Silver Collar meeting

[Yankiwi]

Probably should have added, I understand you can't operate the lure for dogs back in the field, but I am expressing how important it is to keep the lure in front of the leading dog within the mandated distances.

[Special Agent]

As lay people I think we get it.

[Yankiwi]

Rail was struck in the 13th race, will the Steward catch & report it?

Notice the #2 with both eyes closed in the second image.

That'll be during the contact or very quickly after it.

 

Just prior to contact.

 

During/after contact with eyes closed.

 

Lead dog was about 9m off the lure a couple of seconds later.

Edited June 15, 2023 by Yankiwi

[Special Agent]

So was that the only dog to contact the rail today?  He/she almost looked like he/she was grimacing.  Has the lure being a little closer been a help?

What will it now take to get these safety rails in at all venues as promised in 2014?

[Yankiwi]

Debrief of today's race meet.

The lure was brought back noticeably closer to the field, which was somewhat beneficial.

There were two rail strikes per the Stewards report.

The first one was in race 3 dog #2. The lead dog was right roughly 10m or 11m behind the lure shortly after the contact occurred.

 

The second was in the final race 13 #4 dog (seems they missed the #2 in the same race I had pointed out earlier). I can't detect where the #4 hit the rail entering the corner, but it possibly did halfway around the corner. Again, the lure was out 9 or 10m ahead of the lead dog. Oddly, this #4 dog also hit the rail in its previous race on the track. Coincidence?

 

 

Overall assessment on the day.

Bringing the lure back helped. Racing was rather clean. While there was a couple of rail strikes, they were brushes of the rail at very slight angles to it. It might have put a bit of paint on a racing rug or removed a bit of hair. No lacerations & sutures, no injury stand-downs required.

My advice, keep the momentum going & bring the lure back even closer to the middle of the boundaries. How about between two and three uprights (6m to 9m), especially as the lure is entering the corner. The rule states it can go down to 4m, so what's the harm in trying it at 6m or 7m?

Edited June 15, 2023 by Yankiwi

[Chief Stipe]

17 hours ago, Yankiwi said:

Notice the #2 with both eyes closed in the second image.

That'll be during the contact or very quickly after it.

Or it blinked.

[aquaman]

14 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said:

Or it blinked.

Like Scott Watson.     Couldn't help myself.

[Chief Stipe]

On 15/06/2023 at 10:21 AM, Yankiwi said:

I had also put out an offer for the powers to contact me directly, if they wanted my evidence/input/suggestions about those three. No-one as of yet has made direct contact which I'm not at all surprised by. I suppose they prefer me shaming them publicly on here for their inaction or are relying on BOAY to hear my opinion or receive my in-depth evidence.

 

Why don't you get off your high horse (dog?) and put the bone down.  Put a cohesive comprehensive paper together and send it to GRNZ. Shouldn't be too hard as you seem to have the basis for it in the number of posts you have made.  Send it to GRNZ and express your willingness to meet with GRNZ at THEIR convenience - not yours as you seem to be not short of time.

Post the paper on BOAY and update us on the responses.  Put the ball in their court formally.  They are not going to respond on BOAY.  I'll even promote it and follow up with questions to GRNZ.

[Yankiwi]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

Send it to GRNZ and express your willingness to meet with GRNZ at THEIR convenience - not yours as you seem to be not short of time.

They don't have a time convivence. They are on a formal warning from Govt which is looking more & more likely to be shut down.

I first brought this public to attention on 13/04/23 here https://bitofayarn.com/topic/92681-whats-going-on-auckland/.

They all would have read it. They all had two long months to take action towards it before I got stuck in. 

How many suits are there between the AGRC? GRNZ? RIB?

Not one of them worked out it was 4 or 5 times more likely to occur in Auckland than on any other NZ track?

Not one of them could work out the lure had been running 50% further ahead of the lead then the rule stipulates?

Really?

No, I mean REALLY?

I say fock the lot of them. They're the ones charged with making, adhering too & policing the rules. They're the ones charged with assuring greyhound welfare. Yet not one of them was able to analyze things and said oh $hit, the lure is way too far ahead of the leading dog?

Dog's limbs & lives are in danger. The industry is in danger, and you Chief have the nerve to tell me to get off my high horse.

Well, if you don't want to hear from me that's fine, go ahead and put me on your ignore list. If that not a firm enough action in your eyes to reel me in, then delete my account.

[Chief Stipe]

12 hours ago, Yankiwi said:

They don't have a time convivence. They are on a formal warning from Govt which is looking more & more likely to be shut down.

I first brought this public to attention on 13/04/23 here https://bitofayarn.com/topic/92681-whats-going-on-auckland/.

They all would have read it. They all had two long months to take action towards it before I got stuck in. 

How many suits are there between the AGRC? GRNZ? RIB?

Not one of them worked out it was 4 or 5 times more likely to occur in Auckland than on any other NZ track?

Not one of them could work out the lure had been running 50% further ahead of the lead then the rule stipulates?

Really?

No, I mean REALLY?

I say fock the lot of them. They're the ones charged with making, adhering too & policing the rules. They're the ones charged with assuring greyhound welfare. Yet not one of them was able to analyze things and said oh $hit, the lure is way too far ahead of the leading dog?

Dog's limbs & lives are in danger. The industry is in danger, and you Chief have the nerve to tell me to get off my high horse.

Well, if you don't want to hear from me that's fine, go ahead and put me on your ignore list. If that not a firm enough action in your eyes to reel me in, then delete my account.

You entirely missed the point.

Put a paper together and formally send it to GRNZ.  They have no excuses then.

Yes GRNZ monitor BOAY but unless you formally and constructively notify them of your concerns directly then you may as well bark at the moon with you adopted GAP dogs.

[Special Agent]

Yankiwi, I agree with you in the fact that not only have GRNZ been slow to recognise (or be told as the case looks to be) the incorrect and endangering distances between lure and leader but, the board has so many knowledgable trainers who must be contributing nothing at meetings and just taking a fee for attendance.  I acknowledge this is the tip of the iceberg but, reading your posts it seems the problems are all fixable.

I also agree with Chief.  You obviously have a degree of intelligence, a knowledge of what needs to be done and time on your hands.  I think you should be the better man (I am assuming your gender which is a little dangerous in today's world) as the industry is bigger than us all but, needs saving from itself.  Put a decent paper together and lodge it with GRNZ, meet with them and work on a solution of current greyhound woes.  Why don't you take up Chief's offer of posting on here to keep us all informed, and we can also keep the authorities honest and accountable?

[Yankiwi]

I'm addressing only the rail contact issues in this post.

https://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/Files/Racing-Greyhound-Review/$file/Greyhound-Review-Final-Report-12-December-2022.pdf

 

AGRC has dropped the ball.

 

GRNZ has dropped the ball.

 

Warning flag began to wave over two months prior, then a cattle prod over the head after they got through the Silver Collar race day was unrelenting?

 

 

RIB has dropped the ball.

 

Maybe instead of suggesting I change my course of action, which is not an action I'm tasked with but have chosen to undertake, it's time for those whom are concerned with what happening in Auckland to change their direction/actions and demand better from ARGC, GRNZ & RIB. They are the three entities that can make the needed changes with the track & how it's being run.

Maybe ask Mr. Death why he hasn't got out from behind his desk & measure between the uprights and found out why GRNZ rules were not being adhered too.

Maybe ask GRNZ what their new infrastructure manager has put in place to correct their now well-documented running rail issue. Maybe ask Mr. Door how far back in time his tracking data goes on rail strikes in Auckland.

Maybe ask RIB why they have allowed the lure to be continually run, for at least the last two months, 50% more than the maximum length allowed under GRNZ rules.

 

I'll put as much effort into this as I chose too. Not more, not less, and in the direction, I chose to take.

 

Edited June 17, 2023 by Yankiwi

[Chief Stipe]

16 hours ago, Yankiwi said:

I'll put as much effort into this as I chose too. Not more, not less, and in the direction, I chose to take.

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Your approach is not working.  I've suggested an alternative.  Why don't you try it?

[Special Agent]

5 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

Your approach is not working.  I've suggested an alternative.  Why don't you try it?

I think you need to attack this from a different angle too.  You have already put time and effort in so, what sacrifice is a little bit more?

Bear with me here as I have a bit on today and my brain isn't as crystal clear as it should be but, with the greyhound industry "on notice" and the Department of Internal Affairs hosting the Greyhound Review Final Report why are you pussyfooting around with your concerns?

I think it is pretty simple.  You have highlighted in yellow your concerns where each group has "dropped the ball".  Without any personal attacks I can see how each aspect has accountable people attached who have not been accountable.

You have highlighted three concerns and asked three questions.  Why don't you put that to AGRC, GRNZ, RIB and DIA and copy in whomever is necessary to get some action and some answers?

That's what I'd do.  How different would your approach be, Chief?

[Yankiwi]

I resign.

You guys can have it your way & the industry can have it theirs.

[Chief Stipe]

1 hour ago, Yankiwi said:

I resign.

You guys can have it your way & the industry can have it theirs.

All I suggested was to try a different approach and I would have offered assistance.  

[Yankiwi]

21 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

All I suggested was to try a different approach and I would have offered assistance.  

Ok here's a different approach Chief.

I've trawled through all of the March 2023 Stewards Reports.

Christchurch deserves a big shout out for being the safest track hands down, considering only contact with the running rail.

Well done all of you at Addington!

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by Yankiwi

[Special Agent]

23 minutes ago, Yankiwi said:

Christchurch deserves a big shout out for being the safest track hands down, considering only contact with the running rail.

Well done all of you at Addington!

Especially with the number of races run.  Please collaborate with Chief and put this bullshit to bed.

[Yankiwi]

Just sharing the summary of data I've compiled, which has a date range of 01/01/23 to current.

Otherwise, no comment.

[aquaman]

See a dog hit the rail at Southland Sunday. Stitches all over the place.

[Yankiwi]

2 hours ago, aquaman said:

See a dog hit the rail at Southland Sunday. Stitches all over the place.

Saw that too Aquaman.

Same race - 2 separate incidences within it.

Both dogs banged up pretty bad, receiving a 14 and a 21 day stand-down.

It's a shame GRNZ felt the need to sanitize the replay footage by omitting the head-on footage. In the past they claimed they only did so where a dog has lost its life. Maybe things have changed.

Such actions do make it much more difficult for people with an interest in the industry, to be able to analyze what had actually happened and be in a place to offer them suggestions for improvement.

Anyways, I have confidence now that GRNZ have a welfare expert in Australia as well as a track manager in Australia that will be all over what happened on the ground in Invercargill to make the changes needed to prevent this from ever happening again.

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Yankiwi

[aquaman]

They have been sanitizing the races for a long time now. Certainly doesn't help the form analysis. Even when they fall you do not get to see the cause. Hopeless lot, completely running scared of the  animal right terror activists. They should never of caved in to tyranny, now they have no choice but to be led by the very people that will not settle for anything less than shutting them down. They made their bed, now they get to lay in it.