Special Agent

As the Racing Minister has the final word on this does anyone know if he has any thoughts of his own, or is it just an influenced rubber stamp?

I would like my colours on either of them.

Have you noticed that nobody anywhere (not just racing) can put out a schedule or programme first bang without errors? People of today cannot spell, have bad grammar and cannot proof read any detail. It used to drive me nuts. After a while you start to relent and slip into the comfort of "who cares" about a few mistakes. Gone are the days of a sharp blow over the knuckles for not listening or concentrating.

I am so over the flashy shit we have been subjected to over the past 5-10 years. I can't stand the flourishing of the whip at the line to the extent of the jockey nearly falling off (such a bugger for the owner to be landed with a photo of that for a life time), the bullshit jockey interviews and the crying. All young jockeys could take a leaf out of this down to earth bloke's book. Some owners might only win the one race with their horse so that race becomes their Melbourne Cup and should be treated with the respect it deserves.

Absolutely!! There is enough to sort out in racing without dabbling in the fluffy stuff. This doubling up of jobs is a doubling up of egos. Racing would continue without media and marketing. I'm not saying it would be the best in the world but it would continue. To think it matters who is presenting the races and what post race programmes are running is important is madness. How about not letting jockeys ride until they are competent, getting the track surfaces and horse facilities right and making sure there are enough horses in the first place to compete. It seems to me the cart is being put before the horse and the emphasis is on the wrong areas. Administration is top heavy, there are too many in influential positions more interested in moving real estate than "the product and core business", and to put it simply the whole shooting box needs stripping back to basics. Just my opinion. Horse training and racing has pretty basic components that outside influencers are over complicating.

More than 30% of RIB investigations relate to licence holder behaviour .... I'm not sure how to react to this. If you think about what RIB investigates, how much is investigated outside of what licence holders say and do? I can only think of ownership discrepancies and patrons oncourse on a race day but, I may need enlightening. NZTR and the RIB have the power to not relicence. If the Code of Conduct regulations is going to aid in non relicensing I wonder what numbers will look like moving forward. Racing is fast paced and sometimes volatile.

Does form analysis fit into what NZTR should be doing? I thought NZTR was the national horse racing administration, not a betting agency. The articles and videos seem odd to me too for an organisation which should primarily be for licence holder information. I believe these guys are sons of Donna Logan and Steve Davis respectively.

It seems a new broom sweeps clean as the list of employees includes a heap of new names from a year ago. Was Marty Burns superfluous to needs or was his role disestablished? Either option means pretty much the same thing but, I wonder what the thinking was behind him no longer being there.

As you have pointed out it is not always about the sometimes small amount of sponsorship money. It is how you are treated, being made feel a little bit special and included, and the word of mouth advertising you are going to provide on behalf of that club and the whole racing industry. That brings us to "culture" which has been created by you and people like you. Move over Tharsha, Honestjohn already has credentials I'm guessing will outstrip any you have on paper.

Tharsha Adamstein - Head of People & Culture & Infrastructure What an earth does this role entail? Is Tharsha in charge of all people in the racing industry, or just those in the NZTR office? What culture? As New Zealand's racing community is a multi-racial place is Tharsha adept in origami, can she efficiently handle a taiaha, does she know the words of the Indian National Anthem, and because the latest census will show the increase in nationalities here is she proficient in Mandarin? What absolute nonsense!! Infrastructure of what exactly? If Tharsha has a handle on all of the aspects listed in her title she is well and truly wasted at NZTR. She should be working out of the Beehive.

That is a lot of people. With less horses bred and less participants it appears unbalanced to even a simple mind.

As an industry we should expect nothing less. I know we can't go back but for goodness sake how the hell the track got to the stage it got to, a stage where the races couldn't run on the club's "money" day, is beyond belief. As for thinking it's all about throwing money at the problem, there are a lot of heads that need to be read. Now there's a little bit of pressure off, those at fault are strutting about like peacocks.

If you have ever braved a full game of the Phoenix Women you'd wonder why they get paid at all, let alone pay equity with the men. The NZ women's football team are going to be an embarrassment at the World Cup to be co-hosted here.

I wonder if the likes would be permitted to ride today. Their licences would be subject to some pussy regulations and checks by someome with a title and letters after their name. They would be labelled as being bipolar or having ADHT or aspergers. Their ability to handle a horse wouldn't even come into it and a certificate for the wall would not be issued.

Bang on. Today's peeps can be precious and boring. Too much PC crap for my liking.

What dumb ideas the TAB are coming up with. The next Black Friday might be interesting.

I have to admit I haven't watched much Trackside in weeks but, I think if women want to ride against men they should be known as jockeys and not given any preferential treatment. They all get paid the same fee.

A whole different world to the one we live in today. The car being driven was probably a borrowed one to boot. Keith Nuttall was a case all of his own. They say there's a fine line between a genius and a maniac. Funny how over the years some of the best riders sat somewhere on that line.

The whole situation sounds like Hicksville. There should be no poor management at any track in New Zealand. There are good people available to teach and assist. Some who have landed a good racing job under false pretenses have become too big for their boots. Who in their right mind employs an expert and then tells them what to do or restricts their responsibilities? NZTR will always bail these poor performing larger clubs out.

I don't agree it isn't the Track Manager's decision to renovate or rest the track, unless he is Track Manager in name only. Is it not his job to manage the track? Pat Reardon managed the Riccarton course proper, training tracks and grounds for many years. He came from a farming background. He knew what he was doing. I'd call him a Track Manager rather than the Caretaker title he had. For a "Track Manager" to not know how to mow correctly I'd have to firstly question the recruiting process. Secondly is the chain of command and relationship between track management and board flawed? Thirdly, there is always advice and support available, never be too proud to use it.

It seems to me most apprentices are in a hurry to slip into the race day gear and get out onto the track. Their trainers should try to curb this enthusiasm a little until the apprentice is focussing on more than the glory of winning. There are going to be mistakes which need to be managed. Snooky Cowan's daughter Kate told the authorities she didn't think she was fully ready to be a jockey when originally presented with a licence and took her time. I'd put that down to her maturity and also being the daughter of a former jockey. Pam you will remember Gavin Gullery not being permitted by his mentor to carry a whip until he was proficient with one. Your memory may be better than mine but, I think he was apprenticed to Mick Murfitt. One thing is certain, when he was allowed to carry a whip he sure knew how to use it.

Oh damn, what a shame. Makes you appreciate the wins.

And I bet Freda can stand up to any insults better than most from trainers in a class of their own. Unless Mark Purdon has changed his posture from when I knew him way back when and now has his head up his arse, I think it wouldn't be beyond him to ask Freda for some galloping advice when both waiting at the swimming pool. Sometimes the public perception does not befit the man, or woman.

I wouldn't have thought saying a jockey may have gone a bit early = jockey bashing.

NZTR now expect clubs to provide monetary sponsorship of races. One would have thought off loading that onto local businesses and the like would lessen the load. Some clubs cover the sponsorship aspect very well and encourage oncourse patronage as part of the deal. Not all of those clubs employ staff specifically for this task.