the galah

It was a well judged drive by K Cameron. He drove the track well in each of his drives today . Maybe his experience driving on the coast a bit gave him an edge tactically over some of the other drivers today. It certainly was a track where confident drivers got the best results.

just been thinking punter that we don't need to bring personalities into it. You can support mcgrath and all the others and still recognise that no one is perfect. Even the best make mistakes. People should just own up to them and move on. There is so much less drama if they do that. Everyone is better off. But thats not the way it works it seems, and there are unnecessary consequences as a result. Just because someone points out they think someones actions were wrong does not mean they have a personal grudge. If however people start making things personal then everyone understandably resorts to that level.

If you have the right person then you would know no milkshaking. Over the years i have heard so many things about myself that were untrue. One of the bad ones was when every man and his dog was spreading the story i was the trainer under investigation by the spca who was on the front page of the local paper .That wasn't me. you would think people would get their facts right but no they don't. I've heard so many falsehoods. I have a thick skin. i don't worry as i know whats true.

Happy,would you rather them not do it at all?

Wouldn't know how to milkshake a horse so that's a strange claim,but i can see the irony of your comment. Did work for a trainer down south and he never milkshaked or used a vet either. You've got the wrong fella sunshine.

Not referring to you hunterthepunter, your mellow and at times humorous in comparison with some things I have read. Just look at the other site for an example of what I mean.

I can't help but think that the vitriol towards the riu by some is counter productive and is helping sink the ship carrying those they support. And they just can't see it.

Is this post a result of the Mcgrath runners being ordered to be scratched from tonights races as a result of a stable inspection?

Nothing whatsoever against the mcgrath stable. Always thought he was a good bloke and a very hard worker. His horses are very consistent and you know if you back a mcgrath runner they will be well prepared if they are at the races. He uses my favorite driver who i say time and again gives punters great confidence that he is there to win. Just mcgrath team drove in that race. To me that was wrong. And like ive said the price he has paid is unfair,but it was his actions that put him in that position.

My last comment on this matter. I've read the published decision and some inferences you have taken out of it, i do not think are accurate. You seem to believe that the telephone recordings were not an important part of providing sufficient evidence to prove a charge of improper driving. I can't see where the published decision says that. If the conversations were of no significance in proving the case then why did mcgrath spend so much money trying to exclude them from the hearing? Reading the stipes report you have quoted above the inference i take out of it is they looked into team driving. All this negativity you possess towards the RIU seems in my opinion so over the top. You want to turn back the clock a few years when this type of driving was deliberately overlooked by those policing the rules and they just picked on the small fry participants.

did you hear about the guy who mistakenly took viagra to help his sunburn which was keeping him awake at night... Did nothing for the sunburn but did keep the sheets of his sunburn if he slept on his back..

Maybe they need to bite the bullet and close. Sell all assets and redirect those funds into south island racing? Might sound crazy but in 10 years time it may happen and everyone would be saying had we done this earlier we would have had so much more $ to put into harness racing. Its a bit like the local RSA,used to be asset rich but members ignored the writing on the wall and kept operating for several years and eventually closed with their asset value whittled away due to yearly losses. Same strategy in effect as they are doing currently with closing some of the racetracks. Whats the point of having all that money tied up for so little benefit to harness racing. Greater good type approach.

One still in rehab and the other became a shoe salesman. I bought a pair of shoes off him the other day,i don't know what he laced them with,but i've been tripping ever since.

You wanted the RIU to investigate the allegations properly. Well they have used the avenues they felt necessary to properly investigate and they now are in possession of evidence gathered. But no your not happy with that. Your not happy they passed on the serious allegations to the police. Does that mean your unhappy the allegations were investigated thoroughly,thats how you come across to me. Surely you must know the police have a greater capacity to do so. Also do you seriously think the RIU had enough weight to have the police continue to put resources into the investigation. I think the police makes those decisions themselves,don't they. You complain about the headlines. History shows you get those very same headlines if the racing industry investigates itself. I can think of several examples. So does that argument hold much water? The RIU aren't incompetent. In my opinion they do a better job now than ever.In the past they overlooked so much. Sure there are recent cases where some individuals seem to have been treated a little bit harshly,but that has nothing to do with inca. Past history shows the riu haven't investigated some high profile cases with more substance because they were afraid of the fall out. Personally i think there has never been a better time for punters to invest their hard earned. Things are as honest as they have ever been. the handicapping system is creating good betting fields in the south island. Some of the premiership leaders are exceptional talents.

I don't think i rave on as you put it,just don't agree with it. You have pointed out the all stars do it. i think fair enough,but to single out them or mcgrath is unfair to both. I agree a number of the all star horses seem to have dropped a level in the last couple of months. There could be several reasons. maybe your right in what you say,bit hard to tell for sure.

Thats your takeo,taking things to the extreme to underline and over stating what you believe was an injustice. I don't fail to comprehend you believe there was "extreme incompetence" displayed as you put it. I just believe you are totally wrong. Crime of the century is emotive words. Bit of an exaggeration there i think. Giving the impression the industry is corrupt to the core. Youv'e totally lost perspective with that comment. Who's ever thought that. What would have been exposed as corruption would have been industry insiders failing to take action and sweeping the allegations of dishonesty under the carpet. Imagine the press getting hold of such a story.

Have you ever given much thought that operation inca was a result of actions prior to the date the investigation begun. Once again i point out you make comment on the RIU,but no condemnation of mcgrath who pleading guilty to team driving. Its seems to me you infer the RIU was responsible for the team driving charge. I think it was mcgrath. You want the RIU to be held accountable,but not those they investigate. we are at total polar opposites in our opinions.

I agree. Reality is your never going to stop it no matter what the stable. That doesn't make it right. Its one of the most regularly discussed topics on here and by punters. The only way to have a deterrent is to create a mindset amongst those involved that they may be charged and held accountable for improper driving when it is so very obvious. I believe in each horse being driven on its merits no matter how many there is from one stable in each race.Simple as that.

Is a leading trainer/driver being found guilty on a charge of improper driving mean nothing? Some people just don't seem to get it. Treat punters with contempt and disdain and you create a distrust that lasts for many a year. It taints the whole industry. You criticize everyone involved in operation inca, but no criticism of someone who pleads guilty to in effect team driving.

1. Team driving is a bad look 2. what nigel mcgrath got fined for is not that uncommon in the big races,so in some ways he must feel he was treated different and more harshly than others. 3. Orange is the best and has always been honest .

Shame lincoln farms did the team driving thing with tommy lincoln.. I've expressed the opinion several times that this stable always do .While it's not uncommon,i wonder why stables just don't have their horses driven in a way that gives each horse its best chance. Can't be good for their long term prospects when they are sacrificed like that horse was. Good win by the filly having said that. I wonder what Nigel mcgrath thinks when he watches races like that? Blair orange never sacrifices a horses chances for the sake of a stablemate which is one of the reasons punters have such faith in him.

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.