Special Agent

Possibly still hiding from previous brother-in-laws too.

Yes, it has always been hard. Now it is a different hard, and dare I say it the young of today are soft.

I think what we have to remember is that we are in a different time. Taking on an apprentice is a huge commitment. These days they are not home as much with races, trials, jumpouts, apprentice school and whatever development course is on, and they get tired and stale. NZTR seems to have much more of a say than the trainer. Also now there are a lot more requirements, ACC levies, public holiday/day off requirements, the gear is expensive and needs replacing at more regular intervals .... it is very expensive. Even getting a trackwork rider license can be a tiring and a costly exercise.

That is a good enough reason to not inspect whip site/s for welts immediately. Welts can often still be seen the next day but, apparently may not be visible straight away.

I don't know about photoshopping, trolling and the like but, I agree with a lot of what Thomass is stating about incorrect whip use and rules for same. Funny, I was having a conversation this week about how Lisa Allpress regularly flanks her mounts. Even riders with short arms can adapt their own style to not do that though. If what you say is correct, what a strange occurrence for the RIU to say the vets were too busy to check for welts. Too busy doing what, apart from vet duties?

Yes, why does every action have to be at a profit? I thought providing a service to the industry is what trials are all about.

I don't think the action of the mechanical horses is helping young riders practice with the whip. The mechanical horse goes up and down compared to the real thing. The shot above looks like a mechanical horse induced whip action.

I wouldn't have a clue. Like you I just saw Trackside there.

They sure are, and quite vicious. It seems you are a know-all too if you don't share the same opinion.

Trackside attended for a while recording all heats, some of which were shown on Trackside.

Do you think Tony Lee should be asked to replace Cameron George?

175 at Levin jumpouts tomorrow, a service that helps the punters. Funnily enough Levin is one of those tracks NZTR are hell bent on getting closed so the few million it's valued at can be put into a fund to help out the whole industry. Giving 175 a run on grass isn't classed as helping the whole industry?

Maybe not before a Group race but I think we have all been so tired we have nodded off and missed something important to someone.

Curious, we've all known the Jimmy Tomkinson's, Noel Eales's and Ray Verner's of this world. Successful trainers do not talk with such venom. That is the work of a failure or a wannabe. Freda is right. There are much more important parts to life on earth, which is a very short time to boot. We can all have a far more pleasant experience conversing with those on a similar wave length, rather than with a stunted and inferior version of a former top class comedian, because the billy connolly on here isn't even funny.

Bully for you. You know someone with money. That will not enrich your personality nor take that massive chip off your shoulder.

Who is claiming to know everyone and everything? I must say though I am disppointed, given how well you know her, at your dissing of Freda.

It's going to take a lot more new customers for starters. They must be confident they have the formula. Interesting times.

I think these anti-racing lot are given too much air time. Having said that the time given to the PETA rep showed him up to be the dick most of them are. RIU and NZTR have been fooled into their perception of what they call social license. Hoodwinked, the lot of them.

The amount of cash would only shout the staff to lunch in that city category. I'd like to think winning such an award in a limited line up would not qualify for extra race days.

That was certainly a beaut piece of footage. The horse was full of beans before the race yet raced in such relaxed fashion. The hot pace might have helped. Didn't he go when asked!

What would Awapuni be classed as? Not one of the three should even be nominees. I wonder what they will spend the prize money on.

Billy, I know/knew all three of these decent horse people fairly well. I'm not sure if you can say the same. So, you say the two horses mentioned above were cheats. I saw Lord Module win at Addington with blood pissing out of his feet and Domingo raced with a sweeney. Rather than the horses be cheats, maybe they were capably handled to win the races they did. Cheats would not have won carrying the afflictions they had. Who the hell are you to berate Freda's training? Like Dave, Freda gets her horses as ready as possible before taking them to the races. Like Freda, Dave did not win every time he lined one up.

I thought it said well performing clubs. How do those metropolitan clubs qualify?

He wouldn't be allowed on Trackside, would he.

I'm not so sure on your assessment of cheats. I think you should firstly look at the reasons for not trying. Blinkers aren't always for cheats. Bull prodders are no longer supposed to be used. Pharmaceutical assistance is the choice of the trainer and I think they would use whatever horse they were running. I still maintain cheats are made, not born. Maybe the handler needs a bull prodder used on them because they don't know what they are doing.