Chief Stipe

I'd have a beer with anyone - once.

You're a plonker. I guess your mates follow your tips that's why they get more options.

Perhaps but most of them haven't started from so far behind. If he keeps his rate of progress up he will be better than most of them.

Seems Trackside didn't pay for the option that gives the Jockey's colours for Caulfield.

Some horses are. But you miss the point. Colins issue is with the maintenance of the Riccarton track. The photos don't lie. Some horses like running on the Polytrack but not many like running on asphalt. I assure you there are quite a few disgruntled trainers but unfortunately the hassle publically commenting on social media about the issue is not worth it. Like a lot of things Trainers are often forced to grin and bear it. But hopefully what Wightman has done will get some focus on the issue.

Recorded it for you. Ace is a fine young man and improving all the time. He spoke very well.

I seriously hope that the rumours are not true that they took a budget short cut. Although some may remember the quite tense debate with @Pitman some months prior to the AWT being built that there appeared to be no business case nor planned extra budget for ongoing maintenace. I should bump that discussion to the front of the queue again!

Geez we get a post race analysis nearly 20 mins after the Metric Mile has run at Wanganui and its a 20 second interview with Kelly Myers! Back to calling it "AFTERMATH" as well!!

Should be an inquiry in Race 4.

Half the problem is most of the Jockeys let the leader stack them up and put in a soft sectional. Also they need to get moving sooner on the bend. Not sure if that is because they are gun shy.

Well that theory lasted one race.

S5 today after 22mm of rain in the last 24 hours. I heard that basically they have been coring and verti-draining the track all week.

A Tapeta has the same surface medium components as our Polytracks. Perhaps the difference is depth of the fill and its maintenance.

Possibly not everyone gets the same. How do you know they don't?

Very inbred though. Same mare on top and bottom.

So @Pete Lane are you still saying dear old Wightman is not "prominent"?

Rawiller answers Minervini SOS for New Zealand stud prospect Meritable By Racing and Sports Newswire - January 17, 2024 Mark Minervini is banking on the renowned horsemanship of Nash Rawiller to help extract the best from budding stallion Meritable when the pair team up at Rosehill. Group 1-placed in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas as a three-year-old, Meritable hasn't quite gone on with the job in his handful of starts since arriving in Australia almost two years ago. However, he turned in his best performance for some time when runner-up to Dragonstone in the Listed Starlight Stakes (1100m) at his first appearance for Minervini in December, before finishing down the track behind Noble Soldier last time out. The horse heads into the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday with a month's break between runs and combined with the booking of Rawiller, Minervini hopes it is a winning formula. "I think the older horses with a bit of a mind, Nash might be the right man for the job," Minervini said. "He seems to be able to get the best out of horses that other guys can't, so I'm hoping it's the right move, but the proof will be in the pudding on Saturday." Meritable is raced by New Zealander Colin Wightman, who bought the entire with the plan of standing him in his homeland to serve his group of broodmares. The timing of the acquisition wasn't right for a career change last season, so having seen Minervini's success with tried horses such as stakes winner Hosier, Wightman sent Meritable to the Newcastle-based trainer. "He bought him to stand on the South Island of New Zealand. Incredibly, there are no sons of Snitzel there and Colin has got a broodmare band of his own, maybe fifteen or twenty mares, so his intention is to use him," Minervini said. "It was too late in the season to retire last year, so at this stage he will go to stud this season. "Hopefully he can win a race or two in Sydney which would cap off his resume." Share this article on: Facebook

Yep the horses name is Meritable second in the 2021 NZ Guineas beaten by Noverre.

How do you know very few have come to "prominence"? The definition of Prominent is: leading, well known. That he is. I've been around as long as you have - if not more. Yes you are entitled to your OPINION but what are the facts? What in what you describe as an expose is wrong? You are very quick to toe the party line without doing any research. So come up with some facts of your own.

They use a penetrometer to measure the firmness of a track. Has anyone used a penetrometer on the Riccarton Poly track? I'm picking it will come up as an F1 or a G2. Yet most Turf tracks need to produce a G4 or worse on a raceday morning.

To accuse someone of fraud there has to be some personal gain from committing the fraud. So what gain is there to Colin Wightman for spending all that time writing the report or even orchestrating the photos? I can't think of any. The fact is the outcome that is evident now was forewarned on BOAY months before the AWT's were even built.

Not quite 90!

How long does it take to fix it?