Chief Stipe

Rule Number(s): 642Following the running of Race 6 (Fruitfed Supplies Hdcp) Mr P Didham, Trainer of RED RUFUS (3rd) protested against the first-placed horse EL NYMPH. The Information stated that the interference was in the final straight. The Judge’s Placings were: 1st - EL NYMPH 2nd - AKELA BELLE 3rd - RED RUFUS Margins: ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Every year that I can remember as a child we travelled from Hokitika to Nelson for our annual holiday which just happened to coincide with the January races. I always missed the first week of school as we often had to include the Blenheim races in the trip especially if one of Dad's horses was racing. Only downside was at High School when getting back to school for the new term everyone else had got all the nice new text books! Sorted that out one year with my Geography/History teacher and debating coach who loved a good punt! 😉

My dad owned Dunhill. By Lordship out of a Fallacy mare False Chic. Really good horse but unfortunately started to badly knock a knee. Stayed at Ted Lowe's once at Hinds. Ted drove him on his track - said he was the fastest horse that he had timed over a furlong. In the Double Smooth year there was Dunhill and Crafty Admiral. McShane was still going as well. I spent most of my University holidays working in and around the stable. The other horse I remember from my childhood was High Chapperal (again owned by my father - raced against the likes of Micron and Trevira and won about 7 races I think), Johnny something else I can't remember, Rostrevor. Single Lord was out of Single Girl as was McShane. Single Girl was given to Brian and George Hill by Ted Lowe. Single Lord was the most gentlest entire I've seen around a stable. Never forget the day that a very young Kristie was standing underneath him with her arm around his front leg. But McShane was my favourite. John had one helluva personality and had amazing sense of racecraft. If you ever wanted to dispel the animal rights activists assertions that horses don't like racing you would only have to introduce them to John. One story came from a race at Nelson in which McShane started from a back mark - steadily made his way forward in the 2nd line then for some reason on his own accord he pulled out wide. A horse further forward on the inside went into a break and disrupted the field and McShane pre-empted the situation.

Some fantastic trotters in that era.

Australia is a different competitive ball game altogether. I don't think many of us realise how competitive it is all throughout OZ racing from the Metrop right through the provincial, country and out to the bush. Many of our horses running around that do OK here would really struggle at provincial meetings. You only have to look at Melody Belle as an example. NZ's top horse for the last 3 seasons didn't quite match up to the elite in OZ. Partly some of that in my opinion was to do with her racing style and the way some Jockey's rode her in OZ. If you can't consistently run on or close to the speed than a very good horse isn't going to win that often. The champions like Verry Elleegant get away with it but there not many. We also need to look at the number of horses that those big stables train and churn through to remain competitive. That is another whole level in investment. So for TA to venture to OZ it would involve considerable upfront investment, the establishment of good supply chains including food, transport, agistment and vets, good staff which are hard to find, an increase in the number of horses purchased at various sales, Jockey partnerships and more. No small task. Two approaches to it - one all in big investment or softly softly creating a base in one State and feeding into the other States from OZ and NZ. The bit investment approach would put at risk the successful NZ operation. Also it would involve a step up for Jamie Richards as a trainer and a modification of his approach. You can get away with a few soft runs in NZ and still be competitive. In OZ you have to have your horse a small percentage points around its peak fitness from the get go and sustain that for 6 or 7 runs. It might be just a perception rather than fact but it seems to me that horses based in NZ doing successful raids across the Tasman are getting fewer and fewer. That is probably a reflection of the fact that our top racing has fallen to OZ provincial or even country level.

Probably do but the discussion at that point was about estimating the annual cost of training Melody Belle. I put a finger in the air estimate of $45k. No one else has put up an estimate yet but of course that doesn't stop some from critiquing the $45k. Now if I'm out of touch with costs and the actual is way North of $45k then it only highlights to me that NZ Owners are carrying racing in NZ disproportionately to any other stakeholder and it has got worse. Look at it this way the owner who pays all the bills would have to win at least $45k a year to break even. I'm other words races totally $100k in stakes.

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.