Cockyaleg

She? It is very difficult to find value in much that Sick of It writes. I would question the fairness of an attack on GRNZ staff just because they are working through. "How the hell are we going to back to racing with only 1 distance", highlights an inability to comprehend written language. The GRNZ statement reads; "The Board has further stipulated that the first race meeting in each region; Northern, Central and Canterbury should be a complete 12 race card of sprints over 318m, 305m and 295m respectively".

I like your thinking Jacob but I don't hold your optimism. The TAB were in trouble long before this crisis unfolded. The Mesara report highlighted a number of major concerns. The industry restructure was supposed to be completed by the 31st of July this year. There was concern that elements of the restructure were lagging behind pre-Covid. It is likely some changes will be forced by the Ministry.

Top end stakes will be hit hard Jacob. Australia has all ready moved on that score. The weekend's group race prize money was halved. One feature was reduced from 3 million to 1.5 and more cuts will follow. The TAB is basically broke and that is where all stakes come from. The complication here is that the whole country will need to be propped up, not just racing. The country has to recoup billions in wage subsidies and rescue packages. Don't expect help anytime soon.

I have read and re-read the GRNZ's "Path To A Resumption Of Racing". It CLEARLY states that the first race meeting held in each zone will be a sprint only meeting. Four race meetings at Addington per week. ONLY the first meeting will be sprints only. There is 24 hours between the first meeting and the second, to say middle distance dogs are disadvantaged is a joke. There are three opportunities during the same week to nom non-sprinters. That silly argument does not hold water. It allows everyone to double nom for that week while adhering to nomination rules. CD, three race meetings per week. The argument again does not fly. Northern, two meetings. In this instance, middle-distance runners can only nom for the second meeting that week, both meetings the following week. I think you all have far more pressing issues to contend with. SICK OF IT. None of this situation was created by the office staff. Yes, they have been working through, keeping everything running during the lockdown. GET A GRIP. It is likely cuts will be made across the board, that will include industry job loses.

I agree with your first two paragraphs. The country does not care if the industry closes, why would they. Any closure would see a high percentage of small trainers possibly medium sized trainers forced out. But I don't agree with your last paragraph. Greyhound racing runs six days per week, the market is already saturated. The problem isn't venue or frequency of racing, it is numbers bred. A few have been allowed to breed more than the combined total of all other trainers. That few take the lion's share of stakes. That few have and will force out more and more trainers. The danger in this is continuance justification. If trainer numbers drop significantly the government will not be able to justify racing's continuation. It becomes very easy for the detractors to shut it down.

Auckland was on the cards to close when their lease expires. Trainer numbers are too low to justify a new build. So, when looking at track viability it will be the first to get the chop. Wanganui and Palmy will stay for the meantime leaving three tracks in the North Island. Northern trainers will be forced to travel to make ends meet. Sadly a large number of small kennels will drop off. The question will be which South Island track/s is for the chop? Any closure decision made, will be based on financial viability and projections. There is a possibility that the TAB never recovers from it's present situation. It may need to reinvent it's self focusing solely on sports betting, reducing it's overheads and liabilities. If that were to happen racing may not survive. The other possibility for the greyhound code is this. If greyhound racing becomes an activity that benefits very few (trainer numbers) it will go.

I believe this is a great time to take stock of the industry. Take a look at the model and restructure. It's taken a catastrophic event to highlight industry shortcomings. There will be a human viral second wave and a canine coronavirus contagion. If you are lucky both events will occur simultaneously and not prolong the stand-down period. A mutated form of both viruses will return next year. The industry needs to formulate a plan that is sustainable by reducing the number of racers per trainer. No trainer should be allowed to breed 100's of dogs per year, and not be allowed to import from Australia on top of that. That's ludicrous! Kennels should be reduced to that which is sustainable and easily managed. If coronavirus were to shut down the industry, three or four trainers will be holding 1200 plus dogs with no viable future and nowhere to go. The industry will eventually close. The TAB which has been rorting the system, overpaying each other by ten's of thousands of dollars, and wasting 50 million on some idiot's whim needs a catastrophic overhaul! They are responsible for the model your code currently follows. Corporate catastrophes the lot of them. Your stakes will be reduced, lean times ahead.

I have absolutely no sympathy for the greed monsters, NONE AT ALL! Take a look at the Palmy results. A handful of cheques went to non Cole dogs. Most CD trainers will have their backs to the wall by the end of the week. He is always telling everyone he's a millionaire, he'll be right Jack. The rest will be in terror wondering how they are going to feed their dogs. And he couldn't give a proverbial. He will be the first in line for a hand out I kid you not!

I have never met Mr Freeman but if he had a hand in a BC invitation, he has just sunk his own ship. That was the worse decision he could make in these times.

I am struggling to fathom why the current GRNZ chairman would breach his own industry rules? If true, why was he not overridden and himself charged? Who invited BC to this gathering and was this extra-curricular activity sanctioned by the PNGRC who were promoting this day? And what about the Covid advisory prohibiting on track entry to non-essential licenced persons only, strange how that took effect the day after this soiree? If any of the original post is true there is so much wrong happening there. Why bother to warn him off at all?

Email just in from a supplier. Thought it was a great example. "If you have a query about the status of your order, we kindly ask that you try xxxxxxx and xxxxxxx first, so that our team are able to prioritise those customers who require extra support and advice at this time. Thanks so much for your patience and understanding. We’re doing our utmost to keep key products in stock right now. Some supply issues are unfortunately beyond our control. Apologies if you can’t get what you’re after. Please click ’notify me’ on the product page on our website and we’ll let you know when that product is back in stock. We’re also working on updating our site when a product is out at the supplier and may not be available for some time, so you can look at other options. Along with following Ministry of Health recommendations, we’re also providing our team with extra Vitamin C and olive leaf to support their immunity and that of their whānau. While being real about the risks, we’re collectively doing our best to stay positive (which may itself support immunity). Let’s do everything we sensibly can to keep ourselves and others safe and well, while avoiding seeing our fellow humans as sources of potential contagion to protect ourselves against. This current health crisis reminds us that individual and collective wellbeing are always mutually dependent."

Totally agree. Corona in dogs is NOT life threatening just another run of the mill gastro which WILL enter the country if not already here. There are no travel restrictions in place for dogs entering NZ from Australia and no quarantine is required. The ban on greyhound imports imposed by the GRNZ is laugable. All that was required was a pre travel test. In contrast, a virus that has the potential for devastation and death is met with silence.

PS: If you suffer from diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, or are immune compromised, you are at high risk of contracting the virus. That would apply to some handlers, trainers, and members of their immediate families.

I too don't work in the industry. Advisories are coming thick and fast from my employer and all other businesses I am in contact with. Yesterday I received 5 covid related emails. One from "Z", 4 from suppliers. Two suppliers have shut their stores with product now only available via online order, no pick ups. There will be more advisories to follow. Surprised GRNZ have not at least issued a hygiene and conduct advisory, clubs not supplying hand sanitisers on track. There will be a loss of industry income should the pandemic persist. Three friends, two retired nurses and a doctor have received standby recall notices.

Said dog won 5 races in Australia. Assessed C2 at it's first NZ start which it won. Won a C3 at its second NZ start. Competed in two C5 heats as a C4 graded dog. Dropped back to C3 one start later. Won a C3 then struggled for the remaining 8 South Island starts. Of those 8 starts it only managed to jump with them twice. Finding trouble and not wanted by its former trainer arrives in the CD. The dog turns 4yo next week. Had several post race vet checks and a fall prior to moving. The dog is in the twilight years. Pretty harsh comments Cross Codes especially given the dog never won a C4 race let alone a C5.

Over the months there have been many comments concerning covert surveillance used in impending court action. Most of it was ill-informed. Yes, it is illegal for you or me to use convert cameras to spy into our neighbours' properties. For one it is a breach of the privacy act. So don't do it. This does not apply to video and photos obtained in a public space on your camera or phone. It is perfectly legal to employ a certified private investigator to spy on private property. There are rules and they must be followed. The investigators employed must install, maintain, and remove the camera/s themself. The evidence produced (sound, video, photo) is legally admissible in a court of law. Some of you posters might need to rethink your beliefs.

Yes, staff turnover at that establishment has always been high. The last mass exodus in January-February 2019 demonstrates that. If the kennel is closed down legally, Hayley maybe in a spot of bother. Under the rules the Cole family would be prohibited. Staffing and an alternative property could be problematic. To put your hand up to be a pseudo trainer under those circumstances would be morally depraved in my view.

It affects all breeds, so to ban greyhound imports while all other canine travel continues will not prevent entry. Eventually it will spead throughout NZ with or without a stand down.

Happy new year to you Mehe. I write this post not as a criticism of your words but as a correction. Dogs don't cheat, people do. While a dog's mannerisms can cause angst to many, the dog is just displaying its natural behaviour. Unfortunately, that behaviour can alter a probable result or worse, cause injury physical and mental to others. In saying that, I am often bewildered by what I read in stipendiary reports. The number of offenders that run faster than the rest of the field while sustaining serious injuries that would see any other dog tail the field by lengths, is extremely contentious. As an aside I am curious. How does one alter deviant racing behaviour? And, are there actual stats regarding success rates?

Mehe, two of the three were on the board. That being the point of difference.

https://www.pressreader.com/new-zealand/sunday-star-times/20100110/283420597755325

No I do not believe he was alone, why would he be? The information should never have been shared with the board. Why it was remains a mystery.

Good evening to you Chief. The answer to the first part of your question is yes, but I cannot confirm whether he is still working for that particular organisation. As he has an account here and has made comment on this thread or at least a recent thread, he may like to answer your questions himself. He might also like to share if he raced dogs with either or both of the trainers mentioned in the post you quoted.

Known as the tight five they always inflated the on-course turnover when making an appearance at the track. Sometimes their bestie bookie also joined them. Nothing like having a direct line to the best odds, a practice I see as questionable. The mug punter stuck with what was left after the pack took the lion's share of the prize. One issue that has always bothered me is the Scott fiasco. At the time Scott was offered up as a sacrificial lamb, another member of the rat pack also sat on the board. Both Scott and Rendle possessed the same swabbing information, both had ties to two specific CD trainers. Alarm bells should have shaken the board to its core, yet Rendle held his seat. We have all watched how that has unfolded since, ending with Rendle's resignation following the SPCA revelations. The look could not be any worse. Ego, greed, corruption. The tight five legacy lives on. Charges have been laid and a court day set. The two major protagonists continue to deny wrongdoing but their actions speak to guilt. You would think that innocent people would be chomping at the bit to get to court and clear their names, yet it appears the delays are theirs. A contingency plan does not come together overnight does it. And what of those involved in the mass kennel exodus? If Cole is found guilty their credibility is shot to pieces. How do you hold your head up if you were part of a lie? If you were part of the conspiracy? A collaborator? Self interest before integrity. You have all been played. The more I see, hear and read, the stronger my abhorrence grows.

And on that we both agree.