Davis

Sir Castleton

On the money, again, mate!

Agree mate. I cannot understand how trainers get away with this excuse, hit the cart. WTF? The horse and the gear should be perfect on race night. Trainers should not be using any old cart on a horse. Not good enough. I think they only time this excuse should be acceptable if there was a late change of cart required due to damage/flat tyre etc before start. Or possibly on a wet track? I wonder what would happen in the U.S. or Europe if a horse was hitting the cart? I guarantee action would be more severe than here. Horses should be ready to go on race day, if they are not, don't race them.

Thanks mate. It's a great meeting with excellent fields that put Addington to shame. Majestic Cruiser can win, extra trip will help him. The Rising Sun what a field? Don't know who will win that but you know who I'll be backing. I'll be disappointed if Captain Crusader performs below par but I'm confident he will go a good race. He loves Queensland. I think his odds will be better this week too. I am definitely coming over for the 2023 carnival mate.

You sound a bit down mate. It was a good race. Firefox what gate speed, you can see why he dominates at Menangle. Spirit of St Louis, Trevor Casey has another cracker horse, he got the run but still had to work to win. Majestic Cruiser went good, held up in straight. He'll keep. Ex-Kiwis LLCoolJ, Star Galleria and AJ Whitecocks poor.

Thanks Gamma, mate. The Brisbane carnival is taking off and being targeted by top stables. Sad, no NZ stables this year, but Amazing Dream conquered them and took home most of the stakes last year so give the locals a turn this year! It would be worth visiting Brisbane during the carnival, great harness and sun. Next year, I'll be there mate!

Why do people persist with slow horses like this mate? Lunacy!!

Don't blame me mate. I never voted for her and never would. Never voted for Dalziel either. Both selfserving and speak with forked tongue. In the case of Dalziel, corrupt too. We have two people to thank for the disaster that New Zealand will face in 2024 and beyond. It will be sad and tough time for many New Zealanders who have never lived through or seen a recession. They are in for a shock and rude wake up call! Those two people: The weasel charlatan Winston Peters and the loathsome Angry Little who stood down in favour of St Ardern because he was so unpopular and unelectable. Little is a dumb as a slug but very dangerous. He and Peters have ruined NZ.

You don't expect anything else from Mr Clark mate! Hopeless. How he has a license to drive I do not know. The filly is ok and could win three or four with a decent driver. The filly needs someone like Sarah O'Reilly to drive it regularly, then it would win and also be more consistent. Perhaps training could be changed too, bit less work! Just my thoughts, mate!

Thanks mate. I have been patient holding a bit back waiting for Captain Crusader to draw well and it's been a long wait. But finally. Boom. I got plenty mate. He payed FFPlace $4.20 and tote was around $4.40. I backed both so decent collect. If Captain Crusader draws well next start I will put the lot on him again. if he draws badly maybe half on him. All I can say is mate he's a horse that slips under the radar. I think it's because he's Aussie bred, Kiwis ignore him nd Aussie looking for NZ bred. I am also reluctant to back him confidently if Rickie Alchin is driving. Mr Alchin can train them of that there is no doubt. But I don't think he is the best driver in the world, pretty mediocre I think. But I thought even he could not stuff up the drive form that draw and he didn't So well done Mr Alchin. Despite that good drive I would prefer to see someone else drive. What about the effort of Alchin's two year old colt, Tadelli, wow did you see that thing go!!! Looks like it good be up there with the best of them!

Captain Crusader certainty to run in the money from his draw in Redcliffe Cup. I got plenty thank you very much. Hope you got some mate?

I agree about the poor first race. Often, I won't bothering watching or betting on a race like that, sometimes there are two or three!, poor races in a row. Then, I don't watch any of them and I get distracted with other things and often don't bet or watch any races that day. If there is a good first race, open field with a number of chances then I have a bet. There's a good chance of a healthy collect so then I watch most of the races. Win for the TAB and club, surely?

Good you mate, it great that you can do that. But that maiden mobile trot at Addington Sunday is poor, there's some slow ones in there mate. I've seen that Matthew Eyre go a few times, not many slower than that. It wouldn't surprise me if there were a couple of false starts... Good luck finding something in that field 😄

Good luck mate, you can have my share. I love Addington but I won't be having a bet as a personal protest. It is ridiculous to have three amateur drivers' races on one card. Give me a break!

Back in the day they had non-tote races Rebecca. Usually junior drivers, ladies races and 2-year-old at Addington regularly. Amateur races are tote races so you can be on them but I don't. The Wigg sisters are ok drivers, the rest mediocre.

Look, as you all know old Davis is a peaceful man but what TF? Three amateur drivers' heats at NZ Met on Sunday? Give me a break. This makes the meeting a poor proposition for value punters like me and super punter Brodlie. It is really difficult to understand how this meeting was carded. We've got five races that are NOT betting propositions: Three amateur drivers' heats. A maiden mobile trot and a fillies and mare mobile trot. Value punters like me won't go near these races. That leaves us with five races to try and find something. Two of the fields are mediocre offering no value so serious punters have three races to try and find something. Hopeless. I won't have a bet because I cannot be bothered. That meeting is an insult to punters. And they wonder why turnover dropping Joke!!

Not sure about that mate. Dr Doughnut Woods has kept a few pie shops in business, especially Michaels at Hillmorton. I can't blame her because top pies at Michaels.

Correct, the filly was trained by Patrick O'Reilly, driven by Gerard O'Reilly, all-weather track, Motukarara, not sure of year.

CHILL OUT mate. Come on. You're getting fixated with the government. Take a break for your mental health mate.

Jack was a master as setting a horse for a race. Look at Yankee Loch when he won the Rowe Cup, bolted in, could have gone another round. I thought Bolt For Brilliance's Rowe Cup win was reminiscent of Yankee Loch. Roll along in front, no can catch. Probably you or I could have driven him mate!

He'll be invisible. Useless.

Carmichael was a great horseman, good driver and trainer. He had the knack of getting a run with a horse and no passing lane then. He'd give his horses an economical run and find gaps on the fence up the straight. He was good for $3 to $5 place chances regularly. I won plenty off him. I met him a few times because he drove a mare of ours I think from memory nine times, Jack never won but placed every time on her. Legend. But man of few words, he did his talking on the track. Roydon Glen, certainty beaten in NZ Cup and felled in Derby. Normally, he would have won both those races and his record would look more outstanding. He had some mind-boggling performances... the Nz Messenger when he lost about 50-60m at the start looped the field and ran away from them. Another time he broke without about 300m to go in Junior FFA but somehow he still won... Marvellous horse. What a master trainer Fred Fletcher was, his horses were tough, fit and honest never went a bad race. Little Philippa Frost one of the gamest horses to look through a bridle and placed in some big races. Smolenski. Kerry O'Reilly was a top driver and yes he drove Basil Dean. In fact when I first had a horse with O'Reilly Basil Dean was in the stable but I don't think he ever raced for the O'Reillys as owner trained him. Kerry never drove much after the Norton incident and I cannot blame him a bit, he had young family then. Norton was bought down just before the homebend at Addington, the horse went straight down and Kerry was propelled into the air at 5 or 6 metres up. He seems to hang in mid air in slow motion then he hit the track hard. That would be the worst smash I have seen at addington. And finally, wouldn't Patrick O'Reilly be proud of his granddaughter Sarah, who is going to be the best driver of the lot.

That's good news but predictable. He was always going to get a cushy sinecure, most speakers ex Ministers do. Good riddance to the prick. You don't need a rocket mate. Let the arsehole stand behind a sour mare when in season, she'd kick the prick into orbit... good riddance. Corrupt arsehole. Now let's get back to Harness, something worth talking about....

I am not sure exactly when I became a harness addict. I think early 70s, we lived in Torrens Rd not far from Addington so never missed a meeting. Later, I was lucky that my first ownership of a syndicate horse that was trained by Patrick O'Reilly sen. What a legend, and straight as an arrow. I remember we went to see the horse go as an early two year. Our horse was thrashed by another filly owned by outright by one of the syndicate members. I must have looked shocked but Mr O'Reilly said to me: "Don't worry, your filly is the better horse, she needs time." He was right. One day, the horse was worked at Carl Middleton's just over the road from O'Reilly stable. It was there that Mr O'Reilly told me that Gerard was the best driver in the family! This was a time when Patrick O'Reilly junior and Kerry O'Reilly were top drivers in the country. Gerard hadn't had a race drive at that stage. Gerard won his first race on one of my horses, I'm proud of that. I've seen so many good horses.... Roydon Glen maybe the best of them. I followed Fred Fletcher, he's always win at least won at Addington each meeting. Jack Carmichael also looked after me on the tote. Trotters, too many to pick from including Sir Castleton, Basil Dean, No Response, Even Speed, Yankee Loch (thanks Jack!), Nigel Craig, what an era...

In the 80s too!!!!