Chief Stipe

I agree 100%. I cringe when I see what these drunken sailors flaying the reins around all over the place and what they are doing to mouths of their mounts. That must hurt more than a few whips across the rump.

So @nomates if there is a line why does the line stop at the first four places? Putting aside the ludicrous paying of diminishing stakes back to 10th and the stupid head to head betting there are many many instances every race day of where Jockey's out of the top four placings have broken the rules. Shouldn't they apply to ALL the horses if this truly is a welfare issue? It is obvious that the whip and stride counting is not done in real time - I'm guessing it is done by a Steward either remotely or on course but one that has full access to the high definition side and head on vision. There is absolutely no way that a Steward can count whip action in real time at full speed. Even @curious who had a vested interest in watching his horse couldn't see in the heat of the moment what CWJ was doing with the whip. I note that NO ONE commented on Elliot's whip until AFTER the Stewards had fined him and it was published. If perception is reality then the reality is that unless you are looking at the slo-mo head on vision you have no idea whether the whip rules have been broken or not. Hell how many tracks have clear distance markers down to 100m for a start?! How many times have when seen a horse thrashed when they are out of contention from a first four placing yet we see absolutely nothing from the Stipes. Let alone the armchair critics let alone the animal welfare drum bangers!

So are you campaigning for all the horses racing in the upcoming Wellington and Auckland Cups to be CT/MRI scanned?

So kicking them doesn't hurt them? @curious using your example if I kicked you in the ribs would it hurt? @Joe Bloggs Should kicking them be banned as well? Or are the whip rules only virtue signalling and has zero to do with animal welfare. What next? Ban tongue ties, corrective bits, the blind folds, the blinkers, twitches. Where do you stop? BTW name one top Jockey in either OZ or NZ that hasn't broken the respective whip rules at least once. I guess on the bright side the Thoroughbred rules aren't as stupid as the Harness ones with their silly wrist action rule.

So you gave CWJ a serve for breaking the rules on your horse?

So if a Jockey doesn't whip as much as he or she is allowed to and gets beaten a nose is that a fail on the Jockey's part?

Seems a contradiction doesn't it that the more you supposedly hurt a horse the faster it runs. Perhaps if Elliot hadn't "gone too early" he wouldn't have had to use the whip so many times? See any logic between Elliots penalty and Bossons?

I reckon there is a lot of upside to this filly. Still has a good frame to fill and the way she was cheekily annoying the commentators horse coming back to scale showed the race took nothing out of her at least mentally. No wonder JMac will do anything to keep the ride!

Coolangatta: She came, she saw and she conquered Coolangatta wins the Magic Millions 2YO Classic under jockey James McDonald. Picture: Grant Peters – Trackside Photography. By Trenton Akers 09:16pm • 15 January 2022 5 Comments The racecaller anointed her the hottest girl on the Gold Coast and Coolangatta might just be the hottest filly in racing after taking out the Magic Millions 2YO Classic in a ding-dong battle against Russian Conquest. A raging odds-on favourite since markets opened, trainer Ciaron Maher has carried the weight of expectation with Coolangatta since her debut win in the Gimcrack in October but he delivered on the biggest stage to land the $2m race. Maher and co-trainer David Eustace have done their best to keep a lid on the hype surrounding their filly in the lead up to the race while superstar jockey James McDonald has gone to great lengths to ensure he is free to ride her. Acknowledging the long build up, Maher said Saturday’s triumph was more of a relief than anything as he now sets her for a Group 1 Golden Slipper campaign in the Sydney autumn carnival. “There is a big team but this is what it is all about,” Maher said. “To win on the big days is what it is all about. “It was a long build up with her, she was favourite for a long time. It’s a relief when they start those odds and eventually win.” Rarely can a horse live up to the boom placed on it after one start but Maher has managed to maintain the rage with Coolangatta, who now has $1.4m next to her name after three starts for her group of prominent owners. McDonald was cool, calm and collected when dealt barrier 13 and managed to get her one off the fence before the turn before confidently popping out three wide. While she cruised up in her typically dominant fashion, there were nervous moments for favourite backers and connections when McDonald suddenly asked for her top effort. The Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Russian Conquest ($5.50) threw down the gauntlet under Kerrin McEvoy when she ranged up at the 300m mark, with the pair eventually clearing out on the rest of the field. Just as she looked ready to roll the favourite however, McDonald dug deep into his bag of tricks to get a final effort out of Coolangatta which saw her find again and win in a tight finish. “He might have gone a bit early,” Maher laughed. “When he went early he made me a little bit nervous. “He is good under pressure, he is a great man and a great jockey and he knew what he had underneath him.” McDonald cut short a lucrative trip to Hong Kong in December to ensure he would be back in Australia long enough to ride Coolangatta on Boxing Day and Saturday’s success is the culmination of a long-term plan. Coolangatta wins the Magic Millions 2YO Classic. Picture by Luke Marsden. “She has been such a hyped horse,” McDonald said. “She has been a dominant favourite for a long time, it has been a big build up from a long way out, this makes it all worthwhile. “The team does a great job with her, it doesn’t always work out but today it has. Barrier 13 was a blessing and it worked out beautifully.” It caps off a golden year for McDonald, who before Saturday had never won a Magic Millions 2YO Classic, adding to his Melbourne Cup victory in November. The victory is another big-race success for prominent owners Ozzie Kheir and Brae Sokolski who won the Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup and Victorian Derby during the spring carnival. “(This is) Every bit as good,” Sokolski said. “It’s so fulfilling because of the nature of it, you’re up against every other owner buying the yearlings hoping and dreaming of being here. “I have been unlucky in this race in the past so to win one of these is just so good. She has been winning with her brilliance in her first two starts but today she won with heart which shows she has the courage of a champion.” Bookmakers were quick to mark Coolangatta a $4 favourite for the Golden Slipper to be run on March 19.

Correct and by far the majority of horses handle it.

What's a well designed crossing? They'll all similar. That's the way it is.

I've been watching the stream. It seams to boil down to whether his presence in OZ will encourage civil disobedience against the OZ Government Covid mandates. His Lawyer pointed out that assuming that that was correct then sending him home would probably elicit more. I think it will come down to whether or not the Minister of Immigration has the power to veto someone entering the country based on nothing but his political whim. Normally the judiciary don't like that. They're not debating his vaccination status, prior infection or even if he is negative. That seems irrelevant.

That was 25 years ago. Regardless of whether they did or did not do the right action then as in TWENTY FIVE years ago they haven't done ANYTHING since. One would have expected at least 4 major renovations in that time not NONE!

You've fallen into the same hole as @Pitman and @Reefton and the one that all the market gardeners of the Bombay Hills in South Auckland fell into. You can't continue to crop in a mono-culture fashion and expect to fix the issues that arise by mechanical means. As for an educated farmer - I thought your expertise was in sociology? Even today's dairy farmers know that you cannot continue to mono-crop pasture without putting something back in other than a tiller or a groundhog!!!!!

Instead of trying to listen to SENZ tune into the Federal Court Case now....

Inadequate horse training.

I don't know how up to date that list is. Coppins says he works on Radio Trackside.

Entriviere was lame after the race. Elliot suspended 8 days and fined $4k.

If the race was hand timed how did they get all these sectionals? They must do it off the video.

I timed the video several times and actually got a quicker time than the official one.

Wanted: Cable 1210m in length to connect to electronic timing system. If there are any electricians out there that could offer their time and materials as a donation to the WRC please contact them asap. https://wellingtonracing.co.nz/ WRC Committee Wayne Guppy - President A former pharmacist, I am currently the Mayor of Upper Hutt. I have been a Member of the WRC since 1981, a Member of the NZTBA and have represented the WRC on the RACE Inc board for a number of years. I am currently Chair of the NZTR mbers Council. I have raced horses successfully in Australia and am currently a small breeder with several horses in training. I am committed to ensuring Trentham becomes the top premier track in the country and is further integrated with the greater Wellington region enabling the region to benefit from having the number one track in the country. Sam Walker - Vice President Co-opted to the Committee during the 2018-2019 season and confirmed his postion being elected unopposed at the 2018 AGM Ray Southey - Committee Managing Partner. Member of Wellington Racing Club since 1973. Lifetime involvement in Racing, active owner and Breeder for 30 years. Member of Masterton Racing committee for over 20 years. 2 periods as President, current vice president Wairarapa Harness Club and trustee Masterton Licensing Trust Trentham is the premier racecourse in New Zealand and we must continue with recent program and improvements, and be aware of the needs and concerns of all involved in the industry form members, owners, trainers, punters and the importance of sponsors. Des Coppins - Committee Des has been involved in racing much of his life. He started as a statistician/form compiler for the Best Bets before joining the INL group to become a racing writer for NZ Truth and Friday Flash before becoming Editor of Friday Flash. Des is director of Des Coppins Racing & Marketing having worked in sales & marketing for the Radioworks hosting Tracktalk on Radio Pacific. Des runs the talkback racing show on Radio Trackside and is co-presenter of the First Call on Trackside. Des has been in syndicates and raced many horses, his most successful being the Group Two winner Soap Opera Colin Dallas – Committee My first involvement with racing came in the form of a syndicate of horses about 15 years ago. This along with the pure interest of the racing industry gave me an insight as to how much fun and excitement you can gain by being involved. Being a Committee Member is a great opportunity for me to share in the overall passion for this sport and I would like to see more younger people raising their hand and wanting to either become new members or taking an ownership of a horse. The excitement is just something that can be enjoyed immeasurably. Jessica Meech- Committee I have been a Member and Raceday Steward of the WRC since 2010 and was elected to the Committee in 2014. I am currently Head of Risk and Regulatory Affairs at the NZRB. I’m a practising lawyer and worked at Chapman Tripp, prior to the NZRB. I am a proud owner having raced many horses throughout the Country, however yet to have a single winner at Trentham! My aim is to restore the Champagne Turf to its glory days. I want to see the WRC become a successful commercial operation, that can provide quality racing on a frequent basis and an exceptional experience for participants. Euan Playle- Committee I have been a member of WRC since 1985 and over the years I have been lucky enough to experience many aspects of the WRC as a race goer, member and owner. I am a Chartered Accountant and a partner in a Chartered Accounting firm. I am now in a position where I have the time and energy to put something back into the Club. I am fully aware of the challenges previously and currently the racing industry faces including the challenges of our sponsors and existing and future members of the WRC. We have something special at Trentham and I believe we can preserve and improve the Clubs future Salve Barnao - Committee Co-opted on to the Committee during the 2018-2019 season Steve Drummond - Committee Co-opted on to the Committee during the 2018-2019 season Simon Barber - Committee Co-opted on to the Committee during the 2020-2021 season

But they've done NOTHING except let their main turf track deteriorate.

Should be able to time it accurately by counting the video frames.

Well the "experts" said JMac went too early on Coolangatta. Only too early if you get beaten.

So not a World Record. Unbelievable.