Chief Stipe

@Yankiwi how did the "grown up" conversation go? Or did you chicken out?

Your predictions are flawed because they are based on flawed assumptions and data.

Great that you picked up on my suggestion are looking at other variables rather than just track conditions. Now you just need to normalise the data and add a variance estimate.

The Olympics don't rely on wagering as their sole source of income. Usain Bolt at a $1.01 isn't going to attract a lot of punting is it?

Then you like contradicting yourself.

I'm not surprised it broke down. When did it ever have a spell? Often raced twice in 3 days. 3 times in a week!

Don't forget this one of course!

Verry Elleegant's top 5 wins www.racing.com 2021 GEORGE MAIN STAKES The 2021 George Main Stakes was Verry Elleegant's third attempt to win the mile Group 1 and she came in second-up after a narrow defeat in the Winx Stakes a month earlier. Having finished fourth in the race in two previous attempts, she was sent out an odds-on favourite and only went around one horse, the tiring Kolding, thanks to a James McDonald masterclass, to run down Riodini, who gave a big sight. The victory would also form part of her Melbourne Cup preparation. 2020 TURNBULL STAKES After a defeat to European and old sparring partner Addeybb in the Queen Elizabeth in 2020, Verry Elleegant returned with a point to prove in the spring that year. Having returned in the George Main Stakes with an encouraging fourth placing, she went to the Turnbull Stakes second-up, with Mark Zahra getting his first sit aboard the mare. Keen throughout the run, Zahra presented her early and was three wide for the second half of the race but despite covering ground, fought it out for a gutsy victory, as Chris Waller stablemates Toffee Tongue and Finch completed the trifecta. 2020 TANCRED STAKES A dual G1 winner already as a three-year-old in the Vinery Stud Stakes and ATC Oaks, Verry Elleegant made a statement at the elite level for the first time as a mare, winning the 2020 Tancred Stakes by 4.3 lengths. The victory was her biggest-ever winning margin among 16 victories, as McDonald ran clear of Mustajeer and Avilius following runner-up performances in the Chipping Norton and Ranvet Stakes. 2020 CAULFIELD CUP Verry Elleegant went into the 2020 Caulfield Cup as the $5 favourite in a race which included the likes of Anthony Van Dyck, Prince Of Arran and Avilius. It was only the mare's second visit to Caulfield, the other time having been when she won the Ethereal Stakes as a three-year-old. Zahra settled her midfield and they made their run together with the Aidan O'Brien-trained Anthony Van Dyck before winning her sixth G1, becoming the 11th mare in the past 50 years to win the race. Waller had previously had 20 runners in the race without a placing. 2021 MELBOURNE CUP Much had been made of Verry Elleegant's spring campaign after a win in the George Main Stakes over a mile had seemingly seen her return in the spring of 2021 in rare form. As a result, she was sent out a $2.10 favourite in the Turnbull Stakes but failed to fire under Damian Lane, finishing third, ahead of her initial target of the Cox Plate a fortnight later, where she shared favouritism with Anamoe and closed strongly to finish third. While much was spoken of Verry Elleegant's preparation, it was also playing second fiddle to Incentivise, whose Turnbull Stakes win and Caulfield Cup annihilation had everyone talking and installed him one of the shortest Cup favourites in recent history. A decision to push on and run Verry Elleegant in the Melbourne Cup proved a Waller masterstroke as she stunned her rivals by four lengths, with Incentivise left in her dust in second place. In doing so she ran the fifth-quickest time in the race's history, carrying 57 kilograms.

Owners mourn Verry Elleegant | RACING.COM www.racing.com Brae Sokolski said the shock loss of champion mare Verry Elleegant had provided him and his fellow part-owners their toughest moment in racing. The 2021 Melbourne Cup winner and 2020/21 Horse of the Year could not be saved after a breeched birth in Ireland overnight, with a shocked and saddened Sokolski charged with having to inform the rest of the ownership group, as well as her former trainer and jockey, what had occurred. "Obviously, I've had a hell of a lot of highs in the game, but this is the worst thing I've had to endure," Sokolski said. "I had to call Chris Waller and James McDonald and you could hear in their voice that they were close to tears as she meant so much. "We will all miss her. Chris' staff were so close to her." Sokolski explained Verry Elleegant had been three weeks overdue and was unable to give birth because of the position of the Sea The Stars foal. "The foal was in the worst position it could be, which is called a dogsitter position, where the back and front legs are tucked under its stomach and in that situation, it can be incredibly hard to get the foal out and they couldn't," Sokolski said. "It had thrashed around and caused all sorts of internal damage and she went to the operating theatre but they couldn't save her. "It was nearly exactly the same as what happened to Winx, but Winx has just survived and she didn't. "We mourn her and we also mourn the generations and generations that were to follow. The family basically stops, so that makes it even more tragic." Sokolski said the reaction to the news had been touching. "I've been absolutely flooded with messages from people within the industry and outside with the condolences and expressions of what she meant," he said. "It warms my heart." Sokolski said he was pleased that connections and fans of the mare will get to remember her each year after the Australian Turf Club decided to rename Saturday week's Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) at Randwick the Verry Elleegant Stakes. "I am so grateful to the ATC that they have named the race after her as that will immortalise her," he said.

Well I hope these "grown ups" don't rely on your statistics to make any decisions. That would be the final nail.

Better than relying on your selective memory.

Perhaps but where it all gets intriguing is Ladbrokes (an ENTAIN brand) also uses OpenBet. Then of course there is the big parent of OpenBet - Flutter Entertainment. Under Flutter Entertainment is Paddy Power, Sportsbet, Betfair and a number of other brands. Does Ladbrokes have major outages? Or Paddy Power? If they don't then it would suggest it isn't the software but the management of it that is a problem in NZ. The inference being an Outsource problem.

Glenn Saville.

Which begs the question what actually is Sharrocks job?

Suggest you record the conversation ( @Yankiwi will) , use speaker phone and set aside 3 hours.

Then don't make such claims.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/trainer-official-assaulted-by-protesters-at-cambridge-greyhound-race-meeting/FQC7XGT775DWFPFEIS3D2Q37Y4/

@curious I hear you got zero bonus bets. So did I. But I don't bet much but obviously you win too much! Or they know you have a Bet365 account! The irony is a friend I was with got bets on AFTER they came back online and got a bonus bet. I couldn't get my $1 EW on during the outage and got no bonus bet. Might need to change my email address.

Mmmm who's running the show?

So you're not @TAB For Ever anymore?

You've gotta love this:

You would hope so. Here's hoping they do as, if as has been inferred (haven't seen it said definitely), they are going to migrate software platforms then that is no small task. Why did the outage occur yesterday? Was it really a Saturday any different to any other? Exactly. What happens in 5 years if ENTAIN are still making losses? It also looks like we have zero IT skill, nous or capability in any of the code management. A serious indictment when the CEO of NZTR openly says he doesn't know much.

Please provide proof that there was "collusion".

I see Hesi is off on the wrong tack again. He comments online: I find it disappointing that the usual suspects, not necessarily on this site are so quick to start moaning when the TAB system goes down as it did yesterday. Entain, whether you agree with it or not have come in and bankrolled a virtually bankrupt NZ TAB for 5 years guaranteed, put up all sorts of other ridiculous amounts of money for bonus races, provided other initiatives such as horse ownership. Yet as soon as there is a hiccup with software that is not theirs, that is something they are replacing as soon as they can, people put the boot into them as jokes and a circus. I think not The circus would have been maidens racing for $10-11K, which would have been the likely scenario had Entain not come along. Then people would have really had something to bitch about. Let's address a few of his points: I find it disappointing that the usual suspects, not necessarily on this site are so quick to start moaning when the TAB system goes down as it did yesterday. It is the right of any disgruntled customer to "bitch and moan" when the service is poor. It comes with the Territory in any retail business. Entain, whether you agree with it or not have come in and bankrolled a virtually bankrupt NZ TAB... TABNZ wasnt "virtually bankrupt" when ENTAIN bought it. Hesi your Labour Government bailed the TAB out directly to the tune of $56 million in July 2020 well before ENTAIN acquired it in May 2023. McKenzie then proceeded to shift liabilities off the balance sheet to the Codes in a deft dance of smoke and mirrors. Then proceeded to negotiate a deal with a buyer. Aided and abetted by Labour's McAnulty. McKenzie and McAnulty didn't attempt to address the fundamental issues around its profitability. Arguably it would have been better for the industry, taxpayer and even ENTAIN to have sold it when insolvent. That was one way to get out of the contracts that were killing profitability. ENTAIN ride in on the White Hirse and for 5 years guaranteed, put up all sorts of other ridiculous amounts of money for bonus races, provided other initiatives such as horse ownership. Well Hesi you are right about one thing - they are "ridiculous amounts" and unless revenue increases unsustainable. Not to mention that they are feeding the wrong end of the industry. Which leads to the final point... Yet as soon as there is a hiccup with software that is not theirs, that is something they are replacing as soon as they can, people put the boot into them as jokes and a circus. It IS their software - they bought it and some of their other brands use it as well. Surely for $1b they did due diligence on all aspects of the busines and knew what the issues were. As a shareholder wouldn't you want them to put money into fixing the issues straight away so as to protect their revenue streams? Instead the dealt out copius quantities of shareholder cash (borrowed at that). As a stakeholder in the NZ racing industry wouldn't you also want them to do that - fix the issues? No point having a multitude of million dollar races if you have no revenue and a whole lot of disgruntled customers. But they'll fix the latter by preventing them from betting with other agencies. There will be a costly bill to extricate themselves from their current IT outsource provider.