Chief Stipe

It didn't make sense. Didn't work for RACE did it? The Westland Racing Club was surviving quite well. Why close it down?

Whereas the administrative suits in NZ are intent on closing racing down in most of the towns. BTW how many tracks in Australia don't meet Mesara's unpublished standard?

Well compared to the rest of the world NZ ranks 5th in terms of gambling. Yes Australians lead the pack BUT the difference in NZ is we spend disproportionately more now on other forms of gambling rather than racing. So I don't think the DNA argument holds up that well.

Used to be in NZ's DNA - every farmer had a tax write-off broodmare and got their local mates in on a share to race the progeny.

Approximately one in every 254 Australians own at least a share in a racehorse. Racehorses with 10+ owners increased from 836 in 2011/12 to 2,572 in 2020/21. The number of registered syndicates has risen from 7,210 in 19/20 to 10,073 in 21/22 The number of syndicate members has risen from 40,804 in 19/20 to 54,790 in 21/22 There are currently 80+ Authorised Syndicators across Australia. Prizemoney in Australia has increased by 74% since the 2012/13 season to a massive $855,071,800 in 2021/22.

But you don't own the racehorse you only have a small share in it. No control apparently in what happens. Soon there will be no horse, no trainer, no jockey, no track...

Well who is RESPONSIBLE?

Nice essay. But do you really know what's happening at the coalface?

Plus his conformation, size and injury free racing life doesn't equate to steroid abuse. Steroid abuse can weaken bone structures not increase bone mass, density or strength.

Who ARE the fools? It isn't any of the Trainers big or small.

It's a bollocks story based on an assumption that is dubious. The majority, if not all, of the top athletes and horses have "enlarged" hearts. The term "enlarged" is a poor medical term based on the fact that the hearts are larger than average so it is assumed that this is an adverse medical condition caused by disease (or drugs) rather than an adaptation to intensive training. The old saying "...has a heart as large as Phar Lap's" derives from the fact that Phar Lap had an unusually large heart weighing 6.5 kg. We all know how good he was. The average thoroughbred horse heart weighs 4kg. I would say Secretariat was born with a larger than average heart and training developed it even more. He was described as having the perfect conformation for a horse. Steriods couldn't have done all that. His heart weight at 10kg was only ever an estimate. It's not clear it was ever weighed. Secretariat grew into a massive, powerful horse said to resemble his sire's damsire, Discovery. He stood 16.2 hands (66 inches, 168 cm) when fully grown.[21] He was noted for being exceptionally well-balanced, described as having "nearly perfect" conformation and stride biomechanics.[22] His chest was so large that he required a custom-made girth, and he was noted for his large, powerful, well-muscled hindquarters. An Australian trainer said of him, "He is incredible, an absolutely perfect horse. I never saw anything like him."[23] Secretariat's absence of major conformation flaws was important, as horses with well made limbs and feet are less likely to become injured.[24] Secretariat's hindquarters were the main source of his power, with a sloped croup that extended the length of his femur.[25] When in full stride, his hind legs were able to reach far under himself, increasing his drive.[26] His ample girth, long back and well-made neck all contributed to his heart-lung efficiency.[25][26] The manner in which Secretariat's body parts fit together determined the efficiency of his stride, which affected his acceleration and endurance. Even very small differences in the length and angles of bones can have a major effect on performance.[27] Secretariat was well put together even as a two-year-old, and by the time he was three, he had further matured in body and smoothed out his gait. The New York Racing Association's Dr. M. A. Gilman, a veterinarian who routinely measured leading thoroughbreds with a goal of applying science to create better ways to breed and evaluate racehorses, measured Secretariat's development from two to three as follows:[23][28]

It is easy to argue they do have the weight because of the number of horses they have but they have the same issues. I can imagine the reaction if they did exert their weight and it disadvantaged just ONE small guy once! Rock and a hard place. They only way to exert influence is if you ALL get together and exert influence together. Otherwise the suits hold all the control and power and we can all see how much they know about nothing!! I was privileged to see an update video for a TA horse in work and it was clearly evident the frustration Mark Walker had with the availability of turf track trials a couple of months back. Which takes us back to this thread title - AWT trials cancelled because trainers don't won't to trial their horses on them.

Contrary to what some might say I wouldn't think Te Akau were overly happy with the way things are down there.

So who makes these decisions at the CJC (Riccarton)? There has been so many admin changes I'm not sure how the stake funding works. Surely the CJC isn't bulk funded?

That's disappointing. One less revenue earning horse going round. Probably more than one as you would have had more in the pipeline. What say you @TAB For Ever ? These are coal face problems and they are affecting large numbers of stakeholders.

I think you are flogging a dead horse on this one @curious !

I read they had a pre-tax loss of £842m. As such, net loss for the year after discontinued operations stood at £936.5m, in contrast to the previous year’s £19.5m profit.

ZERO.

It isn't collapsing. Considering the position where she started this season you'd have to be impressed. She is a very good rider and I put her in the same class as OP in terms of getting the most out of a horse without punishing it.

My best return was $1,700 Empire Rose with the second favourite with the field. That was the NZ Cup after she ran third in the Melbourne Cup. They don't make horses like that anymore...I wonder why?

Reminds me of the time I contributed to the Best Bets/Turf Digest form lines. It was a summer between University years and things had been a bit rough. My Dad knew things had been rough and worked out a plan. "Son" he said, "I've been talking to a friend down at the pub and he does the form lines for the BB and TD. Now they have just introduced trifecta betting. I've arranged for you to travel with him over the West Coast, Buller and Nelson circuit helping out with the formlines. I want you to focus on the Trifecta's because they are a new form of bet, which I haven't got my head around yet, but what I do know is there will be good value because most punters haven't worked it out how to find value." So I spent the summer travelling to all the meetings punting on Trifectas - watching every race diligently and having long conversations between races and on the trip home about what horse had done what and how. Footnote: We didn't have race replays on our phones or streaming on our laptops or even on TV those days. The mid 1980's. 40 years ago. Footnote 2: It was profitable for my sponsor and me.

Most of the form comments are bot generated. Quite frankly if you are relying on them to find a winner you are wasting your time. Most pro-punters wouldn't bother reading them. Above average punters wouldn't read them until they have shortlisted their options and found value. They are a waste of app real estate. Aside from the fact they suck a few newbies into losing their hard earned.

ENTAIN had a loss of GBP$1,000,000,000 last year. That's NZD$2.1 billion.

I've long since abandoned reading the NZTAB formguides. Stopped that when they shafted The Informant. The Informant couldn't get NZ form data without paying through the nose for it. It was cheaper to get it from Australia. But I suspect that now we have this burgeoning hardeing of the NZ wagering monopoly the Australian sources are drying up or probably more likely they are not investing in it. I have no idea now what ENTAIN's end game is but I'm not sure they are working in NZ punters best interests.

@TAB For Ever you only have no control if you continue to sit in your lounge drinking soup wearing your slippers and continue to buy into the party line and marketing spin so you can be "mates" with everyone. Whereas I haven't lost control because I stick my nose out and say it the way I see it. For example I recently told a Wellington Racing Club administrator at The Tote (pub in Trentham) after a recent major premier meeting that contrary to his belief (spin) his track was crap. I asked him what was he going to do about it. He argued it was good - I said if that is the case why are you proposing to renovate it? Since then we've seen the iconic jumps racing shifted because the jumps course is too hard. Why? Because they don't irrigate it or even nuture it. Some issue at Riccarton regards of @Pitman's browntop!