Chief Stipe

Two Jumps races today and not one horse fell! Even over the BIG Steeples!

They've been the most vocal recently on moving the rail or not moving the rail. A couple of Senior Jockeys have been banging on about it in a number of forums.

"Those people" don't know but ENTAIN do.

I suspect that the "re"-development of the website was tied up with the Systems Upgrade Project. That project has cost millions, was initiated by Cameron George and has yet to deliver anything of note. It is hard to find out what has happened as the reporting is a bit thin. I got the impresson at one stage the project after a considerable amount (millions) had been spent was canned. Obviously the issues with NZTR systems still exist so I imagine the Board is looking at a NEW project to fix them. The website will be an important interface to those systems for stakeholders so it follows that the "launch" is on hold.

Great to see the Steeplechases over real hedge fences at Te Aroha today. Not sure about the riding though. Jockeys seem to leap off more than horses falling over! Those that say horses don't like jumping only have to look at the horse that lost a Jockey early in the first round and proceeded to jump the rest of the fences and complete the course! Must find out its name for next time!

Will there be full transparency of their discussions? Going by the not so subtle changes in Thoroughbred racemeeting days and times I think there is a power play to canibalise Harness. This unbalanced committee will push that agenda harder. There will also be discussions over what happens to the revenue generated by Greyhounds in the next 12 months and then what is generated from overseas Greyhound racing. No doubt they will be lobbying to get their hands on the biggest share of that dosh.

Moving the rail is a symptom not a cause of the track issues. WTF is the following going to acheive? They are also proposing another committee to manage it!! I bet this has come from a certain group of Jockeys/Trainers. I keep saying that the biggest issue, the most fundamental issue, is the under resourcing of professional track managers enabling them to do what their experience and skills guide them to do. FFS there is no mention in that report of funding the key people to do their bloody job!!!

Report for downloading. June 2025 Racing Operations Report.pdf

Why the fixation on rail movements? Surely that is a Track Manager's call based on track conditions.

What is the RTA Group?

@Comic Dog I advise you to stop building the narrative you are currently attempting to build. I'm quite happy to point out where the dementia lies.

It never ceases to amaze me that with today's technology and computer system inter-connectivity that tote prices are not refreshed in real time. Going back to the "balloon going up, tote closed days" the system relied on tote operators and agencies manually balancing and phoning through the bets to the central tote. Not sure but the latter may have shifted to oncourse on raceday. Hence close off times at agencies were earlier than oncourse. Not sure if the TAB layed off in those days. Perhaps @TAB For Ever knows the finer points of how they operated. I know the local grocer in Hokitika and a committee member of the Westland Racing Club on race day monitored the revolving tape on the outside of the tote which had the win and place pool totals and would calculate if there were any anomalies in the tote prices displayed on the long tapes.

These wouldn't be the same Senior Jockeys that have recently become experts on track maintenance? A tad hyperbolic of you to say some "horses were turned off completely". Maybe it was the shock of a decent winter track? Were the horses polled for their feelings?

Just to clarify you promoted yourself. You acquire such titles by the quantity not quality of your posts. So to acquire more awards just keep posting. We look forward to hearing your version of positivity which I'm sure will lift the spirits of those at the coalface of the industry.

So the Springfield Yaxley's are probably related?

Which one?

No self control? You've dipped here often and copied.

Yep. Especially when you practice hypocrisy. Tell me @Dark Beau as an intelligent man is it a tad incongruous that @Pete Lane publically states online that "any forum he is involved with Colin Wightman won't be able to post" ( aka @Transparency ) yet he goes and copy Wightmans Facebook post on the @Comic Dog 's site?!

The only benefit of bet slips I see is if you are doing complicated exotics or multis. Waiting for the hearing aid to be turned up and then going through it again pisses off a lot of people behind you!!

Yep. I've actually watched numerous races and recorded how far the race has run before the odds stop changing.

@Pete Lane can't. As for sleeping Dogs? Yeah Na he's too paranoid to sleep.

Geez @Pete Lane thats the fourth time (at least) you have Vowed And Declared (backed it) you "were gone". What was your comment about psychiatrist's (did I spell it correctly?)???

Uh? Can you elaborate? BTW @Pete Lane hasn't got a clue he has signed up to moderate three forums but got told no on this site. You have to wonder what motivates him especially now that he is a "partner" with the @Comic Dog. The mind boggles.

Yep. That's because there is a delay in updating the tote odds. Why there is delay in have no idea but the big variances 600m into a race is because the computer has just calculated the TAB bookies lay offs.

That's not entirely correct. They offer different bonuses. For example I can CHOOSE an ODDS boost on a race of my choice whereas on the other site they only offer ODDS boost on what they select. I'm surprised @Brodie hasn't sussed this out yet.