the galah

Well you can't watch the trackside coverage in australia.tI may not happen as much now but many times they would take an australian race running late and transfer it onto their 2nd,less watched racing channel. So i can't see them not doing the same to nz races. Have you not thought running races on time would be viewed as of importance to those overseas as being relevant as to how much product they would take?

Well thats why they changed the handicapping system. So yes they can do a lot about it. Stupid thing was how they let things slide so much before they took any action.And field size the same thing. It was the ridiculous penalty free wins which allowed 8 win horses like border control start in 1 win races that saw fields with nominations close to 30 ending up with fields of 6 or 7.It was the previous Handicapping system which favored the elite at the expense of the average which helped drive overall participation down.

The horses starting prices are relevant as hot favorites suppress betting. The less hot favorites,the more the punter will participate. As to races starting on time. Well thats relevant,especially if the race is being exported to say australia. Their trackside channels transfer races and don't show others imported races if they don't start on time. Late starting races would discourage punter participation. I agree with you on the fixed odds increasing at the expense of the tote pools. This is not a good thing.Its obvious more are betting on fixed odds due to betting larger amounts into small tote pools reduces the returns for the punter. Then of course successful ff punters having bet size limited which leads to less overall punter participation. What about co mingling. If you ring the Tab help line they will tell you some pools aren't co mingled,yet some they tell you aren't do appear to be co mingled.The reality of exporting harness races to say australia is our product,is i believe tarnished by the less attractive,less integrity perceived australian harness product. Therefore you are always going to struggle to get greater punter participation overseas . That unfortunately beyond nz control.

A memory that comes to mind for me is when i was working in a stable down south. The trainer had a big team and there was this one horse that was very highly strung and whenever it did fast work it did an extra round of warm up and then if you were working with it you had to be ready to go as it went past as it wouldn't or couldn't be stopped.Anyway it was the only horse ever to race by a particular homebred sire. After about half a dozen starts where it showed very little it was entered for the local racemeeting. The trainer decided he would do something different so after being worked in the morning he took it out again just before tea and gave it a gallop. So i stayed and watched what he was doing and to my surprise he galloped at a frantic speed for 9 rounds of the track. When he came back in i said do you think that will help to which he replied no it bolted on him for 9 rounds,and he said its lame now,he would probably have to scratch him.He was noticeably favoring one leg. Anyway come the morning the trainer hadn't scratched him and when i asked if he was starting he said he would get him scratched if he was sore warming up and it could be his last race anyway. Well believe it or not,to everyones surprise that horse came out and won paying a big dividend.It then lined up again the following week at the same track and won again paying big money. It only had another couple of starts before he returned it to its owner. I wasn't sure what was to be learnt from that,but its something i have never forgotten. When it comes to racing our own,i have lots of memories but i will keep those for maybe another day.

Yes your definition would be bagging a driver,my definition is highlighting integrity issues. I notice you haven't given a reply to specific races i referred you too.I assume that is because what i have said is accurate. My philosophy is simple. Everyone should be out there always doing their best. I was only just getting warmed up and i know i spent around $75k through different totes on queensland harness in the last 4 weeks into small pools.(not on fixed odds) From now on i will be investing nothing.I have given you the reason.It annoys me to think i may have been investing on something where its already pre determined that i am to lose, unbeknown to me beforehand.There is a possibilty that the drivers ive mentioned simply are very poor,but i can't say that because the stipes over there dont even ask about questionable drives. It is what it is. I will just concentrate on nz where i have confidence everyone is trying. I do like your passion for your racing over there.

I can understand why some don't think drivers should be criticised, and i hardly ever do that. Do i sometimes comment on particular drives,yes i do,and why shouldn't i is my my thinking. Its nothing personal,discussing one off drives is not about the person,but about the drive. Besides,we all look at things from how we would react,and personally i wouldn't worry at all about criticism of a bad drive if it was one i had done. As to the the queensland criticism. I think its justified.Others can form their own opinions. I mistakenly thought yesterday i was backing one of your countries best drivers in nathan dawson,but the stable had 2 in it and put him on the outsider who ran accordingly after drawing alongside. Why put the best driver on the horse with no chance. Doesn't make sense to me,but thats what they did.I've already discussed the way katacha man was driven which i think raises some integrity or competence questions. But can i suggest you watch the fathers drives yesterday.On joey lincoln in race 5,did he give it any chance of winning by not improving between the 400m and 180m.Sure he most likely wouldn't have won anyway,but did he give it a fair oppurtunity to win. And the horse Bondi shake. It was paying $4,yet wasn't his drive just a follow them round drive.Again,did he give the horse a fair chance in how he drove between the 400m and 200m. And what was he doing when he did pull out.And if you are happy with those drives,go watch bondi shake the previous week at redcliffe. He steered it into every dead end he could over the last lap. I've previously highlighted other questionable drives from them.It seems a regular thing. I have gone further than i would for a nz driver as i believe nz drivers are honest. I don't feel the same about all aussie drivers.;So call it bagging a driver if you see it that way. i don't view it like that.

Heck your right about which barnes it was gammalite. And to think I had named H barnes as dishonest a month ago and said on this site i would never waste money on him again. Yet today i did just that.How stupid is that. I looked him up a month or so ago and saw he had 3 times been suspended for failing to drive to obtain the best possible place,and also saw his brother brendon had been put out at one point for cocaine use. I watched Hayden barnes a couple of weeks ago restrain a horse so hard in the parked position it eventually choked down. Funnily enough that day his brother was following him and appeared to have no idea what his brother was up to. And that was in a sprint race. That took some doing. I've actually been taking particular notice of how The barnes drive,and bizarre is how i would describe hayden and his fathers driving sometimes.

Yes,sticking to the drivers that try seems of greater importance than the horses abilities. That b barnes drive in the last race today. The horse was 2nd favorite. Sitting in the 1/1 going round the first bend with the favorite outside him going forward 3 wide.Whats he do. Restrains it hard to go 4 back the fence following the horse paying $80. He had no intention of ever trying and knew what he was doing.

I've come round to your way of thinking gammalite.After keeping records and analysing every harness race in queensland in the last 3 months,i think its fair to conclude that its not worth the time and effort to follow queensland harness. I spent a lot of money,yet only have come out just ahead. Hardly worthwhile given the time involved. The reason for that is so many of the better chances are driven to simply follow them around if they don't get a top draw.The horses themselves are consistent,but apart from the top 6 or 7 drivers i liked,its extremely hard to tell whether the rest were trying.Maybe they are just waiting to back them themselves. This last week i backed 7. All were well favored,and apart from 1,everyone of them immediately made a direct line for 4,5 and 6 back the fence,where they stayed well held until the finish. How can harness racing prosper in queensland if this is how the races are run.Its fair to say i expected better. As regards the drivers. I know a couple of months ago i questioned the honesty of a couple of the barnes and criticised the other barnes for his tactical sense,but i have concluded that they may only look dishonest,and its possible its just a lack of driving skills that makes them look bad.And yes b barnes was driving the one that i backed today.Maybe i should give him credit for immediately being able to get 6 back the fence from the outside of the second line draw. At least he tried earlier this week on the horse rock fisherman,who paid $3,after 2 very negative previous drives when paying $30,but maybe that was his plan all along.Its very hard to tell. So i won't comment in the future on queensland harness racing or their drivers. I'll turn the page.But i am thankful that nz drivers have a higher degree of competitiveness. I have confidence that when punters spend their money here,win or lose,at least they know the intent of everyone driving is to do as well as they can.

Whether they do a great job is for me defined by the consistency in which they apply the rules and whether they do it in an equal and fair way. It is only in recent years in the south island that this has been the case.Go back a couple of decades and before and the stipes were at times bullies,turning a blind eye to some while they were tormentors of the small players who they took a dislike to. Some of them were not deserving of any respect,and got none from many. Times have changed,new personal have taken over,and the stipes today do a very good job. This is reflected in the matter currently being discussed.Not once has it been suggested on this thread that Cameron has been the subject of greater interest from the stipes previously. It is only the one drive that he has been subject to scrutiny over. What i do take from this thread is again when it comes to harness racing things get taken more personally and people defend others not based on merit, but based on the matter being argued around personalities.Because of that things are magnified to a level they never need to be.And the ones responsible for that are those who make it about personalities. In effect the flaws in the argument of those making it about personalities only highlight the individual to a greater degree than was necessary.

"A second to do so" Again showing your ignorance. Split second decisions are made when your amongst the field with traffic in your way dictating where and when you go. Cameron was sitting in the perfect position to make his move. He had ample time to work out what he was going to do,and when those behind were going to make their moves.Do you really think drivers just sit there ,their minds blank,then when it comes to the final 250 they suddenly switch their brains back on and make split second decisions. It does explain some of your posts though.

You said you picked it,but incredibly didn't notice it. What does that say about your assessment of video replays. Anyone watching the race would have noticed it. I said to the wife that he should get a decent holiday as i watched the replay of the final 200m, straight after the race.And i didn't even back it. Your coming at it from a point of view of someone who obviously misses a lot. I'll take that into account from now on.

The gap never came. Hoped to get a late gap. Horse finished closer than he would have. Good stuff.

So are you psychic chief? Perhaps you could explain to the uneducated what issues the horse had that resulted in the driver steering into a dead end.Don't give me the" it was intractible in the early part of its racing career'.What on earth has that got to do with last nights drive. And how about this. Go watch the horses most recent runs before you comment on whether it has had issues when being steered outwards.Whats the point in making excuses when they don't exist. Races are run and people comment on what happens in them.Thats all this thread is about.I don't know cameron from a bar of soap. Good luck to him in the future,but if people comment only on the good things,then your not telling the whole story.

Well most on here have watched all his races.As to not receiving a penalty,more chance of pigs flying than that happening.

Speed duels can bottom a horse out if ,like you say, they have not had a thorough grounding work wise. But i believe it really depends on how hard the driver is on the horse at the finish of a race in which it had the speed duel. The worst thing i believe a driver can do is a pointless chase after the field after a bad start,then to ask that horse for an all out effort at the finish.Its just stupidity. If they want to bottom a horse out,thats the best way to do it. It happens a bit,and i never understand whyThe subsequent results always tell the story,but its too late then.

John dunn did leave his run a bit late,but Ned kelly was having its first race for 8 months,and is a horse who lacks a bit of confidence and has been a bit wayward in the past.So probably he drove it as you would expect pre race. It surprised me how it was 2nd favorite,but it did run well. Asian elvis finished well too,but you don't see g thornley making many mid race moves,so pretty much as expected there as well.

The drive looked like it deserved that long,but having said that i think it was just extremely poor judgment. So maybe they will give him what they gave d ferguson at cambridge earlier in the year,for a more questionable drive on that trotter. 3 days is all he got,which seemed ridiculously lenient at the time.. The thing is anyone watching that race who may have backed saginaw would be thinking that fella is dodgy. So there has to be a penalty which maintains the betting publics faith.

You deserved a better result if you had that one. Can't understand why you are trying to justify such a "dumb as" tactical move? Who angles in to a non existent gap,when you can just ease outwards because there is no one outside you. When a horses head is turned inwards after it has been running straight,as ocurred,i believe that means its being steered inwards.Thats the explanation why it went in,and not out. He's never had a problem pulling it out before.

That was sarcasm. i think you know that.. I don't agree with those who say its the lowest form of wit. As to hiding in the bushes. If hiding in the bushes means they are catching a cheat,well they should hide in the bushes more often. You can't deny its got them some good results recently.

One thing i would agree on,and that is the focus and funding on testing TC02 levels is out of proportion to its significance in this day and age.Testing should still be undertaken,but not on the scale it is. Resources could be far better used. For example i have always advocated for on the ground surveillance. And that is a tool which the riu have been using to greater effect in the last couple of years.Look at the results that tactic has achieved as applies to the harness side of things. They have cleaned out a handful who were cheating,and that industry is far better for it.

I'm trying to keep up,but it appears your now not discounting the suggestion that this fellas horse may actually have been milkshaked? Or are you sticking to the spoonful of feed additive he gave it each day as the cause of the inexplicable(to you) one off TC02 level.If this is still your theory then you would have to wonder how unlucky was he for it to happen on raceday? As to the milkshaking not helping performance. How thick are all those trainers who have used it over the last few decades. Its even cost a few their careers,yet it appears you think they risked it all for no benefit. And your still sticking with the modern day testing picking up all performance enhancers.Great that those doing the testing know the latest performance enhancers being used as soon as the very minute % of trainers that would stoop to that level do. All's rosey and everyones honest,and only the misguided are putting their careers on the line to gain nothing anyway. I'm with you,this RIU seems to be an unnecessary organisation.

How long does r cameron get for his strange tactical move at the 200m in race 7 last night.From watching him drive in the past,you would assume he was trying,but what was he thinking?I would guess 2 months,but who knows. On the postive side,as others have pointed out,you had to admire john dunns driving.

So milkshaking is a therapeutic ,and there's conflicting evidence that it makes any difference to race performance.Got it.

I didn't mind speed duels.Adds a bit of excitement to a race. P Ferguson created it. They both still placed but L whittaker did beat him home.,