Brodie

They should put up or shut up! This is full blown BS! The 2 that initially it was about are the leading drivers in NZ and United States and they are both still driving! If there was anything concrete then let us see the concrete evidence rather than just wanking on about further charges being laid when no one is currently stood down or has been fined for anything! Why should the charged have mounting legal expenses going to overpaid barristers when most of them are on the bones of their arses???

This so called Operation Inca is just dragging on and on! It has cost many in the industry a lot both financially and to their reputations. If it was an open and shut case, then why have they not been tried by now and if they were guilty of these charges then why on earth are they still allowed to be applying their trade a couple of years down the track??? Yes there have been a few drugs charges but seriously did it require headlines about properties being raided as if it was the crime of the century!! Personally think that it is totally over the top and it does not reflect very well on the Racing Integrity Unit when they are allowing the NZ Police and legal system to allow this to affect the people that are actually giving them a living!!!! The defendants are somehow shelling out mega bucks to lawyers to defend charges that should not have been made or should’ve been handled by the RIU but apparently that appears to be beyond them!!! Nothing personal at all with any that work for the RIU but there have been many decisions made in recent years that have just been just plain detrimental to an industry that is bleeding badly at the moment!

There are 9 on the management team! I am sure they are all raking in big salaries for doing two fifths, and what they are doing is not working! Does anyone know what the current situation is in regards to the apartments and whether the Banks are knocking on the door yet, and if everyone is going to be able to settle on them, once they are finished. Seriously, how on earth such a shambolic effort has been able to achieved is very hard to fathom, when making big money in the Auckland property market over the past decade has been a formality???

Yes I read about that online before. Never heard of him or his mates but that is because I don’t give a rats about American racing. Geez isn’t it interesting that they were using Viagra is able to cover up performance enhancing drugs! Apart from having horny horses racing in NZ, you would wonder if any NZ trainers have ever used Viagra to cover up performance enhancing drugs? Would be a pretty cheap way of doing it I would suggest, not that I have ever needed them or even know what the cost of Viagra is!

Yeah, it how long will there be racing there for? They can not afford to keep providing good stakes without enough horses to race. Stakes drop and the small group of owners will start dropping off and further endanger the prospect of racing in the North Island continuing!

Currently overseas so didn’t watch any races from Palmerston North today. However, on the face of it, would seem to have been an extremely poor racing day for the Michael House stable with only one win out of the 8 races, and dominated by the CD horses! Wonder why they didn’t perform as well as normal? Would not be profitable for owners without winning up there, but they will probably bounce back second day and clean up!!

Who on earth are most of them apart from the odd one that is known slightly. Seriously, if this was being run correctly as a business it would be put into voluntary liquidation! Does anyone at all see any light at the end of the very dark tunnel?

You have to be kidding that Auckland can only card a 5 race meeting!!!!!! Auckland trotting is totally stuffed,! Must still be a bunch of imbeciles in charge and making stupid decisions! Why has it got to be so bad when there is so much money in Auckland? They have quite good stakes but not many want to race horses up there any more! There are several reasons that we know, but FFS who is the dickhead that still thinks that racing over a mile is WORTHWHILE! Whoever is doing the programming needs his head read, as mile racing is just plain boring and is not conducive to punting on!!!! No more mile racing ever anywhere!!

I can’t before lunchtime NZ time, as now on Oz time!

Cp, fair enough but as soon as a horse is in another stable, the realistic thing is that it should be notified to the punters!

CP, 6 weeks would on the face of it be rather too long to still be in a trainers name if he has not been gearing the horse up! A different trainer can make a helluva difference to a horse in a week or two, by change of feed and training methods. High time this anomaly was changed.

Saw that as well! Was showing as scratched in my iPad, but on Trackside it was a starter and was showing the divs! Just an absolute shocker and what should the TAB do about it, as you couldn’t back it at all!

It’s in the blood!

The last 20 minutes is far better than the first 40 minutes. What I don’t understand is why Greg and Michael go over races that have already run????? Does anyone apart from the AllStars fans give a rats as the divs have already been declared and no money to be made! It is just a Blue and Silver sponsored show and most are over it!

The thing is this sort of thing happens quite often! If Mark Gill hasn’t got the horse in his care then he is not the trainer! With respect, there would be a helluva difference in training ability between Mark Gill and ken Ford and the punters should be advised as soon as the horse is being trained by someone else! Often horses go to another trainer and the horse performs a lot better and then we hear that it is being trained by someone else, and too late to offload!!!! Caretaker trainer my arse! Punters should be advised straight away and not weeks later!!

Probably not! Driver still waiting for first win after 151 starts!! Field appears to be far better than it has been racing as well recently. Is following out a reasonable horse but you would be a brave punter to be taking offloading too much. Lightweight drivers tend to be the ones to back on the grass especially over 2600m Dont let me put anyone off if they think it has a chance though!

He has been with Ken Ford for several weeks now. Had several starts, has been in horse movements and you can tell by the turquoise breastplate in his races

Whiplash, have you been on the drink again, Greg is hardly a female name?

Haha! Greg seem you know it all, what was Whiplash on about, that was BS???

What part is BS???? What was I moaning about? Explain yourself please!

Booby, Don’t think I said that he was the best Junior driver around! Junior drivers are required for Harness racing to continue, as without them there will not be enough drivers left as the existing drivers move on to greener pastures. For some reason there seems to be this need to hammer our young drivers, some of which I mentioned earlier! Yes Ben was careless with that drive and he is very vigorous in the cart, but he is not flogging his horse, there is a lot of reign action. Young Ben always tries to win every race he is in, you only need to watch him even when he is driving a bit of a dog and doesn’t have a great chance. I personally find the drives from senior drivers far more frustrating when they don’t put their horses in the race, and I believe that gives less confidence to the punters than Ben Hope driving with vigour. We will all have an opinion on the way some drivers drive whether it be Juniors, Amateurs or Seniors! Why hasn’t anyone commented about the senior driver Ray Needham’s drive today in race 4 at Oamaru, although it is fairly typical drive from him!!!!

Greg, I said Brodie was back!

The Hopes are lovely people and committed to harness racing and it is not an easy industry to be in. 7 days a week with bugger all time off. Ben has been interested in harness racing from a young age and of course his mother is going to stick up for him whether he is right or wrong and good on her. Ben comes Across as a knowledgeable young man on Trackside. Great to see Ben being so enthusiastic with harness racing and this is what we need in our young juniors because geez it would be very easy for them to give it away and go and have an easier lifestyle away from racing. 40 hour weeks and better money. Personally think the attacks on our young Juniors are unnecessary. Bronson Munro, Sam Thornley, Jeremy Markham, now Ben Hope and Alana Cameron and others! These Are all young people who are trying to make a living in a difficult Industry and some keep bagging them. Yes they sometimes make mistakes just like The senior horsemen who are far more experienced. We can ill afford to lose any of them from harness racing as they all Seem likeable people

Firstly Ben is the probably the most aggressive junior driver In the cart that we have seen for quite awhile. Due to his competitiveness in the cart, there have been incidences where it looks like he doesn’t have as much control as he should. However, a lot of the time when he is moving around in the cart, he is only using the reins to encourage his horse. Totally agree that we don’t want any accidents due to any drivers lack of control, but don’t believe that there have been too many incidences recently due to Ben’s driving. The fact his father Greg continues to give Ben plenty of chances shows that he and the owners are more than happy to give young Ben drives, and he has done a pretty good job on the whole! If the senior drivers are worried about any driver, they should be having a word to them I would’ve thought.

JJ, the Oamaru grass track today has had tons of water applied going by his green it was. It also has not been mowed for a number of weeks going by how long and lush the grass was. No point continuing but all I am saying is that for early punters they should be advised that the track has a long sole of grass! No investments today when I saw how long the grass was but otherwise going very well,thanks!