Chief Stipe

I disagree. He may well be doing what this generation of journalists do - sensationalise non-news, present and disguise biased opinion as fact, undertake personal crusades and so on. Aided and abetted of course by those of us that feed on salacious gossip and the continual reinforcement of our prejudices and fears. Or worse aided and abetted by those within the industry who have an agenda. Society and democracy is worse off for this change. The Fourth Estate once was a strong pillar of our Democracy. Actually I'm sure some of you reading this don't even know what the "Fourth Estate" means. Definition: It is a collective term for the profession of journalism and the "press". Their profession arose from a societal need to keep the other pillars of Democracy honest and transparent - the Government/Judiciary and Nobility, the Clergy (religion) and the Commoner. It sought to inform and seek the truth from a position of neutrality. What does the latest Van Beynen piece achieve? It rehashes what has previously been reported regarding Anderson's conviction so that isn't "news". It talks about Anderson having presumably private conversations during his rehabilitation with industry stakeholders to ascertain how and what he needs to do to work in the only industry he has any training or skill in. Is that really news? One would hope that a young person such as Anderson is trying to get back to being a positive contributor to society. In my opinion the objective of the so called "journalist" is clearly apparent. The Title and opening sentence clearly broadcast where Beynen is coming from. "disgraced champ" "currently banned for his criminal offending" "former industry leaders assisting" All facts but the context and journalistic style is confrontational, opinionated and targeted. Who told Van Beynen about this approach to HRNZ? It looks like the source is the HRNZ CEO Gary Woodham or those close to him. A true investigative journalist would have queried what Woodham's motivation was for the releasing of this information. Perhaps Beynen should dig into Woodham's past at the TAB where he was General Manager Customer and Channels, overpaid and delivered little (destroyed a lot). Hell a decent journalist would have a field day. But no the targets are the workers in the industry not those who have and are sucking the life out of it. Remember the $45,000 of industry money Woodham paid for 3 tables to watch the Lions Test? The same guy that shafted the Friday Flash AND The Informant.

We’re not producing the next batch of riders: Quinton Tommy Berry was in superb form with a winning treble, including Bandersnatch. Article Author Matt Jones8:45PM24 January 2021 19 Comments What will the Sydney jockey’s room look like in 10 or 20 years’ time? There’s no doubt that it’s the best in the country in terms of quality and depth. Glen Boss recently said eight of the best 10 jockeys in the country were based in Sydney. But will the depth be there forever? Hall of Famer Ron Quinton knows better than anyone how things are shaping up and says the next good batch country apprentices aren’t quite there at the moment. “They’re getting harder to find,” Quinton said. “Years ago we used to get a lot of country kids like I was and Darren Beadman and more recently Hugh Bowman and Andrew Adkins and that’s not happening now. “We’re not getting people out of the pony club these days because the pony club circuit has diminished quite dramatically in the country. “We used to get a lot of kids coming out of there. Our TAFE system isn’t producing enough people either so it is a problem.” Trainer Ron Quinton thinks investment in an apprentice academy would go a long way to ensuring the depth in the jockey’s ranks. Quinton has mentored some of the best apprentices that went on to be top senior riders such as Hugh Bowman, Mitch Newman, Andrew Adkins, Mitchell Bell and Sam Clipperton who was the only one not to come from the country. “I think Hughie had ridden 100 winners before came to town and that give him a good grounding,” Quinton said. Quinton thinks investment in an apprentice academy would go a long way to ensuring the depth in the jockey’s ranks for generation after generation. The South African Jockey Academy was ahead of the times, establishing its program in 1958. “I realise the cost factor of that would be enormous but South Africa have had one for a long time and they produce great riders,” he said. “Glyn Schofield and Jeff Lloyd and blokes like Robbie Fradd came through that system and it really works. “It’s stood the test of time. I visited the academy in South Africa when I was riding a long time ago.” Quinton also said had racing not had such an influx of female riders and staff in recent years the sport would “be in Struggle Street”. Quinton says fortunately an influx of female riders and staff in recent years had managed to keep racing afloat. In decades to come the Sydney jockey room might look as British and Irish as it does Australian. Rachel King, Tom Sherry, Robbie Dolan and Louise Day are just some of the international hoops that have come down under and made an impression. And they’re here to stay. Dolan told this column months ago that he doesn’t miss the cold mornings with a shovel in had at the freezing Irish stables. “Mark Newnham has a few Irish boys and they’ve been a great asset. They’re willing workers those kids and have come from a tough environment,” Quinton said. “They’re coming here to make a small fortune. “They’d be mad if they didn’t come down here because of the prizemoney and why wouldn’t they do it because they (apprentices) don’t have as much competition here.” Sherry ran second on Icebath in the $7.5 million Golden Eagle last spring and said he would’ve made more money from that ride than he would have in a year in Ireland.

Rule Number(s): 870(3) 1003(2)Miss Haley sought the disqualification of horse 9, PLAYBOY’S BROTHER, placed 5th by the Judge as it galloped in excess of 150 metres near the 1200 metres. Judge's placings were: 1st 5 HARRY H 2nd 3 STEVE 3rd 10 SPOTLIGHT THE VALLEY 4th 2 HORSE OF COURSE 5th 9 PLAYBOY’S BROTHER (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

That's not what Ron Quinton is saying as quoted a few days ago on Racenet. He said the next batch of Jockey's in NSW/Sydney is NOT coming through. Blamed many of the problems we seem to have in NZ.

Does anyone know if someone sold Van Beynen a dud harnesw horse or does he have a share in the Spitfire?

Before anyone goes down the "the driving a truck limit is zero" and "driver B must have been breaking the road code" path. A quick check of the road code will show you that that isn't the case.

Here we go again.

Yes but that netball player was OK to play. Blair Orange was legally OK to drive a motor vehicle.

Why does he HAVE to report it? He hasn't reported every other case. Why hasn't he done an in depth investigation into Peter Lamb and printed an article on it? Or have I missed seeing that article?

Correct. We should be addressing the fundamental issues first BEFORE we change the end bit. Not that the rule makers seem to understand what the fundamental issues are. Afterall we gallop our horses EVERY day!

Neither get to ride mug or poorly trained and educated horses.

I hear what you are saying. A good Jockey knows if a horse is giving its best or is cheating. Chris Johnson and Hayden Tinsley are/were good at this. The old saying no sense in flogging a dead horse. Both those Jockey's have been brought before the Stipes on charges of "lacking vigour". If you do away with whips then you must do away with that charge. As you point out if a horse is trying as hard as it can then far better to keep it balanced.

All good Curious and I'm sure that you will be happy to see the same standards applied to and policed of those who break-in, pre-train and train these horse's. Afterall you will agree that many of the issues start at the beginning and what we see on raceday regarding horse behaviour is only the product that went before and often unseen.

I've said no such thing. I've said some of the rules are incongruous and that the expectation or demanding that industry participants should be held to higher standards and penalities than anyone else is society is blatantly wrong. Also instead of achieving what they are setting out to do they are actually doing the opposite. What I can't understand is how supposed industry fans/supporters relish any opportunity to stick the boot in relentlessly and apply standards that they themselves don't need to or cannot attain. No the problem stems from the Top. Those at the coalface are working harder and longer than those that are screwing it up. What's more those at the Top including Administration and the RIU are able to avoid accountability. A classic case, but only one of many, is how Lamb has been able to continue doing what he is doing equally badly in two different roles. Apply the same standards and expectations to him.

In that post you did not directly quote me. Not even paraphrased what I wrote.

That wasn't the question. Given the Jockey's in Victoria boycotted the first attempt the question is how many will support this new attempt? I guess in the interests of virtue signalling you would be quite happy to see the quality of our racing drop to Amateur level?

Apologies. The last couple of days have been Groundhog days for more reasons than one. Didn't help yesterday going about my business to find that everywhere I visited had suddenly put back up the perspex barriers, mandatory hand wash and being cajoled into either scanning a silly QR code or writing a name on a clipboard.

I don't believe they are "very good training facilities" for a number of reasons. They may be useful during wet months of the year but I don't see how they will help us produce a better quality product than the one we produce now.

Basil you are very adept at eliciting a completely different meaning from a simple statement. Have you thought of a career in Politics? Or maybe Corporate Spin? With regard to the whip rules what I said was they are impractical, difficult to enforce and a token virtue signal that only opens up the industry to unnecessary scrutiny. Effectively a home goal. Ask yourself how do the Stipes enforce this rule? Do they sit in the "bunker" after each race watching the expensive High Definition video and zoom in on each driver checking their wrist action and counting the number of times the whip strikes the horse or sulky over a distance for the entire race? I doubt they do which probably explains the inconsistency in application of the rules which is symptomatic of the issues I've described. I've never said the rules shouldn't be enforced and you again have spun what I've have written although in this case you have just outright made it up! I've said consistently that I believe the difference between the mcg level for harness race driving is incongruous with the level that allows the same individual to legally drive a float full of horses at 100km/h to the races. Why is it different? Is one activity anymore dangerous than the other? To just say that "those are the rules, get over it, suck it up" is too simplistic. Sure they are the rules but it isn't wrong to point out the incongruity. Never said that at all. Yes integrity is something to be concerned about. However how can you have integrity when the rules are not applied consistently? When the industry administration and judiciary seem to be bereft of common sense, integrity, professionalism and capability. No lets just kick hard working stakeholders in the guts time and time again for what the rest of society consider to be minor misdemeanours. Or worse kick them in the guts on the basis of supposition without evidence. Now Basil you are adding hyperbole to your interpretation and spin. It isn't the "end of western civilisation as we know it" - Covid-19 is being allowed to do a better job of that than TAB NZ. The point I'm making, which seems to escape your crusade for integrity, is that "the TAB offering a single exclusive deal to a big punting group" does not display much integrity at all, is open to justified criticism, is a marketing fail and a kick in the guts for the average loyal punter. What's more adds further incentive to punters to ignore the syrup coated pleadings to not bet offshore but to bet with TAB NZ because they look after the local industry. On that last point "looking after the local industry." The sole reason for being of TAB NZ is to generate revenue for the industry stakeholders. Aside from decades of largesse and overpaid poor management their offering of an exclusive bet has not only robbed other punters but robbed the industry it is there to support. What did this exclusive bet actually cost? Basil as a Harness Supporter you should be concerned about the considerable subsidisation of the Karaka Million "party". Hundred's of thousands of industry revenue went to stakes for that race meeting of only 6 races. The revenue generated from the meeting fell well short of funding itself. So what do TAB NZ do to make the situation worse? They subsidise one particular punter (it isn't a "group of punters" from a wagering perspective) to the tune of somewhere around $35k (the 4% refunded losses for the day plus the difference between the market price and their premium price on the Quinella bet). In my opinion, aside from pissing off loyal customers, that $35k could have gone to funding the industry. It wasn't even necessary for the BGP to have a better party!

1 X3X74 Sergeant Blast(8g Darci Brahma - Glittering Girl) 2 X00D6 Te Akau Caliburn (IRE)(6g Camelot (GB) - Enchanted Evening (IRE)) 3 21163 Robusto(6m Zed - Adriatico) 4 X7740 Masetto(5g Cape Blanco (IRE) - Passchendaele) 5 00001 Dee And Gee(7m Darci Brahma - Gabana) 6 84465 Justamaiz(6g Guillotine - Arthena) 7 23353 The Good Fight(6g High Chaparral (IRE) - Pravda) 8 75110 Dragon Storm(6g Shocking (AUS) - Prize Lady) 9 48493 Dr Velocious(5g Haradasun (AUS) - Nevak) 10 33121 Waisake(6g Zed - Kincia) 11 70408 Duplicity(8g Duporth (AUS) - Bidthemobgooday (AUS)) 12 X0125 Super Hoof(6g Cape Blanco (IRE) - Trust) 13 14418 Swords Drawn (AUS)(5g Camelot (GB) - Sarvon (AUS)) 14 02766 Vee Cece (AUS)(5m Canford Cliffs (IRE) - Vereza) 15 14006 Awesome Al(7m Alamosa - Awesome) 16 72340 Bluey's Chance(7g Remind (USA) - Opera Dancer (AUS)) 17 99994 Jacksstar(9g Zed - Star Guest) 18 00879 Plushenko(6g Rock 'n' Pop (AUS) - Russian (USA)) 19 06764 King Of The Dance (AUS) (B1)(6g Animal Kingdom (USA) - Spirited Dancer (IRE))

Young gun Will Price uses the whip to drive Diamonds In The Sky to victory at Caulfield. Picture: Getty Images JOCKEYS Jockeys on notice: Whip strike slashed Article Author Gilbert Gardiner 2:16PM27 January 2021 Racing Victoria has reignited the whip debate, with the introduction of races where the use of a persuader will be strictly limited — and enforced — to not more than five times for the entire event. The six-race country series will end in a final to be run at The Valley on All Star Mile Day, March 13. As reported by News Australia on Wednesday, the jockeys, who choose to participate in the five-strike races, will be subjected to severe sanctions for potential breaches. Whip rules currently allow for a maximum of five strikes in non-consecutive strides prior to the 100m mark and at the rider’s discretion in the final 100m of a race. The Victorian Jockeys’ Association has alerted its members about the series, which it described as “high risk” for riders given the proposed penalties. Whip use has been a contentious issue for many years. A breach in the pop-up series could see a jockey rubbed out for up to 10 meetings in the heart of the Group 1-laden Melbourne autumn carnival. Racing Victoria on Wednesday evening confirmed a new Country Mile Race Series would be used to trial the limited use of the whip in races. The series, exclusive to Victorian country trainers, will offer a combined $625,000 in prizemoney during the Festival of Racing February-March window. Racing Victoria will use the trial to gather data and learnings around capped whip use and wagering, fan engagement, participant support, adaptation to the conditions, safety of the race, and the consistency of form lines. Jockeys in breach of the trial rules face a combination of fines and/or suspensions and, will be ineligible to compete in any further heats, or the final, of the country series. RV Executive General Manager Racing Greg Carpenter said whip reform is “essential” for the sport to retain existing audiences and continue to attract new fans and employees of the future. “We acknowledge this initiative has mixed support from some industry stakeholder groups,” Carpenter said. “However, we … see little downside to running this trial and using the learnings to better inform the discussion on this critical issue. “We hope that participants will engage in the series in the spirit intended and the penalty regime is designed to reflect that. “If there is a breach and forfeiture of any prizemoney by a jockey, it will go to the Jockey Welfare Program and not be retained by Racing Victoria. “While this trial represents just six races of more than 4,000 run in Victoria each year, the data and learnings that come from it will be invaluable as we look to shape the future of racing for generations to come.” VJA chief executive Matthew Hyland said would find it “incredibly difficult” to adapt. “I liken it to a footballer going out and being told that in this quarter you’re only allowed five tackles and he plays in the centre,” Hyland said. “It goes against your natural instinct, in the heat of battle, to tackle isn’t it? “We don‘t get to choose whether they (Racing Victoria) do it or they don’t, they can run whatever they want and more importantly jockeys can choose whether they want to participate in this series of races.” Racing Victoria late last year back flipped on a mooted whip-free race series after consultation with jockeys and trainers’ associations.

Why do you bother posting on here Thom-arse? TAB NZ are fully aware of the debate that Fixed Odds Exotics has raised. Any Marketing team worth their salt would be PUSHING out information proactively.

You say "HAVE TO" but you don't given any reason for "WHY"! I would suggest that the issue is because that anything remotely salacious sells magazines, newspapers and online clicks. Not only that the snitches get paid well for being "informants". Who cares if Aaron Smith (All Black Half-back) shagged someone in the departure lounge disabled toilet? From my perspective I think "lucky bastard". The reality is someone snitched on him to the media. If it had been me no-one would have been interested. Morality or societal standards don't change just because you put on a Jersey. My role models were the likes of Winston Churchill, Captain Cook... Winston was perennially pissed. Captain Cook is now being cancelled because of some injustice to indigenous peoples (indigenous = those who invaded first). For some. But if you are an athlete there are other reasons why you wouldn't go on the piss the night before. Since Warnie and Boonie science has shown that it impedes your performance at the elite level. Makes you wonder how good those who played cricket actually were.

Yes. Streaming now.