All Activity

One aspect I particularly like and have been on about for years. Move to a two-tier race meeting system (Premier and Standard) with flat stakes.

Looking forward to the details of this plan. Free Pony Club membership @Huey ?

asked AI to do it for them. It took 2.3 secs. NZTR Industry Sustainability Plan (2025–2030) Vision: To ensure the long-term sustainability of New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing industry through ethical, environmental, and economically responsible practices — delivering value to horses, people, communities, and the country. Strategic Objectives Domain Objective Equine Welfare Ensure the health, safety, dignity, and lifecycle support of all racehorses Environmental Reduce environmental impact of training, racing, and breeding Economic Resilience Build financial sustainability and efficiency in club and industry operations Social License Maintain community trust, public support, and workforce wellbeing 1. Equine Welfare and Lifecycle Responsibility Goals: Promote best-practice care, injury prevention, and post-racing outcomes. Monitor and report horse health and traceability. Enhance NZTR’s licensing, auditing, and aftercare programs. Key Actions: Mandate the 5 Domains of Animal Welfare across all clubs and trainers. Expand the TiES series and fund second-career transition grants. Establish a National Thoroughbred Aftercare Fund (industry and levy supported). Complete roll-out of regional equine crematoriums (North & South Island). Launch a national racehorse tracking and data reporting system (via microchips). 2. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Readiness Goals: Reduce carbon and waste footprints of racecourses and training centres. Adapt facilities to climate risk (e.g., heat stress, storm resilience). Promote sustainable land and water practices on stud and training farms. Key Actions: Require all race clubs to complete a Toitū or equivalent baseline audit by 2026. Fund a “Green Track Upgrade Programme”: LED lighting, water recycling, solar. Publish NZTR’s Carbon and Waste Report (annually from 2026). Encourage eco-certification of transporters, stables, and feed suppliers. Partner with Mana Whenua to align land and water practices with Te Ao Māori values. 3. Economic Sustainability and Industry Modernisation Goals: Deliver consistent income and prize money to retain trainers and owners. Improve cost-efficiency across race clubs and operations. Leverage Entain–TAB partnership and digital innovation to grow wagering. Key Actions: Move to a two-tier race meeting system (Premier and Standard) with flat stakes. Complete a full venue utilisation and ROI audit across all clubs by 2026. Incentivise club mergers or collaborations based on financial and social returns. Deliver track infrastructure master plan with HRNZ (Project Stamina). Develop a national “Sustainability Innovation Fund” for club-led pilots (solar, composting, etc.) 4. Social License, Workforce & Community Impact Goals: Foster respect, safety, and diversity within the racing workforce. Communicate industry value to the public and racing communities. Build trust through transparency and ethical leadership. Key Actions: Introduce minimum employment and safety standards across training stables. Launch industry mental health and wellbeing support fund (riders, staff, owners). Partner with schools, iwi, and rural community orgs to promote racing pathways. Run annual “Thoroughbred Week” in major cities (parades, open stables, TiES shows). Publish public-facing reports on welfare, injuries, and aftercare outcomes. Implementation & Monitoring Action Frequency Responsible Party Annual Sustainability Report Yearly (starting 2026) NZTR + external auditor Progress Review Bi-annually NZTR Board + Welfare/Infra Committees Stakeholder Engagement Forum Annually Clubs, trainers, HRNZ, mana whenua Club Certification Tracker Live dashboard NZTR Industry Sustainability Unit

i posted last week that theres actually more women junior drivers currently in nz than there are men. some very good drivers amongst them . o thornley is good. i think g thornley lost her driving form beofre she had the break, but has come back and is driving very well. Horses run for both of them. I think the reason theres more women is,men look at the industry and say ,can i make a living and have a family down the track as well. And the answer is ,unless your in the top handful,no you won't make a resonable living . And being able to look after a women financially of course is part of the attraction process. women know,no point marrying a good guy who's got no money. Its not easy for a wife who does that.I know,my wife,god bless her soul,reminds me of that every time i moan about not having enough money.oops,i've gone off track. anyways,back to the driving.Whereas the females look at it and say,well my priority is doing something i enjoy over finacial considerations, and down the track i can marry someone who earns enough to support me,then they can come back into it again when they want. actually, one thing i've noticed is woman who are drivers and can make a living,don't seem to have too many chidren Now thats just an observation,but then again women in general, don't seem to have as many children these days.Wheres all the catholics when you need them. Actually talking about children,i remember the days when addington had that big grandstand . About the 150 metre from the finsih,at the top of the stand,there used to sit enough young members of the butt families to fill a bus.Ok.maybe not that many,but there was a lot of them.No need for family reunions. They had one every week. You don't see that these days.I remember those days. My aunty would come occasionally and admire the le lievre families wonderful hair. Obviously that was a few years ago as i think their hair lines may receded a bit since then. Then i remember one day,my uncle pointing out a racecourse inspector chasing a bloke who wasn't allowed on course. I'm not sure whther he went on to own a nz cup winner or maybe that was his brother. ah the memories,anyways again,back to the junior drivers. as to your point about how many will make it after their junior status ends. Thats the thing isn't it. Hrnz focus on the juniors and neglect those very same people when they lose their junior status. I mean ask yourself.Say you may have got 4 drives a week,well if you throw in a stablehands wage, then you could probably pay the bills. But then you lose your junior status,,you now only get 1 or 2,so your income drops by $200. Who needs the free boots,skivvy,harness,free licence renewals,helmets,vests,everything is free.. The persosn who's just lost their junior status is more likely to have financial commitments..Yet they have to pay for everything and cross subsidise the juniors free stuff,even though the juniors are getting more drives and earning more. So thats why you see mnay drivers disappearing. Especially the males. Also the smaller the field size,whether it be at the races or the trials ,the less opportunity the drivers who drive will get.

Driver Penalties M Ranger | Waikato Bay of Plenty 3 July (heard Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July); careless driving; suspended 19-25 July inclusive. J Kriechbaumer | Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July; use of whip; suspended 11 July – 10 August inclusive. T Mitchell | Auckland 11 July; failed to activate hopple shorteners; fined $100. Trainer Penalties S & A Telfer | Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July; incorrect gear; fined $100. S & A Telfer | Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July; late driver notifications; fined $50. S McCaffrey | Auckland 11 July; colour fee; fined $25. Horse Penalties MAKAKU | Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July; broke in running; must complete trial. KEEP IT KLASSY | Auckland 11 July; lame; veterinary clearance required. SAUCY DELIGHT | NZ Metropolitan 11 July; broke in score up; must complete mobile start trial. ALL CONQUERED | NZ Metropolitan 13 July; refused to begin; must complete standing start trial. Protests HIGHVIEW ROCKN ROLL | Waikato Bay of Plenty 10 July; excessive galloping in home straight; disqualified from 4th. ALL CONQUERED | NZ Metropolitan 13 July; displayed unsatisfactory manners prior to start; declared a non-runner. The post 7-13 July 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Dog Penalty OPAWA SOOTY | Palmerston North 8 July; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. General The Wanganui GRC meeting scheduled of 11 July was abandoned after Race 3 due to track conditions. The post 7-13 July 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Rider Penalties C Barnes | Canterbury 9 July; misconduct; fined $500. T Moodley | Waikato 10 July; medical clearance required. G Lahoud | Whangarei 12 July; use of whip; suspended 20-26 July inclusive. T Moki | Wellington 28 June (heard Woodville-Pahiatua 13 July); left course without permission; fined $100. T Moki | Woodville-Pahiatua 13 July; failed to make weight; fined $200. E Callwood | Woodville-Pahiatua 13 July; use of whip; fined $500. Horse Penalties BIG RICK | Canterbury 9 July; epistaxis; stood down for 3 months and veterinary clearance required. HERE I AM | Canterbury 9 July; late scratching after failing to load; veterinary clearance required. HUMBLE SPEAR | Whangarei 12 July; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. ROTTEN TOMMY | Whangarei 12 July; unsatisfactory performance; must complete trial. ANOTHER WON’T HURT | Woodville-Pahiatua 13 July; bucked in running; must complete trial. The post 7-13 July 2025 appeared first on RIB. View the full article

Since when did the takeout rates change? Vulgar compared to what? Lotto? Pokies? Casino? Racing isn't close to half their takeouts. BTW from what I've seen you post you have nothing to worry about from the Open Letter.

i backed that one as well.yes,i guess if it starts in the same field next week it will only pay $3,which will be unders, with no guarantee it will get the same nice run. sometimes the good drivers don't get it right as well. Like j dunn on beautiful crazy,i thought it very obvious if he pulled it out craig thornley would pull out in front of him and give him the 1/1.He could have done that well before he did. R Cameron just ended up outdriving him and won the race. Not sure beautiful crazy would have placed anyway as it just battled,but did seem to miss an obvious opportunity. Some trainers are very loyal. d mcgowan one of those. I backed one of his the other night paying $21,which i found hard to believe and all it had to do was pull off the inside to win,but it didn't . I guess thats why it was paying $21 and i should have known what to expect.i. having said that,most of the drivers are consistent. Its the ones that every now and again pull off when they don't normally,that can be the ones that are frustrating. That last race ,a big win mover was sweet dreams. Now j howe is another trainer who is very loyal.fair enough,He puts the same drivers on ,even when you get the odd one that doesn't suit that driver.sweet dreams is a horse like that. Its certainly no champ, but r holmes drove it the week before and asked it to be a racehorse and it tried and ran 2nd.i know r close is a good driver and punters keep backing it.Then again j howe may think its best going to the back and inside devery time.If thats the case r close would be a genious. I know r close is a good driver but not sure why punters keep backing that horse. some of the form during the winter can be a bit inconsistent. That royal deidre who won that race just run i've noticed go a couple of good races but never the same week to week .Next week it can have every chance and stops,then again good and bad. Well today it sat parked and won easy.I see m cross tipped it. Maybe hes got it worked out.

Not sure what is going on at the moment with junior drivers? We are fortunate that we have females in the harness industry and of the 8 horses in the juniors race just now at Addington 6 were driven by females. I appreciate that We have our best juniors in Canterbury in Oz at the moment and yes they are the best! There have been some very poor drives by Juniors this weekend and it just shows how much of a difference in ability between the ones in Oz representing NZ apart from a couple and the rest! Questioning how many will be able to make a career in harness after they are out of their Junior claims?

Yes I spotted a couple of real shockers from some repeat serial offenders who shall remain nameless but have been upgraded to my list of drivers who wouldn't get room in a one horse field.

The TAB alter the fixed odds far too late to be able to wager apart from on account!! As I said the other night if someone gets a wee bit on they slash the divs and then they get very little money on it unless it moved out and that is often far too late! not going to name them but there have been some very poor drives this week that shows lack of nous from some. Hard to fathom why some trainers keep on putting on the same driver week in and week out when they are less than average in the cart? Maybe the owners have more money than sense?

I do watch it, everyone likes a trainwreck…. but come on, it’s a disgrace.

The simple answer Chief is that I be rather cynical about most things to do with the NZ Racing Industry, nothing can convince me that it is not a Sunset Industry, based on the ever declining disposable income of NZ Working Class! No amount of Head Office propaganda is going to change that! Also, the take out rates from the majority of bets on offer from the likes of TAB/ENTAIN are simple vulgar! enough said! Off to the Spelling paddock now for me!

Still something funny going on with the TAB algorithms. Some real movers happening in the last 5mins. If you are lucky you can get nearly double the closing dividend in the last five minutes on some runners. When the money goes on a favourite the others drift big time before coming in again in the last few minutes. I had a couple of decent multis teed up ready to run to the tote but Tim Williams has ruined my plans on the biggest of them. I took Vesta at 12 dollars but you could have gotten 26 in the last few minutes so was a bit worried about the drift, was expecting it to get in to about 7 or 8 dollars. Don't you hate it when your horse never gets a run and in doing so ruins the dividend for next time. Not sure he was trying that hard or got out driven, either way it was robbed.

obviously theres plenty of uninformed punters with more money than sense. someone put $2000 on beautiful crazy. They did that at $3.40 apparently. The week before it could not have got an easier run in front,yet never looked like winning from the turn. Then it was like punters were thinking,well someone put $2000 on, so they all jumped on and it closed at $2.20 Maybe thats why they have that big bet aleart on trackside,they put that up knowing they have the horse at stupid short odds,knowing the big bet alert will entice punters to back it anyway. All a cunning plan.

Fine. Dont watch if you can't hack it. By the way jumping has been driven into the ground more than flat racing because of inept industry control.

I realise @Murray Fish you are as thick skinned as some of us but seriously do you condone some of the stuff you have seen written? Sticks and Stones is your philosophy but each of these organisations have a responsibility to their licensees and staff. Sure some of the drivers for the vitriolic responses could be removed by the agencies doing their job properly and/or being responsive to the stakeholders they represent however that is not an excuse for misbehaviour. I've heard many stories about certain fiefdoms where stakeholders have been abused by industry employees and when complaining are met with what you called isolation, alienation and blackballing. But the good old industry is good at going "well I better live with it and not escalate it to the authorities as I'll be unable to train". So hopefully the Open Letter is a warning to those individuals and emboldening to those affected to do something about it.

It was sent on behalf of the named organisations who composed it - so the buck stops with the CEO's and Board's of each organisation. Those individuals are well known.

Why do you need to know the extent or severity? Isn't just enough to know that it is happening? Perhaps they are. Or if not this is a general warning. Personally I see nothing particularly wrong with the Open Letter. Some of the stuff I've seen has gone way over the top and in many cases really personal. The irony doesn't escape me that some of those that doth protest loudly are enabling some of it. Again it comes back to the Open Letter being a general warning. I wouldn't be surprised if recidivist offenders if licensed will be warned if they continue. Recently there have been attacks on here against licensed person. In one instance I spoke to the person targetted and they were OK as in their view the posts reflected more on the person who made them. Another was raised by the authorities and I hid the posts from public view and warned the poster. Now if a licensed person and/or the RIB choose to go down the filing a charge path then it becomes a very expensive exercise for all. If the person isn't licensed then the process of making a complaint to the Harmful Digital Communications Act via Netsafe can be chosen. I've seen cases where both thresholds have been reached. That is they have gone well past the Kevin Moreton standard.

Wow, how bad can it get? This winter has seen the worst of jumping, today at Woodville the same. I’ve always like the jumpers, but on what I have seen recently, it’s only time before they ban it.

Actually, "In New Zealand, anyone who has been harmed by something online can complain to Netsafe. This includes individuals experiencing online bullying, scams, or other harmful digital communications. Additionally, schools and parents can also contact Netsafe to report incidents or seek advice regarding online harm affecting students. " re the coppers! odds on they would have a good laugh! and then say Seriously!!! It would have been amusing to be a fly on the wall while it was being composed!! I wonder how much thought was given to "who is going to be putting their names to it!!!" rather gutless to not have any names attached! Yet again, more shallow 'procedural politics', par for the course for a Top Down organisation, one that is historically heading towards the sunset...

I find the letter a bit cryptic. If you are not amongst those being abusive or being abused how do you know the extent or severity of the abuse? Then there is the mention of minority of offenders. If there are only a handful of abusers why aren't they being dealt with by those in charge? Or, because of the scope of recipients of the letter, can the abusers not be dealt to by RIB because of non licence status? Does it then become a case for NZ Police. The letter seems more of an attempt to frighten rather than an action plan to me, and perhaps ineffectual.

By Adam Hamilton STACEY White just wants one more slice of good luck. White and husband, David, were all smiles after young trotting star Bet N Win made a clean sweep of the Inter Dominion heats, albeit in slightly different style last night. While the five-year-old led throughout on opening night, driver Bob Butt led again, but opted to take a sit on the talented but headstrong London To A Brick when challenged in the early stages. Bet N Win picked up well late in a sizzling last half to win by 3.5m with London To A Brick second and the flying Gus in third spot. Bet N Win ran his own last half in 56sec flat and a closing quarter in 27.9sec. “I just hope we haven’t used up all our luck with these good draws in the heats,” Stacey White said. “We need one more good one tomorrow (Sunday) at the final draw. “Tonight was perfect. Another softish sort of run to top him right off for the final.” Amazingly, the other Kiwi trotting hopeful Oscar Bonavena snuck into the final despite galloping in both heats. A new initiative of bonus points for sectional times, gained Oscar Bonavena three extra points and just scraped into the 12-horse field next Saturday. Last night was another horror show. Driver Adam Sanderson tried to nurse him out from barrier one, but galloped soon after and lost all chance. Vitally, recovered and weaved through traffic to run sixth. Talented Victorian Parisian Artise was taken to the lead by new mum, Tayla French, and gave nothing else a chance in a slick 1min57.6sec mile rate for the long 2680m trip. Final favourite Arcee Phoenix lost no admirers with a fighting second after making a midrace move to sit parked. TROTTING FINAL FIELD: Bet N Win, Gus, Parisian Artiste, Arcee Phoenix, Not As Promised, Golden Sunset, Harry Stamper, Constantinople, Oscar Bonavena, Love Gun, Zealous Spur, London To A Brick, Sir Fahrenheit (emergency). X X X LEAP To Fame looks as close as possible to unbeatable in next week’s $1 million Inter Dominion Pacing Final. The long-awaited fourth clash between him and defending Inter Dominion champ Don Hugo proved a one-act affair after an incident-packed second round heat clash last night. While most expected Don Hugo to lead, he was forced to sit parked and Leap To Fame ended-up stalking him in the one-one trail. The race changed dramatically when Kiwi raider Pinseeker got fired-up on Don Hugo’s back and driver Jonny Cox opted to cut him loose and take the lead in the middle stages. “He just took, started kicking the wheels and was uncontrollable. He’s done it before, but not that bad,” Cox said. Pinseeker stopped sharply and was retired from the race. He didn’t qualify for the final. Leap To Fame made his move at the 500m, charged around to take the lead and coasted to a 10.1m win in a sizzling 1min53.7sec mile rate for the 2680m, just 0.9sec outside his own track record. The shock was Don Hugo, who did endure a torrid run, tiring so badly to finish back in eighth spot. It’s almost impossible to see how he could turn the tables in the final, especially given the stretch to 3157m. It was an all Queensland night in the pacing heats with local trainer Shannon Price winning the other two. In last night’s first heat, talented local Sure Thing Captain made it a clean sweep in the heats with another easy all-the-way win. The five-year-old led throughout on night one and repeated the dose for driver Adam Sanderson from gate four last night. “He’s always had the ability and it’s great to see him putting it all together at a time like this,” Price said. “We drew well and didn’t have to race Leap To Fame or Don Hugo in the heats, so we’ve had our share of luck but made the most of it. “The 3157m is going to be a new test again next week because this was as far as he’s raced tonight (2680m) and even this was his first try over this longer trip.” Old marvel Max Delight qualified for his third Grand Final with a fighting second after sitting outside Sure Thing Captain last night. David Aiken’s nine-year-old ran fourth to Boncel Benjamin way back in 2021 then third to Don Hugo at Menangle last year. “Just he did on night one, he was struggling a bit when they really flew around the last bend, but dug in and hit the line really well. I love him,” driver Will Rixon said. Price then won the second heat in all-the-way fashion with Speak The Truth, who won a heat of the 2023 Brisbane and made the final. “That’s great. It’s so good to get them both through, now we need some more luck with the draws for the final,” she said. PACING FINAL FIELD: Leap To Fame, Sure Thing Captain, Captains Knock, Don Hugo, Petes Said So, Rakero Rebel, Max Delight, Catch A Wave, Tims A Trooper, Cya Art, Speak The Truth, Aroda, Nyack (emergency). View the full article

In a thrilling stretch duel, Excellent Truth edged She Feels Pretty to earn her first grade 1 victory July 12 and give trainer Chad Brown his 10th triumph in the $485,000 Diana Stakes (G1T) at Saratoga Race Course.View the full article