Chief Stipe

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RACE 1: RUNCLE (4) has had a change of stable and is now trained by Andre Poutama. At $13.00 & $3.20 on the NZ TAB Fixed Odds market he is well worth an each-way investment. The leading amateur driver Sheryl Wigg (7 wins this season) will also aid his chances. RACE 2: The debut runner […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Cambridge Spring Delight looks set to return to the winners circle on Saturday, when completing a nice final piece of work this morning. Working alongside in form stablemate Artiste, the pair left 1400m behind in 1:40.0, before quickening to run home in 39.1. She contests the r65 2100. Nicoletta and True Enough will confront a […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) Chairperson Dean McKenzie wasn’t singing the iconic Bob Dylan ballad... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Pip Wakelin After leaving war-torn homeland in 2011, and arriving in safe haven of New Zealand last year, Syrian family is ripped apart They only met a couple of times, but it was enough to make a lasting impression on Pip Wakelin. The North Canterbury horsewoman, who trains with her partner, Stephen Noble, donned a black arm band for her drives behind Awesome Impee and BK Dawn at Motukarara on Sunday. She did so to honour a Syrian refugree, Khaled Mustafa, who was murdered in the Christchurch terror attack last Friday. Mustafa, 44, and his eldest son, Hamza, 14, were killed while praying at Masjid Al Noor mosque in Deans Ave, Riccarton. Their family had only been in the country nine months after arriving as refugees and Khaled had spent a majority of his eight months in Christchurch working part-time as a farrier. Khaled Mustafa tending to a horse during his time in Jordan. It was through that caper that Wakelin and Noble came to meet him. “We usually do all our own shoeing because we can’t really afford a farrier,” said Wakelin. “But we needed a farrier to do some work on a miniature pony for my son to use in the Kidz Kartz races. “We’ve known Gareth Griffiths from Selwyn Forge for years so I approached him to get some specialised work done on this horse. “He fronted up with Khaled and it was him who ended up putting the shoes on our wee pony. “He came across as a happy-go-lucky, bubbly fella. “We laughed at the time because Gareth had said, this horse is too bloody small for me to get under, you’re the new kid on the block so down you go. “As it turned out he was the first small pony Khaled had ever put shoes on, and he did a perfect job.” Wakelin said she had spoken to a number of horse people in the district, from vets, to trainers and those in the equestrian field and their was shock and disbelief at what had happened. “Everybody in the district that knew him has taken it pretty hard.” Due to the uncertainty of possible shooters active in the area, plus the shock and horror of the tragedy that had unfolded, last Friday’s races at Addington were abandoned just a few hours before the start of the meeting. Wakelin says she was one of just a handful who didn’t get the message. “We were doing 14 horses and it was head down, bum up on Friday for me to be away at 3.30 because we had a runner in the second race. “At the start, we were pointing, using sign language, google translating, ringing his wife to translate, things like that. “It’s 51kms to Addington from our place, and in peak traffic it can take well over an hour. “I remarked to our nine-year-old daughter that we were having a good run that day and there didn’t appear to be much traffic on the roads. “It wasn’t until I drove in to Addington that Noel on the gate told me what had happened. “We turned around and had to go straight home. He said only four trainers didn’t get the message. “My owners found out, but none of them even text me to make sure I knew.” Once she knew the gravity and extent of the tragedy, Wakelin’s annoyance quickly dissolved, replaced with dismay and profound sadness. An unlikely pairing Gareth Griffiths is an ex-pat Englishman who has been here for many years working as a farrier and owns Selwyn Forge. He received a call out of the blue in the middle of last year that came at just the right time. Khaled Mustafa (second left) and Gareth Griffiths (second right) on the job earlier this year. “A guy called Wayne Cummings got in touch with me and asked how someone would go about being a farrier in Christchurch. “The New Zealand Government had just done a new refugee scheme that had seen three families introduced to the South Island. “One was in Christchurch, one was in Timaru and the other, Nelson. “Khaled and his family were the ones relocated to Christchurch and they got allocated a local church, in Spreydon, to help them settle in. “When he rung, I said you spoke to the right man, actually. “I’d just lost my apprentice, who had recently qualified, and the two workers I had last year, so I was pretty desperate for some help. “So, I said bring him out with me and if I like him he can work with me. “If not, I’m sure there’s a few other guys I can get him buddied up with.” Despite not being able to verbally communicate with each other whatsoever, Griffiths knew on the first day that Khaled was a keeper. “I’m British-qualified and over there it’s supposed to be to a pretty high standard. “My type of work is mostly in sport horses, eventing, showjumping and dressage, though we do do a few racing stables as well. “And in these fields, you’ve got to be right. There’s no room for error. “Basically, after watching him for an hour and a half on the first day, I knew I didn’t need to worry. “He obviously knew what he was doing. “Even though you don’t need a qualification, it’s still a trade and you can just tell if someone is good or not.” Desperate to make the most of his new life and second chance at freedom, Khaled studied vigorously to learn English. “He learnt French at school and it was his wife who was actually an English teacher at one of the Universities in Syria,” said Griffiths. “She spoke it well, and so did their children, but he never spoke it until they came here. “So, he was at Hagley College three days a week learning English. “At the start, we were pointing, using sign language, google translating, ringing his wife to translate, things like that. “But he had gotten so much better recently. “You could actually hold a basic conversation with him – within six months he had a solid understanding of the language.” March 15 Friday was the day Khaled would usually go to Masjid Al Noor with his family to pray, in accordance with their Muslim beliefs. And last week was no exception. He went along with his two sons, Hamza and Zaid, 13, both of whom were students at nearby Cashmere High School. “Because they would pray every Friday, he wouldn’t usually work for me, as well as the fact he had school three days a week, including Friday. “Some weeks he would help me out if I asked him. “I wish I had asked him to come and work with me last Friday,” lamented Griffiths. Around 1.40pm on Friday, as everyone is now acutely aware, the Mustafa family, like that of so many other refugees and immigrants in the city, was torn apart by a lone gunman. Fifty people were murdered, including Khaled and Hamza. Zaid was shot, too, but survived and is recovering in hospital after undergoing a six-hour surgery on Sunday. “Khaled got shot four times,” said Griffiths. “In the back of his head, the neck and shoulder. “But he was still alive and went to the hospital.” His injuries were too severe and he passed later that afternoon. “Salwa, his wife, was with him for his last breath.” Hamza was also an accomplished horseman, both in his homeland of Syria, and his home of the previous five years, Jordan. “He was a top rider and was in fact taught by his father, Khaled. “In fact, he had been riding a horse for one of my clients and teaching their daughter how to ride. “In Syria he was the man, apparently. Awesome for his age and he could have gone a long way if he didn’t have to flee.” Hamza phoned Salwa shortly after the shooting started, but the call soon ended. The ultimate irony Griffiths says there is a horrible irony to the fact that Khaled and Hamza were murdered in New Zealand, regularly ranked as one of the safest in the world, after fleeing Syria, where up to half a million people have died in a conflict that started in 2011. Khaled Mustafa (left) and Gareth Griffiths tending to Pip Wakelin and Stephen Noble’s miniature pony. “That almost had me in tears. “They escaped a war-torn country and came to the safest place, just wanting to work. “They were so happy here, Salwa had described it as their ‘final resting place’. “As a family they had been through so much. “Five years in Jordan, before they finally got sent to Australia for a month. Then Auckland for three or four weeks before it was finally decided they would be set up in Christchurch. “They were just rag-dolled around as a family.” And while the refugee program is well-meaning, it’s a pretty basic service and relies heavily on the local community to lend a hand. “The local church helped them integrate in to the community. “Wayne was the guy that ran him around, did all his organising and helped him get a job. “They had nothing when they got here; they just got thrown in this house and that was it – that was all they had.” Rallying around With that in mind, Griffiths and others in the equine and farrier community in Canterbury, are doing their best to help support Salwa, Zaid and their younger daughter/sister. “The horse community, especially the farrier sect, we are holding private fundraisers, taking tool donations and offering a way for people to donate direct to the family. “Anyone wishing to help can contact us via the Selwyn Forge page on Facebook and we can provide them with a bank account that has been set up. “Every single cent will go to the family.” Because of Muslim cultural beliefs, Griffiths is unable to communicate directly with Salwa, but has an open line of communication via the local church. “Salwa is unable to see men for four months and four days after Khaled’s passing, apart from direct, immediate family members. “It makes it hard for us to support them, but it won’t prevent us.” View the full article

Having spent last week as a house guest of Bridget and Stephen Gray in Singapore... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Sometimes things happen in your life when you stop and take note of where you are and what you are doing. Time freezes and you immediately put into perspective what is important. That is what happened to me last Friday afternoon, 15 March 2019. The news of the terrorist attack in Christchurch left my head […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Addington bosses should be commended for the way they reacted to the horrific events in Christchurch last Friday. Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

As an ex-HRNZ board member, punter, owner, breeder & trainer, my interest is fully immersed in our sport... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Last week I wrote on this page of diversity, focussing on the Women in Racing survey being conducted by the NZ Racing Board. The focus is now something quite different... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Remember the famous Jim Cassidy catch-cry “Ring-a-ding-ding Pumper’s the king,” Fitted like a glove as he rode more than 100 Group One winners... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Oaks day at Trentham is one of my favourite racedays. In the pattern of racing it fits in beautifully and the day gets able support with three other black type races. Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Most popular opinions attribute blame for today's issues on the current leadership. Many believe their own interest is important... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Unfortunately the changes to Facebook over the years have meant that organic reach to ‘likers’ of a page have dramatically decreased. For instance, a Facebook page may have 100,000 Facebook likes, but only one to three per cent of those ‘likers’ will see a post initially. Couple that with a message they aren’t interested in […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) Chairperson Dean McKenzie wasn’t singing the famous Bob Dylan tune, ‘The times, they are a changin,’ but that was the message conveyed when McKenzie spoke openly about MAC for the first time since its establishment in December. MAC delivered its interim report to Minister Peters on schedule on February 28th, and the Minister was impressed, saying last week, “The government wishes to acknowledge the excellent work of the panel so far and for its productive interactions with the racing industry and government officials.” The Terms of Reference under which MAC was formed and has operated did not allow for any communication with the industry stakeholders during the process of compiling its list of prioritised Messara recommendations. This racing industry, however, has been kept in the dark for years by administrations that were supposed to do the opposite – the stakeholders are accustomed to that treatment. Lack of communication has been the order of the millennium but is rivalled now by the ever-widening gap of costs of to the owner against potential returns. If we took a very pragmatic and cynical view of the plight of racing people in this country, we might say that despite all the big salaries and all the meetings that were ever convened to solve the problems, nothing has improved one iota. The end to another racing season looms fast without any tangible improvements in place upon which we can hang our hats. That’s not the fault of MAC which formed only in December. The Minister and his newish committee called are not responsible for the this industry’s ills of the past, but will they undoubtedly will be responsible for the make or break of the future. McKenzie understands the industry frustration and may have sought Ministerial approval before breaking the previous protocol of silence to talk to The Informant last week. He began, “This is a climate for change, and it’s happening. I know it won’t be fast enough for some, but this is major reform, and you don’t do major reform in a few short months. “There’s a lot that’s happened; a lot of work has been done, and we have made very good progress, but there’s still a lot of work to do.” McKenzie was referring to the limited time between the formation of MAC and the delivery of the interim report at the end of last month. That period transversed Christmas and New Year, but McKenzie made no secret of the inordinate amount of time and effort put in by the five-person committee to deliver a report that will serve the industry to its best advantage. “Even though the process has been going for some time without any information released, it’s at a very positive stage as we move forward to the remaining stages to complete the process,” said McKenzie “The next step is for Cabinet to approve both the interim report and the advice from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). The interim report will not be released at this point of time, but a further announcement on the next steps will be made following Cabinet decision-making in the coming weeks. “This is likely to set out a busy legislative calendar and the establishment of a transitional racing authority (RITA) as previously indicated in the Terms of Reference.” McKenzie’s awareness that the racing industry has been incredibly frustrated by a lack of information to stakeholders made him keen to explain further: “Up until the end of February when we handed the report in, we had met on five separate occasions as a full committee excluding our meeting on the day we first met the Minister,” he said. “That was from the middle of December, and effectively we had 77 days to complete the interim report which included Christmas and New Year holidays. “That excludes any sub-committee meetings or other meetings involving some individual members of the committee. Quite early in the piece, we had engaged with the codes and NZRB with Sport NZ, and we have continued to liaise with all those bodies from the middle of January. “Over Christmas and New Year our small team put together the first set of papers for a January 6th and 7th meeting – a Sunday and Monday. Then we met again two weeks after that, and then three weeks later again; that was the full MAC but also during that time there were various sub-meetings set up to get all the other work underway and get it done in time. “As per our Terms of Reference, we had two milestones to achieve; one being the end of February with the interim report and the other still to be done with the end of June being the deadline for the final report. “Our workload has been constant through that period, and the work delivered in the interim report doesn’t stop at that point. If you read the Terms of Reference, it keeps coming back to things we have to do ongoing – work plans and identifying roadblocks and procedures. There’s a work plan for the issues, and the interim report, when released, will show both what we have done and what is coming up. “We have a schedule of various tasks at different time points, and in the interim report, we had to show the minister how each of those work-streams were to be implemented by the 30th June and in some instances after that date.” McKenzie couldn’t give out the details of the work completed by MAC but once approved at Cabinet level the interim report will be released. Also to be released at some point will be the submissions on the Messara Report which have influenced MAC’s work after all submissions were thoroughly analsyed. “In the time available,” continued McKenzie, “we could only genuinely engage with the industry wider public on the Messara recommendations in two ways. The first was consulting with all three codes and NZRB with Sport NZ separately at an early meeting, and the second was through the nearly 1700 submissions. McKenzie älso said that MAC quickly developed and has maintained an excellent working relationship with both the Minister’s office and the DIA. And having a small but highly experienced team in New Zealand racing assisting MAC was instrumental in meeting the tight deadline. Where is all this taking us, you may well ask? The answer lies in the Minister’s original plan to leave the racing industry with legislation that will still be in place 30 years hence and serving racing well – unlike the Racing Act of 2003. That’s why Peters stopped the original racefields legislation going through about 18 months ago. If it was not going to serve racing well and give it the desired result, why proceed?. Peters knew not to send it through parliament when he found to be a poorly written document. Eventually, it would have ended up on the same scrap heap as the Racing Act of 2003, and ominously the new FOB website may potentially provide the scrapheap with a trifecta. MAC was set up to prioritise the Messara Report because it’s still the blueprint for change. Part One of the report talks about structure, finances, and legislation. If you are restructuring properly and starting from a blank sheet of paper as Messara once said, then a very wide broom needs to go through all three codes as well as NZRB –a prediction to dwell on. “The racing industry can be assured that this government is highly motivated to deliver reform and revenue to the three codes,” said Minister Peters last week. He also made a similar statement when campaigning for the last election and this industry is keen for him to deliver. Peters talks about revenue, and that’s what racing needs in mountain-like proportions for stake money. The FOB isn’t shaping up as the silver bullet NZRB said it would and, revenue of the magnitude required must surely come from maximising income through outsourcing the TAB and cutting costs with a frugal administrative structure. Reform will come with new legislation, and MAC is playing its part in furtherïng that cause. Last week the Minister said, “MAC has produced an interim report which reflects the submissions from the racing industry which establishes options at technical, legal, financial and process-orientated steps to be taken.” It seems clear from that statement the Minister is pleased with everything MAC has achieved thus far. And equally, McKenzie displayed both optimism and lots of confidence in Peters when he stated, “The Minister is an engaging person who is passionate about reforming racing.” The industry waits as it has done before – perhaps not now holding its breath, but in McKenzie the action is aplenty, and hope springs eternal. View the full article

New Plymouth Race Scratchings R1: R2: R3: 1 R4: 9 R5: R6: R7: 9 TAB Meeting #6 with the first of 7 races starting at 12:45pm Doubles: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7 Trebles: 2-3-4 , 5-6-7 Quaddies: 1-2-3-4, 4-5-6-7 Track conditions: Good 3 Weather: Fine Rail: Out 11m Track: Right hand 1600m Length of straight: 375m Todays $50 Betting Strategy Race 3: #8 ENDURING […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

So put up and go head to head with Mardi.

All the signs are positive. And now the hopples are back on. Millionaire pacer Chicago Bull is... Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Milner – made up big ground in slick time at Palmy last Thursday. Follow him at the next meeting there. Sheffield Sparky – home in 56.5 from last at Auckland behind impressive Double Rocket. Nice effort after sitting parked to win the start prior. Puma Road – finished on nicely after getting too far back. […] Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Getting dressed up in pink is not every young man’s idea of a fun weekend. Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Harness racing participants are not being investigated despite a series of complaints to the SPCA. Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article

Star filly Sunlight has pleased her trainer Tony McEvoy in a gallop at The Valley ahead of the William Reid Stakes. Want to read this content? For free user content sign up here Free Online Content View our subscription options and get behind The Informant paywall Already a member? Login here View the full article