the galah

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Never said anything like that. I said purdons stats improved when rasmussen started training with him,and when he no longer trained with payne or by himself. I also have said i think cullen trains as good as purdon/rasmussen,probably because purdon has taught him well and still has input. and i have said cullen hasn't had any races where his runners draw 5 lengths or more ahead of the rest when they run very fast times like the purdon /rasmussen partnership used to be able to regularly do with 4 or more runners in the same race.And i've asked why?

I haven't suggested driving on ecstacy,so not sure what your point is. So youv'e included the lowest(this years)to get that figure. How about you wake up. Compare the udr of the previous 4 years when purdon trained on his own and with payne. .3353,.3013.4285,.3761. So the conclusion is purdon udr improved by about 35% when rasmussen became co trainer.

Thats the point i made ,which you argued vehemently against. Cullen has proven he is little inferior to purdon/rasmussen as trainers. The drop off in udr,wins came after inca and the pandemic. Not this year.Why was that?Its something you ignore and will never acknowledge,so little point debating it with you. They will always be the benchmark trainers,but their figures are not as good as what they were in the previous 4 or 5 years. I quoted the udr's and wins in another posting on another topic to confirm that.

You know,i've always thought from some of your posts, that you were the bitter one when it came to the riu. I don't know what experiences youv'e had that have lead you to give that impression,and i'm not saying you don't have good reason for that,and i think it likely youv'e dealt with something where you have been unjustly treated, but people who have been accused of being bitter are quick to point out the same traits shown by others on the opposite side of the argument. I think we need to recognise that being bitter is not a bad thing,its just a word to describe feelings you have because of a perceived injustice.We need to judge the merit of the perceived injustice,and we all come to our own conclusions. One of the biggest problems in the past has been those who's job it was to enforce the rules focused on the small players,while turning a blind eye to the big players. There was no consistency in enforcement,and administrators had no systems in place to address it,nor did they really care.It was part of the reason for the reduction in participation levels,then we had those who's actions had lead many to no longer supporting the industry, lamenting that fact,when they themselves were largely to blame.Many owners in the past have also read where... whoever have returned a positive,for example the blue magic scandle,and what did we see. we saw increased support of those who transgressed, because many owners are all about winning,and expect their trainers to take risks and to push the boundaries. So now we have the riu seemingly targeting people by what they do,instead of ignoring some because of who they are.Thats the way it should have always been. Had it been so then everyone would have been happier and feelings of bitterness would not exist to the extent they currently do.

Did you put your money on the former kerr trained horse A Better act today? Well back in class today,thought you would have been on given what you said about its recent form a couple of weeks ago? Showed today its still looking for that extra leg that i said it had when running for m kerr.Another poor effort i see. And hows the barclay or ellis horses going. Didn't you rubbish me when i said that stable had lost a leg in the last 12 months. Its you who can't see what some of us can.

So the judge thought excluding some members of the press was the most effective way to get balanced reporting? Like that worked(or was ever going to help). The proof is in the pudding so to speak. Makes you wonder. You keep telling yourself that,but i don't think so. Doesn't everyone thinks they are on the right side of the debate,so what does that mean anyway.

So what long owner is saying is a judge excluded a certain member of the press from some of the inca court proceedings,and now we have this saturation coverage from that member of the press on related to topics to what the judge didn't want any reporting on. Whether thats accurate or not i don't know. If it is, whats the bet at the time some not too clever people actually thought excluding that reporter was a victory of sorts,and wouldn't have consequences..

Woodham saying he would need more information before he could comment, is not the same as saying he was unaware of what the journalist was asking about,as appears to be your take on it.

So you have had someone like ken spicer on the board of hrnz openly supporting and advocating for nigel mcgrath,matt anderson and who knows who else. Are you seriously suggesting he,or those that work with him should be kept informed on all details of ongoing investigations? Isn't the reason for the constant referral in the press coverage to ken spicers ongoing support of those being investigated, there to highlight that hrnz position on integrity would be compromised if full disclosure was given to them. Seems an obvious conclusion to draw. Surely you remember the blue magic scandal where a racing official warned all the licence holders involved of the investigation.

I don't have any sympathy for them either,but talk of life bans seems a bit of an over reaction. I understand why you may have that view,personally i don't share that view but the appropriate penalty is a tough one. But you have to wonder how dumb these blokes are. O.K.Harness racing is a hard habit to break,but they must think the riu isn't capable of uncovering any wrongdoing,despite what we have seen recently. They have to realise this is 2021,not 10 or more years ago.

Couple of things. Are you inferring the death of jimmy cannon may have been a result of being injected with formaldehyde? Should alford be treated any different to others who have given their horses that product? If not,then would you be calling for similar penalties to anyone else who it is discovered has used it. What about vets. I've always believed vets who administer known performance enhancers on the understanding they are not tested for are more ethically bereft than the horse trainers. This formaldehyde. It was widely reported during the cobalt saga in australia that it was uncovered that vets from the flemington equine clinic were known to regularly inject formaldehyde into some trainers horses as a way of preventing bleeding. Do you think there is some connection to a couple of high profile deaths in horses that veterinary clinic oversaw preparations of round that time,or just coincidence? Why is there never any focus on the ethically bereft vets?

The success of the grass tracks has been a proven formula for some time now,but seems to be ignored or unwanted by some clubs.Why don't winton and wyndham do whatever is necessary to allow meetings on their grass tracks.Why doesn't a track like timaru run one,they have a meeting on a sunday in october, which falls on a weekend with no grass track meeting.What about places like ashburton,or don't they want to give the public what they want. Its always been something that seems obvious,and the success they are heralding recently seemed to be a bit of a no brainer beforehand. Also why don't the clubs suggested run some races on the all weather and some on the grass. Why can't they have a system in place whereby if the weather means the track is poor, they just transfer the races to the all weather the day before,or on the day. Simply a matter of balloting a couple more in the event of that happening and paying them a starting fee in the unlikely event of the transfer.

I may be getting a little off the subject being discussed, but i thought brodie you would have enjoyed a segment on the tucker carlson show today. It seems the biden administration has signaled its intent to ensure prisoners are housed in prisons of the gender they identify as. Its also the biden administrations intent to adequately provide medical care for their gender dysphoria. Now tucker carlsons guest was raising concerns about the number of requests that had been made,and were likely to made in the future. Apparently transgender biological men are more likely to suffer sexual assaults in mens prisons,however it seems many are worried the bidens administrations new laws are likely to result in a flood of requests from men wanting to change to womens prisons,with no way of telling how genuine they all are. Could only happen in the usa,or is it coming here in the next 10 years.If your woke,you don't always think through the consequences.

Talking about the cost of land in areas where harness racing is dominant. I was interested to read that a company called"n.z. rural land and co" has been listed on the stock exchange with the intention of buying up rural properties big time. Their first purchase announced last month was for a 456 hectare dairy farm in southland which they then lease to a farmer for $515,667 a year. Then just this week they bought 14 farms in canterbury off a family group who had gone into liquidation for $114 million and lease them back to farmers for $5.8 million a year. They expect a return of just under 5%,and must also be banking on farms going up in value. The point is,if your a harness trainer,your just like a first home buyer,you would have to pay truly ridiculous and unjustifiable amounts for a piece of land,and what banks going to lend to a harness trainer trying to establish him/herself who can not produce evidence of income. And your not going to be able to lease land either when you see what others will pay for the lease.

It was a drive that gave his horse no chance in such a slowly run race,so cross codes is right about the drive,although of course mckendry is still a very good driver when in the mood and drove another big race win tonight. Probably shouldn't have been so well supported on previous form anyway,as its been driven the same each time its raced and not shown much. You never know next time though, with a good draw,we may see a different tactical drive and the horse might realise its there to race and improve significantly. Time will tell.

Unfortunately the moral of the story for some of these amateurs "is keep your expectations low,that way you will never be disappointed" The reality is the good amateurs get better,and the less skilled don't seem to improve at all. And there aren't any new amateur drivers coming through,so the less skilled often get drives.The fella that drove ally mae last night drove it like it was a car where you can swerve or pump the brakes hard with no consequences,but its a horse,not a car.And tactically he showed no brains either. I thought he got off lightly with a $250 fine. I think punters need s wigg to continue as an amateur driver. Punters won't invest if they have no confidence in any of the drivers She is definitely the best. Some of the others go ok as well,just theres a big difference between the best and the less skilled.

But is what you have just said a myth? I once read a European study on hundreds of harness horses which said the major factors in horses breaking down were preparation,gait, track surface and treatments. It actually did not find the pre conceived theory you suggest was a major factor.

No,its like saying i would much rather watch my local provincial team play the final of the heartland competition than watch 2 teams from the opposite end of the country with mostly imported players and high salary caps play each other in the final. I know who my local players are,have watched their progress through the season,and other followers of the sport locally can relate to their achievements now and in the future.

Those international horses add nothing to the race. Much better if only nz and aussie horses.

I'm doing a brodie here,but watching a couple of those drivers in race 1 tonight makes you wonder if they should be driving.Put a small bet on ally mae,clealy the best performed,but couldn't put much on because its drivers record is poor. Well,that desparate for the fence early that it all but breaks a couple of times, Through luck finds itself in a position where it could get a lovely run on the outer,but 5 back the fence apparently the better option. Then that desparate to get a run in the straight it runs over several markers and eventually looking more like a kangaroo as it jumps them.Suspension coming up i would think,but really how does he get to drive anyway. I came out square because i know you just back S. wigg in these races as she is miles better than the rest as a driver.Unless you back her,those amateur races aren't worth the aggravation that go with them from a betting perspective.

I guess punters clubs come in all shapes and forms. I'm not thinking along the lines of the ones you have referred to. I'm thinking an example would be running one at all the canterbury grass track meetings. Those grass tracks with the big fields are the ideal place to make money where you have a big enough starting pool to go wide when making your selections. They have the guaranteed first 4 $10,000 on every race,large on course crowds of people who are there as much for a fun day out as those who go there for a serious punt. Off course participation should also be accessible.You obviously would have to keep participants informed as to what horses the betting has been based around. Obtaining email addresses,or contact ph numbers from those who attend and participate could assist in contacting for future participation and club promotion. O.k there may be a bit of organising it all initially, but long term it would be a boost for turnover and fun punting participation.You could sell tickets to work groups at the xmas at the races functions. As long as you had someone doing the selections who knew what they were doing. Just a thought i've always had.

Sounds like your not a fan of punters clubs and don't believe people can actually make any money from them,nor get much enjoyment from having someone else with greater knowledge do the selections. Punters clubs shouldn't target,or expect participation from people who believe they have greater knowledge than the people making punters clubs selections. Thats why its important any punters clubs uses a consistently knowledgeable/successful punter for the selections. Your saying people would rather "jam $100 in a pokie". It appears your also saying people would get more annoyed if they lost money if a reputable person controlled the racing selections,and would be happier if similar or greater losses occurred when a machine is responsible for making the losing selections. Maybe many people are that stupid,don't think so though.

Part of the reason for the payouts to all runners is to maintain participation at the grass roots level. So while most stakes may not have dropped off in real terms compared with 25 years ago,the % of each stake paid to the top 4 has been reduced.Thats one of the compromises thats been accepted as being necessary to help maintain participation levels. Brodie refers to stake levels,but of course 30 years ago owners were still paying acceptance fees if you wanted to start a horse.Now they don't. Also gone are the unrealistic huge stakes for the big races,because theres a realisation that the money is better distributed to more owners than just a handful. The problem nz racing has is in attracting new,and retaining existing customers. Its not as if people don't gamble anymore. Just look at the growth of some types of on line gambling.Part of the problem is in previous years our TAB has made some moronic decisions which has hurt their own customer participation levels. e.g. The new tab website from a couple of years ago that reduced turnovers and alienated and pissed off so many of their customers. There needs to be some thinking outside the square that generates turnover. Why aren't punters clubs run at every harness meeting. Why aren't tickets in them actively promoted with access to a website updated pre every race as to what the investments are.And i'm not talking about those that get to spend big amounts on fixed odds,they need someone running them who takes multiple type bets on the tote and knows their form. Why not have a system whereby if you don't cash out,your stake in the punters club is rolled over to the next meeting.Like having shares in the stockmarket,the current value of the share in the punters club would fluctuate depending on success levels at each meeting.But if run by someone with knowledge,would return a profit.

One of the biggest issues facing harness racing today is the value of land. Dairying has pushed land values so high that investing in alternative use for things like training racehorses ,given the returns,is no longer affordable or attractive.Thank the national government for that. Harness racing strongholds in canterbury and southland have seen irrigated land use double in the last 20 years. So many of the old school dairy farmers have been replaced by corporates,or individuals with a never ending quest to apparently build their own dairy farm empire with multiple dairy farms. Its not just other land users like harness trainers that have been shut out,the next generation of old school farmers either have to take on huge debt,and often walk away,taking their families knowledge with it. One thing that i have noted,the farmers i meet don't seem as happy as they used to be. Having major assets,but with big debt doesn't seem to help their happiness levels. So the cost of farmland in areas where harness racing is dominant is being impacted by forces outside their control. Industry leaders need to come up with a solution as far as having training centres go,otherwise it will impact future participation even more.