the galah

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.

i can just see the Brodster walking down the street with his mask, sunglasses and hat on ,always looking down. Is he finally taking the covid thing seriously....No hes off to the TAB..

I thought a top drive last night was A harrison on chimchurri. She knew orange would not run the risk of being blocked on the fence and showed good thinking by moving at just the right time to get the perfect run on oranges back. It was a move that the horse between her and orange could have made,but she read the tactics of the drivers concerned well.They are the moves that win and lose races,there being a fine line sometimes. But the better drivers seem to get it right every time.

I saw the drive of n rasmussen the opposite. Normally she gets the tactics spot on,but in that race she didn't in my opinion.Kango runs its best races in front and was never going to give the lead to self assured without a fight.Had kango trailed he had no chance of winning. Unfortunately for Butcher,he probably didn't think Rasmussen would persist to the point where it would leave both kango and self assured vulnerable in the finish. You have to also factor in he beat her fair and square the week before by using the same tactics, which is even more reason to think the lead was never going to be there. Having said that,its things like that,that made for an exciting race.Mark purdon again got the perfect run. He just seems to do that so often that you can't help but admire his driving skills,even taking into account hes always on the better chances .

I think the harm protection policy,and the ability of government to have influence and control over the NZ TAB in respect of that sounds full of merit.The current situation of government having no control of enforcing overseas operators in that respect was something that we can all understand needed change.I guess that is part of how they influence public opinion of those who have little interest in gambling, to accept possible growth by the NZTAB. But like you have said brodie,Why should winning punters think they will be assisted by the tab or Entain. McAnulty said winning punters who beat the bookies shouldn't be restricted. Well why didn't he say that part of the deal was to include a regulation or law or whatever,that ensured exactly that. Had he done so, he might have won your vote on that alone. Maybe,...nah,probably not.

Good question.Its like they have cherry picked the best bits for the announcement to the racing industry but given the broad sweeping statements,is there a full report that gives actual detail that those who are interested can read so they can have a more informed opinion. Mr McAnulty does seem to at least understand the issues. Its just we've heard so called game changing announcements before,and they failed to deliver.We all remember seeing John allen go on and on about the new TAB website in 2019 being a game changer to improve revenue. That was a disaster that never made sense.And so it proved. At least this some of the claims by mcanulty appear to make sense to a certain degree.

That announcement said the tab would have the monopoly over racing and sports betting. But then it said that will happen once further work has been done. How long does that take as they first started looking into it in 2019. McAnulty seems to be pushing for positive change,but what it actually all means does need to be put into words that everyone can understand. When he said the nz tab will receive more punter support,because nz punters won't have anywhere else to go...well does that mean any betting on the likes of the overseas betting agencies like betfair will be prohibited in the future? sounds like it,but when are the laws for that coming into effect. And what about the online casions's,lotteries and the fastest form of gambling in nz the on line pokie machines. Are they part of what he has said will be the tab's monopoly of on line gambling.He says the tab will remove its 500 nz class 4 gaming licences(is that 500 pokies or 500 venues for pokies).What does that actually mean as far as income sources for the likes of the clubs who currently benefit. If so,will the TAB in the future provide those type of products online and if so where does the money go.Currently the overseas agencies for the likes of the pokies don't have any harm minimalization commitments, is that what he is talking about when he talks about reducing problem gambling harm,or do they just carry on as is. Whats this facial recognition the entain talks about. They refer to it as a way of stopping problem gamblers placing bets,but will that be another way of restricting winning punters. McAnulty said in his press conference that punters who beat the bookies shouldn't be restricted. Is that not a bit of a fairy tale claim which makes you wonder how accurate the rest of what he said is. Given the NZ tab clearly has a policy of doing everything they can to stop winning punters from investing,as do overseas bookmakers which i thought entain was,then why is much going to change. Like i said,how much of what he says actually be delivered and how much will turn out to be hot air speculation? And what are the timelines?

You need to do your form a bit more newmarket. The field it raced against a couple of nights ago included 1 that had won a group one race,another who had placed in a group 1 and won a listed race the week before,and another who had run 4th in a group 1 race. And the rest were all mares who had very nice records. So superstar legend actually ran a very respectable race. The week before when it won,it was a handy field and a very nice stake,but not as strong as the latest race.

team 3 for me

That about sums it up. if you look at recent performances,the form reversal came from the driver,not the horse. If they had a write up for the driver,it would be....capable on his day,but normally running on far too late.Expect much of the same tonight... That would turn out to be accurate 95% of the time,but last night we saw the 5% of the time.

I think the first thing the ambulance crew do is put all those wires on you and do an ECG while ascertaining what the symptoms were. If the ecg shows you've got a blocked artery ,they get the big needle out and give you something to dissolve the clot that has caused the blockage.Obviously the sooner they get to you and can clear the blockage the better,as damage is done to heart muscle while you have a blockage.Sometimes they wait till they get to hospital to give you the treatment,sometimes they do it where ever they find you depending on how far away from the hospital you are.,because time is so important. They can give you aspirin sometimes. My wife always makes sure we carry a couple of aspirin where ever we go just in case. I often wonder about people who live more than a few minutes away from emergency services.I suppose no one expects to have the likes of a heart attack,but shouldn't quick access to emergency services be a factor in where you chose to live as you get a bit older.After all,if you happen to have a heart attack,for many it can be a very life changing event.

I had it rated as the top selection but didn't bother having a bet as i thought wilson house would probably go back from his outside draw,like he did last start. I always think his go to tactics are go back to last if drawn wide. Instead he drove a very well judged race. It went very well last start,running home well in a race run in near record time. The previous 2 starts it never had much room to improve in the straights,when travelling ok at the time. It had won the most races and earned the most money previously than anything in the field,so was very well graded.Half the field had only won 1 race and it had won 10 prior. So it wasn't a form reversal,just a positive drive when you don't normally see that from house. I have to admit,after 100m i was kicking myself for not having a bet,but well done to the house team. Also good to see the Tappers who own it back in the winners circle. I think they trained a dominion handicap winner at one stage.

Actually i would imagine it must be rather strange for someone seeing people commenting on social media about your health issues. I find it that anyway. Everyone has different levels of empathy about all things,often based on whether they have seen the consequences first hand.