Gammalite

Does it really cost $2000 a month to have a horse trained nowdays.Thats about $70 a day. On your NZ harness racing website it shows Steve Telfer ( a fairly handy trainer) advertising at $55 + GST so that's like $60/day so fairly close to your 2k per month. and as Dougie is saying the short course racing in QLD means you can race once a week all year round without 'flattening' your horse like 2400-2700 m races do , where they work hard in the run sometimes. Just sit and sprint much kinder on the horses ( even though Brodster not liking it) The really 'Slow horses' can still pay their way , which is important obviously for the owners. You end up with 50 starts per year a lot more than NZ. but roughly 50k average earnings from that many starts v the 22k ($60 per day) training fees. so a small profit from persistency ? lol... hopefully some fun had too.

paleface adios no need of driver. he goes that well he steers himself to try and win. Problem is you not getting paid stakemoney or paying a divvie for charging off around the track like this paleface.!!! lol..... you have forgotten to take a Very important item with you, as you can see in photo. hehehe......

Well here's a great row of wins for you then TW , with the 'Clean sweep ' at the Auckland Interdominion 1975 with both Charlie and John Langdon sharing the wins on Young Quinn (after Charlie's crash 2nd night) Thanks to Chief we see, yet another fantastic NZ horseman (or 2) My first night at trots, was 1978 with flashy South Islander LOCARNO winning the Messenger for Robin Butt .Loved it all after that. Locarno went on to win the Harold Park MIRACLE MILE from the impossible 6 Alley coming from last in the run!!!! Exactly like Young Quinn did 5 years earlier !!!! in 1975 Miracle Mile. (Charlie back driving again) My first Interdominion was at Alex Park 1983 , and the great GAMMALITE won the Pacers final . Meanwhile , in the trotters Grand-final 1983 , a trainer /driver named CHARLIE HUNTER ran 2nd with JENNER !!! Charlie also a fab trainer of trotters!!! JENNER ran 2nd to the amazing 2 -time Interdominion champion SCOTCH NOTCH ( with the late Graeme Lang driving) and defeated the following years 1984 Interdominion Trot winner SIR CASTLETON into 3rd place.

It seems Mr 'Tank' Ellis and Kristin Barclay have split after 3 years. What a shame that 'U MAY CULLECT' broke down on them. and Watch Me Now sold off. makes things real hard , once the stable stars go. and you just lose momentum. Is the real shame for NZ harness, that these type of horses , that can mix it with Amazing Dream , just get sold off. More millionaire owners needed (like Seymour keeps breeding several for Grant Dixon every year in Brisbane) And Like a John Green type (millionaire , with No need to sell) who in NZ was racing THE AGENT ORANGE. so everyone can enjoy seeing these 'star horses' race. TANK not that great a trainer ????? says here 75 wins between 1999 and 2018 ? crikey!!! a Professional trainer in QLD harness, needs to get 75 wins per year, to keep in business. TANK must be keen to keep going . Go TANK !!! here's a clipping................... While the Barclay-Ellis partnership’s first win was with Honey Cullen at Forbury Park in August 2018 their latest, and what will be their last, was U May Cullect at Riverton on March 4. In winning his first eight starts U May Cullect turned into a cult hero and right now the seven-year-old’s career record stands at 9 wins from just 16 starts. The stable’s other star has been Watch Me Now who gave them their first Group One success in the Breeders Stakes against Amazing Dream at Addington on February 12. At the time Barclay called it a career highlight and a dream come true. Altogether they have had 85 wins from 694 starts. On her own Barclay had 50 wins from 2006-2018 while Ellis had 75 winners as a trainer on his own account from 1999 – 2018.

Well the Sun has risen today in the 'Sunshine State' shining on last night's inaugural $250k Group1 The RISING SUN winner AMAZING DREAM for NZ. (and the great Quinella with COPY THAT too) driven by greats of the sport from NZ in Mark Purdon and Anthony Butt. Both super impressive in knocking off Australia's near best in Expensive Ego. At least had a winner at WIMBLEDON during the night with our super girl Ash Barty .!! meanwhile, another Channel is reporting a 5 length win to WATCH ME NOW first up at the Meadowlands USA for champion Aus driver Todd McCarthy. in 1.49. WATCH ME NOW might very well become the best NZ mare ever? Even Better than AMAZING DREAM ?,having run that mare down at Addington in the NZ Standardbred Breeders Stakes in Feb, for Kristin Barclay. (9 lengths clear of 3rd) She could be a sensation over there USA the way she is tracking.

Pink Galahs (your little trotter friend) was giving the leader 50m start a lap out and caught it on the Post.!! She's a little ripper. she came up from Victoria, so a bit easy against these local plodders. AMAZING DREAM, what can you say? she is amazing alright. I thought the 12-1 on offer Thurs was good. paid $19 here. $30 Quinella and $312 the trifecta in The Rising Sun for AMAZING DREAM, COPY THAT and EXPANSIVE EGO (3 wonderful horses) and I can't believe this QLD 'FIRST 4' Divvie (with Krug 4th) paid $3,526 !!!..... I didn't take one sadly. could of got that easy too. Bet it paid a lot less in NZ>>>>

The three MASTERS strike again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow wee , those 2 are the best drivers I ever seen ever. Luke will have to settle for 3rd best at the moment ! Blair still a bit to learn ??? lol, (just kidding) It's hard to beat the MASTERS !!!! and $5 of a more than $300 trifecta too, makes supporting the best pay off nicely!!!! congrats to the Amazing Dream and the wonderful MARK PURDON. what a driver.!

Luke says you suck on that Gammalite !!! hahaha , as KING of SWING wins in a cakewalk , making my 2 local fav's look like battlers 2nd and 3rd. COLT THIRTY ONE and LL COOL J (ex-Herlihy horse who went great from bad barrier) $20 trifecta better than nothing i guess..... 3

The RISING SUN consolation, just went off and it's the 3 Masters at Work !!! A BUTT-M PURDON-L McCarthy in for the Trifecta !! $125. nice. Same trifecta in an hours time in the RISING SUN with big guns ??? could be ........ all will we be Krugged out of it.?

Mark into the one-one from the 7 alley !! can that man drive or what ?? then tracked the second placegetter up into the straight, to a good third with Spellbound. brilliant drive. BUT the day is Grant Dixon's in the first feature Group 3 mares !!! well done Mr mighty Dixon, and Butlers 2nd ! Queenslanders with the Quinella !!!!!!! wahoo !!!! suck on that Mr McCarthy!. (get in now before King of Swing lol..........)

Best of Luck ! despite the visitors draw, you have one of the best pilots tonight that has ever sat in a sulky, home she goes !!!!

Yeah fair enough, honestly , I've got nothing against him, I guess I look at 'Form on the Board' as my criteria. Anthony Butt, Natalie , Mark and yeah I seen Dexter on some horses and he is very very good.! Kimberley Butt got us to watch a video yesterday with Dexter on something , and he even won that even. Go Getta I think called. As Davis says Chris Alford was our best , (Gavin Lang sadly passed away early) and Alford won the Interdominion in Christchurch with Golden Reign (back in the 90's) , so a good career reward. but Chris a bit long in the tooth now. Maybe Luke McCarthy now? super confident with the Super stable.?? some more big ones coming up with KING of Swing and Expensive EGO possibly too. His brothers are very good drivers, Andy and Todd . BUT went to the states like Dexter?? why oh why? , do we have to miss out on all these great drivers and the yanks get em' is a real PAIN. young Wolfendens and Herlihy's lost to the usa for extended periods too. and now NATHAN Purdon not driving. (Michael a bit too fat lol) Nathan was going great guns driving for Tritons not that long ago, and could of become a Superstar. His loss I guess , by not going on with it. Anyway , from the 1 alley BLAIR could get a big Payday with Krug !! and Gammalite will suck on that lol........

What criteria makes him the best ?? I think you are wrong with this. Mark and Natalie have a whole HEAP of Nz cups ,Interdominions , Auckland Cups, Luke McCarthy has won the last 2 Miracle Miles (aus best race) . Ant's as well. Blair won ZERO at Forbury last night, and has won one race in Australia !! you are kidding me to say 'is the best'. Might win from the Ace draw with Krug ok, but think you , I , Chief , Brodster and paleface adios all a chance too if we were driving him from that draw lol...... nah seriously , Good Luck Blair !!! and esp Mark and Ants too !!!!! isn't Ants waaaay better than Blair ? (plenty of form on the board in BIG races, with Blossom and Tim Butts trotters , etc, etc,etc.... , etc ??)

Last Updated 9 Jul 2021 Champion big race driver Anthony Butt hopes the new string to Copy That’s bow can slingshot the New Zealand pacer to victory in Australia’s new glamour race. The $250,000 Rising Sun at Albion Park in Brisbane has arrived on the harness racing scene with a boom, attracting the likes of Krug, Copy That, Amazing Dream and Miracle Mile runner-up Expensive Ego for its first running. “It is pretty exciting when you think this race didn’t exist until now,” says Butt, the Kiwi now domiciled in Victoria who has won almost every major race in Australasia. Butt is in a unique position to judge the merits of the two key Kiwi contenders as he drove Krug to victory in the Redcliffe Derby two weeks ago and then Copy That to roar home from last in the Wondai’s Mate on this track last Saturday. The vast majority of Copy That’s wins have come when he was able to lead, not uncommon in age group stars as they so often dominate and secure the front, but his brilliant finish last Saturday has convinced Butt he can win even coming from the outside of the second line over 2138m tomorrow. “It is not going to be easy by any stretch and sure I’d have love to have drawn better but we can still win,” says Butt. “He showed last week how much speed he has driven with a sit and that is probably how we have to attack Saturday’s race and because of that our chances could come down to the early pressure and what sort of cart we can get into the race.” Krug is expected by many to lead from the ace but he could cop early pressure, especially from Victorian speedster Kowalski Analysis, and if they burn up too much early then a big, rugged stayer like Expensive Ego looks certain to come sit parked and exploit that. “If all of that happens then maybe Expensive Ego will be too good because he is a very smart horse, he was huge in both the Chariots Of Fire and Miracle Mile earlier in the year,” admits Butt. “So I need some luck, some tempo and a horse to follow.” So strong is the Rising Sun that Amazing Dream is rated a $12 chance in Australia even though she won the Auckland Cup beating Spankem and Copy That just six months ago. She hasn’t raced since her Jewels defeat five weeks ago and while drawn barrier three almost certainly lacks the gate speed to lead so could be dictated to by any moves in the race, although she does have former trainer Mark Purdon back in the sulky tomorrow.

Post been delayed a fair bit lately with COVID lockdowns lol...... could be EXPENSIVE . and your EGO suffer.???

outsider KOWALSKI ANAYLISIS will have the speed to lead possibly. Led the Group 1 Charriots of Fire in 1.49 mile when third to Expensive Ego. Amazing Dream 1-1 and winning ??? hope so ! com'on Markie !!!!!!!!!!!!

$30,000 Mares. No NR. RBD. Mobile FIRST 4, 4TH LEG EARLY QUADRELLA Form Horse Trainer Other Eng. Driver Class Hcp 1 4116s OUR PRINCESS TIFFANY NZ Dean Braun Luke McCarthy NR120 FR1 $2.50 2 21113 SCARLET BABE Vicki Rasmussen Shane Graham NR105 B4 FR2 $4 3 44242 FAME ASSURED Grant Dixon Grant Dixon NR118 B1 FR3 $14 4 97934 MISS RUBY SUNSHINE NZ Chantal Turpin Chantal Turpin NR86 B4 FR4 $21 5 81613 SAUCY DREAMS Chantal Turpin Pete McMullen NR100 B4 FR5 $15 6 14793 NO WIN NO FEED Belinda McCarthy Leonard Cain (C) NR115 B3 FR6 $34 7 11121 SPELLBOUND NZ Nathan Purdon Mark Purdon NR99 B3 FR7 $5.50 ------------------------------ Second Row ------------------------------ 8 83310 JERADAS DELIGHT Jack Butler Brendan Barnes NR91 B5 SR1 $12 9 015s3 PELOSI Anna Woodmansey John Cremin NR100 SR2 $15 10 03845 CHEVRONS REWARD NZ (Em 1) Charlie Cini Albpark 10/07/2021 Nathan Dawson NR113 B2 SR- $81 11 23621 LA BELLA VITA NZ Belinda McCarthy Ricky Thurlow NR90 B4 SR3 $41 SPELLBOUND and Markie, Nathan, Mikayla, Nigel and NZ harness fans, have been given the 'Car-park' visitors draw to deal with unfortunately , the dreaded 7 alley. She can still overcome this , and take victory! in the Group 3 'FLEUR DE LIL Ladyship 'Stakes , Race 4 AlbionPark Saturday night. Here is an example of the Total Rubbish Training/ Driving BS that we're spose to Put up with. ?? The most winning Aus driver , JUMPING OFF HIS OWN HORSES !!!!, to drive number 1 OUR PRINCESS TIFFANY (the former Allstars champion filly) as his 2 runners are Deceptively in his wifes name as Trainer. ????? How do they get away with this stuff?? It's just so WRONG. likewise notice Brisbane leading drivers Pete McMullen and Shane Graham have horses in wifes/partners names as trainer (Chantal Turpin and Vicki Rasmussen) so they can DRIVE OTHER HORSES AGAINST them occasionally ? This is so BAD,bad,bad. 2 years ago in the 3 year old fillies Breeders Crown 200k , LUKE drove Our Princess Tiffany for Allstars in the final , at 10-1 on !!($1.10 odds) and ran 3rd to his horse NO WIN NO FEED (driven by brother Todd) Todd since left for USA like Dexter Dunn did. The appalling named 'No Win No Feed' is in here too. (it got 100k in that crown win) even so ................... Surely the connections of NO WIN NO FEED and LA BELLA VITA can still ask this question .................. "WTF Luke, we're paying you 1000's in training Fees to you, and you're driving SOMEONE else's Horse to try and Beat Us ?????" I'd be totally unhappy with that. and tell him where to..... lol.......

Ya got me struggling with the message here Forb's. Maybe it's all cryptic tips from you for tomorrow night at Waikato. THE LAST GAMBLE in R1 and BUN IN THE OVEN R8

Great drive on Earthbound. No way in the world you could of kept Dexter in . Stewards report already declared him hanging out throughout the race anyway. Dexter turned GO GETTA"S head to the right that far he was looking at the ice-creams in the stand, !!!!! as you turned for home. Natalie wouldn't of even been able to keep him in. lol. Great job for 2nd !!!! Forb's can line up for a punt again next week lol..... or take the $130 Q and shout a carton.

True, they have about 2 meetins a week with 8 races average , so would be around 400 races this year , run in Tasmania. Interesting Ben Yoles brother Mark (a very good driver) only drives opposition horses currently !! lol. This happens a few times over the years, as they fight like cats and dogs now and then, Mark drives for a few weeks for Ben, then there's another fight , and off he goes to drive the opponents horses ...hahaha the cold getting to them maybe? must be a Tassie thing.? all the fighting. One night in Oct 2015, at the Tasmanian trotting awards dinner at Wrest Point casino, a few of the Leading Tasmanian harness racing families had a Large Clash in the Car -park , kicking and punching, and a heap of them got disqualified , fined , etc Fords, Hodges, Hilliers hahaha only in Tassie...... goodness me. Not happy with who got the Awards lol.......??? no i don't know the reason for fight , but how stupid is stupid.

Albion park is about it in Qld for metro tracks. will 'Be gone soon' as well when Olympic Games announced. site will be for Olympic village and media centre. Dogs move next year already, to new $4mill complex outside town. Gold Coast track closed 2010 very sadly , after just 20 years, when 2018 Commonwealth games announced . became athletes village. Hey Forbs , you had a visit to GCoast June 2007 then !! hope you had a great trip ! and seen some good horses too. esp FLEUR DE LIL winning the gold coast Oaks. She ultimately won a $1,000,000 !! only 2nd Qlder after Blacks A Fake to do that !!! fantastic mare. McCarthy was of course in QLD training at Logan for many many years before going to NSW. Team McCarthy has countless Albion and Gold Coast winners. Update for you , the Lola Weidemann star 2 year old you mentioned , MISTY PLAINS winning the 2 year old Breeders classic you saw, only raced 1 more year. (15 wins from 29 starts) a year after you saw him , he got beat a head in the 3 year old breeders classic same time of year (by McCarthy of course and GUITARZAN) and never raced again. must of broke down. Lola up to 3000 winners now,!!! wow, and says has driven well over 2,000,000 road km's to races and back home in horsetrucks.!!! that is insane amount of looking at roads hahahah The Leigh Smart 2 year old you saw , DONT FALL FOR ME , went on to win the NSW Oaks group 1 , the next season.! Leigh and Pam Smart put their horses with Vicki Rasmussen these days and still winning features. Have a real good one named 'SMART AS CAMM BE' at moment , but has tendon soreness. ($200k won, and 17 wins from 23 starts)

Would love to see them both win!!!. Not sure why fly Blair Orange over for KRUG drive. I'd of just chucked Grant Dixon on and then would just WIN the race lol.... Grant knows every cm of the course with only a couple of thousand wins there heheh, spose Blair will give it a good shot anyway. Krug only 2-1 odds. wow. And The great Auckland Cup winning mare Amazing Dream has the master on driving , and is juicy 12-1 too. !! Quinella Time !. Mark popped SELF ASSURED over to Brisbane and won 4 out of 4 winter 2019, so he knows the place ok., no worries. Self Assured won the QLD Derby beating 'Lochinvar Art' , (beat him in the lead up race as well) a horse that is near best in Aus when right, who has won 9 of his last 10 including 4 Group 1's . a great horse like Self Assured. 4th in that Derby, was ex-pat kiwi Allstar 'Our Princess Tiffany' , in against Spellbound and drawn 1 too in the Group 3 mares race this Saturday. Going to post about Tiffany's driving engagement later. controversial in my eyes.

Haha yeah can't say it's a goat track Forb's. Is absolutely brilliant to drive on 1019m around. (Albion Park at the creek) lol They used to go the 'wrong way ' round too, but fixed that problem. Alexandra Park Auckland only 1010m circumference and they STILL go the 'Wrong' way round ??? more of a goat track lol.? Hey, you are dead right about the size of field though. The short course racing should always be 10 starters. 8 would be even better, with all 8 a chance of winning then. 12 horse field wipes out the chances of at least 4 of them trying to come from the back. is impossible.

Don't know the Herbert on this thread , but a funny story , with the lovely bloke in this photo CLIVE HERBERT. quite a wealthy man, involved in football, (son Ricky captained and/or coached NZ soccer team for a few years) Clive purchased METAL MICKEY from Graham Court for a 'Hefty sum' and brought him up to Papakura where he lived next door to where I trained mine, and I often would help Clive out, while he was away on business or football, and tend his horses. MICKEY was a most beautiful chestnut (like Gammalite) and could go like a rocket !!!! he was unbelievable. wish every horse was like him (or Gammalite) We punted the crap out of the market for his first Auckland start Feb 1985, sent out favourite, and then some bugger fell, and tipped Mickeys driver out !! hahaha was broke again lol. not to be deterred , backed up again , and got rolled by Luxury Liner. So off to Wellington to try and get some form/ money and beaten first night again !. take out a loan and punt second night ?? youbetcha !!! and Mickey wins ! paid $1 .50 I think hahaha I laughed so hard , it was funny.lol.... Straight after that Clive set him for the GN Derby !! a hard task ? and he put a junior driver on !! I said "Who's that bloke ? are you going crazy?" lol. A youthful Anthony Butt ! Ants steers him brilliantly, to 2nd in the derby behind Nardinski and Jack Smolenski. THAT was a hard Derby.!! Future NZ CUP winners 'Luxury Liner' and 'Master Mood' were rank outsiders finishing down the track?. 'Placid Victor' unplaced too. Gammalite got lucky in the future thank goodness , and picked up the 4th placegetter 'Frederick' , couple of years later to bash around with in Queensland. and get back some of the heavy losses that the beautiful horse METAL MICKEY imposed on us. hahahaha. (didn't back him in the Derby)

Just the trotters Chief. They were only getting 6 horse fields when carded on the programme. Pacers will continue. Get a load of this!!! . BEN YOLE , the Tasmanian (and Australias most winning trainer because of numbers) he had 51 horses in last Friday in Hobart. !!!! least amount he had in one race was '4 ' runners (usually 6 to 8 per race ) How sharp would the stewards have to be to look out for 'Team driving ' ???? hehehe lol..... There was 8 races with a total of 85 starters, so only 34 'rivals' to beat all night lol.... . Ben won 5 races training. So YOLE is on 128 season wins from a staggering 1,681 starters since January 1st. Grant Dixon (here in QLD) is running 2nd with 110 wins from a 1000 starters. season is exactly 1/2 way through. Robert and John Dunn in NZ are usually sending around near the most starters for NZ of 600-700 runners per Year, and get about 100 wins per year , every year. They are very reliable and much better strike rate too !! .