Special Agent

I wonder where the people are who put those in. It would also be good to know what is different about the Ellerslie surface, it's construction and length of consolidation.

Weren't there some Australian contributors on here way back warning about pitfalls of StrathAyr surfaces? If I recall they said these tracks weren't all they are cracked up to be. Isn't NZ Racing ridiculous at the moment!! I have to keep reminding myself I am not asleep. It's not even mediocrity reigning, it's absolute stupidly that is accepted as the norm. I can only shake my head, as I am sure many others are also.

Sometimes the galloping Stipes Reports are laughable too. Have you found that interpretation varies a lot in everything these days? I wonder about the standard of education some people have been subjected to.

How many times until it is unacceptable? Like Chief said, to speak out prior to these disasters meant you were negative. Is that another word for "correct"?

It could have been disastrous but, how impressive was that horse not slipping over, falling off onto the tracks, and hardly turning a hair when so close to a moving train?

They sure do need to roll. NZTR has also been singing the praises of this wonder track. This is not a game but, they all appear to be merely playing.

FFS. Cameron George scarpered in time. With the quotes seen from Paul Wilcox and the Ellerslie track unusable for a further 18 months his salary could be saved too. The headline says, should have raced at Avondale. If racing authorities were truly in the job for the good of racing Avondale should definitely have been at the top of the list. Racing big wigs really are in Disneyland. They are a laughing stock, no other words to describe them.

It seems bullying is in all parts of our society. Why are we worrying about some of these children? With what they have already unfortunately seen in life they are going to grow into clones of their no hoping parents. As I said somewhere else on here start by sterilising all the useless people. Problem solved.

I'm a bit sick of tightening my belt. Let people who have kids feed them lunch and cut that monstrosity out for a start. The crap lunches given is a joke and the waste partly because of that is inexcusable. There is no excuse for not paying nurses and police what they are worth. The saying pay peanuts and get monkeys certainly applies in the health sector. If you think employing people who hardly speak English to look after your old or ailing loved ones is okay, you are kidding yourself.

Some of the media who have a lot to answer for now no longer have a job. I watched a lot of their crap biased reporting through the parliamentary protests. Oh poor them!! The piece from NZ First in parliament recorded today is worth a watch.

Sterilisation would be my first step. I will never be convinced these types should be entitled to breed.

I'd hate to have my name on any racing board or Auckland club at the moment. What a fiasco!!

In a professional sport I don't think for one minute we should be looking to the future through the quality of our amateur races.

I agree with everything you are saying Doomed. Hindsight is wonderful if you learn from it. Plus it seems to be easy for some to spend others' money. Commonsense missing again.

So, do you think the demand for housing has waned? How many houses are on it now? It would have made more sense to sell Awapuni as it has houses right up to the facility and the land is worth more. Feilding is much more country vs Awapuni city.

I agree that not all top races in Australia are actually top quality races.

It also indicates the club is involved in the decision which does not seem to be the case. So when does 15.1 of the regulations apply in order for the club to have some input. The terms and conditions of these races, including the stakes and grading of these races, are indicative only. The Racing Programme Guide is the official guide as to the terms and conditions of a race, including the stakes and grading. 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.

I'll kick it off ... The closing of Feilding never made sense.

As professionals are being paid to renovate the track I doubt suggestions are being sought at this stage. Awapuni AWT is hardly the gift that keeps giving, taking into account the cost of maintenance and upkeep.

Rugby, racing and beer. Can't see NZ going teetotal, can you?

I don't see the relevance of Vodafone/One NZ, unless you think that rebranding was a genius move. On the other hand the success of Rhythm and Vines makes much more sense.

I think it is in consultation with the club. With short notice maybe some clubs can't find extra stake money. Could we reach out to someone at the Riverton club and ask them the questions; were they consulted, was putting two equally rated races on an option, if extra stake money was required did the club have to provide it? It seems a shame all horses couldn't race for the better stakes.

All a bit stupid isn't it. Small insignificant clubs that provide such important services to the industry are self funding and told they must close, yet the big clubs are top heavy with staff, run up debts in the millions, have unsafe track surfaces and get handout after handout.

That's great, and Levin did the same. The question is though, as Foxton is an NZTR trials venue, what is provided and funded by NZTR?

A work in progress I suppose. As long as the concept is dissected before next year's running and adapted to make it better.