Murray Fish

yip, that is what I have been doing, more so as each seasons goes on! The slowdown starts around the ending of the G1's in Sydney and Melb, continuing through the Queenland's G1's... I Use to love trying to find the winner of the likes of the Whyte Hc, Parliamentary and Cornwall, I think my contracting intere$t in winter racing has followed their sad demise... Still have a interest in trying to find the W of Winter Cup. I've actually been hanging in for the last few years via running CWJ's fan page, committing to stick in until he hands up the saddle, he's still hoping to be back is him! I found that as the year rolls by and we continued to get bombarded with more and ,more races, less actually coverage of the actual horses, less coverage after the race, often pathetic filming of prelims, especially so re our G1's.. sigh, please don't mention the state of the tracks!! rave over!

I hope the old rule of "age before beauty still applies!"

1000% in agreement with your sentiment!! I so know of the massive work being put in by upfront honest people with only the best interests of themselves and others in their locations! Under massive 'critical propaganda', historically from the likes of that Messara and his elk! From 'head office' regarding needing to have a track rated X... Very hard to be fighting or trying to tame Nature! My late dad was heard to say "if you are not enjoying it, then pack up and move on.." re racing, that be easier said than done! gee, it has certainly berried itself deep inside me! and others I'm sure with passion for the industry as well!!! sigh, Its feeling more and more like the old punch drunk boxer, hoping for one last win, one last buzz, when perhaps around the corner is just more pain that gain!

1: I think in the modern area, especially as now all the video's are up free to stream, there is less and less wants around getting the framed photos, especially so for the 'big players'. 2: The have been slowly running auctions, have not seen any racing stuff uo yet, I will find a link for you and send it your way! 3: I was led to believe that a lot was binned as in 4.. You might recalled that around the time of energy being put into trying to get a Racing Museum in place, by the likes of S Archer and W Pye, there was discussion around 'memorabilia', also energy was being put in around Hall of Fame, my suggestion was, wasn't this a good time to go back to the districts and start a search for what was out there for each area, that didn't get much traction with the Waikato and Auckland (mafia/whales) winning for what we have now! Meaning, I recon now a lot will be lost forever, especially as the following generations continue to treat a day at the races as a good excuse for a piss up! To me the qualifying criteria HoF is flawed! How the hell is Noel Eales not in there.. and some of the Great Families should be given their due... All the above is yet another reflection of a Sunset Industry!

pardon...

500 for the stables two horses...

tick.. so many meeting now a days are what I call Owners meetings, there for them to try and wins some stake money. No serious punter would want to bet into them.

I was going to go! but at 7.08 our internet crashed and I could contact the mate who was going to give me a lift! He went and got there just in time watch the 2nd, his horse and trainer arrived 5 minutes later and they didn't even unload from the float! 2nd abandoned meeting for their horse! Don't want to start on the syn track, hoping for Oamaru. They did get a payment for the cancelled Wingatui meeting.

'we' took' about 1000 photos there

a great results for those paid to propagate the propaganda! I ponder how many Marketing have passed through the Industry this century? They certainly don't last long down this way..

I bet our TAb will be fuming with the devastation this will have on the current betting in the yankee races... 😂🤑

so, how many hours to run the organisation? what skills sets needed?

down the outside (at wingatui), following the tire tyre tracks

lol re the watering? wow, he had many sleepless night 'worrying; about nature watering! rather scary, sigh to think how he would handle the current 'best practice!', sigh, $1.01 not that well! ps, can you share some insight into how he is Not in the Hall of Fame? especially so when you see how many 'famer$' are there solely because the have brought their way in!!!

tick, you said that way more elegantly that I could!

Who has had any dealing with him? For me, nothing directly for me, but I did get to observe how he dealt with some jockeys I knew well. I was impressed by the ethical way he went about dealing with 'those problems". Noel McCutcheon has been appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the thoroughbred and harness racing industries. Photo: Race Images McCutcheon recognised in King’s Birthday Honours Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 4 June 2024 Noel McCutcheon’s lifelong dedication to the racing industry was recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours on Monday where he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the thoroughbred and harness racing industries. McCutcheon didn’t have any family involvement in racing when growing up, but it was as a fresh-faced 10-year-old that he got hooked on the sport, which has led to several career paths, including jockey, harness racing trainer and driver, chief stipendiary steward, and JCA race day committee member. “I was in Greenmeadows, Hawke’s Bay, as a child and there used to be races at Napier Park,” he said. “I used to sit on the top of a macrocarpa hedge when I was a wee lad and when they raced past me, I thought ‘that is what I want to be, I want to be a jockey’. “I didn’t have any family involvement in racing, I just had a pony from as far back as I can remember.” The enthusiastic youngster didn’t waste any time in following his chosen career path. “I started off as a 10-year-old lad in a stable,” McCutcheon said. “I had my first ride as an apprentice jockey when I was 15 and completed my apprenticeship when I was 19. I was based in Hawera at the time, and then I moved to Otaki where I rode for another 10 years.” McCutcheon spent 14 years in the saddle and tasted success at the highest level on both sides of the Tasman. “I rode three Derby winners – Mission in the South Australian Derby in 1965, a New Zealand Derby on Royal Duty in 1963 and another New Zealand Derby with Pep in 1968. I also won the Hawke’s Bay Cup and Awapuni Cup on Royal Duty,” he said. “I finished riding when I was about 28 or 29, but I had periods off with injury.” When McCutcheon called time on his riding career, he decided to shift codes and take out his harness racing trainer’s and driver’s license. He became interested in harness racing during his time in Hawera and thought it was an opportune time to try his hand with standardbreds. “When I was an apprentice jockey in Hawera I became friendly with John Butcher, who is the father of David and Phillip Butcher, who have been very successful harness drivers,” McCutcheon said. “I remained friends with him until he sadly passed away. I used to drive work for him when I was based in Hawera when he came down for the Easter circuit. “I trained a few harness horses and drove them for a while. I drove and trained about 20 winners. I was in Otaki at the time, and it wasn’t a viable proposition as there weren’t many harness meetings. I decided to sell my property and move to Cambridge, which was the home of harness racing in the North Island.” In his shift north, McCutcheon was approached to follow a different career path. “In the interim, I was approached by the then chief stipendiary steward, Mr Phil Reid, and he asked if I was interested in becoming a stipendiary steward,” he said. “I attended about three race meetings and he said he was going to recommend to the then Racing Conference Board that I be put on as an assistant stipendiary steward. That was in May 1980 and at the end of 1982 I was appointed a full stipendiary steward. “In November 1989, they approached me and said they wanted me to be the next chief stipendiary steward. I commenced those duties on January 1, 1990, and I remained in that role until 2006.” McCutcheon spent a few years away from racing before the pull became too strong, and he was asked to assist the Judicial Control Authority, which he has continued to do to this day. “For three years I didn’t have a lot of interest in racing, I just travelled and did things that I wanted to do,” he said. “I was then approached by the Judicial Control Authority to see if I was interested in training some people in the finer points of race reading. “I did that for a short period of time and then I was asked if I would sit on race day judicial committees, and I have been doing that for about 14 years. I finished the race day work last July and I only do the appeals judge panel now.” McCutcheon was delighted to be recognised for his contribution to thoroughbred and harness racing in New Zealand, and said there is one formula for success – “Hard work, grind and determination. If you want something bad enough you can get it,” he said.

Blame D Walsh, I think he was the first to head down that track. At Trentham one day!

ummm, what was that saying about 'Stats and lies" A few years back I was in discussion with a Prof of Economics (Paul Dalziel, Lincoln Uni) around the 'so called' average wage, He had worked in Stats Dept (or hand some relationship with them for years and had fought to get that stat being counting. I think I recall that then 70% of wage earners Didn't get the average! I'm sure that most that say do earn 70k put in a work week of 40 hours to be earning that wage? How many hours a week would be needed to run that organisation? Not counting time in the sponsor tent!!!! ps. https://researchers.lincoln.ac.nz/paul.dalziel

@Chief Stipe anyway to get pit up? https://fb.watch/svn_RZHIey/

Even the old blind man can see the Massive Contradictions that flow from them being lumped together! Very much like the reality of 'company unions'. Pat Lush (Father of Ken) set up the Trainers assoc, and ran it!! He was a rather steeled fella! Never afraid to 'speak up to power!' A spade was a spade! And a igit was a.... I know for 100% he would be shocked to see it today! Some rather amusing irony! to see it very much now appearing to have morphed in a 'patsy' organisation!!!

Another example of 'precordial politics', have a very hierarchical structure, Paid the head way above the norm! You then totally have their voice! and part of their role then becomes to say "please don't be negative'!!!

I mention previously about how to me there were very little meat to been seen in that latest propaganda. report into 'the industry', especially around wages etc? (or did I miss it? I ask, how many hours would be put in to 'earn' that wage? how does that compare to the average or mean wage?

how does that jingle go? "You know the odd$! Now beat them" Or will it be another case of? "The cue goes back in the rack!" sigh...

In a previous life, I had access to those sorts (80's 90's), perhaps a average mark would have been given. Jump to now! wow! So many would struggle to be rated Light Weights! Perhaps mirroring the depth of open class and group racing currently in NZ!

As years have gone on, my % of bets have moved more and more into the nz G1's, based on the logic of better exposed form leading in to them! Because of the state of the tracks I've almost not been betting, admittedly this season, there has been some crap weather leading into them, but there it seems now the ever problem of the Over watering to get to some x stated reading... I believe Grey Way has been turning in his grave!