Chief Stipe

My research suggests there is quite a bit of an education funding rort going on. Students and it seems even qualified professionals can pick up CPD (Continuing Professional Development) credits but attending these BS course. Another angle to the rort is that a number of those attending the courses can get Government funding. Quite frankly the UK is a mess at the moment with funding rorts and subsidies all over the place. People doing these courses can get Rural Skills Points towards who knows what qualification! Who in their right might would pay GBP$1,600 (NZD$3,700) to do a 6 month Bit and Bridle Fitting Consultants course? Unless someone else was paying for it. The same applies to the dissection courses. There must be a lot of demand for trained dissectionists trained by and untrained person!! How the hell can a Professional get CPD credits from an untrained unqualifed tutor? Equied-Prospectus-2024-download.pdf

You disagree? Not that it matters.

@curious instead of counting whip strikes perhaps you should get onto challenging Nairn and her fellow nutters?

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BZ7jFk1cc/ Unlicensed Equine Dissections to be held at NZ Facility under the umbrella of Promotional Framing and Equi Ed Dear veterinarians, regulatory bodies and all equine professionals, and fellow thinking Equestrians An unlicensed equine dissections program, being carried out by a self-declared anatomical educator Becks Nairn, who is not a qualified veterinarian, is underway at a facility in New Zealand known as the Equine Research and Learning Centre . On 2 October 2025 Esme Whinray wrote on her Equine Sports Therapy Facebook page (shared with the Equine Research and Learning Centre) that the facility will at some point play a part in the post-mortem research Becks is conducting. It is a dated confession of being involved in operations. Why This Matters The plant boasts of self-reliance and practically facilitates the anatomical activity of Becks Nairn The results of Becks Nairn are advanced as educational reality, unqualified, unreviewed, and uncontrolled. Her set up was previously reviewed by MPI and approved by them - but this is a new piece of evidence of escalation and institutional shielding. Today her work is taught to professionals in NZ, Scotland and Ireland, with the support of Equi-Ed, which funds the Christchurch-based centre and is a Rural Scheme affiliate. What started as amateur workshops has been advanced as professional training- uncontrolled. This allows dissection to be a business of amateurs and possibly to inspire others to do the same . WARNING The Arcano Diagnosis A Solemn Infringement. Becks Nairn publicly reported on a podcast with Duncan Garner that she had done an autopsy on an Arcano, a grey Standardbred, and alleged that he had been fridge gassed. She made at least three such diagnoses, twice on her Facebook page, and she said she had forwarded supporting evidence to the CEO of Standardbred Racing NZ. So far, no pathology or peer-reviewed evidence has been demonstrated. This is not anecdotal, it is a publicly claimed medical assertion, and repeated by someone lacking qualifications. Conducting autopsies and making diagnostic statements are a grave violation of the standards of veterinary care and regulation Laundering through Dr. Carol Shwetz. The post refers to the relationship of Becks with licensed veterinarian, Dr. Carol Shwetz, as instrumental in the development of her anatomy. Nairn is using Dr Shwetz to promote herself and give her credibility . she does not have . This is non-formal supervision, otherwise known as rhetorical laundering. No record exists that Dr. Shwetz manages, verifies, or legally controls the dissections held at the NZ facility This is a call for transparency, oversight, and accountability. Those Becks results you heard about--who sanctioned them, who checks them, what are their qualifications. I have the post, the time stamp and the inconsistencies. In case you have seen such shielding somewhere, raise your voice. This isn’t education. It is official collusion. And it’s happening here Please Note if this is not the right place to post this information please remove it

Indoor bowls night at the Retirement Village?

There's your Plan B @Huey. Surprised you didn't think of that alternative.

Meeting News Ōtaki-Māori Meeting Rescheduled (16 October) Please be advised that the Ōtaki-Māori meeting originally scheduled for Saturday 11 October, has been rescheduled to Thursday 16 October. This decision was made after considering weather forecasts, upcoming race programmes, and servicing requirements. This will be a new racemeeting, with the same programme as originally planned. Preference will be given to horses that had accepted for Saturday’s abandoned meeting. Key details: Entries close: Monday, 13 October at 12.00pm Weights declared: Tuesday, 9.00am Withdrawals: Tuesday, 10.00am Rider declarations: Tuesday, 1.00pm

Wet and the track is unsuitable to race on. Won't be any better tomorrow. Trentham is out because they are racing next weekend. AWT at Awapuni? Yeah na. CD Trainers are not that flexible. Woodville? I imagine it ain't that much better than Otaki. Hawera? They raced last Saturday. Waverley is still getting over the trashing it has had. New Plymouth? It will be 10 feet deeper than Otaki. Not forgetting of course that trainers would have scratched their horses in niumbers and the jockey's would have complained of surface water after the first. So Einstein what is YOUR Plan B?

It's a beautiful Saturday in Otaki - NOT! https://livetraffic.nz/webcams/sh1-otaki/ https://bitofayarn.com

So? What's your point? Assuming you got our of your armchair and inspected the track are you saying Otaki should have raced? Are you saying those that were worse shouldn't have raced? Or are you just sticking to one liners?

So the 1300m race moves from the main track to the shute 1200m start?

Meeting News Trentham 18/10 Amendment Please note the Rating 65 1300m has been changed to Rating 65 1200m due to rail positioning

I see the usual doom and gloomers and arm chair track experts are blaming everyone but the weather. I wonder if these "experts" have the TV sound up so loud they can't hear the rain and have the curtains closed so they don't see it? In the last 10 days Otaki has had close to 40mm of rain and in the last two weeks over 60mm. Not much drying inbetween showers either!! Still raining and a heavy rain watch warning. No track other than perhaps an AWT or the new Synthetic Ellerslie could have handled that amount of rain. What's more the horses currently prepped and ready to go aren't looking for a bottomless Heavy. But then the arm chairs haven't forgotten more than they ever knew about training.

Meeting News Ōtaki-Māori RC 11 October ABANDONED Significant rainfall has been recorded after 8am this morning at the Ōtaki track. Following a second track inspection the RIB has made the decision to abandon racing today due to the sodden nature of the track and with further rain forecast. They cannot guarantee safe racing conditions. More information to follow

I was there too. Don't remember the booing. We would have done better if we hadn't been parked. But that bunch of 3yr olds were an even handy lot.

It is an endemic malaise that magnified during Covid. LOL probably due to an ageing population!

The field days left the Dargaville Racecourse location 20 years ago. But neither Avondale, Dargaville nor the ATC have enough spare cash (or security) to renovate their own tracks and facilities. Whangarei Racing Club aren't in clover either!!

From the pictures of the work which are posted on BOAY. Looked more than that. More like cm than mm.

How deep is the sand?

Perhaps they are thinking a bit more long term. In my opinion a 100% sand based track is the wrong way to go in NZ as evident with Ellerslie and now Awapuni.

To Our Valued RACE Members, Thank you for your continued patience, understanding, and support as we work towards a safe and confident return to racing at RACE Awapuni. We know this update will be disappointing for many, and everyone involved, from our track team to NZTR, officials, riders, and Club representatives, shares that feeling. However, taking a little more time is the right step to ensure that when racing does resume, it does so safely and with complete confidence in the surface. Following yesterday’s trials, a meeting was held with representatives from NZTR, RACE, the New Zealand Jockeys’ Association, and track advisor Liam O’Keeffe (Flemington). After reviewing conditions and rider feedback, all parties agreed that the track continues to improve but would benefit from more time before racing resumes. Across eleven heats involving 94 horses, both on the rail and around the markers, riders raised no safety concerns, and the track continues to show improvement. The consensus was that it would benefit from additional time to consolidate. Track consultant Liam O’Keeffe, who has been monitoring the track throughout the Return-to-Racing process, supported the decision. “Following significant rainfall over the past week (107mm in 10 days), the track presented as a heavy surface. Riders noted some kickback, and everyone agreed it would benefit from additional time to consolidate.” “It was pleasing to hear from senior riders that there was no slippage, but it will be important to run another set of trials under drier conditions to give the track a full and fair test,” he said. As a result, we will now work with NZTR to hold another set of trials in late October, when conditions are expected to be drier. We know this isn’t the outcome anyone had hoped for, but it’s an important step to ensure the track performs at its best when racing returns. The safety of our riders and horses remains our top priority, and we’re encouraged by the progress made so far. RACE will continue to work closely with NZTR to find an alternative venue for the November 1 race meeting and will share details as soon as they’re confirmed. Thank you again for your understanding and support. It means a great deal to everyone working hard behind the scenes to bring racing safely back to Awapuni. Yours in racing, Richard Simpson Chairman RACE Inc.

Oh well it seemed to behave ok. Although the Tom Tom drums are beating.

At 4.59pm apparently. Not BEFORE the trials. Regardless it seemed to perform OK for the conditions. Do you disagree?

Did Kate Hercock ride for the trainer? She seems to be the Jockey track expert in the CD. As for the track being shifty. That is par for the course with a sand based track. Ellerslie is the same. Which is great news. Were you there? You'd expect some kick back from a Soft 6/rainy weather on sandy track.

She was pretty useful in OZ. Ran second to Imperatriz in the G1 Moir. Stamps that form. Won the G2 Schillaci Stakes. A G2 at Caulfield and a G3 at Flemington.