Chief Stipe

Well if you read what Grimstone did in the McGrath case you can see the same pattern of behaviour he exhibited in his High Court Criminal Cases. His interrogation of a "witness" who admits being a drug user and the subsequent presentation of that person's evidence reeks of a jail house snitch!

McGrath got 8 years in total. The aggravating factor was his refusal to cooperate with RIU investigators and his alleged destruction of the "evidence". Arguably up until that time McGrath had a cleaner record than many others still training with only two prior charges being considered when handing down his sentence. One was Blue Magic in 2004 and the other arising out of INCA for "improper driving". The latter charge was poorly defended. The key RIU figure involved in the improper driving charge and the raid was one Neil Grimstone. Grimstone has failed miserably in his orchestrated INCA campaign and has been allowed to hound license holders in my opinion to justify his failures. He did the same when he was a Detective in the Police Force with a couple of very big failures.

You're entitled to your opinion. Unfortunately there are a lot of people feeding on the bottom. That's part of the reason people cheat. It is so damn hard to make money in the game. Is it any less fraudulent that so many RIB staff and Code administrators act ineptly and don't address the fundamental issues? Yet they are paid way way more than any of those individuals that attempt to earn a living in the game?

INCA has returned ZIP! All it has done is highlight how incompetent and expensive are a certain group within the RIB. That's a bit rough Chief. The Galah is proven supporter of the industry and has been an excellent observor of all the harness goings on. Where's the evidence you say. Well mate People LIE Through their Teeth when charged with something OR if doing something 'against' the rules. They (the cheats) go 'Out of their way' to cover- up the evidence you so desparately seek. Inca, IRU , police, etc struggle against this tide.? I don't care who catches who. It's just good (and Very Important) that Someone is Looking !!!!! otherwise the Kerrs and Alfords and McGraths and their mates WIN Out !!! and deception would Rule ..... Where is the evidence if the industry has a state of the art testing and monitoring regime? Allegedly McGrath and Alford believed they could dope their horses and not be detected. To me that just highlights how arcahic and unfit for purpose the very expensive NZ testing and lab system is. Which I note has been done by a private company paid for and funded by industry for a very long time. As for Kerr - where are the ownership processes and systems in the three codes that stop the overselling of shares and/or insurance? Kerr isn't the first nor the only one that has done that. I suspect the code management is too scared to open that can of worms by putting systems in place to stop it as they would have to check every current horse ownership structure.

Aren't YOU driving people away from the sport by your continued unsubstantiated inference and innuendo that there MUST be EPO and other "undetectable drug" cheating in the industry? Where's the evidence? You and the Peter Profits of this world try to cast a dark cloud over the industry without any substance. Do you really care about the industry at all?

Racing isn't a level playing field and never will be. With regard to integrity issues I've been one of the biggest critics of the RIU and now the RIB primarily because of their inconsistency. Yet you continue to spruik how great they are. For example you say INCA was good because it put the industry on notice even though it has cost more than $15m in industry funds and delivered NOTHING. Where is the integrity in that?

It is only your opinion that it doesn't operate that way.

No agenda. I have no financial interest in any race horse. However I am sick and tired of the holier than thou types, many of whom are hypocrites, who seem intent on bringing down individuals in the industry for ANY reason they can find. Some are motivated by envy, others malice and some because they don't want harness racing to exist at all. Then we have the anonymous carrion feeders that delight in feeding on the demise of others.

I understand that a very entertaining Racing enthusiast and online poster Cubes has passed away suddenly. My condolences to his family.

I don't believe they do. What is evident is that there is a group of malcontents in the industry who seem to having an agenda to bring the successful owners and trainers down. THEY are the ones who feed the fires. THEY often do it by hiding behind private social media channels and by providing the RIB and anti-racing journalists with information. The latter often is pure conjecture and speculation rather than based on fact. In New Zealand it is impossible to have anyone who doesn't have some personal connection to those who run racing.

Conjecture. Other Racing Jurisdictions allow offenders back why should NZ be any different? There probably isn't a major OZ Thoroughbred Trainer that hasn't returned a prohibited drug positive in their career. Reid comparing McGrath to a Paedophile Teacher is a completely off analogy. What is Reid's agenda?

If McGrath deserved a life ban then on the same criteria half of the Trainers and Drivers should as well. Harden up. Or do you have another agenda?

If I was worried about numbers I'd just throw money at competitions, cry with insincerity over every industry death be it horse or human, post congratulations for every horse win anywhere that had a remote connection to NZ and sign every post off with JMHO. Instead I allow anyone, including myself, to post any blunt opinion they wish.

The new RIB has taken Ruling inconsistentcy to new heights. Still has closed down INCA. They've increaed staff numbers in the face of declining revenue to the point the codes are going to have to reach into their funds to keep them afloat. To even infer the RIB is doing a grand job is bollocks.

2004 Blue Magic - not the only Trainer caught that is still racing. 2020 allegedly was going to administer an unknown substance. Is it correct no substance was identified nor was it administered? That is he was caught in the "process of administering a prohibited substance". What that substance was isn't known. The penalty he was given reflected his behaviour and lack of cooperation. Been worse examples in Australian racing and Trainers have been allowed back.

Bollocks. Inconsistent rulings weekly. If they can't get the small stuff right or the bread and butter rulings right how can anyone have any confidence in the big stuff? Meanwhile the stench of Operation INCA hangs in the air.

HRNZ Board approves application from disqualified licenseholder 18 November 2022 in New Zealand, Top 4 0 The response to last week’s article about apathy and tolerance regarding animal abuse within the harness racing industry was overwhelming, to say the least. While I shouldn’t have been surprised given the topic is somewhat taboo in the racing media, I was surprised at those that took the time to reach out in acknowledgment. I have no desire to become the martyr for industry integrity and would much prefer to write about the many hard-working and high-character people that make up our industry. However, I felt a line in the sand needed to be drawn. It was heartfelt and I hope it was interpreted as such. You see for while the context of last week’s article centered around the silence from our license holders in denouncing their peers, it has since come to light that our governing body is equally complicit when it comes to approaching this serious issue. At the HRNZ Board meeting on the 7th of November 2022, the board of directors approved an application from Nigel McGrath to break and gait yearling horses, less than 3 years into an 8-year disqualification. This was made possible by an amendment to Rule 1303(1) which was updated to the following: (1) A person who is disqualified may not during the period of disqualification: (c) Assist or be involved in any capacity in the breaking or gaiting of any horse, without the written consent of the Board. The underlined sentence was added to the rules and came into effect on the 20th of October 2021 without much conjecture. We can get into the overall dynamic and some of the board members influencing both the rule change and actions since it came into effect in a follow up article, but for now it’s best we stick to the knitting. HRNZ sent a delegation to the property of Nigel McGrath leading into the Cup Meeting. They weren’t to know about the drama that was to unfold on its biggest day of the year at a licensed training establishment, however one would question: a) why would the governing body go to the suspended license holder’s property? Can you imagine WADA (World Anti Doping Agency) going to the property of Lance Armstrong because HE wanted to ride in the Tour de France again? b) Given the magnitude of Cup Week and the increased exposure it brings to the industry, was any consideration given to the fact that such a polarising issue might be better suited to a time when the industry is less vulnerable? c) why were some of the HRNZ Board members unaware of the visit until after the fact? On Monday before the Cup meeting, much to the surprise (and disgust) of some of the board, the application was approved. Fortunately for those of you with a conscience, I can report that the board was not unanimous in its support for the approval. Harness Racing New Zealand are still in the process of finalising the conditions which are to be approved by CEO, Gary Woodham, and not the HRNZ Board. However, 11 days after making such a brazen decision, there has been no official statement from the Governing Body who instead have remained steadfast in their approach that no rules have been broken, and no official statement would be made regarding the decision. Strong leaders stand behind the decisions they make on behalf of their stakeholders, not behind some piss weak rule change that allows a convicted drug cheat and animal abuser less than a third of the way through his suspension the ability to earn an income from the sport. Given Coulam’s desire to put on a pair of soccer boots and kick an own goal for the industry, I gave him the opportunity to respond to a series of questions. He responded with the following. For full disclosure, I have deleted only two of the questions sent to the Chairman due to the nature in which they were asked, however I don’t believe any of the others are too far out of order in what one could reasonably expect answers for? If the rules of the sport are to punish and deter, what message does HRNZ believe they are sending to the participants and fellow license holders allowing a repeat animal abuser to derive an income from the very animals he abused? Less than 3 years into an 8-year sentence. Does HRNZ and its board unanimously agree on the decision to allow Nigel McGrath the ability to break and pre train horses? Why were not all board members aware of the fact that HRNZ were pursuing this matter? Were industry funds used to seek legal advice as the specific ruling of the term ‘pre training’ in 2021? Was this rule change/assertion/amendment made while an owner and friend of Nigel McGrath was still on the board? Has a serious precedent been set by HRNZ with this ruling? Can the five or so others suspended for administering now apply for a license to pre-train? And if not, why not? Many of them are more than a third of the way into their own suspension! If our industry is dependent on the social license for which we operate, does the HRNZ board believe this outcome to let a serial offender back in to the industry to be in the best interests of the sport? Does HRNZ believe it to be necessary and ok to allow a repeat animal abuser to earn an income from the helpless animals he administered substances too? Do you emphatically believe you have made this decision in the best interests of the sport and its participants? Is it true an HRNZ Board member who voted on the decision, took horses from Nigel McGrath upon his suspension, and furthermore has given him business by way of horses to break, pretrain and graze? Is this not a conflict of interests? Why did HRNZ and some of its board members deem it appropriate to even hear a case from Nigel McGrath at his own property, and why was that deemed the best course of action? Has a former chair, associate, friend and client of Nigel Mcgrath had any involvement in helping to get this case heard? Why were the RIB not notified of an exemption allowing Nigel McGrath the ability to transport horses to licensed training/breeding premises? Given any act deemed to be bringing the industry into disrepute is a punishable offense, can you confidently say that our very own board is not guilty by the same metric? Would this be palatable with the likes of the RSPCA, Racing Minister or the broader public? How can our board members, elected by the clubs of HRNZ, and working in the best interests of the participants genuinely believe they are doing the right thing by supporting these types of people? Allowing repeat offenders to resume working in the industry at any level before their suspension has ended? Whose interests are they really serving? How can these types of individuals be allowed to own earn an income working with the very animals they abused and take opportunities from other honest hard-working participants? Whether HRNZ is standing or hiding behind the approved application of McGrath is open for interpretation, however I want to leave you with the following. The HRNZ Chair was a principal for 30 years of Catholic High Schools and has served a decorated education career. If we turn this thing around and compare apples with apples in an industry he is familiar with, perhaps the point becomes more salient? If a teacher was found to have had physically harmed or abused a child while under the care of the school, naturally that Teacher would, if the facts were to be proven, be punished, and likely have their license to teach terminated. Naturally this would make it extremely difficult to work in the education sector in the future, having broken the law and code of conduct one assumes when entering that profession. If the now former teacher was struggling financially and had struggled to find work in other sectors given teaching was all they were trained to do, would the education sector take pity on them? Would they visit them and accept an application for a return to employment in the education sector? Albeit at a reduced capacity, but bearing in mind they had already been given a second chance? I said it last week, our own participants are the greatest threat to our industry and that now includes our own elected officers. Proceeding this article in the coming days will be the industry reaction, for which there has been plenty. I can confidently say that 95% of the industry participants that I have spoken to think that the person involved is a likeable fella. I can also confidently say that 100% of them think that the approved application to break and gait horses is an absolute piss take. by Brad Reid, for Harnesslink

Track renovation starts at Headquarters Ben Sporle@bensporle 11 August, 2021 (Image: Racing Photos) With five weeks between last Saturday's Flemington meeting and the Victoria Racing Club's Makybe Diva Stakes Day on September 11, Track Manager Liam O'Keeffe and his staff are currently undergoing their annual key track renovation to make sure the course is peaking for this year's Melbourne Cup Carnival. Flemington-based trainers had access to a rare set of course-proper jumpouts at Flemington on Monday, with close to 100 horses across 15 trials taking up the opportunity. "It's something we've done the last few years, we are careful about the access down the straight with the racing and we don't want to be creating a bias," O'Keeffe said. "We will spend this week renovating the track from the 10-metre to the 30-metre mark and then it has four weeks to recover. "We completed the inside 10 metres after our July meeting and it's nearing 100 per cent now. "This renovation will have it in tip-top shape for the Carnival." Inside 10-metre track renovation at end of July. Day 1 (left) - Day 18 (right) (Image: Supplied) O'Keeffe's team got to work after Monday's jumpouts and expected the works to take the week to complete before it could begin to recover. "We mow down the grass to 60mm, hollow tyne core at 100mm depth with 80 x 80mm spacings, then sweep up the cores, over sow perennial rye and kentucky blue grass and then verti-drain the track 230mm deep before we fertilise," O'Keeffe explained. "We want dry conditions while we are doing it this week and then once the seed and fertiliser goes in some rainfall ideally." O'Keeffe said while most track renovations take seven to eight weeks to be back performing at peak levels, he was confident the surface will race well for its September 11 resumption. "It certainly won't be quite 100 per cent, it will be in great condition but maybe a touch tender and forgiving," he said. "By Turnbull Day it will basically be back to its best and then we will give it a little verti-drain ahead of the carnival. "We have been happy with it in winter, we race pretty much every fortnight from April through to August and it's a bit more difficult than in spring because you get higher damage and less recovery time." Following Makybe Diva Stakes Day, Flemington will then host a mid-week spring preview card on September 22, with the October 2 Turnbull Stakes Day leading into the start of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

Yes. There are a series of videos. That was about 9 years ago. I believe they have refined the process since then. I'm not sure the same company does the work or if the same work is now done. For example there must be a limit to how much verti-draining and sand injection you can do. But I do know that what we would term major renovations are done every year. https://www.lawnandturfmaintenance.com.au/videos/ Every Year after the Spring Carnival, Lawn and Turf carry out Renovations to the Main Track including: Verti Draining, Scarifying, Sweeping, Top Dressing and Seeding.

But the point is it is easy for Reefton to present a racing surface when it is barely used either for race days or training. The track manager at Riccarton (Awapuni, Trentham, Ellerslie as well) has been pushing shit up hill for years given he has fuck all to work with regardless of the money that might be available. The soil and turf system is fucked and a major rebuild is required. Good luck to the new centralised brains trust in trying to improve things. They'd be better to race more at Timaru but no they need that capital for something else - most likely to subsidise stakes given the fall in revenue!

But didn't they actually slip on the soil not the grass itself? The grass was probably left long to cover the gaps (bad call) and to prevent the other issue that occurs when it gets too dry - the soil breaking up and horses racing in what one could only call their own generated dust, dirt and clod storm!

Because Flemington have an annual maintenance plan that NZ would call a major renovation and every 4 years Flemington actually does major renovations. I've actually posted the details of what they do on BOAY many times before.

Your "guys know what they are doing" because they only race 3 times a year and have next to zero horses training on the track. Not bloody hard to keep a track in good condition under that scenario!