TAB For Ever

Certainly the Anderton clan has been the 'colossus' in that Otago region which seems to have let their other strengths and personalities drift away. But "BJ" has stood tall as a jockey, trainer , committee man , track preparer etc thats apart from his iconic and very successful stud White Robe . More than anybody ,ever ...BJ has kept the region afloat . Hopefully some family can keep it going !

Why do you bang on about this Chief ? The Trials calendar is being changed all the the time....in summer months The North averages 3 x trials a month and the CD and South about 1 each. Generally there is plenty of racing then as these abandoned meetings and changes occur , they tend to tweak the Trials too ! Tomorrow's Foxton trials was originally down for last Tuesday but they thought it better advanced to tomorrow. Maybe they saw KMyers had about 20 horses at the Caslepoint Beach races last Saturday as he readies his team for autumn.winter racing ! Last week they moved the Matamata trials to Cambridge Synthetic on Tuesday ,from memory there were about 77 horses incl 20 2 yr old. Plus 7 x elite horses like Legarto and Mustang Vally trialled before Matamata races.. Surprised they got 31 entries for tomorrow when Taupo next week was widely talked of as next trials. Obviously in summer Trainers prefer the grass tracks , especially as many either looking for a good sale overseas for $$$$ or wanting a clear assessment of their late 2 yr olds ability. Nothing devalues faster than a slow well bred 2 yr old. Change , as expected , is slow among many trainers thinking . As a part owner I follow with interest the success that synthetic trial horses and race winners are having on premier days in North . I also noted attitudes before the synthetic tracks even opened. Many agin them and basically just fearful of change and fake news about injuries etc.Messara noted the slow acceptance expected . Once winter approaches the synthetic tracks will again prove their worth ......after all thats why they were built . Maybe bang on about their value in winter ,as intended ,rather than summer negativity. We in the middle of Northern Cup week and the Synthetic bouncers have been proving their worth .James ,Forsman ,Marsh , Wood etc etc have one on their doorstep !

Indeed they no Il Tempo or Castletown or Apollo Eleven but a lot of 'average' stayers from smaller stables have won the race over the years ! The odd Hurdler and West Coast winner too !

I watched that race on TV ,and thought it was well ridden ...it was a bit slow but was allowed to relax and run its own pace at rear then improve comfortably around final bend. Tho travelling well it could have turned ugly cos it wanted to run in , and in fact seemed to inconvenience [a little]4 or 5 others in the stretch. But it going too well ! Could have been a Derby with a difference...a demolition Derby ! Commentator said it was backed for a 'stack' so obviously a nice horse !

Indeed , have these 'extra incentive ' stakes encouraged you to get involved /more involved in Horse ownership. It seems like the horse was bought off gavelhouse for $2,000 as a yearling !

The big 3200m race next week.Going by nominations it looks like an even capacity field with several chances. Possibly 3 x past winners will line up.....Uareastar , Ocean Billy and Roger That. As well as those three , previous winning trainers who have won the event include Lance O'Sullivan , Bruce Wallace ,Debbie Sweeney,Alan Sharrock and Bill Thurlow. A winning jockey Grant Cooksley likely to be a co-trainer.. Wellington Cup winners Mary Louise and Waisake are likely starters ditto 2023 NZ Cup winner Mahrajaan. Should be another great days racing at Ellerslie...Fields out Wednesday

Orchestral , indeed a very special filly . Looked the standout , was ridden out of trouble and like the best horse in field and won easy. The Owner and his big family on course looked very pleased and very generous in his praise of his triners ,their foreperson and jockey. And glowing toward the track...... They , horse and connections ,have raced 3 x times on the new track won by a total of nearly 12 lengths and won $795k , $100k and yesterdays $600k. Total $1.495 mil. Her 3 yr old year commenced with a nice trial, second to Matter of Honour on the Cambridge Synthetic track in August 2023.Cambridge trialists and race winners have really been showing up of late .

My picks.. R! Chariots...Ferocious Frankie & Dont Stop Dreaming R2 Better Eclipse & Mach Dan R3 Ladies in Red & Rock N Roll Doo. Good luck

I'll get my entry in a a few days... I'd be lost / finished without the 'Last minute'.

One could possibly look at it from that angle....I prefer the other angle that he helped keep patching up a sick industry and kept it going. His top of the south area often had someone sitting at the top table of HRNZ so they definitely had imput. The Industry's issue go back many years and in a small country of like NZ and the attitudinal changes toward gambling , the rising cost of living etc ,etc ,etc etc....all been discussed a zillion tines little wonder foal numbers and the farmers who ran a few horses plus interest in general has slumped ! Recently I researched a couple of those Torle / Torpi horses and there were dozens of them bred . One...Torni ,had 59 starts for NO placings...the only stakes it won were a $150 for a 4th and $87 for 5th's and a few $35-$40 ones for turning up at NZ Met. Total stakes $532. Resilient folk back then ! Times have changed...of course the Volunteers gone from Admin so Bureaucracy takes a lot of money out but that can't change much . Selling a bit of land and building a 'slush fund' like the ATC tried and it's Members largely agreed was one way to stop the rot .....that ended badly ,now selling horses to Australia is the thing keeping many afloat as it has for years. Even Rugby seems to be losing ground , propped up by overseas money and in Cricket the money now with the players ......its a changing world Chief. Even when you are on the right track , you can still get run over if you don't keep moving !

Every time I see these 'leading' industry participants win a decent race I am reminded how thankful we should be that the 'common Kiwis' are propping up and contributing so much to the Industry which many on here claim they love ! The quick sand crowd and keyboard snipers point out every move these guys make with a negative spin and seem to suggest they are getting richer by the minute in Racing. To me these guys served long apprenticeships as battlers ,made money from working hard, good investments etc and now pour millions into their hobby , Racing .I doubt if any make money out of Racing . And they employ and assist hundreds in Racing . Hanger Lindsay used to borrow $2 for lunch as he made Coat hangers in a small shed..... then he developed a World renowned plastics company , and was in a position to assure that NZ's Iconic Cambridge Stud remained owned in NZ. The Nakhles were a Immigrant family ,who worked in factories and restaurants etc to survive in NZ. Their family is very highly regarded in the Community thriving in Charity work and they built Byleley Park to enhance NZ Racing. David Ellis worked 3 x jobs as a youngster to get into a position to buy Farmland which was always his goal....his love of animals escalated to include Gallopers. Etc, etc.....but so easy for jealousy and envy to cloud our thoughts and keyboard offerings ! Naturally we would all like to have more money , assets etc but in an earlier era none of these folks were just handed it.A very successful NZ trainer told me last month how hard he found it to start and early on after some success he went almost 12 months without a win ,and he and wife were grinding it out with the horses ,struggling with owners and bills until ONE good horse was developed and the resulting huge sale paid their mortgage etc and they never looked back ! We rubbish the successful people [ Tall poppy ] yet when a 'little guy' has success if he hangs on to the horse long enough to make the headlines ,he gets it almost worse! ie before a Sale...most winners in NZ are hit with offers , many too good to refuse . Remember Sir Slick...these pages were riddled with negativity towards the small trainer ! Didn't have a clue you said ! And before that Showgate....they still talking about incompetence from nearly 50 years ago. So maybe we should concentrate on the things we are responsible for and control and think twice before putting the boot into these good folk who contribute so much to racing ! Afterall IMO they are good 'common' Kiwis who with a great work ethic and attitude have accumulated a bit wealth on the side which they happily share with others !

Michael , IMO ,is a vastly experienced Harness participant from the Top of the South. As a breeder ,trainer , driver, Administrator , Fund raiser he has a lot of knowledge of the Industry's workings. I'm unsure why the Chief is so grumpy with him !

I never heard of trainers Cecil , Stoute , Cumani ,Hean or Harwood. Are/were they North Island or South Island ?

Not really Inga the winger ! Just adding to the thread with something I read ,on Friday with a lot of interest . The summer hard and fast tracks are discouraged because if there is drizzle on day they become slippery and risk abandonment. And NZ's weather getting more erratic year on year ! Plus 'rock hard' tracks not so kind on the horse and most trainers not in favour ! Calling the race a farce a bit excessive.......all week the track had been rated as slow from what I can recall.

Hindsight is great but $2.20 is very short in what was a very good field PLUS the track was watered during week and some rain was expected on the day. Mick Guerin has been writing some excellent previews of late and he talked about the track and based his preview on the chances of Puntura and gun trainer Robbie Patterson. They both liked Puntura's chances ! Patterson told him Otaki waters a lot and the track tends to hold the water , plus horses come out to middle of track in straight. He clearly stated the track holds its water hence the summer track has 'give' in it.' IMO summed it up well. Patterson said in R5 The Underbelly would win...it won by 4L and paid $2.30. But his best bet of the day was R9 The Hottie.......it won well and paid $3.20. The mare , La Crique , is no mug ,she is a genuine Group 1 horse. Ran 2nd in Derby last year and 4th in Group 1 mares race in Aussie. No mug !

On actions so far you can assume Entain will be exploring all opportunities to increase wagering and make lapsed customers and disgruntled folk such as yourself keen to increase their enthusiasm ! Have you personally approached Entain Boss Dean for bit of a YARN. I've seen him at the Trots a few times in the past month. Seems decent and approachable. As for buying current horses who are racing....many on the tracks now have little or no chance of paying their way or winning more than ONE race.Best to be patient and get these well bred horses with top trainers so the journey from cradle to grave can be followed .Little point in paying overs for a plodder . These yearlings have the chance of being the next Lazarus or Winx. Who is going to sell or lease a good horse in form to 'star' in other peoples ownership/control?

Pretty much correct. But there are 4 x Harness and I think 8 x gallopers. Imagine at least half of them qualify and get to races......say 6 or 7 horses . Say several thousand sign up for each horse , then that horse will have an army of followers when it races. No idea how many Account holders who sign up will be drawn out to be a raceday owner each start with the chance to enjoy the day of races and win a share of any Stakes won. I think it has possibilities ...a very good promotion IMO ! Micro- ownership for a very small investment is becoming quite popular ! Anyone can get a share in a Horse for peanuts and no surprise bills. These ones are Free !

And on wooden floors in the Gym.......actually the Racing /rugby /Sport comparison is a good one and worthy of a separate thread. As I played ,Coached and refereed Rugby to a reasonable level I just the person to start it. If tonights Cricket gets a bit slow I'll start a bit of A Yarn !

But gradually getting closer and with more co-operation , good weather and bit of money we should be well set up for the future. It was never going to be a 5 min job ! But the moaners will keep on moaning , so set an example Chief ,cheer up !

A good background story there WALT.....a bit of Clint Eastwood mannerism aye ? I thought I'd sorted the name....WALT..the sinister evil scientist ftom Breaking Bad , and I think his nic name was Heisenberg the subject and beneficiary of your team driving allegation tonight. Sorry you been shafted in past by TAB but bit of a stretch to blame that totally on your dislike of my comments ,posts etc You were really sticking it up me ,I been eating razor blades for a few days before offering a reply. One thing that did amuse me was your use of the word OBSEQUIOUS ...i think you used it 3 x times ,this is a Racing Chat site on the internet. Seems you have decided to go 'softer' on me . My Username wont change ....I think I conjured it up pre-Covid ,when TAB was basically Insolvent and many Keyboard warriors couldn't seem to understand that the TAB wagering profits were necessary for stakes hence races to continue.Many seemed to think there was an endless moneytree from the govmint ! I was a reader not a poster ! I only began posting a couple of months back as I inspired by the re-opening of Ellerslie and Entains introduction ,I felt a real buzz about and even took a couple of small shares in some gallopers .Over the years I have see-sawed between Gallops and Harness, Really enjoyed Cup week as I always do plus had trip to Flemington and Vic Harness as well in October. Always been a small but regular punter...had a day off , out of contact on Saturday so missed the TAB breakdown. My best divis over the year were when Pick 6 's were new and with decent pools .Some good divis ,but recent years become one of the 95% who lose ! Talk of GD Shand stirred some memories as he was my Dad's favourite horseman ,bar none.My father took me to the Wellington Cup and many other meetings [from the South Island] from a young age. Many of our neighbours/friends growing up were fully involved in racing as Owners,Trainers,Jockeys .

Build a bridge Chief , Ellerslie will become a brilliant asset ...it already NZ's only international track. Pukekohe was rated 2nd best track in NZ last year. Avondale a disgrace of a facility ....needs to be forgotten about...if any sale proceeds go toward Waikato Greenfields it would be brilliant but even if not ,Waikato should go ahead ASAP.

Yep, read it.....on page 51 he wrote....currently ,at time of report ,NZ does not have one track with a high quality racing surface !

Rubbish Doomed ,overall his report was well received ,necessary and gave the NZ Racing scene a wake-up call. As he said opposition arguments are dynamics of an earlier era ! And not helped by the inability of NZ Clubs to work together and agree on a path forward !

When the conditions too bad The AllBlacks and many of the World's Top sports teams play on artificial surfaces. Synthetic tracks are made for horse racing.....most days around the World there are more horse races held on clay ,poly , synthetic , dirt tracks than grass tacks. Get with the program.........

That split the difference rort has been going on for decades at Horse Auctions......the rumour goes ! So when this happens the Owner [s] who agrees to race the horse or join the syndicate are the ones paying overs. Ultimately ,the word gets around as most don't like it so the 'shifty' trainer loses reputation.And the owner is lost....unsure if $2 mill buyer of Sunline yearling has been back too often Horse dealing has a lot of questionable parts to it. As a tiny breeder I never lucked it at an auction , failing to even make the Stallion fee on most ! When buying you try to check things out like XRays etc and you have an idea of a fair price ! Many syndicate buyers have a Budget prior to bidding and stick to it. Often the real cost of owning a horse are the ongoing running costs .IME