Gammalite

Hahaha I laughed when this one was posted yesterday. Could be one of Chiefs old horses lol. Although I'm glad they still put some 'Blinds' on the horse lol......

Yes pretty clear cut reason. 'Anything' that helps (that is legal) you to WIN is the whole Rhyme. Before ,during and after a race. Blinkers are proven to be a great 'anything' at times. Blue Diamond last week-end?

Check out 2001 Cox Plate Chief. NORTHERLY with the master former Harness racing Trainer Fred Kersley . Popped the Blinkers on to run down the amazing NZ Champion Sunline. What a stunning piece of Mental training !!!! and great use of Blinkers. (p.s Fred threw them winkers off in 2002 Cox Plate, and again ran down Sunline (4th) , hahaha so you win too lol)

Some more Greats That Did: Doriemus Apache Cat Buffering Vo Rogue (at times) Dundeel

Vincent Silvestro, held the reins in his teeth while standing on the sulky, setting off fireworks. good grief. The 'Pyrotechnic Wonder from down Under' . Not sure what happened to him, but was sure to go out in a Blaze Of Glory !!!

Well now that ALLSTARS are scaled back to Cullen racing the playing field will now give everyone a chance. Full credit from me, to Allstars for dominating like they have , 6 of last 7 NZ CUPS with a narrow defeat by Smolda in 2015 after galloping at start, stopping it from being 7 straight .BUT A new era begins !! maybe the Sapling Stakes winner will go on with it ?? and be a derby horse , then NZ cup horse. I hope so.

Yes is best when safe as possible. In early years I lived Takanini where 'hundreds' of horses walked down to the training track everyday , once i came across a accident and a car had hit a horse very badly, the trainer had rushed to the scene and was trying to punch the car driver out. Was very dramatic. Thankfully the horse was rushed to Takanini vet just around the corner, and emergency surgery, the huge abdomen gash stitched up , and the horse actually did race again. Amazing effort by vets. wonder if they are still training at Takanini ?(and old mate Bob Vance) he went off to Aus with Mr McGinty and won a big one at the time , so we were in total awe at that effort. Well done Bobby.!.

Only a Group 3 now ? my goodness. It was one of the 3 big 2 year old Group 1's in the early 80's when Melton Monarch won it, and Lyndon Robert for Robert Dunn. Is awful when races lose their prestige. sad.

Crikey Ranga ! that looks like it could go pear shaped any second. hahaha what a sight it must of been !!!! Here's one from the Brisbane Exhibition ( is like Akld easter show) where Donny Ross and Tony Turpin (dad of leading trainer Chantel) would charge around for ten minutes like Charlton Heston in BEN HUR . Magic !!!!!

Auckland is a huge city, and am sure the people there love to get togeather at the week-end. Why not a Sunday lunch-time meeting every 2 weeks? or are there too many shadows? (grass track South Island Sundays trot meetings look great?) I always thought the 'track' was a great spot , as food and drink , available, put some kids rides out the back of stand, etc, grandparents get 'day out' as well as most don't go out at night anymore. The Auckland trainers could race their 'Second stringers' there for moderate stake money and get some wins?, (maybe some owned by syndicates of family members) and some great entertainment had by all.

whats the top price so far? see a $110k colt out of One Over Kenny?

Bag Limit is the horse , without the pole running second in that photo? Is he hanging in it? could be slightly actually if looking closer. Had a on-going fetlock problem. Vinnie trained horses Very Very hard, POPULAR ALM broke a bone in a hind hoof once which is very unusual. Slow motion replays of the horse in Full flight, actually showed the horse would thrust with each hoof individually, thus giving him the speed that made him near the greatest ever . (as opposed to the regular sway 2 leg action , side to side , a Pacer has)

Fair call. Trainers do tend to pop them on and off (mental training lol) Richards is doing a good job and knows whats best I guess. as with Waterhouse. It's a constant battle to have the win edge . doesn't always work . but try things.

Bag Limit (horse on inside ) sadly went sore and was scratched from the Interdominion Final after easily winning his 2 heats. That ironically gave the 1st Emergency in the final a start . who was MY Lightning Blue !!! who then won. Amazing turn of events. I did say about the pole Chief (in the high-lighted bits previous post) those 3 great stallions, even though 3 of the best ever been in Australasia, they can lose Concentration , gawk around, so just like removable deafeners or a whip even , the poles are 'AIDING the Driver' to get the best result possible, at the end of a race. And it worked with those three Champions of the track. near 200 wins between them. just like Winkers work on some horses too. Melody Belle has one?

Any trainer of horses can soon work out if a horse is sore or needs it's teeth rasped Chief. Gear additions like Blinkers , Lugging polls (Deafeners aren't correcting anything, well sort of are I spose stopping your horse from getting stirred up and Pulling hard) but are removable so you can stir your horse up the last bit these days lol. reverse correction ? lol. Things to HELP YOU WIN the Race . Here is My LIGHTNING BLUE ,the fastest I have driven, winning a trial at Addington , complete with Pole and Burr !. beating an Aus great in Bag Limit and Vinnie Knight prior to 1987 Interdominion. (biggest plum there is) Lightning Blue, Colt Thirty One , and Gammalite are all Stallions , ALL completely sound through Long careers, but prone to looking around, and Losing concentration , WINKERS would of been great, but Boring /lugging Pole an ample 'distraction' as you called it as well . NO PAIN involved, Chief . concentration and Mental Training is involved. and didn't it get results ! P.S Lightning Blue went on and won this Interdominion Final at 50-1, then came back to Christchurch later in the year and won the NEW ZEALAND TROTTING CUP. still wearing that magnificent Pole too . Bless it.

There was nothing like seeing what fabulous Southerners would come to Alex Park each month when I was there as a lad, starting from the first time I went there at Christmas 78' LOCARNO stormed to victory in the Messenger with a devastating sprint (like his brilliant 1980 miracle mile sprint) to take Victory. !!! Not long after SAPLING won the Auckland Cup for the Southerners too on my second Alex park visit. each month brought someone new, Matai Dreamer (GN Derby) Even Speed for Rowe Cup. Great times .

I think you are wrong Chief, only because these gear additions are nothing to do with poor training and education , and what's money got to do with it. Some experienced horsepeople out there you know? Here's the Great One himself Gammalite, 'Sporting a lugging Pole " at Addington before running a place in NZ CUP i think. Just like Blinkers ,some bits of gear help get the BEST OUT OF YOUR Horse, concentration, mental toughness ,so that you have the edge to Win. p.s the very best current QLD horse COLT THIRTY ONE (81 starts 46 wins) wears a Lugging pole and shadow roll, and Grant is best trainer we have ever add, No poor training or education involved?

This is the issue Karrots, The mid trainers know that chasing Green, B Purdon, Hughes and one or 2 others around at Auckland with average horses , Can only lead to 'Burning them Out' and they stop trying altogeather. PLACEMENT is essential to results. better to go to Cambridge or such where they go a fraction Slower?. Also so many of the quality horses have been sold to AUS and USA. (Too many) Leaves it much weaker there for the group races at the main tracks for the top liners still racing. (usually the millionaire owners with no need to sell)

Hahaha yeah that sure is one horse that would of benefited from the Whip Change Rules !!! lol..... for sure lol. Tough bugger though, and a 'lot' of whip use resulted in 16 Group 1 wins. IS Still PLENTY of gear on the harness horses these days Chief. Every race Winton, Cambridge anywhere...... It's spose to help with the concentration of your horse. Hardly any horse 'volunteer's' to Win without mental Training. Is An addition of Winkers to a thoroughbred bad ?? why? It seems so simple. Waterhouse does it often with her 'Front running Mental Training 'of many of her horses?

Well I always used 1/2 blinds, (I called them CAN'T SEE BACKS) also used deafeners, hoods, lugging- poles, shadowrolls, headchecks, tongueties, cross over nose bands, any number of aids to keep horses straight and concentrating (therefore mentally trained). You need All the help you can get to win a race. blinkers were great because when a horse with one on , has another horse Loom Large outside (or inside) in the charge to the line , they 'usually' dig in and go a bit harder and run with that opponent, than what they otherwise would. ? very much mental training I think.

I'm thinking the meaning is go a "little harder at the business end 'of the event. Like the Blue Diamond 2 year old did yesterday. with more forward focus , I do think a horse can pull out an extra 1/2 second late in a race, that you mention, (but possibly not that quick as what you said , more like an 11.5 instead of 12 second furlong? maybe. concentration is the Main thing, afterall MOST horse trainers can get them Physically fit to race, It's the astute mental training that wins the races IMO.

The Garland of Flowers might scare the other runners?

Team NZ STRIKES !! just not with PROBABEEL for Jamie Richards and his great 'Team" picking up 300k in the Futurity at Caulfield today, Just Now AEGON wins easily in Sydney to make it 5 out of 5 and a cool near $1/4 million boost today. Fantastic for NZ racing !! and congrat's to ALL the connections around New Zealand.

Just looking at Addington Friday with 2 x 2 yearold races. colts and fillies divisions have 7 starters in each. There are 2 SWEET LOU's in each race so that looks promising? 4 runners out of 14 starters is good representation.

Hahaha yes I had a retail outlet of my very own from 2011 to 2017 , when sold it to the Chinese and retired. Plenty of people coming in coughing and hacking over the years Too!, which was Very annoying lol.... Lucky not Covid19 in the community then or mightn't be here to Chat ? a good thing in some eyes hehehe lol... Seriously though , Do try and feel PRIVILIGED yourself Chief !!!! as everyone in NZ and OZ should. I Most Certainly Do , as you suggested, lived in NZ many years, now beautiful QLD, and by far 2 of the BEST NATIONS in the world , in so many areas. !!!!!! Fantastic ! yes😴. should stick to horses on forum I guess so have to say... What a privilege as well to of raced the fabulous Harness horses in both NZ and Australia, !!! wouldn't of missed it for quids !!! I'm certainly glad Polio and Pox and assorted things similar, were eradicated so I had the chance... yes that all makes it even more of a Privilege to be in NZ. fresh drinking water a world issue too?