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Why not? Would you not expect if the monopoly were going to recapture revenue lost to overseas operators, that would be evident pretty much immediately?

Galah, not sure I agree with you in regards to the current HRNZ Board having too much business success?

but if you look at the hrnz board and the ceo,they all have well credentialed backgrounds. so,.business success or not,does it make any difference. isn't the most important thing ,we need people who understand what drives the harness product, how to maintain and maximise the profit making parts of the industry.,while mitigating the level of any loss making parts of the industry. in other words ,just common sense is needed. its clear who the industry leaders surround themselves with and who has their ear. then you have the likes of the fella peden. Its like he gets the word from mr steele,who says something like,"matt can you come up with another hair brained spending binge,but this time for the people in the cheap seats,to keep them quiet'. Then peden comes up with some scheme ,so in effect they are not just overspending on the lords,but on the peasants as well. and to be fair to them,it works.It placates the peasants. They too think of how they pay the bills due today and not 3 years time. oh well,i had better get my focus back on the gallops at cromwell today. Money to be made on south island gallops as i have said before,they always have good betting races. Just as good as the grass track harness meetings.

I doubt the "casual punter" worries about any of those factors. A regular punter might and a serious punter would. Although the latter tends to look for value anywhere.

No why? You are trying to find a link between the monopoly legislation AND the number of accounts AND an increase in revenue. You are assuming that you know how many existing accounts with the TAB had accounts overseas AND that some of the new accounts were or weren't NZ customers with only overseas accounts that changed. You are missing a whole lot of data before you derive causation.

I doubt that would happen here. There is no takeout on sports betting here. It's all fixed odds. There is also no tax on it. I think if one were imposed on sports betting and not racing, it would be cried down. More likely to me that sports will claim a fairer share of the revenue that sports betting generates.

And that's 5 months into the effects of the monopoly legislation? You'd expect that to be generating additional revenue of $10m a month by now wouldn't you?

Do you have a link?

Reality is that if they don’t pull their heads in and act with financial acumen now, harness in NZ will be like the racing was like at Parklands Queensland on a Tuesday arvo when it closed down! We need people who have business success not just mates of mates!

PVC webbing machine. This machine plastic coats nylon webbing to make PVC coated webbing used in the horse industry, selling due to health issues, its been in storeage for a few but its all there. To the best of my knowledge there's only 3 of these machines in NZ. Its on trade me if you are keen.

So 105k TAB accounts 2024…. This year 117k, and this is with the introduction of Betcha? Was always going to be false figures when they once again have the monopoly….

Which Clubs have the funds to maintain them and which ones are on a regular basis? That is the fundamental question.

Based on what evidence? If they do then yes they probably are on pay with Ellerslie in terms of what the punter perceives as a quality product. I note with 15 mins before the start of race 1 they have $4,500 in the W/P pools.

In England the racing industry lobbied hard to persuade the exchequer not to increase taxes in the budget released over there this week. They are delighted they have succeeded, no increases but sports betting is going to get a 60% hit, going up from 15% to 25% from April 2027. Betting on horse racing has been declining in England year on year so this will help in 18 months time but what will they, their industry leaders, do in the meantime to improve 'the racing product'? I pose the same question to our industry leaders. An increase to the takeout on sports betting in NZ is not a case of if, rather when? Decent tracks, calendar/pattern and fields are critical to making our industry look attractive to the casual punter.

Pretty funny how these clowns stay corrupt right to the end. I heard a certain someone couldn’t make the heats for the Spion Rose, so they tried shifting it to Christchurch. When that didn’t fly, they just slashed the stake money from 50k down to 30k without telling anyone when its been advertised as 50k from the start of the season.

yes,i agree with that. but you haven't commented on what i said about the strength of harness racing, used to be the level of grass root particpation.(its not now) I'm not sure whether you've ignored that because it can't be argued with. but its obvious you simply believe prioritsing the elite over the grass root people is good policy. And everyone agrees the sport is in serious decline. so its simple,the current policies have contributed to the sports decline. Simple as that. and just as simple,is the point i keep making to you,which you have no answer to. that is,when hrnz have spent all the entain cash and forbury money and cash reserves,which they currently are doing,well what happens then . Because your argument is always the rich and the elite need to be financially rewarded and prioritised. so if we extrapolate out your argument,for me,the logical conclusion is you must believe, the rich leave the sport when the money runs out. your the one saying without all the big stakes and bonuses,the sport will lose them.I'm the one saying that won't happen,your the one saying it will. so where is the sport going to be in 10 years time,as hrnz will have spent that money well before then. Maybe what will happen in 10 years is hrnz can sell up auckland,sieze their assets,promise to keep the monet in the north then cunningly work around that to support the south island as that will be the only place which can generate a profirt to keep the sport going.Just saying,in 10 years time,i bet my botto9m $,that is what some peopkle will be pushing and the reason why the industry eneded up considering that will have been because of poor fiscal responsibilty in the now.

Dealt With stamped himself as one of the most exciting three-year-old prospects last season, earning himself a slot in the inaugural $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), but he was withdrawn at the 11th hour through injury. It was a bitter pill to swallow for his connections, with the son of Ace High looking a strong contender after previously winning his first two starts before placing in the Karaka Millions 3YO (1600m) and Listed Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m). Trainers Roger James and Robert Wellwood have taken a patient approach with his return and they are looking forward to him resuming his career at Otaki on Sunday in the Levin Truck Services Levin Stakes (1200m). “He had multiple soundness issues and it has been a long, slow process but hopefully we are back for the long haul,” James said. “He is certainly in nice order, albeit he is a big, burly fellow and he will derive considerable improvement out of the run on Sunday.” Dealt With finished runner-up in his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale last month, and James expects him to race kindlier from barrier two this weekend. “It was typical him, he was bull-headed, bullish and hard going, but I think with that trial under his belt he will be more amiable on Sunday,” James said. “He has drawn well enough to help him a little bit in that regard.” Dealt With was replaced in the NZB Kiwi by stablemate Zormella, who returned to form when runner-up over a mile at Pukekohe this month, and James is hoping she can go one better in the Treadwell Gordon 1600 at Wanganui on Saturday. “It was one of those races where she got there very easily and then floated around a little bit and got run down late,” James said. “It was still a good run and she has trained on very well since.” Zormella will have plenty of supporters this weekend courtesy of her Frac Club micro-share syndicate, and James is looking forward to another micro-share horse in Incandescent making his debut in the Independent Traffic Control 1100 at Ellerslie on Saturday for MyRacehorse. The son of Per Incanto was purchased by TAB Racing Club out of Little Avondale Stud’s Book 1 Yearling Sale draft at Karaka earlier this year for $200,000 and was quickly snapped up by MyRacehorse when the TAB Racing Club began its dispersal. He was runner-up in his 900m trial at Taupo last month and has opened an equal $3.70 favourite for his debut alongside the Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott-trained Dashing Dixie. While James wasn’t expecting his juvenile gelding to be dominating the early market, he does have plenty of time for him and is hopeful of tackling some lofty targets later this season. “He has opened up favourite, which does surprise me,” he said. “I hope he is a Karaka Millions (1200m) prospect, but I see him more as a 1400 to 1600m horse.” James is also looking forward to heading to Ellerslie on Saturday with Sweynesday, who will resume in the Harrisons 1100. The five-year-old gelding has been a model of consistency so far in his career, winning three and placing in three of his six starts to date. He hasn’t been sighted on raceday since his runner-up effort over 1200m at Ellerslie on New Year’s Day, with his trainers taking a cautious approach with his return after battling soundness issues. Their patience looks to have paid off, with the son of Sweynesse winning his resuming trial over 1000m at Avondale earlier this month. Sweynesday is nominated for the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) at Trentham in January, and his connections are hoping he continues his upward trajectory towards that elite-level target. “He has always been a talented galloper,” James said. “I thought his trial was very good and his work since has been very good as well. “He has got 61kg on his back, but we have chosen to claim three (courtesy of apprentice jockey Sam McNab), and that should level it out a little bit. He goes into the race in great order. “His form line is very good and he has done nothing wrong in his career other than the fact that he had an unusual soundness issue last season, hence the long time between runs. We are very happy that he is back to the form that he was when he went out.” He will be joined on Saturday by stablemate Osteria, who was victorious over 1300m at Tauranga earlier this month. “Osteria probably hasn’t got the same talent as Sweynesday, but is weighted (56.5kg) accordingly,” James said. “There is no reason why he can’t pop up and be competitive in a field like this. “He is an interesting horse. We tried him once over 1400m when he was perhaps a bit of a weaker horse and it could be a road that we take with him as we get deeper into the season.” Meanwhile, James said the stable’s star mare Orchestral suffered an atrial fibrillation when 10th in last Saturday’s Gr.2 Auckland Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1400m), and they are currently working through her next steps. “She fibrillated on Saturday and she hasn’t gone quite in the direction we had hoped since,” he said. “We are right in the midst of addressing what we do from here, but hopefully by the middle of next week we have got more positive news on that.” View the full article

A dominant last-start victory confirmed travel plans for Tellum to head south for a first crack at a black-type feature. The promising filly will bid to continue her hot run of form in the Listed O’Leary’s Fillies’ Stakes (1340m) on Saturday, with Lynsey Satherley booked for the ride by trainer Debbie Sweeney. Tellum has won her last two on the bounce at the expense of older opposition, but it was her most recent victory romp at Te Aroha that ensured her place in the Wanganui contest. “She’s been super and it’s hard to beat the older horses, which she’s done,” Sweeney said. “Wanganui was always the plan, and we said we would head that way if she won her last one.” A daughter of Ocean Park, Tellum had broken her maiden over 1400m at Te Aroha in October and repeated her course and distance heroics on a return visit earlier this month. “She keeps taking the next step up and has improved again,” Sweeney said. Tellum has been patiently handled and finished in behind the major players in both of her two-year-old outings before she was sent for a break. “We didn’t do too much with her last season, and she’s always showed she had ability but was a bit weak,” Sweeney said. “She needed a bit more time and she’ll be even better with another six months.” Sweeney will see how Tellum fares at the weekend before confirming future plans for the filly. “There’s quite a bit of form in the race on Saturday, it’s quite a strong three-year-old fillies’ race so it will be interesting to see her against her own age and sex and how she measures up,” she said. “She’s certainly done nothing wrong to date and was pretty impressive last start.” Meanwhile, Sweeney is also upbeat about the summer prospects of Tellum’s older stablemate Gillian. The Wentwood Grange-bred and raced daughter of Darci Brahma produced a strong staying performance to win last time out at Te Aroha over 2200m, with all three of her career victories posted over middle distances. “She’s only lightly raced and will head to Tauranga in a fortnight for a Rating 75 over 2100m race,” Sweeney said. “We’ll keep her in her own grade at this stage and, hopefully, we’ll look at some of those nice Cups’ races over the Christmas period. “She has always showed a lot of promise and has bounced back to form.” Gillian is also likely to tackle the Dunstan Horsefeeds Stayers’ Championship Final (2400m) at Ellerslie on Boxing Day. “She obviously stays well so she’ll target that as well,” Sweeney said. View the full article

Wingatui trainers Brian and Shane Anderton will head to Cromwell on Sunday with a strong hand, led by Mayor Of Norwood who will attempt to seal his berth north to contest January’s Gr.3 NZ Campus Of Innovation & Sport Wellington Cup (3200m) at Trentham. The six-win gelding finished fifth first-up over 1400m at his home track earlier this month and his handlers have been pleased with his progression heading into Sunday’s Happy hire Cromwell Cup (2030m). He has been lumbered with top weight of 61kg but will get some weight relief courtesy of apprentice jockey Triston Moodley’s 1kg claim. “He has come through his race well,” Brian Anderton said. “We have got to be a bit careful with him, he is getting to a dangerous place in the weights. “Our ambition is to have a go at the Wellington Cup, so hopefully he comes through everything alright.” Stablemate Capo Dell Impero is also set to carry 60kg in the KB Contractors Open 1400, 5kg more than is closest rival. Lugging big weights is nothing new to the eight-year-old gelding, who carried the same impost when runner-up first-up over 1400m at Wingatui earlier this month, and his trainers are hoping he can go one better on Sunday. “He has come through it well and hopefully the 1400m won’t be too short for him,” Anderton said. All going to plan after Sunday, the son of Ghibellines will be targeted towards a pre-Christmas assignment on his home track. “He is getting at the stage where he is hard to place but there is a mile here in the December meeting, so we will probably look at that with him,” Anderton said. The stable will have a three-pronged attack in the Otago Engineering (1400m) courtesy of the in-form No Party, Move On and Afire. Proisir gelding No Party has won both of his starts this preparation, while Move On has finished runner-up in her last two outings and Afire was victorious at her last start, and Anderton is hoping for more of the same from the trio. “No Party has continued to do well,” he said. “He has had a nice time between each start and we are looking for a good run from him. “I am just worried the track might be a bit tight for Move On. “She is (rating) 75 and is going to be in with the big boys if she wins that, but we have got to give it a go. “Afire is aiming to go further, we think that she is a staying type of filly.” The stable will also be represented by Elusive in the Magpie Scaffolding Maiden (1400m) and the in-foal Helldancer in the Positive Signs + Print (1220m). “Elusive is not far away,” Anderton said. “Helldancer was very disappointing at Riccarton first-up and she is scanned in-foal to Alflaila.” View the full article

Cromwell is one club that continues to attract good betting figures. Does that put Cromwell on a par with Ellerslie as far as a quality product is concerned? I guess quality product needs to be defined.

NZTR are not only after tracks owned by clubs that do not have the funds to maintain them.

So? It is having an influence. Are you suggesting that the NZ BASED Stallions are not having an impact? You really don't get the basic concepts of horse breeding do you? There is only so much inbreeding one can do. BTW the most influential stallion in NZ over the last 45 years was Irish bred. His sire sons (many bred in NZ) are still influencing the breed both here and in OZ.

Well at least ENTAIN are telling the local industry that they need to get their shyte together and provide a quality product. With the prior ownership model their didn't appear to be any push back at all.

What list every Club? What part of ALL don't you understand? Certainly if you are an example of past committees racing was NEVER in good hands! Fill ya boots: https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/search/

Your beloved 2yo racing is a prime example. Of the 2025 racing season 9 of 17 stakes races were won by Aus Sires. 2024 10 of the 17. Thats only a snapshot. Pretty clear to see the influence the Aus breed is having here.