Special Agent

Less open, less transparent and even less trustworthy.

Nothing that is going on in any of the three codes has to be this hard, does it? I have been in racing forever and it seems to me that nowadays the more authorities get paid the less they do and the more unreasonable they become. I was brought up on hard work, respect for your elders and common sense. I am sure these morals and ethics must not have applied to all households as I see very few families go without and sure know how to hold their hands out. I don't take crap from anyone but, stop at being disrespectful like a lot I see around the town. As far as common sense is concerned I am lost for words on practically any subject or industry you could name. All greyhound trainers are trying to do the same thing; win races and provide an enjoyable entertaining product. Same for harness and thoroughbreds. Drivers and jockeys may be rivals on the track but are all doing the same thing and have a general respect for each other. I think I agree with most on these threads in that the authorities are placing emphasis and energies in the wrong places. To me they are hammering easy targets and turning a blind eye to others. As has been said a million times there must be consistency across the codes with administering the rules and applying the judicial process. Red tape is ruining what should be an enjoyable industry.

Doomed, what makes you think a race on a better track a few weeks out from the Grand National meeting would be a good idea? More stakes announced as you say. This contrasts what we have heard from NZTR since who knows when that throwing money at the problem is not right but, now someone else is footing that bill it's a great idea. As far as small fields with better stakes is concerned, wasn't the cry to be more like Australia? It looks like a good time to put that extra horse into work while you can. Take the money and run.

In this case Alysha also used the race card. It seems there are members of this code who would stoop to any depths, including sexism. Looking from the outside there appear some shambolic goings on. Consistency across the codes is shocking when you consider the same personnel (the RIB) are policing all three. Would what has been dished out in the form of penalties in this case deter any future action? I'm not so sure. Just like in a harness race when a driver uses the whip one too many times people in racing get a blood rush. It's just a matter of where the line is drawn at what is considered acceptable. I see there has been further tinkering with the inept whip rule in galloping (which I must point out was sanctioned by the NZ Jockeys' Assn) with the new version very confusing. This is another case where you did not need to be very intelligent to realise the ramifications of the rules introduced.

Nobody can deny these statistics surely. I think the RIB should drop all current jobs in all codes and focus on getting this under control. Greyhound racing has been thrust into the spotlight and the RIB must be seen to be rectifying what looks like an easily rectifiable situation. Yankiwi I thought you had retired from posting your statistics and evidence. Thank you for not doing so.

Because RITA deleted Radio Trackside one can only assume it was a drain on finances. Of all the changes implemented by RITA I think losing Radio Trackside was maybe the most detrimental to the entire racing industry. If the opportunity came up I think a dedicated racing (with a little bit of sport) radio should be investigated. It would take a revamp and different approach and would definitely need to be run by someone who can work to a limited budget. Better sponsorship, advertising and funding would need to be sought; the profits cannot be spent on overpriced hosts.

Sigh .... I can't help but think all of these ideas go around in circles. For as long as I can remember more races and more starters equalled more turnover. Then along came the likes of Bernard Saundry who went in the complete opposite direction and convinced (for want of a more derogatory word) some amongst us that the most profitable action was to have less race days and less races, and to close tracks because less of those too was going to make racing so much better. Then along comes Entain, considered the saviour of our racing, and they may be in the short term. What is their idea? Well bugger me it is to go back to pre-Saundry ideas ... more racing, more races, more runners equalling more turnover. What we are going to need will be more tracks, not less. Why would that be? Well wouldn't you think that tracks need regular reparation and rest to produce the best surfaces? And what about preparing the thoroughbred for race day? Don't you think there needs to be sufficient options for training, trialling and jumpouts? Forget about all weather tracks. They require more money for ongoing maintenance than the industry can muster, plus they are collectively going to break more horses down than the grass, sand and plough tracks that have been in operation for 100 years or more.

Sold NZ to whom?

Oh dear!!

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.