Reefton

What she wanted is a bit irrelevant. We were instructed to aim for a race morning dead 4 and that is what we produced. Hate to remind you but it was not long ago you were telling me she was not much good so doctoring a track to suit her would not be a very intelligent move I wouldn't have thought? She ain't Makybe Diva or Winx

Like hell I was light on irrigation. I plastered absolute gallons of the stuff on the track in the period four days before until 30 hours before the first race. Couple of differences though (1) the irrigation system we use is accurate and consistent across the track and (2)it was supervised and planned to achieve a D4 track race morning which it did despite the extreme(comparatively)temperatures in the four days before raceday and the badly damaged state of the surface after the frotting meeting. When I say planned of course it was planned on the run given the time frames. I know I am lucky to have Peter O'Malley on my team and we only do it once a year but it is called management. Let the likes of P O'Malley loose on the 'problem' tracks in NZ and see what happens. And another example of how the RJC survives on a shoestring - the President travelled 100 miles a time three times - including at 6am on New Year's morning - to do penetrometer readings for the friggiing meeting(because in the President's opinion if you want the job done right do the bastard yourself and you know it is done). Don't tell me the RJC owes it's existence to the NZ racing industry. The NZ effing racing industry owes it's existence to the likes of the RJC.

Long way to travel to be turned away????? It is bloody NZTR policy that we cannot let unvaxxed in man! Not our call and bear in mind that one of the Souths most prominent riders and two of their best trainers are not allowed on a racecourse because of their vaccination status. One of our own life members could not attend becuase he is not fully vaxxed. I am not particularly pro vaxx - some of my good mates are either unvaxxed or totally anti vaxx. But we have rules in place and continue to race we must abide by them. It is a bloody long way from the stupidest NZTR decree I have ever heard and everyone knows the NZTR rules. Do not expect to come to the Coast and have Covid not being taken seriously. And at least two of the ladies on the gate were my committee people doing the job for nothing and copping a bloody lot of grief from unhappy members of the public. Another example of why we can survive with the minimal income we get - because we work our arses off to get ready for our day in the sun. Bernard take note - we do NOT owe our existence to the NZ racing industry we owe our existence to our own bloody sweat (and God knows there was plenty of sweat there yesterday)

Dead right about that. My mistake was describing myself as a legend to our office staff after the first one I backed won. I immediately thought 'You dumb prick that will hex you' and sure enough I could not even get close in the next five races. A good form analyst I am not!

Don't know about that although I did(at first glance) think the crowd was light. The thing was they were under tents and gazebos, trees and in the stand and bar. It was 30 bloody degrees! The only nutter running up and down was me(apart from trainers etc etc). The gate takings, racebook sales and puntere club sales indicated we had a bloody good crowd(though as the punter concerned with the Punters Club I managed to lose every last cent of the dosh)

Reefton always had Mouse McCann take first timer apprentices around the track pre races to talk to them about it and that spread to other Coast tracks. Discontinued now as David Walsh deals with that stuff(and I heard him doing so). There were more seniors and experienced apprentices there yesterday than there has been at times in the past so I thought the standard of racing was pretty good(but wasn't really watching closely so you guys might have seen stuff I didn't)

I guess it(temperature extremes) probably happens more often in Victoria. At the end of the day I suspect one or two horses might have felt the effects and there were some Jockeys looking quite distressed post races but to their credit they were not complaining. Nice to be able to provide them and the starting gates staff with plenty of water and a beer afterwards(as we should do of course - can't do without those guys)

It was effing hot when I got there at 9 o'clock so doubt an early start would have been terribly effective. We had a great day thank you all

Worth a try! Might be the only entertainers we can get to the races given they seem to have the inside running on MIQ spots! Forget Doctors and Nurses lets get a bunch of DJ's in. What exactly is it that makes a DJ worth bringing from England anyway? Not like the bloke is a great singer or something - all they do is create a racket!

Thanks everyone for your good wishes. it has been extremely hot up there and we had to pour plenty of water on especially given the trotters raced on what I think was a track bordering on slow which means they hammered a strip about two metres out(and we did not want that area - or any other area - baking hard). There was a strip of carpet on the fence but the affects of the heat are obvious there too now. As CS said Reefton is a different world when the summer arrives. The course looks superb and it is basically fingers crossed for a crowd that will show Bernard and Co that we are worth persevering with

We can all see how well C George is doing his!

Still looked pretty bloody average Pam(have to admit I couldn't ride one around the birdcage and do not accordingly like to be critical). I thought she would have got a holiday and was pretty astounded at not even a warning Put it this way if it had been CW Johnson a few years back they would have thrown the bloody book at him.

No but he is coming to Reefton. Wants to know how to organise things in NZ Racing so why not talk to the third biggest know all in the game(not saying who the first two are) Yeah Right! For all that I have always found Bernard pleasant and it has not always been a very palatable message he has been forced to deliver. At the end of the day he even made a trip down to talk to me about our position. The major issue arises out of lack of accountability at Board level. They should however put an epitaph on Bernard's Headstone 'The status quo is not an option'

Thanks for that and no I did not have much of a bet lacking a little confidence in her. Taken a little while after early promise but pretty happy with that. Pitty tells me she is heading for Reefton so looking forward to that.

Actually I meant two days in this two weeks without gallops. Re the numbers well the common theme lately has been lack of opportunities for R65 etc so should be ok there. Small Timaru fields and many scratchings today but that is the weather. And the average holiday attendee doesn't give an f if it is Shetland pony racing(witness Kumara). Wellington Anniversary day always was the middle day and re dual code well my understanding is Wellington is now the lowest per capita harness betting area since Hutt Park shut down BUT bit of a come down to run harness that week (though if the track turns into a skating rink ironically the trotters might be the saviour)

Dumb prick I am. Motukarara(trots) tomorrow

It is not just the South Mike. The whole programming system is cocked up. The week of the year when racing enthusiasm is sky high and two days without any meetings at all?????? The Wellington Cup Carnival absolutely stuffed through being spread over three weeks????? In the south two feature meetings in seven weeks pre Christmas then seven in consecutive weekends post Christmas?????? Meetings like Waikouaiti Omakau Tauherenikau which get huge holiday crowds dumped??????? There should be at least one meeting every day in NZ this week. Including a decent feature day every second day at least. Those holiday venues reinstated immediately. Wellington Cup week back to three days in a week and promoted as it was(one of the best weeks in NZ racing). At least a couple of feature southern days pre Christmas and rationalisation after Christmas to give lower class horses more opportunities down here. Even in the harness game why no Motukarara or Methven in this holiday time? I know the Coast is on but people want things to do and getting them on course in good weather is the way to get repeat business. Why can't they see it?

A little Monday entertainment for those who think SI racing is stuffed https://loveracing.nz/RaceInfo/45390/5/Race-Detail.aspx Watch the video With this standard of entertainment how could it possibly go wrong? watch(when you can because it isn't in the picture much) the grey horse out the back I know we have seen and commented on it before but after nearly five years it is worth another look

You've gt a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to Pitty haven't you? You want to get over that You ever run a raceday Son? Because you want to have a go and see how easy it is instead of sniping from the sidelines(I've been there both as a Raceday Secretary and as a President). Jeff McLaughlin will be doing the required penetrometers I am sure and accurately at that.

According to the Te Akau Owners newsletter Jamie has been invited to train in Hong Kong, Mark Walker is returning to NZ and Donna Logan is taking over training Te Akau Singapore Love TA or hate them Jamie Richards has done extremely well. He is bred for the job but to be invited to HK at 30 years old is amazing

We all know we can't turn the clock back Pam but we need to make best use of the resources we have available to us at the present time. And as it stands that is not happening

Now THAT would be a bit a problem even for us! Eight inches of rain in two days will wipe Canterbury off the face of the earth Better evacuate to the mighty Reefton boys(except those wankers who want to take Kumara to the AWT - you ain't welcome!) I remember back in the 80's a story about the rain at Cropp River(up behind Hokitika) - they had an inch an hour for three days! 72 inches of rain in three days. Remarkable even for the Coast

we'd do it at Reefton dead easy(excuse the two puns!)

In sequence I think.

rather just not bother. Better thing to waste time on like water skiing and drinking brown ale