Reefton

The state of that all weather over the period of its use Mike. For all that it is like a lot of things in racing - if you had a dollar for every story you heard about it you wouldn't need to work again. When nominations close tomorrow the true state of the joint and the opinions of the trainers will be revealed.

It will be VERY interesting Michael. Mixed messages coming about the state of that track. Bernard Saundry(not that he will care I don't suppose) and co should be on their knees praying that the nomination response is good because if it is not.........

no only took 130 or so years to get onto it last time so suspect you are right BUT if a Club is under threat they could do worse than get the local Iwi onside on the basis that the same principle(ie theft) is being applied

Regardless of the provisions of the Act the Industry does not want their name dragged through the mud in local media for stealing what is not morally theirs(even if it is legally theirs) There is a precedent about 180 years ago in NZ where land was taken(with the support of the crown) and we have been paying compensation back for the last fifty years to make up for it.

Doubt it was to either parties real liking but imagine it was an outcome they can both live with. Nobody really wins in these scenarios but from the sounds of things Petone didn't get all their own way and that is to be applauded. This BS about Clubs owing their existence to the NZ Racing Industry is piffle. The NZ racing industry owes their existence to the Clubs not the other way around. NZ's first racemeeting(Nelson?) was because a Club had been formed to organise it

It appears the Dargaville saga might be resolved Regardless of an outcome that may be acceptable(to the Club and district) it is utterly tragic that a Club and venue that is still quite ready and able to continue racing has been closed. Does NZ Racing have that big a surplus of enthusiastic people that we can just cast a bunch aside? And when I went to submit the Reefton submission on the mediation process to Internal Affairs on Tuesday(deadline day - as usual with me) I find that the stated email address doesn't work. Tell me we aren't working with government departments! They had to acknowledge it and extend the deadline to today.

Well bred

Indeed. However divide the stake by the purchase price and do the calculation. I never said the are not a good operation(Jamie is a great young bloke and his parents are friends of ours from way back). I am not snarky at all. You by pointedly not extending richly deserved to congratulations to the bloke mentioned in the title of this thread and by continuing an unhealthy fascination with the Riccarton track and it's 'shortcomings' are the snarky one. From South Island racing's point of view losing the Guineas races would make f-all difference from where I sit - they are and generally have been North Island benefits from day one. Not too many southern winners of either Little Brown Jug Gaffa Clansman Hustler Random Chance not sure of any others out of 49(?) renewals. Powley Canterbury bell and maybe Tartan Tights)(?) Better for the South to develop its own two and three year old programmes

Not just the Bayer though - they got the Oaks off another Club too. Bear in mind race name changes are not uncommon(re the Churchill to the Couplands). They renamed the Homeby to the Koral didn't they?(or was it the Lincoln?) Whichever one Koral won it seven times didn't he? Great horse

So it was a three year old fillies race that does not exist any more. It does not necessarily follow that the CJC pinched it. Not like the Timaru Stakes that is a blatant grab. The world has changed(admittedly not necessarily for the better) . Your mate Big Dave would have something to say about having to sent his expensive three year old fillies down to Geraldine for a run(and he seems to control an awful lot of what happens in the spring down here) I think Tui's Lass was a half sister to Lomondy's mother Loma Lass she wasn't Lomondy's mother but some VERY nice horses won it true enough during its short life. Colada that won it in 76 - I remember her first win - paid $200 to win. Interesting about the demise of SI breeding - of the ten runnings only three winners were by NI domiciled stallions. And the South Isalnd stallions included Beaufort Sea Noble Bijou Gate Keeper and Palatable - nice bunch of achievers for the South there.

Flying View won the 1400m at Reefton then went on to win the Telegraph next start

Yes and no. While the Churchill has been dropped it was a (reasonably) minor feature of the week (despite the immortal Show Gate winning it twice) The Couplands is a pretty significant pinnacle of their week. Third probably to the two Guineas races And as far as the Canterbury Belle coming out of a Geraldine race I don't recall the Geraldine race so it cannot have been too much of a highlight. Sad for Geraldine to have shut down but they are not the only one Lets be fair here to the CJC. Riccarton- when it is maintained and presented properly - is the best racecourse in the South Island. Yes it has had millions of industry money lavished on it and yes it appears it gets all favours from NZTR but at the end of the day South Island racing needs Riccarton(or at least a Christchurch based centre). And if we talk about grabbing races from elsewhere the CJC are hardly the Loan Ranger in that regard. Remind me what the two 3yo features are at Wellington this weekend and where they originated in this Country?

To be fair the CJC has brought in(with a huge sponsorship I imagine) the Couplands Mile and they are like everyone else - anything innovative is quickly rejected by NZTR or whoever

Banish that thought from your mind! The Waikato mafia would never allow it

That would be right I remember a year (maybe 74 or 75) when they had to split it in two due to too many horses. The stake was probably $800 in those days Isn't racing so much better now Bernie and the boys have seized control and got it on the right path?

remember the McLean Stakes at Wingatui? The first Southern two year old race of the season

He ran about ten seconds before Rod got him I think but when Rod took over he proceeded to win(I think) nine races with him. he trained out of Washdyke in those days having moved from Hokitika then later moved back to Greymouth and after that back to Riccarton

Yes he was a pretty good operator all right. I think this name was Rodney Alfred Collins actually not Roderick William. He was a bloody hard thing I do remember that. Might have been English not sure but his horses raced in white with a pink sash red armbands and cap. And I don't think he ever killed himself working either. Preferred to live on his wits did our Rodney. A tad(but not quite as bad) like the immortal Boomer Bailey(now there was a South Island racing character). Boomer shook my hand one day and said 'count your fingers'. A real legend MF Bailey(and another top liner as a trainer too).

not unknown

Bill had that magnificent training track(now ripped up for cow paddocks). That is a principal reason so many good horses came out of Ikamatua. All the O'Malley Hampton and Doolan horses used to gallop there

Correct he did race in a St Leger but pulled his block off in front and faded out. Jim Moffat rode him and Secured Deposit won the race (Neville Atkins I think). At that stage my Uncle wanted him to settle in behind(hence the trying to restrain him) but eventually realised you just had to let him do his own thing. He was a bit of a character horse but provided the track was dry you always got a run for your money especially on big tracks. That St Leger was the first time I ever flew in an aeroplane when I went from Christchurch to Wellington to watch him run.

Roderick William Collins to be precise(not sure it was Roderick) but he was a hard thing and a bloody good trainer. Short Stops was by Noble Bijou and a very nice horse. Rod later trained Country Manners to win nine and also had a mare at Omoto called Egyptian Queen with whom he won several and who went on to be a great Broodmare - Egyptian Raine being one of her progeny that Kenny Rae trained and went on to be a top horse in Aussie. And he had had Godspell earlier. Pam will know Rod of course - he died a few years back

At least you will get a track that is properly presented but the Presidents speech might stick in the craw of one or two of the hob nobs running NZ racing

yes so right so it has a perfect surface so what do the know alls in Wellington decide? We'll shut it down

Cappiemore was a handy horse yes and did win 18 races including an open handicap open hurdle and open steeple in the same season which was pretty rare in those times and no doubt even more rare today. His problem in jumping was he did not like the mud. And he did win a Greymouth Cup and they did take it off him and his owner(my Uncle) never did go back there despite their begging him to do so. And correct he was out of Mixed Herbs and she was by Kurdistan but his full sister was half his size and no bloody good. He was by a stallion called Thoreau who was well bred but didn't amount to terribly much - a few good jumpers and two or three nice flat horses - Cappiemore Gallant Ace and a mare of Bert Crooks that was smart (maybe Mount Joy). That Mixed Herbs family produced a lot of spice themed horses Old Thymer being one who won an NZ Cup. Crowds still flock to the course on the Coast but when you ask for an extra raceday Bernard and co suddenly go deaf. There were a bloody lot of good Coast horses around in those days 70's and 80's Gaelic Bid Palastone Paratonnerre Peligro Conbrio Cappiemore Perecolini Prince Rapido Machiavelli Oldtimer plus all the Tom Lalor horses Kowhai Glen, Gotta Go, Binkie, Greek Prince, Kaimoto(later won an Aussie Grand National or two), Firpo, Hi Roona. Latter on Barts Best of course. Once the racedays started dropping form ten to eight to six to four to three training here was not worth it