Flagship uberalles

totally agree

was always assumed Ian chambers was pushed rather than wanting to retire on his own terms which i think made a few people pissed off as he was a fantastic caller...Tom has got better as he gets older that's for sure, doubt there will be enough money in nz to lure him back.

so old man, would you like to see mile racing the norm in n.z? I think our longer distances is what sets our horses apart from Australia and north America. and likewise the European trotter is the best in the world because they race longer distances as well. I would hate for us to ever go down the menangle rout, how uninteresting mile after mile after mile, no problem a few major races like the old pan am mile etc, but whole meetings being hijaked by the distance regularly is a turn off. the times now tell me nothing with poor horse's running faster than old nz records, as Brodie says it just makes a mockery of the old 2 minute mark.

Keith haub one of our greatest; Georgia Simon makes me cringe when trying to copy him and tell a joke during a race he's not in the same class. Darren flindell was good until he got the Sydney job, it seems every time he calls a horse I have punted for a place in for 3rd it's actually finished 4th or 5th.. I generally listen on the radio so place my trust in acurate callers...he seems to not bother about anything other than the first 2. Davy Mac is great. Tom wood has certainly improved overseas, I didn't rate him while here due to his constant calls where everything was a 2 horse war and those 2 horses always got run down!....... I rated myself as a race caller between 10-12yrs old when i would race marbles down the drive and call them home into a tape recorder......Macs gamble, gun for fun, axeman, all marbles had a name.....that tape must have been lost in the post when i sent it to 1zb

it just puts racing over that shit distance on lightening fast tracks into perspective menangle for example 1.49 yawn just a borefest. ....you just have to watch trackside from 11am to see American mile racing running with $50 in the win pool ..certainly makes me feel sleepy, absolute boring drivel.

Crystal dee ran into a few good ones in her short career, idle Scott and barrabas....also left a few capable offspring.

never went, but was always a place I wanted to go, was the last of the west coast $10,000 bonus back in the eighties so was part of harness history for me. i do remember ian chamber's calling the finish of a race there a lap early in the latest 80's.

certainly a unique little track, i really enjoyed going there. I think it's some sort of convention centre now

more like last placing!

he was a track specialist 1/1

Claudlands was the best track in the waikato.....so of course they got rid of it! .....

it really needed to be run on the grass at Thames, all the familys, marquees and holiday makers make it a great day, but of course the hierarchy that seem hell bent on destroying the sport have got rid of Thames (trots and gallops) and moved the date to te Aroha but the track there is deemed unstable or uneven, so it's moved again to the forbury park of the north !

there was nothing in the article about him being author, but I see there is a Eric Percy that has written books from Marlborough so he may well have done that after 2012. Eric percy also called 18 international rugby matches for radio....... these commentators from days gone by are so much more interesting than the ones now...apart from probably dave Mac and Tony Lee.

really good piece from the sun in 2012 about Eric Percy a carpet layer by trade.. I didn't realize he went back to calling the trials at waterlea in 2009 after his wife died, in the 2012 piece he was 72 so he'd be close to 80 now. he also talked about a race call he did where a wasp got in the box and stung him 4 times while commentating on a race......

Terry Yule Cambridge commentator died 2013

I had forgotten about Eric Percy...reon always did reefton though ..it used to be good when clubs elected their own commentator ....who was the race caller in southland before Davy mac?

those new prescription specs can only help brodster ?

I was having a buffet breakfast at Alexandra park a few years ago and saw alby, the whale and a few others doing likewise. I think alby had some connection to hees garden Chinese restaurant some time back but not sure if he does now. I used to really like Ian chambers calling around Nelson/Blenheim his calls were great

I agree certain races that were traditionally mile races were great and a good novelty but this continual push for sprint racing is a total turn off .......

certainly their dominance has killed the top end of the sport the top 6 or 7 a.s horses are better than anything else combined in the country. ..what have we got in the north island star galleria, mach shard and tripple eight ...classy brigade and a.gs whitesocks in the south...there is no competition...owners would be mad not to sell for the right money overseas. I would love to see what percentage of money in group 1 races has gone to other stables/owners outside a.s in the last 5 years, at a guess 30%

what a calamity, I have not seen it yet.

juice spinning apparently

it's the te aroha grass moved to Cambridge on the Saturday, they are slowly killing the fun in the north island, with thames grass trotting canned. that used to be such a well attended both horse wise and people wise meeting. it almost seems like the are trying deliberately to stop harness racing on the grass all together up here. grass track racing so good for getting families and new people to the track

happy to help happy!