishing a three length sixth to King Kirk. Has since been gelded. Closed strongly under a hold when third in his May 5 Randwick trial. ANDREA (1) was green on debit at Newcastle on Feb 15 where he settled last and wide. He did make up ground to beat a couple home and finish two-and-a-half lengths off Frostfire. IT STAYS IN VEGAS (5) was also green in debut when fifth at Scone on Jan 30. Led and won a Gunnedah trial on May 14. Bet: Trifecta 2 / 1, 4, 5 RACE 2: KELDAN COMMERCIAL COUNTRY BOOSTED 3YO & UP MAIDEN PLATE 900m LAST LALIQUE (8) is a debutant is a half-sister to the consistent Dollar Magic by Star Witness. Sat outside the leader and kept under a good hold to the line when a nose second ion her May 14 Gunnedah trial. BRUMMAGEN (1) was third to Sardonyx at Dubbo on debut in February last year and returned with a handy fourth to Joiselle second-up. Resumes from a long spell after a handy third to Wonder Step in his May 13 Wellington trial. BALLY ISLE (4) will take improvement from his two runs in his first campaign including a debut second to Divine Feminine at Quirindi. Bet: Last Lalique to win RACE 3: ACORP COMPUTERS HUNTER RIVER STAYERS CUP BENCHMARK 74 HANDICAP 2300m IMAGE OF THE SUN (5) settled four lengths off the leader Enterprise Lassie and made ground under her 62kg to finish second over 1600m. Was slow out and always well back when down the drack to Fiorsum Fred in the 1600m Highway at Scone on May 17. Much better suited stepping up to the 2300m. JONNY BE SWIFT (7) battled away for third to Cascade Mountain as an odds-on fav at Gunnedah two starts back before backing up at Taree eight days later when a long head third to Justifiably over 2000m. CASCADE MOUNTAIN (2) is in great form with four wins and a close second from his last five starts. Bet: Image Of The Sun to win RACE 4: SHORTY CRIBB ABERDEEN CUP BENCHMARK 82 HANDICAP 1280m STRATIFIED (5) is racing in consistent form. Led all-the-way to beat Rouge Moulin at Mudgee back on Feb 23. Has placed in three of his four runs since and was fourth in the other. Just run down late by Lockdown Gamble at Mudgee last start. MCKEON (8) came from a long way back when beaten just over two lengths by Ballinderry Sal in the TAB Highway at Randwick two starts ago. Bounced back to winning form to beat Ritzsun in the Highway on Gosford Cup Day. INFERENCIA (3) led all-the-way to win a Rosehill Highway on Mar 22 before an eighth to Bianco Vilano at Warwick Farm. Bet: Stratified each-way RACE 5: THE ROYAL HOTEL MUSWELLBROOK SUPER MAIDEN HANDICAP 1280m STAR PREDICTION (1) battled away for third behind Mia Ballerina and Hidden Achievement over 1250m at Canterbury three starts back then struggled in the very heavy ground when sixth to Mille De Lune over 1500m at Newcastle. Back to 1300m and just nabbed by Solitario at Scone last start. JUSTICE WARRIOR (2) was okay when second to Cashaway Gold at Port Macquarie first-up and better when second to King's Secret at Gosford. Raced keen with a sit and didn't finish off when sixth to Queen's Rhapsody at Hawkesbury last start. CALIFORNIA SECRET (8) resumes here. Closed nicely from last for third in his May 13 Warwick Farm trial. Bet: Star Prediction to win RACE 6: JTS REALTY COUNTRY BOOSTED CLASS 2 HANDICAP 1450m ZOOMORPHIC (7) was ultra impressive winning a Mudgee Super Maiden and followed with a nice win from Only Need One on a Soft 5 at Dubbo. With an improving track here, his chances of a hat-trick improve. NAVY STEEL (4) has two wins and a close second from his four runs this time in. Just beaten under 61.5kg at Inverell last start. SANZENO (5) had no luck when down the track in the 1600m Highway at Scone last start. Was a handy third to Otium over 1700m at Scone and a half-length second over 1400m to Mulvader at Mudgee before that. Bet: Zoomorphic each-way RACE 7: SNOWDEN RACING BENCHMARK 66 HANDICAP 1000m RITZSUN (2) raced outside the leader when a neck second to Deion at Mudgee then raced in the middle of a lie of three before going to the front when a head second to Mckeon in the Highway at Gosford. Drawn wide but gets a claim and can break through. MOVE SHE CAN (11) scored a nice win first-up at Scone before a third to Hulu here. Bumped at start and got well back when fifth at Tamworth last start. Drawn well and should settle in a forward position. OCTAVIAN TREASURE (8) and CUMBOOGLE (1) have claims. Bet: Ritzsun to win
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Good gate has Kimochi poised for Group 1 Kingsford Smith boilover
Trainer Gary Portelli has Kimochi primed to enhance her 'giant-killer' reputation in the Group 1 $1m Kingsford Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Kimochi is an outstanding mare, having earned over $2m prizemoney with four wins and 10 minor placings during her 21-start career. • 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! But in each of her four wins, Kimochi has never started shorter than $6.50 and was at $26 when she won the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes last spring. TAB Fixed Odd price assessors have Kimochi at generous odds again of $10 for the star-studded Eagle Farm sprint that includes Joliestar ($3 favourite), Giga Kick ($5), Benedetta ($7.50) and Private Eye ($8.50). But Kimochi has shown repeatedly during her race career that she is very competitive at this level although more often than not her chances have been impacted by wide barriers. So, Portelli was relieved when Kimochi finally drew a favourable barrier with gate three for the Kingsford Smith Cup. • Ray and Duff's Rosehill Saturday tips, analysis: $3 best bet 'Kimochi always seems to draw double-digit gates so it's nice to draw an inside barrier for a change,'' Portelli said. 'I'm really happy with her. I've basically set her for the Kingsford Smith Cup and then the Stradbroke Handicap virtually from the moment she came back into work. 'Weight-for-age races probably don't quite suit her and she is better at handicap level but from that barrier this does look a race where she can be very competitive.'' Portelli will be at Eagle Farm for Kimochi's Group 1 bid but the master trainer will be watching with interest when his two-year-olds Queen Of Clubs and Kilbrannan race at Rosehill Gardens and Kembla Grange respectively. Queen Of Clubs, a daughter of leading Arrowfield Stud stallion Maurice, was unplaced in two runs last spring and resumes in the Rosehill opener, the Schweppes Handicap (1300m). But Portelli has a very health regard for Queen Of Clubs' emerging ability. 'I like her as a classics type of filly later on,'' Portelli said. 'This is part of the process about getting her educated and although it's pretty strong race I want to see her running through the line with a view to getting her ready for the spring three-year-old fillies races.'' Kilbrannan is making his debut at the provincials over 1000m but is also a two-year-old Portelli believes has a bright future. By top sire Pierata out of Mull Over, Kilbrannan is a half-brother to Portelli's 2022 Golden Slipper winner Fireburn. 'Kilbrannan goes pretty good,'' Portelli enthused. 'I like the way he has been trialling, even though he has wanted to get a bit keen in his trials. 'But I feel the Kembla race will be run at a good 'clip' so we should have no trouble getting him to settle. 'He will be ridden quietly and look for him to be finishing off well, he's a nice colt.''
Newsroom
3 days ago
- Business
- Newsroom
Opening the door to problem gambling
New Zealanders gamble away billions annually. Now they don't even have to slide into a pub and sit in front of the pokies – they can tap into online sites and lose money from the comfort of their homes. All but two of those sites – Lotto and the TAB – are unlicensed and run from overseas. Even the Auckland and Christchurch casinos run their sites from Malta. They are not illegal, but they're not licensed here so it is illegal for them to advertise to Kiwi punters. Law changes are in the wind. They won't block international organisations from operating in New Zealand, but they will allow 15 licensed operators to legally operate in the country from February next year, including allowing advertising. The aim of Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden's amendment to the 2003 Gambling Act is to harness tax revenue and gain some measure of harm mitigation. In the 2022/2023 financial year Kiwis collectively lost $2.76 billion to gambling, and the way the industry's evolving, says Andree Froude from the Problem Gambling Foundation, that figure is only going to increase. 'People are just being bombarded by gambling advertisements, so that tends to normalise gambling and make it seem like it's just a normal activity or a normal part of life,' she says. Van Velden announced the online gambling bill at the end of last year. Its purpose is 'to regulate online casino gambling to facilitate a safer and compliant regulated online gambling market,' she says. More importantly, it will prevent and minimise online gambling harm and limit opportunities for crime and dishonesty. Limited online options here have led to a boom in New Zealanders who participate in offshore online gambling, Froude says. 'Although we haven't got any hard data around it, we do know from bank transaction data that people are gambling on these offshore sites.' She says gambling on these sites does come with added risk, which is why the Government is looking to increase the number of licensed casinos. That would give companies SkyCity and Christchurch Casino the opportunity to move their business back to New Zealand. They're operating offshore 'essentially is to get around our law because they've been waiting for this regulation to happen,' Froude says. However, it's unclear whether either company will be successful in obtaining one of these licences. Van Velden has made it clear that New Zealand companies won't get preferential treatment over international ones. 'I have considered whether or not it should be domestic priority or offshore priority. I think it's fair just to allow anybody to bid for one of the licences, rather than try and say, just because you're here and you've been established for years in New Zealand, you're necessarily a better operator,' she told RNZ in March. The bill will also be tougher on the rule breakers, with the penalty for unlicensed offshore businesses caught advertising in New Zealand increasing to $5 million. But the penalty for individuals who promote offshore gambling sites will remain capped at $10,000, which Froude believes isn't enough. 'If they're promoting overseas gambling illegally then the fine should be much bigger than what it currently is … we just need to set a benchmark because promoting overseas gambling, even though it is prohibited, we've just seen so much of it,' she says. A popular method for offshore companies is to use Kiwi influencers to promote their games on social media. This is illegal and the Department of Internal Affairs is cracking down on users who are involved. Many of them have been issued formal warning letters, and one influencer, Millie Elder-Holmes, has been fined $5000 for repeatedly promoting online gambling despite multiple warnings from the department to stop. Ultimately Froude says the goal is for the number of Kiwis who gamble to go down. But with these new changes, she's expecting usage to increase. 'Because it's new to New Zealand, it's licensed in New Zealand. We just want to make sure that the harm-minimisation measures, and the host responsibility measures are absolutely robust,' she says. There are several measures the Problem Gambling foundation would like to see mandated in this bill. 'We'd like to see mandatory pre-commitment, so somebody pre-determines the amount of money and the amount of time they're going to spend gambling. We would like to see credit cards being banned because people gambling with credit is really risky. 'So there's lots of things that we want to see happen to make sure that we do get this right because we have concerns around [the bill] despite that. And there's lots we don't know, the devil will be in the detail with some of this.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
The Citizen
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Dopamine aplenty on offer this weekend
Scottsville's sprint Jackpot pool is set to top R1.5 million. Like addictive drugs such as cocaine, heroin, nicotine and alcohol, gambling activates the brain's reward system, which is powered by dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter inside the brain that reinforces sensations of pleasure. That's what comes up if you ask Google why people gamble. Of course, we know that seeking too much pleasure reinforcement is unlikely to be good for us in the long run, so best be a tad careful with the dopamine fixes during this Champions Season at the racecourse. Health warning out of the way, on to the fun part: planning to scoop big Jackpot pools coming our way this weekend. Three carryovers totalling R700,000 will boost pools for Jackpot One wagers this coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Jackpot Ones at Fairview on Friday 30 May and at Hollywoodbets Kenilworth on Sunday 1 June will kick off with R100,000 carryovers, TAB announced on Monday. Between those two dates, the Jackpot One pool at Hollywoodbets Scottsville on Saturday 30 June will get a weighty R500,000 carryover. The Scottsville meeting features four of South Africa's major sprint races, and they make up the four Jackpot One legs on the day. The four sprints, all over 1200m, comprise three Grade 1 contests and a Grade 2, with the R1.5 million Gold Medallion for two-year-olds heading the show. TAB predicts this pool will top R1.5 million, with the carryovers at Fairview and Kenilworth generating pools of more than R500,000. Down the line Looking a bit further ahead in the KwaZulu-Natal season, on Saturday 7 June punters will be able to bet into the huge Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool tote on Races 7 to 10 at the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge meeting, and on all races at the Epsom Derby meeting in the UK. In other good news for the patrons who keep cash churning through the system, the Pick 6 first-timer rule has been extended to include the Bipot – as seen at Greyville racecourse this past Saturday. Should first-timers finish first and second, the first horse to finish of those to have run before also qualifies for the Bipot. 'The purpose of applying the first-timer rule to the Bipot is to prevent customers from being disadvantaged by first-timers and will be welcomed by the many customers who have requested it apply to both the Pick 6 and Bipot,' said TAB. 'It should be noted that, in the Bipot, the first-timer rule does not apply in the event of a raced horse finishing first or second. 'As with the Pick 6, the first-timer rule only applies to Bipots on South African race meetings. In Quickmixes, it applies to South African races only.' Fields for the Scottsville sprints have been finalised. SA Fillies Sprint (draw, name, weight, MR, trainer, jockey) 1 Double Grand Slam 60 122 Justin Snaith Richard Fourie 2 Frozen Fantasy 58.5 99 Robyn Klaasen Kabelo Matsunyane 3 Symphony In White 58.5 105 Candice Bass-Robinson Andrew Fortune 4 Just Be Lekker 60 109 Candice Dawson Serino Moodley 5 Rascova 60 122 Sean Tarry Gavin Lerena 6 Chasing Happiness 60 112 J A Janse van Vuuren S'manga Khumalo 7 Mrs Browning 60 113 Sean Tarry Luyolo Mxothwa 8 Mia Moo 60 115 Sean Tarry Callan Murray 9 Whistle The Tune 58.5 105 Candice Dawson Calvin Habib 10 Asiye Phambili 60 116 Duncan Howells Sean Veale 11 Gimme A Shot 60 110 M G Azzie/A A Azzie Muzi Yeni 12 Mai Sensation 58.5 105 Lucinda Woodruff Juan Paul vd Merwe 13 Chrome Tourmaline 60 106 Fabian Habib Diego De Gouveia 14 Gimmie's Countess 58.5 107 Dean Kannemeyer Craig Zackey 15 Convocation 60 92 Gareth van Zyl Athandiwe Mgudlwa
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
WeBank Technology Services Wins International Fintech Award
HONG KONG, May 26, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 22, at the TAB Global Financial Technology Innovation Awards 2025 ceremony held by The Asian Banker ("TAB"), WeBank Technology Services and Fusion Bank were jointly awarded the Best Core Banking Technology Initiative (Small Bank) in Asia Pacific for their collaborated project of Next-Generation Core Banking System. The TAB Global Financial Technology Innovation Awards is one of the most prestigious benchmarking awards for technology innovation leadership and performance in the global financial services industry. The Best Core Banking Technology Initiative specifically acknowledges institutions with exceptional technological advancement in core banking systems. This is the first time in three years that a Hong Kong digital bank won at the TAB Global Financial Technology Innovation Awards, indicating the technological leadership of the project's collaborative achievement. The award-winning project was launched to enhance Fusion Bank's digital service capabilities and meet its business innovation and cost-efficiency needs to ensure the bank's sustainable development. The project covered upgrade of over 150 subsystems across five core business areas of Fusion Bank, and was completed with a swift cutover in just 15 hours. The data in legacy systems from various vendors were seamlessly migrated to the new core banking system within merely six hours. Supported by WeBank Technology Services with its core banking system solutions, the project has set a new benchmark in banking system upgrade for the banking industry in Hong Kong. Leveraging the distributed architecture design from WeBank Technology Services, the upgraded system can now scale on demand according to business growth, solving the previous pain points of high upfront IT investment. Additionally, it further enhances the business agility and shortens the time-to-market for new product launches, through parameterized products, process orchestration, and AI-native capabilities. After the new system went live, the product development cycle of Fusion Bank was reduced from an average of six months to three months, with non-human IT costs expected to be cut by 53% by 2027. Notably, the new system is widely compatible with mainstream software and hardware, offering the advantages of openness and being technology-agnostic. The Asian Banker highlighted: "WeBank Technology Services and Fusion Bank have demonstrated exceptional innovation through the successful execution of this technology initiative, effectively addressing current and future business needs while enhancing service capabilities. This has resulted in notable business outcomes, significant efficiency gains and enhanced customer value, surpassing industry peers." Billy Chiu, Chief Technology Officer of Fusion Bank, said: "We are truly honored to be the only Hong Kong digital bank receiving this award in the past three years. It is a significant recognition for both Fusion Bank and WeBank Technology Services. The upgrade of our next-generation core banking system shows our ongoing commitment to advancing financial inclusion through fintech, making our banking services more accessible and efficient for a broader segment of the community." As the wholly-owned fintech arm of WeBank, WeBank Technology Services leverages the parent company's leading practices in digital banking, focuses on providing digital finance and digital infrastructure solutions globally. Currently, WeBank Technology Services is expanding its partnership with multiple institutions across markets like Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Qatar. About WeBank Technology Services Launched in Hong Kong in June 2024, WeBank Technology Services sets out to leverage WeBank's cutting-edge fintech capabilities and digital finance best practice to deliver a variety of superior digital finance and digital infrastructure solutions to digital banks, financial institutions, government agencies, and industry partners worldwide. About WeBank Established in 2014, WeBank Co., Ltd. ("WeBank") is the first digital bank in China. WeBank provides convenient financial services to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and the public, and continuously improves the quality of services in response to customers' specific needs. WeBank has served over 420 million retail customers and 5.8 million enterprises. WeBank has pioneered the development of the world's first fully distributed next-generation core banking system using standardized hardware and open-source software. It maintains an exceptional system availability of 99.999% with peak daily transaction exceeding 1.4 billion, while the annual IT O&M cost per account remains as low as USD 0.3, only one-tenth of the industry average. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE WeBank Technology Services Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
