Brodie

More like John Travolta!

McLellan is a nightmare driver. As I have said previously would be better off sitting in the stand as his horses would be put into the race!!

Alexy, All Nuts And Bolts, Aveross Rustler and Danke all should be considered due to the no. Of wins as well for longevity and still winning and so loosely classed!

Think I must’ve overtrained her! Off to Mark’s this week for some blood Spinning!

Michael House has been a very good trainer over the past couple of years, but before that he had some good years and some pretty average ones. Good on him for upping his game and he has certainly kept Manawatu Harness meetings going or without him there would have been many cancelled thru lack of runners. His horses are now far more competitive at Addington as well. Positive fellah who has tried things at least .Just would like to know what has caused the major improvements in average horses.

Westview interview was very lighthearted, and he could have a career as an interviewer. Didnt really answer the question that needed answering, that being how does an average trainer whose horses were not overly good, now are performing so much better on the big stage over the past couple of years. If it isn’t Blood spinning or different way of training them, it has to be vet induced!!

Tote divs, not that I have bet tote for many years, have been very short so far. Haven’t had an investment this month since they brought the TAB TOTAL CONTROL ACT in. Have it on good authority that the Christchurch Casino are not enforcing the $1k collect, need to control clientele!!!!!! Quite enjoying watching the racing without anything on.

It isn’t that bad, if no one is posting then it gives us something to look at!! Some aren’t too bad, and I am straight!

To be fair there could be worse ads? And I thought I was the only one getting them! Good on a cold winters night. I have been offered 7 beautiful women, doubt whether I could handle all 7 at one time, one is enough!

Galah, you are correct that the domination does make owners sell overseas, and that is part of the reason that there aren’t enough horses going around in the higher classes, so yes no races and so the owners sell. Before the domination there were always plenty of 4 or 5 win races but not now as many of them are racing against one win horses. Yes there has been a retention of horses in the lower class races due to the points system as an average horse like All Nuts and Bolts who has probably won 10 races or close is racing against one win horses. NZ harness racing is a lot more fairer and honest than the Ozzie’s, due to the fact that we are Kiwis and the ones over the Tasman are Ozzie’s, so self explanatory!

Addington provides the best racing in NZ, and it is clearly our best track and has pretty good facilities. If we don’t get new people on track, then they won’t become enthusiastic and they won’t be betting!!!!! Does Thursday or Friday night give young working people the best opportunity to attend on course? Of course it doesn’t, as they have work the next day on a Thursday night and on a Friday they finish work and pretty much would be pretty rushed to get to the races! Saturday nights would be far easier to attend and bring their mates or family with them and laid back. I believe that a major reason that there are no Saturday meetings in NZ is because the hierarchy have become accustomed to the Friday nights and don’t want to work their Saturday nights. Is it worth another trial to see whether it is beneficial for harness racing? I say yes but then I haven’t got as much financial interest in it as may others!

$600 for running last would barely pay for the weeks training Happy.

They leave all the lounges open. The first floor they have closed off should never really be closed off on race night unless it is the middle of winter. When it is closed by curtains most of the time there is nothing in there and all it does is sends regulars away home early, as they can not be bothered with Spectators being full. Why is it that the metropolitan tracks in Oz race on a Saturday night? Because they know it is going to get the biggest crowd in. It probably won’t happen again here in Nz because I don’t believe the powers that be really care. Competing against Rugby? Yawn!!

There just aren’t the no. of higher classed horses around at this time of year. I am sure come Cup day there will be more around, however the current system for rating horses is just not working. There just isn’t enough races available for higher class horses and so the owners are selling their horses overseas as there is no chance of winning enough money to make their horse racing investment pay. One win horses are having to race against horses that have won 10 races and so owners are getting disillusioned and sell. Breeders are going to have to be pretty well heeled or have an extremely well bred or well performed mare to make it semi worth breeding in the future.

Does anyone know why there is no harness meeting in NZ on Thursday night? Why on earth are they running Cambridge and Addington both on Friday night? Surely it is financial suicide for one or both clubs competing for the same dollar? Bring back Saturday night racing at Addington to get new people back on course! Good meals, reasonable drink prices and 25 minute spacing between racing and educate the newbies.

Not at all Ranga. They should be encouraging turnover. To restrict punters just because they had a winning run is commercial suicide. Reality is that if they restrict punters to next to nothing they are gone. Continually losing punters get the stitch and they are gone. They need to replace these punters that are gone, and at the moment there are very very few new punters that will become interested in the harness racing product. Next to no new ones are being enticed oncourse nowadays and this is the only way people are going to get the bug. Cup Day young ones turn up in their droves, but they won’t have another bet for another year on racing. The TABs business plan is very seriously flawed but then the hierarchy don’t care as they still get paid as the yield is up but turnover is down. You only need to look at the betting pools nowadays and they are just pathetic on most races including Addington, and much of it on the earlier races are from Oz. Anyway, They May think that they win by driving winning punters away, but it will have more detrimental effect on racing than what it will for me. There are far easier ways to make money than being treated like a criminal by the TAB! Money Laundering, Bollacks!!!

They never tell you, they just do it?

It’s ok Ranga, I always come right after a time. My darksideness is only a temporary illness, no one overseas has ever been able to help! One cure would be for the NZ TAB to make every punter unrestricted, and play fair!

Ranga, only after you try and upset me! ?

Globe, no innuendos at all! What I did say was that I would not be surprised if Michael House Stable had horses that had their blood spun!! No innuendos, just my thoughts, could be wrong and then I wouldn’t be on the money for the first t8me! Something has changed with the stable over the last couple of seasons. May just be some different trainingregime but could also be Blood spinning or other treatment, I don’t know but there is something. I appreciate it is not an illegal procedure at the moment by itself however controversial it is!

Greg, I was under the misapprehension that you were sticking to the Darkside? I have not got a pet hate for the AllStars stables at all! What I point out is that the domination by the one stable is having a devastating effect on harness racing in NZ!! All of my posts are my opinion, which I am allowed to express. The fact that a few like to disagree solely on the basis that they are AllStar stable supporters for different reasons is their right.

Yes, some owners have horses at Michael Houses stables as well.

Harewood, you are well aware that there is a crossover of owners between the two stables! No porkies told, Harewood, merely made an assumption that both stables are using the Blood spinning process, unless you can say otherwise? At this stage it is not illegal, despite it being controversial. Hope you not so giddy anymore?

Harewood, What porky have I told? As for connection, you are well aware of what that is! Can you Uncategorically state that Blood Spinning is not being used??

Obviously changed something Happy! I am not making any claims at all, but I would not be surprised if Blood Spinning was involved.