the galah

Are you taking the mickey? Why would they be charged? Police don't arrest anyone just because they have got the sack for drug use. maybe what your getting at is the precedent that stable set when those involved lost their jobs at the all stars barn. That is an interesting aspect to it all. Do as I say,not as I do

Sure.If I was ceo. I would contact the major news outlets that attended the other night along with any local news outlets and invite them all to attend the next meeting at addington. I would arrange for each media representative to be met at a specific point upon entering, none of this lurking in the carpark stuff talking to unprepared industry participants. I would recognize the need to influence the message that is portrayed in the media to be a positive one,not a negative. I would have a chaperones already arranged for each group to take them to an area next to where the sponsors are wined and dined. I would provide a top class meal along with liquid refreshments showcasing that aspect of addington during their stay.. Once they have arrived in that area I would greet them all individually myself,thanking them for taking the time to attend. I would advise them that you had arranged meetings with representatives of the harness racing industry directly effected by the current story,which of course you would have hand picked and discussed with prior,to ensure the right message was portrayed. People like ken barron As head of the horsemans association, Mr bromley as promotions man who can highlight the areas that generate all aspects of employment associated with a racemeeting and addington raceway and the need to work through the current situation for the good of all those people not just licenceholders. Have the chief stipe in control that night talk to them illustrating how every race is reviewed looking for any transgressions ,inviting them into their room for footage if need be.Have the person who deals with sponsors highlight how they are looked after and point out there have been no cancellations,invite them to meet a couple of the sponsors representatives, preferably hand picked to comment on their experience on that night so far. Have mr renell there available for interviewing,he says the right thing and take advice from him at the pre meeting. Hes had experience in this before and obviously has learnt a thing or two first time around. Have them taken through a tour of the stabling area which they can film but point out in the interests of health and safety they must be chaperoned at all times. have some hand picked stop offs on that tour of licenceholders who could again reinforce the message and portray the industry and the message you want to get out there. Also try and impress upon them that there is a human cost to those involved,that you have offered counselling for anybody in the industry directly involved or effected by this situation. Sell the message that the cases are currently before the court and you cant comment on any details involved. However work on a message where you are seen to want any transgressors firmly dealt with for this totally unacceptable behavior while at the same time having concern for the transgressors and their families, and their emotional wellbeing. Not everyone dealing the press,especially the horsemans representative may feel comfortable,however they have to do so for the greater good of everyone. etc,etc. Finally when the press have finished thank them for attending,suggest they have a work do there and give them the contact details of their chaperone who will do their best to arrange any future meetings with people within the industry. Even have a laugh about the pre race cup favourite being named The fixer. Its all about having the industry and all those involved being portrayed in a fair way. Unfortunately they missed that opportunity the other night,but its still early days.

Brodie is always on the money,so yes he will be a trump supporter. Latest announcement was the lowest U.S.A. unemployment figures in 50 years.

Gee,do you really think that should be an acceptable way of handling media attention? The media attending the meeting last night was a virtual certainty and could have been handled in a 100 different ways to get them on board to provide kinder coverage in the future. Are addington leaders that devoid of any forward planning for the obvious. Another self inflicted wound for harness racing.

What are they thinking?. A very poor look , just another negative story. Just when you should be trying to get the media onside for some positive spin and some balance. How long is the ban to last. Maybe extend it after cup week? Maybe ban the punters as well?

Agree with you on dadndave price. Jungle gem looks the winner in that race

Somehow i don"t think you've cottoned on to how we live in the moment and the significance of it all. Guilty or not guilty,the damage has been done.,for the moment. Why do you keep referring to people putting the boot in.Its all self inflicted, anyone unbiased can see that. Personally im surprised at who is involved, but humans are fallible. Its not the end of the world for them if they do get found guilty, They will bounce back down the track,,they will have no choice but too. The abilities that got them to the top doesn't just disappear. Look at someone like Mcgrath,or purdon. The blue magic scandal was not that many years ago,it did change the perception of some forever, but they recovered. Whether betting turnover is effected long term will depend on whether confidence is restored by Hrnz , through transparency and the imposition of the proper penalties. This is actually a clear case of those in charge supporting the uncovering of illegal activity.That is a win for all those concerned. . Brodie ,since you move in those circles,were you aware that drug use was so prevalent amongst licence holders?

The way this story can be spun in a positive way via the media is to have articles published referring to the need for justice to take its course,while at the same time hammering the message that this behavior will not be tolerated,that is why it was investigated and handed to the police, Admit that many leading industry participants are involved,state that irrespective of ones standing in the industry those found guilty will suffer the full force of Hrnz efforts to rid such behavior from the industry and that the guilty should expect punishment that reflects that. I did hear Mr rennells talk to mike hosking, I thought he did a fair job on the spin but trying to spin a story where your saying the behavior of so many of the industries most successful people is not a true reflection of the industry,well current headlines don"t support such spin.

I have read the article.. Personally I think it sad that the article was written, however if you knew little about harness racing like many of the press readers,then it would in some ways be informative. Your worried about perception I guess Brodie, but whether you like it or not, the press writer is just doing his job. What did you expect? Some sort of article painting the industry in a positive light. Welcome to the real world brodie.

That horse is a one pacer who everytime he draws wide struggles to get round field. It tries very hard and kept going. Nothing wrong with the drive in my opinion,i think the horse racing parked was the one overdriven.

My take is the opposite of you. In this case the RIU recognized they did not have the resources to undertake such an inquiry. The police have much greater powers and ways of gathering information. The proof is in the ultimate outcome and that should be where the focus is. The decision by the RIU to pass on the case to the police has ultimately been for the betterment of the industry,.

The discovery of drug use and supply surely is a major problem. The fact so many high profile players are involved in that is surely of great concern. Who cares what led to its discovery. There should not be drivers driving in races where they may have recently used drugs. Also , what does that say about their attitudes towards drug use on either human or horse. Yes the race fixing may get murky as you describe,however if it does involve races like the johnny white case then the waters wiil be very clear. How did Jason teaz describe that drive on trackside-I think his words were unbelievable.If there is a cash trail for that race then very easily confirmed on the video.. Im assuming the eamon maguire drive at forbury in 2016 was not part of this probe,but was it not the reason for the article in the Christchurch press which first raised the possibility of race fixing. The fact that there will be many races now being questioned when in fact there was nothing untoward is to be expected.

is a similar analogy for your thinking to use the example of the police having knowledge of someone having possession of stolen car parts,when they are aware of a recent spate of car thefts. Your way of thinking would have those in possession of the stolen property arrested and dealt with,whereas the polices way of dealing with it would be to build evidence to find out everyone involved, from the stealing of cars to those organizing and receiving the proceeds from the car theft ring. and with any bit players caught up along the way. Criticising the police,on this occasion, seems very unwarranted.

whats important in life-well honesty is a good starting point to help you stay on the right track.. As to the drug testing-maybe they need to change to saliva testing if they don't already do so. Its a good thing we don't have only high profile drivers driving at the better meetings as some like mick Guerin advocate for.

One of the big questions will be what information the police have relating to horses being given performance enhancers. It now seems to have been suggested this is part of the investigation. High profile players have been charged with drug offences. Reference has been made to the use of a performance enhancer on a nz derby runner. Who knows what will come out.For so long media and high profile stable supporters have suggested high profile players are squeaky clean. They have called anyone who asks questions about performances every name under the sun. Sadly their blind loyalty,or some would say collusion, appears to have been misplaced.

What is obvious is the police deserve full credit for investigating these matters in such a professional, unbiased manner. I also believe hrnz and the riu deserve credit for allowing the police,with all their resources, to carry out the said investigation. It appears they have allowed the appropriate authorities to do their work without any attempt to undermine said investigation. Well done to those concerned ,

personally I have reviewed tapes of every harness race in Nz this year.Just trying to make a dollar. My view of Blair orange is that I have never doubted he was always trying to win. Obviously the dexter Dunn drive on Eamon McGuire at fotbuty was questionable, however he too in my opinion tries each time. Will be interesting to see what transpires . One assumes the investigation involves some type of kick backs or money invested on behalf of, both illegal activity. I must say i initially thought this inquiry may relate to horses being given something to improve performances.but obviously not this time. Also in my opinion the hardest place to predict drivers tactics is at manawatu where many,many times I have wondered about driving tactics of several families. That just my opinion.

The report just released is a wake up call.It concludes what many do not want to hear,but those with a business like minds know is inevitable for harness racing to prosper in the future. This report should be used by industry leaders as a way of leveraging parochial regional interest groups into coming on board to make necessary changes. The most important thing is harness racing leadership create a plan/vision for the future. One that makes the hard decisions. Once that plan has been formulated then it is vital they sell the need for change to all interested groups. Too often those running the industry seem to lack the power/backing for forward planning. Industry leaders need to back their own judgment and abilities and need to make change. I agree with happy sunrise in that one of the industries priorities is the need to purchase and set up training facilities which allow future participants, whether they be young or old,to rent at affordable rates,ensuring future participation.The running of said facilities must be overseen hrnz. Facilities for Farriers, vets, feed merchants, saddlery,etc should be included at these training facilities thereby making it cheaper for all concerned and also generating industry income from rents for said businesses maybe run on a profit share business model with hrnz. Hrnz need to foster an all inclusive,we are in it together approach. There are all sorts of possibilities. Hopefully this report is the catalyst for change. When I listen or read what mr rennell or mr spicer have to say I get the impression they have a lot of the answers. Its time for change.Just get on with it and do it.Trying to placate and appease certain interest groups is no longer an option.

There has been talk around for years now of the need for track closures, yet despite that, many of the tracks mentioned are still run the same parochial way they have always been. Many seem to have stuck their heads in the sand and continued practices which are detrimental to their bottom line. The time and effort put in by those that run these clubs is to be admired however often they do not utilize centralized agencies and industry knowledge for their maximum benefits. Also many of these clubs give priority to their land being used by farming interests in the know with those deciding on their use.

The fish cichlid makes that claim. An aggressive fish. The claim is they originally signed a statement outlining certain practices. Therefore if they signed a statement, then that is not anonymous. A dark side of the greyhound industry that authorities failed to control. The wounds only start healing with justice,if its not served the wound will always be there. Hence the post I guess. It wont be sorted on bit of a yarn.

the same post was put on the greyhound section a couple of weeks back.. Appears to say the poutamas raised concerns about live baiting by cole kennel (along with others),riu did nothing,then the poutamas backed away from their claims. appears to question their integrity,or failure to follow through with their concerns.. I think its just a window into how that sport can silence their critics and how some participants feel the riu failed them,at least that's my take on the post. a greyhound issue.

Actually markymark I think they don't buy at all. You refer to hope. The hope of getting a top horse capable of winning pacing group races is really non existent, except if you have them trained by the allstars.. Realistically you have to either be in a syndicate or very rich,and even then they still have to accept you as a client. I believe if you buy or bred a trotter you still have hope of getting a top horse one day,just not a pacer. I think that is the common view. Some trainers say they can get good money by selling a promising horse to the all stars. That's true. But of course any trainer who wants to train a top horse and thinks he will be competitive would retain the very same horse he sells if they thought they could get similar results.. To me that's just another way of saying"im a realist,ill never beat them,i better take the money now before hes devalued if I continue to train him'. Increasing stakes for the so called open class ranks ,which is really a false description of these races given who has to make up the numbers( before they get sold overseas),will not get any more starters in my opinion.

My prediction for the horse that won those races would be it runs the odd good race this year,the rare good race as a 5yo,has health issues then is retired.. No doubt a top 3yo,did a great job to succeed at that level,but guts run out of it already in my opinion. The shame is everything is focused around young horses these days and as a result you have horses like 4 race winner mickey maguire and 5 race winner baileys knight having to make up the numbers in 6 horse open class fields. Buster brady another case in point,a very good horse but seemed counter productive running in those big 3yo races,so it proved as he had his will to win run out of him.

Your industry has already lost many of those who used to follow it, myself for one. No point having a bet on a dog race when you don't want to see a certain kennel winning because of their alleged practices and they have half the field sometimes and dominate.

Brodie giving a pre race tip,a bit out of character, but right on the money