Dark Beau

What's wrong with Westbury that their Stallions are not in it?

Haven’t they just done that atTe Rapa? Come in friends of Te Rapa and tell us otherwise or tell us how it has worked out.

Has Secretariat returned?

And Trentham! Probably need it on Saturday actually, such has been the crap weather there this week, so I am told.

Well that told us nothing. A pathetic report from so called professionals.

Agree. It is a monumental problem for sure everywhere, and an allweather track or three, won’t fix the problem either.

Barryb, I invite you to read the article on Te Rapa on The Informant site. You might then agree with me that it was a management cock up! Can you believe it? The McGregor Grant Steeplechase is going to be run at Trentham! Leo Molloy will be having a heartattack just thinking about it, as will so many others from Taupo north, unfortunately. Its time to wake up in the north, your tracks are fucked. Ellerslie, Te Rapa, Counties, Te Aroha, Tauranga, Rotorua and sadly you are about to stuff Avondale because of over use. What does that leave, Ruakaka, Te Awamutu, Taupo and Matamata? Who have I left out? It doesn’t make for pretty reading does it?

Sand pit. LOL

Well we will just have to agree to disagree. Personally I prefer to go with what the Stipe said today and what was reported a couple of weeks ago. In both instances it was stated that too much sand had been applied! By the way, how much rain have they really had? Since midnight until now, the official data is only 4.6mm! At Cambridge yesterday looked fine to me! Had it rained all week?

Another management cock-up you mean! Too much sand put on, resulting in too much kick back, hence the poor visibility. Disgraceful. Now consider how much it has cost all of the participants (tens of thousands I would suggest) simply because of mismanagement. When will they ever learn? Sack the idiots is my suggestion.

Welcome Thomas. Have you encouraged your disciple Buller Rep [Keith] to follow you? He makes a lot of sense, even if he is of the same political persuasion as you. I wonder if "stupid" fasthorse will follow, as at the moment he will have no one to talk to?

Well Chief Stipe, I am of the very opposite opinion. HOWEVER it will take at least 3 or 4 years to come right as the soil will be currently stuffed as someone said. My experience is Trentham, where there was no discernible difference for three years [after the drainage work and sand slitting] until the soil was able to "recondition its self" through not being waterlogged six months of the year. Prior to that everything that should have been of assistance drowned including the worms, and all that grew were buttercup and the useless poua grass. However now as we have all seen over the last three years, Trentham is without doubt the best racing surface in NZ. P.S. Anyone notice how it played on Saturday, after nearly a 100 mm of rain this month?

Thanks curious. Another question. Would that include magnetic pulse blankets and boots?

I see that Ben Currie is being charged with administrating shockwave therapy to a horse within 7 days, prior to competing. Is it the rule same here in NZ?

Reefton and Hesi, I agree completely with your comments. You can throw into the mix a large number of quality jumpers too.

Now I know that I am setting myself up for target practice but this is my experience: About 8 years ago lateral drains every 5 metre were laid at Trentham. The drains were topped with sand. Do they call that sand slitting? I don’t know! Anyway, for the next three years it didn’t seem to have made much difference! However since then the whole soil structure has had a chance to restructure as it is no longer totally waterlogged for six months! The result is that 8 year down the track it is by far the best surface in NZ, as we have all seen over the last four years. Even last Saturday after a heap of rain, while it was heavy it played super. Did you see anyone heading to the outside fence. I rest my case!

It may have been through heavy rolling but the minute the showers came it flew to bits.

I am sure I did.

So it seems, even though it seems that we were told otherwise yesterday via Trackside who seemed to be quoting the Stipes here!

Not on the day at all. It was at 5.00am on Friday morning. Different rules over there because they can’t trust themselves to behave even within 48 hours!! JMO Beau

TP did what he normally does every “pre-raceday” here in NZ which is perfectly legal and very helpful to the horse. In Aust it’s against the rules (unfortunately) for Tony. Maybe it’s because they are all so bent over there that they can’t even trust themselves to administer legal medication the day before that they have to have such a huge gap before racing which which is obviously counterproductive to the horse. What a crap environment to have to work within, i.e. surrounded by descendants of convicts. Given their current rules it makes it hard for us to fly a horse over midweek and expect it to perform on the next Saturday. Beau

No, yesterday morning - Friday to be precise.

Ashley, a bloody good question! Why? Maybe pressure! We are all getting a bit older, as is Stephen, and as we age, who really needs pressure? I await the spin. P.S. He’s done a super job for Te Akau in my opinion.

Pitman has on average only 35 horses in training throughout the year! Marsh and Pike 80 to 90, Baker/Forsman 100+. It must be remembered that the Pitman stable would have a higher percentage, that race consistently, as he gets a lot of castoffs from the NI ready to go, hence the high number of starters relative to stable size. Having said I believe that the Pitmans are punching well above their weight and are to be congratulated on a fantastic season. And on another note, nor am I in any way denigrating Marsh, Pike or Baker/Forsman, I am simply using them in comparison. There are plenty of other large stables as well such as Te Akau, Team Rogerson etc. P. S. Expect a major announcement (at any moment) about a change of trainer at Te Akau! (I wonder where Steve is going?)

But didn’t. The winner was at 66/1.