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I race cast-offs because the risks involved in breeding and importing are too great for me. I have no issues with imports or those who choose to breed locally except to say the combined numbers need to be sustainable. The argument around rehoming of imports in my view is invalid when you look at local breeding numbers without the rose-tinted glasses on. Large-scale breeders here need to take responsibility for what they breed. There actually is no hope of rehoming 10 -12 litters at their retirement, and present rehoming figures support that statement. Cast-offs are cast-offs regardless of country of origin. If you are going to argue the toss then get the stats and look at them with a critical eye.

Short sighted. All weather isn't the answer unless you want all weather racing surfaces which generally is boring racing. The grass is not the cushion, although our idiot commentators would have you think differently. It's the humous and roots in the soil profile that are both the cushioning element and the anchor for the 5 tonne of horse purchase that is required. When they get off the chemical fertilisers, get the right grasses for stability and endurance and stop the incessant watering, we'll start to see an improvement of track conditions

I think today was the expiry day for suppression orders unless appealed to the high court, so no names of interest would be on the court list.

I see the argument of NZ vs Au as hypocritical for a number of reasons. You mentioned one CD breeder specifically and I would like to make comment on that because it is a prime example of the hypocrisy of this argument. If you look at the number of litters bred/sires used in recent seasons you will notice the absence of NZ sires fathering progeny from that kennel. This breeder does not support local sires, I presume because he doesn't believe they are good enough. The money outlayed for straws all goes back to Aussie as does the money for any straw purchased from Australia. I see no difference in importing semen to importing dogs. So if you want to go down the let's ban imports route, why don't we ban semen imports as well, let us support the local sires and keep breeding totally in house? This is a kennel that is held up here in the CD as a shining example of NZ breeding yet they also race imports. Given the numbers bred, why would imports even be considered? I also find it ironic that the last kennel star was not the product of that kennel but instead the deliberate pairing of a small time breeder. If you are going to allow large-scale breeding then you need to ensure that the numbers produced can be re-homed at retirement. Don't try and pass blame on to someone who chooses to not to breed.

Verry Elegant in the MANIFOLD STAKES never got any luck in the straight! Squashed....sandwiched.... smashed and banged and flew home late once in daylight! Was in front not far after the line...she will keep and improve a ton under Weir!

We might have to make a choice between jobs for the few or a hobby for the many I fear. Poorly managed for a very long time with not enough foot on the brakes even now. Regardless what we may all think is the answer there's more to this than just our opinions, and if we don't sort this out we'll all pay for it. The old adage, too little, too late springs to mind.

Timeform rated her win on Saturday at 134

Can't wait for Hollywood or the METOO org to publish a list of actresses/actors who did use the casting couch to further their career. Disappointed with Connie Chung and her reasoning for not supporting the nominee.Just allowed her so called fame to last another 5 minutes.

I love this, Shapiro calling out the Hollywood hypocrites - starts at 11:55. Doesn't matter which side of the fence you're sitting, the 'holier than thou' attitude from what must be the most debauched and under-educated social group on the planet, is sickening.

That's amazing, 8 of the last 11 Arcs won by females.

Great show they played here - heck of a live band too. Lovely morning here in Chch - not a cloud in the sky - bit of dew on the grass. Fingers crossed for today at Riccarton and good luck Cubes

Where did you get the ratings. Prior to Saturday I thought that Winx was on 130 and Enabled was on 126. I could of course be wrong!! Anyway, after Winx’s win I would not have expected a lift in her rating. (That’s taking nothing away from her, other than to say that in my opinion she ran up to her best form, but not better.) On the other hand Enabled lifted again by winning another Arc against the very best in the NH and as a four year old mare (?) which is no mean feat. Based on that, I expect that she will be re-rated to at least 128/9 or possibly 130. Personally I think that she now deserves 129 or 130. Liz (Aren’t they both wonderful girls? Why doesn’t the SH like to buy girls in the sale ring?)

The heat is going on them because of the prices and she is trying to deflect the blame. Probably get another working group. Fuel taxes, gst and a weakening NZ dollar (wonder who has caused that). Mirror mirror on the wall is where you should be looking Cindy.

Homeless man dies on Auckland street by Christie <img class="aligncenter wp-image-413598 size-full" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.whaleoil.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/homeless-man.jpg?resize=610%2C343&#038;ssl=1" alt="" width="610" height="343" srcset="https://i1.wp.com/www.whaleoil.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/homeless-man.jpg?w=610&amp;ssl=1 610w, https://i1.wp.com/www.whaleoil.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/homeless-man.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https://i1.wp.com/www.whaleoil.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/homeless-man.jpg?resize=480%2C270&amp;ssl=1 480w" sizes="(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px" data-recalc-dims="1"/> TVNZ reports: quote: A homeless man who died alone on the streets of Auckland is understood to have been kicked out of Australia just months before his death. The Australian Border Force will not confirm his deportation for privacy reasons and New Zealand immigration authorities said they did not hold any information. But those who knew Gregory Cameron, 57, said Australian Immigration dumped him at Auckland Airport with nothing. end quote. Once they have boarded the plane, Australia has no further responsibility for deportees to New Zealand. But, in this government of kindness, why is there no state help for people who have recently been sent back here, many of whom have no family or support base in New Zealand? quote: Police confirmed they attended a sudden death of a 57-year-old man on Tangihua Street on Monday night. Other homeless people in the area said Mr Cameron had not been living on the street for long and he died of pneumonia. end quote. Other homeless people? Why are there any homeless people in New Zealand at all? If you are wondering why I am asking that question, then you need to cast your mind back to May this year. An extreme far left newspaper (article published 4 May 2018) reports: quote: The New Zealand government has promised to get the country’s homeless population off the streets and into shelter in time for winter. In a joint announcement on Friday, housing minister Phil Twyford and prime minister Jacinda Ardern announced a NZ$100m emergency housing package to tackle the ballooning problem. An estimated 40,000 people live in cars, tents and garages amid a chronic housing shortage in the nation of 4.7 million people. “We’re pulling out all the stops to support people in need and urgently increase housing supply this winter,” said housing minister Phil Twyford. “Our government will make sure everyone is helped to find warm, dry housing this winter.” end quote. I see this policy has worked just about as well as all the others, particularly those that Twyford is involved in. His Kiwibuild programme to build 10,000 houses a year is building ski chalets in Wanaka, and not a single house has been finished yet. The policy to provide at least temporary shelter for all homeless people is clearly working out well too. quote: New Zealand has the highest rates of homelessness in the OECD, with more than 40,000 people living on the streets, in emergency housing or in substandard conditions. Per capita New Zealand’s homeless population is almost twice as bad as Australia, which is placed third on the list. More than half of New Zealand’s homeless population live in Auckland but it is also growing in smaller cities such as Rotorua, Tauranga, Queenstown and Wellington. “We’ve really made a plea today, any marae, any seasonal housing that might be available, please contact us, we’ll work alongside you,” said Ardern. end quote. I see that this policy has worked out well for Greg Cameron, hasn’t it? This government is a total disgrace. They make these noble announcements, the media praises them incessantly, then they walk away from the cameras and forget all about it. Because the media fawns over them all the time and writes nothing but fluff pieces, nobody ever bothers to do any investigations into whether or not they actually bother to keep their promises. Clearly they have failed miserably on this one. This is the government that is supposed to be bringing kindness back but the project to rehouse the homeless had to be put in hold because Jacinda needed a PR group to follow her around New York at the taxpayers’ expense. Oh, and she needed a private plane to fly her to Nauru because she was breastfeeding. You can see what her priorities are and, in spite of what they say, looking after the homeless is clearly not one of them.

Problem is all the tips are gonna dry up now the thieves on wheels have been sprung.

Every person who backs a horse that finishes down the track will never concede that it was poor selection on their part, it's always blamed on they weren't trying or they pulled it up, it's never because the horse simply wasn't good enough

and it has survived to this very day

So he got a bit emotional after 8 hours of what he would say was b/s,lies and inuendo from his grillers.No problem with that. There is an 85 year old and an 80 year old on the Supreme court,i would be more worried about them.

You did the South Island Proud

Pre 2000 clubs did not have OSH and H and S type responsibilities. If the RIU and/or club decided to carry on with a meeting after jockeys claimed the track had an issue should something happen thereafter all hell would break loose legally, It might be over the top PC stuff for the old timers but its the law of the land today

interesting thoughts in this clip, nothing new though but for the benefit of those who like to know a little bit more

Summing it up i would say that if a woman makes an allegation it must be true based on the fact that she is a woman.Trump is right it is a dangerous time to be a young man.

And again by another body language expert.

I suggest you look up Natural Justice re time it takes for cases to be heard and matters resolved one way or the other. If you want to write stupid inane posts go for it but there's a few on here who might take exception and advise you to STFU and who could blame them IMHO

This is not the current situation.

Don't agree Ohoka , this will strengthen Trump , the damage has been done to the dems , it's self inflicted . I have no doubt Americans believe in natural justice and behind the scenes many demos can't be happy with guilt by accusation , when these radical women's movements attack a man with garbage they for get these men have mothers, sisters , daughters and ignore an important reality , women victims of crime have brothers , fathers and sons , everyone is effected which is why this whole degrading tactic by the dems can only have a negative impact on themselves . All trump has to do is keep hammering home the injustice of this whole situation and he's home in November , a quiet investigation into some of these baseless accusers would help as well .

Peaceful didn't get much of a run either....worth following on that.

Agree.You would want to be on next start. Nice horse.Should be competitive if Weiry places her well. When I saw your heading I knew which horse you were referring too.

Exactly... lets hope he continues to win off the course as well... all the best Michael from everyone here at RaceCafe.

Ha, give yourself an uppercut Charlie, what a rabble the NZTA are, they had plenty of time to say something, even longer to do something, and now the abandonment of Riccarton, will they speak up? joke.

This is called UNITY... WHEN YOU DRAW A LINE IN THE SAND, SAY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH AND START TO PUSH BACK AGAINST THE TIDE By Robert Heathcote | Thursday, October 4, 2018 Love him or hate him, champion trainer Rob Heathcote is a passionate racing man. He wears his heart on his sleeve and there is never a doubt as to whether he is happy or angry about what is happening in his industry. He speaks openly, never hides behind anybody or fudges any issues. The fact that he pulls no punches when telling it like it is from his point of view doesn’t always make him the most popular player in the game but you always know exactly where he stands on things and that clarity, in a world where finding any point of certainty is often confusing, stands to his credit. Today he is angry and you can find out why in this edition of Rob’s Shout, the personal blog of Rob Heathcote, which appears exclusively on HRO. I am out there fighting for racing in Queensland on as many fronts as I can because the crucial point is that someone has to say something. Someone has got to push back against tide in terms of the way things are going. In Queensland we are in the unenviable position that our own racing administrators have their hands tied. They’re as good as handcuffed because the people they need to comment about and protest against are their employers (The Queensland Government). At best, they can only have a soft push back because they are not in a position to push back any harder. Well, I can. I’ve had many years of this bumbling government racing screw-up and somehow, I am determined to help get the message across that enough is enough … whatever that takes! The thoroughbred industry is the lifeblood of racing in this state. In essence it is a completely different industry to greyhounds and harness racing and for the government to not recognise the need to go back to three, separate, stand alone codes looking after their own affairs can only be attributed to the fact that they simply don’t want to see the obvious. I, like many others, am firmly opposed to the fact that greyhounds, harness and thoroughbreds still fall under one administration body. You can go almost anywhere in the timeframe of the last couple of years and the decisions that have been made have really been Keystone Cops shit. Dismantling all of the racing boards on the back of the MacSporran report, the Eagle Farm balls up, the selection of the greyhound chief steward, after the greyhound scandal, as the head of integrity for the entire state. That to me is Keystone Cops shit. It is so wrong that they did all of that … and more … on so many levels. No one needs to convince anybody of the importance of racing at Eagle Farm. It is the mother of racing in our state … the old lady. People bet on Eagle Farm more than any other track in Queensland. We closed the track down to build a new one and we all know the debacle that followed to the severe, on-going detriment to our industry. In the middle of that the accidental Premier came in. So, what did she do? She appointed Alan MacSporran to do an inquiry into … and let me emphasise this … into the greyhound racing’s live baiting scandal but MacSporran then comes out with a report, which Palaszczuk ran with, to totally dismantle the entire racing industry … not just greyhound racing but horseracing, harness … the entire industry. Where did that outcome ever fall within the parameters of that inquiry? To my knowledge, it was never announced that MacSporran’s powers had been extended. Horse racing should not ever have been part of any collateral damage … but the government did what it liked. They put a bean counter in there whose job it was to save money … cut costs … cut, slash and burn. Well they did that and the most important thing in that exercise was they trimmed the track rebuild back from something like $13 million to $10 million. That $3 million ‘saving’ has probably already cost the industry another $10 million in the interim. And they called it a bullshit ‘Tracking To Sustainability’ program. I could go on … and on and on. And you wonder why Queensland is so much on the back foot. It’s all smoke and mirrors on the part of government and when you look through the mist there is nothing positive with the horseracing industry. The very fact that the government dropped the Point Of Consumption Tax distribution bombshell details … which are highly unsatisfactory to the horseracing industry which will provide the hulk of that income stream … on a Friday night, on Grand Final weekend, on a long weekend holiday speaks volumes about the way they go about things. They were buying a bit of time. I think their thinking is there will be a bit of a hostile reaction for a week or two but it will flame out and they will get what we want which is inactivity … just like it has been for the last twenty years … but maybe government has just got another thing wrong. Because of the fragmentation that the bad times have caused within the industry it has long been thought that it is highly unlikely that industry participants will ever stand together and push back against those who have the power, influence, and indeed responsibility, to support racing but who are not doing so. Well here’s a surprise. With the government continuing to treat racing stakeholders like imbeciles and disrespecting both their value and that of the horseracing industry in general, they have provided the spark for all racegoers to get together on this issue and start the push back. We might all have to feel some pain before we can go forward … and let me be clear here, when I say ‘all’ I am talking about stakeholders throughout the state not just those in South East Queensland. "I really want to represent everybody with this push as I firmly believe that every racing stakeholder, where-ever they may be located, now has little option but to initiate some action which can, firstly, stop the rot, and secondly, turn things around and point the horseracing industry in a better direction then the cliff-face it is heading to now. Industrial action or some sort of new radical approach are not preferred options … but we can no longer kid ourselves about where any further ‘consultation’, ‘lobbying’ or ‘working together’ with government will get us. That form is already well and truly on the board and it does not make pretty reading. So, like I said at the outset, whatever it takes. This goal is now starting to take up a lot more of my time than I hoped it would … but I don’t mind doing it. This industry has been very good to me. I have been fortunate in that I have been successful. While I am at the back end of my career … I won’t be around much longer … I am not prepared to forsake my industry and turn my back on what is happening and just walk away. That would be the easy thing to do but I do owe my industry something and I will not shirk that responsibility. It is true to say that the actions of Queensland government and their indifference to the industry is helping me to retire early but, as far as this fight is concerned, I’m not going away.

Good debate fella's and fellarettes, Good points for and against. Just to finish on my part I want to make clear that I have trouble with the system not the people. There are obviously many young trainers doing a great job with imports and good on them. My argument is they shouldn't have to Time for another sabbatical

Mike its quite simple really.Its a choice what people want to do.Breed, rear, break in, train, own, punt and the list goes on.You or me or anyone else does not have the right to tell anyone where they can get a greyhound from.Greyhound racing has been around for many years and had ample opportunity to grow long before imports came in.Matt and I are in no way the reason for the lack(which I don't think there is a lack of) of breeding.Ask Dave Fahey how hard it is to buy a good dog here in NZ. I don't have to because I already knew 25 years ago and that was the main reason I started purchasing dogs from Ozzie. There is no argument against a person wanting to race a greyhound in NZ that just happens to be born in Ozzie. And if you are worried about GAP and other re homing facilities being over run with dogs,tell me how come you are not asking why one breeder in the CD is allowed to breed more dogs than the quota for all of NZ for Ozzie imports. If the sport fails it will most likely be because of the clubs giving away all the power they had to people that come and go in our sport and don.t really give a damn about you, me or anyone else in this industry.To them its just a job,to us its life!

I actually think this current investigation shows the 'I' in RIU actually stands for something, so personally I don't think the riu or mr gobder deserve criticism relating to current issues.

Great news concerning Tommy Robinson!! Email i received this morning from Ezra Levant who is part of the Rebel Media in Canada I’m in London, at the Royal Courts of Justice. And moments ago, Tommy Robinson won his appeal! The court of appeal, led by the Lord Chief Justice himself, ruled that Tommy’s conviction of contempt of court, back in May in Leeds, was legally improper. I have now had a chance to go through the court’s detailed reasons. They are stunning. It is an absolute vindication of Tommy — and a devastating rebuke to the injustices he has suffered! The court found that: * Tommy should not have been put on trial that same day * Tommy’s lawyer did not have proper time to prepare his case * the judge in Leeds never clearly presented what Tommy had allegedly done wrong * the judge did not watch the entire video of Tommy, that supposedly was proof of his contempt * the judge did not follow the criminal procedure rules * the sentence was disproportionate; and * Tommy’s treatment in prison was inappropriate It was staggering. Everything Tommy has ever said about the system being unfairly rigged against him was proved true — by no-one less than the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales! The court said the entire Leeds contempt hearing has to be done again — but it’s not certain that the Attorney General will even choose to do that, given how badly they’ve been trounced today. I will continue to file reports about this at www.TommyTrial.com, and I expect to interview Tommy himself later today or tomorrow — obviously I want to let him reconnect with his family, first. But let me thank you for your support — I’m so proud that our Rebel viewers crowdfunded Tommy’s legal fees. This victory today is in part due to you! Tommy is free today. And the rest of us are all a little bit freer too. Yours truly, Ezra Levant

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107661237/Forgotten-World-Highway-fun-animal-carcasses-sausages-and-fox-terrier-races