Freda

Not exactly a deer fence - but very well enclosed nevertheless. You wouldn't find a horse on the road unless someone left an external gate open.

Pretty sure the loophole to which you refer was tightened up. There was a 'window of opportunity ' for NSB mares to be allowed into the studbook, but once that window closed, no more.

What's the point then? Beach racing?

Have they been 'grabbed' yet?

Which reminds me of one R.P ( Parkie) Register, who was thoroughly pissed off with one of his charges shying when going for a pre-work trot around the chute. Fixed him ! He crowed. He did put them on backwards.

I'd put them on backwards if I thought it would help

Yeah, never been but the OLD coast circuit used to be awesome. Trainers/jockeys/owners arriving at Reefton, then moving en masse ( most of them) to Greymouth or Hokitika for the last three days. Whitebait and champagne breakfasts, lazy days at Lake Kaniere water-skiing, Hokitika Gorge, what a great time Omakau/Cromwell also used to fly, but that has been scuttled too now. All in the interests of progress, of course.

Fantastic all right. Wonderful results. What a shame we can't run a racing industry as well as we can produce horses and horsemen/women.

Yes, have to agree with that, we have cruelly modified many dog breeds to be incapable of survival without help.

She seems a great young woman, as are the others mentioned in the article. I have a super vid. of a gorgeous ten-year-old girl, scampering around a cross-country course on her Dartmoor pony..but I can't share it for some reason. She'd be made of the same stuff, I reckon.

i don't condone breaking rules for the sake of it - or, in this case, commercial gain - but, as Curious has alluded, what is the harm really ? As long as we don't see multiple full siblings in a year, I can't see any disadvantage to the breed. If genetic modification was taking place, that would be a different story indeed.

You think the RIU are a bastion of consistency?

Ha.Col would have been saying ' I told you so' and rubbing his hands with glee..as well as the rorts and kickbacks in sales.as well as the lack of documentation that used to accompany overseas sales. May have changed now, haven't sold one overseas for a good while. The practice of 'reinforcing' a service is A.I in any language.but still done. Anyone who thinks that everyone obeys the rules and plays nice needs their head read.

Nope. Just an extension of the discussion.

The numbers of mares covered by popular stallions these days is enormous, far more than could ever be achieved without veterinary help. It is a stretch to think that 'extra' assistance is not also given when required.

Yes, same here. As a former jumping rider he has made a huge commitment to keeping weight down to ride on the flat.

So did I.

I think, another angle is worth considering.for years, although not in as parlous a situation as now, NZ racing has been considered a poor relation to Aus. The overall lack of real money inherent meant that our industry had little interest for organised crime. So, testing, pre race, and strict scrutiny of race tactics and patterns, have been far less practised here. Sloppy, but there it is.

FWIW..it may be that MB has had enough - either for now, or for good. Time will tell, and being the good operation that the Te Akau team are, there will be no stone left unturned to make sure the mare is OK. But in a general sense, horses that are travelling well will cop interference far better than those that are flat. My take was that she was flat before she was ever tightened up. As for the slow early pace..isn't judgement of pace supposed to be what jockeys do? It's a bloody long time since I have seen a rider's judgement questioned wrt the pace. In fact, I must hark back to a stipe questioning one of our very best on just that matter. The pace of the race is irrelevant, said the stipe. FFS.

Think Huey was referring to Melody Belle...or are you taking the piss.?

What a cracking result for the Vance's and connections, their delight was wonderful to see. Well done.

Saw him at the track this morning, not riding though. Still about seven weeks he thought.

To be fair to the oft-maligned track manager, it would be very difficult indeed to get consistent application with the system currently in place - and also, factoring in strong winds which are part and parcel of the Canterbury summer weather patterns. Either a stinking north-easterly [ beloved of your good self ] or a howling nor'wester. Thankfully, that situation has been ameliorated - for now. The outside strip [ down the chute only ] has presented beautiful going this week. Other problems [ like the housing development across the fence starting machinery with flashing lights as you try to get onto the track itself ] are not really CJC matters, although certainly making things difficult for some horses. Both a result of flawed reconstructions - and short cuts.

In conversation with a Cambridge trainer - it seems that the condition of the AWT surface has improved markedly following recent rain. Bodes well for the wet winter/early spring conditions in the Cambridge region . But - this surface is NOT supposed to need irrigation. Someone get it wrong again?

Years of under investment in infrastructure, what can be expected?