curious

His arse is already so red from the spanking he's got that if he touches it on the princess she'll melt, and that will require a very large repair patch.

I agree. It looks like being an all-time or at least recent all-time quality field.

I can easily assess the unsuitable distance. That's a key criterion that I think mardigras also uses but in the UK and US horses are rarely run over unsuitable distances like here. Have no hope of assessing thousands of runs for the luck factor. No problem with those who choose to do that and do so successfully.

No. I can't observe, especially if I'm not in the same country. I can only assess whether an individual horse's performance is approaching its peak ability or not. Does that help?

Oh and you are a bit early for Del Mar. Next meeting doesn't start till November 9.

OK. So you don't have a clue as to how to assess fitness? Any ideas? I'm picking it has nought to do with blinkers on, claimers on heavy or down in class. I think it's probably beyond your remedial status.

Maybe if you go back to kindy you'll be able to pass remedial primary school maths and reading and then advance to understanding how to punt?

Thommo will be able to do that better once he gets the Levin jumpout videos if he can figure out which horse is which. Of course there are no numbers, no colours, no declared riders to assist that even if it did provide valuable information. Shows how desperate he must be.

Don't think so. Think mardigras has said and believes that assessment of fitness is critical as do I.

Not all over a blow up princess like you. Do you think I should get one?

Evidently the remedial classes are still not working. Must have failed them again.

Oh....lol. I thought you meant the posts on this thread. No. Put your specs on. There's a wire boundary fence with a single strand electric on the other side. And a broken post which I'm hoping to replace tomorrow.

Sorry you've lost me wally. A gap between the posts?

And it was redone and resown 12 months ago after originally being sown four years prior. There'll also be no compaction layer. Despite 300 cows tramping round in there every couple of weeks year round, maybe monthly in winter. Definitely no sand slits... lol! No underground drainage systems either. A few moisture monitors that control the big low pressure down draft pivots that apply the irrigation evenly in almost any weather or wind conditions conditions. Like I said, we have hundreds who know how to do it. But to do so, you have to shut down for 12 -24 months and you need backup tracks for racing while that happens as we used to have. That's why this couple own a 1300 acre dairy farm milking 900 cows year round on grass. And a couple of others as well. As I said, it's not rocket science and we have the expertise and the tracks.

This is the paddock I'll see out my kitchen window when I wake up in the morning, sip my long black and the dawn breaks. A mow (or maybe better a graze and mow) and a roll and I'd say it would provide excellent, safe, fair and even footing in almost any weather conditions. We are blessed in NZ with 100s of gals and guys that know how to do this. They have to or they'll starve. If I take a spade out there and show you the depth and mass of the root structure, you'll know that there won't be any slipping or clods flying up. It's not rocket science. You can't leave tracks unattended for 20 or 30 years. (Correction Freda - I don't think I ever said 20 years - 7-10 max maybe?).

Riccarton too?

Should do my homework but one F&^%up still doesn't excuse another.

Oh correction. Maybe they did. WTF?

True, but at least someone spotted them before 25 horses and riders raced around there to see if any were there.

You've got to be joking. From the NZTR website on this. "NZTR are not looking to reschedule this meeting at this stage, but will consider options including adding a race or races to other programmes going forward including the possibility rescheduling the Te Awamutu Cup." Where do they come up with such language to apparently hide their incompetence in it? Why do people speak like this? The online Urban Dictionary offers two possible explanations: the first defines "going forward" as "a phrase that business people use to mean someone completely fucked up big time but we don't want to dwell on whose fault it was; instead can we all just adopt an optimistic outlook and please can we all start thinking about the future, not the shithole of a present that we're in?" The other, less scatalogical definition is: "Going forward is purported to mean 'in the future' or 'somewhere down the road' when in fact it is an attempt to dodge the use of these words, which generally indicate 'I don't know'. A newer development in corporate doublespeak, in most companies it is grounds for dismissal to release a press release without mentioning something 'going forward'. Going forward, you will likely see this turning up everywhere: 'Our company expects to make a profit going forward'; 'We don't expect any layoffs going forward'."

Not a bad race as usual. Like Kew Gardens ..11/1.

I can think of a few RM. But back to Freda's point, what the stipes need in these instances is training in how to walk a track and make an accurate determination of its safety. Either that or they need to engage someone like Walshy to do that for them and advise. If they did that with him for a year or two, until they were competent to do so themselves, that might be the best form of said training.

Interesting report. I noticed in the first about half a dozen nearly fell over when they jumped. Unless there was some other reason for that than the track, it was no isolated incident. The second start didn't look much better. In the second one slipped on straightening on the outside well clear of any other horse round the 450, so it was not just at the 600. Specsavers is right! What are they doing to ensure it's safe on Tuesday?

What was your problem with the ride?