Walt

Back in the day 2ZN Radio Nelson was the local station. My sister worked there for a few years. I think the successful singer Sharon O'Neil had a stint there as well. I'd imagine it would be a difficult station to tune in to from elsewhere. If I couldn't make it to the track I'd tune in and hated it. There was a lady called Margaret Costello who would advertise different shops by walking around the city and talking to shop managers about the products and promotions. It was a nightmare to listen to when you wanted to hear a race or the result. We could only hear 1ZB in Auckland and 3ZB in Christchurch at night when reception was stronger. Ironically we could often hear 2KY in Sydney on clear nights and hear the NSW harness. We don't know how lucky we are now.

I was introduced to racing via Jack O'Donnell and his phrases. Bla bla paid x amount on the win machine and x amount on the place machine. Every race started with "This time".. I really enjoyed his style. His life was well loved. The fact we still talk about him with affection years after his passing is telling. I couldn't say if he was a good and accurate caller as my critical eye didn't arrive for many years but I can say he only left positive horse racing memories on this young fella

I'm not a big of the honours but I'm sure all of the BOAY crew will join me in doffing their cap to the marvel of Dr Luk Chin. To be competing at his age is inspiring and of course we should consider all he does health wise for others. Some dear friends of mine have been very close to the whole Chin family for decades and only ever speak of Luk with genuine warm, admiration and affection. There is often negativity in our sport about one thing or another so to see such a special moment with Luk is pretty special 🏆

I'm assuming Jim Healy was shorty? If so did he train a mudlark called Mr Richmond? He remember him ploughing through the mud on the outside rail on the Coast. He grew a leg when the rains arrived. Unsure if he ever won at Richmond. Yes, Captain Cool ran another beauty today. Lost ground at the start negating his good draw. Went round with no cover and kept giving to the line. To my eye he's getting stronger all the time. Wasn't surprised to see Spirit Downunder run so well but no wagering for me. Yes Don trains the thoroughbreds in Australia these days. He's got a great record at the picnic meetings but occasionally takes on the bigger names in town and tends to do well when he has a Crack We talked about his record in harness racing. He trained over 200 winners and drove 87. He was an underrated driver. When Dillon Dale was placed in the Cup it was behind Camelot. He won the FFA that year and Dillon Dean won the FFA in 1989. The two Dillons were awesome

Liking your memory lane Shad. I do miss the grass track harness and gallops @ Nelson. I remember a Saturday morning in the late 70's. The first of the day at the Nelson Gallops was a brush hurdles. I couldn't see the North Islander Royal Charmer being beaten. I put $1100 on his nose. $1000 for me and $100 for my dad. I went to his work and told him I'd put a bet on for him. I showed him his old hand written yellow ticket but kept my thumb over the second zero. We listened to the race together. Royal Charmer never looked like being beaten. Will always remember his face when he saw the second zero on his ticket and my ticket. Speaking of Nelson I remember a harness race in 1979. I saw a lot of attention being paid to the mares tail being groomed and tied down. Her form was crap. A pile of duck eggs. Pat O'Reilly snr drove her. I went to put 20 each way on her. I took a last look at the tote board assuming she was still paying 9.9 but a closer look at the old board showed no dot between the 9's. That meant of course she was paying at least $100. That could mean anything. Who knows maybe even $200 + I chickened out and just put $5 on her. In the home straight could see her coming along the inside and won. Think she ended up paying around $80. On the Monday there was a piece in the Nelson Evening Mail newspaper showing well known Nelson Boxer Jeff Rackley standing next to Niki Minbar saying he'd put a few dollars on her because of the attention being given to her tail pre race. How ironic. I think Jeff had a stint as club President when I left Nelson. He was also host at the Globe Tavern. I think you and the Chief will remember that watering hole that no longer exists. As for Durban Chief. Was a decade before my time but know he was the pride of the West Coast. I had a good chat with a friend a few years back who had a family connection to the horse. He is Don Dywer who trained Dillon Dale and Dillon Dean plus a host of other winners. Dillon Dale was second in the NZ Cup and won the Friday FFA. Don's mother was Walsh. Was trained by his great uncle Claude Walsh and driven by his cousin Bill Walsh The horse I was talking about missing on buying him is racing again today @ Ashvegas. His name is Captain Cool. He's in race 8 at 3.18. Drawn nice and clearly a chance to continue with his rich vein of form. I can't tip him as I'm out of the loop so your guess is probably better than mine as I've not followed racing as much as normal in recent years. Haley Jaccka has a poor draw but I know she has a very nice motor and Spirit Downunder us the stablemate of Mo'unga and Market Place. Cheers

Enjoyed your posts Shad. Obviously we both cut our teeth on grass tracks. Methven and Motukarara both have an encyclopedia of great memories for me as does the Coast Circuit. I also recall the grass track days at Nelson. The opening race was often a division race that had big full fields. Don't mind admitting my enjoyment never lessened when the rains came. Mo'unga is a fascinating horse. Has a ton of ability. On Cup day I thought there was a deadset trifecta in the Cup. Republican Party, Kingman and Leap To Fame. I spent the day with a driver that trained one Cup winner and drove another. There were some other guys and wife's that are well known. I was shocked at number of them that tipped Mo'unga to me. He'd had a hoof issue that had cleared up and was working great. He came up short on the day but the high rating he received against top horses from very good judges got my attention. I watched him race against stablemate Marketplace recently and he ran very nicely just behind them. We know he has the ability to beat top horses so its just seems to be a matter if time before he's in the groove again and in the right race. My health issue is Melonoma which certaintly got my attention. Have had several surgeries along with targeted therapies. I'm in remission but had to stop kayaking which was a total pain in the butt. Not keen to invite the unwelcome guest back. You will have had a blast with the horse you raced. Seven photos on the wall is a fabulous result. Well done. Often the decision to go or stop is down to fate. I remember a superb horse called Waikeeper that won his share. I'm picking yours is related. As for Scotch Tar. I'm sure many good judges would rate him is one of the best they'd seen. I'm picking some of the crew on BOAY will remember him racing against the Cup class pacers. Few trotters have enough speed to compere with the best pacers. Hard for me to pick my all time fav. Lyell Creek had the most ability. David Moss was superb. Pride of Petite and Tussle were both magnificent mares. Maori's Idol and Scotch Notch were both terrific. Got to admit I will happily travel distance to go and watch a top trotter. Happy punting bro. Will buy you a beer in January at the Nelson trots.....if there is still a bar there 😀

Hey Shad, Must confess my interest in Harness Racing is not what it was. I only bet on two meetings these days. NZ Cup day and of course the Nelson trots. I can see the Richmond Park track from our deck. The track is still one of the better tracks in NZ but amenities are embarrassing. The members stand had seen better days but it was at least better than the public stand. Unfortunately the members stand was demolished in late 2024 much to the bewilderment of the people I know that help run the club. That just left the public stand that the only money spent on it in recent years looks to be on preventing the ceiling from collapsing in on punters. The racing is as good as ever but if no money is invested in the facilities not owned by the club its ultimate demise would seem inevitable. One thing for certain the sport is not moving forward here. I tend to time my trips to Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika around the trots but really only to satisfy my enjoyment of grass track harness racing. NZ Cup day always rocks for me. Its a chance to catch up with good friends that have had an outstanding record in the Cup its self and soaking up the day with them is always a great day. I've had an ongoing health issue but even that didn't stop us going to the last two Cup days. My biggest regret in recent years was not getting on board with a yearling two people that have won NZ Cups and an Auckland Cup recommended to me as a horse to buy together. It wasn't expensive but I just couldn't justify buying another horse with the backdrop I was viewing. Its won three races in recent times and seldom out of the money. The guy who has it is a gem and I embrace his success but kicking myself for being way too conservative at exactly the wrong time. I agree with you on Basil Dean. He was a beauty and a big fav. I recall one big trot at Addington. Could have been an Interdominion Final or The Dominion Handicap. Memory fading. Basil Dean had the top inside the last 200 for Kerry and looked likely until you could see Sir Castleton coming but even that moment was fleeting as the blue colours of the great Scotch Notch swooped and won. I'm unsure if its an age thing or a reflection of 2026 harness racing but I seem to enjoy looking back more than looking forward. I don't even look at Auckland harness these days. Small fields just don't excite me. Fingers crossed there are more Basil Dean's, David Moss and Tussle's etc around the corner. If so, I'm back in the game

Have to agree Newmarket but its also the numbers that don't rock for me. Back in the day we had big open fields but always with a few stars. I'll always remember Stormy Morn in 1982, Sir Castleton,Jenner, Tussle's great win in 1985, Landoras Pride, Directorship, David Moss,Diamond Field, Wagon Apollo, Mountain Gold, Lyell Creek of course x 3 , Take A Moment, Stig, Stent, I Can Doosit, Sundees Son etc. Maybe we just didn't realize how good we had it

To be fair Westview we were not aware there even had been an incident. We were in the Members so I doubt the minor infraction ruined the day for anyone other than the knob jockey that was led off with new temporary bracelets on

Thanks Shad. Plenty of beautiful sights to take in. If you get the chance to revisit I recommend you do. We enjoy exploring the top of the South when time permits. We recently went to Okiwi Bay and French Pass. Hadn't been there since the 1980's and loved every minute.

I'm assuming you're referring to trotting cup day Brodie? With the Dominion now on Cup day it makes the day even more enticing. Having said that it will likely lessen the appeal of Show day. I'm all in favour of reducing entry charges but they need to be mindful of who they are actually enticing on track for the showpiece day. Will serious punters go or not go based on $15 reduction in entry charge? I was on track last cup day and it was impossible not to notice a significant increase in Police presence on the previous time I was there on Cup day. Later in the day there was an alcohol related incident in the infield. The media got hold of it but from what I could tell it was handbags at ten paces. Too much alcohol and too much sun can take a toll on some people

Fairly confident the eels you're referring to Shad or next to and under the peer at Lake Rotoiti. You could almost walk on them. Fairly common to see trout nearby as well. They are well fed by tourists etc. There is a webcam at the lake that we usually have a quick gander at before heading out there. Prefer to go during the week as it does get busy on the weekends. https://www.takeabreak.co.nz/webcams/590/lake_rotoiti_webcam We take the kayaks out and have a mate with a jetboat so we get to see it in all it's glory. Our neighbours have a batch there that they very generously offer to us whenever we desire it. Te Waikoropupu Springs on the other side of the Takaka hill from Nelson heading toward Collingwood. It's a special place we take friends and family to when they come down for a visit. My wife also manages the top of the South from Kaikoura through Marlborough, Nelson, Motueka and down the West Coast from Westport, Greymouth to Hokitika so we get to enjoy a lot of beautiful sights you'd be familiar with.

I'm out of the loop with many things relating to wagering and the newish betting platform. Checked it out on the weekend still no treble will pays? It took years to get them in place and now with "progress" they've gone again. ...unless they are somewhere I didn't look?

A nudist camp in the snow and ice would create some new non binary types. Lake Rotoiti always a fav spot and then off for lunch or dinner at the Alpine Lodge. Finish that off with a single malt by the fire. Perfect

Went to a couple of spots yesterday familiar to you