Gallops

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