Freda

Not for the same person, Reefton...the meth ' positives ' were for two different people. The cannabis ' negative ' was for a girl who smokes every day.

Sorry may have been a bit ambiguous....the 'negative' test for the girl was for cannabis....and given her history there is no way it could or should have been .. The ' positives' were for methamphetamine, and later turned out to be negative. All in all, not very reliable results all round.

Yeah...a local wit reckoned she was being given Lucerne....

As yet there doesn't appear to be universal acceptance that 'drug testing' drivers is a satisfactory or accurate process ; and I certainly couldn't afford to routinely drug test employees - unless a simple, cheap and accurate process is developed. Which leaves me and others like me between a rock and a hard place. The most recent drug testing carried out at the track here produced a few positives to cannabis, and a couple to P. Those two samples were subsequently tested more rigorously and found to be 'false positives ' whatever that is. However, a local girl who is a well known stoner and freely admits to ' having a cone' before coming to work daily, tested negative. She even told the RIU members present ' don't waste your time, I'm done, I'll be positive' and tested negative.....

It seems from that that evidence is, at best, inconclusive. However, as an employer [ albeit of a very limited number ] the message that its now ' okay ' to smoke openly, and to present at work stoned, is unacceptable.

100% with you there....however, don't have an issue with the medical variety. I find interesting the stats from the USA however, which appear to indicate no increase in use as a result of the legalisation of the stuff. Are we to believe them? ..or are Americans just different....or are the stats ' manipulated' to tell the story as they want....

yep.

I'm all for horse welfare and fairness to punters....but, ffs, the effing track was heavy, end of story. Local knowledge should have told Vile pretty much how the conditions would be .

Just read the T & C, Newmarket, and you'll find out

And still....just the best!!

Not much love seen there.

I guess...but after all the RITA dust settles, my concern is STILL that we are saddled with NZTR to administer the extra dosh. We will still be in shit street without a radical change at that level.

Yeah, yeah...all the above...but we are supposed to be in raptures because Rita is 'different' ....? and what, exactly, does Glenda gain by 'stitching J.A into a deal from which he can't be extracted..' ?

I'm sure they all know more than I do about such matters....but, if a position is 'disestablished' surely the old contract no longer applies?

Thats very true. Some years ago I trained two medium-sized geldings, one was unable to win carrying anywhere near topweight, despite being [ as I thought ] a pretty fair horse. Once started up a couple of grades and down to the bottom of the weights, he was very effective and won a black-type race. The other guy, although much inferior, could plug along and earn a dollar in highweights despite not being a big horse.

Luminaries? With J.A. leading them? Brilliant. However, as was pointed our to me, the show has to go on. TAB staff still have to get to the races, the functions of the whole operation must continue, he said, you can't just sack everyone in an instant and have nothing left.

Hmmm....

It sure will...but even if things work out well, I don't think we'll see much change for a fair while.

She sure is...they come, they go. At least here there is no conception that the girls aren't up to it. As a matter of interest I see Kayla Veenendaal is back in the ranks.

I know you are agin amateur races...just take the whips off them - what would be the problem with that? In S.Africa races are run without whips on occasion, and I ( personally) can see no reason why apprentices need whips either. Most flap around aimlessly, far better that they learn to balance their mounts and push them with energy and suitable body actions. Reduce the allowable limit for seniors and we might start to see some better riding.

Agree there.

Have to agree with you here...while more funding coming via Winston's changes will be welcome, what happens to that funding is open to conjecture when applied by the same failed business model....and the 'impartiality' of Sir P may be questionable. I hope I'm wrong.....but there isn't a mandate as far as I know for W.P to intervene with code issues. In fact, I'm sure I read a comment from him somewhere stating that ' now I've got the funding sorted, the plan is to step back and let the codes manage themselves.'....that really concerns me given the idiotic decisions that dog the industry.

I think its five max....but stand to be corrected. I sure did watch, recorded each day and was glued to the TV when work was finished. Obviously, Royal Ascot is the showpiece of all that is good about English racing, no doubt there is plenty not so grand, but yes, the jocks and the horses, off the bridle and still finding, and no excessive punishment with whips but still some very strong riding.

So do the rest of us who post, I'm sure..I know I do - I must have been asleep but I haven't seen any nastiness other than what Thommo gets served up with....!

Although not a punter, I've loved every minute of the five-day race extravaganza. Those classy horses, so many of them off the bridle a good way out but they just keep finding...and the limited whip use doesn't stop those riders from extracting everything from their mounts. Take note NZ.