Sports

Gamma, you ar3 a great contributor on here and positive about harness here in NZ even if it is illfoundered lol The problem is that I do not believe that the funding HRNZ have received has been well spent at all! What I have realised in more recent years is that not enough people are prepared to speak up and express their opinion! This seems rampant with harness racing as they are all worried about losing their jobs if they speak up against the officialdom ! There just is not enough new participants that being owners, trsiner or punters coming thru to ensure the industry to flourish! The bigger owners and trainers are all aging obviously and wont be replaced! There is no way that the Government will bail out harness racing or do we have anyone like Kevin Seymour that has enough money to subsidise racing here!

Paladin runs down free-running leader Chip Honcho to win the $495,000 Risen Star Stakes (G2) Feb. 14 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.View the full article

yes it has been great enjoying the sport with you blokes over a few years since Covid now. Was just hoping your enjoyment of the sport could be refreshed and some bright spots appear. I don't think the CEO saying everything is going down the toilet is Not the solution for anything. lol 😎  any company CEO The many new Changes are still mixed with the old ones , and we all have ideas what works best and what doesn't , but all the ideas are not going to match .  you guys still like big fields on the grass for example (and standing starts which I would do away with altogether ) for example.  You guys are quite intelligent and say what you would like to happen on occasion, as well as conflicting with what is happening in NZ harness.  Brodie always worried for the stakes money drop in 2 years time. I guess he is not accepting that should and will happen with lower participation levels and much smaller betting making it going to happen.  But you have to adapt as the trainers all around Australia did. (regular racing over short distances to earn the smaller prize- money to pay your way.) a sure way to help them earn some income.  As I mentioned previously even the slowest horses can still win 4 races per year withe the current rating system and pay their way. Which is a good thing) )  Smaller 8 horse fields ARE the answer too (like USA) as it means that a horse should be winning Once every 8 starts. This is SO Important these days .It works all around Australia and USA , and no reason it wouldn't work in NZ. So you Have regular Winning horses, Winning owners and winning Trainers to all stay interested in the sport.  The 'Pool of Drivers' does drop off dramatically though. so is certainly one loss.   Brodie often mentions the Big Bets too . That the betting agencies should take them . To help the situation out a bit. Sounds like a good idea if that was to work. they take big bets on footy and gallops and that.   I loved your idea of with the FORBURY PARK Sale money developing a track facility in Canterbury , complete with Stabling barns for the young horsepeople of today to still get a look in , and top facilities (with swimming etc) to be able to compete with those vastly experienced top quality trainers all around our countries. Young NZer Jack Trainor took advantage of that opportunity provided at Menangle and really went well. (along with his mate Grimson)  This is probably what the North Island Needs as well.  You mentioned the Struggling Victoria. Yes !!!  the stakes was Ludicrously small for our annual feature Hunter CuP last night. Swayzee only got 150k winning I think 🙄, for our feature 'NZ Cup equivalent 'race. So Brodie is right . The prizemoney will drop in NZ as well eventually. Victoria only recently 'Bailed out ' by the state Government . as were $66 mill in debt. They got 100 mill for land and to fund the next 2 years of racing for the whole state. back to losing after that it would seem until the next adjustment is made.  Something Auckland trotting tried to do too as are many millions behind ? Sell some land.  but no-one bought the land yet ? think the Government should buy it ? that's the best way.  they could help participants then.  QLD Government were thinking of buying Albion Park too for the Olympics 2032. But its a crap place on a creek and floods  now and then, so Very hard to develop. so why buy it? .  we've been lucky over the years to continue . Seymour (Leap To Fame owner) saved the day (Albion Park racing)  a few times over the years  Gold Coast trotting Club went extinct 😭, as the Government did buy their beautiful Gold Coast facility for the Commonwealth Games there a few years ago. developed the site for an athletes village.  so Gold Coast trotting died altogether without a track .   our 4th major track closure in my time in QLD . just 3 are left now. I'll  bet they collapse in QLD before NZ does. we recently had Chris Garrard pass away  and when Seymour is gone (he's very old now) there will be huge drop off of Benefactors of the sport. where-as You guys have wonderful people keeping you going , and you don't seem to appreciate it. (Which is why I argue back against you and Brodie bagging the men actually trying things,  to try and keep behind the sport )  I don't expect these men to Jump up and say ''things are bad ' as you might like from us fools  lol. As long as the sport is running = well things are Good (in some folks opinion) 🙂  just opened curtains , and it's raining here today 😂 Haleluhah !! been dry as a dogs biscuit these parts. good now.   

Bella Ballerina wins the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2), following the path her half sister, Pretty Mischievous, took when victorious in the 2023 edition of this race and the Kentucky Oaks (G1). View the full article

After being limited to minor awards in four consecutive graded stakes, Mondego earned a breakthrough victory for trainer Michael McCarthy Feb. 14 in the $101,500 San Marcos Stakes (G3T) going 1 1/4 miles on the downhill turf at Santa Anita Park.View the full article