Chief Stipe

All anecdotal @curious It always amuses me how a Jockey can give a track rating after riding a 550kg penetrometer of variable talent over a variable track. Bearing in mind that we can't be confident that the official rating was correct given the Stewards don't walk the track and the penetrometer readings aren't published. Meanwhile we have @Special Agent saying the times were slick. We have you relaying information that a shifty bend - the poor old track manager is being dictated to now where the rail gets placed! Thanks Kate! Supposedly there wa a front runners bias. According to @TAB For Ever some "horses wouldn't go on it completely". I can't help but think there is a snitch in some quarters against the Track Manager. Not long ago everyone was complaining that they were running wide and what a farce it was yet they didn't do that this meeting. All in all I thought the track raced fair and safe and wasn't a bog. Isn't that all we want for a winter track? Some horses wouldn't have liked it but that's racing. Perhaps we should close Wanganui as well given so many unhappy people.

He seems a reasonable dude. Highlights why most top level Trainers/Jockeys/Owners don't engage with social media or respond. Instead use it as a marketing medium. Though never ceases to me amaze how some cry a river on one channel and then act all tough on another.

No the Jockeys offered the tracks conditon as an excuse. Notably four Jockeys used the same excuse more than once. The times weren't that slick not as if they were running 1:07.5 on a Soft 7. The best 1200m time was 1:10.45 on a Heavy 8.

Yeah well maybe they should be a bit nervous about their pay packets. Do we really need the high paid ones like Guy Heveldt reading a cookie cutter script and a form guide as a segue to the next race?

Jim was the Grocer I was referring to. His racebook had more annotations than a bookies! I remember Johnny Hurren really well. Charles Uphams batman during the War.

Actually thinking about it the AWT report probably has research in there that supports our hypothesis that the Ellerslie "Iconic" bends don't cut the mustard. Petards and hoists.

Well that's great. I've been pointing it out since day one and more so after I walked the track. Got mainly criticism.

Right so I go from being uneducated to an educated derelict. I'm on the way up! Thanks for the support. Don't bother sending me an invoice for the "mentoring".

Good luck pointing that out on any forum!

Arrogant sod. I've had more schooling that you and two grass roots Universities.

Uh?

Can't you read? Not ONE horse fell.

Do you think their influence on NZTR has been positive? Is this new committee saying that the Staff and Board of TABNZ are not doing a good job? If they need advice have the wrong people been employed? https://www.tabnz.org/about-us These people were paid a total of $2.5m last year. TABNZ Leadership Team Nick Roberts Chief Executive Officer Jason Fleming General Manager - Commercial and Finance Niall Miller General Manager Gaming Heather Hay Head of Legal and Regulatory The TABNZ Board William (Bill) Birnie CNZM Chairperson Wendie Harvey Director Hon. David Bennett Director Tim Gillespie Director Bill Moran MNZM Director Kereyn Smith CNZM Director

Two Jumps races today and not one horse fell! Even over the BIG Steeples!

They've been the most vocal recently on moving the rail or not moving the rail. A couple of Senior Jockeys have been banging on about it in a number of forums.

"Those people" don't know but ENTAIN do.

I suspect that the "re"-development of the website was tied up with the Systems Upgrade Project. That project has cost millions, was initiated by Cameron George and has yet to deliver anything of note. It is hard to find out what has happened as the reporting is a bit thin. I got the impresson at one stage the project after a considerable amount (millions) had been spent was canned. Obviously the issues with NZTR systems still exist so I imagine the Board is looking at a NEW project to fix them. The website will be an important interface to those systems for stakeholders so it follows that the "launch" is on hold.

Great to see the Steeplechases over real hedge fences at Te Aroha today. Not sure about the riding though. Jockeys seem to leap off more than horses falling over! Those that say horses don't like jumping only have to look at the horse that lost a Jockey early in the first round and proceeded to jump the rest of the fences and complete the course! Must find out its name for next time!

Will there be full transparency of their discussions? Going by the not so subtle changes in Thoroughbred racemeeting days and times I think there is a power play to canibalise Harness. This unbalanced committee will push that agenda harder. There will also be discussions over what happens to the revenue generated by Greyhounds in the next 12 months and then what is generated from overseas Greyhound racing. No doubt they will be lobbying to get their hands on the biggest share of that dosh.

Moving the rail is a symptom not a cause of the track issues. WTF is the following going to acheive? They are also proposing another committee to manage it!! I bet this has come from a certain group of Jockeys/Trainers. I keep saying that the biggest issue, the most fundamental issue, is the under resourcing of professional track managers enabling them to do what their experience and skills guide them to do. FFS there is no mention in that report of funding the key people to do their bloody job!!!

Report for downloading. June 2025 Racing Operations Report.pdf

Why the fixation on rail movements? Surely that is a Track Manager's call based on track conditions.

What is the RTA Group?

@Comic Dog I advise you to stop building the narrative you are currently attempting to build. I'm quite happy to point out where the dementia lies.

It never ceases to amaze me that with today's technology and computer system inter-connectivity that tote prices are not refreshed in real time. Going back to the "balloon going up, tote closed days" the system relied on tote operators and agencies manually balancing and phoning through the bets to the central tote. Not sure but the latter may have shifted to oncourse on raceday. Hence close off times at agencies were earlier than oncourse. Not sure if the TAB layed off in those days. Perhaps @TAB For Ever knows the finer points of how they operated. I know the local grocer in Hokitika and a committee member of the Westland Racing Club on race day monitored the revolving tape on the outside of the tote which had the win and place pool totals and would calculate if there were any anomalies in the tote prices displayed on the long tapes.