Gammalite

Is this Ranga's early trotting and Milkman days ??. The fastest Milkman in the West . (west Coast?)

Were you removed from BBQ duty under the stand in your younger days Walt ?

Nice 'Grey' one winning over there at the moment Walt. Not even at Greymouth either 😆😆... winning further South the other day ! trotting like American 'Greyhound' at the moment ?

Think it did actually ? Westport -Reefton

Yeah you got it !! Four handy mid-class horses (6-8 wins each) There is a REEFTON connection too (this being a Reefton good days thread) Helter Skelter was in her first start for Jack in that photo above. (only had 6 runs for him) usually with the owner who trained her and >>>>>>>>> 2 years earlier Helter Skelter was in the REEFTON race (ran 5th) at Christmas... a C1 race . Won by the horse that ran second to Camelot in that NZ Cup . Can you name that great horse who was having just his 2nd race start that day at REEFTON ?

Spot on . Next Clue is Robin Butt also taking a Big Group 1 on this very day 2 races later in front of the Big crowd.

East win to TIMES UP yesterday Walt.... at Greymouth. cheers to that lol 🍻. Here's a Tester for you . You'll never get this Jack Smolenski one . 4 Very famous sets of colours at the finish of this race. Jack beaten into 2nd on this occasion in New Zealand record time with his mare. Rangatira is the master of these and haven't beaten him yet. in around 100 tries. he has nailed the lot from Nelson to Gore lol. This one could get me on the board at last. wahoo !!! ....... who can name any of these? 😁

Very nice filly Walt. I see that when Up Tempo won her DB Flying Fillies heat at Addington by a nose over Times Up it was a track record at the time . 2 minutes neat for 3 year old fillies . seems slow time these days lol. Up Tempo winning at Timaru heat as well in January , before running 3rd in the Big Final at Auckland behind Yvette Bromac and Times Up at Auckland in the Autumn. Time's Up was by 'Don Baker '. they had a notable roman nose usually lol 😁... and were dime a dozen in the end . pretty slow. Time's Up the only good one I remember. Don Diego and his sister Cuddles won some for the Barry family (that stood Don Baker at stud) . their 1/2 sister the grey 'Dawn Mist' by Gentry, a good Auckland winner of several races.

Hey Walt . I see Times Up making a comeback . 😆 Is in the last race R8, in your neck of the woods at Greymouth today, ridden by Craig Grylls . Lucky number 13. I've spotted a lazy 50 on it to win a carton . To have a toast to good old Jack when it wins . 💰🍻

Nigel does a great job and I watch his broadcasts all the time on Facebook . They are quite fun and all , but is not a TAB job and therefore remains unpaid. I'm sure the HRNZ has people that work on sponsorships and promotional work all the time. The race for example a great promotion for harness racing. The Race has come into play and now a feature Trotting slot race will be run as well . A sign of the times that owners can put up the cash themselves to 'take each other On' and get a large reward if they Win the Day. good luck to them . Average old kiwi horse Betterzippit even got $1/2 million in one go in Australia last year. Excellent stuff for owners and trainers ..... Brodie has plenty of gripes about Auckland , betting issues, Nigels input , and much more. (it's not this blokes fault Brodie who has wrote in) sounds to me he has a Positive View going forward so is trying to keep the game going . Canterbury isn't the B ALL and End ALL of harness racing as you say , and we Need to support North Island participants as well . You never have , and probably never will , .. demanding this TAB guy 'Sort out the North issues' is a bit rich , when the TAB control over the Financial Housing mess the ATC got into, is the main Issue. If they lose Franklin course then that will be hard to come back from. Not TAB's fault.

Hard to say what they were up to with that one. Hondo galloped every second start without the Hopples (just as most pacers would) so they should of perservered and kept the hopples on. Was certainly a stewards nightmare 'Hondo's Dream'.

Time's Up was a beauty Rangatira. Time's Up was a terrific 'Double' Oaks Winner. seen here in Nz Oaks and won great Northern Oaks too. A month before her Great Northern Oaks win 'Time's Up' was beaten a photo nose by 'Yvette Bromac' for Colin Butler in the DB Flying Fillies Final in a bit of an upset at Alexandra Park . was there and I remember all the cheering as a 'local' had knocked off the visiting Star Filly of Jack Smolenski's. A huge gap back to 3rd as well I think. The South Island Visitors usually getting the cash at Alexandra Park in the features that era. (except for Delightful Lady beating them mostly)

Clarrie's favourite horse that he owned was named LOOKAWAY . won the NZ Cup by several lengths when trained and driven by Maurice Holmes. beat False Step and Caduceus on several occasions . Clarrie Rhodes very instrumental in organising the first major air flights and sending horses back and forth from America for Feature racing and breeding . (including helping False Step and Caduceus to achieve that in the first days of long haul horse flights.)

Thought you would of been on your old mate 'Cecil ' in it Walt ??. you can just see him sitting down low in the cart as he always did, in his famous black with white stars ( he is seen just below the white neck strap of Derby Double). running 3rd in the photo as it panned out 😂 Did he ever tell you (or did i ?) the reason he left Tasmania for Nz as a youngster before all those Nz Cup Wins he got with False Step and that ?

The 2 Irish ones in same colours loomed up togeather and hit the lead turning for home in this Melbourne Cup video above . was hard to tell them apart I spose. Looked the strong Quinella chance too at that stage , but both tired out the last 250m . And you saw the 2024 Melbourne Cup Winner there too. SOULCOMBE coming from Waaay back. (Just Like Verry Elleegant did the year before her Big Cup Win ) she finished strongly for 7th on that occasion. Soulcombe got right Up to 2nd last year in the drone video . Wins by 3 lengths this year 🏆👍😎 (edit I see you were picking him too Chief as I was typing. great minds lol 😆)

Probably needed 2 judges for many years Brodster. I think they actually 'developed' Film for quite some decades after the finish of a race. We're blessed with digital for sure these days. Have a look at this South Island race finish !!! hahahaha take 4 judges to sort it out.😆 Robert Dunn probably should of won it . Buried deep on fence with the fav 'Derby Double'. Hard on the back of winner (the leader on the fence) and travelling under a stranglehold still. Had to hold the whip in his teeth late on to grab hold lol..... kiwi ingenuity again ?? 😂

A former kiwi horse NORTHVIEW HUSTLER won the metro fast class last night in 1.50.6 some of you might remember him racing in Auckland way back 2017 , when he won 8 of 10 starts (or something like that) to whip straight through to Open class. since running 4th in this same race last Christmas to old Auckland Cup winner TURN IT UP , the 'Hustler' has gone 34 races for just the 1 win at Redcliffe last summer. Northview Hustler and Turn It Up did both compete in the recent Brisbane Interdominion unsuccessfully. That was just his (Hustler) 2nd win for the year last night 😢. It just shows how hard it is to Win??? , when you have a horse who can run a 1.50 mile and only win 2 races for the year. get's just $8000 onto this record from last night's win , so a tick over 50k for the year for a very fast horse. Barely a profit ...😪 Summary: 34-1-3-4 Stakes: $46,577 Best Winning Mile Rate: 1:55.1 (footnote: expat kiwi Graeme Harris still going. I notice him on those mid 80's Premiership tables above. His own horse fading and running last behind Northview Hustler last night. Way too quick for Gleneagle Warrior)

Sir Castleton getting through the traffic from 4 back the fence, here to get the Big Prize Walt. Tussle getting involved as well. He was a game little horse . here's a treat for you as he gathers in Scotch Notch to get you smiling again. 👍🏆

Very nice Walt . a great race for the trotters there BUT you forgot to put up the Grand Final race . this one was just a little heat 😎 I can see why you didn't though as Scotch Notch 🏆 would of been in the Winning Frame winning by many many lengths, and the kiwi's were that far back that Graeme Lang had to organise a search party to go find them? .😋 😁🍾

thanks for that . And since he's been in the news (well this forum for all the wrong reasons anyway 😂) , Sam has decided to respond with>>>>>> a Great Drive to WIN the Junior Drivers race today at Motukarara driving ''Jaccka OPa ' fantastic drive from bad draw and way back in field to trail up 3 wide and pounce at the right moment. a 10/10 winning drive response to all the criticism 😁 well done Sam ! little sis Olivia coming in 3rd.

Sure seems the case Brodster ... although I have to debate your last sentence .. you just have to keep the North going too. Sure is 2 of the most important participants alright. we need those owners.. (and Punters you discuss at times) The owners buying at the sales and getting them in the stables that are still keen to race in the Group races is the best way forward. MERLIN raced by a man with a stud farm here in Queensland has just won the Nz Derby . Dean now buys at the Nz sales and leaves them with Barry Purdon (and Scott) and is getting a few winners there. he used to race heaps here in Brisbane but has shifted attention to NZ now ... and it's paid off already . Now a Derby winning owner beating up Marks good horse. A few more owners like that chipping in mate , and the North will be fine. One lovely chap on a nz forum comp team I play in races small shares in horses with Barry as well , (as well as Gallopers at Te Akau with one winning last Saturday too) and he is doing his bit to try and chip in and help the situation. Tony and Suzanne Herlihy get in as many as they can (friends and family with shares) and are trying so hard to keep the motivation/fun/industry going ..... Auckland still going ok Bernie and a few 'Puke' trainers have heaps of Trotters too. good on em . Don't give up on em mate because you're in the South . still WAY better than Tassie trotting in the South hahahaha

good decision making too Forb's . The horse Tremendous Lover was being irritated by the lugging pole in the warm-up today and so Ben Took it off before they ran .... and then won the race. good thinking by him to keep horse more tractible. Hey that Sam Thornley you started this thread with . what can you say about the last race with Flo rider ? easily in the top 10 worst drives I've seen in 45 years watching horses go round. That bloke has a lot to learn for sure . his sisters are probably doing better at the moment 😂😁

well Ben Hope drove his horse well , and chased hard up the straight. Full marks to him.... He is developing into a confident driver now. If Paul Nairn wins he doesn't get suspended. How can they charge him with not trying to Win ?? It was a Cup race and 11k to the winner . only 3k for second and he was only beaten a neck after missing away slightly and being 50m from the leader settling. pretty harsh stewards decision against an experienced horseman. probably already spitting chips from the narrow loss. some kiwis are 'mean' buggers lol.😎

No problems at Auckland in the 80's with The new Kid on the block Tony taking over the top National reinsman spot from Wolfie for the first time . Maurice and Owen Purdon winning heaps too for the Auckland faithful. great times Brodster 👍 The De Filippi brothers and the young 'Ants' Butt the best from the South. The Jockeys and TABman has 2 of the Top 5 . looks like David Walsh winning the premiership by a country mile . 138 wins. young Lance O'Sullivan down about 12th with some other greats there in Shane Dye , Greg Childs and current Nz National wins record holder Chris Johnson.