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Any updated thoughts on that now @Thomass?

Motukarara is mainly a front runners track nowadays, unless speed duel or similar

We beg to differ on the horses he put away, but agree has every chance as a sire lovely pedigree, hopefully he can be kept here at an affordable fee.

Oamaru has always been leader biased. Reefton is another one. Slightly more entertaining if it is wet. Motukarara with a bit of sting out of the track and they can win from anywhere and pay anything.

As I've said above, the point is to confirm the track condition at that stage of the day.

I would assume so.

Seems Sth Island grass racing tracks are dominated by those up front, regardless how big the tracks are, i remember 30 or 40 years ago, more where winning from further back, especially at the bigger tracks like motukarara & Methven. Whats the reasons? 1, Drivers rating races far better, although looking at times, not setting records each week. 2, Tracks are now set up differently, grass seems a heap longer nowadays, horses seem to struggle to get through, soft or form. 3, Less lead changes, too many relatives and mates dictate races. What other reasons, i used to love grass track racing, but the leaders bias is annoying, one reason i liked the grass was most had a chance, but not anymore.

Nothing simple these days, poor top weight lump 60kg, most of the rest 53kg, even Trav who had won an Auckland cup, interesting fact, I'm sure he won a race at greymouth couple years back.

Does not having a horse or rider availble mean that it's "not practical"?

Exactly. So if there is no QA what's the point?

So who does the QA?

Games like Friday nights, Alcatraz playing, the longer it goes many get on the bandwagon, many change channels, like it or not. Before Sunday racing many clubs raced Friday, or moved to Monday when All Black's played, reason being racing was on a hiding to nothing, that's kind of sorted itself with Sunday Racing, night Rugby, don't underestimate the drawing power some sporting events like Friday draw, and as many bets are only placed in the last 15 minutes, so if people switch off you see the result, if that's not the case then a 60000 mares race at Addington pales into insignifacance as opposed to a country cup race at Oamaru on a Sunday afternoon, it's just the way it is. In it's own way it shows what happens when 2 networks on TV have news at the same time, one strangles the other, but both dont maximise their audience who wants to watch 2 bulletins even if you can watch one on delay?

Page 2 of 2 A Club must submit fully completed Race Meeting Track Information Sheets to NZTR ahead of each meeting as per the times outlined at the bottom of that document. A Club must ensure that the Racecourse Manager or their delegate has inspected the track in person both 48 hours and 24 hours before the start of the race meetings and again by 6.45am on race morning. A Club is encouraged to arrange track gallops on the course 48 hours prior to the race meeting. A Club must arrange for a track gallop on the course on the morning of the race meeting to reconfirm the declared track rating, unless this is not practical

They don't gallop in front of the stipes. It's before track conditions are confirmed. Can't say I've ever seen it not done or that someone cant tell me who rode them so I can get an opinion. but it might be difficult at the likes of Trentham.

Does the protocol mention the Stipes must be in attendance? They delegate other tasks such as issuing barrier certificates. A jockey riding a gallop can relay his/her thoughts to anyone. If that jockey thinks there's a problem the Stipe is on the end of a phone. Not sticking up for either side as I'm not sure of the exact wording of that protocol. I don't think excuses should be made for not galloping prior to the races. Even tracks that don't have horses trained on site should source some for the exercise, like Tauherenikau does.

Why are you sure they must have galloped? In the last 18 months I've been on two courses raceday from sparrow fart time and haven't seen any gallops. The Stipes didn't pitch up until an hour before race 1.

Father-and-son training duo Kevin and Stephen Gray finished the Wellington Cup meeting with a bang on Saturday when their gelding Anderson Bridge (NZ) (Savabeel) surged to victory in the Douro Cup (1600m). Race favourite Afternoon Siesta jumped well and was sent straight to the front by jockey Kelly Myers, while Bruno Queiroz was content to settle three-back in the running line aboard Anderson Bridge. They loomed three-wide at the turn and quickly ranged up alongside the leader, with the pair going head-to-head in the concluding stages, but it was Anderon Bridge who came out on top to win by a long neck. “He is a really promising horse, he beat a good mare,” Stephen Gray said. “We had the (1kg) weight advantage and I said to Bruno that he had to be forward and just attack her because she is a good mare. “He is a really promising horse, so I am excited to have him back.” Gray purchased Anderson Bridge as a yearling in Australia in 2022 for $200,000 while he was still training in Singapore, and entrusted him to the care of leading Sydney trainer Chris Waller. The son of Savabeel won one start for the expat Kiwi horseman before returning to Gray’s care in New Zealand last year, and the Manawatu trainer has been rapt with his progression. The five-year-old gelding won first-up over 1400m at Trentham in December before returning to the Upper Hutt track a fortnight ago to run fifth over the same distance, and bounced back to winning form when stepping up to a mile on Saturday. “He came back from Sydney, and it is only his third run back, so he is only getting better,” Gray said. Gray was also chuffed to record another victory in the Douro Cup alongside his father, while he said the win was a tonic for his Palmerston North-based team. “To win a Douro Cup, which I think I won a long time ago with Dad, and to still win it with Dad is pretty cool,” Gray said. “We run second enough, so when you win one it is exciting. We have had a tough couple of weeks where the horses have been going well, we just quite haven’t got the wins, so it is good for the staff at home and good for my mates who own him. “Paul Hickman, my best mate, owns most of him. We had 98 winners together in Singapore.” The win also extended jockey Bruno Queiroz’s golden run in New Zealand, with the Brazilian hoop currently fifth on the New Zealand Jockeys’ Premiership on 42 wins for the season, and Gray said the 24-year-old has a bright future. “Bruno is a hugely intelligent rider who will be a very good rider wherever he goes,” Gray said. “He is only young and he is riding much better, he is learning as he goes and it was a beautiful ride.” View the full article

Awapuni trainer Mike Breslin has plenty to mull over in the coming weeks as he hatches an autumn plan for his quality stayer Crouch (NZ) (Tarzino). The six-year-old gelding put in another strong effort at Trentham on Saturday to post his second successive runner-up result in the Gr.3 Wellington Cup (3200m), and Breslin is now hungry to try and go one better in next year’s edition. “He has gone huge again. Running second two years in a row is a good effort,” Breslin said. “Tina (Comignaghi) has ridden him both times and when she got off the scale I said, ‘maybe next year’, so hopefully that is the case. “He is a really sound horse, he hasn’t been overly raced. I can’t see any reason why he can’t come back next year and run in it again.” Breslin is pleased with the way Crouch has come through the run, which has filled him with confidence as he looks to identify his next target. “He went for a pick of grass this (Sunday) morning and has licked his bowl, which is the norm for him,” Breslin said. “He looks bright as anything, he has come through it really well.” While disappointed not to win the Wellington Cup, Crouch’s performance has spurred Breslin to look at targets further afield, with both Auckland and Australia entering the mix. Crouch doesn’t currently hold a nomination for the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) at Ellerslie next month, and Breslin hasn’t ruled out making a late nomination, while Australia could beckon the son of Tarzino later in the season. “I did have a look at the noms for it (Auckland Cup) this morning and it is not going to be too much different of a field than the Wellington Cup,” Breslin said. “I wouldn’t rule out putting in a late nom for the Auckland Cup, I will give it some thought, but I might just look at what is in Australia for him as well. “He has never raced right-handed so Melbourne is more likely. I will just have a look at the programmes over there and see what is available for him over winter before making a call.” Stablemate Call A Friend (NZ) (Akeed Mofeed) fared differently in the Wellington Cup, beating just the one runner home, and Breslin said she will now head for a break before being set towards Country Cups next season. “It was a throw at the stumps for the big syndicate that are in her and it was always going to be the last run of her preparation,” Breslin said. “She showed us that she is best kept to 2000m or a touch more. I think she is the sort of horse that could win a nice Cup race down a level in the provinces next spring.” Meanwhile, stablemate Donnybrook (NZ) (Zed) is being set for the NZ St Leger (2500m) at Trentham next month off the back of his midfield run in the Gr.3 Trentham Stakes (2100m), his second-up run after 12 months off the scene. “I thought he went super in the Trentham Stakes for the state of his fitness,” Breslin said. “He had a bit of a failed trip to Australia, that is why he was off the scene for a long time. He never raced over there but things didn’t go well for him and we have just brought him up really quietly. “We decided to run him in the Trentham Stakes because there was give in the track. It served its purpose and brought him up to just about full fitness, I am really happy with him. “He is definitely going to be targeting the St Leger. We will just target a couple of runs between now and then with him.” Breslin is also looking forward to the return of his Group Two-winning filly Intention (NZ) (Bivouac) to the trials at Foxton on Tuesday as he looks to set an autumn plan for the daughter of Bivouac. She finished 10th on a testing track in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November, and Breslin said it has taken some time for his filly to get over the tough trip. “Intention is going to trial on Tuesday. That will be a defining moment for her three-year-old career,” he said. “The trip in the 2000 Guineas on the rain-affected track did knock her around a little bit. It has taken her a while to get over it. “She did gallop super on Thursday morning but it is just a matter of what is left for her as a three-year-old, so we are going to give her a trial on Tuesday and if she trials well we may give her one or two runs before giving her a break and getting her back as a four-year-old.” View the full article

Join a full team this week on Weigh In. Guy Heveldt, Bruce Sherwin & Aidan Rodley break down the action from Wellington Cup day at Trentham, feature racing from Ellerslie and a look ahead to The NZB Kiwi. Weigh In, February 1 View the full article

Exciting stayer The Precursor (St Jean) literally monstered his rivals to claim an impressive victory in the $350,000 Life Direct Remutaka Classic (2100m) at Trentham on Saturday. The statuesque five-year-old towers over most of his race rivals and made good use of that impressive frame to stretch away from fellow Cambridge visitor Roctave over the concluding stages of the contest after enjoying a trouble-free run just behind the pace for rider Masa Hashizume. The Roger James and Robert Wellwood-prepared son of the ill-fated stallion St Jean, who took out the 2017 Gr.3 City Of Auckland Cup (2400m) before heading to stud, has always looked a stayer with tremendous potential after entering the stable of Shaun and Hazel Fannin for owner Graham Stewart, who purchased him for A$20,000 in an Inglis Digital online sale in late 2024. The Precursor had won once from five starts for the Ciaron Maher stable in Victoria before heading to New Zealand and was sent north to James and Wellwood after two placings from two starts for the Fannin team, where he started Saturday’s contest as the $4.30 second favourite off the back of two further placings and a win over 1600m at New Plymouth. Hashizume made perfect use of barrier four by heading forward at the start and getting one off behind pacemakers Platinum Goddess and Shaking Stevens before leaving the straight for the first time. Applying the pressure around the home turn, Hashizume had his mount trucking as he shot to the front and despite being hotly challenged in the final stages, The Precursor drew away late to win comfortably by a neat length at the line. Hashizume was quick to point out there was plenty more in the tank of the winner who is still learning the game. “He just does it so easily,” Hashizume said. “He just does what he has to do and when I galloped him on Thursday he was so laid back. “He had a good draw today and got in a good spot. He was just wandering along all the way up the straight but never stopping and he feels like he isn’t trying, but I knew if I asked him for another 600m he would give it to me.” Wellwood was delighted to get the win after stablemate Ariadne (NZ) (Almanzor) had been narrowly beaten in the Gr.2 Lowland Stakes (2100m) one race earlier. “We’ve had him for three runs now and he ran two good races over a mile before a big run at Ellerslie which gave us a lot of confidence,” he said. “I think he is a horse with a future but we won’t make any decisions until we get him home and see how he pulls up. “I do think he will be a Cups horse in the future, although he still has a lot of maturing to do, albeit he is a five-year-old, but he is a nice horse in the making. “He has strengthened since we got him and we know he is going to stay.” The Precursor holds a nomination for the Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) on 7 March where he sits as the $6 favourite in the TAB Fixed Odds market. He has now won three of his 10 starts and over $252,000 in prizemoney. View the full article

Also that losers (most punters) have more wins and lose more slowly.

what i'm saying is you have all these people with really good business qualifications running things already. Have a look at the profiles on the hrnz website.They are some very well qualified poeple if you want successful business people. so you;'ve already got the type of person youv'e described you want running things. So is the answer not obvious, other capabilities and knowledge are also required to run harness racing. Harness racing is an industry unique to itself.

I'm sure they must have. It's mandatory, though that is to confirm track condition. It's not much use for confirming track safety 6 hours later. I've never seen them gallop horses prior to the first unless it's a trial or planned exhibition gallop.

yes to all those sort of things, Davison explained that well in the interview. again, explained. He also stated, if he disagreed with the riders, he is prepared to say that! and would say that! sigh, as it was mentioned, different parts of the track had difference firmness's! Due to the lead up weather, topography etc... fecking god playing up again!

Stakes levels and turnover do have a direct correlation in my view. At least they did last season.