Chief Stipe

Well obviously I haven't and as the policy is not to delete anything I find it hard to believe that I have told you to the contrary. If that was the case why did you try and login with your old account?

The word on the street is that NZ Racing Administrations are canvassing licensees now but will still go down the same direction as OZ within a couple of weeks. Expect great fanfare!!! I guess if you are fighting a battle against the anti-racing mob then you need every bit of positive publicity you can get regardless of the science.

FFS I'm only mimicking what Princess Cindy and her Government are doing and taking the piss out of it. Do you find that acceptable? I sure hell don't! Plebs is a generic term referring to the commoners. I'm a pleb. The term is Roman and refers to the free citizens who aren't part of the ruling class. Some famous plebs were - Mark Antony, Brutus, Cleopatra, Cicero.

Sorry to quote my own post but this raises another question. What is the minimum age limit to be a Stable Hand?

Over $25m in stakes won by that field!

Richards ready to unleash another Kiwi star Amarelinha runs in the Bill Ritchie Stakes. Photo: Mark Evans/Getty Images By Mitch Cohen 03:12pm • 14 September 2021 0 Comments Jamie Richards has a perfect record unleashing talent for the first time this spring and he’s hoping Group 1 mare Amarelinha can continue the trend at Randwick this Saturday. The NZ Oaks winner will make her highly anticipated spring debut when she contests the Group 3 Bill Ritchie Handicap (1400m). Richards-trained runners have already made a splash in Sydney and Melbourne this spring with classy mares Entriviere and Probabeel both impressing in first up successes. The latter of that duo is set to chase Group 1 glory in Melbourne’s Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes however Amarelinha will be out to emulate her stablemate’s accomplishments from 12 months ago. Probabeel also won last year’s Bill Ritchie Handicap before going on to capture the Group 1 Epsom Handicap. Probabeel won last year’s Bill Ritchie. Picture: Getty Images Amarelinha will need to carry top weight to follow in her footsteps after being allocated 57.5kg for Saturday’s assignment with Kerrin McEvoy booked to steer. “She has got a fair bit of weight to carry, more than I thought she would actually but she has earned that weight,” Richards said. “We are happy with her. It‘s taken a while to get her out of the winter coat but she trialled up again the other day and has worked well this morning. “She‘s ready to go.” Amarelinha is on the third line of betting for the Bill Ritchie at $8 in TAB’s all-in market with the Joseph Pride-trained Private Eye ($4) holding sway in pre-final field betting. Victory provides ballot exemption for the Epsom Handicap on October 2 at Randwick. Amarelinha currently sits equal 23rd in the order of entry and was allocated 50.5kg by handicappers on Tuesday should she make the field. “I thought it was a nice weight for her in the Epsom but I think she is going to have to win to get a spot,” Richards said. Entriviere won the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes last Saturday. Picture: Getty Images Amarelinha can give Richards his second stakes win in Sydney in a little over a week after Entriviere demonstrated her star potential with a strong victory in the Group 2 Sheraco Stakes at Kembla Grange last Saturday. It saw Entriviere race into $4.50 favouritism for the inaugural running of the $2m The Invitation, where she looks certain to be offered a spot. But Richards plans to give Entriviere another run in Sydney before the lucrative invitational event. “Dad is happy with how she has pulled up and everything being to plan she will line up in the Golden Pendant,” he said. The Group 2 Golden Pendant (1400m) is run at Rosehill on September 25.

Incentivise weighted on performance not potential Incentivise was given 55.5kg for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images By Brad Waters 05:33pm • 14 September 2021 20 Comments Racing Victoria’s chief handicapper Greg Carpenter says the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup weights favour boom galloper Incentivise. Carpenter announced 55.5kg handicaps for Incentivise in both the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups. Incentivise was weighted 2.5kg below the Caulfield Cup topweight Sir Dragonet and the Melbourne Cup topweight Twilight Payment. TAB left Incentivise as a $4.50 favourite to win the Caulfield Cup and an $8 chance in Melbourne Cup betting. He said the RV handicapping panel found Incentivise difficult to assess but could only rate Incentivise on his performances to date. Incentivise would not attract a penalty if he won his likely next start in the Turnbull Stakes but winning the Caulfield Cup would render him liable for a Melbourne Cup weight penalty. Carpenter added the Peter Moody-trained galloper would have received more weight if projected performances were considered. “If he was handicapped on potential, he’d be the top weight,” Carpenter said. Carpenter said the fact Incentivise posted his maiden Group 1 win in last Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes cost him a penalty of about 2kg. “He would have definitely got less weight than what he’s got now,” Carpenter said. SUPERCOACH RACING IS BACK! SIGN UP FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN $10,000 AND WEEKLY PRIZES UP TO $1000 Greg Carpenter says the weights for the Caulfield Cup still favours Incentivise. Picture: AAP “Had he not won the Makybe Diva Stakes, even if he ran second or third, I’d say he would have got around 53.5kg. “Irrespective of the margin, it was an enormously impressive win.” Carpenter said Incentivise achieved an international rating of 117 for his Makybe Diva Stakes win. That figure left Incentivise only three points short of making the top 50 in the last round on the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. Carpenter said Incentivise’s owners had contacted him before and after the Makybe Diva Stakes to discuss the gelding’s likely Caulfield and Melbourne Cup weights. He said the horse’s owners produced other examples of weights horses with similar records have received in recent years, including last year’s South Australian Derby winner Russian Camelot. Carpenter argued Incentivise was better off at the weights than Russian Camelot was last year. “When you take into account the fact Russian Camelot was a northern hemisphere three-year-old last year, Incentivise is 1kg better off,” Carpenter said. CLICK HERE FOR THE CAULFIELD CUP WEIGHTS CLICK HERE FOR THE MELBOURNE CUP WEIGHTS

Kah’s Airbnb ban has cost her up to $1 million: barrister Jamie Kah pleaded not guilty to giving false and or misleading evidence to stewards. Picture: Tony Gough By Gilbert Gardiner 02:02pm • 15 September 2021 16 Comments Jamie Kah’s barrister has launched an impassioned plea for the Victorian Racing Tribunal to wholly suspend its penalty for the star jockey misleading stewards during the Mornington Airbnb probe. Barrister Damian Sheales said Kah, who has been through “enough” humiliation, faces the potential of a “world record” penalty for the Covid-19 breach, having lost fancied Cups and Cox Plate rides alone. Kah is serving a three-month ban for her part in an illegal gathering on August 25, along with Ben Melham, Ethan Brown, Mark Zahra and apprentice jockey Celine Gaudray. Prior to penalty submissions being heard, the tribunal was unanimous in finding Kah guilty of giving false and/or misleading evidence to stewards during last month‘s the party probe. The charge stemmed from Kah not being forthcoming about Mark Zahra’s attendance at the short-stay rental. Barrister Raelene Sharp, acting for Racing Victoria, asked the tribunal to impose a further eight-week ban to be served after the three-month suspension ends in late November. But during a colourful nine-minute submission, Sheales said the positive effect Kah has had on racing in Victoria, which he likened to Irish stayer Vintage Crop, should be considered. Vintage Crop in 1993 became the first northern hemisphere galloper to win the Melbourne Cup. He also asked the tribunal to take into account the “spectacular” cost of Kah sitting out the spring carnival as it is, along with the “public humiliation”. “She took it (penalty) on the chin,” Sheales said. “She made a public statement, she has been nothing but dignified in silence since. “This is a massive penalty, if I may say with respect, it is not hyperbole … this is a world record penalty (for a Covid-19 breach) that she has taken on the chin. “She’s already missed out on the rides of the winners of the only two Group 1 races this season because she was booked to ride them both (Behemoth and Incentivise). “They were both $1m races (Memsie and Makybe Diva Stakes) and without slings her percentage is $100,000 so that’s a $100,000 penalty she’s already paid.” SUPERCOACH RACING IS BACK! SIGN UP FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN $10,000 AND WEEKLY PRIZES UP TO $1000 Suspended jockey Jamie Kah could potentially miss out on $1m in prizemoney this spring, according to her barrister. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images Kah had been booked to ride Incentivise, firm favourite in Melbourne and Caulfield Cup markets, and was on standby to partner Zaaki, the short-priced Cox Plate elect. “If those horses win … just on those three races alone and the two races already run and won, it’s a $1m penalty and she doesn’t complain,” Sheales said. “The penalty she’s paid is just spectacular, surely there comes a time where … enough is enough.” Kah rewrote Victorian racing history last season, claiming the Melbourne premiership with a record 105 winners. Her feat culminated in the 25-year-old last Sunday becoming the first woman to be crowned Scobie Breasley medallist and Victorian Jockeys’ Association Most Valuable Jockey. Judge John Bowman said Kah’s interpretation of a stewards’ question “who ended up there“ as relating to when police arrived is “totally unbelievable”. Only when asked directly about Zahra in a third interview did Kah confirm Zahra’s attendance. In the contested hearing last Monday, Sheales said Kah thought stewards meant who was at the house when police arrived late on August 25 following a noise complaint. Judge Bowman rejected the claim on Wednesday. “This explanation is far from convincing,” Judge Bowman said. “Apart from anything else, the point you would’ve told the stewards about Mr Zahra’s presence had you been specifically asked is scarcely inadequate or illogical.” The tribunal will publish a penalty for Kah at 9am on Friday. Zahra got eight weeks last Tuesday, including four weeks suspended for two years. Gaudray last Friday was handed the same penalty with six weeks suspended due to her early guilty plea, age and inexperience. Melham and Brown will have their cases heard this week.

Is it belittling? After all I'm just repeating what our Prime Minister Cindy is doing every day from the Pulpit of Truth. Surely that can't be belittling? Since when have we been "kind" to our children during this pandemic. Sweden didn't close it schools or enforce mask wearing and only closed higher education for 3 months. This is what the "highly contagious and danger Delta variant is doing to Sweden" -

I see the resident lurker has labelled this post Fake News. We've all known he isn't a follower or understands science and data. If you are over 30 and have underlying health issues then it would be advisable to get vaccinated. However there is zero medium or long term efficacy and safety data for under 16 year olds. As the UK JCVI stated the benefits of the vaccine only marginally outweigh the risks but without long term safety data they do not recommend vaccination of children.

You've been listening to the Mayoral Candidate too much. Like him we've become a country of gossips, stitches, busy bodies and sheep. Started with INCA. Can't you see what is happening? We are turning on the supposedly elite while we ignore the misdemeanours of an amorphous group of nobodies who attend a tangi. Will Siouxie Wiles and Dr Nicola Gaston be prosecuted? Of course not because they are part of ruling elite that have devised and implemented this craziness! Be safe, wear a mask and be kind fellow plebs.

What was the return on Melody Belle?

Shit don't tell me you are watching Wombles of Wombledon Common reruns as well? Now let's unhijack this Topic. What is your opinion on the magnificent All Stars team coming back from sabbatical?

Nothing to do with the site M & M's. It's probably because you switch between two different devices. You are logged in as @Mikie on one and @Michael on the other. As for deleting one account - nup as I've told many I don't delete anything. Learnt to hide not delete when Little Molly wanted to purge and rewrite history.

There were female Wombles. Freda would make a great Madame Cholet. You must pay closer attention to those reruns. Geez keep up @JJ Flash - I'm not referring to Trackside services. Go back and do a bit more reading of the accounts - do you need a hint? Oh so you do have a secret source. So did you ask the correct questions and got the wrong answers? Or did you ask the wrong questions and got the correct answers? Actually to make it easier for us all why don't you post the question AND the answer? As for arguing for the sake of arguing au contraire. I'm, like a lot of past and present stakeholders in the industry, sick and tired of the same old BS rehashed with a different spin. Correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure I read somewhere that the Stakes on offer for the Melbourne Thoroughbred Spring Carnival are greater than that on offer for the whole year across all 3 codes in NZ.

I ran second but had an argument with the Headmaster who tried to enforce something that he didn't have a right to. Anyway I thought you couldn't remember that far back because of your head injury? BTW how do you seamlessly switch between @Mikie and @Michael? It's impressive or do you have a multi-personality thing going on?

FFS well I guess you aren't picking on @Brodie! You aren't up with NZ history are you? Suggest you lighten up a bit. I was being somewhat self deprecating - you should try it sometime. You might find you can laugh. It happened in 1941. That's 80 years ago next month. One of the people that got shot was the West Coast school inspector who was across the road at the local school. He heard shots and went to investigate and walked right into it all. He survived but suffered serious long lasting injuries. So if I've upset anyone other than you my apologies.

They cleared what then on Melody Belle? I'd be happy. Although Fortuna slap a premium on the purchase price which Te Akau don't.

Those figures are extrapolations based on the total population of vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Oooh! Touchy touchy. You are back tracking quicker than a snake in a wagon rut. Do you only read the Stipes reports on Mondays? Brent Weather got 4 days for pushing and making contact with Blair Oranges drive in R2 at Addington 8 August 2021. He got 4 days for extinguishing punters chances. But nup whether it's 2months as you first said, or the 3 you agreed with or Teaz's 6 months any penalty more than 4 drives would be unjust. If I was Cameron I'd refuse to enter a plea. How could you when your action can only at best be subjectively viewed as a mistake.

Maybe not in racing but some Employers are making mandates that you have to be vaccinated to work for them. Two test cases in Court now. Will be interesting to see the outcome. Certainly there is little science to support the contention that fully vaccinated staff are safer than non-vaccinated.

Why is the ONS Claiming Just 1% of Covid Deaths Are in the Vaccinated When PHE Data Shows the True Figure For August was 70%? The ONS has published a new study on Covid deaths which purports to show how few vaccinated people die of Covid. Here’s how the Telegraph reported the headline claim: “Only 59 fully vaccinated people without serious health conditions died from COVID-19 out of more than 50,000 deaths in England this year, new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show.” The Telegraph report continues: These statistics appear remarkable – until you realise what they’ve done. Although the data is presented as “this year” in fact the cut-off date is July 2nd. That is significant because it is just before the Delta surge got going. This means the data all comes from the Alpha surge, when almost no-one was vaccinated and tens of thousands of Covid deaths were reported, and from the quiet spring and early summer when many were vaccinated but almost no-one died (see chart below). Covid deaths in England Comparing the number of deaths in the vaccinated and unvaccinated over this period and presenting it as a percentage is meaningless and to imply it tells us anything about the effectiveness of the vaccines is misleading. The important question is what the death rates were by vaccination status during the Delta surge, not prior to it. Public Health England published a report last week which gave us this data for the period of August 9th to September 5th. Here is the table of deaths broken down by vaccination status and age. This shows that of 2,381 deaths in this period, 1,659 or 69.7%, more than two thirds, were in the double vaccinated. Six hundred deaths or 25.2% were in the unvaccinated. This is very different to the ONS statistics as quoted in the press that 99% of deaths were in those not double vaccinated. Yet no major media outlet compared or contrasted the ONS data with the PHE data released just days ago and asked why there was such a gaping discrepancy. In the over-50s, the PHE report showed that 1,621 of 2,222 deaths or 73% were in the double vaccinated compared to 499 or 22.5% in the unvaccinated. Once you take into account the proportions of the over-50s vaccinated and unvaccinated this works out at a vaccine effectiveness against death of 68.1% – respectable, but a far cry from the kind of claims being made by the ONS and parroted by the media. It’s not clear yet how well vaccine effectiveness is holding up against serious disease. Data from Israel indicates that it may drop to 55% in the over-65s over six months. The age profile of Covid patients in the U.K. has also been rising again, which may indicate declining efficacy. Elsewhere in their report the ONS did make an effort to allow for differences in age and week. They produced a graph of weekly age-standardised Covid mortality rates, which can be seen below. While this graph still suffers from ending on July 2nd, it does show us something potentially concerning about deaths following Covid vaccination. Note that in the early period deaths within 21 days of the first dose (light blue line, top chart) are significantly higher than deaths more than 21 days after the first dose, and in the later period deaths more than 21 days after the first dose are higher than in the unvaccinated (green line, bottom chart). Once you bear in mind that these charts are age-standardised, so age differences cannot be blamed, you realise they are showing you that the Covid death rate in the weeks following the first jab was disproportionately high. Why is this so? This appears to be another safety signal that warrants urgent investigation. It’s depressing to see the ONS seemingly allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for the Government’s vaccine propaganda campaign. Its latest report is yet another study using out-of-date data purporting to show high vaccine effectiveness that is picked up by a press eager to push the vaccine-saviour narrative. Meanwhile, the real-world data from the U.K., Israel and elsewhere suggesting the reality during the Delta surge has been very different continues to be ignored. Are any of our once-trusted institutions safe from being co-opted into pushing the Government’s political agenda? By Will Jones / 14 September 2021 • 07.00

@JJ Flash I won't call you a liar perhaps misguided. It isn't the best cash profit EVER. Using accurate comparison methods it is worse than what the industry received a decade ago. Yes it is an improvement in nominal terms on recent years BUT that improvement ISN'T coming from wagering revenue. Once again I'll spell it out for you again in the vain hope that one day the penny will drop onto Wombledon Common (how are the re-runs going?). The source of the "improvement": Reduction in Taxation and Government Duty; Lower interest costs due to Government insolvency bailout; Transfer of expenses to the codes; Racefields legislation; Cuts in staff; etc. Great but don't bang the drum that anything has really changed. Fundamentally wagering on the racing codes is not returning sufficient improvements in revenue to get back to where we were a decade ago let alone keep pace with inflation. Now you are the expert and drum major for TAB NZ - what are they going to get us back to parity? i.e. keep up the improvement! But you forget they now have extra costs forced on them by TAB NZ to market their product!!!! Not to mention the costs associated with three high maintenance AWT's gifted to them! I can't imagine what HRNZ is going to spend on marketing!!

Woops thanks for that @JJ Flash - I've corrected it. You can correct your post if you wish. How are the drums going? I guess Rangiora is a bit like Wombledon Common.