mounga

[Shad]

2 hours ago, Walt said:

Great price for Sods Law today Shad.

Several of the winners were not hard to find based on first day form.

Not sure Mo'unga is overrated. Very few can come from that far back at Reefton. John Dunn most have been giggling all through the race.

I predict Mo'unga win next time, especially if its at headquarters and the race has been targeted.  

One pattern that was hard to miss at the meeting was how well runners that lead or trailed did. Positive drives = positive results............................

Old homebush lad won a couple races up there from the back, and a few that that I cant remember winning off a mark there, joyboy started in the Westport cup one year off 120m didn't win but close up third, the tough nut, pankys pacer a few tidy performers won there over the years, in my mind draws are crucial, horses must learn to adapt to all scenarios, example a mate has a share in a galloper, first start in big 2yr old field, big track, hardly even had a trial, slow out the gates, runs home very strong for a tidy 3rd, the trainer the jockeys spent the next 7 starts chasing her out of the gates, to race handy on various tracks, some big some turning, and she races very average, I said to him, what the hell they doing with her, ride her back if she will settle, the penny drops, last two starts ridden back and made up a lot of ground for 4th and 3rd , very nice races, and no gutbusters either, so you've got a horse left for next time, I'll be very interesting to see how mounga, goes, and he may or may not be over rated, but has come through the grades quickly which in itself can be a challenge, some get away with a few, but when you run into those tough campaigners up in grade, there quite abit to better than some think.

[the galah]

4 hours ago, Gammalite said:

Are you suggesting that Robbie Close should be grilled by the Stewards from Westport ? for not trying ? and Sarah can drive EXACTLY the same ? and nothing be asked....

Did you watch Sarah O'Reilly at Reefton Today in the same class horse race?  She was driving the BEST horse, (the Backmarker horse in DASHING MAJOR  storming home from last at the quarter , EXACTLY like Mounga on the first day weaving through field . for a solid 4th .

So should Sarah receive the same Criticism from you and Walt ? and be grilled by the stewards too. ?  

Was exactly the same thing  . (I think the first day drive on Dashing Major was poor just IMO ) today much better drive with Sarah on , and the horse performed much better accordingly. (not having to look after Jimmy Arma this time round)  and finishing off strongly. 

I have to admit,i can see no reason whatsoever for you to say i should compare the sarah o'reilly drive on dashing major today,to the robbie close drive on mounga at westport.

On one hand you noted riley harrison overdrove dashing major at westport by moving around the field on an average speed after breaking and losing 50m,then tacking on to the back of the field with about 1800m to go.

Yet today,it broke again at the start losing about 10m but because of a good speed set by the leader,only tacked on to the back of the field with about 1300m to go.

For you to suggest any punter would expect her to send a $31 shot around the field after finding that it wasn't capable of doing that at westport,well that just leaves me scratching my head as to how you could think that.

And for you to say it finished as fast today as mounga did at westport,well thats not accurate..

You may well think they were the same but in my opinion  i think saying the 2 are similar is not accurate.  

Edited March 10 by the galah

[Gammalite]

1 hour ago, the galah said:

t,i can see no reason whatsoever for you to say i should compare the sarah o'reilly drive on dashing major today,to the robbie close drive on mounga at westport.

The reason being they are/were Exactly the same . sat at the back until home straight , weaved through to 4th.  People can See that , that watched the 2 races. 

Don't compare them if you don't want too. But I've watched about 50,000 races and they looked pretty similar to me. same tactic employed.. almost identical. 

You say it's a poor drive on Mounga (fair enough) who was beat about 6 lengths at Westport so drive couldn't of been that great. Dashing Major was Well beaten even further , by the poor drive on it , but improved today with more senior driver on. 

Who said go round and sit in death again? . Not me . I said it was a POOR move at Westport by that driver , on DASHING MAJOR. He  lost Way way way more ground at the start there,  than it did today? , and only looped the field, a round out at Westport,  to give the heavily supported Jimmy Arma Cover. Easy to see what was going on (tactically)  You can see what is up ahead in a race you know? ... Dashing Major not much chance on that EXTREME hard run , and there other Dunn horse didn't win anyway . Today not trying to get near Jimmy Arma at all lol. but that's another story lol.  BTW great win today Jimmy (congrats to the connections 😆)

Maybe Sarah and /or Robbie could consider a move 600m out?? . Today Mounga and Dashing Major both finished hard in home straight,  with a head between them at the end , but possibly both went a little late again? finishing 3rd and 4th at the line. 

those big fields do make it hard to get your timing right?. (when to get your finishing run going in a race) .. You and Walt have been VERY HARSH in this thread on Robbie Close. If you say he wasn't trying at Westport , or Today, and should be penalised ? grilled? charred and roasted  or whatever.... I'm Saying You should be doing the Same With Sarah's Drive today in that case (on the best horse in the Field)  and that was driven EXACTLY the same as Mounga was at Westport. almost to a Tee. they even finished at the same Speed today closing sectional . back to the replays now mate.😁😎 better check out these others who leave it too late 😉

[the galah]

9 hours ago, Gammalite said:

The reason being they are/were Exactly the same . sat at the back until home straight , weaved through to 4th.  People can See that , that watched the 2 races. 

Don't compare them if you don't want too. But I've watched about 50,000 races and they looked pretty similar to me. same tactic employed.. almost identical. 

You say it's a poor drive on Mounga (fair enough) who was beat about 6 lengths at Westport so drive couldn't of been that great. Dashing Major was Well beaten even further , by the poor drive on it , but improved today with more senior driver on. 

Who said go round and sit in death again? . Not me . I said it was a POOR move at Westport by that driver , on DASHING MAJOR. He  lost Way way way more ground at the start there,  than it did today? , and only looped the field, a round out at Westport,  to give the heavily supported Jimmy Arma Cover. Easy to see what was going on (tactically)  You can see what is up ahead in a race you know? ... Dashing Major not much chance on that EXTREME hard run , and there other Dunn horse didn't win anyway . Today not trying to get near Jimmy Arma at all lol. but that's another story lol.  BTW great win today Jimmy (congrats to the connections 😆)

Maybe Sarah and /or Robbie could consider a move 600m out?? . Today Mounga and Dashing Major both finished hard in home straight,  with a head between them at the end , but possibly both went a little late again? finishing 3rd and 4th at the line. 

those big fields do make it hard to get your timing right?. (when to get your finishing run going in a race) .. You and Walt have been VERY HARSH in this thread on Robbie Close. If you say he wasn't trying at Westport , or Today, and should be penalised ? grilled? charred and roasted  or whatever.... I'm Saying You should be doing the Same With Sarah's Drive today in that case (on the best horse in the Field)  and that was driven EXACTLY the same as Mounga was at Westport. almost to a Tee. they even finished at the same Speed today closing sectional . back to the replays now mate.😁😎 better check out these others who leave it too late 😉

obviously we see things different.

personalities don't come into it for me. I view each race based on what i see.

My philosophy is simple.

Drivers should be trying to get the best result they can and should drive their horses on their merits to the best of their ability.

When they are not it annoys me that they would treat with contempt the very people who all within the industry rely on for their long term viability of the industry.The punter.

I also think there is a lack of understanding by some industry participants of the damage they can do to the perceived honesty of everyone within the industry when  obvious cases of lack of intent occur.

I can guarantee around nz in pubs and in homes more people than normal would have watched the mounga race.

That race was a high turnover race,run just before tea on a friday,so it would have had many more eyes on it. 

To the casual observer and to punters who made mouaga favorite or took him in their multis,i can guarantee their would comments questioning r close intent.

So you can think there was nothing wrong with the r close drive and the lack of stipes action.however i would say i am far more in touch with what the average punter or observer with no personal interest in whether r close or r todds feelings may be hurt because of a negative social media comment.

Edited March 10 by the galah

[Walt]

13 hours ago, Shad said:

Old homebush lad won a couple races up there from the back, and a few that that I cant remember winning off a mark there, joyboy started in the Westport cup one year off 120m didn't win but close up third, the tough nut, pankys pacer a few tidy performers won there over the years, in my mind draws are crucial, horses must learn to adapt to all scenarios, example a mate has a share in a galloper, first start in big 2yr old field, big track, hardly even had a trial, slow out the gates, runs home very strong for a tidy 3rd, the trainer the jockeys spent the next 7 starts chasing her out of the gates, to race handy on various tracks, some big some turning, and she races very average, I said to him, what the hell they doing with her, ride her back if she will settle, the penny drops, last two starts ridden back and made up a lot of ground for 4th and 3rd , very nice races, and no gutbusters either, so you've got a horse left for next time, I'll be very interesting to see how mounga, goes, and he may or may not be over rated, but has come through the grades quickly which in itself can be a challenge, some get away with a few, but when you run into those tough campaigners up in grade, there quite abit to better than some think.

Just to clarify my meaning there Shad. I didn't mean horses can't win if they have second line draws or start from long marks at Reefton. I remember well the warriors you mentioned especially Joy Boy. 

If you look at the home bend turning in at Reefton it's only a short straight once they line up in the home straight. This is why leaders and those up near the front dominate results.

 

As for Westport. If Mo'unga or Cardigan Bay or Lord Module wanted to win from well back 10 to 12 lengths off them, they need to make their run prior to straightening up. Goose is a very good driver and knew that which is why I'm incredulous at the way he drove Mo'unga. He had absolutely no hope of winning when he carried on smoking his pipe for a good 20 seconds after he should have moved had the plan been to win. Drivers can time their run to a nose so when you only get serious once it's impossible to win you know something is not right. Sam Ottley on Tempo Warrior was gifted the race and she is such a good driver from the top she doesn't need those types of gifts. John Dunn the same at Reefton with Jimmy Arma. 

Bottom line is I don't believe the connections of Mo'unga will be unhappy with the outcomes. They have a horse that has progressed nicely fitness wise and will win several races this prep. Many others are not so happy. Their dollars are worth the same in March as every other month. Had I made the three hour trip to Westport and watched that unfold, I can tell you exactly what I would have done. Left the course immediately and never return. Some including the stewards didn't see an issue with the tactics adopted. To wager I need confidence in more than just the horse. I won't gamble again until Cup time. 

Despite Gammalite's contention, I'm aghast that Robbie was not even asked for a "Please Explain" at Westport. If that drive didn't warrant questions than I've forgotten after 50 years how to read races. If that's correct, even Cup day might not tempt me back.  

Did Mo'unga set out to obtain the best possible placing @ Westport ?

Perhaps that rule has been removed from the rule book without my knowledge....or perhaps the Stewards put such drives in the too hard basket to take action. Far easier to penalize connections for trivial matters that in many cases don't matter a jot but can easily be proven.

I'm a wordy guy so to paraphrase, my frustration and disappointment. It comes from two aspects. How blatant the drive was and that no questions were asked or reminders of obligations etc. 

[Gammalite]

1 hour ago, the galah said:

I can guarantee around nz in pubs and in homes more people than normal would have watched the mounga race.

That race was a high turnover race,run just before tea on a friday,so it would have had many more eyes on it. 

To the casual observer and to punters who made mouaga favorite or took him in their multis,i can guarantee their would comments questioning r close intent.

This seems reasonable as we saw the reaction of Walt on this thread backing your observations up , and he is a seasoned campaigner like your good self. 

You make an error though... looking at just one horse / driver though (Robbie Close)  , and only because it was 'In the Market' and you guys and some punters would of liked it to win on one of the 2 days. I've never heard of it personally  . I look at a race to support ALL the runners . I don't care about the market . And ALL the runners have supporters . They should ALL be held to the rules and critical acclaim . No good being biased if you're a steward or a punter because the tote price is shorter on one than another . You gotta look out for Everyone .  There was more happening in those 2 races even ( than just Robbie sitting back ) 

 

[Honestjohn]

All I can add is  r.  Close is a very good driver and judge of pace.  He would have been told to give it a quiet run.  It goes on a lot. A trainer I had a horse with trained a few outsiders as well.  This one horse he told me not to back it as they were going for a "red type run" the following start.  Sure enough average run but when he took it to Winton won easily.  I collected a small fortune.  She paid $28. 

hj

[Shad]

6 hours ago, Walt said:

Just to clarify my meaning there Shad. I didn't mean horses can't win if they have second line draws or start from long marks at Reefton. I remember well the warriors you mentioned especially Joy Boy. 

If you look at the home bend turning in at Reefton it's only a short straight once they line up in the home straight. This is why leaders and those up near the front dominate results.

 

As for Westport. If Mo'unga or Cardigan Bay or Lord Module wanted to win from well back 10 to 12 lengths off them, they need to make their run prior to straightening up. Goose is a very good driver and knew that which is why I'm incredulous at the way he drove Mo'unga. He had absolutely no hope of winning when he carried on smoking his pipe for a good 20 seconds after he should have moved had the plan been to win. Drivers can time their run to a nose so when you only get serious once it's impossible to win you know something is not right. Sam Ottley on Tempo Warrior was gifted the race and she is such a good driver from the top she doesn't need those types of gifts. John Dunn the same at Reefton with Jimmy Arma. 

Bottom line is I don't believe the connections of Mo'unga will be unhappy with the outcomes. They have a horse that has progressed nicely fitness wise and will win several races this prep. Many others are not so happy. Their dollars are worth the same in March as every other month. Had I made the three hour trip to Westport and watched that unfold, I can tell you exactly what I would have done. Left the course immediately and never return. Some including the stewards didn't see an issue with the tactics adopted. To wager I need confidence in more than just the horse. I won't gamble again until Cup time. 

Despite Gammalite's contention, I'm aghast that Robbie was not even asked for a "Please Explain" at Westport. If that drive didn't warrant questions than I've forgotten after 50 years how to read races. If that's correct, even Cup day might not tempt me back.  

Did Mo'unga set out to obtain the best possible placing @ Westport ?

Perhaps that rule has been removed from the rule book without my knowledge....or perhaps the Stewards put such drives in the too hard basket to take action. Far easier to penalize connections for trivial matters that in many cases don't matter a jot but can easily be proven.

I'm a wordy guy so to paraphrase, my frustration and disappointment. It comes from two aspects. How blatant the drive was and that no questions were asked or reminders of obligations etc. 

Be a tad rough to leave the course and never go back, why would you penalize the club, I be watching mounga form from now on, not that I'd ever back a short priced favourite, I remember a good horse winning a Westport cup some years ago, broke at the start, must have lost 40m and still won, was a very classy horse though, franco emirate I think was his name, may have won a messenger.

[Walt]

13 minutes ago, Shad said:

Be a tad rough to leave the course and never go back, why would you penalize the club, I be watching mounga form from now on, not that I'd ever back a short priced favourite, I remember a good horse winning a Westport cup some years ago, broke at the start, must have lost 40m and still won, was a very classy horse though, franco emirate I think was his name, may have won a messenger.

My size wagering won't hurt any club Shad. I'm not wanting to punish anyone.....apart from my ex wife  

If I or others refused to go to any racetrack that has dubious results along the way there wouldn't be any tracks left to attend. Racetracks are one of my happy places but if they become an unhappy place I won't return. The blatant nature of what unfolded coupled with the stewards having no issue makes the venue an unhappy place for me. 

Felt Micra Wave, Raging Whitebait and Judgement Bay were all good things yesterday @ Reefton but my cue is back in the rack and will be staying there. 

[Brodie]

9 minutes ago, Walt said:

My size wagering won't hurt any club Shad. I'm not wanting to punish anyone.....apart from my ex wife  

If I or others refused to go to any racetrack that has dubious results along the way there wouldn't be any tracks left to attend. Racetracks are one of my happy places but if they become an unhappy place I won't return. The blatant nature of what unfolded coupled with the stewards having no issue makes the venue an unhappy place for me. 

Felt Micra Wave, Raging Whitebait and Judgement Bay were all good things yesterday @ Reefton but my cue is back in the rack and will be staying there. 

Personally Cup Day is a nightmare to be betting at Walt!

Far easier to be having a crack on meetings well before there!

Rougher the fields the better but Auckland not worth the effort nowadays!

 

 

 

[Nowornever]

3 minutes ago, Brodie said:

Rougher the fields the better but Auckland not worth the effort nowadays!

I agree not worth betting on those fields

[Shad]

3 hours ago, Walt said:

My size wagering won't hurt any club Shad. I'm not wanting to punish anyone.....apart from my ex wife  

If I or others refused to go to any racetrack that has dubious results along the way there wouldn't be any tracks left to attend. Racetracks are one of my happy places but if they become an unhappy place I won't return. The blatant nature of what unfolded coupled with the stewards having no issue makes the venue an unhappy place for me. 

Felt Micra Wave, Raging Whitebait and Judgement Bay were all good things yesterday @ Reefton but my cue is back in the rack and will be staying there. 

Fair enough, you'll be all primed, and good to go fresh up, and certainly the cash hard to come by given the rising cost of rates insurance amongst other things, trots on the coast gone till xmas now, I'll be fairly quiet to, do prefer the thoroughbreds to be honest, but always keep an eye on the harness, always hunting that roughie, if you want to have a look at 3 interesting races, checkout 2014 Westport cup followed by the main race same meeting on the 28th   followed by the 30th of December reefton cup, have always found these three races interesting, but read the stipes report as well, be interesting to hear your thoughts.

[Walt]

15 hours ago, Brodie said:

Personally Cup Day is a nightmare to be betting at Walt!

Far easier to be having a crack on meetings well before there!

Rougher the fields the better but Auckland not worth the effort nowadays!

 

 

 

My take there Brodie is a bit the same but different. 

Cup day has bigger dollars and a lot of prestige. As a result you can have confidence the input and priority etc will be authentic. The Cup it's self is only one race but there are several big dosh features where you can see clearly who the best horse(s) are and know they are nailed down for the race. Then it just comes down to luck in the running. That's a gamble I embrace.

That aside, watching "The Whale" for hours doesn't exactly excite me. Neither does Marc Cookson wearing shirts that are three sizes too small. 

On the subject of Cookson. I think the greyhound caller that did the Coast meetings is far better sticking to the dishlickers. I assume he was on a $1 commission for every time he used the pet name "Cookie" while referring to Cookson. It was nauseating but the good news is he can now easily buy a Ferrari Testarossa when he gets paid his commission. 

 

[Shad]

On 11/03/2024 at 6:11 PM, Walt said:

My size wagering won't hurt any club Shad. I'm not wanting to punish anyone.....apart from my ex wife  

If I or others refused to go to any racetrack that has dubious results along the way there wouldn't be any tracks left to attend. Racetracks are one of my happy places but if they become an unhappy place I won't return. The blatant nature of what unfolded coupled with the stewards having no issue makes the venue an unhappy place for me. 

Felt Micra Wave, Raging Whitebait and Judgement Bay were all good things yesterday @ Reefton but my cue is back in the rack and will be staying there. 

Mounga in the waimate cup in the weekend, see how he goes this time, must be due a win, or he'll be running out of excuses.

[the galah]

54 minutes ago, Shad said:

Mounga in the waimate cup in the weekend, see how he goes this time, must be due a win, or he'll be running out of excuses.

Not sure about running out of excuses,but he must be hard to beat in that race. Having said that Smoke on the water also in that race and his form has been very strong lately.

[Shad]

6 hours ago, the galah said:

Not sure about running out of excuses,but he must be hard to beat in that race. Having said that Smoke on the water also in that race and his form has been very strong lately.

Maybe I was abit harsh, but be interesting given the opinions on how he's been driven and how good he is, but obviously they are keen to stick to the grass, and with the same driver.

[the galah]

4 hours ago, Shad said:

Maybe I was abit harsh, but be interesting given the opinions on how he's been driven and how good he is, but obviously they are keen to stick to the grass, and with the same driver.

I think they would be aiming at the country cups final and because,as you would gather from the name,most of the qualifying races are run on grass by clubs based in the country. Of course the final isn't run on grass nor in the country.

He has won on both grass and all weather. His last win was as a 3 win horse at his 7th start,where he easily won,with Bach,The falcon,Deceptive lee and Alata meteor filling the placings.

As i said in an earlier post,each of his wins has been when taken to the front.

Whatever he does at oamaru won't personally change my opinion of his westport run. Personally i would rather see him beaten at oamaru on sunday due to that and  is why i like smoke on the water, as trainers like matt purvis are always there to win,no matter what the race and deserve every success they get on the track.

Edited March 20 by the galah

[Walt]

2 hours ago, the galah said:

I think they would be aiming at the country cups final and because,as you would gather from the name,most of the qualifying races are run on grass by clubs based in the country. Of course the final isn't run on grass nor in the country.

He has won on both grass and all weather. His last win was as a 3 win horse at his 7th start,where he easily won,with Bach,The falcon,Deceptive lee and Alata meteor filling the placings.

As i said in an earlier post,each of his wins has been when taken to the front.

Whatever he does at oamaru won't personally change my opinion of his westport run. Personally i would rather see him beaten at oamaru on sunday due to that and  is why i like smoke on the water, as trainers like matt purvis are always there to win,no matter what the race and deserve every success they get on the track.

Even way back we would get the word to just watch a certain horse racing at Nelson because it had a very strong connection to Marlborough which had it's two day meeting off the back of Nelson and that was the only target. The stake of the Marlborough race was no bigger than the Nelson races. 

Sure enough, the horse used Nelson to improve it's fitness etc. Then surprise surprise, driven differently at Waterlea and never looked like being beaten. I assure you this is still not a rare situation. 

I remember attending the first day of the Marlborough gallops and seeing a horse win after a perfect ride from a leading South Island jockey who has had numerous G1 wins. In the stabling area post race the jockey was being shouted at and had strips teared off him by a prominent trainer and told he'd never ride for him again. 

The issue was that horse was owned by a gentleman who lived North of Wellington and wouldn't be attending the meeting and punting the horse until day two. 

 

Mo'unga is clearly the best horse (potentially) in the Waimate feature @ Oamaru despite Homebush Lad having won 15 races. If the race on Sunday is a genuine target you'll see three things unfold.

1) The money for him will keep coming.

2) He'll be driven differently than he was especially at Westport.

3) He'll win. 

[the galah]

2 hours ago, Walt said:

Even way back we would get the word to just watch a certain horse racing at Nelson because it had a very strong connection to Marlborough which had it's two day meeting off the back of Nelson and that was the only target. The stake of the Marlborough race was no bigger than the Nelson races. 

Sure enough, the horse used Nelson to improve it's fitness etc. Then surprise surprise, driven differently at Waterlea and never looked like being beaten. I assure you this is still not a rare situation. 

I remember attending the first day of the Marlborough gallops and seeing a horse win after a perfect ride from a leading South Island jockey who has had numerous G1 wins. In the stabling area post race the jockey was being shouted at and had strips teared off him by a prominent trainer and told he'd never ride for him again. 

The issue was that horse was owned by a gentleman who lived North of Wellington and wouldn't be attending the meeting and punting the horse until day two. 

 

Mo'unga is clearly the best horse (potentially) in the Waimate feature @ Oamaru despite Homebush Lad having won 15 races. If the race on Sunday is a genuine target you'll see three things unfold.

1) The money for him will keep coming.

2) He'll be driven differently than he was especially at Westport.

3) He'll win. 

I  think he must go close but i think the field at waimate has a couple of others who have  stronger form than the coast fields did.

Also i still think to myself,if they drove so negatively on the coast,why should i have any confidence in their intent to win this week. Obviously they will want more points to qualify for the final,but the mounga,will he or won't he,coupled with a stronger field doesn't  give me any confidence to invest in that race.

Edited March 21 by the galah

[Gammalite]

About to go at Waimate Cup.

'Mo'unga Day 'has arrived at last and he sure did finish well his last runs.

has come in from $2.80 into $2.40 on SportsBet so is attracting interest.

I think Sam Ottley driving well on the grass , and Smoke On The Water had won here before so might opt for him . 

Walt might be on his old favourite Homebush Lad .  let em' rip !!!

[the galah]

Well done to Todd,Close and the horses owners today.

R Close made a good tactical decision early and just a bit strong late for  smoke on the water. Two very nice horses in good form at the moment.

[Gammalite]

3 hours ago, the galah said:

Well done to Todd,Close and the horses owners today.

R Close made a good tactical decision early and just a bit strong late for  smoke on the water. Two very nice horses in good form at the moment.

Sam Ottley very close to driving the Quaddie.. After that narrow loss to Mo'unga by that neck margin pegged back late on , she then drove the last 3 winners of the day . 

The Quaddie just over $1000 too with Mo'unga  there NZ TAB?.. it says on the HRNz website . 

Quaddie only paid $180 sportsbet . just shows how small the 'pools' are in Oz on the Nz trots. 

[Walt]

12 hours ago, the galah said:

Well done to Todd,Close and the horses owners today.

R Close made a good tactical decision early and just a bit strong late for  smoke on the water. Two very nice horses in good form at the moment.

There was a different look and feel about his Waimate Cup run. 

The money never stopped coming. That was not the case at Westport. It was evident they wanted to be a realistic chance of winning in the home straight. That was not the case at Westport.

Sam got the jump on Robbie turning in but Mo'unga was not going to be beaten. Very good drives on the winner and runner up. 

I had no problem with Mo'unga not winning at Westport. It's the fact he was at least potentially the best horse and was the public elect.......but he was given a % chance of winning the race. Not even asking the question on the Westport drive irks me and still does.

Spot the difference today. 

Onward and upwards.

I feel sure Mo'unga will be hard to beat where ever he starts in the next few months. 

[the galah]

17 hours ago, Gammalite said:

Quaddie just over $1000 too with Mo'unga  there NZ TAB?.. it says on the HRNz website . 

Quaddie only paid $180 sportsbet . just shows how small the 'pools' are in Oz on the Nz trots. 

The quaddie pools on the nz trots on TABCORP NSW are always small as well.

Yesterday at oamaru the highest win pool was just over $4000 on the race after the cup and the lowest 2 races were the 2 feature races and didn't make $1000. The average was around $2,500 in the win pool.

I've worked out the pattern now for when TABCORP pools are highest.

Its during the week when it must be around 3.30p.m. to 6.00pm over there and when they obviously get skytv coverage.I suppose people coming home from work  or stopping into the local tab/pub and having a bet for an interest,for something to do.

for example,last friday at addington in race 3,they had more in the TABCORP nsw win pool than the nz tab. The win poolswith tabcorp on the first 4 races at addington were $5057,$4668,$8786 and $9565. Thats just on their tote pools and obviously wouldn't include their ff hold.

So its clear that the best partner for nz harness as far as increasing our pool size would have been TABCORP NSW.Especially since they control the sky racing coverage.But thats water under the bridge now i suppose.

Also its worth noting what i have always said,yet some dispute.That is most punters don't care whether its a low grade race or a high grade race,punter participation comes about through the exposure whatever race it may be gets.The proof is in the pools held by tabcorp. The pattern is the same at every meeting. For example, 3 of the top 4 pool holds with tabcorp at addington were on the 3 lowest(2 non win) races.

Edited March 25 by the galah

[Brodie]

Got no idea how much is bet on Fixed Odds on harness nowadays?

However the tote pools that show up on Trackside when the races close is absolutely pathetic to what they used to be!

There is clearly not a lot of  ew money being wagered by punters, bearing in mind a lot of the turnover in the tote pools will be reinvestments.

Last week I saw win pools at Addington that were not much larger if at all, than Brodie would want to wager on Fixed himself!

TAB needs to let go of the shackles and let the punters on to keep the industry going or it is history!