Chief Stipe

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!

Let's double up with another comp.

@Yankiwi can you pass my email address on admin@bitofayarn.com. Thanks. Or do you want to help?

He should appeal that decision and I'm willing to help.

Really so that's the biggest thing you and @Yankiwi are worried about? Do you actually have skin in the game still or are you like Chazza and want to moan about all the minutiae?

I was taking the piss. You must admit it's a complete FU.

Supposedly in times gone by Farmers were looking after all our race tracks. Today the problems didn't happen overnight. They are an outcome of a lack of investment in keeping tracks renovated in years gone by. Those who were responsible were supposedly farmers. Taking a scientific approach to the issue (ignoring the fact that many tracks presented in the past when managed by farmers would have been abandoned under today's rules) previous track managers (farmers) did the same thing that that era of farmers did. They didn't look after the soil. Today's farmers have worked that out hence they renovate paddocks on a four year cycle. Assuming of course they want to intensely farm their land. The people working on renovating our tracks now don't have enough money to do it property plus they buy into the misguided solution that sand will fix it.

It's all a bit confusing! I'm trying to work out the T's and C's. However I'm definitely not sending charity to a height challenged relative.

We await your next trainspotting nit picking post. Chazza you have lost all credibility.

Easily fixed isn't it. Have the phone on silent. Do you think anyone in their right mind would let their phone ring while behind the boxes?

Not many because it is too hard to get much money washed. Unlike Sky City there are checks and balances. You may argue there are too many. But you can see the repercussions of getting it wrong.

Two Bonus Series Add to Excitement of New Champions Day New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) and Entain have today announced the qualifying races in the two Bonus Series that will culminate on the new Champions Day at Ellerslie on Saturday 8 March. As part of the new Summer Carnival, a revamped Champion Middle Distance Series and a new Champion Sprint Series will be run for a total of $1 million in bonuses, with the final race in each Series to be run on Champions Day, also home to the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi. Points will be allocated to the first four placegetters of each race in the respective Series, with a bonus pool of $500,000 being shared amongst the owners of the three highest point scoring horses at the conclusion of each Series. The top three points earners of each Series will receive $300,000 for first, $150,000 for second and $50,000 for third (with the trainer of the first-place getter receiving 10% of the bonus won). “Off the back of the success of this Summer’s Middle Distance Series, the two Champion Series include a greater number of races, which are spread over a longer period. This is designed to create more opportunities for participants to compete for the prize pool, whilst also creating interest and excitement in the two Series,” NZTR COO Darin Balcombe said. “We will be presenting cheques to the winners and placegetters of each Series on an already sensational Champions Day. Total prize money on offer will now exceed $10 million, making this a truly world class racing event.” The Champion Sprint Series will include four Australian races, with the aim of attracting Australian horses to compete in New Zealand’s major sprint races over the Summer. There will also be an additional incentive for top-line sprinters to tackle the Series, with the winner having first rights at representing Trackside Media in The Quokka, the A$5 million slot race in Perth next April. “The trans-Tasman dimension that has been added through the four Australian qualifying races in the Sprint Series as well as the offer of the Trackside slot in The Quokka in Perth provides a genuine road map all through the spring and summer for star Kiwi and Australian sprinters,” Entain Australia and New Zealand Deputy CEO Lachlan Fitt said. “These two new elements will increase engagement and wagering activity in both countries on all these Sprint Series races. The addition of The Quokka entry also provides a rare opportunity for slot race glory, with six weeks between Champions Day and The Quokka giving connections time to set their sights squarely towards a sprinting grand final at Ascot Racecourse in Perth, on April 19 next year. The qualifying races and allocation of points for each Series are set out below: Champion Middle Distance Series – Qualifying Races G1 Arrowfield Stud Plate - 28 September 2024 G1 Livamol Classic - 12 October 2024 G3 Balmerino Stakes - 5 November 2024 G3 TAB Mile - 13 November 2024 G1 TAB Classic - 7 December 2024 G1 Zabeel Classic - 26 December 2024 G2 Rich Hill Mile - 1 January 2025 G1 Thorndon Mile - 11 January 2025 Aotearoa Classic - 25 January 2025 G1 Herbie Dyke Stakes - 8 February 2025 G1 Otaki WFA Classic - 22 February 2025 G1 Bonecrusher NZ Stakes - 8 March 2025 Champion Sprint Series – Qualifying Races G3 Counties Bowl - 30 November 2024 G1 Winterbottom Stakes (Perth) - 30 November 2024 G3 George Moore Stakes (Brisbane) - 30 November 2024 Listed Hazlett Stakes - 26 December 2024 Listed Christmas Stakes (Melbourne) - 26 December 2024 Listed Canterbury Sprint (Sydney) - 1 January 2025 G3 Concorde Handicap - 1 January 2025 G1 Telegraph - 11 January 2025 G1 Railway Stakes - 25 January 2025 G1 BCD Sprint - 8 February 2025 G3 Kings Plate - 8 March 2025 Champion Middle Distance Series - Points Allocation Champion Sprint Series – Points Allocation To be eligible to win or place in a Series, a horse must compete in at least one Group 1 race in the relevant Series. If two or more horses finish with the same number of points in a Series, the relevant bonus amount will be shared amongst the owners of those horses. Corporate Communications New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Contact: Catlyn Calder +64 027 252 2803 nztrcommunications@nztr.co.nz

The powers of AML laws! Imagine the TAB being closed down for the equivalent time of 5 days of SKY City Casino!

SkyCity Entertainment Group to shut Auckland casino for five days after Internal Affairs action www.nzherald.co.nz That has since been rectified, it said. The company has formally apologised for its failures. In February, the Department of Internal Affairs filed charges against the company, a chief saying then is important criminals don’t launder money in New Zealand. “Casinos can be an attractive way for criminals to launder proceeds of crime,” said Mike Stone, the department’s group director of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing on February 16. “We cannot take the risk that criminals might choose New Zealand casinos as a way of cleaning their dirty money. Casinos must have robust processes in place to protect them from misuse,” he said then. SkyCity said at the time it was “disappointed” it had not met the standard to which it needed to hold itself. The gaming giant would engage with the department on proposed proceedings, to resolve these matters quickly and efficiently. The department alleged SkyCity did not meet its obligations relating to its risk assessment; establishing, implementing and maintaining an AML/CFT compliance programme; monitoring accounts and transactions; conducting enhanced customer due diligence; and terminating existing business relationships. These alleged failures variously spanned from February 2018 to March 2023, it said. Under the AML/CFT Act, all casinos in New Zealand are required to meet a range of regulatory obligations to detect and deter money laundering and the financing of terrorism. But by May, the company had struck a deal with the DIA for non-compliance on anti-money laundering and terrorism financing law breaches. Julian Cook, chairman, said on May 21 that the company had admitted it breached its obligations. “On behalf of the SkyCity board and management team, I accept and apologise for these long-standing failings,” Cook said. “We have fallen short of the standards we should hold ourselves to, alongside failing to meet the expectations of our regulators, customers, shareholders and the communities we are part of. “We are committed to, and have begun, delivering the level of change that is required to meet these expectations.” Internal Affairs said: “The parties have agreed to jointly submit to the court that a penalty of $4.16m is appropriate in this case, though the final determination is for the court.” SkyCity had admitted to all five causes of action in Internal Affair’s statement of claim and agreed to pay a penalty for the breaches. Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 24 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

Farmers have had their time - that's why we have the problems.