the galah

Actually he did have the 3 drives,making mid race moves on 2 of them.but maybe had he got more we would have seen more moves in the races.

The riu don't announce if their are positives do they,so there is no transparency from the riu on that issue. Also while there is no denying m guerins knowledge and entertainment value,he operated the very same way as this von beynon fella does. i.e. he picked and chose who he wrote about depending on who his mates were,and whether the story would reflect badly on them. So personally i don't miss reading a m guerin article.

What track do they come from the back if they don't overdo the tempo up front early in the race? I do have a theory myself that on the grass tracks that have lush grass due to recent rain, that the fence is best because its grass covering is less due to more traffic on the fence,which translates to being faster . The difference between a good driver and an average driver is the good driver nearly always goes forward,and the average driver nearly always goes back. Of course many of the horses are driven by the trainers who drive to what they view are the limitations of their horses,instead of driving to give them the best possible chance. Also yesterday the likes of tim williams did not have any drives,and he would have been a go forward driver had he been there.

This combination has certainly been working very well in recent times. Rogerson seems to have been around forever but is just as good now as he has ever been.I guess training horses is a skill that the you refine over time. And D Ferguson seems to be driving with confidence and skill,and combined they have become a very strong team. I wonder how old Mr rogerson would be now. He never seems to change much when you see him on tv. Also anyone know why the amateur driver M northcott hardly drives. She used to be in the top handful of amateurs but you rarely see her drive now days.

So chief,you don't want him writing negative articles,but you would make an exception to that if it was written about Mr Woodham? Is that what you are saying? Then we have the suggestion from others that an article be written about the journalists negative stories on harness racing. Well that would be counter productive as it would just draw more attention to the stories already written. And the criticism about him only writing mostly negative things. Isn't that what most of us do on this forum,so isn't that a case of "the pot calling the kettle black". Maybe its true that we,as well as the journalist should write more positive content,but thats not how it normally goes is it.

I don't see why everyone keeps knocking the journalist. He's just doing what journalists do. Just as those supporting Andersons pathway back are doing what they can. Why wouldn't they. Personally i don't see anything negative to the story. Just a bit premature to write about it as its not really that interesting to the general public at this point.

One thing that i don't think has been mentioned which i can't work out. If all the people at the party were mates,how come they let someone who is a mate partake to the extent they are over the limit for race driving the next day?

But it was in a far stronger field today ,so it was not surprising to see it fade out after doing a lot of work.

I agree,i just put it out there, as the way he has expressed his view of others is similar to the characteristics of those he says he dislikes. I think he needs a bit of self reflection. Also,as i have inferred earlier. I don't know why some are making excuses for Butt and Orange,when butt and orange themselves will not look for excuses,and you would think will take full responsibility.

Could it be Long owner???. with comments on this thread like "likely gypsy bottom feeder trainers who cannot drive or train...Jealous stichers are no good". That could be the giveaway clear disdain of many within the industry you refer to?

The number of deaths on nz roads has gone down in the last couple of years. You may be referring to the latest xmas road toll figures compared to the previous year. I was reading in the mckenzie district, police put the decreased road toll in 2020 down to less tourists.

So do you think your argument should apply to anyone who drives a car,everyone having their own legal limit?Or just to harness drivers?

How can you say that? it obviously effected the way the horse was driven as orange was prevented from driving it? You are arguing a totally different issue.

You totally miss the point. I know someone who had a 5 race win multi going onto a horse Blair Orange was supposed to drive. The reason he included the orange drive was because orange was driving it. He was rightfully peeved that Orange failed to meet his obligations because of the stated reason. If you expect punters to continue to invest,they should not have to factor in whether a driver is still showing the effects of a party the night before..

That post takes the cake. I'll say it again. The ones defending the drivers concerned are not helping them, in fact just the opposite. Anyway its a shame Orange or Butt did not front up and comment when approached for comment in the article. No doubt both are embarrassed and i would expect both understand and accept they were at fault in this case. Just a simple comment to that effect was all that was needed. From memory Oranges public comments the first time he transgressed at omakau in 2016 was an example of how to take responsibility for your actions, I can't see why he would not have the same approach this time. Its just you should not make the same mistake twice,but people do, and they have to deal with it.

No doubt there would have been tens of thousands of dollars invested on runners in the belief that they were to be driven by mr Orange,with his driving skills a significant factor in that. Add to that the connections of the horses involved. Doesn't matter whether it be mr orange,butt or chris johnson. It just undermines those who try to promote the sport and betting.

from your comments you should know. By the way. I note you failed to answer my question. If butcher was not responsible then who was??? As i have said before,Z butcher is not a driver i admire much,as he sometimes drives to help others,and on other occasions he drives to hinder if he does not get his own way. Having said that, there is probably no more capable driver in the north island when he just focusses on driving his own horse. Thats my opinion.

While they obviously went too fast up front,and R Holmes can be over do it early sometimes,we all know that is how Silk always get driven and it takes two to tango. Can't see why he should get any sort of reprimand by the stipes.

For a start,I would have realised i was driving in a race in which they were all first starters. I would not have tried to push in twice in the first 300m,i would have gone forward with cover. Then there is no way i would steer a horse inwards and try and improve, which by doing so it would obviously lock wheels. Are you saying you saw nothing wrong with Butchers drive? If he did nothing wrong then do you blame mckendry for all the unnecessary interference that went on???

Not like z butcher.

Have you read the rules?The rule says you can't push out before the 1000m if the horse outside you has forward momentum and its nose is in line with the cart. If you look at the video again clearly the butcher horse Mckendry eased out did not have forward momentum. Butcher tried twice to push mckendry onto the fence prior to that,almost knocking them both over. Then when Mckendry came out he deliberately veered in again almost knocking himself over again. All this on a green 2yo. That is what Z buthcer drives like sometimes. I've pointed out other examples in the past. He is a brilliant driver most of the time,but in my opinion occasionally seems intent on getting in someones way. Why is that?

Trains 3 winners but then puts in a typical z butcher drive where he seems intent on getting in the way of someone with his drive in the 2yo race.Maybe he thought he was at palmerston north again?

I actually had it rated 2nd,but only took it in quinellas and trifectas,and missed the trifecta. I never backed it,instead backing the just as inconsistent favorite cassius bromac,but it looks like it is one of those horses that is unlikely to ever win much,i think due to racing twice as a 2year old in fast run races against the all star horses. Tiger Moths record shows it is just a bit better than the others in that field,and today was a day when he did things right and performed to his capabilities. So i don't think the win came out of the blue and nothing crooked going on there.

That Conventina bay run was a perfect example of how barging into a gap can effect a horses momentum. If you watch that video conventina bay took a good 120 metres to regain its momentum and make any ground,and then over the next and last 120m it gained 2 lengths on everything else. A bumping duel effects forward momentum.