nod

These days any breeder without land and time needs a 70k sale to break even on a 19k service fee And that is if everything goes O K

What would the float fee be for Matmata to Dunedin and return? Just to Ttentham it was 995

All you really need is the opportunity -numbers of mares

Me too -Jersey Benne And yes, I am still racing a couple and hopes high as always, one here and one in the flyblown land Not attending sales this year for the first time since I sold in guineas at Trentham so it was a a while ago but the roads are bad.

You seen the price of spuds lately ?

I paid a shilling to get into the Hill enclosure at Ellerslie and noticed those leading horses did not have to pay. So I offered to lead horses or carry gear and have not paid admittance these past 70 years

Another factor restricting the number of races per meeting can be the number of stalls available . Anyone who held onto a horse for hours at the old Thames course would know Matamata and Te Rapa -12 races no problem, others like Ellerslie may be restricted.

I think the guidelines for track preparation may have a bearing. Long grass and irrigation are not a good coupling Short grass would be better And there are far too many meetings at the same venue -not a problem in the old days when mowing was by a flock of sheep and there were plenty of courses.

And shortly after that W Worrall was murdered -his wife employed a couple of scoundrels to do the deed and she to collect a rather minimal amount of life insurance .

Good to see you are awake Joe --your reply confirms that I was correct.

Riders that are constantly having to reduce their weight should take up another vocation,. Their weakened state is a danger not only to other riders but to themselves. From my observations over the years most lack the will power to keep to a proper diet and the food on offer in the jockeys rooms does not assist.

Joe, my comment was not directed at you, just a general observation

He was a battler until he and his brother bought Sir Tristram and then on his own when the rewards flowed. Quietly he was generous -take this example- a lady who trained for me shared in a yearling that failed to sell -he said to her give me a dollar and the yearling is yours. I also admired that he outlined the true circumstances of his birth and parentage in the published book All involved in the breeding of horses are likely to suffer from rumours and insinuations -it goes with the business.

Vision impaired by a lot of rain.

Fact -every year hundreds of horses race with a plate missing -they lose them during the running and I cannor recall mention of any of them slipping. The stewards will always abandon a meeting if there is the slightest suggestion of danger -they could face serious charges if they make a mistake [White island an example] so they take the safe option and abandon rather than take a risk [just like a Vets option at the starting gates, cannot be wrong with a scratching]

Sorry, that should be 36 kgs -or 6 stone -these new fangeled metrics are tough for a ole fella

Establish a precedent -now overweight jockeys will seek permission rather than get a fine .. Who can remember when 46 kgs was the minimum weight for the Melbourne cup?

Pitmans truck -hope all O K

Pukekohe is to be their training centre

Yes, Bryce is a good guy

For some reason I think of the thousands of people held in institutions. strapped in chairs and zapped with electricity by those who felt they knew best.

Allowing new entrants for the Eulogy seems unfair. The field should remain as it was. Most of the entrants last week faced a 12 hour float trip. From what I recall delayed runnings of other races have not allowed new runners

The Oaks stake is offset by the nom and acceptance costs so in reality it is about 300k and the rest a sweepstake.NZTR tell lies about how much a horse has earned -they do not deduct the trainers and jockey percentages not the entry costs.

So they are finally replacing the old stand ?

As usual some are only there to obtain a figure that will satisfy the Bank manager; or the fools who will contribute a percentage of ownership. It is not hard to figure the unrealistic reserves.