TAB For Ever

Greg O'Connor picks 6 ,2 , 8 & 3. Mick Guerin seems to favour 6 over 2. I'll go 6, 2, 8 & 9. Mark Purdon stepping back so some of X-factor may decline in the months ahead !

Loose indeed.....an open side 'flunker' 😀

Not fab five...tight five ! Used in rugby to describe the engine room /workers in the scrum , it a generic term used in boards,committees on Councils and in Sports Clubs where a group of 4 , 5 or 6 folk basically dominate and control the direction and decision making. They thick as thieves and usually vote the same. Inevitably the others see this and take umbrage and it leads to a stalemate and little can get done. The NZ Racing Conference used to be like this back in the day.....Early on the CD had a lot of say but as things drifted North the clubs simply stuck together and decision making became difficult. Also a reason why Boards etc choose 'new' members who will support the 'tight five'.

This last 'contribution' has just been announced ...the actual mechanics haven't. And I try to concentrate on things I am responsible and things I can't control. Shortland St , the weather ,world politics , and the distribution of Betting profits and sponsorship etc are generally controlled by others , Racing by elected officials/employees who are audited by others making sure they doing their best. One things for certain they won't be pleasing everyone ...thats impossible !

No negative difference toward you Chief......you just banging on to please the 'natives'. It very apparent that in general , Racing chat sites are seen by readers/posters as a chance to complain...to point out an incorrect number on screen , a poor drive / ride . And to generally say aggressive things about other posters. Where else can you speak your mind , try to humiliate other humans and show how clever you are etc etc. You seem OK Chief ...you stuck out a 48 start Harness horse who only won once....you divulged this....so you must be a trooper. And quickly summing me up as a ex-Christ College , Cost accountant etc showed you to be very astute. But I don't know the 'big shots' and 'elite' racing folk...do they even exist ?.......if I have a concern I actually contact the person,President ,CEO personally and they usually always reply or give me time. Otherwise I'd just be banging on Ad infinitum about things which I have no control over .

Early starts and hard smelly work never deterred me Chief......I pay others to do this now. Plus being in Cambridge ,Pukekohe, Hastings ,Wanganui and Christchurch all at once is no easy task. And Winstone used the early wake up to shovel shit to impress 'non racing 'folk a few years back [ when advancing the Messara report😀 😀 But he used 4am wake up !

I asked some 'in the know' people about this and it seems there was a lot of BS around. I heard of one definite , and I knew of a few sctachy types going into the big race. Two horses mentioned on another channel were BS...one started the next week and Chad's winner headed off to Aussie to race !

Any reference to perving at the eye candy and /or the spectators at the "grand Tour' days is strictly tongue in cheek Chief. On Karaka Day I was on a walker with 'drip' attached. No ,not the type of Drip who frequent Karaka Days to see the brilliant horses and jockeys but a 'blood drip'.

I think you're worrying about things well outside your control and area of understanding. Just making up imaginary scenarios. It been well documented that its increasing costs which have deterred the small breeder. I dabbled a little with breeding to a commercial stallions with poor results. And I also have had a lot of experience with my horse syndicates racing a majority of Australian bred , UK bred and home bred horses so often unable to race in the Sales sweepstakes . There are still a lot of nice stakes available for ALL horses to run in . IMO the big-staked sweepstake races both here and in Australia are good for racing in general......my fellow syndicate members have never showed any bitterness of not being eligible for these races . NEVER ONCE . NZB would appear to be a NZ owned company and the Vela family have been outstanding contributors to NZ racing.

It not all about greed Chief.....when you get 12,000 people attending that rarely attend you have to think of the 'experience' Chief. Cup week in Chch the same on their two big days. Plus we can't bemoan the past ...it's gone !

I too part of the passionate ,hands on , contributing brotherhood. But I dropped the personal bias , bitterness and envy years ago . But will have to comment later as I only on day-release so got to make the most of it. Keep your chin up Chief , it not good when their is smoke coming out of your posts !

Actually you very wrong again Chief...get with the program.......I never had a drink or perved at the eye candy so no time to party. Too busy looking at the great NZ horses on display , plus a couple of Aussies ,watching the great Jockeys ,many world class and following the BGP bets and like most there enjoying a great day at races. Talked to a few trainers etc ....and I can say except for a comment from a beaten hot favourite trainer never heard ONE negative comment and also spoke to the trainer of one of the 'slippers'. The endless banging on ,repetition of the horrors of the day have mostly come from a few posters . Oh ,it was also a modern.....for several years........NZ race day betting record smashing the previous NZ Trot Cup day when 11 or 12 races run. But of course the betting margin would not cover the Stakes even tho Sweepstake and sponsorship ,big contributors. Here's hoping the day can be repeated in next few years....and I think the SOLD OUT sign went up as well at very comfortable crowd level. A great days racing !

Toss the line out Murray but I not biting ! You getting close I might add !

TT not only won Two Year Old of Year ,he bolted in ...75% of vote. Ulanova,Pignan, Trobiand ,Zourion shared losers votes . Have any of these even raced this season , other than Trobiand who won in South and placed there too in Spring.He got one vote of 60 ! And TT won fresh up as a 3 year old ,but don't let the facts get in the way of a good story. He been whipped a couple of times by Orchestral and friends so no disgrace there , I'd put those failures down to dodgy tracks ! HOY Shar'N' Smart hasn't won this season ....if the vote for 2023 done to today ,Imperatriz would bolt in ,hindsight really is an exact science ! And those awards have long been contentious and will continue to be ...remember Wahid/Darci Brahma and Just A Tad /Xcellent etc .

I'm sure you'll sniff this answer out and cast aspersions on the whole incentive/reward ... But NZB gets its money from breeders and owners and Entain gets its money from betting margin and losers like me ! So I guess I'll be contributing more than NZB. And my Grandmother loses at the TAB too ,so I guess she contributing some too ! Your 'tight five' posters predict doom and gloom for NZ racing 's immediate future so why you and them even worried about this and the Pattern etc

Slippery slope , you write a lot of sense. I just hope that the Chief doesn't take a dislike to you , or some of his 'tight-five' snipers from Galloping come after you !

What size should the hat be....a big hat would hold a lot more numbers than a very small hat ? Seriously though ....in view of the relative performances and form of the horses around him the handicap seems pretty fair...about dead right ! Had he received 1 x more point he would be quite harshly treated starting alongside Franco Indie .

From the 'glass half-full' team this announcement is encouraging. For those of us who invest in a slow horse at NZB Karaka sales there is another chance to recoup a little and maybe sweeten the taste a little after you realise your horse not only slow but unable to earn anywhere his purchase price and/or ongoing training fees. Currently $20k would pay about 5 x months training in North ! So by winning a non-Saturday maiden race with a horse 3 or older that is Karaka registered the owner picks up $20 k and the trainer $5 k.....40 x in advance advertised maidens. Good news all around.....Owners happy ,breeders happy , Trainers hopeful, Sales company [NZB] happy , a bit of excitement for the club hosting the event, should bring a bit of hype to an otherwise low key day etc, Punters will know the horses are really trying to win. Sounds pretty good....and locked in for 3 x years !

In recent months since Entain deal struck and agreed on....the MD of NZ Entain Cameron Rodger has been very open ,approachable and highly visible . Formerly he was high up in NZTAB so has the grounding. The TAB boss I think is quite new as a change made in 2023.

Indeed I drifted off the thread subject but for your benefit Chief.......educating you on The workings of NZTR and way the Board formulate the Strategies and Business Plan that the CEO works on. Cos you stuck up some Marketing plan and tried to score points by suggesting it was the Stategic Plan.....get with the program Chief .

Agreed ,they looking to find solutions to issues which emerged decades ago.

How has this affected you personally so deeply...... Many people disappointed in the performance of the new track ,but it should be able to be fixed...club members and those working on track especially disappointed ...and the spending of $55m of Clubs funds no laughing matter , nor the part -meeting abandonment . But the 'spin' to date has created a lot of positive 'noise' for the Industry. Gives other Clubs the chance to shine ,upgrade etc

Most find change difficult , new ideas and attitude come hard.Often fear of failure will prevent actions and advancing new things . Things are not always as bad or as difficult as they seem. Of course one should endeavour to do things perfect from day 1 ..but often

Pretty much sums up the situation .....well written indeed ! Currently Harness in the North looks in very bad shape , masked by the recent run of great Group racing and the GRINS races with big Aussie interest. Below that the lower class horses run for low stakes at Cambridge and ATC races are very hard to win with wide ratings bands and big gaps in ability. Hence horses are quickly sold once they reach their mark,costs appear to be higher in North too. Alarmingly too is the Clubs benefitting from these increased racing opportunities appear to be doing little to encourage extra horses to fill the fields ! They don't have the money to market themselves ,and seem reluctant to speculate in the hope of accumulating. Looks like its all up to Entain and they are calling the tunes ! Quite recently ATC were getting hammered by HRNZ cos of their lack performance....their standing in Christchurch was POOR . Less nights , more Thursdays , disadvantaged calendar...on the way out. Now ,thru Entain they are the great white hope. Can Harness overall be resuscitated by changes and more meetings......Harness in NZ despite its apparent success on a Sunday when betting competition restricted has overall been going backwards for years in betting figures. Entain is throwing a lot in Friday nights becoming bigger overall and ramping up interest in it . And putting more NZ Galloping on Sunday should increase their overall numbers on a Sunday. Harness will need to do their utmost to be noticed that day ...they have had pretty much a free ride on Sundays plus the TAB has had guaranteed First4's etc to increase Aussie interest. And the extra mid-week days will be hoping to keep the cash registers ticking away in the same way many greyhound venues have in recent times. Obviously with the greater population in North Entain hoping interest can be stimulated. Do people want to see Northern Harness crash and burn terminally.......overall would this be a good thing ? The Average age of top horseman would seem high ,the youngers ones could easily relocate.....Stonewall already has . The big studs in North ....business as usual. The shrinking pool of punters.....bet in South and Australia...business as usual. The staunch Northern fans will wake up one day , similar to many galloping areas in NZ , and ask 'what the hell happened there ?' ATC club members don't speak out and the clubs don't seem to work together. It all seems pretty obvious.

As you remind us...over and over again, and then some more. And as you roughly remind us too.......Rome wasn't built in a day ,plenty if time for fiddling ! Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first !