Murray Fish

The simple answer Chief is that I be rather cynical about most things to do with the NZ Racing Industry, nothing can convince me that it is not a Sunset Industry, based on the ever declining disposable income of NZ Working Class! No amount of Head Office propaganda is going to change that! Also, the take out rates from the majority of bets on offer from the likes of TAB/ENTAIN are simple vulgar! enough said! Off to the Spelling paddock now for me!

Actually, "In New Zealand, anyone who has been harmed by something online can complain to Netsafe. This includes individuals experiencing online bullying, scams, or other harmful digital communications. Additionally, schools and parents can also contact Netsafe to report incidents or seek advice regarding online harm affecting students. " re the coppers! odds on they would have a good laugh! and then say Seriously!!! It would have been amusing to be a fly on the wall while it was being composed!! I wonder how much thought was given to "who is going to be putting their names to it!!!" rather gutless to not have any names attached! Yet again, more shallow 'procedural politics', par for the course for a Top Down organisation, one that is historically heading towards the sunset...

my thoughts as well! now that he is running with a Whale

his take on this letter: Colin Wightman · Follow All-star contributor · sroetpnoSd2hgy8u5lt06am0:9a fu 7406u4gg00aJ1iu1ti181t9l1 m0u · The subject is “Adherence To Racing Codes Of Conduct”, an un-signed letter put out by the NZ Racing Industry Board (RIB) this afternoon, likely in response to the criticism they have taken from the awful decision made at Wellington in that jumps race that they were ultimately responsible for. Oddly enough, they have used our Code body NZTR to distribute their threat to those who might “abuse” them, whether it’s “verbal, physical, written, digital or psychological”. In other words .. if you bring the RIB and its Stipendary or Judicial control into question, you’re a naughty boy. The letter is addressed to anyone who is involved in the industry, including those who financially underwrite it. Yes, owners. I find the letter very interesting in many ways because it essentially defies people’s rights to participate in what is suppose to be a democratically run country where people have a given right to Freedom Of Expression in the same way that Stakeholders have a right to question the performance of our code bodies (incorporated societies) and legislative authorities such as the RIB who shall be as accountable as anyone else, including members of Parliament. For those of you who have read the letter (someone might like to post it here) it cuts out Greyhound Racing in its references as to who now makes up racing in NZ. Deliberate, or not, I don’t know. When I see letters like this I chuckle because RIB took away the rights of owners to appeal a Raceday decision which is a serious breach of natural justice and the Bill Of Rights. So when I see wording to the effect of “code of conduct” we know it applies both ways .. those underwriting the industry (owners) and those powered to have partial authority over it being NZTR and the RIB. It’s all about having INTEGRITY .. using .. not abusing those powers and applying the Rules Of Racing in keeping with our greater laws. Which reminds me of another classic example of legal breaches is where the 2 horse codes have worked with Winston to push through new legislation to create a TAB monopoly, eliminate offshore competition, where a deal was done with Entain that if the codes ‘paid’ Winston enough to push it through that Entain would find $100 million to reward them. Integrity in racing? Are you kidding me? We have laws that criminalise this type of commercial behaviour contained in the Commerce Act 1986 under many sections, including S36D. So it’s all very well the RIB threatening those who voice their rightful opinion on “digital” platforms .. but if it’s TRUE .. it’s bloody TRUE. If those of us who underwrite the industry with our horses aren’t happy with those running the show, then we have every right to bring exposure to the many shonky happenings we see on a regular basis that the RIB turn a blind eye to .. including the little property dealing fiefdom going on there at Trentham. My question to those reading the RIB letter .. do you see it as a threat against your rights to express your opinion? <ends>

needs to be taken around the back of the bike shed and given a bit of the old *#*$#$&**(# do they read it? Sadly, he has a serious case of Infantile Disorder, as yet! I'm not to sure that there is a cure for that sort of thing! The silver lining, is that he thrown some serious $$$$ at the game!

tick! I've attempted to point this approach of increasing 'the take out' over a spectrum of bets ends up rather counter productive. It has been pointed out too via comments by some pro punters over the ditch in some articles about declining punting figures. Slowly but surely the average mug punter loses their money quicker! sigh, but propaganda is the one area of the industry that is increasing faster that anything else!

Speaking to the head stipe down this way, I Know that he is serious about having tracks that are safe! Re how can you know that a track is safe before the 1st. It seems to me that there is a bit if a logical conundrum to over come! If you send them around and that proves that the track is Not Safe! then logically have you not practiced safe H&S? If you say send x riders and horses around before the first and that proves that they tracks is not safe, then again unsafe H&S? Also, if is before the 1st, how many do you send around so that a decent representative part of the track is covered? Will the problem be solved by having a mounted Robot weighted to the average jockey to pre test! again, how many do you send around? Who provides the horses for any testing? hence a serious conundrum in ever play! Does head office just provide large insurance polices for the riders and just send them around! What I do know! is that at certain tracks there were 'known' areas of x tracks that there were problems! Having the ear of certain trainers and riders I know that to be a fact! Then we have the old chestnut of many don't want to stick their heads above the parapet! one trainer who did speak up felt he got way to much flack for doing so, so stopped doing so!

I used to go to all the Public Discussions held at Wingatui and Forbury early this century! There might have been close to 500 at the first Wingatui one! The Numbers seem to halve for each new one! Last one was the at Forbury when J Allan was there! I did 'overtalk' him. He didn't seem to take it to heart and would always reply in full to any emails I sent his way! I have pointed our before, the average horse person does tend to be on the conservative side of life! Not to many will speak up in a public forum etc. Normally they will form groups afterwards and talk things through amongst themselves! I note that when we went to two southern meetings! Spoke to at least 20 people, all had serious histories with ownership and breeding etc, all got fired up! Just about all are slowly exiting the industry, par for the course! Re MPI, that was mostly about 4 years ago when there was a spate of 'sending the jockeys around to prove the track was not safe', The opened a File on the Industry, meaning serious stuff if any serious H&S injuries be happening... sigh

I have stood up, at those meetings, being short of statue! you might not have seen me! but definitely would have Heard me! Also, re the 'unsafe tracks', brought it up and made it known to MPI. Blackballed and alienated for doing so...

is that code for selling Avondale?

(plus) Dale submitted. It was unlikely the industry could be damaged by a posting on an industry website where views were freely exchanged. (ends) surely this must still apply? including facebook pages/groups as in the one where Colon W posts a lot https://www.facebook.com/groups/424229018789803

""Testing the safety of tracks by running races on them is unconscionable. So if the finger is pointed at the stewards responsible on the day that is surely reasonable" There has been some progress re this sort of thing! enough?

It seems me withdrawing my funds from my TAB acc didn't have much effect!

a rather large Full Moon currently! seem like some a howling at it!

go on! I just had a look for it at Loveracing, couldn't find it? where was it published?

Please name them then!

for those that missed out on the now deleted Ellerslie attempt at some humour, using the Bonecrusher statue, it seems it was based on this. https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/360752604/ultimate-aura-farmer-why-everybody-dancing-indonesian-kid-right-now

By Tim Rowe - July 09, 2025 Stewards in Malaysia have been left waiting to hold an inquiry into how a jockey fell off a hot favourite as soon as the barriers opened at Selangor Turf Club at the weekend, as the jockey in question has left the country. Malaysian stewards will hold an inquiry into how a jockey parted company with his mount in a race at Selangor. (Image: Selangor Turf Club video replay) Brazilian rider Lemos “Lai Lai” De Souza was dislodged from Pacific Power in race nine at Selangor, the Kuala Lumpur-based racecourse and one of two active tracks in Malaysia, sparking stewards to launch an investigation into the incident. The fall created a social media storm, with video of the race being shared via various platforms and prompting numerous comments and discussions from punters and racing industry figures. Stewards were hoping to open an inquiry into the incident early this week, but it has now been confirmed that a date for De Souza to front the Selangor Turf Club’s integrity division is yet to be fixed. After the fall, De Souza forfeited his remaining rides on the 12-race card and sought medical attention. It is believed that he is currently in Singapore. It is understood that De Souza, who has ridden 31 winners in Malaysia this year, has sought videos and other materials related to the incident as he prepares his defence. Two-year-old Pacific Power, who drifted from $1.30 to $2 with TAB fixed odds in Australia and started at 2.40 on the Malaysian totaliser, was having his second race start for leading trainer Jason Ong and owner Jimmy Poh. The race was eventually won by the Richard Lines-trained Pulse Bomb, a $5.60 chance on the local tote. Pacific Power finished runner-up on debut over 1200m at Selangor on June 15. De Souza, who rode the winner of the third race, received two careless riding suspensions which saw him outed for four Malaysian race days. However, in lieu of serving two of those days as a suspension, he was fined RM4500 (A$1625). It meant De Souza would have been back to ride at Selangor’s July 20 meeting, featuring the inaugural running of the RM1 million (A$361,000) Selangor Mile for four-year-olds. The HY Cheng-trained Lucky Magic, a New Zealand-bred son of Mendelssohn who was bought for $75,000 at the 2022 NZB Ready to Run Sale, is the likely favourite for the lucrative race. He has won seven of his 12 starts, including the Penang Gold Cup, Perak Derby and most recently the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy. Singapore’s champion trainer in the final season of racing at Kranji, Ong has made a flying start to his career in Malaysia, preparing 54 winners so far in 2025. He is the trainer of prominent Selangor Mile contender Pacific Victory, a winner of six races in Kuala Lumpur since crossing from Singapore.

'Horses’ welfare at risk' - TBA fires back at regulator over foal declarations Thoroughbred Breeders Australia has again urged Racing Australia to reconsider its hardline stance over the policing of the mandatory lodgement of foal ownership declarations (FOD). In the latest back-and-forth between the peak breeders organisation and Racing Australia, TBA president Basil Nolan called for a “collaborative approach” when it came to enforcing the rules of racing concerning the lodgment of foal declarations and mare returns. The growing tensions between RA and TBA regarding FODs was first reported by The Straight in May where it was found that, if the harsher focus on compliance was taken last year, one in six foals could have been ruled ineligible to race. “We are united in our desire to see improved traceability amidst our industry’s substantive efforts to advance equine welfare outcomes, however this aggressive approach taken by Racing Australia is an unfair and punitive attack on those people who are at the coalface of protecting our horses’ wellbeing: the breeders,” Nolan said in a TBA statement released on Tuesday. “Breeders have expressed frustration with the current system for lodging mare returns and foal ownership details, describing it as outdated and cumbersome, which not only slows the process but also impacts the time required to complete these returns.” Nolan called on Racing Australia to improve its systems to lodge foal declarations and mare returns. “Rather than introducing harsh penalties that could cripple participants’ livelihoods and put their horses’ welfare at risk, we implore Racing Australia to direct their energies to improving their systems and making the registration of mares and foals a much easier and more efficient online process,” he said. “Like our fellow industry stakeholders, TBA wants to see all horses traceable from birth through to leaving the thoroughbred system, and we believe the way to achieve this is to make the process as simple as possible for our breeders.”

get pissed and ride the Bonecrusher statue?

https://www.facebook.com/stories/110403261111018/UzpfSVNDOjEzNzg1MzAwMDMyMDY2NDY=/?view_single=1

New Zealand punters will no longer be able to bet on racing and sports through Betfair from July 23. The legislative net which prohibits overseas-based operators taking bets from Kiwi punters came into force this month, enshrining a monopoly for Entain’s TAB NZ and betcha brands. Betfair, which holds a licence in Australia. advised New Zealand customers this week that it will cease offering markets on racing and sports events, but other markets, including political markets, will still be available. “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the Upcoming Change and poorer user experience,” it said in statement. “Unfortunately, Betfair has to make the Upcoming Change to comply with the Legislative Amendment.” New Zealand is also looking to regulate its online casino market and this week the Online Casino Gambling Bill was introduced to parliament. “The Online Casino Gambling Bill will introduce a regulatory system for online gambling in New Zealand, which will prioritise harm minimisation, consumer protection, and tax collection,” Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, said. Fines of $5 million may be imposed on unregulated operators which target Kiwi customers.

Breeding and Bloodstock could this happen in nz? By Tim Rowe - July 07, 2025 Breeders who fail to comply with foal ownership declaration (FOD) rules risk having their horses deemed ineligible to race, the national racing regulator has confirmed. Racing Australia is cracking down on delays on foal documentation. (Photo: Bronwen Healy - The Image Is Everything) Racing Australia is pressing ahead with stricter enforcement of the rules related to the 30-day foal declaration obligations placed on breeders. In a media release published on its website, RA reiterated that foals that are not registered within 60 days of birth will be flagged as ineligible to race. Breeders are charged $140 to lodge a FOD and $360 for an overdue declaration of between 30 and 60 days. “FODs that are lodged after 60 days will be accepted and charged the current fee of $140 but the foal will be flagged as not eligible to race. An email will be sent with an option to appeal the ineligibility,” the RA release said. “An Appeal can only be upheld if special or exceptional circumstances are proven and supported by documentation. A fee of $500 will be charged for the appeal which will be heard by an independent third party. “If the appeal is successful, the ineligibility to race will be removed and the appeal fee will be refunded and the late fee of $360 charged.” The Straight reported in May that Thoroughbred Breeders Australia raised concerns about the ramifications of a hardline stance set to be taken by RA over non-compliance with the FOD rules. One in six of the 11,666 foals born in Australia in 2024 did not have their mandatory ownership and location declarations lodged with the Australian Stud Book inside the 30-day deadline. ‘Sole and absolute discretion’ - one in six foals could be banned from racing under RA crackdown RA chief executive Paul Eriksson told this publication in May that unregistered foals born in 2024 spanned the hobby and large-scale commercial breeders. He said 27 per cent of foal declarations were lodged after the deadline in 2023 but a greater proportion of breeders met their obligations under the rules of racing in 2024. “That (figure) dropped last year to 16 per cent, which is a great result but out of that really there's only 5 per cent of the overall foal declarations that are really problematic that we will want to focus on,” Eriksson said at the time. As promised by Eriksson, RA has merged the Australian Stud Book mare return and FOD steps to a single process to make it easier for breeders to meet the deadline. “Racing Australia recognises that ineligibility to register and race your horse in Australia is a serious consequence for owners failing to comply with their lodgement obligations,” the RA release said. “However, enforcement of the rules is paramount to ensuring ongoing improvements in horse welfare and traceability.” In outlining the rules, RA said owners who sell an unregistered horse must disclose to potential purchasers whether there has been compliance with the lodgement obligations.

NZB Kiwi heroine Damask Rose and Group 1-winning colt Return To Conquer have both joined Te Akau’s Australian stables at Cranbourne ahead of major spring targets. Damask Rose is being set for the ultimate aim of the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill on November 1. She will resume in the Cockram Stakes at Caulfield on August 30 and then target both the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and the Toorak Handicap before heading to Sydney. “She has settled in really well to out Cranbourne barn, we are really happy with her. She hasn’t missed a beat,” co-trainer Mark Walker told NZ Racing Desk. “She is still lightly raced and she has got a bright future.” Return To Conquer has also crossed the Tasman, with his major spring target also set to take place on November 1. Unbeaten across all four starts in New Zealand to date, including the G1 Sistema Stakes, Return To Conquer is headed towards the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day. “He is jumping out next Monday and he will be aimed towards the Coolmore Stud Stakes and see if he measures up to the sprinting three-year-olds over here,” Walker said. “He’s an exciting prospect.” Group 1-winning two-year-old filly La Dorada is also set for an Australian spring campaign. “La Dorada is over next week and she will be aimed towards the Thousand Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m) here,” Walker said. “She is just coming for the spring and then she will head back home for the Karaka Millions 3YO and NZB Kiwi.”

never afraid to say what he thinks!