Brodie

Tu Tangata is no champion but no disrespect, but Paul is a far better trainer than driver, and his horses do a helluva lot better when he puts someone else on! Punters want to offload on harness, but the Bookies of the NZ TAB don’t want many of us to! Let the punters on TAB bookies, you are killing the wagering with your unethical restrictions!!

Think it is good that the TAB/Trackside tried something new to attract new punters. Just not a great format the way they run it! Why do they have to have 3 or 4 men with limited ability to pick winners, standing all night behind desks with laptops open? Surely if it is meant to be appealing they would be far better sitting on lounge suites or recliners in a more relaxed manner?? The betting overseas thousands of miles away on horses that they have no knowledge of rather than the local product is just showing what ill-disciplined they are as punters! The Out The Gate presenters are given massive favouritism over other restricted punters but I suppose that is because they know that they are not going to win that often? Free bonus bets, cash, unlimited limits, just shows how they treat punters differently! Good punting over the weekend!

Humble Pie? Tu Tangata won because Paul actually drove it better and the race panned out for it! That was exactly my point, that it should have been winning or placing previously rather than just running 5th!! It was long overdue Paleface!

Not sure what the final balance was tonight as they are very quiet when they get a hiding! started with over $18k but with no greyhound racing they were always going to struggle on past experience! They were all over the place with their betting with Brendan Popplewell putting nearly $5k on the nose of a galloper in Hong Kong ffs? They encourage this bet responsibly but that obviously doesnt mean the presenters on out the gate have to abide by this? With respect they clearly have not been chosen by the TAB to bet responsibly and pick winners! When you can not make money on NZ racing and they choose to wager overseas rather than supporting our local product, it is telling you something! Seems odd that people continue to put money into the OTG betting pool rather than wanting to pick themselves? Anyway, each to their own and good luck to them, but seriously it is not painting a great picture with this carefree, it isnt my money, so blow it attitude!

The 2 year old race at Addington for 17k had the massive tote turnover of $2k so with the TAB take out of that would mean they would be losing just about the full stake amount, minus any of the exotics absolute stupidity unless you are the owners of the 3 horses.

About time! Was the best horse in that field as has raced far better horses and perfirmed well against them Had been driving it as if he he had no intention of being placed.

Both Clubs are seriously in the shite financially and getting worse. Cambridge appears to be far worse than what I understood, and not looking great either! Winston really needs to step up to the plate and put it in the hands of a statutory manager as HRNZ are just not performing! The big stake money that ATC are being given would be better utilised in paying the interest on the debt and reducing the stakes up there! Is there anyone that has any confidence in HRNZ’s ability to govern harness racing in NZ? I wouldnt think there would be too many as things will come to a head and it will not be pretty for the industry!

Gamma, the real reason Alexandra Park is racing is due to the subsidised stakes from Entain cash splash, and it will finish! I would say they would have very few meetings where they make money and this is only going to make it even dire! It was surprising to see some very good prices paid for yearlings at Karaka as there is nothing surer than significantly reduced stake money in the North in 2 years! It is indeed possible that if they continue to race up there they will be racing for half the current stakes and less. Gamma, we are not putting the boot into anyone whatsoever, just trying to find out what is happening up there as They keep the public in the dark. It is a given that things ate extremely dire for Auckland and Cambridge at the moment and yet they say nothing and carry on, all the while racing up an interest bill of $115,000 approx each and every week!! And yet they run races for big stakes with only a few horses in them? Seriously, How can this continue?? Financially crippling and debt continues to grow!

Does anyone know whether there is any interest in the sale of Franklin track? If not what is going to happen with the ATC, as without that sale then ATC will end up in liquidation you would think? Not sure of exact figures of amount of their debt but was it approx $80million? If so then the debt will be increasing by approx 5 million per year from interest costs which is crippling. How is going to be able to continue like this as costs escalating with interest on interest?

Good to see some big selling lots to the normal big spenders! A lot of yearlings passed in, seemed like more than normal? Was advised by a trainer that there was next to no young ones at the sales, unless they were employed in the preparations? We do need to have younger owners buying but are they able to afford to buy and race horses with the costs and also the cost of living?

How do we think the yearling sales in ChCh today went?

Tu Tangata has run 2 4ths in the last 9 starts, which is the best he has done. Hasnt finished in a dividend bearing placing in the last 9 starts? If you watch the replays of his races you will see that he is not being driven to the horses best abilities. There has to be something to it as Paul normally steps aside if he is not getting results?

Tu Tangata is only getting appearance money though for running 5ths! The thing is Paul does use other drivers on his horses but for some unknown reason seems to continue in the cart with Tu Tangata ?

The thing is the programmer whoever it is needs to wake up and start making the right calls! There was never ever going to be many 2 year olds ready to race on Thursday night and yet they offer a stake of $17K???? There really needs to be a serious meeting called to discuss things and where they are driving the harness industry to? It seems incomprehensible that they have not realised what they are doing with the money they are receiving and spending it like it is going to be around indefinitely! Brad Steele needs to be talking to Entain about their plans at the end of the 5 years and what is required from HRNZ and the TAB to be receiving what level of stake money?? I challenge anyone from those 2 organisations to come on BOAY and explain themselves!

There are now only 3 starters in the 2 year old race on Thursday night for $17k! This is farcical and seriously we need people who are programming with some common sense surely? It is just one of many races that are run at a big loss for the industry but then again easy to spend other peoples money ! Anyway it is what it is and the owners who get the money may as well take it while it is in play as it will disappear! Why dont they give the winning owner a $12k bonus as well as it would be coming from Entain anyway? You just couldnt make this sxxt up !

But does it not seem that the owners and trainers are not wanting to race their horses early and therefore affecting the racing viability of their horses later on? The days of the Gordon Middleton and Des Grice bringing out these early 2 year olds is not happening! The industry financially just can not be operating the way they currently are! Whether the industry survives or flourishes does not really affect me at all! However I am deeply concerned for the harness industry and the good people that rely in it for a living! Any comments that I make that can be perceived as negative is solely for the concern for what is going on currently. Speaking up probably will not make a scrap of difference to what happens when Entain pulls the plug but at least I will have a clear conscience. I personally do not believe that the decision makers really have the best interests of harness racing at heart for the longevity of racing!!

Correct the handicapping system is just not fair nowadays with such a gap between the ratings especially from the mobile. Is it really fair to have a maiden winner running against a horse that has won 15 races? not sure why the system has not been changed to something better like no. Of wins or stakemoney won or a bit of both? Often there is a rating difference of up to 20 points so needs amending surely?

Following harness form and results often has me wondering why owners dont change their driver whrn they are not getting the right result! You only have to go through the fields and you will see many examples of a change of driver to a more competent driver will indeed get afar better result! Does anyone actually know why Paul Nairn continues to be the sole driver of Tu Tangata??? We all know that Paul Nairn is an extremely good trainer of the trotter but to be honest most of us would not rate him as highly when he is in the cart at the races! His drives on Tu Tangata are less than meritorious and doesnt give the horse the best chance in his races! Why does he not put Bob Butt or someone else in the cart, as there is no doubt in Brodies mind that it would improve the horses chances without doubt! Is there something we dont know about the horse that only Paul knows?

You are correct Mikey, the well heeled owners are buying the best bred ones and dont worry about buying the others! Reality is that in 2 years time there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever the stake money is going to be decreased substantially for all harness races! How much that is is but a guess but it is going to be substantially reduced without a doubt, unless someone from Entain or HRNZ can advise us that I am wrong, and mire than happy to be proven wrong? They wont as they know that I am correct and they are actually doing a disservice to harness racing by operating the way they currently are! These horses being bred now and being sold as yearlings now are going to be racing for much less money in a couple of years time and reduced owners and trainers. However, many of these owners can afford to race for less but the average owner probably can not. The frustrating part for myself is that it was not hard to utilise the cash splash from Entain so much better than it has been. Does anyone at all believe that the way the money from Entain that has been donated to HRNZ has been spent wisely??

Not too sure though how it is beneficial to punters after the race though? The trainers and drivers will always give a reason and the Stipes just accept it, so not that useful! What would be more useful, would be HRNZ actually advising the punters of why a horse went poor last start or any medicines administered a day or two before a race on HRNZ! How often do we hear just before a race on Trackside of a horse having its hocks injected or is in season, or a horse is now with another trainer and has been for weeks? Fat lot of use just prior to the start, but would it be too hard for them to do this!

Good not food sale 😂

Na, wouldnt be allowed enough on! Bonus Bets from TAB, what are they? Lol

Addington 2 year old race on Thursday night at Addington for $17k! 3 from Kentuckiana, 1 Ross Houghton and the other Tom Twidle! What part of owner and trainers do not want to race their early 2 year olds, that HRNZ doesn’t understand??? Why do they really need to run these early 2 year old races that will have limited wagering and is guaranteed to lose money? Can someone please answer, as HRNZ can not keep doing this and losing money for the industry as well as the crap fields in Cambridge on Thursday night competing against Addington? People need to speak up as they are getting away with it and unfortunately at the end of the day it will not end well! Is there anyone that would trust HRNZ to invest their personal money with those at HRNZ, thinking they know what they are doing financially? More than happy to profusely apologise, if Brodie is not correct