Chief Stipe

Yep that's who. Owned by Snow Thomas. Out of a mare named Palvet which Snow and a close friend/relative of mine raced.

I don't think it was trained by Pitman when in OZ. I probably was a bit harsh in my comeback but I've been getting more and more annoyed with the ambivalence that he shows towards the state of the track at Riccarton. Plus I wasn’t sure if him mentioning Princess Coup out of left field wasn't the start of going down another rabbit hole. I'm also tired of the unsubstantiated crap spewing forth from @Horace whose posts the majority of the time are having a dig at one particular stable.

Precision riding must have been inches from clipping heels. Horse brave as well. How many horses do you see the moment they get into some argy bargy they throw in the towel.

Geez she used a can-opener to get Vega One home in the Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm. Finesse but ballsy!

Geez Ranga why did you mention McShane! There are only about 4 horses that I've had anything to do with that I would have given a retirement paddock to for life. He would have been one of them even though he could be a right grump!

I don't think I had the opportunity to find out. Long time ago! But I do remember John (his stable name) had one helluva personality, was a pleasure to drive in training, the stable boss (humans and horses) and the only horse that I've ever considered to be damn near human! I'm sure if he was in a bad mood and wanted to piss you off he would have held on for hours but he was smart enough to know there was no point hanging around when there was a feed waiting when he got back to the stable!

I agree all winners should be swabbed. I didn't realise that this wasn't the case in both codes until recently having assumed for years that it was the case. I'm sure the policy must have changed at some stage. As I remember hating having a horse winning the last if it was a shy pee'er! Sometimes standing there whistling for hours! From what I understand now it is a cost issue and works on the basis that those chosen are at random therefore a deterrent. But that is open to abuse as the "random" part has the potential to be determined. Plus I'm sure that the last race has a greater frequency of not being chosen!

Tragic as this is I hope it doesn't involve any horses with NZ connections. The latest is that the horses that died were from the broodmare sale.

Five Magic Millions horses dead in horrific truck crash Two men have been raced to hospital and five horses have reportedly died following a horror truck smash following the Magic Millions. MAY 29, 202112:21PM The identities of the horses involved have not been released.Source:News Corp Australia Five race horses have reportedly died in a horror truck crash in the Hunter Region of NSW on Saturday morning. According to reports, two men have also been flown to hospital as a result of non life-threatening injuries suffered in the incident. The Newcastle Herald reports a truck transporting a horse float left the road and collided with a tree on the Golden Highway near Jerrys Plains around 6.30am (AEST). The Daily Telegraph also reports the horses killed in the crash had been involved in the Magic Millions sale and were being transported from the Gold Coast. The identities of the horses involved have not yet been released. As reported by the Herald, a spokesperson for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter services said the men, aged 62 and 59, were stabilised by paramedics at the scene before they were flown to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment.

Lighten up. I was replying to @Rangatira's post where he posted a picture of a derelict car.

OK so I'm not allowed to have an opinion on my own site? Should I take on a persona of obsequious sycophancy and write syrupy posts congratulating or offering condolences for people I don't even know? Then sign off any post that may have a hint of controversy with the acronym "JMHO"? No wonder this industry is in the state it is in.

Apparently he has finished writing 'Opinion' pieces. However you could argue his feature and news articles are "opinion" as opposed to being factual.

Meanwhile we all turn on ourselves.

Who's arguing.

If anyone wants the correct and full story then PM me.

@Horace I have a fair idea of the filly in question. You story was so half arsed and wrong it was laughable. One of the drawbacks in providing a forum that allows open and free discussion is that from time to time a minority will over step the mark in what they post. In the first instance it is me that has to deal with very irate individuals. I don't enjoy it but it comes with the territory. Unlike other forums I don't immediately close the conversation down - half the time I haven't even read the post until it is bought to my attention. I also like to express my own opinion and you can agree or disagree with it. With regard to Pitty he has given me a fair amount of stick and I've fired it straight back at him. However I've never resorted to name calling or making slanderous or defamatory remarks (unlike @Horace). I know for a fact that another forum owner has overstepped the mark on more than one occasion with Pitty. That just isn't my style. Yes I can be aggressive and unrelenting in the posting my OPINION's but as I said above my intentions are honourable. I will continue to challenge those that have the power to make changes regarding the state of our premier turf tracks. It is my belief that until we do we will continue to go backwards. AWT's are costly white elephants that will suck dry what is left in the industry like big black holes. Meanwhile perfectly good turf tracks will be decommissioned or lay idle. Foxton, Riverton and Timaru spring to mind.

How can you train a jumper at Riccarton when they are still waiting for the Brown Top grass to grow?!!!!!

Environmental contamination AGAIN! Although Sharrock has been exonerated the horses will still be disqualified and once again the Owners will suffer. There needs to be something done to address the issue of having a zero tolerance threshold. With environmental contamination it is very unlikely that the levels in the horse were performance enhancing let alone have any affect whatsoever.

Bit of Pot Kettle there JJ. But the biggest difference between you and I is no one can ever accuse me of sycophancy nor question my intentions.

If I had the money I would do exactly that. Like many racing enthusiasts that buy Lotto tickets I go through the NZB Yearling Sales books and select what I like. On The Bubbles was one of them that I selected before it was sold. I did the same this year and again there was some overlap. Again Lotto didn't come through before all the Te Akau syndicate shares were sold out.

Well at least I made an attempt at estimating the return. Didn't see anyone else make an effort. Isn't ironic that a we are quibbling over the net return of the most successful New Zealand horse in the last decade. 14 Group One wins, $4m in stakes, sold for $2.6m. Says a lot about NZ racing when some people will botch about that. As for having a horse with Te Akau. The closest I've come is On The Bubbles which I selected at the sales. However the way our Turf Tracks are and the level of Stakes in NZ I'm not motivated to own one at the moment. If I did I would be stupid not to buy into a syndicate with NZ's top stable who also has success in OZ.

That's because it is not true. If you are worried about compromising other people you shouldn't have made the allegation in the first place. You may disagree with my approach but sure as hell no one dies wondering where I stand when it comes to integrity.

Where does that put you JJ? Horace is not a man of principle I assure you. Anyone who makes false allegations on a public forum and then runs and hides is not a man of principle. Aside from the fact I know who Horace is it is disappointing that someone in his position will make allegations and not back them up.

I have and will continue to "have a go" at the one person that trains at Riccarton that could use their influence to address the problems with the Riccarton Turf track. If trainers such as Pitty don't take a stand and lead then the industry is doomed.

Also before you go why don't you retract the statement that you made about Ellis sending a bill for commission and then not buying another horse from that Stud. Or provide proof. We can all only assume that what you wrote was absolute garbage. David Ellis was willing to donate $20k to a charity if you could provide the evidence. That is a fact.