Freda

Have to agree there, Mark. Many trainers have ended up the 'syndicate manager ' by taking in a few partners to keep a horse going. It only takes a slow or defaulting partner to have costs spiralling that are hard to settle. Obviously, I'm not referring to the professionally - run syndicates like Fortuna, Go Racing, etc., which will have all costs built into their operations.

Whatever. At the time, it was becoming quite a big deal wrt the level of debt on behalf of owners some trainers were carrying, and it was thought to be one way to reduce that.

No, they don't get charged to owners, unless things have changed elsewhere...haven't here. Some years ago, the local branch of the T.A [ when I was still involved, unlike now ] requested that that be done, and were met with a flat ' No' . I recall the reason given went something like ' too much paperwork, too hard to find owners' details [ really? ] - and the doozy of all - what if owners don't pay? We can't be in the position of holding that much debt ' ........

That would be a plus, if it could be arranged. I'd be happy to pay a little more for no ads!

What seems to have been overlooked in the general discussion is that a horse is entitled to it's line of running. Whether or not there is direct contact, if it's line has been impeded or direction ' dictated ' by the wayward movement of another there are grounds for a change of placing.

Was told there was a meeting today/tomorrow in the south, between Saundry and ( presumably) trainers and/or club officials to discuss reduced permits in the region. I understand it is proposed to take 3 dates from Otago and 2 from Southland. Anyone heard anything about this?

At the moment, we are all just trying to keep our heads above the water. With the ongoing situation with track closures and the imminence [ really ? ] of all weather tracks, it seems a bit of a pointless exercise to stress about something we can do nothing about.

The lad was asked to take a sit and wait, i cannot comprehend how what transpired correlated to that....I watched with horror!

I agree....but I think I would even qualify that and call it 'inappropriate' irrigation. I was told by an earlier track manager that he 'didn't water to change track conditions, only to achieve growth' .. But, as has been discussed here and elsewhere, the soil structures are stuffed. That's why [ IMO ] there are often superior track surfaces on country tracks.

Yeah...I know..!

As a matter of interest, the track had been irrigated all week....did you notice the green sward of the circuit and compare it with the burnt brown of the surrounding areas?

Really ?

Certainly, in my small circles, no indication that Lasix is being used, but that is very local. Couldn't possibly comment about other areas.

No...but I wouldn't be likely to, I don't have any interest in who is using what, 'cos I don't bother. Some might say I should, looking at a patch of less-than-stellar form....!

....be careful with wives...? dangerous creatures...?

This is going round in circles. As far as my humble opinion goes, I am - and have been for years - aware that most horses bleed. Some bleed all the time, some less often, but that is the unfortunate reality of equine physiology, added to the fact that we ask far more of them than they are designed to do. The practice here in NZ of requiring a horse to be stood down is, I feel, not entirely fair. With the knowledge that most horses do bleed, it seems unfair to discriminate against a horse that shows blood from the nostrils when most of the field it has competed against will be bleeding too, just less obviously. I assess my horses as to their performance, if they are racing well and consistently, I assume that they are coping with the level of disability ok. If they are not, then bleeding is considered, along with a raft of other possibilities including lack of ability....and their future is decided on the basis of that assessment. If a runner has a bad bleed and drops out of contention, clearly that animal isn't able to cope at all, and another job should be considered - IMO. One of my better performers - Ranger - a good middle-distance animal [ winner of the Easter Classic and Grt Autumn Hcp when those races were really worth winning ] bled badly before he ever went to the races. He won nine, bled nearly every time. But when he won his last race, the Greymouth Cup, he scraped home just beating horses that a year or so earlier he would have beaten with a leg tied up. I retired him with the full support of his owner. The Lasix argument doesn't concern me, I don't believe in drug-assisted performance. Whether it is scientific or not, I support the stance taken by Japan and Germany in their quest for the superior performer. As in the quoted article, the best and soundest racehorses are COPING with the condition better than their peers. A recent addition to our stallion ranks was a known bleeder in Europe...he won't be the only one of course, but has a high profile...

I presume you are referring to plough tracks as per many NZ training centres - I love our plough at Riccarton, just a life-saver IMO, and very few problems seen there either. Could be maintained a bit better, but that is a complaint made here about most tracks, work and raceday, I guess. Not sure how closely our ploughs resemble the tracks discussed in the above article, though. Clearly Gilligan has a real issue with the prevailing state of dirt tracks in much of the US. I thought his article was very interesting, not much there that I could take issue with. Perhaps Curious, given his experience with US racing, might comment ?

Don't think Tapeta is the surface of choice here as far as I can see...but if you read Gilligan's article in it's entirety it is clear he feels it is a far superior option to American dirt.

I know John well, he was certainly very silly to do what he did but is most definitely not a crook . He wouldn't know how to turn on a computer and quite likely was either unaware of the rule ( no excuse I know ) or possibly thought the ' no administration ' bit referred to a substance that could possibly affect the horse.

I know Brian well and communicate with him regularly. I wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that anything I might say would ' put him on the right track ' , however - although he knows my opinion of Winston..! We've thrashed the topic to death, agree on much and disagree on plenty as well. But, as stated earlier, at least he's prepared to put his ideas forward and go to bat for the industry. Plenty have much criticism but do shit all.

Yep, read it years ago. Great stuff. I recently had a bookcase clean-up, that was one that got passed on to the Sallies. Wonder if anyone will give it a home.?

" The Messara Report says the codes should manage themselves, control their own finances and determine their own future " That, to me, is one of the major flaws in the Report. I was pretty optimistic [ no pun intended ] that a good shake-up might get some improvement started - although I have never agreed with the stealing of club assets. But with the RB streamlined and operating efficiently [ ? ] and the TAB outsourced, light may shine..I hoped. But it is all just a waste of time if the [mis]management of the codes remains unchanged.

Politicians have only been involved in the R.B.....the board of NZTR - and the useless members' council - has eff all to do with them. We've sat on our hands and allowed things to develop in the way they have. I've had a prominent local trainer tell me NZTR is 'doing a great job' ....so go figure.

The only additional comment I feel I must make [ and I'm not an apologist for National in this regard ] is that successive Ministers of either persuasion have said ' racing, get your house in order' . Annnette King is on record as saying that help was beyond her, as getting consensus from industry factions was impossible. And therein lies the biggest problem [ apart from RITA ] - the governing model of Throughbred racing is so bad that nicking other people's assets , although morally reprehensible, remains the only way to garner extra money. ....which, as the business model is so poor, will go down the same gurgler as all the rest.

Interesting read....agree with most of what you say - from an outsider's point of view. However, in the galloping code, ' power' was taken away from the galloping clubs, and the old Racing Conference replaced with the slick, professional model we were told we needed. Hasn't that gone well ..?