Freda

Sounds reasonable.

Preaching to the converted, K.

Cannabis.

You are both correct inasmuch as due process....but, my thoughts are that the apathy referred to facilitates an ' old boys club ' because nobody gives a toss, or is too busy, to follow these things up. Curious will be well aware given a situation he faced recently..not implying that there was any 'corruption' involved, just no one on their tail.

True enough.

its not just balls/gumption, its the sheer cussedness needed to put up with the obfuscation that will accompany any attempt to correct this very undemocratic practice.

Tiered racing is out of place in NZ ( imo ), there isn't the population of horses or the geography to implement it well, as in Australia. Anomalies crop up all the time. But it is the ratings of the opposition that dictate the level of penalty, not the stake necessarily. Allweather racing will ( or should have ) it's own separate ratings, as with hurdlers and chasers, such as happens in other jurisdictions. I agree it's not well done and just typifies our broken systems.

Old Boy's Club.

Ok, have to apologize here. Apparently there was a notice to advise that clubs could host groups of 100 if they could do so safely.

I was talking to an Ashburton dairy farming couple on Friday, asked them how they had come through the micoplasma bovis matter...then was sorry I asked. Twenty minutes later, after a very emotive and heartfelt discourse, it seemed that dealing with the useless 'suits' of MPI, and various other departments was very similar to racing, with corrupt and/or inept management protocols.

The inconsistency was what really pissed me off. Just such a poor attitude to the connections of the more modest runners...you lot don't matter.

I am assuming that NZTR has gone 'overboard' with its rules and regulations to prove to all and sundry that racing can be conducted safely in this climate of uncertainty. Obviously, Australia, despite the recent infections in Vic racing, has conducted racing pretty safely all along, so I don't really have an issue with being careful. But, it would make more sense if the three codes were on the same page. Galloping owners cannot even go to the trials, whereas harness and the greys are much more lenient in that respect. It is annoying, insulting even, when Riccarton has to close it

I also notice that Saundry refers to the ' NZ Racing Board ' . That has been defunct for two years.....

So....do I take from this missive, that three companies / three codes, means that there is to be a consultant company for each code. Paid for by which body/bodies? HRNZ,NZTR,GRNZ...? or the 'new' Racing NZ..? [ is it even up and running yet? ] or TAB NZ? which isn't what they are supposed to be doing...? Saundry's beaming countenance heading the copy...so do we then assume that he is the driver of it all? or what..? I'm astounded. Like J.B, I'm not speechless very often..but..ye gods..

Yes...and I don't want to be thought negative, or backward-looking; but it just doesn't seem to me that all the factors have been considered. Even the graphs shown above, to me, are pretty sanitised We can get temperatures over the summer months of 30+ and for days, weeks at a time ; and the nor-wester on top of that would provide a real challenge to the consistency of moisture, I would think. As well, temperatures can drop 10 deg in an hour. That doesn't happen in a lot of other areas.