TAB For Ever

One of many well used excuses by Horse trainers .....

Is David still attached to one of the big Canterbury stables ?

Yes ,brilliant horses at the Olympics........Kiwis doing very well and their interviews were great....very positive and gave a lot of credit to the magnificence of their horses. And they very bullish about their horses and their Showjumping ability. Currently 6th , but hopefully they can get into the medals as a team ! We need some reward cos the Aussie horses coming over to Cup week to take home our big stakes. Aussie owners been doing it a lot in recent times , but a repeat of Aussie trainers and drivers will be too much !

Hope you recovered from Leap To Fame , Gamma , he something special. Kevin Myers seems to condition his horses so well. Many of those that featured today for him ,including 4 x winners were competing in the Castle Point Beach races in late February . He had over 30 x horses at Castle Point from memory. Plus 3 of his winners have raced on the Synthetic in past 5 x weeks so varies their work ! Another interesting fact today was that after a fall there were only 9 x jumps jockeys available after 1 x stand down which resulted in a scratching from maiden chase.

But you explained the issue very well after saying it not about the money but about the chase.....so settle for a smaller WIN'. Win less more often ! When I said bet on the tote you said your big bet would ruin your divi cos the pools too small ! Pointless going $1k a place when only a few $k in pool. From TAB's side , same issue ,if fixed odd place pools not large , why should they ruin their take out $ on the race from a Canterbury winning punter . Why would they , they not a charity. In fact the Races won't continue if they can't make a profit !

Love the quotes Chief...been a while since the Fiddler playing while Rome burned ! No way can I match your knowledge but I honestly question if you actually like Horses and Horse racing. You admit to spending decades tryng to improve decision making and halt the decline ! Do you seriously think anyone reading your threads/comments would guess that you are trying to achieve thataim. I watched in for 2 years and never thought that. To use a fav Marketing term I think you are 'winking in the dark'...you know what you doing but no-one else does. If I had your motivation...and you say you done it for decades...it would make more sense to join a club or committee or an Owners association and get noticed that way.Maybe start up , NZ Racetrack Surfaces Action group and grow a membership and get a voice in discussions. To use another Marketing lesson...Easier on the inside pissing out ,than the outside pissing in !

Sorry Chief ,wrong again ,no points scored here I'm afraid. Did you come across the Neilson Research which sped up the establishment of the RIU...more suits brought in.More self inflicted misery ! Racing one of 6x major NZ sports graded by public against 13 Attributes. Racing came last in 11 of them ! 41% of people thought racing had a problem with corruption. Only 22% thought racing did business with honesty and Integrity . Most damning ,only 16% of NZ had a positive impression of racing and wagering ! While checking out the NZTR loans etc did you also look at the Govt's Racing Safety Development Fund[ Foxton and South Cant got a bit in the latest] and the previous reliance by many Clubs on Pokie Grants. Don't just be selective !

In previous discussions with the Chief my angle has included these various types of surfaces under the group heading of AWT. ie Non-turf tracks. Chief seemed happy with this comparison . I much prefer turf tracks , but just making the Chief aware of the numbers. I'm sure he appreciates your support ,as the tight-five seem to be deserting him. But he probably not so enamoured by the fact you OK racing on the Synthetic ! And no willy contest for me ,got shot off in the war. Plus I'd never prove a match for the Chief...he knows a lot of stuff !

Messara's excellent piece of work was an overall strategic plan and given as a suggestion ,and it was largely accepted by those at the coalface in NZ so obviously largely endorsed. The local guys running NZ no doubt took into consideration the collaboration of neighbouring clubs and their interest in working in .One recent year the Coast Clubs were poorly represented in discussions ,some had obviously spat the dummy. Messara report ...from a previous era !

But have you spoken to their bosses directly yet as advised ! They keen to engage. Or will you be like Chief and in 30 years time post "I have been pushing for changes for decades now and nothing happens" ?

Nah ,everybody in NZ knew there were way too many tracks in NZ and had been talking about it since 1970's. His cut from 48 to 28 or whatever was never going to be perfect and possibly wasn't but NOT always easy to switch from a once a year track to another once a year track , especially when neighbour may not be on speaking terms. Sad but true....and the Clubs taking longer than expected to organise a quick transfer....I read recently where you surprised at the importance and difficulty in moving the 4 x TAB Vans....get with the program.....now that would have been a bit interesting.. Many tiring of your need to start threads and lure comments from mugs like me so you can prove your superior knowledge and pump out your own theories.......I think you actually don't like horses or horse racing , you like whinging and moaning and winning debates and use the NZ Horse racing theme as a front....and stuck in the past too !🙂 Old NZTR reports poured thru.... Messara report ......the 2018 classic ! Loans in 1977 ,and 2007 You stuck in the past Chief !

Agree re Auckland Motorway slower than normal at times during big events like Ellerslie 's Sistema stakes day .Everybody wants to go there ,its that great entertainment. One learns to be patient and add travel time.Same Karaka Day. And when Pink and Warriors were on same night the Trots were put back an hour cos many horses stuck on motorway ! Ever been to Group days at York or even Melbourne in a car ? Of course you have ,you've been everywhere man ! As for Northern detour I've done that one a couple of times this year in car...Kaiwaka to Waipu . Difference last Saturday would have been the Horse Float detour annoyingly much longer and the slips actually caused several delays too .And the forecast was talking 'weather bombs' so your plan to switch to Ruakaka at short notice pure BS. Messara report was 6 years ago so don't live in the past , its annoying. Most don't want to hear about Lord Module , Grey Way and Copperbelt

Nah no hole digging....its a public site so just pointing out there appears to be more AWT than turf. And weather interests me little , but it on record that 21 areas of NZ experienced their wettest ever [ on record] Januuary- June 2023. That followed on 2022 Winter which was NZ's wettest ever. Those are facts ! Maybe that suggests weather getting wetter...Wairoa certainly think so ,in 2024. As is the fact that your beloved Westland which you highlight so often is near NZ's top in rainfall.

Thats a surprise and a long time between drinks. Hard to know why that suburb even existed , as Burnside and Abbotsford surrounded it . It had the stench of Burnside at one end and when the Abbotsford hillside slipped away it could have been buried in soil., I think their Rugby ground was. Lucky some locals had shops there eg Moyles Supermarket and it had a Movie theatre and had a Mayor[ ? Crimp] ..I think he may have been shot in the Aramoana tragedy ! But it had no high school ! Its sports teams were generally lower grades battlers then two local boys Lyn and Merv Jaffray emerged as top players[ and All Blacks]. A weedy wing [Ex Taieri ] Jack MCLaughlan , from memory his son was a sprint champion and useful winger too ,emerged as good coach. And two local twins the Mitchells were small but solid backs and suddenly they were a senior team in tough Dunedin Comp. Then a couple of Southland University students with transport ,put off by the extreme competition of trying the make University teams went there ...a good halfback Chris Moreland , from memory and big lock [now kingpin Surgeon ]Dick Bunton . All these players played some games for Otago and they attracted other Southland students and Medical students eg Brian McKechnie the double All Black and Dr Peter Chapman Smith who for years had been a second string University player. Harness trainer Stu Campbell was part of this group ,he most likely a local lad. It was this era they became serious contenders....of course since then they probably had many Otago reps the most famous being All Black Ben Smith. Their cricket team were always battlers but their locals must have won their way thru the grades and achieved the difficult promotion up to Senior grade ,where the bottom team each year was relegated automatically unless the OBHS school team won second grade !Maybe a merger of two Clubs gave Green island the opening. From memory i think they got champion cricketer Glenn Turner to play by giving him free groceries and free meat...the only professional in a Amateur era ! Also they got NZ spinner Peter Petherick from Central Otago and veteran coach and Pakistan player Billy Ibadulla [RIP] who i believe died last week aged 92 ! They also had a new ground which was the Suunyview rubbish dump so the ground had all sorts of weird stuff on it ,and the pitch was a shocker . But I digress ! Back to their Rugby win ...last year at a wedding in Dunedin I met the Green Island Rugby coach who seemed very young ,so well done to him. He was a great dancer when the music started up. Another vivid memory from their glory days , back in the day, was GreenIsland had a scrary rep [ ? Harvey] on the Otago Rugby Union.He was small and wore a big coat [ a la Colombo TV ]. One of his jobs was to go to the minor Rugby League games ,played at a hidden ground in Kaikorai on a Sunday and try and spot any Rugby players who were playing...if identified those rugby players were banned for life ...yes for life .I had a couple of Uni friends who risked this by playing league and another friend who reported the games for the Evening Star paper. He was constantly asked by this rugby sneak for the names ...of course they played under different names and some were quite original eg Joe Ninety and Fred Dagg.In those days the papers ,both ODT and Star reported all sports reults with the names of scorers etc.Not like today ! Ahh the memories.........

Well Chief , when you announcing the winner of your Comp ,I am sure your Sponsor expects you to have an Official announcement . FYI there were 86 horses running at Pukekohe today . I mentioned to the Salvation Army that a small cash donation should be coming their way ! Keep the receipt and I'll get a tax rebate of 30%.

My Foxton area friend tells me Foxton has had a flooding problem for years and not so long ago it was up to the roof of houses in some areas. Flood protection has been provided out of the Provincial growth Fund . Its positioned where there is a very high watertable so the threat is constantly there. To double check these facts anyone can google Foxton Floods and several articles confirm the area is flood prone and a number of Trials since Covid have been postponed cos of water. So it not BS. Then there is the mystery fire threat .

Explain your weather theories to the Wairoa and Gisborne people as well as the many other folk in areas which constantly hit by extreme weather . Several Areas have received there annual rainfall in less than a week ! And your explanation why around the world there are more AWT than turf...USA,Japan <Korea ,South Africa, Chile ,Equador Argentina ,Mexico , parts of Europe ,Scandinavia and OH NO , even parts of Australia and Asia.

Puke less than an hour from Ellerslie and not much more to Te Rapa. Riccarton , Matamata , Cambridge , Te Awamutu best and Awapuni and Wanganui all good too ! Your latest fav Ruakaka not always available either as another weather bomb hit the area yesterday , more slips on the Bryderwyns and road closures during the day...that would have been fun for the Waikato horses travelling north. And many of the tracks you randomly spew out to sound knowledgable don't meet yor criteria.....How many horses trained at Westland ?

Polemics...thats a flash word, it hadn't reached Christ's College when I was there !

Maybe Chief you not noticing how bitter and angry you are getting toward me and your continued reference to the Messara report which myself and most level -headed students and participants of the NZ racing scene thought was very much needed . Too much personal interest , conflicted interests and lack of collaboration and escalating Admin had basically 'bankrupted' NZ racing. NZ racing was bankrupt , could not pay its bills .....insolvent. The Messara report ,tho not perfect , told a lot home-truths and made suggestions to get things back on track ,for a while at least cos the two main pillars of NZ Racing ,the owners and the punter could still enjoy their interests in racing over the ditch ....in fact punters were much better off betting into bigger pools with bigger divis and more races were beamed in to their dining rooms by the week. The main take out of the Messara report other than confirming that NZ racing was unsustainable in its current format .....it couldn't pay its bills and with owners returns around 25% that unlikely to be tolerated much longer....was that NZ's infrastructure was also on its last legs particularly with the actual track surfaces were stuffed . He said there was NOT one decent track surface in NZ..........and hasn't that proved correct as poor preparation ,maintenance and upgrading failures had proven Messara 100% correct. Add the worsening weather patterns , and stricter H & S protocols has made this even more profound. Other infrastructure , like buildings , accessories ,facilities etc were also below minimum levels ...........tho Racing largely now a TV sport still has many meetings where crowds are expected ,encouraged and an important ingredient in the sports sustainability. Group Racedays , Iconic racedays and Holiday and some weekend meetings. The examples you give ....Westland ,Avondale ,Levin and Foxton are infantile examples of you trying to score points and show how clever you are.....one never proves their cleverness by denigrating another person.......there is nothing so common in life as unsuccessful men with talent ,the world is full of educated derelicts ! Westland , a cost accountant would note this as immaterial. Avondale ....the facilities fall way below minimum standards and as this weeks trials proved ,like most NZ tracks it turns to a bog in winter once the rain comes. And better suited as a housing and community facillity in a big sprawling city.A disgrace ! Levin ....for whatever reason hasn't held racedays for many years , but has good equity and holds monthly successful trials.Seems to stay current and could still become part of future. Foxton...trials centre also , apparently refused to upgrade facilities so self inflicted status. Could be part of future tho the location does have 'water table' issue so prone to flooding and you conveniently overlooked recent postponed trials there. Attitude is everything in life and a better attitude and more collaboration from some of these closed and red stickered clubs/courses would have seen a far better outcome.Some don't even support or work in with neighbours etc Messara could not have foreseen the ineptness of the Track upgrades that he triggered. Te Aroha , Hastings Awapuni , Pukekohe and the big one Ellerslie. And don't you all just love putting the boot into Ellerslie.Who would have known that they would experiment with a first ever 'new' version of the Strathayr track system then rushed into use before it even 'complete'.But potentially a great facility with financial viabilty and essential for NZ's racing . Can't wait for reopen...Yes ! So as I sit here waiting to watch some 'day' Rugby and Aussie racing [ alot on non-turf tracks] ......no regrets the NZ racing on winter bog tracks where they head for outside fence canned...I compare with the old days where Winter racing on bogs was largely miserable saved by the Iconic NZ jumpers and NZ harness was postponed for close to two months . My preferred code ,Harness races right thru the year now cos they have decent all-weather tracks but they let things deteriorate before they reacted. Sound familiar ? Harness needed a Messara years ago cos they unlikely to recover. OK in Canterbury where still part of DNA. Some posters ...the tight five and the Chief himself will bang on with the usual same ole same ole and personal insults but these are just my opinions from years of participating and personal opinion. I know many will disagree , thats OK. As an owner I an affected by these postponements and stuffups. I pay training bills and also travel to meetings. Its an expensive hobby .I have learned some lessons over the years other than the fact that nothing is as common as unsuccessful men wth talent. Racing is an expensive hobby , breeding even more so .....both horses and humans ! No more breeding for me ! After my latest dabble into jumping horses ,I probably wont do it again. NZ weather is getting worse in its extremes ,water more like to hang around ,travelling to winter meetings now largely a no-no ,I study forecasts tho fog an issue. Kiwis like jumpers..on TV....but not betting on them . I OK with my horses racing on the Synthetic. I chose my trainers in the horse-areas where good training facilities and minimum travel for them. Rugby about to kick off...and can't wait for Olympics. Rugby ,like racing has money problems too ,also largely a TV sport and too slow to change. Also perception issues . And used to be well run by Volunteers , or so we thought. Their surfaces improved. An outsider /RWC changed that. Thanks for reading !

The timely ,significant and much needed Messara report looked at the overall situation and made calls that should have been made decades ago. Couldn't allow for every eventuality but those where the overall infrastructure was not sustainable into the future missed the cut. Some survived for trials and jumpouts and cos of tenacity of locals. A few minor hitches along the way were always likely and it has given the industry watchdogs ,official and otherwise something to bang on about . Without the sideshow and aftermath of a few abandonments what else would there be to talk about ? Every one-horse town can't sustain a racetrack .

As in business ,sport , politics etc leaders will pick on the slightest crumb of 'good news' and try to make a meal out of it. Smoke and mirrors...accentuate the positive. As pointed out the recent new Friday night Harness hooplah was able to throw up a 2% increase...the emphasis on INCREASE. Drill down and it really was nothing and most likely a decline.....the alternative would be to say it was a slight decline but really we were expecting a much larger decrease. So a win ! Obviously employees and those close to action can't speak out against their leaders and the few journalists remaining have to stay onside and Club members etc largely 'sheep' who stay in the flock and follow on like good boy scouts ! We will all plunge over the cliff together !

Oh no...Hastings jumpouts planned for today are not going ahead ! But lucky 123 horses went around in Jumpouts at Levin on Tuesday ! Plenty of youngsters being educated !

Probably ...Riding Shotgun.......you're most welcome !

Of course Alexandra Park recently was upgraded back up to a 'Premier' track , presumably by Entain ,as HRNZ demoted it from this status last year and stuck them on many Thursdays ! It therefore in the immediate future will continue to run Group 1 and elite races...at night under the ribbon. In a recent "Campbells Comments' interview the ATC President was defiant saying ATC contribute a lot to their stakes and he expects a bigger handout from HRNZ cos NZMetro gets much significantly more for its Derby and Oaks races than the ATC. And he pointed out that Auckland region has the biggest sponsors ,the biggest breeders , the biggest and best this and the best that ...on historical results obviously Entain thinks it has the biggest potential. It certainly gone to a low base currently.