Fred

We may be wrong to assume that the world will get over the virus=find a cure, etc. Racing as we have known it may now be a thing of the past.

Hard work has a future pay off -Laziness pays off now Geez, I'm bored

Is it not great how in racing a Christian name can be so easily recognised ? Colin, the AI advocate, the big punter who suffered no fools -who painted horses bums Then there are locals like Trevor, Patrick, Opie, James, Grenville, Thomas -others like Bart, Perc, Lester Frankie .....

Fit after a proper spell -say 70 days

Are these "ethics experts" lawyers with trainees working for them or perhaps university staff teaching students ? just asking Perhaps George was taught by the Sheriff.

Consenting adults is hardly a Doctor/Patient scenario

How sick is NZTR [and others] pleading for the horse industry to be declared an essential service. Quoting tosh like horses kept in stables need to be exercised and therefore training tracks must operate. Every horse at some stage is turned out of work and running free in a paddock -the only difference now is that they all will be paddocked at the same time. I see some large stables have 'bit the bullet' and sent all for a spell, good on them .

Surely no one would keep a horse in work now -so it would be a matter of the horses returning from spelling and getting fit enough to race .My ones always take two to three months work before racing.

With clearance given in a months time [optimistic] it would seem racing could resume around August.

Not much point in keeping a horse in training in the hope it may be able to race sometime -could be money down the gurgler [what's new?]

Evidently it costs around 800k per annum to run Avondale and the costs are covered by the market, sports fields and other rentals. So they are not a burden on the industry like some other metro tracks. Attempts to close them down would see a demonstration of Craddock proportions

It was there up to the fifth of November

Fair bit of splattered egg around -after the improved run last week I got on today.

yes, and give clubs the money they earn on their meetings so they can set their own stakes levels -and sink or swim because of their own efforts

It is an excellent track and well equipped to cater for the virus affected crowds.

I braved it -with a runner in race 10 I headed to the bar for my pre-race bolster of orange juice -oops- bar closed. What? before the last race. yep! sometimes you just cannot win.

As tracks around the world are closed to on course patrons NZTR join in by restricting numbers in the birdcage. -Gate Pa will have hand sanitisers on course and the owners pre race drinkies will not be served in their normal area in the birdcage. Instead they will a ticket to be used in the public bars.This may be a good move as the normal thimble full of orange juice may be replaced with a glass ! Otherwise I fail to see the merit in the changes -can anyone enlighten me ?

With no Thomas it goes dead

You call yourself a professional - I assume you aspire to being a professional punter yet you do not know the basics like the different timing systems and track classifications between N Z and Australia

As a self proclaimed expert you have a lot to learn timing methods vary in different countries yet you compare Australian and New Zealand times Track ratings differ between the two countries also -yet you consider them the same Everyone wins at punting -some though lose more than they win

Comparing times is stupidity

Picnic or non-tote racing was an introduction for many. Local businesses donated little prizes . The likes -in the north- of Helensville, Kariotahi, Pirongia, Kerepehi etc. Many top flight gallopers kicked off at these meetings and most importantly thousands of people of all ages got their first involvement in racing and caught the bug. Some say H &S are to blame for the demise but that cannot be true when the likes of Rodeo and Polo [and heaps of other examples] continue. It seems to me to just be lazy buggers at NZTR that have pulled the rug from grass roots racing.

Well summed up Freda. It is unfortunate that jockeys [momentarily in charge] sometimes think they are driving racing cars rather than riding a delicate animal. It appeared to me that McDonald in the first Australian run was concentrating on beating AB rather than concentrating on winning the race. Hence riding the horse upside down, Catalyst [and Dragon Leap] are 'flashy' types who like things to go their way, alter their accepted pattern and smack them often and they will chuck in the towel. Don't get me wrong -they are exceptional horses that have yet to grow up. Given the blinkers and a quiet settled ride Catalyst could be amongst them in the big one

FLATTENED

At least he kept the site alive/