the galah

I agree with what you have said Brodie. The other thing about the oamaru grass track is it has always been a major advantage to be on the fence due to the grass being dryer and not as thick closer to the rail.. I"ve walked that track and also observed how they irrigate it with those pivots that go round in a circle. You would see more water go on the middle than the inside..This especially applies because the oamaru track is wide and the middle often got double irrigated when doing both inside and outer...Mind you they're not the only track with a bias,just theirs is the most noticeable..

Yes the media do print comments which fits the narrative they want to portray. Hers the point i'm getting at.. You had so many bleeting on about the RIU not advising HRNZ of the investigation,primarily because the RIU believed the investigation could be compromised had they done so. And here you have the head of hrnz making comments which clearly justify the RIU decision.

I get your point. What do you think he told mcgrath? I've inferred he supported mcgraths decision to defend the case because he agreed with the senior drivers evidence that there was nothing wrong with his drive. Are you telling me i'm wrong and he believed mcgrath was guilty. What about his comment about putting his friendship above his role as head of hrnz. Seriously do you think he comes across very well to those who have an are unbiased view of the case. He states" i'm not going to turn against a friend" . Whats that all about. To me he lost a bit of perspective with such comments. Should he not be more thoughtful about what comments he makes to the media. mind you we do get an insight into his thinking with such comments.

So McGrath pleads guilty to the lesser of the charges. Obviously because he and his legal representative could see the writing on the wall in respect of there being sufficient evidence to prove the charge. Subsequent comments from the judge confirm that. Yet we still have people inferring that he did nothing wrong. It states in the article that several senior harness racing drivers gave evidence saying they saw nothing wrong with the way mcgrath drove,as it appears did the hrnz chairman mr spicer. Is it not blatantly obvious that those suggesting there was nothing wrong with mcgraths drive were proven wrong. the question is does the article accurately reflect current attitudes of the very same licenceholders and administrators who say there was nothing wrong with his drive. In that respect i think as a result of operation inca there has been a rethink by some as to what is acceptable and what is not.As i've said before i think race driving is the most honest it has ever been.. For the head of hrnz to openly criticize the press for reporting a decision that proved Spicer was clearly wrong in saying mcgrath did nothing wrong does make you wonder about his judgment. Sure many he is associated with will value his loyalty,but there can be no doubt his judgment was questionable. Maybe someone should have told Spicer true loyalty is telling someone when they have made a mistake. Then again maybe Spicer did truely believe that team driving is an acceptable part of racing,or maybe he just couldn't see what what was obvious to any unbiased observer. Finally i think what Mcgrath went through far outweighed his actual actions.Lifes not always fair.

Sometimes you wonder if those making the decisions regarding trackside coverage actually find harness racing nothing more than a nuisance. Race 2 at nelson just run they cross to the track with 1 minute 45 seconds to go. People like myself actually like to see the horses pre race,so I didn't bother investing much,but why are they previewing the last few races at Ellerslie with 2 minutes to go to a nz harness race. Surely anyone with any sense can see that is having a negative impact on turnover. I swapped channels to trackside 63 and they were having a 5 minute lead in to a north American gallops race. same thing happened on day 1 at nelson. I have rung the tab to complain previously, but its in one ear and out the other for them.

I think a rule that needs changed is the one where a horse is late scratched and the starting positions of horses change. Yesterday Star Ruler went from 2 the second line to 1 the second line moments before the start of the race. Effectively it went from following the 2nd favorite to following a horse of lesser chance. In reality it hindered its chances and punters were mislead. I see the stipes asked the question of tetrick driven by the punters friend(not), mr Mclellan. The thing is they asked why the improved performance,but not why the changed tactics. Anyone watching this horse has seen it driven with a sit for what seems forever. I've watched this horse driven that way so many times and have always been convinced that the horse has got that used to being driven that way that It simply knows it doesn't have to try. If punters knew Mr mclellan was going to drive it in a way to give it a chance it would have been paying half what it did. Should he not have been asked why he was trying yesterday?

I agree with your view that by entering the passing earlier than permitted it allowed him to get up in the last stride and win. The question is did theJca have the discretion to relegate or was disqualification automatic. if there was no discretion t would seem a rule change may be required to allow it,as disqualification seems out of proportion to the indiscretion committed..

Thanks for that. I actually thought its first 2 days runs were as good as any in that field. It was just the right field for it to be considered a top chance. My theory has always been if they are in the top 3 in a race it is better to get a run and be driven at a speed they are comfortable with rather than sitting and hoping for luck. I think most horses prefer it that way and are more likely to give their best that way. But I understand the tactics used,its just I think they were not the right ones. I understand the driver not keeping coming out as the horse was going strong at that point and would have taken quite an adjustment in momentum to be restrained behind the horse outside it. I find the races from reefton just as interesting as a premier meeting as having a bet is my hobby. We all have different takes on things,but the main thing is we enjoy it. I hope the horse does well for the connections and driver in the future.

Isn't washdyke on leased land. So no assets to sell there.

Driven quiet all 3 days. Right field today,just wrong tactically.Should really have won.Waiting for next year? I have to admit its hard to work out what the point is of sitting on the fence when you can sit parked on a slow speed,especially if the leader has average form. Lots do it.

I think on these small tracks the drivers with no tactical sense get lost. I just watched nadira franco driven by a driver with 2 placings from 102 starts. Waited until race over before even pulling out. Drivers with poor stats are the ones who show no aggression. Stats are a factor that is very important.

yes bb lass has improved a lot since joining house and even though the forbrury form not that strong I think this field is similar. It did hit the line strong at forbury after hanging a little on last bend . I thought it was nice to see race rival the 10year old little miss run 4th the other day.The jellyman stable has been trying for a while with this one. Having said that its odds of $23 seem rather short as well. I like watching these races to see how the likes of those mentioned go..

Race 1 tomorrow at reefton ,the non win trot. I see K gill who is yet to drive a winner in 149 starts is on the $2.80 favorite Gotta ticket. Will start 150 be the lucky one? The tab seem to think so,strangely enough.

I agree with you on that spanna drive the week before. Mcnally seemed to show very poor judgment,actually a bit comical unless you had backed it that day. As you say the stipes ignored that. Hard to work out other than what Brodie says, which was dobbs is an easy target. The start you highlight should not have happened with the starters assistant still holding that horse. It was a race with a few fractious horses pre start,but an error made there. I still think the starts overall are good these days. Those big fields on the grass tracks with a few fractious horses can be a frustrating watch.

Race 1 at ashburton on Tuesday sees Steel Dust have a change of driver. The driver change should see major improvement in the horses chances.