Chief Stipe

FFS what is it with you and @the galah regarding losing and gaining legs? Purdon and Rasmussen always said they would be around to drive on the money days. Not coincidental that the horses are also trained to the minute for those days. Seems ideal to me. Sleep in, don't have to work any horses, no gear to clean and then a leisurely drive to the races. Then do a Maurie Holmes putting on the gloves and being handed the reins in the birdcage. Hell don't even have to get wet hosing them down after the race or have to take the gear off Bliss!

As Freda has eluded to it will suck the life out of some provinces. Why would you have a satellite training stable in Canterbury?

Don't forget that there will need to be a lot more revenue generated by the AWT'S to cover ongoing maintenance costs They are a higher cost model of operation than the local turf course on which racing is held sporadically. So not only extra revenue to maintain themselves but even more revenue to renovate the Turf Tracks at the Premier locations. NZ Thoroughbred Racing has thrown all its chips on the success of these high cost AWT'S. In my opinion a high risk strategy especially when you are permanently closing down perfectly good tracks so you can rape and pillage their capital.

They may well do due to an improvement in the quality of the racing. What the ARC needs to do though is cultivate inclusion of the surrounding clubs. The resurgence in OZ racing seems to coming from country racing.

What is the relevance of that statement? I have a 100% winning owning and breeding record I.e. every horse I've owned or bred has won a race. The last horse I selected to have a share in was On The Bubbles but I pulled out. Why? My last horse was a reality check for a lot of reasons. When a good gelding can return a stakes cheque every start, win five races and it still costs the owner money then the grinning stops pretty quickly. Then when you see the colossal waste of money in the NZ industry and capital investment based on no apparent business case along with the closing down of perfectly good racing tracks while nothing is done to fix the Premier Turf tracks..... well you spend your Saturday's doing other stuff while waiting for the great racing from OZ to kick in mid-afternoon. Pitty I'm sick of seeing clouds of dust and dirt clods at our Premier tracks and river of mud when it is wet. As an owner I made a point of walking the tracks that my horses raced on and quite frankly I was shocked to see their condition. I know enough about turf culture having studied it at Lincoln College to know the problem isn't caused by irrigation. AWT racing does not interest me - it is boring and asethically an insult to those of us who love watching horses gallop across a green paddock. Until the issues that I see are addressed I won't be racing another horse in NZ.

Yes even if it is only 1 in 9 times. But the grin stops when the the bill arrives AFTER stakes have been deducted.

Well maybe some Trainers have higher standards regarding what constitutes a consistent and safe racing surface.

It's nothing to do with "how soon it's happening"! Where is the business case? Where is the revenue coming from to maintain these new expensive assets? FFS Riccarton doesn't make enough money to maintain and renovate its main turf track as it is! What's the point of Flash shiny new assets if you have a shit turf track to race on? Now you are either delusional or worse if you believe you have a great turf track.

Just don't have a decent Premier turf track to race on.

Not if you produce another shit track like you did last October. Or are going to lobby for the Guineas to be moved to the AWT? Actually when was the last time Riccarton produced a decent turf surface?

You're a dreamer Pitty.

Yes it's turning into a nice little private training establishment for you. No angst here but when is your main turf track going to be renovated? Fix it or lose those Guineas races.

Just ask Tim.

I'll start. If weight stops horses why don't riderless horses always win?

There are some riddles in racing that can't be explained by the theorists. Do you have any?

Why would you bother? Great Stakes, great surface at Ellerslie (when built) and Metro Tracks in OZ are closer than Riccarton. Winter turf training and racing at Ruakaka.

I await with bated breath an announcement from Tim Mills, CEO Riccarton Park, regarding the timeline to renovate the main turf surface. Followed by a media statement from Mr Michael Pitman saying that such renovation was long overdue and it is positive news for the future of premier racing in the South Island.

A very subjective analysis. Can you share your quantitative work supporting this statement?

In a word - inconsistent. I could say stuffed but won't.

Which horses and which grades are you comparing? Like with like? What were the race sectionals? Did you know these before you made your observation?

FFS Flash the facts are that the rule has flaws but you just keep up the sycophantic homage. The blind trust in the administrators and lack of critical analysis by people such as yourself is why the industry is in free-fall.

Stick to form analysis Galah instead of political commentary. You forget that National actual won the most votes in the election before last and it was only dear old Winnie that handed the coffers to Labour for 30 pieces of silver. The second term was won on Covid. Nothing else.

If a rule is too open to interpretation and results in inconsistency in application then it may be the rule but it isn't a good rule. There are numerous precedents of laws and regulations that have been implemented and found to be wanting that have been subsequently amended. In my opinion the current whip rule is one requiring review.

I doubt it has attracted any new punters. For example I haven't seen any marketing from HTNZ extolling the virtues of wrist only whipping action with regard to animal welfare.

I'm not sure he is being singled out but there is significant inconsistency in who gets charged with infringing the rule and who doesn't. Again that points to how hard the rule is to enforce. If a horse finishes first or 8th if the driver breaks the rule then both should be charged if indeed the intent is to promote animal welfare. As it stands Stewards would have to sit in the Bunker and run multiple reruns of a race to find all the infringers. It is a farce.