Reefton

Yes they inspected the track (good job I noticed them walking out so I chased them). The relevant point is despite five minutes desperate search they found no slip mark. Nothing. Not a fucking sausage! However as I say it is not me risking my neck. I am going to go through the entire sequence of events but it will be tomorrow. Quite an education but I do not want the stipes job nor the riders job

Not holding my breath but I will be pushing for it. They will consign the request to the trash bin I imagine but they are going to know I have been there

Only had one missing plate this time according to the riders

You tell me. Unusual that it be allowed through the plate inspection without a properly fitted and in good condition racing plate

Not without consulting me he won't

As I understand it exactly correct

Correct. Picked up at the plate inspection but allowed to run regardless

Well I sort of think that but .........

Didn't even ask. No way would we get another day so why bother enquiring?

No slip mark identified

That was exactly what Pitty reckoned and since there was no slip mark (despite them sending five minutes trying to find one - and I was right there) it is not hard to conclude that this was not a track issue

You are dead right

Not happy. Just back to my iPad but out for a beer. More to this than meets the eye but safety first More to come

No probs. Thanks for that Curious but it is the way things are I guess. He was awful close last year.

Appears to be overcast but dry in Reefton this morning Fingers crossed it stays that way

I am hearing stories of a TAB do in Queenstown pre Christmas with a $40k cost(apologies if it is old news). Nice to have the stakeholders shouting

Kumara will outdo Waikouaiti off course as well (assuming the track is not too rain affected). Don't you worry about that

If you could access he database of NZTR info a revolution both there and at the TAB along with public floggings of the Board Members and the CEO's would be in order. These people have no skin in the game nor interest in the stakeholders or future. As I have said many times in the past the racing stakeholders are just a pain in the arse for the TAB. they happily show the third leg of the treble from Outer Mongolia than a local race.

I don't want to drag another down to build ourselves up(there are some good people on the ORC and in the area) but the number of feature days at that venue does seem a little disproportionate to the return on stakes investment

And my old staple grumble.... Those who watched Geymouth yesterday and(fingers crossed) Reefton tomorrow and Kumara Saturday. Kurow, Teherenikau Thames Gisborne Wairoa in their day. Big crowds out enjoying Summer racing on tracks that are safe if not Flemington standard. What in God's name is the rationale for closing course where people want to go????? Racing needs all the friends(AND exposure to the masses) it can get but what is the thought process? Shut em down and treat the remainder like shiite Incidentally Dunedin boxing day with $400K or thereabouts in stakes - $63k oncourse turnover(I understand). Greymouth did over 80k yesterday on $130k in stakes Kumara will do $300k minimum Saturday on similar to Grey. Do they not want people introduced to racing? We will do $70k maybe given a coupe of light fields and only seven races. Waikouaiti(which is the bugbear meeting for us) will be flat doing $60k on another $350k plus stakes day. Something does not add up here and someone is far too dim to recognise it

Apparently that is exactly correct. It reverts to the rating of the highest weighted horse if there is none above a certain rating. Bit of a bugger for connections who do not want to gain huge rating points by winning an open handicap to then find it has been downgraded to an R81(and I am assuming this is what happened there with Light Up). How the hell are you supposed to have certainty when the ground under you keeps shifting?

Wrong surname JB but don't lay it on too thick my head will start to swell

talking about programming I see Kumara has an R80 1150 and an R75 1150. They will get away with it by dividing other fields but sometimes you do wonder what is going on

Not happy but you are no doubt 100% correct. I will take it up with the Secretary to see what he knew(if anything) and didn't tell me

Don't blame you Brent and the Club's apologies for that but as I said I was not aware and now it has cost us a runner(s) in the event. We would love to have had Pam and the horse there after going so close last year but more things out of our control and which leads to us being embarrassed by other people's actions Could you email me the page from the online calendar so I can launch a protest to NZTR please. brian@molloy.co.nz Not that it will do any good but I don't mind giving them a bollocking Suspect from the number of undeclared riders we are going to get smashed with scratchings but little we can do about that.