Chief Stipe

Yep so with a declining quality race product they have further added to its decline by showing races from Busan to some obscure place in North America. I was watching the New Zealand races the other day and instead of promoting the racing they were switching back to harness racing in the snow in Canada! Go figure! The last thing I wanted to see was a race being held in the middle of winter with snow drifts!

That's another statistical lie that keeps getting rolled out as propaganda. They include everything that has even a minute source of income from racing. For example - the local vet who probably gets most of their income from cats and dogs. Even the vets in Cambridge probably get most of their income from the breeding industry which isn't the racing industry.

The punter does. But how can the NZ TAB argue that they aren't getting a fair return? What worries me is that only a very few (they seem to all post on BOAY) haven't bought into the Racefields legislation bullshit.

We get a fair return now on what is a substandard product. Arguably the NZTAB gets a return that is more than fair given its takeout rates.

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Yes and the Erebus disaster was pilot error.

Kumara - ironically iconic!

You are now arguing something different.

Finished reading it. Obviously you have only read selective bits that support your rubbish posts.

This Manual is appalling the more I read it. It has all sorts of grey area decision making in it. A Manual should be black and white. According to the manual leaving a horse out is not a criteria for calling a false start. It should have been a late scratching!

Thanks for that. Geez I've only read 5 pages and found all sorts of issues with it. This is a cracker - "If a number of stalls fail and the useable amount is less than 8 then the meeting shall be abandoned or postponed." So much for a 9 horse field!

Can you give us an example of how you would have used this at Awapuni? Easy. Can you give us an example how you will use it before the next meeting? Hard.

Pokies and Sports Betting.

Rule Number(s): 870(5)Following the running of Race 1, Country Feasts Ltd Trot, an Information instigating a protest was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Ms CM Tibbs, against KD HAWK (RJ Butt) placed 4th by the judge, on the ground that it “galloped over the line and was lapped on” by the 5th placed runner, LANE’S ACE. Mr Butt, ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(3)(b)Following the running of Race 5, Levelhead Insulation Pace, an Information was filed by Stipendiary Steward, Ms CM Tibbs, against Licensed Graduation Driver, Mr GL Ross, alleging that Mr Ross, as the driver of CLIVE in the race, drove carelessly in that “near the 300 metres he allowed his runner of contact ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 638(3)(b(ii)Following Race 7, Stipendiary Steward Mr Goodwin lodged an Information with the Judicial Committee alleging a breach of Rule 638(3)(b)(ii) in that S Weatherley used his whip excessively in the home straight on SAMPSON. At the outset of the hearing, Mr Weatherley confirmed he understood the Rule and that ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(2)and Whip Regulation (b)Following the running of Race 1, Mr Mulcay submitted an Information in which he alleged that Amateur Horsewoman, Ms S Wigg 'used her whip on more occasions than permitted over the final 400 metres in breach of clause (b) of the Use of The Whip Regulations driving M T POCKETS'. Ms Wigg was present at ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Rule Number(s): 869(3)(b)This charge resulted after the running of Race 3. Mr Mulcay alleged that Mr D Butcher 'drove RECKON IM SMART carelessly shifting ground inwards when not sufficiently clear checking NORVIC ALPHA (Mr S McCaffrey) with approximately 400 metres to run'. Mr Butcher was present at the hearing and acknowledged ... (Feed generated with FetchRSS)View the full article

Well you CAN be f'ed posting a whole lot of garbage including your stupid Blueprint.

Which is a big part of the problem. There is a lot going on and tasks are not allocated correctly. I would say the "Manual" is flawed. CAN YOU POST THE MANUAL THOMAAS? You seem to know a lot about what's in it. Or are you posting on the basis of hearsay AGAIN?! Since you and lasagne are not interested in posting anything constructive but are intent on blasting the Starter, on the basis you are big punters who got hurt, it looks like I'll have to post another positive system change. Another improvement that could be made is that the person in control is the person on the ground leaving The Starter (or more accurately the guy who pushes the button) to focus on those horses and jockey's in the gates. There is enough going on to keep the average person occupied. Plus it would be difficult to see ALL the barrier blankets etc from the Starters stand. Maybe the person on the ground could raise a flag to say ALL Clear. The signal needs to be visual or anything other than voice.

Once again Thomaas you have added nothing constructive. Can you post the Manual and the rules pertaining what happens behind the gates? What are the Clerk of the Course(s) responsibility, the jockeys, the barrier attendants....etc. A "Manual" doesn't solve anything if the manual is impractical and things have changed. The "Manual" may very well describe a process that is flawed. A bit like ISO quality control - you can get ISO accreditation but it doesn't confirm you have a GOOD process just that you have A process.

I don't believe "simple communication" channels can work in the present scenario where there is so much going on. I've stood behind or alongside starting gates many a time over the years and recall that there is a lot of activity, bustle and noise going on. Add in all the extra requirements that we have today and there are bound to be mistakes. I don't believe you can heap the blame all on the Starter if something goes wrong given they are not in total control. Why is it that every Starter in action today has made mistakes? People don't set out to make mistakes. When you compare the percentage of stuff ups over the number of races held I'm surprised there are not more. Every system has systemic error built in. A bit like trying to get the road toll down to zero - when you have vehicles passing each other in opposite directions at 100 km/hr and are 2 metres apart you will get accidents. One thing they could do to improve things is what they do in Japan or Hong Kong (or is it both?) is when they start loading they restrict the movements of the horses behind the gates. They walk up a rope/tape to confine where the horses can go. We have seen a trend in New Zealand where the horses are scattered like Brown's Cows. Jockeys parking themselves and their horses in the shade etc. How many times have you seen a horse having to be trotted from what seems 50m+ away to the gates?