Chief Stipe

No he said it needed more racing.

Name one.

Or a lot of marketing and PR spin. I'll say it now and say it loud. The Ellerslie rebuild is a complete fuck up. I was hoping for a lot better.

What $14m wasted on proving no race fixing?

Darren Weir jigger penalty: Not guilty on corruption, dishonesty charges www.racenet.com.au The Victorian Racing Tribunal has dismissed corruption charges against Darren Weir, declaring the former trainer's use of a jigger on three racehorses akin to a superstitious horseman "breaking into a racecourse to spread four-leaf clover on the track". In making the analogy, Judge John Bowman said the VRT panel was not satisfied that the use of a jigger on racehorses Red Cardinal, Tosen Basil and Yogi could have had any effect on the outcome of races – including the 2018 Melbourne Cup. • ‘He's always on our mind': Dean Holland remembered one year on Weir and his then-employees Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond had pleaded guilty to the use of jiggers but contested stewards' charges of engaging in corrupt and dishonest conduct designed to affect the outcome of races. Speaking via video link, Judge Bowman was scathing of Racing Victoria's expert witness, Dr Andrew McLean (no relation), who gave evidence of the potential effect of jigger use on racehorses. "In our opinion the evidence given by Dr McLean is vital," Judge Bowman said, declaring Dr McLean had little experience with racehorses and made several "important concessions in his oral evidence" under cross-examination. • Sun to rise again for Maskiell in VRC St Leger "We say now that we are not particularly impressed with the evidence of Dr McLean. "While he may be qualified in relation to various aspects of animal welfare, his knowledge of and experience with racehorses and racing is limited. "In any event, that evidence contains a high level of uncertainty as to whether any claim associated with the use of the jigger would be likely to affect the outcome of the race in question." Yogi missed out on a run in the 2018 Melbourne Cup despite having a jigger used on him. Picture: Brett Holburt/Racing Photos via Getty Images Weir used the jigger on Red Cardinal on October 30, 2018 – a week before the horse was beaten almost 70 lengths in that year's Melbourne Cup. Yogi, who also had the jigger applied on October 30, finished seventh in the Lexus Stakes on November 3 and missed out on a run in the Melbourne Cup, while Tosen Basil was retired and never raced again. "Therefore, the horses are back in the situation of the (four-leaf) clover trainer – treatment was given but it was not established the treatment was likely to affect the outcome of the races in question," Judge Bowman said. Judge Bowman said the stewards' brief of evidence fell "well short" of the required standard of proof to find Weir, McLean and Kermond guilty of corruption offences. McLean and Kermond were found guilty of engaging in corruption, dishonesty and misleading practices in connection with racing, a charge to which Weir had pleaded guilty. The case will continue next week with a directions hearing that will determine the timeline for penalty submissions. Weir has already served a four-year ban relating to the possession of the jigger device. He is currently pre-training for some of Australia's top stables at his Trevenson Park property.

But nothing to do with race fixing. $14m of industry money later. Cost a lot to rattle a sabre for no result.

I was watching the racing at Mt Gambier today. The track is as flat as a pancake and has more bends than Arthur's Pass. No slipping.

I agree. What's more they could have been used to get the Metro tracks right. Pukekohe was already stuffed but now it's well and truly stuffed assisting Ellerslie to build a $55m stuffed track. WTF are these administrators smoking?

Meanwhile its a Good 4 at one of the Mesara no good tracks Timaru.

Really? Then explain why the Canbridge trials were cancelled and the trainers were happy to trial on a soft track at Taupo in the rain?

Purcell was light years ahead of him.

It's relative to the individuals utility. What would you spend?

That's why "experienced punters" are more and more wagering on Australian races especially NSW and VIC where there is a lot of exposed form and information.

If it was a training centre they wouldn't have had "bedding-in" problems. Yep a crossing for cars - not horses.

They still have a crossing as well!!!

Do you have a link to the news? Essentially INCA ended last December when the charged put a stay on the last two charges. There are some obvious targets at the RIB who should be on shaky tenures. But I doubt it will happen even the honourable "retiring after x years of dedicated service" won't happen!

Let alone neither NZTR or the complicit clubs listening to what the key people in the game wanted - i.e. The Trainers. Both NZTR AND Metro Club management believe that they know better. CD Trainers said NO - but did either RACE or NZTR listen? I wonder how many trainers were consulted BEFORE the Ellerlise debacle began? Would any trainer who cared for their horses (they all do care as it is the horse that delivers their income) not have suggested that Ellerslie correct the shape of the course to make the racing safer and fairer?

You ignore the fact that the majority of big CD stables didn't want the AWT. Their trial and jumpout requirements were already being more than adequately catered for. They wanted invested in safe and fair turf tracks for racedays I.e. the big dances when the money is up. White 🐘

So what would you pay for a Group race success?

You're obviously not on the GRNZ mailing list. Not sure why... I understand the quarterly report is with the Minister. Isn't up to the Minister to release that?

LOL another channel reckons the aggregate salesperson knows all about the track and it will come right with racing! Really that's taking the crash test dummy to the extreme. In my opinion racing may reduce the slipping but it will because the surface will be roughed up. Which isn't great for racing on. I've walked a few tracks this past season and the best I've seen was Matamata. Especially given the amount of racing it got. Te Aroha was OK too until it was diseased. The Matamata Club offered to help but there assistance was turned down.

Post the core sample picture from here.

What do you think of that core? It doesn't look right to me. Verti-draining and deep coring and then filling with sand again will only perpetuate the problem. Of course each time they do it they will increase the organic matter content in the soil. They could have acheived that with a better top layer mix than straight sand.

You haven't read my previous posts and/or don't understand them. Such is the blindness of bias. Any Syndicator, like any business, has products they pitch to different market segments. The informed customer chooses the product that suits their needs and/or aspirations. So for a start unless you were a fool you wouldn't buy a share in ALL the yearlings available. You'd buy shares in yearlings that match your budget, your pedigree preferences and your ownership goals. So for example - a Stallion Making Syndicate (normally the highest priced yearlings) is aimed at a market that can afford the entry costs and who are probably the least risk averser purchaser. Many if not most have a bloodstock company and are utilising the tax breaks that come with that option. These customers KNOW that the odds of a yearling colt making a stallion prospect are slim. But they also know that the rewards when it happens can be very very substantial. There is the other type of owner who looks to purchase into well bred fillies knowing that at the end of their racing career (whenever that may occur) they have some residual value. That is the can expect some of their initial purchase price back. If the filly happens to do very well then they will make a return on that investment. Then there is the sophisticated owner who takes a share portfolio approach to buying yearling shares. They might purchase shares from as little as 2.5% in 5 or more horses. Some will mix and match the value of those horses e.g. 1 x a high priced well bred colt, 3 x moderately price well bred fillies and another that their partner likes the colour of. They've spread their risk. Of those 5 horses only one needs to perform exceptionally to improve the average ownership ROI of -75%. I've met a group of owners that have selected very well and have 5% share in 20 horses - i.e. they are effectively owning one horse. Those owners haven't paid a training bill for a while and look set to get a positive return on their initial investment. That said they aren't doing it for the investment but for the fun and enjoying winning Group Races. Now if you haven't ever had black type success then you would be advised to purchase a share in 5 horses with a Syndicator that has a 1 in 5 hit rate of winning black type from a particular sales draft.

Isn't the standard process for minutes publication to be after approval which is the month following meeting.