Weasel

you're being very harsh. At the time, WHO was simply fulfilling its responsibility to communicate what it knew. Note the word 'preliminary'. So little was known at the time about a potential global threat. WHO was not wrong. They did not 'get it wrong'. They subsequently declared a public health emergency and later, a pandemic.

We went into Level 4 lockdown when we did because, having closed our borders but with Covid already in the country we still had to allow Kiwis to return home if they wanted to, and couldnt quarantine them all at once. Going into total lockdown also allowed us to flatten the curve and avoid crushing our health system with too many serious cases (requiring IC care and ventilators etc) all at once. I expect there will be plenty more cases of Covid through the next 3-6 months BUT we are much better prepared with people, equipment, and information gleaned from its impact overseas. Whats most important in my opinion is to minimise infections among the elderly, especially in rest homes, villages etc. We've already seen what it can do in 'clusters;' like Rosewood. Hygiene and physical distancing will remain critical through the colder months. And we have to get creative and clever about rebuilding our economy, esp tourism and hospo. Opportunity knocks.

Yes, well it appears that the man concerned has some interesting 'form' ... words like obfuscation and 'smokes and mirrors' come to mind https://www.afr.com/rear-window/almost-bankrupt-allan-s-dark-horse-20190528-p51rvu

mebbe this crisis can form the basis for a change in attitude by the Government and the populace at large. Lets get racing back on free-to-air TV, for example and start to rebuild interest in the codes

and Gobstopper and Milseain

now that woulda made a decent 2-RIP multi, Chief!

You cant blame connections for having a throw at the stumps...she was aimed at the Oaks because its the Oaks and makes her an extremely valuable broodmare in due course if she wins it. Probabeel has been up for a long time -raced through the spring, summer and ow autumn over incr longer and harder assignments culminating in yesterday's Classic on a wet track - bookies woulda luved her and Funstar yesterday, the two 'hotpots' of the season more vulnerable as the season goes on.

Toffee Tongue in the Oaks ew

good point raised there ...i think the critical issue is that our health system is not set up to deal effectively with a sudden increase i life-threatening illnesses ...if the virus 'gets away' on us in NZ, eg clusters in rest homes, we don't have the resources (trained personnel, PPE. ventilators, etc) to handle it, and would end up like Italy, Spain, UK, USA - ie overwhelmed - Closing borders, then the 4 week lockdown, and now mandatory quarantine measures with social distancing etc gives us a great chance to keep new cases low enough for us get through winter, when severe flu/pneumonia/asthma place a burden on our IC units anyway. We only had 170 IC beds in the entire country prior to Covid. I expect the DHBs have been using this time to prepare more units and get their hands on PPE and people (eg 'retired' nurses)

with respect to businesses that 'could have continued trading with suitable protocols ...perhaps you're forgetting that the whole point of Level 4 is to minimise movement of the population in order to control community transmission (currently at just 2% of known cases, but in reality probably higher).

why on earth would CS be going to court, tommygun?

indeed..my 'best guess' would have been 'further charges pending' and/or protection of an innocent party/parties...

i have a feeling you are about to enlighten me tomtom

Does anyone know who will Minister for Racing this time next year? It won't be Winnie forever!

but Freda, the Govt has CONTROL ie the TAB is a Govt agency, so it's not as if this is a privately-owned business that needs to get its house in order without Govt involvement. Part of our problem is that so much of the industry depends on turnover from gambling and the (Govt-controlled) TAB is a MONOPOLY. Bookmaking is illegal in this country, is it not? To rectify the Stakes-funding problem (imo the fundamental issue to bbe addressed), we have to increase turnover from wagering. So the Government has to accept some responsibility for the future of NZ Racing, rather than take the historical approach (ie get your own house in order, don't come to us with your hand out).

This is another example of the truth being spoken (well, written really) by the wise one known as Jess. Personally, I am irritated by not knowing the name of this convicted killer, but there must be a darn good reason or three why we cannot be told until after sentencing (February, I believe). We must trust in the wisdom of the Judge. Why it takes 3 months for a sentence to be decided is, however, beyond me.

Kopia says: There is no doubt that there was interference towards the end of the race. Mustelld says: You concede there was interference late in the race. The key questions are: which horse started the interference? How severe was it? I only saw the head-on once (on-course) and thought it was obvious that Taroni began the interference by moving out and taking BLR's line, actually shunting LR sideways 2 or 3 strides from the post. Taroni led by about 1 length at the 100m and by a head at the finish. On that basis the Stewards made the right decision. Having said that, the JCA should not have allowed the process to be dictated by Ellis and should have questioned Sam Collett. MM

and bravo to the stewards for making the right decision. Taroni clearly impeded BLR by running out UNDER PRESSURE. Taroni was tiring quickly the last 50m and would've been run down imo if it had kept a straight line. The crucial evidence is the head-on video. MM

I only saw the head-on on a small tv screen on-course- and only once - and commented to my companions that the placings would be reversed. The leader took the other horse's line at a crucial stage and was tiring quickly. correct decision imo, though I feel for the Lindsays who have had too much dreadful luck this year.

From the horse's mouth. “She will definitely be at the races at Ellerslie over Christmas and New Year. Which ones we don’t know yet.

she is already Grp 1 and Grp 2 placed, CS...surely that would help her in eligibility for 3yo classics ??

Definitely would be going to the paddock now if she were mine. Owner's prerogative, of course ...my concern is - and always has been - that too much racing over the shorter trips and/or firm ground will be her undoing. I'm glad she has broken maidens. Please don't tell me it had anything to do with the gear being on/off for the 2nd/3rd time, that's crap. Aalaalune can gallop, we all know that from her 2yo record. At last they found a field she could beat - Te Rapa on a Friday was a whole lot easier than the 1000 Guineas, I guess. So good on them for lowering their sights and getting her confidence back with an easy win. Time will tell whether the field she beat amounts to anything. 3yo classy filly by Reliable Man = Derby/Oaks path(s) ..and the best way for her to get there is to have a decent break when the tracks are driest (imho), ie from now. She's been 'up' since the winter to prepare for the Tarzino, so a rest now can only do her good. but that ain't in Rogie's DNA - I acknowledge all the experience and success i the stale - I also note the appalling strike rate in recent seasons, including the current one. 2 Stephen Marsh 33 20 26 $644,443 258 2 7.82 7 Team Rogerson 13 19 26 $355,058 231 1 17.77 Translation: More starters than any trainer except Marsh; 1 winner per (app) 18 starters cf Marsh 1 winner per 8 starters And in the most recent completed season, Marsh (790), Baker/Forsman (785) and Rogerson (774) had the most starters. Strike rates: 1 in 7; 1 in 8; 1 in 12.5 respectively). If they keep racing her this side of Xmas, I bet she don't even get to the Derby or Oaks ...

Ufortunately Winnie's idea of the media 'doing their job properly' is to ask curly questions of everyone except him and NZ First. What is happening now is a reprise of the 2008 Spenser Trust saga that ended in Wini copping an official censure by Parliament for knowigly misleading the House ..which in turn cost him 3 years in the political wilderness.

You only need to look at the ratios of sprinting to staying races here and in Oz compared to say the UK/France. Then take a look at the $$$ on offer for the sprinter-milers cf the (poorer) money for the staying types - the Derby and Oaks are the only exceptions. Karaka Million for 2yo - sprint (rightly so). Karaka Million for 3yo -mile No million dollar race in that series for 2000-2400 horse. Which begs the question: why don't they add more $$ to the ($100k) Karaka Stayers Cup?

Flem track Soft Ricc track Dead 4