Chief Stipe

Who is at fault for that non-compliance? Not NZTR. Your own peers and fellow stakeholders who think that it is a whole lot of woke BS. Which it is. As for the whip rules - quite frankly who gives a shyte what the BS duplitious UK authorities think. If you haven't noticed the general public has had a gutsful of being dictated to by moaning socialist lefties who cry wolf about any minor discretion and live their entire life fighting any daft cause they can. Your horse tracing and whip crusade is NOT going to change anything. The Anti-mob will always be anti-racing. Do what more and more of us are doing now and telling them to go get a life or jump on Greta's barely sea-worthy boat and bang a tambourine past the 12 mile limit.

How are we not? Geez you and @Freda have been moaning about everything. Another good days racing coming up at Riccarton.

Hasn't stopped you before.

NZTR Welcomes Two New Directors to its Board New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has today announced the appointment of Struan Abernethy and Louise Ward to its Board of Directors, bringing a wealth of governance, commercial and community experience to the organisation. The appointments were confirmed by the NZTR Members’ Council, which oversees the selection of NZTR Directors. Members’ Council Chair Jeff McCall said the decision reflects the Council’s commitment to strong governance and leadership within the sport. “The NZTR Members’ Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Struan Abernethy and Louise Ward to the NZTR Board,” said McCall. “Their combined governance expertise, business insight and personal connection to the sport will be a real asset to the organisation and the industry, helping ensure the long-term sustainability of Thoroughbred racing in New Zealand.” A Chartered Member of the Institute of Directors, Struan Abernethy is a seasoned executive leader and governance professional with extensive experience across digital marketing, sport, and professional services. He currently serves as Board Chair of the Make-A-Wish Foundation NZ and has held senior leadership positions in both New Zealand and Australia, including as Global CEO of the Leading Edge Group. An active racing enthusiast and horse owner, Abernethy combines deep commercial experience with a genuine passion for the sport. Louise Ward brings a wealth of experience in property development, regeneration, and project management. She currently serves on the Tāmaki Regeneration Company Board, leading one of the country’s most significant community redevelopment programmes delivering more than 10,000 homes in partnership with iwi, Council, and Government. A lifelong equestrian and racing syndicate member, Ward offers a strong community perspective shaped by her work in major urban regeneration projects. NZTR Chair Russell Warwick said the appointments reflect NZTR’s focus on building strong leadership and bringing together a wide range of expertise to help guide the sport’s future. “Both Struan and Louise bring complementary skills and perspectives that will serve NZTR and the wider industry well,” Warwick said. “Struan’s background as a global executive and Board Chair, coupled with his experience leading digital and marketing-focused enterprises, adds considerable commercial insight. “Louise has proven leadership across major regeneration and property development projects, holding both Chair and Director roles. Her strong record will be invaluable as we continue to advance the long-term sustainability of New Zealand racing and its infrastructure.” NZTR Chief Executive Officer Matt Ballesty also added, “Both Struan and Louise have strong track records in leadership and a clear appreciation for the people and animals that make our sport what it is.” “Their insight and experience will be valuable as we continue to shape the future direction of New Zealand racing,” Ballesty said. NZTR also acknowledges the contribution of Andrew Fairgray, who will retire from its Board of Directors after nearly five years of service. “It’s been a privilege to serve on the NZTR Board over the past five years during a period of real progress and change for the industry,” commented Andrew Fairgray. “The sport continues to evolve in exciting ways, and I’m proud to have played a small part in helping shape its future,” he said. Chair Russell Warwick thanked Fairgray for his service and commitment. “Andrew has been an excellent contributor during his time on the Board, bringing a well-balanced approach during a time of considerable change in New Zealand racing,” Warwick said. “He’s provided valuable strategic insight and leadership to the Board, and we wish him all the best for what comes next.” Corporate Communications New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing nztrcommunications@nztr.co.nz

There you go feeding @the galah 's PED conspiracy right on queue. Did you notice the Woodend "magic" worked a treat with Captured By Love. From what I'm told she found the horses pulling carts quite fascinating.

Is Dixon a "handy trainer" or is Leap to Fame a super champion?

Proven formula. Pick an average performing Bettors Delight horse running on slow poorly maintained NZ tracks. That can run a good sectional. Correct the issues and like good whiskey they get better with age. But don't let me get in the way of you feeding @the galah 's PED conspiracy.

Yes they have already taken a couple of hits on this one. AUSTRAC is funded by their own success and they have already nailed the low hanging fruit. Eventually they'll start losing legal talent like most Government agencies.

Court date set in late 2026 for Entain/AUSTRAC case – The Straight thestraight.com.au The case brought to the Federal Court by financial regulator AUSTRAC against global wagering giant Entain has been scheduled to begin on November 30, 2026. While there is still an opportunity for the civil case to be settled via mediation before it reaches the Federal Court hearing, Justice Moore last week ordered that two weeks be set aside for a hearing from November 30 next year. That would mean that the uncertainty that has hung over Entain’s Australian business, which is headlined by the Ladbrokes and Neds brands, would extend for at least another 12 months, unless the case is resolved beforehand.https://bitofayarn.com AUSTRAC, which brings the action under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing Act, must submit its evidence by April 10 with Entain’s evidence submissions not due until August 6. https://bitofayarn.com Entain entered its defence to AUSTRAC’s revised statement of claim last month, saying it would be prepared to contest the claims in the Federal Court should a settlement of the matter not be achieved. Should it go to court, it would be the first time that the AML/CTF Act would be tested by an online betting provider. A previous case in 2017, involving Tabcorp, only involved a contest of the financial penalty, not the finding itself. https://bitofayarn.com The Entain action began when AUSTRAC issued its initial application to the Federal Court in December last year. AUSTRAC chief executive Brendan Thomas said at the time that the agency considered there were systemic failures in Entain’s approach to its AML/CTF obligations. “AUSTRAC’s proceedings allege that Entain did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced. We are alleging this left the company at serious risk of criminal exploitation,” he said. “Money laundering is often a symptom of serious criminal activity, including fraud, scams and corruption, all of which have equally serious effects on our communities,” he said. AUSTRAC’s case centres on the use of 17 “high-risk” accounts, after an investigation found Entain allowed thosecustomers to spend more than $152 million without proper checks and balances in place. https://bitofayarn.com However, AUSTRAC altered its statement of claim in August, removing references to Entain as a “high-risk remittance provider”. It was discovered that the regulator’s own rules excluded wagering operators from liability in that category. https://bitofayarn.com Responding to the new statement of claim, Andrew Vouris, chief executive of Entain Australia and New Zealand since June, acknowledged past failings, but said it had followed the external advice it received at the time. “We sincerely regret that our old program didn’t meet expectations. We followed expert advice at the time but, looking back, we recognise the old program missed the mark,” he said. “We’ve acknowledged our shortcomings, taken responsibility, and spent the last two years learning from them and fixing them.” Vouris described Entain’s new approach to compliance as “fundamentally transformed…. underpinned by a compliance-first culture – to “win, but not at all costs”. Entain faces the possibility of fines in the hundreds of millions plus associated legal costs should it fail in its defence in the Federal Court. In 2017, Tabcorp was fined $45 million in the Federal Court for breaches of the AML/CTF Act with the penalty and not the charges determined in court. AUSTRAC has previously brought action to court against Crown, which paid $450 million in penalties, and SkyCity, which paid a $67 million penalty for breaches of the AML/CTF Act.

How does being a member of a Club make a difference? The Club model has been broken for decades aka Rugby Clubs, RSA's, WMC's. Those that have survived amalgamated and changed their business models.

Well they are joining sydicates and punting by why would they join a Racing Club? What value do they get from doing that? Most Racing Club membership is akin to an RSA or a WMC - well worse actually as at least with the last two you can get a bet or beer most days of the week!! What value do you get from your membership @Huey? Other than an entry ticket to the one or two race meetings a year you attend, a badge, an elite car park and a reserved space in the grandstand that you have to swing your handbag around to get the best seat?

The horses will be wearing ear muffs at Addington on Tuesday.

No need for complacency or doom and gloom. To be frank I've been to a few race meetings in the last year Metro and regional and some actually surprised me with the younger mob there.

I dont agree. I've had the opportunity to meet a few of the younger brigade over the past wee while. There is a solid growing core that are really knowledgeable about the game and some punt in bigger amounts than I ever have. Yes they love the whole event not just the racing. Let's face it in the old days we had to sit around for 35 minutes between races reading the race book and Friday Flash, watching the parade ring and birdcage and preliminary. While watching the tote ribbons or dodgy light bulbs showing the prices. Nowadays you have most of thst information in the palm of your hand and 35 minutes is suddenly an age to fill in the gap. 25 to 30 years ago thousands used to turn up for the Wellington Cup and there were all sorts of entertainment. Yet we fondly reminisce about those times!! Where we may miss the boat is the marketing hasn't worked hard enough yet to capture more continuous engagement. Too easy go be cynical and bang on about the great old days but entertainment has changed. For a moment just think about your old punting days and imagine what it would have been like having all the information you needed and not having to queue to get a bet on unless you were in the $10 window.

There wasn't any music that interfered with the Racing. The sound wasn't turned up until the end of the day. As for not wanting music some of the big race day events in OZ are now tacking name bands onto the end of the day. Aiming at the younger crowd and it seems to be working.

Geez @Huey the Grand Tour is starting to rock. Live band. Can you get in the lift and roll over!

Well that was a good win. I'm not sure she is a 1600m horse past 3yrs though. Although she is a well put together filly. Her last 200m sectional around 10.5 was very good.

I must be quite close - 3rd floor or Ground floor?

Join the dots - if mug punters don't lose then @Brodie doesn't win big or at all.

Well he could be the first since the policy was introduced May 2023. All the same most Jockeys who have had an accident of enough severity to cause concussion ot would be the least of their injuries.

Come on @Brodie !! Be nice to those "other punters" afterall it was they that contributed to your millions of dollars of winnings! I can see some hypocrisy here.

10M means what?

10M of irrigation? Will the track recover from a H20?

Consultants told us AML program was ‘largely’ compliant: Entain Zoe SamiosBusiness reporter Oct 29, 2025 – 3.47pm The British owner of Ladbrokes and Neds has dragged two specialist consulting firms into its fight against the financial crimes watchdog, arguing multiple reviews showed its anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism program was largely compliant.https://bitofayarn.com London-listed Entain is in mediation with the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre after its board and executive team were accused of failing to put in proper checks on how some of its biggest customers were financing multimillion-dollar bets. Ladbrokes, a major sponsor of key race meets, faces millions of dollars in penalties for alleged breaches of anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism laws. Getty The investigation found Entain allowed 17 high-risk customers to spend more than $152 million without doing appropriate due diligence. The bookmaker has contested a number of allegations in a defence filed on Monday, including the damage caused by its non-compliance. https://bitofayarn.com One of the areas of dispute is harm caused by cash that was entered into betting accounts through cash payment channels, including terminals at retail venues. “Entain accepts that certain inward payment channels obscured the source of funds, including by permitting deposits of cash, which inhibited the ability of law enforcement and AUSTRAC to trace money to its source,” the concise statement in response said. “However, the level of harm suffered should not be equated to the total amount of deposits or withdrawals by the 17 customers ... harm requires looking at the counterfactual if alternative systems and controls were in place.” Entain is one of the country’s largest online bookmakers and had almost 2 million customers last year with a market share of 17 per cent. AUSTRAC’s central allegation is Entain did not have the right systems in place – such as transaction limits and procedures for international deposits or withdrawals – to manage the risk of money laundering. https://bitofayarn.com The wagering giant said it commissioned four independent reviews of part of its compliance program by two specialist firms – GRC Solutions and Murray Waldren Consulting. The part the consultants assessed – Part A – had the primary purpose of identifying, mitigating, and managing money-laundering or terrorism-financing risks. A defence to non-compliance is whether a company took precautions and exercised due diligence to avoid the breaches. The independent reviews conducted by GRC Solutions in 2018 and Murray Waldren Consulting between 2020 and 2022 found Part A of the program was “largely compliant” with the law. https://bitofayarn.com “They made recommendations for improvement, none of which was categorised as ‘significant’,” the concise statement said. “Entain promptly took steps to implement recommendations made in the Independent Reviews and sought assurance from MWC that it had done so appropriately.” Entain also said that once it was informed by AUSTRAC of serious non-compliance in September 2022, it overhauled its compliance program. That program was fully implemented in June alongside a multimillion-dollar increase in AML/CTF staffing and investments in systems and technology. It claims it has almost minimised risk by limiting business to Australia and removing certain payment channels. Andrew Vouris, Entain Australia and New Zealand’s chief executive, apologised that the old program did not meet expectations. “We followed expert advice at the time but, looking back, we recognise the old program missed the mark,” he said. “We’ve acknowledged our shortcomings, taken responsibility, and spent the last two years learning from them and fixing them.” The bookmaker has set aside more than $100 million for the proceedings.