OLDWHITEMAN Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 https://www.hrnsw.com.au/trotstv/replays/39976 Bettor's Delight 4-year-old Spankem has won the 2019 Miracle Mile in 1:47.7 with a final quarter in 25.4! Mark Purdon drove the winner aggressively off the gate from his wide draw and he lead almost throughout the race. Stablemate The Fixer ran second with Poster Boy and Chase Auckland the next home. Sadly, ex Kiwi My Field Marshall was pulled up on the journey and looked to have major problems. It was a great night for the All Stars team winning four races. Natalie Rasmussen also won the Lady Drivers' Invitational on the Mark Jones trained The Bus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kane21 Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Oh dear dear dear I can hear the weeping and wailing from here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 47 minutes ago, Kane21 said: Oh dear dear dear I can hear the weeping and wailing from here. well done dickhead haha 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boobybec Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 54 minutes ago, Kane21 said: Oh dear dear dear I can hear the weeping and wailing from here. phenomenal, no other words for it. Best trainers on the planet 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newmarket Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Well, not surprising. Money was up, so we knew the magic treatment was going to happen. Horse flew out, held on in record time. Makes you wonder, funny that Dream About Me can finally sprint home fast now, a few starts back at Addington just battled. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flagship uberalles Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 18 minutes ago, Newmarket said: Well, not surprising. Money was up, so we knew the magic treatment was going to happen. Horse flew out, held on in record time. Makes you wonder, funny that Dream About Me can finally sprint home fast now, a few starts back at Addington just battled. Yes certainly no virus on the other side of the Tasman! 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 1 hour ago, boobybec said: phenomenal, no other words for it. Best trainers on the planet Not far off the mark there. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 So much for Brodie's plan to relocate the All Stars to Australia. It's more likely that, as with other troublesome kiwi imports, the Aussies will simply extradite them straight back here. In any event, the magnitude of the All Stars' performance in winning four races, including three features, on Australia's main harness racing day can't be over-stated. It's one thing to dominate at home when you're sleeping in your own bed and your horses are all in a familiar environment, but it's a totally different thing to do the same when you're 2000km from home with horses that in some cases have just arrived and you're flying back and forth. And with the partial exception of All U Need Is Faith, they didn't just win — they bolted in! There may be differing points of view as regards the net benefit to NZ racing of having a dominant stable like the All Stars, but surely there can be no disagreement that they're absolute masters when it comes to training, driving and placing horses. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 Basil, it is great that The All Stars are winning the money off the Ozzie’s, long may it continue! While they are over there they are not plundering the stakes here! We all know that they are champions at training and doing things that no other trainer is doing! Do I beleive that the Ozzie’s are not concerned that their big races are being won by a NZ trainer? No I don’t and I also don’t beleive that they will allow it to happen continually as we all know that the Ozzie’s hate giving money away to Kiwis!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harewood Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 57 minutes ago, Brodie said: Do I beleive that the Ozzie’s are not concerned that their big races are being won by a NZ trainer? No I don’t and I also don’t beleive that they will allow it to happen continually as we all know that the Ozzie’s hate giving money away to Kiwis!! They have their own "Purdon" over there to worry about with out the All Stars winning a few races. She is far more dominant in Aus than the All Stars in Nz. Do they complain and bitch about her. NO! EMMA Stewart hasn’t become the most feared trainer in Australian harness racing just because of what her horses do. The stats? 122 starters there for 44 wins and 33 placings, numbers that could be much better but for having multiple starters in the same race, like tomorrow’s Derby. http://www.harness.org.au/media-room/news-article?news_id=39730 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronaldo Posted March 2, 2019 Share Posted March 2, 2019 The topic of Purdon's horses in Australia did come up on one Australian harness forum last year. One poster was adamant that action be taken to stop them racing in Australia due to their continued success . Funnily enough was rubbished by every other poster with general feeling it would be equivalent of underarm bowling. Was pointed out no one has tried to stop their horses winning NZ Cup if they are good enough. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Kidd Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 Two years ago I would not have missed an elite G1 Harness race but didn't bother watching the MM last night. Watching the same trainer and small group of owners own the game has become as nauseating as reading the deranged one's "Yussssssssss! Go Boy!!!!!!! Go the MIGHTY ALL STARS bla bla bla...I do hope one day the brown stuff he obviously has all over his / her nose, chin and tongue does not choke him / her If it had have been someone like say Doug Gale for example scooping the pool last night, I would have praised and celebrated the magnificent achievement but it wasn't. It was "just" another elite day / night of harness racing completely dominated by the same trainer and elite group of owners. I'm sure some of their runners could have been 3 wide the trip and still won. If Spankem had needed to go 1.46 to win last night, it would have. Good luck stopping that. You're only hope would be when it lines up in a 20k race and does a "The Fixer". Friday and Saturday highlighted two things for me. If the money is not up and the races are not targeted, AS runners can get surprisingly rolled even if they are at 1.15 but.....if the money is up and the AS want it, good luck cleaning up the crumbs as that's all that will be left for everyone else. Stay tuned for the next major day of one sided demolition @ The Jewels. I'm already looking forward to it like .....influenza. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globederby12 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 28 minutes ago, Joe Kidd said: Two years ago I would not have missed an elite G1 Harness race but didn't bother watching the MM last night. Watching the same trainer and small group of owners own the game has become as nauseating as reading the deranged one's "Yussssssssss! Go Boy!!!!!!! Go the MIGHTY ALL STARS bla bla bla...I do hope one day the brown stuff he obviously has all over his / her nose, chin and tongue does not choke him / her If it had have been someone like say Doug Gale for example scooping the pool last night, I would have praised and celebrated the magnificent achievement but it wasn't. It was "just" another elite day / night of harness racing completely dominated by the same trainer and elite group of owners. I'm sure some of their runners could have been 3 wide the trip and still won. If Spankem had needed to go 1.46 to win last night, it would have. Good luck stopping that. You're only hope would be when it lines up in a 20k race and does a "The Fixer". Friday and Saturday highlighted two things for me. If the money is not up and the races are not targeted, AS runners can get surprisingly rolled even if they are at 1.15 but.....if the money is up and the AS want it, good luck cleaning up the crumbs as that's all that will be left for everyone else. Stay tuned for the next major day of one sided demolition @ The Jewels. I'm already looking forward to it like .....influenza. I've said this before Joe. Bring the rocks along but leave the cold behind and join us on Jewels day as we stick it up the AS barn with our trotter MM. I don't share yr pessimism but understand your point of view. Come in Brodie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 No point, everyone knows most people’s opinion on the subject! Reality is that there is only a few that actually enjoy The AllStars stable plundering all the major stakes and the same owners buying up and winning! The majority of enthusiasts are totally over it and it is costing the industry bigtime, and is very detrimental! Fortunately it doesn’t affect me financially it is the the putrid BS that you here before and after races that they are in! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Kidd Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 35 minutes ago, globederby12 said: I've said this before Joe. Bring the rocks along but leave the cold behind and join us on Jewels day as we stick it up the AS barn with our trotter MM. I don't share yr pessimism but understand your point of view. Come in Brodie. Hi Globe, We both share a love for the squaregaiters. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but you are already chasing only crumbs on Jewels Day. The most exciting trotter I've seen since I Can Doosit is going around these days. It can sprint, it has no bottom so can work extra hard and still be much stronger than the rest in the home straight. It's getting better and better all the time. It's only four FFS. Will dominate NZ trotting for the next few seasons like a Take A Moment, David Moss, I Can Doosit. It's name...... Kings Landing. Trained by....ALL STARS.....owner. Trevor Casey and a couple of others. What section will the All Stars not win at The Jewels? Only bad luck will prevent them scooping the entire pool. How nice and how exciting. Pretty sure I will be water blasting the deck on those days. Saddens me as I love seeing one stable and one group of owners winning virtually everything season in, season out. The only thing I enjoy less is Mick Guerin pouting while the brown stuff runs off his tongue on the rare occasion he removes it from MP's butt cheeks. Jewels and Cup Day were always my favourite race day. Now, I'd prefer a day at the Nelson trots or virtually any meeting at Methven or the other big grass track meetings. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Sunrise Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 26 minutes ago, Joe Kidd said: Now, I'd prefer a day at the Nelson trots or virtually any meeting at Methven or the other big grass track meetings. I can relate to that mindset. The best thing about harness racing is about the variability, the unknown, the inconsistency and the surprises. Whereas, domination is a turn off in any sphere in the modern day. Winx? Yeah, she is good, but give me Bonecrusher and Waverley Star any day of the week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globederby12 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 We shall see Joe. The whole stable knows that MM is only just starting to show his potential. Hope springs eternal , but we are not scared of Kings Landing. You may be surprised. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodie Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 There are some positives about the Harness Jewels this year! Firstly they are at Addington the best Harness track in Australasia by far! Secondly, not over a stupid mile, so sanity prevailed! It will not be such a yawn feast due to both of those reasons! Will it be predictable with the same owners and the same trainer winning all or almost all of the races? Of course and that combined with the usual BS that we hear leading into them is not worthy of the time given to them! Do we really need to hear about whether Michael thinks a runner should be $1.30 rather than $1.20 ?? Blah Blah Blah! That combined with the AllStars fan club with hand on gland when some don’t even punt! Bring on the maiden racing I say, far better viewing and not as costly to Harness Racing, as The Jewels costs the industry a lot of money as it is heavily subsidised! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 3 hours ago, Joe Kidd said: Two years ago I would not have missed an elite G1 Harness race but didn't bother watching the MM last night. Watching the same trainer and small group of owners own the game has become as nauseating as reading the deranged one's "Yussssssssss! Go Boy!!!!!!! Go the MIGHTY ALL STARS bla bla bla...I do hope one day the brown stuff he obviously has all over his / her nose, chin and tongue does not choke him / her If it had have been someone like say Doug Gale for example scooping the pool last night, I would have praised and celebrated the magnificent achievement but it wasn't. It was "just" another elite day / night of harness racing completely dominated by the same trainer and elite group of owners. [snip] This point of view raises what has long been a puzzling question to me — when did 'elite' become a dirty word? I saw it creep in during 30 years in academia, and all it achieved was a debasing of standards. Personally, I associate 'elite' with 'excellence', and believe it's something that should be celebrated, not denigrated. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richie Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 23 minutes ago, Basil said: This point of view raises what has long been a puzzling question to me — when did 'elite' become a dirty word? I saw it creep in during 30 years in academia, and all it achieved was a debasing of standards. Personally, I associate 'elite' with 'excellence', and believe it's something that should be celebrated, not denigrated. Agree Basil Some would rather celebrate mediocrity than excellence. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flagship uberalles Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 26 minutes ago, Basil said: This point of view raises what has long been a puzzling question to me — when did 'elite' become a dirty word? I saw it creep in during 30 years in academia, and all it achieved was a debasing of standards. Personally, I associate 'elite' with 'excellence', and believe it's something that should be celebrated, not denigrated. It should be celebrated Basil, but I gave up when a lot of their misdemeanors, team driving etc gets washed over and excused, by the blue army.....they shouldn't be above criticism because they have all the richest owners and best bloodstock and win all the major races! Good luck to them. I long for the glory days of harness racing with strong NZ cup, Auckland cup and Derby fields that are stacked with class, not a couple of all stars runners that are the only realistic chance of winning! Don't ask me for an answer because I don't have one, I just know I get turned off by the major races now.(apart from the trotters which are very competitive) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterthepunter Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 7 hours ago, Brodie said: Basil, it is great that The All Stars are winning the money off the Ozzie’s, long may it continue! While they are over there they are not plundering the stakes here! We all know that they are champions at training and doing things that no other trainer is doing! Do I beleive that the Ozzie’s are not concerned that their big races are being won by a NZ trainer? No I don’t and I also don’t beleive that they will allow it to happen continually as we all know that the Ozzie’s hate giving money away to Kiwis!! purdon winning every big race is doing fat lot for racing just look at Addington today no one on course no young ones there new too harness racing was like going too old over 70s birthday party 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flagship uberalles Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 47 minutes ago, hunterthepunter said: was like going too old over 70s birthday party Sure you weren't at grab a granny night Pete? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the galah Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 7 hours ago, Harewood said: They have their own "Purdon" over there to worry about with out the All Stars winning a few races. She is far more dominant in Aus than the All Stars in Nz. Do they complain and bitch about her. NO! EMMA Stewart hasn’t become the most feared trainer in Australian harness racing just because of what her horses do. The stats? 122 starters there for 44 wins and 33 placings, numbers that could be much better but for having multiple starters in the same race, like tomorrow’s Derby. http://www.harness.org.au/media-room/news-article?news_id=39730 The stewart stable is very dominant, but the Tonkin stable was caught in in the blue magic scandal, and of course many are still skeptical of whether performance enhancers are a current factor. I watched a couple of the races last night,,the all stars won them both and really made the opposition look very 2nd rate. The difference between the all stars and the also rans was rather noticeable. I thought one of the most notable things last night was the Butt stable. They had a couple of runners pull up distressed, and another drop out. They can certainly get them going, but when they aren't right,it certainly is noticeable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Kidd Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, Basil said: This point of view raises what has long been a puzzling question to me — when did 'elite' become a dirty word? I saw it creep in during 30 years in academia, and all it achieved was a debasing of standards. Personally, I associate 'elite' with 'excellence', and believe it's something that should be celebrated, not denigrated. At no point have I denigrated "elite". That is selective nit picking and hair splitting. I also don't celebrate mediocrity. Some who have very little substance to add to a topic of vested interest will passive aggressively reach for that bullshit. I should be grateful at least that the old chestnuts weren't dragged out....again. The two favs are "other trainers need to lift their game to compete with the All Stars" and "anyone who thinks the All Star dominance of elite harness racing is not wonderful is just jealous of their success". Both are total horseshit. All through my life I have strived for excellence in all I take on. I took this especially in the area of education where I have numerous post graduate degrees etc and in sport where I have represented NZ in two different sports. I've installed the same mindset in my children. My oldest daughter was NZ number 1 in her chosen sport for her age group and the next two age groups above. My youngest son is well on his way to being the best in NZ in his chosen field. I come from a family of achievers who consider second to be first loser. As with everything, context is very important. I use the word "elite" for expediency to distinguish owners and races in group and listed races from owners competing at the run of the mill level. I have been an admirer of what MP has achieved for much longer I'd wager than many of the sycophants sucking up to him now. Harness racing is not about one trainer which is exactly why I feel his dominance especially at the elite level is now becoming a negative with far reaching connotations. It's the elephant in the room that those with a vested interest can't or won't see. Same applies with the owners from the stable that are dominating. I've never won a group race with the horses we've raced over the years. Come very close but no cigar. To be fair, my family were never prolific owners. I imagine winning a group 1 would be an unforgettable very special moment. Those I know who have done so, confirm it's the bees knees. Pursuing that dream is what keeps many in the game. It does get old when I see the same small group of "elite" owners taking the vast majority of the harness racing cream of the cake season after season. I fear more trainers will be lost to the game and more owners as a result. This would be the worst time since we got into harness racing in 1970 to ever contemplate buying young horses......unless you were going to race them with the All Stars. Edited March 3, 2019 by Joe Kidd 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.