Motor Sport

RIB need to front foot this and terminate his employment and admit they were not in possession of all the data to make a correct decision on his employment. Botherway knew dam well he would not get the job if he disclosed this 'incident'. He has been deceptive and that disqualifies him from a role concerning other people's integrity.  As I said before the porn is not the issue, as distasteful as it might be to some, who probably watch porn anyway

Listen Chiefy. This guy with his position and supposed intelligence doesn't deserve compassion. He knew exactly what he was doing and is as Freda described him is a "piece of shit" Castration springs to mind as a remedy.

Which gets back to my "gun shy" suggestion.  The problems you refer to have been building for decades - hard to fix things quickly when the crisis point is reached. Yes I see the visuals but the RIB probably wouldn't have known as the Law Society are pretty rock solid at keeping someones privacy.  Even so I have doubts about the RIB employment vetting policies.  We all know about the ex-Police staff that have been employed and their records! As for Botherway he is now entitled to practice as a Lawyer.  Let's face it the price he is paying for a minor indiscretion (in the overall scheme of things it IS MINOR) and the vitriol he is getting is way over what he deserves.  Calling him a piece of shit @Freda goes beyond the pale.  I have some compassion for the situation he is in because I have had personal experience not because I actually did anything wrong but because of a false accusation that bought out all the same type of vitriol and hypocrisy.  Thankfully social media wasn't a big thing then and I had some staunch close friends that stood by me and managed the media hawks. Later in life I met people who were destroyed because of minor indiscretions or sometimes just unfounded allegations.   If not destroyed completely broken.  Yes mostly men  Yes there are certain things that in my mind you can't come fully back from nor should you be allowed to.   I'm not defending the RIB - I doubt they knew.  If I'm defending anyone it is Botherway or at least showing some compassion.  Does the indiscretion match the crap he is getting?  Hell who would want to hold any licensed position in the racing industry or rather who are the individuals that haven't done something that the sanctimonious moral vultures wouldn't tear you apart for if they knew?  Why the hell does racing have to hold some moral high ground?  It isn't like that in Australia.  Some of their license holders have made major indiscretions and haven't faced the vitriol that they would in NZ.  We hang people out to dry based on a rumour talked about in a bar!

Peter and Shaun McKay were contemplating the racing future of seven-year-old gelding Giacomo, but he proved he is still up to the task when defending his crown in the Holster Engineering Lally & Symes South Waikato Cup (2000m) at Matamata on Wednesday. The son of Puccini took up his typical front-running role, but he wasn’t given it all his own way, with My Maebelline Girl serving it up to him down the back straight and wrestling away the lead. That placed Giacomo in the uncustomary position of having something to chase, but chase he did and he recaptured the lead from the 400m and saw off the late challenge of Te Akau pair Crown Princess and Altari to win by three-quarters of a length. “It was really good,” Peter McKay said. “He likes to dictate in front and he didn’t get it all his own way. Yesterday he did do it a little bit differently where he has led for a bit and then taken a sit when My Maebelline Girl went around him and then he has got going again before the corner, which he likes to do. “We were thinking it might be his last season of racing but he has now put his hand up again. “He always seems to come right at this time of the year so hopefully he can pick off another one before he goes out at the end of the season.” Looking ahead to the weekend, the McKay’s will cross the Kaimai Range with just the one runner on Saturday, with Just Call Me Johnny to contest the Snow Williams Bayleys Country 2100 at Tauranga. “He has come through his last start win well and he went home to Milan Park for a week and piled on good condition, which was good,” McKay said. “We decided we would go straight into a 2100m rather than last time where we sent him home for a 10-day spell and he went a mile and then 2100m. I just think he is more of a stayer now. “Things are looking good for Saturday, I just hope the rain stays away.” While the stable is light on numbers this weekend, they will have more representation a week later when they trek south to Trentham. “Both of my stayers, Wolfgang and Santa Catalina, are going to the same race, the St Leger,” McKay said. “I would like to split them but it is a 2500m race, which seems to suit them both. It will be nice to see them competing against each other and hopefully they are fighting out the finish.” Meanwhile, McKay has welcomed Group Three winner Spencer back to the barn. The six-year-old son of Derryn has been spelling since his unplaced runs in the Gr.1 Telegraph (1200m) and Gr.1 Thorndon Mile (1600m) at Trentham in January, and McKay is looking forward to racing him over winter. “He has come back and has put a lot of weight on in the time he was out,” McKay said. “He can pick away over winter, he seems to go alright on a wetter track. “We will look at some of those set weights and penalties or weight-for-age races at the end of the season and start of next season. He is capable of plenty more yet.” View the full article

An elite-level test looms for promising juvenile Seize The Day following his comfortable maiden victory in the AKW Farrier LTD 2YO (1200m) at Matamata on Wednesday. Trained locally by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, the Te Akau two-year-old was a beaten favourite on debut at Ellerslie last month, placing behind Summer Schemer and subsequent Group One performer State Of Valour. His conditioners were confident of an improved result on Wednesday and the son of I Am Invincible didn’t disappoint, sitting parked throughout and bounding away in the concluding stages under jockey Opie Bosson to win by 2-3/4 lengths. “He felt good,” Bosson said. “He took a while to come back to me and wanted to over-race a fraction, but he travelled beautifully from the 600m. “He’s a lovely big horse, with a massive stride on him, and gives you a nice feeling when he lets go. “He had run through the line well at Ellerslie after getting a bit lost when balancing up, but once he did, he found the line and it was an encouraging run. “He’s gone forward in his work since then and everything pointed to a good run today. I think he’s going to be pretty competitive over 1400m.” Co-trainer Sam Bergerson was pleased with the win and he is now looking forward to heading south with the colt later this month to tackle the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Trentham. “He’s a lovely colt and put it all together and showed it out there today,” Bergerson said. “He was probably a little bit keen, which is hopefully not a chink in his armour as we look to step up to 1400m in the Group One at Trentham, but he was really dominant up the straight and it was exciting to see. “He’s always shown us plenty at home, and obviously he went down as a short-priced favourite at Ellerslie, but we were still very happy with the performance and how he went through the line. “It was good to see what he did on the home track and we’re excited to get him down to Trentham in a couple of weeks.” A full-brother to Group Three winner California Zimbol and a half-brother to stakes winners From Within and Cruden Bay, Seize The Day was purchased out of Yarraman Park Stud’s 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale draft by Te Akau Racing principal David Ellis, in partnership with Kia Ora Stud, for A$600,000. View the full article