TAB For Ever

Well its great we have one heading in the right direction ! And 3 x synthetics my slow slugs and open minded trainers are happy to race on !

Most never read the M report ,they just were anti it ! Some definitely missed the paragraph where he said NZ didn't have one decent track...not one ! At least since then Ellerslie have forked out their own money to get their track up to standard.....seems to be getting better by the month ! Good on em ! NZTR has track improvement 'top of mind ' in their strategic plan. The Waikato Greenfields project would be great for the future......hopefully a sale of Avondale will see some dollars go that way ! Overall some fantastic racing around the world at weekend. Ellerslie of course...come on admit it .....don't focus on the price of hotdogs or the stop/start tactics of jockeys ,Ellerslie better by the month ! And there was Mr Brightside , Mike Moroney etc showing their stuff in Melbourne. And the Saudi Cup ...with kiwi content....world's richest race. No doubt they had a choice , and run the race on Dirt in front of Winston too ! He heard murmuring ......Maybe i'll give the perennial keyboard warriors some ammo by building a couple of them Dirt tracks. Maybe climate change etc will demand it ! Some of the worlds best horses and horse people racing on dirt / synthetic tracks. Now there is an idea.....no doubt he saw the South Island horses running around for $50 k on a Sunday and states the Doomed logic....would get the same field for $20k.

Maybe Baghdad Note. Then the very next year Igloo ! Both these horses were from Otago stables quite close to each other , along with the jockey too ! A bit more recently 'young' Hecky Anderton took a few horses to Aussie and won races in Victoria , at least a listed race with Native Monarch. Also a Group race with The Jewel for Dennis Brothers , plus two placings in Group 1 Oaks/ Derby in Queensland. All above from the same Wingatui 'block'. Hecky is Grandad of the promising apprentice doing well in Victoria ...Taylah Kennedy ! Her other Grandad Mouse Kennedy was private trainer at one time for Joe Brown who took Reformed over to the Melbourne Cup and ran third...to a Christchurch horse Dalray. A bit of history for ya ,Sunline ...also the odd good golfer from down south...John Lister and Greg Turner for eg !

The Harness figures/comparisons etc etc are currently fairly up to date on the HRNZ website. Under Official Information....Raceday performances. Fill your boots..... Times have changed since Turnover was the key to progress...now GBR , but businesses generally don't update margins to all in sundry on a weekly or daily basis. Too much reporting of individual GBR's and analysis of it , will just do one's head in. And creates nothing but negativity as easy to put a slant to results etc.....Most of the racing folks I know enjoy their involvement in racing without constantly worrying about things outside their control. The folk who know all the answers need to be at the heart of the business , if they not we only have ourselves to blame .

Well I'm not one to gossip but I do know the Turnover increases have been steady with the stand outs being the Karaka day [ incl World Pool] and the eleven Premier meetings around Boxing Day New year up to Kumara...Thats 2 x Ellerslie , 2 x Trentham and Kumara included up 22%. The 2 months Nov/Dec combined saw Gallops + 10% , Harness +8% , Dogs +7%. Sports betting +10% and nearly matching Gallops and Harness combined ! Active accounts +30k up to 200k.. Field size for both main codes were down which doesnt help , and many will say the key figures are the the GBR or profit ! Methinks bonus bets etc can skew things. But its not disastrous . I'd mark it ..... Racing needs to do better , to justify increased advtg and promotion etc. So possums , spend ,spend, spend ......don't sit on the sidelines , racing may be a televised sport but it needs your money thru the tote !

Exactly Bloke , I realise Tauherenikau has a couple of boomer days in summer on their holiday dates and is very proactive and a well run Club with good use of their facility etc. But it is a reminder that some Clubs who do a great job on one , two or three days a year may not be able to or be interested in running more meetings. I was at a 'committee racing meeting' last night and there was some discussion about whether Clubs in general were pushing hard on promotion etc OR just sitting back thinking ENTAIN would have all the answers .

Well the announcer certainly announced them after each heat .....and some nice horses there including a couple of Aussies. Just a bit slow at getting results on -line ! Dividends were instant ! Unlike Foxton of course , but 1.17 [1200 ], 1.32 [ 1400 ] and 1.46 [1600] on firm track. I used to have a watch like that ! But the Ellerslie track looked magnificent , seems to be settling in nicely and YES the inside 10 metres had been mowed and being saved for big meetings coming up. In the aftermath ,I'm sure all participants would be very happy and looking forward to the big days coming up !

Seems to be plenty of CD horses at trials and jumpouts etc . Are Clubs in general doing enough to promote their meetings etc or sitting back and thinking Entain will just produce a miracle ?

What are the slight differences , other than the Victorian Jockey Programs probably were not an option back in the day ?

Hi Gamma, Just caught up with the gist of your conversations....quite a few NZ horses still partly owned by Kiwis and racing regularly in Aussie ! Triple Eight ,who won recently was partly sold to Aussie a few years back. Cash N Flow won a power of races ,he was seen as an eftpos card. Those intermediate races [ below Cup class ] are tough to win in NZ so rather than be chicken fodder for Merlin ,Copy That etc Kiwis take the money and run . Aussies and Americans still love our tried horses, the phones still ringing but better stakes nowdays seem to be reducing exports of tried horses. The offers were often too good to turn down. Talk is easy...Oh lets get and retain those horses just below cup class...not easy to do...Laver tried it for a while , and thankfully the owners of Kango etc have stuck around. Look how few races a good horse like Sooner The Bettor has won ! Many folk don't like stand starts but its really the best way of handicapping when so few horses in some rating bands. If Owners see them in against Merlin etc ,they won't race.....many races weren't being run cos 5 or less noms ,same with 2 and 3 year old races. Owners ,and I one were getting pissed off and when the overall average of stakes paid to cost was 25% , what was the point of owning. This past year the bonus's often for 2 yr olds .and small fields still being run to try and give owners some hope !

NZ jockeys been moving to Australia for a very long time . Nowdays not so many kiwis to replace them so we need to import plenty. SDye and JCassidy were seen as forerunners to leave NZ permanently for NZ when quite young. More recently Jason Collett and Mickey Dee left as youngsters too , as apprentices ,. I think Jason was 18 only ! Back in the day , many of our best jockeys left for Aussie.....Bob Skelton , Midge Didham , Gary Willets , Brent Thompson , Nick Harnett , Michael Walker , James Mac, LCassidy , DBrowne , MEnright, BCompton, BYork , the Collett Clan , GChilds and plenty of others including jumps riders !

Methinks you cringe a bit much Chief. Associating the word aftermath with a negative outcome is INCORRECT. My teacher ,Mr Thesaurus helped me thru School Cert English by explaining the aftermath can be positive...its the end , the consequences , the outcome ,the results , can be the sequel , the upshot , the consequences etc The aftermath could be around a decent win , a promotion , a reward .These can be positive after-effects. Plus Racing and Sport often has a language of its own.

Huge surplus of Aussie money coming into NZ so far this year and likely to continue this week too with our Harness sales on and 3 x of our best pacers heading off to Aussie etc etc. Its slowed , but Aussies still want our horses ! Not to mention the increasing success of Kiwis in Aussie racing , must be some flow on here . James Mac and other Kiwi jockeys leading the way and BBaker etc supporting the Waller domination in increasing fashion. BBaker picked up 3 x wins at the Valley on Friday night and another 3 x yesterday. Too soon to be slashing our wrists , and anyway ,whats the point of that ?

Haha....you there by Association ! Your membership in the tight five ensures involvement !

Tall poppy syndrome is alive and well in Harness. In recent months his picks/tips have been great IMO.......steered me into Cardi B , Teds Legacy , and Styx Jewel in past month. Maybe after 23 years playing Hawke Cup cricket he learned to peak at this time of year and play with a straight bat . I say....." Good on ya Mitre 10 ,you'e done it again ! "

I see Leo owned an impressive staying filly who won on Friday and likely an Oaks contender . Maybe he's back !

Good on ya Gamma , keep up your hopeful and positive contributions. Plenty good to enjoy in Australia /NZ Racing , both codes , plus a lot of great sporting rivalries to enjoy . Long may it continue . Dunno how the upcoming sales will go , but getting a small share in a well bred horse is still affordable , as syndicators are selling smaller and smaller pieces of each horse. Plus the TAB has purchased about 20 x horses in past two years and thru their racing club offer 'ownership' experiences to different folk each week. They just started racing and had some success. Other bigger syndicators are very generous to to their investors.....Lincoln generally 'guarantee' a win so if you get a dud they switch you into another one ! I see they have 12 or 13 of only 65 horses racing at Auckland this Friday. The ATC having a real struggle with lack of horses...and to think Dean ,Jean ,Merv and Yabba involved in quite a few ! Meanwhile Aussies just love our tried horses ,I note Triple Eight edging up to a million bucks in stakes ! Have a great 2025 and hope you not close to the Queensland floods !

Thanks Gamma....I'm just a lucky person ! Had it been a test of skill I would be in the hunt as usually provide stiff opposition for any 'average talents'. !!!!!!!! Modest too ! Certainly enjoyed watching the big races last night...our syndicate had a Hunter Cup runner back in the day , and had a Group 3 winner at both Melton and Menangle in more recent times so familiar with the tracks !

Just noticed Oscar having a nice warm up for final with strong sprint at end. Didn't actually see the start.....

Gamma , You teasing us here.... giving us repeats and/or huge hints ! The top two been up before......Village Kid and Our Sir Vancelot. Then Tasmanias only 'great ' pacer Beautide and Lenny as named. Prediction for the weekend ?

Well as the Karaka night has been the big night which people from all over NZ attend annually there is no hope in hell that 800 plus will attend a 'new' event a few weeks later. I'm sure the BGP principals will want to enjoy a relaxing day at the races ,probably in the TAB room ! So unless they decide to do one of their 'big pushes' I'd say 100 + in that room would be a good result , 200 would be amazing !. But keep stalking them them and grab a ticket , if you think you can abide by their basic rules of expectations. Its a grand tour event so there will be music and dancing till late , after some great racing including the slot race !

And when they don't know the facts or the reality they just make it up !

Personal attacks usually say more about the deliverer ! But with your stalking acivities , you need to gather a few facts. You started the thread on BGP this year ,just as you did last year.....obsessed , jealous ,bitter , just not a happy chappy. ????? Readers should get into Champions Day Function for $160 , tickets sold by ATC Club. A decent carvery lunch ,entry to course ,racebook , 2 x beers , great viweing in a room with like minded people. The $395 ,$295 , $195 x 2 tickets are sold out !

Fair comment ....but it is punting on horses , so not easy to turn the money taps on ! IMO they do feel a lot of pressure betting other peoples money and tho they discuss possible selections in days leading up ,sometimes betting quite early with at least one bet eg 2024 in 2 yr old race...got a lot of publicity which aided reaching $1 mill pot no mean feat ! Ever tried organising a bus mini/van or function at races , it ain't easy ! 2 years earlier in particular I watched them from 20metres trying to settle on bets. Under real pressure ! IMO a committee of 4 is best when 3 are absent. Only 30 mins between races and getting TAB to accept bets/offer odds etc takes time. Some confusion can creep in eg 2024...the wrong bet was sent out by text to members.This year a quinella went on ,but numbers not sent out. We all think we can do better.....personally I thought FAV in r1 was bet of day ,it ran 4th . VERY surprisingly on Saurday thay had a multi going into El Dorado [ place] yet oddly they didn't go El Dorado at all when the time came. When they get behind in $ extra pressure goes on and they start chasing. Had Alabama Lass held on they would have looked at least OK........narrow margin ! In past years they been criticised for taking 2 x bets per race , and some say they stick to warm favourites too much. They really cant win ....certainly cant please all the people ,all the time.

Humble apologies...my cost accountant training didnt require English and I skipped words to make my point and it came out all wrong. It should be.... 1. This Newmarket is now thriving on Negativity and merely criticising things he knows little about ,and I did give you a Champion post tick for that.re Mark Walker.......clearly he not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. 2. BGP getting too big for part-time administration ,so clearly it a good fit to partner with BGP on their BIG events for the year as it a perfect fit......The TAB wants to push oncourse attendance and on course experience , the TAB wants to introduce new young folk to Racing [ Next Gen the word everywhere ] and obviously to future proof the sport and wagering into the future. The TAB and Club now handle the money etc etc. 3. As to Trans Tasman stables , the Waller was well over 20 years ago and he was little known and only a few horses were involved. Walker is high profile and as the move is talked about as 'permanent' IMO Racing may not want a top trainer living in a different country . The brakes ,I believe , were put on a fellow well known Matamata trainer recently in this regard. Yes , I see the videos and voiceovers from some stables currently. Even Gai Waterhouse had a NZ stable at one stage ,I seem to remember....but like Waller that must have been 20 years ago...this is now !