Special Agent

And that is why you are the accountant. Wages are definitely a huge expense.

Sounds like a case of blind them with science. Maybe it's science fiction.

Are wages not overheads?

One thing I think about costs to run a rural outfit as opposed to a city one appears to me to be a corporate expectation of the city employees. I feel the overheads are lower in the country areas because of the roll up your sleeves mentality. In my opinion people who live in suits seem a bit more precious, they don't take a cut lunch to work, don't source multiple quotes, can't wait for a better deal and quite like looking out over the empire. There are some very knowledgeable and practical people out a bit.

Take it as a compliment. I am.

Or pretty much any club, to be fair.

All other clubs and trainers will be drooling. How fantastic to see a racing club expanding when others have driven their assets into the ground. Then there's those clubs not in debt and minding their own business expected to give up what they do have to the failures. Well done Matamata.

Were the comments on the missing threads, like the synthetic tracks, too close to the bone for some?

The membership numbers highlight the disaster in any club joining RACE. Has Ashurst Pohangina got no members remaining? The old boys of the clubs would tell you what the assets of each joining club paid for. Ashurst Pohangina may have purchased the land in Te Wanaka Road for training stables which has been sold (or partially sold) for the development which has stalled due to various ongoing problems. I notice on here Trentham is noted several times as having no horse training population. This should not be considered an impediment. It is widely accepted horse training operations run at a loss, with Cambridge and Matamata exceptions to that rule. Like Trentham, Ellerslie has no training. CD racing has an interesting training model. The largest training centre is Awapuni which is well shy of the number of horses in training guaranteed in the application for the Provincial Growth Fund. CD is an area which boasts large private training facilities, thus significant individual trainer investment. Someone on here may have the figures of horse numbers trained at Riccarton and Rangiora which might support claims the latter is fast becoming a very important and strategic training venue, even since such reports as the Messara version came into being. Quite an amazing evolution without, and perhaps against, traditional racing administration. Thank goodness for cross code collaboration.

The article and photo with Terry and Debbie Kennedy brought a tear to my eye. I've known Jamie for years and he's been a great servant to racing. Such a sad way to go but, you know what he's still upbeat, grateful and thinking of others. Some people moan about nothing. I wish the world had more Jamie Searle's.

That is only supposing "the industry" is paying, not the individual clubs.

I think the more immediate problem is Hastings. At least we are currently racing at Trentham. It has become such a problem in that racing participants are needing to even think about club finances when they should be just turning up and competing on a safe surface with decent facilities.

Yes, you are right. Although that saddle is small and light it's not unusual to see a raceday saddle weigh less than 130g. The interesting part of the photo is that the irons are quite a heavy version of a light variety at about 190g for the pair. Light irons are commonly 120g or less for both irons. Funny to think of a saddle and irons being the equivalent of cutting a pound of butter in half.

Yes, the track was a little too good for some fronting up today mid-May at Trentham. I'd say make the most of it as June and July will be more saturating.

If you were a conspiracy theorist you could really go to town on this subject. Threads that have disappeared in a puff of smoke. Why indeed? It's a bit like the dates calendar shrouded in secrecy. Who are these dates and venues being hidden from? Add to that the chitter chatter at Trentham today with suspicious undertones regarding the upcoming synthetic meet. Insufficient entries for trials ... really?

I believe there is a draft calendar that has been out for some time and seen by ... not sure how many.

Angus Mavor?

The memes of Donald Trump as the Pope have come to fruition.

Highly Lethal was the omen bet. That's him in the photo above as he and Jimmy head for victory at Levin.

Just like Ka Ying Rising winning impressively at the Levin Jumpouts before his sale overseas where he has become a superstar, todays 2nd race winner at Hawera at $38 trounced his rivals at the most recent Levin jumpouts too. Trainer Brendon McDermott was upbeat following that jumpout and gave his opinion freely to all watching the heat. Hope they heeded Brendon's advice and all got a piece of it.

With 36 entries you could've just run jumpouts up the back straight from the practice gates. There are 107 entered at Cambridge with one being in two heats. Most trials and jumpouts on grass have many more entries.

There is nothing wrong with robust debate. You just don't want personal nastiness over a difference of opinion.

And Japan?

Well we don't need less than we have now. We especially don't want the ones that don't sponge on the industry going.

Didn't the club run a farm as well?