Freda

I can't actually remember back that far, C....but yeah, exactly like that.

Pre-race ear covers are red, the black ones stay on for the race. Just to be nit-picky.....

Less of the Princess and more of accountability and things will be grand, Thommo.

In the three higher-rated races at Riccarton on Saturday, there are rating spreads of 19, 22, and 27 points respectively...and all on 54 kgs. How is that a 'handicap' in the spirit of the designation ? While racing was being re-introduced, there was a cap on ratings penalties to reflect this anomaly to a degree, but it can't be carried on, or the whole point of ratings is nullified.

You know perfectly well my thoughts on handicapping, we have discussed it often. The lack of a reasonable spread of weights has long been a problem IMO. I remember racing when there was a decent spread - good horses carried a good horse's weight, and the lightweights got a significant chance at the bottom. Not so now.

If there was a decent handicapping system, the disparity in ratings would, to a degree, be nullified by the weight differential. But they're not, and therein lies the frustration among trainers.

Yes, they certainly are. I was under the impression that the open-entry races were only to be persisted with during June/July...not going forward, in any case.

I actually don't have a problem with open entry....but, once entries are in and collated, there needs to be a rational dividing-up of runners so that ratings are more on a par. Throwing all in together isn't helpful going forward, but neither is the situation that existed before, with 6 or 8 higher rated horses running for 30k and a glut of 65 and similar raters all squashed into one pile and many not getting a go at all.

I reckon out McLeans Island way would be a good option...poorer soil ( from an agricultural point of view, so less pricey) light, free draining land, a stone's throw from central ChCh, the Equestrian facility handy as well, also Orana Park .....yeah, good idea Reefton.

Was thinking that....admirable aim, though, Chief.

What about the amateur 'chase down there? Busloads used to go down, some stayed overnight at the local hostelry. Great entertainment.

Which is why a dedicated jumping 'season' or circuit for jumping days would be grand...but will never happen now. In fact I'd be very surprised if the National is ever run down here again. The principal club has sat on its hands and happily hosted the Nationals, year on year, but done nothing to foster or support the sport.

Don't seem to be, do they. Yet the jumpers have a huge following in the Uk

Don't knock the jumpers, Chief....

. And to hear some talk, it seems that anything Waikato is automatically superior to elsewhere...🙁

To be fair, I haven't looked at the fields at Awapuni ( apart from the jumps) but is it the only R65 on the card? If it is an additional race, that might be why.

Don't blame ya. Anyone who has the options to do so, I think would be. Obviously, though, for many that isn't viable, with family, finance, and other considerations. But this notion of ' Saturday' and 'midweek' classes is all wrong for NZ, yet keeps getting traction. The only way I can see it working is to have maidens, and [ say ] R 62, 68 midweek and at modest stakes. Let the higher rated horses have the weekends and better money. That way there are opportunities to race, as well as work towards a better sort of option. Years ago - and you would recall this - clubs 'tiered' themselves, to what they could afford. The provincial clubs had their day, but happily catered for the lesser lights, and the handicapper reflected this when/if a country Cup winner went to the city. But handicapping and systems have changed, and not necessarily all for the good. Horses like Over the River, winner of multiple handicaps, is one standout under todays model - but few have his durability. Yesteryear, many good but not top-class horses could win open races around the smalls, but would never be competitive in a city class handicap. One such horse I recall [ County Antrim, raced by Richard Taggart, brother of trainer Barrie ] won races like the Westport Cup, Wyndham Cup, etc....then the tinkering started. Too many open races, they said. So those 'cup' races became Cl 3 handicaps with the open races pushed towards the city clubs. Richard, knowing full well how slim the chances were of him racing a Grp winner, said, when Bob is finished, I won't race another one. They're stuffing racing. How right he was. Then things got changed again. Races like the Kumara Nuggets became ' iconic' handicaps, with significant injections of prizemoney. Now all the big guns attacked, and again, the country handicapper got left in the cold. More changes and rearrangements since, but the steady dismantlement of systems that worked had done the damage. The Aus model of city [ midweek and Saturday ] provincial, country and bush/non-tote works really well, but we just don't have the numbers, the geography, or the organisational skills to make it viable. You would think that the Aussie imports we have employed might have an idea, but seemingly not.

Yes, you're right, Chris did drop his whip. And another pretty fair effort was in winning the Dunedin Gold Cup ( 2400 ) and the very next day the Timaru Cup ( 1600 ). She broke all the rules.

A bike....jeez, I have just finished reading about Nancy Wake, I bet she never wanted to ride a bike, ever again, after the war.

Yes. And off nine days work.

Yep. And ' draft ' calendars are out for October onwards with no races depicted apart from black type ones, and no stakes shown either. Surely I'm not the only one with misgivings here.

You're right about the bloody easterly. Would cut you in half most days.

China White?

The Alcimedes horse was Eurypides. Cloudy View was, I think, by Grey William. Shane Laming won the Telegraph on Flying View, also trained by Lionel.

Clarrie McCarthy won both legs of the double at [ I think ] Waikouaiti one year with an Alcimedes stallion whose name escapes me...and Lionel Pratt regularly sent horses around very frequently - and with great success. See if you can find any info on Cloudy View...