Kumara......mostly the do a great job !

[Chief Stipe]

Just now, muzenza365 said:

No Chief, unless he has put on 60kg since last running and I remember Eddie the runner and doesn't look like the man I was referring too.

Fair enough.  I guess Gray is as common a surname as Molloy on the West Coast.

[Shad]

14 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Dave McCarthy wrote a story about it and had Bill Craddock as a part owner of 13 of his wins.  In those days racing lease arrangements were common practice and might be where the confusion arises.  My understanding was Bill sold the horse at some stage during his race career in NZ.  Although that is a moot point too as often it was Bill's wife Marie who owned the horses.  

As for living in Westort my Grandparents lived in Derby Street just across the road from Patterson Park Raceway.

Back to Bill though.  Bill was a very big punter and from time to time got into arrears.  I'm not speaking ill of the man as his punting was well known folklore.  I remember on a number of occasions standing beside my father in the $10 window queue watching Bill emerge from inside the oncourse Tote building after having offloaded on something.

Those were the days when you could set a horse for a good punt.

Yes ive read that article and there is a few things that aren't quite correct, even a couple of comments on who's idea it was to trot him, and it wasn't the person mentioned, I confirmed this some months with the last surviving owner,who's memory was as sharp as a tack,he just said yeah a few things were incorrect in the article, yep I'm familiar with derby street, also across the road from high school, used to be a dairy by the hospital, and one further down by the beach, was some good gallopers won on that Westport track, julloch, peligro, springs to mind, the 1200m chute was right out beside the woodwork room at high school, a couple of handy pacers  to, starship, gypsy winkle who won nz oaks and Southland oaks I think, also star of utopia a handy type.

[muzenza365]

The past president of the Reefton Jockey Club had some stern words for J Oatham after the last race.

I am told that he asked J. Oatham not to return after the lies he was accused of, regarding the cancelation of the 2023 meeting.

I know that he resigned as President because of the non-action of the RIU, who refused to acknowledge that no lies had been told by their man, which is not correct after I asked many riders at the 2023 meeting that they did not agree with what he alleged that they were not happy to continue to ride.

This is a reason why the RIU should not investigate ANYTHING THAT INVOLVES THERE OWN.

[Shad]

Fair enough, speak the truth and shame the devil, they used to say, sounded like the past president was still doing the speeches and announcing on the day, didn't hear anything from new president, bar what was in the race book, still another great days racing on the coast.