Chief Stipe

MEETING NEWS Taranaki Abandoned Today After an inspection of the track this morning by the RIB and Club representatives the meeting at New Plymouth today has been abandoned. There has been 19mm of rain overnight resulting in a water-logged track with further rain predicted. MEETING NEWS Rotorua Abandoned Today Due to surface water on the track in areas past the winning post, and after sustained periods of rain, the meeting at Rotorua today has been abandoned. There has been 31mm of rain in the last 24 hours on a Heavy10 track. NZTR will work with the Club and Entain NZ to see what options are available next week.

Northern Raceday Services kicked off in 1977 with a loan from NZTR. There doesn't seem to be any record of the shareholding or company details then or now. The letter posted about the breakdown states they started as a voluntary organisation. I suspect their future may be uncertain. Interesting how we never hear anything from MIA Sharrock.

‘Biggest mistake of my career': Why J-Mac shouldn't move to Hong Kong www.racenet.com.au Hall of Fame jockey Glen Boss has urged superstar rider James McDonald to remain in Sydney racing and continue travelling to Hong Kong for the big racedays. McDonald is a jockey in demand and is clearly the nation's leading rider after a sensational season in which he has ridden 19 Group 1 winners, including a career-best 14 majors in Australia. The jockey they call "JMac" can ride his 50th stakes winner for the season on Charterhouse in the Listed $200,000 Winter Challenge (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday as he moves inexorably closer to a sixth consecutive Sydney jockeys premiership. But McDonald has also ridden four Group 1 winners in Hong Kong – and one in Japan – this season and senior Hong Kong Jockey Club officials have publicly said they want the jockey to one day base himself there full-time. But Boss feels McDonald can continue to enjoy the "best of both worlds" from Sydney. Twelve months after their 2022 Cox Plate embrace, James McDonald and Glen Boss again celebrate after Romantic Warrior's famous 2023 Cox Plate victory. Picture: Mark Stewart • Racewatch: Tips, race-by-race analysis for Rosehill Gardens on Saturday "I've told James he doesn't need to move to Hong Kong – he can keep doing both,'' Boss said. "Do you realise he was fifth in the prizemoney list in Hong Kong ($HK91.5 million, $A17.4 million) this season? He can stay in Sydney and go there when he's asked because he has the connections in Hong Kong now.'' Boss said the biggest mistake of his career was moving to Hong Kong in 2006 when he was at the peak of his career. "I thought I would go to Hong Kong and ride out my career there,'' Boss said. "I finished fourth in the premiership and had a good season but I missed riding in all the good races and the good horses back home. It's the biggest mistake I made in my riding career.'' • ‘I think this filly is a good horse': Blueblood excites Waller Fellow riding legends Shane Dye and Jim Cassidy, however, believe it is inevitable that McDonald will end up riding in Hong Kong. Dye said if McDonald stayed in Sydney he would eventually ride 200 Group 1 winners but said the lucrative financial rewards of Hong Kong racing were almost impossible to ignore. "It all depends on whether he wants prestige and premierships, or if he wants to be wealthy,'' Dye said. "If James wants to win premierships and Group 1 races he can stay here, there is nothing wrong with that. But if he wants to be a very, very wealthy person he needs to go to Hong Kong.'' • Rosehill Turf Talk: Cohen keen on $9.50 value bet Cassidy also felt McDonald would one day make the move to Hong Kong. "I can't see him staying in Aussie,'' Cassidy said. "I've always said records are there to be broken but you can't ‘eat' records. He will make a lot more money in Hong Kong.'' Ray Thomas interviewed Boss, Dye, Cassidy and fellow Hall of Famers Darren Beadman and "Miracle" Mal Johnston about what makes McDonald so good and where he rates in the pantheon of all-time greats. You can read the full feature on Racenet on Friday morning.

He can beat him again': Grimson plotting another Leap To Fame upset District Attorney has beaten Leap To Fame once and can lower his colours again in the Group 1 Sunshine Sprint on Saturday night. Picture: Stuart McCormick By Adam Hamilton 03:09pm • 19 July 2024 Nobody knows how to beat champion pacer Leap To Fame better than Jason Grimson. The NSW trainer famously upstaged Leap To Fame with his stable star Swayzee in last year's Blacks A Fake. More recently, Grimson's new stable addition District Attorney stunned everybody when he came off Leap To Fame's back and ran him down in the Patrons Purse at Redcliffe on June 21. It was Leap To Fame's only defeat in his past 16 starts. Grimson is growing in confidence he can cause an upset again in Saturday night's $200,000 Group 1 Sunshine Sprint (1660m) at Albion Park. While Leap To Fame totally dominates betting at $1.30 in the Sunshine Sprint, Grimson has strength of numbers with four runners – District Attorney, Hector, Nerano and Hi Manameisjeff – in the 10-horse field. "I really like District Attorney, I think he can beat him again," Grimson said. "I was a bit disappointed with District Attorney last time, but we led-up on him and he just switched off in front. He's much better than that. "This time he's drawn to lead early and then sit on the back on Leap To Fame, which suits him ideally. "That's how he beat him at Redcliffe and I think he's a great chance of doing it again. "I've got some good chances across a few races on Saturday night, but I think District Attorney is my best chance. "Don't rule out Nerano, too. He's really dangerous if they go hard and he gets the last shot at them from off the speed." Grimson also warned not to discount Hi Manameisjeff, who has won seven of eight starts since joining his stable, but will start from outside the back row. "I think I'll tell Cam (Hart, driver) to punch through from the back row and get straight around outside the leader, which will suit this horse," he said. Grimson is also a key part of the other big rivalry on Saturday as trainer of boom former Kiwi mare Aardies Express, who has a rematch with Australia's champion mare Ladies In Red in the $150,000 Group 1 Golden Girl. Aardies Express upset Ladies In Red at their only clash when she came from back in the field to run her down in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Mile at Menangle on May 4. "She'll be hard to beat again. I know Ladies In Red has a better draw, but my mare is very, very tough," he said. "I think the race is more open than just the two top mares. I've got Tay Tay and Illavabubbles in it, and Tay Tay is absolutely flying. "If they go really hard up front, which looks likely, Tay Tay will be the one flying home at the finish." • Adam Hamilton is a paid contributor writing on harness racing for News Corp

Hokitika had no horses but could sustain a racetrack. Ellerslie has no horses but can't seem to get a track that one can race on. With the way the Mesara elite chosen few are performing they need every track in the country as a backup. There aren't that many Pukekohe's left to hammer for the chosen one.

Some education for you EPO is short for erythropoietin. Can you please cite the evidence showing that Ironvita is a known EPO?

Is that the best you've got @Seeyounexttuesdaytrainers ? Suggest you get back to making banners.

It is a supplement with the following active ingredients: Active Constituents: Each 30 mL dose contains: IRON 300 mg COPPER 30 mg COBALT 1.1 mg FOLIC ACID 9 mg It is NOT EPO! So that's your first piece of alarmist misinformation. Again factually incorrect. Pringle was charged under the following rule (not because it wasn't licensed): 14. Under GRNZ Prohibited Substance Regulations for the Rules of Racing, substances capable at any time acting directly or indirectly on the blood system are Prohibited Substances. Cobalt is capable of acting upon the blood system and, under the Rules, when present in urine above 100 ng/mL, is a Prohibited Substance in accordance with the Rules. Now this is where the rules have a few holes in them. What does "substances capable at any time acting directly or indirectly on the blood system" actually mean? It is a very broad catchall rule and could cover a myriad of substances. For example Cobalt is a key component of the Vitamen B complexes - particularly B12. They were only implausible in your mind. Where is the evidence for a "...usually lenient adjunct committee..." that's just your opinion. Please provide some facts. The whole Cobalt issue in racing has caused many injustices. I suggest you do some more research. Where is the evidence that Cobalt at the levels found are performancing enhancing? @Seeyounexttuesdaytrainers you are welcome to practice you anti-Greyhound Racing arguments on BOAY and you need more practice.

Only two in the North Island? Cambridge Trots and Wanganui Dogs? I've never worked out why with today's technology and a decent Satellite link you actually needed one. Especially for the Dogs.

Why would that be?

MEETING NEWS Hawke’s Bay Abandonment The Hawke’s Bay meeting was abandoned yesterday at around 6.20am. The track was inspected on Wednesday and found to be in safe condition for racing. The track was a Heavy10 prior to the 28mm of rain received. Rainfall intensity exceeded forecasts with an inspection on Thursday morning showing surface water at varying parts of the track between the 1400m and 800m. Following this the meeting was abandoned for reasons of safety. There was some further rain predicted. The meeting was unable to be re-scheduled for the following day (Friday) as it couldn’t be serviced by Entain NZ. With three CD meetings in four days in the week starting Monday 22 July it has been decided not to reschedule. NZTR are open to dividing races at both Awapuni on Thursday and Otaki on Saturday. With potentially four jump races at Waverley it is unlikely that there will be divisions. Any abandonment is frustrating for all participants and costly to the industry however horse and rider safety cannot be compromised. An early call did mitigate both disruption and costs to the Industry.

Mmm that letter says there is a Company called Northern Raceday Services Society Ltd. Yet the company isn't registered at the companies office. The email address domain is for an accounting firm in Thames - Howlett Dalzell Accountancy Services Ltd.

Notice from Northern Race Day Services. Northern Raceday Services S.ociety Ltd Statement on Raceday Abandonment at Pukekuhe Park Northern Raceday Services Society Ltd (NRS) wishes to address the recent raceday abandonment that occurred at Pukekohe Park on Wednesday July 17. Established in 1977 as an essentially voluntary organisation supported by regional clubs, NRS. is dedicated to providing northern race clubs with barrier attendants and, where necessary,-starting gates for raceday, trials, and jumpouts. Our fleet, including the towing truck, purpose-built trailer, and minibus, undergoes regular servicing. Additionally, our custom-built Steriline starting gates are maintained by qualified engineers and receive annual servicing from a Steriline representative to ensure their reliability. The disruption on Wednesday was due to an unforeseen issue with a fuel pressure valve on our towing truck en-route to Pukekohe Park. Despite our rigorous maintenance schedule, this fault could not have been anticipated. In our 47 years of operation, covering hundreds of race meetings and trials, this is the first time a breakdown has prevented us from fulfilling our duties. Under the current structure, where NRS is tasked with providing barrier staff and, where required, barriers for northern region race meetings, NRS has no option but to accept full responsibility for the abandonment. We are acutely aware of the impact this has had on all stakeholders and an investigation is underway to clearly identify the cause and to implement measures to prevent such incidents in the future. Our goal is to ensure that this does not happen again and to maintain the high standards of service expected from us. We apologise for the disruption caused and are taking all necessary steps to avoid recurrence. NRS remains dedicated to supporting the racing community and ensuring the smooth operation of race meetings for the benefit of all involved. 19 July - Northern Raceday Services Statement re Pukekohe Park - Wed, 17 July.pdf

I understand the rule and the reasons however like many rules in all three racing codes it is hamfisted and archaic. Surely any possible cheating can be addressed by instructing all those participants to have their phone on vibrate or silent mode. The pictures don't show anyone behind the boxes but over the fence. I imagine there are two-way radios in use to transmit instructions to the start. At the end of the day it is just nit picking by what seem to be disgruntled past stakeholders.

Why would you be bothered? Explain to us all how it supports your agenda?

Perhaps not Ellerslie. But the other tracks had farmers on their committees.

That's because they are tinkering rather than completely renovating. They are also hamstrung by a lack of finance and past mistakes. Overall poor long term planning. Plus as we close down perfectly good racecourses as per the Messara @TAB For Ever 's Messiah we have more meetings on fewer tracks and not options to spell tracks for renovation. Basically no overall strategy. But we have 3 AWT's that no one wants and I imagine no planning for the cash required in 10 years time to renovate them!!

10 years ago the industry didn't have the same level of risk aversion. That's not to say that the Hastings track didn't have problems 10 years ago. It did. The fact is the "farmers" of 10 to 20 years ago got the best out of the tracks but didn't put anything back in or plan for renovation.

At a course your Messiah Messara didn't want. Go figure. Plus there is an AWT down the road struggling to get nominations for trials!

Then that makes it during the infamous "I've raced 90 horses" era. If I recall correctly Molloy stood down (or was force to) from managing anything in racing. I think he also stopped owning for a while.

I thought we were all trying for consensus?

That narrowed it down to two horses. Would it be Consensus before the silks were changed? Although I don't recall it racing at Invercargill.

It's about time you and @Seeyounexttuesdaytrainers stood down. When I first read the judgement I wondered how long it would take your trainspotting to find it.

So where did they actually do track maintenance? It's a myth.

That's cryptic!