Chief Stipe

The Science Curriculum doesn't have core fundamentals yet they want to teach Matauranga that has no science foundation. Path to ignorance if you ask me. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/dr-michael-johnston-the-ministry-of-ignorance-strikes-again/ILXI6IP5CJB2NAQ5GXKUN67XQE/

Stewards finish Pinn inquiry | RACING.COM www.racing.com Horses ridden by talented apprentice Wiremu Pinn have been disqualified, but connections will be able to keep their prizemoney following a Racing Victoria stewards inquiry. The inquiry was opened following a miscommunication between RV and New Zealand authorities which saw the apprentice allocated an incorrect claim. Pinn had been incorrectly claiming 3kg, but that was reduced to 2kg following an audit of the young rider’s New Zealand wins. The audit came off the back of stewards receiving contrasting information over the calculation of his claim. Connections of the 29 starters ridden by Pinn were issued with a show-cause notice last Tuesday as RV ramped up its inquiry. Of those 29 starters, Pinn rode five winners with 25 of the 29 securing prizemoney for connections. “The Stewards, having considered all the facts and the submissions received from connections, have determined to disqualify the 29 horses ridden by Pinn in Victorian races between 27 May 2023 and 12 June 2023,” an RV statement read. “In reaching their decision, the Stewards considered that those horses who competed against the Pinn-ridden horse in each of the 29 races were at a disadvantage as a result of the incorrect claim. “Pursuant to AR 274, where a starter is disqualified from a particular race, the placings will be amended, and prizes or money are to be awarded as though the disqualified horse had not started in the race. “As a result, the owners, trainers and jockeys of horses who finished behind the disqualified starter, will be paid by RV the balance of any prizemoney owing based on the amended placings in the next prizemoney payment cycle. “Having considered the findings of the Stewards’ inquiry and the basis on which their position was reached, the RV Board determined it will not demand the repayment of any prizemoney from the owner(s), trainer, or jockey Pinn from the 29 horses disqualified by the Stewards. “The RV Board reached this position in consideration of all the circumstances, including that the error in miscalculating Pinn’s claim was not attributable to him, nor the owners and trainers of the 29 horses who all acted in good faith in booking Pinn in the races in question. “The RV Board notes that the error was made without ill intent and apologises, on behalf of RV, to all affected parties for any distress that this unique situation has occurred.” In its statement, Racing Victoria revealed how the error regarding Pinn’s claim came about. “Following receipt of a request by Pinn to transfer his services on loan from NZ to Victoria, RV licensing officials requested a list of eligible wins from their New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) counterparts for the purposes of calculating his Australian claim,” the statement read. “The RV request to NZTR was imprecise in its wording which led to it being misunderstood by NZTR officials who furnished, in good faith, what they believed was the requested list of wins. RV licensing officials accepted the list as a complete representation of the desired results and proceeded to allocate Pinn a 3kg claim based on that information.” RV added that a eview of the relevant systems and processes to ensure this error is avoided in the future’.

If that's how you feel then I assume you don't bet on amateur driver races.

Andrew Jones: Tackling Victorian racing's issues head on Racing Victoria boss Andrew Jones By Bruce Clark 06:40pm • 27 June 2023 6 Comments So, a rather substantial gaggle of leading Australian racing leaders should now be on their way back from those "fact-finding" missions to Royal Ascot, where of course hefty barrows were pushed in the ‘Self Interest (and Selfie Posted) Stakes' – some of which may await pattern approval. And after attending the best racing week on the global calendar, well except for their own of course, thoughts and plans will focus on the spring and more immediate issues. Racing NSW was the only Aussie winner in the Royal week at Ascot getting King Charles III to allow his moniker to rename the Colgate Optic White George Main Stakes and stump up $5m from the POCT funded sustainability fund while holding on to Group 1 credibility from day one albeit on a new date – to run with the $20m The Everest on Melbourne's Caulfield Guineas Day. Such an announcement was predicted and it looks a winner. Even the Melbourne Racing Club agrees. Golden Mile ridden by James McDonald wins the 2022 Caulfield Guineas. Picture: Reg Ryan–Racing Photos via Getty Images Put that aside here, for I see a rather complementary program across the two states come spring for the small pool of ‘heroes' that could juggle the new calendar, but racing will fight a little for free to air play, just as it pushes to grow that so-called big pie in prime-time (pardon the cliches). Not something lost on Andrew ‘AJ' Jones, the Racing Victoria CEO, almost blissfully embracing the challenges ahead, as well as those many current, as he approaches the first anniversary of his role. While many of his contemporaries were top-hatted, ‘AJ' was back in Melbourne (no tie) explaining up Victorian prizemoney decreases and industry funding issues, talking to animal protesters invited to his table, as well as to us at Racenet. If there was the hint of a slightly imploding world around him, the Jones message was simple – bring it on. And you the fans, the customer, the punter, well, we are your voice and we are here for you. "When I came to this job, what interested me most was the challenge and the opportunity of growing racing," Jones said. "What excites me about racing is the pleasure it delivers to fans and, by extension, real Australians and communities." Jones comes from outside the (racing) bubble. The innovation of Big Bash and T-20 cricket sits impressively on a hands-on CV. "Stay tuned" when I asked how he was going with a T-20 version for racing, and "Rapid Racing" is not it. "Racing has a challenge for market share," he said, stating the obvious. "But then so have many other sports I have worked with. "Cricket had an ageing male skewed fan base, the perception it was too long and too boring. "Racing is similar, it is seen as complicated, but I think the more you understand it, the more interesting it gets, but that's the message we need to address and sell. "How you do that to a younger audience is a key challenge, how do you turn an 18-year-old into having their first bet on racing rather than sport in a technology environment which is ultra-competitive." But racing is a unique sport. Its fan, or its customer, that's you, is also the driving force that funds an industry that gouges it via driving up price via Point of Consumption taxes while underpinning those Bonus Bets to keep you in the game longer. We will return to that. There's always a bumper crowd at Flemington on Derby Day It has a language of its own and in ‘Jonestown', its format isn't adept to younger fans who are more attuned to tribal football and sports where they play rounds or heats, into a series of finals. Mentioning that I am of the old school that there is never a last race, I'm assured I am OK, I am a barnacle on the boat that sails along, racing is after that elusive new audience so let's change the thinking. "Basically racing is run by people who like it and that is fine, we need to find people who don't (like it) and find out why, and how we can bring them into the tent and why they are wrong or wronged," Jones explains. "The customer is always right, we just need more customers and we need to appeal to as many as we can, Racing Victoria has data on current customers and habits, much behavioural which we learn from and is vital in making any decisions." This is where we get into slightly floating ground. They put the races on when the customer wants to bet on them mantra – you know later in the week, later in the day come evening, come night – when of course balancing the workloads and impacts on participants and their welfare. Or a tenth race on a Saturday because that's when racing gets the most out of the punter, no matter the quality of the product, when the day is longer (possibly squeezed in), but that suits the agenda. "The schedule is very important, we are a leisure and entertainment activity so by definition, we must appeal to the biggest market and that might not be Monday to Friday and especially earlier in those days or the week," he adds. "We are mindful of the participant and we need to be able to maximise their incomes and wellbeing and reasons to be working in this unique industry, but everything for us works around the structure of the program." So to you, the fan and customer, the message from Epsom Road is clear. "The fan is the boss, they are ultimately paying the bills and we recognise they have a choice in how they spend their time and money, they are the boss of us all and we need to be attentive to their needs and we are constantly working on this," he says. "We need to improve the way we present our product and despite what people think, we are also very conscious of pricing our product." Gold Trip and Mark Zahra return to the enclosure after winning the 2022 Melbourne Cup to the delight of a massive Flemington crowd. Picture: Daniel Pockett–Getty Images The 50% increase in the POCT has given the industry "certainty" in ongoing long term funding as Racing NSW announces new races and increased prizemoney and South Australia and Western Australia present new funding opportunities in more immediate times than RV can. So you might be surprised to know that RV – through their Wagering Development Fund – underwrites (for the want of a better term) those $50 bonus bet backs you might get from your wagering service provider. Jones calls it a "co-investment". "If you get a bonus bet and win, the bookie gets to deduct those winnings from its Racefields fee calculation – they pay on net wagering revenue so they get to take off winnings from bonus bets, so that encourages bonus bets, and then there is a fund that is funded out of Racefields which is reinvested into generosities by agreements with the WSPs," Jones said. As the government deals with a review of all gambling issues, Jones is confident existing customer agreements and bonus bets will be quarantined from new inducements. Jones identifies himself as a perfect case study – a punter on the couch for a few hours each Saturday afternoon. "I'm OK ethically with punting, it's just a balance for a much-enjoyed pastime for a lot of people and a big problem for a small group," he says. "Leisure expenditure costs money, punting provides entertainment. Those people are not doing it to make money, more the experience, I can see that." So the immediate job for Jones is the new RV Strategic Plan and three key "pillars", if you like a corporate word. The joy the industry brings to fans and owners (and how the industry plays in community). Celebrate the care for horses: Identify and provide jobs and growth (economic impact) – to underwrite the contract it has with government. "We have to sell our message better but we are the voice of the industry, and the participants which is an ongoing challenge, but especially the punters we have a lot of wrangling going on all the time, but the punters don't have a union, it's our job to sit in their shoes." So some quick markers: POCT: "The cost may increase but we expect that to come out of the bookies margins, they have got bigger and are in a better position to operate at smaller margins." Three Club Model: "There is an economy of scale across membership, race day, events, commercial, track management, gaming and property, there might be more an alignment in incentivising race scheduling but the three clubs have been successful thus far, ultimately it will always be a matter for the clubs." And on Country Racing Victoria – "They provide a very valuable service to the 65 other clubs." Media Rights: "I can't think of too many other sports that would siphon out their biggest event, maybe Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Spanish League, yes I did find it a bit odd, the best model is an aggregated one but we must focus on how to best to maximise the Cup audience and we have no issue dealing with Tabcorp for the rights. "But we are working hard on better presentation of our day-to-day product from jumpouts and trials to innovation in presentation, but yes we can do more." What are your Key Performance Indicators?: "It comes down to ratings, attendance and turnovers, as simple as that." Final Word: "I remain motivated by the role racing plays in normal people's lives. It's what keeps me motivated." https://www.racenet.com.au/news/racing-victoria-boss-andrew-jones-embracing-the-opportunity-to-tackle-racings-issues-head-on-20230626-2

Buyer beware. You know what you are punting in. Just another way the Stipes are out of touch with the sport and are killing it.

How is it colonialist? I thought it was comparing Matauranga with traditional evidence-based science. Isn't it a bit like NZTR saying "we know best but thanks for your data analysis"?

I remember Ted well. Stayed at his place a couple of times with Dad's horses. Ted also trained: Wag Humphrey Cairnbrae (owned by Ted but trained by Ces Donald) Tinwald Staveley Grouse Fri Wing Commander He gave Single Girl to Brian and George Hill which if memory serves me right was the dam of two good horses Single Lord and the trotter Mcshane.

An extract from an excellent essay. https://skepticalinquirer.org/2023/06/the-ideological-subversion-of-biology/ 6. Indigenous “ways of knowing” are equivalent to modern science and should be respected and taught as such. Because indigenous peoples such as New Zealand’s Māori and the New World’s Native Americans were the victims of colonialism, their traditional knowledge is often lauded as an alternative version of modern science—a “way of knowing” developed independently from what’s called “colonialist science” but seen by many as of equal value. In fact, the New Zealand government requires indigenous ways of knowing to be given equal status to modern science in the classroom—and to other subjects in all secondary school education. South Africa is also experiencing a decolonization of biology. An article in the prestigious journal Nature calls for decolonizing pharmacology in that country, concentrating on local herbal remedies to “anchor the curriculum in local experience.” While this adds a home-grown flavor to learning, dropping an anchor in local experience can only divert the student from an education in modern pharmacology. Matauranga Māori, the indigenous way of knowing in New Zealand, is a mélange of empirical knowledge derived from trial and error (including the navigational ability of their Polynesian ancestors and Māori ways of procuring and growing food) but also includes nonscientific areas such as theology, traditional lore, ideology, morality, and legend. Yet all these are considered worthy of teaching as coequal to the methods and results of modern science. Māori scholars, for example, have advanced the improbable claim that Polynesians—the ancestors of the Māori—were the first to discover Antarctica in the seventh century. This claim is surely false, probably based on faulty translation of an oral legend. In fact, Antarctica was first seen by the Russians in 1820. Nevertheless, New Zealand’s Royal Society, the nation’s most prestigious scientific organization, gave a $660,000 grant to the Māori to explore this bogus narrative. There’s also been a revival of the traditional herbal and spiritual remedies of Matauranga Māori, which incorporate chanting as a means of healing. While local remedies may occasionally be helpful, they are almost never tested using the gold standard for medicine: randomized controlled trials. Indigenous ways of knowing usually include some practical knowledge, which includes observations about the local environment and useful practices developed over time, including, in the case of Matauranga Māori, ancient methods of navigating and the best way to catch eels. But practical knowledge is not the same as the systematic, objective investigation of nature—free from assumptions about gods and spirits—that constitute modern science. Conflating indigenous ways of knowing with modern science will confuse students not only about what constitutes knowledge but also about the nature of science itself. It is true that modern science arose in Western Europe in the seventeenth century, a time when women were denied education and most of the population was white. This situation, due to bias, severely restricted people’s opportunities but provides no reason to discredit science itself—the best way of generating accepted knowledge about the universe—as “Western” or colonialist. (“Western” has become a total misnomer and insults the many people in other countries who practice the same brand of science.) A related issue that pits indigenous culture against modern science is forensic anthropology: the study of ancient societies using human remains and artifacts. In North America, for instance, human remains, depending on where they’re found, can be claimed by Native Americans as their own, withheld from scientific study because they’re seen as ancient members of modern indigenous groups. Indeed, federal law mandates the return of bones and other artifacts to the indigenous groups who claim them. The remains must be reburied without scientific study, even if there’s no clear genealogical connection between the human bones and the Native Americans linked to where the remains were found. In the case of Kennewick Man, the indigenous “scientific” claims included a Native American leader rejecting the truth that his ancestors arrived via the Bering Strait from Asia on these grounds: “From our oral histories, we know that our people have been part of this land from the beginning of time,” says Mr. Minthorn. “We do not believe that our people migrated here from another continent.” One victim of this mindset is physical anthropologist Elizabeth Weiss of San Jose State, who studies 500–3,000 year old bones from California. For simply studying those remains, Weiss was demoted by her university and banned from studying her department’s collection of bones. But it’s even worse: she’s not allowed to study X-rays of the remains or even show a photograph of the boxes in which they are kept. Many other universities, such as Berkeley, are also sending back or reburying artifacts and old bones. The result: valuable human history and anthropology remain off limits because remains and artifacts are considered sacred. Clearly, the best solution would defer burial until after scientific study or DNA collection. The present policy simply prevents us from learning about our past. The promotion of these other ways of knowing comes from a desire to valorize oppressed groups by holding up much of their culture as having the same epistemic authority as science, a view that philosopher Molly McGrath called “the authority of the sacred victim.” In its secular form, this authority derives from postmodern views that science is just one of many “ways of knowing” and that the hegemony of science reflects power rather than accomplishment. This is encapsulated by the motto, espoused by some on both the Right and the Left for decades, that “science is always political.” Like biblical creationism, much indigenous knowledge has a substantial spiritual or theological component that comes not from evidence but from authority or revelation. To add any of this knowledge to modern science, you must first separate the empirical wheat from the spiritual chaff. This is what the nondenominational Pastor Mike Aus meant when, after giving up his faith, he described “religious knowledge” this way: “There are not different ways of knowing. There is knowing and not knowing, and those are the only two options in this world.”

Tafe teacher hands out $3001 racing lesson at Morphettville Trainer Peter Ryan Jnr and strapper Caitlin Davey with Laelaps after winning the Peter Elberg Funerals Handicap at Morphettville. PIcture: Terry Hann–Atkins Photography By Trenton Akers 03:54pm • 26 June 2023 Warrnambool trainer Patrick Ryan Jr used to teach at Tafe for a living, but he gave out some free galloping lessons in Adelaide on Saturday instead as the hobby trainer enjoyed his best ever day at the track. Ryan Jr took his entire five-strong stable across the border for the 600km journey on Saturday morning to Morphettville and left with a treble, including $101 boilover Laelaps. It's not often a trainer will take their entire stable interstate, but Ryan Jr said it made sense when looking at the program. The horseman was a psychology teacher at Tafe for 16 years, before giving it up to focus more on his training, which paid huge dividends on Saturday. "I took the whole team over, hoping to get one winner and ended up with three," he said. "It was a long trip and there were races there that suited each of them so I thought we'd kill two birds with one stone. "I have a farm about seven or eight kilometres from the Warrnambool track. "I drove them over there the morning of the races and arrived on course, it was about a 3000-1 treble or something. "A few of my mates got the 100-1 (for Laelaps), I didn't." Ryan may have destroyed the dreams of punters with Laelaps he was quickly in the good books two races later saddling up $2.25 winning favourite Ferago before closing out his treble with $9 chance Rivkin in the second last. His two other runners, Big Town (fourth) and Anirishman (10th) missed the placings on the day. While he enjoyed a day out on Saturday, you won't see the horseman expanding anytime, with Ryan Jr saying he is happy doing what he is doing with the small team. "I was a psychology teacher for 16 years and trained as a hobby pretty much, which it still is really, but I got a farm near Warrnambool a few years ago and now I just do that," he said. "I own a lot of them myself and there are a couple of good mates who own some too, I'm not really interested in going commercial with it all. "My uncle is Pat Hyland and cousins are Sammy and Chris Hyland, my dad was a jockey, so I have been around it all my life really." He will likely take Ferago and Rivkin to Saturday in Melbourne next month, while 100-1 winner Laelaps will head to the midweeks.

Barry White's Greatest Hits https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lUfGIXccvi1M97JEr2dVScgyFpuB5Saok&feature=share

Competition and Peter V'landys. Decisive leadership tackling the core issues. Cameron George has tried to emulate him but failed.

Just the headlines - don't subscribe. Occasionally there is some useful information.

Trainers can't wait for NSW spring after $5m King Charles III Stakes announcement Trainer Bjorn Baker was bubbling on hearing about the enhancements to the Sydney spring carnival. Picture: Jeremy Ng–Getty Images By Ray Thomas 09:33am • 25 June 2023 0 Comments Some of the nation's leading trainers are rethinking spring carnival plans following Racing NSW's announcement of a suite of prizemoney increases and new feature races. Trainers Bjorn Baker and Adrian Bott want to set their stable stars for Everest Day which has total prizemoney of nearly $35m. Baker has ambitions to get his top sprinter Overpass into the field for the $20m The TAB Everest on October 14. "I was lucky enough to have two runners in The Everest last year and I'm hoping I can get Overpass into the race again,'' he said. "There is no doubt Overpass is a better horse now than he was when he ran in The Everest last year.'' Baker dismissed criticism that $20m prizemoney for The Everest is too much and some of the stakes could be better spent in other areas of the racing industry. "The Everest has been remarkable how it has captured a whole new audience for racing,'' Baker said. "Racing needs to stay relevant and everybody knows about The Everest, it is going to be bigger and better again "Everest Day is unparalleled and it is going to be even bigger this year. As a trainer in Sydney racing I'm just grateful to be involved. "I came to Sydney (from New Zealand) 12 years ago and it's the best decision I've ever made because what Racing NSW has done with the prizemoney since has been incredible. "Racing NSW keeps taking the lead with prizemoney and it's so exciting going to the races each Saturday.'' Bjorn Baker and wife Andrea with Overpass. Picture: Richard Dobson Bott, who trains in partnership with Hall of Famer Gai Waterhouse, said the inaugural $5m King Charles III Stakes could be a target for the stable's multiple Group 1 winner, Alligator Blood. "We will have to look very closely at those programming changes for the Sydney spring carnival,'' Bott said. "Almost by default, Gerry (Harvey, owner of Alligator Blood) said to follow the same program as last year but it might be better to keep the horse in Sydney and aim at the new race (King Charles III Stakes).'' Harvey is also a part-owner, along with John Singleton and Ray Hadley of exciting three-year-old Hawaii Five Oh who Bott believes could emerge as a contender for The Everest. "The owners of Hawaii Five Oh are keen to try and get to The Everest, and so are the owners of Red Resistance, who was a very talented two-year-old and it will be interesting to see how he shapes up in the spring,'' Bott said. Adrian Bott with Blake Shinn after Alligator Blood won the Futurity Stakes at Sandown in the autumn. Picture: Vince Caligiuri–Getty Images "We've also got a horse like Kibou who is probably more a miler so he could be the type of horse to go to the new race and the Golden Eagle.'' Bott said the enhancements to the Sydney spring carnival can only grow interest in racing. "Racing NSW's prizemoney increases and programming changes are a vote of confidence in the racing industry,'' Bott said. "There has been no better time for owners, potential investors and participants to be involved in racing.''

Well it's OZ form was enough to say it had a chance.

By Tavistock out of Allez Wonder

2023-06-24_race4.mp4 Race 4 Morphettville 24 June 2023.

You forgot to mention the 6 races it has won in the last year. Although Ben Hope has improved may I suggest Loyalist may have won more in NZ with a different driver. Not the first Bettors Delight to get better with age either.

Are you writing for Peter Profit now?

I spent more time researching OZ racing. Backed my biggest ever win dividend at 80's on fixed odds. Sportsbet paid $126.

Can someone give me a good reason to have a bet at Cambridge today?

http://www.racing.com/videos/2023-06-24/tom-marquand-reflects-on-his-victory-for-king-charles-iii

You can't trust your friends in this game.

But the day after the jockey announced her comeback to the sport, she has been dragged into a social media scandal, the Herald Sun’s Page 13 reported. The images show one image of Kah smiling for the camera with her white painted nails clearly in view and a second one with a hand featuring white nails appearing to divide lines of the white powder up on a plate. The images which circulated on social media. Photo: Supplied The images which circulated on social media. Photo: Supplied It is unclear when the image was taken, what the powder is or whether the substance was consumed.

Kah, RV release photo statements www.racing.com Champion jockey Jamie Kah has released a statement after pictures circulated online of her near a substance that appears to be white powder. It comes as Racing Victoria confirmed stewards would make contact with Kah to "avail themselves of all the facts" before they determine if any rules have been broken. The photos came to light just a day after Kah announced she was back riding trackwork and was excited to eventually return to race riding. Kah, who is leading the Victorian metro premiership, hasn't ridden since March following a sickening fall at Flemington. Kah was rushed to hospital following the fall where she suffered a serious brain injury. It is unclear when the photo was taken or what the substance is in the photo. Racing.com is not suggesting the white powder was Kah's or that she consumed it. In a statement Kah said: "I am so disappointed that Newscorp published this "story" .... "I am determined to focus on my health and recovery following my race fall in March which left me with a serious brain injury and being in hospital for 3 weeks. "I am working hard to get back to doing what I love, and that is being a passionate and successful jockey. "I will continue to focus on my physical and mental health and making a full recovery so I can return to racing and be the best person that I can possibly be. "I won't be making any further comment." In a statement Racing Victoria said: “The Stewards will be making enquiries of Jamie Kah to avail themselves of all the facts before considering whether any Rules of Racing have been breached.” Racing.com has contacted the VJA for comment.

I thought NZTR asked them to withdraw before the fields were drawn up?