Horace

How flash would it be if they'd started at 6pm Brodie😂

Well said Freda. And I should add that I have actually got some 'skin' in the industry. I've bred/trained/sold/raced a number of horses. I've been involved at Committee level on a major club. I've heard and seen the bullshit. People get appointed to poisitions within racing in NZ not because they're particuarly good or experienced...in the main its because they drink at the right pub or went to the right school/university. Its called the Old Boys Club. Yep, its alive and well in 2021 ( refer to comment above re C.G.!) And the worst offender by a country mile? Auckland Racing Club. Without a doubt. A so called ' premier' race club serving up shit tracks year after year...can't race in winter...too precious to have horses trained there...and its an absolute no-brainer that when the $$ where being handed out for tracks ( i.e. Cambridge etc) the ARC should have been lobbying strenuously for funds to at least help upgrade their shit track to a World class venue, i.e. Strathayr. Too much incestuous behaviour between NZ Bloodstock and Auckland Racing Club imho!

What makes you think I give a flying fuck, chief? Over years and years I've seen millions and millions of dollars squandered on useless CEO's, Board Members, Chairmen of Boards, 'reports',wasted and pitiful efforts at renovating tracks...need I say more? And the latest disgrace..these so called synthetic tracks. Cambridge is the worst example of waste ( how much...$15million at least!). And still they persist. C George as CEO of NZ Racing..? Really? And still $10k maidens? So its clear that what you think, or what I think is irrelevant. Think Titanic. Think a great big iceberg. The two are closer than ever. Thats the industry imploding.

was the guy masquerading as a riu steward the starter? FFS!

I'm quite happy with 'subjective' thanks. And whats the problem you refer to?

I think she's a sensational racemare...but looking at it subjectively and not emotionally gets me to the facts of my last post.

Yep she's handy. Set up for her tho, mostly handicappers who carried more weight, her stablemate tried but has been found out on a better track...but please don't mention her in the same sentence as Sunline. Now, there was an absolute champion. If your friends at TA can keep Melody Belle going until the spring, lets see her in the Cox Plate. She'd need to win that to get a tick as 'champion' from me. Unfortunately there are a number of Group races in NZ that are on the cusp of being downgraded....some of which MB has won.

Of course they're treating 'it' differently. Are you seriously thinking that every rider who transgresses these-or any rules-gets charged with something.? Some of the riu are as blind as Stevie Wonder. Depends who and where the races in question are run. Why do some get a warning when others, for exactly the same actions, get charged? Not that hard to figure it out.

5 strikes prior to the 100m...? Not consecutive strides...? How hard is that? Opie may not be the brightest light on the candleabra but he's got five fingers on each hand..he's got a choice🤪, pick either one...i don't believe for a moment that its that hard to count to 5. But if thats your argument then fine. I don't accept it. Lets see how the riu handle this scenario in the near future?

You are being disengenuous Chief. However, if someone is acting outside accepted Rules to gain an advantage over someone else, how would you describe their actions? Especially when the 'cheats' are extremely experienced at their trade and offend against the Rules intentionally....and please don't try to tell us that Opie ( for example ) didn't know what he was doing when he smashed that horse with the whip several times more than allowed! I recall the Commission of Enquiry into the Erebus disaster many years ago...the head of that enquiry labelled the airlines actions and responses to questions ( AirNZ) as an ' orchestrated litany of lies'. Doesn't take much imagination to see where I'm heading with this...does it? Unless you have your eyes and ears covered and only believe what you want to believe...and in saying 'you' I am not necessarily meaning you, Chief.

'Cheating' is defined as.....' various actions designed to subvert Rules in order to obtain unfair advantages'. Describing a rider who ( intentionally) whips a horse in excess of the Rules/Guidelines as a 'cheat' would therefore seem quite appropriate.

Once again you haven't read my post correctly.

People watching horse racing ( on TV ) are most likely unaware of the distinction. It is the visual aspect of striking the horse that is causing this issue to become a major one. Even waving the whip as some do draws criticism. Whether we like it or not as industry participants, this is the reason for guidelines surrounding whip useage are becoming more and more stringent. I liken it in a way to the ' black lives matter' supporters. Noise made becomes deafening, even if it is 'unjustified' or ;over the top'. We just have to live with it and racing jurisdictions around the World are, or will be, adapting these new practices when it comes to the use of whips on animals.

It's quite straightforward. The nztr guidelines are that prior to the 100m a rider can strike the horse 5 times, not in consecutive strides. From the 100m to the finish there is no restriction PROVIDING that the horse is not beaten already and is in a position to keep or improve its' placing, or is clearly winning. ( And thats where the guidelines are ridiculous imho, just opens it up to the bashers and we see it all the time..even when horses are clearly winning, as per Bosson on Avantage at Te Rapa in the BCD sprint..clearly winning, 3 lengths clear and he hits it at least 10 times..not a word from oathum). For your information chief, ' excessive' is defined quite simply as ...' too much'. As per Bosson on Saturday, clearly 'too much', thats why the stipes had to charge him, he pleaded guilty so he clearly accepted his whip use was 'excessive'. The difference with Opie, unfortunately, is that he is in the twilight of his career and is hell bent on making as much money as he can and it is definitely showing.

Ha! Token gestures? So what, should we get rid of the interference rule? Reckless riding? Weighing in light? What you're missing is that punters want a level playing field. In all 'sports'. In racing, by turning a blind eye to thrashing horses your'e advocating that cheating is acceptable as long as you get the 'right result'. No wonder a lot of young people are put off by racing. You can't get away with thrashing dogs in public, why should racing be any different.? p.s. You are selective in reading my posts Chief. I wrote some time back I'm not 'anti-whip'. But I am anti 'excessive use of whips.'

It's disappointing that you continue to defend the thrashing of horses Chief. This is 2021. People with small minds, like the current crop of non achieving raceday stewards,will have to accept very soon that they're wrong. Pressure on whip use will not abate and the industry in NZ should accept the situation NOW and adopt the ' protest' rule that I and others are promoting. It would be a step in the right direction. Currently there is very real suspicion that penalties, especially fines, aren't working as the offending jocks don't end up paying them...I'm talking especially of major races where prizemoney and ongoing stud implications far outweigh the few grand imposed as fines.

I'm just making a brief comeback here... My last sentence above...' Any use outside these boundaries should lead to a protest and disqualification of a horse which is placed...in fact that should be instituted right now also' Never better illustrated that the win of Amahlarina today. Bosson got fined $2000 and suspended for 3 fairly inconsequential days after winning today. It's cheating.The only thing stopping a Rule being instituted by NZ Racing is LAZINESS on behalf of oathum and his cronies. They obviously see it as more work..can't be bothered. anybody got any real reason why such a Rule can't be put in place? It would very quickly stop this blatant and intentional cheating we keep seeing..often when riders are wearing a certain colour of silk.

Well I must have missed the part in the BOAY rules where it said alls fair in love and war..except where Te akau racing, D Ellis etc are concerned. you're sounding a bit 'woke' to me chief. Thanks for opportunity to post to date but if thats the way things roll, I'd rather not have any input. Arreverderci!

I'm just a poor boy, raised on grits and beans, till the soil and feed a few beasts... Can't follow this-maybe some 'events' in the next few days will clarify things? SO...a trainer with several horses racing on a ' big' day, wins with 3 or 4, all get swabbed. One swab comes back positive to 'm' ( lets say) and the excuse is...' oh yeah but the hay we've got had poppies in it, must have caused that positive! I'm innocent as the day as long, you feds have got it all wrong!! Now, even a dumb boy like me has to ask..' if you were feeding hay with poppies in it to your horses, how come the other 3 or 4 winners that day didn't show traces of 'm'?? After the riu swallowed the bullshit cobalt story a few years back, do they follow the leader and believe this bullshit?

Goober is hiding behind the door so he doesn't have to make any decisions...easy or hard,all the same to him...just stay out of the way, say/do nothing and collect the $$$. Nothing has changed there has it?

I don't have any motivation. I don't own any 2 yr old fillies. I'm just a mug punter. Good on the connections of the 9 maidens in the field at Matramata-at least one of them and quite possibly more are going to get some very cheap Group 2 status. The tragedy is a heap of 2 yr olds have probably been stuffed with being put through pressure cooked preps with owners etc trying to get into the Karaka race. The Matamata race needs to be put back 6-8 weeks in my opinion or else it can't last as a Group race...club should just put on a $25k maiden for them.

No comparison at all. I'd probably be happy to see 7 good horses some with multiple Group 1 form. Any way you try to paint it chief the Matamata situation is bloody awful.

A $100,000 Group 2 race for 2 yr old fillies...11 acceptances....9 maidens...really!! Not knocking the club concerned, but if this doesn't tell NZTR something about other clubs and big money backers hi-jacking the industry nothing will. How this race can even keep any Group status is beyond me unless some drastic moves happen real quick, fields have been pisspoor for several years. Even Teakau can only find 1 nomination?

So now there don't appear to be any..ever? Is that it? Who decided that, sure wasn't the trainers who used to support meetings on grass tracks. I'm told-by a trainer-'that the reason is track managers at galloping tracks objected to harness meetings as their tracks were ' damaged'. Just don't believe that myself. When you've got tracks like Te Awamutu, Thames, Te Teko etc that have been given the DCM by NZ Thoroughbred Racing, why can't they be utilised for harness meetings? Same down in the CD surely...Take a track like Te Teko where I've been to once or twice. Not too far to travel to, how would a 2 day meeting spread over 3 days go there? Heaps of room for overnight stays, plenty of facilities. good tie-ups...can't see any reason why such a meeting wouldn't be supported...? Looks to me that harness racing in the North Island is on a downwards spiral, need some thinking ' outside the square' to get people interested...Just my opinion.

Don't know if youre including me in that comment re te akau chief.nothing could be further from the truth. Their filly Amahlrina (sp?) looked very special winning the 3 yr old fillies race yesterday..she could be anything and has a beautiful action. I can see her in the Derby at Ellerslie. Richards has a great team behind him, he needs it with 175 horses actively in work ( according to nztr).