Freda

I would think he might have had enough of corporate b/s..

I'm a bit behind things wrt Te Aroha...but hadn't it recently had some remedial work?

How confident indeed. No one wants to see races put off or horses/riders injured, so there is no suggestion that track managers and their staff WANT a cock-up. But it seems that all are singing from the same song-sheet, and the tune just doesn't work.

Probably because there is NO other option.

Puntura got a bigger one. But good on them for having a go.

Many top trainers have been fooled by a 'morning glory' or let down badly by a horse they rated....equally, some have been surprised to see the ugly duckling blossom into a superior performer. Opinion and assessment are subjective - and like arseholes, we all have one. If the well-heeled gentleman took yours at face value without bothering to involve me in his decision, it's just as well we never met.

Sticks and stones, plenty more in life to be concerned about, than comments from a former jockey. I've observed many jockeys over the years, good, bad, all sorts. Of all, one of the best we've ever seen, CWJ, stands out for not just his consummate skill but his empathy for his mounts and his genuine love for the animal...the animal that, over millennia, has pulled our carts, ploughed our fields, died in the battlefield, carefully carried children and the disabled, and run its guts out for no good reason other than we ask it of them. Some others, also very good jockeys, show their class as humans by smashing their mounts over the head and/or ripping the bit through their teeth when annoyed or having difficulties. So a critique, however minor from a 'jockey' who thinks horses cheat is nothing to be bothered about.

There was a great doco I watched, back in the day, called 'the year of Sir Ivor'. What a horse. Didn't seem to have a great presence later as a stallion in the northern hemisphere but created a dynasty down here, through Sir Tristram, Zabeel, and now Savabeel.

The scribe who dubbed blinkers as 'the badge of the cheat' did many wonderful horses a grave disservice....and those who think the same way display a woeful ignorance about a horse's survival mechanisms and the nature of its vision.

I'm a bit of a bob-each-way here. I agree with S.A that a correctly used whip is an aid, or encouragement, not a punishment. I disagree strongly with Billy's comment about 'most horses are cheats'. I think the majority are brave and willing, those few that aren't, often have an experience with humans to reflect upon, or are sick, tired, or sore. As far as social licence goes, the fact that so many either can't use the blasted thing properly, or break such feeble rules that we have, may well mean that the whip is banned altogether at some stage. I wouldn't lose any sleep if it was, but it shouldn't need to be if riders use it appropriately. The sight of J. Mac throwing the kitchen sink at his mount in the Cox Plate was not pretty.

He was advised by those whom he thought would know.

Sadly, yes, most 'staying' races have become very pedestrian affairs. Structure and programming have to be a part of this; not the sole reason, there are several factors, but it seems that, as you say, very few relish the time and money that must be spent to develop such horses.

Yes. They have the nous to understand how important community and even tourist involvement is in the country areas.

That's a very courteous way of pointing out that programming country-wide is a train wreck.

After dusting off all the peripheral stuff.....in plain English, it is not enough for a process to be impartial, it must be SEEN to be impartial. Above reproach.

Nice to see you back, Thommo

That's alarming. Thanks for bringing that up, I was mulling over the next tetanus shot, has been well over ten years since I had my last one. Bloody cheek.

If they mean ' full renovation' as in, FULL renovation, Hastings will be out of use for many months. So, what happens then? Thrash the tracks left...?

Apparently not. Checked up this morning. There is discussion after the event as to what might be a plan going forward, but not as far as making the actual decision. That is jockeys and officials.

It's not the fact that races were put off, per se, that pisses me - and others - off. Modern H & S laws require the safety of personnel to be an absolute priority in the workplace, so blaming jockeys, as some do, and/or stipes and RIB on the day, is unfair and shows no knowledge of appropriate practice. But the fact is that track maintenance procedures DON'T change, we keep getting the same regurgitated rubbish for the same result. I find it astounding. And Ellerslie, by choosing a method that is not the normal process by a world-renowned company, Strathayr, just buys into the same b/s. Why would anyone's - or any organisation's - ego be so huge that they thought they could bypass the experts? And on what basis? The excellence of our track management? Ffs.

Gee, the whip use would be frowned upon now.

Starting? Wonder what the fluffy announcement will say this time?

Damn right they did.

Nor me.

Won't talk to them!