Chief Stipe

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 3 an Information was filed by Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr J Oatham against Class A Jockey Ms S Spratt, alleging a breach of Rule 638(3)(b) (ii) “Struck her mount ART DE TRIOMPHE excessively prior to the 100 metres”. Ms Spratt acknowledged that she understood the Rule and ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 8 an Information was filed by Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr J Oatham against Jockey Ms S Wynne, alleging a breach of Rule 638(3)(b) (ii) “Struck her mount BELLE FASCINO excessively prior to the 100 metres” Ms Wynne acknowledged that she understood the Rule and confirmed her ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b)(ii)Following the running of Race 7 an Information was filed by Chief Stipendiary Steward Mr J Oatham against Jockey Mr A Balloo, alleging a breach of Rule 638(3)(b) (ii) “Struck his mount STREET FIGHTINMAN excessively prior to the 100 metres”. Mr Balloo acknowledged that he understood the Rule and confirmed ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

True forgot about them which isn't hard to do.

There are probably only four truly professional team sports in NZ. At the elite level Rugby, League and Cricket with ETNZ being the fourth. I can't think of any other team sport where we have fulltime paid athletes.

It's "not something else altogether" and it is related to this discussion. You are standing on the sidelines with an elevated opinion of how the sport actually operates. It only operates and exists at its current level due to many many unpaid individuals either volunteering or participating as amateurs. Even though the latter may be licensed at different levels. By the way licensing doesn't constitute professionalism or confer high standards.

What's the reward got to do with it? This is an example of something that is quite common in harness racing. Been like it for decades.

Nope the rules aren't applied the same. How many times have ALL the drivers been breath tested on raceday?

Was this driver treated differently? IDEAL GRACE - junior driver T Bamford was questioned regarding the manner he drove shortly after the fallen horse incident when despite being unaffected he restrained his horse, causing it to lose touch with the field until near the 800 metres. Mr Bamford (assisted by M Purvis) explained that in a recent race the event had been called off due to a fallen runner and as there had been a lot of yelling he was unsure as to whether this race had also been called off before realising all other runners were continuing and so urged his runner. After considering Mr Bamford's explanation and noting the exceptional circumstances and his significant inexperience Stewards reminded him of his obligations under Rule 869(3)(g).

They may be licensed but many if not most are not paid.

Not all Drivers are paid. Take D D McCormick. Are you suggesting he pays himself when he drives his three horses in work? http://jca.org.nz/non-race-day-hearings/appeal-d-d-mccormick-v-riu-reasons-for-decision-of-appeals-tribunal-dated-23-march-2021-chair-hon-j-w-gendall-qc

Explain this Gammalite and MarkyMark - Why are the rules applied differently I.e. inconsistently between some participants based on their differences in expertise and degree of professional ranking?

Not all participants are paid and not all make a living from the game. Compare that to a Super Rugby or NRL team. All the players are well paid and earning a living. It is very easy to paint Harness Racing as something it isn't and expect the same level of standards from ALL participants. You forget about the many owner/trainer/driver's in the game and the amateur licensed participants. Do you see anyone in a truly professional sport pitching up and not getting paid? Making Harness Racing a truly professional sport would be the final nail.

It isn't a professional sport. Never has and never will be in New Zealand. About time everyone in the industry, particularly the administrators, accepted that fact. There are very few that make their sole living from training and/or driving harness horses. Certainly nowhere near what most administrators and RIU employees earn.

That is debatable. Arguably anyone can drive a race horse. Only two controls to worry about. Statistically I would suggest it is safer to drive a harness horse if you have been trained to do so. For a start all the horses are travelling in the same direction! Not ALL harness drivers are "professionally paid horsemen" just as all vehicle drivers are not professionally paid either. So this reasoning is irrelevant. No I'm not defending Blair Orange's actions nor the actions of Chris Johnson either even though the latter requires a damn sight more skill standing in stirrups on top of a horse. At least the harness guys have training wheels! The point is Orange could legally drive at 100km/h a high powered motor vehicle to the races but can't drive a race horse! It is one of those rules that is a nonsense (a bit like whip rules). So either have the limit at zero or the same for driving a motor vehicle. But if you have it at zero then you further inhibit the attraction of harness racing as a career. If the current was so important why don't they test ALL drivers before the start of race one EVERY race day?

Incorrect. The limit is NOT zero i.e. "free from alcohol" as you infer.

But he can legally drive a motor vehicle to the course or a horse truck loaded with horses. Why should the limit be different? Isn't that the key question here?

We didn't need to water them. But the 80's was probably the peak of the useful life of our main tracks. From that point on the decline started and that decline has accelerated as we put more and more pressure on those tracks. We started closing tracks and shifting more and more meetings to a central location. Look at the CD and Canterbury. This further accelerated the decline. Think back to the 80's and remember the tracks that were still functioning. List them. NZ has under invested in the key infrastructure that is the key to holding a race meeting - the race surface itself. What has our solution been? Let's build 3 AWT's! Where is the plan to fix Te Rapa, Awapuni or Riccarton? I didn't mention Trentham - it is a dead duck. The only major metropolitan track in NZ that has a plan to fix their track is Ellerslie but they are relying on getting their hands on the Avondale dosh.

Again the irrigation is a symptom of an underlying cause which is a stuffed soil profile and structure. Do you think any course in New Zealand could have run on a Soft 7 after 10 days in which 360mm of rain fell? It was only a few weeks ago that a Metrop track in OZ put nearly an inch of irrigation on their track on the Friday and raced on a G3 perfect surface the next day! Irrigation in NZ is being used to try and fix a problem that it isn't designed to fix and which it can't fix however it is the only tool available to keep the grass growing and to have a reasonable cushion to race on. If you don't irrigate and keep the soil moisture content up and instead roll the dice you risk the chance of a shower of rain turning the track into a skating rink. Here is one for Reefton - how many race meetings have been abandoned due to NOT irrigating, a shower occurring on raceday, a horse slipping and the meeting called off?

So you admit that there is a problem with our track surfaces? Of course you do as you describe Riccarton repeatedly as a "shit hole" and I assume you are not describing the members bar. Your statistics are blatantly WRONG. Your perception doesn't equal reality. However that aside you keep referring to "renovated" tracks inferring that the "renovations" have stuffed them rather than acknowledging that the renovations occurred because there WAS A PROBLEM! I assume that is at least one thing we agree on! Your solution is God, a chisel plough and a dairy farmer. I would say YOU have no idea about track renovation and maintenance after all you leave that up to the local dairy farmers and their chisel ploughs. I have posted numerous times on BOAY the approach undertaken by our Ozzie neighbours particularly Victoria and NSW. Queensland is now facing up to their underlying issues. Victoria and NSW have scheduled regular renovation and upgrade programs for their tracks not every THIRTY years but in 10 to 15 year cycles at most. Interspersed with annual maintenance activity which by comparison makes our "renovation" projects look no more than scratching the surface. I've posted some of those activities on BOAY but you ignore them. The problem at Riccarton is NOT caused by "persistent and inconsistent" irrigation. As I keep saying that is only symptomatic of an underlying problem and that problem is simple - the SOIL IS FUCKED! Again I've shown you the science that proves that. But no a chisel plough will fix it. FFS go have a look at what Melbourne and Sydney have done to their tracks! They focused on soil profile and structure. Oh sorry I thought dry stock and dairy cows both had four legs? No they don't take up two feet of soil to renovate a paddock but they don't use the same paddock day in day out. You'll also find that the best livestock land that is heavily stocked on the West Coast has the same thing in common - a soil profile that has structure. Often that structure has been provided by a high organic content e.g. the Kokatahi valley. To be frank it is quite depressing to thank that two of the South Island's prominent racing stakeholders think the problem is an irrigation problem and you just need a chisel plough to fix it.

Self-interest Pitty pure and simple.

Less stupid than Forbury's attacks? So you just broke even today? Or still behind if you are an each way punter? What was he supposed to do? Try and hold the lead off 4 challengers? When shuffled back to last make a big run round the outside from the 800m? Go wide in the straight or choose the short cut path up the middle? So many things young Hope could have done wrong yet the so called "useless driver" didn't make one mistake? A bit of luck for sure but the majority of lower grade winners need that.

I wonder how good she'll be when she learns to settle.

I was thinking back to then and even further. She has also won on tracks from G2 to H11.

Can anyone think of another horse in recent years that has won Grp 1 races at 1400m, 1600m, 2000m and 2400m? Against some of the best international grade horses? I have no doubt that she could have won the 2020 Melbourne Cup with a better draw and/or a better run in the race. Her last 600m was phenomenal.