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You guys are just Bitterly disappointing these days. Not a skerritt of support for the great competitors on the track , nor your fabulous organizing bodies . And the Galah backs you u calling it a disgrace ? that's a disgrace lol 😆😋 (should leave that for Doomsday Brodie) Of course any race Keayang Zahara is in doesn't have good betting. duh. that's what happens when champions arrive. So you say DON"T HAVE THE RACE because of the Betting ???😅🤣 that's great support for the champions lol 😂 I do concede, You can't really back anything to beat her. (my suggestion would be take First 4 in those sort of races but whatever) As for Recklessness with ENTAIN money. what total ROT. ENTAIN puts in the money to use over a season. They are worth BILLIONS they are back in court this year with a potential $100,000,000 fine (for money laundering) and already have that set aside , should the day come. WHAT BETTER way for them to SPEND their proceeds but on BIG Harness races. The Slot races involves the PARTICIPANTS putting in $30,000 each as well . The small input from HRNZ is a True Blessing for them. Not a disgrace. They are rejoicing in their good fortune. Great racing of some of the best TROTTERS EVER SEEN in Gus, Keayang Zahara and Muscle Mountain . 14 fabulous Group 1's to be run at Auckland through the Autumn next 3 months, on their newly re-surfaced track . Well done HRNZ for the great NZ racing and support of your participants. 🏆💰 Thank you Entain for the great Entertainment as well. Disgrace and recklessness ??? lol 🤣 poor old trotters. NZ used to like them too over the years. times change I spose.🙄😉 -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
NZTR weighs export levy hike amid industry pushback New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing says it is in the early stages of evaluating the fee structure for the export of horses to raise revenue and direct it towards the local industry. By Tim Rowe https://bitofayarn.com ● Breeding and Bloodstock ● March 5, 2026 New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing is examining the fee structure for the export of horses despite concerns that a steep hike would impact the international trade of bloodstock. (Photo Darren Tindale – The Image is Everything) The regulator of New Zealand’s heavily export-reliant thoroughbred sector is weighing up whether to increase the levy imposed on owners of horses departing the country as a way of boosting revenue to support the local racing industry. As the proposal reaches the consultative stage, detractors have voiced concern that New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing’s tentative steps to hike the export fee could make it harder for stakeholders to sell horses to overseas jurisdictions.https://bitofayarn.com A figure of as much as $5000 – up more than tenfold on the current amount of $450 – was first put forward by NZTR, but after swift and stern feedback from stakeholders, it appears as though the organisation has already backed away from such a steep increase. The Australian industry charges the owners of exported horses $550, while the United Kingdom imposes a £196 levy, and Ireland charges €234. Advertisement NZTR also charges a $250 levy for horses imported into the country, or $330 if the arrival is lodged more than 30 days after arrival. Australia is New Zealand’s major export market for thoroughbreds, while Hong Kong is also a pivotal jurisdiction, but buyers from that region have a major presence at New Zealand Bloodstock auctions, particularly at the Ready to Run Sale each November. To a lesser extent, jurisdictions such as Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Korea also play an important role as export markets for the New Zealand industry. New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing general manager of racing Mitch Lamb confirmed that the organisation was considering the structure of its fees across a range of areas, including the export and importing of horses. “We’re really right at the start of an internal process that may end up being a conclusion that sees a rise in fee or it may end up being a conclusion that sees it not being touched,” Lamb told The Straight. “It’s a fee that hasn’t been touched from my understanding for about 11 years … (and we’re) taking on consultation from those stakeholders and we’re obviously still needing to go through a proper process internally as well. “In fairness, it’s probably one of about 40 things that are at that similar stage (at NZTR at the moment).” New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing chief executive Andrew Birch warned that a significant increase in the levy would diminish the country’s ability to compete with other thoroughbred breeding countries. “New Zealand is very much an export nation and this ecosystem of trading has been imperative to the ongoing viability of a host of our trainers, owners and breeders,” Birch said. “We have a clear advantage in terms of our natural environment, skilled horse people and relative costs of producing quality thoroughbreds, so let’s not jeopardise that. “While we appreciate that the current export levy hasn’t been touched in some time, and hence a small rise would be palatable, anything that would put us at a disadvantage to our fellow exporters is clearly of grave concern. https://bitofayarn.com “We want to work collaboratively with NZTR to ensure that a quick-fix solution to revenue raising doesn’t come at the expense of the long-term sustainability and international competitiveness of New Zealand’s thoroughbred export sector.” Australian buyers accounted for more than half the Book 1 spend at January’s NZB Karaka Yearling Sale, signing for 200 horses at a combined $41.145 million.https://bitofayarn.com Hong Kong buyers also spent more than $5 million, contributing 6.8 per cent to the gross of $79 million, while China, South Africa, Singaporean, UK and Japanese buyers also purchased horses at New Zealand’s 100th National Yearling Sale. Appointed to his position at NZTR in September, having previously worked with wagering firms in Europe and Australia, including with Tabcorp and its media business Sky Racing, Lamb has been consulting various stakeholders about the export levy. They include the country’s sole auction house, New Zealand Bloodstock, and the Bloodstock Agents Federation New Zealand, which have voiced their concerns about a possible hefty fee hike. “I think it would be incumbent on me to do that, stepping into the role and this is just one drop in the ocean as to what we’re reviewing and looking at to potentially change for next season,” Lamb said. “If we were to find new revenue streams … whether it’s fees or whatever they might be, and that includes our funding from our (wagering) model with Entain, it’s incumbent on us to be as transparent as possible with stakeholders as to how we’re going to spend that money.” The trans-Tasman approach – Is racing missing its Australasian opportunity? Any changes made to the levy would need to be ratified by the NZTR board, which is chaired by breeding industry figure and Westbury Stud general manager Russell Warwick.https://bitofayarn.com The development comes as NZTR prepares for its Champions Day, a World Pool meeting at Ellerslie highlighted by the second running of the $4 million The NZB Kiwi. The slot race is expected to be dominated by unbeaten filly Well Written, with the field attracting a sole Australian raider, the last-start Mitch Freedman-trained CS Hayes runner-up Asakura. Another eight Australian-trained runners are entered for stakes races at Ellerslie, with connections taking advantage of the $10,000 NZTR travel subsidy. NZTR’s financial incentive aimed at connections of Australian-trained horses came in for criticism from some local participants after the Gavin Bedggood-trained Kingswood won the Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic on Boxing Day. A last-start second in the Herbie Dyke Stakes, Kingswood continues his Kiwi campaign in the Group 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes on Saturday.https://bitofayarn.com Lamb believes the travel incentive had proven successful in boosting turnover from Australian punters on its meetings. He described the travel subsidy as a return-on-investment play that had so far delivered dividends for the industry. “The wagering figures in general domestically have been very encouraging throughout the entire season and certainly on those big days, specifically the wagering figures out of Australia,” Lamb said. https://bitofayarn.com “When you look at that (Karaka) Millions night, they were really, really positive. It’s one piece of the puzzle, getting Australian horses to race here to maximise those wagering opportunities … and we’ll definitely continue to look at opportunities to get them over here to race.” -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
A really useful simple too is a SWOT analysis - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The first two apply to your business internal environment and the latter two to the external environment in which the business operates. My preferred method of doing the analysis is to do a TOWS analysis i.e. where you analyse the external environment first. Then your internal strengths and weaknesses become clearly apparent. -
By Chief Stipe · Posted
It is a tool or methodology used to devise a strategic plan to achieve the desired future state. I realise that some might see that as corporate speak but I've found these types of tools very useful. They provide a framework. Quite frankly any business large or small can benefit from strategic planning - most tend to drift along organically. Future state options are potential strategic paths—such as growth, transformation, or stability—developed to guide an organization from its current operations ("as-is") to a desired future ("to-be"). These options are identified through, for example, this Miro diagram and this YouTube video, using techniques like scenario planning to align, for example, this tourism example from the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment to this Spark Business Lab article or to this Medium article about future state definitions. Common options include: International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) +4 Transformational/Disruptive: Radical changes to business models, technology, or market position (e.g., entering new markets, adopting new technology). Incremental/Evolutionary: Gradual improvements to existing processes, products, or services. Operational Optimization: Enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and refining current capabilities without changing the core model. Stabilization/Maintenance: Holding the current market position while focusing on strengthening internal resilience. Exit/Divestment: Exiting specific markets or product lines to focus resources elsewhere. International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA) -
and you can guarantee the race will be a total bore as well. The $1.30 favorite will lead,go slow,no one will attack, probably the likes of gus will move around and sit parked but apply no pressure,then it will sprint home a 54 last half and the commentator and media will rave on and on about what a great performance and how wonderful it was.
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