Chief Stipe

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 5, the Sherlock Contracting 1560, Mr Williamson presented an Information charging Mr Elliott with a breach of Rule 638(3)(b)(ii) in that he struck his mount UCALLEDIT with his whip in a manner that was excessive, in that his whip use was with his arm raised above shoulder ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 625(1)Mr N Bishara - Licensed Trainer (VERRY FLASH) - presented runner late to the plate inspection and birdcage. Penalty - $100 fine (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 5, the Sherlock Contracting 1560, Mr Williamson presented an Information charging Ms Thornton with a breach of Rule 638(3)(b)(ii) in that she struck her mount VOLITIVO with the whip in a manner that was excessive in that her whip use was with her arm raised above shoulder ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

32 years ago. I think the Japanese are relatively good learners. They have had at least two major renovations of the track surface since then. Shouldn't there be some consistency? The more variable the surfaces the harder it is to maintain. It is clear from the disparity between the tracks and clearly defined break in colour that irrigation is not applied evenly to ALL turf surfaces. Including behind the 1200m start. That would suggest a lack of investment and opex.

NZ BROWNTOP A lovely dark green creeping grass that requires maintenance to keep looking good. It needs drier well aerated conditions to thrive and does not respond well to over-watering or compacted soils. It can be a beautiful lawn in the right conditions and with a lot of care. Only for those serious about their lawns - or their golf.

Or putting green. If the Browntop is struggling in the drought then no other grass is likely to have survived. Questionable you could even class it as a grass as it is generally classified as a weed and not common in modern pastures.

Stick to training horses Freda.

That's WITHIN the sport of racing. Why have dumb rules that penalise someone for having a blood alcohol level less than what they are allowed to drive a truck? It is plain stupid.

Only because people like you point it out. Society sets the standard - Anderson got his punishment why does Harness Racing need to have a higher punishment or double down?

Perhaps but why longer than what the Court system does? Is it because Harness Racing is so low that anyone associated with it should be the epitome of society? Give me a break. Why set standards that no other section in society can meet?

Why? Does Harness Racing run a different court system from society?

Really? Don't see that many on course or that many who mention it unless the journos mention it.

I hope the same Stipes have inspected the Steeple course at Riccarton.

At least they are giving a reading. Why they haven't been doing it during the trials is anyone's guess. That would have given some Benchmark.

But why the double jeopardy? As I have said many many times before the rules of racing were onced based on a puritanical holier than thou foundation. That is racing had to be beyond repute because the perception was it was a dodgy pursuit that was open to manipulation because it involved gambling. One of the scourges of society! Really? Racing because of anachronisms sets us up for constant falls. It is just plain daft! I know of a story of where someone was questioned in the family court because he had taken his daughter to a race meeting. When asked why he replied - "she wanted to pat a horse, eat a hot dog and be with her dad - your honour"! BTW the Judge was a known pisshead who liked a punt!

Especially if they tie up. The bicarb neutralises the lactic acid which causes the tieing up problem. Some horses are in considerable discomfort after a race because of it. When I was younger and medium to long distance runner the lactic acid build up after a run could be right painful. Which is part of reason why I'm so concerned about this type of reporting. I remember after running in the Canterbury under 18 New Brighton Steeplechase, which was one of the first races that my mother had attended, where she thought I was going to die and didn't want me to run another race again. A couple of hours later I was demolishing a large steak and chips dinner and pleading for a beer! The point is horses are athletes and some push themselves more than others which involves considerable discomfort/distress which would be upsetting to a naive outsider. Their argument would be that the horse doesn't have a choice when in fact it does - the good athletes put in and go past the pain barrier to win. A good trainer will identify the symptoms of a hard run and treat their horses accordingly. A couple of weeks or even a few days later the horse is as keen as ever to get out and compete. Is tubing a horse with Bicarb before a race more harmful than doing it after a race? The answer is no. Prior to a race it supposedly offers an advantage. I say supposedly because the research is not clear. We all know that horses bleed (EIPH) when racing - would it be better for animal welfare to allow the administration of Lasix before a race?

Only under the rules of racing and if the horse in question is racing that day. It is still a legitimate veterinary technique for administering medication to horses, cattle, dogs and cats. It is not illegal from an Animal Welfare Act perspective which was the topic of the article. The journalists have deliberately misled. I've been thinking about making a complaint on the basis it what they wrote is misleading and borders on misinformation. At the very least it is sloppy journalism.

He won't be banned from society for life nor any other job except probably being a Policeman. What is so special about being a Harness Trainer or Driver?

Rule Number(s): 638(1)(d)Following the running of Race 7, the Heartland Print 1400m, an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Mr M Davidson, against Class B Rider, Mr R Beeharry, alleging careless riding, in that he permitted his mount, CHARLIE BROWN, to shift inwards when not sufficiently clear dictating O’HE’CAN inwards ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Actually they probably won't have that much cheek given they had enough money to build their own AWT without a taxpayer handout.

But has that mattered? Facilities haven't been the reason why on-course attendance has declined. If it was then the likes of Ellerslie, Te Rapa, Awapuni even Riccarton would have had increasing on-course attendance. They have also declined. Some clubs by comparison to the big ones have what you would call appalling facilities yet their on-course attendance hasn't declined for some meetings. I do believe the state of the facilities for the public has been a red herring for a long time especially for clubs when the on-course turnover revenue became less (through manipulation of the funding model) along with the ability to measure it with the advent of smart phone app access. However what has appalled me for decades is the state of the facilities for those that put on the show. I've visited many many tracks over the course of my horse ownership. As I've said before I'm one of those dedicated owners not an absent owner. I've been pretend strapper more times than I can recall. What struck me was the state of the facilities for the horses themselves. Stable doors barely hanging on one hinge. Having to use horse leads to tie the stable door. Bedding that was a dry powder of sawdust that hadn't been changed in 20 years. Hoses that didn't work or when they did disconnected and sprayed you with water. Yard water feeders that hadn't been checked or cleaned in years and often didn't work. Poorly designed yards that were a danger to horse and worker. What was even more unbelievable was that the major premier tracks were the worst! No lights and no security. The best was Ellerslie but only if you were a day tripper certainly not if you were travelling and expected to stay a couple of nights. Then there are the tracks! We lost our way the moment we forgot what we were about - horse racing. That is where we need to return our attention and forget about getting thousands flocking to a race course. Start from the beginning again. Quality racing on quality surfaces will attract punters which results in higher stakes leading to higher quality horses being retained leading to increased public interest. We have had the cart before the horse for too long. The only thing that differentiates us from the rest of the entertainment and hospitality industry is our racing. Do we really want to get more into that competitive industry where more businesses go bust each year than we have tracks (or even horses!)? What's the bet we will see Cambridge pitching up soon for industry money to build a new stand and restaurant at their AWT?!

You are missing the point. If a rule isn't workable i.e. cannot be enforced correctly or consistently (sure raceday Stewards and the JCA might be dumb which doesn't help) then it is a bad rule. It needs to change. What is the objective of the whip rule? To supposedly benefit animal welfare however there is no evidence that one whip or three with or without wrist action affects the animal's welfare. So the rule objective is to appease an apparent want from a section of society who view racing as abhorrent. Now whatever rule you have wont appease that want however because the rule is a badly constructed rule it actually achieves nothing other than bring attention to racing!!! If you have any friends in the RIU or the JCA then lobby them to fix the dumb rules!!!!

@Horace don't you think that dumb rules that are hard to police consistently provide more ammunition?

I'm sure most of the people at SAFE understand excessive wrist action.

I didn't realise they watch the races and read the JCA reports. Do you email them?