Happy Sunrise

This guy often throws out howlers but this one from the scribe of the All Stars stable should know better shouldn't he? Maybe David needs to provide some facts and take them to the RIU so they can follow up on his concerns. That is the usual advice given to the All Stars haters isn't it?

It starts with an attendant holding a horse on the front line. Another one is standing next to the one horse on the rail. What are the second line horses meant to do?

The 'perception' rule might be in play after that last race at Rangiora...

As long as it is not the drivers at Oamakau...

Fixed Odds (the name of the horse) ran a beaut race at Geraldine to get 3rd from the unruly to Miss Graceful. It beat subsequent winners in Diamond Edition and Already Gone, plus Hell's Shadow which ran a top race yesterday. It is in at Westport in Race 5 up against my other unruly friend Bossmaro. I am pretty sure it will go close at some stage over the holiday break. What have you got people?

So nothing to fear?

Where is Ranga with a cryptic reply to that?

True or not, SAFE would have a field day if they got a sniff of it. It would make it onto the mainstream news, of course, they would bring up INCA and metal lined whips to set the scene and set the code back years.

Under the Waimak bridge? Does Poppy have the Rangatira's permission to have a sip of the Waimak on her long journey to Rangiora?

I read this with interest and started doubting my memory as I thought cobalt positives got some trainers in a good deal of trouble a couple of years ago but this seems to be very run of the mill with just a simple loss of the race and no fines...nothing. Has the attitude to cobalt changed or is my memory wrong? NON RACEDAY INQUIRY RIU V G ANDERSON - DECISION ON A REQUEST FOR A RULING DATED 6 DECEMBER 2019 - CHAIR, PROF G HALL Created on 10 December 2019 BEFORE A JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF THE JUDICIAL CONTROL AUTHORITY UNDER THE RACING ACT 2003 AND IN THE MATTER of the New Zealand Rules of Harness Racing BETWEEN RACING INTEGRITY UNIT (RIU) Informant AND GRAEME ANDERSON Licensed Trainer Respondent INFORMATION NO: A4826 COMMITTEE: Prof G Hall (Chairman) Mr P Knowles (Member) APPEARING: Mr P Meulenbroek, Racing Investigator, for the RIU The respondent in person RULING OF JUDICIAL COMMITTEE [1] The informant, the RIU, seek a ruling under r 1004D(1) of the New Zealand Rules of Harness Racing disqualifying the horse BONO BROWN from the Forbury Park TC meeting at Dunedin on 2 November 2019. The horse is alleged to have tested positive for Cobalt. [2] Rule 1004(1A) states: A horse shall be presented for a race free of prohibited substances. [3] Rule 1004(4) provides: A breach of sub-rule (1A) is committed regardless of the circumstances in which the prohibited substance came to be present in or on the horse. [4] Rule 1004D(1) states: Any horse taken to a racecourse for the purpose of engaging in a race which is found to have administered to it or ingested by it a prohibited substance (which includes out of competition prohibited substances) must be disqualified from that race. [5] The Prohibited Substances Regulation 4 states: The following substances are not prohibited when present at or below the following threshold: 4.11 Cobalt at a concentration at or below 100 micrograms per litre in urine. [6] BONO BROWN is a 4-year-old bay gelding trained by Mr Anderson at Westwood Beach, Dunedin. BONO BROWN is co-owned by Mr Anderson and Mr B Sceats. BONO BROWN has had 4 race starts for a win and two placings as at 30 November 2019. [7] BONO BROWN was correctly entered and presented by Mr Anderson to race in Race 2, the NORWOOD FARM MACHINERY CENTRE MOBILE PACE at the Forbury Park TC meeting on 2 November 2019. BONO BROWN won the race, winning a stake of $4000. This stake has not yet been paid out. [8] BONO BROWN was post-race swabbed and a urine sample was taken immediately after it entered the swab box at 1.26 pm in the presence of Ms S Bransgrove who is Mr Anderson's wife and also a qualified veterinarian. The sample was recorded with the swab card number 146784. Mr Anderson does not contest the taking of the sample. [9] On 22 November 2019 Racing Analytical Services Limited accredited laboratory in Victoria Australia sent a Certificate of Analysis for sample 146784 that showed a result of 128 micrograms of Cobalt per litre of urine. [10] On the 26 November 2019 Eurofins ELS Limited laboratory in Wellington reported an Analytical result that the Urine Sample number 146784 had returned a Cobalt result of 130 micrograms per litre of urine. [11] Both results are a breach of the New Zealand Rules of Harness Racing which specify that Cobalt is only permitted when present at a concentration at or below 100 micrograms per litre. [12] On 4 December Mr Anderson signed a statement agreeing to the fact that under the Rules BONO BROWN must be disqualified. [13] Mr Anderson confirmed this at the hearing this afternoon. [14] We rule pursuant to r 1004D(1) that BONO BROWN is disqualified from race 2 at the Forbury Park TC meeting on 2 November 2019. [15] Amended placings are: 1st TUAPEKA JESSIE 2nd BARIKA 3rd MACK SHEER 4th HOKURI PLATTER 5th MY MAN ROOSTER [16] Stakes are to be paid accordingly. Dated at Dunedin this 6th day of December 2019. Geoff Hall, Chairman

Not much would get past those Formula 1 dudes. Especially a horse walking on the motorway to Rangiora.

Poppy would be fit from walking to Rangiora from Russley. Hope she took a short cut as the traffic is awful.

Went by itself? A self training horse?

I can't imagine a punter would make a regular journey out to Melton to watch the races unless they are a die hard like you Globe! Especially as it is a fair distance. I think once you take the races out of central Auckland you kiss goodbye to attendance and admit defeat to a made for TV product.

How much trouble does that land someone in? Who was the horse with instead? Of all the vague explanations one can give...you give a detailed false one!

This is not a rule which should pit people against each other as it is in the vested interests of the industry to get it right. It needs to be a team effort - stipes working with drivers to get make it work. Warnings and advice to be heeded and punishment only when absolutely necessary but it seems with the amount of fines and suspensions handed out it is anything but.

How are this former owner and whip punishment related? Pathetic display by the stipe Grimstone if true. They should know better not to react like that.

In trash? Go save it as it sounds like a good read ?

Handed in or taken away?

Who is he?

Where is the article? That is what the whip rule is all about. Ask Kirstin Barclay. It is a well intended rule that is starting to leave messes behind. Maybe the Box Seat will discuss it lol.

Rodney Hide would make a great amateur driver.

Anderson a free man...but new charges against 3 defendants! Seems like the battle is not over for some and to the contrary of what some vociferous individuals say. Rising harness racing star Matthew Anderson avoids conviction over drugs charges 19 Dec, 2019 3:51pm 3 minutes to read Matthew Anderson leaves Christchurch District Court after an earlier appearance. By: Kurt Bayer NZ Herald reporter based in Christchurch kurt.bayer@nzherald.co.nz @KurtBayerNZME A promising young harness racing driver says he took illegal party drugs to keep up with the daily grind of racing and travel around the country. Rising star Matthew Anderson used MDMA, a common recreational stimulant otherwise known as ecstasy, while chasing his dream of becoming the top young harness racing star in New Zealand. The 27-year-old was caught up as a "by-product" arrest during Operation Inca - the 18-month race-fixing investigation into New Zealand's harness racing industry by the National Organised Crime Group. Officers found that Anderson supplied drugs to others, including racing industry figures, between March 24 and August 20 last year. After earlier admitting two charges of possessing Class B drugs for supply and supplying Class B drugs, Anderson's lawyer Allister Davis told Christchurch District Court that he was a naïve young man who got the drugs for himself, but also for peers who he looked up to. Anderson was driven to source the stimulant drugs so he could continue to drive in circumstances where he would have otherwise tired easily, Davis said. He was chasing the Junior Driver Premiership at the time, competing in races all over New Zealand, which involved a gruelling travel schedule, and doing up to four to six races at a meeting. "That was the catalyst for the offending," Davis said. "This is his life, his passion." Judge Raoul Neave accepted it involved supplying "very small amounts" of MDMA to a circle of friends and associates. He also noted that Operation Inca had not intended to focus on illegal drugs. "These are not the crimes they were looking for," he said. Davis sought a discharge without conviction. Police opposed the application, with prosecutor Karyn South saying that a discharge for drug offending of this type would've been "very rare". She did, however, accept they were "by-product charges". If he'd been convicted today, the industry's Racing Integrity Unit (RIU) would have automatically dished out a two-year suspension from driving or even attending race courses. And even though Anderson could have asked for an exemption to continue racing, his case likely wouldn't be heard until the end of January and he'd miss out on around $20,000 in earnings, with many race meetings scheduled between now and then, Davis said. The RIU could still bring a prosecution and disqualify him. Judge Neave granted the discharge, saying he was "sympathetic" to Anderson's plight. He said that a lengthy or permanent ban would be devastating for Anderson and out of proportion to what were "acts of relatively youthful folly". "What started out as obtaining drugs to cope with pressures of his career, morphed in to a desire to assist those he may have wished to impress, and found himself caught up in something much bigger than him," the judge said. Eleven people arrested during Operation Inca had their cases called at court today but it was adjourned to a further pre-trial callover on March 12. Some new charges were also laid today against three defendants. Widespread suppression orders mean that for now their identities largely remain a secret while their cases go through the judicial system.

for 6 months at least it seems. The stable do have a lot of injuries to top liners but with blood spinning he should be back in a month ?

This is pretty cool. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/video.cfm?c_id=4&gal_cid=4&gallery_id=215054 And the following article from http://www.voxy.co.nz/business/5/353971 A world first successfully trialled at Australasia’s biggest harness racing meeting is set to revolutionise the New Zealand and global racing and wagering industry. Representatives from the New Zealand TAB and Australian Harness Racing were on site at Auckland’s Alexandra Park last Friday night when the new broadcast technology was unveiled at harness racing’s IRT sponsored Inter Dominion Championships. The successful trial featured on-site coverage of races involving 360-degree cameras mounted on the helmets of drivers, which will soon allow fans to use smartphones to experience the race in real-time from the perspective of the drivers. Racing officials globally are interested in the technology’s ability to deliver in-race wagering, opening a vital new revenue stream for the TAB and also acting as an attraction to lure fans and the next generation of event seekers, back to racing clubs suffering from declining attendances. "This has huge potential. Punters should get involved while attending the InterDoms. We need their feedback to make the experience the best it can be. Looking forward to the next stage. One of the more exciting things that’s happened to Racing for years," says Racing Board general manager of customers, Gary Woodham "Once we have proven the system, we can look to monetise it for punters. Very exciting. TAB understands how this could change the game for Racing punters." Representatives from 5G providers Huawei, have been contributors to the "proof-of-concept" which has been overseen by the inventor of the "BESTSEAT360" product, Aucklander Craig Meek. The innovative smartphone-delivered products allow spectators at track side or at home, to view the race in real-time from the perspective of the driver or jockey. The product allows users to rotate the view a full 360 degrees to see the horses in front, next and behind the chosen driver. Fans can also ‘teleport’ or ‘swap’ to different drivers during the race. "In the past, if you were at a track, you’d follow a race with a set of binoculars," explained Meek. "Today, our product allows you to use a smartphone, while giving you the incredible experience of driving your horse in the race by simply rotating your view 360 degrees during the race allowing you to move from horse to horse for a better view, putting you right in the action." A select group of 50 "VIPs" used the product for the first time during the Alexandra Park pilot and were unanimous in agreement; this trial was a glimpse into the future and could be a huge boost for the industry and other sporting codes. "Racing has probably lagged a bit in technology in recent times, but this could be a game-changer," said Jamie MacKinnon, Board Director of Alexandra Park. "We need to find effective and stimulating ways to convince event seekers to come to race meetings and to better engage with our sport. This is the future of engaging sports viewership and a platform to improve revenues. It’s easy to use and very captivating. We saw positive response to the idea, especially by those not directly involved with harness racing." "Many of them were blown away by the technology and say they want more." Importantly, MacKinnon added, the future ability to bet through the BESTSEAT360 product could prove a huge benefit to the future of the racing industry. Harness racing officials both sides of the Tasman are enthusiastic about the products potential with the wagering community. "Having seen the amazing vision generated by the BestSeat360 technology, I sincerely believe that this innovative presentation of vision can be 'game changing' for the Harness Racing Industry. Not only does it provide the ability to revolutionise the way in which people view and experience our racing product, but it also has the potential to open new revenue streams to the Industry." said Chairman - Harness Racing Australia, Michael Taranto. "The potential uses of the vision are endless." Based on the success of this trial, BESTSEAT360 has been invited to present to the governing body of the China racing body responsible for horse racing and wagering on Hainan Island, China. Meek said 5G will be the "game-changer" that makes BESTSEAT360 the ultimate in sports engagement. While harness racing was the "first proof-of-concept", the technology and product had a "natural fit" with other sporting codes and media coverage. The Alexandra Park trial was successful using 4.5G. "If we had 5G, the full-on experience would be mind-blowing," said Meek. "Being Kiwis, we are overcoming all obstacles as they present. Working with the team at Spark and Huawei they upgraded the Alexandra Park cell site from 4G to 4.5G to provide us with enough band width to provide the VIPs with an exclusive experience from multiple horses. We have also tested the technology in the Spark 5G Lab." MacKinnon said, "Alexandra Park has been working with Meek’s company since the beginning of the year and saw the IRT Inter-Dominion as the perfect event to pilot the technology." "We have provided them with access to our facilities," he explained. "The horse owners, drivers and staff have been amazingly helpful and realise they will be beneficiaries of the new technology and are part of a world first." Meek said the test project had been invaluable in identifying and overcoming issues and that real-time, in-race wagering "is absolutely possible" and that the product is easily transferrable to the sports and entertainment world. He said BESTSEAT360 will roll out other world firsts with various sports over the next year and would also concentrate on adding an "AI" (Artificial Intelligence) component to assist users and take engagement to the next level. "We’re talking about smart media for smart phones that gives you the event in real- time, close up from the eyes of those in it the middle of it," he said. "There is an obvious application to all manner of sports from motor-racing to rugby, cricket to baseball, basketball to netball, Tour de France to crazy extreme sports and a host of other sports. Not only does it offer fans gripping new perspectives from the view of the athlete but also the ability to create gamification to drive fan engagement and also maximise the wagering economy." Meek said, "Licencing opportunities are underway with sports organisations, telcos and broadcasters in New Zealand and internationally with an investment round also planned early next year."