Golf

its just what he said on another channel. barry lichter wrote an aricle about the club in november 2023. i just had a look agian. he reported in 2023 they has an operating deficit of $733,138,but hey,after depreciation was factored in they only lost $491,970.Chump change really. He reported  that year HRNZ had given them a loan of  $740,000 and members chipped in $220,000,to keep the club operating. but the good news was,they were going to raise a few million from the sale of 34 sections. but they couldn't sell the sections until they built a new stable block. I guess that meant the current stables were on the land being sold. so that was 2023. I can't find anything about 2024 and whether their optimism came to fruition,which seems a bit odd.   But lets look at the positives.since 2023. Their flagship,the Race,which  drained their coffers in 2023,instead drained hrnz coffers in 2024,with Hrnz contributing $150,000 to that one slot race...  what a relief,it would have been embarrasing to think cambridge were forced to run a slot race thatdidn't cripple them financially. after all,Those aussie millionaires need to have some spare cash to spend on their way home after they won our races..  and just up the road is auckland,and they're only a phone call away with some advice about how to get out of debt.ah hang on,they may not be the best people to take advice from.No instead they should ring hrnz,they tell us everything is rosey,so they must be doing a great job,so get their advice. Oh,and lets never forget this factor in their favour. This is very important. You here it parroted by all the time.Hamilton,just 20 minutes down the road,have the fourth largest popualtion in nz. I mean ,just look at how well auckland is doing and of course theres cities like wellington,dunedin,tauranga,whcih like hamilton ,all with population numbers in the top 6 cities in nz .Its going great for them Hang on,all those cities closed down harness racing. How did hrnz let that happen with all those people there?.No wrong example,lets think. Ah auckland,thats the one,its doing great as it has a huge population.Thank goodness for the large popualtion base. Oh and cambridge,forever the optimists(maybe thats a north island thing),said in 2023 they were budgeting on turning around that bad year,seemingly by a million dollars in 2024,as they were budgeting on a $218,000 profit. Having read that,i'm going to give them a ring and get the contact details of their numbers man,as i could do with a turnaround in my finances like that. Oh,and cambridge not only had a quick whip around that year amongst hrnz and its members,it also passed the hat to the tab who chipped in $793,000 from a rejuvination fund they dish money out from.Miserly bugga's as the tab had $15 million set aside to dish out to clubs.Seems cambridge were going to spend that wisely,with $393,000 planned to spent on a new in field indicator board. I'm sure the people in the packed stands will appreciate that. Oh,and heres another reason they stated,was going to change for the better in 2023. Seems they lost income form the greyhounds not being run for 5 months of 2023. Thank goodness they have that income to fall back on in years to come. Whats that,they don't,scrub that. oh dear,i need to stop now.My sarcasm is even becoming too much for myself. Its just there is so much material to pick from. Anyways,i think the picture that i have painted,whcih i drew based on barry lichters article of 18 months ago,indicates ,well what chris wood has said on the other channel may in fact be true. His comments were,and about time. but then again,who really knows. mr steele has assured us all is going just fine and everything is fine and dandy.

Chris Wood is a galloping trainer but you are right he is from Cambridge. It can not be true surely, as Brad Steele advised us all that things were all positive? Most of the TAB tote pools tonight were shockingly small but that isnt any worry as turnover is increasing apparently?

very  interesting that the NZ TAB supposedly accepted a $40k bet on Captains Secret on race 7 at Auckland tonight! Wondering is this actually legit when they have previously been so risk averse and very  hard to get much on, and they think that $1k is a big bet. you would wonder who approved it when it was a Telfer horse, and they are going so well? It was $40k @ 3.20 or close to that and someone was in the know! Anyway great to see the NZ TAB accepting such bets and now we can obviously look forward to them allowing all the restricted punters on for amounts more than they have been  previously.      

I probably should have phrased it as never having had a bet. I think it may have been John Allen.

Rising star War Machine will start the popular elect in Saturday’s Gr.1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) at Eagle Farm, carrying not only the hopes of punters and his connections, but the heartfelt weight of two powerful legacies. The four-year-old has won five of his 12 starts since being purchased from New Zealand including his two outings from his new quarters with trainers Ben, Will and JD Hayes. Jockey Tim Clark will sport a black armband on Saturday in the A$3 million feature in memory of two pivotal figures who helped shape his journey — the late Mike Moroney and the recently passed Michael Wallace. Moroney, a decorated and widely respected trainer, passed away earlier this year having laid the foundation with War Machine of what is shaping up to be an elite-level career. Tragedy struck again last weekend in Kentucky with the sudden passing of internationally renowned bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, who sourced War Machine’s dam Caserta on behalf of his brother David and late wife Maddy and parents Jim and Mary Wallace. Jim, David and Michael Wallace at Karaka in January Photo: supplied War Machine was bred under the banner of MDJ Bloodstock Ltd – Mary, Maddy, David and Jim – with the latter pair remaining in the ownership of the son of Harry Angel. Central to the War Machine story is former trainer turned bloodstock agent Steven Pinfold, who identified the young talent at a jump-out in New Zealand prior to his first trial for Jim Wallace. The man known broadly in racing circles as ‘Pinny’ will be at Eagle Farm this weekend to cheer on War Machine and support the eclectic syndicate behind the Kiwi import. “I spotted him at a jump-out before his first trial at Foxton, which he ended up winning by six lengths,” Pinfold said. “I did a lot of business with Michael Moroney over the years. I worked for Mike for a long time, including running stables in Adelaide and Melbourne for him through the halcyon days of Brew and Second Coming. “He was a champion to me and a very good mate for thirty-odd years. Once I saw War Machine at the jump outs, I told Mike about him, and then when he won the trial, we pounced. “I put a lot of good clients into the horse and so did Mike, including Rupert Legh, so it’s nice to see the horse rewarding them. “Mike said to me that War Machine might be one of the better horses he trained. Last year, when he ran in the Golden Eagle, he was just a kid running against men. He went a really good race, and Mike said we will give him a crack at the Rupert Clarke (Gr.1, 1400m) and then put him away for the Stradbroke next year. “So here we are, but sadly Mike isn’t with us.” Among the ownership group is former All Black coach John Hart and Wellington engineer Bruce Hollow, whose racing fortunes have improved after an introduction to Pinfold. “I met Bruce in a pub and he asked if I could help him out. He said he hadn’t had a winner for twenty plus years,” Pinfold said. Steven Pinfold with War Machine this week in Queensland Photo: supplied “The first share I sold to him was in Coeur Volante and the second is in War Machine, plus he also has an interest in Group Two winner Enriched, so he’s had a pretty good run.” Saturday’s Group One will also be a reunion of sorts for a collegiate from St Patrick’s College Silverstream. “I went to school with David Wallace. I also went to school with Andrew Williams, Adon Byron and Kieran McCaul who are all Silverstream boys that are in War Machine,” Pinfold said. “I have been friends with the Wallace family for forty years and their Ardsley Stud has been one of the great thoroughbred nurseries in New Zealand. Jim Wallace actually gave me my first job when he ran the Magic Millions sales at Trentham way back in my schooling days. “It’s a sad series of events. We would have loved David and Jim to be here with us this weekend, but unfortunately, they have had to go to America after the passing of Michael.” Pinfold, who has also established good ties to the Hayes stable in recent years having sourced Group Two winner Marble Arch and progressive mare Grid Girl, said the Stradbroke is one of the few features to elude Lindsay Park over the years. “We have a couple of dickie birds sitting on our shoulder. Tim Clark will wear a black armband not only to remember Michael Wallace but also to remember Michael Moroney,” he said. “A win would be a big thrill for the Hayes boys and all my mates that I have put into the horse, but it would be an even better salute to the Wallace and Moroney families.” View the full article