Gammalite

So the Harness racing Landscape/Breeding is declining in All areas (numbers ) as you say. But why Blame HRNZ ?? is what Chiefs is saying old mate. The Sport is in DEMISE as you say . with age I think mainly like all of us. The youngsters around aren't interested. Not their (HRNZ) fault. They're working Hard, hand in hand with Entain , to bring as Much Money and as Many races , and incentives to those that are still going, as they can . Professionals doing there job. A problem is they're doing such a GREAT job that the Aussies are turning up the last 3 years and Mugging All the riches. that doesn't help much 🙄. Never- the- less. NZ did win the New Velocity showday still , so there's some hope yet !!! 👍🎉 It's because of the state of the Economy , and the state of the General public Outlook on racing . All sorts of things like that . The New Zealand Participants are VERY OLD . including us fans of the Sport like you, me and Chief and Brodster and that . Why are you surprised it's dropping away ??? Not HRNZ fault. you guys just using them as a Scapegoat All the Time . Unhinged Nigel had horses and owners racing (and winning) in both Islands . It's ONLY Folk like him , and Shannon and Stockman and Garrard, that are keeping you afloat Mr Titantic. (BTW, you HAVE to support 2 year old racing this late into the year (season) whether you like it or Not. ) Sires Stakes Final is in November. not that far away now.

What an amazing Story ! I didn't see that. i'm sure Tony Shaw has the right touch to see Akuta do very well this year. He is pretty famous in these parts (QLD) for Winning the Interdominion with Yulestar in 2001 at Albion Park. (from 4 back along the fence at the quarter no less, a performance guided by the racing gods I think) We were so impressed in Queensland , we renamed the street !! and Albion Park Brisbane now proudly stands on Yulestar Street ever since. What a great honor for Tony and the great horse. and his late Trainer Mrs Nolan too. Tony not just with that horrid head injury from the race-fall to himself to deal with , but lost a teenage son to a traffic death. To come back from those terrible events must of been some of life's toughest battles for the bloke. Can only wish him every best wish going forward . I will be SURE to be supporting AKUTA for him (Tony) and Mark where-ever he goes. some more tremendous Kiwis in the harness caper. Thank you for that great Highlight TABman !!! 🏆

Some horses resuming tonight in a quest for the Cup . BOAY favourite horse of Mo'Unga back in action tonight , and just plugging away tonight way back in the field at a sloppy Addington. 25-1 for the Nz Cup. Akuta a nice 3rd resuming . Can't find him in the Cup market , but you would imagine after his fabulous 2nd to Swayzee 2 years ago , it would be the goal. The ALLstars have handed 'Don't Stop Dreaming ' over to the Cullen Stable after a bold 2nd to Swayzee last year , so maybe AKUTA is the Mark Purdon Special ? can't actually find him in the the market? . Chase A Dream for Allstars is 15-1 for the NZ Cup after his bold 2nd to Leap To Fame at Cambridge Betcha Slot. AKUTA being prepared by his part owner Marky Boy , one of the Best Cup conditioners ever. sure to be a chance of threatening Leap To Fame ?. Add any NZ Cup thoughts here as we go along on the Road to the Cup . sure to be a fabulous contest this year . The Interdominion Champion might turn up.

haha you should of been around town in the 90's . but the drivers are more 'super tuned' nowadays to the horses ability. and drive them accordingly. to super high standards. esp NZ . as the opportunities for horse and driver are slightly less in Number of races, and when they do compete there's usually some real good ones driving against you . in Aus they go go round quite a few times per week each so the errors are very quickly forgotten with the next Win right around the corner. Like the young and old Oranges or young and old Hacketts for example amongst many 🤣😂. seriously very good drivers . A real Credit to the nation . of course with the young Dunn and Aussie Todd conquering the American landscape as well. Is good you still put on some Amateur races for us to have a bit of a laugh on the threads I spose. 😆. need someone to make some mistakes to keep us all entertained at BOAY , and they fit that billing well . 👍😁 is some classic stuff.

I didn't say Close them down. Perhaps a stock standard Fine? . $400,000,000 Austrac fine, is proving too much for Star Entertainment to Cope with currently. they want it reduced to $100,000,000 to survive. ENTAIN have joined in doing the same stuff . (criminal activity NEVER bloody ceases) and yes I guess a lot of Banks are holding their 'proceeds' from Drugs and what not. They should just bury cash in drums in the ground like Pablo Escobar lol 🤣🤣. it's such a delimma for crime organisations these days. they don't use Cash as much anymore at a lot of places. The Gambling institutes suddenly look VERY appealing lol. Off shore betting companies like Entain are great for moving a bit of the 'Lolly' lol . ENTAIN would have a lot more than the named dodgey 17 customers for sure and certain. But they won't tell you That. there's a lot of sand shovelling going on 😎 Perhaps they (Austrac anti-laundering ) should stick to the $400,000,000 Fine ? if you're saying the TABcorp one was just chickenfeed at $45 mill And be a little bit of a detterent to a billion dollar organisation like Entain ? . would try and make them keep 'clean ' books at least, even when everyone knows what is really going on under the table.

Yes it was great having a trotting man as the helm of the Entain venture. And yes , with 17 horses including Merlin , having races for his horses is nice too. I wouldn't begrudge him that. afterall , other people can enter the races. and I think someone at HRNZ is the main Set-up person for Feature racing and schemes anyway , ahead of the Entain Rep . Mr Shannon may have had some suggestions though. He has had horses for decades (had 70 at one part of the 90's with his wife partner) so knows what sort of things might have helped a Breeder/owner/ racer I think if the 2 year old bonus scheme has failed you, then they will just try something else? . Currently QLD has a FIRST WIN bonus of $10k for any QLD bred horses that wins it's first race anywhere in QLD. I know a few blokes with fairly slow horses who tried desperately for it and some did !! excellent. 🏆 maybe NZ will try something like that for it's territory soon? We Still have the Australian Pacing Gold series. Any horse sold through that APG Yearling Sales around the nation, can compete in the heats and rich finals. Some states only get a handful of the graduates running and there have even been 2 horse 2 year old heats on occasion. It's just one of those things. At least the owner gets some money for sure (if he can get his horse to the races) Sires Stakes racing is Important . and each state and NZ still invest heavily into that. To encourage the New Generation each year ( like displayed so awesomely by Marketplace last year ) and the 'Choc's and Rubira in the heats. You really need BIG prize 2 year old racing to get the new ones racing (owners and trainers motivated)

Never said a thing about it . You just didn't seem to know what a satellite stable was so was trying to help out. You want to call them all Main bases . good for you. NO , i'm not suggesting Wallers name can't be used in QLD. Any horse in a trainers name , is receiving training Fees PAID to that trainer , so if it wins , in NSW , NI, SI, Zimbabwe then it's a Win counted for that trainer. I'm fine with that. I did say he trains by computer. so that is modern enough for me. I must say we had a very unusual event when Mick Boots ( Swayzee owner) when he sent his NZ Oaks fav filly Captain's Mistress to try and win the QLD Oaks last month .she ran 3rd. But the horse was put in Grant Dixon name as Trainer , even though Nathan Williamson his NZ trainer was here and racing her in his NZ colours. was weird as f.uck. Am sure Grant didn't need 'another' win for the Premiership or anything.? and he probably had ZERO input on that horses training for it's month stay in QLD. Mark and Nathan Purdon and Jonny Cox too , were here for a month for the carnival as well , and their horse stayed in their names training while staying at QLD trainer properties. as is usually the case with NZ trainers. Not sure at all what the deal with Captains Mistress was. I actually hoped it would get beat because that would of been a fraud GROUP 1 win to Grant , without even earning it. He does work extremely hard 7 days a week with a large team though. 80 is a lot for a harness trainer. they ALL do an extreme amount of Hands on work. Just 4 of us trotting blokes did 20 horses for 6 years straight once. (including finishing at midnight 3 days per week when you got them off the truck back home after a meet) so galloping training and trainers make me laugh in comparison. Training 100's by Computer/Facebook lol 🤣

You know Chief that's the bit I don't get. If they are so rich (allegedly with some from the proceeds of crime) they shouldn't be allowed to get away with it. Some get too big for their boots . Good on AUSTRAC trying to Not let them profit from crime laundering . So with $45 mill being 'small change' then the Investment in NZ racing must be fairly small change then. 100 mill odd. So QA/ why is Brodie saying the funding will stop ? at 5 years ? and B/ why is Brodie constantly forever criticising the HRNZ and its officials for poor performance ? , when they are distributing this supposed 'Loose Change' to the fine participants of New Zealand harness racing ? Why Not be enthused. ? ( I think Auckland should have 100 race days myself ) race every Tuesday for low stakes with slower horses so everyone gets a winner across 50 days, but you have to have triple the stakes every Friday for Metro City horses for another 50 dates , so the richer blokes like Telfers and the two Purdon's mobs etc race. This would ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION , which is what you are lacking at the moment. Horses could have 'Graduations' from the Tuesday racing to the metro racing. (we call them Quallies ) and is the right way to go. HRNZ need me as NI Handicapper lol 😆 . i'd sort em' out in No time. 👍 and have some great regular racing for All grades. Not cancellations like yesterday. It is WINTER though. just 4 weeks and the Spring racing is ON . some of the blokes that constantly grizzle on harness forums like big babies might even enjoy the racing then . ( 'might' but don't hold your breathe ) I've never seen so many people bagging the product like you get in NZ. you see none of that in Australia. We have an extra 20% increase in NZ race dates this season (year) . surely this is an excellent thing ? , and MANY more Participants are getting race starts, AND IMPORTANTLY , in a Race that they CAN win. a big chunk of QLD horses start around 40 times per year. to return a profit for owners. This is what NZ should be aiming to accommodate too. horses NOT winning or sitting at home in Stalls and paddocks is just a Waste.?🤔 here's some when they made the deals. to do with the Dates Calendar which looks great. Harness Racing New Zealand has today unveiled a significantly revamped calendar for the 2024/25 season which it says is designed to deliver more racing opportunities for industry stakeholders and punters alike. “In particular, it has allowed us to take a fresh look at our racing calendar, to identify opportunities for growth, and to weave initiatives through it to get horses racing and to keep them racing. This new calendar is the first step in a joint plan to revitalise harness racing, much as we have seen with thoroughbred racing,”

I fail to see how the outcome could possibly have any impact on NZ racing? These 2 comments above today are very Curious. you live up to your name and contradict yourself. The impact of the Federal case is already effecting NZ with the CEO who helped set up the NZ Entain deal , leaving the position recently on June 30th. Only 2 years from June 2023 when the deal was activated. Shannon's knowledge of the betting Industry and the racing industry in particular is absolutely huge. and will be missed .trotting will be doomed anyway. There is an interim CEO in place Andrew Vouris. I think there will be impact at some stage. the changing of the guard so quickly will tell the story shortly . Vouris is a former TABCORP executive so should have a fair handle on the situation .😎 Afterall he was deputy CEO at TABCORP when they were dragged over the coals in 2017 by Austrac in the Federal Court , for this money laundering that All these betting companies do for these BIG punters. just PAR for the course it seems. TABCORP ended up getting fined a Australian record highest ever civil Penalty of $45,000,000 for the breaches. Mr Vouris an experienced hand at it 🤣

That is a lot of money. I think money laundering is an extremely bad offence. It just helps organized crime in a lot of sectors that causes a Lot of Public suffering . the Tabacco War is getting Really Bad in Aus. They're starting to kill each other now for example. is very sad. But a Federal court is a Federal court. The bloke that Rob's a bank and gets away with $1000 💰. doesn't he get sentence that is the same as the bloke who got caught fleecing the bank of $100,000 ? 💰💰💰 can't see why you think Entain facilitating a few is ok and Star quite a few more , but essentially doing the same thing is so different and not note-worthy. . Personally the way they are processing the ELEVEN executives and Directors who were dismissed from 'Star' , will be the same as what happens to the poor smucks at the ENtain set-up who lost their positions , when the going gets tough. They try to deflect blame onto the ' few' . Hope they catch the 'right Few' is all you can do I spose. plenty of Accomplices involved lol 😆💰

Wouldn't have a clue what you know and what you don't. just discussing an important topic. I'm just saying Federal Court Proceedings are a serious Offence . and you and Chief can downplay it all you like. But the Fact remains Several Executives and Directors, like my friend Dean Shannon who was the NZ -Aus CEO have had to leave their positions. I find that quite serious. The charges are quite serious and 'STAR Entertainment ' in Australia faced the same charges , Are still going through Federal court proceedings from 2022 , and they are Struggling Big Time . ( as I highlighted on a harness thread today) So If ENTAIN can 'mediate' their way out of it , good luck to their lawyers. Dean Shannon was out the door on June 30th this year so don't think the Mediation going 'that great ' so far . (in our NZ Aus area) Heres the AML report. On 16 December 2024, AUSTRAC imposed civil penalty proceedings on Entain Group Pty Ltd, which operates online betting sites including Ladbrokes, Neds and other online betting brands. The proceedings allege Entain of serious and systematic non-compliance with Australia’s AML/CTF laws. Entain Group – A Global Gambling and Gaming Leader Entain plc has a headquarter in the UK, an FTSE 100 constituent, and is the world’s largest gaming group and sports betting company. This group also includes technology and expands its services to third-party customers on a B2B basis & B2C operations. Entain provides technological capabilities, infrastructure, games, and products developed by in-house gaming studios to support BetMGM. It’s a famous player in the U.S. sports iGaming & betting market. Entain is the global operator of regulated markets and has an online and physical presence in approximately 30 territories. Not to forget, it’s a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and FTSE4Good Index and has an AA rating from MSCI. 4 Reasons Why Entain Group is in Red Light AUSTRAC’s allegation against the Entain Group is based on the following AML/CTF failures: Entains’s board of senior management could not keep appropriate oversight of its AML/CTF program, which in turn interfered with the ability to identify money laundering-related exploitation of their betting sites. Entain operates 24/7 via websites and apps, which are already vulnerable to exploitation. It further worsened when unknown people, including third-party providers, were able to access and use Entain’s platform. Even worse? Third parties could accept cash and other deposits on behalf of Entain to be credited into betting accounts in ways that fade out the proceeds of the crime. The company did not have appropriate measures in place to confirm the identity of customers making deposits, nor the measure to confirm the source of the money. Entain failed to conduct a proper check on 17 high-risk individuals and was indifferent to the fact that their online betting sites are being exploited by criminals to spend the proceeds of serious crimes. Note: AUSTRAC also mentioned that “ This includes allegations that Entain deliberately obscured the identity of some high-risk customers, on its own systems, through the use of pseudonyms to “protect their privacy”. Shares of Entain dropped by 5.5% in early trading, which coincided with the existing crackdown by Australian authorities on the gambling sector. In response to alleged AML/CFT failures highlighted by AUSTRAC, Entertain’s CEO Gavin Issacs warned investors of a potentially hefty penalty from legal proceedings. Violations can result in fines of up to A$22.2 million ($14.14 million) per infraction under Australia’s

Pretty Generic Chief. Any company charged with something are going to show they are 'Co-operating ' with authorities. AND that they will be 'Changing things to be compliant' Expect nothing less from any Company. The Fact is that Laws have been broken and Penalties usually ensue thereafter. Maybe they will try the 'Star Entertainment ' route of processing the 'Former' many resigned executives and directors One by One. ? seems the way they are doing it slowly with the Star Case at Federal court anyway.

Did Entain not buy up the NZ TAB ? the revenue is what funds racing is what I'm told. If they faced a huge fine maybe they would want to get out of the 25 year deal/ takeover plan ?? Brodie keeps saying the funding for the trots stops at 5 years for some reason ? If the ENTAIN owned Betting Agency group of 'Ladbrokes' did not fund Queensland Trotting we would Fold for sure.

true. otherwise they wouldn't be able to function would they ? if 'easy to Ascertain'. $152m is chicken feed. In the Crown case there was ONE individual turning over more than the NZ TAB turns over in total!!! Yes the Star Entertainment case involved about over 100 different customers in question , so that is more than the 17 that have bought ENTAIN into disrepute. So you say if you take proceeds from 17 crimes its different to 100 ?? shouldn't be . it's the same offence. Currently 11 'Former' Directors and executives of Star Entertainment are being 'Processed' One by One , and of course are serving sentences of varied fines and terms of disqualification from Managing Corporations. No doubt this will happen with the Entain Directors as well from all those 'resignations'. But the Company itself will face a Fine sooner or later . STAR Entertainment are fighting the $400,000,000 proposed fine. 100,000,000 is target. Currently they are trying to offload assets to get by . They failed to sell the brand new Brisbane Queens Wharf development so owe investors 40 million just this month alone 🙄. Operating cost for star are off the scale with $27,000,000 Loss every quarter at the moment. hows this for a Drop off Chief ?? The quarter ending June 30 this year saw 'Star' get $270,000,000 Revenue. and the same quarter last year was $393,000,000. 🤣😆 they're really missing those 100 'dodgey' investors lol . I hope you're right and 'ENTAIN' has a better outcome though. For NZ's gambling/racing sake.

you know what a Satellite stable is Chief. 😎 It's where horses are based on behalf of a Non-Attending NAMED Horse trainer for those horses. For example s : Young Jacob Dunn does all the work with a few horses in the North Island for the named Dunn stable Title of 'Robert and Jenna Dunn'. therefore he (Jacob) operates a Satellite stable for that operation. Chris Waller has a Permanant thoroughbred base in Queensland. He trains it/them by computer . who knows who does the REAL hands on work, but it's a 'Satellite Stable' for Waller. he's not in physical attendance (much at all) being based in Sydney of course. If the Named Te Akau trainers are Not In Attendance with any frequency, at the South Island unit, that makes it a satellite stable. simple.