the galah

I think anyone who watched that race would think a long suspension is inevitable. Its says she defended the charge. I find it hard to believe she would continue with that approach. Nothing wrong with taking time to gather your thoughts on such a charge,but she no doubt will face up to the realities of it all you would think. its quite unfortunate for her,as it is for anyone who makes an error of judgment like that. But these things happen sometimes.As to her intent,i think it was a big error in judgment and she would have been trying.

Manhattan on the latest list of horses exported to australia.

Yes there are many reasons racing is declining. Its not a cheap hobby as you point out. But each aspect of the industries decline has to be analysed. The breeding aspect for many is influenced by that initial service fee/stud fees cost. Just accepting things as they are will not change the direction in breeding numbers. Reduced breeding fees will,but it would have to be a significant reduction to make an impact. Do i think it will happen . Well no. reality is you either continue the status quo and continue seeing a decline,or you think outside the box. Besides,having 150 mares bred at $5000 would generate the same income for stallion owners as having 100 bred at $7,500. Same could apply to the studs.

I believe it would. Doesn't the Royal Aspirations example show that. You have to remember there used to be a lot of breeders who also had a licence to train or had a family member who did, and the cost of the service fee and costs associated with breeding was viewed as the most significant cost in the horses early life/career. Then you had those that bred and were happy to have a 50/50 deal with a trainer where they supplied the horse and the trainer trained it for the 50% share. Then you had those who bred with the intent of leasing there horses out to other connections. etc,etc.

That seems to be the approach they take. Basing their service fee on the returns they wish to receive and as gammalite and paleface have pointed out,factoring in not wishing to possibly devalue the brand. In other words,keep the service fee at a level which discourages those with supposedly less credentialed mares to consider it viable to breed to them. Gammalite actually highlighted what nz harness desperately need,but don't have. That is an owner/studmaster, of a top line stallion willing to consider the good of the industry as much as they do their own interests. One of the best examples was mentioned by gammalite when he referred to Vance hanover. His owner,dave jessop factored in his belief that all owners of a standardbred mare should have the opportunity to breed to the leading nz harness sire at an affordable fee. Vance hanover was leading sire 10 times. Just imagine if that were to happen today. Rival stud fees would be reduced so as to compete,and the numbers being bred would increase big time. If you want an example of whether there are broodmare owners out there wanting to breed to a stallion, but doing so only if they consider the service fee affordable and reasonable, then just look at the response Royal Aspirations received last year. Now you can't tell me those who bred to him are expecting top liners,maybe hope but not expect. But they think they are giving themselves a chance to possibly breed a nice horse who they could have a lot of fun with. Last year he got 107 mares and his service fee was at a realistic and affordable $2500,with some discounts and the hrnz rebate. So,possible solutions are there to increase foal numbers,but while stallion owners factor in only their own interests,then the numbers bred will continue to decline and the whole industry,including the owners of the better mares and stallions will ultimately pay a price for such short sightedness.

Maybe your right about that. I can only go bu what those i see tell me. and that is the cost of breeding is no longer affordable for them. Thats a factor.Studs don't factor that in when setting their fees. For the good of the industry they should,but most of the stallions owned overseas anyway aren't they?So why would overseas stallion owners care much if their prices are leading to less numbers being bred?l

There you have identified why there are not many left breeding horses anymore. Spend $20,000 to get progeny of what is perceived as a great value sire,captain treacherous. I don't know too many trainers/breeders,but the people i know still involved in the game don't have $20,000 to breed a horse. Its fantasy to think the average person who still potters around with a horse will spend that much. Lazarus hasn't many foals which has lead to some speculation as to why he has had fertility issues.

I agree. When you talk to people who breed to race and train them or who use trainers other than the top 3 or 4 stables,in other words those that focus not on the monetary side but the enjoyment side of racing,they will tell you for them the costs of the stud fees,vet fees and grazing associated with breeding and the subsequent costs to get a horse that may not race until it was 4,is not worth the effort when you factor in how they perceive the type of horse they have is not treated as well as others in the handicapping system. The handicapping system rewards the owners/breeders/trainers who race and win with their 2 and 3 year olds,and with the junior driver concessions. In other words it clearly incentivises,through concessions, people to push their horses early. So the irony is,on one hand HRNZ are trying to promote breeding by have some sort of rebate system for breeders,while on the other hand operating a handicapping system that incentivises people to have there horses prepared in a way that focuses on short term goals,and if those short term goals aren't met,then the product(horse) is cast aside. So breeders who used to focus most on enjoyment and longevity,and supplied the industry with type of horse,now look at the cost and decide its unrealistic.

You've pointed out that he has been penalised as per the handicapping system rules.So in that respect,yes he has been treated as he should be. However thats not the point i'm making. I'm saying if the rules were fair,anyone should be able to look at adesanya's record in comparison to the others he is running against,and easily see why he is rated so much higher. But you can't. The horse with the lowest number of wins,the 2nd lowest in stakes is the clear top rated. If he were to win that race, he would then have to run in the highest ranked race on the night and would theoretically be rated above warloch,evangalist,tom martin,jack tar and casino action. Thats just not fair. You point out that he should be looking to get point concessions.Well of course he can't change his age,because once you reach 4 the handicapping system thinks you should get double the points penalty compared to a 3yo. And as to using a concession driver. Like who?Theres only been a couple of concession drivers recently who look to come close to matching the skills of his regular driver,and they are about to lose their concession status anyway.So in reality you are suggesting he put a driver on to lessen his chances,so he runs nowhere for a few times. The way i see the handicapping rules have to a degree always been written so as to advantage those who have had the input into what they actually are. Its like some group complains and to placate them they give that groups horses a discount. Adesanya has all the wrong credentials to be treated fairly. He has reached the age of 4 years and is a horse that comes from a stable that considers he performs best with a top driver on. Any sensible owner/trainer out there should look at him and ask themselves. Will my horse be able to win races before he turns 4. If the answer is no or he is late to mature and they want some longevity out of him by not pushing him early, then those owner and trainers must seriously consider why they should bother paying training fees to a trainer when he is going to be so harshly treated in comparison to others.

This horse is in race 5 at addington on friday. Its the highest rating horse at r56,yet its It's only won 2 races,the least in the field along with one other who is rated r50. The other 10 starters have won 51 races between them. How is it that the rating system seems to unfairly punish the likes of adesanya,simply because he is a 4 year old. I see the owners of adesanya are mostly the same owners of dance till dawn,a 4 win,11 placing group 1 placed horse from 35 starts whose won over $110,000 more. Yet adesanya is rated 5 points higher. The handicapping system seems flawed.It is supposed to treat all horses and their connections fairly, But clearly when you look at horses like adesanya,it doesn't.Obviously being a 4yo hes too old to get any concessions,so if his owners weren't so wealthy ,he would most likely be sold.

Thats just what he can do when he puts his mind to it. Had a small wager on him myself. It was his 3rd run back from a bit of a let up and his previous run wasn't too bad. For me the key was having sam thornley driving. He needs an aggressive driver and seems to give his best for him if driven at a constant speed as opposed to a stop start speed. Then again,most horses are. The close in draw another part of his success.I personally think he just is happy to plod around for the other drivers hes had recently.Hes one of those horses that on his day and in the right grade can deliver a big run and on other days you just have to say,well ill wait to all the positive factors are in play. Mind you i only came out just ahead on the punt for the day, so i was pleased he won .

I have her rated more a top 4 chance. Hard to see it beating maren franco or classie linc myself but is n great form. I see the horses drawn 3-7 are all rated 50 & 51,yet have won 38 races between them. Yet if you had a 1 start,1 win horse in the field,it would also be rated 50. The worst thing any horse 4years old or more could do would be to win in its first couple of starts because its then thrown in against horses like superstar legend who have won over $100,000. Hard to make sense of things like that. Thats part of the reason many sell overseas. Those who programme races really don't seem to factor that in and its all becoming unfair again.The handicapping system really does need revamped as does the programming I don't undersatnd why there doesn't seemto be a grasp of the reality that whenever you giver one group,whether it be young horse concessions,junior driver 3 point concessions or drop back concessions...you do so by penalising those that don't get any concessions. Its like the 3 point junior driver. Personally i get tired of hearing the whale or matt cross go on and on about what a great thing they are. Great why? If your going to say something at least base it on fact. Its like if they repeat it enough they think people will believe them. Well Its been obvious that the handful of stables benefitting were using those drivers before anyway. So whats changed? Nothing as far as i can see and i've been following it. When gemma thornley wins another race with lizzie richter or bella button ,the result is with the concessions and a penalty free win,they can win 3 races to every one elses 1 for the same rating penalty.I defy anyone to show evidence that those drivers would not have gotten those drives anyway. Mark jones used her just as much beforehand,michael house the same with his son,dalgety the same. Good luck to those drivers for taking advantage of a rule designed to give them special treatment,but really.

Having said that,i think the way to look at it is those of us who got to experience those type of days were very fortunate and somewhat privileged. Now is certainly a different era. Those who were inspired to get into the sport by what they experienced in the likes of those decades,now have to change their mindset from aspiring to train a possible nz cup winner,to just enjoying doing something they really enjoy. Working with the horses is still what keeps many honest,hard working trainers in the sport .And there are still owners around who experienced those great decades and have remained loyal to some trainers,and view each other as long time friends.

I remember that being the first nz cup i ever saw on track.My parents and uncles were there. They stayed in the grandstand after the previous race to ensure there was enough space for us to squeeze into a seat after we put the bets on. People packed like sardines everywhere that hadn't been able to get a seat in the grandstand.Everyone watching was there to see the race and had an appreciation of who every horse and driver was.It wasn't like today where so many who go along view it as a social occasion. After lord module won it seemed everyone was on a buzz at what they had just seen,then when the siren went and reon murtha said the inquiry was into the winner. Well everyone knew it would be into that.It honestly felt like everyone around you was excited by what had just taken place.The combination of the race and the horse everyone had talked about pre race had delivered. It's an experience i will never forget myself. Hands down win in the cup the following year was somehow just as good. If you looked at the connections of the horses in that race. Theres your answer as to why harness racing was so popular back then.The field was full of just as many horses prepared by small time trainers as they were by leading trainers. As to who was in the race.The race wasn't always dominated by one or two stables. That was why everyone who trained or owned a horse gave themselves a chance of getting a good horse.The many trainers with a horse in the race who just trained small teams was proof of that. No one back then ever talked about the influence of treatments in achieving results. People back then didn't see horses run forever. Those races like lord modules were the reasons why people aspired to train a horse,even if it be just to train one horse. Today what young person is ever going to start training a horse now and say,i'm going to train the winner of a nz cup. Next to no one is your answer. Its no longer a realistic goal for anyone apart from only a handful with the right connections..Back then thousands had that dream,now no one drams of that. Thats why those who got into the sport back then fondly remember the days when everyone had a chance if they were good enough. As to the night that lord module won that ffa driven by jack smolenski. I remember talking to a keen sporting man on the monday after. He was mainly a rugby man,but also enjoyed the horses. He went that night and told me he had never experienced the excitement at a sporting event that he saw and felt when lord module won.So thats why lord module will never be forgotten by those who got to see him race.

You mention mick guerin.Love him or not,hes well known and a character that with a bit of humour could be the subject of a short segment by someone like matt cross.Cross could be a david bellamy type character. for example it could be called "the search for Mick guerin". Done on the premise that he was supposed to make himself available for an unhinged interview at the beach,when mr unhinged tells you he never turned up,cross goes on a search for him. He could start off looking where hes supposed to be staying,and show a room with a picture of say mark purdon and n rasmessen on the wall,then one 10 times bigger of m geurin himself next to it. As you pan round the room you realise its full of mirrors. Then on the floor you see a high end scarf....then you know your on the right track but where could he be. Next you go to the tattoo shop. Apparently he has his mothers initals on shoulder,so you ask around there and are asked,does he look in the mirror a lot,to which you of course reply yes,and you are told he was seen going into the tab. again you find another high quality scarf on the floor.You go to the tab , only to told someone who pouts a lot had just put a substantial bet on then left saying he would be back in an hour to pay for it and left a tie that he said he was worth double the bet and he would collect on his return.You think aloud ,pouts a lot,that night be greg o'connor.You then get told he said he was going to the high end menswear store across the road. There you meet a fella who said he hadn't seen mr geurin ,but if you see cran dalgety tell him the new seasons shirts have just come in. Then you spot what could be mick geurin getting into a maserati and driving off. You could then conclude the segment saying ..well i never got to ask him whether the rumour about him having a picture of himself on his headboard when he was a teenager was true.. To be honest,segments like that will probably will never be made, And maybe all thats not everyones cup of tea,but i would find that funny myself. The point is theres plently of subjects for humour ,the aussies seem to use humour in their shows to promote their sports,it would be nice if we had something like that hear to add some humour.

I have been reading the replies on another topic,and Gammalite madea point in one of his posts that we need to "enjoy... the mighty harness industry". That got me thinking,why can't we focus more on the positives. After some thought,all i could come up with ,is mostly just a mindset. For some reason negativity is more fashionable than positivity. There are so many aspects and characters,both human and horse that are there,just waiting to have exposure which would reflect the industry in a positive way,but it either never happens or seems to fly under the radar. So heres some of my thoughts 1) why is the likes of unhinged,southern harness and i understand theres a north island one,why is it being left up to them to self promote and push for more exposure,seemingly without working together with HRNZ. I just don't get why we have stories written on the HRNZ website,which take their content from interviews on the likes of unhinged,when we could have the actual clips of the interviews which deliver the emotions and joy,which a written story can't. I like dave di sooma who writes the stories for hrnz,but why don't they use him in conjunction,to help showcase the clips that capture the moment. 2)why is there no comedy content on HRNZ or somewhere similar that hrnz could provide a link to.. Theres that many people in the industry that could,with the right choice of words,have the piss taken out of them. For example,they could have a clip each week on hrnz of say matt cross and someone else with a bit of character,leaning over the rail at the races,holding a conversation about the previous weeks events,where the content is as much about having a laugh as it is in giving relevant information. I can think of so much material where settings,play into innuendo,based around previous occurences,which could become a bit of a cult following. Nothing should be off limits if delivered in a non insulting,humourous way.Some segments could be done at other locations on the way to a meeting. If nigel armstrong can do such good work using just his camera or whatever,then why can't matt cross do the same. 3) how about each week HRNZ have a good sorts type of interview,Make it where a video clip catches them in action doing whatever it is they do.I don't watch the tv 1 good sorts myseld,but i wouldn't know them from a bar of soap,,but a harness good sorts would interest me. 4)why is it when we read obituaries,its sometimes the first time you have heard of what someone did.For example not that long ago i read the obituary of peter craig,a harness historian. Well i had seen that fella many times when i used to go to the races,but just assumed he was a punter. If they are worth acknowledging when they are dead,why not when they are alive is how i see it. 5)how about a where are they today type segment.Maybe it could be incorporated in the matt cross comedy thing,but it would be a serious segment.It doesn't have to feature the actual person each time,just give information on what they are today. Maybe it can be based on viewers requests. i could go on and on,but the point is there is so much what i would call,untapped positive material and humorous material,then why is it left untapped.That brings to mind,perhaps that davey butt coulf be matt cross's sidekick occasionally. Suppose it will never happen,but that filled in 20 minutes of my afternoon

Maybe,but its housing affordability that has been one of the main drivers in the numbers needing state housing.Families who spend so much of their income just on housing costs,never really will have much chance to break that cycle. You can't just blame labour when past national policies have helped create what we currently have in my opinion. As to voting National. How could you vote for them with the leader they have.Everything he says seems to be more about not wanting to get any possible bad press. Take the latest weak response he gave today about the road signs being in Maori as well.Their transport spokesperson said something most new zealanders agree with,but then Luxon was too weak-kneed to back what he says,having a dollar each way type approach.Thats what he does all the time. Same all the way through covid. Personally i see david seymour as having the best leadership qualities. Maybe you should vote for him brodie.A bit like winston keeping labour from going too far left,seymour will also help keep national from going too far left and too woke. Anyway,i like someone to have the confidence to just say what they think,like j teaz used to.

Not saying your wrong brodie. I just look at the cost of houses and rents and think how crazy they are,and how everyone who either rents or has a recent mortgage is effected. I have always thought housing is about supply and demand. While theres not enough houses they cost more and rents are higher. By the end of 2021 the housing shortage had reportedly gone down from 57,000 to 23,000 new homes needed. Can't find the 2022 figure but i assume the trend of building more houses than migration levels was the same.So covid and to a lesser degree labour policies had the effect of reducing the housing shortage. Now they say the number of new housing consents has dropped 9% in the last 12 months,but that the drop is becoming more significant in recent months. So since the housing shortage has been significantly reduced,they aren't building new houses at the same rate because those who build them on a larger scale want to always keep it as a bit of a shortage,to protect their investments. . But then if you look at the stats they say for the year ended feb 2023,nz is back gaining more people(52,000)and apparently in feb 2023,at a pace not seen before. Those stats said there was a loss of nz citizens of 17,300 and a gain of non nz citizens of 69,000. anyway,so the way i look at at,National is the party thats pushes for more immigration,always has been,and it therefore is the party who creates the housing shortage more than labour has or will..Just logic in my opinion. Under national the rich get richer,which is all well and fine,but not when it means the poor get poorer. And thats been the reality unfortunately and the cost on nz is a major factor. Also landlords will always mostly vote national,so if labour has a tax that effects landlords,they won't be losing much electoral support,as they never had it in the first place. thats the way i see it anyway.

I agree Teaz is a recognized racing personality who's varied background has put him in touch with the positives and the negatives of the sport. One group Teaz received a good level of respect from was the punter. Whatever his platform,he gave an informed perspective of how races were run,not only describing the skills of horse and driver,but at times noting the likes of tactical errors or form changes. Punters like hearing that,because its honesty. Better to paint the whole picture than just 3/4. But your right walt,we don't want Teaz running the risk of official censure through poor choice of words.I think anyone who thinks he has received a rather harsh penalty accepts he needed some type of reprimand, just not to the level he did.

I was referring to supply and demand. With investors pulling back ,the crazy cost of houses may drop to a level where people who currently rent, can afford to buy. Personally i think its too late,homes will not drop enough. Also if houses aren't being built at a rate fast enough to house the level of immigration,then the housing crisis just gets worse. And Labour/nz first policies factored that in more than Nationals policies. I agree with what you have said above,just believe previous National governments bore more responsiblity for creating it,than the other parties. My point about the accommodation allowances,was they must be costing the taxpayers a fortune.Given so many people receive them,people have a perception that labour will look after them more when they struggle to make ends meet,than National ever will. And given more and more are struggling,its reason to think the next election will be a close call either way.

Well,if the reaction of the lady in the article is anything to go by,then the tax has achieved in some ways what it set out to do. i.e. make having multiple rental properties less attractive as an investment. And the lady in the article says thats what other investors in housing are saying as well. So not such a silly tax given that would have been one of labours goals. As to rents going up. Well people just get more of an accommodation allowance. More reason to vote labour. We seem to somehow have wandered off the topic, as we do sometimes.

Jacinda ardern ruled out the capitol gains tax on property other than the family home,yet last year a poll said 54% supported one and 32% didn't ,the rest undecided.Just makes sense to me to have one given the cost of housing. Also national like immigration to stimulate the economy don't they . How does that help housing costs.. Housing is an issue that effects everyone one way or another.I'm just happy that Ardern is no longer the prime minister.Each to their own opinions.

National still a party who's policies push the wealth gap between those that have and those that haven't further. Just read a story on stuff about some woman saying if labour win the election she will sell one of her 4 investment properties and if national win she will buy a 5th. National promising a tax change to benefit people who invest in multiple properties.Last year nz was named the 6th least affordable country in the world to buy a property. National obviously don't care given some of their policies. That just an example of why the labour party still a chance despite what they are doing. So many are effected by the cost of housing,whether it be owning or renting and they see labour as the best at helping them survive in that regard..

The unruly horses starting far back from where they are allowed to start is something that just seems to be accepted. Drivers like blair orange always seem to start as close as they can,but others appear to want a moving start and are happy to handicap themselves almost out of contention.Theres not a consistency to it for some. Just seems to be how it is for some reason.

Well put Walt. A $2750 fine seems an over the top penalty. Teaz made comments that anyone who read them,with any sense, would have seen reflected more negatively on Teaz than it did on those he was commenting about. Thats the context that his comments should be taken in. We live in a world where peoples emotional wellness is prioritized over speaking what you actually think. The thing about that,is that approach doesn't seem to be helping peoples mental wellbeing,The stats say more people are depressed today than ever before. Also theres an irony here, Teaz is being punished for the perception of possibly offending people and effecting their mental wellbeing by doing so,yet it is Teaz who admits to having that issue. I think he should have just been told again to "pull your head in",your not doing yourself any favours. And maybe as a penalty have him agree to no longer post on social media for say 12 months .Hopefully he still feels comfortable with expressing his opinions in the future,because if worded right,he has a perspective that is worth hearing on many subjects involving harness racing.