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The sales were an unmitigated disaster for the industry as a whole. It is 4 years from now that is the real problem. Another 10-14% drop in foals on the ground see us move closer to the Germany/ Italy/ Spain and Ireland before the zero tax scenario. Germany is on notice for its group ones and Italy and Spain have lost their Group ones. Numbers have crashed, fewer runners/ decrease in betting/ racing industry runs out of options. Aussie trainers give up coming to NZ because they can't syndicate NZ horses because they can't win group ones in Aussie when they race in Aussie. Means that the NZ thoroughbred devalues further and then we have collapse. Industry's answer is to secure average speed class for stallions, no importation to talk of in respect of top class broodmare lines (especially UK/ Europe - their form can be franked) left the staying concept at the alter, NZTR responsible for the demise of staying races, not even any 1400/ 1600m races for two year olds/ tracks can't be raced on because surfaces are unsafe. Satying races and programs are the future. Why don't people see this? Guys like Jackson get Saundry on board without board consultation and Jackson has shown he can't manage a piss up in a brewery. Also imported Bayliss to the same failure model. He should be shown the door. Hopefully the designated team does away with the bullshit structure of the current racing bureaucracies. It's time over due. Too much dead and dying wood. FOB isn't working well. Can't understand why anyone would say it is. Yes OK for sports betting but hopeless for racing. Can't white label it - can't affiliate plan it - can't API it without $5-8m to spend. Hopeless because they don't know what I am talking about. The sublime has turned into the ridiculous. Time to create an environment for change.

Excellent post. Great comments Greg. I became a member of the NZ Metro Trotting Club when I was 18 years old. After 12 years of membership I stood up at an AGM and asked the head honcho what tangible things had the club done in the past 12 months to try and attract younger people to the races, and what specific plans did they have moving forward to retain younger members of The Met (quite often it pays to already know the answers to the questions you are asking). The silence was deafening, although I think he may have started to slowly choke down! That was my last year of membership with the club and I haven't missed it at all. Probably won't be many members about in another 10-20 years unless drastic change occurs very quickly.

Winx at the Apollo Group Racing Champ Comp Saturday 16 February : Stage Two Winnings: $996.00 Current holder of the yellow silks : Jenlove The Tour de Group Racing Australasia stages will be held at various times over the year. There will be 10 stages in all and the winner of the Tour de Group Racing will be the competitor that has earned the most yellow silks over the stages and if a tie, the most dollars over the stages. The Tour winner will be awarded with the title and prize money of $500.00, cheers Scooby . As we work through the stages I will update the winnings of previous yellow silk holders so standings are clear. There is no schedule of stages, we will advise if it is a group racing champ Saturday on the Wednesday before, latest Anyone can enter and take part right up to the last stage at end of the year. All Welcome On we go to Stage Two of Ten where we have 10 group races covering Ellerslie, Flemington and Randwick ~ including the Apollo Stakes featuring the one and only Winx. 1. Ellerslie R6 : 3.20pm : Schweppes Avondale Guineas G2 3YO SW 2100m 2. Ellerslie R7 : 3.55pm : Coca Cola Avondale Cup G2 OPN HCP 2400m 3. Flemington R4 : 4.20pm : Talindert Stakes GLR 1100m 4. Flemington R5 : 4.55pm : The Vanity G3 1400m 5. Randwick R5 : 5.15pm : Southern Cross Stakes G3 1200m 6. Randwick R6 : 5.50pm : The Star Apollo Stakes G2 1400m 7. Flemington R7 : 6.10pm : C S Hayes Stakes G3 1400m 8. Randwick R7 : 6.30pm : TAB Light Fingers Stakes G2 1200m 9. Flemington R8 : 6.50pm : Black Caviar Lightning G1 1000m 10. Randwick R8 : 7.10pm : Robrick Lodge Triscay Stakes G3 1200m Please read the Rules: Select two horses in each race – $5 each way will be placed on each selection. Your selections should be posted using the horse's number only. If you want to add the horse's name by all means do, but if your horse's number and name are for differing horses, I will use the number and disregard the name. Choose two BB races – any winnings will be doubled. Choose one Quinella race - you will receive 2 x the Quinella dividend if your two selections run first and second. You can use your BBs and Quinella on any race but not on the same race. You also cannot use your BBs or Quinella on Comp Race 6: Apollo Stakes. If any are used on the same race I will disregard the BB and use the Quinella. If either a BB or Quin is used on Comp Race 6 I will disregard it. Choose a third selection in Comp Race 6: Apollo Stakes. Your three selections will be boxed in a $1 Trifecta. Each of the three selections will also have $5 each way placed on them. Scratching replacements can be made (on a new post) up until 3.10pm. After 3.10pm any scratchings will revert to the TAB sub(s). The competition will close at 3.10pm. 10 minutes before the first scheduled comp race start time. This stage winner will be the competitor that has accumulated the most money after the final comp race. If there is a tie then it will be the competitor who has selected the most winners, if still a tie the competitor that has selected the most firsts and seconds. Prizes for this stage: Winner $100 W/P Bet : Second $50 W/P Bet Have fun Below is a posting grid for your use or you can just post the numbers of your two selections (or three for Comp R6), in race order, if preferred. 1. Ellerslie R6 : 3.20pm : 2. Ellerslie R7 : 3.55pm : 3. Flemington R4 : 4.20pm : 4. Flemington R5 : 4.55pm : 5. Randwick R5 : 5.15pm : 6. Randwick R6 : 5.50pm : 7. Flemington R7 : 6.10pm : 8. Randwick R7 : 6.30pm : 9. Flemington R8 : 6.50pm : 10. Randwick R8 : 7.10pm :

yes congrats,, it will get harder nowwith the new club conditions, "for horses trained north of cook strait" for rest of season . I think this a bit mean spirited ..... but I am pushing for an addendum being "south of Hunterville as well !! (and not keen on Taranaki !)

Why can’t the TAB add it the app/website and at least solve one of their problems? Surely it’s not too hard.

The Japanese stallions are an exploration of an outcross. Two are sons of Deep Impact who I believed at the time had a theoretical affinity with Danehill blood, of which we are well endowed in our broodmare band. Real Impact would be my pick of the trio. Deep Impact could be considered one of the world's leading stallions right now and would appear likely to outperform his great sire Sunday Silence. Deep Impact is tail-female to the same modern taproot as Round Table and Foxbridge while his elements of Sir Ivor & Pocahomtas (the modern one) stand him in good stead to click well with the Australasian broodmare band. Of course Sunday Silence's Halo is a great foil for Danehill as we know.

Totally agree with you JJ Flash! A couple of months ago I took 2 young friends to my local meeting to watch my horse race as a treat for them. We weren't allowed to actually go near the horse as they hadn't done the required course to enter the stabling area (thankfully the trainer brought him over to the barrier so the boys could pat him) The facilities were dirty and run down and the majority of signage was to let you know that you were in an area of great hazards! The food offering was minimal and over priced and there was absolutely nothing to entice you to want to go back although in saying that the racing was good as was the quality of the horses.Young people get bored very quickly and they need stimulation sadly not a lot of this was on offer. Like it or not the younger crowd are the ones we have to look to to keep the sport going wether it be by betting or ownership. It doesn't have to centre around drinking but we do have to make it enticing - family days,competition both on and off the track like the brothers in arm series that Oamaru run or the inter provincial series that Invercargill run. Involve some celebrities or local stars (god know most of them would turn up at the opening of a paper bag if their was publicity involved) but most of all make in interesting.

Back to the original topic, why is it that clubs refuse to make any real effort to get young people back on course. You see them all turn up at Cup week for example yet no-one is there promoting the club and racing post those events. Where are the Apps and the inducements to get them back on track on other dates. For me , all clubs should have mandatory under 30 areas with lots of promos . Bands , reasonably priced F and B as well as say a few easy bets to help the newbies. Greg

You make the same points i made earlier. this is a club race programming issue

So True Iraklis ha ha no wounder I didn't pass S. C. ENGLAND Ha ha Ha Ha mind u I probably pass it today cause u not allowed to fail anyone anymore

I have just read the Wanganui statement to it's members regarding changes to trial rules following a court case involving Deb Edlin.. What an immature, pathetic response to the courts correct decision that the club had every chance to avoid. Does the club not know or respect the fact that we live in an era where there are health and safety laws that must be worked within.. The club clearly failed in it's responsibilities and not just in the case of Deb Edlin, it had other cases that it had refused to acknowledge, preferring to either bury their collective heads in the sand or arrogantly assume they were above the law. The association has made big noises in recent years about clubs having liability insurance for these very instances. Maybe they should have run courses on how to avoid using it. The club had over 18 months deal with the issue but not only did they not have the sense to come to an agreement with Deb, they still had not addressed the cause of the incident to prevent it happening again. That alone is a serious breach of the H&S act. GRNZ must look at themselves over this situation as well because it afforded the club the forlorn chance to avoid prosecution by hiding behind rules that are not worth the paper they are written on. The rules must be amended or removed as they impeach on our human rights and Debs case will used as precedent in the future. To try and make life as difficult as possible for the rest of the members and infer it is a result of Debs action ( an actio0n NZ law has deemed to be correct) smacks of a severe case of bad losers syndrome and a very childish attempt at that. Shame on you Wanganui. The correct response would have been a public apology to Deb and Glen and a notification on how it will prevent this happening again in the future Most of us as members having been presented with the same circumstances as Deb would probably have had a moan to the club, posted on here and given up, but Deb is a strong intelligent person whose interests were very probably in working for the good of the rest of us and the safety of the dogs rather than any benefit for herself. I respect her for that and congratulate her on her efforts Mike Martin

Thats a bit harsh Iraklis , even clowns have a place in this world, they are called circus's

Globe Derby, Adelaide did the same starting procedure for standing starts a few years ago. Maybe 2016. They did it for one or two years and then canned it. There were more false starts than the normal way which wasnt the way it was supposed to be. Both for trotters and pacers. Not really what you would call a standing start in my opinnion.

Very few European mares get imported here it seems , Ballymacoll had a complete dispersal last year or might have been year before and Juddmonte sell off plenty of stock at various auctions each year , if NZ want to upgrade staying blood those are they the places they should be looking ? Japanese did so for years hovering up European bloodlines .Most stayers here at the moment wouldn't get within 10 lengths of the Champion bumper winner at Cheltenham Festival imho

Cant stream on this supposedly high tech app and cant even listen to it on Love Racing . Are they taking the piss?

Agree Poundforpound ---effectively competing directly with the Aussies. Not sure that is a good strategy but it is their money, who am I to argue with the move. Another thing I read earlier is there is a rumour floating around that they may move the Melbourne Premier sale to the end of January --directly competing with Karaka.

The goal is not really Palmerston North, but group racing, that's where the money is, but still a very pleasant result for Michael House and I hope it continues at Addington and Alexandra Park

While there is a chronic shortage of horses in the North it is impossible to have like v like so all horses are competitive. The main race at Auckland this week has a 71 horse and a 76 rated horse racing Group 1 horse Jacks Legend [ rated 100+] in a mobile start. Whats the point in this. My own recent experience is that this type of situation has led to two horses I had shares in being sold overseas when personally I was OK with them battling away trying to find races where they had a chance which was often away out of the area where the owners are. When you own less than 50% you go with the majority. With the high costs involved most folk these days bail out particularly when races canned ,and this even happens with 2 yr old races. My two horses had both won about 6 races ,and rated over 70 which would pit them v Jacks Legend this week. Prior to that another 2 horses I had a small share in won 4 and 7 races mostly on the grass and were basically uncompetitive on hard surfaces so they too finished up. [One sold to Aussie]One was still rated 59 after maybe one third in lowly race in last 15 starts. Owners like to see their horses in a race with some chance.....its an expensive hobby for most.

I see part of the problem clogging up system is no pints for placings 5 seconds and 5 6ths is the same as 5 lasts. Surely they shouldn't be the same.

But to be fair to her Iraklis 2 races in 6 days or less was a bit much adding in the travel so even great trainers can get things a bit wrong as she went mighty in ozzie

The Fixed Odds issue is now fixed :-) Thanks to NZRB staff for the assistance.

I read where another group of Kiwis are setting up a stallions syndicate ( Lib Patenga, Waikato Stud , Windsor Park and few other individuals). Bruce Perry bought a Brazen Beau yesterday in Sydney for A$500k to go with an I Am Invincible he bought at Karaka. Good luck to them !

I think the problem Tim is that the rating system is not being used the way it was designed for. For instance, at Oamaru this weekend there are about 16 pacers rated 40 - 42.but instead of putting on a race for those horses they get mixed in, in several races, with horses up to rating 50. What is the point of having horses drop back to a rating 40 if they don't get to race against other horses of a similar rating.. If the club had carded a rating 40 -42 they would have easily had the numbers for a full field and created an opportunity that would result in 3 horses filling a place that will always struggle otherwise. They could have made 3 sets of owners very happy. Not to knock Oamaru specifically as all clubs not using the system properly in my opinion.

I see they are quick to disqualify you if your gate is not good or you gallop unlike here where we hitch and fumble around like a wobbly wheel barrow

I suppose we will all see what happens after four or five big losses, this being an industry where, not letting Joe know, is what its all about ! I wish them well, but if I had a winner, i would send them and everyone else the other way ...............................

Look to be fair TN being honest if I was in strife I might head along to that lawyer and spend a bit of time at reception fumbling through my old paper booklet diary sorting my next meeting and not worrying about nit picking the bill.

One of the worst betting win pools of all time was when elsu won a big race Auckland,cup interdomsnot sure.his dominance put people of betting that race.if we follow the logic of good horses means good betting look at Auckland turnovers compared to a grass meeting on a Saturday.mot methven whatever.i haven't looked but I would bet the latter are much bigger.turnover is the lifeblood of the industry.

Could you ever possibly accept that some 40 rated horses are at their highest rating at that point and will never get any better. Thus they have a chance in say rating 35-40 races and continue to race for their owners and punters alike cos they still have a chance to earn stake money. Without that sort of option you either sack them or flog them off to Oz

For trotters I say get rid of the tape, this is such a prehistoric way of starting, do lights laser anything but a bloody tape and don't give me the crap about educate your horse,( then lets all be on the unruly the whole 16 odd of them wouldn't that be fun to see ha ha ) horse don't go near the tape it bites but go to the races and you gotta get close if i was a horse Id say bugger off..

Thanks Maria. Yes I actually suggested DD to John Messara after Dundeel won his maiden at Ellerslie. Service fee will be determined by the market. We are fairly conservative with our pricing as we only discount for multiple bookings. Fee will be set at Easter. Plenty of water to flow under the bridge before then. The attachment shows where Dundeel is at now compared to where Snitzel was at the same stage of his career.

The current rating system favours slow R40 horses, which as an owner and breeder I find disillusioning. Goodness knows how punters think. Somehow we must do more to foster our young and better horses so they are profitable to race in NZ. Eg I part own a sound honest trotter who is stuck on a R100+ rating even though he hasn't paid a dividend since Feb 2018. He's costing us to race as 4th and 5ths in Group races don't cover training costs and nomination fees. I don't mind the rating as that's the class he is: what gets me is having to be handicapped behind and being beaten by horses earning much more than him but because place earnings don't count, the handicaps stay the same. It would make economic sense to sell him. I believe those putting race fields together should make more use of conditions that take into account recent earnings. Eg have race nominations for 60-70 band horses but have field splits/draws/hcps based on earnings in last 5 starts. This would mean a horse with a string of 'Auckland' placings could get handicapped or start in harder fields relative to an out of form or 'Cambridge' horse. A novice winner would not automatically get the worst preferential draw against a field of seasoned multi win horses. Having more conditioned racing throughout NZ may even allow the rating system to be simplified and become more transparent for punters, owners and trainers.

No one has demanded anything. Any rebate would be at the discretion of any club once they have weighed the commercial considerations. Any private outfit is absolutely within their rights to ask or open a dialogue about commercial deals with race clubs. If owners want a better deal maybe they should organize themselves and demand it. What the f*** does a 'true racing supporter' mean! For someone who bemoans the left wing of politics you sure like to throw around alot of anti free market group think.

Get rid of the whips - no place for it these days I took a couple of teenagers to Alex Park 2 years ago - they don't want to go back because of this.

Get HRNZ to develop a coherent business plan in conjunction with NZRB or its successor if one occurs post Messara report and MAC recommendations. More penalty free races for juniors More F and M races with tighter ratings bands A re-look at rating system taking into account different quality of horses competing at the various venues i.e metrop versus country

Yep. The website is an embarrassment, whatever it cost, as is their decision to out-source the fixed odds. All side effects of having management who do not understand the industry they are in. They've got to get people who understand betting in decision making positions, not post office workers, bankers, lawyers or PR consultants. It sounds so obvious and yet the Board seem to persist in hiring people from outside the industry who would not get a job (any job) in any other betting agency.