Chief Stipe

By your own admission - NOT everyone is talking about it.

Aren't you being a little bit disingenious with the truth? Russo clearly instigated the fight, Downey slapped Russo after telling him to shut up and warning him he would slap him then Russon punched Downey and also assaulted Grimson who initially tried to calm the situation. Russo is (was) an employee of the Brisbane Racing Club. The Club initially informed Russo after the first decision that he could no longer work for them. The Queensland Racing Appeals Panel reconfirmed his warning off of all racecourses for 6 months but clarified that under the rules he would still be able to perform his duties for the Brisbane Racing Club. rap-50-decision.pdf

Doh! So you agree the original penalty didn't match the findings i.e. it was more than a "bit harsh" given the crime. "Although a severe penalty is merited by the circumstances the Panel considers that the penalty imposed upon the Applicant to have been excessive." rap-48-decision.pdf

Mine are better.

Investments where?

@Archie Butterfly put your money where you mouth is. Come on BOAY and debate the crap you post.

Wouldn't Entain be better at sponsoring Free To Air TV instead of BGP type syndicates, Stakes for select races and buying slots in The Everest for I Wish I Win?

So the original penalty didn't match the findings?

I know someone who was a Grandmother at 32. Wasn't skinny though......was quite voluptuous.

What makes Imperatriz a star? www.racing.com Many punters had Imperatriz marked as the danger to Giga Kick in the McEwen Stakes, but few could have predicted what would unfold down The Valley straight that afternoon. This includes Te Akau assistant trainer Ben Gleeson, who has headed up the NZ-based stable's Victorian team since July. "Our whole plan was for her to hit the line and run a top three or top-two race to know that we're on track for the Moir," he said. "Mick (Dee) saw the opportunity to get into the slipstream of the best horse in the race (Giga Kick), if we could keep up with him, we were on track. "But we were more than on track, we were flying; she went straight past him." Gleeson, like many others on track, was shocked by how easily Imperatriz drew away from a star-studded field. "I've never seen a horse let down with a turn of foot like that … it gives you goosebumps," he said. "I couldn't believe my eyes as to how fast she went past me, let alone Mick sitting up on her with 50 metres to go. "The fact she won by two-and-a-half lengths against the best sprinters in the land is scary." As magical as the victory was, Gleeson has worked to identify the racing factors that led to the breathtaking run. "It (The Valley) just seems to be a track where you can really slingshot off the corner and that's exactly what she did the other day," he said. "She changes legs perfectly on the corner and when a horse changes to that fresh leg, it just gives them a withering turn of foot. "If you go and watch the replay of her bursting past Giga Kick, as soon as she gets to his outside, she changes to the right lead and that just gives her that huge, powerful finish." Outside of Imperatriz's fondness for The Valley and her innate ability to switch to the more beneficial lead leg, Gleeson also believes she has one of the land's best track riders in Laura Winks. "It's very easy when you've got a fantastic track rider, Laura's ridden all over the world," he said. "She's got an incredible knowledge of good horses and an incredible knack to get along with them." Winks thinks that the brilliance of the five-time Group 1 winner comes from her razor-sharp focus, both on race day and during trackwork. "She just has that great attitude, that's what all good horses have; they just apply themselves when they need to," she said. "You don't have the good ones pulling, carrying on out on the track and half trying to whip around, the good ones just do their job." With Imperatriz holding a record of 14 wins from 20 starts, including 11 Group and Listed victories, Winks says there's nothing left for the mare to prove. But simultaneously, Winks knows that Imperatriz is loving her racing at the moment and wants to see her keep enjoying it. "I don't think she's got anything else to prove, she's already got the numbers on the board," Winks said. "She's just enjoying her racing and as long as she stays sound and happy what's the point in taking her away from something she wants to do ... she loves it." Gleeson could not be happier with the horse's condition following her first-up run and issued a scary warning to her future opponents this spring. "Her coat's starting to come out, she's starting to dapple up, all those little signs that you want to see in a horse this time of year," he said. "I think when she gets to the mounting yard at Moonee Valley next start, I think she'll look even better than she did first-up. "I think we're in for her biggest prep yet."

One point - why have sawdust in the box? Wouldn't a better solution be a rubber washable floor so that the box can be decontaminated after each horse has exited the swab box?

Methven swabbing facilities upgrade Category: News Date: 14/09/2023 The RIB has identified opportunities for on-track swabbing facilities to be improved in some locations to ensure the integrity of the process meets a high standard. Appreciating that not all clubs have the financial means to implement significant and potentially costly changes, some clubs have responded accordingly and have been working with the RIB to improve facilities as time and money permits. The Racing Safety Development Fund (RSDF) is available to assist with financial support where the criteria is met. Up to $50k will be available on application to match the financial commitment of the clubs for on-track safety initiatives which includes the swabbing facilities. https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/racing-safety-development-fund/ An impressive effort to rebuild the swabbing facility at the Methven Trotting Club (MTC) was recently completed in time for spring 2023 racing. The photographs depict what is now an excellent facility. Cameron Grant has led this work saying ‘it was really good for the Methven Trotting Club to work with both the Racing Integrity Board and Racing Safety Development Fund to have a new swabbing facility at Methven racecourse which allows us to retain group status races by having the right facilities and a fit for purpose building that won’t have to be touched for many years to come. We at Methven have seen the need to develop our facilities, and with our centennial coming up in 2027/28 racing season we have planned to replace our entire stabling block in the foreseeable future, this will tick animal health and safety needs and assure Methven that racing will remain there for the next 100 years and more!’ Congratulations to Cameron and the MTC and thankyou to all the clubs who are working towards improvements of their swabbing facilities. Methven Trotting Club swabbing facility photos. Click on each photo to view the upgraded facilities. Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 Photo 5 Photo 6 Photo 7 Photo 8 Photo 9 Mike Clement Chief Executive Racing Integrity Board

What would happen if there were enough late scratchings on the front row that left more on the second row. Some horses would have no horses to follow! Unless of course another rule comes into play.

Thank you for the clear explanation. As a Driver it wouldn't be all that easy to work out either let alone keep your horse in the right place.

Yr.no use a particular computer model which would be more reliable over a large expanse of water e.g. the Tasman Sea. But as you know weather over NZ's unique geography is harder to predict. Reefton is a classic case where the wider weather pattern gives a general picture but local knowledge refines that further. Rotorua is similar to Reefton in that it is effectively in a basin and the weather is affected by the terrain that surrounds them.

Excellent thanks for posting the rules. So Rosie Richter originally draw the outside (inside the Unruly horse).

What do the rules say? Not as easy following anything behind a mobile on a grass track especially if there is nothing on your outside.

But the horse didn't start in the wrong position it was outside the correct horse and inside the correct horse. Your argument was that it didn't sit on the back of the horse drawn 3. What was the front line limit? Only 11 horses started.

But what did the Appeal decision say?

Ease up. No need to get nasty.

At no stage were any warnings issued for Rorotua.

There's obviously someone that leaks information to @Archie Butterfly - I have my suspicions who it is.

So 11 starters - 8 off the front row? Means Rosie Richter draw outside of second row inside one Unruly horse? Perhaps the driver wanted to avoid tracking something that was going rough? Looking at the race the horse inside it on the second row wasn't in position either. Tricky grass track mobile's.

25mm yesterday - most fell before midday. 45mm for the two days prior to midday.