TAB For Ever

He's had a long couple of weeks doing special projects for at least a month ! Still clocked attendance at a few meetings even tho the Air NZ flights caused him travel issues and then tonight struck more problems with motorway issues. Despite all these challenges still managed to post a few interesting pieces of gold ,. What more can the man/person do ?? I was led to believe he considered a pariah on here !

NZ is a small country...we do punch above our weight in many things ! For a time I worked in Winstones Head Office at top of Symonds St /Khyber Pass .I had a desk where there were just temporary like barriers between rooms and Arthur was right next door. After having to go abroad for employment ,Winstones gave him a job in PR as an Ambassador and I sat and listened to him advising and discussing tactics with Athletes. ! Often chatted do him in the lunch room where he often played indoor bowls. ! Then about 2017 in Auckland the World Masters Sports event was on with over 20,000 people competing...I believe mikeyNZ from down south was involved in the oyster shukking , I was involved with Basketball and Table Tennis and Sir Peter Snell and his wife played in the Table Tennis . I always considered him NZ's greatest ever Sportsman so it was great to chat away with him ! NZ is a very small place ! Those runs that Arthur put his Athletes on were very hilly...I was driving out that way recently and my modern but small car had trouble !

Gamma ,I see the ladies did not get near podium in Pole Vault., Like our NZ horses we have so many potential World Champions in our midst if they get the right conditioning and training/coaching. I've seen it so often over the years ,where young athletes get noticed and put on the path to become a top performer on the big stage. Its often a mixture of dedicated Coaches motivating the kids to be their best and their inherent talent with attitude ! Dunno too much about HKerr but he was from Palmy North and Auckland Grammar School and competed on World stage like the World Uni Games and kept it up thru his mid-20's. Beamish boarded at School in Whanganui and then went to USA for Uni Scholarship.There are hundreds of NZ kids in USA on Sports Scholarships. Without this most junior sports are User pays to represent on big stage , and many can't afford it. Look at Steven Adams.I remember when he a Wellington U17 rep ,I would watch him and the other parents would scoff...he not much good ,just BIG ! Well his mentor and coach put and kept him on the road to greatness. An individual in a team sport. There are over 50 young NZ Basketballers on USA scholarships ! I think over 30 volleyballers and many other Athletes.My neighbour went as a runner and ran in 2 x Olympics.Tasman had a volunteer Athletics coach [Greg L] whose athletes held the 4 x1500m relay under 16 world record. They all went overseas ! Those polevaulters are mostly from the same club North Harbour who specialise in Pole Vaulting ,next to NZ Sport High performance ! Not many clubs /schools even have Pole Vaulting ! Talent spotting sometimes gets into the smaller regions.League legend Simon Mannering was spotted drifting around in Nelson College rugby and hustled into Auckland Rugby League. Our shotputters ,at least one anyway was noticed in the back blocks of South Island. Australia has long had a very well financed Sports institute....set up after Montreal 1976 when Australia bombed out ...haha....from memory ! Back to the horses....Hong Kong and overseas buyers will be in stand looking for next Champion in fast approaching Ready to Run and Yearling sales ...and there will be some there !

Quite right Gamma , a fantastic effort ! And we got the High Jump too. Kiwis Can Fly !

Methinks you making this moan up.....just to feel good ! Claude probably a false win favourite and both these horses had outside draws so bound to go back in small field... To win from there they needed a real fast pace. The race started fast , then everyone took a break....an early move not on as corners come up fast and you lose a lot ground out wide on the bends. Check the final bend and both were wide on the track and in a 28 last quarter they ran on very well and closed well at end. Very good runs from both and no boring than the usual horse race . Rough and Ready has won some 20 races so probably not getting any better ,especially from an outside gate !

No , I just comment on what I see and hear ! Trials are run fairly slickly ,except for one-off things like injuries etc , but there is little to do . Similar to raceday ...too boring except for those closely involved ! That Ellerslie track is really getting superb !

The Ellerslie track hosted a great trials day today. Originally 356 entries wanted to run ,hence Avondale trials on Thursday catering for half ! Will provide a different surface , todays was top shelf. One negative today was the injury to Michael MacNab who suffered a nasty kick to leg....hope he OK. Trialists I liked included the Maidens Confesara and Aliandra who competed in same heat , King of the North[ stayer by Jon Snow] and Oppenheimer [65] One group watching were estimating that 50% of horses running to day will be For Sale.

Back in the day Pick 6 @ Harness was my favourite and most successful bet. But overall the interest fell away. Pools were small took an age to ramp up and we at the TAB found it tied up too many punters betting money. We like more races , quickfire and wall to wall ...sprint races use less time etc Free bets etc Quaddies much preferred. Some people remember doubles fondly but a relic of a past era !

What is her best distance....what will it be as an older horse ? She performed very well in some of her Group placings in Aussie ...including winning .....so is a very versatile mare who handles most track conditions !

Have you rung him and discussed your displeasure. Surely they come up with these 'ideas' and promotions by gathering facts...such as , lessons learned from elsewhere , feedback from many and a wide range of breeders etc. But I hear what you saying...often existing people are overlooked in promotions. A recent gym/pool/leisure Centre close by recently advertised 'half price' memberships for new folk to join. I heard a few long-term members kicking up saying what about us ? And a mare breeding incentive last year offered deals for newcomers....a breeding friend of mine asked ,what about us regulars ? He breeds at least 4 x mares a year and races a lot of them by himself and family ! Hard to please all the people all the time.... My marketing teacher told me it easier to get more spend from existing or lapsed customers than get new customers. But I'd ring MPeden ...he young and enthusiastic so I expect he like to hear from you in person. Take your wife too !

Not too many controversies there this year ! Well done to all the winners and those nominated !

Wow ,never known that but you talking Southerners here ! Many Southlanders enjoy a 'sheep in a jeep' after a long drive to the Gore Pie Cart !

Well sometimes they need help ! Its big equipment being aimed at a moving target and some mares not so co-operative !

Thanks for kind words........As a southerner myself I admire and prefer Southern people . Not those with a filthy abusive mouth and those mentally challenged to the extent you appear to be ! Followed the Dennis Bros horses from The Missionary days and actually helped serve one of their mares at least once !

First Group 1 of the season and great to be back at Racing Headquarters , NZ's only International racecourse. Good horses , good trainers, good jockeys but most of all very exciting racing with good stakes and some fantastic dividends if you had done your homework. Nothing really to complain about , a new big screen ,sound seemed improved and a great taster leading into spring and summer racing....there was a buzz ! Despite the recent rain the track presented well and held up well once a bit of drizzle arrived. Sun came out later in day even tho temp a bit cool sa forecast. Highlight would be the scintillating finish of Quintessa in Proisir and Lollapalooza in Gold Traill along with some fantastic finishes with several winning chances in the last 50m. George warned us on screen that Quintessa at huge overs and Pam Gerard talked up her winner at 70/1. All races had good sponsors and considering it not one of the top meetings IMO it was particularly good. Then 10 x mins in car off to the rugby ...win/win. And following on from a good nights Harness on Friday night !

You change the meaning of a sentence , and overlook that the deep thinking Galah agreed with me too ! My mum sums up you to a tee when she says.....'Sometimes its better to remain silent and appear a fool ,than to speak and remove all doubt '.

Dead right that Northern Harness would like 10 x horses per race. Big challenge is where to get the horses from. Breeding incentives , if successful will take several years to show great results and new owners are not easy to find quickly. And the next gen are being hit with increased living costs and job losses so big hurdle there. And tho exports have slowed ,there is still a market there .

Congrats Chief ,you posting a bit of good stuff of late ! And educating some of the un-informed ! Your market -share may improve !

Northern racing is extremely competitive . There are a few drivers who must have the front early in any race they contest but the horse must have the gatespeed or SS skill to get there. Team driving can be a potential problem particularly in small fields where one trainer could have 3 or more horses. Last night at Auckland one trainer had 3 of 5 starters ...among our group one guy had a decent go on #2 which was not the favourite and close to the line when heading to the front its stablemate moved ever so slightly and checked its momentum. The favourite held on...then the head on film showed clearly the winner did enough to check the winner. No siren from the stipes ,a surprise . Race 2. Last night the two 2 yrold Sires Stakes races were great contests , big fields and many drivers desperate to be put in the race to qualify ! Better stakes and Qualifying races for Group races are exciting........go Auckland ! Unfortunately small fields can be sometimes boring as a lesser horse doesn't want to sacrifice its chances for a stake in a race it hasn't got a chance of winning in ! And with small fields with wide ratings in it many of the horses have little or no chance of winning. Cambridge racing gives owners the chance of a win and incentive to keep investing ! The thrill of a win lasts longer than the memory of what its cost ! Last night at both meetings many horses were more like having trials cos they not 100% fit. Hoping to fry bigger fish ! If a horse resuming after spell or injury with no trials , no one knows how it will perform.The punter needs to work this out ! The main race at Addington had some slow sectionals....other races were to help fitness level boosters ! Quite obvious !

RIP Tony Dennis ...part of a fantastic family that has contributed so much to NZ Racing. Bred and trained many terrific horses. They did use several champion NZ sires such as Savabeel , Mellay ,Gatekeeper , O'Reilly ,Noble Bijou ,plus Grosvenor [son of Sir Tristram] and Flying Spur. They didn't go to mug sires !

Considering the history of Southern Harness , the wealthy people with high paid jobs and nothing but weed and Speights to spend it on , the Southland betting figures are generally quite poor. Lucky they have the Canterbury guys competing along with the Otago guys especially the Williamsons. Please give us some facts about positives things in Southland Harness !. Invercargill Cup day is good , thanks to HRNZ/TAB putting up the stakes and the Wyndam Cup meeting good cos it held in Otago at Cromwell ! Most things in Southland like their Rugby team ,one highlight every 10 to 15 years. And my TAB info tells me they were checking the betting slips for the recent fluke Rugby win ,all the winning bets came from the Waikato catchment ...a lot of bets ! What was the score today ?

One of your best posts yet Galah ! I note it mainly about Australians , and in areas away from the big City area. In fact an endorsement for encouraging City clubs like Auckland and decreasing action in dodgy country areas !

Sad news that popular Te Awamutu trainer Robert Priscott has passed away aged 74 , after a lengthy illness. Successful over some 45 + plus years , he originally joined forces with his father Bruce who trained the mighty Il Tempo and Sindicato among others .Bruce had been a butcher before moving into public training in partnership with son Robert and they trained the outstanding Red Tempo. Robert trained many fine horses by himself including Hill Of Grace and Buzz Lightyear. Thoughts go out to his family at this sad time !

Of course Peter Williams , once a good sports broadcaster ,was always a Southern man ,born and raised. And of course he had to move North for a half decent job and lifestyle.And despite going thru a few wives [one RIP] he has sucked up the the higher wages in North and property inflation and now the silly old fool is at an age where he taking his nest-egg to central Otago and helping make the Queenstown/wanaka area one of the most expensive areas in NZ ,while the bigger city prices plunge ! He went to Waitaki Boys High...geez , not many School Cert passes out of that place !The smallest book in the world....High Achievers from Oamaru ! Maybe the odd mickey-doo ! Meanwhile Auckland continues to be rated in experts rankings in the top 10 liveable cities in the world ,and it creeping closer to top most years....in the world ! As for Eden Park and rugby...the AB's will fill it ,no one gives a toss about the NPC.......most of the current players up North are first year out of school. Watch the womens side ,they really can play...amazing win on Saturday ,100 points in style v a team who were OK and scored 30 themselves. And Auckland women have won the National title past two years in style. The crash bang of Mens rugby and the many head injuries better suited to the south. Plus the Warriors and Auckland FC are filling the stadiums . I see the North has the Shield too....that useless team Southland are challenging. Haha. Southland the most unsuccessful area in NZ rugby...Schoolboys OK but once they old enough to marry their cousins the rot sets in. Done nothing down there since Aucklander Tim Shadbolt saved the area from extinction. Maybe that new mayoral candidate from Tasman who is standing in two cities will save them..but hes a bro of the current barking mad mayor down south. What a mess ! As for me....having lived thru over 25 years among the Tasman/Crusaders era I know what success looks like ...seen stuff not sighted from your Cave down south. PS Get some dry wood cos the snow is on its way !

Currently the bright colours taking a rest. Haven't you been watching his FB blogs.....he wears black , more the mafia/sheriff look !