Gammalite

Northerly 9 Group 1 wins, so she is getting close now. Equalled Makybe Diva today with 7 G1's , and Verry Elleegant was a huge run in the Melbourne Cup too. she was unplaced in that but was a teeriffic effort , as she does everytime.

The Wolf gets the Cheque for Anthony Butt Ok in 1.49 !!!! fantastic race. Alta Orlando 2nd for the Dunn's !! and Mach Shard 3rd for Katrina Purdon . Turn It Up 4th for Allstars (and Gammalite $'s unfortunately, oh well ) What a Grand Kiwi Effort !!!! 4 horses, 1 trainer/driver and a swag of kiwi owners too all in the F4

I wonder which State? likely to be West Australia who swoop on these Kiwi bargains. Regazzo Mach is one FINE Horse!! he'll be winning heaps. This horse is very handy as well. So Many narrow Defeats? Must be sick of Bettor Twist being around after another close second to it at Auckland Friday . Hoping she can grab an Oaks or something. ? Stylish Memphis won a NSW Oaks last season and gunning for Big $200,000 Ladyship mile tonight. ! A good stable and deserve it .....

excellent effort by the F4 in the Darley Blamey Stakes GROUP 2 the race before the guineas as well. Star of the Seas, Fifty Stars, Buffalo River, Best of Days....Waller, Hayes/Dab,Moroney and Godolphin ALL in Big bright Blinkers, Pretty good trainers , know if blinkers helping the concentration or not, and a $279 F4.

Peter Moody fortunately got off his charge of Cobalt with Lidari second in the turnbull positive swab. overdose of some hoof treatment apparently. after new testing brought in 2015. A top bloke Darrell Graham (6th rank harness trainer QLD and daughter Brittany does the Sky racing presentation) is just back from year Off disqualified in 2020 (sentence was reduced to 12 months from 15 months) for a elevated Cobalt charge. Never cheated in his life, doesn't even know what cobalt looks like , let alone how adminstered. It is in a lot of things , probably horse chewing a paddock rail at times is what he guessed in the end. cost him 100k over 3 years on appeals with legal fees. Very very sad . glad he's back ! and actually the original horse Mafauta Vautin (named after fatty) with the positive in 2016 owned by his wife , is in 100k Group 1 Menangle tonight.!! Hope it wins !!!

Just had look at the fields Eljay. And can't believe that Barry Purdon /Phelan Stable with only one runner (a 15 start maiden in race 9) !!!! crikey you would think An outfit like that should have a runner every race. Must of scaled back . No wonder Auckland getting poor. Brother Mark musn't of sent him any horses either , while taking a break at Allstars. And to think of all the drives Barry gave Mark back in the day too !!! lol......

No worries !, It's always good to learn about some of the real achievers in the industry. It's a very hard one to reach those sort of levels in .

Ken Barron's team seem to be going great guns lately. Had to look up John Lischner as didn't know of him. Inductee to the Addington Hall of Fame in 2014. so here's a profile from that occasion. Sounds like a bigtime harness racing winner to me. Long term President of Trainers & Drivers’ Association and member of National Council Harness Racing New Zealand Board Member for six years (2008 - 2014) as Trainers and Drivers representative Chairman of Handicapping Sub-Committee for 5 years Member of Handicapping Sub-Committee since 2000 – 14 years Instrumental in development of conditioned handicapping system - 2001 Involved in cadet schemes both in Southland and Canterbury Addington Harness Hall of Fame Trustee and committee member Starting out as a butcher in Tapanui, John Lischner tried training for several years before turning to full time training in 1988. His first training win came with Lord Bijou (dr. R.G. Kerr) in a 2yo race at Invercargill, January 1982. In early 1988, he shifted from Tapanui to Ashburton, taking up residence at Robert Cameron’s former property, just off the main highway between Ashburton and Methven. He trained there until a final training shift to what is now Ken Barron’s Toliman Lodge, West Melton, commencing in the 2001/2 season. Leading trainer in 1996/97 season (86 winners) and 1998/99 (85 winners); also in the top ten on five other occasions. From 14 winners in 1993/4, Lischner’s numbers exploded in 1994/95 ( 63 winners - 2nd), 1995/96 (69 - 3rd), leading trainer 1996/7, 1997/98 (40 - 5th), leading trainer 1998/99, 1999/2000 (57 - 2nd) and in his last season training on his own 200/1 (36 - 6th).As a trainer in his own right between 1981/2 and 2000/2001 seasons as well as briefly during 2006/7 and 2007/8, from 3,331 starters, John Lischner produced the winners of 563 races for stakes in excess of of $4m.

The Fast Class races are becoming smaller by the month for NZ with the Migration continuing. (Triple Eight now racing Vic) In Sydney, Dunn's having success with Alta Orlando racing at at Luke McCarthy's , now Katrina Purdon has sent over Mach Shard (2nd in last Interdominion) to that Super stable too!!! I see this week as well from big Bar's Cleveland Stable. and join up with Star Gallaria already there and a host of others. McCarthy now with 5 runners in both 100k miles this week , trying to get whole field of the coming Miracle Mile it seems , with No Allstars about. (TURN it Up and One Change leased out and/or racing for Vicki Rasmussen QLD a sort of NZ/Allstars representation) EXPENSIVE EGO qualified already for Luke winning winning 200k Chariots of Fire last week in 1.49. here's Mach Shards Field . Hey Ant's has one in there too !!!! racing very well the Wolf is too. 1 82677 MACH SHARD NZ Belinda McCarthy John McCarthy NR99 FR1 $6.00 2 33115 TURN IT UP Vicki Rasmussen Shane Graham NR120 FR2 $9.00 3 33s11 MAX DELIGHT David Aiken Josh Aiken NR105 FR3 $4.00 4 31341 WOLF STRIDE A M Butt, S L Smith Anthony Butt NR120 FR4 $4.00 5 10551 CRUZ NZ Belinda McCarthy Leonard Cain (C) NR120 FR5 $17.00 6 29212 ALTA ORLANDO NZ Belinda McCarthy Luke McCarthy NR120 FR6 $5.50 7 06642 DOUBLE ENCOUNTER (Em 1) Harry Martin Menangl 27/02/2021 David Morris NR96 FR7- 8 12851 BURNHAM BOY NZ Kevin Pizzuto Blake Fitzpatrick NR92 FR8 $41.00 9 25323 KOWALSKI ANALYSIS Matthew Craven Sofia Arvidsson (C) NR75 FR9 $26.00 10 21623 BALRAJ NZ Belinda McCarthy James Rattray NR112 FR10 $13.00 11 2s127 STAR GALLERIA NZ Belinda McCarthy Jack Callaghan (C) NR119 FR11 $21.00 12 11756 PITCH PERFECT NZ (Em 2) Roy Roots Jnr

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 .