Huey

Blue Diamond Prelude Fillies Kiki Express - Formerly with Ellerton & Zahra, One for the Exotics (now just with Ellerton, we all know about stable split, won the Debutant Stakes 1st up) CF Orr Stakes Cascadian - 1st Up, Place Preffered ( FUP - 7-2-2, DST -10-2-3 last start 2nd in Mackinnon)

Off the back of Doomed post regarding VE in the Apollo Stakes you've got to ask why they even bother? Here are some more classics for this weekend : Light Fingers Fangirl - Placed in Mdn company first up last campaign ( Last start won the $500k Carbine Club at Flemington ) Zouzarella - First up should find this a bit easier. (not sure how the Light Fingers can ever be considered easy) Apollo Stakes Cascadian - Meeting easier opposition here . (tell that to Kolding,Think It Over, VE , Ice Bath, Collette etc, where does it get harder?) Colette - Drops in Grade (Last start a G1 this one a G2 , quality of opposition easily make this a G1) VE - Handy galloper. Class drop helps. (LMAO) Triscay Stakes Vangelic - One for the Exotics (Last start 3rd in the Golden Eagle)

He has some easy wins that could get him on the right track and will indicate which agenda he is going to follow, I'm picking we will be heading down the same track .

Sorry I don't share your enthusiasm for this one, he will likely be another CEO who believes in the shortcuts the industry has been sold over the past few years.

Interesting to see how he does, can surely be no worse than BS and undoubtedly will be influenced a lot by his brother.

Is this why Saundry is rumoured to be in Aus, for this case? Out of his league as soon as he hit NZ, I was told by many he would save the industry , he has made it irrevocably worse !

That's part of the problem , we have a myriad of persons at clubs/NZTR who think the food and beverage is more important than the core product the horse. Outside of perhaps the big 3 clubs I can't see the need or deman to provide such services , but many in the industry think they should be having Flemington Spring Carnival experiences at race meetings in NZ every week. I think its one reason the provincial clubs did well they provided the value for money experience on all fronts including food & beverage.

I think alot of it comes down to where the hurt is occuring and thats at the bottom end at the moment, there are a number of the bigger outfits who are going ok (not great but ok) whereas the bottom end is really starting to drop out, the pain will come for everyone though its only a matter of time with an industry run as poorly as this has been for years...one cannot stop the inevitable.

Yep and we have the same posidividdy occuring within racing and its not happening.

BGP looking more and more like a once a year race day phenomena, not unexpected in my view having met a number of them. Your other observations are so very correct, however the need for a united front within racing to see those observations happen is in my view the very reason they won't happen and the industry is doomed.

So true, can't see someone being given the job if they weren't going to follow along the same lines as BS mess. Some of this lot think they are doing a great job.

That's a perfect way of putting it and I've heard a number reason along those lines recently. I feel the only way to put the fun back in it is for their to be a revolution, but in NZracing that will never happen.

Agree, there isn't really a standout colt yet for the Derby , could emerge in the Avondale Guineas. Seems like this years race could be won be anything.

Yes , I'm trying to find one, its a real challenge.

Feels like its getting to the bottom of the barrel.

Abandonment after Abandonment Rising fuel costs Feed prices on the increase Owners/trainers/breeders beginning to leave the sport in droves or going across the Tasman Stuffed tracks Incompetence in Racing Administration Staff shortages Jockey shortages Abysmal Programming non existent and irrelevant handicapping an ill thought out calendar Crazy Covid mandates in the sport A venue plan that is achieving exactly the opposite of what it was supposed to Declining foal crop A new licensing process that looks set to do more harm than good Another TAB CEO from the corporate world with no wagering experience Greater involvement of sports in the TAB These are just a few, but apart from Dave E. saying this is the best crop of yearlings he has ever seen are there any other positives in the industry anyone can think of?

Good post, my pick is we will be doing a lot more of this in the future than actually watching local racing.

One is plenty, shifted out of the CD district.

As NM says is there any point racing outside of the Northern region ? Meeting News Taranaki Features Re-Scheduled The three black-type races that were unable to be run at Taranaki yesterday have been re-scheduled as follows: Taranaki Cup (Group 3 $85,000) – This will replace the Open Hcp at Awapuni on Friday 11 February. Conditions will remain the same as at Taranaki with the exception that it will now be run over 2000m. 2YO (Group 3 $80,000) – This has been added to the Waikato RC programme to be held at Te Rapa on Saturday 12 February. 3YOF (Listed Race $60,000) – This race will be run at Taranaki on Friday 18 February

True, in Taranaki case that was their 2nd abandonment in 2-3 months.

I don't think you can blame the weather when you choose to send horses around, certainly when called off like Tauherenikau you'd have to say its weather based.

Wouldn't want to upset his mates in the industry and therein lies the problem with opinions like these.

Exactly and it appears they haven't let pity little squabbles and self interest rule their decisions around which tracks/clubs get utilised, they've recognised that racing itself is important, whereas we have had regimes whose agendas have been so infexible they have led us to this.

The problem has also been fly by nighters entering the industry making decisions based on little or no input from the grass roots in the industry or having next to know actual industry knowledge or experience , not even what its like to be a small owner or trainer or strapper for that matter. Anyone could see Venue Plan was never going to work and now the fruits of the plan are ready for harvest!

Exactly , whilst I applaud them for making the Wairap. decision early enough to save persons in the industry travel , trouble of going etc. why is the extra meeting being put on that really gives CD owners/trainers a race day on the other side of the North Island? (i.e. New Pymouth was abandoned first, yes I realise Awapuni on Friday but it was always on) . BS Venue Plan is certainly working wonders for the NZ racing industry, if they (NZTR) really had a clue they'd know this sort of stuff happens regularly in NZ and thus the industry needs every track it can get , especially the provincial volunteer ones. Also if the stakes races from New Plymouth are to be run somewhere else, what happens to the Prizemoney for the other 5 races that were on offer at that meeting est. $150k?