Gammalite

Well he has to get there yet I spose. Currently showing $1.80 on Sportsbet. I did a few bucks last year with him being a bit crook and not making the trip over for the Cup in the end, in some early multi markets . Swayzee is $3.50 and Don Hugo is at $7.00. both from NSW. Can't see Aus running a NZ Cup Trifecta surely not ? surely the best NZers can beat them on home turf ? Republican Party the best odds kiwi at $7.50 currently. Sportsbet have the Dominion Trot up too. KEAYANG Zahara $2.50 , Bet N Win $4.00, Arcee Phoenix $5.00 That is really good value for Arcee Phoenix , the way he won the Interdominion. Would beat Keayang Zahara by many lengths you would think? . he was 4th in the Dominion last year and improved even more this year. the Other market on Sportsbet is the EUREKA Slot they have for the run for $2mill on 6th September. so might take QLD mate Fate Awaits . won a few bob n him already and he might go to the 'Velocity slot at Addington too. he's a very smart horse. Our Luciano a track specialist there too. worth a look in Eureka at 20-1 . Fate Awaits 11-1 Eureka, into Arcee Phoenix 5-1 Dominion, into Leap to Fame 'Larry' $1.80 for the NZ Cup. = 100-1. so popping a tenner on now, gets me a $1000 . a nice start. will see who gets a slot and take some more. am going to message Sportsbet now to send me an 'AKUTA' price. I'll see if they message back and let you know.

While a clearance of the debt is good. The sale of that property would displace around 20 trainers you would think ? Roughly 200 horses. that's is a LOT. I'm pretty sure Bernie Hackett /Wallis would be training their large team of trotters there and Jacob Dunn , etc. could this not end the sport with too little competitors able to train properly? Maybe Cambridge could build Training barns Like Menangle and Lease them out to some. I guess you can only have so much daily traffic training n the track though (without getting in each others road, etc) would they just shift to the South (like Reid) or Australia (like Brosnan) and the sport would not continue ? Chief . What did the Galloping Trainers Do at TAKANINI Training tracks, when the Auckland racing club sold the Training course. I started out with trotters right beside there and was devastated to see it go into housing. where did famous trainers like Verner and Jillings and them go ? did they just all retire at that stage ??

Star Entertainment are trying for that $100,000,000 fine from AUSTRAC as $400mill Fine would see them go Insolvent. In the Federal court for Money Laundering Penalties from 2022. some blokes mentioned here ENTAIN are way better managed (globally) financially and would cope ok. I don't necessary think it's smooth though as 11 executives have had to vacate their positions for various failings in recent times. Thankfully just this week a deal for the Star Entertainment Group, has been brokered with it's Chinese business partners that see's a portion of the New Queen's Wharf development in Brisbane Sold off to cover some Debts due on Sept 5th of $31mill. Even hard for the Rich nowadays Mr Galah. James Packer sold off All the CROWN Casino's and Resorts to Blackstone (a USA giant ) in 2022 and just dabbles in Property and Shares now ,just like any other wealthier person in the community these days. tough times lol 🤣 Star Entertainment are selling out to the Chinese to stay afloat . mainly from Debt from a huge New development in Brisbane. I visited it the other day , and is quite impressive. was just a soggy mangrove bank on the river for years lol. the Gold Coast highway Main road actually goes 'Underneath' it now and you can look down on it from 76 floors up. Star are still battling the Federal court casee though. A deal with the two investors significantly improves Star’s financial position, taking more than $700 million in liabilities off its books and more than $350 million in development costs. Star first announced plans in March to sell its 50 per cent stake of Queen’s Wharf in Brisbane to Chow Tai Fook and Far East. The preliminary agreement, which was supposed to be finalised in April, gave Star control of two towers on the Gold Coast and a $53 million lifeline that saved the company from collapse. The three business partners were at odds over key components of the transaction, primarily Star’s ability to continue operating the Brisbane casino. Under the new deal, Star will manage the casino for a monthly fee of $5 million until March. That fee will increase to $6 million in the 2027 financial year and $7 million in 2028 if the casino group is still running the gaming floors.

I think if you look at Global (big picture) NZ is still doing ok for the Entain company . Aus is struggling a bit . The economy and housing crisis in Aus is getting worse, and the gambling dollar is waaay less than it used to be . I even heard someone say they were thinking of shifting to NZ the other day ???? never heard that before for donkey years. Like I mentioned somewhere the Europe Football season starts very soon ( and NRL and AFL will be completed next month) which haven't been great betting contests this year at all. So some BIG Bets will start flying about to keep them all Happy. and of course the Spring Racing will begin. A lot of Punters have Winter off these days too. here's some ENTAIN figures I just found > Revenue by destination reported showed that for the six months up until June 30, revenue across Australia and New Zealand had fallen to £257.1 million ($A530 million), down £24.1 million ($A50 million) compared to the same period last year. The other detail to come out of the half-yearly report was that Australian NGR had fallen 7 per cent year-on-year, while New Zealand’s has increased 12 per cent.

you'll be fine Mikey. You always talk like you know what you're doing , and that it is gambling for fun and not a living. Also your knowledge of the harness horsemen and that is very good so you can't go far wrong anyway. Kerry Packer was a very wealthy businessman in Australia and ran Channel Nine and Considated Press. and used to show off trying to pop a million on a horse in races with his bookies. Had a Million on Jezabeel from NZ winning the Cup a bit over 20 years ago , with QLD Muncie riding her. He used to go to Las Vegas Casinos and be a High Roller quite often as just couldn't stop himself from the habit . All through the 90's he made it his mission to visit establishments around the world to bet the largest amounts he could . BOAY Brodie always wanting to be the NZ 'Packer'on the national stage, but promptly got barred . The TAB trenchcoat he wears not meeting the dress standards required 🤣😎😋. Here's a Snippet of Mr Packer. his Son James can't live up to these exploits. Tales of the punt Kerry Packer’s gambling quickly became the stuff of legend. There was a time when many considered him the biggest bettor in the world – a time when Asian high rollers, Middle Eastern oil sheikhs and the Sultan of Brunei were terrorising casinos across the globe. Packer had both huge wins and huge losses, but he was feared by the world’s biggest gambling houses as they knew he had the bankroll to simply keep betting. And keep betting Packer would – he hated to lose. It was reported in 1987 that Packer had a private room at The Ritz in London, where he’d spent hours – or perhaps days – playing two tables of blackjack at once at £10,000 per hand. He got on a losing streak early but kept on calling for more chips. Eventually, he was writing £1 million cheques to keep the game going, and by the end of the session was down £8 million. But Packer’s losing streak didn’t last forever. A tale emerged of him taking on another, smaller London club weeks later. After a relatively short session, Packer walked away with nearly £7 million. The club shut its doors soon after and many industry observers blamed Packer's massive win. Exclusive London club Crockford's, having just been taken over by new ownership in 1994, was another of the lucky ones. Packer visited them and reportedly lost US $7 million in one sitting.  Regular Vegas visitor Packer was also a regular at casinos on the other side of the Atlantic. His "fly in, fly out" missions, which saw him gamble almost nonstop for a few days, would set Las Vegas abuzz. Casinos knew they had the chance to win big... but also knew the huge damage that the big Aussie could wreak with a successful trip. One notable session saw both Packer and the MGM Grand break even, but with an unfortunate piece of timing for the casino that left them with some explaining to do. It was the evening of March 31st, 1992 when Packer hit the tables at the Grand. By midnight he had won some US$9 million. By dawn, he'd lost it again. The problem for the casino was that at midnight on March 31st, the quarterly reporting period was closed off. The $9 million Packer had taken out was a 50% hole in the casino's quarterly profit. It looked ugly, even if they had won it back by daybreak! He'd return to the MGM Grand in 1994 and produce one of the most successful gambling stays ever recorded. Packer started winning, and the stakes started rising. Soon he was playing up to seven hands of blackjack at once. Believing that Packer's winning streak would soon end, the casino lifted their high-roller limits and allowed him to play $500,000 per hand. It wasn't a good move. The winning streak continued and included an astounding $20 million win in just 40 minutes. Packer is said to have finished up US$26 million in front after a couple of days. Rumour has it he left a $1 million tip to be split among the dealers. Stories of Packer’s generous tipping are legendary. One story goes that upon chatting with a croupier and learning she was deeply in debt and about to lose her home, Packer promptly wrote her a cheque for $150,000 to clear her mortgage. On another occasion, after a particularly successful casino visit, Packer is said to have given the keys to his new Mercedes to a valet – and told him to keep the car. Eventually, the MGM Grand had enough. One unfortunate executive was given the terrifying task of informing the volcanic Packer - in person - that he was barred from playing at the casino. While Packer voiced his displeasure, the manager returned somewhat relieved at the relatively gentle reaction he'd received. He may have even got a small smile from Packer... he saw the banning order as a win. Unfortunately for the MGM Grand, they picked a bad time to stop taking Packer's action. No longer welcome there, he turned his attention to the Bellagio. In one three-day trip a few years later, Packer blew US$20 million on baccarat. And he'd top that figure on a later trip. Packer was in Las Vegas on September 11th, 2001, and was left stranded when all air traffic was grounded. So he kept playing baccarat... and lost a total of US$29 million before leaving town.

I have Sportsbet where if you're betting while a match is In-play , you have to Ring in to the Bookie phone centre. This makes sense , as otherwise people would be going over the top in a short space of time if thinking they are on a winner. Alas Most are on a loser and legislation and limits stop people from 'Losing the House ' while drunk or thinking that large bets are easy or whatever. trying to win fast. they get themselves blocked real quick. One winning scenario was a Pundit had turned his $1500 footy Bet into $3000. so promptly deposited another $2000 and launched into the very next match with a $5000 bet. which won . He collected $7500 . tried to launch a third time but was timed/maxed out and maximum next bet of only $2 was allowed 😂 . the system cap didn't stop him from winning $4000 but prevented him from losing it and much more, when people think they're on a Hot Streak and just don't stop. The double or nothing punters sure to attract a block.

About to happen . The European Football season is about to kick off and generates them Hundreds of millions. Even kiwis will be betting on it from the other side of the planet. 300 of the 440 Top flight teams are partnered with a Betting company for sponsorship already. 145 Teams with a Gambling LOGO on the front of their shirts. that the Betting companies pay Tens of millions for. 14 of the 41 Top Soccer Leagues in Europe rely on a betting sponsor for the Championship Title In the English EPL Premier League 11 of the Clubs have a Betting Company LOGO next to their famous club symbols on the front of their shirts. and ALL 20 clubs have a Betting Brand Partner. World giant Club Liverpool are partnered to LADBROKES . the sponsor of QLD harness lol. (an Entain Company) The money they make , with the whole world interested is just staggering. The revenue is a pyramid of money. From Next Weekend these Betting Companies WIll Be Smiling like the Irish , raking in unbelievable money amounts

Looked very nice running along indeed. Ready made winner with Opie riding. Liked the look of the second Placegetter too. he was gathering some pace towards the line and coming on strong.

Go away TABman . Canterbury always the home of Rugby. Check out Robbie Deans here always winning the games in my NZ days. They even had a song on the Radio All the time. "When the Heats on, Robbie's got the boots on. BOOT IT Robbie !!" Used to sing along to it in Auckland even. Here's some Happy Folk storming the ground after Yet another Robbie Deans Match winner. The Galah probably flapping about in the middle there somewhere 👍🤣😋

What I Obviously Meant it is VERY Very hard for your grass roots competitors to Win a Race these days. I watch the NZ racing time to time. Some very good stables and drivers even race at your 'obscure ' Bush meetings and it's hard to win. The Hope stable , The Dunn's , Mark Jones, and other elite Nairns and that sort of thing, all compete regularly on the Grass track season even, stopping MOST owner trainers from paying their way with prizemoney. It's just impossible. 20 years is a long time with not many wins for some Mr Galah. Thankfully in Brisbane we put on slow Thursdays for the 'crawlers' , and even a Marburg event once or twice a month for the 30 second quarter capable horses to get a win. you don't have that luxury in NZ. so In Effect You have No mug races. There's only races that have good trainers or drivers in them. Grass roots Have been Mowed off the paddock in NZ mate. I'm glad you appreciate 100 years of wonderful tradition though. Sadly missing from most these days. Look at Auckland for example . used to be 100 trainers. Only about 20 'all elites' left now, and Dr Chin still lol. . I even pointed out MARK PURDON was having trouble Winning at Auckland for past year. That's how bloody hard it is these days. TUNGSTEN Hard 🤣 . But he is on the bounce back with 2 winners last week. nice to see.

They were ALL in my NZ days 40 years ago . Sure later on in the 90's Our Sir Vance lot , Golden Reign and Baltic Eagle All won the Interdominion in NZ for Australian Trainers. Buts that's a race for Aus and New Zealand Competitors . so it doesn't count as taking the money off the kiwis Only other one I can think of is Westburn Grant winning the NZ Derby in the early 90'? s. La Cooccaracha won a Rowe Cup at one stage. But really? Aus success on the magnificent NZ race tracks . Very light before the last 3 years. Where it's been very Heavy lol. Bloody Swayzee. if he goes over again (without a handicap ) i'm gunna get cranky lol.

yep . that's what they're all about. And the chance for Non regular races goers to get involved in buying a slot and racing a champion horse for a day. These races are in the Very Infant years and only just kicked off at Addington for their inaugural ones last year, so you're super Quick to lampoon a great way of having the rich Participants of the Sport Fund themselves for some FANTASTIC racing. Some of the Best horses and Racing of ALL time has been accomplished already. You got to see Leap To Fame and Just Believe at Cambridge !!! of all places. What an Amazing thing to happen.

NO. Definitely No . just the last 3 years with Swayzee, Leap To Fame , Bettor Eclipse, Arcee Phoenix , Keayang Zahara , Just Believe and possibly more but mainly those SIX horses took out about 12 Group Ones or so, the past 3 years. Before that just Kerryn Manning winning the Cup in 2015 with Arden Rooney was the ONLY Big Aussie Win in NZ in 12 years since the TRIFECTA in the Interdominion at Auckland in 2010. Quinney, Blacks A Fake, Smoken up DQed . I'm TheMightyQuinn did win the Auckland Cup 2011 and 2013 so that was pretty good for the wild West. but you guys hate Auckland trotting so might not count those. Several of Mark Purdons Auckland Cup winners (about 8 in a row he won with Nat) including the old marvel Self Assured won Auckland Cups as well and are Australian owned/purchased. But Really It's ONLY since 2022 that the Aussies have arrived in bulk to plunder the NZ races, and Won all your Big races. a trend likely to continue as well.

Look all I can say is there are PROFESSIONAL people dealing with the amount of Prizemoney distributed per year. It does vary time to time. Victoria are miles behind as are well in the red from running so many low class races each week to accommodate the low class ranks in Vic country. Hunter Cup has been slashed accordingly. Not rocket science when you are losing 24 million in a year like the HRV did last year. They are worse off than Auckland who are doing a good job in comparison 😂🤣 . I'm happy with what they do . they're (HRNZ) doing their best in a POOR Betting Sport. You and Brodie will never be Happy the way the money is handed out. It's just one of those things we just have to disagree ( or at least Not agree on)

Grass Roots Competitors Can NOT get a look in in NZ as your Current Participants are just too good. If I and a few mates who raced in Queensland went to Auckland with our horses ( or probably even Invercargill ) I dare say we WOULD GET FLOGGED and run last every time. Current NZ trainers and Drivers are a Very high standard , and anyone New would be No Chance. even at the grass tracks Dunn's and Williamsons and Hopes what not race there. You are almost at Elite Level in Every NZ location Mr Galah. Is excellent racing , and world class competitors.

Incorrect . The Aussie ones are a huge success. Expanded to 2 year old Slot race Brisbane now . ( That needs a Ballot to obtain the Slot holders as it is so Popular. And the nations best 2 year olds turned up last month. The Eureka Slot has superseded the Miracle Mile as our main sprint. (Like the Everest did to the Gallops )

Correct. He won a $50,000 Golden Gait from being in North Island for so many starts with the 'Bounce' trotter.

Sorry old mate. Brodster just a junior at heart. Hoping you continue in good spritely condition of course !!

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 🤣