Special Agent

I can't even remember when it was decided summer tracks should not be hard and fast. Trainers like the late Noel Eales loved nothing better than to race his summer horses on summer tracks. In the conversations I had with him over the years he was definitely an advocate for not watering in summer. Like you say Wingman Kane Smith has inherited a lemon. This reiterates my point that he is fairly new to the racecourse caretaking game and if he is one of the few who can produce a track on raceday where the jockeys don't vote with their feet imagine if what could be achieved if he could hone his skills. I'm trying to find some positives out of the racecourse surface shambles we are currently amidst.

Woodville is the obvious one. Bruce Sharrock loves Woodville, and the people there. He loves supporters of Woodville even more.

I also agree Ace is a nice polite young man. The Clotworthys are doing a top job with him.

I agree with a few of the contributers to this thread. A copied concept race holds no appeal.

Freda makes a brilliant point regarding Health & Safety and Work Place regulations up further. How is racing side stepping what other industries are put through the wringer for? Maybe the reason trainers have been left out of discussions is because, as they are representing the owner and himself/herself, they might put up a decent and reasonable argument to run the race meeting. As for jockeys not wanting to ride due to potential risk. Being a jockey is an occupation that is constantly in a state of potential risk. Dare I say it, if a jockey does not want to ride because of potential risk maybe it is time to think about finding another job. If after a shower of rain there may have been a potential saftey concern, would the subsequent heavy rain not have rectified that? Some moaned about the amount of water Kane Smith put on the Otaki track when rain was forecast. In hindsight wasn't he a little bit smart? The track surface might not have suited every runner but, under Kane's supervision Otaki was one of very few venues to have continued racing when the rain came. Well done Kane. Doomed has hit the nail on the head with Feilding's money long gone at Awapuni. You can only laugh about the funds of Waipukurau and Woodville going into the slush fund too. How much do they think those small town venues are worth, and how much debt would they clean up? Was La La Land a good movie?

"State of the track" could mean anything. This is really bad!! How long can these excuses keep rolling in before people at the top stand down?

From comments from both Chief and Newmarket inconsistency seems to apply. They are both pretty good riders.

You'd wonder why they would be experimenting and not going down a tried and true route. The more NZTR stand in front of me the more they lose credibility and respect. As his term goes on, along with mthe pressure, the more shitty Bruce Sharrock becomes. After all the assurances from NZTR I see Hastings was abandoned part way through the programme. In any other business or industry there would be a complete change of personnel. Stop telling us which tracks need to be sold because you have it completely wrong. I believe the word used by Bruce Sharrock was professional. Well FFS how about taking a look in the mirror!!

I agree some horses are poorly prepared and/or poorly educated. I saw and heard Maurice Campbell give a trainer a spray at Riccarton one day when dismounting as the trainer exclaimed the horse was useless. Maurice replied, "Not as useless as you".

I remember La Crique being scratched from a Trentham fixture due to the track being too wet for her liking so, I'd suggest Otaki's surface may not have been ideal for her either. Rain was forecast. Some fell on the day, some today. Who was to know which day and how much would actually hit the course? I agree watering should be to grow the grass, not change the condition. However, as race meetings have been put off in very recent times, and on other tracks it has not been a safe racing surface, under the circumstances I think Otaki did okay. Maybe the RIU need to be more accountable on the day with keeping true track conditions up to date on a regular basis throughout the meeting, for the sake of connections and ounters alike.

I agree with you here too but, I don't think your "sticking up for the battling jockeys" is the same as running down the jockeys who are perceived to be better and actually do get on the better mounts. If you watch a "better" rider on a slow horse they look as bad, and sometimes worse, than the "out of favour" jockey. I certainly think Chris Johnson is gifted, I have employed him myself and wondered how he got the best out of some of them. In fact, I didn't know some could run that fast, as they didn't for anyone else. Likewise, Damien Oliver as an example, could extract an enormous amount out of some horses. The question Chief poses of would you put Opie on? He too is a gifted rider, in a different way to Chris or Damien in my opinion, but there is always a chance you will get to the races and he will be overweight or dehydrated and not fulfill the engagement. I'm not saying Opie specifically but, I have also employed the top or near the top premiership riders and some of those could not care less as it was an undercard ride booked by their agent, and rode my horse like it had no chance, until the race was nearly over. Sometimes the hungry jockey is the one who will put your horse in the race and ride it like the horse, trainer and owner matter.

Gee Newmarket, did you get out of bed on the wrong side today? I feel you won't be happy till Chris Johnson is back riding. I agree with your opinion of his riding but, do you have to bag every other jockey while he's out?

Oh dear. Jockey bashing. Only the horse is good. Why can't jockeys get credit when due? Jamie Kah's stats look pretty solid and horses seem to run for her.

We have all read it. My question is, are you sure he wrote it?

Maybe when Entain fully takes over fresh people will be used.

You can call it success. I call it boring and predictable. If you talk to the same people all the time, apart from the "which of your team will win today?" questions, there sometimes needs to be a different approach/angle.

What does she do?

One thing that is repeated by whoever ends up in charge is that New Zealand can't sustain so many tracks. Why?

Te Awamutu is so bad they eliminate some of their entries.

It was Messara's Report, was it?

What do you mean?

So what is this? One-upmanship? Don't we have enough of that in the wider racing industry?

Yes, good point. So Nod, can you please get her on the blower to see what tracks she can save on our side of the ditch?

To me it is as obvious as the nose on your face but, I didn't realise until recently how many in the industry were totally against all the gimmick races. It does appear very few agree with the amount of stake money being pumped into a few select races, particularly more than $300,000 attached to a maiden instead of, for example, 3 x $100,000 races.

Don't you worry Freda, CD doesn't rate very highly with those at the new HQ either.