"%$@#" ... Colin's got a Sunline.

[SLB2.0]

Nothing good comes by going to Trentham unless you want to post an incorrect time.

Looks to be a nice type in the making. Beating arguably nothing, but winning by 8 lengths negates that.

When is the last time a South Island-trained runner went to Aus and had success?

[curious]

Looks like a good option to me, with our best 3yos in Oz and most of the next best pointed to the Kiwi and Champions day, might be a soft spot to get her some Group black type.

[Chief Stipe]

I take it Wightman won't be going to Wellington with the horse.  He's been trashing everything and anyone that has anything to do with the WRC.

[curious]

31 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I take it Wightman won't be going to Wellington with the horse.  He's been trashing everything and anyone that has anything to do with the WRC.

Haven't read it like that myself. Just asking some fair questions about the asset sales and building status there.

[Bid]

What a great filly she is proving to be, good on CW he appears to invest a lot of money in the industry so deserves a good one.  

[Bloke]

44 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I take it Wightman won't be going to Wellington with the horse.  He's been trashing everything and anyone that has anything to do with the WRC.

He seems the sort who would thrive in turning up and remind them of their cock ups 

[Chief Stipe]

52 minutes ago, curious said:

Haven't read it like that myself. Just asking some fair questions about the asset sales and building status there.

In my opinion the questions aren't fair in that most of the information is readily available but he is too lazy to look for it.  Expects everyone else to do his bidding.

Plus there is no need to caste aspersions on individuals in the way he does bordering on slander.

You may find it amusing but I don't and it certainly isn't helpful especially when he goes off half cokcked without doing the research.

[Chief Stipe]

38 minutes ago, Bloke said:

He seems the sort who would thrive in turning up and remind them of their cock ups 

Perhaps people should remind Wightman of his own.

[Freda]

1 hour ago, Bid said:

What a great filly she is proving to be, good on CW he appears to invest a lot of money in the industry so deserves a good one.  

He does indeed. 

  He does go off half-cocked at times, but this industry does need a decent cage-rattler.   He should definitely be more careful from a slander point of view, but it can be very frustrating indeed trying to get sense and accountability out of management.

Curious would recall the dialogue with Justine Slater about a welfare matter.  That was productive, wasn't it?      Not.

[Chief Stipe]

9 minutes ago, Freda said:

He does go off half-cocked at times, but this industry does need a decent cage-rattler.

A cage rattler and a disrupter.

Wightman isn't either.  He had a chance to take on many of those he now loudly criticises but threw the towel in when he threw his license back.  The irony now of course is he is quite adept at breaking the rules when it suits him.

14 minutes ago, Freda said:

He should definitely be more careful from a slander point of view, but it can be very frustrating indeed trying to get sense and accountability out of management.

His approach is doomed to failure and from what I've seen he isn't brave enough to talk to Racing Management directly but instead uses social media to espouse what are largely conspiracies.

So much for his call for @Transparency !!

[curious]

1 hour ago, Bloke said:

He seems the sort who would thrive in turning up and remind them of their cock ups 

He might well do. On the other hand, he gives credit where it is due:

Southland Racing Club, you blew me away yesterday with your hospitality, a great day had by all. I’m going to be honest here in saying that I was shocked at how much the facilities have improved since I was there 30 years ago when winning a 2 year old race with Oakfields (Mandy Brown) and when Stokesy (Michael Stokes) and Chris Rowe won the stakes race with Simon Snorkel. Arriving late morning yesterday we found that the old members stand had grown another 2 floors, glass fronted, looking out over 120 acres containing 6 tracks for harness, greyhounds and thoroughbred turf. With only 2 track staff managing it, sheep grazing in the background for added income, another great example of how the southern clubs are so successful. 6 Thoroughbred meetings a year (Wairio one of them), 20 trot meetings and something like 40 greyhound meetings. As a graduate in economics, this club, this track consortium, would have to be the best example of what we should be doing at other city clubs in NZ. Again .. thanks so much to Sean Bellew (President) and all of the other amazing committee team.

[curious]

6 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

His approach is doomed to failure and from what I've seen he isn't brave enough to talk to Racing Management directly

That's far from true and I've seen him do so recently on several occasions.

[Doomed]

I don't know the man at all, so I can't comment on the personality aspect of any of this.

What I can say is that the industry many years ago used to have many people at club level who were highly critical of the way things were being run, largely in so much as it affected their own clubs. Clubs like Stratford, the West Coast and many other clubs that felt harshly treated. They did it because of a passion for Racing in their own regions. They weren't always right, or well informed.

Those people are all gone now, given up, and left the industry, as have many of their clubs and tracks. Some may think the industry is better off for them giving up. I don't.

Ironically, another club that often used to complain was the Auckland RC. They don't seem to complain anymore. Strange that.

[curious]

52 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Plus there is no need to caste aspersions on individuals in the way he does bordering on slander.

You may find it amusing but I don't and it certainly isn't helpful especially when he goes off half cokcked without doing the research.

I agree with that and certainly don't find it amusing. That said, he listens and accepts the facts when he gets them. He's a pleasure to do business with and puts his money where his mouth is. He's bought a nice horse and handled it patiently. Deserves all the success that she brings him for my part. As above, credit where it is due.

[Doomed]

10 minutes ago, curious said:

He might well do. On the other hand, he gives credit where it is due:

Southland Racing Club, you blew me away yesterday with your hospitality, a great day had by all. I’m going to be honest here in saying that I was shocked at how much the facilities have improved since I was there 30 years ago when winning a 2 year old race with Oakfields (Mandy Brown) and when Stokesy (Michael Stokes) and Chris Rowe won the stakes race with Simon Snorkel. Arriving late morning yesterday we found that the old members stand had grown another 2 floors, glass fronted, looking out over 120 acres containing 6 tracks for harness, greyhounds and thoroughbred turf. With only 2 track staff managing it, sheep grazing in the background for added income, another great example of how the southern clubs are so successful. 6 Thoroughbred meetings a year (Wairio one of them), 20 trot meetings and something like 40 greyhound meetings. As a graduate in economics, this club, this track consortium, would have to be the best example of what we should be doing at other city clubs in NZ. Again .. thanks so much to Sean Bellew (President) and all of the other amazing committee team.

Invercargill was never really a club that was highly regarded. I have had the impression over recent years that it has improved out of sight. And there looked to be a good crowd there yesterday. It does show the benefit of good management and a good committee.

[Chief Stipe]

30 minutes ago, curious said:

That said, he listens and accepts the facts when he gets them.

I doubt it.  He doesn't do due diligence and accepts what he is told often by the first person he meets.  For example his recent attack on the new CEO was based on information he picked up having a beer at the pub with a few mates.  It was completely and utterly wrong.  A two minute Google search would have given him the correct information.  

32 minutes ago, curious said:

He's a pleasure to do business with and puts his money where his mouth is. He's bought a nice horse and handled it patiently. Deserves all the success that she brings him for my part. As above, credit where it is due.

All fair points.  But why not use that acumen to actually facilitate change rather than going off half cocked on social media?

What say you @Transparency ?

[curious]

3 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

I doubt it.  He doesn't do due diligence and accepts what he is told often by the first person he meets.  For example his recent attack on the new CEO was based on information he picked up having a beer at the pub with a few mates.  It was completely and utterly wrong.  A two minute Google search would have given him the correct information. 

But in that example, he accepted and digested the facts when he got them. That's my point.

4 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

All fair points.  But why not use that acumen to actually facilitate change rather than going off half cocked on social media?

Well, it worked on getting significant work on and a review of the synthetic tracks didn't it, when direct approaches to high level management had repeatedly got the brush off or retaliation?

[Chief Stipe]

5 minutes ago, curious said:

But in that example, he accepted and digested the facts when he got them. That's my point.

My point is he goes off half-cocked which doesn't endear him to anyone.  All he needed to do was do a Google search on the subject BEFORE he went online on Facebook and slandered the CEO.  I note some comments were removed from that Topic.

The fact he does that just weakens his credibility - considerably.  When you point out he is wrong often he dive into name calling and conspiracies.  With regard to name calling he is worse than @Pete Lane and @Scooby3051.

10 minutes ago, curious said:

Well, it worked on getting significant work on and a review of the synthetic tracks didn't it, when direct approaches to high level management had repeatedly got the brush off or retaliation?

Why did it take him so long?  It was only a problem when it affected him and his horses.  Has he followed up or got a couple of locals to do another survey?  

[curious]

I think the synthetic track issue became more of one when NZTR announced that they had data suggesting the anecdotal reports were in fact true. We are waiting on NZTR to issue the independent report now aren't we? That's due mid-year. And yes, follow-up checks have been done and no doubt more will be done before racing resumes on it.

[curious]

1 hour ago, Freda said:

Curious would recall the dialogue with Justine Slater about a welfare matter.  That was productive, wasn't it?      Not.

Speaking of welfare matters, Justine, and yesterday's racing, I take it the stipes are going to ignore enforcing the new flank use whip rule? Multiple blatant strikes on the flank and no rule to disqualify the horse which gets a listed race win as a result. Not a whisper in the judicial report when blind Freddy could see it. Or, is it rules for some or, is the rule just tokenism? I wonder what the IFHA will think when advised?

Edited Saturday at 11:32 PM by curious

[The Centaur]

30 minutes ago, curious said:

Speaking of welfare matters, Justine, and yesterday's racing, I take it the stipes are going to ignore enforcing the new flank use whip rule? Multiple blatant strikes on the flank and no rule to disqualify the horse which gets a listed race win as a result. Not a whisper in the judicial report when blind Freddy could see it. Or, is it rules for some or, is the rule just tokenism? I wonder what the IFHA will think when advised?

I've noticed some of the imported riders are deliberately careless with the whip flaying around the head up the straight. OK they are not doing it on purpose but still its not a good look. And whilst at it if you were a horse would you mind more being smacked on the bum or having a steel or equivalent object being yanked through your mouth. If a horse comes back with a cut mouth questions should be asked.

Another bad look is the parade ring were the minders yank the bit in the mouth. This is an oldtime myth that the horse needs to be "distracted". All it does is distract first time onlookers.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, curious said:

I think the synthetic track issue became more of one when NZTR announced that they had data suggesting the anecdotal reports were in fact true. We are waiting on NZTR to issue the independent report now aren't we? That's due mid-year. And yes, follow-up checks have been done and no doubt more will be done before racing resumes on it.

Which begs the question why didn't any trainers or other owners raise objections earlier?

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, curious said:

Speaking of welfare matters, Justine, and yesterday's racing, I take it the stipes are going to ignore enforcing the new flank use whip rule? Multiple blatant strikes on the flank and no rule to disqualify the horse which gets a listed race win as a result. Not a whisper in the judicial report when blind Freddy could see it. Or, is it rules for some or, is the rule just tokenism? I wonder what the IFHA will think when advised?

It's unenforceable.  The Jockey should have changed hands.

Anyway is it any worse than being 8 lengths in front and whipping your horse?  On the flank I might add.   That being Pivotal Ten of course.

[The Centaur]

If Oaksdeel wins on Wednesday  for CW it could book it a place in the Oaks. Now I notice Tony Pike won last week with a filly for L Molloy which could also start in the Oaks. Could be interesting race. Might need a referee in the ring.

[SLB2.0]

40 minutes ago, The Centaur said:

If Oaksdeel wins on Wednesday  for CW it could book it a place in the Oaks. Now I notice Tony Pike won last week with a filly for L Molloy which could also start in the Oaks. Could be interesting race. Might need a referee in the ring.

Could be the only filly to ever stay in Leo's stable