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At HQ we do a bit of fundraising for charity The racing community always support us, David Ellis, Brendan and Jo Lindsay, Sir Peter Vela and his family, to name but a few .. but this time I want to acknowledge two superstars of racing ... Chris Waller & James McDonald We sold a lunch or dinner date with them for $17,500 a month ago, that’s right, $17,500, with three determined underbidders, the Velas, Mark & Celia Wyborn and another very high profile racing person who wants to remain private Having done so well we thanked CJW and J Mac and threw out the idea that we could sell them again ( ten times over actually ) Chris Waller has just text me and said “sell us again” ... so we did, another $17,500 for Steps For Life What a pair of superstars they are ... so busy, in so much demand, but so humble, kind and modest ... and they’ve never forgotten their roots Thanks boys, you’re both very special and a great example to us all

90% are impaired because they’re fasting and compromising their natural strength. As for CWJ drinking early in the day.....untrue....he had a few the night before, but he was wasting so didn’t eat dinner, or breakfast..... Facts are good, you should try using them

11 races at Ashburton today (and they could easily have run 12) and 12 races at Timaru two weeks ago, all for $10,000 stakes. And yet only enough horses for 8 races at Wingatui and Riccarton for mostly $30,000 stakes. Obviously the stakes allocation is all wrong, and means nothing to most trainers. Can someone explain to me how spending $15m? odd on an all weather track in the SI will resolve all or any of these anomalies? You wouldn't trust this current lot to organise a piss up in a brewery, and yet we are happy to let then play with $15m to build a new track. And they will just walk away when they stuff it all up. If this was an industry that the general public cared about the media would be all over the staggering level of incompetence. As it is, no one really cares and mismanagement is just going to be allowed to continue until it totally destroys the industry. It is incredibly sad, but to some extent the industry deserves what it is allowing to happen. NZTR must be as amazed as anyone with what they have been allowed to get away with virtually without complaint.

I was thinking of conducting a poll, but don't know how to do that. More about that later. Timaru today; 221 nominations, 12 races (they could have run 14,) 41 ballots scratched, only 5 horses scratched that were assured a start, and they all let others get starts. Dead track after quite a bit of rain during the week. Sponsors for every race. They are doing a great job giving heaps of horses a start on a decent track. But this meeting won't exist in a year or two. No meetings in Canterbury or Oamaru will exist between May and October once the all weather is built at Riccarton, perhaps the old John Grigg meeting at Ashburton. The question is this. Would Winston's $10.5m from the Provincial growth fund be better spent in the middle of a major metropolitan city, where a club that doesn't even have a public grandstand is obliged to front with another $5m to make it all work. Or might the $10.5m be better utilized to upgrade a provincial racetrack like Timaru, that has a public grandstand, and already provides a good racing surface all year, but could provide an even better track with bigger starting limits if money was spent upgrading the track and introducing a 1,400m start point amongst other things. There is even the possibility to build an almost straight 1,000m chute. They even have space to attract more trainers, while most of the major tracks around the place are selling off potential trainers facilities to fund their other developments. A case could be made for an all weather track(s) in the North Island where they race on heavy tracks for many months of the year, but in Canterbury it is already possible to race on reasonable tracks all year around with existing facilities, as we see today at Timaru. So surely in the SI the decision is quite different to that in the north. Winston does like to mention the money that will be saved by transferring meetings from elsewhere to the all weather if the weather is bad. Well, that will never happen in the SI as there will be no other meetings anywhere in Canterbury to be transferred. And if the weather is particularly bad even all weather tracks gets abandoned as we saw at Moonee Valley a couple of weeks ago. And from the sounds of the current thinking a major meeting at Riccarton won't be transferred from the existing track to the all weather because of a bit of rain. So the question is. Do people think the industry would be better off spending a precious $10.5m on: A. Funding 75% of an all weather track at Riccarton to hold $10,000 races during the winter, with the rest of Canterbury being shut down during those months. B. Funding a massive upgrade at Timaru so it can hold regular racing all year round without the need for an all weather track. At the same time reducing the need for Riccarton to race on wet tracks during the winter months.

And of course it would have all been hunky dory with National under the leadership of S Bridges , oops sorry I mean the tall lanky guy , can't remember his name , wasn't there long enough , bugger wrong again , meant J Collins . Yea right they had their own shit so together that our borders would have been water tight , they couldn't stop leaks in they're own party FFS . Stop sulking that your not in Govt and not going to be . Actually your not that tall lanky guy whose name i can't remember are you . Munter or something wasn't it .

Party vote - ACT....to get rid of the greens

Where's the moaning fella , where's the negative , said horse is handy , don't see many at Rangiora with that career behind him . Chill the fuck out .

Honestly people, how does Glen Saville still have a job after the website debacle? And why has there never been official investigation into the whole purchase process?

I was one of many Southlanders at the NZTR roadshow in Invercargill last week. Bernard and Jackson spoke about a few things, one being, that punters want the consistency the synthetic track will bring. Kelvin Tyler, Steve Blair-Edie, Jo Gordon and Ellis Winsloe all spoke clearly and strongly against the synthetic track at Riccarton, citing the damage it would do to South Island racing, race programming ie they need Oamaru and Timaru to stay, and funding the on-going maintenance costs of the synthetic etc etc. Everybody else who spoke was against it too (except maybe one, and I don't know what he was even on about). Bernie said their concerns were noted. I don't think the southern participants could be accused of not complaining, but they're probably the easiest to ignore. http://www.theoptimist.site/gallop-south-calls-for-justice-through-constitutional-change/ http://www.theoptimist.site/riccartons-synthetic-track-debate-heats-up-as-roadshow-heads-south/ Jo Gordon said no Southland trainers would move their base to Riccarton.

You people don't seem to realise this has been happening in the SI for years. The reason people think SI form is so inconsistent is because horses are hardly ever racing over the distance they prefer, in the class they prefer and after the ideal gap they prefer. And it is why the same horses race for $30,000 one week and $10,000 the next week. They just have to take a start whenever they can. As I understand it, it is considered much more efficient for the industry to hold fewer meetings regardless of horse numbers. Somehow that generates more profit (loses less money). Apparently it will all come right when we have all weather tracks. There will be some incredibly bright young chap at NZTR who has worked all of this out. He won't have ever actually been to a race meeting and has no interest in horses, but he is really good at computers and has worked out that this is by far the best way for the industry to proceed. Actual horses and owners are quite incidental to the operation of the industry and everything would go much smoother without either of them.

Timaru has never raced on New Year's Day. Until about 1982 they used to race on the 27th and 30th Dec each year. The first day was Cup Day, a day after Wingatui. When Showgate won the 1,600m Timaru Cup she did it the day after winning the 2,400m Dunedin Cup. She was a pretty fair type of horse. Her's was one of the first 1,600m WFA Cups, it had previously been a stayers handicap. The second day in latter years used to feature the Showgate Stks for 3yo fillies: a pity no club in the SI considers it worth remembering that great horse these days. I often think that if Showgate and Grey Way had been Australian horses they would have feature races named after them at Flemington. We are very poor at that sort of thing in NZ, but that is another story.

Mate you may have your beefs but this all about the generosity of two people prepared to give up their time for 2 lunches and the persons giving up their cash to support a charity . Perhaps you could do something for a charity you do support . I wish i could afford to bid for it , it would be a fantastic experience .

Sorry JJ but you're dreaming if you think the loss of trackside radio on the airwaves has been catered for by the new app or ROVA or however ever you get trackside nowadays. It's hands down the worse decision made by the current regime. I won't blame them for a second for anything to do with the website, I agree that was the responsibility of a previous regime that got them into this mess. But no trackside radio is simply absurd and having an awful impact on the sport, I'm sure like others many are seeing that on a daily basis .

Sorry JJ Flash but I have to agree with "Nomates". This is not negative but a fact. NZTR have a CEO with no business experience. Has never owned a race horse and has no intention to yet he is in charge of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. Racing's participants have been very complacent and compliant with what we have been told over the years. If we carry on down this track of no accountability for statements from those in charge then we have no future. Statements like "turnovers are going very well" are being made by Bernard to buy time and throw people in to that compliant state. To keep Trainers lining up their horses. Remember the 17 million per year to Paddy Power, That's 1.4 million per month off the top. Then Salaries would be a similar amount, then all the other running costs. I can't see much left for Stakes. We need transparency now. Not when we hit wall again.

Well managed , really , we are an island at the arse end of the world with a well spread population , controlling it should have been a doddle but NO, bungled at the boarder . Why would we expect anything else , the pack of no hopers have succeeded at ZERO , they have no success at anything why should this be any different . Child poverty doubled under cindy her specialty interest .

THE DOGS ARE GETTING TOO MUCH COVERAGE RELATIVE TO THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO RACING. EVEN TODAY WITH TWO TROT MEETINGS ON...... BY THE TIME THE COMMENTS PEOPLE HAVE GONE OVER THE FORM , HANDLERS DONE THE JUMPOUTS . WALKED TO THE START, RUN THE RACE PREVIEWS , COMMENTATORS PICKS , STUDIO EXPERTS COMMENTS AND SUGGESTED WIN/PLACE/ QUADDIE / PICK SIX /RUN THE RACE AND THE OBLIGATORY REPEAT OF THE ENTIRE RACE ITS A HELL OF A TIME FURTHERMORE WE HAVE IT MONDAY/ TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY/THURSDAY/FRIDAY/SUNDAY .

Up 14% based on what period? Compared to April & May figures? Turnover will be up when your giving money back on every race if your runner finishes 2nd - 4th plus along with Bonus Bets at most meetings. I know one punter who has had 6 bets refunded back in a row, each time the codes I am sure get a % of turnover so that's more expense that the Industry must absorb. The $1.6 million should have been picked up by the Auditors when doing last years Annual Accounts. So they paid the Auditors a fortune to do the accounts and because they didn't pick up the error they look to pay an independent reviewer to find why and where. RITA were put in charge of all of the TAB's financial matters so the buck stops with them. Nearly 6 months on from the so called independent review and yet nothing reported to the Industry on the findings. When your going cap in hand with no money in the bank and owing tens of millions you have to have a sharper handle on financial matters. A monopoly situation was fine prior to the advent of the Internet. Companies who have monopolies get lazy and offer poor customer service eg Telecom and they don't pick up their act until competition arrives. Unfortunately the TAB management over the years didn't regard overseas bookmakers as a real threat and when they did the race was over. Even knowing they have lost thousands of customers to overseas competitors their customer service is poor, just ask any punter what they think of the TAB and its service. As for the disaster of the new betting platform what Company allows itself to get locked into a 10 year non-cancellable contract? They paid for it to be built but don't own it yet they pay $17 million a year to service it. 10 year locked in contract so why the hell would you be looking to outsource your betting? Remembering Jetbet used to do both tote and fixed odds so now you have two betting platforms doing essentially what one did previously. How did the TAB Board and TAB in-house lawyers allow that to happen? The Racing Act demands the TAB to be prudent and excercise financial care to ensure the Industry can prosper clearly given the total mess of the betting platform cost and ongoing costs verse return that didn't happen. You want move forward those two steps will get the ball rolling other than it's well not hard to work out the end result. Get rid of the TAB's monopoly and let overseas bookmakers operate in NZ as long as they pay their fair % to the Industry and get rid of the DIA's involvement in having anything to do with the future well being of the Industry, 9-5 public servants are clueless as to what is needed as has been proven n the past.

It isn't a question of how much the share is worth in respect of horse flesh, unless you are a "horse investor" type person who wishes the shareholding to mean something. Micro shares is all about capturing the potential client and then taking a journey with them. There are any number of initiatives that are available to potential promoters that make the purchase even more fun. All you have to do is be inventive. What say (for example), that by purchasing a micro share you were in the draw for a 25% stake in a horse, 2 free trips around the World, $100,000 to spend at a horse auction, a life of inebriation through a yearly supply of champagne etc etc etc. Gets interesting as you start to think laterally...

Yes. But that's a contract between the buyer and NZB isn't it. Shouldn't be funded/subsidised by NZTR with industry funds.

After the M report and the absolute crock of s*** drive by inspection he did, the club launched a petition that got 5000 plus signatures and presented to parliament - one BJ Anderton amongst others, was one of the first to sign it. Unfortunately the local MP who was supporting the Club and petition was the one at the centre of the text/dick pic saga and has since resigned.........:D The Club had to insist on a meeting on course with Bernard Saundry, who didn’t realise what facilities the course had including the farmland that is leased out, the on course caterer who runs a business out of the Greyway Lounge, and the turf farmer in the middle of the track, the motor homes and caravans that pay for short term stays etc. The only money this track ‘costs’ the industry is the money that comes from NZTR to run a race day and the occasional grant from the safety fund. The M report decreed that millions needed to be spent on the track - which is a load of absolute BS, yes the facilities need some refreshing, but the track is fine. It was pointed out to Bernard that the PL track is dual code, an approved jumping venue, the flat races consistently attract good noms from all areas of the SI and that trainers want this track to stay open. The venue is a good winter track, but could also be a good summer track - irrigation is available if needed. There are also approx 60 gallopers plus 30 trotters trained at the course - not the huge numbers, but they all pay track fees. The course is used by the general horse public as a venue to meet saddle fitters, chiropractors, farriers, Horse transport drop off and pick up point, schooling over the schooling fences in readiness for A & P shows etc The Waimate Club is also going to run their date at Timaru, in spite of being pushed toward Oamaru, not sure why given that Waimate is in Canterbury and Oamaru is in Otago. Some background politics there I suspect. The trainers are supporting the venue and club - the number of horses nominated proves this, not sure what else can be done......

Certain vested interests have decided that an AWT will solve everything in the south. But Timaru to day suggests otherwise. Here in Oamaru, there are fewer meetings, no radio or newspaper coverage, no TV for the poorer folk, and maintaining any interest or enthusiasm for racing is becoming hard. An AWT track at Riccarton, in my view, does nothing to tackle the real issues.

The production was very slick, Donald J Trump will go down as the greatest President of all time. Anyone that can endure the malicious scandals perpetrated by the Democrat's for 4 years is an absolute genius.

I am a bit saddened that this thread started out with several people discussing specific issues and suggesting constructive solutions, as they often do, and then Flash and Tasman pop up and start resorting to personal abuse, as they often do. This is the sort of thing they has gradually driven many people off here and stifled constructive criticism and discussion. We are fortunate to have several people on here with an obvious deep knowledge of the racing industry and I enjoy their informed comments. I think the industry has been poorly managed for many years and the consequences of that are obvious for all to see. The industry as a whole should be grateful that some people are trying to hold management to account. If the industry had enough money to be able to afford some "expert" consultants the first thing they would tell management would be to establish a dialogue with industry participants and communicate the reasoning behind their decisions much better.

Bad luck buttercups ... but first thanks to those of you who support me here on this site ... I do appreciate it To the rest of you weak cxxts all I can say is go suck another fucking lemon .... you ain’t getting any pleasure at my expense any time soon Can’t tell you why but you’ll be crying into your fucking fairy dust tonight you lily livered lightweights

nomates posts some of the most common sense racing industry business ideas on here! How many CEO's , NZRB's & R.I.T.A personnel do we have to put up with before their is nothing left in the bank! They are all at fault past and present over the last 10 years plus.... But the most guilty and worst of these bludgers are the one's who signed off the $50,000,000 plus $17,000,000 per annum on that Paddy Power Piece of Shit TAB Web-site. Every single one involved in that decision should be sacked instantly and sued accordingly! This is the number one reason Racing is broke so soon. Not to mention the exorbitant Salaries these corporate pricks receive to make these unbelievable crazy decisions!

What gets me grumpy is Fuckwit people with business knowledge but Fuck all racing knowledge continually coming on and spouting about passionate racing people bagging the people who are dragging the industry down the bog . I and many others have tried to have interactions with these people to pass on information and ideas but they have barely acknowledged the contact , so if they present themselves in such a way then they leave themselves open to heavy criticism . I post many positive things on both sites , perhaps it is just you choosing to pick and choose which posts of mine you retain in your head . I'm all for change , in fact huge change and we are doomed if we don't achieve . I have posted my ideas , which may not be the saviour off the industry but are put there for discussion . You obviously choose to disregard those posts . But i know for a fact that you have never interacted on any of these posts or other persons regarding ideas to improve things , perhaps that is because of your sparse racing knowledge you feel you have nothing to contribute . What i do know about you is you are very good at coming onto the 2 sites and knocking and belittling people using an air of superiority , we have had that conversation in the past haven't we . Perhaps if you interacted and joined in with some cognitive initiatives to improve racing as a whole rather than just knocking someone else's opinion you wouldn't come across as a smart ass knowit all .

Although I don’t always agree with P4P, I respect his forthright approach to things that he sees as unjust and unfair. It’s a minefield having to navigate all the PC stuff nowadays, calling it as you see it I find ok. I was bought up in that period of time, everything seemed simpler then. You have to admire someone who has a go in business, I know how bleeding hard hospo is without all the extra stuff happening atm. All the very best, Kiha Kaha from the Mainland.

A couple of Aussie legends have been appointed to sort the shit out for you. The first is a household name and he’ll be implementing the Burgess report The second is not quite so well known but like one of Santa’s accessories he comes with a big reputation. I know most of the people that matter read Cafe so let me make a suggestion. At least three members of the RIU have to go, and arguably four Grimstone, Godber, Irving and possibly Cruikshank should all be given what they deserve, and Ydgren, Macintyre and Lamb need to be dealt with and re-educated too. My suggestion, start disruptive action. No strikes, but just agree to delay strategic races by 15 minutes whenever anyone of those mentioned officiates, or behaves like a dirty low xxxx Just don’t come out of the drivers room You’ll only need to do it at a few meetings and the RITA board, and the Minister For Racing will step in and do the right thing . This is your industry, you need to own it and get rid of the cancer of delusional ex Policemen and their weak gutless mates who’re destroying the code FYI I’ve discussed this tactic with many influential administrators and they all agree it can’t fail.....so let’s get started

Clearly, the connections of high profile horses are less likely to be a Covid-19 risk.

Four long years this month since Kyle S ( best friend of Andrew Grierson the RIU expert witness who claims the osmotic diuretic salt ammonium chloride could be being used or perceived as a performance enhancing drug ) rang the RIU and made up the fabricated evidence about “race fixing” Grimstone and the RIU, in conjunction with the betting analyst Payn started their enquiries in September 2016 McIntyre their “driving expert witness” ( I can’t write that without a snigger... 8 wins over ten years from 170 drives and he’s their expert witness !!!!! ) commenced his involvement in January 2017 Here we are, dozens of search warrants later, none of which were focused on Brentan Tarrant who went on to slaughter 51 people, despite the fact the Police had been tipped off about Tarrant and their surveillance teams were working in the Dunedin, Mosgeil & Taeri areas where Tarrant was practising for his deadly rampage, looking for drivers and trainers who’d done absolutely nothing wrong ..... Ten million dollars later ( some claim the cost is actually 15 million ) and they still don’t have a conviction, and there’s only one race left to be decided by Judge Neave, a race that has no betting irregularities, no money trail ( a net result of $60 to the connections of that matters ).... meantime the Organised Crime Group, led by the low achiever and allegedly mentally unstable DS Neville Jenkins and the “blood doping” evidence fabricator Neil Grimstone are trying to reopen an investigation into a minor case of a bottle of a non steroidal anti inflammatory ( the aspirin type drug ) found in a gear bag for a horse staying overnight at Forbury, four years and three months ago.... and now the bumbling idiots and imbeciles are reaching out to TV presenters asking if they can help find betting irregularities ..... idiots... and incredibly, 10 million dollars later, they’re trying to recruit two investigators out of Australia to help find evidence of any race irregularities Stop humiliating yourselves you retards .... their is no money trail, there are no betting irregularities... there’s nothing except for a bitter ex business partner who was hopeless on the punt ( yes he used to beg me for Tips & winners ), a bitter jealous Disney type low achiever who holds a training license, and who has $$$$$ problems, a bitter cop who couldn’t train pigs to be dirty and who has blood on his hands from Op Blue Magic, and the equally fucked up callous racist ignoramus / liar from the RIU ... ably assisted by Ydgren who allegedly has an email attributed to him ( I haven’t seen that email but multiple sources claim they have ) asking Andrea Quinn from the Organised Crime Group “is it bad that I’m so excited about tomorrow”, sent the night before the dawn raids of two years ago All the media hype, all the allegations, all the resources wasted, all the mosque murders, all the misery, all the drama, al the reputations damage to licensees, the reputations damage to the industry as a whole, the cost to the Racing We Have No Integrity Unit, all from the corrupt pokies... and what have we got to show for it ......absolutely fucking nothing ...... Zero Nil Not a fucking sausage

Good to see the Magic Man score one and a half wins today at Ashburton!

Exactly this should be a base salary with provision for bonuses upon certain KPI's being attained , Others from a business back ground would suggest not . Stops another shiny arse from coming in and just counting his wedge . If they are passionate and have any real ability then they will comfortably achieve the top end of any contract .

He sounds like he has copped it on the chin , serve his time back for Cup week hopefully and the 11 more wins . Credit to him he has not moaned or at least I've seen no reports of him moaning .

He was only half the legal driving limit ......another RIU joke ......

There were at least 45 horses balloted and eliminated at Timaru last week. That's a lot of pissed off owners. All they wanted to do was race for $10,000. None of them had aspirations to race for $1m; not with last week's horses anyhow. We do need to get the balance right. I even wonder whether the 2,000 Guineas needed to retain its $500,000 stake this year. I think it would have attracted the same field for $400,000. It is the Group 1 status the connections are most interested in. It is only a few months ago that the industry couldn't afford to hold either of the Guineas races in the SI, now everything is all go again and things seem to be booming and stakes are back to last years levels. I just hope they can stay there. I can't see any attempt at all to rationalise stakes. With open entry races a lot of horses are racing for $30,000 that would previously have raced for $22,500. I do wonder whether Wingatui really needed three $30,000 races last weekend and whether the meeting was self funding. If things are going as well as they appear to be hopefully we will stop seeing horses regularly being eliminated in the SI.

Basically the industry is subsidising a couple of sweepstakes races to the tune of a half a million dollars. WD makes a good point while NZTR do their best to give the middle finger to the owners battling to get a start at industry day meetings etc. I don't believe the fields on that night would be much different if they were run for half the prizemoney, perhaps the Australians wouldn't come but that may not be an option anymore at any rate.

I did read a lot similar comments about Humidor a couple of months back.

Your talking far too much common sense , wash your mouth out . The 10.5mil isn't industry money , it is coming out of the provincial growth fund so has to be used for A/W's or they don't get it . My issue is with clubs taking on 5/6mil in debt to finish these tracks when the industry isn't exactly travelling flash . RACE are already deep in debt , why risk more , and a risk it is . The CD has the equivalent of Timaru in Foxton , completely wasted . No they want to spend the same at Awapuni , which will be a greyhound track , when for a fraction of the money they could upgrade Foxton , but no , they know best .

Whoever you vote for - party vote must go to ACT to get rid of the Greens...

Slam Dunk, I have enjoyed this site for several years now. In that time I think your post of about an hour ago is possibly the worst I have ever seen. Much of what I read on here is educational for me. Thankfully, you are one of a kind, as this site would be the pits if imbeciles of your nature ran the show.

Wow what a sad person you are...FFS no matter what charity it is why cant you just once have something positive to say...Good on Chris and James and well done HQ.

Hi Mikenz. This is the problem, we think it is ok to accept service like this. There are two banks that are almost instant. How about we can deposit money instantly with no charge? Like all other competitors offer. Sometimes you get a tip five mins before the race (mug betting and tab should love you for it) The tab want us to use them and expect us to also take a shit service. We are the customer. The one that punts, the one that pays training fees so they can have a market to offer punters.

Wow ! The man and the author of above piece obviously well pleased with the changes in and progress of the NZ Racing Industry. Obviously there has been a lot of changes and his experience in governance been of use. However there appears to be a HUGE credibility gap between what the above suggests , our closeness to prosperity etc and the actual state of NZ racing / TAB / wagering etc and the fact it was recently bailed out by the Guvmint and the general consensus of many in the Industry who fear for their livelihoods. I'm sure the experts and critics on here will provide us a balance fairly quickly.

I think this is significantly more of a change than the minimum bet, this is taking out the front window, it's madness really. The amount of people in the industry who have no idea what's going on without the radio is a worry. If it was that good an idea to dump the radio Australia would have done it years before us and they get very little wrong when it comes to running their industry IMO. cheers

I watch the races on my TAB NSW account. When in Sydney I turned the radio on at 6.30 am and listened to it all day on a Saturday. I would have struggled to do that with my phone. The racing on the radio is bread and butter to many. Bring it back and sack the guy who got rid of it.

PforP has had the guts to take on the establishment. Good on him. But spare a thought for me. I am one of those people who would love to be in court to watch this greatest show on earth; but I am not allowed to enter Jafaville in the lockdown circus. Bugger! And the after match function with silver from Cascade River; phuck the cost; I want to enjoy life to the max because with my indolent and depraved life style I am unlikely to be around in 20 years.

In the real world the Trainers Association would speak out, no chance since they sold their soul to NZTR....sorry, Love Racing......

I find myself having to agree with Tony agreeing with Nomates. I don't consider any of these people negative. I think the contribution from 7 or 8 people on here is reasonably well informed and intended to help the industry. No one from NZTR ever comes on here to discuss or dispute any of the statements made by participants in this discussion. I am sure people would think much more highly of them if someone from NZTR was to come on here and explain some of their decisions. Most people on here don't generally make broad unsubstantiated statements, they usually refer to specifics, such as my contribution 4 or 5 places above. Sometimes there may be a reasonable explanation for a decision that most of us find strange, or incompetent, but how are we to know if no one is to share that explanation with us. Flash might think the industry would suddenly come right if everyone was to be positive and get in behind our leadership, but unfortunately that leadership doesn't inspire me with confidence. No one would be happier than me if they were to suddenly start making brilliant decisions.

They're not shrewd enough to come up with anything resembling a secret scheme . As Huey said every horse has it's place , they can all garner revenue , it's just being sharp enough to know how to maximize your product . We need to be increasing horse numbers so we can increase the number of races and in turn racedays which then starts increasing turnover which turns into increased revenue for the industry . It's not hard to understand , but these guys continue to put as many impediments in front of participants to make it as difficult as possible . All the time you are pissing owners off enough to the stage they stop racing horses is when you start making it more difficult to increase revenue . There is a simple solve to all this tho , and that is the trainers starting to show some balls , make BS life a misery , everybody , owners as well , ring him up , email , txts , let him know things have to be sorted , pronto .