Chief Stipe

Harness have Drivers not Jockeys. What incident are you referring to?

Thinking about this table it proves those who allege Te Akau have an appalling strike rate in the South Island are well wide of the mark. Not so much here but elsewhere. I'm sure there have been more winners for Te Akau in the last three weeks in the South - so their total must be getting close to 50. Hunter Durant does a fine job down there at Riccarton and actually rides work in the mornings. Footnote: @Comic Dog Te Akau SI wins are now 46.

So much for your money laundering accusation - doh!!

Bad night on the punt @Forbury ? AGAIN!

About time.

Fair enough. I don't agree with the base supposition but if you want to address it then don't do it on an online forum. You are just feeding the "Crazies" as @Comic Dog says. And the Journalists! I've seen that happen on BOAY's Greyhound forum. KEEP TALKING TO THOSE THAT ENFORCE THE RULES.

But you are producing the ammo?

I'd aim for 15%. Which is 6.7 strike rate?

So on that basis some of the photos posted are misleading at best. But let's not drum up traffic with emotion.

Is that from the rules?

Apparently @curious you are "giving the crazies ammunition. What do you say to that?

Here we go again...sigh. What is the definition of flank in the rules?

In my opinion it proves nothing. A high definition slow motion replay may very well do that. But a screen shot of one video frame or part of a frame doesn't prove Jack. We don't even know the source of the video. What's more what is the Jockey doing with his or her whip in the other hand? I gather you and @curious won't be putting Joe Doyle up anytime soon?

Define flank? Between the ribs and the hip?

That picture proves SFA but I see @Comic Dog stole it so he can sing to the crickets.

Each to their own. But if I didn't win a race in 20 starts I'd be looking for another horse and probably a new trainer.

I look forward to the output of your transpotting while watching trackside tomorrow or will you just leave that up @Thomass? Tell you what you could always cut out the middleman and send the photos directly to SAFE. Meanwhile I'll wistfully put my head in the sand with one eye shut as I ignore the hordes of animal rights activists protesting a the race tracks.

Geez 30 starts? Is it with Rogie?

Thursday, 19 June 2025 Disgraced harness racing trainer's return to be 'tightly managed' 967 0 Canterbury Christchurch Nigel McGrath was handed an eight year ban from harness racing in 2020 after he admitted to... Nigel McGrath was handed an eight year ban from harness racing in 2020 after he admitted to cheating. Photo: Supplied By Sam Sherwood of RNZ A prominent Canterbury harness racing trainer banned for eight years after admitting cheating has been granted a “partial return” to the industry. Nigel McGrath made headlines after he was banned for eight years in July 2020. The ban came after he admitted charges of attempting to administer a prohibited substance by way of nasal gastric tube, refusing to make a statement, and obstructing a racecourse investigator. McGrath has 570 wins in his 20-year career with $6 million in stake money. Harness Racing New Zealand chief executive Brad Steele said a decision had been made allowing him to make a “partial return” to harness racing. At the last Harness Racing New Zealand annual meeting a rule change was passed allowing any banned party to apply for an exemption if they have served at least half their penalty, Steele said. McGrath then applied for an exemption. HRNZ’s exemptions committee met to consider the matter and concluded that some of the conditions regarding McGrath’s ban would change. This includes McGrath now being allowed to earn prize money again. “It is, however, under tightly managed conditions and it is up to him to prove he has changed his ways,” Steele said. McGrath cannot hold a trainer’s or driver’s licence and he cannot act as a stable representative or make official decisions on behalf of a training operation. He is allowed to be at a licenced person’s property, but cannot be involved in the training of any horse. He will remain unable to enter a racecourse when a meeting is taking place. Steele said there would be “zero tolerance”. “Any breach of these exemptions would result in immediate consequences, including the potential reinstatement of his disqualification.” McGrath’s involvement would be subject to regular review and monitoring by the Racing Integrity Board and HRNZ. “The decision balances disciplinary actions with the industry’s obligations to rehabilitate,” Steels said. “A decision to provide anyone with a chance to be re-integrated should not be mistaken for leniency.” Steele acknowledged the decision “would not be welcomed by everyone in the sport”. “We take those comments on board and the issue has prompted us to commit to a review of the industry’s integrity standards and processes. “It will be an opportunity for everyone in the sport to have their say and will happen shortly.

Not a specific individual owner but that's where a lot of owners now spread the risk over a number of horses. A friend of mine has shares in a number of horses and the good ones make up for the bad ones and overall they have an enjoyable hobby for very little cost. Recently one of them was sold - a two win horse from 11 starts but no return for the last 7. So a strike rate of 5.5 BUT although talented wouldn't put in on race day. Some trainers would have played it out for another full season or even two.

Who's that? Rogie?

Yeah! I was looking through the fields and went WOW 30 horses - where are the ballots? There weren't any!!

Pony race winner's jockey ambitions www.racing.com Don’t be surprised to see the name Lillianna MeyerVale pop up in your form guides over the next few years. MeyerVale took out the 2025 National Pony Race Series Final (Large Ponies Division) on the Gold Coast in fine style late last month, and her tale to victory is quite remarkable. Daughter of trainer Shilleagh MeyerVale and jockey Bradley Vale, 16-year-old Lillianna has long since held ambitions of a career in the saddle herself, and rides work for the family stable as well as honing her craft at the Benella Pony Club. So, when she won her way through to the Pony Race Series Finals with victory at Moonee Valley, the team elected to temporarily shut the stable and make the big road trip north from their Berrigan base. “It was a pretty big effort… we’re not a big stable, it’s all family run, and it’s mostly just Bradley, myself and the kids doing the work,” Shilleagh said. “We had a few extra horses that were meant to be coming to the stables, and we were like, ‘we'll just keep it quiet for the minute,’ knowing that we had to go to Queensland. “So, it's a definitely made things a little bit tighter, but we had to do it. It was a dream of hers to be able to participate in the whole series.” Lillianna took part in the first Pony Race Series, where she rode little Tinkerbell in the Small Ponies Division. Thought Tinkerbell is “not fast” - and that may be the polite way of putting it - Lillianna was hooked, and the requests for another, more serious tilt at the Series wasn’t far behind. “She just rode little Tinkerbell, that she's been riding ever since she was tiny and Tinkerbell is not fast,” Shilleagh said with a laugh. “But she (Lillianna) was so stoked to be part of it - it didn't matter if she went fast or not. After she got that first taste, she begged us to buy her a mechanical horse. “So, we went to Hilltop Saddlery and got her one of those and we called it Chautauqua, because it doesn't leave the shed – it stays there no matter how much she rides it.” Needless to say, that was not Tinkerbell being ridden to victory on the Gold Coast. But what makes Lillianna’s win all the more impressive is the fact that the pony in question, 13.2hh Honey, wasn’t her first choice either. The seven-year-old mare was a late call-up, and an ill-tempered one at that, leaving Lillianna to start from the ground up with only a few months before the trial day at Ballarat and the first round of races at The Valley. “After her first race on Tinkerbell, she said, ‘I need a faster horse’,” Shilleagh said. “We said, ‘well, you know, it’s not all about winning’. And she just said, ‘I need a faster horse.’ “We’ve got another pony here and we started training him for it, but at the same time she was also training him for doing eventing, and he had a little accident on a jump. “It wasn't major, but it was just enough that he needed time off which meant that he wasn't going to be right. “We weren't sure what time of the year they were going to put the next series on, but we thought it'll probably stop her from being able to participate if it's earlier. “Friends of ours said that they just got a pony – it needed a lot of work and education, but they reckoned it would be fast enough.” Honey certainly came as advertised, but before long, Lillianna had the mare much more focused by the time Ballarat’s time trials rolled around. From there the pair went to the Valley, where they won their heat comfortably sporting the Ridgemont colours, and qualified for the final. “Lilliana’s really started from the bottom with this pony – it was quite a handful,” Shilleagh said. “Didn't like to go forward, didn’t like to do anything. It's a chestnut mare, of course… she’d got it over a couple of her little riders. “So, it's taken quite a long time for her to realise that Lilianna means business and is gonna stay there and keep riding, not hopping off and putting her back out in the paddock.” Following the 1470km road trip to the Gold Coast, and a series of games at the Magic Millions complex to determine the order of the barrier – Lillianna and Honey would end up with gate one. It was a slight concern for Lillianna, with Honey still sometimes a challenge when given the space, but she needn’t have worried. “Lillianna was a bit stressed about drawing one,” Shilleagh said. “She said, ‘oh, she's not very good at going forward on our own and it's a different way of racing’, so she was a little bit sceptical of it. “And of course they had rain, so we were wondering, how the track would be and everything like that, but it worked out for us.” Watching Lillianna’s success on the Gold Coast – which ended up being a two-horse war with a good 35 lengths back to third – it is clear that a potential jockey of the future is in the saddle. Shilleagh, who watched with stewards as Lillianna went for her track-work certification as soon as she could, said there have been few doubts about her daughter’s career paths, and even less so since she hit the pony racing scene. And despite winning, a harsh post-race self-critique provides further proof that this was far from the last time Lillianna plans to race-ride. https://bitofayarn.com “She is deadset determined that she wants to be a jockey,” Shilleagh said. “As soon as she could get a trackwork licence, she was up on up on a horse for the first time in front of three stewards watching her, making sure that she was okay to ride track work. “She pulled herself up on looking down to her side in the actual race on the Gold Coast. She said she didn't even realise she’s doing it at the time because, she was just so excited and pumped, and concentrating too. “And then she's looked up and she's like, ‘oh my gosh, I've just ran like it out a bit’ so she tried to straighten her out, but it was all right. “The kids only have two chances to do it a year, so it's not like they get a lot of training like an apprentice jockey. There’s a lot of rules they have to follow as well, with space and steering.” Shilleagh and Brad, who has had no shortage of exciting opportunities through his successful riding career, are perfectly content operating their small family stable. But Lillianna, who will naturally be applying for an apprenticeship spot as soon as she can, is determined to mix it with the best. “She has high aims,” Shilleagh said. “Brad and I never really aim to be really big. We come from South Australia originally, but Brad had plenty of opportunities to ride overseas, in America and Macau, and for us to stay in those big cities there too. “But we chose to live in the country and raise a family and just be happy doing what we're doing because we love the sport, but Lilianna has aims of being at the top. “Her drive to do it, what she picks up on and everything like that will be awesome. She just needs to be able to get a few more horses underneath her to get more practice and the right people around her. “The pony races, I suppose, have the added incentive of being able to encourage the next generation into our industry, and of all parts of it. “Because it’s not just being a jockey, but they see different parts of horse racing as well, so it’s great.” But again, this won’t be the case with Lillianna, who at present is firmly on track to join the riding ranks in the next few years. Lillianna MeyerVale – remember the name.

J-Mac gets his Royal Ascot win www.racing.com Crimson Advocate swooped late to land the Duke of Cambridge Stakes for James McDonald and Wathnan Racing.https://bitofayarn.com The filly, who won the Queen Mary for previous trainer George Weaver in 2023, showcased an impressive turn of foot to gain back-to-back wins in the race for John and Thady Gosden, who struck with Running Lion last year. Hot favourite Cinderella's Dream had to settle for second and was beaten by a length and three-quarters. Sent off at 5-4, the Godolphin filly was forced to switch to the outside as they turned for home and looked to threaten approaching the two-furlong pole. However, James McDonald's mount proved too quick, surging past the rest of the field. Wathnan’s first-choice jockey, James Doyle, finished third on the Karl Burke-trained Fallen Angel, who travelled well before being outpaced in the final furlong. "I’m absolutely delighted. She gave me an absolutely beautiful ride. I’m very honoured to be wearing the Wathnan silks,” McDonald said. "It’s so special riding at Royal Ascot, I can’t really put it into words. I just can’t thank enough people for the opportunities to be here on the big stage. Even when you don’t have a chance and you’re riding here, it's such a huge thrill."