No Holiday for ATC
After confirming that pop act Keli Holiday aka Adam Hyde would definitely play at the Championships despite a tinge of outrage in racing circles on Wednesday morning, the Australian Turf Club now say he has pulled out.
The ATC released a statement on Wednesday night saying that Holiday’s management had pulled the pin.
”The Australian Turf Club (ATC) advises that the scheduled performance by Keli Holiday at The Championships Day 1 has been cancelled.
”Keli Holiday’s management has informed ATC of his decision to withdraw from the performance.
”We will provide further event updates where relevant.”
Hyde, a talented musician and also a member of band Peking Duck, is also in a relationship with Abby Chatfield.
Chatfield, who has a successful media career of her own, is known for her anti-racing views and social media rants
She once famously launched into the predictable #nuptothecup in one of her sprays on social media.
‘’Guys I thought we were done with the races,” Chatfield said in a clip shared to her Instagram at the time.
‘I thought that wasn’t a thing anymore. Like, why are so many people going to the races. What the hell?’
The kicker? She called out celebrities that went to the Melbourne Cup.
So fast-forward to April, her celebrity partner was booked to perform at Randwick after day 1 of the Championships.
When the news broke of his original booking, there were plenty of calls questioning the hiring of Hyde because of Chatfield’s views. Hilariously, the ‘animal welfare’ mob were outraged too. You’d argue that might have spooked him?
Now that Holiday’s off the books, it raises the most pertinent question – who actually gives a flying fire truck what Chatfield, and others, think about the sport?
Aren’t we as an industry big and successful enough to not give a shit what she thinks?
Nice cash if you can get it…
Light Infantry Man traded at as much as $1,000 in-play before going on to win the Carlyon Stakes.
For those unaware, Betfair allows punters to bet right up until the moment the horses cross the line, which can lead to some extraordinary outcomes.
Saturday delivered one of those moments. Light Infantry Man settled handy to the speed but appeared to be under real pressure at the top of the straight. That visual, coupled with the fact he wasn’t mention in the call for much of the straight, likely saw his in-play price explode.
Much to the chagrin of those who laid him at $1,000, Ethan Brown was able to lift the veteran off the canvas late, snatching what was, at least for Betfair in-play backers, a truly improbable victory.
Crazy in-play fluctuations for Light Infantry Man. @Betfair_Aus #Betfair pic.twitter.com/EKAYtjXGUR
— Tom Haylock (@thaylock) February 8, 2026
Tears for Matt
It’s a shame, but racing broadcaster Matt Chapman probably won’t read this.
The UK racing broadcaster has been in the news for the wrong reasons of late, owing a shit-load of cash.
Chapman is now repaying his debts through an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) after his former company collapsed, owing more than £339,000 [$670,000AUD] including a significant debt to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC – which is essentially the UK’s taxman).
Given Chapman’s contracts across the UK media, it’s probably no surprise that many reputable [and even a few that aren’t] didn’t cover the news.
Racing Post did – as did Betsy.
It became apparent during the week that Chapman did indeed read Betsy’s take – and immediately blocked our main account on X, formerly known as twitter.
Which is a shame – Betsy was just planning to ask how a well-paid bloke manages to get it so wrong and owe $670k – but alas, no such luck.
Racing to the Super Bowl, in style
Mark Zahra famously sprinted from Caulfield after winning the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes in 2022 so he could go to the Super Bowl.
He has regularly attended the big game in the years that have followed. Zahra enjoys the best of both worlds – ridding [and often winning] the big races, before taking considerable time off to travel the world with his family. He doesn’t mind a party too.
Zahra is currently nursing a fractured leg, but that didn’t stop him travelling to San Francisco this week to watch the Super Bowl.
A picture posted by former jockey Jamie Spencer shows champion trainer Ciaron Maher and his head of bloodstock Will Bourne plus Zahra enjoying themselves in a private jet following the Seattle victory. Who said the odd injury doesn’t have its benefits.
Taking the heat out of the fire
Word started to filter through on Tuesday night that the Hobart Cup was run approximately 40m short of the 2400m.
But credit to TasRacing for getting on the front foot on Wednesday morning.
Instead of hiding it, becoming defensive or leak it to friendly media, they put out a statement to everyone owning up. They even invited the state’s integrity boss to investigate the fiasco.
CEO Andrew Jenkins and his team have showed a few in the sport how to handle a tough story. No spin, no blaming the messenger or playing victim, just owning it.
Media Watch
We definitely don’t want to get involved in any media spats. Matt Chapman blocking Betsy is enough pain for one week. But some of the carry-on from a few media types this week is comical. The funniest was one usual type hitting out at the media for not covering a certain topic – only to link to a story that had rewritten a yarn broken exclusively by a major racing outlet.
Hill does it, again
Siting in a t-shirt in a cosy Melbourne studio, race-caller Matt Hill is a long way from the glorious spectacle of the Winter Olympics in Milan. Hill has again shown why he is an elite broadcaster, calling events with aplomb. Calling sports outside of racing has been a passion for Hill as he has established himself as a rising star of the AFL calling ranks. Which reminds us of the story of one ambitious type who was willing to join channel 9 so they could cover the Olympics, and the other sports in their stable, only to be told thanks, but no thanks.
