Chief Stipe

He had no option if the horse was choking down. However a bit of a weird drive from Mckendry. They way he drove the horse sort of added to the problem. He restrained the horse twice before the horse got into trouble so created a fight. For example the second time why didn't McKendry go forward and pass the $50/1 longshot rather than restrain Copy That and let the other horse off the rail to go forward to the lead. Odd.

Bigger cart?

No it is about having more control. You can still have "light hands" it's about where you place them. Take the video link of Alistair Lowe. He is trying to restrain the horse to get back and trail - the horse wasn't going good enough to get to the lead. You'll see he is leaning out of the back of the cart trying to pull the horse back. That is only making the situation worse because he has effectively lost control. With your hands in a better position you are able to respond quicker to anything untoward and send that message to the horse. If your elbows are already bent and damn near in your lap and you need to grab more rein quickly then you are in the shit and things escalate. You can still drive them as if on pieces of string but you have more options. Horses generally bolt for a reason unless they are absolute shitheads or badly trained. A good driver will feel it and react - placing your hands where the professionals trained me to put them helps heaps. I actually experienced the difference during the course when we had a couple of mock races with mobile starts. Try it sometimes. Bit hard if you are doing a 40 minute jogging session as your arms get tired. But when doing pacework go one hand loop forward than where you think you should and then try doing one more.

You watch - I don't really know if it is what they are taught or it is their inexperience but the number of times I've seen Jockey's bale when a horse starts acting up seems to be increasing. In the "olden days" it seemed to me that Jockey's seemed to be better horsemen and would hang in there until they got on top of the horse's behaviour.

Well trained is the key. Most of these problems start early on at breaking in and the first preparation. I'm a firm believer that it is a poorly broken in or educated horse that needs all the head gear that seems to be the fashion.

Have you driven a pacer in fast work? They generally get on the bit - well the good ones do! What I was describing is not "taking a short hold" it is taking a firm hold and holding the reins in a way that gives you the most control and connection to the horse. This actually sends a good message to the horse and I believe improves its confidence. You can still have soft hands but you need stronger arms because you are holding them up rather than getting the horse to do it for you. It is pure and simple physics. If you are holding the reins close to your body and have bent elbows then you have stuff all control. If a horse decides to bolt the only leverage is to lean out the back of the cart and you have no control. You can't even see where you are going! Do a simple exercise at home - tie two pieces of string/rope to a dining chair and sit in another. Try moving the chair with your elbows bent and your hands in your lap versus your arms nearly straight and your hands either over your knees or just beyond them.

An ex-jockey would hardly be tall enough to reach the peddles! When I did my amateur harness drivers course I was taught the correct posture and most importantly where to hold the reins. This was after years of working in a harness stable. The natural inclination is to not hold the reins far enough up and have bent arms. Subsequently you have less leverage and control. We were shown recordings of races as demonstration and it was interesting to see how many senior drivers weren't doing it. Now I believe that if you train these young horses with poor driving technique you open yourself up for problems later when racing. Watch Purdon and Rasmussen and compare to some lesser drivers. I'm not sure a bolting horse is looking for a kiss and cuddle! If it is easier why does it seem jockey's are trained to abandon ship as quickly as possible?

Physics which Curious is not your core competency. Think about it. A Jockey has two leverage points his hands and his feet. Both are moving. A harness driver has two as well but also a fixed point that he leverages against his arse in a fixed structure - the sulky.

Yeah but we had more fun at a lower cost. Tell me would you get more joy out of your filly winning at Reefton or Riccarton?

You have much more leverage in a sulky. So you can exert more pressure on the horses head.

Jon Habraken (Henk's son) was caught up with the INCA investigation. He placed a $200 bet on behalf of Simon Lawson. The RIU went for him full noise and sent his file to the Police who interrogated him. As seems to be the play of the day the Police didn't lay charges and handed it back to the RIU. Who went in hot and heavy. End result was a fine and costs which it appears Jon hasn't yet completed full payment. Deja vu! Groundhog Day!

Yep and what is going to happen to the $5 million below market rates loan RACE has?

Well they are being dishonest. I doubt there has been a working bee at Trentham with the Committee and Members rolling their sleeves up in 30 years or more!

No - the Wellington Racing Club should make better use of THEIR assets. No one has to TAKE anything. I think you'll find that the community doesn't have the same investment in the track as Hokitika did in theirs. Easy for Wellington as they are a part of RACE aren't they?

Or request your Miranda rights and have a lawyer present!

But was your recording admissible? The difference here is Muirhead predetermined the outcome and was recording before he engaged with Henk. Did Muirhead make any attempt to alleviate the situation? Why didn't Muirhead have someone else with him? Then take into consideration the fact we have another situation that is INCA driven and where families and individuals have been put under considerable stress. Threatened with criminal charges and interviewed by Police. Some consideration on the part of Muirhead could have prevented this outcome.

I agree. I can't see how they can avoid irrigation. Pakenham has a similar variable climate to Canterbury doesn’t it? I haven't been able to work out why the Greenies haven't been jumping up and down about all the polyester fibres going into the track fill. But now I'm starting to think may be they are waiting until all the capital has been sunk....

I'm thinking that they will use mechanical means to achieve consistency (or not) by rotovator and or roller. So if dry perhaps they rotovate less and roll more. If that's the case then the wax in the mix must play a role too. Now how that behaves in the Canterbury climate will be interesting. I guess the extra staff will be busy. I hope they don't forget the turf maintenance!

Sell Trentham and build a new Turf Track further up the Coast or in the Wairarapa.

Oh and if you want to follow more dots check out who S Symon is that represents the RIU. A Criminal Prosecution lawyer working for Meredith Connell who used to be a Crown Prosecutor based in Manukau. Um.....let me think where was Grimstone based?

Well if it is in fact "policy" then Godber and Grimstone should be held accountable for something that isn't legal or just. How would have Henk behaved if Muirhead told him before speaking to him that he was going to record the conversation? I would lean towards there being a different outcome. As it was I'd go so far to say that Muirhead was looking for a premeditated outcome. Now what stinks is that this type of behaviour by the RIU has been the norm as a follow up to their failings in INCA. It is the way Grimstone operates - he did he retire from the Police was he pushed. If you read back through the related cases - Lawson, Dixon and Habraken Jnr you will see the same pattern as the other cases that are coming to light. Habraken Jnr put a $200 bet on for Simon Lawson. Instead of that being investigated by the RIU and dealt with by the JCA, as happens in most jurisdictions and previously in New Zealand, Grimstone and Godber sent the file to the Police under the auspices of Operation INCA. Habraken the younger was grilled in a Police interview and threatened with criminal charges! Is there any wonder that old Henk is a bit pissed off with the RIU?

Are you telling me in a blinder of a Nor'Wester the track won't require watering?

Follow the dots. Read Jon Habraken's case on the JCA website. See the pattern? We are seeing Royal Commission of Inquires all over the place why not one on INCA? http://jca.org.nz/non-race-day-hearings/non-raceday-inquiry-riu-v-j-habraken-written-reserved-decision-as-to-penalty-dated-12-march-2019-chair-prof-g-hall/?searchterm=Habraken *