Chief Stipe

Na. @TAB For Ever was his own man. Never in any "Tight five"! Just extremely passionate about horse racing - both codes. Great sense of humour too.

Agree. You can't blame NZTR for that.

It is a valid question. For nearly four years the timing has been hand held! Not to mention the photo finish issues. If there isn't enough money in the kitty to fix those fundamental issues then maybe a cake stall would help!

My posts are not meant to be critical of the Levin Racing Club. Their provision of Jump Outs are excellent for the CD. However I do tire of hearing inaccuracies about their wealth and profitability. Trentham is decried for sell land whereas Levin is applauded (or overlooked). My long held opinion is that the CD Clubs needed to get round the table and thrash out plan to make racing profitable and sustainable. Many people will deride my next comment but... RACE wasn't a bad idea - it was a good idea but unfortunately it needed every Club to co-operate and didn't need some of the management stuff up's it had. Now we have a situation where everyone is entrenched in the fiefdom's and fighting every shadow. You now have a situation where multiple Clubs are selling off land to pay their way. The end result will be the capital will be pissed against the wall or fund operational expenses and some sizeable chunks of land could have been used or traded to create a profitable centre for racing. The way things are heading there won't be any racing left! We can get all nostalgic about the past but the Club model doesn't assist the running of a profitable business when the volunteers disappear and the donations stop. CD racing has some of the best assets in the country - but there is a reall possibility that they will lose them all.

If it is a one horse town here then how does @Comic Dog explain the need to bag @hesi . Although I guess BOAY could be a one horse town with one lap dog and one fish ( @Murray Fish ).

Yes it has. Most social media has declined in numbers. Mainly because they get hijacked by groups with one agenda and then they coalesce together into a back slapping morass.

Oh come on! Young Mick Guerin is at the cutting edge of investigative journalism!

Yes regardless of how it turns out. It wasn't too long ago that we all were highly critical of NZTR not being proactive in these cases.

Nope. Just don't slander V'Landys on here. I'd have to moderate your amusing posts.

Statement from The Thoroughbred Report Three independent racing publications, including The Thoroughbred Report, have recently received correspondence from Peter V’landys’ and/or Racing NSW’s legal counsel in response to reporting on governance matters within the New South Wales thoroughbred racing industry.https://bitofayarn.com We want to make one point unequivocally clear: responsible journalism must not be met with legal intimidation. Independent media exists to scrutinise powerful institutions and hold them to account, even if critical of leadership. That role is essential to the health and integrity of any industry.https://bitofayarn.com Australia’s implied freedom of political communication protects the media’s ability to discuss matters of governance and public interest. Trying to intimidate journalists through legal threats is fundamentally inconsistent with that protection. When this happens, the message extends far beyond the newsroom. It tells trainers, owners, breeders, employees, and concerned participants that speaking up carries risk. It creates fear and encourages silence. And it erodes the culture of openness on which trust depends. Governance is strengthened, not weakened, by transparency, independent oversight, and constructive conversation. An industry cannot function with confidence if those tasked with informing its community are suppressed. It cannot claim transparency while simultaneously attempting to intimidate its critics. And it cannot expect public trust if its default response to scrutiny is to threaten those who provide it.https://bitofayarn.com We remain open to receiving and incorporating all perspectives at any time. However, our efforts to engage and seek information have routinely received no reply. We will continue to remain open to dialogue from every participant, as open communication is essential to meaningful understanding and positive change.https://bitofayarn.com We will not be deterred and remain committed to responsible journalism.

So what Clubs are inhibited by race dates? I'm not sure you understand wagering. it wouldn't be of value to the industry as a whole and the Reefton track couldn't sustain 12 race days. @Huey you keep saying I don't know but you never post anything factual or of substance. Just anecdotal and generalised. At least the financial accounts of each Club give some facts. Unless Clubs are deriving revenue from other activities than just racedays they are not earning enough to maintain their assets. That's an immutable fact. What Club? Provide some evidence about the "NZTR Club" you refer to. Is this your mythical mafia? Provides some facts!!!

The weather forecast says it will and it is raining as predicted in most places. Rotorua was going to be a Twilight meeting and the weather forecast has 40mm plus thunderstorms right in the middle of when the weather was hitting. At least they made a decision early.

Who is on this Committee?

Meeting News Rotorua Meeting Postponed Until Friday A heavy rain warning (Metservice) has been issued for Rotorua and surrounding regions for tomorrow, 3 December. As such, and after support from the Club and RIB, an early decision has been made to postpone the meeting to Friday 5 December. All scratchings have been re-instated. The meeting will no longer be a twilight meeting with an estimated new Race 1 time of 1pm. This decision has been approved by the TAB NZ Dates Committee.