Special Agent

Only value from the ones I backed after noticing a trend.

Spelling correctly has become a lost art. It is hard to take anyone or any company/corporation seriously operating with bad spelling.

I don't have any statistical evidence but my observations indicate visor blinkers first time produces a good number of wins.

Not all healthy food tastes good either. I made sandwiches for lunch last week with cottage cheese as one of the ingredients. These were discarded and I was told the cottage cheese was not appreciated because it tasted like healthy food. An old jockey told me once that after spending a lifetime wasting, one of life's pleasures is eating good tasting food.

Unless it has changed in some regions the Jockeys "Cafe" is not exclusively for jockeys. Most jockeys don't eat until the end of the day, by which time most of the food has been eaten. After wasting I'd imagine some jockeys' bodies are craving some grease or sugar anyway.

I don't know what else Jamie Kah was supposed to do on the grey horse as it was travelling so well, and probably not quite the class of the first two. Craig Williams outrode them, I thought. Interesting no one mentioned the ordinary ride by James McDonald on I Wish I Win, narrowly beaten.

If 14 dogs have gone to America there must be at least 14 spaces somewhere. It seems a bit extreme NZ dogs going to the US. If greyhounds are such lovely pets, what marketing is being aimed at NZ homes? Just saw a race from Caliente on Trackside. Maybe all these NZ ex-racers will make their way to South America, instead of lounging on a couch somewhere.

Not trivial at all. Pretty useless effort.

Gamma, I don't know why you think the problems are easily solved. There has been a lot of irreversible damage done and people have been lost forever in the process. There is a list of past unbelievably useless administrators to blame as long as your arm.

I too remember one of the last days at Amberley pre race riding our entrant around bareback without a skull cap, you know like we all used to do. Staff at Worksafe today would be having kittens. Were the horses quieter, better educated or had more time spent on them? I'm not sure I'd be keen riding some of the horses I've seen at races nowadays bareback, oh probably not at all, there are some stroppy ones around.

What is that saying our parents used to say? If bullshit was music, they'd be a brass band. The nonsense never stops!!

I don't and never will buy the notion that "there are too many racecourses in New Zealand". As Freda said, compared to what? If a racecourse sits all year for one or two race meetings, so what? Yes, we know Kumara makes money but, let us remember it has the coast's plum Saturday date. Also, it is rubbish to say all clubs no longer have volunteers, have no money in the bank and do not engage with their community. That is what NZTR want you to think. Some of these organisations have far too much to say about how clubs should be run, many of the mouthpieces having had the influence of Australian, English, Canadian and South African cast offs. And where are those learned bodies now??!! It is abundantly clear that there are definitely not enough racecourses as there have been very few available for use when problems have arisen. RACE has to be the all time worst example of club and racecourse management. I haven't seen many TAB promotions that have been self funding and have lasted the test of time. I find it amazing too that any criticism by customers is regarded as moaning. The attitude is all wrong and whilst nobody is listening, nothing will change, evolve or be fixed. Some speak of how the best communicating trainers are giving the public what they want. Funny then that the trainer almost devoid of any communication skills, Kevin Myers, continues to run a successful business with horses and owners coming out his ears. Maybe culture is the word I've been searching for in respect of the Australian racing scene. The racing participants on the whole come across as more professional. The horses on the whole look better. The crowd is full of young well dressed people. The living wage is probably better than our's. Yes, we can continue to compare ourselves and our industry to the one across the ditch but, apart from the few that can compete at carnival time (and I'm not saying we should not all strive to improve and be the best we can be), is there any reason why we can't do our thing our own way?

Why is this regulation not used more regularly to combat a lack or glut of horses in one particular rating band at any given meeting? All races are subject to the Standard Regulations for Race Meeting Regulations, as set out in the Racing Programme Guide, which includes the right for NZTR or the Club under regulations 15.1 at any time to alter the terms and conditions of any race, including the stakes and/or its grading.

Answer:- Wagering and ownership. It's in their DNA. Australians bet more per capita on racing than those in any other country. One in every 254 Australians own a share in a racehorse.

OMG. There wouldn't be many statisticians who could dress those facts and figures into anything positive.

Some are trying to make racing a whole new world. Last time I looked the work behind the scenes is still the hard work, and sometimes boring, it ever was. Many in racing do not abide by this new age crap, and really do not have any time for it. After all, time on earth (to me anyway) is precious.

Clubs used to give out the password (there were various sectors like the press) at the Secretary's Office but, it would make sense for Entain to now offer the service.

You do know that what Chris Waller has is not contagious, don't you.

More vendor buy backs on the horizon?

You pay your money and take your chances.

Right up there with Stable Audits.

It's the back slapping and sneering at anyone else's comments that gets me.

What I like is the fact that Glen Boss is still relevant to the apprentices. He's still in good shape and loves the industry. Fantastic when the top guys continue to give back.

I wouldn't agree that "most" agreed.

There are nearly that many going around at the point to point tomorrow following about 21 flat events.