Trojan

Are you suggesting there are a lot of bodies buried under the grey area?

From what I could see on Trackside yesterday the only part of the track that didn't look like that was the home straight!!!! Smoke and mirrors!

Some would say the same thing is already happening.

So you agree it was inappropriate to make a political expression on Champions Day? So Maori were just Colonists? By the way how did they get called Maori? No race named Maori existed until other Colonists arrived. They were migrant Polynesians of Asian descent.

Yeah what were politics? For that matter simply what was its purpose? I'm sure all the Asian visitors had their cameras filming the spectacle.

You're the one that pulled the racist card. From what I've seen Maori are the ones stocking the fire under the pot because it suits them. The younger brigade are getting as pissed off as the rest of us at the sense of entitlement a vocal group of Maori have. Especially those trying to advance in careers and don't meet the quota. Hell I was at a Body Corp meeting and two units are owned by Maori - I was accused of being a white supremacist because I pointed out that what they were proposing wasn't allowed by the legislation. So the racist card gets pulled when it suits and quite frankly it is wearing thin. The question that many are asking is what was the point of it? Oh yeah lets pay Ngati Whatua some Koha and roll out yet another haka and met some imaginary cultural obligation. So from a Maori perspective @Tim Carter what did the Ngati Whatua haka achieve?

Really a "kapa haka" expert? So ATR paid Ngati Whatua thousands to add some controversy? Great piece of culture that is! Yep they reinvented its purpose! Well they might need to keep reinventing because it is getting tiresome.

Sssshhh!! That place is a hidden gem. Right in amongst the horses and stable talent. Plus no loud music and you can talk without telling! You can wander out look at the horses in the pre-parade ring and still have 10 or more minutes to get a bet on.

Not to mention there are more Polynesians in Auckland than Maori and many other cultures in significant numbers.

Seems Maori culture is a one trick pony. How does "Maori Culture" align with horse racing at Ellerslie? A haka is war cry or war challenge so essentially Ngati Whatu on the biggest racing day of the year are making a statement of war? The original peoples of Australia seem more civilised in offering remembrance and a blessing before a sporting event. BTW is it Maori Culture to start name calling?

For some reason they don't use that tier - section. It isn't as easy to access from the better hospitality areas as other parts of the stand even on the same tier. If you look at each end you see they are packed. Also a lot of people don't bother going outside to watch a race preferring to hold onto their tables. Easy to hide 10,000 people at Ellerslie. Have you counted how many were in that snapshot?

It's offensive to label anyone questioning the relevance of a Haka before a race as racist. But full credit to tbe Ngāti Whātua they've turned these acts into a profitable business. But it is getting repetitive, boring and unnecessary.

I bet the Koha had a few zeros after the first digit.

Seemed like 3 mins. I guess there are different dress standards for some.

I thought Kings and Queens were more into petanque Snow? But then every Queen needs an obsequious chamber maid.

I saw them all together a year ago at the Sistema Stakes day. George, Sharrock, Fitt, Rodger, Wilcox, Baker and I thought SHIT.

Col should look on the bright side he got another 2 days to get it right.

That's a bit naive when you look at Wightmans track record. No doubt he has been all bluster and arrogance and abused someone.

Yes Wightmans rant IS ridiculous. He'll be embellishing the story and what would he expect when he constantly publicly abuses the RIB in a slanderous and personal manner.

We still don't have one.

Both. Having seen who they associate with. Reminds me of a brat pack.

He speaks the same language as the Trainer - craic. Rightman probably wouldn't talk to Guerin as he thinks he is part of the establishment!

You might need to burn a bit of gas to get to the front.

Hasn't come up against any Fairy King Prawns yet.

Racing bill under scrutiny: TAB NZ could become sole online betting operator - The Front Page www.nzherald.co.nz “In the privatised system, money would not be recycled through national sporting organisations and would instead go to places like Gibraltar and Malta. “However, some argue that such monopoly limits choice for consumers and can lead to inefficiencies in the markets. A lot of my reporting has been based on this issue. Some of the submissions on the bill argue that extending the monopoly online would lead to less favourable odds because of a lack of competition. “The Commerce Commission is currently trying to increase competition in the banking and grocery sectors and they [opponents] say this is them doing the opposite and that would lead to less favourable odds or wagers for New Zealand punters,” he said. The TAB estimates Kiwis lose $185 million a year to offshore operators, with the changes expected to retain this money. While changes to the bill are being scrutinised at the select committee stage, TAB NZ’s operator, Entain, faces allegations of not doing enough to combat money laundering and corruption in Australia. It’s the first time Australia’s financial crimes regulator (AUSTRAC) has brought civil penalty proceedings against a business operating in the online betting sector. It’s suing under the same Australian laws that saw Crown pay $450m in penalties over two years in 2023 for breaching money laundering laws. Last year, Adelaide’s SkyCity was fined $63m for links to organised crime, loan sharking, and human trafficking. The proceedings allege that Entain “did not develop and maintain a compliant anti-money laundering program and failed to identify and assess the risks it faced”, by its board and senior management not having oversight of its AML/CTF programme, operating a 24/7 business via its website and app. Thompson told The Front Page it also alleges Entain has not conducted appropriate checks on higher-risk customers. “Racing Minister Winston Peters' spokesperson told me it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on legal action, but that the minister has been briefed on the matter. “He said TAB NZ’s board has sought assurances from Entain regarding the action, and have advised that Entain has engaged and cooperated fully with AUSTRAC,” he said. In the UK, mystery surrounds why accounting firm KPMG is under investigation by the sector’s regulator over its audit of Entain’s 2022 accounts. It comes after Entain in 2023 settled for bribery offences at the group’s former Turkish unit, which it had sold in 2017. It was after an investigation looked into allegations that Entain failed to have adequate procedures in place to prevent bribery. Thompson said an interesting part of the submissions on the amendments to the bill is that Peters and TAB NZ contend it’ll reduce gambling harm. “In the submissions against the bill, there are some people who argue that it could potentially increase gambling harm because if the odds are worse than they are no, troubled gamblers who aren’t necessarily paying that much attention to the odds and are just trying to scratch an itch would theoretically lose their money faster than they would if the odds are better,” he said. Others have expressed concern that the monopoly would push Kiwis onto the black market. “That is clearly a risk and the minister has acknowledged that will likely happen, that very committed sports bettors will find a way around the law using things like cryptocurrencies, etc,” he said. “For the main credible ones, Betway, Bet365, and Sportsbet, it’s unlikely that will be possible to bet with them using a VPN because you still need to verify your age and your address, and given if you give them a New Zealand address they will be legally obliged not to let you bet with them.” Listen to the full episode for more on the state The Front Page is a daily news podcast from the New Zealand Herald, available to listen to every weekday from 5am. The podcast is presented by Chelsea Daniels, an Auckland-based journalist with a background in world news and crime/justice reporting who joined NZME in 2016. You can follow the podcast at iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.