Rowley Mile

Breaking News...Racing NSW have served a show cause notice on Weir.....re why they should accept his nominations........short odds now he is a gone burger.....

The Two clowns on the other channel or should I say sycophants championing Weir make me ill, the bloke with the tertiary qualifications especially, he should know better. Invited to his yard, oh God, state of the art technology, oh God,......listen, many years ago when I was sending poor bloody racehorses up to Singapore and KL......before I woke up to myself and got a life, I happen to sit in a seat onboard SQ and spoke with none other than a famous Olympic champion who was the first to admit to blood doping.....he told me how it worked [not illegal] and asked me if we did same with horses.......8 hours to SIN.......a fabulous, interesting conversation....when I started training in Melbourne I discussed this with my Vet, [quick search for the defibrillator] he was aghast, however, apparently, there may well have been skulduggery going on, but that was in the Wild West 80's........roll on to nowadays and the animal welfare, we have all grown up and yet the desire to have an edge, or greed that should read, is real......the latest on DW from the AGE in Melbourne.....he is refusing to answer questions regarding a video, refusing......to those of you in the DW camp, if you are innocent, why refuse to answer questions......please explain.

Hell mate, animal welfare will be the straw that breaks the industry's back....believe you me. If you want to see the industry fall over, this is the issue and if you don't believe it, have a look at how this almost happened to the Greyhound industry in NSW. We need government to continue funding our industry but if this continues to happen, the house of public opinion will ensure the amount severely diminished... Any trainer caught with equipment either at his stable or vehicle or any other place of abode or business, needs to be prepared for the consequences. #EOS

Yep Pete, spot on.

Cop this Weasel, read it and tell me DW is not a cheat......my argument is the man is a cheat, the underneath is living proof, deny it all you like, I only commented as I have followed his career with interest as we had 10 racehorse looking for a trainer in either MEL or SYD.....I've decided to do it myself, why? I lost confidence in the system in VIC when I saw what was evolving, read it and weep. Darren Weir is Australia's biggest racehorse trainer by sheer weight of numbers. Weir began training at Stawell in 1995 after working for Terry O'Sullivan. He moved to Ballarat in 2002, with just over 30 horses in work. Those numbers have swelled since. Weir currently has 614 horses listed by his name, that's not including young horses that haven't been named. He also has multiple training bases to house his horses - Ballarat, Baringhup and Warrnambool. And that's largely been due to the success he's enjoyed in recent years - Weir has won 35 Group 1 races since 2013, 24 of those victories registered in Melbourne. But he's also made headlines for falling foul of authorities. Below we list the indiscretions during Weir's training career. January 2001: Weir was suspended for eight weeks for giving false evidence in an inquiry into the late scratching of his galloper Amanda Huggenkiss at Warrnambool. The suspension came after a racetrack detective had observed Weir take Amanda Huggenkiss from the stalls about 90 minutes before the race. The racetrack detective followed Weir into the float car park where Weir placed the horse on the float before emerging from the back of the float 13 minutes later. Weir was also fined $1000 for removing the mare from the saddling paddock and for having a needle in his possession. October 2002: Weir was fined $1000 at Manangatang races after he was found to have equipment in his possession that could be used for tubing. September 2003: Weir was suspended for three months after being found guilty of stomach-tubing Kinther King at Rupanyup, in the float transporting the horse to Murtoa racecourse on August 8, 2003. May 2006: The Weir-trained Glebe Run was controversially scratched on the last day of the 2006 Warrnambool May Carnival. Stewards deemed there was a 'strong possibility' the horse had been stomach-tubed. However, all blood and urine tests from Glebe Run were clear and no action was taken against Weir. February 2008: Weir received the largest monetary penalty for breaching racing's bi-carb rules when the Racing Appeals and Disciplinary Board fined him $15,000. Weir pleaded guilty to sending Grey Jeune to the Murtoa races on July 14, 2007 when a pre-race blood sample showed it had an elevated TCO2 level above the allowable level of 36 millimoles per litre in plasma. Grey Jeune's referee sample showed a level of 37.1 millimoles, which narrowly exceeded the limit even when the mandatory measure of uncertainty of one millimole was applied. November 2009: Weir received a fine of $1500 after Lethal Gal was scratched from Ballarat Cup Day as a race-day inspection at Weir's stable revealed the horse was located in a nearby stable of another trainer. January 2010: The Weir-trained Time Matters was withdrawn from a Listed race at Caulfield after a routine race day-stable inspection revealed the horse had been at Jarrod McLean's Warrnambool stable. March 2011: Weir was convicted and fined $500 by the RAD Board for using abusive language towards a trackwork supervisor at Ballarat. May 2013: Weir was convicted and fined $7000 by the RAD Board after Doing Our Best returned a positive swab to Frusemide after winning a maiden race at Ballarat on February 16, 2013. November 2013: Weir was fined $2000 for a stable return breach, leading to Platelet's late scratching from the Group 1 VRC Sprint Classic (1200m) at Flemington. September 2018: Weir was fined $5000 for providing false jumpout information regarding seven horses that participated at the Ballarat jumpouts in August. December 2018: Jarrod McLean, stable foreman of Weir, was suspended for six weeks for making false statements to stewards regarding the stabling of Trap For Fools in the lead-up to the Group 3 Coongy Cup (2000m) on Caulfield Cup Day. McLean returned from suspension on January 28. January 2019: Weir stables at Ballarat and Warrnambool were raided at the break of dawn by detectives from the Sporting Integrity Intelligence Unit and members of the Racing Victoria Integrity Services team.

Unfortunately Weasel I live in the real world, not Planet Weasel, that must have some rarified air, if you cheat in my world, you'll always be labeled a cheat......it's in their DNA you see.....but you are entitled to your view as I am to mine, ok?

No you don't get it......if you get caught shoplifting, and convicted, you are a thief....agreed? Guess what, this bloke has been caught cheating before you see, therefore he's a cheat...end of.

Hey mate, if your caught cheating and punished, you're a cheat, get it? ......That's what he is guilty of, = being a cheat, this episode is just another chapter in the book of Weir, or weird, whatever.....

I've just googled Weir, you try it Mr Weasel, last fine 15k!......he's been done for needles, tubes, you name it.......I don't know the outcome of this arrest, but by as hell he has a track record better than Ronnie Biggs........convicted Weasel and one of the heaviest fines on record. You can't defend him, he's dead set a lucky bugger, I loved the grin and waving to the press though, classic.

also an unregistered firearm, oh, and cocaine.....

Just watching the press conference, been questioned for several hours.......maybe released without charge, ....pending further investigation.

3 jiggers found Shu, 3........not mine, never seen them before?

Yes you did, on racechat, and now I promise, this is my goodbye, just wanted to be remembered as someone who told it like it is.

Hesi you disappoint me, don't ever write to me privately again, if you know who I am then you will know you DID write to me privately. I have tried to point out the foibles NZ Racing owns, I've tried to do a lot of things, as a business owner, and some our best and most loyal clients are NZ based corporates I have been loyal to the country that spawned me......I'm not ashamed to be more Aussie than Kiwi, I'm proud of it, this country gave me opportunities that NZ never could. We encountered corruption in many forms Hesi, during our tenure owning and operating a global marketing company, and also our South African and South American based tour operation, however, no matter how hard we tried in NZ we were confronted by apathy, and yes corruption, mostly moral corruption in both racing and our corporate lives. We were enveloped by bullying, lying, and the worst of all death and suicide......all family or friends and employees, the suicide shook my wife to her very core, and the attitude of people around us, we couldn't condone the behaviour and voted with our feet, returning to Australia. While Australia is far from perfect Hesi, it offers succour and safety nets not found in New Zealand. You obviously follow my posts with vigour Hesi, you would notice how vicious I am toward your failed Governments and the deaths, mainly women because of the neglect and ignorance shown by the Government re the Pharmac funding for cancer drugs. You may think I overstep the mark Hesi, my anger knows no bounds you see, you don't have a police force Hesi, you have a police service, they are useless, the fit ups, wrongful imprisonments, the racial profiling in our neighbourhood when we lived there. The racism in your fucking country sickens me, the hypocrisy sickens me, and to hold character we left. Having said all that, and I only say all that because this is my last post on BOAY, people like BarryB and his ilk typify the people we encountered in everyday life, then there are the people who train our horses and care for our mares over there, they are the salt of the earth. They don't have options like I do, they, due to family and possible financial restraints are tied to NZ probably for ever. I know one of our trainers read and contribute to this site, we communicate often, we agree on most things, and differ on few, and that's what makes the world go around. We left our horses behind in NZ, we lived in the vain hope that change would come, we now know that's not feasible or doable in a country with a mindset and culture such as yours...... Our horses are youngsters, some have shown promise, one, considerable promise, they will do their future racing in Australia, unlike the majority we do not sell our horses to Asia, in all conscience we could never see the lovely animals we bred live their life in an Asian jurisdiction, we don't covert financial gain as the benchmark for success. I'll clarify the Asian criticism, I lived and spent considerable time there, I traded horses when I was much younger, I deeply regret doing so, I saw the lives they led, I know what fate held in store for them, I now believe in Karma, your reap what you sow. New Zealand bashing Hesi, if you ever get to read the story of our life you may think differently. I cannot speak for La Zip Hesi, suffice to say, La Zip as a winner of the highest accolade in International Tourism attempted to create a small tourism operation in our region, it would have provided employment and revenue for local business and suppliers, she was confronted by scepticism, jealousy, and the Government departments that should have stood up to the plate circled the wagons as they, mistakingly, feared for their very existence. What should have been a wonderful opportunity for local business was slaughtered by protectionism....and that typiied behaviour in most industries in New Zealand. The potential was amazing, now it's lost and gone forever, what a tragic shame. La Zip was approached a while back by Qantas here in Australia to establish their ground handling operations when they launched their South American operations through firstly Buenos Aires, and then Santiago, our partners became Qantas's partners, that's the level of her profile and expertise, intimidation it appears for small town New Zealand....my defence is over, you can read into that what you will. I have enjoyed my time on here mostly, as we have now dispersed our New Zealand racing interests the moral thing for us to do is leave, there is no use or justification in kicking a man on the ground, there is no use us commenting on things that now don't concern us, I would have loved nothing more than to travel across to watch our horses race, and race for decent prizemoney, to race in a country that shows respect to it's owners, breeders, punters and grass roots workers, it doesn't, and therefore only the people can change that. We don't live there, so we can't contribute anymore, financially, emotionally, and morally, so it's good night from her and goodnight from me. I would like to thank Chief Stipe though, in some small way I think CS went through a parallel universe when he had tenure 'over there'...and is to be congratulated for voting with his feet and starting a competitor. To all your good buggers, I wish you well in life and health, to the others, God bless and help you.

And the next step Mark should be a firing squad......

Rubbish Barry, I left NZ in 72, I went to Oz to earn my passage to USA.....I rode a horse for Bunker Hunt, I wrote to him looking for a job when I got fat, his secretary wrote back...God bless her, I had a job, but had to get to NYC.....I met my gal in SYD and that was that....I didn't flee Muldoon, nor did the boys who shared my cabin on the Northern Star.....when we got to SYD we went to a Kiwi Pub, 90% of them were on the dole, living in Bondi and pissed most of the time.....now and for the past thousand years Kiwis make up the most proportionate demographic in Oz prisons, Islanders, Maori and Pakeha...all on Kiwi passports, yes, there are a multitude of Kiwi's doing well, always has been, without the Maori boys the building sites would have collapsed here, they clamoured for overtime, built great homes and put their kids through schools, they would never have achieved that in NZ...never, the stables here are full of Kiwi's earning at least 50K a year, husband and wife teams, just like Ireland, they too make up a huge proportion of stable staff......but without the Indian labour force, most on 457 visa's, stables like Wallers and Weirs would shrink dramatically......it's all about migration, generally people leaving failed countries, leaving sad and distraught families behind, sound familiar? it should.

I could argue all day long, your metrics are impressive however. I'm lucky enough to have lived in many countries, run business's in them, I have been self employed for 45 years, and have a passion for racing that sees no bounds, however, I have never experienced the lack of commercial realism that is NZ......Racing is no different. Create an interesting concept and people will invest/attend/contribute, NZ had an interesting concept, racing, it destroyed it, blaming the new generation for lack of interest is laughable, and I'm not implying you did that, only that many do......marketing is our core business, we witnessed during our three years in NZ a complete lack of marketing prowess by the two governing bodies, and I use that term loosely as they couldn't govern a desert island. In general Rod you have labeled it all correctly, that without revenue you can't sustain any business, and that's the elephant in the room....In QLD the return to the GOV and the State from racing is more than 1.5 billion annually, that was stated on UBET TAB radio yesterday, so the GOV has come to it's senses. God thank them for that, without that realisation QLD would have headed down the same path as NZ.......oblivion.

Yes, and you haven't even addressed the trackside animation game that NSW GOV paid AJC as they were then, more than 160 mil.....that saved NSW....that game is akin to pokies, the deal done with Crown back in the early 90's, Crown guaranteed VRC as they were known then, they would make up the shortfall if TAB revenue should suffer by their introduction of pokies to VIC,..... so on it goes. NZ needs total restructuring, however as another contributor on here pointed out, NZ doesn't have the same gambling culture as OZ, therefore you are pushing it uphill......but something needs to happen doesn't it? or another 700K Kiwi's will flee the Mother Ship.....sounds a bit like Ireland to me, you are a nation of emigrants, when so many emigrate, nearly 20% it shows something is drastically wrong, it splits families, but rugby is no longer NZ's national game, the new game is called apathy, like it or not.

Well Well this is the news this afternoon here in Brisbane....attention Winston, Highlights include: Provincial SEQ meetings (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Ipswich) - $6.9 million increase Standard race stakes raised from $16,000 to $21,000 (+31.25%) Maiden race stakes raised from $15k to $21k (+40%) Introduction of prize money for fifth-placed runners Introduction of $400 payment for runners placed 6th to 10th. Provincial Queensland meetings (inc. Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and Cairns) - $5.4 million increase All races at Toowoomba Turf Club raised from $14,000 to $19,000 (+35.7%) Introduction of $19,000 races at weekly Northern Provincial Showcase meetings Remaining provincial stakes raised from $14,000 to $16,500 (+17.8%) Introduction of prize money for fifth-placed runners Introduction of $400 payment for runners placed 6th to 10th Country TAB stakes raised from $12,000 to $14,500 (+20.83%) at: Kilcoy, Beaudesert, Warwick, Lockyer (Gatton), Dalby and Roma meetings Key Northern Cups and the Toowoomba Cup raised to $150,000 prize money. Mid-week Metropolitan meetings - $2.4 million increase Standard race stakes raised from $25,000 to $30,000 (+20%) Maidens raised from $20,000 to $25,000 (+25%) Introduction of $500 payment for runners placed 6th to 10th. Saturday metropolitan meetings - $2.15 million increase Standard race stakes raised from $70,000 to $75,000 (+7.1%) All races increased by $5,000 to accommodate introduction of $1000 payment for runners placed 6th to 10th. Listed races to carry minimum stakes of $125,000 (+25%)

But there are owners/breeders/jockeys/trainers/farriers and a multitude of others who do FTF, and who deserve a right and proper industry, as a punter you have an option of Oz racing, or elsewhere, the poor buggers that derive an existence from this industry should be respected and looked after........what an absolute disgrace.

But Huey, pain is natures warning, be it physical or fiscal, and NZ has been in this state for too long, too long. I think most intelligent people know what the answer is, beginning with retrenchments, it's never going to happen, never, those at the top won't resign, they are beyond embarrassment and don't accept any responsibility. I'm beginning to believe most of you are correct, Mr Peters is a windbag, he has the power to direct changes immediately, the Messara report aside. It's unfathomable that these people continue in their salaried positions Huey. We had to retrench staff that weren't performing, to save our business and the jobs of other staff members, why is the NZTR NZRB any different? Oh, of course, our business is profitable and there's isn't, plus we own our own business and they are salary takers, so who's going to rock the boat? How they look one another in the face at Petone and Parnell is beyond me, but they must be all the same ilk, the shop floor workers at NZTR are probably as bewildered as we are, and No, I don't hold them responsible, only the decision makers who don't make decisions or make/made the wrong ones and aren't accountable. I'm pissing in the wind, and almost expired, so I'll finish by saying, it's a big ship that carries a lot of passengers, MV NZ RACING......but it's run aground and is sinking, there won't be enough lifeboats to go around, the casualties will be horrendous, and who will be called to account? The Captain? or the crew?

The programming sucks, whoever organises the NZ Racing calendar is a flawed individual and has contributed to the demise of our beloved industry. The poor buggers who have to trial their horses endlessly to try to earn valuable points enabling them to get a run somewhere is more than sad. Yes, I know there is no money for more racing, but the pool of horses is there, the trial fields in the north prove that, in a perfect world there should be racing in NZ 7 days a week, a race meeting somewhere, everyday. I'm pushing shit uphill in a barrow, yep, I know that, and I feel ever so sorry for the souls who can't change their world. It is what it is for now, maybe Messara will bring some change for the better, who knows, at the very least it's caused serious debate. As sure as the world turns there are some, especially in the north, and a select few in the south who have never seen the grass so green, therefore only a grass roots revolt will change things dramatically and I can't see that happening. For the next month at least the Chch residents will enjoy their Cup carnival so thats nice, when reality sets in late in Nov I hope for all your sakes, horses included, that a change happens, a gradual one, anything, I've always been an optimist, glass half full type, for the first time in many years though I feel a sense of hopelessness for the NZ racing industry.......God help me be wrong.

Hang on, he/she might work at Petone and knows he's being retrenched shortly.

Her name is Mary Burgess (born in Tauherenikau) and her twitter handle is @mezzasez.

The big top is still the same, just a different ring master.