Special Agent

They have Bernard Saundry.

No point asking me as I don't understand any of it. I also don't know why Waikato Stud wouldn't buy a slot for their own horse?

In his address to groups I thought Dean said Entain would be funding affairs for the first few years so, my take on that would be this marketing exercise would not impact on NZTAB figures. Certainly Trackside would not be in a position to trump up cash. As for taking the Trackside brand to Australia and the world, I think that is an odd marketing strategy. Definitely the "different" some are seeking. As Dean admits to being a punter from way back he must think I Wish I Win creates less of a gamble than other runners and the chances of recouping the betting investment are strong.

I notice the article pointed out how Jamie is currently unlicensed due to injury which must be an attempt to question the validity of charging an unlicensed person. I assume the law of the land is innocent until proven guilty.

You have to love "proposed terms" and "potential to deliver". The reoccuring theme of words with no substance and vague commitment. As stated, this is absolutely a damning indictment of past and current management, no matter how it is dressed up. I didn't realise the relinquishing of Class 4 licenses was only IF geo blocking was legislated. To me that sounds like the pokies were never going to go then; more a statement to appease anti-gambling sectors for now and keep the current Racing Minister's nose clean leading into the election. What a ploy this whole affair is! We have an "agreement" so shrouded in secrecy that the governing bodies of the three codes have no idea what we are all signed up to but, blindly hold out their hands to a money tree with not a care as to it's source. Apart from Entain's involvement, all personnel handling the distribution of monies appear to be unchanged. Many within the racing industry are trying to interpret disclosed pieces of the deal. If the people at the top making operational decisions are unaltered how is anything going to change? If the situation was dire before Entain stepped in, and all the codes are doing is spending MORE money than ever before, how long before the situation is dire again? But, to me it is far worse because as Dean from Entain stated this is the first time they have dealt directly with a country's government in a monopoly set up. This has to be more than concern surely. I think alarm bells are tolling so loudly they are deafening.

I don't see this as showing initiative at all. It wreaks of all sorts of things to me.

Why do people have to be so deceitful and devious? Authorities wonder why we are skeptical. Even the minor point of Sam Moncurs signature on a public holiday. Who does that? Do you think there is any significance of Anzac Day for a trans Tasman deal? Thanks for pointing those dates out to the world Chief. It really shows our racing authorities up for what they are. Pick an adjective ... deluded, naive, halfwitted, shady .... I know we should look forwards and not live in the past but, I can't help think of what racing men of bygone days would think. I've spoken to many racing participants over the years and there are a great deal of them at the crying stage right now at what this once magnificent industry has become.

And let us be negative for a while ... or maybe it's practical.

And you would trust them with your life, wouldn't you!! Promises can be broken too.

This is scary. What stops it being the same old but, with more money? Let's also not forget Entain NZ has the same TAB personnel with a new title.

Only a Creative Accountant could answer that question? Nothing adds up to me with my non-accountant brain. These figures that seem to materialise out of nowhere don't seem to worry others though. They just seem to smile and dream of aiming their horses for the next $1million or $2million or $3million fantasy race.

Well done Yankiwi. If the announcement on remedial was missed it should be clear to all now. There is money available so there appears to be no excuse.

So many parts to this thread are tinged with sadness. I look at the lists of amazing horses altogether in one spot, in one race, and have to think we will never witness such class competing again. The list of $100K pacers is a beauty. So many having won 20, 30 and more is testament to breeding and training. Seeing Sapling's and Young Quinn's sire named brought back fond memories of Bob Mayne's champ in his older days. Young Charles was kept in a paddock in Buchanans Road not far from where Coupland's Bakery now stands and I vividly remember he had escaped and was quietly picking on the side of the road one day when I was passing. He was a quiet old boy and I remember taking him by the headcollar and putting him away, no damage done. I told Mr Mayne later and he made sure the gate was Young Charles proof from that day on. I read an article where Young Charles lived well into his 30's and Bob Mayne ensured he was buried with an appropriate headstone on his property. I wouldn't know if it was still that Buchanans Road property. If so, I hope his grave site didn't suffer the same fate as Colin Jillings' mare Perhaps at Takanini, or Cardigan Bay at Alexandra Park.

Cool story!! So many aspects of ground roots racing is not known, ignored and dispensed with by many in charge. They think the only way to train is locked up like battery hens in major city complexes. It's the at rural settings where the best yarns are found.

This bit concerns and intrigues me. It could mean anything. More bloody words that say nothing at all as Ronan Keating might put it. As NZTR has not had a reliable crystal ball for a while I shudder to think what ideas for improving the industry long term look like. I have to say I am getting bored with all the news flash announcements and have stopped reading them. We are working in the cold where a lot of our working hours are in the dark, we are trudging through mud up to our guts, our homes look like a Chinese laundry trying to dry out our PPE and then are subjected to this fluffy feel good crap about how the industry is going to be saved by suits in an office. Most of us have been involved in racing longer than those running it. We've seen a thing or two and have seen the experts come and go. To me it is same shit, different day. Call us all negative if you want. We would not be commenting if we didn't care.

So when do the personnel at Entain start to have any input into decisions that effect turnover, because ultimately it's the promise of increased turnover that brought Entain to our door/rescue? Is it going to be status quo for the two years of the staff safety net before any changes are apparent? To me it's a bit like living with bad governmental decisions. Two years is a long time if bad spending is the trend.

Good picking. I guess you won't be booking a couple of mares in any time soon though.

A conspiracy theorist would say it looks like a front for something else. I share your skepticism. Stake money won't be the problem soon. The real kicker is where the horses are going to come from to compete.

Good luck to Entain in turning these turnovers around. All bar Oamaru realised a drop in revenue from last season.

Neither did I. Maybe we read too much at whacky hours. Anyway, what happened to choosing the subjects you are interested in learning about?

Oooh and penalised they have been. Ridiculous. The person at NZTR should be looking for another job.

I think Ted said something along the lines of "Is that all they could write?" Needless to say, a little while later the obituary was embellished.

AWT enthusiasts are absolutely kidding themselves. Poor quality racing. The sooner they are ripped out the better. Why would an industry spend good money after bad, and sell up all the grass tracks to do it? Obviously those spending the money aren't treating it as their own.

How many times did we read articles explaining how surprised Wiremu and the Australian trainers were at having such a sizeable claim? The claim amount was issued and queried. Why should connections be penalised.

Such a ridiculous situation after the event. It's not as if the generosity of the claim was not pointed out prior to Wiremu race riding. Stake money by all would need to be paid back. What a mess that was totally avoidable. Incompetence personified.