Freda

Sigh.....that's when we had them...

Eight on the trot.

I guess you meant 3 out of 3..?

Two out of two.

Seems to have some pretty good contacts already. And planes haven't stopped flying north, have they? Now Australia, that's a different matter.

Why ?

I'm not aware that it is the mandate of a government to prop up a failing business with taxpayers' money....other than charitable organisations. Successive govts have said ' racing, get your house in order. ...and it hasn't. There is a saying ' be careful what you wish for, you might get it ' .....and we might at that.

A former racing club exec., and a very experienced administrator, reckons the scope and intent of that Bill is frightening. He said exactly the same as Kopia - have you actually read what it says ? he asked me. It's a backward step in his opinion. As for the political landscape, what is more scary is that most of NZ , incl parliamentarians too, know fk all about racing - and care less. If the Nats do get in, their shadow minister doesn't seem to have a handle on things at all. He could possibly be educated - but by whom?

Spot on, K.

There was a stipe present at Hokitika last year, when the barriers were numbered arse about face. Didn't do much good there either. Are these blokes never acountable? It's more than a manual malfunction....common-sense seems to be what is seriously lacking, industry - wide.

Give up Tommy...you're on a hiding to nothing on this one.

The purist in me thinks that handicaps should NOT have black type. There are other jurisdictions where I think some handicaps have black-type status, but I've never agreed with that....similarly, sales-series races, promotional races i.e. the original 'Bayer Classic" .....fine, put up the money, make a great race of it, but don't pretend that it has any relevance to the improvement of the breed when there is a restricted entry.

...and I agree, handicaps should NOT be Grp 1, pattern races are for determining the best of the crop, handicaps are for betting.

What difference would it make to the majority of racegoers? The party would still go on, the fashions, the drunks, would still be a big part of the day. I don't really think ( stand to be corrected of course ) that the international runners come because it's a Grp 1, but because it's a shitload of money.

The Rip van Winkle progeny seem to have really started to show some quality, after a slowish start. Have followed Germanicus for a while.