Special Agent

Sounds like a "no" Chief.

Are you surprised by that? I liken it to being well informed yet only watching mainstream media.

Possibly but, how would we know when no one has seen what is being agreed to? We should never expect anyone in charge at NZTR to be naive or stupid. They do seem to be ignorant to legislation and have no regard for it. Racing CANNOT touch the sports betting money. Even at club level they ignore the club's constitution. If this is a form of insubordination isn't that a sackable offence?

Message from Bruce Sharrock says a decision expected by end of May on Entain partnership.

The word is 3-5 years is when the effects will be most predominant. Funny how many people are now saying I wish I hadn't had the jab. Their health obviously was not a priority.

Any update on this situation?

Yes, I don't think it is rocket science no matter how these affairs are dressed up. I don't know about anyone else but, I feel physically sick about what is going on in racing. I can't explain any of it. We can't keep looking for people to blame. There are just so many incompetents stumbling into our industry. I think what these folk have on the rest of us is the ability to talk their way out of a paper bag.

So one job, no matter how well you do in it, just leads to another and another. Real job title should be spin doctor.

What a nonsense response. No appreciation that the horse racing is the show. It indicates too that he doesn't know of Zane Tate's appointment and his contract could hardly have been discussed at board level. Was June employed solely to look after the one event on one day? Replacing her was hardly newsworthy. Why couldn't someone in the office run a best dressed competition? With wages at $1.5 million not one extra cent should be spent. Keep up the good work Freda. I wonder if others will come back with a more intelligent response.

Is there anything legally that can be done respectively on this? Or is it just another "stiff shit" situation for racing that we just have to cop?

Lecturing on what?

I wish Gary all the best too. We will see more and more heart attacks, aneurysms and miscarriages. The latter has an increased by 500% in New Zealand. These are not coincidental occurrences.

When are we going to have people in charge with money making ideas, apart from realising real estate? What is really annoying is they weren't around when the original land was acquired for racing yet have control of club assets, when really as committee people they should just be custodians until the next generation comes along.

That is quite late notice for anyone intending to attend the trials. And here we go again with NZTR's own brand of transparency. What bloody issue? Come on, this is a joke!!

Don't be fooled with that problem gambling marlarkey. The figures quoted are always exaggerated and I'd say a good chunk of that 2.5% is spent on wages. Much like the 1% animal welfare taken out of all stakes doesn't go to the people who rehome the horses but, that is another story.

And here's another idea. How about only paying out based on performance? Get rid of salaries where you are paid even when you fail (Cup meeting case in point). The rest of the racing industry are pretty much contractors only getting paid when they do the work. If trainers, jockeys, trackwork riders don't turn up they don't get paid. If they only do an average job their winning percentages reflect that.

Yes, yes, yes. Why are they losing sight of what the core business is? I hope this fantasy is the last in a long line of Tim Mills inspired fuck ups. Anyone who is claiming this idea as their own has to go. This is bordering on misappropriation of funds, surely. Instead of ideas of grandeur forget keeping up with Melbourne Cup proportions. You silly people need to get back to basics, and quickly.

100% agree. Quite obviously people do not learn from past mistakes and misinformation. Is it because they are too lazy to read?

Some of the decent training facilities are privately owned. Clubs will tell you that you can't make money out of training, not sure if that includes Matamata and Cambridge though. Anything can make money if properly run. With these attitudes surely there should be ample funds to provide at least better race day surfaces. That 15% from wagering going to government which would enable funding to come back into racing is sounding attractive. Then punters could truly say they owned racing.

Woo hoo, what progress!! Who would have thought the racing industry was going to be such a benefactor to veterinary science? At least Cambridge still provide choice for the trainer. Baker and Te Akau have been mentioned as training icons here. How much do/did they utilise the AWT for training, trials and racing? If trainers at Riccarton and/or Awapuni had a choice for training how many would elect/select the synthetic?

There are some good points in here. Doomed's idea for the north island to join NSW and south island to join Victoria is a little radical but you can see how beneficial it would be for New Zealand. Would those states want NZ? I doubt it. The backdoor entry for Entain looks obvious but, not to our administrators. That says it all. 15% from every dollar wagered would make a positive difference to racing. Who in the industry do you think should be suggesting this, and be listened to?

Riccarton Fashion and Other Issues is the title which covers a lot. We can squabble amongst ourselves which Chief Stipe and Reefton are making a good fist of; fact is the Ricarton track is rooted no matter on whose say so. Bid has just discovered the stupidity of the fashion co-ordinator a day after the rest of us who are still scratching our heads over it. What's this person going to do? As Freda points out possibly nothing that will be of benefit to anyone like mending potholes which will be left for another day. As for admin at Southern HQ how much more stupid can it get? Riccarton is where NZ Racing began, all the majors were held there and all the top men and horses came from there. I don't have to wonder what the guys of that era would think of today's fiasco. For all the discussion and debate what can be done? If all we do is moan we are no better than the ones currently in charge. Is there anyone on here who can actively do anything for the betterment of all? I'd like to think it is never too late. After all we are still involved in some capacity. Starting with this fashion co-ordinator how many CJC members are on here? Are you happy with your CJC Executive making this decision to spend valuable funds on a frivolous "thing"? Is anyone going to stand up against this decision? You saw what a laughing stock the decision makers at the club were Cup week. They got off lightly. Why on earth would members and board members let Tim do this crazy stuff? What is the point being a member if you don't have your say? Please, please register your disapproval at the CJC. Please make a difference.

We are a country of knockers that is for sure. There are different ways to train and achieve a similar result as you cited Murray Baker vs Te Akau. Both are/were successful training models. I agree with Huey that the landscape is distorted. I also think the value of bloodstock is inflated. When you watch the struggle at the supermarket with limited funds and having to put items back on the shelf it is disheartening to see the ridiculous amount of money spent in and on racing. Companies only have to know you own a race horse to bump up the price of it's requirements. What would happen if there was no David Ellis? The void would be filled, auction prices may drop, the training and riding premiership would look different but racing would continue in some shape or form.

Sorry to Jason Laking for whom this post started. To be fair Jason will be looking for a job now. Not sure how he'd look in that garb though. My point is jobs can be found in the racing industry both here and in Australia for ex-jockeys. I would consider whatever an ex-jockey was employed to do would aid racing industry "core business". On the flip side I think the races would still go ahead without a car or overseas trip as an incentive to dress up or even attend a race meeting. When a racing club is rolling in profit, has every race sponsored (not contra-ed), the fields are full and the RACECOURSE TURF IS IN TOP NOTCH ORDER then it might be time to have a play with some novelty roles. Until then ... WTF!!!!!

For goodness sake!! The fashion shit should be left as a side show. Don't get me wrong, I am all for glamming up the event and don't mind getting dressed up now and again but, money cannot be used on all of this rubbish instead of keeping the course proper in pristine condition. This club has lost the plot!!