the galah

Is that sheriff? I posted on here after his 3yo season predicting the horse would have only a handful of starts in the season just gone, be dogged by sickness,and would most likely only show glimpses of his best. Turned out pretty accurate didn't it. As to this years cup. Well i'd certainly be amazed if sheriff features. It will be interesting to see whether gran chico can develop enough to be a factor in open class racing for that stable. He would be the most likely horse to be a factor in that grade from that stable in recent years..

Yeah,how about he spend about another $500 per hour on lawyers fees on the slim chance he might get some compensation. There would be more chance of him training this years cup winner.

Happy, do you remember the aussie program underbelly,which was based around events between 1995 and 2004,which told the story of gangland wars relating to the drug trade. One of the key players was Carl Williams(the smiling assassin) who amongst other claims to fame was he was ended up in jail for ordering and paying for the murder of 3 of the Moran family. Recently it has come out that his lawyer was actually a police informant and it seems she persuaded Williams to become a police informant. Apparently recent revelations that the lawyer(a woman)was a secret police informant has opened up a can of worms because of the breach of the client /lawyer privilege. Some of those involved are now seeking to have convictions and asset seizures overturned. Anyway,Carl Williams partner in crime was his father George Williams. Its recently been revealed by another police informant turned by the dodgy lawyer that George Williams used people who worked at TAB outlets to launder money. Williams would give the tab employee bags of cash,and when an actual lucky punter would turn up to cash a good payout,the lucky punter would be paid out with the ill gotten cash. Then the winning tickets were handed to Williams by the tab employee who would cash them at the tab and get a cheque . What a cunning plan. Next time your at your local tab it might pay to look twice at the little old lady walking out with a tab cheque who drives off in a Lamborghini.

Just watching race 10 from Auckland the other night again and I thought it was an outstanding effort by the clerk of the course and his horse to catch that driverless horse before it caused any interference. Somehow he managed to position himself,then exploded into a full gallop as the driverless horse put the foot down to try and avoid him, then he lent over at an angle,somehow grabbed a rein of the driverless horse with his left hand,then somehow slowed it down while taking it wider out of everyones way.while still having his horse under total control. Outstanding effort.

Surely you should be able to handle comments that appear on this forum without getting as annoyed as you have. How about directing your frustration towards those who turned a blind eye to actions which have tarnished the greyhound codes reputation to the point they have done irreparable damage.

That was a bit unusual today. Seemed to just lose her balance. What a top ride from buddy lammas to win today.. He has the confidence in his own ability to rate a horse and certainly his tactics were a major factor in the win. The difference in the end was the 2nd horse wanted to race handier but that's not where its jockey wanted it,so they fought each other to the point where you had to wonder if that energy wasted would be costly, and so it proved. . I thought the most bizzare thing was on Saturday when napoleon was retired from the race when it was obvious it was going to run fourth, and then actually would have ended up third due to a fall at the last fence. It seemed like the punters were robbed there as it was jumping fine..

I can't see what's stopping Methven having a punter of the year competition anyway.

I just flicked on trackside and had a bet on race 1 at the Ballarat dogs . I looked at the form on the nz tab website and picked a dog. I watched the race only to find out the field was all first starters. Checked the form on the Australian website and sure enough the nz tab mislead me by putting totally false information about all the runners.

I've posted before that she is not a driver who comes off the fence. 19 out of 20 when she ends up on the fence early, she will always stay there irrespective of opportunity to come off. She is very predictable in that respect. Thats just her style.

. I'm taking my interpretation of your thinking from what you have said. Not what you haven't. Do I believe you have been selective in your talking points in relation to the domination of the all stars. Yes I do. That's what I was going to say in the blank post I made yesterday,however I changed my mind . Its up to you what matters you are willing to express opinions on. Your reference to the all stars selection of yearling and performed horses. I agree and I don't think I have ever read comments on here from anyone who disagrees. However that's not what I have been discussing, as you know.

I've got to admit I have come to appreciate the efforts of one over da skye.. Sent to the north island and starts favorite tonight. Same result, Gallops again,but she sure does help the odds of others in the field.

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So you want me to speculate? Sure. Remember I have never said they are using anything that can be tested for. Nor have I said they are using anything currently illegal. I would guess some product with similar effects to those that deliver greater oxygen/red blood cell mass. For example there was a study about 4 years ago on 10 athletes which showed the effects of epo on 3000m distance runners. It showed 4 weeks of every 2nd day injection improves running time on average by 6%. One month after the end of injections improvement was still 3%. So some sort of derivative of that. Now greg your going to have to regularly monitor red cell levels with regular blood tests,so budget for a big monthly vets bill. Of course that is all just a guess. My area of expertise is I believe analyzing race performance. People like yourself think our leading stables are ahead of the game in everything except the subject we are currently discussing. How convenient a mindset that is for you.

I understood the point you were making. Just as I do when others make the point that they believe there is a possibiity that blood spinning gives the users of that procedure an advantage over others. My view is if the blood spinning was the secret weapon of the all stars then why would they make it available to everyone,albeit at a price. I agree with brodie when he says "their dominance due to them being more professional is bollocks". Having said that I think everyone agrees they are the benchmark for excellence in harness racing, But like ive said before,iI think they also lead the way on the use of products which enhance performance. And there have been scientific advances in this area in recent years which means the gap/dominance has become more noticeable.

So your quoting an unnamed harnesslink writer, who wrote an article about mr phillips. Harnesslink have always been so far up certain stables backsides that i view most of what they write as propaganda.

That's life .People think and judge everyday on all aspects of their lives. Its not as if harness racing lives in some bubble where this doesn't exist. I think its inaccurate to say harness racing in nz is any different,or as you put it extreme. You make the point about the knockers brigade. But the mistake you and many others make is lumping everyone into the same group,who does not share your opinion. Most I believe who comment on the blood spinning issue have reservations in relation to' level playing field and animal welfare'. I personally think blood spinning is just one of those issues which magnifies how things have progressed to the point where access to the latest scientific advances have meant those with the most financial resources have considerable advantages over those who do not. Personally I think this historically has been one of the major factors in decreased participation. People with views like you fail to acknowledge this point,and because of that you ignore ,and do not look for solutions, and all the while harness racing declines.

I see the stipes report says the horse had swelling in its left fore leg in the vicinity of the suspensory ligament. Given the horse was lame before the race, how could this problem not be noticed. Did they not just take the boot off and have a look. Also,if the horse was lame at addington then surely some swelling would have been there pre race. I had thought this horse had to have a problem which was not obvious,however it seems it may have just been ignored. The stipes have opened an inquiry into it.

no video up 3 hours after race run, Hrnz are way behind the gallops and greyhound codes in the service they provide in that respect. Maybe the video man is still in confessional at church? I actually think peter lamb is starting the races much better in the last 12 months. As far as the horse Crusher Collins goes, I left it out because its manners are so poor when starting from a stand,when it has to stop and stand even for 5 seconds prior to the start. Down south it nearly always plays up bad, then it seems because of that, they give it a running start, which I think is unfair to the others.I know that may sound like i'm being a bit smart after the race,but that's the way I see it..

That just seemed rather cruel to run a horse as lame as that today. Watch its video at addington 2 days ago and you had to think it was a very lame horse. Amazingly it was passed fit to race by the vet again today. Just as amazingly its driver didn't have any sense at all,and allowed it to run. To me it looks like it has either a fracture ,or a bad foot bruise. Maybe they need to get someone with at least one good eye to check it out pre race next time.

Your on the money there brodie. 5 races run ,and only one driver has moved before the 800m , despite every race being run with a slow 2nd 400m. Having said that ,harness racing in Auckland often involves negative driving no matter how far the distance.

Johnny cox is a driver who's tactics often frustrate me,and he seems to have a knack of raising my blood pressure. I also find Robbie holmes hard to follow. What you normally get with Robbie holmes is he goes way too hard early,and you know you are gone after 300m because of using up far too much petrol early. My pet dislike is being on drivers,and it happens a lot,who just sit there in the last 400m of a race and never pull out when going ok,and then end up getting held up. I'm convinced if they just pulled out and gave their horse a clear run instead of waiting,that 4 out of 5 would get better results. Its a simple matter of playing the percentages properly. My favorite drivers are the ones who can rate pace and pull out and run at constant speeds instead of stop go tactics, blair orange ,john dunn being the best at that.

I think there is significant support for the accused,and believe many are trying to cover for them. I believe part of the reason for that is many of those giving support to the accused see little wrong with the alleged behavior,and many of those vocally supporting the accused are fully aware of historical instances of multiple similar behavior from participants other than the accused, in previous decades. Because it has been a police investigation clearly police will give significant portion of the evidence. Other witnesses,such as riu employees will no doubt feel under pressure to give accurate and honest evidence, but at the end of the day have little choice but to tell the truth as they see it, and be guided by their own levels of integrity. Whatever the outcome,,personally I will judge people on my interpretation of their level of truth they display. If they want to be trusted in the future,be honest. Those involved are better to have an honest enemy than a friend who assists the perpetuation of false truths.

I stick to my own picks, but do think mr O'Connor knows the form very well, and always gives an honest assessment of what he thinks are the best chances.

This horse seems to grow a leg when backing up within 2 or 3 days. That's the 3rd time he's done that and I think is the sign of a horse who will make it to the top class at some stage.

The reality is some amateur's are better than others,and you invested on a horse driven by a driver who appears not to have paid a dividend for 14 years. Despite that he was the favorite. He was always a good thing to be driven in a manner that would frustrate punters,however given the horse was clearly in the top 2 on ability, his time for the driver getting a long overdue placing may just be around the corner,maybe.