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a] When will we know where the trials will be hold in the North during September? b] Will trials still be held at Te Teko? c] Te Awamutu have trials scheduled for 25 August! d] What's the difference between the status of Te Teko and Te Awamutu? Official racing wont take place at either venue going forward, but trials are scheduled for one but not the other. What gives? I know where I would rather trial in August/September, and it certainly isn't Te Awamutu irrespective of the transport costs. Come in Bernard Saundry, the Trainers Association and the Owner Association. Clarity is needed given that I am paying $3000 + per month, not knowing what is happening.

Programmes out now for August and Sept and stakes expected to be similar to last year. Bit of a worry that a lot of SI meetings have only 7 races programmed. There are going to be a lot of horses eliminated. Personally I would rather have seen 65s running for $20,000 and open horses for $32,000 and use the extra money to programme some decent 10 race cards, and perhaps a few extra meetings.

Trying to reinvent the wheel trying to put a race meeting on at Ascot Park during winter , 90% of the horses i reckon will have to travel hours as you say , and why would you when you have Ricc and Timaru . Oamaru has been the go to track for winter racing in the lower South Island for years , for a reason , but no , their going to try and get a round peg into a square hole . This just sums up the whole illogical thought processes used by our esteemed leaders .

Well Soliloquy , not sure if you are a regular or not , so not sure if you read most threads and therefor are conversant with the raft of decisions made regarding the industry . i'll assume not otherwise you would have seen the raft of decisions made by RITA/NZTR regarding the racing industry , all basically dropped over a week , i hope they took longer than that to come up with them , they were , - Race dates dropped , and some clubs given none , this included harness . - Commentators , in the north island G Simon and A White to do all gallops, harness , greyhounds . The rest let go . - Studio and on course presenters , on course presenters gone except 20 premium meetings per year , 1 in studio presenter the rest of the time . -Newspaper liftouts and Raceform finished . - No in running commentaries for form lines to be discontinued . - Removal of tote operators and replaced with self serve machines . Probably a couple of others if i searched , but these are the ones off the top of my head that for you i will call reversal of decisions . That is what the definition of a backflip is . - Race dates , Avondale reinstated with 5 days , as well some southern clubs that had lost dates . BACKFLIP . Harness was even bigger . - Commentators , T Lee still working , probably will end up staying on , whilst not a genuine BACKFLIP , the fact that other commentators are still working shows that 2 commentators was never workable . So in my book they haven't held their line so , BACKFLIP . - Studio and on course presenters , so far haven't seen a Saturday with less than 2 presenters , actually had three last Saturday for 2 meetings . BACKFLIP . - In running commentaries , now reinstated going forward . BACKFLIP . - Newspaper and Raceform , well Raceform back , how much of that due to the above form being available , how long till some form of newspaper coverage ? My monies on something happening there also . I'll give you this one , at the moment . - Removal of tote operators , well you've covered that one yourself , but , BACKFLIP . So we have a couple , but my point is these were decisions obviously made with very little thought or plan , by people who simply don't understand their product , or clients and participants , with no consultation process to help make an informed decision . You simply don't make this many changes that you have to then BACKFLIP on , even partially , if you have a well informed , well thought out and cohesive plan . Not just grasping at straws . As for the noms situation you only have to look at the number of OWNERS whose horse have missed getting a start when nominated , at all meetings since the resumption . Even this week's meetings , look at the number that have missed a run along with the number of ballots that are going to miss out . I use owners missing a run as they are the ones footing the bill , the horses are ambivalent . Finally as to your final paragraph regarding our organizations putting out plans but they get pulled apart by different , possibly self interested parties , i'm not going to argue with some disagreement within codes , but please if you know where the current plan for the future can be found would you please let me know , actually if you can show me any plan , and i mean a cohesive , intelligent , well thought out consultative plan for going forward and growing from any time in recent history i would be grateful . Until they come up with even a short term plan they leave themselves open for the criticism they receive . Cheers .

Perhaps take on the Auckland trotting club as a consultant, they have quite a bit of useful experience in that field.

The weather Gods are not playing the ball with regards to the amount of rain fallen in the south lately. Am not sure Ascot park will be a goer based on past wet seasons. Their track has been bottomless in the past. The trouble is, noms and withdrawals for Ascot and Timaru are both on the same days, for Friday ,Ascot and Sunday Timaru So what is one to do ??? Nom for both meetings and have quite a few scratchings at one or both places or take a punt that Ascot wont go ahead and nom for Timaru only? I guess its nice to have choices...The next meeting without traveling 7hours or so, is not until the 7th Aug at Wingatui. Whoever decided that Ascot was a safe bet in July must be from Aussie. If anyone in Invercargill could make a call early would be great but I dont hold out for that happening.. Just know that what you got right now isnt going to change much in a week.

Nice to see a result to grow on, because RITA inherited a mess. However it must be remembered that these revenue/turnover figures are after a new system was implemented to grow them.....I am guessing the new betting platform has not produced the results forecasted... I personally would like to see a comparison to last year not budget. Is that available JJ Flash? thanks

idol, do you believe the china death figures?? what about russia india africa the middle east?? what about killer cuomo?? does he get a leave pass?? he owns 50% of the american deaths you boys spend far too much time on CNN..........

I'm not happy that things that can engender participation like media and the face to face aspect have got stripped out or are under notice, But its rock bottom and the new admin will need to analyse data like buggary and put stuff back in to re- engage the punters and participants. To try and rebuild.

On the face of it, I fail to understand why EXPENSES have not been slashed? Staff expenses still over budget - let alone severely reduced! What is wrong with the Board allowing this to continue?

Before offering the Sunday review, a quick look forward to the action up here in the coming few days. The Newmarket July Festival starts on Thursday and runs to Saturday. It has two Group 1 features - the Falmouth for the fillies and mares over 1600m and the big July Cup over 1200m on Saturday. That's not to say there isn't a strong set of supporting races at both Group 2 level. On Thursday the Group 2 July Stakes for the juveniles has 10 runners. QAADER was second to the 150/1 NANDO PERRADO in the Coventry while TACTICAL won the 1000m Windsor Castle. Into the mix comes SWISS ACE from the all-conquering Aidan O'Brien yard. He won a 1000m maiden on debut at Tipperary and falls into the "could be anything" category. I like QAADER because at Ascot he was on the wrong side of the course and had too much to do late on. The Princess of Wales's Stakes is over 2400m. Eight go and a number of these have to come back from some moderate efforts last time including COMMUNIQUE (who won this last year), DESERT ENCOUNTER and OLD PERSIAN who was frankly dismal in the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud. Charlie Appleby is trying cheek pieces so he's of interest. ALOUNAK ran a blinder in the Hardwicke and must be considered. The two that interest me are both fillies - ENBIHAAR had a stellar 3-y-o campaign as a tough staying filly and ended up running third to Oaks winner ANAPURNA in the Royallieu on ground which probably didn't suit. ANTONIA DE VEGA had a quiet 3-y-o campaign but started this season with a nice win at Pontefract. She's got to find a fair bit against these but with eight runners we can play the each way shark and 9s is a decent price. Newmarket isn't the only game in town on Thursday with York staging its belated opening day and a race which is normally a Derby trial, the Dante, taking place five days AFTER the Derby. That's 2020 for you and I don't really understand why they feel they need to run the race given we are experiencing a glut of quality and a dearth of moderate races. Just six go and favourite is HIGHEST GROUND who dished out a beating to Waldgeist's brother WALDKOENIG at Haydock a fortnight ago. It's solid form but he's taken on by CORMORANT who beat RUSSIAN EMPEROR in the Derby Trial at Leopardstown and that's a good race most years. It's rare Frankie Dettori swerves Newmarket and even rarer he swerves it to go to ride a 10/1 shot but ENCIPHER is that horse and he was a close second to AL MADHAR at Newbury. That's a way below the form of others in the field but the jockey booking makes me sit up and take note. Nine have been entered for Friday's Falmouth at Newmarket over 1600m. TEREBELLUM ran a huge race in the Queen Anne against the colts and back among her own gender has a huge chance. NAZEEF won the Group 2 for the fillies and mares at Ascot and to be honest looks to have it on against TEREBELLUM. ONE MASTER brings Group 1 form to the table - she was second in this last year and won the Foret at Longchamp. She was sixth to HELLO YOUMZAIN in the Diamond Jubilee and while 1200m is clearly too short, 1600m may be far enough but if they dawdle, she will be the one who will be coming home best. There are three 3-y-o entered including PEACEFUL who won the Irish 1000 Guineas before running a close third to the horse she beat into second place that day, FANCY BLUE, in the Diane last Sunday. I'd be surprised if she backs up so quickly but getting the weight she does would put her in this. 15 have been entered for Saturday's July Cup for which Commonwealth Cup winner GOLDEN HORDE is 5/2 favourite with the winner, third and fourth, HELLO YOUMZAIN, SCEPTICAL and KHAADEM the next three in the market. Sunday sees the Jean Prat at Deauville for the 3-y-o over 1400m. French juvenile star EARTHLIGHT is missing the race but among 29 entries are PINATUBO who I think will love the trip and the track.

Dingle, there is a closing time for nominations, you should abide by it. Too many trainers sit back anticipating the nomination time will be extended, so they can study the entries and decide which race would best suit their horse(s)

A quick look at Friday's action at Newmarket which features the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes over 1600m. Just seven run and TEREBELLUM remains a firm 11/8 favourite. On her Queen Anne run, she's going to take a lot of beating. MAGIC WAND backs up quickly after her fourth in last Sunday's Eclipse while NAZEEF won a Group 2 at Ascot and ONE MASTER is the Foret winner who was second in this last year. It's a decent heat but it's hard to look beyond TEREBELLUM. The Duchess of Cambridge is a Group 2 for the juvenile fillies over 1200m. DANDELLA was hugely impressive in the Albany at Ascot winning by six lengths but the ground was soft and she is by Dandy man whose progeny love some juice in the ground. The Newmarket ground is currently Good. TIME SCALE was a strong winner on the other Newmarket track at the end of June and is on the upgrade. The interesting runner for me is MORE BEAUTIFUL who won convincingly on debut at Naas over 1000m. For those who don't know the Irish track, it's a stiff uphill finish and I was surprised to see Aidan O'Brien run her in the Queen Mary in which she got predictably outpaced. This is much more suitable and I rate her a big chance to overturn the locals.

Before I dish up some nonsense on Friday's racing, I thought I'd remind you all of my thoughts on the Jockey Club from last week. OCEAN ATLANTIQUE is the mount of Pierre Charles Boudot and bolted up in a Listed race last time. This is a big jump in class but from the yard of master trainer Andre Fabre that's less of a concern. THE SUMMIT was second to VICTOR LUDORUM in the Poulains and is a huge each way price at 22/1. However, I think this race is heading across La Manche or the English Channel courtesy of MISHRIF who sidestepped Epsom for this and was an impressive winner of the Listed Newmarket Stakes over 2000m beating VOLKAN STAR who followed up last weekend. I've backed him at 10s against the locals. I mean, I give you the winner AND the second - what more can I do? Anyway, enjoy the race but I doubt you'll enjoy it as much as I did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZKPlVoARc0 With Mrs Stodge's steak and champagne supper secure, I thought all that had to happen was for ALPINE STAR to follow up in the Diane. Well, as the saying goes "the best laid plans" - to be fair, I thought she got a decent ride from Pasquier but whether it was the trip or the ground she just ran out of steam in the final 100m and this enabled Irish 1000 Guineas runner up FANCY BLUE to nick the race on the stick. The Irish 1000 Guineas winner PEACEFUL was third and it confirms the widely-held view that, LOVE apart, the 3-y-o fillies are nothing special so far. I suspect ALPINE STAR will come back to 1600m next time and I wonder if they may be tempted to run her against the colts in the Sussex. FANCY BLUE was young Donnacha O'Brien's first classic winner as a trainer but we can be certain it won't be the last. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL9hXfvHTR0 Just a quick mention of Saturday's big races at Belmont. VEKOMA put up a gutsy performance to win the Metropolitan Handicap and could be a serious player in the Breeders Cup Dirt Mile. MCKINZIE was disappointing and while CODE OF HONOR, the 2019 Kentucky Derby runner up, travelled into the race well, he just couldn't quicken against these specialist milers. I think he'll go back up to 2000m. Finally, INSTILLED REGARD just prevailed in a thrilling finish to the Manhattan over 2000m on the turf. I suspect the placed horses may fancy their chances of reversing the places at the Arlington Million in Chicago.

You really need to stop relying on Fox News as your news source hahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha hahahahaha hahahahaha hahahahahahahahaha

Thanks nomates...I'm a realist and know 90% are no good so I don't get too carried away. She has shown enough ability to win a race somewhere?.... it's just a matter of how many? It'll be hard enough trying to get a raceday start in the current climate..let alone winning one! Luck hasn't been on our side in 2020...roll on 2021!

They are always competitive heats , so you always know your horse isn't a duffer if it's winning there . Well done , exciting times .

Yes that was our maiden 3yo Jimmy Choux filly.

Yes, true Nomates. I do find it very frustrating. And not really a difficult or costly subject. I wish they would look at how Sydney and Melbourne programme races sometimes. Perhaps our leaders need to start attending some overseas conferences to get a few ideas.

I believe the other horse or it's pony stable mate from the different property was actually at the track? Is that true? How many other undetected sick horse's were sold by Waikato Stud and put on trucks over the last few months and dispersed all over NZ ? I feel sorry for the little stable that has incurred the massive vet bills...loss of income and the owners who's racehorses are back in lockdown again after Covid-19 through no fault of their own !

Seen a post on my wifes facebook page by the other person with problem , not a good look , and i see Wayne had horses at the jumpouts last week , hopefully none had contact with diseased horse .

How do you know anybody knows how NI racing works , The programming up here is no better at times .

Riverton should not be racing on New Years Day. That meeting should be at Timaru. Timaru should have their Cup with decent supporting stakes, so the Boxing Day horses from Wingatui have a sensible progression of races. As it is there is no feature meeting in the greater Canterbury area for over two months in the middle of summer. That is just too stupid for words by anyone's standards. Just another example of NZTR not having any idea how SI racing should work, and no one in the South standing up for the place.

From the article Baz. Ryan said the publication had enjoyed a big increase in subscriber numbers before lockdown and he hoped to quickly return to a circulation of at least 4000. RaceForm will soon launch a website on which it will provide a full list of retail outlets. It will cost $7.50.

Whether you hate or like Trump, nobody should be distracted from the truth behind the riot and BLM anarchy going on at the moment - especially in the USA. The BLM movement is like the Leftie Antifa crap. It’s part of the Democratic Party. The majority of Blacks vote Democrat as do the majority of Lefties. However, as much as the dislike for Trump is as a person, the American people like what he stands for and I’m picking that he will be in for a second term. Joe Biden will have to be Fed a lot of “Nodoze” tablets and lots of caffeine to keep awake at the debates. Lasting over 2 hours each, how else are they going to keep him awake? The civil disruption emanating from these Democratic proxies is going to rebound on them something bad.

You didn't answer my question... the answer to yours is NO Maybe this will remind you why he is there...it is beginning to play out for the public but the silent war has been in force since the beginning .

Yes 45, please tell us who?

There's no teeth left . Still waiting for someone , anyone , been asking this question for a while , to show exactly which tracks/clubs , and for how much each of these clubs has been "sucking the industry dry " . Just the names and figures will do . Don't need rhetoric . The 2 clubs i know of do it almost exclusively thru volunteer effort and grants , got nothing to do with NZTR/RITA . If they have ever got anything it certainly wasn't helping to suck the industry dry .

True , but keep in mind that depreciation is a book figure and not cash .Plus the NZRB/Rita was always charged to pay out to codes their surplus. Hence there was nothing for a rainy day or to spend up on the new Betting platform. Herein lay their problem ,accentuated by the new platforms teething issues. Plus JAllen had been hanging his hat on the imminent windfall.....Racefields legislation , Point of consumption Fee ,and abolition of Gambling Duty.Duty alone had been $13 mill in 2018. So they had been paying out more than they earned for a good few years , with these changes in mind ! Unfortunately they made little apparent effort to slash costs such as salaries.In fact they wanted a 'world class ' betting system with hundreds of thousands of betting options per day [especially in Sports] which in view of NZ's size seemed questionable. Plus they were trapped by the lack of a collaborative approach from the Codes as a whole thru Regional bias etc which has dogged the Industry for 50 years as all towns regions want their track in their town.....this has been sucking the Industry dry ,yet even after Co-vid and the basic Insolvency of the TAB folk are still wanting to retain these distant venues with little horse population that are costing both owners, the communities and the TAB a small fortune to service. No one wants to change !

Because they only made $75m while they paid out $88m - i.e. they are giving more to the codes than they are making. False economics and the merry-go-round has stopped now with Covid in the 2nd half year. Desperate times. Thanks John Allen (and Bayliss, Brown, Hansen).

I talked to a person who is a large presence in the industry who said 20m has recently been stripped out of costs. I dont know if the person was privy to the information so wont give the name.

National were in Govt. for 9 years ... Polluted most rivers in the south island , thanks to the farmers ... As for Auckland beaches @ 12 November 2019 .. The Auckland City Council is liable for that debacle ... Maybe National Govt.should have spent more $$$ on sewage systems than on roads!!

On the Revenue side? But what about Expenses?

What does this even mean? What has it got to do with nominations at Riccarton or even nominations in general? Please give an example, so that we can have some meaningful discussion. Without that, we would all just be clutching at straws as well. I can think of a couple of possible examples of a backflip that you *might* mean. RITA said no tote operators at all to begin with and then decided to bring a few back, because everyone got (correctly) mad about it. Is that a backflip - or is it listening to it's audience? Yes I'm aware that if they had looked in the first place that they wouldn't have tried to get rid of them, but would people rather have tote operators now or have RITA show that it is 'strong and independent' by sticking to its word, and have none? In addition, every time one of those organisations even tries to make a plan for the future, and change something, it gets ripped apart by many. It is quite difficult to come up with a fully cohesive plan - racing has so many stakeholders that range from the people implicitly involved all the way to the public that is almost impossible to satisfy everyone. Even on this forum there are examples of this. Everyone here wants a better future for racing. But a lot of people here also disagree on many issues, such as Avondale, small clubs, best ways to produce racing media, etc. This isn't to say either NZTR or RITA are doing a good job, but it is to say that doing a great one isn't simple. I agree that racing here needs a direction to improve But being equally vague is at best not that useful, and at worst, being somewhat contridictive.

Obviously not as bad a result as many on here predicted but it covers the period up to January 31 , a date when things really turned to custard with Betting Platform issues and leading into the outbreak of covid which really hit home the lack of equity . The commentary is careful to accentuate the positives where the numbers compare favourably with either previous year or with budget. No sales figures for codes , but hints that Sports betting continues to increase ,ditto gaming /pokies . It mentions the higher balances of external borrowing which will become apparent in year end Balance Sheet along with the lack of equity and basic insolvency. IMO the key statement is "the serious structural issues within the Industry and TAB business". And obviously nothing of any note had been done by 31 January to decrease operating expenses......co-vid certainly changed this ! Before folk ask the Board fees, travel accom , Consultancy ,Audit, legal ,and merchant fees are always included in notes under "Other expenses".

Seen plenty of those Fermoy. Sponsorship should come under the Sales/Marketing umbrella and that’s usually the problem. Very few clubs employ the right sort of people to do the job properly, or see that area as a waste of time and money so anyone can do it. Then they wonder why things go tits up.

Riccarton was great last Saturday due to the start time and work commitments we arrived very late. Absolutely no problems. Even tipped a winner for later in the day. Top marks and appreciated. Free drinks and nice company.

Only one race has fewer noms than the maximum field size, 14 when the limit is 16. One has 29 noms, which I imagine they will split. So I can't see any reason to leave noms open.

It's about time someone got made an example of. Have no sympathy for the cheat. Probably been doing it for years and finally got caught. Sooner they get stuck into others the better.

Dennis Ryan assures me they will be and the missing Pukekohe day will be included.

The judgement identifies/settles Precedent for future rule breakers. That to me is the best outcome of this case. Some may argue he has been made an example of but in the end it was HIM that broke the rules. Others now know what lies ahead if the try and wrought the system so from a deterrent point of view its no bad thing IMHO Greg

All the apologists conspicuously absent now. Nasty old RIU caught a cheat. How dare they...bullies !! But I’m sure the Judicial Committee of JCA are crooks too now !! Wonder if HRNZ chair who proudly supported this bloke will now indulge in some self reflection about their suitability for the role ?

Don't want to get into the debate too harsh/not harsh enough, but really he should just walk away and find something new to do in his life hard as that is going to be. Yes he could appeal I suppose but in the end he is toast insofar as anything to do with harness racing is concerned. I wish him well in what ever he chooses to do.

No it's really me Mike. The problems we are having with the Management of HRNZ at both Executive and Board level stem from the system that the industry operates under. The decision makers all the way through are at Committee level from the Clubs to the Board of HRNZ. The people that have real skin in the game like Trainers, owners, drivers and breeders have no input into the management of their industry. If a committee person or a Board member make wrong or poor decisions it has no real effect on them. If it's bad enough they might have to resign their position. The people who have a considerable financial investment in the industry can't just walk away, however. Those decisions effect their livelihood. It's time that people are called to account for their poor decisions and it's time that people with large investments in the industry were given representation at Board level. The cry of the rebellious Americans in their war of independence was No taxation without representation. Why should owners , trainers and breeders pay anything to HRNZ without representation at board level. The decision making process would be considerably enhanced if it effected your livelihood

Time for a catchup . Controversial filmmaker Michael Moore's had his latest documentary production taken off YouTube . The film claims green energy sources such as wind and solar power can't be sustained forever. Before it was taken down, the film had had more than 8 million views. “This attempt to take down our film and prevent the public from seeing it is a blatant act of censorship by political critics of Planet of the Humans,” he wrote. This is just another attempt by the film’s opponents to subvert the right to free speech. And another having doubts , Perhaps this could be displayed in schools , it might help ease the mental abuse our young people are being subjected to . Michael Shellenberger is an environmentalist who has been named by Time as a Hero of the Environment and won a Green Book Award. On behalf of environmentalists everywhere, I would like to formally apologise for the climate scare we created over the past 30 years. Climate change is happening. It’s just not the end of the world. It’s not even our most serious environmental problem. I have been a climate activist for 20 years and an environmentalist for 30. But as an energy expert asked by the US congress to provide ­objective testimony, and invited by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to serve as a reviewer of its next assessment report, I feel an obligation to apologise for how badly we environmentalists have misled the public.

Poor Greta. 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Mark: Mark changed the listing description. · 4w See All in Messenger Murray Sanders · -------M---a-y 2-----8-- -----a---t- -2-:-0-4-- P--M · One crisp winter morning in Sweden, a cute little girl named Greta woke up to a perfect world, one where there were no petroleum products ruining the earth. She tossed aside her cotton sheet and wool blanket and stepped out onto a dirt floor covered with willow bark that had been pulverized with rocks. “What’s this?” she asked. “Pulverized willow bark,” replied her fairy godmother. “What happened to the carpet?” she asked. “The carpet was nylon, which is made from butadiene and hydrogen cyanide, both made from petroleum,” came the response. Greta smiled, acknowledging that adjustments are necessary to save the planet, and moved to the sink to brush her teeth where instead of a toothbrush, she found a willow, mangled on one end to expose wood fibre bristles. “Your old toothbrush?” noted her godmother, “Also nylon.” “Where’s the water?” asked Greta. “Down the road in the canal,” replied her godmother, ‘Just make sure you avoid water with cholera in it” “Why’s there no running water?” Greta asked, becoming a little peevish. “Well,” said her godmother, who happened to teach engineering at MIT, “Where do we begin?” There followed a long monologue about how sink valves need elastomer seats and how copper pipes contain copper, which has to be mined and how it’s impossible to make all-electric earth-moving equipment with no gear lubrication or tires and how ore has to be smelted to a make metal, and that’s tough to do with only electricity as a source of heat, and even if you use only electricity, the wires need insulation, which is petroleum-based, and though most of Sweden’s energy is produced in an environmentally friendly way because of hydro and nuclear, if you do a mass and energy balance around the whole system, you still need lots of petroleum products like lubricants and nylon and rubber for tires and asphalt for filling potholes and wax and iPhone plastic and elastic to hold your underwear up while operating a copper smelting furnace and . . . “What’s for breakfast?” interjected Greta, whose head was hurting. "Fresh, range-fed chicken eggs,” replied her godmother. “Raw.” “How so, raw?” inquired Greta. “Well, . . .” And once again, Greta was told about the need for petroleum products like transformer oil and scores of petroleum products essential for producing metals for frying pans and in the end was educated about how you can’t have a petroleum-free world and then cook eggs. Unless you rip your front fence up and start a fire and carefully cook your egg in an orange peel like you do in Boy Scouts. Not that you can find oranges in Sweden anymore. “But I want poached eggs like my Aunt Tilda makes,” lamented Greta. “Tilda died this morning,” the godmother explained. “Bacterial pneumonia.” “What?!” interjected Greta. “No one dies of bacterial pneumonia! We have penicillin.” “Not anymore,” explained godmother “The production of penicillin requires chemical extraction using isobutyl acetate, which, if you know your organic chemistry, is petroleum-based. Lots of people are dying, which is problematic because there’s not any easy way of disposing of the bodies since backhoes need hydraulic oil and crematoriums can’t really burn many bodies using as fuel Swedish fences and furniture, which are rapidly disappearing - being used on the black market for roasting eggs and staying warm.” This represents only a fraction of Greta’s day, a day without microphones to exclaim into and a day without much food, and a day without carbon-fibre boats to sail in, but a day that will save the planet. Tune in tomorrow when Greta needs a root canal and learns how Novocain is synthesized.

Can't think of anything positive that came to racing from the last National government. Not sure why it will change this time around.

Several actually P4P..... 1. How do you and Todd aim to improve National’s chances at the next election, given where you are now in the polls ? ( We’ll presume they are right) 2. Given Racings significant contribution to the NZ economy, how much tangible recognition will it get from the National Govt ? 3. Did you agree with the recent $72m bail out negotiated by Peters and Ardern ?

Nikki, The Racing Board, or whatever it is called this week, has proven itself to be totally and completely broken. What can I do to help you clean up and restart this dysfunctional outfit?