Special Agent

Maybe TAB For Ever needs to be stuffed and taken straight to the pool room.

I've seen a few come back with whip welts across the flanks but, you'd expect better from the likes of James McDonald. These other jurisdictions have ideas we could tag onto, especially with regards to whip penalties. Stripping the owner is definitely one way to stop overuse of the whip. When you think about it, if someone is going to cheat in one way like hitting a horse too much when they know the rules, chances are they will cheat in other ways like carving up a field causing a 5 horse pile up, or providing a urine test for another rider.

Oh now you've done it Gamma. Here come all the "I remember when" comments. Laura Tunnell was pretty spectacular in the Great Northern hurdles.

Cheats are made aren't they, not born?

You have a lot to say for someone who admits they know nothing.

Because Messara did not write the report!!

The sad part is the Jockeys' Assn agreed wholeheartedly with the original whip rules, then moaned. Even stopping the whipping action interferes with the horse's momentum. Cheating definitely occurs when the money is on, and the money is up. A slap on the wrist won't stop it.

Not many.

I guess that is how you become more proficient at anything, by erring less. However, some people never learn by their mistakes.

I have no problem with Jamie Kah's riding. I'd say she's riding for top stables because she is winning and she's winning because she is riding for the top stables.

I wasn't saying that, merely pointing out it is an easier ride when the trainer has done their job right.

Granted, it helps when they are trained properly.

Amazing!! I bet there were queues for the toilets that day.

But people going to a country meeting are not arrogant enough to not allow for bumper to bumper traffic. The meetings I recall being that way a while back were Kumara, Motukarara and Thames.

Let's keep all the valuable real estate as racecourses and sell all the clubs which operate out of small towns. Today highlights another pitfall of racing in major centres, traffic!! No doubt the Stipes will demand scratchings going by the directives of how long horses should be on a float/truck, you know the ones that stipulate how much water you have to give your horse and how many times you have to scrub it's bucket out.

It must be the wrong time of the morning as I saw the headline and thought it was about the falling foal crop, which I think is a far more serious problem facing the racing industry. I think crop is quite an outdated word for the whip. We could go on forever talking about non use of the whip. I still maintain a whip used correctly is an aid rather than a punishment. Still used in bondage and I doubt many die from whip use there, the odd heart attack which couldn't totally be attributed to the use of a whip.

All total proof that the quality of what people are betting on is irrelevant, very much like the Melbourne Cup being not much more than a glorified hack race. Much more emphasis is, and should be, put on the race day experience particularly as part of an ongoing plan to retain current and encourage potential participants. As our whole industry is reliant upon turnover let us not under estimate those not in the top 10 trainers, jockeys or owners, all of whom are providing important product to the industry. The current bods at the top do not have the right recipe. The Chair moving on may right the wrong. Rodney coming onto the Board may be a good thing, just as long as it's not all about the breeders from here on in. I think much can be learned from how one is treated by smaller clubs. I know some will say how great the big clubs are. I feel, unless you are winning, the major clubs only kiss the feet of those who are important this week. I have been involved in sponsorship at all levels and have found that "today's fish 'n' chip wrapping" mentality from the big clubs. On days you are not sponsoring the club officials just look straight through you. As opposed to the small clubs where, whether it be sponsorship, race horse owner, or betting patron on a particular day, your continued support is valued.

Exactly. And whatever he did that we were made aware of he seemed to be a male equivalent of Margaret Thatcher, ruling with an iron fist. He was arrogant and non-listening. It does appear some of this has rubbed off onto Bruce Sharrock. I sure hope some common sense comes into play at some stage before it is too late.

The Chief has beaten you to it. There are many applauding. Let's hope he doesn't pop up somewhere else in the racing industry.

Curious, you show the difference in respect of grassroots racing where you are pretty much in it for life.

Maybe the buck stopped with the Chairman.

Great news.

Sounds like his foot slipped out of the iron, probably a platform iron where only a small part of ball of his foot would be balancing on it.

NZ Trotting Cup day another to avoid. It's a very uncomfortable day out.

They do not and will not listen to common sense.