TAB For Ever

Exactly , when those in charge are presented with well reasoned ,factual approaches they invariably adjust the schedule. As stated by me....'Alterations were made recently to the Northern schedule'.

Clearly you think wrong Doomed , not like you to be off the pace ! Nowhere did he make any point as you suggest ! He clearly , in oversize print put out a NZTR heading ,knowing and inviting the 'tight five' to appear like hungry dogs to feast in some negative comments. Good to see you obliged after a 'quiet' weekend . Dunno if you realise but the trials schedule is written up well in advance , at least till August 1 2025. If the dates not gonna be used then why don't the Trainers Assoc put their spoke in. Alterations were recently made to the Northern schedule. Why do some folk prefer to cry than create ?

Not really....recent Avondale trials cancelled thru lack of grass , while Foxton also had a cancellation thru lack of entries . Ellerslie has over 24 heats tomorrow with over 120 horses while Foxton has some too. Plenty of Clubs incl Levin and Cambridge been having well attended Jumpouts of late.

Exactly Chief , I think you and I can see and understand a lot of 'magical' things that happen in this business/hobby ., so need not to be distracted by others negative and cynical thoughts. Look for the good in people ...not faults !😀😀

Pointless indeed.....rumour is mikeynz lives in a cave in the backblocks of Southland , out of sight and out of touch ! Was given some slack as some thought he may be the experienced top trainer from Christchurch , Bet on Red or the former high profile Harness Mikey from Blenheim but....... Anyway he needs to get with the program from his cave ,cos as mentioned numerous times he doesn't really care or follow racing/sport much now it off radio...... Many have the population of Auckland wrong...it now 1.8 million But 20% less than 15 and 20% 0ver 65 with little cash and 10% 15-20 years with no income , that leaves 900,000. On Saturday 300,000 were working , 100,000 at Sport[ 896 folk went to the Blues v Brumbies Friday ] 100,000 at a Mall/Shopping , 300,000 immigrants with no interest in Horses and no disposable Income , 150,000 at the many other high profile events eg Pasifica, Music events and Boat show. That leaves 5,000 to attend Ellerslie from Auckland the other 5,000 plus came from Waikato and around NZ/Australia who attended the terrific race day making it an outstanding event. The numbers still being confirmed but Hospitality likely to be a record and ditto betting ,at least for recent times.....keep in mind the top 2% of punters did 56% of the betting total when I last looked ! Aucklands ethnic split sees NZ Europeans at 57% . Shame we didnt allow more puntingmad Australians in but sadly their long criminal records halt them at the border. The 28% Asian are not those that dominate Hong Kong and Cricket . Our Maori and Pacifica folk total 27% but they prefer sport and the Pokies it seems .Aucklanders lose $312 million a year on the Pokies yet only $82m returns to Auckland ,the rest they gleefully give away to the rest of NZ to strengthen their sports teams etc. 47% of Pokies venues in Auckland are in areas of high or very high deprivation...sad. When Harness Jewels [Ashburton] started the $1 million stakes for day came from South Auckland pokies .....very sad !

Check the label....that drink was fuel for the generator to light your cave !

While I don't know David Ellis and only ever spoken to him once when I commended him on the care and knowledge of one of his young male strappers , I think we/you gotta admire him for his contribution to NZ racing. IMO his speech on Saturday was outstanding and it was very noticeable that many patrons there were listening and making applause .A hint that many there were there taking things in and not reverting to bars and screens ! In particularly he thanked his key staff who organise the horses so well but made special mention to all those that start their jobs at 3.30am daily to keep the machine going. He also pointed out the professionalism of the jockey Blake Shinn for being so thorough in his study of both his mount and the opposition.A few months back that stable also had Craig Williams riding and again noted the absolute professionalism of that jockey which even included getting a personal set of colours made so he felt 100% comfortable !

What would I learn ? I already know that club is one of the best organised Country Clubs and they run a couple of good iconic picnic meetings a year ,on Public holidays when people in the big catchment area of Wellington and the CD have nothing else to do . Fantastic , they do advertise Coco the clown and plenty of entertainment for the kids etc. Less than an hour drive from Wellington and must be within 90 mins of many towns with a racing interest. To me its like the Sahara desert , I know where it is but never been there nor do I desire to go there. I understand it did have a bad rap for years [ the town] with above average 'bad' stuff but now has become more trendy. I've done plenty of country meetings in the hot sun ...my favourite would be Omakau ..... done plenty but now I much prefer more comfort , less temporary stuff .long queues and mobile loos ......and slow horses ,and often very small fields ! Jan 2 often dire ! I attend race horse meetings for the horses....won some Country cups and grass track stuff at harness...but much prefer decent races. That Jan 2 meeting has 4 -6 Harness races ,and I won some there so the cross-code meeting appeals a little.But give me Cup week [incl average Ashburton trots] and the comfort of Ellerslie. Facilities don't quite match Flemington but ATC is trying, is pretty good and Saturday IMO was a great raceday , enjoyed by many ! I get the feeling you love those Tauherenilkau [sp] meetings and you miss the vibes of pre 2014 Ellerslie and don't like CWeaver but this is 2025 and CWeaver must have left about 2013. Build a bridge !

That level is not open....I would need to check but I assume it cos it not upgraded /renovated with the other levels a few years ago ,AND maybe leased to outside firms as office workspace. The few there have some how accessed it thru those areas or found a path down from the very nice and spectacular viewing Members area on higher level. I heard it was chokka on Saturday The most popular viewing area is the first level which has rooms on two levels running on to it...it was chokka during races .All the rooms leading into it are very comfortable rooms with nice facilities , betting ,bars and toilets. Some are for 'private' functions . I watched many of the races from that area......as well as 3 x from Public stand which in my opinion is great viewing tho a lot can happen in that last 150m of the race. The club needs a 'huge' screen to assist here ...IMO the 3 x smaller screens should be better ,ditto the sound system down along the straight. To cope with the bigger numbers there are marquees on the hill past the post for larger groups like the TAB and the slot owners on Saturday. I usually check out all the facilities on big race days...out of interest ...but on Saturday it was harder to get around...comfortably in excess of 10,000 which is a good crowd these days and rarely reached.Another room I didnt visit was the old Tote facility a great room by the saddling stalls and area where horses can be viewed pre-race. In the public stand , virtually every seat was taken during Cup. BGP are on the higher level. I can confidently say it was the biggest crowd...easily...since covid. Members car park was FULL one hour before first race.The place looked great ,the gardens etc and a lot of extra little features for the observant....shoeshine , free Caps ,coloured jelly beans ,An informative racebook , a civilised crowd ! If Wingatui crowd matched the above the previous week I will eat my hat and run around the Wingatui block....Factory ,Wingatui and Gladstone Roads in my 'g - string'. Negative comments are welcome re this post , but please remember....its just one persons opinion and pessimism is for liteweights !

Don't Stop Dreaming Gamma !

The crowd was awesome ...in all aspects ! Probably could have fitted an extra 1000 in the public area but overall it was perfect for all those who preferred it to watch the races live as opposed to the screens inside which some prefer.....I travelled a bit of territory to check most areas out PLUS made a lot of walks back to the ticket sellers to collect my winnings ! I should fall in line and use my phone ! AS to BGP.....a very successful day and once again their weekly picks were excellent with 50% winners ......outstanding.And that spread out over 3x meetings including Coast harness[Friday]. Throw in the fact that Des Coppins has banged on about Trav for weeks and it wasn't hard to keep ahead of them. Track gets better every meeting , winners from everywhere and the usual trainers and jockeys to the fore ! Outstanding racing and day out at Ellerslie !

In your rush tomput a negative spin on everything NZ Racing you don't seem to understand the concept. But I guess it NZ's first galloping slot race...Big Dave was the slot holder for the Te Akau synd horse ,therefore he was the 'owner' for that race...hence he the winning owner as well as running the syndicate that owns the horse ! He seems to be a huge contributor to NZ racing !

I used to have a car like that ! ps..it actually less if you close to an on-ramp for Southern Motorway !Hobson or Symonds St

Yes possums so much happening in Auckland this weekend.....but with so much on and the cone boys never resting , you need to add a bit of travel time. Not only is NZ's most impressive ,amazing race day happening at NZ's only International racecourse but there is a ton of other stuff on too to suit all budgets.....much of it free too! And something for everyone so the missus or family has NO reason to keep you away from Champions Day , which gotta be the greatest day ever ..and only 8 min drive from CBD. Get up up here on Friday , Southerners can leave their raincoats and winter woolies behind. Auckland Arts Festival getting into full swing....SIX the Musical is 90 min great entertainment while Tammy Neilson among many others has shows on ,plus so much live music around the City ,much of it free. Friday night cross code Racing fans can attend Alexandra Park ,no bookings necessary..free parking ,free race book and free water supplied ! A few mins away the Blues Rugby team will be trying to show why they the current Super Champs. Come Saturday and so much on ...add travel time ..the Pasifica Festival usually huge and these events go into Sunday. For the kids ,there plenty happening.....a great Zoo and a some kids stuff at the races too....kids karts on display at trots , and free entertainment at Champions Day. The missus needs to enter the Fashion event while Dad joins the BGP room and competes in free picking Comp with huge cash prizes . Free shoe shine and comfortable seating wherever you on course. The afterparty at Ellerslie gonna be something special ! Great music and DJ's. If this South Islander can enjoy it you can too....gumboots and jandals OK in public stand with great viewing but if you want to mix in with the Jaffas try to bring a little decorum....and leave the envy and cynicism at the gates. Warning..Parking at a premium ,and bet sensibly !

Why are you so fukkin stupid ? Please answer that !

Dunno where you drum up your figures and doubt they accurate ,as you seem in such a rush to point out something negative. Didn't the Rangiora race have a full field of some near-Cup class horses competing for Rangiora's main race of the year while the other two races were pretty much weekly 'run of the mill events with 5 or 6 starters . Where and why do you dig up this shit.....both races probably run at a loss . But the owners/trainers get paid ! Why do you worry about this ...have you any skin in the game ? Your numbers often wrong.....FYI I have a friend who had a single $5k bet in at least one of the Addington races ...and it won @ skinny odds . The TAB had a great weekend...made heaps.....one of best weekends in Sport betting ever. The Warriors got smashed by big score and other Sports events very profitable for TAB. Dunno who died and made you Chief of the Tote and programming police !

Nah , just another fun element to get people on course.......otherwise we'd all just stay at home and watch the tele and look for faults in the presenters and revert to the keyboard. Expecting folk to pay over $200 for 15 min of horses running in a circle while spending over 10 hours out and about just doesn't cut it ,even with a bit of music to look forward to ! Years of watching boring horse races causes anti- social behaviour , cynicism and severe depression leading people to revert to anonymous abuse on-line......in other words it ducks ya !

Exactly.........,.Derby , Cup , Group 1's , Aussie horses , Aussie jockeys ......gotta be the best day of your life ! Best 'value' definitely looks to be a ticket in the BGP room where you can mix with racing people from all over NZ.....sure the price gone up to $195 in past week but with lunch , a few drinks , comfortable surroundings with the added twist of winning some Cash in the picking contest . Pick one horse in each race and the most points earned picks up $10 k Cash, $2500 for second and $2500 Bonus bet for 3rd. Plenty of stuff happening over the weekend to make it memorable ! The price seems very comparable to many of the popular hospitality spots at Wingatui today....in a tent at ground level , some cheap champagne and a snack for $250 per head !

RIP Big Mike .....very popular , friendly person and successful trainer. Thoughts go out to his family and friends. I was lucky enough to meet him at his Stable day just last Cup week in Melbourne.

Me thinks his first two words were a friendly greeting ......Kia Ora Tatou . ' Hello Everyone ' Came out Koro Tata !

Pretty much agree...racing now seen as a televised sport and people now find a day at the races too boring and their time/money spent better elsewhere. Ellerslie does well on the 'big days' when much of the hospitality is sold out. Certainly more money made in the food and beverage than in the on course betting. PLus with 20 plus meetings a year , cant go back to the well every couple of weeks .Flemington makes most of its money in Cup week. The bigger crowds are generally around iconic meetings[ Kumara] and traditional holiday dates [Tauherenikau ].......give us your list and over next few weeks I'll take a peak at their key numbers. The Grand Tour numbers have been good , with the gate charge being paid by young folk for a day out at the races followed by well known musicians performing ! Certainly Grand Tour events I've witnessed have seemed successful , particularly NZ Cup day at Riccarton , a couple at Ellerslie and one at Pukekohe .. Christmas at the Races and Summer Racing are two successful promotions which seem to have stood the test of time ! Anyway ,please list the Clubs that attract the large crowds .

Well Murray , first you hurt my feelings , then you double down on your bullyboy comments then you welcome a confrontation and some sort of debate ! What the hell on ? I was trying to be polite with my choice of word....tosser . Are you gonna prove to others on here your superiority in what field ? Or is yours bigger than mine ? etc ....You appear to have returned to live in Dunedin , seems very odd at your age .I assume you not a scarfie . Most people join the 3 x best things to come out of Dunedin ASAP. 1] The road to Christchurch 2] the road to Central Otago [Cromwell , Clyde ans Wanaka] or even 3] The road to Invercargill. You move there ...ha,ha Racing almost completely lost its soul and participants in Dunedin and surrounds .If the Andertons and Kennedys left there would be ZERO Racing. Harness training ceased and Forbury Park closed , and most of the galloping fraternity left too. Doomed can explain that Wingatui only survives thru favourtism. what else can you debate and bully me on ! Career and work. You claim to have 100,000 horse photos. I have 6 , but they all Group 1's plus 150 at the beach and 150 travel ! And the photographers I know are mainly wimps who couldn't pull a sailor off their sister who hang around race meetings with their hand on it ...the clicker. And they have the personality of postage stamps or worse still dead fish ! I guess Tom Llloyd rode a 100cc motor bike and drunk gin , and Taylor Strong doubled up on print ,ditto Jack Morris who trained a bit. I even did a bit of stuff for a few papers so picked a few more winners than you ! So dunno how you gonna confront me....you keyboard warrior you ! Dreams are free....I realise Cherry farm closed in 1990's but did Ashburn Hall take you back to Dunedin ?

As a regular attendee ,this often a good option. Afterall Racing now mainly a televised sport , and you see more and hear more watching on TV. The marketers are convinced that attracting new and younger people to Racing at least starts with the on-course experience which is enhanced with hospitality options , gimmicks and music/bands !

The aftermath......such a great weekend for NZ Racing ! And Too Darn Hot here at present. Reading story about Dunedin man who tore head off seagull....used to be nice people down that way !

Whoever is second is a long way behind !