Chief Stipe

Says it all really expecting NZ to follow the lead of Norway and Sweden. The elite of International Thoroughbred Racing.

Wouldn't NZ do more for horse welfare by fixing the shit tracks?

No @Thomass it is not Fake News it is FACT NEWS.

Voting now open. https://www.allstarmile.com.au/

That's about NZD$10m in stakes. Yep Sweden is setting the trends in international Thoroughbred Racing.

Some perspective on Thoroughbred Racing in Sweden. Svensk Galopp, internationally known as the Swedish Horseracing Authority, is the ruling body of Thoroughbred and Arabian racing in Sweden. We stage approximately 70 race days per annum with over €6 million in prize money on offer. The Swedish racing calendar includes two Group 3 races and 14 Listed races.

Who are the ATC?

Will be interesting to see what happens to turnover.

Ruakaka has probably been impacted more than any other racing club by a combination of Government and NZTR decisions.

Benson's Mate trialled Wednesday at Rangiora. Won its trial and now all clear to race.

Pair Banned 10 Years for Doping Favorite at Newcastle The two men obtained access to a secure area in the stable area. By Chris Cook/Racing Post Today, 1:31 PM Two men have been banned from racing for 10 years over the doping of Ladies First, the 3-2 favorite who was beaten 22 lengths in race at Newcastle in 2018. It emerged at a disciplinary hearing Jan. 27 that the pair, who were employed as maintenance staff by the racecourse, were caught on closed-circuit television footage feeding something to her in the hours before she ran while she was in the racecourse stables. The horse subsequently tested positive for timolol, a beta blocker. The men were named by the British Horseracing Authority as Neil Waggot and Stephen Walker. Neither appeared or was represented at Thursday's hearing and it was said that both had failed to cooperate with the BHA's investigation, although an official had at least one conversation with Waggot and requests for help were repeatedly sent to the last known addresses for both. Great concern was expressed about the security breach by Rory Mac Neice, a solicitor speaking on behalf of Mick Easterby, trainer of Ladies First. "The horse was doped in a secure racecourse stabling area by two people who were given access to that secure area by the racecourse stable manager, when no checks have been made by either the racecourse or the BHA as to who those two men actually were," Mac Neice said. The BHA's investigation showed, Mac Neice said, that Waggot had been taken on to do repair work to the stables, mainly because he was friends with the track's stable manager at the time. Waggot then asked for Walker to be taken on to help him, which was approved even though the stable manager did not know Walker's name but knew him only as "Taff." Neither Waggot nor Walker was paid directly by the racecourse but were paid instead through the stable manager, which Mac Neice described as "a very odd arrangement." 'No one asked any questions of them' Neice said, "Mr. Walker could have been anybody. The racecourse had no real idea who he was and yet the stable manager appears to have organized for him to have access to the most secure area on the racecourse. "There appears to have been no oversight here over these two. No one at the racecourse or at the BHA asked any questions of them. To gain access to Ladies First, all they had to do was walk in and sign a register. "This case identifies a very serious and very significant weakness in the protection offered to horses on the racecourse and that is a matter of very great concern to Mr. Easterby." According to the BHA's barrister, Louis Weston, CCTV footage showed that Waggot and Walker "approached Ladies First and they're seen between them, one to be lookout and one to be acting, to act in a very unusual way. The first thing about it that is unusual is that, although they were employed by the course to carry out repairs and the like to the stables, they had no purpose in going to that horse. "One reaches into his pocket and puts his hand towards the horse's head. We say in that action they were giving the horse Timolol, with the intention of doping the horse." It appears the pair also doped another beaten favorite on the same day, as Weston said CCTV footage showed them approaching Victoriano, who finished sixth in a maiden race. He was not tested on the day but a subsequent hair test showed traces of Timolol. The rules in place in 2018 require a trainer to be punished if one of their horses tests positive for a banned substance but Weston was at pains to say that Easterby had been exonerated by the investigation and was clearly not to blame in any way. Under the current rules, he would not be in breach but the strict liability rules from the time required a nominal penalty. Mac Neice argued that even a nominal penalty could not be justified. "Mr. Easterby had no control over who was allowed into the racecourse stabling area that day," he said. "That control lies with the BHA and to a lesser extent the racecourse. And yet it is perhaps ironic that Mr. Easterby is the one who is now appearing before you. There is a fundamental disconnect between the rules and the responsibility." The panel decided it was obliged to penalize Easterby but fined him just one penny. Philip Curl, the panel chairman said: "We are sorry that the matter has taken as long as it has and at a time when he hasn't been enjoying the best of health. We wish him well for the future." Weston denied that the BHA was to any extent responsible for the security breach, saying: "The BHA is not the employer here. While I understand the concern, to suggest the BHA has to carry out background checks on everyone employed by every racecourse has obvious difficulties. "Mr. Waggot and Mr. Walker had a role that allowed them to do tasks at the stables. It wasn't two punters off the street wandering in. It is a great shame and a great sadness that the human condition ends with some people abusing rights and the privileges they enjoy to do bad things. But that does not always mean that it is the BHA's fault and I'm not here to let it be pinned on the BHA that they are responsible for what Mr. Waggot and Mr. Walker did. They are not." 'It required a great deal of work' Weston also responded to concerns over the delay in bringing the case, which were expressed by Mac Neice and all three members of the panel. "There were other matters and other considerations of a much broader nature that required a great deal of investigation before charges could properly be brought. "I recognize that bringing a case in April 2021, which is when the charges went out, in relation to an event in 2018 is not particularly attractive, but there was an investigation, it did require a great deal of work. I can't reveal the contents of it and I'd invite you to take that on trust. "In the end, it has not gone anywhere and charges were brought reasonably shortly after that. If the delay has caused Mr. Easterby any upset, I'm very sorry for it. I don't actually want to suggest there is a problem of substance. This isn't a case where I would give my client a stern ticking-off, if I was even bold enough ever to do so; I'm not." A spokesman for Arc, which owns Newcastle, said: "Newcastle Racecourse takes all matters of security and integrity very seriously and meets all licensing requirements in that regard. Following this incident in 2018, the individuals concerned were removed from the racecourse as soon as their actions had come to light and the racecourse has provided all relevant information to the BHA, as and when requested. "We look forward to seeing the written summary of the hearing and will work with the relevant bodies to implement any amendments to security procedures that are deemed necessary."

All moot though. Give it I'd say 3 weeks and all racing will stop. All the Jockeys will be in 14 - 24 day isolation. Half of them would have been at Sound Splash.

Obviously can't read the room - the Princess and Chippy signalled it a couple of weeks ago. Regardless no Plan B.

What's worse is they don't actually give a reason why. So one can only conclude they don't have one other than "can't be stuffed".

Well the WRC appear to be onto it.

We've got taller and no one wants a pony anymore.

That actually made me laugh out loud Joe! Hell we had a Jockey that couldn't give our horse a "run" in a trial! "WTF did you do that for?" "Oh the other Jockey's teased me to have a go and the horse was keen". Interesting watching a trainer design another arsehole for a smaller person.

FFS @curious since when has Tim Mills got off his arse and thought or fought about anything? Riccarton is so large you could arrange 100 spectator sized pods within the stands and outside in marques and accommodate 3,000 people!

"both a thing".....? I assume you mean that horses will be paraded through the ring with buyers both present at the sales and online. However there wouldn't be many buyers present due to the 100 person restriction surely?

Uh?

Uh?

If events are restricted to 100 people how could you run it any other way than online?

Obviously not a farmer comment. Ever tried to keep sheep behind fences 100% of the time?

I assume from your comment that "they are making good money" you mean they are making a "good profit"? That isn't the case. They may pull a reasonable salary (not as great as some administrators) but they don't make huge profits. Most of the top players are breaking even at best.

But no one has said it was slippery or that a horse had slipped. The only comment so far is the surface was inconsistent. Lots of inconsistent tracks around Kumara included.