Freda

It must be real cos everyone is getting excited 😆

When I was at When I was at school a CEO was a bloody secretary.

What does a COO do that a CEO doesn't?

It's reality...and that's why there needs to be a rigid code of practice for ALL stock at slaughterhouses, not just horses. While we're on the depressing side of things, what about the dog meat business in China and other Asia countries? Can you imagine treating your best mate like that? I try not to dwell on it bit it sickens me. Not the eating part, but the cruelty inflicted on the way

No, Mikey, the aim is not to create new days, permits will be taken from other clubs.

Of course not. Many a child has a tale of the pet lamb which ' disappeared' one day while the kid was at school....only to be told a few weeks later what they were eating at tea time. A visit to an abattoir should be undertaken before slagging off racing.

Humane and compassionate handling should apply to all animals. I don't think any decent human being would feel that some animals can or should be treated more cruelly than others.

Operating here.

I stand to be corrected - but, as far as I am aware, no race in NZ covers its stakemoney through betting revenue. So, abandoned races would be a positive from that point, surely? Clearly, the inconvenience and costs towards running a meeting, and to participants, is a different matter of course.

Yeah, my Saturday's stuffed too. As for transferring the meeting, that concept seems to be fraught with difficulty whenever I've seen races abandoned...and where the steeplechase and hurdles might be held would be interesting.

That's hilarious..and so right.

It won't be dull.

I have a retired model, he is seven now, and I'm pretty sure he is happy. He is certainly aware of his racing history, though, he gets off his couch and limps around for a few minutes before warming up and moving better. If he gets worse, as he gets older, I will certainly be watching his wellbeing...but for the time being, as long as he is kept warm and has plenty of space to self-exercise [ which he does by sprinting around the granny-flat in the back yard two or three times..! ] I'm okay with his condition. I sympathize with the above comments, there is no one-size-fits- all solution. And, as a trainer of thoroughbred racehorses, I see so many horses, rehomed or otherwise, which have hellish lives and should have been euthanized right away.

Maybe...I thought the sale of the 'hill' was intrisic to that happening.

It has to be a positive for the area, though, surely? Apart from the loss of the iconic 'hill ' , the greater Auckland region should be well served by the developments.

Timaru, Greymouth and Reefton will be ecstatic.

Dargaville is not happy indeed. But, as I indicated in a reply to that blog, the writing was on the wall. Only a few - such as your good self, in the form of very eloquent communications, and Westland, with their action of transferring their asset - actually took heed of the likely outcome. I think Marlborough has some sort of trust arrangement, but many others have left themselves vulnerable. As for the 'funding increase' - which has some overjoyed - is, as pointed out in the above piece, largely drawn from anticipated returns from the PoC tax and BIU charges. With the $10,000 stakes reduced by the payments back to 14th [ now tenth ] the $2000 increase will hardly be noticeable. I should add I am in favour of the starters' incentive, that is one thing that NZTR has got right - IMO - but, why pull it from the advertised stake ? What a slap in the face for the owner. Trim it from the upper end, ffs. It's not as if adding $10k to a prestige race will change anyone's mind about targeting Australia. The bird has well and truly flown there. It surprises me that our Grp races haven't, as yet, been reduced in number, given their quality [ lack of ]. It can only be a matter of time, surely ? I note some S.I racedays have had their status reduced from Premier to Feature. A beginning, perhaps?

We had $7000 days back last century....Counties ran $30,000 days too. Sorta puts things into perspective, dunnit? You'll forgive me if I fail to prostrate myself with gratitude over this latest announcement. And, isn't it a projection? Correct me if I'm wrong but the dosh isn't in the handbag yet, is it?

Yes, good point. . But as well, not all trainers have a confidence or are at ease with respect to fronting a camera. But, bloody hell, what an absolute shocker.

Hi Lena You've picked a fascinating topic to include in your thesis. How much depth do you want, or need, to go in to? because, once you've scratched the surface, you will find such a range of topics and/or opinions that you will wish you never started! All the points made above are absolutely right. But, from the point of a doctorate, you probably need to have valid comparisons with jurisdictions where racing works well. To that end, Australia - and particularly NSW/Victoria - and the UK/Ireland, are systems you can realistically compare. Both those regions mentioned are culturally and ethnically similar to NZ.....and before anyone leaps to take offence, I didn't say 'the same'. There are differences of course.

Yeah, with increased track fees....😥

..and a lack of knowledge as to how the whole thing works apart from the immediate effect upon themselves. You have a more generous impression of our president, however, than I do. As far as I can see [ and he may have done plenty behind the scenes to be fair ] the only squeak he made when his own patch was impacted upon..and he has far more resources at his disposal than most.

Sadly, yes. The Messara report, looked upon by many as the blueprint for real change, never involved itself with the codes. I said to Brian de Lore, in one of our many discussions, that that was the biggest flaw in the whole thing. Getting code management tidied up is/was vital, and hasn't happened.

NZTR.

I've seen some private correspondence which I won't go into further. But the tone was not amicable, and I understand the next letter is worse.