With A Dream

Its a thank you for me. I got $4.20 on fixed odds

Will likely start from 8. He would be better off there than the 2nd row. Given he beat all these horses easily in last 2 starts he should be winning again if he turns up in the same form although that's not a given, after all he's only human. BD Joe & Luke John would have to be the big threats from the draws

Sorry that was meant to read Cosmic Major

Thought they weren't too bad but I think if they had white sleeves it would contrast better with the blue. Just my opinion though and I'm no expert on fashion. Quite like Kim Butts colours

Was disappointing but Van Shard did cost it 5 lengths we he carted him back before the turn. Probably would have run 3rd otherwise. That Major Tom was purchased for $37.5k so looks like a real bargin

Just looking up galloping websites in Aussie yesterday and the stake money there is phenomenal. Min weekend metropolitan stakes seems to be around 140k per race. Then a tighter class race is 350k upwards on a seemingly average race day. Even in Bendigo the stakes were 35k per race. My question is where does the money come from to fund that level of stakes? Seems to be much higher than either USA or UK It would be great if Harness could tap into funds like that.

According to an article on Dalgetys website he is being set for the NZ Derby. I would imagine if he was spelled after that he would still have time to be set for a Cup start?

My first horse was a Nat Lobell mare, tons of speed but mad as a hatter. We bred from her and all her foals were duds. I would imagine any Nat Lobell mare would be getting on in age now.

Krug was quoted at $5 earlier this morning which seems overly generous but I see now he has been greyed out. Not sure if that means they won't be taking any more bets on him or are they just reassessing his price?

Herlihy reported as saying he eased him down at the end and never pulled the ear plugs

Any doubts about his ability have been answered in the G.N. Derby. Undoubtedly the best 3yr old in the country

Can I have Republican Party?

Agree about the mares races, that needs to be addressed. We need to look at some way of allowing horses that meet their mark to be allowed to stay in a grade where they are competitive. That may lead to more horses being retained here thus making it easier to card competitive fields. Hopefully with a premier meeting at Addington this Friday fields will improve for a bit more excitement

Is anyone in particular responsible for what qualifies as black type for breeding purposes? If not then someone needs to be. The criteria at the moment is hopelessly outdated. Should be 1.55 for pacers and 1.57 for trotters. I can't understand why this issue is not being addressed.

Brodie, you are an intelligent chap, so I can't make out why you believe this conspiracy theory put forward by Trump. They have evidence of fraud in spades, that is until they get to court and it turns out all they have is allegations and no evidence at all. Does it remind you of any criminal investigation here.... Inca perhaps

Broadcast the Box Seat in its old timeslot for one. More guaranteed minimum pools for pick six.

It is up to our leaders at HRNZ to advocate for a fair deal for Harness with the TAB. TAB would get The Box Seat for free I would imagine but still won't show it at an appropriate time. Come on HRNZ, push the TAB hard for a fair deal

Dave Cannan was my favorite racing journalist of all time. He was great at getting the story behind the story and had a easy reading style. Wish he was still involved .

Very hard to come to any other conclusion Chief given the statement earlier in the week that the appointment had been made permanent. Hopefully some good applicants will come out of the woodwork. It should be made clear to all applicants that the CEO job is full time and Christchurch based, and they won't be paying expenses for anyone to commute from out of town. Holdens assertion that it is advantageous for him to be based near the TAB in Petone is a nonsense that everybody sees through for what it is. A justification for the indefensible.

Well now I'm confused. After listening to Phil Holden I thought the following was true a- Funding to the three codes will be the same in total this financial year as last year b- Harness will receive 7% less of that funding because of loss of turnover to Greyhounds c- This would equate to Harness receiving $1million less in the current year. (stated by the CEO) You seem to be saying Harness will actually receive $800k more than last year. If that is true it certainly wasn't explained well by the CEO. No disrespect to you Mikie, I think you are raising many critical points, but I am finding it difficult to understand how, if funding to the 3 codes in total has remained the same as last year and Harness is to get 7% less how to we end up getting $800k more. I'm not having a "go" at anyone, just trying to make sense of the contradictory information that seems to be out there.

If this is true (there has been no announcement on the hrnz website) then it is simply unacceptable that HRNZ is being governed in this amateur manner. Each and every board member needs to hang their head in shame.

The question for me is when are they going to start the recruitment process for a new CEO. I don't believe Phil Holden will be a contender as he has too many other commitments that prevent him from being able to fulfill the job adequately. I don;'t know what the delay is in starting the process, but at this critical time the HRNZ board need to get things moving. I know Ken Spicer has come under criticism here but surely it is up to the board as a whole to ensure the process gets underway. What are they waiting for??

I'm not knocking Phil Holden because I really don't know anything about him other than what I have read here, but regardless of his ability, the job of CEO of HRNZ is so critical, it is essential that the appointment of such must be opened up to all potential candidates with the skills required that wish to apply for the position, so as to ensure we get the best possible person. I hope a recruitment process is underway because simply letting someone carry on indefinitely in such a critical position without proper process is simply unacceptable and amateurish .

What happens then if you place the bet on a betting terminal at the local pub?. They would have no idea who was placing the bet I would think.

Your basic premise is spot on Mehe. I have posted on another site a number of times about the need for large jackpots. I think I remember reading recently Ken Rutherford saying much the same thing.