Reefton

The people of Hokitika built that asset not the NZ racing industry and who can blame them for giving the finger to NZTR and the NZRB when they shit on them? For all that none of the West Coast tracks are up to it though we have thoughts(and the room) to extend our track to at least 1400 and maybe a mile. The trouble will be getting NZTR support and then stopping them poking their ‘experts’ noses into the way it is done(because you can guarantee if they do want a say they will cock it up). The other issue of course is why would we bother trying to improve things for NZ racing when all we get from the hierarchy is the sort of shiite that has been dished up in the last two to three years. It drains the enthusiasm of both the committee and me personally and everyone knows my enthusiasm levels are not particularly high anyway.

Insofar as I know Westland did want a day and did get refused and you can only say it is pay back from Petone. they have however very generously offered sponsorships to both us and Greymouth. As far as you Michael Pitman whingeing about them giving the money to the Council I have said before the Council would not accept the land without the money and at the end of the day that money came from land sales (up the hill at the back of the racecourse) not any racing activities. Your complaint Michael should be to the hoi polloi in Petone and further north who arbitrarily moved to shut Westland down. Had they been patient they would have got the lot. The loss of that asset to the industry is on their account and their account alone. I suppose they had to fill that week in given they stopped Waikouaiti and Omakau so jammed Grey Reefton and Kumara all in a week. Not sure why they could not have out Grey on Sunday us on Wednesday and Kumara on the Saturday but hey we are pleased to get any day - I was 110% sure we were going to lose it completely so grateful for any date. If they want Grey on a weekend and don’t want to give Westland a date then it gets a bit hard doesn’t it?

As far as I know it looks all right. There has been a lot of wet weather(as usual for the Coast in Spring) up until a couple of weeks back but it has settled now and it certainly looks good from the road. And yes I am sure it has been maintained over the winter. It had a huge renovation project done on it in late Summer early Autumn. There was a newspaper article the other night saying how good it was (not that you can always believe what you read in the paper)

Can someone list the tracks that have not had problems when they have been 'renovated'? Over the years virtually every one they have touched has ended up as a disaster. Invercargill, Wingatui, Ashburton, Kumara, Greymouth, Riccarton, Rangiora, Trentham, Awapuni, Te Rapa, Pukekohe, Ellerslie. Some might have come right now but all had issues didn't they? And although there are not too many untouched multiple day tracks there are equally not too many of those with issues are there?

probably fair comment(and why I said it might not work). Depending how deep those drains are you could regulate how deep the plough goes and there is no reason you could not repeat the process over and over if it sealed up again(just buy an effing big tractor and a plough of your own). I am pretty sure they will have put clay into Greymouth(though maybe not drains). Why anyone would put clay into a track here has got me stuffed but they turned a really quick draining riverbed track into a shit hole in short order. Until they(GJC) took drastic action that is

Well Greymouth's track was a mess (surprise surprise - it was reconstructed about ten or fifteen years ago with NZTR and 'expert' supervision). They asked Peter O'Malley what he thought then attacked it with a chisel plough (Great long steel spike with a foot on the bottom that breaks up the compacted ground and aerated it underneath) . As shown in January the track was immensely improved. Drainage so much better. Whether that would work at Riccarton with the drier climate but it worked here. Slow process but a bloody site easier than re-laying the whole thing. They could have done it after Cup week, raced the December meeting at Ashburton and been ready for their feature meetings in late Jan to May. That is what I would try but I listen to farmers(and bloody good ones too) not turf experts. O'Malley hasn't got too many diplomas but has got a lot of experience and a fair dose of common sense ( though that is not an attribute the experts of today seem to rate)

.don't agree with you very often Thomass but that sums up the story I hear about the influence certain parties have at the CJC.

Big statement given how many winners he has trained.

I am not a bloodstock expert but I would say if your business is in breeding horses then the young ones you breed and buy would be treated as trading stock which means that you would get an inherent deduction for tax purposes when one of them has a massive drop in value(ie gets gelded,dies, is sold or slaughtered) I am not going to try to explain it and bloodstock have their own set of rules but pretty confident there would be a claim. Same as if you are a fashion retailer say and buy a line that proves a dud - you will get an inherent deduction for the loss incurred. The specialist tax rules relate more to the stallions and mares brought for breeding(ie that are going to be used to produce trading stock rather than being trading stock themselves). If you have a colt or mare you bred yourself I think there is a point where they transfer from 'racing' to 'breeding' stock. Of course if you breed it yourself then you have not paid a huge price for it(assuming you own the stallion as well of course) so will not be looking for huge tax breaks. Unlike if you spend $10m buying a stallion - you might be wanting for a writeoff or two. In the case of horses being raced of course there are rules about what you can and can't claim. No deduction for racing expenses but there are some allowed for feed and upkeep. Like I say I am not an expert having had very few clients tied up in that sort of activity. Mr Notts on the other channel is a specialist I know(and happened to be at Riccarton on Saturday as well I might add and has the good taste to be a member of that exclusive organisation the Reefton Jockey Club) From where I sit I think you might be right about Fortuna versus Te Akau but (1) you have a middleman with Fortuna and (2) while Te Akau charge (well in my experience years ago) only the price paid for the horse they extract an extra or two. Still you should go in with your eyes open and David Ellis is a businessman there to make money not friends. I have certainly seen far worse when it comes to prominent syndication organisations in NZ.

I was there and while she was wearing a bright outfit that stood out I didn't think KFE was over the top at all. The one time I did end up near her she was fairly bubbly but the TA team had just won the Group one - I would have been fairly bubbly myself in the circumstances. Many years ago when I had a share in a horse with them Karyn was great to deal with. To be in the role she is she has to have people skills and she looks to me to have those in spades as do all the Richards family so looks to me that TA have that side well and truly covered

I would like to withdraw those comments about how much TA paid for those horses. That money has just been put into perspective by an article I just read on Stuff - a Chinese bloke just paid $2.7m for a racing pigeon. Those breeding syndicate horses are a bargain!

He certainly is a great young man and he comes from a great set of parents. But for all that that job would come with immense pressure and responsibility and he handles it beautifully. The TA hype might irritate me but you still have to admire the goals they set and the way they strive to achieve them

Thanks Pam. I like her too though I worry a little that that was a tough run yesterday and hope it doesn't affect her attitude. It was a bloody hot day and while I don't get too close to too many horses immediately after their races these days she was absolutely awash with sweat. Clearly tried her guts out. She is a half sister to an earlier one we a lot of fun with The Governator. And those with good memories will recall him running there days in a week at Trentham at the Cup meeting seven or so years ago on rock hard tracks that everyone was bleating about. Ran third the first day and won on the second and third. Pitty knows how to get them handling the concrete!

I have been to Mass this morning as a matter of fact but when you say the 'man upstairs' well I would say it was M Cameron (who wasn't that far upstairs to be fair) who chose to disadvantage me by diving for rhe rail. Although in his slight defence the horse outside him did appear to be laying all over her at the time. But by that stage everyone knew the inside was a dud lane so it is puzzling he choose that route. Still I couldn't ride one around the birdcage so I am not too grumpy.

Looking at the breeding and the names a lot of the owning syndicates Te Akau had there yesterday they would want to win a race or two. When the words 'Breeding Syndicate' appear in rhe ownership one immediately knows they paid top top dollar and when said horse is no longer in possession of his testicles one sort of cringes at the thought of how far down the drain financially the syndicate is. Not to mention the purchase price of a couple they are not taking home with them. For all that the Richards are wonderful people and I admire David Ellis' capabilities in terms of salesmanship but a bit of perspective indicates they should be dominant given the quality of the bloodlines they work with.

Well it is pretty well known they listen to other people so why wouldn't they listen to Pitty? As for anyone who queried whether there was a bad strip on the fence look at M Cameron's puzzling ride on Rousanne in the two year old race where he hooked from mid track and looking to figure in the finish (probably not win to be fair) to the fence where she was quickly struggling and swamped late. By way of disclosure I own a racing share in her BUT am not complaining (I didn't back her) but if I actually owned her outright I would be a little unhappy at losing black type and missing probably doubling her eventual broodmare value due to the shit track on the inside. And harking back to all the bloody bleating and whimpering about the October track I don't remember too many fast lanes that day. It was fast all over - plastering water on them just creates lanes whether it be on the fence in the middle or down the outer

Surprised everyone is not screeching about the state of the track if they went 1.22. Outrageous - how dare they produce a track where horses can run 1.22 - I expect they will all be broken down right now.

Indeed But prior to Need I say More's win on Saturday the word was that Tinker McPhie was unbeatable. Racing is a funny game so say gidday to everyone when you are on the way up because it wont be long you will pass them again on the way back down Marine looks like being competitive to me especially if there are some changes in the offing to sort out some issues(and I think there will be)

I have no ownership interest in Marine but I do respect Michael's judgment(and given he has trained the winners of nearly 2000 races I suspect he has earned that respect). I have been known to question his judgment(strictly in regards horses I do have an interest in) and he delights in letting me know when he proves me wrong. I am 100% positive he will have a plan in mind(which may include gear changes or rider changes or whatever) for upcoming races. I have not asked him about it nor intend to do so but I know how he works. At the end of the day the owners pay the bills and if they are happy then I am not (generally) that keen on seeing outsiders making comments As my old (and grumpy) Uncle used to say 'The man who does the paying does the saying' I just hope the horse is good enough to kick arse for the South in two weeks time. We are overdue another Guineas winner

I am pretty sure M Pitman will have a plan in mind. He usually does.

Oh yes they do - in fact if it is that bad they have an obligation to their owners not to run their horses there. You lot have been whinging about the state of that track and how all these horses are on the verge of breakdown due to its hardness. Well if that is true then there will be a lot less nominations pure and simple. So let's see the proof in the pudding. Though with all this moaning I can see the CJC producing something with about ten different ratings in different places on the track and the day being turned into a(nother) lottery.

It was stated that there was irrigation applied on the NZTR website last week Pam. And the reason some Trainers dodge those days at Riccarton with some horses is pretty obvious as well - as DP Wilson was famously quoted 'keep yourself in town hall company and your horse out of it'. Let's wait and see how the noms go next time - if you lot are all right and I am wrong (it wouldn't be the first time) the October 24th fields should be absolutely decimated with Trainers refusing to line their horses up - we'll see. Course the CJC might bow to the pressure and produce a track where they are all heading for the outside rail - doesn't that do wonders for the image and attractiveness of NZ racing!

If it(NZ Racing) is that big a disaster why take any interest in it? If Aussie is so far superior I am astonished you even give NZ racing a second glance. We have a two(?) time NZ premiership winning trainer saying he saw no issues with the track and reporting that all his horses came through unscathed and generally jumping out of their skin the next day(including a two year old which was probably the most at risk of the lot) but all the experts are bagging it. I know who's opinion I would listen to. I think your unease about the AWT at Riccarton is spilling over into being critical about every thing there. I am wary about the AWT too but that track on Saturday was OK. The proof will be how many races they run in three weeks if all these horses are jarred up. Pitty will be rubbing his hands together since he is apparently the only trainer from Saturday with horses that were able to walk on Sunday morning. As I said I would have that track every day over the shit hole that Riccarton quickly turns into with a shower of rain.

Maybe the wind dropped - I don't know and I didn't take any notice of the time comparisons but if it wasn't the wind drop what was it? They didn't water the track during the day so how come the track got slower? Though come to think of it didn't I hear Matt Cross say something in one of the latter races about them running the fast last 600 for the day but the slowest time for the full event? Not sure what race it was but likely to have been a 1400 race.

Mass debate??????? Strikes me a lot of people wanking on about nothing The proof of the pudding will be in two then three weeks time when all these crippled horses will be no shows at the Ashburton and Riccarton Meetings I just hope the two who beat mine on Saturday are both crocks so I can get a show at a decent lump of stake money