The Centaur

JB, Thanks, thats an interesting website you have drawn attention to. I go back to the sixties where I first experienced my intro into the effects of "THE INJECTION" Racing trainers seem to think that just because they are injecting a legit substance they are OK. But that injection can dramatically reverse a horses form. Trainers in the sixties had it down to a fine art. Then racing was based around a the first leg and second leg of the double. A recognised mid distance performer would have a couple of sprints, say one or two down the track mid dist runs then when the the trainer thought the horse was peaking BANG!!! in goes the injection.... bare in mind by this time the horse had a series of zero's in its form line. RESULT a big clean up by the stable. Whats happened now is those substances are detected but still trainers are pushing the boundries. Some would laugh at this but when I go racing I can pick out the horse with the injection by its demeanour and appearance. The trouble is Saturday racing there are too many in the field filling that criteria. I put it this way most form reversals are accompanied by an injection. Looking at videos of English racing I can't get over the massive improvement 2 year olds from some of the major stables make from 1st to 2nd start. Looking at videos of their first start there is just no clue that they could improve. There has to be a reason.

Well it looks like NZ Racing Desk inputters read bitofayarn. Belatedly they have written an article but to make it relevant after the race they have added the Macdonald praise routine. Rather late fellas. https://loveracing.nz/News/34911/GlowingpraiseforMcDonaldfromfellowMelbourneCup-winningjockey.aspx

I still can't get over the interview with Stephen Marsh. With the interviewer getting close to exhausting questions on his runners Stephen Marsh casually mentions "well its a special day for us 50 years ago Dad won the cup". Now until then on all the media e.g. written, radio, TV etc I had not heard the connection made. All I can say I like Stephen's style.

The key is good interviews. Bill Pomare excellent. The thing that got me is that Bill has seen videos of Ocean Billy and reckons Waller has got him looking far better than he ever did.

Could I just add Waikato Racing Club could have at least named a race in recognition.

I hear Bruce Marsh holed up at home and also note nothing at all in as far as some promotional PR in recognition. The presenters on TV not expected to have first hand knowledge. This could have been a real PR exercise. Where is Des Coppins for many years part of the Melbourne Cup with his tours.?

Looking at UK racing one gets the impression of wide open spaces, straight runs of 1600m, no residential areas in site, plenty spacious training tracks. Yet in NZ with a fraction of the population but equivalent land size everything seems cramped up, with no room to develop. Ashburton used to have the country's longest straight yet now regarded as a speed track with short run in. Why did Ashburton shorten its straight?

Once upon a time it used to be. Now its administrates the participants and to a degree the clubs are participants. But clubs get income from many other sources not just racing. Combining those functions into a central body is the key to making racetracks viable. Many new business initiatives can get started with this approach.

Unlike the UK NZ does not have a Racecourse Association. This combines the interests of the courses themselves so they can function economically as businesses. That is not the function of NZTR. When you add up the asset value its a glaring omission.

You are off in a tangent. If you read the job description there is nothing about knowledge of racing. Please confine yourself to the topic.

Looking at the photo the first impression is there is no banking around the turns. The Cambridge track appears a success but can't be compared to Riccarton. The jury is out.

They need Des Coppins to steady the ship. There was a format once on Radio Pacific combining racing with old gold songs. Seemed a winner.

The 8am-10am show this morning was just terrible,terrible, terrible. OK the phone connections were cracking up but surely when and if they get a trainer on why does Michael Guerin have do expound his theories all done thinking he his talking to a 5 year old child and when the trainer finally gets an opportunity to talk the phone cuts out. Even then they only ask the trainer about one or two horses and miss the winners. They seem to want to interview ex sports people who have an interest in racing. Some lengthy interviews in the past good but not on a Saturday morning.

The TAB supplies the form pdf's directly for printing. Makes it a bit awkward filling the spaces so quite a few blank spots. The old Informant did rely on some Australian form input but it just would be totally uneconomical for Raceform to maintain their own database. Don't know how the $700k is treated but if you add the advertising, point of sale, form content etc its got massive TAB involvement.

JJ, I really have to query what your connection to racing is. Chief is quite right. The publication has had significant support from TAB and offcourse is the main retailer. As I have pointed out the publication is heavily flawed so maybe the support TAB has been giving is off the mark. THe last issue I got some weeks back had Dennis as the editor again. By the way whats up with this Dave Archibald who makes a habit of jumping in on legit URL addresses such as Raceform and racingpost.

Psychological as much as practical. I would envisage offices with the backdrop Ellerslie racecourse. Joining with Auckland Racing club the creation of a Racing City. i.e. 7 day coffee bar, racing museum, other offices (pity the breeders left) (pity so much land sold) perhaps a racing type mall with shops, mini video cinema (TAB tried it) i.e a place all racing enthusiasts can meet and do business 7 days a week not just raceday. e.g. ownership syndicates, education rooms. On the practical side Ellerslie racecourse is handy to airport, yearling sales, major sponsors, Trackside studios, many businesses etc etc. Plus cost savings in some functions with the Auckland clubs. Quite frankly a no brainer. (before its too late)

JB..... agree with all you are saying. They all talk about change however for 20 years on forums I have been saying the way to quick start change is transfer NZTR head office to Ellerslie racecourse. I cannot remember once anyone wanting to engage in that discussion. Seems a forbidden subject.

Dennis Ryan does a valiant job but has got it horribly wrong. What is needed is say a $3 publication with plenty small adverts, just basic fields and links to detailed form such as qrcodes. Included can be sports stories. A cheap cover not the heavy high quality one. Even a $1 publication whereby the retailer keeps the whole $1 would be possible. The whole idea is to massively increase circulation benefitting the advertisers. Without the detailed form the publication would have a higher shelf and not be already obsolete when late delivery occurs.

Round one looks like a knockout. Hopefully any abuse from now on is in the banter category. All I can say its an expensive way gaining some appeasement. Congrats on having the guts.

I can see your position. After more than 12 years of vile personal abuse from Molloy you wish to appease the abuser. From Molloys angle its certainly not a good look as the abuse over that period has been detailed. Hope you bear that in mind and don't get swayed. The abuse you have suffered has also been noted in quite high circles.

Well then choose YOUR charity. The BBM fits in nicely with the bully's operandi. Most similar restaurants have embarrasing amounts of left over foods so rather than have negative feed back its best to send it to charity and get some positive "feed back". I have some queries about BBM as well. Probably a calculated gamble by Tim.

Yes. Can't fathom why SLB hasn't thought it through. If the bully loses its "only a grand". Just like the $15,000 fine to the court he just laughs it off. Don't forget during the summer months after expenses he would have been pocketing 5 figure amounts nightly. Yet if SLB loses that would give the bully a big thrill seeing someone got sucked into his trap. SLB pull out of it now, Show some nous.

Don't be silly, He seems to have sucked you into this holy than thou charity thing. Your satisfaction would be in getting the grand into your pocket. What you do with it is your business. He obviously can't stomach the possibility you getting the cash. Wake up. Play by your rules not his.

I don't see any need to broadcast your CV because of Leo on the other forum. One has to chuckle at "scooby". The law says that moderators should take down material they believe is false and defamatory. As for the Tamaki gathering supporting is not necessarily organising somewhat technical definition. Notice that LJM is linked to offshore trusts. Not a good look for a "mayor"

I suggested to the TAB that with COVID and casinos closed, limited or even unpopular it would not cost much to turn 10am-3am slot on Trackside channels into sort of a racing casino concentrating on entertainment rather than turnover. I always believe turnover comes of its own accord. Clearly however the TAB has no intention of being innovative but rather determined to run racing into the ground.